Author's Note: Okay so this was the cap to a kind of crappy week. Hornets. Read, Review, Favourite and Enjoy!

Chapter 25: Going on the Road Again.

Tanya was finishing reading the report for the village Eli had given her. Maple's Bio-plants had yet to act up, the flood of refugees from Siltvelt had solved most of the problems they were faced with, skilled labourers to help rebuild, numbers to help work the fields and do grunt work, fighters to fend off raids from the criminals fleeing Zeltoble's sinking ship, and Filolials to do deliveries. Using the Bio-plants at their main source of income the super fast growing plants would spread though out the kingdom and provide humanitarian relief in the wake of the waves. Using the materials from the mountain that Tanya toppled they had enough stone to do some solid construction work that in her opinion was desperately needed. Katarina took one look at the territory that would soon become farmland and said to leave it to her. Given her obsession that she had with unlocking earth based skills she should have the fields ready to go for mass planting in no time. Which now led her to the contents of the meeting she'd be having with the king. Takt and their suspicions that he might have designs on their lives, locating the missing Seven Star Heroes, acquiring more weapons from the age of the first heroes for Kuro to read their history, information on the bird goddess Fitoria, and the other countries whose waves they'd be dealing with.

"This much is good. Come on, we're moving out now."

"Gah-!" Raphtalia wondered if Sadeena, the closest thing she's ever known that came close to a sister, was consciously aware of the fact that she was being slowly strangled to death.

She should probably be grateful that the older woman went all the way to Zeltoble to find her after learning that she had been captured by slavers, to be fair she did find a large number of the villagers from their home town so she wasn't unreasonable in her presumption.

"Oh I'm so happy to see you again!" Even if it was when Raphtalia and her friends had been dressed as a maid providing drinks to berserkers. Even though Sadeena was called Raphtalia's elder sister they looked roughly the same age. But of course they did, Raphtalia was only matured to about twenty years old, whereas that was Sadeena's actual age. "Keel you look so handsome in that suit." Sadeena stated as she none the less adjusted the suit. "But you are-"

"Painfully aware. Thank you." Keel stated moving to Cut Sadeena off before she could bring up unpleasant revelations.

"Right." Sadeena gave a understanding smile. "So do we know what the plans are on trying to rebuild the village?"

"It's... politically unwise at the moment." Rifana stated as she noted their break was almost over.

"Politics? That village was one of the major concessions Melromarc made to Siltvelt and Shieldfreeden after the last war." Sadeena stated as she tapped her foot suspiciously.

"And so naturally it's massively unpopular among Melromarc nobles."

Sadeena let out a light ahh and nodded her head in understanding. It would be a different matter if it was the Queen who was here to boss them around, but the King did not have the authority, wasn't trusted with it after taking 20 years to figure out that he was raising a psychopath.

"Well we gotta bring them somewhere safe." Sadeena stated now that the situation had been highlighted.

"Shieldfreeden's always willing to take in refugees under a certain age or level." Eclair stated, her knowledge of politics somewhat undermined by the fact that she was wearing a maid's uniform instead of knight's armour. "They'll be chomping at the bit if it's done with the endorsement of the Shield Hero."

Well, that should take care of most of that situation, and yet...

"Let's hold off on that until the Queen gets back so that we can fix the village properly." Sadeena stated stretching out languidly. "Now than as I understand it that's the uniform of your group that you're wearing. Where can I get one?"

In terms of age Sadeena was physically the same age as the others but the difference can be said that she carries the charm of a older woman. The maturity that comes actual decades of experience interacting with others coupled with experience in... pleasing others. She actually wore more clothes now as a maid than she was before, which was basically a swimsuit with patches of rubbery whale like skin. Now dressed in the same maid's uniform and tending to the weary travellers the sharp contrast between ten year old's in adult's bodies and a actual adult was made clear. Seeing the black haired Japanese styled woman wearing the uniform of the Maple Leaf trading company Maple herself was naturally wondering where she had come from. Seemingly realising this confusion Sadeena walked over to meet with Maple.

"Um... we haven't met." Maple stated which made it all the more pressing to find out what she was doing in that uniform that Maple had started realise was just a little bit too small for her.

"So we haven't. I am Sadeena, formerly of the village of Seatto, currently part of the mass of slaves your friend bought in Zeltoble."

"Um. Kaede Honjou Shield Hero, Maple to my friends." Maple stated holding out her hand and vaguely remembering Raphtalia mention a Sadeena before.

"So then. Is it just a matter of putting on the uniform or is there something else I have to do to join your party?" Sadeena asked though Maple was hesitant to let her join for practical reasons.

"Do you know about the growth bonuses?" Maple asked and Sadeena raised a interested brow. "It gives you a boost to your stats for every time you level up."

Oh dear, she was a sweet as her name sake but far too trusting. If this became common knowledge people would never let her go.

"It doesn't work retroactively though, only on new level ups. If yours is too high it might not do you any good."

Sadeena snorted in amusement.

"Is that all?" Sadeena asked smile all teeth and malice. Great. Another one like Kuro.

"I don't mean to be delicate but getting your level reset as a demi-human sounds-"

"When you're underage? Oh without a doubt." Sadeena stated chuckling distantly and eyes no longer smiling. "It was the worst day of my entire life, it felt like my body had been pulled inside out and spewed out as raw hamburger meat. I couldn't even move for two month's, and that's with healing magic applied." But Then she breathed deep and finished the point she was making. "I'm also twenty one years old this year. I won't be suffering any massive pain and suffering from getting reset."

Okay. That was reassuring.

"Um... sure if it's okay with the others." Maple even went as far as to send her a party invite which she graciously accepted. "This is for table three." Maple stated handing Sadeena plate before letting her get to work.

"Atla!" The young Hakuko boy Kuro rescued in the arena had been looking for his sister, something that both had him massively concerned and happy beyond reason.

His sister was capable of wandering off on her own now, if someone had told him that a few days ago he would have throttled them on principle and then pull their finger nails out until they told him what they did with her. He had no idea what kind of magic Kuro used on her but with luck it would eventually cure her vision too. What it did not change though, and in fact partially enabled, was that Atla was a un-objectively beautiful young lady and still too physically weak to put up a decent fight besides the point in a camp full of young unscrupulous men only barely being restrained by a slave seal. So yes: he would like to find her.

"Who you looking for?" One of the Bow hero's party members, a Kushtaka named Otto, was currently helping to put together a wall around the village made out of stone.

"My sister Atla. Hakuko about yey big." Fohl said indicating someone who came roughly up to Otto's knees.

"Oh yeah. She went into the house the sword's staying in last night." Otto stated indicating the building down the street.

Course the part he felt no real compulsion to point out was that Atla was wearing a see through Negligee at the time.

"Thanks!" Oblivious to what was really going on Fohl went to where he had been informed his sister was.

"I'm thinking amber myself." Kuro stated as she held up a piercing to Atla's body part that was not her face.

"I can't see it to comment on it though." Atla replied simply no sign of modesty in sight.

"This is true. But most people are more concerned about the pain when they're getting piercings." Kuro commented as she switched over to a tiger eye just for ironies sake.

"I've been in severe pain my entire life." Atla stated bluntly.

"Well. I suppose that would give you a high pain tolerance now wouldn't it?" Kuro stated letting out a sigh. "Pity really. Pain can be a... spice to invigorate our nightly sessions."

"Really?" Atla asked ears perking up.

"Oh yes." Kuro stated amused by the other girl's eagerness.

"What is it that you've got behind you?" Atla asked looking around Kuro.

"Oh that?" Kuro took a glance behind herself just for good measure, unlike Atla she didn't have three sixty degree vision. "It's a tail. I developed something of a fetish for cats back in my world." Kuro commented lightly.

"Why is it attached like that though?" Atla asked blushing slightly.

"It feels good." Kuro replied as if it was natural, and Atla swallowed.

"Can I have one?" Atla stated still blushing.

"Not a tail no, that would just be redundant, I can give you something to the same effect though." Kuro reached around Atla, causing the girl to gasp a little when she felt Kuro's fingers and after she felt something much colder the sudden jolt caused her to dig her hands into Kuro's back. "You good?" Atla didn't speak, just rapidly bobbed her head. "Want to go again?" Atla nodded her head as she and Kuro were about to kiss.

"Atla!" A loud knocking on the door was accompanied by the voice of Fohl, Atla's brother, thereby spoiling the mood.

"Tanya is going to be making us go soon anyway. I should at least put on clothes." Not even Tanya's wrath could hide her disappointment.

"...My brother does worry a lot. Not without reason at times." Coincidentally Atla felt the same as Kuro.

And so Kuro proceeded to get dressed in her usual armour and coat and in the process highlighted a very serious problem.

"Why are you wearing that?" Kuro asked looking at Atla wearing the see through Negligee from the night before.

"This is what I came in here wearing." Atla stated looking down at herself. Kuro mentally cursed to herself. Blind. Right.

"Alright lemme see if I can whip something up for you." Luckily she still remembered all those outfits she saw back in Siltvelt when she first went shopping for clothes. It was a three layered thing, white brown and black shoulder-less, thus exposing the black lace of Atla's bra, tunic turned dress by virtue of Atla's short height with the insides laced with chain mail, leather belts with gold trim had been wrapped around her mid-section. "Tada!" Kuro stated looking impressed with herself.

"I've never worn anything like this." Atla stated looking pleased with herself. "It's like being wrapped in you."

"Which can be taken in all the wrong ways but never mind that now." Kuro stated putting a arm around Atla's shoulder. "The important thing you need to remember is that what you're wearing is entirely a product of my magic, meaning if you move out of range of me they're gonna go poof!"

"Poof?" Atla asked looking concerned.

"Poof." Kuro repeated for emphasis. "Was pretty funny when it happened to my sister once, inside our home, without anyone we don't know there to see it." Kuro stated for emphasis. "But you are mine and I won't accept anyone but me seeing you like that."

"Right. I don't wanna lose the clothes made out of your mana." Atla stated her priorities entirely different than Kuro's.

"In that case I'll make more for you. But later. For now just stick close." Kuro unlocked the door and Fohl's disapproving glare landed on them both.

"Atla just because you can walk off on your now doesn't mean that you should." Fohl stated looking down at the girl who at this time was only slightly shorter than him. "I was worried about you Atla."

"You always have been brother." Atla stated greeting her brother with a hug. "But being protected all the time is not a good feeling."

"Gotta agree with you on that." Kuro stated hands behind the back of her head. "If I had to put up with knowing that my brother was doing what you've been doing day in and day out and that not only was he doing it for me but also there was nothing I could do to stop him I'd end up going mad with worry."

"...I never thought of it that way." Fohl stated looking legitimately surprised.

"Have you ever the luxury? No. Your situation has changed now you should change your habits too." Kuro stated as the two of them were led outside.

"Atla I don't remember you owning any clothes like that." It'd be more accurate to say that Fohl doesn't remember either him or her owning any clothes at all beyond the rags she use to dress in and the trousers he would wear into the arena.

"I'll rig something up for the both of you after I get some materials to work with." Kuro stated as she put her hands behind her head. "Little Atla here has agreed to join my party." Kuro stated as she affectionately rubbed Atla's ears.

"Hey what's the big idea you're planning on bringing my sister into danger!?" Fohl snapped making his displeasure known.

"It is a mutually beneficial relationship. I get her high level surveillance powers and in exchange she'll get higher levels and the boons of my growth bonuses to help improve her health." Fohl wasn't sure if she knew that rubbing her ears like that was only appropriate if she was Atla's lover or one of her parents but he knew he wanted Kuro to stop so he moved her hand away with is own.

"And what do you mean growth bonuses?" Fohl asked brow in the air.

"The Legendary weapons have forms unlocked that offer stat growth bonuses per level up. Since you guys are registered to all of us then growth bonuses from all of us will apply to you two." Kuro stated before she saw the prime example her point. "This is what someone who only has the growth bonuses of one hero applied." Filo was sitting next to a enormous platter of food and munching away merrily.

"And this is what happens when you have the bonuses from all four of us applied." Kuro stated indicating Midori, who was currently pulling a cart stacked with thrice his height in stone. The look on Fohl's face was that of someone who was absolutely flabbergasted by what he was seeing, but he snapped back to his senses to ask some relevant questions.

"That one isn't a girl right?" Fohl stated indicating the Arnold Schwarzenegger impersonator. "If Atla ends up like that I'm not letting her anywhere near you people."

"Brother muscle is impor-"

"True." Kuro interrupted Atla's lecture with her own commentary. "There is such a point where enough becomes too much and body building just becomes a competition in ego stroking. But not to worry we tried it on a girl already."

Blitz was currently using her power of flight, in human form no less, to lift the stone up to the top of the thus far multi-story tall wall. Her regular magicians clothes had been traded for thin work cloths which combined with the sweat she was working highlighted her every curve. Ah the light flush on Fohl's face indicated that he understood what he was looking at, now to shatter this sis-con's resolve.

"Imagine how many heads your sister would turn if she had a body to match her natural good looks?" Kuro whispered seductively into Fohl's ears.

"Y-y-you succubus!" Fohl snapped accusingly his face turned beat red and pointing at Kuro accusingly. "You just want to pretty Atla up so you can sell her a sex slave!"

"Don't be ridiculous. If I did go through all that work I'd just keep her for myself." Kuro pulled Atla close and started chewing on her ear which caused Atla's tail to swish and Fohl immediately understood what that meant.

"Oh hell no!" Fohl proceeded to grab Atla by her hand and drag her away as fast and as far as possible before she could stop him. "Thank goodness I got you away from her could you imagine-" Fohl wasn't able to finish his sentence, having left the radius of Kuro's effective area her magic expired, resulting in Atla getting dragged butt naked through a crowd of people, the only protection her modesty got was her free arm over her chest and tail over her crotch area. "Ah ah ah..." Fohl was so stunned but his sister's naked form, and the look of absolute fury on her features, that he let go of her arm which was socked in his stomach hard enough that his stomach contents went flying and so did he. Atla ran back to Kuro who already had her coat off and draped over Atla's nude body.

"I'm sorry they saw. They saw everything..." Atla stated sounding emotionally devastated, though more so that her promise had been broken to Kuro that she was the only one allowed to see her naked and less about being seen by the sounds of things.

"It's alright. You'll make it up to me later." Kuro already had ideas planned out.

Katarina had finished the farm work, weapon copying a shovel resulted in her earth magic spear to upgrade into the Avalanche skill, while the unlock from the boss Kuro killed resulted in a skill to alter the composition of the ground thereby letting her set rock solid foundations or easily sink objects into the ground, so with these high level utility spears acquired her work for the day was done. Now was the time for her day job.

"Ladies, Kyurie, Midori, a very serious matter has come to my attention." Katarina paused for dramatic effect, presumably. "I. Am. Weak!"

"Ah Katarina, how do I put this delicately..." That was one of the most ludicrous statements you've ever uttered, according to Elena anyway.

"In comparison to you? Yes I am unusually strong. But I am weakest of the four Heroes and as soon as the person who keeps sending assassins after Kuro realises she's a hard target they're going to look for a soft one." Katarina stated as she began pacing back and forth. "Therefore I need to acquire a insane amount of power to counteract this."

"What about miss Kuro's weapons?" Rino stated hand in the air. "There must be one or two of them that can clear a wave all by itself."

Katarina nodded her head in response.

"I may not act like it some times but I am a fire mage." Katarina stated spear off to the side. "What I need is a way of increasing my magical fire power."

"There is the rumoured Dragon pulse magic." Rino stated crossing her arms. "No idea what it's about."

Useless. Katarina needed something she could use.

"Eraslia Grisaloc." Rino stated, the mere mention of the word making Kyurie's face cramp. That's right he's suppose to be part of Shieldfreeden's information gathering network right? So he should know about all of Melromarc's big names. "She was a veteran in wars Melromarc has fought in for nearly sixty years before retiring about twenty years ago."

Twenty? Sixty? This lady was over eighty years old? No she should be of a bare minimal age to fight in the military?

"How old is this lady?" Katarina asked looking at the rest of her party like she had gone mad.

"If she is still alive." And that was a big if. "She should 100 as of last year." Elena stated making it known well that she firmly believed the old woman was not still alive.

"She is alive!" Rino stated voice full of indignation. "The Ki flow and regulation of the Hengen Musou Style..."

"Cannot halt entropy." Elena stated making it clear this conversation was done.

"What's the Hengen Musou style?" Katarina asked looking suspicious. "Is it like some kind of super spear fighting style?"

"It's a super everything style." Elena stated clearly annoyed. "Hengen Musou does not refer to fighting with a specific weapon or a certain style of movement, it refers to the manipulation and flow of Ki in order to effect supernatural changes different from magic or skills."

"What's Ki?" Katarina asked looking confused. "One of the style's many mysteries." Elena stated shrugging her shoulders. "But here's the thing: we can't explain this because all of the style's remaining practitioners all killed each other twenty years ago, with the exception of the old woman."

"Huu." Katarina breathed out a sigh of exasperation before she looked straight ahead.

"Kuro?" Elena ventured.

"Kuro." Katarina confirmed.

Atla wasn't getting tired of cranking the wheel for magical silk, which was impressive by Aranaya's standards as she had already spewed out a considerable volume worth of the stuff. That of course didn't mean that Kuro wasn't taking the opportunity to use Atla as a dressing doll for her own clothes, for them to be effective Atla had to be able to smoothly move in them.

"Alright that should be enough to make her some new clothes." Aranaya stated as Kuro nodded her head in agreement.

"That's enough Atla, we need some more relevant details for now." Kuro stated as Atla nodded her head.

"Aye." Atla stood at attention, still squirming shyly in a manner that just made Kuro want to poof off all of her clothes and pounce on her right-

"Kuro!" Katarina slammed the door open voice loud and boisterous. "I have come for weapons!"

Kuro wanted to scream right now, but she settled for spraying herself with cold water.

"Atla, excuse me for a bit. I need to have a talk with my fellow hero." Kuro took Katarina outside of the shop.

"I need any Nobl-" A loud thunk interrupted Katarina's request. Once Kuro managed to abate her rage Katarina explained to her what she wanted. "I'm not even at a high enough level yet where I can use any of my Noble Phantasms." Kuro stated bluntly. "What makes you think I can give you one that you can use?"

"I thought you said that at their weakest they were unlocked at Sixty?" Katarina, nursing the bump on her head, asked looking confused.

"The damned sword keeps finding ways of upgrading my tracings, which while that upgrades all the other weapons I copied into it and boosts my stats it also means that the quality of my workmanship keeps hiking up and the level with it." Kuro stated looking deeply annoyed.

"Can you make copies of our weapon transformations?" Katarina asked looking curious.

"Child's play." Kuro responded and popped out the damned hoe Katarina was so fond of. Katarina looked at the stats for the weapon in question as she held out a hand and copied the one Kuro had held out for and watched as it tripled in quality.

"Alright. Now we're in business!"

Author's Note:

RonaldM40196867: True. The actual soup Naofumi made out of the Tyrant Dragon.

Kisame Hoshigaki: True. When he finds out yes. I believe he called them 'our kids' not 'my daughters' which implies that they aren't just his. Or just pick off more of Takt's harem.

Captain Imaginat: Not to other worlds. You should wait and read that for yourself. You mean fits with Tanya's character right? Viktoriya is not a demi-human she is human.

Lia Angelique: Thank you for saying so!

Halo: Fohl was really blindsided there. And Fitoria might just be insane.