A beam of sunlight reached my face, cutting my sleep short. I tried to hide in my pillow, wanting to spend a few more hours in bed, but quickly thought better of it. It was only a matter of time before the men and women would come for their morning prayer, meaning I was running out of time. I needed to spend my mana now if I wanted to progress in the many quests the deities had given to me any faster.
It hadn’t taken me long to figure out that I could use the morning prayers to summon at least two new foxes a day, even three if I waited for my mana to regenerate. This meant I could start creating my second floor as early as today if I really wanted to!
Naturally, I would give myself more time for the floor, as I really needed to prepare a few things beforehand. But the foxes? I could create them right now! Knowing this, I raised myself up, making sure I was quiet enough not to wake up Myra, who was still lying on her bed with the comb placed on the pillow next to her face and all the Liri Foxes by her side.
Despite the smile that could be seen on her face even as she was asleep, Myra seemed to have learned from her mistake and was now being more cautious with the comb. Still, with how she was treating the artifact, chances were it would never be used for its intended purpose.
Leaving the cuddle pile at the neighboring bed behind, I now made my way to the Volcano Room, searching my way through the pitch-black tunnel with my hand tracing the wall. I reached my destination within minutes and, as the foxes surrounding the fiery mountain and its forest were still sleeping, had no trouble making my way to the Vulpine Circle either.
It was only when I reached the place that I realized a flaw in doing the ritual this early, as there was no willing participant to be found anywhere nearby. Sure, there was an Air Fox sleeping in one of the taller fruit trees close to the Vulpine Circle, and it would likely listen to me if I asked for its help, but what would I do for the second one?
With a shrug, I decided to make my way towards the volcano’s slope and, once I had reached one of the endless streams of molten rock flowing down at its side, made my way up the fiery mountain. My goal was the many dens I had dug that served as the home of the Fire Foxes–the first of which was already in sight.
Once I had reached the unassuming hole in the ground, I transformed myself into a fox and used my now much smaller frame to make my way into the burrow. Sadly, it was void of life, prompting me to try with another burrow a few meters further up the mountain. It was only at the third burrow that I found one of the foxes, deeply asleep and snoring as it lay on its back.
I approached the fox and nudged it with my nose, over and over again, causing it to finally protest with a whimper. Soon, it was opening its eyes before staring at me in anger, then confusion and slowly happiness, as its fiery tail soon wagged from side to side. I barked at the fox, making sure not to be too loud as it was still in the process of waking up, but that seemed to be enough as, despite me having no idea of how to talk to the fox, it was already reading itself to follow me outside.
With the Fire Fox in tow, I made my way back to the Vulpine Circle before calling down the Air Fox from its tree with a few more barks. Like its comrade, it, too, was needing some encouragement to abort its sleep, but soon enough, it was already hovering down from its home and pantry–after making sure to grab a snack for its hard journey to the magic circle.
It was only when both of the foxes were sitting on their respective pedestals and urged me to take my place that I realized I had yet to think about what this new fox should be about. Fire and air would give… hot air? But how would that even look? Air was invisible!
For a moment I was completely clueless about what the result of combining these foxes would look and act like, but when I then thought about the hottest time of the year, the summer, an image immediately stuck in my head. Under the intense sun, Abervale’s cobbled roads would have hot air rising from them, creating a fuzzy image when you look at it from a distance. The new fox should be exactly like that, invisible unless you looked really close. It would be untouchable and unreachable, nor would it eat or drink as it feeds on mana alone.
I quickly sat down on an empty pedestal, as not to forget the still unclear image I had in my head. Once I had taken my place, I tried to give the fox a more clear outline, one it could lose whenever it felt like it, becoming a giant, invisible cloud of hot air instead. It was in this shape that it would attack delvers. Not by tossing powerful attacks at them, but by simply surrounding them with its heat, while being almost perfectly protected by any means of attacks they may toss at it.
Sure, delvers needed a way to fight against even this monster, especially when they had neither access to wind magic to blow it away nor water and ice magic to cool themselves down. But there was an easy way to do this: by befriending the fox. As such, I created the fox as a curious and openhearted beast, one that, while it would protect its home like any other monster I had, could be reasoned with. And as there was no way for the fox to eat or drink, so no obvious way to bribe it, how about smells instead? What if this fox liked to surround itself with tasty smells? What if it liked to cook using its own body heat? You could just offer it a piece of meat, bread, or any other tasty treat to roast and savor that way. This way, everyone would win, including the fox that would stumble upon this perfectly prepared delicacy later on.
This fox would be the very first one delvers couldn’t actively hope to fight without specialized magic, but who said they must be able to kill every monster they stumble upon? They just should be able to defeat them!
Knowing this, I finished shaping the fox in my head, perfecting it as best as I could by giving it both a body, magic, and character, before letting out a long sigh of relief once the mana left my body. I had done it.
I opened my eyes, eager to see my newest creation and indeed, there it was, right in the center of the magic circle. It was barely visible, nothing more than a fox–shaped veil of ever–moving air that was turning the calm lake behind it into a shaky image.
When I walked up to the fox to greet it, I quickly found out that this was a harder task than I thought, as I couldn’t touch its body at all. It just moved through my hand unhindered, a warm feeling flooding me whenever it did so. But it seemed the attention was enough, as a soft rumble could soon be heard, seemingly carried by the wind alone.
It was at this moment that a small, green board appeared, notifying me that my newest addition was called Heat Fox, which was a much better name than ‘hot air fox’ or whatever else I could have come up with. Happy to now know its name, I play–petted my newest family member for a few more minutes when, suddenly, a cold shiver assaulted me, immediately causing me to stop. The fox, too, knew something had changed, as I could now hear it growl, its voice barely audible in the air. It would protect me like every single part of my ever-increasing family did, and that was a deeply comforting thought.
It wasn’t as if it was needed, at least not right now, as a single glance at the morning sun was enough to confirm it was just about time for the morning prayer. Without the temple ringing the hours or the help of the big clock my father had in his laboratory, it was hard for me to tell the exact time, but they had come at a similar hour the day before if the sun was anything to go by.
I shoved the matter aside and made my way back to the bridge that would lead me to the private tunnels. The Heat Fox happily followed after me, almost fading out of visibility as it half jumped, half ran to follow my longer strides. We reached the poorly constructed bridge within minutes and, once we had traversed it, quickly closed the heavy mithril door behind us, enclosing us in darkness.
Once again sighing to myself over the lack of lighting in my tunnels, I searched my way to the storage hall using my hand while hoping the fox would be able to follow me using its nose or sense of touch. If it became lost, I could still wake up one of the Liri Foxes to light my way–which I probably should have done from the very beginning–but cutting short their sleep seemed rather cruel, especially with how they cuddled against each other’s and Myra’s body.
For minutes I stumbled through the darkness, hoping for the best, only to let out a relieved sigh once I reached light again. The Heat Fox was still at my side, looking entirely unbothered over the supposed ordeal. Was I the only one who was at risk of getting lost in my very own dungeon?!
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I shook the thought out of my head, instead deciding to check on the men and women who had come to visit. Had they already realized the blessing was different? Would they figure out how Omos did change it? Or would they need my help and explanation to figure out just what he had done?
It was these thoughts that drove me towards my next destination, as I really wanted to watch their reactions. So, after telling the Heat Fox what I planned on doing, I walked over to the once again pitch-black tunnel at the other side of the hall with it right on my heels before, once again, using my hand to find my way through the darkness.
This tunnel felt almost endless in comparison to the other one, making me feel almost trapped despite my instincts as a dungeon telling me that I was slowly closing in on my target. I could guess the distances between me and my existing rooms and tunnels and had used this very fact before to help me build the nursery at the exact spot it now stood, but I still felt slightly lost whenever I was forced to make my way through the tunnels.
Still, I managed to find my way to the nursery after a few more minutes and, after taking the shape of a small, unassuming fox much to the surprise of the Heat Fox, who was now sniffing at me with a wagging tail, soon made my way through the meadow. We passed by the yet unused Vulpine Circle and walked directly towards the barred-off passage that separated the room from the neighboring prayer hall. Thanks to my now much smaller size, it would be possible to squeeze through the mithril rods, but that much wasn’t needed, as I could easily see the intruders even when I was still approaching.
Most of them had already stood up by now, having finished their prayers and discussing the differences they had both felt and were seeing on their foreheads, where flowers of different growth stages could now be seen, others, however, were still kneeling close to the statue, which now had various offerings placed down all around it. I discovered a few familiar faces, such as Fren and the other Ratkin, Aspen, Marisa, and Alfred, each of them with their own flower on their heads, but there were also many strangers to be found. It seemed as if the camp right outside of my dungeon had grown, now housing workers and builders who would slowly turn it into a proper town. That, at least, would explain the many men and women wearing working clothes rather than armor or robes.
It didn’t matter. My eyes were already glued on Marisa and Alfred who both had managed to get the full blessing, a white, blooming flower. The two of them were standing nearby, close enough that I could overhear them talking. And there was much to hear, as they were not only discussing the changed blessing but also the possible future of both my dungeon and the town in front of it. With the elves about to be informed about my existence and Hensin, King of Aurent, already in the know, Alfred feared there might be trouble brewing on the horizon. And even if they didn’t mean ill will towards me, the neighboring kingdom of Seba with its ruler Malo the Third would likely interfere if my dungeon gained any semblance of importance–which was likely, as Cilia herself has chosen it. As such, the earth mages were already working on plans on how to reinforce the camp, a fact that both Alfred and Marisa seemed to be anxious about–that was until she noticed me in the corner of her eyes.
Marisa immediately turned towards me, her long, blonde hair waving behind her as she approached the mithril bars I had hidden behind. Alfred warned her not to get too close, as he knew about the fox protecting this room, but she wasn’t about to listen.
Seeing her closing in and easily towering over me, I couldn’t help but take a few steps back, both so she wouldn’t find out my real identity and to feel a little safer from Alfred, who would certainly try to defend her.
Luckily, Marisa simply stopped at the bars and went down on her knees instead. She then pulled forth a small linen bag from out of her robes, an unassuming, uncolored thing with a red ribbon attached to it. Under my watchful eyes, she opened the knot securing the bag, reached in, and produced a single, bite-sized piece of dried meat she then presented to me.
“Come here~” She tried to lure me. “I have got something tasty for you~”
A shiver ran over my skin as I heard her sweet voice and saw the way too delicious seeming treat. I was about to be tricked into approaching her and already did a step into her direction when I realized what I was doing. Not knowing what else to do, I quickly avoided my gaze, trying not to think about either the treat or her hands that would surely start petting me all over should I fail to resist the urge to behave like a random pet.
The Heat Fox was much easier to win over. It walked over to Marisa’s hand, seemingly invisible to her, before walking right into her hand, surrounding it with its whole body. I didn’t realize what it was doing until Marisa let out a surprised cry, as the meat in her hand was now letting off a faint pillar of smoke. It was only now, far too late, that she realized she had caught the attention of a nearly invisible monster. But the fox in question had already made its retreat, though it remained nearby to sniff at the dish it had just prepared itself. The sound of the treat softly sizzling resounded in my ears, promising a rich flavor. And then the aroma hit me as well, almost immediately making me rethink my approach. Luckily, I could somehow find it in me to stand my ground, not taking a single further step toward Marisa’s waiting hand.
Marisa looked at me, urging me to snatch the treat with gentle words and promises, but I wasn’t about to lose my pride like that. So, realizing that it wasn’t working her way, Marisa instead placed the small bag on the ground, using it as a makeshift dish for the freshly roasted piece of meat. She then rose to her feet and, surprising both me, Alfred, and many of those visitors who had watched her try to tame me, suddenly turned into a cloud of mist, easily enabling her to pass through the mithril bars. Her friend called after, trying to make her come back, but there was no such look. Soon, she condensed into a foxkin silhouette again, grabbed the snack, and approached me once again, much to the horror of the others, who knew this room was guarded.
A glance to my side revealed that the real ruler of the nursery was already ready to defend his mate. The steam fox had already left his home, his three tails waving behind his back as he slowly approached us. Right now, the fox seemed unsure of what to do, as Marisa made no intent to harm me, but things could quickly escalate should I make a wrong move.
Marisa didn’t even seem to realize the danger she was in, or she simply saw no danger at all. Sure, she had access to the Steam Fox’s magic thanks to her blessing, meaning it would have trouble hurting her even if it tried, but that didn’t mean the fox was out of options. It had far more experience using its magic and was literally born to use it to perfection, so I couldn’t see Marisa winning that easily–champion or not.
Knowing her poor chances to come out of this scot-free, I had to make my move so as to prevent the fight from breaking out in the first place. As such, I swallowed my pride and, with a wagging tail, approached the woman, making sure to put up a show for both her and the slightly too overprotective family father.
Marisa, at least, immediately bought it. She went down on her knees and presented the treat once again, before trying to enchant me with her words.
Soon, I found myself carefully snatching the piece of meat out of her waiting hand, even making a show out of savoring its, admittedly, almost heavenly taste as I chewed it for the better part of a minute. Marisa used this chance to reach out to me and pet me, which I allowed after once again checking on the Steam Fox nearby. It was watching our every movement.
Marisa luckily left it at one piece of meat, otherwise she would have long noticed her linen bag being surrounded by an ever–moving veil of hot air. The Heat Fox was doing its best to savor the treats the only way it could, by slowly roasting them to perfection and savoring the aroma it gave off. It didn’t mind my slight distress, nor did it listen to all of the men and women who had long noticed its unclear shape surrounding the bag. It was just doing its thing, leaving me fighting on my own.
I managed another two minutes or so before I made my escape, running towards the protection of the Steam Fox. Within seconds I had already reached it, still purring and with shaking legs as I hid under its towering frame. Marisa waited for me to return for several moments, but she soon realized it was not meant to be. So, shrugging to herself and with a satisfied smile on her face, she rose to her feet to make her way back to Alfred, who was still urging her to return even to this moment.
Soon later, she was already back at his side, the remaining treats now emptied out on the meadow for ‘us’ foxes to find and enjoy. Alfred was already scolding his childhood friend, although it didn’t look like she would learn from her mistake anytime soon. At least the Steam Fox was satisfied now. He sniffed at me, likely immediately recognizing who I was, but he didn’t reveal my secret. Instead, he now made his way over to the meat Marisa had left behind, its three tails spreading steam left and right as they wagged in eager anticipation of the delicious snacks.
It didn’t take the soon–to–become father more than mere moments to gather all of the treats in his maw. He somehow managed to lift all of them despite being made entirely out of steam, not dropping them once when he made his way back to his home and mate. Soon later, he had already disappeared into the wooden hut I had built for them, a large cloud now hiding it from view.
With the Steam Fox gone, I had to quickly make my escape, so as not to give Marisa any silly ideas. As such, I barked at the Heat Fox, asking it to follow me once again. Luckily, it understood exactly what I was trying to make it do, so soon enough, I could already see a wave of hot air forcing its way toward me, hiding both the paladin and Marisa behind a veil of intense heat. I was finally saved…
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AI Heat Fox, made more visible for your convenience ;)
image [https://i.imgur.com/ITBn9bb.png]