The Nekoshou's Wolf Chapter 7 (unedited) (Patreon)

AN: Yo, got the full chapter done compared to that small snippet before. It's gonna take me a few hours to get the edits done, but until then, feel free to enjoy. Chapter 7: The Nekoshou

“Why do you smell like blood, gunpowder, and angst?”

“I thought I showe…. Angst?”

“Yup~.”

“What does angst smell like?”

“Edge.”

“….Why did I even respond?”

“Because you’re an adorable teenage ball of angst.” Leone smirked wide and smug. “You’ll learn eventually. Or don’t, it’s more fun that way.”

“I don’t like you. You smell like stale liquor.”

“Ha! That’s cuz I’m fun. You just gotta warm up to me. I’m great at parties.”

“I don’t party.”

“Well there’s your first problem.”

“….” Hei deadpanned at his teacher. “Is there anyone else?”

“No.” Mr. Lupa responded in amusement from where he looked on from the porch. “Leone, stop messing around. I expect him to be taught properly.”

“Way to be a buzz kill, Lupa.” The blond feline sighed and waved a hand lazily while resting an elbow on Hei’s head. “You ready to go, brat?”

Hei’s brow twitched at being used as an object to lean against. “Yes, ma’am.”

His dry response had her hackles raising. “What did I say about calling me ma’am? I’m not that old!” Her arm dropped around his neck as she head locked him with a noogie attempt, only for Hei to twist in a way that would make a cat proud as fought to put her in an arm lock.

“What did I say about calling me brat? I have a name.”

A growl built in her throat but quickly transitioned into a chuckle as she let go and stood with a hand on her hip. “Oh, we’re going to have fun with you.” Hei raised a brow at that, but she didn’t answer his look and turned to face the old man standing a dozen feet away on the porch, leaning on his cane as he watched them. “I’ll have him back in 2 weeks, Lupa.”

“Mn, don’t go easy on him.”

“Ha, you don’t have to worry about that, trust me.” Leone responded with a fierce smirk and Hei couldn’t help but mutter.

“Thanks for the concern, Old Man.”

Mr. Lupa must have heard him because his gaze turned Hei’s way as a rare smile grew on his weathered face. “Hei.”

“Yeah?”

“Take care of yourself.”

Hei looked away with a flush. “Yes, sir.”

“Adorable.” Leone couldn’t help herself and threw her arm back around Hei’s shoulders more casually, showing his head into her bosom. “So, you were just a little tsundere, were you? That’s going to make this so much more fun~!”

“Personal space, woman.” Hei futilely pushed her face away with a palm but was entirely ignored by the far stronger woman.

A golden colored teleportation circle lit up on the ground beneath them and half a minute later, they vanished from the courtyard, leaving the old man standing there staring at the same spot. ‘Good luck, child. Those cats like to play with their food.’

A chuckle left his lips before transitioning into a harsh cough. ‘And hurry, child. Before my time’s up.’

00000

The Underworld.

Not the criminal underworld on earth, but the literal Underworld.

It was a dimension of untold secrets. Far beyond a size where most could comprehend, teeming with rich wildlife, phantasmal natural environments, hundreds of magical species, and filled with mysteries and treasures.

The inhabitants that came to call the dimension home had fought many battles, seen many events, and eventually came to split the dimension into layers. Shaving off the supermassive size and giving territory to each faction that claimed a slice.

Long before the majority of races were even born, the Underworld had been split into nine layers, starting wars and battles anew as each layer was fought over until eventually, as time passed, owners claimed each layer and made it their own.

Six were claimed by the death deities of the strongest remaining pantheons. Hades for the Greeks. Hela for the Nordic. Izanami for the Shinto. Anubis for the Egyptians. Yama for the Hindu. And King Yan for the Chinese.

Each of their layers were more than enough size for their needs, and so none argued against the two largest layers going to the Devils and Fallen, who had the numbers to inhabit lands of such sizes.

The last layer was technically unclaimed, and yet the oldest knew that it was the piece of hell where the worst of demon kind and the true Lovecraftian horrors rested, locked away from where they could bother anyone.

The Devils inhabited the largest and first layer of the Underworld, labeling it simply as ‘Hell’.

Hell was a vast land with a supermassive continent three times the size of Asia, shaped into a disc like circle, with a vast ocean spreading out from its edges.

It was originally ruled by 72 clans of devils known as the 72 pillars under the banner of the Four Great Satans, led by Lucifer the Morning Star, the Satan of Pride, King of devil kind, and son of the Christian God.

Said devils adopted the feudal system, naming Lucifer as king, with the Satan’s being second in power to him, and the pillars gaining ranks depending on their contributions through war, encouraging the devils of old to fight.

And fight they did. For over three millennia, devils had fought in wars, battles, skirmishes, and incidents all over Hell and Earth. Wars ravaged the race known as Devils since their conception, taking the lives of their progenitor, the original Satans, and over half of their pillar clans, leaving only thirty-two pillars to hold things up on their own.

And yet, even missing so much, they still remained the faction that owned the largest layer of the Underworld.

A single pillar, the Gremory clan, a family holding the noble title of Duke, owned land the size of Honshu, Japan. A single family, with less than ten members owned so much land, and it was populated by towns, villages, and small cities of Low-Class devils and various other races and species that lived on their land.

Other families owned similar amounts of land based on their noble rank, conquest, or monetary power, leaving many of the Pillars with much less than others, but a race like devils never believed in morality. Power was what mattered, in whatever form it came in.

In such a vast land, various ecosystems existed, popping up in different areas with dozens of environments. And in once such area, in the land owned by the Vassago Pillar Clan close to touching it’s bordering pillar clan, the Naberius Pillar, a unique ecosystem of thick forestry teeming with natural energy existed.

Like a fountain of vitality, the air was saturated in the power of nature, coming from what those knowledgeable enough to know as a nature hotspot. An area where the lifeforce of nature gathered like a knot, encouraging growth in plant life dramatically.

Enough so, that titan-like trees grew, towering high into the air like skyscrapers, with a width larger than modern homes.

And inside such a forest, a village existed. A village intertwined with nature, with homes blended into the natural beauty. Crystal clear streams passed through the middle of the village, flowing under bright red tori gates placed at intervals.

Ropes hung from the trees, attached to gentle sounding bells and chimes, ringing in tune with the warm wind.

Flowers of all colors bloomed throughout the village, creating a painting of colors as butterflies flapped their wings and danced between them.

And at the center of it all, a towering, aged Sakura tree stood tall, showering the village in year round sprinkles of petals as the vibrant natural energy kept it in an eternal spring cycle.

It was a place of beauty, relaxation, and peace. Or as much peace as a village of Nekomata could have.

And beneath the towering Sakura tree, on a cleared out platform, a golden magical circle appeared, bringing Hei to a world of wonder beyond his imagination.

In more ways than one.

0000

“Welcome, brat, to the largest village of Nekomata in the world, Sakura Village.”

“Wow…” Hei could only reply speechlessly as he looked around at the fantastical sight.

Dozens of cat eared and tailed women moved around, doing chores, talking, and having fun through the expansive oval shaped village, with a central two story tower surrounded by rows of single story homes.

“Cat got your tongue~?” Leone teasingly called from where she still had an arm slung around his shoulder.

“It’s beautiful.” Hei answered honestly and Leone looked taken aback.

“Huh, didn’t expect you to be honest.”

Hei huffed and pushed the unresisting woman off him. “How you see me is your problem.”

She chuckled at that. “And there’s the angst back. Thought I grabbed the wrong kid for a second there.”

“I don’t have any angst.” Hei replied with grit teeth and took a calming breath. “You just showed up at a bad time.”

Leone raised a brow at her young charge. “A bad time? You mean the old man?”

“Yes.” Hei answered simply and didn’t elaborate but Leone got the idea and gave him a sympathetic look.

She patted his shoulder and walked past him with a wave. “Come on brat, I’ll give you a tour of our little slice of paradise.”

“Mn.” Hei silently trailed behind as the woman pointed to various things and commented on where things were while he took in the sights.

Throughout the idyllic village, he caught sight of numerous snoozing cat women laying in rays of sunshine on tree branches, rooftops, or even on the tori gates.

“It’s hard to believe a place like this exists.”

“What do you mean?” Leone looked down at the shorter Hei as they walked, taking in his complicated expression as he looked up at the purple sky.

“It’s so….peaceful.”

“Did you expect the underworld to be all fire and brimstone?”

“No, It’s just…” His following words were cut off by the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps.

“Oh, it’s Leone!”

“Leone’s back!”

“Hm? Who’s the small one?”

Hei twitched as a trio of young nekomata girls, no older looking than five at most, ran up to Leone in welcome, only to catch sight of him and use Leone as a lamp post to half hide behind.

The one who called him small even stuck out a hand like a paw to try and curiously claw at him.

But it wasn’t the comment about his height that made him twitch, no, it was the fact that three small children just casually moved at speeds an Olympic human athlete would struggle to keep up with. ‘That’s just bullshit.’

Leone didn’t notice his expression as she laughed in amusement. “Girls, this is my new disciple, his name is Hei, and he’s a human.”

Two of the little girls jumped off her and circled Hei while sniffing him without fear.

“Huh, so this is what humans smell like?”

“I’ve never seen a human before.”

Then the third one still clinging to Leone tapped the older blonds face. “I thought humans were bigger?”

This time Hei twitched at the comment while Leone bent over laughing. “Hahaha~, he’s young, Li. Just like you.”

“Like me?” The little feline hopped off and peered up at Hei’s blank face. “How old are you?”

Hei’s dry eyes met the curious little ones. “Eleven.”

“Small.”

‘I don’t want to hear that from you!’ Hei shouted in his mind while restraining himself from responding as Leone reached over to grab the girl by her scruff.

“Don’t tease him, Li. Humans don’t grow as fast as we do.”

“Really?” The little one looked up in shock.

“Yes, really.” Leone chuckled and looked over at Hei. “Hei, these three little triplet troublemakers are Shi, Li, and Ni. They’re the youngest of the village right now.”

“Nu-uh! Miss Taki has a big stomach now. She said we’re not the youngest anymore.”

“Yeah, we’re big girls now!”

“The biggest! Bigger than the small human.”

Hei really considered reaching for his guns just then but rather focused on something else. ‘Ni and Li? Why do those names sound familiar?’ His gaze landed on the girls thoughtfully. ‘Riser. It’s been a while so it’s easy to forget this was an anime in my first life. I barely paid attention to canon, the focus on tits and Issei threw me off, but I read enough fanfiction to get an idea of some things. The Riser arc was always early, and he had twin nekomata named Ni and Li in his peerage.’

That thought bothered him immensely as he thought about the timeline of the world. ‘I’m still nine years away from when the story started. How old were these two when Riser caught them?’

“Hei?”

Leone’s voice broke him from his thoughts as he turned to see her giving him a concerned look. “You ok?”

Hei nodded stoically and stretched out a hand to the closest cat, rubbing Shi’s head around her ears. “Yeah, random thoughts. They’re cute.”

Shi purred under his hand. “You’re small but you have good hands.”

“….”

“Pft.” Leone cracked up all over again and Hei pinched the tip of the little girls ear lightly.

“I’m not small, little one.”

Shi stuck her tongue out at him and pushed her head back into his palm expectantly.

Leone found the whole thing hilarious but they couldn’t stay there forever. “Enough. Run along girls, I’m taking him on a tour.”

Shi pouted at that but fell in line with her siblings who nodded obediently. “Kay! Bye Leone, bye Hei/Shortie!”

Who said what was obvious as they ran off with smiles while Leone shook her head fondly. “Sorry about them.”

Hei shrugged. “It’s fine, I don’t dislike kids.”

“Huh, surprising to hear that from Mr. Angst.”

“Will you ever let that go?”

“Maybe when you light up a bit.”

Hei grumbled but stayed quiet while Leone chuckled and waved them forward.

Their journey through the village continued, with numerous curious cats dropping in to greet Leone and poke, claw, or sniff at Hei.

The fact that he smelled like blood and gunpowder wasn’t missed by most, but none of them were overly bothered by such a thing.

Leone noticed his confused look and slapped his back with a laugh. “You really don’t know much about cats if you think we’re bothered by blood. You should see our hunting parties.”

Hei wasn’t sure how to comment on that, but he did recall that the common house cat had one of the highest kill rates of most non-magical animals on earth, with it only being surpassed by bigger cats.

The two continued their tour until Leon took him all around the oval. “Outside the village line, there are numerous barriers and border lines, so try not to wander without clear directions. The main barriers are a little farther away, but there are numerous private areas or spots that will end in a painful death if you get to curious for your own good.”

Hei nodded, not at all new to the concept after training under the old man. “Curiosity killed the cat?”

Leone laughed in agreement as just then, as they passed under a Tori gate, a black shadow dropped down on Hei’s shoulder and took him by surprise.

‘I didn’t even sense it until it landed on my shoulder…’ Red eyes stared into slit amber ones as the black cat sniffed him.

“Meow.”

The feline rubbed up against his head until he started petting it, making it calm down and stretch across his shoulders lazily.

“You have normal cats here too?” Hei asked Leone, ignoring the feline that decided to use him as a rest stop.

Leone’s ears flickered at the sight but she just shrugged with a small smile. “Yeah, here and there. Come on, we’re almost done.”

She changed the subject and walked off with Hei and his new passenger trailing behind. The feline would tap his head if he stopped petting it, so he kept it up while idly, looking around the fields Leone guided him to.

“We grow most of our own crops to eliminate the need for trade.”

Hei looked over the various vegetables growing, some recognizable and others completely foreign to him. “Whoever takes care of them put a lot of love into it.”

Leone raised a brow. “You know about farming, brat?”

“The names Hei, Leone. And I have my own garden.”

“Oh yeah, you run that little side business, the one selling Bluefin Tuna, right?”

The black cat on his shoulder froze up with wide eyes but Hei missed it as he looked at Leone. “Mn. I sell a variety of things. That reminds me, I have a gift for you.”

“For me?”

“Or the village leader. It’s rude to come empty handed.”

Slit gazes narrowed between Leone and the black cat on Hei’s shoulder as Leone coughed. “Well, it’s a good think I’m one of the village leaders, then.”

Hei deadpanned at her. “You?”

“Whats that look for?”

“You? A leader?”

The black cat placed a paw over its maw in an attempt to hold back laugher as Leone’s brow twitched. “I’ll have you know that I’m a very special cat around here.”

“Specially talented at annoying me?”

“….” Leone lazily swiped at Hei’s head, letting him dodge it as he sent her a smug look. “Just wait till training starts, brat.”

“Mhm. So, what makes you special?”

Leone matched eyes with the black cat and got a nod in return before opening her mouth. “What do you know about Yokai, Hei?”

Hei thought back to his lessons. “The old man taught me about many of the races belonging to the term ‘Yokai’ but its mainly contained to Japanese animal hybrids and mythology.”

Leone hummed thoughtfully. “For the most part. Yokai is a blanket term for dozens of individual races who share the same growth system. In literal terms, Yokai is anyone who grows through the yin and yang forces of nature.”

“Aren’t yin and yang Chinese terms?”

“It’s just an expression, brat. Yin/yang, Positive/negative, solar/lunar, call it what you want. It’s the forces of nature and the emotional energies generated by intelligent beings. Yokai races can look, act, and think completely different from one another, as well as have different strengths and weaknesses, but we’re all considered Yokai because we rely on the energy of nature.”

Hei tilted his head at that. “Ok? Not that it’s not interesting, but what does it have to do with you being special?”

“I’m getting to that.” Leone responded in irritation. “I hate explaining shit, so I’ll make this simple. Nekomata are a race of cat Yokai, and among Nekomata are a sub-species known as Nekoshou. We’re far more strongly in tune with nature and have unique abilities that make us far stronger than the average Nekomata.”

“So you were born with a silver spoon.” Hei gave her a look of contempt that made the black cat on his shoulder roll in laughter from his blind spot.

Leone’s fists opened and closed as she contemplating beating the two before restraining herself. “I’ve worked very hard, brat.” She responded with grit teeth. “And all supernatural races were born with a silver spoon compared to humans.”

“How so?”

“A human lives just over half a century on average. Nekomata alone live multiple centuries without worry.”

“So you girls get old, big deal.”

“….You’re really asking for it, brat.” Leone took a calming breath. “I saw you notice the triplets before, what did you think?”

Hei paused at that. “They were fast. Far faster than a regular human.”

“Exactly! They’re five, Hei. A five year old Yokai moves faster than a peak human, without using magic. Let that sink in.”

Hei mulled over it but didn’t deny the truth. “It’s bullshit. I worked hard to get to where I am.”

“And you should be damn proud of that, Hei.” Leone said honestly, surprising Hei as she went on. “You got to where you are with a human starting point, there’s no shame in taking pride in that, but you need to know that physically you’re still very vulnerable to the real world.” She pointed at the guns holstered at his side. “How well did those things work on me, huh?”

“Those were just 9mm’s. Would you like to try a higher caliber?”

“That’s not the point, brat.” Leone poked his forehead with a finger. “You need to understand how weak humans are to everyone else. An assault rifle would shred a human, whereas it would tickle a High-Class target.”

Hei shrugged. “I understand the point, Leone. But let me worry about my choice of weapons, I’m only getting started with improving them.”

Leone grumbled but realized she wasn’t going to make any more headway on the subject. “Fine, it’s not my job to teach you there.” She noticed the black cat tapping at the guns in interest and focused back on the subject. “We got off track. Nekoshou are special among Nekomata. Nekomata aren’t that numerous to begin with, there are less than a thousand worldwide. And among them you would be lucky to find a Nekoshou for every fifty Nekomata.” Leone pointed off toward the Sakura tree in the distance. “And in this village, in Sakura Village, reside almost every single Nekoshou out there. I’m one of four leaders among those Nekoshou. Do you realize what that means?”

Hei hummed and looked down at the black cat that found its way onto his chest as his cradled it with an arm. “That you had all the responsibility thrown at you by a group of cats?”

“….” Leone couldn’t even deny that as she swiped a bit more seriously at him, making him dodge while the black cat hissed at her. “It means I’m one of the strongest here, brat. Show some damn respect!”

Hei moved backward, dodging the woman’s half assed swipes as he asked. “What are you even the leader of?”

“Information gathering.”

“A spy?”

“Among other things.” Leone’s fist tightened as she slammed the earth, creating a small crater and blowing Hei back as he backflipped to dodge the shockwave. “Including removing key targets from being threats to our kind.”

Hei landed in a crouch at the apex of a jutting boulder. “Noted.” He took in the damage in interest. “Is that from Touki?”

Leone opened her mouth to answer, but a new speaker spoke up faster.

“As if.”

A scoff beside his ear has Hei responding instinctively as a blade left his sleeve and stabbed at the source.

The black cat jumped off his shoulder with a laugh, landing a few feet away with a playful tint to its gaze. “If she used Touki in the fields, I would have had her investigating Hellhound pennels for the next month.”

The corner of Leones’ mouth twitched as she smile down at the cat. “I was wondering when you would speak up, Yoru.”

“I was getting a feel for our new guest.” Yoru said in deep voice as she turned back to Hei. “You need to work on energy sensing, boy.”

Hei frowned at the cat who fooled his senses so easily. “I agree. That’s why I’m here.”

Yoru seemed amused by his answer. “Oh, is that so? Do you think you’re worthy to be trained by one of us, boy?”

Hei narrowed his eyes. “I don’t base my self-worth on the opinions of others. I’m here to train, and if that’s not going to happen then I’ll leave.”

“Hmmm.” Yoru hummed and stared him in the eyes with interest. “And you think you could learn what we have to offer elsewhere?”

“I’ll learn however I have to.”

“And why do you have to?”

“The weak don’t get to choose the way they die, let alone be free.”

“So it’s freedom you seek?”

“Yes.”

It was a very direct conversation between boy and cat. Direct questions, and direct answers with no hidden intentions.

Yoru’s tail waved slowly in the air as she considered the boy before her. ‘I like those eyes.’ She turned to Leone. “You test him yet?”

“Of course.” Leone responded as if she was offended. “You think I’d accept someone without seeing what their made of?”

“What do you think?”

“Brats got a mouth on him and needs some of that angst slapped out hard, but he’s an uncut gem.”

“Truly? He’s a human.”

“You two know I’m right here, right?” Hei asked and was promptly ignored.

“I’ve seen his teacher in his prime, if the brat is half as good as him, he’ll be a monster in a few years at the rate he’s growing.”

“A monster, hm?” Yoru hummed in thought as she looked at Hei with an unreadable look. “Interesting. Boy, come, I’ll see what you’re made of for myself.”

She turned and beckoned him forward while Hei gave Leone a questioning look. “I’m supposed to fight a cat?”

Leone just laughed and put her arms behind her head as she followed Yoru. “Remember how I said I was one of the leaders of the village?”

“Must have slipped my mind.” Hei responded and fell in step.

Leone shot him an annoyed glare. “I’ll have my turn with you later.”

“Mn. So I’m assuming Yoru is one of the other three leaders?”

“So you were listening.” Leone swatted at him and chuckled as he dodged. “Yeah. I might lead the spy network, but she’s the official leader of the village and deals with domestic issues. I’ll still train you no matter what happens, but whether that ends up being here or elsewhere is ultimately up to her, so give it your best shot to survive, brat.”

Hei clearly noticed the mischievous tone to her voice as he followed but ignored it to prepare for the coming fight.

The trio walked past the village line and into the trees, where immediately the sounds of the village vanished and all Hei could hear were the rich sounds of the forest and the creatures that inhabited it.

A large clearing appeared before them, fit with scars, indents, fallen trees, and craters in various spots all around.

Leone hung back while gesturing him forward to the center of the clearing where Yoru sat on her haunches and waited for him.

A distant sound reached his ears and Hei looked around, suddenly noticing dozens of curious eyes peeking through the branches of the tall trees as villagers looked on.

Hei frowned at seeing them as he unholstered his pistols. “Should they be there? They might get grazed.”

“Heh, you have nothing to worry about, if one of those toys could hit us, let alone hurt us, I would be insulted.”

Hei narrowed his eyes at the feline. “I hit Leone.”

“I let you hit me!” Leone called from the side under the judgmental gaze of the others.

Yoru chuckled and waved a paw. “Go on, shoot me. I won’t move.”

Hei considered warning her that these weren’t the smaller 9mm rounds he hit Leone with before deciding against it.

He drew, aimed, and fired fast enough to be a blur to the human eye, slamming dead center on his target over a hundred feet away.

And yet, the .45 super round that should have blown a human head to chunks crunched up into a ball of lead and fell to the earth smoking.

“….” Hei could only stare on while the feline licked her paw carelessly.

“I could have caught that if I wanted. Nice force, accuracy, and speed, I’ll give you that. But even a mage focused Mid-Class wouldn’t get more than a bruise from that. If it hit them at all, that is.”

“I’m aware.” Hei answered calmy and lowered his gun. “I never expected them to harm anything beyond Low-Class.”

Yoru hummed at that. “You should watch out; even Low-Class targets can surprise you.” She looked into Hei’s eyes and saw the doubt there at her statement. “You don’t believe me do you?” She turned to the trees and called out. “Kione. Come down here.”

A figure flashed into the field and Hei took in the new addition carefully. Pink hair, standing five foot seven, with a thin figure, and wearing a bright smile as she cheerily waved to Hei.

Yoru pointed a paw at her. “Kione here is only Low-Class. She’s not even Tier 3. Try shooting her.”

Hei’s eyes flicked to Kione’s own in question but the woman just smiled and urged him on. “Do it. It looks fun.”

A flicker of irritation passed through him but Hei silenced it as he shot at the woman. The bullet slammed into her shoulder and pushed her back with a wince, but otherwise didn’t penetrate her skin.

‘That should be possible…’

Yoru waved a paw again. “Shoot her again, this time dodge it, Kione.”

Hei fired and Kione’s figure blurred to his vision as the bullet tore some bark out of a tree in the distance.

“Again but catch it.”

Hei fired and Kione’s figure blurred again before she stopped with a pained grimace, opening her hand to show the bullet, although one of her fingers was crooked.

“Owie.”

Yoru snorted in humor. “You trained your body Kione, but don’t forget the power of momentum. Go join the others and wrap that up.”

“Yes, leader.” Kione flashed back up into the branches, leaving a thoughtful Hei looking at Yoru.

“How? Low-Class shouldn’t be beyond modern firearms.”

Yoru smirked at him. “And how much do you really know about the limits of Low-Class? Or any class for that matter?”

“Explain.”

“How long have you been at Tier 2, boy?”

Hei internally winced at the pointed look she gave him as she said that. ‘She probably felt out my energy levels while she was on my shoulder. Damn it, she a perfectly normal cat to all my normal senses. I really need Leone’s energy sensing and suppression techniques. She could have killed me at any time without me even being able to blink, and she knows it.’ Outwardly, he decided there was no point of posturing. “Less than a year.”

“Not bad for a human at your age.”

“I had a good teacher.”

“Is that so.” Yoru hummed and suddenly the clearing was flooded with killing intent without a single warning.

Like a thick layer of miasma choking his senses with a weight pressing down on his shoulders, Hei grunted under the pressure, but he wasn’t the naïve child from a year before.

He only froze for a bare few seconds before biting hard on his lip to refocus himself and unload both clips, moving from his spot toward the trees to gain space.

Yoru stood at the same exact spot, taking the shots in interest as they all hit the same exact spot on her chest and watched him run. “Only froze for three seconds, huh? Not bad at all.” Her form blurred as she appeared behind the running Hei. “Now let’s see how you react if I limit myself to a peak Low-Class.”

Hei bent like a gymnast around the casual swing of the felines paw, idly noticing it crack the earth when it missed as he kept running.

His shots never stopped, moving in a string that would make Yoru pause every time it hit her fur, but not buying him enough time to get away as she pursued with a fanged smile.

One strike after the next came at the fastest speeds Hei could manage, with her getting a feel for where he stood in reaction speed, reflexes, and skill.

None got through, but that was more due to Yoru playing than Hei’s ability.

She stopped after five minutes with an analyzing gaze on Hei’s panting sweat drenched form from the extreme high speed movements. “Speed gets a C. Now let’s test Strength.” She kicked out at a tree, tearing it from the ground with a casual strike before tossing it head on at Hei, fast enough that he had no room to dodge but slow enough for him to turn and brace himself.

He grunted under the blow and growled as he pushed back on the multiple ton force trying to crush him, literally feeling things crack and snap inside his body as he heaved. The tree groaned as he managed to redirect the force at the last second and dropped to a knee with bellowing breathes as his whole body pulsed from the strain.

Yoru watched coldly and judged. “Strength gets a D, not surprising with the age and race. Last is Stamina and mental fortitude.”

She blurred forward and came up with a swipe from the front, making Hei’s eyes widen as he flipped out of the way and brought his guns up in a block. The reinforced steel groaning under her casual blows, and the ones that got through being murder on his body as he felt bones give way under her attacks.

One of his knees snapped and he pushed on using his other leg.

Ribs gave way, poking at internal organs as he coughed up blood and kept deflecting what he could.

A wrist was shattered as his pistol was knocked away into the tree line and yet he still used the arm as a flail.

Back and forth they went, with Hei refusing to go down no matter how much the feline played with him.

She kicked him in the shoulder and felt the arm dislocate as he got launched backwards, rolling over himself and digging his working heel into the dirt without making a sound.

His red eyes locked onto her with an inner fire raging within, without pain or anger, but cold analyzing logic looking for a way forward and adrenaline filled excitement he had hardly felt before.

Yoru’s own eyes watched in interest as that inner fire refused to go out. “How far will you go, boy? Will you give in to the pain and call it? Do you want to quit and go home? Just say it and we’re done here.”

Hei’s answer was to grip his dislocated shoulder with his working off hand and snap it back into place with a wet crunch that made some of the watching Nekomata flinch.

Even Leone whistled with a smirk. “Damn, that was cold.”

Yoru’s eyes shined with approval. “Very well.” She blurred forward and slammed into his chest, but after enough time getting his ass handed to him, Hei had begun to adjust to the cats movements and slightly predicted her actions, moving with the blow and bleeding off the momentum.

With a single pistol lost in the skirmish and a single working hand, he continued on, undeterred by his current state or the lack of his main style of fighting.

It was wild, savage, brutal, and it invigorated him in a way he had never experienced before as Mr. Lupa always aimed to teach him skill rather than brutalize him.

His blood pumped in his ears, his senses hyper-focused, and as his feline enemy came forward, he began to feel more than see the blows coming.

‘I can see the pattern. Left shoulder.’ He ducked and kicked out. ‘Right knee.’ He spun out of the way. ‘Kidney shot.’ He crossed his arms and took the following blow, feeling like a wrecking ball just smashed into him as his back slammed against the iron like bark of a tree, forcing the air from his lungs before gravity took hold and dropped him to his knees a broken mess.

Yoru paused a few feet away with a wide smile. ‘He’s actually adapting on pure instinct. I’m making my movements obvious, but I’m moving at three times the speed he can. Leone was right, he’s a monster in the making.’ She walked up to the wheezing Hei with a slow lazy swagger as she spoke up. “You’ve got spirit, boy, I’ll give you that. But a cub should know when it’s outclassed. Just give in and go home.”

Her words rang out like a command as she hid her interest behind a cold demeaner. ‘What will you do, boy?’

The pain was monumental, bones were poking at his organs, his nerves were flaring, and the extreme high speed fight was draining his stamina faster than any skirmish he ever had with the old man.

The old man, who found him when he was young, a step away from being found by those who would wish to harm, use, or manipulate him. Reaching out a weathered palm with only a single request to be better than he ever was.

To rise and make the name of Lupa ring around the world.

The burning flames deep inside Hei stoked further at that, and he spat a bloody tooth to the side as he stood tall on a single shaky leg, staring down his foe without fear as a fierce blood filled smile stretched across his cheeks. “Bring it.”

Yoru’s eyes matched his own as she laughed openly. “Nyahaha! I like you boy!” She blurred forward in an uppercut that rung his head like a gong, instantly making him go out like a light as he slumped. “And you can stay. Stamina is a solid B.”

Leone stepped forward into the clearing with a disgruntled look, holding Hei’s pistols in hand having picked them up before one of the villagers got any ideas. “Did you have to push it that far, Yoru?”

Yoru morphed back into her human form, standing tall in the clearing as she looked down at Hei’s sleeping form. “I like him.”

“You knew that before you beat him to an inch of his life. I’ve seen you judge a book accurately by its cover within a minute of conversation.” Leone responded in annoyance, kneeling down by Hei’s side to check his pulse. “At least he’s alive.”

Yoru smirked at the boy. “No, I mean I like him. His potential is high, but it’s his will and instinct that excite the hell out of me.”

Leone’s tails shot up straight as she processed her friends unspoken meaning. “Seriously, Yoru? You haven’t taken a student in decades!”

Yoru shrugged and knelt down to pick Hei’s prone form up, throwing him over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. “I was getting bored. The boy might just liven things up around here.”

She vanished in a blur even to Leone’s senses with Hei’s body and the blonde feline could only send up a prayer for his future. ‘Sorry Lupa, I’m not sure I can guarantee the kid will be back in one piece now.’

00000

Hei’s return to consciousness wasn’t pleasant. That moment between unconsciousness and a trained mind was where the full brunt of pain smashed through mental conditioning.

A groan left his lips as he tried to sit up. “Anyone get the number of the truck that hit me?”

He wasn’t expecting a response as a deep velvet feminine voice to ring out. “I wouldn’t move if I were you~. And I already told you the name was Yoru.”

Hei froze at the voice and paused his movements as he took in the space he was in. He was lying on a bed of some kind of soft animal leathers in a large room, wrapped from head to toe in bandages. ‘My ribs are fractured.’ He expertly deduced and scanned for the source of the voice.

“Over here, boy.”

Red eyes snapped to the desk in the corner of the room, where a purple haired tanned goddess of a woman grinned wide at him. “Sleep well, boy?”

Hei rolled his eyes and plopped back down without trying to get up. “You’re a dick.”

Yoru laughed openly and stood up to walk over. “I prefer pussy but whatever your into, boy.”

“You’re the second adult feline I met, and I think I dislike your race.”

“Now, now, no need for talk like that. Leone and I just like having some fun.”

“Is that why you’re not wearing clothing?”

“…Oh, I forgot.” Yoru chuckled sheepishly and walked over to a dresser to grab some clothes. “Being in an isolated village with all women makes clothing optional most of the time.”

“My interest in your race has gone up.”

“Ha! Nice one, boy.” Yoru walked over with a chuckle, now wearing a form fitting orange shirt with black leggings. “But you’re a little young for that category, no?”

He shrugged at that. “Maybe in body.”

“…whatever floats your boat I guess.” Yoru sweatdropped and pulled up a chair before sitting on it in reverse at the edge of the bed. “Anyway, how you feeling?”

“Like I got my ass kicked by a house cat.” Came Hei’s deadpan response.

Yoru smirked and lightly flicked his head. “Oh, don’t be a sour puss. You had fun, didn’t you?”

Hei honestly considered that and realized that a part of him really did. He got his ass kicked, his prized guns were useless, and all the pride he gained from a year of combat contracts with a 100% success rate couldn’t help him, but for once he actually felt himself improve at a rapid pace.

It made him pause and actually think about the last year of his life. ‘Teacher was preparing me for fighting the supernatural. And yet I used that training to stand above regular humans and got used to it. Heh, that old wolf knew this was going to happen when I came here, didn’t he?’

He looked over at Yoru and gave her a small nod. “Yeah, I did.” She pushed him to his limit faster than anyone had before, making his blood boil at a challenge and forcing him to bring everything he had to the fore.

Well, not everything.

“Leone said you had a sacred gear, why didn’t you use it? I was waiting for it the whole time.”

Hei stared at the ceiling above him in thought as he answered. “The point wasn’t to win.”

“And what did you think the point was?” Yoru asked in interest.

“To be allowed to stay here.”

Yoru snorted at that. “Bullshit, I saw how you struggled back there. You weren’t trying to show your worth. What was the real reason?”

Hei grumbled under the pointed stare. “That was my reason, at least at the start.” He thought back to how his ammunition affected the woman before him. “I accepted the fight so I could stay, but as soon as you destroyed my faith in my weapons, I questioned how far I came, and desired to see for myself what the results of seven years of daily brutal training brought me.”

Yoru hummed at that. “I admit you did remarkably for a human. But I’m curious, how would you know I wouldn’t kill you?”

“Because I trust my teacher.”

“I didn’t think Leone could garner such trust in such a short time.”

“Not Leone, my real teacher.” Hei responded with a slight amount of heat but his feelings toward such a thing were already moving on as he relaxed. “I believe in Mr. Lupa, the man who took me in when I thought I knew it all and showed me just how little I really did.”

Back then, he thought that just because he had a few memories of the worlds timeline and some of the big shot characters personalities that he could take on the world like the main character of a story. It was only when he truly began to train and struggle, and then when he took the lives of others, that he realized how foolish such thoughts were. The world wasn’t a game, and it didn’t care for how much you wanted something. Without Mr. Lupa, Hei didn’t know where he would have been by then. Perhaps forced to become a pawn in someone else’s game, if not outright dead.

“Is it loyalty or fanaticism that makes you say that?”

Yoru’s question snapped him back to focus as he narrowed his eyes. “There is a fine line between those two, Ms. Yoru.”

When someone gave you everything when you had nothing, took your hand and showed you the way forward, taught you things you didn’t think to learn in the first place, and helped make you what you were today, it could create the most fanatical soldiers who would charge into the pits of Tartarus on a word. Especially in large organizations like the church.

But Hei wasn’t fanatical, rather, he was insulted by the idea that someone would call his loyalty to the old man fanaticism.

He looked Yoru dead in the eye and said with utmost conviction. “Through the last seven years of my life, I watched a dying man give everything he had, from sunrise to sunset, to forge me into being better than I ever could have been on my own. He didn’t ask for my trust, he showed me time and again that the more trust I gave him, the stronger he could make me. Never once did he betray that trust, and he sent me here to grow stronger, so I’ll do what I have to do to make sure I stay.”

Yoru hummed at the sheer will in the younger man’s eyes. “Trust only goes so far. I never met your teacher, nor am I restrained by whatever his desires are. If I chose to kill you, that would be the end of things.”

“Then that’s as far I could have gone.” Hei said simply and dropped his head back down. “I never had my hand held. I either rise or I fall, and if I fall I pick myself up again. That’s all there is to it.”

“You could have walked away. Why pursue this path in life? Why struggle? You went far past the point you had to if all you wanted was to learn from Leone. She told you that before our match.”

Hei snorted. “We grow through challenge. I’m not here to take the easy path or some vacation. I told you already, I struggle because I want to be strong enough to be free.”

“And what does that mean to you?” Yoru peered down at the young man before her with a growing pressure. “What is it about freedom that you value so highly? You stared me right in the eyes back there, without any fear of death and fought on. What are you seeking, boy?”

Her amber eyes locked onto his form, willing the answers from him like a command, and Hei looked right back and met her evenly. “I want to travel, see the world, have adventures, find love, to live without fear of where I go, that someone can just pluck what I have for themselves because I was too weak.” He took a breath and wet his lips. “I seek to be free from the curse of being weak in a world where only the strong can decide who lives or dies.”

A silence passed as his words sunk in, showing Yoru the depths that hid within the boy before her that had interested her so much in such a short time.

And now she had seen enough to make up her mind. “And have fun while you do it, eh?”

The serious mood broke at her response and Hei rolled his eyes. “Yeah and have fun while I’m at it. I like this shit, sue me.”

Yoru laughed and leaned over. “I’d rather train you.”

“Excuse me?” Hei looked at her strangely as she only grinned wider.

“You heard me, boy. I’m offering to train you to let you get that strength you so desire.”

“Why? I already have Leone.”

Yoru huffed and got up out of her chair. “Do you think Leone’s a miracle worker or something? She’s strong, I’ll give her that, but every individual has their strong suits. Leone’s the best senser and undercover agent we have, but that doesn’t mean she’s the strongest.”

“So you’re the strongest?”

“In a manner of speaking.” Yoru waved a hand lazily. “There are many factors that go into who’s stronger than who. I doubt I need to go into the basic stuff with you, but different people specialize in areas that counter others. Among the four leaders, I’m confident in beating two, and the last one would simply outlast me because she’s a crazy stamina monster.” She grumbled the last part and made Hei raise a brow.

“Ok…well, what are you offering to teach me? You already said Leone’s the best sensor, and I came here to learn about energy sensing and suppression. And Touki if I can.” He almost forgot about Touki in his focus on how important sensing was.

Yoru snapped her fingers with a grin. “So you want to learn Touki, boy? With that physique? Keep dreaming.”

“Excuse me?”

Yoru laughed and flexed an arm. “How many people do you think use Touki in the wider world? Take your best guess.”

“I don’t know, a couple hundred?”

“Ha. You’re lucky to find a single user among a thousand supernatural’s. Do you know why that is?”

“I assume it’s difficult to learn?”

Yoru shook a finger. “No, it’s actually quite easy to learn once you reach the required benchmark. It’s reaching those requirements that makes it so difficult to achieve.” She walked over to her desk and rifled around for something as she spoke. “Touki is using the energy of your personal lifeforce to reinforce the strength, speed, and stamina of your body to fight at higher levels. Once you have an understanding of how to use it, it’s pretty simple all things considered. Where the hell did I put that thing?”

Hei watched her throw stuff around in confusion as he questioned. “And it protects the body from damage right? I saw Leone rip up the earth with it.”

“It’s not exactly for defense. And I doubt she was really trying if she used it. Leone has a focus on pure strength, so if she used Touki to actually enhance herself, she wouldn’t be ripping up the earth but rather leaving a crater a mile deep in her wake. Be glad she restrained herself.”

“…She doesn’t seem like the restraint type.”

“Ha, she’s got layers, boy. Not even I know what goes on in that head of hers sometimes. Ah! Found it.” Yoru removed a folded up board from a cabinet and blew off some dust. “Been a while since I broke this out.”

She moved a stand over and hung it up for him to see. “If you want to learn Touki, you need to know a bit more about how physical might is graded in the world. This is the scale that’s relevant for Low-Class, or Tier 2.” She pointed to the board and Hei took in it’s contents.

[Body Forging.

Toughness Grade:

50 = Iron grade flesh.

100 = Steel Grade Flesh.

Tier 2 – Minimum 10 – Maximum 100.

Grading:

Strength: D > C > B > A

Speed: D > C > B > A

Stamina: D > C > B > A

[D = 4] [C = 8]  [B = 15] [A = 33.3] ]

“This is body forging?” Hei asked while analyzing the numbers.

“You’re aware of the five main categories to distinguish strength, correct?”

“Power, Understanding, Tools, Skills, Other.”

“Good, Body-Forging falls under ‘Other’. It’s basically a Sub-Category because of how rare it’s followed.”

“And what is it exactly?”

“At every Tier change, that is Low-Class, Mid-Class, High-Class, and so on, the potential ceiling that constrains an individual is raised. As the scale shows, you can see that the max potential for physical might at Low-Class is 100, also known as the benchmark for Steel-Grade flesh.”

“Steel-Grade flesh?”

“It means when your physical body becomes stronger enough that your very flesh, bones, muscles, and organs gain the toughness of Steel while also retaining the natural characteristics of soft and flexible qualities. Basically, you still have and feel smooth soft skin, but you’re natural toughness is as if you were made of solid steel.”

Hei took in the new information with a great deal of interest. “Is that why my bullets didn’t even graze you?”

“Correct, although I’m far above Steel, but that’s not important right now. Kione, the Low-Class Nekomata you shot at, has Iron-Grade flesh. Shooting at her was as if you were shooting at solid iron that could move.”

Hei looked over the numbers and did the math. “So, her physique was over 50? Whats under Iron?”

“Nothing.” Yoru shrugged at Hei’s look. “You could say that 10 is the human limit, but supernatural races are born at Low-Class, so we don’t really count anything below 50 on the scale.”

“Just another example of humans being shafted.”

“You’re not wrong, but don’t forget that every race has issues. Humans start at the very bottom, but they grow the fastest. If they don’t die that is.” Hei twitched at the last line but understood her point.

“So how does the whole Strength, Speed, and Stamina thing work? It’s added up?”

“Yup. Simple and to the point. If you had a D in all three areas then…” She wrote on the board with a marker. [4+4+4 = 12 toughness.] “You would be just above the max human limit. Nekomata kids are born around that point.”

Hei thought back to the triplets and realized she wasn’t bullshitting him. “And where do I stand on this?”

Yoru hummed and drew out a new formula. “I got your stats when I smacked you around. You’re strength needs a lot of work, but the fact that you can push a couple tons of weight at your age is very impressive. But the main reason you have my attention is your speed and stamina, both of which are massively impressive considering your starting point.” [D + C + B = 27 toughness] “I would give you a few more points for speed, so you would sit at 30.”

“I can’t tell if that’s impressive or not.”

“For a human? I pity you’re youth. For a Nekomata? It’s an average for the non-combat focused members.”

“….That makes me feel better.”

Yoru snorted at his sarcasm and pushed the board away. “It should. You did all that by eleven. Just thinking about what I could with your potential makes my hands itchy.”

A cold wind blew through the room and sent a shiver down Hei’s spine as he hesitantly spoke. “You know, you never said what you specialized in.”

“Didn’t I?” Yoru cracked her knuckles with a chuckle. “I’m a close combat specialist, boy. If you want to learn Touki, you need to forge a strong body. And no one in this village knows body forging better than I do.”

“And you want to teach me, because?”

Yoru huffed and dropped her hands to her hips. “Do you really care? An incredibly rare expert is offering to teach you here.”

“I actually do care. Everyone has a motive.”

“That’s a sad way to live, boy.”

“It’s also the way to survive.”

“Well, I can’t deny you there.” Yoru sighed and crossed her arms. “I want to train you because it seems fun. I wasn’t kidding when I said Body Forging was rare. Most supernatural’s prefer magic, racial benefits, and fancy weapons, no one wants to feel the burn of breaking their body over and over to reach it’s full potential.”

‘I wonder why.’ Hei internally thought as the woman went off on a rant about how lazy people were.

“They live centuries at the minimum! Why not just…..what could will a slow ass fireball do when I can dance around it and punch you?!.....I can run faster than most can fly…..” She went on and on until Hei eventually coughed.

“I think you got off track.”

Yoru refocused on him with a flush. “Sorry about that.” She pointed a thumb back at the board with the chart. “I was trying to make a point with you when I had Kione tank your bullets, but most Low-Class beings won’t be above the 50 toughness line. Your bullets will still harm those below it plenty. I just wanted you to realize how pointless mundane weapons are for the bigger leagues.”

“Hey, I already knew Low-Class was the limit. I have plans to improve them, I’m just trying to figure stuff out. And no one warned me about all this body limit stuff. I just thought the body naturally improved when you go up the Tiers.”

“Oh, it does.”

“Excuse me?”

Yoru chuckled at his twitching expression. “A Low-Class can do nothing their whole life and when they reach Tier 4, or Mid-Class, their body will automatically evolve to have a base 50 toughness, or Iron-Grade flesh.”

“….then whats the point of all this?”

Yoru looked offended by the question. “Whats the point? The point, boy, is that naturally evolving doesn’t make one skilled. If you became capable of moving ten times your speed right now, would you know how to utilize it best?”

“No, I’d have to train to adjust to my new speed.”

“Exactly. And not only that, but forging your body is the best way to become a monster within a Tier, capable of fighting those far above them, or at least being able to survive another day. Like I said, the majority of individuals choose other paths over improving their physical body. They could use magic to cast defensive spells, or utilize the elements, but that requires conscious effort and time. Your body is always ready even if taken by surprise.” Yoru pointed at the board. “And Low-Class rarely reach the halfway mark of their potential for Iron-Grade, let alone Steel-Grade. Mid-Class begins at Iron-Grade, and guess what? If you were Steel-Grade as a Low-Class, you’re still a Steel-Grade at Mid-class, except now you have a new peak to reach. High-Class starts at Steel-Grade, and so on and so forth. This kind of scale exists on every Tier.”

“So they would all just wait until the evolved up a tier instead of training their body?”

“The vast majority do, with exceptions.”

Hei took in what she was saying with a contemplative expression. “I don’t understand, even if other paths exist, it seems weird that body forging wouldn’t be more common if the advantages are that high.”

A dark evil chuckle left Yoru’s lips. “How did you train your body so far? And how long did it take?”

“Extensive and torturous training almost every single day for close to seven years.”

“Now recall how far along the scale you got so far.”

Hei’s pupils shrunk as he considered what she was saying. “You said I’m at 30 out of 100 for Low-Class.”

“And now add in that it gets harder to improve the higher up you go.”

“….so you’re saying the main reason no one does it is because of the pain?”

“Yes.” She nodded without hesitation. “It’s really, really painful. Not only that, but you also need proper trainers, enough resources to heal your body every time it breaks, and a drive to push through it endlessly. Most would rather stick to other paths and let their body naturally become tougher without direct effort. Do you see now why I’m so interested in training you?” Yoru’s eyes glowed with an unholy light as she looked at him like a prized stallion. “I haven’t seen someone with the Will, potential, and sheer instincts you possess in a long while. At such a young age no less.” Her knuckles popped as she spoke. “So what do you say, boy, you willing to step up to the plate and jump into a hell within hell to achieve your goals in life?”

She held out a hand expectantly, and staring at it, Hei found himself at an impasse. ‘Why is this giving me Deja vu all over again?’ He looked up at her eager expression and found himself at an impasse. ‘She’s clearly insane, and yet why can’t I find the will to say no? Why does the prospect of training under her excite me so much? I’ve become an adrenaline junkie, haven’t I?’

“I can’t dedicate more time than two weeks a month here. I have responsibilities in the human world.”

“That’s fine, Leone’s lessons won’t take up your whole day. And it gives you time to heal between sessions.”

“I’m not calling you teacher.”

“You can call me whatever you want, just be aware I’m literally the one kicking your ass.”

“Prepare bribes for when I cuss you out, got it.”

“Ha! Glad you get it. So, what do you say, boy?” Yoru’s hand extended further, practically being shoved into his face with her eagerness. “You got the balls to play?”

Hei snorted at the question and ignored the pain in his limbs to lift an arm and clasp the hand before him. “Like I said earlier, bring it on.”

“Great!” Yoru cheered and damn near crushed his hand as she shook it. “Oh this is going to be fun~.” A Cheshire grin split her face as she laughed cruelly. “Let’s see if I can make a diamond out of coal or if you’ll break under the pressure.”

“Real pleasant starting words there, Ms. Yoru.” Hei deadpanned and ripped out his swollen hand from her tungsten grip. “I feel so encouraged.”

Yoru just laughed more and shook her head. “Call me Yoru, boy. I don’t care for niceties.”

“Then how about calling me by my name? It’s Hei, not ‘boy’.”

“If you want to see that kind of respect from me, earn it.” She patted his head mockingly. “Boy.”

Hei’s eyes narrowed at the woman in annoyance. “Is every cat I meet going to try and get under my skin?”

“Only if they like you.” Yoru winked and turned to head back to her desk. “Feel free to rest as long as you need. Although, I hope you heal fast, we’re having a welcome feast for you tonight.”

“A feast?” Hei blinked. “Why?”

“Guest rights of course! It’s very rare we get visitors that aren’t Nekomata or Nekoshou. The few that don’t live in the village come by every now and then.”

“Huh.” Hei felt a little bashful inside. “Never had such a warm welcome before.”

Yoru looked over with a sympathetic gaze before quickly changing to a smirk. “Well get used to it, boy. In Sakura Village, we party every chance we get.”

Hei smiled a bit at the first part, before processing the second and feeling his bashfulness die an ignoble death. “Then how is my visit special?”

“Because we have a reason to get drunk.”

“Gee, I feel so honored.”

“You should~.”

Hei rolled his eyes and pushed himself up with a groan. “As much fun as this is, I can’t rest easily around others, thanks for bandaging me up, Yoru.”

“Should you be moving right now? I applied some herbal paste to your wounds but its still going to take half a day for those ribs to settle.”

“Not a problem.” Hei summoned his grimoire under a very curious gaze and didn’t bother using the normal method as he crushed Spell Card #11: Water of Life between his fingers. He had recently discovered his intent was what matter most, meaning as long as he was touching the card, he could activate it as he pleased.

The card activated in a flash of light, summoning water that washed over his form, removing all traces of blood and healing everything back into its proper place before evaporating into mist that quickly dissipated.

“Now isn’t that convenient.” Yoru appeared at his side in a flash, poking at his previous wounds with a great deal of interest. “So you can heal yourself?”

Hei pushed her hands away idly as he rolled his shoulder. “As if you didn’t already know. Leone saw me use it days ago, whats the point in hiding it?”

Yoru paused her actions as she gave him a steady look. “You might be surprised to hear this, boy, but while I lead this village, I don’t force anyone to tell me things that aren’t a direct threat to the village. Leone is one of the most loyal and trustworthy friends I’ve ever known, and she hasn’t said a thing about you besides having a Sacred Gear and being talented.”

Hei paused at that, seeing the seriousness in Yoru’s gaze and feeling slightly bad for jumping to conclusions. “I see. My apologies.”

“You don’t owe me an apology.” Yoru waved a hand lazily and returned to her desk. “Just cut the woman some slack. She’s got her own issues too.”

The thought of that happy go lucky crater forming blond having issues felt foreign to Hei’s mind, and yet, he realized he was being slightly unfair to her.

“Mn.” Hei nodded and headed for the door. “I’ll make it up to her later.”

“Best of luck with that.” Yoru absently replied as she resumed working through some paperwork.

But just as he was leaving, Hei recalled something and asked over his shoulder. “Oh yeah, where do I drop off my gift? You’re the leader and everything.”

“Hm? Just leave it in the hall or something, I’ll have someone collect it.”

“Got anywhere cold to put it? Silvervine Wine is best kept chilled.”

“Yeah, you can head down to the…..Silvervine?” Yoru’s pen froze.

0000

Twenty minutes later, a frazzled looking Hei walked out of the single two story building in the village with a grumble. ‘Damn woman, did she really have to get that excited?’

He jumped down to the ground level, landing in a silent crouch, and started walking down the main street of the village, looking around as he noticed various villagers flashing around, putting up paper lanterns and setting up street stalls with an excited air.

‘I guess they really do like to party.’

A couple of the cats noticed him and waved friendly.

“Good match new guy!”

“You looked really cool back there all covered in blood!”

“Come check out my stall tonight and I’ll give you a free fish on the house!”

“Anyone who can take a beating from Yoru can share a drink with me! I’ll tell you about the time she got so drunk she got stuck in cat form!”

‘I might take up that last one on her offer.’ He mused to himself while heading for the edge of the village. ‘If I’m going to be here a while, it’s best to set up a safehouse so I can sleep without getting paranoid. Plus, I’ve already used two healing spell cards in a short time period when I could have just soaked in a hot spring for a couple hours. Good thing I didn’t use the realtor card last year.’

After setting up six of them, he realized the mana drain was getting too high and stopped, but now that he finally had his first Oath Bound contractor, his mana cap was finally going up again.

He made it all the way to the village border before remembering Leone’s warning about leaving the village. ‘…I should have asked Yoru where I could set up. Oh well.’ He shrugged and crossed the line, instantly feeling a change in the air as the sounds of the village vanished behind him. ‘How hard could it be to find a quiet spot?’

00000

~Ten minutes later~

“What the fuck is wrong with this forest?!”

A behemoth sized jaw snapped toward the rapidly fleeing form of Hei, forcing him to tuck and roll through thick foliage and narrowly dodging being eaten alive.

The fangs of his pursuer snapped on the bark of the ancient tree, immediately causing it to steam and rot under a venomous coating that made Hei sweat. ‘This is the worst time not to have my guns on me.’

He wandered at a slow pace for barely five minutes before snapping the neck of some kind of raptor like creature that tried to sneak up on him, only for a shadow to blot out the sun as the predator that had been stalking said raptor locked onto him instead.

The jaws unlocked as the ten story tall snake reared back with a hiss, spewing out massive clouds of toxins while eyeing him with disdain as it slithered its way forward like a freight train.

“I’m not even a snack to you! Fuck off!” Hei tossed throwing weapons at the beast as he fled, watching as the sharpened high grade metal bounced off it’s scales without leaving a mark with a frown. ‘How about the eyes then?’

He flicked a throwing knife unerringly at the beasts large eye, only to see it bounce off the fucking unprotected film around it’s organ. ‘Fuck, did Yoru’s body forging scale go for magical creatures as well?!’

He fell back on dodging, dropping smoke bombs and scent erasers as he went, but none of it stopped the snake’s charge for more than a few seconds as it stayed locked on to him.

And the worst part was, he couldn’t find the village.

‘I walked less than five minutes away, how the fuck can’t I find it?!’

A globe of venom shot his way, narrowly missing him by inches as it smashed into a tree and exploded in a shower of drops that ate through his cloak in seconds.

Hei twitched at the ruined sight of his Greed Island stealth cloak and felt his annoyance rise. ‘Alright, buddy, you want to go? Let’s fucking go.’

He reached into his pouch and pulled out a chocolate candy, popping it into his mouth and flipping in the air as he kicked off a tree and launched right back at the charging snake.

Designated Card #2: Breathable Bon Bon – Taste the exquisite taste of rich chocolate and gain the strength to breathe in any environment for 6 hours. Box of ten. Warning: Time may fluctuate depending on material being breathed in.

The snake was taken aback as Hei charged right into it’s venomous gas without fear, ignoring it to twist around the beasts head and land on its back behind it’s head as it writhed trying to reach for him.

His grimoire was summoned as cards flashed into his hands at his mental commands.

Spell Card #14: Cling – Able to walk along any surface as if it were solid ground for two hours.

Spell Card #8: Clone – Create a single clone of the user with 50% of energy stores. Knowledge gained and remaining energy will return to the original upon death. Two hour time limit. One mile radius.

A clone of himself appeared in a puff of smoke to his side and nodded its head without a word, taking off into the foliage while waving it’s arms and shouting. “Oi! Overgrown garden snake! I saw your mother’s skin in a belt shop!”

The snake stopped writhing to lock onto the clone and hissed loudly as it shot forward at double the speed it managed before.

The clone barely had time to react before it was on him, crushing him into paste like so much powder beneath dozens of tons of weight, but the distraction was enough for his main body to get around the head and pull out a card from his Free Slots. ‘I don’t care what your scales are made of, eight sticks of C4 going off inside you is going to fuck up your day.’

The card puffed into a backpack with a detonator on it as he grabbed the device and tossed the bag through it’s open jaw and crushed another card as he saw it’s muscles twitch.

Spell Card #3: Endure - Protection against any offensive physical damage. 3 second duration.

The beasts head snapped to the side, smashing him off with all the strength of one of Yoru’s cat punches, except magnified to his whole body at once.

The force threw him away strong enough to implant him inside one of the ancient trees with damaging force.

A groan left his lips from inside the tree as he shook his head from the cobwebs. ‘Protects against force, not sense impairments, gonna have to work on that.’

The snake looked between the place it thought it crushed him and his main body in confusion for a moment before locking onto him without a care and opening it’s jaws sadistically, dripping venom that melted the forest floor as it prepared to lunge.

Hei looked out from his hole with cold eyes and raised a middle finger. ‘This is for my cloak you fuck.’ His off hand pressed the detonator and the snakes body inflated rapidly at a single point as it screeched.

The muffled sound of an explosion reached his ears as clouds of black smoke left it’s jaws and it collapsed with a death rattle.

Hei pushed himself out of the tree and tore off the remains of his cloak as he eyed the snake. ‘I’m amazed the outer scales and skin didn’t burst, but all that force contained inside it’s body like a closed box must have shredded it’s organs. I wonder what I could do with scales like that.’

He internally mused to himself as he eyed the corpse, only for a new shadow to block out the sun and freeze him in place.

‘Oh, come on.’ Hei dryly looked up at the new snake, twice the size of the previous one giving him a very unfriendly gaze.

“….”

“Hissss.”

“I’m just passing by. Got nothing to do with that.” He thumbed the corpse and crushed a new card in his hand the second he saw the great beast tense.

Spell Card #5: Magnetic Force - Allows the caster to fly to the location of someone previously met.

A bubble covered Hei’s form and whisked him away at Mach 1 speeds just as his previous location was cratered by the towering behemoth in an explosion of earth that made the sticks of C4 look like a joke.

However, unknown to Hei who was rapidly approaching Leone thanks to his card, the explosion wasn’t solely due to the snake’s attack, but magnified by the spear that shot out of the foliage to pierce the great beast right through the roof of it’s mouth, nailing it to the earth in a massive explosion of force.

A sole slit red eye tracked Hei’s fleeing form with a hum. “Sloppy.”

The dust cleared as the figure stood from her crouch, revealing an eight foot tall amazonian woman with a chiseled set of abs and a white eyepatch over her right eye with a katana sheathed at her side. A mane of thick grey hair fell over her shoulders as a tail swished in the air in interest. “Very sloppy.”

She flashed forward and ripped the spear from her prey in a shower of blood before whistling.

Figures appeared among the trees as she flicked the blood off her weapon and nudged it with a foot. “You know the drill ladies, carve it up and bring it back. Red Serpent is good eating.”

00000

Hei crashed down in a different corner of the village next to a cottage separated from the other homes by some distance with a thud on his back as his limbs grew numb. ‘Fuck, that poison was stronger than I thought.’

He made himself immune to the damage of breathing it in, but not to the venom that entered through his pores. It was slower, but still effective.

“Having fun there, brat?” An amused voice called from the side and Hei turned his head with his vision beginning to swim to see Leone reclined on a chair with her feet up and a beer in hand. “Went for a nature walk, did ya?”

Hei’s response was to grown and ignore the smug woman to re-summon his grimoire and pull out a card.

Spell Card #18: Antidote – Remove any form of venom or poison.

He rarely had to use it thanks to the old mans poison resistance training, but this was beyond whatever he was used to.

Immediately, a soothing chill swept through his veins as the side effects of the venom cleared and he sighed in relief. “What the fuck is wrong with this forest?”

Leone chuckled and sipped her drink. “You didn’t think a nature hotspot was ours alone did you? The beasts were here long before we formed the village.”

“I met a train sized snake not five minutes out of the barrier.”

“Ah, one of the young. We usually let em grow bigger before hunting. Waste of good meat to kill them young.”

“Anyone ever tell you you’re insane?”

“All the time! Want a beer?”

“….yeah, thanks.”

Hei dusted himself off and took the offered seat by the blonds side and popped open the bottle with a flick of his thumb.

“Better get used to it, brat. Once you get a foundation in energy sensing, I’ll be tossing your ass out there to do some grinding.”

Hei hummed and sipped his drink. “Trial by fire?”

“Got it in one.”

“Sounds fun.”

Leone chuckled and nudged his shoulder. “I knew you had a brass pair on you since we first sparred, but I’m glad you weren’t just posturing back then. You put on a good showing back there, Hei.”

Hei side eyed the woman in slight surprise at the name drop and shrugged. “I wasn’t trying to look impressive.”

“That’s what makes it even better! You treat each fight like it’s to the death and don’t fuck around. You got quite a few ladies in attendance excited.” Leone teased with an elbow to his ribs. “You little chad, you’re gonna have quite a few propositions tonight at the banquet.”

Hei’s brow twitched at that. “Is attendance mandatory?”

“Do you really want to have a village of superpowered humanoid felines playing hide and seek with you? Yoru will let them loose for pure amusement.”

Hei could only groan at that and down his drink under the amused gaze of the blond who handed him another. “I could teleport out.”

“Yoru closed the barriers as soon as we were in. You’re not going anywhere unless you can make it fifty miles away from the village without dying to the wildlife or being caught by one of us.”

“….fifty miles?” Hei asked incredulously. “What the fuck kind of barrier is that?”

“The best kind!” Leone cheered and downed her own drink. “Yokai know our barriers, and Nekomata have a talent for them and illusions. Even if the actual barrier stops way before that, the generated effect stops any teleport attempt in a fifty mile radius.”

“That’s….impressive.” Hei couldn’t deny that kind of advantage. A lot could happen in fifty miles.

“Meh.” Leone waved a hand. “We do better than most, but the big factions are another thing entirely. They can generate teleport blocking zones for hundreds of miles. Cost them a fortune for it, but devil families, for example, can afford it and set them up around their homes and bases.”

“And now yours doesn’t seem so impressive.”

“Hey! Ours might not be as big as theirs, but we know how to use it much better than most of them could.”

“I know your setting me up but fuck you it has to be said. That’s what he said.”

“Nyahaha, you’re not too bad when you drop all that angst, brat.”

Leone stretched out her bottle and Hei silently clinked against it with a grumble.

“I’m not angsty….”

“Not anymore. Yoru is good at smashing that kind of stuff out of people.”

“Hmph. Speaking of Yoru smashing stuff out of people, she took me on as a student.”

Leone snorted and gave him a pitying look. “She said as much when she hauled your unconscious ass away, but you actually accepted. You poor fool.”

“Something told me denying it wouldn’t have helped.”

“It wouldn’t. But now you can’t have the moral high ground.”

“….I’m starting to think everyone here is a sadist.”

“Brat, this is a village of cats.”

“Point.”

Hei downed another beer at the reminder while questioning his life choices like so many other man do once they hit the bar during post nut clarity.

Leone eyed the holes and tears in his clothes curiously. “So, what did you go searching for? I’m pretty sure I said not to wander past the border earlier.”

“A place to settle down.” Hei summed his grimoire and let it float around his hand like a satellite. “I got ways to create my own place. And I can’t sleep around others well. The old man made sure I was on guard even in my sleep.”

Leone studied the floating grimoire in interest with a hum. “Ice bucket tied to a rope?”

“Yeah, when I was eight. It moved up to blunted and then sharped weapons soon after.”

Leone sweatdropped at that. ‘Damn, that old fucker does screw around.’ She poked a finger at the book and seemed amused as it moved away from her finger like a magnet. “Right, well if you want to set up, try the south western corner. Beasts mostly stay away from that area.”

“Mostly? Woman, I got jumped by a snake bigger than a double decker bus walking at a casual pace within minutes! A little more details would be nice.”

Leone spit some beer to the side in a laugh and rubbed her chin with her wrist. “I’m not getting that mental image out of my head anytime soon. I wish I caught it on camera.”

“Leone….”

“Alright, alright.” Leone wiped her eyes with a finger. “You don’t have to worry about most creatures in that area cuz we killed an earth dragon a couple years ago over there.”

“Earth dragon?”

“Yeah.” Leone puffed out her chest. “It’s not a real dragon, but it’s still borderline Ultimate-class. The girls and I danced with it for a while, spilled a shit ton of blood over there. Nothing’s gonna settle in the area for a few more years at least. Unless of course, a stronger beast comes along.” She added the last line like an afterthought and Hei’s bottle cracked beneath his grip.

“Is there a better option?”

“You could always stay within the village borders like any of the villagers do. And I’m comparing you to a village of cats, so let that sink in.”

Hei sighed at that. ‘It’s better than nothing.’ He downed his third drink and put the bottle down with a burp. “What the hell kind of piss water is this? It taste gross.”

“Says the guy who drank three in a row.” Leone dryly responded. “If you don’t like it, don’t drink it. More for me.”

This time it was Hei’s turn to give the woman a pitying look.

“What?”

“You poor broke woman.”

“Excuse me?” Leone’s brow raised in the way all women managed to do that subtly said: {you better have a good response before I hurt you.}

Thankfully for his health, or at least his limited stock of healing spell cards, his response was to reach into his binder and check the Free Slot cards for what he wanted.

“Gain.” A puff of smoke appeared as a small crate landed beside his chair. Hei popped the lid and pulled out a fancy looking bottle and presented it to Leone. “I give you, quality.”

Leone’s ire cooled as she took in the bottle. “Sad Adams Utopias?”

“Mn.” Hei casually broke the lid of two empty beer bottles and poured out the last drops onto the grass to make cups. “Their limited edition bottles sold very infrequently. Aged for 24 years in a variety of barrel types with Moscato. It’s 28% and more on par with brandy but is still clearly a beer.”

He popped the cork and poured the rich viscous liquid into the makeshift cups under Leone’s dazed gaze. “Aren’t you eleven?”

“And I run a multimillion dollar brand name. Whats your point?”

Leone raised a finger, smelled the booze, and committed fingercide as she grabbed her cup. “Don’t have one. Cheers~!” She sipped the beer and damn near moaned at the rich syrupy mouthfeel and deep malty flavors.

And before she knew it, her cup was empty, leaving her with a lost expression. “I don’t think I can drink normal beer again….”

Hei snorted in humor and sipped his own drink. “Quality stuff has that effect. I can’t drink much around the old man; he gets on my case in a literal way and increases the poison in our food enough to make hangovers stick with me for days afterward. Sadistic old bastard.”

Leone winced like someone kicked her in the shin. “That’s cold. Not even I would do that to someone.”

“I know right? And this other time….”

The conversation trailed off as Hei shared some stories of the old man’s training, and Leone hopped in with her own tales of time spent with the guy until the sun started going down and the sounds of noise from the village started to increase.

Leone looked over and sighed as she realized the time. “Banquet’s gonna start soon, Brat. Best to leave the home shopping for daylight.”

“Why? Does the forest become three times as dangerous at night or something?” Hei asked with sarcastic quote marks at the cliché and got a funny look from Leone.

“Nah, it’s when a shit ton of drunk cats go looking for something to sink their claws into. Did I not mention that we’re pretty blood thirsty?”

“….Right, cats.”

“Exactly.”

Leone and Hei matched eyes and broke into a laugh as he stood.

A moment passed before they calmed and a sense of awkwardness that had left while they were drinking settled back in.

Leone rubbed the back of her neck and looked away while Hei scratched his cheek in uncertainty before remembering what Yoru had said about Leone being trustworthy, and with his prejudice pushed aside, he realized that even the instincts he honed under his brutal teacher for years weren’t acting up around the woman. So he deciding to man up and apologize. Figuratively.

“Leone, look, I’m sorry if I came off rough earlier. The old mans health has been stressing me out, and when he said there was a new teacher coming to take over, I got a little aggravated.”

A hand landed on his shoulder as he found a sympathetic look on her face. “It’s tough seeing those you care about age. Trust me, I get that. I’m a lot older than I look. You don’t got to say anything.”

Another moment passed, but this time it wasn’t awkward and it felt as if a barrier between the two had broken down with them being able to be more at ease and less guarded.

And then one of them had to ruin it, except it wasn’t Leone that time.

“How old are we talking?”

The grip on his shoulder tightened painfully as a scary smile grew on her face. “Old enough that if you ask me that question again, you’ll be seeing what really happens when I use Touki.”

“So you were faking it back at the old mans place!”

Leone snorted in humor and let go in slight respect at seeing Hei not even flinch under the pressure of her grip. “Yoru said something, didn’t she?”

“Yeah, she mentioned that if you really used Touki, there would have been a new meteoric crater where the old man’s place used to be.”

Leone chuckled and rubbed the back of her head. “She’s not wrong. I try to limit myself so I don’t destroy or kill things I don’t want to. I was just trying to see what you were made of, not actually fight you.”

Hei winced and held a hand over his heart. “That hurts, right here.”

“Says the guy who I almost snapped in half and said ‘ow’ with a deadpan face. Seriously, you’re fragile but you have a higher pain tolerance than half the cats in this village. What the fuck did Lupa do to you?”

A thousand yard stare entered Hei’s eyes as he looked off into the sunset. “You really want to know?”

“Not with those eyes I don’t!”

The two cracked up all over again before Hei’s eyes landed on the empty beer bottle of Utopias and the crate of half a dozen more. “Best to save the rest of these for a future time.”

He reached for the crates cover only for an dragons claw to grip his wrist and freeze him in place as a demonic hiss echoed in his ears. “Touch my baby and die.”

Hei sweatdropped at the possessiveness in the blondes tone and eyed her floating hair in apprehension. “Easy woman, I already gave you guys a case of Silvervine Wine, the beer is from my personal stock, I don’t find it often.”

“Dude, you ruined beer for me, I don’t think I can……did you say Silvervine Wine?” Leone’s hair froze and fell back under the power of gravity as she locked onto him far more than she had a moment before.

With the feeling of standing before a live bomb, Hei took hold of the many years of quoted wisdom his teacher had dropped in his ears and direct the threat to his life elsewhere. “Yeah, remember the gift I mentioned? I left it with Yoru. She damn near kicked me out the window as soon as she got her hands on the crate.”

“….crate?” Leone’s voice came out like a broken recorder and Hei found the perfect moment to dislocate his wrist and slip it out of her empty grasp.

“Yup, a whole two dozen bottles. Left it in her office. She said something about a vault.”

“Is that so?” Leone’s eyes narrowed as a sheen of green energy started coating her skin and Hei bore witness to what real Touki looked like for the first time. “Excuse me, I have to go have a chat with my dear leader.”

The earth cratered beneath Hei’s feet and he just barely managed to save the remaining beer, but the wall of the cottage beside him wasn’t so fortunate as it crumbled from the shockwave.

‘Did I go too far?’

A crack of displaced air startled the crap out of him as Leone reappeared a second later. “Oh and Hei, your guns are on the table inside, Banquet starts in an hour, don’t be late or it’s your funeral. Got to go, bye.” She shot off her words rapidly and vanished all over again in a shockwave that crumbled a second wall of the house.

“….” Hei looked over at the debris of the house that apparently contained his missing pistols and sighed. ‘Yeah, too far.’

00000

“Ladies! Let’s hear a warm welcome for our new guest! He’ll be around for a few years, so don’t be shy and give a cheer for Hei!” A black eyed Yoru raised her arm from the stage with a mug of ale in hand and was met with the roaring cheer of a hundred and fifty disturbingly beautiful felines who all had a mug of their own.

Except the triplets who were given grape juice.

Hei stood off to the side of the stage and tried to keep a straight face under the dozens of gazes being sent his way while avoiding looking at the crumbled remains of the single two story building in the village he woke up in earlier that day.

Yoru didn’t seem to mind and was fully into the festive mood, but Hei felt that had something to do with the fact that Leone was nearby her, gagged and tied tight in chains and being sat on by a woman he hadn’t seen before as she tried to reach out and bite at Yoru’s shins.

A massive bonfire had been erected in front of the stage in the center of the village as the villagers found seats among the massive roots of the ancient trees, atop buildings, and in their own booths set up for games and food items the individuals personally caught in the forest.

‘At least they use normal currency here.’ He internally thanked that he didn’t have to trade in goods for fear of bringing out anything else he had in storage. ‘The beer alone almost made Leone fry me like a dragon seeing someone touch its horde, let alone the wine.’

Yoru flashed to his side after finishing her little speech and locked him in a headlock with a smile. “Boy! Come, let me introduce you to the others.”

She all but yanked him off his feet toward Leone and the new woman while he debated struggling. “I can walk just fine, you know.”

“Bah, you’re to slow. I’ll be old and gray by the time we get there.”

“It was twenty feet away!”

Leone mumbled something from the ground as they approached her and the woman above her sighed. “Have you calmed down, Leone?”

The blond huffed but nodded all the same and the amazonian woman removed the gag with a chuckle.

Hei idly noticed the deep heady sound of the woman’s voice and repressed a flush as it sent a pleasant heat down his back. ‘My god. Yoru’s voice was already slightly deep, but she’s got a more teasing sensual energy to her. This woman’s voice is like rich velvet. What the hell is with this race and beauty standards?’

Leone got some leverage in her chains and snapped them like twigs one after the other as she gave Yoru the stink eye. “Don’t bother with her, brat. She’s annoyingly fast, even for the rest of us.”

“Aw~, you’re gonna make me blush, Leone.”

“And you’re going to share that wine, Yoru.”

“It was a gift to me, it’s in my rights to keep it.”

“It was a gift to the village, bitch. Don’t be greedy.”

“Oh, as if you would do anything different if you got it first.”

“I didn’t get it first. That’s the problem!”

Hei sweatdropped as he got semi-dragged into the verbal spat seeing as Yoru wasn’t removing the lock on his head and found himself next to the new woman who was eyeing him up.

He raised a hand in greeting. “Yo, names Hei.”

“Ghislaine, call me Ghis.” She responded and shook his hand calmly. “Need some help there?”

“It would be appreciated.”

Ghis smirked and chopped Yoru’s shoulder at a pressure point, making the woman wince and shoot Ghis a look before Leone dragged her back in, except without Hei attached.

He rubbed his neck and gave the woman a thankful nod. “I did not want to be in the middle of that. I broke enough ribs today.”

Ghis hummed and looked at her heating up friends. “What are the two fighting about?”

“You don’t know?” Hei shot her a weird look. “I saw you restraining Leone earlier.”

Ghis shrugged casually. “If a week went by without something getting destroyed around here, it wouldn’t be home.”

“Huh.” Hei rubbed his chin at the logic there. “Well, I brought some Silvervine Wine as a gift and their fighting over who gets it.”

“Silvervine?” Ghis’s tail started swaying magnetically but otherwise her expression remained calm. “An expensive gift.”

“It’s not that big a deal for me. I run a brand selling high end products, had the wine in storage.”

“Is that so?” Ghis asked with a raised brow. “I would have taken you for a warrior rather than a merchant.”

“What makes you say that?” Hei inquired curiously.

The answer, however, made him blink. “You’re fight with the adolescent snake was quite courageous. Sloppy, weak, and with a great deal of lacking experience, but courageous and victorious none the less.”

Hei didn’t know how to take that weirdly complimentive criticism. “Thank you? I think?”

“You’re welcome.” Ghis nodded like that was the end of it but Hei wasn’t done.

“Wait, wait, how did you see the fight with the snake? I had to flee the second it’s insanely sized parent showed up.”

Ghislaine raised a brow and silently pointed a finger off to the side. Hei’s eyes followed the line and landed on a group of woman throwing a large grill over the fire alongside the massive head of the same exact serpent that sent him running for the hills.

“….Is that the….” He trailed off and Ghis nodded.

“Yes. I was hunting it when it started hunting you.”

“So that explosion that went off when I was fleeing….” He trailed off a second time and Ghis filled in the blank again.

“Was me piercing it through the brain.”

“You mean through the scales and skull?”

“How else do you hit the brain?”

Her question was calm and without mockery, full of honest confusion as she gazed at him with her sole eye, and yet it managed to hit Hei right in the pride. ‘And I couldn’t even pierce the scales of the snakes young kid.’

A feeling of comical depression clouded his thoughts but a large hand clapping him on the back snapped him right out of it as Ghis raised his chin. “Do not feel frustrated at your weakness, young one. Weakness is not evil, it’s the light that shows you where to improve oneself. Remain strong of heart and soul, and face all that comes, one step at a time.” She smirked at him and looked off to the side where Leone and Yoru were gripping each other by the others shirts with a sigh. “And it looks like I must play peacekeeper again. Enjoy the party, cub.”

She sauntered off and Hei watched her physically lift the two smaller women away from one another by the scruffs of their shirts in a daze. ‘She’s so cool….’

A cold shiver went down Hei’s spine as he shook his head hard and looked around to make sure no one saw his little moment. ‘I did not just fangirl….boy….whatever. I didn’t do it. No one saw it. I didn’t happen.’

A cough from behind had him freeze in a moment of dread as he turned his head to see the grinning devilish face of the single creature that would haunt him for many long days.

Shi, one of the triplets, stood there at a frightening three foot two with a tooth filled smug smile. “Heh.”

Hei stood there silently for a moment staring at that face before calmly walking away at a steady pace.

‘I need a drink.’

Away from his teacher for less than a day and he was already beginning a drinking habit that would last his entire life.

And as Hei would soon come to find out, the old man wasn’t even upset when Hei told him. He just patted Hei on the shoulder with a nod of understanding and invited him in for dinner.

00000

The banquet dragged on long into the night as Hei got a first hand experience of how the cats partied.

They drank, ate, danced, fought, drank some more, and performed a strangely choreographed rendition of Eye of the Tiger.

Alongside the dancing flames of the bonfire, alien like neon flowers and flora lit up throughout the village, centering on the grand Sakura tree glittering like crystals in the moonlight.

It was a scene out of a fantasy novel, with drums playing and dancing figures moving through the flames, creating joyous and jubilant shadows that whirled through the night.

And through it all, as the hours passed deeper into the night, Hei found himself enthralled by the sight. Sitting by his lonesome on the sidelines, drinking silently and enjoying the ambiance of the world he found himself in. ‘This is why I wanted to be free, wasn’t it?’ He couldn’t help but question as he took it all in. ‘To see sights like this. To not have to live in fear as I traveled and searched for places like this one. Seeing things beyond my imagination.’

A weight settled down by his side, making him instinctively twitch toward his pistols before meeting the amused gaze of Ghislaine as she sat down beside him on the ledge. “Good instincts, cub.”

Hei rolled his eyes and eased back while sipping his drink. “Something tells me I’ll need better ones living here.”

“Mn, it’s good to always be on guard.” Ghis commented calmly and looked down at the singing cats fondly. “But everyone needs a home where they can let down that guard as well.” She side eyed him meaningfully while he tried to ignore how close to home those words hit.

Home was where the old man was, and that home had an expiration date.

Hei looked down at his reflection in his drink thoughtfully and mulled over things for a minute as his companion silently sat by him stoically.

“It must be nice, to live so much longer than humans as you all do.”

“It can be.” Ghis hummed. “But nothing is perfect. There are positives and negatives to every race, cub.”

A snort left his lips before he could help himself. “Yeah right, humans got the short end of the stick in everything.”

“Not everything.” The gray haired feline said simply as she looked up at the night sky, artificially filled with stars. “Humans are the most populated and fertile. And their thoughts, emotions, faith, inventions, and creativity fuel most of the pantheons to greater heights.” She pointed a finger up, drawing Hei’s gaze to where she looked. “They are weak and fragile, but there is courage in them. And sometimes, just like a shooting star lights up the night, so to does the rare human, reaching heights so many of those older than them struggled to reach with multiples of their life span.”

A shooting star shot across the sky as she spoke, reflecting in the pools of Hei’s eyes as her words sunk in. “So we grow quickly is what you’re saying?”

Ghis chuckled and lowered her hand with a nod. “Yes. With the right will, resources, and talents, no race can match you for growth speed. To us born with power, with lifespans measured in centuries or more, we are slow to change and grow. So while you had a disadvantaged start, take pride in your roots and never stop seeking a new peak, for the path to the top has no true end.”

Her deep velvety voice only built on the feeling of personal experience behind her words, and Hei had to fight down a flush at how comforting it was to hear them.

‘You just met the woman, Hei. Stop feeling like her words have the same weight as the old man’s!’ He internally berated himself while outwardly just humming in acknowledgement.

Whether Ghis noticed his dilemma or not went unsaid as the woman leaned back on palm and continued to watch her villagers be merry.

Soon there drinks came to an end, and the woman nudged him. “Not going to join the others?”

Hei looked over and saw Yoru and Leone arm wrestling over a table while a dozen felines cheered them on. Or egged them on. He couldn’t tell from up there.

“I’ll pass. I’m more comfortable up here.”

She followed his gaze and chuckled. “Understandable.”

That was the last thing she said to him that night as the two just sat on the ledge under the firelight, silently taking in the ambiance of the village in an easy going companionship that needed no words.

To Hei, she was like a guardian lion lounging in the background, enjoying the air while her young charges played freely.

To Ghis, he was a cub she was feeling out, getting to know someone by senses beyond simple words.

And then she had to step away when a drunken Yoru and Leone began to get heated again for whatever reason, leaving with a small friendly nod to him that he returned unknowingly before deciding to call it a night and slink off into the shadows.

But sleep didn’t call for him yet, and he felt a desire to be productive fill him as he walked toward the direction . ‘Might as well go check out the area Leone mentioned and find a place to set the safehouse.’

The moonlight was his torch, bright and lighting up the path ahead as he moved through the still outer areas of the village, still hearing and feeling the distant drums of the banquet beginning to waver off.

He stepped through the border line at the south-western corner and those distant drums vanished completely as he entered a new world.

Whereas the village was intertwined with nature in a way that he could only marvel at, the forest beyond it’s border somehow soothed and called to his soul in a way he couldn’t describe.

Soft, silent steps took him forward, uncaring of where he was going but feeling as if something was guiding him forward.

His eyes closed as the feeling intensified, with the shadows of the night seeming to elongate to his form like small pieces of metal caught in a magnetic web.

Hei breathed deep of the night air, caught in a trance he couldn’t describe with only the wish of finding a safe place to rest his head in his mind, and when the feeling stopped, Hei could only blink and stare at his surroundings in confusion.

‘How did I get here?’

A gently flowing stream of crystal clear water flowed beside him in a small clearing in the ancient looming forestry, alit with glowing green crystals jutting out of the tree roots as a ray of moonlight broke through a skylight in the branches to land on a smooth boulder not a few feet away from him.

Hei took it all in, walking up and running his palm over the smooth stone in uncertainty. ‘What just happened?’

He had a desire, and the night guided him to where he wished.

And far, far away, a queen on her throne chuckled at the confused young wolf with a fond gleam in her eyes, saying words no one else would say, not even Hei himself. ‘Happy birthday, my courageous grandson. Continue making us proud.’

The date had changed and it was March 1st, the day Hei was born into the world, the day he turned twelve years old, and the day he began his life in the village of the Nekoshou.

00000

While Hei went off on his nature walk, caught in the allure of those who watched over him from so far away, the feast had finally petered off as the cats returned to their homes to rest, or were carried home by their friends and family if they couldn’t manage to make it that far.

The fire dimmed and was put out, the drums were put down, and the only sounds to fill the village became the chirping of insects and the snores of the villagers.

But four souls weren’t finding rest just yet.

In the center of the village, near the destroyed remains of Yoru’s home and office where the ancient Sakura Tree stood, Ghislaine separated Yoru and Leone for the final time.

“Would you two quit it? This is getting ridiculous.”

Her irritated tone reached her two friends ears as they pawed at each other.

“Maybe if someone would just share, this could all be over, Yoru.”

“Finders keepers, you know the rules, Leone.”

Ghislaine sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose as she waved a hand at the branches. “Chloe, a little help?”

Wires glittered in the moonlight as they were pulled taught, trapping the half-intoxicated forms of Yoru and Leone together like a spring roll as their chests were pushed together strong enough to pop the buttons off their shirts.

“I liked that shirt!”

“Oi! Hands off the goods!”

“My hands are at my sides.”

“Then what the hell is poking me? Are you cold or horny, Yoru?”

“Yes.”

The two fell over in a bickering mess as Ghislaine looked up with a nod. “Thanks, Chloe.”

“Anytime, Ghis~.” A mischievous laugh sung into the night as a new figure materialized from the shadows of the tree, not bothering to come down from a thick branch that hung over the three below. “You know~, it’s cheating that you can see me with that hidden eye under that eyepatch~.”

The new figure poked her head out into the moonlight, revealing a petite young woman wrapped in a hoodie without sleeves that hung over her head, letting her feline ears poke through the fabric in small tents.

A pixie cut of black hair fell through her hood as glittering green emerald like eyes glowed in the night with a wide Cheshire like grin spreading across her cheeks.

The mischievous laugh that rang from her lips gained a hint of something more that would set the hackles rising on any man who heard it in the middle of the night, thinking an ex-girlfriend with a butcher knife was around a dark corner, but her friends were long since used to her eccentric ways and ignored their knee jerk reaction as Ghis shrugged. “Bother me later, I’m dealing with these two right now.”

Chloe giggled and waved a gloved hand forward. “By all means~, I’ll sit here and watch~.”

“Oi! Chloe get me out of this so I can beat this greedy bitches ass!”

“Beat my ass?! Girl, I could electrify you right this second.”

“Do it and I’ll raid your secret stash. Don’t think I don’t know where it is!”

Chloe openly laughed as she kicked her legs playfully on her branch and cheered them on while Ghislaine got tired of the shit.

The amazonian stepped forward, unlinking the katana at her side menacingly as she hovered above the two arguing felines. “Enough.”

The single word silenced the two as they looked up and paled under the demonic glow of Ghis glowing with Touki as her dragon fang sword glittered in the moonlight above them. “Yoru, you will share. Leone, you will use words. If not, I’ll remove your privilege to teach the cub and do it myself. Do I make myself clear?”

“You can’t take the brat! He’s the holy grail of good booze!”

“Yeah! And I haven’t even gotten to the fish yet!”

“I vote we steal him.”

“Here, here!”

The drunken byplay was silenced by a katana resting on their necks. “I said: Do I make myself clear?”

Yoru and Leone’s eyes swiveled to each other and back to Ghis as they nodded in compliance, satisfying the amazonian woman’s ire. “Good.” Her sword moved faster than anyone below High-Class could perceive as the strings tying them up were cut and freed them.

Chloe clicked her tongue from the side at the show being taken away and pulled back her severed strings with a creepy chuckle. “Mama Ghis strikes again~.”

Ghislaine’s eye moved to her with a glare. “Would you like to take a camping trip with me, Chloe?”

The new feline’s pale skin paled even further as she quickly shook a hand back and forth. “Nuh-uh, no thank you, you stamina freak. I always have to replace all my spools and poisons after dealing with you. Do you even understand how annoying it is to make my reinforced wires?”

“No, nor do I care.” Came the immediate response making Chloe droop as a comical cloud of depression appeared over her head.

“No one wants to ever listen to my crafting methods.”

Leone snorted from where she pushed herself up on wobbly feet as she pulled on her birthright, letting the natural energy of the world filter into her and push away the effects of the alcohol. “Maybe if your so called methods were less bloody and or disgusting, you would see more interest.”

“Oh screw off muscle for brains.”

“You want to go psycho bitch?!”

Ghislaine coughed loudly and silenced them as she shot Leone a look. “Finish one battle before jumping into another.”

Leone knew she was being immature but still stuck her tongue out at the amazonian before turning to Yoru who had likewise followed her example to sober up. “I’d rather not fight for real. I have to start the brats training in the morning.”

Yoru got her feet under her and nodded back. “Same, the boy’s mine after lunch.”

“Agreed.”

The two shook on it while Chloe tilted her head in confusion up in her branch. “What’s all this talk of a kid, now?”

The three listening felines blinked and deadpanned at her.

“Chloe….”

“You skipped the start of the banquet again, didn’t you?”

“What have I told you about being more social?”

Chloe pouted at the responses and half turned away with a flush. “I don’t like crowds; you all know that.”

Her friends sighed in unison at their most antisocial friend and let it go as Yoru decided to answer her previous question. “Long story short, we’ll be having a guest for a while. Leone owed a life debt and is paying it off by being a teacher to the boy, and I had some fun with him and decided to take him on as well. His names Hei.”

“And he can be a bit angsty when sober.” Leone helpfully added.

Chloe blinked at the story and looked like she just experienced culture shock, pointing a shaky finger at the two cats. “You….you two as teachers? To the same person?....” She trailed off and pinched herself. “Did I huff the wrong poisons this morning? I could have sworn I’m not doing hallucinogens this month.”

Yoru and Leone twitched at their ability to teach being questioned.

“Hey, I can teach if I want to. And we seriously have to talk about you holing yourself up in your tree for so long.”

“Yeah, girl, that’s getting a bit too extreme. Share the hallucinogens next time.” Leone commented with a peace sign and got slapped over the back of her head by Yoru.

“Not the point, Leone. Don’t encourage her.”

“Of come on, it sounds fun. She makes good shit.”

“She’s not a drug dealer.”

“She’s a poison and trap specialist, whats the difference?”

“The difference is…”

The two trailed off and Ghislaine’s ire rose again as he blade unsheathed.

A couple lumps and cuts later and Ghislaine took over the conversation. “The cubs here to learn and grow. And I don’t trust these two fools to do the job right, so he’ll be having three teachers from now on.”

“What?!”

“You too?! Why is everyone taking my brat?”

Chloe choked on her spit at the declaration. “What the hell is wrong with you three? I get Leone being a dumbass and paying off a debt, but is the kid that big a deal that you two would join in as well?”

Yoru scratched her cheek. “I like the boy. He has the guts, will, and balls to handle physical forging unlike the majority of pansies that crumble at a couple broken bones. I broke his limbs and ribs and pushed him to the brink of exhaustion and yet he still kept fighting. And at the very end, he actually pushed back and began to improve rapidly before my eyes. The boy’s got instincts that would put a Nekomata to shame. And he got that far as a human of all things. It makes my hands itch to make diamond out of coal.”

“That seems oddly fitting for you.” Yoru’s answer had Chloe’s intrigue rising as she turned to Ghislaine. “And you, Ghis? You train up your underlings all the time, but I’ve never seen you take a dedicated student before.”

The amazonian hummed. “I saw the cub hunt. He needs work and proper weapons, but he has the spirit of a warrior and faces death without fear.” She glanced at Yoru with a nod. “His natural instincts are phenomenal, and his movements are without waste or flaw. His basic foundation has been trained and honed like an art form, but he lacks advanced skills.”

She turned to Leone with her last line coming out as half a question and Yoru understood and was likewise curious about the question. “Anything you want to share, Leone? I admit I got a bit excited after playing around with him and giving him a more thorough questioning in private, but I don’t actually know anything about his background.”

Leone crossed her arms as her tail twitched under the stares of the other three. “Look, I’m not gonna cross the brats trust, I just barely got him to start talking to me earlier and I’m not willing to jeopardize that.”

“We’re not asking you to share private information. We just want to get an idea of what we’re dealing with here.”

Yoru rubbed her chin and hummed in agreement with Ghislaine. “Yeah, a boy his age, with such experienced eyes, and a foundation like his not attached to any faction? That’s beyond a needle in a haystack, that’s almost impossible to find.”

Chloe perked up there in interest, getting distracted from the wire she was playing with and turning into the shape of a bird. “How old are we talking?”

“Eleven.”

“Eleven?” Chloe repeated dryly. “You’re all going getting worked up over a kid? Does he have a Longinus Sacred Gear or something?”

The other three matched gazes and shrugged in unison.

“He’s got an older soul. Probably reincarnation or something. You know how it goes.” Leone waved a hand airily.

“Yeah, I got the sense of that earlier. Reincarnators are rare but not that uncommon. It’s like seeing an older soul and a young soul meshed together, not really an old person or a young person alone but a bit of both.” Yoru added as Ghislaine nodded.

“Whoever he was doesn’t matter. He is what he is now, and I feel the spirit of a warrior in him. He is seeking the peak and has the will to claw his way there.”

Chloe hummed and let her wire bird creation fly through the air as if it was animated before wrapping her legs around the branch and swinging upside down with a giggle. “Reincarnators are fun and random, but what’s this miracle kids motivation, eh~?”

Chloe looked at Leone with her question and the blond shrugged. “He said he wants freedom, but I didn’t dig too much into it. Yoru?”

The village leader chose her words carefully as she answered. “Freedom to him is being strong enough to make the most of life without fear of having it taken away. He has no desire for conquest, greed, or hurting others, he just wants to be free.” A smile grew on her face as she added in. “And it helps that he really enjoys growing, adapting, and fighting. I sense a kindred spirit in him.”

Leone and Ghislaine matched that smile with nods.

“I felt it the first time I pounded him into the ground.”

“I saw it when he fought an adolescent Stone Snake.”

Chloe watched her three closest friends build the new kid up with curiosity. “How catlike of him~.” She giggled creepily and continued with her arms waving in the air playfully. “So what’s his story then? I get that he’s talented and you bitches like him, but I’d rather know I don’t have a church exorcist dropout in my home.”

Leone snorted at that. “As if you would actually be bothered. You’re tree is trapped enough that even we find it too much of a pain to come drag you out.”

“That was the point~.”

The others chuckled and Leone got back to the point. “As for his background, I’m keeping the personal details to myself, but I can give you a bit of general information. You ever hear about the Legacy of Lupa?”

Yoru and Ghislaine shook their heads but surprisingly, it was Chloe who got serious and dropped from her branch, landing in a crouch not on the ground but on a hidden wire inches off the ground with balance that put even cats to shame. “I’ve read books about them, or well, books written by them.” Chloe’s mischievous tone vanished as she spoke severely. “Some of the older research notes on poison mixology I learnt from were written by people a millennia ago stamped with the name Lupa, and those were the notes they didn’t care about being found. Made me curious enough to research them and all I could find was that it was some ancient line of mercenaries or something.”

Leone pointed a finger at her. “Chloe’s got it. The Lupa line is old. Tracing back to Rome and the actual goddess Lupa. They only ever have one official ‘Lupa’ at a time until they raise a heir to replace them.”

Her three listeners hissed at the mention of a goddess.

“A goddess legacy?”

“That could be good or bad.”

“How well known is that little tidbit? Divine legacies often have prizes that make even other gods get involved. We don’t need that kind of attention on us.”

Yoru was the one to point out the main issue but Leone was quick to wave a hand. “Relax, I only know that because the current Lupa told me. It’s not written anywhere and frankly; it’s been over a millennia and a half and nothing ever came out of it. Even if the title ‘Legacy of Lupa’ is well known, it’s considered nothing more than a human made tale. I’ve actually checked through my sources and no one cares about them besides recognizing how lethal they can be.”

Her friends calmed at that and Ghislaine was the one to ask next. “When you say lethal, what do you mean?”

“I mean lethal.” Leone emphasized. “They are all human, or at least half human, and they often use the fact that no one bothers to take humans seriously to end targets. The brat got chosen at four years old and went through training that, if ramped up to supernatural standards of body conditioning, would make veterans pale at the idea of putting their own children through. You saw how fearless he is, right? He ignores pain more than I do.” Leone admitted with a shake of her head. “The first time I met him, I broke half the bones in his body and indented him in a tree, and his response was to say ‘ow’ without losing consciousness. Whatever his teacher did, the brats got some scary mental fortitude.”

Ghislaine nodded in admiration but Yoru and Chloe frowned and matched eyes.

“Was he conditioned?”

“He could be a drone.”

Leone hissed at the comments. “The brats no drone. Yoru, you saw for yourself.”

Yoru hummed at that thinking on Hei before tossing away her concerns. “Yeah, stupid question. The boy retained his humanity just fine and the pain seemed to only enhance his will. He respects his teacher enough to make sacrifices, but he’s not fanatical.”

Chloe didn’t know Hei so she didn’t argue with the majority opinion. She eased back up and swung around on her wire. “Alright, you got my interest~. So what makes these ‘Lupa’s’ so lethal?”

“Didn’t you just get all serious on us and mention how you learned from research notes on poison from them?” Yoru asked dryly while Chloe giggled.

“I did. But making and using poison are different things. Plenty of researchers are wimps~.”

Leone couldn’t deny that. “Well, Lupa’s never really reached the upper tiers. They’re humans through and through, but what makes them lethal is how skilled they are. It’s like many of them abandon the common sense of pursuing raw power to train their pure skills to a level it can pierce the tier lines for a single extremely lethal strike that can’t be avoided.” Leone chuckled ruefully. “They are ghosts who can vanish, change faces, master body language, and blend into any environment to get their kill. All of us could probably kill one of them in a single strike, but they don’t usually fight directly.” Leone tried to think of how else to put things before recalling something. “Do any of you remember the Ipos devil family incident from a while ago?”

It took a moment before recognition of the name entered Yoru’s eyes. “You mean that necromancer family?”

Ghislaine’s face twisted into a sour look at the reminder. “Unnatural. The dead should remain dead. That family deserved to be wiped out.”

Chloe took the longest to remember and dropped a fist into her palm. “Ohhhhh~, that family. Wow, it’s been like fifteen years now, right? Time flies~. Didn’t they go from like a dozen members to extinct overnight?”

“I recall the uproar it made. Thankfully, the incident was on the other side of Hell and way away from us and any splash damage. Devils are a finicky race and always looking to find a reason to kill, enslave, or conquer something.” Yoru explained.

Leone nodded at all their comments. “Yup. Not all of them are bad, Serafall come around now and then to hang out.”

Chloe winced at the reminder of that woman. “Ugh, keep sparkles away from me.”

Yoru heard her and chuckled at the thought of their eccentric friend. “She loves messing with you like a cat owner whose cat refuses to give her a hug. But back to the point, the new devil faction is trying to do better at least. Good leaders and a decent new generation are on the way, but the old fucks are still around meddling in things so we still have to watch our backs.”

“Mn. Being on guard within ones home is unnecessary, but to protect the home, everything else must be treated with caution.” Ghislaine added.

“Can we get to the point here? I want to sleep some time tonight, you know?” Chloe’s complaint had the other three refocusing and Leone picked back up where she left off.

“Right, well, I can’t give you specifics but that whole incident was because they were a branch of the Ipos Pillar clan. The lastbranch to exist, with all the main family line members gone. They weren’t the strongest, and no one really liked them, but they were still the remnants of a Pillar Clan. And they vanished overnight because of the man who currently holds the title of Lupa.”

Three pairs of eyes widened at that.

“It was him?”

“Wouldn’t we have heard about him before now if that were the case?”

“A remarkable feat for a human.”

Leone shrugged at the questions. “I don’t know more than that, and I only know that much because of my connections. The entire incident was sweeped under the rug and kept quiet but that old man was tight lipped on the details even back when he wasn’t an old man.” She shook her head with a chuckle. “He was scary good in his prime, but after that incident, he regressed hard in mind and body. I don’t know what happened to him, but he peaked and a couple years after, he found me bleeding out after my…..stuff and helped me.” She finished lamely but none of the three listeners made any attempt to poke at old wounds.

Ghislaine was the one to break the short silence that followed. “He sounds impressive. And I assume this is the one who the cub respects as his elder?”

Leone was used to Ghislaine’s way of speaking and just nodded. “The two are close as father and son, even if neither will admit it. The old man put his heart and soul into training the brat, and well, you saw the results for yourself.”

The others absorbed the information for a moment before Yoru clapped her hands. “Alright, I think that settles any concern about him being tied to a faction. Ladies, and other issues?”

Ghis and Leone were already on board so the question was more toward Chloe who shrugged. “I can’t see an issue right now, but I’ll do my own research while you all play with him. For now, though, I trust you guys and won’t complain~.” She sung and flipped back up onto the tree branch with an eerie giggle.

“Thank god for that.” Leone muttered but all of them caught it and Chloe’s good mood flipped as she spiked blood lust toward the blond and debated pouncing before Ghislaine talked over the ensuing violence.

“Good, things have become a tad monotonous lately. It will be good for the village and us as well to shake things up.”

Chloe switched her attitude in seconds back to relaxed as neither she nor the others could argue against that point, having all been getting bored as of late.

Yoru was the first to smile and break the tense atmosphere. “Now that the details are out of the way, I can get back to thinking about a training schedule. It’s been far too long since I had fun, and with such a perfect punching bag…..I mean student.”

“Of course you did.” Leone chuckled. “I assume you’re going to focus on Body Forging to prepare him for Touki?”

“For Touki?” Yoru blinked. “Oh, right. That too. We all know that the later you awaken it, the better the outcome, so I’ll try to push him to Steel-Grade flesh, or maybe even Titanium-Grade before he can awaken it. Could work on his hand to hand a bit as well.”

The three listeners sweat dropped and sent a silent prayer for Hei in their minds, even Chloe.

“Right…” Leone trailed. “Well, I’ll handle energy sensing and suppression. Ghis?”

The amazonian woman hummed. “I’ll let you two monopolize his time at first, but I wish to take him on some camping trips. He needs experience against wild magically enhanced beasts who don’t think like humans. His first attempt, while courageous, was sloppy. He was only trained to fight humanoid opponents; I need to correct that oversight. But until then, I want to work with him on drawing out his instincts and letting them guide him as well as discuss his weapons choice.” She recalled the fight with the snake with a frown. “That will need some work.”

Leone chimed in at Hei’s defense there. “He didn’t have his guns on him when he went on that little walk. The brats held back by the materials available to him, he’s actually scary good with those things.”

Yoru nodded in agreement there. “I agree. I took them away from him to see what else he had, but from the little I saw, he barely even blinked to get spot on accuracy. And considering how fast those pieces of metal fly, it could be highly deadly with the right materials or spells.”

Chloe took an interest in the topic and spoke up. “I don’t know much about guns, but I can always respect an outlier to the usual cliché sword users. Sure those at the top use simple weapons, but everyone knows what to expect~. Very few actually have experience fighting a trap and poison user, and less are used to fighting against human hot weapons. Nyahaha.” A smile that wasn’t a smile painted her lips and she played with her wires.

Ghislaine ignored the disturbed cat with an endless ball of yard and took in the collective thoughts as she held her chin with a pondering expression. “Perhaps. I’ll have to see it for myself and speak with him.”

Yoru and Leone could only shrug at that before the three felines focused their gazes on Chloe who shrunk under the stares. “What? Don’t look at me, nya! I didn’t agree to teach anyone anything.” She hissed with an arched back as she backed up.

Her friends chuckled at the response and looked away, but they all knew the green eyed feline was far more interested than she looked.

Leone hid a smirk and looked away at the night sky. ‘She wouldn’t have stuck around this long if she wasn’t interested. I give her till the end of the first two weeks to cave. The brats just too fun of a toy to pass up on.’ She took measure of the moon and clapped her hands to get the others attention. “Ok, so we good? I have to rebuild my house, again, and hopefully get some sleep.”

“Here, here.” Yoru stretched her arms over her head with a groan before something occurred to her and she looked at her friends. “You know, we never joint trained anyone before. Even the villagers were split up between us, and that was less being a teacher and more being a leader.”

Yoru was the leader of the village for both domestic and inter-species affairs.

Ghislaine nodded with a stoic face and an excited tail. “Mn, this will be a first.”

Ghislaine led the hunters and dealt with any dangerous magic beast beyond what the villagers could handle.

Leone smirked. “The brat’s worth it.”

Leone led the information network and spies while also dealing with any focused interest on Nekoshou to pop up on her radar.

Chloe giggled and swatted at a falling Sakura petal. “The kid will be a monster if he survives you three.”

Chloe led the scouts, defensive trappers, and illusionists who watched the villages borders.

Ghislaine cracked a small smile at Chloe’s line. “I believe Leone’s story makes him out to be a wolf, no? Should I call him Cub, or Pup, I wonder?”

“A wolf trained by cats?” Leone commented with an amused raise of her brow.

An excited bloodlust spewed out of Yoru as she got lost in her imagination. “The wolf of Sakura Village? No, doesn’t have a nice ring to it.”

Chloe watched the three get worked up with a sweat drop but couldn’t resist commenting. “How about ‘The Nekoshou’s Wolf’? Nya, It’s more literal.”

Her three friends blinked at that, matched eyes, and grinned in unison as their blood sung in their veins, answered in tune by over a hundred other cats who felt the bloodlust and roused from their slumbers wondering what they were hunting.

That night, the wheels of fate turned, and a young wolf who had touched upon the first traces of his mysterious bloodline slept peacefully under the moonlight, unaware of the hellish training coming his way from individuals who would slowly forge themselves into the very pillars of support that would one day raise him high enough to reach the heavens above and tear out the very walls of reality that stood in his way.

Pillars that would shape him to become the wolf whose howl was heard throughout the world.

Pillars of family.

Something he never even knew he wanted.

“Oh~, by the way~, anyone decide whose gonna get that wine? I wanna bum a bottle.” Chloe’s not so innocent question froze two out of three cats in place while the third turned a murderous eye on the green eyed feline who knew exactly what she did and ran for the hills.

There was no rest for the wicked.

End.

Omake:

It was just another day for Joy, the panda maid in charge of Hei’s warehouse operation.

Sitting behind her desk, in her infinitely comfortable chair her young master had bought for her, she went over the paperwork organizing the warehouse for the umpteenth time.

Every day new products would be produced.

Every day she would bottle, box, or store them before adding their crates to the shelves.

Every day was fulfilling and satisfying, and she loved it. She loved her job, loved the role she had, and more than anything, she loved how caring and sweet her young master was.

She would do her best every day, not only for her own pride as a maid who would perform her duties to the highest possible level of ability, but also for him.

He could have created her and treated her like a slave, but rather he gave her sentience and asked for her opinion in all things. Never forcing her but asking what she wanted, how she was doing, and if she needed anything.

He gave her freely of the precious products produced, offered her vacation days to see her sisters who often traveled between safehouses to chat with her or invite her to their designated locations to relax in the hot springs and gossip.

The young master was a man of honor and strength, and she wanted to support him to the best of her ability without ever taking him for granted.

That wasn’t to say that some days couldn’t get tedious, though.

Today was a day like any other.

She woke up in her comfortable bed, did her morning yoga, made some green tea, sat outside on the high altitude ledge watching the sun rise over the horizon, and got ready for the day of work ahead of her.

The first step in the day was always the fruit trees. The springs would take some time to fill up, and she only had to switch the options on the fish for which to produce each day, but the fruits were the most numerous and took a few hours to get through with how random the selection was.

Some of them amused her with their randomness, others would baffle her ability to even remove them from a branch, and a rare few enticed her but never got past her strength of will to perform her duties.

But today something new appeared.

A pomegranate looking fruit appeared, plump and juicy, and looking immensely different from what had come before.

Swirls covered it’s form in odd patterns and an aroma wafted off it as she approached, overcoming any sense of self control she had and luring her in like a siren.

Her mouth watered, her eyes grew dull, and before she could come back to her senses, it was within her paw and being shoved into her jaw.

Joy froze at that moment.

Not just Joy, but space itself froze.

Time paused.

The fish in the pond went silent. The fountains of water and liquor springs were unable to move an inch.

The world had gone still for a single breath.

And then it breathed and the wind roared, knocking over crates, setting off car alarms, and shaking the foundations of the mountain the safehouse existed on.

Joy trembled as a heat blossomed in her stomach like an inferno, roaring through her limbs as the wind centralized on her in a mini tornado that grew in intensity.

Her eyes glowed silver and gold as water from the pond was pulled to her, fire ignited off her fur, and earth was pulled from the mountain, all rotating around her in protective rings as she transformed.

No.

As she ascended.

And then all at once, pressure like that of the surface of the sun appeared and flattened everything around her as a slit appeared on her forehead, cracking down the middle and opening to reveal a third eye.

A pure white kimono formed around her.

Yin-Yang symbols swirled through her fur.

Horns sprouted from her skull.

An evolution unseen before in the history of the world took place as a panda ascended to the divine.

Nay.

Beyond the divine.

A blood red eye spun in the center of her skull as black orbs materialized around her body like satellites.

In that single moment, Joy saw the secrets of the universe and beyond. She saw what was and wasn’t. What was within the dimensions, between, and beyond the event horizon. She traced it all the way back to the creator, floating in a white void and doing a spit take as a panda in a maid uniform locked onto it.

Joy’s paws contained all the power in a multiverse as she slapped them together with the force of thousands of nukes going off all at once.

Time broke. Space was shredded like paper. The world was erased.

All because reality couldn’t handle the emergence of such a grand, divine being.

Joy rose into the shattered space of what was once the very sky, gazing down on the so called ‘Great Heavens’ that ran the heavenly tribulation and ripped them apart with a simple gaze.

Her silver eyes gained decorated pupils of their own as lotus flowers blossomed inside, bringing with it the essence of purity and rebirth as a gong rang into existence.

Her three divine eyes took in the universe, the multiverse, and all that existed beyond.

From inside the sole solace of the Gap between dimensions, Ophis deadpanned at the panda, Big Red paused his backflips, and Trihexia found love at first sight.

But Joy cared not for their ant like existences and gathered her energy into her core, willing her desire into existence as space was restored, time re-started and reversed, and what had vanished came back into being once more.

The void restored itself, the clouds began connecting like normal, the mountain range filled in the cracks, the mountain restored itself to its usual state, the dimensional pocket warehouse returning to it’s state just as before, and her form slowly descending back to where she was before.

The destroyed objects restored themselves, the crates went back onto the shelves, and resource producing conjurations resumed their operations.

All was as it once was up until the moment directly before Joy bit into the fruit.

Except, now, the fruit was gone.

Joy looked around and nodded with a satisfied expression before reaching out a paw and removing another fruit, placing it into her collection basket and resuming her morning duties.

It was just another day for Joy, and the world went on as usual with no memory of what transpired.

All but three existences inside the Dimensional Gap frozen in place, wondering if what they had seen truly happened and realizing that nothing existed that could cast such an illusion on them.

However, even their memories suffered from gazing on such an existence.

Ophis had a strange memory of a glowing maid uniform.

Great Red suddenly realized it had a fear of panda’s it wouldn’t ever admit.

And Trihexia in its seal discovered the feeling of love but couldn’t recall who it was targeted toward.

Consequences would sprout from that day, but not for many, many years down the line until the realization of what truly happened is revealed.

All while the true existence, the one true creator who formed the multiverse of Highschool DxD, had a mental breakdown as one of the universes inside its multiverse was permanently highjacked and locked down by a panda maid of all things, leaving it locked out from meddling in fate to its wishes.

END.