Disclaimer: I don't own related works by Aneko. Some information may be wrong and iffy. I apologize for any mistakes.
D:
oOoOoOoOo
The following day, his Spear decided it got over its past grievances and was attached to his hand once again. Non-sparking and docile, as though the events from last night never happened. But his sore, tender hands told another story.
It hurts to put pressure on them.
His bandaged hands (Bandages that he felt oddly ashamed to ask for. Never giving the reason why.) taught him that even if he was summoned as the Spear Hero, he was no exception to being punished.
Even if he didn't know the reason why he was punished. (Was it because of his death? Or how he died? Or was it because of that strange dream?)
There was a difference between treating this Spear as an ordinary weapon and a self-aware Holy Artifact that it rightfully is. And this hero wouldn't receive a warning notification every time that he broke the rules.
So Motoyasu gingerly held his Spear. Unsure how he could respectfully hold his Spear without offending the weapon. Along with not putting too much pressure on his tender, too tender hands.
It was a strange dilemma.
One made apparent when a few weirded-out glances were thrown towards him during breakfast. When the young man tried his best to make sure no dirt or stain got onto the Spear.
The blond was unsure if he should leave the Spear on his lap, attached to his back, or just to hold it up until his arm grew numb.
So he swapped between all three. Until he gave up and left it leaning against his side, tip facing upwards.
And if it weren't for his strange behavior before, it was also how people reacted to him. Well… not as though he was doing something weird from his previous and out-of-character actions, that he admitted he felt almost embarrassed about. But as though there was something on his face that made him look weird.
As though he was a strange, quirky type of person that they should be on high alert of. Like some sort of rebel...
(An outsider.)
Those types of people that try too hard to stand out. The typical outsiders that are decked out with dyed neon hair, numerous metal piercings, and ripped leather clothing. And last time he checked, his dyed blond hair shouldn't be too offensive, judging from the atrocious hot pink hair one person in the crowd had from yesterday.
But from Ren's double-takes when he first saw him or how the guards kept staring at him with fierce eyes, told him otherwise.
It wasn't until towards the end of breakfast that he finally relented and asked Naofumi, the only friendly face around.
"Do I have something weird on my face?" He asked the downtrodden hero.
Naofumi jumped up from surprise. The Shielder was too invested in inhaling his eggs in one whole bite, tiny bits of yolk dripping down from his mouth. Motoyasu quirked up his lips at the sight.
Cute, he thought.
Naofumi blinked his bright green eyes, taking a couple of seconds to chew his food like a puffed-up chipmunk before swallowing it.
"Ummm…" He hummed with a tap on his plate, squinting to stare at him before pointing his yolk-dripping fork at him. "Your eyes. They're weird. I always thought you had blue eyes."
His own fork dropped, clattering against the empty plate. Eyes swiveled towards the two.
"Excuse me?" Motoyasu asked with a placid grin. His hands trembled underneath.
The hero let out a small laugh, chuckling as though he couldn't believe his response. The man was cheerful, upbeat as though Naofumi told a funny joke that he couldn't help but ask to repeat. Yet his eyes, desperate eyes bore down at the Shielder, begging him not to say more in front of their audience.
They're watching, his red, RED eyes warned.
"I could've sworn you said my eyes weren't — they were..." He hesitated. (No, don't say that. A rookie mistake. They're suspicious. You know better than that.) "They changed color." (That's better.)
"But that couldn't be it, right?" He stated, not asking. Not wanting this question to be answered.
His outwards appearance was genial as always, cheerful of course. But calm and joking, languid in how he tilted his head in a way that's cocky yet lax. Saying, 'Yes, perhaps maybe I'm wrong. But would it be wrong to challenge that I'm not right? Come on, Naofumi. Please, just give me this little victory?'
Yet his inwards thoughts portrayed a different story.
'Blue eyes, Blue eyes, Blue eyes. I have blue eyes. I have blue eyes right? What did he mean that they're NOT blue? If they're not blue, then what color are they?' Were the thoughts racing through Motoyasu's head.
(There was something wrong with that statement.)
His hands spasmed, not from this new revelation, but as a reminder from the night before. He hid them out of view before anyone could notice.
"You don't wear colored contact lenses?" Naofumi wondered. The Shielder previously thought that Motoyasu was an eccentric character from wearing one, not two blue-colored contact lenses like a chuunibyou. Though he was surprised that Motoyasu had red eyes, thinking that they were red-colored contact lenses instead of blue just because he was blond.
"No? I don't wear them." He replied. His neck prickled from the realization that his eyes turned blue somehow. The food that he swallowed from before suddenly became several pounds heavier in his gut. Ren, who was sitting next to him, stilled his movements.
"Well, they're turning blue again." Naofumi pointed out, looking at a loss for words. That caught everyone's attention, a few murmurs coming from the stoic servants and guards watching the group.
Guilt struck the hero, realizing that he probably shouldn't have said that part out loud.
Motoyasu flinched in response, reaching up to cover his eye. He stared down at the table, hoping his long bangs could hide this abnormality.
Blue eyes, blue eyes, blue eyes-
Motoyasu didn't have blue eyes.
What was he thinking? He originally had blue eyes. - Wait, he didn't have blue eyes. His eyes were… What color were they? A color different from blue. But were they blue before? They weren't blue. Right? So why are his eyes changing colors? How are they changing? Why, Why, Why -
Why can't he remember?
"Is it something to make a big fuss about? Changing the color of your eyes is a lame power." Itsuki sighed, poking the vegetable-stuffed meat on his plate with a bitter look.
Everyone stopped what they were doing, staring at the Legendary Bow Wielder.
"What?" He said, sensing people's unnerving and curious stares on him.
"Powers? Like superpowers?" Ren piqued up, mystified.
"Uh, if you mean powers over B-tier. Yeah. You don't have powers in your world?" Itsuki replied, raising an eyebrow. But then remembered Ren's previous statements about NERVE-chips and simulation. He realized that Ren's from a different world than him. In fact, all of the summoned heroes must be from other worlds, Itsuki figured.
The whole conversation was quickly redirected towards Itsuki's homeworld, where heroes, villains, and vigilantes run amok with superpowers that seemed out of this world. Motoyasu let out a relieved breath. Itsuki really did save his hind. He didn't expect that the straight-laced teen would come to his rescue, but he was grateful nonetheless.
Said archer cast a concerned glance at him, which Motoyasu returned with a relieved smile. Itsuki nodded in response before continuing the conversation, elaborately on the strict set of laws towards powered high school students to prevent vigilante activity. One thing that Itsuki felt strongly about, judging from his vehement tone.
Motoyasu listened to the others, feeling his nerves dissipate. That he started adding his own two cents to the conversation, making light-hearted jokes about how horrible his Emerald Online afterlife ("No, it's not Brave Star Online. Get it right, Ren. Oh, come on Itsuki, Dimension Wave? Really? Naofumi, don't add onto this.") would be if there was an obnoxious bureaucratic system in place.
The heavy-loaded conversations would've spiraled off into lunchtime. Still, unluckily it was cut off when it was announced that their Party Selection Ceremony would begin in an hour and a half.
That got everyone's attention, so they rushed to hurry breakfast and fix themselves up. The King left ahead of time to attend morning court.
From there, the journey to the throne room seemed like a blur. Motoyasu couldn't help but replay the previous events in his head, forever looping as he tried to figure out what's wrong with him. Even if he wanted to ignore everything that happened, blocking it out as some random estranged event. He can't say when his own Spear seemed to be in the middle of this case.
(Blue eyes. Blue eyes. Blue eyes.)
And if the same event happened in the middle of battle, nothing could save him. Not even a cheesy Deux Ex-Machina or some sort of other event. And if it escalated to the point where his Spear permanently rejected him?
He shuddered at the thought.
"- Motoyasu?" Itsuki called out, pulling him out of his thoughts.
Motoyasu looked up, surprised.
Itsuki let out an exasperated sigh. He's starting to sense a trend from this scatterbrained blond.
"Who do you think is going to win in a duel, Me or Ren?" He repeated himself. Motoyasu raised an eyebrow at the question, glancing between the two.
Itsuki looked self-assured of himself while Ren tried to hide his irritation behind a stoic look, but his twitching eyebrows showed otherwise. Naofumi was helpless in the background, shrugging when he met his eyes.
He contemplated on it for a moment.
"Itsuki would definitely win." Motoyasu stated after a heartbeat.
Ren groaned.
"See?" Itsuki crowed in victory.
"You don't know that!" He snapped.
"It's three against one. The votes are unanimous." Itsuki smugly grinned. "You can't exactly do much as a level 1 swordsman."
"I might have a hidden skill, and you wouldn't know it." Ren protested. Motoyasu doubted that.
"All of us don't have any skills, Ren." Naofumi corrected. Ren turned red in response.
"But you don't have any arrows." He pointed out. Itsuki only gave a vulpine grin in response, as though he was waiting for that answer all day.
"Don't need them. My bow can create an infinite amount of arrows." He demonstrated this by pulling back his drawstring, a wooden arrow materializing between his fingers. Said arrow then dematerialized as he slowly pushed back the drawstring, not having the intention to shoot it.
"Oh now, that's just unfair." Ren muttered to himself, cursing Itsuki's cheats. Motoyasu can only agree with that statement. He wondered about how much potential the heroic archer has compared to the rest of them close-ranged fighters. Motoyasu gave a casual glance at Naofumi.
Well… close-ranged heroes.
Poor Naofumi. It sucks being a Shielder without any ability to fight back. And if he did, it would've been a shitty subpar attack skill.
The 'pitiful' Shielder in question glanced up. Noticing his woeful stare, the young adult gave out a confused "Eh?"
Motoyasu felt old beyond his years. He was about to put his hand on Naofumi's shoulder and reminisce like an old, wise sect master teaching a naive disciple about the long road to cultivating the heavenly Dao; starting with the words, "Oh Naofumi, you poor Shielder main - " But before he could do that, the King's voice which boomed beyond the doors.
"May our Heroes enter!"
The four Cardinal Heroes straightened up, fixing their postures to present themselves better. The time for idle talk has passed. It was time for the Party Selection Ceremony.
With a drawn-out creak, the large mahogany doors slowly opened. Revealing the grandiose throne room and the twelve conspicuous adventurers that stood in front of the king.
They were all an intimidating and charming bunch. Motoyasu spotted a few knights mixed into the crowd, showing the variety of people they could choose. From the stoic and towering bulky knight to the petite and sweet-looking priestess.
The sight of Myne's vivid crimson hair caught his eye right before the ringing hit his ears. Motoyasu winced but was unable to do anything but walk forward with a stumble to his steps. The sound slowly increased in pitch and volume with each step, until it was the only thing he could hear.
The gravelly voice of King couldn't boom over the noise. It was subsumed. Fading into the background that he couldn't hear his grand-waving speech, recounting about their grand purpose as heroes. Nor of his boasts about the competency and skill these adventurers had to offer. Or of the murmurs of his compatriots beside him, taking first dibs on their pick of adventurers.
The only thing he could hear was the obnoxious and painful ringing in his head. Motoyasu can only stare at its source intensively, literally death-glaring at the red-haired girl who noticed his severe eyes.
Myne looked up. The girl smiled at him prettily, her eyes closing into sweet crescents while a kind smile graced her lips. She was like a sweet and genteel swan, graceful in the way that she tilted her head, revealing her delicate neck.
But all of that beauty that he admired before was washed away with the screeching in his ears.
Something in his head screamed at him to stay away.
Stay away from this charming beauty who gave him tinnitus. Stay away from this deadly femme fatale that made his ears bleed.
(He didn't know why, but he wanted to know why. Something about this redhead might have some connection to his malfunctioning Spear. Maybe?)
But he couldn't run. He could only grin and bear with the pain.
The adventurers scattered before them, practically rushing to line up behind each hero they chose. Not letting the rest of the competition hog the hero they wanted best.
They, the heroes, didn't have to choose? The adventurers themselves instead decided which person they wanted to party up with?
The title of the ceremony was very misleading.
And most of all, this didn't happened in the game. If that were the case, he would've picked the tower knight with the stacked Endeavor skill before the others.
It was only to Motoyasu's dismay that Myne decided to line up behind him. His eardrums were killing him, yet he kept a stiff smile. Despite how much the pain drove him up the wall, he can't show weakness in front of his prospective party. (He hoped they didn't have any shitty stats to bring him down.)
Keep a stiff upper lip.
Smile, the world is watching you. Smile, Myne is right behind him. Smile, he wanted to throttle this rose-haired beauty.
It hurts. It hurts so badly, that he wanted to cry.
Motoyasu tilted his head at an awkward angle, keeping one ear covered. In some vain hope to relieve him of the pain. And took the time to observe his own party. With Myne included: it was all composed of female adventurers. Not that he minded at all.
(But he did mind Myne hovering nearby.)
The Spear Hero unconsciously leaned away, taking a few steps back to look at the others. With each step, his tinnitus began to die down until it was an annoying buzz that wouldn't make him want to bash his brains out. He can handle it. He can definitely tolerate this buzz.
There was that priestess that he saw from earlier. The cheerful blonde was swaddled in white robes with a typical nun's headpiece draping over her hair. She spotted his stare, her eyes sparkling as a result. The girl gave out a beaming smile. Then she proceeded to do a series of rapid gestures. Her hands twisted and curled in a variety of poses, then went on to tap several points on her chest in some sort of religious prayer. Before she finally gave a deep bow to him, murmuring words that he couldn't discern from the noise.
He felt flustered, yet he was charmed by this eccentric and innocent healer. She's a real cutie. He rated her a 10, not because of her curves, but because she looked so sweet and angelic. With her blue eyes peeking out from under the headpiece, it was a sight that warmed his heart and swept away his pain.
A screech, and he instinctively took a few steps back. He looked up to see Myne taking a few steps forward, wanting to get close, wanting to be closer.
Yet he gave a bright, strained smile, hoping she would get the message.
The girl only looked confused —lost. But retreated at a steady distance, staring at him with a rueful look. A sinister expression that seemed too out of place yet too fitting. A paradox within itself.
'Sorry.' He mouthed to her, then turned to examine his third party member.
Next was a petite and small witch-like girl who seemed a bit too distant. Said girl had an iconic witch hat that was too big for her head, on the verge of slipping off and engulfing her whole head. She had dull red hair and had a mile-long stare that seemed too creepy for his tastes.
And her eyes…
Her eyes were just… weird. Weird that wasn't as obvious of having two different eye colors. But weird in the way that she wasn't exactly… all there. As though she viewed the world through a grainy filter, making the witch emit a sleepy yet unnerving air.
(It was in a way… too familiar for his tastes.. )
The witch looked up to him, tapping her chest in the same manner as the priest-girl. But in a shorter and condensed version that didn't take 5 minutes to do.
He rated her as a four. She wasn't too shabby in the appearance department but -
Motoyasu looked into her bleak, dead eyes and shivered.
She was just… creepy.
Definitely a 4.
And last but not least, was an absolute knockout of a woman. If the last two were missing all the qualities that made girls a beauty. Then this woman embodied all the missing traits that they needed. From her defined feminine face, to her heavy assets, and to the curves that her bulky armor couldn't hide. She was an exotic beauty, with dark ivory skin and enchanting golden eyes. But despite all those vivacious traits, she wore rough and weathered leather armor that made her all the more fierce. As though that she didn't care about maintaining her beauty but instead was interested in practicality. From the huge battle axe that hung on her back to the assorted baubles decorating her attire, some of them glowing with a light that wasn't clearly for cosmetic purposes. The model definition of an adventurer.
'A 10. Definitely a 10.' He thought with reddened cheeks. Motoyasu had the strangest urge to walk up to her, asking this valiant yet barbaric woman to do something to him. Something that he couldn't put the name to but would definitely embarrass him in the future.
For once, he decided not to listen to his impulses.
The barbarian woman leered at him. Arrogance practically radiated from her; there was an air to her different from the other adventurers. That if he was more vigilant, he would've immediately noticed her from the get-go of her overbearing posture. She gave him a single look over before scoffing, dismissing him from her purview.
A moment of hot anger brushed over, magnified by his pain.
('Don't look down on me.' A distant voice in his head whispered.)
But he swallowed it down after some effort.
Don't insult the pretty lady with the huge battleaxe, he reminded himself. Don't insult the only S-tier adventurer worth having.
A hand gripped his shoulder, shaking him out of his thoughts. Quite literally.
Naofumi stared at him with frantic eyes, a pleading expression on his face. Words spilled out of his mouth, but Motoyasu couldn't hear anything. Not with this ringing screaming into his ears. He could keep a placid smile on his face and nod, unsure of what Naofumi was asking him to begin with. Hoping his pained expression didn't show on his face. Until he noticed the situation around him, seeing the stares being pointed towards the two heroes.
The nobles were whispering, glaring at the two. Itsuki had a disappointed look on his face, shaking his head at the sight. And Ren only looked on, unmoved, but there was a hint of discomfort dancing in his eyes. And Naofumi - Naofumi looked so desperate.
Yet, he was ecstatic. His mood turned a whole 180 on him.
Naofumi's glistening eyes looked like they were going to spill tears out of emerald joy. It was as though he found water after a week's trek in the desert, finding the light at the end of the tunnel. Naofumi clasped his hands, shaking them out of delight as a long stream of what he assumed to be 'Thanks' and all those compliments spilled out.
Wait, what did he agree to? Motoyasu realized too late as Naofumi let go of his hands. The Shielder quickly ran behind him to talk to his party members.
Motoyasu turned around to glance at his own party, noticing there were 4 girls in his party instead of the standard 3. Said girls looked surprised. The priest girl was on the verge of tears. Ren had 5 people, and Itsuki was the only person who had the standard number of party members, 3.
Did he just agree to sell one of his party members to Naofumi?
The blond was shocked as he watched Naofumi ask each member of his party to join him. It was only to his guilty relief to see him quickly rejected, each one more dramatic and quicker than the last. With the Barbarian woman reaching up to her battleaxe that got Naofumi to promptly change his mind, the Shielder literally jogged away.
The Shielder reached the last girl in line with heavy, downtrodden steps, Myne. Said girl had a hand up to cover her mouth. A smile tugged up at her lips as she tried her best to hide her amusement, looking down on the despondent Shielder with a stoic face.
A wave of relief resounded within him. As long as it isn't anyone but Myne, he's okay with Naofumi partying up with her. Until a smidgen of guilt followed that statement.
But is Myne okay with that?
A glance towards the two showed that she was okay, the red-haired adventurer giving out a bright smile as Naofumi clasped his hands together out of gratitude. The man was basically down on his knees, looking up at the beauty as though she was his savior. He was a moment's notice from kowtowing before her and swearing his unfaltering loyalty to the adventurer.
What was there to worry about? Naofumi is going to take great care of Myne. And Motoyasu had a great excuse to get this annoying sound out of his hair.
It was a win-win situation for everyone.
Even if he didn't know why he hears this ringing noise every time Myne is in the area, he probably alluded to the weird magic that brought him here. That must be it. Magic.
(Why is it Myne? Was it something about Myne? Is it a warning? A curse? Or is it a blessing?)
(Stop Thinking.)
A screech.
Suddenly, a small but hefty pouch of coins was placed into his hands. Motoyasu looked up in surprise. It looks like they were already being given their funds as promised.
Now that Myne was at a far enough distance, he could hear at a bearable level. The white noise in his head buzzed in the background as though it was a loud song being pumped up by one of his siblings.
Even if he could barely hear, he could make the gist of what the King was saying. The King gave the heroes a monthly stipend as promised, and if there are any requests that the heroes have, they can provide to the best of their abilities. Another speech about the glories of Melromarc and defeating the waves with an added mention of grand prestige, rewards, and hints of a hidden quest that Motoyasu knew from the back of his mind. (Only things worth getting were early-game access to specialized magic tomes that he has enough money to buy and that weird gimmicky chalice for that Pope side-quest.)
Same old, same old.
Honor the land, honor the king, and all hail to the supreme goddess herself.
Your generic beginner cutscene where the game designers flex their lore, mechanics, and animation ability. Except this is real life.
(But how much of it is reality?)
The ceremony ended with applause from the crowd, and the heroes and their parties bowing deeply to the King.
oOoOoOoOo
After a round of arguments, Motoyasu and Itsuki had to begrudgingly give the best exp-grinding spot to Ren. Compared to Spear and Bow, the Sword is one of the weapons slowest to level. Especially in the beginning when one of the first long-ranged sword skills are unlocked around level 30, which is a huge gap compared to other melee weapons that unlocks their long-ranged weapon skills around level 20. They were all heroes, but they had to pity the Swordsman main.
Naofuni left beforehand, saying that he was going to see if he could equip a sword. The others didn't try to stop him, only letting the Shielder main experience beforehand that you can't equip weapons outside of your designated class. Especially if you're playing Emerald Online (Or Dimension Wave or whatever 5-star MMO equivalent.), said MMO differs in that subclassing is restricted towards craftsman and support classes. If you want to subclass, chances are that you can subclass as an Alchemist, Jeweler, Blacksmith, and etc.
And Itsuki claimed dibs towards the Shallow Mountains region. So Motoyasu was left between choosing the pest-populated Mountarac Hills or the sparse but dangerous Auric Fields. Motoyasu was inclined towards the former. He is experienced, but he isn't suicidal. He's not one of those players who try their best to level up quickly, undertaking risky endeavors for those extra experience points like Ren.
So Mountarac Hills, it is.
Speaking of his party members, aside from the rough beginning where his ears decided to fail him, they were a great couple of girls.
They definitely knew what they were doing, so Motoyasu didn't have to handhold them too much. Not that he minded, but it would waste time better used to level up, especially since he's starting out at level 1. And Spear wielders are fragile, comparable to Archers at low levels. But that would change once he saved up enough money for some enchanted silver armor that combo quite nicely with his weapon for that special set bonus.
Speaking of his companions, Justine was the cute and angelic priestess from earlier. She was eccentric in where she practically prostrated before him after the ceremony. After all, she finally got to meet her holy idol. It caused quite a commotion in town when she fervently swore her loyalty and recited the 7 commandments to the holy bible out loud.
The priestess would've done more, but Motoyasu quickly put a stop to that because as flattered he is that such a sweet girl is praising him, the others didn't share the same sentiment. Yet, he had a soft heart towards the healer. She was definitely a keeper.
Sybil was the designated strange girl of the party. Not that there was something weird about it. But it was in the air around her that just felt… weird.
Sybil was a million miles away when she talked, hazy and constantly daydreaming. That he felt that she wasn't entirely there. But there wasn't anything wrong with that… he thinks. But she was cute and helpful since she was one of their main ranged DPS members. And she was also valuable for buffs and other support magics; she would last for a while until he had to class-up.
But for now, he was content for the hazy mage to stick around until someone better comes around.
And Hildegarde or Hilda, the warrior, was something else entirely. She looked stunning, but she was like her worn, torn, and tough armor she wore—a fierce lady with a lot of pride and arrogance. Especially with the crooked grin, she held when she joined his party, showing off that there was a reason why she had the privilege to be arrogant.
She was blunt and aggressive, rough with her words, and almost wanting to provoke him in their earlier re-introduction. He tried to ignore her earlier insults out of courtesy and her very high level with a pleasant smile. But there was only so much he could take lying down. Yet, she was determined to irritate him.
"Fight me." Hilda said, announcing it out of the blue.
Motoyasu paused, then stabbed an orange balloon. "Excuse me?"
'+10 exp'
The woman rolled her eyes. She pulled out her battleaxe and dropped it onto the ground.
"I said, fight me. Do you want me to repeat it again?" She rolled her eyes, cracking her knuckles with a loud pop. Like she was actually going to commit to it.
A fight? Really? Right now while he was levelling up?
He let out a nervous laugh, holding up his hands in surrender.
"Listen, I don't fight gi- "
A fist smashed into his cheek.
The world spun, and he flew, crashing into the ground several meters away. A cloud of dust blew, irritating his eyes. And all Motoyasu could register was the sirens in his head and the red tinting his vision.
He lost so much HP -
And it hurts so much.
Motoyasu coughed up some blood, hacking from the pain. His face screamed at him. Oh god, that's going to leave a mark. But he can't - he can't -
His eyes flickered back and widened.
Motoyasu scrambled away, just as the earth rocked. Hildegarde, a beauty, an absolute dangerous warrior, landed at where he was a moment ago.
That could've been him.
The man wheezed. His grip tightened onto the spear. His arms shook, and he wasn't sure if it was from fear or hesitation. Fear from not being good enough. Hesitation if he should stab a girl - a woman, a female that he swore to not hurt, or not.
(Why would he stab his own party member?)
His own indecision forced him to move as she spun around, fist already flying towards his face. And he was on the defensive. Using the length of his spear to deflect her telegraphed fists. Left, right, right, left.
She weaved to the right, he moved back to the left. Back, he has to get back.
But Hilda refused to let him. She was on the chase as she took each step closer to him, each missed or deflected blow making the man sweat. Refusing him to get the space to use his Spear, she was all up in his face. Fists a blur as they found their mark. Either on his skin or slamming with a metallic ding onto the shaft of his spear.
This is absurd, he thought to himself. Struggling to defeat a girl with her fists out. And she didn't care that she was hitting a metal spear with her fists, punching the deflection as though she was punching a regular human being.
It was like she was TRYING to punch his Spear.
He gritted his teeth as she telegraphed a strong swing. He rolled back - and fuck, that was a mistake.
Pain hit his sides, but he needed to move. He needed to get up -
He flipped his spear out of panic, tip pointing towards her, and aimed for a thrust. And she stumbled - no, she jumped back, cautious. And he didn't commit to it, focusing on intimidating the warrior. A sigh of relief left him, a moment of respite as he got up to his feet.
She danced on her feet left to right, a tip and tap. An impatient rhythm that raised his hackles, anticipating the jump. And she then lunged. He rolled, and it was a mess. Limbs entangled, limbs flying, limbs flailing.
There was a tug on his Spear. She's trying to rip it out of his hands - his hands cried out in pain.
But to no success. It was still in his hands and his hands. They hurt. They were practically glued to this holy spear.
Hilda let out a grunt, a murmur of an unspoken question escaping her. And he used that moment of confusion to swap their positions; now she's under him. He's got her. He's finally got her.
And then he clubbed her. He swung his divine spear like it was a baseball bat and smacked her in the face. Her head snapped to the side, and a number popped up.
His first hit.
'-1'
A measly point of damage popped up in front of him. And he barked out a laugh, hysterical.
"Hah…"
1 damage?
All that effort for 1 damage?
Hilda glanced up from under him with wild eyes, lips opening to a savage grin. A purple stain blossoming on her cheek, a bruiser, a shiner. He did that. He did that to this warrior-queen.
Excitement surged through him.
He raised his spear, ready to pierce her chest. And her face looked like it was about to split apart out of glee. A dazzling yet monstrous sight with all her teeth bared and the like.
'Do it.' Her eyes begged. 'Give me your best shot.'
Her savagery was electric. Like a disease, it spreads rapidly, infecting him. Who cares about numbers, who cares about the 0's and 1's, when a flesh wound could destroy that.
1 damage, and it caused a bruise. But how much damage is a spear through the chest?
His heart pounded at the thought, thumping in his chest. Beating in his ears, her mind was a mess. He couldn't, she doesn't know what she's feeling (he feels sick), what he's thinking. (Not again, not again, not like this. Please—)
There's a weapon in his hand and it's begging him, pleading him to use it.
Stab her into the heart, through the chest. Pierce through the iron, the metal, the leather, and into flesh. Until there is only red, only red.
Only red, he thought as he raised it high until his arms cried and stabbed downwards.
Clink.
What a fierce weapon it was, as it bounced off of her leather chest plate.
Fuck.
He looked down at her, a sheepish expression forming on his face.
Fuck.
Hilda looked so amused yet so disappointed. All of her animosity and savagery dissipated just like that. Just like that from the break of her smile and the transformation of something made his chest curl.
"Ha... hah… ha... oops?"
And Hilda - she moved.
Then there was air beneath him, a gust of wind because there was nothing beneath him. There was nothing beneath him, and there was nothing but a fist punching his whole body to the air. And the world tumbled, the world spun, a mess of colors of blue, green, white, and red. Clarity rang through him, clarity in the form of fear.
He felt the fear of missing the solid ground, the fear that nothing was supporting him. He's going to fall. He's going to crash. And it's going to hurt.
A million fears but only a second of time.
And then, impact.
The earth crashed down in the form of the pits he created, his body ripping through the dirt. Like a sack of potatoes, his limbs like the rest rolled, practically skipping like a stone onto water. Tender and bare skin ripped through by dirt, by bruises, by cuts, and by blood.
And it was silent.
Motoyasu let out a dying wheeze, staring into the sky as he tried to digest what just happened. Heart pounding, heart pulsating, heart-blood streaming through his ears. All that adrenaline yet wasted for nothing as he laid still onto the ground.
Pain wracked his body and burned through his sore muscles.
Holy shit.
"Holy shit." He repeated out loud.
What was that? What is that woman - that monster made out of?
A shadow loomed over him, blocking out the sun in his eyes.
The 'monster,' Hildegarde, was untouched. Besides the slight bruise on her face, she looked spirited and energetic. As though she didn't spend the past few minutes pummeling him to the ground and sending him flying like a ragdoll.
"Legendary Hero, huh?" She said, her posture upright and cocky. She kicked his side, and he grunted. Unable to do anything besides lay there like a lump of coal, taking the abuse with a cry. "Even a demi-human rat would be a better Legendary Hero than you." She sneered.
Anger boiled in his chest, a snarl twisting his face. He opened his mouth to spit an insult, but only a hacking cough came out.
The warrior only grinned at the sight of this sorry state of the Spear Hero. "But you've got a lot of guts." She murmured and then kicked his side again for fun.
A soft cry as he was utterly at the sadistic woman's mercy.
"Holy Spear Hero!" A voice shrieked out from a distance. Justine and Sybil arrived, both of them looking winded. He strained his neck to stare at them, his body heavily protesting.
A cry of alarm escaped the priestess, her eyes widening at the devastated state of the Spear hero.
She raced to his side, kneeling down and hands hovering over his form. Afraid to touch but wanting to analyze the extent of his injuries. Motoyasu stared at her bright sky blue eyes, watching this touching scene as the priestess fretted over him.
"Source of thy power! I order thee to decipher the laws of nature and heal my target! Fast Heal!" She chanted, a brilliant golden light emitting from her hands as rotating sigils of light appeared over his body. And Motoyasu, he felt alive, all of his pain being swept away by this holy light.
Most of the bruises on his skin faded away, cuts were stitched closed, and the dirt and grime washed away. The pain that plagued him was a phantom of a memory, as warmth, comforting and holy warmth, 'a young kid eating fresh, home-baked cookies and surrounded by your loved ones warmth', raced through him. He felt like a new man.
Motoyasu sat straight up, hands patting his chest. Hands that wanted to reach inside and retrieve the fading, nostalgic warm feelings that he felt moments ago. As though he was calling for a home that he knows that he won't come back to.
He tried to trace the bruises on his skin, but there was practically none left. It was bewildering. None of the cuts, scrapes, or injuries were left. This was magic. Healing magic.
Magic did this.
Motoyasu was breathless.
"You went too far!" Justine scolded the berserker. Hilda snorted. "Sir Kitamura isn't ready to fight the likes of you."
"Give me a break. How could I know the Spear Hero can't even use his Spear properly." She mocked, eying the blond who scowled back.
He gritted his teeth and slammed the butt of his Spear against the ground, pulling himself up from the ground.
"You're level 18! And he's level 4! Of course, Sir Kitamura couldn't fight you!" Justine argued, pointing a finger towards her chest.
"Ladies, let's not - " He began but was interrupted.
"Levels ain't anything, Lil' Miss Priestess." She sneered, slapping her finger back. Justine gasped, turning red. "If your precious 'Holy Spear Hero' is a useless civvy that can't fight for himself, then what hope does this world have?"
"I'm not - "
"Shut it, civvy." Hilda snarled - actually snarled at him. And with that, Hilda turned around and left.
Leaving behind a fuming priestess, a silent magician, and a humiliated hero.
There weren't a lot of girls that made him mad. That made Motoyasu genuinely want to punch them, but Hildegarde was an exception. Arrogant and cocky, unlike the many females he's met before. Sure, he has met rough and tough bad girls, but they were all soft flowers once you probe them inside. But this adventurer, thisNPCfrom another world, treated him like air. Unworthy to acknowledge him.
Disregarded like air.
(He hated that.)
It was guaranteed that she wasn't going to be his party member for much longer. And he wouldn't care if she left his party. He wouldn't care at all.
(Not.)
The taste of defeat never felt so bitter compared to this moment.
Even as the rest of his party doted on him, mostly Justine with Sybil's silent support, it couldn't wash away the awful taste of humiliation grinding against his pride.
Motoyasu was treated and tossed around like a ragdoll, insulted about his capabilities and he couldn't do anything about it.
(And it felt insufferable.)
His hands were turning white from how hard he was squeezing his Spear. He took in a deep breath, but it couldn't wash away the burning anger filling his chest.
If he was stronger, if he was competent, If he knew how to fight, would she look down on him? Would she acknowledge and respect him? If he learned to train, would he matter in her eyes? There were so many ifs,
Would he matter as a warrior instead of some 'civvy' who was lucky to be chosen as the Spear Hero? He looked at the small numbers popping up in the corner of his eyes. Experience points being grinded by the warrior. He stared off into the far off in the distance to see her figure casually kicking balloons, popping them instantly. She hasn't taken the initiative to leave his party. But she will soon.
Motoyasu let out a low sigh.
Maybe (hopefully) not.
But… isn't that what being a hero is? Struggling and overcoming adversity? And saving the day? And... finding girls to… befriend?
(There's something wrong with that statement.)
"Sir Kitamura, there are some Eggnugs there!" Justine cried out, pointing to a few round-shaped monsters huddling near a rock. "They're perfect for leveling up!"
Maybe. Maybe.
But it's going to take a lot more work than wildly swinging his Spear and hoping for the best. Maybe some practicality is needed instead of relying on his gamer knowledge to be a hero.
And he's determined to prove this NPC wrong.
Motoyasu hefted up his spear, spearhead pointing towards the Eggnugs. He would've rushed in carelessly and played whack-a-mole with his Spear but this time, he was more conscious of his body. Of his posture. He shifted his weight, legs spread apart, and made sure he didn't lose any balance.
Motoyasu inhaled and took his time.
No rush.
oOoOoOoOo
A/N: Sorry this chapter came so late! It was very frustrating to write for the earlier versions of the draft. I got pretty mad during some parts when rereading because it didn't flow well and I realized how terrible my writing is overall, like I haven't already noticed lol. So this has been lying in the back burner for quite a while until I had some motivation to reedit and delete a few scenes, inspired by some pieces of writing that gave me lots of motivation to put some elements of stylization into this, and along with rewriting because they didn't fit well lol.
I might actually spend the next few updates rewriting the previous chapters because I realized how stinky they are
:O
But we'll see.
So I decided to change some of the members in Motoyasu's starting party. :O
Figured they needed some character, you know? :P
But don't worry, a few of the mentioned OG members will come sooner or later.
(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧
And I'm terrible at writing fight scenes, I'm so sorry! Kjhjkfdshjkfshjkfkjs