Chapter 196 - The Caretaker

Yuzu and Minnie gazed up at the top of the staircase. The walls of the narrow stairway alley blocked the view around the corner, framing the moonlit landing which served as a T-intersection in the path. A natural rock wall rose up at the back of the landing, where a pair of empty torch holders were embedded.

Out of sight, the ‘caretaker’, as Yuzu had called him, approached with a slow and laboured gait. For a while they only heard the dangling of chains, uneven, dragging footsteps, and the sound of something metal being dragged along the ground.

The sound echoed down the narrow alley, reverberating off of the stone walls. Minnie suddenly felt that the walls in this path were too close together, leaving them nowhere to run. There was something wrong about the person who was approaching. Something unnatural about the sound of their stride. A sense of claustrophobia and dread welled up within her as she instinctively reached down to the holster at her waist.

“Officer.” Yuzu said softly, with a firm tone.

Minnie snapped out of her mental state as she looked down to see Yuzu’s calm eyes looking back at her. Even within the calmness, though, there was a tension, a fear - not of the unknown, but of the knowledge of what was approaching.

“Do you have any coins on you?” Yuzu asked, bracing her hands on her legs as she stood up.

“Y-yes. Not much.” Minnie replied, shakily reaching into a buttoned pocket of her uniform. She pulled out a small velvet pouch and emptied out a number of coins onto her palm. Amidst a number of copper coins were two silver marks. Yuzu plucked the two marks out of Minnie’s palm, then returned one with a meaningful gesture.

“Take this.” Yuzu said, “Hand it to the caretaker, but do not touch him or look into his eyes.”

The tall, slim girl paused, glancing once more at the top of the stairs. She listened to the approaching footsteps for a moment, then pulled the hood of her robe over her head and muttered softly, “Stay strong.”

Whether those words were spoken to Minnie or herself… even Yuzu didn’t know.

Minnie held the silver coin between her fingers in stunned silence. She watched Yuzu climb up a few steps before following.

The chains and scraping sounds sharpened and rang out as a tall, gangly figure bundled in a heavy hooded cloak finally came into view. His face was hidden from view as he lurched forward in a slow, awkward gait. The oversized cloak was formed of several tattered layers that dragged along the ground behind him.

A black iron lantern dangled from a thick, mottled chain that was loosely wrapped around his left arm in long swinging hoops. The chain coiled up to his shoulder and wrapped across his neck and torso several times. The end of the chain dragged noisily behind him on the ground, ending in a wide, flat rusted disc.

Yuzu stood three steps from the top of the steps with her head bowed respectfully. Minnie quickly caught on, standing beside the teenage girl and taking the same position.

The caretaker continued forward on the landing as if he were going to pass by without noticing them. However when he reached the center of the platform he lurched to a stop.

Though she had her head bowed, Minnie couldn’t help but peek at the figure. She let out a gasp as she saw his hand - long, bony, and devoid of flesh. Her eyes flickered up automatically to look into the caretaker’s deep, shadowed hood. Two glowing red eyes peered out of a stained, fleshless skull.

At the moment Minnie glimpsed the eyes, an arm was suddenly thrust in front of her face. She nearly jumped back and fell down the steps out of surprise, however the distraction was enough to remind her to avert her eyes.

Yuzu retracted her arms. Her lips were tight as she kept her eyes lowered. “Careful…”

In an unnaturally stiff motion, the skeletal caretaker turned to face them. Yuzu’s entire body trembled as she extended her hand, clearly holding out the silver coin. Its bones rattled as it extended its right hand, palm outstretched. 

Every instinct in Yuzu’s body screamed at her to run. Her vision of the future and her rational side was the only thing that kept her from breaking down. She had had ample time to examine the thread in the alleyway and determined that the skeleton was not truly a monster in its own right. It was simply a mindless puppet, acting in a predetermined way set by the master of this place.

So although the caretaker’s body was infused with the spiritual energy of the thread, the thread did not belong to it, nor did it have a will of its own. 

By scanning the future and ‘trying out’ different actions, Yuzu understood what the caretaker’s assigned task was - patrol the village and execute any trespassers who didn’t pay their fare.

Once the fare was paid, take them to see its master.

It’s only a puppet. It’s only a puppet…

Yuzu kept her eyes averted as she extended her hand and dropped her coin on its palm. Minnie followed suit shortly after. Neither Exalted uttered a sound or dared to breath as the caretaker closed its bony fingers over the coins. It raised its left hand, depositing the coins into the lantern swinging from the chain. The two coins clinked against the bottom of the lantern, joining a singular lone coin.

After this motion it turned and continued up the path, dragging the chain behind it.

Yuzu’s heart was beating out of her chest as she exhaled shakily, forcing herself to maintain her composure. Her eyes flickered toward Minnie, whose face was pale and clammy. No words came to mind as she looked at the back of the shambling skeleton and began to follow it.

The caretaker followed the singular black thread up the path, heading toward the peak.

Now that she was away from the shrine, her ability to extend her spiritual vision further along the string was stifled. She could only see a short way into the future, with the vision rapidly becoming blurry and unclear even five minutes ahead. 

A constant, gentle pressure tinged with demonic energy weighed down on her spirit - the ambient spirituality of the surrounding area clearly had a diminishing effect on her powers.  

Still, Yuzu knew exactly where the string led.

The image of a tall, lean man with stretched limbs lingered clearly in Yuzu’s mind. He had a neatly trimmed moustache that extended down from under his nose past the corners of his mouth, where they tapered into two curled points. His rectangular face was gaunt, with sunken eyes and cheeks. He wore a set of scholar’s robes in an ancient, foreign style, and a black cloth hat that fit snug to his scalp. 

This ageless man, the owner of the only thread in the village, the master of this lifeless place, had noticed Yuzu as soon as she’d arrived and was waiting for her at the peak.

Yuzu didn’t have to decipher or unravel this fact. This insight was afforded to her by her connection to the powers of fate.

The wind howled softly in the distance as Yuzu and Minnie followed the caretaker through the ruins.

The metal disc dragging at the end of the chain scraped unevenly against the ground behind the caretaker. The lantern swung from its chain, the coins inside clinked softly.

The caretaker’s stiff, ungainly stride formed an uneasy rhythm that kept them on their toes. 

At present they came to the base of a staircase. Sharp, rocky cliffs fell away on either side of the staircase which extended straight up to the peak.

The caretaker stopped abruptly at the base of the staircase. It froze in place as if it had come to the end of its orders.

In Yuzu’s spiritual vision, a thick black thread coiled down from the peak and grabbed onto the limbs of the caretaker directly. It raised its right hand, pointing toward a stone bench beside the staircase with a gnarly finger.

“You need to wait here.” Yuzu said softly over her shoulder, “The monk only wishes to meet me.”

Minnie’s eyes widened. Her lips quivered as she shot a nervous glance toward the caretaker, “Wait here- alone?”

“You don’t need to worry.” Yuzu muttered softly. She examined Minnie’s silver string, noting that there were no signs of danger in the near future. After a moment she added, “The Maiden will protect you.”

The quiet consolation didn’t ease Minnie’s nervousness, but she had no ability to protest. She looked into Yuzu’s eyes, staring seriously at her for a moment, and then nodded curtly.

“I’ll wait here for your return.” Minnie said, adding quietly, “It won’t be too long, right?”

Yuzu nodded, not to answer Minnie’s question, but simply to convey that she would do her best to return promptly.

The caretaker stepped to the side of the staircase and faced Yuzu before freezing in place. The lantern creaked rustily on its chain as it dangled to a halt.

Yuzu turned her gaze to the top of the staircase. A demonic aura suppressed her spirit, causing the future in the black thread to be unreadable. Was it due to the ritual being conducted here? Or was it a sign of the individual strength of the monk himself? Or both?

Regardless of the cause, the result was the same. Whatever future awaited her at the top of the stairs, she’d have to deal with it when it arrived.

Right. Dealing with the future as it arrives. She thought with a self-deprecating smile. How dreadful!