Day 20 of Construction
The drums started at sunset.
Not the friendly percussion of the bear kin's evening gatherings. These were different, rhythmic, primal, laced with magic that made the air itself vibrate. The sound rolled through Shadowfen like a living thing, announcing arrival with the subtlety of an avalanche.
I was in the middle of installing the library's floating shelves (Pip's design, physically impossible, somehow working anyway) when every creature in the territory suddenly went still.
That particular kind of still that meant "something powerful and unknown just entered the neighborhood."
Through the bond, Nyx's immediate alertness: Three signatures. Strong. Moving with purpose. Not hostile, but... testing.
Testing what?
You, probably.
"Of course they are."
I descended from the library tower to find the courtyard already filling with curious onlookers. The bear kin had formed a loose defensive perimeter, not threatening but ready. Lira and Pip flanked me immediately, tiny but fierce. Siraq emerged from the Hall of Stories, spear in hand, expression locked into her "matron mode."
And Nyx... Nyx transformed into her full dragon form, massive and magnificent, landing beside me with enough force to crack the courtyard stones. Her message was clear: Threaten him and find out what a primordial shadow dragon can do.
The drums grew louder. Closer. And then they stopped.
The silence that followed was somehow more intimidating.
Three figures emerged from the treeline, and "impressive" didn't begin to cover it.
They moved with the fluid grace of predators who'd never met anything they couldn't defeat. Each one was tall, easily six and a half feet, with skin ranging from deep lavender to warm bronze. Horns curved back from their temples, elegant and dangerous. Their eyes glowed faintly with inner fire, and the tattoos covering their arms and shoulders pulsed with magic that made my own Oni runes itch in recognition.
But what really caught my attention was the sheer presence they radiated. Confidence. Power. And underneath it all, that distinctly anime-like energy of beautiful warriors who knew exactly how attractive they were and weaponized it accordingly.
[ENTITIES IDENTIFIED: ONI DELEGATION]
[THREAT LEVEL: HIGH (IF HOSTILE)]
[CURRENT STANCE: NEUTRAL/CURIOUS]
[NOTE: THEY'RE EVALUATING YOU]
The leader stepped forward, tall, broad-shouldered, with indigo tattoos that formed complex patterns across her muscular frame. Her hair was midnight black with streaks of crimson, pulled back in a warrior's braid. Amber eyes assessed me with the intensity of someone calculating exactly how hard they'd have to hit to win.
"Knox Ashford," she said, her voice carrying that throaty quality that anime warriors always seemed to have. "The chimera who conquered the Shadowfen Heart. We've come a long way to meet you."
"News travels fast," I said carefully.
"News of someone activating twelve ancient altars simultaneously travels very fast." She grinned, all teeth and challenge. "I'm Kasumi. These are Yuzuriha and Momo." She gestured to her companions.
Yuzuriha was... voluptuous was putting it mildly. She moved like liquid seduction given form, her crimson tattoos swirling across bronze skin, her smile promising either pleasure or violence depending on her mood. The kind of dangerous beauty that made smart people run away and foolish people fall to their knees.
Momo was smaller, almost delicate by comparison, with silver hair and tattoos that glowed soft pink. She carried herself with less overt aggression than her companions, but her eyes were sharp, calculating, missing nothing.
"The altars," I said, trying not to stare at any of them too obviously. "That was accidental."
"Accidental?" Kasumi's grin widened. "You accidentally synchronized twelve continent-spanning magical sites that haven't been active in five centuries?"
"It's been a weird month."
Behind me, I heard Lira's whispered commentary: "Oni. Of course it's Oni. Because your life wasn't complicated enough."
"They're beautiful," Pip added. "Also terrifying. Mostly terrifying."
Siraq moved to my left, still in defensive posture. Through our developing bond, I felt her wariness mixed with... was that respect?
Kasumi's eyes flicked to Siraq, then to Nyx, then back to me. "You keep interesting company, Warden."
"Warden?"
"That's what the altars called you. The Warden of Ashenhearth. The one who balanced corruption and purity." She took a step closer, and I felt the raw power radiating from her. "We've come to see if you're worthy of that title."
"And if I'm not?"
"Then we leave. Maybe destroy the altars so they can't be misused. Maybe challenge you to prove you're not a threat." She shrugged, muscles rippling. "Depends on how disappointed we are."
Yuzuriha moved forward, her presence like heat shimmer. "But we're hoping you are worthy. It would be so much more... interesting."
Momo simply watched, those sharp eyes cataloging every detail of me, the fortress, the assembled defenders.
"So," Kasumi said, planting her hands on her hips, "here's how this works. We have three challenges. Strength, wit, and will. Pass them, and we acknowledge your claim. Fail..." Her grin turned predatory. "Well, we'll deal with failure if it happens."
"And if I refuse the challenges?"
"You won't."
"That confident?"
"You built a fortress from scratch in three weeks, soul-bonded a primordial dragon, and married fairy royalty." Her eyes gleamed with something between admiration and hunger. "You're exactly the kind of stubborn that can't resist a challenge."
Damn it, she was right.
Through the bond, Nyx's amused resignation: You're going to do this, aren't you?
They came all this way.
That's not a reason.
They might destroy the altars if I don't.
That's barely a reason.
I'm curious about what they can do.
There it is. Your actual reason. A pause, then warmth. Don't die. I'd be very annoyed.
I looked at Kasumi, at her challenging grin, at the clear expectation that I'd rise to this. Looked at Yuzuriha's knowing smirk and Momo's analytical gaze.
"Alright," I said. "I accept your challenges. But we do this properly. With witnesses, rules, and the understanding that if you're testing me, I'm evaluating you too."
Kasumi's grin grew impossibly wider. "I was hoping you'd say that. Shall we begin with strength?" She rolled her shoulders, and I heard the crack of joints settling into combat readiness. "It's my specialty."
The Trial of Strength
They'd cleared a space in the main courtyard, the gathered crowd forming a loose circle. The bear kin looked intrigued, they appreciated straightforward tests of physical prowess. The fairies were taking bets (Lira was running a complex odds system that involved multiple contingencies). Siraq watched with her arms crossed, expression unreadable but her presence supportive through our bond.
Nyx had returned to her dragonkin form, settling on her throne-chair with regal authority. Through our connection: Show her what a chimera can do.
Kasumi stood in the center of the cleared space, cracking her knuckles with the kind of casual confidence that came from never having lost a pure strength contest.
"The rules are simple," she announced. "Three tests. Boulder lifting, arm wrestling, and full combat wrestling. Best two out of three." She fixed me with that amber gaze. "No magic enhancements. Just what your body can do naturally."
"My natural body is a chimera fusion of three races."
"Exactly." Her grin was sharp. "I want to see what you really are."
Fair enough.
For the first test, Yorrik and two other bear kin warriors hauled out a boulder the size of a small cart. The thing was massive, probably weighed close to a ton, and they needed all three of them to position it.
Kasumi approached it, took a moment to find her grip, then lifted. Muscles rippled across her arms, her back, her entire frame. The boulder rose smoothly, steadily, until she held it overhead. She walked it twenty paces forward, set it down with a ground-shaking thud, then turned to me with a challenging arch of her eyebrow.
The crowd erupted in appreciative roars. Even the fairies looked impressed.
"Your turn, Warden."
I approached the boulder, studying it. In my old human body, this would have been impossible. In my demon body pre-dungeon, it would have been extremely difficult. But now, after absorbing the Heart, after the transformation...
I found my grip and lifted.
The boulder came up easily. Too easily. I adjusted, looking for something heavier, and spotted a chunk of the old wall I'd demolished last week, easily twice the size of Kasumi's boulder.
"Let's try that one."
The look on Kasumi's face was priceless, shock quickly masked by intense interest.
I approached the larger boulder, braced myself, and lifted. My muscles strained, the Oni runes on my arms blazing with heat, but I managed it. Held it overhead. And then, because something in me wanted to see how she'd react, I carried it thirty paces before setting it down.
The silence was deafening.
Then Kasumi threw her head back and laughed, the sound pure delight. "Oh, you're going to be fun!"
Kota was jumping up and down. "DID YOU SEE THAT?!"
Siraq's lips twitched in an almost-smile. Through our bond: Show off.
You're one to talk.
Test two: arm wrestling.
They'd set up a table carved from solid stone, anything less would probably shatter. Kasumi took her position across from me, and when our hands met, I felt the calluses of a lifetime warrior, the strength coiled in her grip.
"Ready?" Elder Mirielle asked, serving as referee.
"Always."
"Begin!"
The struggle was immediate and intense. Kasumi's strength was incredible, honed through decades of training and combat. She pushed, I pushed back, and the stone table began to crack under the pressure.
Her eyes were locked on mine, amber blazing with competitive fire. I could see the exact moment she realized this wouldn't be easy, the shock quickly replaced by fierce joy.
"You're STRONG!" she said, grinning even as she strained.
"So are you!"
We were at a perfect stalemate, neither giving ground. The crowd was going wild. I could hear Lira shouting betting updates. Nyx's pride through the bond was a warm glow in my chest.
Kasumi shifted her angle, trying to use leverage. I countered, my tail bracing against my chair leg for extra stability. She noticed, eyes widening in surprise, then narrowing in appreciation.
"Clever!"
"Practical!"
The stalemate continued for what felt like hours but was probably only minutes. Finally, I made a decision. I could probably win this, my chimera body had slight advantages, but winning wasn't the point. Testing each other was.
I let her force my hand down, not a loss, but a calculated yield. The angle I chose made it clear I was choosing to give ground rather than being overpowered.
Kasumi's hand slammed mine into the table, and she immediately released, staring at me with an expression I couldn't quite read.
"You let me win."
"I chose not to push it to exhaustion. There's a difference."
"Is there?"
"You wanted to test my strength. I showed you. Proving I could edge out a victory by three percent more raw power seems... pointless."
For a long moment, she just stared. Then something shifted in her expression, respect mixed with something warmer, more personal.
"You could have won."
"Maybe. Maybe not. Does it matter?"
"Yes." She stood, walking around the table until she was directly in front of me. Up close, I could see the complexity in her amber eyes, the scars hidden under her tattoos, the fierce intelligence behind the warrior's facade. "Most males would never yield. Their ego wouldn't allow it."
"My ego took a vacation somewhere around the time I woke up in a murder-swamp."
She laughed again, and this time there was warmth in it. "Final test. Full combat wrestling. And Knox?" Her smile turned predatory. "I won't hold back this time."
"Wouldn't want you to."
They cleared more space, creating a proper wrestling ring. The rules were simple: pin your opponent for a three-count, or force a submission. No strikes, no weapons, just grappling and strength.
We took our positions, and I saw the shift in Kasumi's stance, playful competitor to serious warrior. This was where she truly excelled.
"Begin!"
She came at me like a force of nature, fast and precise. Her grappling technique was flawless, honed through countless battles. She got me in a hold that should have been inescapable, but my tail gave me options she didn't expect.
I twisted, using the extra appendage for leverage, and broke free. Reversed the position. Got her in a hold that she immediately countered with a move I'd never seen.
We rolled across the courtyard, neither able to maintain advantage for long. She was stronger than she'd shown in the earlier tests, her full power finally unleashed. But I had my chimera physiology, three races' worth of adaptations working in concert.
She got me on my back. I bridged with strength that surprised both of us, reversing the position. She hooked my leg with hers, using leverage to nearly pin me. I countered with my tail, the muscular appendage wrapping around her waist and lifting.
"That's CHEATING!" she gasped, but she was grinning.
"That's ADAPTATION!"
I had her now, strength and leverage combined. I could feel the pin coming, feel her struggling against it. But something in her expression stopped me, not defeat, but exhilaration. She wasn't fighting to win anymore. She was fighting for the joy of finding someone who could match her.
I adjusted my hold, pinning her but gently, carefully, making sure not to hurt.
"You're incredible, Kasumi," I said quietly, just for her.
Her eyes widened. Then softened. The fight left her body, not from defeat but from choice.
"You win," she said. But then added, "You could have done that five minutes ago."
"The fight was more fun."
"You..." She stared up at me, her face inches from mine in the pin position, and I watched something shift behind her eyes. "You let me fight. Really fight. You didn't try to end it quickly to prove something. You just... enjoyed the match."
"You're the strongest opponent I've faced outside the dungeon. Why wouldn't I enjoy it?"
I released her, standing and offering my hand. She took it, her calloused grip strong, warm, and lingering slightly longer than necessary.
When she was on her feet, she didn't let go of my hand. Just stood there, staring at me with an expression that made my tail twitch nervously.
"Knox Ashford," she said slowly, "you are the strongest man I've ever fought. And also the most generous."
Through the bond, Nyx's amusement was deafening: Oh, she's smitten.
What? No. She's just...
Head over heels. Watch.
Kasumi stepped closer, and I suddenly became very aware of how tall she was, how her presence seemed to fill the space between us. "I have fought warlords and monsters. Bested champions and legends. And not one of them treated combat like you do, like a conversation instead of a conquest."
"I... uh..."
Her hand came up, fingers trailing along my jaw, claws gentle against my scales. "You are dangerous, Knox Ashford. In all the best ways."
The crowd had gone very quiet. I could feel multiple gazes boring into my back, Nyx (amused), Lira and Pip (excited), Siraq (complicated emotions I couldn't parse), the bear kin (entertained).
"Kasumi," I managed, "we just met."
"And I've already seen everything I need to see." Her smile was softer now, more genuine. "Strength isn't just muscles. It's character. You have both." She stepped back, finally releasing me, but her gaze never wavered. "I approve of you, Warden. More than approve."
She turned to her companions. "He passed. Completely. Absolutely. Perfectly."
Yuzuriha's smile was knowing. "That was almost too easy."
"Easy?" Kasumi whirled on her. "You try wrestling a chimera who has a PREHENSILE TAIL!"
"I'm sure I'll get my chance." Yuzuriha's gaze slid to me, heated and appraising. "Tomorrow. The trial of will." Her smile widened. "I look forward to it."
Momo simply nodded, those analytical eyes still cataloging information. "The trial of wit will be last. To see if his mind matches his body."
"It will," Kasumi said with absolute certainty. "I know it will."
She looked back at me, and the emotion in her eyes was unmistakable... admiration, attraction, and something deeper. The kind of instant connection that anime warriors always seemed to experience when they found someone worthy.
Through multiple bonds, I felt reactions:
Nyx: Told you. Two more days and she'll be planning the wedding.
Lira: We need to update the harem hierarchy chart!
Pip: Should I start preparing accommodations?
Siraq: ...complicated feelings I'm not ready to examine.
I stood there in the courtyard, covered in dust from the match, tail still twitching from the adrenaline, and watched Kasumi return to her companions with a spring in her step that hadn't been there before.
"This is going to get complicated," I said to no one in particular.
Kota bounded over, grinning from ear to ear. "That was AMAZING! You pinned an Oni warrior! Do you know how rare that is?"
"Apparently not rare enough."
"Matron Siraq, did you see the tail move? The WAY he used leverage? The..." He trailed off, noticing Siraq's expression. "Um. Matron? You okay?"
Siraq's jaw was clenched. Through our bond, I felt a complex tangle of emotions, pride in my victory, concern about the growing complications, and underneath it all, something that felt distinctly like jealousy.
"I'm fine, Kota." She turned to me, expression carefully neutral. "Well fought. Though you might have just acquired another admirer."
"That wasn't... I didn't mean to..."
"You never mean to." But she smiled, just slightly. "It's part of your charm. Frustrating, but charming."
She left before I could respond, and I watched her go with a sinking feeling that the political situation had just gotten significantly more complex.
Nyx appeared at my side, dragonkin form allowing her to drape herself across my shoulders. "Well, that was entertaining."
"That was a disaster."
"That was you being yourself, strong, generous, and completely oblivious to how attractive those qualities are." She kissed my cheek. "Tomorrow, you face Yuzuriha's trial. That one will be even more interesting."
"Why?"
Her grin was pure mischief. "Because her trial is will. And she's going to test how well you can resist temptation."
"Oh no."
"Oh yes." She pulled me toward the fortress. "Come. You need rest. Tomorrow is going to be... educational."
Behind us, I heard Kasumi's voice carrying across the courtyard as she talked to her companions: "Did you SEE him? The way he moved? The STRENGTH? The kindness in how he pinned me?" A dreamy sigh. "I want to fight him again. And again. And maybe never stop fighting him."
Yuzuriha's laughter rang out. "You've got it bad, Kasumi."
"I know. Isn't it wonderful?"
Through the bond, Nyx's continued amusement: Definitely planning the wedding.
"My life is a anime harem story," I muttered.
"Yes." Nyx agreed cheerfully. "Yes, it is. Now come. The First Wife requires attention, and you have one night before dealing with Yuzuriha's trial."
"What's Yuzuriha's trial going to be?"
"Knowing Oni tradition? Probably something involving mental fortitude, emotional control, and her trying very hard to break your concentration using every weapon in her considerable arsenal."
"That's terrifyingly vague."
"That's the point." She grinned. "But don't worry. You're soul-bonded to me. You have fairy wives. You're developing feelings for a bear kin matron. You've already proven you can handle complicated situations."
"Have I though?"
"You're still alive. That's proof enough."
Fair point.
[TRIAL OF STRENGTH: PASSED]
[KASUMI STATUS: IMPRESSED ~ SMITTEN ~ OBSESSED]
[RELATIONSHIP COMPLEXITY: RISING]
[TOMORROW'S FORECAST: TEMPTATION WITH A CHANCE OF EMOTIONAL CHAOS]
"Yeah," I said, following Nyx inside. "That sounds about right."
------------
Author's Note:If you'd like things to get a little spicier, just let me know, I can always go back and turn the heat up. And while you're here, drop a comment and tell me what you think so far. I actually read those… despite rumors to the contrary.