Syl crouched in the shadows, eyes fixed on the burning hut.
'Come on…'
Smoke coiled into the night sky, embers swirling with every gust of wind.
'Come on, get up…'
She gripped her spear tight, waiting for the Fox girl to emerge so that she, too, could finally leave.
'Get up and run! Get out of the fire and run away!'
The Fox girl did get out of the fire, but Syl's brows furrowed immediately at the sight.
'What are you going, you stupid girl?!'
The girl wasn't running. She simply stood there, still and immobile, ash clinging to her hair.
"...?" Syl's eyebrow twitched as she noticed.
The Fox girl's body was untouched by the fire. Not a single scratch, not a single burn.
Syl blinked, squinting. 'No… wait.'
Burn marks laced the girl's left arm.
'But… What's up with that strange shape?'
The burn marks weren't normal. They weren't the usual jagged blistering of fire wounds. They were shaped, almost deliberate, as though the flames themselves had etched something onto her skin.
They were no normal burn marks.
'Nothing is fucking normal here!' Syl clenched her teeth. 'If you wanted to kill yourself, you should have done so with the knife, not get yourself killed now that I came back for you! Fuck! Should I just go? Should I just-'
A shout tore through the roar of fire and screeches, interrupting the female Hobgoblin's thoughts.
"Akane!"
Syl snapped her head to the right.
She didn't recognize the voice. Still,
'Ron?!'
Her jaw tightened. She had found the key Ron was supposed to be carrying. No, it had been tosses to her. And now here, in front of her, the shadowy figure adorned…
'Yes! Those are definitely Ron's clothes!'
But as she watched,
'No, it isn't!'
The figure was taller. His movements sharper. Stronger. The sheer speed at which he closed the distance, the weight behind his strike as he attacked the screeching monstrosity, it was obvious. That punch alone proved it. Stronger than Ron could ever be.
'Plus, there's no way that Ron would toss me the key. He would rather watch her suffer for no reason than allow her freedom. Seriously,' Syl clicked her tongue. "What the hell is happening here…?" She whispered.
"Can you fight?"
"Yes!"
A second heavy blow landed on the Corrupted Draconic Spawn, staggering its hulking body.
Seeing this, Akane shut her eyes. She drew in a slow, shuddering breath. She focused on her breathing, on her muscles, on losing and relaxing them. The weight inside her chest, that crushing storm of rage, wasn't helping her.
But the moment was shattered.
"Can you move?"
Her eyes shot open. Amon was in front of her, his hand outstretched.
"Y-Yes," she stammered, stumbling to follow his lead.
"We're going to have to beat it," he said, pulling her back, widening the distance between them and the monstrosity. His tone was flat, certain. "It's not going to let us run away now."
"Right," she whispered, almost to herself. Her gaze dipped down to her own body. Her fingers clenched and unclenched. Strength pulsed in her veins, strange and new. She had no idea what to make of it.
Amon glanced her way, and the familiar blue tint of System text flickered in his sight.
[Species: Half-Vixen
State: Weakened
Stats:
Strength: 15
Agility: 16
Perception: 27
Endurance: 8
Vigor: 12]
Amon's lips twitched. 'So the Hobgoblins were holding something stronger than themselves. Good thing they starved her. Well, for them.'
CRASH!
The burning wood of another hut finally gave out, collapsing in a shower of sparks.
SCREECH!
The Corrupted Draconic Spawn's warped body shuddered before slipping into what little shadows remained in the village, its presence vanishing like oil poured into water.
"I told you I would find a way to get you out." Amon turned toward Akane, smiling faintly despite the chaos.
She blinked, staring at him in silence.
"Syl came to get you, didn't she?"
"Oh! Uh… Yes-"
"Let's talk later." He cut her off, moving sharply to the left.
"Huh—?"
She barely had time to react before the ground beneath her darkened. With a predator's hunger, the Spawn erupted from the shadow, jaws gaping like a shark breaching water.
"...!" Akane gasped. Instinct carried her. She leapt into the air and spun gracefully, her tail fluttering.
'Cool.' Amon thought, seeing her land atop one of the few huts still standing. 'The more flames, the better. If the shadows connect too widely, it'll hunt us freely.'
Akane took a deep breath.
'Syl…'
While Akane and Syl never exchanged names, Akane had heard the other Hobgoblins call Syl by name multiple times.
'They both came for me. Not only that, but they came together. This is...' Her lips twitched, fighting to keep straight. 'So annoying! Why am I… So happy that they came for me??'
Her chest tightened.
Standing on top of the hut, Akane locked eyes with the Corrupted Draconic Spawn on the ground.
'It's your fault,' she thought bitterly, glaring at the monstrosity. 'It's your fault that I can't just be happy about this. Your fault that this village is burning, your fault that I had to be reminded of… Of…!'
Akane took another deep breath. She held the air inside of her lungs and, slowly, the burning heat started to hurt a bit less by the second.
SCREECH!
'Let the anger fuel you... But keep the body relaxed... Keep the body...'
Akane took a step forward, and started falling.
Her feet touched the ground,
'Relaxed!'
And the ground immediately cracked below as she launched herself with incredible speed towards the Corrupted Draconic Spawn.
'What the hell?' Amon thinks with a nervous smile.
A shocked expression appeared on Syl's face. 'That was just as strong as the blow he landed! Maybe even…'
"THAT HURTS," Akane shouted, her fist stinging after colliding with the Corrupted Draconic Spawn's flesh. "YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" She added, before throwing another punch with the same fist. "ARGH, THAT HURTS!"
'Damn!' Amon and Syl thought at once, amazed by the reverberations traveling through the screeching Corrupted Draconic Spawn's skin.
The former clenched his fists.
'What the hell is happening?' He chuckled inwardly. 'Her Stats…'
[Species: Half-Vixen
State: Weakened
Stats:
Strength: 17
Agility: 19
Perception: 27
Endurance: 8
Vigor: 12]
'Just keep increasing!'