Mikoto’s superb instincts saved her life. Even as the dagger appeared in front of her face, she was already bending backward, sending the incoming attack flying over her face harmlessly. Mikoto’s lithe form moved to the right even before she bent back upright, interposing herself between her charges and the assassins. Mikoto snapped back into place, deflecting a second projectile with her blade in a rapid movement. Several thoughts flicked through her mind as she quickly assessed the situation.
The second dagger had been targeting her, as it was thrown at her midsection rather than downward and at the sleeping divinities. Why was that? Were they trying to take the gods alive? Furthermore, they seemed to know her position exactly, despite the door between her and her attackers. That suggested an ability that allowed them to see through walls. As she thought all these things, a third dagger came through the door. As a change of pace, it wasn’t targeted at Mikoto. Rather, it was aimed right at the lamp fixed on the wall. With a loud shattering noise, Mikoto was plunged into darkness.
In that moment, she made a decision. If she stayed here, she was likely to be cut down by a barrage of knives. That was especially true now that her light was broken. She try to defend herself and wait for help, but her ears picked up scuffling and crashing sounds coming from the rooms downstairs and behind her. It sounded as if all comrades were under attack, so she couldn’t count on swift backup.
That realization cemented her choice. She stretched out and kicked the door off its hinges. Mikoto sprang out of the room and ran down the hallway, feet pattering as she dashed over the hardwood floor. Sheer reflex allowed her to bring up her sword and deflect another dagger, barely slowing down as she ran toward the source of the attacks. Squinting, she made out a shadowy figure at the end of the passageway and heard the hiss of metal on wood as it drew its own sword. She used her momentum in a driving diagonal slash that her opponent took right on their blade.
Mikoto grunted as she realized that her full force strike only forced the enemy back by a single step. She tried to follow up the slash with a stab, but it was deflected by a deft parry. The assassin consolidated their situation with a counter stab that Mikoto narrowly dodged. She tried to get within her opponent’s guard, only to stopped by a brutal horizontal hack by the enemy. She jumped back to avoid it, only to lunge forward again in an attempt to regain the initiative.
They exchanged a series of rapid blows, both sides going for the kill without much preamble. There wasn’t much room for testing an opponent in a battle like this one. There was only sweat and a few strained noises as both sides fought to the death with little preamble. Mikoto hadn’t started this fight, but she’d be damned if she didn’t finish it. Her blade flashed as she drew a cut across her opponent’s chest, not enough to kill but enough to create a consequential wound. She twirled as she dodged the counterattack, feeling the blade draw a minor cut in her thigh.
The wound burned with more than just pain, and Mikoto felt poison course through her veins. It was resisted by her Abnormal Resistance, the cut itself too shallow to deliver much of a dose. Still, it slowed her down by a hair as she brought her blade up to deal with the assassin’s second attack and she was put on the backfoot again. Sweat coated her back as she frantically defended against the onslaught, and Mikoto couldn’t stop a second strike from catching her in the cheek. The assassin’s attacks grew more vicious at they sensed her weakness, trying to finish her off and move on:
“If you’re losing, use your enemy’s confidence against them. Overconfidence breeds mistakes. Stay cool and wait for your chance.”
Adama had mostly taught their group by throwing them into the metaphorical fire, but he had given them a few explicit pointers about fighting as well. Mikoto put his words into action here, watching for an opening even as she parried a flurry of blows. Sure enough, Oni Sensei’s words proved true. She was ready when the assassin finally overextended just a little with a lunging stab toward her torso. She slithered around it, slipping inside their guard just enough to swipe at the assassin’s underarm. The enemy grunted as Mikoto felt her blade sever a key tendon, turning the battle around yet again. The assassin’s next swing was weak, allowing Mikoto to easily parry it. She stepped forward and ran the shadowy enemy through with a clean blow.
Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
Mikoto withdrew her blade when she was confident the assassin was in their death throws, turning and sprinting back to the charges under her care. She was shocked to see Ouka crash through the wall, skin glowing red even as he flew through across the room and into the opposing wall to her left. From the hole his body had created, a massive muscular figure loomed. The figure raised dual axes, glittering in the scant moonlight, and Mikoto registered a moment of incredulity. What kind of assassin was this?
That was her last thought before the figure was on top of her. His axes sheared through the wood of the doorway around her, forcing Mikoto to duck out of the room and back into the hallway. She did her best to defend, deflecting the blows by carefully guiding their direction away from her body. Still, her opponent’s skill was nothing to sneeze about either. He gave her little opportunity to strike back as he kept up a methodical barrage of attacks, forcing her further and further backward. Mikoto felt some of the poison remaining in her veins, fatiguing her muscles and slowing her responses. The webbing in some of her fingers split as one of her blocks was just a bit sloppy, the force of this man’s attacks taking its toll on her body.
Mikoto’s fevered mind worked overtime for a solution, before landing on a decent idea. She leapt backward, yielding a good deal of ground to the assailant and putting her further from her objective. The giant looked like he was about to chase her, but before he could take another step he paused. She saw him cock his head suspiciously then look down. His ally’s body lay right at his feet, their blood pooling on the softwood floor. Had the big man run forward, he would have certainly slipped or tripped on the obstacle, leaving him at the mercy of a counterattack. He looked back up at Mikoto, and she could have sworn he grinned at her.
Right before Ouka crashed through the wall, shoulder checking the giant at high speed.
Mikoto had suspected her commander wasn’t out of the fight yet. She’d just needed to buy time. She threw a kunai at the flailing giant, hearing a squelch as it took him in the neck. That wouldn’t be enough to kill such a menacing figure, but it would be enough to cement Ouka’s advantage. She ran around the brawling men, trying to return to her original room. Mikoto dashed through the doorway, only to be forced to deflect another dagger at the last second. A wounded looking assassin stood in the windowsill; a body draped over one shoulder. That dagger was a parting shot before they slipped out and into the rain. Gritting her teeth, Mikoto shouted out:
“One of the gods has been kidnapped. I’m going after them!”
With that, Mikoto leapt out of the window in pursuit of the enemy. Both runners leapt gracefully across rain slicked rooftops, Mikoto hot on her enemy’s heels. The assassin was burdened by their hostage, however, allowing her to catch up quite quickly. The enemy threw another dagger over their shoulder, but Mikoto had seen that trick too many times. She dodged the projectile without even breaking stride, eyes glinting as she brought up another kunai. Mikoto’s throw was right on target, but her eyes widened as she watched the flying blade get deflected by another projectile whistling through the night. She barely had time to get her sword up to block the opening thrust of another figure who’d come out of nowhere to back up their ally. Mikoto could barely spare a glance at the retreating assassin before she was forced to turn her attention on this newest figure, powerless to stop the escaping enemy.
It was all Mikoto could do to stay alive, feet scrabbling on the roof’s surface as she deflected a series of rapid-fire strikes. Her defense had its gaps, however, and she couldn’t stop a few blows from sneaking past her defenses. She took hits on her shoulder, thigh, and even just above her eye. All of them were shallow, but all of them sent more poison pumping into her veins. She counterattacked, scoring a cut of her own on the enemy’s forearm. That forced the assassin to move a more cautiously, which really only bought Mikoto a bit more time. Her arms trembled violently as she mounted a desperate defense, the clang of steel and the cry of the wind shrieking in her ears.
Her fingers were the first to betray her. A stiff swing from the assassin forced them to lose their grip, sending her sword tumbling into one of the alleyways below. Mikoto managed to draw a kunai and bring it up to block a horizontal slash at the last second, their blades locking in close quarters. The assassin pushed forward, sending her falling onto her back. The enemy fell on top of her, pushing down with a merciless, unhesitating strength. Mikoto’s sight dimmed as the last of her strength failed her, her final vision the cool, black eyes of her attacker.
Then she heard the thunk.
It was followed up by two more thunks as more arrows sprouted from the assassin’s neck and chest. They barely had time to be surprised before rolling over, dead. Mikoto sat up and looked to her left. There Chigusa stood, panting and bloody with her bow held up, her eyes focused on the assassin she’d just killed. Mikoto looked away from her, searching for the enemy holding the god, but they were long gone.
After that, the poison was too much. Mikoto’s eyes rolled back into her head, and she passed out.
