Release! Dharvix’s Kip

When Kanie came to, he found himself lying sideways in a light purple space. The space was covered in glimmering sparkles and a beautiful, ethereal mist. He was dreaming, though he himself was unaware of it.

How’d I get here? he thought. Wasn’t I just flying around with Eric?

“I must say, though,” he said. “This pillow sure is soft.”

He adjusted his head slightly.

“… Very soft. … Oh, and a bit boing-y, too…”

Curious, he gave the pillow a little squeeze. Only it wasn’t a pillow.

“… Oh~!”

The moan of a young woman graced his ears. He realized with horror that his head was resting atop someone’s thighs!

Looking up, he was met with the sight of two large spheres and a familiar face.

“… Ki-Kimora!?” he shrieked.

Kimora giggled.

“What are you acting so surprised for, Kanie~?” she said. “I promised you a reward, didn’t I~?”

“S-since when did you start calling me by my first name only!?” he stammered. “And a reward? For what?”

“You’re a forgetful one, aren’t you~,” she said. “For bringing my Mylo back to me. You saved me a lot of trouble, you know~.”

She traced Kanie’s nose bridge with her finger, causing him to blush. Her touch was warm and gentle.

Strange, he thought. Last I remember, Eric and I were still on our way to the Kingdom of Fire. … When the hell did we finish the mission?

Well, not that it matters, he mused, sinking back into Kimora’s thighs with a blissful smile.

“Actually…” said Kimora, breaking the silence. “This is only part of your reward.”

Kanie could feel his heart beat faster.

“Y-you mean… there’s more!?”

“Oh, yes,” she said. “Much more. But first—"

“… Kanie, I need you to do me a little favor. Pretty please~?”

“O-of course!” said Kanie. “Anything for you!!!”

The expression on Kimora’s face changed from playful to stern.

“I need you to wake up.”

“… Huh?”

“You heard me,” she repeated. “Wake up, now! I said—”

“Wake up, Kanie!!!”

Kimora’s voice faded into Eric’s as Kanie was pulled back into reality. His body was once again suspended high up in the air. Below him, Mylo was still snapping at the salamander meat dangling from his waist.

“Oh, good, you’re finally awake,” Eric said. His face appeared slightly blurry to Kanie, who was still groggy.

“For a second there, I thought you were dead or something! Haha!”

Kanie blinked a few times, re-centering himself. He formed a sour expression and wiped the drool from his mouth.

“Ugh, why’d you have to wake me up?” he grumbled. “I was having the best dream ever.”

Eric ignored his complaint.

“Get ready,” he said. “We’re about to reach the outpost.”

He turned and gestured toward a small, square-shaped fortress that was quickly approaching.

The fortress’s walls were made of desert tan-colored stone. Inside its walls sat two buildings erected from wood and brick. From the buildings’ windows leaked a warm, inviting amber hue. In the very front of the fortress was its entryway, above which a banner flapped noisily in the wind.

Eric redirected his attention toward Kanie.

“Alright, listen up, because I only have time to explain this once,” he said.

“I’m going to try putting Mylo to sleep now. I can’t risk him crashing into the outpost, or people in there might be killed.

I’ve only got two tries before I’m out of magic! If, for some reason, I fail to put him to sleep, I’ll land us—at which point, it’ll be your job to knock him unconscious!”

Before Kanie had a chance to respond, he undid his shield and pointed his staff at the lumbering Mylo. Its teal jewel lit up with a radiant glow. In front of the staff, a complex magic circle appeared. It started to spin clockwise, gradually picking up speed.

Eric’s teal eyes changed color, becoming a crimson red.

“Forbidden Magic: Dharvix’s Kip! … Release!!!”

A powerful beam of light erupted from the magic circle and struck Mylo dead-center.

The massive beast ceased all movement and stood perfectly still. It was as if he had fallen into a sudden trance.

“You got him!” Kanie said.

Eric’s eyes returned to normal as his staff’s glow subsided.

Yup, he thought, watching his MP meter deplete. That spell really does consume a crazy amount of magic…

He felt a fatigue start to wash over his body when something caught his attention. His eyes went wide with surprise.

It was Mylo; the hellhound had shaken off the spell and was charging full speed ahead at him and Kanie.

“Oh, no!” Kanie exclaimed. “The spell didn’t work!”

“I can see that,” said Eric, panicking. He attempted to cast Dharvix’s Kip again, but this time, his staff’s jewel started to blink red. It beeped with a noisy alarm sound.

“… This isn’t good,” he said. “It looks like I can only use this spell once every twenty-four hours! Damn it, why wasn’t that info listed in its description!?”

“Oops, heheh…” Nyle said, shifting his eyes back and forth. “I must’ve forgotten to add it.”

Before the heroes could react, Mylo was right on top of them. He leapt into the air with a mighty bound and snatched the hunk of salamander meat dangling from Kanie’s waist, yanking the swordsman out of the sky.

The two crashed through the gates of the outpost, spilling bricks and debris everywhere. Before they hit the ground, Mylo had succeeded in tearing away the meat from the grappling hook, sending Kanie flying into a pile of rubble.

Having sustained critical damage, Kanie’s shield deactivated.

… Well, so much for keeping him away from the outpost, Eric thought. He was still levitating up above, watching the scene unfold below him.

Mylo stood back up, gulping down the salamander meat.

Guess I really have no choice but to fight, huh? thought Kanie, watching Mylo’s gaze shift toward him.

The beast let out a snarl, bearing its long, glistening fangs. Kanie held his ground and prepared to do battle. He stopped when he noticed a change in Mylo’s behavior.

Huff, huff.

A series of slow, heavy breaths escaped from Mylo’s mouth as his fiery eyes began to dim. The area trembled as he took several short, wobbly steps forward, before—THUD! The hellhound collapsed onto his side, throwing a pile of dust into the air.

The sound of quiet, rhythmic breathing filled the atmosphere.

Mylo had fallen into a deep sleep.