Chapter 7: Chapter 7: The Hammer and the Sickle

“They can attach weapons to their limbs?” Yaihan asked the kunoichi. Both walked towards the trio of Oni in front of the bridge. The one with the hammer on the end of his arm kept a wicked grin as he stroked the glimmering metal with his normal hand.

“Yeah. They’re immortal unless their brains or hearts is destroyed. Every other limb can be replaced with nearly anything, not to mention additional ones can get attached. They have their own shamans and healers that perform all manner of magical experiments on them. We’ve come across some sinister monstrosities during our battles. But that kind of magic is resource-heavy, not to mention that very few of the Oni shamans are familiar with the necessary techniques. It’s usually reserved for the more accomplished Onis.”

“His weapon doesn’t matter to me,” Yaihan said to the kunoichi as they stood within the demon’s hearing range. The Oni chuckled while his allies at the foot of the bridge cheered him on.

“Flatten ‘em, Galamitch!” one called out, cupping his hands in front of his mouth to amplify his shouts.

“Try not to get too much of their guts on your hammer this time! I’m not in the mood to help you scrape organs off your weapon tonight!” the other blurted out. 

Galamitch cackled as he turned his head from the two humans towards his demon compatriots. “Don’t worry. I’ll make quick work of these two. I know everyone’s eager to get to our celebration feast now that we know where the final Xiwaoan stronghold is!”

“A celebration?” Yaihan asked the demon, resting his arms across his chest. “You’ve contacted your superiors already and told them of the camp’s location?”

“Look at this one!” Galamitch chortled. He pointed one long claw-like fingernail at the cultivator’s chest. “This man finds humor in certain death!”

“I just wanted to point out how it’s premature to have a feast planned when you haven’t even crossed that bridge.” Yaihan tilted his head to the side and pointed at the structure. “Any number of things could happen between now and you and your fellow Onis reaching the other side.”

“Oh yeah? Like what?” The demon’s face soured. “Unless you have another army waiting for us on the other side, the location of that camp is as good as revealed.”

“The battle still rages. The two of us can still fight,” Yaihan replied as he angled his head towards the kunoichi. Koya stood behind Yaihan and to his side, using him as cover as she held her sickle. The demon shifted his eyes from the cultivator to her. 

“Hey, I recognize you,” the demon grunted. “You’re the one that killed my brother!”

Koya couldn’t resist her lips from forming a smirk. “I’ve killed a lot of you Onis. You might have to go into a bit of detail to help jog my memory.”

Galamitch scowled. His left hand clenched a fist while his hammer slammed into the ground next to Yaihan. Stone and dirt scattered in a small cloud while the ground shook. Koya repositioned her legs to maintain her stance while Yaihan kept his stoic and placid pose, his eyes remaining focused on his demonic foe. “All of you Xiwaoans are so insolent! You deserve the fate you’ve brought upon yourselves!”

“Are you not Xiwaoan yourself?” Yaihan asked. “Your name sounds foreign. Certainly not of our language.”

“I was once a Xiwaoan,” Galamitch said with disgust in his voice. “But I have long since abandoned that part of me. Once we make a pact with the Great Wicked, we forfeit our human nature and our earthly names for new titles. The lowly blacksmith that the Xiwaoans banished is no more! Now I, Galamitch, has taken his place!” The demon pointed at himself with his thumb. His evil grin returned upon saying the name bestowed upon him. 

Yaihan took a fighting stance. He angled his body so that one side pointed towards the demon while positioning his hands to prepare for any potential attacks. “So you sold your soul for power? Is that the case?”

“Galamitch!” one demon in the back shouted. “Why do you give these two humans so much attention? Just crush them already!”

“Let me humor them!” Galamitch replied. “I’ve worked hard to become the second-in-command of this scouting mission! And not once has anyone asked about my history. At least let me revel in my anger! It’ll make killing them all the more satisfying!” Disappointed, the other two demons returned to their posts at the edge of the bridge and watched Galamitch continue his conversation. “Now. Where were we?”

“You exchanged your humanity for your new form.”

“Ah, that’s right! It was a simple decision, really. I’m not sure why any human would do so when immortality is so easy to obtain.”

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“Immortality? Like your brother?” Koya said with her smirk still visible.

The Oni clenched his fist again. He raised his hammer and stared at the kunoichi. “My brother was a formidable warrior!”

“Was,” Koya said just loud enough for Galamitch to hear, maintaining a smile on her face. 

“I’m going to enjoy silencing you! But before I smash both of you into paste, I’m going to remind this ninja girl of who she killed. That way, she can recall his face one last time and bear the burden of regret as I—”

“Bright red skin? Long jagged teeth?” Koya put two fingers in front of her mouth to mimic a pair of fangs. “And I’m guessing unruly black hair?” Koya as she rested her hands on her hips. “Am I getting close?”

“Why you...”

“Sorry, all you Oni look the same to me.” The kunoichi shrugged her shoulders. “Unless he had an extra limb sewed to his waist or a special weapon for a hand, I’m not going to remember your brother.”

“Apologize!” Galamitch pointed at Koya with one finger while keeping his hammer high above his head. “Then I promise I’ll kill you right here. It’ll be quick! A single swing. But if you continue to pester me, I’ll bring you back to our camp with every bone in your body shattered. Humans taste so much better when they’re eaten alive!”

Looking bored, Koya turned her head towards the cultivator. “Yaihan. Are you going to keep talking to this guy?”

“Just a bit more, Koya.” Yaihan stared at the raised hammer before looking at the pitch black eyes of the demon. “I just want to know what could make a man turn on his fellow Xiwaoans. To give up everything that makes one human, only to turn into a bloodthirsty beast. Surely there must be more to it than just becoming stronger.”

“Spoken like a true Xiwaoan!” Galamitch barked. “I’m sure you two basked in the pleasantries of the upper echelons of Xiwaoan society!”

Both Yaihan and Koya looked at each other in confusion before looking at the demon again. Together, they shook their hands and gave the demon a simultaneous and astounding “no” as a response.

“Even if you did not live as nobles, surely you lived better than my brother and I! For decades, we toiled as blacksmiths for the Xiwaoan army! The countless hours spent in that the boiling cellar, clanking away at scalding bronze. That very profession took my father’s life. It took my brother’s sight. I lost my hand!” Galamitch flashed lowered the hunk of metal attached to his right arm and showed it to the pair of humans. “After all we had given to the Xiwaoan cause, what were we given in return?”

Yaihan and Koya both remained silent as they watched the demon’s face carry of look of sorrow for a moment as he stared at his reflection in the metal weapon. His sorrowed face lingered for a moment as he brought the hammer closer to his head. “Nothing,” Galamitch said quietly. “Banished to the streets because we couldn’t afford to live in our home. After the countless years of sacrifice, Xiwao abandoned us.”

The area became quiet. The demons in the back stared at their leader with awkward eyes, both eager to say something but choosing to keep quiet. Koya’s smile vanished, replaced with a faint frown. Yaihan stepped forward and broke the silence.

“Your past doesn’t excuse what you’ve done. I guarantee the evil done by the Oni-Zhen outweighs whatever wrongs the Xiwaoan leadership has committed.”

“It doesn’t matter now.” Galamitch’s anger returned. “Old Xiwao is all but dead. Once we reveal your camp’s location, the Oni-Zhen will send the bulk of its forces over to crush them in a single day! We’ll capture your leaders and use them as symbols of what happens when you choose not to convert to Oni!” He then looked at Koya with enraged eyes. “Perhaps that’s what I should do with you! Sever your limbs and have a shaman keep you alive just enough to suffer! I think that’s an ample punishment for slaying my brother!”

The kunoichi nudged Yaihan in the waist with her elbow. “Still interested in talking with him?” Koya whispered. 

The cultivator spread his stance, pointing one foot at the Oni while slowly forming his hands into fists and narrowing his eyes. “No. We’ve reached the end of our conversation.”

“Excellent!” The demon’s smile returned once more. “I could tell that my allies were getting tired of our chat! Now it’s time to give them what they want!” Galamitch took a step forward and towered over Yaihan. He lifted his hammer above his head, casting a shadow over the cultivator as his hammer obscured the sun. “It’s a shame our fight won’t last as long as our talk!”

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