To Anon. I believe it was in Chapter Four that Naofumi said he saw Itsuki on the street and the blonde kid ignored his existence. That is where the thought of Itsuki being a jerk started. And it only solidified when he was finally able to use his power-up methods without much success. Any chance of redemption went away with Itsuki's boring attitude at the celebration.
With that answered. Time for some more cuteness!
Chapter Fifteen: Curing Boredom With Scrupulous Spelunking
When Moto said they were going to a place called Leruno, little Naofumi had been excited. They were already off on another adventure! He thought it would be a hop, skip, and a jump away from the Capital compared to Mirso Village.
However, that turned out to be way off.
It took them five days. Five whole days! Just to get to the village! He'd never sat around doing nothing for so long his entire life!
Well, he guessed he didn't sit around the whole time. But it felt like it!
One reason it took so long was because of all the stops they made. They were apparently going through an area rich with different monsters. Motoyasu and Ren had them stop a lot so they could split up and hunt down these different beasts to unlock new weapons and get stronger.
There were also some weird masked people that kept on stopping them. Asking for their valu, um, valutiables? He couldn't remember the word. But Ren and Moto always got up and chased them off. They would leave everyone in the wagon until they came back, saying the bad people had been dealt with. And then they'd continue on.
Big Bro Moto and Cool Bro Ren opened up to Naofumi more over the course of the trip. Studying grimoires with him while in the wagon. Teaching him how to defend himself against stronger monsters. Things that made both of them even cooler and awesomer than before!
Itsujerk had a looooooooot of catching up to do. He wasn't even close at this point.
Uncle Bald Guy's hard work slaughtering innocent(?) monsters had also raised Naofumi's level to 44 and Amber's level to 34. Raphtalia was at level 40. But she wasn't leveling up anymore for some reason. The others explained that it was because she needed a class up, but he didn't know what a class-up was.
Did it require having to go to class? If so, he swore he'd keep her from having to experience such torture. Dadcray's magic lessons were bad enough.
Wait, if he brought Raphtalia back with him when he goes home, would she have to go to school!? He couldn't do something like that to her! AHHHHH!
Besides that… on the third day, he grabbed a random balloon off the road during a break and tried to tame it. However, it wouldn't stop chewing on him like all the others. And that evening, Balloony #4 (it wasn't his first time trying to tame a balloon) managed to get loose and cause chaos in the wagon.
It ended with a pile of balloon scraps on the wood floor and another bite mark on Motoyasu's arm (balloons loved chewing on him too. Maybe they liked him as much as Naofumi?). After that, Naofumi had adult supervision whenever they took a break.
Try as he might to do things without being noticed, he just wasn't sneaky enough. There wasn't a "sneak" stat hidden anywhere, so he couldn't level that up and be a ninja raising an army of ninja-balloons to fly around and attack his enemies...
So lame. At least when Raphtalia napped on the ride to get through her 'motion sickness', she allowed him to floof her tail. Though her naps also caused her to be restless at night, keeping him awake often.
Not that he minded. It allowed him more time to admire and floof her soft floofy tail.
Floof.
...
He mentioned he floofed Raphtalia's tail, right?
Yes, we know. Stop with the side story and get on with it, brat.
Stupid Shield! Pouts adorably!
Anyway. After forfreakingever, the group finally arrived at Leruno.
"We made it." Erhard yawned tiredly into his hand. It was getting late in the evening. He could go for a nice, comfy bed at the inn and a warm meal for dinner. "About time."
"Yayyyyy! I'm finally free-ACK!" Naofumi jumped out of the wagon and immediately made to run off in a random direction. However, he was stopped by the large firm hand that grabbed the whole top of his head.
"Oh no, you don't." Uncle Bald Guy grumbled. "We're in town now. I expect you to behave yourself."
"When have I ever behaved myself, Uncle Bald Guy?" Naofumi whined.
"That's exactly my point runt. One of these days you'll get smart enough to learn from Raphtalia here." Erhard praised the smol girl. "She at least tries to stay out of trouble." He kept a firm grip on Naofumi's head to keep the problem child from running off as the others got out of the wagon.
Was it his fault he wanted to run off?! He'd been stuck in the back of that wagon for a longgggg time! He wanted to run off and play!
Besides, he'd tried to play some games with the others. But besides Raphtalia, who beat him every time (it was like she could read him really easily), nobody wanted to play Rock-Paper-Scissors with him. Not even Big Bro Moto! He was too busy talking with Amber at the front of the carriage.
She'd better not steal his big brother away from him or he'll turn her into Kentucky Fried Filolial.
"Shhhh…" Calming down from his tantrum, he looked to the side. Raphtalia got close, whispering something in his ear. It took him a few seconds to realize what she was saying, and he grinned widely as he stood stock still for the excited energetic girl. It wasn't often she was the one who suggested an idea that'd get them into trouble. But they were always genius because Uncle Bald Guy never expected her to start the trouble!
"Ren, Wyndia, find us an inn to stay at for the night. Preferably one with a tavern. Welt, Bakta, Tersia, Farrie, go gather supplies from the town. Motoyasu, Amber, go see if the route to the dungeon is safe. And no funny business." Erhard pointed at the large orange bird for emphasis.
"Will do, Uncle Bald Guy!" Amber gave a salute alongside a brightly smiling Motoyasu.
"There'll be no funny business whatsoever!"
"Sure there won't..." Erhard grumbled. He was starting to realize how much of a bad idea it was to order them both to go off together without anyone else. But it was too late. The pair booked it towards the mountains for their alone time. Hopefully, they'd be over the honeymoon phase of their relationship soon. "I guess I'll watch the little miss and her runt friend."
"Hey!" Despite the adorable pout, no one moved to help Naofumi. They all went off to do as Erhard had ordered. He had become the de-facto leader of their merry band of misfits.
Whether it was because he was the oldest or because he could mop the floor with all of them at once, it didn't really matter. The most resistance he ever got was Motoyasu's flirting or Naofumi's attempts to cause havoc.
It was surprising. Erhard was really proving to be a good leader. Or maybe it was because the others had a lot of respect for him because of all the tasks he took on himself. Fixing their equipment. Making meals. Making sure the two kids stayed out of trouble.
Which was, possibly, the most exhausting of any activity they could possibly do. Though the little kid was, for once, not resisting.
Suspicious...
When they'd run off to do their various tasks, Erhard sighed in relief. "Alright, now you two-" He started to look down when his eyes widened!
His hand wasn't planted on a little kid's head! It was planted on a plank of wood! How did that work though?! Hadn't Naofumi just pouted about something!? He could have sworn he heard the kid-
He turned and saw Naofumi and Raphtalia running off in the distance. 'SHE TRICKED ME WITH ILLUSION MAGIC!' He should have realized it! Naofumi was never that tame when he stopped him from committing his troublesome antics! He always struggled to break free! Always!
"YOU BRATS!"
"Oops! Looks like he caught on to your illusion Raphtalia! Quick, scatter!"
"Eep!" He and Raphtalia took off.
"GET BACK HERE!"
Now, Raphtalia and Naofumi were smol. But thanks to various Shields he'd unlocked, some he hadn't brought up to anyone else yet, both their Agility and Stamina stats were high!
Also, because they were smol. They were able to easily skirt around people or under wagons and other stuff while Erhard had to force his way through. "YOU BRATS! WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU-!" When had they gotten so FAST!?
"Uncle Bald Guy sounds really mad Naofumi!" Raphtalia said worriedly.
"We'll lose him for sure! No one's going to stop us from having fun!" He said enthusiastically.
"Okay!" Raphtalia said enthusiastically. Whenever Naofumi had that confident look on his face, she couldn't help but follow him.
Around the corner. An innocent cabbage vendor hugged one of his innocent cabbages to his chest. "Ohhhh, I almost feel bad having to sell you-"
"Wheeeeeee!"
"Ahhhh!" The first kid jumped through the cabbage stand. A stray cabbage was sent flying, which he barely caught.
"Can't catch us!"
"Ahhh!" The second kid slid under the wood stand. KidFumi's shoulder hit it going under, and the cabbage vendor pressed himself against the stand as it teetered. Reaching out with both arms to keep more cabbages from falling off.
The stand settled. The vendor sighed in relief at his cabbages being saved. "Phew, wait a minute, you kids-" He started to yell angrily.
"YOU FREAKING AHHHHHHHH!" The cabbage vendor turned as Erhard barreled full speed around the corner. He was screaming at the kids, and then screaming at the sight of the obstruction in his way. He raised his hands to protect his face.
"AHHHHHHH!" The cabbage vendor jumped out of the way. Right as Erhard plowed into the cabbage stand.
Wood broke. Debris flew. And cabbages, cabbages were everywhere!
"Sorry!" Erhard yelled as he continued running after the problem children.
"My, my…" The poor cabbage vendor fell to his knees and cried over his ruined cabbages littering the ground. "MY CABBAGES!"
This place was worse than Castle Town! What was wrong with these people!? Were those kids going to haunt him everywhere he went?!
Why did no one appreciate his love for cabbages!?
...
Needless to say, Erhard arrived at the inn that Ren had found about a half-hour later. He was utterly exhausted, holding two equally tired kids under his arms.
"Why do you do this to me?" Uncle Bald Guy asked tiredly. He was too old for this.
"Because it's fun!" Naofumi perked up happily. It was great! He and Raphtalia got to run around, seeing all sorts of interesting things and interesting buildings! All while being chased by the powerhouse of a blacksmith screaming his head off at them!
Boredom had been vanquished once again… for now!
"Your version of fun is definitely different from my version of fun," Erhard grumbled. He saw Ren and the others sitting at a table, waiting for their food. He came over and set Raphtalia and Naofumi in chairs next to each other. The two kids immediately started animatedly describing their short-lived adventure in the town to Ren's party members. Filling it with all sorts of twists and mythological dangers. Including one large angry bald guy with a vein throbbing in his forehead.
Listening to them, Erhard couldn't stay mad at them for very long. It was like some sort of survival mechanism or something. Whenever he got so frustrated or whatever and wanted to beat some sense into their skulls, they'd just act cute and adorable until he forgot why he'd been so angry with them in the first place.
It was evil and totally not fair.
The two had to take a break from their story when a nice waitress asked for their orders. After that, Naofumi gave Raphtalia a head pat for her help in his escape. Her tail wagged happily. And one of her cute floofy ears drooped itself on Naofumi's hand. Almost like it was giving it a mini-hug.
Erhard had to turn away at that. The cuteness levels were so off the charts that he thought he was going to get a nose bleed. Damn! They could use their cuteness as weapons too! TOTALLY UNFAIR!
"We're back!" Motoyasu and Amber sat down opposite Ren and Wyndia. "We took down a few monster nests. And besides that, we didn't find any bandit camps, so we should be good to go!"
"That's good to hear." Ren murmured as his party members continued listening intently to the little kids and their stories. "Those bandits were starting to get on my nerves."
He swore he'd never been accosted by so many bandits in his life. But thanks to KidFumi sharing their methods, they had been almost hilariously easy to deal with. Not even the rare bandit/mercenary who'd received a class-up stood a chance. Though he had to wonder why there were more than usual…
"You know, I'm wondering why there are so many bandits around here," Motoyasu said. "This kind of event would have been highly unusual in my game."
"Mine too." Ren murmured… "It doesn't make any sense."
"Well, as long as they're easy to deal with, that's all that matters," Motoyasu said with a grin and a wink to Amber. The orange-haired girl blushed at his flirting.
"Here's your food, Sir Heroes." The kind waitress reappeared. Ren had, fortunately, already ordered for Motoyasu and Amber, so they didn't have to wait longer than everyone else. She carried a large platter in one hand, and started setting plates around the table with fresh, steaming food on them…
The Heroes were quick to notice how small the portions were. KidFumi stared at his kid-sized meal, and at the other plates. He frowned. He hadn't ordered the Kids meal! He ate way more than that! BOO!
"Um… not to sound ungrateful… but don't you normally serve more?" Motoyasu asked curiously.
"Yes, we do. I mean, we would, Sir Spear Hero. We would do anything for the Cardinal Heroes. Especially after you brought that caravan of food and supplies to us…" The waitress looked down at the floor sadly. "However, while the supplies helped, we're still struggling with our famine. The first Wave destroyed all our crops. Our food reserves are lower than ever before. The people in the surrounding area are becoming desperate. Resorting to highway robbery to support their families. I fear that we may never recover at this rate… I'm sorry that this is all I could scrounge up for the Heroes of Legend..."
…
Ren and Motoyasu's eyes drastically widened. Both of them looked at each other at the same time.
That was why there were more bandits roaming the roads than usual! Holy hell! To think some actions in this world could have such far-reaching consequences! They also felt like jerks! The meal was small, but it was literally the last of what the inn had!
"Please, don't feel down about it! I'm sure we'll receive more help from the Capital soon enough! Enjoy what we can spare for the great heroes! And may you continue to stay safe in your travels!" The waitress said, smiling more upbeatedly before she turned and returned to the kitchen.
It was then that everyone (besides the two kids) noticed they were the only ones in the tavern. It was likely that waitress was the only one working it now.
"I want more food," Naofumi whined.
"You shouldn't have ate what was stored in that shield of yours then, runt," Erhard said.
"Hmmph." Naofumi pouted.
While everyone else ate their small meals, they were uncharacteristically silent. Motoyasu himself felt incredibly guilty. He thought the issues here had been resolved with the caravan of goods. But things had only gotten worse...
…
'No. I can't leave the town like this!' Motoyasu decided. They were already heading to the dungeon for the crystal. He might as well get the other object resting inside too while they were at it.
Eventually, they all turned in for the night. The only ones in town who could likely afford to stay at the inn.
The next day arrived. And without much fanfare, they arrived at the entrance to the dungeon. There was absolutely no danger on the trip there whatsoever. Motoyasu and Amber had done their jobs well. Amber was in her human form. Holding Motoyasu's hand and smiling gladly about being with him on an adventure!
Naofumi quickly got bored. Where was all the excitement?! The traps! The dangers! The bountiful treasures!?
This trip was lame.
"Alright, a few tips before we go in," Motoyasu said, looking back at everyone. "From what I remember, there are a few booby traps in some of these tunnels. But as long as you step where I step, we should be fine. As for the monsters..." He continued talking. Naofumi just stared off at nothing.
"Hey, you getting this runt?" Erhard said to Naofumi, bonking the boy on his head.
"Of course I got it! Jeez, do you think I never pay attention!?" Naofumi whined.
Erhard rolled his eyes as he listened to Motoyasu describe the dungeon. "Are you getting what Moto is saying?" Naofumi whispered to Raphtalia.
The smol girl looked away from him, her cheeks turning red as she fiercely shook her head. She'd been too busy studying some of the dimples on Naofumi's cheek to listen to what Moto was saying. Not that she'd admit it, of course. She only hoped Naofumi didn't realize how her tail was wagging embarrassedly behind her!
"Dang."
Stupid attention span! He didn't even have games or such to rot his brains any more, so what gives?! Was he just a selective listener?...
Or... maybe his parents back home had lied to him and games and manga didn't rot your brain! Maybe he was naturally like this!
Yeah, that totally explained it! It wasn't his manga's fault that he had such a short attention span! It was because adults in real life were BORING! Oh, he was on to their tricks now. Like-
Ooh, was that a butterfly over there? It looked so purrty...
"That's it. Any questions?" Moto asked.
Everyone shook their heads. Naofumi was brought out of his thoughts. "Huh?"
"Good, let's go in!" Moto said excitedly.
The large group followed him into the dungeon. Naofumi was confused, but he shrugged as he followed behind Raphtalia.
He probably didn't miss much anyway.
What was the worst that could happen?
...
The group slowly made their way behind Motoyasu. The floor and walls around them were made of cobblestone. Motoyasu was being very careful about where he stepped in this hallway.
"Let's see… two steps forward… one to the right… one more forward… one to the ri- left!" He quickly corrected himself. Ren, who was right behind him, stopped in shock and nearly fell to the ground. His heart was beating a million times a second.
'FREAKING MOTOYASU! YOU ALMOST GAVE ME A PANIC ATTACK!' He shouted in his mind. That was the last thing he ever wanted little Naofumi or anyone to see from him! If anyone saw him having a panic attack, he'd never be able to live it down! "Try not to get us killed please." Ren murmured calmly.
"Heheh, sorry buddy." Motoyasu chuckled nervously. He stuck his tongue out to the side in concentration. "Let's see, I think it's safe to go five steps forward here… yep. And then…"
In the back of the long line, Naofumi impatiently waited behind Raphtalia. "Why are we going so slow?" He complained to Uncle Bald Guy.
"It's only been two minutes kid."
"But I want to get there now!" Naofumi whined.
"Do you want to have spears stuck in your ankles?"
"... Not really..."
Erhard rolled his eyes. "Didn't think so. Just follow along and for the sake of all that's holy, don't wander off!"
Naofumi crossed his arms and pouted. "Fine. There's nothing here to see, anyway. I thought dungeons were supposed to be super cool and have shiny treasure or something."
"Maybe we could be thankful that there's no monsters," Raphtalia said.
Indeed. At least it had no big and scary dog monster in it. Though at their levels now, they could kill it easily. Stupid dog monsters...
They continued for a moment more. The group carefully treading their way forward. "Alright, I think we're almost to the next room-"
"Hey! I found something" Naofumi cheered. There was something shiny on the ground nearby! YAY! TREASURE!
"Naofumi, wait-" Motoyasu almost stepped out of line, and then stopped himself.
Somehow, without setting off any traps. Naofumi ran, bent over, and picked up a gold coin off the ground. "Look what I found Raphtalia!" He said happily. "Treasure!"
"Ooh!" Her eyes lit up and her tail wagged excitedly behind her.
The others, who'd tensed up in preparation for some trap, relaxed. "Kid. What did I tell you about WANDERING OFF!?" Erhard yelled at the end.
"But nothing happened!" Naofumi whined. "Had I played follow the leader like the rest of you, I would have never found this gold coin! We're trying to be slow and careful because of some 'traps,' but from what I've seen, there aren't any traps here!" He took a step towards Erhard, and the stone he stepped on sank into the ground.
A low rumbling sound filled the cavern.
...
Everyone looked at the smol kid.
"Uh… heheh." He started to chuckle nervously.
The floor disappeared underneath them all.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Motoyasu screamed.
"BRATTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!" Uncle Bald Guy yelled.
"WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Naofumi and Raphtalia cheered.
Tumbling, rolling, falling, it all became a blur for Naofumi. It was like an exciting roller coaster! Everything became dark, and his screams of joy and everyone else's screams of terror refracted off the walls all around.
"MOMMMMMMMMMMMYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"
It was a good thing no one could tell who's scream was what. Ren could easily pass off as Farrie or Tersia with the high pitched scream he let out there.
Finally, they tumbled out into a large dark cavern.
"Ugh… is everyone alright?" Motoyasu groaned.
"I think so…" "Ugh…" "I've been better." The responses varied from Ren's party members.
"I feel great!" Naofumi said excitedly. "That, was, AWESOME! Let's do it again!"
"Let's not and say we did," Ren said calmly. He readjusted his cape in the dark. Trying to make himself look cool again. But was he still cool? Did this kid realize how he'd been the one screaming louder than the rest?! Oh no, was this where he was going to have a panic attack and end it all!?
"First Light." Fortunately, he finished adjusting his appearance right before Raphtalia cast her spell. Illuminating the group. In fact, he was the only one that didn't look disheveled at all.
"Wow, how do you always manage to look so cool Ren?!" Naofumi asked him excitedly.
Ren hid how stunned he was. "I don't try. I just do." He said calmly. PLEASE BUY IT, OR DON'T BUY IT AND END MY SUFFERING ALREADY!
"Whoa!" Stars appeared in Naofumi's eyes as he stared in awe at Ren. "SO COOL!"
Wow, this kid was really something else. Ren felt terrible for tricking him like this. Why did the kid never notice how he wasn't cool!? Why did no one ever notice?!
Well, Wyndia noticed. But why didn't she tell everyone else for him?!
"Alright. We should be past the traps, but stick close to me just in case." Motoyasu warned. "I'm… not very familiar with this part of the dungeon."
The atmosphere around the group became sullen. Wyndia summoned a bright flame in one of her hands. Her flames and Raphtalia's light helped illuminate the area around them as they walked.
Weird, it wasn't exactly a cavern. Like, there were parts that looked like natural rock. But there was also stonework mixed in. Giving it more of the appearance of a man-made room.
Naofumi quickly got lost in thought as boredom consumed him once more. He'd thought the adventure would be saved after picking up that gold coin and accidentally triggering that trap. But once more, nothing exciting was going on, at all… nothing shiny to see around here...
Stupid adventure...
Lost in thought, he thought about the Queen. Mr. Aultcray had mentioned something about his wife, right? But he'd never met her before. What kind of lady was she? Was she super old and wise and powerful like Mr. Aultcray, or was she prim and proper and fancy?
Was he going to meet her soon? He just hoped she was nothing like Meanie! She was the worst! Always grumpy and trying to tell people what to do!
He was so lost in thought, he didn't realize the purple haze that appeared around his vision. "Hey, Naofumi?"
Naofumi was startled out of his daydream. "Huh? What is it, Raphtalia? What's that weird light?"
He turned around and saw her standing there with an angry pout on her face. "You're not allowed to touch my tail ever again!" She said, much to his shock.
"Wh-what!? Why not!?"
Erhard clapped a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up to meet the blacksmith's closed-eye smile. Hadn't he been behind him? How was he ahead of him now? Did he have a 'sneak' stat? "You won't have any time to touch her tail ever again, that's why."
"Huh?"
"Because you're going to be making your own meals from now on! You said you don't like the food I make any more, so you can do it yourself, runt!"
Naofumi recoiled in shock. "Nooooooo! That's just you being lazy, Uncle Bald Guy!"
"I never liked the tail floofs anyway," Raphtalia said, uncharacteristically tossing her long hair braids over a shoulder dismissively.
What was wrong with them!? Why were they ganging up on him like this!? Why were they being so cruel!? How could she not like the tail floofs! He thought it was the best thing in the world!
Meanwhile, Raphtalia herself was ready to burst into tears. "Why? Are you mad at me or something, Naofumi?" She asked.
The boy crossed his arms and refused to look at her. "You're so picky about when you let me touch your tail, so I just won't do it anymore! It doesn't feel that good anyways."
The raccoon girl let the tears fall. "I-I'm sorry...I didn't *sniff* know you liked doing it so much..."
"Oh, I didn't like doing it. I just liked the reaction it got out of you. You look so stupid getting all embarrassed from someone touching your tail. It's ridiculous!"
Raphtalia did start crying from that. Why was her cute adorable boy suddenly being so mean?!
Motoyasu wasn't fairing much better. "A-Amber!? I thought-"
"You thought wrong, Motoyasu!" The filolial woman slapped him. It hurt a lot! "You're always eyeing up every girl you see, and I hate it! I hate you!"
He clutched his head and fell to his knees. "NOOOOOOOO! MY LIFE IS OVER, I SAY!"
"What do you mean I'm not attractive enough?!" Amber yelled.
"You're just not my type. Stupid bird monster. I prefer mean princesses with red hair."
"WAHHHHHHHH!"
"We wanted a dragon instead of you." Naofumi and Raphtalia said.
"SO MEAN!" She yelled indignantly at the two kids.
Everyone was in a state of disarray.
"What's… what's going on?" Ren asked in shock. What the hell was happening to them?!
"You really think you're cool? Psshh, lame."
Ren turned. Naofumi stood there. Everyone else stood there. Staring at him with cruel, judgmental eyes in the purple haze. "W-w-w-what?" Ren openly stuttered. OH NO! IT WAS HAPPENING!
"You're not cool Ren," Erhard spoke.
"None of us think you're cool," Motoyasu said.
"You're the lamest of us all. We just found it funny to watch you squirm as you tried to keep up your act. But the truth of the matter is that you're just a socially awkward weirdo. Trying to fit into a world you don't belong in." Naofumi said. A cruel smile forming on his face.
"You should just retreat into a hole and never come back out," Raphtalia said cruelly.
"You'll save us a lot of trouble doing that," Erhard said snidely.
…
Ren was… Ren was…
Relieved.
The others looked at him confusedly as he felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" He laughed gleefully. "You have no idea how much this MEANS TO ME! Finally, FINALLY, I no longer have to act cool in front of everyone! I'M FREEEEEEEEE!"
Everyone stared at him in blatant shock. But Ren didn't care! He could sing! He could dance! He could be himself again!
Holy hell, he felt so happy, he could just-
The illusion around everyone shattered. Everyone looked at each other and saw they were crying. All besides Ren, of course, who went from looking happy to looking very confused. "Wha…"
Wyndia stood over the corpses of a flock of bat-like creatures and some large rat creatures. Their bodies were scorched by fire. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen her with the others in that illusion. "Are you all done fooling around?" She blandly asked.
Erhard was the first to recover his senses. "What was that? What happened?"
"Oh yeah… Those... were the Voice Gengars I forgot about. They basically create illusions that show you your worst fears." Motoyasu said. Sighing in relief. Man, he'd forgotten about those stupid little buggers. It'd been so long since he'd last played-
He then saw the crying Amber. Immediately, he ran over and wrapped her in a crushing hug. "Oh, my dear Amber! I thought you hated me! I'll never look at another woman again for as long as I live! I say!"
"Oh, Moto!" She embraced him back, crying into his shoulder. "I was so scared! I thought you weren't interested in me anymore!"
As they cried together, Naofumi and Raphtalia did the same. But there was a lot more crying involved. "I-I thought you didn't want me to touch your tail ever again! And Uncle Bald Guy was gonna make me cook every single meal! It was awful! I really like touching your tail!" Naofumi cried.
"T-that does sound pretty bad..." She responded, wiping the tears away from her eyes. The girl was unwilling to admit that she hated the thought of Naofumi not wanting to touch her tail. For reasons she couldn't explain, it felt good. Like a back massage, but for her tail.
Plus, it was embarrassing and made her feel funny! But in a good way! She really hoped it had all been an illusion. If Naofumi only did it to make her embarrassed, she could never forgive him.
"Kids… I'm never going to bonk you two on the head again." Uncle Bald Guy said, rubbing the two's heads.
He refused to let others know what he'd seen. But it had obviously shaken him to his core. And it had involved the two of them. "Thanks, Uncle Bald Guy," Raphtalia said sincerely, leaning into the petting. Uncle Bald Guy was too nice to them. She rested both her ears on Uncle Bald Guy's large, firm, but loving hands. Her ears were so soft. It was like his hand was being given a mini-hug by the smol girl-
Erhard immediately turned away. The cuteness and sincerity had been far too much. He pulled out some cloth and started dealing with the nosebleed he had.
Damn those adorable BRATS!
Ren's chest was heaving under his armor. 'No… it can't be...' He had seen Naofumi and everyone else calling him uncool and laughing at him for being socially awkward. Imagine admitting that your worst fear is being laughed at for being awkward.
"Ren, you're so cool! How are not crying like the rest of us!?" Naofumi asked after perking up again from Uncle Bald Guy's head pats and Raphtalia's smile at being head patted.
And the worst part, Ren had been relieved that he wasn't viewed as cool anymore! He'd thought he was finally free to be his socially awkward self! But he wasn't! He was still chained to his act of being cool for this little adorable kid and everyone else! "Because I don't cry," Ren said calmly.
DAMMMMMNNNNNNNNNNN ITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!
'SO COOL!' Ren's coolness factor went up in both Naofumi and Raphtalia's eyes.
He would never be free. Ever.
After finally catching their breath and recovering from their respective traumas, the group continued more carefully through the dungeon. Absorbing the carcasses of the monsters Wyndia had killed into their respective weapons. Fortunately, they didn't run into any more of them.
"So, um, Wyndia. How were you unaffected by the illusions?" Ren tried to ask calmly. Though he was also in awe of the demi-girl for disposing of them so easily while the rest of them had been crippled (or feeling relieved in his case) by what they saw.
"Simple. Nothing they said to me was worse than what I've experienced before." She said calmly, before continuing on like a badass.
Ren actually did stop and stare at her back in awe.
Why was he considered the cool one? SHE WAS DRIPPING MORE COOLNESS FROM HER LITTLE PINKIE THAN HE'D PRODUCED IN HIS ENTIRE LIFE! HOT DAMN!
"Seriously bro. Date her." Motoyasu quietly teased beside him.
"Not on your life," Ren whispered calmly. Forcing down a blush as he quickly moved away from the Spear wielding love seeker.
Nope. There was no way. He was not falling for an NPC girl. Even if she was the adopted daughter of a dragon. Even if she was kind of hot and temperamental and cool and everything he was not. Oh, and she was a Tsundere. The type of girl he'd looked up the most online. But he was NOT falling for her. Not at all.
Motoyasu smiled happily. 'Poor Ren. It looks like you're going to need some help from Motoyasu, the Love Expert!' He'd be Ren's wingman, whether the anxious boy wanted his help or not!
…
After some time, they finally came into another room. At the end of it, on a platform, rested a large chest. Nearby was a set of candles. They were still lit.
Motoyasu sighed in relief at that. He'd almost thought the illusion trap had taken too much of their time. But based on how tall the candles were, they still had plenty of time to spare. "Whatever you do, don't touch those candles." He warned. As long as they were burning, they wouldn't be forced out of the dungeon.
"Ooo ooo! A treasure chest! Finally! Gimme gimme!" Naofumi sprinted forward but was held back by Erhard's large hand on his collar.
"Calm it down, short-stack."
"But why?!" Naofumi whined.
"Don't you remember what happened in that hallway?" He asked with a sigh. "Do you want to set off another trap?"
…
Naofumi reluctantly relaxed. Listening to the bald man for once.
"He's right, you know." Motoyasu agreed with him. "Chests like these always have traps nearby, so we need to be careful! Plus, it's sealed! And I'm the only one who knows how to open it!"
The boy deflated more. "Aww...But I wanted to be the one to open the chest and wait like eight seconds before holding the treasure over my head..."
… "Okay, you do you then," Erhard muttered confusedly.
Ren raised an eyebrow. "Was that a Legend of Link reference?"
Motoyasu chuckled. "Nah, definitely a Legend of Navi reference. He's a kid of culture for sure. Anyway, like I said I already know what's in there. Just stay here for a sec while Big Bro Moto does his thing."
"Be careful Moto," Amber said.
Motoyasu winked, eliciting a giggle from the angel girl. He then confidently walked ahead of the group, taking care with where he stepped once more. It took a minute, but he safely stood in front of the treasure chest. Not a single trap had been activated!
Odd, there was no golem to defeat. But he shrugged it off. It just made it easier for him to do his thing. There was also a script of writ on a stone next to the chest. But he couldn't read it because it was in an older version of the Melromarc language. But if he remembered correctly, it wasn't that important…
He undid the seal over the chest. Grabbed the latches, and, using all his might, he popped open the chest. He then quickly grabbed the item, threw something out of his inventory at the ground nearby, and ducked to one side.
"What are you-"
An explosion rocked the side of the room. Naofumi was smart enough to quickly summon a shield skill. Protecting the group from harm.
"Whoops. Sorry. I should have warned you to stay farther back." Motoyasu chuckled nervously. The room was still slightly shaking from the explosion. But fortunately, the candles were still lit. However, the chest had been destroyed by the trap.
"Are you insane! That could have caused a cave in!" Erhard yelled.
"Relax old-timer. As a matter of fact, I've just revealed our way forward. And that trap disabled all the other ones in the room. So we're free to move around now."
He gestured to the clearing smoke. And, sure enough, there was a whole new tunnel that was uncovered by the explosive trap. A few traps that had been in the room had also been set off by the explosion. Spikes. Spears. Arrows. The whole lot. "At the end of that, we should find our crystal."
"And you didn't think to warn us?" Ren asked. Again, PANIC ATTACK! THOSE WEREN'T FUN TO HAVE!
"To be honest, the only way to reveal it was to set off that trap. But I didn't want to destroy the chest before that." Moto said with a shrug.
"What was that about being more careful?" Erhard grumbled.
"What's the treasure anyway?"
Wyndia walked past Motoyasu to examine the tablet, which was still intact, as he held the seed in his hands proudly. "Behold kids. I call this treasure, the Miracle Seed!"
"The… Miracle Seed?" Raphtalia and Naofumi both cocked their heads to the side.
"This is a special item; the treasure of this dungeon!" He said, showing it to them. "I know we came here for Amber, but with this, we can fix the famine here in the area!"
"Whoaaaa!" Their eyes widened as they stared in awe at it.
"Awww, you're so thoughtful of others Moto!" Amber said happily.
Motoyasu smiled and prepared to continue. "I actually wouldn't recommend using that seed," Wyndia spoke up.
Motoyasu looked back at her. "What? Why not?"
"The letters here are very old. But I can still read them thanks to my dad. Now I know why he had me waste my time studying some of those stupid ancient texts." Wyndia said the last part with an eye roll, before looking the tablet over again. "To he who would break the seal of the seed. It is my desire that this seed never be released into the world. It will play with the people's desire to be freed from famine, granting their wish in the worst way imaginable. The seal is not so easily broken."
"... but…" Motoyasu looked at the seed again. 'That wasn't how it went in my game though...'
"It looks like this message is from the alchemist who created this dungeon," Wyndia said.
"It does line up with what we heard in the town about the legend of this dungeon…" Farrie spoke up.
"Yeah. I heard the legend too. Didn't the alchemist seal a seed away so it wouldn't cause a disaster?" Bakta asked the other party members. They all nodded in agreement. They had heard that while gathering what supplies they could.
"No, there's no way…" Motoyasu said in disbelief. That wasn't what he remembered the Miracle Seed being like in his game!
"Let me take a look at that," Erhard asked. Motoyasu gave the seed to the large man, who pulled it up on his HUD. "Hmmm… I can't get anything from this." He muttered. No item description or anything. His appraisal skills weren't exactly meant for appraising mystery seeds. But he still should have been able to appraise it, unless his skill just wasn't high enough.
"Can I see?" Naofumi asked curiously. Erhard looked down, preparing to tell the kid off, but he was holding up his shield. The gemstone glowed a little brighter the closer it got to the seed. Like it normally did when it came close to a material that would unlock a new shield.
"Actually, that might not be such a bad idea," Erhard muttered. Impressed with the little kid's thinking. If there was anyone who'd unlock a cheat shield to figure out the seed, it'd be the little runt. For all the trouble he caused, the old blacksmith almost forgot that the little kid did have a brain in that head of his.
It was probably why he was able to get into so much trouble, actually. That kid knew how to think at times.
The seed was dropped into the Shield. Immediately, Naofumi received several notifications of shields that were unlocked or forcibly unlocked. "Huh?" One of the unlocked shields had an ability called Plant Reform. His Help Guide updated right after that, giving him a rather detailed rundown of how he could use it on the seed. It was like his Shield was working overtime to help the kid understand the details of the seed it had absorbed.
"Wha... I don't remember being able to absorb that in my game." Motoyasu said in surprise.
"According to this… whoa, it has a mutation number of eleven!" Naofumi said in surprise. "According to my help guide, that's really, really dangerous! It could create monsters if it's grown!"
"Wait, what?!" Motoyasu said in shock.
That was a bad thing, right? Maybe he could raise his own pet monster with this… but he wasn't much of a fan of plant monsters.
Naofumi saw all sorts of stats. Some he didn't understand at all. Immunity, Growth, Mutation, etc. And his Shield was highlighting all the bad ones in red. And all the bad ones were very high numbers. "I think if we planted it as is… this would cause more trouble than I've ever caused."
"Whoa, that's a lot of trouble," Erhard smirked. Naofumi pouted up at him.
Motoyasu sighed sadly. "Da- Dang it, I guess we'll just get the crystal we came here for then." He said sadly.
Amber rubbed his back in sympathy. But not even she could lift his spirits! How could he leave the poor people of Leruno as is?! THIS IS A DISASTER, I SAY!
As they walked, Naofumi's shield started putting text on his HUD.
Lower these red stats.
Wait, why was his shield saying to lower those numbers. Could he do that?
Part of his HUD was bolded and made bigger. Allowing him to notice that, yes, he could do that. It showed him how he could reallocate the stat points of the seed. He took the points out of the red stats, lowering them all to one or other such low numbers. In fact, his Shield dropped Mutation to one for him. In case he had any bright ideas of trying to see what happens when a plant mutates.
Now, reallocate them as follows.
Numbers appeared next to the other stats. Like Growth, Immunity, Repro… um, reprod… (the word suddenly changed), multiplying!? AH! MATH!
Not that kind of Multiplying.
The Shield didn't elaborate further. So whatever it was, he rearranged the stat points so it'd have a better stat.
Huh, his Shield was actually being helpful… for once.
His shield gave him a small zap for his mental jab. 'Stupid Shield!'
Stupider brat.
Stupider wasn't even a word! Pouts Adorably once more
Naofumi lost track of time after that. It was so bad that he didn't notice it when they entered a large crystal room. He also didn't notice when Motoyasu and Ren literally one-shotted the monster waiting for them inside. Or when they grabbed the crystal of the size they needed from one of the pillars.
It was only when he was asked if he was going to absorb part of the monster in his shield or not that he finally noticed what was going on. "Wait, are we already done?" He asked.
"Um, yeah. Were you not paying attention to what was going on?" Motoyasu asked curiously.
"Uh…" Wow, he really had been spacing out a lot today.
He blamed it on the five(?) day wagon ride. His levels of boredom must have been even higher than he thought. He wasn't even sure how long it had actually been. That was how bored he was.
Absorbing the rest of the creature, which had been separated into many pieces by Motoyasu's one attack, he unlocked several different shields. This included the Nue Shield. Apparently, that was what the creature they fought was called.
You know, before it was utterly obliterated without him noticing.
Maybe it would have been his pet? He should work on paying more attention in the future. It probably looked cute and adorable too. Dang it.
After that, they walked back to the treasure room again.
"Okay, we still have some candlelight left. We're good." Motoyasu said in relief.
"I'm surprised how easy this was," Ren said calmly.
Literally, besides the illusion monsters, this dungeon had been a piece of cake.
"I just wish the Miracle Seed wasn't a bad creation," Motoyasu said sadly, looking down at the ground.
He felt bad. Sure, he knew the caravan hadn't been a permanent fix. But he'd thought it'd help the people out for longer than a month… How could he leave knowing things would only get worse for the fair maidens of this area? And to think the only solution he knew of turned out to be an evil seed.
Naofumi finished doing what his Shield directed him to do. He then took the seed back out and held it toward the blond man. "Here, Moto. My Shield says it should be good now."
"Huh?" He looked at the seed again. Naofumi and Raphtalia started playing around, while the adults gathered around Motoyasu. "It still looks the same…" He then noticed the gemstone of his spear was glowing. Could he seriously absorb this to unlock a new weapon form like Naofumi?!
He did so. The little kid had already proven him wrong before. And indeed, he unlocked and forcibly unlocked, several different spears. One of which also gave him the ability Plant Modification. "No way, this… this actually looks pretty good!"
The mutation level had been dropped to 1. The growth level had been lowered to about four, as well as reproduction. Immunity was a good 5. Productivity was maxed at 11. All around, it was now a safe plant that would grow and be super productive!
How did Naofumi learn to do this?! Was his little Shield Bro smarter than he let on?!
"Ren, you try absorbing this!" Motoyasu said eagerly.
Ren cocked an eyebrow. He didn't think he'd unlock any weapons from it. But he did as Motoyasu said, and he experienced the same results. While outwardly calm, he was heavily impressed on the inside by the different swords he unlocked. "Wow." It said he could use the Plant Modification ability too. Using that, he was able to see the seeds stats.
"Looks like we'll be able to fix Leruno's famine problem after all!" Motoyasu said happily.
"Yayyyy!" He and Amber hugged in excitement.
"This... this is pretty cool," Ren admitted. To think one seed could actually be capable of fixing a famine! He couldn't wait to see it in action!
Wyndia looked at them weirdly. But then she shrugged. Maybe it was just another ability of the Legendary Weapons that she had as of yet to understand.
Plus, their wielders were plenty weird too. So they were a perfect match.
"Way to go, kid," Erhard said, feeling a surge of pride in his voice. Once again, little Naofumi's actions were-
"Eep!" Raphtalia lost her grip on the shelf she'd been climbing on by the ruined chest.
"Whoa, I'll catch you Raphtalia!" Naofumi caught her, but the two fell backward. He knocked the candles, which indicated how long they had left in the dungeon, off the platform onto the ground, putting them out.
-were going to lead to MORE TROUBLE! DAMN THOSE LITTLE RUNTS!
All eyes were on the smol kids once more.
"Uh... what happens when the candles go out?" Bakta asked.
The whole dungeon started to rumble.
"Holy-" Motoyasu covered his mouth. This was bad. This was very, VERY BAD! "RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"
No one needed to question Motoyasu why. The whole dungeon shook, and dust fell from the ceiling as they ran from the room. Pieces of the ceiling fell down.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Everyone ran out of the collapsing treasure room.
Luckily, everyone escaped the collapsing dungeon without incident.
Over the next three days, the Three Heroes and their groups stuck around Leruno. Making sure the Miracle Seed they'd found in the dungeon didn't grow into an out of control monster or anything like that.
The plant was a big success. It grew quickly, but not so quickly as to be considered rampant. Within hours, it produced fruits that looked like red tomatoes but tasted like a mix of tomato and tangerine. They weren't Naofumi's favorite, but Amber and Raphtalia really loved them. Even though Amber needed the crystal to make her new outfit, she was okay with staying a while longer, as were the others. Even if it meant having to go into the forest whenever she wanted to change forms so she could undress or get dressed without tearing the dress.
There were still a couple of bandit camps in the area that needed to be dealt with. Fortunately though, when they got word that a solution to the famine had been found, most of the bandits gladly returned home to their families. The rest who wanted to continue thieving were properly dealt with by Ren and turned in to the authorities.
Very cool dude indeed.
Because they stuck around, they got plenty more seeds from the first plant. They also got to help the villagers with planting and growing more of them until the entire village was thriving. Soon, the entire region would be thriving because of the plants! It was a miracle seed indeed! No one could believe it was once the seed sealed away by the mad alchemist!
Naofumi and Raphtalia got time to play and ride around on Amber's Filolial form. The Hero's parties had opportunities to grind monsters in the surrounding areas for the Heroes, and Motoyasu got time to go grind monsters with Amber. They even got to attend a festival in their honor for the great deed the Cardinal Heroes had done for them. The people were really happy and festive. The waitress from that inn was really happy to see the village thriving once more. It was truly a Miracle Seed that had been brought to them.
Finally, little Naofumi felt like all the boredom had been drained from his system. It was great to be able to have so much fun with his friends and family!
Ren and Moto were exceptionally happy too. This was entirely new to them, as this type of event had never happened in either of their games. Hell, a lot of what had been going on was unfamiliar to both of them. It was like KidFumi was taking their game worlds and making them more… real?
It was a weird way to think about it. But somehow, this little kid was turning their game worlds into a reality.
The only bad part, in Naofumi's opinion, was when they finally began the two-day trip straight back to the Capital. Not a single exciting thing happened once again. All the rare monsters had been hunted. All the bandits had been taken care of. Even worse was the fact that he was put under strict adult supervision to make sure he didn't cause any more trouble. All he could do was sit and have his Shield automatically make stuff for him. Which quickly grew boring.
Hence his current dilemma. "Why won't anyone play Rock-Paper-Scissors with me?!"
"I'll play with you," Raphtalia said.
"But you always beat me!" Naofumi whined. "How do you beat me all the time anyway!?"
Raphtalia blushed and looked away. She didn't want to admit the cute little boy was becoming too easy for her to read. It was almost like she could tell what was on his mind at this point.
"Shut it, runt. Some of us want to nap in peace." Erhard said good-naturedly.
"BOO!" Naofumi continued to whine in boredom as Amber happily pulled the wagon towards the Capital.
"I never thought I'd see the day."
The demi-human leaders looked around in awe. They were on a platform of the castle, overlooking the Capital city of Melromarc.
"Pardon me for not having this done in the Throne Room. I felt something like this would be better off done in the open than behind closed doors. Just as you do in your countries." Aultcray said calmly and politely. In the time since he'd last been seen, his long hair had been trimmed. It now looked neat and pristine, just like his small beard. The crown he normally wore was stored in his Staff. Which he held in one hand in its basic weapon form.
He looked twenty years younger, easy. Even though his hair was white, it wasn't an 'old' white like before. It was more of a 'young' white now. A natural white instant of a greying white.
"Wise King… this really isn't a joke, is it?" Werner braved the question that had been on all of their minds.
The treaty between Siltvelt, Melromarc, and Shieldfreeden had been all but finalized. All it needed was some more discussion over details as well as the Queen's express approval, and the alliance would be considered official by the leaders of the different nations. Present were the entirety of the Siltvelt Council, the current leader of Shieldfreeden, Nielseen, and Aultcray of Melromarc.
"No, this is not a joke," Aultcray said calmly. "Visiting your countries, I have seen for myself how the Waves are a worldwide disaster. This is not a time for us to be at each other's throats. Melromarc cannot stand against this disaster alone, and I fear it is the same for all of our countries." He said seriously.
Jaralis chuckled. "Siltvelt has done well to protect its own, even during these trying times. Can you truly say the same, Wise King?"
Aultcray frowned. "Though it shames me to admit it, Lurolona was hit the hardest by the first Wave. We did not have adequate soldiers, nor the right soldiers, there to protect the village, and it was destroyed. Although I cannot bring back the lives that were lost that day, I am coordinating with a...reliable source to track down any survivors who were sold into slavery. And doing all I can to protect the rest of my kingdom from such a catastrophe happening again."
Werner smiled. "I must admit that I was shocked at your proclamation, Wise King. Such a drastic change of heart must not have been easy for you." His smile then dropped. "But Jaralis is wrong. We have barely held our own with the last two waves in Siltvelt. I fear the next one will cause destruction worse than anything we've ever seen." Jaralis glared at the bird demi-human for giving that information away so freely. "While we hate to admit it. We need help."
"Yes. The last Wave we had in Shieldfreeden also caused a lot of damage. We're looking at a lot of environmental disasters if we don't have the Heroes helping out soon." Nielseen gruffly admitted. Light refracting off the blue scales on her arms.
For some reason, neither country's Vassals had participated in the country's waves. As far as they knew, it was hard to get in contact with them while they were out training. Well, Nielseen might have had a clue. But with Faubley's rule in place and all the other countries vassals staying in their countries, they needed this alliance.
The King shook his head. "On the contrary, I think it's long overdue." Jaralis scoffed but didn't try to argue. "Now then, are there any complaints about the details of the alliance as is?"
The winged man clapped his hands with a smile. "Absolutely not! With this boon to our trade, the sharing of heroes, and the lack of open hostilities, our countries shall flourish greater than ever before!" A lot of the council members nodded in agreement with Werner.
"Assuming those hostilities actually end." Jaralis scoffed. "Humans and demi-humans alike are good at holding grudges." He glared at Aultcray as he said so.
Aultcray shook his head. "Rest assured that any discrimination in Melromarc will be dealt with swiftly and effectively. The war left everyone with hatred in their hearts, and the only way to truly end it is to take a stand. Even if people won't accept it at first, we as the leaders must show them the way. It has always been what my wife has worked for. And I'll personally make sure that happens in our lifetime as rulers of Melromarc."
*Clap* *Clap* *Clap* "Bravo." Clapping was heard from down below the balcony, and all heads turned toward the owner of said hands.
"What a beautiful speech, Your Majesty. It's almost enough to move my heart."
The King frowned as he gazed upon the face of the Pope and his condescending voice. The Pope was in his usual get up. Though his mitre looked a little worn from his time in hiding. "So you finally show yourself, Balmus. I was worried I'd seen the last of you once the Three Heroes Church was dissolved." Aultcray stood from his seat.
In the Pope's hand was a spear that looked identical to the Holy Spear. It crackled with golden power. The others around the table stood up in surprise. "It was quite generous of you to bring the leaders of Siltvelt and Shieldfreeden right to our doorstep, Your Majesty. God truly does have a plan for us all, and I am but an instrument of his holy will."
Jaralis snarled, fangs on display for all to see. "YOU! Did you think you could ambush us while our guards were down!?" He pointed at Aultcray accusedly.
Aultcray shook his head. "Rid yourself of such a thought, Jaralis. I did not summon him. Although I had a feeling he would come out of hiding if he knew we were all here. So know I have no intention of allowing any of you to be harmed."
Werner frowned. "This is the leader of the Three Heroes Church, yes?"
Balmus chuckled from down below. "I have spent the last few weeks gathering my followers in secret. They have been enlightened by God, and shown the true path forward! Demi-humans do not belong in the sacred world I plan to create! I have been blessed by God and given the divine power to smite these demons from our world! Starting with you!"
From behind Balmus, coming out of various pillars and such, appeared the remaining Followers of the Three Heroes Church. They murmured in low voices. But based on the mana gathering above them, they were preparing to cast a ritual class spell.
"That's high-class magic! Its area of effect is far too large for us to escape!" Werner exclaimed. He was not much of a fighter, but he was quite knowledgeable.
"Not all of us could take a hit like that! I prefer my fur not singed!" Jaralis snarled. "Wise King, do someth-"
"I believe he has it quite under control." Nielsen was standing calmly with not a single shred of worry on her features. "Look." Aultcray was smirking, which calmed the nerves of some of the councilmen. But it only made the others more afraid. What was the Wise King planning?!
"Hmmm..." One of the older councilmen. A Genmu, watched what was going on with curiosity.
Balmus raised the Replica Spear up high. "Be purified from God's world!" The cloud of mana above the followers shone brightly. "Judgment!"
A beam of light shot out from above the Followers. It went high into the air as if shooting for the sun. Then, it arced down. Heading right down for Aultcray and the demi-human leaders.
"Ahhhhh!" "No, I can't die yet!" "Mommy!" The various leaders yelled in a panic.
Aultcray finally changed staves. He raised it above himself, as Judgment was about to strike them all. "Drifa, Wind's Barrier III."
The beam of light slammed into a barrier of wind that appeared over the whole of the platform. Aultcray and the leaders disappeared in the haze of smoke and power that covered them.
"Thus, shall all the enemies of God be purified in his holy name," Balmus said happily. The beam continuing to bear down on the platform above.
Behind him, half of his followers passed out. It was good to note that there were about only a hundred. Not because that was all that could fit. But that was all he had. And Judgment, being a costly ritual spell, had drained almost all of them of mana.
"What do we do now, your Excellency?" The Bishop asked.
"... Hmmm, the King was only part of the problem. For now, we'll retreat, and prepare for dealing with the Queen when she arrives-"
"I'm sorry. Was that supposed to purify us?"
Balmus jerked his head in surprise. The rest of Judgment dispersed, and then with a simple wave of the hand, Aultcray cleared the smoke in the air away. Revealing his strong barrier spell and the stunned demi-humans still being protected underneath. "That felt a little too weak for purifying. Maybe you could cook an egg with that. A person, on the other hand…" Aultcray thought about it. "Maybe if they were below level 10."
He was definitely over his hatred of demi-humans. He could have chosen to only protect himself and have the others die. But he'd protected every last one. That not even a single part of the platform had been damaged.
"Im-Impossible-!" Balmus said in shock.
"My dear old friend. I was the one that came up with that spell, don't you remember?" Aultcray politely asked. Balmus frowned severely. "Plus, as I said, it was surprisingly weak. Are you sure you cast it properly? Your followers should be ashamed of themselves for messing up such simple ritual magic."
The followers that were still conscious looked up in shock. There was no way! Aultcray chuckled. "Maybe if you had brought another thousand like them to charge it up, it might have had enough power behind it to make me break a sweat." He said, calmly smirking where he stood.
Awesomeness powers just went up 1000% for the Wise King at that moment. In everyone's eyes.
"Fine, if you shall refuse to be purified by Holy Judgment. Then-" Balmus raised his Replica Spear. Preparing himself for battle.
"No. I do believe this farce has gone on for long enough." Aultcray set the staff against the ground. "Now. Allow me to show you how to cast some real magic."
And then, before their eyes, his mouth started moving. Words were obviously coming out. But the chant was so quick, over the seven or so seconds it took, none of the words could be discerned. It was like he was speaking for two people at the same time. Though the words were all spoken clearly, and with great power. In fact, that was what he was doing. He was chanting a combo spell for two people all by himself.
Balmus's eyes widened. "No! Run my followers! Run!" He yelled at them in fear.
They were too tired. Judgment had taken everything they had. Balmus yelled in fear as he ran for the pillars. Toward the secret passages that would take him to relative safety. He had to survive so God's will could move forward! HE HAD TOO!
He didn't even get two steps before Aultcray finished chanting.
"Wrath of the Lightning God… V."
A carriage, going down one of the Capital's streets
"Mother, what's that?"
"Is… is that…" Mirellia's fan dropped in shock.
A large storm cloud was rapidly forming over the whole of the Capital. As the Queen and her daughter watched from the carriage, lightning started to rumble through it.
"Mother…" Melty shivered. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. It was like all the electrons in the air were gathering in that cloud. Preparing to-
Then, with a bright flash, part of the castle was struck by a thick lightning bolt. A moment later, a loud BOOM! from the shockwave washed over them, knocking many people on the street around them to the ground. Ears were ringing, but besides that, the general populace was left untouched. The storm cloud above the town disappeared as quickly as it came.
There was stunned silence for a moment. All eyes looking at the castle.
"Wh-what in the world!? Where did that come from!? Who did that come from?!" Melty asked in shock.
"... A man who's about to get some ass, that's what." Mirellia said, a wide smirk forming on her face.
Melty's face flushed red. "What!? M-mother!"
The smoke cleared. Balmus lay groaning on the ground. All of his Followers were knocked out from the single, powerful spell. A large black, smoking mark lay in the center of them all. It seemed those who had been right under it had been instantly vaporized.
"Oh, dear. I hope I held back enough. After all, I can't have all of you traitors to the crown dying too soon. Mirellia may get upset with me for not allowing her the pleasure of torturing and executing you scum herself." Aultcray said, using the Pope's condescending tone as he looked over them all.
If any of them had the energy to, they didn't get up. The Staff King was way too scary.
"Shadows. Would you be so kind and clean up this mess?" Aultcray said, giving the group of zealots a dismissive wave.
"Certainly. Your Majesty." Shadows, both the Queen's and Siltvelt's, appeared out of the shadows all around. Many of them picked up the unconscious followers, disappearing with them towards the dungeons. Others separated Balmus and the Replica, before taking him to the deepest section of the dungeon. An unlucky few knelt and began cleaning the area of stone that had been blasted by the spell. The charred stone and soot would not be allowed to deface the Castle's beauty.
It had all gone as Aultcray had planned it. He'd given Balmus an 80% chance of showing up to interrupt the meeting, 90% if the other Heroes were outside the Capital, which they were. And now, he'd shown off enough that if any of the leaders like Jaralis had been planning a double-cross, they'd be sure to think twice.
What a way to kill two birds with one stone. "Now, where were we?" Aultcray asked. Turning around to face the jaw slackened demi-humans.
Jaralis sputtered incoherently, Werner looked at the Wise King in awe, and one highly amused Nielseen smirked. Oh, she was going to love this alliance. The Waves of Catastrophe were screwed.
Needless to say, the rest of the negotiations proceeded smoothly after that. Until they reached an interim where they would break until Mirellia arrived. Which, according to the Shadows, would be pretty soon.
During the break, Aultcray went to the master bedroom. Once there, he let out a sigh of contentment. There was always something about a plan going exactly the way he expected that brought him immense satisfaction. He didn't even have to use any of his back-up plans for any other part of the meeting.
Even if he made thirty back-up plans just in case.
There was only one wild card on the table now. And her name was-
The doors slammed open.
'Uh oh-' He hadn't planned on her coming straight to him! Crap, she must have been really mad at him! Or-
As he turned to face his wife, Mirellia pushed him down onto the bed. Hard. He was too late. "Do you have any idea of the trouble you've caused me, dear?! Do you have any idea of the political ****storm you put me through!?"
She was going to kill him for his earlier mistakes! It hadn't been enough! "Mirellia, honey, I-" He tried to sit up. But then Mirellia grabbed him by the shoulders, pushing him and holding him down. He wanted to struggle for his life. He didn't want to die now when he finally had a son! However, he stopped, stunned to see that Mirellia didn't look mad. Instead, she was giving him a hungry look.
"You will not move. You will not touch. You will not do anything until I'm satisfied with your punishment." Mirellia said. Her voice dripping with desire. How long had it been since she'd been like this? It must have been before Melty was born. "Am I clear?"
"... Crystal." Aultcray said in awe. And indeed, he did not move. He did not touch. He was too busy smiling like a dope as he heard his Wife get up. It was like she was confirming all the mistakes he'd made in the beginning had been washed clean.
And as he heard the sound of his wife's dress hitting the floor, Aultcray knew he'd done good.
Author's Notes:
Allen Blaster: LEWD! SO MUCH LEWD! EWWWWW!
Lol. Thanks to the reviewers who provided outlines for those scenes. You know who you are ;). Also, yes, the roman Numerals after Aultcray's spells are thanks to the Vassal Staff's strengthening method. So you know what that means! We're about to see the Heroes get stronger!
RLTygurr: Allen is the one who wrote the lewd scene, so my corruption of him has finally completed. I can lurk back into my horny jail with pride, now.
Hero Clips!
References Galore!
Naofumi was stopped by Motoyasu's outstretched arm. "Hey, what did you do that for!?" The boy cried.
"There's a trap just ahead of us, and it's pretty nasty. We need to be careful, I say!" Motoyasu said proudly. "Follow my steps, everyone!"
"And don't wander off brat," Erhard grumbled.
"Fiiiiiiine."
The group mimicked Motoyasu's steps as they wandered down the hallway until it branched off in two directions. The corridor to the left started descending deeper underground, and the right one seemed to ascend back to the surface.
"Which way should we go?" Ren asked. "I've never been to this dungeon in my game, so I don't know what to expect."
Motoyasu thought for a few moments. "Actually, this hallway is supposed to end at the treasure room. Why is it different?" He wondered to himself. Erhard rolled his eyes.
"Are you serious? I thought you said you knew this place like the back of your hand! Do you even know where we are anymore?"
Amber put a gentle hand on the blacksmith's shoulder. "Relax, Uncle Bald Guy. I'm sure Moto will figure something out." Her soft smile and calm demeanor managed to quell the man's frustration.
Before they had actually chosen a path, the ground began to rumble. "Woah, hey! What's going on!?" Naofumi cried. "Everything's shaking!"
A loud cracking sound echoed through the dungeon as the ceiling behind them collapsed, preventing them from going back the way they came.
Raphtalia lost her balance and ended up leaning against the boy to stay upright. Her ears twitched a few times and she turned to the right before pointing up the hallway. "Something's coming! And quickly!"
Everyone's eyes widened as a massive boulder emerged from the darkness, rolling down the hallway at high speeds. "EVERYBODY RUUUUUUUUN!" Motoyasu screamed, running in the opposite direction. The rest of them followed, sprinting as fast as they could.
"Everyone, hop on!" Amber yelled, transforming into her majestic Filolial form. Erhard grabbed the two kids by their shirts and hoisted them onto her back before joining them. Ren was apparently a bad jumper and settled for clinging to the woman's feathers. His party members also clung on for dear life.
Motoyasu ended up held by Amber's beak, as there was no more room available on her back. He didn't seem to mind, though. Was he going to kiss the Filolial? EW!
They managed to outrun the boulder until the path split once again. The boulder slammed into the wall and shattered into rubble, and everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Until they turned around, that is.
"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!" Ren shouted. "First the Mississippi Jones reference, now a Joseph Powers reference!?"
Down the path they had chosen was a pit filled with water. Inside of said pit was a group of sharks with what looked like laser beams strapped to their heads.
"Ooo! I have an idea!" Naofumi said happily. "Maybe they'll be my pets!"
"No." The group collaboratively vetoed his idea. The boy deflated.
"Aww...But they have lasers..."
Ren placed a hand on his shoulder. "You can't trust any shark that has a laser on his head, Naofumi."
He looked up at the older boy with happiness. "What about sharks without lasers!?"
"Those are fair game. You can trust them."
"YES!"
They managed to cross the pit by having Erhard chuck them over the water and onto the other side. It was far from graceful, but it did the trick. After they crossed that obstacle, they finally reached the treasure chest.
"Friggin FINALLY! I was starting to think this would never end." Tersia whined. "But hey, at least the chest is right there! We can take whatever's in it and get outta here."
"Ooo! Me me! I wanna do it!" Naofumi jumped up and down with excitement before sprinting to the chest. "Open sesame!"
"NAOFUMI NO!" Motoyasu screamed, sprinting forward with unimaginable speed and yanking the boy away from the chest. As soon as he did, the chest quickly contorted and opened on its own to reveal a massive set of razor-sharp teeth and a flicking tongue. It snarled and snapped at them dangerously.
"AHHHH! KILL IT! KILL IT NOW! DO IT!" Naofumi screeched, clinging to his older brother figure for dear life. Erhard brought his warhammer down upon its body, shattering it into a million little pieces.
Even after it was dead, Naofumi was shaking. "I-I never thought treasure could try to eat me!" He was sad. He didn't get to hold the treasure above his head just like Mink in the Legend of Belda game.
Ren patted the boy's head gently as Motoyasu sat him down on the ground. Raphtalia sat next to him and draped her tail across his lap to hold. He gently stroked it, and the fuzziness brought him some comfort.
Motoyasu sighed. "After all of that, they still managed to throw in a Shadow Souls reference? I swear, whoever designed this place has one sick sense of humor."
"And good taste in movie and game references, apparently," Ren added.
The blond man turned to the shaking boy and shook his head. "Let's just keep moving and try not to get scarred for life. These things were way funnier in their movies."
Indeed, they were.
At least he was floofing Raphtalia's tail. So all was right in the world...
Floof.
Till Next Time
Allen