Chapter 5
The guild quests suck.
Kazuma studied the guild board despondently. So merciless! Why was everything complicated?
Urgent quest: Griffin and Manticore are warring over territory; please leave a detailed will with the guild receptionist upon acceptance. Reward 800,000 thousand eris.
Negative!
Kazuma's gaze darted around the room before tearing the quest off the board and stuffing it into his pocket. He made sure to turn his back to his party as he did so, not wanting to give away his intentions.
Satisfied with himself, Kazuma made his way back to the group, plopping down next to Shirou.
"Find anything good, Kazuma?" Shirou asked, eyes aglow with enthusiasm.
"Sorry, Shirou. All the quests are specialized today."
Kazuma lied through his teeth.
In Kazuma's mind, Shirou deserved it. The dense bastard.
Yesterday, when the female Knight, Darkness, approached, both boys could not speak. She had polished her armor to a blinding sheen, and the contours of her chest-plate showed she had a chest the size of Kazuma's head! She was even in an advanced class, a Crusader! Her presence filled the room with awe and admiration. Kazuma felt justified in his excitement - after all, it was not every day one encountered such a mighty warrior.
That's why Kazuma was immediately suspicious when she asked to join their party and spoke up before Shirou could agree without thought.
"I don't believe that's a good idea. Shirou here. He's a complete sadist! He's training us to become stronger, but the price isn't worth it. Earlier today, he left one of our party members and me to be molested by Horny Rabbits!"
Kazuma picked at his food. Looking back, he wished he'd done more.
Darkness's reaction to Kazuma's declaration of Shirou's sadistic ways was to shudder in a way that made Kazuma cross his legs for fear of showing his reaction.
Darkness had been more adamant about joining their party after that. Ultimately, Kazuma convinced Shirou to run the idea by Aqua and Megumin.
That decision gave Kazuma time to plan. Now it was time to execute.
"So, Shirou, what did you think of Darkness?" Kazuma said, not quite shouting, but loud enough to interrupt Megumin and Aqua.
Shirou's face softened in nostalgia.
"I think she looked like a fine Knight, proud and strong."
Shirou and his nauseating wholesomeness, things would be much simpler if he were like any other eighteen-year-old guy.
Undeterred, Kazuma pushed on.
"Come on, man, we're friends, right? You can be real with me. She's almost as big as Luna." Kazuma juggled his hands at chest level and leered before going in for the kill.
Kazuma focused briefly on Megumin and Aqua's chests before looking back at Shirou.
"Unfortunately, we're lacking in that field. Since you're into that, I can see why you'd want Darkness to join."
Kazuma spoke the words without shame or remorse.
He'd seen the jealous look both Aqua and Megumin shot the more developed ladies in the guild. So, he inflamed the ember of jealousy in both girls' hearts.
"Is this the guild you want to join, Darkness?" A waif of a girl wearing shorts and a bikini asked from behind Kazuma.
"C-Chris, don't interrupt them so abruptly."
Darkness squirmed as Megumin and Aqua gazed at her with hostility.
Kazuma's plan was working. Just one more little push.
"H-hey jailbait, scoot over so Darkness can sit down."
Jealous embers turned into raging flames.
"J-jailbait, you called me jailbait?"
Kazuma knew he was going to pay for that one later. However, he would happily pay the price if it kept another crazy party member from joining.
Darkness sat with Chris standing behind her.
"Thank you. As you heard, my name is Darkness, and I intend to join your party as a Crusader. The ultimate defensive class, I shall be your shield from harm!"
Megumin and Aqua didn't look impressed.
"What a cringy speech," Aqua said, sneering. "She's almost as bad as you, Kazuma."
Kazuma ignored the jab. Everything was going according to plan. Aqua and Megumin were already against Darkness. If they kept throwing insults, Darkness might back out entirely.
While Kazuma basked in his perceived genius, Megumin and Aqua tore into poor Darkness.
"I doubt she could even keep up with us with all that extra weight she's carrying," Megumin said, not referring to her armor.
"Indeed, Megumin, I bet she'd slow us way down. Besides, what good would a Crusader do us, anyway? We're still at a level where fighting Horny Rabbits is a challenge. No way could use a Crusader. She'd be useless."
Well, that did it. There was no chance that Darkness would join their party.
Darkness moaned and covered her face.
"Such cruel words." Darkness said, sounding near tears.
Kazuma almost felt guilty. He knew how sharp Aqua's tongue could be.
Darkness looked up suddenly, and Kazuma almost fell out of his seat.
She wasn't heartbroken or in tears!
Darkness's blue eyes lit up passionately, and her breath came in heavy pants.
"Such incredible cruelty! Please, you have to let me join your party!"
Kazuma had made a mistake.
He had assumed that setting a vicious Megumin and Aqua on Darkness would drive her away.
Kazuma flashed back to the day before.
When he had called Shirou a sadist, he assumed Darkness got excited because she was some battle maniac.
The realization hit Kazuma like the non-existent truck that killed him. Darkness wasn't a battle maniac.
Darkness was a goddamn masochist!
Kazuma shot to his feet in horror.
"Stop!"
Aqua, Megumin, and Darkness all froze at Kazuma's exclamation.
"Thank you, Kazuma," Shirou said, looking at Aqua and Megumin disapprovingly. "Shame on you two, hazing Darkness. We'll give her a trial quest as we did with Megumin."
That's not what I meant, goddamnit!
Kazuma's eyes darted around wildly.
"... Haha, thanks, my man," Chris said, leaning forward over Darkness's shoulder. "Darkness has always struggled to make friends between you and me, so I appreciate you giving her this chance."
"C-Chris."
Chris ignored Darkness.
"I'd like to show you my appreciation." Chris pointed at Kazuma and smirked.
"You're an adventurer, right? So how would you like to learn some thief skills from me as thanks for helping my friend?"
Thief skills? Those could be useful.
Stealth skills were fantastic. Not only were they easy to use, but Kazuma liked the idea of going into stealth mode and letting everyone else handle the monsters.
However, were those skills worth giving his tacit approval of Darkness's trial run?
Sensing Kazuma's hesitation, Chris ran her finger along Kazuma's hand.
"I promise, if you learn the skills I can teach you, I'll make it worthwhile."
Kazuma didn't stand a chance.
"S-sure! Yeah, let's do this."
Besides, Kazuma pushed aside his paranoia. It wasn't like Megumin and Aqua would start liking Darkness after one quest. This was Kazuma's chance to get stronger and become a real adventurer. So he would take this opportunity to learn some skills. Kazuma could figure out how to get Darkness out of the party later.
Shirou's POV
"... This spot will do," Chris said, leading Kazuma and me into a small park off a side road, only a minute's walk from the guild.
Kazuma looked disappointed when I tagged along, but I had yet to see how skill sharing or attainment worked.
I resolved to watch with fervor.
"Alright, Kazuma, you said you are level three, which means you should have three skill points, right?
Kazuma nodded.
"Excellent. I'll teach you three basic but handy skills; Lurk, Capture, and Steal."
I narrowed my eyes and rubbed my chin.
"How do you teach someone a skill?"
Chris bounced on her toes like an eager puppy.
"It couldn't be simpler. All you have to do is observe me while I use a skill. If you do that, the skill should appear on your guild card."
Huh, it sounded like a version of magecraft wherein family members could pass their proficiency to their offspring on a grander scale.
"Now, allow me to show you." Chris pointed her hand at Kazuma. "Steal!"
A blinding flash of light came from Chris's hand, forcing me to look away.
"Ahh!"
I heard Kazuma scream and blinked the spots from my vision.
Kazuma checked his pockets, turning them inside out in his haste. So, based on Chris's chant, she had stolen something.
"Ahh," Chris moaned. "I got a quest notice."
Quest notice? Why did Kazuma have a quest notice in his pocket?
I walked over to stand by Chris, and she handed it to me without thinking.
A Manticore and Griffin?
I looked at Kazuma, who shifted from foot to foot.
"I thought you said there were no quests."
"O-oh, well, if you recall, I said they were all specialized." Kazuma's eyes darted about like he was trying to find an excuse. "I-I didn't get to bring this one up to see if the group wanted to take it before we got distracted."
I hummed.
Kazuma was distractible, so he probably hadn't intentionally withheld such a critical quest.
"Well then," I smiled, waving the quest flyer. "You should learn these skills with haste, and we'll head back to the guild and register for this."
I watched a bead of sweat trickle down Kazuma's temple.
"R-right, y-yeah. I can't wait!"
"That's the spirit! So, can you learn the Steal skill now?"
Kazuma pulled out his guild card and wiped at it twice before giving it a push.
"Woah," Kazuma said, blinking hard. "That was... yeah, I know how to use Steal."
Kazuma sounded amazed as he stared at his hand in awe before looking up and beaming.
Chris giggled.
"It's a rush, isn't it?"
Kazuma bobbed his head, still looking giddy.
"Well, a couple of things you should know. Steal is random. You could get anything a target has on their person; Money, weapons, items, anything. What you get is based on your luck stat."
I smiled, seeing Kazuma home in on Chris' lesson.
"Allow me to show you again. Steal!"
Another flash, and this time, Chris held a small brown leather pouch.
"Hey! That's my wallet!"
"Yep! Which should tell you this skill isn't infallible. I got a piece of paper the first time, worthless, but once there were fewer targets on your person, I got your money pouch."
Chris bounced Kazuma's coin purse in her hand, and I could hear the clink of coins within it.
"So, here's how we make things interesting. I've got your money pouch, my money, and this dagger worth a minimum of two-hundred thousand eris. Quite the haul, if I say so myself, but I also have these." Chris reached into a pouch on her belt and pulled out a handful of pebbles. "Excellent for creating a distraction but also for confusing novice thieves. So, here's the wager: you use Steal on me and get to keep whatever you get. However, I get to keep whatever you don't get. What do you say, Kazuma? You up for a bit of risk."
I didn't like the sly smile that Chris wore.
Someone would only risk making this kind of offer if they had a trick up their sleeve.
I opened my mouth to warn Kazuma.
"Deal!"
I was too late.
"Excellent!" Chris took a couple of steps back and held her arms out wide. "Do your best."
"Oh, I will. You didn't realize, but luck is my highest stat. Luna even said it was the highest she'd ever seen."
I watched Chris's confident smile crack but not shatter as she waited for Kazuma.
"Here I go! Steal!"
I wondered how valuable the Steal skill is if the user had to shout the word. Kinda seemed like a giveaway of the person's intent, if you ask me.
"Huh?"
Chris' shriek of horror almost drowned out Kazuma's exclamation of surprise.
Clutched in Kazuma's hand, a pair of white, frilly panties drifting in the light breeze.
I gaped.
Of all the things to steal, Kazuma got Chris's underwear.
He had just been bragging about his luck! Stealing underwear didn't seem lucky at all!
"Hahaha!"
Kazuma cackled with such joy and volume that a few passers-by looked over in concern.
"This is the most valuable of skills! Thank you, Chris."
I may have missed something.
"P-please, stop waving those around," Chris said, blushing deeply.
Kazuma's eyes took on a shark-like quality, empty and remorseless.
"Well then, what are they worth to you?"
"Kazuma!" I said, horrified. Was he going to blackmail someone for their underwear? Fiendish!
"Oh please, Shirou, she had a scam planned from the start. There's no way she would have made that wager otherwise. I'm just taking advantage of my good fortune."
I guess Kazuma had noticed, but I still didn't think it appropriate to wave a girl's underwear over his head like a flag.
"Ok, I'm sorry I tried to trick you!"
"No, you're sorry you got caught." Kazuma paused and eyed the underwear as he ran it through his fingers. "But I suppose I could give these back to you... for a price."
I didn't like the smile on Kazuma's face, not one bit.
"So, Chris, what are they worth to you?"
Third person POV
"... And that is why itty bitty titties are superior!"
Oh, gods, what are they doing now? Kazuma thought.
Only at that moment did it occur to him... leaving Aqua and Megumin without supervision had been a terrible idea.
"Amen, Darkness!" Aqua cheered.
"For one not of the Crimson Demons, your wisdom is sublime," Megumin said, hands pressed together in prayer.
The figure she prayed to stood on a table. Her fist clenched over her head.
Darkness had discovered the impetuous of Aqua and Megumin's dislike of her and sought a means to correct such impressions.
Kazuma gaped, horrified. His plan had backfired in the worst possible way.
"Huh, they would have gotten on well together," Shirou said, thinking of Saber and Rin. Both girls made the same speech to Shirou. Once, Shirou had foolishly asked if they were biased. When Shirou regained consciousness several hours later, the unanimous vote was that small breasts were the best beasts.
"Kazuma! Shirou! Have you met our newest party member, Darkness? Isn't she the best?"
Kazuma felt like crying.
Shirou beamed, and as Darkness clambered down from the table, he clapped her on the shoulder.
"Congratulations, Darkness, welcome to the party."
Darkness as she looked at Shirou's hand, thinking of all the... training... she hoped to receive from it.
"It is an honor. But, please, I hope you will do for me as you've done for your other party members and train me. While I am confident in my iron defense, I'm ashamed to admit I'm useless in offense. So, please be as sadistic and cruel as you have to be!"
Kazuma entertained the notion that Shirou would notice Darkness' blatant perversion.
Shirou did not. His smile grew even brighter.
Darkness is just like I used to be.
He had been pathetic once, helpless in the face of overwhelming odds with only one skill to his name.
How could Shirou turn down such an impassioned request? He wouldn't. Shirou would do what his beloved teacher had done for him, beat swordsmanship into her flesh until she could no longer get it wrong.
"It would honor me to teach you Darkness. It'll be a hard road, full of pain and embarrassment." Shirou brought his face close to Darkness's to look into her sky-blue eyes. "However, if you stick to it, you can become great."
Darkness panted.
Shirou's closeness coupled with his words. How will he deliver pain and embarrassment to her?
This expectation, it's so thrilling!
Trembling, Darkness took one of Shirou's hands in her own.
"I-I swear I shall never give in! You can do your worst—"
Kazuma went to the bar, unable to watch the train wreck happening behind him any longer.
What a joke.
"Give me an ale."
How did his days always end up like this?
Could it be karma? Things were looking up. He'd gotten to hold a hot girl's panties, extorted her for all the cash on her person, and learned three valuable skills. Only to return to the guild and realize that all his plotting had been for nothing.
Taking a deep gulp from his drink, Kazuma almost didn't hear the gossip happening beside him.
"Did ya hear? News is one of the Devil Kings General's is in the area."
"Holy crap! Why would a General be hanging around here?"
"No idea, but I heard from the guild staff it's the reason there aren't easy quests on the board. The General scared all the low-level monsters off."
Oh, that is SO not good!
Kazuma panicked.
He failed to keep one quest from Shirou. He couldn't afford to let the crazy bastard hear about a Devil King General in the area. They'd die for sure!
Kazuma hated to admit it, but the best way of keeping Shirou out of the loop was to get him out of town.
Downing the last of his ale in one big gulp, Kazuma hurried back to his party.
"Ah, Kazuma, glad to see—"
"Shut it, you perv," Kazuma whispered, causing Darkness to shudder.
"Ohhhh... your words, how I already love this party."
Kazuma ignored her and addressed Aqua and Megumin.
"Did Shirou explain our next quest?"
Aqua nodded, a dumb smile affixed on her face.
"Yep, yep. Can you believe the pay?" Aqua licked her lips. "Momma's gonna get the fancy wine when we get back."
Aqua rubbed her hands together as thoughts of drunken reveries danced through her mind.
It appeared that money helped Aqua forget how neither she nor Kazuma could fight a giant slug, let alone two high-level monsters. Or maybe she didn't know what a Manticore and Chimera were.
Honestly, Kazuma's money was on both.
Kazuma felt no need to dive further into the subject with Megumin.
"... gonna be so good... such a massive boom... nothing will escape."
Megumin's acceptance of the quest didn't seem to be a problem.
"Right!" Kazuma shouted, pointing to the door. "No reason to put it off; let's find Shirou and start this quest!"
"... Hiking sucks!"
"That's what you get for being a shut-in," Aqua said primely.
Easy for her to say. Kazuma glared up at her.
Aqua started whimpering half an hour after they left town. Shirou, the pushover he is, scooped the goddess up and rested her on his shoulders.
'We need a proper lookout anyway,' Shirou told the group.
Aqua had taken to the job well.
"There, there! Shirou, I see the perfect campsite." Aqua said while shading her eyes with a hand.
Kazuma didn't know what she was shading her eyes from, given the sun had already descended behind the thick forest trees, making it difficult to see anything.
"Hallelujah."
Kazuma pulled the bulging pack higher on his shoulders with a groan. It contained everything they needed to make camp, according to Shirou.
In all honesty, Kazuma had no idea if this was true. He had been too worried that Shirou would hear the rumors of a Devil King General lurking about. So he couldn't focus as Shirou led them through a few shops on their way out of town.
"I agree with Kazuma. We didn't even get to stop for lunch, and I'm starving." Megumin said while pouting at the ground. Jealousy was such an unflattering emotion, but seeing Aqua get a free ride frustrated her. Megumin had considered using Kazuma as a mount. Still, seeing how his legs shook while carrying the pack, she decided against it.
"Indeed, I have never had a sleepover—" Darkness cleared her throat. "I mean, I've never camped out with a party."
Who does she think she's fooling?
Darkness and her sad social life aside, making camp was a new and unpleasant experience.
"... No! No! Megumin, you can't use Explosion to light the campfire!"
"... Shirou, Shirou, look, I set up the girls' tent all by myself."
Aqua's pride was undeserved as a gentle breeze blew from the north, and the tent collapsed.
"NOOO!"
It continued in that vain for an hour, but they finally got the tents set up, and the fire started.
"So, I've been thinking. We're about to hunt some pretty high-level monsters. In the interest of not dying, it's a good idea for us all to know each other's skills."
Now that I have some skills to contribute.
Kazuma pulled out his guild card at looked at his three new skills.
"Oh-oh, me first!" Aqua said, hand held high. "I've got all the highest-level healing and support spells benefiting an Arch-priest. But even better, I also learned all the party trick skills."
Again with the party trick skills. Kazuma wouldn't let the subject lie without an answer this time.
"Wow, Aqua, those party tricks sound amazing. Please, won't you show us?"
Kazuma hit Aqua right in the pride. Of course, everyone else may have recognized his faux-impressed tone. Still, Aqua had blinders on regarding how others perceived her. Aqua was a massive narcissist who would believe any compliment, no matter how fake.
"Ha-ha, it's good you recognize my greatness, Kazuma! Behold," Aqua took her tin cup filled with water and placed it on her head. "Nature's Beauty!"
A pink glow formed from the cup, and a lovely bouquet grew in a shower of sparkles.
Plucking the flowers, Aqua gave them a gentle wave, causing the petals to fall and filling the air with a delicate floral note. Then, before the petals could touch the ground, they vanished in another shimmer of pink light.
Everyone but Kazuma clapped as Aqua stood up and took a bow.
"Five points!"
Kazuma interrupted the serenity of the night while staring at his guild card in disbelief at the new skill that appeared.
"You spent five points on something useless!"
"H-hey! You tricked me!"
Kazuma ignored Aqua and gnashed his teeth. Sometimes, he wondered if Aqua did stupid things to piss him off on purpose.
"Maybe we should move on since it sounds like Aqua has healing magic well in hand."
Shirou played the peacekeeper while looking pleased. He understood the advantage of rapid healing, and if Aqua knew how to do that, he didn't care if she used points on something she liked.
Megumin stood up with a flourish of her cape and a deft staff twirl.
"Then, I, the great Megumin, shall go—"
"Sit down, short stack. We already know about your one skill." Kazuma interrupted with the delicacy of a sledgehammer.
Megumin squeaked and wacked Kazuma on the head with her staff.
"Ooowww."
"Don't ruin my moment!"
Megumin cleared her throat.
"As I was saying. I wield the almighty power of Explosion! All my points have gone to skills that enhance my damage output and radius, anything to make the most glorious Explosion possible."
Of course.
As Kazuma nursed his ringing head, Darkness stood, her face cast in a regal mask.
"As a Crusader, I have dedicated myself to be the best shield possible. All my skills are defensive and resistance based. Unfortunately, I'm clumsy and haven't focused on my offensive skills."
"I don't suppose you'll put points towards two-handed sword skills?" Kazuma asked, hope fleeting.
Darkness blinked in confusion.
"Why would I want to do that?"
Hope denied.
Kazuma sagged.
"You already know I learned Steal, Capture, and Lurk, so I guess that leaves Shirou."
Shirou slapped at a bug on his neck.
"Well, you know I'm an Arcane Knight. I have skills; Weapons Master, Reinforcement, Structural Analysis, Projection, and Tracing."
Shirou is OP!
"Shirou," Darkness said. "I've heard of Weapons Master, and I can infer what most of your other skills do, but what is Tracing?"
Darkness had a brain under all that perviness, it seemed. Kazuma had come to the same conclusion. Strengthening, analyzing, and conjuring summarized Shirou's skills well.
Shirou looked uncomfortable and forced a chuckle, refusing to look at Darkness.
"I guess you could say it's a skill I developed on my own, a more advanced form of projection."
"A unique skill," Aqua said, looking impressed. A rare event.
Some people had all the luck.
"Yeah, it would be easier to show you the differences."
Shirou held a hand up, and a plain kitchen knife appeared in a muted blue flash.
"This is projection. It's easy and doesn't cost much mana, however." Shirou stabbed the knife into the log he sat on. The blade broke into a shower of blue sparkles. "Projected items are delicate."
Kazuma understood and wondered if they could use Shirou's skill to sell materials to merchants. Most would consider such a plan deceitful, but Kazuma didn't let that bother him.
"Tracing is more advanced and requires a much more detailed working knowledge of the item created. My expertise is bladed weapons." Shirou closed his eye and took deep breaths.
"Trace On."
A teal light emanated beneath Shirou's skin, cross-crossing like a circuit board as he called on his magic.
"Judging by the concept of creation. Hypothesizing basic structure. Duplicating the composition materials. Imitating the skills of its making. Sympathizing with the experiences of its growth. Reproducing the accumulated years. Excelling every manufacturing process."
A much brighter flash of light heralded a simple wooden sword appearing in Shirou's grip.
A bokken, Kazuma recognized.
"Huh, your wording is dull, but I guess the skill might be useful. But why a wooden sword? It's not a very impressive demonstration." Megumin said.
Both Kazuma and Aqua agreed until they looked from the sword to Shirou.
His eye, while still gold, no longer shone with warmth. They were cold, focused, and aloof.
Shirou stood, and for a moment, he looked ten feet tall as he radiated an aura of respect and command.
Shirou looked like a king.
"Yes, its appearance lacks majesty. However, I believe with it, we can kill two birds with one stone." Shirou looked at the blade and caressed it gently. "This sword is the one my teacher, Saber, used to train me." Then, turning to look down at Darkness, she froze, mouth agape and cheeks a deep red like a pervy little rabbit caught in the jaws of a majestic lion. "Ready yourself, Darkness. We start your training now."
"Thwap... ohhh!... thwap... I shall not give in!... thwap... You dirty knave!"
Kazuma winced as the sound of wood striking flesh and Darkness's kinky cries reverberated through the campsite.
"Darkness, just give in! You can't keep this up!" Megumin said, looking distressed.
She was right but so very wrong.
"Hey, Kazuma," Aqua whispered, scooting to sit beside him. "Is it just me, or does Darkness look like she's enjoying it whenever Shirou hits her?"
"Noticed that, have you?"
Aqua gave Kazuma the stink eye as Darkness uttered a sensual cry.
Shirou hit a sensitive spot.
However, Darkness, pink-faced and panting for breath, refused to give up.
Watching Darkness bounce around without her armor should have excited Kazuma. Darkness' beauty couldn't be denied, but—.
I'm sorry for ignoring your advice, mother. Personality trumps all!"
Thankfully, Shirou concluded the sparring session with style.
Side-stepping an overhead chop, Shirou lashed out, digging the tip of his sword into Darkness's torso, just missing her ribs. Darkness wheezed as her diaphragm contracted, and her body froze, desperate to draw air.
Shirou didn't stop.
Stepping in, he rotated his hips with blinding speed and drove the point of his elbow into Darkness's soft flesh.
What air Darkness drew in left with a whoosh as she bent over double.
Shirou grabbed Darkness' long blonde ponytail, dragged her around, and drove her head to the ground.
"That's enough for tonight," Shirou said, looking at Darkness with care, a tiny grin on his lips.
Darkness lay there, her blonde hair splayed on the ground, and her butt raised high.
Kazuma could see her hips spasm and forced his eyes away.
At that point, he realized Aqua and Megumin had latched onto him and stared with wide eyes.
There's no way Shirou missed what Darkness is, right?.
Shirou stretched his arms overhead and yawned, sword fading to nothing.
"Better get to bed. We have to wake up early tomorrow."
How dense could a guy be!?
"Right, yeah. Good idea, Shirou."
Kazuma followed Shirou into one tent while Aqua and Megumin entered the other.
Poor Darkness remained on the forest floor... not that she minded.
Damn, I don't know if this is the right way to go, but Shirou unknowingly indulging Darkness's kinks was too funny to pass up.
This chapter was fun to write; we've officially hit the mid-way point with it. Going forward, further character development will be needed to prep our intrepid (read inept) heroes for their encounter with the General. I'm figuring out how I'm going to do that. I don't want a carbon copy of the original story, so I'll probably take some time to brainstorm.
Also, I apologize for the mid-chapter change in point of view. An error in judgment on my part. I'll be going back to the third person exclusively going forward.
