“Finally, this hunt is almost finished.” I mutter, crouched over inspecting the forest floor. If not for the heavy downpour allowing for these deep prints, I would have lost its trail ages ago. Blood no longer marks them, so it obviously managed to seal its wounds during its flight, but the price paid to do so would have been the last of its mana. Without any mana left, the paw prints now are consistently reducing in size, the Kitsune no longer able to maintain its massive transformation. With its smaller size and no mana to buffer its strength, I should hopefully hold the upper hand in speed.
I stand up, taking a deep breath and savouring the bite of cold air. It’s really been too long since I last visited these mountains. I never feel quite right in the chaotic tumble of city life. Not letting my reminiscing get too out of hand, I begin releasing mana from my core, infusing all my muscles. As I finish, a tickling of lightning traveling throughout my body, it feels impossible not to move. Addictive power and energy coursing through me, I burst into motion. Launching into a sprint, seamlessly maneuvering between trees and foliage, I tear through the forest at a breakneck pace.
After an hour of non-stop running, I see flickers of white between the trees a hundred meters ahead. Got you. I burn my infused mana at an increased pace to gain more speed. A minute later and I’m within a dozen meters of it. It notices me, and right as I think it’s going to stop to make a final stand, I watch in incredulity as it clips the side of a small Ironleaf bush, rebounding off and flailing to the ground in a heap. In another second I’ve caught up to it, standing over its hyperventilating form, my blade drawn in a flash and placed against its neck.
“Don’t even think about pulling any more crap like you did at that village!” I yell down at the creature, trying hard to pair its current form with the one from my most recent memories. Its giant form towering at over two men tall, crashing through buildings like they were made of straw. Well, with how poor that village was they honestly probably were… But now? Barely 4 feet long, nose to tails. Fucking monstrous mana these things have, to be able to fuel such a massive transformation for so long. My breathing comes in short, ragged breaths. I cough, trying to clear my throat and calm down. Its breathing begins to slow too as it stares at me in fear. Sweat pouring off my brow, I wave my free arm flippantly in its general direction, “Great, now I feel like the monster. You look like a damn fox pup when you’re this small.” For a second it looks like it huffs in indignation, the hell? “Can you understand me?”
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I feel a sharp pain in my temple as a tiny voice blares in my mind,
“Fuck! Get back here!” I yell in pain, a deep ringing in my ears. I immediately give chase, thankfully still burning mana to infuse my muscles. Running now is pointless and it must know it, I’ll be upon it again in seconds.
I grit my teeth, its telepathy feels like someone driving knives straight through my eyes. “Stop doing that!” I shout, slightly losing my stride as it gains a few extra feet. I tighten my grip on my blade and start sending mana through my channels to the tip of my index finger. “Look, you can understand me! If so, this doesn’t have to end with me killing you! Don’t make me do this!” I increase my speed again, feeling the power almost ready to burst out of my hand.
I clutch my head in agony as I slide to a stop, giving one last warning, “Agghhh! Either you turn down whatever the Core your voice is doing or I’m taking you down!”
The pain almost drops me to my knees. I feel my nose gushing suddenly. I don’t even need to check to know it’s blood. The energy inside my hand is pulsing erratically now as I raise my arm and aim. I watch as its eyes sharply widen, pupils contracting, starting to twist around to try and jump away.
Not quick enough.
“Inpulsa Iaculum!” I voice as I release the mana. A screeching white javelin explodes from the tip of my finger, eating up the space between us instantly and tearing a hole directly into the Kitsune. As it begins to spasm, it loses its footing on the branch and falls from the tree. I walk forward two paces and catch it as it comes down. I sigh, letting the mana infusing my muscles finally dissipate, “Massive pain in my ass, right until the end.”
I shuffle the creature into one arm and raise my other to wipe the blood from my face and nose. The sleeve of my overcoat comes away smeared with the gently glowing white fluid. I lower myself and my package down with a groan to sit against the tree, “If all humans ever do is lie, I guess it’s a good thing I’m not one, huh?”