"Run like the wind, Filo! This feels amazing~!"
"Maybe you should lighten up on the alcohol, Cana…"
"Don't lump me in with sir pukes-a-lot back there. I can hold my liquor just fine! Though there are plenty of other things I can hold onto if you're worried about me, Lucy~"
"Eeyah! My boobs aren't plushies, ya know!"
"Christ, even my sky magic can't cure the headache you guys give me," I groan, forced to listen to Cana and Lucy's banter.
That's right, the drunkard shop owner sits in the back of my carriage for once. It's been a few days since we defeated most of Eisenwald, and we're on our way to claim our reward. After the dark guild was arrested, the people of Juste's domain asked if they could do anything to repay us. Given that we're still lacking an outfit for Filo, I asked if they might know anywhere we can get some magic stones. Luckily for me, they actually came through. Not so luckily, their solution is an old series of caves known to hold many valuable treasures, including magic stones. Thing is, said cave system is also teeming with monsters. If we want to get the magic stones, the six of us need to go on something of a dungeon run.
And since none of us know how to identify and mine magic stones, I'm forced to bring Cana along.
"Oh, don't be such a buzzkill. The book I gave you has been a real help, right? So you should be nicer to me," Cana drawls, hanging from my back. Her clinging annoys me, but I can't deny there's some truth to her words. The grimoire she gave me not only taught me quite a few impressive spells, it only informed me of my magic's origin. As it turns out, the healing and support spells I'm so proficient in belong to a domain known as sky magic. More than anything, though…
"She's got a point, grouchy eyes. Thanks to her, I can actually ride in a carriage, haha!" Natsu cheers, walking on his hands in the back of the wagon.
That's right, one of the spells I learned from the grimoire completely relieves Natsu of his motion sickness. Naturally, he's ecstatic about the whole thing. I, meanwhile, am just happy I don't have to hear his whining.
"Papa, I think I can see that cave thingie from here," Filo chirps from the front.
I face forward to see she's right. About thirty feet in front of us, amid the numerous canyons and caverns, is a large egg-shaped opening. I guide Filo towards it, and we park the carriage about ten feet outside of it. We quickly exit the wagon and approach the cave. Just from the little bit I can see, I can tell this is gonna be a long journey. The opening chamber is massive, able to fit two of the shops in castle town, easily. Extending from there are multiple smaller paths held up with wooden supports. Clearly, we're far from the first adventurers to come through this place. I guess its reputation as a chamber of riches is well founded.
"Oh boy… Please tell me you aren't planning on having us search every single one of these," Lucy pleads.
"Not if I can help it. I don't wanna spend all day in a cramped cave either," I tell her. "Problem is, I don't have any idea where the magic stones might be. I'm open to ideas."
"Ooh, I might be able to help out here," Cana announces, strolling over with a half-empty bottle of wine in one hand. She takes a few seconds to down what's left before tossing it aside and grabbing her tarot deck.
"Can we even trust your readings with the state you're in?" I question.
"Hush. It's not like you have any better ideas," she snaps, before turning her attention to her cards. Cana lays them out in a pattern that only makes sense to her. It doesn't look like anything special, but I can sense the flow of magic from her actions. After a minute, she points at one of the tunnels and says, "That's our best shot!"
The rest of us exchange a look of uncertainty, but it's not like we have any better options. We begin walking down the tunnel, with Cana and I in the lead. The passage isn't wide enough for more than two of us to walk side-by-side, so I put Lucy and Filo in the middle, and send Natsu and Erza to guard our rear. We walk down the tunnel for a good while, guided by the light of my torch.
"I don't know if it's a good or bad thing we haven't seen any monsters yet," Lucy says.
"Careful, Lucy. You're gonna jinx us with talk like that," Cana teases.
As if in response to their words, my torch suddenly goes out. Thing is, it didn't go out naturally. We're under some kind of attack. "Keep your guard up-urk!" I grunt, interrupted by a sudden pain in my side. Something just hit me! I swing my shield to the left, but connect with nothing but the open air. Around me, I hear cries of surprise and pain from my allies.
"I'm so sick of getting nothing for all my efforts. I've tried so hard to be a good friend and Naofumi still treats me like a bother…" I hear Lucy say from behind me. It's odd, though. Her voice sounds far away even though she's only a couple feet behind me. Of course, none of that stops me from feeling cold at her words. I turn to face her, feeling a chill up my spine. "I should just take out my whip and-!"
My whole body tenses, and in the next moment I feel something cut my shoulder. Did Lucy seriously-!
"There's more than a dozen of these little bastards around us! I can smell them!" Natsu barks. Behind me, I can see his flames cut through the darkness, followed by the pained screams of whatever we're fighting. "Everyone, hit the dirt!" He shouts, and we all move to respond.
"Fire dragon's roar!"
A pillar of flames almost as wide as the cavern cascades above my prone form. With its passing comes many pained cries as our unseen enemies are burned to a crisp. I can hear them fall to the ground, and one drops near me. Now free of any immediate danger, I relight my torch and take a look at it. It looks like some kind of demonic bat monster.
"Ugh, I read about these monsters. They attack in darkness and use magic to make people hear the last things they want to," Lucy explains, kicking one to the side. My heartbeat steadies at her words, and I work to quiet the voice in my head saying she's a liar.
I try to distract myself by absorbing the monster into my shield. I unlock a new form called the bat shield, but that's not the first thing on my mind.
"Hey papa… you would never say those mean things I heard earlier, right?" Filo asks, scattering my thoughts.
I'm not ashamed to admit her words weigh on me. Filo's so inexperienced in a lot of ways, and she puts a lot of stock in our relationship. Whatever those bat monster's made her hear, it can't have been good.
"You don't have anything to worry about, Filo. You're invaluable to my work," I say.
"Um, okay…" Filo drawls.
"Don't let those dumb bats trick you, little buddy. We're here for you," Natsu chirps, smiling brightly. Filo nods at his words.
I spare another look at Lucy, who notices my stare and says, "What is it?"
I turn away, not really in the mood to talk about what I heard. "It's nothing. Let's keep moving, and everyone keep your guard up."
The others voice their acknowledgement, and we keep walking. After a while, I notice Cana keeps shuffling her tarot deck and drawing cards. "What are you doing?"
"My card magic is pretty versatile, Naofumi," Cana explains, a smug smile blossoming on her face. "I've got tons of talents, one of which happens to be scrying." I open my mouth to ask her what the hell she's talking about, but Cana suddenly stops and holds up a hand.
"Don't stop all of the sudden, card lady! I almost ran into a wall!" Filo complains.
"What's up?" I ask, preparing for another fight.
To my surprise, Cana takes a few steps forward and begins staring at the wall of the cave. After a couple seconds, she reaches out and touches it. Shockingly, the smooth stone gives way under her palm, and a small rectangular portion sinks further inward. There's a sudden shuddering sound, and the wall suddenly sinks inward and shifts to the side. Left in its wake is an entrance just wide enough for someone to walk inside.
"Haha, I knew it!" Cana cheers.
"Is the magic stone inside?" I ask, stepping beside her.
"Nope," she says, and the lone chest at the end of the room leads me to believe her. "But I don't think you'll complain if we grab a few door prizes along the way. We're in a dungeon full of hidden treasure, after all!"
I have a feeling the smirk on my face isn't very pleasant, but I don't really care. I follow Cana to the chest at the end of the secret passage. "Hm? There's something written here," Cana observes, touching a wooden plaque above the chest. I bring my torch forward so we can read it easier. "'We fervently hope this seed never reaches the light of day. It's a horribly twisted manifestation of our desire that no one feels the pangs of hunger.' Cheery, isn't it?"
I shrug and say, "Maybe some collector will be interested in it, so we can avoid any trouble."
Cana opens the chest, only to reveal that it's empty. "Well that's a letdown," she grumbles.
"Guess it must've already been taken by bandits or something," I say. We leave the hidden passage with nothing to show for it, but Cana has the right idea with her scrying. I'm not gonna say no to more treasure, especially if it means I make a tidy profit from this adventure.
We continue traversing the cavern, and Cana keeps uncovering secret passages that hide treasure. That card magic of hers really is something else, though it's annoying to split the loot sixty-forty with her because of it.
Ah well, it's a small price to pay.
After another hour of searching, I notice the cave widening, and Cana looks up from her deck to say, "We're close to the magic stones. If my readings are accurate, they should be in the chamber up ahead."
"Thank god. We've been down here forever!" Natsu groans, and Filo swiftly joins him. I sigh and pick up the pace. Honestly, I'm starting to get sick of this place too.
The chamber we enter into is wide enough to fit three swimming pools, though the space isn't uniformly rectangular. It's broken up by giant shards of glowing crystal. The magic stones, I presume.
"We're not alone in here, Naofumi," Erza suddenly tells me, drawing her sword. I raise my guard in response, changing to my strongest defensive shield. I carefully edged my way around the room, and spot it beyond a particularly large crystal.
There's a large lion-like monster resting in the center of the chamber. While its body looks like a lion's, it has a snake tail complete with sharp fangs. If anything, it reminds me of the legends I heard about Nue as a kid.
There's no way we're getting the magic stone without taking it down, and even if we could I want to power up my shield with the monster materials. As such, I approach the Nue with Natsu and Erza flanking me. Cana and Lucy ready their respective magic's behind us, and Filo doesn't seem to get what's happening but is ready to fight.
I step into the Nue's range, and it reacts immediately. The beast rears back on its hind legs and swings its claws at me. I block the attack with my siderite shield, and Erza darts around me to strike at the enemy's flank. Unfortunately, the Nue's snake like tail lashes out, and Erza is forced to defend herself with her sword. With things as they are, however, the Nue has no way to defend itself from Natsu's attack. His flaming fist slams into the beast, scorching its flesh.
The Nue howls in response before retreating, taking a large leap back. "Now that's just poor form," Cana taunts. She's standing behind Nue when they land, a circle of tarot cards surrounding the beast. Cana slaps another card in front of her, and her magic responds in kind. A large hole abruptly opens up under the monster, sending it tumbling down.
"We're not done yet!" Lucy calls, sliding beside Cana with her whip at the ready. The Nue is clearly a hardy beast, as it's already scrambling to escape the hole. Of course, that's when Lucy strikes. With a deft flick of her wrist, she ensnares the Nue's front leg's with her whip. Then, she sends it falling to its back with a simple tug.
I don't even need to hear her voice to know my role. I change to the wire shield and use its skill to entangle the Nue's hind legs. While the two of us struggle to keep the thrashing monster contained, I turn to Erza and call for her help. She doesn't need to be told twice, approaching us with a spear in hand. She stops at the edge of the hole and prepares to throw the spear, and then Filo suddenly screams, "No papa, get back!"
Before I can question her warning, the Nue's mane suddenly flare's upward. Out of nowhere, purple lightning erupts from the downed beast. It travels far and wide, shocking me, Erza, Lucy, and Cana all at once. We're thrown from our feet, and I grunt in pain as my back collides with a giant magic stone. While I regain my bearings, the Nue is quick to action. It climbs out of the hole and races towards Cana's prone form.
"Hi-yah!"
Filo suddenly comes racing in from the side, slamming a kick into Nue's chest. The monster roars its indignation, swiping at Filo with its claws. She ducks under its attack, and Natsu comes barreling in by her side. "Fire dragon's wing attack!" He cries, coming in like a spinning top.
Nue is tossed back by the flames, and Filo follows up with a spell of her own. "Zweite tornado!" With a flap of her wings, she sends the Nue flying with a powerful whirlwind. Once more, the raging beast is hurled into the air before crashing to the ground. The monster struggles to stand, but it's clear that its on its last legs.
That, of course, is where Lucy comes in.
"Open, gate of the golden boar, taurus!" She declares. The mighty spirit comes to life in front of the Nue's flagging form, and with a single swing of its heavy ax, cleaves the monster in twain.
I let out an unconscious sigh of relief as I carefully bring myself to a stand. Our fight is over, and now not only do we have the magic stone we need, I also have a new monster to feed to my shield. Before I can think about any of that, though, "Is everyone alright? I know that thing got me good, so don't try and lie about any injuries."
"That lightning attack caught me off guard, but I should be fine with a bit of rest," Erza dutifully reports.
"Can't say the same for myself. Spare me some of that sky magic, will ya?" Cana grunts from her crouched position. I swiftly cast some healing magic on her, and she breathes easier.
"And you, Lucy?" I ask.
She carefully pulls herself to her feet. "I-I'm hurt, but I'll manage just fine."
"You're so full of shit," I groan, and cast some magic. Lucy pouts at me, but her health is more important than a few mean looks. With her taken care of, I turn my attention to Filo. "Thanks. You were a huge help in that fight," I say earnestly.
"Hehe, thanks papa!" She chirps happily.
"And what about me, grouchy eyes? I did a damn good job too, right?" Natsu adds.
I scowl, "You're not getting paid extra. We all fought the damn thing."
"You're way too mercenary, Naofumi," Lucy says with a sigh.
I ignore them and say, "Now that the Nue's dealt with, we should grab the magic stone and go."
With my piece said, everyone gets moving. Lucy and Erza grab the stone while I absorb the Nue into my shield, unlocking a new form appropriately called 'the Nue shield'. I return to the rest of my party, but notice Cana doing something off to the side.
"What's got you busy?" Lucy asks.
Cana doesn't reply with her words. Instead, she tugs on one of the larger magic stones as if it's a leaver. To my surprise, a small mountain of magic stones splits down the middle and opens up. I'll admit there's a small part of me that's really enjoying all these secret passages and hidden treasures. I walk to her side and peer over her shoulder. A treasure chest lay in the middle of the split magic stone, and just like the last one, it's completely empty.
I can't help my sigh at that.
"I'm getting real sick of missing out on treasure," Cana gripes, echoing my thoughts. If it weren't for the drinking and the stupid jokes, we might've gotten along well.
Something catches my eye, and I grab it from the corner of the chest. It's a small folded piece of paper. Some kind of note, obviously, but why would someone leave a note in an empty chest? Just to taunt whoever finds it next?
As I open the note to read it, I find out my guess is half-right.
The note is written in this world's language. A couple months ago I would've been totally clueless because of that, but I've been studying a lot with Lucy. It still takes me a few minutes to piece everything together, but when I do, this is what it reads.
"To whomever might be reading this, I plead with you. Do not remove the flute found inside this chest. It is a creation of the black wizard Zeref. A damnable demon called Lullaby. Since it cannot be destroyed, we can only pray that it never sees the light of day again…"
"Lullaby…?" I mutter aloud. It didn't sound so awful to me. But my words make Lucy's eyes snap to me.
"What did you just say?" She asks nervously.
"It's on this note-"
"Let me see that!" She snaps, snatching the note from my hand. I have half a mind to berate her, but Lucy's horrified expression gives me pause. "You've gotta be kidding me…"
"What is it, Lucy?" Erza asks, concerned.
"If this note is for real, then that empty chest was housing Lullaby!" Lucy cries.
"What's the big deal? Don't tell me you're scared of kids," Natsu interjects. I don't get what's got them so worked up either, but I still can't help but face palm at his question.
"Natsu, you idiot! Lullaby is a demon made by the black wizard Zeref!" Lucy berates.
"What exactly does that mean?" I ask.
"From what I've read, Lullaby is a flute that casts death magic when it's played. Hearing even a single note might be enough to kill someone!"
That's more than a little alarming, "And now some random adventure has it?"
"We can only assume at this point," Erza cuts in, her expression even more serious than normal. "Even so, this is troubling news."
No kidding. If the note's still here, there's a chance whoever grabbed the flute has no idea what they're carrying. They could easily hurt themselves and others in a single moment of ignorance.
"Not to sound too combative or anything, but there's not a lot we can do about that now," Cana pipes in. "I'll make sure to let the authorities know when we get back, so they'll keep an eye out, but for us it's mission accomplished right?"
There's something about her breezy attitude that immediately alleviates the tension, and draws a smirk to my face. "She has a point. We'll keep a look out for this flute, but it's not like we've got any clues to go on."
I can catch the faintest hint of a blush on Erza's cheeks as she says, "Ah, that's true. I forgot myself for a moment."
"Hey, can we get out of here already~? I'm hungry!" Filo chirps.
And if that's not a cue for us to go, I don't know what is.
0 0 0
After getting back to castle town, things moved pretty quickly for us. Cana informed the guards about Lullaby like she said, though she chose not to mention our involvement to make sure they take it seriously. Annoying, but probably necessary given my reputation.
After that, Cana fixed up her weaver and Filo started making the magic thread. It's a remarkably long process, so we spend it playing cards of all things. I didn't expect to find myself doing something like this after being summoned to another world, but I guess not every moment can be a big adventure.
"Haha, a straight! Try and beat that!"
"You don't have a straight, moron," I berate Natsu after seeing his hand. "The ace can only start or end a straight. You can't go king, ace, two."
"Wait, really?! Why the heck not?!"
"Them's the rules, buddy," Cana chirps.
"You're lucky we're not betting on this," I snark.
"Full house!" Lucy cheers, laying down her hand.
And suddenly, I'm glad we're not betting on this. I lay down my three of a kind with a soft sigh. Erza collects all our cards and starts to shuffle. As I'm looking at my new hand, Filo approaches the table.
"Papaaaaaaa, I'm finally done. Can I get some food now?" She whines, and I notice she looks pretty tired. I guess forming the magic thread really took it out of her.
"Sure, Filo. You've earned it," I tell her earnestly. We stand up and prepare to leave, so I turn and tell Cana, "You do good work. I'll come by next time we need some grimoire's."
"Don't sweat it. You're welcome as long as you bring along Lucy."
"Eeeyah! Not again!" Lucy wails as Cana excessively gropes her.
I can only sigh.
After that, we enter the clothing store and hand over the magic thread to the crazy seamstress. She excitedly takes Filo to the back and begins working on her outfit. While she does, Erza and Lucy peruse the store's other wares. Lucy even tries on a few different outfits, though she doesn't bother asking for my opinion. I guess she realized from last time that I'm useless at that stuff…
Twenty minutes pass, and the seamstress emerges once more. She looks noticeably haggard, though no less enthusiastic despite that. "C'mon Filo, it's time to show everyone how adorable you look!"
Filo steps out from the back, and I'm far from disappointed. She's wearing a snow white dress with blue lining along the sleeves and bottom. The bottom also has a feather-like pattern similar to Filo's wings. Normally I wouldn't notice all those things, but I'm kinda forced too when the seamstress won't shut up about it.
"I did a hell of a job if I do say so myself!" She exclaims.
"Well papa, what do you think?" Filo asks me expectantly.
I can't bring myself to blow her off, "You look fantastic."
"Yaaay!" She cheers, running up and giving me a hug. "Love you!"
Lucy and the others swoon and chuckle at Filo's words, pointedly ignoring my glare. Oh whatever. At least Filo seems happy with her outfit. Now that I don't have to worry about paying for her clothes, I ought to turn my attention to other things. My trade, for one, but also Lullaby. It doesn't make any sense, but I have a feeling this won't be the last I've heard of it.