Okami: A Thousand Suns

The Metro

Roland and Amaterasu began their slow descent into the unknown darkness of the subway tunnel. The further they went downwards, the quieter it became and the only thing that could be heard, apart from Roland's hissing flare, were the placid sounds of water droplets dripping onto the surface which echoed throughout the empty space. Roland hoped to come across a substation or some sort of potential power source to bring light to the tunnel, as he was getting ever more fearful of the ghastly atmosphere. Amaterasu was also on very high alert, sensing the presence of an unknown dark force lying before them. But she did not know at what moment they would encounter it.

After some 10 minutes of traversing in the seemingly endless void, a freezing cold breath of wind breezed by the duo. Roland instantly froze as his stomach churned and his heart raced as panic almost settled in his mind, but he attempted to control it and let it get to him. Amaterasu slowly got into her defensive position. She had anticipated this since freezing wind and low temperatures coming out of the blue could only indicate one thing, demonic activity.

Roland gripped his blade hard and prepared himself for an enemy that he has never fought before. In front of them, a small cyclone of black and purple mist had shaped. And from the mist, materialized three green apelike creatures with paper masks covering their faces and wielded flutes constructed from bamboo. Amaterasu relaxed a bit as she realized they were the same old enemy from the past. The green demonic imps spun around like ballerinas to give themselves some distance to get into formation and then proceeded to aim their flutes at Roland and Amaterasu. Roland kept his cool and got ready to strike.

But Amaterasu had beat him to it, she leaped into the air and struck one of the imps with her reflector twice in a row. That imp screeched in pain and got launched into the air where it was power slashed in half. Amaterasu then focused on the remaining imps who were got off guard by her initial strike. They also proved no match for Amaterasu as they were the weakest of the demons that existed. Amaterasu performed the same strikes towards the other two imps, and both were cut into pieces. Their remains then bloomed into pile of various fauna that sprinkled the surface, an after effect when Amaterasu defeats an enemy.

Roland just stood there shocked and speechless. He did not know what to make of the spectacle that occurred just before him and had so many questions for Amaterasu but knew that she would not be able to answer them.

"What in the void were those things!" He suddenly exclaimed.

Amaterasu just stared back at him, unsure how to respond. Meanwhile, Roland got his act back together and made his next decision.

"We have to get the hell out of here and fast...come on let's go." He said quickly and started pacing onward. Amaterasu skipped after him while still being in a state of readiness regarding what may come next.

"You made short work them I must say. I at least feel a bit relieved that I have you to take care of them." Roland complimented.

Amaterasu did not respond to that either as she was too focused getting ready for another potential attack. Roland's flare started to glow dimmer and hiss less until it burned out entirely, leaving the two in near darkness with only Amaterasu's white mane and reflector emanating only a small amount of light.

"Shit! Not now!"

Roland discarded the dead flare and scrambled around in his book bag to retrieve another one. Unfortunately, this exact moment made them vulnerable to the forces of darkness, allowing an opportunity to launch another attack. Amaterasu felt the incoming hostiles nearby and got herself ready once more.

Another three green imps emerged in front them, with an additional fourth one of a different variation. It was a slightly larger brown imp this time wielding a wooden guitar. Roland hastily was trying to ignite the new flare, but it was taking longer than usual. The freezing conditions in the tunnel as a result of the demonic presence made establishing any source of light or heat stiffer. Amaterasu jumped in front of Roland to cover him while he fiddled with his flare. The imps proceeded to spread out to give them an advantage in angles of attack and coverage. But like last time, these types of demons were not formidable opponents for Amaterasu as she lunged, struck, and annihilated them one by one. By the time she was finished with them, Roland finally managed to set his flare alight.