The quest had started off easily enough. Like Yunyun said, it was a simple extermination quest to mop up a few nearby enemies before winter rolled in. The reward was 6000 eris, but the requirements weren't easy to meet.
They had to kill 8 giant toads, a Black Fang, and a small hoard of thirty or so goblins that had taken up residence in the nearby forest. Given the reward, the bounty seemed to be of decent value. However, the execution was a bit more...difficult.
The goblins were easiest, considering they were the weakest party of the three. Between Kazuma and Chris's thief abilities and YunYun's magic, the hoard was reduced to ashes and paste in a minute's time.
The frogs were a bit harder to deal with, though Yunyun was more than capable of dispatching the first four toads. After that, using a combination of quick stabs and Lurk was enough for Kazuma and Chris to finish off any more interested toads that leaped their way.
"And that's two outta three finished!" Chris announced, turning to her temporary party members and flashing a bright smile. "We should do this more often! Truthfully, I'm surprised we're blasting through this as fast as we are."
"Well I have my own team of morons that I typically have to look over, and Yunyun is too shy for her own good." Kazuma mused, ignoring the embarrassed sputter from the Crimson Demon beside him. "Competence typically escapes my party, so it's been great to actually fight alongside people who know what they're doing!"
"Likewise. Now, Yunyun!" Chris called out, sheathing her dagger and approaching her friend. "Where is this Black Fang we're supposed to be hunting?"
"Oh! Uh, one moment please." Yunyun requested, before fishing out the bounty sheet and presenting it to the group. "The Black Fang was last sighted by the...pass of the Dullahan."
"Wait, isn't that the path near that castle that Megumin and I use for Explosion training?" Kazuma asked, visibly surprised by this news. "We were on that very pass just yesterday morning, and we didn't see anything. You sure that's where the Black Fang is?"
"It's where it was last spotted. I guess there's no guarantees." Yunyun retorted, pocketing the bounty and turning in the direction of the path they would need to travel. "Should we check anyways?"
"Not like we have much of a choice." Chris muttered, before nodding and moving to follow her Crimson Demon ally. "Let's get moving. With any luck, the Fang might still be nearby."
And so they walked, reaching the pass itself within half an hour. A quick scan of the area revealed little disturbance, much less than what was anticipated given a Black Fang's reputation.
"Doesn't look like anyone else has been through here today." Kazuma commented, frowning in slight irritation. "Have either of you ever seen a Black Fang before? Darkness suggested taking on a bounty for one once, but…"
"Yeah, I can guess why you refused. I've tried talking to Darkness about her "tendencies" before. Never goes well." Chris replied, smiling knowingly. "And no, I've never personally fought a Black Fang."
"I've only ever heard stories. I've never really had a party to go with on such a hunt." Yunyun admitted, looking quite bashful at the admission, though Kazuma wasn't particularly surprised.
After their visit to Wiz's shop and witnessing both Yunyun and Megumin's past via the Friendship Crystal, it became painfully clear that Yunyun's childhood, if not her life itself, had been a terribly lonely one. While Kazuma had been more than comfortable in isolation in his past life, he couldn't imagine what it'd be like not to have a say in the matter.
"Well, for future reference, you can always ask my party in the future if you want to take on a higher level bounty." Kazuma assured the young Crimson Demon, receiving a wide-eyed stare of surprise in response. "You'll always have a place in our group, Yunyun. Besides, it'd be nice to work with an arch wizard who didn't constantly filter all of their points into Explosion."
Yunyun didn't verbally acknowledge the young man's statement outside one or two sputters of shock, far too preoccupied with trying to hide her flushed cheeks. Kazuma, likewise, was quickly distracted by the all too proud smirk on Chris's face, seemingly directed at him.
"You never cease to surprise, Kazuma." She stated, as though it explained her staring. Kazuma just shook his head in confusion, earning him a chuckle as the thief mirrored his action. "You are truly a walking contradiction."
The words registered in Kazuma's mind, making him pause and consider them. There was something...familiar about that phrase, like he'd heard it before, and yet for the life of him he couldn't remember where.
Suddenly, Kazuma's thoughts as well as the tranquil felling of the surrounding forest were pierced by a distant, but thundering roar. All three adventurer's tensed instantly, each drawing their respective weapon and turning in the direction of the terrifying sound.
"I'm...guessing that's our Black Fang then?" Kazuma asked, now consciously aware of the distant crashing of trees that seemed to be growing louder as something forced its way through the surrounding woods towards them.
"Certainly seems like it!" Chris agreed, brandishing her dagger in preparation. "Yunyun, get your spell ready!"
If the young wizard responded, the noise got lost in the billowing wave as the Black Fang emerged from the woods before them, once again roaring with untold fury. It's appearance was bone-chilling, dark wisps of dark red vapor trailing off its body as though it had escaped from Hell itself, paired with its dangerously predatory crimson eyes locked onto Kazuma as it growled lowly.
"W-what in the hell?" Chris sputtered, visibly put off by the beast's appearance. "This...this thing...it's practically drenched in dark magic! We need to-"
The rest of the thief's statement was lost within a cry of "Light of Saber!" as Yunyun released a blast of powerful magic at the large beast...which bent around the creature as if it was shielded, only lightly skimming the monster's skin and prompting another enraged roar.
"What?! But I-!" Yunyun started, before shrieking in terror as the Fang charged at her, snarling intensely.
"YUNYUN!" Kazuma shouted, shouldering the girl and pushing her out of the Fang's path, only to end up getting rammed himself, sent flying backwards into a tree and hitting the ground with a pained groan, his sword falling out of reach as the beast moved to re-engage him. "This...is really...gonna suck!"
The Fang was on him in seconds, biting and clawing at him with immense ferocity and rage, its bellows and roars mixing with the young man's screams in a symphony of unimaginable pain.
Kazuma wasn't sure how long it lasted. Maybe it was seconds, maybe minutes. All he knew was at some point, the beast let out a final, pained wail before slumping to it's side, a dagger protruding from its stomach. Chris and Yunyun were talking, screaming really, but their voices seemed so terribly distant, and Kazuma was so very, very tired after all that carnage.
"Kazuma! Kazuma, j-just stay awake, please!" Someone cried, their voice so taught with emotion that he could barely tell who was speaking. "Kazuma! Open your eyes! KAZUMA!"
And then…everything was dark.
The four women practically sprinted through Axel, with Chris in the lead as the rest of Kazuma's party kept pace, each with a look of intense worry on their faces.
"We're almost there, the hospital is just up ahead!" Chris assured them, leading the group towards the local infirmary for the adventurer's guild. As soon as they entered, they were overwhelmed by a maelstrom of noise and movement, as several doctors moved about the interior halls, shouting for assistance from several rooms. One of the doctors broke off from the group, his expression alert and panicked as he approached the new arrivals.
"Do any of you possess healing magic?" He asked hastily, glancing between the girls. "We just had an influx of patients, and we need all the magic we can get."
"I-I know a few spells." Aqua replied, still shaken by the news of Kazuma's injury. All the same, the doctor nodded and turned to the rest of the girls.
"The rest of you can stay in the waiting area, one of our receptionists will speak to you shortly if you have an injury or illness that requires payment." He instructed, before turning back to Aqua and motioning her to follow. "Miss, walk with me please."
Aqua followed the doctor down the crowded hallway, walking past several rooms filled with doctors frantically working to save obstructed patients. Eventually, they reached the end of the hall and entered the last room.
And Aqua was woefully unprepared for the sight before her.
She'd seen death before, of course. Long before Kazuma ended up in front of her, she'd sent a number of people who had tragically died on Earth the second chance of a lifetime, and many of those deaths were indeed tragic. Car crashes, drowning. Even death via a serial killer. She saw all of it, and yet she wasn't ready to see this.
Kazuma was on the operation table, two healers to his left desperately casting spell after spell in an attempt to save his life while another doctor paged through potions and tonics in an attempt to find something to assist the process. The young man himself was in a horrible state, deep gashes and bite marks covering much of his body, several of which were still bleeding. Worse yet, what looked like a shard of bone was poking out of his right leg,
"Endo! That better be another healer!" One of the healers shouted, his desperation audible. "We're hitting him with every spell we have, but something's keeping them from having any effect!"
"Then we have to break whatever seal is preventing your spells." Endo replied sharply, before turning to Aqua. "Do you have any spells to dispel magic?"
"Yes. Yes, I-I do." Aqua replied, unable to tear her gaze away from the sight before her as she extended one of her hands, projecting what confidence she could as she projected her spell. "Sacred Dispel!"
Immediately, Kazuma's entire form shuddered at a bright blue aura surrounding it, forcing a series of dark red wisps of smoke to expel from his wounds. The most frightening part, however, was the sound that erupted out of his mouth as the smoke escaped, a shrill, pained scream that Aqua wouldn't forget anytime soon.
As soon as the spell ended and Kazuma stopped screaming, a haunting silence hung in the air. One of the healers whispered a prayer, before nudging her partner and returning to their casting. This time, their spell had a visible effect, slowly healing the less serious wounds on Kazuma's body.
"Well, that solves one problem then. Ma'am, if you'll come with me." Endo requested, before noticing the tears in the arch priest's eyes and pausing. "Are you alright?"
"I...I don't know." Aqua admitted quietly, slowly reaching out to grab Kazuma's hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. "He's my best friend. I didn't know where he was for the few hours. None of our team knew."
The doctor's neutral expression slipped with the goddess's confession, becoming far more sympathetic as he sighed and lay a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry. I can't imagine how you feel right now. However, there are other patients that have likely been affected with the same seal as your friend. You're the only arch priest we have at the moment, and we need your help."
Aqua looked between the doctor and Kazuma, internally warring with herself over what to do. She didn't want to leave his side, but if other people died because of her negligence…
"Once I finish, can I return to his side?"
"Of course. I'll clear it with the attending physician when they're assigned." Endo agreed, before removing his hand and opening the door. "Are you ready to continue, miss?"
Aqua gave Kazuma's hand one final squeeze before letting him go, joining the doctor at the door and departing back out into the chaos that gripped the hospital.
Two hours passed before the last of the patients were stabilized, before Aqua was allowed to rejoin her friends in the waiting room. Out of the ten attack victims, nine survived. The last, a young woman by the name of Cecil, bled out before the healers were able to stabilize her, and Aqua was too far away to perform Resurrection.
By the time she returned to the waiting room, Aqua's party had expanded significantly. Along with Chris and Yunyun, Wiz had also joined them, apparently having heard about the attacks from Vanir and rushing over to see if she could help. She had spotted the group as she entered, and after getting the explanation, she agreed to wait with them while Kazuma was treated.
Darkness was the first to notice Aqua's return, as well as the first to catch her as she slumped forward, sighing heavily as she did so. The goddess was exhausted after performing so many Dispels, and needed some proper rest.
"I can't believe how widespread these attacks have been. Such coordination, but all by wild creatures?" Darkness questioned after laying Aqua down onto a nearby bench to rest. "It's terribly unlikely that this was a random occurrence."
"Is that even possible, though?" Yunyun interjected, lifting her gaze to meet the rest of the group. "I mean, I know manipulation magic exists, but to use it on such a large scale, on so many creatures…"
"The caster would have to be incredibly powerful." Wiz finished, her tone deadly serious and eyes sharper than usual. "The number of potential casters is dangerously small, and most that come to mind...serve the Demon King."
The statement lingered ominously for a time, before Endo reentered the room and approached the group, holding a sheet of paper.
"Are you the party of Kazuma Satou?" He asked, earning a general agreement from all present. "I have good news. Mr. Satou is in stable condition, and should make a full recovery within the next month or so."
The assembled girls all breathed a near simultaneous sigh of relief, the news of their mutual friend's condition improving was certainly wonderful to hear. However, the doctor was not finished.
"However, his recovery itself is going to be quite the process." Endo continued, recapturing the attention of the party. "As of this moment, he is suffering from three broken ribs and a fractured femur, as well as blood loss. We'll heal what we can in the coming days, but his recovery will take time. Magic can't fix everything, after all."
"Of course. We understand, doctor." Darkness assured him, offering a thankful smile. "Thank you for saving our friend. When should he be released from the hospital?"
"Depending on how he responds to treatment, he should be ready to leave within the week." Endo assured the crusader, wearing his own tired smile. "And don't thank me. Just thank you arch priest. Without her help, we wouldn't have been able to save anyone tonight."
Off the final statement, the doctor walked off to attend to his other patients while the girls turned to Aqua, who was resting peacefully nearby. Megumin smiled, patting the goddess's head affectionately.
"You did really good, Aqua." The young mage assured her friend, receiving a pleased hum in response. "I know Kazuma will tell you as much when he wakes up."
The sentiment was one that warmed the hearts of all the assembled women as they retook their previous seats, content with waiting until the young man awoke before leaving. They only experienced a few minutes of peace before the doors to the hospital swung open, revealing one of the last people the group expected to see.
"Well, this is certainly a surprise." Sena commented, the royal prosecutor flanked by two armored guards as per usual. "Still, I suppose it will make what comes next much easier."
