Falling Leaves 22 ??

  (IN FORêT SANS ?ME - Forest without Soul)

  Ari and Peter continue to fight Kitsuna.

  Ari's gi is ripping on top, her left sleeve completely ripped, her arm stained with blood. She continues to swing her tail, trying to stab Kitsuna.

  Peter slashes with his sword trying to catch Kitsuna off guard, the tip grazes her skin.

  "Shit!" Kitsuna grunts as she loses her balance avoiding the blades

  Ari pounces in the air, as her nails turn to claws.

  Kitsuna instantly turns her head to her, pupils dilating.

  She forces herself to roll over as she falls. Using all her body weight.

  As she rolls Ari's claws sink into the dirt missing.

  "Tch—-" Ari grunts as she keeps her claws in the ground, propelling herself to a handstand.

  She extends her tail making it sharper, slamming it down to where Kitsuna rolls.

  At that moment Peter clenches his sword as instinctively he runs towards Kitsuna as Ari's tail crashes down.

  "Even if she dodges it, I can land a slash! She can't dodge twice in a row!"

  The monstrous Soul Tree eyes then lock onto the three, the green energy radiating from them turning red.

  Frowns and looks of fear contort on their faces.

  Ari's tail slams on Kitsuna "AHHUGH!" She shrieks.

  Peter takes this moment to leap as Kitsune is in shock and pain, aiming his blade for her head.

  "It's over!"

  "This cut will kill this thing!"

  As Peter closes in the small window of a second, time slows for Kitsuna,

  "No—- No—- I can't die like this—-" Her voice, no longer warped, no longer splintered just her. Clear, terrified.

  "Malika—- please, I pray—- May your love save me!"

  "PLEASE!"

  As Peter is inches away from decapitating her.

  A vine wraps around his leg, as whispers fill his head "Le Démon écarlate (The Scarlet Demon)—- where is Fille de la mort (Girl of Death)?"

  "Huh?!" He grunts in shock as the vine flicks him away from Kitsuna. His sword drops, stabbing the dirt.

  Ari retracts her tail as the vines wrap around her as well, confining her "What the hell!"

  They start to squeeze her "Gwah!" Blood erupts from her mouth.

  Peter scrapes on the ground as dust clouds of dirt surround him, his armor smashed and breaking apart.

  "Damn—-" he hisses.

  Kitsuna lays on her back, watching the vines rush past her as they wrap around Peter.

  "She answered—- she answered my prayers! Oh thank you Malika I knew your love was the greatest!"

  L'abeille's voice cuts in "To use Malika's love in such a way, you believe you can only call out to it when it's convenient?"

  Loud buzzing fills the area, as Kitsuna looks above her seeing L'abeille float looking down at everyone.

  "Who are you? Are you the one who saved me?" Kitsuna asks, picking up her head.

  The buzzing from L'abeille flapping her wings continues.

  "Saved? No I wouldn't call it that, it's more like I'm retrieving what I'm here for."

  "Tell me creature, I heard you say something about Malika's love, are you a follower?"

  Kitsuna tries to stand "Y-es well—- I'm fairly new to the entire religion. I've been trying to gain her love. I want to feel it."

  L'abeille tilts her head "Interesting—- you want to feel Malika's love do you."

  "So this senseless violence you were participating in, you do know that's against what she stands for."

  "Ugh—-" Kitsuna grunts "And who are you? The high priestess of Malika?! I said I'm trying to find it, I didn't ask for you to question or pass judgement on me!"

  Silence fills the air for a second as the leaves blow, and bugs chirp, the sound of debris falling on the ground echoes.

  L'abeille chuckles "Well, who am I? Let's just say I'm very close to Garde royale (Royal Guard) Malika. The very one you and I praise."

  "As for being a priestess, Oui (Yes) you can call me that. As I am responsible for finding the right spirits to convert."

  She then points at Kitsuna "Creatures like you who roam Bois Maudits (Cursed Woods), cursed, lost and faithless."

  Kitsuna grits her teeth "I don't need condescension from you! You're not Malika! You're no savior!"

  L'abeille lands in front of Kitsuna as she reaches her arm out.

  "Correct, I am not the savior of the Bois Maudits (Cursed Woods), nor will I ever claim to be."

  "But I will convert the cursed to the light, as that is my duty. So if you truly want Malika's love, take my hand and join me."

  Kitsuna spits "I refuse! After hearing this, seeing you, I'm not sure it's worth it! I'll find it on my own, not because some self-righteous prick told me to."

  "What a shame—-" L'abeille whispers.

  "You choose to stay cursed. So your fate is sealed then."

  Golden goo starts to seep out of L'abeille's pores from her hand as it drips on Kitsuna's body.

  "Stop! What are you doing!?" Kitsuna scrambles on the ground.

  L'abeille flicks her wrist as the golden goo splashes on Kitsuna, drenching her.

  Kitsuna starts to scream as her body starts to blister and melt, her screams radiate through the entire area, the sound of it making the bugs' chirping silent.

  Ari's ears twitch hearing Kitsuna's agony. She slowly opens one eye as she watches her skin melt.

  The dust around Peter disappears as Kitsuna's screams make his body tense as he's being wrapped "What's going on!"

  Kitsuna's body reflects off L'abeille's rose colored eyes, as she watches her melt, the sound of skin popping, Kitsuna's skeleton starts to show.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  "Que ceux qui rejettent le salut retournent à la poussière, comme les os des maudits retournent à leur origine. Ceux qui rejettent l'amour et mènent une vie mauvaise resteront dans un sommeil éternel. (May those who reject salvation return to dust, as the bones of the cursed return to where they came. Those who reject love and live a life of wickedness shall remain in eternal slumber.)"

  She turns her back to Kitsuna as her screams stop, "Dust to dust."

  She then taps her foot as the vines instantly throw Peter and Ari in front of her.

  Both of them groan as Ari pants for breath.

  Peter looks up at L'abeille "Who are you? Why are you attacking us?"

  L'abeille smiles "Fascinating, so you're the boy with the golden ring around his head."

  "May I ask what that is?" She crouches down trying to touch it.

  As her fingers reach it, they just phase through.

  "So it's not a solid object. Is it some kind of magic?"

  Peter struggles to stand "Is that it?! You attack us because you're interested in my halo?!"

  "You could have just asked about it you know!"

  L'abeille chuckles "Well, that wasn't the only reason I'm here."

  "I'm here because you two harbor a certain Death Spirit I need to retrieve."

  "So let's please make this easy for all of us here, and tell me where she's at."

  "So she's here for the girl? What the hell does this place have against her?!" He thinks to himself.

  "No—- I don't trust this lady—-".

  He speaks up "We don't know anything about a Death Spirit, just leave us alone!"

  L'abeille sighs "Lying won't get you anywhere boy, I already know you have her. Now tell me where she's at."

  "And since I do need you alive, let's make things fair here. I'll spare your fox friend's life if you concede."

  Peter clenches dirt in his fist "You think I'll just let you burst in here and tell me what to do!"

  "You'll have to kill all of us before you get any information out of me!"

  He stands up instantly pulling his fist back, ready to swing it.

  "I've never been the man to sell out my friends and allies! So you're shit out of luck! And especially never to monsters!"

  L'abeille continues to smile "Oh well." She says in a sweet voice.

  Peter throws his punch straight for her face.

  L'abeille calmly places her palm on the chest plate of his armor as she slowly moves her head out the way of his punch.

  In that instant his armor shatters, bursting into fragments that scatter across the dirt. His torso is left bare, flesh exposed.

  "Gwahhh!" Peter chokes, the impact hurling him backward. Dust erupts as he slams into the ground.

  "It seems like you're choosing the difficult option here." L'abeille says dusting her hands.

  "Difficult for you, to better word it. Still easy for me."

  "Damn—- damn you—-" Peter coughs.

  Ari opens her eyes as she lies in front of L'abeille's feet.

  "P-Peter—-"

  "I have to intervene—- he can't fight this—-"

  L'abeille looks down at Ari "Well Bonjour (Hello) Fox. Glad you're awake, now can you tell me where the Death Spirit is?"

  "If you do I'll give you a painless conversion to Malika's love. You won't have to die."

  Ari grits her teeth "Y-ou-You're insane—- I would never join a hellish cult like that!"

  "A shame. Well, then you willingly choose to stay cursed which means."

  L'abeille turns to the skeleton of Kitsuna "You'll share a similar fate to the one turned to dust."

  In her mind Ari forces herself to think positive thoughts "Ignore the pain! Ignore the fatigue! Think happy Ari! Think happy!"

  "Think about a good time of your childhood—- yes with Shun—- learning magic for the first time—-"

  "The way he was proud of me—-"

  Her eyes burst open, as golden goo already forms from L'abeille's hands once more.

  "Baburu Kōsen!" She shouts as a giant bubble appears in front of her and L'abeille.

  She's blown back by the sudden pressure, as L'abeille slides back still on her feet.

  "A bubble?" L'abeille whispers to herself.

  Ari rolls next to Peter as she digs her claws in the dirt to catch herself.

  She quickly grabs onto him as she aims another bubble at the Tree Cabin.

  She fires it as it quickly shoots, latching itself on top of the broken door.

  She grips her palm, as they instantly transport in front of the door.

  L'abeille blinks slowly witnessing Ari and Peter disappear. "She can teleport?"

  She then turns and looks up the hill at Ari holding Peter.

  "Is this her big plan? To teleport herself on top of a hill? Not even remotely out of my proximity—-"

  She smirks "Fox! You really go against the saying that foxes are clever don't you?"

  She begins to giggle "Moving what? A small distance as if I can't just walk up that hill and grab you two?"

  Ari shakes Peter to wake him up "Get a grip! And grab the Reaper now! Hurry!"

  Peter instantly opens his eyes as he tries to walk through the pain "Fine—- I don't know what you're planning.. but I trust you!"

  He limps inside the tree cabin as he jumps to Danya's body, not wasting another second trying to walk.

  Splinters from the wooden floor impale his skin as he skids across it.

  "Shit!" He hisses in pain holding onto Danya.

  "I got her!"

  Ari takes a deep breath, as she threads two fingers of her right hand through the gap of her left, locking them in a tight grasp.

  Her hair starts to flow, "Bon'yari to shita kiri (Hazy Mist)."

  White fog starts to radiate from her quickly covering the surrounding area.

  L'abeille continues to giggle "A smokescreen now?"

  She sprouts her wasp wings as buzzing roars from them as they flap.

  "A simple fix to blow it away right?"

  On top of the hill Ari looks back at Peter before the mist covers him as she fires a small bubble attaching to his skin.

  Ari then opens her mouth quickly as she begins to hum into a bubble, as she grabs the bubble and throws it at Peter.

  As it pops Peter's eyes widen, as he nods.

  Another pop is heard as the fog dissipates, L'abeille stands there shocked as she sees Peter standing in front of her holding Danya on his back.

  "Well, turning yourself in? So all those theatrics were just a waste of time."

  Peter grunts looking down at the ground.

  "And I wonder where your fox friend went? Don't tell me she ran away just leaving you here."

  "Some friend—-"

  She walks toward Peter as she grabs him using goo to bind them together.

  She starts to flap her wings once more with more pressure as dust bursts from the ground. The buzzing roars even louder.

  "Two of the targets acquired."

  She instantly flies with the two leaving Forêt sans ame (Forest without Soul).

  In her wake Ari pokes her head out of the tree cabin, holding Danya's body.

  "That illusion should last for only an hour—- her senses are overwritten—-".

  A flashback of when she was humming into the bubble plays in her head.

  "You need to go with her! I gave you a bubble for when you need it, pop it and you'll transport right back to me. The Reaper is their main target!"

  "This mist I created overwhelms the five senses of spirits. I'll make an illusion of the Reaper, while you fake carrying her!"

  As she returns to reality, aching courses through her body.

  Her vision blurs, as she vomits blood.

  "Now I just need to make it to the village in one piece—-"

  Her legs start to shake, as she can barely walk having exhausted herself.

  "No—-" she stumbles in the Tree Cabin opening the drawers trying to find anything she can use to give her more time to move.

  She falls over barely catching herself by digging her claws into the wooden drawer.

  She spots a cabinet by the paintings, as she drags herself to it.

  She opens it and finds a glass bottle with a green liquid inside of it. Wrapped in paper with the word "Guérir (Heal)." And the number 10%.

  She quickly grabs it not knowing what the word means and drinks it anyway.

  Sparkles radiate off her skin, as she stumbles back. She gags at the taste of it, mold and medicine mixed.

  "Just—- a few more miles—-" her vision blurs more as she loses her balance.

  "Just—- a—-"

  She falls over as blood runs down her head and arms, leaking on the floor.

  "Miles.." her eyes grow heavy as she tries to crawl to Danya.

  "Ari." She hears someone call out, a raspy voice of a man.

  She opens one eye to look up, she sees a small old man, with short grey hair and grey fox ears similar to hers.

  The tip of his left ear is chipped off, his eyes are crinkled, he's hunched over holding a wooden stick as a cane.

  "Shun—-" she whispers.

  As the light seeps through the blasted hole of the tree highlighting his silhouette.

  "Rest." He says in a soft tone as Ari's eyes grow heavy.

  The silhouette disappears.

  Ari shuts her eyes as she succumbs to her injuries.

  She lays unconscious as wind blows her hair gently.

  END