"WHOOAAAA!' Felis' aptly swift afterimages surrounded Canis as she exclaimed out in wonder. Canis on the other hand just remained still as she ignored the figure dashing about her, her face as expressionless as it had been since she was born.
Ivan had tried to get her into less revealing clothing but alas it seemed that just like Felis, Canis preferred clothing that didn't restrict her movements. She wore a black tube top that only covered her abundant breasts with detachable beige sleeves that adorned her arms, other than that she wore baggy pants that shared the same color as her sleeves along with a matching scarf and brown boots.
Now that he thought about it, the Haulia were rather shameless in their clothing as well. Thinking back on Verbergen, the beastmen that lived there were mostly composed of scantily clothed animal folk.
He wrote down that exhibitionism accompanied those with animal-like features in his little notebook while making sure that no one saw him, a serious expression adorning his face all the while. Ivan turned his head over his shoulder to lock eyes with Tio, who had been leaning over him in curiosity. She shivered before holding her body in ecstasy, the glare Ivan had sent her from having his notes read inspired lust rather than fear.
Sighing, Ivan added another line to his notes: "Those with animal-like features (including reptilians) also seem to possess an abnormal sense of pervertedness." While it may have been a bit rude to generalize an entire species over his disgust of his companion, he felt like it wasn't necessarily a negative thing to point out.
Thousands of kilometers away, a rabbit girl subconsciously twitched her ears before looking off into the distance.
"W-Was there a problem with my report, Shea-sama…?" Shea turned her head to look at this speaking figure, her face cold before closing her eyes and sighing. She put her hand against her furrowed brows before waving her free hand dismissively.
"No, no, continue on with your report. Hmph, I just couldn't help but feel that someone was speaking ill of me… But in any case Iva- I mean Paracelsus shall be returning soon right?"
po"U-Um, I suppose…" The figure was a new member to the Haulia force, a recruit whose first duty was to monitor and report what's been happening at the borders of the Sea of Trees. This was the first time ever that they saw their leader show an expression other than disappointment or seriousness, instead what adorned her face was a faint smile accompanying ravenous excitement.
They had only heard of Ivan from stories. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was a living god among the Haulia, worshiped both inside and outside the clan as a diety. So while this figure knew of his existence, they had no idea whether he'd be returning or not. In trepidation they answered hesitantly what they believed would please the head chieftain.
"The day HE returns to conquer our dungeon is soon upon us. In preparation of that we must train as hard as we can so we can be of use to him when the time comes. It is our duty to ensure this dungeon is protected until that day…" Shea stood up from her throne as the coat she adorned of monster fur hung loose from her shoulders, the two handed great hammer in her other hand firmly placed on the ground.
"Yes, ma'am!" Rather than hesitation the recruit this time spoke with confidence. As to not let the Haulia down, as to thank them for taking them in, they would put their best foot forward and do what needed to be done for the sake of the clan.
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"Achoo!" Ivan brushed his nose after a sudden sneeze escaped his person.
"...Are you sick?" Yue rested her palm on Ivan's chest as she looked up at him with concern. Ivan on the other hand just laughed aloud as he picked her up and brought her to one of the training rooms underground.
"Me? Sick? Hmph, it'd be a disgrace to all of my resistances if I ended up catching some common cold. Maaa~ I'm sure it was just someone talking of me. As for whether they were good or bad words… Fufufu~ I'd like to see if they'd say the same things in front of me."
Yue smiled brightly as she nodded as if to agree with his words. If she were to discover anyone talking ill of him then she'd obliterate the person long before Ivan could discover it happened.
He rubbed her head fondly before opening the door to the training room. Immediately the two were hit by a gust of wind as Yue quickly set up a barrier to block the dirt and sand kicked their way.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Fists collided as two blurs tore the earth beneath them with each step. To prove her seniority to her little sister Felis challenged Canis to a duel. The expressionless lioness only remained silent as she was dragged to the training grounds.
Ivan only smiled at their interaction before going to fetch Yue so they could watch this battle together, which leads us to now.
BANG BANG BANG
While Felis had been around longer than Canis let us not forget that Canis was forged from the soul of a stronger monster. That accompanied with her momentum based strength made her a force not to be reckoned with. To make it an even fight Felis allowed Canis to get warmed up before she got serious.
The rules were quite simple, in fact there was only one rule: no claws allowed. Tails were an exception. While Ivan would rather have these siblings not literally tear each other apart he left it up to them to create boundaries. There was always a bit of fear in him that they wouldn't hesitate to try to kill each other because of their faux immortality, that was mostly the reason he decided to watch over their match… well, that and it seemed to make for some good entertainment.
Canis' hands transformed into that of a lion's, muscles all over her body bulked up as she ran up to Felis without an ounce of emotion on her face. Her eyes glistened with a cruel gold and her tail wrapped tightly around her waist. The ground beneath her exploded with each pounce.
Felis on the other hand grinned mischievously. Her feline eyes squinted with excitement, their blue color shining as a grin adorned her face. Two little fangs protruded from her mouth. But rather than charging in like Canis she stood still defensively, her arms to her waist while her left leg stood before her right.
In a matter of seconds, they collided—
BANG!
The two exchanged blow to blow, Felis nonchalantly deflecting each strike before jabbing a few times in retaliation. Canis struck each move with intent, her serious expression never fading. Seeing that straight forward blows weren't going to get her anywhere, she unleashed the same move that had caught Ivan off guard.
Canis' tail flung forward like a spring as it unwrapped itself from her waist. Panic traced Felis' face right before it came into contact with her abdomen. However a millisecond before she got hit a grin formed from her lips, it was only a millisecond and yet even Canis had caught it.
A foreboding sense of danger erupted in her heart, she attempted to slow down her tail out of caution but it was too late—
THUD!
Because of her revealing clothing her abdomen was left out in the open for all to see. Before challenging Canis to a match Felis had asked Ivan for details regarding their first encounter. He described the first fight they had as she nodded intently to each word. Ivan smiled fondly as he inwardly praised her for her diligence. In the end he agreed to her request of allowing her to briefly copy his 'Diamond Skin' skill as a reward for using her brain.
Since the only rule was to not rely on claws she had no reservations on using the skill that enhanced her defense. For the first time ever, surprise shone in Canis' eyes as her tail came in contact with a thick mass of mana. She was so distracted that she didn't even notice the first that was hurtling toward her face.
BANG!
"Focus on the fight! Your enemy will resort to underhanded tricks in a life or death fight, don't blame me for deceiving you. Blame yourself for not asking more questions!"
Felis' words ignited a small fire in Canis' heart. Though the emotions that brewed were not motivation nor enlightenment, instead for the first time ever she got pissed off. Her brows were slightly furrowed but that was enough for Ivan to infer that, an amused smile hung from his lips as his quiet laughter slightly frightened Yue.
A gold light enshrouded her body as she lunged toward Felis with a strength twice as strong as before. Though expending the energy in her mana crystal meant she would take longer to heal and the inevitability of shortening the fight due to low energy reserves, what she wanted to do right now was wipe the smirk on Felis' face.
BANG BANG BANG!
This time Felis couldn't afford to be nonchalant, her back arched back subconsciously as the flurry of jabs from Canis was starting to put strain on her stance. As good as her copy skill was, it only worked with one skill or magic at a time, another prerequisite being that she sees the thing she wants to copy right in front of her. Neither Yue nor Ivan were going to do anything, and the only skill in front of her was Canis' momentum based one. However, it would seem that she was incapable of copying even that.
She relied on the Diamond Skin skill to hold her own, unlike Canis she was not suited for hand to hand combat. Felis had been taught by Ivan but that was more so focused on the use of her claws, which she couldn't use right now.
Felis attempted to copy Canis' use of her tail, instead lunging it out toward her eye rather than her abdomen. Unfortunately for her, she severely underestimated the speed of Canis, a palm firmly grasping the end of her tail before it was yanked on strongly.
Felis winced in pain before she felt the floor beneath her disappear, the moment she reopened her eyes she found herself meters up in the air. It would have been easy for her to land safely, however Canis knew better than to allow her opponent to reorientate themself.
Before Felis could readjust the small speck that was Canis suddenly became large in her eyes, in the distance she spotted the earth beneath them explode and leave behind a crater. A fist dove right through her stomach, leaving behind a trail of blood in the air.
BANG!
A flare followed them into the air, signaling the end of the fight.This was Ivan's one condition, a lethal blow would be considered the decision maker.
"Canis wins!"
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That was a fun little chapter. To tell the truth, I actually haven't written anything in a week. I've been quite busy job hunting, and unfortunately I have brought nothing to fruition... Though thankfully I prepared for such a situation and that has been all what you guys have been seeing: chapters reserved for emergency situations.
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