What's this, a damn fetch quest?
First they asked Erlhard who said he'd ask around, then he pointed them at the seamstress so they asked her, who then said they'd need something called Magic Thread so she pointed them at the magic shop.
The owner of which Naofumi already knew, since he was given a couple magic texts by her as thanks for saving her granddaughter from the Wave of Catastrophe. The pudgy woman dressed like a witch greeted their party warmly.
Needless to say, it was quite a culture shock to Kuro, who was kind of still in the mindset that anyone having the ability to cast magic would jealously hoard knowledge about it.
Their party leader was about to ask about Magic Thread when the woman just talked over him and ushered Firo and Kuro in front of an orb to check their magic affinities. Of course, Kuro's was already known, but everyone remained quiet about it because this was her first time interacting with this world's magic and they were curious about the result.
"Let's see...you have an affinity for wind magic, my girl," the witch announced.
"Yay! Firo can do wind magic!" the filolial girl cheered.
Then, Kuro stepped in front of the orb, scrutinizing it as the witch did her thing.
"And you have an affinity for..." the woman trailed off, pursing her mouth, "I'm afraid all I can tell you is that you are suited for non-elemental magic. I've heard of orbs that can be used to get more specific information, but those are few and far between."
"It's fine, I already know what sort of magic I'm good at," Kuro reassured.
"Oh? Do tell," the witch said, looking at her expectantly.
"Wouldn't you like to know?"
The magic shop owner chuckled good-naturedly at the answer. "Oh, I've met your sort before, all secretive about your magic. Getting an answer out of you is like pulling teeth. Though, you also typically do have a good reason for it."
"Indeed," the white haired girl confirmed, leaving the subject at that. She already had Erlhard grimace at her when she smirked at him using a cloth to hold the papier-mache Hrunting as he returned it.
"Now can you tell us if you have any Magic Thread before our leader loses his patience?" she asked wryly, hearing her Master sigh in relief behind her.
"Oh! I'm sorry, I haven't even heard you out what you're here for, have I?" the witch asked with an embarrassed smile, "Magic Thread you say? Has one of you discovered you have the ability to transform, then?"
"Firo, show her," Naofumi ordered.
"Okay, Papa," the girl agreed, making Naofumi grimace at the reminder that even though Firo listened to him now, she also deferred to Kuro more than him.
With a poof, the girl was replaced with a Filolial Queen.
"Oh my," the witch exclaimed, "It is the other way then? A monster that can transform into a human? How fascinating."
"It's something she can do because she's a Filolial Queen, apparently," Naofumi deadpanned.
"Truly? Is she perhaps the one you rode to race the Spear Hero?"
"Yeah- wait, how do you even know about that?"
"I do visit my grandchild from time to time, Shield Hero," the woman said, rolling her eyes before walking up to Firo. "What beautiful plumage you have," she complimented, making the filolial preen.
"So why is Magic Thread so important, anyways? The seamstress tried to explain but we didn't really get it," Naofumi asked, thinking back to the girl that reminded him of an otaku classmate he knew back on Earth.
"When transforming into an animal, which is already a finicky art by itself, us witches had to come up with an alternative that didn't involve tearing clothes every time we did it, especially in public," the witch explained, "So we found a way to create cloth out of our own mana, which in animal form remained with us in the form of magical energy, then would become cloth again when turning back into a human."
Kuro hummed, focusing on a different detail in the explanation than her Master. "Is transforming into an animal something that can't be learned by us outsiders then?"
"Ah, unfortunately not. The potential to perform that kind of magic is something that appears exclusive to our circles," the witch paused, now looking at Firo, "Usually, at least."
"So how would we go about making Magic Thread for Firo, then?" the Shield Hero redirected the conversation, who found himself having to do so a lot recently.
"It's quite simple, really. All you would have to do is have Firo crank a wheel on a device I have in the backroom which would convert her mana into thread."
"I'm sensing a 'But' there."
"You are right, unfortunately. The crystal that is the most important part of the device is broken, and it is difficult to find a replacement with the current state of the market."
'This is really going to be a fetch quest, isn't it?' Kuro thought with trepidation as she listened to the conversation.
Naofumi clicked his tongue in frustration. "Is there any other way to get one?"
Wait for it...
"Well...there are rumours of a cave near some ruins not too far from here holding a great amount, but it is something of a longshot. People have also been avoiding it because of the monsters that have taken up residence in the area."
And there it is.
The dark-haired man hummed, holding his chin in thought. "Would we have to pay less if we did get you a crystal?"
"You truly are a penny-pincher like the villagers said, aren't you?" the witch snickered, earning a frown from Naofumi, "Yes, I would let you use the device for free in that case."
"Then we're going. Where's the cave?"
~~o0o~~
"Seriously, why are you here? We can handle ourselves."
"But of course I'm coming with you. How else are you going to tell you've found the right crystal?"
"Urk."
Damn. It wasn't just a fetch quest, but an escort mission too.
The party plus a witch pulled up near the entrance to some ruins carved into a mountain cliff, disembarking and slipping out under the reins in Firo's case in short order.
"So, this is the one then?" Naofumi asked, looking at the entrance in the mountain cliff that was not too dissimilar to a dungeon entrance in an RPG.
"Oh, no. The one we're looking for is supposed to be a bit further off to the side and goes under the ruins," the witch clarified, "The temple entrance you're seeing right now is rumored to have been the hideout of an evil alchemist."
The party followed the witch's lead and searched until they came upon a big crack in the side of the mountain.
"What about this one?"
"Hmm...I'm not completely sure, but this could be it. Only one way to find out!" the woman exclaimed, tucking herself through.
"I swear old lady, if you lead us into some death trap in there that could get us killed, I'm holding you responsible," Naofumi complained, signalling everyone to follow the witch.
"Oh come now, where's your sense of adventure?"
"My sense of self-preservation beat it into submission."
Shortly, the party found itself in what looked like a ruined lab which had a big chest placed on a dais.
Huh.
It was like they found the shortcut you'd usually use to get out of the dungeon after you reached the end of it, Frostrim style.
"It seems we still got into the alchemist's hideout. Perhaps he chose this place for the crystals we're looking for?" the witch wondered aloud.
Letting curiosity get the better of him, Naofumi walked straight up to the big chest and lifted the unlocked lid, only to find it empty. Looking around to check if he missed anything, he noticed a tablet with inscriptions nearby.
"Hey old lady, can you read this?" he asked, motioning to the tablet.
"This is some very old script, but I can read it," she answered, clearing her throat, "'To ye who wouldst break the seal of the seed. T'is mine desire that this seed ne'er be released unto the world. T'will play with people's desire to be freed from hunger, granting their wish in the worst way imaginable. The seal is not so easily broken.'"
"Well...let's hope the one who took it knows what they're doing," the Shield Hero said, shrugging, "Let's move on."
The party moved out of the room, investigating the area. Soon enough, a broken wall leading into a tunnel that fit what they were looking for was found, and they headed in.
"The fresh monster footprints are concerning, but it is another sign that adds to the credibility of the crystal being here," the witch observed as they walked.
With a nod from Naofumi, the rest of the party unsheathed their weapons and fell into their usual formation.
Her Master would definitely say otherwise, but Kuro was sure that even he felt the excitement of having an adventure in a dungeon. She was scanning the walls and floor for what could be triggers for traps or secret passages when she heard it.
"Who am I kidding, I know who I summoned. I wish I could've gotten the actual EMIYA Archer or Illya instead, not this second-hand copy."
What.
"There really isn't any point to keeping her around. I should just order her to kill herself and try to summon someone else."
The first thing Kuro heard already brought her past the boiling point of the anger (Illya was the name that originally belonged to her, dammit!), and the second was pouring oil on a fire, but even that couldn't mask the sharp pang of hurt in her chest. The white-haired girl genuinely thought she and her Master were getting along really well.
The Servant was about to interrogate Naofumi at arrowpoint when a mass of feathers crashed into her.
"No! Papa, Auntie, don't abandon Firo! Firo'll be good, Firo promises!"
"Firo hates Auntie. Firo is hungry. Firo could make two problems go away at the same time!"
Firo thought they wanted to abandon her? And what was that weird overlap in her voice that was like she was saying two things at the same time? What was going on?
Kuro sneezed and sniffled as she pulled her face away from the plumage trying to get into her nose. Wait! The smell of a spell was clinging to them. She didn't notice because she was too preoccupied with what she was hearing, but now...could they be trapped in some sort of illusion?
"Fast Anti-Bind!"
A flash of light illuminated the tunnel, revealing flying and crawling critters around them alongside battered party members.
"Don't listen to them! These monsters make you hear the last thing you want to hear to attack you when you're off guard!" the witch shouted.
"N-Naofumi-sama, you won't sell me because you have Kuro now?" the Tanuki girl asked with a quiver in her voice.
"Of course not! I summoned her to help keep you safe!" Naofumi shouted incredulously.
"O-oh..."
"It was all fake? Papa and Auntie won't abandon Firo?" Firo asked weakly.
"No, we won't, Firo," Kuro patted the filolial in reassurance as she chuckled weakly. The monsters really got her, didn't they? The white haired girl has honestly forgotten about the issue entirely with everything else going on at the time, but she never really got over having her name given to someone else, has she?
As the surprise passed and reassurances were passed around, the party quickly remembered the cause of their grievances and turned their sights on the critter monsters, attacking them with vehemence.
[New Shield: Voice Gengar Shield
Ability (locked) sound wave endurance (small)
Special Effect: Megaphone]
"What's that shield do, Papa?" Firo asked as she watched Naofumi fiddle with his new unlock.
"It uh...makes your voice very loud," he explained as he examined the useless-looking tool.
"So this is why they said some adventurers went insane in these caves," the witch commented offhandedly.
"Why didn't you tell us before?!" the Shield Hero snapped at her, expressing the rest of the party's sentiments.
"Oh, adventurers make up all sorts of stories to cover up their failures, so I ignored those rumors," she answered in the same nonchalance, making the party behind her collectively groan as she went further into the tunnel at a relaxed pace.
After they had recovered and patched themselves up, the party shortly caught up to the witch to find her waiting for them at the entrance to a wider cavern that had a good portion of it covered in glowing crystals.
"Pretty..." Firo whispered with glitters in her eyes.
"Is this what we're looking for?" Naofumi asked in a low voice.
"It is, but we have a final obstacle before us," the witch answered, pointing her staff to a figure laying in the center of the chamber.
It looked like...the best description for it would be an asian chimera. Instead of the typical lion-goat-eagle-snake, it was a mixture of a monkey, tanuki, tiger and snake.
"Do we retreat? The Nue is a rather unusual monster that uses lightning."
"Well..." the Shield Hero paused to consider how it had taken three Heroes to kill one in the last Wave, but two figures dashed ahead with a battlecry before he could say anything.
"It appears they already picked for you," the shop owner chuckled, "I'll support you with magic from behind."
"I was about to say we can take it," Naofumi snapped back mulishly, only serving to make the witch start laughing instead, much to his chagrin.
"I'll support from above," Kuro sent to him as she dashed by, scaling the crystal formations on the wall.
Raphtalia and Firo charged straight at the rudely awoken chimera, and started raining down a flurry of kicks and strikes on it.
"Hyah!" "Take that!"
Unfortunately, it quickly became apparent that the Nue was much faster than either of them - after the initial attacks that got in some scratches and nicks, it began dodging nearly every single one of their attacks, and soon enough, it started going on the offensive, striking out with its claws.
Before its attacks could reach them however, Naofumi slipped in just in time to tank the attack, making his shield resound with a clang. The strike had such force that his arm ached from the vibrations.
"Ugh! Can't you think for a second before you rush in? What if I hadn't made it in time?!" Naofumi shouted behind himself in a scathing tone.
"I was still angry because of the voice monsters and wanted to hit something..." Raphtalia replied sheepishly.
"Firo too!" the filolial dittoed.
The Shield Hero groaned, finding himself agreeing with the sentiment, but this was a 'do as I say, not what I do' sort of situation. "Whatever! Be careful, dammit! I didn't summon Kuro just for you to get more reckless and try to get yourself killed even faster!" he yelled, making the two flinch as he tanked another hit, "Now get serious and help me kill this thing!"
With that, the gazes of the two girls hardened, and began to attack once more, now with a deliberate bearing that wasn't there before.
Noaofumi waited for a moment where the Nue that was being suppressed by arrows and magic somehow found an opportunity to lunge for him again.
'There!'
The Shield Hero watched unblinkingly as the monster raised its claws against him, and performed a feat only he could risk doing: he pinned its forelegs against his shield with his other arm.
"Now!"
Making use of the opportunity, the tanuki girl and the filolial fell upon the monster and were rewarded with the sight of a slash on its shoulder and a nasty bruise on its cheek before it recovered and slipped out of their reach.
And somehow, the chimera became even faster, showing why the first thing the witch asked was if they were going to retreat.
Trading the mass and power its western cousin had, the Nue boasted such frightening speed and agility that the loss of strength became completely negligible.
Now recognizing the threat the two-legs posed, it started practically dancing through the hail of arrows raining down upon it, and attacking with greater ferocity.
There was only so much Naofumi could do as cuts and scrapes accumulated on his person, unable to really react properly to the frequency of the attacks.
"Just stay still already!" Raphtalia growled in frustration as the monster kept dodging her strikes with a hair's breadth with every swipe of her weapon. Damn thing was toying with her!
It looked rather hopeless from an outsider's point of view, but if there was something Naofumi had to get good at, it was watching, observing the enemy's movements. It was all he could do as the one unable to attack, after all. When he was sure the Nue was just about to lunge for him once more, he quickly invoked a skill.
'If you can't react...'
"Air Strike Shield!"
'Then predict!'
The ethereal shield appeared in front of the chimera as it was still mid-air, causing it to smash headfirst into the unexpected obstacle with the entire built-up momentum behind it, which temporarily left it writhing on the ground from the shock of the impact.
Kuro managed to stick several arrows into its back and the witch blasted it with fire before it regained its bearings again.
Seeing that mauling its enemies to death was ineffective, the Nue began distancing itself from the melee attackers, and its body began crackling with electricity.
"Get behind me!" Naofumi shouted as he braced himself for the incoming blast.
In the next moment, the Shield Hero felt his world explode in pain as his muscles locked up from the lightning coursing through him.
"Urk!"
As soon as the blast ran its course, he fell to his knees, panting as parts of his clothes were visibly smoking.
"Naofumi-sama!" "Papa!"
Raphtalia and Firo quickly helped their caretaker up with worry in their eyes.
"Are you alright?" the swordswoman asked in alarm.
He merely shrugged the girl's arms off him, taking a recovery potion from his belt and emptied it out with a relieved sigh. "I don't think I can take another one of those," Naofumi said wryly, nodding towards the monster that was once more gathering up electricity for another attack.
"Papa, I want to try something! Can you bring out that shield that makes your voice loud?" Firo quickly said, turning to the Shield Hero with an unusual seriousness in her eyes.
Wordlessly, he complied changing to the Voice Gengar Shield and held it out.
They needed anything that could help at that point.
The filolial took hold of his arm and repositioned it so the output end faced the Nue.
"Cover your ears!" he shouted out, predicting Firo's intent.
"▂▃▄▅▇██!" Firo screeched into the megaphone, which was amplified to such an ungodly volume that it was little surprise that the ear drums of the Nue it was focused on burst into blood on the spot.
In retrospect, it was quite unusual to hear such an ugly noise from the filolial's sing-song voice, but only in retrospect - because the moment the chimera toppled to the ground the party mercilessly descended upon it, and this time it didn't get up after two hits.
It got pummelled, skewered with arrows, blasted with fire and more, but when it looked like they were about to finish it off, the monster grabbed onto a nearby crystal on the ground and everyone's sight became pure white for several seconds.
"Dammit! It grabbed a crystal and overloaded it with lightning until it exploded!" the frustrated voice of the normally soft-spoken tanuki girl could be heard as everyone was blinking the spots out of their eyes. "Where did it go?"
"Over there! It's running towards the crystal wall!" Firo pointed.
The Nue looked like it was on the verge of death, teetering and stumbling over its own limbs as it scrambled onwards, yet it still managed to do so at an impressive speed.
Realization quickly slammed into Naofumi as it looked back with what resembled a taunting grin with electricity arcing around its body.
Fucking hell! If it's going to die, it'll take all of them with it! And it was out of the range of Air Strike Shield, too!
"Don't let it reach the crystal wall! It'll make it all explode and cause a cave-in!"
Raphtalia and Firo lunged after it with wide eyes, desperately trying to reach it in time, despite already being aware that the difference of speed was too great.
The chimera halted in front of the crystal wall, and looked them in the eye as it placed a paw on it. The intensity of the glow quickly became close to blinding, casting the monster in shadows so that only its glowing eyes and bloody grin were the last thing they'd see before-
Snikt!
As quickly as it intensified, the glow of the light faded, making the Nue look to its side in confusion to see a bloody stump where its foreleg should've been. The last thing it saw was the human clad in red grinning as she posed with one hand in a 'V' sign before its skull was flattened against the wall in a bloody splatter.
~~o0o~~
'Psst, Master,' Kuro sent through their connection from the back of the carriage, which was now loaded with as much of the crystal they could carry. Firo's spirits were apparently raised from the added weight, as she found it too easy to pull the carriage normally.
'What is it?' Naofumi replied with a raised eyebrow.
'I have an idea. Imagine it like...this,' the Servant replied, concentrating as she sent several mental images.
'Hoh.'
'I'm talking to you like this because I want it to be a surprise for her. What do you think?'
'...Let's do it. How is it supposed to work?'
'Well, in theory...'
By the time they arrived back at Castle Town and followed the witch into the backroom of the magic shop, details were hashed out and a rough plan was hatched.
"Ooh! Firo's magic is shiny!"
The filolial girl was now cranking out her Magic Thread energetically, motivated by promises of snacks.
When it seemed like she was about to finish, Naofumi and Kuro shared a nod before enacting the first step of their plan.
"Hmm...Raphtalia, why don't you make some Magic Thread of your own too?" Naofumi suggested after Firo stepped away from the device, "Maybe we can use it for something later."
"Huh," the tanuki girl hummed, glancing at the magic spindle and then at Naofumi and Kuro. "You're not expecting me to transform like Firo or thinking something weird, are you?" she asked, fixing the two with a suspicious gaze.
"Of course not," Naofumi denied, "I just think it would be a waste after going through all this effort to only get Magic Thread for Firo. I'm going to make some for myself too."
Raphtalia only scrutinized him for another long moment before finally letting up and walking up to the spindle, much to his relief.
"Is something the matter?" Naofumi asked.
"No, it's nothing."
Although she said that, the tanuki girl couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something going on here that they weren't telling her about.
