Chapter Nineteen - The Leaf Fox

The fox tail. One of the three tails I managed to acquire on my month-long trek with Seiko. I didn’t find any practical use for it yet, but with Olive, the raccoon samurai, we might have a new ace up our sleeves.

[4:00]

I still had some time before my eel tail would change back and I would have the ability to switch tails. I decided I would do what I can to strategize and come up with a new plan in case the fox tail would not work.

“Fox tail? What are you talking about?”

“It’s my magic. I have the ability to equip the tails of creatures that I eat.”

“Oh, basic transformation magic. So you ate a fox and gained its tail? What’s so special about it?”

“This fox was majestic, but more importantly it was intelligent. We chased it with the intent to capture and consume.” Seiko said.

“I’m guessing it did not go according to plan?” Olive asked.

“I don’t think we had a plan at that point. As Seiko said, we just needed to capture it.”

We walked and talked. We followed the Tower of Stars as it hovered in front of us. We did not know if the laser attack would strike again, so we made sure we could not see the top of the tower. We bet our lives on that possibility.

“So, how did you end up with the fox tail?”

“We didn’t know it was a creature due to it being elusive. We brushed it off as the wind or small rodents. But after being paranoid a dozen times about the watchful eyes, we began to raid the forest eventually finding the leaf fox. I’m not kidding, it was a fox made out of leaves. It chirped and it barked like a normal fox. But the main reason we engaged was because I saw that it had a tail and thought I could get something cool out of it. So yeah, we chased it.”

I’m remembering and I’m still muddled by the events that transpired. The fox led us off course, but it took us to a forest clearing. At the end of the clearing was a giant tree with a hollowed trunk. We were both wary and battle ready. I wasn’t as tired as I thought I’d be from running a couple minutes at top speed. Seiko however was tired, so we rested a bit. I remember still being amazed by my increase in strength, stamina, and speed. I had evolved during my rebirth and had an evident advantage over other humanoid people.

Seiko and I had entered the tree trunk and found a dimly lit room inside. There were chairs, tables, crates, and other small objects scattered around. Four humanoid shadows were painted on the ground, lying eerily as if they were detached from its human linkage. Two in the middle, and two by the doorway. There was a sign with this world’s letters. Seiko had translated it for me and it read, ‘The Journey Ends in the Tower of Stars.’ And in the corner of the room was the leaf fox.

The leaf fox walked towards the center of the room and stopped on an ‘X’ marked on the floor. The leaf fox unraveled as if it was expanding and its leaves rotated around like a planet's rings. It revealed its intricate system of organs that were also made of plants. Like gears in a clock, they moved with precision and coordination. I could’ve sworn when we first chased it the fox would blend with the fallen leaves on the ground and rematerialize in its fox shape, effectively continuing its escape. The leaves in such case were always the outer leaves that made up its body, and the internal organs must be a showcase of its abilities as a strange animal. Its heart of red leaves falls out and rolls on the dirt. The uncanny form still beats invisible blood confusing me as I didn’t think that’s how hearts worked.

I wondered if it was an Otherworlder like me, reborn into a strange body and harboring even stranger abilities. But why would it choose to release its own heart? The heart stopped beating eventually as the leaf fox could not manage to stand anymore. Even if it was an Otherworlder what reason would they have to take their own life? My mind raced with questions at the sudden developments.

“Eat.”

Seiko’s words pulled me back to reality. This girl is blunt, but she is a good anchor, able to keep me from drifting away effortlessly.

“This fox clearly knows of my abilities, right? Why else would it corner itself and show me this place? I mean, it even mentions our destination.”

I walk over to the deceased animal and pick up the leaves that made up its tail and stomach. They tasted exactly how they looked. Like a salad without dressing. I tried my best to hold back on the humor out of respect for this animal, but the aura that I could feel from it when it was alive and running was nothing short of divine.

And it turns out that I was right.

[Guardian of the Forest Tail Acquired]

We are still walking at a fast pace to avoid being seen by the tower. As the timer hits zero my tail reverts back to its lizard form. I curl it as if stretching my fingers as the eel tail has been floating the whole time, leaving my tail cramped. I make a spiral shape and I fully extend it five times before I feel refreshed.

“Hey Olive, if you want, would you like to join our adventurer party?”

“The Ocean Slugs? That is such a fun name!” Her armor shifted a number of leaves forming a face mask, obviously hiding her smile.

“Cool. Just so you know, I’m an Otherworlder.”

“Otherworlder? Oh, you mean American?”

This discreetly confirmed for me that she was a natural inhabitant of this world despite possessing very specific magic.

“Have you met one before?”

“Papaya! Ya, it was on the second floor, he had money issues. But overall an expert in the undead. He knew how to bring bodies back to life even though they turned out more ugly and stupid. Overall, an amicable person.”

Interesting. The American, I mean Otherworlder has some sort of zombification abilities. I would not want to face that or be a target of that if I were to perish. But according to Olive, he is a good guy, so this person should not be an enemy. Also, the American term is known a couple floors down which means that we humans can be reborn in any floor and spread our culture and stories anywhere. I think back on Aquastar and Clover too, they did not deserve to die.

“Awesome, thanks for the information, I know a bit more about my people here as visitors, I can tell you more about my world if you want?”

“Really, I’d be delighted!” Olive nodded.

“Oh Seiko, I might repeat some of the stories that I already told you, if that’s okay?”

“No problem, I enjoy hearing the same story over and over.”

I cannot tell if she was being sarcastic or not. At the same time, Seiko is not one to complain and quite enjoys monotonous and tedious work, like counting the same number of bullets a day. She has a case strapped around her that fits all of her hard light bullets neatly, but she decides to count them all to make sure she has enough ammunition for any surprise battles.

“Okay Olive, as a new official member of the Ocean Slugs, your first quest is to get us up onto the Tower of Stars!”

“How do I accomplish that?”

“With this.”

[Guardian of the Forest Tail Equipped]

My tail began to glow and increase in size, forming an absurdly large fox tail made of leaves. This bewildered me as the first time I used this tail, the size was proportionate to my body. But at least it was weightless, so I had no trouble balancing myself.

“Oh no, you killed that fox.” Olive groaned.