Chapter 20

Tetsu was pouting while she stood in front of me. For the sake of decency, she was wrapped up in a canvas sheet.

Why?

Well, the big land dragon had changed from a car length reptile, to a naked girl. She had all kinds of little 'dragon' features still. Like sharp fingernails, a mouth full of canine teeth, patches of scales over her body, elfin ears that looked to be made of bone or solid cartilage, and a thick tail that was a scaled down version from her original form.

Otherwise? Naked girl, someplace between ten and sixteen, with black and gold striped hair, dark almost light absorbing black skin, and gold eyes (almost exactly like mine).

To calm her down, I was standing behind her and giving her lots of headpats. I noted that her body temperature was rather low as well. Very much a 'human shaped dragon'. I kind of wished I could hug Weine now...

"So. What happened?" I asked, getting an idea and taking the brush out of my Shield and trying to assert order on Tetsu's hair.

"Having hair is weird..." Tetsu pouted some more, but didn't shy away.

"We had a successful trip." Usa said, Clive nodding to the statement, "And were returning with two full wagons of wood. We had to stop part way to get one of the wagon wheels out of a rut in the road."

Tetsu interrupted, or rather, tried to. She stepped away from me, but her hair got stuck in the brush. So before she could say what ever she was about to say, she flailed around a moment, her hair falling over her face as she turned around to get away from the mean brush.

"Ack! Bleh! Shoo shoo!" She waved her hands around a moment, then paused as I helped her, "Thank you!" She smiled, "Yeah! All of them were groaning and complaining about it! But they couldn't get it out of the line-"

"Rut." I said.

"Right! Rut in the road!" She wiggled around to free both her arms from the canvas cloak and flexed like Ganesha. "So I helped!"

This of course made the sheet fall off her, so I put it back around her shoulders, "Helped how?"

"Well..." Usa started as I fussed with the cloak, "First she got out of the harness."

Clive nodded, "Gr." And make a couple of 'grabby hands' motions.

"Yeah! Silly thing was in the way!" Tetsu laughed, "So I took it off, and went to help!" She put her hands on her hips under the cloak, "My other form was too big! So I changed and just lifted the side out of the mud!"

"She just grabbed the side of the wagon and lifted it out." Usa said, while Clive mimed 'lifting a table edge' then 'stepping sideways'. Up and out.

Tetsu looked up at me seriously, "Then I thought, with my new shape, I could take over our pack!" And with a sudden rush, all her energy went away and she started pouting. "But you still won."

I thought about this a moment. For her to lift a loaded wagon out of the mud, with her current size... That was some serious power. "Is following my lead so bad?" I asked.

Tetsu stopped pouting, her face turning thoughtful. "Um... no?"

"Good. But if you have a problem with how I do things, say so." I said, reaching forward, "I want us all to get along." I put my hand on her head. "Good work with the wagon."

"Heehee... praise me more..."

"Can you change back?" I asked.

"Of course! See?"

And with a sudden shredding of canvas and a small very localized cloud of black, gold and silver smoke, I was now applying headpats to a big dragon forehead. Absently, Tetsu shook off the ruined canvas, and leaned into my hand with a happy noise. "Hmm, this might be a problem."

"Did I do something wrong?" Tetsu asked.

We were all surprised, since her voice sounded just like it had when she was a humanoid, though her big dragon maw only opened slightly to 'speak'. "No. Not wrong. But if you want to walk around on two legs, we'll have to get you some clothes that don't rip every time you change."

"Aww! But Kunshu doesn't have to!" Tetsu sulked (a rather amusing sight from something the length of a car), "They itch! I don't like it!"

Kunshu, hearing her name, detached from Raphtalia's back and buzzed over to Tetsu. Seeing me applying headpats, she did the same.

"Kunshu doesn't need them." Raphtalia said gently, "It's... Well, a girl can't be naked!"

"Don't worry." I said, "As much as I don't want to go back to Melromarc... I know where you can get some nice clothing that won't itch. And it will even look good on you." I remembered the Tailor lady I talked to, and how she said 'shape changing' clothing was a thing. "But for now, stay like this."

"Aww... But I don't wanna stay in the stable alone again..."

My party looked at me, and I sighed, "You just have to wear clothes while out in public then. When you get into our room, you can take them off. But you can't go to our room without clothing."

Tetsu sighed, "Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine." She 'humphed', looking sideways, "I'm hungry."

"Well, I said be back before dinner. And you are. So lets go eat." I said, "You'll still have to wear something if you want to eat with us indoors."

"aww... okay..."

"Beds are comfy!" Tetsu cheered, flopping onto my bed and wiggling around. "Much better than hay!"

It took about a tenth of a second, but she was suddenly tangled up in the sheets, her head and the tip of her tail the only thing exposed. "That's because your body is meant for it." I said, sitting on the edge of the bed, "But, while you are indoors, you can't change form, okay?"

"But..." She paused and went cross eyed as I poked her nose (yes, I will boop any snoot), "Fine... I promise."

"Good." I turned the poke into a headpat, "If you changed, you'd break the bed, and rip the sheets. It would cause trouble for us.

There was a tap at the window, and we all looked in that direction. "Sir... It's Kunshu." Usa said, "I know the Innkeeper said no, but..."

Tatsu wiggled around to get an arm free, "Ha! You're stuck outside! Ack!"

I poked her nose again, "No being mean to those less fortunate." I said, "Clive?"

Clive nodded and opened the window. "Gr." He greeted, leaning his head forward a little and touching foreheads with the Bee, then moving aside to let her into the room properly.

"So long as you don't fly, you can stay." I said to her as she did a dance-like one-limb-at-a-time motion to get her 'feet' onto the floor. "Just click if you want our attention, please?"

"click." She replied, the noise just loud enough to hear. No doubt about it, she understood everything we were saying.

"So, what's the plan then, sir?" Raphtalia asked, greeting Kunshu the same way Clive had, and adding in a few careful brushes of her hand against the fuzz of the Bee's carapace. "Must we return to that city...?"

"Since I don't know how to make it myself, we must ask an expert." I said, sharing Raphtalia's reluctance on returning... once again... to that stupid city. "So long as they let us in, well, we can talk to the magic lady to make cloth, then the tailor lady to make clothing."

"After that?" Raphtalia pressed.

"Well, with the merchant's license, we'll be able to make money with more than just monster loot. Medicine is at a premium due to the Waves. But we also have a supply of ore, hides, horns, teeth, and other stuff we've gathered or brewed. We'll also encounter tougher monsters as we go further from Melromarc City." I explained. "Riyute is also rather poor at the moment, so anywhere but here would bring in the money we need.

"Gr. Click." Clive asked, his hands miming the act of holding a chisel and a hammer.

"True. I know my way of enchanting things from back home works here. And even if you can't cast spells by word, you might be able to enchant items. All of you really, though, Usa, you might have a little more trouble." I rubbed my chin, "But... That would mean we need some raw materials..."

"We could visit Erhard!" Raphtalia smiled, "I kind of like him."

"He has been very kind to us." Usa said.

"What about the money you were given by the other heroes?" Raphtalia asked, kneeling by my bed and trying to untangle Tetsu without ripping the sheets.

I considered, "Well,Tetsu and Kunshu turned out to be a bit of luck."

"Hear that? We're lucky!" Tetsu said.

"click!"

"Sir..." Usa started, then stopped.

"No no. Later maybe, but we have a full house as it is, so to speak." I shook my head, "I think though, I'll invest in some other things to sell. Or materials we can try enchanting." I had to admit, I was eager to try my hand at this world's 'crafting system'. It seemed almost exactly how I usually did my own enchantment back home. I'd just have to shift my thinking a little more towards 'game mechanics'.

"It was nice of them... kind of... they seem..." I could tell Usa was trying to say something nice, without risking my anger for being nice.

"I will have to thank them. For the money, and the support. Honestly, that fight with Motoyasu was the easiest thing I had to do that night..." I sighed, "Everything else depended on stuff I couldn't control, only influence."

"Click... click-click." Kunshu said, one of her upper arms reaching out and poking Clive in the side. When we all (yes, even Tetsu) gave her a five degree head tilt, she picked up an arrow from the quiver Clive had hung on his bed post, and poked him again with the feathered end.

"Oh! Sorry. While I was calming down, I thought about how to help Kunshu fight more actively with us. Maybe Erhard has a spear she can try and use." I said, tapping my fist into my palm.

Reminder successfully delivered, Kunshu tossed the arrow into the air casually, making it land point down into Clive's quiver. We all clapped quietly, though she seemed to ignore the praise, instead reaching up for the rafters and hand-over-handing herself into them, assuming the 'fuzzy ball with wings' pose to sleep.

"Aw... bed time already?" Tetsu pouted, Raphtalia having finally untangled her from the bed covers.

"Well, how about a story?" I suggested, "I could tell you about my dragon friend from back home, Weine."

The next morning, after untangling Tetsu from yet more sheets and convincing her to put something on for the half hour it would take to eat breakfast... We went to see the Old Hunter (I liked this name better than 'magistrate'. I couldn't really see him behind a desk pushing paper around really...) told us he'd have the wagon ready for us tomorrow, and wished us good luck for our trip into Melromarc city. He also gave Tetsu a headpat, and worked up the bravery to touch foreheads with the giant Bee that was Kunshu. (He held it until we were almost out of Riyute, but I could hear him sneezing from getting pollen on his face).

Because we were outside, Tetsu had returned to her dragon form. However, since we were skipping our morning training to get this chore done faster, we all jogged to Melromarc City.

Slightly out of breath by the time we got there, (except Kunshu and Tetsu, one having ridden the other when she got tired of flying, and the other because I'd manipulated her stats towards endurance), we had no trouble entering the city.

This was good, since I didn't want to start my day with violence. As a matter of fact, the guards at the gate gave me one of those 'heels together' salutes when I showed them my new merchant's license and told them I was 'procuring goods to trade' as my reason for visiting Melromarc.

And on that note, we visited Erhard first.

"You know Kiddo... you just get weirder all the time." He said from the door of his shop, almost having to look up at Tetsu's dragon face, while trying to ignore Kunshu as she wiggled her antenna at him to 'sniff' at the smith.

"You ain't seen nothing yet!" Tetsu said (even without a proper mouth, she could still 'talk' like a person. But most of my rational mind had wandered off to die someplace in an Orario back alleyway anyhow. But after a dramatic pause with nothing happening, Tetsu said, "Um... I'm not supposed to do it outdoors."

"Well you're too big for MY door." He said, finally looking down at Kunshu, "And... what even are you?" He was about to nudge her away, since Kunshu was acting like a very curious cat. But as he moved his hand, she put her forehead under it, forcing a headpat. "Oh... Well..."

"Remember those two eggs?" I motioned to Tetsu, "Just back up a little, she just needs to get her head past your door."

"Wait... seriously?" Erhard backed up, though this apparently made Kunshu a little sad. Maybe she liked a rougher hand for getting headpats?

Clive got a canvas sheet ready, and as soon as Tetsu's head was through the door, there was a 'poof' of smoke, and with arms stretched out wide, "Behold! I am Tetsu!"

Of course, to spare the poor man, Clive had the canvas over her before the smoke cleared. "Gr." Clive said.

"I know..." Tetsu pouted. "Just wished it didn't itch!"

"One day, you're going to stop surprising me." Erhard said to me.

"Funny you say that." I smiled, "And before you ask, no, Kunshu can't change like that. But she's very very smart."

"Click!" Kunshu agreed, before looking around the room at all the shiny stuff. But she only looked, keeping her place on Usa's weak side.

Erhard scratched his head, then crossed his arms, then unfolded his arms and rubbed his chin. "Well... I'll just hold off on questions. What can I do for you?"

After inspecting all of our gear, accepting some of our monster drops for money, then an hour of labour and a little of our money back for some raw materials (I hammered out thin rectangles of assorted metal for what I hoped was 'magical trinket making', while everyone else helped clean up the shop), we got down to the business of Kunshu.

"So... The little fireball-" Erhard started...

"I dunno if I can do fire!" Tetsu said.

"Don't even think about trying that in here!" Raphtalia chided.

"I wasn't gonna... but I am kinda wondering..." Tetsu pouted.

"Ahem! Tetsu doesn't need a weapon. But a spear for her?" He motioned to Kunshu.

On hearing her name, Kunshu stopped looking for cobwebs (and the spiders who made them), "Click."

"She's got something similar on her rear." I said, "And the simple range of motion will keep it from interfering with her wings."

"True true. Hey come down here. Lemme see your hands?" Erhard motioned again, waiting for Kunshu to touch down in front of him then accepting one of Kunshu's hands. "Hmm. We'll need something special for the shaft. Having hard skin on smooth wood or metal will make gripping the weapon harder..."

"Just happen to have lots of balloon skin." I said, "And if you boil it just right, it makes a resin..."

Raphtalia leaned over to mumble to Usa, "Anvil heads."

"Not a bad thing..." Usa mumbled back, "It's why our equipment is so easy to use."

"Okay, I'll have this done in a half hour." Erhard said a few minutes after he and I figured out a way to make a spear safer to use for someone with weird not-quite-hands.

"Thank you." We all said, leaving the shop.

"Gah... can I change back yet?" Tetsu growled, getting frustrated with the itchy canvas.

I thought about it a moment, "On three." I took hold of the canvas resting on her shoulders. "One, two, three!"

And with the same poof of smoke and a ruffle of fabric, Tetsu was now back in her original form. "Much better!" She crowed, "So now we go to this... um... you called her a..."

"The Witch. She makes the cloth. Then the Tailor, who makes the clothing." Raphtalia explained.

"Sigh... I suppose I'll have to change back again for both? It makes me hungry..." Tetsu complained.

At the mention of food, Kunshu perked up, her head lifting off Usa's shoulder while the rest of her clung to his back.

"We can have a snack before we get there." I nodded.

The Witch was just as surprised as Erhard was at the two monsters. She was however, much more enamoured with Kunshu than the Smith had been. After some introductions, headpats (such nice kids you are, yes yes, try some candy, just made it this morning!) we mentioned magic cloth.

"Well... I'd love to help you, but as you can see..."

She took us to a side room, where various things were hung. Carpets, some fur skins, more books, and a single table. Next to the table was an old fashioned spinning wheel, but on that table was a... Well, it might have been a thread making machine? It was missing a few things, like a place for hair (like wool or even silk). What it had in place of that, was a dull and cracked shard of crystal.

"My thread maker is broken. There's been no call for the cloth you want... so I haven't gotten around to finding a replacement crystal." She sighed, "And the cave where the crystal is found is somewhat dangerous now, after the Waves started."

We all looked at her, then at each other, "Well, we just happen to be adventurers." I said.

"We'd be happy to help you!" Raphtalia said, "Um... How far is the cave?"

"If we leave now, we might be back before dinner time." The Witch smiled, "After that, we just have to get you to sit down and make enough thread for the Tailor."

After consulting a map, she explained that the easiest way to get to what we needed, was in a ruin south-west of Melromarc city, in the direction of Mirso, one of the towns the Queen's Ninja had mentioned.

She then picked up a well loved staff leaning against a wall and said, "Well, let's go."

The others were surprised, but my reaction was more pragmatic, "No second guessing what we're looking for if the Expert comes with us."

This got me an approving pat on the head (she still thought I was a child, but I didn't mind and got a bit of candy as well!), and we all filed out of her shop. She was quite impressed by Tetsu's full size (she only got to see her head while she stood in the door waiting for permission to enter), and quite thankful when Tetsu offered to carry her on her back.

At first, she refused, but we all insisted. (Raphtalia, Clive and Usa got some candy as well for this.)

And yes, maybe a half hour later, we found ourselves in front of a half ruined building made of mossy stone. It might have been an important building at one point, but now, nature had all but claimed it.

"Careful now. Hardly anyone bothers with this place now, so it's probably not very safe..." The Witch said as we entered the ruin. It might have been a temple, or maybe even a small fort. But all that was left were the remains of a few walls, a hint of an outer wall, and a single half collapsed archway that led into a black maw of an interior.

"Oh! Can I try something?" Raphtalia asked.

We all looked at her expectantly.

"Darkness retreats from my inner glow made manifest, Raito." She chanted, her body glowing for a second before that light bled into her hands, then out of them, making a cheerful ball of white light.

We all clapped quietly, "Well done." The Witch said, "You learn quickly."

I smiled, nodding approval, then giving her a headpat. Her pleased (I missed Lilly... sigh) "Heehee..." at the praise however, made the light vanish. "Oh no..." She pouted at me, "You broke my concentration."

"We'll have to work on that. But you still did well." I said, "Here." I took a bit of Ko-steel from the Shield, "Try putting the spell in here."

She repeated the spell, and this time, the little tag of Ko-steel sucked up the light from her hands, and started to glow like a little light bulb. "Oh! Well done!" The Witch was impressed, "Have you ever tried to enchant items before? Did you meet my son-in-law?"

"Not yet, no. This metal is made from iron and the black fur from my tails. Its made to soak up magic." I explained, "Kunshu? Did you want to come in with us? Or stay outside?"

Kunshu, looked into the unlit passage, then shook her head rapidly side to side.

"Okay, you can stay out here. Be careful, and hide if you see any other people. Oh, and be careful with your new spear."

The inside of the place was... odd. It felt old. The weight of time was almost tangible. I mean, sure, the stone walls were gritty with dust and some attempt at lichen, but it felt more like a tomb. It didn't help there were animal tracks, and...

"Footprints?" I knelt down, "What was this place?"

"I'm not sure exactly." The Witch replied, "Local legend, if it's true, said this was once an Alchemist's hideout."

That oppressive feeling only grew as we went down the tunnel. The walls were made of stone blocks, and things had been carved into some of them. Bits looked almost like formula, others like gibberish, still more like pictograms or abandoned attempts at star charts.

Further into the darkness we went, following tracks in the dust and animal leavings, we came to the end of the path after a very short downward set of stairs.

And an old treasure chest.

So old in fact, the last person to open it left clear grip marks in the dust layered on top of it. "Sir? Ma'am? A sign." Usa called out, pointing to the corner of a stone framed sheet of a different type of stone from the walls.

Raphtalia raised the slip of glowing Ko-steel over her head to reveal the entire thing, "I don't know those..."

"Bring that a little closer dear? Yes, that's good." The Witch said, "Ah... Quite old, something you only see in ruins and very old books..." She paused, mumbling to herself, then said, "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."

There was a heavy pause that I broke with a thoughtful, "Huh." Out of curiosity, I still opened the box, but to no one's surprise, it was empty.

"Ah, sir!" Usa perked up, his ears twitching, "I feel air moving..."

"And I smell food... Well, it doesn't know it's food yet, but I smell it!" Tetsu growled.

"Did we miss a tunnel?" I asked, "Usa?"

He pointed, and we started back the way we'd come. Part way, we came across a half collapsed tunnel we had skipped while following the boot prints. "Give me a hand." I said, keeping an eye on the tumbled in debris while I cleared the path a little more. The architecture was quite sturdy, and we hand no problem moving aside a few blocks and a bit of fallen timber.

"Gr." Clive said, Tetsu nodding with him.

"Your friends think with their stomachs." The Witch laughed, "But look... Further in.

Not far past where we had cleared, the construction changed a little, from stone blocks to a mine tunnel. There was a bit of a breeze, but also a stronger smell of animal.

"This way then?" Raphtalia asked.

"Yes. Careful though... You too Tetsu." I said, "I'll lead. Clive to my right, Ma'am to my left." I said, "If we're attacked, ranged first."

"Yes sir (gr)." Followed by Tetsu's mild protest, "Aw... but I wanna bite them."

The light from Raphtalia's spell, and even my own ability to see in the dark, seemed to just... stop about ten metres ahead of us. This was a continuous effect too, from the moment we got into formation. But Usa wasn't giving us warning, and nothing suddenly jumped out of the shadows, so we simply remained cautious.

Then Usa said, "I wish I could just leave."

Followed by Raphtalia, "Always so cold. Are we just tools?"

Then Tetsu, "One day, I'm gonna take over!"

And then I said, "As soon as this Wave crap is over, I'm throwing them all away and leaving."

I looked back at the Witch, "Let me guess? Some kind of monster?"

She seemed shocked that I knew, but it wasn't hard to guess. Even in the echo of the tunnel, and the guilty looks of my party, I could tell those voices came from in front of us... someplace.

"It's a monster that mimics speech and dark emotions from the people near it." She said.

Not wanting to leave those thoughts unaddressed, I looked over my other shoulder, "If you ever feel you can make it on your own, I'd be happy to set you free. But I need you to help me do my job." I looked ahead, "And you're damn right I'm going home after this!" I 'stuck' the shield to my hip, then made a linked hand gesture.

Ahead, a bright angry ball of gold/purple foxfire all but exploded into existence. And just like we had all practised, I knelt, bringing up the Shield. "Ranked fire!"

Clive and Raphtalia started shooting over my head at the clusters of monsters revealed by my foxfire. They looked like head sized bats, and cat sized rats. "Voice Gengar!" The Witch said.

"They're just snack sized!" Tetsu roared (quite the sound in this tunnel), at least waiting for Raphtalia and Clive to pause their shooting before stomping forward and snapping a giant bat out of the air, one of her front legs snatching a rat off the ground and eating it the moment she'd finished her mouthful of bat.

Then ALL the lights went out. My foxfire, the glowing Ko-steel, the light on the end of the Witch's staff... This wasn't just 'dark' but 'absolute black'. Even my eyes saw nothing at all. "Cease fire!" I shouted.

Ahead of me, I heard Tetsu growl, "Ow!" Then a heavy stomp, "Ow! Stop that!"

Behind me, Clive hissed in pain, but then Usa said, "They're around our legs! Clive jump up!"

I felt something bite my leg as well, and even saw my HP go down just a tiny bit. But I switched the Shield to the Black Dog Shield and used it's secondary ability of 'watch dog' then set it to its smallest setting. There was a grunt, then a sharp crack! as Usa's whip lashed out, "Ignore me!" I called out.

"Yes Sir! Raphtalia! Jump!"

A half dozen little shapes triggered the Shield's proximity alarm, and from my crouched position I just bumped things with the Shield, triggering the dog heads to lash out and snap at the formless shapes. Another crack! Then the Witch said, "I am the source of all power, hear me and understand my reasons! Fast Anti Blind!"

And just like that, the lights of my Foxfire and Ko-steel lamp came back on. Ahead, I saw Tetsu stomping on things, blood and monster bits spraying about. Clive, Raphtalia and Usa were a bit beaten up, exposed flesh covered in claw marks. I had taken a couple surprise nibbles too, and even my poor tail had a bit of fur missing.

And there were a LOT of fleeing rats.

"Tetsu! Duck and cover!" I shouted, an Air Strike Shield appearing in front of her, between us and the rats. I'd even put it upside down, so the flat side of the Kite Shield that it represented would cover her legs better. "Ma'am? Burn them all."

The Witch looked surprised, but she kept her wits about her and spoke rapidly, "I am the source of all power. Hear my words and understand them! Zweit Fire!"

A wave of fire rushed down the tunnel, and behind my Air Strike Shield, Tetsu curled up on herself, gripping her tail to keep it protected. The rats had no such protection, nor did the Gengar bats...

The fire vanished as magic fire does, leaving behind a tingle over the fur of my tail and the smell of cooked monster. "Usa?"

He huffed, a little out of breath, but then said, "Some are still alive. But nothing past this area."

"Good. Recover!" I called out, "Who's hurt? Anyone? Tetsu! Don't eat them all just yet!" I sighed as the dragon started sniffing then snapping up dead monsters.

"But..."

"Just wait until we can cut a couple up." I sighed, "Thank you." I said to the Witch, "Can you use healing magic?"

"Sadly, no." She admitted.

"Help me apply medicine then." I said, pulling bandages and healing salve from the Shield.

Voice Gengar (bat form) Shield: conditions met

Voice Gengar (bat form) Shield: ability locked: sound wave endurance (small)

Special Effect: Megaphone

Voice Gengar (rat form) Shield: conditions met

Voice Gengar (rat form) Shield: ability locked: blind endurance (small)

Special Effect: Megaphone

"Ah, something new with the Shield Sir?" Usa asked as I sighed.

The others laughed, while the Witch looked puzzled. So I showed her, the face of the Shield turning into a large bat head with an open mouth. On the back, there was a small mouthpiece. "Usa? Ears under."

I waited until the Bunny Man put his long ears under the metal and leather lining of his helmet, then for everyone else to cover their ears.

"Boo!" I said quietly into the mouthpiece, only to have it screech out of the mouth of the bat on the other side of the Shield. Before talking again, I switched it back to the Hagane Red shield, "Seems about ten times or so amplification. You'll never miss the dinner call now."

Tetsu leaned her big head down and brushed her forehead over my shoulder like a cat, "We'd never miss your cooking master!" She said, "Though... I'm not sure if I like these little things cooked or not."

"Probably have more of them in the tunnels." I said, "How's everyone's wounds?"

We were all (yes even me) sporting a bandage or two, each one of them pre-soaked in a healing salve. "A little itchy." Usa said, not scratching at the bandage on his leg.

Clive nodded, also not scratching at a bandage around his arm. But he did pull his bow back to show it wasn't a problem.

"Good. I'll lead. Tetsu, no running off without calling it next time!"

"But..."

"No." I said firmly, "Friendly fire is NOT. You got lucky this time. The arrows they are using are VERY painful to pull out. You've seen us all call a charge. Just do the same."

It was kind of funny to see something so large sulk like a child. But I made sure to give one of her eye ridges a little rub, just enough to make her sigh happily, before patting her chin and moving ahead.

Ahead, where my foxfire was leading the way, I was starting to catch reflected light coming back. My tail could feel a breeze coming in as well, and it brought the scent of monster with it.

I held up a hand, halting the party, and looked back to Usa.

"Something sleeping. Very large." He whispered.

"Clive?" I said, just as quiet.

He put the hood of his stone grey fur cape up, then went ahead of me on near silent feet. We all waited for his return, or a growl of warning if he had to run back, but less than a minute later, he quick stepped back to us. His lack of words was a problem, but the least he could do was bring back numbers.

"Gr..." He held up one finger. When we nodded, he used the other hand and held up two fingers.

"One monster, two ways in?" I asked to make sure. He nodded. "Very well. I'll lead, draw its attention. Ma'am? When you spot the other way in, keep an eye on it. Usa? Protect her. Tetsu, call out your charge so we don't have to pull arrows out of you later. Raphtalia, when Tetsu charges, so do you."

They all nodded, but the Witch looked amazed, "You sound like a General."

"Captain." I corrected, "Call out problems as you see them, Usa, Ma'am, make sure we can retreat."

We all crept forward, the tunnel becoming more and more reflective, much like the Light Metal mine had become as we got further in. Finally, we all stopped at the wide tunnel exit. I was reminded of the fight with the Two Headed Dog. Big open room in a mine that had been taken over by a large monster.

I even knew what this monster was called before my status window showed me its name. Appearing in purple above a helpful little downward pointing triangle, was the name 'Nue'. Tiger striped, baboon faced and with a snake-like tail. It was napping on a pile of gathered gravel and bones, not a care in the world.

I held up my hand, then held up my index finger to Clive. He nodded, and switched arrows from a broad headed hunting arrow, to a needle pointed stiletto arrow. Armour piercing. With how the monster was curled up, it would have been hard to find a good soft spot. It didn't really have much of a neck, it's face was partially obscured under an arm, and its fur, at least the version I knew, would have been extremely dense.

So, I picked up a rock, took a step into the room, and threw it. It 'clacked' hard near the beast, and it perked open an eye.

Then Clive let fly, the dagger pointed arrow zipping through the air and leaving a little cut through one of its simian ears. That brought it to full alertness, and it jumped to its feet, roaring at our interruption to nap time.

I ran forward, yelling out to get its attention on me, throwing another stone that bounced harmlessly (but clearly annoyingly) off its broad nose. I had just enough time to think I this was a bad idea, when the massive beast slammed into my Quill Shield, the porcupine quill covered face compressing into its lowered shoulder as my boots slid backwards over the floor. It outweighed me by at least three times, but I had done exactly what was needed.

One of its hands gripped the edge of the Shield, its huge monkey mouth trying to bite me around it. But then a pair of arrows stuck into it, one into its arm, another deep into its shoulder. The immense weight of its body lessened slightly, and I threw myself into pushing it back further.

"Gonna charge!" Tetsu called out, not actually waiting for a return signal before I felt her stomping her way towards me.

"Enemy to the right!" Usa called out.

"Gr!" Clive replied, his next arrow zipping off someplace to my left.

"Coming in!" Raphtalia called as well, her voice almost lost as the effort I was using to try and meet this thing head on was making my ears throb in time with my heartbeat.

I was not expecting to suddenly be without an opponent. I nearly fell under Tetsu as she jumped over my head. Arms out, mouth open, back legs up like a raptor, she slammed into the Nue with every pointy part she had.

I staggered with the sudden lack of opponent, and jumped backwards to get clear of the sudden melee of claws. Raphtalia took a half second to make sure I didn't fall over, then charged in as well. Tetsu, to my surprise, at least for a moment, had the upper hand. Her cannonball into combat had reversed the momentum, and she managed to get her maw clamped over one of its forearms, while her arms/front legs, fended off its other arm as it tried to punch her in return.

Raphtalia managed to get under them both, leaving a cut on the monster's leg, when I felt every hair on my body stand up. "BACK OFF!" I yelled.

Not in time. The Nue went to one knee, but instead of trying to throw Tetsu off or kick at Raphtalia, its entire body lit up with electricity. The two of them screamed in pain as curls of lightning bristled from its tiger striped fur.

Suddenly numb, it had no problem flinging Tetsu off of it. Its tail was about to flatten Raphtalia, but with a succession of clank noises, I wrapped her up in the Shield Prison. Then, to stop it from hitting Tetsu, I put an Air Strike Shield between them. Its fist slammed off the spectral shield, and it recoiled, turning its attention back to me.

"Master!" Tetsu groaned, "Noise!"

I braced against another fist, turning my body and punching it in the nose. It did no damage, but I just wanted it to stay focused on me while they recovered. "What?!"

"It doesn't like noise!" Tetsu said, back on her feet now, "I can keep fighting!"

"Let me out!" Raphtalia called from inside the Shield Prison.

It felt oddly convenient that a monster that hated noise, would be in a cave full of monsters that made noise. Of course, that was the kind of world I was in I supposed. With a thought, I dropped the Shield Prison and Air Strike Shield, and backed off again, throwing a handful of dirt into the Nue's face just so it would ignore Tetsu an instant longer.

I got my Shield up just in time to deflect another long armed fist, feeling the shock of it through my shoulder, but just as its fist bounced off me, Raphtalia and Tetsu slammed into it again, the smaller girl cutting at its legs again, while Tetsu chomped on its arm again. The monsters from the other tunnel must have been cleared as well, since the Nue suddenly sprouted another arrow, and a small ball of fire hit it in the chest.

Tick tick... The Air Strike Shield came off cooldown, just in time for my fur to start bristling again, "Back up!" I yelled, the two of them throwing themselves to the side, away from the Nue as its body started to spark again.

This time, they got clear, and I shouted again, "EARS DOWN!" And summoned another Air Strike Shield in front of me, "Change Shield!"

Instead of the flat spectral kite shield, what appeared instead was a three metre tall shield with a stylized screaming bat face. The Nue tried to run through it, but it was still just as solid as a normal Air Strike Shield. Except this time, it was also a Megaphone. I took a deep breath, put my forearm over my ears.

And screamed.

I let out a full fifteen seconds of my very best screaming roar. Even with the megaphone pointed away from me, I could feel my skin ripple with the refracted noise from the cavern walls. From the corner of my vision, I could see Raphtalia and Tetsu with their hands clamped over their ears, the raccoon girl actually dropping her sword to do so.

I only stopped screaming when the edges of my vision started to dim from lack of air, and on the sixteenth second, the Air Strike Shield expired, and last of my scream tailed off into a VERY stunned looking monster.

Ears, eyes and nose bleeding, it managed to wobble on its feet for a half second... Before Tetsu stomped forward and clamped her jaws over its entire head with a CRUNCH that felt deafening in the fading echo of my shout.

"Crunchy!" Tetsu said, "Oh right... I have to wait, don't I?"

Notes

The Fox says... FUS RO DAH!

Thank you for reading! And if you want to see any full colour art, join the discord!

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