The Twelve Kingdoms: Shadow of the Moon

bodies were so big, cutting them down to size was going to take some effort. But there were only two of them so it wouldn't be too hard. She was giving herself some room to work with, sizing up the two of them, when Rakushun's voice echoed out.
    "Youko! Kingen! "
    Her eyes shot up. What looked like a flock of chickens was flying toward her. Ten, twenty, she couldn't tell how many.
    "Don't let them sting you! They're poisonous!"
    Youko clucked to herself in disgust. They were small, fast, and there were a lot of them. What a bloody pain in the neck. The birds' tails were shaped like ice picks. She struck down two and gave the tiger the coup de grace.
    To keep from tripping and falling, she skipped past the corpses and with her back against the wall of the inn searched for better footing. She'd stuck the blue bull twice and it was in a frenzy. The cobblestones beneath her feet grew slick with the blood of the youma.
    The cramped, poorly-lit alleyway, the birds gathering. No hope of assistance from the surrounding shops, save for the flickering lamplight. Beyond the muddy glow, the night was dark and deep. Before she knew it, the birds were on top of her. They fell on her, as boiling out of the blackness.
    She dodged around the rearing head of the blue bull, took out another bird. She heard a multitude of cries drawing closer, sounding like the creaking of rusty hinges.
    "More of them . . . . "
    Cold sweat ran down her back. While she had been distracted by the birds, the still-not-dead blue bull had become her most immediate threat. She saw a hoard of monkeys streaming out of the mouth of the alleyway.
    Her attention faltered for a moment. A moment later, a bird's razor-sharp scorpion tail was right in her face. She just managed to stumble out of the way and lost her balance. The next bird came at her, aiming straight at her eye. She knew she didn't have time to duck.
    So, just how bad was this poison?
    Forget about that, what about my eye?
    Even if I can't see, I can fight.
    I'm not going to get my arm up in time.
    The thoughts raced through her head in no more than a split second.
    Damn. This one's got me.
    In the same instant that she closed her eyes, the bird diving toward her vanished. Someone had come in on her flank and clobbered the bird out of the sky. She didn't have the time to tell who.
    The birds came at her and she slashed them to pieces. She sidestepped the charging blue bull. As she did, that same someone pierced the back of its skull with a brilliantly executed stroke. It was with such skill that the dexterity of the stroke completely distracted her. He yanked out the sword and mowed down birds descending upon them.
    He was a big man, a good head taller than herself. "Don't let your guard down," he said, and dispatched the last of the birds with ease.
    Youko nodded, at the same time slashing at the charging monkeys as if swatting at flies. She impaled one leaping up behind them, and quickly found herself back in the midst of the battle.
    The man's skill far exceeded her own. His strength was an order of magnitude greater. The hoard was numerous, but the dead bodies piled up in the alleyway and the tempest quieted down. It didn't seem to take much time at all.

Chapter 55
    T he man flicked the gore off his sword. He said, "You've got a pretty good arm."
    He wasn't the least bit winded. He was a big man but not a giant. The picture of a gallant warrior. Youko looked up at him, still trying to catch her breath. He laughed. "This might not be the most appropriate thing to ask, but you are all right?"
    She nodded, weakly raising an eyebrow.
    "Don't have the strength left to talk?"
    "Thank . . . you . . . very . . . much."
    "It's nothing you need thank me for."
    "Well, I certainly appreciate the help."
    "Having youma wandering about is a nuisance. I didn't know I was coming to your rescue."
    She was at a loss on how to reply. She felt somebody grab her tunic from behind. It was Rakushun. "Youko, are you okay?" Rakushun asked, stepping gingerly around the corpses beneath his feet.
    She took the scabbard from him, wiped down the blade and sheathed the sword. "I'm okay. Are you injured?"
    "I'm fine. Who's he?"
    "Dunno," she said with a shrug.
    The man only smiled. He indicated the building behind them. "Are you staying there?"
    "Yeah."
    Right, the man said to himself, glancing around the plaza. "People are coming. Do you drink?"
    "No."
    "How about you?" he asked Rakushun.
    A bit befuddled, Rakushun quivered his