Fuze kept the briefing short (I got the impression he spoke with the other three about it some before I arrived). I didn't mind things being quick, though, since lengthy meetings are not something I enjoy at all.
After some prep and some goodbyes to Eren, Kaval, and Gido, I left with the other adventuring group, setting out on a path that bordered the forest. Our destination was a small settlement that was technically outside the bounds of the neighboring countries and acted as a sort of trading post for merchants and adventurers.
But, according to Fuze, more and more people had been disappearing after visiting there, so the kingdom itself hired some people to investigate in an unofficial sense.
That's where this group I'm with comes in.
"So what're you? The kid of one of the Guildmaster's buddies?" Russell, the apparent leader of the group, asked me after we set out on the road. The four of us were jammed in this crappy-looking carriage that was nowhere close to a smooth ride, but thankfully I couldn't get sore from having my butt repeatedly slammed into the seat of it. I wasn't sure how these three dudes were managing to hold up, but that wasn't something you could ask a person you just met.
"No. I'm…connected to a friend of his, you could say, but I'm not that person's kid." I clarified, not wanting him to get the wrong idea.
"And apparently you have some talent in you. Don't you remember, Russell? Guildmaster Fuze said Rimuru passed the B-rank combat test." Blake pointed out.
This was a detail that Fuze had shared during our meeting to reassure these three since they seemed generally doubtful that I would be anything but a burden.
"Yeah, yeah, but ol' Thegis mighta gone easy on him, for all I know. He'll still have to prove himself to me," huffed Russell.
"That doesn't sound like something Thegis would do." The third member of the party, named Eli, interjected from the driver's seat of the carriage, talking through the opening that served as a window between it and the main part of the vehicle.
"Haha, true, true. What's it that he had you face for the last challenge, eh, kid? I dunno what they're usin' nowadays; it's been a long while since I've taken that exam myself!"
"A lesser demon," I answered Russell matter-of-factly, finding no need to hold back this info.
The carriage's occupants fell silent and all stared at me in shock. Well, Eli didn't stare, but if he could I bet he would've been. He was too busy driving to look back at me just because he was surprised.
"With a group backin' you up, right?" Russell asked in a low tone.
"A group? No, I was on my own."
After a few more seconds of silence, Russell broke out into a loud laugh.
"Pfft, hahaha! Nice one, kiddo!" Russell spat out between laughs, clearly not believing me at all. This, of course, was annoying, but I wasn't going to react much to it. He'd been calling me things like 'kid' and 'kiddo' since the time we met and I'd already resolved to allow that. If I'm going to pass as human, I have to accept at least that much since my appearance is clearly not that of an adult.
"I'm pretty sure that's a foe only used in the group exam." Eli pointed out without taking his eyes off the road. "But I don't think Rimuru is lying. Why else would the Guildmaster let him come along with us?"
"I'll believe him…if he reveals how he killed it! I know a lot about demons, so I'm curious how a child could kill one with a single sword strike." Blake grinned at me and leaned in more closely to apply pressure.
"Where'd ya hear that?!" Russell loudly butted in, apparently not informed of this.
I was a bit alarmed too since I know for a fact that Blake wasn't on the scene during my exam. Yeah, there was a big crowd, but I know he wasn't a part of it.
"Just some rumors going around about some blue-haired shorty amazingly plowing through the combat exams. Sounds pretty familiar, now that I've met you, Rimuru." Blake grinned.
I didn't like that smile of his, it put me on edge. I could tell he was probing me for more info. I also didn't like the idea that there were rumors spreading around about me, but I guessed it couldn't be helped by now.
After a moment of consideration, I decided to stay mum about it. Wouldn't want to reveal my hand and give away what I am. I had to give some sort of response, though.
"Pssh, like I would tell you that! You might steal my awesome, signature technique!" I grinned, putting on some false bravado since I knew that explaining would just lead to trouble. Yeah, it was a bit uncomfortable tooting my own horn like this, but hopefully, it would divert their attention away from what they were questioning.
"What a shame…" Blake sighed with disappointment, but his eyes told me something different. He was even more suspicious of me now, the exact opposite effect of what I wanted. Great…
"Now he's tryin' to act all tough. We'll see if that attitude sticks once we're in some real combat." Russell boomed, breaking the tension between me and Blake.
"You know as well as all of us that this is more of a reconnaissance mission, not a combat one, Russell," Eli again interjected.
"Yeah, but if it turns out there's some demon in that town, we're gonna take it out ourselves if we can." Russell frowned, "'Specially with you around, Blake."
"That's true, but don't get reckless." Eli cautioned him.
"Me? Reckless? Never! I'm just excited to get into the thick of it again. It's been a while since I've gotten the chance to do a serious mission like this!"
Russell accentuated that statement with a loud cracking of his knuckles.
Suddenly, the rattling of the carriage stopped.
"Why've we stopped?" Russell asked, already reaching for his weapon.
"Some 'excitement' has shown up." Eli sighed in response.
I focus on the area around us and find that there's a large monster right in our path. It looks like a giant bullfrog of some sort; something I hadn't actually come across before.
Everyone picked up their weapons and hopped out of the carriage.
Russell raised an eyebrow at the frog staring us down, his shield raised and his sword in hand.
"What's this thing doing out here? I've never seen a Swamp Hopper anywhere near this area!"
"It looks to be injured; perhaps we should take advantage? They do contain some very nice magical crystals." Blake grinned.
"Why not? It looks like a fight is inevitable anyway."
"If that's the case, can I help?" I offered, actually a bit eager to show my strength a bit since these three aren't taking me at all seriously.
"No, stay back and watch the professionals, kid! This thing's actually pretty dangerous, as silly as it looks. Wouldn't want'cha gettin' hurt!" Russell immediately shot me down.
It doesn't look that dangerous to me…and that's not just because of its actual appearance, but the amount of magicules I can detect inside it.
I wanted to fight too, but I was also curious about what these men could do against a monster like this. So, since they'd insisted on it, I decided that sitting back and watching them fight was acceptable enough.
Russell must have had some kind of skill to boost his physical abilities, since pretty much the moment the fight started, he glowed green for a few moments before traveling way faster than I thought he could've before. I guess they aren't a B-ranked team for nothing, just like Gido, Kaval, and Eren.
His sword made a cut at the frog's jaw, it seemed he was targeting a specific muscle. Now the frog's jaw was hanging open limply, so it probably couldn't attack with its mouth anymore.
It didn't seem like they'd have any issue with that though, since a moment later, Blake pulled up his cloak and aimed a little crossbow right at the frog's throat. He shot two silver arrows into the thing.
It was a little more special than that though, I could see, as many magicules were torn out of the thing and cast off into the air. The arrows repelled them.
And losing its magicules like that was definitely enough to kill it.
I guess it didn't take much for the three men to kill the frog monster since it was already pretty beaten up by something else.
"Time for the messy part. Blake, do the honors." Russell commanded as he jabbed a finger at his party member.
Blake's eyebrows furrowed and his lips frowned in response, but this only lasted a moment before a conniving smile replaced it.
"Why don't we have the kid do it? Since you made him sit out of the actual fight." Blake grinned, glancing at me.
"Are ya nuts? There's no way I'm allowin' that!" Russell refused.
"He's here to learn, so I think you should. I'll even help him." Blake shrugged back, looking more and more smug by the second.
"Oh? It's not like you to make offers like that, Blake." Eli said with some skepticism.
"Yeah, it's suspicious." Russell crossed his arms.
"I just want to see what the kid can do, that's all." Blake explained, shrugging before focusing on me, "So?"
"Yeah, I'll do it. I assume you want me to get the magic crystal out of the corpse, right?"
"Exactly. Here, take this."
Blake tosses me a sheathed knife.
He then gave me a verbal rundown on exactly how to dissect the crystal out of the corpse, and I followed his instructions. It kinda reminded me of that time I ripped the heart out of that fish, but this time I had to do it with a knife and without revealing my inhumanity to a man hovering over me, watching intently. I was careful not to use too much force, not wanting to give away my monstrous strength, and after a few minutes of guided slicing, I'd expertly excised the crystal.
I got absolutely covered in the blood of the creature, soaking my clothes in the crimson liquid to the point of it dripping off of me. It was gross, but I could just change my clothes anyway, and as soon as these would enter my stomach, they'd get cleaned.
I'd just need to go somewhere hidden and switch out my outfit. But, just as I was about to ask to do exactly that, Russell shouted.
"Eli, cast Clean Wash on him immediately!"
The mage of the group immediately cast a spell and the blood vanished over a few seconds, leaving me clean as a whistle.
This was a spell I'd seen Eren use a few times before, but I never found the need to use it myself so it didn't come to mind when I got all messy from cutting that crystal out of the corpse of that giant frog. I'll have to remember to use it when necessary in situations where I need to stay in human shape.
"I thought I said to try not to get covered in its blood!" Russell scolded me.
I guess he did say something along those lines while I was cutting up the frog, but I was focusing on what I was doing and didn't really listen. Cleanliness wasn't much of a concern at the moment so I didn't deem it important.
"It's just a bit of blood. Aren't you three used to getting dirty as adventurers?"
"That's not the point here! Swamp Hopper blood is poisonous! Very poisonous! If ya don't clean it off quick, it makes your skin blister all nasty!" Russell grabbed both of my wrists and turned my arms over, inspecting them. "Seems like we were quick enough. You're just fine."
Russell sighed with relief. "I gotta admit, though; I didn't expect you to dive in like that without mindin' about the goriness. Not everyone has the stomach for it, let alone some kid. I kinda get why the Guildmaster sees somethin' in you, even at your age."
I guess I should take that as a compliment? He seems genuinely impressed with me.
"He's a quick learner, too, one with some nimble fingers. I wasn't expecting that level of precision from those little hands." Blake smiled, lightly passing the large chunk of crystallized magicules between his hands.
"Here's your knife back," I said as I motioned to hand the blade back to its owner.
"No, it's just a spare so you can hold onto it. I know that you have that sword," he pointed at Shizu's sword, which I'd been carrying out in the open in case I needed it, "but it never hurts to keep something smaller hidden on you. Just return it after the mission, if you so wish."
I nodded and tucked the knife away and out of sight. I don't think I'll need it as Blake said, but I was fine with holding onto it for the time being.
Then, I sensed something past the treeline; the movement of a type of monster I'm more familiar with than the Swamp Hopper.
"Guys, ready your weapons," I warned, not wanting the group to get caught off guard.
Surprisingly, the three men immediately listened to me.
And just as I'd expected, a group of beasts emerged from the trees; a pack of five direwolves.
"You've got some sharp instincts, kid. How'd you notice those wolves before any of us?"
"I don't think it's time for questions, Russell," Eli said in a mildly annoyed tone.
"And I should point out that I noticed, I just hadn't gotten the chance to say anything to you all yet," Blake felt the need to point out.
As I readied my sword, I noticed something about the direwolves. One of them is a specific individual I recognized. It's a direwolf with a special pattern; a cool star shape on its forehead and a white mane.
I'd gotten attacked by direwolves a few separate times, but there was this one encounter that stood out to me. It was a group like this that had honed in on me, and just like I did with any other aggressive monster, I fought, killed, and consumed my prey.
But, when this specific direwolf decided to flee, I didn't chase it down. I thought it looked too unique to kill for no good reason, and it wasn't like I was gonna gain any more skills from direwolves after consuming one previously. So, on a whim, I let it go, but here we are again facing off.
I bet it was this pack that had been hunting the frog monster we took down, and the direwolves didn't look too happy about it.
These wretched humans have stolen our kill!
Anger raged within every fiber of my being. My pack members and I had worked hard to wound this beast, yet some cowardly humans have taken what is rightfully ours!
I could see it; the core of the monster being held in the hands of one of them. He was flaunting his thievery in our faces!
I commanded my comrades to take out these greedy invaders and reclaim our prize from their filthy grasp.
But, as we all started circling in on our foes, I spotted something concerning. The smallest of the four figures; I recognize them.
Face hidden by a mask, but silvery-blue hair showing from behind; despite it hiding its true nature and masquerading as a human among this group, this creature is anything but.
This is 'The One That Changes Shape'.
None of us know its true form, but its appearance here is unmistakable. We didn't detect it at first because of its mysteriously-hidden force, but I remember it all too well.
A monster like no other that we were hopelessly outmatched by. The way it mercilessly cut down my brothers and sisters before changing its shape and consuming them on the spot.
When things were deemed hopeless, I ran, as shameful as such an act is. And, despite 'The One That Changes Shape' being unbelievably quick, I managed to escape with my life.
{{Retreat immediately!}} I commanded my group.
{{Why?! These are pathetic humans, surely we can easily take back what they stole from us!}}
{{No, we must flee! The small one with blue hair…it's The One That Changes Shape!}}
My emotions carried over the thought communication, and that was enough to convince my comrades that fleeing is the best option to take.
With that, we all ran in tandem away from the monster of my nightmares.
{{Isn't that the strange creature that has eaten many of our pack's members?!}}
{{Yes, I narrowly avoided its grasp once. It is not our prey; behind that mask are the eyes of a predator!}}
{{Why would a monster like that be with a group of humans?}}
{{We have no way to know. But, fighting it is out of the question. We must return so I can report this to the pack leader!}}
We had plans to patrol our territory after getting hints that something odd is going on in the forest. The frog beast was a simple diversion. But, after encountering The One That Changes Shape, we needed to return to the pack.
I matched eyes with the interestingly-patterned direwolf through Shizu's mask, which I'd previously covered my face with in preparation for battle. It was a habit I'd gained; a way to help hide my intentions when fighting, making my expression imperceptible behind it.
But, it seemed like a fight wasn't in the books for me here, since as soon as I had my little stare-down with the wolf, the entire lot of them fled with their tails between their legs like the life had just been scared out of them.
I was concealing my aura with the mask, right? I've only seen monsters react like that when I intentionally flared it out aggressively…
[[Affirmative. The individual Rimuru Tempest has not emitted any magicules due to the effects of the Anti-Magic Mask.]]
"Keep on your guard! Somethin' scared 'em off, and that somethin' might go after us next!" Russell warned us all, looking a bit flabbergasted by the behavior of the direwolves.
I couldn't sense anything else nearby that could've scared the wolves so badly, though, so I relaxed slightly. If I were to make my best guess, that star-headed wolf recognized me, even with my mask in place.
I must've traumatized the poor doggy when we last met, but you can't blame me, really. I was being attacked, so I attacked back, and that resulted in me killing some direwolves.
After a few tense moments, the three adventurers also seemed to relax.
"That was strange," Eli commented. "Though I suppose we should keep moving now."
"I don't think I've ever heard direwolves whine or whimper like that before. They were scared of something, I'm just not sure what." Blake shrugged as he stepped back into the carriage wagon. I swear I spotted him take a small glance at me as he did, but I couldn't be sure.
"By the way, can I take a closer look at that mask? It looks sorta familiar…"
Russell reached to take the mask off of my face and I reflexively shot my hands up to stop him.
"No!" I shouted while gripping his wrist with both of my hands.
That was close!
Russell's eyes bugged out in surprise at my swift movement.
"Fine, fine, just let go!" He complained and I let go of his arm. "Dang, you're a lot stronger than you look…" He complained under his breath, giving his arm a shake to relieve the pain caused by my grip.
"You…can look at it while I'm wearing it…get closer if you need to…" I muttered in a quieter voice, realizing that I'd screwed up.
Russell leaned closer, peering at the mask curiously before Blake decided to speak up.
"It's the mask of the famous Conqueror of Flames. I'm surprised you didn't know that, Russell." Blake explained in an almost patronizing tone, causing the other man to frown. "Now the real question is…why does this child have it? Unless it's a replica, of course, but with how protective Rimuru seems to be of it, I doubt that's the case."
Blaze turned his gaze away from Russell and focused on me, clearly expecting an answer.
"It was a gift from Shizu, or the Conqueror of Flames, as you call her. That's all you need to know." I answered coldly, wanting to drop the subject. There was no way I was getting into that with a group of near strangers.
This dampened the mood in the carriage and the ride was fairly quiet for the rest of the trip after that. Yes, Russell and Blake talked a bit with each other, but I wasn't paying any attention to them, simply focusing only on the view outside the window.
This place is…weird.
Whether it was the strangely uniform clothing the people were wearing or their oddly positive demeanor, there was something off about this place; I could tell.
Friendly smiles all around could be seen on the street, many of them shot in our direction. It just didn't seem natural.
But, what was the most off-putting was the fact that the people here kept glancing at me strangely, then averting their eyes as soon as I turned mine in their direction.
It was seriously creeping me out, but I tried my best to just ignore it.
Lastly, I swore I could sense small magical presences coming from many of the humans here, although it was a little hard to tell. The closer the external and internal magicule concentrations are to each other, the harder this kind of thing is to spot. But, with the knowledge that the human body normally holds barely any magicules, I could tell that what I was seeing wasn't completely normal.
Maybe it has something to do with this town being so close to the forest? That was my first guess, but it was quickly shot down.
[[Notice. Proximity to the Great Jura Forest does not fully explain this particular phenomenon.]]
So there is something fishy going on with the people here, then.
"Ah, there it is!" Russell exclaimed as we came up to a specific building that appeared to be a shop of some sort. "Wow, it looks a bit nicer than the last time I was here. Tim's been doin' some good business, I see."
"Tim? Is that the guy who runs this shop?" I asked.
"Yes, he's an old friend of mine. Settled down here a while back runnin' the guild-sponsored shop."
"I also know him quite well, but it has been a long time since we've met last," Eli added.
Grinning happily, Russell guided our group inside.
"Hey, Tim! How've you been doin'?" Russell boomed after passing through the door. It only took a moment for the man behind the counter, assumedly named Tim, to notice him.
His eyes lit up and he smiled widely at Russell, then they started talking.
While the two men had a small-talk-ridden conversation that I didn't bother listening to, I poked around the shop. There I found some potions that appeared to be a crappier version of the kind I have stored in my stomach; I could tell at a glance that mine were a lot more concentrated. The glow to these was a lot fainter and the color was much less vibrant, so even without analysis, I could tell these were inferior.
Outside of that, there wasn't anything really noteworthy. Mostly what you'd expect for a place that caters to travelers and adventurers as a place to resupply their essentials for the road.
After my traveling companions replenished their supplies, we exited the shop.
Russell sighed, grabbing my attention.
"Tim's a bit…different…than last time we saw each other. I know it's been a few years, but…" The concern was clear in his eyes, but he seemed to be trying to keep it hidden from the group.
"He was smiling too much." Blake bluntly pointed out, cutting the other man off.
"You think so?" Eli questioned, his whispered words coming out very concerned, even more than Russell's.
I'd kinda noticed that too, but I'd brushed it off as him putting on a classic customer service smile and nothing more. But, I don't know the man, so I had no baseline to compare his demeanor to.
"It's not just him that's off," I weighed in.
"What makes you think that, Rimuru?" Eli asked.
"Yeah, this place seems even better off than usual. I get that we're here for a reason, but I didn't really see much wrong with the folks living here." Russell added.
"No, no…it's just…a feeling I've had since we got here. Some of the people are giving me strange vibes." I continued.
"They gave you what? I didn't see anyone give you anything, Rimuru." Eli seemed confused.
"I think he said 'vibes'...whatever that means. What is that? I've never heard that term before." Russell said.
"So are they some kind of bug? Like lice?" Eli asked, looking grossed out as he glanced at passersby with new suspicion.
"No! Not a bug or lice or whatever! It means…y'know…like…just…look. All I'm saying is that I have a gut feeling that something weird is going on here with this town's people."
Ugh…how am I supposed to describe what I'm thinking when even I'm not aware of what's exactly going on? And now we're having a problem with vocabulary too…
"You need to get a bit better at describin' stuff, kid." Russell tried to ruffle my hair, but I dodged his hand.
"I can describe stuff fine!" I argued, ducking away and pulling up the hood of my cloak to shield my hair.
Where does this guy get off trying to pet my head like that?!
If it was someone I knew well and trusted, such as Eren, I'd be okay with it. But in this case, with a near-stranger and also someone who'd annoyed me not even a moment ago, being touched endearingly was the last thing I wanted.
"Aw, c'mon kiddo," Russell laughed. "If you don't like it, you can say so."
"Fine. Don't touch my hair," I grumbled. "And stop calling me 'kid.' I have a name!"
For some reason, that 'nickname' really got on my nerves this time. Whether it was the patronizing tone, the dismissive attitude, or just the incorrect assumption about my age, I'm not certain. But something about it got me surprisingly angry. Maybe I was just finally getting fed up with that disrespectful way of referring to me; I'd hated it, but tolerated it from the time we'd met.
"Ooh, I dunno," Russell said teasingly. "Not sure I can agree with an attitude like that!"
What do they think I am?! Four!?
"Don't touch me, please," I sharply said, now in a bad mood because of dealing with these idiots.
Eli laughed. "Sure thing, Rimuru."
"Come on," Russell pointed to a building with a big sign saying 'Inn'. "Let's get some food."
I wasn't sure if this was his way of cheering me up, or if he was hungry. It was pretty late in the afternoon now, so for my own sake I decided it was the latter.
Why is the food in this dinky little town better than the stuff I got at that other inn with my friends?
Another example of this place being more upscale than it should be, I suppose.
Blake didn't come along with us three, deciding to do something else. He looked awfully contemplative before saying he'd meet up with us later, claiming that he wasn't hungry yet.
He didn't really clarify to us what he was going to do exactly, but I assumed he was going to go ask around to try to figure out what was going on around here.
Our job is to investigate, after all, so I bet he's gathering clues while the rest of us eat.
As I was pondering this, idly shoveling a bite of food into my mouth, I noticed Russell's eyes on me.
I looked back at him as if to say 'what?'
"Where do you put it all? With how shrimpy you are, you sure eat a lot!" He jabbed a finger at my plate accusingly.
Is he trying to annoy me? First with that thing earlier and now this…?
I wasn't exactly paying attention to how much I was eating, but apparently Russell had a problem with it.
"I think Rimuru's eaten even more than you have today, Russell. That's pretty impressive." Eli commented and laughed lightly.
Why does this even matter anyway?
I just shrugged and continued eating, not really wanting to respond to this nonsense.
This wasn't the only thing that was getting on my nerves; the two men were drinking beers right in front of me!
Yeah, I knew that it wouldn't get me drunk even if I got my hands on some of that, but that didn't stop the temptation and jealousy that stemmed from watching these two enjoy drinks and knowing I couldn't do the same. I felt left out and it wasn't helping my mood.
"Aw, come on, Rimmy," Russel teased. "Don't look so glum! You can try it when you're older."
Did he just call me RIMMY!?
I hate nicknames. I even hated nicknames as Satoru, and I'm convinced I hate them even more now–and Rimmy!? What kind of a name is that!?
Suddenly, there was a crash elsewhere in the room; some buffoon got drunk enough to ram into a table and send the dishes on it clattering to the floor. This, inevitably, distracted Eli and Russell completely.
The mug on the table in front of me caught my eye again and an admittedly childish thought of revenge crossed my mind. I could just…snatch and down that thing right here and now if I wanted to…and believe me, I definitely wanted to!
Taking advantage of this prime opportunity that had been so kindly handed to me by the random guy across the room, I snatched Russell's mug of beer and took a large gulp…and immediately regretted it.
"Oh god…that's foul!" I sputtered after resisting the urge to spew the stuff across the table.
It had an acrid, metallic taste to it, unlike any beer I'd ever tasted. It was so horrible that I questioned how anyone could even tolerate putting it in their mouth.
[[Notice: Effect of poison has been nullified.]]
As expected, the alcohol was instantly canceled out, so I didn't even get that consolation for dealing with the horrific flavor of it.
After wiping the rancid remnants of the drink from my mouth, I looked up and saw Russell and Eli staring at me.
"Hehe, I thought I saw you eyein' my drink earlier! Serves you right, kid! That's an acquired taste you'll learn to enjoy when you're older!"
"Russell! Don't encourage him!" Eli jabbed, annoyed by Russell's light reaction to me drinking alcohol.
"No, there's something wrong with that drink, man! It tastes like it's gone bad!"
"That's just how brewing works! It's fermented, which is kinda like food going bad, but in a good way."
"No, that's not what I mean-"
"Should we have Rimuru go throw that up? I'm a bit worried about him drinking that entire mug so fast…" Eli said to Russell as if I wasn't sitting right there with them. They didn't even let me finish my sentence!
"Nah, he'll be fine. Maybe a bit sleepy, but I think that serves him right for stealin' my drink like that." Russell replied.
"I'm feeling very tired myself, so maybe we should turn in for the night?" Eli offered, his words paired with a yawn.
"Oh, definitely. I need some shut-eye after all that traveling we did!" Russell agreed.
It's only the mid-afternoon…I know they've drunk a little, but are they really that tired and sleepy already? They don't even seem that intoxicated…