{"sf1_id":52660,"sf2_id":"q1xzRzZm","title":"Chapter Ten: Mourning","author":"The Roseblack Dragon","words":3606,"posted_at":"2008-06-10T02:18:00.000Z","tags":["Character Development","Death","Feudal Japan","M/F","Rape","Snuff","Story Progression","Violence"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/52660-chapter-ten-mourning","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/q1xzRzZm","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/2d/da/2dda1b32-fec7-40ea-bab8-8309d016204f","description":"#11 of Tales of Ippon","content":"  \n  \n\"So, Rokkotsu-sama, how does it feel?\" the old vixen churred, smiling.  \n  \nShuji hefted the spear only to find that it was lighter than he expected. With a  \nthoughtful expression, he stepped back and made play with it, the blue steel blade on the  \nend splitting the air keenly as he swung and spun the pole arm. Halfway between a glaive  \nand a spear, the blade was wide, with the tip angled like a Tanto piercing dagger, but on a  \nlarger scale. Sharpened along both edges, front and back; it was made to cut on both the  \nfore and backswing. Another pass and he stopped the spin, tucking the weapon under his  \narm and looking at it again. The haft was solid, without much of the 'spring' that wooden  \nspears had, but all of the lightness of wood. The white-translucent crystalline pole was not  \nstiff or rigid, but had the feel of wood to it, with the strength and tenacity of the finest  \nsteel. \"I have not seen its Equal. What is your name, blacksmith?\"  \n  \n\"Shiji Hasatri,\" she grinned.  \n  \nShuji blinked, astounded, \"The Smith of Living Steel?\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; She laughed, \"That was a few decades ago... but yes.\"  \n  \nShuji nodded, \"I will treasure this for all my life.\"  \n  \nThe vixen laughed, \"Well you shouldn't have much trouble with that. Set it down  \nand someone else pick it up.\"  \n  \nShuji blinked and nodded, setting the spear down. Rihatsu leapt at the  \nopportunity to hold his new instructor's signature weapon, he gripped the haft and pulled, but  \nthe spear weighed more than anything he'd ever encountered. It would not budge. Everyone  \nlooked on, amazed.  \n  \n\"The spear is yours and yours alone. None can claim it, fetch it, or put it to use.\"  \nThe old Kyujin nodded as Shuji picked up the spear, much to Rihatsu's pouting.  \n  \n\"A curious technique at the very least. How did you manage such a thing?\"  \nUsuyami asked, her inner blacksmith surfacing.  \n  \nShiji smiled, \"it would not be much of a trade secret if I told you... but the binding  \nrequires some uncommon things, such as a part of the one who it is to be bound to.\" She  \nsmiled at Natsumi and nodded.  \n  \nNatsumi nodded back and looked up to Shuji, \"Spear special too.\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Shiji nodded, \"Indeed, I managed to forge the stone from the Ajiki into the blade.  \nI'm sure you'll find the result useful.\"  \n  \nShuji nodded and smiled, \"I thank you, from the bottom of my heart.\"  \n  \nThe Kyujin laughed, \"Thank not me, Rokkotsu-sama. Thank your foreign friend  \nthere.\"  \n  \nHe blinked and looked at Natsumi, \"you?\"  \n  \nShe nodded, \"With Merchant-san's help. Old spear important, but new life coming,  \nso need new spear.\"  \n  \nShuji blinked and then blinked again and gasped, \"What? Wait.... You mean  \nyou're?!\"  \n  \nNatsumi tilted her head, confused.  \n  \nShuji nodded and put his hand on her lower abdomen, nodding  \nemphatically, \"Here? Life?\"  \n  \nNatsumi gasped and went red in her cheeks, but the result was not shy  \nembarrassment. She reached up and swatted the larger male across the cheek, forgetting  \nher Japanese and scolding him in a string of angered English. Shuji blinked and bowed, not  \ndaring to rub his stinging cheek, \"Forgive me... I thought you were talking about something  \nelse.\"  \n  \nShe stopped her grumbling and sighed, rubbing her now sore palm, \"Not... not  \nwanting children.\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Shuji nodded and smiled, \"Not yet, for me... but...\" he leaned in and whispered to  \nher, making her blush as she swatted his chest lightly and leaned against him.  \n  \n\"AHEM!\" Usuyami coughed, \"since we're all ready... I think it's about time we got  \nmoving again. Those things haven't come back, so we can say it's safe that the Gasaran  \nforces are focused elsewhere. With that being the case, we should hurry on to Tetsumo.\"  \n  \nShuji nodded, \"Yes... that's probably for the best.\"  \n  \nUsuyami turned to her maids, \"Kita, Yui? Go on ahead of us and make sure there  \nare messengers ready to travel to the Akanti provinces. We need to get word moving  \nthroughout Ippon that these foul things are massing for war.\"  \n  \n\"Yes ma'am!\"  \n  \n\"Mistress!\" And the two women were gone, leaping through the forest trees  \ntoward the city.  \n  \n\"Hagoni isn't much more than two days travel. If we leave now we can get there  \nby sunset tomorrow,\" Usuyami nodded, \"There will be plenty of time for... other things...  \nwhen we arrive.\" She smiled to Aoi, who gave her a warning look.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"We are going?\" Rihatsu nodded in the direction they were going to go.  \n  \nUsuyami nodded, \"Yes, we are.\" And the group set out at a brisk walk, pacing  \nthemselves for the journey.  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n\"So, how does it feel, Master James?\" the feline purred.  \n  \nJames barely responded with a groan, his throat tight, and his body numb. His  \nhead pounded with a dull ache as his vision cleared. But the colors were off, almost,  \ndistorted. Even though he saw things clearly, it was like he was looking at everything  \nthrough a spyglass. He found his eyes focusing from the whole room, to little things, like the  \nants crawling along the floor, and the cracks in the ceiling stones. \"Ugh... wh-what happened?\"  \n  \nGul'brekh smiled, \"We finished the treatments. Can you sit up? Or Stand?\"  \n  \n\"Everything's numb,\" James growled, his voce sounding deeper, \"What did you  \ndo?\"  \n  \n\"The numbness will pass. And All I did was give you that which you desired. The  \nstrength to take back your wife from those who have stolen her.\"  \n  \nJames growled and held his head, his hand covering his entire face, \"ugh... S-  \nsummer... that lizard bastard...\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"Yesss...\" the feline smirked, \"Come with me James, Take a look and see what  \nyour wife's captor will face now.\"  \n  \nJames shook his fuzzy head and turned, sitting up shakily as his feet touched the  \ncold stone floor. As he stood, the stone crunched a little... he felt... higher... his point of vision  \nwell taller than the tall feline who had stood over him before. He turned and saw a mirror,  \nand staring back at him was a massive black fox, piled with muscle and coarse fur, eyes  \nglimmering with a balorous green as the thing blinks in shock at its own appearance. \"Is  \nthat... me?\" James and the thing in the mirror spoke.  \n  \n\"Yes. More than a match for any barbarian Samurai, don't you agree?\"  \n  \nJames looks at his massive hands, musing over the sensation of moving them as  \nhe adjusted to his new shape, \"How... did you do this?\"  \n  \n\"That... is a secret. But trust me, your wife will see that you are far superior to  \nthat gibbering reptile,\" the feline sneered. \"As it stands, Yemi is completely enamored with  \nyou now.\"  \n  \nJames blinked and strained his fuzzed memory. When he arrived, Gul'brekh had  \nset an Ipponese serving girl to attend to him. In the days that followed, she had attended to  \nhim nightly, for several hours, performing acts that he would never have dreamed Summer  \ndoing. Inevitably he felt his loins stirring, and in wonder without shame, he glanced down,  \nblinking in astonishment as his sheath swelled ominously. Gul'brekh laughed, \"I see... I will  \nsend her in, to give you time to... become familiar... with your features\" As the feline left,  \nJames' shaft spilled out, making him yip in shock at himself, well over twice his previous  \nmass, his shaft was longer and thicker all around. And he was not even fully-hardened! That  \nsoon changed as he found himself marveling at his own member, the growing length sporting  \nseveral semi-hard bumps on the length, and a ring of what could only be described as  \nflexible 'prongs' circling the ridge just behind the throbbing tip. The prongs were amazingly  \nsensitive, and touching one sent a shiver down his nerves. The door opened and Yemi  \nstepped in, her long black silk robe half open, her eyes wide and staring.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"J-jami-san... you's wanting Yemi service, yes now?\" she spoke softly, a hint of  \nfear in her voice as she untied the sash, opening her robe fully as she stepped forward  \nshakily. James blinked; he could smell her fear, the odd scent almost flooding his senses.  \nSome part of him said that it was wrong for her to fear him. That part was quickly bashed  \nsenseless by the primal instincts that were gnawing at his focus hungrily, pushing him to  \nstand and step toward the now-tiny woman, a low, lustful growl leaving his throat as he  \npushed the robe off her, making her jump. She froze and trembled, eyes locked on the  \nmonster of a shaft that proudly greeted her, the thing easily the size of her forearm, but  \nthicker all along it, and dripping threateningly with heavy, musky globs of pre. She looked up  \nfrom it and met his eyes, gasping, \"j-jami-san?\"  \n  \nHe did not answer, James Brinks was lost as the beast he had become took over,  \npicking up the small girl and shoving her roughly against the wooden table, the impact on  \nher hips bending her over as she yelped in fright and immediately started to crawl up onto  \nthe table, trying to get her legs up. The hands came down, though and gripped her tiny  \nwaist, holding her backside up, with her feet off the floor and her chest and face pressed to  \nthe cloth-covered wood. She struggled, but it was useless as the James-beast growled and  \npulled her back against the throbbing meat of his cock, the head crushing her dainty little  \npetals as he smeared the hot sticky pre all over her folds, working her hips to gain purchase  \ninto her.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Yemi, for her part was screaming and grunting, trying to clench herself closed, to  \nkeep the massive beast from taking what she had so foolishly and willingly given before. She  \nlooked back with another gasp as the beasts' thumbs squeezed her rear, spreading the  \nplump cheeks of her backside that had made her so popular in the Teahouses of her home.  \nWith her rear, the thumbs also spread her clenched petals and he gave a grunt as he shoved  \nthe wide tip against her entry, finding his place as he churred and shoved again, the tip  \nstarting to penetrate, stretching her tightened cunny around the thickness as with a feral  \nsnarl he lunged again, popping her open over his shaft as a third of him sank into the  \nscreaming girl.  \n  \nGroaning, he began to thrust away at her violated sex, each forceful shove  \ndriving more of him into her. Yemi screamed and thrashed, only serving to fuel the fires of  \nfurious indignation inside him, a massive paw left her rear and clamped down on the back of  \nher neck. She gave a choked cry as her face was driven against the hard table; almost  \ncutting off her air supply as the beast behind her savagely rammed his massive shaft into  \nher over and over again. She whined, feeling herself blacking out, but that was all ended as  \neverything stopped for her as she felt and heard the bones at the top of her neck finally  \nsurrender to the crushing pressures of the beast's paw. Yemi was gone, but the beast called  \nJames Brinks didn't' care however, and simply kept on going, ramming himself into the limp  \nlittle Kyujin mercilessly. Then with a snarl, he drove himself fully into her, her lifeless body  \ngiving no resistance to the invader as his knot inflated. There was a distinctive 'crack' as a  \ntight pressure on his knot was relieved, and the girl's legs went even limper as his length  \nswelling slightly before he could feel his body pumping the poor girl full of his essence. As he  \ncalmed down, his mind returned and he blinked a bit, pulling out of the girl's body with a wet  \nsound as his spent seed sloshed out of her abused sex. Her neck was broken, and her once-  \nshapely hips now sat ad off angles, her pelvis likely broken by the massive knot he sported  \nat the base of his shaft, the slowly softening length coated in his own release and the girl's  \nblood. He backed away, spooked by what he had just done as the realization hit him. The  \nnow-massive James Brinks dropped to his knees and wailed, the roar of dismay echoing  \nthrough the complex. Outside the door, Gul'brekh smiled...  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp;  \n  \n  \n  \nHagoni was visible from the cliff top, but the climb down into the valley, and  \nacross the bridges into the village was another day's worth of treacherous paths. Hagoni was  \nsettled into the side of the cliff, Even though it was a farming village, Hagoni's rice was a  \nunique breed that was somehow grown in caves and underground grottos. The secret of  \nthe 'darkrice' was kept within the village, and none from outside were allowed to see the  \ncaves. But the group that camped at the top of the cliff was not there for rice, they were  \nthere to plan.  \n  \n\"So Hagoni is a diversion?\" Aoi blinked.  \n  \n\"Indeed,\" Usuyami smiled, \"I'm good friends with the headman, and he has a  \ntunnel that leads about two Ri north, from there we can split up. Yarimoto-san will head  \nnortheast to Ganta, the Hodai will be willing and eager to rally to face this threat, the lesser  \nclans should follow their lead.\"  \n  \n\"Wouldn't you be a better choice? The Hodai have had great relations with the  \nAkanti for decades,\" Shuji blinked. \"I've never actually had any communication with them.\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; \"You'll do fine. I'll head west to Ikito; I think they'll be the first targets, since they  \nhave such small settlements.\" She nodded pointing to a map that had been procured earlier.  \n  \n\"Who will go north to Rakari?\" Aoi questioned, pointing out the frozen northlands  \non the map. \"That is going to be the most dangerous to get to as they will have to pass by  \nGasayama.\"  \n  \nUsuyami nodded, \"Rakari will be Rihatsu's mission.\"  \n  \nThe young samurai blinked and looked up, \"Me?\"  \n  \nUsuyami nodded, \"You. Travel east with Yarimoto-san, then turn north once you  \nreach Ganta's Siriu Plains. From there you can reach Nizuru in a day of straight travel, and a  \nship there can take you to Gomoran, just outside the Fuzhun Citadel. Lord Garasu should be  \neager to help the son of Aritseru Kajikuro.\"  \n  \nShuji slapped his knee, realizing, \"Because his wife is one of Aritseru's daughters!\"  \n  \n\"Exactly. He Values family above all else. A brother-in-law would have every last  \nbit of help needed. And if the Fuzhun ride to war against the Gasaran... so will all of Rakari.\"  \nUsuyami nodded.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Rihatsu wasn't so convinced, \"That is very far...\"  \n  \nShe sighed, \"Rihatsu... Consider the journey of your life... and you will see that a  \ntrip to Rakari is not but a fraction of the road you will walk in the greatness of your life.\"  \n  \nHe wanted to smile, but all he could remember was the viciousness she had  \nshowed when he was trying to please her two nights past.  \n  \nAoi nodded, \"We are all relying on you, Rihatsu-sama.\"  \n  \nShuji smiled and clapped the boy's shoulder, \"And as soon as I finish my business  \nwith the Hodai, I will make my way to you.\"  \n  \nNatsumi tugged on Shuji's sleeve, \"I coming, yes?\"  \n  \nShuji thought a moment and nodded, \"Yes... but it will be a hard trip. If you want  \nto stay back, I understand.\"  \n  \n\"Shuji-sama goes, Natsumi goes,\" she nodded firmly.  \n  \nUsuyami clapped her hands and closed the map, \"good, then get some sleep.  \nAfter a break in Hagoni tomorrow, the real journey starts.\" And the group separated into  \ntheir respective tents, Usuyami taking the first watch...  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \nShuji walked up to the tree and knocked on it, \"Shidomori-dono... It's my turn...\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; She silently landed behind him, \"shh... something's coming.\"  \n  \nShuji jumped when she spoke, but froze at her words. Indeed the brush was thick  \nwith movement. Something big.  \n  \n\"It's been circling for a while. It sounds like a person, but the mass is far too big  \nto be anything less than a horse and rider,\" she hissed quietly, her blade ready to be drawn.  \n  \nShuji nodded and gripped his spear, \"there straight ahead... I think it sees us.\"  \n  \n\"I'll move left... can you get its attention?\"  \n  \n\"Consider it done,\" he smiled and she was gone.  \n  \nAhead of Shuji, about twenty paces, the dark mass waited in the brush, the  \nheavy breath audible to him at even that distance... a sniffing, and then a growl. And then  \nsomething he did not expect... a deep voice snarling, \"You...\" Shuji readied his spear.  \n  \n\"YOU!\" the thing roared as it barreled out of the brush, a black creature easily  \nhalf again Shuji's height with massive claws and corded muscle under the shimmering oil-  \nblack fur. The swipe impacted the spear's haft and knocked Shuji flying into Rihatsu's tent,  \nthe silk shredding under the strain. The small camp was in motion, waking from interrupted  \nsleep as Shuji righted himself.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; The black beast wore thick leather and steel armor over its arms and waist, the  \nchest and back mostly only protected by thick leather plates. Balorous green eyes glared ad  \nwicked teeth snarled at the Rokkotsu Lord, \"You... kill you...\"  \n  \nShuji blinked a bit, but held his ready stance, the creature lunged again and he  \nslid around the attack, the haft of the spear screaming through the air as the weighted end  \nimpacted the thing right between the eyes, making it stagger, but it still got a hand on him,  \nhefting Shuji by the ankle it flung him at the nearest tree. The impact was hard and it  \nknocked the wind out of Shuji's lungs.  \n  \n\"Shuji-sama!\" Natsumi wailed, and the beast paused, turning to look at her, the  \nsnarl fading into a look of shock and worry as it crooned...  \n  \n\"Summerr?\" the thing blinked.  \n  \nNatsumi sucked in a breath, covering her mouth in horror, \"James?! What  \nhappened...?\"  \n  \nJames crouched down, keeping from towering over the small woman, \"Summer,  \nI'm taking you home...\"  \n  \nShe backed up, terrified, \"N-no...\"  \n  \n\"Yes. We're going home,\" he insisted, tail swishing with a twitch of frustration.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; She backed away again and screamed, \"NO!!\"  \n  \nRage boiled up and over as the black beast lashed out, knocking the smaller  \nwoman flying out of sight.  \n  \n\"Natsumi!!\" Shuji roared, leaping to his feet.  \n  \n\"Yarimoto-san, NO!\" Usuyami screeched as she had poised herself in a tree for a  \nsurprise attack, but Shuji was in motion, snarling and spinning his spear with enough force to  \ndistort the air around it. The black beast turned at the last second as the spear's blade bit  \ninto the creature's shoulder, chewing clean through the armor from the force of impact. Shuji  \ngripped the spear and managed to redirect the rotational force into himself, making him spin  \nup and around the spear where his foot impacted the creature's cheek, sending it spinning  \naway as the spear wrenched free.  \n  \nThe wound did not bleed, and the arm did not move. The creature growled in  \npained rage as it lunged again, Shuji's reaction whipping the spear up and then down  \nimpaling the creature's hand into the ground as he spun again, his katana coming free with  \nan unearthly shriek of steel, biting clean through the creature's skull from top to bottom, and  \nthen again from cheek to cheek. A third spin carried Shuji alongside, and he lopped off the  \nminced head at the neck, snarling as the creature's body fell lifeless.  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; He stood there for a second and then spat on the corpse, dropping his sword and  \nrunning to where Natsumi landed.  \n  \n\"Natsumi!!\" he skidded to a halt in the brush, the cloud cover clearing above as  \nthe moon shone down through the ruined trees. He picked her up, but her body was limp and  \nno breath stirred in her lungs. He gasped and shook, \"Natsumi... no...\" Shuji trembled as he  \nclutched the foreign woman to his chest, sobbing into her hair. The heart that had loved him  \nwould never beat again... and the lord of Rokkotsu was undone. As the others gathered,  \nShuji set her down, kneeling silently alongside her, setting her hands folded over her chest,  \narranging her perfectly. When he was done he took a slow breath and spoke softly...  \n  \n  \n  \n _\"No sword cuts deep,  \n\"As the wounding of the heart,  \n\"That death brings from love.\"_    \n  \n  \n  \nUsuyami nodded and bowed at the waist, Aoi and the others following, Rihatsu  \ncatching on after Aoi. With heads lowered, they all stayed a moment before they stood and  \nUsuyami put a hand on Shuji's shoulder, \"I am sorry, Yarimoto-san,\" she sniffed a bit and  \nforced her eyes to dry, \"Take what time you need.\"  \n  \n\n\u0026nbsp; Shuji nodded numbly.  \n  \nAfter the camp was struck, and they had started down the path to Hagoni, Shuji  \ngathered wood and materials, setting his love's body atop the stack, and starting a blaze as  \nhe intoned the prayers to the gods for the safe passage of her soul into the holy courts.  \nThrough out the valley his voice carried on the winds, the lonesome chant casting a pall on  \nthe day as the dark clouds gathered, and once the body had reduced to ash... the sky wept  \nalong with the Lord of Rokkotsu.  \n  \nAs the rain poured on, Shuji took his freshly blooded spear and strode to the  \nCliffside, staring into the chasm. He took a deep breath and turned his head skyward, raising  \nhis spear, \"Sufai!! Hear my Plea! See her safely to your court, and another innocent shall  \nnever see harm in my sight so long as I draw breath!!\" As if to acknowledge his cry, the sky  \nsplit with a riot of lightning and thunder... and Shuji smiled.  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n\n","series":{"name":"Tales of Ippon","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/51849-chapter-nine-intimacy.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/57953-chapter-eleven-betrayal.json"}}