Chapter 4: Issues of travel

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The party of five kept walking,occasionally stopping to defeat any monster that appeared. Few words were exchanged before Farrie spoke up.

"I have an idea! Why don't we tell eachother about ourselves? What we did, why we joined, that type of stuff?"

The group murmurs, and Welt speaks up.

"Well, if no one has any objections, I'll go first." When no one spoke up to stop him, Welt began. "Well, I'm from the Reichnott territory, and whilst it's not the most amazing place, everyones treated fairly there. I come from a long line of lumberjacks, so it was only natural for me to learn to use an axe from a young age, though I didn't really have any ambition to be a lumberjack. My Father could tell of course, so he asked what I wanted to I told him I wanted to be an adventurer, he just accepted it. Probably knew nothing would change my mind, so he tried his best to teach me how to use an axe for combat instead of cutting trees. He took me out to the woods to go hunting occasionally." He sighed fondly as he remembered. "When the waves first appeared, he asked if I still wanted to be an adventurer. When I told him my answer had not changed, he just accepted it, and gave me some money and his blessing to leave. He just asked for me to return safely, and visit every now and then."

Shirou nodded, a small smile on his face.

"It's good that you have a place to return to. Maybe we should give your father a visit at some point?"

"Yeah! Your Father sounds like a great person. I've also heard stories of the Reichnott territory. It seems like a nice place to live, with the Noble doing his best to treat everyone equally!" Bakta spoke.

Welt would nod his head. "I`d be happy to introduce you to my Father and give you a tour of the land, so long as no one else has any issues with it?"

With a shake of their heads, Tersia and Farrie agreed easily.

"Me next, me next!" Farrie spoke, jumping up and down in excitement

"Well I'm from the Ivyred territory, up in the north. It's a small place, but everyone knows each other! My best friend was the Noble's daughter, Rishia! She had green hair and made the cutest noises when she was surprised or teased her! It was something like…" Farrie shifted herself before continuing "Fueeh?"

Welt and Farrie burst out laughing whilst Shirou had a small smile on his face.

After she stopped laughing Farrie continued. "She was great to be around. She knew all sorts of magic. She was a natural! I wonder how she's doing…" She shook her head. "I'm sure she's fine. Where was I? Right. So I grew up in the Ivyred lands. My mum and dad both loved martial arts, and were happy when I took to it! It became my new hobby. When I wasn't doing any school work or helping my parents out, I was practising."

"What martial arts do you do?" Shirou asked curiously. He only knew a little due to his father, but he was always happy to know more about stuff.

"Oh, it was a style that a previous Sword hero taught the people I think he called it Parpo? He said it was a modification of a style he had learnt in his world. It's mainly for self defence, but over time it was altered to what it is today!"

Bakta spoke up. "Didn't that style stop being taught? I remember hearing an old lady lamenting about the loss of a style that could rival hers."

Farrie shrugged. "I mean, if it has stopped being taught, it doesn't really matter does it? It's only the official practitioners who stopped it, not anyone else. The knowledge needs to be passed down either way, so why not continue it in books or anything?

Bakta nodded in agreement, before speaking up again. "Guess I'm next. I was born in Ryute village, but spent a lot of time in Castle town with my Grandma. She owns a magic shop in Castle town which we can visit next time we are there, like I said last night." The group nodded and Bakta continued. "I mostly learnt all my magic from the grimoires she had about the place. Eventually I pestered her enough to read my affinities, so I started learning fire and wind, though I'm certainly better with wind magic than fire."

"What fire magic can you use?" Welt asked curiously.

"Only a couple of basic spells. First fire and Fire arrow. They aren't strong, but they do well enough, so I'm happy with them."

After that, Tersia chose to speak up. "I guess it's me next. Well, I was born in Conel Village, on the other side of the mountains from where Mirso is." Bakta would grimace as Mirso was mentioned, and Shirou would pick up on it.

"What's the matter with Mirso village Bakta?"

"It's just some stuff I`ve heard about them. From what my Grandma told me, they are quite hostile to outsiders, and they really don't like demihumans."

Tersia would nod. "It's true, but they kept trying to expand into our village. The Noble really just wants access to our fields so they can have more food for the extravagant feasts they hold constantly. That, and they keep trying to convert us to following the three heroes church…" He shakes his head.

"It just annoys you after a while. But like I said, I grew up in Conel. I used to go hunting with my Mum quite a bit. She taught me all I know about knives, how to throw them, and how to maintain them. All that stuff. She was great, but she really bought into the three heroes' church propaganda…"

Shirou nodded silently, even as the other members looked at Tersia.

"She used to believe in the Four heroes church, but because of the people sent by Mirso blaming all the bad harvests and hunts on the Shields influence, even if he hadn't been summoned, she just went with it, and started to push it onto me. Whilst I still love her, I couldn't take being there anymore. That's kind of my main reason for joining your party. I know, it's selfish of me."

"Don't worry about it. I'm aware everyone has their own reasons for joining up, so i won't complain. So long as you do your best, which I believe you have been so far, it doesn't really matter. You're here to help save people as well."

Tersia would nod, and they would continue moving on, only small rustles breaking the silence.

"Hey Shirou, you never spoke about your life growing up." Farrie would say curious.

"Yeah, I want to learn more about where you came from!" Welt would say, as curious as Farrie.

"Well, there's not really much to talk about you know?" Shirou would say nervously.

"Well, still. I'd like to hear how you grew up!"

Shirou looked at Bakta and Tersia for help, but they looked away, both whistling. Seeing that he wasn't going to be getting any help from them, Shirou let out a sigh.

"Fine, I`ll talk about my life, but I can't say it was exciting."

Everyone looked at him, eager to listen to his story.

"Well, my first memories were of a fire. I remember walking through the destruction, hearing the shouts of the dying…" Shirous eyes dulled as he continued speaking. "I was selfish, I wanted to be saved, so I kept walking, trying to desperately find a way to save myself. Eventually, my body just couldn't hold itself anymore. I collapsed. I wasn't even sure if I was going to survive, and I just accepted my fate. I didn't want to die by any means, but if I was going to, I could die knowing I had done everything I had." Shirou shook his head.

"But then, a miracle happened. At least that's what it seemed like to me. Someone found me amongst the rubble. He was crying. He kept repeating the same words over and over. `I found someone. I can save them.` He had a smile on his face the entire time, and at some point during it, I decided that someday, somehow, I wanted to smile like that." Shirou clenched his hand, before putting it to his side. Ignoring the silence.

"Whilst I was recovering, the man who saved me, he introduced himself to me. He was called Kiritsugu, and offered to adopt me. I instantly accepted, and he casually revealed that he was a Magus, my world's version of a magician. They are supposed to be kept secret, but he wasn't really a traditional Magus I suppose."

The group laughed slightly at that.

"Over the next couple of years, I kept asking him to teach me, but he kept denying me. He didn't want me to become a Magus. Eventually he gave in, but he only really taught me the basics. Even then, he taught it to me badly. Since he wasn't really the best teacher, so everytime i did something related to Magecraft, I'd hurt myself. A few years after that, he passed away due to a curse, leaving me alone with just my legal guardian. After that, nothing special really happened. I spent my time helping people to the best of my ability, just living my life in school."

Shirou wouldn't tell them about anything else. Not yet. He didn't want to go over the events of the grail war. He was still trying to process them himself. He shook his head.

"See? Nothing that impressive."

"It's still nice to know that you're just as human as the rest of us." Welt spoke. "People really put emphasis on the heroes, making them out to be gods who could destroy mountains with a swing of their weapons. But sometimes, it takes just a conversation to show that heroes can be just as human as us."

"Over there!" Farrie would shout, alerting the group to the Eggugs.

"There's sentient eggs?" Shirou asked questionably, seeming in disbelief and Bakta could only shrug..

"We don't know how the monsters are formed. They just kind of appear."

The group got into position, with Bakta taking the first shot.

"First Wind shot!"

The wind condensed between his hands, and he launched it forwards. The condensed air hit the shell of the egg, instantly blowing a hole into the shell. The insides of the egg spilled out, the yolk spilling over the grass. The shell rolled to the side, small crosses showing on its eyes to signify that it was defeated. The rest of the eggs became enraged, rushing towards the party.

Shirou sliced through one of the eggs as it jumped at him. He sliced through the shell easily, but couldn't stop the insides of the shell from splattering over him. Looking over at the rest of the group, it seemed like they were having the same issue, minus Bakta who was casting spells. Every punch that Farrie did coated her arm is shell and egg, whilst Tersia had given up on throwing his knives for the moment being, and was instead slashing at the eggs as they leaped at him. He was encountering the same issue as Shirou, the egg coating him as well. Welt was doing better, if only slightly. Instead of coating him, it only coated his cloak and axe.

With one final slash from Shirou, and another splatter of egg, the Eggugs were defeated.

"Eugh. My arms are coated!" Farrie whined.

"Yeah, my cloak is coated in it!"

"Don't worry." Tersia spoke. "We`re getting close to a village. Hopefully they have a bath house there"

The group hurried towards the village, directed by Tersia.

The group looked on at the village as they marched forwards, getting closer towards the entrance. With a sigh, they all walked in. To Shirou, whilst it was a change from Castle town with all the merchants around, this town still couldn't be called quiet by any means. There was constant chatter, with the sound of squawks from strange bird looking creatures and the wagons they were attached to, as well as the sounds of blacksmiths hammering away at metal. It reminded Shirou of Fuyukis marketplace. Shaking himself from the thought, the party kept moving led by Tersia towards the closest Inn.

Quickly opening and shuffling in, the party looked at eachother, with Shirou moving towards the desk.

"Hello? Me and my group would like some rooms?"

The person at the desk looked up.

"I see, how many people do you have with you? And how many rooms would you like?"

"Five people and could we have three rooms?"

"Sure, but we can't guarantee they will be next to each other. Is that fine?"

Shirou nodded. "That's perfectly fine. How much would that be?"

"If you're staying here for one night, then it will be 5 silver for all of you. That includes the fee for a meal later on, as well as a drink."

Shirou nodded, opening his money bag as he put 5 silvers on the desk. Behind him the group smiled.

"Can you tell us where the bath houses are?" Farrie spoke desperately.

"There is a small issue in that. You see, the river we use for our bath houses has recently been blocked by Timber Weavers. We sent out requests for adventurers or knights to deal with the issue, but none have taken us up on it, so until we can deal with it, the bath houses aren't available for now."

Shirou nodded his head. "I see…" He turned to the rest of the group. "Are you guys up for dealing with them now?" a quick nod, and the Innkeeper turned to them.

"Are you sure? There's not really much we can offer you, other than a few free nights at the inn."

"It's fine, we just want to help out."

"Alright then. I have a map of the area if you want to wait a moment." With that, the Innkeep opened a draw, looking through it quickly.

"So what do these Timber Weavers look like?" Shirou asked curiously, beginning the walk towards where the dam was supposed to be located.

"Whilst I haven't seen one personally," began Bakta, "I`ve read up on them. They apparently have brown fur, as well as two large front teeth. They use the teeth to gnaw on the trees, dragging them into the rivers along with the branches of the tree which fall off. They live in groups up to 10 from what I've read."

"Yeah, that sounds right." Welt confirmed. "My dad was thinking of buying some to assist him. Last I heard of it, he had a meeting with Lord Reichnott planned."

"How would he get a monster to help him? Wouldn't they attack?" Shirou asked curiously.

"Oh yeah, forgot you don't know. Timber Weavers lay eggs, and tend to leave them unguarded. They are usually picked up by merchants when possible and have a monster crest applied to them whilst they are still in the egg. They are usually sold after and the monster crest is registered to the person who bought them. It essentially turns the monster into a pet, but it only works on weaker monsters, like balloons and the likes."

Shirou nodded at the information. "So there are ways to domesticate monsters. Is that how those bird creatures are kept?"

A nod from Welt. "Yeah. Those are Filolials. For some reason, they just like pulling wagons and the likes. If they dont get one, they start to become unruly. Weird behaviour, but it works in our favour, so we can`t complain." The group made noises of agreement, whilst continuing the walk towards the dams location

Shirou whistled. "That's a big dam."

Looking at the river, he could see only small trails of water leaking through, a testament to the Timer Weavers proficiency with the wood, being able to cut it into several pieces as they kept moving to block off the river.

"So, what's the plan to get their attention? They seem pretty focused on building their dam." Shirou asked.

"I could use some fire magic? Not sure how useful it might be, but it would certainly get their attention."

A nod from Shirou, and Bakta stepped forward.

"Are you ready?" A nod from the group, and he turned back to face the dam. "Alright then. First Fire!" A bolt of fire shot from his palm, hitting the wood. Almost immediately, several screeches were heard. Five Timber Weavers jumped out of the water, with two staying behind to put out the small fire that had formed. Tersia moved slightly, chucking a knife towards the lead Timber Weaver. It dodged out of the way, the knife instead hitting the side of the Timber Weaver behind it. It let out an angry screech, still charging forward, stumbling only slightly at the sudden injury.

Two charged forward to Shirou, coming from both sides. Shirou moved towards the one on his left, swinging his blade down onto it. The Timber Weaver twisted its body, the blade burying itself in the floor. Shirou let go of the blade, jumping back to dodge the bite he was about to receive in return. A flash of light, and his sword was back in his hand, a warning popping up in the corner of his vision

Warning

A hero may not discard their weapon!

Shirou ignored it for now, slashing again at the Timber Weaver, who had not expected him to have his weapon back. He quickly buried the blade into the Timber Weaver, who let out a dying screech before stilling. Shirou let out a small gasp as the Timber Weaver behind him rammed into his leg, spinning around unsteadily. With another screech, the Timber Weaver moved in for a bite, its mouth wide open. Shirou began to move back, but realised that he wasn't going to be able to move far enough. He moved his arm to block its path, only for the bite to never come. He looked over his arm to see a knife lodged into it, courtesy of Tersia. With a small nod, Shirou stood up.

"Is everyone alright?" Welt asked loudly.

"I'm fine, and I think Bakta is as well." Farrie spoke.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Nearly got surprised by one of them, but Farrie got them."

Welt turned to face Shirou. "What about you?"

"I'm good as well, nearly got bitten, but Tersia got it before it had a chance."

Shirou took the knife out of the Timber Weaver, before handing the knife to Tersia.

"I think that's all of them?" Welt spoke cautiously.

Shirou counted the bodies. He saw two bodies on the dam, the fire put out, whilst two were in front of him and three were next to Farrie.

"Yeah it seems to be all of them. I only saw seven pop up from the water."

The others agreed with him, and Shirou would kneel down, putting his sword to the Timber Weavers side. Again, he watched in fascination as the sounds of cracks filled the clearing, the Timber Weaver being sucked into the blade.

New sword unlocked

Timber Weaver sword

+5 Attack

Sharpening +1

Timber Weaver fur sword

Timber Weaver stat growth up (Minor)

Shirou dismissed the notifications, standing up as he looked at the dam.

"So… Does anyone know how to safely dismantle a dam?"

The silence served as their answer, and it led to them slowly backtracking towards the village.

They got back to the village quickly, with no monsters impeding their progress. Once in the village, they quickly went back to the inn, and spoke to the innkeep.

"We solved the Timber Weaver problem. The only issue is we don't really know how to handle dismantling the dam." Shirou spoke.

The innkeep could only nod. "That's fine. We didn't expect you to dismantle the dam yourselves. We are just happy you could take care of the Timber Weavers. As I said before, there's really not much we can offer you other than a few nights at the Inn. I'm afraid the baths wont be available for a few days as we regulate the water flow, so you can stay here free of charge until they are fixed, if that's fine with you?"

"That's perfectly fine. Thank you again." Shirou bowed.

"Just give me a moment, Ill go talk to the village elder and tell him the issue has been resolved. He will get people working on it as soon as he can." With another smile, the inkeep left.

The group groaned as soon as she left. It seemed like they wouldn't be able to have a bath anytime soon.