Chapter 19: Chapter 19: Fireside Chat

Like before, the tactician launched herself in the air with ease. Another wind blasted the ground, sending dusting flying as she disappeared up the plateau. Yaihan kept his eyes upwards, waiting to see if Fei-Lu would fall back down. Once a few moments passed where the tactician remained out of sight, Yaihan followed suit.

He kicked the ground, sending the small bit of platform tumbling to the ground beneath in a violent storm of stone. As he propelled himself, he kept his eyes on the platform he challenged Fei-Lu to land on. After a few seconds of soaring, he saw Fei-Lu standing with confidence on the slim slab of earth. He landed next to the tactician, this time making sure that he didn’t buckle his knees like before. 

“Is that better?” he asked Fei-Lu with a whisper.

“Yes. But don’t think that I didn’t hear how you destroyed the side of the plateau with your brute force,” the tactician replied under her breath. “I’m sure the Oni above heard you!”

Yaihan stepped closer and put one hand in front of his mouth as he whispered into Fei-Lu’s ear. “Are you saying that the Oni are above us?”

She nodded and pointed up. The top of the plateau was only a few feet above; a normal human could jump and catch the ledge with their hands. A small pillar of smoke rose from the edge while a flickering ember provided a small crimson glow for them to lock their eyes on. The cultivator stepped closer to the wall and angled his ear up. Fei-Lu did the same, both holding their breath as they listened to the deep grunts and mumblings of the demons above.

“Delicious,” one Oni moaned loud enough for both to hear clearly. Amidst his words were the sounds of chewing and swallowing. 

“Sounds like they don’t know we’re here,” Yaihan whispered. 

“Then let’s see if we take them out without making our presence known.” Fei-Lu readied for another jump until Yaihan placed a hand on her shoulder. “What is it?” she asked, this time with intrigue instead of frustration. 

“Maybe it is best if I go first,” Yaihan replied. “And I’m not saying that in jest. We don’t know how many are up there. But what we know for certain is that I’ll be able to take them all out if something goes wrong.”

“Take them all out? As you did with Valiax?” Fei-Lu asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I won’t make the same mistake again. Besides, I assume you’re known among the Oni-Zhen ranks.” The cultivator looked at the Purifier from the top down, looking at the intricate craftmanship of her Ensemble and the pair of elegant weapons dangling from her hips. “A woman of your caliber must be infamous as a formidable demon slayer. However, I’ve only been in one battle. The Oni would think that I’m just some lost Xiwaoan looking for trouble.”

Fei-Lu stood up straight and tapped her chin. “That makes sense. Of course, if they don’t see you leap the height of a castle and land with earth-shattering might.”

“I’ll take the normal route,” he said as he pointed to the ledge with his thumb. 

The tactician nodded. “Fine. You shall go first. Grab their attention. And once you start killing, I’ll join in.”

Yaihan bowed. “As you command. If you see chunks of Oni flesh come falling down the plateau, that means it’s clear for you to follow.”

Fei-Lu crossed her arms and tapped a foot with the same rhythm that she bobbed her head. “An interesting way to alert for reinforcements, but one that I can get behind.”

“Am I free to start?” Yaihan asked.

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Fei-Lu bobbed her head. “Of course.”

Yaihan stepped forward, and with a simple flex of the balls of his feet, his hands latched onto the edge of the cliff with ease. He pulled himself just high enough so his head could scan the area. Four Oni sat in a circle around a bonfire, all focused on munching away while a bloodied mass lay by their side. The demons tore through their food, munching through bone and only taking breaks to catch a breath. The rotting carcasses to their side carried a putrid scent that travelled with the wind up Yaihan’s nostrils. 

He pulled himself up and slowly approached the group. He got within a few feet of the nearest demon as they were too focused on their feast to notice him creep up from behind. Once he was fully behind a hunched over demon, he readied a killing jab to the Oni’s spine, only for one demon to start talking. 

“How far along do you think Valiax is?” the Oni in front of Yaihan moaned before his teeth tore into more meat. 

The demon opposite of him tossed a few bones to the side and let out a belch that shook the ground. “Who knows? And who cares?” he grumbled as his fingers dug into the pile of flesh. “I could never stand him, anyway. I’m glad he got his wing clipped. That was the only thing that made him so powerful. Without both of them he’s just like the rest of us.” 

“He’s probably in a rush,” the demon in front of Yaihan replied. “I never saw Valiax so terrified before. And those wyverns are almost all but wiped out. If he wants to reclaim his glory, he’ll have to be quick before someone eats the last of them!” He made a sinister cackle as he extended his body forward and pulled a wing-like appendage from the pile. 

“I’m just wondering how he lost that wing of his,” another one said. “He refused to tell anyone what happened to him and the Oni accompanying his troop. Wouldn’t even tell us where the stronghold was.”

“That’s because he wants all the glory for himself!” the furthest demon barked. “You really think Valiax would tell anyone else about that place so someone else could steal the credit? Once he gets other wing... if he gets his other wing, he’s heading to straight the center of the continent to tell our Leader the location of the stronghold all by himself.”

There was a brief pause in the conversation as the demons took the time to enjoy their food and roast the flesh over the spitfire. Yaihan readied another killing blow until one demon spoke again. 

“The wing probably came off because it wasn’t attached right in the first place,” he said. “I don’t believe a normal could have severed it.”

“No way,” the Oni in front of Yaihan mumbled as he rotated a chunk of wyvern leg over the fire. “If I were him, I’d kill the shaman that put it on in the first place! Imagine having to flee from humans, only to have your wing come off mid-flight! How humiliating!”

All the demons went into an uproarious laughter, overcoming the crackle of the flame between them. Having heard enough, Yaihan followed through with a quick and precise jab to the demon’s spine. The sound of shattering bone pierced through the hysteria before the demon’s cackling turned into wails of pure agony. He dropped his meat onto the fire as his back buckled in reverse. The three other demons turned silent as they watched the demon’s limbs lock up.

Yaihan followed the first jab with another hook to the same area. The strike severed the demon into two; his upper body slid off his torso before falling face first into the fire. The other Oni’s froze, paralyzed with fear as they stared at the severed remains as it roasted over the fire. Yaihan grabbed one foot of the body and flung it behind him over the side of the plateau before facing the rest of the demons. Each one scrambled around for their weapons all while keeping their eyes focused on the cultivator.

“W-What are you?” one muttered as he clumsily held his sword with both hands and fumbled to point the tip at Yaihan. “Don’t come any closer!”

Yaihan launched himself at the terrified demon, punching through the rusted blade and shattering it like glass before tackling the Oni to the ground. He stood on the demon’s chest and crushed heart into a pulp with a single stomp. The two surviving Onis scrambled in opposite directions after seeing gore spew from the impact like a geyser. 

The cultivator jumped again, cutting off the escape of the closest Oni. He landed on the demon’s arm, tearing it off as he landed on the ground. While the Oni screamed in pain, Yaihan stomped on the demon’s foot, obliterating it with a single strike. Tears flooded the Oni’s eyes as he collapsed to the ground, his fingers scraping the nubs where his toes once were. Once the enemy was incapacitated, Yaihan looked at the final demon. He sprinted away from the scene, but Fei-Lu flew towards him, her arms spread apart and her swords stretched at her sides as she glided like a bird towards its prey. 

She swung her swords and created a flash of silver the pierced through the Oni’s neck. She landed on her feet in front of the demon while her foe stood motionless. The trail of wind behind her made the demon topple forward, his head rolling to the side once the body hit the ground.

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