I stepped forward, my boots crunching softly on the grass and damp soil. The duke flinched as if expecting a kick, but I ignored him and made my way to the lake's edge. My breath puffed out in the cold air, visible for a brief second before vanishing into the night.
As I extended one foot over the surface, the lake responded-not with a splash, but a sudden crack and shimmer. The water froze instantly beneath me, rippling with veins of glowing blue mana. The illusion that once cloaked the lake's true nature shattered like glass, revealing a crystalline ice path that spiraled elegantly toward a small shack resting atop the water's surface. The structure looked modest, a simple cabin of enchanted frost and solidified mana-beautiful, deadly, and impossibly out of place.
The duke stared at the shack, his voice low with disbelief. "Who made such a strong illusion?"
I smirked, not bothering to look back. "And why should I tell you?"
"I am the Duke!" he shouted, struggling to rise despite the bindings. Fury twisted his features, but his voice shook with the beginnings of dread.
"Since when are you still a duke?" "I asked," my voice dripping with mockery as I stepped lightly onto the frozen lake. Each step hummed with the magic that obeyed my will. "You've got no right to order me around anymore. Want some advice for the future? It's unlikely that you'll survive long enough to apply it. Only people I care about get to order me around. You? You don't even make the list."
As I approached the shack, I waved a hand, and the door swung open with a creak. Cold mist spilled from the dark interior like breath from a sleeping beast.
"What is this?" he asked again, more cautious now.
I sighed theatrically. "Did I not just say I'd entertain you? Pay attention."
With that, I descended the staircase inside the shack, the steps spiraling downward into the heart of the lake. Walls of enchanted ice glowed faintly with inner light, pulsing like veins. My footsteps were silent. The air grew colder with each level, wrapping around us like a noose.
"I asked my mother if I could have this lake," I continued, my voice echoing in the cavernous descent. "Being the soft-hearted queen she is, she said yes. So, I claimed it and made it mine. A man cave? Nah. Welcome to my woman's ice dungeon. Or perhaps it could be called a torture haven-I'm still working on the name.
We reached the base level-an expansive corridor lit by soft blue runes embedded into the floor. The walls glistened with translucent layers of ice that hummed with my mana. To anyone else, this place would be a frozen hell. To me? It was home.
"You made this place... completely out of ice?" he asked, voice trembling-not from cold, but from the growing realization of how much trouble he was in.
I stopped and looked at him with a grin. "Yes. My ice. I have complete control over everything in this place. Every wall, every inch, every cell. This isn't just a dungeon. It's my world."
"A world? "A person like you could never have her own world!" he spat, trying to sound bold.
I tilted my head slightly. "Sigh. You're just as dumb as that son of yours. Or did he inherit it from you?"
"YOU-AGH!" The duke jerked forward, chains tightening around his limbs. Crimson droplets bloomed as the enchanted links bit deeper into his already broken skin.
I tsked mockingly. "Come now. I reinforced those chains just for you. They're not meant to be struggled with. After all, our little ride here wasn't exactly first-class, was it?"
He growled under his breath, fury smoldering in his eyes.
We stopped in front of a heavy ice door fitted with a barred window. I snapped my fingers, and the door creaked open. A gust of frost-tinged air escaped as I shoved him inside like the sack of garbage he was.
"This is your new home," I said as I stepped in behind him. "You've got a bed-nice frame, soft enough. A desk to write on. Working toilet in the corner. Meals will arrive when I feel like it. Welcome to solitary confinement, deluxe edition."
He stared around, clearly confused. "Why... why is this room so nice?"
I leaned on the doorframe with a smirk. "You expected torture chambers, didn't you? No. This is worse. Silence. Emptiness. Time. It'll eat away at you faster than any whip or blade. But hey-"
I pointed to the desk. "-If you get bored, write me a list. Slavery contracts. Illegal businesses. The more detailed, the better. If you're lucky, I'll make your death quicker."
"Fuck you, bitch! I'm no snitch!" he shouted, face red with rage.
I chuckled. "Ah, how lively. Wonder how long you'll keep that fire."
I shut the door on his curses and walked to the next cell.
[Brad's Cell]
Knock, knock.
"Are you still alive in there, Brady boy?" I called, peering through the frost-covered window. He was curled up on the bed, arms around his knees, shivering despite the room's insulation. My smile sharpened.
"Still kicking, huh?"
"..."
"Still not talking? I only want one name-who hired you to kill Apricot?"
"I told you... I don't know. They paid in coin and gave a name. That's all."
"You said that before," I said, tapping the ice with my claws. "But why would you, second in command of the torture squad, take assassination contracts?"
"I... I have a family to care for."
I leaned my head against the doorframe, sighing. "Brad, I've read your file. Three kids, a loving wife, and a stable home. And yet the Black Ops salary was more than enough. So tell me-what pushed you to take blood money?"
He didn't answer right away. Just curled tighter.
"Have you told my wife yet?" he mumbled.
"Tsk. Brady, boy, what do you take me for? A monster?"
"You're closer to a monster than a human... Primordial fox."
He finally looked at me, and I saw it-the fear, the guilt, the hopelessness. It soaked into his bones like rot.
"True," I admitted with a casual shrug. "But even monsters have rules."
I stepped closer to the door. My tone dropped, sharp and cold. "You aimed a blade at someone I care for. I might just throw my morals out the window and drag your family in front of you. Make you watch."
"You... wouldn't," he whispered.
"You never know," I said sweetly. "I do have mood swings."
"Pffft-mood swings?!" Brad barked a bitter laugh.
"Fine, fine, multiple personalities. But I keep them mostly in check."
"Like hell you do!" he snapped, glaring now.
"Ooh, you're finally fighting back," I teased. "But let me make this clear: you have one week. Reveal the name, or I will involve your family. Don't blame me. You're the one who tried to kill Apricot."
"She's an ex-federation soldier! The same federation that massacred your kind like livestock! And yet you welcome her into your personal squad?!" He shouted, rising to his feet, fists clenched.
"Aww," I mocked, "are you jealous, Brad? Of my little doggie? How adorable."
"Fuck you!" he roared, slamming his fists against the door.
I stared calmly. "Three days. That's your new deadline. Fail, and your family joins you for execution."
"You're a monster. A real monster! You should burn in hell!"
I smirked. "Brad... I am hell."
Turning, I walked off, waving a hand casually. "Oh, and Furry-seven days. Finish the list, or I start my training on you."
Their howls followed me as I stepped back into the icy hallway.
'With the furry's regen, I can finally practice a healing skill. Once I finish Kayda's remaining poles... I might even split my dimension magic. Hard, sure. But worth it.'
I exited the shack and looked up at the fake sky projected by the illusion. It shimmered beautifully.
"Apricot did such a fantastic job with this illusion. Completely worth letting her go out with that dense Nekro. Wonder how long it'll take the little 13-year-old to notice Apricot's heart eyes."
I chuckled to myself.
'Like you're one to talk!!!' The shadows groaned in unison, though only I could hear them.
[Dan POV — The Next Day]
"What do you mean fifty buildings were destroyed?!" I slammed my palm on the desk, the echo cracking across the minister's spine.
"Sir... I am unsure how to explain it. Witnesses say it was someone tied to a white rope and being thrown around by an animal. A teleporting one."
My eyebrow twitched.
"I know who did it. I want to know how. How the hell did twenty buildings in the north, six in the south, twelve in the east, and twelve more in the Midwest all get leveled-in one night-by someone who lives in the noble district in the north?!"
The papers scattered across my desk, each stamped with a red seal. Every one of them has a report. Every one of them is saying the same thing: giant, humanoid holes in buildings.
The minister flinched. "Your Highness... You know who did it?"
I slumped in my chair. "Yeah. I know. What a fucking pain."
Grabbing the nearest bottle of alcohol, I downed it like water, wiped my mouth, and stood.
"You may leave. I'm done for today. There's no way I'm dealing with more of this."
"But Your Highness, Marquess Anabald's daughter is waiting-"
"Let me guess. Complaints about the fox? Tsk. Fine. Let her in. I hate foxes."
I particularly dislike foxes that are red in color.
I will do the catch-up chapter tomorrow
TheRealSkolliecreators' thoughts
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Chapter 78: The GUILD
"Good morning, Kitsu," Apricot chirped, wriggling her way out from the warmth of my thick fur. Her arms stretched skyward, back arching like a lazy cat welcoming the sun.
I cracked one eye open, the morning light casting a soft glow through the trees. "Morning," I mumbled, still half-asleep in my massive fox form. "Why isn't Nekro here?"
Apricot blinked, her expression shifting into one of faux offense. "It was her alone night, remember?"
"Oh... right," I muttered, finally dragging myself to my feet and stretching out. My front paws dug into the dirt as my back rose high into the air, tail flicking lazily behind me. The satisfying crack of my spine realigning made me exhale.
"Is it fun to lift your butt in the air like that?" Apricot asked in a mock-innocent tone, tilting her head while grinning up at me.
"What did you just say!?" I growled, eyes snapping wide as I brought my thick tail down like a hammer.
Boom!
Apricot yelped and narrowly dove to the side, barely avoiding being flattened. "Hey, I was just asking!"
"Shut it and go look for your Nekro, you spoiled brat," I huffed, batting a paw at her dismissively.
"Yes, Mother!" Apricot giggled as she turned and sprinted off into the woods.
I stared after her, ears twitching in disbelief. "Tsk. How can she say that to a 14-year-old without hesitation... I grumbled, still in fox form. My gaze drifted upward to the familiar shadow soaring in the sky above. Kayda.
She hovered with graceful ease, wings outstretched as the early wind tugged gently at her robes. "So," she called out with a smirk, "are you going to deny her having a mother?"
"A mother? "She's fucking nineteen," I snapped, beginning to trot toward the lake with heavy, padded steps. "She shouldn't be looking for a mother figure anymore-especially not from a 14-year-old!"
Kayda descended slowly, wings flaring wide as she landed on my back with practiced ease, resting there like she belonged. "You're thirty. Don't deny your true age."
"Tch. But I am no mother," I grumbled. "Get off. I'm not a ride."
She didn't budge.
"Oh come on," she said with a laugh in her voice, "you didn't even hesitate to throw yourself in front of that torture squad guy to save her life."
I snorted, swishing my tail behind us. "Of course I didn't. It wasn't like a poisoned dagger to the chest would kill me. Tch, I would've never done it if I knew she'd start calling me "mother" after that."
"But I think it's adorable," Kayda teased, leaning forward slightly, her chin resting on my neck fluff.
"Oi, wasn't it you who hated her before that?" I countered.
"That... That was a misunderstanding!" she said too quickly, her wings twitching in embarrassment. "Weren't you the same with Stacy, though? Looking for a mother figure and all?"
"Sure, but our situations are entirely different," I said quietly. "My mother committed suicide in front of me when I was five. Apricot never even met hers."
Kayda was silent for a beat. Then she said softly, "That... I guess you're right. But still, are you really so heartless you won't even let her call you 'mother' out of affection?"
"Kayda," I said, reaching the edge of the lake. Mist hung lazily above its surface, the sound of the gentle stream feeding the lake echoing like whispers. I am a primordial demon fox. Do you really think I have a heart?"
I took a step forward, paws brushing the water-then with a shimmer of magic, my form shifted.
Splash!
Kayda yelped as she slid off my back and fell onto the dirt with a thud.
"Ha-ha! I told you to get off me," I laughed, now standing tall in my human form, nude save for a layer of shimmering magic forming clothes around me.
"You could've warned me at least!" She pouted, brushing dirt off her rear.
"You could've asked for permission to ride me." I shot back, strolling across the water, each step dispelling the illusion surrounding the lake's surface.
Kayda followed, arms folded across her chest. "Would you have said yes if I asked?"
"No."
"See! My point exactly." She sighed. "Anyway, why are you here so early in the morning? Don't you usually come at night?"
"Yeah," I said, descending the now-visible staircase under the lake. "Wanted to check on the furry. See if he's figured out what this place is really about."
Kayda snorted, footsteps echoing behind me as we walked into the chilled stone hallway of the dungeon. "Ha-ha. It'll be even worse for him now, having all that fur fall off."
I smirked. "Nothing beats a suffering furry in the morning."
"When you smirk like that, even I get goosebumps," Kayda said, voice tinged with amusement.
"Huh. Scared or excited?" I asked over my shoulder.
"...Both, I guess," she said after a thoughtful pause.
I burst out laughing. "Wow. Scaring a dragon just by smirking. That's definitely going in my brag book."
"It's not something to brag about," she muttered.
"In my book, it is," I said, stepping into the prison hallway, the faint blue glow of frost-covered walls lighting our path.
We stopped in front of a thick metal door rimmed with enchanted ice.
Kayda tilted her head. "Why are you even here?"
"Oh, right," she said after a moment. "Stacy said we're going out hunting today."
A grin spread across my face. "Awesome. I wondered when I'd finally get to hunt."
