{|} Chapter 3-A: A Talk Between Goddess's {|}
} A-Part {
After traveling for a good while across the surface of the ocean on a motorcycle with low flying abilities, Chris, Aqua, and the still unconscious Kazuma finally arrived on the mainland and had taken shelter at a small village off the coast so they could let the bike's power cells recharge and so they could get some much-needed sleep.
Currently, Aqua was on watch duty with Kazuma while Chris went out to scout around the village they had stopped off at in order to see if she could find something, anything, that they could use for food. Aqua had insisted on doing the search herself but Chris told her, in no uncertain terms, that she sucked when it came to finding anything that wasn't alcoholic in nature.
Naturally, Aqua had taken offense to that insinuation, not that it changed anything. At present, she was sitting in a chair, her arms crossed over her chest as she huffs while keeping her eyes locked onto the door, one finger tapping impatiently against her upper arm.
"Damn it Eris, why did I need to stay behind with this perverted NEET anyways? It's not like he's just going to get up and walk off on us. And you know what's even worse here? I'm so annoyed that I can't even bring myself to have a little drink to help distract me from this stupid task."
Despite her complaints, Aqua was worried about Kazuma... just a LITTLE bit. After all, he hadn't woken once since that whole him turning into the Lich creature, then going to town on poor Cecily when she hadn't been at her best.
Aqua then sends Kazuma a passing glance, her eyes softening ever so slightly.
'What the heck was that all about back there anyways? You turned yourself into such a nightmarish form. Doesn't that mean your soul has been sold off to some sort of devil and if so, then why is Eris so dead set on keeping you safe? I would think she, like me, would want to see him destroyed right away.'
Aqua then hears a slight groan from Kazuma, or at least she thinks it was a groan from him and not something else. She quickly gets out of her chair and moves to his side, waiting expectantly for something else to happen from him. However, Kazuma remains in his deep sleep, making her shoulders slump which takes her a second to realize, making her become annoyed again.
"You little... Curse you, you damn pervert. Making me feel anticipation at the thought you were going to wake up then disappointment when you don't. For playing with a goddess's feelings and expectations like you just did, I'll have to make you suffer some serious divine..."
She stops, her focus fixated on his face.
"Ugh... fine, I'll forgive you just this once, but only because you have a somewhat cute fa...?"
Aqua then realizes what it was she was about to say, making her immediately shake her head furiously before smacking her cheeks hard with her hands.
"He's not cute, he's not cute at all. There's no way in hell that I would ever call someone as ugly as this guy cute. I mean, I would have to have pretty low standards as a goddess if I was to consider a guy like this NEET here cute. Wait, what about Eris?"
Aqua then recalls back to earlier, when she had seen Eris alone with Kazuma, holding his hand and looking so worried. She hadn't really thought about it before, but now...
"Eris, do you... actually like this pathetic excuse for a man? No... no, that can't be possible. I know Eris is still, in many ways, a child who still has a lot to learn. But surely even she isn't the kind of girl who'd allow herself to fall in love with someone like this. While she may not be as beautiful as me, Eris is still quite the looker and could easily win the heart of any man so why would she even want to..."
Aqua then recalls that it wasn't just Eris. Kazuma, if memory served, had himself a party full of many beautiful girls who seemed to care about him. Just what could a guy as unattractive as him have that would make him be successful in getting so many lovely girls, a goddess included, want to be with him?
Her eyes then slowly drift from his face, down to his chest, then finally to his pants.
'Maybe he has a manly physic under those clothes... nah, even I can tell he's no beefcake. Maybe it could be because he has a...'
Aqua then laughs, a forced laugh that is, at the very notion of the though she just had.
"Hah, that would be the day. As if a NEET could ever be packing down there. In fact, just looking at him, I can tell he's probably in the SMALL department as far as THAT goes!"
Aqua then does a nod at her own personal determination guess.
["Lady Aqua, isn't that going a little too far? I mean, for one thing, you haven't even seen it so how would you even really know what that guy's size is?"]
"Oh great, that evil spirit is talking to me again. How many times do I have to tell you... get out of my head already, less I send your wicked soul screaming back to hell!"
Aqua wasn't sure, but she believed she heard a sigh following her declaration. She then goes to return to her chair, finally feeling like drinking something. But she stops, her eyes going back to Kazuma. She then recalls what the voice had said, about how could she know without seeing it for herself first.
She rolls her eyes before walking back over to Kazuma's side.
"This is all your fault you know, evil spirit. Now I have to look in order to prove my impeccable guess work is indeed accurate."
["Eh? Wait a moment, lady Aqua. I didn't mean you should..."]
Aqua ignores the voice as she reaches out and grabs onto Kazuma's pants. She then takes in a deep breath, ready's herself, then puts all her strength into yanking his pants off, exposing his 'son' to the world. Aqua then looks at it for a moment before a coy smirk forms.
"Hah, I knew it. He really is small. There's no way something that pathetic looking could ever please a goddess like Eris, to say nothing of any mortal girl."
["LADY AQUA, what the hell! I can't believe you actually did that. Don't you have any shame?"]
"That coming from the evil voice in my head that told me to do it. If you didn't actually mean it, then don't dare me to do it."
["I didn't tell or dare anything here. I only said how would you know without having seen it before. You actually pulling his pants down to see it directly was all you."]
["Hey, what are you talking about with lady Aqua, Tsu... AH, MISTER KAZUMA's... AHHHHHH!"]
["Wow, Clover actually fainted from seeing her idol's..."]
"Oh great, now there's two of you. That's it, I'm drinking two bottles at once as that's the only way to give me some peace and quiet for a bit."
["You really are impossible, lady Aqua. I mean seriously, actually doing that to that poor unconscious guy. Also, don't you think it's a bit rude to declare him small when his thing is in its limp state. Shouldn't you wait till he's further erect before you go declaring... oh no?"]
Aqua looks at Kazuma's thing again, despite her better judgment. The voice did have a point, as much as she hated to acknowledge it. Just because his thing in its limp state is small doesn't mean he would still be small when in 'full attention.'
"Fine... fine... fine, if this well settle this little debate between us, I'll take one for the team, as it were, and see what he's capable of."
["NO, LADY AQUA... DON'T. THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING HERE!"]
X amount of time later, Chris came walking back to the little shack she had left Aqua and Kazuma alone in. Flung over her back was a bag filled with a few items. It wasn't much but it should be enough to give them a little reprieve from the growling of their stomachs.
"Man, this has been a bad day... so tired too. I wonder if Kazuma has woken up yet?"
She goes to open the door to the house but stops and makes her way over quickly to the motorcycle. She examines the power dial, finding it would be back at full within three hours. Knowing how long they had to sleep with, she returns to the door and steps inside the house, only to freeze at the sight awaiting her.
Her eyes go wide with horror as she looks at Aqua, who had failed to notice her return. Chris then looks at Aqua's hands and what they were currently doing.
"AQUA, WHAT THE HELL?"
"Huh? Oh, there you are Eris. Did you find some food? Please tell me you found some food for us to eat because I AM STARVING!"
"Forget about that, Aqua. Answer MY question and tell me what you're doing with Kazuma there."
"Huh? Oh this... I'm just answering a question posed to me by this damn voice that keeps speaking to me inside my mind. Gotta say, he's a tad bit more impressive than what I had originally expected him to be... but only just a TAD!"
"I don't care about any strange voices, which is probably your angel assistant Tsunami talking to you. Why I want to know is WHY YOU FELT THE NEED TO DO THIS?"
"Because, as you know, I'm someone who needs to know once a question enters my... wait, why am I doing this? Oh my god, my divine and pure fingers have touched a NEET's di..."
Chris, not waiting any longer, goes running over to Aqua to force her to stop doing what she was doing.
"For the love of... stop stimulating him, Aqua. If you don't, then he'll probably blow his..."
And it was at that moment that the inevitable happened. And a few seconds later...
The sounds of Aqua and Chris screaming out rings across the land!
} B-Part {
"I've been defiled... I've been defiled..."
"Oh give it a rest, Aqua. You don't see me complaining over here and besides, it was all your fault anyways!"
"Well of course you wouldn't be complaining, Eris. Don't think I haven't noticed how you look at that perverted guy. It's obvious that you like him so being covered in his... Anyways, while it may be fine for you but for a refined lady like myself, what happened was... Now I can never marry because of that."
"As if you'd ever marry anyone anyways. No offense, lady Aqua, but you love yourself way to much to ever give your heart to another!"
"What? How dare you speak to your sempai like that!"
"Well, she who dares wins as they say."
"I have so many things I would like to point out where that statement's concerned, but I'd rather sit her in silence so I can try to purge the memory of what just happened before from my mind forever."
"Fine with me, seeing as I'm feeling dead tired and would like to get some sleep before we set out from this place."
"Fine (Fine) Fine (Fine) Fine!"
Silence fills the darkened room as Chris, laying down, closes her eyes. Aqua, who was sitting up, huffs at seeing Chris's actions as she also finally lays down, turning her back to her kohai. Aqua tries to go to sleep as well, but her mind was still too active with various thoughts running rampant. Aqua finally lets out a sigh before sitting up again and saying-
"So... what's going to happen now?"
"... Well, I can tell you what I know isn't going to be happen RIGHT now, which would be sleep. Beyond that, I guess we'll be heading off to the Volshire Mountains which, if my guess is correct, we'll need to make one or two temporary stops at, then lets the mountains be our next major rest stop, then we'll be off to the to our final destination. Beyond that, well... I guess we'll find out, won't we."
"Actually, I was talking about what's going to happen once we escape this bonkers world we've found ourselves on now. I mean, after everything that's happened, what's going to become of my darling faithful... and your own faith too, I guess."
Chris is quiet for a moment before she finally responds.
"I don't know. If I had to take a guess, it's not going to be good for either of us. In regards to my faith, I'm sure many who were in Axel when it all went down will find their faith shaken. Not their faith in me, I'm guessing. Rather, what will come into doubt will be their faith in themselves."
"What do you mean?"
"(sigh) Faith can be a sensitive thing. Once they have regained their senses, I'm sure many of my followers will experience all manner of negative thoughts and emotions towards themselves or perhaps towards me, or maybe even a bit of both. I fear what happened will result of me losing many of my followers, both from those who were at Axel at the time, including members of my church, and possibly lose followers who weren't at Axel by are responding to the word of mouth."
"Why would they walk away from being your followers?"
"For some, probably because they feel they don't deserve to be among my faithful. They'll probably think and feel that they failed me because their faith wasn't strong enough to keep them from being made to turn to your faith. Even if I speak to them all, once I can return to my full godly form, my words alone may not be enough to quell their doubts, fears, and regrets. On the other end of the spectrum, I could also lose followers due from the thought that I failed the faith because I couldn't stop any of what happened from happening. And if I'm being honest, I wouldn't blame them if that's how they feel."
"Eris..."
"Maybe I should just accept it, Aqua. Since I took over after Kismit, I have found I haven't been as affective as I could have been, given my powers. Sure, I've done a decent job, I think, in the early days. But here recently, I can't help but feel I've been doing nothing but fail time after time. I failed to notice the presence of the Charisma Choker in the possession of Alonzo when he was literally right beside me. I failed to sense that Aldarp had both a Divine Relic and a Devil Artifact till after he used it to hurt Kazuma. I failed to notice that Aldarp wasn't even Aldarp, but a far more evil soul who had been stealing bodies from many innocent souls over hundred years. I failed to notice my friends walking into the Scarred Lands till after the fact. I failed to find Cecily in time. And I'm currently failing at finding the source of the mana drain happening in the world. Failure, failure, failure, that's all my legacy seems to be about these days. Maybe it's time I pass the torch onto another, more worthy, god or goddess and return to being a full mortal!"
"Would that really make things better, or make you happier, Eris?"
Chris sits up as Aqua averts her gaze for a moment, then looks back at her with the most serious and sincere expression.
"I never thought I'd say this aloud, let alone admit it to anyone so be sure that I'll deny this later. But the truth is... you are a FAR better goddess than I could ever hope to be, Eris."
"Aqua, that's not... well..."
"See, you know it, everyone else knows it, and I guess even I have known it deep down. You actually care about everyone on your world, not just your followers. Even my faithful, you try to show kindness too. Me, on the other hand, if if doesn't concern my faithful and me specifically, then I just ignore it. As far back as I remember, I've never taken anything seriously than didn't exist within my personal world."
"You give yourself to little credit, Aqua. Sure, you can be... shallow and self serving sometimes... OK, all the time. But I believe when push comes to shove, you'd step up and do what you can for others if the need was great enough."
"Thanks for saying that, Eris... even though we both know that's not true."
"Aqua..."
"Anyways, I'm sure your faith will be fine in the end. Same probably can't be said about my faith though. My followers are screwed, huh?"
"I won't let that happen, Aqua. I'll do everything in my power to make sure everyone knows what Cecily did wasn't the desire of your entire faith. Sure, there will probably be some who refuse to listen and may bring acts of violence down upon the Axis, but it won't be as worse as you're thinking it'll be."
"And Cecily?"
"... I'll do what I can for her too, but I'm afraid she may have to be a sacrifice in order to save the rest of the Axis. I'm sorry Aqua, but all that she's done, I don't think forgiveness is in the cards and I'm not just talking about what she has done in Axel either. I've seen her file and you should know she's used the rather loose tenets of your faith to go about doing a lot, and I do mean A LOT of questionable things. Once all this is over, I'll let you have a look at those files, Once done, you'll need to ask yourself this question; would I be willing to forgive someone for doing these kinds of things if they weren't of my faith?"
"I know... I don't like it but I know. Once I am able, I'll be speaking to my darling faithful and let them know that changes are coming to the faith. I'll use Cecily's actions as my excuse for making these changes. You'll help me with writing up the new tenets, right?"
"I already told you I would, case you forgot about it. We'll also make sure to write them all down on the right parchment and use the correct ink so none one can come along at a later date and change it so they can justify their perverted and questionable ideals."
"Right. Now, I guess we should go to sleep, like you suggested before... Oh right, I've also wanting to ask you about your past. For example, why is the NEET... I mean Kazuma so important to you?"
"That's... a long story and I do mean a long story. Far to long to tell you right now, otherwise we'll never get any sleep here. Once we're on our way, I'll tell you everything as a way to pass the time when we're on the road. Is that OK?"
"Sure. (yawn) Well, time for some much needed nappage!"
Aqua lays back down, pulling the covers over her head. Chris smiles, say a silent thank you, before laying back down herself. She closes her eyes, awaiting sleeps fast approach.
"Oh, and Eris... if it makes you feel better, you can at least say you weren't as bad at your job as the god or goddess who was in charge of THIS world!"
"Yeah... wait..."
Chris sits up, looking at Aqua who had already fallen asleep.
"(quietly) Aqua, don't you remember? You were the goddess who..."
["She doesn't remember, lady Eris!"]
'Huh, who's... is that you Tsunami?'
["Yeah, glad to know you remember me at least."]
'How could I forget the one who has to cover for Aqua when it comes to, well, everything. Anyways, what did you mean when you said Aqua doesn't remember?'
["It's exactly like I said. Lady Aqua doesn't remember being the goddess of Arbel. There's a lot to tell you but I know you need some sleep too, so I'll cause a sleep to come over you and relay the information to you by way of a dream. Anyways, let's begin shall we."]
Chris finds herself laying back down, her eyes closing naturally and sleep washing over her before she can even think about it. There was dark for a few moments...
Then came the dream!
{|} Chapter 3-B: Something Isn't Right Here {|}
} A-Part {
The Draugr's attack came fast and hard. Moving with a speed one wouldn't expect to see from something that had the appearance of an undead, the creature moved forward, heading right towards Serena while bringing its ancient blade around with the intention of cutting her in half.
"Oh no you don't!"
shouted Darkness, moving just fast enough to get in between the Draugr and Serena, angling her blade so it could block her foes slash. Serena quickly backs off as the Draugr continues its attack, now against Darkness, by swinging its blade this way and that, always coming from a different angle with each swing.
"Darkness, can you keep it busy for me for just a couple of seconds. I'll use my strongest purification spell on it but I need time to unleash it at its full power."
"Leave it to me."
said Darkness, continuing to block each attack though it was becoming obvious that it was becoming harder and harder for her to do so. As Darkness finds herself being pushed back closer to Serena, Cielo comes in from behind the Draugr, planning on going for a back attack.
Cielo shouts a battle cry as she sends her fist flying towards the Draugr's back, aiming to paralyze it. Instead, the Draugr, seemingly sensing the incoming attack, pushes Darkness back before spinning around and catching Cielo by her throat using its free hand, then sends her slamming into the ground with enough force to make her cough up blood while knocking the wind out of her. It then goes to run her through with its blade.
"Light of Saber!"
shouts Yunyun, sending her signature spell slamming into the Draugr. However, it didn't appear to have done any damage to it as it turns to send her a glare. It then emits a low growl like sound before it charges at her.
"Yunyun!"
shouts Darkness, knowing she wouldn't make it in time to block the attack.
"Sacred Purification!"
shouts Serena, a piercing light blast from her hands to envelop the Draugr, leaving nothing of it from a pillar of light that bathes the room with its shine.
"Yunyun, you OK?"
asked Darkness, finally reaching her side. Yunyun nods, then looks at her hands while saying-
"Something's wrong. My spell... it wasn't nearly as strong as it should have been."
"Probably because of the anti-mana particles in the air we've been seeing in the form of that rising and falling fog."
said Cielo who had finally recovered and had limped over to them. She adds-
"We'll need to be careful from here on out as I can tell my own abilities have been lessened a great deal in here. My speed was slower than what I'm use to and I'm pretty sure my punch, if it had landed, wouldn't have had the same impact as it normally would have."
Darkness mentally agrees as she felt something was feeling off with her own body as well. She glances down at her sword, seeing the blade, which was made of the best metal available, had various nicks along it now from where the Draugr's attacks had landed. The fact it could do this with its far older blade said a lot about its power.
Darkness then looks to Serena, seeing she had moved closer to the pillar of light, and asks-
"Serena, what was that thing? You called it a Draugr. Is it some kind of undead monster and if so, then how could it move so fast and be that aggressive?"
Serena doesn't respond, her attention focused on the pillar or perhaps on the Draugr itself.
'No doubt about it. That was a Draugr... but why did it try to attack me. If memories serve, the Draugr serve lady Regina, meant to protect the place where she is sealed away from those who would do her harm. As her high priestess, I would also fall under their protection so why would one suddenly appear...'
There was a flicker in the pillar of light, making Serena halt her thoughts. She narrows her eyes, trying to see beyond the light...
And the blade comes swinging out, partially slashing Serena's neck which sends blood spraying outward. Serena, seriously injured, stumbles backwards before collapsing onto the ground as her vision begins to quickly fade.
'What... what just... it really is attacking me. And what's more, Vengeance didn't activate. Damn it, I can't focus my mind enough to heal... my...'
"Serena, hold on. I'll save you!"
said Cielo, rushing to her side and using all the healing power she could call upon. Darkness roars, now going onto the offensive with her own strikes. Luckily, she had chosen to not equip the special item Vanir had given her to return her accuracy to zero so her attacks were actually landing.
Yunyun was also sending spell after spell at the Draugr, hoping to distract it just enough to allow Darkness a chance to land a damaging blow. The Draugr didn't even bother guarding against those spells as Yunyun's magic had already at a weak enough state that it was more or less pointless.
As Cielo continues working on saving Serena, the follower of Regina is able to turn her attention to remembering what she knew about the Draugr warriors. While it was difficult, she was able to remember two key details. With a weak, almost whisper like voice, she says-
"Draugr... can sense all incoming attacks... only weak point... chest... either left or right side... opposite its dominate hand..."
Cielo, able to hear her though just barely, turns to look at Darkness and Yunyun, who had switched from using magic to using her dagger, and shouts out-
"Pierce its chest, opposite from the side its holding its blade with!"
Darkness and Yunyun nod as they begin to refocus their attacks, but even then, with the two of them working together, it just wasn't enough. The Draugr creature was fast and skilled as it was easily overwhelming them, pushing them back instead of the other way around.
Finally, Darkness finds the upper end of her blade snapping off from the relentless impacts, distracting her just enough to allow the Draugr's blade to slash at her face. If not for Yunyun jumping in, pushing Darkness back, the blow would have killed her. Instead, it just left a nasty looking scar lined out between her nose and eyes.
Once more, the Draugr growls as the two girls fall onto the ground, its blade being reoriented to end them both with a final strike. Cielo goes to rush the Draugr, hoping to stop what she knew was coming. But before she could move...
The Draugr's body jerks as a blade cuts through its front chest armor. Everyone looks and finds Megumin directly behind it, Chunchunmaru in hand as she had used it to land her surprise attack. Megumin narrows her eyes as she says in a low voice-
"We really don't have time for you so stop slowing us down!"
Megumin then pushes the blade down, practically cutting the creature in half. Once it was on the ground, Megumin walks up to it, sends it a hard stare, then steps on its head and using all her strength to crush its head into the ground.
"OK, that was a thing. Care to tell us how you..."
"Megumin, how did you do that?"
cried Yunyun, interrupting Cielo who turns her attention to healing up Darkness now.
"Strategy 101, as taught to me by Kazuma. Wait, stall for time, and find your opening at the most opportune moment."
"And you managed to catch it off guard how?"
asked Darkness.
"Maybe because I don't currently have any active mana inside my body, because of that stupid potion Chris tricked me into drinking. Honestly, who knows but I can at least say one thing here. (she then turns her gaze to Chunchunmaru) Kazuma's sword truly is strong, just like he is!"
They all nod, then Cielo turns her attention to Serena who was finishing up the healing her neck needed after she had pushed Cielo over to helping Darkness.
"So, as was asked a few moments ago. Care to tell us what you know about that thing... seeing as you know it well enough to call it a Draugr before."
"... Honestly, I don't really know all that much. Far less than I thought I knew at least. I read Draugr are a kind of undead, yet my purification spell didn't effect it even in the slightest."
"Couldn't that be because your magic is being weakened just like ours is being in here?"
"Maybe... but even then, I should have still done SOMETHING to it. Instead, I did nothing; nothing at all. What's more..."
"What's more?" x3
Serena doesn't respond to that, instead thinking-
'It was actually able to cut me, hurt me. It nearly killed me. If not for Cielo, I would be dead. That doesn't make any sense. Even if the Draugr are agents of lady Regina, they should still be bound by the laws of Vengeance. And for that matter, why would it suddenly appear now and attack, especially when it didn't appear when I came through here last with Melissa and Dust. Could it be because...'
Multiple cracking sounds fill the room as multiple stone coffins have their lids either get pushed off to the side or fall forward onto the ground. Moments later, multiple Draugr emerge, ready for a fight.
"Looks like we have our work cut out for us. Look alive people, we're not done here with these guys yet!"
And so, the group began their fight against the small army of Draugr that had arisen before them.
} B-Part {
The fighting was finally over. It had been a hard fight, with many way to close calls for anyone to feel comfortable with. Currently, the girls were either sitting on the ground or hunched over, with hands resting on their knees as they all take a moment to catch their breathes.
Around them were the many scattered Draugr bodies, all finally dead-dead. Or at least they were hoping these creatures were all dead-dead. Luckily, it seemed like they had finished them all off which was a good thing as their mana was more or less drained completely. While they weren't at zero, their mana was low enough that any further offensive or support magic wasn't going to be possible.
Darkness, looks at her now broken sword then says-
"Well, this isn't a good sign. Please tell me we're done fighting for the moment."
"I think so. Still, we shouldn't linger here any longer than needed."
says Cielo with Yunyun quickly adding-
"I agree. We can't be sure if more of those things could be coming after us, then there's our need to find Kazuma and Cecily."
Cielo and Yunyun stand as Darkness straightens herself out. They go to move only to stop and find Megumin, who was currently sitting on the ground over in a corner with her legs crossed. Her eyes were closed and her head lowered, signaling that she was clearly lost in thought or perhaps focus.
Yunyun goes to walk over to Megumin, to more directly get her attention, but stops as she hears Cielo say-
"Serena?"
Yunyun looks, seeing that instead of walking over to them, she had moved over to one of the Draugr, leaning down beside it while running her hand along its body. Darkness then says-
"Serena, what are you doing?"
"Doing an examination on these creatures. What does it look like I'm doing?"
"Um... but do we have time for something like that? I mean, ever second we waste is another second that Kazuma could be..."
said Yunyun, with Serena cutting in to say-
"Kazuma's... I'm sure he'll be fine. We'll... we'll get to him before it's too late. Still, this is something I need to do before we proceed. I need to know what brought these creatures out of their slumber. I get we're on a time frame here; believe me, I know that better than anyone. But still..."
Serena then turns, finally giving them her attention.
"Just give me fifteen minutes here. Fifteen minutes to see what I can learn from examining these things. Then we'll continue onwards. Till then, just sit down, take a moment to rest and recover, and maybe even start recharging your mana. Something tells me you're going to need it where we're going."
Thirty minutes, they were still in the same room. Darkness, Cielo, and Yunyun were sitting together. Megumin was still off in the same corner she had chosen to sit at,with her eyes still closed. And Serena was still doing her little examination on the Draugr, clearly oblivious to how long it had been since she started. But her thoughts were very much aware of certain things.
'No doubt about it, something set these Draugr into action. I thought it could have been the presence of two followers of the goddess Eris, but that clearly isn't it. Seeing as they didn't appear when me, Melissa, and Dust came through her before, it can't be because of us nor can it be from the presence of an outsider, otherwise they would have reacted to Dust.'
'Then there's the strange powers they appear to have about them. They could actually resist my Vengeance; successfully injury me without suffering the same injury themselves. What could this mean and what exactly did trigger their awakening? Did Melissa do something?'
Serena had many questions now, but she knew one way or another, she will have her answers soon. Either once she sees Melissa again or once lady Regina had finally been freed.
Off with the trio, Darkness was keeping her eyes focused on Serena, her eyes having a focus one would only give to someone they suspected of treachery. Darkness wondered if the others were having the same thoughts she was currently having when...
"Testing-testing, one-two-three..."
"Huh, what? Wait, is that you, Yunyun?"
"Yes, I am Yunyun. Can you here me now too, Darkness. Is my link good? What about you, Cielo?"
"Yeah, I can hear you both just fine. What was that before, Yunyun? That whole testing-testing schtick?"
"Oh, that was a suggestion Kazuma gave to me when it came to using my Telepathy spell for mental communication. Said it was traditional to say it from where he's from."
"And seeing as it was something Kazuma suggested, you naturally decided to go along with it."
"Well, yeah. Why wouldn't I, Cielo?"
"Never mind that. Good thinking on using Telepathy between us, Yunyun. There's some things we need to talk about while we have the time."
"Hold that thought, Darkness. Can you hear us, Megumin? Megumin? What about you, Serena?"
"Actually, I'm not connecting with Serena as there's stuff I want to ask you guys without her listening in..."
"Then I'm not alone in having certain thoughts, I'm guessing. What about Megumin? Why aren't you connecting with her at least for this?"
"Because I can't. Remember, Telepathy needs mana in order to function properly. Seeing as Megumin is currently void of mana and will be so for the next few months, according to Chris, there's not a whole lot I can do to work around that."
"Then never mind that. We'll see if we can fill her in later, if the opportunity arises. Go ahead, Yunyun."
"OK... um, well... how should I put this..."
"Let me, Yunyun, since I believe we're both on the same page about this. Cielo, have you noticed it with Serena; all the contradictions in everything with her that's happened so far."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, we know Cecily was with Kazuma, Chris, and Aqua when we lost contact with them. Serena said she saw Cecily taking Kazuma into the temple, then added she followed them up to seeing them enter the catacombs despite saying before she only observed them going into the Cathedral before seeking us out."
"There's also the fact she seemingly knew more about the Draugr than she wanted to let on, such as how she knew how to injure them. There was also the level of surprise she showed when the first Draugr appeared, a detail that implies she had been through this area before and hadn't encountered them."
"... Hm, now that you mention it, those thoughts did cross my mind as well, like when she knew what all that strange fog we've seen rising and falling from sight. I was trying not to have any doubtful thoughts though. I mean, Serena is our friend... isn't she?"
"I want to believe she is too, but I can't help but have my doubts now. There's also another mystery we have to consider. Where's Chris and even Aqua in all this. I mean, Cecily acts like Aqua is THE goddess the Axis faith believes in. I can't believe she would abandon Aqua for any reason so long that remained true. Then there's Kazuma. I refuse to believe Cecily could ever best him in a one-on-one fight, especially with his full power being used which, given what was going on, I'm sure he wouldn't hesitate for even a second to use against her."
"Yunyun's right. None of this is adding up now that I'm really giving it thought. What do you think, Darkness?"
"For now, let's just see where Serena is leading us. Keep your guard up with her now, though. At least until we're sure she's still our friend."
"And if she isn't?"
"Then let's hope we can deal with her and whatever it is she may have planned that requires us."
Cielo and Yunyun nod. Yunyun then looks at Megumin again, thinking-
'Megumin, I wonder if you've noticed any of that. I wonder... what are you thinking about now?'
Over with Megumin, she was currently lost in thought as well. While her face would indicate she was annoyed at the lengthy wait Serena was making them endure, the truth was Megumin was focused on something far more vital, in her mind, at the moment.
'Almost... almost... all... there you are, Kazuma.'
In her mental world, she was floating in the dark, save for a pulsing light coming from off in the distance. She had one hand held out before her, a small tether of energy leaking from the light connecting to her hand. It had taken her some time to make the connection with the Reiki that she had taken back from the Praegem, who had stolen it from Wolbach, but she had finally managed to do it.
She allowed herself a moment of satisfaction in this little victory. She had been told it would take her months, perhaps even years, to make a connection with the core of the Reiki. She had managed to do it in under a month. Granted, it was only a sliver of a connection, but it was better than nothing.
Once the connection had been made, her first action had been to use her newly enhanced senses to get a reading on Kazuma. She didn't know, or even understand, how she knew how to do this, nor did she know how she knew the feeling she was sensing was indeed Kazuma's presence.
She just did!
Perhaps it had something to do with memories she couldn't recall at present; memories that implied she may have had a life beyond her life as Megumin. Didn't matter, in the end. All that mattered in the moment was she could do this and that was enough.
'OK, I can sense Kazuma's OK... for the moment. Strange, I can also sense that he's somewhere far away from here. I can also sense two others close by with him. I think it may be Chris and Aqua. I can't sense Cecily though... can't sense here ANYWHERE, actually. That's both a good thing and a bad thing.'
Megumin allows her sense of Kazuma to linger for a bit, smiling as she feels his warmth almost responding to her, reaching out to her. There was something off with him, though. Was this off feeling connected to his Lich powers or could it have something to do with Entropy?
I didn't matter for as long as at least one of them was at his side, Chris in this case, she was confident that Kazuma would be alright in the end.
With that, Megumin breaks her sense with Kazuma, though doing so made her very soul ache. She now turns her attention to Serena and what awaited them going forward. There was no doubt in Megumin's mind that she could feel the sheer potency of darkness coming from Serena. Her intentions, whatever they may be, were truly not to be trusted.
'I guess Kazuma was right about keeping an eye on her...'
(back during early arc 10)
After seeing the others off, Kazuma and Megumin found themselves alone at the mansion with only Chomusuke there to keep them company. They had just returned from doing Megumin's daily Explosion and were lounging around when...
"Oh crap, I can't believe I forgot to tell everyone."
"Hm, what did you say, Kazuma?"
"Oh... well, you see... Remember when I told you all about what happened with me and Anna while you guys were off on that special quest from the guild?"
"Yeah, that the two of you were sent off to some other timeline and helped saved an alternate Kingdom of Belzerg from an evil version of that Aqua girl we met back in Veridae. Still not sure if I should believe all that or if you were pulling are legs there."
"I can get that. Anyways, I was letting my thought linger back to that little adventure, wondering if Iris is doing OK and in doing so, I recalled something important I left out when I told you all about it. It concerns Serena!"
"Serena?"
Kazuma then tells Megumin the portion of the story he had failed to mention before and once he was done, Megumin thinks about it before finally saying-
"Does this mean we can't trust our Serena, even though she helped us out before?"
"Honestly, I don't know. Perhaps our Serena is a good guy in our timeline or perhaps she only aided us because it would make things easier for her in the long run. I'll need to alert the others about this once we're all back together and I'll need you to remind me, should I forget again."
"Will do. How will we know if she is more like the alternate Serena, Kazuma?"
"Hm... I guess if a day ever comes when she goes to lead us into those catacombs beneath the Erisia Cathedral, then we should prepare ourselves for any number of treacherous actions."
(present)
Megumin remembered his words to this day, which is why she had been on edge since reaching this place. At first, she had assumed that maybe Serena had kidnapped Kazuma and taken him down into this place and was now leading them down into the dark below to join him.
But she now knew Kazuma wasn't anywhere near here.
While she wanted to end this cheap charade Serena was playing them with here and now, she decides to let it continue on for just a little bit longer, as it gave her a needed distraction from worrying about Kazuma and his current unknown location.
'Don't think you can fool this Crimson Demon, Serena. I'm on to your little game with us. I don't know what you're plotting but I plan on having a surprise for you in case you do try to do anything to us. But for right now...'
Megumin looks at the pulsing light, her eyes narrow as she begins to put more effort into drawing the light fully into her being.
'Let's see how much of this Reiki I can draw out to make use of in the future!'
{|} to be continued... {|}