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The malodorous mustelids poured down the hill at us in a ferocious wave of stench and hostility. My gaze shot between them and Vernie, who watched the approaching horde stoically, my arm still seized in her grasp.
Nora stepped forward. “I’ve got this! These guys are definitely flammable!” She began to chant the words to Ignis, obviously wanting to prove herself after our last skirmish.
“Enough!” I yelled at Vernie, feeling we couldn’t waste another second with… whatever this was. I made a heartful attempt to pull free and draw my sword.
Vernie, however, yanked down, pulling me off balance. Her lips were near my ear as she implored, “Rae-Rae, this isn’t right! These creatures don’t act like this! I know them! Something is very, very wrong!”
The urgency in her tone gave me pause. Did she know demonic beasts? What exactly had she been up to these past seven years?
I resisted the urge to dismiss her statement outright, searched her face, and saw a mix of sincerity and desperation. “Okay,” I agreed uncomfortably. “But we’ve got to stop them somehow!” Their screeches signified they were out for our blood.
“I know, I know, but we can’t just murder them! Stop Nora before she burns them to a crisp!”
Murder? Exterminating those angry, smelly beasts equates to murder in her mind? No one ever said being the Holy Captain would be easy.
“Nora!” I shouted. “Uh, crowd control—non-lethal?” It was a suggestion more than anything, but I knew better than to order her around.
Nora’s brow furrowed with concentration as she continued casting her spell, but she managed a nod. As the wave of mustelids drew closer, Nora’s chanting crescendoed, reaching a climax when the creatures were about fifty feet away.
“Ignis! Impedimentum Ignis!” Nora roared, slashing her hand from left to right across the path of the malodorous mustelids, then up, back, and down, forming a perfectly square box of flames around them all with 10-foot high walls.
Impedimentum? I guess adding the fancy-sounding words and articulate gestures made all the difference!
I heard a few angry screeches as some braver mustelids tested the walls, quickly learning through searing pain that this barrier was no mere illusion spell. The scent of singed fur mingled with the breeze, further exacerbating the already foul odor of the area.
Nora sagged from the effort she had just made. “That should hold them for a minute or two, anyway,” she panted. "I don’t think I’ll be able to pull that off again for a while, so everyone else needs to take their turn this round!”
Did she think we were just playing some tabletop game?
Raeonna… She helped me with the demonic beasts back when we first arrived, but I hadn’t heard a peep from her since then. Maybe I could call on her wisdom once more?
Raeonna?
…But there was no reply. I remember Raelina seemed more focused on doing anything she could to find her parents, but she was a local… albeit an ancient one. Maybe she had dealt with them in the past?
However, she, too, was nowhere to be found. Was my head really that empty?
“Vernie…” I finally focused on the person who claimed to be an expert. “Do you have any ideas about what their problem is?” I asked. “I mean, other than us, apparently.”
“The Matriarch must be upset. If we can calm her down, the rest will follow.” Vernie squinted at the roaring flames. “She’s not with the others in there… but she should be somewhere close by with direct sight over the battlegrounds.”
It was Tetora’s sharp eyes that spotted her first. “There,” he pointed resolutely. “At the top of the hill, in the eastern mountain’s shadow. I’ll go knock some sense into her myself!”
Aleph loomed in front of him, blocking his path. “You will do no such thing. You are still in no condition to engage in combat!”
“I am a warrior, not an invalid! Get out of my way!”
No, none of that now! Damn it! Everyone is supposed to get along! But even I was failing at that. “Iron Tiger Tetora!” I bellowed. “Stand down!”
“You dare to question my—”
“I don’t question your ability, skill, strength, commitment, whatever! But I am questioning your judgment! Of course, you would win, but at what cost? Have faith in your companions, and let us handle this. Stop trying to shoulder everything yourself!” Hypocrisy isn’t an uncommon trait for a fledgling leader, right?
“... Fine! Just take care of it quickly,” he conceded with a snort. What a stubborn, obstinate fool. That’s probably why I got along with him so well.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
The Matriarch was dancing with anger at her thwarted attack. She was beyond listening to reason like most enraged beings, but I felt I could almost understand her indignant hisses and screeches. Perhaps it was because she was standing on two feet, or maybe it was just her body language. In fact, her flying fastball fists of furry fury might have even been comical if… wait. Comical…
Irrational inspiration struck me.
“Nora,” I asked tentatively. “Do you have enough juice for a wind spell?”
“Juice?” she gave me a flat look, signifying once again I had uttered something outside of her range of preferred word choices. “Yes, but how would that help, exactly?”
“Um… fastball special?” I suggested, already trying to picture myself as a strong, aerodynamic superhero who laughs in the face of danger. Oh, right, the sword. One or two practice sessions were not enough to make me proficient. I quickly unbelted it, choosing the staff I could control better instead. Too bad I didn’t have a virtual inventory to hide the sword in, but I’d probably just fill it up with shiny rocks and other useless sundries. Although… some rocks I found here and there but had to leave behind were nice… Wait. Focus, Rachel! Superhero, remember? Superheroes can do anything they put their minds to. “Ready for takeoff!”
Her face lit up momentarily before a slightly worried frown appeared. “You better stick the landing!” she warned.
I can do this, I told myself again. I just have to. Thinking back on my fight with the boat-oar-sized sword-wielding brigand, I focused on how I had felt at the moment: strong, confident, and empowered by the trust my friends and teachers had in me. Those very feelings came rushing back, and a warm, glowing aura appeared around me. “I’ll stick like glue!” Maybe not exactly her words, but I was sure I captured her general sentiment. That was the trick, right? Visualize to actualize!
“Wh–” Nora stopped short, leaving her question for later. “Start sprinting. On three, jump!”
I ran, focusing all the power in my lower half. When Nora hit three, I jumped as high as I could. My amity-assisted jump would have earned me gold, even before Nora’s spell caught my backside.
“Ventos!” Nora yelled.
As I rocketed toward the mustelid matriarch, I heard Nora’s voice receding behind me as she added, “Good luck! Don’t splat!”
Splat? I could splat? Why did she have to say that?! That would hurt! I stumbled at the thought of injury, with my aura momentarily flickering.
Fortunately, I was able to catch myself with a slap to the ground before tumbling out of control, but I then realized I had overshot the Matriarch by a few yards. I sprung to my feet and turned just as the giant mustelid was on me with a blur of teeth and claws. She was too close to bring my staff in for a full strike, but between it and my armor, I turned away her speedy blows with a few lucky but mostly intended moves of my staff.
Her assault continued in a relentless stream of swings and cuts with her razor-sharp claws, her natural weapons flashing high and low. Her attacks were not as erratic as I initially assumed—there was a coordinated effort, searching for an opening in my defenses. Her jaws snapped bites at my face to drive me back, and it was clear that her fangs were sharp enough to put a quick end to my part in this story.
At first, I mistook shadows from a nearby mountain for obscuring her form but then realized unnatural darkness covered her. A gloomy, almost sticky miasma had surrounded her, oozing from the outer edges of her eyes. I wracked my brain even as I gave up ground, trying to troubleshoot her malady. Was it… concentrated animus? Could it be disrupted, just like how I managed with that enlisted demon? But the staff hadn’t sparked even once since it had come into contact with her, so I remained doubtful.
While still doing my best to avoid every blow and snap of her jaws, I tried to formulate a new plan. I dared to glance back down the mountainside and saw the wall of flames had diminished to half of their original height. A few mustelids were successful in high-jumping over them. Attrition was out; I needed to end this quickly.
I needed to just get in for a punch or a slap somehow… Well, it’d be worth a try, anyway. Otherwise, I’d have to end up doing something even worse. A hazardous idea came to my mind, and I executed it before I could second-guess myself—allowing her to chomp down with those teeth she was so eager to use. With a wet slam, her jaws closed on my staff. Perfect!
Releasing my grip, I caught the next slash of her claws with a chest block, sweeping my other hand up and grabbing her arm. The surprised creature lost precious moments fighting with my staff, allowing me to pull her close to me while retracting my blocking hand for a punch before she could disengage. As expected, she didn’t bother trying to escape but went for a bite to my throat instead. Fancy armor, don’t fail me now, I silently prayed as I jerked my upper body to the side, taking her teeth on my shoulder pauldron.
She hissed in frustration, but it cut off abruptly as I drove my fist into her gut. I put only a little strength into the blow, instead focusing on pushing my inner amity out through my fist. For a tense moment, I wasn’t sure it had worked, but then she convulsed in my arms, fell limp, and slumped towards the ground. Oh no, had I done… the unspeakable?!
I eased her down as best I could, anxious to find any signs of life. Thankfully, she took a breath, and then I could see the other changes in her. The thick miasma seeped away until fully dissipated, and her face no longer contorted in rage.
Her eyes opened, and at first, panic gripped her even as I backed away. She hissed several times as she started retreating before suddenly freezing in place.
“H… hey now…!” I said cautiously, my hands up nonthreateningly.
She sniffed tentatively at the air, and her mangy ears popped up, one after the other. When she finally realized I was no longer interested in exchanging blows, she let out a languid sigh. She even managed to look embarrassed about the whole thing by flattening her ears to the side and giving me frequent, sidelong glances.
“It’s okay. I know you weren’t exactly yourself just now,” I murmured. Then I turned toward the bottom of the hill, where the walls of the flame cage were dying out. I pointed both awkwardly and urgently. “Um… Can you please stop them before someone gets hurt?”
Even though she didn’t speak, she immediately seemed to understand what I wanted. She bounded up to a cliff edge and let forth an ear-piercing screech, causing the rest of the mustelid pack to freeze in place. Half a dozen had already managed to encircle Aleph and Vernie, but they suddenly fell back at the Matriarch’s resounding cry. Aleph, however, quickly snatched one of the slower ones by the scruff of its neck, perhaps as insurance for the others to keep themselves in check.
“Um. So… how about we negotiate a peace treaty?” I asked hopefully.
The Matriarch gave me another suspicious look, then bounded toward her pack. After she turned back and screeched at me insistently, I carefully followed her down the hillside.
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Post-Chapter Omake
Nora: Fastball special?
Rae: Fastball special!
Tetora: A secret fighting technique from the next world. I wish to master it!
Rae: Uh…. It’ll be a little hard to get you the serialized comics, er… sacred scrolls…
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