Lore/Story Experimental Story: Flight Of The Nine-tailed Fox

This is an experimental story based on my own fantasy world called Talmnátia. I'm writing this in a new writing style and stuff. I might continue it if it turns out good.

Since I'm not used to this writing, please give me feedbacks on what I could improve on!
Anyway, enjoy!

Talmnátia: A Vilphan's Fall
Part 1
Chapter 1: Flight of the Nine-Tailed Fox


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Year 1320, July 21st *
Fumilan Woods, Free Lands




A girl darts out from between the tall trees of Fumilan. She jumps over a fallen, decomposing tree trunk, moving with inhuman agility. She lands on both her feet, then starts running again.

♂ Katherine | 62 Years | Half-Elf | Class B

Katherine's eyes are green, the colour of the dark shades of the trees' leaves. Her eyes are sharp and more slanted than a human's, but less than those of an elf. She has a pale face, which has been covered with dirt. Her blonde hair is tied into a ponytail behind her head, revealing her pointed ears. Again, Katherine's ears are as not as long and pointed as an elf's. This shows her heritage as a half-elf. Overall, she can be seen as a beauty in the eyes of both humans and elves.

She wears a leather light armour lined with green fabric. She wears a cloak the same colour as her eyes, with the hood drawn back. On her leather belt, two long knives are sheathed, which is not common for elves, especially the race of wood-elves of Fumilan. They are mostly archers.

Something makes a swishing sound through the air. With a dull thunk, an arrow buries itself into the tree where Katherine has passed a second before.

"Damn it!" Katherine whispers to herself. She ducks low as another arrow flies over her head. In the distance, she sees four slender figures closing in. One of the figures stops to aim their bow towards her.

The lead elf, a man who looks to be in his mid-forties points at Katherine and shouts.

♀ Harji | 531 Years | Elf | Class B

"There! After her!"

Katherine closes her eyes as she runs. This is no time to hesitate! She thinks to herself. If I get caught, they'll...

Katherine makes a long jump over a small creek, transforming in the process. From the back of her hips, shapes start to emerge. In the split second while she is in the air, nine furry tails expand amidst shining particles of magical energy. Katherine lands on the other side and looks back. She moves her pair of large, animal ears that sprouts out of her head.

She raises both of her hands, and shout, "Emyl fith!"

The space in front of her literally cracks in half. The space shifts then come back again. As the illusion magic takes place, Katherine's form disappears. The girl turns and continues on her way.


The elves in pursuit stop in front of the creek.

♂ Myrena | 238 Years | Elf | Class C

"She's disappeared!" One of the elves, Myrena, cries out.

"No." Harji lifts his hand towards the other side of the creek. "Aero, dou jilva!" The man shouts. A force of air shoots straight at the illusion barrier and sends it scattering away. Far in the distance, where only the sight of the elves can see, they see Katherine running into the sunlight, into an open clearing amongst the trees.

Harji grins. "She has fallen into our trap."


Panting hard, Katherine runs out of the trees. She blinks, then shields her eyes from the bright sunlight. When her eyes start to get used to the brightness, she lowers her arm. She turns back at the woods, checks that the elves no longer followed her, then starts on her way again. She has walked into a open clearing in middle of the trees.

She takes a step forward when she sees a boy standing in front of her.

♀ Nicolas | 17 Years | Human | Class A

Katherine quickly mutters under her breath, "Emyl fril metisein!"

With a flash of white particles, Katherine uses her power over illusions to make herself invisible. She holds her breath. He definitely saw me. She thinks and looks back at Nicolas. Their eyes meet.

Katherine, in her surprise, takes a step back, stepping onto a branch in the process. The girl freezes, swearing to herself. She looks back at her nine tails, which are faintly glowing.

That means that the spell is working, and the illusion should be there.

Katherine looks back and sees the boy examining her; her ears, her weapons, her tails. Katherine takes a deep breath, then whispers "Telya."

Katherine's illusion fades away, and Katherine becomes visible again. She straightens her back and looks back at the boy.

Nicolas has jet-black hair, long, uncut, and curly. His eyes are black, with a slight shade of purple. He is obviously human, for he has no features that say otherwise.

He wears a black cloak, which has been carefully lined with leather. Under his cloak, something flashes in the sunlight. He wears a light armour created from silver metal and blue material. The armour is recognisable as those worn by soldiers of the human province, Aurallim.

Katherine draws both her knives. They glint, catching the light of the sun, as she gets into a fighting position, with one of her hand raised above her head. She sneers, baring her sharpened teeth.

"What is an Aurallim soldier doing here, may I ask?" Katherine asks.

Nicolas smiles faintly and takes a step to his right. Katherine takes a step to her right as well. Nicolas reaches to his back and grabs the hilt of his sword. He draws it, which starts to charge up with magical energy.

The sword has a long and thick blade, which is the colour of midnight. Purple runes are carved into the fuller of the blade, written in the language of the Elder days. Both sides of the crossguard have a small, axe-shaped blade that points towards the tip of the sword. The rain guard of the sword has a purple gem embedded into it. The grip is made from the same material as the blade and is long enough to be held with two hands when necessary. The pommel is shaped into a cross.

Mystiga.

Nicolas holds the sword, Mystiga, with both hands, then brings the blade up to his eye level. He points the tip of the blade at Katherine. "An expulsion job, as you might've guessed," Nicolas answers Katherine. "It is my job to expel monsters such as yourselves!"

Katherine glares at the boy. So he is here to hunt me down, as well. The elves that are in her pursuit also chases her for the same reason. As an elf, it is considered a huge sin to be possessed by a monster. In Katherine's case, a monster has possessed her body, giving the half-elf her appearance as a nine-tailed fox, as well as granting her powers. Since she has escaped the elves when she was about to be executed, she is an elimination target for the hunters of her hometown, Lemi Huill.

The two circle around, looking at each other intently. Nicolas looks at Katherine's long knives. Through years of fighting multiple opponents, Nicolas comes up with an idea of how the girl would fight.

"Yah!" Katherine jumps at Nicolas, spreading her tails in all directions. The air shimmers then flashes. A force of energy is sent to Nicolas from the front. Nicolas brings his blade down, then swings upwards. The sword cuts through the attack and the magical energy Katherine had summoned is dispersed behind Nicolas.

In a flash, the two of them clash. Katherine holds her knives in a shape of 'X', holding down Mystiga. Katherine clenches her hands tighter onto the knives' grips, then jumps back. She pants and looks up at the boy.

Nicolas is unexpectedly strong. Katherine knows at this point that, this boy, is not an ordinary human. At that moment of contact, she notices that the boy's strength is equal or higher than those of the elves.

With a loud cry, Nicolas charges at Katherine. He swings his sword in a horizontal arc, releasing his left hand so the blade will have further reach. Katherine leaps to the side and flinches. She looks down to her dress, and see a small and extremely shallow cut above her chest. She grimaces as blood trickles down.

Nicolas straightens his posture. Katherine yells and swing both her knives. A shock of energy releases itself into the air. The sudden flash of light blinds Nicolas, and he staggers back. He closes his eyes shut, and raise his sword just in time to deflect a blow.

Faster! Katherine thinks to herself as she speeds up her attacks. Nicolas deflects her blows with an impressive skill, but as she quickens her jabs, some of them slip past the boy's defence and connect to his armour. Nicolas gasps and staggers back. He swings his sword down abruptly, which triggers a huge explosion from the sword's gem. The force sends Katherine flying back. She lands on her back, but her tails cushion the fall. Katherine brings her legs above her head and uses the momentum to jump back up.

Nicolas spits blood to the side. He runs his finger on his chest armour. There are dents in the metal. This is going to bruise. He groans to himself. Katherine comes running at Nicolas again, both her daggers raised above her head, glowing with light energy.

Nicolas raises his palm at the oncoming girl. He shouts, "Varogunn!"

When Katherine's knives are only a few inches away from Nicolas, something appears in the air between the two. Symbols glowing in yellow light starts to circle in the air. The light transforms into lines, which forms into a series of triangles that merge together to form a star. With a surge of power, the symbol shines with a sudden brightness and solidifies. Katherine's knives connect with the shield Nicolas has conjured. A huge clank fills the air, as Katherine staggers back.

In a flash, Nicolas is before Katherine. The half-elf raises her knives just in time as Mystiga crashes into them. The force sends her tumbling down to the ground.

The shield disappears and the air clears. Nicolas looks at his blade, checking for any dents or scars. He finds none.

"...What have I done?" Katherine mumbles. Nicolas looks down at the girl, looking confused.

She looks up, tears in her eyes. "What did I ever do wrong?" She yells. "My family, my kin, they all hate me. WHY?" Katherine looks up into the sky, tears rolling down her cheeks. She mutters quietly, "Come, Katymbrel."

Katherine's body jolts forward. Her eyes shine with light energy. Her nine tails spread all around and start to glow. Nicolas swears and starts to say, "Varogu-...."

Katherine screams. One of her knives float from the ground and shoots at Nicolas. He conjures his magical shield again, but not quickly enough. Nicolas manages to sidestep, but the knife cuts across his side. He gasps and reels back, dropping his sword in the process. Katherine stands up, her arms spread wide. Tears still roll out of her eyes.

Behind Katherine, a glowing white shape rises. A giant fox with nine tails like Katherine stretches its neck over Katherine protectively. Its eyes are yellow, and in them, you can see the monster's wisdom and age. On the monster's brow is a glowing green gem.

Nicolas looks up at the monster. "You have shown yourself, spirit!" He shouts. He then lifts his hand, and it starts to glow with purple energy.

You dare hurt my mortal host, human? A female voice echoes through the air. Nicolas knows that this voice belongs to the fox. Do you want to.... die?

Nicolas remains expressionless. He shouts, "Lyfero del ak Vilphan nelh silphalta!" As a Vilphan I bind you to this spell!

Nicolas chants another line of his spell. Katherine gasps as a high pitched sound blocks out all sounds around her. She screams, but cannot hear it. She covers her ears and closes her eyes in pain.

When she looks up, she sees Nicolas pointing his sword at Katymbrel, and them conversing. Katymbrel still has her upper body leaning over the elf vigilantly. Nicolas shouts something, and she hears the soft vibration of Katymbrel's voice. They talk for a few more seconds, then she sees Katymbrel nod. The sound in her ears fade, and Katherine collapses onto the ground. She looks up with wide eyes at Katymbrel, who smiles.

Do not worry, my child. Katymbrel says kindly. She then fades into the air.

Nicolas sighs. He looks for a few seconds where Katymbrel has disappeared to, then turns his gaze to Katherine. He smiles weakly. "You have a nice guardian, Katherine."

Katherine looks down at the ground. "I suppose Katymbrel told you my name."

"Yep." Nicolas sighs again and looks at his wound. It's still breeding. "Well, my name is Nicolas."

"You... are a Vilphan?" A Vilphan is a person born with the power to communicate and control monsters and spirits. They were extremely rare, and were considered extremely powerful.

"Uh huh," Nicolas nods. "I was hired by..." He pauses abruptly and looks around him. Silence follows. Alarmed, Katherine grabs at one of her fallen knives.

"Whoever's hiding, you better come out." Nicolas says out loud. A second later, the elf leader Harji walks out from behind a tree. Katherine shouts in rage, "You!"

"You have done a good job, Vilphan." Harji smiles coldly and says. "Now hand the girl over, and conside your work finished."

Nicolas smiles. "No."

Harji growls. "Stop your useless chatter, child. I said, hand her over so we can eliminate this abomination from our holy grounds."

"I will not kill a spirit of light nor its host because of some meaningless religion, elf."

The elf's face twists with rage. "How dare you!" He yells. "Our holy tradition has been laid upon this land for hundreds of years! How dare a mortal insult it?"

"I don't really care." Nicolas says, no longer smiling. "As a Vilphan, it is my responsibility to protect friendly spirits and monsters."

"We've payed you!" Harji shouts. His hand reaches for his rapier on his side.

"Then have it back." Nicolas takes something from his belt and toss it at the elf. It's a small bag, filled with silver coins. "Don't worry; I haven't touched a single coin."

Harji's rage explodes. He draws his rapier and points the tip at Nicolas. "Where is your honour as a soldier, Vilphan?"

"I have none." Nicolas says. "I've told you: I work alone. Curse Aurallim all you want; it will mean nothing to me."

Harji stands there trembling, glaring at Nicolas. Finally he cries, "Come force, my elves!"

All around the trees, elves come out and surrounds Nicolas and Katherine. There are ten of them in total. Katherine stands up and readies her dagger.

"Kill both of them!" Harji shouts. The elves start to come closer.

"I will not do that if I were you." Nicolas says coldly. Something in his voice brings doubt to the elves.

One of the elves give a cry. A green shape, as fast as an arrow, tackles into the elf. The figure quickly stands up, revealing a girl who looks like a cross between a human and a mantis.

♂ Kaya | 109 Years | Mantis Spirit | Class E

The girl clicks her mouth. Her eyes are crystal-like, shaped like almonds. They are red, with a small black pupil. Her skin is a light shade of green. A pair of long antennas grows from her head. Her limbs and body are thinner but are covered with hard, green shells.

Behind her are four, insect wings that flinch every time she moves. The green parts on her back extend all the way down to the ground, forming an insect abdomen. Her legs are slender, with spikes coming from her thighs. Her arms are replaced with sharp, curved blades.

The mantis girl walks down to Nicolas. The boy nods to the monster.

On the otehr side of the clearing, two elves collapse onto the ground. From between them walks a tall boy covered in a purple cloak.

♀ Retsi | 430 Years | Monster | Class D

He is as tall as Harji, and has short, brown hair. His eyes are closed, but he makes his way towards Nicolas, Katherine and the mantis girl without faltering. The two elves suddenly open their eyes and leap up. They look around, confused.

Something blocks out the sun. Katherine looks up, and see a huge pair of wings fill the air above her. A girl drops to the ground next to the tall boy with closed eyes.

♂ Jenna | 13 Years | Human | Class B

The girl is a head shorter than Nicolas or Katherine. Her black hair is long, straight and goes down her shoulders. Her face still has some babyish features, with thin eyebrows and long eyelashes. Her irises are golden, with black pupils in the center. Behind her back is a pair of large, golden wings, which she folds.

Mumbles come from the elves. They considers monsters and spirits evil, but now they have four in front of themselves, with a human apparently able to control them.

The short girl, Jenna, comes over to Nicolas, then touch the wound on his side. Golden light seeps through her fingers, and covers the wound. Nicolas removes his hand, and Katherine sees that the wound has covered itself up.

Nicolas looks down at Jenna and smiles. "Thanks." Jenna smiles back.

He faces Retsi and Kaya. "Thanks for coming, guys." He says, then looks around at the elves, finally laying his gaze onto Harji. "Do you want to fight us?"

The elf looks at Nicolas with so much hate, it makes Katherine shiver. "Attack!"

As he says that, Harji charges with his rapier. Nicolas calmly shouts, "Come, Jenna, Kaya, Retsi!"

Purple energy flash from the three monsters and Nicolas. The elves halt, and watch in awe as Jenna, Kaya and Retsi turn into floating spheres and merge into Nicolas. Another flash of light, and then Nicolas rises.

His dark cloak and Aurallim armour is gone. He has a metal headband around his head, which has a symbol of an eye in the center. Purple gemstones are embedded into the metal. On top of his leather clothes, green shells that surrounded Kaya now serves as Nicolas's armour. Mystiga is nowhere in sight, but Nicolas holds an entirely new sword: a much larger, one-edged blade. The blade is made from gold, with perfectly smooth sides. A purple gem is placed into the crossguard on both sides. The weapon hums with incredible power.

Nicolas points his sword at Harji. Golden energy rips through the air and connects with the elf instantly. With a huge zap, the elf lands on his back to the ground.

Nicolas moves to his side, dodging an elf's arrow from behind. The headband Retsi has transformed into lets Nicolas see everything around him. The green armour Kaya transformed into moves Nicolas's limbs faster, giving him amazing agility. Nicolas dashes between the five elves that dared to attack him, knocking them down to the ground without maiming them. As he kicks a female elf in the shoulder, another elf comes up behind him. Retsi notifies Nicolas, and he starts to whirl around to face the elf when a concentrated ball of light energy collides into the elf before. The elf is sent flying back. Nicolas turns to Katherine, who lowers her glowing hands. She smiles.

Harji groans and gets up. He sees the five unconsious elves, then at the other four that are too afraid to fight.

"Do you still want to fight us?" Nicolas asks quietly, but he is smiling.

o<-=<*></|.*.|\><*>=->o
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