I was not happy, when the fox placed himself behind me, and then picked me up. First of all because we were about the same weight, meaning him holding onto me was quite taxing on both of us, even as he used the speed that the Hero of the Bow had given him to make the effort less, I was still forced to be very still, as I felt his hand come up behind my head, just the way we'd practiced.
The second reason was…well the Hero was severely overestimating the hyena's abilities as a spell caster. His 'ninja' magic was nothing compared to the real thing, and he would have need of my sort of power today. I knew it, and he knew it. I would have loved to argue that point, even force it into his big stupid face that I had to crane my neck far back to see, but we were already moving, leaving me breathless as Fast moved so quickly that we were going faster than the wind in an instant.
Along the way I saw them. I'd fought them my entire life, since I'd decided to become an adventurer. I'd fried a skeleton, a weak thing with only bones and no armor like these, on one of my first jobs. It had been the largest kill of the entire hunt, and I'd been celebrated for not panicking and running at the sight of it like other newbies did when faced with the stronger foes of this profession.
Then, those months ago, the Wave had come. I'd been in a small village, mostly there for a job, when the skies suddenly turned red. The others in my group had charged out to defend the people, but it had been…not hopeless, but simply the odds were against us. Then it had been dogs and wolves, creatures of the wild, either corrupted or simply pouring from the holes in the sky.
I'd done my best, run my mana pool to its limit, and even used my staff and a dagger to do some damage myself, but it hadn't been enough. We'd been forced to retreat as the guards from the local outpost came to us, and helped us evacuate the survivors, all of us huddling together inside stone walls, listening to the fighting going on outside. It had been a horrible, terrible experience, even for someone who faced death for a living.
And then we'd seen the aftermath. With no one to stop the Wave's boss, it had done its duty, holding the gateways open until its spawn were fully within our world. Animals, plants, even the very stones were infected with it. Monsters that had been, at worst minor annoyances were suddenly grave threats, and it took the efforts of guards and adventurers to clear out the roads for even somewhat safe travel.
I worked hard to do my part, and so I'd been offered the chance of a lifetime. The Heroes were being summoned, the ones who could stop this from getting any worse, and who would save the world if they were able. The Queen was in other nations, trying to help stabilize things, but the King had declared they could not wait, not with the sand in the Dragon Hourglasses trickling away.
So I'd been there, waiting for them, chosen with eleven others to be part of all this, to be a party member. And then the Bow Hero happened. Instead of standing with others at the back of the Hero, I was his sole companion. And it was wonderful. He'd been…everything a hero was supposed to be in spirit. Caring, smart, and brave, he'd taken a job that needed doing, and faced down a threat that would have made the city a bloodbath had it not been dealt with swiftly.
His abilities were…lacking a bit. I'd grown up on stories of the Sword, Spear, and Bow which could split the heavens, when his own attacks were meager. Had he been with anyone else, the Nest Mother might have even been enough to fell him, but he'd adapted, and as much as he didn't quite charge out in front, he was good at planning and strategy, and that was probably better, in the long run.
Then he hired the Beastmen. I'd…I was not happy with that, no matter that I was also not unhappy with it, either. I wanted to be neutral, and his logic was sound. Adventurers required time to level up, to be more useful, and while humans would always end up stronger in the long run, or so I'd been taught, the Beastmen could be useful, at least as weapons of war, and truth to tell, having someone to punch and kick was welcome.
I'd brought him to Beloukas, the Slave Trader. His business was only somewhat legal, even now, and yet, he plied his trade openly, without the guards coming down on him. It had worked out, the three he'd bought, they were strong…heh, well, one of them was Strong anyway. No, no focus, the three were great warriors, no matter that my teachers would scoff at them being useful in the long term.
I was happy to have them, and I hoped they were at least happy to have me. My thoughts were brought to a halt as Fast slid himself to a stop, lowering me, as his speed boost finally wore off. I was no amature at this, we'd practiced the maneuver after all, at the Hero's insistence, and so when my feet touched the ground, I started running right away, letting my own momentum carry me forward, before curling into a roll.
We were outside the village, almost directly outside, but we'd not beaten the hole in the sky here. Already monsters were pouring down like horrid, putrid rain, and I growled in frustration, as Fast skidded to a halt nearby. He would take a moment to recover, but I was already beginning my chant, reciting the spells as they'd been taught to me, and spinning my staff before me, concentrating on the array in my mind.
Before me, a small light began to shine, one that grew as it traced outwards, growing like a great tree, my mana pouring out into it, purified and refined by staff, ring, and cloak, all of which began to glow with the same light. What was the work of hours when I started down the path of the Socereress was now only minutes, and with my gear, it took less than even that, to finally touch my staff to the middle of the runes that floated in the air before me.
There was a silent crack of thunder, felt rather than heard, as jagged bolts arced out from the spell array, and then arced upwards in reverse of their normal course. They found plenty of grounding in the sky, as each fork soon buried itself in those above us, several dozen being obliterated in seconds, before the bolt's energy finally ran its course, but giving us the time to rush inside, and find the village already burning.
Despite his speed, we'd been coming from an angle, and so the Shield Hero had beaten us here, and was engaged with a skeleton knight, protecting a cowering man on the ground, while his 'sword' the Demi-Human girl was engaged with another. She saw her Hero's plight, and was trying her best to deal with her threat first, but before she could, Fast was already there, a single kick sending the thing's body collapsing into nothing but debris.
The pair of them both looked at us, and then at each other, as the Hero rose, obviously not having expected any assistance at all. We didn't waste words at first, as a few more of the skeletons gathered around us, attracted if I were to guess, to the Hero's presence. Regardless of that, I spun my staff above my head, and then let loose a few torrents of water from it, scattering, at least for the moment, and putting out some of the fires closest to us.
"You…you're from the Bow Hero's party, aren't you?" he asked, his tone both curious, and incredulous, as if he had thought my own Hero would have abandoned others to their deaths, simply to make his life easier. I still wished he'd sent Shadow and Fast on this mission, to be fair, but he had shown himself to be a man who cared for those in this world as much as any noble should, and so I nodded.
"Bard Bowman claims this is a…Maxim 2 moment," he looked at me as I spoke those words as if I had grown a second head, and I was forced to recall that my Hero was not from the same world as this one, and thus might not have the same knowledge.
"He spotted you headed to this place," I said.
"Lute Village, yeah. We were here a few days ago. It's about three hours from the Castle," he responded, and that gave me pause, as I'd heard of Lute some time ago. It was not a 'major' trading village like Thud, but it was on the main roads. It was surprising that there was no garrison here…perhaps it was believed the Castle's own guards could respond fast enough? If so, someone had sorely been mistaken.
"Then you know of this place. Good. My companion, Fast, and I, are at your command," that declaration seemed to take the Hero a moment to process, but a scream jolted him from it. Luckily, his companion was already on it, rushing towards the source, while Fast began to clear the wasp monsters from around us, giving us some breathing room.
"Right…I was going to just say to get people out, but if we have more help, we can do more than just run. We can turn this place into a meat grinder for these things. You, Raphtalia, and the fox do what you can to thin the crowd out while getting the villagers somewhere safe. Once they are, we can do the Hammer and Anvil," he explained quickly, pointing to his Shield.
"They're attracted to me…or more likely to this, so I'll try to get as many as I can following me. You three, once you've got everyone someplace safe, give me a signal, and I'll hold my ground, while you smash them from behind," he said, and with that, he immediately started off. Fast, watching him go, looks to me to confirm we should follow the order, but I just nod, the pair of us rushing after the demi-human girl.
She was already in the process of fighting some of the undead who had boxed in the village's meager defenders. Farmers with pitchforks, hoes, and one rusted looking sword between them. For all that, they had held out decently against their foes, but the demi…but Raphtalia was doing far more than holding out. Each blow from her fist, or strike from her sword seemed to take an enemy with it, literally carving her way to them.
Fast rushed past her, his claws gleaming as he noticed a woman and her child cowering, one of them having fallen, impossible to see which, as the wasp demons descended, clawed limbs flailing as they made ready to slice the innocents to ribbons. They never even saw the fox beastman coming, as he was amongst them, and in seconds, his claws had literally torn half a dozen of their number to shreds.
I decided to add to the carnage, opening up with another chain lightning spell, trying to 'feel' the infection before me to target it, without accidentally hitting any of the villagers. It was no easy task, but when I loosed the bolt, it flew fast and true. Forks snaked around corners and found foes I hadn't seen with my eyes, blasting them until the energy that held them together was depleted, leaving them to collapse.
"The Shield Hero has ordered us to find shelter for these people. Do you know of a place where they can be protected?" I asked Raphtalia as Fast and I finally joined her, the fox bringing the mother and child with him, sniffing at the air, and then speeding off again, moving like a blur…well not quite that fast without the boost, but still, faster than a horse at a gallop, as he went to find more victims.
"I…right, the mines! We cleared it out a few days ago of most of the dangerous monsters, so they should be safe inside!" she instantly began telling the people to head there, and I was soon casting a spell I had learned back when I'd first begun my lessons. A simple thing that made illusions with no substance or weight, but could be seen from a ways away. It was a basic thing, useless in most circumstances, but when she pointed to the mine, I added some glowing arrows in the sky.
The effect, as they began to flash, was immediate. The people, some in houses that were on fire, began to stumble out into the streets, Raphtalia and I doing our best to clear the way for them. Luckily, the Shield Hero was proving the perfect bait, as all the monsters seemed to ignore our charges to pursue him, the wasps a bit faster than I would have liked, but he kept ahead of them all the same.
He was a magnificent sight, honestly. The Bow Hero…I respected what he did. His strategies were top notch, and he seemed to actually listen to myself, and the beastmen, taking everything we told him into account when making his plans. But the Shield Hero was no planner. You could tell that as he hefted a bit of burning wood, waving the makeshift torch around, shouting like a madman.
He was a man of action, and when a group of undead blocked his way, he summoned a floating, glowing shield before him, and leapt off it, using it to go over them, and then running again, moving in a large circle, even as his pursuers only grew in number. It was an impressive display, and one that would have worked wonders…save that there were others still trapped. Adventurers by the look of their weapons.
They had been near the center of town, and I had failed to notice them, but Naofumi was deliberately running around them, trying his best to attract the attention of the foes that had engaged them, desperately trying to get them to follow him. It wasn't working fast enough, however, as the adventurers were being driven back, the three man team, two swords and a spear, were simply not up to the task, their blows simply not enough to fell those assailing them.
We had reached the edge of the village, and the mine was visible at the end of a long road. The people would take minutes to run it, even without the monsters assaulting them at times. Seeing that, and knowing he would need protection, I decided my part in the escort mission was done, and so I ran forward, soon coming into the square where the Shield Hero was looking around, obviously trying to find some other way to help.
"Triple Cast! Orb of Lava!" I cried out, using the Ring and Cloak to empower myself, closing my eyes, focusing my energies on this spell I had learned only recently, as it required a lot out of the caster. I could feel my MP drain, feel the power leave me, but it was worth it as Earth and Fire magics mixed within me, and then took the form of three…well orbs of lava, about the size of my head, floating above me.
With Naofumi's actions, the enemy were already gathered into groups, and so I sent my projectiles forward, each orb glowing red and yellow, dripping with power, as they slammed into the back of the lines of undead and insects, and each one they touched burned to ash in an instant, their bodies reduced to nothing, as the orbs kept going, literally mowing their way through them.
The sweep, as my orbs moved independently of each other was almost total, as I brought them back around to clear the way for the adventurers, and then, with a flourish of my staff, I sent them careening into one of the larger undead creature, a heavily armored giant, taller even than the Bow Hero, and slamming them together inside it, ending the spell, and feeling the exhaustion that came from a nearly empty mana pool.
"That was incredible," he told me, and I smiled, sweating and gasping, but still I was able to smile, as we walked towards the adventurers.
"Hero! You and your party saved us, thank you," said the one in the lead, a swordsman in blue armor. I decided not to complicate things by telling him I wasn't actually part of Naofumi's party.
"You're welcome. Now, you three, head to the mines outside the town, I saw the others send the people there. Protect those people with your lives, and send the other two back to assist us," he ordered, and the three nodded, rushing off. Luckily, they didn't even have to make it all the way before Fast and Raphtalia were already at our side, as more monsters continued to pour down on the village.
"Why did you come here?" demanded Naofumi, but the demi-human, rather than answered, literally jumped over him, her powerful kick from the ground assisted as the Shield was held up above the Hero, providing a platform to lift her higher, and she sailed above the head of one of the armored giants just as it landed, her blade splitting it in two with a single downward slice.
"The villagers, they wanted to send their thanks, and the able bodied were adamant that they could protect their fellows, but requested that we do our best to protect the village. It is all they have," she explained, as she turned back, Fast meanwhile didn't so much leap as surge past us, and with a slide that kicked up a huge cloud of dust, he knocked several of the smaller undead into the air, slicing them into ribbons with his claws before they could hit the ground.
"I saw that you had likely used that move that Master had suggested, and given you previously said it would exhaust you, I had to come, just to make sure you were kept safe," he said, motioning towards the crater where the three Orbs of Lava had collided. I couldn't argue, of course, but as an undead came up behind him, I cried out, only for him to not even turn as he slammed his fist so hard into its skull the thing was reduced to dust.
"Okay, so, we've got a fighting chance…against an endless horde of monsters…seriously what are the other guys doing?!" shouted the Shield Hero, as more of the enemy began to walk into the village, their numbers hardly touched, for all that we'd been tearing through them. I had to admit I was somewhat in agreement, and hoped nothing bad had happened to either the Bow, or Sword and Spear, but I kept my mind on the battle at hand, flinging a few low powered fireballs at the horde.
We spent what felt like hours fighting them, as one of the holes in the sky moved closer to us, the tide of battle coming into the village, and forcing us back. Each of us was exhausted, breathing hard, but determined, when something changed the situation. I was the first to notice the feeling of mana gathering in the air, and I turned towards the source…no sources, as some group outside the town cast a series of spells.
Suddenly, explosions shot skyward, fireballs, not quite as large as my best, but certainly more than I'd been doing for the last few rounds, sailed high into the sky, their arcs perfect. Precision casting meant either a well trained group of adventurers, or more likely a military unit, and before I could say that, the bolts collided in the sky with a crack of thunder, before small darts of flame began to rain down into the village.
The effect on the enemy was devastating. The bolts found their marks soft and weak, the undead bursting into torches that screamed once before falling forward, dead. The wasps became candles in the air, whipping all around, and trying to put themselves out, only to spread the flames farther around themselves. Even the hulking giants were not immune, one of them taking several bolts to the chest, which burned straight through his armor.
The problem was the village was equally flamabe as the enemy, and worse, so were we. Fortunately, the Shield Hero cried out for us to gather around him, and Fast, before I could react, took me in his arms, along with Raphtalia, and soon the two men were around the pair of us, as the Shield Hero raised his weapon to the sky, and then mumbled a word, a curtain of shimmering blue light coming from it to protect us.
When the firestorm had passed, and the homes around us, damaged, though hopefully not beyond repair, the Shield Hero lowered his weapon, though kept his cloak around myself and the Demi-Human. The Beastman, who had not been under said cloak, was already looking around, and through a gap in the green cloth, I saw, as every face turned to the sound of clacking metal on dusty streets.
"Ha! We burned them all to ash in a single strike," came the voice, barely audible over the crack of flames that were still consuming the homes around us. He only seemed to notice us a moment after he said it, looking towards us with an eye that spoke of nothing but disdain.
"The Shield Hero, eh? You're pretty tough, honestly," he said, and I tightened my grip on my staff, as Naofumi scoffed.
"They didn't even care about us," he said, a growl in his voice, but his words seemed to affect the girl beside me, and I watched as her eyes turned to ice, before she surged out of the cloak, her blade drawn, and soon, struck at the knight captain before us. She was blocked by his second, but the clash of her blade on his showing that, for all his size and level, her anger made her the stronger, as he slid back an inch or so.
"Did you know Master Naofumi was here?! Answer me or I'll have your head!" she declared, with hatred dripping from her voice. Not that I was feeling much better as I and Fast stood beside the Shield Hero, staring them down. The second did not hesitate, however, turning his head slightly, so he could address the men behind him.
"Draw your swords!" he ordered, and trained as they were, the whole troop did so, the sound of ringing metal echoing, as Raphtalia leapt away, Fast rushing to her side, and myself beginning some incantations.
"What's this, are you three with the Shield Hero?" demanded the captain, and I smirked at him, as my staff had started to glow, the other men in his group looking towards the captain, who didn't look half as confident as he had a moment ago, given he was facing three of us, plus a Hero now.
"I am Master Naofumi's sword. Respect him or die," answered the demi-human, as she pointed her blade towards them. Not one to be outdone, I let loose a small jet of water, pushing it skyward so it gently rained down, dousing a few nearby fires with a hiss.
"Fast and I are in the Bow Hero's Party, former Knight Captain," I declared, and that seemed to get his attention as he ground his teeth together staring at me.
"What are you babbling about, girl? How dare you point weapons at the Royal Knights," he responded, and his blade pointed at me, and being put on the spot, I smirked at him, and then laughed.
"By order of the Queen, the Royal Knights serve the people. That is your sworn and sacred duty, is it not? Is ignoring that oath not the sort of thing that loses a man his captaincy, if not his knighthood entire?" I asked, and that at least got his attention, as his eyes went wide for a moment, before he sheathed his sword.
"Our current mission supersedes any orders that were standing. We are to assist the Heroes in any capacity, and you're standing in our way. Stand aside now," he ordered, and I was just about to keep this going, but Naofumi placed his hand on my shoulder, before walking forward to stand with Raphtalia and Fast.
"Let it go, everyone. If that's all you're here to do, then get on with it," he declared, and the Captain barked a laugh.
"Excellent suggestion, Hero. The less you get in our way, the less likely we are to make mistakes," he said, stepping forward, barely noticing as Fast, Raphtalia and I dropped into fighting stances, as he was so focused on Naofumi.
"Yeah, so why don't you get munched on by a zombie already so we can get back to saving people?" he shouted, and the captain, and his whole group spun around as something behind them let out a hideous noise. In the few minutes of stand off we'd had, some of the monsters, either circling around, or perhaps just following the knights, had gotten behind them, and were coming up fast.
"What the?! Formations men!" shouted the commander, but he was having no luck, as the knights to either side of him had already engaged, while one of the larger zombies was standing before him, the skeletal sockets shimmering with red light, as it hefted up an axe in one had that was as large as the Knight Captain's torso, and brought the weapon down with a terrifying power.
He was saved by the Shield Hero, who pushed him down, and blocked the attack with his weapon. Without him having to say anything, Raphtalia came up from behind him, and leapt over his shoulder, slashing into the brute, and sending it toppling backwards, only for dozens of its subordinates to start shuffling forward, the wasps providing air support.
"Listen, we'll give you some breathing room, now get into formation, and start defending yourselves!" he shouted, as the two of them began to dance. It was the sort of thing that came from training together, the sort of sync that typically required years to learn, the Hero and his Companions had on an instinctive level. He would block, then swing out of the way for her to strike, then another block, and a strike, in a rhythm that was almost musical.
"You heard the man!" I shouted, launching a flame tongue into the middle of the enemies, the bolt striking with a small blast, scattering the sky borne foes, such that Fast leapt off one of the larger zombies, and began to spin in the air, striking out with those claws of his, and then landing in the middle of another formation, gathering them around him, and allowing me to target him with a bolt, which he leapt out of the way of, just as I loosed it, and vaporized the gathered horde.
"Let the Shield and these fools handle this! We'll offer reinforcements to the Three Heroes!" came the cry of the captain, and I was about ready to loose a bolt at him. Did this fool have no sense of honor…probably not, honestly, and he would find out what a Sorceress of the Guild could do against him when we returned. Fortune, however, smiled on us, as only two of his people seemed to move with him, instead, his second looked at his back, shook his head, and then lifted his blade into the air.
"All forces! Phalanx Formation! Support the Heroes here and now!" he countered and the rest of the force soon fell into a half circle, swords pointed outwards, and shields at the ready, as they charged into our midst, providing just the right amount of distraction for the mindless foes to make them easy pickings. Meanwhile, the captain and his two followers were already marching out of town.
It was still hard going, I was having to be frugal with my spells, and even striking more than one enemy with my staff. But despite that, we kept the town intact, as much as we could, slowly being forced backwards, and giving ground, but never much, and always forcing them to keep their attention on us. It took what felt like another hour, but we persevered, and when it felt like we would finally be forced to secede the field, the sky flashed golden.
The dark vortexes inverted with a sound like the ringing of great bells, and there was a wash of it down towards us, the enemies, no longer without number, soon found themselves falling to us, some of them without us having to do anything as they were half formed creatures. At last, the Wave was over. The Second of many, but still, we had won, and that victory would ring through the whole of the world.