We spent the next three days enjoying our vacation. It was the first real break we'd had since coming here. No worrying about the Waves, no hunting monsters, no marching all day. Just enjoying the facilities on the island, and otherwise having a grand old time with everyone. We'd even had a sandcastle building contest between the parties, which Ren won since Waltz was able to use his magic to reinforce his, letting the pair build an almost literal castle on the beach…one room, but still.
The rest of the activities were fun as well, of course. Walking on the water was an experience that I can't compare to much. It was like walking on a waterbed, with the top feeling rubbery and smooth whenever I put my body onto it. Better, you could do that in any gear, and pretty soon, we had a PvP waterfight, flinging whole buckets of the stuff at each other, laughing all the while, until Filo decided to win it all by cannonballing into the middle of the group and tossing us all away.
We weren't the only ones enjoying the surf and sand either. Despite the Queen not spreading the information on the coming event, she didn't exactly forbid anyone from making their way to Cal Mira, and so a handful of adventurers and even some of the Royal Knights on break were here. They'd be staying on the central island, however, to which Naofumi admitted he was grateful. We'd be heading to places with populations in the hundreds. He had over ten-thousand to think about, and more hands to keep the town safe made that job easier.
In particular a woman named Theresa, with some strange magical powers, and a man named L'Arc Berg Sickle, which was just a dumb enough name I had to confirm it with (Insight), but it was his name, who used a massive scythe as his weapon. Both of them were good too, showing off in a spar with some of the others just how skilled they were with their abilities, and Naofumi began to hang out with them in the inn at night, as the pair buddied up to the Hero that would be making this place his base of operations.
Then the fourth day dawned, and we were greeted not with a golden sun, but instead a hole in the sky, one that was flashing colors, causing the Count to inform us that the event was beginning. And it was a sight to behold, as the hole spewed forth not monsters, but instead a miasma that seemed to permeate the land, filling the trees with it. Where we were standing, at the edge of the woods, we actually watched that evil looking mist filter into one of the rabbit-like local monsters.
The change was…extreme to say the least, as what had looked like, at most, a horned rabbit, grew to the size of a medium sized dog, and its horn curved slightly, with a serrated edge. It's stats, from what my (Insight) provided had gone up a bit too, nearly triple its original, but the EXP you'd get from killing it was also doubled, and the things were already pretty high in that department compared to their stats, as the rabbit gave out more than a hundred on its own, whereas a similar stated creature on the continent wouldn't give a dozen.
The group of us, our parties mostly with a few random adventurers, were shocked when the thing, normally docile, leapt towards us, but Filo reacted faster than anyone else, and stamped the thing into the ground, the crunch of its bones quite nice, and one could almost feel the power going from it into Filo's body, making her feathers ruffle a bit in delight at the feeling of power flowing into her.
With the confirmation of both the event, and its power, we separated. The parties went their own ways, with the three of us leaving to the dock, while I gave Naofumi some advice on where to lay ambushes on the island with Raphtalia and Filo for the greatest gains. He thanked me, and wished the three of us luck, to which Motoyasu, rather headstrong, said luck was for people without skill, as he flicked his hair back, and somehow got a literal bishi sparkle out of it that I had to assume was some skill he'd learned.
Regardless, we made our way to our boats, smaller sailing ships rather than the larger ones, like personal yachts, and we were off. By the time the holes had closed, my own party landed on Harmony Isle, the center of the Ashen Islands, and largest of the colonies between the five. The moment we landed, we immediately heard shouting, and the sounds of battle, making me cry out as I leapt from the bow of our boat, nearly fell on my face before Ray caught me, and we were off.
We arrived to find the locals, with tools that looked just this side of farm equipment, trying to hold off some squirrels that looked just this side of demonic, with tails that appeared spiky, and large, almost dagger like incisors they were using to tear through the shields and defenses of the people. The moment we were in range to see it, I took in the whole sight, and then focused.
'Ray, take the group attacking the larger throng of people, your blades give you the best chance of doing little harm. Lucia, wide spread with that (Starburst) arrow, target the squirrels on the edge of the village. Don't worry about collateral, just make a firebreak line for now. We need room,' I ordered via (Awakened Mind), and the pair nodded, as I hit them with (Speed) and (Mana) boost respectively, holding off on my 'Hands' boosts for now.
Not that it seemed necessary, with her speed boosted, Ray vanished from sight, reappearing only for brief moments around the small village, her blades flashing, slicing the squirrel's clean through, instantly killing them. This caused those who had been grappling with them to stare, mouths agape, at the monsters that had been assaulting them moments ago seemingly falling over to a deathly wind that flew through the village.
Lucia meanwhile got into the center of the village, eyeing those around her, and then nodding as she shifted her weapon into a bow form, one decorated with stars, and aimed into the air. Drawing back the string, the air filled with the crackle of magic, the power gathering in her grip as a line of energy slowly came from her fingers, extending outwards until it was at the bow's side, and she loosed it seemingly straight into the air.
A moment later, the bolt hung in the sky, for a brief moment shining as brightly as the sun, blinding anyone who had been following its path, before it shattered into a dozen or more pieces. Each shard of the arrow flew away from the center, and gracefully moved in a large arc, raining down into the edges of the village. Where the shards struck the earth, explosions followed, the squirrels scattering with squeals and terrified cries, their bodies torn to pieces by them if they hit directly, or just blown away if they were merely nearby.
The moment the route was clear, I ran into the village, between the homes and towards the center, where a small well had been dug. It wasn't much, but knowing this small a community probably knew exactly where it was, I rushed towards it. I was very tempted to place some of my saved points into speed, but made do, rushing towards the well, and then standing beside it. Oddly, the thought popped into my head that, on first getting here, I'd be leaned over, wheezing, after a sprint like that, but felt fine now.
'Everyone in the village, come to the well, the Hero of the Bow and his Party will deal with the monsters!' I sent to everyone, getting a few looks of confusion, but, given the situation, one larger man shouted out, and everyone abandoned their positions, Ray flashing by just as they turned towards me and dealing with the enemies, while Lucia launched a few more starbursts, scattering more and more of the demon squirrels.
'Lucia, aim for the group to the west, they seem to be gathering there when they get startled, we don't need them grouping up. Ray, try to take out the ones to the south more, that's the direction we'll have to go if too many more show up,' I advised, firing a few bolts into some of the squirrels that were getting closer. To be fair, my attacks did some damage, as these monsters weren't very strong, but compared to what Lucia and Ray were doing, it wasn't much.
Over the next half hour, we cleared the area around the village, with my directions helping them weed out some clusters of the monsters that tried to assemble at the edges, but the warrior duo were keeping them back, Lucia constantly shifting the Replica Weapon into new forms, even Shields which could fire blasts of magic I was sure Naofumi would have been interested in getting for himself.
Ray was deadly with her blades, and better, they paired with her skills as a protector to keep back what few mobs made it through the two of them. When the battle was over, they were covered with grime, some of which was 'smoking' off their bodies, and the village seemed to have several large piles of corpses, which quivered and moved as the infection of the Waves tried to get them to live again, perhaps as some kind of zombie squirrels.
I wasn't about to let that happen, and holding up my arm, I focused on the purification skill, calling on it, and then watching, shocked, as the squirrel bodies dissolved in the light of it, showing just how far gone they were that there was nothing left of this world in them. Still, even as they vanished, it was obvious damage had been done. No bodies, luckily, emerged from the piles, but the homes at the edges of the small village had been torn into by them, and a few were nothing but tattered ruins, their contents either spilled out, or likewise destroyed.
"Heroes, you have our eternal gratitude," said the man whom I assumed to be the leader. He wore robes, equipped with the symbol of Melromarc overlaid with the symbol of Cal Mira, and bowed deeply, the people around him, still looking to be in shock, mimed what he did, and I did so back, as Lucia and Ray stood beside me.
"Is this everyone, or are there others outside?" I asked, and the man quickly shook his head.
"I knew that the time of the event was soon, and kept my people here on Harmony Island over the last few days. It has curtailed the harvest of the more exotic plants and such, but I felt it best to be safe," he said, and I got a hint that he was expecting my to reprimand him for such a dereliction of duty, as if the plants meant for food and such were worth the lives of his people.
"Good. We'll have this island cleaned out before noon then. Tell me of the situation on the other islands Lord…," I trailed off, not knowing the man's name, and he waved his hand dismissively.
"I am merely a Lieutenant in the Army, Lord Bowman. My title would be Overseer of the village of San Ru. My name is Diwaniya" he told me, and I nodded.
"Do you have any information on the other islands and their situations? Is this usually how it goes when the event occurs?" I asked, and Diwaniya walked over to me as his people, looking less frightened, began to move towards their homes to start cleaning them up, while Lucia and Ray, seeing no reason to just be here, began to sweep the village perimeter.
"It is, sadly, never a sure thing when the monsters are driven to this extreme, and like this year, we fail to evacuate in time. After today, it would normally be my prerogative to take the villagers to the central island of Cal Mira to wait out the storm, while Adventurers come and do their grisly work against the beasts," he began.
"That hopefully won't be necessary. My companions and I should be able to keep this island relatively clear of enemies, but if you want, I can have Lucia open a Gate and take you there," I offered, and he smiled at me, seeming genuinely grateful for the choice.
"If it is as you say, you are able to keep these places free of the beasts, my people and I would feel best to keep working. We gather the best herbs this time of year on Harmony Island herself. Though we will forgo the pleasure of the others for now," he said, pointing into the distance, the swampy terrain hiding it, but with me knowing he was pointing towards the nearby Greenwood Isle, that lay just east of here.
"Greenwood is, as the name suggests, covered in a forest, with the major crop being the mushrooms we can gather there. By the noon hour, a small land bridge will connect this island and that one, allowing you to simply walk across towards it," he said, and then turned towards the west.
"A half hour by boat will take you to Dhonal's Isle. It's mostly rocky terrain, home not to the squirrels you find here, but many slimes that ooze over it. The cacti that grow in the crags produce a liquid that many use for…recreational purposes, both here and in the mainland," he continued, and I shrugged. It wasn't my place to judge how someone spent their free time.
"Beyond it, Gull Island stands, the forest there, more evergreen than the Greenwood's, has a few plants of note, but also at low tide, another land bridge forms, connecting it to the Isle of Spears at the edge of this chain," he informed me.
"The isle is home to a salt mine of some repute, but little else, and we don't go there often. As such, the monsters there are likely to be numerous, especially as we often have to drive them back from Gull when the tide allows passage. In this event, they will be a swarm," he says at last, giving me some idea of what we'll face. Taking it all in, I quickly ordered him to keep everyone in the village, and told Lucia and Ray it was time to begin the hunt.