18! If i was that number...i would be the same as now...

Derp:I wasn't trying to make them look stupid. i just thought how would the tengu military work while adding in a wolfpack-style discipline. And then added in the standard chaos when you hit the system where it hurts most. Funnily enough, some of the world's military systems would concentrate on finding the breach first rather than damage control. Like your name. simple and derpy. In the future, watch for far more positive depictions of the tengu.

Sweebation:Thank you. I always wondered how did the lunarians defeated the youkai army given the apparent shortcomings of the lunar rabbits. Purification weaponry seemed too cheap for them. This was my result and it would be a major plot device. And after i posted 16, someone stepped up to help.

Thats right folks. i got another proofreader. i would like to thank Ban3 for help with this and the last chapter as well.

I would like to use this moment to recommend Blueribbon118 Full Moon. While i owe him nothing and have not interacted with him yet, its an nice attempt at writing down a clash between earth and the moon. i recommend it. Although i personally have several issues with it. SOME REALLY BIG ISSUES.

Tengu village

Mountain exit

Mid-afternoon

A cool gentle breeze ruffled nine furry tails and gently tickled a pair of cute, foxy ears. Dutch and Ran walked, heads bowed discussing points of interest for the journey later as well as tips for getting to the mountain top shrine.

"Are you sure there will only be fairies? I don't want to be some stray youkai's next dinner." Dutch murmured as they got closer to the large, sturdy gate.

"I'm absolutely sure. Ever since the mountain shrine arrived, the resident shrine maiden has made regular trips to cleanse the wild youkai on the mountain."

"Is it that bad?" Dutch asked, frowning.

The fox woman snickered. "Not really. Just that the shrine maiden takes her job so seriously that it has become her regular pastime... And stress relief."

Dutch winced pitying the poor souls. Sucks to be those youkai.

The pair reached the gate. "The journey should be fine for you, the distance is short enough that you should arrive there around dusk. Yukari has informed them about your visit so they will be expecting you, so have a good trip." The Kitsune finished, a smile filling her face.

The man nodded appreciatively before turning a querying eye to the great fox lady.

"What about you?"

Ran's good humor died as she sighed in exasperation. "Yukari-sama wishes me to stay here to wrap things up. It is very likely that we might not meet again for some time."

Dutch gave her soft shoulder an encouraging squeeze; "It could be worse than fighting. At least in fighting, you can fight back."

Heaving another discontented sigh Ran simply nodded, donning her silken cap.

"Hey! Don't forget us!" An indignant Renko barreled up the age worn stairs, Maribel following calmly behind.

Dutch chuckled. "Of course. How could I forget about my beautiful companions?" From Ran, he knew that both of his companions were deeply upset with him for hiding the Lunarians from them but he simply could not let them know about it. He shuddered to think what could happen to them if they were deemed too knowledgable.

So he decided to use different methods to avoid the subject and divert them. Key among these methods being flattery. By the look of their faces, it appeared to have worked. Both Renko and Maribel blushed crimson at the compliment and said nothing as they climbed the warm stone steps.

Looking from Ran to his two attractive companions a look of utter seriousness crossed his features.

"Well then, It may be a short walk up the mountain, but we need to reach the shrine before dusk. I say we best be on our way."

His companions nodded their assent. Leaving the relative safety of the still smoking city at their backs, the trio set off up the mountain. Leaving a forlorne looking fox woman in their wake.

A dejected Ran watched them until they dwindled out of sight.

Mountain path

'He's distracting us.' Renko's perceptive mind had picked up a common pattern as they trekked up the rugged mountain.

Ever since they had left the village, Dutch had engaged the two in conversation. When one topic ended, a question from his side would set off yet another. It had been enjoyable but it also took their minds off his as yet unexplained wound.

Still displayed for the world to see, the bandage had a slightly pink tinge staining its woven threads. Dutch swung his arms casually enough, but in moments where he assumed they couldn't see him, Renko noticed the barely concealed grimaces.

The brunette flashed a look of concern to her best friend. Maribel nodded back, comprehension evident upon her face. She had had the same line of thought as her friend.

The wind howled mournfully around them.

'It's not working.'

Dutch felt the communication between his two lovely albeit headstrong companions. Without a doubt, he knew that they could only be discussing one subject.

'Crap!'

As his mind agonised over ways to distract them, the wind buffeted the bare mountain side. As it howled past them an ominous presence seemed to ooze out of the air around them.

It seemed alive, an eldritch wail littered with whispers of voices, speaking to him. Calling out to him. Preying on his very mind.

His fingers twitched restlessly towards his pistol holster.

He remembered the earlier conversation. Ran had said that the shrine maiden often cleansed the wild youkai. So there should only be harmless fairies left on the mountain.

From his point of view, it meant only one thing. Any youkai still around would be the kind that was smart enough to hide from the indiscriminate cleansing of the overzealous shrine maiden.

'This is bad, this is very bad.'

The thought careened across his mind. Whatever happened, his main priority would be to get Renko and Maribel to the shrine quickly. Then he could worry about himself.

The youkai waited.

It had been a while since that cruel shrine maiden descended upon the flesh eating inhabitants of the mountain and brought down her wrath with her. Ever since, the smart had the sudden urge to be vegetarian. The stubborn attacked her.

They lasted no longer than the first charge.

Since then, the flesh eating youkai had been in hiding, fearful of the power that the unscrupulous shrine maiden brought with her yet stubbornly unwilling to rid themselves of their love of flesh.

In their hideouts, they waited for the next fool to bring their faith and flesh up the mountain. Ironically, the shrine was also a blessing to them. Traffic had never been so plentiful.

So they lay, hidden in the dark caves, listening attentively for the footsteps of their next meal.

Another group. Three humans. Healthy, if the force of their footsteps was any indication.

The youkai cackled, wicked thoughts clouding the already dank atmosphere. Three humans would be a great feast. If they could get them before the shrine maiden flew by, it would be a perfect day.

They howled, their magic adding voices and whispers to the sounds as it crossed the mountain. It spoke of desires and wants. A great bringer of distraction that had always worked in the past.

Something was wrong. Something was really wrong.

Dutch scanned the ragged slopes of the mountain. The strange wind still howled, but he disregarded it's words. Especially when most of them spoke of questionable actions towards his companions.

No, his mind was screaming danger. Just like the cave.

Should he warn Renko and Maribel?

Nah. The last thing he needed was a pair of keyed-up, danmaku-wielding women to bring confusion. Just in case through, he turned off his pistol safety.

Renko frowned at Dutch's movement.

Safety off?

Bad news. She tapped her inner magic reserves. If needed, she could fire off a bolt before any attacker could reach her.

As she felt the warm magic energy, she was suddenly swamped by a wave of memories.

Dutch providing covering fire as she ran for the door. A super golem bent on killing her and Maribel halted in its tracks. Dutch sitting beside her and Maribel, silent as she cried out her heart. Like a stoic guardian.

'Never again!' She swore to herself. She would prove to Dutch that she did not need protection.

The youkai snarled in frustration.

The magic wind had failed to do it's purpose. The humans were proceeding as normal.

Hissing angrily they considered the alternatives. Distraction was their preferred tactic. Having to take on prey was despised. Any activity would flood the flesh with chemicals, making it tougher. They preferred to kill when the prey was distracted. It made the flesh soft.

The youkai swarmed out of their caves in groups, bloodlust saturating the air. Their sharp claws crunched over the rocks of the mountain and their teeth dripped nacreous saliva. They could smell blood.

They were hungry.

Food was here.

Dutch scanned the mountain sides.

According to Ran's directions, they were almost there. Just 10 minutes worth of walking and they would be safe.

Somehow, he felt that the journey would last longer than that.

Something or things were coming. He could feel it in the ground. An almost imperceptible vibration that he felt through the soles of his boots.

"Something is coming. Be careful." He warned, phasing out his carbine.

Renko and Maribel nodded. They continued their journey, alert for any danger.

At that point a ghostly howl echoed throughout the air. It raised the hairs on all the humans' backs. Dutch scrutinized the mountain side.

Some small stones skittered down the slope from above, drawing his eyes toward a barren outcrop. There, standing on the outcrop, was a hunter of a youkai. It could have stood at his height but it's crouch brought it only to his chin. It was hairless, blood red eyes with slits for pupils examining them. Its slender body structure gave the illusion of frailty, but the hard packed muscle on the arms and legs said otherwise. The claws at the tips of its arms and legs were caked brown with dried blood.

The youkai raised its head and howled. The ghostly, windy sound filled the air, the same whispers along with them.

"Shoot it!" Dutch shouted.

Renko fired off a couple of bolts. The brilliant blue danmaku peppered the rock around the youkai. It yelped and disappeared.

Renko grinned triumphantly and ran up the side of the mountain. She ran towards where the youkai disappeared, danmaku ready to fire.

"What the hell are you doing?" Dutch called out, a stern tone to his voice. Whatever Renko was planning, she was splitting up the group and going alone. That was extremely dangerous.

Renko simply grinned. She would show Dutch she could take care of herself.

At the bleak and jagged outcrop, she looked around to searching for her quarry. She saw a line of disturbed rocks heading into a cave. Smiling, Renko strode forward, danmaku lighting up the darkness.

Feeling a vibration beneath her feet she stopped, looking around, making sure that the movement was around her. Pebbles danced in tune to the vibration filling the dark while loose rocks tore loose from the mountain, rolling and tumbling around her.

A low howl tore from the very bowels of the cavern. Soon it was joined by another and another and another until it became a cacophony of ghostly sounds. The howls picked up, faster and louder than before, as if something was closing in on her, very, very fast.

Renko blanched.

"Renko! Renko! Dammit!" Dutch called out. She had just run off. Alone. That was asking for a youkai to pick her off. This was why he didn't want to tell them anything.

"Run!" Renko screamed as she tore down the mountain side to the trail. Dutch opened his mouth to chastise her for her recklessness but immediatly shut it once he saw what was in hot pursuit.

A wave of youkai poured out from around the outcrop, howling. The rocks crunched under their claws and pearlescent saliva dripped from their open mouths. Their eyes glowed with bloodlust as they chased after the human in front of them.

Dutch dropped onto one knee and brought up his merciless rifle. He fired, each careful burst knocking a youkai out of commission and sending it tumbling down the mountain side.

Maribel added her own fire. While not as accurate as Dutch's shots, her rainbow bolts brought down youkai after youkai. A lucky shot struck a youkai in the face. It dropped as its own inertia brought it down falling headlong down the rocky slope. Several youkai behind it tried to jump over their erratically twisting comrade but failed, creating a tangle of arms, legs claws and bodies that hurtled down the steep rock face.

It seemed hopeless as more and more joined the horde and two humans simply did not have the firepower to stop them. Renko reached the path and like an Olympic runner, flashed past. Dutch and Maribel took off behind her.

A howl up ahead indicated a group of youkai heading straight towards them. Dutch cursed and phased out his grenade launcher. He stopped momentary, aimed and fired.

Chunk!

The grenade soared over his companions' heads and landed in the middle of the youkai formation. It blew apart with the force of a 40mm warhead. Non lethal of course.

Boom!

The formation flew apart, a cloud of vivid danmaku slowly fading away. Jumping up smoothly, Dutch chased after his companions. The pair of women ran through the pile of bodies. Some of which were already getting up again, dazed and mewling in pain.

As Dutch ran through the youkai littered ground, a disoriented youkai on the ground growled and swiped at his passing foot.

The claws tore through the cloth like a hot knife through butter. Dutch stumbled but righted himself and kept going. The youkai snarled in frustration and dropped it's head, spent.

'Why does everything here tear through cloth like paper?' Dutch thought as he continued running.

Behind him, the ranks of youkai swelled in size. From their caves, they oozed, lured by the smell of blood.

Dutch took a rapid glance behind. From the size of the horde after him, he guessed at least two platoons worth of youkai were after them. Even with his companions, they did not have the firepower to fight them off.

A burning pain in his right forearm made him cry out in pain. The bandage was suddenly stained with red.

'The wound reopened!'He thought in alarm. Behind him, the youkai howled louder as the smell of blood strengthened their resolve.

Noting the increased volume, Dutch began formulating a hasty plan. He frowned as he carefully and coolly judged the situation. Coming to a conclusion, he reached for the knot holding the bandage, pulled it and took off the blood stained cloth.

He hurled the cloth behind him. A couple of youkai peeled off and in pursuit of the cloth. They attacked each other, fighting for the bandage.

'Buggers are attracted to the blood. Well, that puts my options into perspective.' He concluded. The wound ran freely, the blood dripping out. The youkai after him snarled, hungry for the source of blood just in front of them.

'If I'm right, there should be a crossroad ahead. Right leads to the shrine.' He remembered. Dutch picked up speed until he was right behind the two women.

"Listen. There is a crossroads up ahead. *Breathe* When you reach there, I need you to turn right. You hear me? Turn right!" Dutch panted out as he ran beside the two women.

Renko picked up the hidden portion of his voice. "Just what are you planning?" She breathed as she pumped her legs.

Dutch flashed her a grin.

At the crossroads, Renko and Maribel turned right. Dutch, who deliberately lagged behind them, took a left. Because he was behind them, his companions did not notice that he was not behind them.

The youkai chasing them snarled. Up to three quarters of the group went left, after the source of the blood. The remaining one, consisting of the smarter ones, turned right, after the two human girls. In their bloodlust, they did not notice where they were going.

Right path

Renko and Maribel panted in exertion as their wobbly legs dragged them achingly closer to the shrine. The youkai behind howled and snarled as they chased them.

Renko pointed her hand behind her and let off a few shots. The bolts smacked into the leading youkai. It yelped in pain and dropped. It's compatriots jumped over it and continued on their path.

A flash of a building caught Maribel's eye. A roof peaked over the edge of the road.

"We are almost there!" She shouted, joy flooding her haggard face.

As the duo ran, an unlucky step on a rock pitched Renko towards the waiting cold, hard rock. She landed hard, her breath knocked out by the impact.

"Renko!" Maribel yelled panic in her voice. She stopped and turned, firing her rainbow danmaku at the rapidly appoaching youkai. The bolts peppered the attackers but they pushed on, ignoring their losses as several fell to the non lethal shots.

One youkai, impatient as it were, took a leap. It flew over Renko, who could smell the putrid stench of rotten flesh in the fur of the creature.

It crashed into Maribel. The two slid across the loose, stony ground scattering pebbles along their trail. The youkai, on top howled in triumph.

"No!" Renko yelled. She was powerless to stop the youkai as it stared at its prey with hunger. Fear filled eyes looked back.

'Please! Just let me do something!' Renko pleaded to herself. Her magic responded to the cry, melding and shaping itself to a type that would be the most suitable for its wielder.

An intricately wrought hour hand appeared in front of her, floating in the air like an arrow, It resembled a supersized version of the hour hand of an ancient grandfather clock. Renko gawked at the hour hand hopefully.

'Please.' She thought. In answer, the hour hand aimed at the youkai on top of Maribel and shot off.

The youkai raised it's arms for a strike. As it brought its ragged down for the kill, the youkai paused. It turned it's head just in time for an oversized hour hand to peg it in the face. It blew apart, a minor explosion rocked the ground, blue energy spreading from the impact point.

The youkai tumbled off Maribel, out for the count. Renko smiled in relief.

Then a snarl from the other youkai snapped her back into focus. She heard the crunch of the rock under their claws and smelled the stench of death wafting from them. More so, she could hear their eager snorts.

A great fear siezed her as she realized the she was mre than likely about to die.

Just as all hope appeared lost, a barrage of charms flew over her head and struck the youkai, setting off a series of small explosions. The youkai scattered as charms and danmaku rained down on them. They had realized too late whose territory they had strayed into.

Dispensing charms with one hand and firing off danmaku with the other, Sanae Kochiya descended upon the youkai that would dare hunt for human flesh. Her face awash with righteous fury, she doled out punishment to the youkai, her shots accurately striking them.

One youkai, snarling, leaped at her. She cooly avoided the attacker and attached a charm to its head. The youkai shrieked as holy energy coursed through it. Finally, it disappeared in a flash of fire, its soul sent directly to the Sanzu river.

The other youkai backed away, fear coursing through them. They turned and fled, trying to escape the green haired shrine maiden. Sanae gave chase, the sheer volume of fire from her the equivalent of a squad of men.

Renko staggered to her feet, attempting to adjust to the sudden change in situation. She tottered over to Maribel and helped her up. The two women just stood there, righting themselves.

And then Renko realized that there were only two of them. And that there were far fewer youkai than before.

She put two and two together.

When the last youkai vanished in a flash of fire, Sanae turned around and flew back. These humans were unlucky to have garnered such a large of group of youkai. At least she managed to reach them before the youkai got them.

For the umpteenth time, Sanae wished that the resident gods at the shrine would let her go after the youkai in the mountain caves. While she took to heart their advice that she could not indiscrimately cleanse youkai, the youkai of the mountain caves preyed on humans. That made them deserving of a cleansing.

According to the gods of the shrine, they did not allow Sanae to enter and clear the caves because it would be too dangerous for her. Sanae understood where their sentiments were coming from but she firmly believed that she could take of herself.

As she returned to her fellow humans, she found a rather unexpected sight. The brunette was raging(she couldn't find any better word to describe it) around, firing into the ground with her danmaku. She screamed in anger.

"STUPID UNSELFISH SELF-SACRIFICING YOUNG IDIOT OF A MAN!"

Sanae was so taken aback by the whole scene that she simply stared in bewilderment. Unable to think up a proper way to address the situation, she shyly spoke up, unwilling to be the target of Renko's rage.

"Uuummm...is there something I can help you with?" She asked.

Renko turned to the shrine maiden. "YES! YOU CAN GO FIND HIM AND DRAG HIS ASS HERE SO THAT I CAN KICK IT! HE BETTER HOPE THE YOUKAI GET HIM BEFORE I DO!" Renko yelled before stomping off in anger.

Sanae was stunned. Never has she ever met such a person who reacted in such a way. Maribel smiled apologetically and walked up to the shrine maiden.

"Hello, my name is Maribel Hearn. I must apologize for my friends actions. We had a male companion with us that distracted the majority of the youkai. My friend, whose name is Renko Usami, has been less than pleased with his tendency to put himself in dangerous situations, sometimes to protect us." Maribel explained.

Sanae nodded. "Don't worry. There is help on the mountain. He will be safe." She assured Maribel.

Left path

Dutch ripped the knife out of the youkai's neck. It gurgled as it collapsed, blood flowing out of its neck. He flicked his knife to get off the blood and looked around him.

Youkai littered the land around him. The lucky ones lay untouched, simply knocked out by the non lethal danmaku from his rifle and pistol. The unlucky ones were those that got close to him. He had switched to his knife and pistol for close quarters battle. Unfortunately for his attackers, you can't blunt a diamond knife.

They lay around him, stab wounds and lacerations covering their bodies, a macabre and fatal tattoo. Most died in one clean strike, from stabs to the neck or head. The rest died...messily. Pools of blood and unidentified body components littered the stony ground. Dutch preferred not to find out what they were.

The other youkai stood around him in a loose circle. Wary after seeing Dutch decimate their betters. In hindsight, they shouldn't have let the bigger youkai cow them into the circle and let themselves charge for the prize. But even youkai have a hierarchy to follow. Too bad it meant that their betters died first.

Dutch looked at himself. Drenched in youkai blood, he probably looked rather like a monster himself. Several parts of his fatigues felt drenched in blood. He glanced at his right arm. In the rush of combat, his body dulled the pain of his reopened wound. It glistened brightly and youkai blood and his own intermingled together.

'There better not have any weird crap in the blood that could kill me.' Dutch thought.

A youkai in the circle gave up controlling it's bloodlust. It howled and charged him. A pair emboldened by the howling attacker decided to follow suit. The smell of blood in the air, it's own kind and the human's, increasing their resolve.

Dutch snapped up his pistol. A couple of shots brought down one of the back youkai. He shifted his M9 to the next target but it already was too close. Dutch shifted away from the leap of the youkai. It botched the landing and tumbled over the ground clumsily.

The other youkai behind it lunged at Dutch. Dutch sidestepped the claws and brought down the butt of his pistol. The youkai snarled at the pain of the strike but was still standing. Dutch kicked the youkai onto its back and in one stroke, slashed the knife across its neck.

A jet of blood spurted out. The youkai thrashed chaotically, its life slowly ebbing away. It's killer already ignoring it, turned to face his other problems.

The youkai from the failed lunge was already back on its feet. It growled, hunger and bloodlust occupying every inch of its mind. It slashed at Dutch, eyes bright red and wild.

Dutch stopped the slash with his pistol and stabbed with his knife. The blade slid into the his assailant's abdomen smoothly. The youkai snarled as it struggled with the pain but it only served to widen the wound.

Desperate, the youkai threw itself forward, forcing its whole weight upon the worn soldier. The two fell onto the ground, the youkai on top. It snarled and with a sudden flash of intelligence, used it's claws to pin down Dutch's knife.

Dutch tugged his blade but the claws pushed it fast against the ground. His other hand was useless, it being occupied by a pistol. Running through solutions, Dutch came up with one. It might work...if he wasn't too squeamish.

Letting go of his blade, Dutch plunged his hand in the one place that the youkai couldn't reach. Inside it. It felt comfortably warm.

The youkai snarled as it felt the questing hand of Dutch inside it. Dutch, mind occupied by a cold rage, reached up into the chest and found what he was looking for. He gave it a tug.

The youkai started howling in terror as it realized what the human was up to. It struggled frantically to get away from the human. Dutch hooked his hand around the youkai's neck and brought it up to his face, his voice a primal yell.

The organ finally gave way with a sickening tear and Dutch tore his prize out of the youkai's body. Shrugging off the corpse he rose to his feet, holding in his hand the still beating heart, a message to the masses.

That broke their resolve.

They ran as far away as they could. First the youkai in the innermost circle turned and fled and then further until those at the edges dazed and trampled underfoot managed to scramble to join the panicked stampede. The youkai of the mountain were in full retreat. Blindly fleeing from the human monster that had taken down so many of their kind so efficiently and brutally.

Dutch stared at their retreating backs. He realized that he still holding the now dead heart of the youkai. He threw it away, a wrenching splat indicating it landing. He picked up his diamond knife and phased it and his pistol away.

Looking onward down the path, Dutch saw a sign. He walked up to it and read the words written on it.

Hermit's Mansion.

"Hermit's mansion? That, I want to see." Dutch said as he continued up that path, his normal demeanor back again, his recent rage already a distant memory.

Moriya shrine

The snake goddess watched as the male continued up that path. If you took away the blood covered clothing, he was no different from a casual traveler.

To think he literally ripped the heart out of a youkai just minutes earlier...

A rippling shudder of revulsion ran across her arms.

By the gods, what kind of person had Yukari gotten now?

Thus 18 cometh and went...

Expect to see more of the ending fighting scene style. I hope to try fighting with a lot more grit and all that good stuff.

Special thanks goes to Ban3 for proofreading and adding in the part that help a lot.

RNR. it helps.