"Here goes nothing," I said, throwing an infused spear into the smoke. The spear spun through the air, leaving a faint shimmer of cold in its wake, before disappearing into the black haze. My heart raced a little, because I honestly wasn't sure if the runes etched into the head would activate properly.
"Incoming dodge to the side!?" The yell of warning came muffled but sharp from the other side of the smoke just when the spear hit something.
Boom!!
The blast shook the ground beneath us. Ice shards cracked along the barricade wall, and the smoke doubled, black and gray mixing until visibility was nothing but a vague outline.
"They explode. Watch out!?" One scruffy voice yelled, probably the leader of whoever had just survived that hit.
"What the fuck." Another voice, panicked, echoed after.
"You damn fox, they're friendlies!" Kayda yelled from inside the smoke, her tone sharp enough to make my tail go stiff in shock.
"Kayda?" I said, ears twitching. I lowered my stance, waiting for the smoke to clear completely this time. The acrid scent of burnt dust clung to the air, stinging my nose. Sadly, before it cleared, a figure came out running—or more like stomping—straight toward me.
Slap!
"Ouch, Kayda, you're so mean," I mumbled in surprise, feeling the sting of her palm across my cheek. I rubbed it with a pout, my tail swishing behind me in protest.
"You almost killed us. What were you thinking?" Kayda said, hitting me over the head again for good measure.
"Uh, Kayda, you do know that we are in an enemy's base, right?" I said, looking at her like I was the one wronged here. My tone came out more defensive than I wanted.
"Are you sure about that? We haven't seen anything. "It appeared to be an abandoned maze," Kayda said, tilting her head thoughtfully at me while her hands rested firmly on her hips.
"Didn't you see the bodies or any of the broken traps?"
"Bodies? Traps? No, there was nothing." Kayda firmly shook her head in denial.
"Oh, right, I burned them, teehee," I said, laughing at myself, though it came out sheepish.
"Hello, Kayda, be gentle with her. We really are in an enemy base." The demoness spoke, her voice echoing from behind me. She stepped around the shield wall with a steady gait, her crimson eyes flicking across the room as if daring anyone to doubt her words.
"Oh, An, you're here?" Kayda said, her sharpness fading into confusion.
"Jip, that's me."
"Huh? I am confused right now," Kayda said, looking at me with wide eyes, her brows pinched together.
"Same here. Anyways, I think we should get out of here. Even with the number of powerful people you brought, this scenario is still not a proper raid." I said, glancing at the sixteen adventurers crowding behind Kayda. They carried themselves with experience—some nervous, some too eager—but this wasn't a raid force, not by design.
"That's true. Let's get out of here," Kayda said, turning on her heel.
"Who will take the lead?" I asked, scanning the group.
"I will be doing that." A short man stepped forward, his voice clipped and professional. He emerged from the crowd with a confidence that indicated his familiarity with obedience. Black and brown dog ears twitched atop his head.
Inspecting him more closely, I noticed faint scars along his jaw and the way his tail swished—controlled, alert.
Nodding, I walked to An and slipped her arm around my neck, steadying her weight against me.
"Okay, then let's move," Kayda said, taking the other side of An without hesitation.
"I can walk on my own, you know." Ann complained, her pride clear in the way her eyes narrowed, but I ignored her, keeping her weight even.
"Walk, yes, but not run," Kayda said firmly. We all moved into the middle of the group and started walking out. The faint echoes of boots against stone sounded eerie in the silence of the fortress. Luckily, we didn't have any problems getting back to the hole where I had fallen into. The real problem came when we needed to get out.
"Kitsu, can't you make, like, ice stairs to get us out easier?" Kayda said, looking skeptically at the ropes they had used to come down with.
"Yeah, and let everyone up there know we are coming?" I said, narrowing my eyes at the opening above. From down here, I could see a few figures peering down at us with not-so-friendly gazes. My instincts prickled.
"Don't worry about them. They are also from the guild." The dog-eared man said, his voice steady as he looked up at me.
"If you say so," I said with a sigh. Letting go of An, I walked to the edge of the small platform. Without stopping, a small pillar of ice grew out of the wall just under my feet, spreading outward in steps. The cold bit at my palms as I shaped the path upward.
"This will be a pain," I mumbled, climbing while creating the stairs in a slow spiral. Each step glittered faintly under the torchlight, moisture freezing instantly.
"Alright, guys, let's go; just watch your step," Kayda said, following behind me while keeping a hand ready near her blade.
[20 minutes later]
"We are finally out," Kayda said, helping the last person up from the hole in the roof. Her shoulders rolled as if shaking off the stress of being underground.
"Welcome back, guild master." One of the guys at the top said, bowing slightly toward the dog-eared man.
"Thanks, Chris."
"So, what was the situation down there?" Chris asked, eyes darting toward the hole, as if expecting something to crawl out after us.
"We found the fox that was missing and the head of the marquis house, An Anabald." The guild master said this with a voice full of relief.
"That's great to hear, guild master," Chris said, his posture relaxing with a smile.
"And things up here?"
"I think the guild master must see it yourself." Chris said, turning toward the fortress. His expression darkened. All of us followed his gaze.
'Oh damn, that isn't good.' I thought, staring at the burning fortress. But it wasn't a normal fire. The flames burned black, rippling with an oily shimmer, sucking in light around them. The heat radiating from it wasn't natural either; it clawed at the edge of my aura like a whisper. It looked—and felt—the same as my devil magic.
"Kitsu?" Kayda's voice was tight, as if she already guessed my answer.
"Yeah, it's the same."
"Did you?" Kayda asked discreetly, her voice dropping low, eyes narrowing slightly.
"No, I am certain it wasn't me," I said, cutting her off before she finished the thought. My tone was sharper than intended, but the truth was clear.
"Shit."
"I agree."
"... it seems you two know something about this." The guild master looked at us with suspicion as he spoke.
"We don't, but we know what sort of magic that is," I said, staring down at him, meeting his eyes so he wouldn't mistake my seriousness.
"Do tell us now." The guild master demanded, his tone annoyed, the weight of command behind it.
"Devil magic." "As I said before I could open my mouth," her tone was flat and heavy.
"Umm, I think we three should go to the mansion while the adventurers stay here and let us know if something changes," I said quickly, glancing at Kayda and An. Too many ears here, too many eyes.
"What are we going to do there?" The guild master asked, his irritation bleeding through.
"Sigh, talk. There are too many eyes here," I said, gesturing to the roads where people from the slums stood in clusters, whispering, all watching the fortress burn. Their faces were pale with fear, shadows of the black fire flickering across them.
"Fine, let's go." Ann said this while slinging her arm around me again, as if to remind everyone that she wasn't beaten.
"Kayda, take Ann at full speed. I will catch up to you." I said, waving them off.
"Lady An, not just An." Ann corrected, her pride bristling even now.
"I will give that up, An," Kayda said flatly before picking her up and disappearing with a burst of speed.
"Be quick." The guild master said before vanishing as well, leaving the wind in his wake.
"Sigh, they want too much from the non-class person," I muttered, running off along the roofs. Below, a few stunned onlookers pointed up at me, but I ignored them, focusing on keeping pace.
'I should read those books when I get to the mansion.' I thought, vaulting down into the plaza, the cobblestones ringing under my boots.
"First, I need food. Can't do anything while starving." I said to myself, letting my nose guide me. The smell of roasting meat pulled me to a nearby stall tucked under a faded awning.
"Hello, dear customer, how can I help you today?" The stall woman greeted, her apron stained from hours of work, her voice polite but cautious.
"Hmm, if I said I want to pay for all your food, including the raw meat, how much will that be?" I asked, making sure not to sound too intimidating. My ears flicked as I tried to soften the edge of my tone.
"... are you trying to take me out of business?" The saleswoman said, looking at me deadpan, though her eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Umm, no? Why do you ask that? I really don't know what it will cost." I said, blinking, genuinely confused.
"You aren't from them?"
"Them?"
'I guess I found something intriguing again.' I thought, sighing inwardly.
"You don't know, do you?" The saleswoman, now studying me carefully, had a sharp gaze.
"Well, obviously, I don't know who they are. I am just here for the food," I said, grabbing a piece of meat off the tray without hesitation. Sitting down at a chair next to the stall, I added, "Luckily, I have time to listen."
"You are a weird one, and you better pay for that."
"As I mentioned earlier, I plan to purchase everything completely," I said while taking another piece of meat and chewing slowly to savor the flavor.
"Aah, be careful. That one has bones in it."
"Yeah, that is the best part of these," I said, swinging the meat playfully before taking a giant bite out of the steak. The crunch of bone snapped satisfyingly in my mouth.
"Why must most foreigners be so weird?" the stall woman mumbled, shaking her head.
"It sounds like you believe there are many foreigners," I said, raising an eyebrow, causing her to freeze for a moment.
"You do realize this is one of three cities that have a public dock."
"Public dock?" I repeated, tilting my head.
"You know, the place the boats are and things. Those are called docks."
"Yeah, I know that, but why are there only three public ones?" I asked, genuinely confused.
"Well, what I mean about the public is that if you're not registered with the Anabald military, you can only dock at those three docks," the woman explained, pulling more meat from a chilled crate at the back.
"I see, not a bad system."
"Not a bad system? Do you know how many problems this system is making? The number of problems this 'not a bad system' has caused over the years—millions, I dare say."
"No, and I don't really care. What does this have to do with the docks? I asked, wiping grease from my mouth with the back of my hand.
"Well, it does have something to do with the docks. Because of those rules, it takes time to restock our meat. We need to be there in person to order and get it."
"Let me guess. It's first come, first served, as well."
"Yes. We small stalls are having a problem getting stock because the owners must pick it up themselves."
"And because you work alone, you need to close business for the day just to fetch your stocks."
"Yes. The bigger stalls and restaurants have people working for them, so the owners have more spare time for it, and because they are bigger, the amount of stock is more as well."
"I see. I will have a talk with the marquis then."
"That won't work. We have submitted numerous complaints regarding this issue, yet we have never received a response."
"Yeah, leave that to me. Can I at least have a small batch of meat that won't cost you too much? I said, standing up and brushing my hands.
"At full price, certainly."
"Yes, yes, the full price, of course," I said, nodding while laughing lightly. My stomach growled again, already demanding the next bite.