“Ha!” Clymene’s barking laughter reminded Kevin of a hyena. “We both know the only reason she even became chieftess is because her mother, the previous chieftess, died of disease. Were it not for our village’s traditions, she would have never become our leader in the first place.”
Polydora’s scowl deepened as Clymene hurled insults at Phoebe. Kevin got the feeling that she and the chieftess were good friends.
“Is that what you think? Have you forgotten that you already challenged Lady Phoebe to honorable combat for the position of leader and lost? If Lady Phoebe is weak and unfit to lead, then what does that say about you? Don’t let your pride delude you into thinking you’d ever be a better chieftess than Lady Phoebe!”
Polydora’s words seemed to hit a nerve. Clymene’s face reddened like coals had been shoved into it. Her expression became a rictus of blind rage. Like a maddened dog biting the hand of the one who feeds it, she bellowed out an incoherent yell, a cry of challenge, and charged at Polydora who met the attack head on.
Kevin took a moment to admire the two grappling beauties. Their breasts shook and jiggled within their breastplates, sweat made their bodies glisten, and their butts shook as they grappled each other.
There was something innately stunning about two gorgeous women fighting, a sort of primal charm that appealed to some small part of him. That both women were practically naked only added to that feeling.
The moment ended as quickly as it began. Kevin knew that he didn’t have much time with which to act.
Grunting as he strained his muscles, Kevin yanked on the left side of the bed, literally putting his whole body into the act. The amount of force he exerted caused the entire bed to flip over. He grunted when his face slammed into the hard ground. Thankfully, he’d had the sense to turn his head, which let him avoid having his nose broken.
Owch…
Another heave. Kevin’s muscles strained as he lifted himself off the ground. His thighs quivered at the stress he put on them. His calves burned when he slowly climbed to his feet. Standing up, he noticed, was a lot harder when one couldn’t use their hands—and also when there was a large bed weighing them down and their feet were tied together. That his hands were currently tied to said bed really only increased the difficulty.
Still, he did it. He climbed onto his feet, even though his muscles felt a lot like jello. He took a deep breath, grunted, and tried to steady his shaking legs.
Observing his surroundings with a quick glance, Kevin noticed that Clymene and Polydora were still grappling. They were on the ground now, rolling across the floor as they fought. Perfect.
Kevin timed their movements. When he saw them coming back toward him, he bent his knees, then pushed up into a jump that made his body arc.
“SUMO DROP!”
He soon realized that his move might not have been the smartest idea. Oh sure, he landed on top of the girls, crushing them beneath the bed, which shattered under the impact, but he also had his lungs deprived of all oxygen. And so he lay there on a pile of broken fragments, on top of two motionless bodies, coughing and panting as he tried sucking in a breath that just would not come.
A groan eventually escaped him. Kevin rolled over onto his stomach, then his back again. He sat up, stretching out his now freed arms. The ropes were still wrapped around his wrists, which sucked, but he wouldn’t complain. At least he could move them now.
Once he made sure his arms were in working order, he crawled over to Clymene and Polydora. After checking their pulses and confirming that they were merely unconscious, he checked Polydora’s body and found a small knife hidden within her greaves. He used the knife to cut the ropes attached to his wrists and then the rope binding his legs.
He stood up, then, and, after glancing down at the still unconscious women, decided that it was high time he made his escape.
“Sorry ladies, but I’m nobody’s baby maker.”
He ran out of the tent… and then quickly ran back in, an embarrassed blush on his cheeks. He was very grateful that no one was awake to see it.
“I forgot I was naked.” Kevin began a very thorough search of the room. “Now what did they do with my pants?”
***
Iris knew she was in trouble.
This girl, Phoebe, was a lot more skilled than her friends. Iris didn’t know how she did it, but somehow this girl could extend the reach of her club. Already several bruises and innumerable cuts had formed along her arms, legs, and stomach. On their own, none of the wounds were serious, but together, their accumulated damage was causing her to become distracted and woozy.
Matters weren’t helped when she discovered that none of her illusions worked. Every time she cast one, the Amazon would somehow realize she was trapped in one and dispel it by causing herself pain. While that confirmed her theory about how these women couldn’t cancel illusions the normal way, it didn’t really help her current situation.
“You are far more skilled than I thought you’d be,” Phoebe admitted. Iris eyed her club warily, which twirled about in her opponent’s hand. “However, your tricks and illusions can only work for so long. Once someone learns how to recognize the signs, they become useless.”
An illusion’s greatest strength was in someone not realizing they were trapped. Once a person knew they were caught within one, an illusion could be easily broken, either by causing pain or disrupting the youki with a different youki.
“You think so, huh?” Despite bleeding from numerous cuts and aching from several bruises, Iris still managed to present her enemy with a smirk. “This coming from the girl who’s been caught in my illusion.”
“What?”
Iris grinned as her entire body burst into black flames, which took on the shape of a half-dozen tiny foxes.
“Void Art: Void of Foxes.”
The foxes rushed at Phoebe, who knew better than to let them reach her. Illusions they may be, but even imaginary pain was still pain. Several great leaps backwards put a few feet between her and the foxes. She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, the pain disrupting the illusion and causing the foxes to vanish.
“Extension.”
Two black tails descended on her. Phoebe dodged the first one, but she couldn’t avoid the second, which Iris had timed precisely to intercept her by predicting where she would move. With nothing else to do, she raised her arms and grasped the club between her hands, using it to intercept the attack.
She grunted as the tail impacted against her club. The ground beneath her feet cracked. A series of spiderweb-like abrasions crawled across the surface like ants. Thighs shook. Arms strained. Her knees nearly buckled under the powerful assault. Only her own youki, which reinforced her body to beyond Olympic athlete levels, gave her the strength to weather the attack.
Her visage twisting into a snarl of effort, she pushed the tail off her. Before it could retract, she grabbed onto the offending appendage, squeezing it hard.
Iris yelped in pain. Her body lost its strength as the steely grip crushed her tail. She could practically feel the bones inside of it being ground to dust.
Biceps bunched as Phoebe jerked Iris toward her via the tail still in her grasp. The raven-haired vixen let out a yell that was promptly cut short when a fist slammed into her stomach with earth-shattering force.
She folded over the fist. Blood welled up inside of her throat. She coughed up carmine, painting the ground in red splatters. The silvery case she’d somehow managed to keep a hold of finally clattered to the ground.
When the fist was removed, Iris fell to her knees. Her arms went to her stomach. The iron scent of blood filled her nose, and its taste stung her mouth. She tried sucking in a breath, but much like trying to refill a hot air balloon after a hole had been punched into it, drawing in a breath seemed impossible.
“I don’t know what made you believe that you could win against me.” Phoebe walked around Iris, who couldn’t even lift her head without feeling pain jolt through her like electricity running thro
ugh a circuit board. “You kitsune may be a higher tier of yōkai than a yama uba like myself, but a two-tails such as you lacks the power to use those specialized techniques that you covet so much.”
Silver greaves clinked to a halt in front of her, the only part of Phoebe that Iris could see with her head bowed.
“I’ll admit that you surprised me greatly,” Phoebe continued. “I had not expected you to be so well-versed in illusions, though I suppose I should have. You are a kitsune, after all, and even one with only two tails would be know how to use her species’ greatest ability.”
Iris felt blood leak between her gritted teeth. She opened her mouth to speak, but she started coughing up more blood. Phoebe’s punch packed some serious power. It felt like her internal organs had been liquified.
“Still, illusions are all you have, and those will not be enough to defeat me. Without those specialized abilities you kitsune are so proud of, you lack the strength needed to win in a battle against someone like myself.”
Hidden behind the curtain of hair that framed her face, Iris smiled. “So sure that I can’t use specialized techniques, are you?”
Phoebe blinked. “Excuse me?”
“Void Art: Void Fire!”
Phoebe’s eyes widened in shock when two balls of intensely burning black fire nearly slammed into her face. Only the quick reflexes of her species saved her from certain immolation. She leapt back several times, dodging more spheres of compressed void fire.
Iris stood back to her feet, one hand holding her still brutalized stomach. She reached down and picked up the silver case with her other. All the while, her tails continued launching sentient fire at the Amazon-esque yōkai.
She had to give the girl credit; Phoebe was quick on her feet. The blond dodged all of her attacks with the dexterity of an acrobat and the grace of a dancer. She moved in never-ceasing motions more fluid than water, an elegant dance that allowed her to avoid her impending demise.
Iris clicked her tongue, but she didn’t let the fleet-footed female’s constant dodging get the best of her. She had a plan.
It wasn’t until Phoebe found herself surrounded by black flames that she realized she was being led into a trap. Iris saw the way her foe’s eyes widened, enjoyed the way her enemy’s head spun around like an owl, and took pleasure in the sight of sweat trickling down a fair-skinned brow as her black flames enclosed the femme from all sides.
“You thought I couldn’t use specialized techniques.” Iris couldn’t help but taunt the girl. She savored the glare Phoebe sent her. This was poetic justice at its finest. “That was your mistake. I’ve got news for you, princess. Most kitsune with two tails might not be able to use the specialized techniques granted by the power flowing through them, but my sister and I are special cases. Now then, it’s time for me to rescue the stud, so I’m gonna have to ask you to leave the stage.”
“Void Art: Sentient Immolation.”
Black flames surged forward at great speed. The surrounding fire tried to engulf Phoebe. It raced toward her like hungry foxes chasing after a rabbit.
Phoebe was not without her options, however, as Iris soon found out. Bending her knees, the young woman shot off the ground with a concussive bang! that echoed through the ravine.
Iris tilted her head and strained her eyes to see her enemy ascending into the air, and then descending toward her position like a mortar firing explosive projectiles. Shock rippled through her body. She reinforced her legs, then leapt backwards just in time to avoid being smashed like a grape beneath the heels of a giant.
The earth ruptured. The ravine split. Cracks the size of chasms erupted all around the point where Phoebe impacted the ground. Even the part of earth that Iris stood on shook apart, the ground fracturing as fissures spread along its surface.
As the bit of ground she stood on tumbled loose, Iris leapt away from the precarious spot. It didn’t make much difference, as the place she landed on ended up coming apart as well. She was forced into playing a game of leapfrog, jumping from fragment to fragment, until she at last landed on solid ground.
Turning back around, Iris saw what had once been a cliff face, but was now just a pile of rubble. Dust roiled forth, thick and heavy. She could barely see anything within the natural smokescreen. However, the giant schism in the cliff wall told her more than enough.
She gaped at the sight, unable to believe her eyes. Iris didn’t even want to consider how much power must have been put into Phoebe’s last attack to do that kind of damage. Just how strong was her opponent?
A figure burst from within the smokescreen. Phoebe. The young girl looked a little worse for wear. Her entire body was covered in dust and her armor was smudged. She didn’t look harmed, though, which was obvious as the girl flew at her like a blond missile. Iris didn’t even have time to dodge before her foe was upon her, thrusting out the club like a spear set to impale her through the chest.
Iris closed her eyes out of instinct as she realized that she couldn’t dodge.
“Don’t-mess-with-my-mate’s-sister-drop-kick!”
A foot came out of nowhere. It descended from the sky, striking the club before it could reach Iris. The weapon continued forward, but it also soared downward, where it struck the ground with impressive force instead of Iris.
Iris tumbled onto her backside as the earth in front of her split like the Red Sea being parted. The earth seemed to rumble, though not as powerfully as before. When the dust cleared, it revealed a sight that had both her and Phoebe gaping.
Kevin stood in front of Phoebe. His left foot was on top of the club, which was embedded deep within the ground, keeping it in place. He looked a little worse for wear. He was also shirtless. The only thing keeping his modesty intact was the skirt/thong combination around his waist.
“Iris,” he greeted.
“Hey, Stud.” Iris smirked. “Nice pecs.”
“Nice tits,” Kevin shot back. Iris looked down to see that sometime during her battle, her shirt was ripped, exposing pretty much everything. Kevin turned back to Phoebe. “Think you could stop trying to kill my mate’s sister?”
Phoebe’s flabbergasted expression made Iris’s soul sing like the vindictive symphony of a witch. She would always treasure the memory of the girl who nearly defeated her looking at Kevin like he was a fat man who had sumo squished her puppy.
“What are you doing out here?” Phoebe finally croaked. “Where is Polydora? She’s supposed to be guarding you!”
“Polydora had to take a nap,” Kevin replied succinctly. Phoebe’s eyes narrowed, causing him to roll his. “Don’t give me that look. You planned on having your entire village commit mass rape in order to sire offspring. That’s not exactly what I would consider the decision of a paragon.”
“It was for the sake of my village.” Phoebe gritted her teeth.
“And this is for the sake of my chastity,” Kevin shot back.
“What chastity?” asked Iris.
“Quiet, you.” After sending Iris a mild glare, Kevin looked back at Phoebe. “Look, all I want to do is leave this place and rescue my mate. I have no intention of sticking around here when she’s in danger, so are you going to let me leave—” at that instant, Iris opened the case, grabbed something inside, and tossed two objects into the air, which Kevin caught by the handles and pointed barrels first at the blond “—or am I going to have to kick your ass?”
A pause ensued.
“You know, that was pretty awesome,” Kevin mumbled to himself. “It’s too bad Lilian wasn’t here to see that.”
“I saw it,” Iris pointed out.
“You seeing it and Lilian seeing it are two completely different things,” Kevin said.
“I also saw it,” Phoebe added.
“Also two different things,” Kevin was quick to reply. “Lilian understands the badassness of shōnen manga action poses and witty one-liners. Only she would be able to truly appreciate how awesome this moment really is. You see, this is why I need to rescue her. She u
nderstands me. We complete each other.”
“You two certainly are two nerds in a spacepod,” Iris agreed.
“I’d prefer it if you used the term ‘two pilots in a Gundam.’”
“Whatever.” Iris rolled her eyes. “Nerd.”
“Vixen.”
“Excuse me.” Phoebe interrupted the two before they could really get going. “While I do not mean to interrupt your bickering, I demand that you both explain this situation to me. You—” she pointed at Kevin “—what do you mean when you talk about your mate? And you—” she pointed at Iris “—what is a nerd? What does that have to do with the esteemed prisoner Kevin Swift?”
“Gods dang it! For the last time, stop calling me ‘esteemed prisoner’!”
***
“That is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard!”
“Uh…”
Kevin really didn’t know what to do. He stared at the blond girl sitting before him, bawling her eyes out like she’d just finished watching Clannad After Story for the first time. Tears poured from red-rimmed eyes and snot dribbled from her nose, ruining her otherwise perfect face.
“To think that you, a mere human, are risking his life for the sake of his mate. Traveling across the world and entering enemy territory in order to fight an entire clan of kitsune for the sake of the one you love!” More sniffling. Kevin looked at Phoebe in horror. “That is so beautiful!”
Iris began snickering behind her hand, which earned her a mild glare from Kevin. When she just met his vicious look with a smirk, he sighed, then turned back to Phoebe, who was still crying.
They were sitting in one of the many huts that littered Phoebe’s village, which Kevin had learned just a few hours ago sat nestled within the caves of a mountain. Much like the one he’d been inside hours before; the interior was a sparsely decorated affair. There existed only a few furnishings, a basic wooden bed, a dresser, and a table in the center of the room, which they all sat around.
A Fox's Rescue Page 16