Moonlight Demon

Kaori

"Alright, listen up," Blaine said, clapping his hands. "This thing's got three modes and you can switch through them by pressing this button on the wrist." Kaori looked down at it, still trying to comprehend this strange thing that had been attached to her body. It was uncomfortably heavy and looked a little bulkier than her other actual arm. "The first is just a hand mode, try moving your fingers." 

"Uh, okay..." Kaori took a deep breath and tried doing that. She intended to move her index finger, but instead, her hand clenched into a fist.  Oh, that's not right.  She loosened up and tried again, but instead, she stuck out her middle finger. "S-Sorry, I didn't mean to...." 

"This thing works like any other weapon," Blaine cut her off, "which means it has a proficiency rating. You're going to feel uncomfortable until you get that up a bit. Now, press the button. The second mode is a bladed shield mode." 

"Bladed shield?" 

"Just press it, you'll see." 

She nodded and reached over. Tapping the button once, the arm's hand suddenly began to disintegrate, grey particles manifesting in its place and quickly forming a small, disk-like object. It was fairly small, barely large enough to cover Kaori's head, and its edge was clearly sharp. 

Making a surprised face, Kaori stared at it.  Whoa. 

"And the third is a serrated blade," Blaine said. "Try that one." 

She tapped the button again and the same thing happened, the shield disintegrated and was promptly replaced by a small knife the size of a dagger, with a serrated edge. 

"That's it, any questions?" Blaine asked. 

Hearing that, Kaori quickly spoke up. 

"Do you have anything like this for Satsuhiro?" That was the first thing that had come to her mind. Satsuhiro shrugged, but Blaine replied anyway. 

"The Council only paid for this thing, and even then, it took a pretty long time to make, plus it cost a small fortune. You'd have to ask them if you want another one." 

"No, no," Satsuhiro replied, sighing. "It's fine. Is that all?" 

"One last thing, these two." 

Blaine put a pair of gauntlets on the table, each one holding a long blade. 

"Not sure who this is for, but yeah. The Council thought one of you could make use of this." 

"Must be for Ash," Satsuhiro noted. 

"That's all though," Blaine concluded. 

"Then, thank you," Satsuhiro said and the three of them quickly left, heading back to the entrance of the Grey Chamber, where they'd wait for Ash. 

On the way, Kaori looked down at the new arm she'd been given. Her  Love  was transformed into this thing, so instead of the usual weight of the cube on her waist, she was feeling the weight of this arm, having to put a bit of effort into keeping herself steady. 

"This is so strange," Kaori muttered. 

"Should be useful though, right? Especially for you, since you've been wanting to protect people. Having the option to use that shield should be suitable enough for that." 

"I didn't even know Onyx was capable of this kind of thing." 

"Onyx is the technological center of the world for a reason," Satsuhiro replied. "Even when Jade was expanding and forming the empire we know today, Onyx took a long time to fully conquer because of this. They've always been a step ahead in this regard." 

"How does it feel?" Keiko asked, putting a hand on Kaori's flesh and bone arm. 

"Uh, weird," Kaori responded. "I'm mostly just in shock that this even happened." 

She tapped the button on her wrist and her arm changed back into the initial hand mode. As they reached the gates of Onyx's palace, Keiko stood in front of Kaori. 

"Can I touch it?" She asked. 

"Sure..." Kaori nodded and Keiko looked down at the golden hand. She took it with her own, running a finger over the metal hand's palm. 

"This feels unlike anything I've touched before," Keiko acknowledged. 

"Once you go fight those demons," Satsuhiro said, "you'll get to try it out in actual combat." 

Kaori nodded, some of the same fear she'd felt before slipping into her heart, turning her body cold. 

"Yeah, looking forward to it," she forced out.

---

Ash

"Hm..." Eliza tilted her head. "You're saying Anders willingly let the demons enter the city, so that he could attack them from behind with Vermia's undead?" 

Ash nodded. The two of them had been speaking for a while now, and although Ash's initial fear had been that Eliza would prove to be annoying, instead, this had been simply boring. 

We've been over this like three times, can't I just go at this point?  Ash asked herself. 

"What about traps, do those work?" 

"Yeah," Ash responded, putting her hands behind her head and leaning back in her chair. "Although they get buffed, they can still be hurt."  I can still be hurt,  she finished in her thoughts.  "So, traps can slow them down. Keep them from getting through to the city for a while. Still, the Lust Demons can just fly over whatever you put in the streets, so yeah." 

"Oh, I doubt those will be a problem," Eliza waved them away. "Those crossbows you've surely seen on the way here aren't just for show." 

"Gotcha," Ash nodded. "So... Anything else?" 

"Yes," Eliza quickly replied. "Do they have any particular magical weakness?"

"Not that I've seen," Ash responded. She recalled how Satsuhiro performed during Sapphire's battle and added, "well, Fire looks sort of useful, at least, even if it doesn't completely hurt it'll annoy them." 

Ash took a deep breath, looking away from Eliza and up at the ceiling. In her mind, she was watching the various battles she'd been involved in play out. Pearl, the portal with Satsuhiro, Sapphire. She narrowed her eyes. 

"Mostly," she started, her voice a little quieter. "You just need to understand that demons don't let up. Right up until they've bled out on the street, they'll keep fighting. I think that's what might catch your soldiers off-guard, I'd say." 

Eliza nodded. Then, she stood up and gestured for the door. 

"Thank you for your time, Savior." 

"I can go? Holy shit, I thought I'd never see the day." 

At that, Eliza chuckled and shook her head. 

"You're an intriguing person, Ash. I might call upon you again to speak to you in much the same way. If I do, I hope you will entertain my request." 

Ash made no promises. Instead, as she was led out of the balcony they were at, she walked all the way to the front of the building where a guard pushed open a pair of large doors and allowed the half-demon to exit the Grey Chamber. 

Outside were Satsuhiro, Keiko, and Kaori. And, immediately, Ash's eyes fell on something strange. 

She walked up to Kaori, staring at the golden arm attached to her. 

"What the fuck?" Ash muttered. 

"This," Satsuhiro said, "is the 'new gear' the Council had alluded to. Apparently, they hired someone to make an entirely new arm for her. They also got something for you, by the way." 

Satsuhiro gestured at Kaori and the blonde stood up, presenting the strange objects to Ash. 

"What are these things?" She asked, picking one up. They were like braces meant to be put on her wrists, but with a long knife attached to the top. 

"Blade Gauntlets, I think they're called," Satsuhiro said. "Try them on." 

Keiko helped her strap them on. They were slightly heavy, but not too uncomfortable. 

"I'm guessing this is for when you transform," Satsuhiro speculated. "The adjustable straps make it even with your growth in size, you shouldn't lose them." 

"This is... so weird," Ash noted, moving her hands around trying to get a feel for how exactly you were supposed to fight with these things. 

"We'll experiment with them later, but for now, come on," Satsuhiro pushed himself up, putting his weight on the crutch, "you have demons to hunt." 

Ash nodded, her eyes still fixed on the objects. 

"Right."

---

Metsumi

After having arrived at the inn with Opah, the woman's first move was to secure a couple of rooms. She, Satsuhiro, and Opah could all make use of one, while Kaori, Keiko, and Ash could all use the other. 

Unsurprisingly, the journey here had left Opah tired, so Metsumi carried her over to one of the rooms and laid her down on the bed, so she could sleep in peace. This left Metsumi with plenty of time to relax on her own, which she didn't mind. Even if, admittedly, she'd rather do so with her husband by her side. 

She walked over to the bar on the first floor of the inn. The employees here wore way  too little for her liking, but at the same time, this establishment reminded her of Pearl, which was a welcome feeling. 

In all honesty, the fact that Pearl, one of her favorite locations to visit and stay in whenever she wasn't at home, was completely destroyed and gone, still hadn't quite sunk in. Even after all this time. 

"Hey," she greeted the bartender, a young man with slick black hair, with a smile. "What kind of wine you got here?" She asked, putting her hands on her hips. 

"Oh, if I were you, I'd try the dragon grape wine." 

That response didn't come from the young man, but instead, a woman to Metsumi's right. 

Metsumi glanced over at her. She was thin and seemed to be around Metsumi's own age if just a little older. She had long black hair and baggy eyes, like someone who was used to sleepless nights. She was wearing a long-sleeved white shirt and a gold-colored dress. 

Is she from Jade?  Metsumi wondered. 

"Why's that?" Metsumi asked. 

"It's the best they've got," she answered with a chuckle. "Trust me, I've tried them all." 

"Oh?" Metsumi sat down next to her. "Are you a fellow expert?" She asked with a kind smile. 

"You could certainly say so," the woman replied. "I learned most of what I know about drinks from my husband though." 

"Really? I wish I had the same luck," Metsumi laughed. "I'm the main drinker in my family." 

Though, with Kaori, that might be changing.  Metsumi noted. 

"Name's Metsumi, by the way," she extended a hand. "Pleasure to meet you." 

"The pleasure is mine," the woman responded, taking Metsumi's hand gently.

She smiled a little and said:

"My name is Ayami."