Sebastian drummed his fingers on his desk. The latest report of casualties was still coming in as no one wanted to bring it to him. His anger was surging with each attack, making those in the organization tremble as he debated going after his nephew himself. The only problem was that he wasn't strong enough.

The full might of the council would be needed to kill the Valiant. And tracking him down wouldn't be as simple as they hoped. Sebastian knew he was currently near Europe, but he hadn't been to a city in a while. What he was doing near Europe was still a mystery as all of The Pact members had been pulled from the area to prevent more loss of life.

Discontent roared through the cities, but that was a small price to pay to keep his soldiers alive. Most of the higher ups were returning to the capital with their squads, where they would prepare to hunt down the Valiant.

Soft steps approached his room, forcing Sebastian to wrap himself in shadows. A simple knock was followed by a greeting.

"Come in," Sebastian ordered.

A young nekorian stepped inside, her body trembling as she held out a report. "For you, Sir."

Gesturing to the desk, he waited for her to set it down. "You're dismissed."

The nekorian hurried out as fast as she could, barely closing the door in her attempt to flee. With a resigned sigh, he picked up the report and started to read. Line by line, his frown grew.

"He killed the entire leadership of Tanto and the soldiers are refusing to come back…"

Crumpling the report into a ball, he let loose a surge of Soul Flames to devour the paper. It was one thing for his nephew to simply kill his soldiers, but it was another thing entirely to turn them against him.

Getting up, Sebastian went to the window. He was going to need a squad of his best to remind those cities that they were still ruled by the Council. With Coral and Venice gone, he would be stuck with the third rate teams. Something he hadn't been looking forward to.

Running a hand down his face, he returned to his desk and started writing down his orders. The squad he had in mind was strictly meant to leave the Valiant alone. Their only mission would be to return the cities to his control. That should be enough to help bring the soldiers back to the capital so they could prepare.

Pushing a button on his desk, he sent an alert out to the lobby. To his surprise, the same nekorian as before entered his room, her eyes fliting from corner to corner as she shook.

Holding up the folded piece of paper, he cleared his throat. "Read this over and find me a squad. Give them the orders."

Nodding, she quickly took the sheet and read it over. Looking up, her hand trembled as she waited for him to dismiss her. With a roll of his eyes, he shooed her away and watched the cat practically sprint out of the room.

"What are you going to do next, nephew?"

***

Victoria stopped outside a reinforced shelter in a desolate city in South Africa. Her team of cultivators were scouring the city of the remaining monsters, leaving her with peace of mind.

From city to city she had traveled, killing everything along the way. The Forsaken were nothing more than pests as they lost their wastelands and the world returned to normal. Even the scorching winds of night faded in the reclaimed territory after the rent was defeated. That was more than enough to push her to find the remaining facilities with the Valiants.

So far, she hadn't had any luck. Each facility she found was empty apart from old reports and dust. Skeletons rested on beds and monsters had breached most of the areas. But this one felt different.

Pulling open the door, she watched the pulsing red lights come to life. Descending under the city, she was followed, her way barely lit as dust cloyed her senses. Having passed through deserts and plains, she was beyond filthy. Her water Qi was nearly empty, but they were finally near the ocean again. After she finished with the city, her and her followers would take a small break. Only the two earth cultivators that had come with her were thriving.

I never thought I'd see the day that I worked alongside earth cultivators.

It was funny that James led her to her current position. Her city that she had strove to build was gone. Millions of people dead. Three of her elders were no more, and over half of her disciples were lost in the fight. Yet, she now found herself thriving and united in a new city that welcomed them with open arms.

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Her water cultivators worked well with getting running water spread throughout the city. The sewers flowed better and the demi-human district was repaired and modernized. Even the humans were mingling with the demi-humans, trading jobs and wares as if it had always been a part of their lives.

It was odd, and endearing.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Victoria didn't have to look for long before she started finding the residential sections of the facility. First, she found skeletons and tablets in English that told her what the facility was used for.

To her horror, she nearly dropped the first tablet. She had never been part of the Valiant projects and reading just a glimpse about what they had done to the teens and young adults was enough to leave her shaking.

Once the shaking stopped, she found herself filled with rage. She finally understood why James was hellbent on killing The Pact and why he hated humans. Even now, in the very facility she found herself in, his people were being kept alive. When she found them, she started crying.

The conditions they had been left in would haunt her dreams for the rest of her life. It took several long minutes to recover enough to do what she had to do. Using her Qi, she stopped their hearts painlessly, letting them fade into oblivion. One by one, she moved down the line and from room to room. By the time she was done, she was ready to throw up.

It was only through sheer force of will that she returned to the surface. She vaguely remembered her disciples trying to talk to her before they entered the facility and came back minutes later, pale and silent.

All thirteen of them left the city behind and went to the ocean. They still had more cities to search and more facilities to find. Victoria didn't understand how James wasn't killing the world. He had the power and yet, he asked humans for help. She knew he was tired and she finally felt the same. Hopefully when they met again, she'd be able to tell him his people were at rest.

***

James knocked over his king for the fifth time in a row while listening to Zenaria cackle in delight. The kitsune had thoroughly trashed him at chess and earned the right to brag to the others, even if he wanted to be petty.

"I'm not cleaning your tails tonight," he stated.

Her happiness died instantly. "What?"

"You heard me." Crossing his arms, he turned away.

Amber walked over and pulled his arms apart. "Don't be a sore loser, James. Zenaria is smarter than all of us and it's showing."

"Still not washing her," he grumbled. Turning, he glanced at Zenaria and immediately regrated it. The woman was crying and trembling as her tails swayed in the dirt. "Oh, come on!"

A weak sob escaped her as she crossed her arms and slowly walked away. Amber growled next to him before punching his arm. "Look what you did!"

Running a hand through his hair, he groaned. "How did this become a thing?"

"If you don't go after her, you're going to find yourself drowning in your bath."

Quickly walking after Zenaria, he caught up to her as she reached the edge of the party. "Stop."

Turning to him, she shuddered as tears dripped from her chin. Closing his eyes, he groaned again before pulling her into a hug. "I'll make sure to wash them extra well tonight."

Like a switch flipping, she threw her arms around him and nuzzled her cheek against his chest. "Thank you!"

"You know you don't have to manipulate me like that," he stated.

"Yes, but it's fun." Giggling, she pulled back to meet his eye. "I'm the only one it works for and I love you comforting me."

"You're such a tease." Pulling he back into a hug, he sighed. "When we reach the rent, we'll be moving swiftly to finish it. Are you going to be ready?"

"I think so. I'm not looking forward to the vines again."

"I'm not either," he admitted. Kissing the tip of her ear, he made her squirm. Perking up, he kissed it again.

"Stop!" she protested.

Pulling her closer, he kissed her other ear, making her fight against him. "I found your weakness," he teased.

"No you didn't!" she yelled while pushing against him.

Pulling her ear closer, he bit the edge, making her melt against him while moaning. With a chuckle, he let her go and started walking away. "It's a good thing it's Amber's night."

He swore he could feel her glare pierce his soul as she stormed after him. Picking up his pace, he fled back to the fort and pulled Amber in front of him to stop the kitsune.

"What the hell?" Amber shouted.

"Zenaria is going to kill me," James stated. "Help me!"

Peeking over Amber's shoulder, they both watched as the air crackled around Zenaria as she approached. "What did you do to her?" Amber questioned.

"I nibbled her ear."

"Of course you did." Holding up her hands, she waved at the kitsune. "Don't hurt me while you kill him!"

"I'm not going to kill him," Zenaria said with a sinister smile. Summoning her Soul Wires, she added, "I'm just going to tie him up for a bit of fun. Want to help me?"

"Uhh…no thanks." Stepping out of his grasp, Amber waved at them. "Don't damage the goods, Zenaria."

Before James could run, wires wrapped his body, securing his arms to his side. Hitting the ground, he knew he could break free but allowed himself to be dragged away.

Zenaria hummed happily as she pulled him into the fort. Coral peaked her head out of her room for a moment before squeaking and hiding. With a glance, James could see a manic expression on the kitsune.

"What are you going to do with me?" he asked.

"You'll see," she sang.

With his arms sealed by his side, he tried to wiggle away, only for her to throw him onto their bed and close the door behind her. With a few waves of her fingers, she pulled his arms and legs apart and secured him to the wall.

"Now that I have you alone, we are going to experiment," she said before loosening her shirt. "I hope you are ready to pay for teasing my ears."

Gulping at the intensity in her eyes, he knew he simply needed to give in. He did this to himself after all.

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