Chapter 62

Of my party, Tetsu and I were the only ones not affected by the vessel's movement. Clive was the least affected, thought his usually 'wandering' eyes were quite firmly fixed forward, or at the very least acting like 'normal' eyes and both focusing on the same thing.

Usa was next, but for him it seemed more a balance thing, he was trying to use his restored arm to hold on to things, but was having little success, I also noted his ears were tucked under his helmet, probably because of all the noise from the ocean as the ship plowed through it.

And Raphtalia... Well, she wasn't sick. But she wasn't moving either. She'd chosen a spot on the rail, and had locked her gaze quite firmly in one direction. I'd count that as improvement, considering that a wagon ride had her dry heaving over the side for a while after we'd gotten one.

"How..." Motoyasu started with a groan, "do you make it look..." He paused again, his fingers gripping the rail tight enough that I could hear the leather of his gloves creaking over the sound of the ocean, "so easy?"

But, he hadn't thrown up.

"Balance, in all things." I said cryptically, "Relax your legs a little more. Come on, you've taken a girl dancing before right?"

Kuro, like Tetsu and I, seemed indifferent to the sway of the ship, "Take heart, master. You are doing better than the other heroes."

Slowly, Motoyasu turned away from whatever far off point he'd been looking at, past me, then around to the other side of the ship. Yes, both the Bow and Sword heroes were doubled over the rail, unable to contain themselves. I did notice Rishia was perfectly fine, and trying to dab a wet cloth over Itsuki's forehead.

"Heh." Motoyasu laughed weakly, going a little pale and carefully turning back to look over the ocean again. "Like a dance then?" He asked.

"Yeah." I gave him a pat on the back (a gentle one), "Just keep looking that way, and let your legs match the motion underfoot."

"Gonna help the others? Almost feel bad." He chuckled, his hands relaxing on the rail a little, his head staying fixed in place while his body moved under him. "Huh... I think I'm getting it?"

"Time will tell." I laughed, "And I dunno, suppose it would be fair."

"Say... Where's Tetsu?" He asked, experimentally taking one hand, then the other off the rail to stand freely.

(Crow's nest)

"Look look! See that tree WAY over there?" Tetsu flailed an arm in the direction of a still visible tree way off in the distance.

The sailor keeping watch turned to look, "Wait... That wasn't there a few days ago..."

"Nope! My Boss put it there last night! It's so big and has all kinds of flowers and kinda feels like a hug when you get close enough!" Tetsu gushed, before turning and looking in another direction entirely, "Hey! What's that?"

Worried he might have missed something while looking back, when he should have been looking ahead, he whipped his head around to follow Tetsu's pointing finger, "Oh! That's where we're going. It's a bit far yet, but that there is a big tower, with a light on top. A Lighthouse."

"Oh! That's a good name!"

(Kodori)

"Hopefully keeping out of trouble." I said, only knowing she was 'around someplace' and no one had raised an alarm. "Maybe I'll try fishing... That'd get her back here."

I gave him one last pat on the shoulder (again, gently), gave one of Kuro's little black wings a brush with a fingertip, then went over to see if Itsuki would listen to anything I had to say.

One of his party, aside from Rishia, was nearby and ignoring his boss's weakness while giving me a glare. Rishia, while not glaring, was clearly worried about what I might do. "Itsuki." I greeted casually, "Want some advice?"

His pale, slightly green face looked up at me with something close to hate. "I don't..."

I waited until he'd finished heaving over the side (again), before speaking, "Stop looking at the status screen. Ignore it as best you can, and look towards the horizon. And once you can actually stand up-"

I felt a big hand on my shoulder, "The Bow hero doesn't neeeeeeee-"

The big armoured man, the same one I'd told who needed to look after his armour better, crashed to the deck on his back with a rattle of metal and grunt of pain. I let go of his wrist and turned to face Itsuki again. "And once you can actually stand up, try and keep your head level, while letting your legs compensate for the deck under you." I looked to Rishia, who 'eep'ed suddenly (but didn't stop patting Itsuki's forehead) "See if you can find some crackers, maybe some more water. But little sips."

"why... do you care?" Itsuki gasped, though I could see him making an effort to keep his head off the rail while his body wobbled under him. "i don't need the advice of a cheater."

"You're suffering, and I know how to fix it. And while salty, the air is free, just like my advice." I shrugged, turning away and resisting the urge to kick the armoured man on the deck. "Next time, I toss you into the water."

Ren's interaction was much the same. I got the same angry glare, the same question of 'why I cared'. But unlike Itsuki, he was suffering alone, his party not helping him like Rishia was trying to with Itsuki. Thankfully, Ren actually let me put a hand on him to help. Just so he wasn't leaning on the rail and letting the ship directly control his head and thus his inner ear.

After a few strange looks for asking, one of the sailors lent me a fishing rod. Unlike one you might use in a river, this was made of flexible steel and mildly magical, as was the line. And the hook? No, the 'hook' was actually a weighted wooden 'fish' with all kinds of hooks dangling off it. So, I asked that same sailor for a bucket of 'chum' (random fish guts and meat no one would want to eat, except another fish)... (or Tetsu, or Clive...), wrapped the big lure up in fish bits, and started fishing.

With how nice and clear the water was, it wasn't long before I saw something catching interest in my bait. But when that shadow started getting bigger, and bigger, I thought better of trying to solo it and called for help. "Tetsu! Get ready!"

From up in the Crow's nest, I heard an excited, "Oh! You want me to jump on that?! I see it!"

The sudden awareness of what looked to be a ten metre long... something... coming up along side the ship, got a bunch of attention, and just as I felt what ever it was bite the lure, I had three big sailors around me, helping hold the rod, and each other, in place so we didn't all go in. Yes, teamwork. I liked these people.

Then Tetsu dropped into the water like a black and red comet, "WheeeeeEEEEEEE" She Changed in mid air, her dragon sized body hitting the giant fish square in the back.

It thrashed, it slapped the side of the ship hard enough to feel through my slippers, but it wasn't long before Tetsu got her big dragon maw around it, and one of her clawed hands clamped onto the side of the ship. "I got it! Pull! Pull!" She cheered.

The four of us holding the rod and rope hauled upwards, while a couple others rolled out some tough rope ladders for Tetsu to hold on to. Her nimble arms and legs, and clamped maw of sharp teeth, helping us haul the thing over the rail and onto the deck.

"Yay!" There was wet crunch as her mouth closed just behind the massive thing's head... Was it a shark? Meh, sure, we'll call it a shark. Identifying sea life in Orario was much the same, and usually ended up as 'edible' and 'not edible'.

People cheered a bit at our success, though the Sword and Bow Heroes just went back to looking green, and Motoyasu managed a weak thumbs up before returning to his 'dance' practise with the ocean.

"Heehee... Yes pet right there..." Tetsu was happily soaking up praise from the sailors.

I on the other hand, had my knife out and started to cut bits off it. Covertly, I fed some of it into the (Book) Shield for later, my status screen perking up at the donation.

Blue Shark Shield conditions met

Shark Bite Shield conditions met

Blue Shark Shield: ability locked: equip bonus: swimming skill 1

Shark Bite Shield: ability locked: equip bonus: naval combat skill 1: special effect: shark tooth

Huh. Well it was a monster I supposed... But with the heroes here, I didn't get any experience. Ah well. I would still share, since I was here. And shark skin made amazing hilt wrapping (sword makers from four out of four worlds coveted the stuff. And Orario's prices for 'raw' 'shark' (since we never bothered to really name sea life) skin around five to ten times higher than orc leather.)

We had a little bit of trouble just before dinner time. No, it wasn't anything 'social', like us heroes or other adventurers getting into a spat/pissing contest/more seasick (Ren was getting better! Itsuki not so much). But weather.

In essence? The wind had basically died.

The Captain, an appropriately swarthy fellow with loose breezy clothes that were crusted with salt around the edges, and skin the colour of Raphtalia's leather armour, got everyone together on deck (who could move, since the other heroes weren't the only landlubbers on board), and said, "Well, I got good news, and bad news. The season is a bit off for the trip, and we've run into a bit of calm. We'll get there, sure, but likely not until morning."

Most nodded, understanding that the weather was just... in charge. About all you could do about it is endure it.

"But, the good news, at least for my swabbies, you legless, fresh water, grass green, ocean avoiding, gutless, landlubbers, might get some sea legs and stop puking all over my ship." He took off his hat, a big tricorn affair that had absorbed so much salt its former black glory was forever grey now, and put it on Tetsu's head. "And thanks to the efforts of our little dragon here, you'll be able to have some top quality shark fin soup!"

Someone vomited over the side (Itsuki), "If ye can keep it down." He corrected.

Tetsu, her head almost vanishing in the big hat, stood proudly, her grin bright under the dark brim. "Hey hey, captain? Can I spin the wheel?"

"No." He took his hat back, but applied headpats to the sad dragon.

L'arc found me sometime after dinner, drawing in the Book Shield. All this running around like headless filolial had prevented me from getting quality workshop time. But that didn't stop me from armour design. With the quirkiness of this world's enchantment system, a party of incredibly diverse magic talents, really interesting materials and my own skill...

"What's the big sigh for Fox?" L'arc interrupted me as I felt an almost painful stab of homesickness.

"Missing home." I admitted, "Enjoy dinner?"

"Hell yeah!" He grinned, "Thanks for sharing." He reminded me of Issei when he gave me a thumb's up. "Already said thank you to the little dragon girl." He hooked a thumb over his shoulder, and I spotted Tetsu curled up on top of a barrel, sleeping off a food coma. "What ya working on?"

He got a little closer, and I figured there would be no harm in showing him. "Girl has to protect herself." I shrugged, "Now all I have to do is get in front of a forge." I looked off into the distance, spotting the distant beacon of the Kal Mira lighthouse, then back to him, "What?"

"Trying to figure it out." He said, scratching his head, the scrubbing a hand over his scalp, then using both hands to flail his hair around in frustration, "Gah! I don't get it!" He paused in mid hair scroofle, "How can your writing be so messy when your drawing is so nice?"

I snapped the book shut, nearly catching his nose, then 'hung' the book at my hip, "Just for that, you don't get to look." I glared, "Go ask your friend. I can tell she would understand."

"Therese? Well, yeah... This kinda thing is what she does." He nodded, "But, she's sleeping." He looked at me, and I could almost feel the 'Issei moment' before he opened his mouth again, "Say, why is it you can't complain to a woman about some things?"

I raised a hand to rub at the base of my horns, and he actually jumped back a little. To be fair, he was probably expecting a slap or something. But as I rubbed away the itch I was feeling, I replied, "Well, pointing out flaws usually bothers people. I have to admit though, I was tempted for another plate of soup too." Oh yes, taking that recipe back home for sure.

"Well, I warned her she'd eat herself to sleep. But all she did was glare at me." He sighed. "Say, those are the heroes, right?"

"The ones who were mostly seasick until the wind calmed down? Yeah." I nodded, "Local legend says they were summoned from another world."

"What kinda world has such weak heroes though?"

"Maybe not every world needs them in the first place? I dunno." I shrugged, "Anyhow, gonna go make sure my dragon doesn't catch a chill."

If he was trying to gather information, he wasn't very subtle. But that honesty of his reminded me of home so much, I just had to get away from him. I was starting to get the sneaky suspicion that he was a vassal weapon holder, or even a hero from another world, like Glass. I just didn't know enough to consider him a friend, or foe.

"Come on you." I said, carefully picking up the deceptively adorable bundle of dragon girl that was Tetsu.

"rawr... I'm a shark..."

I did know, however, that if they were aligned with Glass, they were on a mission to destroy this world. Suppose I'd have to figure out how to kill them, too.

Sometime between me getting to our little cabin (with the exceptionally elegant Therese flopped over her narrow bunk like a drunkard) and waking with Tetsu quietly sleep-noming on one of my tails (my fault for using her as a blanket), the ship had started to move again.

In a complete reversal of how she fell asleep, Therese was once again picture perfect, looking surprised at how suddenly I had gone from sleeping to almost full alert. The scent on the wind was different, that little primitive spot almost all animals had in the back of their brain picking out the scent of wood smoke. "We're almost there." I said, mostly to Tetsu.

"still sleepy." Pause, "tail salty." nom nom.

I sighed, Therese giggled (I missed my wife... they had the same reserved little laugh), and I put Tetsu back on the cot so I could to a short version of my usual stretching.

"She's quite adorable." She commented, further cementing the idea she was not from around here.

"Tell her so when she wakes up." I replied, noting, as I did a standing split, the toes of my raised leg touching the low ceiling, "She doesn't know it, but she's got a dragon's pride. Loves compliments."

"My my... For a mage, you're quite athletic." The comment was innocent enough, and done while she went over to my cot and gave Tetsu some headpats. Huh, maybe all dragon foreheads drew in headpats? Hagane would deny it, but I now had empirical evidence to taunt him with.

"I'm no good to the party if they have to watch over me all the time." I replied, "Your partner slept outside I see."

"He was quite rude after dinner." She pouted, "And wisely decided to stay out of sight."

"Stop looking so smug." Motoyasu grumbled, giving my shoulder a tap with his knuckles.

"I am taking credit for them being able to hold down breakfast." I grinned, the Sword and Bow heroes (standing ahead of us in line to depart the ship) both looking like someone had suddenly stabbed them. I looked over my shoulder to my party, "Once we get ashore, and start hunting, we'll do as always and look for local foods."

"Master? I heard they have a strange fruit here. It's supposed to be super tasty, but eating it is very bad for you." Kuro said.

One of the sailors (who had helped me pull sharks out of the water), gave Kuro a headpat (that was quickly flailed at in a most adorable way), "It's called a Rucolu fruit. We'll be picking up a bunch of it for trade after we get you lot off. You can crush one into a barrel of water, and make it into reasonably good wine. Brewers can do better, but well, we sailors aren't picky with our grog." He grinned, "Now git! Good luck out there."

Motoyasu calmed Kuro down with a proper (weird hair-feather avoiding) headpat, and we got down the gangplank and onto the dock. I gave my party a look, and only Clive was nodding at the sailor's words. Once we got onto the stone of the dock he started making hand signs and pointing to things.

In short, it was a plum sized fruit that was anywhere between dark and bright purple, grew on trees and cost anywhere between fifty copper to a silver, depending on quality. Also, tasty, and depending on your alcohol tolerance you might be able to remember that it was tasty when you woke up next.

Of course, while Tetsu focused on 'tasty', and Raphtalia was clearly thinking 'alcoholic', I was thinking 'alchemy'. Usa was the only one to comment however, "I think I'll pass... getting drunk makes me think of how my arm used to be."

Once all of us were on shore, we were led off the docks (heroes or not, work still needed to get done, and it wasn't going to get done with all of us landlubbers standing in the way) to a nice shaded grove of palm-like trees and a nice volcanic stone street, near what I assumed was the archipelago's most famous tavern (since it was right there, within stone's throw of the dock).

Standing there, wearing a nice dark blue suit jacket and pants, was a tall man of average build and perpetually messy hair. Something about that jacket reminded me more of 'military' than 'business', but the man himself answered my curiosity.

"I am the Earl of Habenburg, caretaker of the Cal Mira archipelago by the grace of the Queen of Melromarc. It is my honour, duty, and job, to be your guide during your stay here. If you have any questions, I, or any of my staff..."

He bowed, and a small array of professionally, but tropically, dressed maids and butlers (so shorter dress or just past the knee pants, and short sleeved shirts), bowed on either side of him.

"Will be happy to assist you. While we understand that hunting monsters, even more so during the event, is dangerous work, it is our job to ensure you can put forth your best efforts between excursions past the guarded area of town."

"Ma'am?" Usa asked very quietly from behind me.

Surprising him, L'arc spoke up behind Usa, "Homesick, right?"

I nodded, thinking of the Guild. I tuned back into the Earl's speech, "-your things away in your provided rooms, you may move about as you please." He and his staff bowed again, "Now if you will all come with me."

We were shown to a nice spacious room inside that large tavern/villa/hotel, given a key to the door, and told not to worry about any expenses we might incur while under its roof. Anything in town however, would cost the usual prices, but our stay, and food, were paid for. Then, we were told to go and do as we wished. So my party and I all hit the streets, the other Heroes nowhere in sight, likely getting 'the tour' my party and I were all skipping. Daylight was for working, and we were here to work.

Even if it was a bit remote, this was a happening place. And wealthy. Almost everything in the town (that was located on the largest island of the archipelago, like Hawaii) was make of nice white brick and red clay. The people were happy, things were clean, they had really good water and weatherproofing for the buildings and streets...

"We're supposed to be leaving town quickly so we can find a good spot to hunt! Not looking at all the buildings." Raphtalia grumbled at me, one of her hands catching the end of one of my tails.

She knew better than to pull at them, but her hand did carry a certain threat, and I snapped out of my architectural nerd fugue.

"Okay, fine. I can do this later." I tried to pout seriously, but couldn't.

"I hope our things are safe in the room we were given." Usa commented.

"I feel that the Queen placed her trust in the Earl for a reason." I replied, "But we have everything really important on hand. Now, tomorrow, we might actually have stuff to store."

"Are we gonna bring stuff back for Raphtalia's village?" Tetsu asked, marching along happily beside Clive, who, in big brother style, was holding her hand while the other swung freely with every step.

Raphtalia gave me the big raccoon eyes, and I nodded before she could weaponize them. "Of course." I looked at the timer, the stupid, evil, all pressuring doomsday clock. "We might even get back there before the wave."

Cal Mira was... interesting. Not only did it remind me a lot of Hawaii, it looked like it had actually been a natural occurrence! Unlike some parts of the world I'd seen so far, with almost razor edged borders between forests/mountains/grasslands/barren ground... This actually had a volcano (mostly dormant), thermal activity underground (I could smell the hot-spring baths in town and yes, I was going to enjoy them later), the archipelago itself (Clive drew us a map) actually looked properly formed by tectonic drift and volcanic activity.

Even if the monsters were still a bit weird, the natural beauty that didn't remind me of the Eighteenth Floor was a welcome sight.

Speaking of monsters...

Since I knew the other heroes, as well as the random assortment of adventurers that tagged along, would all be looking for a spot to hunt, we travelled almost to the other end of the island chain. Pausing only to kill things that got in the way.

First, were the squirrels... The smallest of which were about the size of a house cat, and only got bigger from there, all the way to something that looked like a bear with a bushy tail. They still ate nuts, or rather, the coconut equivalent growing on the palm-tree lookalikes growing on the beach. Their meat was very lean, and their fur was going to be a hit during winter, if that was even a thing in this world.

Next? Rabbits. Once again ranging from small dog to bear sized, these were properly shaped. Not like the Usapil from the mainland. Meat and fur was about the same though, and would also be a hit during winter, or the next campfire (or raw, because Tetsu couldn't help herself).

Penguins (though the system called them 'pengu'), of all things, came next. Same as before, they were just small to XXL sized. However, only Tetsu tried eating one, and she ended up coughing it out because it tasted like 'feathers and bad fish'. As for 'harvesting' them, well, they did have a thin layer of fat under the skin that was exactly the right consistency for lantern oil. With a little additive, I was sure I could make it closer to kerosene... If I really wanted to.

Lastly, in what was a giant 'twist' on what my status screen was telling me, and what I was seeing. Were the 'Dogs'.

Until now, all the monsters (oh, suppose I'll note here that all the monsters were 'Karma squirrel/rabbit/pengu/dog, while the smaller sized ones were had 'familiar' after their names in my status screen) looked how you might expect. Sure, they were not the sizes I knew (and occasionally loved), but the shape matched the name I was familiar with, more or less.

The 'Dogs' however... Sure, the head and body were kinda canine. But it had feathery wings, goat horns, and a spiked mace headed tail. It was a chimera. I didn't care what the status screen called it, this was no dog.

Which was good, because I missed Spot, the best boy of Orario. I might have felt a little guilty if I had to kill something that looked like an actual dog.

Overall though...

"This isn't really challenging." I said, frowning, "I mean, aside from a little extra time to kill these things, it's been... Kinda..." I nudged a spiked tail from a 'dog' we'd just killed, before kneeling and putting it through a series of 'is it useful for crafting something' tests.

The others all sighed at the same time (except Tetsu, who in her usual fashion scooped up a smaller one in her dragon-maw and chomped down on it for 'research' purposes). "I didn't want to say anything..." Raphtalia said, while Usa and Clive nodded. "But we're levelling much faster, right?"

I couldn't deny that. Considering the ease we were ripping through the monsters here, we were getting five times the amount of expected experience for it. Before we'd arrived, we were all just over level forty. As usual, I was the lowest, but even after what sounded like a titanic fight in the canyon leading to my tree on Van's territory, and Raphtalia's... massacre of the former Pope's followers (you know, never got his name, not important...) We started between 43 and 46. But after about four hours of fighting, and most of THAT spent rushing here so we wouldn't be bothered...

I was level 48, and the others had just cracked 50. If nothing else, seeing the numbers go up, and the little bits of improvement in the power of the party's attacks and spells... It did feel satisfying.

"We are. And I think we're in a good spot to settle in and fight for real." I said, "After lunch." I gave Tetsu's dragon-snoot a pat, mindful of the certainly-not-a-dog monster blood on it.

Oh, and yes, I did get a bunch of Shields. Most looked kinda silly, like the Pengu Shield. It was just a stiff leather shield with what felt like a layer of penguin feathers on the front. However, and no surprise here, the abilities on them were 'fishing up 2 AND 3' and swimming up 1 and 2. The Karma Rabbit Shield gave me an ability similar to what Usa already had (being hyper aware of 'danger' around us ALL the time), and the 'dog' shield gave me 'sense of smell up (low)'. I wasn't going to master that. I didn't need a nose any more sensitive than it was already.

Stupid Shield...

For lunch, we headed up a small cliff to a plateau that was just big enough for all of us to sit around a fire. With the monsters wandering about unable to do anything about us except growl (no, the 'dogs' couldn't really fly, just glide), we took turns watching out for monsters and used various methods to dislodge monsters attempting to get a free meal. As weak as the monsters were, I actually got level 50 while stirring the soup pots of rabbit/fish stew.

This opened up a heap of new Shields too! So many that I hand to hand the ladles to Raphtalia and Usa while I went through them all.

Otherworldly Healing Shield conditions met

Otherworldly Mind Shield conditions met

Ether Shield conditions met

Energy Shield conditions met

Ko-steel Shield conditions met

Ha-steel Shield conditions met

Raf-steel Shield conditions met

"Huh." I said finally.

"Ma'am? The Shield did something again?" Usa asked, carefully using his weak arm to ladle fish stew into his bowl.

"I just hit level 50. And a bunch of forms just unlocked. Health recovery up, mana recovery up, SP recovery up, magic absorption, magic diffusion, and 'stealth up'." I smiled a little, "Seems that little bar of metal I made with your fur is good for something other than jewellery after all." I swished at Raphtalia with a tail.

She 'eeped' as my tail flicked against hers, then pouted at me a little, "You said it was too soft for anything but something pretty..."

Tetsu poked Raphtalia's bicep, "But you're not soft?"

Raphtalia mumbled, "I am in some places..." Before flailing at Tetsu to stop poking her.

"What about the other monsters?" Usa asked.

"Mostly aquatic abilities. Though, oddly, it says I have 'usauni, pekkul, inult and squirrel status adjustment'. Like I have with the slave shield. But I have no idea what those are." I shrugged, setting my bowl down and using a little senjitsu to rinse it out. "Clive? I'll take over watch. Try the fish stew, I think you'll like it."

Clive turned away from his vigil, "click?" And put the bow across his chest.

"Mixed in some shark from the trip here, and a bit of that weird moss growing on the trees around here." I said, opening the Book Shield and turning to the 'killer icicle' page.

"I tried those weird fuzzy things growing in the trees! Very crunchy, but the insides are super tasty!" Tetsu said cheerfully, handing Clive his bow.

Yes, three of four worlds seemed to have coconuts. I didn't know if Falmart had them, since I never got near a beach.

We were just finishing cleanup, when the 'dog' I was about to pelt with a randomly selected magic effect (this was actually amazing practise for me!) stopped trying to climb, turned, and charged away from our little perch. Moments later, amid the dull racket of monster noises, there was a meaty 'chunk' noise, a weak growling whine, and L'arc appeared at the edge of the corpse pile my party and I had made while having lunch.

He looked at the collection of dead monsters, then up the cliff at me, "Wow! You do all this? Did you need help or something?"

Therese appeared behind him a moment later, one hand covering her nose. "Nah, we were eating lunch and didn't want to go back to town." I said, "Aha! Watch out to your left!"

He blinked up at me, then looked left. I had been wondering how the beaches stayed so clean. Sure, my party and I were stripping monsters of useful bits, but it seemed as soon as our backs were turned, the piles we had left for the scavengers were gone. And not just 'eaten by something' but 'gone'. And now I knew why. The monster was a 'slime'. Dull purple, and about the size of a beach ball, it had quietly squiggled its way from the underbrush towards the stack of arrow and magic riddled bodies we'd left at the foot of the cliff.

"Ah! L'arc was a bit surprised by the monster, but with a quick cross body swing he brought his scythe down off his shoulder, passed it through the monster, and up again to hold it firmly in both hands. The slime seemed to take a moment to realize it was dead, before wiggling itself into a thin mostly clear paste that hissed with an acidic sizzle at L'arc's feet.

But, most scavengers appeared in groups, and this one was no different. The 'Bio Red Blob' as my status screen called it, was starting to appear from everywhere around the two of them.

"Shoul-" I held up a finger, out of sight of L'arc and Therese to hush Usa.

So we all watched for a moment as the two of them danced around the blobs. L'arc worked with his weapon expertly (I've only met two competent scythe users, and this man would likely have given Giselle and Rory a reasonable challenge in a sparring match), while Therese started to use magic. Unlike the stuff we used (I am the source of blah blah blah), she was pushing energy through the collection of gems she was wearing, and producing precise magic effects. A bit of lightning, killer icicles, a little fire, she was quite adept. It felt, though the distance between us might have been giving me false signals, like my new spell gloves, but... not quite?

I lowered my finger, "Do you want a hand?" I called down.

L'arc grunted as he cut another blob apart, "Sure!"

"Step away from the corpse pile!" I replied.

The two of them didn't hesitate to follow the command, jumping clear. But again, I held up a hand to keep my party from acting. When the two below noticed we weren't doing anything, L'arc called up, "What are you waiting for!?"

Except the Blobs were now ignoring them, and slurping their way over the pile of dead monsters. "You were just in the way!" I called down, "I've been wondering all day how this beach stays so clean with all the monsters we've been killing."

L'arc glared up at me, "Trying to be a smarty-pants huh?!" This just made Therese giggle quietly, "What?"

I looked back at the party, and most of them were laughing at him too. "Think they'd want some food? We have a little left." Raphtalia said, "Shame to just wash it out if there are people around to eat it, right?"

"I could eat more." Tetsu said, "I can always eat more."

"Hush." Raphtalia booped the little dragon girl.

"You two hungry?" I called down, feeling a warm tingle through my horns as Raphtalia evoked a little of Hestia's spirit before I could. "We were just cleaning up when you got here."

The two of them looked at each other, then back up, "Sure."

A short climb later, and our slightly crowded plateau got a bit cramped as the two of them sat down and accepted the last bowls of stew. "Huh, a camp out in the middle of monster infested wilderness." L'arc laughed, taking a bite and instantly emitting manly sparkles, "Wow! This is amazing!"

"I'm confident in my cooking skills." I smiled, my heart aching a little at the reminders of home.

"Oh, this is quite good." Therese nodded, "But yes, this is quite a daring place to have a meal, considering the local fauna."

"What's a fauna?" Tetsu asked, "Is it tasty?"

"Another word for 'local animals'." Usa explained, "And you'd know better than me, I think."

"We have all kinds of ways to deal with curious monsters. Just have to set a watch and take turns." Raphtalia smiled a little, watching Usa work on his headpats with his restored arm. "Were you looking for a place to hunt?"

"We were looking for you guys, actually." L'arc said, "You vanished so early, and missed that Earl guy's tour. It was kinda boring, honestly."

"You were still half asleep." Therese chided, "I found the local legends fascinating."

"Well, he did show us the merchant quarter! So many people from all over are here, selling stuff for the event!" L'arc said excitedly, "Makes sense though! I mean, if something like this only happens once every ten years, it would attract all kinds of attention from merchants and stuff."

"Makes sense..." I nodded, brushing a hand through a tail, then another, then the third so it wouldn't feel left out, "We'll have to visit." I nodded. "So what did you want?" I asked.

"Well, we were going to ask if you wanted to party up." L'arc said, "But seeing how you're managing, and actually getting a head count..."

"More than six people together would slow down our progress." Therese nodded sagely, "Though, now that you are wearing your equipment, I would love to ask questions about how you made it!"

L'arc caught my eye and silently said 'I told you so'.

"After we're done for the day." I nodded, "Though, if you wanted to party with someone, if you could find the Spear Hero, he might like some company."

"That tall guy? Has the adorable winged girl with him?" L'arc rubbed his chin, "Suppose we could ask?"

"That child was so adorable." Therese nodded, "At dinner then?" She looked at me.

"Sure." I nodded.

The two of them left first, with L'arc shaking my hand and thanking us for the meal and chat. Therese, while not shaking hands, did give us a polite bow and thank you. Then, they were gone.

We waited until they were out of Usa's hearing range, before Raphtalia spoke, "But if they're vassal weapon users from another world..."

"I know." I nodded, "But now that Motoyasu isn't a raving idiot, I want his opinion." I fished around in one of my pouches and took out a sound stone. "Motoyasu?" I said, giving it a couple taps first.

A pause. Then a slightly breathless, "Kodori?"

From close by, Kuro said, "Who else would it be, dummy master?"

Everyone on my side of the call had to cover up a laugh as Motoyasu pouted audibly over the call, "Yeah. Motoyasu? I sent the two I mentioned over to look for you. Can you try and get an idea about them?"

"The guy with all the muscles, and the nice looking lady? Aren't they vassal weapon users?"

"One of them is for sure. But I'm not a hundred percent sure they're from 'here'. If they aren't, well, I want you to get an idea on their abilities." I replied.

"I'll be on guard. Thanks for the warning. Anything you can tell me about them?"

"Yeah. Kuro? Listen in too."

"Someone has to remember things..."

"Your words... they sting..."

Notes!

Information saves time, and lives. And now that Motoyasu is on 'the team', he gets to be part of it. :)

Thank you for reading! And if you want to see any full colour art, join the discord!

aKAQg4bnYu for the discord!

And my actual book, Were Too? is on Inkitt.

And! I'm looking into getting some story themed merchandise made. Join the Discord to find out more!