A Vulpine Spanner in the Works
Chapter 27: We Need to Have a Chat
[Kashia]
It was after our initial serious discussion between me and my daughters that I decided to allow them to ask more personal questions about myself. My kids were certainly enthusiastic about fielding me as many questions as they could conjure. I tried to answer them to the best of my ability, even if some of them were a little tough to answer. We had spent the past hour or two like this.
"Hey, mom, with your kitsune species, are all of you born with nine tails?" Tuare asked.
That was a little tricky, not because I didn't know the answer to the question, but because I was unsure of how to explain the follow-up for it. Did kitsune follow the mechanics of YGGDRASIL to a T and require levels and a boss rush to earn a tail or did they follow the mythology that I remembered where they earned tails from age and/or achievement? I guess I'd just do a mixture of both and hope it works out.
"No," I said with a shake of my head, "all kitsune, myself included, are born with a single tail. It is through age, power, or achievement that they start earning more."
"When you say 'age', what does that exactly entail?" Ninya asked curiously
"Well, after a hundred years, a kitsune can earn a tail." When I said that, both of my girls became wide-eyed with shock.
"You're over 900 years old?!" They asked together, making me giggle before I shook my head at their incorrect assumption.
"I'm only 28." I answered which caused the pair to relax as they heard this, though Ninya did give me an odd gaze.
"Please, don't take what I say as an insult, mom, but your personality makes you seem a bit older than that. I would've assumed that you might be in your early to mid 30s." Ninya said in observation.
She wasn't exactly wrong about me seeming to be older. Losing my only parent at 13, being forced to join the workforce immediately after, grinding my way into a stable living by 19, and surviving the polluted hellscape of Earth during all of this in tandem with Corps making said survival a chore at best and a nightmare a worst… Yeah, that tends to age a person and make them grow up fast or die. I was already gaining gray hair by the age of 20 from all the stress. I can easily admit that I probably survived to the age of 28 because I was extremely lucky at times.
"I'm not bothered, kiddo. I've had to survive a lot of situations that would've likely killed anyone who wasn't strong, smart, or lucky like I was. That tends to make one grow up." I told Ninya with a reassuring pat on her shoulder.
"Then, if you didn't get all nine of your tails from age, how did you get them?" Tuare asked.
"Oh, that's simple enough. I gained my tails by defeating many great monsters and beings. 90 in fact." I answered, simplifying the fact that, while I, theoretically, only needed to kill 90 bosses to get the full [Nine Tailed Kitsune] class, that was a crock of shit. I probably killed over 200 or more bosses to max it out since I sometimes failed the boss rush I'd have to do.
At least the class, and all others following it, were worth it.
Still, I enjoyed the looks of amazement I received from my girls. "Did being a demigoddess help with that?" Tuare followed up, which I found hard to answer. I can't exactly just say that I leveled up into that class from a convoluted series of lucky leveling and achievements.
"Not a bit. My mother was very hands-off in helping her children grow stronger, and my demigoddess abilities only came in after I earned my ninth tail." As I answered this, the face of a woman with a similar appearance to my own, yet with glowing white hair and silver eyes filled all my thoughts of mother.
I can't even remember a single thing about my original mother anymore. I can't recall the name of any mother but Inari. Even in my memories from Earth, any moment I had of my mother before she die-was forced to leave had been replaced by a woman with white hair and silver eyes instead. I had memories of my dad, my mother, Inari, and I sitting together having dinner and chatting.
The face of my dad I could recall perfectly, while the face of my mom is Inari. Are my memories being overwritten? Why was I so calm with this?
Mother has always been there. Why would there be anyone else?
Yeah, mom has always been Inari. Who else would be there to raise me with dad? That was correct, I think? Why wouldn't I be calm about thinking of my parents? Why was I even thinking about this again? Oh, it was because Tuare was asking about my demigoddess status.
"What would you say is the toughest thing that you've ever fought?" Ninya asked excitedly. Hmm, that was tricky to pinpoint.
Putting a finger on my chin, I had to think about it. "If you wanted the beings that were hardest to kill due to their durability and strength, that would be a toss up between the representative aspect of the god, Baldur and the dragon imprisoned within the roots of the World Tree, named Nidhoggr." I answered.
"You fought another god?" Ninya asked incredulously. Tuare's jaw dropped as she looked from Ninya to me.
"You actually fought a god before?" She quickly added
"The answer to both of your questions is both yes and no. Both were representative aspects of said gods. You could almost imagine it like a divine puppet that has incredible strength, but only a fraction of what said gods actually had. To be honest, Baldur was a lot easier to fight than Nidhoggr since most of Baldur's immense strength came from the divine blessing he had that made him invulnerable to all threats, both physical and magical. If you broke that blessing by using a bolt of mistletoe, then he was easy enough to beat." I answered the girls with a simple grin.
"But, even if that's the case, how could a dragon be harder to defeat than a god?" Ninya questioned, "Even without a blessing, shouldn't the fact that Baldur is a god, or a representative aspect of him, make Baldur automatically stronger and harder to defeat than a dragon?"
"No, especially if you understood the history surrounding said dragon."
"And what history would that be?" Ninya pressed.
"Nidhoggr is an ancient dragon, almost as old as the World Tree, a massive tree older and stronger than the gods. Yet, even with the great power he held, Nidhoggr was both greedy and gluttonous. He desired power which was a means to fill his endless hunger. The World Tree had this in spades, but it also had the means to protect itself from any overt threat.
Nidhoggr tried multiple times to assault the World Tree, but each time its defenses would repel him back. This only increased the dragon's hunger for a treasure that was so tantalizingly out of reach. Yet, he was also crafty, and that allowed him to quickly realize that while the main body of the tree was heavily protected, its roots were not. So, the dragon went to the deepest roots of the World Tree and began to eat them, with the World Tree none the wiser.
With every root he ate, the dragon became stronger and stronger, until one day, he was both cocky and greedy enough to try consuming the World Tree's main body. And so, a massive battle between the dragon and the tree began that tore at reality until finally, the World Tree defeated Nidhoggr and imprisoned him in its roots to reclaim the power that he stole. Sadly, the World Tree didn't leave the battle unscathed as, where it once had branches filled with countless leaves, now, only nine remained." I finished as I leaned back in my chair and let the girls digest my tale.
Tuare was the first to finish processing everything as she asked, "If this Nidhoggr was imprisoned, while also being stronger than even gods, then why did you have to fight him?"
Yeah, I couldn't exactly tell her that I fought Nidhoggr to finish the main storyline campaign of a video game. Better go with the lore reason they used in YGGDRASIL.
"He had found a way to escape his prison. I, and hundreds of others, all had to work together to reseal him back in the World Tree's roots and reinforce his bonds." I said before unbuttoning the collar of my dress to reveal my World Item hidden under it to the pair. "I received this magical item from the World Tree as a reward."
What I left out was that all the Players that participated in the 'Devourer of Nine Realms' raid boss were put into a temporary PvP-free zone to prevent Players from killing each other when the boss was getting low. I was the lucky bastard who got the Seed of Yggdrasil World Item since World Items had an extremely tiny chance of dropping from World Enemy bosses. And, the moment Nidhoggr died, we were all given a minute grace period before PvP was reenabled.
I got my ass out immediately before I got ganked and murdered for the item. From what I heard, anyone with any form of teleportation had the same idea as I did since the moment PvP was back online, everyone started to murder each other. Gotta love that YGGDRASIL team spirit!
"What even is that?" Ninya asked as she stared at the jewel with a fixed fascination.
"It's known as the Seed of Yggdrasil. With it, I can store a limitless amount of mana within it before releasing it all into any spell I decide to cast. I haven't used it in months." I explained before buttoning my collar back up.
Ninya's eyes met mine with shock filling them. "But with your ridiculous amount of mana, then that means you could potentially wipe a kingdom off the map by just storing some of the mana you have every day! It would just be a drop in the bucket for you!"
"Ninya, it's not even a drop for me. I regenerate any mana I use." I stated, which seemed to break her as she looked at me with a twitching eyelid. Tuare, while looking impressed, didn't exactly understand why this was such a feat.
"That seems impressive, but why do you look so freaked out, Ninya?" Tuare asked curiously.
Ninya seemed to get pulled out of her state of catatonia as she looked over to Tuare, "T-Tuare, every magic user, from the weakest mage, to the strongest archmage, is unable to regenerate any mana that they use. They have to wait a day until they can regain that lost mana. Likewise, there are no potions, magical items, or otherwise that can do so either. Mom literally breaks that fixed idea."
This caused Tuare to get a more appreciative expression of understanding next to Ninya's upended worldview. "No wonder why I, along with everyone else who drank your blood, has a larger amount of mana than they did before! It's because you just create mana by simply existing. Your blood is probably just full of that mana regeneration."
That just made me ponder aloud, "You think that if I hadn't gotten involved in this religious business, then I might've been making a killing by selling bottled up vials of my blood? It's a little disgusting to think about, but the…results kind of show."
"Mom, if you weren't as powerful as you are now, every mage in the world would be hunting you down in an effort to harvest your blood." Ninya pointed out.
"Aw, drat! And here I thought that these mages would be coming after me because of my charming personality." That earned a giggle from my daughters. I was about to continue as well before another pulse that definitely came from the Magician's Guild, and from the way that Ninya gasped, she felt it as well.
"Ninya, are you alright?" Tuare asked as she put her hands on Ninya's shoulders to stabilize her.
Ninya nodded with a huff and rested a hand on one of Tuare's, "The-The Order of the Fox Princess just ga-gained another Maiden to th-their ranks." Ninya explained. Now, that was definitely something Ninya hadn't told me before.
"Kiddo, what do you mean that the 'Order' gained another Maiden?" I asked with concern.
"It's what they call the women who get the golden rings in their eyes. Whenever they do, that pulse we both felt happens. Apparently, these women have some kind of 'connection' with you that is weaker than ours, but still stronger than the other worshippers. They're called the Maidens of the Fox Princess." Ninya explained, making me think upon all of this. What kind of connection was this?
Could it be something that I could feel as well?
"I think I need to investigate this immediate-"
~Our Goddess, we have been blessed with another of Your Maidens! We thank You for revealing to us another of Your Chosen!~
My mind was rocked by the voice of a woman filling my head with her prayer of gratitude. Why was it so strong this time? And why only he-
~Thank You for gifting us, Your Maidens, with another sister to our ranks.~
The voices of multiple other women joined in chorus with the first. I felt myself growing warm, but I didn't understand why. It just felt like pure power and part of me just wanted more of it. Was I being so affected by these specific prayers due to these 'Maidens' having a greater connection to me than my other worshippers? Would I feel even more powerful as I gained more of my Maidens and followers?
Maybe, I should help them sprea-
I felt a hand on my shoulder which drew me out of my thoughts as I looked to see my daughters gazing at me with concern. "Mom, are you alright?" Ninya asked, "Your eyes went gold and you seemed to zone out just now after that pulse occurred."
"I could hear those Maidens praying to me right then. I found myself lost in thought when it happened. Could you hear them as well?" I asked, wondering if Ninya might also share this weird connection that I did to my followers.
Ninya shook her head in disappointment, "I'm sorry, but I couldn't hear anything."
"Don't be bothered by that. It was a long shot anyway." I said in reassurance while patting her on the shoulder. Then, I stood up, "Regardless, I'm going to need to visit the Magician's Guild to get a handle on the situation."
"What do you plan to do?" Ninya asked.
"Teleport my way inside in a flashy manner, lay down the law on what my followers can and can't do, and prevent further problems from occurring. I'm not going to allow them to forcibly convert or kill others, but I am willing to protect my followers if the church or kingdom tries to attack them unjustly." I answered while rubbing the bridge of my nose at the growing migraine this was going to cause me, "If I knew how much of a headache this religious business would be, I'd have never let it happen in the first place."
"You're dealing with it now. That's as good a place as any to start from." Tuare consoled me.
"Let's just hope that this isn't too far beyond my control." I sighed after saying this as I donned the divine stripper outfit once again. After today, I would hopefully be able to change it to be a little more conservative. Sadly, I felt that I needed to arrive at the guild exactly like I had been seen prior after I made my grand entrance to my worshippers
Just one more day with this and I could swap it out afterwards. God, I hope so. Unless it was stuck as my default image which I'd need to fix quickly before it…spreads. I then remembered feeling that group of worshippers heading north-west from E-Rantel the other day. Fuck…
"Mom, that's a very…liberal clothing design." Tuare noted with a peculiar look as Ninya's raised eyebrows told me all that I needed to know. At least the veil covering my face did well to hide my growing blush.
"It wasn't my choice. Blame my magical duplicate that decided to embarrass me by using this as the outfit of choice for my 'divine persona'. After today, I will probably not have to wear this divine stripper outfit in the near future." I said in justification.
"What's a stripper?" My daughters asked together. Right, they didn't have strip clubs here like back on Earth.
"You two do not need to know." I quickly replied. Then, in an effort to take their minds off of my outfit, I motioned to the pair to follow me while asking, "Do you want to see something neat?"
"Sure, but what exactly is it?" Ninya asked as my daughters followed me out into the garden. I think it was about time to try using my divine bestial form since I hadn't tried it yet.
While the form was certainly strong, I barely used it in YGGDRASIL due to how unwieldy it was to control. They went realistic in the game with how you were supposed to move around which meant that you were supposed to be running around on all fours. That was a little difficult for me to move around and take advantage of the form properly since my mind was hardwired to running about on two legs.
It also lacked opposable thumbs, which meant picking up or grabbing anything required biting it, which felt awkward, or grabbing things with my tails, which was difficult to precisely control in game as is. This made the form a funny trade-off between a high power boost of strength, speed, durability, and magic damage for some of the shittiest tank controls known to man which left one as a sitting duck unless they were good at controlling it.
Sadly, I had never been able to get a handle on the controls, so I just used the form for a quick damage boost if I knew I wasn't about to be hit, then switch back to my humanoid form.
I had a feeling that I wouldn't have much trouble with my bestial form now that I was actually a kitsune instead of roleplaying as one.
"You know, kitsune have two different forms. There's the humanoid form that you already have seen me as. And then, there's the bestial form we can take." I told the pair before reaching a wide enough space in the garden before turning around to them.
I've never transformed into my bestial form in this world before, but it should be simple. I just hope that it doesn't feel too weird.
With a thought, I was covered in a golden light as my form instantaneously shifted. By the time the light died down, I had a sudden perspective shift from becoming a lot taller, forcing me to look down to meet the gazes of my daughters. At the same time, I could see my golden snout extending from my face.
I noticed how free my body felt as I took a moment to examine my form, almost like a strange weight I never noticed before had been lifted. I was almost twice the size of a horse, my tails aiding in making me look even larger due to having attained a bit more bulk in this form.
My fur was just a gold as it usually was, yet multiple glowing white lines traced around my fur, reminiscent of circuitry. Alongside this was the fact that the tips of each of my tails was lit with the blue flames of [Foxfire]. I couldn't help but find it weird how unbothered my mind was at the lack of opposable thumbs since I only had paws now.
Still, seeing my kids look at me with awe and excitement instead of fear made me feel a pleasant warmth in my heart.
"So, girls, what do you think?" I asked, my voice unable to hide any of the power in it.
"You look amazing." Tuare remarked, "You're definitely filling out the image of a fox goddess if you weren't before."
"Your fox form is quite beautiful." Ninya answered before giving me a smirk and adding, "And large. I think you might have a problem getting through the sanctuary's door like that, or the inn itself."
I found myself laughing at this as two of my tails ended up rubbing themselves against the pair. "There is a reason that I didn't transform inside the room of the inn. Now, could one of you be a dear and open up the sanctuary's door for me?"
Ninya nodded and lightly jogged over to the door, "Just a moment, mom."
That left myself and Tuare who was hugging one of my tails with a grin. "The fur on your tails was already unnaturally soft, but now your entire body is covered in it. I really want to know what it would feel like to just lay down on you like a bed."
I found myself highly amused at Tuare's pondering. "Maybe later, Tuare." I answered as Ninya came back to us.
"The door's open." She stated. "But how are you going to fit through the doorway?"
"I'm not. I just needed the door open so that I could teleport out of here. I'll see you girls soon."
"Please, try to not kill them." Ninya asked.
"I won't. At most, I'll just scare them a little." I answered before I finally teleported myself into the main hall of the Magician's Guild without fanfare. It seemed that I picked a good time as there were many mages in the hall who were performing random tasks, heading for the downstair laboratory stairs, or conversing. Additionally, there were also a few people who did not appear to be magic users due to their high class clothing. I assumed that they were likely nobles hiring the services of the Magician's Guild.
All of that movement and noise died the moment I arrived. Then, a few things happened. Most of the mages who spotted me, also spotted my nine tails flowing behind me which caused them to immediately drop to their knees in reverence. A few mages, about eight or so who I could innately tell weren't worshippers of me, immediately readied spells in their hands and arcane conduits.
Finally, there were the nobles who rapidly backed away from me if they could or ran out the entrance of the guild if they were already behind me and near the door. Quite a few of them screamed, but I just remained completely calm.
To prevent any potential violence from occurring, I cast [Counterspell] at any of the spells being readied my way, causing said mages to gasp in shock. They probably don't deal with a lot of people that use [Counterspell] considering the mana cost it typically demanded, the possibility of failure if it was too strong a spell that was being countered, along with the timing it required.
"Now, now. Let's try to avoid any violence if we can help it, hmm?" I said like a mother chastising children. The fact that I could speak caused all of the panicking nobles to freeze in place like I had grown a second head. Funnily enough, I even recognized two of the nobles that I saw at the feast the other night.
Things were silent for a moment until a young mage, probably still a teenager, with thick spectacles that reminded me of bottle caps, untidy black hair, and a gray robe that he was seemingly drowning in spoke up to me.
"A-Are you th-the F-Fox Pr-Princess?" He stuttered to me with absolute fear in his voice. Yet, I found it impressive that even with the pure fear wafting off of him, he managed to pull together the courage to speak to me unlike everyone else here.
Leaning down to him slowly, I answered in a softer tone to him, "Yes, I am, little one. What might your name be?"
"S-Samwell Sm-Smith, m-m-my Lady! I-I'm a n-novice mage a-and initiate t-to the O-Order." The kid answered.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Samwell. Would you mind fetching Evelyn and Mercia for me?" I asked. Samwell quickly nodded and ran off towards the stairs to the labs, almost tripping over another kneeling mage in his haste.
"You're actually real?" A brunette woman, one of the nobles I recognized from the feast, said with a surprised tone. She wore a blue dress, unlike the red one I saw her in. She wore a small shawl around her shoulders that was held together by a sapphire brooch the size of an egg.
Next to her, holding her hand in support, was a noble with blond hair and a groomed mustache. He wore a bronze-colored suit and watched me with a worried gaze while his body seemed ready to jump in front of, what I assumed to be, his wife.
"I am very much 'real' as you put it." I answered.
"They said that you were supposed to be a woman with multiple tails of a fox. Why have you taken this form?" The noblewoman asked. Okay, how to answer this?
I mean, the honest answer would be that I came as a giant fox in order to intimidate the shit out of people, but that doesn't exactly sound kind and benevolent. I'd more appear like an angry and cruel goddess that is just asking for the church and people of this land to try and kill the big, spooky fox goddess. Instead, I'll go with the classic cryptic response of a non-answer.
"If I so wish it, I could take on a more humanoid form. But my divine bestial form is what I felt like taking at the moment. I'm not so limited as a mortal would be with only a singular form. Does my appearance bother you so?" I asked with a humorous tone.
"N-Yes…" The woman admitted. I did my best to hide my laughter at her honest answer.
"At least you're truthful about it. Honesty can be quite refreshing to hear every once in a while. Tell me, you, and the man next to you, lack the appearance or feel of mages. What might you be doing here?" I asked.
"We were here to do business with the Magician's Guild. My husband has more knowledge on this than I do." The noblewoman answered while nodding to the man next to her.
"I was trying to acquire rings of protection for my wife and I. We were planning to travel to E-Pespel and I felt it would be safer if we did so with some magical protection." The nobleman finished. I nodded in understanding.
"An understandable reason. How about I aid you in this." I responded before using one of my tails to reach into my storage space and wrap around a pair of necklaces I had made years ago when I was initially grinding levels in the [Magical Craftsman] class until I got Meepo and dumped said class for other classes.
Pulling my tail out, I moved it over to the nobleman before saying, "Hold out your hand, please."
The nobleman did as I asked and I dropped into his hand a pair of golden necklaces that consisted of a chain connecting to a medallion embossed with the image of a shield on the front. He, and the noblewoman, both gazed at my gift to them with a mixture of curiosity and hesitation.
"What are these?" The nobleman asked as he looked up to me with his wife.
"Those are amulets of protection. They will make you more resistant to physical damage while also fully preventing spells up to the 2nd Tier from harming you." I answered warmly.
"Not that we are refusing your gracious gift, but why give these to us?" The noblewoman asked.
"Because I like to help others. That's just who I am. Hopefully, these gifts will protect you in the future." I answered warmly. While I was being truthful about wanting to help others, I was hiding the fact that this was for my gain as well. It was in my interest to help a couple of nobles from outside the guild. They were already going to talk about the Fox Princess appearing today, so I might as well leave them with a good impression by being benevolent.
"Thank you very kindly for these gracious gifts." The nobleman said as both he and his wife bowed their heads to me. It was around this time that I saw Samwell return with a pair of woman in white robes. Specifically, white robes modeled after the divine stripper outfit; hat, veil, and all.
While slightly more conservative, it still made me want to smack my face with a tail. Sadly, I couldn't do that since it would ruin the whole divine mystique vibe I had going. Instead, I was forced to just let it be.
"My glorious Goddess, it is an honor that You have summoned us!" As the red-haired woman said this, both she and the woman I recognized as Mercia, bowed by my feet in supplication. "I am Your loyal servant, Evelyn while next to me is one of Your newest Maidens, Mercia."
"I-I am honored to b-be in Your presence, my Lady." Mercia said quietly as her body seemed to shake in a mixture of fear and…happiness?
Either way, it was a little worrying how drastically Mercia had changed from being confident enough to question me (or what she thought was me) at the lake to now becoming so…meek.
"You don't need to be afraid of me, Mercia. Are you alright?" I asked softly while lowering my head to the ground to be more level with the trembling woman.
"Y-Yes, I'm fine, my Lady. Th-Thank You for th-thinking of me." She answered.
"I heard of what happened. It wasn't right to have your choice taken away like that. Do you want to be here? Because if not, I can take you to anywhere else that you would like to be. Would you like that?"
That question seemed to give Mercia a moment of pause, and I took note that her shaking stopped. "I-I think I would like to stay here for now. But would your offer still be a-available in the future?"
"It will always be open for you. All you need to do is ask." I then conjured a small fox statuette in front of her, "Use that if you'd ever like to leave or if you'd just like someone to talk to. You just need to think of me with that in your hands and I'll be there."
Slowly, Mercia gently picked up the statuette in her hands and seemed to look at it reverently. Then, she finally raised her head so that I saw her brown eyes ringed in gold. I was pleased to note that she actually looked happy.
"Thank you…" She said with a sniff while wiping her eyes.
"You're welcome." I replied warmly before I turned my gaze to Evelyn. I found it a little hard to restrain the glare in my eyes as I looked at her. "Now, we come to you, Evelyn. I'm disappointed."
That caused the zealous mage to gasp as she looked up at me with a look of utter shock and sadness. Good. She should be upset.
"M-My Lady? H-How did I-I disappoint you? What can I do to rectify this?" Evelyn begged on the verge of tears.
"Evelyn, this religion that I allowed Theo to start up was with the understanding that it would be under control. From what I've seen and heard, that's been quite the opposite. I do not allow anyone to be forced to worship me or partake in rituals that they do not want to. I also do not allow violence in my name."
"B-But, my Lady, they were planning to reveal us to the church, likely sending an inquisition upon us. We had to-" I cut her excuses off at this point.
"If you have a problem, ask me for help. Don't start enacting random inquisitions and violence on people who disagree with your beliefs. And finally, I am immensely upset on how you forced my daughter to partake in your ritual." If none of the kneeling mages were afraid before, they were now.
"Both of my daughters had to convince me to not come here with something other than a verbal lashing in mind. Whatever my daughters wish to do in their lives is their choice, not yours. Do you understand?" I asked with my snout almost touching Evelyn's face.
"Absolutely, my Lady. I will make sure to never disappoint you ever again." Evelyn promised which I was confident that she'd follow through on. If there was one good thing about zealots, it's that they followed orders to the letter.
I was halfway tempted to even punt Evelyn out of this little religion. Unfortunately, her sudden departure as one of the major leaders of this new religion would likely cause chaos. Something that I didn't need right now. Instead, I'd just keep an eye on Evelyn and permanently deal with her if something like what happened last night were to occur again.
This would be her first and final warning.
With Evelyn successfully cowed, I turned my focus to all of my worshippers in the main hall, now being joined by other mages who wanted to see what the commotion was.
"You are all better than this! It's why I care and want to help people. I don't enjoy chastising all of you, but I will if I see that you're straying onto a terrible path." Saying this, I finally transformed back into my humanoid form as a way to ease the tension for everyone. Looking out over the crowd, I saw that many of my worshippers had solemn looks as they heard my words.
Oddly enough, even the mages that weren't my worshippers, along with the nobles, seemed to take what I said to heart.
I can't just leave my precious followers so sad and without hope. They have to have something to motivate them to continue spreading my religion.
"I see you all of you like my children, and that's why I want to see all of you reach the potential that I know is within all of you. I just don't want to see you all lose yourselves and become monsters on the path to that potential. Please, be better, because I know that you can be." After saying my piece, I teleported back to my room at the inn, resolving to have a kitsune put on watch of the guild for any further nonsense.
Upon making it to my room, I swapped back to my normal clothes and found both Tuare and Ninya standing at my table looking at me expectantly. "I've taken care of everything at the guild." I announced to the pair.
"What did you do?" Ninya quickly asked.
"Nothing too bad. I did end up intimidating the hell out of all of them. Other than that, I gave them a stern warning and will be keeping a closer eye on their group in the future." I answered to reassure Ninya.
"That's good. Even though you said you wouldn't, I was still a little worried that something bad might've happened to the mages at the guild." Ninya admitted, making me chuckle as I walked over to her and patted her on the head.
"I promised you that I wasn't going to kill them. And I don't like breaking my promises."
"Thanks." Ninya said with a smile.
"No problem, kiddo."
It was around this time that Tuare finally decided to pipe up with a grin. "Since the religion issue has been dealt with, I have a few questions for you. Specifically involving your time with Lukrut. And details."
Ninya blanched at this and stuck her fingers in her ears before heading to the sanctuary. "I'm not hearing this!" She said loudly, leaving Tuare and I alone. I couldn't stop the ominous feeling I had as I looked at my daughter's eyes filled with a wicked gleam.
"You're not letting me get out of this, are you?" I questioned, knowing what the answer would be.
"Not on your life, mom." Tuare replied in a chipper tone.
With a sigh, I used my tails to pull up two chairs for us to both sit on. When we did, I finally spoke, "What is it that you want to know?"
[Hours Later]
[Hilma Cygnaeus]
Sitting at my desk and going over all the reports of product sales, shipments, and a myriad of other accounts related to Eight Fingers; I felt that today had been extremely productive. From my reports, sales of our drugs had been increasing, even under the greater scrutiny of the Re-Estize's gaze.
There had certainly been a hit to our profits when the Golden Bitch herself, Princess Renner, decided to focus her attention on the drug and slave trade of the Eight Fingers. While she, herself, wasn't that powerful individually, Renner had enough sway with the nobles that did have power to become a thorn in our side. Her father, the king, twisted himself into knots in an effort to appease his daughter. And her charitable works and love from the commoners made them more likely to report our activities than remain silent.
In addition to this, those found in possession with our products were sentenced to harsh punishments of imprisonment, loss of land and title, or even execution. At first, these harsh measures impacted our sales, but then I found new ways of taking advantage of this.
As it is, proving one's innocence when found in possession of large amounts of illegal substances was quite difficult. More so, when said people are investigators of the kingdom whose jobs it is to track down these drugs and would have constant access to them.
It was simple enough to start up a rumor or two in court when I had half of the nobles under my thumb. They tended to be so agreeable to spreading and believing said rumors after a quick fuck. From there, I just had to let the rumors fester and spread.
Then, I'd have some crates of a few illicit substances left hidden on the properties of these investigators before a convenient tipoff would bring the kingdom's judgment down upon them. From there, I would have a few of our people conveniently promoted to the kingdom's investigation unit who would 'surprisingly' find evidence of contraband in the possession of our most outspoken opponents.
If only dealing with Princess Renner was as easy as handling the others. The problem with her was that it wasn't believable to plant falsified evidence upon her. She was too perfect in the eyes of everyone else to ever do something like that. Assassination was also off of the table at the current moment.
Oh, she definitely needed to die, but her death would rouse the king's ire and lead to heavy investigation into the origin of the assassination. Even with such a plan going off without a hitch, there was always the chance that something could be discovered in connection to us. That made it more convenient to just wait out the king until then.
He was already 60 and didn't have too many years remaining as is. And that was if he even had a natural death. From what I've learned from many loose-lipped nobles, both of his sons are quickly growing factions that wish to see him replaced. I knew of five assassination plots currently in place from either faction, and those were the plots that I was aware of.
It doesn't matter how good the king's protection is if one attempt succeeded.
Once he was finally dead, we'd send out the kill order on Renner since neither of her brothers have any love for her. Zanac viewed her as only an ally of convenience while Barbro couldn't care less if she died. With her out of the picture, we could ramp up production once again and increase our reach and power.
Of the two brothers, Barbro was the better choice for the throne in our organization's long-term plans. He was rash, self-centered, spoiled, and an idiot. It would be easy enough to corral him to do our bidding since he could easily be bought off or tricked.
It was Zanac that was the issue. Where his brother was strong in body, rash, and stupid; Zanac was weak in body, patient, and cunning. It didn't take a genius to see that Zanac would focus his attention on us when needed. He also couldn't be tricked or bought off like Barbro. He couldn't be allowed to take the throne, or if he did, he needed to be killed quickly.
With the ruler of this kingdom taken care of, it would leave us open to focus on our next ventures; the Baharuth Empire and the Realm of Foxes. In all the reports that Iselk gave us prior, the unguarded princess of said land was wandering about E-Rantel, ripe for the picking.
By now, he likely had the princess in his custody and was slowly breaking her. Once completed, she would be used as a stepping stone to take over the country due to being the crown heir. I wished him luck on this venture as it would be interesting to see it take fruit. I did, however, find it odd that I hadn't heard anything from him just yet.
It was likely just a quick delay of his reports and I'd receive one soon enough.
What I was more focused on, besides this pipe-dream that Iselk was trying to make a reality, was the opportunity to expand into the Baharuth.
They were a ripe market that was prime for the picking. They lacked any organization legal or otherwise, that could challenge us. In addition, they lacked a narcotics ring which left so many customers available to sell to. With the annual war that the Baharuth has with the Re-Estize, the writing is on the wall that the Re-Estize will lose, not that Eight Fingers hasn't helped to increase that outcome.
When the Baharuth finally took over, there would be absolute chaos as soldiers and government would be focused on subjugating an entire kingdom's worth of people instead of criminal organizations like ours. That would be the time to strike. I already predict that this kingdom falls within five years, less if King Ramposa finally dies before then.
We just need to move into place and be ready when that time comes.
Taking a drag from my pipe and enjoying the calming taste of the smoke, I smiled as I leaned back into my chair and thought of all these exciting plans for the future.
"My, oh my, you have quite the nice mansion." My eyes widened as I heard the voice of a woman to my left, and turned to see nothing but a bookcase. "Ooh, and I see that you've been making a tidy little profit, haven't you?"
I quickly turned to my right to see a blonde woman leaning over my shoulder with a grin on her face while a pair of glowing golden eyes looked at me like a predator would its prey.
This made me quickly jump out of my chair away from her as I backed away and got a good look at her from both the candlelight on one side of her body and the moonlight streaming in from my window on the other as she straightened up.
The woman was inhumanly attractive, proven more so by the inhuman ears sticking out from the top of her head and the nine tails waving behind her.
Nothing about her was familiar to me, from the face, her species, even her fashion of clothing, except one.
Resting against her sizable chest was the plate of an adamantite-plate adventurer. But that's impossible…
Who was she? How did she get in here?!
"Who are you?" I asked while preparing my Viper's Tattoo to strike the woman once she got close. If she's actually an adamantite-plate, then I have no chance in a straight-on fight. I have to play this patiently.
"I've been getting called a lot of things recently. You can take your pick between Kashia Blanc the adamantite-plate, Kashia Blanc the princess, or Kashia Blanc the goddess." The woman said, making me freeze up in horror.
That was the name of the princess Iselk had planned to capture! He fucked up, and now it was my godsdamned problem!
"I'm certain that we can talk about this. However you feel that you've been wronged, I can adequately compensate you in return." I tried to reason diplomatically while backing away to a bookcase with a false wall. I had no hope that she'd actually take up my offer.
Kashia's a non-human princess from a foreign land that had to deal with whatever bungled attempt Iselk made at capturing her. While it's surprising that she's not human, I can't afford to care right now.
This woman was angry, and there was nothing I could do to threaten or bribe my way out of this issue. She's an adamantite-plate which means any threats to her life will be laughed at. And she's royalty, which means that offered wealth to her is like offering a person a bucket of water when they have a lake.
"But you have nothing to give me that I want. Well, nothing that you could bear to lose." As she said this, she began walking towards me.
"And what is it that you would want from me?" I asked as my back finally hit the bookshelf. I just have to reach for the correct book to pull.
"Your organization destroyed. Your tiny drug empire ruined. All the information in your head. You punished." As she said this, I finally grasped the correct book. Before pulling it, I activated my Viper's Tattoo which caused the serpent marking coiled around my arm to unwrap itself and literally jump off my skin towards the woman with its fangs out.
At the same time, I pulled the book and expected the bookcase to open into a passageway behind me. That should've been what happened.
Instead, it didn't move and I was pulling at the book for nothing!
My breath hitched as I looked back towards Kashia to see one of her tails coiled around the squirming serpent before the tail squeezed down and a quick crunch echoed from its body. The serpent stopped moving and began to dissolve.
Then my gaze met the golden gaze of Kashia's.
"That was certainly a funny little plan. The serpent tattoo was a surprise, but not a very good one." As she said this, two tails slammed into the bookcase on either side of me, trapping me within a furred cage. "I'll tell you now, even if I hadn't locked this room down to prevent your escape, my subjects wouldn't have allowed you to get far. Want to see?"
My heart was pounding in my chest as this monster continued smiling at me. Suddenly, one of her tails zipped out and wrapped around my neck before lifting me an inch or two off the ground!
It was all I could do to grasp the limb and try to hold myself up to prevent the tail from strangling me. This was made harder as she carried me back to the window behind my desk and firmly slammed me against the window.
"Go ahead, look outside." Hesitantly following the monster's command, I gazed out and saw, to my absolute horror, a veritable army of foxes with multiple tails that were sitting outside of my estate. In the center of all these foxes was a growing pile of bodies consisting of my guards which more foxes continued to add to.
All of them were looking at me.
"W-What is this?" I choked out, unable to turn and look at my captor because her tail clamped on my throat like a vice.
"The beginning of the end to your little kingdom. Taken apart brick by brick, body by body, until there is nothing left. Let's see what's in your head first."
A moment later and my head felt like something was being stabbed into it! All I could do was scream until it finally ended. Yet, when I stopped screaming, I could hear Kashia breathing heavily behind me in audible rage.
"You have a very interesting friend. I've been looking for Ampetif Cocco Doll after learning about him. Neither of your two associates knew where he lived. But you? You're friends with the little fuck. You know, how about the two of us pay your friend a visit together?"
Her voice came out as a growl, losing any of the taunting malice from before. Now, it was just pure rage that made me shiver. Kashia's tail then turned me around to face her, and I felt my blood go cold.
Kashia wasn't smiling anymore. She looked at me with pure hate as her teeth were bared out to me with her canines elongated into sharp points. And then there were her eyes. Like twin suns with slitted pupils as they had lost all humanity in them.
"He's j-just an associate…" I choked out as her tail seemed to start squeezing tighter around my neck.
"You can't lie to me, you little shit. I saw all of your memories. The times you'd visit each other for tea. The times you'd help one another with your work. The times you'd help Cocco train one of his slaves! THE TIMES YOU'D LAUGH AT THEIR MISERY AND SUFFERING!"
My back slammed into the window, breaking the glass and slicing my skin. Yet, my eyes were fixed on how feral the woman in front of me looked. Even the once smooth fur of her tails and ears were now bristled. At this moment, I knew that neither Cocco or I were getting out of this alive.
"Despite the pretty appearance you take, you're just an ugly woman on the inside. How about we fix that first? Then we can show your good friend afterwards." Kashia's tail dragged me away from the broken window and to an empty space where a mirror was seemingly conjured from thin air.
"Did you know that any illusion I can conjure is made real? Additionally, did you know that I can make it permanent?" I tried to free myself while attempting to scream in a futile effort as I understood exactly where she was going with this.
Then, I watched my face in the mirror in horrific fascination as it seemed to start melting like candle wax before it started twisting into grotesque shapes. Parts of my face slopped downwards, obscuring the vision of my left eye as my brow seemed to partially cover it. Parts of my flesh corkscrewed from my face until they hung downwards like a fleshy beard while other parts grew over my hair, leaving bald patches in its wake.
I could only cry as my nose grew into a sharp point riddled with boils while my mouth was twisted into a permanent lopsided scowl. By the end of it, the only feature that I could say was still mine was my right eye, unchanged as a reminder of what I had lost. I was hideous! If I saw a person like this, I'd ignore or avoid them.
Any power I may have once wielded over all the nobles with my looks and charm were now gone. I had nothing but my wealth which was already being stolen from me. Why didn't she just kill me? What more could she take from me?!
"I can see how much you just love your new makeover! Let's go meet Cocco."
"No, please! Don't let anyone see me like this!" I said with a voice unlike my own that was wet and gurgling. I couldn't allow anyone, especially one of my friends, see this hideous freak that I had be transformed into!
"That's a funny joke. You think that you have any choice in the matter, just like the slaves you enjoyed torturing. This is only the start of your punishment…"
[Ampetif Cocco Doll]
It was late in the night when my subordinates finally brought the latest shipment of product into my 'Classroom'. The ones who brought the shipment to me were three people I had interacted with before.
There was the stony-faced bald brute named Garm. He was quite massive at almost seven feet combined with the massive bulk of muscles he had. Sadly, he was a dullard with a face a mother could barely love. He pulled the chain leading six new fresh-faced 'workers'. I didn't entirely enjoy shipments when he was involved since he was so off-putting to the aesthetic that I preferred.
Next to him was a reedy man with long, greasy black hair named Nolan. While the man was not as hideous as Garm, Nolan was too twig-like for my taste. His personality could also use some work as he was just too creepy for me to find any kind of affection or interest in him.
Finally, there was the leader of the group, Aldin. He was the brains and face of the group. He was handsome with a strong jawline, seductive hazel eyes, and a winning smile. I would love to have a night with him. Sadly, he didn't reciprocate my advances, and he was too valuable for me to lock away for my own personal use.
So, I was left with simply admiring such a specimen from a distance.
In their group, Aldin would lure in naïve girls that were all alone with promises of love and romance. Then, the three would pounce once she was brought to an isolated location. Their system worked out very well as I always received a batch of 6-12 girls every two weeks.
And in those two weeks, I would be 'teaching' all of them in my 'Classroom' before they were shipped out across the kingdom.
Looking upon my batch right now, all these girls were dressed in rags and shivering, either from being exposed to the cool air or due to fear. It was a policy to remove their original clothing and replace them with rags, if even that. There were two reasons for this; we could resell the clothing or materials for extra money, and it helped in the process of mentally breaking the products down before shipment.
"It's so good to see another wonderful delivery arrive on time." I praised while approaching my new products and examining the faces of each of these girls. "And they are all extremely beautiful. They will fetch high prices."
A few of them began crying at my statement, making me feel excited at how quick this batch would be to break. Sadly, I couldn't help but feel a bit of disappointment that none of these girls were going to be strong-willed. I always enjoyed breaking the spirit within them the most.
Rarely did anyone brought to me last longer than the two weeks it took to break them. But when they did, I took my time to enjoy and remember them. There had been 28 so far who needed longer than the two weeks it took. And of them, only five lasted more than a month.
Let's see; there was Tommon, Paul, Tuare, Andrea, and Olivia. The best part was when I finally got to see that spark of hope and fight die in their eyes. I wonder if any of them have even managed to survive since then?
"We aim to please, Cocco Doll. That's what we're paid for." Aldin said with a laugh. "Garm, would you mind taking them to the usual spot?" The giant meathead nodded before yanking the chain, which caused the girls to slightly stumble, and led them into my 'Classroom' towards a set of hooks attached to the wall.
Garm, with practiced ease, unchained each one from the tether before chaining them to the hooks. Finally, my six newest 'students' were all settled with their arms above their heads and their eyes gazing at my teaching instruments.
"P-Please, Aldin! Yo-You said that you loved me! D-Don't leave m-me here!" A girl with silver hair begged to the man. Aldin simply scoffed at the plea.
"You are one of hundreds of girls I've said that to. Did you still think I would somehow care about you after bringing you here?" The girl began openly weeping as she was told this. She would be a good one to start with.
Aldin turned his gaze to me and I gave him a smirk, "As usual, your payment will be waiting for you upstairs. It was a pleasure doing business with you as always." I said.
"Thanks for your patronage. Have fun with your 'class'. Let's go, boys!" Aldin commanded and his two partners followed him out of my 'Classroom' and closed the door behind themselves.
"Don't worry, I plan to have a lot of fun." I said before turning to my 'students'. "Hello, girls! I hope that you all had a smooth journey. After all, we can't have you too spoiled before starting your wonderful new lives."
As I said this, I walked over to a lit brazier, enchanted with a fire spell, and pulled out an iron poker I left to heat up by its wooden handle. I was happy to see the metal was red-hot. And turning to look at my 'students', it seems they noticed as well since their eyes were now wide with fear as they pulled on their chains.
Slowly walking over to my 'students' while lazily swinging the poker in circles, I spoke, "As the newest 'students' to my 'Classroom', I like to give all who learn here an introductory gift before we begin. It helps to remind them of their new place in life."
Saying this, I grew closer to the silver-haired girl and watched her struggle in vain to get away from me. She even tried kicking me, but I sidestepped the action and grabbed her leg. "Now this will not do. I definitely need to teach you some manners."
Then, I pressed to poker to the bottom of her foot, eliciting a sizzle of flesh being cooked as the girl screamed out in pain and tried to pull her foot away, but I held it firm for a few more moments until I let go.
The girl held screamed and cried as she held her foot off the ground to avoid putting pressure on the branding I gave her. "See, this is why it doesn't pay to be rude. I had to give you something more than I was already going to."
Upon hearing me say this, the silver-haired girl's breath quickened as she understood that this wasn't finished. "PLEASE, DON'T!" She screamed as I pulled her head aside and placed a brand on the side of her neck. After a bit more screaming, she lost a lot of the energy keeping her standing and just hung from her shackles in defeat.
Most only required the single branding, especially after seeing what would happen if they were to resist. But some, like a few of those resistant 28, needed more.
The most times I've ever needed to brand a 'student' in one session was four. After that, they were usually too exhausted to continue fighting back.
Just as I was about to move onto the next girl in line, the door to my 'Classroom' burst apart and the doorway became filled with a cloud of smoke. Yet, in the smoke, I could see a pair of golden eyes with slits glowing brightly. Both were gazing directly at me with immense hate.
In an effort to try and defend myself, I was in the process of raising the heated poker into a readied stance until a blue blur burst from the smoke. A moment later, the poker was missing from my hand. When I looked down, I was horrified to discover that said hand which was holding the poker, along with my arm up to the elbow, had been ripped off!
I screamed in pain and fell to my knees clutching at the bleeding stump. When I looked around to see where my limb had gone, I found it in the mouth of a fox with blue fur and seven tails that padded around me with a pair of glaring blue eyes. What the hell is that thing?!
I have to get away from it! I need to move! When I tried crawling away from the creature, I found my back bumping into something. Looking over my shoulder, I found the growling face of another fox colored purple!
Jumping away from it and pushing myself onto my feet, I backed away from the two foxes with many tails as they slowly padded towards me. That was when I saw even more of the creatures pour into the room. A tide of fur and tails, yet they only focused their aggression on me. I saw a few of these beasts breaking the chains the slaves were attached to and carrying or escorting the girls away.
What is going on?!
Just as I found myself completely encircled by the tide of foxes, all of them on the verge of pouncing upon me and tearing me into pieces, they stopped. I watched as many of them parted away in unison while a click of heeled boots echoed in the room, louder than the growling of the foxes.
That was when I finally saw the owner of those golden eyes as she walked towards me. She looked like a beautiful human woman, except she had a pair of golden fox ears on her head along with nine golden tails behind her. One tail, of which, was curled around the throat of the ugliest woman I had ever seen.
She was hideously deformed, as if melted down and partially remade. Her face was twisted, with a brow having been almost melted over her left eye, a mouth that did little more than scowl due to being twisted into that shape. Her nose was an elongated point marred by boils while multiple spiraled growths of skin hung down from her face in odd patches, almost like a fleshy beard. She had multiple bald patches in her hair, with flesh that seemed melted into that formation.
But, then I saw the only normal looking section of her face, her right eye. It met mine with a tear-filled gaze of utter anguish and horror. I knew that eye.
"H-Hilma?" I questioned aloud, earning a choked croak from my friend. By the gods, what happened to her?
"Greetings, Cocco Doll. I finally get to meet the head of your little club's slave trade." The woman said as she walked closer to me. Who was she? I was about to ask when a burst of blue fire covered the stump of my right arm and my hand clutching said stump.
I screamed in pain as the fire died down and I saw my stump had been cauterized, with my hand's flesh being melted into the stump. Even trying to pull the hand away was sheer agony.
"Wh-Who, wh-what are you?" I stuttered out as shock filled my body.
"A goddess and a very angry mother." As she said this, one of her tails struck out and wrapped around my neck before pulling me towards her. Then, she stuck a gloved finger against my forehead as my head was filled with a horrific agony worse than the cauterization of my arm. I found myself screaming until she had finished.
My heart was pounding, and when I looked over to Hilma, she gave me a knowing look of sympathy. She had this happen to herself as well.
That was when I found my breathing stopped as the tail around my neck cut off my air. I struggled, but was unable to do anything as my vision started swimming with black dots, then the grip around my throat relaxed and I found myself greedily gasping for breath.
"Do either of you two know why I came here today?" The woman asked.
"No." I said while Hilma croaked out her answer. Gods, her voice…
"Well, aside from already planning to destroy your group from the beginning, I also saw something very interesting in Hilma's mind. Can you guess what that is?" I saw Hilma get shaken as this was asked.
"N-No…"
"Then let me tell you. For multiple years, one of my daughters was enslaved and tortured by your group. And guess what? Hilma here helped you a few times, Cocco, in this torture. You two laughed and joked as you whipped, burned, and assaulted my Tuare in so many heinous ways."
I felt absolute horror at hearing this. She said that she was a goddess, and I had tortured her daughter! I remember Tuare, she lasted for-
"Two months. Two months where you did everything you could think of to batter and break her. Taking bits and pieces of her each day until she couldn't hold out any longer. After she was broken, you sent her off to a brothel to be used until she died. If I hadn't found her when I did, she'd have likely died within the next two months.
I'll let the pair of you know that she is safe and happy, living her best life right now. More than can be said about what's going to happen to you two." I was thrown out of her grip and onto the floor, encircled by all the foxes once again.
"Hilma, I'm going to give you a choice for your punishment. The first option is that you will march from here to Re-Estize. Once there, after telling everyone you meet who you are, you will turn yourself in and confess to all of your crimes." The first option this monster gave was death!
The Re-Estize would execute any leader of the Eight Fingers that they captured. Hilma was basically being told to kill herself after having to show everyone her grotesque appearance! Who would possibly pick such an option when it meant death and shame?
"Your second option is to suffer the same fate that Cocco will be experiencing." My eyes widened as the woman looked at me, "Since you decided to take bits and pieces of my daughter, I think it's only appropriate that the same happens to you. My loyal subjects all feel the exact same way I do, and they're just dying to get a piece of you."
As she said this, a fox with green fur zipped out and took a bite from the top of my left boot before rejoining the crowd. I screamed out in pain as I looked down and saw blood gushing from the small stump that was once my big toe. Then, another fox shot out a small bolt of that blue flame on my missing digit, cauterizing it and filling me with agony.
Just as quickly as the first, a purple fox zipped out, taking a chunk from my boot and another toe before more blue fire cauterized the wound. Throughout all this agony, I understood exactly what they were doing to me.
Taking me apart. Piece by piece.
"And just so you know, they plan to take their time." And for the rest of my remaining life, all I knew was pain…