Chapter 86 Conflict
Chapter 86 Conflict
Then suddenly, under his breath:
“Oh, fuck me… I hate this shit,” Iryoku muttered.
The girls turned to him in alarm.
“Get the kids. Now,” he said sharply, eyes scanning the shadows around them as he unsheathed his daggers.
The girls instantly moved into defensive positions, forming a protective barrier around the children. Rhogan stood up with a deep growl, lifting his massive rhino head. His horn began to glow green, charged with magic as he prepared for battle.
Alessandra swiftly grabbed her shield and took position in front of the children, her body tense and ready.
Yumi readied her bow and nocked an arrow. Reika raised her hands, preparing to cast.
Iryoku's eyes narrowed as he turned his head, sensing movement all around them.
From the shadows cast by the setting sun, a towering figure stepped into view—a demihuman. He was massive, covered in a dark orange pelt marked by black stripes. His frame was thick with muscle, and his face looked more beast than human—wild, scarred, and fierce. He was a stark contrast to the demihumans they had encountered before. His arms were marked with countless battle scars.
“So, you noticed me,” he rumbled, his voice deep and gravelly. “I see you humans have some talented individuals in your ranks.”
Alessandra’s eyes sharpened the moment she saw him—she recognized the figure instantly.
Iryoku stepped in front of the group, shielding them as he addressed the tiger-man calmly but firmly.
“Look, buddy—we don’t have anything against demihumans. We’re actually trying to help these kids find a safe place. So, I’d advise you not to start a fight. You won’t like how it ends.”
The tiger-man’s gaze lingered on Iryoku for a long moment, sizing him up. Then it drifted to the frightened demihuman children now stirring awake behind the barrier. His sharp eyes locked next on Alessandra—the red-haired woman in armor, shield at the ready—then moved to Rhogan and something strapped to the rhino’s back.
Then he turned back to Iryoku, his eyes narrowing.
“Those are all lies,” he growled, baring his fangs. “That woman—she’s part of the Dominion, isn’t she? And that thing on the beast’s back… isn’t that—?”
The girls turned to Rhogan, and their eyes widened. The cannon they had taken from the fallen dwarf was still mounted on his saddle.
“Humans… you truly are despicable,” the tiger-man snarled, voice rising. “You come to our lands, attack us, enslave us, kill us.”
His eyes were full of hate.
“I… as an Alpha chosen by Mother Earth, will avenge my people. Your kind has taken too much.”
He clenched his fists. Muscles bulged, and crackling energy surrounded him.
“You… will be my stepping stone. And soon—your pathetic cult will fall.”
“GRRRAAAGHHHHH!” His voice warped into a deafening, bestial roar.
The group braced for battle, grim expressions on their faces. The air was thick with tension—charged with danger.
Multiple eyes blinked in the shadows.
Iryoku spoke in a low voice, his eyes still sweeping the area.
“There are more nearby. Be careful.”
“Look, Tony—stop this,” Iryoku said, his voice sharp and serious. “You don’t want to do this. And if you really hate those Dominion bastards so much, why not go attack them instead?”
He stepped forward, eyes locked on the towering tiger-man.
“As a matter of fact, they’re in a weak state right now. My group just raided their base—we took out two of their top knights. Their strongest fighters are already gone.”
He tried to reason with the demihuman, his expression dead serious.
The tiger-man snarled.
“Lies. More human lies. Why the hell should I believe anything you say? We already attacked them once—those two pricks were too strong with that damn light. I highly doubt any of you could’ve fought them, let alone killed them.”
He raised his hands, claws extending with a metallic scrape.
Iryoku tensed, readying himself.
“Stop it!” Alessandra shouted. “There are children here! They could get hurt if you attack us!”
The tiger-man snapped his gaze toward her.
“Are you saying you’re the ones who’ll hurt them? Dominion bitch,” he growled, fury etched across his face.
“That’s not true!” Alessandra cried, stepping forward slightly.
The group began slowly retreating toward a rocky hill, inch by inch, as the assailants emerged fully from the shadows.
From the trees, the rest of the hidden group began to emerge.
A dozen of demihumans stepped into view. Unlike the tiger-man, these ones looked more human—sporting animal ears and tails, but otherwise resembling ordinary people.
“Give back the children!” shouted one of them—a stern-looking demihuman with gray wolf ears and a matching tail. He wore full armor and gripped a sword tightly in both hands.
Five more followed behind him. One was a woman with green scales across her face and arms, dressed in strange tribal garments, her bow already drawn and aimed with precision. Another—a smaller tiger-woman with striped ears and a swaying tail—had begun chanting softly, her hands glowing as she prepared a spell.
The girls held their ground, forming a protective wall around the frightened children.
Iryoku scanned the area quickly, weighing his options. He sighed.
“Fine. We’ll give the children back,” he said at last, locking eyes with the tiger-man. “But you let us go. Or else.”
The group of demihumans sneered. The lizard girl looked especially eager to release her arrow.
“Don’t!” the smaller tiger-woman warned. “You might hit the children.”
She turned toward the larger tiger-man.
“Big brother Lapa… what should we do?”
A low growl escaped him, his eyes fixed directly on Iryoku.
“…Let’s see what happens,” he muttered.
“Then everyone stop moving,” Iryoku called out.
“We’ll climb this small hill. At the top, we’ll leave the kids. Once we’re gone, you can come get them.”
He pointed his dagger calmly, eyes locked on the tiger-man.
“We don’t want trouble. No one has to get hurt—if we all just stay cool.”
The group—girls, children, Rhogan, and Iryoku—began slowly retreating, ascending the rocky slope with careful steps.
The demihumans hesitated, glaring but ultimately holding their positions.
As the group reached the top, Iryoku, without turning around, muttered under his breath:
“Get on Rhogan and dash out of here.”
The girls looked at him in alarm.
“Wait— Iryoku, let’s just go. All of us. Together,” Reika said, concern in her voice.
“I don’t like it when you do this kind of thing…” Yumi added, her eyes trembling, growing wet. Her bow was still aimed at the enemy.
Alessandra stood frozen, her face tight with worry.
This feels too familiar, she thought, a chill running through her.
They all cast one last glance toward the children—still huddled and frightened, unsure of what was happening.
Alessandra looked at the kids, then back to Yumi, Reika, and Iryoku’s back. Her voice was calm but firm.
“Kids… it’s okay. They’ll take you back to your families.”
“Big sis…” Kima said softly, looking up at her.
The girls finally mounted Rhogan. Yumi glanced at Iryoku.
“Don’t worry,” he said with a faint smile. “I’ll be right behind you. If I don’t stall them now, that tiger guy will catch up in an instant.”
“We want you back soon…” Yumi said quietly.
Just before Rhogan could start running, Kima suddenly stepped forward.
“Big sisters…” she called out.
The girls turned to look at her.
“If my brother and I go with you… they won’t attack you, right?”
“But little Kima,” Yumi said gently, “they’re demihumans like you. It’s better for you to go with them.”
Kima shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. Kael hugged her tightly from behind.
“We don’t have parents anymore… It’s just me and Kael now. That’s why… let us go with you. Just for a little while. That way, they won’t attack you.”
The girls hesitated, unsure.
But then Iryoku, making a quick decision, stepped forward and scooped up both Kima and Kael. He swiftly placed them at the front of Rhogan’s saddle.
“Hold them tight,” he told Yumi, who moved her arms protectively, securing the children in place.
“Let’s go with that for now,” he muttered.
Without missing a beat, he leapt onto Rhogan’s back, landing in a crouch behind Alessandra.
“Go, Rhogan!” he urged, his voice firm. “Now or never!”
He turned back to the remaining children.
“Stay right here, okay?” he said gently.
“And remember—tell them we helped you. Not every human is bad.”
With a heavy snort, Rhogan charged down the far side of the hill, thunder in his steps. Dust and earth kicked up behind them as they disappeared into the trees, the girls and children clinging tightly to his broad back.
From below, the demihuman group sensed something was happening—they began to move.
Then, in an instant, the tiger-man bolted.
He dashed forward, reaching the top of the hill in the blink of an eye.
His sharp gaze swept over the remaining children, then snapped toward Iryoku’s group retreating down the slope—still carrying two of the demihuman children.
GRRWL.
Dropping to all fours, the tiger-man lunged with terrifying speed—his body a streak of muscle and fury, enveloped in glowing green energy.
“GRAAAWR!”
The roar tore through the clearing like thunder, shaking the trees and rattling the earth beneath their feet.