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The vampire mercenaries were fairly impressive as well. They were few in number, but their coordination was on a whole other level compared to any of the other soldiers present. They were a well oiled machine, parrying, striking and maneuvering their opponents with practiced ease. Ben might’ve been tempted to offer some of these vamps a job if he were here to see this. And then there was Mina’s brother, Ward.
You didn’t think very much of Ward, but you had to admit, the guy could seriously take a hit. His body was covered in wooden splinters, and countless arrows sprouted from multiple points on his body. He was actively pushing them out by shifting his bones around, but he wasn't at all focused on attacking.
The guy was using his absurd body as a meat shield, eating hits in order to open up tougher opponents, soaking up arrows for his allies, and breaking through enemy defenses by charging straight through them. Ward's strategy seemed to be entirely based on leveraging his tankiness to act as a living distraction. It was surprisingly effective.
“There. LOUISE!” you shouted down at her.
The Nightguard's ears perked up, and she paused to stare up at you in shock.
“Petit Cindy! What are you doing up there?”
“We need your help! The Kaiju King's sick, and he needs your blood!”
Her eyes widened, and she looked like she wanted to ask more questions. But she must have noticed the urgency in your voice, because she flew up to meet you right away.
She turned to stare down at House Morvayne's warriors.
“I must go!”
“Then go. Leave the rest to us.” Ward reassured her.
With that, she nodded, and the three of you flew off to rejoin Shaggy and the others. Along the way, you gave Louise a quick rundown of the events that transpired in her absence, all while firing off foxfire-crackers to signal the rest of the team to retreat.
You briefly glanced back at the unfolding battle, just to see whether you could spot James in all this commotion. And what you saw made your blood run cold.
A lone, slender figure with fair skin walked throughout the battlefield, unimpeded by any standing in her way, and largely unconcerned with the events taking place around her. She had long, straight white hair, a pair of triangular vulpine ears, and a bundle of nine fluffy tails the same color as her hair. And before you lost sight of her completely, you could have sworn that she turned back, locked eyes with you, and gave you a teasing wink.
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As much as you wanted to circle back and search for the Kumiho, you didn’t have time to waste. It was a miracle that you had found Louise and made it back to Shaggy in the first place. Or…perhaps not.
Those spirit messengers hadn’t belonged to you. And if they didn’t, then that meant that they belonged to someone else. And since you didn’t see any other Kumiho in the area, you could only assume that…
