Warning from under the mountain

Shiro Tamori 

Tamori Shimura (Daimyo of the Tamori Family)

1197

Deep in the base of the mountain, the mighty forges of the Tamori were hot, dark and, for the uninitiated; terrifying. To live and work that close to an active volcano was often seen by the Empire at large as tempting fate, but the Tamori worked hard to appease the kami of the mountain and so far, the mountain had remained quiet.

Tamori Shimura walked slowly across the polished, volcanic glass floor. He silently cursed the various aches and pains that had slowly become constant companions “Such is the reward of a long life” he silently mused.

He rarely made it down to the forges these days as his time was predominantly taken up with running the Tamori family and liaising with the rest of the Dragon Clan, but today was not an ordinary day. Today, he was down here to meet a dragon.

As he reached the edge of the lake of molten rock, the heat was intense. Muttering a prayer to the kami, he walked forward, protected from the heat and the poisonous air. He knelt, bowing low.

The glowing liquid rock bubbled and a shape rose from within. As the lava flowed away, a gold and green scaled head was revealed, its eyes glowing with a silver light “Shimura-san” the voice was low, like the rumble of a distant avalanche or the first tremor of an eruption. Shimura quickly pushed those thoughts out of his head. “Tenchi-Ryu-sama, I am your humble servant.”

“Shiumra-san, I bring you a warning.”

The aging Daimyo’s skin went cold and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. “What warning?”

“The Kami and the Fortunes have spoken and I am their voice. A time of Sorrow is coming. An ancient enemy will return.”

Even as Shimura began to speak, the beast closed its eyes and sank beneath the surface of the lava.