Chapter 37: Night Raids
Ok I realized why I took so long writing this chapter. It's because I really hate this chapter. For whatever reason it's soul sucking and uninspired. It's boring to me and after several rewrites still feels unfinished. Thankfully it's finally over! You will hopefully see more chapters coming out again.
The forest walls of Castle Senshire. Late evening
Ashi the Kunoichi was silently watching the walls from the forest.
Tonight she was leading her sisters in a raid to capture and "assassinate" as many of these Earthlings as possible. Fortunately the castle was located close to the walls themselves. And more so, supposedly there was a secret exit in the castle that went under the walls. To make sure the royal family and officials were able to escape. As such that was where they would infiltrate.
Ashi waved to her sisters, together there were a dozen Kunoichi. Along with two others, Humans, the pair had bags over their heads and their limbs bound. Rumor has it that the passage was enchanted with ancient magic. Back from the days of the first Demon Lords. Enchanted so that nothing with Demonic Energy could open it. Luckily for the Kunoichis the two Humans would suffice nicely.
They needed to be quick however. Once opened the passageway would alert the castle mages almost immediately. Not great but this was better than trying to scale the walls or Lilith forbid enter via the front gate.
They quickly and quietly sprinted across the fields surrounding the walls. Ducking into small divots in the ground in order to avoid the sentries guarding the wall. The Kunoichi that held their Human prisoners were lagging a bit behind. Carrying two humans while trying to be stealthy is a bit difficult. One of them was almost spotted, but thankfully the guard turned just at the last second.
One of the others offered to carry one of the prisoners. Afterwards they made their way to a small river that poured out the side of the wall. This was it. Ashi turned to her sisters and commanded them to put their prisoners down. She then went up to the pair and ripped the bags off their heads. The two Humans were a boy and a girl in their very late teens, both shivering in fear as they stared up at the Mamono ninja.
"P, p, please. Just let us go! We haven't done anything wrong!" The girl cried out as another Kunoichi pressed a knife to her throat.
"Oh don't worry, we don't plan on harming either of you. I just need you little magician of a boyfriend to open this door for us."
She turned to the boy. "You do know a door opening spell, right? For your lover's sake you'd better do as we say."
The junior magician nodded numbly as he slowly stood up. He was from a nearby village the succubi happened to pass through on their way to Senshire. Ashi smiled sinisterly under her mask as the mage approached the secret doorway. He began to chant the words for the door spell, just before placing his hand on the tiny grate that the water flowed out of. Suddenly the wall glowed, before the stones began to crack and quickly fall away. Revealing a passageway that cut into the wall. Even more water gushed out as the doorway opened.
Ashi turned to her sisters, with the passageway opened they had to move. Now. She quickly nodded to the Kunoichi that still held the girl. She nodded back before quickly stabbing the girl in the back with the demon realm silver knife. Of course they weren't gonna kill her. But that didn't mean they were just going to let the couple go either.
The boy, naturally, cried out and prepared to attack Ashi but before he could do anything, another demon realm silver knife found itself embedded into the poor boy's chest. He coughed before landing on his ass. Unlike the mage's knife the girl's knife was imbued with a large amount of demonic energy. So by the time the mage woke up it's very likely that a lesser succubi will be slobbering over his cock.
Ashi chuckled. Young love she thought as she moved swiftly into the tunnel. Her sisters followed behind.
Meanwhile back in Senshire proper the Earth soldiers had been trying to communicate with their superiors back home. Unfortunately even communication took the nation's experienced mages. And with their schedules already full trying to communicate with Earth was a troublesome task. However spirits were high and the few reports they did gave only good news when it came to Mamono/Earth relations. That being said back in Senshire the soldiers were slowly getting used to the city. Magic made things better for sure but at the end of the day the place was still a medieval city. So they weren't at all impressed with it at first. But it slowly grew on them over time.
Currently most of the troops were back in the barracks catching a little r and r. But back at the castle Samson, Alice, Henry, Johnson and other leaders were planning. Both in secret and out in the open on how to deal with the monsters.
Most people on Earth wanted, if possible, to negotiate with the Demon Lord. Earth had a very small population of Mamono and had much superior technology. However it was entirely unpredictable as to how a conflict against the magically superior Mamono would play out.
Then there were the issues of the politics of this world. Most, if not all, of the Order of Ilias was strongly against anything having to do with the Mamono beyond wiping them out. And on the other side of the coin there were the Mamono extremists led by the infamous Druella. It was to be an uphill battle to try and unite this world in peace. If it could be achieved at all.
However, tonight wasn't a night of peace, tonight was to be a night of action. And it began with the mages of the castle sensing that the passageway out of the castle was being opened. They began to make their way to the entrance into the passageway while sending others to notify the soldiers, generals and Earth Humans.
But what concerned them the most was the fact that the passage was open in the first place. No monster should be able to open the passage save the Demon Lord, so it couldn't be any of them. But if it was a Human, why? And more specifically, who? Knowledge of the passage was kept hidden from the general public. So it must have been some higher official who had access to magic, right?
A pair of junior mages stood in front of the painting of King Tom the Terrible. For this is where the passageway began on the castle side. If someone was coming through the passage they would come through here.
Then they heard it. Footsteps. From several pairs of feet. As if an entire family was racing through to the castle. The pair nodded to each other and stepped back, facing the portrait still. They held out their hands and began to channel their magic.
Then the footsteps immediately halted. The return to absolute silence in the hallway was sudden and abrupt. Next the hinges on the portrait began to creak, ever so slowly opening, opening to darkness. Someone had snuffed out the torches, making the passage as dark as the moonless sky.
"Fu fu fu! Well ladies it looks like we have a pair of handsome men ready to meet us. Why not show them a Kunoichi greeting!"
Several streaks of silver flew from the gaping maw that was the passage. Embedding themselves into the poor mages. Before they knew it they were on the ground, shaking and moaning as the ninja succubi stepped out of the darkness. Their eyes were filled with lust, the Kunoichi were salivating at the sight of the men. However Ashi was able to reign them in.
"I know I know ladies, but we have an objective to complete. When we bring back the Earth men perhaps we'll get a chance to break them in! Now hurry, we don't have much time!"
Disappointment flashed across the faces of most present but they nodded. Then they split up into several teams according to plan.
Inside the planning room Samson, Alice, Henry and Johnson along with the other leaders and guards were alerted of the breach. The royal family was rushed to the safe room while the knights and soldiers went about preparing to confront the infiltrators.
In one of the many halls of the castle guards were patrolling. News of the infiltrators was spreading quickly but not fast enough in the massive castle. Said guards currently had no idea what was happening. But when they turned the corner to see a pair of succubi rushing down the hall they certainly weren't prepared.
Quick as a flash two Demon Silver knives had embedded themselves in the Human's throats. The ninjas quickly jumped over their bodies and continued on.
Samson and Alice decided to take one Earthling each. That way they could prevent capture of both of the Earth representatives. By this point word had spread to the pair that Kunoichi had been the ones to infiltrate the castle. Of the two possibilities as to why they were here. Trying to capture the royals or trying to capture the Earthlings, the second one was deemed the more plausible one. Henry and Johnson wanted to get to the city barracks. They wished to get their men and bring them back to help fight. However Samson and Alice decided against this. It was likely they wished to bring back several of the Earth men. Keeping them away from here was the best course of action.
"Normally Kunoichi would deem a mission like this as suicidal. However your arrival is unprecedented, no doubt they are here for you." Samson said to Johnson as the pair were gathering up some of their men in order to hunt these intruders.
Ashi decided to follow the Valkyrie and the Earth Human. If she was able to defeat them both not only would she have her mission completed but she'd be able to convert one of the Chief God's best to their side!
Alice heard the ninja sneaking up behind the pair. Good thing too, because there would have been no way for Henry to hear her on his lonesome. She quickly pulled out her sword to block the demon silver stars from embedding themselves in both Henry and herself.
"Fu, fu fu. It seems my sneaking skills still aren't up to snuff against a Valkyrie. A shame, but regardless, I need your friend there to come with me."
"Not a chance monster!" Alice cried out as Henry pulled out his Glock 17 and aimed it at Ashi. Alice took a big swipe with her sword, using magic to make a sweeping blast of power!
Ashi expertly avoided the blast before pulling out a pair of kunai and rushing at the pair. Henry fires at her several times, however Ashi avoided all but one of his shots. Said shot had nicked her in the shoulder, causing the Kunoichi to yelp in surprise and pain.
So this is a gun, the weapon that killed so many of my 'sisters'. Perhaps we could study them when I bring this man back. His spirit energy smells delicious, but there is just something off about it. Ashi thought as she delivered a devastating kick into Alice's gut. The kick merely knocked the wind out of her, but would have been a gut popping kick to any normal Human.
Alice grunted and told her accomplice to hold back; she couldn't allow this whore to grab one of Earth's representatives. If the Demon Lord ruined this budding alliance this could be the end of all Humanity on Ilias's world.
Alice quickly prayed to her goddess before launching a few holy spells at the ninja. Ashi dodged expertly before trying to use a hand chop on the holy warrior's neck. However when she did she was met with searing pain; the ninja jumped back to see that her hand where it had met Alice's neck was burnt. Alice rubbed her neck, the blunt force still hurt, but now she had an advantage.
"Holy magics monster! You can't touch me without burning. Now allow me to finish you!" Alice roared as she casted her biggest and most deadly spell yet! A thin yet powerful beam of energy shot out of the end of her sword like a bullet! Ashi was still distracted by her burnt hand and was too slow!
The Kunoichi screeched in pain as her left arm was vaporized from her body by the blast! The holy magic started to crawl up from her stump, threatening the rest of her body. Ashi whimpered as she collapsed; she quickly began to channel demonic energy into the wound to stop the blessed magics.
As for Alice and Henry, they walked up to the fallen succubus. Alice wears a serious face as she prepares her final strike against the Kunoichi. But before she lands the blow she cries out in surprise and pleasure as a demon silver knife embeds itself in her side! Another one quickly lodges itself in Henry's stomach as he collapses.
Ashi weakly turns to see several of her sisters closing in on her. Some looked better than others but it wouldn't be an understatement to say they were all roughed up.
"Sisters, we must move, we have failed." Ashi gasped in pain as another of the Kunoichi slung her other arm over her shoulder.
"What about him though. I mean he's right here." Another Kunoichi asked as she pointed to the fallen Henry. Who was surprisingly not knocked out with pleasure but instead was looking up at the group incredulously. The knife hadn't cut into his guts nor had turned him on but instead it was simply extending in and out of him. No damage could be seen other than his cut shirt. It was as if the blade was a fake on springs.
By this point everyone held a face of disbelief; neither side had seen something like this before. But before anyone could comment on it Samson, Johnson and dozens of guards came streaming down both ends of the castle.
"Forget him ladies we have to move now!" Ashi gasped; the others nodded and began channeling their demonic energies while pulling out some smoke bombs.
"HALT! Stop right there!" Samson yelled as they closed in on them, they were coming at them from two different angles. There is no way they can escape Johnson thought as he trailed his Hero counterpart.
But it seems the poor man had jinxed himself and seconds later a massive cloud of smoke popped up. They ran into the cloud only to find nothing.
The Kunoichi had escaped, but thankfully empty handed.