Things had gone pretty well so far. At least now I knew I could work well with any of the girls one-on-one if I had to. Good to know, because I can't trust they'll all always be at my side.
Nyla's expecting, and there's no telling how giving birth will affect her or for how long. Honestly, it makes me nervous even having her out here. But it feels necessary. Enemies don't care if you're pregnant.
Yuki and I move beautifully together. It's almost like dancing. But there's a reluctance there too—on both sides. I don't know why I'm hesitant to go further with her, but I am. I think she senses it.
Then there's Shyara. I didn't realize our link was so volatile. Or that she could get insecure. We're usually so in sync it's easy to forget that just because we share memories doesn't mean we share emotions.
Fuck. This is hard to keep straight. I can't even fathom how I got here—traveling with three monster girls. I keep thinking I'll wake up, but every night I fall asleep and wake up right back in this same life.
Why aren't I freaking out more? Even now I'm rationalizing. I was never really a planner, but I was never this haphazard either.
No time for this. We're in the shit now. And more is coming.
I shoved it all down and focused on the moment.
Shyara shot me a knowing look and a bright smile. I kinda hate that I'm used to her being in my head… but I'm also grateful. She's like having a little taste of home. I need that.
"Master." Nyla's voice snapped me back.
We'd gone deeper into the Wildreach than even she was used to. Totally foreign territory. And here I was spacing out.
"Master!" she called again
Pain shot through the side of my face as something blindsided me, launching me into a tree hard enough to make the trunk groan. Bark splintered, digging into my back. My vision went white for half a second, and the coppery taste of blood filled my mouth.
Shit. What was that?
"Sorry, I didn't see it either," Shyara sent, her mental tone tight with guilt.
"Don't stress it." I pushed off the tree, forehead dripping blood warm against the cold air. My pulse thudded in my ears, but my voice stayed steady. "Nyla, sniff it out! Yuki, ice walls in a ten-meter radius! Whatever it is, it dies."
Frost bloomed outward from Yuki in jagged waves, the sound like glass cracking. The ground hissed as the air temperature dropped, mist curling upward and stinging my lungs with each inhale.
I didn't give Shyara instructions. Didn't have to. She was already in front of me, stance tight, eyes scanning the treeline.
"You good?" she asked, trying to keep the worry out of her voice.
"Looks worse than it is." I wiped the blood from my brow, red streaking my knuckles.
"Master, to your left!" Yuki's usually cool, calm tone had an edge now.
I brought my guard up just in time — something massive smashed into it, the impact rattling my bones. A sharp, animal stench hit me next, thick with wet fur and the sour rot of overripe fruit. I lashed out with a kick, grazing a flash of matted black fur before it melted back into the brush.
"Gorilla tactics from gorillas? Perfect," Shyara snarked.
No joke — gorilla-type monsters. Same ones we'd caught mating before, which meant they were probably running in groups.
"Yuki, snipe. Nyla, go all out. Slaughter all of them!"
The scent of Nyla's magic cut through the air — sharp, metallic, almost like iron left in the frost too long. I darted into the brush, snow muffling my steps, Shyara a shadow at my back. The undergrowth shook with heavy, wet snaps, like branches breaking under deliberate weight.
From the right, Shyara passed through our link.
I shifted back instinctively — a huge, leathery fist tore the air in front of me. I caught its arm, muscles like knotted ropes burning with heat under my grip, and twisted into a joint lock. It bellowed, hot breath blasting my face with the stench of rotting fruit and old meat.
Shyara's knee cracked into its jaw with a sound like splitting ice. It staggered; I released the lock and poured mana into a three-hit combo.
First hook — two teeth spat out, skittering across the snow.
Second hook — a wet crunch at its temple.
Third — neck snapped clean, the dead weight making the snow groan as it collapsed in a heap.
"Now what did we learn?" I spat at the corpse.
"Overkill," Shyara said, smirking.
"Fuck 'em," I replied.
She giggled.
Two more gorillas broke from the trees, their roars rumbling through my ribs.
"Don't be upset, I'll put you in the dirt next to him."
The first one charged. Shyara swept in, her kick hammering its left leg, the crack of bone sharp even over its roar. It didn't slow, bringing both fists down. She rolled, snow spraying, and unleashed a flurry of kicks that thudded against its torso. The gorilla batted them aside, just in time for me to drive in.
My fists hammered against its guard — each impact ringing through my arms — until bone gave way with a sick snap. It reeled back, head thrown upward.
Bad move.
Shyara's heel came down on its throat. Another snap, and it dropped like a felled tree.
The second gorilla was gone, melting back into the trees. We didn't have to guess where it went — the forest ahead was already echoing with the sound of battle.
We sprinted back and found Nyla and Yuki holding the line against eight gorillas — one towering over the rest, thick muscles rolling under a coat of frost-dusted black fur.
Nyla's shadow clones spread across the snow like oil stains, their claws blazing violet. Yuki shaped an ice construct — her own twin, blades in each hand — before forming a bow and stringing a shard of frozen light.
Nyla and her clones vanished into nothing. The gorillas flinched, confused.
Yuki's bowstring thrummed. The first arrow buried itself in one gorilla's skull, passed through, and lodged in another's chest. The air filled with the high-pitched crack of splitting ice.
Four of them broke for her. The ice clone intercepted, slicing one's belly open with clean, practiced cuts. The second slammed into the clone, sending shards flying like frozen shrapnel. The last two ripped it apart — just before it exploded, tearing their flesh into ribbons of red against the snow.
A Nyla clone rose from the shadow of the last survivor, claws flashing once. The head fell before the body even realized it was dead.
The largest gorilla didn't move, just grunted. Two of the others tried to run. Nylas intercepted both, their heads hitting the snow seconds apart.
Shyara and I shared the same thought: Damn.
The fight wasn't just impressive — it was surgical. Nyla's assassin work was the real thing, and Yuki's precision was almost unnerving.
"We're no slouches either," Shyara reminded me.
"Obviously. We're the main act," I said.
"Now you're starting to get it."
"I always get it. I just like fucking with you."
"I'd like to fuck you too."
"I set myself up."
"A bit."
"Alright. Let's finish this thing."
Shyara rushed in, mana gathering at her palm until it burned bright red.
"Burning Finger!" she shouted, jamming her hand into the gorilla's chest. The explosion knocked her back, the scent of scorched fur and ozone hanging in the air. I caught her — her hand was already singed, skin blistering before healing began.
When the smoke cleared, the gorilla was still standing. And smiling.
"Well done."
The voice wasn't in my ears. It was in my skull.
"I'll be taking the little one. The rest of you die."
The telepathic growl made my teeth ache.
It roared, the sound deep enough to shake the snow loose from the branches overhead. Dozens more gorillas emerged from the treeline, eyes glowing faintly in the shadows.
"See? This is why we should just stay in bed," Shyara muttered.
"But we're making so many new friends," I said.
Yuki backed toward me, bow ready. Nyla stayed invisible, her killing intent like a thin knife at my spine.
I sighed, settling into my stance. "Well, it's your move, monkey."
"Master, that's racist," Yuki said flatly.
"Calling a monkey a monkey is racist?"
"Well, technically…" Shyara started.
"Ah, shut up. Let's kill these guys."
Their laughter echoed in my head as the circle of gorillas tightened.
Another life-or-death fight. Just another day in the Wildreach.
Damn, I miss the hood.