Moonlight Demon

"So," Ash said as the group stood outside of the Grey Chamber, "how do we catch a demon?" 

"Considering the reports," Satsuhiro sighed. "That should be easy enough. We can probably just look around the road or ask some guards if they've seen any demons nearby. Finding one of a high level might be a little harder, but if we don't, I'm sure any demon level 25 or higher would suffice."

"... But what if we run into the one Vyl found?" Ash asked. 

"I suppose that could happen," Satsuhiro acknowledged. "But, we can't really do anything else without completing this task. It's something we'll have to risk." 

"Shit," Ash mumbled. 

She looked back at Keiko and Kaori. The Zayama had a plain expression on her face, but Kaori was looking down, almost scared. 

Just as Ash was about to ask about that, Kaori noticed her looking and her expression changed into a confident smile. 

... Okay. 

The four of them walked away after that, heading for the gates. Halfway through, as they moved through the sidewalks catching the eyes of workers who were heading to those strange factories, they saw something. A group of citizens was gathered in front of a small stage, where a man and a woman were shouting. 

"Make no mistake!" The man said as Ash turned towards them, stopping in her tracks for a second. "The Raven is not on your side!" 

"She would have us all die within these walls," the woman added as the crowd muttered to themselves. "She doesn't care about us, as long as she stays closed off in the Grey Chamber she's fine, right? So, why should we wait for her to let us leave? We need to take matters into our own hands!" 

"Just keep walking," Satsuhiro told the girls and they kept following him. Ash's eyes lingered on that group for a moment.  Guessing this is what Eliza was talking about, huh.  She hadn't thought about it before, as she had no reason to concern herself with the worries of nobles, but in times like these, with demons just outside the gates of the city, she could see how it might lead to distrust in these figures. 

Well, fuck 'em.  Ash shrugged. 

They arrived at the gates sometime later. Satsuhiro approached a guard. 

"Greetings," he bowed a little and the guard bowed more. "Have there been any demon sightings lately?" 

"Yes, sir," the guard replied. "North of the city, near this old shrine, a few demons were spotted." 

"Wait, what?" Keiko replied and Ash's eyes widened. "S-Satsuhiro, that's..." 

"When?" Satsuhiro quickly asked. 

"About ten minutes ago." 

"Open the gates," Satsuhiro turned back to the girls. "I'll only slow you down. Yumi could be in danger, go." 

Hearing that, they all nodded and ran out of the city. 

"I remember the way," Keiko said, as she untied her sword and held it in her hands as she jogged. "Follow me!" 

Kaori and Ash did so, heading into the bamboo forest. 

---

Yumi

Seeing those strangers arrive at the shrine was the worst thing that could have happened to Yumi. Now that she'd received that briefest of interruptions in her day-to-day life, she knew what she was doing. She was aware of the stagnation she lived in. 

It was even worse knowing that it could very well be for nothing, as the shrine had been "deactivated" under her very nose anyway. There was a very real chance that Yumi had spent so much time here for genuinely no reason. 

And yet, that possible fact wasn't nearly as frightening as the possibility of leaving this shrine. As boring as it was, it was familiar. She had a daily routine she did and that was enough to get her through the day. After breakfast, she'd read some of the old novels on the shelves of the eastern room, or she'd pick up her naginata and twirl it around a bit, practicing moves she'd long since perfected. 

Sometimes, she wished she hadn't maxed out her Dexterity through her training, only so she could have more to work on. But, alas, this was where her stats were currently:

Level 40

MP: 100/100

---

STR: 20

DEX: 100

CON: 15

INT: 10

WIS: 10

L: 5

Yumi chose to keep training anyway, as though just the feeling of having the dirt under her feet, and her weapon in her hands were enough to keep her soul calm. So, she grabbed her naginata, her favorite weapon, and walked out to the steps leading to the shrine. 

It was a bright and beautiful day out. Birds sang as they flew over the tall trees and Yumi took light steps onto the dirt. She was wearing one of her older ceremonial robes, black and gold, and some sandals. 

With her hands feeling the wooden shaft of her weapon, she took a stance and began rehearsing different moves. A crescent-shape slash, a short frontflip into a downward slash, a spinning, leaping horizontal swipe. It was easy for her. 

It was through this exercise that Yumi would lose herself. Give all of her attention to the swings and attacks she practiced, with no regard for her situation or circumstances, and just focused entirely on the task at hand. 

Another distraction would soon arrive though. 

As Yumi swung her naginata, she started to hear something in the distance, past the small road that led here. She'd heard it many times before. The footsteps of incoming raiders, looking to defile this sacred place. She understood this sound, and yet, it was different. They weren't the footsteps of a group, but of a single individual. Yumi stopped, standing up straight and looking out onto the road. 

The sun pierced through the nearby trees and highlighted the approaching figure. Yumi tilted her head. It appeared to be a tall woman. As it drew closer though, Yumi understood that this was no human, however. 

Violet skin, black wings, animalistic hands, and feet. It had a wide grin stuck on its face and its eyes were covered by a black cloth. 

... A demon. Yumi quickly acknowledged as she continued to walk towards her.

?

?

Of course, as Yumi couldn't see its level, she had no way of knowing its strength. 

But.. She thought.  Just one? Does a lone, singular demon walk to my shrine? 

Then, Yumi noticed the whip it was dragging along the ground. Barbed and long, it parted the dirt it touched. 

Though its eyes were covered, Yumi felt as though it was staring at her. Yumi remained calm, her heartbeat and breathing both steady as the demon drew even closer until eventually, it reached her. 

They stood just a few meters apart from each other. Yumi's hands on her naginata, the demon's hands by her waist, hanging lazily. 

It tilted its head to the shrine behind Yumi. 

Ah. So, you are trying to enter my home.

At that, Yumi took up a fighting stance. 

"Human or demon, it does not matter. You are a marauder all the same." 

However, though she said this, she couldn't deny that the demon held a powerful aura. Maybe it was in its uncaring stance, or something as simple as its height and its covered eyes, but something about it made Yumi think she needed to be careful. 

"Iridos,"  Yumi said, activating her Spirit Eye. 

Then, her eyes widened and she ducked, narrowly avoiding the crack of her whip which she saw destroy her head in her vision. 

Now, her heart quickly sped up. 

That would have killed me.  She noted.  In just one hit, my head would have been made to pieces. 

She jumped back, putting some distance between them. The demon just allowed her to do so. 

"... I will not hold back," Yumi muttered. "If this is the caliber of the enemy I face, I will show you what I can do from the very beginning." 

And then, she charged forwards. 

Every technique she picked up from the books that had been left to her ran through her mind and she picked the first one that seemed useful. 

"Yorino!" She yelled and her body and weapon disappeared, materializing behind the demon. She tried to slash it but the demon spun out the way, and then cracked its whip at her again. 

Yumi's heart nearly stopped as she saw her entire body being exploded in her Spirit Eye's vision, but she managed to dodge the attack and she ran forwards again. 

"Inzo, Anzo, Kenzo!" 

Stabbing her naginata into the ground just in front of the demon, lightning struck from above, and yet the demon moved out the way casually. Again, she attacked Yumi and the Zayama was once more subjected to the sight of her own blood and guts gracing the dirt in her vision, but she flipped back and prevented herself from being struck. 

... If I didn't have my Spirit Eye,  Yumi realized as she landed,  I would have already died. What is this? Why did such an enemy come here? 

Still, Yumi had more techniques to use. She hadn't spent so long in this shrine resting on her laurels, even if she guessed this creature's level was far above her own, she had years of training to fall back on, and she'd put it all on display here. 

So, as the demon giggled and began to wave a heart-shaped black tail in the air, its grin stretching even further, Yumi ran forwards. 

"Shironiza!" 

Her naginata was then encircled by a black dragon, her hands felt faster and stronger. She tried to slash three times and the demon dodged every attack. 

It didn't counter at all. Instead, it simply allowed Yumi to keep striking it like it was trying to show Yumi how pointless her struggle was.

"Sumi!" Yumi slashed upwards and a wave was sent from her blade that the demon easily sidestepped.

With that, the Zayama retreated, breathing heavily and putting some space between them. 

She... She's just as fast as I am. Yumi thought. Is her Dex maxed out as well?

And then, her Spirit Eye let her know what was coming next. She saw herself, pinned down by the demon.  What?  Then, the demon flew straight at her. 

Yumi was fast enough to dodge those whip strikes, but this was a different matter entirely. She tried to move to the left, but one of the demon's hands grabbed her and raised her up into the air. Her naginata slipped out of her hands, falling to the dirt. 

Then, the demon brought her down again, slamming her into the dirt. There was a  crack  sound in the air, and Yumi coughed up blood instantly. She felt like her back was on fire. 

The demon mounted her and raised up a clawed hand. 

... I failed, Yumi thought, coughing up more blood as the demon's hand descended on her neck. 

But, it stopped just before it could slash through. 

Hm?  From below, Yumi narrowed her eyes as the demon didn't finish her off. Its grin still wide on its face, the demon started laughing. 

What's...? 

Then, the demon instead used the same clawed hand to rip off Yumi's robes.  What?  She couldn't comprehend what was happening. Instead of killing her, the demon had ripped her clothes off.  Is it thinking of eating me? 

She wondered this as the demon continued wagging that heart-shaped tail in the air. That tail then went out of sight, behind the demon's back and Yumi couldn't see it anymore. 

And just then, she heard someone else yell. 

"Yumi!" 

That voice...  Yumi thought as the demon looked up. 

A black sphere impacted the demon's body and it was pushed off of Yumi. 

Who...? Is that Keiko? 

The demon screeched. It stood near Yumi, looking at the new assailants. The Zayama saw its expression change from underneath, turning far more serious than it had been before. That grin was still there, but less so, almost more focused.

Then, Yumi turned to the naginata just next to her.  I can... 

Forcing herself to move towards it, she picked it up as the demon screeched further at the people who had arrived.

Then, from the ground, Yumi jumped up onto her feet against the pain surging through her body. Knowing she had this one opening to exploit, her eyes went to what she assumed had to be the demon's vital spots. Putting all of her strength into the blow, she stabbed it where a regular human's heart would be. 

Her naginata just barely pierced its body, but it clearly worked. This creature, how strong...? Some damage was clearly done, as the demon backed up with a pained squeal. Multiple black spheres impacted the demon's body then and it gave Yumi and the newcomers one last look before it used its wings to fly up into the sky. 

Just like that, it was gone. 

Then, Keiko, Ash, and Kaori appeared in front of Yumi as she fell back down. Her vision was starting to get blurry. 

"Ash, heal her!" 

"Right," the half-demon said, beginning to cast a spell and placing her hands on Yumi's body. 

In the air, the demon was flying away as Yumi blinked. 

What was that?