Sylphie was following Ondun's trail.

  The man wasn't bothering to conceal his tracks, and some of the things her father had taught her were coming in handy. It was spring, so there were no snows, and, judging by the relative humidity in the afternoon air, Sylphie figured that there may be rain within two or three days. Even with Ondun being less careful, rain would alter how she would track the man.

  Maggie flew down, chirping and pointing in a direction. She nodded and petted her partner on the head. Her Fledgelev's observations agreed with her own—Ondun had gone a bit along Route 41, then gone off-route for some reason. So, she did something most sane coaches would never do, unless they had many, many countermeasures in place: she also went off-route.

  Immediately, the terrain became less passable, and Sylphie became a lot more conscious about concealing noise and being as small as possible. This was no longer human territory.

  Maggie also stayed closer. The two had agreed to this as they started the pursuit. Maggie would be Sylphie's first, and last, line of defense. Unfortunately, Maggie was no Auric Artist, nor did she have Ondun's armaments or armor. Any battles would be monster-versus-monster, with Sylphie being in the way at best.

  Eventually, Sylphie was able to pick up the trail. The man had been making marks in trees that were definitely not from monster claws. Sylphie grinned as she saw the fine marks and thought of the twin long knives...or were they short swords? Either way, this was a technique her father also taught her for navigating unfamiliar terrain: Leave standardized marks that you can understand so you can retrace your steps.

  Unfortunately, soon after, Sylphie found the first body. It was a Gloomcub that had been torn open. After the initial shock and wave of nausea passed, Sylphie began looking around. She directed Maggie to make a mark below one of Ondun's and was about to set out before she heard a faint meow...

  There was another Mon nearby, behind a nearby tree. Sylphie turned the corner and found the wounded, cat-like Mon, with numerous bite marks on it and missing a chunk of flesh from one flank. "Luxli..." came the pathetic, desperate cry. Sylphie's heart hurt for the tiny feline.

  She knew what these Mons were. They hunted Dark Mons in all forms and were very, very rare. She approached at a careful distance and knelt, Maggie at her side. "Little one...I want to help. Did that... Daemon... do this to you?"

  "Lux..." came the quiet, fading affirmative. Something smoldered in Sylphie's heart beside her annoyance at Ondun. A capsule came to her hand.

  "There are people who can heal you, little hunter. The capsule will keep you alive longer. I can release you after we get you healed. I...I don't want to leave you to die here..." The tiny feline looked at her, pleading. "Luxli?" Save me...please?

  She nodded and came closer. The tiny feline's breathing was shallow, too shallow, and the blood about the tiny creature glowed with an almost imperceptible pink radiance. "Then...I'm Sylphie.

  I'm going to tap this capsule to you so we can safely move you. I have a friend...maybe he can help..."

  The feline didn't reply. She slowly tapped the capsule to the tiny Mon, and it dissolved into the capsule. She looked to Maggie. "Right...we're on a timer now. I'll give Ondun a piece of my mind later."

  Ondun was dashing through the forests, with Strudel at his side. Periodically, when Strudel stopped, so would Ondun. His hands were ready to form a hand seal at any moment. "Aquepup!" came the cry as the canine pointed in a slightly different direction. Ondun nodded his thanks, then dashed off, Strudel closing the distance.

  As Ondun broke into a grove of thick bamboo, a loud chirp from far above was his only warning just before the dark figure launched itself at him. Fluidly drawing a shouken, he caught and deflected a claw before redirecting his momentum so that his feet arced onto a particularly thick stalk of bamboo. He ran up it for two steps before leaping off behind his quarry, the Daemon, who turned to face him...and in so doing, showed its back to Strudel, who promptly slammed into a leg and bit down as hard as the tiny Mon could.

  A weird, distorted cry rang through the forest. Some wild mons and animals immediately scattered at the perverse sound as Ondun formed the hand seals for a fire jutsu, which bathed the black-and-purple maw in hot red fires. He then backflipped after completing the jutsu—the demon bit at him.

  It was then that Galebul flittered down and flung a pale green wave of wind energy at the daemon who'd tried to eat it. The attack seemed to be one that the tiny bird already knew, but Ondun had still taken a moment to show his new friend a Wind jutsu. The tiny bird had hungrily watched and was thinking the whole time after. As the wind slammed into the monster's flank, buckling it, the bird chirped a loud challenge.

  The only response was hissing laughter.

  Soon I shall feast on your anima, foolish mortals...just as I did those others and their monster allies...

  Then the Daemon turned on Strudel, swiping a massive purple claw at the clamped-on canine. This drew three deep lines of red across the blue-and-white fur of the Aquepup, but the small Mon kept his jaws on the foot, continuing to restrain the profane being's movements.

  "Zephanie! Aim your wind at my flames!" Ondun released another Fire jutsu at the beast's face, and Zephanie the Galebul launched another wave of wind at the blast, causing it to rapidly expand and blow the Daemon back, as Strudel wisely removed himself from the creature's legs.

  It got up and snickered.

  Heheheh...foolish mortal. Kill me, and my summoner's plans will be advanced. No matter what happens, my contract to bring suffering to this foul world will be done. If it gives me freedom from my eternal torment? All the better.

  Ondun made a different set of hand signs—an Earth jutsu, this time. Instead of hot fires, spires of stone sprang up from the forest floor, tearing away bamboo stalks, leading to a loud clattering, as the spires of stone rose up and promptly fell onto the otherworldly monster, pinning it. Strudel and Zephanie were at his side, and he addressed them next.

  "The damn thing is right. Killing a Daemon disperses it into anima. Given that Daemons are Dark-suffused, if it has been sent here to contaminate this world's anima alignment, then killing it will expedite that process."

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Ondun went pale. This wasn't a fight he could win. He saw the hand of the Knowing Circle's enemy in this and realized it was the perfect win-win scenario for them. If it died, it advanced their plans. If it succeeded, it would cull any resistance.

  And like a fool, I fell right into it.

  As soon as Sylphie had heard the racket, she broke into a run. All thoughts of stealth flew from her mind. "Maggie! Ondun's probably fighting that thing. Keep pelting it at range. Don't get close...you've seen what happens when someone does," she said, patting the capsule with the Luxli inside it. "Our goal is to support Ondun and get him to heal Luxli before it's too late."

  "Fledgelev!" came the cry. Then she dashed forward, braked with a sudden upward swing, and charged a blade of pale green at the dark figure who was stuck in a cluster of rocks that had to be the result of Ondun's Auric...no, magic, powers.

  Ondun put out a hand. "Sylphie! Hold your attacks. This whole thing is a damn setup." She had never heard the man curse before. "We need another way to contain this thing. If we kill it, it wins. If we don't, it kills us."

  Sylphie, in this no-win situation, remembered something very important that the adventurer either didn't know, or had simply overlooked in his meat-headed need to challenge an abomination to a spearfight. All Kongming cellphones had a distress homer in them in the event of something going catastrophically wrong. Given what Ondun had said—she didn't doubt his assessment for even a moment—she pulled out her smartphone, opened the Options menu, found the Emergency Homer option, and activated it. It would drain the battery, but that wasn't as serious as the Daemon who...was breaking out of the rocks.

  Foolish mortal...more anima for me to feast on. You spoil me with such a rich feast, just as he said you would!

  Ondun shouted over his shoulder to Sylphie. "Remember what I asked of you?"

  She nodded. "Good. Get help. Now. I...I will hold it here." He threw his smartphone to Sylphie, who caught it easily. He hadn't locked it, so she immediately paged through his contacts and saw Guardian Alice's contact information. She looked up at the adventurer, who had just shifted to his Dragon Knight's armor, the massive, wicked spear held out in a guard. "Go, now! Get help!"

  As she ran, she called Guardian Alice. "Ondun?" came the woman's voice.

  "I'm not him; my name is Sylphie Lee. I'm near Ondun. We need help. Something...dark...is here. Ondun and his Mons are fighting it. He needs help! I've got my emergency homers turned on."

  The Guardian shouted at someone to look for active homers. "I have your location...huh, the Xinling Bamboos, near the Shenlong Creek. I know exactly where that is." She heard a capture capsule release a Mon. "Garamond, a fight is upon us. Teleport me now!"

  The Guardian herself appeared at Sylphie's side...and patted her on the head. The sounds of clashing metal on claws sounded in the distance, as an Aquepup pelted the profanity with water, and the Galebul slammed wave after wave of wind into it. "You did well, Sylphie. Don't worry, I won't say anything to your father. Anyways..." she turned her head to the battle, which Ondun was somehow losing. "...We need to do something about that."

  "Ondun said that if we kill it, it wins somehow!"

  Alice turned to Garamond. "What's your read on it?" As Ondun got slammed through a tree, his armor soaked up most, but not all, of the impact.

  My lady, that...thing...is pure Dark. It is suffused with Dark, such that to my mind, it is an endless void. It is also charged with the same Dark. If it dies...it could conceivably taint this entire area...if it is not neutralized.

  Alice nodded. "Then, you're the right Mon for the job."

  Garamond gathered himself. Ondun! Allies are here! Steel yourself! A blade of pale cyan sprang from one hand as the Mon dashed forward. Ondun leapt straight at the Daemon, halting it with his mighty spear.

  Sylphie turned to Maggie. "Help him! Join the barrage!" She saw what the Mon was going to do, and it made sense; the Light attack that Garamond was charging was Holy Blade, the signature ability of any Palasquire that evolved into a Palapaladin.

  Strudel and Zephanie heard this too and increased their barrage. Strudel fell to exhaustion first, but Zephanie the Galebul, enraged, slammed wave after wave after furious, desperate, wrathful wave of wind into it. Each strike got a little harder, a little more precise.

  Then Garamond hit it. The blades of light slammed into the cut on the flank.

  Wait, what is this!? The Light! IT IS TOO BRILLIANT! I--AAAAGH! AT LAST I SHALL BE FREE!

  The resulting blast slammed both the man and Mon backwards. Alice and Sylphie were lucky enough to just slam onto the ground. Ondun hit a tree and fell unconscious. Galebul was flung right into the chest of her human ally, and Strudel was flung off into the forest, where he rolled to a stop in front of an ARC Coach, who already had a Luxleopard out.

  Alice got up with a groan. "Garamond?"

  I am here, milady. That blast was...unexpected. It seems my Light was just enough. This whole area is charged now...but not with Dark.

  Sylphie got up too. "Fucking hell...that was an explosion." Alice gave her a look. "Oh...sorry, Guardian," she added, sheepishly. Then she looked around and saw Ondun. "Ondun!" she yelled and ran to her friend, trying to rouse him, before an ARC medic stopped her. Then Ondun roused too, but Zephanie and Strudel were out for the count.

  Ondun got to his feet. "Is it...dead?"

  Alice walked over, flicked a length of blonde hair from her face, and knelt. "You did good, Ondun. It is dead...but we were able to stop it. This area is flooded with power, but not with Dark. You can thank Garamond...after you get checked out."

  "Mmh...that's...a relief." Then he fell unconscious again.

  "Ondun!" Sylphie cried, but Alice put a hand on her shoulder.

  "Don't worry. He'll be cared for. You two have reached Xinling, yes?" She released a Palasorceress who gave a curtsy. "We'll get you two and your Mons cared for at once. You've both done the province a great service this day."

  Then, with a slight pop, Lowe, still in his panda onesie, appeared. "Guardian. It seems the situation is well in hand."

  She nodded. "Thanks for your prompt arrival, City Leader Lowell. We need to get these two and their Mons healed immediately." She turned to the unconscious Ondun and lifted the armored man up as best she could. To him she whispered, "Thank you...for keeping your word."

  Not hours ago, Ondun had assisted the Valerian clan in healing the wounded. Now, Valerie Valerian frowned at the armored man who had been deposited onto the gurney in front of her. Her sisters were treating the Aquepup, who was looking notably larger than it had a few hours ago. While this was interesting, the canine Mon was relatively well off, as well as the Galebul, who was nursing a concussion and some slight Move Overuse Syndrome. Valerie estimated the small avian would be battle-ready in no more than two days.

  The Luxli that the woman had was in notably worse shape. It had lost a lot of blood, and the wounds were familiar. The nurses were already working on regenerating the lost muscle mass and using artificial blood replacement. Sylphie, for her part, was looking on nervously, with Maggie, her Fledgelev—also much larger than before—held tight in her arms like a stuffed animal. The bird looked up to her human ally with great concern, allowing this, if only for the moment.

  Guardian Alice had used her Coach ID to requisition a humble coach's room in the subbasements. Her sisters and cousins had protested, of course, but she'd refused. She said it was important that she stay on-site, at least for a couple of days. There were also ARC coaches, she had noted, but it was unlikely there would be more immediate casualties. The implications of that statement made Valerie's hair stand on end.

  So it was, she began unclasping the cuirass and stripping the Draconian so she could administer proper medical treatment to the brave healer, the brave warrior...the brave hero who had put his life on the line to end a serious threat to both man and Mon.

  She and Sylphie were both incredibly annoyed at Ondun...but they could work on a plan to get their revenge when he was back in good health.

  With the armor removed—and some deep purple bruises already formed on the man's muscular figure—she immediately got to work doing something she never looked forward to: treating human, or at least mostly human, wounds.

  She hadn't expected to see scales in some of the places she saw them.