Tumbling backwards, Leander stretched out his arm trying to grab onto the floor. His momentum slowing, Leander glared back up the path at the Yellow Fox. Holding his chest, Leander gritted his teeth.
'What was that? Definitely not anima.'
Yellow had returned to hopping from one foot to the other, shaking her hand. Her tone sounded excited, which reflected in her jumpy movements.
"Damn man, that hurt. What kind of armour are you wearing?"
'That hurt you?'
Rubbing his chest plate, Leander couldn't feel any damage to his armour.
'If I didn't have this, that punch would have shattered all my bones, ruptured my organs and killed me instantly.'
The Grey Fox remained where she was standing for a few moments before turning around.
"Yellow, I'm going to kill Riku. Don't take too long on this guy, I'll need your help to finish the Heir of the Land."
As Grey began walking away at a steady pace, she began moving faster, running back to Riku's home. Hearing this, Yellow absentmindedly waved back without looking.
"Sure, sure, Grey. I'll try not to take forever… totally."
Her head slowly turned to the bag Leander had dropped.
"Hey man, this was your bag, right? What's in it? Let's have a look."
Crouching next to the bag, Yellow reached for it – at the same time. Leander kicked off the ground, darting towards the Yellow Fox. His fist balled, Leander aimed for the Yellow Fox's centre mass. In one motion, Yellow sidestepped Leander's punch, following up with her own that connected with Leander's chin, causing him to stagger.
Watching him, Yellow snickered.
"Oh, oh, is that not enough to knock you down? So you're not just any pushover then."
Shaking his head, Leander rubbed his chin. Yellow's second punch wasn't as strong as her first, but it still hurt.
'It seems without being augmented by that lightning, her punches aren't as devastating. But I still shouldn't let her land too many.'
Not responding, Leander threw a second punch. The Yellow Fox dodged again, striking Leander's chest.
Leander and the Yellow Fox engaged in an exchange of strikes. Yet, no matter how fast he moved, no matter how many punches he threw, Yellow's speed surpassed anything Leander was currently able to pull off. Even without the lightning to increase her speed, Yellow was naturally nimble, weaving, ducking, and rolling. Whatever attack Leander tried, the Yellow Fox would evade and then answer it with her own fists, which always landed.
After the first dozen strikes on the chest plate of Leander's armour, the Yellow Fox grunted, shifting her attention to Leander's unarmoured head. No,w every second strike after strike connected with Leander's head.
"Damn! Can you just go down already!"
Another punch flew towards Leander's face. Instead of wasting time trying to evade it, Leander's lips twisted into a grin. Moments before Yellow's fist hit him, Leander swung his head forward, headbutting Yellow's fist.
The hit left Leander dazed. Had her strike been charged with lightning, Leander very well could have been killed right then and there.
Rubbing her knuckles, Yellow grinned beneath her mask.
"Hehe, starting to think outside of the box."
Shaking off the daze, Leander sighed, more annoyed at how long this was all taking than the fact someone was trying to kill him.
"Didn't your boss tell you not to take forever?"
"Hey! Grey is not my boss; we're partners!"
As Yellow spoke, Leander closed the distance between them, trying to punch her. Jumping, Yellow moved her feet to intercept the attack, using the force of Leander's punch to fly through the air. She performed a backflip before landing on the ground with a small flourish, holding her hands up.
"Anyway, yeah, you're probably right. Fighting you is kind of fun, but you're just durable. It's no fun when they don't fight back. For the fun you've given me, I'll finish you quickly."
Crouching slightly, the fabric of Yellow's clothes began to spark, her hair gently beginning to float from the static created by her lightning. Even her mask began to glow as the lightning built up within her.
Despite seeing her charging up, Leander couldn't help but smile.
"If it's a fight to the death, you should always go all out. Because you never know what cards the other person might have up their sleeve."
The Yellow Fox slowed, her playful tone growing hesitant as she paused.
"...What Soul Arms do you have that could hurt me?"
Leander, confused by her question, tilted his head.
"What's a Soul Arm?"
Grabbing the Yellow Fox from behind, Narina drove her knee into the back of her legs, forcing her to kneel. Yellow twisted and thrashed, but Narina, her wild purple hair whipping around her face, held firm, unrelenting. Sparks began to crackle as the Yellow Fox gathered her lightning, preparing to strike. But before she could unleash it, Leander surged forward, closing the distance in an instant.
His fist connected with Yellow's gut – all of Leander's might struck her unarmoured body, causing Yellow to gasp from the shock, her head hung low as she stopped moving.
"As I said, you should always go all out."
Glancing at Narina, Leander scowled.
"I thought I told you not to follow me?"
Narina smiled as she adjusted her grip on the limp Yellow Fox.
"When the other lady came to the house, that demon guy told me to come find you."
Rubbing his head again, Leander looked back towards the house.
"These foxes seem dangerous, and that Grey Fox was a lot more serious than this one… So Riku's in danger."
The Yellow Fox raised her head, her horse voice passing through her mask.
"Grey isn't the one in danger. You have no clue who that oni is…"
Yellow lightning covered the yellow fox's skin, passing through her clothes and then making contact with Narina, who was still tightly holding her. Narina's grip held for a few moments despite the pain that had begun to rack her body from the lightning. Only when the yellow fox threw her head backwards, striking Narina's nose, did the girl let go.
Standing, Yellow held her stomach where Leander had punched her.
"All out, huh… I'll remember that the next time we meet."
Turning, Yellow dashed towards the house. Lightning followed in her footsteps as she ran away.
Knowing he would have to chase after her, Leander moved towards Narina. Dropping to one knee, he rubbed her shoulder.
"Hey, hey, are you okay?"
It took Narina a moment to respond; small sparks of lightning lit up her hair.
"S… She was a thundercloud?"
Leander exhaled.
"You're fine. Can you stand?"
Staying on the cave floor for a few moments to breathe, Narina tried to stand. Breathing for a few moments, Narina tried to stand. Yet, despite her best efforts, the girl dropped to her knees. Looking up to Leander, she loosely smiled.
----
Blood slowly dripped off the tip of Riku's odachi. Smoke filled the space surrounding Riku's home. Taking the smoking pipe from his lips, Riku slowly shook his head as he disapointedly looked into the smoke as it began to clear, revealing the Grey Fox standing a dozen feet in front of him.
Grey was not looking so well, clutching her left arm – a bloody stump where her forearm used to be.
"I'm saddened. Really, Grey, just yourself? Where's that plucky little sidekick of yours? She's the frontline fighter to keep up with me. You're supposed to play more of a supporting role since you're so slow. That could have made this somewhat challenging. What are the Kitsune even doing in Ozaria? Our homeland has been sealed off for centuries. Did you two come here just to see little old me?"
Grey's voice was cold as she answered.
"You're as arrogant as ever, Riku. You're not the only one the Elikeen Council has marked for death, you, your sister and Stormwind, all of your days are numbered. When Yellow is finished dealing with whoever that was, your friend you sent into the caves. She's taking her time like always, but I'm sure she will be finished any moment now. Then you're as good as dead."
Hearing this, Riku simply chuckled.
"And I'm arrogant… That Hero might not be as strong as he used to be, but he's not destined to die here."
Flicking the blood off of his blade, Riku rested it against his shoulder as he looked up to the sky.
"No, I doubt he'll find his second death for a long time. Be pushed to his limits, sure; feel as if he is dying, sure. Heck, maybe he will die again, but one death wasn't enough for that man… dare I call him a man. I still vividly remember the stories my grandfather told of that man, the monster that kept the peace by slaying all who would ruin it. Grey, if you value your life, your ability to exist. You should strike him down, gather all of your Kitsune, bring the White Fox out of her divine paradise and crush him whilst he is still weak. Because if you fail now."
His head still tilted upwards, Riku's eyes slowly looked down on the Grey Fox. A large sneer spread across his lips.
"The legend of the Hero of Peace will be renewed across the stars."
Grey gritted her teeth as she listened to Riku's monologue. As Riku finished, Grey glanced down at her severed forearm on the floor. A wistful sigh escaped her lips as the black fur of her coat slowly began to move across the stump, staunching the wound.
Staggering from what blood she had lost, Grey shook her head.
"What utter nonsense… Are you trying to scare me with an old legend? How could the Hero of Peace ever return? He died long before the Lich Queen caused the dead to become so restless. Either way, your time is up, Heir of the Land."
Riku was about to make another mocking remark when he felt something moving through what was left of the smoke. His odachi flashed, connecting with the Yellow Fox's fist, a loud bang resounded as Yellow's fist met Riku's blade. As Riku attempted to follow up his block with a horizontal slash, Yellow dashed back, joining Grey's side.
Yellow was silent as she saw Grey's severed arm.
Seeing Yellow had finally returned, Grey laughed.
"Haha, how is that for your 'Hero of Peace' to be cut down by one fox."
As Grey waited for Riku's response, Yellow quietly muttered.
"He's not dead."
Grey's head quickly turned to the Yellow Fox, seeing Yellow clutching her stomach. Grey opened her lips to speak, but Yellow quietly answered the question before Grey had the chance to ask it.
"I was about to finish him… When some Beast-Kin got me from behind, he landed a clean punch on me before I could get free."
Grey glared at Riku, and then, looking back to Yellow, Grey sighed.
"Yellow… Let's go."
Turning to her companion, Yellow balled her fists.
"What! Why, we can still-"
As she shouted, Yellow suddenly staggered to the side, losing her balance. A large limb stretched out of the fur of the grey fox's coat, catching Yellow. Grey's fingers tightened around her arm, shaking her head. Muttering to herself.
"The Hero of Peace… and the Heir of the Land…"
Without another word, the Grey fox turned away quickly. Grey's fur coat moved, enveloping both foxes and turning into a feline beast as they moved away from the fight, disappearing into the woods that surrounded Riku's home.
Watching the Yellow and Grey fox leave, Riku waited until they had disappeared into the forest surrounding his home before lowering his odachi. Hearing footsteps to his side, Riku smiled, seeing Leander appear around the side of his home. Carrying the bag under one arm and an unconscious Narina in the other.
Leander's brow furrowed,d seeing the severed forearm lying on the floor.
"My mistake, I thought you needed help."