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Yokai Hunter Document: OS-11
Form and Reason: OS-1, original name: Piku, is a small, fox-like creature the size of a mouse which has a tail that splits in two at its base. Its fur is grey, though it has a white nose and a black stripe running the length of its body.
Piku, like others, is a steadfast companion to those it has claimed and a curse to those who wrong it. Only Scout Commander Ishiyama and three others are able to see Piku.
Piku enjoys hiding in the clothing of the people it claims and plain rice which it can take in the blink of an eye due to his speed.
Sorcery: Legend state that an Osaki's presence can influence a family's wealth. This is true for Piku. Piku's ire is dangerous, and all efforts should go towards mitigating the damage. Rice is the source of Piku's magick.
Events: While considered improper to speak about, Scout Commander Ishiyama got one Osaki mochi family to talk to her. Her report reads as follows:
I approached the family like I would any yokai. I know what people who have something to hide act like, so I did my best to come off as welcoming.
I heard the rumors in the village that this family had brought prosperity to the area, though even those rumors were hard to collect. This village was far more interested in trying to protect the family, the Mishiyaras. Still, after assuring the villagers I meant no harm, I managed to convince them.
Anyway, I managed to locate this family, and by the gods, their estate was huge. I was surprised that the village was so protective of them. Usually, an estate that big was hated by the village around it, so I felt there was more going on there.
I was welcomed into the Mishiyara estate rather warmly, which was odd considering the way the village treated the subject. Lady Mishiyara was more than willing to show me around and tell me about the village. I picked some of it up, but I was more interested in the creature sitting on her shoulder eating a small rice ball. As the rice vanished, a few coins fell to the ground. She did not seem to notice. I thought about bringing it up, but I had the feeling this was what the village was hiding.
It was not long before Lady Mishiyara caught me. She chuckled, petting the tiny creature with a single finger as she asked why I had come. So I told her that I was there to investigate a rumor about a yokai that was thought to be in this area. When she asked what I meant to do, she seemed surprised when I said I was just there to observe for the time being.
She told me that the creature was an Osaki and that she named it Piku. She explained that she had found it injured in the nearby rice fields a few years ago and nursed it back to health. In return, Piku gave them wealth beyond their imaginings. Lady Mishiyara decided to spread this wealth around the village, giving it freely to the people.
I was confident that Lady Mishiyara and Piku were no threat, so I left them alone.
Scout Commander Ishiyama
After three years Piku appeared to Ishiyama. Piku was distressed and refused to leave. Ishiyama investigated the Mishiyara estate again.
When I got there, everything felt different. The people seemed scared and lifeless, and everyone looked at me with such downcast expressions. I had a terrible feeling that something happened to Lady Mishiyara. I mean, why else would Piku have run away?
I found the remains of the estate, burned to cinders as they were. Towards the center of the ashes were the charred remains of a skeleton. Piku whined, so I assumed they were the remains of Lady Mishiyara. She did not deserve this.
I started investigating the village, but no one wanted to speak with me. Piku pulled at my ear, wanting me to enter a specific building.
Once inside, Piku jumped off me and ran up to a man who did not seem like he could see Piku. Piku growled at him. I thought that it might have something to do with Lady Mishiyara's death, so I captured him. I questioned the man and inquired if he was the one who murdered Lady Mishiyara. He admitted it readily, stating:
That bitch was enslaving a yokai. I needed to free it so that the natural order could be restored. I snuck up on the whore as she was sleeping, stabbing her and setting that dirty estate on fire.
I do not think this was his first murder, and I do not think it will be his last. My guess is he thinks murder is fine if it is for his goals.
By then, the village had gathered around me, ready to kill the man for what he did. I sighed, looking back at Piku, he just seemed sad. He crawled inside my clothes and found himself a place to sleep. I let the villagers deal with him and returned home. The screaming started as I was leaving the village.
Scout Commander Ishiyama
Piku got into the food storage after three months with Ishiyama. All of our rice was eaten and replaced with enough precious metal to fill eight wagons. One wagon was used to purchase extra food, as Piku ate our store for the winter. The remaining funds were used to bolster the armory and acquire various supplies.
This is not an official report, but I think I will add it to the file anyway.
Piku's been acting oddly recently. At first, I was not certain what to make of it since he had never done anything like this before. He had been running off to some unknown location to come back sometime later. If it was not Piku, I would have thought they were in trouble.
It turned out, Piku found himself a mate. Kuro does not know this yet, and Father banned them from the dojo, but now there are twelve of them. I know Kuro is going to have them studied, just like Piku was, but I have to wonder if we have got enough supplies for them. Piku alone eats so much when he is allowed to, and I get the feeling that the little ones need to eat to survive. I wonder if their magicks work the same as Piku's?
Still, there is the question of how I am supposed to deal with all of them. I am leaving in the morning for a mission Kuro gave me, apprehensive as I am about it. Father does not want me to go, and I am not sure if it would not be a bad idea to listen to him this time.
If I die, Piku will probably go into a rage. I do not even know if he would be able to find whoever kills me, but I need to do my job as leader of the scouts. I need to keep exploring and documenting the different yokai this land has to offer. If I do not, people will get hurt.
I am just concerned about what will happen if I die. Sensei, Kuro, Piku. All three of them will be torn apart, and I worry that the hunters won't be able to survive. Piku's far too protective of me, and I doubt he will even let me leave without him.
Now that I think about it, what if Piku comes along and gets hurt? Will his magick hurt everything around us if that happens? I will have to convince him to stay here. I will leave everything I have learned about him behind as well, just so someone else can care for him should things go badly.
Katsuyori Ishiyama
Ishiyama will not be returning, though it hurts to write it. She died during her last mission. As a result, Sensei has vanished and we are left with several osaki, including OS-1. OS-1 has become inconsolable, and its magick is becoming harder to control. It killed a couple of the scouts and has injured several hunters.
While I was able to put OS-1 to sleep with my magick, I am uncertain of what he will do once he wakes. For such a small creature, he really can cause so much destruction.
Perhaps I should try to find someone else OS-1 will latch onto? or maybe I will just have to get him to like me instead. Both options will be preferable to killing him. We will see what happens once OS-1 wakes.
Kuro
Wards Against Magick:
Talismans Ineffective, only delayed the effect for a few minutes. Three talismans were placed on an affected subject, only for them to immediately burn up upon touching the cursed person.
Magick? Of the types tested, none worked to prevent Piku's magick. New sources are being searched for. Both natural warding magicks and yokai-specific ones were tested; however, few produced any results.
One exception is the magick of O-12, which is closely related to healing magicks. O-12's magick mixed with Piku's turned three men into spiders as dawn arrived. The blessing has been allowed, and no efforts to change the men back should be attempted.
Sensei's Dojo Despite Sensei's magick, Piku was able to curse a man who later died with the dojo when a beam fell on his head. As Sensei grew exasperated, no further tests are allowed within the dojo.
No further methods we able to produce results; however, keeping Piku happy and well fed tends to prevent any curses from the creature.
Assessment: Ignore. So long as Piku remains under control, no further actions will be taken. Kill or pacify. Piku has gone rogue after Ishiyama's death. Whichever course of action is taken must save the most human lives.
