Disclaimer: This is a crossover fanfic between Brave Frontier and The Legendary Moonlight Sculptor. I don't own either of those; they belong to their respective owners, namely Gumi/Alim and Nam-Hi-Sung (남희성) respectively.
Disclaimer (extended): This crossover fanfic now also contains some elements from the Type-Moon universe, owned entirely by Kinoku Nasu. I don't own anything from there, either.
Throughout their journey through the Magutagal Wetlands, Zheiro found himself spending even more of his time fighting.
Between fighting off various monsters including those annoying harpies and practicing his combat skill with Thrycius, there was barely any time to do anything else— and before he knew it, they had cleared the area and received a gem.
"So… what should we do with that gem?" Zheiro asked. "You've already showed me how summoning works, so it's not like we need them anymore."
"You're right," Thrycius agreed. "I could always toss them away, but I'll hold onto it for now, just in case. Besides, I feel like we would get lynched by a mob of angry summoners if more gems were tossed away like trash."
Zheiro tilted his he as he looked at him questioningly, but decided not to ask.
"Which reminds me, actually," Zheiro suddenly remembered. "How did that Zellha copy you summoned know your name? I don't recall either of us mentioning your name before she said it."
"Hmm," Thrycius said. "This is a pretty good opportunity for you to practice putting your head to use. You've been catching on a lot to what I've been saying lately, after all. Why do you think she knew my name?"
Zheiro thought about it for a moment. "The only things I can think of," he said slowly, "Is that either the original Zellha knew you in her life, she was summoned with that knowledge thanks to the summoning magic."
"Hoh? You didn't even consider having remembered incorrectly?" Thrycius asked, grinning. "Regardless, how likely do you think both answers are?"
"I'm pretty sure I didn't remember incorrectly," Zheiro argued. "My memory's not that bad."
"How can you be so sure? Human memory is really quite malleable. A few words is already enough to cause someone to recall an event differently than they originally remember it. Actually, I bet you already forgot what we ate for lunch yesterday." Thrycius laughed.
"...Okay, I get the point. Then, out of the those three answers… I think it's highly unlikely that Zellha knew you before hand." Zheiro began. "In the first place, that copy of Zellha should only act according to ow the legends perceive her, right? Even if you were alive during her time, I doubt a storyteller like you would have been part of her legend."
"You're reasoning is not bad, but you're slightly mistaken there. You see, while she does act exactly as how the legends portray her," Thrycius lectured, "She still retains the memories she had from her life. Granted, some of it might be mistaken due to her legend's influence, but there's no reason for her to not remember, for example, a nameless villager she met just because that nameless villager never appeared in her legend. Really, it's such a complicated process that trying to explain it all in detail would probably take all day."
"I see," Zheiro said. "But even if that's the case, I still find it unlikely that Zellha had met you before, so that still makes that answer highly unlikely...so that just leaves the summoning magic informing her of your name, or as you suggested, I had recalled what happened incorrectly. "
"Well, based on what you do know, I suppose that is a viable conclusion," Thrycius nodded. "So, 40 points."
"What?" Zheiro blinked. "What are you talking about?"
"40 points out of a hundred. That's the score I give your conclusion." Thrycius smirked. "It's a logical conclusion, but you didn't explore all possible options, and was only able to come to two possible answers, three if you include my suggestion."
"I-I see…" Zheiro stuttered. "Then, what other options were available?"
"For example, given your lack of knowledge about the situation," Thrycius continued, "It wouldn't have been impossible for her to have read my mind during our short exchange. There was also that moment of silence where we stared at each other, which could have been talking using telepathy or some other sort of communication method. Another possibility, for example, would have been the argument that copies of the original retain their own memories, which are also added to the Archive of Legends. There are a lot more different answers one with your knowledge could have come up with."
"How would I know that Zellha would have the ability to read minds or use telepathy, as your examples state?" Zheiro protested. "I don't think it's fair of you to expect me to know that."
"That's because she doesn't have those abilities," Thrycius laughed. "I was simply giving you possible examples based on what you know and what you don't know. I mean, for all you know perhaps a little bird could have told her."
"There was no bird there, at least that much I remember clearly!" Zheiro continued protesting.
"Are you sure? I'm quite sure there might have been a bird there." Thrycius said with a grin.
"I'm pretty sure," Zheiro stated, although a bit less confidently than before.
Thrycius simply stared at him with the usual grin on his face.
"Well…." Zheiro finally hedged. "If you continue to insist, it might have been possible."
"Ha ha! And that's exactly what I mean by memory being quite malleable!" Thrycius laughed in response. "Yes, you were initially right; there really wasn't a bird there."
Zheiro sighed as he he placed a hand on his forehead. Like usual, Thrycius was as annoying as ever.
"Okay, I get it. My memory isn't as reliable as I thought it was," Zheiro admitted. "So? Is that all?"
"There's actually a lot more possible answers, but we don't need to go into them," Thrycius replied. "But before I tell you more, let's get started going through the next area. We don't have all day."
"Right," Zheiro sighed. "Just tell me along the way."
"This really is a place with a lot of history," Thrycius commented, running all over the place as he studied literally everything in sight.
Just watching him and his boundless energy was enough to make Zheiro feel exhausted already.
"I thought we were in a hurry," Zheiro finally pointed out, dragging his feet along.
Thrycius didn't even pause in his running as he continued making sure he left no stone untouched. "We may be in a hurry, but aren't you the one taking things slowly? I'm still ahead of you here, so don't mind me and catch up."
Zheiro turned to look at his companion, only to find himself staring at a Thrycius studying an entirely blank wall.
"Okay, I don't get it." Zheiro finally said. "What's so interesting about a wall?"
"Zheiro, this wall might just be a wall, but it's a wall that was once part of thousands of years of history. Here, the Ruins of Mirza, are the remnants of a structure built thousands of years ago, so there must be a lot of stories within! Why wouldn't I, a storyteller, be interested?"
"But... it's just a wall." Zheiro pointed out.
"Yes, you're right, it is a wall."
Silence.
"Okay, I give up. " Zheiro said, throwing his hands into the air. "Now, mind telling me why that Zellha copy knew your name?"
"Yeah, sure, after you fight off those monsters over there," Thrycius said, pointing to the side without even taking his gaze off the wall before him.
"Argh! Why are you so insufferable?!" Zheiro complained as he drew out his sword.
"Because it's fun, of course. Why else?" Thrycius replied.
Zheiro could only groan in annoyance as he stepped into battle.
"Okay, now that we are all done here, I suppose you're wanting to know why Zellha knew my name," Thrycius spoke up after the battle was over. "But seriously, you're awfully adamant about this. What's gotten into you?"
"Nothing. I just thought it was strange when neither of us spoke your name after she was summoned."
"Hmm? Well, it's no matter. Let me tell you this, however, it's entirely possible that Zellha met someone from my family," Thrycius said. "I come from a long line of Thryciuses. The name 'Thrycius' is both a title and a name in my family, and every storyteller from my family takes up the name Thrycius. So, it's not impossible for her to have met another Thrycius who looked like me. We all do look quite similar, after all."
Zheiro blinked. "Are you saying that every storyteller in your family was named Thrycius? That's a rather strange tradition."
"Yep. It's a family tradition. Since we all look so alike, it's more or less like saying the storyteller that is Thrycius shall live forever, even if 'Thrycius the storyteller' is actually made up of more than one Thrycius. Although, since you're not part of the family, I really shouldn't be telling you this, but oh well. Personally, I think this explanation is among one of the most likely of answers."
"So you don't actually know, then." Zheiro concluded.
"Well, I'm not Zellha. How should I know? I only know her legend, not what she like during her life. There's a difference, Zheiro. It may be possible she met one Thrycius or another, or perhaps she learned only after she was summoned, or even both." Thrycius shrugged, still grinning as usual. "Are you satisfied?"
Zheiro nodded. Considering what his companion had said, it wasn't like he would get ever get a concrete answer from him, but at the same time Zheiro felt that when Thrycius wanted to avoid answering a question, he probably had a good reason to do so.
Next time he wouldn't push it so much.
"Yeah, I guess I am satisfied," Zheiro finally said. "I won't tell others about your family tradition. Thanks for telling me, though."
"Ha ha! I'll hold you up to your word, then! Now, shall we continue? We still have quite a bit of ground to cover before our first checkpoint."
"We had a checkpoint?" Zheiro asked.
"Of course we do. There's something I will need you to practice there, and we won't be leaving until you get it right, so look forward to it. Once we're done, you'll be one step closer to mastering Moonlight Sculpting."
Zheiro nodded. Finally, he was actually starting to make progress on learning the art of Moonlight Sculpting!
A few days later, Zheiro found the exit already in sight.
They had cleared through the Remains of Mirza remarkably fast despite Thrycius examining everything, thought Zheiro.
Zheiro made his way towards the exit, but a petite, beautiful figure with glittering hair wielding a giant lance stopped them.
"The hell are you idiots doing?" she spoke, waving her lance in their direction. "Just leave already, nobody wants you here."
Zheiro could only stare as the lady completely ruined her image with her rudeness.
Thrycius, on the other hand, simply tilted one head to the side.
"A guardian of the ruins still remain? Interesting." Thrycius spoke aloud to no one in particular. "Hey, Zheiro, this is a good chance. Why not practice your skills against her?"
Zheiro shook his head furiously. There was no way he was ready to face a proper warrior yet!
"Hey, I'm over here! Don't just ignore me, you stupid louts!" The woman shouted at them.
"Yeah, feel free to ignore her, Zheiro. In any case, we'll have to beat her to get past here, so you might as well fight her. You might be more ready than you think."
"Really?" Zheiro asked, trying to ignore the rude lady as she counted to spout verbal abuse.
"Yeah, so go ahead. If you're having too much trouble, it just means I didn't teach you well enough, so I'll step in then. And—"
"I've had enough of that useless chatter coming from the hole you call a mouth!" The lady roared. "If you idiots won't leave, then I'll make you!"
"Oh shut it, Luna, I'm trying to have a conversation here," Thrycius lightheartedly replied with a laugh. "If you don't have patience to wait, you could always just step aside."
Everyone stopped in their tracks when Thrycius had called out her name.
"...Do I know you?" She asked, glaring at him.
"Nope. But I know you," Thrycius said with a laugh. "Now hurry up and go fight her, Zheiro, we don't have all day."
"Are you sure this is okay?" Zheiro asked worriedly.
"You just need to win, so relax. Besides, she's probably also another copy—"
"WHO JUST CALLED ME A FAKE?!"
Thrycius pointed at Zheiro before he could even react.
"YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!"
Zheiro could only groan in response as the rude woman charged at him.
The battle was over surprisingly quickly once Zheiro figured how to get in close.
Zheiro was a lot faster than he had thought, having experimented many times during his many battles against the quick flying harpies, which probably allowed him to do as well as he did in this battle.
When Luna first stepped in and lunged with her massive lance, cursing him all the while, Zheiro did not retreat, but sidestepped into range.
Luna quickly changed the point of the lance to match his position, however, forcing him to deflect the lance and retreat.
It's a lot faster to point a lance at a target than it is to move around said lance, Zheiro noted. And she had much better reach than he did, too.
"What's wrong, little boy, scared?" Luna taunted.
Undeterred, Zheiro did his best to maintain his distance until there was an opening for him to get closer.
Again Luna stepped in with another quick thrust, but this time Zheiro remembered his training.
Following the forms of the Seven Celestial Step, Zheiro stepped in once again, raising his sword.
It happened in an instant.
While the lance was still being thrust, it was deflected and caught between Zheiro's blade and crossguard, just as Thrycius had showed him, and in that same moment a single slash was all he needed to cut into Luna, who was unable to evade in time.
That exchange didn't even last a second.
Zheiro panted heavily, his body still tense, as he looked down at the fallen form of a woman.
"...Did I kill her?" Zheiro asked, slowly shaking his head as he backed away from her body.
"Relax, she's not dead. There's no way a guardian that tests adventurers here would die so easily. If you're that worried about her, I can tend to her. More importantly, that was a good first battle against another human." Thrycius said, placing a hand on Zheiro's shoulder. "Well done."
At that, Zheiro fell to his knees as the tension slipped out of him, exhaustion from the sheer amount of concentration he had put into the fight apparent.
"Ha ha! Tired, are we? I guess I'll let you rest, since this was your first battle against another human, especially against one with a lance. Next time, however, I won't allow you to rest after every opponent. But for now, feel free to get some rests, because tomorrow will be your first real challenge."
"What is wrong with this place?"
Sarui, after leaving the Cave of Flames, had found herself among the frozen wastelands that was otherwise known as the Egor Snowfields.
"It's far too cold and humid here. It would take forever to finish even one painting if I have to wait for each layer to dry before adding the next." Sarui frowned as she talked to herself. "And this place is so boring and dreary. If I had time I would have this place completely redesigned, or even entirely removed, for art. But I've already spent long enough in those caves, and I have a sculptor to catch."
Sarui thought about it for a moment, but it didn't take Sarui long to come to a decision.
"I'll just have to come back later after I finish my duel with that sculptor," Sarui said, nodding sagely to herself. "Yes, that seems like the correct course of action."
And thus, she ran straight through the icy wasteland without a second thought.
Later that same day:
"Mm. This place is much better." Sarui said, nodding to herself as she walked through the woods. "It's not as nice as those caves back then, but there's a lot of things here I can use for different pigments."
Taking a step forward, Sarui looked around, observing her surroundings.
"Seems like I'm right on track. Who else but a sculptor would leave all these sculptures lying around?" Sarui commented, reaching down to pick one up. "Although, these aren't really all that great...but of course! All of these must be failures, seeing as he left them behind!"
Nodding in satisfaction to herself, she tossed the sculpture to the side before walking off.
Unfortunately, the sculpture she tossed aside just had to hit a certain plant.
"KYAAAAAAAA—"
"Oh shut up," Sarui said, kicking the mandragora. "Actually..."
The mandragora opened its mouth to scream again, but instead found itself withering under the scrutinizing gaze of Sarui.
"...You look like something I could get pretty good paint pigment from."
Later, there would be reports of a crazy lady who, while charging through the Forest of Beasts, left a trail of destruction in her wake, easily ripping both monsters and plants alike into pieces without discrimination.
A/N: Sarui is crazy scary, but crazy Sarui is still best Sarui.
You all will find out more about Sarui eventually, but for now more jokes with Sarui for the sake of amusement.
Anyway, this chapter was a lot harder than one might think for me to write. Meh. Special thanks to Restire on the BF wiki for proofreading this chapter as well.
A few things I should probably talk about, but first, waaaall.
Okay, now that I have that joke out of the way: First, Luna. The reason I had her appear here, despite not having other units show up during the journey, was because the ingame text says that there was a warrior in Remains of Mirza who would test adventurers before letting them past. However, in the other areas, the ingame text said that those warriors were summoned by Maxwell, who was already defeated by the player character. Yes, this takes place around the same time you, the player, goes through the story of BF or later. Not before.
Since Luna is apparently just there to test adventurers, here she is. A fight scene that so many of you were probably starving for, even if it was brief.
Also, why is it so hard to keep Luna's dialogue PG-13 while still making sure it's full of verbal abuse. As amusing of a character she is because of that trait, it's not easy for me who has a hard time intentionally being rude to write out her lines. orz
Also, fighting a lance user with a sword is actually very difficult, so good job, Zheiro.
And as for why I'm uploading chapters en masse, it's because I've already uploaded them on the BF wiki first. That's why if you decide to read this story here, you'll probably have to wait longer, but at the same time can read multiple chapters at once. This one should have slightly more extensive editing though. Probably. I do try to update edits that I make, after all.
Anyway, like usual, please leave a comment even if you didn't like it; constructive criticism is always helpful. Thanks!