Chapter 16: A lesson in strength

The forest dweller had never used chopsticks before. It wasn't very hard to tell, considering he's been fumbling with the eating utensil for the past couple minutes.

Taking pity on him, Tamamo helpfully guided his hand to hold the noodles properly.

"Thank you..."

"Hmm~"

It was still awkward, but he could enjoy his food now.

"What's your name, young man~?"

Pausing from nursing his bowl of ramen, the forest dweller tried his best not to look nervous. It doesn't seem to be working, as Tamamo's grin grew upon seeing his face.

"Luka, just Luka..."

One of her tails reaches across the table for a salt container, while another presents itself in before him, swaying around invitingly.

"Y'know, Luka. My tails are the fluffiest in the world! Do you wanna feel them for yourself~?"

"Um..."

"Hmm~?"

Fortunately, he was saved by an unlikely ally.

"What are the two of you doing?" Said Alice exasperatedly, putting aside her twentieth bowl.

"Nothing..."

Pouting, the nine-tail fox turned to her surrogate daughter. "Oh please, don't be so stiff dear Monster Lord. I was just trying to break the ice with Mr. Hero here~!"

"Please don't call me that..."

Luka said those words under his breath, forgetting most monsters have enhanced hearing,which is why it surprised him when the two powerful monsters stared questioningly at him.

"I've seen you make that face before." Alice begins, her right hand covers her mouth as she thinks. "I thought it was because of the pressures I was emitting. It looks like you just hated being called a hero instead."

"Which begs the question." Tamamo continues, both of them now in sync. "Why would a heroic young man who's skilled with the sword, and have a connection with the Spirits be upset by being called a Hero?"

...

A beat pass, and then another.

Just as he was about to answer, a thunderous headache struck.

"!?" Clutching his head in pain, the two monsters that were previously huddling close to him grew concerned and gave him some space to himself.

Alice sighs and looks away, trying to deny her guilt for pressuring him.

Tomamo held a serious expression as she stared at him intently.

Catching his breath, the purplette wipes the sweat from his face and slowly leaves the food stallthey were eating in.

There's an ache in his chest that won't stop...

===0===

After volunteering to help with the problem, the village's chief informs him that he'd have to watch out for the group of young man who would no doubt try to take his place. Nothing his spell couldn't handle, and soon they were all sleeping peacefully on the floor.

The entrance of the giant cave where the Yamata no Orochi lives is located deep into the mountains. The journey there is riddled with danger, from the steep cliff to the roaming unsophisticated monsters. All of this, and they weren't even seeing her yet, let alone fighting her.

And unfortunately, if all else fails, that's the one thing he would have to do.

As he took another step, the wind picked up, warning him of a powerful presence. Sure enough,he saw Tamamo waiting for him in front of a dark cave entrance.

"Hmm?"

"Don't mine me~" She laugh behind her fan, "I'm just here to make sure things doesn't get out of hand."

It made sense, he supposed. Yamatai Village is Tamamo's hometown. Of course she would help solve any problematic situation here. Though, considering the group of perverted men from before... calling it problematic is a bit exaggerating.

Luka nodded to her, he also just wanted to make sure no one got hurt in the end.

He was a bit shocked when her tails wrapped around her body,turning herself into a small fluffy ball. It got replaced by confusion when she asked him to carry her in his bag. Somehow, someway, she said this will help him deal with the Yamata no Orochi.

Picking up the 'Tamamo ball', he used every bit of his willpower to not play around with her fluffy fur and went inside.

The walk only lasted a few seconds before the wind detected movements around him. Putting his guard up, the forest dweller witnesses the folklore monster awoke from her slumber. With a giant body covered with powerful emerald scales, from them eight lamias that are all symbiotically connected to each other, the Yamata no Orochi is something akin to what a person with a fever dream would dream of.

"Kukuku~ another fresh sacrifice..." Said one of her heads.

"Come, dedicate your semen to me..." Another one welcomed him to his supposed fate.

Luka took a deep breath, readying himself for the encounter.

"Um...about that, madam?"

"Oh my, it's been a long while since someone last called me that..."

Moving closer, one of her headplaces herself eye to eye with him. "In return for being so polite, I'll humor you, little lamb~"

Trying his best not to shiver at the pet name, the forest dweller begins.

"W-well, it's about your demand on the people of Yamatai Village..."

"Incredibly generous, don't you think? Back then, before I was sealed, many monsters would kill and enslaved those weaker than them to get what they wanted..."

"..."

"I figured, instead of such barbaric nonsense, I'll instead ask for one to kept me fed every year... this way the human population wouldn't took a fall..."

To be honest? When she put it like that, it does sound fairly reasonable.

There's only one thing, however...

"Madam, if I may... what you describe, about how your actions are better in comparison to how it was back then..."

"Hmm...?"

"While it may be true, those time has passed..."

At this, a look of surprise appears on her faces.

"What is it that you mean, little lamb?"

'Well, hope this works...'

"The time has changed, madam. The people of Yamatai Village would have love to have you around and the men are..." He blushes, "...Very eager to aid you as well..."

"...Truly? Little lamb, you are not lying to me are you..."

He frantically waves his hands.

"No, no, I wouldn't! It's true!"

"..."

A few tense seconds later the pressure subsides, and the folklore monster begins quietly discussing among herself. Still on guard, the purplette patiently waited for her to come to a conclusion.

...

"Little lamb..." Once she finished, the same head as before spoke for the rest.

"Since I have slept for so long, I know almost nothing of the outside world. It would be false to say I am uninterested..."

Luka almost let out a sigh of relief. But then he realizes she's not finished.

"However... while I acknowledge that time has indeed changed, Ihave also decided to keep my tradition alive."

Grimacing, he pulls Iris from her sheath.

Old habits are hard to stop. He understands that better than anyone else.

To change how you have lived for most of your life can be downright impossible for some people. That's why he wasn't going to give up.

"Do not take it personally, it is simplyin my nature. Once Iemerge victorious, be sure that you'll received my upmost care..."

Summoning the power of wind, Luka leaped back to gain some distance.

Seeing this, it only made the folklore monster amused.

"Wind magic...? I supposed 'little bird' would be more accurate..."

[Eight head assault]

His instinct screamed as she launched all eight of her heads towards him. He thought he could counter with a technique, but his options were limited.

As he was dodging, one of her heads almost caught him in a corner. With the huge stalagmite blocking his path, Luka ran up to it, wallflip over her and let out an attack while she crashed into the hard mound of mineral deposits.

[Cyclone blade]

Yamata no Orochi took the brunt of hundreds of wind blades and continues after him like nothing happens.

Her cavern wouldn't let him fly around and her scales are too durable to be affected by a wind blade. In the end, all he could do was weave around her assault and wait for an opening to strike.

"How troublesome...it seems I must use a bit of force. Don't die on me little bird..."

[Head smash]

One of her heads went high and slammed into where he was standing, even as he dodged to the side, it shook the entire cavern in a terrifying display of strength.

With rocks and other minerals flying from the impact, the forest dweller did not have enough time to regain his footing and was caught by surprise as her hair extended and wrapped around him. It coils around his body gently enough to not crush himbut strong enough for him to not be able to move.

"Prepare yourself, little bird. with my eight heads, I will suck you all over..."

'That's so unfair! How come she can move so fast being that big!?' Sylph angrily complains in his head.

'The situation is truly dire...if only we have Gnome with us...' Undine laments.

Throughout the whole fight, Luka was on the defensive. He wanted to see if there's any way he could outmaneuver her and use the flow to spot her weak points.

The problems aren't just his environment, but also the fact there wasn't a single spiral that he could see. Yamata no Orochi is a monster so powerful that he could not detect any weak points on her like every other monster he had fought.

As her heads surrounds him from every angle, the forest dweller digs deep inside of him, and he push.

"!?" Taken aback by the barrier of winds protecting him, the heads were blown back before they could strip him of his cloth.

"Bad little bird..." She said as one of her heads went for another slam.

Landing in a crouch, the forest dweller switches his connection to Undine and was about to unleash an upward serene demon blade when he felt something wiggling in his bag.

"Wha- Tamamo!" He was so focused on the fight, he genuinely forgot about her being in his bag.

Pulling the small fluffy ball from his bag, it jumps from his hand and transforms into the nine-tail fox.

"That's me!" Simply holding out her right hand, the sly monster stopped the attack dead on its track.

"Preposterous! What is the meaning of this!?" Yamata no Orochi exclaims in disbelief.

Smugly smiling back to the folklore monster, Tamamo said.

"Don't worry about little old me, just a worry fox looking out for her daughter's friend~"

Yamata no Orochi instinctively backed away when she stares into her deceivingly innocent eyes.

"Y-you! A little fox dares interrupt m-"

"Well! In any case." Tamamo interrupts before turning to the forest dweller.

"Luka, I'm not going to help you a second time. If you fail to beat this lazy girl again, you'll have to stay with her for an entire year."

"What did you call me...!"

As her words registers, the purplette shook his head in defeat.

"But the flow...the spirals... I can't see any of them."

"So youdohave a contract with Undine. And spirals? I supposed everyone see it differently..."

"Tamamo...is there any way I can win?"

"Of course~!" She lifts her hand next to her, extending two fingers. "Two, actually."

"One is by using both of your connections to the spirits in harmony. The other is by trapping her in your domain, at least, if what Alice told me is right and you do have it."

Hearing her words, the forest dweller considers the options he had.

On one hand, he could try using both powers again. He could only do it in short burst in the Plansect the other... every time he uses, or was about to use his domain, his body moved instinctively. He never figured out how to do it on command.

Both options are risky, but if he has tochoose one...

He already has the flow activated, so he should call for Sylph next.

"Y'know, Luka." Said the kitsune, gaining his attention. "When I'm eating ramen, I don't hold the chopstick with two hands. I only needed one..."

"Huh?" Dumbfounded, the forest dweller has no idea what she's saying.

... Is that, a clue? Is she trying to tell him something...?

Wait, is she talking about...

Getting up from his crouch, Luka closes his eyes and visualizes his connections to the spirits.

With Sylph, a bright green light greets him. And with Undine, the blue calmly shines in the dark. Back then, when he tried to use both at the same time, it would feel like he's trying to move two separate directions.

The contradictions of fighting his opponent using his speed and staying still, waiting for them to make a mistake is jarring.

Now however, instead of viewing the two as individual strength, he reminds himself that both Sylph and Undine are there to help him, not have him choose between them.

He needs to be swift, to be precise. He needed to be both.

As the two colors combine in his mind, Luka could feel himself elevating to a new level of performance. Even as he closed his eyes, he could see the world clearly with the flow.

Opening his eyes, the forest dweller was greeted by two powerful monsters staring at him. One in shock, while the other in fascination. It was a bit embarrassing, but he pushed through it and spoke to the nine-tail fox.

"Thank you, Tamamo. With this, I should be able to win..."

"Don't make it sounds like I do most of the work." She laughs, "All I did is gave you a pointer, you're the one who figured it out~"

Gratefully nodding to her, the purplette moves to deal with the folklore monster once more.

"I ask you this as a sign of good faith... are you still going to fight?"

"You... what are you...?"

That was not the response he was hoping for or expected.

He thinks it's a bit late for an introduction, but not to be rude he proceeded.

"My name is Luka, just Luka. And I'm a traveler on a journey of self-improvement."

Raising Iris in front of him, he finishes it.

"It's nice to meet you."

===0===

The ancient monster watches as Luka beautifully intergrades his mobility into his timing.

Every time Yamata no Orochi unleashed an attack, he would get closer and force the monster into an awkward position where she had the risk of hurting herself. Sliding under her giant body, he dodged another slam, and ran across the wall of the cavern to her unprepared back.

[SERENE DEMON BLADE!]

As he unleashed a flurry of slashed on the monster's body, Tamamo saw them go from mildly annoyed to extremely concerned as the attack kept coming.

His sword perfectly struck the same spot over and over again despite the folklore monster throwing everything she had at him.

Something had to gives eventually, and it ended up being her scales. Now up against an opponent faster than her, and an obvious weak spot on her body, Yamata no Orochi panic. Any spells that she knew were cast chaotically all over the cavern and if it weren't for Tamamo keeping it together with her earth magic, it would have collapsed a long time ago.

"Get away! Don't come near me!"

If anything, after hearing that Luka got even faster.

[Whistling blade]

His body disappearing with a whistle mid-air as ten more slashes assault the monster's side.

All of those attacks piled up, creating more weak spots, which in turns only make the folklore monster regret ever starting the fight with him.

It went like that for a while, with Luka's non-stop offense, and Yamata no Orochi gradually running out of stamina to keep going.

[Cyclone blade]

One final technique that abuses all her exposed weak points, and the monster's eyes go white. Rumbling the cavern as she falls unconscious.

The winner is Luka, the forest dweller.

Catching his breath, the young man sheaths his short wooden sword and turns to her.

'How curious...' The Kitsune thought to herself.

Even after powering down, his left eye is still bright green.

===0===

Unaware of the change of his feature, Luka made his way closer to the kitsune before his legs buckled and gave out on him. In order to match his opponent's durability, he needed more than just skill. Luka uses his speed to create a huge amount of momentum to break her scales and create the weak points.

It's to be expected that his legs would suffer as a consequence, but he's glad it happened after he had won.

"Now don't go unconscious on me, mister~" Catching his fall with her tails, her voice teasingly reminds him."Especially after looking so dashing in that fight!"

"Tamamo..." He tries getting back up, but the wobbling of his knees disagrees.

Luka hears a strange sound behind him. He wanted to see what that was, but Tamamo's tail was still holding on to him.

Gently laying his head on her lap, the blushing forest dweller could only weakly protest her care.

"It's fine... I can- you don't have-"

"Hush now, allow your body a moment of rest." Like a mother admonishing her child, she cut him off.

"But I... this is..." At this rare stubbornness he's showing, Tamamo senses a prime teasing opportunity.

She brought her mouth close to his ears, whispering.

"Could you be trying to impress me, Luka~?"

He shivers, turning into a blushing mess on her lap from that.

Oh dear, she might have gone a bit too far there...

"Fufufu~"

As she laughs to herself, he saw her storing a disturbing looking sword in one of her tails.

Is he hallucinating because of how tired he is?

...

...

...

They stay like that for a while. The light from the moon reaching them from the entrance.

"Luka..."

Hearing the call, he looks into her eyes.

Illuminated by the moonlight, he saw the mischievous glint turn into something warmer.

"I wanted to thank you..."

"Hmm?"

"Not for fighting that lazy girl... but for Alice."

Sighing to herself, she begins her explanation.

"You've probably realized how unfocused she looks sometimes... like she was lost in thought."

That's true, while the Monster Lord's passivity had been a good thing for him. The purplette could tell it wasn't usual for her to act like that... almost as if there's a dark cloud following her.

The wind coming from Aliceis hesitating, conflicted on which way to go.

"You see, right now that dear Monster Lord of mine is in a confusing moment in her life... a responsibility she had chosen to carry by herself."

Tamamo let out a humorless laugh.

"Hell, even now, I bet her mind is still troubled by it..."

"..."

Her smile returned, smaller, but more genuine this time.

"Which is why I appreciate you for giving her a friend~"

Heterochromatic eyes widened as he tried to deny her thanks.

"I barely did anything as her friend... I didn't even ask about her problems. The most we ever did was talk about food, and throw snowballs at each other..."

"And for that, I, one of the Four Heavenly Knights, thank you."

Seeing how firm she was about this, Luka could only nod back.

"You seem to think helping her means solving her problems entirely, but that's wrong. As a friend, all you needed to do was be there for her, and that's enough."

...

Is it...really that simple?

"Trust me," Said Tamamo, "you don't realize how much a simple company is worth until you're all alone..."

Reflecting on her words, the forest dweller found himself amazed at how much he could relate.

Back then, when he ran away...

Before he found his fairy friend...

The void in his heart consuming him after his mother-

"Ah!" His thoughts went disarrayed as pain courses through his head.

He squirmed, holding his head in hope that it would lessen the agony and-

"Don't..."

Gently, yet firmly, Tamamo held his face in her hands. Her voice grounded him to the present.

"Luka, the first step to recovery is by acknowledging there's a problem..."

"No... I can't..."

The wind swirls around them, sensing his distress.

"And why is that?"

Her eyes bore into his, she could see him, the real him.

The scared child hiding from his past.

"Too much... I-I can't."

"So, you're running away?"

His breath hitches. The wind now aggressively howling at her as a warning.

'Sylph...' Undine worriedly calls out to her friend.

'...'

One mistake, one mistake and the spirit will personally send the fox flying to kingdom come.

Like an immovable mountain, the nine-tail fox continues.

"Breath with me..."

It caught him off guard, such a simple request from someone who wanted to help him.

Luka did so without thinking...

In and out, their tempo matches.

[Breath of the Earth]

Power he's not familiar with courses through his very being.

The pain numbed. Both physically and mentally.

"Can you do it now?"

Slowly, leaning into her motherly hold, he let it all out...

...

...

...

It was so hard. So painfully agonizing. But he pushes through.

In the end, he was left with a strangely cathartic feeling in his heart.

Little bit by little bit...

Luka walks the path of self-improvement.

===0===

Alice watches the pair make their way back into the village as the morning sun rises in the background. Confident that Luka could handle the nuisance, she opted to stay while Tamamo kept her eyes on him.

Her slitted eyes narrowed, the Monster Lord observes the way her surrogate mother holds onto his hand, a proud and satisfied expression on her face. Meanwhile, the purplette's disheveled appearance and embarrassed look tella pretty obvious story.

His braid is undone, the long violet hair messy and ruffled.

For some reason, his eyes are now heterochromatic. They were also red from crying.

The outfit he's wearing looks dirty. She could chalk it up to the fight he went through, but the other possibility is much more certain the more details she notices.

"Well, hello there dear Monster Lord~"

"...Hey Alice..."

"..."

Turning back, she slithered away from them and made her way to the snake shrine.

"Both of you perverts can keep what happens to yourself. I'm going to get breakfast."

"W-Wait! We didn't-"

"Annnnnd there she goes... oh well~"

Luka hung his head in shame while Tamamo only laughed.

Oh boy...

"Fufufu~ Don't worry Luka, misunderstanding happens all the time!"

Even so, he hopes this doesn't happen often...

===0===

The forest dweller doesn't know what it's called, but there's this short wide table made from bamboo outside the fox shrine that people use to side on.

He really wanted one in front of his house.

Maybe it could be another small project later on...

"And done! How about this one?" Said Kitsu, showing him her work with a mirror.

She did a horrible job. His hair ended up looking like a jumble of ropes tied together.

"Um..." Her junior, another two-tail fox offers to help him next.

When Kamuro showed him her work, he couldn't help but be reminded of his of some of the Elves back in the Forest of Spirits. His hair formed a purple crown that wrapped itself behind his head.

"It's very pretty...but I don't know how to do this one..."

"Ah, I made it too complicated. Forgive me for being inconsiderate."

Luka waves his hands around in protest as she starts bowing.

"No, no! It was my shortcomings at fault, not yours!"

"Even so, I should have asked for your preference..." She deflects.

"Then I should have told you first..." He bows back to her.

Now both of them are stuck in a cycle of apologies. Neither are willing to accept.

"...Both of you are too polite."

It was Hanabi's turn next. She was hesitant at first since she never bothers to style her hair, keeping it relatively short. But seeing as her juniors failed to do it, she decided to help out.

Keeping it simple, she gave him a braided side ponytail with a white ribbon at the tip.

It was neat and easy to remember, he could even learn to do it without thinking if he practiced long enough.

"Thank you..."

The seven-tail fox smile, "Don't mention it."

The forest dweller let the pages out of the book to ask how they feel about his new hairstyle.

"Luka, Is that a new hairstyle? My thoughts? Well...I don't know much about this subject since my hair doesn't change, but I think you look fine as you are..."

"Darling~! Did you get a new hairstyle? I love the ribbon!"

"The Kitsune shrine? Oh dear, my lord does not like them very much. Hmm? Your hair? Why, they look as beautiful as always. What happened to your eyes?"

They enjoy tea under the shade together after that. At some point the Nekomata that he met yesterday shows up to join them.

"I don't see the point of glasses; we have enhanced vision and magic that could repair damaged eyes compared to humans. Why bother with wearing one?"

"It's not about practicality. I do this to keep the image I have as a librarian."

"Nyaaa!"

"No! Tama, give me back my sushi!"

"Both of you, please keep your manners."

"How high can you fly on your book?"

"I... don't know? I've never tested the limits."

He finds peace in the chaotic interactions his friends were having all around him.

And from the way Tamamo is smiling at him, he figures that's how she has always felt too.

===0===

Some people ended up mistaking him for a girl when he visited the snake shrine.

It was embarrassing, but remembering Tamamo's advice, he laughed it off and went to see Alice.

It's strange, usually when he has to talk to strangers, he would need time to prepare himself. Now though, he doesn't feel so awkward anymore.

The forest dweller saw the Monster Lord eating dango by herself. Her serpentine body curled around a tree, shading her from the sunlight.

When he got close enough, her jaded gold bore into him.

He held up the box of sweets he was carrying.

"Oh, It's just you..."

The pressure stopped.

"Mine if I join you...?"

Huffing, she turns away from him. "You're leaving, aren't you? Why don't you go spend your time with those foxes instead."

"I already did..." He points to his hair.

"Then why are you still here?" The question felt more like a threat.

Tilting his head at this, he only said.

"Why wouldn't I...?"

She sighs, "As if I care, do as you wish..."

They spent the next couple hours talking about random stuff they could think of. She was staring at his left eye a lot, understandable, considering even Luka had no idea why it turned into a different color.

"How curious, I would have thought you'd be more worried about this."

"I am. But worrying about it wouldn't help."

"Coming from you, how ironic~"

"H-hey! I'm not that bad... right?"

"Fufufu~"

"Alice..."

...

...

...

===0===

By the time the sun is setting, they both walk to the village entrance where Tamamo awaits. A big smile threatens to split her face in two.

"What's with that infuriating smile?" Coldly she greeted her surrogate mother.

"Oh this? It's nothing~" Laughing it off, the kitsune turns to him.

"I'm just happy it all works out in the end. Isn't that right, Luka~?"

The Monster Lord huffed and looked away as they shared a smile.

Since the entrance of the village is already facing west, Luka can just fly straight ahead to Grandgold. It would take longer than his usual journey due to how long the distance is, but he doesn't mind camping with his friends.

"Hey..." Calls the Monster Lord.

"Hmm?"

"One day, after you finished looking around this continent. Come to my castle..."

His eyes widened as she said that. Tamamo only watches on, knowing smileon her face.

"Do I... have to wear a suit?"

She blinked.

"What?"

"Well..." Luka awkwardly gestures with his hands. "I thought... there would be some sort of way I should dress myself in a castle so..."

She smacks her palm against her forehead. "No, you idiot. It's a monster castle, not a human one. As long as your outfit isn't made from literal monster body parts, you can wear anything you want."

"Oh...right."

Alice crosses her arms, "So, are you coming or not?"

He looks into her eyes, how she tries to hide her nervousness behind her harsh words.

"Alright then."

"You're... not going to ask why I wanted you to go there?"

Softly, he replies. "You'll tell me when I'm there, won't you...?"

Luka knows how prideful the Monster Lord is. If she wanted to ask him for help, he's not going to drag it out.

"...I'll do that then." She said, turning away from him before he could notice her upturn lips.

He waves at Tamamo in the background before calling the wind, launching himself in the air and activating the airstream spell Alice had taught him.

Flying forward, he follows it to his next destination.

END OF CHAPTER


Author's Note: For the record, I wanted to clarify that Luka and Tamamo did not have sex in the cavern. It was an unexpected last-minute therapy session that she forced him to go through for his own good.

Not to mention, her maternal instinct is kicking the fuck in when she realizes how much trauma he's carrying.

Luka got himself the classic 'dead anime mom hairstyle' by Hanabi. Don't worry, he' not a mother so he's fine... probably.

I actually wanted Luka to go to the Kitsune Village at first, but then scraped that idea for another time.

Next chapter, watch Luka have an uncomfortable time in Grandgold.