Shaking, Guin made her way over to where the trap was. It felt as if she were in someone else’s body, floating toward the body in the trap as her vision tunneled.

Getting closer only made it worse, for the closer she got, the more certain she was.

Tik-Tak’s short life was now ended.

As she collapsed in front of the trap that held his body in its jaws, tears streamed down her face. Liorax separated from her and appeared at her side. He took a paw and closed the little fox’s lifeless eyes.

“Why?” Guin managed to ask. “Why did this happen? I still have time! The quest... the quest time limit isn’t up yet!” Her angry shouts echoed through the forest.

“It was his time,” Liorax told her.

“‘His time’?” She laughed through her tears. “How was this ‘his time’! The hunters did this! They would add his body to that pile and let his soul be corrupted by all their ill will! This was not his time—no more than it was any of theirs!” Liorax stared at her but said no more. “I have to get him out of this trap. I won’t let them have him.”

Tail twitching, Liorax said, “Wait here. Don’t touch it for now. I may know someone that can help.”

As the floating cat pounced off into the darkness, Guin reached over and stroked her little friend's soft fur. Just how horrible could this game she was playing be? Why had Tik-Tak left his mother’s side? Why wasn’t he more careful? And where the hell was I when this happened?

“People are awful...” she cried.

Liorax returned with a long white and black weasel racing along beside him. He landed on her shoulder and told her, “This is Master Weasel. He and his spirit weasels go around the wood and disarm the traps when they can.

“Nasty work,” the white weasel said, inspecting the trap. “Let’s get this poor kiddo out...”

Guin watched as the weasel went to work, and within moments, the trap sprung open. Carefully lifting the dead fox cub out from the trap, she cradled him in her arms. The weasel twitched his nose and looked around. “Look at all this... Che-people.”

“Teach me,” Guin demanded. The Master Weasel looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Teach me. How do I open the traps?” she asked. “Tik-Tak... He wanted to help them. He asked me. I promised him that... that I would...” Sniffling, she remembered what Tik-Tak had said the first time they saw the traps. “All he wanted to do was grow big and strong and protect the forest as his parents did....”

Standing on its hind legs, the weasel crossed his arms. “Tell you what. You promise me that you’ll break the traps when you see them, and I’ll teach you anything you want. Come with me.” It hopped away to a nearby, unsprung trap.

Guin gently placed Tik-Tak’s body in her inventory and called Liorax to buff her. With the Master Weasel teaching her, they slowly made their way in the direction of the cave. Somewhere along the line, she had gained an [Engineering] skill, but she hardly noticed as they cut their way through.

It felt like no time had passed by the time they reached the cave. The weasel crawled up onto her shoulder and encircled her neck. Guin stared at the entrance, so many complicated feelings coursing through her. What would she say to the fox spirit now?

Even from where she stood, she could tell the pouch that Jormund had given her was doing its job, but it was more noticeable after she entered.

A green flame flickered off the floor of the cave where the corpse of Tik-Tak’s mother lay. “Oh?” came the voice of the fox spirit. Without hesitation, Guin stepped toward it as the green, fiery ghost of the fox arose. “The che child has returned....” At first, the fox spirit gave her a cruel grin, but it faltered as Guin stared her down. “H-Have you retrieved my pelt then?”

Guin pulled out the pelt and laid it over the fox’s tattered body. With a satisfied sigh, the flames that made up the fox flickered into white, and her paws landed on the ground. “And now, that which was stolen is now returned. I thank you, little beast. Both for your efforts and your trust. That which you wish shall be granted.” Her form became more stable, the fox spirit to a majestic, serene form, and her eyes turned to a pleasant shade of pink.

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>

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Unhappy, Guin didn’t care anymore and sent the window away without reading it. The fox spirit looked up at her and tilted her head. In a strained voice, she asked, “I... must ask. You... you wouldn’t have happened to have seen my son outside? He left to hunt this afternoon and has yet to return....”

Trembling, Guin reached into her bag and pulled out the cold, stiffened body of Tik-Tak. She placed the little fox’s body onto the pelt of his mother and bowed her head. “I am so, so sorry,” Guin whispered. “I came too late. I should have tried harder. Come sooner....”

The now white fox spirit nudged the little fox’s body. As if he was waking up, a new small, white flame-like fox spirit rose from Tik-Tak’s body. Guin’s eyes went wide as Tik-Tak’s spirit yawned in front of her, his eyes glowing bright and pink.

“Ah!” Tik-Tak’s spirit went. “Momma! Guin! Guin! Look—you helped Momma! Isn’t she so pretty!” He began to prance around. “Eh? But, Guin, why are you crying?” Reaching out her hand, Guin patted his head. His fire-like fur was warm; the warmth only caused her to cry more. She picked him up—he was light as a feather and hugged him tight. “Guin?” The little fox spirit nuzzled her. “Ah!” he exclaimed, his ears going straight in the air. “I died!”

“Clumsy fool of a child—what happened?” Tik-Tak’s mother asked.

“There were hunters in the woods,” he told them. “I-I was running from them and then... and then... Ah! So embarrassing!” The little fox hid his face in Guin’s chest.

“Embarrassing?” Guin asked, petting him fondly.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

“I-I tripped. Into one of the traps,” he admitted, looking quite ashamed of himself.

The fox spirit sighed in frustration. She was not surprised. “You truly are your father’s child. Were, I suppose. What nonsense.”

Looking at her little friend, Guin asked, “Can you stay?”

But the fox spirit shook her head. “We cannot. These forms are not stable. We shall soon return to the fabric of the Veil,” she said.

Tik-Tak pouted. “I’m sorry, Guin. I wanted to be able to repay you for helping Momma. I wanted to look after the forest like Papa...” he sniffled. “But I can’t now. Why am I so clumsy?” The little fox’s face was almost comically miserable, and Guin couldn’t help bursting out laughing. Looking happy, Tik-Tak licked her face.

“Che-child, if I might have just a bit more of your time?” the fox spirit asked. Her expression looked thoughtful as Guin looked up at her. “There is a ritual to help cleanse the corruption. I will speak to the malevolent spirits on the Che’s behalf one last time, but the ritual requires some materials. Would you be willing to fetch them for me?”

“Of course!” Guin answered.

“First, gather some wood; We’ll need to make a great bonfire to burn the corpses in this cave. Fire shall cleanse them all. Next, we need some [Spirits’ Tears]. I can sense some on you now, but we shall need quite a bit more. Some grow not far from here, on a little brook that runs through the forest. Lastly, we shall need a scale from the Dragon King.”

Guin grimaced. “A scale from the Dragon King? How should I go about getting that?”

The fox spirit sighed. “Normally, I would say to find the Dragon King’s Che-servant, but these past few years, none have appeared,” she said. “In this case, you, yourself, should go to the Dragon King and pray to his alter. Tell him that I, Reili, the Che-bound Spirit Fox in the employ of the Lady Amikavi, have made this request of you, and all should be fine.”

“You would be so lucky to meet the Dragon King, Guin!” Tik-Tak exclaimed.

“... all right,” Guin said, though uncertainty filled her. She thought of the stories of Jormund and Dawl, and wondered what they would say. “I will do as you ask. Where can I find the Dragon King?”

“He is likely in his grotto, to the Northeast,” Relili told her. “I shall mark it on your map. You shall have five days to complete this request—else it shall be too late.”

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She has asked you for three things: “First, gather some wood; we need to make a great bonfire to burn the corpses in this cave. Fire shall cleanse them all. Next, we need some flowers of [Spirit’s Tears]. I can sense some on you now, but we shall need quite a bit more. Some grow not far from here, on a little brook that runs through the forest. Lastly, we shall need a scale from the Dragon King,” she said. “...you should go to the Dragon King’s Grotto and pray to his alter. Tell him that I, Reili the Che-Bound Spirit Fox in the employ of the Lady Amikavi have made this request of you, and all should be fine.”

You have (5) Days to complete this quest.

This quest is optional. It can be skipped.>>

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“Thank you,” Guin told her.

Reili shook her head. “No, Candidate. Thank you.”

“Can I go with Guin?” Tik-Tak asked his mother, but Reili could only give him a sad grin.

“I am afraid that in these forms, we are bound to the locations of our bodies. Besides,” She licked his nose as he pouted, “I would like to spend what little time I have left with my idiot son.” Tik-Tak giggled and licked Guin’s nose.

Laughing, Guin put him down and stood. “I’ll be off, then!” she said, standing and giving the two spirits a wide—if forced—smile.

“Guin!” Tik-Tak called out just before she left. “Make sure to come back and play, okay?”

“I will!” she called back and started off.

Back in the forest, Guin looked at her map again with a sigh. She had managed to save Tik-Tak’s mother, but she had not yet cleared the corruption in the woods. And here I thought I’d be done by now...

She found herself staring down at the corrupted beedants and moarbits. They were really a waste of time—and worse, she would very likely never be able to kill them any faster than she already was. Still, she dove into them and started her slaughter.

But as she neared the edge of the corruption, she stopped and looked around, sniffing at the air in her fox form. What’s going on now? She wondered. The number of creatures in the area had grown smaller and smaller, but now there were hardly any.

“Liorax,” she called.

“Yes?” the cat appeared.

“Do you sense anything?”

Liorax sniffed the air and looked around himself. “Something... smells like... Che-people,” he told her, his hackles raising. “Wait here.”

The cat launched off her shoulder and hopped around in the air. The forest was quiet and still.

“Guin! Pull back!” Liorax shouted at her, rushing back. “Back to the case—we’re surrounded—hunters!”

“Tsk!” Shifting into fox form, she dashed back the way they came. “Why are they here?” she muttered as Liorax turned into a speed buff. Did they know she was there? Could Dawl have been in on it? Leaping over beedant after beedant, she rushed through, pulling agro of every creature that saw her.

Shit! She was gathering too many creatures running like she was. Bounding off a tree, she human-formed and quickly ended the life of a corrupted moarbit behind her. There were four or five more. Activating her [Dance] ritual, she began to weave her way through the monsters, finishing them each in turn, then moved on. She gathered a good ten before going at them again, following the flow of the steps on the ground. The ability turned out to be far more effective than she could have hoped.

Looking back at her handiwork, she glared at the corpses as they popped into treasure chests and thought, This is what it must feel like to be a vengeful god!

If only a minor one. For now. It was inappropriate, but she grinned anyway.

As she grabbed her treasures, however, an arrow swept past her face. Guin’s combat-heightened instincts and buffed reflex scores had her shift away without much thought, but it had been a good foot off, to begin with. Her eyes flashed in the direction that the arrow had come from, but there was only the rustling of leaves.

“Hey!!” she shouted, backing another step in the direction of the cave. “I’m a person, you know!” she shouted to whoever was listening—assuming they were listening.

It would only take her another minute or so to reach the cavern’s mouth, but she didn’t trust her surroundings. Bugs and rabbits she could deal with. People, on the other hand, could only mean trouble. Gritting her teeth, she started walking backward. At least the cave should be able to cover her back.

Another arrow whipped passed her face—this one was much closer to the target.

Guin turned and bolted, and she heard another good three or four loud thunks into the trees and ground around her. Whoever was shooting at her was obviously in no mood for a chat.

With the cave coming into view, however, Guin sighed a breath of relief. Flipping around with the cave mouth to her back, she made sure to refresh her [Spirit Shield: as she watched the forest.

From the bushes, they came.

One, two, four, six... seven! Seven hunters clothed in hooded cloaks and dark-colored furs and leathers approached her. Four held bows, two held swords, and one held a spear.

Oh, and how am I supposed to get out of this stupid tutorial? Guin wondered, becoming less and less shocked that people didn’t do these kinds of quests if they could help it.