Taming the Beast World with a Frying Pan-Chapter 113: Midnight Ride on the Fox Express

Ren huddled deeper into the borrowed warmth.

Vex’s coat was massive on her. It swamped her petite frame, making her look like a child playing dress-up in her father’s winter gear. But oh, was it comfortable.

It smelled incredible, too. It was a heady mix of sharp pine needles, cool wild mint, and... roses?

Ren sniffed the collar discreetly. Yes, definitely roses. It was the scent of the bar of soap she had traded him for information.

’He’s actually using it,’ she thought, surprised. ’The Big Bad Fox Shaman smells like a florist.’

But the pleasant aromatherapy was the only good thing about her current situation.

Keeping up with Vex in the pitch-black forest was an Olympic sport she was failing at miserably. The darkness was absolute, a thick blanket that hid every root, rock, and hole.

"Ouch!"

Ren tripped over a gnarled root, barely catching herself on a tree trunk before face-planting. Her cut foot, though it had fortunately stopped bleeding, throbbed with a dull, rhythmic ache with every step. Her toes were frozen, her coordination was shot, and she missed her shoes with a longing usually reserved for lost lovers.

’I will never take sneakers for granted again,’ she vowed silently, hopping on one foot to regain her balance. ’If I ever get back to Earth, I’m hugging my Nikes.’

Vex, who moved through the shadows like a wisp of smoke, stopped. He turned back, his silhouette barely visible against the gloom. He realized she wasn’t just slow; she was struggling.

"Do you want me to carry you?" Vex questioned, his voice smooth.

Ren opened her mouth to refuse—her pride already bruised enough for one night—but Vex didn’t wait for an answer.

The silhouette shifted.

It expanded, cracked, and reformed.

Ren watched in awe as the tall, lean man dissolved into a swirl of energy and reshaped himself in the blink of an eye.

Standing before her was no longer a man, but a beast.

He was massive. A giant, majestic fox with fur the color of a burning sunset. He was easily the size of a horse, his muscles rippling beneath the thick coat. Behind him, three large, bushy tails swept the ground, glowing faintly with spiritual energy.

He lowered his front body, kneeling in the dirt like a well-trained steed. He turned his large head toward her, his intelligent orange eyes glowing in the dark.

’Climb on,’ his voice echoed in her mind, a telepathic nudge.

Ren froze. She looked at his broad, furry back. Then she looked down at herself.

She was wearing a coat. And nothing else.

If she climbed onto his back and rode him... she would be straddling him. Her bare thighs, her most intimate areas... pressed directly against his fur.

Her face flushed a nuclear red.

"I... I can’t," Ren stammered, clutching the coat tight. "I’m... you know... underneath this..."

’So?’ Vex tilted his head. ’It is just fur, Little Rose.’

"It’s weird!" Ren hissed. "It feels... indecent! I have some dignity left, you know!"

She folded her arms, determined to preserve her last shred of modesty. She would rather limp.

[System Interjection: Error 404: Dignity Not Found.]

The blue screen popped up right in front of her face.

[System Analysis: Host, you just performed a sex act on the Snake King in an open space, stripped naked in a freezing river, and flashed the Fox Shaman. Your dignity left the building long ago. Just mount the sexy fox already. Or would you prefer to step on a "Exploding Puss-Filled Toadstool"? There is one three feet to your left.]

Ren’s jaw dropped. She glared at the screen.

She wanted to argue. But Vex spoke again, interrupting her internal squabble.

’Do not worry,’ Vex projected, his mental voice sounding amused. ’My fur is clean. And I promise not to look back.’

Ren looked at the dark, treacherous path ahead. She looked at her throbbing foot. She looked at the giant, warm, fluffy fox who was offering her a free ride.

With an exasperated sigh that released a cloud of white vapor into the cold air, Ren gave up.

"Fine."

She walked over to him. She grabbed a handful of the thick, silky fur at his scruff.

"If you drop me, I’m making a scarf out of your tails," she threatened weakly.

She swung her leg over his broad back.

It was... incredibly warm. The fur was soft and thick, cushioning her bare skin instantly. She settled into the dip of his spine, the coat flaring out around her like a blanket.

’Hold on tight,’ Vex warned.

Ren leaned forward, wrapping her arms around his thick neck and burying her face in his mane to shield herself from the wind.

"Okay, I’m—"

WHOOSH.

Ren’s stomach was left behind at the starting line.

Vex bolted.

He didn’t run; he flew. He tore through the forest with a speed that defied physics for a creature of his size. He wove through the dense trees with fluid grace, leaping over fallen logs and bounding across ravines.

The wind roared in Ren’s ears. The cold air nipped at her exposed calves and face like shards of glass, stinging her skin.

She tried to open her eyes to see where they were going, but the world was a smear of black and grey. Her eyes watered instantly from the velocity, the tears tracking cold lines toward her ears.

"Slow down!" she tried to yell, but the wind snatched the words from her mouth.

She squeezed her eyes shut, burying her face deeper into his pine-scented fur, holding on for dear life as the Fox Express broke the sound barrier.

They traveled like that for what felt like minutes, or maybe hours.

Then, gradually, the motion changed. The frantic bounding smoothed out. The wind died down.

Vex slowed to a trot, then a walk, and finally, a complete stop.

Ren’s heart was still galloping in her chest. She slowly uncurled her fingers from his fur. She raised her body from her crouching position, peeling her face away from his neck.

She pried her clenched eyes open, blinking away the wind-tears.

"Are we..."

Her voice trailed off.

Ren’s green eyes widened to the size of saucers. Her mouth fell open.

She had expected a cave. She had expected a hole in the ground.

She had not expected this.