Tainted Souls, Tainted Swords

Chapter Six: The Fog

Taki patiently and persistently waded through the waist-high grass at a consistent pace. The pain in her back came and went, she'd get used to it for awhile and forget about it entirely . . . and then step wrong and find herself back at square one.

The early morning darkness rolled into dawn, which in turn rolled into afternoon, then evening again. Likewise, the landscape transformed from flat plains to vineyards to gentle hills and shallow valleys with the occasional narrow streams, then on the horizon she saw a forest in the distance. The air was hot and heavy with moisture, lending itself well to perspiration (much to Taki's dismay) and as the evening hours closed in the temperature dropped from unbearable heat to pleasant.

And strangely, throughout her entire trip she passed no settlements with a noteworthy population. Her rations ran low, and she'd rather not stop in a small village where everybody knows everybody and the whole population would notice an outsider. Not with what happened yesterday, which no doubt yielded a price on her head.

As dusk set in, she closed in on the outskirts of the creepy forest and noticed a slight fog within the thick labyrinth of trees and brush. A fog that emitted a faint emerald glow and pulsated. Spotting a sign about a hundred yards to the east, she veered off her course slightly until she could read its warning. "BEWARE OF GHOSTS! FOREST HAUNTED! DO NOT ENTER!"

Glancing to the green pulsating fog that quietly beckoned to her with malicious intentions. "No kidding?"

. . . already both Rekki-maru and Mekki-maru reacted to the supernatural activity, resonating their faint warnings to their master on an almost subliminal level. Even the fragment of Soul Edge she got off Yunsung reacted, calling to the power within the fog to rescue it from her clutches. Taki stepped onto the path, following it through the heart of the forest. The dying moments of daylight filtered in through the forest from the west, casting tall grotesquely-exaggerated shadows across her. The fog's density grew the deeper she ventured into the forest. And arising out of the silence, children's voices softly sang with the enthusiasm of a dirge:

"Midway upon the road of our life

I found myself within a dark wood,

for the right way had been missed."

The fog reduced visibility to about fourteen feet, still pulsating with evil and malice; however, the veteran demon hunter continued walking, seeming to pay the phenomena around her little attention or concern. In reality, though, she stayed ever alert to her surroundings and in tune with her beloved blades.

And like a demented hymn, the choir (voices of innocents) continued to sing in that dead lamenting tone.

"Ah . . . how hard a thing it is to tell

what this wild and rough and dense wood

was, which in thought renews the fear!"

Far to the west, the sun vanished behind the horizon. Only an hour of light left at the very most. Swirling around the tree configuration like a stalking serpent, the fog moved and flowed with a life of its own. It grew in density until her feet vanished from her sight, but the strange thing was that it had substance. Like it was more than just gaseous vapors, it felt like walking through ankle-deep water, yet she remained dry. The childrens song continued, and this time underscoring them Taki could swear she heard faint laughter.

"So bitter is it that death is little more.

. . . that death is little more."

Taki's pace slowed, but not by her choice. Now the fog had become so dense that she couldn't see below her waistline, and walking through it was like wading through water of the same depth. Slowly and sluggishly she moved; no way could she perform her acrobatic maneuvers while this fog constricted around her. "You want the fragment of Soul Edge," Taki called out, "Come and get it."

Silence.

Deeper and deeper, denser and denser, the fog proved more and more resistant by the minute until it wiped out visibility completely and gave her the sensation of total submersion. Her cloak fell to the earth beneath her, drifting gently in the thick air and both her swords came out of their scabbards. Taki focused the energies around her, channeling it into her blades. A second later both swords flashed with fire and she slashed at the fog on the cry, "Begone!" And the powers unleashed drove the fog back so it formed a bubble around her, permitting her to move normally again.

And instead of closing in on her again, the fog pulled back even further revealing a nine-foot tall grotesque humanoid standing ten feet in front of her. It had long flowing black hair, and wore the tattered remains of a black robe. Its eyes and mouth appeared stitched shut, yet it seemed keenly aware of her position. The monster flexed its hands, and seven-inch-long claws emerged then retracted again. Its flesh was pale, and it did not seem to breath. "Impressive." It complimented seemingly telepathically in an expressionless tone, "I am Varelli Tenebrarum, and you . . . your head will make a worthy trophy."

The demon gestured, and the fog dissipated entirely. Taki found herself standing in the center of a massacred village. On either side were rows upon rows of pikes, bearing the severed heads of the poor souls who used to live here. Taki's heart sank as the scene stirred deep and painful memories within her, and a rage welled up inside her; however, it only manifested in a hateful glare she cast at the demon. A glare that promised retribution on her terms.

Tenebrarum narrowed its eyes. It wanted her to attack out of anger, and run headfirst into its trap just like every other fool who wandered into these woods. This woman strangely knew better. "Are you afraid?" Again it attempted to play with her emotions, "Why do you just stand there little girl? Attack! Avenge these souls! Attack!"

Crossing her arms, Taki answered, "You first." She sensed the beast's desperation as it scowled, and made a vain attempt to read her mind in search of a weakness. Her will was too great for the demon; her training had prepared her well for such tactics. The veteran demon hunter smirked, "You're the one whose afraid."

"Smug little bitch, I fear the potency of your blades," It corrected, feeling the darkness of Soul Edge before it. Oh the destruction it could bring with that mighty blade, even the mere fragment in her sword. "Without them, you're nothing! Nothing! They are the source of your power. Make no mistake about that."

"Only a strong soul can master such powerful weapons." She nonchalantly answered.

"You delude yourself! A single strike by the stroke of luck will yield you a victory. There's no skill there. Hide behind your swords, woman!" With a burst of flame, a very heavy barbed chain materialized in the demons hands, "It doesn't matter! I will crush you! I—"

Having sent the demon into a rabid frenzy of verbal assaults, Taki quietly intoned, "I'm through with words," and launched her attack. Charging straight at the demon, taking pleasure in his horrified expression as he set off the trap a moment too late. From beneath the dirt and grass and fallen leaves a net, woven out of hooked chains, flew towards the canopy. By its residue, it no doubt has ripped many a humans to shreds, and would have tore up Taki as well had it actually caught her.

The demon stepped back in disbelief. It swung its barbed chain, hoping to take her head off; however, Taki gracefully leapt into the air and flipped behind the demon. As her feet touched the earth, Rekki-maru and Mekki-maru swiped through the air and tasted demon flesh. It unleashed an inhuman cry as it crumbled to its hands and knees at Taki's feet. "Curse those swords! I am beaten!"

The swords returned to their scabbards, Taki instinctively began shaping invisible energies with the movements of her hands and fingertips. Her mind stayed locked in its focus as she channeled the power to seal the demon away.

"Wait!" Tenebrarum pleaded, and a thin layer of fog arose about two inches from the ground, blanketing the demon's hands and his weapon. "I can offer you power to compliment those weapons. Spare me, and . . ."

Taki refused to acknowledge the defeated demon's pleas. Her eyes never left the deceptive demon, while she performed the final motions. She saw through his lies, and knew he intended to lash out. But Taki didn't realize where the attack would come from. Beneath her, under the earth, a barbed chain snaked through the ground, burrowing up behind her. Meanwhile, Tenebrarum continued to tempt her, "I can give you the world! I can make you unstoppable!"

The ninja filled her lungs to command the monster to begone, and before she could banish the hell spawn the chain burst from the ground and shot around her legs. The demon pulled his end of the chain, and the hooks dug into her flesh and pulled Taki off her feet. Riding instinct, Taki brought her hands up to break her fall, and the moment she hit the ground the fog filled the forest as if a smoke bomb had gone off.

And just as suddenly, Taki drove back the supernatural smoke cloud to find herself alone. The demon had fled. The ninja waited a good three minutes before lowering her guard, and she looked to her legs tangled and hooked and she sighed. Getting free was going to be a pain in more ways than one.

. . . and the fragment of Soul Edge was missing.

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AUTHOR'S NOTES:

No, the children's song is not my work. And yes, it is the opening Canto from "Inferno" by Dante Alighieri.

I'm a little torn on the rating (whether the violence should earn it a T or an M). I grew up on violent entertainment so it's never bothered me, but I'm respectful to other people's tastes. What do you, the readers, think?

Thanks again for the feedback. :)