Gonna be a lot of feels in this one.

Chapter 91

After saying, without saying, that the people who captured Kuro and Tetsu were dead, the table fell into a mostly silent study of pasta eating. The only exception was Kotetsu, who was curled up around Ost's prison in the same defensive 'claws out' python ball. Of course, by the time someone did break the quiet click of fork-on-plate, the little dragon was in a food coma.

Glass dabbed at her lips with a napkin and carefully put her fork on her plate facing directly away from her (three of five worlds for the 'I'm done eating' cutlery signal!). "How did you escape the Labyrinth?"

All of Kizuna's former party looked at her with the same regret Ethnobalt did when they reunited, but Raphtalia gave the Hunter a moment to finish her mouthful with a question, "Labyrinth?"

"From what I've been told, the other country used to have some insane genius wizard guy." L'arc started, eyeing the VERY diminished plate of pasta, but then copying Glass, "It was supposed to be, more or less, inescapable. A place for prisoners they want to forget and never feed again, but maybe one day go fetch if they felt like it."

"A cowardly place, when they didn't want to simply execute someone and risk blame." Glass frowned.

Kizuna clearly didn't like seeing her party this upset, "After the Dragon Emperor... They tossed me in there. I dunno if they expected me to survive, but..." She gave her ever present weapon a pat, "Because of how strong I got, fighting along side all of you, the place would have been fun... if I wasn't alone."

Chris, who had his own little eating chair, came over to give Kizuna a hug under the table. I only knew this because she looked down and started to pet something that sounded like feathers.

"So, one day, I get my first visitor." She motioned to me, "Fell from the sky just a little ways from my favourite fishing spot. I get to the crater, and find a little black fox and a person sized pile of equipment."

All eyes went to me, and I nodded, "Yes, it is something I could do before all this." I glanced over my shoulder to indicate the Shield.

Everyone looked at Kizuna again, "She looked like something from back home. So I took care of her. A day later, she turns into a little fox girl, and explains what's been going on." She laughed, "Talking while writing in the sand was kind of fun, but I could see you hated sand in your paws."

"There are places no sand should ever be." I sipped my tea sagely.

"After a bit of explanation, and a bit of a tour," She paused then addressed L'arc's puzzled look, "After two years, I knew almost everything about the place, even have a map around..." She started to get that 'looking at the status screen' look in her eyes, but stopped and shook her head, "Anyhow. She knew what to do to get back to normal, so I showed her where to level super fast. Then, she spent two days in a screaming ball of agony as she grew up super fast."

"After the first night, I managed to change into something with arms and legs, and managed to give her some of that numbing cream." I said, "Then... well, I remember headpats."

"Oh, it was around here where we started to figure out other things too." Kizuna looked back to me, then took what L'arc passed on.

Clearly given the signal to take over, I did. "Well, the rules of the two worlds are different. Part of discovery was figuring out what. For example, my status screen remains the same, but is translating things a little differently. A 'Ball rabbit' monster, is called a 'Rabbit ball' monster for example." I sifted through the Shield's inventory and took out a mana potion, "Therese, try that. Kizuna? Have one for Raphtalia?"

The potion made its way to Therese, while a little brown/red crystal sparkled through the air at Raphtalia. It was no surprise, that they were surprised by the effect.

"Things like that. Magic items not working as intended, or having extra effects. Bits of our monster drop equipment not being visible or looking weird to the status screen. But there was one thing especially that stood out. And it was why Kizuna couldn't get free."

That had everyone's attention.

"She had given me the tour, except one place, the exit. Ost? Want to explain the rule?"

(Muffled from inside the tiny sleeping dragon coil) "Heroes from other worlds cannot travel between worlds?"

"Yes. Except, if neither of us could leave, that meant it wasn't actually either your world, or Raphtalia's." I said, "Whomever made that place, made it separate from both worlds, or different enough that it wouldn't allow a Hero to leave it."

Kizuna nodded, finished her mouthful, then smiled that bright smile of hers, "So, I knew about the exit, and basically gave up on getting out. But then she comes up with this super crazy idea. We don't break the rules, we change them."

"Change... the rules?" Therese asked, finally putting down her fork, "Like with your potion, and our earth crystals?"

"Even more extreme than that." Kizuna grinned, but then went back to eating to hand the conversation back to me.

"Yes. Back at Cal Mira, we found an old temple with a broken hourglass under the water. Since I have an infinite storage in the Shield, I put it all in there, sand, glass, shiny metal, everything." I smiled, mostly because the looks of disbelief were making my horns tingle, "So, using the Shield as an anvil, and the Hunting Weapon as a tool, we made an hourglass of our own, and changed the rules."

"You... made an hourglass?" L'arc blinked, dumbfounded.

"Yes. It wasn't easy, and if I were alone I couldn't have done it. But with the hourglass there, I changed the rules. I took claim of the labyrinth, and now, we weren't prisoners." I looked back to Kizuna.

"Now we were guests. And to be a guest, you have to be free to leave." She smiled, "I owe her everything, okay? No more fighting?" She looked to her party, the smile only in her eyes, the rest of her face serious.

(Still in the sleeping dragon ball) "That should be impossible."

My party sighed, "Impossible is just something you haven't had to do yet." Raphtalia sighed, "so then what happened?"

Story told, dinner done, dishes clean, we all went our different ways to find a spot to sleep. I should have been exhausted. But when I got to the room I'd been in before (and not gotten coal smoke all over! Glass would never know!) sleep was close to the last thing on my mind.

I did lay on the bed, but aside from looking at the unfamiliar ceiling, rolling over a couple times, and returning my gaze upwards, I just couldn't bring myself to close my eyes long enough to sleep.

There was a tap on the door, "Kodori?" Raphtalia called from the other side, just loud enough for my ears to pick up (a habit from living with Usa).

"Come in." I said, sitting up and putting the instant coffee pill back into the Shield.

"You look terrible." She said, honest, even without the curse.

She entered, no longer wearing the combat Miko outfit, but a cheaply made 'onsen robe' borrowed from Kizuna's linen closet I think. She wasn't alone either. Kuro and Tetsu were there too, and after they all spilled into the room (quietly) I spotted Kotetsu's tail peeking out of Tetsu's wild hair.

I motioned them over, pulling out a couple of pillows from the Shield (yes, infinite storage that I would abuse!) and sat on the floor with them, "I have..." I tried to find the best words, ones that would need the least explanation. "I've never been a slave." I said, "Not like you, or the others. But I've seen so much suffering because of it." I extended a hand, not to her, but to Tetsu.

Raphtalia looked a little disappointed, but didn't comment as Tetsu found the best spot to get comfortable, and curled up on my lap. Her tail and little wings curling up with her making her look even smaller.

"I found Tetsu and Kuro in an animal slaver's tent, with the Ringmaster there whipping Kuro so she would do tricks. I killed him. I handed him a coin, waited until he turned around, then broke his neck."

I felt Tetsu grip one of my tails while the rest covered her like a blanket.

"We went to the back of the tent, where they had all kinds of animals caged and cursed, but at the back, they had Tetsu. She wasn't part of the show, but they had cut parts off her to sell."

Raphtalia looked horrified, and a little sick. Kuro spoke then, and wiggled herself and the pillow she was sitting on closer to me. "I couldn't help. I wanted to. I really did. But I was small, and weak, and like the others, was cursed."

I put my arm around Kuro, a couple of my tails abandoning Tetsu to wrap around her instead. "The one keeping the cages, I didn't kill him. But did something similar to what I did to Rabier. But instead of dogs, I used acid." I shook my head, "I had been treated like Tetsu once, and when I saw it happen to someone else..." I shook my head, but didn't close my eyes. They were burning, itchy, but I knew what I would see if I blinked.

"Then." I continued, "Before rescuing them. I saw you were gone from my list of slave marks. I had assumed the worst." I held up a hand to keep her from speaking, but Raphtalia took my hand instead and placed my fingertips where her slave mark used to be.

"I know you hated the marks. That if you didn't need them to help us get stronger, you would never have considered them. But it was still something I was proud to have." She said, "When we changed worlds, I had no idea of any of you were alive."

She let my hand go, but then grabbed it again to hold it before I could withdraw it, "I was small, weak, just like before, but because of you, and that mark, I was only small and weak. Not helpless." She put my hand on her head, but then let go.

Her intent was clear, so I gave her what she wanted, "I'm proud of you, Raphtalia. You did well."

"eeee, headpats." She said with a smile. But a moment later, it faded, "You weren't thinking of taking one of those disgusting pills were you?"

Even a good headpat couldn't stop her from being a big sister. "I was." I admitted. "But I think I know how I can get to sleep." I looked down at my lap, "Tetsu?"

"comfy... don't wanna."

I picked her up, her body not moving at all, and put her in Raphtalia's lap. "These two already know." I said, "So don't be alarmed." I took off my ring and put it around the extra bit of red ribbon on my house robe, and moved the Shield over my breasts.

And changed.

Now a giant fox, there was no hope the bed would contain me. But, I used my teeth to pull the mattress off the bed, and did my best to at least get my furry front elbows on it, while my tails swished at Kuro and Raphtalia to come closer.

"You're so... fluffy." She was at a loss for words, "You better not lick me."

I moved my head so I could look at her with one eye, and just poked her with a cold nose instead. Then I put my head on my paws and hoped being used as a couch would help me sleep.

It was sleep. Not very restful, but with what family I had gathered around me, my sleep held only darkness, not madness. However, the first indication it might have been time to wake up, was when something started to look into my ear for a snack.

Then I heard Raphtalia say very quietly, "There are no snacks in there, Kotetsu."

There was a sad little 'gr' and the little claws trying to dig into the fluff of my ears were replaced by a familiar hand that seemed to know exactly what to do with fuzzy ears. "Heehee. Boss likes headpats too." Followed by a pair of smaller hands scrubbing at my scalp. It was a little too firm, but the good intentions helped chase the lingering gloom from my thoughts.

"Must I wake up?" Kuro mumbled from someplace near my rear, her small body wiggling a bit to get more comfortable against my haunch, "You're going to wake her up."

"Oh, she's already awake." Raphtalia said, kneeling and looking into my almost closed eye. "Ready for another day, Kodori?"

I considered just... rolling over, maybe even rolling over onto her just to make a point. Answering with action that I wanted more time. But they'd already given me the gift of not having to eat another instant coffee pill. So, I slowly started to move, waiting until Raphtalia had picked up Kuro. Once the bird girl was in her arms, I stood up, angled myself so I could stretch out in the limited space of the room (it wasn't a small room, but I wasn't a small fox).

After my stretch, I shook myself off like a dog, felt all my fur line up as it should, and turned back into my usual form. A bit of adjustment, moving the shield to my back, putting my wedding ring back on, making sure my clothes were 'just so', I looked over to them all and made the universal gesture of 'I want a hug'.

While I did my best to contain them all in my arms, I said, "Let's find breakfast, and get back to work."

While I went about being domestic in the kitchen, I heard others come down from the rooms on the second floor. This wasn't my home, I had no power here, but I could still recognize people by the noises they made.

Glass was first to the table, her light step and modest stride sounding like a dancer practising how to walk in a training hall. Therese was next, a little heavier of stride, the sound of frilly clothing, a tired but cheerful greeting as Kotetsu went to visit Ost. Ost, though no real noise accompanied her arrival, had apparently found her way into Therese's possession for the night.

Then finally, "Pen!"

"stop pulling... so early..."

"Pen!"

"how are you hungry again?"

"Pen!"

"but it was so tasty..."

Yes, Kizuna was being told off by Chris. For all her slender lack of curves, she'd eaten more than anyone else last night, excluding maybe Tetsu. But that also seemed to be the last of the people here.

"Just something light for breakfast." I called from the kitchen, "L'arc? Ethnobalt?" Hmm, lots of flour, some eggs... did I still have... aha!

"As much as he hates his fancy chair in the castle, he must occasionally sit on it." Therese said, "Or at the very least, be in the same room as it to issue an order or two."

"He still has a kingdom to run, or at least, ensure it does not run itself into ruin without his guidance." Glass added, "Ah, thank you."

I heard someone, likely Raphtalia, pouring tea. "With what happened in the other country, I'm guessing he also has things to report?"

"Yes." Therese sighed a moment after a second pouring of tea, "He truly wishes for peace, but must convince them our treatment was... reflexive, not deliberate."

I came out of the kitchen with a titanic stack of pancakes, "L'arc doesn't strike me as a very good liar." I said, "But it's not my job."

"What... are these?" Glass asked as my entire party had their faces light up at the sight of pancakes and the jars of thin jam.

Kizuna answered instead, her sleepy face cranking all the way to 'sparkling' as she said, "Pancakes!"

Therese and Glass shared a look, shrugged ever so slightly, and dug in with the rest of us.

As we cleaned up after breakfast, I looked to Therese as I handed her a wet plate from the sink, "Aha."

"Aha?" Elegance and poise did not stop her from being a good dish dryer.

"The gem on your forehead. That's... you. Isn't it?" It was the first time I hadn't seen her with all kinds of sparkly jewellery on her, and there was only a single blue/green gem mostly hidden by (and the same colour as) her hair embedded in her forehead.

She took a moment to dry her hands, then lifted one hand to touch the gem, "Not quiet, but very close. All of my race have something like this. She revealed the gem, moving her hair away from it.

It looked a little like a six pointed star, with a small three point pattern cut into the apex where the points of the star met in the middle. Seeing it clearly, and resisting the urge to touch it, or just... follow the intricate naturally formed facets with my eyes, I looked away. "A focus, not a soul." I said, "A friend of mine back home has something similar."

"You're quite perceptive." She smiled, patting my shoulder once, then accepting a damp plate. "I usually wear something over it, mostly to protect it, but also to focus a little better."

"Another similarity." I nodded, "We made a tiara for her, so that you couldn't pull it out of her head. It's... not fatal, but not a good thing either." I waved away the topic at her distressed look and stopped prying into 'personal' matters. "This brings up another topic though. Those gems in the drop item stalls..."

"Oh, yes. A creation of my race. They are quite useful to the people." She smiled, "Ah, you want one? But you have the Shield..."

"They are part of a two part imitation of a Holy weapon, or Vassal weapon." I said, "And I would like to know more."

"My talents don't lean that way." She admitted, putting the last plate back in a cupboard, "But, if we are going into town, we may meet Romina."

Kizuna poked her head around the corner of the kitchen, "Oh! She wasn't in when you got the coal." A pause, "I know that look."

"Which look?" I asked.

"The look of a gamer with a new cheat code."

I couldn't help but laugh, "Think about it. This world has people who talk and work with gems." I gave Therese the same gentle pat on the shoulder, "You can get item storage gems at just about any admin building. They of course also made its partner, the item recall gem, to get your items out of the other gem."

Kizuna looked at me, her eyes widening slowly, "No way... You think you can do it?"

"I also have a party member with a Vassal weapon. It won't talk to me, but I can at least examine it a little." I smiled, "If you aren't cheating..."

"You aren't trying." Kizuna finished. "But will it work? I mean, sure, you made an hourglass. But this is another level of..." She shook her head, "You know, I dare you."

"You dare me?"

"That's right. I dare you to make a vassal weapon. I double dog dare you." She grinned.

"Well, suppose I'll have to now. I'd never live it down. Maybe I'll create some kind of online system, just so you can mock me in a forum or something." I laughed, "Okay, okay, we've confused the poor lady enough."

Therese was indeed puzzled, but managed to shrug it off (elegantly) and say, "I'm glad you've made such a good friend Kizuna."

"Perhaps you can replace the weapon you took from me." Glass said.

"Maybe." I said, "But for now, I would be happy to talk to this Romina person, and make you a weapon. I won't say sorry for what I did to you. But if we're on the same side now, I'll do what I can restore your fighting power."

Glass looked doubtful, at least until Kizuna said, "It's what a friend would do."

She looked back to Kizuna, and I could see... something... not a shadow, not a glare, but even if the expression could have been imagined, it made my tails tingle a little. "Very well." Glass said, "I will think of something and make a request of you, Kodori."

Kizuna, in her cheerful way, led us all back through town. For me, it was 'old news' but for Raphtalia, Kuro and the two dragons, it was all new and shiny. Or at least, not 'hostile'. I still felt that tiny tingle of jealousy at how much the people liked Kizuna. Smiles, waves, a couple of children dashing over to cling to her legs just long enough for a headpat before running away again...

This time however, Raphtalia was there to call me out on it, or at least, notice it at all.

"What's wrong?" She asked, glancing up to Kotetsu, who had once again 'nested' around my horns. "You seem troubled."

"This world, at least, this part of the world, knows how to treat a guest." I said, one of my ears starting to twitch in time with someone hammering metal.

"I will go ahead to make sure poor L'arc isn't lost under some paperwork." Therese said, "Oh." She paused and offered Ost's prison to me.

Before I could take it, Kotetsu zipped down the side of my head, along my arm, took the offered emerald, and curled up into a ball around it. "I am unsure if being considered treasure is a compliment or not." Ost said.

"Most dragons gather treasure as they age and can hold territory." Glass said, looking like she was trying to decide if she should interact with the feathery danger noodle. "This one is starting young."

I did her one better, "Friend." And Glass actually 'eep'ed' as Kotetsu zipped off my hand, and curled up around Glass's shoulders, one hand still holding the Emerald.

"Looks good on you." Kizuna said, scrubbing a finger under Kotetsu's chin, then pausing in front of the blacksmith's shop, "To our new guests, this is Romina's workshop." And without further delay she pulled open the door with a, "Romina! I'm back!"

We entered, with Kuro pouting a little about the heat making her feathers itchy, and took in the semi-familiar sights of a well off weapon smith. Well, they were doing that, I was looking across the room at the woman behind the counter.

The first thing to catch my eye, but only because it was REALLY shiny (honest!), was the ruby gem framed with a silver collar that was just above her cleavage. Moving upwards (away from the shiny object, honest!) was an amazonian woman with a nice jawline, good smile, and hair to match the dark red of the stone set into her chest.

Past that, she was wearing good leather gloves, and what style her profession could afford. Thick fabric arm sleeves, grey vest, maroon leather bustier under that, a good leather belt with a small collection of tools resting in hoops... I mean, aside from her vest and bustier leaving her (nice girly abs) exposed to whatever sparks might occur during work, it was pretty sensible.

While most of the others looked around the shop, and I looked at the owner, Kizuna and Glass crossed the distance to the counter. "Hey kiddo." Romina's voice suited her. A little deeper than you'd expect. "Heard from my apprentice you were back, glad I got my hopes up." She kept her arms crossed under her bosom, but gave the shorter Hero a smile that made me miss my own Amazon back home. "Glass. Oh? Something new?"

"Borrowed I'm afraid." Glass replied shortly, putting her hand to the dragon-steel katana as she looked back to me and my party.

"This is Romina." Kizuna half turned away from the smith and did a 'here's your prize' hand wave to frame the woman. "She made and supplied like... ALL of our party's gear when I was out there."

"Sounds like papa Erhard." Tetsu said.

"Kodori Haruhime." I said with a fist-in-palm bow, "This is Raphtalia, Tetsu, Kuro, and Kotetsu." I motioned to Glass, "Kizuna?"

Romina gave me a puzzled look, then looked between Kizuna and I, "You can trust her." Kizuna said with not just surety, but conviction.

"My party and I are from the world on the other side of the waves, and we're working together now." I said, summing things up without really getting into any details. "And as a fellow craftswoman, I have so many questions."

Raphtalia chose that moment to kick my crafting soul in the shin. "Ahem."

"Oh... we also need a few things... a lot of things... worked on." I sighed, "Spoilsport." I swished at her with a tail.

Romina gave me the same look I'd given her, "Oh?"

"Glass?" I looked to Glass, who nodded and offered the katana over the counter, "Well, you may have heard the Vassal Katana is out in the world." I motioned to Raphtalia, "And we'd like to have a proper sheath made."

Raphtalia moved forward as well, reverently placing the Vassal weapon on the counter. With a little shimmer, it reverted to something that looked... almost plain and unassuming, save for the blue gem set into the pommel. Romina, just like Erhard had with the stuff we brought him, instantly went to work inspecting them.

"Aside from that, we have equipment repairs, exotic materials to really process, materials from the other world for you to look at, and if you allow it, materials from this world I would like to look at." I reached over to capture Tetsu's tail, just long enough for her to look over her shoulder and then come in for a hug, "And we need to make her a new outfit."

Kizuna and Glass looked at each other, then to my party, "We're going to bother L'arc. I can just tell you two will get along like jam on toast." She laughed, "Make me something nice" She gave Glass's sleeve a tug, "Oh, you better stay here." She said to Kotetsu.

She picked up the little dragon, and put it on the counter. A half second later, it decided that it was as good a place as any to curl back up into a ball around Ost's prison. "Sigh, well, I suppose this is karma. The last dragon I remember nested on my back."

"Oh, and that is Ost Horai. The soul of one of the other world's guardians, who is now inside that emerald." I explained.

Romina frowned, shrugged, then smiled, "Yeah, I can tell we'll get along. So what do you have for me? And did you really make this?"

Romina and I did indeed get along well. After some... Well, it was basically a blacksmith's pissing match on how cool the things we'd made were... We admitted the other was really good at what they did, and got to 'the weird stuff'.

Raphtalia, since we had to have her here to make a sheath for the Katana, had to suffer through it the good humoured chest beating Romina and I were doing. But Tetsu had convinced Kuro to go explore the local town, and the two wandered off, a little pocket money in hand for snacks.

"Huh." Romina looked at the two piles of 'stuff' on the tables in front of us. "This here, I can tell, is stuff from this world. Even if I've never seen it personally, I can tell." She motioned to the tiger guardian stuff, a few items that had come from local monsters, and a random assortment of 'bits' (claws teeth etc etc).

"The Shield might be doing a little work for me. Or it might be because I picked them up with it, but even though I can tell what they are, I'm getting little... it's like spelling errors." I explained, picking up a paper airplane made from White Box... skin? Would it be skin? "But if I work it into something, the errors smooth out a little."

She watched the folded cardboard drift across the room with a thoughtful expression, then picked up one of those weird weapons I'd picked up from Cal Mira, "Yeah, I see the item, but I get nothing from my status magic..." She mused, "Say... Don't suppose you can leave some of this stuff here?"

"Can you let me use some of your workshop?" I countered, the proximity to actual tools of metal and leather work making my hands tingle. "I'd like to make the sheath for the Vassal Katana, before my big sister falls asleep."

Raphtalia looked a little embarrassed, but shook her head, "I want to help with that. I kinda miss the wagon back home.

"Oh? Have a little skill too? Little Kizuna found the most interesting friends." She grinned, "Fine, though, I suspect, with her coming back and his Royal Scruffiness back for a day or two, there's gonna be a party."

I looked to Raphtalia, and I could tell she was a little sad when she said, "I'll let them know you'll be here, after we make something to keep people safe from this." She gave the Vassal weapon a pat.

Notes!

Warning! Warning! Anvil-heads in close proximity!

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