Disclaimer: I don't own Date A Live or Hyperdimension Neptunia in any way.
"Shidou… repeat to me what you just accepted."
"I… erm, just accepted a raid level quest from a frontier village at the east of Lastation?"
Hearing IF's stern tone, Shidou replied with what felt more like a question rather than a statement.
"A raid level quest - one that requires at least a full party of adventurers to even have a chance of surviving?"
Although Shidou had not mentioned anything to that extent, the description of the monster they were supposed to hunt in short notice had enough descriptors to make an adventurer deduce it as such. Shidou hadn't wanted IF to worry, but as expected, he couldn't just outright lie to her. Even if he did, she knew him well enough that he would have given himself away the moment he did.
"Y-yeah…"
"And the only qualified adventurer there is you, Neptune and, to a certain extent, Noire?"
"..."
A sigh could be heard through the phone and Shidou could practically picture IF holding her head.
"I understand that you feel sorry for what's happening in that village, but know the limits of your ability. Even you can't save everyone that your hands can reach."
It was a practical advice, and although Shidou felt that it was wrong, he couldn't say that IF's words were wrong either. He was also well aware that the quest he had accepted was far beyond his level more so with the given manpower they had at hand.
Despite all this, he couldn't find it in himself to definitively deny the request of help that the village had asked for.
"I'm not sure if I can make it their in time, but if you see the situation grow sour, abandon it." IF said sternly. "Do not attempt to hold your position. There is no shame in running away - and if it takes making everyone runaway with you to do so, then do it."
"I understand. IF, if it isn't too much trouble, could you remind me what ingredients I need for the following items? I think I spotted some of them around here."
"At least you're thinking more like an adventurer this time." IF said with a defeated sigh. "Give me the list and I'll see if I can get it from memory. If not, I'm still in the Basilicom and can make a few more calls before I head back."
Shutting off the phone after a few more exchanges, Shidou sighed and turned to the gathered men. Most of the women and children had all moved to the mayor's hut as it was the most fortified of the buildings within the small village and unlike the wooden houses, it was built in concrete and had a sizable basement made to withstand a siege.
Granted, it wasn't fortified with magic, it had limits that made Shidou doubtful it would withstand a full on attack by the upcoming behemoth.
It made him wonder how a village like this had lasted this long. A pioneer village that was far removed from the city walls often had numerous factors going for it that allowed the people in it to thrive without the need of a constant influx of adventurer manpower.
Given that the village lacked any formal adventurer of at least D rank and that Lastation hasn't exactly been welcoming of adventurers for what Shidou assumed to be quite a while now, Shidou supposed that the village itself might be situated in an area that few monsters prowled in due to the location it was set in.
He had seen a few areas in Leanbox where a certain flower field repelled most monsters from approaching due to how its pollen was seen as distasteful by the local fauna.
"So you're done talking to your handler yet?"
Shaken out of his thoughts, Shidou turned towards the swordsman that had 'fought' with him when he had been mistaken as a bandit attempting to abduct his little brother. It had been a misunderstanding, but somehow, the swordsman found it easy to be mad with him.
Shidou supposed that might have been due to his hesitation in taking the quest. It was brief, but unlike his companions, he hadn't been as obvious as the others into immediately accepting the request.
"..."
"I thought the reason that adventurers weren't here was because of the Basilicom, but it looks to me that the reason adventurers don't go to Lastation is because you're all money grubbers that goes to the highest bidder. You look at our village and you immediately think of us as a wasted effort."
The glare directed at Shidou did nothing with Shidou's expression and after a few more taunts that also did nothing to Shidou's demeanor, he gave a derisive glare and went back to the others who were preparing for the upcoming fight.
It had been easy to keep a relatively neutral expression despite the stabbing words. This hadn't been the first time that he had met a client that hated his presence, but this was the first time that someone hated him for an action he committed (or hesitation of committing) rather than what he represented.
After all, some people who were especially reverent of the goddesses tended to be hostile to adventurers who go from one landmass to another having entirely different beliefs with them as they travel.
"...then tell me, what do you see an adventurer doing?" Shidou said moments before the swordsman left his sight.
Normally, he would have kept his mouth shut, but there was something about the swordsman that piqued his interest. The disdain was different from past encounters and he couldn't help but want to know the difference between now and then.
"Isn't it natural?" The swordsman said turning around and directing a glare towards Shidou. "To help others in their time of need!"
"That's… that's an awfully idealistic view of what adventurers are."
Shidou was well aware of the irony of his words which made his bitter smile more pronounced.
"What you're describing is more akin to what the CPU or those who work under them should be doing." Shidou said shaking his head. "Tell me then, what do you think an adventurer represents?"
"Represents? What are you spouting on about now? Based on the word itself, shouldn't it be to explore what is unknown?"
"That's true." Shidou replied. "So where was it said that adventurers work for money or to help people? This may go against what you expect of adventurers, but not all adventurers are benevolent. What adventurers have the most compared to other occupations is freedom. Be it good or bad, freedom is what defines an adventurer."
Shidou had heard these words before from two sources. It was those words that shaped how he had proceeded to get to this point. If someone looked up to adventurers so much had the mistaken impression… it would only be natural that somewhere along the way, this mistaken impression would cost them.
"I can't say I'm a benevolent adventurer seeing as I hesitated to take on your request." Shidou said looking straight to the eyes that glared at him. "But I'll give you a bit of advice - if I were malevolent and intended to ravish this whole village, you in your current state wouldn't be able to do anything about it. So intentionally being confrontational to an adventurer - do you wish for them to retaliate?"
Turning around and walking the opposite direction, Shidou did not bother to look back at the expression carved upon the swordsman's face. It was a look that, while not common, was something he had seen before and made him cautious in forging any long lasting connections outside of other adventurers.
It was not like him to speak in a way that may be construed as a threat, especially to that of a civilian rather, Shidou spoke simply to warn the swordsman of any future dealing he might have with adventurers.
In a year alone, Shidou had seen many sides of what an adventurer could be. Partying with newcomers and veterans alike, the common type of personalities and the quirks that would make up those who stood close to the apex, Shidou had seen only a drop of the ocean - but it was enough for him to create a warning to those who did not live in the same world that he did.
He might still be naive, but compared to the swordsman that had intentionally antagonized him for a perceived slight let alone with barely any capability to actually pay for the services that would be rendered - he might as well be a hardened veteran.
"Whew… they're not that strong, but I think if we keep them from doing anymore of the risky stuff, then I think this will all go swell~"
"I guess that's true. Most of the villagers will be better using their bow and arrows for cover than fighting in the front lines. Strange, seeing as their armory has its fair share of swords and axes."
Neptune and Noire discussed the last few hours of preparing for the upcoming monster by one of the buildings that the villagers had graciously given to them to rest and plan it also helped that it kept them warm as it started raining half an hour after they had disbanded to rest and prepare. There wasn't much food on the table given the situation, but it would be enough to keep their energy up for at least an hour of constant battle.
"Hmm… now that I think about it, where's Shin? I saw him talking with the archers when I went to the little girl's room, but after that, I haven't seen him again."
"That's right… I saw him heading to the shelter a while ago, but I really didn't get to talk to him since I was busy putting that swordsman… Raul? Through his paces."
While Raul had visible skill with the sword - that was it. He didn't have the innate strength that Shidou or IF had that allowed them to match monsters blow for blow if the situation called for it. His speed was also extremely lacking, but comparing his movements to a normal civilian would put him a level above them. Compared to IF and Shidou? Raul was far behind.
Noire hadn't been aware until now that the ease in which Shidou and IF had fought was not a normal strength found anywhere. If anything, it made it clear in Noire's mind why the distinction of 'adventurer' was so powerful to those who aren't.
Adventurers weren't just a term that referred to an occupation that ventured into places where others would stay away from, but they had a strength that allowed them to live through and survive the lands outside of the city walls.
For a while now, she had been idly wondering if she had been mistaken on the capability of a civilian – but as it turns out, it was more along the lines of those whom she had been with being an exception rather than the norm.
"If you are looking for Mr. Shidou -" A voice cut in, "He's out in the forest, gathering."
In the building that Noire and Neptune were in, was one other person. She was an ordinary villager but had volunteered to look after the adventurers' needs until the monster was taken care of.
"Gathering? What could he be gathering at this time? The monster is said to attack any minute now!"
The past few days of training and monster hunting had made Noire wonder why Shidou would be spending time doing that at such a crucial time. While they weren't loaded with money due to the inflation and lack of buyers for monster parts that seemed to be far more common on other landmasses, it wasn't to the point that they would need to gather money at any opportunity.
For that matter, the request that they had taken up in the morning had already been accomplished – the gathered materials were verified by one of the villagers and they had sent one of their able bodied men to deliver the goods while the adventurers remained behind to prepare for the coming attack.
"He didn't explain, Ms. Noire. He had simply gathered some spare materials we had available and looked for a few items or monsters that can be found nearby. He did say that he will be back for the fight, but didn't expound any further as he seemed to be in a rush."
Noire frowned at the explanation. While Shidou had shown reluctance in explaining certain subjects like the instances where he would suddenly have a huge increase in power, he was not a secretive sort.
"Thanks lady!" Neptune said, before sitting down to eat some more of the bread she had procured from the cabinet. "Sounds like Shidou is preparing."
"Preparing?"
"Yup! It's something that Iffy always goes and explains about every time we would go out and do quests back in Planeptune. 'An adventurer must always be prepared for any circumstances'. 'An unprepared adventurer is a dead adventurer.' Things like that - but really, we haven't faced that many issues apart from times when Compa runs out of juice. And we can't prepare for that anyway since Iffy says mana restoring items are too expensive..."
"Is that right…"
Now that Noire thought about it, she didn't know much about adventurers or what constitutes a good adventurer. Neptune was classified as a D rank, and if it was used as any indication, she was either a poor adventurer or one that had yet to get used to being one.
Given what she has heard from Shidou and IF, it was most likely the latter. Power wise, there was no question where Neptune would fall - knowledge and experience wise, that would explain Shidou's rank over Neptune.
Perhaps she could ask IF or Shidou about it later? Lastation lacked adventurers but it seemed to be rather common outside of it.
"Well, we have the time… We should discuss the formation of the party."
"Eh? More planning? Couldn't we just, I dunno, blitz the guy?"
"I'm surprised you know that term." Noire quipped dryly.
"Hey! That's rude!"
"If I had to guess, Ms. IF was the one that taught you the term, huh?"
"..."
Neptune's silence was enough of an answer.
"Figures. Blitzing is fine and all, but we're with civilians who aren't as experienced in fighting. Giving them directions would make them less likely to panic once the battle gets on the way."
"Wouldn't being confident just to show that everything is alright be enough? I mean, there's no reason to panic if it looks like we have everything under control, right?"
The words of Neptune halted Noire's thoughts as she looked at the purple-haired preteen curiously.
"...What?"
"It's nothing… we'll do both."
The pair decided to begin outlining several plans for the upcoming monster hunt. Given that the experienced adventurer of the three was out, the pair was mainly basing their strategies on the training sessions they had that led up to this day. Seeing as it was made for a smaller and more experienced group however, Noire and Neptune spent more time trying to outfit the plan towards a larger group with limited success.
...it didn't help that Neptune frequently got distracted.
"I guess the best we can do is set the archers 300m away from the fighting while we, the swordsman, and whenever Shidou comes, takes the front." Noire said rubbing her head at the planning session that barely went anywhere. She vaguely wondered how IF dealt with Neptune, but decided it wasn't worth the effort.
If she thought about it anymore, she had a feeling they'd be one less of a vanguard.
"Don't sweat it too much Nowa~ If things go downhill, then I can just power up and change the tides - I'm a protagonist after all!"
Noire could at least see how confidence could boost morale - she was certain that if Neptune had said this in front of the others, they would have all thought that the battle was already won.
Frowning for a moment at the thought, Noire wondered why.
Neptune at her current state looked incredibly unreliable. She had heard of their treatment when they entered the Basilicom, and she had felt that would have been the natural reaction of anyone - despite IF and Shidou both boasting being experienced adventurers, they certainly didn't feel the part given the disparity of what she had expected an adventurer would act like… not that she knew what an adventurer was at any rate.
Then again, Shidou was someone who had lost all of his memories a year and a half prior and IF had also admitted that they didn't truly start venturing until a little over a year ago.
Despite their lacking 'show', the moment that the villagers had known that Shidou was an adventurer and by extension, Noire and Neptune, the treatment and expectations all came rushing in.
Noire had only been with Neptune's group for a couple of days, and in that short time, she could ascertain that there was indeed a difference between the power of an adventurer versus those who aren't. Given IF's power alone, Noire was certain that it would take a platoon of Lastation guard just to fight evenly with her, but once arcane artes are placed into the equation, it would probably take more to even match her.
Was that normal though?
What was common knowledge regarding adventurers however was that they took up any requests - be it monster hunting, item gathering or rescue missions - how they performed it on the other hand wasn't as well documented seeing as doing so for a non-adventurer dangerous to begin with. Escort missions that required the aid of adventurers quickly becomes unneeded when transportation like trains or tunnels can remove the danger altogether by either being fast enough to out speed most monsters, strong enough to shrug of attacks, or by taking a path that is specifically devoid of monsters.
The curious state of adventurers really made Noire determined to ask IF and Shidou about it later.
Before Noire could once again restart talks about a plan with Neptune, the door to their room quickly slammed open. A disheveled and clearly soaked archer came in.
It only took one look onto the archer's eyes and before any more words were spoken, Neptune and Noire had both taken out their weapons as well as the given raincoats and rushed out the door.
"...it has really started pouring, huh?"
Wearing the hood of his blue coat, Shidou briefly glanced upwards to the pitch black sky. The sight made him grimace.
It was supposed to be a normal monster subjugation - but Shidou couldn't help but feel it was anything but. IF's assessment alone already made any fleeting hope that it would just be a normal monster go down the drain.
The description was already suspect. While it was true that Shidou hadn't been in Lastation long enough to be truly familiar with the local fauna, the general climate of the area and the types of monsters that Shidou had fought and seen had given him a general idea of what monsters could be considered 'normal'.
Behemoths were a class of monsters that were often found in large plains, wide deserts or mountainous regions. Variants can be found in caverns, and due to the abundance of unexplored caves in Lastation due to the lack of adventurers, that might explain why a behemoth could be spotted in a forest like the one that they had been tasked to subjugate.
Shidou had spent an hour looking through the maps created by the villagers as they had a greater knowledge of the area around them, but after exploring all of the caverns that could possibly be the source of the behemoth or perhaps its hunting grounds, none had fit the description.
It didn't make sense for the monster to appear and disappear out of thin air - it had to have a nesting area. If the nesting area did exist, there must be a reason as to why it had decided that it would be better to attack a village rather than going after the nearby monsters or plant life.
Another factor that set alarm bells ringing within Shidou's mind was the length of time the monster had been coming and going. There was no doubt in his mind that the behemoth might have become a raid worthy foe at this point in time - one that would require a full party of adventurers to take down. There was also the strange question of the monster still not having decimated the village after this long without any formal adventurers about.
"I may have Sandalphon… but would that be enough?" Shidou muttered looking at his right hand.
He had only used Sandalphon twice before he had met Neptune. The first time had been accidental and the second time was in an act of desperation.
The second time was memorable as it had been what was needed to take down the Emerald Dragon, a raid type monster found in Leanbox. Its scales were tough and highly resistant to magic - it had taken the combined effort of 2 raid parties to take down the dragon and if it hadn't for his timely use of Sandalphon, there might have been casualties by the end of the quest.
Sandalphon had indeed been instrumental in taking down the monster - but recalling the sensation of his blade making impact onto the dragon made him realize that it was not an almighty weapon. If he had attempted to use Sandalphon at the very onset, Shidou felt that the battle would have ended in a far more different direction.
Preparation would no doubt be needed.
"Oh, ho, ho! An adventurer deep in the forests of Lastations? Or perhaps a civilian straying away from civilization?"
A haughty laugh of what could be described as clarifying one's self-importance sounded out that it unconsciously reminded him of an acquaintance back in Leanbox… and for some reason, the color of orange seems to enter his mind.
Turning to the source of the voice, not particularly difficult despite the heavy rain and almost lack of visible lighting in the forest, a woman wearing a dress with the overall color being white and a distinctive witch hat with a gear like decoration attached to it.
Shidou wasn't as well informed as IF when it comes to notable adventurers so if the person in front of him was someone famous indicated by her self-important way of speaking, then he could only raise the white flag in defeat and admit his lack of knowledge of the person in front of him.
"I'm an adventurer." Shidou answered somewhat dryly.
"Not from here clearly." The young woman asserted confidently. "At this time, Lastation is not one you would call an Adventurer Haven."
"So you're not an adventurer from here either?"
Calling the young woman an adventurer was not a wrong assumption - although it wasn't outstretched at the moment, Shidou spotted an extendable staff by the young woman's waist. Given her build and the type of weapon that was visible, Shidou assumed she was some sort of magic class adventurer.
"Not at this time."
"...that's a strange way of putting it."
"Curious?"
"Not to the extent of asking."
Adventurers each had their own circumstances. For someone who wasn't a friend, a party member or a client, asking more would be seen as rude or breaching adventurer etiquette. There were those that didn't care for such nuances, but Shidou felt that unless the other side was in trouble, it would be more prudent to remain unaware of the ins and goings of other adventurers.
"Hmm… I suppose this is what they call as the 'start', right?" Saying vague words, the young woman who had been perched atop of a tree, hopped down to the water soaked dirt. Despite the height, mud and water did not splash needlessly to the side - it was almost as if she had never jumped and had just somehow appeared on the spot. "Intervening like this isn't part of my plans, but since this time and place is curiously unrecorded, then it's fine if I have a go, right?"
Sensing a strange tension in the air at the words of the young woman before him, Shidou felt himself take a step back.
"What are you talking about?"
"I am a mad scientist despite everything you know?" Even though Shidou could not see the facial features of the young woman before him, he could sense a smirk grow from the young woman's visage. "An experiment like this, at a time like this, will not come again."
Her hand reaching out to her waist, she grabbed the stick placed by her waist and in a quick flicker of her wrist, it had extended into a staff.
"Doing this at any time other than the present would normally be suicidal and a foolhardy one given who you are."
"You know me…?"
The words spoken by the young woman, despite the confusing objective and the tension that was rapidly changing into a confrontation, prickled Shidou's senses.
"Perhaps." The young woman said in a flippant manner. "The only way to know is to beat me - and just so you know, even if you have no intention of fighting, I will still force your hand… it is in 15 minutes that you are needed after all."
"15 minutes… the behemoth!"
Shidou had been too immersed in his search and investigation to notice that the time for the subjugation was drawing near!
"Force your way through, adventurer of blue - and learn a thing or two while you're at it." The young woman said as several orbs of blue lightning floated around her. "It might just be what you need to triumph."
Grimacing at how the conversation had shifted into one of battle, Shidou could only lament as he grasped the great sword strapped to his back.
Author's Notes:
A bit later than expected, but at least I released something, right?
Anyway, some of you should be able to tell who just came out at the end. Not sure if I did her physical description justice since I'm a bit lacking when it comes to describing clothes and physical looks outside of the usual 'cute', 'handsome' or 'pretty' type of descriptors.
Next one will come whenever it's ready. December has been a rather mixed month for me, and has been both relaxing and stressful at the same time. Certain things didn't go as planned and certain events placed a damper on my mood. So if I find it in me to change some things, I might update this chapter again depending on what I write later on. While later events have been written, it's been in a constant cycle of revision... I rewrote this part at least 3 times? I can't say I'm fully happy with it, but it's definitely better than my previous revisions.
That said, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
