The Red Hand

Chapter 164.5 – Political Blowback.

"So, the old man fucked up." Daruma laughed. He, Onmiyame, Sizix, and several other members of the Spirit 'Nobility' were holding an emergency meeting after Mizumi and Shinlua's escape. "I never thought I'd get to tell you I told you so!"

"This isn't funny, Daruma!" Sizix slammed down on the table. "We failed to apprehend either Shinlua or Mizumi and now they've returned to Earth, doubtlessly to warn that Demon and assemble forces to oppose us!"

"Failing to capture either will require changes to our plans." A triclops man spoke up. "It will be hard to keep public order under control, and Mizumi's name still carries great influence."

"I understand your concerns, Anadora, but we've got everything under control." Onmiyame reassured him. "I'll admit that my failure to capture either of them was a pity, but it does not fundamentally alter our goals. So please assure your people that things will proceed as planned, and they'll soon have access to all the crafting resources they could ever want." He smiled. Anadora was the leader of Omara's crafting guild and was one of the most powerful men in the city.

"I still think this is going to be trouble." A black Tengu man spoke up. "Those creatures you've summoned, are you sure they are up to the task?" He asked. "Mizumi might be beholden to that creature, but I must admit that her claims about its power are... disturbing..."

{I know well the legend of the Demon Lord...} (Temura)

"Do you doubt my power, Temura?" Daruma glared at him.

"I don't doubt your strength, Councilor Daruma. I'm just cautious is all." Temura shook his head. "I don't like large-scale shake-ups, and our people are in no shape to fight an all-out war. As you know, our reserves of magic casters are at an all-time low, and it will take many years to replenish our forces." As the leader of Omara's mages, he held an important position, but his lack of mages was causing his power to dwindle.

"My explorers have been doing a fine job. I think they can handle any attack by the Demon if need be." Kumora was the leader of the Exploration Teams and a type of humanoid spider Yokai. "I'll show you that your ways are no longer needed, old man." She smirked.

"Your Explorers are undoubtedly excellent at finding resources and handling monsters, but it's still to be seen if they can handle a Demon." Momora was a large and rotund tanuki man who ran the cities trading guild, and he'd already thrown his lot in with Akagi and Mizumi covertly so as to not leave him vulnerable. He'd assumed conflict was inevitable but hadn't expected it this soon or in this manner.

{They really went and kicked the hornet's nest, didn't they?} Momora sighed internally. {At least Lady Mizumi and Shinlua got out safely. Now to just wait until that Demon kicks these idiots out, and we can get to work rebuilding our nation, free from their stupid politicking!}

"Just sit back and count your coins, Tanuki." Kumora glared at him. "Me and my people will make sure your fat ass doesn't have to worry about missing a meal."

{I'm not even that fat for a tanuki though...} (Momora)

"How much more time until those beasts are ready?" Anadora asked.

"Not too much longer. Sizix is entering the final stretch of their binding, and once that is complete, we can send them to Earth with orders to hunt down the Demon as well as the two traitors." Onmiyame grinned. "With them out of the way, it will be easy to enslave humanity and take our revenge on those loathsome creatures."

After a bit more discussion, and some backdoor dealings regarding influence, the group disbursed. Momora tried to exit the Council Hall as swiftly as possible, but he was stopped by Kumora as he was walking down the hall.

"Where are you headed, Tanuki?" The spider woman crept up next to him.

"I've got other meetings to attend. Once these events are finished we need to figure out the best path forward for Omara, and I want the guild to be ready." Momora put on a poker face as he spoke. He knew Kumora was fishing for intel and was suspicious of his motives and loyalties.

"Really? I figured you were planning on fleeing to Earth." Kumora smirked.

"And why would I do that?" Momora wasn't going to be taunted this easily. "My loyalty is to our people, and to the Council. Why would I feel the need to turn traitor, especially when everything I built is here?"

"I don't know, you tell me." Kumora's smirk turned into a scowl. "You've been dealing extensively with that Demon and her little pets. I've heard you helped them establish some operations within Omara, and you walked away with a tidy little profit." She pat his vest. "Onmiyame said he was attacked by members of that Demons forces. Forces that shouldn't have been in Omara at the time, but low and behold, they were."

"I did have dealings with Akagi and her people, but I categorically deny any connection to the combat forces that interfered with a lawful arrest." Momora did have a hand in that, but he wasn't going to let Kumora find any proof.

"Sure you didn't." Kumora walked past him, pushing him aside with her shoulder. "A word of advice, watch your back and keep your fat ass on the up and up. It would be a tragedy if someone else had to take your place."

{And a right FUCK you to you too, Kumora!} Momora told her off in her mind. {That stupid spider! Ever since she got control of what is basically our army, she's gone mad with power! Part of me even thinks she's going to try and oust the Council! And people wondered why I never trusted her back in our old home... She and her mentor were just as bad as Demons when it came to scheming and conniving!}

Rather than let himself get worked up, Momora decided to head back to his main Guild Hall, which was by the docks. Once he arrived, Momora called for a meeting of his two deputies.

"Whatcha need bossman?" The same Tanuki girl that Akagi met previously asked with a toothy smile. She was a bit more than just a poor girl running an Inn and was actually an important member of Momora's guild who gathered intel.

"Has the Council finally made its move?" Another Tanuki, this time an older woman asked him.

"I spoke with them, plus other important figures..." Momora took a seat on his comically oversized beanbag. "It seems that escalation is unavoidable, and conflict between Akagi and the Council is guaranteed." He pulled a pipe out of his pocket and began smoking it. "Alma, what is your taking on the situation on the ground? How have the average folk been reacting to the news?" He looked at the small girl.

"Most people are kinda... ambivalent." She gave a wry smile. "Right now, many think it's nothing but politics, and I think they're not getting just how bad things are.

"How can you not understand how bad of an idea it is to piss off a Demon? Not to mention one who might actually be a Demon Lord." The older woman sighed.

"That's right, you've dealt with Demons before, Halmori." Momora let out a puff. "If I recall correctly, they destroyed your village."

"Indeed." Halmori bit her lip. "A fool within our tribe attempted to contract a Demon and swindle his way to power, and in his stupidity, he brought the creature's wrath down upon all of us."

"Which is why we shouldn't be provoking a foe like her." Momora set down his pipe. "Akagi is a powerful Demon, and Demon Lord or not, I don't want a poor relationship with someone who holds our lives in her hands." He smirked. "You got to see firsthand what happens when someone ticks her off." He glanced at Alma.

"Akagi was scary! She even exploded part of my shop!" The Tanuki girl's tail stood on end.

{At least she paid me a bunch of gold and fixed it, so I can't actually be mad.} (Alma)

"And that was just for insulting her sister. What do you think she'll do when she finds out that not only was one of her servants attacked, but that the Council intends to declare full-on war against her and that world?" He continued to smirk.

"The Council will fall." Halmori declared the Council's doom with no hesitation.

"Precisely." Momora laughed. "And when that happens, I want you two to be ready to swoop in and cozy up to her and her people." He continued. "I don't care if she's a Demon or a Demon Lord. When I met her that day, I didn't smell sulfur; I smelled gold. More gold than I ever imagined." He cracked a smile as his eyes practically turned to dollar signs. "And if there's one thing I love more than food, it's money."