A/N: I keep meaning to update this story regularly but never get around to it. Granted when I originally started this story it was just a one-chaptered thing, then I did a second Aloe chapter because I wanted to do a lewd of her, then it gradually evolved into an ongoing thing.

That aside, I really should update this more often...

No smut this chapter either, just plot stuff~ Do enjoy~

Army of the Demon King

Chapter 5: Bound

''...mn...''

The sound escaped your dry mouth, the harsh thrum of countless voices and the drum of a hundred footsteps forcing you awake. It felt like you were hungover, a faint dizziness swirling behind your eyes and making you reluctant to open them – but curiosity compelled you nonetheless. Cracking your eyelids open you squinted at the dirt floor under you, compacted and mostly flat; illuminated clearly by late morning light.

Raising your head you took in the familiar hut that was your prison, and in a rush memories of last night returned. Attempting escape. Engaging Botan and Polka in a battle. Losing, then being used like a fuck-toy by the two monster-girls. After that everything grew vague, so you assumed that you must've passed out at some point and had been dragged back here. The thought made you grimace, the sting of failure acute and worsening the headache behind your eyes.

However you quickly noticed you weren't alone in the hut. Tilting your head, your shackles rattling by your bound wrists, you gazed over at the familiar form of Botan as she stood near the entrance of your hut, leaning against the wall with her eyes closed and looking for all intents and purposes like she was sleeping. The moment you moved however those eyes snapped open, pupils darting towards you and holding your gaze.

You looked away first, some primal force compelling you to do so. ''...what time is it?''

Botan hummed and slowly rolled her shoulders, leaning out the hut long enough to peek at the sun. ''About ten o'clock I'd say.''

You nodded slightly at that and winced as you swallowed; your throat dry. However to your surprise Botan eyed you for a second before approaching, withdrawing a grey flask of some sorts from her jacket and holding it towards you. You eyed it suspiciously, and for a moment you considered rejecting it... but you were so very thirsty and if they'd wanted to kill you they could've done so a thousand times over by now. They wouldn't waste the time poisoning you, not when they could just snap your neck on a whim.

Thus with some effort you craned your neck forwards and bit the ridged cap, twisting it with several stiff rotations until it came off and fell to the floor. Botan helpfully brought the rim to your lips and tipped it back, allowing a small but steady stream of lukewarm water to pour down your throat. It wasn't exactly the most refreshing drink but it immediately soothed the ache in your throat, removing the dry scratchiness that had been irritating you and allowing you to breathe freely, your throat no longer feeling clogged and stuck together.

''...mn.'' You swallowed as she pulled the rim away from your lips. ''...thanks.''

''You're welcome.'' Botan remarked with a slight smirk, plucking the cap back up and wiping it clean of dirt before putting it back on.

You watched the motion for a second, then looked up to meet her eyes. ''Who are you anyway?''

''Funny. I was going to ask you the same thing.'' Botan's smirk broadened, mirth in her grey eyes. ''Scouts don't normally have much magic.''

It took a conscious effort not to let anything show on your face; forcing yourself to look disinterested as you shrugged. ''I just learned things faster than others did. Who are you though?''

''Really that interested huh?'' She squatted down opposite you, resting her arms over her knees. ''I'm Shishiro Botan, General of the Demon King's army. Nice to meet ya.''

You paused to take that in. You'd heard of them – Generals. Frontline leaders of the Demon King's army, they commanded the monsters that surged towards humanity's borders' acting as a central authority of sorts on any given battlefield. Alongside that their power was well-renowned for being equal to that of any of the Thirty-Two Legion's Captains, and after seeing it first-hand you could understand why. You'd barely been able to scratch them and it was clear they had just been toying with you the whole time – had they wanted to kill you, they could've done so at any given point. Hell, considering how stealthy both Botan and Polka were, you could see either of them assassinating you before you even knew they were there.

While a General wasn't as unfathomably powerful as one of the Royal Guard, that didn't diminish the fact they were a potent threat. One you never had a chance of beating even in one-on-one combat.

''Are the others like you all Generals too?'' You probed.

Botan looked amused. ''Yup.''

So that meant you'd spied on a group of some of the most powerful monsters in the world and gotten caught by them.

Your luck was just fantastic.

You were snapped out of your thoughts as Botan hummed, her eyes shifting over your face intently, as if searching for a hint of your musings. ''So, I answered your question, so why don't you mine?''

A trade of information. Your first thought was to refuse, to steel your defences and prepare for an interrogation... but was there any point? Aloe had already sapped most info from your mind when she fucked you, and while she didn't seem to have gotten all of your innermost thoughts, she knew enough about your comrades and their positions to begin acting upon it. While you still had a few secrets, Botan wouldn't be able to pry them out of you if she didn't know you had them in the first place.

''Fine.'' You grunted, shifting so you were sitting a little more comfortably. Or as comfortably as you could with both hands chained to the wall.

Botan hummed; drumming her fingers against her knees as she thought, the silence filled with the muffled thrum of the camp moving about – anvils clanking, troops marching, countless voices talking, shouting and laughing – until finally she spoke.

''How does magic work for you humans?''

The question caught you off-guard. You tensed; trying to read into her intentions, your muscles drew taut, but no matter how much you thought you couldn't think of a reason for the question – magic wasn't exactly a secret and monsters on the whole knew about it, either through captured casters in the past or through simply observing and figuring it out on the battlefield. Asking you wouldn't yield anything useful – if you were a powerful sorcerer then maybe, but on the whole even though you were good at magic, you didn't know anything all that great. Nothing that they wouldn't already know.

You swallowed, pushing down your anxious thoughts. Maybe she just wanted a human to explain it to her – you never did understand magic when explained by tutors, you had to get a friend to explain it for you to really get a proper grasp, maybe she was the same, she just needed someone unlike everyone else to explain it. It wasn't like monsters could use human magic effectively as well, not that they needed to – they had their own magic systems and using human magic was not only purportedly difficult, but also weaker than their native magic. Aside from a handful of powerful or unique spells known only by masters, there was zero reason for any monster to learn or even just mimic human magic. It was just more effort for weaker results.

Thus, with some reluctance you spoke. ''How much do you know about our magic?''

''Eh, a bit.'' Botan shrugged. ''I know it's different from how we do it though.''

You nodded slowly, presuming the 'we' meant 'monsters'. ''We're taught it at training camp. Usually just basic spells unless we show an aptitude for it, then we're sent to specialised academies to become mages or other types of spellcasters.''

''Oh?'' Botan leaned forwards, looking genuinely interested – not maliciously either, but with a light, curious glint in her eyes.

''Think of Fuerza.'' You suggested, choosing your words carefully. ''It's a basic spell we're taught before we're sent out onto the battlefield. At its core, it's about shooting out a blast of 'force'. Most can only project enough force to knock aside a blade in a fight, but I've used it enough I can pack a punch with it – but proper mages, masters, they can shatter boulders with ease with it. It's all about practice and figuring out how to make miniscule changes to what you want it to become.''

''Interestin'~'' Botan tilted her head, intrigued. ''How'd you learn it?''

''I...''

Your mind flashed back to a certain silver-haired girl, smiling brilliantly as you cast your first successful fireball.

''...had a good teacher, is all.'' You shrugged as much as your shackles would allow.

Botan hummed and accepted the answer. ''I wonder if the process is the same for casting though. See, when I do it, I gotta pour 'desire' into it, y'know? Like, it's not enough to know how the spell, I've got to channel what I desire it to do. Can make it a pain sometimes, so I usually just rely on my fists.''

''That's... sort of how we do it.'' You tentatively agreed. ''Though the way I was taught was that it requires willpower. If you want to cast Fuerza you have to will for it to happen, to see it through all its steps until it's completion. Failing that and it'll collapse or, worse, backfire on you. I've heard some people also use incantations to help support a spell, but I just use the names; it gives the spell stability but doesn't take as long as an incantation.''

The lioness before you hummed. ''See, we don't do that incantation stuff. It's all mental and desire.''

'Interesting.' You filed that bit of information away on the off-handed chance you could pass it back to your allies. 'Human magic requires will, monster magic requires desire...'

''Is there a limit on what kinda spells you can use?'' Botan queried. ''I mean, like, Demons usually specialise in fire magic and all that, and some I've heard can use hellfire while others can't – is that a thing? Like, only able to use certain stuff?''

''Maybe.'' You conceded. ''I've never heard of it, but there's probably some people out there who can't use fire magic, for example. At least for me, it's always been about drawing out the energy of the soul – 'mana' – and converting it into the spell I will it to be. Whether it's successful or not depends on how much I understand what I'm doing, and if I have a bit of enough 'well' of mana to draw upon.''

''And I'm guessing you do that by trainin' or something like that.''

''Yes, exactly that.'' You nodded along, relieved you didn't have to explain that. ''For example I can't summon a meteor or something, because even if I understand how to do it, I don't have the power. I've heard some mages compensate for this by using enchanted equipment, rings, or charms and the like, but I'm not a sorcerer so I don't really know.''

Botan snapped her fingers. ''See, we kinda do stuff like that. I don't because, duh, don't really use magic, but Calliope uses a bunch of wards when she fights – weird necklace things that like, block any attacks but shatter if they absorb too much force.''

You made mental note of that. ''I see...''

Botan looked like she wanted to ask you more but was cut short as the curtain to your hut fluttered aside, allowing the familiar form of Aloe to stride inside. Botan didn't stand but you saw her eye the Succubus with some degree of seriousness – not hostility, nor subservience, but seriousness. You unfortunately didn't have the time to ponder on the reaction before Aloe came to a stop before you, smirking smugly down at you and coming to rest on one knee in front of you.

''Good morning, my pet~'' She purred to you, leaning in and kissing your cheek.

You grimaced lightly. ''...good morning.''

Aloe rolled her eyes at you. ''Oh come on, don't act so difficult. Or would you rather I be riding you and squeezing the information out of you~?''

The lilted tone she took sent a shudder through you, vividly remembering how snug she'd felt around you – but you banished the thought with a firm shake of your head. Aloe giggled with amusement though all the same, gazing at you past long lashes before turning her gaze onto Botan, having an unspoken conversation of some kind. When it passed she turned her attention back onto you and massaged your shoulders, her touch light and daresay ticklish.

''That aside, I did come here for a little reason.''

You tensed, your muscles drawing taut as Aloe straddle you, her body warm against your own and her limbs winding around you almost like she was hugging you – but her face was against your neck, lips tickling your flesh and breath washing over your skin smoothly, leaving the flesh hot in its wake. You squirmed and shifted but Aloe remained comfortably on your lap, her lips curving up into a noticeable smirk.

And then she was kissing your neck – harshly. A gasp fled your lips and your eyes bulged as a blazing sort of pain jolted through your neck and up to your skull, the liquid fire shooting from head to toe in what felt like slow motion to you, even though only a few seconds must've passed.

Then all of a sudden Aloe removed her lips from your neck and the sensation reversed, the liquid fire sucking its way right back out of you – leaving you gasping and shaking in its absence. Aloe hummed into your ear and pressed herself against you, and you were only peripherally aware of her sizeable chest squishing against your collarbone, the somewhat pleasant sensation utterly ignored as you endured the lingering embers that floated around your veins, growing weaker and weaker by the second until they just left you sore.

You coughed, your throat suddenly feeling dry again. ''W-What did you do?''

''Made you mine.'' The sultry coo in your right ear made you shudder. ''To be more specific, I put a little curse on you, enslaving your soul to mine.''

Her words were dainty but the implications heavy, weighing your heart down even as she extradited herself from your lap, smirking smugly down at you. ''Why...?''

''You'll find out soon enough.'' Aloe said mirthfully, brushing some pink hair from her pretty face. ''Botan, mind watchin' him for another few hours? Just to make sure nothing goes wrong.''

Botan shrugged. ''Sure. Bring me something to eat though.''

''I'll have Polka bring it by when she's back from her patrol~''

Botan just grunted at that and waved the Succubus off, watching her go.

You did as well, watching her hips sway as she left your hut until the curtains obscured her rear – only then allowing you to shake off your momentary bout of lust. You grimaced at that but even twitching a muscle reignited the pain she'd poured into you – the curse that she'd poured into you.

Curse. Not an unfamiliar type of magic, admittedly. Much like runes, wards and others like it, they were slightly different from traditional magic. Curses were less of an attack and more of a binding, at least from what you knew – they poured the caster's magic and intent into a spell applied directly to a person or object, causing all manner of results depending on the intent. They could weaken a target, slowly turn them to stone, or in the case of things like dragon-killing curses cause the insides of scales to rot and fall away from the main body, allowing the beasts to be more easily felled.

One notable distinction for curses was that they were long lasting, similar to blessings. Whilst a weakening spell might sap someone of their physical strength, that would only last a fairly short time – usually seconds to minutes or, at most, hours. Curses on the other hand lasted hours to days to even decades or longer, all dependant on the actual formula of the spell and how powerful the caster was. Considering that Aloe was likely also a General in the Demon King's army, and the curse would probably be staying on you for the foreseeable future. It didn't help matters that you had no clue of how to remove a curse. You knew that the priests back home or certain types of spellcasters could break them, but they were never easy things to do so.

There was a reason the term 'curse' was often spoken with a grimace and distasteful tone; they were nasty, and nobody wanted to be on the receiving end of it.

Like you were now.

Bound to Aloe. The thought made you shudder.

Was your body even your own now? Granted it wasn't like you could put up much resistance up until this point aside from impaling yourself on a guard's spear, but the idea that she could rip control from you, make you do as she pleased... it inspired a sense of fear in you that you didn't know you could feel. Because it wasn't the type of fear you got when facing down an army of Orcs charging down the grassy knolls of Greenhow, nor the type of fear when being hunted by a blood-crazed beast in a dimly-lit potion shop. It was the fear that at any moment you'd become a prisoner in your own body, able to see but unable to exert any control of your own over the world nor tell anyone of your wants.

Something must've shown on your face as Botan shifted closer. She was eyeing you warily and craning her neck to your right, but when you looked at her directly she stopped, apparently not bothering to comment on whatever she saw. Instead she took her flask out again and brought it to your lips, and after a second you took another drink.

You certainly needed it.

X-x-X

Nightfall came quickly.

Botan left at some point, giving you one last drink before she did so and leaving you alone in your hut. You were somewhat thankful for that as it gave you the space to think, though her absence also meant you had nobody to talk to – and, while Botan was undeniably a scary individual, the fact she showed an interest in your magic despite her own somewhat lacklustre magic ability made you a little more comfortable talking with her.

You wondered if that was the point; getting her to cosy up to you whilst you directed your misgivings at someone else, so that she could get in close to you, but you dismissed the notion. The light in Botan's eyes as she inquired about magic was too genuine to be fake; she was genuinely interested and that hadn't dimmed even when it was clear you weren't letting your guard down around her. And when she broached a topic you were concerned about sharing you danced around the topic... and she didn't push. You knew she could, but she didn't even try.

Suddenly your thoughts were interrupted as the curtains to your hut opened, and one of the humanoid monsters walked in – Kiara, you remembered her name. The orange-haired Phoenix met your eyes and smiled at you as she approached, but stopped when you tensed up. For a split-second you wondered if she was intimidated but immediately banished that notion when you met her eyes; seeing the worry in them. Worry. For you.

''Ssh, it's okay.'' Kiara whispered to you, approaching slower.

You swallowed and leaned slightly to the side to look past her, but if there was anyone standing outside you couldn't see them with the curtains in the way. She didn't look like she was here on official orders and Aloe had already come by to feed you your dinner – so what did Kiara want? Your mind naturally went to a certain activity but the disarming look on her face made it hard to think that, doubly so when she only knelt out in front of you, her right hand coming up to cup your cheek.

''...this will take just a second.''

Her hand grew warm. Not hot, but warm – a soothing, licking sort of heat that reminded you fondly of campfires or a fireplace, the sort of heat that ebbed and flowed naturally against your face. That same warmth seemed to spread throughout your body, travelling down your neck and over your chest, curling around to your back and over your thighs, leaving you feeling warm despite the cold air wafting into your hut. It was nice. Soothing.

Then her hand drew away and the feeling ebbed. It stayed, but it wasn't as strong as it was before – but it at least gave you your clarity again. You raised your head and looked up at Kiara, only then noticing the long red dress that she wore down to her shins, the black trim to it matching the skin-tight cloth that stretched from her bust to her neck. Blue feathers hung down from behind her ears and rested on her shoulders, the gentle glow of magic within them hinting at her mystical nature. Her flame-coloured hair tickled your cheek as she drew in close and you found yourself almost hypnotised by her grace, snapped out of it only when her soft lips touched your cheek in a kiss.

And then she pulled away, doing nothing further.

''Huh...?'' You blinked away your daze. ''What did you...?''

Kiara just stood, smiling at you. There was something in her eyes that was hard to define – pity? Sympathy? Affection? You'd barely interacted with her yet the empathy in her eyes was undeniable, but unfortunately any questions you wanted to ask dried up on your tongue.

''I'm not going to force myself on you.'' She whispered gently to you. ''I mean... I do find you cute, but I'm not like that. Not all the others are.''

Then with a flutter of her dress Kiara turned and left, leaving you with more questions than answers.

X-x-X

It was hard to get much sleep in the mornings.

Probably because you were somewhere near the middle of the camp, and as such had to deal with all the early-risers getting to work. Anvils clanking, troops marching, boisterous voices rallying formations – even if you didn't understand their languages it was easy to pick up a few words here and there. Regardless all the noise was impossible to sleep through, and drifting in-and-out of sleep just gave you a headache, so you opted to at least try and be awake.

Not that you normally had much to do beyond stare at the walls of your hut until someone came by to spoon-feed you breakfast, Today it was Polka who did so, the fennec fox-girl throwing in her usual dose of teasing remarks and smug 'here-comes-the-fireball' before she guided the spoon into your mouth. You weren't even sure what it was; some kind of porridge, you suspected. It was edible, at least, and filled you up.

However unlike usual she didn't skip away when she was done feeding you.

Instead, she unshackled you.

''C'mon.'' Polka waited in front of you, tapping her feet impatiently.

You rubbed your wrists to get some feeling back into them, not daring to take your eyes off of the General before you. ''...where?''

''Aloe wanted to test how good you are at fighting.'' Polka shrugged. ''So come on. Or do you wanna sit in here more?''

You both knew the answer to that question, and so with a grimace you rose up from your seat on the floor and followed Polka outside. The light was almost blinding after having been in the dim for so many hours, but it wasn't so overpowering that you couldn't follow the fox-girl through the camp. You made sure to stay close lest someone mistake you for an infiltrator and try their hand at gutting you, but still you stole glances as you walked, noting little details down. Guard locations, each type of stall or workstation, things like that.

One thing you did notice though was how much the camp had changed. The palisade walls had been visibly reinforced with metal binds and you could see guards going out on patrol with much more frequency, expanding their influence in preparation of an attack. Additionally, you noticed that a lot more types of monsters were around. Winged Demons, hood-wearing spellcasters, there was even the occasional Lich amongst the crowds, though said crowds kept their distance lest they be rotted by the Lich's deathly presence.

With this much firepower, they were probably planning an attack on your allies soon, within the next few days at most.

You pursed your lips and tried to hide any sign of tension from your body lest someone notice. Instead you turned your eyes ahead and watched Polka's back as the fox-girl led you down the winding, packed paths of the camp until you reached the other end of it – and then led you out through a gate. Past it laid an open clearing, numerous trees clearly having been felled somewhat recently and the stumps gone with it, leaving just a modest field of grass and dirt.

Gathered nearby was all of the girls you'd seen at the pond when you first spied on them. Some looked over at you curiously but most were busy chatting with one another and laughing; a stark contrast to the seductive vixens you'd seen in the pond. Amongst them you spotted Botan chatting amicably with Watame and the petite demon-girl, snickering about something and causing the demon-girl to whine and wave her arms about petulantly.

Aloe waited nearby, smirking the second you met her eyes. You glared back. It only seemed to amuse her.

She walked out from the main group. ''So, did Polka tell you what we're going to do?''

You glanced over at Polka, but the blonde just winked at you and went over to the group – whilst Botan emerged from it, heading out into the field. Unease churned in your stomach but you answered all the same. ''...that you wanted to test my combat ability?''

''Yep~'' Aloe crossed her arms under her bust, reflexively drawing your eyes to it. Damn Succubus pheromones. ''So here's how it's gonna work; you go out there and actually try, because if you don't Botan will beat you into the ground and then some. If you try and hit me and the others on the sidelines you won't like the result.''

She told you this with the same light, slightly cooing tone, yet you couldn't quite suppress the shiver that travelled through you. Though you couldn't begin to guess what such a punishment would be, the creeping fear of what it might be kept any plots about attacking them at the very back of your mind. Whether Aloe noticed this or not, she smirked all the same.

''Now.'' She gestured dismissively towards Botan. ''Go. Oh, and don't die, I'm starting to become fond of you~''

You bit your tongue before you could say something scathing and instead just nodded, marching out into the field. Immediately you could feel the eyes of the group on you; observing, prowling, prying. It gave you chills and some part of you almost wanted to cringe away from their curious stares, anxiety twisting in your stomach and clogging your throat, but you drew in a deep breath and focused only on Botan; taking up a spot directly opposite of her.

''So.'' You spoke, trying to sound calm. ''Any rules?''

Someone from the group giggled. Your cheeks warmed and you wondered if you'd said something weird, but Botan's words snapped you from your thoughts. ''Nah, don't think we'll need 'em. Just try not to die alright?''

''...right.'' You answered slowly, raising your hands up to waist-level.

Botan's eyes flickered to them, then back to your face, her gaze becoming intense – sharpened. It gave you chills to be on the receiving end of such a stare and doubly so when she flashed you a pearly grin. You steeled yourself though and let your magic flow through you. It was a subtle sensation, one akin to a curling gust of wind that travelled over your skin, your soul ready and willing to pour its energy forth and let your will shape it into something useful.

You might not be as good as a mage, but you were far from useless with magic.

A fact you decided to prove as you raised your right hand, gathering energy into a small sphere; the pale blue light transforming swiftly into a blazing amber as you willed it to change, to ignite. Flames licked at your palms but did little more than tickle you as the fireball swelled in size – but before it could form into a true fireball you brought your fingers around it, pressing down. The orange energy squished beneath your hold, quivering as if about to burst, but you kept a strong mental grip on it and willed it to obey, to follow what you wanted it to do.

The flames obliged, and you let out an exhale as the flames flattened out – extending in both direction, more to the left than the right. In rapid motion the flames curled in on themselves repeatedly and you fed more energy into it, willing the core to harden in the shape of a pole. The flames clung to the pole greedily, using it as a base to emanate from as you kept supplying energy to it – until at last, you swept your newfound flame-sword out to the sight, blade a glowing amber and the hilt as solid as a sponge, but better than nothing.

''Hoh~'' Botan looked impressed, though her grin had only widened. ''That's cool. You didn't use that last time we fought.''

You just shrugged at that, not wanting to admit the reason you hadn't was because you were trying to get away from her and Polka, not stand your ground and fight.

When you didn't answer her verbally Botan hummed, her hefty green jacket shifting as she took a step forth – and then burst into a shockingly fast sprint straight for you. The considerable distance between you both seemed null and she closed it in a matter of seconds, forcing you to make a decision.

Gritting your teeth you lunged to meet her, bringing your flaming sword down in an overhead slash. Predictably Botan side-stepped it, going to your right and cocking her left fist back, so you bent your elbow and brought the sword up in a diagonal slash towards her. She made no attempt to dodge and neither did you; your mental grip on the sword intentionally loosening in response. The second you did so the internal 'pole' that held the flames together weakened, allowing baleful tongues of amber to flare out.

The fist coming your way aborted its path, grazing over your head as Botan twisted past you in a dodge, her coattails barely brushing against your rear. You turned to face her – and pain spiked as her foot connected with the back of your right knee, sending you buckling down onto it as it gave out under you. Though she was out of your line-of-sight you could hear Botan land on both feet, the slight hiss of grass telling of her twisting feet, preparing to lunge at your back.

Your mind raced and you reacted, slamming your left hand against the ground. ''Fuerza!''

Raw force erupted from your palm and made contact with the dirt, compressing it – and then exploding it outwards when it had nowhere to go. It punched you in the stomach and raised you three feet off of the ground, leaving you momentarily weightless, but it was enough. With haste you twisted and threw your sword of fire at Botan; missing her by a decent margin, but that was fine. Because as the blade jammed itself into the ground, the pole that formed its centre lost cohesion.

And as a result, detonated in a plume of flame.

You landed on your hands painfully, fingers nearly bending too far, and you rolled yourself to one side before skipping back a few steps. The flames ebbed fast and you didn't doubt for a second that Botan would shrug it off. Changing tactics you drew yourself inwards; eyes shutting and drawing in a deep breath. You could feel the cool air drift down your throat and held onto that sensation, guiding it through your arms, then up and down your stomach and into your legs, then back up again. It took mere seconds, the cool sensation moving as fast as the wind, but every second counted.

It wasn't time wasted. ''Reinforcement: Viento.''

Instantly upon the spell's utterance your body felt lighter, as if you'd shed off a heavy coat. You didn't stay still to admire the feeling nor the white glow emanating from your flesh; instead you leapt backwards, your jump carrying you farther than normal, and when you touched down upon the grass it felt as if you weighed a third less than normal.

Ahead of you the lingering fire flickered out, aided by a sweep of Botan's arm – the simple act creating a gust. The lioness flashed her teeth at you and you retorted by extending a hand, generating a nameless fireball between your extended fingers before letting it loose. It curved slightly as it flew but it mattered little as Botan dodged it, the explosion behind her doing little to slow her as she charged straight for you. Mentally you ran through a list of possible counters but none came; she was too tough for an earth barrier to block and too fast for your fireballs to hit.

But then again, you could use that against her.

''Marais.'' You drew upon the water vapour in the air and weighed it down with your will, tiny droplets of moisture becoming visible as they fell into the dirt around you.

And then you sapped them of their meagre heat, sucking it out like you were a vacuum – transforming the now-sodden dirt into a sheet of ice. ''Geler.''

Botan reached you just as you finished crafting the spell, and as such had no time to adjust to the sudden slipperiness of the ground, losing her footing and tumbling past you. However it bought you just a second, maybe two, as she transitioned her tumble into a more controlled roll and skidded to a stop as the ice turned back into dirt – head jerking back up and eyes focusing on you. You forced yourself to meet her stare, no matter how intense it was, and used your enhanced agility to leap back and put some distance between the two of you.

That hadn't been as effective as you were hoping. Grimacing you cycled through your other options but time was running thin and she was already leaping at you, forcing you to back up. However Botan kept pace with you despite your speed and soon you found yourself darting around the clearing just so stay out of her reach – your leaping strides carrying you easily a dozen feet each time, yet Botan was never more than half that away from you.

And unfortunately, Botan's patience was becoming thin.

Something you realised as she stopped her chase and reared her head back, her throat bulging out and glowing with an icy blue light-

-before with a terrifying roar the lioness unleashed what could only be called a flood of lightning towards you, blinding as a single ungodly mass of light surged at you. There was no time to dodge so you threw up a hand, pouring your mana out and willing it to form a solid square barrier between you and the threat.

Whether the spell completed itself or not you didn't know, as it shattered after barely half-a-second.

There was a bright flash, a sudden darkness.

And then you opened your eyes, finding yourself staring at the sky. Your ears rung painfully as sound gradually came back into focus and when you blinked you could see a myriad of colours in the darkness of your eyelids, making you grimace on reflex alone. You dug an elbow into the dirt under you and sat up, the motion bringing some slight nausea with it, but you endured the slight, world-tilting vision and focused on Botan.

Who stood a mere few feet from you, arms crossed as if waiting.

''You were out for ten seconds.'' She told you before you could answer, smirking down at you. ''Not bad. I kinda expected you to be blown apart. I like that.''

You weren't sure whether her liking that was a good thing, at this rate.

''Now get up, we ain't done.''

''Can't I rest for a minute?''

Botan looked ready to deny, then paused; cocking her head to the side. After a second she shrugged. ''Fine, I'll give ya a minute. But if you try that dodging thing again I'll blast you, that was starting to get annoying.''

You nodded and wisely decided not to protest further, taking the chance to just catch your breath. You also glanced over at where the other monster-girls had been. Some of them had left and you could see Polka skipping away, shouting something about food, but most of them remained and were watching with interest.

'Why though? Why bothering testing me...?'

Your thoughts, naturally, were not answered.

But the possibilities haunted you all the same.

[END]

A/N: So, mostly plot stuff this time around. Bit of a demonstration of the magic system I'm going for - not the most elaborate one out there, but I think it's fitting enough for the story. I hope the chapter was enjoyable despite the lack of smut~

See you next time in Chapter 6: A New Purpose~