"... I will hear both sides of the story before judging you. Be glad you saved me." She said, nodding to herself in satisfaction, as if that statement alone was enough to wash her hands of the whole ordeal.
"Sigh, what a pain."
"Now, what is our situation?"
"What do you think?" I said, smiling at her, the corners of my lips tugging up even though my body felt heavy. My chest still ached faintly from forcing out so much mana earlier.
"Seeing as you risk passing out to save me. You aren't strong enough to fight them alone."
"Ding ding, you're correct. I might be overpowered for my age, but there are many black pandas stronger than me." I said, pointing at her with a smile I didn't quite feel.
"Black pandas?" She asked, tilting her head with a small frown, her crimson hair falling over one eye.
"The devil cultists wear a black panda costume sometimes," I explained with a slight chuckle at her reaction. The absurdity of it always got to me. Out of all disguises, pandas? Really?
"Is that so?"
"Yeah, it's quite funny."
"Whatever, I am glad you woke me up and all, but I don't think two mages will be good in a fight. Especially when one has almost no mana, and the other one is as weak as a low-class mage." She said this while shaking her head, as if she already regretted everything.
"Hmm, two mages? Oh no, I am not a mage per se. I do use magic and spells, but I am a close combat fighter with a lot of mana." I said smugly, tapping my chest.
"Huh? Wait, how did you create this perfect fortification?" She said, her eyes scanning the frosted room, the jagged edges of ice catching the faint glow of our light source.
"I use ice weapons, so I need to be able to make strong things with ice. This is like breathing for me." I said, gesturing towards the walls. The smooth frost still pulsed faintly with mana, a barrier between us and the cultists who hammered outside.
"I don't really understand?" She said, tilting her head at me again.
"I am Stacy Draig's disciple."
"Oh... ooh damn, seems I lucked out having you save me. So, what is your class? It should have to do with weapons, right? Hmm, maybe even weapon master." She said, beaming and overly joyful, like she had just been told her savior wasn't some random street rat but someone important.
"Nope, I don't have any class yet. I am only 14 years old. It's too early for a class, really."
"You don't have one?" She said, looking at me like I was stupid or lying, her brows furrowed as if the math didn't add up.
"However, I am a demon fox who possesses three elements."
"That... sigh, what a crazy family." She said, just sighing, not wanting to go on. Her tone expressed a combination of envy and resignation.
"Yeah, I am still not used to my fire and lightning, though."
"Huh, what do you mean by not being used to them?"
"They kind of changed like a week ago."
"Change?"
"Sorry, let's not talk about that right now. People are already here trying to break through my ice. I will give them another 15 minutes, though." I said, looking at the exit, the faint tremors along the ice telling me how determined they were.
"Shit, just a fair warning, they do have some sort of projectile weapons with drugs in them," she added with a thoughtful expression, her voice lower now, more serious.
"I doubt it would work on me, but thank you for the warning."
"Why do you think it won't work?"
"I am excellent at the healing abilities. Anyways, here is some light armor. You do seem the same size as Kayda at the moment, so I think it will fit you." I said, taking a set of armor out of my storage and laying the pieces down in front of her.
"That will be useful, thank you. Hmm, you won't by chance have extra clothes as well." She said, taking the armor and inspecting it like she half-expected it to crumble.
"Yes, I do. Here you go, and use this wall for some privacy." I said, giving her a set of clothes and making an ice wall with a flick of my hand. The wall rose with a satisfying crackle, separating her from me.
"Okay, thank you."
"Make it quick; you have 10 min at most," I said, walking towards the exit. While crouching down, I began to take out spears and shields from my storage and stack them neatly, feeling the rough weight of preparation in my fingers.
"Fuck, this is harder than I thought." I heard the red demon say, frustrated, her voice muffled by the wall.
"Do you need help?" I asked, not turning around, keeping my focus on setting up the barricade.
"No, I am fine. Haaah, there, it's on." I heard her say it before walking around the wall.
Looking at her, I nodded in satisfaction. Instead of the gown, she was now wearing jeans with a loose t-shirt. It was probably too big for her at the moment. Over her clothes, she wore boots along with knee pads and a breastplate. She didn't put the helmet on for some reason, holding it loosely in one hand.
"Why aren't you wearing the helmet?"
"Aah, I can say the same to you. Actually, you aren't wearing any armor as well."
"Speed-type fighters, something like that, will only get in the way," I said, shrugging before getting back to setting up my weapons for the fight.
"Fair enough. "The reason I didn't wear it is that I have a horn," she explained, parting her hair to reveal a small black horn that glinted faintly in the dim light. She said these words while parting her hair to reveal a small black horn that glinted faintly in the dim light.
"Oh, didn't know demons get horns?" I said this while examining the horn with curiosity.
"They don't." She spoke bluntly, and her tone was heavy with unspoken emotions.
"... I see, so they changed your bloodline," I said, nodding before slamming a shield into the ground. The ice floor groaned under the pressure but held.
"Not change per se, but strengthen."
"Aah, that's right, you guys are from a devil bloodline. So, you're a devil now?"
"Sadly, not only half." She said, disappointment written all over her face, her lips pulled thin.
"Only half? I can fix that for you if you like." I said nonchalantly, slamming another shield into the ground next to the other one.
"You can do that!?"
"Yeah, I did it for a half-angel a month ago. So why can't I do it for a devil?"
"You did it for an angel?"
"Yeah, and regret it to this day," I said, standing up from my crouching position, bringing two belts with 7 spears clipped into each.
"What are you going to do with those?"
"Woman, did the long conversation fuck your mind over?" I said, tilting my head at her.
"Huh?"
"We are about to have a fight. What else am I going to do with explosive spears?" I said, stepping the two belts over my back.
"Fight? Explosive spears?" She said, confused.
"Yeah, you see the spearheads. Those will explode on impact... I hope they do." I said, pointing to the spearhead, where faint runes glimmered beneath frost.
"Explode, you hope they do!? You're not even sure they will work!?"
"Well, no, not really. I am not a master after all." I said, shrugging.
"So, you're winging it."
"Yes, and you're supporting my wings from behind those shields," I said, pointing at the three shields on the ground.
"Uh, I guess that can work for the cover. Sorry for being so confused."
"It's fine. Just try your best in supporting me, okay?" I said, petting her head while smiling, my hand briefly brushing her hair before pulling back.
"Uh, will do." She nodded in response, her cheeks faintly flushed.
"Good, now get in the position; they are coming," I said, pushing her to the shields.
Boom!
The entrance shuddered, cracks spreading along the ice as black smoke hissed through the gaps.
'I only have just above 1000 mana. I can't use a flash step for this fight at all.' I thought, tightening my grip on a spear, eyes narrowing.
[Kayda POV]
[1 hour 53 minutes ago]
"Hey, butler, I urgently need some of your men right now."
"Huh, and why would I do that?"
"Kitsuna got captured."
"By whom exactly?"
"The devil cult. I can explain this while we make our way to the fortress in the slums." I said, getting annoyed by his nonchalant expression. His blank look only made my blood pressure rise.
"I cannot do that, ma'am. As the young lady is there right now, I, as the head butler, make-"
"If you think something like that will work on me, you are solely mistaken," I said, grabbing his collar, my claws barely restrained.
"Let me remind you who-ugh."
"Let me remind you that I have more authority than you in this country."
"This area is controlled by the Anabald."
"Are you... stupid? Don't you realize that I can actually just kill you on the premise that you were suspicious?"
"..."
"If you don't. Whatever, I am taking over command of the Anabald troop, and you will be put in the dungeon until further notice." I said, throwing him against the wall and knocking him out with a dull thud.
"What a pain." Walking up to the butler's unconscious body, I sat him down, finding a scroll in his pocket. Looking at the front screen, I saw that he was on a call.
"Oh, it seems we were found out." The other person on the call said before ending the call.
"Kitsuna is going to laugh at me if she hears I didn't see this coming," I mumbled, putting the scroll in my pocket.
"Sigh, now what? I can't actually trust the Anabald military anymore," I said, taking the butler up, his limp weight dragging against me.
"... Kayda, you dumbass, there's the fucking guild. I can ask for help there," I shouted, frustrated, before jumping out of the window with the butler in hand. I flew to the closest adventure guild, wings spreading wide as the wind whipped against my face.
[6 minutes later]
Slam
"I need help, like, right now!" I shouted, slamming the guild doors open. Heads snapped up instantly.
"Who dares to slam "Who dares to slam my guild? Kayda, what are you doing here?" The guild master shouted from the second floor until he saw me, his anger softening into shock.
"Yo, can I have some backup? And they must be strong."
"How strong." The guild master said, jumping down the railing to the ground floor, his boots hitting the wood with a dull echo.
"My level of strength will be awesome," I said, getting a sigh from him.
"That's going to be hard. How fast do you need them?"
"Under an hour, please."
"You're not making this easy. Clair, you heard her contact the other guilds and tell them about this."
"Yes, guild master." One of the receptionists said, nodding as she hurried off.
"So, mind telling me where we are going? Oh, and why are you dragging the head butler of the Anabald around?" The guild master said, pointing at the unconscious body in my hand, his brow raised.
"Sigh, it's troublesome, I tell you," I said, sighing, the weight of the situation pressing down on me harder than the body in my grip.
avataravatar
Chapter 125:
"Here goes nothing," I said, throwing an infused spear into the smoke. The spear spun through the air, leaving a faint shimmer of cold in its wake, before disappearing into the black haze. My heart raced a little, because I honestly wasn't sure if the runes etched into the head would activate properly.
"Incoming dodge to the side!?" The yell of warning came muffled but sharp from the other side of the smoke just when the spear hit something.
Boom!!
The blast shook the ground beneath us. Ice shards cracked along the barricade wall, and the smoke doubled, black and gray mixing until visibility was nothing but a vague outline.
"They explode. Watch out!?" One scruffy voice yelled, probably the leader of whoever had just survived that hit.
"What the fuck." Another voice, panicked, echoed after.
"You damn fox, they're friendlies!" Kayda yelled from inside the smoke, her tone sharp enough to make my tail go stiff in shock.
"Kayda?" I said, ears twitching. I lowered my stance, waiting for the smoke to clear completely this time. The acrid scent of burnt dust clung to the air, stinging my nose. Sadly, before it cleared, a figure came out running-or more like stomping-straight toward me.
Slap!
"Ouch, Kayda, you're so mean," I mumbled in surprise, feeling the sting of her palm across my cheek. I rubbed it with a pout, my tail swishing behind me in protest.
"You almost killed us. What were you thinking?" Kayda said, hitting me over the head again for good measure.
"Uh, Kayda, you do know that we are in an enemy's base, right?" I said, looking at her like I was the one wronged here. My tone came out more defensive than I wanted.
"Are you sure about that? We haven't seen anything. "It appeared to be an abandoned maze," Kayda said, tilting her head thoughtfully at me while her hands rested firmly on her hips.
"Didn't you see the bodies or any of the broken traps?"
"Bodies? Traps? No, there was nothing." Kayda firmly shook her head in denial.
"Oh, right, I burned them, teehee," I said, laughing at myself, though it came out sheepish.
"Hello, Kayda, be gentle with her. We really are in an enemy base." The demoness spoke, her voice echoing from behind me. She stepped around the shield wall with a steady gait, her crimson eyes flicking across the room as if daring anyone to doubt her words.
"Oh, An, you're here?" Kayda said, her sharpness fading into confusion.
"Jip, that's me."
"Huh? I am confused right now," Kayda said, looking at me with wide eyes, her brows pinched together.
"Same here. Anyways, I think we should get out of here. Even with the number of powerful people you brought, this scenario is still not a proper raid." I said, glancing at the sixteen adventurers crowding behind Kayda. They carried themselves with experience-some nervous, some too eager-but this wasn't a raid force, not by design.
"That's true. Let's get out of here," Kayda said, turning on her heel.
"Who will take the lead?" I asked, scanning the group.
"I will be doing that." A short man stepped forward, his voice clipped and professional. He emerged from the crowd with a confidence that indicated his familiarity with obedience. Black and brown dog ears twitched atop his head.
Inspecting him more closely, I noticed faint scars along his jaw and the way his tail swished-controlled, alert.
Nodding, I walked to An and slipped her arm around my neck, steadying her weight against me.
"Okay, then let's move," Kayda said, taking the other side of An without hesitation.
"I can walk on my own, you know." Ann complained, her pride clear in the way her eyes narrowed, but I ignored her, keeping her weight even.
"Walk, yes, but not run," Kayda said firmly. We all moved into the middle of the group and started walking out. The faint echoes of boots against stone sounded eerie in the silence of the fortress. Luckily, we didn't have any problems getting back to the hole where I had fallen into. The real problem came when we needed to get out.
