← Previous Chapter |
Next Chapter →
Back to the game page
A Journey North
Atsu: A ferry going north. Should get me closer to the Kitsune and Teshio Ridge.
Huci: We meet as our ancestors did before us. What brings you to the joining of the rivers?
Atsu: I’m looking for passage north.
Huci: You smell like a wolf. You are hunting something.
Atsu: I am. But I have no quarrel with the Ainu.
Huci: The ferryman is a friend. Why not wait for him with old Huci?
Huci: Whatever you hunt must be important. The lands ahead are not kind to the unprepared.
Atsu: You don’t look too concerned for your safety.
Huci: Ha! You sound like my son. I have tread this path more times than either of you.
Atsu: Your village is somewhere up north?
Huci: Our kotan is upriver. Your people make too much noise fighting down in the grasslands. I don’t know how the other kotan get a wink of sleep!
Atsu: (Chuckle) You make it sound like we’re children.
Huci: The Ainu made ainu mosir — what you call ‘Ezo’ — a land of trade, community, and prosperity. Only children see weakness in that and strength in a fight.
Atsu: Some children might not have a choice.
Huci: Is that why you hunt alone?
Atsu: You travel alone.
Huci: I know what I’m doing.
Atsu: (Involuntary chuckle)
Huci: The cold makes the air feel crisper upriver. Stay out of trouble, sitturaynu. Come trade at our kotan, the village is open to all.
Settler: Your horse made it over on the cargo barge.
Atsu: Thank you.
Spirits of Teshio Ridge
Settler A: Whoa, boy!
Settler B: Get a handle on your beast!
Settler A: The horses feel something’s wrong…
Settler B: Shut up with that nonsense!
Atsu: Shh. There’s a handsome boy.
Settler A: He’s usually a gentle soul. It’s this place… Teshio Ridge. Spirits are drawn to its snowy peaks. They lure settlers to their deaths.
Settler B: People go missing. Happens all the time.
Settler A: Are you as good with that sword as you are with horses?
Atsu: When I’m motivated.
Settler A: Ride with us. We’ll pay you a generous sum now, then more on arrival.
Settler B: Like hell we will! She’s a woman!
Atsu: Who just doubled her price.
Settler A: Consider it done.
Settler B: (Disgusted noise)
Settler A: Rest up. It’s not an easy journey.
Settler B: Time to go — there’s a chill in the air.
Settler A: I hate this route.
Settler B: It’ll be worth it. Remember our last trip?
Settler A: I almost lost three toes to frostbite.
Settler B: Instead you returned with saddlebags full of coin.
Settler A: This time feels different.
Settler C: You’ll both cheer up once we reach the Red Crane Inn.
Atsu: The Red Crane Inn — is that our destination?
Settler C: It’s the only bit of civilization in Teshio Ridge. Even for Ezo, this valley is remote. Its settlers pay extra for the small comforts of home.
Settler A: He means they’re desperate.
Settler C: (Nervous laughter)
Atsu: Everyone has to make a living.
Settler C: I hope the inn’s shamisen player hasn’t moved on.
Settler B: Still pining, eh?
Settler C: It’s not like that.
Settler B: (Chuckles) No, of course not. You’re interested in her artistic integrity, not her —
Settler C: That’s enough. Eyes on the road.
Settler C: Storm’s brewing.
Settler B: Wiggle your toes while you still have them.
Settler C: We need shelter — or we’ll freeze!
Settler B: There’s a cave not far from here!
Settler A: Those lights… Do you see them? Kitsunebi…
Atsu: Fox fire?
Settler B: To hell with this!
Settler A: Wait!
Atsu: Idiot.
Settler B: There are spirits in the snow!
Settler C: The Nine Tails! Protect us, please!
Atsu: Stay close or they’ll pick you off!
Nine Tail: Invader. This is Nine Tails territory.
Atsu: It’s you… The Kitsune…
The Kitsune: The so-called ‘onryō’. Let’s see how strong you are. Kill the others.
Atsu: Where were you? Uh-huh. Likely story. Still… shaky. Need to find… shelter. There… a cave. Must… start a fire.
Atsu: (Sighs) That’s better. We’ve slept in worse places. (Deep breath) I will find you.
Atsu: Let’s get our bearings. Don’t want to get caught out again. Those merchants were headed to the Red Crane Inn. As good a place as any to ask about the Kitsune. That’s where I’ll find Master Enomoto. He could teach me the way of the kusarigama… That’s enough to go on. Come on, boy.
Atsu: The Red Crane Inn. I need to find a lead on the Kitsune… Samurai horses. What are the Matsumae doing here?
Matsumae: Another round!
Settler: Welcome to the Red Crane Inn. I know just the sake to warm those bones.
Atsu: Surprised you have any left.
Settler: It is our privilege to serve clan Matsumae as they bring order to Ezo.
Atsu: Ah, so that’s what they’re doing.
Settler: I don’t want trouble. If you’re interested in sake or a game of zeni hajiki, please take a seat. Otherwise, move along.
Atsu: Who would know about the Kitsune?
Blood on the Snow
Atsu: Looks fun. Is this a private game or can anyone join?
Matsumae: Anyone with coin to lose. Take my spot — but be careful, he won’t go easy on you.
Atsu: You’re a long way from Castle Matsumae. Who did you anger?
Matsumae: You’re more insightful than you look. Our commander fell out of Lord Matsumae’s favour. Only the head of the Nine Tails’ leader will win back his good graces.
Atsu: You mean the Kitsune?
Matsumae: How do you know that name?
Atsu: He attacked me.
Matsumae: And you survived?
Atsu: I have my ways.
Matsumae A: (Laughs) Pay the woman.
Matsumae B: (Grumbles) You got lucky.
Matsumae A: You know… If you’re looking for the Kitsune, we might be able to help each other. But it’s too dangerous to talk in the open.
Atsu: I’m not going anywhere alone with you.
Matsumae B: (Chuckles) Not us. Speak to our commander upstairs — last room to the right.
Atsu: Last door to the right…
Commander Fujita: You’re early. Take off your clothes. I’ll be with you when I’m ready.
Atsu: Mind if I keep my sword?
Commander Fujita: Sword? Who the hell are you?
Atsu: What? Don’t like what you see?
Commander Fujita: Hmm… Maybe after you take a bath.
Atsu: I’m told you have information about the Kitsune.
Commander Fujita: I am a commander in the Matsumae army — I don’t answer to dirty mercenaries. Now get out, before I arrest you.
Atsu: Before or after you put on your clothes.
Matsumae: (Laughs) Find what you were looking for?
Atsu: Bastards.
Matsumae: (Laughs)
Settler: May I present Oyuki, the songbird of Ezo.
Matsumae: Quiet down! Show’s starting.
Matsumae: Oi! Play something more lively! Better yet — put down that shamisen and dance!
Atsu: You want to dance?
Matsumae: Haven’t we shown you enough fun?
Atsu: Go on — give us a tune.
Atsu: Just fists. I don’t need another bounty on my head.
Matsumae: Get her!
Atsu: Typical samurai.
Matsumae: Where did a woman learn to hit like that? She’s not human.
Atsu: What’s wrong? Can’t keep up?
Commander Fujita: What’s going on?
Commander Fujita: You.
Atsu: Me.
Commander Fujita: Get up, you idiots! Execute her.
Oyuki: Is that wise? I can’t imagine Lord Matsumae will be pleased when he hears his men were bested by a single wanderer — And a woman at that.
Commander Fujita: And how will he hear such a tale?
Oyuki: Nothing travels faster than a good song.
Commander Fujita: This never happened. If I see your face again, you’ll wish for a simple execution.
Oyuki: Meet me outside.
Atsu: You didn’t have to do that.
Oyuki: I know.
Atsu: So why risk your neck?
Oyuki: I heard you asking about the Kitsune. He’s the leader of the Nine Tails — a group of shinobi terrorising Teshio Ridge.
Atsu: You know a lot for a musician.
Oyuki: Almost everyone here has been affected by the Nine Tails. Take a look at the village and I’ll show you. What do you see?
Atsu: A forge — in need of a fire.
Oyuki: And a master. The swordsmith who tended it was killed by the Nine Tails. There wasn’t even a body for his daughter to bury.
Atsu: Then how do you know he’s dead?
Oyuki: They didn’t have time to wash away the blood.
Atsu: Stables.
Oyuki: The Nine Tails use the horses as bait to draw their masters into the forest. Only the horses return.
Atsu: An old mill.
Oyuki: Abandoned. The Nine Tails scared off the miller and his family. We still haven’t found a replacement. The Nine Tails used to keep to themselves. It’s only in the last year they’ve become aggressive. The settlers hoped the Matsumae would help but… Well, you’ve met Commander Fujita.
Atsu: So now you’re wondering what someone like me can do.
Oyuki: You’ll help us then?
Atsu: The Kitsune is the most slippery of the Yōtei Six. He won’t be easy to catch.
Oyuki: Something tells me you’re up to the task. If you need a lead, I know where you can start — follow me.
Atsu: You play like someone I used to know.
Oyuki: Is that a compliment?
Atsu: You don’t hide from your shamisen. You let the music flow through you.
Oyuki: It is the one place where I can be myself. Completely… unguarded.
Atsu: That’s why I like to play alone.
Oyuki: We’re here.
Atsu: A shrine? How is this a lead?
Oyuki: You must understand that to many, the Kitsune isn’t human, but a powerful shapeshifter. A trickster fox who scares more than children.
Atsu: Is that what you think? That the Nine Tails are evil fox spirits?
Oyuki: I think they’re flesh and blood who use fear to get what they want. But other settlers leave offerings hoping for protection. Someone comes to collect. An offering could draw them out.
Atsu: Then we follow them.
Oyuki: A few coins should do the trick.
Atsu: Don’t look at me — I’m broke.
Oyuki: You don’t have a single mon on you?
Atsu: Not if it’s going to the Nine Tails.
Oyuki: Now we wait.
Atsu: Head up that ridge. It’ll give us cover.
Oyuki: Settle in. We may be here awhile.
Atsu: What?
Oyuki: You look like a woman with a story, yet you haven’t said a word.
Atsu: You might put it in a song.
Oyuki: (Chuckles) Are you from Ezo?
Atsu: I can tell you’re not.
Oyuki: What gave me away?
Atsu: Your clothes. The way you talk. You were born on the mainland. Or at least spent time there.
Oyuki: The samurai and their wars have kept me on the move. I thought I could escape all that in Teshio Ridge.
Atsu: But they followed you even here. Might be time to find a new home.
Oyuki: The Kitsune took something from me. I can’t leave until I get it back.
Atsu: Fox fire… they’re here. Look — a Nine Tail is taking the offering. Let’s go.
Oyuki: You lead the way — I’ll try to keep up.
Atsu: Stay low. If we’re careful — and lucky — they’ll lead us to the Kitsune.
Oyuki: Or into a trap.
Atsu: They ambushed me once — it won’t happen again.
Oyuki: They stopped.
Atsu: I need a closer look.
Oyuki: What are they doing?
Atsu: Brushing snow off a rock — there’s a symbol.
Oyuki: Does that mean something?
Atsu: The Kitsune uses symbols.
Oyuki: Like some form of communication?
Atsu: Or instructions. We can’t lose them.
Oyuki: Careful — there could be more hiding in these woods.
Atsu: It’s a risk we’ll have to take.
Oyuki: They’re stopping again.
Atsu: What are you bastard up to? Another symbol…
Oyuki: You’re right — I think they’re following instructions.
Atsu: They’re splitting up.
Oyuki: Did they see us?
Atsu: I don’t know. Take the one on the right, I’ll follow the others.
Atsu: Huh. Where did he go? You’re not a Nine Tail, are you?
Nine Tail: You will never return home. You’ll get nothing from me.
Atsu: Where is the Kitsune? Tell me.
Nine Tail: (Laughs)
Atsu: (Sharp inhale)
Oyuki: I couldn’t keep up with the Nine Tail. What happened here?
Atsu: He’d rather die than talk.
Oyuki: Flesh and blood…
Atsu: What are you doing?
Oyuki: In my travelling days, I used to hide song lyrics in my shoes. An evil spirit wouldn’t need a map, but a mere mortal…
Atsu: There’s another symbol on it.
Oyuki: What do you think? Could it be a hideout?
Atsu: Could be… Heard back to the inn. I’ll find you when I’m done.
Oyuki: That’s it? You’re rushing in alone?
Atsu: You would rather I wait around like the Matsumae?
Oyuki: (Scoffs)
Atsu: I didn’t think so.
Oyuki: I don’t even know your name.
Atsu: Atsu.
Oyuki: Atsu…
Atsu: Let’s see where this map leads…
Atsu: This looks promising. That’s the symbol I found on the Nine Tail who ambushed me… How do I get inside? These statues match the ones on the lanterns…
Atsu: Huh? Now to find the Kitsune. What is this place? A training ground?
Nine Tail: How did you get in here?
Atsu: Bring me the Kitsune and I’ll tell you.
Nine Tail: Nine Tails! Use what you’ve learned. Get rid of her. Rumour is you fought the Oni. Your sword must be worth a fortune.
Atsu: The Kitsune — where is he?
Nine Tail: Here I come?
Atsu: Get back here! More tricks. There must be a way through.
Atsu: Another nine-tailed fox… Two are missing. Where are the others? That did something. Sneaky bastards… Where did you run off to?
Atsu: They’re hiding somewhere. What’s this?
Nine Tail: That scroll is not for your eyes.
Atsu: All I want is the Kitsune.
Nine Tail: He is beyond your reach.
Atsu: What did you not want me to see?
Atsu: A list of symbols and their meanings… a cipher. I’ll make a copy. These will prove useful. ‘Up’. ‘Down’. ‘Right’. And ‘Left’. ‘Engage’. ‘Forward’. And ‘Death’. I’ll try to avoid that one. Maybe I can use this to escape.
Atsu: The cipher works. (Grunts) That’s all of them. The Nine Tails came from up there. Could be an exit. A symbol… The symbols relate to the statues somehow… Shinobi armour… I can use it against them. I don’t see anything else of use. Need to get out of here. The Kitsune’s not here. But at least I found his cipher. I’ll bring it back to Oyuki — she might have another lead…
The Way of the Shamisen
Atsu: Should show the Nine Tails’ cipher to Oyuki. She might have a new lead.
Matsumae A: We took Saito’s fortress. That’s something to celebrate.
Matsumae B: The losses were too high. We had every advantage, but Lord Saito still escaped. He cut through our brothers like bamboo.
Matsumae A: It’s still a victory.
Atsu: Waiting for someone?
Oyuki: A stingy wanderer who abandoned me in the woods.
Atsu: The map led me to a cipher for the Nine Tails’ symbols.
Oyuki: Then we were right — it’s how they communicate.
Atsu: When I first arrived in Teshio Ridge, I was ambushed by the Kitsune. Before I got away, I found a symbol on one of his men. I think it means ‘hideout’.
Oyuki: He was going to take you somewhere? For what purpose?
Atsu: I don’t know, but he might still be there — if we can find it.
Oyuki: The Matsumae have been tracking the Kitsune for months. Combine their knowledge with your cipher and we may be able to find this hide out.
Atsu: Last time I spoke to Commander Fujita, he said he’d execute me.
Oyuki: Only if he saw your face.
Oyuki: Come with me.
Atsu: Where are we going?
Oyuki: As a performer, I’ve learned to keep my audience wanting.
Atsu: I’d never get paid if I did that.
Oyuki: Behind this wall is a secret passage we can use to spy on Commander Fujita.
Atsu: You’re surprisingly useful.
Oyuki: I tried to tell you. The original owner of the Red Crane Inn was a prospector. He used the promise of a hot bath to eavesdrop on the competition — and then blackmail them.
Atsu: He sounds like a pervert.
Oyuki: I prefer to think of him as… shrewd. Careful — it’s a tight squeeze.
Commander Fujita: And don’t linger. If that woman finds the Kitsune before we do, no one is going home.
Matsumae: Sir.
Commander Fujita: Tell Chosuke he either coughs up new information, or he’ll be short a knuckle.
Oyuki: Chosuke… Sounds like the Matsumae have an informant. Maybe he can tell us about the Nine Tails hideout.
Atsu: But where are they meeting him? I need to get in there.
Oyuki: I’ll distract the commander — just be quick about it.
Commander Fujita: Snow, fox spirits, and ugly meddlesome women… This is the worst posting in Ezo. And all because of a simple misunderstanding.
Oyuki: Commander Fujita?
Commander Fujita: (Annoyed sigh)
Atsu: Now’s my chance. Exiled for disobeying orders. Tsk. Tsk. Looks like they’ve hit more dead-ends than leads. Ah — there. Chosuke’s name is marked near the Nakajima Sake House. Anything else of use in here?
Oyuki: Find anything?
Atsu: Still looking. Here we are — a note from the informant. Chosuke even mentions the symbols in this letter, but the samurai can’t read them. That’s enough to go on. Fujita will be back soon.
Oyuki: This is the one time he would not be pleased to find two women in his room.
Atsu: (Chuckles) The samurai are meeting their informant at the Nakajima Sake House. Do you know it?
Oyuki: The proprietor has been asking me to perform there for years. But he’s the kind of man who easily gets the wrong ideas.
Atsu: Stay here. That won’t happen to me.
Oyuki: You’ll only start another fight with the Matsumae. I have a plan, but it requires an open mind.
Atsu: I don’t like the sound of that.
Oyuki: You want to find the Kitsune’s hideout, don’t you?
Atsu: (Annoyed sigh)
Commander Fujita: Don’t lie to me. The shamisen woman told me everything.
Shunpei: Lady Oyuki? Oh… then yes. Your horse was recovered… just now.
Commander Fujita: What of the thief?
Shunpei: Dead. The horse… threw him! He broke his neck.
Commander Fujita: That’s my good boy.
Atsu: You were quick to think of those secret passages. That wasn’t the first time you’ve spied on guests.
Oyuki: Innkeeper Ume showed them to me as a place to hide if the Nine Tails attacked. But if I know my audience, I can tailor my performance to their needs.
Atsu: I knew it.
Oyuki: Do you not learn about your clients before taking a job?
Atsu: My ‘clients’ are a bounty poster and a price. But I don’t hurt kids or animals.
Oyuki: How noble. Your horse is fond of you.
Atsu: I feed him.
Oyuki: (Chuckles) It’s more than that. You move practically as one.
Atsu: His last owner didn’t treat him well. So I took off his hands.
Oyuki: Animals can be easier company than people. They’re less likely to stab you in the back.
Atsu: And they don’t judge. What’s this plan of yours?
Oyuki: The Matsumae — and likely their informant — will be on the lookout for a woman with a sword. What they won’t be expecting is… a waitress.
Atsu: No. No. Absolutely not.
Oyuki: All you have to do is follow my lead and keep an ear out for Chosuke. It’s like any other scouting job.
Atsu: Except I’ll be in a kimono — without my sword.
Oyuki: Do you want to find the Kitsune or not?
Atsu: If this doesn’t work…
Oyuki: Then we do it your way — swords swinging and blood spraying. Here we are — Nakajima Sake House. Dismount and we’ll get you changed.
Atsu: It’s too tight.
Oyuki: Any looser and they’ll want more than sake. There. You look so… We need people to order drinks, not call for help.
Atsu: I can’t change my face.
Oyuki: The other day, when you watched me perform… what were you thinking of?
Atsu: How it must be nice to sit around and play music all day.
Oyuki: You looked peaceful. If you think about it again, it might fix our scowling problem.
Atsu: Won’t the owner recognise that I don’t work here? What if he starts asking questions?
Oyuki: Deflect. You’re good at that. Come on. Let’s find this Chosuke. Try to be polite — and absolutely no violence.
Atsu: Define violence.
Oyuki: A physical action that provokes anything other than a ‘thank you’.
Heita: There she is — the most beautiful musician in Ezo!
Oyuki: Heita! Does your offer still stand?
Heita: Of course! But who is this?
Atsu: I’ve worked here for two years.
Heita: Oh. You must have changed your hair.
Oyuki: She’s kindly offered to help me warm up.
Heita: Our best patrons are upstairs. Practise on the rabble down here — they won’t know any better.
Oyuki: Remember, we’re looking for the Matsumae’s informant — Chosuke. He’s our best chance at finding the Nine Tails hideout.
Atsu: You sound nervous.
Oyuki: I have a reputation to uphold.
Heita: May I present the lovely Oyuki! And Nakajima’s very own… waitress.
Oyuki: I’ll play something simple. Try to follow the best you can. Eyes down, ears open.
Settler: The samurai were poking around again. I heard they paid off Chosuke’s debts.
Atsu: Clan Matsumae is covering Chosuke’s debts.
Oyuki: Must be why he’s willing to risk the Nine Tails’ ire.
Settler A: Chosuke here yet? He promised me a round of sake.
Settler B: You kidding?
Settler A: He’s always Heita’s first customer.
Atsu: Chosuke’s here now — he arrived this morning.
Oyuki: The question is — where? Once you find Chosuke, slip this into his cup.
Atsu: What is it?
Oyuki: Something his stomach won’t soon forget. Thank you for listening.
Atsu: I don’t know what Chosuke looks like.
Oyuki: Offering a free round of sake should do the trick.
Atsu: Master Chosuke?
Chosuke: Who’s asking?
Atsu: Your friends from the south would like to cover your next round of sake.
Chosuke: Oh? Oh! Then I’ll take something refined. Elegant. Expensive.
Atsu: (Sighs) No prices. Which one would he want? Hm. Notes of… milk. Like a fog blanket. Too heavy. (Clears throat) Strong. That’s what I would order. Not exactly refined. That’s sake? It’s smooth. Dangerous. (Sigh) I almost feel bad tainting something so delicious.
Atsu: Please, enjoy.
Chosuke: (Satisfied exhale) Oh… (Uneasy laughter)
Settler: Your play.
Chosuke: I have to — (Swallows back vomit) Oh no…
Oyuki: Too easy. Come, Atsu.
Atsu: He’s not going to die, is he?
Oyuki: Not if he drinks plenty of water. But maybe don’t tell him that?
Oyuki: Breathe, Chosuke. Or the parasite that danced its ways into your sake cup will only become more aggressive.
Chosuke: Who are you? What do you want?
Atsu: Talk to me about this symbol.
Chosuke: (Groans) I saw it on a piece of fabric at a dye house — near the river.
Atsu: What else?
Chosuke: The owner has been acting strange. Her shop’s been closed for weeks. She won’t even sell to long-time customers. Am I going to die?
Oyuki: Go home. Brew a large pot of tea and drink every last drop.
Chosuke: (Groans)
Atsu: And Chosuke — lay off the dice.
Chosuke: (Groans)
Oyuki: To the dye house, then?
Atsu: Soon as I get out of this damn kimono.
Oyuki: Feel better?
Atsu: Yes! I can move again.
Oyuki: (Chuckles)
Atsu: You handled yourself well back there with Chosuke.
Oyuki: I simply followed your lead.
Atsu: It wasn’t my idea to put a parasite in his sake.
Oyuki: An old trick I learned to keep my more enthusiastic admirers in line.
Atsu: You could hire a bodyguard.
Oyuki: And share my profits? Not a chance.
Matsumae A: I can feel parts of my nose I’ve never felt before.
Matsumae B: Quit complaining — we’re almost there.
Atsu: This dye master Chosuke mentioned — do you know her?
Oyuki: Not personally, but she makes the most beautiful designs. I’ve heard they even sell in Kyoto.
Atsu: Makes you wonder why she’s living all the way out here.
Oyuki: Sometimes we can’t escape where we’re from.
Oyuki: We’re here.
Atsu: There’s the symbol. The Nine Tails hideout should be close by.
Oyuki: The question is where?
Atsu: No one’s here.
Oyuki: Overturned trays of food…
Atsu: Like they were grabbed in the middle of their meal.
Oyuki: You think the dye master was taken by the Nine Tails?
Atsu: Hm. Let’s check the other building.
Atsu: Another symbol.
Oyuki: Check the cipher — what does it mean? Find something?
Atsu: There’s a symbol on the lid. A fox statue.
Oyuki: With nine tails. That seems right…
Atsu: No traps triggered — that’s a good sign. And the other.
Oyuki: Try the middle vat now. Well done.
Atsu: Stay close and follow my lead.
Oyuki: All this was under our feet?
Atsu: Hiding in plain sight.
Atsu: They’re keeping prisoners.
Oyuki: Hopefully the dye master is among them.
Atsu: Stay back until it’s clear.
Child: In here!
Settler: Help us — please!
Atsu: Are you the dye master?
Black Dye Merchant: Yes — how did you find us?
Oyuki: We’re looking for a shinobi wearing a kitsune mask.
Black Dye Merchant: That demon threatened to burn my workshop if I didn’t turn away my customers. I cooperated… until he started taking prisoners.
Atsu: That’s when he threw you in here.
Black Dye Merchant: There are others deeper in… Please, help them.
Atsu: The Kitsune might still be here — I’ll keep going. Take them back to the house.
Oyuki: Be careful, Atsu.
Atsu: I see you. This isn’t a training ground like the other hideout… Why take prisoners? What do the Nine Tails want?
Atsu: Bloody foam around the mouth and they’re marked with the same symbol. The Kitsune wanted to send me here. But why? To be some kind of test subject?
Atsu: Poisoned. But with what?
Atsu: That clicking sound again. Something unlocked. A puzzle box? There’s a kitsune on top, but no obvious opening. (Straining) This one doesn’t open like the others. Maybe Oyuki can help.
Atsu: That music…
Memory Voice: Get away from her! No, no… Run.
Oyuki: Atsu. Are you all right?
Atsu: Fine.
Oyuki: Let’s get some air.
Atsu: I found this, but it won’t open.
Oyuki: A puzzle box. They are designed to protect treasures. My mother had one. I was obsessed with it.
Atsu: Did you think she was hiding something from you?
Oyuki: Everyone has secrets — mothers more than most — but no, I just wanted to know her. One day, she caught me with it. But instead of scolding, my mother showed me that all it takes to reveal a person’s secrets… is applying the right pressure.
Atsu: What was inside?
Oyuki: A lock of my baby hair.
Atsu: You were her treasure.
Oyuki: All right. What does the Kitsune treasure?
Atsu: Poison. There’s a list of ingredients and a harvesting site.
Oyuki: We’re closing in. I want to check on the dye master and her family. I’ll meet you there.
Settler: Ah, it’s you! I cannot thank you enough for saving my family.
Atsu: Your wife is the one who kept you alive.
Settler: She is brave, skilled, and a beautiful mother. I am a lucky man.
Atsu: Just make sure to lay low for now. Keep each other safe.
Black Dye Merchant: I was hoping we’d see you again.
Atsu: Your dyes are beautiful.
Black Dye Merchant: The technique has been in my family for generations. Now, I can share it with my daughter — thanks to you. It is impossible to repay that sort of kindness, but I’d like you to have this. It is the least I can do.
Atsu: Thank you.
Taro: More gifts for the onryō. People are braver than I thought.
Atsu: People are still leaving offerings.
Taro: Why wouldn’t they? They say the onryō been spotted fighting fox spirits in the forests of Teshio Ridge!
Atsu: Don’t believe everything you hear.
Taro: Folks up there don’t have much to begin with. Nothing wrong with believing a story or two.
Poison and Lies
Atsu: The Kitsune’s harvesting site is in that forest. Oyuki should be nearby.
Oyuki: Atsu — we have a problem. The Matsumae are here.
Atsu: The harvesting site for the Kitsune’s poison is in there. How did the Matsumae find it?
Oyuki: Someone must have tipped them off. They won’t let anyone near the forest.
Atsu: Damn samurai — always getting in the way. How do we get inside? They brought the whole garrison. No point in sneaking around.
Oyuki: So long as we avoid Commander Fujita, your head will stay where it belongs.
Atsu: Cannons. Enough to raze a fortress.
Oyuki: Commander Fujita won’t bother with ciphers and symbols. If pushed, he will burn the entire forest.
Atsu: We must find the Kitsune before the samurai can scare him away. Is that Chosuke? He must have led the Matsumae here.
Oyuki: The little eel was holding out on us.
Atsu: Maybe we should have killed him.
Oyuki: There’s still time.
Atsu: They’ve built a wall around the entrance.
Oyuki: The main gate is well-guarded — and likely locked.
Atsu: Let’s see if there’s another way… There — an opening in the fence. Just need to deal with the guard.
Oyuki: Leave him to me.
Oyuki: Stay close and avoid Commander Fujita. I’ll do the talking.
Atsu: Don’t trust me to hold my tongue?
Oyuki: Not for a second.
Matsumae: That woman is not welcome here.
Oyuki: She is my bodyguard — and will be on her best behaviour.
Matsumae: (Grumbling)
Atsu: I thought you didn’t want a bodyguard?
Oyuki: I am not adverse — when there are no profits to share. Wait here, while I deal with our friend.
Matsumae: This area is restricted — Lady Oyuki? What are you doing so far from the Red Crane Inn?
Oyuki: Commander Fujita thought the camp could use some entertainment. But my fingers are stiff from the long ride. Would you mind building me a fire?
Matsumae: Of course. Skilled hands such as yours should never suffer.
Oyuki: You are too kind.
Atsu: She plays these samurai as well as her shamisen. Now, to head inside.
Atsu: That was quick.
Oyuki: I told him I dropped my hairpin. Let’s hurry before he comes looking for me.
Atsu: The harvesting site should be at the heart of this forest.
Oyuki: That’s where we’ll find the Kitsune — and his toxin. Three nine-tailed foxes sitting under a tree. Sounds like a fable.
Atsu: Or a bad joke. Looks like some sort of pedestal? We’re at the right place, just need to find a way inside.
Oyuki: Another puzzle? Like the dye vats?
Atsu: Let’s look around.
Oyuki: Atsu — something changed on the pedestal. Take a look.
Atsu: You’re right — there’s an indentation here now.
Oyuki: The shape and size looks familiar. Try the Kitsune’s puzzle box.
Atsu: It fits.
Oyuki: The way forward is open. We’re getting pretty good at this.
Atsu: Better than the samurai. The Kitsune has gone through a lot of trouble to hide this place.
Oyuki: Maybe you wonder what else he’s hidden away in Teshio Ridge.
Oyuki: Atsu — watch out!
Atsu: I hate when they do that.
Oyuki: We should be prepared for more guards.
Atsu: And other surprises.
Oyuki: More fox statues.
Atsu: They rotate. I saw something similar in the hideout under the dyehouse.
Oyuki: I’m sorry to have missed that.
Atsu: Me too — would’ve saved me the trouble of running around.
Oyuki: That did it.
Atsu: These puzzles are slowing us down.
Oyuki: We’re still ahead of the Matsumae. There’s time.
Oyuki: Wait. Traps — like at the entrance. I have a light step, follow me.
Atsu: Where did you learn to be so nimble?
Oyuki: A musician must be graceful.
Atsu: With your fingers, not your feet.
Oyuki: The two are not so different when following a rhythm. It’s about timing and pressure. Like swordplay, I imagine.
Atsu: That requires your fingers and your feet.
Oyuki: The ground’s former here. We should be clear. What will you do after we deal with the Kitsune?
Atsu: Move on. Why? You want to come with me?
Oyuki: My shamisen does miss the road.
Atsu: But?
Oyuki: I’ve grown used to taking regular baths.
Atsu: Are you saying I smell?
Oyuki: (chuckles) I’m saying I don’t want to smell.
Atsu: What will you do after we kill the Kitsune? Return south?
Oyuki: Maybe. Do you want to come with me? We’ll make music and trouble wherever we go.
Atsu: I can’t keep up with you on the shamisen.
Oyuki: You played beautifully at the sake house. All you need is practice.
Atsu: (Sighs) Locked. Give me a hand with this. You’re stronger than you look.
Oyuki: Especially for someone who sits around and plays music all day.
Atsu: (Chuckles)
Oyuki: Atsu — Nine Tails!
Atsu: I see them!
Nine Tail: You’re no vengeful spirit.
Atsu: Stay close — there could be more.
Atsu: You all right?
Oyuki: Fine. In a strange way, it’s comforting — we must be getting close. More traps.
Atsu: I’ll lead this time. You’re not the only one with a light step. Was that… cannon fire?
Oyuki: Commander Fujita must have lost his patience.
Atsu: We need to hurry. Which way…
Oyuki: Up there—a door.
Atsu: Help me open it. (Straining) It won’t budge. We don’t have time for this.
Oyuki: There must be another way… Up there — the bamboo looks thinner.
Atsu: I’ll help you up.
Oyuki: Take my hand.
Atsu: Are you sure you can —
Oyuki: Just — hurry! (Exhales) Can you cut through this?
Atsu: If you only knew how much practice I’ve had at chopping bamboo.
Oyuki: I doubt this is how the Nine Tails do it.
Atsu: We need to reach the Kitsune before the samurai.
Oyuki: The harvesting site…
Atsu: Now, we find the Kitsune…
Oyuki: This is a massive operation.
Atsu: What are they growing?
Oyuki: Wolfsbane. The Ainu use it in their hunting poisons. The recipe varies among families and is a closely guarded secret — never written down.
Atsu: Yet somehow the Kitsune has it.
Oyuki: He must have manipulated the Ainu into giving it to him.
Atsu: Or worse. Shouldn’t the wolfsbane affect the Nine Tails?
Oyuki: The Kitsune must have taught them the art of poison. Atsu — it’s him. The Kitsune.
Oyuki: He’s too far. How do we draw him close?
Atsu: We don’t. I’ll move in, while you cover me. You know how to use that bow?
Oyuki: To hunt rabbits, not people.
Atsu: Rabbits are harder to hit. You’ll be fine. What’s going on?
Oyuki: It’s Commander Fujita and his men! We’re out of time!
Atsu: The Kitsune’s getting away!
Oyuki: Go, I’ll catch up!
The Kitsune: It’s you… That day in the snow, you recognised my mask. And now, you chase me through fire. Why?
Atsu: I don’t expect you to remember me. I was a child. But my mother… You should remember her. What you did.
The Kitsune: Curious…
The Kitsune: Anyone can wear a mask. Did you think I was the first Kitsune?
Atsu: I think you’re a liar and a coward. (Surprised grunt) (Panting) Not… again.
The Kitsune: Such spirit… If only you knew the truth.
Oyuki: (Grunts)
The Kitsune: (Surprised grunt)
Oyuki: Get away from her.
Atsu: Oyuki?
Memories: No, no… Stay with me.
Oyuki: Stay with me, Atsu.
Atsu: The Kitsune?
Oyuki: He fled. I chose to save you. The Kitsune’s toxin causes hallucinations. Control your breathing.
Atsu: How do you know so much about this toxin?
Oyuki: Stay back. I’ll deal with them.
The Kitsune: Anyone can wear a mask. Did you think I was the first Kitsune?
Atsu: You can fight.
Oyuki: I’ll explain everything once we’re safe.
Atsu: He said he wasn’t the first Kitsune.
The Kitsune: If only you knew the truth.
Atsu: Mother? It can’t be…
Yone: Music is not bound to this word…
Atsu: Mother…
Yone: Sing with me.
Young Atsu: (Laboured breathing) Let me go!
The Kitsune: Stay with me.
Lord Saito: (Grunt)
Young Atsu: Get away from her!
Yone: Atsu — Look at me, not him.
Young Atsu: Stop! Stop please!
The Kitsune: Come on.
Yone: Atsu, go with him.
Young Atsu: No, no… (Sobbing breaths)
Yone: Then sing with me.
Young Atsu: No… I can’t.
Yone: You can. You can do anything.
Young Atsu: (Deep breath)
Yone: ‘The end of the word…’
Young Atsu: ‘Exists only in our mind…’
Yone: ‘Exists only in our mind…’ (Choked breath)
Young Atsu: (Pained inhale) ‘Wander on, my love…’ (Sobbing) Mama…
Lord Saito: Bring her to me.
The Kitsune: Run.
Young Atsu: (Laboured breathing)
Oyuki: Easy, Atsu. The antidote takes time. You can’t move yet.
Atsu: You fight like a shinobi. Carry the antidote to their poison. And your voice… How could I forget your voice? You never asked why I was after the Kitsune. Because you were there.
Oyuki: I tried to save you.
Atsu: And my mother? What did you do for her? Nothing. You watched as he… (Frustrated growl)
Oyuki: I am not your enemy, Atsu. Regain your strength and meet me here. I’ll prove it.
Saito Outlaw: Here you go. Get her scent? Go!
Atsu: Strong enough to move again. And find Oyuki. The Kitsune.
The Tale of the Kitsune
Atsu: This is where Oyuki… Where the Kitsune said to meet.
Oyuki: You came. Are you here to fight or listen?
Atsu: My mother is dead because of you.
Oyuki: She was lost the moment Saito placed that noose around her neck.
Atsu: You don’t know that —
Oyuki: Yes, I do. I know him better than you. I don’t want to fight, Atsu. I want to help you kill Saito — and the rest of the Yōtei Six.
Atsu: You’re one of them. You are the Kitsune.
Oyuki: Not anymore. Please, Atsu. Just listen.
Atsu: No, you’d only lie.
Oyuki: I withheld the truth, but I never lied.
Atsu: You made me believe the man in the mask was the Kitsune.
Oyuki: The man in the mask is my replacement. Installed by Saito when I tried to turn the nine Tails against him.
Atsu: I don’t care. The new Kitsune didn’t murder my family.
Oyuki: He protects the man who did! You want your revenge? Take it. But you’ll be doing Saito a favour.
Atsu: What do you mean?
Oyuki: I know Saito better than his own sons. He wants to silence me, so I can’t help you bring him to his knees. I can help you fight like a Nine Tail — and resist the Kitsune’s toxin.
Atsu: I told you, I don’t care about the man in the mask —
Oyuki: The Kitsune oversees the shinobi who protect Saito. Kill him and Saito will be vulnerable.
Atsu: Why are you doing this? To be the Kitsune again?
Oyuki: No, that part of my life is over.
Atsu: Fine. Teach me your tricks. But this fight isn’t finished.
Oyuki: I know.
Oyuki: The man who replaced me as the Kitsune is named Dojun. I taught him and the other Nine Tails my family’s shinobi techniques at training grounds such as this one.
Atsu: I don’t see any ciphers or symbols.
Oyuki: Dojun created that system to lock me out of my own operation. Stand here with me and we will begin. When you arrived, I asked if you came to fight or listen. You tried fighting, now I want you to listen.
Atsu: This is one of your great shinobi techniques?
Oyuki: Knowing where your enemy is can help you anticipate their attacks. Close your eyes. Listen to the world around you.
Atsu: What am I listening for?
Oyuki: Movement. Life. let your ears perceive what your eyes cannot. Tell me what you hear.
Atsu: A creaking noise.
Oyuki: From what?
Atsu: A tree, bracing itself against the wind.
Oyuki: Anything else?
Atsu: A bird.
Oyuki: What kind,
Atsu: A crow. She has a lot to say.
Oyuki: Good. Now, open your eyes and use all your senses. You and I are not the only living creatures here. Who else is in the grove?
Atsu: I just told you.
Oyuki: Who else is here, Atsu?
Atsu: A deer. He’s chewing grass.
Oyuki: Food is scarce in winter. He must eat while he can.
Atsu: A fox. She’s laughing at me.
Oyuki: Or she thinks you are playing a game. Now for something a little more challenging. Find me.
Atsu: (Coughs) More tricks. This better be worth it. Warm breath hitting cold air. There you are.
Oyuki: You’re a natural.
Atsu: Stop with the compliments. You either have more to teach me or we continue our duel.
Oyuki: Follow me.
Atsu: Why did you create the Nine Tails?
Oyuki: Saito knows that to control Ezo, some battles need to be fought in the shadows.
Atsu: So you gave him a shinobi army.
Oyuki: In doing so, I was able to put distance between myself and the Yōtei Six. There should be incense stored somewhere in here.
Atsu: How will incense help me against Saito?
Oyuki: Patience, Atsu. You’ll see.
Atsu: This it?
Oyuki: Yes, grab a bundle and follow me.
Atsu: How did you end up in Ezo?
Oyuki: My family served clan Saito for generations. Most fell at the battle of Nagashino. The rest on the journey north.
Atsu: You could have stayed on the mainland. Why follow Saito?
Oyuki: He was different then. Or I thought he was. A shinobi’s greatest weapon is knowledge. We gather information by blending in — performing everyday tasks, but always listening.
Atsu: There’s no one here to spy on.
Oyuki: The dead are not without secrets. Tend the graves.
Atsu: Who is buried here?
Oyuki: I don’t know. This cemetery existed long before I found this place.
Atsu: Then why honour them?
Oyuki: My family’s graves are scattered throughout Japan. I like to think someone tends to them since I cannot. It’s how I speak to them.
Atsu: “Music is not bound to this world. It can speak to those who are no longer with us.”
Oyuki: Who told you that?
Atsu: My mother.
Oyuki: If music can reach the dead… then perhaps it’s time I told you the Tale of the Kitsune. If you will allow it?
Atsu: It won’t change anything.
Oyuki: Before the Kitsune, there was the innkeeper’s daughter. By day, her shamisen songs brought warriors to tears. By night, her family served clan Saito as their knives in the dark… Until clan Saito fell and the innkeeper’s daughter lost everything. Orphaned and vulnerable, she followed the disgraced Lord Saito north and took on a new identity: the Kitsune. The most elusive member of the Yōtei Six. A woman hiding among men. More and more, the Kitsune felt trapped by the title meant to protect her… Until one fateful night, she snapped. The Kitsune defied Lord Saito to save the life of a young girl. As punishment, he branded her skin and forced her to train new shinobi to serve his schemes. For years, the Kitsune played the repentant servant… While secretly plotting against Saito. But she was betrayed by her closest ally and the Nine Tails cast her out as a traitor. The Kitsune lost everything she built… but found an unlikely ally in the girl she risked her life to save.
Atsu: Saito branded you… with my father’s tools.
Oyuki: If I screamed, the others would discover I was a woman. You can imagine what would happen next.
Atsu: I can. It’s dark. I’m going to sleep.
Oyuki: We’ll continue your training in the morning.
Atsu: You’re up early.
Oyuki: I don’t sleep much.
Atsu: Nightmares?
Oyuki: I’ve awoken too many times with a knife to my throat. But I didn’t spend the morning simply drinking tea. I scouted the surrounding area — there are signs of ambushes on the road.
Atsu: Nine Tails.
Oyuki: Practice — for your next lesson. I can feel you staring.
Atsu: You said you were betrayed by your closest ally — Dojun?
Oyuki: I thought if I told him my story, he would help me take down the Yōtei Six from within. I underestimate Dojun’s loyalty to Saito.
Atsu: Or he just wanted to be in charge.
Oyuki: Dojun always was ambitious. Even as a boy. It didn’t take much for Dojun to turn the Nine Tails against me. He painted me as a bitter, jealous woman who wanted their lord’s power.
Oyuki: Wait.
Atsu: I feel it, too. We aren’t alone.
Oyuki: Follow me. Hm. As I suspected. What do you hear, Atsu?
Atsu: Dry grass crunching under tense muscles. An ambush.
Oyuki: They’re waiting for travellers.
Atsu: If their eyes are focused on the road, I can stab them in the back.
Oyuki: Always so eager. What happens if they spot you?
Atsu: This isn’t the first time I’ve snuck up on someone.
Oyuki: Even the most practiced warrior can make mistakes. Today’s lesson: Always have an exit strategy. Here — take this.
Atsu: A bomb?
Oyuki: Smoke and shadow. If you get surrounded, use it to escape. I’ll be right behind you.
Oyuki: Good work. Let’s find out where this group came from. Search the bodies.
Atsu: There’s nothing on him… But his clothes smell like rotten vegetables. Is there a tannery nearby?
Oyuki: There’s a hunting village just down the road.
Atsu: You could’ve said.
Oyuki: That wouldn’t be teaching.
Atsu: Why did you think you could trust Dojun?
Oyuki: I have a history of putting my faith in the wrong people. Quiet now. We’re at the village. This way. Let’s see what we’re walking into.
Atsu: It looks abandoned.
Oyuki: Dojun likes to take the healthiest settlers. The providers and caregivers. Those left behind either starve or are forced to move on.
Atsu: He needs them strong to test his poison.
Oyuki: We know the Nine Tails were here. You don’t get that smell on your clothes from simply passing through.
Atsu: It’s just like on the road—they’re waiting for travellers.
Oyuki: Except this group will likely be larger. use what I’ve taught you to find the Nine Tails. And if you become surrounded—
Atsu: Shadow and smoke. Something’s breathing nearby.
Oyuki: Quiet and steady. Perfect. They don’t suspect a thing.
Oyuki: That’s all of them. Excellent work. It’s getting late. We should camp here. The firewood’s a little damp from the snow —
Atsu: It’s fine. Move over.
Oyuki: Judging by the moon, I’d be about to start my evening performance at the Red Crane Inn. You know, I’m a decent cook.
Atsu: You also put parasites in people’s sake.
Oyuki: Technically, you’re the one who poisoned Chosuke. I merely provided the means to do so.
Atsu: Just keep your hands where I can see them.
Oyuki: (Chuckles)
Atsu: Why the ‘Kitsune’? You could’ve chosen any name.
Oyuki: As a child, my favourite stories always featured foxes. Immortal tricksters with the power to become anyone. After I lost my family and home, that power was… Very appealing.
Atsu: And now?
Oyuki: Now, I’ve hid behind so many masks. I just want to show someone my true face.
Atsu: So you can remember what it looks like.
Oyuki: Try to sleep. We’ll head back at dawn.
Oyuki: Of all the places I’ve travelled, Teshio Ridge had the most beautiful morning.
Atsu: There’s only one place better.
Oyuki: Your home?
Atsu: When the sky’s clear, you can see Mount Yōtei. And it’s not so damn cold.
Oyuki: You’ve had so much taken from you. You’ve come far in your training. But there’s still one thing you must overcome.
Atsu: Dojun’s toxin.
Oyuki: There’s no physical tool to counter it and the antidote takes too long to be useful in a fight.
Atsu: Then how do I stop the hallucinations?
Oyuki: By knowing what is real, the hallucinations won’t be so debilitating. See the braziers circling the graves? I’ve soaked the logs in Dojun’s toxin. Light them.
Atsu: You want to poison us both?
Oyuki: I have the antidote if it becomes too much. Tell me. What did you see under the toxin’s influence?
Atsu: My mother. How she died.
Oyuki: I thought as much. You must confront the memory, Atsu. So you can find closure — and know what’s real.
Atsu: Closure won’t help me kill Saito.
Oyuki: Fear and pain are two of his favourite weapons. Closure will steel you against them.
Atsu: Now what?
Oyuki: We finish our duel.
Atsu: I thought you didn’t want to fight.
Oyuki: And I thought you did.
Atsu: You said if I killed you, I’d be doing Saito a favour.
Oyuki: Only if you didn’t learn what I had to teach you. You have. It’s time to take your revenge.
Oyuki: Control your breathing. Remember what’s real. Resist, Atsu. Fight it.
Atsu: I can’t. I can’t.
Yone: You can do anything.
Oyuki: (Pained grunt) (Laboured breath) Atsu. I am so sorry.
Atsu: I will never forgive the Kitsune. But the innkeeper’s daughter… I might forgive her.
Oyuki: Thank you.
Atsu: (Shaky breath) Come on.
Atsu: Oyuki? Where did she go?
Atsu: Surprised your fingers aren’t stiff from the cold.
Oyuki: I’ve learned to play anywhere.
Atsu: I thought you might have run off.
Oyuki: Not this time. I need to face my mistakes—starting with Dojun.
Atsu: If killing him hurts Saito, I’ll help you.
Oyuki: In return, let me assist you in your hunt for the Yōtei Six.
Atsu: All right.
Oyuki: Thank you.
Atsu: Dojun’s trail ran cold after the Matsumae burned his harvesting site.
Oyuki: Then it’s best we start back at the beginning—at the Red Crane Inn. But first, let’s seal our new partnership with a song.
Atsu: I know one we can add to… My mother’s song.
Oyuki: Atsu…
Atsu: It’s what she would have wanted. (Deep breath)
Yone: Wander on, my love.
Atsu: I will, mama.
Atsu: Bach to the Red Crane Inn.
The Kitsune’s Fate
Oyuki: Atsu…
Atsu: What happened here?
Oyuki: Retaliation from Dojun. For destroying his harvesting site.
Atsu: He slaughtered these people over some plants?
Oyuki: That toxin is his life’s work.
Atsu: If Dojun did this out of spite, he might have made a mistake — left behind something we could follow.
Oyuki: (Deep breath) I’ll help you look.
Atsu: Someone was sick here.
Oyuki: Likely from the same type of parasite we used on Chosuke. They would be too ill to fight back.
Atsu: What was her name?
Oyuki: Ume. She never asked questions — claimed my music said all she needed to hear.
Atsu: ‘Traitor’.
Oyuki: The Nine Tails’ loyalty to Lord Saito hasn’t waned. Atsu, look — over here.
Atsu: This handprint is small… childlike.
Oyuki: Shunpei. The stable boy.
Atsu: Do you see him among the bodies?
Oyuki: No…
Atsu: Maybe he got away?
Oyuki: Listen. Do you hear anything?
Atsu: Someone’s hiding in the walls.
Oyuki: That’s where the innkeeper instructed us to go should the Nine Tails attack.
Atsu: We know you’re in there, kid.
Oyuki: Shunpei, it’s me.
Shunpei: Lady Oyuki?
Oyuki: Are you hurt?
Shunpei: No, but the others…
Oyuki: Don’t think about them. You’re safe. You survived.
Shunpei: Because I ran.
Atsu: You ran so you can help me find who did this.
Oyuki: Any detail is helpful.
Atsu: Did the Nine Tails say anything?
Shunpei: They did not speak, but their clothes were wet and they smelled of… flowers. Rose and jasmine?
Atsu: Camellia blooms.
Oyuki: There’s a waterfall near the entrance of Teshio Ridge. Its banks are covered in camellias.
Atsu: Show me.
Shunpei: You’re leaving?
Atsu: We’re going to avenge your friends.
Oyuki: Run home, Shunpei. Hug your mother tight.
Shunpei: I will.
Oyuki: You know your flowers.
Atsu: Mother kept a garden. Whatever the season, something was always in bloom. The smells have stayed with me.
Oyuki: I’d like to see it one day.
Atsu: It’s all weeds now.
Oyuki: Then I’d like to help replant it — with your permission.
Atsu: Maybe. Once the Yōtei Six are dead. You never told me how you met Dojun.
Oyuki: I found him living off the land. Too old to be taken in by a family, but too young to be on his own.
Atsu: You took care of him.
Oyuki: I tried. At first, I taught him little tricks to protect himself. But he was such an eager student, I began to teach him more.
Atsu: Until he was no longer a boy, but a Nine Tail.
Oyuki: Dojun changed after meeting Lord Saito.
Atsu: Saito came here?
Oyuki: To check on my progress with the Nine Tails. I tried to keep the two apart, but Dojun snuck in to see him.
Atsu: And once Saito realised you were close…
Oyuki: He was all too happy to use my favourite pupil against me.
Atsu: If Saito suspected disloyalty, why not just kill you?
Oyuki: To make me suffer. He wanted me to believe that no one would accept the woman behind the mask.
Atsu: He was wrong.
Oyuki: Camellias along the river. (Deep inhale) Smell the rose and jasmine?
Atsu: It’s like being back in Mother’s garden. Shunpei said the Nine Tails’ clothes were wet.
Oyuki: Every waterfall has its secrets.
Atsu: Oyuki — look.
Oyuki: Their craftsmanship could use some work.
Atsu: We can tear it down. Give me a hand. Pull.
Oyuki: Well, we’re in the right place.
Atsu: Locked.
Oyuki: Of course. We’re back to hunting symbols.
Atsu: There’s something I don’t understand… Why didn’t Dojun ever try to attack you at the Red Crane Inn?
Oyuki: Because he stole the title of Kitsune through manipulation, not martial prowess.
Atsu: He’s afraid of you.
Oyuki: Clan Matsumae’s presence gave Dojun the perfect excuse not to act outright, but once they were gone…
Atsu: He had to do something. I wish we knew for certain he was here.
Oyuki: There are only so many places to hide — even in Teshio Ridge.
Atsu: Damn things won’t stay put.
Oyuki: What if we turn them together?
Atsu: Ready?
Oyuki: Ready.
Atsu: So much for a quiet entrance.
Oyuki: We should assume they know we’re coming.
Atsu: That’s… unnerving.
Oyuki: Look — Scratch marks on the ground.
Atsu: A hidden passage.
Oyuki: The Nine Tails are almost certainly waiting for us. Why walk into a trap, when we can spring one ourselves?
Atsu: It’s dark…
Oyuki: So use your ears. Listen for breathing, shuffling feet… Just like we did at the village, remember?
Oyuki: Together. Quick and quiet. Now the others.
Atsu: That’s all of them.
Oyuki: Impressive. You fought like a true shinobi.
Atsu: I had a good teacher. What is this place?
Oyuki: A map room, perhaps? What are you up to, Dojun? Atsu — look at this.
Atsu: He has markers as far south as Nagasaki.
Oyuki: Spies to keep an eye on the Shogun. I tried to delay sending the Nine Tails to the mainland, but Dojun has proven more amenable.
Atsu: More reason to kill him. Without their master, those spies will be forced to ground.
Oyuki: And Saito will lose his eyes and ears in the south.
Atsu: How do we get out of here?
Oyuki: Over here — give me a boost. Let me see if there’s a ladder. Here we are.
Atsu: It must be hard, seeing the man Dojun’s become.
Oyuki: He had such potential… The boy I found in the woods.
Atsu: Feel that breeze?
Oyuki: This must lead back outside.
Atsu: Fox fire…
Oyuki: Careful. This is the perfect place for an ambush.
Saito Outlaw: The traitor is here — with the mercenary!
Atsu: You were right. An ambush.
Oyuki: It’s almost like I taught them.
Saito Outlaw: Our master will present your heads to Lord Saito! You should have stayed in hiding!
Oyuki: And you should watch your footwork. Let’s move before more arrive.
Atsu: Back at the harvesting site, was that the first time you’ve seen Dojun since he betrayed you?
Oyuki: I tried to track him down — especially after he began targeting travellers and settlers. But he always eluded me.
Atsu: Then you’ve never really talked.
Oyuki: What is there to say?
Atsu: Through here.
Oyuki: I’m with you.
Nine Tail: This has gone far enough. Hand over the traitor and we’ll let you walk away.
Atsu: No.
Oyuki: Atsu, above you!
Nine Tail: Outlander. You will never return home.
Atsu: Why don’t they attack together?
Oyuki: To drag out the fight — exhaust us!
Atsu: Are you tired?
Oyuki: Hardly.
Atsu: More shinobi.
Oyuki: For there to be so many — we must be getting close to Dojun.
Nine Tail: Here I come!
Atsu: Assuming he’s here.
Oyuki: He is. I feel it.
Atsu: That’s all of them.
Oyuki: The only way forward is through those doors.
Atsu: Oyuki… I need to know you won’t hesitate.
Oyuki: Why would I?
Atsu: Because you wish Dojun was still that boy you took in.
Oyuki: He’s not.
Atsu: He belongs to Saito now. Remember that.
Atsu: Are you ready?
Oyuki: I won’t hesitate.
The Kitsune: You know the truth and still you stand by her?
Atsu: We have a common enemy.
The Kitsune: (Laughs) Lord Saito? Oyuki is his most loyal servant.
Oyuki: Liar—
The Kitsune: She let your mother hang. Made you watch.
Oyuki: I didn’t… Atsu…
The Kitsune: She will never betray him.
Atsu: She already did — when she let me go.
The Kitsune: And that’s enough to earn your forgiveness?
Atsu: It’s a start.
The Kitsune: Then you will die with her.
Oyuki: Focus on Dojun. I’ll deal with the others.
The Kitsune: You’re making a mistake!
Atsu: (Coughs) Found you.
The Kitsune: (Surprised growl) I didn’t murder your family.
Atsu: (Coughs) You’ve killed others — all across Teshio Ridge.
The Kitsune: Lord Saito is the future of Ezo. You can be part of it — just kill Oyuki!
Atsu: No.
The Kitsune: Enough of this.
Atsu: (Coughs) Stop hiding and fight! He’s running!
Oyuki: We’ll find him — come on! Atsu — he fled this way!
Oyuki: Surrender, Dojun.
The Kitsune: I don’t answer to you — only Lord Saito!
Atsu: You chose the wrong master. Oyuki took you in — why betray her?
The Kitsune: Because she’s stuck in the past! You both are! Lord Saito has a vision! A place for me by his side!
Oyuki: He is using you!
The Kitsune: No — you were using me! Against a great man.
Oyuki: I can’t help but feel like I failed him.
Atsu: You have much to atone for, but Dojun… He failed himself. Saito has lost his spymaster. Focus on that.
Oyuki: What now?
Atsu: We cross the remaining names off the list. Meet me at my family’s homestead. When you’re ready.
Oyuki: Atsu. Thank you — for believing in me.
Atsu: See you around.
The Spider: And so, the Oni and the Kitsune join the Snake among the dead.
The Dragon: How could one woman cause so much damage?
The Spider: Ah, but haven’t you heard? She isn’t a woman — she’s a vengeful ghost.
The Dragon: Peasants and their superstitions.
The Spider: That night has come back to haunt us.
Lord Saito: Stop being so dramatic. Clan Matsumae serves the Shogun. They are the enemy. Not some dead girl with a grudge.
The Dragon: Yes, Father.
The Spider: As you command.
Atsu: Mother, Father… I’m one step closer.
A Land Reforged
Master Enomoto: Atsu. You’ve been busy.
Atsu: Master Enomoto, what brings you down from the mountain?
Master Enomoto: Freedom. Teshio Ridge no longer lives under the shadow of fear — because of your courage.
Atsu: I had help.
Master Enomoto: Take the compliment, Atsu. If not for you, I could not have faced my grandson.
Atsu: Then he might still be alive.
Master Enomoto: His death is not your guilt to bear. Perhaps the lessons he learned in this life will matter in another.
Atsu: Something to drink to.
Master Enomoto: (Chuckles) Kanpai. Come. There are people outside who wish to thank you.
Atsu: I don’t want thanks.
Master Enomoto: People need close, Atsu. Do it for them.
Hana: You all make sure to try the roasted squash! Ah, the main guest has arrived.
Atsu: How are the farms, Hana?
Hana: We’ve been setting up traps and defences. We won’t be caught unaware again. And I’ve been training the women to use kunai.
Atsu: I’m sure your husband would have loved to see that.
Hana: Aren’t you lovely? Now go. And cheer up. It won’t kill you to be the centre of attention for a day.
Atsu: You say that…
Oyuki: Hello, Atsu…
Atsu: Oyuki…
Oyuki: I wasn’t sure if I should be here… But not coming felt like running away.
Atsu: Do the others know?
Oyuki: I’m still working up the courage.
Atsu: You faced Dojun. You can face them.
Oyuki: I brought you a gift — for your shamisen. Perhaps you could play something — to remember those we’ve lost.
Atsu: You’re the musician.
Oyuki: It would mean more coming from you.
Shunpei: Atsu…
Atsu: Shunpei.
Shunpei: Lady Oyuki told me your name. Thank you for avenging Ume and the others.
Atsu: I couldn’t have done it without your help. Are you… all right?
Shunpei: I… have nightmares. But I did as you and Lady Oyuki said — I ran home and hugged my mother.
Atsu: Good. Do that every day.
Shunpei: Every day?
Atsu: Trust me. You’ll be glad you did.
Shunpei: People call you a ghost, but you’re not so scary. You just have a grumpy face.
Atsu: Kids…
Atsu: (Deep breath) For those we’ve lost… Wander on…
Encounters across Teshio Ridge
Konupas: Huna he, friend.
Atsu: Your horse seems to be more comfortable.
Konupas: I think we’re starting to understand one another. I have a new saddle for you to look at. I should find some time to ride today.
Ronin: Well, well… The woman on the bounty poster wanders by. My luck has finally changed.
Atsu: Walk away, or your luck’s going to get a lot worse.
Ronin: I can improve the odds. This woman’s got a price on her head! I’ll split the reward with anyone who helps me cut her down!
Atsu: Have it your way.
Taro: I know that look. You’re in need of supplies, and I’ve got what you need.
Atsu: Is that so? Show me what you’ve got.
Atsu: Want some?
Taro: You’re not worried about sharing food with someone who touches corpses?
Atsu: You wash your hands, right?
Taro: Of course.
Atsu: Then, no.
Taro: Are you… looking for a discount?
Atsu: I just know what it’s like to be hungry.
Taro: Stay alive, friend. If you don’t, I’m selling your things.
Atsu: Wouldn’t expect any less.
Ainu: When you have a name, you cannot speak it.
Child: Yes, Ekasi.
Atsu: What’s wrong with saying your name out loud?
Ainu: We only share our names with those closest to us. Any names you hear around here are nicknames.
Atsu: Do you have a nickname like your grandfather?
Child: When I was little, everyone called me Ayay. Like the sound of a baby crying, so bad things wouldn’t want to come near me.
Ainu: You can call him Okkaypo, because he is a young boy. But he has chosen a new name for himself. So, what do we do if you accidentally say it?
Child: Cover your nose and mouth to avoid disease and bad kamuy from coming in.
Atsu: Good to know.
Settler: Oh! Oh, you startled me — thought you were a spirit.
Atsu: I’m just passing through.
Settler: Well, don’t stay around here. This place is haunted. People disappear. Leave before they get you too.
Atsu: I’m not afraid.
Settler: Be careful, traveller.
Isaburo: Oh. It’s you. Greetings. No one ever told me I’d freeze to death on this job.
Atsu: You do get winters on the mainland, do you not?
Isaburo: Well. Yes. But at least we don’t have — fox spirits prowling around, trying to bury me in the snow. Can I interest you in some maps?
Atsu: I’ll take my leave.
Isaburo: Always a pleasure.
Settler: That Ugetsu can be so reckless sometimes. Chasing wild tales…
Atsu: What kind of tales are we talking about?
Settler: The kind that get you killed. Especially out here. He kept talking about yuki mushi and snow sculptures. Said he’d make the trek himself, east of here, by the Mother Daughter Tree.
Atsu: Maybe it’s worth taking a look.
Settler: You want to get yourself killed along with him, be my guest.
Kojiro: Take a life, make a living.
Atsu: Kojiro. Didn’t think I’d find you this far north.
Kojiro: I go where the work is. Even if there’s talk of fox fire and missing bounties lost in the snow.
Atsu: I’ll watch my step.
Atsu: Nine Tails. Wonder what they’re hiding here. This place looks abandoned.
Nine Tail: When they come to pick up the steel, tell them it’s just across the bridge.
Nine Tail: When are they coming?
Nine Tail A: Where’s the steel?
Nine Tail B: Up the hill, by the main house.
Nine Tail A: Is it safe there?
Nine Tail B: Who would take it? No one’s around.
Nine Tail: We can’t just leave all this steel sitting around. Someone could take it.
Atsu: I can put this to good use. Courtesy of the Nine Tails.
Settler: Help! Thank you. I thought I’d die out here. Can you untie me? I was asleep at home when they kidnapped me. Woke up freezing, with my hands bound.
Atsu: You were bait to lure others in.
Settler: Then I’m glad you’re the one who found me. They caught a shark. Please, take this.
Atsu: Be careful out here.
Settler A: Hachiro is alive.
Settler B: I thought the Nine Tails took him prisoner?
Settler A: They did. Until someone killed them.
Ronin: So she killed the Snake. So what? If I find her, she’ll be begging for mercy.
Atsu: You found her.
Ronin: What? It’s you? I… I don’t want to die!
Hana: Looking for trouble?
Atsu: Hana. I see you’re out and about.
Hana: With the farms safe, I thought I’d share my kunai making skills with the rest of Ezo. Help people defend themselves.
Atsu: You’re always helping others.
Hana: Let me know if you want me to take a look at those kunai of yours.
Man: You picked the perfect spot.
Woman: (Giggle) Why do you sound so surprised? Oh! Hello, stranger. Would you like some tea for your travels?
Atsu: Thank you. But you should be careful. It’s dangerous out here.
Man: We just got married and are… new to Teshio Ridge. But the first step to building a community is helping people.
Woman: Life this far north is hard enough. We hope to make it a home. Start a family.
Atsu: My parents were similar when they came to Ezo. It doesn’t always work out the way you want it to.
Man: That may be. But so long as we have each other…
Woman: We can make anything work.
Atsu: Then take this — as a wedding gift.
Man: You are too kind.
Atsu: Thank you. For the tea.