"Good morning, Kitsu," Apricot chirped, wriggling her way out from the warmth of my thick fur. Her arms stretched skyward, back arching like a lazy cat welcoming the sun.
I cracked one eye open, the morning light casting a soft glow through the trees. "Morning," I mumbled, still half-asleep in my massive fox form. "Why isn't Nekro here?"
Apricot blinked, her expression shifting into one of faux offense. "It was her alone night, remember?"
"Oh… right," I muttered, finally dragging myself to my feet and stretching out. My front paws dug into the dirt as my back rose high into the air, tail flicking lazily behind me. The satisfying crack of my spine realigning made me exhale.
"Is it fun to lift your butt in the air like that?" Apricot asked in a mock-innocent tone, tilting her head while grinning up at me.
"What did you just say!?" I growled, eyes snapping wide as I brought my thick tail down like a hammer.
Boom!
Apricot yelped and narrowly dove to the side, barely avoiding being flattened. "Hey, I was just asking!"
"Shut it and go look for your Nekro, you spoiled brat," I huffed, batting a paw at her dismissively.
"Yes, Mother!" Apricot giggled as she turned and sprinted off into the woods.
I stared after her, ears twitching in disbelief. "Tsk. How can she say that to a 14-year-old without hesitation… I grumbled, still in fox form. My gaze drifted upward to the familiar shadow soaring in the sky above. Kayda.
She hovered with graceful ease, wings outstretched as the early wind tugged gently at her robes. "So," she called out with a smirk, "are you going to deny her having a mother?"
"A mother? "She's fucking nineteen," I snapped, beginning to trot toward the lake with heavy, padded steps. "She shouldn't be looking for a mother figure anymore—especially not from a 14-year-old!"
Kayda descended slowly, wings flaring wide as she landed on my back with practiced ease, resting there like she belonged. "You're thirty. Don't deny your true age."
"Tch. But I am no mother," I grumbled. "Get off. I'm not a ride."
She didn't budge.
"Oh come on," she said with a laugh in her voice, "you didn't even hesitate to throw yourself in front of that torture squad guy to save her life."
I snorted, swishing my tail behind us. "Of course I didn't. It wasn't like a poisoned dagger to the chest would kill me. Tch, I would've never done it if I knew she'd start calling me "mother" after that."
"But I think it's adorable," Kayda teased, leaning forward slightly, her chin resting on my neck fluff.
"Oi, wasn't it you who hated her before that?" I countered.
"That... That was a misunderstanding!" she said too quickly, her wings twitching in embarrassment. "Weren't you the same with Stacy, though? Looking for a mother figure and all?"
"Sure, but our situations are entirely different," I said quietly. "My mother committed suicide in front of me when I was five. Apricot never even met hers."
Kayda was silent for a beat. Then she said softly, "That... I guess you're right. But still, are you really so heartless you won't even let her call you 'mother' out of affection?"
"Kayda," I said, reaching the edge of the lake. Mist hung lazily above its surface, the sound of the gentle stream feeding the lake echoing like whispers. I am a primordial demon fox. Do you really think I have a heart?"
I took a step forward, paws brushing the water—then with a shimmer of magic, my form shifted.
Splash!
Kayda yelped as she slid off my back and fell onto the dirt with a thud.
"Ha-ha! I told you to get off me," I laughed, now standing tall in my human form, nude save for a layer of shimmering magic forming clothes around me.
"You could've warned me at least!" She pouted, brushing dirt off her rear.
"You could've asked for permission to ride me." I shot back, strolling across the water, each step dispelling the illusion surrounding the lake's surface.
Kayda followed, arms folded across her chest. "Would you have said yes if I asked?"
"No."
"See! My point exactly." She sighed. "Anyway, why are you here so early in the morning? Don't you usually come at night?"
"Yeah," I said, descending the now-visible staircase under the lake. "Wanted to check on the furry. See if he's figured out what this place is really about."
Kayda snorted, footsteps echoing behind me as we walked into the chilled stone hallway of the dungeon. "Ha-ha. It'll be even worse for him now, having all that fur fall off."
I smirked. "Nothing beats a suffering furry in the morning."
"When you smirk like that, even I get goosebumps," Kayda said, voice tinged with amusement.
"Huh. Scared or excited?" I asked over my shoulder.
"…Both, I guess," she said after a thoughtful pause.
I burst out laughing. "Wow. Scaring a dragon just by smirking. That's definitely going in my brag book."
"It's not something to brag about," she muttered.
"In my book, it is," I said, stepping into the prison hallway, the faint blue glow of frost-covered walls lighting our path.
We stopped in front of a thick metal door rimmed with enchanted ice.
Kayda tilted her head. "Why are you even here?"
"Oh, right," she said after a moment. "Stacy said we're going out hunting today."
A grin spread across my face. "Awesome. I wondered when I'd finally get to hunt."
I raised my hand and knocked twice.
Knock, knock.
"Yo, Furry. Are you alive in there?" I called out with a smug tone.
From the other side came a stuttering, half-frozen voice: "F…f…fuck…y…y…you…"
Kayda snickered. "Someone can't handle the cold."
"Let's see him in person then," I said, opening the door.
The moment it cracked open, the furry came charging out like a mad beast—but with trembling legs, numb fingers, and a completely lackluster aura.
"Still got some energy, huh?" I said—and then I kicked him.
Boom!
He slammed back into the room, crashing into the frozen wall with a muffled yelp.
Kayda peered inside. "How dumb. He still has the restraints on."
The poor bastard was stuck halfway in the ice, eyes wide with delirious pain.
"Hmph. I wonder how long you'd last in here, Kayda."
She paused, giving it real thought. "With this much cold mana draining the air? Three years. Then I'd start to feel it."
I gave her an impressed glance. "That's honestly a better answer than I expected."
She shrugged and stepped over to Brad's cell. "Has he even started talking? It's been a week already."
I leaned next to her, observing the sealed cell. "I don't know if I should feel amazed… or disappointed in my ice after that."
"You still don't have full control over your ice element," Kayda said casually.
"What?" I blinked. "I don't?"
She smiled and patted my head. "Nope. But once your mana control gets tighter, you'll understand."
"Oi. No petting," I grumbled, brushing her hand away.
We turned toward the exit, boots clinking softly on the icy floor.
"Let's go. I want to start hunting and level up. I think my base stats are close to maxing out."
"But your hair is so smooth!" She called, jogging after me. "We'll go to the Adventure Guild first to get you registered."
(Adventure Guild Secretary POV—Tracey)
Hi, I'm Tracy. Blue-haired monkey Demi. Northern-born, from near the Dead Forest. I'm a bit shorter than your average adventurer, but hey—I'm happily married with two adorable kids, so life's wonderful.
Today, I'm on secretary duty. I don't usually do this; my husband—the guild master—insists I don't do "grunt work." But we're short-staffed due to an incident in the Emerald Forest. A few folks had to go out there and investigate.
Anyway, if you want to work at a guild in the capital or countryside, you have to be at least a B-rank adventurer. The king states that this requirement is intended to ensure guild employees survive for more than two days. Fair enough.
I was B-rank once. Haven't gone on a mission in years, though. Some of the other employees still intimidate me—especially the combat veterans. Guess that's why my husband doesn't want me behind this desk.
"OI! Are you sleeping with your eyes open or ignoring me?"
The voice snapped me out of my daze. I blinked rapidly and looked up.
Standing there was a fox-woman with blazing red hair, crimson slit pupils, and a smirk sharp enough to cut glass.
"This is where we sign up, right?" she asked, tapping the desk.
I nodded rapidly. "U-Un! Yes, absolutely!"
"Cool. Can you sign me up?" she said, flashing her teeth in a grin that made my soul tremble.
I handed her the form with a trembling smile. "Y-Yes, of course…"
She leaned closer, watching me squirm. "You're stuttering a lot. Are you new? Or just unhappy with people?"
"I… I don't do this often," I whispered, wiping my eyes discreetly.
"So you're struggling with new faces?" she teased, snickering as her crimson eyes sparkled with mischief.
"You're scaring the poor thing, Kitsu," came a familiar voice behind me.
I turned and lit up. "Kayda!"
I jumped into her arms without a second thought.
"You're no fun, Kayda," the fox-woman—Kitsu—muttered, pouting dramatically.