The Fox's Den (5)
"A late introduction, perhaps — but my name is Tara. I am a fox currently training as Lady Gumiho's Divine Vessel, humble though I may be."
That was how the white fox, Tara, introduced herself once I had come around from my faint.
"What's a Divine Vessel?"
At Yeon's question, Tara narrowed her eyes as though the inquiry itself offended her, but she didn't ignore it. She answered in a distinctly sour tone instead.
"...When the Fox God descends to the mortal realm, She comes through my body. Manifesting in Her true form would be too great a burden."
"Ahh, so like a shaman."
"A shaman? I don't know what that is, but humans call something similar to me a shrine maiden."
"Isn't 'shrine maiden' a Japanese thing?"
"What is Japan?"
"?"
"?"
Watching the human and the fox tilt their heads at each other in perfect unison, I shook my own. What was the point of dragging real-world common sense into the game?
It went without saying that Al Fantasia had no place names from reality — no Korea, no Japan. There were similar regions, of course, but they went by entirely different names. That, too, was only natural.
"So how long am I supposed to stay quiet?"
The moment I had woken from my faint, Tara had forbidden me from speaking. I still didn't know the first thing about handling spiritual energy, and a mere handful of exchanged words was enough to drain me dry and send me collapsing in a heap — which, according to her, made any progress impossible.
Not that I was the type to fold just because someone told me to. I had spent nearly a full day unable to say a word, just stamping my paws in mounting frustration. How was anyone supposed to endure that?
Come to think of it, this was all because of Yeon. I whipped my head around to glare at her — only to be met with a bright grin and a hand ruffling my fur. I let out a long, defeated sigh.
Fine... At least we could talk now. Things would work out somehow.
"You couldn't even wait that long before wasting spiritual energy again... I already told you I would teach you shortly, did I not? Kindly try to conduct yourself like a successor."
"Try spending nearly a whole day with someone you can't even talk to. See if that doesn't drive you insane."
"Oh, please. You must have belonged to some pack before you were named successor, no? Don't start complaining just because you traveled with a human for a little while."
What pack was I supposed to have belonged to? I was about to snap back when I paused and looked at Tara.
This girl... does she actually think I used to be an ordinary fox like her?
"I think you've got some ridiculous misconception. I've never been part of any pack."
"Don't be absurd. Every fox lives in a pack. Especially a kit like you. Well — appearances aside, I suppose you have lived for several decades."
"That's not what I—"
"Ahh— that's quite enough. Don't say another word. I have no desire to watch you faint from spiritual exhaustion again."
Cutting me off just like that. I glared at her with a sulky scowl, but I had no choice except to nod. She was right — I didn't particularly want to make a spectacle of myself collapsing from spiritual exhaustion a second time.
Besides, I was starting to wonder why Tara had lured us here in the first place. The fox Yeon and I had been chasing was clearly Tara's summoned beast. She must have had some purpose for drawing us to this place.
"To be precise, I only intended to bring the successor here. Not that human."
"...You can hear my thoughts?"
"Yes, they're leaking out in droves. No doubt your spiritual energy is on the verge of running dry, leaving you all limp and sloppy. More to the point — did I not tell you to stop talking?"
Limp and sloppy? What was that supposed to mean? The question crossed my mind, but Tara — who had surely heard it — ignored it entirely and pressed on.
"Purpose, you say... Why do you suppose I would lure the successor to my location? To kill you and steal your Fox Bead? Or to drain your spiritual energy?"
Having said that, Tara suddenly shoved her face in close and muttered,
"Neither of those would be a particularly bad option, actually."
She flicked her tongue across her lips and regarded us with a gaze so cold it could have frozen water. Yeon and I instinctively leaned as far back as we could and swallowed hard.
"Um... about what I said earlier, I take it back, so maybe we could just let that go...?"
"Hmph. Do I look like such a petty fox that I would hold a grudge over something like that?"
"Then why did you suddenly..."
"No reason."
Tara said this and lifted her head again. Only then did Yeon let out the breath she had been holding and press a hand to her chest.
Something felt off, though. Acting on a hunch, I started to speak to Tara — or rather, I was about to, but she beat me to it.
"Just as you suspected, the human you call Yeon has not been able to hear our conversation. That look on your face — wondering why? Isn't it obvious? Because the successor is still inexperienced."
Tara gave her tail a lazy flick and murmured on.
"Addressing multiple beings with spiritual energy is no simple feat to begin with. Even now, the successor faints from spiritual exhaustion just exchanging words with me alone."
"The reason I deliberately keep our conversations inaudible to the human called Yeon is so that I can concentrate the spiritual energy enough for you to endure without fainting."
So it was because I still wasn't skilled at using spiritual energy. I nodded to myself in understanding — and then the space around us began to ripple.
Now what? I looked at Tara questioningly, and she spoke as if it were nothing at all.
"Before we get to the main topic, let us change locations."
We were moving somewhere else? Before I could even voice the question, the scenery changed in an instant.
"Whoa!"
Yeon, who hadn't been told we were going anywhere, let out a startled cry. I would have been just as surprised if Tara hadn't given me a heads-up, but this time I was able to watch the landscape shift with relative composure.
The rapidly changing scenery felt, as Tara had put it, like we were traveling somewhere — but looking closer, it wasn't movement at all. It was more like a shell peeling away and sliding off.
A space layered over another space? Unlike when I had first met Tara, no system window popped up announcing that an illusion had been dispelled, so that seemed to be the case.
A barrier... no, more like a Domain. Using a Domain was something only those who had earned the title of Archmage could pull off.
I glanced over at Tara.
Going by level alone, she wasn't even close to an Archmage — more like a low-ranking mage. I wasn't deeply versed in magic myself, but after playing Al Fantasia for as long as I had, I had seen and heard plenty.
The higher your level climbed, the more you ended up branching out beyond a single discipline like swordsmanship or magic rather than pouring everything into one field. And since I had always been the solo-player type, that went double for me.
From that perspective, the magic currently layered over this space was well beyond anything Tara should have been capable of.
But once the scenery had fully transformed, I understood.
"Th-that!"
The space was smaller than the cavern we had just left. But the stone statue of a nine-tailed fox standing smack in the center, and the sacred straw rope strung around it, lent the place a solemn, holy air.
Solemnity and holiness, however, were the last things on my mind right now.
"Why are you suddenly thrashing about? You're giving me a headache."
"You expect me to look at that and not say anything?!"
Tara frowned and scolded me, but I scrambled out of Yeon's arms and bolted. A disappointed voice called after me from behind. That wasn't important right now.
The statue in the shape of a nine-tailed fox — Gumiho's sacred image — was as massive as Tara herself. It glowed with a luminous violet, resembling amethyst, and was so free of impurities that my own reflection appeared on its surface as I drew near.
That's right. It was pure. Purer than any mana stone I had ever laid eyes on.
I had once seen a post on the Al Fantasia forums titled something like The Most Expensive Mana Stone Ever Sold in Al Fantasia — a fist-sized mana stone that had fetched well over a million dollars in real-world money.
Even to my non-mage eyes, the mana stone in that photo had clearly been high-purity. A gem-like thing that flaunted a brilliant violet.
And the mana stone before my eyes was far brighter and cleaner than that. Something of that quality existed here at the size of a two-story building.
"Wow, it's so pretty..."
Yeon, who had been looking dejected just a moment ago, had already come up beside me and was murmuring as if mesmerized by the mana stone's radiance. If she found out that selling just one of this statue's tails would let her live large enough to put most rich people to shame, she would fall over backward in shock.
I pictured exactly that, then shook my head to scatter the image. Anyway, I now understood how Tara had been able to construct a Domain — something only an Archmage should be capable of.
Anyone with even a modest grasp of magic could imitate an Archmage with a high-purity mana stone of this size. And if an actual Archmage got their hands on it, the world would be theirs to command.
I stared up at Gumiho's sacred image with my mouth hanging open. Couldn't I just... take a little piece of this?
It wasn't as if I had lived a life of financial hardship, but walking away from a mana stone this pure without taking something would make me no gamer at all.
Even a pinch of powder the size of a fingernail clipping would be enough to fire off a high-tier spell with zero risk. If I could take even that much, it was pure profit.
I wonder if I could scrape some off with my claws. The thought had barely formed when I started to unsheathe them.
"Just in case you were wondering — if you damage the sacred image, I will not forgive you. Successor or not."
Yes, ma'am. At the ominous voice from behind, I hastily retracted my claws.
"Haa... A successor who tries to vandalize the sacred image. Why must I be given such a trial..."
Tara shook her head as if her skull were pounding.
But this is a high-purity mana stone... It could even save my life in a pinch...
"I have absolutely, absolutely no intention of giving you so much as a speck of powder, so give up."
Stingy. I grumbled inwardly as I headed back to Yeon, who promptly scooped me up while still gazing slack-jawed at the statue. I was starting to get used to being held like this.
"So where is this place?"
"A shrine dedicated to the Fox God, Lady Gumiho. Here I have received the deity's oracle, waiting for the successor while continuing my training."
"Successor... Come to think of it, you called Choco the successor, right? Is Choco Lady Gumiho's successor?"
"Choco... you say...?"
Tara looked at me as if she couldn't believe her ears. I averted my gaze. It's not like I wanted this name.
Whether Tara believed it or not, Yeon nodded with a triumphant look.
"Yep! I named her. Cute, right?"
"Choco... How could you give the successor such a saccharine name... No. Never mind. I no longer wish to be shocked by such things..."
Tara muttered in a drained voice. I felt a twinge of guilt, but unfortunately, I was a victim here too.
"As I said before, I received Lady Gumiho's oracle and have been waiting here for the successor. She told me the successor would have only just received a Fox Bead and would be utterly fragile, and that I should assist in every way. I wondered how a chosen successor who had received a Fox Bead could possibly be fragile — but after seeing... Choco's... appearance, I understand Lady Gumiho's concern."
"Gumiho told you to help me?"
"It is Lady Gumiho, 'Choco.'"
Don't put that accent on my name on purpose. I grumbled inwardly, but Tara pressed on.