Lien:

It was the Ogres' lair all over again.

As the pup ran up and down the hills of Chikukei, she could feel the rampant wind, with its nonsensical movement patterns, and the rising heat. Conveniently, her Saniya sensing has improved since she escaped that witch's clutches, taking much less meditating than before.

Huh, Stella also became a bit stronger after that mess. Could it be the pego jam's doing?

Agh! If only these frightened Monoke would stop running for two seconds, her job would go smoother. Seriously, had those people never seen a real fight?! Her ears were ringing with the constant screaming! It was hell!

Hey! Lien could feel someone powerful near her! It was her mother! Fighting that general jerk. Blegh!

The pup hesitated for a second after the searing temperature whipped her skin. However, she was The Silver Knight's sidekick! She couldn't mess up on her first assignment! It was now or never!

Lien puffed her chest and ran downhill for the last time towards the clashing Saniya signatures. Her paws stung like they were attacked by a group of ants with each step, but she was better than that! She was also Capt. Tash's daughter, after all!

Avoiding and jumping over the magic flames that slowly consumed the stone floor, the pup eventually bumped into a Basan guard.

It was Veghaan... Aw, frick!

"Aw, look what we have here! Tash's little girl! Do you want to help dear old momma, don't you?"

Lien usually liked the baby talk, but only for belly rubs, not mockery. Nobody would disrespect this sacred ritual!

"You want to hurt my friend!" The pup stuck her tongue out at him. "Also, you smell like piss!"

That childish comment brought an angry bawk out of the general. "DISRESPECTFUL LITTLE GIRL!" He dashed towards Lien. She rolled to her right to avoid a powerful stomp. She was familiar enough with the Basan to know that their only tools for physical combat were their feet and beaks. Well, one of these weapons served as a pronounced weak point...

The pup lunged at Veghaan's legs and sank her teeth deep into his flesh! Lien was never one to enjoy the taste of blood on her meals, but anything was more than fair to get the lousy prick out of her way.

The general desperately shook his wounded leg while screaming in a tone not fitting his rank. "Get out! Get out! GET OUT!!!" His high-pitched crying forced Lien to give up on using him as a chew toy.

Her mother's Saniya approached alongside four more. "Lien! What in Tizohi's name are you doing here?!"

The pup spat Veghaan's blood, trying to erase the metallic taste from her tongue. "I came here on an official mission, ma'am!" She saluted. "I bring a message from The Silver Knight!"

The captain stuttered. "H-He did WHAT?!"

"You know the Baku I've tossed to wherever? He's back! Might be related to their boss' dream about Stella!"

After a few seconds of silence, Lien's mother shouted to the general. "Do you hear that, Veghaan?! Your Radiance might have been duped by a Baku!"

The Basan groaned. "Eat pig shit, Tash! Your daughter and that fool are clearly lying to save that Human! How gullible do you think I am?!"

"Dumbass! There are three Weasel assassins wreaking havoc on your town! This was clearly orchestrated by the Baku to leave the Human defenseless for his ambitions!"

The concentrated amount of Saniya violently swirling on a single point was frightening. She didn't understand how her fellow Wolves weren't freaking out on the spot.

To make things worse, Veghaan continued with his wimpy moaning. "B-But-"

"LISTEN HERE!" Lien jumped back, her heart pounding. Her mother's tone was only more unhinged when the pup was in danger, like when she was captured by the Yūrei. It felt like braving a storm on a leaky canoe. Each word was a booming echo that ran through the girl's muscles and paralyzed them.

"Either you straight up and start acting like a general, or you let these terrorists ravage through the place you've sworn to protect! This isn't about disrespecting your Chōkō, so do the right thing!"

No one emitted a single word afterward. Lien started anxiously pacing when she felt more Saniya signatures coming their way. The clicketing march of the Basan army was as intimidating as before.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Hold!" The general commanded. "There's a more pressing threat to neutralize! We shall join forces with the Dragon's Guard and-"

CRASH!

Veghaan's cries overwhelmed Lien's hearing once again.

"What happened?! Is he okay?!"

A snickering Tarb answered. "He's definitely not! He got crushed by the sausage stand!"

"MY FLAMENCO CAREER!!!"

Lien knew better than to laugh at someone else's misfortune.

But he was an asshole, so...

----------------------------------------

The Silver Knight:

"STOP RUINING SUCH FRESH GOODS!"

A barrage of croissants flew toward the hero, but he deftly evaded the delicious, carb-filled projectiles!

Or so he thought...

The half-moon viennoiseries struck his back like shurikens. Of course! They were basically dough boomerangs!

No... Doughmerangs!

Okay, the pastries didn't hurt much. However! Fighting heathens who had no appreciation of the fine art of cooking was heartbreaking!

Granted, he couldn't fry an egg without activating the fire alarm, but he at least appreciated it at a distance. Well, that and with his tastebuds.

He missed Malka's cooking...

Oops! No time for daydreaming! Another tent was thrown at him.

So much property damage! When he got his hands on these miscreants, the amount of community service they would do...

Asra grinned at the thought. He hoped they'd enjoy scrubbing people's houses for free.

"I'LL ADMIT, YOU THREE ARE FORMIDABLE OPPONENTS!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, hoping the assassins could hear him through the rotating air. "IT WOULD BE REALLY COOL IF YOU GUYS TURNED TO THE GOOD SIDE! WE HAVE COOKIES, HUGS AND THE AMAZING POWER OF FRIENDSHIP!

The only response he received was a deadly flurry of wood splinters swiftly swimming through the mini-hurricanes the Weasels conjured. None of those could bypass the Knight's Saniya barrier, of course!

More fruits. More stands. Weirdly enough, Asra swore a [adult toy] flew past him! Maybe he brought too much stuff from Human civilization...

A ring of knives and other tools sharp enough to kill a man was formed around the Weasels. The Knight had the feeling that this wasn't a defensive maneuver.

Large chunks of wood from the broken stalls remained in the air, darting in all directions with no visible pattern like bees under the influence. The Silver Knight charged another shot of his Lightspeed, jumping high enough so he could use the debris as improvised platforms.

It was a deadly gamble. A sharp piece of wood, thick enough to end someone's life if hit the right place, was lodged into the hero's right hand, forming a crimson stain on his white gloves.

Unimportant. Asra didn't need his hand to perform that technique.

Another splinter hit his left thigh. He bit his lip to push through the pain. No time for healing! Stella was counting on him!

Each platform led him higher and higher until he was right in the prized position. His golden Saniya was a contender for a substitute for the sun.

"YOU FORCED MY HAND! HAH!"

White wisps of light rotated around the hero, gaining speed until it became impossible for anyone to direct her gaze at him. He had practically become a star.

His eyes could see through his own blinding energy. He saw the ninjas blinded by the air-igniting dome he had spawned.

He only needed to hold back the right amount so he could not kill them.

"SOLAR!"

His muscles bulged with the excess energy! His vision was almost totally jeopardized!

"COLL-"

A titanic flame engulfed the three assassins! The explosion created a thick smokescreen, breaking the hero's concentration. The Solar Collision spell fizzled out as quickly as it came.

"What?"

Gravity pulled him back, along with everything else that once was flying around. Lucky for Asra, he grasped air magic well enough to guarantee him a safe landing. The debris, on the other hand...

In the aftermath of the ravaged market, the Lycan Squad and the Gunka Army surrounded the three ninjas. However, it was unnecessary since the trio was knocked out cold.

"It worked! Lien sent you the message!" His legs were begging for rest, but he couldn't concede yet. Not until Stella was safe again.

Capt. Tash walked towards him and greeted him with a sucker punch on the gut. "I told you to take my daughter away! Not send her as an errand pup to the battlefield!"

"S-So sorry, ma'am..." Yep, his legs gave out.

Lien jumped out of Locci's back. "Hey! Focus, guys! We need to get Stella back!"

Tash was confused. "Wait, what?! Where's the Human?!"

The pup tilted her head. "I didn't tell you that Stella was taken by the Baku?"

"NO! YOU DIDN'T!" She clenched her fists so tight Asra thought she would bleed from the excess strain. "Great. GREAT! Now, where can we find her?!"

Lien tapped her own snout. "Don't worry, Mom! My nose is the best!"

Hope reignited on the Knight's heart, giving him strength to rise back to his feet. "Of course! Lien's sense of smell is the better one among us! Way to go, sidekick!"

That last word was met with a frightening scowl coming from the captain. "Don't."

While the Knight healed himself, another voice came into earshot.

"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING!" Aw, crapbaskets! It was Veghaan. "Where's the Human?! The Baku?!"

"Both gone," Tash explained. "The girl was kidnapped by the criminal. We can use my daughter's nose to track her."

Lien eagerly nodded. "Uh-huh! I know her smell as the palm of my- Uh..."

The captain turned to the general once again. "Look, I know I'm asking a lot, but-"

"We'll go with you." Veghaan clearly had enough of the constant arguing. "Anything to get you out of my city!"

"What about those three?" She pointed at the Weasels.

"Men! Take these criminals and lead them to the Chōkō! He'll know what to do." His voice lacked the usual pretentious tone. What happened to him to have been broken like this?

Each assassin was carried by the neck by a soldier, leaving the rest for the rescue mission. Tash and Veghaan looked each other in the eye unflinchingly for a few seconds until she extended her right foot.

"I won't pretend I like you, but I appreciate your assistance."

The Basan general shook feet with her. "Hmpf. The feeling is mutual, cousin."

...

......

The Knight's eyes shifted around everyone else to see if he was the only one confounded by what the general said.

No one. No one questioned that.