"Man, to think it would be a fox," I muttered, brushing ash from my shoulders as I watched the flames coil around him like a living aura.
The fox demon prowled through the treeline, every step leaving scorched earth in his wake. Black fur rippled with heat, streaked by glowing veins of molten red. Flames danced along his tails, and smoke rose like steam from his paws.
I sighed, peeling off my jacket and tossing it aside. "Great. Another outfit down the drain."
Drawing my shadow blade, I considered my options. Capturing him was the goal, but I had to do it without giving him a chance to kill himself or unleash some suicide spell. That meant being swift. Precise.
A gust of wind marked Zelda's arrival as she landed beside me in a light crouch, her armor gleaming faintly under the fiery sky.
"Do you need backup?" she asked, her tone calm yet curious.
"Not really. Just figuring out how to catch him without messing up his throat."
Zelda raised an eyebrow. "Him?"
"Yeah," I nodded. "Saw it when I kicked him out of the trees. He's male."
"You demons have good eyes," she said with a dry chuckle. "But why capture? He nearly torched half our perimeter."
"For intel. I have my own extraction methods, but I need him mostly intact. Especially the vocal cords."
She folded her arms. "Are you sure you want to take that risk? You know what they're capable of."
"I'm not worried," I said with a shrug, stepping forward.
"What's your plan, then?"
"Step one: punch him in the face."
Zelda actually laughed. "You're terrifying."
I sheathed my sword and walked toward the fox—completely unarmed.
"You don't need to go in unarmed," Zelda called after me, a trace of concern in her voice.
"Trust me. He'll be less defensive if I look like a fool."
The fox spotted me immediately. His eyes narrowed. Then he lunged, claws outstretched, wreathed in fire.
I teleported at the last moment, reappearing beneath his front leg. One firm grip and a clean uppercut to his jaw. The blow cracked like a gunshot. The fox's body stiffened, his limbs going limp midair.
It collapsed in a heap at my feet, its tail twitching once before falling still. The slack paws of the fox held wisps of dissipating illusion magic.
I stood over the crumpled fox, blinking. "Seriously?" I nudged it with my boot. A weak groan was my only answer. It was completely incapacitated.
That… was easier than expected. This sly creature had coordinated an entire assault, yet one punch to the gut and lights out? Maybe I'd underestimated how much stronger I've gotten—or overestimated the fox's durability. I almost felt disappointed.
Behind me, cautious footsteps approached.
Zelda stared. "Did... you knock him out in one hit?"
I tilted my head. "Looks like it."
She laughed again, shaking her head. "Remind me never to spar with you."
I gave her a sideways grin. "Please do. I could use the workout."
Zelda floated the unconscious fox into a containment rune. "Are you off to Stronghold 4?"
"Yeah. Comms are down. I want to see for myself."
"Go. I'll handle this one."
Without another word, I vanished.
Stronghold 4's courtyard was barely recognizable—half the outer wall had collapsed, and fires raged everywhere. The night sky pulsed orange and black from flame and smoke. Even as I appeared, an explosion rocked the ground under my boots.
I had to throw myself aside immediately. CRASH! A massive chunk of stone battlement smashed into the spot I'd occupied a split second before, spraying me with gravel and dust. Great job, Ren, teleport directly into a war zone why don't you?
Coughing, I waved grit from my face and took stock. Through swirling smoke, I spotted three human soldiers sprinting across the courtyard, sheer terror on their faces. Chasing close behind on all fours was a beast the size of a car, a grotesque hybrid of wolf and reptile, its maw bristling with fangs. The soldiers were stumbling, one practically dragging another who had a mangled leg. The monster was almost upon them, snarling hungrily.
Hou Yao's blade ignited in red-gold fire as I slashed across the beast's flank. The blow cut deep, sending up a spray of sizzling blood and a howl of pain. The wolf-lizard skidded sideways, instantly killed.
Seeing that they were fine, they ran to Jean's circle of healing before turning back outwards to fire on any monsters that were coming in.
Nodding to myself, I looked at where Jean was before disappearing again.
I appeared behind Jean, who barked orders into the chaos.
"Watch the flank! They're circling from the left!"
"Jean!"
She whirled around. "Ren! Thank God! We've lost the stronghold—comms, wall, everything. It's just us now."
"How many left?"
She gestured around. "Everyone still breathing is right here. Luna's at the front, see that fire tornado?"
I nodded. "Got it. I'll clear the rear."
I vanished again, reappearing behind the monster wave encroaching on Jean's barrier.
No time for subtlety. I drew Fushi Emo, the blade of rot, and dragged it along the ground. Sickly green energy hissed into trenches, spreading poison into the battlefield.
A marine spotted me. "What the hell?!"
"She's with us!" another shouted. "Fall back, make space!"
Good instincts. I carved a path through the horde. My swords blazed in the dusk: Hou Yao's flames, Ors' piercing light, Heian Emo's darkness, and Fushi Emo's decay. Four elements, four blades—unleashed with precise, merciless intent.
It wasn't a battle.
It was a massacre.
I was acutely aware of the blood pumping through my limbs, the heat of flames on my skin, and the metallic taste of adrenaline on my tongue. A wild grin spread across my face before I even knew it. 'Gods, I missed this!'
I whispered, blood dripping from my jaw. "This is what I was made for."
With another swing of my blade, the biggest monster around us dropped dead without even reacting.
Seeing their strongest fall and suddenly beset from both sides, the remaining monsters panicked. Some broke and ran, scrambling back out the shattered gate. Those that fled were cut down by our snipers on the wall. The rest, goblins, imps, and a crazed orc, fought with the frenzy of the cornered, but with another swing of my blade, I tore through them with ruthless efficiency. In less than a minute, the last demon fell to the blood-soaked earth.
Silence, and then a huge collective sigh of relief from the Stronghold 4 survivors. Jean finally let her circle spell drop. The golden dome fizzled out, and she nearly buckled with exhaustion, catching herself on her staff. Flames crackled, and wind whispered through the ruined gate where moments ago battle cries had rung.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" a voice snapped.
All our heads snapped toward the far end of the courtyard, where the shadow of the east wall loomed. Near a cluster of supply crates and field tents, a figure had appeared as if out of nowhere among a group of medics and wounded. It stood tall, cloaked, with multiple tails fanning out behind it.
The second fox scout.
Even as recognition jolted through me, the fox demon moved. Clawed hands shot out, grabbing a hapless medic by the throat. Gasps and cries arose as it used the poor man as a living shield, snarling something unintelligible. I saw its vulpine snout and wild amber eyes over the medic's shoulder as it backed toward a gap in the wall. It was going to try to escape in the confusion—and kill anyone in its way.
"You... you stink of him! You… touched my mate!" Her voice broke into a savage shriek.
Ah.
That explained the aggression.
I barely had time to react—she dove at me with a feral scream.
I didn't wait for it to make the next move. I lunged, aiming to subdue it like I had the first. The fox was faster than its unconscious friend, though. It slipped aside from my grasp with inhuman flexibility, ducking under my arm and lunging past me in a blur.
I spun and lashed out, catching it by the hood before it could get far. The fabric tore away in my hand, revealing the demon's grey-furred, pointed ears lying flat against its skull. It skidded to a halt a few yards off, eight bushy tails lashing in agitation. Its eyes darted around—taking stock of the encircling soldiers and the fact that its escape route was closing.
The fox scout's lips curled in a sudden, eerie smile. Then its form shimmered. I blinked, momentarily disoriented. The hulking fox demon in front of me seemed to shrink, its fur bleeding away to reveal pale human skin. An illusion!
In the blink of an eye, I was no longer looking at a demon but at a wide-eyed, blood-soaked human soldier stumbling toward the ring of onlookers. The young man (in appearance, anyway) raised his hands in a plea. "Help! Please—don't shoot!" he cried, his voice perfectly mimicking an injured private. To everyone watching, it now looked like I was the monster threatening one of our own.
Shouts of alarm and confusion erupted around us. Several rifles swung my way uncertainly.
"Cease fire, CEASE FIRE!" A lieutenant hollered, panic in his tone.
"Give the order!" A nervous soldier yelled, his rifle barrel wavering between me and the illusory soldier.
I snarled in frustration. I could smell the fox demon's cloying scent and could see the faint distortion around its false human outline, but my allies saw only a terrified boy and me with swords drawn. "It's a trick!" I roared, slowly advancing on the "soldier" before it could slip off. "Illusion magic! That's the fox, not a human!"
Uncertainty paralyzed the surrounding troops. Some held their fire, but I caught others glancing down their gunsights with dread. The fox's illusion was good.
Sighing, I used Ors and shot a blinding light attack at the half-dead soldiers, shattering the illusion magic.
The fox scout, realizing its ruse had failed, let out a furious, animalistic yowl. It lunged at me, claws and fangs bared. I braced—its jaws clamped onto my forearm, driving a few fangs against my dragon-scale skin with a painful scrape. "Little…!" I snarled. Its teeth didn't pierce at all, but the shock of it made me flinch.
The fox wrenched away, ripping its fangs free and trying to spring past me in one last bid for freedom. It might've succeeded, if I hadn't also recovered in that instant. As it darted by, I grabbed her snout mid-lunge and slammed her to the ground.
The demon's eyes rolled back. It hit the ground chin-first and collapsed in an unconscious heap at my feet, limbs splaying awkwardly.
"Stay down," I growled.
She thrashed like a feral dog, eyes bloodshot with rage. Her power flared in bursts, fire, illusion, charm, but she couldn't break my grip.
"Get the fox! She's holding it down!" someone shouted.
"HEY! FUCK OFF!" I snapped, glaring at the soldiers. Several flinched.
Jean hurried to me, her eyes still shining with adrenaline. "Stand down," she yelled, letting out a breath of profound relief.
"She's fine. Don't shoot." Luna said, joining Jean in standing between me and the human soldiers.
Jean gave me a nod. "We're clear now. The stronghold's ours again."
I slung the unconscious fox scout over my shoulder with a grunt. "Jean, do you think you can handle things here? Securing the stronghold, taking care of the wounded?"
Jean pushed sweat-soaked hair from her face and nodded. "We've got it covered. What about you?"
"Where's the other?"
"Already handled. Zelda has it."
"You're... amazing," Jean said quietly.
I gave her a tired smile. "Tell me that after the next drink."
With a flex of power, I vanished, fox scout in tow.
I appeared at Stronghold 1's command post, bloodied and carrying the limp fox over my shoulder. The soldiers nearby jumped in surprise.
I emerged an instant later back at Stronghold 1's command post amid startled yelps from a few officers. General Zelda stood at the center, eyes wide as I materialized out of thin air with a battered fox demon over my shoulder.
I couldn't help the broad, triumphant grin that spread across my face. "Special delivery," I called out, my voice echoing in the stunned silence. "One Fox Scout, slightly used."
She blinked, then grinned. "You're a monster."
"Only when I need to be."
Guards scrambled to bind the second fox.
Zelda stepped up beside me, voice low. "We're going to learn so much from these two."
I didn't reply immediately, just stared into the smoke-covered horizon.
Something had changed.
And the enemy wouldn't forget this.
Not now.
Not ever.