The tiny apartment was in shambles. Even the heavy clay kalan lay in shattered pieces across the floor. They probably should've gotten rid of this place weeks ago, but home was home. Even if it had become redundant. Illiesku reached out and mentally pulled on Rin's pact. She was moving. Likely into an area with more of the better off peasants. "Perfect." Illiesku cooed to herself as she turned to exit. "And so it starts."

Rin cried in pain as she stumbled and was kept from falling by her hair, which was yanked forward causing her to stumble more. People stared at the thin man that was kidnapping her, but despite her cries for help, nobody did a damn thing.

"Stop screeching." Ordered her captor as he dragged her further into the markets.

“WHAT!” Sung Wei screemed, anger emanating from him in nearly tangible waves.

“I-I said that, Master Wu Shun, b-broke into the apartments and took one of the Akumajin girls."

"I heard you the first time." Sung Wei growled while shoving his arms into his coat. "Someone get the High Magus. Tell him to meet me at Trunchun Square. NOW!"

"Yes Puno." Chorused a half dozen aides despite the fact he had only been yelling at two of them.

The inspector rushed out into the crowds. The cool chill of autumn air almost pleasant. “Three days my ass. I need a vacation after this.”

Master Wu Shun grinned as an elegant and rather attractive Oni-Kai woman limped out of the gathered crowd. Her one good eye moved from Rin to Wu Shun to scanning the confused onlookers. “Nice of you to join us.” Wu Shun grinned even wider and pulled on the Akumajin girl’s hair, causing her to whimper.

Illiesku made a show of eyeing the man up and down. Thin, pale, lean. Dressed in a robe that hid some type of armor and pouches. The cylindrical case in his other hand likely contained a sword. The demoness gave the demon hunter her own grin and looked around the crowd. “Yet another man who thinks he can control females via both physical and mental manipulation.”

Wu Shun watched as faces in the crowd grew angry. “Ah. Well that answers a few questions.”

“Let her go.” The demoness said with a pleasant, calm tone.

Wu Shun popped the top on the cylindrical case. “I think not. I am quite curious to see if this girl actually means anything to you.”

Illiesku nodded and took a single step forward. Wu Shun pulled a double edged sword from its case. The blade engraved from the hand guard to tip in a chaos of swirling patterns, making the weapon’s metal look dull from a distance.

“Ipakita imong kaugalingon nga tinuod!” Shouted the hunter. The outstretched sword flashing with azure light.

Illiesku grit her teeth as wings and horns ripped their way out of her flesh. Much of the crowd took a few nervous steps backward. Wu Shun took in the full visage of his opponent's true form. Raven black hair, pale skin, a spaded tail, a set of curving ram horns as well as a set of Oni-Kai horns, green pulsing tattoos, and large black wings. It was her right eye that caught his attention though. Solid black and and eerie, its inky depths flowing into her veins and spreading like some sort of disease across her face. Wu Shun frowned. She was something near a succubus. No wonder she had been able to root herself into the fabric of the city. Festering like a disease, a cancer. Wu Shun moved forward, dragging the Akumajin girl, the Demon-Person , with him.

The demoness crossed her arms and waited for the man to close the distance. “Let. The child. Go.” She demanded in calm yet clipped words soaked in a threatening tone.

Wu Shun raised his sword. “In the name of Izlakunami, ascended slayer of darkness, back to the Hell you came from.”

The blade made a smooth arch towards the demoness. Its steel erupting in golden light as the weapon came down. Wu Shun’s eyes went wide. Illiesku gave the man a disapproving smirk. A trickle of blood steamed down the demoness’ wrist.

“I predate Hell.” Illiesku twisted the blade she had caught, took a step in, and planted her palm into the center of the man’s chest. Wu Shun stumbled backwards, pulling the Akumajin girl with him. Her pained cry echoed throughout the district.

The demon hunter found himself fending off a flurry of attacks launched primarily at his face. The demoness’ now chitin covered hands lashing out with blinding speed and the short girl in his left hand was turning out to be a terrible meat shield. So he let her go. Jabbing forward with his still glowing sword he drove the demoness backward, then sent a kick at the Akumajin to clear the battlefield.

Unimaginable pain shot through Rin, only made worse when her face impacted the dirty stone street. She cried, unable to bring herself to move. Even breathing shot waves of electric heat from her arm to the rest of her body. “RUN!” demanded a voice in her head. Somehow, she forced herself into a sitting position. A blurry Illiesku danced around a golden glow. The thin man seemingly keeping pace with her. Rin tried to clear her eyes, but pain forced them to water continually. “RUN!” said the voice again. The compulsion to obey overriding the unending desire to not move.

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Wu Shun took a step backward panting. The Demoness was fast. Not terribly strong, as far as demon’s were concerned, but very, very fast. She was actively shifting, despite his previous spell to keep her in her true form and she hadn’t cast any spells yet. That was odd. Usually the less physical types had a strong control of magic. “Must be a runt or something.” The creature frowned. “Is that all?” she asked. “I’m starting to get bored.” Wu Shun gave the demoness a smirk. “No my dear, that was just a test. Try dodging this.”

“Pagpalapad sa sunog!” shouted Wu Shun, a burning orb building in the palm of his outstretched hand for just a moment before flying straight at the demoness. As the tiny orb made its way unerringly towards Illiesku’s chest, she smiled. “Finally.” The demoness vanished from existence, the orb flying through the spot she had been and detonating in the crowd. Wu Shun took a step back, brought his sword into a defensive position and activated one of his stored spells with his free hand. An invisible wave of energy spread outward, pulling the demoness out of the ethereal and back into reality. “You can’t escape that easily.” he growled.

Sung Wei weaved his way against the flow of bodies with Saito hot on his heels. The occasional boom from up ahead was all the direction he needed.

“What?” Saito asked when the inspector suddenly stopped, causing the High Magus to slam into him.

“She’s poor.”

“What? Who’s poor?”

“Keep going. I’ll catch up.” Sung Wei said before staggering against the fleeing citizens.

Rin was moving slowly, her back pressed against the wall of a storefront. Using her left arm to keep the right tight to her body. Tears and dried blood stained most of her pain filled face. Yet she was doggedly making her way toward the warehouse district. The exact opposite way from help. Sung Wei moved to intercept the girl. Fear and panic crossed the Akumajin girl’s face. “Things have really gone to hell when the victims fear the civil servants.” Sung Wei mused just as he caught the girl who screamed both in pain and fear. “I really need a vacation.”

Wu Shun panted. Taking in deep breaths of smoke tinged air as he shifted his position, keeping the demoness always in his sight. She was a fast and clever bitch, he’d give her that. The demoness relaxed her posture and laughed. Not full on, evil, maniacal laughter. Just a chuckle.

“What’s so funny?”

“The riots have started.”

Wu Shun cocked an eyebrow. The only thing he could hear was the furious crackle of the burning building behind himself. Riots weren’t his problem. He repositioned his grip on his sword. “Let’s just get this over with.”

The demoness shook her head. “We are waiting for the last player to enter the field.” She shifted.

Wu Shun shifted to match her new position. “This isn’t a game.”

“Ha! Really? You seemed to be playing your part just fine.”

“Of course, I was sent here to kill you.”

The demoness laughed. “No, no, no. I sent for you. To sow chaos.” She spread her arms out wide, vaguely gesturing to the burning buildings and the bloody streets. A few people lying dead or too injured to move on the well worn cobblestones. “And you have done a marvelous job.”

Wu Shun took in the scene around him for the first time. “This is your doing!” he shouted back.

Illiesku shook her head. “From the perspective of the people who live here, you are the bad guy.” the demoness smiled as heavy foot falls resounded throughout the now mostly empty streets. The heavier set and very out of breath Kitsune mage stopping an equal distance from the two other souls still standing.

“Enough!” wheezed the High Magus.

Illiesku took a step to her left. Wu Shun matched it, not willing to let the vile thing get any advantage on him.

“Master Wu Shun,” huffed Saito. “Cease this.”

The demon hunter gave the mage a quick incredulous glace and shifted to counter the demoness’ new position. “Help me take her mage.” he ordered.

The demoness grinned as Saito shook his head. “Enough of this. Stand down.”

Wu Shun sneered at the damn High Magus, countered Illiesku’s movement, began channeling a spell, and growled at the damn Kitsune mage. “I’m ending this now, with or without your help.”

Wu Shun took a step forward outstretching his arm in the final motion of a divinely gifted spell formation. The crackling energy flowed up his arm toward his fingertips, then promptly died as the mage’s superior handle over the fabric of magic tore his weave asunder, leaving a few tiny sparks as the broken strings of raw energy intermingled with the material world around them.

“Fuck you!” Wu Shun screamed at the mage, only to snap his attention back to the demoness when he noticed the expression on the mage’s face as well as his line of sight.

Illesku watched the demon hunter’s face contort from minute panic to grim determination. He raised his still glowing sword, ready to counter her charge. She felt the warm tingle of High Magus Saito’s spell wash over her and fail to stick, the very reason they needed to call on a demon hunter in the first place. She grinned wide as the hunter suddenly realized she wasn’t going to be defending herself against his sword. The blade infused with the holy energy of some young god burned its way through her. Holy fire starting to consume her insides as she impacted the demon hunter. With a final burst of power, she picked him up and dashed the final few yards. Straight into the fire of the burning building. Straight into the final wooden column that stood tall, stubbornly holding the second floor up despite the inferno. The lone column she had been positioning the man in front of for the last few minutes. “Gloriously perfect.”

Saito shielded his face as the collapsing building sent sparks and heat shooting out at a speed he hadn’t anticipated. Coughing to clear the smoke from his lungs, he stood and watched the former residence burn. Then some idiot threw a single bucket of water on the inferno. Saito frowned at the forming bucket line.

“Save the next house.” he said, pointing at a smoldering building that may still be salvageable.

“Oh.” Said the moron.

The High Magus gave it another few minutes before ending his watch for survivors and turning his attention on putting out the other fires before they got out of hand. He took in the dead laying on the streets. Mostly killed by wayward spells. This was likely his fault. He shouldn’t have suggested the order of demon hunters. Though technically he hadn’t. He had suggested a single person for the order. Saito sighed. “I’m getting too old for this shit.”