Eduardo's Tales

Story 8: The Malevolent Inkstone

Chapter 2

(Rated T for violence, brief nudity, adult content, alcohol content, and mild language)

(DISCLAIMER: No, I do not own Eduardo Rivera and Kylie Griffin from Extreme Ghostbusters, nor do I have the right to copy the anime series, Mushi-Shi, which has inspired me to bring our favorite slacker and Goth girl into a strange world that exists beyond time. So, enjoy the show!)

The Rakshasa made its move on another farmer's market as it spotted the bountiful harvest of fruits and vegetables that were waiting to be bought and eaten. The demon began to weave its dangerous spell as it passed through a basket full of apples. One of the peasants that was shopping there had spotted the basket of delicious apples as he was ready to buy one. After paying one xu for one of the apples, the peasant took a bite as a strange behavior overtook him. It was the Rakshasa's influence that took him over as he began to snatch the apples and gobbled them up. The vendor was shocked to see such trouble as he saw two more peasants eating some of the tainted fruit and vegetables as they were hankering for more. Something was wrong here and the vendor had no choice but to get help from an unlikely source.

The vendor had heard of Eduardo once before as he was said to be travelling throughout the Roads and beyond. To an unlikely source of information, the vendor also found that Eduardo and Kylie were the ones who helped out against the forces of King Gothmog as they drove them away with the help of the soldiers from the Mumtaz Region and Orlin. Hope was on the way as the vendor finally caught up to them as they were on their way back to the inn with Dr. Hanover and Dr. Uchihino following them with what was left of the inkstone.

"I've failed the Queen" said Dr. Hanover.

"If you hadn't stolen that inkstone and bungled everything, we wouldn't be in this situation right now," said Dr. Uchihino.

"All we have to do is wait and see what happens..."

"Leave it to Goat Boy and Goth Girl to solve this matter... Like that's ever gonna happen..."

"We should have faith in the Muah regardless. I can't let this problem slide and neither can you."

Dr. Uchihino looked at Dr. Hanover with an angry look on her face as she had plenty of disdain for him after trying to snatch the inkstone. She even had no choice but to see what happens next when the Rakshasa was about to attack and make its next move.

###

"The peasants at the market were eating everything!" cried the vendor as he was at his wit's end.

"Calm down, sir," said Eduardo.

"Was the food tainted?" asked Kylie.

"Yes...," said the vendor as he broke down sobbing. "The villagers here are cursed by their own gluttony!"

"It's the Rakshasa!" cried Eduardo. "It's already tainted the food at close range!"

Eduardo ran away from the inn as he went towards the farmer's market. The appalling behavior of the peasants had gotten even worse as they were even searching throughout the rubbish bins. It wasn't long until he bumped into Tsuchimaru as he was armed with a dousing crystal and a strange trap. What was he doing and why is he so determined to have the same goal as Eduardo?

"Tsuchimaru, what are you doing here?" asked Eduardo.

"I've been on the same hunch as you," he answered. "The Rakshasa's been tainting everything in the farmer's market!"

"Then, we'll find it, one way or the-"

To Eduardo's shock, he saw Kylie gorging down of a basket full of peaches as she was under the Rakshasa's spell. Her metabolism increased by the tenfold as she was later hit by a senbon laced with laudanum. With Eduardo catching her, she was briefly asleep as she was placed on a bench near the water fountain. He was scared for her along with the peasants and the Steward as he was ready to stop the Rakshasa with the help of Tsuchimaru.

"Damn it!" he cried. "This never ends, does it?"

"Tell me about it!" cried Tsuchimaru. "That Rakshasa has got everything put under its tainted spell!"

Eduardo and Tsuchimaru spotted several guards cart off the peasants and Kylie as they were off to the hospital. They were even aware of the tainted food as Dr. Uchihino and Dr. Hanover were among the crowd while finding clues to the Rakshasa's reign of food terror. Both doctors weren't out of the fight yet as they saw the Rakshasa up in the air near a tower as it was getting twice as big while feeding off of the energy of everyone who was infected by its tainted spell. They all had to stop it before it fed off anymore victims as it was flying away from the farmer's market.

###

Eduardo and Tsuchimaru returned to the hospital as they saw Orochihime tending to some of the patients that were under the influence of the Rakshasa. Everyone was chowing down on hospital food as their metabolism had skyrocketed. With Kylie put into one of the beds, she was also eating some of the contents of the hospital food as she was under the urge of the Rakshasa's feeding frenzy. Eduardo was concerned for Kylie as he was worried about her with such trouble in his heart. He had to save her and the rest of the patients before the Rakshasa did any more damage.

"Hold on, Kylie," he said worriedly.

"I think we should have a little chat with the two bickering doctors," said Tsuchimaru.

"These patients are out of control!" cried Orochihime as she was carrying the cart towards the door.

"Tell me about it! All they ever do is eat and veg out in a-"

Eduardo walked towards the door to the hospital ward as he had his staff in his hands. He wanted not only to save the peasants, but Kylie as well. The gluttonous demon was still at large as it was waiting for the right moment to strike. He had to find it before it manages to feed off more energy in a single day at least.

###

Dr. Hanover looked at the broken inkstone as it was severed in half. He was devastated that he couldn't bring back the Rakshasa to Queen Durga in time as he picked it up. To his assumptions, he had to put his faith in Eduardo this time as they saw him and Tsuchimaru walk towards them while they were ready to put a dent in the Rakshasa's feeding frenzy.

"The inkstone prison is no more," said Dr. Uchihino somberly.

"There is still hope in catching the Rakshasa," said Eduardo.

"How?!" cried Dr. Hanover worriedly. "We can't even zero in on the damn thing!"

"I can, compadre..."

Eduardo began to close his eyes as he began to enter into a trance. The sensing trance was the hardest thing that he had ever mastered as he began to see himself with the kodama searching all over the city. They were looking for the Rakshasa as they later found it in a place that was filled with many fruits and vegetables that were waiting to be shipped into the city. Eduardo had to find it before it did anymore damage and fast! Waking up from the trance, he began to feel a bit dizzy as he nearly lost his balance.

"Eduardo," said Tsuchimaru. "I think you need to rest up for a little bit."

"There's no time," he said as he maintained control fo his balance. "The Rakshasa's at the harbor where all the food coming into Chagum is being held at."

"If we catch that thing, we're gonna need to find a ghost trap."

"We still have a chance, amigo."

Eduardo spotted the broken halves of the inkstone that Dr. Hanover had as he snatched them up and put them in his bag. The blond-haired doctor had viewed Eduardo's methods as insane as he followed after him along with Dr. Uchihino. Both doctors were concerned about the unorthodox methods that came from the Muah traveller as they decided to go along with his plan.

"That man sure has plenty of experience," said Dr. Hanover.

"You mean Goat Boy?" said Dr. Uchihino. "He thinks he can trap that Rakshasa by sealing it back up in the inkstone, but I doubt it's gonna work."

"We can't let that demon feed on anyone else! At least we can try to trust Eduardo for once."

###

Eduardo and Tsuchimaru rushed toward the harbor as they were in the shipyard where some of the food was being sent in at. The Rakshasa was floating toward the various crates of food as it was ready to weave its spell on whoever eats it. With both halves of the inkstone in his hands, Eduardo was ready to put more effort into trapping the gluttonous demon as he drew out his staff and began to conduct and recite a very powerful incantation. To his shock, he saw the Rakshasa fly toward him as it branched out its claws. The demon was slightly slow when it nearly clawed Eduardo as he was twirling his staff with full force.

To his shock, he saw a blue-haired man lunge toward him with a knife as he seized him by the throat. The attacker himself was a rival of Dr. Hanover as he wanted to find and protect the Rakshasa from being sealed up in that inkstone once again. He always loved the paranormal in such a dangerous way as he was about to kill Eduardo where he stood. The Rakshasa needed to be protected despite the danger as the attacker brought his knife closer to Eduardo's throat.

"Well, well," said the attacker. "Eduardo Rivera, I presume? You're trying to entrap the Rakshasa back in that inkstone, aren't you? Well, I won't allow it!"

"You're insane!" he cried. "Do you know how many people will be infected by the Rakshasa's trickery? Too many people will have their life essences being sucked into that demon!"

"The Rakshasa will never be trapped again!"

"You idiot!" cried Tsuchimaru as he drew out his sword. "Are you trying to protect such a heinous thing that's using this entire city as its stomach?! You're more of a fruit loop who's on the nutty side if you're trying to save such a gluttonous thing like that!"

Tsuchimaru drew out his dousing crystal as he wrapped it around his sword. With the Rakshasa still flying in the air, it was slightly blasted by the combined weapon of sword and crystal as it was hit and fell into the ocean. Tsuchimaru may have hit it, but it was still too powerful as it began to hide underneathe the dock. As for the attacker, however, he still had Eduardo as he had his knife to his throat. He swore that he would make the Muah traveller pay for having some help while dealing with the Rakshasa.

"Your friend may have wounded the Rakshasa, but I've got something more valuable to take with me to King Gothmog," said the attacker.

"Amaterasu's touch, burn thy enemy's hand," said Eduardo.

The attacker felt his hand sear as he dropped the knife onto the dock. Eduardo whacked him with his staff as he sent the assailant flying into a crate full fo grapes. With the attacker under the spell of the demon that he was protecting, he began to gobble up some of the grapes as he had an insatiable appetite for food. It wasn't long until he spotted Tsuchimaru going up against the Rakshasa as he was trying to keep it at bay. With the broken halves of the inkstone still at play, Eduardo had a much better incantation to perform as he was ready to seal the drain the demon and beat it at its own game.

"I call upon the power of Indra as my weapon," he said as he set both halves of the inkstone down onto the ground. "The heavens as my ally, the heavens as your enemy-"

"Eduardo, what are you doing?!" cried Tsuchimaru as he saw the Rakshasa being stunned in midair.

"I call upon the divine hand to punish thee-"

"Looks like you've got the hungry man where you want it-"

"And to bind thee-"

"I call upon the power of Poseidon's fury and entrap this demon!"

"And to banish you from whence you came back to your prison where you belong!"

The combined power of Eduardo's incantation and Tsuchimaru's summoning had bound the Rakshasa as it was pulled into the cracked inkstone. With the inkstone repaired and fixed, the Rakshasa was sealed in as Eduardo and Tsuchimaru used their combined talents to create a more damage-proof sphere that surrounded it. Even Tsuchimaru used the strange trap that he brought with him as he opened it up and sucked the sphere inside of it. The Rakshasa was sealed in once again as its spell was broken. With the peasants and Kylie freed, everyone and everything was back to normal as Eduardo and his allies were there to save the day.

###

It had been two days since the Rakshasa was recaptured as both Dr. Uchihino and Dr. Hanover had decided that the Rakshasa that was trapped in the inkstone had to be returned to the Sita Region after all, for there was a storage center that housed many demons over there. As for Eduardo, however, he had his hands full as he was busy tending to the patients who had stomachaches. Even Kylie wasn't feeling too well as she gulped down a mug full of hot ginger tea. To her surprise, she saw Eduardo carrying the cart as he was busy helping Tsuchimaru and Orochihime take care of the patients.

"So, I take it that you guys stopped the Rakshasa," said Kylie.

"The old hungry man's going back with Dr. Hanover and Dr. Uchihino to the Sita Region," said Tsuchimaru. "Lucky for us, there was a ghost trap that was put in play."

"Tsuchimaru," said Eduardo. "Thanks for backing me up at the harbor."

"Hey, if it wasn't for you, Tsuchi-kun would have never caught it by itself," said Orochihime.

Everyone was grateful as the way things are were surfacing once again. After a rough day in catching the Rakshasa, Eduardo was staring out the window as he saw a grey kodama in a tree. The time was almost near when the Festival of the Spirits was about to commence in a few days. Both Eduardo and Kylie had no choice but to leave Chagum and travel the Roads to Ryuzaki, where the Festival was waiting for them...

The End