Demonic Human (2)

At the instant the monster’s hand was about to pierce Hae Cheong-yeon’s chest, something flew in from the side and smashed into its body.

KRAAASH!

Only after the creature was knocked aside did Hae Cheong-yeon realize it was a long, sturdy inn bench.

Seonu Jin had swung the heavy bench and clubbed the monster with it.

“My lady! Are you all right?!”

Snapping back to her senses, Hae Cheong-yeon answered breathlessly,

“I—I’m fine. But that man…”

The other wanderers who had followed Seonu Jin outside found their comrade with a hole through his chest, already dead, and howled.

“Brother Yang!”

“Yang, no!”

As they drew their sabers with rage-twisted faces, Seonu Jin shouted them down.

“Get inside the inn first! Now!”

They protested.

“What are you saying, Young Master?! That thing killed Yang!”

“It’ll chase us anyway! We can’t face it out here!”

The monster, bounced away by the bench, charged at Seonu Jin again.

“Kyaaaah!”

Regaining some calm, Hae Cheong-yeon swept her sword to block it in front of Seonu Jin.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Meanwhile Seonu Jin yelled again.

“Hurry into the inn! That thing—!”

Before he could finish, Hae Cheong-yeon was in danger again: the creature barreled through her strikes as if they were nothing, and she couldn’t stop it.

“Damn—!”

Forced to backpedal, she stepped on a stone and lost her balance.

Hopeless.

“Aaah!”

As the creature lunged and swung its hand, a strong arm suddenly wrapped from behind, clamped over her mouth and seized her waist, jerking her aside.

“Mmf!”

It was Seonu Jin.

By covering her mouth and yanking her by the waist, he pulled her clear of the strike.

But after saving her like that, Seonu Jin froze in place and didn’t move another inch—
as if turned to stone.

Hae Cheong-yeon’s heart pounded in alarm.

The monster could pounce on them any second.

She was about to yell—despite his hand over her mouth—when she realized something:

When they stopped moving, the creature did too.

Held in Seonu Jin’s arms, she watched the monster, right beside them, fail to close in—its head swiveling left and right as if searching.

A thought flashed through her mind: it had kept its eyes shut the entire time.

And she understood.

Probably its sight…

Just then—

“Young Master Seonu! Are you all right?!”

The shout from inside the inn made the creature snap its head around and hurl itself that way.

I could scarcely believe it.

How had that thing gotten past the front to come this far?

The instant I saw it charge through my sword light and take the blows with its body, I knew:

It was a demonic human of the Blood Demon Cult.

Among the various types they made, this one was called a Hyogwi — an “Owl Ghost,” specialized in night assaults.

I remembered hearing early on at the front that a Hyogwi had slipped past and attacked civilians.

This must be that very one.

The darker it got, the more dangerous it became; a blade-impervious monster. When it hurled itself toward the inn, my anxiety spiked.

I hadn’t managed to warn the others not to make a sound.

Letting go of Lady Cheong-yeon, I sprinted for the inn.

I couldn’t let those few I’d come to care about die—not after even preparing parting gifts for them tomorrow.

“A monster!”

“Aaagh!”

“Help—!”

I burst inside to a scene of chaos.

The errand boy—and Warrior Lee—were already dead.

He always grumbled, but behind the scenes he looked after us with quiet care… Warrior Lee…

Even now, Warrior Jang, the most capable among us, was swinging at the Hyogwi—yet he looked a heartbeat from being cut down.

“Uwaaaah!”

Roaring, I charged and smashed the creature with a long bench.

THUD!

As it ricocheted away, I shouted,

“Everyone—quiet!”

Of course, no one fell silent at once.

“Aaagh! Help me!”

Cried the innkeeper.

“You bastard!”

The wanderers bellowed.

I had to hush them somehow.

The creature got back up, orienting on the loudest noise—toward Warrior Jang.

“Raaagh!”

I bellowed louder than it and flipped our laden table.

CRASH!

SHATTER!

Dishes and food exploded across the floor. As the racket made the Hyogwi hesitate, I shouted over it, in rhythm with the noise,

“Everyone—SHUT UP!”

For a heartbeat, silence.

The Hyogwi also stilled, ears pricked.

Good. I had to use this.

I grabbed a small chair and hurled it far.

CLATTER!

Timing my words to the sound, I called,

“It—!”

Another chair flew.

CLATTER!

“—cannot—!”

One more.

CLATTER!

“—see!”

Nothing else within reach to throw. I could only pray they understood.

From the wanderers’ faces, they mostly did.

But the innkeeper didn’t—his mouth opened to speak, baffled.

My stomach dropped. Don’t!

“Haaahp!”

With a kiai, Lady Cheong-yeon rushed the Hyogwi.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Her dazzling blade hammered its body as she yelled to me, “Explain—now!”

Bless her. Not only had she not run, she was buying me time—and smartly.

No time to waste. I barked,

“It finds people by sound! Make no noise—none! Not even breathing loud!”

I saw the innkeeper slap both hands over his mouth.

Lady Cheong-yeon, though, was being driven back.

I moved to help—then halted.

Silence hid us from its hearing, but silence alone wouldn’t save us.

Its nose wasn’t as sharp as its ears, but it could still scent us.

If it heard nothing, it would sniff us out.

I had to end this first.

Then I spotted the items on the counter beside the trembling innkeeper:

FWUMP!

KA-THUNK-THUNK!

I smashed the Hyogwi away with the long bench again, then signaled Lady Cheong-yeon to be quiet.

She nodded, lips sealed.

The Hyogwi scraped up from the wall, head swiveling, ears taut, and began to stalk forward.

Its skin was dark brown—Miao stock.

A naked Miao tribesman, hulking frame, an obscenely swinging appendage— Early on, the cult had made many demonic humans from Yunnan’s native Miao.

Back then we didn’t realize they were just test beds.

It wasn’t that they couldn’t make demonic humans from true martial artists.

And when those began to appear…

As it crept our way, Lady Cheong-yeon shot me a taut look—what now?

I carefully lifted two objects from the table beside me and lobbed one to its flank.

Whoosh—

JANGLE-CLINK-CLINK-CLINK!

A basket brimming with iron cash coins. It hit the floor and spilled, ringing everywhere.

I moved swiftly, closing half a jang toward the creature.

Lady Cheong-yeon saw me and flinched—but made no sound.

I hurled the second object behind it—a porcelain bowl full of dried beans.

SHATTER—PATTER-PATTER-PATTER!

As the bowl broke and beans skittered, the Hyogwi turned toward the rear. I slipped right up behind its skull.

Good. Now.

I could not afford a mistake.

If it brushed me, this frail body would be ripped apart.

Swallowing, I slowly raised my hand toward its head.

And then—

“Ah-CHOO!”

The innkeeper couldn’t hold back a sneeze.

The Hyogwi snapped its head around—its face swung toward me, so close our noses could touch, eyes still shut.

My heart hammered.

I saw it coil to spring straight ahead—straight into me.

Damn it!

Teeth clenched, I thrust my hand for its face.

Seeing Seonu Jin edging toward the monster while tossing objects, Hae Cheong-yeon felt her own heart about to burst.

He clearly knew something about this creature—but what suicidal plan was this?

One squeak and he’d be—

When the innkeeper sneezed, she nearly screamed herself.

Fury flared—had he been within reach, she might have cut him down.

The monster turned—face-to-face with Seonu Jin.

Her vision whitened with shock. The Hyogwi crouched to launch right at him—

Then Seonu Jin did something insane: he reached for the monster’s face and pried open its eyelids.

What—?!

She gaped, about to shout, when the monster suddenly shrieked in agony.

“KYAAAAAAH!”

She couldn’t comprehend it.

He had only opened its eyelids—yet it clutched both eyes and thrashed in pain.

The same creature that hadn’t even flinched from sword qi.

A hypothesis flashed through her mind: exposure to light?!

By then Seonu Jin had slipped behind it, seized its waist, heaved it up, and shouted,

“Lady Cheong-yeon! Its mouth—the inside!”

Her gaze snapped to the gaping maw as it screamed.

She instantly understood.

If sword qi couldn’t cut its body—then its mouth—

Her body moved on instinct. She lunged and drove her blade.

“Haaahp!”

THUNK!

Finally—set!

She clenched her free fist tight.

With Seonu Jin hoisting its body, her sword plunged up into the palate—toward the brain.

But even with its brain pierced, the monster didn’t stop.

It only thrashed harder, screaming.

“KYAAAAH!”

Staring at the grotesque, naked thing flailing right before her—its obscene appendage swaying—Hae Cheong-yeon finally felt fear, a visceral revulsion as a woman.

“Ugh—!”

Her face twisted; strength began to leak from her grip.

Then someone clasped her sword hand—firmly.

Seonu Jin.

Nodding to her as if to say “well done,” he kept his hand over hers and torqued the blade embedded in the creature’s mouth—hard.

Still guiding her grip, together they twisted.

The monster struggled for a time more—then at last died.

In the wrecked inn, people stood in a daze, staring at the dead creature for a long, long moment.