Maiden Of The Splitting Moon

4The trio obliged as waves of light shot down from above. Xiao Yin circled around the cultivator, releasing a barrage of attacks. Despite an attack that was able to scare even the scout team of the Ruishi Clan, Ming Yue had little trouble avoiding them, just taking a few steps each time.      3

But this was just the start as she noticed black fog emerge from Hei Yue's body.     

The Mistral Fox ran forward, leaving a trail of fog that quickly expanded and enveloped the young woman.      

"Hm? Hei Yue's fog has grown stronger."      

There was a realization as she looked around her, seeing nothing but darkness. It was as if someone had painted the world around her black.      

That wasn't all there was to it.     

She looked around before trying to expand her energy outward, sensing her surroundings.      

"It doesn't just blind you but takes away your other senses as well. It can even dampen someone's aura so it would be difficult to know their surroundings. It's not enough to stop me from overpowering it but anyone below the Sky Realm would find it more than a little troublesome."     

She noted this before waving Blood Moon forward just as the fox suddenly appeared before her, leaping through the fog and swinging down on her!      

Sparks flew as the claw met her blade before Hei Yue vanished back into the fog. All while Xiao Yin's attacks continued to rain down. With the two of them working together, Ming Yue was already feeling a bit pressured.      

"Where's Liang Wei?" she wondered.      

For such a large beast, Liang Wei had yet to reveal himself. Or perhaps, he had already begun to move.      

Suddenly, she felt something, a feeling of danger in front of her as Liang Wei charged forward. The Twin-Tailed Mao rushed forward and swiped his paw, aiming to smash her to the side. The beige irises took on a brighter glow as the attack came swiftly.      

"Not fast enough."     

Ming Yue jumped over the sweeping paw before advancing, swinging her swords out. A burst of wind came and forced the fog to dissipate while she went for Liang Wei's head! The giant cat hissed before spinning, the two tails spun like whips.      

"Damn!"     

Ming Yue quickly repositions, moving both Blood Moon and the Black Blade to her side to defend against the attack.      

The two tails came fast, hitting her and launching the young woman through the air. As Ming Yue flew back, she slowed herself before softly landing on the grass. The three beasts quickly moved, standing before her with concerned whimpers and mewing.      

She looked at them with a smile before putting her swords away.      

"Okay, that was good enough", she said to them, "You three really got a lot stronger after eating the Aureate Koi."     

Getting closer to them, her hands moved forward as she began to pet and scratch them all. They all let out happy sounds under the feeling of her fingers.     

Ming Yue seemed to notice one other thing as her hands moved through their bodies. She didn't realize it before when she was cleaning them but now it was much more apparent.      

"I don't remember their bodies being this soft. Especially Hei Yue's fur, was it like this before?" she thought.      

Her hands continued to run through the soft fur and feathers of the trio, showing a bit of surprise.     

Still, she didn't stop.      

In fact, she felt herself getting pulled in and there didn't seem to be anything she could do. Slowly but surely, Ming Yue sank deeper into this pile of soft warmth. By the time she realized it, the young woman was already enveloped in the fur, and getting out was harder than it seemed.      

"I- we can stay like this I guess."     

Cuddling together, the group enjoyed a peaceful night.      

But elsewhere, things were getting heated as the only survivor of the scout team returned, limping into the Ruishi Clan with a makeshift stick. Those working the night looked on with horror at the pitiful state of their own clansmen.      

Despite the many injuries, this individual merely limped forward with urgency. His face had nothing but fear and shock, widened eyes, and a trembling mouth. the blood of his comrades hadn;t even been washed off.      

Climbing up the stairs, he reached the top floor and barged into Ruishi Wang's quarters. The elder himself was seated behind his desk, looking over documents as usual.      

But the sudden entry caused him to look up in shock, the lion-kin stood up, staring at this poor figure.      

"What happened? Where is the rest of the scout team?" he asked.      

The survivor merely stared at the elder, not even lowering his head or cupping his fists to show respect.      

"They're dead, everyone died and I barely survived", he answered.      

Limping forward, he got closer and nearly tripped over himself but he was close enough. Dropping the stick, he leaned over Ruishi Wang's desk, grabbing him by the collar and pulling him close. Their eyes met, one pair filled with shock while the other was just a step from insanity.      

"Never go to the North, elder! It is nothing more than a deathtrap! Do you understand me?! Never cross the Phantom! Heed its warnings! Ignoring them will only lead to death! There is nothing but monstrosities! Blood and carnage beyond your imagination! Do you understand?! Do you understand me?!"      

He shouted and shouted, shaking Ruishi Wang violently until several guards entered and pulled him away from the Elder. But this survivor struggled, trying to break free and shouting at the top of his lungs.      

"NEVER GO NORTH! DON'T DEFY THE PHANTOM!"      

His words continued to echo through the corridors as he was being dragged away. Several attendants quickly entered to see if Ruishi Wang was okay but he waved them back.      

"I'm alright, I'm alright, leave me be", he said.      

They still looked at him in concern but listened and left his quarters, closing the doors behind them. Ruishi Wang stood there in silence, looking down at the table. He was visibly shaken, no doubt an experience like that would rattle him.      

The words echoed in his mind as he slumped down on his chair.      

His eyes were just wide open.     

Ruishi Wang tried to absorb what had just happened, he tried to understand it. Even then, all he could do was blankly stare at the documents on his table.      

"What should be done?" he muttered this question under his breath.      

Shifting his gaze from one paper to another, he started to wrack his brain.      

"It's been over a week and the Aureate Koi hasn't been caught. It hasn't even revealed itself to us and now this. The scout team that I sent returned with only one survivor who is now crippled and insane. We're practically at a standstill. The momentum we've gained is lost because we're just waiting around. What can be done?" he wondered.      

"We've practically taken a step forward and went two steps backward. At this rate, we'll remain stagnant."     

This much he realized.      

With no fish, no one would be making a move and that meant nothing was going to happen. The North would remain untouched and with no real goal in sight, that meant only one thing.     

"The tribes would turn on each other."     

But just then, someone entered the room, opening and closing the doors while barely making a sound. Ruishi Lei didn't even bother to look up, waving his hand at them.      

"Leave, I don't want to see anyone right now."      

Despite this, they did not do as he said.      

"I have some news for you, Chief."     

Ruishi Wang looked up.      

"About what?" he asked, looking with a tired expression.      

"It's about the Teleportations Arrays, one of the keys has been obtained."