Elemental Cats

In order to keep up his act as someone who knew what they were doing, Toz kept his cool and faced the robed figure that had spoken to them.

"Just to make sure we're on the same page here. We, me and you two, will engage in a light-hearted fight before you bring me back to ensure my status and value as a hostage, after which you demand a ransom, and then I'm free to go?"

The robed figure turned back and gave his companion a look before turning back to Toz.

"That does sound about right. Though we won't be fighting directly."

Toz was a little curious about what the robed figure meant, but he was more curious about something else. The robed figures' confidence.

"What makes you so sure you will be able to defeat me without issue? Just asking since I've always been curious about the abilities of the Tribe of Death."

The robed figure didn't seem too keen on explaining all the details and stepped back next to his companion.

"You'll see."

For some reason, the figure's ethereal voice sent a shiver down Toz's spine. And for some reason, it had nothing to do with the voice itself. He just had a bad premonition regarding the words. And it felt like he would find out why in just a few moments.

The dark air surrounding them, creating a separate world of darkness, trembled, and several silhouettes became visible.

At the same time, one of the figures said something.

"These guys should explain whatever you wish to know."

Following those words, the first figure fully showed itself.

"Toz."

"Yeah, Lucy?"

"I wanna cry."

"Me too, buddy."

Toz's voice wasn't as tearful as Lucy's, but he wasn't far from it. His gaze was locked on the figure and the silhouettes behind it, and the only thing Toz found comfort in was that Nil was asleep in the familiar space. However, that did nothing to assuage their feelings of terror, at least Toz's and Lucy's. Mindle was also slightly frightened, but it was more due to being affected by Toz and Lucy and the ghost stories they had told her rather than actually being afraid due to her own fear.

Scrael and Asilean were focused on their opponent, who had stepped out of the curtain of darkness. But Toz and Lucy's reactions were distracting them. They were worried in case something happened, but they had enough trust in Toz to direct that worry to Lucy.

"Lucy, what's the issue? Now isn't the time for you to get your fur in a swirl."

"Asil, how are you standing right now? Don't you see what's in front of us?"

"An enemy?"

"A twitnipping zombie!"

That got Scrael to frown.

"A zombie?"

"An existence that goes against the providence of the universe! Something that shouldn't exist! Can't you see that!?"

"Lucy, Lucy. Lucy…!"

"You killed that bastard a few days ago. You killed that bastard dead! And now it's moving and walking. On its own!"

"Lucy!"

"Things don't work like that!"

"Calm down!"

Scrael's shout startled Lucy into shrinking back and at least calming down enough to stop shouting. After Lucy quietened down, Toz bent down and patted Lucy.

"Lucy. I think that this might be our moment."

"Our moment?"

"Yeah. This moment right here is an opportunity for us to grow and become better than our previous selves. This moment can become the fuel for our future development. Lucy, do you understand?"

"B-but…?"

"Lucy."

"Y-yeah."

"I don't even think that's a real zombie."

"It's not?"

"Think about it. Does it make sense for zombies to exist? No, right?"

"That's true. But then what is that?"

While asking, Lucy pointed toward the zombie Stone Demon, who politely waited while Toz and the cats sorted themselves out. That was something that supported Toz's next words.

"I think it might be a puppet."

"Like a marionette or something?"

"Exactly. Doesn't it make sense if people from the Tribe of Death control people suffering from death?"

"Yeah! That does make sense."

"Right."

"But how do we defeat them? It?"

Toz responded with silence.

Lucy waited with wide, eager eyes. But Toz didn't answer even after a while. Toz and Lucy stared at each other with an audience consisting of the other cats, the two robed figures, the Zombie Stone Demon, and the ghoulish remains of the buffalos that appeared behind them.

Toz and Lucy did their best to ignore the half-desiccated buffalo corpses that stood up and walked around next to the Zombie Stone Demon as they did their best to brainwash themselves to believe that they weren't dealing with proper undead.

They were only facing puppets made from corpses. It would be even better if they could make themselves believe that they were only up against puppets made to look like corpses.

Eventually, after several moments of shared hypnosis, Toz's and Lucy's eyes glazed over. They stood up and turned to face their opponents with stiff movements.

Mindle, Scrael, and Asilean were still worried, but since Toz and Lucy were moving and almost responding to their words of concern, they didn't do anything other than keep an extra eye on the two.

The three cats exchanged glances before standing next to Toz and Lucy, who were slowly beginning to look more like puppets than the zombies they were facing.

Sensing Toz and the cats finally getting ready to try and resist, the robed figures motioned for the Zombie Stone Demon with a reattached arm and a cat's paw patterned scorch mark on its chest to move. The buffalo corpses also started moving and spread out next to the Stone Demon.

All their opponents had clear signs of the attacks that killed them, which made facing them even scarier. But Toz and Lucy had managed to clear their minds enough to forget that they were facing opponents that they had already killed, so Toz and the cats were practically as ready to fight as ever.

Toz and the cats faced the Zombie Stone Demon and the zombie buffalo herd fighting on behalf of the tribesmen of Death.