Kyuden Hida: Familiar Sound
 

The room was lit by dozens of candles and torches. A pale scorpion stood at the foot of the table that a shackled Troll stood perfectly still Chains with glowing kanji bound the troll around the arm and legs. The Troll cried out in pain as the binding spell held it in place. The Scorpion bowed to the two men.

The entire interior of the trolls chest is exposed and it's breast plate and rib cage is lieing discarded on the floor. It's black blood covering the white bone.

Kuni Taira is wearing thick black gloves and holding a small obsidian bladed knife in his left hand. His face made up in thick makeup to look like a kabuki figure, a tradition of the Kuni family.

"See Shigeru-san, there will be great interest in my work. I was discussing that unlike other creatures of the shadowlands, the Troll has a natural resistance to the mutagenic properties of the taint. There are no mutated organs, now fifth or sixth limbs growing inside, and more importantly I have rarely run into a parasitic oni infestation."
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The snows outside worsened and the court returned back toward the gatehouse. The winding narrow path to the upper gate was slick now. Kaiu workmen were busy throwing salt down on the path in front of the returning crowd.

Nadare approached Noboru on the way back to the court.

"Well, it wasn't too hard to beat that Scorpion. A lot of what they do is lies pretending to be the truth, and someone called his bluff."

"I do not trust the scorpion, to often I have heard the lies they spread as truths." Noboru replied

"I'm interested in what you have to say, but it's probably not good to talk about it so close to them."

Nadare motioned Noboru to the other side of the procession.

"Maybe it's better when they're out of earshot, it's not wise to make waves at court."

"You seem to be a wise samurai" Noboru said.

"If the Shadowlands know the way into the Kaiu tunnels, we don't seal the entrance off, we trap it twice as much and send our scouts through another tunnel. It kills them, and we still get to send our men out to gather information."

Zatoichi bowed as well, when he entered and procured a small cloth from within his kimono, to hold over his mouth in order to filter out the scent of the troll's organs, as he walked a bit closer. "Excuse my squemishness," he apologized quickly for his actions, "but I am not used to spending time around such displays, however, I am interested in learning more about this creature's resistance to the taint... although I am afraid I am ignorant of such things, and so it may be difficult for me to comprehend, so, please, treat me as a child in your explanation," Zatoichi continued as he looked into the creature's chest cavity, trying his best to ignore its screams of pain. There was a part of him which wanted to release the beast from its misery, but there was also a part of him which was curious as to what these two were learning, and yet another part of him that need them unoffended so that he may gain details on Mutsuye from them.

"It's my belief this is a sign of He who must not be named's contract with the trolls for their servitude. It was said the trolls had a mighty empire once and The dark one came to them as an ally and offered them power if they gave him loyalty. The troll kings agreed and he cursed them with the taint, but left them free will, unlike the ogres. It's my theory that this resistance to the dominating properties of the taint is a sign of this contract. If Lord Osano Wo hadn't crushed their empire so long ago, I believe the Trolls would have made the backbone of the Dark Lord's armies."

Sagaki approached the troll, almost not noticing the smell, being used to noxious smells from his own work. Getting close, he paused to glance at the bonds on the troll - a habit formed for safety - and saw nothing amiss. Approaching the troll, he peered inside curiously, forgetting for a moment his mission, noting with interest that the other Kuni was right - there was no sign of mutation anywhere.

"Fascinating... If I might ask, how did you come by these specimens, Taira-san? I have enough trouble getting the simplest of specimens - and if I take them from the battlefield, they're ruined..."

"The Yasuki. I don't ask how they get them, I just pay them their fee and they deliver the cargo, no questions asked." Taira said, he scratched his brow. "If you'd like I could introduce you to my supplier, he won't deal in Oni of course. As usual if you want to experiment on an oni you have to do field work."