Marktavious Nicholson
"You are one of the guys who enjoy hearing themselves talk, aren't you?" Mikangleo hissed.
My lecture on the value of strength had proven quite interesting to Claire, but Mikangleo has proven to be a stickler. He may speak with a faux venom, but I can see in his eyes that he was interested. The way he leaned backward despite not facing in our direction was a tell-tale sign in my eyes. I pay attention to those things, and I've noticed how well-tuned we are to our demonstration.
After our Kick-Rat friend disembarked, I detected an odd magical distortion in his direction. While it was too far for my paltry sight despite my glasses, I could only conclude that it was something that he did. There is little known about this variation of their species, but I could sense that he was no normal monster. He possessed incredible intelligence far beyond the Kongarillo.
If I didn't know any better, I would say that he was up there with the Goblins and Lynx when it came to monster IQ. There was a sophistication to our interaction, and he appeared to be on par with a human when it came to picking up on social cues. I wish Mikangleo were comparable to the Kick-Rat when it came to manners.
"If a man has the ability to speak publicly, then it is his duty to share it with others, Mikangleo. Intelligence is not a privilege, it's a gift. You must use it for the good of mankind. Well, in my case, Elven kind, Kitsune kind, and so on and so forth. You get the point," I respond, pushing my glasses onto my nose.
Mikangleo scoffed and did not respond. Taking the opportunity, Claire stood and swept her hand through the right side of her golden hair. Her elegant, pointy ear was on full display.
"I don't think you have a point, which means you are hiding something from us," she said, matching my gaze.
Her accusation flustered me, but I kept my wits. I looked at her, and then Mikangleo, who now decided to turn and look at me. Their gazes bored holes in me, and I attempted to shift them away. I stood, scratching behind my furry ears, before addressing the elephant in the room.
"My concern for what was tailing us has grown beyond 1%," I stated dryly.
They shared a look of bewilderment with each other. Mikangleo's expression warped to a frustrated scowl.
"You were 1% concerned?" He asked harshly. "I think you have no idea where these crystals you claim exist are. We have been waiting here for over twenty minutes listening to your drabble on about strength and its value. It's nonsense, and I am beginning to question my judgment for being easily duped into following you into what very well could be my tombstone!"
"While I will not agree with the way he said it, I am also concerned that you are being deceitful. When we first met, you claimed that you knew nothing of magic, but it's been less than a week, and you've proven not only to be competent but extraordinary," Claire said with narrowed eyes.
"I doubt that would be the case. He was lying to you," Mikangleo added, standing to match our posture.
A breeze carried through the plains, shaking both hair and grass alike. My tail flicked with annoyance, and I twisted the ends of my mustache. I watched as their gaze followed me while I climbed over the root bench that I made. Catalyst was propped against it, gleaming from the sunlight in the sky.
'Sunlight?'
I shifted my gaze to the sky, and noticed that it was blue, unlike how it was outside the cave. There was a sun, peeking behind clouds, which grabbed my attention.
"This place is quite amazing. The energy within it fills me with an unshakeable satisfaction," I said to the confusion of the others. "It has only been about five days that I have been in this region, and a lot has happened to me. When we first met, what I said was true. I knew little to nothing about magic. To be honest, my magical knowledge is still limited. However, I am a quick study, and I do possess some background."
"Are you implying that you learned from Horace in my absence?" Claire asked.
"Horace wouldn't teach me anything, but he did teach Mr. Bonner a few spells, I believe. Your butler isn't too kind to beastkin, I have a sense for it," I responded.
"Horace is an honorable man. Predijuce is a step below him," Claire snapped, but I poked my left ear in response.
"I am a Kitsune, Claire. I could hear everything inside that building. I've heard what he has said about me under his breath."
Claire placed her head under her chin as he contemplated my words.
"He warned me that you would attempt to drive a wedge between us," Claire responded. While she spoke evenly, her eyes were still narrowed. "He has also informed me of your potential betrayal. I didn't want to believe it, but..."
"If you were half as smart as I think you are, then you'd realize that's bullshit. Let's do a thought experiment, shall we?" I grabbed Catalyst from his resting position and began twirling it.
Claire's eyes widened as the point was thrust in her direction. Mikangleo flinched, but neither of them could react in time. Catalyst's point was only an inch from her neck. Her hand was clenching her sword's hilt, but it didn't matter.
"W-What are you doing?!" Mikangleo barked, pulling three throwing knives from his pouch. He had them placed between his fingers in his left hand.
"At my weakest, I overpowered and beat Horace when he got the jump on me. This is after being ambushed by people who were after you. I was stabbed in my chest from behind by that coward, Talio, and his cronies, yet I stand before you," I pointed to Mikangleo's left, and the man flinched when he realized what awaited him.
Three roots had sprouted from the ground and awaited my command like dancing cobras. One was level with his left wrist, and the other two were at the side of his neck and head. A bead of sweat raced down the man's temple. Claire, for her credit, was as still as a statue. Her expression was unreadable.
"You have proven your point," She responded in a near growl.
"I haven't," I responded. "That means another lecture is in order."
I pulled Catalyst away from her throne, and she unsheathed her rapier without hesitation. She leaped backward, taking an elegant stance, and then spoke,
"You intend to lecture us? You are a man of many secrets and lies, Marktavious. You act recklessly and without consideration for others. Your species isn't a factor to me, as I look toward character rather than features. Horace is the same. He is the man who has taken care of me until this point. When I was at my lowest."
"Your loyalty to your friends is admirable. When I raised the idea that it may be Mordred who is behind this, you defended him immediately. Mordred has been surveilling you since your initial appearance as Clarice. He has Tillian-"
"Do not speak his name," she warned, lowering her rapier's point in my direction.
"I will, because you bash me for having secrets, but you have some of your own," I scoffed.
"That's different. There are some things that you do not need to know."
I twirled my spear before eyeing Mikangleo. He appeared ready to jump into action, so I pointed Catalyst in his direction. The white hair of the man fluttered in the wind as he started daggers in my direction.
"I have no involvement with this, but I will not allow you to do as you please. You are unstable, much like any other Kitsune. There is a reason your people are loathed," Mikangleo hissed. "Your demonic nature is hard to resist, and they are too weak to do so."
"What?! You are a human, and Claire is an elf. Your races have slaughtered each other for hundreds of years. There is nothing more demonic than genocide, which your people have done to mine! You hide behind books written by bigots and spineless cowards to justify your cowardice!" I spat, pointing at the man.
I climbed onto the root bench and stabbed it with Catalyst's point. Mikangleo pivoted, pushing himself away from my threatening roots.
"You both are weak, and yet, you dare speak of honor, Claire? Horace is not honorable in the slightest! That Kick-Rat, we met, has more honor than him! The Kongarillo has more honor than that old bastard! Fuck it, the Lynx surpasses him in honor. It looked me in my eyes before it attempted to reap my life!"
"He was only doing what he viewed as necessary in that moment. He thought you had turned against me, and acted accordingly," Claire said, and my nose wrinkled.
"Oh? Well, I guess that's fine, huh? What if he had killed me and Bonner that night?" I asked.
Claire blinked at the question. Her blade trembled, and a crack appeared in her stance. She had no answer, and she bit her lip.
"My word," I started, "is one of the few things that I have in this world, Claire. My brothers are the other. Qayshaun and Bishop look to me to navigate them in a place where I have no idea about. We are fish out of water, and I thought we found a drink. I concluded that you were trustworthy enough to assist me in finding our place, but I see it in your actions. You may call me a foxel, but you are no different from Percival or Silvers."
"You've done with it to yourself. Your first words to me were a lie, a lie I spotted from the moment they left your lips. Yet, I took a chance on you despite Horace's counsel. I acted against his counsel and came here with you. A trip that nearly ended my life, and not only that, you dragged him into it," she turned and pointed to Mikangleo. Her face was quickly growing red. "A man who can't hit a stationary target, but dares to utter lies about my family!"
"Lies?!" Mikangleo shouted, his attention snapping to Claire. "You're an Angea. The worst of the worst, when it comes to nobles. You and your golden manor with your golden hair know nothing about the common person until you're forced to suffer with us! Even now, you drag others into your problems and nearly get them killed! Things were going good until I was lumped in with the two of you!"
"Going good?! You were an outcast nobody about to be run out of Project Anvil! You are a literal peasant who's angry that nobles got it better than you! Not to mention that you're so much of a fool that you would unironically agree with that man who nearly killed you!" I declared. Mikangleo's focus shifted back to me. His knives were clenched tightly in his knuckles.
"You are a damned foxkin with delusions of grandeur! One who weaseled in with a desperate noblewoman looking to replace one pet with another!" he shouted.
"I think I should kill both of you now," Claire declared coldly, a smirk piercing her elegant demeanor.
'Hold on...What?'
Before I could respond to her blatant threat, Claire whipped her palm in my direction. Her eyes glazed with pure resolve and... hatred?
"Falling Wind Blast!"