Chapter 2: Snow Demon

"The Tree of Eden will get the best recruits this time. I'm calling it!"

"I don't know…Ravencorpse has been the underdog for a while now."

"Pffft. Ravencorpse?! Might as well throw in Bloody Thorn!"

"Tch. Don't disrespect Ravencorpse like that. Bloody Thorn is only for women!"

"Alright, alright. I'm putting all of my money on The Windriders and Tree of Eden. Those are the top two after all."

"Ehhh. Maybe the top two losers below Silent Night!"

"But members of Silent Night aren't well known to the public. It's rare to even see them, and if you do, that's not a good thing. Only the snow demon is found in public, and that's because she's still up and coming!"

Shu decided that he'd heard enough. The waitress had already returned. She stood in front him, her tail slightly wagging. This blue haired boy was truly a treat for the eyes. She was tired of seeing ragged men.

The hungry traveler quickly ordered some dishes off the menu. It didn't even take thirty minutes for the food to arrive. He chomped everything down in a hungry manner.

"Nom nom nom…"

The cat waitress who was serving other customers squealed inwardly upon seeing him eat his food. Shu was like a rabbit eating a carrot, his straight poker face adding to his charm. It was a clear contrast to the others in the establishment.

About an hour later, the samurai could be seen lazing in his chair. His eyes were halfway closed. It was as if he would fall asleep at any second. He eventually paid his tab and left under the sad gaze of the cat lady. He hadn't even asked for her name.

The sleepy traveler walked down the paved road in search of an inn. Along the way, he noticed a bunch of civilians heading toward him. They walked as fast as possible. Some were even jogging. A confused expression appeared on his face as he went against the crowd.

Eventually, an old man stopped him. He grabbed Shu's wrist and pulled. The wandering swordsman pulled back his arm.

"...What?" He muttered. The old man gave him an urgent look.

"You need to run! Escape now! The snow demon is over there!"

"Hmm? So what?"

"If you make eye contact with her, you'll be interrogated! If she finds you suspicious, that's the end of your life!" He exclaimed.

Shu didn't take his words seriously. He was ready to take a nap and the residential quarters were directly ahead. Why would he turn away? Without further ado, he kept moving.

The road soon became empty. Birds were chirping from the rooftops, breaking the silence. The samurai kept his gait until he noticed a silhouette ahead. Someone was walking in his direction.

The closer he got, the more clear her figure became. In front of him was a slim, petite woman dressed in light battle armor. Everything about her outfit was black, from the metal ronin hat to the high heeled combat boots. Even her silk hair that stopped at her chin. The only change to the dark scheme was the purple obi wrapped around her waist. A thick knotted rope held the sash in place along with an unusually large katana.

She slowly walked in his direction. The two soon neared each other before passing. Shu acted as if he didn't see her. As he kept searching for an inn, he failed to see the dark ronin focus her gaze on him. The large straw hat known as a kasa was slightly raised, revealing her dull purple eyes.

"Stop." Her voice rang.

Shu came to a stop. The armored maiden approached. The sleepy samurai couldn't help but wonder why she stopped him. He didn't even make eye contact! The old man was wrong! Suppressing his annoyance, he turned around with a calm face.

"...Yes?" He spoke. The suspicious woman leaned toward him. She sniffed closer around his body. A stoic expression adorned her face upon pulling back.

"You don't smell human. Why are you hiding it?" She asked calmly. Shu maintained a straight face while responding.

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"What do you mean? I'm human." He said. In his mind, he was sweating bullets.

'How did she…Is my pendant not working? It worked at the gate...' He thought.

"Lies. It makes you suspicious." She exclaimed.

"I'm innocent." He declared.

Before he could plead his case, the armored woman unsheathed her blade in one smooth motion. It was aimed to slice his neck. Shu quickly raised his sheath and unsheathed it with his thumb. Only a small amount of his katana was revealed. That small part blocked her slash.

CLANG

A gust of wind was the result of this clash. The sound of colliding metal reverberated across the area. It only took a second for the dark ronin to realize something was wrong. The young man hadn't moved a step. One hand held his sheath, while the other was in his pocket. The woman's eyes widened at the difference in strength.

The two locked eyes. Shu gave a cocky smirk, which caused a vein to appear on her forehead. Her body shined white with mana before she burst forward, forcing the samurai to slide back. Their blades were still locked in place as they pushed against each other.

Shu kept sliding backwards until his back hit the wall. As if that was her cue, the dark ronin pulled back her odachi, and cleaved at his chest. The sleepy swordsman ducked below the heavy slash, before flipping over a low swipe. He landed behind her.

"Whoa there. Let's be civil, okay? Peace is a virtue-" His words were interrupted by another slash.

The young man barely dodged the attack, which made him stumble over a nearby table. He could see a smile of victory on her face. She believed she had won. A powerful vertical slash bisected the table in two. Unfortunately for her, it was another miss. Shu had twirled over the table at the last minute and dashed away.

"Seeya." He called out before speeding off.

"Stay still, villain!" She spoke quietly. Even though her words sounded angry, her expression didn't change.

The armored woman crouched down, and the temperature began to lower. Tensing her leg muscles, she launched toward the escaping man. She was catching up fast. Suddenly, her body dissipated into particles of snow.

Shu turned around to see nothing and heaved a sigh of relief. When he looked ahead, he saw the dark ronin slashing down onto him. Her body was still reforming and ice covered her blade.

SWIFF

Another attack was evaded by the skin of his teeth. He changed his direction and dashed away in annoyance. She really attacked him for no reason! It was just a suspicion! What kind of crazy person was she?!

"...Leave me alone!" He demanded calmly.

"Stop running." She responded. They both spoke in calm voices, which made everything seem comical.

"Tch. Idiot woman. Go away!"

"Tch. Evil man. Just get hit by my sword."

"I'm not evil, you smooth brain."

The two straight faced fighters ran along the rooftops. It was a game of cat and mouse. Shu continued to run away as the two insulted each other. Eventually, he grew tired of the game and vanished. The woman could only blink at how fast he disappeared.

"Tch. Damn." She muttered.

The sleepy samurai appeared in front of an inn with a silver flash of light. It was time for a nap. The Golden Circle examination was tomorrow. He wasted no time and entered the building.

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