Chapter 19: Culprit

PITTER PATTER

The sound of the rain casted a relaxing feeling in the traditional homes. It echoed in the background. A fireplace was active, the logs of wood burning to pieces. Unfortunately, the residents of this home weren't able to enjoy it.

A young woman could be seen hiding in the closet with her daughter. They were silent and held each other close. Such was the state of citizens all around the city of Lokni. In order to not be the next victim, they all found places to hide during the night.

"Mommy, I'm tired! Why do we have to sleep here every night?" The girl asked.

"This will keep us safe, dear. Hush now. We have a lot to do in the morning." The mother answered.

Time passed and the two fell asleep. There was only a soft mattress and a blanket to keep them warm. The child turned on the makeshift bed, which caused her mother to wake up.

CREAK

Weird groaning noises reverberated throughout the house. Her eyes widened with realization. Fear came next. Her heart froze. It was the curse! A demon had been unleashed on the poor family.

The young woman covered her mouth. Her eyes watered. Was this the end for them? She could hear something moving around her home. Her face slowly neared the crack of the door in hopes of catching a glimpse.

She couldn't see anything, but something distinct could be heard. Heavy steps traveled through every room. It was searching for them.

"Mmmmnnnn…" The little girl moaned in her sleep.

All of the noises ceased. It grew dead silent. Her mother could feel her sweat turning cold. Have they been discovered? The child wasn't even that loud! She decided to peek through the crack one more time.

As she leaned forward, a puddle of dark red mana formed behind her. A massive stone-like figure quietly rose from the mana puddle. Its red eyes shined in the darkness.

Not seeing anything, the woman turned from the door. Her eyes widened upon seeing a huge figure looming over her. It had found them.

"AAAHH-"

Her voice was cut off as the spiky hand covered her mouth and skull. Just the sharp nails alone pierced her skin. The figure squeezed its hand.

CRACK

Blood spurted out of the mother's head. It drenched the floor and the sleeping child. The silent beast dragged the corpse toward the puddle and sunk into the ground. Silence permeated the home once again.

"Mmmm…Mama? Mom…Mommy?!" The little girl woke up and immediately noticed the blood everywhere. It was on her clothes and hair.

She looked around, but couldn't find her mom. She ran through the entire house. Opened every door. Checked under the bed frames. Opened the attic. The woman was gone. Her mother had disappeared.

"Mama! Waaaaahhhhhhh!"

BAM

Shu kicked in the door and appeared beside the sobbing little girl. He got into an iaido stance and waited. When he scanned for the mana signature once again, he found nothing. It was gone.

"...Tch." He clicked his tongue.

The young samurai had missed his target by only a few minutes! Rin crashed through the ceiling and dashed throughout the home. She found nothing.

"Clear!" The snow demon announced.

Both of the fighters left their battle stances. The lazy swordsman looked around the home once more. He ignored the girl sobbing in the middle of the room. When he finally checked the blood soaked closet, he caught a whiff of rotten mana. It was disgusting.

His hand reached into the dissipating blood colored mana and grasped a strand. He then went back to Rin, who was watching the girl. She was unsure of how to deal with the situation. Their job wasn't the comfort of citizens after all. The Windriders or Tree of Eden would do a better job.

"Rin. Smell." Shu ordered.

He brought the strand to her nose. The dark ronin sniffed it and immediately blanched. She then turned to the young samurai with an accusatory glare.

"...That was disgusting."

"Can you follow it?" He asked. Rin sniffed the air. After a moment, she nodded.

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"East!" She pointed toward the other side of the city.

Without further ado, they launched toward the rooftops again. The duo ran at extreme speeds. A vacuum of rain was left in their wake. Shu had to slow down in order to not pass Rin. It only took around three minutes to reach their destination.

In the backyard of a small home, a massive stone beast could be seen reaching for a man. There were two large wings on its back. It had the head of an imp. The innocent civilian was looking the opposite way, not even noticing his impending doom. A blood red puddle was rotating under them.

'A gargoyle!' Shu thought.

It was made from stone, just like all of the other ones. The entire city was littered with gargoyle statues. They could be found on almost every rooftop! Had they come to life?

The young samurai accelerated toward the beast. His hand barely touched the hilt of his katana. Once he was in range, the monster's arm was severed at the elbow.  Shu landed beside the unsuspecting man. The noise prompted him to turn around.

"...Leave. Now!" The swordsman spoke.

His distorted voice and the hulking beast caused the man to sprint away. He tripped and fell on his face before getting up again. The mana breather was truly doing its job. Rin landed on the roof of the building and watched. Her hand was on the hilt of her odachi just in case.

"Grrrrrnnnn." An eerie groan left the gargoyle's mouth.

Shu wasn't going to waste anymore time. He took a step and appeared beside the large monster. In one smooth motion, he drew his blade.

SLASH

The quickdraw bisected the stone beast in two. Its upper and lower half fell to the ground. Shu could slaughter Gold fighters with ease. A slow moving, heavyset creature wasn't even worth mentioning. Without wasting time, the young samurai dashed toward the puddle. It was dissipating.

"Rin!" He called out. The snow demon burst into motion.

Both of them jumped into the rotten mana portal. It smelled horrible. It felt disgusting. Slimy even. A veil of decomposing flesh covered their clothes when they emerged.

The first thing Shu noticed was the massive pile of corpses. They were stacked on top of each other, making a small hill. The duo had appeared somewhere along the outskirts of Lokni. They were on the hillside somewhere.

What made the scene even more disgusting was the sound. The horrendous noise. It resembled the sound of something feeding. Something feasting.

CRUNCH SHLICK

A skinny humanoid figure was on its hands and knees. His head was buried in the pile of corpses. A dark brown robe covered his body. He was barefoot and covered in dirt. The noise originated from the man! An aura of mid tier Gold wafted from his body.

Both Shu and Rin prepared their blades. The source had been discovered. It was time to finish it.

"Hehe. I've been found with my hand in the cookie jar!" The figure exclaimed while rising to his feet. He didn't show any signs of distress. Red veins covered his eyes. This guy was psychotic.

"...A ghilan." Shu muttered. Rin nodded.

A ghilan was a specific type of ghoul that feasted on human flesh. It mattered not if the human was alive or dead. They were able to use the mana in their surroundings for unorthodox uses, such as reanimating the stone gargoyles. Ghilans possessed dead bodies and became the new host.

Unfortunately, this body was a familiar face. It was the chancellor's son. It was Deckard! How long had he been dead?

"...You've occupied that body for long enough. It's crumbling to pieces." The snow demon declared calmly.

"Oh? Hahaha! But it's only been a few weeks! I haven't eaten enough! I need MORE!" Deckard roared. His mouth was dripping with blood and gore.

Two blood puddles appeared beside him. It wasn't surprising to see a duo of Gargoyle's rise from the ground. One held a long twin blade. Both ends were sharp. The other held a greataxe. They were both low tier Golds.

"Rin…" Shu called out softly. The dark ronin turned to him. He gestured to the statues.

"Mnn." Rin nodded. She understood. The young samurai was going to face the ghilan. She would have to handle the statues on her own.

The rain didn't cease even outside of the city. Water droplets fell onto the figures. Everyone was still, waiting for the other to make the first move. A few seconds passed.

"Die!" Deckard finally roared. He couldn't wait to taste their corpses. His power level would gain a huge leap from these two.

The two gargoyles rushed the duo. Shu vanished from his spot and appeared beside the ghilan. Rin dashed toward the statues. A battle to the death had begun.

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