Page 7 of A Soul to Touch

This outfit was a perfect replica of hundreds that were worn by the guild, from the hood and pants to the very shoes.

All of it was uniform, all of it was the same, except for one major detail – the colour of the insignia revealed the person’s status within the Demonslayer guild.

The highest colour was gold, the lowest was black.

Her left nostril twitched in irritation at the silver insignia on her chest that designated the second highest ranking in the guild. She twisted away from her reflection.

Mayumi left the main area of her house to enter the only other room.

She ignored the array of personal items that belonged to various ancestors. Dust-covered clothing, shoes that weren’t of use because they didn’t fit her, a doll belonging to her great-grandmother. The area was packed to the ceiling with items that no one had the heart to discard.

Not even her.

She always noticed the old, slightly mouldy smell in this room, and it occasionally set off her mild hay fever if she disturbed anything too much.

The mask covering her face was thin. It was meant only to hide her skin but not cause her breaths to become deepened and loud, and did little to shelter her from the uncomfortable, history-drenched smell.

She pulled on the rope attached to the ceiling in the middle of the room to unlatch a door hatch. Stairs tilted down, and she pulled on the rope beneath the first section to unfold it so she could climb up.

She ducked her body forward, nearly hugging the stairs to keep her bow, quiver, and arrows from preventing her ascension into the attic.

The area here was dusty but showed evidence of recent and frequent use. She struck a match once she was kneeling on the level, lighting a candle she knew was right next to the opening.

Very little was tucked away up here.

It was mostly empty aside from a few scattered weapons that remained here purposefully, just in case of an emergency.

The attic provided an escape in two different directions. Up if Demons entered from the lower level, or down if they needed to get off the roof – which was where she was currently headed.

The moment she opened the door leading outside from within the attic, the cold night air assaulted her. She ducked down, quickly placing a brown cloak over her body that would camouflage her.

Mayumi hoisted herself outside onto the roof, crawling on her hands and knees until she was where she wanted to be. She lay flat on the slanted roof. Her eyes observed the clearing where the boar currently hung as she pulled her bow and quiver off her shoulders.

She nocked the end of an arrow to her bowstring but laid it flat against the roof in a relaxed position and waited.

She was used to being outside in the dark of night hunting the monsters that often hunted her back. With her practiced eyes, she could clearly see everything.

The boar was her bait. She’d needed to wait until it was almost dark before she could utilise it, needing its freshly spilled bloodto lead Demons here. Dried blood was only useful when the animal was larger, such as a deer or wolf.

She’d had to kill it where she did, in the way she did, in order to lead them to that specific location. The last thing she wanted was to lure the Demons to multiple places, making it disorientating for her to hunt from her sniping spot. It also meant they wouldn’t be sniffing around in search of more blood, which could reveal her instead.

Mayumi’s clothing was saturated in strong smelling herbs, and her skin was coated in an oil that had already started soaking into her skin. This was enough to dilute her human smell, but not enough to erase it.

It helped that fresh snow slowly covered her, but she was warm enough under her cloak. She was used to the harsh elements from her training.

Since her home was well thought-out in terms of location, the wait was long.

Her ancestors had built the house between two large villages north of the Veil’s forest, both of which were filled with hundreds of people. The villages cloaked Mayumi’s family home under the overwhelming mass of humankind.

Small homes like hers were often safe because the Demons were drawn to the larger populations.

Although the villages were far from the Demon’s home in the Veil, they were, unfortunately, close to the mountains. Many Demons liked to build their nests outside the Veil in the mountainside’s dark caves and old mines.

This was how all those who lived outside of villages remained safe. It was odd for their forest homes to be attacked, and it generally happened when a wandering Demon caught a thread of their presence in the distance.

Luring them was a game of patience, one Mayumi had played many times in her life – not so much here, but for the guild.

From a pouch at her hip, she pulled bread or fruit to eat, never leaving her position.

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