Danger from the right. Friedensbote cuts through a tongue, I grab and pull it, forcing the frog-like monster to get closer. Jump-attack! Next one! As long as I can touch the monsters, I'm able to fight them!
Oh, no more shades or movements. That was easy.
The mist is making it much harder to see them, but somehow it makes my head so light! Maybe the coolness helps against the suffocating air from before? I don't know, but I know that I want to find Kenta, Kyou, and Ara.
Kenta asked me to look for shelter, so I'm looking for a cave or something like that, but so far, I have found nothing but monsters. At least they're easier to defeat than before, maybe because the trees are sleeping now?
It'd be much easier to navigate if the mist weren't here. Where do I look next? This is like a dead end, the only way to get further is to wade through the water and Kenta asked me not to do that. So no choice but to go back a bit, looking for another path.
Danger from above, oh, it's just a mosquito. I've already cut it though. I don't even bother sheathing Friedensbote anymore, as my battle instincts cause me to use it every other minute. Oh, what's that? Is that another leech? It looks kinda gross, but it's the first time I see a living one. I cut the one before too fast to take a good look, after all. I already saw some potted ones, but this one is still moving. Did it fall off an animal after sucking enough blood?
I prick it carefully with my sword. Will it jump at it, thinking it's a living being? No, it curls up, like trying to protect itself. That's interesting!
Danger from behind, the tip of my blade picks up the leech and throws it at the source, it's a giant snake with some sort of beard! Are they spikes, scales, or callus? I can't see it in the mist, but the leech has attached itself on it, and the sudden movement made it falter. One, two, three steps, one swing and I've decapitated the snake. The leech flies off. The body of the snake still squirms and it's too big to simply kick it away, so I just wait until it ceases its movements.
Then I take the head and look at its beard and touch it carefully. Is that a horn? It feels a bit bony. What do I do with the body? Maybe it's edible, so I could put it into the backpack, but Kyou-san hates if anyone puts wet ingredients into the [Inventory] without packing them first, and bloody snake meat counts as wet, I think. So I need to cut it into pieces and put it into the jars we have for that purpose.
Done. I have no idea how well I did the gutting and cutting out, but Kyou or Kenta can do the rest. Now I-
…
… … …
What was I doing again? Ah, looking for shelter. Where can I find some? Maybe in this direction? Yes, that's good. Somehow I know that's just the right direction! No, somehow it feels like that one is much better. Let's go there.
An hour passes, I'm still not closer to any shelter and I think I'm lost... or even more lost than before. Kenta will find me though, so no matter where I go, I'm bound to find something at some point. I should hurry a bit, I guess...
Another hour. Is it me, or am I encountering monsters more often? Also, my head feels so heavy! Ah, I'm in a bog again, I need to go outside. This happens much more often, though I can cut the vines lashing at me before they can drag me down. It's not that bad, as long as I'm close to the shore...
I think it’s another hour later, I don't know anymore, I'm busy deflecting water-bullets from those stag-like monsters. I know the direction and can get closer slowly as long as it shoots at me, so I stop when it stops shooting. I learned from my mistakes. Hm... there! Running straight towards it, I deflect the bullets on my way, I know where the next one is coming from before I can see it, as it always repeats the same pattern, I just need to adjust my timing to the distance. Stab into the skull! Wow, Friedensbote cuts it like a hot knife cuts butter.
Another long time passes. The mist is almost gone, so it's all good. Though the heaviness in my head is even worse, and I have the feeling that I’m walking into more and more monsters. I need a break. Time for soup, good thing Kyou has prepared it beforehand. I only need to make a fire to warm it up. Too bad that I'm no wizard yet, otherwise I could just use magic to ignite it. Still, making fire is a life skill, so even I can do it.
...this is lonely. This is strange, we've only been apart for maybe half a day, hard to tell with the clouds blocking the sun, and I also traveled on my own when I ran away from home...
I stare at the fire and the pot with the soup, while my thoughts wander. The excitement of exploring this place is still there, but doing it alone is so... how do I call that feeling? It's not as fun as it should be. Without Dear at my side, without Kyou and Ara, it's just... not as fun.
“Tehehe.” I imagine how Dear and I would look at the wonders of this place together, his collected face and calm demeanor makes me all fuzzily warm inside. I want to see him again. I want him to praise me because I can fight these monsters now. Ah, he looked so cool when he saved me yesterday from drowning, it was the best. Dear, not drowning, that was actually scary.
Why is he always talking with Ara? It looks like he has fun talking with her, while he's all annoyed whenever I try to talk with him, to cheer him up. I was on a date with him, I really, really enjoyed it, but Dear... he didn’t?
Oh, I'm tearing up, why do I even think of things like that? I mean, I know that Dear is shy, that he's not very talkative, that he- no, does he hates me? No, that's Dear I'm talking about, I love him so much, so, so much...
Yes, he loves me as well, he's looking for me after all. That's right. It's not that he doesn't love me, it's that- are we even a good fit? No, love conquers all! Why won't he kiss me though... he kissed Kyou... Will he kiss her again if Kyou asks him?
My insides are hot and cold at the same time. My head feels heavier and heavier... Why am I even doubting Dear? I'm in love with him, therefore I have to trust him. He loves me, so he doesn't need to say it out loud.
Ah, last time I tried to tell him that I love him, he looked... hurt? That face... Pure pain. He stopped me, putting his hand over my mouth before I could tell him. He knew what I wanted to tell him, so why...
Maybe he's in love with someone else? Someone from his world? No, that thought is crazy, he would have told me, right? He would have also told me if I was just a nuisance. Ooh, that hurts, this hurts my heart, I'm not a nuisance, I'm... What am I to Dear? He never told me...
Tears are falling down my cheeks as the doubt whispers in my heart, but I know that these feelings are wrong, that I have to trust Dear, so why don't they stop? That's weird. I mean, the moment I learned that I married Dear, I knew that he's the one I love, and since we're in love with each other, everything else should just be pushed aside.
I wish I could ask my mother, she may know what to do in times like these. Just like when Alej and I were fighting about who will be the knight and who the damsel in distress. I yelled at Alej and hit him, while he pushed me and pulled my hair. Mother came in, and requested us to sit down and tell her what happened. 'Kati, do you like being yelled at?'
'...no...'
'Alej, how did you feel when Kati yelled at you?'
'…bad...' For some reason, simple questions like these was all we needed to make up. She always read me the stories of Hagen, Miriam, and Thorsten, she also made sure to always help me when I was behind with my studies. She never got angry... why am I so different from her?
Different... different... different... I can't play knight with my siblings, because I'll hurt them. I can't act like I want, because I'm a princess. I can't understand what Kenta and Kyou are talking about, because they're from another world. Different... different... different! I'm always different!
I look at my hands. These look normal, it's not like Eber's and Yvonne's are that much different. I have two eyes, I have two ears, I have two arms, I have two legs. I have a nose, I have a mouth, I have hair, we're all the same, right? Why do I even feel different? Why am I treated differently?
My name is Katarine von Stolzherz, first princess of Feuerberg. Is it the blood of Hagen von Stolzherz, the blood of a hero, that runs through my veins? Is that's why Dear ha- NO! He doesn't! He can't!
A numbing void stretches from my heart to my toes, at this moment everything is like washed away. All doubt, all happiness, all thoughts, in this mere second I just exist. After that strange sensation, I suddenly remember the medicine that Kyou made for me, which makes Kenta like me more. I take a pill and within a moment notice, I can't help but laugh at how stupid I was again. Of course, Kenta loves me. If he wouldn't, he wouldn't go on dates with me. We do so much together, if he'd hate it, I'd know.
It's just that he's from another world, so it's like with different countries, there are cultural differences. Maybe he's a bit like an Arrivinian, less open and direct with his relationships? That would make sense.
Ah, the soup is ready. I need to eat to stay healthy! Good thing that I helped Kyou with cooking, otherwise I may have missed the timing. I scoop some into my bowl and start blowing, steam is coming from it.
After it cooled down a bit: “Let this meal be clean!” I eat a spoonful. “Mmmm.” It's like all of Kyou's cooking, a bit meagerly seasoned. Also, she could really put more fat into it, but it's still delicious. Another difference between cultures, how to season it. Dejúmians, for example, like to put less salt and more herbs with a bit of vinegar into their seasoning.
This may be the first lonely meal in a long time, but that only means that I need to rejoin the others as soon as possible. Dear told me to look for shelter, so I need to find some.
Maybe I should pray, though I don't know which gods are responsible for this area, so perhaps just to the Four? Which one? The Fire is Feuerberg's deity of creation, creativity, and people, the Freedom Fighter has freedom, warfare, and justice as domains, the Foundation is about the law, structures, and knowledge, and the Fleeting escapes our understanding.
I want to find shelter, therefore I need someone who guides me there. As I want to meet up with the others, I think the Fire will do. Though it's improbable that it'll hear me, considering how far away I'm from Feuerberg. I still want to try.
'Please lead me back to Dear. And Kyou. And Ara.' I hope this is enough... The Four don't accept any sacrifices, so I have to rely on their goodwill.
Time to finish the break and start walking. I shovel some mud on the fire and pick the direction which seems the most promising. The smoke of the cooking fire went that way. Maybe it's a sign?
Oh, there are some bogs, but a narrow path goes between them. It's stable enough for me to stand. I pick up the speed a bit more. Oh, what's that? It's an old piece of meat, which is covered in flies and maggots. Did a monster leave it here?
Danger from the front, step to the right and slash, another tongue cut. I kick the piece of meat against that giant toad, right inside its screaming mouth. It swallowed it, ugh. It also thinks the same, as it begins retching, though I use the opportunity.
Or try to, danger from the right, vines! “[Crescent Moon]!” My flying cut hits the water. “[Crescent Moon]!” I make a second one immediately, a third one follows: “[Crescent Moon]!” This skill doesn't seem to travel far underwater, but it's enough to see a bit of the vine-gnome. I jump into the water, blade first, to impale it before it can try something funny. Ah, the croak! I just... oh, it's vomiting. “[Crescent Moon]!” That's it, no one left standing, I think.
I continue my journey. Ah, look at these reeds, they look a bit like a bear curling up! Is something inside them? Oh, a puddle full with tadpoles. They're big, so they will most likely become these barbed frogs one day, they even have thick hair where the barbs will be one day!
Oh, what's that smell, it smells sour. Ah, it comes from the puddle itself! Why does it smell like that? Ugh, I think it's too much for me, I need to get some distance.
Oh, a regular frog! It's eating some mosquitoes, good for you. “Eat your fill, little one. Ah, you will? Do you know where I can find shelter? Oh, so you do? Where? This direction? Is it far? Is it close? Are monsters there? No? Why? Ah, you don't know. Thanks anyways.”
I walk a few steps, following the instructions the frog gave me. This was nice of him... did I just conversed with a frog? Sometimes I have the feeling that I can talk to animals and they answer me. Wait, didn't I have... open the status screen, open the status screen... there. Ah, [Whisperer]. What does this skill do? It gives me the ability to convey easy ideas to animals and learn the same from them... Well, I was always good with animals, I just don't talk to them often nowadays, as I can speak with Dear, Kyou, and Ara. Could it be that I'm rude to the animals by not talking to them anymore? I hope they'll forgive me.
Oh, look at this! It's like a small tent made out of wood and reed! Who made this? Is there an entrance? Ah, there. “Hello? Is anyone inside?”
“...whaz?”
“Ah, there is. Hello, I'm Katarine von Stolzherz and I'm looking for shelter.”
I hear some smushing sounds, then a head comes out of the low entrance, it's a scaled head, reminds me a lot of lizards... I think I learned about the lizard people, though I never met one myself, as they live far away in the Northern Islands, or at the Zarona Jungles. So they also live in the Spirit Swamps? No wonder that I don't know, as everything I learned taught me to avoid this area.
The lizardman looks at me, its eyelids widen: “Humaan?”
“Yes.”
“...raaanger?”
“No.”
“... … … …whaz arr yuu doing here?”
“I'm lost and looking for some shelter.”
“...village.”
“Huh?”
“Go to village.”
“Where is it?”
“...I wuill leed you.”
“Thank you very much.” So there is a village of the lizard people here. I'm fortunate, maybe they can help me find my husband and fellow wives as well, they have to know about the terrain and the dangers of the swamp.
The lizardman and I walk through the swamps, he looks around, he reminds me of Dear in a way, always cautious without being slow. “Yuu alonez?”
“No, I was separated from my husband and now he's looking for me. He asked me to find shelter, that's why I kept looking for a while.”
“Howw yuu surviffed?”
I cock my head, as I don't exactly know: “Pure luck?”
A hissing sound is heard: “Laack alonez... doezn't help.”
“I also know to fight.”
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“[Spiirit Majick]?”
“Not myself, but my husband is a ranger.”
“I zee. Ztill, stranche zing yuu'r hear.”
“I'm glad that I found you.” I smile at him, I'm really fortunate to find someone in the Spirit Swamps of all places that's willing to help me.
“...stranche.”
“Are you a ranger as well?”
He shakes his head. “Hanta.”
“A, a hunter. But you can use [Spirit Magic]?”
“All of uss living hear do.”
“Wow, you're like alfar in this regard?”
“...nozzing like elfes.”
“Ah, you shouldn't call them that, it's offensive to them. By the way, how do your species calls itself?”
“Ss'rak.”
“Ah, let me try... Sz'rack?”
“Ss'rak.”
“I need to break it down first. Zs?”
“Ss.”
“Ah, more of a hissing, I see. Ss?”
“...yess. Ss'rak.”
“Ss'rak.” He nods as an answer. “Ss'rak, ss'rak, ss'rak. Fine?”
“Yess.”
“Ah, I didn't ask for your name, forgive my bad manners.”
“Noz your faalt. Yuu introduced alreedy, Katarine, so I waz rudd. Neim iz Braksh.”
“Braksh. You can call me Rine.”
“...for human, yuu stranche.”
“I think I'm normal... *sigh*” I can't but help thinking back at the doubts I had some time ago. I'm normal, right? Yes, of course I'm normal. I mean, everyone could do what I can do if they spend the time and effort I did. I'm not someone special, after all.
Braksh doesn't say anything, but after a while it begins to rain, so I take out my raincoat, while the ss'rak doesn't care about getting wet. Well, he's living in a swamp, after all. For me, I need the hooded cloak with the wax-layer to not feel miserable after a while.
Looking at Braksh, I notice that his kilt is made out of leaves. “Why does it look so dry?”
“...whaz?”
“Your kilt, there are beads of water, but other than that, it looks dry.”
“Zhashekk.”
“Huh?”
“The leef. Zhashekk-leeves.”
“Ah, you can make clothes with it? Can you teach me?” I'm a [Tailor], so I may learn how to make waterproof clothes here! I know how to make cloth out of leaves, this is how alfar do it, though I still have to practice it, but if I learn how to process Zashekk-leaves, I might be able to combine them with the knowledge about leaf-cloth to create something great! Dear will surely praise me for it!
“...don't knooh mutch.”
“Ah, too bad. But don't worry, I'll ask in the village.”
After a while, we arrive at the village. It's a place full of the reed huts, two large fires are burning despite the rain, ss'rak are doing their businesses, most of them are working on some sort of plantation, it's just inside of a bog.
“Zhere, hut of matriarch.”
“Is she the chief?”
“Patriarch, matriarch, both chiefs.”
“So why I'm going to the matriarch?”
“...” Braksh looks helplessly at me as if he's trying to figure out how to explain something so natural to him, that he has never put it into words before. Dear looks at me sometimes like that, so I can tell. “...shust do it.”
“OK.” Braksh and I go to the hut, which doesn't look any different from the others as far as I can tell. The ss'rak on the fields are looking at us, but seeing how I'm accompanying Braksh, they may have decided not to interfere. In Feuerberg, all guards would try to sate their curiosity by asking what the stranger is doing here, ss'rak may be different from us in that regard.
He just enters, so I follow suit, ducking into the low entrance. The interior is a single room without any fire, but there are some pelts from those stag-monsters on the ground, and strangely enough, the air is warm and a bit humid.
A ss'rak is grooming the scales of a ss'rak child, it's really young, some flaps of skin are on her claws, so maybe she is removing some remainders from a recent skin-shedding? “Braksh, hoo is zat?” She calmly continues her activity, which looks interesting, I can't help but stare.
“Zhe's Rine, looking phor sheltar.”
“I zee.” She nods to Braksh, who nods back and leaves the hut. “Rine?”
I take off my raincoat to show her my face. “My full name is Katarine von Stolzherz, but Kati and Rine are my nicknames, feel free to call me how you like.”
“Kati it is. I'm Jarlhu, this ish my daughter Zhesha. My husband will join us soon.”
“Oh, thanks for speaking this clear to me.”
“Our tongue makesh it hard to pronounce everything like yours does. Still, it'sh easier for me to speak that way than for you to understand me talking like usual. Honor demandsh me to be the one who takesh the burden.”
“Ah, thank you. I appreciate it. Also, Hallo Zhesha!” I squat to speak to her on equal eye-level.
“Hellow. Yuu human?”
“Yes.”
“Zhat fur funny.”
“That's no fur, it's my hair. Do you want to touch it?”
Zhesha looks at her mother, who nods. The small ss'rak touches my hair with its claws. I make sure to keep a bit of distance before she accidentally hurts the skin of my head. “Ztranche. All week and sofd.”
“Tehehe, thank you.” What a cute child. “Can I touch your scales as well?”
“Zure.”
“Thanks.” My finger carefully glides over Zhesha's shoulder. “They're so smooth to the touch but firm!”
The girl let her tongue slither through her jaws. “Noat week!”
“Zhesha,” matriarch Jarlhu hisses: “don't pout in frront of zhe guest.”
“Yess, zosh.”
“Excuse my daughter, Kati. She still hashn't learned how to treat guests she doeshn't know.”
“Don't worry... have unknowingly I offended her?”
“Insult ish not given, but taken. An honorable ss'rak ish one that survivesh on its own. With the shedding, the surface of her scales are smooth, she thought you meant her scales are weak.”
“Oh, sorry. They're not soft at all, they're really firm.”
“Don't apologize. Zhesha, go outside and ashk Merhan to comb the rest.”
“Yes, zosh.” Zhesha leaves the tent.
“Zhesha ish still small, doeshn't understand honor like adult do.”
“Don't worry about that, I-”
Another ss'rak enters the tent. I don't think that I've met it before, and the only way I can discern genders here are voices. The newcomer bows to me: “I'm Rassha, hushband of Jarlhu.”
“I'm Katarine von Stolzherz, you can call me Kati. So you're the patriarch?”
“No, hushband of matriarch.”
“Oh! So the patriarch and matriarch aren't married? I didn't know, sorry.”
“Don't worri aboot it, you'a human, zhe hushband of a king ish a queen, the wife of a queen ish king.”
“Not always, but in my country, yes.”
“Ss'rak don't do that. Matriarch, patriarch, bosh are neimed by challenge. Sho rare to haff bosh married.”
“Ah, I see. Excuse me, if it sounds rude, but I don't know why I'm talking to the matriarch and her husband instead of the matriarch and the patriarch.”
Jarlhu chimes in a calm manner: “Because you're female and no threat. A female ish judged by matriarch. Rassha ish here to advishe me.”
This is strange? Why would my sex matter at all? Well, it's their rules, therefore I should respect them. That's what auntie always told me and she's an ambassador. “I apologize for my misunderstandings.”
“No offense taken. Now explain to us what happened to you.”
“A lot, where do I begin...”
“At the beginning.”
“Ah, makes sense. After I was born, I-”
“Wait. Start from why you decided to get even close to the swamps. Humans avoid them for good reasons.”
“Because Dear didn't want to enter Ohlbrücken.”
“Why?”
“Because all of us have bounties.”
“I see... What have you done?”
“Me? Erm... I was born?” Sounds about right, if I weren't born as a princess, then I wouldn't have these problems right now.
“Rassha, please sherve drinks, this will take a while.” Amazing! This is the wisdom of the matriarch, without learning much, she can accurately guess how complicated things will be! “Let me ashk you some questions first.”
―○●○―
This is Rine's trail, the long, long line carcasses of monsters is evidence enough, though I'm surprised how she could deal with all kinds of them by herself without her falling victim to the [Spirit Magic] of the trees.
Still, why has she increased her speed by this much? This makes it even harder to catch up, dammit! “Phew...” Calm down, she's still alive and given how her status doesn't fluctuate much, I get the idea that she's also safe. However, this girl knows how to make my life unnecessarily complicated.
Kyou-san... still no change. Ara-san... has folded my letter into a crane origami, I suspect Kyou taught her that. Has she written something on it? I asked her what happened to her and why she was asleep in the midst of trouble. 'Just slipped my guard, everything is alright.' Her status suggests that she has just fought, her MP is about half. Still enough for her to battle once or twice, usually, but the monsters here are unknown and a bit tricky. Well, it also looks like she's taking a break, her SP is recovering slowly.
…where are the tracks? I just saw them a second ago, I just looked away for a second or so to look at my surroundings. Why are the tracks away now?
This sound... water! “No...” I turn to the source and see another water pillar. “The same!? [Entangle]!” I quickly use my skill to fasten myself as the wall of water hits me. I close my eyes and hold my nose, I feel how the water tries to flood me away once more, this time without any success, though I hear a single squelch, thanks to activating [Pitch]. [Wild Eyes] tell me... there is no one? Ah, it's masked, [Mask of Wildlife]-like! Don't use my skills, asshole!
The moment I try to throw another [Entangle] is the moment my viny safety belts suddenly open up. Something has overridden my spell with ease, it feels like it slipped away, no chance to struggle at all! Before I can learn anything, I'm in a current again.
It stops as suddenly as it started. Now I'm in a shallow bog. I lift myself slowly... then something unbelievable happens, I sense how a wave of refreshment causes my body to feel like I'm at the top of my game. Even the rough treatment from before is forgotten, the pain in my head and muscles have disappeared, I feel like I just had a wonderful night's sleep, except that I've never had a good sleep since coming here... or even before that.
What caused this? My eyes wander through the mist, there is a shape, enclosing. Walking on two legs, taller than a human, has a tail and claws, wait... isn't that... what is a ss'rak doing here?
Stay calm! Memories flash through my mind, I have met ss'rak before. Long, long ago. Actually, maybe about three months, but it feels like an eternity. Back when I was the only victim of the curse, not knowing that it can even forcefully marry me to different girls.
To dispel the curse, I asked the priests of Esse, the capital of the Feuerberg-kingdom. The so-called curse-expert made me undergo a pilgrimage, pray at the different shrines to Heißquellen, take a bottle of water from there, and bring it back to Esse within fourteen days. I asked Kyou-san back then to accompany me, as I needed a healer since I couldn't regain HP and SP by resting anymore, and I was also short on money to pay for the necessary ritual to be cast on me for the pilgrimage.
Sounds easy enough, but ss'rak like that fellow attacked Heißquellen and, weakened from the curse, I was overcome, while Kyou-san wasn't a match to begin with. We spoke to the Voice of Muaotef, some sort of divine mouthpiece with a nasty personality, were sent into a chasm, and fought our way until we found Muaotef himself, the motherfucking dragon who may also be a god.
...I'm about to piss myself just remembering it, but that dragon was like a natural disaster. You realize that no matter what you do, you'll be at its mercy. Kyou-san was able to negotiate a deal with her experience in brown-nosing, our part of the deal was to go to the city of the ss'rak and kill their patriarch.
That's when I killed for the first time. First two guards, then the patriarch who I challenged to a duel, as I was unfit to sneak my way through a city that relies on superior climbing skills with so many guards. I may do it today in a forest kingdom, but if it'd be easy to sneak past people keeping watch, the world would be an entirely different place.
In the end, I won the duel and returned to Heißquellen, just to be ambushed by the Voice of Muaotef, who might have been sent by the dragon or did it just because he was an asshole, still, thanks to Kyou-san's timely help—actually, didn't she do a lot in the chasm to save my butt?—I was able to overcome the situation as well, though Kyou-san convinced me to let him go. Well, not like I was so keen to kill again so soon...
That's my history with the ss'rak, the real question is, what is a fucking ss'rak doing here!? “Zo wee meeeet fainally.” I totally forgot how bad their pronunciation can be, though the voice tells me it's a male.
I look at the ss'rak... they all look the same to me, so I may or may not have met it; but as the Voice of Muaotef certainly was bigger than this one, that’s at least one I can exclude. “Do we know each other?” I look around, no other ss'rak in the vicinity... no monsters either... wait, why aren't the toads croaking either?
“Yuu don't knoa me, butt I knoa yuu.” Was he the one that made them disappear? No signs of blood, not even the smell, so someone must have frightened them off.
I look at the ss'rak. No hood, so no ranger... dammit, I started thinking like the natives. I mean, I can just take off the hood and I'd still be a ranger! Let's assume for starters that it's responsible for the water-pillars and is capable of masking its spirit if necessary. So the real question is whether it's a friend or a foe. Most likely a foe though.
“Faight me! I, Kruan, chellenj you!” The ss'rak moves into a fighting stance, both hands point their claws at me, while the body is strangely bent, is this some sort of ss'rak martial arts?
Well, there is only one answer to that. “Nope.” The ss'rak are people bound by honor, as long as I decline the challenge and won't attack myself, he won't force me to fight. “Bye.” I run to some bushes, the ss'rak—Crunch?—doesn't try to follow me. Well, I'm there, now I just need to use [Mask of Wildlife] and it'll be hard to sense me as well, this is the direction and... I'm standing at the border of the bushes, looking at Crunch.
I have a theory. I make a 180° turn and just go straight through the bushes again... yes, here again. So I just need to move through the open space, just through the mist. Not enough wildlife, but at least it won't cause me... to get away from Crunch. However, there are other ways to deal with this, there is a pool of water, so- no, I'm not that stupid, I’ve had enough of water. Despite my raincoat I'm wet everywhere, as I was just flooded again, and considering how I got here, going into the water is like asking him to mess with me.
“Yuu kan't esceip.”
“Isn't it dishonorable to make me force you to fight you?”
“Nott me.”
“So you make someone else do the dirty work?”
'I know, right?'
“Hh!?” Someone just whispered into my ear... it's [Whisper], right? Where? For [Whisper] you have to see the target. Also, it didn't sound like an ss'rak!
“Not derty woak, faight to keep monsters away, so yuu and I faight to fullest.”
Hm... so Crunch doesn't know that I just heard a [Whisper]... I don't know what's going on, but this situation is the worst, I have no idea how many enemies are there and I can't avoid it apparently. “Why should I fight you?”
“Honor demendz it as you've killed mai fazzer.”
Don't tell me... is this the son of the patriarch? “Why now?”
“Koinzidenz. Duel maid yuu go free, yuu've gonn free. Zhis meeting by chanz.”
“Wait, when... no... why are you in this swamp?”
“Great One knows.” So Muaotef has sent ss'rak here out of all places? Why? What interest has the god-dragon in this place? Too bad that this one appears to be a goon, someone who only sees me as the target of his revenge.
There is a powerful [Spirit Magic]-user on his side, most likely an alfr. It's just too easy to imagine one of them helping Crunch out because it'll be fun to watch. Also, that way of speaking hinted to that as well.
Basically, while I'm given a chance to decline, I have no way of just walking away. I've already been alone for several hours, I'm on a clock right now. The moment I'm forcefully changed into [Student], I'll be as good as death inside these swamps.
So I don't have the nerve to keep looking for a loophole. “OK, I'll accept your challenge. Just give me a minute to prepare.” I guess I was healed before to be at peak condition, so I can face Crunch with all I got. Ss'rak and their strange perceptions about honor.
“Zo bee itt.” He even gives me time to equip myself properly. Seriously, what's up with these guys!?
Well, I don't need my raincoat, it'll hinder me and with the water-action from before, I'm already as wet and cold as it gets. Too bad that I really want that protection from my armor, because it's also wet and it chafes at my thighs and nipples, but it's protection nonetheless.
Still, I can take some of my bombs and put it into my belt-pouch. This fight might be tough and it grates on my nerves that I can't keep looking for the girls. Wait, could it be? “Did you split our party?”
Crunch nods slowly... so I was the target after all. ...Suddenly, pieces fall together. They must have tried to take Ara'ainn out of the equation by putting her to sleep, they may have also done something so that the trees wouldn't harm Rine or Kyou, it's all about me. Still, I won't accept any sort of guilt. I won't see the eyes of the patriarch who had a look of acceptance that made me feel ashamed, though it also made me realize and accept that I'm a murderer.
Yes, this is a fight for survival, so I don't need to feel guilty until I'm back at home. There I’ll have time to lament everything, but to get to that point I have to kill the demon king, and that ss'rak and his petty revenge is in the way.
The jumble of my mind clears up, even I can tell how fierce my eyes are now, piercing the ss'rak with their resolve. I also know that the hero-system just might have adjusted to make me able to fight. Most likely, as even my lingering feelings of inadequacy are now gone. It's only my opponent and me now.
I pull the hood over my head. “Ready.”
“Go!” Crunch doesn't lose any time, he kicks water and mud and strikes at me with his bare claws, the only problem for him is that I already anticipated that, as my [Focus]-skill is very good for predicting an opponent's moves, I can see them beforehand by observing muscle movements.
The moment he wanted to slash at me, I was exactly two steps outside his reach, preparing for my first move: “[Speedthrust]!” My spear is deflected!? Crunch moved his hip and blocked the spear under its blade to redirect the attack! I'm open! [Distract]! My [Stealth]-skill fills the moment I'm an easy target, making Crunch look away for a second, his tail lashes back and I block it with my armguard. Would have this been an aimed attack, this might have ended badly.
OK, I may have underestimated him just now. I also didn't account for his tail properly, the humanoid form has fooled me. My senses sharpen, my blood is pumping through my body, I can do it. Class-change, [Pikeman], I may lose mobility, but I gain more power and toughness, also, my spear feels even more natural in my hands.
Crunch jumps at me. He starts kicking with his hind claws, fewer thrusts and a more fluent combo of slashes, he moves almost like Rine... I block one of his attacks with my left hand: “[Whirlwind]!” The ss'rak is blown away, even the water beneath us is being shot by the skill. Though while I pushed him away, I recognized another difference between Crunch and humans... his center of gravity. Because of the shape of his legs and his tail, it's lower than a human's.
Back to [Ranger], I use [Mask of Wildlife] while getting closer to the trees. Let's see how good Crunch can deal with [Spirit Magic]. …wait, his claws are glowing, I know that! The crimson bear had something like that as well and tried to cut me into ribbons with it. He's about to cut the trees!
Suddenly he stops, then the branches of the trees start moving, grabbing me while pushing me out of my hiding. ...ah, his alfr friend. Means that he won't like it if the trees are damaged... Still, is that hiding guy just plain strong or somehow special?
As both of us had to abort our last attempt, we stare ourselves down while circling each other. Still, something is bothering me: “The death of your father was justified. He went against Muaotef and he was the one who ordered me to kill him.”
“My fazzer alhays serffed Great One dutifulhy.” I think he means 'dutifully'.
“I don't know the details, but he was too popular, too influential.” That's what the patriarch suspected, the man himself who I was sent out to kill.
“Hiss tashk waz honorable, he alsho died durring tashk, hish dedd ish sad, but not the ishuu, it'z honor.”
Something is strange here. “...but if he died honorably, why does honor demands that you're taking revenge?”
“Becauzz he failed hish duty, it'sh me who hash to reshtore it az hiss son.”
This starts to make even less sense. “What exactly was his duty?” I mean, while the duel against the patriarch was bloody and dirty, it's not like it's something he regularly does as part of his job.
“To guaad zhe temple fromm intruuders.” These words cause my whole body, which was pumped up just a while ago, to recede, my whole body grows cold within a second and my hands are shaking. Don't tell me... “Zhe patriarch made it, zhat yuu kan go when yuu win duel, robbing me off chaance toh reshtore my fazzer'sh honor aas a temple guard.”
Crunch's father was among the first people I ever killed.
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