Night Stalker
There was a quiet thud against the ground as a shadowy figure emerged in the darkness. As the figure stepped quietly into the light, it soon became clear that it was a woman. She was tall and muscular, although her frame was lean. She wore a skin tight outfit and had a strap wrapped over her chest. It held two scabbards on her back with two small, thin blades in them. Her hair was swept back in a tight ponytail, with her dark bangs framing her pale face. Around her mouth she wore a face mask, concealing her identity.
There came a second thud, and then a third. In an instant, two figures emerged behind the woman, wearing similar masks over their faces.
"The moon glows red tonight. There are demons afoot," one of them said quietly.
The woman gave an all-knowing grin behind her mask and moved forward in the shadows, making no sound at all.
The two men followed just as silently, their eyes watching their surroundings carefully. For many long minutes, there was silence. This was how it was among the small group of the ninjas. If something came up, no sound was uttered. Instead, they quietly motioned to one another.
Minutes ticked away into what seemed like an hour. Still, the three ninjas remained in hiding, their eyes always watchful on the deserted streets.
Suddenly, there was a piercing scream, destroying the silence.
It was then that she leapt out of her hiding place and slipped into the air. Wordlessly, she landed onto the ground and raced to where the scream had been.
"Demons! Demons!" a woman shrieked, flinging her arms over her face.
She halted a few paces away from the wailing woman, watching her claw at the air. There was no one else there. The woman was alone.
"Demons! Demons!"
She scowled and stood up straight. Holding up two fingers, she pressed it against her other hand. She then uttered a few words and pushed against the air. "Demon begone!"
In that instant, the woman tumbled onto the bridge she had been standing on and panted for breath. Whatever had been attacking her had vanished.
Still, there was no time for celebration. No demon was ever vanquished with so little of a struggle. Soon it would return.
And so she waited, standing motionless, her eyes fixed intently on the woman.
The woman continued to tremble as she rose up to her feet. With a frightened look on her face, she soon spotted the female ninja and gasped aloud. "Are you the one who drove the demon away?"
She did not reply.
The woman scowled. "I said, are you–"
"Be quiet or you die," the ninja hissed in a low and dangerous voice.
Immediately, the woman shut her mouth and looked around wildly, as if watching out for any lurking demons.
The trees rustled as the wind brushed past them. Suddenly, the wind grew very strong and threatened to tear the tree roots up from the ground.
She could feel it now, an evil aura that filled the night. It surrounded her and pushed against her, trying to squeeze the life out of her.
"Sempai!" the two other ninjas cried out in shock as they ran towards their leader.
"Stay back!"
Too late.
The demon reemerged from the darkness and raked its claws at the two running ninjas, sending them flying into the air. Turning its attention back to the female ninja, it opened its mouth and roared loudly.
But she did not flinch. As the demon lunged at her, she immediately flipped backwards and unsheathed both her swords, holding them over her in defense.
"The legendary demon slayer," the demon spoke in a thunderous voice. "You will give me your power."
"Come and get it then," she remarked calmly. Then, without warning, she swung her swords at the demon and then flipped over its head, landing behind it.
The demon whirled around with lightning speed and grabbed the ninja's neck before she could reach the ground. With a mighty roar, it lifted her high into the air and squeezed her neck.
She gasped, kicking her legs in an attempt to break free of the demon's hold.
But the demon would not release its grip.
With a pained cry, the ninja swung her arms over her head and plunged both swords into the demon's hand, severing it. The demon let out a pained cry as its arm, along with the ninja, fell onto the ground. Angrily, the demon swung its other claw at her, determined to tear at her flesh.
But she was too swift for him, and caught its claws with one of her swords. With her other sword, she swung it into the air and then plunged it deep into the demon's head.
The demon tried to pull away, shaking violently as its piercing shriek filled the night.
"DEMON BEGONE!" she shouted, pulling her sword out of the demon's head.
In an instant, the demon vanished, fading into thin air.
Light footsteps approached the female ninja as she sheathed her blades. Within seconds her two companions arrived, one soaking wet and the other covered in mud. Seeing the demon no longer present, they both hung their heads in shame. "Forgive us, sempai. We were of no use to you."
She looked them both over coldly and folded her arms over her chest. "Apologies won't bring the demon back, nor will they vanquish it," she remarked bluntly, never in any mood to placate her subordinates' feelings. "You two aren't ready for this. Go back to your homes and choose a different profession."
Despite her harsh words, both ninjas remained in place, their heads still bowed down towards her. "We swear on our lives not to disappoint you next time, sempai."
"If there is a next time. I have no interest working with weaklings." And with that, she walked on towards the bridge where the woman had been standing a few minutes ago.
Suddenly, she halted in her tracks and quickly whirled around. She felt it again. It was the same evil aura. Could it be the same demon?
"Sempai, there's–"
Without warning, she flung a sword behind her. A cry followed, and then a loud thud. Turning around to retrieve her weapon, she spotted it wedged deeply into the woman's skull.
Shocked, the two male ninjas ran over to the fallen woman and gasped. "Sempai! Why have you killed her?"
With no qualms about the dead woman, she yanked her sword out of the woman's head and held it up to the moonlight for the ninjas to see.
There was no blood on the blade.
"She was the demon all along!"
"No," she said slowly, lowering her weapon. "Not quite." And with that, she crouched over the dead woman's body and inspected it carefully. Lifting the woman's arm, she looked it over for a brief moment before shaking her head. "This woman was already dead."
"But how? Can a demon possess a soulless corpse?"
It was then that she saw it, a tiny blue shard stuck firmly into the woman's palm. Curiously, she picked up the shard and studied it carefully. She could feel its power coursing through her veins.
"What is it, sempai?"
It began to emit a strange glow as she held it up. From its appearance, it could not have been from a Japanese blade. No, it appeared to have been made from a foreign material unknown to her. Shaking her head, she rose up to her feet and tucked the shard away in her boot.
"I don't know," she replied honestly. "But there is a hidden power within it."
Briefly looking up at the sky, she soon noticed a faint streak of light towards the horizon. "Move out. The night is ending." And with that, she leapt up into the air and vanished into the darkness.