Mizuki

by ocalhoun

Chapter 1

My name is Mizuki Tanaka, and I'm a bitch. And by 'bitch', I mean I'm literally a she-wolf. And, well, I guess you might as well know... I also mean that I don't take shit from anybody, and apparently that makes me a bitch, especially if you ask anyone in my command when I'm not around.

But I don't mind. I own it. Or, at least, I did. Until one fateful misadventure...

“Stand your ground! Stand your god-damned ground, you fucking cowards!” I leapt up onto the fortress's drawbridge and sliced my sword across the air in front of me, sending out a slash of ki that tore the foul demon Genko's shockwave attack in two, sending it flying away from my troops in shreds.

And still, those curs were backing away! Disgraceful! They all went through the same training I did. They were all battle-tested. So why were they all wetting themselves just because Genko had a few ki attacks?

It was the stories, I knew. The stories in camp about him being immortal, unslayable, that he could banish anyone who touched him to the demon realm. If only I knew who it was that started those stupid rumors, I'd have his ass on the front line of the assault, not my own. I'd killed plenty of demons in my time. Genko would be no different.

Another blast of ki from the fortress. This time I just ducked underneath it and made a break for the huge steel gates. They were thick, ludicrously heavy, and ornately carved with grotesque figures. What, did Genko think that would be intimidating? I sliced my sword across the crack between the two massive doors, then darted to the side, waiting for what I knew would be coming. “Volley!” I screamed back toward my own lines.

The fortress's gates burst open as soon as the latch was sliced, as I expected. And a hail of repeating crossbow bolts felled the raggedy line of Genko's soldiers who burst out from it, as I hoped. Good. At least Captain Filoktes and his Chukonu archers were still worth a damn.

I ran across the fallen bodies of Genko's malodorous goons, dispatching the few who remained with a few easy slashes. There would – of course – be a trap set in the courtyard beyond, probably an ambush to capture the vanguard of our attack, but one quick glance behind me showed that my bold advance had revived the spirits of my troops. They were swarming across the drawbridge now as Filoktes's archers provided them with cover. Even when another massive blast of Genko's ki came down, they ignored their losses and rushed onward. Finally, a few soldiers with backbones. Maybe I wouldn’t have to do this entirely on my own after all.

Momentum couldn’t be lost, though. If I paused under the gates too long, my troops would pause as well, and as any good commander knows, stagnation is death.

Sprinting full-tilt, I crossed the courtyard in a flash, arrows from Genko's guards nipping at my heels. I was on the hunt now, and I let nothing get between me and the ugly mansion on the far side of the courtyard. The expected ambush sprung behind me, but I was too fast for them, already past their sloppy encirclement before they managed to rush forward. My troops following behind me could deal with them. I had a date with Genko.

I burst through the mansion door, not even bothering to slash it first. The thin wood shattered and I stumbled into a wide reception room. It was completely vacant – apparently Genko thought nobody would penetrate this far into his defenses. Perfect. A stupid and overconfident enemy is the best kind of enemy to have.

Although I did still keep my guard up for traps, I made the best time I could through the levels of his repulsive mansion. The dungeons below were another big objective for this assault, with far too many innocents there being held and tortured and who knew what else, but that would have to wait for my troops. Getting down there would mean nothing if that fat bastard Genko still lived.

Finally, at the top of the highest tower – how typical! – I found him.

He stood facing away from me, looking out through the tower's window. All I could see was his enormously broad, black-cloaked back. Distant lights flashed in the window in front of him.

I began slowly stalking toward him. If I could catch him unaware...

“I was wondering how long it would take you to get here.”

I froze, but still no threats came toward me, no trap sprung. I took up a long-practiced combat stance and glared at his filthy cape. “If you were expecting this, then you shouldn't have left the inside of your mansion unguarded.”

He turned away from the window and unflinchingly met my gaze with his huge toad-like eyes. “As if that worthless drek of an army was useful for anything other than distracting yours. We both know the outcome will be decided in this chamber. We both know what that pathetic rabble of vermin you call an army will do when they see me holding your head up in the window. Tell me, how fast can they run? How far will the trail of bodies stretch?”

Enough. I wasn't about to sit and chat with this asshole while my troops were out there dying. I leapt forward, swinging mightily with my blade.

His axe darted up to block, and the two weapons clanged together.

I reeled away in pain, the new nick on my sword's blade tearing into my own flesh. The glyphs on it linked its ki with my own, which made it stronger, made it able to channel my own ki, and made it able to heal ... but it also made me share in its pain. With grim ease, though, I shrugged off the feeling. This sword would cut through nearly anything ... unless it was imbibed with just as much ki. Genko must have been as strong – or stronger – than me. I'd underestimated him, and now I was in for a real fight.

Genko jumped for me, bringing his battle axe down in a brutish overhead swing.

Darting low, I slipped through his guard and managed to slice his leg a little before he swung at me again.

The good news: Genko's fighting style was inefficient and slow, probably because he'd never faced a real challenge before, never been forced to train himself. The bad news: He paid no mind at all to the wound on his leg, and it didn't even seem to bleed; he wasn't going to be easy to kill.

He began stalking toward me, axe high and ready, being careful this time. Even worse news: he seemed to be a fast learner.

But what was I going to do? Give up? Not my style. I feinted to the side, then dove in, blade swinging. I would bring him down, no matter the cost.

The cramped circular chamber filled with the clang of steel on steel, the scrape and spark of steel against stone, the wordless grunts and yells of two combatants too engrossed in the fight to spare any breath for speech. Genko lost his cape and one protruding eye. I lost my belt full of throwing darts and a bit of my left ear. And still we went at each other, battering each other with hastily channeled ki, slicing at each other with our unnaturally sharp blades. I took more hits than I'd like to think about, but I gave him better than I got.

It seemed to last forever, as fights do when you're in the middle of one, but of course it was over in moments. Finally, I stood over the demon, my blade held to his throat. His axe lay shattered next to him. My blood dripped down on him from a dozen wounds, but I held fast. I couldn’t give in to anger – he still needed to talk.

I let the tip of my sword cut into his neck just a little before asking, “Where is my sister?” A twist of the blade opened the tiny wound further. “I am asking you politely. Refuse or tell me lies, and my questions will grow less polite.”

The fucker laughed at me. “What? Tell you or you'll kill me? You're going to kill me anyway, or try to at least.”

“It can be quick and easy, or it can be slow and painful.”

His one remaining eye looked over toward his hand, and my glance followed his. He had something in his hand, a little white-glowing egg. What the hell was that? Where'd he get it?

The moment I saw it, he grinned at me and clenched his fist closed, shattering the egg. I thrust downward with my sword, ready to sever his neck, but it was too late.

Time lagged around us, slowing to a crawl as the light from inside the egg suddenly blasted the room with its brilliance, and from the epicenter of that dazzling blast came an irresistible pull. The whole room and everything in it collapsed inward toward that point. I could do nothing but stare as that stupid thing, whatever the hell it was, pulled both of us into an infinitesimal point that stretched into a long, black tunnel through nowhere.

In a fraction of a second, the tower-top room and everything in it vanished into a spherical void.

Author's Note:

This story is brought to you thanks in part to my Patreon supporters! They're invaluable for keeping me focused and motivated to write with the power of the deadline.

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Comments

[ocalhoun]

7825064
I can't seriously still have a wrong name in there, can I?
*checks*