Let's just... jump right into it. Sigh... more combat.
Chapter 41
(The Manor)
The burst of purple smoke had hardly started to dissipate in the heavy rain before a half dozen cloaked shapes jumped over the outer wall of the manor. It was very flashy, with lots of ruffling fabric and dramatic weapon drawing...
(Maki and Delly)
As the purple smoke hit the air, Delly asked Maki a single question, "Are you sure you can do this?"
Maki didn't reply, and simply took a deep breath and looked down the sheath of her sword, the little gem on the end glowing with a blood red almost sinister inner light.
(The Manor)
There simply wasn't enough defenders to cover the entire Manor's grounds. So, in the back yard, there was basically nothing to be done about the sounds of the Manor being destroyed. Magic and heavy weapons slammed into the nice marble walls, through the windows, over the yard...
However, in the front of the manor, as the very flashy and dramatic entrance of more of Freya Familia happened... Two of them never made it to the ground.
Empowered by Haruhime's magic, boosted by the mathmagic inscriptions etched into the sheath, and focused to a single point by the blood red gem on the pommel of the sword, Maki fired two killer icicles at the oncoming attackers. Helpless in the air and taken by surprise, their heads were turned into bright plumes of red and grey.
She didn't have time for a third shot before that dynamic entry turned into a sudden defensive curl, forcing the Freya reinforcements to skip their initial 'smash everything' plan so they could find a bit of cover.
"The roof!" One shouted, pointing to a shadowy corner of the roof where a high/low section met, making a little overhang where one might hide.
There was a sudden wave of fire, ice and even a couple of arrows, ripping apart that section of roof like paper, sending clay shingles and stone fragments everywhere.
Then someone else's head vanished in a smudge of ice and bone fragments.
"There! Behind the emblem!" Someone else shouted, before her head also failed to stop a near supersonic shard of dense ice.
"Time to go." Delly said to Maki, using one last illusion to make it look like they were going left, instead of right, "Your turn."
The illusions of Maki and Delly, making a brave attempt to jump over the roof and get away, was destroyed by another volley of magic. But, thanks to Haruhime's empowerment and Maki and Delly being shrouded by their own illusions, they slipped down to the ground with only a few scratches from various bits of shrapnel.
(The manor, while Maki and Delly were making people shorter) (Shinkage)
"It isn't often we get to beat up someone our size!" Dvalinn 'the hammer' laughed as Shinkage backed away from the massive sledgehammer swing.
"Careful brother," Alfrigg 'the Spear' warned, "She's got an odd look about her. Another pet monster maybe?"
Shinkage frowned. Part of it was her look of 'furious concentration' on not getting hit. Another was trying to control the spirit foxes Kodori had left her, who were ignoring the attackers in the back yard, and instead trying to stop the spread of fires.
But most of it was her just being 'furious'. She was a dragon, who's former power was enough to get the (supposed) creator of the universe involved directly to calm her down. Even in this diminished form, she was still a dragon.
And dragons were NOT pets.
It was about then that Maki opened fire, and two of the incoming attackers hit the ground much shorter than they had arrived. The two brothers paused for a moment, and Shinkage spoke, "You call me a pet, but you are the slaves to the hollow love of your Goddess."
The roof detonated, and the third victim of a lethal head cold hit the ground. "You entered the Fox's den, but found a dragon guarding the warren."
The two of them were momentarily shocked, even as the forth body hit the floor and another magic barrage hit the Familia emblem, "You think this changes anything, monster?!" Dvalinn brought his hammer down again, only to have Shinkage catch it just behind the head with her Padao.
Her hands occupied by blocking the hammer, Shinkage couldn't stop Alfrigg's shortened spear from stabbing her directly in the chest. Held in place by her own solid footing and the hammer hooked over the shaft of her weapon, Shinkage took the full strength of the thrust.
Only to have the blade stop a mere centimetre into her sternum. "No, it changes nothing." Shinkage said with a grimace, "I'm still going to kill you."
(Fen-chan being a good Foxxo, while people... etc etc...)
Hedin was one of the few people to have ever lived, who had magic that could match an adventurer while he himself had no Falna. Of all the members of Freya Familia, only the Dark Elf Hogni, his eternal rival, could match him with magic. There were others he considered worthy challenges, such as Riveria 'Nine Hells' Ljos, from Loki Familia. And the 'Thousand Elf' Lefiya Viridis was certainly a talent to watch.
But he had never once encountered such... resistance to his magic. A magic sword that could nullify his lightning? Another that could melt steel, in the rain? And they weren't even weapons! Just simple bits of metal...
Then there was this... spectre. A beast that looked like a fox, yet had horns and teeth that glittered gold and silver. It made him think of some of the marsh wolves from his homeland, before he left it with Freya. It ignored his blade, slipped around his lightning like smoke, yet its teeth and claws were VERY real. It was like it was... playing with him. Of course, playing with anything with that many teeth was bound to cause a few injuries, and Hedin had several bites missing from his cloak and a few shallow cuts over his body.
But the beast seemed to have only one goal, and that was to keep him away from the Manor, even as it started to collapse behind him. The manor, and the woman standing in front of the main door.
"There! Behind the Emblem!" One of his reinforcements shouted.
"Let's see what's more important to you then..." And with a quick chant of his wide area spell, he pointed at the big bronze emblem over the main door, that Haruhime was standing under, while dashing towards one of the holes in the wall, beside a scorch mark that had been covered in multicoloured hand prints.
(Hagane)
For the metal cat, this match up was less than ideal for all involved. The thrust that had taken out his main long ranged 'weapon' had also ruined his voice again, so he couldn't reply to the constant taunting of his opponents. The one with the axe was certainly a threat, while the one with the stubby sword was just irritating. His body, mostly adamant, was basically immune to the one with the sword, while the one with the axe was too slow, and used it more like a shield than a weapon, keeping it well away from his crushing jaw and protecting himself and his brother from Hagane's other attacks.
This is what Kodori had meant about 'skill over power'. One exchange was all it took for the two of them to figure out what he was capable of. His long serrated tail was blocked by the axe time and again, his heavy weight and jaw were avoided with nimble movements, and each time the one with the sword struck, it was closer and closer to something potentially vulnerable.
Then he realized what he needed to do, and if he could have laughed at the irony, he would have.
He ignored one, just like a cat would. He just pretended the one with the sword was simply beneath notice.
"Brother! It's coming for you!" The one with the sword shouted, too late to do anything about it.
The next time Hagane lashed his tail, the interlocking bladed fins screeching off the wide flat of the twin blades, Hagane turned and pounced on him. The other brother was too late, and too light, to stop a determined ton and a half of metal claws and teeth from basically landing on the axe. No fool, the Palum let his weapon go instead of getting crushed under it, but the cat now had a new toy, and the hydraulic jaw came down on the handle just behind the head of the blades. The one with the sword tried to stop him, jumping at him and trying to cram the stub of his sword between a couple of his armour plates, but Hagane just ignored him and took a second bite. This one was near the middle, and the sudden pressure and power of the bite snapped the massive shield sized axe blade like stone. Then, with a flick of his tail, he forced the one with the sword off of him, lest he get shredded by the lethal appendage.
The sound was punctuated by the sudden lightning storm hitting the emblem over the Manor's front vestibule, the cold expressionless face of the steel predator staring down the two Palum over the broken shards of their weapons.
(Haruhime)
The strain on her magic, and her heart, was immense. As soon as the purple smoke hit the air, Maki and Delly started to pull on her magic in earnest. For Delly, it was to keep them hidden and misdirect their enemies into seeing Maki's magic come from different places. For Maki, it was her magic. The weapon Welf and Kodori had made for Maki was half way between a magic sword and a wand, and it was taking in as much of Haruhime's magic as it could to...
To murder the intruders. She knew the plan, she even agreed. That wasn't the problem. In the guild's eyes, this was a war, held off the streets, and casualties were expected. Even as the Manor's walls crumbled, and bodies hit the floor, this was still just... paperwork for the guild.
No, what hurt most was how easily Maki killed them. No hesitation, no attempt to cripple, disarm or disable. No, now there were three dead bodies on their front lawn, and Maki's future in the city would forever have a black mark on it. Though, to be able to kill another so easily, she wondered just how... watered down Kodori's explanation of Maki's past was.
"There! Behind the Emblem!" The forth body hit the ruined front yard, and suddenly the pillars and roof around her started to shatter as a massive wave of lightning slammed into the vestibule from above.
Before she could turn and either duck back into the Manor, or jump out from under the falling stone, a massive -presence- settled around her, pushing her to the ground like a titanic blanket.
(Bell and PARTY!)
They were close enough to the Manor to hear the stone walls breaking, and see the sad little burst of purple smoke in the air as it called in more Freya reinforcements. The rain had made the streets treacherous, and they couldn't run full speed without risk of losing their footing. But they were here now, ready to assist in the defence of...
What was left of their home.
As luck would have it, they were coming up on the rear of the building, where more than a dozen purple cloaked men and women were just... breaking their home apart. Great swords, hammers, magic, they were simply destroying the building.
Bell was furious. The sight of their once beautiful (if a little sparse) peach orchard being reduced to a dozen broken trees, The pool a fractured pit of stone and water. The garden Weine had been working so hard on (and the Phoenix(?) had been staying away from) on fire...
Even as he jumped over the wall, his red eyes almost glowing with rage, the white mist of Argonaut started to surround him.
The others, aside from the Amazon, were similarly enraged at the pointless carnage, and without orders from Bell were already picking targets. Except Bell DID give an order. Probably the coldest one he'd ever given.
"Take them on one at a time!" It was an order meant for the dungeon, to single out and bring down a monster without mercy before moving to the next one.
Then the entire front of the house collapsed.
(On top of the tower)
"They are holding out rather well." Freya mused as she watched the opening stages of the assault, "But they are still just beetles under my boot."
Ottar didn't comment, he simply watched.
"You disapprove?"
"A cornered animal fights the hardest." He said, "And no doubt Kodori has expected this turn of events."
Freya had to admit, the Fox's foresight had been quite frustrating. "Her plans, and her resolve, will fall to dust against our..." Her eyes widened, "They DARE?!"
"My Lady?" Ottar could already guess what had just happened.
"They... two... three... four! They are killing my Familia!"
He had guessed correctly, and dared to reply, "Kodori's warning was clear."
And she slapped him, his stoic face moving to the side just a little, mostly to spare her the pain of hitting what amounted to an immovable object.
Instead of taking offence, he asked, "Your orders?"
"We are going." She fumed as she walked out of the room, "I will see that insignificant manor destroyed, I will hold Hestia's life in my hands, and while that miserable fox watches, I will send her back to Tenkai!" She growled, "Yes... Without her pillar of support, her spirit will break, and she will be mine!" She stomped down the hall towards the elevator, "Her wife, her family, Bell, they will all fall in line!"
So, Ottar and Freya stepped into the elevator, and headed to the ground floor.
(Kodori)
I considered going to the eighteenth, going to the little tavern there, and using the Occulus to check in on what was going on. I thought about taking the path under water on the twenty second floor and heading up through Gnossis to get to street level.
But then I realized I had no way into Gnossis. I mean, aside from through the wall.
"Damn." I said out loud, drawing the attention of both Oni as we ran through the dungeon, not even pausing to kill things unless they were directly in the way.
"Problem?" They asked.
"Going to have to take the long way. I don't have the keystone to get us into Gnossis."
They seemed to understand my reluctance to just pick the lock (with my fist) and leave the Xenos home exposed to anyone who walked by, "How much longer would that take?" Okakai asked.
"I don't know, never really tried to run through the dungeon." I did have to admit, it was kinda fun.
"What about the Xenos? No way to contact them?" Fukawa asked.
"Not on hand, no. Lilly had the Occulus, and aside from this and a few potion slots built into the armour, I have no pockets." I gave my Skull Sheep pouch a pat.
"Then we run faster." They said together like it was the most obvious answer.
"Let's hope the dungeon hasn't rearranged itself since I was here last."
Aside from passing by what looked like the site of an epic fight, we were making really good time. Thankfully the dungeon was just as I remembered it, and aside from a few very fast encounters we didn't stop even once (and we didn't even really 'stop' for combat either). Most 'third class' adventurer's know to get out of the dungeon when it started to shake, so we didn't even encounter anyone on the way either.
"Kodori?" They called out as I skidded to a halt someplace on the tenth floor, holding my head as a weird warping twisting feeling went through my body.
I already knew that all my foxes (except the little ghostly one I'd summoned on the thirty seventh floor) were under the control of Shinkage. I hadn't bothered to reconnect to them, because I was in a hurry and couldn't really do much at such a distance. No, this... this was Fen-chan. "Haruhime... She's in trouble." I gasped, feeling that weird two way connection the Demon Fox and I had twist inside of me.
I hadn't even realized I'd fallen until the two of them put a hand on each of my shoulders and stood me up again, "We must hurry then." Fukawa said.
"Yes." I had to lean on Okakai for a moment as my eyes refocused, "He's... such a good boy. Yes he is." I laughed, the sound even more warped than my helmet would have made it, "This is... worst case. Once we hit the surface... we march."
(Hestia vs Apollo vs tiny peoples.)
Apollo had arrived a little while after Hestia, Astraea and Takemikazuchi had gotten settled in with the children in the temporary building on the edge of the new Apollo Familia property. Thanks to a little hard work, some clever placement and being right next to the massive outer wall of the city, only the occasional damp breeze bothered them while they took shelter.
So, after a brief word with his captain Hyakinthos, the somewhat damp looking God of the Sun arrived in the shelter as well.
"Ah! L-"
All three of the Alliance Gods glared at him, since most of the children were sleeping, or at least very quiet.
"Don't you dare wake them." Hestia grr'ed almost silently.
"Ah... pardon." The usually flamboyant god mumbled, "Lady Hestia, Lady Astraea, Honoured Takemikazuchi." He greeted, "I regret that we could not give you more suitable shelter." It seemed his time away from Orario had humbled him a little, but he was still quite capable of proper etiquette.
"Kodori-san foresaw this." Takemikazuchi said with a nod, glancing back down at Toshi, who had half an eye open, as if trying to decide if waking up again was worth the effort.
"We appreciate the extra hands." Apollo nodded, a sudden gust of wind splashing a bit of rain on him.
"Oh, no need to be afraid of us." Astraea said, "At least get out of the rain." In her arm Chie made a little noise, flailed an arm as if slaying some great dream beast, then went silent again.
Apollo seemed to realize he had indeed stopped just short of the roof, and edged his way under it, keeping exactly the same distance from Hestia. "Pardon. I did read the letter, but I am somewhat reluctant..."
"Hestia." Takemikazuchi said quietly, his voice hinting at disappointment.
"Fine..." She grumped, "I hope they bite you though." She looked down at Kei, who was wide awake, but content to paw at Hestia's face or try and grab one of their feet to see if it was edible, his two tails trying (and failing) to swish in tandem.
Apollo got a little closer to the rolling crib, peeking in on the two pair of twins, "This too, is beautiful." He mumbled. But again he showed a new facet of his time away from the city, "But... To entrust yours, and their protection to my and my Familia? I am... humbled by her trusting a former adversary like this." The children were also laying on/around a square patch of moss, but he didn't comment on that.
Takemikazuchi took the question, and answered with his usual polite bluntness, (as opposed to Hestia's blunt honesty, or Astraea's polite honesty). "You and yours are simply the best suited for the task." He said, "Ganesha, Loki and Hephaestus will be busy in the city, so they were not suitable. You however, have a tenuous place in the city. She was sure you would try your best to impress her."
Apollo looked like someone had kicked him, but he nodded, "I've no wish to fight the Hestia Familia again."
Hestia grr'ed and nod-nodded, stopping on the third nod to try and nom Kei's fingers as they tried to explore her nose.
"As well, your new home is as far from Freya as it can be, without being outside the wall." Takemikazuchi continued, "And, from what she has told us, out of immediate sight of Freya's balcony."
Again, Apollo looked like a kicked puppy, "Give us time." He said, "And we will become a Familia worth notice again."
Astraea spoke this time, "That's what Kodori was hoping you'd say. Go ahead, but, they do bite."
Apollo, still under the glare of Hestia, contented himself with petting a few of the fuzzy ears instead of trying to pick one up. "Let us hope all goes well then."
(Ryuu)
On the way to the Manor, she had seen several signs of combat. Most were minor. A broken crate, a fallen lantern, easily dismissed for negligence or something the storm above might have caused. Then the more obvious signs. Broken weapon, blood that had yet to be washed away, a small Ganesha patrol (with their nice new starlight sashes) getting wounded adventurers onto stretchers...
They didn't flag her down, and she paid them no mind. It was obvious this was to delay Bell and the others. Her ears started to pick up the distant rings of metal on metal. Then she felt a wave of... something go through her. Fear? No... Doubt? Almost... Prudence. Yes. It was the same feeling that she had when Yu-Long, the great Emerald Dragon appeared before her.
She picked up speed, and took to the rooftops, risking exposure to enemy fire in exchange for averting a possible disaster.
(Hedin)
The halls were empty. They knew that most of the Familia had been in the dungeon today, but there were no defenders inside. Reports had said the Takemikazuchi Familia was still here, and them not standing outside meant they were inside, guarding their Gods and Freya's prize...
But the halls were Empty. Why?
They'd done their research into the Manor. They knew that their were two 'strong points' in its construction. He'd given the attackers specific orders not to attack them as well. First was outside, the workshop. It was a common design for any Familia home with a workshop, to have it made of thicker stone, steel, and other such materials. Fire, magic accidents, chemical hazards... You either built the building tough, or disposable. Since it was attached to the side of the building, it had to be built tough. Most of the Artisan Quarter however, built them disposable, for quick repair, or replacement.
The rooms attached to that wall would also need to be made of stronger materials, which meant... this room here.
"An alchemy lab? Well well..." He mumbled to himself, feeling the floor tremble under his feet, making the various glassworks on the tables clink and wobble. "Ah, treating a new suit of armour... I look forward to Freya's victory." He knelt down, marvelling at the black suit of armour for a moment, still laid out on the floor as if resting. Without a helmet though, it seemed incomplete.
There was another rumble, and his nose picked up the subtle scent of the slowly rising sewer system. Turning his head his eyes going wide, he realized what was wrong. No Familia of this status and success would have the smell of a sewer in their home.
Unless they had dug into it to make an escape tunnel.
He was just about to run back out of the building, to issue the command to withdraw, to say that their main objective wasn't here.
But then something grabbed his shoulder with the force of a steel vice, then there was the sound of metal hitting flesh and he suddenly couldn't feel his legs.
(Under the rubble)
Haruhime wasn't scared, not for herself at least. Over her body was the ghostly form of Fen-chan. Like a good Guardian Fox (demon or not), he had protected her from the collapse of the Manor's front porch, as well as the big bronze disk that held the Hestia Familia emblem. But it was hurting him. There was a reason he was usually only claws and teeth, (and occasionally bits of fluffy fur). Efficiency. It took far less power to sustain when most of his body was an illusion. But now, he was slowly shrinking, the stone above them, clearly visible through his ghostly semi-solid body, settling over them a tiny bit at a time.
Even if he'd stopped the initial impact of the collapse, Haruhime was sure only her Goliath skin robe would survive it it finished its descent. And even if she did live, no one could dig her out until the battle was won, or lost. And even if this was simply a decoy play, a sacrifice to keep their children safe...
Haruhime didn't like to lose.
So, she moved her hand to the pendant around her neck, and repeated the words Kodori used when she let her summoned foxes go so that Haruhime could try and sustain them for practice. "If you could be free? What would you do? Run away? Stay by my side?" And with a quick tug, she broke the simple chain holding the pendant around her neck, and put it under the nose of the straining giant foxxo as he held up the shattered roof over them.
It was the weirdest thing, to see Fen-chan's closest eye roll around and look through his own ethereal body at her, roll it back to look at the pendant, then back to her again. Then, even as his body shrank another few centimetres, he licked her hand, then ate the pendant like a palm sized foxxo-treat.
(Ryuu arrives)
Ryuu arrived just in time to see Fen-chan, rise up from the ruin of the front porch. The big difference though, was his size. Four metres tall at the shoulder, two metres wide, he easily shook off the dust and debris of the fallen roof.
His first act, past that of shaking himself off, was to pick up the metre and a half wide bronze disk, and set it very carefully in front of the 'wall of hands'. Sure, it was upside down, and now had his teeth marks through it, but it was the thought that counted.
Ryuu perched on a roof opposite the manor, calmly noting that it had some very unseasonable icicles hanging off of it, and spotted Haruhime getting to her feet underneath the huge foxxo.
"This is your last warning. There doesn't need to be anymore bloodshed." Haruhime shouted over the storm, "Call your retreat, and the fighting stops."
Shinkage's two opponents took a step back from her, and Dvalinn shouted back, "Are you sure? We suggest you surrender! I'm sure Hedin has already found Freya's prize, and if you don't want them... no..."
"I told you." Shinkage said, one hand over the slowly bleeding wound on her chest, "Though, I seem to have missed."
From the hole in the wall next to the 'wall of hands', a headless, sinister looking suit of armour walked out. The crystals that had once been used as 'anchor' points for the storage enchantment glowed brightly as it grabbed Hedin with both hands, and heaved him mightily across the battlefield. Everyone, Freya Familia and Alliance alike, watched as he soared through the air, then bounced off of the pillar that once supported the front gate. With a groan, Hedin pushed himself up with one hand, his legs seemingly useless, and pointed at Shinkage.
"monster..."
Ryuu saw her moment to 'enter' the field, and landed next to Hedin. "You are not welcome, but I will help you leave." She then used her foot to kick Hedin's arm out from under him, and then grabbed him by the ankle, dragging him through some mud, then out onto the street, off the property. Then to the two Palum nearest Shinkage, "Dvalinn. Take your brothers and leave. You will only lose more from here."
Of the four brothers, Ryuu knew Dvalinn was the Eldest, and generally the one with the most sense. He was about to say something, his body language making it clear that it wasn't going to be the 'right' answer, but Ryuu then added, "Kodori is on her way. And if you do not leave now, she will add you to the pile outside the gate."
Dvalinn reached into a pouch, and was about to take something out, when a clear sweet and contemptuous voice asked, "You weren't thinking of retreating, were you?"
Dvalinn's hand moved away from his pouch, and he started to laugh, "No my Lady!"
Ryuu had just enough time to roll out of the way, as a chest sized chunk of the outer wall zipped towards her with what most would call 'alarming' speed. Ottar stood at the corner of the Manor's outer wall, and walked calmly though the hole he'd just made in it.
"TO ME! FREYA FAMILIA!" He roared, picking up another chunk of wall and throwing it towards the giant foxxo, "Your Goddess demands VICTORY!"
(Kodori)
We three hit street level, and as soon as my feet touched the rain slick cobblestone outside of Babel, I looked at my two companions, "I can feel them, shedding blood on my home."
"How shall we proceed?" They asked.
It was a gamble. We could run there, and be home in maybe five minutes. Less if we trusted the rooftops to hold our weight (the Oni were just as heavy as they looked, and I was still in my armour). Or, I could take one last chance. To trust that Freya would still want her prize, and that my Familia knew that survival was the real goal here.
I trusted them. They were my Family, my Family, my friends. Running there would only get Freya to back off -today-. No. Now. NOW was the time to 'reintroduce' myself to the city.
"Walk with me." I said, my armour glowing, the 'nightmare copper' on my mask burning with eerie light, my tails swishing slowly, foxfire lighting up around me. "Tonight will be Orario's first march of a thousand demons."
I took a deep breath, the little plate of metal in front in the mask in front of my mouth vibrating slightly, then again as I slowly let the air out, and took my first step. Beside me, the two Oni *thumped* the ends of their Kanabo against the ground, as if to signify their support.
The rain around me seemed to slow down as I took my second step, then stop as I took my third. And on my forth, a single fox formed itself out of the sudden fog that started to rise from the slick cobblestone under our feet. *Thump!* six, seven, another fox joined the first, nine *Thump!*, eleven, two more foxes, thirteen, fourteen, *Thump!*
(At the Hostess of Fertility)
Business had been slow today. Aside from the breakfast crowd coming in as usual, the rain had kept all but the most die hard fans of the food (and the girls) away. That was fine, there were always chores to do, minor repairs on the furniture, inventory, window cleaning, planning for the next 'big party' who were scheduled to visit. Mia almost never let her girls be idle on the clock, and customers or not, Arnya, Chloe and Lunoir were buzzing about the place doing those aforementioned things under Mia's scrutiny.
Then, out of the rain, Syr stepped in. Already dressed for work, she closed her nice umbrella and leaned it on a wooden umbrella rack that was left out for customers on days like this.
"Hmm? Syr? You're not scheduled for today." Mia paused drying a wine glass, "Tired of being stuck at home?"
"Yes Mama." She said with a smile, putting on the little white bonnet/hat thing to complete her uniform, "It might be time to find more books for the children, now that we have a bigger home, we have space for more things. "Even poor Spot seems bored of the same stories."
Yes, Spot, like Fen-chan, was a good not-quite-doggo, and enjoyed story time. Unlike Fen-chan however, he did understand the concept of boredom.
"Well, since you're here, I'll have to pay you." Mia smiled that familiar not quite motherly smile, "The chairs over there need to be checked still."
A few minutes later, everyone stopped what they were doing, as if they had all heard a signal of some kind.
Thump... thump... thump... It was getting closer.
"Nya?" Chloe paused her work (writing down that chair number twelve needed replacement) and went to the window, "Oh, the rain stopped..."
Thump... thump... and closer still.
Then the fog started to roll in, under the 'saloon' styled two way door. Thick and almost freezing, this was no natural fog.
Thump... Thump... Thump! It was almost right outside now.
Arnya joined her fellow cat person at the window, "Lights? Is that...?"
With the fog that had covered the entire floor now, a few foxes seemed to form out of it. They rolled around for a moment, playing silently among the Hostess staff's feet, then walked out under the door.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Kodori walked by, the light red and blue Oni on either side of her. Her white armour seemed to be pulling the fog with her, as dark purple flames danced around the three of them and her mask trailing spirit fire, illuminating... hundreds of little foxes. They weren't walking, so much as marching quickly, and every five steps, the two Oni would thump their wickedly spiked clubs against the ground. The Hostess was a reasonably wide place, but they were still gone after only fifteen steps. Still, even as the steady thump grew fainter, there were still more foxes going by. Big, small, white, grey, purple...
"What... was that, nya?" Arnya asked no one in particular.
Notes!
Yes, I did name the story Foxxo Orario... Now you know why. Almost ready to conclude this giant mess. Yay... x.x I'm looking forward to writing more politics!