This Wave was undoubtedly the biggest nightmare imaginable…is what I would say if I was afraid of spiders.
These fuckers were big. Well, not really. They were about the size of basketballs, so they weren't really nightmare-inducing like the spiders in Skyrim. But there was a huge amount of them. Good for XP, like the last Wave.
Rato didn't join us this time. She stayed behind with the hakuko sisters—still not used to that. Rato and Hailey had actually reached level 40 a while ago, but I didn't bring them in for a class up yet. I just kept bringing down their levels a little at the start of the day with the Whip method. Not so much that gaining XP would become difficult, but not so little that they'd waste effort. It could only be used once per day, so I couldn't correct it for Hailey if it was too little.
Ideally, I wanted to wait until Hailey became a filolial queen and got Fitoria's blessing. That was double stats, if I remembered right. I was assured there was no taint on my soul or anything, so Fitoria wouldn't have any reason to be on guard with me. Not that she was likely to be a problem, as cryptic as my goddess made that sound, but she didn't elaborate.
Since that could take some time, the Whip method was a decent stopgap. The bonuses to stats were dependent on the levels sacrificed; more accurately, the stats gained from that level. Higher levels gave higher stat increases. Sacrificing levels would add a portion of those lost stats to the person's base stats, about 10%. Therefore, doing this for now gave decent gains.
Speaking of, I checked with Rato about her stats. They did increase the moment I equipped the Slave User Axe II. She didn't say anything before because I had told her that series would improve her stats. If I had paid more attention to hers and Hailey's stats before, not only would I have learned that detail, but I also would have figured out the exact relation sooner.
The stats they gained were based on my own. It wasn't comprehensive, just the more permanent ones; the stats for myself, plus equip bonuses, no armor or accessories. The stats from whatever Axe I had equipped were also applied, but without most of the bonuses from the power up methods. It would explain why I hadn't noticed. I really should have, since their growth wasn't always consistent and it should have been, according to Rato and everyone in Khana's party.
Now, the Whip's alternative function could sacrifice a class up to improve stat growth, but that had a similar problem. The better the stat or growth increases from the class up, the better the new growth would be. Additionally, they would go back to level 1, so now wasn't a good time.
If I could get my hands on an item to improve the class up—as another stopgap—we could do that, stop sacrificing levels, gain higher levels with improved rates, then sacrifice the class up and start over once we got Fitoria's blessing. I'd ask Nelshen for something as a reward for the Wave.
"We're nearly done!" Khana called out, a practically manic grin on her face as she swung her hammer around.
Her yell was accompanied by a massive roar from her mount. Mauler had grown. I'd say he was as big as a polar bear, but he's probably a bit bigger than that. A saddle on his back for Khana and some armor plating for defense, the pair were a force to be reckoned with. I almost felt bad for the relatively tiny spiders.
My mount, by comparison, looked more adorable, even as she chewed on a dead spider.
"Gweh?" Hailey swallowed one and looked back at me.
"It's nothing." I gave her a pat. She seemed to know when I was thinking about her.
Really, it was a good thing I already reached level 50. I wasn't going to get any XP from this Wave.
"Erst Slash!" A blade of energy about a foot wide cut through one of the spiders a dozen-so feet away.
I had honestly forgotten about the Claw Hero until Khana mentioned meeting with him before the Wave. I remembered he protected both Shieldfreeden and Siltvelt, so his appearance wasn't a surprise to anyone who knew of him.
Other than the man spending much of his time by himself training, Khana didn't know much about Rhubaldt Warbaldt. I couldn't say differently. Since there was no Takt, his status as a reincarnated or hidden fox demon or anything else was unknown. My goddess had little information about other champions—the main reason why it was speculation that the Projectile Hero was reincarnated, though his death was promised regardless.
"There it is! That's got to be the boss!" Khana yelled, pointing at the large scorpion with her hammer. It had four pincers instead of two, and was about 50% bigger than Mauler, but it otherwise fit this Wave's theme. Khana looked at me expectantly, sparkles in her eyes.
"It's all yours." I waved her off. I had the last one, so she got to have fun here. Though…
"Go, Mauler!" Khana yelled, spurring the bear on.
It was like something out of a fantasy movie. I was pretty sure there was at least one scene where someone was charging an enemy while riding a bear. Even after almost three weeks here, I still hadn't fully adapted to everything.
And just like that, the Wave was over. The two of them had torn into the scorpion like it was made of cheap cardboard. Now I felt bad for the scorpion.
~The Right Man~
The after-fight was simple enough. The knights and adventurers we brought with us helped collect the remains of the monsters for the three heroes present to absorb, minus the monsters the adventurers got to keep for parts. Also, Khana had apparently come up with an idea to get more adventurers to help. They let one of us absorb the monster they killed, we give it back, plus any drop items it had. Not a bad system.
All in all, the fight and the cleanup took about an hour and a half. After that, the heroes and their parties returned to Shieldfreeden. A proper celebration would be had when the knights and adventurers returned in about two days, but Nelshen wanted a rundown of the Wave from the heroes this evening.
"I see." Nelshen had her hands folded in front of her face. "It appears the Wave wasn't difficult at all."
She sat on one side of the table in the meeting room. Rhubaldt Warbaldt, Khana, and I were on the other side. I had to say, I was feeling a little short with these two giants to my right. In his therianthrope form, Rhubaldt loomed over Khana. Outside of it, as he was now, he was just barely shorter than her.
"They'll get stronger." I reminded her, even though it was common knowledge to those who knew about the Waves. Just because no one died in Faubrey's Wave and in this one didn't mean it wouldn't happen.
"And we'll be ready for them." Nelshen said.
"Hm." Rhubaldt grunted, the only one of us with his arms crossed.
He didn't strike me as a heavy talker. Even when we met up to prepare, he said very little.
"Is there anything else to report?" Nelshen asked the three of us.
We covered just about everything, not mentioning things that didn't happen. There was no invader, no other reincarnated or champion of a god to cause problems, or any other issues. Almost boring, but it was much better that way.
"I am not to be contacted until Shieldfreeden's next Wave." Rhubaldt said.
This immediately drew Nelshen's attention. "For what reason?"
"It appears my training has been lacking." He said, shifting his hand slightly to point at me. "As I understand it, the Axe Hero was only summoned three weeks ago. Yet, he is already this strong. Whatever training the Hammer Hero has put him through puts him around my level of strength."
He had that backwards, but reasonably so. Khana was still a higher level than me, and she's had more time to accumulate energy, proficiency, and every other storable power up method that didn't require knowing about them for that. Even for the ones that couldn't be built up passively like that, she acquired more than enough resources to immediately make use of them.
Nelshen's eyes moved to the left, shifting between Khana and I. I could already tell what she wanted to ask, since we had mentioned heroes being able to share power up methods.
"What do you think?" Khana whispered to me, clearing understanding the same thing.
"You know him better than I do." I responded in kind.
"About twice as well as you do." She said back.
So, neither of us really knew Rhubaldt. With no Takt, I had no reason to think he wasn't a genuine hero. All that left was his temperament and personality, something I got few clues about during our first meeting and the Wave. It wasn't like he'd cause a problem right away, and Khana and I could probably take him if he tried something later. So…
Nelshen looked at us like she had to make the decision since she was the adult in the room. Given Khana and my personalities, that wasn't too far off. Besides, she clearly knew him better than us.
"About that, Rhubaldt. It seems the heroes can share their methods of improvement. In fact…"
~One explanation later~
"How do you know all this?" The Claw Hero asked me as he, presumably, looked through his status.
"That's a bit of a secret." I said. Just because I was willing to give out a huge amount of power…well, revealing my employer didn't seem as much of a big deal, but I should be a little cautious of that. At least no one could hear us outside this room, thanks again to that sound-dampening stone Nelshen had.
Rhubaldt grunted in response. "This is worth owing you a favor."
"And I already know what I want." I said with a grin.
"Do you?" Khana asked, leaning back in her seat.
"First, I'll need you to take me to Siltvelt to register at the hourglass." I said. "Though that's more out of duty than a favor. What I really want is more along the line of protection."
"Oh?" He glanced at me from the side.
"In a few weeks, I'm sure I'll have the Shield Hero with me. I want him kept safe from any political crap in Siltvelt. Or Shieldfreeden, I guess."
"Any particular reason for mentioning Shieldfreeden?" Nelshen asked with a smile.
I shrugged. "You're Khana's friend, but you're still a politician, and a high up one at that." I turned back to Rhubaldt. "Threaten whoever you have to while he's there. I'll be with him as well, but you carry more weight there than a human hero."
"You're a bit too quick to threats, little man…" Khana sighed.
"Hm." Rhubaldt nodded. "The political landscape of Siltvelt can be…difficult at times. I will ensure Lord Shield's safety once he arrives."
"Rhubaldt Warbaldt is highly trustworthy." Nelshen added in.
"Good." Now all I needed to do was get Naofumi on my side. It shouldn't be that difficult. Hopefully.
"How trustworthy is he?" Khana asked.
"Hm?" Nelshen looked over at her.
"I mean, how well do you actually know him?" Khana clarified.
"We've had many meetings in the past when I was a senator, and he has continued to support Shieldfreeden during my administration." Nelshen said.
I couldn't be certain, but I felt a certain amount of friendship in her words.
"Do you trust him with your life?" Khana asked. Was that jealousy?
Nelshen looked a little surprised by the question. "Yes, I do."
"Good." Khana stood from her seat, sliding it back and stretching out her arms. Were we done then? A weird way to end things. I figured we'd need to talk a little more about—
I barely brought my arm up in time. As my level and stats increased, certain things seemed to slow down a little. That was the only reason I saw Khana's fist moving toward my head. The force from Khana's sudden punch slammed my arm into my nose, breaking my nose with an audible snap. I was flung across the room, tumbling over the ground and nearly slamming into the wall.
"Ugh." I pushed myself off the ground, shakily rising to my feet. My blood-covered arm shook as I brought it to my face and gripped my nose, giving it a sharp twist to set it back into place.
"The fuck, Khana?" I looked up at the woman.
She stood there, arms crossed and glaring at me. Rhubaldt was on his feet behind her, but he made no other movement, not even transforming. Nelshen remained seated at her desk, hands folded in front of her face.
"I'm too pissed to stay quiet any longer, Dante." Hearing my name didn't inspire any confidence. "You did it, didn't you?"
"Did what?" I asked.
"Lord Barnet."
Who? Or, right, the noble I killed. I barely cared about his name while he was alive, less so now that he was dead. I had a sinking feeling that's what she was talking about, but hoped otherwise.
"What are you talking—"
"Don't even try that crap with me." Khana cut off my question. "I know you killed him. And Nelshen here hired you to do it."
Damn. Khana really kept her composure up, until this point anyway. It was like when she confronted me about how Rato became my party member. Khana, master of emotion. Huh. That wasn't a reference to something…was it? It also didn't make sense, since she just lashed out and hit me. Maybe I had a concussion from that punch. Or the roll. Probably the punch.
"What makes you believe that?" Nelshen asked. Her tone and demeanor were level and perfect.
Khana looked at her from the side before returning her view to me. "You're not as good at lying as her."
"Yeah, I know." I shrugged, wincing a little from the pain. Seeing through a lie was in a different skillset from telling one. They overlapped, sure, but I never had as much need to lie as Eddy.
"And Omir said he smelled burnt flesh on you the day after Barnet's manor caught fire." Khana added.
"Damn. I thought I cleaned up well enough." There was soap and such in this world, sure, but it wasn't scented, unless it was for nobles. And it appeared cat demi-humans had keen senses of smell in addition to good eyesight and hearing. Why weren't demi-humans in charge of everything again?
"I can't believe you! You said you wouldn't go around killing people!" Khana yelled.
"I implied that. Technically, I never lied." Sure, one could argue semantics, but I stood by what I said.
Khana didn't look impressed at all.
"Should we really be saying all this in front of Rhubaldt?" I attempted to deflect the conversation. He was still a hero, after all.
"That won't be necessary." Nelshen said. "I made contact with Rhubaldt before you two arrived. He knew about my request, but he refused to set me up with one of his contacts."
Nelshen told me in her briefing that the issue in the senate was put forward two weeks before the vote was to be cast for it. That gave her more than enough time to set something up.
"This is why I refused any part in this." Rhubaldt spoke firmly. He clearly didn't want any part in political machinations, or to get on another hero's bad side in the case of Khana.
Still, the fact that he didn't put a stop to Nelshen's plans meant he was either good enough friends with her, or Nelshen's governance has been beneficial to Shieldfreeden.
"How innocent was he anyway?" I continued on, going a different route. "He was a prominent noble. I refuse to believe someone can rise high in politics without being dirty."
"Even me?" Nelshen slid into the conversation like this wasn't serious. It probably wasn't that serious, really, even though Khana learned of her involvement.
"Don't think I'm not mad at you, too!" Khana snapped at her.
"Whatever for?" Nelshen asked, still smiling.
"You hired him to do it! You told me you wouldn't ask heroes to do these sorts of things for you!"
Nelshen sighed. "Khana, dear, I said I would never ask you to do something like this. Whether you like it or not, I must play these games if I'm to remain in power. And we all know what the last chancellor was like."
Rhubaldt nodded, while Khana reluctantly turned her head away.
"That bad?" I asked.
"She was a decent ruler, but too proud, easily riled by foreign intrigue and instigation." Nelshen answered.
"Hm." I made my way back over to them. "Must be some serious pride if a dragon is saying that."
"Oh-ho!" Nelshen lightly covered her mouth with her hand as she laughed. "Khana, what a charmer you've found! I can see why you might enjoy taking him to bed."
I guess aotatsu demi-humans liked to be thought of as dragons. Good to know.
"Nelshen!" Khana yelled, though she didn't seem embarrassed.
"Don't you wish to put all your cards on the table, Khana? Being straightforward with Dante is the best way to stay on his good side." Nelshen said.
"She's not wrong." I nodded. There was a good chance Khana would have told Nelshen about us, seeing as we were probably in the same boat in that regard. "So, what are we talking about?"
"It's about how Khana used her body to convince you to bend, however slightly, to her will." Nelshen said.
"Nelshen!" Khana yelled again.
This was new to me. Khana seemed a bit too earnest to try something like that. Then again, I was drunk when she invited Martin to have sex with us.
"Khana's plan was decent, but she can be a little dumb at times. I think doing actual business with you would do more in the long run than using my body." Nelshen said.
"You would be right." I agreed.
Needless to say, she was far better at reading people than I was, and I was no slouch. Be honest and keep your word, and you'll have a long partnership with me.
I had to wonder when Khana came up with this. Was it when Omir recalled Rato being a convict? That seemed like the most likely time, or maybe after our meeting with Mirellia. Our first time really could have just been to cheer me up, and for fun.
Khana's plan was, admittedly, a good one. Even after just one night together, it would have been somewhat difficult to fight Khana to the death. I remembered how it felt the morning after. It was like I was about to kill a friend. I would do it if I had to, there was no doubt there. But to do it without hesitation? No.
I decided to throw a little fuel on the fire, to show there were no hard feelings. "Plus, I don't think Khana would appreciate you doing that." Maybe I felt a little slighted after all.
"W-What are you talking about?" Khana's stammer was a dead giveaway.
"Really?" I asked, eyebrow raised at the needed level.
"It's not just politics that Khana is hopeless at." Nelshen sighed.
"You were seconds away from feeling her up when you introduced us." I reminded her. It was quite the power move. Or, maybe I informed her just now. Khana honestly might not have been aware where exactly her hand was.
"This pointless conversation has gone on long enough." Rhubaldt spoke up, then looked at me. "Find me at the tavern we met at when you're ready to travel to Siltvelt."
"Sure thing." I gave him a nod as he passed me, promptly leaving the meeting room. He wasn't impressed with the way this conversation was going.
"We're getting sidetracked." Khana said, attempting to adjust the conversation.
"Hardly." I wasn't really mad about what I learned from Nelshen, but I wasn't about to just let it slide. "So, sneaking around and plotting isn't your thing, but using your body to get what you want is fine?"
"You wanted to have sex, too. Besides, fighting monsters is using your body." Khana fired back.
"Your mind is an endless puzzle I enjoy working with."
"She really is something." Nelshen added.
"So, wait, what about Martin finding me attractive." There was no way that was an act. If it was…well, he was a very good actor.
"That was true. I was just, you know, combining a few…a lot of goals there." Khana said, scratching her cheek.
That was good. I'd hate to realize I was that bad at reading someone who wasn't even political.
"Wait, you were actually looking for someone interested in both you and Martin? I thought that was a joke!" I couldn't blame Nelshen for being surprised. I certainly didn't see myself ending up that situation, but well…
"Why would you think that?" Khana asked, arms crossed once more. "I love him, but I can't give him everything he wants. I lack the proper equipment."
Well, this conversation just went a little more off the rails than I initially thought. Was it too late for me to leave with Rhubaldt? Probably.
"But why for both of you?" Nelshen asked. "You've been with plenty of women on your own."
"Come on, you know why. Don't make me say it." Khana rubbed the back of her head and, of all things, actually blushed.
What was it? She told me about their preferences before. Nelshen's confirmation aside, I already assumed Khana slept with whatever pretty face caught her attention. Martin probably did the same, but would likely have a harder time.
Or…did he do the same? Was he not able to find any men? It wasn't like I knew what gay men were looking for—here or my world—or how prevalent they were here. Or, maybe…
"You're jealous." At my guess, Khana very visibly flinched.
"Yeah, okay, fine. I'm a hypocrite. Happy?" She turned away from the both of us.
A bit hypocritical, maybe, but also something a hero got to do. Sure, as a woman, she couldn't exactly sow any fields, so the practical aspect of it went down. But if every male hero got to do that with as many willing partners as possible, then why not?
"I didn't realize you felt so strongly about him." Nelshen said, holding a hand to her mouth. She didn't seem to be mocking Khana. Rather, her surprise was genuine.
"You know I do. Same with you. He'll give me something you can't, so I wanted to find him someone he and I would enjoy together." Khana sighed. "But that's going to be a far way off now, isn't it?"
That was certainly the case. Khana was great, and Martin wasn't bad, but I wasn't about to settle down with the two of them. The fact that I didn't really care for Martin by himself didn't help any. Sure, together they were good, but that was a somewhat effeminate man being passable if he came with an amazon who's great at sex. He was the soup or salad to Khana's main course.
The way Nelshen flinched, however, told me this wasn't about me potentially entering Khana's harem.
"You know?" Nelshen asked.
"It wasn't hard to figure out." Khana looked back at us. "Little man here bought a slave that can't even walk. He's a good guy—sort of—but with what he's aiming at, I don't think he'd take that big of a risk."
Ever observant, she was.
"I didn't think you'd want to use the Yggdrasil Elixir anytime soon." Nelshen said, her head turned down.
"Isn't during the Waves the right time to use something like that?" I asked. There was still a piece I was missing here.
"Normally, yes." Khana said next. "But this one…I was waiting for the right time to use it."
The fact that the potion belonged to Khana wasn't lost on me. "When would that be?"
"When the Waves are over. That'd be the best time to…start a family."
"…Oh." That was…certainly an appropriate time.
It dawned on me what the potion was for, and why Khana wasn't concerned about getting pregnant. It wasn't that she took something to prevent it, it was that she physically couldn't. I didn't know why and wasn't about to pry, but I suspected this had to do with how her parents abused her in this world.
I decided this was as good a place as any to change gears. "So…where does this whole thing leave us?"
I could see why Nelshen didn't want Khana to know about the assassination, for a number of reasons now. If the three of us parted ways for good, well, I'd consider the whole situation a positive. More good came out of this than not. I still owed Nelshen, so there would be one more meeting regardless, outside of post-Wave reports.
"Hah…" Khana let out a long sigh as she scratched the back of her head. Those braids really bounced around when she did that. My hair was long enough I could put a few in there.
…Yeah, I probably had a concussion. My level must have mitigated the damage. Rato could fix that, right?
"As far as I'm concerned, this was nothing more than a small fight." Nelshen stated evenly. "I'm still waiting for the Shield Hero from Melromarc, especially since we've intercepted a few of the queen's shadows."
"You what!?" Khana yelled, panic clear in her voice.
Nelshen held up a hand. "Don't worry. They've been taken care of in a way to not rouse suspicion." She turned to look at me and smiled. "You're welcome."
Well, that was more beneficial to Khana than me, but at least I wouldn't have to worry as much about the queen going after her. At least for now.
"Can you at least tell me how they died?" Khana asked. "I want to know how upset I should be."
"Mysterious circumstances." Nelshen replied.
"Hah!" I couldn't keep myself from barking out a laugh. That was exactly how Eddy used to deal with especially troublesome people, ones he didn't have me kill. Every time, he would just give me that 'mysterious circumstances' line.
"Anyway…" Nelshen gave me a quizzical look before continuing. "If it eases your mind, consider the Axe Hero to be little more than a willing tool in this matter. In retrospect, without him, I likely would have used the news of the hero summoning as an excuse to push back the vote. Then I could have swayed more people to my side, or handle him at my leisure."
"This works out better for me, since I get to be friends with a country's chancellor." I added. Eddy would be proud.
"Little man, do you even know what the vote was about?" Khana asked with a hint of exasperation.
"Don't know, don't care." I responded truthfully. Unless it was a bill that was basically designed to harm kids and that noble opposed it, my position wouldn't really change. Frankly, I doubted Nelshen would want something like that, given her friendship with Khana, as well as Rhubaldt. If two heroes liked you, you were probably doing something right.
"He's quite the contract killer, isn't he?" Nelshen remarked.
"Nelshen." Khana clearly wasn't amused. Shaking her head, she continued. "So, the heroes were summoned, then." She glanced at me for a moment. "When was that?"
"Three days ago, two days after their first Wave." Nelshen said
Hm. That lined up pretty close to what I remembered from the books.
"What're you going to do, little man?" Khana asked. "You'll really have to get moving so you don't miss out on making friends with the Shield Hero. Unless Nelshen can lend you a flying dragon."
"Not a chance." I shook my head. "I've already got a debt to pay and I'd really rather not increase it."
Plus, I needed to get more monster parts and weapon forms. Getting there a few days earlier wouldn't outweigh the benefit of absorbing all the different monsters on the way. Naofumi would just have to make do until then. Maybe I could set him up with a slave or monster through the slave merchant and his nephew. Get myself a little head start on our friendship.
"You do?" Khana narrowed her eyes at me.
"He must give me a vial of Yggdrasil Elixir." Nelshen said simply. "You didn't think killing one senator was worth that, did you?"
Khana scratched the back of her head again. "It's kind of hard to tell with you at times."
Nelshen just covered her mouth and laughed again.
"Alright." Khana straightened up and pointed right at me. "Here's what you're going to do. You're going to help the people of that village—Lurolona. You're going to do everything in your power to save the survivors. And you're going to kill that child-torturing piece of shit."
I smiled. "Everything I planned to do already."
Idol Rabier, the man who bought Rifana and eventually Raphtalia, torturing them for his own amusement. I mentioned him to Khana on our way to Shieldfreeden, and she was not at all pleased to hear about him. After learning about her childhood a little in both of her lives, I could understand why. No one was there for this young girl when she needed them, and she didn't want anything like that repeating.
Of all the people I meant to kill in this world, Idol Rabier was near the top.
"One more thing." She said, taking a step forward. "And you'll fulfill it tonight."
I raised an eyebrow in response.
~The Right Man~
Nelshen was glad we came to an agreement. More than that, she was happy Khana and I cleared the air about a few things. Apparently, Khana was the type to work poorly with concealed guilt, what with her hiding part of her reason for sleeping with me.
Immediately after, I went with Rhubaldt to Siltvelt for a short while. Nothing much, just a short walk to the Dragon Hourglass to register and save a location. I got dirty looks my whole time there. It was no wonder Khana had no interest in the place.
Once done with that, I went back to Shieldfreeden. I checked in on Rato and the kids, the latter of whom were asleep by then. After that, came my punishment.
~The Right Man~
"Mmm~." The young man with his arms wrapped around me didn't feel all that great.
There was a price to pay for murder. That price was sex with a man. Sleeping with Martin wasn't really bad. It just felt like work.
Huh. Did this make me a prostitute? I was definitely a whore. Whatever. It wasn't bad, but he was definitely missing a few important bits I enjoyed.
"Hrrm." Martin moved about a little. There was some excitement going on in the hall, but it didn't sound urgent, so there was no need to check it out yet.
"Sleep well?" I asked.
In response, Martin gave me a goofy smile as he looked up at me from my chest, eyes half-lidded. "Very. I'm glad you made Miss Khana upset yesterday. What did you even do?"
"Something I got off easy for." I said. It was the truth, really.
Martin snickered, and I realized I just made a pun, if minorly. I didn't intend it, and surely whatever language I was actually speaking used different words and phrases for avoiding punishment and having an orgasm.
"Anyway," I pushed past the unintentional joke, "we'll be splitting up for a while now."
Khana didn't say anything, but I knew we were holding them back from real adventuring.
That was part of why Khana wanted me to do this. To give a wonderful gift to the man she loved—something that still surprised me. Sure, they were close, but they struck me more as swingers or players than anything, or at least Khana did. She wanted to include Martin even though she preferred women, but that never really struck me as a romantic kind of love.
Then again, Khana had it rough growing up and Martin has been infatuated with her since a young age. What did I know? I killed people for money.
"Yeah. That's too bad." Martin said, though he continued to smile as he ran his hand through my beard. He must have really enjoyed last night.
Yeah…I wasn't sure if I wanted to brag about that.
The excitement outside continued, followed by banging on our door. "Little man! Get out here! You'll wanna see this!"
"Alright, alright." I said. I knew I wasn't going to go back to sleep anyway.
As I dressed lightly and approached the door, I could make out what was going on out there a little better. There were words of encouragement and praise, and caution and almost pleading. Most everyone I heard gave the former, Fohl's voice seeming to do both interchangeably.
"Finally!" Khana said as I opened the door. She glanced to the side, but quickly snapped her attention back to me. I'd like to say she was checking me out, since I only had pants on, but that mischievous look in her eyes told me otherwise. "So, how did it go, little man?"
"You tell me." I said, feeling Martin come up behind me. I reached back and gently ran my hand under his chin, caressing his face. He took in a sharp breath and closed his eyes, face angled up to better follow my hand.
Yeah, still a little conflicted about this.
Khana smiled widely. "Glad to see you're coming to terms with yourself, little man.
I scoffed good-naturedly. "Please. I was on top, taking a man from behind. That's the manliest thing a guy can do. I'm dripping with masculinity."
"Yeah he is~." Martin said, wrapping his arms around himself. Like me, he hadn't put his shirt on yet.
"Anyway, come quick!" Khana reached in and pulled me out by my arm.
In the hall, I could see what all the excitement was about. My presence was immediately noticed by two individuals.
"Ah! Mister Dante!" Atla happily called out, a little sweat dripping down her forehead. "I wanted to show you how I was doing!"
She was doing extremely well, all things considered. The fact that she was on her feet and almost walking was proof of that. 'Almost' because she had one arm against the wall, one arm lightly supported by Fohl, and her legs were shaking terribly. She was only a few steps from the door to their room, and it was obvious she could barely take another step.
Rato and the rest of Khana's party was there, watching and encouraging the young girl as she tried her best. Well, Khana's party was. Rato looked a bit apprehensive, but the fact that she wasn't actively trying to stop Atla meant her attempt at walking wasn't a bad thing.
Not only that, but her skin was looking healthier too. Fewer blemishes and a shade closer to Fohl's, who was also looking better than she was yesterday.
"I can see how good you're doing." I said as I walked over. "But there's no need to push yourself so hard. You'll have plenty of time to get stronger and walk on your own."
"I can help her." Fohl said as I got close, supporting her sister with both arms now. "You did good, Atla." She said, positioning her arms underneath Atla and holding her up, one arm behind her back and the other under her legs. Despite only being one year older, Fohl was pretty strong. Fighting in an arena would do that.
Khana's party gave Atla various words of praise for her effort.
Fohl gave me an appraising look as Atla settled into being carried. Despite how she acted before, I didn't feel all that much hostility from her. Sure, she softened a little after I gave Atla her first dose of medicine, but she was still defensive.
Then, Fohl let out a relaxing sigh. "I'm sorry about before, Master." She began. Hearing that confused me, since I didn't think she'd bother being respectful. Also, yet another person whose speech I'd need to adjust. "I guess I really don't have to worry about you trying anything with my sister. I'm sorry for thinking you would."
I understood what she meant, seeing how Martin and I were half-dressed and came out of the same room, clear signs of what happened on the younger man. And while it was better to assure her of her sister's safety from me, I felt compelled to correct her assumption. "I've slept with Khana, too. Usually both of them at once." I probably didn't need to add that last part, especially since I was talking with an 11-year-old girl, but here we are.
Fohl looked at me, then at Khana, then back to me. "Okay."
If I was less secure in my manhood, I'd feel compelled to respond to that, too.
~The Right Man~
Medicine was administered and breakfast was had.
Fohl and Atla were dressed up a bit after getting a wash. Apparently, Trusi had gone out and gotten them some clothing. Nothing fancy, but anything was better than the rags they had on before. If how they both fought was similar to the books, I'd probably get something made out of magic thread for them. I heard that had some defensive properties, and it didn't inhibit movement much.
And then the time came for our tearful parting.
"If little man here ever gives you trouble, you let me know and I'll belt him for you." Khana crouched down in front of the hakuko sisters, Fohl carrying Atla on her back.
"I'm glad you trust me so much." I replied sarcastically.
Atla smiled. "Thank you for caring, Miss Khana. But Mister Dante would never do something bad to us. He's too kind."
Wow. It actually kind of hurt for her to think of me like that. All she really knew of me was the kindness I showed her and her sister. Of course, hurting them wasn't something I was going to do, but she didn't really understand what I was capable of.
"Is something wrong, Miss Khana?" Despite still not having use of her eyes, and thus not being able to see the kind of face Khana was making, Atla sensed the shift in her mood.
"…No. Everything's fine." Khana shook her head and stood. She understood Atla's skewed view of me.
Khana then looked at me. "Kind prick."
I chuckled at the blunt assessment. "That's fair."
She extended her arm to me. I brought up mine and we gripped each other's forearms, just like when we first met. And just like back then, it reminded me of the only other person I knew who did that. The man who taught me how to use guns like I did, to sneak around, tail a mark, and eliminate people. He taught me everything I needed to know for my career. Here, Khana helped me get used to the world, taught me how to use a weapon similar to hers, and had Garth teach me how to use a halberd properly, the few times I've ended up using one.
It was funny how two people who had the same impact on me had the same quirk about them.
"You're a murdering psychopath who has some good intentions." She said, a somehow stern smile on her face. Fohl looked at me a bit suspiciously, but Atla seemed more confused. This was a good introduction to what I really was.
"I'm going to miss hanging out with you, too." I replied.
"I'm still mad at you."
"I know."
"You're going to keep killing people, aren't you?"
"Anyone who gets in my way, and there's sure to be a lot of those."
I didn't need to say how the excessive XP gains would be great. If people didn't give more XP than monsters of the same strength, I might try to avoid it a little. I still wasn't going to go out of my way, but I generally knew what I'd be walking into.
Khana sighed. "Just try not to have that be your first resort. I'd rather not have to fight you."
"I'll see what I can do." I said as we released each other's arms.
It wasn't really fair, and I didn't really hold it over her, but I knew Khana was never going to kill me over that noble, or most of the things I'd likely end up doing. After all, I was still her best bet at escaping whatever torment she was bound for from Pahadron after she dies. She was still a good person, so she wouldn't stand by if I started committing genocide, but one noble and his guards were not worth eternal damnation. The same would be true for one sect of a religion, so long as I kept the deaths confined to those who were actually part of the church and not the common people.
Like she said, I was a prick. But I did have some good intentions.
Author's Notes:
A little fast, but I'm trying to get us to Melromarc already. Thinking one chapter of travel/character relations, then we'll be in Melromarc
Just a reminder, I'll be starting the NaNoWriMo thing, so this story (and Forging Legends) won't update again until December. Assuming, of course, I can stay with it. 1,000 words every day is a little ambitious. I'll probably start with the Familiar of Zero idea, since I actually have part of an outline for that. We'll see if the Shield Hero x Overlord (game) one becomes a reality. Whichever one, it'll be posted November 1 sometime in the evening.
As an aside, I have a message to any writers out there. If you ever have a scene that you have a ton of notes for, or just more notes than any other scene, don't be disappointed if you don't use them all, no matter how much you like what you thought up. The scene I had with Khana piecing together what Dante did was one such scene. I saw all the notes I accumulated and wanted to use for it, plus for immediately after, and I ended up using less than half.
Similarly, I have something coming up for Forging Legends in about 2 chapters, so I'm hoping that doesn't repeat. If it does, oh well. I just thought I'd throw out there not to get too attached to every idea you write down. Not all of them will flow nicely into what you've written up to that point.