The bck-furred weasels I anded bounded over the rooftops, staves in hand. The Seelie weaselkin turned from where they were b us to react to this hreat but they were too te, as wood smmed into them with bone-crushing force. The squeals of the dying weasels rang out, shortly before they burst iher, which I absorbed and verted to aether to make sure I repared for anything.

  “Right, now for the hard bit…” I muttered to myself as my bck-furred elites cmbered down from the buildings they had just cleared of foes. “…time to attack the park.”

  Gathering my weaselkin around me I looked at the open gap before the park. It wasn’t long, but charging without cainst a Kamaitachi… there would certainly be casualties. I just have to really hope there is only one of them. If there are several we are going to be shredded by their wind bsts before we even reach them…

  For a brief moment I sidered calling off the assault and waiting until I had built up stronger forces and more defences in my Territory, but I quickly discarded that idea. It was a mistake to assume that the ‘princess’ the other weaselkin had referred to would be stupid enough to attack before she had made adequate preparations herself, thus it would just turn into an arms race, one I wasn’t sure I could win. No, it was best to try and end it here, while I had momentum.

  “All forces, attack!” I ordered, brandishing my spear. As they raced forwards, the lesser weaselkin in front, me in the tre and my elites on the fnk, attacks started flying towards us. The front two weaselkin were shredded apart in an instant, billowing bdes of wind effortlessly slig them down. Aaggered and fell, struck by slung rocks.

  As expected. They are here…

  The sickle-weasel was standing on top of a climbing frame, grinning menagly, long fangs exposed. Around it were gathered a dozen lesser weaselkin, armed with what looked like slings. As I raced forwards and crossed into the park they unleashed more rocks, felling another of my weasels and wounding another. As it turned iher I tried to absorb it, but only mao take a portion, as the rest evaporated into the air. I suddenly felt sluggish, my aether slowly leaking from me.

  Damn, invading other Territories is hard! It was no wonder I mao fight off the Seelie weaselkin before, support from a Territory was definitely powerful.

  More of my weasels exploded iher as the wind flehem. If I didn’t do something now the attack would fail. If the weaselkin weren’t degraded versions they might have already turo flee. As yet another fell, sin by the slinging weaselkin, I trated aether and surged forwards, moving at arming speed, or at least that was what I tried to do…

  I felt aether flow from me, more than it would normally have required, but the speed I achieved, while fast, was barely half of what I had intended. I had leapt free from the pay weasels, but instead of reag my foe and stabbing the spear in I was left exposed a half dozeres in front of the Kamaitachi. Oh shit. That didn’t go as pnned.

  The sickle-weasel snickered, fangs glinting in the dark light of the lower Astral. “You were foolish to believe you could defeat me, first servant of our-our princess.”

  With that it shed out with its sickles and wind flew at me, glowing a baleful green. I hurled myself to the side, using some aether to give me a boost, but it was too slow, and the wind sliced into me. I raised the shaft of my spear to block, and it diverted some of the impact, but cold paihrough me, silvery blood fshing into the air, only to be blown away by the rushing wind.

  “Die-die, you vermin!” the sickle-weasel ted, shing out with one leg. Scythes of wind rushed at me as I staggered to my feet. The impact shook me, and I coughed blood. However the impact that should have split me in half was endurable, and I used the momentum to throw myself towards the foe. Behind me my other weaselkin had rushed in and were engaging the slingers.

  Rolling to my feet I thrust with my spear, driving the sickle-weasel back. It hopped away with a look of anger on its face. “You should be dead-dead. How did… wait, the wind…” It gred at me in shock. I followed its gaze and saw that the wind energy I had absorbed from the previous Kamaitachi I had sin was cirg arou must have diffused the blow. I guess my Fortuat kicked in on that one, lucky… I felt sick at just how close I’d e to serious injury, or eveh…

  “You won’t be so lucky as to escape again-again.” It hissed, preparing to sh out.

  “Oh yeah?” I retorted, spear leaving my hand, hurled at she, guided by aether. It buried itself deep into the arm of the sickle-weasel, causing it to miss with its wind scythes, the bst shredding one of my weasels, as well as the allied weaselkin it was fighting. As it reared ba pain I leapt forwards, uhing a club I had tied at my waist that we had gathered from the previous battles. It whistled down, striking the Kamaitachi on its other arm which it used to hastily block. I felt the impact spread through my own arms, and it squawked in surprise, spittle dreng me.

  It shed out with a foot cw, but I saw it ing and swung away, dodging the bst that tore up the ground, sendih flying everywhere. Another blow shed into it as it hopped away.

  “I’ll kill-kill you!” it raged, causio smile.

  “No you won’t.” I merely said, as suddenly a pair of my bck-furred Elites broke through and hammered it with their long staves. The sound of g bone could be heard as it fell limp to the ground, silver and red blood pooling underh it.

  Sorry, but my pn to buy time for my weaselkin to mop up the enemy and reinforce me was a success. Around me I could see that the other enemies had beeed. All that was left was for me to finish this foe. I strode over and yanked my spear out, ign its gre as I thrust downwards and dispersed it into a glowing host of ether, of which I collected all I could to replenish myself. In addition mreen wind energy swirled around me, drawn from the fallen Kamaitachi.

  Looking around I had lost a dozen of my lesser weaselkin, about half of my numbers, but all of the Elites were still there. As time passed my Spawning Spire would top up the numbers, but I couldn’t t oing more than one or two more before the battle was over. I would have to deploy my forces more carefully. Still, I had ered the park aed the biggest obstacle so far, so there was a ce of victory.

  “Gather the slings and suitable rocks.” I ordered some of my troops. The extra ratacks would be useful. Against a Kamaitachi we would just be sughtered, but against ordinary weaselkin every foe we could drop at range was a huge help.

  a couple of weaselkin to take point, we advanced in formation, me just behind the front-runners, a cluster of bck-furred Elites around me. As roached the climbing frame I could see what looked like a tunnel heading into the ground, the entrance dark and foreboding, the edges shimmering with a green glow that somehow shed no light oerior. As I approached it I could feel the rate of drain of my aether slowly increasing. I guess this is where their princess lurks. If she is strohan a sickle-weasel this will be one hell of a fight…

  Swallowing down my fears I followed my weasels into the darkness. There was a strange sensation in the base of my stomaear where my White Cord and Chakra node was, a weird hollow wrench, and then I was in a lohen corridor, the walls lit by faintly glowing orbs of green and purple. As I passed the green orbs faint flickers of light pulled off them, joining the green swirls around me, dimming the orbs slightly. I had little time to ponder what this meant however, as from up ahead a mob of weaselkin armed with crude spears and rusted knives had appeared, led by a huge bck-furred weasel carrying a heavy looking axe, the crest moon of the bde glinting menagly.

  “Kill-kill all who ihe home of our princess!” it bellowed, brandishing the axe with a flourish. Before it could charge I gestured, and my weaselkin began slinging with their stones, and the couple that had bows loosed a few arrows. They weren’t skilled, the arrows missing the lead weaselkin, though one did strike down one behind him, pierg its throat, but luckily the cave was narrow, so many of the rocks did strike home. O him right in the skull, staggering him, and I used that opportunity to lead the charge. I barrelled into the huge foe before he could regain his senses, my spear gouging deep, and he burst apart in a short-lived flurry of ether, which was absorbed into the air. My spear swung, and it bit into another weaselkin, causing it to stagger, before one of my ow with a blow from its stave.

  “Damn…” I said iween gasps for breath as the weight of our charge pushed back the enemy, er bck-furred Elites overp the smaller, weaker ehat barred our path. “I should be pying this like an RTS, but all I do is run around like an a RPG…” It was frighteni exhirating, and I now uood why people eheme parks, what with their scary rollercoasters and stuff. Maybe I’ll take my sis to a park when I go home over the summer, though that would probably mean going to the city… oh wait, no time fetting distracted. Besides, I’ve thought stuff like this before… Cws raked at my fad I barely swung back to avoid it, knowing I’d have been stabbed if I hadn’t trained my body hard these st few days. I shed out with a kid felt bone give uhe blow. Damn, being strong is addictive. It’s like levelling up and grinding stats, just with real life progress to show for it. Damn, is this how normies feel when they go to the gym or do sports? I was getting distracted again by silly thoughts and barely avoided a biting mouth. Crag down with the shaft of my spear I dropped the foe, stepping over it as my other weasels fi.

  The battle was soon over, with our overwhelming victory. I was feeling exhausted so had to vert more of my ether stock to aether. Unfortunately I had barely gained any from the battle, despite crushing the weaselkin in front of me. Unfortunately, the bigger problem was that my mi wandering in battle. Sooner or ter that was going to e. I guess I don’t have the warrior instinct. Maybe doing some sort of martial art in a proper dojo would help me with that…? Daming distracted again. I o focus…

  Clutg my spear tightly, I martialled my troops and tinued my exploration. There were several more skirmishes fought against enemy weaselkin, but all ended in our victory. The st skirmish cost us a few of my weaselkin as well as one of my Elites, as it was an ambush where they had dug some pits and lihem with wooden stakes, as well as hiding in a hollow wall, but luckily with my aid and our superior numbers we prevailed. After this we advanced more cautiously, and fortunately were bolstered by the arrival of another couple of weaselkin who had made it here after being spawned by my spawning spire. It took some time, but eventually we came across a wide open cavern, brightly lit by green and purple orbs, in the tre of which was a small, blond-furred weasel, surrounded by swirls of green energy and dozens of faintly glowing balls of rippling, nearly invisible transparent light, seated on a rge wooden chair, somewhat remi of a pin throne. Beside her air e bck-furred weasels, and another Kamaitachi.

  I guess this is the prihen? The blond weaselkin looked more femihahers, with a leaner body and a softer face.

  As if to answer me the weasel lifted a gss from the small table beside her chair and took a long swig from the tents. As she pced the gss back down she gred at me and spat out bitter words.

  “Wele, uninvited guests. You must-must five me for not-not being happy to see you.” she scowled, her pale amber eyes hard. “You have killed many-many of my kin, proud members of the Seelie Court, servants of me of noble blood. I must-must appud your bravery, even as I ment your deeds. But this ends now-now, you and all the abominations, soulless husks-husks you have brought with you shall perish here and now-now, and my kin shall return reborn, knowing we have sin-sin you vile interlopers.”

  “Well, I’m sorry for your losses.” I said, feeling a twinge of sadness at the obvious pain she was feeling. “However you started it by attag my Territory first. But I don’t see why this has to end with one side dying. Couldn’t we e to some sort of alliance, or even just a ceasefire? We could respect each other’s Territories?”

  “Insolence!” roared the Kamaitachi, but he was stopped by a raised paw from the princess.

  “You would expect me, a daughter of the most-most noble Prince Shaetanao of the Seelie Court, to accept an alliah someone so base-base? Your madness astounds even-even me. Were it not-not for the fight against that oaf Grulgor and his Trolls, plus-plus the stalemate against the Raven Knight, we would have swept-swept your Territory to ashes a with you long-long ago.”

  “I see.” Looks like there won’t be an easy oute here, uh the kobolds. “So, we have no recourse but to fight then?”

  “Indeed, my royal blood will not-not accept deals with weaklings and soulless monsters. Let death decide it.”

  At her words both sides leapt into a. Bdes of wind flew at us from the Kamaitachi, and several of my troops fell, bloart. A hail of sling-stones and arrows flew at the princess, but with a gesture of her paw she deflected them with a swirling green tornado of wind that surrounded her. Her two bck-furred guards rushed out to meet my charging weasels, and a csh occurred. One of them fell, head cloven in two by the wicked axe my own weasel was wielding now, but the other pushed through, rusted bde sying one of my Elites iurn. I engaged, and the foe was quickly sin. Wind whipped past me, the bde not only sharp but seeming to vibrate in the air, geing a low hum that made my boch, and the weaselkin holding the axe parted, sheared in half, falling to dissipate iher. Paihrough me, and silvery blood welled out from numerous small wounds ay arm and fnk, as though it had been poked full of numerous small holes.

  The st Kamaitachi was being swarmed by what remained of my e weaselkin, slings abandoned as no projectiles could pee the vortex of wind the princess was casting. It was cutting them dower the other, and as I watched the princess unleashed her vortex, using it as a on, ripping three apart in an instant.

  Damn, she’s good. If only I could use the wind like that… I could try and simute it with aether, but I wasn’t fident I could maintain the image or the tration, especially in someone else’s Territory, with the stant drain on my resources. However, if I didn’t do something soon it was going to be just me against the two of them, and then I would only have the choice of retreating, or staying to die…

  Time to do or die then… I verted my remainiher into aether, energy flowing through me, overing the drain, and decided on my move. The princess was supp her sickle-weasel, wind brang out into what looked like snarling weasel-heads of green energy, rending into my remaining forces. Several branches of this swept out towards me, dev one of the weasels behind me as I leapt out of the way.

  Time to throw the dice. If it doesn’t work I’ll run as fast as I bay Territory and hunker down there. With only the two of them left they won’t be able to break my defences… probably… The princess had an impressively fine trol of the wind, to say the least, so I couldn’t be sure she couldn’t e my surret.

  With all my strength I flung my spear desperately at the weasel princess, usiher to keep it level, flying forwards towards her heart with accelerated force. Aether is leaving me fast, but if I d a hit then I could still turn this around... at the sudden look of triumph in her eyes my heart ched.

  “Foolish-foolish mortal male. You think I was not-not waiting for you to abandon your on? Without its potent edge you will have no-no defence against my wrath.” With that her whirlwind armour formed again, strohan before, jade weasel-heads swirling as if to devour my oning attack. The wind whips that were attag us also multiplied, a dozen rag towards me.

  “Shit…” I cursed, but I had expected some sort of ter, though this was more ferocious than I anticipated. One of my remainies stepped in front of me, taking the brunt of the shredding winds, bsted apart tments, but even so I was mauled, my leg dragging and my left arm useless. Oh shit, there goes my pn to run away. I’d have thought that one blocker would be enough…

  As the sickle-weasel, who was covered in blood from several injuries, was dispatg the st of my ordinary degraded weaselkin, he smirked. “Death to all-all who defy the princess.”

  My spear was reag the edge of the cye, and would no doubt be blocked or thrown off course. I only had two remainies, one of which was charging the Kamaitachi, weeping gore from one missing arm, the other standing guard beside me with the axe it had retrieved from its sihren. It looked as though I was about to lose, the situation grim…

  Just as pnned… I thought with a wry grin. It wasn’t quite as I phe stakes were higher and the risk obse, but I still had my ce. As the spear reached the edge of the wind barrier, the tip starting to deflect, I elled my remainiher all in one go, willing the image in my mind to bee reality. I could feel my Chakra nodes freezing, my White Cord humming painfully, as I struggled to pull in what I could from this hostile Territory. It was then the spear vanished.

  Form the thought. Hold the thought. Will the thought. The thought is… reality! As the dregs of my aether were ed I felt a great weakness spread through me, my sciousness starting to fade. If I dropped out of the Astral here it was over, so I steeled my will and drew in what little aether I could through my straining cord and nodes.

  The princess opened her eyes shogly wide as the spear disappeared, and she turo her Kamaitachi, her mouth going equally wide to speak, fused. Time seemed to slow down, everything moving for me in slow motion, and I willed the spear to reappear, which it did, ihe whirling wall of wind, having somehow moved through the intervening space.

  Orike to the heart and she’ll fall. As the Kamaitachi turo throw wind out to defend his prihe dying bck weaselkin who was fighting him grabbed on with his one arm and bit down on his shoulder, halting him. As the spear fshed towards her heart my remaining weasel moved forwards, axe raised, ready to kill the immobilised sickle-weasel.

  I win. The thought fshed through my dull mind. Yet a twinge of guilt was flickering. Killing a woman, even one such as the princess, didn’t sit well with me. Damn, I’m one of those beta Japanese protagonists that everyoes… With an act of will I ged the trajectory of the spear slightly, so instead of pierg the heart it smmed into her side. Or was it even going to hit her heart anyway? It seemed a little off-target. No, that doesn't matter. It was going to be a strike that could quite easily have been fatal... She went flying backwards, a bark of pain leaving her, and she nded on her back, blood staining the floor, spear stig up from her like a mast.

  “No-no, princess!” the Kamaitachi screamed. At that moment my other weasel caught up to him, axe raised, poi his head.

  “You shall surely die-die for this.” The princess snarled, blood foaming on her lips and dyeing the amber fur of her face crimson, trying to lever up her bleeding body but failing, her limbs without strength. “My father is a Prince of the Seelie; he will not-not rest until my killer-killer is sin.”

  “I dare say that’s true.” I muttered weakly. The green energy around me was being slowly drawn into me by my White Cord. I was uo use it, but it seemed to be staving off my return to the Material. I walked over to the struggling princess and grasped the spear. The Kamaitachi tensed, ready to attack, even knowing the moment it did my bck weaselkin would decapitate it. Despite that I made no move to strike further.

  “Oher hand, I’ve proved I’m not weak, have I not? Why not join hands with me, and we walk away from this bad ending?”

  “Bah.” The princess scowled. “I, the daughter of the noble Seelie Prince Shaetanao would rather accept death than svery. I join my kin-kin and know that you will be tormented by my father until the end-end of your days.”

  “I’m not svery. We work together. You did say you had enemies, such as that Troll… Grue, or whatever you said his name was? We could cim this whole area as our own.” The more I suggested it the more I warmed to the idea. If I had an alliah her I could create real weaselkin from a Barracks, and she and her Kamaitachi would be a devastating asset in both defending our Territory and in offence. Besides, killing her didn’t sit well with me, beta hypocrite that it made me.

  The priurned her gaze to her Kamaitachi, who was trembling in rage, but with the cold edge of the axe against his neck could do nothing. He opened his mouth and spoke a few words, beads of blood trig down his neck where the axe . “If… if princess survive without shame, we would wish-wish you to live on, and one day take your pce at the top-top of the Seelie Court, as is yht.”

  The princess sighed, arms and legs limp. Blood was still leaking from her, though the flow was slowing. For a long moment she was silent, and I feared she had died, but then she spoke quietly.

  “Defeated by my own arrogance again it seems. I am a very slow learner. I looked down-down on you and I was bested, shaming my father and our proud Seelie kin. Very well-well. I will serve under you, should you meet-meet my ditions.”

  I was thinking a partnership, but serving under me is eveer. “All right then. I do that. What are your requests?”

  “I have three, as three is the sacred number of the Seelie. Firstly you shall-shall rid yourself of those soulless copies of my kin-kin. Even looking upourns my stomach. Sedly, you shall help me regain my fallen kin. And third-third, if you do not-not treat me or my kin with respect, I shall rise-rise against you and you will feel my wrath.”

  “I’m not sure how to help yain your kin, but if you tell me how I’ll do my best. The other two are easy; I’ll dismiss the degraded weaselkin when we are done here. As for the third, it goes without saying. I’ll never mistreat my friends, and together we be greater than we were apart!” Time to roll out all the anime clichés about the power of friendship a equals friendship.

  “Your path to the top of the Seelie world doesn’t end here, no, this will unch you onwards to greater heights, you will see!”

  The princess closed her eyes a out a long breath. With that she dragged her paw through the gore spreadih her and reached out. I offered her my hand and she took it, her blood staining me.

  “I am Shaeu, daughter of Shaetanao, princess in direct line of Seelie royalty. On this day I make three pledges. I pledge I shall serve you as long as my three boons remain unbroken. I pledge I shall support you in your endeavours, so long as they do not-not go against my Seelie will, and I pledge that one day I shall use your aid to reach the throne of the Seelie.”

  At that warmth fred through me, starting from where her gore-stained hand touched mine, and soon it spread through me, driving away the pull of the Material pne.

  You have gained in strength. Your Level has increased from Seven to Eight.

  You have joined in pact with a Noble Fae from the Seelie Court. Your Fortune, Majesty and Charm have increased.

  You have gained a Css. You are now a Fae-Bonded.

  Shaeu has ceded her Territory and its Ether to you. You have gained…

  As silver letters scrolled ay vision several things stood out, but the most iing thing was… a Css?

  AnnouSo yes, as Book 1 is out on Amazon, the hree arcs are currently stubbed and unavaible on ScribbleHub. This was not a decision I took lightly, but new ScribbleHub readers are now vanishingly rare as I've been around a fair while indeed. I don't enjoy removing the tent, but at least it's free if you have Kindle Unlimited. If not, and you absolutely don't want to spend a few s for the .epub (which I uand, though I'd hope arc 1 when your appetite) Well, there's always the discord, https://disc/4dm5WrHsHD where I daresay some kind soul from the high seas help you. Obviously, I'd prefer you go to Amazon for your needs, but... well, I uand!

  Amazon US

  Amazon UK

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  Amazon Australia