Time for your daily dose of fluff, comedy, trouble, and adorableness!
Chapter Thirteen: How To Tame Your Dragon
The day passed by quickly. Naofumi sat in the front seat by Motoyasu almost the whole time, listening as the man regaled him with tales of his adventures in this world thus far.
Motoyasu was likely embellishing some of the details about saving entire towns of fair maidens. And he probably told some stories that sounded more like scenes he watched in anime. But he definitely made them interesting enough for Naofumi to pay attention.
Amber gwah'ed constantly in happiness almost the whole way. She got to pull her wagon, and she got to pull it fast. She honestly couldn't have been any happier. Though some more food would have helped.
Raphtalia sat in the back of the wagon with Uncle Bald Guy, Ren, and his party. They were all making an effort to get to know her and Erhard better, while Ren remained relatively silent. Ren had four party members. Bakta, the party tank. Welt, a rogue swordsman. Farrie, a female mage. And Tersia, a female martial artist.
Each and every one of them was more sociable than Ren was, and it made his anxiety much clearer to see. The blacksmith honestly felt bad for the kid, but he wasn't about to spoil the boy's 'cool' act. Especially when Naofumi held him on such a high pedestal.
Ren had apparently had a fifth party member at the start. The big armor guy who was now in Itsuki's party. He didn't think Ren was cool for some reason and eventually left for Itsujerkbutt.
Itsujerk must have had a party full of stupid jerk people.
Anyway, the trip went far more quickly than Naofumi thought possible after what he'd seen in this world so far (mainly the walking). A trip to Lute on foot normally took all day, but Amber reached the small town in almost forty-five minutes. After that, she turned east on a road leading them deeper into the forest. And she went fast.
Really fast. If it wasn't for the suspension that Motoyasu had designed, it would have felt like a roller coaster! Though Amber was really giving it a run for its money.
It was when the sun was dipping below the horizon that Erhard called out to Motoyasu. "Hey, can we stop here?"
"I think there's a good campsite just a few minutes out," Motoyasu said back.
"I don't think we have a few minutes."
"Why, what's happening back there-" Motoyasu and Naofumi looked back, and their eyes widened in shock.
Little Raphtalia looked very green. And not the booger kind. Motoyasu recognized she was on the verge of throwing up in the wagon he'd made!
"Pull over! PULLOVER!" Motoyasu tugged on Amber's reins, surprising the Filolial. She quickly skidded to a stop on the side of the road, and Raphtalia jumped out the back of the wagon. Without missing a beat, she sprinted into some nearby bushes.
The sounds that came next almost made Naofumi sick.
"Hehe...Alright. We can camp here for tonight instead." Motoyasu nervously laughed.
"Gwah..." Amber gwahed in disappointment. And she'd been having so much fun pulling her wagon...
Ren sighed. "I guess here will be good. We're already ahead of schedule thanks to Naofumi's Filolial."
Motoyasu started petting Amber's neck in appreciation. She gwah'ed, liking the attention. And she pushed past his hand and rubbed her head against his own. "Hahaha, I think she kind of likes me!" He said happily. He was starting to hope the five eggs he bought from the Monster Shop Owner hatched into Filolials just like Amber.
Why did he surround himself with girls? I daresay, he'd be far happier surrounded by these adorable creatures?! What was Myne compared to this!?
"Hey, Raphtalia. Um… do you need any help?" Naofumi nervously asked from the edge of the bush. He was met with the sound of more hurling. Naofumi looked up at Uncle Bald Guy worriedly.
"Don't worry. The little miss is stronger than she looks." He said reassuringly, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Why is she so sick though Uncle Bald Guy?" Naofumi asked worriedly. "Did she eat something bad? Did she catch the flu? Gasp, was she almost abducted by aliens?" He could have sworn he'd seen that was a symptom in some show! Or was it an anime? It had been a while since Naofumi watched TV.
Oh no, was he forgetting about all of AllFight's glorious moments in battle?! How could he do something so UNCOOL!?
"... Um, no, no, and I'm guessing that's something else from your world Short Stack," Erhard said, looking confusedly down at Naofumi. "I think it's motion sickness. I don't think the poor girl is used to being in wagons like the rest of us." Erhard said.
"Oh... Poor Raphtalia…" The boy had never experienced anything like this 'motion sickness' before. Though he had gotten a really bad tummy ache once from something he ate.
Ren and his party were already setting up the camp while Motoyasu got to work on the underside of the wagon. He overheard what Erhard had said and immediately started planning improvements to the wagon's suspension so the ride would be smoother. Amber watched the bushes with curious eyes.
After a short while, Raphtalia emerged from the bushes with a sunken expression. "Ugh..." she groaned.
"Are you okay?" Naofumi asked, walking over and rubbing her back gently.
She nodded slowly. "I think so. I feel terrible, though."
Erhard rubbed his chin in thought. "Hey, kid, bring out the sleeping bags and get them all set up, would you? I'm going out to get rid of some monsters so you don't have to."
"Okay." Naofumi agreed, pulling the sleeping bags out of his shield and laying them down. Bakta had already started the campfire, so it was nice and warm despite the sun going down. He and Naofumi helped Raphtalia get snuggled into her sleeping bag. Once Bakta was done with that, he went to help Lord Ren with setting up his tent. Naofumi pulled a giant pillow out for her to use.
"Do you feel any better?" He asked.
"A little bit. Thanks, Naofumi." The raccoon weakly smiled up at him. "My stomach still feels a little bad, but other than that I feel okay."
"That's good." At least she was no longer in danger of being abducted by aliens.
Naofumi watched as Ren and his group finished setting up and left the campsite in the opposite direction Erhard went to go grind monsters. Amber, seemingly bored of watching the Spear Hero tinker with the carriage, walked over and sat down beside them. Raphtalia stroked the Filolial's feathers, and Amber nuzzled the girl's cheek with her head. Shortly after that, Motoyasu ran into the forest away from Ren and Erhard's directions. He needed to grind some monsters himself and find more materials for the wagon.
"I still can't believe how big she's gotten," Raphtalia said. "Only a few days ago, she literally fit in the palm of my hand."
"I know, it's crazy! If you get any bigger, we won't be able to bring you anywhere!" Naofumi said with a laugh. Amber seemed offended, turning her head away from them with what looked like a pout. "Aww, don't be mad at me! I'm sure you can't get much bigger! Besides, I like you all fluffy!"
That seemed to placate the Filolial, and she gwah'ed at him in delight. The two kids giggled. "Hey Raphtalia, what do you think the Queen is like?" The boy asked.
"The Queen? I don't know since I've never met her before." Raphtalia put a finger to her chin in thought. "I wonder if she's pretty and tall."
Naofumi scratched his head. "I dunno. Mr. Aultcray looks really old, so what if she's an old lady too? He never showed us a picture of her."
"Maybe we'll find out soon? Speaking of which, why wasn't she there when you were summoned?"
The hero shrugged. "No idea. If Mr. Aultcray didn't mention her, maybe she's off doing something important?- WOAH!"
He cut off as his vision was once again flooded with experience points. "Uncle Bald Guy is at it again. That's fine, I didn't like seeing, anyway..." Naofumi pouted. Why was he so determined to get him to level 50 anyway?
Amber panicked, looking in every direction. "Gwah! Gwah! GWAHHHH!"
Raphtalia patted the panicked bird's side. "It's okay, Amber! It's just Uncle Bald Guy beating up bad (Innocent(?)) monsters and getting experience for us. Don't be scared!"
It took a while. But the Filolial soon calmed down, but she had to bury herself between the two sitting children. She looked so lost and scared. They laughed and began petting her, immediately relaxing despite their vision being blinded.
Naofumi smiled. "This is so much fun. I've never gone camping before!"
Raphtalia raised an eyebrow. "Really? I thought it was normal."
"Maybe for you. I...didn't have a lot of friends back home who liked it." Naofumi looked down with a sad expression, and Raphtalia scooted until she could lay her tail across his lap. He gently ran his hand down its length with a small smile growing on his face. She knew how to cheer him up. "I had people I was friends with back in school, but we never hung out like this. I've never had a sleepover until I came here, and now I get to go camping. It makes me wonder; what else will I get to do while I'm here?"
The raccoon examined his contemplative expression. "It's weird for you to think so much, Naofumi."
"Hey! I think all the time, thank you very much!"
She giggled at his response, and he found it impossible not to join her. Maybe he thought because he did have a brain in that head of his.
He probably just didn't use it much.
"Don't worry, I like it." Raphtalia said with a beaming smile, sickness forgotten. "Besides, if you had never come here, I wouldn't have been able to run from that creepy guy... and I wouldn't have ever met you." She whispered the last part under her breath so he didn't hear her.
"And we wouldn't have a King for a father!"
"And Uncle Bald Guy and Amber too."
The two pet Amber's feathers again, and she gwahed softly. Her stomach then rumbled really loudly. "Yeah, and we wouldn't have to worry about feeding her so much," Naofumi said teasingly.
"Gwah!" Indignant translation: "Are you calling me fat you little brat?!"
The two kids laughed.
Eventually, the experience stopped rolling in. Just in time for Naofumi to reach level 37, Raphtalia to be level 38, and Amber to be level 20. Erhard and the others came back from their monster grinding. Erhard was smirking widely. His hard efforts over the last month had finally raised his level from 90 to 91!
To celebrate, he prepared dinner for them all, (Raphtalia didn't eat and instead went straight to sleep), and a little while after dinner was over, Naofumi fell asleep cuddled up against Raphtalia and Amber.
Over the next two days, Naofumi got to experience more of the joys of camping. As did everyone else.
Though joyful might not have been the right word to describe everyone else.
The next two days, the road became rougher. Even with modifications Motoyasu made during the night, they had to pause every couple hours or else Raphtalia would throw up. The poor smol girl got sick while sitting upfront. Even Ren and his party were getting a little motion sick from the ride. But the poor boy dared not show it since his coolness factor in the eyes of Naofumi would drop.
Luckily, the evenings were more relaxed. A few people would go out and grind monsters before returning for dinner. Those who stayed behind prepared the camp (or in Ren's case, hid until he'd vomited everything up). Erhard was usually the one who made the meals, but one time he let Naofumi who'd begged to do it cook dinner just to see the boy screw up.
Imagine his surprise when the meal was several times better than anything he could make. Naofumi's cooking was childishly simple, but for an inexplicable reason, the flavor was supernatural. Who knew that a simple slab of cooked meat could taste better than the castle chef's cooking?
At last, several days after leaving the Capital, they arrived in Mirso Village.
It was a quaint little mountain town, with a small market and no castle or anything to hint at nobles being present. People bustled back and forth, wheeling crops either to or from the market back to their homes. Naofumi had never seen anything like it. Even Lute was bigger than this place.
"Stop in front of that building there." Ren pointed it out to Motoyasu. He urged Amber to a stop. The Filolial looked taller than any other Filolial now after the last several days of growth. Towering at just over 3 meters, she actually appeared closer to a giant ostrich, but cuter, and definitely more friendly.
"Gotcha. We should stock up on some supplies while we're here." Motoyasu said. He didn't really need to guide Amber at all since she had an uncanny ability to understand them. The Filolial pulled the wagon over to the side of the main road and stopped for them to get out.
As Raphtalia got off the carriage, she looked green. Naofumi rubbed her back gently. "It's okay. I'm sure you'll get over your motion sickness eventually, Raphtalia."
"I hope so..." She replied queasily. She really wanted to lie down again and have Naofumi floof her tail. That helped to relax her, even though it made her heart race for some reason. Maybe her tail was just too sensitive?
Ren went into the building. Naofumi and Raphtalia waited with his party while Motoyasu and Erhard went to get some supplies.
Eventually, Ren came out. He was lightly scowling. "How did it go, Sir Ren?" Farrie asked.
The hero shook his head. "The dragon's territory is still nearly an hour's ride to the northeast. With the sun already falling, we only have a few more hours of daylight. And the guild doesn't want to risk losing any local adventurers, so we're on our own."
Welt hummed. "You think we'll be alright with just us?"
Ren shrugged. "With three heroes and one massively overpowered old man, I think we'll be fine. I'd just rather not fight this thing at night."
"Don't worry," Naofumi said happily as he rubbed the Filolial's wing. "Amber should be able to get us there in no time at all. Right, Amber?"
She gwahed in affirmation. They were going to face a dragon! There was no way she'd wait for this!
Ren might have questioned that once before. But Amber had already cut what was normally a nine or ten-day trip on foot to less than three by wagon. And that had been while she was still growing. She could probably make the return trip in a day and a half now... though they'd probably all be super sick afterward.
"Alright. Let's grab the old man and Motoyasu. Then, we'll face that dragon." Ren said calmly and coolly. He hoped it sounded calm and cool. Was he putting on too much of an act? Oh no, was this the moment everything would fall apart on him!?
Fortunately, for his social anxiety, everyone agreed. Within a half-hour, the group had reconvened with a carriage full of supplies and rested stomachs. And Ren hadn't had a panic attack or mom's noodle legs the entire time.
Erhard made sure to give Raphtalia some medicine he'd found at the local apothecary to help her upset stomach. Naofumi absorbed some of it, and he managed to unlock a shield that helped him make better medicines. Unfortunately, without Apotheguy there, he didn't have the patience to really sit down and make them.
Fortunately, though, Motoyasu explained that he could have his shield make them automatically. He'd almost forgotten that detail from the first meeting. If there was anything Naofumi was a fan of, it was keeping things simple and easy. After absorbing literally all the medicinal supplies they had, Naofumi set his shield to automatically create as much medicine and healing supplies as he could. Which, oddly enough, the Shield would deposit in his inventory for him.
That wasn't normal according to Motoyasu. But Naofumi shrugged it off. Maybe his Shield was trying to be helpful?
I'm doing this because I know you'd forget about it later, brat
...
Yeah, he determined his shield was just trying to be helpful. Thanks, Shield!
If Shields could huff in agitation, this one would.
Enough of that though! Gripping onto the side of the wagon, he was smiling brightly! At last, they were finally going to meet the dragon! At last, they'd get to do something cool!
Naofumi really hoped he'd be able to befriend it. It'd be awesome to have such a cool pet with them, and-
Amber glared back at him suspiciously.
…
Maybe they could be friends that don't see each other all the time? If Amber was against the idea so much, maybe it wouldn't work out so well.
"Hey, why's she glaring at you like that little bro?" Motoyasu asked curiously.
"I have no idea," Naofumi said, pretending to sound innocent. Amber hmmphed and continued pulling 'her' wagon.
As they continued on the trail, the surroundings became less forest and more rocky terrain. The wagon started to jostle more, but the medicine kept Raphtalia from feeling the worst effects of her motion sickness.
Somewhere, when Naofumi wasn't looking, Erhard snuck a bottle into the queasy Ren's hand. The Hero glanced at the bottle, then up to the man who gave it to him.
"Godspeed, you brave hero," Erhard said.
Ren downed the entire thing in one go. Erhard was officially the best bro he'd ever met.
Soon, they met weird monsters. Bird monsters with dragon wings. Porcupines with dragon scales instead of needles.
There was even a large fire breathing snail with fangs.
Weird.
"So, when's this dragon showing up?" Motoyasu asked. None of the monsters so far really held much of a threat. As Amber either moved too quickly past them or squashed them underfoot with her talons or the wagon. It was too bad they were all bundled together like this. They could have gotten some good experience.
Ren looked down at a map, then at his surroundings. "It should be coming up soon. It's normally fought on a large rocky plateau. Keep an eye out for one."
"Okay." "Got it." "Yes, Sir Ren." Various responses came from his party members and the others.
After a few minutes, they were approaching a crater in the rocks. But then Amber started to slow. The feathers in her wings began to stand on end in agitation.
"Whoa, what is it?" Motoyasu asked. Trying to urge the Filolial to continue forward. "Do you see the rocky plateau girl?"
"Has she acted like this before?" Ren asked Naofumi.
"Yeah. The last time she got like this, she-"
"GWAH!" Amber squawked loudly, skidding to a rough stop that jostled everyone inside the carriage.
"What is it!? What's wrong!?" Farrie asked, peeking her head out the front of the wagon.
Amber quickly turned and pushed the wagon and its occupants away. The occupants inside fell all over each other. But the wagon got out of the way right before two sets of claws sailed past and tore grooves into the ground between them. A loud roar pierced the sky and caused the ground to rumble.
Motoyasu quickly pulled himself back up. "Holy fu-!" Motoyasu slapped his hand over his mouth. He'd come this close to being shredded and he'd almost uttered the worst word possible in range of KidFumi's ears!
UNFORGIVABLE, I SAY!
"Everyone out! That's our dragon!" Ren yelled. "Naofumi and Raphtalia, stick with the old man! The rest of you, upfront with me and Motoyasu!"
The dragon roared as it turned in the air, veering to attack them once more. Everyone crawled out of the wagon and got into position, with Naofumi and Raphtalia scrambling to get out of the back. Motoyasu's Spear and Ren's sword both glowed.
"Air Strike Javelin!"
The dragon dodged low, avoiding the spectral spear. Unfortunately, it put the beast in range of Ren's sword. "Crimson Blade!"
Ren jumped, slashing the blade of fire into one of its dark wings. Amber also attacked at the same time, jumping over the dragon and slashing its face in the process. It roared and veered away. Light drops of blood dripping from its wing and face.
"As source of thy power I order thee, decipher the laws of nature, and slice my target with a blade of wind! Air Cutter!"
A crescent blade made of wind rocketed through the air, but with a flap of its mighty wings, the dragon narrowly avoided it. It tried to soar in again, but Naofumi summoned an Air Strike Shield, blocking its claw attack against Farrie. Welt and Bakta jumped forward and slashed at the leg, and it roared once more at the weird barrier that had appeared before flapping its wings harshly. The force of its beating wings was enough to nearly push the humans off their feet.
"Ahhhh!" Raphtalia almost lost her footing, and Naofumi grabbed her tightly around the waist to keep his best friend from being swept away. Uncle Bald Guy held the hammer in front of his face, trying to keep his balance.
"Air Strike Bash!" A blast of wind flew out from Ren's sword and slammed into the side of the dragon.
The dragon roared, the force of the wind stopping its attack. However, before Ren could build on his advantage, the dragon turned its head towards him and released a large breath of fire.
"Shield Prison!" Naofumi came in clutch again, surrounding Ren in a ball of shields. The fire attack slammed into it, but Ren didn't even feel the heat of the attack inside the plates and chains.
This kid was amazing! He'd almost been turned into deep-fried REN!
When the attack was over, the Shield Prison disappeared and it swooped in again for another attack.
"Oh no, you don't! Chaos-!" Motoyasu cried when he was whacked away by the force or the dragon's tail. Naofumi's Air Strike Shield was still recharging, so he couldn't use it.
"Moto!" Naofumi yelled in worry as he sprinted forward. Fortunately, the hero got back up quickly. However, Naofumi was far closer than the plan should have allowed him. The dragon was flying in again, reaching out to claw at- it almost paused. Was that a kid it was about to attack?
"Get back, kid!" Erhard yelled, rushing forward just in time to push the boy out of the way of the dragon's talons. Somehow, the old man was strong enough to hold the dragon's foot back with one hand. The other gripped his war hammer, and with a mighty swing, he slammed the dragon in the chest.
The dragon roared loudly in surprise and pain as it was sent rolling across the ground into the rocky crater ahead. The two other heroes stared at him in surprise.
One Point for the strong old guy!
The dragon was clawing its way back out. Though it looked injured. "Thunder Sword!"
Ren launched a lightning skill at where the dragon was trying to pull itself out of the rocks. It roared in pain at that but still managed to pull itself out.
"Gwah!" Amber used a wing to move Motoyasu onto her back. A fierce look was in her eyes. This dragon had dared to harm them! To harm her kids!
"Whoa, good thinking! Let's do this!" The Hero said as Amber took off sprinting.
In what felt like an instant, they were on top of the dragon's chest.
In the time it took to get there, something weird happened to Amber. Her neck shortened, her body expanded outward. Motoyasu barely registered it in the heat of battle, but almost in an instant, Amber went from looking like a large ostrich to a large, deadly owl.
"Chaos Thrust!"
"Haikuiku!"
A blaze of dark and light orange streaks attacked the dragon all over. It backed away, roaring in pain as it was hit over and over again. Motoyasu's head spun as they blurred around the dragon at an impossibly high speed. Blood burst from gash after gash. This was amazing! He'd never felt such a thrill before in his life!
When the two flew away, Amber's claws dripped red with blood, as well as the tip of Motoyasu's spear. The dragon collapsed to the ground. It looked exhausted.
"That's it! We're almost there!" One of Ren's party members said excitedly.
"Just a little bit more, and then-" Ren was saying.
"Wait!"
Naofumi ran ahead of the group again. A frantic Raphtalia chasing behind him. "Naofumi, stop-" She tried to yell.
"I at least want to see if it'd like to be my pet before we decide to kill it!"
"Kid, this really isn't the time for-" Erhard rushed to stop him too.
"Why does a child face me in battle?"
…
All movement stopped. Everyone looked at the dragon. "Am I hearing things, or did that thing just talk?" Motoyasu asked.
"Gwah!" Amber still bristled with hostility.
"You really think a being as powerful as a dragon cannot speak? Have we fallen so far in the eyes of humans?" The dragon said, shaking its head. "How shameful."
"You can talk!? That's so COOL!" Naofumi looked to be bursting with excitement. Not only was it a dragon, but it could speak! "That's even more amazing than Amber!"
"GWAH!" Amber looked really indignant now.
Had he accidentally said that last part out loud? He realized he had.
Oops.
Before anyone could think of something to say, another voice was heard. "Papa! I heard you fighting and came running! Are there more poachers like last week!?- PAPA!" A teenage girl with dog ears appeared with a sword and shield in her hands. She looked shocked at seeing how injured her Father was.
"Poachers?! We're not poachers! We're Heroes!" Motoyasu said indignantly.
"Gwah!"
"Don't lie to me! You came here to kill Papa and rip him apart like a trophy, didn't you!?"
"Um, who are you?" Ren asked. For once, his cool and aloofness had cracked very openly in front of everyone. "It's just...this place is pretty dangerous, as you can see. And that dragon-"
"That dragon is my Papa! If you want to harm him, you'll have to go through me!"
...
Ren's brain locked.
"Warning: Executable file 'Ren_exe" has stopped working. Please reboot and try again later. Beep Boop."
"Wh… wha… but… wha…" He looked between the demi-dog girl, and then the dragon.
What kind of crossbreeding was going on HERE?!
"Relax, child. I have no intention of fighting further." The dragon breathed heavily in what sounded like a tired sigh. "Tell me, Heroes. Why have you come to my lands?... And why is this boy touching me?"
Everyone looked at the dragon again and found Naofumi petting its snout. Raphtalia stood nearby, looking at them both curiously. "My name's Naofumi! You're super big and cool, Mr. Dragon!" He announced with a smile.
"Let my Papa go, fiend!" The girl shouted, waving her sword in Naofumi's direction.
"Gwah!" Amber squawked indignantly. How dare he pet that vile dragon and not her!
"Well, to be honest, we got a quest from the guild to kill an evil dragon terrorizing the village," Motoyasu answered, scratching his cheek. "It didn't say anything about you being able to talk or anything, so we assumed you were some wild dragon that was causing chaos in the area."
"Papa would never do such a thing! He just eats all the poachers and thieves who wander through here! He's doing people a favor!" The girl shouted, standing in front of the dragon protectively.
"And the occasional slaver that's after my daughter."
At the word 'slaver', Raphtalia clenched her fists. "You too?..." She asked, approaching the girl cautiously. "I don't recognize you from Lurolona…"
Ren's brain finally gained a semblance of intelligence again. "I think we're going to be here a while." He said with a sigh. He sheathed his weapon and sat down on a nearby rock.
"May as well get comfortable, then." Motoyasu did the same.
Over the next two hours, all the misunderstandings between the dragon and the heroes got sorted out. They learned that the dragon's name was Gaelion, and his daughter's name was Wyndia. Gaelion had found her in his territory years ago after her parents died running away from slavers. He'd already been living there thanks to a deal he'd made with the people in the village. He'd help cleanse the area of excess monsters as long they left him at peace in his territory. So he took the little girl in and raised her like a daughter.
Thank goodness. Ren had been wondering who the hell the mother would have been for Wyndia to have a dragon as a father. But adoption, that made it a lot easier to understand.
Gaelion had also recently agreed with the town to help fight against the waves if any occurred nearby. It sounded like the townsfolk generally allowed him to do as he pleased.
"I don't understand… This was an official request from the guild, so it's not like the person who asked us to do this was some random guy." Ren said, hand on his chin in thought. "Why were we asked to kill you if you're not doing anything wrong?"
While they were talking, Naofumi worked on healing the Dragon's wounds. His healing magic really came in handy here! He was able to close up almost all of them! The cool dragon seemed to appreciate it too. Since it let him and Raphtalia start rubbing its leg.
"What is this… guild member's name?" Wyndia asked. She was calmed down now, but she still observed Ren warily. As well as the kids now lying against Gaelion's leg.
"I think it was...hang on a moment." He pulled out the quest sheet. Thanks to Naofumi, he was now able to read some of it. "The guy's name is Sajime."
"Who?" Motoyasu asked curiously.
"He's a middle-aged man about my height. Slightly portly. White hair. Crazy look in his eyes."
He might be edgy.
Wyndia scowled. "The damn bastard-"
"Hey, language!" Erhard yelled. "We have kids nearby!"
Fortunately, Raphtalia and Naofumi were paying too much attention to Gaelion's tail now to care. Amber kept trying to get their attention off of him, but it was all for naught. A dragon was ten times cooler than the Filolial, especially because he was huge.
"Apologies." Wyndia's response was very sarcastic. "That, vile man, was my previous owner. He's been trying to capture me ever since Papa took me in."
"The main reason I attacked you was that I thought you were more of his goons. Trying to occupy my attention so you could capture my daughter." Gaelion said. "He has made attempts many times as of late."
"I'm not that helpless anymore! I've been helping you fight them off every other time they've come here!" Wyndia complained.
"Yet when I tried to find you this time. You were too busy taking a nap while cuddling with your cute little-"
"Don't finish that-!" Wyndia tried to yell.
"- dollies to help."
"... Dad!" Wyndia was blushing a fierce red. If a dragon could smirk, Gaelion would be smirking at his daughter.
"You still sleep with little girl dollies?! How lame can you get?!" Naofumi said. He'd finally paid attention to a small part of the conversation.
"Shut it, kid!"
Ren squirmed uncomfortably on his rock. He didn't want to admit he also cuddled with a stuffed animal he'd bought behind his party's back at a store. If KidFumi ever learned that, he'd never be cool again...
Hey, nightmares are real! Social anxiety is bad enough without having to put on an act all day! He needed something to comfort him at night!
Amber sat down next to Motoyasu with what looked like a pout. Those darn little kids! Fortunately, the man began stroking her feathers, which seemed to brighten her mood. "By the way. Has anyone else noticed that Amber looks… different?" Motoyasu asked.
"Ah, yes. I should have known you were heroes as soon as I saw her." Gaelion muttered, glaring at Amber. Amber gwahed back angrily and crunched her talons into the ground as if she was preparing to attack.
"Hey, no fighting you two! Be nice!" Naofumi yelled.
Amber glared a moment more, then hmmphed and marched over to the wagon, which had been upturned during the fight. If Naofumi was going to play goodie goodie with a dragon, then she didn't have to have any part in this foolishness!
"GWAH!" She still voiced her displeasure.
"What do you mean by that?" Ren asked the dragon curiously.
"That there is a Filolial Queen. They are one of a kind among Filolials. The only way they come to exist is when they're raised by a Hero." Gaelion grudgingly answered.
"Really, so any of us could raise one?" Motoyasu asked.
"Yes. But they are rather childish and immature in my opinion, so I don't see why you'd want to bother with them."
"GWAH!" Amber puffed up again and started marching towards the dragon. That was IT! She was going to tear this dragon limb from limb and cook him into a tasty dragon stew-
Motoyasu quickly got up and intercepted her. "Alright big girl. Let's just go fix up the wagon so we'll be able to get out of Mr. Peaceful Dragon's hair. How about that, huh?"
Did dragons have hair? Motoyasu didn't know. It's a figure of speech, anyway.
"Gwah!" Amber had to be pulled away by Motoyasu. She looked super angry. And the fact that Naofumi and Raphtalia were now rubbing Gaelion's wing was not HELPING! Ren and his party members sweatdropped at the scene.
Also, Gaelion was looking strangely docile the longer Naofumi and Raphtalia petted him. Whatever reason why these two kids were so interested in him, it provided a calming effect he hadn't felt since Wyndia was a little girl. The little kid had also healed most of his wounds even though he had attacked them first.
This was a very nice kid. He almost wished he'd gotten to raise him alongside his daughter.
To Ren, it was almost like he was seeing a scene from How To Tame Your Dragon. A movie made in America by Kidsney.
"So, um, I guess, we're sorry that we attacked you and all that," Ren muttered. Trying to do his best not to look like any more of a fool than he already had. It was literally thanks to little Naofumi that they hadn't ended up making a huge mistake here.
That kid really was something else. Even if he did get distracted very easily.
"Yeah, you should be sorry, you-" Wyndia started.
"Enough, Wyndia." Gaelion's voice stopped her, and his eyes focused on Ren's guilty expression. He moved his head closer until they could literally see eye to eye. "I suppose it's also my fault for attacking you without warning. You should have been more careful if you didn't want to be detected. You all smell of metal and bird, and it's easy to pick up your scents from miles away."
Amber stomped around the carriage, which was now back on its wheels thanks to her and Motoyasu. Smelling like a bird was NOT a bad thing! Smelling like a dragon, on the other hand! THAT WAS BAD!
"So...No hard feelings?" Ren asked, clearly uncomfortable. "I'd make it up to you, but I honestly have no idea what a dragon could possibly want from a bunch of humans and a demi-human."
Gaelion thought for a few seconds, claw to his chin - if the end of a dragon's snout could be considered a chin. "Yes...I think there is something you can do for me, little Hero."
Naofumi looked up at him. "What do you mean, Mr. Gaelion? Oh! I bet he wants us to go bring him tons of gold or something for his hoard of treasure!"
...
Everyone looked at him with a deadpan expression, but the dragon merely laughed. "Hahaha! No, I have no need for such trivial things. Your human gold means nothing to me. I have a much more...productive favor to ask of you." Gaelion focused once more on Ren. "More specifically you, little Sword Hero."
The man gulped. If he hadn't known that the dragon was intelligent and peaceful, he would be practically wetting himself from its undivided attention. "Y-yeah? What is it?" he asked.
Gaelion glanced down at the dog-eared girl for a moment before returning his gaze to Ren's face. "I want you to take my daughter, and I want you to show her how to live in this world."
"What!? Papa, you can't leave me with these...these barbarians!" Wyndia cried in anguish. "Why would you send me away!? Do you not love me anymore!?"
The dragon sighed. "No, my child. Although you are not a dragon like myself, you are just as much my hatchling as if you were. But you cannot stay up here forever, living like a dragon-"
"But that's what I want, Papa! I'm happy here with you on the mountain! Even though I don't have a lot of material possessions, all I need is to have you around!"
Everyone was a little uncomfortable as they watched the dragon family work out their issues. Gaelion shook his head. "Wyndia, you know that I'll always want what's best for you. You deserve to live as a demi-human does, not like an outcast. I want you to-"
"No! You're just sending me away because you hate me now, don't you!" Wyndia's eyes brimmed with tears as she pounded her fists on her father's scales. "I thought you loved me! You protected me for so long, and you're just going to abandon me!?"
Naofumi, to his credit, had remained silent throughout the emotional affair. With a lull in the conversation, however, he decided to speak up. "Hey, Doggy Girl-"
"My name's Wyndia!" She cried, tears streaming down her face.
"Sorry, Wyndia. But what do you do for fun up here all alone with your dad?" He asked, head tilted to the side.
"For...fun?" The girl was puzzled by the question. She thought for a few seconds. "What do I do for fun? I have to fight to survive every day! We both do!"
Raphtalia picked up on where he was going with it. "You know. What do you do when you're not fighting or eating or sleeping? Don't you have things you enjoy doing?"
Wyndia's face fell as she realized something. "I... don't know." She really didn't know. This had felt like her life for so long. Did she have fun cuddling with her dollies at night? But she did that every night. And it wasn't like she cuddled with them for fun. Surviving day to day was scary, even for her.
Gaelion's scaly lips curled upward slightly in a smile. "My child, you deserve a life of fun and adventure. A life of happiness and excitement. Not an existence tied to an old dragon's tail as he lives out several of your lifetimes in isolation."
The girl was silent as he continued. "I want you to go. Leave the nest, and become strong. All young dragons leave the nest one day, and I believe today is that day for you. Go out, have fun, fall in love, and start a family of your own if you so choose. But remember: You will always have a home in my nest."
…
Wyndia exploded into sobs as she hugged her father's clawed finger tightly. Gaelion rubbed his snout against her head. "I… I won't let you down, Papa." She cried into his snout.
"I know you won't, child." Gaelion's eyes focused on Ren. And the dragon gave the sword hero an approving nod. "All this fighting has made me weary. I must rest and lick my wounds." He said. "You are indeed strong. Stronger than I."
Wyndia looked at Ren, and then back at her Father. Was her Father admitting... this human was stronger than him? That almost seemed impossible...
Erhard chuckled. "You're no slouch, I'll tell you that. If it weren't for having so many of us, we probably wouldn't have stood a chance."
"You surprised me with your strength as well, bald human. I clearly underestimated you."
The children giggled as Erhard flinched at being called bald by a dragon of all things. Motoyasu walked back over, while Amber decided to remain at the wagon. "So are we good to go?" He asked.
Gaelion rubbed the side of his face against his daughter's for a moment. "Go, hatchling. Spread your wings and fly until the sky bends to your will." He said softly. Wyndia nodded.
"Okay, Papa. I'll...I'll trust you."
"Will we get to see you again, Mr. Dragon?" Naofumi asked curiously as he and Raphtalia walked up to his snout.
Gaelion looked down at the kid Shield Hero. "Maybe, friend."
Naofumi grinned widely and hugged Gaelion's snout. Raphtalia also did the same. Amber gwahed again in agitation. That… probably didn't need a translation.
After a short time of letting Wyndia gather her things from their cave, including a stuffed animal that looked very similar to the one Ren had bought for himself (not that he dared voice that aloud) the group departed with mixed emotions. On the one hand, they'd made two allies. With one of them being a powerful dragon. On the other, they had to deal with a corrupted guild member who requested Gaelion be killed for something as stupid as slavery.
By the time they left, it was already nearing midnight. So they stopped to set up camp halfway back to Mirso Village.
Ren sat a certain distance away from the camp. For one, he was thinking about what to do now. The guild representative had lied. They'd almost killed a dragon that was actually helping to defend Melromarc. None of this was the normal route his game took... Then again, not much of the storyline as of late lined up with his game. Thanks to Naofumi.
He wasn't sure what to do next if the guild was actually corrupt. He relied on guild quests to figure out where to go next and to get stronger. But if they held the possibility of leading to another situation like Gaelion...
Then there was the other reason he was away from camp. For some reason, he'd caught Motoyasu eyeing Wyndia, who was getting to know her new party members. Ren had thought at first that Motoyasu might have been going for her. But then Motoyasu had looked at him, grinned widely, and pointed at her, mouthing: "Now's your chance cool guy. Ask her out."
Nope. He didn't want to deal with that anytime soon. Wyndia was already getting introduced to his party members. As well as to Naofumi and his party.
He didn't care if the strong level 35 sixteen-year-old (conveniently his age) dog girl raised by a dragon looked… really, really, REALLY hot. Nope, he didn't care about the dragon's daughter at all. He was a calm and aloof teenager. Calm… and aloof… and lonely… and really, really desperate for a girlfriend but scared of looking less cool in the eyes of cool little Naofumi and he swore he could have heard that dragon threatening him if anything happened to his little nestling or was that his overactive imagination at work-
"Sir Sword Hero."
"AH! DON'T EAT ME!"
Ren turned around, chest shaking and on the verge of a panic attack. Yet to his surprise, a familiar Shadow knelt on one knee in front of him. He then mentally facepalmed. That reaction was SO lame! What the hell was wrong with him!? Stupid, STUPID!
"Eh-hem." Ren coughed into his shoulder, cool and aloof facade taking over. "Sorry. What is it?" He asked calmly. Mentally, he was still screaming at himself for his blunder. Was it too late to put the facade on now that this Shadow had seen what he was really like?
"I daresay, I overheard some of your conversation with the dragon, Gaelion." The Shadow bowed slightly as a sign of respect. "You did well. Choosing to stop and listen instead of continuing the fight, Sir Sword Hero."
...
Oh dang, this Shadow didn't actually think less of him! Ren's mind was so shocked that it stopped screaming and berating him for the moment. "What do I do now? Do I report this to the guild?" Ren asked.
"No." The Shadow answered, and then continued. "His Majesty already suspected Sajime to be hiding something. But he did not have any evidence before now." The Shadow bowed lower. "I will report this to him, and then his Majesty will have ample right to do a thorough investigation against him, and the Guilds branches in Melromarc. I daresay, we will soon rid those with dark desires from their ranks. You have done our country a great service, Sir Sword Hero."
Well, it was really because of little Naofumi that all of this had happened. Speaking of him, he still needed to figure out why his defense was so high. His skill shields had completely blocked one of Gaelion's claw attacks and his fire breath. That kind of feat was unheard of in his game.
"Well…" He had to stop himself from gulping or saying something stupid like um, or uh, or you know. "I hope that this mess will get resolved. So I won't have to worry about hurting others accidentally in the future."
Good job Ren. You can give yourself a cookie tonight.
The Shadow bowed respectfully again. "I daresay, we will see to it." The Shadow blended into the shadow of the tree next to her and then disappeared from sight.
Ren wondered what she'd meant by we at first, and then his eyes barely caught signs of other cloaked figures. Lesser Shadows who followed their leader into the forest.
…
Oh crap oh crap OH crap OH CRAP! MORE THAN ONE PERSON HAD SEEN HIS BLUNDER! HE WAS SO SCREWED! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
WHY COULDN'T HE JUST LIVE A NORMAL LIFE?!
Over in the camp, a pouting Amber sat on the ground by her wagon. "Hey, come on Amber. We still love you. Right, Raphtalia?"
"Of course. No dragon could ever take your place in our hearts." Raphtalia and Naofumi were both trying to cheer up the agitated Filolial. Petting her on her 'larger' wings. It was strange to see her even bigger than before. But Naofumi was being smart enough for the moment to hold back on the fat jokes.
"Gwah!" Amber turned away from them, still pouting. The nerve of these two kids! Who did they think they were, thinking they could pet a dragon for hours on end and then expect her to forgive them?!
"Ah, cheer up you two." Erhard said, seeing their downcast expressions. "She's less than a week old. I'm sure she'll forgive you both… eventually."
"I just… I just found it so cool to be able to become friends with a dragon. I don't think that's something any of my friends back home has ever done." He ruffled Amber's neck feathers. She still looked away, pouting. "But we have something else cool here now. We have awesome, big, cool, pretty Amber."
"The prettiest Amber." Raphtalia agreed, smiling happily.
…
Tears leaked out from Amber's eyes, and she turned around and hugged both kids tightly with her wings. "Ah! Amber's crushing us!" Raphtalia yelled in a panic.
"Amber, stop squeezing so hard!" Naofumi complained. It was enough that he even felt it despite his high defense stat.
"Gwah!" Amber cried happily. These kids were something special to her. Who cared if an old, stinky dragon tried to weasel its way into the picture? She was still family to them! Something that dragon would never be!
Erhard laughed at the sight. Motoyasu smiled from his log, staring at the two innocent kids trying to untangle themselves from the awesome monster. "I really hope one of these turns into a Filolial too." He said, looking at the five egg incubators he had set out near the fire.
If what Gaelion said was true, any of the heroes could raise a Filolial. That'd be so cool. To have an awesome affectionate monster that appreciated his racing skills and-
One of the eggs cracked. His eyes widened in shock. "Hey, guys, it's happening!" Motoyasu said excitedly.
"What's happening, bro?" Erhard asked curiously. The playfight that had erupted between Amber, Raphtalia, and Naofumi stopped.
Another egg cracked, and then another, and then all five had cracks. Motoyasu looked stunned. "All of them are hatching! Yes!" He said happily. "YES!"
Naofumi and his party gathered around. Ren's party observed from the peripheral. The cracks in the eggs widened. Motoyasu stopped breathing in excitement.
At last, his beauties were hatching. He was about to have it. His one, or five, very own, superb Fil-
"Bwuahahah!" CHOMP!
The first egg burst open, as a balloon popped out of it and bit Motoyasu on the nose.
"AH!" Motoyasu fell back. The orange balloon continued to growl, chomping on the end of Motoyasu's nose. "Ow ow ow ow ow!"
"A balloon! Lucky!" Naofumi said jealously. "I wish I got that!"
"Gwah!" Amber looked down indignantly at him. What had happened to him calling her awesome and cool!? The little TRAITOR!
Naofumi blanched. Had he spoken that out loud again? He really needed to watch what he said.
"What's goin-" Ren was walking back into camp when two more eggs hatched simultaneously. "Bwuah! Bwuah!" CHOMP CHOMP!
"OW! STOP IT! THAT HURTS!" Motoyasu yelled as a yellow balloon and a red balloon chomped on his arms. Ren stopped, watching in stunned amazement.
A fourth egg hatched. The red balloon that came from it jumped forward and chomped on Motoyasu's leg. "Aw, these balloons are no fun either. They just want to treat him like a chew toy." Naofumi said in disappointment.
Raphtalia patted him on the head in comfort.
"Kill them! Kill them please!" Motoyasu cried out, trying to pry the surprisingly strong balloons from his body.
"Didn't you spend like-" Erhard was saying.
"JUST DO IT!"
A few seconds later, and a few quick flicks of Raphtalia's smol blade, Motoyasu was covered in bite marks and balloon tatters. He sat up, feeling at his face. "Is it still good?" He weakly asked the blacksmith.
"It's… okay…" Motoyasu's face around his nose was covered in bite marks. Luckily, none of them had drawn blood. But it wouldn't look right for a while. "I wouldn't suggest flirting with the ladies anytime soon."
"Aw man..."
The fifth egg was still cracking. And Motoyasu looked at it apprehensively. "Good monster… please be a good monster…"
…
The egg cracked open at the top. But he couldn't see what it was in it.
…
He leaned forward, hoping it was something other than a balloon. The balloon was the worst monster you could get in the lottery according to that one guy. But the odds of all five being balloons were probably five hundred to one-
"BWUAHAHAHA!" CHOMP!
The orange balloon broke the front of the egg and bit down on the first thing it saw. The pants covering Motoyasu's family jewels.
The odds were clearly not in his favor.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Motoyasu rolled on the ground in pain.
Ren had to turn away. It was taking everything in him not to burst out laughing at the scene. His party members, however, weren't so kind. They were rolling on the ground, laughing at Motoyasu's predicament. Even Erhard was laughing. Naofumi and Raphtalia laughed as well, but they weren't sure why it was funny. Only Wyndia wasn't laughing. And it was because she was confused about what was going on.
She also spared a glance at Ren. The hero she would be traveling with. To think he was the one her Father had admitted defeat to...
"Gwah!" Fortunately, a quick strike from Amber destroyed the last balloon. Without further damaging Motoyasu's family jewels. Most everyone else was still laughing though.
"... Amber… I…" He shuddered, slowly moving back to his sleeping roll. "Maybe this is just a bad dream, and I'll wake up tomorrow to beautiful Filolial chicks. Yes, that's what this is." He said to himself, still unable to believe that the 500 Silver he'd spent at the monster shop had given him five balloons. All of whom had had a biting vendetta against him upon birth.
Amber cocked her head to the side curiously. But Motoyasu huddled in on himself. For once, the traumatized blonde didn't speak a word to anyone. He'd rather sleep and pray this wasn't some sort of twisted nightmare.
"Okay." Erhard wiped a tear from his eye from how funny the situation was. He felt a little bad for the guy, but damn, it was still funny. "We should probably get to bed ourselves."
"Awww, but I want to stay up a little longer," Naofumi complained.
"Too bad squirt. It's way past your bedtime." Erhard said.
"Come on, you're with me on this, right Raphtalia?" Naofumi pleaded.
Raphtalia yawned cutely into her hand, her animal ears laying low in exhaustion. She was so good at naturally being adorable, it was almost unfair. "Come on. It's way past our bedtime Naofumi." She said tiredly, grabbing Naofumi's hand gently.
"But…" Raphtalia's tail wagged tiredly, but cutely behind her. Naofumi couldn't resist. "Okay…"
The two laid down on sleeping rolls next to each other. Raphtalia moved her thick tail in front of her and cuddled with it like a teddy bear. Amber settled down on the ground behind them, her wing moving to become their soft pillow. Naofumi smiled up at the bird monster. "Thanks… we love you, Amber." The wing felt soft and warm. Like an electric blanket.
"Gwah." Amber cooed softly. Settling down to sleep herself.
"You brats are too sweet, you know that?" Erhard said with a scoff. However, the two kids had already fallen asleep.
"We should get some rest ourselves," Ren said calmly.
Erhard and the others agreed. It had been a long day, and they'd seen a lot of crazy things. From talking dragons to Motoyasu being attacked by balloons he'd helped to hatch.
They settled into sleeping bags. Ren looked around, making sure no one was looking. Then he pulled a stuffed dragon from his sword and cuddled with it under his blanket.
Coolness factor, preserved.
Well, except for Wyndia. Who'd seen it from where she was keeping an eye on the Sword Hero. But she was also cuddling with a stuffed dragon. Which she would refuse to call a dollie to anyone! But soon, she and everyone else had fallen asleep.
…
Amber peeked an eye open, looking down at the two kids below her. Then at the sleeping Erhard, Ren, and last but not least, Motoyasu.
It was odd. Only the bald man and the little girl were part of Naofumi's party. But it was like the two heroes specifically were his family too. That other demi-girl also had the potential for it if she and Sword guy got together. It'd be some time before she was certain about the others in Ren's party though.
Still, there was a figure little Naofumi was missing in his family. A figure he could look up to. A figure that could help guide him and (hopefully) keep him out of trouble. And even though he liked dragons, she would do anything she could to protecc this innocent child.
Yes, she knew what path was right for her now.
A bright glow covered Amber, and she changed.
The next morning came.
"Ugh…"
Motoyasu groaned. He still had bite marks where the balloons had bit him. They hadn't drawn blood because of his defense stat, but they still stung like hell. Including the bite marks in a… certain very sensitive area.
"That's the last time I buy from that weasel." He muttered, thinking about the monster shop owner.
What a waste of 500 Silver. All he'd gotten were five balloons with no qualms about biting him. Sure, he probably could have used the monster crest to force them to stop biting. But balloons were lame and weak (at least, he thought they were before they bit the crap out of him and his future posterity).
He felt like a loser, and not just because he'd been beaten by a few measly balloons. He'd been looking forward to having a Filolial so badly. They were just so cool and affectionate, and appreciative… definitely unlike many of the girls he'd met. He wanted one of his own really badly now!
Hell, thinking about it, if he were to describe the perfect girl, they'd be like Amber. Though he didn't want them to be a monster. Since, you know, that'd be crazy weird. But he wanted them to not only be loyal, but kind, affectionate, appreciative, and last but not least, HOT!
If he could have something like that. Someone like that. He could die happy in this world. Unlike how he died back in his world, between two very jealous yandere girlfriends wanting to go with him to heaven.
That was food for thought. Did they kill each other after killing him? Were they in some afterlife now, cussing him out for having the luck to be isekai-ed into one of his favorite game worlds… ha, served them right. Then again, he wouldn't be here if he wasn't afraid to commit to a girl...
Oh well, he sat up and stretched. On the bright side, he could always stop by the Monster Trader again to buy more eggs. (Okay, he lied about not getting more. Was it his fault he still wanted a Filolial badly?) Hopefully, these next ones wouldn't hatch into balloons. And besides, he still had time with Ren and Naofumi. Along with Am-
His eyes bugged out. "Uh! Uh! ERHARD!?"
The former blacksmith groaned. "Five more minutes." He grumbled turning over. Naofumi had rubbed off on the old man in more than one way, apparently. Ren groaned, and sat up, rubbing at his eyes. He almost forgot that he was still tightly gripping the stuffed dragon in his other hand. And eeped as he quickly absorbed it in his sword before anyone else could notice.
"ERHARD! ERHARD!" Motoyasu yelled again. His yelling was waking up the rest of the camp.
"Ugh, what is it-" Erhard sat up and opened his eyes, but he saw the same thing Motoyasu was seeing. And his eyes nearly popped out of his head. 'WHAT THE HOLY [REDACTED]!'
Ren focused on the situation, and his face became beet red.
Raphtalia and Naofumi were still asleep… resting against the thigh of a naked, sleeping woman with long, light orange hair. Her hair glowed like a campfire in the light of the morning sun, and the long strands barely covered her C-sized chest. From behind her back, sprouted a pair of white, angel-like wings.
"What… what the…" Erhard struggled for words. WHO THE HELL WAS THIS RANDOM NAKED LADY HUGGING HIS TWO KIDS UNDER HER BOSOM?!
The lady yawned, and her eyes slowly opened. They were a familiar amber color. Her eyes observed those staring at her, and they became confused at the stares.
"Oh my…" Had she done something wrong?
"Who… who are you?" Motoyasu asked.
She focused on Motoyasu, and she smiled brightly. Realizing why she was getting all those stares now. They hadn't seen her transformation. "Don't you recognize me Moto?" She asked, her voice was that of a young adult, around age 20.
Motoyasu still looked unsure. But he felt his heart hammering in his chest. "N… No…" Did he know her? Why did she seem so familiar and friendly?! And why did she have to have angel wings!? Did this lady know his secret fetish!?
The woman gently laid the (luckily) still sleeping Naofumi and Raphtalia down on their bedrolls. And then she stood up. Not minding that she was in all her naked glory.
"It's me. Amber."
…
…
…
Erhard looked shell shocked. This woman was AMBER?! Ren's party members were also shocked. Ren looked anywhere but the naked woman. Wyndia had no idea what was going on. Naofumi and Raphtalia were (thankfully) sleeping on the ground and not having their innocence ruined. Though Ren wished his innocence hadn't been ruined too.
Almost everyone there was thinking the same thing. 'How the hell are we supposed to deal with something like this?!'
And Motoyasu… he didn't want to admit it. But at learning this hot, naked woman was Amber. This was the very first thing that popped into his mind once it clicked into gear.
'HOLY CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP! ANGEL WINGS! HOT THOT! VERY VERY HOT THOT! GIMME GIMME!'
If he'd had any memory of feeling something for Myne before, it was wiped clean by the smiling angel beauty standing in front of him.
Author's Notes:
Allen Blaster: Don't worry. Nothing lewd is happening next chapter… yes, RLT, we're not doing anything lewd. Bad boy. Go to horny jail.
Anyway, yes, Amber has the body of a twenty-year-old. Mentally... it's similar to how demi-humans in canon mature with leveling. Though I think with Filolials it takes more time depending on what they transform into. But since Amber transformed into an adult, expect for her mental maturity to progress pretty rapidly as she learns how adults work.
Also, if you want a specific title for her, she is Naofumi and Raphtalia's 'big sister' figure. In canon, Raphtalia was fulfilling this kind of role in the party. So Filo appeared as the 'little sister' of the party. But since Naofumi already had little Raphtalia and Uncle Bald Guy…
Ladies and gentleman, I present the latest waifu. Amber.
RLTygurr: No horny jail 4 me, I'm a clean boi. Anyway, we've added one more powerhouse to Kidfumi's alliance of random folks! As we've explained, Amber exists because Naofumi doesn't have the 'big sister' role taken by anyone yet. Motoyasu is immediately smitten, and this time he wouldn't go to jail for it!
Hero Clips!
Egg Chomping Frenzy
CHOMP! "AUGHHHH!"
Motoyasu ripped the balloon off his armor and threw it away from him. "Okay, buying a hundred eggs from that guy was a bad idea!"
"Bwuahahaha!" "Bwuahahaha!" The balloons laughed rubberly around him. The remains of eggs littered the ground under them.
At this point, the odds of something like this happening were so unrealistic, the bad luck scale had broken under the strain.
Either Motoyasu was getting scammed by the guy, or he just had really, really bad luck at gocha games. Either way, he was now surrounded by a hundred hungry balloon monsters.
"Back! Back I say!" Motoyasu waved his spear around threateningly.
"Wheeeeeee!"
Nearby, Naofumi rolled and bounced around in the balloon monsters. He was covered in balloon monsters chewing on him like a chew toy.
"No, little bro!" Motoyasu yelled at Naofumi worriedly.
CHOMP!
A balloon took advantage of his dropped guard and bit him on the family jewels again.
"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Motoyasu fell backward. "GET OFF! GET OFF!"
"Bwuahahaha!" "Bwuahahaha!" "Bwuahahaha!" The rubbery laughs filled the air as the balloons all converged on the fallen Hero.
"Isn't this fun Moto?!" Naofumi yelled happily from his cocoon of balloons.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Moto rolled past him. Covered in balloons of all colors and all tooth sizes.
Awwww, Moto was covered in balloons too. They must have really loved him.
The child continued laughing as Motoyasu rolled off into the sunset. Screaming as the balloons showed their love for him.
Till Next Time
Allen