Wolf and Keeper

Chapter 28: Wounds on the Soul

"But that doesn't make any sense!" Naoyuki and Nobuhiko had been going on for several hours as they walked along the road to the point that Avery had completely abandoned them and was walking up beside Maru, who kept staring down at his map praying silently that he was, indeed, going the right way.

"Fuck, I wish I knew how close we were," Maru quietly whispered as he prayed that it was close so the fighting would end faster.

Avery looked down at the map as Maru looked up at him, and he saw his eyes widen as he took it from Maru. Maru watched him pause and look up at the sky, narrowing his eyes as he made adjustments to the map before his eyes widened and he handed it back to Maru, "You've been taking us in the wrong goddamn direction, you blind bastard!"

Maru looked down at the paper and saw that they had been technically following the road in reverse for over half a day anf that they had, by his estimation, missed at least six turns where they should have gone down several side roads. "Oh, you have got to be..." he paused and looked up at Avery, who was looking down at him about as unamused as humanly possible as he did. "Not a word. Not to Nobuhiko and not to Naoyuki."

"Normally, this is where I'd insult the shit out of you, but if we're being honest.... At the rate this whole trip is going, this is about what I've come to expect."

"I can't understand you, remember?"

"Oh, I know you can't."

"What's going on up there?" Maru heard Nobuhiko call up from behind them, and both Maru and Naoyuki exchanged a quick look before they turned around with confident smiles that was met with suspicious confusion from both of the others.

"We're good! Just... having a chat."

Nobuhiko frowned, "You can't understand each other."

"It's the feeling."

Naoyuki narrowed his eyes, "Sounds like bullshit."

"You sound like bullshit," Maru heard Avery mutter something under his breath as he turned back to the road looking more tired and done than when he began.

Despite the constant bickering between the samurai and the mercenary, Maru was still mostly enjoying the trip. He kept his decision to hear-out Hashioni and Sen as an option in the back of his mind, carefully stored away. There was still a part of him that told him if there was the chance to kill the yokai, he should take it. Who knows if the Rot could even be cured? Experience told him to rely on the element of surprise than take the risk, but something about it still wasn't sitting right with him at the end of the day. Maru watched Avery beside him and moved in closer to him, "I just need an ear."

"Yes?"

"Okay... If we ran really quickly, I think we could outrun Nobuhiko. If I got you a new sword, could you theoretically knock out Naoyuki? I think you could. That would solve our fighting problem."

"It certainly would be a lot quieter."

"That sounded like an affirmation."

"Congratulations, it was."

"I don't trust that conspiratorial nonsense going on up there," Naoyuki called up, soon trotting up to join them with suspicious eyes. He looked between the two before rolling his shoulders, and they were soon joined by Nobuhiko, who had taken up walking beside Maru. "Okay, so, this area we're supposed to be coming up on here is allegedly home to an Ashura."

"An Ashura," Maru looked over at him, eyes wide. "Ashura. The Buddhist warrior deities? Those Ashura?"

Naoyuki nodded. "Lives in a monastery, apparently." He paused and looked over at Maru, "Hey... think you could beat one of those?"