《The Definitive Guide to Summoning Monsters》


 Story Information

    Hello and welcome to "The Definitive Guide to Summoning Monsters." This action adventure contains elements of card games, urban fantasy, regular fantasy, magic, supernatural monsters, and gender-bender content. However, this story will in no way help you summon actual monsters, and it does not feature a guide to summoning monsters, either in content or the narrative.


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    Content Warning


    This story may contain controversial content in the form of sexually suggestive scenarios, limited mental anguish, violence, blood, death, murder, and foul language.


    This story uses generative AI to help correct grammatical, spelling, and similar writing errors. It is also used for proofreading, suggesting improvements, and pointing out logical errors. It is not used to generate content.


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


    You should avoid this story if you find any of the above objectionable.


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    A Note to the LGBTQ Community

 Chapter 1. Cards are Hard

    "I play my Dire Forest Wolf in defense against your ogre," James declared. He placed the wolf card down on the artifact. On his side of the board, a vicious wolf appeared in a burst of green light. The wolf let out a howl, and it moved to defend his avatar against the mighty ogre on the other side of the board. The two tiny constructs of magic stared each other down. The dire forest wolf growled and postured, defensive as if protecting its young. Across from it, the ogre slapped his club against its free hand with an ugly grin on its decomposing face.


    The rot was an effect of Paul''s World of Rot trap card. It infected all his monsters with rot. This destroyed them after only two turns, but it infected all creatures that made contact with it. He also had the Infinite Graveyard in play, which let him revive monsters. Not only could he revive them, but he could revive dark monsters for half the cost.


    "You''re just delaying the inevitable. Your wolf has no immunity to rot, even if it does have a higher attack," Paul said across from James as he gestured at the field. "Is that it for your turn?"


    James looked through his hand before he glanced at his remaining summoning energy and grimaced. Paul''s monsters had infected and destroyed his own again and again. James was now running low on the energy required to summon more monsters. Worse, the only tactic he could use right now was simply tossing his monsters into the meat grinder and hoping Paul made a mistake.


    Paul was using a cheap tactic, in his opinion. The World of Rot card had taken out his ace early on. The Rabbit of Tomnadashan, often referred to as the Killer Rabbit was a Tier 6 monster. All that was left was a downward spiral.


    James placed a Tree Snare trap card face down and sighed. "Yeah, I guess it''s your turn now."


    The Tree Snare trap card wouldn''t activate unless Paul played a monster from his hand rather than from the graveyard. It was close to useless in this scenario. Even if it worked, it would only buy James a few more turns. He would need to get his ace back, or the match was going to be over. Unfortunately, his deck wasn''t cooperating with him. He couldn''t draw the one card he needed.


    Paul smiled as he drew a card. "I play my Vengeful Skeleton."


    A skeleton appeared in a burst of purple light next to the ogre. It wore dark robes and had glowing red eyes within its hood. The skeleton wielded a vicious scythe in one hand. But just as it appeared, a rope appeared on the ground. The skeleton''s foot was within the loop. The skeleton glanced down before the rope pulled tight around its ankle, and the skeleton dropped its scythe as it was suddenly yanked into the air. Just as quickly, the skeleton was smashed into pieces on the hard ground.


    "Cheap trick," Paul said as he grumbled as he glanced over his own cards before shaking his head as he placed down a magic card. "I play quickened summon. I summon the Vengeful Skeleton from the graveyard."


    The card was flipped face-up. The card read, ''Quickened Summon: You may summon a second monster this turn.'' and then rotted away. Paul discarded the magic card and placed the Vengeful Skeleton down again.


    "You''ve got to be kidding me," James said. The scattered bones of the vengeful skeleton pulled themselves together, and the skeleton appeared next to the ogre. The skeleton knelt down and picked its scythe up from the ground. He hadn''t expected Paul to bring that card out so soon. Paul was going to be able to kill his wolf this turn. He sighed and discarded his Snare Trap card.


    "I attack the Dire Forest Wolf with my Beastly Ogre." Paul said as he pointed at the Dire Forest Wolf.


    The small ogre rushed forward and smashed its club into the back of the wolf, who let out a yelp as it was attacked. Tendrils of black rot began to cover the unfortunate wolf. The wolf lashed out with its teeth and bit into the ogre, ripping a chunk out of its flesh in a counterattack.


    "My Vengeful Skeleton attacks your Dire Forest Wolf. Your wolf is destroyed," Paul declared with a smirk.


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    The skeleton moved forward, brandishing its shining scythe. The wolf looked up with fear in its eyes, as it was helpless to do anything about the incoming attack. The scythe came down and cut the wolf in two. The wolf dissipated into a ball of green light that faded away as the magic left it and entered the board again.


    James was now left without any monsters to defend himself, and Paul had two monsters. Fortunately, they had both already attacked this turn. They were done.


    "And that''s where I end my turn," Paul said as he grinned at James.


    James nodded as he drew a card. His eyes widened, and he glanced back at his cards. A smile grew across his face. He was finally drawing some luck. He had the card he needed.


    "I play Springtime Growth." The card appeared before him on the board, showing its text to Paul, before vines covered the card and pulled it into the ground. "Springtime Growth allows me to return one monster to my hand from the graveyard."


    James picked through his graveyard and retrieved the Rabbit of Tomnadashan. He smiled as he showed it to Paul, who shrugged in response.


    "I summon the Rabbit of Tomnadashan!" James called out. The ground on his side of the field began to bulge as a paw forced itself from the ground. A large rabbit, rippling with muscle, tore itself free from the ground. It''s claws and teeth covered with dripping blood. It''s eyes glowed red as it observed the monsters before it. It let out a low growl that shook the earth.


    "I now attack your monsters with the Rabbit of Tomnadashan!" James yelled in excitement as the rabbit turned into a blur. Like a furry bullet, it blasted through the skeleton, destroying it again, and its long teeth sank into the neck of the ogre. Grey, rotting blood spurted from the neck of the ogre as the rabbit ripped out its throat. The ogre fell to the ground and twitched as its rotten blood pooled on the ground. Black lines of rot began to creep from the rabbit''s mouth as the rot infected it once again.


    "You done?" Paul said casually, despite losing his monsters so quickly.


    "Yeah, I guess so," James said.


    Paul nodded as he drew a card and placed it on the field. "I activate the World of Death. I must discard my hand, and for every five creatures that have died, I can summon a dark monster from my graveyard without cost."


    He put his entire hand into the discard pile and smirked at James. "I summon Vengeful Skeleton, Beastly Ogre, Wandering Spirit, and Demonic Imp." The four monsters started to appear in black light. "I now sacrifice-"


    "Stop," James said, holding up a hand. "I forfeit."


    "Really?" Paul asked in confusion.


    "Yeah, I don''t see the point in continuing. You''ve already won," James said as he looked at the board. All the monsters started to dissolve into motes of magic that sank back into the board. The board itself began to dim until it was just a flat slate again. They both stood up from the table and stretched.


    "You did well," Paul said. "I didn''t expect you to bring out the rabbit again."


    "Where did you get World of Death? I''ve never seen that card before." James said, looking at the discard pile.


    "Please, I live in the town with the main store. They run special events all the time for limited run cards." He smirked at James. "It''s only been in print for a month."


    "Yeah, yeah. I know. That''s part of the reason I am vacationing here in the first place," James said with a shrug. "Still, it''s been a long time since I played against you. You''ve gotten really good."


    "Yeah, thanks," Paul said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I''m actually ranked now. Maybe we''ll see each other in the state tournament next month."


    "Uhm. I don''t really play in big tournaments. I just like playing casually." James said, shrugging. "I don''t have that kind of time anymore."


    "Oh yeah, why not? You were pretty good." Paul asked, looking at him curiously.


    James paused, staring at the board, before shrugging. "Gotta make a living somehow. I had to get a job."


    Paul grimaced in sympathy. "Yeah, I can''t imagine what it''s like to work a full-time job. Thanks for taking time to play me."


    "No problem. I hadn''t seen you in a while, and I needed something to fill the time before I turned in for the night." James said as he stretched and looked at the clock. "Tomorrow I am going to visit that card shop and then go see the sights. Want to come with me?"


    Paul shook his head. "It was great to see you again, but I have a thing tomorrow."


    "A thing, huh? Got a lady now? I''m proud of you," James said, smirking at him.


    "No." Paul said grinning before shaking his head. "Nothing like that. It''s just family stuff."


    James nodded. They talked for a few more minutes before James made his way to the door of Paul''s apartment and let himself out. He walked down the hallway to the stairwell and descended to the main floor of the building. The hallway was quiet at this time of night.


    He was looking forward to visiting the card shop. He had always wanted to visit the main branch in East Lake City. It was rumored to be huge and had almost every card ever released. He wondered if they had the card he was looking for. Maybe he would get lucky and get a limited-release card. He would know tomorrow.


    He walked out of the apartment building and back towards his hotel. The night was quiet and peaceful. He looked up at the sky and smiled. It was good to relax for once.

 Chapter 2. Out and About

    James yawned as he fumbled for his phone. Its wake-up alarm blared, causing his head to pound from the noise. He grabbed his phone and shut off the annoying alarm. With the annoyance dealt with, he yawned and curled up into the soft blankets of the hotel bed. He would rest for a few more minutes, he thought as he drifted off to sleep once again.


    He checked the time on his phone during a bout of lucidity. It proudly informed him that it was noon, and he had slept an additional 3 hours. He jolted upright at the revelation and stumbled out of bed onto the floor. It was a vacation, and he couldn''t waste it sleeping. There was still enough time to get some breakfast or, more likely, lunch.


    He quickly threw on some clothing, left the hotel, and hurried through the city''s busy streets to a burger joint. He had planned to get something better but was in a rush. He retrieved his greasy ''food'' and sat down outside in the early afternoon light.


    He quickly went over his plans for the day as he ate. Some of it was hopeless now that he slept in, but he wouldn''t waste it. First, he planned to walk over the scarlet suspension bridge and take in the view. That was one of the main reasons he was there. After that, there was the central Summon Monsters card shop. He paused as he grabbed another bite of his food and considered skipping it. He wasn''t really into the game as much as he used to be, and he could hit the card shop back home. He sighed before popping a mushy, undercooked fry in his mouth.


    He decided to keep it. It was just over the bridge, and he could just slip in for a few minutes. Though he knew it wouldn''t just be a few minutes. After that, he would go see the... no, he would have to skip that. He mentally crossed off a few places he could live with missing out on. He frowned as he did so, but it was his own fault for sleeping in. At least he could still go see the northern shrines. They were said to be beautiful. Some of the ancient magical arrays still worked. He didn''t want to miss those.


    He finished eating and threw away the remnants of his meal in a nearby trashcan. He glanced at his phone, checking the time, and nodded. He made for the bridge. The walk wasn''t much, and he wanted to get a good look at it.


    The walk over the bridge had been quicker than he had expected. The view from the center had been excellent. He even got a close-up look at one of the original magical lights the city paid through the nose to maintain. The magic had kept it bright and vibrant for over a hundred years. He was reviewing the photos he had taken as he neared the card shop.


    The shop was busier than he had expected. Still, he pushed inside just as a group of three kids came out, deep in a discussion about their latest selection of cards. As he entered, he walked past a statue of the iconic Death Knight, standing just inside the shop''s doors, its massive great sword raised in the air as if it were about to cut him in half.


    In the middle was a massive island built from glass display cases containing several rare and hard-to-find cards. Legions of store workers helped numerous customers as they bought and sold cards. Bins of stuffed monsters and other paraphernalia lined the walls. Shirts, hoodies, hats, and backpacks hung from posts on the walls. The store had placed racks of posters around the shop. There was part of a wall filled with the magical game boards in different shades and designs. Each section was color-coded, denoting one of the four main factions in the game.


    Above, the entire ceiling was covered by a massive, magical mural of a forest scene in which a Dire Forest Wolf was fighting against a Giant Python in real-time. He was fixated on the ceiling and watched the scene before someone knocked and bumped into him.


    "Excuse me," the large man said as he pushed past James toward one of the counters.


    James shook his head and glanced around in awe at the store''s sheer size. He didn''t have a good view of the entire thing, but only part of it was dedicated to the cards themselves. He made his way into the shop and started glancing through a few of the bins on his way to the card counter. Wolves, snakes, rabbits, and some of the other more common monsters were depicted in a soft and cuddly form within.


    "I wonder if they have the killer rabbit," he said under his breath before turning back toward the card counter. He didn''t really have much of a plan for what he wanted to get, but he decided to have a look at the selection regardless. That was easier said than done, however, as a number of rather enthusiastic collectors took up the counter space.


    Eventually, though, he found an employee who had finished with their previous customer, and he slipped into the gap before someone else had the chance.


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    "Hello there, are you looking for something to start with?" The woman in the black polo asked in her best customer service voice.


    He glanced at her and then at the expansive selection of cards in the case before him, none really catching his attention. "Ah, I''m not actually sure. I''ve got a friend who plays, but I''ve been out of it for a while."


    "Well, the Dies the Night expansion just released a few days ago. Are you interested in picking up the latest set? It''s got some really great cards to add to your deck," she said as she gestured to a black and red box on the display stand on the counter.


    "Uhm," James said, not sure he really wanted to get into the modern scene, so he changed topics. "Well, I actually heard there are contests or something here."


    "We do special tournaments every weekend where you can win boosters for the latest expansion. If you want to join, the next one is in a few days." The woman explained as she gestured to a sign that hung above the counter. It displayed a skeleton wielding a scythe, and on it was the tournament schedule.


    "Ah, no, I won''t be in town for that," James said. "So much for getting some rare cards."


    The woman paused before nodding and gesturing back to another advertisement. "We also have the daily draw. If you play you''re guaranteed to win something. The price isn''t too bad."


    "So, all the junk cards you can''t sell any other way," James said with a slight frown as he glanced around. "When is the draw?"


    "There are a few rare ones in there too. The draw each day is at 2 pm. So you have about 20 minutes if you want to participate." She said as she gestured to the clock on the wall.


    He figured he might as well. It was a vacation. Maybe he''ll get lucky. "Well, whatever, sure. I can afford that."


    He nodded as he peeled the money from his wallet and handed it to her. She accepted it before she gave him a ticket for the draw in return. "Would you like to buy anything else?"


    James glanced through the case and saw cards with huge price tags. "Is there anything collectible that''s not too expensive?"


    "Plenty. Looking for anything in particular?"


    "Forest Monsters?"


    "Sure thing," she nodded as she pulled a binder from a shelf behind her and passed it over to him.


    He opened the binder and looked through it. The forest monsters were mostly low-cost, at least they were for useful and collectable monsters. He was sure they wouldn''t help his deck, but it was always fun to look.


    He was paging through the binder when he stopped on a page containing humanoid monster cards. Humanoid monsters were popular but rather rare. They were often limited run cards. Only two were in the entire binder, one of which he recognized.


    "The Heart Strike Fox," he said as he looked over the tier-five monster. She had light purple hair and magical fire in each hand. Her assets were impressive. Her tails, that''s what he meant, obviously. All nine of the fluffy tails danced behind her image on the slightly bent card. A pair of shining silver eyes gazed at him, a mischievous grin on her face.


    "I''ll take this one." He said almost immediately. The card wasn''t very powerful, but it was pretty rare.


    "You want that?" The employee asked as she glanced at the card and tapped the sticker on the card''s sleeve. "All of them have stickers with the price."


    James winced as he finally noticed the price tag. "But it''s bent."


    "Which is why we have it at all," the employee said. "We don''t have another one of those."


    He sighed. He''d wanted that card since he''d first seen it, but it was too expensive for his tastes. "Ah, maybe not."


    "It also comes with its base card, the Illusionist Trainee," the woman said as she pulled the card from its sleeve.


    As she said, the Illusionist Trainee card was hidden behind the Heart Strike Fox card. Compared to the other, the trainee was rather drab in appearance.


    The card showed a younger-looking fox girl with short black hair, a single fluffy tail, and an old torn grey hooded robe. Her purple eyes shined against her black sclera, focused intently on a small illusionary scene in her hands.


    That was a much better deal. He could add two humanoid cards to add to his collection. He could always turn his arena to observation mode and simply look at the models. He had done that before.


    "Oh, fine then. I''ll take both. That''s only 50 for both of them?"


    "That''s right," she said.


    He nodded and added another monster from the binder, a Kuyo. This small cat monster was popular for its fluffy appearance. It also had a cheap price.


    "Alright, is there anything else you want to buy?"


    "No, that''s it for now."


    They went down to the register, and he exchanged his hard-won money for the cards just as the drawing finished.


    "Good timing," the woman said as he handed her the ticket back. She checked the number on the ticket before handing him a card sleeve.


    "Puppeteer," he said as he looked at the card he had wasted his money on. It was one of the most useless spell cards in the game.

 Chapter 3. Encounter

    James rolled his eyes and slipped the card into his bag. Despite the low price, no one he knew had one of these cards, but Puppeteer was more of a gimmick than a helpful card. Directly controlling a monster in battle involved a lot of needless flailing around like an idiot.


    "Well, it''s something at least," James said to himself before the woman turned to help the next customer. He picked up a shirt featuring the Death Knight and a magically animated poster featuring the Dire Forest Wolf before he left the store.


    After leaving the card store, he sat on a bench outside, checking his phone and the route to the next attraction. The northern shrines were several kilometers away, and he wasn''t looking forward to that kind of hike. He opened HereToThere, a shuttle ride app, and booked a trip to them. The app quickly informed him that he would be picked up in two hours.


    He grimaced as he looked up at the road. Why was it so slow? He sighed and checked the map app. He noticed there were several roads closed around him. What was that about? He sighed and canceled the trip before standing and stretching. He tucked his phone into his pocket before starting off toward the shrines.


    He walked down the sidewalk, trying to avoid the traffic and the crowd of pedestrians. He walked for a few minutes, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the number of people on the sidewalks. East Lake City wasn''t really known for pedestrian traffic, and the sidewalks were narrow.


    He ducked around the corner of an alleyway and rechecked the map again. He''d be fine if he cut through a few alleys. He glanced down the alley he was standing in. It was clean, calm, and empty. He didn''t see any homeless or drug dealers, which was a relief. He supposed all the stories about that kind of thing were just that, stories.


    He walked through the alley to the next road before crossing the main road between the cars stuck in gridlock after seeing others doing the same.


    James squeezed past a few people on the sidewalk and into the alley beside a small mom-and-pop electronics store. This alleyway was used for delivery trucks and was much longer and broader than the previous one. It was also a good bit dirtier than the previous one, but it still lacked any obvious sign of danger.


    James walked a few meters into the alley before he slowed down and checked his bag from the card shop to ensure everything was still in place. He had felt some resistance earlier when he brushed past one of the people on the sidewalk and was worried he might have lost some of his purchases.


    Pulling out the cards he had bought, he discovered a small cut in the bag, which was relatively minor. It wouldn''t be an issue.


    "Damn, you''re a fast bastard. What''s the rush?" Came a voice from the way he had come.


    James froze and slowly turned around to see three men approaching him from the entrance to the alleyway. The one in front, a tall, muscular man with a shaved head and a skull tattoo on his neck, looked straight from a bad movie. The other two were more subdued. The first had long dark hair and a baseball cap, while the second was a real bruiser. He was as wide as a vending machine and just as tall.


    "Look, I don''t want any trouble," James said as he stepped back from the approaching group. He reached into his pocket and produced his decoy wallet. He had kept it on him just in case something like this happened. "Here, you can have my wallet."


    "We''re not here for your wallet," said Bruiser in a deep voice.


    "Not that we''re gonna refuse it," said Skull. "Now, hand it over!"


    "Here," James said as he tossed his decoy wallet at his feet.


    "Not your wallet, idiot," Skull said with a sneer.


    "I''m not sure what..." James started before Baseball Cap cut him off.


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    "We don''t have time for this," he said as he made some motion with his hand, slapping something against a small box on his forearm.


    A swirl of green fog pushed up from the ground in front of James as a monster appeared before him. It was a tall ape with dark black fur and had metal armor strapped onto its arms and legs. It was a small mountain of rippling simian muscle and blunt armor plates.


    James'' mind went blank as he took in the monster. The only thing he could think was: Is that an Armored Gorilla? He had that card. It was a tier-five forest monster from the card game.


    The monster towered over James but stood there with a dumb look on its ape face. It stank of sweat and fur. James momentarily wondered if it was an illusion. That was until Baseball Cap shouted at it. "Get him!"


    The gorilla came to life as it looked down at James with a snarl. It let out a roar that shook James to the bone. It stepped forward and swatted at him. James tried to avoid it out of pure instinct, but it was too fast, and he crashed bodily into the stone wall beside him. His head swam as he tried to look at the approaching monster from the concrete of the alleyway. Maybe the stories were right after all? Alleyways were bad news.


    The gorilla stood over him and raised its fists, getting ready to smash James into pavement pudding.


    The sounds of the people beyond the alley went quiet as a new voice spoke. "Obscure."


    "Defend," Baseball Cap said as he took in the new arrival. The gorilla turned away from James and moved back towards its summoner as they examined the interloper. He was a man of average height, and he leaned casually against the safety railing of the store''s loading ramp. He wore a black hooded cloak, the hood down, concealing his face.


    "Summoning in broad daylight without even bothering to use an Obscure card. You lot are certainly dumb. But I must thank you for it. Between that and the rest of the commotion you made today, it made my job easy."


    "Get him!" Baseball Cap yelled, pointing at the hooded figure. The gorilla turned towards the man and then charged at him.


    "Bushido Frog," the man said casually. A man-sized green frog covered in samurai armor appeared before him in a burst of light. "Defend."


    The frog met the charging Armored Gorilla. In a flash of light and a sound like shearing metal, a long, curved blade sliced the gorilla in half, and the mighty beast melted and turned into a fog of green magic that lightly covered the ground. The frog hopped back next to the man, who hadn''t even bothered to move and stood guard.


    "You think a single tier seven is going to be enough to beat us?" Baseball Cap said as he threw away the remains of a destroyed card and drew forth three more before slapping them against the boxy device on his forearm. The other two thugs followed suit and did the same.


    Soon, there was an arrangement of monsters flowing up from the ground. James saw a Vicious Raptor, a Beastly Ogre, and even a Dire Forest Wolf among the nine monsters now facing down the hooded figure.


    "Standard of the Shogun," the hooded figure said. A golden staff erupted from the ground with a blood-red banner hanging from the top. The standard began to glow, and the Bushido Frog stood taller, its eyes burning crimson. It stepped forward and stood ready to fight.


    Baseball Cap and the others laughed at the scene before directing their monsters. "Kill him!"


    The monsters charged forward, attacking the lone Bushido Frog. James tried to push himself off the ground, but his arms refused to cooperate. He didn''t know what was happening but couldn''t stay there.


    This was reaffirmed as Baseball Cap slammed into the wall next to him, sent flying by the frog''s strong kick as it cut through the other monsters. The thugs weren''t done, and he saw them pull out more of the box devices, and more monsters began to manifest. Even Baseball Cap scrambled to renew his attack on the stranger.


    James crawled to his knees as the Bushido frog bisected monster after monster sent forth from the group, looking increasingly desperate as the battle raged on.


    He grabbed his bag in a daze and crawled a few feet before scrambling to his feet and limping down the alleyway, away from the fantastical battle behind him. How were they summoning monsters? Why wasn''t anyone coming to help? Was he losing his mind?


    He exited the alleyway onto the sidewalk to find everything... completely normal. People walked calmly as if there wasn''t a battle of monsters raging only 30 meters away.


    James blinked and realized he couldn''t hear the battle anymore and glanced back at the alleyway he had just exited. It was once again an empty alleyway, and there was no sign of the fight he had just escaped.


    He knew what he saw, and his body told him he hadn''t dreamed of that. He wasn''t at all curious.


    James ran, or rather, he limped away as quickly as he could from the scene. He wasn''t sure what had happened, if he had lost his mind, or if people really were summoning monsters, but he had no plans to stay to see who won.

 Chapter 4. Discovery

    James sat in the corner of the restroom, trying to catch his breath and calm down. The shaking of his hands had subsided somewhat, and he felt a bit lightheaded but managed to get his breathing under control. The events from the previous hour had been more than he could handle, and his mind was caught in a loop.


    Monsters. Those had been real, full-size Monsters. James'' body was still sore from the impact with the casual arm throw of the Armored Gorilla. He remembered the musk of the creature as it had bared down on him. He had felt the heat of its body. How was that even possible? Why did they target him? What did he have that they wanted? Was one going to come bursting through the door? Should he keep running?


    He looked down at the small patch of red on his hand as he pulled it away from his head. He had a minor injury from where he had collided with the wall. He would need to do something about that. A head injury was terrible, but it wasn''t ''real-life monster'' terrible. Everything he saw wasn''t just the cause of a head injury, was it? He should go to a hospital. These kinds of things could be complicated.


    James got to his knees and began to stand up, the recycled air conditioning causing him to shiver. He was covered in sweat. But what if they were waiting for him there? He would be defenseless. Would they attack a hospital? What was he supposed to do? There hadn''t been any ''in case of monster attack'' drills in school. The world was primarily peaceful. He knew there were always small fights here and there, but nothing that affected him. Was this an invasion? No, the first three had looked like thugs, not soldiers. Maybe it was an undercover operation?


    But they had been using real Monsters. How was that possible? His thoughts had begun looping again, but his train of thought was cut off when the door banged several times.


    James scrambled to his feet and pressed himself back against the wall.


    "Hey! Is everything okay in there?" a voice yelled through the door. "I have other customers. You better not be shooting up in there."


    "No!" James yelled quickly. "I''m fine. Just..." He paused as he caught his breath. "Just dealing with some shit."


    "I don''t care what kind of shit you have to deal with. Get out of the restroom," the man said before the door banged again. "You''ve been in there a half hour!"


    James took a deep breath and grabbed the tote bag from the floor. It wasn''t his. He had grabbed the wrong one by accident in his rush to escape. He wasn''t even sure why he had bothered to try and grab his bag. He had been holding the cards he had bought when all that had happened. He had held them in a death grip for a while, and he had tossed the nearly crushed remains into the bag with whatever else was in there.


    He hadn''t dared go through the bag. He half wanted to throw it in the garbage and run, but he was more scared of being caught by those guys and not having it. James climbed to his feet and took several deep breaths before he opened the door. He steeled himself before stepping back into the small convenience store. He noticed the attendant back behind the counter again.


    "You look like shit," the attendant said. "Take a water on the house. You need to stay hydrated with that crap."


    "I wasn''t doing drugs," James muttered as he accepted the bottle.


    "Sure," the attendant said as he rolled his eyes and pointed to the door. "Just get out of here unless you''re going to buy something."


    The trip back to the hotel was uneventful, but an old car backfiring almost had him jumping out of his skin. As he approached, however, he noticed a group of tattooed men in leather jackets standing near the front doors, almost as if they were waiting for someone. His mind went back to the bald thug from the alley. Were they here for him?


    James turned to the left and tried to act as casually as possible as he walked away from the hotel, his heart almost beating out of his chest. He wasn''t sure what to do if they followed him, but they didn''t seem to have spotted him. He walked down the street a few blocks and found a cheap motel instead.


    Soon enough, he had a room and sat heavily on the foot of the aging queen-sized bed. He looked around the room and sighed. It was clean, kind of, but everything felt used and worn out. The decor seemed liable to fall apart at any moment. The room smelt of dust and something he couldn''t quite place. That worried him a little. Hopefully, it was just whatever cleaner they used.


    He sat there for a few minutes until he worked up his courage and stood. Upending the contents of the tote bag onto the covers, he looked at the small group of items that had come tumbling out.


    First were the cards he had purchased. They were a bit worse for wear now, bent and damaged from his fight and subsequent flight.


    But the items that caught his eye were the three tablet-shaped devices that he hadn''t purchased.


    They were about as thick as his phone but taller and wider. These were the devices the thugs and even the hooded man had. Were these... what they had used to summon the monsters?


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Carefully, he picked one up and looked it over in his hands. He didn''t feel anything special. No power flowed into him or anything like that. It was... well... boring.


    "Boring is great. I love boring," James said as he placed the device back down. His eyes wandered toward the handful of cards he had purchased. "Boring, yes... good old boring. There''s no reason to get adventurous, right?"


    He reached out with shaky fingers, picked up the cards despite himself, and laid them carefully on the bed beside each other, trying his best to flatten them. "They''ll probably not even work. They''re too damaged."


    "Kuyo. Illusionist Trainee. Heart Strike Fox. Puppeteer." James said to himself as he read over each card in turn. He turned to the first and picked it up. "A cute fluffy kitty. What could go...."


    James placed the card back down and took several deep breaths. "What am I doing?"


    James moved over to one of the devices and flipped it over a few times before he set it down, the flat surface facing him. "Fine. It''s fine. I can do this."


    Moving the Kuyo card over to it, he pressed it flat against the device with only a moment of further hesitation. The card immediately flattened against the device, and it flashed. Not even a moment later, swirling multicolored arcane energies appeared on the floor next to the bed before they condensed into a tiny monster.


    James backed up quickly towards the door and away from the tiny creature. But it sat there and did nothing, entirely unbothered by his reaction. He looked at the creature warily. It was a small grey cat-like animal with a fluffy tail and puffy fur around its neck.


    James slowly and carefully walked around it and glanced toward the device where the card lay stuck flat to its surface.


    "It was all real," James muttered as he carefully watched the miniature monster. The Kuyo continued to simply stand there, staring off into space.


    James carefully and slowly approached the cute little creature and reached a tentative hand towards its fluffy fur. "Well, since it''s here."


    He was sure this was a bad idea, but the fur was supposed to be heavenly to touch in the lore. He brushed against it, only for the little monster to turn and swipe at him with a claw.


    James quickly retreated and ran to the far end of the room. He looked back, expecting the thing to chase him. But it stood there, an empty look on its face once more. He glanced down at the hand he was cradling. The scratch was minor, but it had hurt like hell.


    He moved back towards the bed, picked up the device, and pulled the Kuyo card from it. It seemed to want to adhere to the surface but finally came off, causing the creature to vanish the same way it appeared.


    "Okay," James said as he examined the card. It retained a few creases from his rough handling but was now perfectly flat.


    He set the card down next to the others again as he examined the device he had used. It looked mostly the same, but a fifth along one edge, part of the surface had changed color to a lighter grey. He wasn''t entirely sure what that was about, but he had a guess.


    His eyes moved to the other two monster cards he had. A human-like monster might be able to answer some questions. He moved to them, and his hand hovered over the Heart Strike Fox before he thought better of it. He carefully picked up the Illusionist Trainee card instead.


    "Here goes everything," he said as he placed the card on the same device. The card immediately flattened against the device. But this time, a swirl of green fog and sharp white energies converged next to him, startling him and causing him to back away as a human-like figure appeared before him.


    A young woman with straight, short black hair and a grey, ragged hooded robe appeared before him. A tall pair of black fox ears extended up from her head, and a fluffy white-tipped black fox-like tail poked out through a tear in her robe. But her eyes were the most alien part of her. Violet-slit pupils burned in the darkness of a pair of large black eyes. The effect faded moments later, leaving him in the room with only a blank stare.


    "Hello," he said cautiously to the monster. "I''m James."


    She continued to stand there motionless, only breathing softly.


    "Can you understand me?" He asked.


    The woman gave no indication that she had heard him.


    He looked at the device before picking it up and showing it to her. "Can you tell me what this is?"


    No reaction.


    "Do you know where we are? Can you talk to me?"


    Nothing.


    "Uhm... I order you to talk to me." He tried. "Say hello?"


    She made no response to his order and just stood there.


    James sighed, moved closer to the young fox woman, and waved a hand in front of her face. Her eyes didn''t even follow his fingers.


    Her face held a neutral expression he couldn''t quite place. The lights were on, but nobody was home.


    "Defend?" He tried and nearly jumped when she shifted. Her ears twitched side to side, and her eyes roamed around the room before she once again settled into a neutral position.


    "Well, that''s something," he said before he moved closer to her. She was a bit shorter than he was and seemed entirely unarmed, so he wasn''t entirely sure what to do. She smelled like she hadn''t bathed in a week, mixed with something earthy.


    He reached out and touched one of her furry ears. He immediately regretted it as a knee came up and struck him in the stomach, causing him to double over onto the floor.


    He picked the device up, crawled over to the bed, and sat on it as he caught his breath. The woman was motionless as he examined her.


    He looked over his remaining cards and carefully picked up the spell card. He glanced back at the monster and then back at the card in his hand.


    "It''s worth a try," he said as he placed the card on the device. It adhered, and a swirl of multicolored light appeared around him.


    James looked around as the swirling glow vanished. He blinked and looked at the bed he had been sitting in a moment before¡ªexcept he wasn''t sitting there anymore. He looked down at himself only to see a ragged robe and a pair of something he shouldn''t have.


    "WHAT THE F-"

 Chapter 5. Shifting Tides

    The red light faded from Bushido Frog''s eyes as Elias disengaged the Standard of the Shogun. He exhaled in relief as the load from the spell card fell away. The Bushido Frog''s expression turned dull once more as it went into standby. The creature was one of his more reliable cards and the main reason he had picked his moniker.


    Elias wiped his forehead as the summer sun beat down on him. It wasn''t enough as a bead of sweat slipped down his face. His hooded cloak felt stuffy and a bit too warm for the weather, but it was better to keep his identity secret.


    The Obscure card should prevent anyone from investigating casually, but he knew from experience that it wasn''t foolproof. He glanced towards the end of the alleyway before pulling a card from a specific pocket inside his robe.


    "Turtle Sohei," he intoned out of habit as he placed the card onto the Arcane Slate and waited for the creature to summon.


    "Guard the entryways. Detain any that investigate," Elias said after the warrior turtle appeared before him. He then pointed each of his monsters to one end of the alleyway. The turtle was tall and muscular, with a snapping beak and a head wrap. It shouldered its staff as it turned to do his bidding.


    He then turned his attention to the bodies around him and approached them, sighing. The alleyway had taken some minor damage, but not enough to breach the perception blocking of his Obscure. The bodies were in much worse shape as his Bushido Frog had not been gentle.


    "You just had to get greedy, didn''t you, Jack?" he said as he kneeled and checked for a pulse. Nothing.


    He wasn''t surprised. The large man had a large gash in his chest, and the blood from the wound was already beginning to pool on the concrete. He didn''t know the other two very well, but they had all been low-level enforcers for the Pyramid.


    It was unfortunate. Jack had been competent but somewhat overly ambitious. This was just another part of his job. While he didn''t relish the task, it was necessary to occasionally trim the fat.


    He checked the others and searched the bodies. He collected the slates from each one. But according to the order, there were three missing. Of course, he thought, there had to be complications. Arcane Slates were expensive to produce and could only be created in limited numbers due to a lack of a core component. What that component was, he didn''t know, nor did he want to. Some knowledge wasn''t worth the price.


    He turned his thoughts back to the battle. One of the group, a man he didn''t recognize, had run instead of fighting. He didn''t know if the enforcers had recruited him or if it was just poor luck, but the man likely had taken a few of the slates.


    He glanced back at the bodies lying on the concrete. He didn''t know the answer and didn''t have the proper cards to ask the recently deceased. But it ultimately didn''t matter.


    He knelt to pick up an oddly placed item from the concrete. It was a wallet. He flipped it open to reveal a small amount of cash and an expired identification card belonging to one "James Hawthorne."


    He closed his eyes and let out a breath of annoyance. Afterward, he placed a hand on the radio in his right ear and contacted his handler.


    "Shogun for Pyramid."


    "Copy. Go for Pyramid. Over," his handler replied.


    "Checking in. Three stones overturned. One leaf on the wind. Over."


    "Three sierra. One lima. Is that correct? Over."


    "Affirmative."


    "Copy. Is the order complete? Over."


    "Negative. Leaf has passengers. Over."


    "Can you complete the order? Over."


    "Affirmative. May require extra beans. Details to follow. Over."


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    "Copy. Over and out."


    Elias cut his radio and pulled out his phone. He typed out the details of the search request. He provided the details from the identification card into the secure app before putting it away again.


    The search for the unexpected factor might take a moment. Until then, there was some cleanup to do.


    "Return," he commanded his summons. Once they stood before him, he unsummoned them. The cards took less damage when they were in close vicinity when banished.


    He stowed his monster cards before pulling out another.


    "Corpse Eater," he intoned as the giant bulbous mass of sick appeared before him. The creature was well-named as it was good at that task and looked much like several stitched-together corpses. Like all dark monsters, it appeared in a swirl of dark energies. Then, just as all monsters did, it simply stared blankly ahead. At least it did initially, but then it turned unbidden to look at the corpses on the ground.


    It didn''t eat them, but he could see the hunger in its eyes. He shivered slightly. It was the only monster he had that did things like that, and it creeped him out, not that he would ever admit that. Cards that were used enough sometimes gained quirks like that, and this one had been in use for a while, even before he was given it.


    "Consume," he ordered the creature. Its broad mouth opened without hesitation, and a dozen grey tongues danced in its maw as it approached the fallen men.


    He turned his back as the Corpse Eater went about its grizzly task and did his best to ignore the sounds it made as it ate with seeming glee.


    With no response from the app, he had no choice but to wait for the creature to finish. He turned to see the beast licking the blood from the concrete with a dozen tongues.


    The bodies had been consumed in their entirety. There was nothing left. It had disposed of everything from the bones to their clothing.


    "Enough," he said as he banished the creature, causing it to vanish along with the remains of the corpses it had consumed. He should have summoned something else. There were other options. But it was the right monster for the task and did an excellent job of removing all traces.


    Elias recorded the location before he released the Obscure card. Examining the card, he noticed it was a little worse for wear but would still work for a few more uses.


    He tucked the card into its proper location inside his robe before heading for a late lunch at a local diner. It was a quaint location, but it had excellent coffee.


    Nearly two hours later, his phone buzzed with the information regarding his latest target. The information included flight tickets to the city and a booking at a two-star hotel across the bridge.


    He finished his coffee and paid his tab before starting his trek across town.


    He crossed the crimson bridge across the harbor and found the address shortly after. It was in an older part of the city. The area around was a bit shabbier than he was used to, but it wasn''t his first time pursuing a job on this side of town.


    The hotel was... well, it wasn''t bad, but he had seen better. He wouldn''t have stayed there, but he understood that not everyone had a lot of disposable income. When he arrived, a group of motorcyclists had been checked in. They were early but likely there for the big rally in a few days. Elias had a cherry red Shotaro racer taking up room in his garage, so he understood the sentiment.


    After the group cleared up, he approached the attendant.


    "Hello, I have an inquiry about a guest you have named James Hawthorne. He should have checked in two days ago."


    The woman appeared apologetic as she refused him. "I am sorry, sir, but I cannot reveal customer details."


    Elias didn''t even bother to argue. He took a piece of paper from inside and handed it to the woman.


    Her professional facade dropped nearly immediately after she saw the document''s insignia. "I- ah... I see..." She said as she carefully handed the paper back to Elias with a slightly shaky hand. He took the paper and stowed it away as she began to look up the information on the computer.


    In moments, he had his answer. "Uhm... he is staying in room 314," she informed him promptly. "Uh... will you require a key?"


    "No, that won''t be necessary," Elias said as he turned towards the elevators.


    "You''re not going to leave a mess, are you?" She called after him, causing him to stop and give her a disapproving look. She meekly avoided his gaze as she sat back down, sufficiently cowed, leaving him to his business.


    Elias shook his head, took the elevator to the third floor, and arrived at the hotel room''s door.


    "Obscure, Bushido Frog, Skeleton Key," he whispered as he placed each of the cards against his slate one after another. The familiar feel of the magical barrier went up around him, blocking his activities from prying eyes. Swirls of green fog and white light coalesced at his side as the form of his preferred summon appeared beside him. It placed a webbed hand on the hilt of its blade but no did nothing more. Finally, with a soft click or an electronic beep, every door and lock within 10 meters of him unlocked of its own accord.


    "Secure," he ordered his frog as he opened the door. The Busido Frog pushed ahead of him into the room, its large bulbous eyes taking in the small double room. When the frog did not react further, he moved into the room and looked at the small smattering of personal items.


    "Of course he isn''t here." He said with a sigh. He turned to his frog and ordered it to defend him as he began to sort through the man''s possessions.

 Chapter 6. A Day in the Life (Part 1)

    "-UCK!" James screamed.


    "Keep it down!" a voice yelled, accompanied by a sudden banging on the wall, causing his¡ªno, her ears to fold back from the loud noise. She brought her hands up to her head in pain from the deafening noise, and the tips of her fingers brushed against her fuzzy ears, causing them to flinch. "Oh, no, this is so wrong."


    James put her hands down and breathed deeply, only to start coughing. She felt as though she had been punched in the nose, and her hand shot to her face, covering her nose in disgust. "Gah! What''s that smell?!"


    She sniffed around momentarily, trying to identify the source before she raised her arm and smelled the robe covering it. "Oh, it''s me... Why is it me!?"


    James sank to her knees and buried her face in the blankets of the bed. They smelled of laundry soap and age, but it was at least manageable. The softness of the blankets helped soothe the overwhelming sensations. Her free hand felt along the top of the bed as she searched for the device on the bed.


    After a few moments of fruitless searching by feel, James peeked up from where she had buried her face in the blankets. Her eyes quickly roamed over the covers only to find no sign of the device she had used to summon her current self and cast the spell that had landed her within it.


    "Where is it?" she asked, tears forming in her eyes as her own smell once more made itself known. She could see the two devices she hadn''t used and the Heart Strike Fox and Kuyo cards, but there wasn''t any sign of what she wanted to find most in the world at that moment.


    James stood up, pinched her nose, and breathed through her mouth instead. The nose felt strange, smaller yet still significant, but she pushed the thought aside. A glance around the room revealed nothing.


    She began to feel panic creep up inside of herself, only for it to be crushed down the next moment. She wouldn''t give up so easily. She got down to her knees and checked under the bed. Her eyes effortlessly pierced the darkness and revealed the complete lack of her quarry.


    She rocked back onto her butt only to jump in surprise as she pinched her new tail under her as she did so. She scrambled but fell against the floor.


    She smelled the dirt and dust of the carpet as she planted her face into it. She exhaled in annoyance as she pushed herself up and sat back again. This time, she moved her tail out of the way with a hand. The fur was matted with dirt and grime but still quite soft in some places. Most concerning was that she could feel herself touching it.


    With a cough, she again placed her fingers on her nose and tried to think about the situation logically. She honestly wasn''t even sure how she could do anything but turn into a puddle of nerves right now. She might have been pushed so far over the edge that she had come around the other side.


    "Okay," James said to herself. "First, the device is missing." That was a significant issue, of course. The implications were worrying, but she could do little about it.


    Her eyes wandered around the room again before settling on where she had been sitting before she became... a monster? A fox girl? No, she needed to stay on task. Those were thoughts for later.


    "Second, there is no sign of my original body or clothing," she said out loud. That was even more concerning, had she killed herself? That wasn''t good. How long could cards remain summoned?


    She shook her head and regretted it as she let some of the overwhelming stink into her nose. No, she thought, there was no point thinking about things she couldn''t change.


    "Okay, so what can I do," she said, once again to no one. There weren''t any options as far as she could see it.


    "Actually," she said as she considered the two remaining devices on the bed. "There are a few options."


    "I could try to find that guy who beat up those thugs," she said but immediately dismissed the idea. She had no idea what his goals were, and she had enough problems right now.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    "Then, maybe I can just destroy the monster..." she said as she glanced down at herself. The grey robe splayed across the floor as she sat there. "No. That''s too risky. I might actually die."


    James closed her eyes as she considered her options once more. There was one option she could think of, and it was both the most straightforward and complex.


    "I need a Disruption card," she said to the absence of an audience. It would destroy a magic card and send it to the graveyard. Oh, the graveyard. Nope. That''s way too dangerous.


    "Maybe Pyx''s Rewind, then," she said. That card would let you return a magic card from play and return it to your hand. It was a rare card. All of the most useful ones were.


    The plan was simple, but she had a few additional appendages that would make getting one more difficult. She would have to be insane to think someone who knew about the devices wasn''t watching the card shop. They would spot a monster a mile away.


    "Oh, right! There must be other card shops, right?" she said, her ears perking up. But they sank down again a moment later. "No, that has the same problem."


    "Ugh," she said as she released her nose. "I need to deal with this first."


    The smell was unbearable. It hadn''t been a problem before, but James'' new nose refused to ignore it.


    She stood and began to pull the robe off, only to pause halfway through, realizing what she was doing. She felt her face start to heat up and hesitated. This lasted a few moments, but then she began coughing again as the robe hung around her head. There was no escaping the smell. She quickly pulled off the ratty robe and tossed it to the floor.


    The smell lessened, but not significantly. The robe certainly smelled, but so did her body. Despite the need to deal with the issue, she couldn''t help but feel a bit overwhelmed. Her face burned as she carefully looked down at herself.


    She did have underthings on, but they weren''t much better off than the robe had been. She didn''t even want to think about what lay under them. But she had little choice but to confront the problem.


    James immediately looked away and closed her eyes. "Just don''t think about it," she said, steeling herself before peeling them off carefully and tossing them into a pile with the robe.


    Her eyes were already starting to water as she picked up the pile and took it into the bathroom with her. She had nothing else to wear, so she would wash them as best she could.


    <hr>


    James sat on the shower floor under the slowly cooling stream of water that emanated from the showerhead. She had washed the clothing first as best she could but hadn''t done a particularly good job. The small amount of soap and shampoo provided by the motel wasn''t a lot. She reserved the shampoo for herself and used the soap to clean the clothing.


    The three items she had were now drying in the other room but still showed significant signs of dirt.


    She had learned quickly not to get water into her ears if she could help it. That, along with several other discoveries she made, made it all too clear to her how alien this body was.


    The gentle fall of water from the shower had deadened the smells and sounds around her. It disguised the ugly crying she had done as well. Her life circled the drain in more ways than one, and she was only just holding on.


    "I guess I should get moving," she finally said as she pulled herself from the floor and turned off the water, which had finally gone cold.


    She stepped from the shower, grabbed the fluffy towel, as there was only one, and took it from the towel rack to begin drying off. She had more hair now than she used to, not even counting the tail. But she had to be careful around her rather sensitive ears.


    The towel proved insufficient, and she turned on the hair dryer, which irritated her hearing. Still, she had begun to get used to the sensations and used it to dry the more stubborn parts of her new anatomy.


    She passed her reflection as she went to exit the bathroom and stopped to examine her reflection. Despite looking somewhat bedraggled, the girl in the mirror looked far more normal than she had only an hour earlier.


    Resisting the urge to sigh again she left the bathroom and checked on her clothing, such as it was.


    It was still slightly damp, but she didn''t have much choice. She had made plans while she sat thinking in the shower.


    It was getting late, and the card shop was already closed. But the late hour would help disguise her odd features. On that note, she would buy some new clothing, including some specifically to hide those same features.


    Then she would sleep here tonight and head out tomorrow to acquire the needed cards. She hoped she could slip past whoever was watching the shop without being confronted.


    She had considered contacting Paul and having him help her, but explaining all of this was beyond her at the moment. Even if he had believed her, she was treading the waters of oblivion, and she didn''t want to pull a friend down with her.


    She checked her wallet and winced at her low cash reserves. She could use her credit or debit cards. However, she was still somewhat concerned about being tracked down, particularly given her appearance, which would be a dead giveaway.


    The limited cash she had left would hopefully be enough for something. What did James know about women''s clothing? Beyond the very basics, she knew very little. She didn''t even know her own size or a hundred other things, but she would try.

 Chapter 7. A Day in the Life (Part 2)

    The shadows began to grow long as the sun started to dip below the roofs of the city''s skyscrapers. The number of people walking the sidewalks had thinned significantly by the time a figure hurried past them. Keeping towards the buildings, they avoided large groups and held the hood of the torn and battered robe pulled around their head, holding it in place.


    The sound of bare feet slapped the concrete as the figure dodged between buildings, making themselves more obvious in their fumbling attempts to remain inconspicuous and move quickly. Despite this oddity, others walking the streets largely ignored the unusual person. They glanced in their direction at most before they hurried towards their own destinations.


    This happened again nearly an hour later as the hooded figure hurried back in the opposite direction only to arrive at a small motel. But the city was no stranger to odd individuals, so this unusual event was lost in the cacophony of the city''s day-to-day.


    James tossed the bag containing her bounty on the floor inside the door as she locked it and swung the locking bar in place. Suppressing a sigh, she pulled her robe off and tossed it on the chair in the corner. Despite her attempts to clean it, it didn''t smell terrific. Her undergarments were in a better state, most of the stench apparently having stuck to the robe instead. She wasn''t sure how a card game monster had gotten such a pungent smell clinging to her clothing, as she was certain this body hadn''t produced the smell, but nothing about all of this made sense.


    Her last vestiges of cash had gone further than expected at the thrift store she had visited. The checkout employee had given her more than a few odd looks. Still, capitalism was alive and well, and money was money.


    She had gotten two shirts, a pair of baggy fabric pants, a pair of jeans, a beanie, a half-dozen socks, and a pair of flat-bottomed shoes. She was sure the type of shoe had a proper name but wasn''t sure what it was. All that mattered was that they fit, well, mostly. She hadn''t been brave enough to try getting any kind of underwear.


    However, if her plan didn''t work, she would definitely have to figure that out eventually. She shuddered at that thought. The implications were... well, they weren''t good. Sure, the idea of this kind of transformation sounded fun, but the realities sucked.


    The only other thing in the bag had been raided from a bank of vending machines in exchange for her last bit of cash. She had a bottle of water and some peanut butter crackers. They had been among the healthiest and cheapest things in the vending machine. She really hoped she wasn''t allergic.


    She tried on the jeans first. She had only bothered to get them because she always wore jeans. As a man, she did anyway. They were the most expensive clothing item, but not by a lot. Unfortunately, she quickly determined they wouldn''t work out. They were a little tight, and there was no way she could stuff her tail down one of the legs.


    The baggy fabric pants had no such issue. Again, James had no idea what they were called, but they slipped on easily, and a little finagling hid her tail down one of the legs, though it looked a little odd. But she doubted anyone would care if no one had made a fuss about her robe.


    The other clothing had no issues until she got to the beanie. She had been sure to get a large and well-worn one to ensure it would fit over her ears. She flattened her ears, slightly depressed she had gotten the hang of doing that, and pulled the beanie down over her head.


    It wasn''t exactly painful, but to call it comfortable would be a massive lie. What was worse, when she stopped paying attention to the ears, they tended to return to their normal behavior and pushed against the fabric of the beanie.


    "Well, whatever. I will only have to deal with it for a while," James said to herself as she pulled it off and tossed it on the nightstand. She stripped out of all but her underwear and shirt and put them aside as well.


    With shopping done and feeling slightly more optimistic, James moved the robe aside and checked her phone as she snacked on her peanut butter crackers. The taste was slightly off, but she put that down to having a completely different mouth and tongue. Given their source, it was certainly possible the crackers had an issue.


    She checked the hours for the card shop and the nearest ATM to the store. Apparently, there was inside, but she wanted to avoid any trouble. She had decided to withdraw cash as an ATM wouldn''t immediately be able to compare her face to her name. She wanted to avoid any issues with the employees checking her ID, which they might do if she used her credit card. It wasn''t likely, but she was in a situation where weird shit happened, so she didn''t want to take any additional risks.


    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    But there was another issue: her battery was down to about 30 percent, which wasn''t surprising given how modern phones had somehow gotten shorter and shorter battery life year after year.


    She turned the phone off to preserve the rest of the battery and sighed. A particular smell had once again begun to assault her nostrils as she was no longer distracted.


    She got up, picked up the robe, and chucked across the room and into the attached bathroom before walking over and closing the door loudly. She had had enough of smelling bad things. The city was full of terrible smells that had bothered her the whole shopping trip.


    While she had somewhat acclimatized to the enhanced senses, they were still overwhelming sometimes.


    "I shouldn''t have gotten so worked up. I need to control myself," James said, admonishing herself as she went around and switched off the lights in the room.


    She wasn''t physically tired, but she decided to at least try to get some rest. She wasn''t even sure if she could sleep, but given how mentally exhausted she was, she wanted to try anyway.


    She set the provided alarm clock to go off an hour before the shop opened, climbed into bed, and switched off the light.


    James sat in the darkness as she reviewed the day''s events in her head. She could hardly believe everything that had happened had it not happened to her. She shifted to her side as the base of her tail pushed into the hard mattress, causing an uncomfortable pressure point.


    She just hoped her plan would work, but there was no guarantee it would. She only had the most basic understanding of how the devices worked with the cards. It was possible some cards just didn''t work or worked vastly differently. With a grimace, she shifted her position and moved her pillow so that her ears hung off the edge. They had been pinched a bit after she had shifted to her side.


    She supposed a monster wasn''t really designed to lay down comfortably. She would have to have a word with the card''s designer if she ever met them. A fox girl was undoubtedly cute, but living as one was impractical. They wouldn''t even be able to wear a dress because their tails would get in the way. Not that she wanted to wear a dress, just...


    She took out a mental gun and shot that entire train of thought dead in its tracks. That wasn''t something she was going to think about right now.


    Instead, she mentally reviewed the cards she would pick up and any alternatives until she finally drifted off to sleep.


    <hr>


    James hummed happily to herself. A nostalgic and catchy tune she couldn''t quite place. She sat at a table in front of the window into the garden. The early morning sun shone in and warmed her. In the distance, a watercolor of vibrant trees in splotches of blues, greens, and purples spiraled up from the ground.


    Her hands moved carefully and delicately snipped the stem of a flower before neatly placing it in the vase beside a dozen others in a range of vibrant colors. The mix of scents from the flowers was sweet on her nose, and she couldn''t help but smell the arrangement.


    The door creaked open behind her, and she turned to see a figure step in. She waved to the older man, joy bubbling in her chest to see him. His brown tail swished behind him as he stepped over to her. She spoke with him, but James wasn''t sure what was said.


    The man placed his hand on James'' head and petted her on the head, even running a finger beside an ear. James'' face flushed, and she batted the hand away. She wasn''t a child anymore.


    She nodded eagerly to the man before turning to grab the vase. The sun had hidden its face behind a bank of clouds. She ran to the door and slid on her sandals, only for the man to speak from behind her. She frowned, she knew. She grabbed the vibrant blue traveling cloak from the peg and hurried out the door of her home.


    She stepped through the door into the small cottage and pulled her hood down. The interior was cluttered with all kinds of little knick-knacks and smelled of rosewood incense. An older woman whose ears drooped with age sat in a rocking chair within. She spoke to the woman as she placed the vase of flowers down on the table in front of them. James was offered a drink, and she accepted happily. It was her favorite. The liquid was warm and sweet. Its flavor was of a cheerful time. She talked with the woman for some time before it was time for her to leave.


    She stepped outside as the storm brewed in the distance, the world turning dark and indistinct as she hurried home. Fear gripped her heart. She wasn''t sure why she rushed but knew she had to get home. If she got home in time, everything would be okay. But a bolt of red lightning struck the path before her, and she fell into the chasm just as trumpets began to blare in the distance.


    <hr>


    James'' eyes fluttered open as the alarm clock buzzed angrily, pulling her back into the waking world. A headache assaulted her, and she reached for the bottled water on the nightstand.


    She drank it down as she tried to recall her strange dream, but the dream slipped through her mental fingers as she regained lucidity.

 Chapter 8. A Day in the Life (Part 3)

    Elias had turned over the contents of the few bags within the room. He had opened every drawer and cabinet in the small hotel room. Beyond clothing and some basic amenities, there was only one thing of much interest.


    He shook his head and tossed the last few cards he had examined onto the bed. The cards were varied, with only a few stand-out selections. But there was nothing worth taking. He wasn''t sure who James was, but he didn''t know of anyone who went on vacation with three decks of Summon Monster cards. This was clearly a ruse to distract him from his activities that he was a fanatic.


    He yawned and glanced out the window of the room. It was getting dark, and James had yet to return to the room. Could the receptionist have tipped him off?


    Elias shook his head as he got up and began to pace around the room. No, they knew better than to cross Pyramid. Could he be a middleman for the acquisition of Arcane Slates? Who was he working for?


    Elias couldn''t shake the feeling that a war was brewing in the shadows. Whoever it was, it was unlikely that James was the only one. His only lead was the origin of the man''s plane ticket. He would pick up the scent there and have the room watched in the unlikely event that James returned.


    Elias silently cursed the lack of tracking magic cards. Sure, he could summon a Forest Wolf and try and pick up his scent in the literal sense, but that was very visible.


    He decided there was no time like the present as he placed a finger on his earpiece and contacted his handler. "Shogun for Pyramid."


    "Copy. Go for Pyramid."


    <hr>


    The night had assaulted James with a myriad number of visions and odd feelings. Her head felt like it was stuffed with cotton as she crawled out of bed, her eyes still heavy.


    She couldn''t remember it now but knew the dream had been very odd. But that wasn''t too strange given what she had gone through the past twenty-four hours.


    She shook her head from side to side as she tried to clear her head. That just made her head hurt, and she held it. Sniffling, she held back the breakdown that was threatening to overwhelm her. She didn''t have time for that. She would be fine. So what if her body had changed, and her sleeping mind was full of unusual thoughts and feelings. She had a plan, and she was going to carry it out. If it didn''t work, then she could break down.


    She took a few minutes and calmed down before yawning again. She was apparently moody and still tired.


    Clearly, this body hadn''t made her a morning person, not that she had been before, but considering she had a fluffy tail now, nothing was off the table. It would have been helpful, she thought to herself as she stripped off her shirt and pulled on the spare one in its place. It yanked at her ears uncomfortably as she pulled it over her head and straightened it out.


    She yawned widely, moved her tail out of the way, and sat back down on the bed. She still had a slight phantom pain of where she had kinked the furry appendage the previous day and had no desire to revisit that particular sensation. For that reason, this next part was going to suck.


    Tossing the pants to the floor, she placed her feet into the holes and leaned over, pulling them partway up her legs. Then, she tucked her tail close to her right leg before wiggling the pants the rest of the way up.


    She stood and ran her hands down her tail and into the pants to push the fur down where it had been mussed.


    Finally, she buttoned the pants and walked around a bit. She decided that it was only slightly uncomfortable, and she would live with it.


    She quickly donned the rest of her ensemble, consisting only of a beanie, socks, and shoes.


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    At least she didn''t look like a JRPG character or something, she figured, before considering the rest of her belongings.


    She didn''t have any bags except for the shopping bags and the tote bag. It was just a boring bag without even a logo on it. It also gave off fewer hobo vibes than walking around with shopping bags full of random stuff, so she figured it was safe enough to use.


    With a sigh, she retrieved the robe, scrunched her nose at the smell it still had, and shoved it, her other clothing, and the devices into the tote bag, all of which barely fit.


    She had tried to fit one of the devices into her pants, but the pockets were half the size she used to. She cursed herself for not checking when she purchased the pants but had been otherwise occupied at the time.


    She slipped her phone, wallet, and the two remaining cards into her pants pockets before hoisting the tote bag over one shoulder.


    She took one last look around the scruffy motel room and decided it was time to get her life back. She turned and walked out the door into the cool morning air, not giving the room a second thought.


    <hr>


    Soon, James was boarding a bus that should, after a few stops, drop her a block away from the card shop. She had already visited the ATM and dropped off her motel room key. The attendant, a different one from the one who had been present when she had checked in, hardly registered James'' existence as she did so.


    She had no intention of staying to be interrogated anyway since she had been forced to pay upfront. Apparently, that was the rule when paying in cash.


    James hardly registered the handful of other individuals on the bus as she staggered to a seat. She had powered on her phone to pay the fare and decided to check the news as the bus went about its automated route.


    There hadn''t been anything about random monsters appearing around the city. The only thing that seemed unusual was that the massive traffic jams the other day were supposedly caused by several malfunctioning robotaxis that accelerated out of control and crashed into traffic. The companies involved hadn''t yet made a statement about it.


    Automated taxis and busses, like the one she was on now, had been in operation for nearly a decade without significant issues. Having so many fail, all on the same day, the day she also happened to run into real monsters and then even become one. James knew bullshit when she smelled it and sniffed. She regretted it immediately as the various smells of the bus and its inhabitants made themselves known to her. She shook her head to clear away the scents she had picked up.


    James continued to look through her media even as her stop arrived. She picked up her bag and rushed from the bus.


    How did the taxis play into yesterday''s events, though? She had so little information, and the news sites probably weren''t entirely accurate. She jumped down from the steps of the bus, only to collide with someone who had been moving to board.


    The two went down into a tumble, with James getting the worst of it. "Ah, shit," James cursed, mostly at herself, as she pulled herself up from the ground. She hadn''t been paying attention. Likely, her co-collider hadn''t either.


    She looked at the man she had bowled over in her rush. Only to yell, despite herself. "Paul!?"


    Her friend blinked as he picked himself up from the ground. "Yeah. Do I know you?"


    What was this? A daytime drama? How was he here!? Her mind reeled and sputtered as she realized her mistake. "I... Ah... You just look like someone I know!"


    "Uhm... yeah." He said as he looked her up and down. "I''m Paul. Glad to know I''m not that unique."


    Crap, not good. "Ah, yeah! They look just like you! It''s not weird!" Stop, you idiot! She chided herself. She really needed to calm down.


    "Uhm.. okay. Here, you dropped this," Paul said, handing her the oversized beanie that had somehow migrated from her head to the pavement without her noticing. "I like your cosplay."


    "Cosplay!?" She squeaked as she took the beanie and jammed it down over her head. "Yeah! Itsa itsa.. It''s for a thing. Well, I got to go!"


    James glanced around to notice a few individuals paying far too much attention to her. The encounter hadn''t been very quiet in her panic. She snatched up her bag and managed to restrain herself long enough to check that the two devices were still hidden within its depths before she dashed off.


    "Well, it was nice meeting you, I guess," he said lamely as he watched the panicked young woman run off toward the card shop.


    Moments later, James'' heart hammered in her chest as she leaned against the wall outside the card shop. The encounter with her friend was the last thing she had expected, and she had immediately failed at everything.


    She had lost track of her bag, revealed her monster features, interacted with Paul, a person she had kept out of the loop on purpose, and even called attention to herself.

 Chapter 9. A Day in the Life (Part 4)

    "How unusual," said the first monk, lifting the sensor from his belt. The small ruby gemstone on a small wooden box glowed slightly as the young woman ran past them toward the card store.


    "What is it, Brother Bistort?" said Brother Damiana as he turned to look at the other monk, who was still enjoying his tea. It was still early in the day, and the styrofoam cup didn''t protect the liquid from getting cold as quickly as he liked.


    "There was a reaction on the detector," Brother Bistort said as the gem faded again to darkness.


    "What?" The other monk said, looking around the peaceful square. It was busy for it being so early in the morning, but that only amounted to about two dozen people going about their business. "Where is it then? They aren''t exactly subtle."


    "Yes, Brother Damiana," Brother Bistort said as he worked to recall what happened as the device went off. He glanced in the direction of the card shop. "I believe it may have been that young lady."


    <hr>


    James forcefully stilled her shaking hands as she took another deep breath. Her heart was beating out of her chest as she closed her eyes. She had no idea why the encounter with Paul had her so worked up. But things had gotten so close to falling completely apart.


    She wasn''t sure how she would have explained it if someone had inspected her ears more carefully, worse yet if someone aware of monsters had seen them.


    She glanced around the plaza square, but no one seemed to pay her unusual attention. At least, no more than one would pay a weird person who had suddenly started running around like she had.


    "Dammit," James cursed to herself as her grip tightened around the straps of her tote bag. "Why is this so hard." She wasn''t trying to draw attention to herself, but even doing something as simple as getting off the bus, something she wouldn''t have ever paid attention to before, was fraught with issues.


    She shook her head before looking at the door to the card shop. A small crowd was already entering and exiting the store, which was just what she needed. Waiting in line.


    "I shouldn''t have skipped breakfast," James grumbled as she entered the store, her stomach complaining. She wondered if Paul had been coming from here. The store had only been open for half an hour, but he was deep into the competitive scene.


    Once more, the statue of the Death Knight greeted her. But this time, instead of an object of interest, it was one of warning. Monsters existed. If one like that appeared, she was utterly screwed.


    The sight still left her in a bit of awe. She felt like a nerd, but she took in the ceiling again, and the scene was still impressive despite the reality of monsters. She managed to pick several minor details that had escaped her before.


    She shook her head. She needed to make her trip quick so there was less chance of something happening. At least, she hoped that was how it would work.


    She approached the counter, which, while busy, was less busy than it had been the previous day when she had visited.


    "Hello there, can I help you with anything?" the employee asked. This time, it was a man, but he still wore the same black polos as the woman she had been helped by last time.


    "Yeah, I... uhm. I am looking for some specific magic cards," she said.


    "We don''t sell magic cards here," he said with a grin. "Just Summon Monsters."


    "No, magic cards from Summon Monsters," James clarified, but she was sure he knew what she had meant.


    "Ah, well, we do have those. What can I do you for?" The man asked, leaning on the counter.


    "Pyx''s Rewind, Miracle, Mad God''s Grace, or any other magic card that could remove an active equip card from play without destroying it," James said, listing off the cards she could remember.


    The man whistles, causing James'' ears to twitch under her beanie in annoyance. "Quite the selection. Making a counter deck?"


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    "Something like that," James says as she watches him type into his computer.


    "It looks like we should have Pyx''s Rewind. There has not been much demand for the Pixie series set recently," he said as he turned and pulled a binder from the shelves behind the counter.


    James nodded. "I''ll need some pixies, too, then." Playing a Pyx card required summoning several pixies, which wasn''t feasible for competitive play unless your deck was built on them.


    "Here are the cards from that set. Probably not many pixies, though." The man said as he placed the binder on the counter before James.


    James quickly combed through the binder and pulled out the cards she needed. Pyx''s Rewind required at least two pixies to be summoned before it could be used.


    "Two of the Wandering Pixies as well," James said as she placed the tier 3 cards on the counter as well.


    Overall, the price was better than she had hoped, so she picked up a stack of bulk cards. Of course, all the rare ones would have been removed, but she could use the chaff cards if she actually got into a summoning battle.


    "Alright, is that everything?" The man said as he put the cards aside and replaced the binder.


    "Yeah," she said, and they moved over to the register. She ended up paying only about sixty for the entire selection.


    "Thanks," she said as she took the bag from the man. She pulled out the pack of bulk cards and started to sort through them. They were, well, garbage. She had expected as much, but she separated out the more useful monsters and spells and tossed the rest into the trash can beside the counter. They probably had some value, but she didn''t have time to consider all but the most useful. A Sickly Wolf would be more useful than a Fluffy Cloud Bunny, even if they were both tier 2.


    "If you''re interested, there is a small tournament tonight. You can try out that deck you''re building," the man offered.


    "No thanks. These are... uhm... more for casual play," James said, quickly coming up with an excuse.


    He nodded as she turned away and started heading for the shop door. She slid the shopping bag into her tote bag and couldn''t help but smile. She had done it. She had gotten the cards she needed. She nearly pranced as she made for the door.


    She resisted the urge to run for the bathroom and try it immediately. She wasn''t sure if she would have clothing after changing back or if it would work at all. So, it was better to be somewhere safe when she attempted it.


    Exiting the building, she moved to make for the bus stop. But she was intercepted by two men. Their appearance threw her off guard a bit. She wasn''t sure, but they almost looked like monks. They were bald and wore simple brown and tan robes. The taller one had a staff with a thick circle head on top of it, made of bronze or brass.


    "Please excuse me, miss," the shorter one said. "But if you wouldn''t mind, this one would like to ask if you have a moment."


    James wasn''t sure what to make of this odd duo. "What is it? I''m not looking to join."


    "Oh dear, we are not missionaries. No, it is about an entirely different topic," the shorter monk said. He glanced over at the taller monk, examining a small wooden trinket in his hands. The taller monk simply nodded to the shorter one.


    "Uhm, what is this about?" James said, starting to feel more nervous about this encounter by the moment. Given the number of people around, she was sure nothing would happen, but they were just so out of place.


    "Well, you see, we are aware of your... monstrous issue," the short monk continued, emphasizing the "monstrous" part. "We would ask that you come with us to discuss this in a more private setting."


    James slowly backed away from the two, alarm bells ringing in her head. "Uhm, no, I really have to go," she said.


    "I am afraid we must insist," the taller monk said. "You appear reasonable, and we wouldn''t want to cause a scene."


    "Leave me alone, I''ll scream," James warned, feeling silly. But that kind of threat sometimes worked in the movies.


    "That would be foolish," the short monk said. "Do you think we are the only ones who watch this place? Even now, other groups move, having seen us confront you."


    "Just let me go," James pleaded. "Why can''t you have just left me alone."


    She could still try running, but they were making good points. What if there were others. She glanced around, but no one seemed to be paying them any attention.


    "I apologize. But it is too late," the taller monk said. "Even if we did so, your presence is known." He gestured out into the plaza. James followed the gesture, only to see the head of a man sitting on a bench, seeming to casually turn to not look at them and instead at his phone.


    "This one presumes that you would rather deal with those who speak peacefully than those who strike from the shadows," the shorter one said.


    "Goddammit," James cursed, the joy of minutes ago already being ground into the dirt. She could feel the tears forming in her eyes as she realized the rock to her current hard place. "Fine. Bastards."


    The shorter monk smiled apologetically. "Please follow us then," he said, motioning for her to follow him as the taller monk moved behind her. "I do apologize for the late introduction. But my friend is Brother Bistort, and I am Brother Damiana."


    "We are known by your kind as the Guardians of the Veil," said the monk behind her as they exited the plaza.

 Chapter 10. Guardians

    The two monks walked with James as they made their way behind the plaza stores.


    As they moved beyond the public area, her eyes glanced across the alleys, looking for potential escape routes. Given a good chance, she would run and take her chances.


    James fidgeted with her bag as they walked. Her hands were shaky as she moved one of the summoning devices to a better location. She hoped she wouldn''t need to use them, as she hadn''t had the nerve to do much testing.


    She was still considering options when, to her surprise, they stopped. The alleyway was relatively narrow and dull. There was maybe enough room for four people to stand side by side within it. They weren''t far from the plaza, so she wasn''t sure what they were thinking.


    "This should be fine," said the shorter of the two, taking several steps away from her. She tried to follow, but a large hand fell on her shoulder. James couldn''t remember their names despite having only been introduced minutes before.


    The monk took out a small carved circle of wood, and its surface glowed brightly momentarily. James glanced around but didn''t really notice any change in the environment.


    "What was that?" James asked, despite herself.


    "Just something to give us a little privacy," the short monk said as he turned to look at her. "Now then, we can begin."


    The taller monk grabbed her beanie and pulled it from her head. It wasn''t difficult, given that the hat had been loose from the start. This revealed her fox-like ears to the two monks.


    "Hey!" James said, turning to reach for the hat. She wasn''t sure what she hoped to accomplish with that, but it was more of an ingrained reaction than a considered action. She swiped at the air where the monk held her hat and, to her surprise, simply handed it to her as he stepped back. What was their game?


    Angry at herself and the monks, she gripped the hat tightly and glared at the two before shoving it into her bag. She pulled the bag over herself protectively, almost hugging it for comfort, and kept the hand that had held her hat within, seeking carefully.


    "What do you want!?" James yelled at them. Her ears folded back, and she couldn''t help but admit in the back of her mind that being free of the hat felt much better.


    "This one apologizes, Kitsen. We had to be sure," the smaller monk said, frowning. "But you break the treaty by being here."


    "What the hell is a Kitsen?" James yelled back. James had never been especially prone to anger, but the last day had been a whirlwind. Then, these two show up and start jerking her around. "What treaty?"  She nearly pulled her questing fingers from her bag to point accusingly at him but kept hugging the bag close instead.


    The monk turned to his companion, and the two looked at each other before he responded. "You are a Kitsen, and the treaty is between your world and this one."


    "I''m a human!" James asserted. It didn''t matter that she was in this fox girl''s body. She was still human. What had they called her, a Kitsen? Another world? She didn''t want any part of that. "This IS my world. I was born here."


    "Is there an enclave of Kitsen living among humans?" the smaller of the two said, putting his hand up to his chin as if to consider this.


    "No, ugh," James said, slightly exasperated. She carefully moved her hand through the pile of cards in her bag. She didn''t know which were which, but hopefully, she would get something useful. "I''m a human! I am not a monster!"


    "Enough," said the taller monk beside James, stepping towards her. "No more tricks, fox. We know no monsters live in our world. Tell us of the portal you came through."


    "I''m not a monster. I don''t know what you''re talking about, " James said truthfully, stepping back from the taller monk.


    "How many of you are there?" the monk continued to question James accusingly about things she didn''t know. "Are your kind the reason why they can summon these magical copies?"


    "Brother Bistort," the shorter monk said. "Perhaps we should take a calmer approach. A cornered animal is most dangerous."


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    "I''m not an animal!" James said as she slid several cards onto one of the devices within her bag. She had had enough of this. Maybe she could get some of this crap to work for her for once.


    In a swirl of green and red, the most frightening monster in the entire game of Summon Monsters appeared next to James and the monk: The Knife Goose.


    "Attack!" James yelled as she turned and started to bolt away from the monks. She hadn''t taken more than a step before the tall staff-wielding monk was behind her, lunging forward with a hand. So fast!


    A blue barrier appeared, and a glow rippled across it as the monk smashed into it and was blasted away.


    He was thrown several meters away and landed in a kneel. James may have beefed on the monster, but one of the cards had been Shield. She supposed she was due some luck. However, she knew it wouldn''t save her again and continued running down the alleys before she rounded a corner.


    The goose honked at the monk before it picked up its knife from the concrete and charged, flapping its wings at the monk.


    The monk''s staff crushed the goose''s skull with a single deft strike, causing it to break down into a magical fog.


    "It would appear that peace was never an option," the shorter monk said with a sigh, and then the two began to chase after the fox woman.


    <hr>


    James rushed down the alleyways, turned down an alley, and crossed an old, small brick road. She made it into the alleyway across from the one she exited.


    Running wasn''t as hard as she had expected. Her heart hammered in her chest, her breath came easily and steadily, and she leaped over small obstacles and even dodged gracefully around parked cars. James felt like she was running faster than she had even back in high school. If she hadn''t been at risk of being caught, she would have tried running up the wall like in those Wuxia movies. It seemed that a magical monster body had some benefits.


    She turned the corner down another alley and noticed the monks out of the corner of her eye, following rapidly. Oh, right, they had magic too.


    She had gotten distracted again and chided herself before she redoubled her efforts to evade the monks. She took corner after corner and crossed several smaller streets. She avoided the larger roads because... why was she avoiding larger roads?


    She had gotten turned around at some point as she took corners, but she was reasonably sure it was to the left.


    James turned left and ran down that alley, but at the end, she was met with a tall chain link fence with some kind of barbed or razor wire at the top. Crap.


    She turned to the right and pushed between a narrow gap between two buildings. It was tight. She didn''t think she would have fit if she had been in her original body, but she only needed to turn sideways in her new, slighter form.


    She sidestepped the dozen meters quickly before she exited into another alley. It was a short one, only thirty or so meters long. A chain-link fence covered the only exit with two large chain-link swing gates, locked with a padlock. It wasn''t as high as the other but was topped with razor wire as well. She had no delusions of somehow getting over it. The only other thing in the alley was a dumpster and a door into one of the buildings, which had an even larger padlock.


    "Fuck!" James cursed at herself and turned back towards the opening, only to hear the taller monk''s voice.


    "She went down there."


    "FUCK!" James cursed again as she dashed behind the dumpster and began to pull what cards she had out of her bag.


    "No, no, useless, no, fuck!" James cursed as she went through them, tossing them away as she searched frantically.


    A large bang and the sound of crumbling brick and stone resounded from the passage she had come from, startling her and causing her to fumble her cards onto the concrete. Pieces of brick bounced off the dumpster as she looked frantically at the cards all over the concrete.


    James pressed herself into the corner between the dumpster and the wall. She placed her hands over her head and closed her eyes. She was so screwed she mumbled quietly to herself, "I''m not here, just a part of the wall! Don''t see me!"


    "Where is she!"


    "This one does not see her. This appears to be a dead end."


    "There, cards."


    James peeked an eye open to see the taller monk pointing his staff right at her. James'' heart leapt into her throat, and she froze. But his eyes were on the small pile of cards at her feet instead.


    "Escape magic?" The shorter one said, "The detector?"


    The taller monk checked the small trinket from before, but the gem was dim. "Still useless."


    He moved over to the gate and struck out with his staff to shatter the padlock, which broke into several metal chunks from the force of the blow. He pushed it open as the shorter monk walked forward.


    "Let us split. If fortune favors us, we may yet find her."


    The taller monk nodded, and the two went in different directions.


    "What the fuck?" James asked herself, the tension leaving her slightly and feeling more than a little frazzled. How had they not seen her just sitting there? James looked down at herself, and the shadows seemed to shift and return to their natural positions. What the fuck?


    James turned to look at the small passage she had moved through. But it was no longer small. It was thrust apart like two giant hands had placed themselves in the gap and pulled apart. A few bricks were hanging precariously.


    She looked back at the direction the monks had gone and made a decision. She moved down to the cards on the ground, gathered them quickly, and ran back down the narrow passage she had come from.

 Chapter 11. Return

    The parks of East Lake City were countless and varied. These parks brought pieces of natural beauty throughout the city for all residents to enjoy. There was a central park and a few more critical surrounding parks. Each of these conformed to the same philosophy of design. They were wide open areas with well-cut grass and enough trees, bushes, and shrubs to make the area feel slightly more wild than the surrounding city. They were strategically designed to ensure unobstructed views, with features never too dense to block sight lines or provide excessive cover.


    However, this rigid philosophy often gave way to reality the further someone got from the richer parts of the city. The ''parks'' were often merely wooded areas with a path and parking area, labeled as such on city maps only due to bureaucratic requirements.


    James hadn''t been far from downtown when she started her mad dash but ranged away as she fled from the two monks. She had managed to evade detection despite being rather conspicuous. She had found a park some ways away.


    It had slightly untended grass, a path, pavilions, and benches, but it also had sections covered in deep foliage. There wasn''t even a stream going through it, making it unremarkable. It was nearing noon, but very few people were in and around the park. The light drizzle that had started a few minutes earlier likely contributed.


    That suited James just fine. Her clothes had already started showing signs of the weather, and she found a secluded area within the dense foliage. She figured she should get a move on before the weather took a turn for the worse.


    Arrayed in front of her on the ground were the two devices she had taken from thugs that day. It had been an accident, but things would have been much easier if she hadn''t. The Knife Goose card she had used before to escape had left some kind of black residue on the device. She wasn''t sure what the second card had been but saw no sign of it. The Shield had only suffered what she assumed was damage. Instead of pristine like before, it looked like the ink had faded and the cardboard had become more brittle.


    She sighed and looked at the few cards she held in her hand. Rushing into things had gotten her into trouble the first time she had done this. Just because the cards said one thing didn''t mean that''s what they actually did outside of the card game.


    First was the Heart Strike Fox. She could have played this card to evolve herself into a stronger monster. Still, she didn''t know if that was needed to play the card in reality or if it would even work if she didn''t use it on the same device she played the Illusionist Trainee. Too many questions.


    James put the card back into the tote bag on the ground. She had no desire to be a busty fox woman with an impossible-to-hide pile of tails. She had enough problems with her current monster body.


    Not that it was all problems. She had experienced the monster''s magical powers firsthand in that alley to escape the monks, and while such abilities were attractive, caring for a fluffy tail or being a girl wasn''t really high on her list of desires.


    All of that was the reason she was glad she had gotten the specific card she did.


    "Pyx''s Rewind. Magic. Instant," James said out loud, reading the card. "Remove the target card from play and shuffle it and any attached cards back into the owner''s deck. This card requires two pixies in play to activate."


    She didn''t have a deck. She barely had a hand. This was reality, not a game. How would that work?


    She pulled out the Wandering Pixie cards and looked at them. They were tier three cards, the same as the Illusionist Trainee. The little creatures were considered as strong as she was in this body.


    She shook her head and placed the two pixie cards down on the device, and the two monsters sprang into being with a swirl of golden magic. The pixies were Light creatures that glowed with little sparkles and floated in the air on gossamer wings. They looked a bit like humans but were only as tall as James'' forearm.


    James let out a sigh of relief. Like all monsters she had summoned before them, they simply remained there, doing nothing.


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    She readied the final card and considered how to use it. How did it target a specific card anyway? She decided to use the obvious options first.


    She thought hard about the Illusionist Trainee, pointed at herself with her free hand, and said, "Illusionist Trainee," as she placed Pyx''s Rewind beside the two pixies on the device. The three cards filled the entire surface area of the tool, and the final one glowed softly.


    James felt strange momentarily before she was no longer a fluffy-tailed monster.


    An object fell from his grip and fell to the ground. James looked down and saw his hands. He was back. He was himself again.


    "FUCK YES!" he shouted in celebration with a grin and even threw an arm into the air. He instantly felt a bit self-conscious about his behavior and took a few breaths to calm down.


    He couldn''t stop grinning, even though the world seemed strangely dim and muffled compared to before. He felt deaf, blind, and stuffed up. He had gotten used to having enhanced senses. His behind felt strangely light without the tail as well.


    James shook his head and took a moment to compose himself. He took a few minutes to adjust back to his original everything. He was sure he would be stuck like that, but it had worked precisely as advertised.


    Taking stock, he realized he was back in the clothing he had been wearing the day he first got the devices and decided to experiment. A glance around the area revealed a lack of something he was expecting.


    The tote bag still held the torn robe of the Illusionist Trainee, and there wasn''t a pile of cheap women''s clothing under his feet.


    He didn''t see the two cards he had used anywhere, though the third device was at his feet.


    "Uhm, hey," he said, looking up at the two pixies. "Can you keep an eye out?" But the two pixies didn''t respond to his command. "Oh right, simple commands. Uhm. Defend?"


    The pixies still didn''t move. James was somewhat dubious about what that meant, but he removed the cards from the device he had used and put them away in the bag.


    It took him a while, but he also found the puppeteer card among the cards within. He guessed it was considered his deck when he had used Pyx''s Rewind. How did it know the cards were his, though?


    "Maybe I shouldn''t think too hard about how magic does anything," he said as he came across a uniquely strange card.


    The card name only consisted of three question marks, and the art showed a very familiar fox girl hiding beside a dumpster wearing the same clothing he had put on before.


    "What the...?" James questioned himself as he looked the card over. The card was in better condition than when he first used it, assuming it was even the same card. He pulled out the Heart Strike Fox and compared them. It was definitely in better shape.


    The change forced him to discard a few theories he had developed about the cards and the devices.


    James continued to examine the card in his hands and flipped it back and forth as he considered.


    "Dare I?" he said as he held the card and glanced down at the slate. He had just escaped that body. Could he bear to see the form he had inhabited for so long? It had only been a day, but it had felt longer.


    Finally, curiosity got the better of him. He knew it was a terrible failing, but he needed to know. He placed the ''???'' card down on the device, and a swirl of green fog and white light began to form in front of him. Then, it continued, and then it continued some more. He waited almost twenty seconds before he knew something was up.


    "What? Is it stuck?" James asked as only a vague outline of his previous form stood before him. He hesitantly tried to touch the construct, ready for another lesson in pain, but it went right through the phantasmal form.


    He glanced down at the device and the glowing card on it. A small trail of luminous green and white fog seemed to extend from it over to his bag.


    "No way?" James said as he pulled the tote bag over and began to search through the cards once more before finally revealing the Puppeteer card.


    The fog swirled gently around the card in his hands as he looked back at the slate. "No," he said firmly. "I''m not doing it again. I just got back."


    He had a pretty good idea what the problem was now. He was the missing component of the ''???'' card, and it couldn''t be summoned without him. He had no idea how that had happened in just a day, but he didn''t know a lot about how the magic worked.


    He pulled the card from the device and the form of ''???'' faded. He shook his head and placed everything into the tote bag. He carefully kept the cards and devices separated by the robe. He felt like he was carrying around a magical nuke. He was in way over his head, but now that he was back to normal he should be safe.


    There were many things he wanted to do. Still, before everything else, he had a nice hotel room he could finally enjoy again. He could order room service and experiment with his own cards.

 Chapter 12. House of Cards

    The front loading area of the hotel looked as peaceful as it ever had. People came and went, and the hotel busied itself with its regular customers. Almost a dozen motorcycles were parked in the hotel''s parking lot, and a group of three people in leather jackets talked to each other near them.


    Breathing a sigh of relief, James left his hiding place behind a nearby tree and began approaching the hotel. He had been worried about the thugs he had spotted before. Still, with all the motorcyclists around, James wondered if he had just been paranoid.


    "What''s with all the motorcycles?" he asked the receptionist, noticing they were free as he entered the lobby.


    "Ah, there''s some big event for them tomorrow. I''m not sure of the details," the man behind the counter said. "I am sure they would be happy to tell you."


    "Ah, no, that''s okay. Thanks," James replied courteously, immediately feeling better about the situation. He had just been paranoid after all.


    "No problem," the man said, returning to whatever he had been doing on the computer as James made his way towards the bank of elevators.


    James took the elevators to his room and entered it with a swipe of his keycard. The inside looked almost the same as when he left it. The hotel had made the bed, replaced the towels, and emptied the garbage. He thought he smelled something odd in the air but wasn''t sure. He missed the enhanced sense of smell. Was it some kind of cleaner?


    James turns and locks the door and places the lock bar across the door, just to be extra safe. He didn''t want any uninvited guests.


    After placing the tote bag on the dresser, James checked that all his luggage was still where it was supposed to be. The bags had been moved around a little, which was worrying, but he assumed it had been housekeeping. Otherwise, everything seemed fine, so he pulled out his deck of cards from his suitcase and placed them on the bed.


    He wasn''t one to be melodramatic, but these were his lifeline from now on. He needed to see what he could use.


    The order seemed slightly off to him, and what was more concerning was that a few cards appeared to be missing.


    He counted the cards and came to the correct number, though, so he wasn''t sure. A lot had happened after all. They didn''t seem like they had been gone through. He noticed no extra wear around the card edges or unusual bends. It wouldn''t be the first time hotel staff had gotten handsy with his belongings, but maybe he was expecting the worst from people.


    "I wonder if I just have trust issues," James said as he opened the bottom dresser drawer and pulled a small stack of his more valuable cards from the underside of the drawer. He had wrapped them in card protectors and stuck the stack of cards to the bottom with adhesive putty.


    "Okay, I definitely have trust issues," he quipped. Nothing that had happened over the past day had convinced him he was wrong, either. He was still nervous despite being in the relative safety of his hotel room.


    He added the hidden cards to his pile. They weren''t expensive, at least by tournament standards, but they were valuable enough to be tempting to underpaid hotel staff. After all, his Rabbit of Tomnadashan was worth a hundred or two.


    After pulling his cards out and placing them on the bed, he retrieved the three devices and placed them to the side. He then began sorting the cards into individual piles. Some would be useful, but others would not.


    <hr>


    Amelia was bored. She was really bored. She found herself reading a few pages of the book she was using as part of her disguise. It was a bit of a cheap, trashy novel she had picked randomly from the bookstore on the way to the hotel.


    Her chosen codename was Noctua, which was supposed to evoke the sentiment of a wise and careful person. But she felt anything but wise at the moment. She was feeling bored and a bit awkward.


    The receptionists knew why she was there and occasionally glanced at her as if she were about to start tearing up the lobby or something.


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    The novel wasn''t her style, but that was for the best since she wasn''t supposed to pay attention to it. She was waiting for some random nerd to walk in so she could tell the higher-ups. The likelihood of that happening was about zero, in her opinion.


    She wasn''t a convert specialist but just one of the summoners, even if she wasn''t into the dumb card game.


    But still, the job paid well enough, and she got a cool codename, so that was something. She was thankful her uncle had introduced her to real magic, but it wasn''t as exciting as expected.


    She had even moved up the ladder recently. However, she wasn''t interested in the so-called monster world the old fogies went on about in the meetings she was now required to attend.


    "Maybe I should have gone into fashion," she lamented as she closed the book. She figured it was getting close to her lunch break as she stood up and stretched. Her relief should be here soon, and that nice panini place down the street was calling to her.


    But to her surprise, her target chose that exact moment to walk into the lobby and converse with the receptionist before making his way to the bank of elevators.


    "Of course," she thought as she took out her phone. "He just had to show up at lunchtime."


    Noctua had a long conversation with her handler. After a bit of arguing, it was decided that she would confront the man in his room. She didn''t like it. After all, she was only a lookout. But they pointed out that she was a summoner, so this was also part of her job.


    She sighed as she adjusted her earpiece again and stood before the hotel room door. It wasn''t very comfortable, but they had insisted it be on just in case she needed assistance. It was just some guy, right? She should be fine.


    Finally, she adjusted the arcane slate on her forearm and placed the Obscure and Skeleton Key cards on it.


    <hr>


    James had managed to sort the cards into a few piles. He had piles for "super dangerous," "useful," "maybe useful," and "unknown." They had been sorted based on his best guess as to what they would do.


    The first two piles were his combat cards. His rabbit and a few of his better monsters were in there, as were many powerful support cards.


    The third pile consisted mostly of utility cards that could be useful in the right circumstances. Still, he wasn''t entirely certain how useful they were, but they had good potential.


    Finally, there were the unknown cards. These cards didn''t seem to have much use or were generally garbage. He would have to test these to get a better idea.


    He packed most of his cards into his backpack, an excellent step up from the tote bag, and began placing his cards in strategic locations.


    He heard his door click as he placed the last of the devices within the drink holder. James immediately reversed the action and swiftly began to unzip the bag to pull out the "super dangerous" cards.


    He almost fumbled the cards as the door was pushed open, only to be stopped by the security bar.


    "Really?" he heard a feminine voice call from the hallway.


    James placed his chosen card on the device, and for the first time, he summoned his Rabbit of Tomnadashan to reality. The green mist quickly swirled from nowhere and coalesced into the white, fluffy bunny with glowing red eyes.


    The rabbit sat resting and waiting for orders even as the door flew off its hinges and into the room.


    Standing in the doorway was the Death Knight himself. Black mist rolled off its armor as it walked slowly into the room, followed by a somewhat mousy-looking woman.


    "Ah ha!" She said, pointing at me. "There you are."


    James had barely dodged out of the way of the door onto the bed. He turned to his rabbit and yelled. "Attack!"


    The woman''s eyes widened as she took in the small rabbit and stepped back. The small ball of fur launched itself with rocket-like speed at her and the Death Knight.


    The two monsters met in the middle, with the rodent''s teeth aimed at the armored creature''s neck. The sound of cracking and twisting metal was heard as the rabbit bit down.


    "D-defend!" The woman said as she took a few steps back into the hallway. "Kill it!"


    The Death Knight swung into action and batted the rabbit away, dislodging it. The killer rabbit landed feet first on the upended door and spat out a chunk of dark steel as its eyes glowed red.


    "A bad matchup," James lamented as he shakily looked through his cards. Even as he did so, his rabbit re-engaged with the towering figure.


    "Wait!" The woman shouted, a bit concerned. "We don''t have to fight!"


    "Yeah, right!" James yelled back as he played the Cornucopia card. The drywall cracked, and the floor grew uneven as vines, bushes, and small trees grew up the walls and along the floor. The branches and vines began to grow heavy with fruit and vegetables.


    As it did so, the black mist emanating from the Death Knight weakened, and the Rabbit of Tomnadashan began to radiate a faint green.


    He had his own cards now.


    He could survive this new world of monsters.


    He had to.

 Chapter 13. Shuffle

    The Rabbit of Tomnadashan wasn''t in a good position as it faced off against the Death Knight. Even with the benefits of the Cornucopia card suppressing the Death Knight''s power and boosting its own, it had little chance against the armored monster. The issue was with types.


    The Death Knight was a Dark Defender monster. This means it had good defense and used the Dark type. The types weren''t some kind of rock-paper-scissors type chart you see in many games. Instead, this described the origin of the monster. The origin of a monster played a role in determining its effectiveness with the various support, arena, and equip cards. Still, it only had a minor impact on combat effectiveness.


    However, the community had managed to determine some general trends. Some types of cards were generally more effective than others against other types.


    His killer rabbit was unofficially a Nature Attack monster. Attackers tended to be good against other Attackers but poor against Defenders. The red-eyed rabbit mostly bucked this trend, as it always went for the throat. But the Death Knight was living armor. Its throat was not a weak point, so the rabbit was simply bashing itself into a steel plate repeatedly.


    Of course, James knew the strengths and weaknesses of his Rabbit of Tomnadashan, which was part of the reason he chose the card.


    He had gotten caught up in the spectacle of a tiny little white rabbit holding off and even hurting the fearsome black metal monster, which held his attention far longer than it should have


    "Dodge, no, strike it. No! Use your sword!" The woman was still trying to direct her monster to fend off the deadly furry bullet of teeth.


    The sheer size difference slowly forced his rabbit to retreat against the Death Knight.


    Despite losing ground, his rabbit seemed to be doing well. The rabbit managed to bite down on the sword of the Death Knight as the armor swiped at it stiffly. This broke the metal with a resounding crack, almost like a gunshot.


    The Death Knight responded by punching his rabbit with its gauntlet, but it was too late to save its sword from breaking in two. The rabbit landed heavily, covered with cuts and gouges. These slowly began to regenerate, and it seemed to ignore the injuries as it jumped back at the armor.


    Cornucopia was working to keep the vicious bunny in the fight. But it had caused other issues. He probably should have thought harder about what an arena card would do before he played it as he glanced around the room again.


    The vines and roots covered all the doors and windows, not that there were many, except for the one now occupied by the Death Knight. He would have to force his way out if he wanted to run.


    James shook his thoughts away and examined the few cards in his hand. He really should have focused on ending this quickly, but he had been distracted by the spectacle of it. His opponent had no such issue.


    "You haven''t won!" the woman yelled, unseen from the hallway, over the sound of bone striking steel. "My monsters will crush your little bunny into a pulp!"


    Monsters? As in more than one? The thought was rewarded as another Death Knight pushed in behind the first, further blocking the doorway.


    "See! There''s no hope of winning! You should just give up!"


    James frowned as he looked through the cards he was holding. He had a lot of options since he didn''t have to draw from a deck or something.


    Usually, he would have traps out to prevent this kind of thing. But the device was limited to three cards of whatever type. Sure, he had more of the devices, but he would need to dig into his backpack to get at them. He doubted that looking away was a good idea.


    He had a few answers to this, but some seemed like horrible ideas. He could set his rabbit on fire, letting it do far more damage for a few turns, but considering it was really here and the room was covered in wood, yeah...


    Instead, he selected another monster, and green mist swirled and formed into a Giant Python. It was a tier 4, which was not the Death Knights match. But this was reality.


    "Restrain it! Crush it!" James yelled, pointing at the new Death Knight. The giant snake shot forth and began to slither up and around the second Death Knight just as it batted his rabbit away.


    "Ahh! What!" he heard being yelled from the hallway. "Your monsters are the worst!"


    The snake began to hold and crush the second knight just as it disappeared and reappeared outside the bonds of his snake. Oh right. That was a thing you could do.


    James couldn''t help but facepalm slightly as his snake dropped to the floor. Why hadn''t he realized she could just withdraw and summon the card again?


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    The Death Knight pushed into the room again, struck down with its sword, and sliced his Giant Python in half even as it moved to attack. James felt his hope fade as the Python''s card on his device flashed and smoked.


    James looked at the crispy card and slowly pulled it away, causing it to crumble in his fingers.


    "Okay," James said, looking in shock at the remains of the card in his hands.


    He shakes his head and tries to clear his head. The doorway was blocked, and his rabbit was losing ground quickly. The Death Knights were closing in but largely ignored him. Wait.


    They were ignoring him. Why were they doing that?


    James reached into his backpack and pulled out a handful of cards. He quickly shuffled through the cards in his hand until he found a card that would work.


    "Hypersonic Sparrow," he muttered as the green mist and red energy swirled together. A small but very sleek red and blue bird appeared, its eyes blank, sitting on top of his backpack.


    "Attack the summoner!" James whispered urgently to the little bird, and its head cocked and looked at the door.


    The bird blurred and was gone in a blast of wind. Moments later, it struck the door frame, splintering the wood slightly as it landed perpendicular to the floor, clawing into it with its talons. Its head tilted and locked onto the woman, who had only started to turn to look at his new monster.


    "GAH!" she yelled as the tiny bird struck her in the stomach at high speed.


    It was only a tier-one monster, but it was very, very fast.


    "I hate you!" the woman shouted as she tried to bat away the tiny creature. "Get it away!" she yelled. "Defend me!"


    All at once, the two Death Knights stopped. They turned and moved towards the exit. It was none too soon as his rabbit had slowed down considerably and wasn''t doing much more than biting at the foot of the first Death Knights.


    "Damn it!" The woman yelled as James peeked past the living armor to catch sight of the woman trying to fend off the tiny bird. She had several minor scratches and cuts on her clothing and face.


    James noticed the device attached to her arm and pointed at it. "Smash into her arm!"


    "What!?" the woman yelled, having heard his call. But it was too late, as the Hypersonic Sparrow smashed into the device. It broke away into mist, but the cards on it had been blasted off from its collision. The woman stumbled.


    The two Death Knights wavered momentarily before breaking down into black smoke that pooled around the hall and hotel room floor.


    "Restrain her," James yelled, even as he ran and tackled her, sending both tumbling to the floor. The air was knocked out of him as she twisted into the superior position, and he was driven into the floor under him.


    "No more magic!" He yelled as he tried to restrain her, but she cracked him in the head with the device on her arm.


    "That''s not going to... AH!" The woman said as a white rabbit appeared beside her, its long teeth inches from her throat. "N-nice bunny!"


    She attempted to back away but was followed by the Rabbit of Tomnadashan.


    "AAAH!" She yelled as the rabbit bit her in the leg as she tried to get to her feet. "O-okay!"


    James shook his head and pulled himself to his feet. The rabbit loomed over the woman even as he noticed her reaching into her pocket.


    "Stop! No cards," he said, pointing at her and panting, "or I''ll have it attack!"


    "Right, okay, we can talk about this," she said, putting her hands up. "Not exactly what I had in mind."


    "Take off the device, slowly," James said as he pointed at the summoning device.


    "The... device?" she said, sounding confused before she glanced at where he was pointing. "You mean the arcane slate?"


    So that''s what they were called, James thought. "Yeah, whatever. Take it off. Slowly."


    The woman slowly removed the device, and he took it from her.


    "Stupid handler," the woman muttered as she sat there pouting. "I''m just a lookout."


    "What?" James said, questioning the woman. "You were waiting for me?"


    "Yeah, you stole a bunch of slates," she said matter-of-factually. "Now that you have mine, will you let me go?"


    James sighed and shook his head. "I have some questions. Into the room."


    "You''re a real creep," she said as she slowly stood after James had the rabbit back off.


    "I never wanted any of this!" James yelled, feeling blood rush to his head. "Crazy shit just started happening!"


    "You done?" the woman said, looking slightly annoyed herself. "You could have just given up."


    "Yeah, well, you broke my door," James said as he walked into the room ahead of her.


    "It''s the hotel''s door," she said as she walked behind him. "You know they''ll come for you, right?"


    James froze, then turned and scrambled for his backpack. He started tossing the extra cards he had pulled back into it, followed by his newest acquisition.


    "I didn''t mean right now," she said, looking somewhat troubled.


    He threw the backpack on his back and checked the... arcane slate? Slate? He checked the slate and ensured that the cards were still in place.


    "Yeah, well, forgive me for having trust issues," he said as he grabbed the slate and made for the door.


    "Didn''t you have questions?" she asked as he passed her. "I can tell you a lot."


    "Survival comes first," he said.


    She muttered something to herself, causing James to turn, having heard her. "He''s getting away."


    "Who are you talking to?" He demanded but forgot his question as a large swirling portal opened on the room''s wall.


    A roar resounded as a large red futuristic motorcycle slid through sideways and stopped with a jolt against the bed. The rider''s helmeted head turned to look at him, his hands drawing forth a card.


    "Bushido Frog."

 Chapter 14. Exit Stage Left

    The motorcycle hummed as it traveled over the smooth surface of the highway at a speed most would consider highly unsafe. Elias had decided to follow the address on the old identification card he had found in the man''s wallet. It was his only lead, but it would take him several hours to travel the long distance there.


    He still had many questions about the individual. There was no proof that he was in league with the enforcers who had decided to make off with Pyramid property.


    He had no intention of killing someone based on an assumption. He was no longer averse to killing if necessary, but everyone needed a line. Elias had no intention of becoming a murderer for hire.


    Elais weaved between a pair of semi-trucks that blocked his path forward and once again found open road even as he considered his thoughts.


    None of it added up. Why was he there in that alley? What was his relation to the enforcers? Why did he take the arcane slates?


    Elias'' earpiece buzzed. "Pyramid for Shogun."


    "Go for shogun," he almost shouted into his headset to overcome the roar of his motorcycle engine.


    "We have a positive identity on your subject. Over."


    Finally, he thought, he needed a break in this case. "Where at? Over."


    "Noctua has identified the individual at the hotel. Over."


    "The Festival Hotel he had a room at? Over"


    "Affirmative. Over."


    "Acknowledged. I can be there in two hours. Keep him there. Over."


    "Copy. We''ll send in Noctua. Over."


    "Good idea. Feed me her audio. Over."


    "Patching you in now. Signal to override. Over and out."


    Elias soon got the audio from the young woman assigned to play lookout over his earpiece as he took the next off-ramp. It took a bit for her headset to come up, and she kept fidgeting with it.


    Elias, or rather Shogun, was already headed back towards East Lake City at high speed as she prepared for her breach.


    "He''s using summons," Elias muttered as he listened in on the battle. The Rabbit of Tomnadashan was a mid-level card and reasonably practical for its age. A decent card for assassination but limited in a stand-up fight.


    All cards in Summon Monsters were pretty limited in number. Even prevalent and iconic cards, such as the Death Knight that Noctua was using, only had limited production. The prices were high due to the game''s popularity, the rarity of the cards, and the fact that groups like his existed and were depleting the supply. Elias had theories on why that was considering the goals of Pyramid, but nothing concrete. If the public knew of the secret he and the rest of Pyramid did, then no cards would be available at all.


    It looked like the battle between Noctua and James was reaching its end as her second monster dispatched his Giant Python. James had put up a decent enough fight, but-


    His thoughts were cut off as a scream came over his earpiece.


    "GAH!" he heard Noctua yell through the device, and the battle turned for the worse for her. Events progressed quickly from there. James overpowered Noctua, and Elias grew worried. He pulled off the highway and pulled a card from its place inside his long coat.


    "So he is a thief," Elias said to himself after James relieved Noctua of her arcane slate. "I should have figured."


    Elias hesitated to use the card in his hand. It was a use-and-lose card called: "Doorway of the Heavens."


    But his mind was made up once he heard Noctua speak directly to him.


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    "He''s getting away."


    Elias frowned as he played the card on his slate and revved the engine of his motorcycle.


    <hr>


    "Defend me!" James yelled as he backed away. The swirling mists coalesced into the Bushiodo Frog. It was a rare tier seven monster, the same he had seen in the alley several days prior. The shogun series was one of the earliest ones released, and the cards were no longer tournament-legal.


    "Surrender," the motorcyclist said to be even as the portal finally collapsed. The eerie light that had bathed the room disappeared with it.


    "No offense," James said, placing a finger on a card in his pocket. It was the one he had considered earlier. "But why the fuck would I trust you."


    The helmeted man looked about to say something, but James interrupted him. He pulled the card from his pocket and slapped it onto his slate. "Daybreak."


    The Rabbit of Tomnadashan burst into flames just as James pointed at the frog monster. "Attack."


    The rabbit ran forward, leaving a fire trail in its wake. It streaked toward the Bushido Frog. James turned and ran from the room as the fire began to spread across the vines and wood of Cornucopia.


    "Attack!" He heard the man yell from the room as he ran down the hallway to the elevators before thinking better of it. He ran past them to the stairwell and pulled at the door. But it was locked.


    "The fuck!? Who locks stairwells!?" James yelled as he kicked at the door, only hurting his foot.


    "Fuck."


    It must have been the woman, probably for this exact reason. He cursed and went through the cards in his hand. The Daybreak spell card had burst into flame and crumpled into dust as he left the room, his rabbit having gotten in an attack. But he probably only had moments.


    "Okay, stupid idea, go!" he said in a panic as he slapped the card down.


    Green mist swirled about and formed into a wolf almost as tall as he was. It was the Dire Forest Wolf, and it stood there with the same vacant stare as all the other monsters before it.


    "Uhm... Help me escape?" He tried as he looked at the door and back at the monster, who remained unmoving. There wasn''t any way it would break down the door in time, right?


    "Break the door! Open the door! Down the stairs! Ride? Mount? Carry?" James said rapid fire as the other two cards on his arcane slate crumbled and broke apart, their remains sliding onto the carpet.


    To his great surprise, the Dire Forest Wolf lowered itself to the ground. This was crazy, but he threw caution into the wind and pulled himself onto the monster''s back.


    He heard a crash from behind him and turned to see the futuristic red motorcycle walking out of the room almost casually. A blue barrier of swirling water surrounded the rider, the woman, and the bike itself. He watched as the rider, who supported the mousy-haired woman, placed her down against the wall and said something before turning to look at James.


    "Fuck." James said and looked down at his mount. "Run!"


    The wolf got to its feet and began to move, and James urged it onward as it began to pick up speed, sprinting down the hallway. It was none too soon as he heard an engine revving behind him and urged his mount onward, even as he struggled to hang on.


    But he felt the wolf begin to slow, and James glanced up and noticed they were quickly running out of hallway. He spotted the large window at the end of the hall and had an idea.


    "Through the window. Jump through the window!" James yelled as he hugged the monster closely as it began to move quickly once more. This was it. He had a chance. There was no way the motorcycle could make it through the window. It would crash into the wall below it.


    The monster he was riding crashed through the window, almost jostling him loose as he had a last-second thought. Wasn''t his room on the third floor?


    He hung on tightly to the wolf, but a traitorous eye peeked open as they were airborne, and he instantly regretted it. Yes, his room was on the third floor.


    He had no time for further thoughts as the Dire Forest Wolf collided with the dirt and grass below. The wolf let out a whimper as its legs took the strain of the impact. But James was thrown from the back of the creature, and the world tumbled around him.


    James'' head swam as he tried to get his bearings. He was on the ground. Right... Why? The sky he gazed into gave him no answers, but the large green and brown-furred wolf beside him did as it knelt down next to him.


    Right. Monsters.


    "Oh fuck," James said as his head began to clear from the surge of adrenaline still going through his system. He felt like shit. His chest hurt, his leg burned, his back hurt, his head hurt. It was probably easier to list what wasn''t in pain, but his leg was the worst. He glanced down at it and noticed his foot was twisted around backward, blood was seeping through his pant leg, and the agony hit him all at once.


    He glanced up at the hotel and noticed the rider standing at the window before disappearing down the hallway.


    "Right," James managed to gasp as he pulled himself toward the wolf. He braced himself against the massive furry animal when he heard a loud engine roar from the hotel.


    James glanced back up to see the red motorcycle flying through the air, surrounded by small white feathers in a glowing field around it. It landed a dozen meters from him and left a large skidmark where the back tire slid around.


    "Oh fuck," James said as he grabbed onto the wolf and urgently dragged himself stomach first onto its back. "Run!"


    The Dire Forest Wolf returned to its feet and began to run even as James tried to orient himself on its back.


    The last thing he saw before he pulled himself straight was the Bushido Frog jump from the window and land beside the motorcycle.

 Chapter 15. The Chase

    A number of people had been outside the hotel when James escaped its confines via the third-floor window. Now that the initial shock had passed, they were running away from the Dire Forest Wolf even as it took off down the streets.


    "Attack!" The biker yelled, pointing at James and his giant wolf. The Bushido Frog turned and began to dash in their direction even as the biker turned around to point his motorcycle in their direction. The armored bipedal frog was less, assuming that the giant wolf, despite its strong hop, couldn''t make up the required ground to do more than shave a few hairs from the tip of the wolf''s tail.


    Fighting had turned out to be a rather terrible idea, James reflected as he grasped tightly to the back of the wolf. The pain in his leg was causing his vision to blur, but he shook his head even as the monster loped along.


    He wasn''t sure why or how he had managed to ride it without it attacking him like the other monsters. He honestly didn''t know how most of the commands worked.


    Sure, commands like "Attack" and "Defend" made sense, but there seemed to be a wide variety of things a monster understood. It probably varied depending on the monster. After all, he couldn''t see a Wandering Pixie offering to be ridden.


    These details seemed rather important now that James thought about them, and knowing such information would have been immediately helpful as he tried to persuade his mount to go around a corner.


    "Left! Go left!" James said as the wolf ignored his command and continued past the side street, even as the sound of the motorcycle revved behind him. Cars swerved and skidded to a stop, even as the wolf dodged and wove around the traffic.


    Shouts and panicked drivers called out, car horns blared, and even a few phones came out to record James'' frenzied escape.


    James risked a glance back only to almost release his grip in shock. The biker, the man from the alley, whatever his name was, wasn''t deterred by any obstacles and found holes in the traffic to keep up with James. In fact, he was catching up rather quickly.


    The street near the hotel wasn''t the busiest part of the city and offered a largely open road for his pursuit. James turned back and glanced at a road that would lead deeper into the city. He released a hand to point towards it. "Go that way!"


    This time, the monster obeyed without hesitation and dashed around the corner, almost throwing James off its back again. James grabbed at the fur and tried to hold on.


    His leg was still in agony, but his heart was beating rapidly in his chest, and his head was slowly clearing despite his injuries.


    The traffic was picking up, and his wolf was causing chaos around him. The motorcyclist had fallen a few car lengths behind. But just as James began to hope for an easy escape, a Bushido Frog landed on the road ahead of him, its webbed hand on the hilt of its sheathed blade.


    "Jump!" James yelled without thinking. The Dire Forest Wolf obeyed quickly, launching James and itself high above the traffic, even as the faux samurai amphibian swung its blade out in a broad arc.


    A blade of energy extended from the blade, and a deep horizontal furrow was carved into the ground where James and his wolf had just been.


    The creature was left behind as the wolf, with James holding on tightly, landed behind it. James wasn''t sure his heart could beat much faster and felt a little lightheaded from the countless events that had happened to him. He wasn''t even sure where the monster had come from or how it had gotten ahead of him.


    But it had gone well for James regardless as he entered a road with deadlocked traffic. "Finally," he sighed as his Dire Forest Wolf leaped up onto the top of the cars and ran across the roofs of the vehicles, leaving dents and cracking Glass with each step.


    He felt almost smug as he glanced back at the rider and flipped the man the bird. He had gotten hung up on a group of cars that had closed off his path in a panicked fender bender.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    For some reason, the man seemed to take offense at James'' action as he revved the engine, and his motorcycle did a wheelie and came down on the back of a smaller vehicle before he gunned the engine.


    "No..." James said as he watched the motorcycle climb up the car and land on the roof of a pair of vehicles. Glass shattered and roofs bent inward as the bike started driving over several shorter vehicles, rapidly closing the distance. "How!"


    What was he? James cursed to himself. Some kind of fucking action hero? The motorcycle launched from a particularly slanted back end. It landed back on the pavement between two columns of vehicles, with a clear path to James.


    The situation was rather dire. While the heavy traffic had stopped his adversary for a moment, it had also slowed his progress.


    Making a decision, he directed the wolf to turn down a side road with less traffic, once again slowing his pursuer. But it would also give him more room to maneuver once he got past the vehicles blocking his way.


    James'' focus wandered for a moment before he shook his head. His injuries weren''t getting any better. He steeled himself and looked around for anything he could do to lose the bastard.


    But there was nothing except for...


    "FUCK!" James said as the Bushido Frog landed ahead of him and sunk its blade into the back of the wolf. A coppery taste filled his mouth as the blade struck only inches from James'' face, splattering blood over his face. The wolf roared in pain as it bucked and twisted. The damn thing had come out of nowhere once again.


    Not really thinking, he punched the monster in the face. The creature felt soft and a bit wet, but the sudden punch caught it off guard for some reason. It didn''t appear particularly harmed as it fell to the ground. But that didn''t last long, as the wolf turned swiftly and crunched down on its head a moment later.


    "Run!" James ordered as he wiped the blood from his stinging eyes and pulled the sword from the wolf''s back, causing more blood to spurt from the wound. The wolf had stopped entirely from the ambush, and James had larger issues to worry about. The wolf dropped the battered frog and took off again, but now with a slight limp on its left side.


    But a roaring engine was already sounding from the entry to the side street. James pushed his wolf onwards before finally arriving at a steel fence to a construction site. It was what he had seen earlier before the ambush. After being directed to do so, the wolf jumped and scrambled over it with some difficulty. The fence was badly bent while doing so, but he could do nothing about it.


    The site''s ground was covered with dirt and gravel. Large, heavy machinery covered the area, and a partially constructed building stood bare to the slowly darkening sky overhead.


    James had reached the other side of the lot before he slid off the back of the Dire Forest Wolf. Using the frog''s sword as a crutch, he walked a few feet and propped himself up against some trailer. Shaking his head to clear it, he looked at his leg. His entire leg and foot were drenched, the pantleg sticking to him. The pain was starting to really get to him, causing him to shudder. He knew he couldn''t keep this up.


    But just as he began to pull out his cards, a crashing sound resounded from the far end of the lot. Parts of the fence crumbled to the ground as it was cut into several pieces. Two Bushido Frogs stood beside the rider, one a bit worse for wear. The man turned in his direction and pointed. A proverbial obstacle course lay between James and him, and it wasn''t the friendliest locale for riding a motorcycle, or so he hoped.


    Still, James didn''t hesitate as he placed his chosen cards on the slate, and two more Dire Forest Wolves appeared before him. He pointed at the man and frogs, which had begun to advance toward him, the motorcycle spraying gravel and sand as it did. "Attack!"


    The three wolves loped towards him, and James dropped the slate as he limped behind the trailer.


    James quickly unslung his backpack and tossed it to the ground before attacking it. He had escaped pursuit once before, and he could do it again.


    He tried to calm himself even as his wolves whimpering and yelping sounded behind him. He pulled out the ''???'' and Puppeteer cards and placed them on the slate.


    The world changed once more in moments, and James looked down at... her hands. The powerful sensations that attacked her enhanced senses were familiar now. She was no longer injured, and the pain from her damaged leg was entirely absent. She noted that she wore the same cheap clothing she had purchased before. She shook her head, took no more time to take stock, and snatched up her backpack from the ground.


    James focused even as she ran towards the gate, her large ears turning back towards the familiar sound of an engine dying. She wasn''t here, she didn''t exist, and no one could see her. She tried to focus, but the sounds of her wolves were gone, replaced with three different footfalls.


    She didn''t bother to look back as she jumped and slid over the retaining wall that held the gate. As she went over, she saw the man looking almost in her direction. His helmet was off, and his motorcycle was parked.


    Moments later, she hopped down and booked it for a nearby alleyway. But even as she did so, the gate was sliced to pieces, and the two Bushido Frogs emerged. They didn''t seem to be able to see her, but both still turned in her direction.


    That was the last she saw of them as she turned the corner into the alleyway.

 Chapter 16. Monster

    It had been nearly an hour since James had made her way down the alleyways. She was pressed into a corner between two buildings down one of the alleyways. Off to her right side was a dumpster with a very unpleasant smell that caused her to wrinkle her nose.


    She wasn''t entirely sure how her illusions worked. Still, she noticed that if she moved, people seemed to glance in her direction even though they seemed to fail to actually see her when she was using her ability.


    So she just sat here and waited for things to die down. A few close calls occurred when one of the Bushido Frogs marched by. She wasn''t sure why they kept searching the same area and was worried they could detect she was there, even if they couldn''t find her.


    She had begun to get weary of using her illusions. Her eyes had grown heavy, and her thoughts became sluggish as she kept them active for a long time. So she dispelled them, only to reactivate them when she heard a noise or noticed something unusual.


    She wasn''t even confident they were looking for her as she was now and not something else entirely or just someone in general in the area. But it had been some time since they had passed by her location, so she decided that now was as good a time as any to relocate.


    James slowly got up off the pavement and wiped the dirt and grime from her pants with a look of disgust on her face. They had gotten a little bit wet from where she had been sitting, but she really didn''t have many options at the time.


    She would have to take another shower to get the nasty trash juice out of the fur of her tail, which was still shoved down into one of her pant legs. That assumed she stayed like this for any period anyway, which wasn''t part of her plans.


    She checked that the slate was well placed in one of the generous pants pockets and moved a few cards into place for easy use. Then, after she had made sure her hat was in place, she slowly crept out of her hiding place.


    Looking around to ensure that there were no observers, she mentally dispelled her illusion. As she did so, a weight lifted off her mind, and she felt sharper.


    She broke into a run as she bounded towards a corner of the alleyway. It led out onto a main road, and she could feel freedom only a few steps away. That was until, of course, a familiar figure walked around the corner, looking somewhat disgruntled.


    She tried to slow at the last moment but ended up slamming her entire body into the man as she was unable to stop herself in time. Of course, it was the rider, his helmet long since discarded, who, rather than being bowled over, managed to catch her instead.


    James was already starting to freak out as the man released her, and she looked for an exit. Her mind whirled in panic. This was really bad. How did he know she was going to leave this way?


    "Ah, are you okay?" He asked, looking confused before he focused on her features. "Who are you?"


    "I''m ah, uhm..." James sputtered, her brain trying to grasp the new situation. She hadn''t been expecting him to not attack her. She stood there a bit longer than was strictly reasonable, but her mind finally supplied an answer even as she moved to push past him. "I''m in a hurry."


    He seemed to accept this. But a moment later, his hand caught James'' shoulder as she went to escape, causing her to tense up. Her hand went to her pocket, readying the cards hidden there.


    "You''re a monster?" He said, sounding a bit uncertain.


    "I''m not a monster!" James said defensively, turning back to him, her hackles rising, but instantly regretted it. Damn it. Fuck. She was a moron.


    "I didn''t mean it like that," the man said as he moved over to her and looked at her face again. "I meant... you''re not from this world, are you?"


    She slowly backed away from him. How did he know she was a monster? Were the eyes enough? Was this a ploy? If so, why hadn''t he attacked her? Did he not realize that the girl in front of him was the person he had been chasing? Why wasn''t she running?


    "I''m not going to hurt you," he said as he noticed James'' consternation and released her shoulder.


    "What do you want?" James asked, uncertain how to continue. She just wanted to leave but was afraid he would just attack her then. "Just leave me alone," she said with a frown.


    "Sorry, it''s just part of Py... my goals to connect our worlds," the man said. "I didn''t realize it had already happened."


    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    "Look, I don''t know anything about that," James sighed. "Nothing about portals, other worlds, or whatever agreements."


    "You don''t?" he asked, looking confused.


    "Now, if you excuse me, I really have to go," she said, turning away from the man. Her sharp fingernails dug into her palms as she clenched her fists, only just restraining herself from taking a swipe at the man.


    "Wait," the man said. "I''m Elias. What''s your name?"


    "J-" James started but froze. There was no way she could give him her name. That would just be asking for trouble. "It doesn''t matter."


    She began to walk off as Elias followed behind her.


    "Please don''t follow me," James said.


    "I''m sorry. But I have so many questions," Elias replied as he kept pace.


    "I don''t have any answers," James said, picking up her pace again. She really didn''t like where this was going. Her nerves were boiling over, and she was having difficulty keeping her temper under wraps. "I probably have more questions than you do."


    "I can answer them," Elias said, causing her to stop. He stopped beside her. "Just talk to me."


    "You''re not going to leave me alone, are you?" James asked. The situation was awkward, and the earlier sense of panic had been replaced with annoyance. Had this been the same person who had dogged her from the hotel? This was the scary badass that had almost killed her several times? What the hell? Was she his type or something?


    "Fuck!" James shouted. "Why can''t you just go away? What did I ever do to you? Why are you chasing me?"


    "Uhm..." Elias said, looking a bit dumbfounded at her anger. "Ah... sorry. I didn''t mean to make you uncomfortable. Just, well."


    "Fine... Fine, fine, fine. We can meet later. Just leave me alone," James said through gritted teeth.


    Elias''s face brightened, and he took a pen and a card out of his pocket. He hastily wrote on the back before handing it to James: "Here''s my card, with a time and place on the back."


    James took it. The word "Shogun" was written on the front over a triangle. On the back was a date two days from now over the words "C. Park."


    "Great," James said, putting the card into her pocket. She had no intention of attending, but she wasn''t dumb enough to toss it right in front of him. "Now, don''t follow me."


    "Yeah," Elias sighed as James turned away from him. "Pretty sure my job here is bust anyway." Elias turned around and walked back towards where they had come.


    She broke into a jog, wanting to get as far away from the man as soon as possible. What the hell was that? Her whole body shook even as she ran away from Elias. That had been close, too close. She should be dead. She needed a game plan, and only one option came to mind.


    <hr>


    James walked past the entry to Paul''s apartment building for the third time, unsure how to broach the topic with him. She needed help and didn''t know anyone else in the area.


    She could have changed back, but showing up to his door bloody with a twisted leg didn''t seem wise. He would likely call the emergency number regardless of anything she said. She couldn''t go to the hospital, not with Elias sniffing around. He would probably be watching them, much like he had been watching the hotel. That felt a little paranoid, but it wasn''t paranoia if people were actually out to get you.


    No, she needed to ease him into that. Maybe she could use a card to heal up, but it would be best not to experiment alone. The last time she did that, she gained a tail. No, she knew that she needed help now.


    She should have contacted him sooner. He had a lot of cards and was a bit of a giant nerd about the game, even more so than James was. But she was nervous. She really wasn''t sure how she was going to explain all this.


    James sighed in resignation as she stopped walking and turned back towards the front door of Paul''s apartment building. Gathering her courage, she ascended the stairs and before long she was knocking on the door to his apartment.


    She heard a muffled shout from inside, indiscernible to her covered ears, and only a minute later, a somewhat bedraggled Paul pulled open the door.


    "Huh?" he said, his eyes not really focusing on her. He looked like he had just crawled out of bed.


    "Uhm, hey," James started, her brain having forgotten every approach she had thought of. "It''s uhm... It''s me. I kind of need some help."


    "You?" He said with a yawn before looking at her again. "You''re... the girl from the bus? What''s going on?"


    "No," James said, shaking her head before stopping herself. "Well, yes. But no. It''s me, James."


    "James?" Paul said, staring at the short, black-haired girl at his door. He began to close the door. "Well, good luck with whatever scam this is."


    "Wait!" James shouted, trying to convince him. "You wet your bed until you were twelve! I know where your cat Loki is buried! I never gave back your Sky Shatter card."


    The door paused at a crack. "What? Sky Shatter?"


    "Uhm... Ah... sorry," James said, suddenly feeling embarrassed. She had actually taken the card without telling him, and it had been a while ago.


    "What''s my favorite color?" Paul asked as he opened the door a fraction.


    "You never told me. Said you didn''t want to choose sides," James said, remembering that argument. Everyone had a favorite color. The idiot.


    "Is this a prank?" Paul said, looking James up and down again before looking around the street outside.


    "Can I come in? I can explain." James tried.


    "Fine," Paul shrugged as he pushed open the door. He stood back and waved her in, giving her a final glance. "Are you his girlfriend or something?"


    James just sighed as she ducked into his tidy apartment.

 Chapter 17. Cards on the Table

    Elias swirled his glass of dark amber liquid absentmindedly. Yet, he sat down his glass without drinking any of it, causing the ice within to clink against the side of the glass. He sighed and stared into the liquid, knowing no answers awaited at its bottom.


    It had been a long day. The longer-than-expected cleanup efforts and subsequent dressing down by the higher-ups had taken their toll on his nerves.


    He glanced at the television playing the local news behind the bar and couldn''t help but sigh as he watched a man riding on a giant wolf run through the streets of East Lake City. The camera panned back to show a crowd of dented car roofs and running bystanders.


    A reporter stood on the sidewalk as the camera panned over the scene, reporting to the camera, but the television was muted. The close captioning provided the narrative instead.


    "Panic ensued today in the streets of Easy Lake City as what appears to be a giant wolf ridden by an unknown individual caused an untold amount of property damage-"


    Elias felt his irritation rising and shook his head, again reminded of his failure.


    "Hell of a thing, huh?" the bartender said, making the rounds and noticing Elias'' attention on the television. "I''ve lived here forty years, and nothing like this has ever happened."


    "Yeah, a hell of a thing," Elias said with a forced nod. He wasn''t in the mood to chat, so he grabbed his drink tightly and took a swig. The sharp burn of the whiskey helped numb his sorrows, and the bartender left him to it as he went back to brooding.


    Elias could only blame himself for it. The target had proven extremely capable, far more than he had expected. He should have worked harder to shut down the individual quicker. Had he known it would come to that, he probably would have just let them go and caught up with them later.


    Between the fire in the hotel and his unusual method of transportation, the entire situation had ballooned into a major mess. This was the most significant breach in the Magic Proliferation Treaty in over a decade. Even the spooks were now paying attention to East Lake City.


    He had managed to recover an arcane slate from the construction site. Still, it was a net zero, considering that Noctua had lost hers.


    Elias checked his phone and found that his ride had arrived. He upended his drink. Setting it down, he extracted some cash and left it next to the empty glass. He stood up and pulled on his long coat.


    "Heading out?" The bartender asked as Elias passed by.


    "Yeah," Elias nodded.


    The one bright spot of all this was his meeting with the Kitsen. In retrospect, her disguise had been relatively poor. Her eyes were the obvious giveaway. In addition, her ears were poorly hidden under a cheap beanie, and the bulge that had run down the back of one of her pant legs was rather apparent. He wasn''t sure how he had almost missed it, as he had trained to recognize every monster on sight, and there were at least a dozen known Kitsen within the cards.


    But her appearance couldn''t have been much worse for him. With him in hot water over his bungled capture attempt, there were whispers of him making the entire thing up to save face.


    Elias left the bar, found the waiting robotaxi, and grimaced but got in anyway. His thoughts went back to his target. If nothing else, he needed to pay that bastard back for the damage to his bike.


    <hr>


    "So, then, ''James,'' what brings you by?" Paul asked as he walked into his living room, emphasizing James'' name and even using air quotes as he said it.


    "Do we have to do this?" James asked as she followed behind him.


    "Yes," Paul said. "We definitely do. My old friend of twenty years has suddenly appeared at my doorstep as a cute girl. Which is very impossible."


    "It was magic. A card specifically. Here, look." James said, pulling off her beanie and revealing her fox ears. See, I am the Illusionist Trainee."


    "Yes, and it is an impressive bit of kit. I applaud your cosplay skills," Paul said, clapping lightly.


    "It''s not fake," James said as she fished her tail out of her pants. She turned and pointed to where her tail was connected to her body. "Look, see, there isn''t a belt or anything. It''s-"


    "Uhm, can you not pull down your pants," Paul said, turning away with a slight blush. "I mean, it''s a very nice butt, I mean tail. But I have a girlfriend."


    James squeaked in surprise and yanked up her pants, only to catch her tail in an odd position, causing her to whimper. Had she really just shown her ass to Paul? Why was she making so many weird noises?


    "T-th-that-that''s not what I meant to do!" James called in dismay. But Paul''s other words finally caught up with her. "Wait, you have a girlfriend?! Since when?! You said you didn''t have one!"


    "Since several months ago," Paul said, still looking red. "I also said  I had a thing, not that I didn''t have a girlfriend. It was nice of James to send you by, but I have all the companionship I need."


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    "I''m not... shut up!" James yelled. "Just let me prove it."


    "Prove what? That you''re James?" Paul said with a sigh. "I think you should go."


    "I am James," James insisted. "Look, it was all caused by the magic of the cards. I can prove it."


    "You have thirty seconds."


    "Right," James said as she pulled the slate from her pants pocket and looked through the handful of cards. Most of them were really scary stuff; she hadn''t thought to swap them out for anything less deadly.


    "Here," James said as she placed a card on the device before the green mist swirled around the room and formed an enormous bird, an empty look in its eyes. "There see, the Emperor Osprey."


    "Holy shit," Paul said, suddenly looking excited as he took in the giant bird. "Is this some new deck tech? It looks so real. Full sized. That stuff is usually limited to the finals, and they need an entire arena."


    "It''s not a-" James started but saw Paul''s hand reaching for the monster. "Wait!"


    Paul''s hand landed on the feathers of the Emperor Osprey. A blast of wind blew through the small room as the bird flexed its mighty wings. The wing struck Paul and batted him across the room and into the nearest wall, causing him to slump to the floor. The wall was left with a significant dent in the drywall.


    "Dammit!" James said as she rushed over to him. "Are you okay?"


    "Ugh... fuck," Paul said, rubbing his head. "Yeah."


    James thought he looked okay but couldn''t be entirely sure. The Emperor Osprey was only a tier three monster, so it wasn''t her deadliest. But it had still sent Paul flying.


    "What the hell is that?" Paul asked, his eyes slightly unfocused.


    "It''s... an Emperor Osprey."


    "Right. Okay. Can you get rid of it?" He said, looking at the creature warily.


    James nodded and quickly returned to the Arcane Slate she had used, removing the card. This caused the bird to disperse back into the green mist, which slowly began to dissipate.


    <hr>


    Paul sat on the couch as James handed him an ice pack, which he gratefully accepted. He had been silent for a few minutes as he nursed his injury but finally spoke up.


    "Okay, so I might be open to the concept of card magic," Paul said as he held the ice pack to the back of his head. "But why do you keep calling yourself James?"


    "Because I am," James said, tapping herself on the side of the head. "I mean, inside."


    "So... are you stuck?" Paul asked, looking James over with a different expression this time. "You could have done worse, but can you change back?"


    "Yes, but I am a bit severely injured," James said. "I mean, in my normal body."


    "You''re... What happened?" Paul said. "Where are you?"


    "I''m right here. It''s a long story," James said. "Do you have any kind of healing card?"


    "Yeah," Paul said, standing up, and then winced. "That was one mean bird. Do you think it could help me with this as well?"


    "Probably," James said as she followed Paul to one side of the room, where an assortment of significant card cases were strewn about haphazardly.


    "Does the set matter?"


    "I don''t think so," James said, shaking her head. "Just avoid any that destroy themselves or things like that."


    Paul simply nodded, opened the case on top, and started to sort through the cards. James felt awkward standing there as she saw him poke through the cards, pulling out a few before putting them back. Eventually, he settled on one. "Celestial Wish. It''s recyclable."


    "You have Celestial Wish?" James asked, unbelieving. "Isn''t that like-"


    "Yeah, I traded for it. Got a few good pulls I didn''t need," Paul said as he handed it to James. "Do your magic."


    "It''s not really my magic, but okay," she said, taking the card, moving over to the table, and picking up the slate she used earlier. "This is an Arcane Slate, or at least, that''s what they called it."


    "They?" Paul asked as he went over to where she was sitting.


    "Yeah, it''s a long story. I''ll tell you later. Let''s do you first," she said, handing Paul back Celestial Wish. "Just put it on the slate. Well, maybe you need to touch it first?"


    "You don''t know?" Paul asked, looking at the device and then shaking his head. "No way. What if it only works once?"


    "Fine," James sighed as she pulled a few cards from her backpack. She had wanted to put off the pain for as long as possible. "Try not to freak out."


    "No promises," Paul said as he watched her summon a few Wandering Pixies. "Pyx set?"


    "Yeah, using Rewind," she said as she placed the card in question on the slate.


    "That''s a powerful¡ª" Paul said but stopped as the scene changed. One moment, the girl was in front of him, and the next, James was crouching on the floor, a different slate in hand. The one with Pyx''s Rewind clattered to the floor next to him, accompanied by a swirl of green from where James had been standing, and was now kneeling.


    Paul blinked in disbelief and stook a step back from the scene as he saw James'' leg. "Shit, what did you do?!"


    "Card!" James said through clenched teeth as the pain shot through him. The adrenaline that had kept it bay had fled despite his body not being present. Paul grabbed Celestial Wish from the other slate and handed it to James with shaking fingers, who took it with a bloody hand.


    James swept the slate in his grasp clean and slapped the card down on it. Soon, eddies of gentle white light surrounded him, and he screamed as his foot began to twist around. The white energy lingered briefly before fading as James sat there panting.


    "Oh shit," Paul said as he looked at the restored flesh and averted his eyes from the mess. Trying to keep his stomach from rebelling. "A-Are you okay?"


    "Yeah," James said as he laid back on the carpet, still recovering from the ordeal.


    "Mind if I... uhm..." Paul said, glancing at the two cards that were on the floor. He wasn''t really sure what to do, and he wanted to do anything but look at all the blood. Even the coppery smell was proving to be too much, he needed to do anything else.


    "Have fun," James said with an idle wave, not bothering to sit up. "I''m gonna need a shower."


    "Yeah," Paul said as he picked up the two cards and examined them. "You can use mine... I''ve never seen a card like this before," he said as he looked over ''???''.


    "Yeah, it''s... bound to me or something," James said as he closed his eyes in exhaustion.


    Paul turned to look at the Puppeteer next. "Oh, I have one of these. Well, I have a real one anyway."


    "What do you mean by real one?" James said, opening his eyes and turning to stare at Paul.


    "Oh, this is a fake," Paul said as he turned the card over in his fingers.

 Chapter 18. Secrets

    Sitting up, James finally looked at Paul, who was expertly looking away from him and focused on the cards in his hands instead.


    "If it''s not a real card, what is it?" James asked.


    "I mean, it is a card," Paul said as he set down ''???''. "It''s just probably not Puppeteer."


    "What? Why do you mean?" James said, still tired but curious about the item that had brought him so much trouble.


    "The foil has the wrong pattern. The cards from this gen used box patterns, and this one used swirls." Paul shrugged as he looked at the card. "I mean, it''s well done though."


    "How is that possible? It works on the slates."


    "How should I know. Do only real cards work on them?" Paul asked, looking at James.


    James worked his jaw before finally scowling at Paul.


    "Don''t know?" Paul said as he looked down at the card in his hands.


    James shook his head. "That doesn''t make any sense. The Illusionist Trainee card changed when I used it. Shouldn''t this card reflect whatever it actually does?"


    "Why are you asking me?" Paul said as he pulled one of his card arenas from the shelf. "Besides, that card doesn''t even have a description now."


    "Yeah, but... the image changed," James tried but gave up as Paul placed the ''fake'' Puppeteer down. "How are cards even made?"


    "Uhm... a factory?" Paul said uncertainly and shook his head before looking up at the two Wandering Pixies still floating above them. "Are you going to do anything about these?"


    "They don''t listen to me for some reason," James said as he rolled over and removed the cards from the slate, the pixies breaking apart into swirling mist as he did so.


    "Well, these are common pixies. You need to summon a noble or royal pixie if you want them to fight."


    "What?" James''s mind tries to catch up with the sudden apparent change in topic.


    "The Pyx set had a lot of rules like that," Paul said. "You never played that expansion."


    "Uhm... no... I skipped it. I wasn''t really interested in pixies," James admitted.


    "Here," Paul said and handed James the two cards. "You should probably add some kind of equip card to keep the monster from being influenced by another summoner."


    James'' face turned slightly green at that thought. He hadn''t even considered that. Would that even work? Could he end up as someone''s play toy if they had the right card and took control of his monster form? He shook his head. "It doesn''t matter, not like I will be changing back into her again."


    "That''s too bad. I like you better as a girl," Paul grinned.


    "Don''t you have a girlfriend?" James said with a flat expression.


    "Yeah, but she doesn''t randomly pull down her pants and show me her butt," Paul joked. "Well, except on special occasions, but that isn''t random."


    "S-shut up," James said, standing up and changing the topic. "Don''t you want to hear what happened?"


    "Yeah, but..." Paul said, looking at James and glancing down at his leg. "Can you... clean up first. You''re kinda getting blood all over my floor."


    "Right, uhm," James said as he put down the cards before pausing and looking around the apartment. "Where''s the..."


    "First door on the right," Paul said, pointing down the short hallway. "I''ll see if I can find you something to wear."


    James nodded and stood up before turning back to Paul. "Try not to summon anything dangerous."


    "I wasn''t going to," Paul said defensively. "I''m not you. I do have some self-control."


    James took a deep breath before he turned, waltzed down the hallway, and entered the small bathroom. He examined his pants, slightly shredded and slightly bloody denim, before tossing them into the small garbage can. They had largely dried at this point, so the chances they could be saved were about nil.


    <hr>


    Paul sat in his living room alone as the shower started up. Things had happened very quickly. There he was, enjoying a nap, when a strange girl appeared at his door, claiming to be an old friend.


    Sure, James had visited a few days beforehand but hadn''t seen the man since he moved to the city.


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    Paul lived off a modest trust as he pursued his dreams of being a top player. He wasn''t, though. It wasn''t impossible to live off the game, but it was far from possible for someone like him. He knew he was basically just throwing his life away. He had more than a few sleepless nights thinking about that, but he decided to enjoy it while he could. Whatever happened next would happen.


    That was... of course, before today. Paul eyed the Arcane Slate that James had left sitting on his coffee table. Minutes before, two Wandering Pixies had floated above the table. Then there was the Emperor Osprey and even James himself.


    Paul turned to look at the few drops of blood drying on the hardwood floor. He turned away, feeling queasy. He didn''t have the stomach for that kind of thing.


    Of course, he had dreams of the card game being real, but it was just a dream, an actual dream. Now, it was all too real.


    Paul fished around in his couch and eventually pulled out the remote to his television. He turned it on, hoping to get his mind off his current situation and distract himself from the siren song of the magical device sitting only feet away.


    His mind failed to rest even as he idly flipped through the channels. The implications were staggering. He paused now and again on a channel before resuming his mindless surfing. He thought he really should find James some clothing and was about to switch off the television when something caught his eye as he flipped past a channel.


    "Oh, oh no," Paul said after changing the channel back to what turned out to be a local news network. James'' face was plastered all over the screen.


    "-is still at large. Anyone with information related to James Hawthorne is urged to contact their local-"


    Paul flipped the TV off and sat there frozen. The need for air eventually forced him to resume breathing as he tried to think. Maybe it wasn''t as bad as it seemed. He should watch the entire thing. Paul glanced back up at the blank screen. It was just a misunderstanding, right?


    Paul shakily lifted the remote in his hand and turned back on the television.


    <hr>


    "James!" A voice called from outside the bathroom just as he finished washing his hair.


    "What?" He called back. Maybe he was dropping off the clothing he had promised to find for him.


    "JAMES!" He heard Paul yell and turned off the water.


    "What?!" James said slightly louder.


    "What the hell! What did you do!?" Paul yelled back.


    James frowned. What was he talking about? He hadn''t done anything but run away from some kind of action-hero ninja assassin or whatever the hell Elias was. "Can it wait?" He finally shouted back.


    "No!"


    James sighed and pulled himself out of the shower. He wanted to relax under the water for a while, and he hadn''t really gotten clean yet, but he pulled one of the towels around himself and cracked open the door.


    "What?" James said.


    "You''re all over the news!" Paul said, still shouting somewhat. "What... what... why?!"


    "Uhm..." James said, feeling a bit hesitant at Paul''s manic expression. "It''s a long story."


    "Try!" Paul said as he stepped back. "You''re all over the news channels."


    James gave a final longing glance back at the shower before sighing. "Okay."


    James exited the bathroom, still only clothed in a towel, and followed Paul to the living room where the television was... well, it wasn''t good.


    "See, they said at least a dozen people were seriously injured, and at least one died!" Paul yelled at James, who was standing there watching the scenes on the screen.


    "That rat bastard," James said. "That fucker isn''t shown in any of these. I didn''t do shit!"


    "Did they show a guy on a motorcycle following me?" James asked, turning on Paul.


    "What, no, just you fucking up the city," Paul shouted back.


    "All I did was run away, it was... some ninja assassin or something that was chasing me that did all..." he gestured at the television. "That."


    "Ninja Assassin. Really? Is that what you''re going with?" Paul said, incredulous. "People are dead!"


    "Paul," James said. "Listen. I only ran away from that guy. I didn''t do any of that."


    "But-"


    "Paul! Look!" James said, pointing at the television. "They never show me doing anything, just riding on the wolf. All that other stuff just happens around me."


    Paul glanced back at the television and then back at James. "Why-" he started, but his question was cut off as someone pounded on his front door, startling them.


    "That-" James started, but the door was pounded on again.


    "One moment!" Paul yelled before he turned to James. "This conversation isn''t over."


    <hr>


    Paul opened the door to find the thing he least desired to see. He was fucked. So very fucked.


    "Paul Brown," the solitary uniformed officer said, "I''m with the ELCPD. Do you mind if I come in?"


    He wore the standard officers'' pressed blue uniform with the recognizable ballistic vest and radio. He looked tired and wore a five o''clock shadow but stood impatiently.


    "Uhm.. what is this about?" Paul said, keeping the door only cracked even as the officer tried to peer past him and into the apartment.


    "It would be better if we discussed this inside," the officer pressed. "It''s about an active case."


    Paul almost passed out. On a scale of 1 to 10, he would have to say he was fucked. "Uhm... I... I kind of have company over."


    That only seemed to increase the man''s interest. He would have to say that he was fucked from the head down to the knees.


    "Who is it?" a voice sounded from behind Paul, causing him to jump. He turned to see not James but the girl who had shown up at his door only hours before. She was dressed in the same clothing as earlier, and her head was once again covered by her loose hat, but he saw her tail peek out from behind her legs.


    "Ah... It''s the police," Paul said on autopilot. This was good, right? Right... no... good... yes...


    James''s appearance seemed to mollify the officer before he turned back to Paul. "Do you know of a man known as James Hawthorne?"


    "The one from the news?" James asked, then shook her head. "Never seen him before."


    "Ah, y-yeah. I don''t know him," Paul said, looking very nervous. "Why do you ask?"


    "Just some old records. We''re just following up on every lead." The officer nodded before tipping his hat. "Thanks for your time."


    The man looked between Paul and James. He simply smiled at them, "Enjoy your night. Try not to make too much noise."

 Chapter 19. Friend

    James shifted her tail out of the way and flopped down on the couch. She pulled off her hat and set it beside her as it was uncomfortable. She had considered changing back immediately, but Paul looked like he needed to talk.


    She understood. The police were sniffing for her, and somehow, they had found a connection between her and Paul. She glanced over at Paul, who sat beside her, looking down at his hands. He looked like he was trying not to hyperventilate. For some reason, the run-in with the officer had utterly freaked him out.


    They sat there silently for a few minutes before Paul finally spoke up. "Did you do it?"


    "Kill people? No. Hurt people. Not really. I did threaten a girl with a bunny, though," James said casually, remembering her fight with the girl in the hotel. "I guess I did sick a tiny bird on them too."


    "This isn''t funny," Paul said, turning his head to look at her. "I lied to the police. You lied to the police. They arrived at my door only a few hours after," he paused and gestured to the television, "that."


    "Trust me," James said, gesturing to herself. "I am the last person who thinks this is funny. You think that was bad? Try having people try to murder you every few hours. I''m unsure how I''m even a functional person right now."


    "James. I just can''t handle this kind of thing. I just play cards and live off a stipend," Paul said, looking back at his hands. "I''m sorry, but I can''t be seen with you. It''s not a lot, but this is all I have."


    "I-I didn''t know it would come to this," James said, feeling guilty. "I didn''t mean to drag you into this. I just... don''t have anywhere else I can go..."


    "I''m sure the police would understand if you just turned yourself in," Paul said hopefully.


    "Your faith in our justice system is inspiring," James said. "But I would rather not spend the next twenty years in jail while they sort it out."


    "You can''t stay here. Can''t you go back to Ravenwood?" Paul asked, sounding slightly exasperated.


    James just stared at Paul for a few seconds before Paul looked away.


    "Sorry, stupid question," Paul whispered.


    "Yeah, they''re probably tearing my apartment apart as we speak," James said, shaking her head. "I''m broke, homeless, and wanted."


    "You''re broke?" Paul said, looking up again. "I thought you were on vacation."


    " I was on vacation. But yeah, let me just go ahead and use credit cards when my face is plastered all over the evening news," James said bitterly before sighing heavily. "Paul, you''re kind of my only hope here."


    Paul sat silently next to the fox girl for a few minutes before he, too, sighed and stood up. "Fine, you can stay the night. We can figure this out in the morning."


    "Thanks-" James started but was cut off by Paul.


    "But on one condition," Paul said. "You can''t look like yourself."


    "You''re joking?" James said, glaring at him. "I really don''t want to-."


    "I don''t care," Paul said, cutting off James again. "If anyone finds out you''re here. I am super fucked. Okay."


    "Yeah, like it''s a bed of roses for me," James said accusingly. "I''ve had people attack me repeatedly for the last few days. Don''t talk to me about fucked."


    Paul laughed. "You don''t get it. You''re still here. I don''t know how or why. But I''m not some movie hero, James. You said you outran a ''Ninja Assassin.'' Well, I would just straight up fucking die."


    James bit back on her retort and looked at Paul. His face was paler than it had been earlier that evening. Was he scared? Of course he was. She was scared, so it made sense that he would be, but she wasn''t that scared.


    "Right, sorry," James said, rubbing the back of her head but brushing past her ear on the way, which flicked at the disturbance. She could suffer with it a little bit. Paul was doing a lot for her. "You''re right. Thanks."


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    She realized that something had happened to her. She didn''t feel as afraid as she rightfully should. She had been like Paul after being mugged and the first monster fight. But now, the horror of that event seemed minor. She wasn''t sure when things had gone from horrible to manageable.


    "You... said something about a card... to keep me from being controlled?" James asked, and Paul simply nodded.


    Another round of Wandering Pixies and Pyx''s Rewind followed. Paul had found her an Equipment Card simply called "Loyalty," which she played before the fake Puppeteer card and once became the fox girl. But soon, Paul retreated to his bedroom.


    James found a comfortable position as she lay on the couch. She was largely safe and wasn''t technically trapped in this form anymore. She felt better knowing she could change back if she wanted to.


    Still, things were going to be difficult moving forward, and she began to mentally plan for what could happen from there. Eventually, she ended up dozing off to sleep.


    <hr>


    James'' ear twitched as she heard noises around her. Her head was hazy even as she tried to make out the words spoken a few feet away. The gentle monster known as sleep had an iron grip on her, and she ignored it.


    But her respite back to dreamland was short-lived. About a half hour later, she felt something poke her in the cheek.


    James'' ears folded back as she attempted to leap to her feet. In a show of impressive coordination and grace, she rolled off the front of the couch and onto her face. She could hear someone giggling nearby even as she struggled to climb to her feet.


    "You didn''t say she was cute," said a light voice filled with humor and the source of the giggling. "You also didn''t say she was a she."


    James pried open her eyes long enough to see a dark-haired, honey-skinned woman leaning on the back of the couch, looking down at her. "Mornin''."


    "Who..." James said, looking around, slightly bewildered, still trying to get her bearings.


    "Bel," Paul said, walking up behind her. He was already dressed and looked better than the previous night. "I thought we were going to let her sleep."


    "It''s almost noon, and her ears were twitching," the woman said, turning back to Paul, "I couldn''t help it."


    "Paul," James said as she finally shed the veil of slumber that had hung over her mind and focused. "Who is this?"


    "This is... my Girlfriend," Paul said slightly shyly. "Isabella."


    "Hey there, you must be the ''old friend'' crashing at his place," Isabella said as she moved around the couch, took a seat where James had been lying, and put her hands on her legs. "So what''s with the fluffy tail?"


    "Wha-" James said, a bit overwhelmed by this girl. She quickly took stock and realized her Kitsen features were on display. She shook her head, and her ears folded back as she turned to glare at Paul.


    "I forgot she was coming over," Paul said, instantly defensive. "It was a busy night."


    "I... uhm. It''s cosplay," James tried as she moved back onto the couch. She would have to try to keep her ears from doing whatever they wanted. That response got a laugh from Isabella.


    "It looks great! So what''s your name," she said, leaning forward towards James.


    "J-James," James said, leaning back as the strange woman advanced on her.


    "Well, nice to meet you," Isabella said. "That''s an odd name for a girl."


    "Y-yeah," James said, realizing she probably should come up with a fake name if she were spending any time looking like this.


    "So, did you fall asleep in your cosplay?" Isabella said. "I didn''t miss a con, did I?"


    "Ah, no?" James said, actually uncertain. "Can I get some space?"


    "Oh, sorry," the dark-haired woman said as she exited James'' personal space. "Just never met one of Paul''s old friends before. If I didn''t know better, I would think he was cheating on me."


    "I... ah... I''m not... I wasn''t... you don''t?" James said, her head figuratively spinning. This woman needed to consider some decaf. Speaking of, she could use a cup.


    Isabella laughed again and grinned. "If he had balls big enough to introduce me to the woman he''s cheating with me on, I probably wouldn''t have survived our first night together."


    "What?" James said, looking at Isabella in confusion as her mind caught up with that statement. The thought made her stick out her tongue in disgust. "Ew, gross. It''s way too early for this, and I need coffee."


    "It''s almost noon," Isabella said cheerily. "You were sleeping the day away."


    James got up and looked at Paul. "Got coffee?"


    "Yeah, got a single-serve machine," Paul said, gesturing toward the rather obvious kitchen area.


    James nodded and walked that way, her tail swishing behind her. But she hadn''t made it halfway to the kitchen before Isabella got up and followed behind her.


    "So, how does this work?" Isabella asked.


    "How does what-?" James started to say before Isabella''s hand clamped down around James'' tail and yanked. James'' felt a spike of pain travel up her tail, her spine, and finally out of her mouth. "Gaaaah!"


    Isabella let go in surprise as James yelled, and her back arched from the sudden pain. James twisted around and batted at the woman''s hands before kneeling and nursing her tail. She couldn''t help but scowl at the woman. She also knew she had blown her cover in record time.


    "Are you okay?" Isabella asked reflexively before adding. "I-It''s real?"


    "Yeah," James said, tears in the corner of her eyes. "It''s real. Did you have to grab it so hard?"


    "You''re an actual fox person?" Isabella asked, looking down at James in bewilderment.

 Chapter 20. Explanation

    James sat back down on the couch after Isabella''s faux pas. Her tail had long since recovered from its misadventure. But James still held it for longer than needed.


    "Sorry for pulling on it," Isabella said. She handed James a cup of coffee, which finally had her release the fluffy tail. "But uhm, well, sorry."


    James nodded. The smell of the coffee caused her to wrinkle her nose. It reeked, the smell foul, but she tried it anyway. She regretted it immediately. "Eww. What is in this?"


    "It''s just coffee," Isabella said, looking at the petite woman sticking out her tongue in disgust. "Uhm, you said you would explain."


    James nodded as she put the cup of brown liquid onto the end table. She figured the lousy taste was due to her having a different tongue. She knew that she owed Paul an explanation. Isabella had now joined that club, even though their reasons were different.


    "I guess I can start with the obvious," James said, gesturing at herself. She then began explaining her circumstances. She hadn''t gone far before Isabella interrupted her.


    "Wait, so you''re not a fox person? You''re not even a girl?" Isabella said, looking confused. "How is that possible?"


    "Y-yeah," James said with a slight frown. "I mean, I am right now, both of those. I was going to explain."


    "Sorry for calling you a ''she'' before. I didn''t know," Isabella said sheepishly as she looked away from James. Paul, of course, had already known and waved for her to continue.


    "It''s, uhm. It''s fine," James said, her ears folding back. She hadn''t considered the pronoun until now. Being called a ''she'' felt odd, but she had been doing it this whole time without thinking about it. Being called a ''he'' when like this felt worse, though. "I am female right now."


    Isabella opened her mouth. She was about to argue, but Paul touched her shoulder. "Bel, let''s just hear James out? Okay?"


    "It''s weird, but I''m used to it," James said, ears relaxing to point back at the two. She didn''t want to dwell on that issue. It was a problem for future James. "Let me continue."


    James resumed her story and told them about her vacation, her visit to the card shop, and the cards she got.


    "Have you tried evolving your Illusionist Trainee?" Paul asked, suddenly more interested in the story with the discussion of cards.


    "One tail is problem enough, thanks," James said as she patted her tail for emphasis. She shook her head and sighed. "With my luck, I would get stuck like that. I''m unsure if I could handle having... those kinds of assets."


    "Do I want to know?" Isabella asked, eyeing the two friends. "It''s not a sex thing, is it?"


    "A little bit," James said. But at that same exact moment, Paul exclaimed, "No!"


    "I''ll show you later," James said, sighing. "Anyway, then a group of men attacked me for the card I won.""


    "Attacked?" Isabella asked. "By who?"


    "How should I know?" James shrugged. She then began to explain her back alley shortcuts and how she was being confronted by the three thugs.


    "Then I took out my decoy wallet..." James started but trailed off. She felt like an idiot. "So that''s how he knew how to find me."


    "Who? The ninja?" Paul asked.


    "What ninja?" Isabella asked.


    "Yeah, the ninja," James sighed. She explained the rest of the encounter and her escape. The rest of her explanation of the past few days had only minor interruptions as she finished her story.


    "After that, I decided just to go along with it," James said, pointing at herself. "I''ve gotten somewhat used to it. Well, that and being able to change back makes it much less scary."


    "Well, at least that explains why you''re not wearing a bra," Isabella said, pointing at James'' chest.


    "W-what?" James said, folding her arms over her chest and feeling self-conscious. "I-It''s fine."


    "Ah, sorry. I didn''t mean it like that. But it''s not fine if you''re going out in public, or if you''re going to meet... What was his name? Elias?" Isabella said. "It might give him the wrong idea."


    "I have no intention of meeting the person trying to kill me," James said, shrugging. "I thought that was obvious."


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    "Bel. James is wanted by the police," Paul said with a sigh. "That''s the big problem here."


    "It''s fine. I didn''t see that adorable face on the television," Isabella laughed as she gestured at James. "Besides, she already explained that she wasn''t to blame for that."


    "I don''t really want to stay like this," James sighed as she folded her arms over her chest again. "But I don''t have a lot of options."


    "Well, are you going to stay like this?" Isabella asked.


    "Paul hasn''t given me many options," James said, looking at her friend, who was shaking his head at her.


    "James, if anyone sees you..." Paul trailed off before changing his argument. "People are looking for you, and we already had someone stop by to look for you. You''re asking for a lot."


    "Yeah, sorry," James said, her ears dropping slightly and looking down. "I just don''t know what to do."


    "Aw, don''t be sad," Isabella said. "You already have a plan."


    "I do?" James said, looking back up to stare dumbfounded at the woman.


    "Yeah, you go see Elias and see if he can undo what he did to get you in trouble."


    "Wha- how am I supposed to do that?" James said, looking at her.


    "Bel, she''s wanted by the police," Paul said as he glanced at his girlfriend. "They aren''t going to pretend nothing happened and stop looking for her."


    "Do you have a better idea?" Isabella huffed, glancing over at him. Then she turned to James. "What about you?"


    "I could just hide..." James said before trailing off, her voice filled with hesitation. She didn''t know what else she could do. She didn''t want to beg Elias to call off the hit on her human self, but she also didn''t want to stay like this for the long haul.


    For a long minute, the three sat silently. Isabella sat beside Paul, her gaze considering. Suddenly, Isabella clapped her hands, breaking the silence and attracting the others'' attention.


    "Well, either way, you''ll need new clothes, a haircut, and a few other things. Let''s go shopping!" She exclaimed as she stood up.


    James looked down at herself and then back to the woman. She shook her head before she looked away from the excited woman, averting her eyes. "Even if I wanted to do that, which I don''t, I''m kind of broke."


    That doused Isabella''s enthusiasm somewhat, and she slumped back to the couch. She sighed, "Well, okay. But you at least need the basics. I''ll buy, I can''t let you go around flashing people."


    "I''m not flashing people," James replied indignantly as she folded her arms over her chest again.


    <hr>


    Not long after, James sat in a chair in the small kitchen area with a towel around her neck. The bathroom had been deemed too small. Isabella stood behind her with a comb and a pair of scissors. Isabella had already forced James to wash her hair. But she was so unsatisfied that she did it herself. James was still annoyed at the water that had gotten inside of her ears.


    "Don''t go crazy," James said as Isabella began to fuss over her hair.


    "Don''t worry, I''ve done this before. But your ears kind of limit what I can do." Isabella said as she began to cut James'' hair. It was rougher on her scissors than she liked, but a style began to take shape. As she worked, curiosity got the better of her. "Is it weird?"


    "Yeah," James sighed and gathered her thoughts. "I feel like me, but that all disappears when I look at my hands or feet. I look in the mirror and see a strange person there. It''s hard to equate them with me, even though I know they are."


    "I guess I can see that," Isabella nodded as she moved around to James'' front. "Are you doing okay?"


    "Kind of," James said, resisting the urge to shake her head. "I know I shouldn''t be. I get a small knot in my stomach whenever I look at myself like this, like I''m doing something wrong. But that''s it, really."


    "Well, don''t worry, we''ll sort this out," Isabella said as she continued her work.


    They continued the idle conversation. Then, after another ten minutes, Isabella stepped back and looked over the fox-eared woman. "That should do it. I''m not a professional, so I went with a simple look."


    "It looks good," Paul said as he looked up from his phone. "A bit... uhm... cliche, though."


    "What does that mean?" James said, standing up and running a hand through her hair. It was cut flat in many places, and she could feel a slight breeze on her neck as she did so from the shorter hair.


    "Well, go look," Isabella said as she corralled James towards the bathroom.


    James entered the small room and looked at the reflection in the mirror. The woman she saw there was an even stranger sight than before. It wasn''t bad, but she looked like one of the fox-folk from myth and popular culture. Her hair had blunt bangs that hung over her eyes. It had been cut short to her mid-neck and flat all around. It curled slightly at the ends, giving it a more rounded look.


    It was a cute look that she didn''t really think fit her. "It''s weird."


    "It''s cute," Isabella corrected. "It''s not perfect, but better than the mop you had."


    "I don''t really want to be cute," James said as she tilted her head back and forth, causing the hair to shift side to side. "Is this going to be hard to wash?"


    "No more than normal," Isabella said. "Shampoo, conditioner, cold drying, a few minutes of combing to keep it straight, a trim every month or two. The usual stuff."


    "What?" James said, turning to look at Isabella. "That''s way too much. I''ve never really used more than shampoo."


    "Oh right, I forgot you used to be a guy," Isabella said as she pulled a loose strand of hair from James'' head. "You should shower. After that, I''ll get out the measuring tape."


    "I am a guy," James huffed as she waved away Isabella''s hands from her head before glancing in the mirror again. "You know what I mean."


    "Sorry, sorry," Isabella said, putting her hands up.


    "What do you need a tape measure for?" James asked, wondering how her height was relevant.


    "No, a measuring tape," Isabella corrected. "For your sizes."


    "Can''t I just wear a large shirt and sweats or something?"


    "That won''t work for your bra size," Isabella smiled magnanimously.


    "Ugh," James huffed in annoyance, feeling consigned to a terrible fate.

 Questions and Answers

    Hello readers.


    I regret to inform you that I will need to delay the next chapter again. I have not felt well this last week, which impacted my writing.


    The Wednesday chapter has proven difficult. I wrote on and off during the week during my periods of lucidity. But when I examined my work today I realized there wasn''t enough for a chapter. I can use some of it, but I will need to rewrite most of it. I am near the end of the plot I had planned for Act 1 and I am making things up on the spot to try and fill out the chapters.


    So, instead, I have decided to open a Q&A session. Ask your questions in the comments, and I will update this chapters with my responses. I will start with a question I have been asked before, as an example.


    Q: Why don''t you update more often? Why do chapters take so long? Why don''t you have a buffer?


    A: I write in my free time and I have a full time job separate from my writing. I am new to writing publicly. I don''t want to rewrite a dozen chapters because a plot point fell flat or was poorly conceived. The down side to this is that chapters come out slowly and may be delayed if I run into issues while writing. Having some external pressure to keep me motivated is also helpful.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Q: How far off the rails is the story so far?


    A: I am going to answer the question that I assume was intended. Even as of chapter one, the story has seen changes. The destination of the story hasn''t changed, but the flight path is all over the place. In the following spoiler are a few major things that have changed.


    * James was originally meant to be permanently stuck.


    * Paul was supposed to be a love interest for female James.


    * I scrapped an entire card tournament arc because I realized it would be really boring.


    * The origin of the cards and how the arcane tablets work has changed about four times now.


    Q: Why doesn''t James just switch to a different card if the Illusionist Trainee card makes him uncomfortable.


    A: I keep meaning to answer this, but I end up pushing it back every chapter. I will try to work it into the next chapter since it''s not a terrible place for it. For now you can find the answer in the spoiler in case I don''t.


    My in narrative justification is that the special card doesn''t work with any other cards and is locked with the Illusionist Trainee card at the moment.


    Q: Do you already have an ending to the story in mind, or are you planning to affix one later?


    A: I have a general plan for the ending already in mind. This story was always designed to fit a single novel.

 Chapter 21. Intermission

    "Bel, I think you''ve tortured her enough," Paul said, watching as Isabella dragged a morose James from the bathroom. James wore the same shirt and pants as before her shower.


    "Aww, but I haven''t got to dress her up yet," Isabella pouted but released James'' hand.


    "I really don''t want to be a dress-up doll," James sighed and turned to Paul. "Help me, please!"


    Paul scratched the back of his head, not meeting James'' eyes. "Yeah, I wasn''t sure how to bring it up," he said before sighing himself and turning to James. "But I''m sorry. I was freaked out yesterday, and I just went with it earlier. I kind of overreacted."


    James wasn''t sure what to say. This entire experience had been strange and dangerous. She had brought it to his doorstep. "Yeah, me too. I guess." She gestured to herself. Then, she pointed to the living room, where her backpack and the arcane slates lay. "Sorry for all of... this. What happened to being scared?"


    "Well, it''s more than that," Paul said, looking as if someone had sent him to the principal''s office. "You''re like this right now, and it''s really confusing. I really shouldn''t have said what I did. You don''t have to stay like this."


    "You''re not going to change your mind suddenly again?" James asked.


    "Maybe? No... I don''t know. Just..." Paul trailed off before he shook his head. "No, I won''t. You''re a friend. I shouldn''t have pushed that."


    Isabella looked a bit pensive before she waved her hands. "Yeah, I''m sorry too. I kind of got carried away. It''s just you''re so cute."


    James still didn''t know how she felt about being called cute, so she filed the strange emotions away for later. She nodded her head at her friend and his significant other. "Thanks. I don''t really want to stay like this, but I also don''t have anywhere else to go." She sighed once more. "At the same time, I don''t want to cause you trouble if I get found out."


    They all went silent briefly, the conversation lapsing at that declaration. James wondered if she had messed up by bringing the topic back to that.


    Paul managed to break the silence. "Yeah. Well. I was thinking about that. As scary as they are, I want to experiment with those summoning devices."


    James nodded sagely. She had the same desire when she first discovered their existence and decided to warn him. "Sure, but they''re pretty dangerous themselves. That''s how I ended up with a tail in the first place."


    She flicked her tail and waggled her ears to make her point. Isabella squeaked at the gesture, and James stepped back from the scary woman. "Uhmmm."


    Paul grabbed Isabella''s hand to keep her from running over to James. "Well, okay. But I have a lot of cards..." Paul said, trailing off before gathering his thoughts. "I uhm... I already gave you one, and it seemed to work fine."


    "But you were also batted across the room by a giant bird," James said in counter.


    "What?" Isabella said, looking over at Paul. "What did you do?"


    "Okay, yes, that did happen," Paul said before wincing as Isabella squeezed his hand. "Bel."


    "Explain," Isabella demanded, as her stare bored into him.


    "Monsters have some kind of self-defense mechanism. They don''t like being touched," James explained quickly.


    Isabella relented, and Paul continued. "My point is. You don''t have to look like this if you want to hide. I have a few other humanoid monsters that might be a better fit."


    "I had had that thought," James deadpanned. "But I wasn''t sure how to bring it up."


    <hr>


    A few hours passed as the group began experimenting with the slates. James flicked another card into the ''failure'' pile. This last one was an Armored Gorilla. "Okay, it doesn''t work with any of your cards. I''ve even tried some regular monster cards." His copy of Puppeteer seemed limited to his copy of the Illusionist Trainee, or rather ''???'' as it was now labeled.


    A Flower Pixie sitting next to him nodded as it mimicked Isabella''s movements. It wore a flowery dress, and its delicate wings fluttered. It mimicked her looking at a collection of cards. It had the same typing, Nature/Light, as the Illusionist Trainee. That hadn''t changed the effects of either Puppeteer card.


    Paul nodded in agreement. "Yeah, neither of your cards works in the arena. Obviously, my genuine copy of Puppeteer didn''t produce results either. Bel, don''t you think that''s enough?"


    The small, winged woman mimicked Isabella by floating into the air as she stood up. "You guys are such nerds. Though some of these are pretty cute." She picked out a card and showed it to Paul. "Can I keep this Kuyo monster?"


    "The card, yes, the monster, no. They''re not pets," James said as he waved the magical dust the pixie gave off away from his face. "Paul, can you dismiss this already?" The puppeteer card overcame the standard self-defense mechanism of monsters. Despite that, it had limited practical uses.


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "Yeah, sorry, Bel," Paul said as he pulled a card from the slate beside him. The pixie vanished into a swirl of green and white motes of energy, which dissipated into the air. "I guess running it longer didn''t do anything special."


    "I didn''t want to be that short anyway," Isabella said as she tossed the cards she had down next to the other piles. "What now?"


    James rubbed his forehead. "Ugh, I really don''t know what to do. All this happened so fast. "


    Paul nodded at that. "Yeah. I know what you mean. I''ll do my best to help, but I''m not a fighter. I almost vomited looking at that bit of blood you dripped on my floor yesterday."


    James had entirely forgotten about that during the night and subsequent activities. He glanced at the new clear patch of floor. "I''m sorry about that. I really should have cleaned it up."


    Isabella shook her head. "It''s really not important, so don''t worry about it. You should be focusing on what to do next. What about your parents or siblings?"


    James glanced away from them and shook his head. "I don''t have parents anymore. "


    "Oh, I''m so sorry."


    James put up a hand to forestall any further comments. "No, it''s okay. It was a few years ago. I''m mostly over it." He shook his head again and continued. "As for relatives, I have a few, but not anybody I''d want to hide out with."


    Paul set his cards down and looked around, considering. He finally looked back at James. "So what are you going to do? I don''t mind you crashing here for a while, but you''re kind of wanted."


    "I want to just get out of this. Now that I know everything that has happened, I''m not sure if I can." James sighed as he examined the ''???'' card. " I think I''ll need to do what Isabella suggested. I don''t want to, but it''s the only real option. I need to meet with Elias."


    "Ooh, so I will get my dress-up doll back?" Isabella asked, grinning a bit.


    "Can we not?" James asked.


    "Sure, but only if you dress yourself up," Isabella said with a smile.


    "Ugh... I need to work on the fox''s illusion magic," James said as an excuse. "I''m sure what I have will work."


    Paul nodded as he looked over the large selection of cards. "While you do that, I can work on figuring out some of these card combinations. Though I don''t have anything higher than tier eight. They resell for too much." He picked up one of the arcane slates. "The slates have a three-card limit. That makes it harder to make a good combination, but you could combine them for more capacity."


    "Well, I guess we have a plan. I''ll go shopping, you two... do whatever," Isabella said as she grabbed her purse from the counter, only to turn and see the two men staring at her. "What? For James, well, his fox side, obviously. Can''t go on a date with his worst enemy without looking good."


    "Is there anything I can do to stop you?" James asked, almost resigned to his fate at this point.


    "Nope," Isabella said with a grin. "Every time you complain, I add more frills."


    Isabella exited the apartment shortly after. James looked over at Paul. "So, how many years do you think I would be in for if I turn myself in?"


    <hr>


    James sat cross-legged on the couch, her eyes closed, and focused on her magic. She inhaled, paused, and then exhaled. In and out, she breathed, concentrating on getting the illusion right. Slowly, the magic came together and crept up and around her ears. She tried to distribute the magic across them while keeping it from seeping over her hair. She mentally locked it in place before opening her eyes. She looked over to Paul, seated at the small dining table, sorting through a selection of cards. So she cleared her throat to get his attention. "Ahem, Paul, how does it look this time?"


    "Huh?" Paul said as he looked up to look at James and gestured to her right side. "The left one is still kind of visible."


    James sighed as she released the magic, and her two fox-like ears popped back into the visual spectrum. Her head was already throbbing with the effort she had put into controlling her magic.


    "Well, the card is called the Illusionist Trainee for a reason," James sighed. It was tough to get a good hold of the magic.


    "I heard you the first time. You don''t have to keep saying it," Paul said as he returned to the cards covering the table.


    James snatched up a pillow from beside her and threw it at him. The pillow proved not to be very effective as it bounced off his head and scattered a few cards. She narrowed her eyes, staring at her old friend, and said, "You could at least try to be helpful."


    "I am being helpful," Paul said as he adjusted the cards the pillow had knocked out of order. "The bushido set is old and has a few specific counters. For example, the Moonlit Night set, which the Illusionist Trainee just happens to be a part of, has one of the biggest."


    "I meant with my magic," James said, twirling a finger in the air. Above it, a small, purple, glowing ball materialized there. It didn''t produce much light and soon dissipated. That was the extent of what she had managed beyond disappearing.


    "Oh, so sorry. I regret to inform you that I am just a lowly human," Paul said as he waved a few cards around. "I have to use tools to use any kind of magic."


    James huffed as she sat back on the couch and tried to clear her head. They had been getting on each other''s nerves since Isabella left to shop a few hours earlier. "Sorry."


    "Yeah," Paul said without looking over.


    James shook her head. It was true. She had the thing most people could only dream of, inherent magic. To say she wasn''t excited by that would be a lie. There was a reason that enchanters were the most well-paid profession in the world. Without the complex magical devices, humans had no hope of using magic.


    Still, her attempts to use it to do more than hide were hitting significant obstacles. Using her magic on a smaller area was less taxing but more complex. Not only did she have to hide her ears or tail, but she had to recreate the bits of herself hidden by the illusion. If the magic hadn''t been doing most of the heavy lifting, she doubted she would have made as much progress as she had.


    She had found that it wasn''t too difficult if she could see the body part she was hiding. However, it was hard to get it to work without feedback. She couldn''t walk around holding a mirror to ensure her ears and tail remained hidden.


    The illusion magic was, so far, her most effective trump card. She didn''t need a card to use it, and invisibility, even an imperfect variety, was invaluable.


    James shook her head and resumed her practice until it became late. Then, finally, Isabella returned from her shopping trip.

 Chapter 22. Intermission (Part 2)

    Isabella had been out for nearly five hours, and her prolonged absence was becoming concerning. James was a little worried about Isabella''s safety. James was wanted, so by association, Isabella was in some danger. Despite this, she doubted she was actually in any danger. Paul had received numerous texts during her outing. She was more concerned about her own safety. After all, she wasn''t sure how much Isabella had been joking when she said she''d buy frilly clothing.


    It turned out that James had good reason to worry as she spied Isabella entering the apartment. Isabella had a grin that would make even the Chester Cat envious. In her arms were half a dozen paper bags that held her bounty.


    "So... what did you get?" James asked hesitantly as Isabella set the bags on the coffee table.


    "Well, to start, I got the perfect thing for you," she said as she fished a plastic package from one of the bags and tossed it to James.


    James caught the plastic bag and cringed as she eyed its sealed contents. "I hope you got a receipt," James said as she set the package on the coffee table. It was filled with neatly folded frilly white underwear. "Because I am never wearing these."


    "Oh, don''t be a baby. Those aren''t even that bad." Isabella said as she began to look through the bags for something specific. "It''s not like anyone is going to see them."


    "I''m going to see them," James whined as she pulled a long dark grey garment out of one of the bags.


    Isabella held up a ruffly frilled dress with some features she couldn''t even name.


    "No," James said simply as she crossed her arms. "I thought you weren''t going to tease me anymore."


    "This one was on sale, and it is a cute style," Isabella pouted. "The color isn''t great, but it should match well with most stuff."


    "Isabella," James said. "Please tell me you have actual clothing."


    "Yeah, yeah. Calm down. It''s not like I didn''t pay for all this stuff myself or anything," Isabella said as she folded the dress and set it aside. "I''m allowed to have a little fun with it."


    "Yeah, sorry," James said, looking chastised. "I''ll find a way to pay you back."


    "Don''t worry about it," Isabella said, waving off James'' comment. "Anyway, aside from the underwear and dress," Isabella said. "I got some less horrible daily wear for you."


    "Hey," James said. "My stuff isn''t that bad."


    "Oh, they''re definitely bad," Isabella said. "But I should have almost everything you need."


    "Ah, really?" James asked as she started to poke through the bags. "What didn''t you get?"


    "Shoes mostly," Isabella said as she watched James pull out the bra she had purchased and cringed.


    "Why didn''t you get shoes?" James asked.


    "Those are hard to size," Isabella shrugged. "We can nip out early tomorrow to pick you up something proper."


    "Do I really need another pair of shoes?" James asked as she finished pulling out the assortment of clothing. "Heck, do I even need most of this?"


    "So you''re not going to be meeting your worst enemy to try and convince him to stop trying to kill you?" Isabella asked without a beat.


    "How does that matter?" James asked.


    "Looks are important," Isabella said. "Think of it like an interview, but with a guy."


    "It''s... yeah, okay," James groaned as she looked over a white shirt with ruffles at the top. "But I''m never going to be able to pull off being girly."


    "It''ll be fine," Isabella said. "So I''ve got a few ideas for your outfit."


    "You''re joking, right?" James said as she looked at the mishmash of clothing.


    Isabella was, in fact, not joking.


    <hr>


    "Oh, don''t be such a baby," Isabella said as she walked alongside the petite woman. "You look great."


    James huffed in response. It was early in the afternoon the next day as they approached the park. It was the same park Elias had indicated he wanted to meet her. She was still convinced it was a trap. In preparation, she had an Arcane Slate and a few sets of cards prepared within the small messenger bag she wore.


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    Beyond the bag, she wore a ruffled white shirt and dim purple pants. Only an hour previously, she had finally managed to hide her ears and tail. However, it required her to check a mirror occasionally to keep the illusion in place. Isabella had purchased a cheap compact for the purpose. Her eyes were too tricky to hide, but she figured those were less of an issue.


    "When were you supposed to meet again?" Isabella asked as they began to wander through the park.


    "The card didn''t say," James responded as they passed a jogger along the main footpath.


    "Right, well, it''s his fault if he misses you then," Isabella said as they walked. She glanced at James, who was fidgeting with the compact and glancing around as they walked.


    "Calm down," Isabella said, nudging James. "Nothing bad is going to happen."


    James shook her head and tucked the compact back into her bag. "I''m fine. Is it so wrong that I don''t want to walk into a trap?"


    "You don''t know it''s a trap," Isabella protested.


    "I don''t know that it''s not a trap," James asserted, being contrary.


    Isabella sighed and gestured around at the well-manicured park. "It''s a public space."


    James recalled the encounter with the monks and shook her head again. "That doesn''t really seem to matter to people like this."


    "I''m sure it''s all a misunderstanding," Isabella said as she moved aside for a group of older people as they walked by.


    "It''s hard to misunderstand being attacked several times," James said, crossing her arms. Shortly after, the two stopped as they encountered an intersection in their path.


    "So where are we going?" Isabella asked.


    "I don''t know. He only wrote the park''s name and a date."


    "Let''s find a place to sit, then," Isabella said as she started down the left path back toward the parking area. "Also, you should be honest and explain the situation."


    "Let''s call that plan B," James said as she followed alongside Isabella. "I''d rather not end up dead or captured."


    "He wouldn''t have suggested this place if he was going to do that," Isabella reiterated again. They walked in silence for a while until coming across a park bench a dozen or so meters from the entrance to the park.


    Isabella checked the seat before sitting down. "You shouldn''t lie. It''ll make things worse."


    "I''m not sure it can get much worse," James said as she shook her head once again. She then signed and sat next to Isabella. "I''m not going to lie. Just omit."


    Isabella laughed lightly. "That''s lying."


    "Oh, so sorry," James said as she threw up her hands. "Well, the sky is blue, and the grass is green." James paused and gestured at a slightly yellow spot of grass. "Except for that bit. We''re sitting on a park bench, and I think my underwear is riding-"


    "Okay, okay. I get it," Isabella said, laughing as she cut off James'' tirade. "You know what I meant. Pretending you''re something you''re not isn''t going to help."


    "Who''s pretending? Are the ears and tail not enough?" James asked as she checked the compact to ensure they were still hidden.


    "Jaaaames," Isabella said in warning.


    "What?" James said as she put the compact away again, having found no issues. "It''s not like I am going to make things up. I don''t have any hope of pulling that off." James shrugged. "But there''s no reason to volunteer information."


    The two women sat there for a while, discussing other topics as they waited. They weren''t sure when or if Elias would show himself but decided to give the man a few hours.


    At least, that had been the plan. However, James began to get antsy after only 40 minutes of playing on her phone. They had resorted to playing on their phones after they hit a lull in their conversation. But being alone with her thoughts for that long was fraying her nerves.


    "I am going to call it," James said after putting her phone down. "If he wanted to meet me that bad, he would have been waiting for me."


    "Maybe he expected you to find him?" Isabella said, not looking away from her phone. "I mean, he is a guy."


    "What''s that supposed to mean?" James said defensively.


    "Never mind," Isabella said as she looked over to James. "I didn''t mean any offense."


    James sighed as she stood up and brushed the back of her pants free from grime. She felt her tail and was satisfied it was likewise unmarred before she looked around the area. "I guess we could do a circuit of the park."


    "He might have already come and gone," Isabella said, standing up as well.


    "That or he doesn''t recognize me," James said as she gestured at herself. "I did get my hair cut, got new clothing, and have makeup forced upon me."


    "Hid your ears and tail," Isabella added.


    "That too," James said as she glanced around.


    "Maybe... you should show them for a bit?" Isabella suggested.


    "Uhm... not sure if that''s a good idea," James said, looking back at Isabella. "They got me into a lot of trouble before."


    "It''s fine. Public place, remember?" Isabella coaxed. "Worst case, people will think you''re cosplaying."


    "That''s almost worse," James said but then sighed. "Okay, it''s not. But I was never the cosplay type. I can''t deal with the attention."


    "I''ll play defense," Isabella said. "Now make yourself foxy."


    James grumbled but released the magic hiding her extra features from view and sat on the bench again. "There, happy?"


    "Yep," Isabella said as she pet James on the head. "Super cute."


    "Stop that," James said as she batted Isabella''s questing hands away. "It''s weird."


    James sat there feeling like an idiot for nearly five minutes. She was about to get up to search when a voice sounded behind her, almost causing James to jump out of her skin.


    "You were very well hidden," the voice said quietly behind her. James'' ears turned towards the sound, followed soon after by her head. But there was nothing there.


    "You okay?" Isabella asked as she watched the startled fox woman.


    "Yeah, there was a voice," James said as she stood back up, staring in that direction.


    Elias appeared from behind a tree far too thin to have hidden him, wearing the same long coat as before. He began approaching them.


    "Calm down," Isabella said as she pat James on the back. "Act natural."


    "Easy for you to say," James grumbled as her doom approached.

 Chapter 23. Discussion

    The tall man had bronze skin and black hair. His white longcoat billowed behind him as he walked towards them casually. He looked like a cross between a secret agent and a fashion model. His eyes didn''t move off from the two women as he approached them.


    "You didn''t say he was hot," Isabella said as she watched him approach.


    "Wah?" James said as she glanced at Isabella, caught off guard by her comment. "That''s... Wait, what?"


    "Nothing," Isabella said, gesturing at Elias, who finally drew to a conversational distance.


    "Hello," Elias said as he looked over Isabella for a moment before turning his eyes entirely to James. James felt a bit uncomfortable being under his direct scrutiny. Sher nose wrinkled slightly at the smell of whatever cologne he was wearing. She had gotten more used to a new world of extreme smells in this form, but this reminded her of something she couldn''t quite place.


    "I apologize for not finding you sooner," Elias continued as he stopped a few feet from James. "But the last time I saw you, you were less presentable."


    "Wha?" James said as she tried to reboot her brain and get back on track with the conversation.


    "He means you looked like a hobo," Isabella supplied helpfully.


    "I didn''t..." Elias started but trailed off as James sighed loudly.


    "Yeah," James said as she gestured around. "I don''t even want to be here, so can everyone please not pick on me for a few minutes."


    "I apologize," Elias said as he gestured back into the park. "Why don''t we go for a walk. We can discuss things with fewer ears listening in."


    "There are others here?" James asked as her ears perked up, and she glanced around. "I knew this was a trap."


    "It''s not a trap," Elias and Isabella said simultaneously. The two glanced at each other momentarily at the unexpected synchronicity. Isabella smiled in return before Elias turned his attention back to James.


    Elias shook his head. "My associates have secured this area. We attempted to do so quietly, but this still alerted the others to our interests."


    James finished her looks around, not having spotted anything obvious, and scowled. She was being played again, wasn''t she? So, instead, she decided to take charge of the situation.


    "No," James said as she rifled through her bag and pulled out her compact. She opened it and began to focus on her appearance.


    "No? I am not-" Elias started but stopped. He watched in fascination as James'' ears and tail vanished from view once again. "That''s quite the item."


    "No, nope, not an item, and not happening," James said as she put away the compact and glanced around again. She pointed at a small white gazebo in the middle of one of the park''s fields. "We''ll talk there," she said as she began to walk in that direction.


    Elias looked momentarily uncomfortable with the suggestion before nodding. That was all James needed to confirm that it was a good idea.


    The group made it over to the gazebo before finding seats within. Isabella and James were on one side, and Elias was on the other.


    They sat in silence for a few moments before Elias began. "Thank you for coming to meet with me. While you may have reservations about this meeting, please know I mean no harm to you."


    James scuffed at that last statement before speaking up. "I find that hard to buy. You''ve been nothing but a problem..." James said but trailed off, thinking better than continuing that line of dialogue. It was better not to reveal all her cards immediately.


    "I apologize if I have caused you trouble," Elias said diplomatically. "Let''s start over. My name is Elias. I work for an organization known as Pyramid. I am here because-"


    "You want to get into her pants?" Isabella said quickly, unable to help herself.


    "Uhm," Elias said, taken slightly aback. He turned to look at Isabella and changed the subject. "I do not believe we have been introduced, miss?"


    "Isabella. I''m one of Jaaa--," Isabella was cut off as James quickly placed a hand over her mouth.


    "Bel," James said. "Can we not."


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    Isabella scowled at James for a moment before sighing. "I guess it''s your secret to tell. Even if I do think it''s a stupid one."


    "So miss, Jah, Jay, Jane, Jade?" Elias said but stopped after James began to glare at him. "I need something to call you by."


    "Pick something," James said unhelpfully. "But your explanation isn''t why I decided to show up."


    "Ah," Elias nodded. "I do believe I know what you wanted to discuss."


    "You do?" James said, her eyes widening slightly. Did he actually know everything? Was he just playing games?


    "Yes, miss... Jade?" Elias said but shrugged when she had no reaction to the name. "I believe I know why you were where you were when we met."


    James'' eyes widened further before she slipped a hand into her bag, fingertips on a group of cards. Shit, he did know. She was screwed, wasn''t she?


    "Don''t worry," Elias said, noticing her agitation. "I have the item with me."


    "What?" James blurted out in confusion as she looked back at Elias.


    Elias reached into his longcoat and pulled out a ragged piece of cloth. The dark fabric was far too large to fit within it, but that didn''t seem to have prevented him from doing so.


    James'' nose wrinkled as the smell from the robe hit her once again. "Oh, that. I thought I smelt something earlier."


    "Yes," Elias said, setting it on the bench next to him. "You are, somehow, the Illusionist Trainee. Which is impossible, but it explains a great deal."


    "But you are no simple summon," Elias went on. "My associates cast Banishment on you after you revealed yourself, but you were unaffected."


    "Wait, what?" James said, looking confused. That really should have worked. Banishment sent a summoned monster to the graveyard. Still... She stood up and glared at Elias. "You tried to kill me? I fucking knew it was a trap!"


    "Wait!" Elias said before James could waltz off. "That was not my idea."


    "But you still went along with it," James turned and shouted. "Why can''t you just leave me alone!? What did I ever do to you!?"


    "Ja-Jade," Isabella said, catching James''s arm as she tried to stalk out of the gazebo. "Remember why you came here."


    James closed her eyes and took several deep breaths, trying to control her anger. These people were bad news but also her only real hope.


    "I apologize," Elias said. "I won''t allow anything to befall you. I promise you. The higher-ups overruled me on this test after they learned of our potential meeting."


    "What if they overrule you again?" James asked as she sat back down roughly. Her tail got jammed against the bench, causing her to wince and forcing her to move it out of the way.


    "I will, at least, inform you of the intention if it is within my ability to do so," Elias said. "Now, why did you decide to meet with me?"


    James stewed for a few minutes before she finally spoke up. "I want you to call off the search for James Hawthorne and, if possible, exonerate him."


    Elias seemed very surprised by this for a moment. "You''re still loyal to your summoner?"


    "You just said I''m not a summon," James countered.


    "I said you were no simple summon. I am not sure what you are," Elias said as he patted the robe. "Does he have some other leverage over you?"


    "It''s not like that," James said, shaking her head. "Uhm, he didn''t even know that real monsters existed until a few days ago."


    "Really?" Isabella asked after she said this. James simply shook her head at her, causing Isabella to roll her eyes.


    "It''s not quite that simple. Even if I were inclined to believe you. He still stole several hazardous devices with the help of a few less savory individuals." Elias explained.


    "It was a misunderstanding. Between that and people trying to kill him, he hasn''t really been in a position to return them," James said, looking annoyed.


    "That''s unlikely but fair enough," Elias said, looking contemplative. "It would be a great deal of effort to roll things back, but far from impossible. But we would require the devices to be returned."


    Isabella mused that he''d never see Miss Foxy again if he did that. But when the two turned to her. James had a look of disbelief on her face, whereas Elias wore a look of surprise. She realized too late that she had mumbled that under her breath, but somehow, they had heard her.


    "Bel!" James yelled.


    "So she is a summon," Elias said moments later and returned to James.


    "I apologize. I wasn''t aware of your circumstances."


    James groaned. She leaned back in defeat and stared at Isabella with an annoyed expression.


    "You could just explain," Isabella replied with her own annoyed expression.


    "Explain what?" Elias probed.


    "Nothing," James said. "Just let me think for a moment." Elias simply nodded, and the two gave her a few moments of silence.


    She figured they might trap her like this if she told them she was James. She sat there and thought for a few minutes before she brightened. She had a great idea. It was actually pretty obvious.


    "How about this? I''ll have him give you my cards, too, and you can summon me," James said.


    "That-" Elias said and paused for a moment before nodding. "Would be acceptable if you''re alright with it."


    "Are you sure you want to do that?" Isabella said. "What if they do something weird with your card?"


    "It''s fine," James said as she stood up, feeling better. She had already verified that no one else could use the cards. Paul and Isabella could not summon the Illusionist Trainee. They also could not use the fake puppeteer card on any other card. Even if they could, it wouldn''t even be her. Thus, this was perfectly safe. Well, probably. If she was wrong, she would just explain the situation then.


    "But if you lie about getting James completely off the hook. I''ll be really annoyed," James said.


    "Don''t worry," Elias said. "I have some pull, and I am certain I can do that much at least. I have no intention of reneging."

 Chapter 24. Trade Off

    They spent the next hour hammering out some details about the trade-off. James had serious concerns about being captured and having everything taken without getting anything from it. They arranged for James to drop off the arcane slates and, finally, the card to summon the Illusionist Trainee.


    Having thought about it, James decided not to hand over the Puppeteer card with the ''???'' card. That further lowered the chances that anything untoward would happen to them. She would just bury it somewhere or something. She considered tearing it in half but shook her head at the idea. Screwing around with a powerful magic item didn''t seem like a good idea.


    "You okay?" Isabella asked as she noticed James shake their head.


    "Yeah, just thinking about the agreement," James replied as they left the park, finally finishing her musing about the trade. "It''ll be nice to be done with all this."


    "I guess," Isabella said with a shrug. "I wonder if they''re hiring."


    "What?" James said as she turned to look at Isabella. "Bel, they''re the bad guys."


    "Ah, right," Isabella said as she glanced away from James. "I guess... Elias didn''t seem that bad."


    "So chasing me and trying to murder me don''t count as bad?" James countered.


    "Ah... okay. Sorry. It''s just the idea of using magic is kind of romantic," Isabella admitted as she shook her head.


    "Is that why you came along?" James asked.


    "Kind of. It''s not often something exciting happens around here," Isabella admitted. "All this almost seemed like it was out of a movie. I almost thought an explosion would happen, and we would run off to investigate."


    "Bel, you''re supposed to run away from exploding things," James lamented. "Not towards them."


    "I guess that kind of thing doesn''t really happen, huh," Isabella sighed.


    They walked in silence for a few minutes before Isabella spoke up again.


    "You''re pretty quiet," Isabella observed. "No second thoughts?"


    James shook her head. "No, not exactly. I''m glad I can get out of this mess, but..." James said, trailing off, and shrugged.


    "But?" Isabella prompted.


    "You''re right," James admitted. "It is kind of romantic. It''s just that the reality sucks, and it''s really stressful."


    "Well, that''s only because you were being chased," Isabella pointed out. "Right?"


    "I don''t know," James shook her head. "But it''s probably better just to get out while the getting''s good rather than risk it."


    They continued to discuss the entire situation until they arrived back at Paul''s apartment after circling around the city for a while. They likely had little chance of actually shaking off anyone following them, but James figured it was worth the attempt.


    "How''d it go?" Paul asked distractedly as he worked on a new set of cards. But he still managed to gesture to a stack of cards on the corner of the table. "There''s a power set over there if you need attack power."


    "No need," Isabella said. "James is bailing on the whole magic thing."


    This got Paul''s attention. He stopped working on the card stacks and blinked a few times. "Bailing? What do you mean?"


    "We worked out a deal to exchange the slates and the Illusionist Trainee card for clearing my name," James said as she moved into the room and flopped down on the couch.


    "You''re giving them that card? Is that safe?" Paul asked.


    "Well, it''s worthless without Puppeteer, right?" James said as she shrugged.


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    "That''s what your tests showed, but we don''t know their resources," Paul sighed.


    "Well, what''s that have to do with me?" James said. "Even if they manage to summon the modified card, it won''t be me."


    "Right," Paul said as she looked over the piles of cards he''d made. "So I guess all of this was pointless."


    "Hopefully," James said as she bent over to pick up a slate and Pyx''s Rewind. "Now, if you excuse me, I need to change into something more comfortable."


    <hr>


    The next few days moved along at a breakneck pace. James and Isabella had spent some time working out the details of the exchange of the Arcane Slates and the ''???'' card. This time was well spent as the exchange occurred at a prearranged location. It was public, but not too public.


    James winced a bit as Elias glared at him. Elias was leaning on a concrete pillar next to his motorcycle as James arrived at the third floor of the parking garage. In his opinion, it was a bit cliche, but the movies weren''t wrong. Parking garages made good places for exchanges. Pyramid apparently owned this one despite being attached to the hospital next door.


    "So you''re here," Elias said simply as he examined James walk towards him.


    "Yeah," James said as he proffered the original tote bag, complete with the three Arcane Slates he had.


    Elias walked confidently forward and grabbed it before checking its contents. He placed a card on one and nodded despite the lack of apparent effect. "Good, and the monster card?"


    "What about what you promised," James asked, only for Elias to reach into his pocket. He pulled two pieces of paper from it, which he presented to James. The first was a signed and dated contract from some big wig firm for legal representation. The second was somewhat more terrifying. It was a letter of intent of Pyramid''s intention to resolve James of any media attention through their own. Pyramid would foot the bill for both.


    "I recommend you sort out your legal representation before we go any further," Elias suggested, but James shook his head.


    "No, it''s fine," James said. He wanted out of here sooner rather than later. Elias nodded in agreement and held out his hand to James. "So, the card?"


    James pulled out the ''???'' card and looked at it. He thought the card might have changed after his most recent experiences with Elias, but it was still the same as when he first examined it. He was worried they would refuse the card after they found they could not summon ''Jade'' but needed to try anyway.


    "I haven''t been able to summon her since that day you made the deal," James lied through his teeth and offered the card to Elias. "What did you do?"


    "We didn''t do anything," Elias said as he took the card and examined it. He retrieved a small device from his pocket and placed the card on it. "Interesting."


    "It''s not going to be a problem, is it?" James asked, feeling a bit worried. He didn''t want to lose the contracts because he couldn''t be simultaneously in two places.


    "No, it has the same signature," Elias said simply before tucking the card away.


    "What''s a signature?" James couldn''t help but ask.


    "You don''t need to know," Elias said plainly as he grabbed his helmet off his motorcycle before mounting it and turning to James. "I hope we never meet again, for your sake."


    <hr>


    After the meeting, James'' legal troubles were far from over. The following two days would have been some of the hardest James had experienced in years if it hadn''t been for the events of the previous few days.


    Despite Pyramid keeping its word, he couldn''t get out without some questioning. Luckily, a legal representative from the contract provided by Elias'' organization was present.


    To James'' surprise, the representative sorted out most of the problems with the police. Despite the media coverage, which had since backed off or promptly moved on to other news, James was not formally arrested or charged with a crime. This was despite the investigator and a few officers giving him the side eye the entire time he was there.


    The representative warned him that he may still face civil suits from those who still thought he was to blame for the commotion, but they were handling the criminal case.


    He stood in the hidden part of the small park he had changed back in originally. With a sigh, he tossed the Puppeteer into the small hole he had dug out with a hand trowel before replacing the dirt on top.


    He put the entire situation behind him as he turned and left, even ditching the trowel in a nearby bush.


    The time for his vacation was basically over, and he was more stressed than ever. The Summon Monster''s card game had lost most of its interest to him. He didn''t want to pick up some rare card from a pull only to be mugged for it.


    He was spending the last few hours before his flight back at Paul''s place. Isabella had since left for work, and he was left alone with his old friend.


    "So, that''s it?" Paul asked as he looked over the cards James had given him. "Are you giving up the game entirely now?"


    "Do you blame me?" James asked as he sipped on a beer. He didn''t drink much but felt he had earned it.


    "Not really, but it''s going to be hard to play now that I know the truth," Paul said as he put down the cards. "I''ll always be thinking what the monster could really do."


    "I know the feeling," James said.


    They discussed other topics for a few hours before James stood and collected his suitcase. His robotaxi was waiting for him outside, ready to take him to the airport for a late flight home.


    However, as he reached out for the doorknob, James noticed his fingers glowing oddly. He looked at it momentarily before waving in Paul''s direction.


    "Hey, Paul, do you see-" James started but then felt the world shift. "This," a much shorter fox-eared woman finished, a look of bafflement on her face.


    END OF ACT ONE

 Chapter 25. Dreams (Act 2)

    "James?" Paul said as he noticed his friend once again a fox woman. "What''s going on?"


    "I..." James said as she looked down at her hands. Her vision blurred and then sharpened. The sounds of the surrounding city blasted into her ears. Her entire body tingled, and then she blurred at the edges momentarily before growing solid once again. She tried to say more, but the world was wobbling quite dangerously.


    The room spun around her, making her dizzy as she grasped for anything solid. But the world just blurred faster and faster around her. Then, quite unexpectedly, the floor threw itself at her and slammed itself into her face.


    As she lay there on the floor, gravity had gotten the best of her, being the cruel mistress it was. Her vision blurred around the edges, and she could only wonder what she did to make the ground so mad at her that it decided to attack. With that final thought, she passed out.


    <hr>


    James hummed happily to herself. It was a catchy tune her father liked to play on his flute. She sat at a table in front of the window into the garden. The early morning sun shone in and warmed her. In the distance, vibrant trees in splotches of blues, greens, and purples spiraled up from the ground as they did in the wisping woods.


    Her hands moved carefully and delicately snipped the stem of a flower before neatly placing it in the vase beside a dozen others in pinks, yellows, and purples. The mix of scents from the flowers was sweet on her nose, and she couldn''t help but smell the arrangement.


    <hr>


    James stepped through the door into the elder''s small cottage. The interior was cluttered with all kinds of little knickknacks and smelled of rosewood incense. The elder, an older woman whose ears drooped with age, sat in a rocking chair within.


    "Oh, there you are @Q#$T%@," the woman said as she gave a warm smile to James, who had carefully removed her shoes at the door of the tiny home. "I wasn''t sure if I would see you this week."


    James smiled and moved over to the table in front of the woman, which held a vase of drooping flowers. "Elder, I would never neglect visiting you," James said as she replaced the flowers in the vase with the ones she had prepared earlier.


    "Oh dear, I know how busy you''ve gotten. Tending your mother''s medicinal garden, and you''re even helping your father with his dyes." The elder said, eyeing James''s brightly colored cloak.


    James blushed slightly as she recalled her indulgence. "It is as you say, elder, but I am not quite ready to give up hearing your stories."


    "Ah, it''s nice to hear these old bones still have a use," the elder said as she gestured to the teapot on the table. "Please help yourself. It''s cooled slightly, but it''s your favorite."


    James nodded as she poured herself a drink and settled in for the elder to begin her story.


    <hr>


    James was roughly pulled up from the wagon she had been sitting on and thrown in the mud. The group of other Kitsen shied back from the Koro, who jeered at them before turning and slamming the gates to their prison closed.


    James crawled toward the group who helped her up, and she stared back at the armored warriors who had kidnapped her and destroyed her village.


    Her ears focused on them as an important one stepped out of a nearby tent and addressed the others with a croak, "How many more in this group?"


    "Just one," the lead warrior said. "The pickings from this area are growing slim."


    "It''s a border region. There will be more," the important Koro said. "Get them ready to ship back."


    "Yes, Taisho," the warriors clamored before they set about various tasks.


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    <hr>


    "Focus," said her mentor. It was an older gray-haired man with an eyepatch covering his left eye. He was missing most of his left ear and sported a large scar across that side of his face.


    James looked down at her hands and tried to make anything happen, but she was left with nothing.


    "Like this," her mentor said as the sclera of his remaining eye turned black. Above his right hand, a tiny wisp of orange light floated briefly before he closed his fingers, dousing the light.


    "I don''t understand," James admitted. "I can''t do it."


    "You can, and you must. For now, go help the others. I need to rest," he said in a weary voice, looking winded from the slight exertion.


    James bowed slightly, just a small one, before she moved back towards the tent with the sick and wounded. She couldn''t be seen being too formal lest the Koro decide to remove her or her mentor.


    <hr>


    James coughed heavily as she shivered in her soiled robe. She had long since gotten accustomed to the small part of the camp. Autumn had already fallen, and she would take any warmth she could get.


    It had been months since she had been taken, and she wasn''t doing well. But none of them were. They had only basic roofs and limited and slimy food. They sat outside and were not provided any clothing beyond what they had when they arrived.


    The few escape attempts that had been made had gone poorly. The Koro were known for their solid blades and piercing water magic.


    She had learned what she could before her mentor passed. She just wished she had learned faster.


    She rested against the fence next to the gate, waiting for the perfect moment. Eventually, they would look away, get distracted, and forget if they had closed it for some reason. At that moment, she would conjure an illusion of a closed gate. But she had to be certain, as she would only get one chance.


    <hr>


    The small group of haggard survivors trudged onward. Everyone was tired, and none of them had any food.


    James never thought she would be dodging military patrols or doing anything like this. Her life had been upended for no reason, but at least there was hope, as slim as it was.


    "I hear something," %#$%@^ whispered from beside her, his ears swiveling. "We need to hide."


    James simply nodded as the group moved into a small copse of trees. They had learned early on that roads were a death sentence. But even out in the deep, Koro scouting parties roamed around. Most weren''t looking for escaped prisoners, but that meant little.


    James focused as the others huddled around her, and she pushed her magic outward to cover them all, hiding them against the trees. It wasn''t perfect, and a few scouting parties had seen through her illusion, but it was all they had.


    <hr>


    James sat up, groggy from sleep, and looked around. What had that sound been? She wasn''t sure...


    <hr>


    The group of Koro grinned as they cornered her...


    <hr>


    ... ... ...


    <hr>


    James slowly opened her eyes and found a blurry world of blurry objects. The room was quiet, and the lights were dim. She smelled distant hints of rubbing alcohol. She closed her eyes again as sleep claimed her once more.


    Time vanished in a blur of hazy sleep as she came too once more. A throbbing headache pounded against the inside of her skull, but the shapes of the room gained some focus. She didn''t recognize it. Was it a hospital room? Was she sick?


    James tried to say something, but her throat was dry, and only a hoarse wheeze came out. She tried to sit up but found she had little strength to do so.


    Still, after a few minutes, she managed to regain some semblance of control over herself and found a bottle of water on a stand next to her bed. "Mountain spring water" was helpfully printed on the label, featuring an idyllic mountain scene.


    Her headache had subsided somewhat, and instead, it felt like her head had been stuffed full of cotton, and she was having trouble focusing. Still, she moved to get the bottle and noticed that something was pressed into her arm. She looked back to realize it was an IV of some sort. What was going on? Why was she here?


    She decided to save those problems for later. Just as she managed to grab the bottle and unscrew the lid, the room''s lights flipped on, and an older man walked in.


    "Ah, you''re awake," he said, looking at her. Noticing the bottle in her hands, added, "And lucid from all appearances."


    James ignored the man and instead took a drink. The water soothed her cracked throat but caused her to cough.


    "I had my doubts, of course," he said as he checked the bag on the IV stand. "We don''t often treat monsters."


    "Not a monster," James managed to rumble.


    "Oh, I believe it," the man said as he checked a device on the wall. "Your vitals, well, they exist." He then turned to look at James. "I am Doctor Forest. How are you feeling?"


    "Like shit."

 Future of the story

    Hello everyone. As I am sure you are aware this story has entered into a hiatus status. I kind of let the story get away from me and a lot of my original plans just weren''t lining up so I became somewhat disillusioned.


    Rather than focus on the story I was more concerned with feedback then just writing a good piece of fiction. I am relatively new to this and I was easily swayed by the opinions of many people commenting. It caused me to rush many plot developments, address questions in the story itself, delay other events unnecessarily, or even completely change the story.


    I know I may have said I didn''t do that much in the comments but I did. I thought it better that you thought I had a good grasp on where the story was headed. While I did have many goal posts, none of the details had been worked out.


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    Until this story I mostly wrote short stories of a more base nature on a private forum. For that reason plot and character development were more of a secondary consideration.


    I had been encouraged to branch out into more complicated topics and plots by certain individuals (you know who you are). But I think I might have rushed things a bit so I''m going to go back and take my time this time.


    Don''t expect anything here soon, but hopefully before the end of the year I don''t have a few chapters up of the revised version. I don''t have any plans worked out yet except for that it''s going to be shorter than this one was originally planned to be.


    Thanks for your support up until now.