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I sensed a sort of uneasiness from Tetora and Aleph as they led us through the forest. It was in the way Tetora would sniff the air, followed by a furrowed exchange of glances between the two hybrids.

“So, what’s the plan?” Nora ventured, perhaps seeing what I was seeing.

Aleph sighed, stroking his beard but not offering an answer.

I decided to give it a try next. "Think we'll be able to find Laverna?"

“Perhaps…” Aleph said shortly, once again glancing warily at Tetora but not exactly answering my question.

At this point, I knew for sure something was going on. If there was going to be some kind of trouble up ahead, shouldn't they explain their thoughts to us?

Tetora abruptly stopped with a resigned sigh. “There are many human and hybrid scents here.”

Aleph nodded. “Yes, and we are too close to the border to easily tell friend from foe.”

“So that means…” Tetora raised his gaze from his slumped shoulders. He looked like he was told to stay indoors and clean his room when he only wanted to go outside and play.

“I'm afraid so,” Aleph answered almost apologetically.

Nora and I shared our own exchange of glances. Aleph and Tetora being at odds for whatever vague reason wasn't uncommon, but I had never seen Tetora so... resigned.

Aleph cleared his throat and hoisted his rucksack off his shoulder, placing it on the ground. “It will be easier to explain them as an embarrassing ruse than to accessorize in an emergency.”

I leaned to see around the big Ox-man for some hint of what they were getting at. What he eventually pulled out absolutely shocked me.

Two giant wrought iron collars, hinged in two places and held together by chain links. A threaded lock was built on the side of each one.

Nora’s eyes widened. “Slave collars?!” I had erroneously thought they would be handcuffs for future encountered outlaws, but the truth was even more disturbing.

“These are for us. Do not worry.” Aleph put the collar around his neck, bending the lock shut. He then pulled on it a few times. Satisfied it was secure, he turned to Tetora. “Your turn.”

“...Help me with the lock,” Tetora ordered with an authoritative tone, perhaps to salvage some of his dignity. Aleph complied wordlessly, grasping the iron and fusing the lock shut on Tetora’s collar with a twist of his fingers.

“If we encounter anyone, you two are in charge,” Tetora advised, pointing at us like it was not up for discussion. I could only stare, mouth agape, my emotions boiling into righteous indignation on my friends' behalf.

“If you leave your mouth open like that,” Tetora cautioned, “Eventually something will fly into it.”

I stammered, “B-but I can’t just–”

Aleph silenced me by raising his palm. “Just command us to speak to them on your behalf if you don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t use our names!” Tetora added. “It's Tiger for me and Ox for him. We’ll forgive you for your rudeness.” He tried to smile, though his eyes burned with anger.

“I…” I wasn’t prepared for this! How could they talk so nonchalantly about this?! This was wrong!

“They are just iron rings,” Aleph stated calmly. “You cannot activate them without their tethered focus, so they are not harmful.”

Nora frowned. “Tethered focus?”

“It is a magical key with which to suppress our strength. The collar is merely deceptive jewelry—nothing more,” Aleph shrugged. So do not let it upset you.”

“Easier said than done!” I nearly shouted.

“Our well-being depends on it,” Tetora warned.

I swallowed hard and glanced at Nora again.

Nora stamped her feet indignantly. “Before you ask, no, none of this was in the story!”

“It is a newer practice in Turri. It will not last.” Aleph turned to Tetora and intentionally changed the subject. “Show us where you found the knife.”

We continued through the forest in silence until Tetora led us to a fallen tree. “The knife was at ankle height here, on this stump. She usually scratches three diagonal lines with a cross-out to mark her trail. Keep your eye out for anything unusual, though.”

We had several false starts as we searched for trail markings, but nothing of any real substance. After an hour of inspecting the forest, I announced, “We should probably take shelter soon. She won’t be out in the storm, anyway.”

“Storm?” Nora looked up. “What are you talking about?”

“It’s going to hit us any minute. Can’t you feel it?” I shivered as an icy wind blew through us. From the east, two slender wisps of inky black fog slithered from around the trees, coalescing slowly into spinning orbs of deep, star-speckled midnight. Splashes of color then erupted from the core-like center of their respective dark spirits, shaping limbs and filling in a humanoid appearance.

“Ohhh…” exhaled the first figure, its mouth taking shape to form the words. “A Tiger…! How fortunate for us!”

The other had a velvety, dangerous voice. “The Ox is also well-built! I told you it would be worth it to come all the way out here!”

With their physical forms solidified, they now bore dark red military fatigues with gold epaulets pinning a half-cape to their backs. Antlers had sprouted from their skulls. It was their eyes, or rather the lack of realistic eyes, that truly unsettled me. The first demon conjured yellow ones with slitted, goat-like pupils. At the same time, his female-appearing counterpart simply sculpted hollow eye sockets before filling them with eyes containing ever-burning orange flames.

I heard Nora inhale sharply from behind me even as Tetora and Aleph scrambled to get in front of us, weapons drawn.

The first demon shook its head. “We’re not here to kill you, Tiger and Ox. We’re here to liberate you!”

“Oh?” Aleph questioned. “Liberate us?”

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“Don’t you want to escape your human oppressors?” The demoness asked with a sultry shrug.

“Swear allegiance to the Great General, and we will remove your collars!” the other demon proclaimed with a haughty salute to the air before him. Was he referring to General Ragnerus? I had thought he only ever accepted fellow demons into his ranks.

“And if we decline?” Aleph asked, his jaw tensing.

“Oh, even I think you know the answer to that one, Ox,” the demon answered with a giant, fanged grin as he held out his hand, summoning a floating spear of inky darkness. “After all, we are only obliged to ask once.”

“Nora,” Tetora warned. “Do not engage these demons. Stick back with Rachel.” It was the first time he ever called me that.

“Ah! You’re going to attempt to fight us? How wonderful!” The demoness buzzed loudly, and her form phased in and out of existence as she charged toward Tetora, slashing fans of razor-sharp blades. Tetora skittered backward, leaping this way and that as he watched for an opening to strike.

The male demon appeared abruptly beside Aleph, thrusting his spear in rapid succession. Aleph, with controlled precision, trapped the spear’s tip in his war hammer's claw and yanked it off course, sending a spray of gold and black sparks into the air. The demon momentarily convulsed, with cloudy vapor dispersing, before he pulled himself back into a solid mass with a flickering shudder.

“Their weapons are blessed!” the male demon shouted in alarm.

The demoness cackled her response as she swiped at Tetora. “So much the better! An actual challenge for once!”

The two demons, probably deciding Nora and I were mere fodder, initially ignored us. No other Raes seemed to want to take center stage, either. At least, I didn’t think so.

Anyone there?

Nope, no takers. I guess Tetora and Aleph really did have this covered.

The male demon, after a forceful exchange with Aleph, taking a few solid, sparking blows from the Ox-man’s war hammer, seemed to decide on a new course of action.

He shot towards me, spear poised to strike. “Show me your despair, human girl! I hunger for your screams!”

Time to think happy thoughts like Raelina said! Uh, catchy Japanese pop songs with a driving beat! Finding a long-forgotten pint of premium ice cream in the freezer late at night! I felt a surge of strength as I knocked his spear aside with my bo staff, summoning more sparks and temporarily stunning him.

The demon swore loudly as his spear fizzled away. “Even the oafish human girl has one!”

Oafish..? Ah, don’t let him get to you, Rachel! File that questionable feedback for review later!

He extended his right hand, unleashing a blast of sheer force in my direction, which I wasn’t exactly prepared for. I lost my grip on the staff as I collided back into a tree trunk, sliding down to the ground with a stifled grunt.

“I said scream!” He translocated himself in front of me and hauled me off my feet by the front of my hooded cape, slamming me into the tree trunk again. Reeling with the scattered thought that I should really invest in a helmet, I did the only thing I could think of. I dropped my head and bit his hand as savagely as possible. Surprisingly enough, it seemed to affect him, and he ended up being the one to scream as he tossed me away. I stood and spit, frantically wiping at my now-burning tongue. Raeonna had said to use my teeth if necessary, but I can’t exactly recommend it as a best practice.

“H-how…you… hurt… me?!” he gasped as he pulled back to look at his hand, which dripped watery black blood. A dark miasma wafted off him upwards into nothing, and he shuddered back and forth between a solid and spirit form. “What… What did you do to me?”

I didn’t bother trying to come up with an answer. However, he was still between me and my blessed staff, and rectifying that little situation was the priority. I tried to dart around him, but even with his disorientation, he cut me off.

He inhaled, swelling in size as his mottled, ever-phasing form took on a beast-like shape. His muzzle sprouted a mouthful of needle-like teeth jutting out every which way. I was sure I had seen worse in my dreams, though, so his efforts to frighten me into submission fell flat.

With a sneer exposing way too many canines, he growled. “I’ll teach an ugly, pathetic human like you to fight b–”

“Private Beigaldi!” the demoness shouted over her shoulder in disdain as she slipped around Tetora. “Pull yourself together! I can see right through you!” He was looking rather flimsy, all things considered.

“Y-yes, Sergeant Bodil!”

Would you believe he turned away in deference to his superior? He even took a moment to salute her—completely exposing his right flank! And he thought I was the oaf?!

“Don’t you dare lay a hand on me again, you glitchy ghoul!” I yelled, seizing the opportunity to deliver a powerful, glowing vertical punch to his exposed side. My light aura and his black shadowy essence exploded upon contact with each other—the resounding impact knocking both of us back. I was able to get up quickly, but he seemed to have taken additional damage. His form began to melt away in earnest, exposing his spiritual core that sparkled for all the world like a tiny, starry nebula.

“You’re not supposed to be able to do that!” he shrieked as he tried to reform himself. “You can’t–”

Rising behind him like a roiling sea of angry determination, Aleph took advantage of the demon’s disruption and slammed his gigantic war hammer into his core sideways. I watched in awe as the screaming demon erupted in golden flames before he dissipated utterly.

Tetora deftly dodged and weaved; he was a blur of motion in his battle of speedy strikes against the demoness. However, when her compatriot’s final wail ended, she suddenly disappeared from view.

I sighed with relief, bending down to pick up my bo staff as I prepared to congratulate everyone on a job well done. However, as my hand reunited with my weapon, a rustling of leaves grabbed my attention, and I looked up.

“You’re thinking one down and one to go…” her voice drifted eerily from the treetops.

“But I’m not low-level like him!”

I shot around, thinking her voice had come from behind me, but nothing was there. Aleph took a step closer to me, so we were back to back.

“I am everywhere yet nowhere!” She laughed from the ground in a mocking echo. Nora, who had been observing from the sidelines until now, tensed her hands on her staff.

“But you haven’t taken a turn yet, dear!” In a sudden, startling manifestation, the demoness reappeared right before Nora. Her face now grotesquely stretched in a mockery of human features. “Is it because you’re frightened? Or maybe you’re just useless?”

Nora clenched her fists around her staff to hold herself back just as I rushed to strike, but the demoness disappeared again, leaving a shadowy haze as an afterimage.

Suddenly, she pressed herself against Nora’s opposite shoulder. “You have quite a few secrets, don’t you?”

Nora jumped back, but the demoness continued, leaning on nothing. “I can sense your anger, fear, and oh! So much guilt! But… why aren’t you exuding any animus?” Aleph swung but missed as well. Clearly, she was toying with us, dissipating with only dark miasma to mark where she had been.

“Hmm… maybe I’ll sell you to the Dark Mistress instead! She just loves dissecting secrets!” The demoness was upside-down above her now, with her bladed fans almost pressing on Nora’s temples. Tetora leapt over Nora as she ducked, but the demoness evaded his strike.

She was no longer visible, but we could still hear her. “But I wonder, are my words even understandable to a shameful little ankle-biter like you?”

Oh no... shameful little ankle biter! That’s what those nasty girls in high school used to call her... how in the world... Was it a coincidence? Or…

Nora’s eyes flashed, and she began to emit a dark aura herself. Oh no!

“Well, what do you know? You can understand me!” The demoness snickered.

“Nora! What are you doing!?” I gasped as the shadowy haze around her thickened. It wasn’t a good look for her.

Nora ignored me, flaring her nostrils upon standing straight once again. After we heard the telltale buzz of the demoness’s translocation, Nora swung her staff the moment the demoness reappeared. “Ignis!” she screamed in a ferocious tone I never heard from her before. Upon contact, both her staff and the demoness burst into an angry conflagration.

“Ha… ahahahahahahaha!” The demoness crowed as she began to absorb the magical fire. “I was getting tired from all the back and forth! You have my sincere appreciation, my diminutive, dim-witted dark mage! But it’s time we end this!”

“N-no!” Nora stumbled backward with a sudden shake to clear her head, realizing her mistake. The demoness leapt at her with bladed fans poised to strike. It was Tetora who intercepted the demoness with a deep roar and bore the brunt of her slashing attack.

Her blades sliced cleanly across his chest, spraying blood as he pulled her into an angry hug. “Begone!” he bellowed, shoving his claws into her back and grappling her to the ground. Black blood spurted from her body as he pulled them back forcefully. Her flesh began to melt around the wounds, and I saw her exposed core sparkle gold.

“All in all, this has been quite entertaining! Let’s agree to suffer together, Tiger! Together!” She laughed hysterically even as golden flames engulfed her, burning her essence away.

“Tetora?” Nora stepped forward, reaching out her hand fearfully.

“I told you… not to… engage.” Iron Tiger Tetora stood slowly and turned, blood dripping from the ugly purple lacerations strewn across his chest and abdomen. “You owe me… a new shirt.” He managed just one step forward before his shoulders rolled.

The earth shook as his heavy, limp body crashed to the ground.

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