Blasts of magic echoed through the canyon as blood stained the ground. Sadako looked on, seeing her army being cut to pieces. The onmyoji was the biggest threat; however, the vampires were keeping the draugr off of him. Erik was handling five draugr.
Sadako said, “Dammit! We can’t keep going like this! Quick, use the guns!”
A kappa objected, “But boss, that might alert the humans!”
“If we don’t use them, we could all get killed! Focus fire on the onmyoji!” she ordered.
They did so, pointing their guns at him. Keiko jumped down, ready to slam her weapon into them. The kappa ignored her and fired at Saburo.
Haru sent wind blasting out as they did. Their bullets were sent haywire, curved, and slammed into the kappa. Their shells negated most of the impact; however, they didn’t help against the fireballs and hanafuda paper that came down next.
Keiko ran over to Erik and slammed her kanabo into one of the draugr’s legs. It snapped in two. Erik took that opportunity to swing his axe in a wide arc, forcing another draugr to step in to block it. He pulled his axe back and hooked on the dragur’s sword. This sent the sword flying as the vampire parried several blows from other draugr.
His axe turned around, cutting off one of his enemies’ heads as Keiko slammed her kanabo into the back of another. The snap of its spine hit their ears. Another draugr swung her sword at Keiko. She pulled up her kanabo to block it, the force of impact sending her backwards; however, not as far as she expected to be pushed back.
Erik swung his axe. The draugr that attacked Keiko’s head flew from its body. Then the draugr that had been disarmed made a leap for his sword. Keiko jumped for it too; however, she wasn’t fast enough. He grabbed the weapon and lunged at her. Haru sent a lance of fire at the draugr that cut his arm and leg off.
Keiko smashed the draugr’s head in with her kanabo, and struck again and again until it was nothing more than pulp. Erik had finished off the rest of the draugr.
“Good job, Keiko,” said Eric. “I see you’ve activated your supernatural form.”
“How did you know it was me?” she asked. “Was the kanabo enough?”
“Not really. I smelled that it was you right away. Now, let’s finish this…”
“Master, help!” Beauregard ran over to him.
Erik asked, “Is one of them too powerful for you?”
“I don’t know.”
“How can you not know, aren’t you…” the head vampire groaned. “This is something stupid, isn’t it?”
He looked in the direction Beauregard came from. A group of female yokai were charging them.
Beauregard said, “I can’t hurt a woman! You have to do something, Erik!”
“Alright, I will.”
Erik grabbed Beauregard, spun him in a circle over and over, and threw him into the female yokai. They went flying back with Beauregard’s sword sticking out of one of them.
“Keiko,” he called out. “Our next step is to kill their leader. They’re maintaining a defensive formation, but they’re getting pelted by magic. I estimate that we have less than a minute before they start running.”
Sadako looked out as her soldiers were decimated. The line in front of her burned. She stepped back, ready to run at a moment’s notice.
“It’s okay, Sadako,” she thought. “They don’t know you’re their leader.”
Saburo called out, “The nure onna’s their leader!”
“Fuck!” Sadako shouted.
She turned and slithered as fast as he could. Several of the remaining kappa took a defensive formation while other yokai turned and fled too.
Erik saw this and smirked, “I’ve got you now!”
Bloodlust raged through him as he charged forward, taking advantage of the route where numbers would have overwhelmed him otherwise. Keiko could see him move better, but he was still quick as a flash. Erik burst through the kappa with raw physical force and swung his axe as he did. Their heads flew into the air.
He closed in on Sadako; however, more kappa came in. They pointed spears at him, intending to keep him away. Erik threw his axe. It spun through the air. The spears were knocked aside and Erik bobbed and weaved through their ranks.
The viking vampire drew his sword with vicious vigor. Sadako dived for a crevice. Erik was faster, and he swung his sword as he passed her. The blow split her in half.
“Master!” Beauregard ran over. “I say, are you alright?”
“Why aren’t you fighting?” Erik asked.
He answered. “The wizards are dealin’ with the route. But you’ve been hurt, boss!”
“What do you mean?”
Erik reached around his body and felt a long pole on his back. He yanked it out, bringing it to his front. The object was a spear. It had gotten stuck in his armor without causing him any harm.
“Cool, a free spear!” he smiled. “Beauregard, where’s that fox girl? Does she need a new weapon?”
Hisa was still hitting that same kappa over and over. It had sat down and grabbed a magazine. Keiko walked over.
She asked, “Why are you still attacking him?”
“He’s tougher than he…oh my god! They have an oni with them!” the kitsune jumped back.
“It’s me, Keiko!”
“Ooohhh…you do look like her,” Hisa nodded.
“Can we get this over with?” the kappa said. “This is taking too long.”
Keiko replied, “Okay.”
She swung her kanabo at that the kappa.
“No wait, I meant that I was surrender…” he started; however, he didn’t finish before his head was splattered.
“Wow, you weren’t useful,” the raccoon dog smiled. “But at least your friend can do something.”
Hisa shouted, “Go eat a caltrop!”
“Hey…” Keiko took a step. “I’m feeling…tired.”
Her muscles receded back to their normal state, the blue left her skin, and her horns disappeared. Keiko sat down on a rock and leaned back.
“Tanuki, can you heal people?” she asked.
Itsuki answered, “No, but Saburo can. Though, he’s not good enough to do any better than a first aid kit yet.”
“It’s better than nothing. Get him to Haru. He’s pretty badly hurt,” Keiko said.
The raccoon dog nodded and went to his onmyoji.
She breathed a sigh of relief, “I’m glad that transformation wasn’t permanent. I couldn’t have gone around looking like that.”
“Yeah, it would have been hella bad,” Hisa replied. “So, you’re an oni?”
Keiko nodded, “It looks like that. At least, I have some oni blood. I’m not a full oni.”
“That’s awesome, sis! Maybe you can kick that butthole’s ass for me?”
“Later, Hisa. I’m…really tired.”
She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Ved'ma Story 