Ian slowly makes his way towards the Great Valley to the East, each step taking him one step closer to revenge. The sun is hot overhead, so he tips down his jingasa to cover his eyes.
Eight hours into his trek towards the valley, Ian grows weary of journeying, so he finds a large tree to sit under to take shelter from the ruthless sun. As he eats a sandwich he made before leaving, he hears a small bark from the other side of the tree. He leans over to the other side to see a small fox hiding behind it. He laughs and breaks off a piece of his sandwich’s bread as an offering for the fox to eat. It timidly approaches his hand before snatching up the crumbs and darting a distance away. Ian watches as the tiny creature gobbles up the bread.
"Thank you," it says. Terribly shocked, Ian jumps up extremely quickly and pulls out his kunai, ready to throw several knives into whatever demon he has encountered. His show of aggression startles the animal, which runs to hide behind the tree again. What is this creature?
"What are you? State your business with me now!" Demands Ian. A voice from behind the tree responds. It is high-pitched, but otherwise sounds like the voice of a human.
"I, uh, I’ve been sent to help you on your, um, trip…" The voice shakily responds. Ian leans over to look behind the tree. Sure enough, the small red fox on the other side is shaking in fear, indicating the voice was produced by it. "My name is Layla," it says, "and I’m sorry if I startled you."
Ian slowly lets his guard down and puts his knives away. "Who sent you? Where did you come from?" He asks.
"I’m… not sure. I have vague memories, human memories, of before I came here… but I do remember a woman named Rhea telling me it is essential I aid you on your endeavors." Ian puts his head down and smiles.
"So you truly do have good intentions," he says. "Nobody can lie to have divine inspiration from her whilst also escaping her wrath. While I appreciate your willingness to help, what can you do? You are a small fox. A single sword strike and you are dead, and I doubt you can carry a sword yourself."
Layla puts her head down for a second before perking up and saying, "Oh! I can do this!" When she says this, Ian’s head begins spinning, seeing multiple things at once. After a moment of disorientation, Ian realizes he is using Layla’s senses. The experience stops after a few seconds.
"So you can share your senses with me?" Ian asks. "Anything else?"
"Oh, I remember now! Kill me."
"…What?"
"Kill me! Trust me, you’ll be surprised at the result." Ian, sensing she speaks truly, throws a knife at her small skull, killing her instantly. Nothing happens for a good few minutes. Oh, shit…
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Ian is greatly startled when he feels something pounce on his back and yells in fright. "Ta-da!" The creature that jumped on him was another fox with Layla’s voice. "Whenever I die, I just enter the body of another fox!" She says cheerfully.
Ian is amazed, but a bit concerned. "You may be divinely gifted, but your demeanor is that of a… well, you’re awfully perky."
"What does ‘perky’ mean?" Layla asks. Ian sighs as he begins walking East once more.
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On their trek, the pair encounter an old woman running towards them. Ian draws his blades.
"You must help me!" She cries. "I was walking back to my village when a group of bandits started pursuing me! I was only able to get away by hiding!" Ian pushes the old woman behind him when he sees the bandit party approaching them. Layla growls.
"Leave this woman alone!" He shouts at them. The bandits slowly look at each other and then burst out laughing. "What, you think I can’t take you?" Ian says angrily.
"That’s not it," says a bandit. "You’re just a fucking moron!"
"Ian, watch out!" Yells Layla, who jumps and bites the neck of the old woman behind Ian who has now revealed the knife in her hand. Ian darts around and stabs the old woman in the throat. The other bandits seem to have turned and fled at the sight of a speaking fox, likely perceiving it as some sort of demon.
"Thanks for that," says Ian. Layla’s now bloody mouth curls into an innocent smile.
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Ian and Layla, after a few more hours of walking, arrive in a small town with a few buildings and an inn. The town’s size is deceptive, as a great many people of all races and nationalities walk between the few buildings it has. When they walk into the inn, they are greeted with a high-pitched cheery voice.
"Hi there!" Says the receptionist. "Welcome to Fern Point, the third busiest trading capital in the kingdom! Can I get you a room, sir?"
"Yes, please. Just one night." The receptionist hands Ian the keys and they go upstairs to sleep the night away.
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At about midnight, Ian finds he cannot sleep, so he gets up to get a drink. Before he can leave his room, however, he thinks he hears something and pauses. After evaluating for a moment, he realizes the noise is being produced from the spear. He walks over to the table he set it on and sits down. Listening very closely, Ian swears he can hear whispers, but can’t make out what they’re saying.
Ian jumps in surprise when he realizes the spear has begun slowly turning to face its tip at the curled-up Layla, who has been sleeping soundly through this. The whispering now gets more intense. He swear he can make out words.
"ᓭℸ ̣ ∷╎ꖌᒷ ⍑ᒷ∷ ↸𝙹∴リ ∴⍑╎ꖎᒷ ᓭ⍑ᒷ ᓭꖎᒷᒷ!¡ᓭ"
Ian clasps his temples in pain and grabs the spear, which causes the whispering to subside.
He wakes up the next day and swears it was just a bad nightmare.
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"So, he’s retreated further into Elee territory," muses Horus. "I wonder what he could be doing?" With a wave of his hand, he produces a candle that illuminates his dark room. "Could he be trying to find me?" A shadow is cast on the wall in the shape of a tower and a boy holding a spear. "Is he perhaps seeking to rally units from the Shogun?" A new shadow is cast now, one of a large army and opposing them a single man. "Or perhaps he knows about… our little project?" A final shadow in the shape of the odd device Imonthep received from him is now cast, with movement showing the hammer clicking and firing. Horus puts his fingertips on the candle, extinguishing it. "Regardless, if he tries to stop production, he will be massacred. If he tries to rally the Shogun’s army, he will be rejected. And if he faces me head-on, he will be immolated by the catapults before he even makes it close to the tower. There is nothing you can do, boy… nothing at all."