{"sf1_id":1761819,"sf2_id":"3egQ9Zwn","title":"84 - Troubles with Hare and Bats","author":"SciFurz","words":3176,"posted_at":"2021-09-09T23:33:21.000Z","tags":["Canine","Demon","Dragon","Dwarf","Elf","Erotic","Fantasy","Feline","Female","Fox","Harem","Human","Knight","Lagomorph","Male","Orc","Otherworld","Rogue","Romance","Sheep","Skeleton","Squirrel","Succubus","Undead","Vampire","Wolf","alchemist","harpy","sorceress"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1761819-84-troubles-with-hare-and-bats","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/3egQ9Zwn","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/46/be/46be362b-e496-4b2f-8bb3-dbe3cc57b96d","description":"A new antagonist joins the ranks.","content":"Elyta looked down the centre of the spiral staircase. 'Why do I feel like we should've reached the top floor three times over by now?'\n\n \n\nTarrence stepped onto the next wide and dark floor, as empty as all the others they had passed on the way up. 'Distortion magic. That's why these floors look empty and the tower shorter than it really is.' He noticed Gigacks staring into the emptiness.\n\n \n\nThe lich glanced at him. 'We're not alone.'\n\n \n\n'Not totally unexpected.' Tarrence said and looked around. 'Now that we know someone is here, might as well bring it all out into the open.'\n\n \n\nGigacks took out two mana stones and chanted softly as he gripped them.\n\n \n\nMuni's ears twitched as cracks appeared in the air around them and revealed visions of the real interior of the tower through the widening breaches of the illusion. Stone walls, eternally lit torches, half broken furniture, rusty weapons and tools became visible to the naked eye.\n\n \n\nElyta peered at stalls in the larger passages connected to the empty square surrounding the staircase. 'This tower must have been a complete vertical city. There are shops and homes as far as I can tell.'\n\n \n\n'Impenetrable by an enemy as long as the walls stand.' said Muni. 'Only with less sky to enjoy looking up into.'\n\n \n\nThe clinking of the depleted stones on the floor when Gigacks dropped them echoed in the silent surroundings. 'Done.'\n\n \n\nAll four sensed the change in the air, and Muni drew his sword. 'I feel a lot of trouble coming.'\n\n \n\nIt began with a distant murmur all around them, then quickly grew into a cacophony of ragged screams and rapid running footsteps. Undead and decayed apes burst from the passages.\n\n \n\n'Run!' said Tarrence and rushed up the steps.\n\n \n\n'Can't you control those dead things!?' said Muni to Gigacks, thinking he might have preferred spiders chasing him.\n\n \n\nGigacks spread a volley of fire and ice projectiles toward the wild apes at the base of the stairs. 'They're not dead. Just not alive.'\n\n \n\nDispelling the illusionary cloak also revealed the real state of the stairs. Rubble lay on them and some parts were broken off, hindering the party in their run up them. Muni pushed a large stone piece balancing barely on some rubble underneath. It rolled noisily down the steps and crushed several of the enraged apes before rolling over the side in the middle and taking some with it in its fall into the darkness below. Elyta followed up the confusion by shooting more of the apes in front, while Gigacks took out others with another salvo of fire and ice projectiles.\n\n \n\nThe rush of apes only stalled for the brief time it took for the next in line to crawl over and toss aside their dead, and continue their demented pursuit and angry cries.\n\n \n\n'How can we stop them!?' asked Muni as they hastily climbed over a slender column resting across the stairs.\n\n \n\nAs if to answer his question, the noise from the apes died down.\n\n \n\nThe party slowed down and looked back at the apes grunting and swaying nervously, with some stepping forward for a moment, only to skittishly move back to the group.\n\n \n\nMuni gazed at the unexpected sight. 'What the?'\n\n \n\nElyta peered around at the shadowy surroundings. 'They are afraid of something even worse than them.'\n\n \n\nTarrence turned around and squinted at a black shadow in the dark above them. 'This is interesting.'\n\n \n\nThe other three looked up as a light grey female demon hare leaned forward into the light of a torch. 'Which one of you is the strongest fighter?'\n\n \n\nMuni tiled his head. 'Who are you?'\n\n \n\nShe jumped the gap between where she stood and the stairs and rushed at him the moment she landed. 'No talking! Fight!'\n\n \n\nHe jabbed his sword at her. She evaded, spun fast around, and kicked it from his hand. 'That's useless against me.' she said, and punched his chest.\n\n \n\nThe strong blow pushed him back but he stayed up on his feet. He rubbed his chest but hardly felt sore. 'So that's the way you want it, eh?' He clenched his fists. 'Fine by me.'\n\n \n\nHe stepped towards her and jabbed at her. She ducked and swiftly moved sideways on her fast and strong feet, and punched at his face.\n\n \n\nHe caught her fist and grinned. 'I may carry a sword, but I have been fighting barehanded since birth.' he said, and kicked at her feet.\n\n \n\nHe did hit one, but she was fast and agile enough to avoid the fall, spun sideways at a jump, and punched at him with more enthusiasm. Muni's higher strength matched her faster speed in ability, and the two quickly exchanged hits one by one.\n\n \n\nThe hare kicked him in his gut with her powerful legs, but it hurt her feet enough to realise he could take it, even if it pushed him back a step. Her heart pounded not only from the excitement of the fight, but also from the joy of finding someone who matched her strength. The sudden thought of him pinning her in defeat surprised her long enough to slow down her reflexes for a moment.\n\n \n\nMuni ducked her punch, and this time body slammed her. He expected her to step back keep her balance, but her feet moved too late, and she fell down on her back with him on top. He pinned her wrists above her head and pressed his hips between her legs to prevent her from kicking him away.\n\n \n\nShe struggled while he grinned in amusement, and she gave up, partially frustrated at her loss, partially happy to have found what she had been looking for in her journey. Muni moved his face closer to hers. 'How's this for you?'\n\n \n\nHis eyes went wide when she kissed him.\n\n \n\nElyta snorted while Gigacks rolled his empty eye sockets. Muni gazed silently at her but kept his grip on her while Tarrence stepped closer to them. 'I can use a fighter like you.'\n\n \n\nShe looked up at him. 'Will I fight more strong opponents?'\n\n \n\nHe nodded. 'Certainly.'\n\n \n\nShe looked at Muni, who watched her with a new interest. 'I'm in.'\n\n \n\n**\\*\\*\\***\n\n \n\nIphigenia recited the poetry while gesturing lightly with one hand and striding elegantly in a quarter circle around Naopte, and noticed Naopte's eyes fixed upon her. _'I think I'm captivating her.'_ she said to Ulric.\n\n \n\nUlric peeked from the far side of the couch at the vampire woman and her gaze following Iphigenia. He didn't like her look. Not just for the way it looked like she wanted to feed on her, which his predatory instincts recognised. _'We can use that to distract her.'_\n\n \n\n_'I'll make sure she is.'_ said Iphigenia, and her dress rustled softly while she strode to the far end of the fireplace, and glanced briefly at Naopte before she recited the next piece of poetry.\n\n \n\nThe fire reflecting in Iphigenia's eyes bound Naopte's gaze to the young woman. She hadn't been attracted to another individual in a long time, and she didn't want to let this girl go. \"I will turn you.\" she thought. \"And I will feast on you in every way for a very long time.\"\n\n \n\nIphigenia spoke without breaking her gaze at Naopte.\n\n \n\n \n\n'In the short existence of life\n\n \n\nThere is but one thing I desire\n\n \n\nTo never be without you\n\n \n\nThe cold steel is ready\n\n \n\nTo bind us in an eternal bond'\n\n \n\n \n\nNaopte rose from her chair and gazed with intense desire at her new interest, and bared her fangs with a smile while Iphigenia recited the last line.\n\n \n\n \n\n'And may Death grant us its blessing'\n\n \n\n \n\nNaopte's expression froze when Ulric pierced her back and her heart with the two prepared daggers.\n\n \n\nThe Old One's shriek transformed into the squeals of dozens of black bats as the swarm exploded into the room, and the other girls burst through the doors.\n\n \n\nSeveral bats slammed into the doors when Caylais closed them fast, and hit them with her lightning to keep them down. The others spread out across the room and swung their weapons at the quick and nimble creatures. Rachael barely broke a wing of one bat. 'The rats were easier. They couldn't fly.'\n\n \n\nYingshien grumbled as she had to take care not to unleash her beam of fire towards the others. 'I could have spit out a cloud of fire to fill the room if you all weren't in here.'\n\n \n\nTipper hit one bat out of the air. 'I sincerely thank you for that.'\n\n \n\nUlric focussed again on the scent of the potion and the sound of the heart pounding inside one of the bats, but the bats flying around in circles made it too difficult to find his target, and Yingshien's remark would have been a good option if it wasn't for the fact that bats would escape as soon as one door opened. He observed the cloud of frantic creatures for an idea to immobilise all of them. The earlier remark gave him one.\n\n \n\n_'Val, can you conjure up a cloud of vapour in the middle of the room?'_ he asked when the idea hit him.\n\n \n\n_'Yes, no problem.'_ she said, and began creating a layer of water on the floor.\n\n \n\n_'Everyone, move towards the walls and keep the bats in the middle. Cay, stand ready to do your thing.'_\n\n \n\nHis girls slashed and struck at nearby bats while they backed off against the wall, and gestured at Tipper, Yingshien, and Rachael to do the same. The bats flew around like a compact tornado, and Ulric stepped back last. 'Val, now!'\n\n \n\nValdys threw up her hands, and the growing layer of water shot up from the floor and enveloped the startled bats into the vapour cloud.\n\n \n\n'Cay, shoot it!' said Ulric.\n\n \n\nCaylais thrust her hands forward with a growing ball of lightning. It shot away and shrouded the cloud in an instant.\n\n \n\nThe bats shrieked as the lightning spread out through the cloud and their tiny bodies, and dropped them unconsciously from the air if it didn't kill them outright already.\n\n \n\nUlric stepped forward while the vapour cloud dissipated, and focussed his nose and ears on the pile of dead and squirming creatures. A small heap attracted his senses. 'There.'\n\n \n\nThe bats on top of the heap rolled aside, and the heart bat shot up towards the ceiling.\n\n \n\n'She protected herself by using her other bodies as a shield.' said Elzbieta, and stabbed her sword at the swift bat.\n\n \n\nNaopte flew close to the ceiling and easily evaded any attempt to hit it from the girls while staying close enough to them to prevent another lightning attack. She knew she couldn't fly around long enough for someone to come to her aid, and searched around for an escape route. She almost cursed for choosing a residence without windows, then realised there was still one way to go outside. The fire may singe her even if it was burning less hard now, but she'd be alive and safe.\n\n \n\nShe feigned a move to the corner of the room, then dove down to the floor and shot towards the fireplace with a thrust from her wings.\n\n \n\nUlric snarled when he realised her intent. 'She's going up the chimney!'\n\n \n\nThe heat grazed her but she was thrilled to see the white light above her in the chimney.\n\n \n\nShe noticed too late the white was not actually a light.\n\n \n\nTrixy fell down with Naopte in her grip into the fire, but Valdys doused it at once with a water spell. Ulric grabbed her from the wet ashes and charred wood, and gripped the bat while he looked over the undead squirrel. 'Are you all right?'\n\n \n\nTrixy chittered her reassurance that she was, and let go of Naopte. Valdys took her in her arms and examined her smudged bones. 'You didn't burn yourself up there, did you?' she asked, while Valdys wiped her clean.\n\n \n\nTrixy chittered again and Valdys stroked her nose against her undead familiar's nose. 'You anticipated she might escape through there?'\n\n \n\nTrixy nodded.\n\n \n\nUlric stroked her head. 'Dangerous, but a very smart move, little one. I'm damned proud of you.'\n\n \n\nShe rubbed her head against his paw as she chittered in pride.\n\n \n\nUlric watched the wriggling bat in his paw as it tried to bite his fingers. 'I wish the next part wasn't so disgusting.' He and the girls looked away and tried to ignore the sound as he clenched his fist and turned every bat into ashes.\n\n \n\n**\\*\\*\\***\n\n \n\nMalyssa poured herself a glass of blood wine from the cabinet in one of the many sitting rooms. 'It is time.' she whispered to the young man beside her. 'Tell everyone to stand ready to take action.'\n\n \n\nHer friend Antorio opened the book he held casually and leafed through the pages. 'Will they succeed?'\n\n \n\nMalyssa sipped from her glass. 'They just took down Naopte. I saw them do it through the keyhole from her chamber door.'\n\n \n\nHe barely revealed his surprise in his face. 'She may have been old, but she is a formidable opponent if you make her your enemy.'\n\n \n\n'Was.' said Malyssa with a brief smirk. 'She was not formidable enough compared to our guests.'\n\n \n\n'Won't they become a threat to us then?'\n\n \n\n'Not as long as we stay on their good side.'\n\n \n\nHe closed his book. 'I will round up the others.' he said, and left the sitting room.\n\n \n\nMalyssa returned to Naopte's room, suppressing her growing excitement on seeing her plans come to fruition. 'Are you fit to take on the next one?'\n\n \n\nUlric looked at the girls. 'I'm good, how about you?'\n\n \n\nThe girls wiped their weapons clean while Yingshien took a deep breath to sense the state of her fire ability. 'I think we're good.' said Iphigenia. 'It hasn't been as intense as previous fights, just more bothersome.'\n\n \n\n'So, who's next?' asked Ulric of Malyssa.\n\n \n\nShe already had picked her target. 'Dornus.'\n\n \n\n'He keeps very much to himself, and only has a couple of close servants who are deaf and mute taking and relaying his orders.' Malyssa said while they navigated the secret passages to the far end of a wing of the burg. 'Even the other Old Ones barely know anything about him, but they have a high respect for him. From what we have learned through pieces of history is that he once was powerful in battles, but everything points to him having lost what power he had. He has not done anything since the last fight he was involved in.'\n\n \n\n'You think he has become weak?' asked Valdys.\n\n \n\n'Not exactly weak, but not more powerful than any of the others. Maybe even less. Not once have any of us seen him display any sign of strength.'\n\n \n\n'That doesn't prove he's weak.' said Elzbieta.\n\n \n\nMalyssa glanced back at her. 'True, but there have been a few conflicts after he stopped fighting in which he never showed up. He also only attends the most necessary gatherings between the Old Ones. We think they just keep him around as a courtesy to his past.'\n\n \n\n'We'll not underestimate him though.' said Ulric. 'That would be a mistake even weak opponents could exploit.'\n\n \n\nMalyssa stopped at a junction. 'We're close. There's a good chance his two servants are in the room this passage connects to, but Dornus should be two rooms further down, so if you can take out his servants quietly, he'll never know.'\n\n \n\nUlric looked at Iphigenia and Elzbieta, who gave him a nod. 'We'll first have a look to see if we can.'\n\n \n\nThe concealed door was built into a corner of the room, and a thin crack which was not noticeable in the lower part of that corner provided a reasonable wide view inside. Malyssa took a quick glance. 'Both of them are in there.' she whispered. 'Don't be fooled by their looks, they are twice as strong as the average man.'\n\n \n\nShe moved back and Ulric took a look. The two pale skinned and bald men sat upright in two chairs turned halfway towards the double doors at the far end of the room, and their dead eyes were fixed on a row of small, brass bells hanging on the wall. Ulric noticed their outfit wasn't as stiff as some servants wore, with one wearing a faded red colour, and the other a blue. 'I have a feeling those guys do use that strength from time to time.' he whispered.\n\n \n\nIphigenia, Elzbieta, and Valdys also took a look, and agreed. 'They look like they'd roll up their sleeves at a moment's notice to cause some hurt.' whispered Iphigenia. 'Not to serve tea and biscuits.'\n\n \n\nThey turned to Malyssa but she shrugged. 'We see them going around, but we've not seen them in any actual action other than making sure someone does as he is ordered to by Dornus.'\n\n \n\nUlric looked again at his girls. 'If you have any doubt.'\n\n \n\n'We're here to do a job.' whispered Elzbieta. 'I believe we can surprise them while they're only looking at those bells.'\n\n \n\nIphigenia nodded. 'We strike fast so they can't cause any commotion.'\n\n \n\n'Then we do it right now before anything messes up our attack.' whispered Ulric, and cautiously opened the wall panel. 'I'll take Red if you two take on Blue.'\n\n \n\nHe sneaked closer to the servant wearing red, using the leather seats for guests as cover, while Iphigenia and Elzbieta did the same towards the other. _'Ready?'_ he asked when they were as close as they could come near the men without being seen.\n\n \n\nThe girls gripped their swords. _'Ready.'_\n\n \n\nThe three jumped forward at the same time.\n\n \n\nThe servants reacted faster than anticipated, and Red blocked Ulric's punch, while Blue spun around and deflected the girls' swords. Ulric didn't hold back and pushed Red down onto the floor, preventing the struggling man from escaping. Iphigenia pinned their opponent's foot to the floor with her sword, and Elzbieta stabbed with her sword at his gut. Her sword pierced him, but he didn't flinch, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her closer. Not giving him the advantage, she and Iphigenia pushed him back, but he still maintained his balance with his other foot. _'He's too strong!'_ said Iphigenia.\n\n \n\nElzbieta noticed him pulling his pinned foot loose. _'He's pulling free!'_\n\n \n\nYingshien hit him against his chest and pushed him onto the floor on his back with all her weight, to Iphigenia's and Elzbieta's relief. Valdys hurried to them and cast a shard of ice into his throat, which pierced through the top of his head, and did the same with Red.\n\n \n\nUlric stood up. _'Great work.'_\n\n \n\nCaylais stood at the door, listening for any sound from the other side. _'I only hear music. Seems we didn't alert Dornus.'_\n\n \n\nUlric moved next to her and listened as well. He didn't hear anything more than music from a similar device as in Grozev's chambers. _'Good. Let's see what's in the next room.'_ he said, and peeked through the keyhole of the door.","series":{"name":"A Monster Life","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1758031-83-wheels-and-motions.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1765368-85-overwhelming-forces.json"}}