"Tsk, you're like a stalker, Kitsu!" Kayda yelped, her voice echoing with frustration as she tried to keep my relentless tail and me at bay. Her wings beat furiously, scattering heat in shimmering waves around her, but I pressed on, every movement of mine designed to suffocate her with pressure.
"The best way to go against a long-range mage is being close range," I shot back, not missing a beat in my onslaught. My tails lashed like whips, the air itself cracking from their speed as I pushed her to react rather than think.
"I know that, but—fuck!" she cursed, teeth grinding together as she released a sudden burst of mana. A shockwave rippled out from her body, distorting the air and forcing me to stagger for half a second. Dust spiraled upward around her like she was the eye of some volcanic storm.
"Hey, now don't let your thoughts distract you," I warned, smirking as I ignored the wave's sting and flash-stepped forward. In the blink of an eye, I was right in front of her, arm cocked back, fingers curled, aiming to clamp down on her head.
"Tsk," Kayda clicked her tongue, eyes narrowing. Her hands rose, mana flaring as she began forming another barrier around her.
"Nope," I said before she could finish, my grin widening. I pulled out a giant slab of ice shaped into a shield, ramming it forward with all my momentum.
The moment my ice slammed into her half-formed barrier, the clash created a violent explosion. BOOM. Both of us were sent hurtling away in opposite directions, tumbling through the air.
Kayda recovered quickly, her wings unfurling to catch the air. She glared down at me, annoyance etched on her face. "Tsk, of course you'd prepare something other than your sniper," she said, immediately gaining altitude. Her body blurred as she ascended, clearly aiming to use her aerial advantage.
I landed hard, boots skidding across the ground until I forced myself upright. My shield dissolved into glittering mist, leaving me standing in a shallow crater. Looking up, I saw her climbing higher. "Yeah, well, knowing how to counter it makes things easier," I replied, brushing the dust from my cheek, "but the mana use is a pain."
"Yea!" Kayda shouted, her voice a battle cry. Dozens of scorch spells erupted around her, crimson spheres of molten energy forming in a dazzling halo. Without hesitation, she launched them all at me.
"This is why you always go for the kill against mages," I muttered under my breath, sprinting in erratic zigzags as the flaming orbs came raining down like artillery. Each explosion left smoking craters where I had just been a moment before.
Kayda's smug voice carried over the chaos. "Yes, but you don't want to kill me."
"...Kayda, why the hell would you say something like that right now?" I yelled back, heart skipping uncomfortably at the words.
"Umm, I don't know, sorry," she admitted, the awkward tone in her voice clashing with the fact that she didn't let up her barrage in the slightest.
I sighed heavily, rolling my eyes even as my body blurred into motion again. "Whatever," I muttered, disappearing into a smoke cloud with a Flash Step, masking my position.
"Kitsu~, don't try and hide now," Kayda chimed playfully, though her voice had an edge. The beams she launched next grew brighter and hotter, punching holes in the smoke to flush me out.
"Tsk, you are really trying to kill me, aren't you," I said from within the haze, my voice echoing.
A moment later, the air howled. Thousands of ice bullets erupted from the smoke cloud in a glittering storm, tearing toward her in waves.
"What the!?" Kayda yelped, clearly caught off guard. She doubled the amount of beams in desperation, lancing through the air to block the bullets. But I noticed immediately—the more beams she fired, the weaker each one grew.
"Damn, to think you could use the clone skill like this," I mused, stepping calmly out of the smoke as it cleared. My form was steady, my breathing controlled. Four massive guns hovered in the air above me—each one four meters long, half a meter thick, their barrels glowing cold blue with the energy cycling inside. They spat out bullets like unending thunder, tracking her wherever she flew. And most noticeable of all—I only had one tail again.
Kayda's eyes locked on me, or rather, on that single tail. "I see… so that's how your clone skill works," she murmured, half to herself.
"Hmm. Surprisingly, this sort of cloning doesn't even use a fifth of what it takes to make another body," I admitted aloud, rolling my neck with a faint pop. "And most importantly, it's way easier to use." I rotated my wrist, and the massive guns shifted in unison, obedient to my will. 'Instead of five thousand mana, it only takes a thousand,' I noted in thought, satisfaction settling in my chest.
"New guns, huh? I like it. Let's test them out," Kayda growled, grinning wide. More than a dozen scorch beams and blazing fireballs appeared around her as she prepared to retaliate.
"Ah, fuck," I cursed, kicking off the ground as the sky rained destruction. I darted upward, narrowly slipping through the storm.
Kayda's smug laugh followed me. "Now that you're in the air—whoa, I forgot you could do that for a second." Her smile faltered as she saw me leap effortlessly from one conjured ice platform to another, bounding toward her while my hovering guns never stopped firing. Each icy foothold shattered behind me, leaving only a trail of glimmering shards.
Closing in fast, I created another chain in my hand. This one was smaller and denser, the mana compressed into something razor-sharp and thrumming with power.
"Now that is something," Kayda said, narrowing her eyes at the sight.
"I know, right," I replied with a grin, Flash Stepping directly behind her.
"Ugh! No way!?" Kayda yelped as sensation suddenly drained from her wings.
"And now we fall," I said calmly, even as I glanced down at my own mangled body. My limbs were twisted, fractured, and broken from the strain of forcing the technique.
"Wait, why are you in that state?" Kayda asked, worry flashing across her expression.
"Huh, to get those pesky wings out of the way," I said with a bloody smile, moments before gravity reclaimed us both.
Bang!
Boom!
The impact rattled the entire training ground. I grunted in pain as I crawled out of the crater my body carved into the earth.
Kayda staggered nearby, shaking her head. "Kitsu, you really are way heavier than you look," she muttered, staring at the difference between the two craters. Hers was deep, yes, but mine was nearly double its size.
"Kayda, are you really calling your girlfriend fat right now?" I asked flatly, my eyes narrowing into dangerous slits.
"No, I said you don't look so heavy," she corrected quickly, scratching her cheek awkwardly.
"Kayda… "You're calling me fat right now," I accused, flash-stepping right up to her face and reaching for her head again.
"No, I wasn't!" Kayda yelped, jumping back just in time to avoid my hand.
"You were, you fucking lizard. Fuck it. Now we can start all over," I snapped, clenching my fists together. Frost spread across my hands, coating them in jagged ice gauntlets as my floating guns returned to my side.
"Tsk," Kayda clicked her tongue again, leaping away as I slammed the ground where she had been. The impact sent shards of frozen earth exploding outward.
"Keep on moving, keep on moving," I muttered, driving her back with strike after strike. My fists hammered at her, claws slashing, tails whipping like serpents.
"Fuck off!!" Kayda roared, stomping her foot down with force. A wave of molten heat erupted outward, the ground glowing before it began to melt into lava.
"Woah, calm down, Kayda," I said, though my tone carried zero sincerity. I raised my hands, frost spilling out and instantly freezing the spreading magma into a brittle shell.
"Shut it!" Kayda snapped, eyes blazing with anger.
My ears twitched, warning me. "Oh shit," I muttered, eyes widening. I leapt away just as her body exploded with light.
Gwaaaah!
Her roar thundered through the chamber, rattling my bones. Heat washed over me as her form elongated, wings stretching wide, scales glinting crimson.
"I didn't think you'd actually do that," I admitted, for the first time putting real distance between us.
"We never said we couldn't transform," Kayda said, her dragon voice rumbling as she loomed above me.
"I thought it was an unwritten rule, but okay," I shrugged.
"No, it was just that you couldn't use yours, so it was no fun using mine," she explained, her massive tail swishing behind her.
"...Are you sure you want to do this?" I asked, flicking my ears.
"Yes. Why?"
"Okay," I said simply. My body blurred, bones twisting, fur bristling. In a flash, I was beside her in my fox form, claws gleaming.
"What the hell was that!?" Kayda yelped as I slashed, her wings flaring too late. The strike left a long gash across her side.
"When you transform, your defense and strength increase, right?" I explained casually, circling her with a predator's patience.
"Yeah, but what the hell does that have to do with that absurd speed you just had?" she growled.
"Well, I am busy explaining," I continued smugly. "Anyways, since those aspects triple for you, what do you think happens to mine?"
"Speed and strength, I guess," Kayda admitted reluctantly, bracing herself.
"You are correct," I said with a sharp grin, vanishing from sight.
"Tsk, I guess there's one place you can beat me in right now," she muttered, scanning frantically.
"Nah," I said, reappearing just long enough to slam her head with my tail.
"Tsk, I can't even see them coming," Kayda complained, shaking it off with irritation rather than pain.
"How annoying. I think I hate tanks more than mages now," I muttered, darting up and raking my claws across her chin with an uppercut.
"Eh, I bit my tongue!" she mumbled through a bitten tongue, refusing to guard against blows that barely scratched her scales.
Finally, I drew back, exhaling hard. "Can we stop now?"
"Yeah, I agree. That only felt like pats more than anything else," Kayda admitted, sounding almost bored.
"Yeah, and using magic won't help much either," I said, annoyed.
"Hmm, probably. Well, your lightning could've hurt a little, but not much."
"Yeah, anyway, I've been holding this in since the devil skirmish," I said, crouching low.
"What?" Kayda asked, confused.
ROAAAAAR!!!
The sound ripped from my throat, shaking the training grounds. Dust rained from the ceiling, cracks spreading across the walls. The sheer force made even Kayda flinch back, her ears flattening.
"Sigh, that's way better," I said, satisfaction coursing through me as I shifted back to human form.
"Haha, my ears hurt, you know," Kayda said, returning to her human shape as well. To my annoyance, not a single scratch marred her skin.
"Man, it's unfair that you stay clothed, but I always need to undress before changing," I grumbled, looking her over.
"Privilege of being a dragon, I guess. Anyways, let's continue," Kayda said, brushing off the dust.
"Yeah, no. Sadly, that's all I'm capable of right now," I admitted, sagging with exhaustion.
"Huh? You're done?"
"Yeah, my head's killing me, and I still need to heal you," I said, beckoning her closer.
"You promise? Kitsu, if you surprise attack me, I'll rip your tails out," Kayda warned darkly.
"Eeh, please don't joke about pulling them out," I whimpered, paling at the thought. "I might actually die from the pain."
"Kitsu."
"I wasn't going to attack you. You're too paranoid."
"You are Stacy's daughter, you know," Kayda sighed before walking toward me.
"Ah, fair point," I chuckled weakly.
"Sigh, now heal me," she demanded.
"Lap."
"Yeah yeah," Kayda muttered, sitting down beside me with her back to the others. I moved closer, resting my head on her lap as I began to heal her leg wound with the warmth of my blood.
"Sorry I shot you in the leg," I murmured, guilt seeping into my voice.
"It's fine. But I can't believe you destroyed my barrier twice. Especially the second time," she said with genuine surprise.
"Haha, thanks. It was just smaller versions of the flower spell I used against the devils," I explained.
"Oh, nice work making it so small," Kayda said, her voice softer now, almost praising.
"Thanks," I muttered shyly, the fight's adrenaline fading as her words settled warmly in my chest.