Chapter 4: The Might of Magic
It was a rather simple game. One would lose at chess and then, that night, when all others were sound asleep, the loser would come to the winner’s room, bare and unprotected, and the winner would commence to paddle the loser until he was scarlet. Of course, Korin always won and Nobunaga knew it, but he didn’t mind being on the wrong end of the paddle. Their relationship was not sensual by any means. It was merely a game that they played, where one would win and the other would pay the price for losing. They both knew that losing in real life could cost them more than just the ability to sit for a few days.
Nobunaga let out another loud shriek as the paddle crashed down against his backside and for the thousandth time, Korin was thankful that he had thought to get his room soundproofed. He examined his handiwork for a second and reached down, letting his hand hover a few inches from the offender’s bottom. He could feel the heat of a roaring fire coming off of it. “I guess this is good enough this time.”
Nobunaga panted and nodded, lowering his tail slowly. “You… keep getting stronger…” he said slowly, choking down a few sobs that threatened to show themselves.
Korin smirked and shrugged. “I probably wouldn’t get so strong if you didn’t keep losing so frequently. These sessions are a good workout for my arms… and a good endurance test for you.”
Nobunaga stood up, slowly rubbing at his bottom, hissing a bit at the sting. “That makes it one-thousand, seven-hundred, and eight-eight wins for you, zero wins for me.”
Korin grinned gently. “Feel like quitting the game? We can stop at any time if you want.”
Nobunaga shook his head. “Indeed not. For every loss, there is a gain. Eventually, I will come out on top one day, Korin.”
Korin smiled and slid the paddle under his bed. “Indeed. Then I hope that day comes soon, if only for your poor backside’s sake.” His expression turned somber. “I do hate to bring up matters of business at this time, but I fear I must inform you that the kitsune will be reaching the cat clan village tomorrow… the village under your rule.”
Nobunaga frowned gently and he inadvertantly squeezed his own flaring cheeks. “Is that… woman still with him?”
Korin nodded. “He’s also picked up two others, a child Lycanthrope and a female half-breed. Neither seems to be over the age of fifteen yet.”
Nobunaga turned towards the door. “I think I’ll be taking a little trip tomorrow.”
Korin raised an eyebrow. “To your clan village? The townsfolk will find it quite unusual to see one of the council members simply walk in without any prior notification.
Nobunaga nodded, understanding his friend’s concern. “Indeed, I know, but… I have a few choice words for the wench traveling with that kitsune, and I also plan on stopping their journey personally. There’s been increasing magic activity around the cat clan village and if that kitsune’s magic reacts to it…”
He didn’t need to finish for Korin to understand what he was saying. “Very well then. Will you be taking any body guards?”
Nobunaga shook his head. “Mira is no fighter… the Kitsune was trained in basic military style. I am far above that. The two whelps with them won’t be a problem. No, I’ll go alone.”
Korin couldn’t help but chuckle. “You seem so confident in your ability to succeed.”
Nobunaga turned to him and frowned. “You do not think I can succeed?” he asked.
Korin raised his hands quickly. “No, I never said that. It’s just, if you’re so confident, why not put a wager on it?”
Nobunaga’s eyes sparkled for a second. “Really? You would be willing to make this wager, even though my own victory is almost certainly guarenteed and that this will all turn out according to the level of my own skill?”
Korin nodded gently. “Indeed… name the terms.”
Nobunaga nodded. “Very well… if I stop the kitsune, by any means necessary, then you must report to my room and you will be paddled until I believe I’ve paid you back for every loss that I’ve ever had.”
Korin idily fiddled with a bit of his long hair. “Agreed.” The elf smirked. “But if I win…” he thought for a long time. If he were to be paddled, even with the odds piled against him like this, it would still be extremely embarrassing. And no doubt Nobunaga would gloat as well. He thought of something equally embarrassing, perhaps moreso. “If I win then you will report to my room for two routine paddlings.”
Nobunaga raised an eyebrow. “That’s all?”
Korin shook his head. “Not really. I will only be delivering one of the paddles.” He paused for dramatic effect. “Sonin will be delivering the second one.”
Nobunaga stiffened, his tai standing straight. “That… that kitsune brat?” he asked, not sure if he had heard the elf correctly.
Korin nodded. “The one and only.”
Nobunaga thought quickly to try and change his friend’s mind. “But then she would know about our game!” he said in a hiss.
Korin waved away the thought. “She is a trustworthy person, Nobunaga. I trust her with my life, and if I tell her not to do something, she won’t do it. Besides, how often now have you threatened her with a similar punishment?” he asked.
Nobunaga clenched and unclenched his fists, but soon relaxed. “Hehehe, well, now that I am properly motivated, there is just no way that I can lose.” He raised his hand and spat on it, offering it to Korin, who spat in his own hand and shook Nobunaga’s readily. “Good luck then, old friend.”
Nobunaga smirked. “Luck is for the weak of body, and fragile of mind.” He rushed off to his own room to get ready.
Korin, now left alone, turned back to his bed. “Foolish cat. You may be my friend, but you’re still a fool.” He shook his head gently. “Of course you’ll lose to that fox boy. He has qualities and allies which you have clearly overlooked and underestimated. I look forward to seeing you bent over again… and I’m sure Sonin will as well… hehehe…”
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Rai let out a loud yawn as the gates to the village of the cat clan came into view. “Well, time to put on a cloak.” He hid himself under the cloak, and Mia did the same. Ly and Serenity went without since no one knew yet that they had any association with two wanted criminals of the empire. As they approached the gates, they found them to be swung wide, no guards, not even a greeter.
Ly frowned and his ears twitched a bit. “I don’t like this… what do you make of it?” he asked, turning to his companions.
Serenity shrugged. “No one here to bug us, so who cares?”
Ly rolled his eyes. “You should care a lot, since it’ll be your head if they found us walking around with a bandit and a ronin.”
Serenity shrugged. “You worry too much.”
Ly growled. “No, I worry just enough! There is no such things as worrying too much!”
Mia wasn’t listening to this exchange. She was busy looking from place to place. “This place hasn’t changed much since I left.”
Rai frowned. and came close to her. “Mia, how long ago did you leave this village?”
Mia frowned and thought for a bit. “I ran off about five years ago, to get away from an arranged marrage.”
Serenity scratched her head. “I didn’t know that they still had those.”
Ly rolled his eyes. “They aren’t very uncommon. Usually, two families who see good attributes that they want in their grandchildren will make their children breed to try and create smarter, faster, stronger whelps. It’s called selective breeding and it works just the same with people as it does with cattle.”
Serenity let out a small gasp. “That’s awful! Mia, you mean you almost had to marry someone that you didn’t know?”
Mia bit her lip. “Well… yes, but… I would really appreciate it if we didn’t talk about it anymore.”
Rai stepped in before the two other children could answer. “Very well then, we won’t press you for details. Your past is your own affair, right?”
Mia smiled gently at him from under the hood of her cloak. “Right, thank you Rai. Come on, I still remember my way around pretty well. I’ll show you guys around.”
Rai smiled and nodded, glad to see his friend in high spirits again. “Thanks, Mia, that would be great.”
Serenity nodded. “That’ll be fine, but first could someone please make that horribled slapping and screaming sound stop? It’s been bugging me since we got here!”
Ly frowned. “Now that she mention’s it… there is a sound coming from what seems to be the center of the town. Is something happening today?”
Mia thought for a second. “There are no specific holidays or celebrations schedueled for this day, so I don’t know what is going on.” She shrugged. “We might as well go and see.”
Rai nodded and the troop started heading into the town and as they moved deeper, the sound of slapping and crying grew louder. Just as Ly had predicted, it was coming from the center of the town and a huge crowd was there to watch, almost all of them nekos.
Up on a huge stand that reminded Rai of gallows, sat an elvin woman in a large set of stalks, the kind that criminals were put in for punishment. Her golden locks hid her face, but was obvious she was the one crying. Her dress was hiked up and her panties were down around her ankles and a huge muscular neko wearing an excecutioner’s hood, holding a large leather strap was continually bringing it down on her flaring bottom.
Serenity winced and her ears flattened back as she saw the strap come down on the poor elf’s behind. She had felt the sting of the strap several times back at the inn and she knew how unpleasant an experience was.
Ly scratched his head. “What could she have done wrong? She does have the robes of a magician on, but all elves are magicians, that or archers…”
One of the nekos in the crowd turned towards Ly. “Oh, new travelers? Well, I think I can answer your question. That elf woman showed up a few days ago and was staying at the inn… about a day after she arrived, the empire then decreed that the law stating that civilians can’t carry weapons was extended to include common wizards that didn’t work for the military. Staffs are now considered weapons.”
Mia’s ears perked up. “What? But that’s crazy! Common magicians are no threat to the empire! The most they could possibly do would be giving someone a good static shock!”
The neko nodded. “That’s true, but elves are born with a natural gift for magic. They can cast spells that even mid-level magicians in the military can’t cast. The empire seems to view them as a bit of a threat.”
While this was going on, the beating had continued. The elf’s legs had given way and her body was now being held up by two guards who made sure that her buttocks was raised nice and high for the strap. Rai growled and his hand tightened over his sword. Mia reached out and took his hand. “Don’t… I’ll handle this.”
Ly frowned and crossed his arms. “What do you plan on doing? You may be a neko, but I doubt anyone here cares about what a deserter of her own people things.”
Serenity instantly leapt to Mia’s defense. “Well, I don’t see you doing anyting!”
Ly glared. “If I tried anything, I’d end up in the stalks right next to that elf! And so would you, and if they had any sense, they’d beat your butt until you lost the ability to sit for the rest of your stupid life, halfing!”
As Rai tried to intervene before things got too violent, Mia started walking through the crowd, pushing people out of her way. “That’s enough! Stop it!” She made her way to the center of the square where a few guards approached her and stood in her path.
Rai, Ly, and Serenity all turned in her direction. “Damn it, what does she think she’s doing?”
A regal looking woman, dressed in silk and wearing a gold circlet upon her head, that made her ears flatten out, stepped up onto the stage next to the elf. “And who are you to make demands during a proper punishment, foreigner?”
Mia looked up, the view of her face still obscured by the hood. “I am no foreigner, you dumb whore!”
The woman turned pale and her hands clenched into fists, her tail puffed out. “How dare yout?! Who are you to talk to the mayor of this town like this, leader second only to the great Nobunaga himself?!”
Mia smirked and reached up, taking off the hood. “I am.”
The entire crowd gasped and Rai and his friends could only stare confusedly at one another. The mayor gulped a bit. “You… you’re back…”
Mia nodded. “It’s been a very long time, hasn’t it… mother.”
Her three companions just stood there, mouths agape as she said this.
The woman, apparently now Mia’s mother, clenched and unclenched her fists a bit. She turned to the neko with the strap. “Well, what are you waiting for? Let the girl out!”
The neko worked quickly to accomplish this task, undoing the lock on the stalks and letting the crying elf up. First thing she did was pull up her panties, not wanting to give the crowd anything to look at. Next, she started to furiously rub at her bottom while at the same time trying to calm herself.
Mia and her mother squared off, staring at one another… actually, it was more like glaring. Finally, her mother spoke. “I noticed that you were with a group of… travelers…” she spoke the word as if it were a bug that needed to be crushed, “So if you are tired at all, you are indeed welcome back into the family mansion, dearest daughter.”
Smiling, Mia nodded. Her smile was cold and empty, however. “Thank you mother. Then I suppose you will have no trouble letting this elf stay with us as well, for compensation as to what was just done to her.”
The elf looked at Mia for a second, still massaging her blistere bum. “That is… quite kind of you, nobel one.”
Mia shrugged. “Least I could do.”
Her mother glared at both the elf and her daughter for the longest time before finally nodded. “Fine.” She turned and motioned to her guard, who handed her a wooden staff that had a large orb with the symbol for light embedded into it in elvish. “Here is your staff back. As long as it isn’t used within my house you may keep it. Since you’ll be under my watchful eyes, I think I can trust you with it.”
The elf took it back and examined it carefully, inspecting for damage before nodding gently. Mia rolled her eyes. “Watchful eyes huh? So watchful that you own daughter slid out of the house in the middle of the day, and out of the city without you realizing it until noon the next day.”
Once again, her mother glared at her. That seemed to be a common practice for her. “If you were just a bit younger, child, I would have gladly spanked you right here in public. But since you are a young lady now, I believe that is far out of the question…
Mia rolled her eyes. ‘You have no idea, you old bitch…’
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Rai paced the floor of the spacious room that happened to be Mia’s bedroom. Ly was leaning against the door of the room, listening for anyone approaching so that he would have time to disguise himself before anyone came in. Mia, the elf, and Serenity were all sitting down on the bed, the elf sitting on two pillows as well. Rai sighed a bit and massaged his head. “Okay, let me see if I’ve got this straight… you are the only daughter and heiress to the nobel house of the cat clan, with only the representative Nobunaga being more powerful than your family.”
Mia nodded. “Right.”
Rai continued to pace as he spoke. “Okay, and when you were fourteen, your mother informed you that you were being forced into marrying Nobunaga himself. But you didn’t want to marry him because he’s a… what did you refer to him as?”
Mia was only too happy to provide a descrpition of the man she hated so much. “A self-serving, self-centered, pervert, short-fused prick.”
Rai nodded gently again. “Okay then. So you were being forced to marry him, but you didn’t want to, so the day of your wedding you… snuck out of town, stole a scimitar from one of the guards, ran as far as you could, and then adopted the title of ‘greatest bandit in the world’ even though you couldn’t even hold a sword properly?”
Mia glared at him after that last part, but she nodded. “Yes, that’s my story in a nutshell. I couldn’t stand this place, Rai! It was filled to the brim with useless rules and dress codes, and ettiquet! Stuff that I never wanted to use!”
Ly rolled his eyes. “I’m surprised you had any knowledge of such things at all.”
Mia turned her eyes on the young werewolf. “Watch it, buddy, or your ass is mine. Don’t forget, this is my mother’s house and I have some power here. One world from me and I could have the guards hold you down while I took a strap to you.”
Ly looked up at her and smiled a bit. “You wouldn’t do that, Mia. You don’t have the heart. You have a conscience, which is the main difference between you and most of the other nobles all around the world.”
Mia blushed a bit, wondering if she could take that as a compliment or not. Serenity giggled a bit and looked to the elf. “So, what about you, Ms. Elf? Why are you here?”
The elf smiled a bit and adjusted her bottom just a little. “Well… I guess it would be alright to talk to you, seeing as you are all outlaws anyway. My name is Vi and I come from the elf clan, obviously. I’m a pure bred elf and this, I lived in the city hierarchy. Not the noble house, but close enough. I grew up with corruption all around me. Every year I thought that it was so bad that this would be the years the flowers would refuse to bloom because it was so sad there. Then, a few years ago, the clan elected our current representative in the empire, representative Korin. He had promised to make things change. Things didn’t change.” She sighed a bit. “So, I left. I was already a skilled magician, so I decided to go out into the world and see if I could at least help reduce the strife of some of the people living here in the empire. I saw grave injustices commited no matter where I went, so at last, I became somewhat of a revolutionary. I commited small acts here and there to try and frustrate the empire, but they ignore my efforts. There are others doing much more troubling things right now.”
Ly nodded. “So I had heard.” He looked up at Rai for a moment. “Rai? What’s with that serious look.”
Rai shrugged gently. “Just thinking. I’m a serious blot on the empire’s plans, for some reason. They usually don’t pay so much attention to a ronin, even a highly skilled one. On top of that, Mia, I wish to speak with you alone for a bit, if I may.”
Mia looked up and could half guess what this was about. “Alright. Follow me, I know a few places we can talk and not be disturbed.” She got up and led him out of the room.
Serenity looked at Vi and Ly for a second. “I think something else is bothering him.”
Ly nodded. “Yeah, but if he doesn’t want to tell, we shouldn’t force him.”
Vi smiled. “He’s a two tailed kitsune, correct? They say that his ability in magic could possibly be greater than all elven magicians combined.”
Serenity’s eyes widened. “Whoa! He could like… blow up the world or something with that kind of power!”
Ly nodded. “I think the scary thing is, he realizes it and that’s what’s bothering him.”
The three of them fell silent for a time.
********************
Mia sighed and led Rai into an old library that was dusty and was covered in cobwebs everywhere. Obviously, not a lot of people in her house read a lot. “Alright Rai, I have a good idea what this is about, so go ahead and vent.”
Rai sighed gently and rubbed his head. “Mia, you lied to me.” He said it calmly, though it was obvious he was rather angry at her.
Mia shrugged gently. “Wouldn’t you have?”
Rai sighed. “Probably when I had first met you, before we started traveling. But I would have at least had the decency to tell you that I was a noble runaway who was once engaged to one of the highest ranking figures in the entire empire!”
Mia winced at his tone. “Rai… I was scared. Remember, I knew nothing of you when we first met, alright? I was scared that you’d turn me in, even if you were a ronin!”
Rai huffed a bit. “But you could have turned me in just as easily, Mia. They probably would have forgiven you for turning in one of the most wanted people in the empire!”
Mia blushed and nodded. “That’s true.” She shifted uncomfortably.
Rai nodded. “It’s not only true, but when we first met, that’s probably what would have happened.” He sat down gently in one of the old chairs found in the library. “Mia, I am deeply hurt by this. You have no idea how much your trust means to me.”
Mia looked up and at him and whimpered gently. “I’m sorry, Rai…” she came forward and hugged him gently.
Rai was surprised by this, and blushed a bit before returning the hug. “Mia, I know… I know, but you’re still going to be punished.”
Mia nodded. “I do deserve it, yes. I promise, I have no more big secrets to hide, sir.” She gave him a small smile and bent herself over his lap, lifting her tail and adjusting so that she was comfy for the time being. “Hey, Rai?” she asked.
Rai paused for a second, his hand just a few inches away from the waist of her pants. “Yeah?”
Mia blushed gently. “Thanks for caring so much.”
Rai smiled and nodded, lowering her pants and panties. “You’re welcome, Mia. I’m sorry to put pressure on you, but try to stay quiet… the last thing we want to do in here is draw attention to ourselves, right?”
Mia nodded gently and gasped as she felt him patting her pale bottom. “Yeah, I’ll… I’ll try to be quiet, but it’s really hard when you’re spanking me. You hit hard.”
Rai thought for a moment. “Would the others be able to hear? From your room?”
Mia shook her head. “Too far away. They’d hear it if they were coming down the hall, but not from the room.”
Rai thought a bit more. “And you are truly sorry for lying to me?”
Mia nodded. “And for lying to Ly and Serenity as well. Please believe me, I’ll never lie to you guys again.” She sniffled a bit. “I was just so scared.” She gasped again as she felt her panties coming back up. “Rai?”
Rai smiled a bit. “You deserve a spanking, but I can see now that you don’t need a big one. You admit you’re mistake and your sorry for it. You just need some help getting that guilt off your shoulders.” He finished pulling up her panties. “Besides, with a little bit of extra padding, I think you won’t be as likely to scream, right?”
Mia nodded and wiggled a bit over his lap. “Rai, your kindness knows no bounds, does it?”
Rai shrugged gently. “I’ve never met a single person on this earth yet who has managed to push me to the limit of my generosity. Let’s hope you aren’t the first.”
Mia giggled, despite her position. “Alright, enough talking, Rai… please spank me so I can feel better.” She lifted her bottom a bit.
Rai nodded and placed a gentle hand on her back. “Alright. Know that you’re already forgiven, Mia.” He smiled gently and brought his hand down on her panty-clad bottom, making a loud smack echo through the deserted library, that was quickly followed by a gasp from the reciever. “You’re sure no one will hear?”
Mia huffed, a little exhilerated and annoyed. “Yes, damn it! Trust me, you stupid fox!”
Growling gently at her, Rai raised his hand and slapped her backside harder. “I don’t approve of your choice of words, young lady. Either you sharpen up or these panties will be coming down anyway.”
Gulping gently, Mia squirmed a bit, but nodded and closed her mouth, not wanting to risk a bare bottomed spanking after he had so graciously allowed her panties to stay up like this. She gasped again as several more hard swats rained down on her bottom and she tried her best to keep still, though it was growing hard when the pain started to escalate like this.
Sighing gently, Rai tightened his hold on her, if only for a precaution. She was starting to squirm and he knew that she couldn’t help herself, but it was rather annoying, trying to spank someone who’s bottom was constantly wiggling from side to side. He continued to slap her butt, noting that it was turning pink underneath. SLAP, SLAP, SLAP, SLAP! “Mia, you know I hate doing this.” he said, as if he were a father talking to his daughter.
Mia nodded gently and bit her lip, a sob escaping her. “Yes, I… OW! I know, Rai.”
Rai nodded and continued. SPANK SPANK SPANK SPANK SPANK SPANK! He didn’t know why he felt so strongly about this. He felt like, even though he was hurting her, he was doing her a favor. He just felt so sorry for her, having to have been forced into marrage and such. He questioned if spanking her was really fair. However, he was certain that she would have stopped him had she felt it unfair in any way.
Mia whimpered gently and her tail twitched a bit. Her live had been a living hell since she had been born into this house. Even after she had run away, she had been alone, in solitude for so long. Then this two tailed kitsune comes along, spanks her, she spanks him back, and now they were best friends. It was the weirdest way to kick off a relationship, but she felt good about it… aside from constantly finding herself over his lap of course. SPANKS PANK SPANK SPANK!
The spanking continued for ten more minutes and it wasn’t long before Mia’s resolve broke and she started sobbing and squirming more, her hair tossing wildly from side to side. Rai decided that she had had enough, but laid out three more hard spanks on each cheek for good measure. SPANK, SPANK, SPANK, SPANK, SPANK, SPANK!
Carefully, Rai peeked under her panties to see that her bottom was a nice shade between pink and red. He was satisfied with this and gently rubbed her bum through her panties. “Alright, I’m done, Mia.”
Mia nodded and took deep breaths, trying to get ahold of herself. As she came around, she smiled slightly. “Rai, thanks for this. I feel… I feel much better.”
Rai smiled and nodded, gently lifting her off of his lap and hugging her tightly. “You are my friend, Mia, and as a friend, I expect honesty between us, alright? I’ve held nothing from you. Well, you know everything that I do, anyway.”
Mia nodded and wiped her tears gently. “I promise Rai, this was the only real secret that I’ve kept from you. That and my engagement to Nobunaga, which my mother will no doubt want to try and get going again since I returned.”
Rai chuckled a bit. “Don’t worry, we’ll be long gone before she can make that happen. We’re only here to rest a night or two, restock our supplies and then get moving again. We can’t risk staying in one place anyway.”
Mia nodded again and sighed. “Let’s head back to the others. They’re probably wondering what’s taking so long now.”
Rai nodded with her and they both walked back to the room. Upon entering, they were greeted by a very strange site. Vi was sitting on the bed, reading from a book while Ly and Serenity were facing the wall, their hands on their head, their bottoms bared and very red. Rai raised an eyebrow. “What happened here?” he asked.
Vi looked up and smiled slightly. “Oh, while you were gone, these two got extremely hostile towards each other. I tried my best to talk them out of fighting, but I’m afriad they weren’t really willing to listen to one such as me.”
Rai walked over to Serenity and set a hand on her shoulder. “Is this true?”
Serenity gave a meek nod. “We did get kinda… violent.”
Rai smiled a bit. “Alright, you can get out of the corner now if you want.” He turned to Vi. “Thanks for handling them. I really don’t know why they just can’t act nice around one another.”
Ly grunted and pulled up his pants. “It’s rather hard to respect someone who spanks you in front of an entire pub full of people.”
Serenity smirked. “Well, maybe if you’d learn some manners, I wouldn’t have even tried to spank you!” she countered. Once again, both of them glared at one another.
Mia sighed and sat down with a wince on the bed. She looked at Vi’s staff and decided to venture a question to try and break Serenity and Ly’s staring contest. “Vi, I’ve been a little curious about this for a while now, but how do you magicians work? I mean, do you need that staff, or can you cast spells on your own.”
Vi smiled and set her book down. “That’s an interesting question. They don’t teach you about magic here?”
Mia shook her head and Rai sat down. “Vi, the knowledge of magic is really only given to military magicians and to magicians who just happen to come from the elf clan. Commoners, theives, and even nobles have no knowledge beyond the fact that spells can be devestating.”
Vi giggled a bit. “Well then, I guess I’ll need to do quite a bit of talking to answer your questions, Mia.”
Serenity jumped up on the bed, laying on her stomach, apparently forgetting all about Ly. “Don’t worry, it’ll kill the time before dinner!” she smiled happily as she spoke of food.
Ly merely stood there, looking at them. “You could have just asked me. I can’t do magic, but I’ve observed enough about it to have a good idea of how it works.”
Serenity looked over at him. “But Vi know’s how it actually works! Besides, you never even told us you knew how it works.” The two of them resumed their glaring.
Giggling a bit, Vi shrugged and decided to start. “Well, every living creature on this planet has magic in them, dormant and locked away, with a few exceptions. However, only sentient beings like us can ever access it, and for those who don’t even know its there, this can take years of training, like they do in the military. Some races, like elves and kitsunes, have inherit magical abilities. We can access our magic without trying very hard. Elves are more proficient at this than kitsunes, I’m afriad. No offense, Rai.”
Rai shrugged. “None taken, Vi. That is interesting though. So the other races don’t really have any idea that they possess magic?”
Vi nodded. “Well, not conciously. You see, elves can call up their magic almost from the day they are born. Our race has known about magic since the dawn of time. Kitsunes believe that their foxfire techniques, and other abilities come soully from their innate energy. No. That is them tapping into their magic. Lycanthropes have magic too. How do you think they shapeshifted from one being to another and still retained their sanity? No, not through ability, through magic!”
Ly staired at her for a second. “But I thought that…” he shut up when he saw serenity’s smirk.
Vi sighed a bit. “Dogs, Nekos, and humans are the least aware of their magic, unable to call it up without proper training. All races can be trained to cast spells by tapping into their magic and letting it flow through them as naturally as blood. Elves require little training, which is why elven magicians who are not part of the military are common. Other races, while having some innate ability with magic, need training to be able to access it effectively. That is why, even though Ly there can call up his magic to transform into a wolf and back again, he can’t cast spells. He hasn’t been trained to let his magic flow through him.”
Mia nodded. “And where does the staff come into play here? I mean, if you can call up magic on your own, what do you need the staff for?”
Vi nodded. “That’s the next part of the explanation. Even an elf who can fully tap into their magic cannot cast high level spells on their own. Doing so would be like letting yourself bleed to death. Magic will replenish itself over time, but use too much of it and you could die, you see. That is what staffs are for. Staffs are made to recognize the magic within us and when held by someone who can let thier magic flow freely through their body, the magic seeps slowly from that person into the staff. There are different kinds of staff and the more power a staff is, the more magic it can hold. The staff can be thought of as a storage device, really. With all that magic stored, a magician simply needs to tap into it and cast a higher level spell. However, there’s a repercussion. The more powerful magicians can their magic flow so freely that it can literall fly through the body. A less powerful staff wouldn’t be able to handle that kind of intake and would explode violently if held fore even a second by someone too powerful.”
Serenity’s eyes bean to swirl. “That’s a little more than I can take in.”
Vi giggled a bit. “Well, let’s see how I can explain it… if we think of magicians as graded on a scale of one through ten, I would be a seven, I believe. I’m not saying that to be conceited either, it’s a proven fact.” She picked up her staff. “There are ten different kinds of staffs, each one named for an element. This is a star staff, able to handle the power of a level eight magician. You can literally feel how full a staff is when you hold it. Right now, my staff is just about empty since I was forced to drain it before coming into town. If this staff was held by a level ten Magician, for example, even if it was completely empty, there is a small chance that it would explode if the magician held it for more than a minute because the staff would have too much magic flowing into it.”
Serenity nodded. “Okay, that’s a little easier to understand.”
Mia smiled. “Could I hold it?” she asked, like a child asking for a new toy.
Vi giggled and nodded, passing the staff around. “Sure. Don’t worry, like I said it’s nearly empty and since none of you have had a magician’s training, I don’t think we need to worry about the staff overflowing.”
Rai frowned. “Is there any way to tell if a staff will overload?”
Vi thought for a second. “Not really. The staff may rumble a bit after a while, but like I said, it’s hard to tell. It really depends on the power gap betwen the staff and the magician. If a level ten magician were to old a wood staff, which is the staffs that are meant for a level one magician, the staff may explode after thirty seconds. There’s never been a case where the staff blew up sooner than that, so a magician kinda does have time to get rid of the staff if they need to.”
Mia smiled and held the staff out to Rai. “Well, that’s good. We’d be in real trouble if people just went around blowing themselves up.”
Rai chuckled. “You got that right.” He reached out and his fingers gently brushed against the side of the staff…
*******************
As Rai regained conciousness, he felt his face being slapped gently. “I’m awake, damn it… I’m awake.” He groaned and his eyes slowly opened. His ponytail had apparently come loose because his face was slightly covered by his own bangs. He blew them out of the way and noted an extremely harsh ache all over his body. “What… what happened?” he asked, noting that Serenity was the one slapping him and the others were all gathered around him.
Mia let out a deep sigh of relief. “Thank the gods you’re alright! We were all scared for a moment you might not wake up.”
Grunting, Rai tried to rise, but couldn’t. He felt Ly help him up and he nodded in thanks. “That doesn’t answer my question… what happened?”
Vi bit her lip gently. “You… you touched my staff.”
Rai raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”
Serenity hugged him tightly, careful not to hug him so tight that he couldn’t breath, but enough to make him grunt in pain. “You touched the staff and it went boom, Rai! It blew you through the wall!”
Rai realized for the first time that they weren’t inside the bedroom anymore. He was looking up at a clear sky. They were in the garden. “What? But… but how?”
Vi bent down next to him. “Rai, first off, we need to try and come up with a good excuse to appease Mia’s mother for the damage that just happened. Then I’ll explain what I think happened.”
Mia crossed her arms. “Leave my mother to me. I’ll deal with her when she gets here. For right now, let’s just get Rai working again and tell him what happened.”
Vi nodded. “Alright. Rai, you touched my staff. Do you remember what I told you could cause that.”
Rai nodded. “Yeah, you said if too powerful a magician touches a weaker staff for too long a time, it overloads, doesn’t it?”
Vi nodded. “Yes. The same thing can happen by manually breaking a full staff, but that is beside the point. You barely brushed your fingers against my staff, which was a meant for a level seven magician, and you were barely in contact with it for a second… your own magic caused it to overload and the explosion was so violent, it sent you right through the wall. It was lucky for us that the explosion was mostly pointed in your direction, it wasn’t radial. We got through with minimal damage.”
Rai nodded gently at her. “But, that doesn’t make any sense. I… I was never trained as a magician in the army, only as a swordsman.”
Vi closed her eyes. “Unless of course, the legends and rumors are true.”
Ly looked up. “You don’t mean that story about the two tails, do you?”
Rai groaned a bit and supported himself on his arms. “That old wives tale about a two tailed kitsune having extremely powerful magic?”
Vi nodded. “That would be the one. It’s more than just an old wives tale, it’s a proven fact. The two tailed kitsunes are rare, only about one springing up every millenium. The power they command is almost impossible for anyone to fathom. You, Rai, have the power to destroy this world ten times over within you. You have so much magic within you, that is already flowing around your body unhindered at such an exponential rate, that holding nothing but a staff of legendary status would cause a similar explosion.”
Serenity gasped gently. “Oh no, Rai! What’ll we do?”
Mia bent down next to him. “We help him. Hide his face and tails so that my mother doesn’t get suspicious and let’s get him back into the room and onto the bed.”
There was a deep chuckle from behind them. They all turned to see a neko standing there, holding a huge halberd in his hand. “That won’t be necessary. Dead or alive, I will need him to come with me.”
Mia growled loudly. “Nobunaga!”
Mia’s mother ran out into the yard and gasped. “Master Nobunaga! I was not expecting such an honor! Is there something that you need? As you can see, my daughter has returned and we could always rearrange her marrage to you, if that is what you wish.” Mia shot a piercing gaze at her mother.
Nobunaga shook his head. “No, I am here because your dear daughter and her friends are all now wanted criminals of the empire. She’s been harboring a ronin in your household this whole time.”
Mia’s mother blanked. “A… a ronin?” She turned on her daughter. “How could you? How could you defy the empire in such a way, you stupid girl?”
Mia rose herself and unsheathed her scimitar. “Shut up! I’ll do what I want! Piss on the empire and may the all go to the deepest reaches of hell! Rai is my friend, and so are Ly, Vi, and Serenity! I won’t allow them to be harmed.”
Her mother gulped gently. “Lord Nobunaga, I ask you to please overlook her behavior. I assure you that the neko noble house had nothing to do with it.”
Nobunaga laughed loudly and pressed the tip of the halberd against the ground. “Indeed, no brat from a noble house would dare speak to a ruling figurehead such as myself in such a way.” He turned to Mia. “We could have had something very special, dear Mia.”
Mia spat at the ground and Serenity stepped forward, baring her fists. Mia smirked. “Sorry, but I’m not attracted to men with big egos and small penises.”
At this, Nobunaga actually blushed and almost said, ‘who told you?’ but resisted, growling instead. “Insolent girl. Fine then, you’ll die here with the rest of these vagabonds!” He raised the halberd up. “Prepare yourself, Mia.”
Serenity wasted no time and charged forward, throwing her fists at Nobunaga quickly. Nobunaga grinned and grabbed one fists as it came foward. “Spirited little halfbreed, aren’t you?”
Serenity growled and threw a hard kick right at his chest. He grunted, but otherwise didn’t move. “Hehe… that almost hurt.” He reversed his halberd and jabbed the butt of it into Serenity’s stomach, causing her to gag and fall to the ground, clutching it. “So sorry, but I don’t have time to waste on you.” He kicked her hard in the chin, sending her to the side of the fight. She groaned and fought to raise herself. “Do yourself a favor, child and just stay down. I might just forget you’re there and leave you alive.”
Ly growled and stood protectively in front of Mia, Vi at his side. “Is there nothing you can do, Vi?”
Vi shook her head. “I can cast only the most basic of spells, I’m afraid. My staff was completely obliterated, and without that, I can barely give him a hotfoot.”
Nobunaga slowly advanced on them. “More resistance?” He sighed gently. “Seriously, this is getting far too monotonous. If either of you can’t put up a fight, please step aside like good peasants so I can finish this.”
Ly growled and drew a dagger from the sheath hidden on the back of his leg. With one flick of his wrist, the deadly blade flew towards Nobunaga, only to be stopped by the neko’s thumb and forefinger. Ly could only gawk. “That’s impossible! No one should have those kinds of reflexes!”
Nobunaga grinned. “It’s quite possible, child. For one, this copper dagger isn’t a very effecive weapon to begin with. I know you werewolves don’t like silver, but there are far more practical weapons out there. Second, I am one of the rulers of this empire. Did you think we were nothing more than fat politicians, sitting on our asses and eating all day? No, we got to where we are by fighting our way to the top. When word of mouth failed us, we crossed blades. Only the strongest and the smartest make it to the top of the empire, fool.” He flicked the dagger back so fast that it shot deep into Ly’s shoulder. He fell back with a cry and clutched at the blade, trying desperately to pull it out, but he couldn’t.
Vi gasped and grabbed the boy. “I’m sorry, Mia, but there isn’t anything I can do right now. I’ll see if I can help Ly and Serenity… I’m sorry.”
Mia nodded. “Do what you must, Vi. I’m not letting that bastard get near Rai.”
Vi nodded and helped Ly out of the way. Nobunaga cracked his neck. “And then there were two.” He started to walk again, taking his time. Rai groaned and turned his head towards Mia. “Mia… run, please. Don’t let… don’t let him get you too.”
Mia looked back at Rai. “Be quiet, you stupid fox! I’m not going to let him hurt you.” Tears gathered in her eyes. “You saved me, and spared me when I tried to steal from you. Now it’s time for me to return the favor.”
Rai shook his head. “You don’t stand a chance against him, Mia. One swipe of that halberd and it’ll be the end of you… please, save yourself.”
Mia shook her head defiantly. “I am a very stubborn girl, Rai. I’m not going to let you go without a fight.”
Rai could no longer argue, far too tired to even try. He merely laid back and sighed. “Stupid cat…” he mumbled.
Nobunaga was almost in striking distance now. “Mmm, so the little kitten steps beyond her station to try and protect a weapon of mass destruction.”
Mia growled gently. “Nobunaga… do not refer to him as such. He is what he is… he is my friend, and a better man in all aspects than you’ll ever be!”
Nobunaga frowned. “I really don’t want to hurt you, Mia. But if I have to raise this halberd against you, I won’t let you go so easily.”
Mia raised her scimitar. “Then let it be so.”
Nobunaga grinned. “Indeed.” He raised his halberd. Mia charged him and swung hard at him. He easily bocked it. She came at him again, swinging wildly. Every time, the strike was blocked. Nobunaga’s grin did not disappear. “It amazes me that you managed to pass yourself off as a bandit all these years. The way you fight, it’s like you’re swinging a sickle against wheat.”
Mia’s eyes flared and she feinted a swing, shooting out her free hand and catching him with a hard punch right in his face. He stumbled backwards and raised a hand to his face, massaging it. He spat out a bit of blood from his lip and raised his halberd again. “Why you… you… HOW DARE YOU MAR MY FACE?!”
Mia smirked and clenched her fist again, making her fingers crack. “You underestimated me.”
Nobunaga growled, but nodded. “Indeed I did, a mistake I shall not make twice.” He dashed forward, his halberd raised. “Die!” he shouted. As he prepared himself to deliver the killing blow, a stone landed in front of him. He stopped and inspected it. It wasn’t a stone. It was a cat’s eye marble. It exploded right in his face and threw him backwards. “Damn you, wench, and your tricks!” he shouted harshly.
Mia scratched her head. “Um, I didn’t do that.” she said honestly. There was a small whistle.
All able eyes turned to the roof. A man stood up there, dressed in a black ninjitsu suit. On his face was half a mask and a bandana that covered his mouth. The part of his face that was uncovered showed pale white skin and the eye of a cat. His hair was a flaming red and it was drawn into a long ponytail that seemed to dance behind him. His voice was smooth and melodic as he spoke. “I only ask you this once, Nobunaga. Leave now, or I shall force you to leave.”
Nobunaga’s eyes widened. “The… The cat’s eye!”
Serenity managed to force herself up to a sitting position. “Wow! He’s awsome!”
Ly grunted as Vi made another attempt to try and take the sword off of his arm. “That’s… that’s impossible… the cat’s eye, he can’t… can’t exist!”
Vi smiled a bit as the dagger finally started to come loose. “Anything is possible, Ly… the Cat’s Eye is no exception.”
The Cat’s Eye leaped down from the roof and landed squarely in front of Mia. “You did well defending Rai, Mia, but leave this to me.” He drew a long, almost cylindrical sword and pointed it at Nobunaga. “Last chance to retreat, Nobunaga.”
Nobunaga growled and raised his halberd. “Retreat? Ha! Don’t make me laugh, thief! I will not run when my victory is almost assured!” He ran forward and thrust at Cat’s Eye with deadly accuracy.
The Cat’s eye stepped to the side and brought down his own sword. With a loud snapping sound, the halberd shattered in a thousand little pieces, all of which fell harmlessly to the ground. Nobunaga paled. “My… my precious halberd.”
The Cat’s Eye once again turned and pointed his sword at Nobunaga, who was now uncomfortably close to the edge of the blade. “Are you so sure of your victory now?” he asked.
Nobunaga growled and threw down what was left of his halberd. “Damn you! This is over. I’ll be seeing you all again… and soon!” He turned and dashed away.
Mia smirked. “That’s right, run home with your tail between your legs!”
Nobunaga turned and hissed at her as he ran offer, down the road. Great, now not only would he have to suffer the taunts of his other council members, but now he would have to bend to the will of Sonin and Korin. Oh the humilation of being put over the lap of a girl! He would have his revenge… he swore it.
As Nobunaga’s figure retreated, The Cat’s Eye sheathed his sword. “You’ll be seeing him again. That is, if you continue down the road you walk now.” He turned to them all. “Rest easy. I am not an enemy, but I won’t always be around to save you like this.”
Serenity growled at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Ly shook his head. “Shut up, Serenity, he’s right. If he hadn’t have shown up, we would have been slaughtered.”
Rai nodded weakly from his place on the ground. “I thank you, Cat’s Eye. My your legend continue.”
The Cat’s Eye nodded. “And my yours continue to take shape. Nowadays, stories of what you have done since you left the military have been swarming in pubs and taverns alongside those of mine.” He chuckled. “I certainly hope that you and your companions find your way. There is much danger involved in defying so high a person in the empire.”
Rai nodded. “It’s a risk I am willing to take.”
The Cat’s Eye nodded. “Well spoken. I leave you now. And Mia, I don’t think your mother will have a problem letting you stay a night or two here now.”
Mia’s mother, who had watched the entire thing open mouthed, nodded quickly. “Of… of course, sir!” she said quickly.
Mia smiled gently. “Thank you sir. Godspeed to you.”
The Cat’s Eye nodded. “I will see you all then. Goodbye and good luck.” He dashed off, almost as quickly as Nobunaga had.
Mia’s mother scowled. “Well, if you’re going to stay, then hurry and get inside before someone starts asking questions. We’re lucky that no peasants take any heed of what happens at this house or we would already have a crowd standing on this lawn!” She turned and stomped into the house, leaving the door open for the others.
Mia turned and took Rai’s arm carefully. “I told you I wouldn’t leave you.”
Rai nodded gently, still unable to move his body. “Yeah… and I am glad that you’re so stubborn, Mia… my friend.”
Serenity bounded over and took Rai’s other arm, all the effects of Nobunaga’s attacks wearing off of her. “Yay! We’re all alive! And it’s all thanks to the Cat’s Eye!”
Ly grumbled as he walked over, clutching his arm, which was still bleeding a little bit through his shirt. “Bah, he wasn’t so good.”
Serenity snorted. “He was better than you! And he’s twice as handsome, and I’ll bet he’s three times as well-endowed!”
This comment caused a large blush to fall over the group before all except a blushing and embarrased Ly started laughing loudly as they all headed inside to get food and rest.
******************
Korin looked up from his meditations to find Sonin staring at him intently. “It seems our dear friend Nobunaga has failed.”
Sonin giggled. “Oh boy! I can’t wait until he gets back!”
Korin smiled gently. “You’ve planned his entire punishment out, haven’t you?”
Sonin grinned. “I’ve been planning this out since the day I met him.” She giggled cutely.
END CHAPTER 4
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