Just barely made it to two updates this month- clawing my way back to my usual schedule.
Anyways, minor but necessary spoiler- I decided to use Claudette's Unlimited appearance. It's the biggest change from the OG version by far, so I mentioned it here to avoid confusion.
"So, Hot Stuff, have any particular destination in mind?"
"Vance County."
"Fancy that, I was heading that way too."
"You don't say."
"Might as well share the road then, lucky you~"
"Lucky me…"
She didn't hate an honest boy-
"- Keltan does seem like good company."
… Or a witty one.
He got extra marks for proving that statement genuine by getting along with both of them, in the days that followed, sparing him from being ditched the moment the novelty played itself out.
Eye candy was at a premium on the open road after all, and eye candy that was good in the sack was at even more of a premium.
Yuuji counted for both and the novelty that he represented was only getting spicier as the days stretched on.
Examples of that fun enigma presented themselves here or there if you paid attention, such as how, despite not having hit 20, Yuuji bore the tells of being experienced both as soldier and assassin (those lines of work mingled a lot more than one would expect).
So he was also an interesting enigma that clearly shouldn't be left to his own devices for too long.
And Keltan liked him too, so she supposed she could keep an eye on him for a bit.
… Without throwing off their walking pace, Echidna looped an arm around Yuuji's neck and pulled him in a little closer, just because she could.
By coincidence, Echidna happened to be traveling in the exact same direction he'd picked out for himself. Yuuji had a sneaking suspicion that said coincidence would have occurred regardless of the answer he gave, but he didn't really mind.
The wild elf and her serpent companion were good company, and there were more than a few perks to having Echidna stick around.
Other than the sex, which was admittedly a pretty good perk all on its own.
To start with, Echidna had confirmed at a glance that it was a courtier's signet ring he'd found in the piggy bank's stomach (Yuuji had more or less forgotten or stopped caring that those piggy banks were normally referred to as goblins), and agreed that returning the ring to Vance County was a good idea.
And a profitable idea.
She'd done contract work for a few generations of the family, so he wouldn't be surprised if she knew things about the territory that the current Vance Family didn't. Couldn't ask for a better guide, really.
This was proved when Echidna steered them through a narrow mountain valley, towards the only structure they were likely to find in days.
It was a rundown, abandoned stone outpost at the mouth of the pass, overlooking miles upon miles of open plain.
'Abandoned' in the sense there would be no one in it after they left.
Less so when they arrived, but given how the current occupants were already acting, they probably weren't the sharing type.
… Expression impassive, Yuuji watched the last orc bleed out into the dirt.
Orcs were a breed of monster that occupied somewhat of a middle ground between goblins and ogres by the understanding of Gainos, and really weren't all that different from some of the portrayals he'd encountered in earthly fiction.
More or less the 'green, tusked, and angry' kind of orc. Human-sized, built like a brick shithouse, primitive and brutally direct in both tech and language.
Attacked on sight, and seemed a lot more interested in Echidna than him.
In a way he couldn't blame them, because Echidna was a lot more fun to look at than he was, but-
"It's gonna be a rough sex kinda night, isn't it?" Echidna said with a whistle, and a wry smirk.
"Is it normal to meet things like goblins or orcs daily on the road?" Yuuji tonelessly asked instead.
Echidna's smile stayed in place, but her gaze hardened somewhat.
"It ebbs and flows, but I wouldn't have managed half the traveling that I've done if this was normal," her snowy white ponytail swayed back and forth as Echidna shook her head. "Something's got the land all riled up, I think."
Yuuji raised an eyebrow at the somewhat odd word choice.
"Bits of the Nether seep up through the ground and into our world, which is why monsters have a tendency to just pop up on their own in out of the way places, slowly drawn towards more populated areas." Echidna explained. "Some years it's worse than others, but things get rowdy continent-wide when the tournament approaches."
"The Queen's Blade?"
Echidna nodded, a bawdy smirk spreading across her lips as she casually hefted a burly corpse with her slender arms so they could start cleaning the place up a little.
"Part of me wishes you were a girl, so I could watch you getting all hot and sweaty with another cute girl on the scrying orb."
"Tournament that big sounds like a pain in the ass, so I'd miss it even if I had the anatomy for it."
"Hmm? Well, I guess you'll have to settle for getting all hot and sweaty with me instead."
His back was to her, but the sultry intent dripping playfully from her voice confirmed that yes, that had been a setup for a sex joke.
… Maybe.
Did it still count as a joke if you followed through with it afterwards?
He'd have to ask her when they were getting all hot and sweaty later that night.
Even if their voices carried for miles, there was no one to hear them.
That didn't stop Echidna from making a spirited attempt, though, when she greeted the moonlight while bent over the battlements and being taken from behind by Yuuji.
As if to make up for how quiet her dark-eyed lover was, Echidna gave her ecstasy voice, savoring the cool wind against her skin almost as much as she savored the fierce heat being pounded into her.
Neither of them could have realized that a night's peace won with blood would be washed away with even more blood, in the days to come.
As a clumsy blow missed with inches to spare, a long tanned leg lashed out in response, hooking and sweeping the attacker to the ground to crush a goblin's throat beneath a booted shin.
With a jerk of her hip, Echidna gave the gob a broken neck to match its throat, not even bothering to look at her next 'attacker'.
… Who was admittedly doing a good job of approaching from her blindspot, but less so at noticing the snake in the grass.
Rising off the twitching corpse beneath her, Echidna paid no mind to the sounds behind her- a shriek cut short by a hiss. Instead, she admired the dark crescent that briefly shimmered in the noonday sun, signaling a grimly poetic end to the fight at Yuuji's hand.
The kid's bladework had a utilitarian sort of beauty to it, one of many reasons to enjoy the view.
Plucking at her top as Keltan wound his way back up her leg and to his usual place, Echidna grimaced as she was given a chance to appreciate all the sweat running into her cleavage.
It had been two days since the outpost, and the only kind of exercise they'd gotten was from walking and fighting under the hot sun.
Three encounters the day before, and this was their second skirmish today despite it only being noon.
Monsters roaming the Vance County hinterlands was hardly new, despite the ceaseless patrols of the Vance forces, but there was no good news about the sightings getting more frequent the closer they got to civilization.
They'd made it out of the plains and into the rocky highlands that more or less divided northern and central Vance County, early the day before.
Should have been enough time to pass through that same day, and hit the northernmost section of farmland, but the monsters hadn't agreed, apparently.
As she'd told Yuuji, the farmlands of Vance County were divided to the north and the south of the big lake surrounding Vance Castle- both lake and castle sat in the shadow of a great mountain to the west. From there, it faced the Great Wall Border to the east, dividing Vance County from the center of the continent.
Elves to the north,
Amara to the south,
Vance to the west,
Hinomoto to the east,
Four compass points Gainos completes.
The way Gainos completed the compass was by serving as the compass rose, the political and geographical center of the continent. The rhyme made her feel as young as she looked, since Amara was lost to the sands before she was born, but it was kind of catchy so she liked it just fine.
"You good?" Yuuji's dull voice inquired, snapping her out of her troubled musings.
"Feeling the wrong kind of sweaty, Hun, but we're doing fine otherwise," Echidna responded back with only a hint of her usual playfulness.
She knew plenty of places where fresh water was tucked away, but it would have taken them almost a day's travel in the wrong direction to find a source of water big enough to even sit in, let alone bathe in.
Beggars couldn't be choosers, but wiping yourself off just wasn't the same- while the cleansing effects of mana circulation were something no woman would undervalue, being clean and feeling clean weren't exactly the same thing.
"Almost there, Hun," Echidna said in a casual, coaxing tone. "It'll be a near thing, but we should be able to hit a settlement before nightfall."
Stretching her hands above her head, Echidna gave a satisfied little moan as her back popped.
Yuuji made no comment but offered a slight nod, busy cleaning off his dagger with a rag that had been a goblin cap a few minutes ago.
"Won't it be nice to share a proper bed?"
"As long as you don't snore."
"Elves don't snore."
"Strangely believable."
"They'll probably be happy to see a pair of good-looking sellswords, walls'll keep 'em safe inside their town but most of the work happens outside of it."
"Apprentice angle?"
"You got it."
It wasn't like anyone could verify whether or not Yujji was a mercenary, but Echidna was famous enough that she might just be identified even all the way out here, given that she'd been making a name for herself in Vance lands over the course of a century or three.
Borrowing her name a bit would give him the social proof he most certainly didn't have, if it became relevant, and Echidna thought it a handy way to explain any rough edges he might have.
After all, who knew when the last time Yuuji had been in a proper settlement?
Despite its recent troubles, the settlement was well-guarded and well-maintained.
Despite its recent losses, they put on a brave face and welcomed her with open arms.
No, not just a brave face…
She had given them hope, even though she had already failed more than a few of them, simply by arriving too late.
Even though she was but one woman, with nothing to offer them but her sword and her strength.
It was only during occasions such as these that her frankly ostentatious title as the 'Lord of Thundercloud' served any use, beyond what her treasured family name signified.
As she drifted off to sleep on top of a rented bed that she'd all but bullied the innkeeper into accepting proper payment for, Claudette Vance swore in her heart once more to prove herself worthy of the titles and trust she had been bestowed.
In an unspoken agreement, they'd decided not to fool around with each other the night before, when they'd made it into town just shy of sundown, and found a room at the sole inn.
They'd been let in easily enough despite the gates being closed, but given that neither of them were a goblin, orc, or ogre, he supposed it wasn't that strange for the guards to be less wary of them.
But the somber air in the town wasn't one so easily hidden, and that, combined with simple weariness, had neatly killed any interest in breaking in the first actual bed they'd shared.
… The night before.
It was morning, now, which probably explained why his morning wood was being covered by something a little too warm and wet to be any sort of blanket he was familiar with.
… Fantasy worlds could be weird, but not that weird, right?
Evidently noticing that he'd woken up, the head bobbing up and down the sheets redoubled its efforts, and Yuuji gently placed his hands on either side of it, pulling down gently in time with its motions.
Echidna's pleased hum was more felt than heard, even as it rose in volume when he blew his load down her throat.
After a few seconds of obscene noises, Echidna threw back the covers and sat up on his lap, baring her body in all its naked glory, the trickle of early morning sun lending even more vibrance than usual to her bronze-tanned skin.
"Good morning Hot Stuff," the elf greeted casually in that throaty, sexy voice of hers. "Woke up early, so I decided to have a little snack while I was waiting for breakfast, and you. Hope you don't mind~"
Yuuji's response was to languidly slide his big hands across her bare thighs, not stopping until they'd found the wild elf's equally bare butt.
"Good morning to you too, Echidna," Yuuji said, without the slightest change in expression. "Sleep well?"
Echidna didn't get to answer, because the moment she opened her mouth, both of Yuuji's hands squeezed.
The innkeeper was a kindly, solidly built old man who cemented an already good first impression when he didn't balk at discovering what the raw eggs one of his guests requested were for. That was, to be the breakfast of the guest he didn't know he had, which was a big gray viper of all things.
Even took it in stride when Echidna casually conveyed the viper's gratitude.
Being able to roll with the punches was a good trait for an innkeeper to have, though it made Yuuji wonder what kind of weird things an innkeeper might have seen, in a world of magic and monsters.
It would be some time before Yuuji fully understood how skewed his initial impression of Gainos at large was.
Both himself and Echidna recognized that the innkeeper clearly had something on his mind involving the two of them (mostly Echidna), and also appreciated that he waited until after their meal was done and their table was clear before bringing it up.
"Pardon me for disturbing you, dear guests," the innkeeper initiated politely, thumbs hooked into the straps of his apron, "But you wouldn't happen to the Veteran Mercenary I've heard about, would you, Miss?"
Echidna's catlike smile widened minutely, and she nodded her head. Yuuji had probably figured it out, but her 'eye-catching appearance' was partially designed to be a walking advertisement, of sorts.
An effective one, that had drawn in countless business opportunities, interesting challengers, and prospective bedmates over the long years.
Sometimes all three at once.
"I guess I do stand out a little, huh?" Echidna drawled back, "But I don't think we've met?"
It was … possible, but the last time she'd been here the old-timer would have been a brat clinging to his mother's skirts-
"We haven't, but my father mentioned you," the old man smiled and shook his head. "I understand you were a great help to our village before the walls were fully built."
She didn't remember that at all, but she did remember that this place had good ale…
Which explained everything, because she'd probably accepted payment in ale.
"I might have been, but I'm guessing you're more interested in how we," she nodded to Yuuji, "might be of help now?"
Unsurprised at being seen through, the innkeeper gave a brief chuckle before his expression turned grave.
"My pardon, please, do not think for a moment that I am doubting your resolve," Claudette channeled her inner-Leina in an attempt to dissuade the militia without being harsh. "But you would not send cavalry to clear out a tower, would you? You will be invaluable outside the dungeon should anything attempt to break free, but past the entrance numbers will hinder rather than help. Furthermore-"
She swung Thunderclap off her shoulder and planted its enchanted tip in the dirt by side, a smooth motion that nonetheless stirred up dust as she presented the great length of her blade.
"... My battle style is a poor fit for spear formations," and she would need every edge she could get. She wasn't just suggesting her lone entry because they would likely all die if they accompanied her to the dungeon.
"Still haven't learned to be flexible, huh?" A teasing purr tickled her ear at the same time a calloused yet feminine feathered its way up her toned midriff.
Without the slightest pause, Claudette shoved her weight back, dislodging the handsy newcomer, and, using Thunderclap as a pivot, swung a long leg out in a reverse roundhouse kick.
With a low laugh, exactly the person she was expecting leapt over the kick and back, landing lightly on the ground with barely a puff of dust. Wisely distant from Thunderclap's immediate reach, as completing the whirling attack had brought the greatsword swinging up to rest on Claudette's shoulder, clasped in both hands and ready to be swung.
Standing there with a smile every bit as provocative as her attire was the mercenary she'd hired for a very different task some months ago-
The Veteran Mercenary, the so-called wild elf Echidna.
And… company?
Casually standing well free of the conflict zone, yet showing no openings, was a young man with sharp black eyes, expressionless save for the raised eyebrow he was regarding his shameless traveling companion with.
"Such a scary frown, you're going to get wrinkles if you keep that up~" Echidna teased.
Claudette relaxed her posture with a wary sigh, and gestured for the confused militia to stand down.
"It pains me to admit this, truly it does," Claudette said in her stern contralto, "but your arrival is… timely."
Claudette would later reflect that she must have been making quite the expression, to get the Veteran Mercenary to take things seriously.
When Yuuji met the eldest of the Vance sisters, his first impression of her wasn't that she looked way too comfortable, carrying a sword almost as long as she was tall, nor did he really think much about having finally encountered bikini armor in a fantasy world.
His first impression didn't even have anything to do with the striking lavender shade of her hair, matching her eyes yet deceptively soothing, at least compared to her stern gaze.
No, Kazami Yuuji's first impression of Claudette Vance was that she couldn't possibly be anything but a military commander.
She was intimidation and authority wrapped up in a statuesque package.
Taller than most any woman and more than a few men, with much of that height owed to alluringly long legs. Curvaceous and sporting some of the biggest natural tits he'd ever seen (clearly the metal bra was necessary to hold those in place), yet toned enough to be flaunting washboard abs.
A sturdy but elegant circlet of gold in her hair. A golden beaded necklace that sat over a skintight black wrap covering from neck to collarbone, as well as the entirety of her left arm- likely as a layer between skin and the full length arm guard she wore. Her right arm was bare save a golden torc above her bicep, and a simple black bracer.
Hanging from her leather belt was a calf-length, detached black tailcoat of sorts- despite clinging to her round hips it probably wasn't restrictive in the least, given how it was completely open at the front. This left the black thong she was wearing on bold display, both the way the thin strings bit into her hips, and the way it dipped very, very low at the front. Sheathing her long legs were black leather thigh-highs, open toed and with a modest heel.
The imposing beauty wasted no time ushering them back into the inn, borrowing a table and taking full advantage of the more or less empty common room.
With business-like motions, she produced a map and spread it across the table, eyes of both elf and man immediately picking out the red 'x' drawn upon it.
"At first, it was gradual, but there have been disappearances in small numbers, over the past month or so," Claudette began. "I am sure you have noticed the increased presence of goblins and orcs in the nearby area?"
Both Echidna and Yuuji nodded, eyes on the map as they memorized as much as possible.
"Two days past, those sightings escalated into a full blown raid, a band of orcs and goblins numbering several dozen sweeping the farmland, slaying or abducting all they found." Claudette gravely reported, a grim frown upon her dignified features "However, a brave young hunter set off in pursuit, and managed to follow the brutes back to their lair before they could cover their tracks."
Ordinarily a group that big would be hard to clean up after, but goblins were surprisingly good at that sort of thing if properly bullied by orcs, so Yuuji had heard.
"Marked on the map as you have seen, the trail leads to an abandoned quarry about a three hour march away." Claudette pointed out the mark nonetheless. "Given the steady rise of monster activity, I have my suspicions that we are most likely dealing with a nascent dungeon. Though I intend to set off within the hour, the militia will follow at a slower pace, stationing themselves outside to form a perimeter."
Claudette's sharp, clear eyes locked onto each of them in turn, and Echidna and Yuuji both stared back without falter.
"The plan is hasty by necessity, and even calling it a 'rescue' may be presumptuous," Claudette admitted with a carefully neutral expression. "There is no shame in backing down here if you judge the risk too high. But, if you are willing to accompany me into the dungeon, name your price and I swear upon my name that the Vance family will honor it, regardless of whether I survive this ordeal."
Yuuji didn't know much about 'dungeons' (though he could naturally make guesses), but what Claudette was essentially suggesting was a frontal assault upon a fortified position, one she was willing to perform alone if need be.
It wasn't a question of would or wouldn't- Yuuji's eyes met Echidna, and not a word needed to be shared.
Echidna turned her head to the motionless Claudette, and flashed her a wink.
"Well, since you asked so nicely, we won't drive too hard a bargain."
Claudette was motionless for a heartbeat longer.
What followed was a moment Yuuji would look back on for years to come- the expression was tired, and faint, but it still marked the first time he would ever see Claudette Vance smile.
It was something of a surprise that, after their discussion was through, Claudette had requested to speak to him alone.
Seemingly unsurprised at the request, Echidna had easily gone along with it, telling them not to have too much fun as she sauntered upstairs to their shared room.
There was silence as Claudette observed him, not rudely, but a hint of discomfort leaking through.
"Yuuji, was it?" Admittedly, she was curious what a young man from Hinomoto was doing on the opposite end of the continent, but mercenaries of all stripes traveled far and and often, so it was hardly a point of contention.
"As you may have surmised, myself and your… mentor have some history," She began, somewhat stiffly. "Her willingness to vouch for your abilities, unusual though it is, is sufficient for me to accept your joining of this undertaking."
Claudette revealed an expression more grimace than smile.
"Or rather, testing your skills myself would be ideal, but there is simply no time." But while they did not have the time, there was a 'bottom line' she would not, could not budge upon.
Strength of arms was vital, but that could be accounted for to some degree, certainly with herself and Echidna in attendance.
Frankly, if all the young man managed for his first dungeon raid was offering some measure of support without getting in the way, his contribution would be more than sufficient to earn her heartfelt gratitude.
But only if he did not get in the way, did not panic and falter at a crucial moment.
That was the excuse Claudette gave herself to justify her concern over a young man closer to Leina's age than her own, and that was precisely why the second she made up her mind, Claudette put his resolve to the test with a willingness to crush that resolve for Yuuji's own good.
-Lightning fell from a cloudless sky, the noise deafening and the light blinding.
And yet even robbed of two of his five senses, Yuuji could feel with exquisite clarity the immediate and dreadful effects of being struck down by the heavens themselves.
The way his skin peeled and tore from heat and force, scouring flesh from bone.
The way the impact ripped his body from the earth as if rejecting his presence, his body lifted into ruinous flight like a bird without wings.
The inescapable knowledge that the sky had claimed a victim without distinction, that there was nothing to his impending death but a simple case of wrong place, wrong time-
Struck down over the course of tortuous seconds by a sky that would never know his name.
… Yuuji tilted his head to one side in a way that somehow accentuated the raised eyebrow he regarded her with.
At least Claudette making the building rumble a little with her killing intent made more sense than when Asako did it, because Claudette had magic and Asako did not.
Claudette blinked first, and the spell was broken, leaving Yuuji mostly curious as to how she managed to pull off looking sheepish and stern at the same time.
"... My apologies," The woman said eventually, clearing her throat. "I shall test your resolve no further."
"Satisfied?"
"... Indeed," Claudette nodded, somewhat awkwardly. "I am aware my actions may have come across as ungrateful, and if that is so then I will certainly do my utmost to make amends, it is just… are you aware of… what we may find?"
She was floundering, in a way that made her feel as if she wasn't speaking to the young man as a general, or even a warrior…
Yuuji didn't say a word, just looked her dead in the eyes.
"... I see," Claudette returned simply, the gaze of those violet eyes softening. "I say this with full knowledge of the contradiction involved, but… how regrettable."
The monsters had killed the men and kidnapped the women because the monsters belonged to male-only races.
His readiness for what that meant may have been useful, but not everything useful was good.
They both understood that, but more pressingly, Yuuji felt just a little sorry for the woman who had shown him compassion in her own brusque, awkward way.
"Thanks for the warning." Yuuji eventually settled on, in his own brusque, awkward way.
To most, his words may have come across as pointlessly vague or perhaps merely half-hearted, but not to Claudette.
Those two words were enough to prove that her sincerity had, in some small way, managed to eke its way past the young man's guard.
… From her seat on the staircase, Echidna gave a noiseless little sigh before fixing her expression and standing up.
The Vance cutie had overstepped, but Echidna decided to let it slide since Claudette had saved Echidna from having to ask, even if Echidna hadn't truly doubted that Yuuji was ready for the things he was surely about to see.
Her and Miss Thunder were in agreement though- the apparent confirmation that Yuuji was 'ready' for their miserable little task was something that could only be called regrettable.
He'd read in various novels that dungeons inspired by video games that dungeons were usually 'contained' in some manner- monsters could not or would not leave it, generally, though in some versions a dungeon could fill up with too many monsters, which would then spill free and attack the surroundings.
Dungeons in Gainos were not like that at all.
A dungeon was simply any monster stronghold or lair that had, for whatever reason, lasted long enough to have warped its surroundings to the likings of its denizens, with the level of sophistication determined by the types of monsters lairing.
Put another way, a dungeon was the closest thing the invasive species known collectively as 'monsters' had to a natural habitat. Generally, they were formed by either a leak in Nether energy, or by enough monsters gathering in an area for long enough that they corrupted the land. Perhaps due to how Nether energy always seeps up through the ground, with few exceptions, dungeons would gradually extend themselves further and further downwards.
By Claudette and Echidna's reckoning it was most likely the former- a Nether breach forming in a natural cavern, a seeping corruption beginning in the depths of the earth. Luring in the likes of goblins and orcs for miles around, or simply forming new ones from the tainted earth.
It made a certain amount of sense that a newer dungeon would be less 'entrenched' so to speak, but the state of the dungeon presented another pressing concern that Echidna revealed in a whimsical fashion.
"If we're lucky, the dungeon doesn't have a master, yet."
Claudette offered some non-committal though admittedly sound support to the idea, all of which mostly served to teach Yuuji that the concept of death flags was apparently foreign to Gainos.
Despite the need for haste, they couldn't just ignore any roving monsters they came across. Monsters of any breed naturally gravitated towards a dungeon when seeking rest or shelter, making it necessary to kill those they came across to avoid having their retreat cut off should any monster make it ahead of the slower traveling militia.
It gave the two strangers a chance to see what they had to work with.
Or rather, it showed Yuuji that it was possible to make more than one kill in a single swing, if your sword was long enough. Claudette went right through the orc to fatally clip one of the goblins it had been leading, and finished the wounded goblin and one more besides on the backswing.
Claudette, having mowed down three out of four in two swings, turned her attention to the survivor, which had wisely taken flight the moment its more powerful leader died in a single blow.
Sparks began to dance across the midnight blue mithril of Thunderclap's blade, but it was a needless effort- the last little brute collapsed soundlessly with a small dagger planted in its back.
Without looking her way, Yuuji jogged over to retrieve his weapon.
Yuuji turned just in time to see Claudette cleaning her blade off with a single swing, inadvertently giving Yuuji a good chance to admire the work of art she called a sword.
Thunderclap was a long but comparatively slender greatsword with a triangular blade, the hilt golden, and the handle longer than Yuuji's whole dagger, gemstones of varying cool hues inlaid into the blood groove of the blade.
"Pleasing to the eye?" Claudette asked, for far less suggestive reasons than a certain wild elf would have used that exact same line for.
"Hm? Yeah, you are," Yuuji, more accustomed to said wild elf than he was the Vance general, returned without ulterior motive.
Claudette blinked, slowly, unaware of Echidna smirking at her back.
"Hardly the time for making jokes." She chastised lightly.
"... Jokes?" Yuuji repeated, puzzled.
It might have just been his imagination, but when they abruptly took up running once more, Claudette started off a little clumsily, for the first few strides, and seemed to be working harder to maintain their spacing.
Echidna chuckling from behind him didn't explain anything, naturally.
The first thing that gave the dungeon away was the stench.
Then there were the half-eaten corpses, the gaping stone maw that clearly served as an entrance of sorts, and the hulking ogre that he imagined had been stationed as a doorguard.
That was his guess anyway, since they found it in the clearing before the quarry, but if it was the doorguard, it couldn't have been doing a very good job.
It needed to be alive for that.
Truthfully though, Yuuji was more curious about the woman sitting on the back of the facedown ogre, and how she'd managed to break a neck thicker than her waist.
That same woman gave a casual wave, the late-afternoon sun adding a lively glow to her fiery red hair and vivid tanned skin.
"And what, precisely, is a wanted criminal doing all the way out here?" Claudette questioned stiffly.
Yuuji noted with some interest that despite her words, her tone was wary but not quite hostile.
The newcomer looked pointedly down at the corpse beneath her, and then back to Claudette with a lopsided smile.
"Making it harder to turn down my help?"
Successfully, if Claudette's grudging frown was anything to go by.
In the end, Risty's assistance was swiftly accepted on the grounds that there wasn't time to waste. Her and Claudette reached a hasty accord that Yuuji barely paid attention to- just enough to establish a minimum level of trustworthiness from the bandit, and pick up on a much-needed level of flexibility from the general.
It wasn't like Risty was that wanted of a criminal anyways- Claudette didn't refute her when the Noble Thief referred to herself as 'one of those 'steal from the rich and give to the poor' types', though Yuuji couldn't resist a brief question of his own.
"How often are you the poor in that equation?"
"Just often enough to stay looking this good," Risty fired back with a playful wink, not minding the mildly cynical jab at all as one hand traced ample curves.
Yuuji conceded the point with a shrug, interest sated mostly due to lack of care.
Risty was rather attractive, after all.
Straight red hair worn wild and free, sun-kissed skin, voluptuous but sturdy- Risty wasn't as toned as Claudette, much less himself, but the hard muscle beneath soft skin was obvious if one paid attention to the tallest member of their impromptu party.
Risty's minimal attire was fittingly daring as well- her top was an open, red leather vest with a simple tie beneath her large, perky breasts, the lightly-reinforced collar the only part that was closed. On her waist, a thong and belt combo was complimented by a violet sash that hung from one hip, with sandals on her feet and a swirling black tattoo on one thick thigh.
Her weaponry was a hefty, solid metal morningstar, paired with a thick steel buckler that the buxom bandit had strapped to her left arm.
A formation was quickly drawn, with Risty being 'the lucky one' in her own words for getting to walk behind Yuuji.
Echidna was on point for having the best low-light vision, and Claudette took responsibility for the rearguard, Thunderclap resting on her shoulder.
The 'glow' he'd spotted from the mouth of the dungeon were intermittent patches of luminous purple moss along the corners of the floor and ceiling, lending just enough illumination to be reassuring to anyone who couldn't see in the dark.
It seemed suspiciously convenient, and it must have shown on his face.
"Dungeons want people to enter, and people can't see in the dark," Echidna pointed out in a mild tone. "And yes, that is as creepy as it sounds."
The interior of the dungeon was silent and still, the air slightly hotter than outside.
Despite the roughness of the entryway and the winding nature of the passage, the surrounding surfaces were flat and smooth.
Too flat, and too smooth for that matter, like they were walking down a square tube that didn't resemble a mining tunnel at all, even to someone who had only been down one or two. Yuuji was far from claustrophobic, but there was something repulsive, something that bordered upon hostility pervading the air.
As if the tunnels themselves were an enemy.
Echidna's barely audible murmur drew his attention as she muttered an incantation under her breath- when the wild elf turned her head, for the brief instant before she winked, her blood-red eyes were rimmed with gold, her pupils slitted like a serpent's.
Noiselessly Echidna pulled ahead from the rest of the group, and the moment she did, there was a polite tap on his shoulder.
Yuuji turned his head to find Risty staring at him somewhat seriously.
"First time in a dungeon, kid?" She quietly asked.
"Yeah."
"Picked good company for it, and you seem like you can handle yourself, but," and her voice dropped lower still as she leaned in, "I've got a bad feeling about this place, so don't be ashamed to hang back if it gets to be too much, yeah?"
Yuuji honestly found it a little annoying that everyone seemed to want to fuss over him, but he wasn't the type to return medicine with poison, so what Risty received was a brief but firm nod in confirmation.
Apparently satisfied, Risty fell back a pace or two, and seconds later, Echidna halted at a corner, holding back a hand to stop them.
In a sudden blur of motion, she swung out of sight and then back, hand clamped over the mouth of a startled goblin with dangling legs.
Her focus already back to the hallway junction, Echidna swiftly broke the goblin's neck without paying it much mind, letting the pot bellied little beast twitch itself to death in her arms.
"Well then, I'll be the lure, you three take care of the dirty work," The elf suggested as she lowered the corpse to the floor.
"Not worried about them raising the alarm?" Yuuji questioned quietly as Claudette and Risty nodded along.
Echidna immediately shook her head, snow white ponytail swishing noiselessly.
"Hobs are greedy and I'm hot, sharing with their friends won't even cross their mind."
"... I see." Though it didn't show on his face, admittedly, Yuuji was a little shocked that he was the only one who seemed to be bothered by her words.
… Echidna had turned her head back to the front, and so there was no one to witness the moment when Yuuji's eyes became the darkest thing in that dungeon.
Without a sound, Yuuji straightened up and stepped away from the wall.
"Oi!" Risty hissed in disbelief as Yuuji casually went around the bend, and straight into danger, before anyone could think to stop him.
The hobs noticed him immediately, of course, but the noises that followed were not meant for the faint of heart, and made them feel just the slightest bit of pity for the hobs.
In the silence that returned all too quickly, the three women shared incredulous looks, though Echidna was the least surprised, as the whole situation felt somewhat familiar.
Rounding the corner, they found Yuuji with blood smeared on his cheek, running his fingers through his hair as his knife dripped onto one of the burly corpses at his feet.
Yuuji glanced their way, briefly wondering which of those mildly predatory looks he'd imagined.
"Shit he's hot," Risty murmured not quite under her breath as the dim light hit that lean figure just right, playing off of dark hair and the taut muscle of bare arms.
"... You gonna tell us what that was all about?" Echidna said with hands on her hips, taking in that innocently blank expression with a wry smirk.
Yuuji blinked, and seemed to consider her words for a long moment.
"I just remembered that being used to something doesn't make it right," he said with a shrug. "I'll take point for a bit."
Evidently having said his piece, the young man turned away, stepping off a corpse that gazed at the ceiling with glassy eyes bulging wide.
Claudette shouldered her sword once more, gazing speculatively at the departing sight of a broad back.
Being the companion of the solitary Veteran Mercenary had immediately marked the young man from Hinomoto as a person of interest, so perhaps it was fitting that he was every bit as hard to get a read on, if not more so.
"Damn brat," she heard the mercenary murmur from behind her.
Indeed, the elf was ordinarily quite difficult to get a read on, past the lascivious but not-quite dishonest persona she presented to the world.
Ordinarily, but…
Claudette did not believe for an instant that she'd imagined the fond undercurrent present in the mercenary's voice, and it only made her curiosity towards the expressionless young man grow.
With a low, sharp cry, Claudette brought Thunderclap's wicked edge sweeping through a protruding gut, spilling its steaming contents to the tepid stone. Too close to the wall to complete the followthrough, Claudette instead opted to release her sword with one hand, the back of her fist leading instead as she spun on her heel.
Her fist sank into a gaunt thin cheek, batting the leaping goblin from the air and sending it bouncing across the floor to brutal effect.
Turning her attention back to the portly orc that was gaping up at her slack-jawed, its meaty hands filled with its own vital organs, Claudette put both hands on her blade once more. Rotating Thunderclap so that the flat of the blade was parallel to the floor, she thrusted it forward beneath the brute's chin to finish what she'd started.
Sidestepping to avoid the spray of blood that followed when she retracted her sword, Claudette took stock of how the others were faring- as she did, Echidna, evidently having run out of opponents, waltzed past her with a wave as she went off to end the barely conscious goblin the general had swatted away.
Risty was hammering through a downed orc's guard, her mace clasped in both hands, leaving Yuuji the only one who was properly engaged with the enemy.
And though Claudette watched the youngest of their party with an attentive gaze, it was more from habit than any real amount of concern, as Yuuji quickly provided yet another reminder that he could pull his own weight.
The orc had lost its weapon when a sliced tendon robbed it of the usage of its dominant hand, but the swing of its heavy limbs was threat enough.
If they hit, that was.
With some surprise, Claudette watched the fearless young man step into a coming blow, rather than away- raising his arm close to his body in a way that when the orc's inner arm met his, the force transferred seemed more akin to a stiff shove than a blow. But even that shove wasn't something Yuuji attempted to withstand, letting the weight of that thick green arm push him along, rotating with it, until-
… He was positioned at the perfect angle to bring his other arm across, and opened wide the orc's throat without being in the way of the resulting blood spray.
As the orc staggered back, clutching at its throat with wide eyes before toppling, Yuuji flicked the blood from that heavy-bladed dagger of his, breathing even and expression almost dismissively blank.
Though they'd found no sign of the kidnapped women, they'd found no shortage of enemies, forcing Claudette to accept that mounting a rescue alone would have been utterly hopeless. Even had she had the gall to drag the militia into the dungeon with her, it merely would have added even more to the number of victims, just as she'd feared.
Quality still mattered more than quantity, when it came to mounting a raid.
And their thrown together party certainly had the quality needed.
She retained some level of wariness of Risty for formality's sake, but by this point she was confident that the bandit's motives for joining the raid were altruistic enough to trust.
Claudette supposed it was no great shock- a warrior who roamed the wilds must bear some understanding of what happened to captured women in the tender care of goblins and orcs, and a fellow woman especially would need to be either craven or heartless to easily look the other way when she possessed the strength to help.
And yet her gratitude to her temporary companions made her only dread what was to come even more.
Exemplary though their pace had been, there were simply too many delays and too much ground to cover.
… It mattered little if he was aware of what they may find, she had long since decided.
As her worries grew, Claudette found her gaze lingering more and more upon the young man… or rather, that boy who was surely closer to Leina's age than her own, whose serious nature had masked his youth, somewhat.
If the worst had already come to pass, Claudette resolved herself to at least spare Yuuji the sight of it, to begin repaying his aid in some small way.
It was an earnest wish that Claudette would not discover the irony of until much, much later.
Growing up an orphan in Gainos was a guarantee of a hard life.
So they said- and certainly, she had needed to work hard to earn her daily bread, but…
Who in the village didn't work hard for their daily bread?
The village was warm, and kind, and she would be forever grateful that they hadn't turned their backs on her.
She had done her best to grow up to be a woman her ma would be proud of, and… though she didn't wish to seem conceited, the number of times she'd been told just that as a compliment were not limited to just once or twice.
That was probably why she couldn't wrap her head around the current situation.
Why it must have been a dream.
They'd killed the men and carried away the women- carried away her and so many of the beautiful people who she'd laughed and lived with.
How could she possibly wrap her head around the idea that all their honest hard work had led them to this?
She couldn't understand, and she didn't want to.
Those horrid little beasts had ripped their clothes and laughed while the big ones watched.
Some of the women had been… touched, but somehow it wasn't reassuring at all that the big ones kept the little ones from going… further.
They all understood that there couldn't possibly be anything good about monsters sparing them from torment.
They all knew deep in their bones that there was nowhere to go but down.
… Ah, see, there it was.
It seemed not all the monsters agreed with how their prisoners would be treated, and the big one that looked like the little ones (a 'hob' she thought she had heard someone say?) didn't seem to want to wait, and-
It was a dreadful thought to have, but in her heart, she couldn't help but scream 'why her?'.
It wasn't as if she were the closest, and she certainly wasn't the prettiest even if she did take pride in the looks she'd inherited from her ma, so why her?
Why?
Why?
Why!?
She screamed, of course, when it tore her dress open as if it were parchment and not wool.
She screamed, and flailed, and begged, and-
If she had been given the leeway, she would have been forced to admit that never in a hundred years would she have expected an answer to her pleas.
Maybe it was just the shock and the fear, making her see things.
Maybe it really had been nothing but a dream, from start to finish.
After all, if she was to be rescued from the very edge of despair, she would have imagined a beautiful warrior or a brave knight, the kind they told stories about over a cup of ale at their town's only inn.
Never in her wildest dreams would she imagine that the last thing she saw before passing out was a hound as pale as a ghost.
Never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined that the last thing she heard before passing out was the snapping of its jaws.
In years to come, when her mind would wander, she would find herself repeating that sound under her breath, as if it were a song.
Like a thoroughly strange, yet thoroughly cherished good luck charm, to whisper when the night seemed darkest.
Snap.
Crunch.
Snap.
I feel like I'm going to end up answering this at some point, so no, Yuuji did not actually turn into an animal, but that also doesn't mean that what the woman saw was entirely a hallucination. More than stress can cause the lines between fantasy and reality to blur.
Things almost got really bad there, but… the heroes arrive just in time.
Probably.
Not like there could be other forms of trouble brewing instead, right? I mean, it's probably not a concern that the quarry was turning into a dungeon so quickly, right?
Teasing the audience aside, now that Yuuji's out into the world, meeting more of the QB cast members will become more common and more frequent. Claudette was kinda the important new arrival here (she's in the tags for a reason), but Risty has her importance as well.
Both are in their Unlimited iterations, and while Risty it was mostly because she had better hair and a sleeker design, Claudette was…
Well, Choice Paralysis is a real thing.
Wouldn't have been nearly as difficult if the design change wasn't so big, and I have no idea why the change was that big, but I decided to go with U!Claudette for several reasons-
Fit the scenes I'd imagined a little more (even if my mental imagery defaulted to OG)
Taller, and much bigger boobs
Way cooler sword (Thunderclap actually looks like a magic greatsword in the newer version)
Outfit more befitting a celebrated general
Unlimited design makes her more distinct from her siblings (useful for writing purposes)
So yeah, had a few reasons to pick Unlimited, and when I tried writing OG I found myself borrowing elements from Unlimited, and I mean, if I don't write Unlimited Claudette, who will? QB doesn't exactly have a lot of fanfiction happening for it.
Some of you may have noticed that Claudette is still wearing her OG outfit- got the idea to have that be her 'travel outfit' whereas her golden armor is more 'official', so to speak.
Anyways, that's enough about Claudette… for now. Alleyne only narrowly beats her as my favorite QB woman, so expect to see more of her.