Isher Notra

Hanaken:

Fireworks exploded all around her. Not in a romantic way.

A mesmerizing dance of orange and blue flames swirled around the four monstrous plant-based vermin, overtaking her senses with awe. While not producing their own sound, she could picture the constructs' cries of agony as they squirmed against the conflagrant walls.

"Hey! Oni lady!" Hanaken turned around to see the short guard, wearing a less-than-enthused expression as he and the tall one surrounded the meditating captain. "We don't need a third wheel in the operation! Get those tree trunks for legs moving!"

Under normal circumstances, the Oni would snarl at anyone who spoke to her in such a way except, perhaps, Gentō. Nevertheless, her nerves were gnawing at her sense of self, reducing her to basic instincts and notions of survival.

"R-Right!" The hulking brute charged at one worm, toppling it with a powerful shoulder tackle! If only she had her kanabō in hand still. Damn puppets and their cold, sticky fingers!

"Way to go, ma'am!!!" the golden mage howled, jumping on the Oni's back. "Hufen! Give her a try! She's even easier to ride on than Locci!"

"Raidd, get back here!" his sister berated, her voice desperate and her expression even worse. "Surely, Ms. Hanaken doesn't appreciate..." She stumbled all over her own words, smiling nervously.

Hanaken stared at the cream-colored canine for a couple of seconds until...

...

"Come on, kiddo. There's room for the whole family."

"LIGHT 'EM UP!!!"

Euraidd howled throughout the battlefield, launching a storm of fiery spells alongside his twin. Hanaken proudly transported them like the noblest steed. However, in this case, it was more of an elephant, thrashing and dismantling the balance of the opposing beasts with each thunderous strike!

"Ms. Hanaken!" Hufen took her attention while they stared at two fallen worms. "Can you surround all of them with earth magic?"

The Oni stroked her chin, deliberating about the size of such a dome. "It's feasible. It'll only drain too much of my Saniya for something they will break out almost immediately."

"I have an idea of restraining them without destroying them," the female mage explained. "We only need the cage to be taller than these constructs."

Hanaken huffed, revigorating her resolve. "Hang tight!" She grasped the ground with both hands, her fingers digging deep into it as her energy mingled with the soil and traversed through the sea of microscopic minerals, ceasing around the waking slitherers.

As she ordered, towering, jagged earth spikes sprouted around the worms, constructing an enclosure broad enough for them not to wreck its border by slithering a couple of feet.

"Too much?" asked Hanaken, breathing heavily.

"We can manage..." Hufen, alongside her brother, jumped from the brute's back to the tip of a spike. The mages' staffs resonated, shining brightly before tapping the stone walls, coating them in a whiteish, almost transparent glow.

It didn't take long before the worms started thrashing against the restraints. However, the soaring spikes barely budged this time, tipping ever so slightly.

"Not bad, kiddos..." Hanaken muttered in awe, her eyes losing the outer yellow ring. "We got those two settled. What about-" She turned around, her beady black orbs almost popping out of their sockets when she glimpsed The Silver Knight, proudly standing atop the remaining constructs, their elongated bodies wrapped around one another in a knot. "That showoff..."

The Oni's heart ceased for a second once the hero flashed before her as if the space between them was meaningless. "Fuck! Stop that!" she growled, stumbling back a notch.

The Knight chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his helmet. "Apologies, Hanaken! Adrenaline can get the best of anyone, including yours truly!" He turned his head at the captain, still sitting with her legs crossed and eyes closed as those two guards surrounded her with unbreakable focus on anything within a mile radius. "Hibagon must be an expert at concealing himself. Captain Tash is an excellent tracker."

"Yeah, well..." Hanaken huffed, tapping her foot impatiently. "Either that or age is finally catching up..."

He quickly turned back to her, twirling on his tiptoes. "Rude!" he berated her, hands on his hips. "You should know better than to offend a lady's age!"

She rolled her eyes. "Turnabout's fair play. She dared question my lady-like qualities in that ambush fiasco."

Great. Now, Hanaken's thoughts transported her back to Gentō.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"I don't regret a thing, for the record!" Tash's irritated shout pulled her back to reality. The Wolf leader finally stood up, her posture proud and confident. "Locci! Tarb! Follow my Saniya!"

The short, stubby one rubbed his ear with his thumb. "No need to shout, Boss!"

The three canine Monoke, similarly to the Oni earlier, placed all their paws on the ground, followed by their auras erupting and mixing into one blinding beacon, forcing Hanaken to cast a shadow over her vision with her massive hand!

The soles of her feet could pinpoint the trajectory of tremors within the earth's bowels, increasing and decreasing in vehemence as the guard's energy zig-zagged up and down to chase their target.

"WE GOT HIM!!!" Tash cried. "WILL HIM UPWARD! EJECT HIM!"

Hanaken's sharp ears, while not as impressive as a Wolf's, could pinpoint something abruptly exiting the ground not too far behind her.

Like the eyes of a predator, hers immediately glared at who awkwardly flew into the sky, reeling uncontrollably until finally regaining some semblance of control.

Time halted once her gaze locked on that repulsive dark sclera and green irises, barely visible under that unkempt mane.

And just like that, the yellow in her eyes flared back, driven with vindictiveness.

Stella:

The first thought in Stella's mind was doubt, of course.

"As if I'd trust you, ma'am..." Her knuckles narrowed so tightly she could almost shed blood.

"Trusting ne or not, it's useless..." The skeletal maiden's mane regained its threatening shape, her strands expanding and casting an oppressive shadow over the girls. "Even together, you cannot deny ny will..."

Lien immediately retreated to Stella's side. "Not a chance, you weirdo!" She clung to her packmate's arm. "Even if I trusted you, I'll always stand by Stella's side!"

Hari-onagu's piercing gaze wavered. "Sweetheart..." she cooed. "This isn't a child's-"

"Are you deaf, bitch?!" Stella roared, her frustration boiling to critical levels. "Lien doesn't WANT to be with you! Does your kind not know what 'no' means?!"

The Yūrei's eyes narrowed at her. "You dare to curse this child with strife for your selfish reasons? Is she nothing to you dut a fur shield?"

"What is WRONG with you, grown-ups!?" Lien's teeth lay bare as she started ranting. "Always going on about what I do and why I do stuff! At least Stella doesn't keep me from doing whatever I want because of my age or blindness!" She boldly detached from her packmate's arm and marched towards the maiden. "You try to pull off anything funny, and I will stop at nothing until I'm free from you! I will claw and chew on your hair until you're bald!" An intense rage erupted from each word, bringing genuine unease to Stella's and Hari-onagu's faces. "This is not a threat! It's a PROMISE!"

Goosebumps stormed beneath Stella's skin as her eyes couldn't leave Lien. An exotic mixture of fear, respect, and another feeling I'm not comfortable disclosing at the moment imploded her brain.

"I-I..." Hari-onagu's jaw was as shaky as Stella's legs. "Y-You see..."

The pup started to growl.

"Alright..." the Yūrei conceded, slowly backing up. "This didn't end how I had extected. However, I guess that would do."

Finally, Stella was re-tethered to reality. "What do you mean, lady?"

Hari-onagu's hair was divided into four angular pieces. They anchored to the ground, supporting their master as the rest of her body went limp. "Yuki-onna's schene has exhausted ne. I can't go on any longer..."

What in the actual world? What deity has Stella pleased to bless her with such a stroke of luck? Where were they after all this time?

Lien's unyielding rage dissipated as fast as it came. "You're letting us go...?"

The maiden nodded. "I hate Hunankind. I've seen only the worst of them long ago..." Her eyes flicker between the Human and the Wolf. "However, you two have a dond I can't drive nyself to sever. Not to cite the drastic neasures that ny dear friend resorted to. It's just not worth it..."

Stella wasn't sure how to respond, not only because deciphering the Yūrei's speech demanded a little more time. Should she... thank her?

Fuck. No. Hari-onagu was an accessory to so much pain so far. She couldn't let go of that grudge. In fact, she didn't want to.

And so, the Human decided to go with the best she was willing to do.

"Don't expect a pat on the back just because you didn't go through with murdering me." Stella crossed her arms, frowning. "Can you be useful and help us stop your crazy-ass friend from freezing everyone we care about? You know, do the right fucking thing?!"

The hairy maiden stared at the floor, silent for torturous minutes. "I... can't. I don't have the energy to detray ny friend even further..."

Stella groaned. "Fine. But can you tell us ANYTHING that we can use against her?!" She awkwardly waved her hand while thinking of an example. "W-What about that grid thingy she set up? Do you know anything?!"

Like a corpse springing back to life, Hari-onagu jerked back to stare at her with renewed vigor. "I... I can do that." She swallowed hard, bringing Stella's heart to accelerate. "Yuki-onna's grid has a core located far north in Chikukei, containing all of the Saniya she stored with our aid. You nust destroy it entirely to sever the circuits causing the golems and the ice walls."

Stella's eyes insistently locked on hers, trying to spot a single grain of untruthfulness. "I believe you." She nodded. "B-But where exactly should we go from here? What path should we take?"

Right when Hari-onagu's jaw twitched, the Human was taken aback by Lien, of all Monoke, tackling her to the ground.

"Lien?! What the fuck?!"

The pup's paw smothered her mouth. "Keep. Down."

Stella silently drove her eyes toward the Yūrei. In a sick twist of fate, she saw a glimmering kunai, an almost exact replica of the one who drove her to an untimely demise, plunged into the maned Monoke's gut.

"Ah..." Hari-onagu let out a soft whisper, her voice unwavering. Rather than fear or confusion, her expression carried... acceptance. "Of course..." A layer of frost spread from the wound, cauterizing it with overwhelming cold. At a shocking speed, every muscle in her body stiffened as her beige kimono was overtaken by ice.

But then... Hari-onagu abruptly started cackling, a blaring sound so chilling and aggressive that Stella's fight or flight instincts kicked in, distancing herself from Lien.

"I get it now! Oh, you silly girl..." Her arms and feet were swallowed next. The frost crept up her neck as her eyes shifted to the girls. "W-What a joke, right?" She hoarsely giggled while the ice permanently carved her grin into her living statue.

"Nice shot... hunningdird..." were her last words before her hair lost strength, making her fall to the ground while even her trusty mane was consumed. Stella's mind burst with questions about the surrealism of that remark, clashing fiercely against the horrors of one of her traumas being grimly reenacted before her.

Lien growled, standing up while her snout pointed somewhere between the bamboo trees. "Never. Again," she said before dashing in the assailant's direction.

Stella's brain barely acknowledged the repetitiveness of almost every detail, drowned in an ocean of anxiety. Even if she refused to stare at the petrified not-corpse, her heart pounded, fueled by the looming threat of mortality crawling over her stomach like a tapeworm.

...

......

And for fuck's sake, what did a hummingbird have to do with this?