Only several days after Shogun's Keep, they arrived at Dekishi Depths. It was located off the coast of Yokohama, and they had to be up at the ass-crack of dawn as the only time Dekishi Depths was accessible was during low tide. They had to traverse over damp, barnacle-covered rocks until they found the entrance to the cave that led to Dekishi Depths' portal.

Throughout the progression of the raid, Kazuya kept a watchful eye on Sawamura. After the completion of Shogun's Keep, Sawamura had been quiet and withdrawn, and Kazuya had a strong hunch about what the cause was. The fact that Furuya obtained a legendary weapon, subsequently making Sawamura the only one without, had to have been a devastating blow; considering he had been talking about acquiring one for months now.

It wasn't until Kazuya caught Sawamura moping around Seido's hall that he pulled him aside and dragged him to a dungeon two towns over. The dungeon wasn't difficult enough that they would be required to have a full party of six, and considering that both he and Sawamura had better gear, it was a piece of cake with just the two of them. However, Kazuya made sure to drag it out by only being on defense, which forced Sawamura into the role of sole damage dealer. But his plan worked, and Sawamura was soon laughing and cussing at Kazuya.

After that was said and done, Sawamura appeared lighter, though Kazuya was convinced he still pondered his lack of a legendary weapon, but at least he moved past the moping phase and more toward his jubilant self.

The interior of Dekishi Depths smelled like rot and seaweed. Stalactites and stalagmites were scattered about the floor and ceiling. The entire time, Kazuya waited for a stalactite to fall, but fortunately, none did. The deeper they went, the mustier the air became and the more enemies they had to face. Kazuya was just glad the cave was linear, with only a few branched pathways that led to evident dead ends.

Periodically throughout, torches had been stationed randomly along the edges of tunnels, making those their only source of light, in the otherwise dank darkness. They also served as markers of where to go, but the gaps in between were typically where they were ambushed. Each time, Kazuya rounded the mobs up and led them to the nearest torch, not wanting anyone to attack blindly and risk hitting a friendly.

The boss room opened up into a large cavern where a thin layer of stagnant water rested along the stone floor. The torches continued here, evenly spaced along the walls, which didn't help much for the very center, where the boss, Sakomo, stood.

Sakomo was cast in shadow, but from what Kazuya could see, it was a large, muscular, bipedal fish. It stood on two human legs with bulky arms that hung by its sides. Its belly was lighter in color and blended into the darker scales that covered the rest of its body. Kazuya was positive if Sakomo was in direct sunlight, it wouldn't be nearly as intimidating compared to the mysterious aura the darkness afforded it.

Kazuya expected this raid to go as smoothly as all the prior ones lately.

They were about ninety minutes into fighting Sakomo, when a sudden, sharp shout of Kazuya's name cut through all the noise around him, "Miyuki!"

Normally, Kazuya would only spare a quick glance at whoever was attempting to communicate with him, as he generally needed to maintain his focus solely on the boss. However, this time, the note of panic in the tone, coupled with the fact he instantly recognized it to be Sawamura, had him raise his greatsword up to deflect any impending attacks, while he craned his head in search of the source.

The fact that Sawamura sounded closer than he should have been, rapidly kicked his worry up a notch. The only ones that usually try to get his attention are the melee as they work to coordinate attacks, or if Kazuya was required to move the boss closer to the center of the arena. So for a range class to move closer to the main threat —i.e the boss—, they had to have an extremely good, yet concerning, reason.

Kazuya's stomach dropped with what he lay witness to. Sawamura was in the midst of fleeing from ten or more adds; pure panic etched into every line of his face and subsequently fueling Kazuya's own. In this case, it made sense that Sawamura had chosen to run toward Kazuya; he'd rather that than Sawamura attempt to fight them on his own.

The main issue lay in the fact that this wasn't in the information they gathered.

The pressure was on, and now that he was required to work out countermeasures for this unforeseen circumstance. Kazuya already had Sakomo's full attention, but other than he and Masuko, no one else could take on direct attacks. Then again, even Masuko wouldn't last long against that many at once.

Sakomo landed a hard hit against Kazuya's sword, forcing the return of his attention, while subsequently causing him to plant his feet against the impact; boots slipping several increments along the slick stone until the clawed tips caught a crevice. With gritted teeth, he blocked several more strikes before he shouted, "Everyone off the boss!" The order was specifically directed to the melee, as they would be the ones most affected. He waited for the next, smallest opening in Sakomo's attack pattern and warned, "I'm repositioning!"

Without bothering to wait on any questions or concerns, Kazuya darted; charging headlong toward Sawamura to meet him halfway. Each step kicked up water, yet also slowed him down. As long as he reached Sawamura before the adds —what appeared to be pike—, then that was all that mattered.

Pike were a bizarre mix between fish and human. They had muscular human-esque arms and legs covered in the same glossy, scaled flesh that extend over their more fish-like features, such as their body and head. They, unfairly, made it appear easy to traverse through the ankle-deep water, while Kazuya and the rest had to slog through as though they had weights attached to their feet.

The relief on Sawamura's face was palpable the closer Kazuya got; which wouldn't be for long, since as soon as Kazuya was in range, he struck his foot out, and kicked Sawamura solidly in his side. Sawamura squawked at the abruptness as the force knocked him several meters away, and the roll through the water extended the distance even more.

At the moment, Kazuya couldn't allow himself to feel bad. With Sawamura's trajectory, he would have been in direct line with Sakomo when it inevitably chased after Kazuya, nor would Sawamura have been safe near him; not with this many pike, all wielding harpoons to broaden their range. This method was, unfortunately, faster than attempting to communicate it verbally.

Kazuya barreled through the school of pike and came to a halt in the middle, though they ignored Kazuya's sudden presence, their focus dead set on Sawamura. So before they could proceed after him, or move out of range, Kazuya angled his body. Utilizing the weight of his sword, and with both hands grasped firmly on the hilt, he swung, allowing the momentum to carry him into a vicious spin. The force of Sheer Storm was enough to suck all the pike toward him, the center point, leaving them temporarily immobilized while Kazuya remained unharmed.

But most importantly, it succeeded in drawing aggro upon himself.

When the rotation concluded, Kazuya was immediately forced to raise his sword up to block several rapid jabs from their harpoons.

They recovered quicker than he would have liked.

The near-constant barrage of attacks that were aimed his way felt endless. So much so, that it forced the entirety of his concentration to avoid being caught off guard, and subsequently taken down. This, unfortunately, caused him to neglect Sakomo who swiftly closed the distance Kazuya created, and bulldozed through the pike. Then the next thing he knew, Sakomo grabbed him in a meaty grip, the pressure bruising, and easily lifted Kazuya right off his feet.

Kazuya choked on a cough as all the air was effectively squeezed out of his lungs, and any opportunity to regain what he had lost would be nigh impossible as Sakomo continued to tighten its grip. He could feel his armor dig into his flesh, and could practically hear his ribs groan in protest, though that could all be in his head as his panic ramped up; heart rate spiking.

Indiscernible voices shouted from someplace below him, but between Kazuya's pulse thundering in his ears and Sakomo's gurgling and rank breath, he was unable to focus to pick out what was being said.

Every now and again, out of his peripherals, he would catch quick flashes of attacks striking Sakomo, who remained unbothered, and entirely content with its current prize.

It didn't take long for Kazuya's vision to begin to swim, and for white to seep in along the edges, tunneling his vision with his focal point being Sakomo's face. Sakomo had rows of razor-sharp teeth, with two large tusks that jutted out from the bottom row to overlap the top. Its nose was squashed in, almost like it got punched in the face one too many times and it just healed that way. The most unsettling aspect, in Kazuya's opinion, was its large, sunken eyes, utterly devoid of irises and pupils. It created a stark contrast between the dark blue of its scales and the solid white of its eyes.

Sakomo brought Kazuya closer to its face, its hot breath ghosted over his skin and fogged his spectacles, mere seconds before Sakomo wound its arm back and hurled Kazuya through the air. He hurriedly attempted to orient himself to no avail, and before he knew it, his back collided painfully against the cavern wall. If Kazuya had any oxygen left, the impact alone would have knocked it out, but as it was, it only prevented him from regaining his breath. Kazuya's hold on his weapon came loose, allowing the hilt to slip from his fingers and plummet toward the ground, seconds before his body followed.

It was only thanks to his upright positioning that he landed on his feet, and scarcely at that. Kazuya used the wall at his back to prop himself up while he forced air into his lungs; the first gasp caused him to choke, but he pushed passed it and successfully heaved in small portions. Kazuya glanced up, blinking the spots out of his vision, only to find the pike had charged after him. With a groan, Kazuya crouched down to reclaim his sword, yet as soon as he rose to his feet, the closest pike jumped, and rapidly cleared the remaining distance, while its harpoon spun in its hands as it prepared a launched attack. Kazuya barely managed to heft his greatsword up in time to block the harpoon, the force pushed him right back up against the wall. Unfortunately, all the other pike had either launched similar strikes or dashed forth with their weapons leading the charge, and Kazuya wasn't able to deflect all of them. In fact, he only managed to block that first attack, as he was swiftly overwhelmed and wholly unprepared.

He was forced to absorb the impact of all attacks; while his mind raced in a panicked flurry. Kazuya raised his sword to counter another strike, only for a harpoon to sweep his feet out from underneath him, sending him sprawling flat onto his back. Kazuya was quick to back-roll and return to an upright position, which was short-lived as a harsh blow to his spine forced his knees to buckle. Thankfully he managed to block a few more from his kneeled position and got back to his feet.

But of course, he forgot the most important thing: Sakomo.

Kazuya wasn't given an opportunity to catch a glimpse of Sakomo through the pike that surrounded him, so it came as a surprise for Sakomo to jet toward him, and bodily slam into Kazuya and subsequently the wall; knocking down large chunks of rock, causing debris to rain down around them.

For the umpteenth time, all the wind was knocked out of him as he was effectively sandwiched between a solid rock and a large, muscled fish. The pike was undisturbed by their masters' intrusion and continued their own efforts to remove Kazuya from existence. Between all the factors, Kazuya wasn't given a chance to recover his rhythm.

His entire viewpoint was overtaken by the continuous onslaught of fishy limbs. Sakomo itself was a major problem solo, added with however many pike there were, meant Kazuya stood zero chance of winning.

Not at this rate at the very least.

They had no healer, nor did he have time to drink a potion. Any attempts he made to activate Ward and possibly buy himself time to catch his breath, were thwarted as he would instantly be interrupted, either by having his feet knocked out from under him, or any other variant that prevented him from healing; but most importantly, the free time he did have, was allotted to fending off Sakomo's deadlier strikes.

Already, Kazuya could feel his health's rapid decline. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd been this depleted; and honestly, he was terrified. Which was a bad combo; fear and panic, as both overwrote his ability to think cognitively. The genuine fear that this could be his last fight, that his death would lead to most, if not all, of the group's demise.

Sakomo unleashed a charged attack; its foot came down in an earth-shaking stomp that propelled a ring of water outward like a miniature tidal wave. With Kazuya's proximity, he had little hope of avoiding it, and could only allow the wave to knock him back against the wall —that he couldn't seem to get away from—, right as he heard someone shout, "Stun! Stun! Stun!" in a panic, likely in an attempt to allow Kazuya an opportunity to reorganize himself, and ideally pop a potion. Unfortunately, they all, too, would have been knocked away by the wave, which led Kazuya to assume there weren't enough nearby to coordinate a stun successfully, and, seconds later, was proven correct when nothing came of it.

Kazuya did, fortunately, notice that some of the pikes had been taken down, at least, there appeared to be fewer of them. It was hard to tell when he couldn't see much with the poor lighting of the cavern, as well as with the way Sakomo and its minions towered over him; casting him in a perpetual, deadly shadow.

Any block he made was meaningless, as it would prevent frontal strikes, but whatever came at him from the sides was fair game. He could do nothing but let it happen, especially since he would rather prevent taking a direct hit from Sakomo, but consecutive blows from the pike would still add up quickly.

Kazuya hefted his sword up to counter yet another meaty fist, as he noticed several of the pikes die from his peripherals. He assumed the rest of the group was attempting to take down the adds first, which would help immensely as their presence was what threw him off in the first place, and once they were gone, Kazuya could focus solely on the boss. Ideally, then he'll be able to get back into his rhythm; after a potion or two, of course.

The last pike managed to knock Kazuya's feet out from underneath him, right before it died. Kazuya toppled over just in time for Sakomo to slam its fist downward, and directly onto his ribs, cracking the earth beneath his body. The force had Kazuya choke on a cough, only for grimy water to flood into his open mouth as soon as he inhaled. Kazuya hastily pushed himself up, spluttering and hacking in a panicked attempt to expel the water.

He heaved in a couple of raspy lungfuls when a sudden, dreadful, realization dawned.

Sakomo was gone.

Heart racing, Kazuya scanned his immediate vicinity —something that was proven difficult through the droplets of water on his spectacles— to find all the pike had officially been taken care of, but most concerning, Sakomo had charged Tanba, who had been doing the most damage.

Kazuya lost aggro. Logically, it made sense since Kazuya hadn't been able to land a single hit of his own. He had been so preoccupied with keeping himself alive that attacking was not a top priority. But now, as he watched Sakomo's back and Tanba roll to dodge a fist, he regretted not even making the attempt.

His chest burned, and taking anything other than a shallow breath was excruciating.

Kuramochi abruptly appeared at his side and crouched down, "Fuck, you doin' okay?" He grabbed Kazuya's arm and helped leverage him to his feet. At the moment, Kazuya wasn't able to reply, and just getting his legs to stay underneath him was a challenge. Would Kazuya say he was okay? That would be a resounding no. Unfortunately, however, with the current events, he had no time to be anything but okay. "Here," Kuramochi shoved a bottle his way, "Drink."

With a shaky hand, he made to grab the potion, but the sudden sound of shouting instantly drew his attention away and toward the other side of the cavern, where Tanba was currently running from Sakomo; subsequently, that forced everyone else to then chase after Sakomo who was hot on Tanba's tail.

They wouldn't hold off for much longer. All It would take was one misstep on Tanba's part for Sakomo to catch up. Kazuya managed one step in their direction when Kuramochi stopped him, "No. They'll be fine for a couple of extra seconds. You, however, need to drink this." And apparently, Kuramochi's patience had been depleted, as he tipped the rim of the bottle against Kazuya's mouth. This forced him to tilt his head back or have the potion spill down his chin. "Anyone else would have been dead after that," Kuramochi laughed, for what was a weak attempt at a joke, supposedly to lighten the mood.

Kazuya hurriedly drank and ignored the lingering urge to cough with each swallow. When the bottle was empty, he pushed Kuramochi's hand away.

"Better?" Kuramochi asked though the look of concern on his face told Kazuya that he must still appear in bad shape. And to be fair, while the potion dulled the worst of the pain, Kazuya could already tell he was beyond what potions were capable of healing. They could numb pain and scab wounds, but they couldn't fuse bones back together, and he had a strong hunch that several ribs were broken.

"I'm gonna have to be," Kazuya rasped out and tested his grip on the hilt of his sword. While it wasn't as solid as he would prefer, he would have to make do with it until they could finish this.

"Drink another potion," Kuramochi practically demanded, yet the hint of panic that laced his words spoke of his own desperation and fear.

Kazuya sighed, partly in annoyance, but mostly due to stress, "It won't make a difference." And before Kuramochi could attempt to stop him, Kazuya took off, making a beeline straight toward Sakomo.

"Miyuki!" Kuramochi shouted from behind, which Kazuya chose to ignore. Seconds later he heard water splashing, which suggested Kuramochi had given up and was coming with to rejoin the fight. That was for the best, since the faster they could take Sakomo down, the better.

As he closed the distance, his mind worked overtime and narrowed down his few options. In order for Kazuya to steal aggro back, he would be required to deal a significant amount of damage for his increased threat to apply. Normally, Kazuya would charge in, unleash a few of his fire attribute skills, then swap to blood for sustained damage. Considering the fact that his blood attribute skills also harmed Kazuya, all of those were out of the question. His light-based skills only played a part once Kazuya had Sakomo's attention. This, unfortunately, left him with the use of fire, which required consistently rapid yet powerful strikes. Even on a good day, the fire skills were draining, so now, when he was already practically depleted, there was no guarantee for how long he could keep it up.

In theory, it shouldn't be too bad, but his body was telling him otherwise.

Kazuya had to pause several meters away to gather all the strength he could muster before he pushed off in a forward dash, greatsword held behind him; blade crackling in ember. Upon his approach, he swung his sword upward in a flaming arc, striking Sakomo from the side. With no time to waste, Kazuya delved into a rapid series of slices, the near-constant blaze blinding in the otherwise dimness of the cavern.

Out of his peripherals, Kazuya noticed Azuma dart around to Tanba, and corralled him backward, setting up Stone Shield, effectively blocking them both from Sakomo's attacks. While Azuma's shield won't last long, this would, however, buy them some time which subsequently prevented Sakomo from its running when it had to chase Tanba. This way, Kazuya could focus on damage without also having to keep pace with Sakomo, and hopefully, before Azuma's shield broke, Kazuya would have aggro.

Kazuya's muscles burned from the strain, and he was fairly confident his vision had grown spotty, but that could just be from the constant, quick bursts of flame erupting around him.

He was so focused on making sure his attacks landed, that he barely noticed when Sakomo rounded on him. It was purely on reflex that Kazuya raised his sword up to block the fist aimed his way, though his arms shook dangerously under the force.

"Hold your AOE's!" Yuuki yelled. Now that he brought it to Kazuya's attention, he did forget about his buff that directed all friendly fire upon himself, and as things stood, Kazuya couldn't afford to take any more damage. Though enforcing a halt on AOE would significantly lower their overall DPS, as it strictly limited what skills could be used. Most of Kazuya's fire skills were AOE, but now that he officially regained aggro, he could swap back to a defensive stance.

Little by little, Kazuya inched his way backward, leading Sakomo closer to the center of the cavern and away from the wall they reached when it charged Tanba. Kazuya wanted more space to work and was rather sick and tired of being trapped against a wall. As long as Kazuya managed to block Sakomo from grabbing him again, all should be well.

His confidence quickly began to increase as he found his rhythm, though his body struggled to keep up. Every couple of strikes he blocked, he very nearly lost his grip on the hilt entirely, and one particularly hard hit had him stumble backward, but thankfully he remained upright. Soon, Kazuya's focus unintentionally shifted from defending to the state of his body, and whether he could continue. Each minute dragged as his perspiration began to meld with the water that lingered, dripping down the smallest openings of his armor, to drench the fabric underneath.

In the end, Kazuya barely registered when Sakomo was finally felled, he almost failed to stagger out of the way as it gurgled and collapsed forward, splashing water onto anyone nearby.

Panting heavily, a sense of relief flooded through Kazuya, so much so, that it flushed out the adrenaline and his legs turned to jelly. Before he could fall, Kazuya jammed the tip of his greatsword into the ground for added support. Unfortunately, he had zero strength left in his arms, so when his legs finally gave out, he had no choice but to let it happen. His hand slipped off the hilt as he fell to his knees. There was movement all around him, which he couldn't be bothered with; hell, he didn't even care about the loot at this juncture, either. Kazuya was currently fighting to stay semi-upright with his kneeled position, not too keen on accidentally drowning himself in twelve or so centimeters of water. As it was, his arms hung boneless at his sides, and he knew he wouldn't be able to move from this spot; not by himself at least.

"Here," Furuya crouched by his side, potion held out. Even if Kazuya wanted to, he couldn't reach for it. Already, he could tell his vision was beginning to fade.

"It's no use," Yuuki announced as he sidled up, "Miyuki's beyond potions. He needs a healer." Going into full-blown Captain mode, Yuuki began dishing out orders, "Isashiki get the loot, we'll deal with it later. Azuma, grab Miyuki. We're going straight to the nearest town."

The last thing Kazuya recalled was grunting at the rough treatment as Azuma manhandled him. The shock of pain as he was hefted over Azuma's shoulder caused his brain to short-circuit and sent him into blissful oblivion.

When Kazuya came to, he was laid out on a cot, in significantly less pain than he last remembered. Which, already, was a bonus.

There was a buzzing sensation that lingered across his nerves, a result of having received healing from a Druid. In Kazuya's experience, Druids left an odd sensation behind compared to Clerics which left him feeling warm and floaty. Regardless of who healed him, Kazuya didn't really care as both fixed him up well enough.

Kazuya was about to let his eyes flutter closed and fall back into a dreamless sleep when he registered the soft sound of clattering nearby. He craned his head and spotted Sawamura seated cross-legged on the empty cot next to his, rifling through the contents from his upturned bottomless bag. Kazuya watched silently as Sawamura appeared to be sorting his items; either taking stock or purely out of boredom.

"What are you doing?" Kazuya asked, voice rough. The abruptness startled Sawamura, who jumped before turning toward Kazuya with a hand clutched at his chest.

"Don't do that!"

Kazuya laughed, only for it to evolve into a rather painful coughing fit. At that, Sawamura hopped off the cot and scurried to a far corner of the infirmary. He returned moments later with a cup of water. By then, the coughs had died down, but Kazuya wouldn't say no to a drink. However, as soon as Kazuya even attempted to sit up, pain shot through his torso, causing him to wince.

It appeared his ribs were still tender.

It was by chance that he caught a strange look on Sawamura's face. Almost like he was in pain, which concerned Kazuya, "Are you hurt?" He asked. Kazuya couldn't recall any specific moments that may have caused him any injuries, but then again, Kazuya was preoccupied toward the end.

Sawamura tilted his head in confusion, "No? I'm fine," There was a pause, "Though I do recall someone kicking me in the side."

"Ah, that's right," Kazuya chanced a brief chuckle. He had, in fact, actually forgotten about that.

This time, Kazuya delicately pushed himself up with minimal amounts of grimacing. Sawamura handed over the cup, which Kazuya gratefully chugged; all while he expected some sort of retort about the audacity. But by the time Kazuya finished and set the cup aside, Sawamura had been utterly silent. In fact, that same pained look reappeared across his face.

"Sawamura," Kazuya hesitantly began, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Sawamura replied, a little too quickly.

"Do you expect me to believe that? You've been uncharacteristically quiet."

At that, Sawamura lowered himself onto the nearby stool, likely used by the healer or any other visitor. Kazuya waited patiently all while Sawamura chewed his bottom lip and picked at his nails. Sawamura's gaze fixated on the white blanket that covered the cot as he seemed at war with whatever it was that bothered him.

Eventually —right as Kazuya was debating methods to get Sawamura to talk— he spoke up; voice so quiet that Kazuya might not have heard it if they were anyplace more public. As it was only the two of them, there were no conflicting noises, "I'm sorry."

Now it was Kazuya's turn to be confused, "For what?"

Sawamura's bottom lip wobbled a little bit as he refused to meet Kazuya's eyes, "For the pike."

Still befuddled, Kazuya asked, "What about them?"

"If I hadn't brought them to you, this wouldn't have happened. If I had just lured them around until the end of the fight, maybe then—"

"Woah, stop," Kazuya found himself interrupting, suddenly irritated, "And what would you have done if they caught you?"

"Well, I could—"

"No," Kazuya held up a hand, "Don't even finish that," Sawamura appeared affronted at being cut off once again, but Kazuya plowed on before he could gain a second wind, "Sawamura, what is my role?"

Kazuya watched as Sawamura finally raised his head, witnessed his eyes narrow into a glare, and replaced the near tear stricken look he had only moments ago. Kazuya preferred annoyance over clear sorrow. Sawamura didn't reply for a few seconds, but finally grit out, "Tank."

"Exactly. The problem wasn't you bringing them to me, it's that we had no plan regarding them. in the future, if that happens again, I want you to do the exact same thing. Clear?"

"Fine."

But Kazuya wasn't done, he really needed to make sure it was drilled into Sawamura's head before he attempts anything stupid, "Sawamura, I would rather it be me in this cot than you." At that, Sawamura's head dropped to stare at his knees in a weak attempt to hide the rose tint to his cheeks. Instead of a verbal reply, Sawamura bobbed his head in —what Kazuya hoped to be— understanding.

They sat in silence for a couple of minutes, before Kazuya felt he should lighten the mood, "So," he began, Sawamura peeked up at him, "How long was I out?"

Sawamura hummed in thought, "About five days?"

Startled, Kazuya repeated, "Five days? For a few broken ribs?"

"And a punctured lung, and a fever," Sawamura stated matter-of-factly.

Ah, that explained why there was still lingering discomfort. However, the pained expression returned to Sawamura's face, so Kazuya tried another topic, "What loot did we get?"

Sawamura shrugged, "Not much. Just materials to sell. Oh!" His eyes immediately lit up, and his mouth curved into a wide grin, "I got a summon stone!" He then dove to his pile of items that remained spread out on the spare cot.

"Oh?" Kazuya felt his own smile match Sawamura's, "What is it?"

Here, Sawamura hesitated, "I don't know." He returned to the stool with a deceptively plain rock held delicately in both of his hands, "I had other things on my mind, so..." Sawamura shrugged one shoulder as his gaze drifted to somewhere passed Kazuya's head.

'Well, do it now. Show me." Kazuya encouraged.

Without hesitation, Sawamura squeezed the stone. Kazuya watched as it easily crumbled with the barest amount of pressure, only for the particles to be absorbed into the palms of Sawamura's hands. Kazuya didn't know what he was expecting, maybe something flashy like a spark of light, but instead, nothing.

'So?" Kazuya prompted as Sawamura continued to stare at his hands, eyes unseeing, "Sawamura?"

"Huh? Oh, now I have to summon it." Sawamura released the spirit orb that was still strapped in at his hip. The orb floated leisurely upward before it began to spin and morph into a new shape. Moments later, a green blob emerged and started to take its final form. The pear-green creature had stubby legs and arms, with a large, round head. At the top of its skull, jutted out a long stem that ended with an orange bud, "It's a nymph!" Sawamura declared in excitement.

"That it is. What are you going to name it?"

Sawamura paused, making hmms and hahs as he examined his new summon. "I'm gonna name you..." he poked the creature's cheek; it squeaked, "Tsubu!"