Ten

So this was it. After everything - the game, Peng, Jiko, the horse - I'd die here on my knees. Never knowing what happened to Inorin. Never getting to tell her-

The pole whizzed past my ear.

THUNK

Something screeched behind me. The sound pierced my eardrums, like metal being torn apart.

I whipped around. A black mass tumbled across the floor, leaving oily smears on the wood. It writhed and twisted, trying to reform its shape.

"Get back."

The woman rose to her feet, bamboo pole spinning in her hands.

The black mass surged. Dark tendrils stretched and pulled, morphing into something with too many limbs.

The woman struck again, bamboo whistling through the air. But this time the creature was ready. A limb shot out, wrapping around the pole. The wood creaked under its grip.

I clutched Peng tighter as it trembled against my chest, eyes squeezed shut.

This thing - was it like that wolf from before? The one with void eyes that Jiko shot? But the wolf had attacked immediately. This one had been idling on me. Since when? The fields? The village entrance?

The woman yanked her bamboo free with a sharp twist. She didn't spare me a glance as she backed toward the door.

"Outside." She kicked the door open with her heel. "Now."

The creature lunged. She sidestepped, grabbed a fistful of its oily surface and hurled it through the doorway. It hit the dirt path with a wet slap.

She followed. I scrambled to the doorframe, Peng still clutched against me. Another strike. Another dodge. The woman controlled the rhythm completely, forcing the thing to dance to her tempo. It tried to expand, to grow massive, but she compressed it with a flurry of blows that left it smaller than before.

But what really got to me was the silence.

The woman's assault was so relentless that she gave the creature no time to make a sound. The loudest sound - or rather, the only sound - was the soft thunk of bamboo meeting that black massy flesh.

Paper lanterns swayed gently on their strings. Not a single door cracked open. The village slept on, oblivious.

She's doing this on purpose. Fighting quiet so as not to wake anyone.

No, this wasn't a fight. It was an execution.

The woman's bamboo pole blurred, striking in three rapid succession hits. The black mass shuddered, its form collapsing inward. Then like ink dissolving in water, it dispersed into wisps that faded into nothing.

She lowered her weapon and walked back to the hut, bare feet silent on the dirt path. Not a hair out place, not a wrinkle in her robes. As if the fight had been nothing more than a brief interruption to our conversation.

She settled back onto her cushion.

"Tell me, have you encountered a Rust before coming here?"

"Those black things are called Rust?"

She nodded. 

"Then yes. One attacked me in the fields."

"Hmmm. The one that attacked just now. Remnants of that Rust must've hitched a ride on you. Seems like they're becoming craftier."

Daikon. The game where NPCs could learn and adapt. The news reports about the missing developers flashed through my mind. What had they created here? What had they unleashed?

"In any case, I apologize for startling you and your companion." The woman bowed her head slightly. "Wuwei cannot kill Rust , so I had him guide you here where I could deal with it properly. I tried not to frighten you. I hoped the rice might ease things somewhat."

"It's whatever." I waved off her concern. "You did save us after all."

"I'm glad. Now, shall we carry on our conversation from earlier? Ah! But where are my manners? I haven't even introduced myself. I am Ten."

I shifted against the wall, legs still wobbly from the fight. Peng waddled over and flopped onto my lap like a sack of rice.

"Kuroha."

"Forgive me again, Kuroha, but I must be blunt this time. What were you doing inside that hut?"

My mouth went dry. Should I tell her everything? About Jiko locking me up? About his murder plot? She did just save my life from that Rust thing. That had to count for something.

That hut... Ten had to know it was Jiko's. The village wasn't that big. Was this some kind of test? Checking if I'd lie about it?

I studied her face. The clouded eyes gave nothing away.

"I understand your hesitation," Ten leaned forward, eyes finding mine.

"But you can trust me."

The words dragged me back to elementary school.

I was slumped in the hard plastic chair outside the detention office. My knuckles stung, uniform collar frayed. The other kid had it worse.

Inorin crouched in front of me, that goofy grin plastered on her face despite being called away from work.

"Come on Kuro-chan. Talk to your cool aunt. What happened?"

I stared at the floor tiles. "You won't believe me anyway."

"Try me. I'm a great listener. Well, when I'm sober. Which I totally am right now!"

"No."

"Ku-ro-ha-chan~"

"I said no!" The chair scraped against floor as I jerked away. "You'll just say the same thing everyone else does. '"I bet Kuroha started it. She's always been trouble."

"Since when do I say stuff like that?"

"You will. Everyone does eventually."

"Hey." She poked my cheek. "You know why you scare people?"

Here it comes - the lecture about my face, my attitude, how I need to smile more and-

"It's 'cause you keep bottling all this bad stuff up. Like a soda can. Shake shake shake, then BOOM!" She threw her arms wide, making explosion sounds. "Kuroha-flavored soda everywhere."

"I don't-"

"You do. You always trying to handle everything alone until BOOM! Sometimes you gotta trust people, Kuro-chan. Let them in before all that bad stuff builds up. So come on." She bumped her shoulder against mine. "Let your favorite aunt help clean up the sticky mess before it dries, yeah?"

I blinked, finding myself back in the woman's hut. That grin of Inorin's lingered in my mind as I stared at Ten sitting across from me.

"A bow boy named Jiko brought me to that hut," I said, watching Ten's reaction carefully.

A faint smile tugged at her lips. She traced circles on the table with her finger, like a kid doodling during class.

"Did he now? And what did our young archer want with you?"

"He... He wants me to help kill one of the Heavenly Generals."

"Oh? And how exactly did you figure that out?"

"He told me- wait. What?"

Ten's shoulders shook with silent laughter. What the hell? I just admitted to knowing about a murder plot and she's giggling?

If someone told me they knew a murder is about to take place, I'd be shaking them by the collar, demanding answers. Not giggling.

Unless...

Jiko's words echoed in my head: "The General can sense us from leagues away."

Wuwei had found me in that hut. Led me straight to Ten. And the way she moved during that fight.

"Ten... Are you one of the Heavenly Generals?"