Chapter Three
That was how Daichi found himself three years later. Inari had popped in, declaring him sufficiently prepared for his second tail, and informed him of a new creature he had introduced to the environment, specifically to help catalyze his evolution. Thus far his energy diet consisted primarily of magical creatures and monsters once he had graduated beyond more mundane animals. While he had slain his fair share of higher energy bearing individuals, he required a vastly more powerful foe, at least compared to his level, to provide the explosive potential needed to push him to the next level.
Inari had only gone so far as to tell him of the creature's existence in the area. The hunt, study, and destruction of his enemy would be left entirely up to Daichi. This would be a true life and death struggle, one where he would either succeed and evolve, or die. Daichi fully planned to succeed. He had a Devil Lord to conquer and a Seraph to taint, no magically inclined pest would stop his ascent to power.
Inari popped out of existence and Daichi immediately began scenting the air. It was a few short minutes later of lurking in the deepest shadows of the trees when he finally detected a whiff of the new arrival and immediately regretted it. The stench was foul, even at his current distance.
With a crinkled nose, Daichi set off in pursuit. The sooner he killed the monstrosity tainting his little kingdom, the better. He didn't have to wait long. Lumbering through the trees in apparent confusion was a true monster.
A forest troll.
From various mythologies and fantastical sources, Daichi dredged up what he could remember about the disgusting creature before him as he lurked in the shadows.
Of note, trolls were incredibly stupid, which was apparent by the bumbling of the brute as it passed before him. In some tales, trolls had incredible regenerative vitality. Crippled by fire, those usually weren't the muscle head type like the one before him, being built strong yet more compact. Daichi was inclined to believe this held a closer resemblance to the trolls of the Harry Potter universe. Big, dumb, but with immense strength, if the massive club, which was essentially a tree, was any indication.
He couldn't fight this kind of enemy head on, at least not as he currently was. While it remained standing, he could not land a fatal strike. A single blow from a monster like this would spell his end. There were alternative solutions; if he could shred its Achilles tendon or hamstring the monster, and it would fall, giving him access to its vulnerable throat, but it would be safest to exercise patience. If it knew it was under attack, it would thrash and fight in its death throes. This would be a hunt in every sense of the word. He would stay in the shadows, waiting for a moment of weakness. Even magical creatures eventually had to rest. Not fighting it head on would decrease the amount of energy he received upon its death, but with how much magical potential it held it would be negligible for his current needs.
The rest of his week followed a very similar routine. He would only leave his quarry every few hours to eat, drink, and take very brief naps. Even on a hunt, the hunter had to keep its strength up, and the troll was a difficult prey. The troll's inherently magical nature kept it moving far longer than would be possible for normal creatures. Its path was littered with partially consumed corpses of various types of beasts; fuel for its unhindered trundle through the area.
A full week of constant travel had left Daichi in a foul mood. He was grumpy with lack of sleep, and his fur was matted and tangled in places, having forgone his regular baths to maintain vigilance over his prey. The pair had been climbing the nearby slope of a mountain for some time, still surrounded by trees though they had thinned slightly. It was hunting for a den, a cave still resided within its natural habitat.
The lower slopes of this mountain were littered with caves, so it was only a matter of time until the most dangerous part of Daichi's weeklong vigil was upon him. While it's true the troll would sleep and provide an opening to strike, the enclosed space of a cave would be immensely limiting for speed and movement. If he was too slow, or worse, missed the jugular in his strike, or even both, it was likely he would die.
If he missed, but survived, it would become a hunt of attrition. The troll would know it was being hunted, and free strikes would no longer be possible. Daichi would have to revert to his human side's ancestral style of persistence hunting, harrying his prey until it fell from exhaustion or blood loss if he was feeling brave enough to give it death by a thousand cuts.
The troll finally stumbled across an appropriately sized den during Daichi's contemplation. He would wait, to give it time to sort out its new home and allow it to fall into a deeper sleep. He had been patient this long; he could continue for another span of time.
An hour crouched at the mouth of the cave, peering around the corner through the gloom as his quarry circled the cavern before finally laying down. An additional hour, to ensure its sleep was deep and undisturbed. It was finally time.
Years of practice made him less than a ghost. A deadly specter, floating along on silent paws.
Twenty steps.
Fifteen.
Eight.
Four.
One.
He stood directly before the head of his prey, massive yet delicate throat exposed to the air as deep heaving breathes resounded within the cavern. His current size would only guarantee half of the throat to be shredded sufficiently to cause death. The creature was simply that massive. The troll snorted, causing Daichi to freeze in place as the monster shifted in its sleep.
Too much dawdling. Daichi braced himself to strike.
Bite, rip, tear, flee.
He opened his maw, nearly placing his teeth on the disgusting creature's filthy skin. He would need to wash his mouth out for days after this.
It all happened in a fraction of a second, his placement precise. Daichi flexed the muscles in his jaw, puncturing the jugular around the artery, ripping away the flesh in a massive chunk. Blood sprayed from the severed vein painting the walls of the cavern in time with the massive pulses of its heart, running in rivulets to the floor as a roar of absolute rage and terror tore itself from the monster's destroyed throat.
Daichi had already leapt beyond the lip of the cave, watching from a safe distance as the creature thrashed in pain and fear. It would still be some time before it would fall, the amount of blood in its massive body sustaining it for longer despite its inevitable demise. The troll, in its rage, eventually managed to spot its assailant watching from a distance. It hurled itself forward attempting to grasp its now mortal enemy. If it was destined to die, it would take its killer with it.
Or at least it would try.
Daichi danced away from the massive lumbering brute, dashing into the forest to hide amongst the shade of the trees. The monster attempted to pursue, scrabbling after the tail of its murderer, roars of pain and anger announcing its plight to the entirety of the forest. It was all for naught.
Daichi kept just enough of a lead to bait his prey to continue the chase, expediting the loss of blood the longer the pursuit continued. It only took a few short minutes for the troll to succumb, blood covering its torso and face as it tripped, falling to the earth. Several times it attempted to rise, only to find it had no strength to do so.
It finally fell for the final time, its breaths heaving, blood and spit frothing from its mouth as it began choking on its own blood. It was a long, fear filled death, evidenced by the troll's eyes as they flit about. Fear replaced rage as its inevitable demise encroached. It was not something Daichi enjoyed watching. The hunt was not a place for torture and fear. Death was meant to be clean, free of suffering.
As the troll ceased its struggles, its energy leaving it, Daichi stood vigil over it. He did not enjoy watching such suffering, but he was the cause, and therefore it was his responsibility to bear witness. The troll's breaths became rattling gasps, its limbs twitching as nerves failed to find purchase and began firing rapidly. Blood and oxygen started failing to reach the brain, exacerbating its condition. It was at the point that Daichi finally approached, assured of his safety and the troll's complete inability to defend itself.
Standing on the monster's back, Daichi placed his claws at the base of its skull just as it began seizing. With a flex, his razor-sharp implements slid beneath the thick skin, finding purchase against his prey's spine. With an additional flex, he severed the spinal column, instantly killing the troll, putting it out of its misery.
The influx of energy was massive, notably more than any other creature he had slain thus far. It continued building within him, all the energy he had absorbed thus far seemingly bursting from him as the new source caused his vessel to overflow. It was only a brief feeling, the perception of overflow transitioning from the entirety of his body to the base of his spine. A focused point next to his first tail began itching and tingling. A whine escaped his lips at how uncomfortable the sensation became.
With a sudden burst, a second tail sprouted into existence, relieving the itch and causing a sigh to echo out into the now silent woods. Daichi still stood in his fox form, but with the addition of his second tail a surge of knowledge came with it. Ancestral memories gave him the means to adopt a humanoid form now that he held enough power to maintain a transformation indefinitely.
However, he had other business to handle first. Namely washing the filth from his mouth and body. His fur needed cleaning and his mouth was still tainted with the taste of troll. Inari was undoubtedly watching in some capacity and now aware of his child's success. It was only a matter of time until he reappeared, but a bath and proper hygiene were a more prevalent concern for Daichi for the moment. Inari would show himself when he felt like it. If he was lucky, Sera and Gabby would show up too.
A bath, thorough mouth rinse, and rabbit snack later, Daichi was lounging in the afternoon sun as his fur dried, the warmth lulling him into a mindless trance.
It was the whispers and giggles that gave them away, his silent meditation making it easy to hear them as they lurked at the edges of his perception. With a grunt, he flicked one of his two tails up in the air, pointing it at them and waving. The pair simply seemed to pop into existence next to him with how fast they approached, each woman latching onto one of his tails, stroking the soft fur as they cuddled into it.
Daichi gave a soft groan accompanied with a roll of his eyes as Inari soon followed with a smile on his face.
"I'm surprised you didn't immediately transform."
Daichi grunted, pointedly looking at the two women still gushing over his tails. Inari laughed.
"Yes, you have a point, they would have been rather put out if you hadn't waited."
Gently tugging his tails from their grasp, Daichi gently stroked their cheeks with the tip before sitting up and facing the trio.
"Ready?" Inari asked. The Devil-Angel pair looked on with sparkling eyes.
Daichi nodded and began his first transformation.
It was another strange sensation. Not painful, or unpleasant, simply strange. His body rearranged itself, certain sections shifting and collapsing in on itself as his mass rapidly decreased. To the onlookers it simply looked as if the massive fox in front of them vanished. Sitting in its place was a six-year-old beastkin boy, black ears perked up atop his head and two midnight black tails waved in concert behind him.
Looking down, Daichi frowned and covered himself, his first words in his new life passing his lips soon after as he looked up at the girls.
"No free shows."
