Chapter 49

10 “So basically what you’re sayin’ is,” said Bisco, scarfing down his sixth helping of alligator fried rice and tossing the empty plate onto the pile, “that old dude Kelshinha never had the power to turn me back to normal in the first place?” “I doubt it,” said Milo. “The Rust-Eater’s power was to break down rust and turn it into energy. Kelshinha’s power, meanwhile, controlled it and used it to create things. They work in completely opposite ways.” “’Scuse me, can I get another plate of this?” “Bisco! Are you listening to me?” “Well, he ain’t gonna get it anyway,” said Tirol. “Besides, Akaboshi, slow down the eatin’ a little. We only just crammed that stomach back in… ’Scuse me, you got any steamed buns? Somethin’ a bit more filling maybe?” “You folks sure are a hungry bunch!” answered the proprietor. “We got bear and tuna—what’s yer fancy?” “Oooh gosh, I looove tuna! Some of that, please!” “Then we’ll have four of those, please,” said Bisco. “Huh? I—I’m good!” said Milo. “I’m full already…” “I know. Two of ’em are for me.” “And I will have two as well. So five, please, good sir.” Bisco, Pawoo, and Tirol gorged themselves on food like they hadn’t eaten in days, while Milo looked on, exhausted from Bisco’s surgery, as if he were watching demons scarfing down human flesh. “Don’t look at me like that, Milo. I’ve been busy with meetings and haven’t had a chance to eat yet.” “Y’all are lucky Pawoo was here to do her peace talks or whatever, ’cuz I sure ain’t no help to you in a fight!” said Tirol. “Hah. Peace talks. What’d she do, break their fingers one by one until they complied?” “Yep. Spot on. Just like this…” “Waaagh! Hands off me! Owowowow! That hurts!” Milo gave an exasperated sigh and turned to see how Actagawa was doing. “Parked” outside (if that’s the right word to use), he was eating merrily from a feed trough, surrounded by cooing bystanders and playful children, all crowding around him and reaching out to stroke his smooth, hard shell. “All right. I got my stomach back; I’m nice and full; I’m ready to fight,” Bisco declared. “Hey, Tirol, you tracked down Raskeni yet? She ain’t left the city yet, has she?” “No,” answered Pawoo. “I have the Vigilante Corps stationed all around the perimeter. Nuts and Plum are good agents. They won’t let her slip through.” “Relax, you two,” said Tirol. “I got Kandori and his lackeys combing the city for her. You guys ain’t gonna be sticking your noses into every little thing. Why don’t y’all go take five instead?” “Get real. Amli risked her life for us, and now she’s in trouble. You can’t expect me to sit around on my ass doin’ nothin’!” “Ha! That’s rich! As if it wasn’t you who started this whole thing off in the first place by randomly takin’ pity on that old man— Mgh!” “Shut it! Eat another one of your meat buns!” “Mppphhhh!” As the comedy duo did their thing in the background, Milo thought about his fight with Kelshinha, and the strange things the old man had said. “The Rust can be commanded through specific sequences of sounds… That is what we call mantra.” “The Rust is the fulcrum of evolution. It is those who refuse to adapt who die out, as is natural.” “Those who can adapt, and harness the Rust, survive.” …It was because he could restore his own body with the Rust that he came to be known as the Immortal Monk. It’s like some advanced technology from the old world, but he studied it like a mantra. …The Rust…is the fulcrum of evolution… Perhaps the people of the old world used the Tokyo Explosion to scatter the Rust across the land…in order to force life to evolve and combat their decline… As Milo was deep in thought, suddenly something popped into his head. A single line of mantra, one of the last vestiges of Kelshinha’s memories, came unbidden to Milo’s lips. “…Won/shad/kshmd/snew…” Before his very eyes, a small mote of dust appeared and began to grow… Eventually it took on the shape of a cube, solid and made of rust. “Ah… aaahhh!” “…? What, what’s up with you?” “Um…nothing. Nothing at all…!” Milo hurriedly pocketed the cube, sweating. A mantra…! How did I do that?! I don’t even have the Scriptures anymore…! All of a sudden, Milo’s thoughts were interrupted when several of the patrons in the restaurant screamed and pointed toward the entrance. There in the doorway, a large brute of a man stepped in, swaying gently, and collapsed in a pool of his own blood. “Kandori!” They all ran up to the bloodied figure, the former high priest of the Wizened, Kandori. Milo swiftly tore back the man’s clothes, revealing a number of spear wounds to his chest. Then he took a lurkershroom concoction from the pouch at his waist and administered an injection. “I have failed you, Lord Akaboshi…” “Don’t talk. You’re gonna be just fine… With all those muscles, there’s no way she hit anything vital.” “No, forget about me… You must hurry. Raskeni has recovered Kelshinha’s body, and she has all the Scriptures at her disposal.” Milo and Bisco shared a worried glance at the sound of the old man’s name. “That is why I failed. That woman has been loyal to Kelshinha from the very beginning. She was using you, not for her own ambitions but to restore him to glory. If Kelshinha is revived, he will no doubt attempt to execute the Mantra of Control. We six were able to stop him last time, but now…” “The Mantra of Control?” “It is an accursed mantra Kelshinha discovered that snatches away the target’s thoughts and replaces them with total subservience. Those affected can also chant the mantra affecting another, doubling, doubling, like a plague that covers not only this whole city but all of Japan…” “Kelshinha can put the entire country under his control?!” cried Pawoo. “That’s some twisted shit,” said Bisco. “Let’s go,” said Milo as he finished wrapping his partner’s bandages. “I bet Amli will be there, too!” “Kandori, where were you when this happened? Do you know where they’ve gone?” “Most likely, they have retreated to the top of the Rust Tower. Take great care. With the Scriptures at her disposal, that woman is more powerful now than ever…!” “She still ain’t as strong as I am now. Milo, Pawoo, get your things. We’re going.” “Okay!” “All right.” The trio leaped away into the air. Tirol stared blankly for a second, then shouted after them, “Hey! What about me?! Don’t just leave me here!” “As long as you’ve got Actagawa with you, you’ll be fine! Just look after Kandori for us!” “I can’t believe you— Hey, wait, the food! You gonna make me cover the check?!” As Tirol hopped atop Actagawa, the other three sprang from power line to power line, making their way toward the single spire that towered over all others in the center of the city.