So, feel kinda stupid for not mentioning this earlier, but this chapter and chapter 1 take place during episode 4's Explosion montage. Just in case you all didn't already figure that out.
I was able to write out this chapter during my spring break, but with school back in session it might be a bit longer before the next one's out.
Any who, enjoy!
Chapter: 2
She finally did it.
Kazuma was seated on one of the many tables within the Adventurer's guild hall, choosing to ignore the wailing Goddess across from him in favor of examining his adventurer's card. Shining a bright orange was the skill known intimately by his Arch wizard friend; Explosion magic.
He discovered it yesterday, shortly after returning from the abandoned castle with Megumin chatting amiably about her newest book – explaining the origin of Explosion magic. She didn't know about it, and he wasn't sure what to do about it. Explosion magic was something he wanted to learn, but the high skill point cost effectively prevented that from happening anytime soon.
It would have been all too easy to simply erase the skill from his card and ask Megumin to teach it again at a later date, but for some reason, Kazuma felt like it would be an act of betrayal to do so. After all, he did say it would be a fun skill to have.
Damn it, Kazuma silently cursed, stowing away his card, why did she have to ask me that with a normal, genuine smile. This would have been easily to deal with if she did it similar to the first time I asked!
He sighed, running both hands down his face while letting out a weary groan. I think sleeping in the stables is slowly wearing me out. Another wail from Aqua brought a glare to his face. And she's only making this worse! "Would you stop crying, it's really starting to annoy me."
Of course, that only made the crying worse.
"Good morning Kazuma."
The twin greetings made him turn around, and he saw both Darkness and Megumin approaching their table with questioning looks aimed towards the Arch priest.
"Morning," he half heartedly replied. "Where have you two been?"
"I went out to look at some armor." Darkness said, watching him join their sides before redirecting her gaze back to Aqua. "Nothing really caught my eye."
"Ah… Why were you looking at armor, isn't yours suppose to be incredibly strong or something?"
"I would not be surprised if it was, but as a Crusader, I must always be on the look for stronger gear so that I may be a better wall for my allies to use."
And just like that, Kazuma had to suppress a groan at the sight of his party member once again demonstrating her masochist tendencies. "What about you?"
Megumin looked up at him from the corner of her eyes, and offered a careless shrug. "Reading."
Kazuma blinked, that… that was a rather simple – not to mention normal – answer. "Didn't you already finish that book?"
"Yeah, but it was so good that I started it again. Apparently Explosion magic wasn't developed it be used as an attack, the original wizard who made it meant it to be used as a scare tactic."
"Really? I guess it would be pretty scary to see an explosion of that scale, but it seems to use a lot of mana to be nothing more than a scare tactic."
"That's because the Explosion magic I'm using is different than what it originally was." Megumin paused to look back at Aqua – who had let out a particularly loud cry with the tears to match – while Darkness stepped away, saying she was getting something to drink. "The creator described it to be nothing more than a loud boom with a strong shockwave to match. Therefore, any creature nearby would runaway, fearing to go up against something that could make that much noise."
"So wait," Kazuma narrowed his eyes, finding himself enjoying the impromptu lesson, "it was really used to scare animals away? Then why is it so powerful now?"
"That's because the creator began experimenting with using different incantations to change the spells properties. Multiple accounts from nearby towns describe the following months as 'the worst time to be alive in that area.'"
Kazuma opened his mouth to say something, only to hesitate when he didn't hear Aqua's crying. Did she stop? He turned towards the Arch priest, and saw that she was still in-fact crying. Must have zoned her out. "What exactly made it so bad?"
"Apparently," Megumin started, fully turning to him while now giving off the air of an instructor, "anytime an elemental incantation was used would result in a natural disaster-like event. One village reported a blizzard during the summer that lasted for an entire week. Another one said they experienced an earthquake that split the entire town into two separate places. It was during these experiments that the original creator began to realize just how powerful the spell could be if given the correct incantation."
"He didn't realize that after the first test?" Kazuma questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh he did," she replied quickly, appearing to be repressing a snicker, "he just didn't like that those people were so noisy. But as to how it became the Explosion magic I know and love is when a modified blast incantation was used."
"Huh, cool. So what – OW!" Kazuma held the side of his head, having just been hit with a mug thrown by his blue-haired ally. "Damn it you useless Goddess, why the hell did you throw that at me?!"
Of course that only made it even worse as Aqua started throwing back her own insults – which sounded more like ones a child would scream.
With a sigh he tenderly touched the area of impact, wincing at what felt like a nasty bruise already forming. Why did she have to throw a mug of all things?
"That looks pretty bad." Megumin commented, reaching up to poke the spot as it slowly turned a dark purple. "Well? Does it hurt? Does it? Does it?" She repeatedly asked, touching it at the end of each question. "Eh? Eh? Well?"
"Stop touching it damn it!" Kazuma screamed, grabbing her hand to do the same to her face. "Does. It. Hurt. When. I. Do. This?! Huh? Huh?! HUH?!"
"Owowowow stop it! Stop it this instant!"
Darkness sat over at the bar with an empty mug by her side, now simply watching the scene play out while trying to repress the laughter that was beginning to make her shoulders shake.
"You punks sure know how to liven up every morning!" A voice boomed next to her.
She jumped a little, turning around just in time to see a man with a mohawk take the seat next to her. "Oh, I'm sorry. would you like me to stop them?"
"Now where would be the fun in that?" He laughed at what he thought must have been a pretty good joke.
Not wishing to be rude, Darkness joined him with a much more subdued chuckle. Once she got a better look, she was able to recognize him as the man who usually talked with Kazuma whenever she, Aqua, and Megumin were busy. "I'm sorry, but I don't actually know your name."
Instead of looking offended, he actually laughed even louder than before. "Why would you, I've never introduced myself to you." He gestured to himself with his thumb. "The name's Arakuremono! Considering this is our first real introduction… WELCOME TO THE GATES OF HELL!"
"Umm… I… Err…" Darkness stuttered truly at a loss for words at the enthusiastic – not to mention odd – greeting from the man.
"You're a Crusader, right?"
"O-oh! I am."
"I see," Arakuremonon nodded, losing the semi-maniacal look from a second ago. "In that case, if you're ever looking to learn a few techniques for your class, just let me know. I may not be a Crusader myself, but there are plenty of people I've met over the years who owe me a few favors."
"That's…" Darkness blinked, "an awfully generous offer for a stranger."
"HA, stranger? All those who join this guild are a friend of mine! Now, speaking of friends, you should talk to yours before they start an all out bar-fight."
Darkness looked towards her party, and saw a very interesting scene. Megumin had somehow latched onto Kazuma's back – her hat and eye patch now missing from her person – viciously pulling on his cheeks and hair while screaming something she wasn't quite able to understand from this distance. Kazuma – who had the Arch wizard's eye patch on now – was yelling out in pain with one hand trying to fight off Megumin's attacks while the other was holding Aqua back. Said Arch priest now wore her friend's hat as she violently clawed their leader's arm – still yelling out child-like insults.
"H-hey! Don't fight without me!" The Crusader called out with a deranged smile slowly forming on her red face.
Kazuma was the only one to notice her coming towards them, and futilely yelled "Don't!" to stop her, but she was not dissuaded in the slightest, and continued to charge into the group of three, knocking them over onto another groups table. The impact flipped the table over, causing the food and drink to fly all over the place, and unfortunately land on a young mage girl. She began to cry, and her party members stood up with glares aimed at members of the table Kazuma's group flipped.
"Oi, what's the big idea throwing your food like that!" A man clad head-to-toe in heavy armor demanded.
"We didn't throw it dumbass!"
"Would you all stop yelling?! I've got a massive hangover from last night's party."
"What are you going to do if they don't?"
And the situation continued to escalate, until an all-out brawl started with every guild member, and staff member fighting amongst themselves. Darkness looked like she was having the time of her life, jumping in-between every brawl to take the hits being thrown. Aqua was running around the place, casting Nature's Beauty relentlessly – for what reason even she probably didn't know. Kazuma and Megumin were still fighting each other, their battle dissolving into nothing more than the two of them rolling on the floor.
"Stop pulling – OW – my hair!" Kazuma demanded as he pulled on Megumin's cheeks.
"You're the one who won't get off me you pervert!" The Arch wizard countered with red cheeks – though that might have been from the abuse they were going through.
"Because you won't let go, damn it! He ignored the fact that he was indeed on-top of her after they stopped rolling around in favor of moving one of his hands to give her a nuggy.
Megumin cried out in pain, and decided to counter by pulling one of his ears roughly.
All the while, Arakuremono was laughing his ass off, having stepped behind the bar to refill his drink and watch the spectacle.
Simple elementary spells were fired off occasionally, only causing greater chaos as the basic Tinder spell would light some poor souls hair on fire while Create Water made a few people slip and slide into another batch of Adventurers who would, depending on their class, either prematurely fire a spell in a random direction or pick up the person to throw them as a weapon.
Tables and barstools shattered against either a wall or on a person as the battle continued to escalate for several long minutes with Luna standing behind the register with a horrified look, her head calculating the amount of property damage being accumulated within the short period of time since the fight started. "Not the good ale!" She pointlessly warned, watching a group pick up a particularly large barrel and throw it into another group who had been charging towards them.
Outside, the people of the town watched in trepidation as basic spells and furniture broke through the windows and various parts of the ceiling. Occasionally stepping aside as an adventurer was blasted out the building to crash near them.
"What do you think is going on in there?"
"Do you think some monster got in there?"
"Seems like it would have to be pretty powerful to cause this much trouble."
The minutes turned into an hour, and the sounds of battle turned into pained groans mixed with the demand for a hard drink. Inside the building, the ground was littered with debris consisting of burning splinters, broken pieces of armor, scattered weapons, shattered dishware, and an unconscious body or eight.
"Ow…" Megumin pitifully moaned. She and Kazuma sat on the only two remaining chairs left intact, and with no table to rest on, she settled for leaning against her friend with her head resting on his shoulder. The Arch wizard's clothes made it through mostly intact with nothing more than a small tear here-and-there. Her body however, was covered with scratches and bruises with her hair now completely frazzled from the exertion.
Kazuma was even worse off with his small cape being completely torn to shreds, one of his boots was missing, and his right eye was swollen shut after receiving a brutal attack from another fighter. "… Let's not do that again." The Adventurer decided which Megumin vigorously nodded in agreement.
"Ah… that was wonderful."
The leader glanced towards Darkness with a blank look, noting that she was missing most of her armor now with the clothes underneath having large pieces of them torn off.
"Darkness… never – EVER – do that again." Kazuma ordered, knowing full well she would still do it regardless. Something landed on top of his head, and he quickly recognized it as Megumin's hat. "Huh, how did that get there?"
"You… look… weird with that on," Megumin mumbled with half-lidded eyes.
"So do you," he leaned his head against hers, feeling completely exhausted from the whole ordeal.
"Can you carry me back to the stables? I want to go to sleep now."
"It's not even noon you know." Kazuma replied, already in motion to do as requested. He briefly wondered where Aqua was after she disappeared about half-way through the fight, but shrugged it off without hesitation. She's a big girl; she can take care of herself. He didn't really believe that, but Aqua did have a way of making it out of a terrible situation. The duo left the guild quietly – so much so that no one would even notice they were gone until Darkness recovered from her daze.
Unbeknownst to the three allies, Aqua was resting peacefully behind the bar counter with a steady stream of alcohol pouring into her mouth from a small hole made during the battle.
Back outside, Kazuma felt a small amount of amusement after noticing the wary looks people were sending towards the messed up guild hall. He pointed out the fact to Megumin, but the Arch wizard merely mumbled a reply to which he chuckled.
Verdia sat still… waiting… experiencing silence that was almost forgotten by the knight. He breathed in – despite not needing too – to disturb the silence. There wasn't any other way to describe how the dullahan felt other than peaceful.
"I feel rewarded…" Verdia whispered, though, it sounded much louder due to the endless echo the vast castle created. "Perhaps my patience has paid off, and whoever was attacking my domain has learned better."
With a snap of his fingers, an undead minion came forth with a chalice filled with a thick, red liquid. The monster presented the item with a deep bow.
"It seems only fitting," Verdia continued as he placed his disembodied head back where it once resided so long ago, "that I should enjoy something that has been saved for decades. True, this was originally supposed to be used once the Demon King ruled all, but somehow, this seems more appropriate."
"In celebration!" The dullahan proclaimed for the entire castle of monsters to hear to which their cheered for reasons they were incapable of understanding. "For the silence I have awaited forever since we moved to this accursed castle!"
The General allowed himself a moment to relish the feeling, and slowly brought the chalice to his lips…
"Explosion!"
…Only to have the entire foundation itself shake while a wave of fire and sound blasted through the throne room with an intensity that immediately evaporated the red liquid from the chalice while simultaneously melting said object. Verdia was subsequently thrown off the stone throne – which also shattered from the shockwave originating so close by.
There was silence once again once the worse of the explosion dissipated, but that too didn't last as Verdia roared out in pure rage.
"That's it!" A dark aura surrounded him, displaying how little control the General had over his emotions. "I will personally go to that town, and find out who… is… what was that?" He looked up. Verdia's shoulders sagged when he saw the ceiling beginning to collapse.
"Oh no…"
Kazuma, with his hand on his chin, nodded in satisfaction after evaluating the latest display of Explosion magic from his friend. "I'm a little surprised how intense the shockwave felt especially considering how exhausted you were beforehand, and even from this far I felt heat that rivaled a summers day." He watched with critical eyes as the central part of the structure collapsed in on itself. Yep, figured it wouldn't last much longer. "Looks like we'll need to find something else for you to unleash your magic on, that thing's completely destroyed."
The only response he received was the sound of light snoring.
Huh, looks like she's completely worn out from the day. Kazuma rolled his eyes in mock annoyance. "Explosion magic may be cool and everything, but I still don't get why you only want to use that one type of magic. It would make more sense to learn some advanced magic, level up, then learn that skill when you'll be able to use it without falling flat immediately after."
Guess it doesn't really matter, Kazuma continued silently, feeling stupid for talking to himself basically. Besides, who the hell am I to judge someone, I was just a shut-in NEET before dying of shock.
Oh how he hated thinking of his old life in Japan. It was the only thing that could ruin his mood faster than having to deal with his party members antics. His lips twitched downward. Snap out of it! That's all behind you! I'm in a fantasy world that acts almost exactly like a video game. It's a dream come true for someone like me!
Kazuma slapped his cheeks for good measure, before preparing himself to pick up the young Arch Wizard. Something that did brighten his mood was that repeatedly carrying the girl back was slowly increasing his strength stat. It was usually no more than one or two points a day, but doing so for more than a month was beginning to prove itself very useful.
Wait a minute. Is that why Megumin reads all the time? To increase her intelligence so her mana would also increase as well? The thought made him pause while his face looked as if a grand revelation was revealed to him. Is Darkness' masochist nature actually helping her become a stronger Crusader? Taking all the hits – if my theory is somehow correct – could explain why her endurance and HP is so ridiculously high.
Does that mean I could raise Aqua's intelligence if she read a couple of books? He thought about it for a moment before shaking his head. No, Aqua wouldn't sit still long enough.
"Fancy meeting you here!"
Startled from his thoughts, Kazuma looked around briefly, until he noticed something odd shimmering in-front of him. Looking closer made him realize it was someone using Lurk, and he quickly recognized the voice. "Hey Chris."
Pleased laughter emitted from the mostly cloaked figure, until the ability was ended, allowing Kazuma to see the smiling face of the thief who taught him his first abilities.
"Looks like someone needs to work on their Detection skill, you didn't realize I was here until I said something."
"Isn't that skill meant for locating enemies though?" Kazuma asked, glancing back at his 'luggage' when she started moving. "You awake Megumin?" When all he got was incoherent murmurs, he shrugged and turned back to Chris.
"At its beginning state, but did you really think skills couldn't grow with their user?" Her smile widened at the adorable sight in-front of her. Glad to see they take care of each other. "Haven't you noticed your skills becoming more effective lately?"
"Are you serious?!" Kazuma immediately clamped up when he felt Megumin shift again while letting out a noise that conveyed annoyance. "Are you serious?" He tried again in a much more sedated volume.
Chris placed a hand over her mouth to muffle a snicker. "You're telling me no one's ever told you that?"
No! No one's ever told me that! "Is there some kind of instruction manual for this stuff?"
"Well… not exactly, no, but usually adventurers receive a booklet detailing skill upgrades and abilities once they chose a specific class and venture out to another city." Chris walked over to stand next to him, and the two of them continued back to the town side-by-side. "By the way, what class did you choose?" she gave him a sly look, "I bet it was Thief after realizing how effective those skills were. I'm right, aren't I?"
"A-actually… I'm still just an Adventurer…"
The silence that followed was extremely embarrassing for Kazuma as he watched the Thief's face scrunch up in confusion. "You're joking. You're joking, right? …You're not joking."
"…No,"
Her face was blank. It was a sight that worried him greatly. Soon enough though, her lips began twitching up, and her shoulders began to shake.
Oh boy…
"HAHAHAHA," Chris was forced to clutch her sides as the laughter echoed far into the forest. "T-t-that's hilarious – Haha – why – Hahaha – are you still an Adventurer? That's the weakest class there is!"
The urge to strangle the laughing Thief was strong, but he didn't for two reasons: one, she would more than likely be able to escape his clutches if he could catch her in the first place, and two, he would have to drop Megumin in the process.
"Seriously though," Chris began, wiping away a stray tear, "why are you still an Adventurer? You could be a great Mage with your intelligence, and both a Merchant and a Thief would utilize that high luck of yours."
Well at least one person recognizes my talent. "My party is just too imbalanced for me to choose a specific title yet. Besides, Adventurers can learn every skill, and I really want to try a couple things before I pick."
"That's… odd, but I guess I understand. By the way, what happened to your eye?"
"Oh," he was a little surprised it took her this long to ask about the black eye, "the guild got into a huge fight earlier."
"Aw…" Chris pouted in response. "I can't believe I missed that. All those coin pouches just waiting to be snatched."
"Anyway," Kazuma interrupted her daydream to return the conversation back to the original topic. "How exactly do my skills improve?"
"Huh? Oh that's simple. Pull out your card." Chris waited for him to do so. "Now go ahead and tap on the skill section – not the actual skills, but the section itself."
It was a bit difficult for him to do so, but lucky for him, even in while asleep, Megumin was able to wrap her legs around him while tightening the grip around his shoulders to better support herself, allowing Kazuma to use both arms to do as Chris instructed.
"Now you should have the list of known skills displayed on the card, right?" She watched him nod. "Good, tap on the Detection skill."
He once again did as instructed and watched as the magical item in his hand shifted the image once more to display the selected skill in the top corner with four partially filled bars below it. Just above each bar was a short description of that bar's requirement followed by what it would improve if completed.
"Oh!"
"Not all skills have that though – most basic skills are like that – however, the higher tiered ones usually have multiple ways to be improved. Those usually require you to be in the same class as the skill itself to receive the maximum bonus though."
"So, what you're telling me is…?"
Chris sighed, but decided to explain it instead of waiting for him to figure it out. "Adventurers can learn any and every skill, but forgo ever mastering anything in the process."
"A Jack of all trades but a master of none," Kazuma whispered, feeling a sense of horrified understanding welling up.
"Yep! After all…" she turned to give him a wink, "why would a Thief ever need to know Create Water?"
KO-NO-SU-BA!
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The steady noise sounded almost like a heartbeat as a massive Earth Golem lumbered through a narrow canyon. Patches of grass and moss grew on various parts of its body, and atop its head was a small tree with bright, purple fruit growing on it. The monster's height allowed its head to peak just above the canyon's top, giving it the perfect view of the small warrior running alongside it.
"We are approaching the fortress, young warrior. I will be able to break through its barrier so long that you keep the minions from getting in my way. I am counting on you to guard me." The creature said, its deep voice shaking the very ground around it. "At any point, should you need healing, simply climb atop my head and eat one of the fruits. Your health and stamina should recover instantly."
"Got it," the warrior's cape was in constant motion as he continued to run far faster than any human should have been capable of – it rivaled the speed of a sprinting horse. On his right hip was where his sword resided in its sheath, but even while sheathed, the red glow emitting from it was bright enough for the golem to see. "You know you can call me by my name, right?"
"Names mean nothing to one who was born from the land itself." His reply made the warrior roll his eyes. "Earth, dirt, ground, they are all the same yet hold different names, so I to would have many names if just one was given. Title's are unique – many may share one, but they are used to describe the individual."
"So you want me to just call you Golem?" His question held enough mirth to make the creature turn to look at him.
"If you must call me something…"
"Man, you really need to lighten up."
The golem turned its head to face forward once more. "I am made of solid rock, it is impossible for me to do as you requested."
"… It was just an expression."
"We are exiting the canyon now. Forces on the ground will be the first issue that needs to be taken care of – their numbers equal that of a small army. Creatures of flight will appear once the barrier has been damage; that is your indicator that it is almost time to invade the fortress. I will leave once that has been done."
"Thank you, I doubt getting this far could have been possible without your help."
It took but a moment longer for the warrior to reach the edge of the canyon just as the golem walked through the opening. He leapt forward, and the red glow grew even brighter as the warrior approached the ground. With an impressive display of endurance, he slammed into the ground feet first – the ground shattered and caved-in around him – before taking off even faster than before.
A dust trail was left in his wake as the golem's footsteps effect on the ground receded slightly as he outpaced the creature. And just as it informed, a horde of monsters, ranging from small goblin-like creatures to demonic bulls that were about as big as a house, were waiting for the two of them. Beyond them stood a steel fortress with a dark storm cloud hovering over it – a bolt of lightning occasionally struck one of the many protruding spikes all around the structure, giving it a typical 'evil fortress' type of look.
"Here we go!"
The bright red sword was pulled out of its sheath, its glow was almost blinding to the nearby monsters as the warrior descended upon the horde. It became quickly apparent that the speed that he ran was not the only thing accelerated as the swings of his blade were almost too fast for anything to clearly see.
Half of the army was wiped out within the first five minutes.
The rest of the monsters got the picture of how unmatched they were, and quickly began to flee just as the earth golem reached his location.
"I see your title of Swordmaster was not misplaced." It complimented, continuing forward until it stopped a fair distance away from the target structure. "To finish off so many enemies – even if they were incredible weak – is impressive. I will be sure to uphold my part now."
It raised one of its massive arms, and brought it down on the seemingly open space in-front of them, only for the solid mass of stone to impact with the barrier mentioned from earlier. The impact revealed the rest of the barrier that surrounded the fortress as a series of magical circles and runes that flowed around each other as if they were separate streams.
Again and again the golem slammed its full weight into a single point of impact, and slowly, the warrior watched as cracks began to grow and spread. And like the creature said before, bird-like monsters began flying towards them in a swarming fashion.
"Climb atop my shoulders, warrior, I have no doubt they will try to distract me from my task."
"I can see that!" He crouched down, and with enough strength to once again shatter the earth around him, he leapt up over half of the creature's height. The rest of the distance was covered by using the convenient patches of grass and moss as grab points. "Don't worry. I'll take care of them!"
This battle proved to be much more difficult for the warrior as the monsters were both faster and more agile then the ground units. On top of that, he couldn't fully utilize the speed enhancement as the area available to move was far too little, and there were times he almost ran off the golem on accident. But as a Swordmaster, he was still capable of fending off the creatures while his ally continued to breakdown the barrier.
Eventually, to the warrior's relief, the barrier shattered after a final strike; the creature's bellow holding just as much power.
"Thank you Golem-san, I will not forget what you've done for me."
"Nor will I. Tread carefully though, the foes within that fortress are far stronger than what you've just faced, and their leader is even more powerful. I wish you luck, Mitsurugi Kyouya." With that, the golem turned around to head back the way it came.
The now named hero jumped off just as his ally fully turned around, his eyes – displaying nothing but confidence and an iron will – were completely focused on the structure that held one of the Demon Lord's Generals.
Verdia Dullahan.
Of all the foes I have faced since I came to this world, this will be the toughest yet. Kyouya turned his gaze upwards, and prayed to the Goddess who allowed him this second chance at life. Aqua-sama, I hope you are watching, for I am about to take the first major step in defeating the Demon Lord. Thank you… Thank you for providing me with the means to do such a task.
Gram was held with an iron-like grip as Kyouya felt his resolve swell to almost unknown levels, and with a battle cry that would make any lesser creature run away, he charged headlong to the reinforced doors that separated him from the fortress' interior. Two guards appeared half-way there, but he was quick to dispatch them and continue his charge…
…Only to find himself dumbfounded once he reached the front door as there was a note attached to it.
Too all who wish to see Verdia Dullahen,
My master – the great Demon Lord – has ordered me to investigate an event that requires my leave. It is unknown how long how long this assignment will keep me occupied, so anyone brave – or foolish – enough to challenge me are free to wait outside the premise until I return to slaughter you. I suggest hunting the area to west of my land if you require food, and to the south is a natural hot spring with a beautiful waterfall that creates a spectacular rainbow during the time of the rising sun. You are welcome to enjoy the luxuries I have listed as they will more than likely be your last.
Sincerely,
Verdia Dullahen
P.S. Should you require equipment for a temporary shelter, feel free to use the items in the crate to your left.
Kyouya felt his eye twitch as he finished reading the letter. "I did all of that to find out he wasn't actually here. What could be so important that he needed to investigate it himself?"
KONOSUBA!
"K-Kazuma!" A drunken voice slurred followed by a couple hiccups.
"Hey," the adventurer nonchalantly greeted as Aqua stumbled up the path that led to the stables. He and Chris were sitting outside – after he placed Megumin on the group's straw pile so she could sleep – having a pleasant conversation when the drunken Goddess announced her presence.
"Kazuma!" Aqua called out once again. "D-did you know – hic – that the g-g-guild has some great liquor?" She began laughing for no apparent reason.
"Yes," the mentioned Adventurer answered just as plainly as before.
Chris watched the exchange between them with a hand over her mouth to hide the small amusement that was threatening to turn into full blown laughter. She continued to watch as the drunken girl stumbled forward to latch onto Kazuma, her words becoming more unintelligible by the second.
"Hey, hey! Get off me damn it! Where the hell were you anyway?"
"I don't know." Aqua surprising answered intelligently, followed by another fit of giggles as Kazuma tried to pry the girl off him.
"Aqua just… just go to bed or something and leave me alone!" Kazuma turned the Goddess towards the stables, and pushed in that direction, watching as she continued to giggle and hiccup along the way. "Finally," he breathed a sigh of relief, "so anyway, what were you saying about-"
"Kazuma!"
Ohhhhhhhh what now?! "What do you want Darkness?"
The Crusader was walking up the path with most of the armor previously missing back in place, her clothes still looked torn underneath though. To Kazuma's relief, she didn't appear to be in her masochist daze. "I wished you would have told me you and Megumin left, I spent most of the afternoon searching for you two amongst the guild's wreckage."
"Megumin wanted to go to sleep," even though she changed her mind halfway there to blow up the castle instead, "and you were busy lying on the floor."
Darkness had the decency to look embarrassed while looking in the other direction. "Right… Hello Chris."
"Hey Darkness!" the Thief greeted enthusiastically, "I heard you were the one who started that bar fight."
"I… uh," she looked up with a beat-red face, "that's not quite…"
"Don't you dare deny it!" Kazuma pointed a finger at the Crusader. "If you hadn't tackled us into that other groups table then the whole thing could have been avoided, but noooooo, you just had to join in!"
Chris once again laughed – at her friend's expense though – as Darkness futilely tried to come up with a proper excuse for her actions. "Well it's been a lot of fun as always, but I need to head back to finish up my quest." She stood up and winked at Darkness and Kazuma. "I'll see all of you later, and try not to start any major fights without me next time!"
Believe it or not Arakuremono really is the name of the man who keeps showing up throughout the series to give Kazuma some random inspirational words. Just a random piece of interesting I enjoyed finding. I was surprised he had a name in the first place.
Anyway, like I said up top, it'll probably be a little while before chapter 3 comes out, but in the meantime, I hope you have a wonderful day and I'll see you later!