It was well after midnight when Itsuki and his team entered the village of Nive.
The light of the full moon guided them to the village earlier when he decided they were not going to sleep out in the wilderness. Again.
Remembering the hard ground, Itsuki rubs his back. How was it that they slept on the ground in a little grove yesterday and his back is still sore? Even odder was how real it felt. How real everything was. And that was weird.
This went far beyond VR. But this is all a game to him. Then why could he smell the earthy scent of the ground? Why could he hear the caws of crows as they flew overhead in the sky? Why could he taste the sweetness of candy and the bitterness of coffee?
These thoughts have been haunting him these last few days, and they grow increasingly by the minute.
That was for another day, however. Right now, he just wanted to rest.
"Alright," he turns to face his team. "We'll go to the inn, rest, and start planning where to go next in the morning. That sounds good to you all?"
They nod, their weariness showing on their faces. Itsuki notes how each of them is vastly different than any NPCs he's encountered. To think that more than a month and a half ago, these people were complete strangers. While he wouldn't say they were friends, there was a sense of comradery.
Unlike Ren and Motoyasu, Itsuki was given three party members compared to the others.
The first was Mara, a mage hailing from the flatlands of Melromarc. She's older than him by five years, relatively tall for someone of her age (taller than him), sleek black hair tied in a loose ponytail, has lavender eyes and fair skin.
When he introduced himself, all she said was, "Hi," ..and nothing after that. She's on the quiet side, only talking when something is on her mind or if she has to speak with Itsuki and the others. Other than that, she keeps to herself, reading her spellbooks. She wasn't the timid quiet type, Itsuki noticed. She's just quiet.
Growing up, she was a magical prodigy from a young age. She was brimming with magical energy and has an exceptionally high elemental attack rivaling most adult mages. She attended a prestigious magical academy and graduated at the top.
Her being a Tome Mage, she always has her head in a spellbook, quietly reading to herself and practicing her magic. Itsuki lost the number of times he had to repeatedly call her name so she could eat.
She wore a deep scarlet cloak with several pockets on the inside holding her various spellbooks. Beneath the cloak she has the typical mage robe in the color of beige yellow - complimenting her cloak -that cut off at the knees, and knee-high black boots.
Next to her was the team's Warrior, Dodge. He hefted up his ax in a comfortable position, his muscles bulging at the weight of it. Standing next to Dodge was like standing next to a Roman statue, someone tall, perfectly cut, and exquisite, it made you feel inferior. Itsuki never saw a man like him before, at least not in Japan.
Originally from Silvershore, Dodge came from a long line of warriors. His ancestors took on the mantle of becoming Warriors to protect their homes from the Waves.
He was more friendly and open compared to Mara. After he introduced himself, Dodge clasped Itsuki's hand, gripping it tightly, and patted him on the shoulder. "Let's see what you can do!" He laughed boisterously. Yep, definitely more open than Mara.
His muscular build concealed his youthful age, which was only a few years older than Itsuki but a year younger than Mara. His Warrior garb consists of a black tight sleeveless vest with padding on the chest and abs, silver pants, and dark brown boots. His hair was closely shaved to his scalp with faint brown coloring. Itsuki took notice of how much he loves showing off his muscles. Who could blame him? Dodge's build along with his tan skin made him look strong and intimidating.
Behind Dodge was Clancy, the team's Bishop. Similar to Dodge, Clancy comes from a family of Bishops who not only worship the Four Gods, they are also skilled healers. His father is the head bishop of the Four God's church in Castle Town, making Clancy somewhat of an important person among the bishops.
He too came from Silvershore and had recently become a Bishop (both in name and class) after getting a class upgrade. He and Mara share the same age, making Itsuki feel like a kid since they were all in their early 20s.
Compared to Mara and Dodge, Clancy had an air of calmness around him. Soft-spoken and kind-hearted, Clancy would go out of his way to help anyone in need. During their travels, when they would stay in a town or village and if there was Four Gods church, he would go there and pray. Then he would offer his assistance to the nuns. At first, Itsuki was a bit annoyed by this since Clancy would take a long time with is praying and helping, but he grew to appreciate it when the nuns would offer Holy Water as thanks.
Like Mara, Clancy wore a white stole over his black and burgundy bishop robe which went well with his auburn hair. The stole has the insignia of the Four Gods at the end. A brown tree completely bare of leaves. Four colored stars were around the tree, each representing the four gods.
Finally, there was… huh?
"Hey," Itsuki looked over their shoulders. "Where's Rishia?"
"Right *fueh* here!"
Way behind them, Rishia, carrying a giant basket filled with some of their supplies on her back, pants heavily as she desperately tries to walk.
'Maybe it was a bad idea to let her carry all that stuff,' Itsuki thinks. It's not like he forced her to carry them. She was very insistent on carrying it herself. Stuff that weighed more than she could carry. She wouldn't even let Clancy help her, and the man was the pure definition of assistance.
"Don't *fueh* worry *fueh* about *fueh* me!" When she's finally with them, Rishia almost collapses with Dodge catching her in the nick of time.
"Easy there, Rishia!" Dodge takes away a massive burlap sack from the basket. "Keep this up and your back will snap."
"Sorry," Rishia stands a little straighter now that there's less weight.
"Worry not," Clancy says. "The inn shouldn't be far from here. You can rest once we get our room."
"That sounds good."
Itsuki wonders why she's like this.
Rishia is a strange one. She didn't start out as a party member like the other three.
It was… complicated, to say the least. Itsuki was still surprised by how she joined them. He was more surprised by how much she wanted to help. No matter the task, she was upfront and ready. From carrying supplies to cooking (which she was exceptionally good at), Rishia never hesitates or waits on bated breath.
Combat wise, she was more or less above average. She has enough physical and elemental attack but not on par with Dodge or Mara. Her greatest asset is her speed. She's quick to dodge enemy attacks that not even Itsuki could avoid.
Maybe that's why he allowed her to stay. He couldn't really say no to her when she begged to join his team. One more party member couldn't hurt. If Naofumi could recruit people left and right, why not him?
"Come on," he says. "Let's get to the inn."
Nive, Itsuki noticed, is relatively large for a village. Compared to the other ones, the buildings and houses were made of brick and stone. The streets are paved with cobblestones and lining the streets were gas lamps which was odd considering the world has a midlevel setting. Then he realized Nive was probably one of the few villages inland of Melromarc that made trade with Innis. Only having heard of the continent from people, Innis is far more advanced in their technology compared to the other countries and continents in the world. He recalls Dodge and Clancy telling him how Innis had made use of electricity and powerlines that Silvershore and other coastal cities began using them as well.
If Nive could get gas lamps, then the residents must be wealthy. (Probably wealthy enough to have plumbing too.)
On the horizon from where he was, near the center of the village, high up on a hill, a large manor stood proud and tall. Itsuki stared at it for a moment, wondering what kind of person lives there. A wealthy family? A widow? A nobleman surrounded by luxury?
He snapped out of his thoughts and continued onward.
They found the inn situated between a tavern and a clothing store. Inside, the lobby was empty save for the innkeeper. To the right is a small dining area with few people eating. To the left near a staircase were large double doors with the insignia of the Four Gods Church carved onto the center of each door.
"Oh!" Clancy perked up. "I didn't know the inn has a chapel for the Four Gods."
"You mean the people here don't worship them?" Itsuki asks. Religion has always been confusing to him. More so in this world.
"Nive leans more toward the Church of the Three Heroes. Not to say there aren't believers of the Four Gods, it's just rare to find the two religions in one place considering how hostile the Three Heroes Church is."
They were interrupted by a loud growl. They turned to the sound. Dodge pats his belly.
"Well, time for a midnight snack!" he laughs. "Come on, Mara. Maybe we can get some meat on those bones of yours."
"Sure…" Mara replies. She turns to Itsuki. "See if the innkeeper has different rooms for us to sleep in. We have enough gold to afford those accommodations."
"While you do that," Clancy says, "I'll go to the chapel and give a quick prayer. Who knows when we'll find another place that worships the Four Gods."
They went their ways, leaving Itsuki and Rishia.
"Do you want me to check-in for us?" Rishia asks.
Always quick, this one.
"Nah," Itsuki shakes his head. "I'll do it. Go join Dodge and Mara."
"Are you sure? It's no trouble for me."
"I'm sure."
Rishia hesitates, then nods and leaves. Itsuki lets out a sigh of relief. He wasn't irritated by Rishia. She's just too much sometimes. He's not a kid that needs to be looked after. He's more than capable enough of doing menial work without Rishia popping out of nowhere offering to help.
He checks in, pays for their room, and enters the dining hall. He finds Mara, Dodge, and Rishia speaking to a waiter and joins. Not long after he sits down, Clancy comes in. They order their meal and ten minutes later, they're eating a light meal.
Or rather, a light meal for everyone except Dodge who ordered elk meat, two stuffed bread bowls, and a pitcher of ale.
"Hungry much," Itsuki points out.
"Come on, boss! Compared to what I normally eat, this is light!" Dodge scarfs down on the bread bowls. "You shoulf eaf more meaf! Yur foo skinny." He says with his mouth full.
"I'll pass." It was true that he is on the skinny side. He did notice some slight muscle mass on his biceps from using his bow. It wasn't enough to be buff by any means.
Itsuki takes a bite out of his stuffed bread when he notices something. The few people here look tense. A man kept looking over his shoulder and to the sides. Two merchants sitting at the bar counter moved with stiffness as if they were afraid to make sudden movements to alarm someone. The waiter who had brought their food, looked out a window occasionally while cleaning the tables.
"What's going on?" he asks.
His team notices this too.
"It's strange," Mara says. "It's like they're afraid of something."
"What's there to be scared of?" Dodge asks. "There aren't any bandits. And there haven't been any sightings of Hrym around the area."
"This is rather odd," Clancy comments. "Whatever it is that's got them on edge, it doesn't bode well."
"Hmm…" Itsuki looks around the dining hall again and sees a woman with brown cropped hair sitting a table down from them. She fiddles with her mug, lifting it up but then setting it back down. Her left leg is bouncing up and down.
Itsuki stands and goes to the woman. "Excuse me?" He taps her on the shoulder making the woman flinch and jolt slightly the way a cat does when there's a loud noise.
"Huh?" The woman's eyes are frightful.
"Sorry," Itsuki says. "I didn't mean to scare you. You looked worried and I thought…" What was he supposed to say? The woman was clearly scared. As well as the few other patrons. Were they scared of the same thing?
"Is something wrong?" Itsuki asks.
The woman's gaze falls to his bow and recognition flashed in her eyes. "You're the Bow Hero," She says.
Itsuki felt prideful knowing his reputation was spreading. Hearing his name from people brought a profound sense of satisfaction he never got from back home. He was just a regular boy. Here, he's a hero. A true her.
"Yes, I am. Is there anything I can help with?"
The woman looks around, then speaks in a whisper. "It's the Black Foxes."
Hearing the name sent a spike of worry through Itsuki. The Black Foxes. They were here! Back when he declared his goal to Ren, he made a promise to himself to stop these murderers. If he could stop corrupt nobles, why not go after the Black Foxes?
"Here?" He asks.
"Yes," the woman says. "There's a manor at the top of the hill. Servants who escaped came running into the village and said the Black Foxes took the Count and his wife hostage. They were so scared, I can't blame them. Have you heard of what they've done?"
Itsuki recalls the words people have said about the group. The Black Foxes were nothing but savages who relished in torturing people. One particular story was so gruesome, Itsuki felt nauseous hearing it.
A village lord who laundered money from his village was found hung up with his chest and stomach torn open, his organs on the ground with his large intestine still connected to his body. His eyes were ripped right out of their sockets and stuffed into his mouth. It was a cruel death.
"Yes, I've heard."
"Then you know to stay away from them!" The woman pleads. "For the sake of our world, stay alive and fight the Waves, not the Black Foxes. Please."
She lowers her head, ending the conversation.
Itsuki wanted to ask more but he knew not to press on.
He returns to his table, his party members looking concerned.
"You've heard what she said, didn't you?" He asks them.
"The Black Foxes," Dodge sighs. "Can't say I'm surprised they came here. I've heard rumors about the Count. How he treats the villagers like they are farm animals. Not that I feel sorry for him, but I also don't want him or his wife to be killed."
"It's a shame," Clancy says. He clasps his hands together and closes his eyes. "Gods, please grant mercy on the Count and his wife. Should they perish, welcome them into the Ever After with love and acceptance."
Mara only hums in response.
Rishia looks equally worried as the woman did.
Naturally, Itsuki was more than ready to deploy his team to the manor and fight the Black Foxes. But the woman's words replay through his mind.
"For the sake of your world, stay alive, and fight the Waves."
That's right. The Waves.
It's been weeks since the last one when he, Ren and Motoyasu fought the Wave monster, a chimera. Each day he checks the timer to see when the next Wave will strike. They come once a month. The Dragon Hourglass would flip over and the countdown will commence. So far, the timer has been blank.
For all he knew, the timer could start tomorrow. If they barely made it out alive fighting the Black Foxes, they would not be ready to fight Wave monsters.
It nagged at him to be useless. There was a problem and he could fix it.
But could he?
Ever since he heard about the Black Foxes, he's been worried. Not that he'll admit it to anyone. For 25 years, the Black Foxes have killed and stained Melromarc with the blood of corrupt nobles and those who stand in their way. No one, not even the Knights have been able to stop them.
But that was the difference between him and the Knights. They didn't have holy weapons. He did. He is a hero. A savior of those who could not fight for themselves. A shining beacon of hope in a sea of darkness caused by crime and murder. That is what he told himself.
So why was he hesitating? Dodge said the Count wasn't a good guy. Should he waste his time and energy on a person that's already marked for dead?
"Itsuki?" Rishia says. "Are you OK?"
"Yeah," he says. "It's nothing. Come on, let's get some rest."
Together, they left the dining hall.
Unbeknownst to them, the woman was watching them. When the last of them went up the staircase, she sits straight and stops bouncing her leg. Any trace of fear was gone.
She smirks.
"Hook, line, and sinker." She downs the rest of her drink triumphantly. "This was too easy. Have fun, Bow Hero."
Try as he might, Itsuki couldn't sleep.
Tossing and turning, he gives up and gets out of bed. The floorboards beneath him creak. It does little to stir Dodge and Clancy from their slumber. Dodge sleeps with his arms and legs spread out, snoring softly. Clancy is all tucked in, his breathing even.
'At least they can sleep," Itsuki thinks dryly.
He had requested the innkeeper two rooms. One for the boys and the other for the girls. It made sense as he wanted to give the girls privacy. It wouldn't surprise him if Mara was still up studying her spellbooks. The one time they all shared a room at an inn last week, Mara stayed up reading a tome for water spells.
He looks around the walls, looking for a clock. Nothing. If he had to guess by the position of the moon, it was more or less two in the morning.
He moves to the window. From this room, he has a perfect view of the manor on top of the hill. Hours have passed since they've arrived and the Black Foxes could well have murdered the Count and his wife by now. Or maybe they were torturing them? What if they're still alive?
Those thoughts have kept Itsuki from sleeping. He hated not knowing how things were. It was the same back home. Often, he would stay up if something was bothering him.
He began pacing while being mindful of making his footsteps as light as possible.
'What am I supposed to do? Wake up my party and go fight them? Or leave in the morning? They'll probably be gone by the time the sun rises. I shouldn't let this get to me. But… URGH!'
After some thinking, he comes up with a plan. He dresses into his hero garb, grabs his bow, and quietly sneaks out of the room.
The trip to the manor was long, probably twenty minutes. By the time he got to the front entrance, Itsuki was sweating.
The front windows were dark. No oil lamp was on. He couldn't go through the front door. Not only was that too obvious, but it's also suicidal.
Circling the manor, he stops at the rear entrance. Not the best way to go in but there were no other doors to enter from.
Gently, he pushes the door, surprised to find it unlocked.
Closing the door behind him, his vision adjusts to the darkness, the glow of the moon shining through floor to ceiling windows. An island counter sat at the center of the room. More counters lined the walls and there was a faint scent of flour.
The kitchen. Fifty people could fit in here. All this and for only two people? Itsuki will never understand rich people and their need for large spaces.
He takes a moment to think. If he's in the kitchen, and the manor is three stories, and if he was on the ground floor, then the Count and his wife should be on the second floor. Probably in their bedroom if they were caught by surprise in their sleep.
Keeping close to the wall, Itsuki exists the kitchen and goes down a long hallway. He looks for signs of disturbance. No windows were broken, the rug going down the hall wasn't disturbed. A landscape painting he came across was still hanging on the wall. It was as if no one was here. He imagined the Black Foxes would tear this place apart. But no. Everything was still in place.
Had they left already? If so, then there wasn't any danger. At least not yet.
At the end of the hall was the foyer, grand in its large space and assorted furniture. There he spotted the staircase. Still keeping to the side, he crept his way up until he was on the second floor.
Again, like the ground floor, this floor was undisturbed. It made the place even more creepy than it already is.
Sensing this, Itsuki drew his bow. His hand rested on the string, ready to use his SP at any moment's notice.
He goes down several hallways until he comes to a set of doors much bigger than the other ones. The master bedroom.
Taking in a deep breath, Itsuki pushes the door open.
He's met with the stench of blood.
To his left, tall windows allowed moonlight, coating the room in its soft glow. In front of the bed was a large puddle of blood. Fresh blood.
Itsuki takes a step closer until the scent is overwhelming. He noticed drag marks leading away from the puddle and to the-
The door slams shut.
"What the-" Itsuki jumps back and has his bow ready, the string pulled back manifesting a magic arrow.
He looks around quickly. The master bedroom was about the size of his living room and kitchen back home. The moonlight did little to reveal who close the door.
This was a bad idea. Why did he do this? Why didn't he wake up his party? It was too late for regrets, but not late for an escape. The woman was right. This was too much even for a hero like him.
The window. That was his only escape route. How he'll get down to the ground, he'll figure that out soon.
He runs to the window.
"Where are you going, boy?"
Itsuki turns at the voice.
A man stood in front of him as if he materialized out of nowhere. Itsuki didn't get so much as a single glance at the man before he punched him in the face.
He fell back, hitting his head on the ground. Pain exploded from the back of his head.
"Nighty night." The man came up to him and stomped on his face.
The pain was sudden but went away as Itsuki lost consciousness.
The stinging slap woke up him.
"Guh!" Itsuki blinked rapidly, clearing away the blurriness.
What happened? Where was he? It was a room, that much he notices. A room for storage. Lots of furniture was covered in white sheets.
He lifts an arm, or at least he tries to.
'What the…'
He looks down and sees that he's tied to a chair. He squirms, trying to loosen them. It was to no avail. The ropes were not only hard against his wrists but tight. His legs were tied as well to the legs of the chair.
His bow. Where was it? He glanced down, seeing his bow on the ground.
"Up here, boy." A hand reached out and roughly grabbed him by the chin, forcing his head up.
Itsuki got a good look at the person. It took him a second to remember the voice. It was the man who punched him.
Now that he's right in front of him, Itsuki could see the man's features.
He's a demi-human with dog ears and a dog tail. They were black with white at the end of the ears and tail. His black shirt had its sleeves torn off revealing strong arms marred with faded scars. White fur lined where the sleeves were cut.
White fur, black clothing. If Itsuki wasn't so shocked by the revelation, he would've gasped.
He was staring at a member of the Black Foxes.
The demi-human chuckled. "Well well, the Bow Hero. I've heard a lot about you. To think that a little brat like you could wield a legendary weapon."
Itsuki tries to move his head but the demi-human's hold on him was strong.
"Acting like a vigilante, bringing corrupt nobles in the name of justice. Do you know what I think?" He lets go and back-hands Itsuki across the face. "I think you're nothing more than a brat who doesn't know how the world works!"
Before he could say anything, the demi-human punches Itsuki. Blood runs down his nose. He coughs out some, spattering the demi-human's boots.
"W-why…" He can barely get his words out. "Why are you doing this."
"Bahaha!" The demi-human lets out a laugh. "Because I can! It's because of nobles like the Count and his wife who are draining the village of its money that they deserve what's coming to them! They deserve to die like every noble out there!"
He punches Itsuki again. "And you!" Another punch. "Are getting in the way!"
There was so much blood coming out of his nose. So much so some of it ran down the back of his throat.
"Stop!" Itsuki begs. "Please!"
Why was the pain so real? Each punch felt real. The taste of blood was real. Why? Why?! This was supposed to be a game. Some weird VR game. So why did everything feel so real?
Tears ran down his cheeks. He was too weak to move. He gave up on even trying to get his bow. This wasn't supposed to happen. He just wanted to take a look inside.
He paled when the demi-human pulled out a knife. The blade glinted in the moonlight from the window.
"You know," he brought the knife to Itsuki's cheek. "Normally I would kill you for getting in the way. Not that it matters if you're a Cardinal Hero. The world has survived Waves for decades when there were no Heroes. One less of you wouldn't make a difference."
The blade pressed hard on his cheek. The demi-human slowly inched the knife down, a trickle of blood seeping out of the cut.
Something wet trickled down his pants. He pissed himself. This hasn't happened since he was six. He was seventeen and pissing his pants.
"But." The knife withdrew. "Killing you won't do us any good. Congrats, you get to live to see another day."
Just as the demi-human sheathed his knife, there was a knock at the door.
"Enter," the demi-human commands.
A human man enters. "Sir, the Count regained consciousness. What are your orders?"
"Keep him awake. I'll be there in a bit. Let me take care of the Bow Hero first."
"Understood."
When the door closes, the demi-human kneels until he's at eye level with Itsuki.
"I don't know where you got this idea that you're this hero of justice. If you so much as try to stop me or any member of the Black Foxes, I'll kill you myself. I'll rip out your stomach and force it in your mouth before you die. Or maybe I'll cut your fingers and shove them down your throat. I know a lot of ways to torture a person. Remember that."
The demi-human leaves the room.
The air is still with silence. Then, Itsuki bursts into a sob.
'Why does everything hurt? Why?'
His nose was still bleeding. The cut on his cheek was still bleeding. His pants were stained with piss. His face still hurt.
It's real, he finally realized. This isn't a game. This is all real.
"Someone, help. Please…"
But no one answered his prayer.
At least, not until later.
Something I wanted to do in this story was to give Itsuki a new party than the one he had in the light novel and anime but still have Rishia. It was a little difficult trying to come up with new OCs but it paid off well in the end and I'm proud of them. And yes, Rishia joins early.
Hope you all enjoy the chapter!