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Ash

The two Zayamas had been fighting for the past ten minutes, and Kaori and Ash simply watched them go.

Seeing high-level combat was absolutely fascinating.

Ash and Kaori both stood back in awe as Yumi\'s naginata clanged against Keiko\'s sword. Metsumi, Opah, Satsuhiro, and Kasumi had all walked out too, watching the two Zayamas face off. 

Holy shit,  Ash thought as she spectated the fight. They\'re doing everything so fast. I feel like I\'d get my tits cut off in two seconds fighting them. 

Yumi did an excellent job of keeping Keiko at bay, forcing her back any time she got too close while Keiko was trying her best to run up. It almost felt like there was a barrier around Yumi with how well she kept that from happening though. 

Keiko dashed forwards. Yumi blocked a few slashes, her eyes narrowed as the two traded blows. Keiko looked determined, focused. Yumi spun, one leg planted into the dirt, and her naginata slashed in a wide arc. Keiko stepped back instead of blocking and Yumi stopped, stabbing the shaft of her weapon into the ground and looking back at Keiko with a smirk. 

"You have good instincts," Yumi stated. "However, your improvisation skills need work." 

"What do you mean?" Keiko asked as Kaori and Ash felt it was okay to walk up. 

"Your plan throughout that fight was to get close, cut the gap between us. I understood that and planned accordingly," Yumi explained. "At that point, you need to understand that, unless you have a stats advantage over your opponent, your initial plan will no longer work." 

"So, what could she have done?" Kaori asked. 

"Bait me into over-extending," Yumi began to list off, "attack from the sides instead of trying to move straight, if you were carrying another weapon, you could also change what you\'re fighting with. Thinking outside the box like this will win you more fights," Yumi stated. 

"Thank you," Keiko bowed. 

"I must admit..." Yumi said. "It has been a while since I\'ve fought anyone with real skill. It felt... invigorating." 

Ash watched as Keiko looked down, slightly concerned. Then, she said:

"Maybe..." Keiko paused. "Maybe you should head into Onyx with us?" 

Ash\'s brows raised as she heard that and Yumi took a step back, leaning against her naginata. 

"..." Ash saw her eyes look away from behind her mask. "I thank you for the offer, but... the shrine needs me." 

"Hm?" Ash crossed her arms. "We activated it. Unless some demons come by and tear the place down, it\'ll probably stay like that. I don\'t know that you have to worry about it." 

"You are not certain though, right?" Yumi asked. "Someone could come and harm this place. Because of this, I must remain here." 

"But," Keiko stepped forwards, "you\'ve spent so much time here, don\'t you think you\'ve done your job?" 

Yumi turned towards the shrine. She looked upon it, her eyes steady. She carried an aura of someone who was both tired and determined to continue working. She turned back towards Keiko and bowed a little. 

"... How about this," Yumi said. "If you can find anyone who will take care of this place once I\'m gone, then... I\'ll go. Just, any form of guarantee that the shrine will not fall into disrepair. You don\'t have to," Yumi was quick to point out, "but if you do, then I will..." the words sounded like Yumi herself couldn\'t believe what she was saying, "I will leave." 

"I\'ll try," Keiko nodded. 

"Well then," Satsuhiro said behind them. "I think it\'s about time we get out of here. We have plenty of stuff to do still." 

"Right," Keiko nodded. Ash and the others walked out however, Yumi said:

"Wait, wait," Yumi called out. "I want to give you something." 

The Zayama went back into the shrine and emerged about a minute later with a book in her hands. She walked up to Keiko and placed it in her hands. Ash saw a bit of endearment in her eyes. 

"This book contains a few of my favorite skills. I didn\'t get to show you any of them, but I believe you\'ll find it suitable."

"You don\'t need it anymore?" 

"I\'ve been here for a very long time, Keiko." Yumi sighed. "I know every skill in that thing. Take care." 

They said their goodbyes, and with that, the group departed the shrine. 

Yumi stood out in front of the building, watching them for a while before turning around and walking back in. Ash saw Keiko looking back, remorse in her eyes. 

"We\'ll figure something out," Kaori said, putting a hand on Keiko\'s shoulder. 

"For now," Satsuhiro said, "we should probably head into the city. I had wanted to go see the alchemist beforehand, but those demons might be getting out of control. And, if they have a Nightmare running with them, they might end up turning some unfortunate people."

Considering what Magia had told her, he was probably right. 

"So, the plan is," Satsuhiro told everyone, "we\'ll head for the Grey Chamber, see that equipment the Council had talked about, and then we\'ll head out to fight the demons. Maybe after that, we can go see the alchemist."

With that plan out of the way, the group moved through the bamboo forests, on their way to Onyx. It didn\'t take too long, since the shrine was fairly close, which meant that soon, Ash was looking ahead at nearby grey gates with smoke rising into the sky behind them. 

"What\'s that?" Ash asked. "Where\'s that smoke coming from?" 

"The factories," Satsuhiro and Keiko said, simultaneously. Keiko\'s face reddened, embarrassed. 

"What\'s a factory?" 

"It\'s this place where machines produce stuff," Satsuhiro told her. "That\'s about as simple as I can put it."

Ash stared up at the plumes of smoke as soldiers walked up to them. They, unlike Yumi, recognized the Savior\'s Armor they were all wearing and quickly gave them passage into the city. A few of them were holding the weirdest crossbows Ash had ever seen, while on the right side, a few horses dressed in armor were tied to posts. 

As the gates split open, the group walked into Onyx. Ash\'s immediate first impression was that she\'d finally found a place more dreary than Jade\'s slums. 

This place...  Ash looked around.

"Well," Ash said. "This looks about as shitty as anywhere I\'ve been in." 

"Say it louder, why don\'t you?" Satsuhiro told her.

Everyone was dressed similarly, the buildings stood tall, just as grey as the smoke in the distance. Outside of a few shops with flashy signs, it was like someone had drained all of the colors out of the world.

"There are a few inns nearby. Which do you want to stay at?" Satsuhiro asked Metsumi, who turned and looked at one called the New Age Inn. 

"How about that one?" 

"Sounds good," Satsuhiro nodded. "We\'ll be back in a little bit." 

"I think I\'ll come with you," Kasumi told Metsumi. "I\'m just about done." 

It\'s a miracle she even agreed to get the buff,  Ash acknowledged.  I\'ll take it. 

And so, Kasumi, Metsumi, and Opah all went into the inn. Ash, Keiko, Kaori, and Satsuhiro walked deeper into the city, on their way to the Grey Chamber. As the Saviors moved through the streets, Ash was surprised to see that no one really paid them much mind. 

Instead, everyone carried the look of someone who had too many things stressing them out to focus on the great heroes walking past them. A few of the stores they passed by had broken windows, as though people had attempted to break into them. Ash didn\'t know what to make of that. 

There was fresh blood as well, coating some of the stone and drying under the unforgiving sun. No one seemed to care about it. 

What the hell is going on in this city? Ash asked herself. 

"This is..." Kaori said, looking around. "Kind of depressing." 

"Paranoia has been spreading throughout the world," Satsuhiro said, "thanks to the portals. Crime\'s been going up in Onyx specifically as a result, according to the Council. Try not to be out too late at night." 

Around an hour later, the streets led them to one of the strangest buildings Ash had ever seen. It was like someone had placed a giant grey box in the middle of the city. It looked indistinguishable from the "factories" that the group had walked past on the way here. 

Every soldier nearby carried a weapon that Ash had never seen before. From those weird crossbows to strange lances with rotating spikes at their tips, to gauntlets with claws on them. Ash had no idea what she was running into. 

They were led inside and the half-demon found that this place was just as dreary as the rest of the city. There were a few statues depicting soldiers, but they were made out of a strange platinum-colored material.

Stairs led them up to where Ash saw a woman in a grey dress standing in front of a throne, looking down at it with her hands clutched behind her back. She heard their boots clanking against the floor and turned around. 

Ash narrowed her brows when she noticed that her eyes were clear, just like Keiko\'s. 

What? 

"Greetings," the woman said, her eyes steeled and her expression serious. "My name is Eliza. I am the lord of this city."