Chapter 5: Journey to A Mage Village!
One might expect a journey to a village isolated and under attack by the forces of the Demon King to be full of danger. With only three of us, it would be natural for one to feel apprehension at what might lie ahead. No, it was totally not because I was feeling nervous at how I might perform when we meet a foe. Entering a forest, I was glad that Chris was accompanying me on this journey.
"The 'Enemy Detection' skill I have will warn me of any potential enemies that might ambush us, so I will lead from the front. The both of you will stay behind me and support if enemies do attack us." Chris reminded us of our plan on how we would react to enemies. As much as I didn't want to use my gun because of my dwindling supply of ammunition, it was secondary to keeping myself and other party members alive. Chris was essential to us disengaging successfully because of her skill, the fact that she was secretly the goddess that helped bring me to this world was also important. The priest that accompanied us was useful for his blessings which could buff us as well as helping tend to any ailments or debuff we might suffer from any battle. Suddenly, I heard some rustling in the bushes ahead just as Chris motioned for us to stop. Did I set of some kind of flag just thinking about the plan? No matter, I should focus on dealing with whatever we are facing now.
"It's a bury of Unicorn Bunnies, it seems they are migrating. There is a small group close to us, but it is isolated. If we hit quickly and silently, we should be able to take them out without issue and move around to avoid the rest." Chris had given a rough estimate of the smaller group to be around ten. Between the two of us, if we had the advantage of surprise using 'Lurk' we could definitely take out most of them. Still, we would have to be extremely lucky to not draw the attention of the rest of the Unicorn Bunnies, even with the 'Escape' skill we probably could not get too far from them before being chased down.
"Blessing! May the Goddess Eris bring good luck to the two of you!" The priest now withdrew to a safe distance, escorted by Chris with her 'Lurk' skill. I took out my bayonet, unsheathing it and holding the handle with my right hand. It did not have a gun to be mounted to now, but it would have to do now. Just in case, I took out one of my M9s and held it in my left hand. It was loaded and I was ready to switch the safety, but it would only be used only in the direst of situations. A single shot now would draw the rest of the Unicorn Bunnies and who knows what other monsters in the forest might come to us. Chris appeared next to me and as I nodded, she activated the 'Lurk' skill for the both of us. The few metres of ground before us could be easily covered in a few seconds if I had wanted to walk but it was crucial that we have the element of surprise. This was also the first time I had seen a Unicorn Bunny up close, having only hear Dust's description. It was surprisingly large, close to the size of a small dog, with cute round eyes, fuzzy fur and distinctively, a horn on its forehead.
"Unicorn Bunnies may look cute and harmless and they take advantage of that, getting closer to you until they decide to pounce and attack. They are carnivorous monsters that have been known to attack adventurers so do not hesitate to kill them." I remembered what Dust had told me on the day of my first quest. These monsters could have been in a stuffed animal shop, next to all the teddy bears and nobody would have noticed, that was how cute they looked. Chris and I were now within striking range of the rabbits. Chris gave me a small nod, then attacked a rabbit close to her. At the same time, my bayonet slashed down on my closest target. The silent screech of the rabbit dying seemed so loud, that I was certain we would be swarmed immediately. Yet, the only reaction from the other rabbits near by was the twitching of their ears, attempting to sense if there were enemies nearby. So, this was the power of a Thief's 'Lurk' skill. While not making its user invisible, it made it harder for others to detect us. Not wasting time, we stuck out at the next nearest targets. Another two rabbits fell, the group before us knew that they were under attack by what they probably saw as two blurry figures. I remember learning that rabbits had a wide field of vision back on Earth, I wondered if it was the case here as well.
'Thunk!' A rabbit lunged towards me and missed, lodging its horn in the tree trunk behind me. It would have been bad if it had hit me. I slashed at it, then dodged another attack by two more rabbits. Chris parried a strike using her dagger and I hit a rabbit with the butt of my pistol while slicing at another. The rabbit I hit with my pistol was stunned momentarily and I quickly cut through it before it could recover. Chris finished off her target, then silence returned to the forest.
"That went pretty well, no injuries and the main group didn't detect us. Still, let's not push our luck and move around them." Chris dusted herself off, cleaned her dagger and sheathed it. I did the same, cleaning my bayonet with a cloth and sheathing it, then holstering my gun. My bayonet knife had exceeded my expectations, I had expected to suffer from handling a bladed weapon just like when I tried out Dust's sword, but it seems that by making a weapon that was gun-related, I could overcome the debuff that came from my Gun skill. However, these Unicorn Bunnies were considered weak mob monsters and while my bayonet knife could deal with them, I wasn't too sure if I wanted to use a weapon with such short reach to fight other stronger monsters. Perhaps when I figured out how to make bullets, I could design a rifle to mount the bayonet onto, giving me another more powerful ranged weapon as well as longer reach than my arms now. Still, it was good to keep an eye on the bury of remaining Unicorn Bunnies, just so we could plan a path to avoid them.
There was a loud crash in the plains beyond the forest where the rabbits were at. A Giant Earthworm emerged from its tunnels underground, slime from its mouth spewing out. The Unicorn Rabbits wasted no time in attacking it, ferociously lunging towards it while the Earthworm twirled its body about, crushing a few of its attackers with its weight. I hadn't heard much about the Giant Earthworm except for its name but I for sure would not want to fight it, not even if I could use my guns. Such a large target was too risky, even with my increased agility and dexterity. Still, checking my adventurer's card, I had levelled up one level to level 8, increasing my stats again. This was a pretty good way to level up since I did not have to expend any bullets but it would only have worked with Chris's support using her 'Lurk' skill, there was no way I could replicate it back at Axel. We met up with the Eris Order priest, then continued on with our journey through the forest, avoiding the raging battle between the Unicorn Bunnies and Giant Earthworm.
(During lunch break somewhere in the forest)
The trek through the forest was surprisingly peaceful, I had thought after our encounter with the Unicorn Bunnies that other monsters would appear. Still, as the afternoon sun streamed through gaps in the canopy, we decided to take a short break for food, digging into our prepared meals under the shade of a large tree. Then, we heard the rustling of bushes and the unmistakeable stomping of feet. Whoever were out in the forest making so much noise, probably did not have much to fear from the monsters of the forest. Whether they were friendly or hostile was an unknown, so we had to act carefully. Chris, with her 'Enemy Detection' and 'Lurk' skills, went out to scout and see if she could find out who they were. She did not take long to return.
"It was a party of orcs, they are patrolling the forest, the two of you should be careful and stay hidden." The priest immediately recoiled upon hearing that, but I had no idea why. I had heard enough about fantasy that I knew orcs were strong warriors but why would Chris specifically mention the two of us? And why was the priest's reaction so extreme. Seeing my confused face, Chris decided to explain.
"Orcs are known for their strength as well as their virility. The thing is all the male orcs died years ago, so now the orc race survives on by abducting males from other races. That's why I told the two of you to be careful and stay hidden. With my 'Lurk' skill and the patrol probably having a fixed route, this should not be an issue. They are currently heading here though so we should move fast." Chris's explanation made my hairs tingle. I had no intention of being abducted, so let's quickly move out of here and put as much distance as possible between them and us. With a 'Blessing' on myself and the priest to increase our Luck, as well as Chris's 'Lurk' skill, we ventured out quickly and silently. Still, the patrol was heading our way and I could make out that they were talking to each other.
"Remember that we are out here hunting for food but if there are any males nearby, be sure to get them. There were definitely signs that people were here, from the marks on the scene of a fight with those Unicorn Rabbits." Hearing what that orc said induced a cold tingling feeling that spread throughout my skin. Chris diverted us toward a small trail past a giant boulder and we quickly scurried over. From gaps in the foliage, I could see what the orcs looked like. It had a face like a pig's but this one had cat ears, a weird combination of body parts I supposed. Still knowing what fate might fall upon specifically two of us, we held our breath as they stomped past. I noticed that my right hand was gripped tightly on my pistol, ready to draw it out of the holster in an instant. I knew it was a horrible idea, shooting these orcs may take them out and we could make our escape now but we would have to leave the Crimson Demon village eventually and killing some orcs would definitely put the whole group on high alert, increasing the risk of us running into them during our return trip. Still, it was as if I had this habit of drawing my gun in dire situations which this felt like. Perhaps having the Goddess of Fortune disguised in our party paid off as the patrol left into the distance, their voices gradually getting softer. I heaved a sigh of relief, hoping that we would never encounter a patrol like this again. The journey to the Crimson Demon village was far more eventful than I had originally thought, and we hadn't even reached our destination yet.
The expanse of the forest would have to end eventually, though there was a curious sight near the forest's edge toward a plain. There was a huge crater, with visible scorch marks on the trees nearby. This crater was probably kind of recent as the signs of nature reclaiming it so far was just a puddle of water that had accumulated at the bottom. Still, signs of battle from magic were a good sign that we were approaching the Crimson Demon village. I had heard from the adventurers in the town of Axel that Crimson Demons were well-versed and suited for advanced magecraft and that most parties would want to have one. Still, I heard more about a certain Crimson Demon who was nicknamed the 'Explosion Maniac', actually no it was something like 'Crazy Exploding Girl', I couldn't quite remember. Apparently, she would set off an 'Explosion' spell every day without fail and I had seen the results of that myself even if I had never seen her in person. She had left Axel days before I arrived, which was why I had not heard or felt any such spell. This crater was probably hers, meaning we were on the trail of Aqua as well. In the distance though, there was a dust cloud made by something heading our way. It was too late for us to hide using Chris's 'Lurk', so we prepared ourselves for a possible confrontation. The dust cloud reached us, it seemed it was made by a group of goblins fleeing from somewhere.
"A party of human adventurers! Hey, this is a chance to earn quick merits, they will be easier to defeat than those pesky Crimson Demons! Kill them and avenge Sylvia-san!" A goblin shouted out. This was the worst-case scenario. I had expected this but hoped we would never experience it. As the Crimson Demon village was under attack by the Demon King's army, it would be natural that there would be bands of soldiers from that army near the village. Without the element of surprise and no preparation, using a weapon of short reach like my bayonet was suicide. I drew my pistol from the right holster and flicked the safety. It was the first time I was firing at sentient monsters, but I could not feel sympathetic now, they were trying to kill us! Drawing my bayonet out on my left hand just in case one of them came too close, I shot at one of the goblins charging me. The bullet tore through his metal armour, the force knocking him back and killing him. Chris used her 'Escape' skill on the Eris Order priest, his skills were not offensive in nature towards our current enemies and he had no good way to defend himself. It would take a while before Chris could make it back so I would be fighting alone for now. I dodged a slash from a goblin and parried another with my bayonet, before shooting him square in the head. Weren't these goblins afraid in any way? I had shot two of their compatriots easily, yet they still charged on fearlessly.
'Swoosh' I heard a slash of a weapon from behind me, jumping back towards the left I saw the metallic gleam of a sword pass by close to my face. I charged forward and cut through the goblin that attacked me, no need to waste bullets if it was not needed. I had already used two but there still seemed to be a lot of goblins. I heard the clang of clashing metal nearby, it seemed that Chris had joined in the fray.
"Bind!" A rope appeared out of her hands and wrapped around an unfortunate goblin. The goblin dropped his weapon and fell back to the ground, rolling a few times. If Chris did not already have a mission she had to do as a Thief on this world, I would have asked her to join my party. Her skills were so useful and versatile, on top of that she was someone I got along with quite well. It really was unfortunate. I shot another goblin charging at us, then as I took aim toward the one behind him, I heard a click instead of the loud bang I expected. What? I only fired three bullets and I had checked that my magazine was full beforehand. I still had like twelve more shots, right? Stabbing the goblin before he could, I retreated a little. Calm down, breathe. Maybe I could use my skills. From my Gun skill, I knew it was a Misfire, a rare occurrence that could happen when firing a gun. The bullet was probably not safe for use anymore, as it could potentially trigger at any time, so I would have to eject it and clear the gun. Dropping the gun onto the ground gently, I drew the other pistol I had and prepared to continue the fight. Chris noticed me backing off earlier and came to my side using 'Escape'.
"Are you alright, Fujiwara? Do you need any help?"
"It's alright, one of my guns malfunctioned but I can fix it later, just had to fall back a bit." Ideally I should fix the gun now while Chris covered me but there were like more than a dozen goblins charging toward us and as skilled as Chris was, It was difficult for one to hold off that many attackers and protect someone else at the same time. Attacking from range using my gun and Chris's 'Bind' we were able to take out most of them but inevitably some would get close enough to strike us in melee, interfering with our ranged attacks. Surely this wasn't the end for me, right? A gunslinger, the first of his kind in this world, running out of bullets in a fight against goblins? I wished I had picked up the 'Quick Reload' skill earlier when I looked at my adventurer's card instead of saving points up for 'Advanced Repair'. Being able to quickly swap our magazines would not only help me clear the misfired round, but also reduce the time I would spend reloading instead of shooting. Granted I only basically have slightly more than two magazines left but still… If I worked quickly I could fix the misfire, giving me almost a full magazine to use. Unloading the magazine, I cocked the gun and extracted the misfired round. It was dented at the back by the firing pin so I threw it as far away as possible.
Wait, the goblins were now running away, abandoning their weapons and fleeing past us. Had we defeated them? As I wondered about what was happening, a group of men appeared out of thin air. They were mostly dressed in black though their outfits were all different. Huh, they all had a pair of scarlet eyes, could they be from the Crimson Demon clan?
"Not even a trace of your flesh will remain, burn in dark flames from my heart's abyss!"
"Sleep for eternity in my ice's frozen embrace!"
"You… will… all die!"
Huh, what kind of spell was that? Then, they all said the same thing.
"Light of Saber!" Light broke out from their slashing hands, cutting through the goblins with ease. Woah they were really strong! I had felt kind of cheated by the lack of fire and ice but ah well with such a cool display of power I could let it slide. Their chants before that were their way of being cool, I guess. I remember I used to do that with my friends in Japan long ago but as we grew up, we stopped acting like that. Still, it was weird to have a group of chuunibyous like this but actually having powerful magic. One of the Crimson Demons turned towards us.
"We heard a lord bang and thought it was one of our guys using 'Detonation' and so the anti-Demon King's army guerrilla unit came but its just three adventurers? And none of you are Crimson Demons!" He just had this casual feel to him, contrary to the magical power he and the rest of the unit had shown earlier.
"I am Bukkoroli. Son of the owner of the number one shoe shop in the Crimson Demon village and Archmage that wields advanced magic…" It seems like they really were chuunibyous but had the magic power to back it up. Well, I still remembered some catchphrases I used to say, it should be easy enough to change them to show who I was.
"Well nice to meet you. I am Kato Fujiwara, first of the Class Gunslinger in this world and slayer of monsters!" Well, I was out of practice I guess. Still, I hoped my self-introduction had the effect I wanted.
"Ohhh!'" All the Crimson Demons exclaimed.
"This is awesome! Normally people are weirded out by our introductions but you are another outsider that replies in kind, just like Kazuma! It really is quite rare!" Bukkoroli exclaimed to the agreement of the other Crimson Demons.
"I am Chris, a Thief Class adventurer. We're escorting a delegation from the capital by the Eris Order for an update of the Demon King's army." Chris introduced herself and the priest. Huh, I had no idea that he came from the capital. It seemed that the visit from the delegation was expected as the Crimson Demons nodded at what she said.
"Ah I see, that's a long distance you travelled! We were chasing of the remnants of the Demon King's army that have left behind after we defeated them. The village is still quite far away, we had a battle there recently, but it is safe now. Come, we'll bring you in outsiders, using 'Teleport'!" Upon saying that, Bukkoroli cast the teleport spell.
The change in scenery made me dizzy, an aftereffect from the teleport spell as the surroundings now were completely different. At first glance the village was surrounded by hills with lots of farms. There was rubble from some destroyed buildings in the town but otherwise it seemed like a small peaceful village that did not seem like the home of powerful mages.
"Welcome to the Crimson Demon village! I will get the Chief of the Crimson Demons, Hiropon to meet you all." Bukkoroli waved us goodbye, then vanished into thin air again. So, this was the Crimson Demon village, home to the Crimson Demon clan that produced Archmages of high calibre and where Aqua, a Goddess that knew of my world talked about seeing a rifle. Hopefully answers to my questions could be found here, maybe the chief would know about Kazuma's party. A cool looking burly man with a moustache and a spiked collar walked towards us with Bukkorli at his side. Finally, my self-initiated investigation would begin!