Army management was not one of those things Tanuki considered learning, mainly because in the modern world it is practically useless. Leadership and coordination were valued skills in the realm of high-salary jobs, but Tanuki was only seventeen years old with barely any experience.

The closest he had ever gotten to becoming a leader was in sixth grade when he was tasked with the school decorations for Valentine’s Day, for which he was given a group of five lower-grade students. The school board greatly overestimated what could be done with so few people, worse yet, they gave Tanuki the school’s delinquents. At the end of the day, he prepared ninety percent of all decorations himself, still the rewards were evenly split amongst group members. Remembering it made him furious.

This was neither Valentine’s Day nor a school project. This was a three-front war, and he was the sole general of his army. Hundredth could be considered able to lead her own brigade, but he wanted to see her abilities first.

The army of ten plus one he commanded were all close-quarter fighters. They each had a crude sword and an old shield. One of the soldiers had no shield and another was missing an arm. Tanuki considered swapping them for two of the village defenders, but with two other fronts ready to send raids at any time, he wanted to make sure their defences were on top. Ultimately, he had the armless guardian give his shield to the one without.

Of the three Pretenders, Hundredth asked they first attack the one on the north.

“His name is Cervus. He’s sending waves to attack the village twice every new moon. Most losses are a cause of his.”

As she begged, Tanuki realised there was more to her words. An underlying guilt brazed her voice.

“Is this about that one memory?” asked Tanuki, thinking back at what she said in her home.

Hundredth froze for a second, then lowered her gaze.

“Yes.”

“Then it’s settled! We’re kicking his ass first,” Tanuki winked, and Hundredth eyes lit up. She felt ashamed about her emotions, but no more.

Though he just wanted to act nice, his smile wavered as he saw the flowers bloom on top of her head and her stare intensify. She could not separate basic kindness from flirting. His friendly attitude only made things worse.

“Thank you!” she hugged his neck, shaking his head like an apple tree.

A mild concussion later, Tanuki returned to the task.

“Alright, listen up everybody! The stairs we’re going to descend are not big enough for all of us. Some of you will have to go with me first, while the others follow behind. I want to make two groups, each with their own colour.”

He put out his hands to reveal red- and yellow-coloured ribbons.

“Both groups will consist of five soldiers. Group Red will act as a frontline. You focus on your shield and make a strong wall by holding them out––like this!––and sticking your swords between them. Think of yourself as the stem of a rose. You guys are the thing separating the fragile petals from ground bugs.”

He gave the five ribbons to random soldiers and made them tie it to one antler. Then he held one yellow high into the air.

“The second group will act as thorns. What do bugs do when they can’t reach the flower? They try to climb and jump. Your job is to prevent that. Each of you will follow a red ribbon soldier with swords out to defend from creatures that try to get through. You will retain your shields in case one of the frontline boys needs to get back and someone has to take their spot.”

Tanuki handed out the last of the ribbons and let out a deep sigh, “And that concludes all of you.”

“Which leaves the beautiful head of the flower, your Queen!” Hundredth boasted, “Tell me, oh Great Hero! What is my purpose?”

“Oh, you stand next to me and cast spells. Can you cast spells?”

A moment of silence later Hundredth was tearing up. Tanuki expected she would have a special ability, given her special behaviour and appearance. In truth, she was just a weaker soldier.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Hundredth cried into his shoulder, pouring stored water out of her eyes. Tanuki’s robe drenched in seconds.

He scratched his head, “Well, maybe you could be our specialist.”

She looked up with teary eyes.

“Specialist?”

“Yes, you know, like, uh… If for some reason I lose my voice, you have to command the troops instead. You’ll be like a smaller Great Hero.”

Her eyes lit up.

“Me?”

“Yes, but please don’t blow up on me.”

She did blow up with excitement, but thankfully, her lack of self-restraint expressed itself in screaming and running around instead of nagging him directly. He wondered, was this girl around his age? Though she behaved erratically and in a very childlike manner, the answer was still a yes, and with all things considered, she could have even been a bit older.

With everything done and planned, Tanuki ordered they lead him to the domain of Cervus. He was brought north by the soldiers, on a dirt road resembling the appearance of the one that led to the nestmen. On the way, Tanuki asked they tell him a bit more about Cervus and of what to expect.

Hundredth explained that Cervus was the most aggressive of the Pretenders and the only one to directly attack guards. Most free soldiers were sent to his side in groups of four, sometimes even more. Hundredth noted that if they defeated him, the village would become not only less susceptible of raids, but also safe enough to have more soldiers leave from defence duty, meaning a greater army for offence missions.

“And what does he look like?” Tanuki asked while following the first five soldiers. Hundredth answered, but the way she described him was almost like she was talking about a mythical creature.

“Cervus stands on two hooves and uses his claws to climb trees. They say he is twice as tall as any one of us, yet twice as light! He can climb high into the trees and attack from there. He is also fast like lightning and powerful like a falling pine!”

“And what does his face look like?”

“Creepy,” she whispered, putting her index finger to where her mouth should have been. Tanuki raised an eyebrow.

“Why are you whispering?”

“Because the bartender of the village said, if you talk about his face, he will come at night and take you from your bed!”

It was a stupid tale, something children tell each other. Tanuki knew that. He knew he should not be afraid, but when she said that, he could not stop the hair from standing up on his back.

“You’re joking,” he nervously laughed, but Hundredth shook her head.

“I’ve seen it. One of the children said something about a mask on its face. Then, under the full moon that night, I saw something climb through his window and take him!”

“Dear god…” Tanuki covered his mouth.

The soldiers led him to another set of stairs. They resembled those from the other side, which meant the same person or entity built both. Tanuki asked them about it, but nobody knew the path’s origin. They said it was already there long before they were born.

This was another forest, but the trees were different. Pines reached on endlessly out of the wall, their trunks as red as dried blood. They had tall roots that popped to the surface like veins and the guards would fall if they did not pay attention.

The path downwards was also different. Instead of uncomfortably packed bridges and ladders, the stairs occasionally disappeared and natural steps led them into small clearings. From their viewpoint, it was already a strange road, but from the perspective of creatures affected by this side’s gravity, they were traversing a wide and deep gully.

Tanuki stood fast behind the first line of soldiers. As they turned one of the corners, he saw a skeletal figure standing on the wall, small antlers sticking out of its head. It was a deer’s skeleton. At first, he thought it was a corpse, then it raised its head to look at him before dashing away.

“Ugh,” Tanuki pulled his sword closer.

Even before that point, he suspected these creatures would be undead. Bonehooves, they were called, deer of a smaller kind only made up of a skeleton, animated by an unknown force.

Tanuki had his worries about them. Though they were the size of an average human, and their skeleton appeared fragile, their weapons were ineffective against such creatures.

This could be easily explained. The sword was a weapon made to cut and stab. It was effective because it opens wounds and destroys inner organs. When the target possessed neither, but bones which were a hundred times harder to cut than soft tissue, the sword seemed less useful compared to a hammer. Such weapon was all about impact, sending as much concentrated force to one point as possible. Blunt weapons, they could break bones.

The only thing he had which would prove useful against these creatures was the acid. He felt so-so lucky to have his acid, he held that staff with all his might, ready to drop the sword were he forced to choose. Bones were hard on the outside, but much weaker inside. If he could burn the outer layer and get in, he could destroy their foundation, making it easier for others to break them apart.

“How many are there?” he asked, and Hundredth blinked twice in confusion.

“Of what?”

“Bonehooves. How many should we expect?”

The soldiers stopped. She too fell silent.

Tanuki felt a shiver run up his spine.

“Hello?” he asked again when no answer came. But he too fell silent when he heard it.

Rumbling in the distance. Hooves stomped against the ground in a mad charge.

Tanuki ran to the side of the clearing and looked down. The leaves of trees trembled. From the bushes, a deer appeared, then another, followed by a dozen more. Soon enough, the forest was filled with skeletal deer charging at them.

Once again, he remembered the fish. When it saw him, it sent out an alarm to all the nearby nestmen. Now, when a deer had seen them, it ran away to alert its kin.

His image of the cube twisted and turned again.

“What’s going on with this dungeon?!”