25.i Of Peach Soda Pop and Pilfering

~ Sun Ritsu ~

Sun Ritsu hadn’t noticed that Anari had left the group to order a cute consultant at the nearest welcome booth. He was still holding a half-conscious monk while he stood before a construction site that was mostly taped off from the public.

Ham Song whimpered at Ritsu’s heels. “Don’t get too close, Ritsu. Something about that bridge doesn’t smell right.”

“It’s only half a bridge,” Ritsu said under his breath as he scanned the area. The structure was not made of wood or stone, nor did it branch off from the main landing deck where the tourists gathered right before they crossed over onto the next giant. The material that made up the bridge could probably be a metal, but something about it was incorporeal. As if it didn’t entirely exist on this plane.

The heart of the construction site was oozing something that did indeed stink. It also gave off a neon, putrid sort of aura. There were a few spirits with hard hats picking their way around the debris. Most of them looked like dog spirits, but unlike the canines Ritsu had encountered so far, none of them appeared to be of a recognizable breed.

Ham Song called out to the closest worker. “My good mongrel!”

The dog spirit of an indiscriminate breed ambled in their direction. He stopped where the yellow tape divided the construction site from the paved pathways.

With a low chuff, the dog said, “You two should move it along.”

“What’s that smell coming from under the bridge?” Ham Song asked without missing a beat. He looked up at the dog expectantly and nudged Ritsu a little closer to the tape.

The construction worker’s eyes darted from left to right before he finally said, “If anyone asks, they were volunteers. Unfortunately for them, they weren’t really skilled enough to work on this project. They got trapped under the bridge. That’s their essence you’re smelling. The spirits are rotting there.”

Ritsu raised an eyebrow. “Volunteers? What’s that supposed to mean?”

The dog lowered his voice, his lip coming up over his canines in a snarl. “It means, Mr. Monkey, that the victims were actually prisoners. Cute offenders of the worst sort.” Ironically, he added, “You know how it is around here. You gotta pay the price if your behavior’s not up to code.”

Ham Song stomped his foot to get the dog’s attention. “How could their essence possibly still be attached? Those spirits should have moved on to the Lake of Ninefold Darkness by now.”

The dog’s snarl dissolved into something more pitying. “You would think. But that bridge isn’t a normal one. Some big shot organization is behind the whole thing. They want to build highways all over the Ninth Heaven. Standardize the way of travel between the giants and all that.”

Ham Song blinked. “It makes sense.”

Sun Ritsu, who, don’t forget, was an idiot, admitted that he didn’t understand.

The dog sneered, “What kind of sun clone are you? I thought monkeys were supposed to be clever.”

With that, the construction worker returned to his duties. Ham Song and Sun Ritsu put some distance between themselves and the tape before they were approached by any tourism personnel.

While they waited on a bench for Anari, Ham Song explained, “Benevolent monkey, as of now there are many ways to cross the void and travel from giant to giant. Some methods are more convenient than others, such as the ferry we came on. But some giants, such as the one home to the Ox and Tiger Provinces are notoriously difficult to reach.”

Ritsu understood now. “Building a highway would make traveling simpler and easier for everyone.”

The monk, Dear Traveler, was still cradled in Ritsu’s arms. Groggily, they interjected, “It would also make whoever was controlling all those bridges very, very rich.”

Ham Song added, “But never mind the implications of the final product. One of the reasons why this has never been done correctly is because the void has a mind of its own. I’ve seen it eat bridges before. Once you stretch a toe outside the protection of a giant, there is no telling how kindly the void will treat you.”

“But even if you have an accident in the void, won’t you just go to the Lake of Ninefold Darkness regardless?” Ritsu asked. “Those spirits shouldn’t be trapped like that.”

“A mystery for another day, lawful monkey,” said Ham Song. “Here comes the spider with one of those dyed corgis. Monk, pull yourself together, will you?”

With a compliant yawn, Bodhi stretched and shimmied out of Ritsu’s lap and onto the empty spot beside him.

“Right.” They pointed at the corgi. “Wouldn’t want to embarrass myself in front of our insurance policy.”