21. Hanako Is Bad With Dogs.

Struggling to exit the stinking mound of manure, Hanako shook her hands free of the muck.

Urgh. Rank.

Looking around, she was dismayed to find herself back in the green village of Ilith Londo, although the air felt heavier.

The first thing she noticed was how empty it felt. 

The place had been completely deserted, and all that remained was the strange purple ash drifting down like confetti.

Peasant clothing, armour and weapons were scattered around, almost like their owners had vanished right where they stood.

Hanako stopped to pick up a Teddy bear, next to a little girl's dress.

Placing the bear next to a fence, she took a wooden shield and wandered over to the bottom of a hill. A neat circle had been carved out of the huge wooden gate, which was still burning.

Hanako found the villagers lined up in neat rows, like an assembly or inspection. Their grey and listless bodies were drained of vitality. The emaciated features were still and stared out through eyes of seething gold fire. 

No-one was spared, not even the children.

Hanako stopped. She had seen this before. 

The Zombie Queen.

“Of course, I have you to thank for this,” Bridget said, dressed in white as a medieval Nun. “Imagine what a visiting Sister would think if she saw all this senseless death.  These innocents burned down to their Skeletons. One, such as I, would be appalled and seek some recompense. ”

[Why are you thanking me?] Hanako asked,  seeing the subtitles float in dancing pink. She felt the Zombie girl put a friendly arm around her.

“If you had not messed with my ship, I wouldn’t have had to re-stock.” Bridget said, leaning a Poleaxe against her shoulders. “That’s when I got the idea; all these people were complicit in multiple murders. Who is going to miss them?”

[Did you have to include the children?]

“What would you prefer?” Bridget said. “They starve? Live in fear of being eaten by monsters? Or worst of all, become slaves and...” She closed her eyes tight and bunched up a fist, reluctant to picture anything more. “In my care, they are safe.”

[They had a future.]

“What future? Growing up around crazies until they themselves succumb to the poison? You may not see it, but I showed these kids a better life, ironic as that sounds”

[You need to stop.]

”And who is going to stop me? There are eight more villages full of people who need rescuing. I only need half; the rest can reproduce and raise more cattle, as it were. Oh, and no, you and I are not alike, I’m not even going to start with that.

Against her better judgment, Hanako took out the Aqualerre, the misty sword.

[I’m sorry.]

“And do what? We’re both dead, Dummy! All it’ll do is ruin our gear. And let me tell you, no-one else can pull off Hoodies like me.” Hanako said nothing; she simply raised the sword. “Alright, I see you’re a bit put out, so I’ll leave you alone to cool off. Next time, it’ll be Barbeque and Karaoke, but I must warn you, I go heavy on the Musicals. Oh, and you’d better talk to this guy; except I don’t think he’s up for much conversation. Stay fresh and D.B.A.C!”

Bridget disappeared in a tiny whirlwind, followed by the remaining Zombies. The only person left was a solitary figure standing near the entrance.

It was Isaac.

Relieved to see a friendly face, Hanako took off her helmet and was ready with a hug, but stopped in her tracks. 

Something was off. For one, the Old Knight remained still, his helmet on and ejecting some kind of black smoke through the T-shaped slit.

The girl looked around

~What's wrong?~ She asked.

The Old Knight said nothing and simply picked up the Claymore with both hands.

Without warning, the enormous blade cut through the air with surprising speed and fell between the girl's feet. Catching her off guard, she almost forgot to jump back.

~Watch it! This is not funny.~

Isaac sliced down, forcing Hanako to dive under and land face-first in the mud. With no time to catch her breath, she slipped out of the way as the weapon chopped down mere inches from where she landed.

Frustrated, Hanako dug the ball of her foot and ground it into the mud. Spreading fingers, the Javelin flew back into her grasp.

~Fine.  I guess we are done talking. Have it your way.~

They sized each other in a semi-circle, not wanting to be the first to break or to give an inch. Isaac stalked the girl with a fixed gaze; all the while his armour clanged together, like a cursed, broken machine: 

Clomp. Clomp. Clomp.

Hanako knew she had to play it smart. She was outclassed in terms of raw strength, so another way was needed. All it took was a small margin of error on his part, some kind of blind spot.

Isaac took the sword in two hands and swung it down at a velocity that would have taken three heads clean off. Hanako dived out of the way, but he then followed up with a one-handed up-swing, which saw the girl clattering back into a mud pile.

Surprise attack!

The Old Knight was toying with her, letting her think every move could be predicted. Now she knew he was holding back. Hanako kept her shield up and backed away as Isaac closed the distance. He swung down again at an angle and followed it with a perfect swipe. The girl dove into a roll and drove Rat-Nail into his side..

An unholy scream left Isaac's helmet. Shocked at the sight, it was only instinct that allowed Hanako to back off. It was then that things took a turn for the worse.

***

Isaac convulsed, the lower half of his armour flaking away until it became a rusted, jagged circle. The circle opened up to reveal a grinning, toothy mouth, where the stomach should have been.

Hanako looked on in cold horror.

What. The. Hell.

Out of the hole, shot a giant purple tongue dripping with ropes of saliva. It struck Hanako hard, knocking her off balance. Coming back, the purple tongue whipped out again. Merciless in nature, it lashed around for a second pass, slithering around down like an angry tentacle, this time the girl dodged out of the way and got to her feet.

~Why are you like this? What did  you do?! ~

No response, whatever Isaac had been was lost to Abyssal magic. With no more time to dwell on tragedy, Hanako ducked down and jumped over the cursed appendage.

The Old Knight brought the sword down in a diagonal slice, causing her to leap backwards. Isaac lunged at the girl with a spear-like thrust, but the strike was weak and easily swatted away with Hanako's shield.

Angered at his betrayal, Hanako threw the Cutlass Bee-Eater some distance away, but Isaac was winding up for a final blow. Hanako wasn't bothered; she just needed to time it right and get everything in position. The girl rolled to the ground as the giant tongue whipped the air nearby.

This time, she was ready.

After performing a forward jump, Hanako picked up her sword and hacked off the tongue with a precise windmill strike.

***

Staggering backwards, Isaac was left reeling from the blow, but it was not over. Instead of slowing him down, the wound prompted the Demon Knight to sink one knee and punch the earth with both fists. Solid mud encased his body, before snarling roots pulled him into the depths.

Confused, Hanako watched as Isaac disappeared inside the Earth, followed by a severe tremor, coming from below.

Out of nowhere, the ground began to fall away, shaking into large cracks. Hanako ran to safety, just in time to see an ancient Church break through from underneath.

It rose slowly and settled, as if it had always been part of the village.

The girl was in shock. Every inch of stone wept fresh dirt, hairline cracks swept across ancient walls, and even the bell was still swinging inside its wretched tower.

In that moment, she beheld the Temple of Rul.

Hanako knew it was probably a trap or worse, instant death. Even so, she could not shake the feeling that to defeat Isaac, she had to deal with whatever lay beyond those blackened hell-born doors.

Mounting the cracked steps, she slowly wandered past statues of hooded figures, carrying what looked like Bishop staffs. Some crows landed on their heads. 

With a heavy heart, Hanako stopped at the giant entrance and grabbed the iron ring on the left-hand door. She paused.

~Too obvious. ~

Entering, it turned out to be the smart decision, for behind the left-hand door was an enormous crossbow the size of a family car. Suspended from the rafters, the weapon had been aimed toward the front. 

The rest of the interior was dark, primarily with flickering candles, burning atop several rusted chandeliers. High walls, stretched into a vaulted roof, criss-crossing all the way to the dirty stained-glass window.

The more Hanako examined the stained-glass window, the less happy she felt.

It appeared to show a six-winged wasp, hovering above a crowd of frightened people, with the words: 'Von Unaussprechlichen Kulten' scrawled underneath.1

This is the last time I visit a Demonic Church that grows out of the ground.

She was tempted to check out the crypt, but was met with the sight of a fiendish hound, snarling at the side.

Its eyes were pits of emerald-green smoke; the fur so dark, it almost seemed to swallow light around it. An angry snout displayed a row of glistening red meat lined with sculpted, mustard-yellow fangs.

Hanako looked to the right; she only saw another beast appear, identical to the first. As if by instinct, Hanako checked the entrance to find it blocked by a third, its hackles raised. The girl gripped her Javelin tightly.

Here we go again.

The second hound leapt out before she could make a run for it. Hanako dived in front of the altar and batted away a head charge from the first hound, but it still grabbed the edge of her shield, pulling her forward.

Hanako kicked out and aimed for the throat. The beast was sent backwards, while the third hound joined in.

Climbing onto the Altar, Hanako used a smaller Chandelier to swing over the snapping jaws and landed awkwardly on both feet. Back in the front part of the Church, she found a stone wall had replaced the doors.

Crap. 

The three animals took an aisle in an attempt to surround her. The first hound slid around back and launched at her with its mouth open.

Tired of being reasonable, Hanako took Bee-Eater and sliced clean through the hound’s neck. Thinking this was enough, she was shocked to see the detached head floating toward her with snapping jaws.

After avoiding the two remaining beasts, she swatted the pursuing head, whereby its body leapt up and reattached itself. Disheartened, Hanako backed away into the corner, barely finding time to catch a moment.

You guys. This is so unfair. 

The second Hound bore its teeth and came at her at speed. Hanako threw the Javelin, but it glided harmlessly through.

Despair was beginning to blacken her spirit. How could she kill three things that refused to die? Slightly distracted by this train of thought, the first Hound jumped onto her from out of nowhere.

Hanako was pinned down and found the only way to avoid becoming a quick meal was to shove the arm-guard into its mouth.

Her heart was racing fiercely; she could feel the teeth biting down on the metal brace. The horror of becoming food for three hungry mutts played on her mind and boosted her determination.

 At least she got a better look at its collar.

There were three stars on this collar, while the other had five. She couldn't read the third, but at least there was a clue. Luckily for her, the first hound wasn't keen on sharing the spoils and growled every time the other two got near her.

This bought her some time, while the Dogs were fighting amongst each other, Hanako backed away with her shield raised high. Opening her hand, the Javelin flew back, and she was ready for action.

Calculating their strength, she knew it was impossible to use violence to dispatch these enemies, so there had to be another way.

The head remains solid, but the body is like a cloud. How does that work?! 

At least now she knew how to tell them apart by their collars:

‘Three Stars.’ was impulsive and never gave heed to its surroundings. ‘Five Stars’ was a little more cautious and waited for the other two to make a move. ‘Eight Stars’ was the smallest and did the least damage. It seemed like it was trying to impress the other two, more than anything.

Despite this new information, Hanako found it hard to concentrate while being swarmed by three death dogs on all sides. She was constantly glancing around, trying to find a hint of something that could aid her.

And then she found it: The bells.

Near the ceiling were faded Roman numerals, matching the number on each collar. Below the numerals was a recess that contained a tiny bell inside.

It seemed easy enough. Hit the right bell, and she could take out the matching Hellhound. It was worth a shot, but it meant getting close enough to tell them apart.

More fun. 

Many times were spent trying to hit the bells, and many times the Javelin would flatten against the wall or miss completely. All the while, she was trying to avoid three sets of jaws.

The one time she hit a bell, the matching hound was successfully impaled with the Javelin. Unfortunately, as soon as the golden light faded, the Javelin phased through like it was nothing.

Hanako felt all motivation slipping away; there was no way she could kill these beasts with the amount of effort needed. That's when it hit her.

Every bell has to be ringing at the same time! 

The girl did some more calculations in her head. She couldn't use the Javelin for all three; it was never going to reach. 

It had to be one after the other.

Impossible.