A Fox Girl's Plea

“Welcome, 13th Heroes!” A spotlight shone on the Fox Girl stood up above us, her arms spread wide.

Who were we?

Shh!

The performance had begun…

She took a deep breath before jumping down with a graceful flip, her red tail swished as she landed. A fragrant scent of rose hit my nose as she smiled at us. Her yellow eyes gleamed, framed by short, straight red hair with a fringe. Her fox ears twitched, eager for any response, yet we remained silent.

Captivated.

Her smile, her grace and her figure. My eyes couldn’t help but trace the outline of her bodysuit.

Ravenna bowed before us, unfurling her right arm. “Thank you for answering our call. A dangerous path lies ahead of you, should you choose to stay...”

She rose and walked towards us, slowly. “I wonder… What it is that drives you?” She lowered her melodic voice. “What pushes you to win?”

With a flash of red light, she appeared beside Enji, running a finger across his cheek. “Pride?”

flash

In front of Ayane, lips close enough to touch. “Desire?”

flash

“Fame?” Ravenna booped Chisa on the nose.

flash

I felt a heat against my cheek. “Love?” she whispered in my ear.

From here, she twirled right over to center-stage. Her white-tipped tail an island in the sea of red.

She stood in front of blue curtains that wrapped around the circular platform we stood on. Ravenna waited for the spotlight to catch up with her, before continuing her performance.

“Heroes!” She cried out. “Truly, a great tragedy has befallen us!” One open palm reached to the sky, while the other formed fist clutched at her chest. “An evil empire pursues us. They have driven us deep into this cavern, with no hope of escape.”

We followed Ravenna’s gaze upwards, past the curtain railings to see that we were in an enormous cavern. It was as if a giant spent its life hollowing out a mountain, grabbing piece by piece. Jagged stone pillars rose up and disappeared into a cold-blue mist.

We shouldn’t have been able to see anything this deep underground. But a brilliant light shone from afar. Its long rays of light saved the cavern from being plunged into total darkness.

“The Empire stands against all that is fair and true. It seeks endless war and hunts those who have the courage to resist.” Ravenna continued. “We tried to lead its citizens to a better path, for they were victims too. And for that, we had to flee!”

Ravenna shook her head and looked down. “Alas, we have even been robbed of the warmth of the sun!”

She brought her palms together and nodded. “We are in a desperate situation and beg of you to rise to the call. To become the Hero that will lead us to victory, who will bring peace to the lands beyond.”

Ravenna unfurled her left arm.

“Many have been summoned before you.”

Ravenna unfurled her right arm.

“Many have sought our crown.”

Her voice dropped to a whisper, causing everyone to lean in.

“Yet… the empire slew them all.” She paused. “Will you be any different?”

Ravenna clapped her hands together.

Hard.

A shockwave rippled past us and knocked down the blue curtains that enclosed us.

Beyond our platform, lay a shining city in the distance.

It was built on a floating island, in an endless ocean of mist within the vast underground. A stone tower at the center rose high above anything else. At its peak, it unleashed a light that filled the cavern. Smaller islands and ruins dotted the mist. At the far edges of the cavern, only a cold-blue haze remained.

Ravenna bowed, both arms outstretched. “Welcome to Svartheim. Our sanctuary, our prison, our final stand…”

There was a stunned silence that seemed to go on forever.

I stared at the shining city for so long that my lungs started to hurt.

I had forgotten to breathe.

Then Ayane began to clap, with the rest of us soon joining in and nodding.

It was a wonderful performance.

Our applause seemed to have caught Ravenna off guard a bit. She blushed slightly, but she recovered quickly. “Any questions?”

We all looked at each other. Once glace at each face confirmed that we all had a burning fire inside of us. Each of us had things we wanted to leave behind, and something we had desperately wished for in the real world.

Whatever this Empire was capable of, we’d handle it. That we were able to confirm without a word.

A smile crept onto my face. I like these guys.

“You called us all Heroes,” I began, addressing Ravenna. “But you also mentioned a crown? Are we in competition?”

Ravenna smiled. “Correct. You are all exceptional, but one of you will rise above the rest.”

We all exchanged looks again. There was a tension in the air, a bit of friendly rivalry.

Pride. Desire. Fame. Love.

None of these were innocent desires.

Ravenna knew that.

Looking back… that’s what made it fun. The relief and freedom of being able to pursue your true desires. Not being shamed for it.

We weren’t being asked to save their world out of the kindness of our hearts.

But as always, it was never that simple. Life had a way of being more wonderous and terrifying than you can imagine.

Chisa lifted her hand. “How will you choose which of us is worthy?” She spoke in a quiet, timid voice. She was quite small with no distinguishing features, just medium black hair.

Her desire was Fame.

Ravenna breathed in. A glow appeared in her yellow eyes. “Well,” she put a finger to her red lips. “We’ve decided a trial by fire would be a good idea!”

Before any of us could ask for clarification, Ravenna stomped one foot on the ground, leaned forward and launched high into the air.

My eyes began to follow her, but I noticed a giant scaled shark where Ravenna was. Its rows of teeth barely missing her. It had a great momentum, and the armored shark continued swimming through the air right at us.

It all happened in a split second, there was no time to react.

But the shark was deflected by an invisible barrier and whooshed past us.

Turbulent air rustled our clothes and hair.

I was going to turn my head to get a better look, but I saw dozens more heading straight to us. Their heads swaying from side to side as they swam through the air. They had sharp, hardened scales with even sharper teeth.

“These are Ketoi!” Ravenna shouted from above us, still airborne. She had a palm outstretched, having erected the barrier. “We’ll call this the first test!” She soared through the air, her voice amplified.

“I’m removing the barrier now!” She shouted from above. “Try not to die!”

We had been summoned to an underground cavern, with a fortress-city in an ocean of mist and monsters.

It was madness.

But I couldn’t help but smile.