Jemina was having an excellent day.
This was generally considered dangerous.
Not for her.
For everyone else.
"You're beautiful."
The monster stared at her.
The creature resembled an enormous deer if someone had taken the concept of a deer and then become distracted by spiders.
It possessed six legs, crystal-like antlers, moss growing across its back, and glowing blue eyes that blinked slowly with unsettling intelligence.
Jemina thought it was adorable.
Ayine was less convinced.
"It tried to eat a boulder."
"Maybe it was hungry."
"It tried to eat three boulders."
"Then it was very hungry."
The monster sneezed.
A nearby tree instantly froze solid.
Jemina gasped.
"YOU CAN DO ICE TRICKS?"
The creature blinked.
Ayine sighed.
Jemina was already naming it.
The poor thing never had a chance.
Sunlight filtered through the forest canopy as they continued their expedition. It had been a remarkably pleasant day.
A few weak monster attacks.
No disasters.
No explosions.
No divine interventions.
A refreshing change.
Then suddenly, the creature stopped.
Its ears lifted.
The playful atmosphere vanished immediately.
Ayine frowned.
"What is it?"
The monster stared toward the village.
Jemina followed its gaze.
At first, she saw nothing.
Then she noticed the birds.
Hundreds of them.
Flying away.
Something was wrong.
Her smile disappeared.
She concentrated on the familiar connections linking her to the creatures in the village.
The mudwolves were moving.
Fast.
Not hunting.
Responding.
Jemina's stomach dropped.
Without another word, she climbed onto the creature's back.
"Ayine."
The young lamia immediately tensed.
"What happened?"
"I don't know yet, but we need to hurry."
That worried Ayine more than anything.
Because Jemina always had an answer.
Even if it was usually nonsense.
This time she genuinely didn't know.
"Let's move."
The monster exploded forward.
Trees blurred past.
Branches shattered.
The forest vanished behind them.
The closer they got, the worse it became.
The ground carried vibrations.
Distant impacts.
Explosions.
The sounds of battle.
They reached the outskirts of the settlement several minutes later.
Chaos.
Absolute chaos.
Villagers rushed everywhere.
Mudwolves raced toward the northern edge of the village.
Lamias fought armed strangers.
Several buildings had been damaged.
Jemina jumped from the monster's back immediately.
"Raisa!"
The lamia turned.
Visible relief flooded her face.
"Finally."
"What happened?"
Raisa wasted no time.
"Milena's husband found the village."
Jemina blinked.
"...What?"
"He took her."
"WHAT?"
Her expression darkened instantly.
The temperature around Jemina seemed to drop.
"And Cyrinne?"
"Fighting."
"With whom?"
"A swordsman."
That was all Raisa needed to say.
The distant shockwaves already answered the rest.
Jemina immediately turned.
"Which direction?"
Raisa pointed.
"The eastern ridge."
Jemina nodded.
Then looked toward Ayine.
"Go help Cyrinne."
Ayine blinked.
"What about you?"
"I'm getting Milena back."
There wasn't even a moment of hesitation.
Milena was family now.
Ayine opened her mouth.
Then closed it again.
She knew that tone.
Once Jemina decided on something, arguing became pointless.
"Be careful."
"Uhhh... I'll try."
"Jemina!!!"
Ayine was about to complain, but she had already sprinted away.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Meanwhile, the battle continued.
Noctellis stood atop a shattered ridge overlooking the village.
His attention wasn't focused on the chaos below.
Nor on the Primarch standing before him.
Instead, his gaze settled on the young woman arriving atop a massive, unfamiliar monster.
Interesting.
The creature obeyed her.
Protected her.
Followed her willingly.
Everything pointed toward one conclusion.
The monster tamer.
Finally.
Without warning, Noctellis moved.
The distance vanished.
Ayine barely registered motion before silver flashed before her eyes.
Every instinct screamed.
Death.
The sword descended.
Then black hair exploded into her vision.
Cyrinne arrived.
The collision shattered the earth.
Ayine stumbled backward.
The monster roared.
Noctellis's blade met Cyrinne's transformed arm.
The impact blasted shockwaves across the battlefield.
Cyrinne stared at him calmly.
"Bastard."
Noctellis narrowed his eyes.
"Move."
"No."
The answer was immediate.
Absolute.
His gaze briefly shifted toward Ayine.
The Primarch was protecting her.
That confirmed everything.
The girl mattered.
The monster tamer.
Cyrinne immediately recognized the misunderstanding.
Unfortunately, she also understood exactly how dangerous that misunderstanding was.
"Ayine."
The younger woman froze.
"Go."
"I can help."
"I can handle him. Just go."
Ayine hesitated.
But the authority in Cyrinne's voice left no room for argument.
She obeyed.
She was about to retreat when Noctellis attacked again.
His blade blocked her path.
Ayine dodged and fell hard onto the ground.
Noctellis did not stop.
The sword descended toward her neck.
Then Cyrinne attacked from behind.
Noctellis blocked her claws before they reached him.
The duke's expression darkened.
He decided to stop holding back.
The world exploded.
The ground vanished beneath them.
Trees collapsed.
The air screamed.
Silver steel flashed.
Cyrinne's fist shattered stones.
Noctellis slipped past it.
Too fast.
Far too fast.
For a single instant, even Cyrinne lost sight of him.
Then silver flashed again.
Something spun through the air.
The battlefield froze.
Silence.
A beautiful silver-haired head rolled across the ground.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then stopped.
Ayine screamed.
Noctellis lowered his blade.
Finally.
Then the severed head blinked.
"...You filthy chimera."
Silence deepened.
Cyrinne's body remained standing.
Noctellis calmly walked forward and picked up her head.
"Let her go!" Ayine cried.
"A Primarch will not die from decapitation. You should worry about yourself instead."
Ayine's tears stopped immediately.
Now her eyes widened with pure fear.
Noctellis shook the blood from his sword and took another step toward her.
Then Cyrinne's body transformed.
Without a head.
Massive silver fur erupted across her frame.
Her headless body shifted into a gigantic wolf.
And unlike before, it no longer showed any restraint.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Far away, Ysilvern moved quickly through the forest.
Milena struggled against his grip as he carried her deeper between the trees.
Branches snapped beneath his boots.
Behind them, battle echoed through the distance.
Gunfire.
Roars.
Screams.
Chaos.
Exactly as planned.
He hated that it had come to this.
But if Milena refused to return willingly, then he would simply take her.
As he always had.
"You cannot do this," Milena whispered.
"Apparently, I can."
"Ysilvern..."
"I am done discussing it."
His voice remained calm.
Too calm.
The kind of calm that usually preceded something terrible.
Milena lowered her gaze.
She knew that tone.
The conversation was over.
At least for him.
Then suddenly, Ysilvern felt it.
Presences.
Surrounding them.
Three of his remaining guards immediately raised their guns toward the trees.
Something was wrong.
The forest had gone silent.
No insects.
No animals.
No movement.
Nothing.
A terrible sign.
Then a cheerful voice echoed through the woods.
"HELLO!"
Silence.
Ysilvern slowly turned.
A woman stood on a branch overhead.
Smiling.
Waving.
Covered in leaves.
She looked completely harmless.
Which immediately made her suspicious.
Milena's eyes widened.
"Jemina!"
The woman brightened.
"Oh, there you are, dear! I've been looking for you. "
Relief flooded Milena's face.
Ysilvern hated that.
More than he probably should have.
Jemina tilted her head.
Then looked at the hand gripping Milena's wrist.
Then at Ysilvern.
Then back at the wrist.
Then back at Ysilvern.
"Oh."
A pause.
"Oh."
Another pause.
"Oh no."
Ysilvern sighed.
"You must be the village chief."
"I am."
The smile vanished instantly.
"Put her down."
"No."
"Okay."
Jemina nodded.
"That was worth trying."
Ysilvern blinked.
"...What?"
Then she pointed.
The forest moved.
Suddenly, every shadow had eyes.
Mudwolves.
Dozens of them.
Emerging from behind trees.
From beneath roots.
From places that should not have been large enough to hide creatures of their size.
Ysilvern's hand immediately moved toward his revolver.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Jemina folded her arms.
"I don't know what happened between you two."
Milena looked away.
"But she doesn't want to go."
"Step back. This does not concern you."
"No."
Jemina smiled pleasantly.
"It became my business when you started kidnapping people."
Ysilvern's eyes narrowed.
"So that's your position."
"Yes."
"How unfortunate."
His revolver appeared.
The gunshot cracked through the forest.
A mudwolf leapt in front of Jemina.
The bullet struck.
The mudwolf staggered.
Then the wound sealed beneath shifting layers of mud.
Ysilvern's eyes widened slightly.
Then something slammed into him.
Hard.
An enormous mudwolf struck him from the side.
Ysilvern fired twice.
Two perfect shots.
The creature disappeared underground.
Another replaced it instantly.
Then another.
Then another.
The forest itself seemed determined to murder him.
Ysilvern laughed.
Actually laughed.
Now this was interesting.
He moved like flowing water.
Every shot precise.
Every motion efficient.
Milena watched in stunned silence.
Even now, after everything, Ysilvern remained terrifying.
Then the elder mudwolf emerged from the ground.
It immediately hurled its massive head forward.
Ysilvern blocked.
And instantly regretted it.
The impact launched him through three trees.
Wood exploded everywhere.
Genuine shock appeared on his face.
Milena looked equally stunned.
"This is the perfect time for you to surrender and discuss payment for the damages," Jemina called.
Ysilvern emerged from the wreckage.
Bleeding slightly.
Still standing.
Still smiling.
"The only payment you will receive from me is this."
He pulled out a different weapon.
Smaller.
More compact.
When he fired, a bolt of lightning erupted from the barrel.
The elder mudwolf took the hit directly.
Its enormous body convulsed violently before collapsing unconscious.
"Elder! You!"
Jemina's eyes widened with fury.
Her anger echoed through her connection with the mudwolves.
Hundreds answered.
The ground erupted.
Mudwolves emerged everywhere.
Ysilvern fought brilliantly.
But his men were already gone.
Outnumbered.
Overwhelmed.
Jemina grabbed Milena's hand.
Then smiled mockingly at him and stuck out her tongue.
The elder mudwolf rose again as though nothing had happened.
Jemina climbed onto its back together with Milena.
"How's it going? You must be exhausted."
"Shut up!"
For a moment, Ysilvern completely lost his composure.
"If you stop fighting, they'll stop attacking you."
"Give me back my wife!"
"Just go home."
Then, suddenly, a shockwave shook the forest.
Everyone froze.
A second followed.
Stronger.
Violent.
The trees trembled.
Jemina's smile vanished immediately.
Milena felt the change.
The playfulness disappeared.
Something cold replaced it.
"Damn it."
The village.
Cyrinne.
Jemina looked toward the distant battlefield.
Then toward Ysilvern.
Then toward Milena.
A decision was formed instantly.
She pointed at Ysilvern.
"No killing. Just throw him out."
Ysilvern blinked.
"...Excuse me?"
"Throw."
The mudwolves stepped forward.
Ysilvern slowly looked at the beasts.
Then at Jemina.
Then back at the beasts.
"You will regret this."
"No, not really."
The largest mudwolf grabbed his coat.
Ysilvern immediately shot it.
A second grabbed his arm.
A third grabbed his leg.
A fourth grabbed the other.
The feared heir of the underworld looked genuinely offended.
"Unhand me."
Nobody listened.
"Absolutely not."
Still, nobody listened.
Milena actually laughed.
A real laugh.
The sound froze him more effectively than any weapon.
She hadn't laughed like that in years.
Then six mudwolves began dragging him away.
Ysilvern maintained his dignity for approximately three seconds.
After that, it became difficult.
Leaves flew everywhere.
Branches slapped him repeatedly.
One mudwolf appeared to be enjoying itself.
Jemina waved cheerfully.
"Safe travels!"
"I WILL REMEMBER THIS!"
"I BELIEVE IN YOU!"
The mudwolves dragged him deeper into the forest.
Still shouting.
Still threatening.
Still being ignored.
Eventually, the sounds faded.
Silence returned.
Milena stared.
Then laughed again.
Harder this time.
Jemina smiled.
Good.
Then another shockwave echoed from the village.
The smile disappeared instantly.
She turned.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
"Cyrinne."
Milena's heart dropped.
Without another word, Jemina sprinted toward the village.
Milena suddenly felt genuinely afraid.
Because whatever had made Jemina stop smiling...
had to be terrifying.