Cryptotrappers!

Cryptotrappers- The Fox Queen's Festival

Something that looked like a gong turtle, that I now know is a Shogōrō rang out at the front of the festivities, in front of a huge stage. It called out in a croaky voice.
"The proceedings will happen now."
Everyone gathered around the stage. The curtains went up to show Nikki, nine tailed and looking entirely more spiritual, and Randy, actually surprisingly well dressed. Even besides that though he looked like he'd spent the day in a cage. Besides them was another yokai known as a Suzuhiko Hime, a form of possessed bell. It appeared she was a wedding officiant. Randy went to the front of the stage and began to speak.

"Well hello. Large attendance today. Cats, birds, even those weird dogs with human faces!"
A Hōkō in the audience snarled at him in response.
"Well anyway, a few years back I would have thought it would be great to marry a Kitsune. But now it's actually happening. I met Nikki here a few days ago, so honestly this is going a bit fast for my liking. In fact this ceremony is going fairly well. A few years back I set up the wedding for my best friend at the time.  Honestly I thought it went well. Nobody else seemed to and the marriage broke up a few weeks later. But anyway-"
"You're stalling." Nikki hissed, cutting him off.
"You're right I am." Randy continued. "There is little chance of escape for me in this scenario and I'm stalling to see if there's a way I can do so. So far I've calculated the chance of me surviving if I dash off to my right into the forest. It's very low. But higher than if I stay."
With that, Randy dashed towards the forest, with the now furious Nikki chasing him down. We revealed ourselves and began chasing her down too, followed by a small entourage of the audience. A sound of scuffle in front of us slowed us down, but in the time we had slowed, the other Yokai had caught up. In a flash of orange stripes a Nue had taken down Sid and pinned him to the ground. Lucy struggled in the wide white wolffish arms of the Inugami. Eva was held in place by the Shami Chōrō, though she really wasn't struggling much. Miraculously, I was left untouched. But something in me told me that wasn't an oversight, I was left alone for a reason. With nothing better to do than bargain, I approached Randy and Nikki.

"So you're here." Nikki said as I stepped into view, rifle to hand if things went awry. Randy was stood just behind her, pinned to a tree by the ceremonial dagger through the shoulder of his top.
"So I am." I replied coolly. "But why am I here if everyone else has been taken prisoner? There's clearly a reason you didn't have me pinned down too, so explain yourself."
Nikki looked down, before regaining her composure.
"We were reached out to by an association. I wasn't told their true name, or anything really. But we attained a compromise. Somehow, they knew you'd come here. We were to be given full protection from anyone who would try to attack us. I had full permission to defend my territory and my people, if I needed to. However, no matter what, don't kill the boy if he comes, that's what they told me. Do everything you can to keep him alive. And so I am. This ceremony will be completed. And when it is, your associates will have their fate decided by council. But you can go."

I was left reeling. Who, and why, contacted a Kitsune for the specific purpose of keeping me alive? What was the organisation that wanted me alive specifically? I took a step back and cocked my rifle.
"Stand down. I don't want to shoot, but I will." I called out, my voice slightly shaky from the news I had been given. Nikki's face looked dark, as if she was brooding, though she faced away from me.
"So you won't leave, despite my allowance. You'd fight for your friends."
Suddenly she turned, snatching the dagger from Randy's shoulder as he fell panting to the floor and scurried off to the side.
"Then you will fight for your friends in ritual combat!" she yelled, pointing the stone dagger towards my chest. "This dagger shall be yours to wield. Your opponent shall be me!"

With that Nikki crouched and changed. Her face elongated into that of a fox, and her limbs became thinner, houndlike. Her fingers morphed into sharp claws. Nikki, now looking more fox than human, charged at me, claws outstretched. I threw myself to the left just in time, rolling to a stand. I rushed in with the dagger but she turned and knocked my hand to the side with her clawed paw. I barely ducked in time to avoid a side swipe. Dashing backwards, I jumped to the side as her sharpened claws hit bark, cleaving a deep mark into the tree.
"That's not going to look good to the Kodama." I panted.
"Shut up and stop moving!" Nikki screamed, charging in for another flailing assault on me. Clearly she was fighting on emotion, and despite my tiredness, my calmness gave me the edge. As I sidestepped her vicious attack, I threw the dagger with all my strength in her direction. It missed muscle, but pinned the vixen to one of the trees by her scruff.
"Now order the release of my team." I ordered. A burst of flame erupted from the Kitsune's body, and the dagger fell to the floor as she lifted into the air.

"Even in a fight you're a pacifist. But all the same. I was bested. You can all leave. But never seek this place again."
As Nikki turned to leave, she turned to me one more time.
"Oh, and a message. From the organisation. I don't know what it means myself, but you might. They say, 'The Gallows was a front. The Amber-Clad still remain'."
And with that Nikki vanished in a blinding burst of flame. Eva, Sid and Lucy suddenly burst onto the scene to rendezvous with me and Randy, who finally reentered the scene from the forest.
"Michael, are you OK?" Eva asked. "You look like you've seen Hell itself."
"I... need to talk to you all..." I gasped.

Back at the shop, and after I explained everything that had transpired, the room was filled with grim faces.
"I really thought it was over." Eva muttered. "You're certain that Elizabeth didn't make it out alive when the base was destroyed?"
"People don't just live a Wyvern attack from that close a range. She was either incinerated or devoured." I solemnly stated. "But somehow, there's still a shadow organisation running everything behind the scenes. A shadow organisation that relates to those people in the yellow cloaks. I don't know who they are, but for some reason they're intent on keeping me alive."
Silence filled the room. Neither Sid, nor Randy, nor Lucy could say anything on the situation. I was left in thought, unsure of what to think.