Hello, dear readers. This is CrossVipeR316 here with the newest chapter of Gamer Emblem Awakening. Let's get right to the reviews.
Hashirama 1710: Why, you ask? Because I'm just that awesome, that's why!
Jokes aside, yeah, the Hollow part felt like the most natural way to include that specific reference.
Narharcan: You raise a good point, considering how laid-back Gaius usually is. I'd like to counter that with this argument, though: When placed in a tense situation, humans in general act according to their gut feeling, and I can't think of any more in line with that than protecting those you care for. Gaius has known Tharja for far longer than Noire, whom he only met the day before. Sure, he might care for his daughter, but I argue that a threat against his wife holds a lot more emotional weight for him than a threat to his daughter. Hence, Gaius's behavior.
TheOrangeLord: Nope. That kunai was one that Jack's and Henry's future selves reverse engineered from scratch in Lucina's doomed timeline. While Jack could replicate that kunai, doing so would just be too much. He's already a one-man army. There's no need to let him go 4th Hokage on the enemies on top of that.
warrior of six blades: To clarify, Gaston himself wasn't responsible for Nowi's enslavement. That falls on the aristocrat's father, the previous ringleader.
And regarding Sparrow, yeah, I'm trying to think of ways where the Hollow spirit gets on Jack's nerves. Hopefully, it shouldn't be too hard, considering all the headaches Jack's gotten from the squirrels.
kyle77776: Rose's build is meant to make her the wild card of her generation. She doesn't necessarily need brute force to defeat her enemies. Her random and unpredictable fighting style can blindside just about anyone. A soldier may be trained to expect the unexpected, but Rose simply flips that notion on its head.
3-13 Sniper and SuperVegitoFAN: I highly recommend that you read up on Magilou on the internet and watch the skits from Tales of Berseria where she's involved. She's one of the most well written and entertaining characters I've ever seen.
Copyright disclaimer: I only own the plot of this fic. For a full copyright disclaimer, please read chapter 1.
I hate haunted mansions, okay?! Those cursed walls and all these Risen running around creep me out! Cut me some slack here! – Nah
Chapter 20
Maximum cuteness overload!
Burn the undead with fire!
"Come on, Gaius. Put your back into it." Anna commands the Assassin.
Gaius grunts as he struggles to carry the giant sack placed on his back out from the empty building formerly known as the slave ring's headquarters. "You're really pushing this, Moneybags." he mutters irritably.
"Hey, you lost our bet, and now I'm cashing in on that." Anna explains. "Besides, Jack promised me all the loot in that building, and I, for one, intend to milk this deal for all it's worth. Their ringleader was an aristocrat. Do you have any idea how loaded those guys are?"
"Oh, I know." Gaius replies. "I used to sneak into their homes and help myself with whatever I could find there, you know? 'Course, it's been a while since I last did that if we ignore the bandits' hideout."
Anna nods sagely. "Then you know exactly why I wanted this. I'll have you know the merchandise Jack and I used for our disguises was expensive stuff, so if I want to make a net gain from this trip, I'll need to strip that place bare."
"Looks more like you're just hoarding everything you can get your hands at." Gaius comments.
Anna kicks him lightly on the butt with a disapproving glare. "Enough complaining. You lost our bet, so you have to help me carry the sack to my cart. Now, mush!"
"What am I, your pack mule?" the Assassin grumbles.
Nowi shakes her head with a sigh. "That girl is way too attached to her money purse. Doesn't she realize money won't make you happy?"
Sully scratches her head. "Well, good luck tellin' her that. Somethin' tells me she ain't the type to listen to that kind of stuff unless she's at death's door."
Nowi rubs her chin before she drops her fist into her open palm. "I got it! If she falls in love with someone, she'll definitely understand that money isn't everything!"
Sully glances at the manakete. "Oh yeah? And who's the chump that fits the bill?"
Nowi racks her brain for an answer when her gaze falls on Gregor. A scheming smile grows on her face. "I have an idea…"
Donnel and I look at her with some apprehension.
"Nowi? What are you up to?" I ask her carefully.
Nowi gives me an innocent smile. "Oh, just trying to figure out who fits with whom. It's all for a good cause, Jack. Honest."
I give her a deadpan look in return. "Somehow, I'm not convinced."
Nowi puffs her cheeks and stomps off while dragging Donnel with her. "Well, I'll prove you wrong. You'll see."
Something tells me we'll need an adult soon. Nowi doesn't count as an adult, age one thousand plus notwithstanding.
"Well, here we are." I tell Rose as we stand in front of my tent. "I didn't expect to run into you on this trip, so I didn't prepare any extra tents. Guess we'll have to share until we reunite with your mother."
Rose shrugs. "Eh, could be worse. I still remember times when you and Mom let me sleep together with you on some nights. Of course, that was back when I was just a little girl." Rose gives me a sidelong glance. "Unless…you're trying to take advantage of this situation by making me share a bedroll with you too. Never took you for that kind of guy, Dad."
I look at my daughter in shock. "Wha- Why in the world would I even consider that kind of thing!? We'll be sleeping in separate bedrolls!"
Rose places her hands behind her head and smiles in a carefree manner. "Oh, relax, Dad. You're way too easy to mess around with. No wonder Mom kept outsmarting you." Then her entire mood shifts as tears literally stream down her face and she tugs on her shirt. "Not that I'll ever turn the head of any hot-blooded male out there! I mean, look at me! My curves are nonexistent! Why, oh why did the Author have to base me on such a flat-chested female character? How will the readers fantasize about me when I look more like a pole than a bombshell?"
I give Rose a confused look. "Author? Readers? Rose, are you sure you're fine? Maybe we should take you to a physician before we continue our trip."
Rose instantly returns to her carefree attitude. "Meh, I'm fine. It's not like you're aware of the true nature of your existence anyway.
I sweatdrop at how quickly my daughter's mood shifts. It's not that time of the month for her, is it? Then again, from what I read from her profile, she takes after Magilou a lot. Sigh. Here's to hope she won't give me too many headaches. Keep it cool. She's my daughter – my family. Get to know her, and embrace her as she is. That's what every child wants, no matter the age.
I close my eyes and take a breath before I focus back on her. "Well, on a different topic, how about you tell me more of how you were tutored under Miriel and Henry?"
"Funny story there." Rose begins. "Those two were always at odds with each other when it came to how I would be trained. Miriel was always a stickler for protocol and kept insisting that I follow her curriculum, while Henry just wanted me to experiment with whatever I got my hands on. You should've seen the look on Miriel's face when she saw me try a Rexbolt tome at age eight. I've never seen her move so fast as when she snatched it out my hands, marched me to Henry's room, and chewed him out while scolding me at the same time." Rose shrugs. "Of course, Henry laughed his way through all of it. That's when Miriel set a personal record for largest number of aneurysms at the same time. I'm amazed she didn't blast Henry with said Rexbolt tome with how far he could push her temper."
I give Rose a flat look. "I'm amazed that you managed to learn anything at all between two teachers bickering with each other. And that Henry walked away from that alive."
Rose smiles smugly. "Arcane prodigy, remember? As much as they bickered, I managed to pick up on a lot of stuff between their discussions. Oh, but the best part was when Miriel told me to put the tome back where I found it. Getting back to the bookshelf where I got it was the easy part, but the reason why I got my hands on the tome in the first place was because Henry plucked it out of its shelf for me, since I was too short to reach it on my own. So when I tried to replace it, I found myself staring up at the shelf instead. Not that I let that stop me. I chose to climb up the shelf until I found the right one."
"I have a feeling this story will end painfully." I comment apprehensively.
"Well, you're not far off the mark. Just when I was about to put the tome back, I lost my grip and fell backwards. And just because the Author has a knack for slapstick humor, I got buried under half the books from the shelf in the process." Rose's expression turns passionate as she clenches her fist. "But it was there, buried under hundreds upon hundreds of pages of arcane wisdom, that my mind was enlightened! Eureka! I had discovered the fourth wall!"
"The what?"
Rose brushes off my question. "Oh, don't sweat that detail. It's not like you'd understand what I had stumbled upon anyway."
Great… My daughter's acting crazy again.
"You could say that's when my studies in magic really took off." Rose continues unperturbed. "Magic came as naturally to me as walking for a baby." She strikes a pose with her arm stretched out as if showing to the world an object the size of her palm. "The arcane world lay bare at my feet! And in the center of it all, was the spell that would become the foundation of my illustrious repertoire of magic!" Rose grins at me. "Wanna see?"
I blink owlishly before I nod. I think I'll have to replay this conversation in my mind in the future, if only to filter out all the weirdness coming out of my daughter's mouth and figure out what she's actually saying.
Rose stretches her fingers. "All right. Here goes!"
She strikes a new pose, one where she kicks up one leg behind her and points both index fingers at the boulder to her left, all with a wink and a confident grin. "Magikazam!"
…
"Was something supposed to happen?" I ask my daughter curiously.
Rose exits her pose. "Yeah, or so I thought." She shrugs with a sigh. "The thing with this spell is that, for one, the Author put it in my skillset because he wanted to make a reference, and second, while the data entry says that the effects are random, it's just an excuse for the Author to do whatever the heck he wants. As far as I know, literally anything can happen."
"Anything?" I ask her skeptically. "That sounds way too ambiguous. What's the strangest thing that could happen?"
"Well, there was this one time when a horde of Risen got overrun by a herd of sheep, which allowed us to escape. And then there's the time when Yarne's hair turned blond and he yelled so loud that the earth shook, which is the only time it ever happened. And then there was that one time when Severa's sword turned into a fish, which attracted a tiger from a nearby tree, who wanted to gobble up her sword. We had our first ever dinner consisting of roast tiger that evening. And then there's the time-"
"Okay, stop. I believe you." I interrupt her.
"Anyway, the point is that literally anything can happen when I cast my signature spell. Mom, Miriel, Lucina, heck, even Henry told me that I'm only allowed to use it as a last resort in battle. The thing is, we've been cornered so often that I found myself with no other option more times than I could count, so I eventually learned to just roll with it."
A sweatdrop forms on my head. "Let's just hope it doesn't come to that. The last thing I want is my own sword to turn into a fish."
"I'll try. But don't get your hopes up, Dad. The Author's got some crazy stuff in store for you."
AN: For the love of- No spoiling the plot, Rose!
"Hey, you're the one who let me break the stupid wall, Author! This is your own fault!" Rose shouts seemingly into the air.
AN: I'm the one who made your character design, and I can easily rewrite everything for an alternate design that I had planned before your current build!
Rose huffs. "Fine, I'll shut up about the script! Happy?!"
…
"Rose? What was that?" I ask my daughter.
Rose pouts. "Just the Author being a jerk. Trade me for some adorkable cookie monster with a mechanical scythe, will he?" She shrugs. "Meh. I'll be off-screen if you need me, Dad. See you around."
"Off-screen? What do you-" I shake my head. "Look, Rose, there's just one more thing."
Rose turns to me. "Yes?"
"Just… Please stay close to me if we get in another battle. I want to make sure I can keep an eye on you at all times."
Rose smiles. "Come on, Dad, that won't be necessary. You practically have a seventh sense when it comes to me or Mom being in danger. The moment you suspect something bad will happen, you'll just barrel through everything in your path to protect me. And for your information, I know my way around a fight. I'll be fine."
I'm about to protest when I realize that she has a point. This isn't the apocalyptic future she and the others from her generation are trying to prevent. At the very least, it should be less dangerous here than when she had to fight for her life every day.
Doesn't make me feel any more relieved though. So I'm a worrywart when it comes to my daughter! Bite me!
I sigh and scratch the back of my head. "Oh, fine. Just now I'll be there for you."
Rose kicks the ground with a somber, yet unreadable look on her face. "Yeah, sure. Not that I can always depend on that."
With those words, she walks off. Wonder what was with that sudden shift in her mood – again.
Your relationship with Rose has improved!
"No offense, Buttercup, but Blossom's got a few screws loose." Gaius comments.
I raise an eyebrow as I turn to the Assassin. "Blossom?"
"Your kid." Gaius clarifies. "She spent half the time talking gibberish. You sure she's all right in the head?"
I point at Noire, who's busy decorating the nearby landscape with craters and destruction.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!* "A-HA HA HA HA HA HA!"
"Pot or kettle?" I ask Gaius.
The Assassin nods. "Point."
AN: Gaius calls Rose "Blossom". He calls Robin "Bubbles". And he calls Jack "Buttercup". Put them together, and what do you get?
Gaius shifts the lollipop in his mouth. "Ya know… I had a look in the slavers' hideout while Moneybags forced me to loot it. And from what I remember, there were fewer bodies in some places than there should be, considering the security. It all looks to me like they just up and vanished."
"You could say that." I reply. "Some of them are pretty much erased from this world due to my powers."
Gaius looks at me in shock. "You're kidding."
"Do I look like I am?"
Gaius keeps his shocked expression a bit before he sighs. "I should've known. You completely flew off the handle after you found out Blossom's your daughter, but, sheesh… You weren't kidding when you told me how much you care about Noire, and that's for someone who technically isn't you kid. Overreact much, Buttercup?"
"Maybe." I relent. "I usually try to keep an even temper, but there are things that I'll never stand for. I bet you're the same in a way."
Gaius nods. "Sort of. When you held Tharja in that chokehold, all I could think of was making you let her go, rank or no rank."
"And I respect that in you, Gaius. It shows how much you care for the people you love. Just know there are people out there who can react just as poorly as we do."
"Between the two of us? I think you're worse, Buttercup."
"Yeah… You may be right."
Your relationship with Gaius has improved!
The sun is setting and we've just made a campfire when the time comes to make dinner. Today, that duty falls on Sully and Nowi. Just as the two are setting things up for making stew, we hear some grunting coming from a nearby forest. As we turn that way, we see Donnel and Vaike walk back into camp – with Vaike carrying a boar over his shoulders with a proud grin.
"Hey, Sully! Look what me and Donnel found!"
Sully smirks. "Huh. Not bad, boys. Lemme guess; Donnel did all the hard work, and you just picked the thing up to look cool when you hauled it back to camp."
A tic mark appears on Vaike's forehead. "Hey! I'll have you know I helped the guy set the trap for this bad boy!"
Donnel nods. "Teach's right. I hoped we could catch some wild game for tonight's dinner, so he helped me settin' up traps all over the place. We were bettin' on small game like rabbits, but hoo wee, did we strike gold on the pitfall trap. Lil' bugger just up an' tripped into the hole not long after we set it up, so we just clubbed it down and Teach hauled it back here."
Vaike nods. "Yeah. What he said."
Nowi beams at the two men. "That's great, you two! We'll have a feast tonight!"
Sully eyes the boar skeptically. "I don't know… That thing's pretty big. Ya sure we can cook it in time for dinner, Nowi?"
Nowi winks at the Paladin. "Sure I'm sure."
*Flash*
Nowi reveals her dragon form.
"One dragon fire roasted boar coming right up."
Donnel runs for cover in the blink of an eye while Vaike's face pales.
"H-hey! At least let me put this thing down before you roast it. And make sure you don't turn it into a pile of ashes!"
"Come on, Vaike. I won't burn the food…much…"
"Hold, wee one!" Gregor interjects. "Freshly caught boar not good for roasting. Needs cleaning out the insides before cooking, no? Or else get sick from eating very easily. Gregor knows. Learned the hard way."
Sully nods and walks up to Vaike. "Ya ain't wrong, Gregor. Come on, Vaike, give it here. I'll clean this thing out."
Sully grabs the boar by a tusk and lifts it off her husband's shoulders with only one hand. Yeah… Sully's that strong.
Nowi reverts back to her human form with a pout. "Fine… I'll wait."
Sully chuckles at her behavior. "Why don't ya get the pot ready? We'll need lots more than just boar if we wanna make a good meal tonight."
Nowi shrugs and gets right back to dinner preparations.
However, just as Sully raises the knife to clean out the boar, we're all reminded about an important detail; she's a lousy cook. I can vouch for it. I still suffer from flashbacks back when I tried her cooking for the first time.
"You know what, let me do it!" I interject hastily. "You and Nowi are, uh, already busy with preparing everything else, so pushing all this on top of the other preparations just wouldn't be fair."
Sully raises an eyebrow. "Meh. No need to worry, Jack. I'm just gutting a boar. It ain't that hard."
Curses! She's got a good argument there. What to do, what to do? Think fast!
"Well, uh… I'm sure it's easy for you. It's just that…well…"
I look around in hopes of finding inspiration for a good argument. Come on, there's gotta be something! Vaike? Nah, Sully will see through my ruse instantly, and when she does, she'll punch me in the face. Anna? Wait, don't you dare run to your tent for merchant business! Your life's as much on the line as everyone else's! Tharja? She doesn't even look me in the ey-
Wait, that's it! Tharja!
"Well, the boar's entrails can be useful too, you know." I argue while praying to Naga that my BS isn't too obvious. "Like Tharja's dark magic, for example. I know from conversations with her that entrails are a common ingredient for dark concoctions."
Sully raises an eyebrow. "And?"
I clear my throat as sweat starts to build on the back of my head. I also see signs of nervosity among the others.
"W-well… Extracting entrails that are good enough for Tharja's brewing is a delicate process. Steady hand and all that, you know." I wave my hands around frantically as Sully starts to glare at me. "Not that I think you're clumsy or anything, Sully! It's just, uh… I've been told during my travels that I have excellent knifework. Don't you think it's safer to let me handle it then? I mean, Tharja's magic could help us out in a bind, but it won't work as well if she can't get her hands on useful ingredients!"
I look at the Sorcerer with a pleading look that screams "Please play along! It's for the greater good, I swear!"
Tharja shifts between looking at Sully and me before she settles on Sully and nods nervously. "Y-yeah. I- Uh… I might need those boar entrails for a hex later… But only if they're completely unharmed when you extract them."
Sully looks at us skeptically before she shrugs and hands me the knife. "Whatever. Knock yerself out, Jack."
I accept the knife while trying to keep my hand from shaking. Naga be praised! Disaster has been averted!
Phew. Adding that boar meat to the stew turned our dinner into an awesome dinner. All in all, the mood was great around the fire, between the unexpectedly good flavor and most of us breathing a sigh of relief over letting Nowi handle the main part of the cooking instead of Sully.
For real, had Sully handled the cooking, we'd all probably suffer from food poisoning right now. I refuse to perish in this snowy landscape a whole continent away from my wife!
Rose walks into the tent yawning.
"Man, I'm beat. What a day. I woke up in a prison cell this morning, got to meet my Dad again, escape from the jerks who imprisoned me in the first place, and have my very first argument with the Author within the writing of this fic."
"Not sure what to make of that last part, but it sounds you've had it rough before I found you." I reply and pat the extra bedroll I got from our supply wagon. "Here. It's not the most comfy arrangement, but it'll have to do for now, Rose."
Rose shrugs and shimmies into the bedroll.
I kneel down and kiss her on the forehead with an affectionate smile. "Sweet dreams, honey."
Rose smirks at me. "Oh, going for the kisses already, Dad? Mom wasn't kidding when she told me you could be quite bold sometimes."
I tic mark pulses on my head. "Hey, I'm trying show some parental affection to my daughter who spent several years fighting for her life in a zombie apocalypse. Isn't that what every self-respecting father would do?"
Rose snickers and places her hat on the ground. "You know, you should be able to tell by now when I'm messing with you."
"I'll have you know I take parenting seriously, Rose." I huff. My expression softens quickly. "But I guess it's fine if you can still crack jokes, even after everything you've been through."
Rose gives me a flat look. "You make it sound like you expected me to turn emo during those times."
I sweatdrop. "That's…one way to put it. But, really, with everything I've heard from the others in your generation, I'm just happy that none of you so far seem to have turned into complete emotional wrecks. War is hell, especially if you go through what happened to you all at your age." I avert my eyes sadly. "I don't even want to imagine how it feels losing my family in that hellscape."
Rose shrugs. "For what it's worth, we still had each other. R-N-Gesus knows what would've happened if we never learned to stick together through thick and thin. It was rough, but we managed…somehow."
I nod. "Thank goodness for that. But now that you're here, I'll make sure none of you will ever have to relive those tragedies again, least of all you. That's my duty as your father, and as your ally."
"Oh, cut the drama already, Dad. Do you want the readers to go looking for onion slicing ninjas in their vicinity?"
"The what?"
"Never mind."
I sigh and settle down on my own bedroll, which is placed right beside Rose's. I caress her hair gently. "To think you inherited your mother's beautiful silver hair…"
Rose grins. "Yup. Mom told me how you kept gushing about it after I was born. You wouldn't stop telling everyone else how I had inherited, you said, and I quote "My wife's beauty, condensed in the adorable body of a baby"."
I grin back. "Hah! I'm still a man with an eye for beauty in the future! Score!"
Rose gives me a flat look. "Yeah… You kept annoying everyone around you the exact same way too. Mom lost count on how often she had to smack you over the head with one of her tomes just to make you stop. And that was before I ditched my diapers. Look, Dad. I'm not a little kid any more. By Ylissean standards, I'm an adult. So treat me like one."
It pains me to hear the truth, but she's right.
"*Sigh* All right. I… I'll try." I smile at my daughter. "But know that you'll always be my daughter, no matter what."
"I'm never getting away from that, am I?"
"Hey, I'll have you know your grandmother told me the same before I met your mother. I felt the same back then as you do now, but, looking back, I think I finally understand why she said it. You're always welcome to my side, Rose. Never forget that."
Rose sighs. "I won't – not that you'd ever stop reminding me." She turns around and settles on her side. "Good night, Dad."
I turn off the lantern hanging in our tent. "Good night, Rose. Love you."
"Love you too."
You have slept in a bedroll! HP and MP have been restored by 50 % of its maximum value!
I blink as I slowly become aware of the world around me again. Now that I pay attention, I become aware of how uncomfortable it is sleeping in the Feroxi outdoors. It's cold out here, and sleeping while being cold plain sucks. Props to all the soldiers throughout history who have slept in these conditions for months, sometimes years on end. That's some top tier discipline and dedication, right there.
Which brings me to the next item on my list; Rose. I turn to the side and see my daughter still asleep faceup, with Kirby clutched to her chest and sleeping with a peaceful expression you'd normally find on a child. In a way, her sleeping face reminds me of Robin's. No wonder future-me kept gushing about how my daughter inherited my wife's beauty. I'm not necessarily referring to the looks. I'm also including behavior for this one.
As much as it pains me to disturb such an adorable sight, it's high time to get the day started. I get up from my bedroll and roll it back up to traveling shape. Then I kneel down at my daughter's side and shake her shoulder gently.
"Wake up, Rose. It's morning."
Rose grumbles before she turns on her side away from me. "Five more minutes, Dad."
I walk over to her other side and poke her in the cheek. "Nope, not happening. As commander of this expedition, I have to set an example for the others. If I can't even have my own daughter get up when the time comes, it'll reflect back on me in a way that challenges my authority."
Rose opens her eyes with an annoyed glare. "Cut me some slack, will you? Do you have any idea how early it is?"
"Hey, I imagine you guys had to manage without much sleep before you traveled back here, so you should be used to it. Besides, the early bird catches the worm."
Rose huffs and turns on her other side. "Don't wanna…"
Sigh. I need to get her out soon. But how do I do that while acting like a responsible parent? Just threatening her will only harm our bond in the long run.
Wait. I remember some stuff back when I studied psychology and watched a few psych videos online. What did they say again? The best way to help someone learn is through positive reinforcement.
Positive reinforcement… Now how do I implement that?
"Tell you what, Rose." I persuade my daughter. "If you behave, I'll take you to a bookstore next time we arrive at a town. I'll buy you any book you want."
Rose glances over her shoulder. "Any book?"
I nod smiling. "Any book." That should do the trick.
Rose turns back to her sleeping position and falls silent.
…
Then she shuffles a bit before she finally sits up, stretches her arms and lets out a big yawn.
"Man, that was the best night of sleep I've had in…a long time." my daughter remarks as she rubs her eyes sleepily.
D'aw, she's even got a bedhead! That's adorable! So adorable, in fact, that I can't…hold back…
"I can't take it anymore! I just have to hug you!" I shout as I do just that.
"Whu- Hey! Lemme go, Dad! It's getting uncomfortable!" Rose protests. Not that she can pry me off.
"Your mother's gonna be so happy when she meets you! Becoming a father's the best thing to happen to me since I got married!"
"Jack, am I interrupting something?" I hear Nowi's voice ask.
Our moment stops as both me and Rose spot the manakete standing at the tent flap.
"Oh, I'm just bonding with my daughter, is all." I explain.
Rose renews her efforts to pry me off. "And by "bonding", he means treating me like I'm a plush toy."
Nowi rolls her eyes. "You'll get used to it. Jack treats me the same."
"Hey! That was one time more than two years ago!" I protest.
Nowi points at me. "Don't deny it, Jack. You still want to hug me like a stuffed animal whenever you have the chance."
"Well, you're not wrong…" I admit. "But to be fair, I'm doing that as your sort-of brother figure nowadays, unlike when we just met."
Rose glances at me. "First me, and then Aunt Nowi? For shame, Dad. What will Mom say when she finds out?"
A tic mark appears on my forehead (even as I keep my hold on my daughter). "I keep telling you, it's not like that! I just prefer to show my affection through physical contact."
"He's telling the truth." Nowi tells us flatly. "Jack's so touchy-feely with Robin that these past few days are the first in a long time that I don't smell her on him. The only thing even bigger than the physical contact between them is his devotion to their marriage."
"I know." Rose returns with an equally flat tone. "I grew up with him, so I saw all that touchy-feely firsthand."
"You'll understand when you're married yourself…I think." I reply.
Nowi shakes her head. "I doubt it. It's more like a thing that only happens between you and Robin, Jack."
"Hey! Back me up here, will you?"
"Nope! I'd be lying if I did. And you know how the old saying goes:"
Rose and Nowi grin as they chant in unison.
"Liar, liar, pants on fire!"
I finally let go of Rose to turn around and cross my arms with a huff. "Fine, gang up on me. See if I care."
Rose pokes me on the cheek, in a similar manner in which I tried to wake her up earlier. "Oh, you care. You're way too easy to read when you're not fighting, Dad."
Rose and Nowi flee the tent right afterwards. I'm after them with a new tic mark pulsing on my forehead. "That's it! Get back here!"
To say the others looked at me strangely during breakfast after that little chase through camp was an understatement. I don't care. My daughter and sister figure were annoying, so I claim my right to be slightly grumpy. Only temporarily, mind you.
"Travel where from here?" Gregor asks after everyone finishes up. "Beginning return trip now?"
I shake my head. "Not quite, Gregor. We still have one more stop to make before we turn and follow the northern coast of Ferox." I pull out my map and point at a place close to the eastern coast, not far from where we are at the moment.
"South from here should be where one of the people we're looking for was last spotted. We'll head there and use that as a starting point for our search."
The old Hero rubs his chin as he looks at the spot I'm pointing at. "Place look familiar. Gregor traveling there many times while sellsword in Ferox."
Gaius raises an eyebrow. "Really? What can you tell us about it, Pops?"
"Very remote area." Gregor explains. "Rumor of there once living very rich family, but long ago. Gregor never find client there, so Gregor never actually seeing for self."
"Hey… If there really were rich folks livin' there, that means there's supposed to be a fancy house and everythin', right?" Donnel asks.
Nowi nods. "Most likely. But I haven't heard anything about people living there for quite a few decades. Wonder what's been going down there?"
"We're probably about to find out." I declare. "That'll be our first destination then. We'll break camp and head for their residence."
"So, this is basically what we're doing for this whole trip, right?" Rose asks as she helps me put away our tent.
"Pretty much." I reply. "The whole point of this trip was for us to travel around the continent and round up the others from your generation before we head to Valm. Considering the threat of the Conqueror, we'll need all the help we can get. I never expected a child of mine to be one of those people we'd end up meeting along the way, but I'm grateful for it."
Rose tugs the rope taut around the rolled-up canvas and puts it in the pile with all the other stuff that'll be loaded in the cart soon.
"Well, aren't I lucky?" she mumbles sarcastically. "Though I suppose it's a good thing." My daughter rubs her chin. "Come to think of it… If we count Noire, this is the third place in a pretty small area that we ended up in after that whole time travel thing. How come we never met up?" She shrugs. "Meh. Probably a plot hole."
It's a good thing we're moving a bit further south on the road. All this snow these past few days were a pain to pave a way through for our carts. Granted, there's still snow on the ground, but only a thin layer that hardly impedes our progress.
Walking further south means the climate is more suited for trees to flourish in. And where there's trees…
The foliage ruffles before a tiny blur races out on the road.
…there are squirrels. Like the one in front of me, with the familiar black moss cloak and a twig with three smaller twigs fastened on one end at a right angle.
"About *squeak*-ing time you got here, Jack." the critter complains. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to find any decent nuts up here in the north? Foraging's a pain in the tail, and *squeak* it if Kakuzu isn't being stingy with his acorns."
"I'll have you know one of your trainees had it even rougher just to get me the information I needed, Hidan." I tell the squirrel bluntly.
"Hey, let the rookie get through his trial by red leaves. I'm a full member. I deserve better than this *squeak*."
"Hey, you have to set an example for your juniors." I counter as I pull out an acorn from my bag and hand it to the foul-mouthed critter. "So? You got the road mapped out?"
"Of course I do." Hidan huffs. "I'm no amateur. I know my way around this place like the back of my front paw by now. Now gimme that acorn, and I'll get you where you need to be."
Greedy little furball, ain'tcha? Though I guess he doesn't get to enjoy so much if this Kakuzu is as stingy with resources as a certain rouge ninja bearing the same name. Fine, I'll let him enjoy the treat for a while.
Hidan pats his stomach after the acorn's been gobbled up.
"*Squeak* yeah, that felt good. Alright, humans. Follow me!"
I shrug and signal to the others to follow the weirdly dressed squirrel.
Timeskip: One hour later
"Are we there yet?" Vaike asks.
A vein pulses on Sully's forehead. "Oh, for the love of- Will you lay off on that question, Vaike?! It ain't even hot out here!"
"But we've been walking for, what? An hour? Where the heck is that squirrel even takin' us?"
"I thought you'd have picked up on the pattern by now, Muscles." Gaius interjects. "Buttercup's hired those woodland critters to scout the continent, so he's had us tag along on this trip to round 'em up, and that lil' thing's our guide for…whoever Buttercup's got his sights set on."
"And we're all the better for it." Nowi adds cheerfully. "I mean, look around. Everyone we've met so far are part of a family." Stars twinkle in her eyes as she starts bouncing on her feet. "Oh, what if one of the people Jack's looking for is my own child from the future? That would be so wonderful! I could be a mother!"
Nowi grabs hold of Donnel's arm and tugs at him. "Hey, Donnel! Wouldn't it be lovely if we became parents? A child to call our own! Our very own family!"
"Y-yeah…" the Fighter replies hesitantly as he tries to keep his brass pot from falling off his head. "But, uh, wouldn't that kid have lost their parents too? I mean, bleak future an' everythin' that comes with it."
Nowi skids to a halt upon hearing her husband's reply. In fact, she stands as still as a statue. Her eyes become downcast and a bit hollow as she crouches down and hugs her knees.
"Oh yeah… Didn't think of that. Then…maybe having a child from the future isn't so nice after all. Why would anyone want a child to grow up without their parents?" Nowi looks at me. "Jack? Am I a bad person for wishing for a child like so many others have met theirs these past few days?"
I rub my chin as I glance at Rose. My daughter… I'm overjoyed to have her here with me, to know that me and Robin are parents – technically speaking. On the other hand, the reason why our meeting happened in the first place was because of the dark future they come from. Nowi's got a good point. To wish for such a child would effectively mean you wish for an orphan – a fate no child deserves, no matter who they are.
I walk back to Nowi and rub her on the head. "I won't fault you for wishing for a child, Nowi. Honestly, even before we met Rose, becoming a father was something I've dreamed of for a long time. She's living proof that that dream came true." I shake my head. "But just because you wish for a child of your own doesn't have to mean you wish for someone who's one of Lucina's fellow time travelers."
Nowi looks up at me with a confused look. "Huh? What do you mean?"
"You remember the reason why Lucina traveled back in time with her allies, don't you? They did it because they wanted to change the course of history. And from what she's told me about what happened in her timeline, we managed to accomplish that by saving Emmeryn. That means the future can be changed. So what if you never have any children in the future Lucina comes from? That won't stop you and Donnel from having children of your own this time around. And even if you two do have a child from Lucina's timeline, that just means you have to be there for the little one when we eventually find them." I hug Nowi. "If such a child exists, be ready to comfort them, for all they've had to endure until meeting you. Never give up on your dream of starting a family if that's what you long for, Nowi. Just be the best mother you can be for the day when your child arrives in your life."
Nowi returns the hug and nods. "Thank you, Jack… I promise. I'll be the best mother there ever was for my child. I'll always make sure she has a loving home to return to, no matter what happens."
I pull back and regard my sister figure with a raised eyebrow. ""She"? How are you so sure it'll be a daughter?"
Nowi slips out of my hug and rubs the underside of her nose with a proud smile and her chest puffed out. "Budding motherly instinct."
I give the manakete a flat look. "Lissa's been rubbing off on you, hasn't she?"
"Hey, humans! Are you following my lead or not?!" Hidan shouts from further down the road. "I ain't got time for this dawdling, so move your tail ends and get going already. Man, this job is a pain in the *squeak*. Why does Leader always saddle me with the grunt work?"
Complaining squirrel aside, it's only a matter of minutes before we spot something in the distance. According to what Gaius and Noire can tell, seeing as they have the best eyesight in our group, it's a mansion. And judging from the map, we've arrived at our destination.
"Welp, here we are." Hidan concludes. He turns to me. "My job here's done. And not a moment too soon. I'm falling behind on my daily rituals."
I blink. "Rituals? What? You make a circle of leaves and stick twigs in your body as you lie in said circle?"
"What?! What kind of *squeak*ed up practice is that?! No way in *squeak* will I do something that stupid. Where do you get those ideas, Jack?"
I avert my eyes with a flat look. "Oh, if only you knew, Hidan."
The squirrel waves it off. "Meh, whatever. I'm outta here. Oh, and one more thing. All glory to Jashinut-sama!"
The squirrel vanishes from view.
Did he…just mention the name of the deity he worships? For real, those squirrels are just plain weird…
As we approach the mansion, a strange feeling fills the atmosphere.
Tharja eyes the area around the mansion curiously. "Now this is quite an unusual place. The very air here feels dark." A giggle escapes her lips. "I wonder what kind of hexes I could cast in an area as sinister as this one."
Noire gulps. "You'd cast hexes in this dreadful place, Mother? T-the horror. Um, shouldn't we ask the ones living here first for permission?"
Nowi sniffs the air a bit before she pinches her nose. "I wouldn't put my hopes up if I were you. I can't smell any living creatures here. The whole house reeks of death."
This puts everyone on guard.
Donnel gulps. "Hang on… Ya mean there's no one livin' here?"
Nowi frowns as she looks at the mansion gates. "Not for a long while, no. If anything, we'll probably run into a lot of dead bodies." A shiver travels down her spine. "Yeesh. It sounds like I'm talking about a mass grave."
"Suits me just fine." Tharja comments as she walks through the gate. "That means there's no one to interrupt my research. Oh, the possibilities."
Gaius looks at his wife apprehensively. "Uh, Tharja? You sure this is a good idea?"
No reply.
Gaius scratches his head. "*Sigh* Can't just let her go in on her own, can we?"
I nod. "You're right about that, Gaius. I think this mansion bears some investigating."
Anna rubs her hands in glee. "Hey… Now that I think about it, a fancy mansion like this is bound to have valuable trinkets lying about all over the place. And if no one lives there anymore… Well, finders keepers, right?"
Gregor regards the merchant with a sweatdrop. "Anna very grabby with shiny stuff, no?"
"Better that than letting all those valuables gather dust in some abandoned house. Just imagine the profit they can ne- I mean, wouldn't it be nice if they were placed somewhere where they can be appreciated?"
The rest of us shake our heads. Good grief, she's obsessed with making money. You'd think she and the rest of her family has a good reason for all that money hoarding, but the games never explore anything resembling that kind of avenue.
If the exterior of the mansion looked sinister, that was only a preview of how the inside's like. Every lantern and lamp are put out, and every window's shut. I'm amazed there's enough light for us to see here at all.
"This place gives me the creeps." Vaike mutters as we walk around in the mansion.
Sully smirks at her husband. "What's the matter, Vaike? Getting cold feet?"
"It ain't like that!" Vaike protests. "Have any of you tried to listen around this place? Far as I know, it's silent, save for us. No sounds of footsteps around the house, no constant chatter in the rooms. The weird part is that all rooms I've checked are empty."
Donnel looks around the foyer where we're at. "Ya got a point there, Vaike. I ain't one for fancy houses an' all that, but aren't these places supposed to be, ya know, noisy?"
"So the place is empty." Anna comments cheerfully. "That means there's nobody here. And that means, I can just help myself~."
Rose smirks at our interactions. "Oh, I know where this is going. This is the part where we split off from the group one after another. And when the few remaining start to get concerned for the others, we go searching the mansion together. But just when we least expect it; Bam! We find one of our comrades on the floor – dead!"
The others eye my daughter with various looks of disbelief, bemusement and fear.
"Ya sure yer daughter's alright, Jack?" Donnel asks as he scratches the hair under his pot.
I facepalm. "*Sigh* Just go with it, Donnel. You'll get used to it eventually. I think." I frown at Rose. "Rose, did you happen to read some horror novels before we got here?"
My daughter shrugs. "Hey, this is the perfect setting for that kind of movie, right? Now all we need is some psychopath stalking the house, and we're all set."
Tharja scoffs. "This is ridiculous. I'll go around and explore a bit to see what I can make of this atmosphere."
"Um, Mother? Don't you want someone to go with you?" Noire asks worriedly. "I mean, what if Rose is right?"
Tharja rolls her eyes. "Please. We're the only one's here, right? There's no danger of me running into som-"
"AAAAAH! What the heck is that?!" a girl's voice screams.
The rest of us freeze.
"Did you hear that?" Gaius asks as he slowly reaches for his sword.
I nod and draw Harvest Moon. "Sounds like there's at least one more living person here. Come on, let's find out what's going on!"
Quest alert:
Side quest: Daughter to dragons
Your journey leads you to an abandoned mansion. It looks empty at first, but all that changes as a scream echoes through the corridors. You're not alone, and you might not even be in a safe area. Find out who the voice belongs to, and make sure this doesn't turn into a horror scene.
Objectives: Defeat all enemies.
Rewards: 10 000 EXP, 10 000 gold
Bonus objective: ?
Bonus rewards: 1 000 EXP, 1 000 gold
BGM: Trap phantasm, Megaman ZX: Advent music
We run down the main hall of the mansion, only to find out we've got more company than just one girl.
*Ka-bram!* "Raargh!"
A wall collapses, and Risen rush out from the opening.
"Risen! Here?!" Sully asks incredulous.
"There's no doubt about it." Nowi remarks as she gets ready to fight. "Now I know why this mansion reeked of so much death. This place must be infested with these things!"
Vaike brandishes his axe with a grin. "Then it's time for Teach to show how to make a good, old fashioned exor- Exer…" The Barbarian frowns in deep thought. "Er… What's that thing called again? You know, the one where Libra tries to get rid of evil spirits?"
Tharja rolls her eyes and charges up an Arcfire spell. "It's called "exorcism"."
Vaike grins gratefully, even as Tharja reduces two Risen to ashes. "Yeah, that! Thanks, Tharja!"
Sully bops the butt end of her lance against Vaike's head. "Ya don't even know how to perform that kinda stuff, Vaike. Lay off and get back to busting heads."
"Fine!" Vaike whines as he gets up close and personal with a Risen Fighter. The two axe wielders push against each other to a stalemate. That is, until Vaike grins and angles his axe to make the undead Fighter's slide into the hooked part of his own. With the weapons locked in a different position, Vaike closes the last of the distance and headbutts the undead soldier right in the face. The Risen Fighter reels back from the unexpected impact, giving Vaike the perfect opening to slice its head off.
A Sorcerer stands a dozen paces away and readies a Waste spell at Vaike. That where Anna jumps in with Gilthunder raised.
"Thundara!" *Krzzt!*
The lightning spell hits the Sorcerer right in the arm and disrupts the mana flow, causing the dark spell to dissipate. Anna follows up with a three-slash combo, a rising slash that sends the Sorcerer into the air, chases it into the air with a spinning series of slashes, and then stabs her keyblade in its chest as they both descend back to the floor. Right after impact, Anna twists Gilthunder, still stabbed into the Risen Sorcerer's chest, and casts a Thundaga spell all around her. The Risen around her get caught in the blast radius and start twitching from the potent lightning magic.
That leaves them wide open for the rest of us.
"Rose! With me!" I shout as I dash into the fray.
Rose pulls out Kirby and channels mana through the plushie, making it float above her index finger. "Hope this works!"
Harvest Moon tears through the stunned Risen on Anna's right with little resistance. On the left, Kirby flies right into the face of a Revenant. As the undead stumbles back, Rose calls Kirby back and winds up before she tosses the pink doll back at her target. This time, the impact hits the stumbling Revenant at an angle that makes Kirby bounce off and up from its face. Rose is already in the air upside down and launches Kirby at the stunned Revenant with a bicycle kick. The ballistic toy smashes right through the Revenant's head and bounces off the walls until it lands right in Rose's waiting hand.
"And another one down."
I point at Rose in shock. "How did you-"
Rose winks. "Told you I can handle myself. I was trained by Henry, remember? Crazy runs through his blood."
A distorted neighing echoes through the corridors. A pair of Dark Knights round a corner, one with a Silver Sword in hand, and another one with a Thoron spell charging in its hand. The Thoron spell flies at us with a crack. Tharja saunters up to the incoming spell without a care in the world and catches it right out of the air. A sinister smirk grows on her face as she holds the captured spell to her face.
"You are already dead."
Tharja throws the spell right back at the original caster with some of her own magic stacked on top of it. The resulting discharge is so powerful that the Dark Knight gets blasted into pieces.
Well… She's technically right. Risen are nothing more than reanimated corpses, after all.
The second Dark Knight comes up with its Silver Sword in full swing. Sully rides to meet it head on.
*Clang!*
Silver Sword meets Silver Lance as the two riders clash and then pass each other. Sully rounds for another run, as does the Dark Knight. As they approach each other, Sully twirls her lance and strikes the Silver Sword upwards. Before the Dark Knight can react, Sully already has the butt end of her lance at the ready and shoves it right in the Dark Knight's chest, knocking it off the horse. For the finisher, the Paladin flips her lance into a reverse grip and lands on the Dark Knight point-first.
"We can't afford to waste more time with these!" Nowi shouts and transforms into her dragon form. "Let's go, Donnel!"
Donnel jumps up on his wife's back as she takes off through the corridors. Mere seconds after she rounds the corner, the sound of dragon fire roars through the halls, followed by Donnel's battle cry.
"Stay in the group!" I shout and lead the others around the corner. And as we turn-
Holy dragonstones…
Donnel's practically an axe whirlwind as he strikes through the Risen like they're not even there. A few Entombed try a coordinated(?) attack against him. That's when Donnel stops by a pillar, pats it, nods, and rears his axe back.
"Git ready!" *Ka-BRAM!*
The Fighter smashes through the pillar with a single swing, causing it to fall like a felled tree – right on top of the Entombed.
On the other side of the hall, Nowi blasts dragon fire everywhere she looks. She's made a small circle around her, marked by the azure flames. No Risen gets past that circle of flames.
That is, until a rune circle appears right underneath her. Wait, that's bad.
"Nowi!"
I dash right through the flames and tackle her away from the rune circle. Moments later, the rune circle erupts with the putrid green cloud of a Mire spell.
"You okay?" I ask as I get back up.
"I'm fine." she replies. "Dragon, remember?"
"Oy, this big trouble!" Gregor warns us. "Risen cast dark magic from far away. Anyone see caster?"
"Your guess is as good as mine." Gaius mutters while fending off a Berserker. "That spell can be cast from really far away, right? Who knows where they may be hiding?"
That's when the wall behind Gaius collapses without warning. More Risen stand on the other side, ready to attack from behind.
"Father, get down!" Noire shouts as she readies a Traced Armor Slayer.
Gaius heeds his daughter's warning, allowing him to dodge both Noire's weapon and an axe swing from the Berserker. As he slices at the Berserker's ankles, the Risen on the other side of the destroyed wall get blasted back from Noire's shot at the same time.
"Hey… Is it just me, or are the walls just collapsing around here?" Vaike asks while looking around frantically.
"Gregor of same minding." Gregor agrees. "Walls just fall, and more Risen showing up."
"All right, stay clear of the walls, then." I tell everyone. "That way, you won't get ambushed in case a wall crumbles with Risen waiting on the other side."
"Easier said than done, Buttercup!" Gaius shouts as he finally finds an opening and decapitates the Berserker. "If we're not against the wall, we're right out in the open for 'em to attack us from anywhere."
Drat! He's got a point. That means we're completely exposed from all sides, no matter where we position ourselves. What's more, there's those blasted Mire spells to keep track of, and we don't even know where the casters are. But that doesn't make any sense. You need to know where your target is in order to aim. So how do those Risen Sorcerers keep track of us?
At the very least, the fact that we can't see them means they're behind a wall. But that robs them of a clear line of sight by default.
On the other hand, I don't need a clear line of sight either.
I close my eyes and activate Mind's eye. Come on, don't let me down now…
There! I can see two Sorcerers standing in a corridor on the other side of the wall to the right, both of whom hold purple tomes. The fact that they're both open and glowing means they're chanting spells.
Food for thought; Since Risen barely seem able to talk, how the heck do they perform the complex verbal feat of chanting an aria for a spell?
"Nowi! Sully! Incoming spells!" I warn my two comrades. They manage to dodge fine thanks to my warning.
All right, I can work with this. I may not be able to figure out how they know our location, but I know where they are and who they're aiming at. It's likely that the range of Mind's eye exceeds their maximum sensing range. That means I have to stay close to keep an eye on everyone.
"Stay close to me! I can tell who they'll target next!" I order.
"I hope you know what you're doing, Jack." Nowi tells me as we tighten our formation.
"Don't worry, Nowi. I got this." I assure her. I point down the corridor. "We need to fight our way through the corridors and take down those Sorcerers casting the Mire spells. That should give us some much-needed breathing room."
We progress through the dark hallways with caution, destroying the Risen as they come while I warn my allies of incoming Mire spells. So far, so good.
Then another wall crumbles, and- Yune above, how many Risen are there?!
"Cr-p! They'll surround us!" Sully shouts.
"Straighten out the formation!" I shout. "Cover each other's backs!"
We spread out in a single file line to stall their encirclement as much as possible. I take the frontmost position to relieve as much pressure as I can for the others. Even so, those murderous corpses won't stop flooding in!
"Whoa! Hey, watch where you aim that thing!" I hear Rose shout.
I risk a glance back to see my daughter back away from a pair of Generals hot on her trail. For a Dark Mage, Rose is surprisingly agile, being able to dodge their assault, but she's forced on the defensive. The hectic dance forces her so far backwards that she splits from the formation and towards- Wait, was that wall always down?
Rose does an impressive backflip over a double axe swing from the Generals, which also puts her on the other side of the wall – through the one hole that's there.
My eyes widen in panic. "Rose! Get out of there!"
"Huh?"
A rumbling sound is the only warning we get before the rubble floats up and reassembles itself into the hole, closing it and erasing any trace of it being there at all. Right before the hole seals back up, I notice several pairs of red eyes glowing in the darkness behind my daughter.
No… She'll be all on her own against an entire horde! I can't leave her like that! I REFUSE to leave her there!
"ROSE!"
Sparrow's Hollow mask spreads over my face as I dash straight towards the wall. I'll tear that thing down, and no reanimated corpse is going to stop me!
My distorted voice echoes in a furious war cry as I tear through every Risen in my path towards the wall. I slide my free hand over Harvest moon's edge to draw blood.
"Sensei?! What are you doing?!" Noire asks alarmed upon seeing me slice myself.
Instead of answering, I stretch out my now bleeding palm so that my arm runs parallel to the wall. Mind's eye tells me that Rose has moved a bit away from the wall, so she should be safe from the blast area. That's good. No need to hold back on the power output.
The blood leaking from my palm begins to glow green as I channel a massive amount of mana through my arm. Some excess blood floats in front of my open palm and absorbs that mana as it grows into an emerald sphere that hums with restrained power and lights up the hallway. The sphere grows until it's roughly the size of my torso.
"Gran Rey Cero!" *VRRM!*
The emerald sphere lets loose the power contained within in a stream roughly as wide as I'm tall. Everything, and I mean everything, in the direction I point my hand at disintegrates. That includes the wall separating me from my daughter.
When the dust finally clears, enough of the wall has been vaporized that getting through is easy. Speaking of which, both Rose and the Risen on the other side look at me in awe over what I just did. In fact, everyone does.
"You just tried to kill my daughter." I accuse the corpses coldly. "Prepare to die – again."
The Risen look at me before they charge with…guttural war cries? Doesn't matter. I'll slice them to ribbons!
"Gotcha! Crown fire!" Rose shouts.
The Risen only make it a few steps when a rune circle pops up above them and sends down a blazing vortex over their heads. I capitalize on the opening and send a wind spell at their feet that spirals upwards, combines with Rose's fire spell, and incinerates the corpses in a spinning inferno.
You have leveled up!
"You okay, Rose?" I ask my daughter after I'm sure the Risen are dead – again.
Rose brushes off some dust from her sleeve. "Eh, I'm fine. They didn't have much time to target me before you went animé on the wall."
I sigh in relief. "Good. Let's get out of here before we get trapped behind the wall again."
Rose looks at me flatly. "After that stunt you pulled? Dad, there's hardly any material left to reform the wall. Also, couldn't you have just, I don't know, Transmuted an opening to get through?"
I blink as my Hollow mask dissolves. I scratch the back of my head. "Oh yeah… Forgot about that. My bad."
"Need a little help here!" Donnel shouts from the other side of the now disintegrated wall.
The others are surrounded! Better break them out fast!
As Rose and I rush out to help our comrades, I notice something blue- No, azure glow down the hallway. It's getting closer, with a lot of noise.
Wait, that's a stream of dragon fire headed our way!
I grab hold of Rose and push her to the floor. "Everybody, get down!"
Fortunately, my companions obey quickly. The stream of azure flames roar just over our prone forms moments later, turning the top half of the Risen to ashes.
By the time the roar of flames stops, we look up in the direction the flames came from. A lone brown-haired girl in white clothes, a red cape, and a small handbag at her side walks up to us.
BGM ends
Nah Lvl 30 Class: Manakete
Hah! Found her at last! But wait… Nah got here before us. So how did she end up behind us in this mansion?
"Finally!" the half-manakete shouts exasperated. "Those walls just kept collapsing and repairing themselves on me. Navigating this stupid old mansion has just been a big pain in the butt!"
Nowi immediately gets back up on her feet and skips up to Nah. "Oh, so you're the little girl we heard scream earlier!"
"It takes one to know one…" Nah replies dryly.
Nowi gives Nah one of her patented sunny smiles. "Ha-hah! I may look that way, but I'm actually quite old! I'm a dragonkin!"
"Oh? Well, so am I, actu-" Nah stops mid-sentence and gives Nowi a closer look. "Wait, are you Nowi?"
Nowi blinks. "Wow, nice guess!"
Nah smiles relieved. "It IS you!"
Nowi nods along. "All right, I've told you my name. Now you tell me yours."
"Nah."
…
Nowi pouts. "Oh, come on, why not?!"
Nah shakes her head. "No, NAH. N-A-H. That's my name."
Nowi crosses her arms and tilts her head sideways with a confused frown. "That's a confusing name…"
"And whose fault is that?!" Nah yells annoyed.
Nowi shrugs without a care. "How the heck should I know? Anyway, this place isn't safe. Let's get you out of here!"
Nah sighs. "After you…"
As our group reassembles, we suddenly find ourselves one member short.
"Huh? Did anyone see where Anna went?" I ask as I look around.
Everyone shrugs.
"Hrgh! A little help here!" we hear the Trickster shout from around a few corners. As we go inspect, we see Anna trying to drag a massive chest over the floor.
Gaius gives the redhead a deadpan look. "Really, Moneybags?"
"Hey, this place is abandoned, right? That means anything we find here is up for the taking, no strings attached. I just found this empty chest and stuffed all the valuables I could find in it." Anna makes another attempt to drag it with her, though her success is slim. "Argh! Why do valuable trinkets have to weigh so much?! Gaius, give me a hand here!"
"And risk breaking my back lugging that thing around while Risen try to kill us at every turn? I much prefer to walk away alive and emptyhanded than loaded and dead, thank you very much."
"Hey, you're violating our deal!"
"Anna, enough!" I tell the merchant sternly. "You're right in that this mansion is abandoned and that you're free to loot it to your heart's content, but that only applies when we're not busy fighting for our lives. Until our enemies are dealt with, you're leaving that chest alone."
"What?! But what if someone steals it?" Anna protests.
"Your plundering is a hindrance for us while we're fighting! If anyone of us so much as get injured because you're too busy looting everything in sight, those wounds are on you! Now drop that chest and help us out, or you will answer for it!"
I know I could just stuff the thing in my bag, but this lady needs to learn some discipline. And priorities. Seriously, you don't send the thief to loot the treasure chests before making sure the enemies won't box the poor fellow in and kill them, people! Treasure chests are optional, survival is not!
Anna drops the chest with a huff. "Fine! But if I find this baby any lighter by the time I get back, I'm charging for extra pay."
I rub my temples. "If that's what it takes to make you cooperate, fine."
I summon a clone, who promptly sits on the chest. "That chest is to remain untouched until we get back."
My clone makes a mock salute. "Got it, Boss. Can you please get back to kicking those undead butts now?"
I glare back at the main hallway. "Gladly."
As we march down, Gregor sidles up to me.
"Gregor agree on defeating undead enemies, but how Jack intend to do that? Crumbling walls and surprise attacks cause much suffering and trouble, no?"
I nod. "You're right, Gregor. We still need to remain vigilant. But now, we can turn the tide easily." I glance back at Nah. "After all, we just got a new heavy hitter."
The others look at the newcomer in confusion.
"What do you suppose took out those Risen?" I point out. "That was an impressive display of wielding dragon fire you showed us back there, Nah. You're just the aid we need to put an end to these murderous corpses."
Nah nods resolutely. "Leave it to me. Burning those things to cinders is practically my specialty at this point."
At that moment, another wall crumbles, letting a pair of Entombed storm out with their claws raised high.
"Eep!"
Everyone's attention is directed back at Nah, who's hiding behind Donnel.
"I would like to say that, but these things are creepy!"
We sweatdrop at her one-eighty in resolve. It's a good thing Entombed have laughable movement speed in battle, as we have more than enough time to get our heads back in the game.
They cross barely half the distance before Nah jumps in front of us with azure flames surrounding her clenched fist.
"But do you know what's stronger than my fears?" the young manakete asks as she stares the approaching Risen down. "My resolve to wipe you off the face of the world! Manakete's vortex fist!"
One small fist covered in flames is thrust forward.
*Fwoom!*
And an azure inferno blasts out from said small fist, engulfing the Entombed in a matter of seconds. When the flames die down, the Entombed are already halfway dissolved in ashes or purple mist.
"Is it just me, or does that girl have a hard time deciding between cowering and fighting these Risen head-on?" Vaike asks while scratching his head.
"I hate haunted mansions, okay?!" Nah yells back defensively. "Those cursed walls and all these Risen running around creep me out! Cut me some slack here!"
"Don't worry, Nah." Donnel assures her. "'S'long as I'm here, I ain't lettin' those Risen lay a finger on you or Nowi. Ya have my word."
Nah shakes her head. "I'll be fine. I've been fine on my own for a long time. Just… Just give me a moment."
"Your moment better end soon." I tell Nah as I scan the walls. "Those things aren't letting up, and the walls are just plain unpredictable."
"Can't we just tear them down then?" Nah suggests.
"Huh?"
"You're good with wind magic, right?" Nah asks.
I nod. "You could count that as my specialty – among a few other things."
Nah nods along. "Good. Then that should make things easy." Flames engulf her fist again. "Just aim lots of wind magic at the wall, and I'll handle the rest."
Some quick thinking makes me realize what Nah's going for. Clever. Time for some demolition work.
Wind magic swirls and surround my own fist as I grin. "All right. Sync up, and we'll blow those undead bozos away. Ready?"
Nah tenses up. "Ready."
We rush at the nearest wall and punch at it with synchronized battle cries. Our respective elements are let loose and combine just before they impact the wall.
A deafening explosion rocks the entire mansion. When the smoke finally settles, Nah and I have blasted a trail of destruction through wall after wall in front of us, letting us cut straight to the heart of the Risen infestation.
Warning! Warning! Boss-level enemy detected!
We find our target on the other side of the last wall-turned-rubble. A Risen Sorcerer that stands at least a full head taller than the others. What's more, this Risen chief is practically radiating with dark magic. It's like standing in front of a lesser Validar in terms of sheer dark power.
The Risen chief raises its right arm while the tome in its left hand glows purple. Three purple rune circles appear around it, spawning another Risen each.
"Huh? What the h-ll is going on?!" Sully asks stunned.
Tharja rubs her chin. "I see. So that's why there are so many Risen here. That big one is drawing on the sinister energy that seems to fill this entire mansion. Then it uses that dark power to summon more underlings."
"Oh no! If this keeps up, it'll build an entire legion of undead soldiers that it can unleash on the whole continent!" Noire remarks terrified.
Nowi frowns. "But how did that thing even get here in the first place? And why is it doing this?"
I notice Gaius glare at the Risen chief. No, it's more like he's glaring at a specific part of the hulking corpse. As I follow his line if sight, I find out why. A purple symbol depicting six eyes sits in plain sight on the Risen chief's robes.
"The Grimleal." I growl.
"Looks like we're on the same track, Buttercup." Gaius mutters. "Seems like they're the ones who planted the big guy here."
My own glare appears as I connect the dots. "This is no coincidence…"
The Risen chief directs its empty gaze at us and points in our direction. The Risen in the chamber we're in all soon have their eyes on us.
"Uh, guys? I think we've been spotted." Donnel remarks nervously.
No s-it, Sherlock.
Winds whip around me as I get in a battle stance. "We're wiping these Risen out right here and now. Let no one escape, least of all the big one."
Anna summons Gilthunder and flips the keyblade in a reverse grip. "Uh, do you really think we can pull this off? There's a lot of them."
"We have little choice." I reply. "I'll explain later. For now, we have a mansion to clean up."
The small horde of Risen charge us, even as the Risen chief starts to prepare another spell. This is bad. With all this sinister energy permeating the atmosphere, that Risen chief has a virtually inexhaustible source of power to fuel its spells. If we don't take it down fast, these corpses will outlast us through sheer numbers.
Wait a minute… That giant undead uses the ambient energy to power dark magic. But we have a dark magic user of our own.
"Tharja! Can you tap into the dark energy in here as well?!" I shout as I start to engage a General.
Tharja smiles sadistically as she raises a hand covered in a purple glow. "I already have."
A black orb of concentrated dark magic swells in her palm until it's roughly the size of Tharja herself. Tharja flicks her hand and sends the orb right through the throng of Risen and straight at the Risen chief.
Only for the giant undead to catch the orb with its free hand and absorb it.
Tharja blinks. "Well, that's annoying."
The Risen chief growls before it summons an orb of dark magic much like Tharja's earlier. Only this one's significantly bigger.
Tharja pouts. "Oh, that's just unfair."
The Risen chief points the orb back where it came from, meaning it's aimed at Tharja.
"Mother, get down!" Noire shouts as she nothces a Traced Blessed Lance.
Not taking any chances, Gaius tackles Tharja to the floor. A split-second later, three Blessed Lances-turned-arrows fly over the couple. The three streaks of light manage to hit the orb due to its massive size. Light and darkness begin to mix inside its core.
I pale as I sense the energy build up to dangerous levels. "Everyone, hit the floor!"
*BOOOM!*
By Dheginsea's majestic stature, that was dangerous!
I cast a quick wind spell to clear out the dust in the air. "Is everyone all right?" I shout.
"Man, that was rough." Vaike groans. Similar groans echo around the room as the others get on their feet. "Why does everything suddenly explode around us?"
"Because the Author watches way too much animé." Rose grumbles as she dusts off her clothes. "Seriously, what was that guy smoking when he designed Noire's character build?"
AN: I don't smoke anything. I'm just that crazy.
"I call BS!" my daughter shouts into the air.
"Rrrgh…"
We tense up upon hearing that guttural growl. Our gazes return to where the Risen chief was when the explosion happened. The dust parts to reveal the giant undead very much alive(?), judging from the glowing eyes. The Risen chief opens its palm and summons a sphere of concentrated fire magic. So, that thing still wants to fight, huh? All right. I'll just finish this up-
Wait… Why isn't it casting the spell? Now that I look closer, the Risen chief seems more intent on holding the sphere above its palm instead of throwing it.
"Kill…dragon…" the Risen chief growls.
A strange hum echoes through the air. I follow the source of the sound – and notice a red glowing rune circle appear below Nowi's feet. No! Nowi's still getting her bearings after that explosion!
"Nowi!"
"No!"
Nah tackles Nowi away from the rune circle, but ends up standing on top of it herself. At that same moment, the Risen chief clenches its fist.
*Fwoom!*
A vortex of fire erupts from the rune circle and obscures Nah from view.
Nowi looks at the flaming vortex in horror. Tears start to form in her eyes. "Nah… But why…?"
"You…" we hear Nah's voice growl from within the flames.
Wait, what?
Everyone does a double take, including the Risen chief. Upon a closer look, Nah's silhouette is still visible among the flames and looks very much intact.
Her eyes glow white among the flames. "You've got some nerve, attacking a girl still getting up from the ground."
BGM: Dragon Slayer, Fairy Tail OST
The flames shift and gather in Nah's outstretched hand until they coalesce into a miniature sun, roughly the size of an apple. As for Nah herself; she's pissed!
"I'm gonna send you straight to Hell, and I'll make the trip so hot that you'll freeze by the time you arrive!"
Nah brings the glowing sphere to her mouth.
And eats it.
The sound of a heartbeat echoes through the air.
Then Nah roars as her entire body erupts in flames.
The half-manakete levels a glare at the Risen chief. "You've robbed a creature of their life for the last time, you corpse! Get back to the grave you crawled out from, and stay there!"
The Risen chief points its free arm at Nah. More Risen crawl out of the ground and advance on her.
"Not on your false life, you coward!" Nah roars and coats her arms in azure flames.
The half-manakete proceeds to tear through the Risen like they're made of paper. No matter what they try, Nah punches, kicks, rips and burns her way through the undead throng. But while she's distracted, the Risen chief blindsides her with a Thoron spell.
*Krrzz-Bram!*
Nah slides back from the impact, but remains standing, albeit hunched over and with sparks dancing over her body. She gets back up, and now she looks even angrier.
"All right, now I'm mad!"
Nah rears her head back and inhales deeply.
"Manakete's… ROOOOAAAR!"
Nah breathes out a torrent of flames even wider than herself straight at the Risen chief. For a brief moment, it actually looks like the giant undead soiled its robes. The next moment, the entire mansion shakes from the deafening roar of flames consuming everything in their path. When it finally dies down, Nah has blasted a path that goes all the way to a new exit out of the mansion in the form of a giant hole in the wall. Everything between her and said wall is just…gone. Interior structure, decorations, Risen – not even ashes remain.
Risen chief has been destroyed!
Nah has leveled up!
BGM ends
Nah places her hands on her knees as she pants heavily.
"That'll…teach you…"
"Holy cr-p…" Sully breathes out in awe. "What the h-ll were her parents feedin' that kid?"
After Nah catches her breath, she turns her gaze at us, her eyes twinkling sharply.
Wait a minute… She's looking specifically at me.
Nah's focused glare turns into a giant, genuinely happy smile. "Uncle Jack!"
*Glomp!* "Oof!"
"Uncle Jack! I'm so happy to see you again! I've missed you so much!" Nah gushes as she plants herself around my torso.
I look down on the half-manakete with a bewildered look and question marks almost literally floating in the air around me.
"Wha- "Uncle"? What in the world are you talking about?"
"Friend never tell family around. High time of introducing, no?" Gregor asks as he rubs his chin.
"That's the thing, Gregor." I explain. "As far as I know, I've never met any of my family since I woke up in this realm. The only family I know of is my wife and Rose." I poke Nah on the head. "As for you, you have some explaining to do, young lady."
Nah looks up at me and tilts her head (Gah! The cuteness!). "Um… Okay?"
After the girl removes herself from my torso (Read: I pried her off with more than a little effort), she dusts herself off and faces Nowi. "We need to talk."
Anna claps her hands. "Well, while you guys make yourselves comfortable, I'll go back and retrieve my loot before someone else gets any funny ideas. Come along, Gaius."
"What?! Heck no!" The Assassin protests.
Anna taps her foot on the ground. "The deal is still on, so you're helping me in carrying that chest that I left a while back. Now, hop to it."
"For crying out loud, I nearly broke my back fighting those zombies! And now you'd have me lug that heavy thing around?"
Anna zips behind Gaius and pushes him on the back. "No complaining, buster. Or are you telling me you can't keep your word?"
"One day, Moneybags…" the Assassin mutters. "One day…"
After Anna and Gaius leave, I take the time to address everyone else.
"*Sigh* As harrowing as this was, it's a good thing we got here."
Nowi rubs her chin. "Oh, do you mean it's because we found Nah?"
I nod. "Well, that's part of the reason. But there was something else – that giant Risen. As Noire remarked when we fought it, that thing could summon more Risen thanks to the ambient dark energy here. Based on what Gaius and I could figure out, the Grimleal made such a Risen for that exact purpose and placed it here to raise an undead army."
Tharja stiffens as she seemingly connects the dots. "And if they're preparing an army of Risen…"
"…that means they're planning an invasion in the future." I finish ominously. "We don't know when, or where their target may be, but the Grimleal have their sights set on a flood of Risen similar to the dark forces from the future."
Noire nods. "That's part of the reason why I came here. All those Risen that crawled out after the Fell dragon's return must have come from somewhere, and this area seemed the most likely. I had hoped that I could nip that in the bud before their numbers grew too much. But, looking back, I don't think I could've done it on my own."
Rose pats the Archer on the back. "Well, that's why the rest of us are here, right? And now that we've wiped out those wandering corpses, we've foiled the evil cult's plan. Score one for the good guys!"
Quest alert:
Side quest: Daughter to dragons
A search through the ominous mansion gave hints that the Grimleal are raising an undead army. While your victory today means that you threw a monkey wrench into their plans, it's also become obvious that the evil cult is planning something big. The threat of the Valmese empire may loom in the horizon, but never forget that the greatest threats are the ones you don't expect.
Objectives: Defeat all enemies.
Objective cleared!
Rewards: You gain 10 000 EXP! You gain 10 000 gold!
Bonus objective: Rescue Nah from the mansion and keep her alive.
Bonus objective cleared!
Bonus rewards: You gain 1 000 EXP! You gain 1 000 gold!
BGM: Family, Super Mario Galaxy music
Nah walks up to Nowi. "Can I ask you something, Nowi? Does this look familiar?" Nah rummages in the bag at her side and pulls out a small, shiny object.
Nowi looks at it from a variety of angles. "Whoa, you have the same ring as me! What a crazy coincidence!" the manakete exclaims cheerfully.
Nah shakes her head. "It's not a coincidence. This is you ring. It's a memento of my mother. From…the future. It keeps me safe, now that…" Nah swallows. "Now that you're gone."
Nowi's exuberance dies down. "Nah…"
"No, I'm serious. It does." Nah persists.
Nowi smiles at her daughter. "Huh? Oh, hee hee! You did it to yourself that time!" Nowi shakes her head. "But no, I think it's very sweet. And now that you're with me, you don't have to hold back."
"I wasn't holding back. I fought as hard as I could…" Nah tells her mother bluntly.
"No, you fought brilliantly, Nah. But that's not what I meant. I was talking about your tears." Nowi clarifies. "If you're sad, you can talk to me."
"No, I… I have to be strong." Nah protests. "Everyone expects me to. I can turn into a dragon, you know? And that's not…normal. So I have to put on a brave face to protect everyone, just like you do."
"Your mother cries all the time, dear." Nowi tells her daughter gently. "…Aaaaaaall the time. Trust me on this – holding things back won't make you stronger. Just be you, Nah. That's enough."
Tears form in Nah's eyes as she begins to sniffle. "I… This whole time, I…"
Nowi pats Nah on the head. "I know it's been pretty scary, but you made it through!"
Nah hugs her mother tightly. "*Sniff* Mother, I… Oh, it was awful… I thought I was going to DIE…"
As mother and daughter embrace, Nah's emotional floodgates open, and the half-manakete begins to wail in her mother's embrace.
A tear forms in Nowi's eye as well as she caresses Nah's head gently. "*Sniff* It…it's okay, Nah. Mother's here now. I'll be right here for you. I promise…"
To be continued (BGM ends)
Nah's character sheet
Nah Lvl 31 Class: Manakete
Nowi's daughter from the future. Despite her youthful appearance, and in stark contrast to her mother's childlike nature, Nah is very adamant about acting like a proper adult in front of others. At the same time, those who get to know her closely soon discover that she is every bit the child at heart that her mother is, if not more so. Under Jack's tutelage, she has developed a skillset and certain personality traits similar to those of the fire dragon slayer, Natsu Dragneel. The most violent sleepwalker.
Born on March 29th.
Titles: Dragon warrior (+ 15% unarmed damage)
Hugger of the year (+ 6 % CHAR)
HP: 6 250 / 6 250
MP: 2 150 / 2 150
STR: 66.3 (53 * 1.25)
VIT: 78.8 (63 * 1.25)
DEX: 40 (32 * 1.25)
INT: 24
WIS: 18
CHAR: 13.8 (13 * 1.06)
LUCK: 17
ITEMS:
Dragonstone (equipped)
Concoction
Skills:
Martial arts mastery, Lvl 43 [81.0 %], Passive
There are those who train with a weapon until they can wield it like an extension of their bodies. Then there are those who train their bodies until they can wield it like a weapon. This skill falls into the latter category. While martial artists usually fight at a disadvantage in terms of range, they make up for it with techniques most weapon wielders could only dream of. Underestimating a foe due to their lack of weapons can be a fatal mistake. Passively increases STR, VIT and DEX by 25 %. Increases attack speed and attack power by 215 % when attacking unarmed.
Fire mastery, Lvl 38 [12 %], Passive
Fire is the element of power. With great power comes great responsibility, and never is this more apparent than when one wields the element that embodies heat. If carefully contained, fire provides warmth and light when the night grows cold and dark. However, if left unsupervised, even the smallest flame can raze an entire city to the ground with no hope of stopping it.
Passively increases damage dealt with fire element magic by 190 %. The cost of all fire-related skills is reduced by 11 %.
Dragon slayer magic, Lvl MAX, Passive
A mystical fighting style that was originally developed for humans to combat dragons. Those who learn its ancient secrets gain the ability to emulate parts of a dragon's body and power to use as their own. According to legend, a true master of dragon slayer magic has enough raw power to rival that of a full-grown dragon, and might even transform into a dragon themselves. What's more, seasoned dragon slayers gain senses like those of a dragon as well, including superhuman smell and hearing. Oddly enough, these immense boons are offset by a near irrational susceptibility to motion sickness whenever a dragon slayer comes into contact with any sort of vehicle, be it a ship sailing on a story ocean or a raft gently bobbing up and down on a calm stream.
Passively increases all damage dealt to draconic creatures by 18 %. Grants immunity to any element that the holder of this skill has a corresponding mastery in. Consuming such an element restores HP and MP. Recovery depends both on quantity and quality of the element consumed.
Natural beast, Lvl MAX, Active, Cost: 50 MP per minute
Rigorous training in all manner of environments has allowed you to establish a deep connection with your beastly side. So long as you carry an object linked to this side, you can use it as a medium to draw on the natural strength of your beastly heritage while still retaining the human part of your existence. In other words, you can combine the best, or worst, of two worlds.
Allows the user to draw on their natural power attained through shapeshifting without transforming. Boosts stats according to the transformation. The user must hold a stone corresponding to their race in order to use this skill.
Aptitude, Lvl MAX, Passive
You possess potential only seen once every few generations. You might be weak now, but if given the time to harness that potential, you'll become a titan on the battlefield. Think Magikarp. So what if the enemy has an army? Your side has you.
All stat growths increase by 50 %. All stats increase by 10 when changing to a higher-tier class (only works once per ascension).
Preview of the next chapter:
*Camera shows a lone Knight facing down a whole group of grinning ruffians*
Kjelle: You said this would be a fair fight! Face me, you coward!
Ruffian leader: Yeah, how about "no"? It's not my fault you're so gullible.
Kjelle: It's called "honor"! Not that you'd know anything about that!
Ruffian leader: Meh. Honor's for losers. That stuff's overrated these days.
Kjelle: That's it. I'm taking you down, and I won't let anyone stop me!
Sully: Girl's got guts, but she ain't good enough against those odds.
Vaike: Wanna even 'em out a bit? No one said the good guys can't butt in.
Next time on Gamer Emblem Awakening:
It's time to duel! Straight chivalry meets twisted trickery!
Anna: *Sigh* Why do straight shooters have to be so simple-minded?
Omake: Deleted scenes, Vol 2
Rose strikes a new pose, one where she kicks up one leg behind her and points both index fingers at the boulder to her left, all with a wink and a confident grin. "Magikazam!"
The boulder moves around a bit before it grows two arms on its sides and pushes up. A bored looking face on the round surface of the now revealed rock creature stares at the two humans. Two more arms encircle the lower part of its face while it stands on two stubby legs.
"Gra-ve-ler…"
Rose blinks before she turns back to Jack with a smile and her hands behind her back. "Um… Ta-da! A Pokémon!"
The Rock-type looks between father and daughter before a sinister grin grows on its face. Its entire body glows white and a few beams of light escape from the body as a sign of the massive energy buildup inside.
Jack pales. "Oh, cr-p…"
Rose looks at the glowing Graveler before she looks into the sky and sighs. "I hate you, Author."
Graveler used Explosion!
Tharja saunters up to the incoming Thoron spell without a care in the world and catches it right out of the air. She folds her hands over the crackling sphere and spreads it over them. An angry snarl spreads over her normally bored-looking features.
The Sorcerer blurs in front of the Dark Knight who launched the spell, bent low and Thoron coated hands reared back. Tharja's hands blur as she bombards the Dark Knight with a flurry of finger jabs.
"A- TA TA TA TA TA TA TA TA TA TA TA AH-TA!"
After the last finger jab, Tharja turns her back on the undead rider. "You are already dead."
Sparks dance over the Dark Knight's body before both it and its horse burst into pieces with some stray electricity arcing out in the air.
Everyone looks at Tharja dumbfounded.
Gaius facepalms. "For crying out loud… Tharja, no watching Fist of the North Star before shooting the fight scenes!"
Tharja has the decency to blush embarrassed. "Sorry."
The blood leaking from Jack's palm begins to glow green as he channels a massive amount of mana through his arm. Some excess blood floats in front of Jack's open palm and absorbs that mana as it grows into an emerald sphere that hums with restrained power and lights up the hallway. The sphere grows until it's roughly the size of his torso.
"I'M FIRIN' MAH LAZAH!"
The emerald mana blast obliterates everything in its path. As the dust settles, Rose walks out from the debris and slaps a stack of paper in Jack's face.
"Dad, what have we told you about quoting memes instead of following the script?" the Dark Mage asks disapprovingly.
The Hollow mask dissolves to reveal a sheepish Jack. "Sorry about that. I just thought it'd be a fun opportunity."
Jack looks at the destruction he just wrought. "Say… Any chance we can have some our hired state alchemists fix the walls before we try the scene again?"
Rose slaps the stack of papers – now revealed to be the script – against Jack's head again. "Alchemy doesn't work like that! Law of equivalent exchange and all that, remember?"
Jack blinks before pushing his index fingers together with an embarrassed expression. "Oh yeah. I, uh… I'll send some clones to go get some boulders and replace the set walls."
"It better not be more Gravelers!"
"Hrgh! A little help here!" Anna shouts from around a few corners. As the others go find her, they see Anna try to drag a massive chest over the floor. In an attempt to transport the heavy container more easily, Anna tries to drag the chest up some rubble before she prepares a few conveniently placed logs.
That's when the chest falls on its side and spills out its contents; a pair of anvils.
Gaius gapes at the metallic objects. "You're having me lug those things around after the fight scene?! Screw that, Moneybags!"
"Well, how else will we convince everyone that this chest if heavy? Besides, iron's lighter than gold. Imagine if this whole thing was filled with actual gold instead."
"Not my point!"
Nah brings the glowing sphere to her mouth.
And eats it.
The sound of a heartbeat echoes through the air.
*Buuuurrp!*
Nowi holds her sides as she folds double from the laughter.
Nah blushes and looks away with a huff. "Well, excuse me for not being able to help burping after a good meal! And stop laughing, Mother! It's not funny!"
"You're right…" Nowi wheezes out. "It was hilarious!"
Nah stomps away from the hallway.
Noire looks between the two manaketes before she runs after Nah. "Nah, wait! We're not done with the scene yet!"
"We'll try again when my mother's done laughing at me!" Nah shouts back.
Donnel looks at his wife, who's busy pounding the ground while still going strong in her laughing. The Fighter shakes his head.
"Yeah… That ain't happenin' for a while. Who's up fer a coffee break?"
Robin sighs from her director's seat. "All right. Break time, everybody. Return in five."
New skills:
Gran Rey Cero, Lvl 14 [31%], Active, Cost: 570 MP
A skill only available to creatures who have tapped into a vast depth of Hollow powers. By adding some blood as a medium to concentrate mana, the user can focus it to an immense degree and unleash a blast that can vaporize all but the most resilient of resistance. This technique is so powerful, that an entity who once commanded the Hollow spirits only allowed it outside their stronghold for fear that the blast radius alone could reduce said stronghold to rubble after just one blast.
Base damage: 17 300 % of the caster's INT. Element: None. Can only be used while Hollow mask is active.
Jack's encyclopedic corner:
Revenant, Class
Considered to be the weakest of all Risen, due to their slow and unrefined movement. But despite the seemingly low threat level, these undead possess enough strength to tear an ordinary person apart with their sharp claws. So long as you stay alert, taking these corpses down should be easy. Also, make sure to never face down a horde of these, lest you risk getting overwhelmed by sheer numbers. That's a textbook mistake for anyone who dies in a zombie movie.
This unit counts as an undead creature.
Blessed Lance, Polearm, Base damage: 88, Very rare
A weapon designed specifically to combat the undead. The metal it is made of has been purified and enchanted in holy rituals for roughly a month before a specially trained blacksmith forges it into its current form. The sacred power infused in the metal has the ability to dispel hexes, thus robbing undead of the force that drives them. Aside from that, this weapon still works as an ordinary armament for any soldier who picks it up. It's just difficult to come by due to the immense amount of preparations needed to even make one of these.
Damage done to undead creatures increases by 300 %. HPR increases by 10 % while equipped.
Mire, Tome, Very rare
A tome that even the most seasoned practitioners of the dark arts have a hard time getting their hands on. The spell written within its pages is rumored to open a portal to a demonic realm, where the rivers flow with poisonous goo. To go along these disturbing sayings, these tomes are also believed to be cursed, as any mage who wields it finds themselves unable to move faster than walking due to a strange, ethereal weight that comes over them. Even stranger, the weight seemingly lifts the moment the wielder lets go of this tome.
Increases damage dealt from dark-element spells by 7 %. Decreases attack speed by 40 %
Skill available when wielded: Mire
Requirement to wield: Dark mastery Lvl 30
All hail Super Nah!
For real, anyone who becomes a child of Donnel's is sure to become an absolute beast. While you can make him pass down Counter if you're patient enough, I generally just give his child Aptitude and make said child get all of his benefits, but none of the babysitting. It's a win-win. And if Donnel's child is a girl, there's Galeforce up for the taking. And if that's not overpowered enough, I believe Donnel's LUCK cap increases the cap on the same stat of all of his children to 50. Add Armsthrift to that mix, and you have infinite divine weapons on top of all that I just mentioned. I turned Nah into a Wyvern Lord in that playthrough and gave her Gradivus. Needless to say, the Grimleal never stood a chance.
Nah is an adorable little cinnamon roll and she will roast you – both verbally and physically – if you look at her the wrong way.
Jokes aside, turning Nah into a dragon slayer in this fic was pretty much a no-brainer. Her heritage makes everything line up almost too perfectly in my head. And for all you Fairy Tail fans out there, you know what that means the moment Nah sets foot on a ship.
Until next time. VipeR out.
