The Vixen's Gambit: Tonight We Hunt

A white-haired man sat on the ground. He looked a bit older than Kevin, but unlike Kevin's sunny prince vibe, this guy looked… world-weary.

What shocked Lee were his injuries. Most of his body was frozen solid; the rest was an unsettling greyish-white. Those injuries would kill a normal person, even Lee herself, several times over… yet he was alive.

His wounds were slowly but surely healing. He'd be moving again soon. Not only that, he was conscious.

But more eye-catching than the man himself was the frosty mess in front of him, what was once probably the Herrscher of Ice, along with her core.

"Did you do this?"

"Yeah."

"Impressive…" Lee said, already assessing the man. Based on his ridiculous strength alone, he was definitely a major player, at least 85% energy efficiency.

Gotta farm that goodwill!

Too bad I don't know his personality. Hard to tailor my approach…

"I'm Lee. I was sent to take her down, but looks like I don't need to." Lee looked around at the frozen ruins. "Was this your home?"

"…Maybe."

He didn't seem too happy, which Lee understood. Having your home wrecked by a Herrscher and being turned into a popsicle weren't exactly cheerful experiences.

He was still surprisingly calm. Must be a very stable guy.

"What's your name?"

"…Kalpas."

"Kalpas? Cool name~" Lee smiled, crouching down beside him. "I wish I had something for frostbite, but you seem to be healing…"

Lee's eyes landed on a nearby pit leading underground. Unlike the frozen village, the area around the pit was scorched, with no snow or ice. It practically screamed, "I have secrets!"

"Mind if I take a look?"

"…Do what you want." Kalpas still wasn't talkative.

"Thanks. Be right back~"

The pit was deeper than Lee expected, but clearly man-made, not a natural cave. Some kind of large underground structure.

It was pitch black, but Lee used her Seven Thunders as a makeshift flashlight.

When she reached the bottom, the sight surprised her.

"Well, this is…"

Lee increased the light output, illuminating the charred remains of…

"A sacrificial chamber?"

The walls were blackened, but faint markings were still visible: strange, intricate symbols. In the center stood a massive, twisted pillar, wrapped in thick, broken chains.

I thought this was sci-fi, not a cult horror movie…

Those chains are thick. No normal villager could break them. So… they sacrificed Kalpas, the guy who tore apart the Herrscher of Ice?

Was it a "He has monster powers, so he must be a monster!" thing, or a "He's strong, so sacrificing him will appease the gods!" thing?

Maybe they thought eating his flesh would give them his powers… that's not impossible.

But why would Kalpas go along with it?

Was he a saint? Close to the villagers? Just didn't want to leave?

Lee wasn't going to judge the villagers without knowing the full story. It seemed cruel and ignorant, but Kalpas still considered this his home. He didn't seem to hate them. He even risked his life fighting the Herrscher who killed them.

Plus, with Kalpas's strength, no number of normal people could restrain him, let alone chain him to a pillar.

It reminded Lee of the manga Fire Punch. In a frozen wasteland, the protagonist, Agni, lets the villagers eat his regenerating flesh to survive… cannibalism sounds horrific, but Agni was fine with it. Just assuming the villagers were evil would be irresponsible.

Besides, even if Lee wanted to do something, the Herrscher of Ice hadn't left any villagers to judge…

But Kalpas must be a nice guy to go through all that…

Lee shook her head and turned to leave.

I think I get him now. Cold on the outside, warm on the inside. Values belonging… something like that.

How to farm his goodwill… maybe I can use the Shoko experience? Denji and Power were also starved for love and belonging…

As Lee walked out of the pit, she saw Kalpas, still covered in frostbite, slowly walking towards the village exit.

"Kalpas, where are you going?" Lee hurried after him. "You're still hurt. You shouldn't move."

"Doesn't matter." He ignored her.

"But where are you going?"

"Don't know." He wasn't friendly, but he did answer her questions. Maybe he didn't know how to say no?

He was clearly lost, just as Lee suspected.

"If you don't know where to go…"

Lee smiled, blocking his path. "Want to come with me?"