← Previous Chapter |
Next Chapter →
Back to the game page
Matsumae: Halt! You are well-armed.
Atsu: Ezo is a dangerous place.
Matsumae: That it is… Especially for a woman. Rumour has it, Lord Saito is filling his ranks with female recruits.
Atsu: (Scoffs) That’s why you stopped me? I would never work for Saito or any of his dogs.
Matsumae: Oh?
Atsu: I’m hunting the Yōtei Six.
Matsumae: (Laughs) You? Alone?
Atsu: What can you tell me about the Oni?
Matsumae: That madman is trying to rebuild the castle in Ishikari Plain. No good can come from that. It was burned for a reason.
Atsu: What reason?
Matsumae: Guess you haven’t heard of the Undying Samurai. Ugetsu tells the story best. I last saw him camped in the fields north of Nakagoya Spring. This wanderer is of no concern to us. She’ll be dead by tomorrow anyway. Move out!
Settler: Greetings. The Oni shouldn’t rebuild Ishikari castle. It burned down for a reason.
Atsu: Something about the Undying Samurai, right?
Settler: Ugetsu tells the story best. Saw him camped near Nakagoya Spring. Might still be there.
Ugetsu: Have you heard of the samurai who defied the wind? Do you want to know what happened to that corpse?
Atsu: Hunting down stories again, Ugetsu?
Ugetsu: The wind in Ishikari carries a tragic tale. Would you like to hear it?
Atsu: Depends. What’ll it cost me?
Ugetsu: Only your attention. The castle that towers over this valley was built by a prideful samurai, who pronounced himself master of Ishikari Plain. So goes the tale of the Undying Samurai. He commanded his clan to build him a castle that would surpass the majestic peaks of Mount Yōtei. And forged an armour to rival the beauty of its snowy summit. But the mountain would not suffer the lord’s pride and sent the wind to take down his castle, gale after gale. The samurai lord defied the wind. Decorating his castle with wind chimes, he transformed the punishing storm into a haunting melody. One night, a fire broke out. Fanned by the winds, the roaring flames devoured Castle Ishikari. But the vain samurai lord survived, trapped within his precious armour. An armour now cursed to bestow unnatural life, so that its lord may live out eternity with a wounded pride. Only when his life is taken and the armour removed, will the curse be lifted. Some believe repairing the castle brought back its old master. The samurai lord wanders the valley, searching for any man strong enough to break his curse.
Atsu: Maybe he needs a woman.
Ugetsu: They say he leaves wind chimes by his victims, an act of defiance against the winds that still haunt him. Where four wind chimes sing, the Undying Samurai appears.
Atsu: He was gutted… “Where four wind chimes sing, the Undying Samurai appears.” But how to make them sing?
Atsu: Run through… He wasn’t able to break the Undying Samurai’s curse. Another wind chime. Let’s make you sing.
Atsu: Another victim of the Undying Samurai. How to get him down… (Winces) Sorry. One more chime and the Undying Samurai will appear — if Ugetsu’s tale is true.
Ronin: Hey! Find some other corpse to pick! Stay back.
Atsu: All I want is the chime. Keep the rest.
Ronin: Why? Is it valuable?
Atsu: Not to you.
Ronin: We’ll see about that.
Atsu: Should’ve handed it over. Where four wind chimes sing, the Undying Samurai appears. Time to end the curse and take his armour for myself.
Atsu: Where four wind chimes sing.
The Undying Samurai: You’ve come at last. I could feel your anger on the wind.
Atsu: Draw your sword. I’ll give you a good death.
The Undying Samurai: Cut well. Are you strong enough to pierce my armour? Release me from this world.
Atsu: Be at peace. Now to head back to Ugetsu.
Ugetsu: You’ve returned. You defeated the Undying Samurai? Tell me what happened.
Atsu: He wanted to die.
Ugetsu: You delivered him on the edge of your blade. And in the end, gave him more than he deserved.
Atsu: A good death.
Ugetsu: So ends the story of the Undying Samurai. A relic from another era, buried in the dirt of Ezo. You’ve given me a fine ending. I’ve scraped together a few mon. For a story well told.