Chapter Thirty-Six: Rescue
Naofumi had not been expecting this.
He was not prepared at all.
Melty was uncharacteristically silent. Her arms were crossed and her eyes were completely devoid of emotion.
Either he was weak-minded from the rush of guilt that'd flooded his system, or she'd been practicing her glare a lot more since he'd last seen her. Naofumi could hardly even look at the young girl, so he turned away instead, shuffling awkwardly in place.
A tense silence set in as Naofumi struggled to come up with a way to break the insurmountable metaphorical wall of ice that stood between them. Throughout it, Melty continued to look at him with quiet disdain. She made no move to speak.
…
Finally, Naofumi managed to collect his thoughts and spoke up first. "I'm sorry."
"... I see." The bluette's voice was stiff. Despite its lack of emotion, it was like he could hear the hatred in her tone.
Naofumi felt like he'd been put under a microscope. It was like he could feel Melty's blue eyes tearing him apart.
"Why are you here? I thought you weren't allowed to leave the castle?" Naofumi tried to continue the conversation when it became apparent that Melty was not going to do it.
"... I came here because I heard the Spirit Tortoise was dead. I wanted to make sure that my mother and father were okay." Melty spat those words out, making sure Naofumi knew she hadn't meant him. "Then Shadow told me mother was busy, and that I had to wait here for her. Had I known this would happen, I wouldn't have come within a mile of this tent... Speaking of which."
She stood up from the chair and began to walk out of the tent. It was more than obvious. The Second Princess was beyond pissed and had no intention of forgiving him.
And the worst part was, she had every right to it.
"Ah yes, that must have felt nice to pretend like you have a sister that adores you, a mother that always has time for you, and a father who isn't brain dead."
"P-please, sto-" Melty's voice came out quiet and weak as tears began to slowly streak down her cheeks.
"Shhhh." Naofumi put his index finger on her lips. "Oh no. I'm not done yet, not by a long shot. If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm not in a very good mood right now and I've been waiting a long time to give you a piece of my mind. So be a good little princess, stay right here and read my lips. Ready?"
...
"You're worthless. No one loves you. The shield hero stated blandly while looking her in the eyes.
Melty stared back unblinkingly, her body was starting to shake. "Y-you." She sniffed loudly.
"Me? What about me?" Naofumi stood up again. "Could you speak up please?" Naofumi put a hand to his ear and lowered his head at her.
"Y-you're wrong, F-filo loves me!" The little girl objected.
"Oh, does she now? How strange." Naofumi scratched his chin in an overexaggerated display of his common behavioral quirk. "Why did she go with Fitoria and not you then?"
…
Melty opened her mouth but no words came out.
"She might not want to stay with me anymore but what about you? She could have gone to you. But she didn't. She went to Fitoria. The person she actually cares about. Am I wrong?" Naofumi pondered out loud.
"I-… I-…" The flow of tears running down Melty's face strengthened.
"And before you ask, no. Neither me nor Raphtalia care about you either. As far as I'm concerned you're just an annoying useless freeloader that I got saddled with because I owed the Queen a favor." Naofumi sneered at her. "And don't you ever forget that and get any weird ideas again. Now get lost. You're starting to annoy me."
Naofumi recoiled at the memory.
Gods, forget what he'd thought before, he was surprised the girl hadn't tried to straight-up murder him already!
How could he have ever gotten so pissed off that he'd say those words to anyone?
How could he even try to apologize for that?! It'd seemed like there could be a chance before, but seeing her now, well…
There was no chance in hell she would forgive him. He couldn't even forgive himself. Waiting to go see her had clearly been a bad idea.
"Wait, Melty-" Naofumi stood in her way, blocking the exit. Even if she wouldn't forgive him, he had to at least explain himself.
"No."
The word struck Naofumi harder than the Spirit Tortoise ever could. For a split second, the serene Mask that the princess was wearing cracked, letting a fraction of the hatred underneath leak out. Then it closed over, and she was blank once more.
She tried to walk around him again but he sidestepped, blocking the exit again.
It hurt, but he had to press on.
"Melty, please, I swear I didn't mean to say those words-" The shield hero tried to talk again.
"So?" The princess replied immediately again, making the rest of what Naofumi wanted to say die on his lips. "What does it matter if you did or didn't mean it? You still said them."
Naofumi was struggling to make a retort to this but thankfully the princess continued to speak instead of trying to leave again.
"There's no need to worry, you know. I'm not going to seek revenge on you. Unlike Father, I understand that even bastards like you have to live and thrive for the sake of our world, regardless of how much accepting that fills me with unending disgust." She spoke evenly without a hint of anger, and yet every word felt like a tidal wave slamming against Naofumi, tearing him down piece by piece. The relief that'd formed because she had decided to continue speaking to him instead of leaving quickly dispersed.
"Th-this isn't about that at all! I don't care if you want retribution! If you're angry then please tell me how I can make it up for you! I know I %^&*ed up and said things that are downright unforgivable but I want to fix it! Please, tell me what I can do?! I'll do anything!" The shield hero spoke frantically, stumbling and stuttering several times as he did so.
This... this was not what he was expecting. He thought she would get mad, try to hit him like Eclair perhaps, knowing her temper and usual brattiness.
But this? This cold disdain and disregard he was completely unprepared for.
"You say you'll do anything?" The princess quirked an eyebrow, briefly giving Naofumi hope and he latched at the potential way out with all of his being.
"Anything! I'll cook you whatever you want, I'll act as your personal butler for a month, a year! I'll make you an accessory, you can even smack me if it'll make you feel better, anything you want-"
"Then die."
…
Just like that, what Naofumi thought was his bridge to mend their relationship collapsed right under his feet, making him fall into the abyss.
"Go and die in a ditch somewhere. I don't care where. Just do that and maybe I'll forgive you." Melty stated in her uncharacteristic flat tone.
...
"Oh, that's right. You can't." Melty continued, completely oblivious to the Shield Hero's stunned state. "You need to be alive to fight the waves. Guess you can do it when you're done with that if you still feel like it by then."
"Melty..." Naofumi's voice came out hoarse.
"I'm not angry at you for the record." Her violet eyes bore into his, allowing him to see just how apathetic she looked. "I just hate you. Most of all, because what you said was true. Even if I didn't understand it myself back then. I really was trying to force my way into your family because of how messed up mine was. I wanted to live an escapist fantasy with everything I ever wanted.
Her head turned to the side and she shrugged her shoulders. "Thanks for the reality check, I know better now. Now if that's all, get out of my sight. If I ever see you again, it'll be too soon."
…
Naofumi was left completely speechless at this point and made no attempt to stop her as she walked past him.
"Oh, and one more thing." Melty briefly paused a few steps before the exit. "Even if my mother doesn't love me and my father is a vegetable, I still love them. So ^&*% you. Father was right about you… I was not."
...
Naofumi fell to his knees, unable to say anything. He couldn't say anything. He couldn't do anything. He'd done as he promised Eclair… but the Second Princess had made her choice.
There was nothing he could do to mend this. Nothing.
Melty looked back at the pathetic form of the Shield Hero. That's all he was. Just a pathetic sack of flesh masquerading around as a human. She was done with him. She was done with everything involving the Heroes.
Her first family was messed up. But this current one had betrayed her in ways even her older sister hadn't managed to do. At least her older sister hadn't led her to believe she loved her or cared for her as a person...
She was done with it. She wanted nothing more than to go back and lay in bed until the world would forget about her.
However, before Melty could leave, the flap to the tent opened, and she was surprised at the person that came into view.
"No, Melty… I… I wasn't right."
Naofumi stayed still in his position on the ground, not daring to turn around. But he recognized that voice.
"Pap-Father?!" Melty took a step back.
Aultcray pushed the tent flap out of the way and stepped in, using his staff for support. It was a surprise, seeing him walking without Mirellia's help. It was even more surprising for him to be speaking. However, even with these great achievements, Melty realized Aultcray looked very sad upon seeing her.
"Father, w-what are you doing here without an escort, and are-, are you speaking?" Melty continued in a complete reversal of her tone from before.
"I came here... to greet you... but...I...I overheard some things. I apologize, I... did not mean to eavesdrop but..." The king struggled as he continued to speak, but it was almost sounding coherent. "Now I... I must ask you to forgive Naofumi."
…
…
…
…
…
…
Had Naofumi been told several months ago that one day, the King would be standing up to defend him from his own daughter, he would have laughed. It would have been more likely for the world to end in his mind. Still, even now, he found the situation unbelievable. Perhaps the world was ending after all and he just hadn't realized it yet.
"What?" Melty struggled to speak. She looked just as shocked as Naofumi. Then, finally, she regained her voice and spoke again. "Father, what are you saying? Forgive him? Why? Do you know the things he said to me? The things he said about mother, about you?!"
"... Yes, I know what he said." Aultcray held up a piece of paper with his free hand. Naofumi recognized it as the same note that Mirellia had thrust in his face a few days earlier. "In fact... I know what he said all too well." Aultcray sadly shook his head.
Melty stared at her father in disbelief, how, how could he... the look of apathy melted from her face. Unfortunately, her next expression was one of fury.
"You!"
The Second Princess sharply turned around to face Naofumi. Her eyes burned with life. It was too bad it was for the wrong reasons. "What did you do to him?! Do you actually have a brainwashing shield, or is this some kind of illusion to trick me!? I swear if you forced Raphtalia to do this, then-"
Aultcray gently put a hand on Melty's shoulder, cutting her off. "Please… Melty. I… I understand what I'm asking is… selfish and… perhaps unjust."
Melty turned back around and after looking up into the king's eyes, she could immediately tell. It wasn't brainwashing. It wasn't an illusion.
It was her Father. Nobody else.
"But why?..." Melty balled her hands on her dress. "Why would I ever forgive him AFTER WHAT HE DID?! WHY PAPA!? WHY!?"
"Because... he forgave me," Aultcray answered simply with a small, sad smile.
…
…
…
...
Both Naofumi and Melty remained silent at his words. Both of them stared at the sad remains of the once Wise King, who shuddered where he stood.
"Melty, you know that I have committed countless... horrible, truly... horrible atrocities. The things... that I have done...I won't be able to make up for them... even if I were to dedicate a hundred lives to it." Tears began to leak from the corners of his eyes. "By all rights... I should have shared the same fate as Balamus and... it was only because of my title that I was unjustly spared."
"Father! No! Do not speak such ill of yourself!" Melty frantically protested while holding his hands and looking up at him. "We've been over this! You were tricked and deceived by the Church like everyone else! It wasn't your fault!"
"If only... that was true." Aultcray continued sadly while reaching a shaking hand to pat his daughter's head.
"F-father?" She spoke again in confusion and growing horror.
"Melty, please... listen to me closely. I wish... I could have taught you this important lesson earlier, but... it took me my whole life to understand it by myself and the price... that I paid for this knowledge was too great... far... far too great... I do not wish for you to pay it the way I have. So please... listen to me." He gasped, clearly growing exhausted even as he pleaded with the little girl in front of him.
"I, I am listening pa-father! What is it? What are you trying to say?!" Melty's undivided attention was now focused on the king standing over her and holding her shoulders.
"All my life... I let my hatred guide me. My hatred for demihumans... who took away my family… who killed my sister. My hatred for Tai-Lon... the hakuko who started that pointless war... the scars of which... still linger across the land and in people's hearts. My hatred... for the shield that acted as their symbol."
He deeply sighed. "Like a festering wound, I let it grow... even when we won... Even when I got my revenge... because I wanted more. Because...I felt like no price of blood could ever be enough to repay for what was taken from me... Even as a new generation of people was born, unknown to the horrors of the past, I still let my hatred grow... and worse yet, I helped nurture it in the hearts of others as well. Including your sister." Tears leaked from the corners of his eyes. "Please, Melty, there, there… there has been enough hatred in our family…
"Even when the Seven Star Staff left me... something that could not have been a more obvious wake-up call... I still stubbornly clung to my hatred… I let it consume me to the point where... my mind... which many claimed to be brilliant, was clouded. Even as I risked starting a global war by allowing the heroes to be summoned... even as I put your mother and you in mortal peril while stranded in a foreign land surrounded by enemies... never once did I consider these and many other things. Even as my country fell apart around me... even when I was forcibly removed from the throne by Balamus...I could only think about how much I hated, and how my revenge would be left unfulfilled.
"It was only when I was left in that dark cell... after being informed that you had died… that my dear wife was walking into a trap... only then did I realize what I'd done. That my hatred had cost me everything. My country. My family. I sold it all for... pointless validation. And that knowledge destroyed me. Because without my hate...I had nothing left. The man I once was... he is gone... only this shallow empty husk is what's left. Had it not been for the Heroes… I..."
The king paused to catch his breath while Melty stared up at him in disbelief, tears shining in her eyes.
"Please... do not be like me Melty. Do not be a fool... like your father had been. For all the great and terrible things that Naofumi had said to you... they were only words. And words... are empty without actions to back them up...and his actions... tell me, would he really have forgiven me after all I did, if he was truly as terrible as you think he is now...?"
"Please, I'd rather, our enmity with demi-humans… our enmity with the Shield Hero… died, with the man who was once your father…"
...
Melty hiccuped. She put her hand up and covered her mouth. Her apathy had been thoroughly and absolutely crushed by the words of her real Father. She understood, and yet…
"P-Papa, please, don't ask me to forgive him!" She pointed at Naofumi. "Ask me to do anything but that! I'll do anything! I'll even give up my title and any claim to the throne!"
She did wish that things could go back to the way they were. That she could just forgive and forget the things that Papa and Naofumi had done. But how? How could she when she felt such hurt in her heart? When she would look at Naofumi and feel nothing but HATRED for his very existence! Even as the rational part of her mind began to comprehend the situation, it was painful. It was so, so painful!
"Please, PAPA! I JUST WANT THINGS TO GO BACK TO BEFORE! I WANT TO STOP HURTING! BUT PLEASE! DON'T MAKE ME DO THIS! ANYTHING BUT THIS!"
However, Aultcray didn't say anything else. He instead got on one knee and hugged his daughter close. There was nothing that could be said to soothe this kind of pain. It was something only Melty could resolve herself.
Melty went silent, still hiccupping at what was happening.
"W-W-W-" She started to stammer again, and then, after a moment, when she felt her Father's hand rubbing the back of her head comfortingly, she broke down completely.
"WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" She broke away from her father's embrace, running past him out of the tent. Within seconds, she was out of sight, but it took longer for her crying to fade in the distance.
At this point, Naofumi had gotten onto his feet again. He stared at the sad, defeated figure of the King as he looked at the staff in his hand. The normal staff that could never replace the one he once held so long ago.
The Shield Hero's mind still couldn't wrap itself around what he'd just witnessed. The King, the man who'd formerly hated him the most in the world… had defended him against the wrath of his own daughter. No, more than that, he'd broken through his daughter's barriers, and begged her to forgive him. The only person who possibly could get away with asking her for such a thing.
"W… Why?" Naofumi was only able to bring himself to ask that much, his throat was choked up, and it took him a moment to recognize why.
The sad king turned to look at him. "I… I know the curse that you bear all too well, Sir Naofumi. My anger… was what helped me to stay focused on my goals during my youth. It grounded me and gave me purpose… but at some point… instead of directing my wrath at those who truly deserved it, I let my wrath direct me instead... What I said was not… meant only for Melty, but for you… as well. I merely wish… to make sure that no one repeats my mistakes." He looked back at his staff sadly.
"The mistakes caused by one's hatred for the world."
…
Naofumi was at a loss for words. Aultcray struggled to stand up, so instead, Naofumi assisted him, gripping his hand to help pull him up.
He still couldn't believe it. Anybody who witnessed it was probably in the same boat as him.
"Did… did Mirellia set this up?" Naofumi asked. It seemed like the kind of thing she'd do.
"No, Mirellia didn't. I… when Shadow told me Melty was coming… I… asked Shadow for her help to greet her." Aultcray looked at the tent flap. As Naofumi did so as well, the Shadow he was very familiar with appeared in the doorway.
"I daresay, that went quite well, King Trash," Shadow said. "I would have thought Princess Melty would refuse to listen at all. This will no doubt ease her Majesty's worries for her daughter when I inform her about this."
"Alright… in the meantime, please, watch over Melty… make sure she doesn't run too far from camp. I trust her, but… heartache can often make us do foolish things." Aultcray bowed his head at her slightly.
"As you wish, farewell," Shadow bowed, and the next second, she disappeared from the entrance.
At this point, Naofumi could kind of appreciate how cool it was for her to appear and disappear so quickly. He wondered if Raphtalia could ever learn to do the same trick.
That would be cool.
Aultcray leaned heavily on his staff. He looked ten, almost twenty years older than before. "I… I'm sorry This was all I could do…" He said sadly.
"No, I think you've done enough… Trash." Naofumi winced as he said his name. He was now beginning to regret having changed his name to that nickname. It'd been funny before. But now…
He'd really been an immature jerk before, huh? Freaking 20/20 hindsight. Looking at the note in the King's hand, his grimace deepened. "I'm… I'm truly sorry about what I said to her. And, I'm sorry about what I said about you and Mirellia. If I had the chance, I'd take it all back."
"..." The King looked down at the note, as if deep in thought. Then, after a few seconds, he tore it to pieces, letting the paper scatter to the wind. "Let bygones… be bygones… not everything is set in stone... but do know… I did this… because I feel that you won't ever do this again… Sir Iwatani…
"No daughter… should ever be told… that their Father… does not love them… If I'm proven wrong in that assumption… if you don't care for my daughter… if you hurt my dear Melty ever again… … ..."
The King couldn't finish, but Naofumi got the message. He'd reawaken the big bad dad, and he'd be the first man on his hit list. "I don't plan to," Naofumi replied. "And I do care about her."
"Good… that's good…"
Naofumi helped Aultcray out of the tent. But instead of leading him towards Mirellia's tent, he led him towards the Hero's kitchen instead. "It isn't much, but I was planning on making dinner anyway. Is there anything you'd like to have?" Naofumi asked.
"I… I don't know… I don't want to get anymore in the way." The older man said sadly.
"You're not in the way. I was already planning on making dinner for me and my friends." Naofumi said seriously. And it was one of the few ways he could ever repay the King for what he'd done tonight.
"... in that case… some… honey roast… would be lovely..." Aultcray said nothing further, but he didn't resist. After they got to the kitchen area and Naofumi had helped the King to sit down at one of the tables, he grabbed what ingredients he found on hand and got to work.
Naofumi didn't try to say anything more to the old King, and neither did he try to say anything to Naofumi. But the Shield Hero definitely felt that something had changed between them. A bridge that hadn't been there before had been formed. Whether the connection with Trash could stand the coming weeks or even the coming months…
Weird, even now, he still referred to him by that title. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to tell Mirellia to publicly pronounce her husband's name change. Urgh, he was really starting to wish he could take that back too. He wished he could take so many things back.
Maybe then, Melty wouldn't be suffering through such pain right now...
Then he remembered how the King had treated him in the beginning, and the sting from it lessened somewhat. Naofumi had forgiven him, but he hadn't forgotten. Still, if the King continued at this rate, he'd need to talk with Mirellia about a name change again...
It helped him to see that even if the Second Princess forgave him, her trust would not be so easy to repair. He'd have to work just as Trash was now to repair that connection.
He wouldn't be able to forgive himself. Not until he was certain that Melty and the others could trust him again. Not until he could help the second princess to live a happy life with a happy family that loved and cared for her as much as her real father and mother did.
He thought about all this as he cooked, and as the scent of honey roast began to waft through the air, his thoughts were dragged from what'd happened to Filo and Raphtalia...
Oh, yeah, he'd originally gone to the tent to look for the two of them. But they hadn't been there.
Actually, with the way the wind was carrying the scent of honeyed roast outside, he would have sworn Filo would come charging in by now.
Some noise started coming from the entrance, causing Naofumi to look up. However, it was Itsuki who stumbled in and sat in a chair. His hair was still wet from the bath he'd taken. The bags under his eyes were greater than before, and he looked incredibly depressed, likely because he wasn't allowed to train or do anything tonight.
"Hey, Naofumi, have you seen Rishia… or any of my other friends?" The Bow Hero asked.
"No." Naofumi shook his head.
"... oh…"
The Bow Hero said nothing more. Merely waiting for Naofumi to finish dinner so he'd have some task that'd take his mind off of being useless for a night.
Looking outside, Naofumi saw stars beginning to appear in the night sky. He frowned. Was Itsuki's party missing too? And as cute as it was for the blonde to ask where the green-haired girl was first...
'Where is everyone?'
"Wyndia, are you in there?" Raphtalia stood outside the formerly Sword Hero's tent near the flap. Behind her was Eclair, Rishia, Tersia, Farrie, Rachel, Crystal, and Filo.
Raphtalia had looked for Itsuki's other party members. She'd found Maya and Aksel curled up together asleep in Itsuki's tent. The two had apparently had a long day of helping around the camp together. The half-Tanuki girl hadn't had the heart to wake either of them up.
Dou-Lon was off sparring with his friend Chen since he'd promised to do that with her tonight but was otherwise available if they needed him. And Karn... well, she had no idea where Itsuki's swordsman was. And it wasn't like he was close to Wyndia anyway.
"Why do we all have to be here? Wouldn't it be better if some of us actually studied or trained?" Farrie complained.
"Hush, you know as well as I do what Wyndia is going through." Tersia harshly lectured her younger sister. "This is an intervention we should have done yesterday."
Farrie scowled and crossed her arms, but didn't say anything to the older nun.
"Wyndia?" Eclair tried calling for her this time. Usually, she'd get a response telling her to go away. But this time, only silence answered from inside.
"Hmmm… Filo doesn't smell Dog Girl nearby." Filo spoke up.
"That's odd Normally, she's back around now." Eclair pulled open the flap of the tent to look inside.
Sure enough, there was no sign of Wyndia. "Maybe she's staying out longer tonight." Farrie pondered dryly. "I know that's what I want to be doing right now."
Tersia glared at her, but then as the girls entered the tent, they all stopped talking.
The inside of the tent was very, very messy.
"Oh… dear." Tersia covered her nose.
Trays of leftover food littered the ground. The blankets for the cot were torn and scattered on the floor. Others in the group plugged their noses from the smell of spoiled food that was already beginning to permeate the air. Even the cloth on the inside of the tent looked filthy, and scraps of food stuck to parts of it.
Walking up to the one used pillow on the cot and putting her hand against it, Raphtalia found part of it was still damp. The rest of it was flaky from the salt of dried tears.
"Fueh…" Rishia whimpered. "Wyndia…"
"Just how many tantrums has that girl pulled off in here." Crystal stared at a nasty-looking stain on the cloth of the tent.
"Do you see now why we have to intervene?" Tersia asked the younger nun next to her.
Farrie, however, said nothing. Her face was twisted in an odd expression, and she couldn't face the older girl.
"You said she isn't here, right Filo?" Raphtalia asked.
"Mmhmm. Judging by the smell, Dog Girl hasn't been in here all day." Filo answered.
"Alright… girls, let's clean this place up," Raphtalia suggested.
"Clean? You want us to clean this mess?" Crystal asked skeptically.
"We might as well." Rachel agreed while idly glancing around. "It'd be a small thing, but small things are usually what people appreciate most. It might make her more forthcoming and less hostile to us when she comes back. And besides, do you really want to talk to her while standing in all of this." The black-haired mage pointed down at the piece of spoiled meat that Crystal was standing on.
The silver-haired girl immediately jumped off it, wiping the bottom of her boot off with a disgusted look on her face. "Okay, fair point, let's get to it then before I start vomiting."
One by one, the girls separated to clean up the inside of the large tent that'd formerly been for the Sword Hero.
Raphtalia gathered the blankets and clothes littering the ground and cot. She then judged which were usable and which were too torn up to be of use. Farrie and Tersia then disposed of the unusable ones outside the tent with fire magic while Raphtalia worked with Rishia to clean the rest, having Rishia use water magic, fire magic, and wind magic to help with washing and drying everything.
"Fueh. Y-You're really good at this, Raphtalia." Rishia complimented the Tanuki girl.
"Thanks. I got used to doing this while being on the run with Naofumi." The girl admitted. "He doesn't clean up after himself very well, so I got used to washing our clothes whenever we came across a stream. I also got pretty good at cleaning up monster hides and other things we'd sell as time went on." Raphtalia smiled as fond memories came to her mind.
"Oh…" The green-haired girl looked thoughtful. Perhaps, maybe washing Itsuki's clothes for him would help the two to grow closer… a blush traveled up her face and she shook her head rapidly to clear her mind of the thought.
Perhaps it'd be better to think about such things when they weren't in the middle of helping a friend out.
Eclair gathered the food trays and, because Filo insisted, gave the bird girl what had been left on them. Food was food after all, and while Filo wanted Daddy's cooking, she didn't mind the snack. Filo also helped with cleaning off the food from the ground and the tent covering. Crystal and Rachel then took the empty trays and brought them back to the chefs Eclair had borrowed them from before assisting the two with cleaning up the cloth walls.
"Zweite Shadow Wave." A wave of darkness traveled along the surface of the cloth. Everything stuck against it from food scraps to tiny dust particles was forced off by the wave of darkness traveling over it.
"Magic sure is useful, huh." Crystal remarked with a hint of envy as she picked up what'd fallen to the ground with a dustpan.
"Yes, you should try learning it sometime. It'd make your cleaning tasks a lot easier." Rachel's sarcastic quip didn't go unnoticed, and Crystal leveled a glare at the back of her head before continuing with her task.
Fortunately, with so many helping out, it only took thirty minutes before the inside was clean and livable. The ground was clear of trash. The cloth covering, though still somewhat stained even after Rachel, Rishia, and Raphtalia's best attempts to clean it with magic, looked prettier than before. The cot had fresh, clean blankets on it.
Even the pillow had been cleaned up.
"Good work everyone. This place looks a lot better." Raphtalia complimented happily.
"There, don't you feel a little better now that we've done something good?" Tersia asked her fellow nun.
Farrie remained silent though and faced away while crossing her arms. The older girl sighed.
She understood the free-spirited girl was still reeling from losing Bakta. But it wasn't a good excuse for her to stop caring about her friends who were still alive.
At times, it honestly felt like the light green-haired mage had stopped caring for her too.
"I-Is Wyndia still not back yet?" Rishia nervously asked.
Eclair looked outside and shook her head. "I don't see anyone else besides a patrol."
"Do you think she saw us in here and ran off?" Tersia asked.
"I don't know, maybe she's just waiting for us to leave…" Raphtalia thought about it, then nodded her head. "Let's pretend to go back to our tents, I'll use illusion magic to hide and wait."
They agreed, leaving the tent one by one. Raphtalia stayed inside, using an illusion spell to hide near the cot. There, she stood and waited.
…
...
Fifteen minutes passed… There was still no sign of the dog girl.
Raphtalia poked her head outside the tent.
She saw nobody around.
Looking up, she found that the sun had set. Stars were beginning to appear in the night sky…
"Is there still no sign of her?" Eclair finally walked out of her hiding place upon seeing the tent flap move.
Raphtalia dropped the illusion spell and reappeared as others walked out of their hiding places. "No. Filo, sweetie, do you smell Wyndia anywhere nearby?" She asked.
"No mommy, all of Dog Girl's scents in the area aren't recent." Filo shook her head.
"Damn it... we go through all that work, and she's not even going to show up?" Farrie harrumphed. "Why'd we even go through all that trouble if she's only going to waste our time!?"
"Farrie!" Tersia snapped at the girl again, but the younger mage just shook her head.
"Screw this, I have a spellbook that requires my attention. Call me when she decides to show herself." Farrie turned around and walked off.
"Stop, Farrie, don't you care about our friend?!" But nothing that Tersia tried to say made her fellow mage stop, and soon she disappeared from view.
"Urgh!" Tersia balled her hands into fists. It'd been a long time since she'd last felt tempted to throttle the younger girl. She'd nearly forgotten what this feeling was like. She'd grown so used to her antics, but this was… unprecedented.
"Do you think… she might have run into some trouble outside the camp?" Eclair asked, a bit of fear creeping into her voice.
"I… I don't know…" Raphtalia's brow bunched together in worry. They could just be overreacting, but with the way Wyndia had been acting lately… and if she'd somehow had the luck to find Ren's kidnapper out there... "Eclair, why don't you go grab Dou-Lon, I think we'll need those tracking skills of his," Raphtalia said.
Eclair promptly turned around with a nod before running off to find the Hakuko.
"Fueh- sh-should I grab Itsuki then?" Rishia asked.
"No, it's already late. And we were told to let the Heroes rest, remember?" Raphtalia shook her head.
"Fueh…" Rishia whimpered. "What about the person who kidnapped Ren? What if they try to kidnap you guys-"
"Fitoria just told Filo that Fitoria will come running if Filo's flock runs into the person who kidnapped Sword Guy," Filo spoke up. "Filo and Mommy should be okay."
Rishia said nothing more, and moments later, Dou-Lon came running alongside Eclair in his therianthrope form. There was also a Shadow with them as well as Chen, his hakuko friend.
"Eclair explained things to us. Did Miss Filo identify which of her scents was the most recent?" The larger Hakuko asked.
"Filo… believes it's this one here Tiger Guy!" Filo called from nearby.
Dou-Lon, smiling a little at the nickname, bounded next to Filo. The therianthrope put his nose to the ground and sniffed deeply. There were traces of other smells from the camp wafting through here. Who was cooking that delicious honey roast?
He pushed these scents aside, and focused…
"Have you found it yet?" Chen asked curiously.
"Of course I haven't, there's a lot of other scents to sift through here-" Dou-Lon began to explain.
"Well, I think this might be her footprint over there in the mud. Try focusing your nose on that Lon Lon." The shorter hakuko suggested, pointing at a spot a couple of feet away from where his nose was.
Dou-Lon tuned his childhood friend out but did focus his nose on the footprint he hadn't noticed before.
"Wasn't there a Shadow assigned to watch over Wyndia?" Raphtalia asked the hooded person who'd arrived with the two demi-humans.
The figure in black shook their head. "I'm sorry, us Shadows are already spread thin watching the Heroes and leaders while searching the Guardian Beast. And that girl, in particular, didn't like having any of us around."
The Shadow then gave a nod to Eclair. "If that's all then I must return to my duties. I'm sorry that I can't provide any more assistance but I'll pass this news to my colleagues so that her Majesty remains informed of your whereabouts."
"It's fine. Keep watch over Sir Naofumi and Sir Itsuki while we're gone." Eclair replied with a small nod.
The Shadow returned it and then disappeared in the blink of an eye. At the same time, Dou-Lon suddenly raised his head.
There. It was faint, tinged with the smell of dragons permanently engraved in Wyndia's scent marker, but it was there. "Told you so." Chen smiled knowingly.
"I would have found it without your help. Anyway, don't you have your duties as a Captain to attend to?" Dou-Lon asked.
"I'm on leave tonight. This seems like it'll be much more fun." The girl replied gleefully.
"Since when do Captains get to go on leave?!" Dou-Lon asked skeptically.
"Since I said so," Chen replied playfully.
Dou-Lon groaned. "I'm sorry, I hope you don't mind my friend joining us." He said apologetically to the half-Tanuki girl.
"I don't mind. Me, Filo, and Eclair can follow you and your friend. As for the rest of you, wait here in case Wyndia comes back, or in case Ren's kidnapper makes a move while we're gone." Raphtalia explained as she got on Filo's back. Eclair climbed on behind her.
"Wait, I want to come too!" Tersia demanded.
Raphtalia looked down at the mage in surprise. Would there even be enough room for her? "Tersia-"
"Please, I don't want to wait here. I want to help..." The mage mumbled sadly.
"Miss Raphtalia, let's take the wagon," Eclair suggested. It'd probably be better than riding on Filo anyway.
"Alright," The half raccoon girl nodded and they hopped off Filo. Fortunately, her wagon was nearby, and it took only a few seconds for them to get in it.
"Fueh, please, stay safe out there." Rishia looked up at them with sad eyes. Sad by the fact that she didn't feel brave enough to follow them too.
"Don't do anything stupid." Crystal said, before looking away. "Unless that's what it takes to bring her back."
"We will," Raphtalia promised. "Please make sure Naofumi and Itsuki get some rest." With Filo latched to the wagon, Raphtalia flicked the reins, and her daughter took off, following the pair of Hakuko as they followed the dog girl's trail out of the camp.
At first, the scent trail Dou-Lon and Chen were following headed towards the corpse of the Spirit Tortoise. Then, as they got close to it, the scent trail veered diagonally away from it. The scent trail then continued parallel with the large corpse until they were past it. Then, it veered back onto the original path, eventually leading them down the path of destruction through the mountain range.
"Miss Filo, do you think you'll be fine with pulling your wagon through this?" Dou-Lon asked with some concern after studying the surrounding terrain.
"It'll be no problem for Filo Tiger Guy!" Filo happily puffed her chest out in pride as she maneuvered the wagon over the cracked, boulder-strewn uneven ground.
"Urp!" Tersia put a hand to her mouth. This, this was even worse than last time.
"We might have a little problem back here," Eclair said seriously.
"Yes, try to be a bit more gentle Filo," Raphtalia said in the most loving tone that she could for her daughter.
"Okay, Mommy!" Raphtalia focused on directing Filo while Eclair helped Tersia in the back of the wagon.
"Hey, Chen, are you doing alright?" Dou-Lon started to ask.
"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" Chen asked curiously.
"I mean, you're not using your therianthrope form to keep up with me." Dou-Lon pointed out.
"You know I don't like using my form Lon Lon, and besides, do I look tired to you?" She pointed out.
Indeed, even with the fast pace they were taking in the rough terrain, the smaller hakuko hardly looked to be breaking a sweat. Dou-Lon decided not to press. Perhaps his friend really had gotten stronger since the last time he'd met her.
They continued for a little while, then Dou-Lon veered and began to climb up a steep incline. It did not get any better for Tersia as Filo followed with the wagon in tow.
"Miss Wyndia has been exploring the mountains, correct?" Dou-Lon asked back.
"Yes! At least, that's where I assumed she was searching!" Raphtalia yelled back.
The further they continued, the more hazardous the mountains became. Especially around the area where the Spirit Tortoise had carved a path through them. At Raphtalia's loud response, rock slides happened on a nearby mountain.
"Careful, Miss Raphtalia, it'll be a lot harder to track her if we bury her trail under a pile of debris!" Chen ran alongside the wagon and whispered to the Tanuki girl.
"S-Sorry," Raphtalia mumbled. Chen smiled and bounded back ahead to Dou-Lon, who suddenly paused.
"What is it?" She asked.
"She has so many scent trails here? I can't tell if she made camp here during the day or something-"
"That way." Chen pointed deeper into the mountains.
"I'm still trying to pick out her trail. Don't just-" Dou-Lon began to complain.
"Look closely, dummy." Chen grabbed the back of Dou-Lon's head and forced his head closer to the ground. On closer examination, he found a set of footprints. "I already looked them all over. That set is the most recent." Chen stated.
"How can you tell?!" Dou-Lon demanded.
"You might have a better nose, but no tracker has a better set of eyes than me," Chen stated proudly. "Did you forget that?"
Dou-Lon grumbled, and it didn't help that he could now tell that Chen was right since the scent trail from those footprints matched the trail he was following. "How can you claim to have better eyes when you're always losing your stuff?" Dou-Lon grumbled.
"I misplaced my spear one time." Chen rolled her eyes.
"We had to deal with a monster nest after that!" Dou-Lon growled.
"And you and your fists did just fine Lon Lon." Chen smiled widely at him.
"Those monsters were covered in acid! I'm surprised I didn't lose my hands back then-"
"Hey, aren't we in the middle of something here!" Eclair yelled over the two bickering hakuko.
Chen stuck her tongue out at her good friend, who grumbled as he chased after the scent trail once more.
The night continued to darken…
Dou-Lon was sure that the Dog Girl was nearby. He'd had to struggle quickly through a myriad of scent trails, some faint, some more recent. Some that had faded due to rain or that had been covered over by the scent of a strong monster. But he managed to push past these obstacles with some assistance from Chen and kept going, following Wyndia's scent trail as it gradually became stronger and stronger.
Finally, they came upon a cave entrance near the Spirit Tortoise's path of destruction. He stopped, sniffing deeply once more. He could immediately tell. "Yes, she definitely came here today."
"I see only one set of footprints. So she should still be in there." Chen smiled and patted Dou-Lon on the back. "Though you probably knew that already, didn't you, Lon Lon."
"Please stop calling me that." His face reddened with embarrassment, and he bowed to Raphtalia as she got out of the wagon. "She should be in there."
"Thanks, you two." Raphtalia looked back at the wagon, but Tersia didn't look to be in any shape to get out.
"You should rest. We'll lead Wyndia back here." Eclair promised.
"N-No, I want to help-" The blonde mage tried to complain as she stood up, but then she tottered and fell back into the wagon again. Raphtalia grimaced as Eclair helped the mage to sit back against the wagon. She turned to Filo.
"Filo, stand watch in case Wyndia tries to sneak past us. Dou-Lon, you and your friend should search the rest of the area in case there's another exit to this cave."
"Okay, Mommy." "Of course, Miss Raphtalia." Filo and Dou-Lon agreed.
The Hakuko continued though. "I would recommend bringing Chen along with you. She has experience with tracking in caves."
"She does?" Raphtalia looked at the other Hakuko curiously.
"Oh, um, I mean, I'd be fine with searching out here with you Lon Lon-" Chen tried to protest.
"No no, I insist. I'd feel much better knowing that Miss Raphtalia has reliable backup in case something goes wrong. No offense to Miss Saetto, but spelunking is not exactly her area of expertise " Dou-Lon explained as he pushed Chen towards Raphtalia.
"But would I be worthy of helping Miss Raphtalia out?" Chen asked curiously.
"Of course. Haven't you been helping her out already?" Dou-Lon asked in exasperation.
"I thought I was helping you out." She replied teasingly.
Raphtalia looked back at Eclair as the two hakuko started bickering again. The rose haired knight jumped out of the wagon. Tersia was no longer complaining, though she looked sad. Raphtalia assumed it was because she'd volunteered to help, but was in no shape to help for the time being.
"Don't worry, we'll find her, and we'll help her," Raphtalia said to Tersia encouragingly.
The blonde mage nodded, but she didn't answer. "Maybe we should have brought some of Naofumi's medicine as well." Raphtalia said to Eclair.
The swordswoman shrugged. "Maybe. But we're here now."
Raphtalia nodded in agreement.
"Alright, fine I'll go. You can stop pushing me." Chen whined.
"Good. Now don't cause any trouble for Miss Raphtalia or Miss Seaetto while you're down there." Dou-Lon lectured.
"You act like I'm going to be nothing but trouble even after all the help I gave you just now. I'm a captain now, you know? Do you really have no faith in me, Lon Lon?" The girl pouted up at him.
"I do have faith in you and I'm grateful you helped us get here quickly. But this is serious." Dou-Lon stated sternly. "You can't play around in there. Miss Wyndia could very well be in mortal danger. You'll need to help keep everyone safe down there."
...
Chen looked at her friend with a strange look on her face. "One of the Sword Hero's party members is missing. How can I not take this seriously?" She pulled a piece of wood from her pack along with a pair of rocks, and before Dou-Lon could respond, she struck the rocks together, lighting the torch she'd pulled out.
"I might have aged up from being a kid via levels unlike you, but that doesn't mean I don't know how to be an adult Dou-Lon." The brown-haired woman moved some hair away from her face. She then looked back at Raphtalia and Eclair with a nod, before going into the cave.
"We'll see you soon Dou-Lon," Eclair said.
The hakuko man sighed. "Good luck down there." Dou-Lon bowed to them.
After Raphtalia summoned a ball of light to follow them, she and Eclair walked down into the dark cave after the tiger girl.
Besides the light of the torch and the magic ball of light, the cave was dark. Darker than the night outside.
The section the three were walking through was wide enough for more than a few people to walk comfortably next to each other. But the further they went, the more the cave narrowed.
"First Light." Eclair summoned her own ball of light. She looked at the cracks along the wall. "Why would Wyndia search here? This place looks like it could collapse at any moment."
"That's probably why she searched this cave," Chen spoke up. "If I were to kidnap someone and go into hiding, I definitely wouldn't go where someone would look."
"Well, I would never kidnap anyone. That is a tactic only cowards would resort to." Eclair responded.
"Maybe." The tiger girl shrugged. "You never know, it might feel like the only option to save someone you care about."
"Are you justifying the time you tried to take Naofumi away?" Raphtalia asked tersely.
"I'm not. I am only saying some things aren't always that black and white." Chen touched one of the cracks on the wall as she continued to speak. "I remember tracking a pair of demihumans in a cave like this one, actually. I was told that one of them had kidnapped the other. But when I found them, I learned more about their situation.
"Their parents had forbidden their marriage because of bad blood between their families. They'd tried everything to get their parents to allow them to marry, but nothing worked. After much pain and heartache, kidnapping the other and running away felt like the only path that'd been available to them to be happy together…"
Chen looked back at Eclair. The normally carefree tiger girl gave the rose-haired knight a blank look. "Tell me, were those two cowards for standing up to their own families and wanting to do anything to be with each other?"
"Well… I'm sure they could have found another path," Eclair replied after a moment of hesitation.
"Maybe. I thought the same when I brought them back." Chen didn't elaborate further, but based on her tone…
It didn't sound like that story ended well.
Eclair didn't press for further details. For several minutes, they continued down into the mountain, finding no signs of the missing dog girl…
"Wait." Eclair suddenly stopped.
"What is it?" Raphtalia asked.
The rose-haired knight looked uncertain as Chen continued up ahead. "I just want to make sure… is this the right thing to do?"
"Is what the right thing?" Raphtalia asked.
"Helping Wyndia out," Eclair stated seriously. "Would I make things worse by going against what she wants?"
"Is it about what Chen said?" Raphtalia asked.
"..." Eclair didn't answer.
Raphtalia thought about it for a moment and then rested a hand on the swordswoman's shoulder. "Whether you failed her before or not, that doesn't matter." There was a determined glint in the Tanuki's deep tea-red eyes. "If there's anything I've had to learn from what happened recently, it's that I should never hesitate to help a friend, no matter what. Whether she likes it or not, Wyndia is our friend."
"So we'll do whatever we can to help her, by any means necessary."
"... alright…" Eclair slapped herself, then nodded to the Half-Tanuki girl. "Thank you, Raphtalia."
The two continued after Chen…
...
…
Suddenly, Chen raised a hand. "What is…" Raphtalia stared.
There were more cracks along the walls and ceiling. But further ahead, large boulders and broken stalactites had fallen to the ground. There were scorch marks here and there.
"Is this from the Spirit Tortoise's minions?" Raphtalia asked.
"No, these look like they came from fire magic…" Chen felt one of the scorch marks with a hand. "I don't think that any of them used it during the battle."
"That's Wyndia then. She's proficient in fire magic." Eclair then felt one of the cracks on the wall. She looked back at Raphtalia. "This feels like it came from a blade."
"How can you tell?" Raphtalia asked curiously.
"The crack is too shallow and straight. And…" Eclair pulled a tiny shard of metal out of the crack. "I believe this is from Wyndia's katana."
"So she got into a fight…" A troubled look appeared on the half tanuki's girl face.
"I would usually give her hell for treating her gear like this, but fighting inside cramped tunnels isn't easy even if you stick strictly to stabbing things." Eclair looked troubled. "Still, who was she fighting down here? You don't think-"
"No, I don't think it was the Sword Hero's kidnapper." Chen interrupted. She held up what looked like burnt silk. "I believe she was fighting a breed of spider monster."
"S-Spider monster?" Eclair suddenly looked a shade paler than before.
The hakuko shrugged. "I wouldn't be surprised. They tend to make their nests in underground caverns. I wonder which breed she fought against though, hmmm..."
"Is everything alright?" Raphtalia asked the shaking swordswoman worriedly.
"Y-Yeah. Let's continue." Eclair replied while simultaneously pulling out her replacement blade.
They proceeded forward with caution after that. Not only because one wrong move could cause a cave-in. But because they were suddenly on high alert for whatever it was that Wyndia had been fighting.
"Yeah, that there is definitely a sign of a monster nest being in the area." Chen pointed her torch at another wall. On it was more of those silk-like threads, which the two could now recognize as webbing.
"Ugh…" Eclair looked to be having second thoughts about this whole adventure. But she didn't turn tail and bolt…
Raphtalia had to wonder. What had driven Wyndia to be stupid enough to search in such a dangerous place…
Then again, if Naofumi had been kidnapped, she wasn't sure if she wouldn't have restrained herself from searching recklessly all over the world for him like Wyndia was now...
…
Finally, the tunnel opened up into a large cavern. It was big enough that their light sources only illuminated the entrance. There was still no sign of the dog girl.
"Where is she?" Eclair wondered out loud.
"Shhhh…" Chen looked around an oddly serious look on her face. "This could be the monster nest, I'm still not sure what type of spider monsters are here. We should be quiet, at least until I have a better idea of what we're facing."
"You don't have to tell me twice…" Eclair was definitely shaking. However, her desire to find her pupil outweighed her current fear.
As they walked in, their balls of light revealed many stalactites and stalagmites on the ground and ceiling. There was more of that webbing covering them, and some that also connected the floor and ceiling.
Raphtalia approached one of these things and examined it. It really did look like fine silk. Though she could also see bits of rock and other things trapped in the threads.
The material also covered the cavern walls. Behind it, Raphtalia saw cracks in the stone.
She didn't like the look of it at all. She almost moved to touch it, but a voice from behind her stopped her from doing so. "Miss Raphtalia, a little help."
The Tanuki girl turned around and found that Eclair's arm was stuck against one of the stalagmites. She rushed over, pulling with all her strength, but-
"Ow ow ow! Maybe try something that won't pull my arm out of its socket." Eclair suggested while wincing in pain.
"Oops, sorry." Raphtalia quickly apologized, then brandished her sword. She took careful aim before bringing it down. However, instead of getting severed, the web stretched out a bit like rubber from the impact and the blade got stuck and entangled in the webbing.
"Huh?!" Raphtalia grunted in surprise as she pulled back on the sword with all her might to no avail. Even as the sword began to whine, the webbing stayed attached to it, only stretching out a little from her efforts.
"Ah, I guess this is a dark spider nest then. Their silk is well known for its uses in making slash-resistant armor. Though I hear it's a pain to work with." Chen pointed out as she walked up to the two trapped women.
"Dark spiders?" Raphtalia asked curiously. She'd never fought monsters like that before.
"Good news: they're not venomous. Bad news: their silk has more tensile strength than magic steel. The higher their level, the higher the quality. It's also one of the best adhesives out there when it's fresh." Chen informed them.
"How do you get out of it then?" Eclair asked, fear finally leaking into her voice.
"Oh, that's really simple." Chen proceeded to set her torch against the webbing. "There's a reason it's hard to work with. Only the best blacksmiths are able to get this into their armors." The strands of silk immediately began to shrivel and melt from the flames, and within seconds, the two swordswomen were free. "It's very flammable."
"Thank you." Eclair brushed off the remnants of the material clinging to her wrist guards. "Sorry for getting stuck."
"No problem! Your blunder actually made it a lot easier to identify our adversaries!" Chen replied, sounding upbeat. "Also, I know I said it was good news that Dark Spiders aren't venomous, and their webbing is easy to deal with if you have a torch or some fire magic on hand, but that doesn't make them any less dangerous. After they catch their prey, they rip them open to vomit their stomach acid into the wound. It melts the unfortunate victim from the inside, so try not to get caught again, okay?"
"... Great." Eclair gripped her sword more tightly with one hand and shuddered. "I'll try not to."
"What were you doing down there anyway?" Raphtalia asked while brushing off the burnt webbing from her sword's blade.
"Oh... it was because I found this." Eclair held her free hand out, revealing a blue piece of cloth in it.
Raphtalia recognized it as Ren's scarf. Hadn't… hadn't Wyndia been carrying that around with her everywhere?
"I know for a fact that my pupil wouldn't just drop this," Eclair said gravely.
"No, she wouldn't." Raphtalia looked around. For some reason, it looked like their line of sight was smaller than before. It wasn't that their light sources were going out, rather, the areas of darkness around them were getting thicker.
"Is there a reason why they're called Dark Spiders?" Raphtalia felt to ask.
"Oh, I almost forgot." Chen facepalmed. "They use shadow magic to make the area around them darker. That way they can get close to their meals and… oh, heheh, I guess they're doing that now." Chen sweatdropped and chuckled nervously while rubbing the back of her neck.
"... please tell me you have some suggestions on how to best deal with them?" Eclair stood in an attack stance.
"Eh, setting them on fire is usually your best bet. When alone or in small groups it tends to send them running." Chen shrugged while scanning the cave around them that was now eerily quiet.
"And what about...large...groups?" Eclair tensed up, noticing the silence that had suddenly set in as well.
"No clue. No one has ever lived through an encounter like that to tell the tale." Chen smirked.
...
"That was a joke." The hakuko continued after Eclair went a few shades paler. "Just hit them till they die, it ain't magic. I doubt that they'll be that much tougher than the Spirit Tortoise's minions. Just make sure you don't get stuck again."
Raphtalia continued to look around her, tuning out the conversation between the Hakuko and the rose-haired knight, yet she couldn't see past their artificial light. She could tell that the darkness around them was far from natural. It was like some kind of creature was adding to it, but unlike the Voice Gengar Bats they'd faced before, she could hear them starting to move, clicking around in the darkness.
It was illusion magic, but not on par with those monsters. On hearing the hissing and snapping, Chen perked up. "Alright, looks like they're here. Miss Raphtalia, would you please use your light magic. Drifa level, if you can." Chen pulled out a dagger from her belt. "That's their other weakness. They really hate the light."
"Sure." Breaking through this artificial veil of darkness would be simple for the tanuki girl.
"As source of thy power I order thee, decipher the laws of nature…" Raphtalia chanted for more than ten seconds. It took time for her to prepare the most powerful version of the first spell she'd ever learned. The hissing and clicking got closer and closer. But finally, when it was done, she raised her sword to pierce through the darkness made by the spiders of the cavern.
"Drifa Light!"
Her first ball of light disappeared, only to be immediately replaced by a large ball of bright light that appeared in the center of the room above her sword. Eclair and Chen briefly shielded their eyes from the initial blast. Chen looked awed at the power of the spell. And was the light refracting off the white blade in Raphtalia's hands!?
Miss Raphtalia was truly a marvel!
All around, the shadows and darkness of the room dispersed.
"Hiss!" "Hiss!" "Hiss!" "Hiss!"
The creatures were absolutely hideous. It was no wonder why they hid in the dark. And there were so many of them that they covered the entirety of the ceiling and the walls. Some of them were the size of the ball that Raphtalia had played with as a kid. Others were the size of Filo's wagon.
Dark Spider Baby
Dark Spider Goliath
Dark Spider Scout
Dark Spider Elite
The one in the center of the writhing mass, the ugliest of them all with a large protruding backside and mandibles the size of a person, glared at them with eight burning red eyes of hatred.
Dark Spider Queen
"Can we make it dark again…" Eclair shivered.
"Oh look, that has to be your friend!" Chen suddenly pointed forward.
Sure enough, near the Spider Queen was a struggling mass of silk. A familiar katana was sticking out from it, and it squirmed and wiggled against the ground. The person trapped inside was still alive, and clearly unhappy to be in their present situation.
"Man! Talk about getting lucky!" Chen exclaimed giddily. "This hive must have an abundance of food for them to set her aside for later like that!"
"Let's go!" Raphtalia rushed forward.
The swordswoman and the tiger ranger followed right behind her into the thick of the monster horde.
Author's Notes:
I really hope nobody here has arachnophobia. XD
Thanks for the suggestion on taking the focus off the Heroes for a bit. I had fun playing around with Raphtalia and the others here. I especially had fun thinking up a brand new monster for the setting and exploring an OC I finally got to officially introduce in the last arc.
Hero Clips!
NOPE Scale
"Allen, why are you making me do this?" Eclair asked the sky.
"Hey, no fourth wall breaking." The sky said back.
"Said the pot to the kettle..." Another quieter voice spoke from the sky as well.
"But it's not even canon that I'm scared of spiders!" Eclair yelled back.
"You never fought any spider monsters in canon as far as I know. And half the population has arachnophobia of one kind or another. So I feel like I can get away with this kind of headcanon. Now, do the skit for today."
The swordswoman groaned. "Fine..." She turned to face... whatever it was they had to face when in these omakes. Thankfully, she still had her armor on instead of that damn teacher's uniform the others had to wear.
"Apparently, I'm here to present some meme called the NOPE scale for spiders. As a fantasy world, there is room for all sorts of monsters. And spiders are no exception. The rating of the NOPE scale will be from one to ten. One is relatively harmless, and ten is KILL IT! KILL IT WITH FIRE!"
Eclair sounded like she was dreading what was coming next.
"First up, we have the Dragon Spawn Spider"
A spider appeared behind Eclair. It had a black body with scales along its sides. It let out a hiss, which turned into fire breath.
"Apparently, they were created when a dragon bred with a spider. Don't ask me how. I don't want to know the details myself. Their size varies from as small as a ball to as large as a dragon. Unfortunately, trying to kill it with fire only makes it stronger, so I have to give it an eight out of ten on the NOPE scale." Eclair shuddered.
"Next up, the Swamp Spider."
A green spider appeared next. "These are normally found in swamps. They will never be bigger than your hand."
The spider hissed, and a stream of acid launched from its backside, melting away part of the wall. "However, instead of webbing, they shoot out flesh-eating acid. They are also very fast and hard to hit. I give them a nine out of ten. Do not get near them."
The swordswoman shuddered her way through several other types of spiders. The big ones were an automatic ten. The smaller ones ranked near a ten due to one ability or another.
"And last, we have- huh?"
There was a small spider staring back at Eclair. It looked as ugly as the other spiders, but… that was it. It looked like a normal house spider.
You know, besides the fact that it was the size of a beach ball. But compared to its other brethren, it looked rather tame.
If you discounted the angry hissing it made towards the swordswoman that is.
"Huh, I mean, there's really nothing scary about this one." Eclair blinked in surprise. "I think I'd give this a one-"
Wings suddenly sprouted from its back. Its glare intensified, and within seconds, it was flying through the air towards Eclair.
"-VEN! ELEVEN! I GIVE THIS THING A &^%&ING ELEVEN!" Eclair immediately turned around and bolted, screaming at the top of her lungs in terror. The flying spider hissed as it chased after her.
Because honestly, nothing could break the NOPE scale more than a spider that could fly after you.
Till Next Time
Allen