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Chapter 19

The Kitsune was a towering man, six foot tall. Blind in one eye and having most of his left ear missing, the man was clearly no stranger to conflict. A heavy, well-kept beard and a build like a house added to the view of him being the kind of guy you want to stand behind in a fight, even if there was only half of him left.

"How did you not notice him?" Kiko asked, almost rhetorically as she looked up at the great mass of man in front of her.

"Perception filter. My Magic is basic, but it works on people not particularly paying attention" The big man replied. The casual commentary about Magic went right over Kiko's head as her brain went 'hey, let's focus on something totally different to awesome mystical power' and focused more on the fact she had interrupted some guy's day.

"Sorry, I intercepted your son because I wanted to have someone to talk to about all this. May I offer...ai..help to, him or you to repay him for his time?" Kiko asked, stumbling through the second part and eventually landing on something that felt right. From the gruff smile of the father, it was the right one.

"Mmm. I actually came over here to see you. With an outburst like that, I would have come to see you regardless of what the outburst was for, because it shows a great well of unchecked passion. A boon, if cultivated. A curse, if left to fester. But to see you as Yeni's cub...Well, my interest is peaked. And I wish to know how the maligned brothers of the lowlands train, under SIR" he was very forward with his intent, and Kiko felt that was kind of nice. Not having to guess or assume, but to have a man who came out and stated what he wanted. he would turn and gesture for both Kiko and her new friend to follow.

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"Well, I was looking for where to get into the Fatherborn anyway, so might as well start here. Though, side note? I've been a Kitsune for three weeks, and didn't even get half way through basic, so I don't think I'll be much good as a true and proper showcase of how they train" Kiko replied, following him to a clearing in the tent-town were women sat on the sidelines working on things, and the men honed their physical strengths. There were one or two women around, but certainly not enough for Kiko to feel comfortable. Standing out in front of all of these Kitsunes...that wasn't good. What if she messed up? She was representing the whole of SIR to this guy! AHHHHH!

"First, Foxfire" he announced, nodding to a collection of targets off to the side with a large wall behind it. They had numerous holes burned in them, and the name suggested she was meant to fire something, but Kiko just stood dumbstruck. First test and already fucking up. This was spectacular. The man stared silently and then, finally, crossed his arms and exhaled. "Right. Don't panic, Kiko. My own was a pup once" he said, stepping over to be by her side rather than just watching.

"I'm...panicking. How do you know my name?" she asked him, giving him a sidelong glance.

"Yeni forlornly spoke often of her lost child Kiko. Now you have very publicly shown yourself to be that child, expect people to react to you, even if you do not know them. Now, Foxfire" the man would bend down so he was level with Kiko's head, and point at the target. "Imagine a warmth budding in your gut, and spread that outwards, into the tip of your tail. Concentrate on that warm, let it fill you, and then release it in a directed burst" he advised, shooting a beam of light at the far target and putting a clean hole in it. "Failure is merely a prelude to success, for you gain wisdom every time. So do not stress if it takes you a while"