The hunters arrived on the evening of the fifth night, and Ryuu and Moriko were ready for them.
Moriko crouched in the shadow of a tree outside the clearing where they had first been attacked a cycle ago. She was saddened the clearing would have blood spilled in it once again, but it was the best place near the hut to hold the fight. The open space gave Ryuu room to use all his power, and the woods surrounding the clearing gave Moriko a chance to use her own special skills to the fullest.
Ryuu knelt in the middle of the clearing, meditating. He was bait, and there was no way anyone with the sense within fifty leagues of here would miss him. He was throwing off energy, almost enough to blind Moriko’s own sense. It was only through force of will that she was able to focus on anything besides him. The hunters would find him, and he would lead them into combat near the edge of the trees. Moriko would dart in and out. In essence, his work was to stay alive. She would do the killing.
She was afraid, not just for herself, but for him as well. He had found his strength, and it was more than Moriko had dared to hope for; but against eight hunters, she wasn’t sure it would be enough. Together was the only way they had a chance to live through the night, and even that hope seemed slim.
There was a soft rustle in the grass and the hunters came into the clearing. Each pair entered from a different direction, encircling Ryuu immediately. Moriko’s breath caught in her throat as Ryuu dropped out of his meditation and stood up. He drew his blade and was answered by eight drawing steel in return. Ryuu’s draw, normally a sound to strike fear in his enemies, seemed empty and hollow in comparison to the force against him.
Silence hung in the spring air. Moriko studied her opponents and saw that they were waiting for her. She was completely within herself, and in the old woods none of them had a hope of sensing her. But her absence made them nervous. She put herself in their shoes. By now they would know who she was and what she was capable of. She had probably killed more of their kind than anyone in their legends. They knew she was a danger, and they had expected her, but they had no way of knowing if she was even in the area. For all his strength, it wasn’t Ryuu they feared. It was her.
If there was one thing that could be said about the hunters, it was that they did not lack for courage. They were wary, expecting a trap at any moment, expecting Moriko to appear at any time, but still they advanced. Moriko could tell that Nameless had not sent young, inexperienced hunters against them. These were hunters who had seen many battles, had seen many cycles of war and violence, and they would not make foolish mistakes. One pace at a time, the hunters closed in on Ryuu, a circle of certain death slowly closing.
Ryuu was as calm and steady as Moriko had ever seen him. She watched as he scanned the circle, trying to decide which adversary he would attack first. Against a group of eight, their best hope was to kill the weak first, reducing their numbers as much as possible before the battle began in earnest. From what Moriko could sense, it would be a difficult decision. Each of the hunters was strong, and none stood out as being weaker than their fellows.
In a moment, the clearing exploded into action, erasing the silence of the tense anticipation. It was Ryuu who struck first. It could be no other way. If he allowed the hunters to strike first and in unison, no amount of strength would keep him alive.
Even though Moriko and the hunters had been expecting Ryuu’s attack, they were all taken aback by the violence of his first strike. It felt as though he had literally exploded into action. Ryuu dashed forward with incredible speed. A series of quick cuts sent one of the pairs of hunters reeling backwards, trying to keep their feet underneath them as an incredible flurry of blows sped their way. Ryuu scored a couple of small cuts on the pair, but they were too fast for him to land a lethal stroke on either of them.
Though it would have been better if he had killed at least one, what was most important was that he had broken through the circle that had threatened to entrap him. He had won his freedom of movement, and now all the hunters were approaching him from the same direction. Ryuu dashed and darted among them, landing a strike here and deflecting a cut there. His movements seemed to be random, but as Moriko watched, she saw the pattern unfold in front of her. Every pass he took brought the fight closer to the edge of the woods, closer to the deep shadows where Moriko waited in anticipation.
The battle raged closer and closer to Moriko, and although it pained her to stay in place, she forced herself to wait. So long as she was still she was completely hidden, and if she was able to take a pair completely by surprise, she might be able to kill one or even two hunters in a single pass. Not only would it reduce their number, the shock of losing two of their own so quickly could turn the entire battle in the nightblades’ favor.
So Moriko watched and waited as Ryuu brought the battle closer to her with every strike. Every move and every cut Ryuu made was brilliant, and Moriko was in awe of both his speed and skill. Unfortunately, it was not enough to thin their numbers. The eight who attacked worked well together, and the pairs themselves were excellent. They were cautious, one pair staying on defense as another pair would attempt to attack. As soon as Ryuu moved his focus, the pairs would switch, another going on the defensive while the other attacked.
Ryuu was brilliant, and his strength was a sight to see, but he was still one warrior against eight, and everyone on the battlefield was an expert swordsman. It was only a matter of time. The hunters knew it, and Ryuu knew it as well. But every moment brought them closer to the edge of the clearing. Moriko watched in anticipation, trying to judge the moment best.
The battle seemed even until Ryuu made a mistake. He thought he saw an opening in one hunter’s defense and he struck out, risking his balance to get a lethal cut. The opening was real, but it had been intentional. When Ryuu moved for it, the hunter’s partner stepped inside for the block, surprising Ryuu just enough to throw him off balance. It wasn’t much, but suddenly Ryuu was backpedaling, a flurry of cuts coming at him from the pair of hunters. They ran him into another pair eagerly waiting for him. Moriko almost left her hiding spot. He had lost any advantage he had. It would only be a matter of moments.
But she remained in place as she saw him allow a single cut through his defense to cut through his side. It wasn’t deep, but the pain had to be incredible. She flinched for both of them, but by allowing the one cut through, he gained enough time to solidify his defense. The four continued to press him, but Moriko could see he was allowing them to press him naturally towards the woods.
Then the hunters made a mistake, not of skill, but of strategy. For some reason, a pair of hunters decided to make for the old woods and try and get around the battle and attack Ryuu from behind. She could imagine their thoughts. The old woods would mask their presence to some degree, and they hoped to get the drop on Ryuu. Any worry of a trap seemed to have slipped their mind in the heat of battle. And with Ryuu retreating straight towards Moriko’s hiding position, it meant it would draw the pair right to her spot.
Moriko controlled her anticipation as the pair came towards her. They were silent, and if not for her sense, she would have wondered if they were trying to escape the fight. But in a few moments, the battle came right towards her, and there was nothing for her to do but make her move.
She attacked the pair who had come into the deep woods first. They walked only a few paces away from her, and for a moment she feared they would smell her presence. But they were too distracted by the thought of killing Ryuu, and walked by her without noticing her at all. As soon as their backs were to her, she made her move. With three quick steps she left the shadows. She drew her blade, a sound lost among the din of battle, and made her two cuts without hesitation. The first cut took the head off one of the hunters, the second was a thrust through the heart of the other.
Moriko couldn’t have asked for a better effect. The six remaining hunters, so sure of their inevitable victory, were suddenly thrown a surprise. The four Ryuu was engaged with reacted by redoubling their efforts. Moriko went after them. Ryuu was holding his own, but with the pain of a cut, he would falter.
They saw her coming, even if they couldn’t sense her. The moon was full and she still cast a shadow. One of the pairs attacking Ryuu broke off to face her, but they underestimated Ryuu’s speed. The moment one of them stepped away and began turning towards Moriko, Ryuu saw an opening. He leapt forward and cut across the side of the hunter’s neck. It wasn’t a deep cut, but it didn’t need to be. Blood starting pouring out of the wound, and the hunter sank to his knees as his life left him.
There were two reactions to Ryuu’s cut. The first was Moriko’s. The hunter’s partner, momentarily distracted, dropped his guard, and Moriko took that moment to act. Another cut and another hunter fell. But Ryuu had also left himself open. He sensed the attack coming and threw himself out of the way, but another cut sliced across his chest. Again, it wasn’t lethal, but Moriko feared he wouldn’t be able to fight at his full strength much longer.
The two nightblades and four remaining hunters met on the edge of the clearing. Ryuu’s speed and strength, slightly diminished, and Moriko’s gifts met against the skill and steel of the two remaining pairs of hunters.
Time seemed to stretch and expand for Moriko. Both battle and the sense had a strange effect on one’s perception. She couldn’t tell if the fight lasted for a few moments or if they had battled through a whole passing of the moon. It felt as though they fought for a night and a day and another night, but perhaps it had only been the space of a few heartbeats.
Moriko’s world shrank until it was just the six blades in the night. She tried to get the hunters to leave the clearing, but they wouldn’t chase her into the woods. Their lesson had been learned. The moon was full, and they could see her so long as she remained in the clearing. She was strong enough that they couldn’t kill her, but when they could see her strikes, and there were two of them, it was nearly impossible for her to land a killing blow.
Ryuu was in the same predicament. She could tell he was in pain, but he kept his speed up as best he could. But he wasn’t as fast, and the pair he fought was willing to let him weaken. They kept a defensive front of blades, not giving him any openings to strike. They were hunters, and they were patient. It was much easier to kill a weakened opponent than a strong one. It frustrated Moriko, but she couldn’t figure out a way to prevent it from working.
Time wore on, and Moriko feared they wouldn’t be able to win. They were both wearing down, and the advantage was on the hunters’ side. If they would just make a mistake, perhaps Moriko and Ryuu could seize the advantage, but these were some of the smartest hunters Moriko had encountered. They didn’t underestimate their opponents, and there weren’t any tricks Moriko could think of to save them.
They passed and passed again, swords glinting and clashing against each other in the light of the full moon. Moriko was getting exhausted, and she didn’t know how Ryuu was still on his feet. Even now he would occasionally burst across her senses with a series of strong strikes and momentarily gain the upper hand, but the hunters would willingly give up ground and wait for the burst to pass. Once Moriko drifted close to Ryuu and for a moment they paired up against a single hunter, but the others leapt immediately to the one’s defense. No matter what they tried, their efforts were stymied.
The result of the battle seemed inevitable. Each of them had been cut, and Ryuu had lost an alarming amount of blood. Moriko began to sink into despair.
It was Ryuu who saved them. She didn’t know where he found the strength, but without warning he gave a yell which pierced even Moriko’s soul. He exploded next to her, and to her sense, it was as though he were attacking from all directions at once. It shocked both her and the hunters, but it was the hunters who were on the wrong side of Ryuu’s blade. Moriko watched out of the corner of her eye as a hunter blocked a strike that never came, opening himself up for the true strike. The hunter fell to Ryuu’s blade.
Moriko felt a glimmer of hope, and then Ryuu exploded again, and to Moriko’s sense he was striking in eight different places at once. She didn’t understand the technique or understand where he found the power, but there was no denying how effective it was. Again, a hunter tried to block a strike that wasn’t there, and again the real strike pierced the hunter’s heart.
Moriko snapped back to the hunters she had been fighting. They were focused on Ryuu, and had forgotten temporarily about her. Moriko struck, their senses not giving them any warning. She sliced the neck of the first hunter, and the death of his partner shocked the other back to attention.
The tables had turned, and now it was two on one, but the two had pushed themselves past the limit of their endurance. Their strikes were slower, and their last opponent was still strong. Moriko summoned up all the strength and focus she had remaining to her, and Ryuu did the same. Their strikes came one after another, but the lone remaining hunter deflected cut after cut.
Finally Moriko got one cut in that struck flesh. It wasn’t lethal, but she thought it would slow the hunter down. She was wrong. The hunter’s blade moved faster than ever, and Moriko realized he was in a death frenzy. He knew his odds of surviving were slim, and he didn’t hold anything back. His cuts were fast, but Moriko and Ryuu, exhausted, defended themselves well, landing cut after cut on the hunter. Both he and they were covered in blood, and still the hunter didn’t fall. He kept attacking, his cuts becoming wilder, more dangerous. Ryuu eventually sunk his blade all the way through the hunter, but still the hunter kept swinging, unable to accept his demise. Ryuu scrambled backwards, sword-less, as the hunter swung wildly at him.