Kisei no Shinryaku

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Orokan'zao ran through the forest, the others following close behind. He sprinted tirelessly through the forest, the body he had inhabited was sturdy and durable, built for endurance. Already he heard them give up on him, sighing in sadness, as if he were a lost cause. Finally, the great expanse of water between Shark Island and Star Island appeared. The possessed human jumped into the water, and began swimming rapidly to Star Island. The last words he heard were :"We will not forgive you!"

* * *

At last, Orokan'zao reached Star Island. He climbed out of the water and sunned himself on the rocks to warm up his bones and body. Afterwards, Orokan'zao started to run towards the village hoping to convince the others of his betrayal.

* * *

Azuma and Dai were armed to the teeth with swords, knives, shurikens, and various other weapons. They were heading towards the Mizu clan to warn them of the problem. Because of the bitter hatred between the clans, Azuma and Dai carried the weapons. As the pair was walking, they heard a sort of groaning sound. Immediately they turned, vigilant for the Mizu guard beasts, but instead they saw a haggard man. Azuma took in the unblinking eyes, bloody chest, and expressionless face- and immediately hurled a shuriken at the man's exposed throat. He nimbly dodged the throwing star and tried to speak to Azuma,"Look, I only want to help . . ." But before he could finish, Azuma threw a steel bolas at his legs, tripping him up. Azuma went to stab him with a knife, but was abruptly stopped by Dai.

"Let's hear what the vermin has to say first," Dai said gruffly.

Azuma nodded in agreement.

"Alright, you piece of trash, give me an explanation and make it good, otherwise I'll kill you with my bare hands," Azuma said angrily

"Thank you for this opportunity," the possessed human said. "My name is Orokan'zao, and I do not like the ways of my kind. For centuries, we have travelled from planet to planet, inhabiting bodies and taking over minds. I believe it is time to stop this madness. Our existence has resulted in the destruction of many races and planets."

"How?" Azuma interrupted.

This must be one of the parasites that took over Kiyomi, Azuma thought.

"As I have just explained, we have long been inhabiting other species. While the uninhabited searched to kill the possessed, they have also unknowingly killed their own, thinking that they were possessed. However, this is not to say that they did not kill us. Our numbers have dwindled, and now only a handful of us remain.

"If we had taken a more peaceful approach, or a more discreet one, then perhaps we may have survived. Over the centuries, our kind has tasted many different things, but the taste we crave most is blood. This is why we have become so violent," Orokan'zao said.

"What happened to your old planet?" Dai asked.

"We were once a glorious race, but our planet was struck by a massive meteorite, destroying many of us, and much of the planet. Those of us left were forced to scavenge for food and after that was gone, we flew to another planet. But after they found out what we had done, they resorted to killing us. We had no other choice but to fight back.

"I am sick and tired of their bloody ways, and would do anything to erase my mistakes. Please accept me and help me fight the others. I can support you with information on how they operate," Orokan'zao finished.

"Alright. If you prove yourself useful, we will allow you to remain with us. If you do not appear to be of any use we will dispose of you. Also, I need to know if there's any way that we can save our friend, who was possessed by one of you," Azuma explained.

"But I fear that is not possible. We do not tire, only do the bodies grow weak, and even that is rare. You have little chance with my help, but none without it. They are proficient in combat, and are highly intelligent," Orokan'zao said with a grim smile. "They are already making plans for your downfall, and will not rest until it happens. They will come and kill you all," Orokan'zao finished with those foreboding words.