Solbearers: Part 5- Clean Sweep

Riding in some sort of aircraft Cassandra sat trying to take in everything being told to her.

Chen summarized what Shinji had just explained by saying "Simply put moth vampires who actually look like moth-people we call "true moths" and the more humanoid ones with extra arms we've dubbed as "caterpillars". Caterpillars use their multiple arms to attack in a more straightforward way but the moths tend to use sonic attacks, flight and use illusion magic. We will all be able to hurt them but Shinji will be the most efficient with his lacquer soaked weapons and camphor bombs. So stay close to him or your monster friend so you don't get in over your head".

"Got it" Cassandra said.

"Now leeches on the other hand" Chen began again.

"I thought we were just hunting moths tonight" Cassandra interrupted.

"We are but we are still a few minutes away and the more I can teach you about vampires the more you can unravel how to fight your lamprey and why not make the most of our time" Chen continued.

"Sorry, please continue" Cassandra apologized with a smile.

"Apologies are not needed, I know this is a lot to take in" Chen said back with a smile "now leech vampires are split into two main types. In their natural state they are weak to jade, salt, cold temperatures and sunlight and are poweful shapeshifters. "Sea leeches" on the other hand have been experimented on and through that dark science they lost their ability to shapeshift but now most are virtually unbothered by salt and cold temperatures. So if you are having problems finding more weaknesses for your lamprey maybe they are masking them in some-"

"Time to drop!" Shinji interrupted with a smile.

He popped open the aircrafts' door and two cables descended the night sky towards the rooftop below. Shinji and Chen slid down them in unison. Cassandra followed Chen. Buibui disregarded the ropes altogether and leaped straight down.

Shinji looked at Buibui then nodded at the rooftop door and the giant arachnid smashed through it. Before she knew it Cassandra was in a large room shooting spears into vampires and it became apparent how lethal her new companions were.

Chen the old monk was grimacing with every movement yet had no hesitation. He spun a heavy green ball attached to a chain with shocking precision. He battered a moth in the knee so hard that it slammed into the ground only for its head to be demolished between the ground and the green orb a second later. Then Chen blocked and caught a caterpillar's spear thrust with the chain, knocked the caterpillar into the air with the spear's blunt end and spun the spear around impaling the creature by the neck as it fell back down. Then he used the propped up impaled corpse as a ramp to flip over another moth and snap its neck using the chain as a garrotte.

Buibui who would be terrifying if he wasn't on Cassandra's side was already drenched in the blood of his prey. Dark black webs with purple auras were emanating from Buibui's clawed hands and he'd crush the creatures' heads as they were pinned to the walls and floor. A moth approached him and he plunged his claw through it's chest slashed downward slitting it in half from the neck down. Then grabbing two of a caterpillar's arms in each of his own hands devoured its head and drank its blood.

Then there was Shinji, the wisecracking man that Cassandra stood a head taller than. Decked out in brown samurai armour with a pale owl mask he moved absurdly fast. Unorthodox but lethal he had a traditional club in one hand and a katana inverted in the other. Skulls were cracked, limbs were severed and Shinji's smile grew wider and wider. Drawing more attention than the rest of the team dozens of limbs set to slice or skewer Shinji and just when he looked overwhelmed he had another trick up his sleeve. He cast small white pellets at his enemies which then exploded. Those hit shrieked in pain, and even those away from the initial harm began choking on the surprisingly large plumes of smoke eminating from the blasts. Cassandra laughed internally as it clicked that the smoke smelled of mothballs.

Before long the room was cleared of of both multi-armed and winged vampires. But then a voice occupied the four hero's minds. It told them they would die for this attack, as the largest moth yet entered. A horrible noise brought the group to their knees, even the hulking Buibui was reeling. Chen looked horrified as the leader of the clan Hideki Ueda neared Shinji. In a single instant 3 of Shinji's slashes clipped both Hideki's wings and cleeved him from shoulder to hip. The awful noise ceased and Shinji removed his helmet to display its interior.

"Its authentic traditional armour" he started "but I made some improvements with modern tech. My headphones blocked the sound almost immediately I'm sorry you had to endure it until I could get the jump on him."

Within moments they were back in the aircraft about to take off. Cassandra smelt the mothball scent intensify just as they were pulling away. She looked back to see the building ablaze.

"Clean sweep?" She said to Shinji inquisitively.

"Clean Sweep!" Shinji exclaimed with a grin as he poured himself a drink.