"Man, this sucks" Riku muttered, as he sat in the driver's seat. "We got the buskey at least, so ya dont have to worry about hotwiring it, but now its raining today so we are all stuck inside".
Yes, when they woke up, a heavy rain had already started, and it showed no signs of slowing down any time soon. Dark skies blotted out the sky, with no trace of sun or even light colored clouds anywhere.
As such, everyone was stuck inside, excluding Junta and Yuika. The group had exactly two umbrellas, both had been in Mitsuki's emergency kit, and they still needed to hunt and gather for food.
"Koba, can I go out and gather at least?"
"You will get soaking wet. We cant risk any delays with anyone else catching a cold".
"Anyone else?"
"I am operating under the assumption that in these winds and with this much rain, those umbrellas wont do much. I am sure those two already put them away".
"But what about Endo's pancho?"
Certainly, they also had Endo's pancho. He had packed such a thing, but he didn't let anyone take it.
"This is for emergencies. We will need it in case something happens to the hunting group, or for some other reason we have not thought of yet".
"Muuuu...".
Without video games, Riku was a very outdoors type boy. He often played video games with Kobayashi and Mitsuki, but obviously they had nothing like that here. Mitsuki was working on some sort of experiment with his phone, which was low on battery. All of them had low batteries, or the batteries had died completely. Shiki's camera was apparently magic now, so it had infinite battery life.
Kobayashi looked at his own phone. It was dead now, it died yesterday after having lasted so long on maximum power efficiency. Well, he only used it for a light, or to look at pictures of his parents. He once played a video he had of them playing together, so he could hear their voices.
Even if he was outwardly trying to keep people rallied and motivated and together, deep down he was feeling it. If it wasn't for the fact their mental states were being artificially bolstered, most of them would have broken down already.
I miss my mom and dad. I was going to be away at camp for my dad's birthday...but I was going to call and reveal the location of my present I prepared ahead of time. It was today I believe.
Kobayashi felt the pain of separation. Sulking like that, and with the relaxing sound of rain and his lack of energy from a very reserved breakfast, Kobayashi ended up falling asleep again.
That didn't last long though, as he heard the crashing of waves which made him open his eyes. He looked around in surprise, as he was now standing naked at the edge of the ocean and the beach. The storm was raging all around him, but he only felt a little chilly, shivering here and there. Considering it looked like night time, the wind, and the rain, although he felt like he was freezing, he also thought he would feel worse then this.
"Welcome back, Kobayashi Suwano. You dont mind if I call you Kobayashi right?"
Another boy, also naked, with golden hair and golden eyes, said to him as he walked up and stood shoulder to shoulder with him.
"You are that boy that helped us...your name is Riyabyl. But...I never heard it before, so how do I know it?"
"Thats because you are looking directly at my soul. By looking at it directly, you instinctively know my name. You should be able to remember, you were just on a bus, fully clothed, and now you are on a beach, naked. In truth, this is sort of like a dream. Its a place you can only visit when you are sleeping, a realm of spirits".
"A realm of spirits...and we are naked why..."
"You didn't come here physically, your soul is here. And your body is a manifestation of your soul. Your clothes are not part of your soul after all, right?"
"Ah...so then, we can speak here? When you spoke last time, every word felt like it would turn me inside out".
"Yeah, sorry about that. But unfortunately, the world is now fully cemented, so we gods would only cause issues if we showed up. In truth, the weather issues in your region right now are also a side effect of me showing up".
"...its been raining and thundering for hours with no signs of letting up".
"Yeah...and its going to get worse for awhile. Divine power direct from a god and mortals dont mix. Truth is, even in this realm, I am limited in what I can do".
"But, we are speaking freely".
"No...although my words themselves dont cause issues, you want to ask many questions right? Unfortunately, words and knowledge are two different things, at least as far as concepts regarding divine power. If I answer too much, or give away too many things, your head could explode. You could lose your memories. You might go insane and try to kill everyone. Permenant damage to your personality and soul".
"...oh, I see".
Kobayashi sulked a little.
"So I cant ask you how we can get home...or even if we can".
"Sorry".
"Is there anything you can say?"
"Sorry, I cant give away information without a question either. Even if I cant answer them all, simply asking the question helps soften the blow a bit, so it makes it safer".
"Hmm. You explained the rules though, that didn't waste any capacity or whatever?"
"Explaining how things work was specifically made to be a freebie all the time. It was a lot of work, took thousands of years, but it saved us a lot of trouble since we did so".
Kobayashi thought things over. He needed to be careful. He could only ask so many questions, and not all questtions could be answered. Furthermore, when he thought about it, asking about finding a way back, as well as that answer, might have even used up some of it, because that might not be covered by the rules. He could ask to check, but again, asking what the rules were, and asking if something went against them, might be considered differently.
This is...a very serious battle of wits with the world itself right now. He said even visiting here still did something, so I doubt we can do this often. I have to be very careful. No, considering what we witnesses, and if the storm is really a result of him taking action, then the previous dream might already have caused a lot of stress.
"Is escaping to the city in the north safe?"
"No".
No...wait, damnit! I asked the wrong question! My stupid wording!
"...is it the safest option we have?"
"Yes".
If there are people after us, it wont matter where we go, we will always be in danger. I have to ask safest, not safe.
"Is the motive for bringing us here greed?"
"...only part".
Part...so while with the bus driver it was probably greed and business, whoever the client or clients are, they have other motives. It seems its complex. I barely learned anything, but its still useful.
The storm increased in intensity with every question.
"Is there a prophecy?"
"No".
So we probably wont have to worry about Churches or such, but it also means none of us are chosen ones.
Kobayashi knew this question might be pushing it, but he had to check.
"Were we chosen for being special?"
"No..."
Suddenly, Kobayashi had a massive migraine.
He answered no, he didn't give any real information, and this is still the result?
At this point, Kobayashi had a feeling they were not special or chosen ones at all. IN which case, they were just unlucky.
No, wait. There is one question, one question that needs to be asked. Even if I get ejected, the severity of the response of the world...I will use that as an answer if necessary!
"Are our physical, magical, and mental abilities naturally acquired from coming to this world?"
"Not all of them are...but most are".
At that moment, it felt like reality cracked in two, and Kobayashi suddenly was overcome with a horrible headache. The next moment, he was on the bus, gasping for air while awake.
"...you okay Koba? Ya kinda dozed off there and then woke up suddenly" Riku asked.
"Yeah...I just have a really bad headache".
"Huh. The rest of us started to get some headaches too. Mitsu said it might be some sudden change in pressure".
Yeah, sorry guys. I think that was my bad. Pretty sure that was because I just played QnA with a god.
As he thought that, they saw a lightning bolt strike the ground in front of them, despite plenty of tall trees around them.
"What the...how did that happen?"
I am really sorry for pushing it, world!
If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
Understanding the sheer dangers, Kobayashi decided to explain what just happened to everyone else.
----------------------------------------
"So, I guess now we know for sure. We cant expect gods to fly down and give us blessings and special powers".
"Just talking to them nearly killed me, and that was in a spirit world where it was easier. I feel like if they tried to give us blessings and special powers, we would explode violently".
"I have some concerns, but one of them is bigger then the other" Mitsuki mentioned. "Its about the enhacements. He didn't specify which ones, so we cant be sure, but that means when we passed over, something happened to us that was not natural".
"Yeah. If I had to guess, it must be our magical abilities. Remember how surprised the Bandits were that we could all use magic?"
"Yeah, that means when we arrived, something or someone artificially induced those magical abilities on us I think".
"Yeah, maybe..."
There is another option, but id rather not voice it right now. If its true though, our escape is going to be a lot harder.
At the very least, it was something that they could put off till later. The Orcs were a far greater concern.
"We have one advantage from this rain" Mitsuki said. "Even monsters wont be able to move as well, especially with how hilly it is around here. It will be too muddy, so if the Orcs are advancing this way, they have been slowed. We have another day, maybe two".
"Are you sure? Orcs are strong and heavy. They may be able to move unphased".
"With this weather and this terrain, it seems unlikely. And if they are heavy, their increased weight may be a disadvantage".
"So, we have been given a bit more wiggle room. Still, we will need to hurry. We need to start making final preparations...we are already at way too much of a risk".
"Yeah, but we cant do much. And even when the weather is over, we wont be able to drive the bus very far with how muddy it will be".
"Yeah. Even with all the trees around, it seems like the soil here is really easy to get soggy and muddy".
In other words, the ground wont be something they can drive on easily. That was definently going to be a problem.
While thinking about that, Mitsuki suddenly lit up with joy.
"Aha!"
"What? Did you find a solution Mitsuki?"
"Ah...not for the topic, but I was able to do it! I converted magic power into battery power!"
He declared that as he held up his phone, which was now at full battery.
"...that was what you were working on?"
"...the only pictures of my parents and dog are in here, so..."
Kobayashi handed over his phone.
"Show me how".
Everyone else got their phones as well, excluding Endo who kept watch on the outside. He then passed his phone last.
----------------------------------------
Eventually, Junta and Yuika came back. They were filled in on everything, and they nodded in agreement.
"We might need two or three days until we can leave. The good news is we were able to at least hunt something today, although...we would need to assemble some sort of shelter to cook anything here, and we cant cook anything in the bus so that is also out".
They were running out of time and despite rationing and hunting, their supplies wouldn't hold out if they had a bad day.
"There is also another issue. I managed to get to some high locations and scout around, and I saw a few Orcs. Probably scouts, but it wont be long till we get discovered. We have been doing some already, but I think we need to earnestly start combat training".
"I agree. Magic is good, but we know from our previous tests we can run out of magical energy. If we are not careful, we could run out. The issue is we cant just magically become good at weapons".
"Tamayo seems decent with a dagger" Mitsuki pointed out, but Yuika shook her head.
"Her skill with a dagger is mainly haphazard stabbing and catching people off guard. In a fair fight, she would lose instantly".
"We went through killing people yesterday...honestly, it was a pretty bad feeling".
"Endo, are you okay?" Kobayashi asked. "You ended up delivering a lot of final blows last night".
"Yeah, I am fine. Well, I am better then the rest of you I would say".
Certainly, Endo seemed to be the calmest of everyone since day one. He even realized who was the best at taking charge and leading them within a few hours.
Suddenly, with a large crackle, a huge amount of rumbling was heard.
"What is that? Thunder?!"
Kobayashi and Mitsuki didn't react to Emiyo's question, as they looked out the window with wide eyes.
"No...its a landslide! Emiyo, Ayumi! Use all the magic you can muster to raise an earth barrier around the bus! Do it now!"
"R-right!"
"Got it, cap!"
"Yuika, cut down as many trees within the path of the landslide coming towards us! I will use wind magic to help! We need to get any obstacles we can!"
"On it!"
"Shiki, Riku, use your longest range magic attacks to bombard the landslide! Obliterate it as much as you can!"
"Is it really that dangerous?"
Mitsuki and Kobayashi both looked back at Junta with the most serious look anyone had seen them give.
"Yes. This could be what kills us if we dont succeed".
All of their supplies, and their shelter, was here. They could pack up all the stuff easily, but the shelter was another matter. In this rain, they would all get soaked, catch colds, and suffer a great deal.
And a landslide was extremely dangerous. After all, this was not Kobayashi and Mitsuki's first time dealing with a landslide.
----------------------------------------
Time turned back to when Kobayashi and Mitsuki were six years old.
"Alright everyone, now remember to use the buddy system, and be careful! This might be a nature field trip, and these are well traveled woods, but bad things can still happen, so use the utmost caution, and stay nearby, okay?"
"Yes!"
As the students replied, she looked over at the only two boys who didn't have a partner.
"Mitsuki-kun, Kobayashi-kun, you two will be partners. You are nextdoor neighbors right? That should help".
"Hmmf. Acting like we would be buddies just because we are next door neighbors".
"Mitsuki?"
"I really only like people who are really smart, so dont slow me down!"
"A-ah".
Mitsuki had ambition and determination, and he didn't want to be slowed down by the smallest boy, no the smallest student, in the class.
He was determined to be the greatest super ultimate god inventor of all times, and leave DaVinci in the dust.
Kobayashi meanwhile, was more just looking forward to going out and exploring. It was a rare opportunity for him after all. The two made sure to stick together, but Mitsuki got fussy whenever Kobayashi's curiosity slowed them down, or when his small legs got tired.
"...Mitsu....Mitsu....Mitsu...dont rush..."
Kobayashi said that, as he was a bit out of breath. At that point, he collapsed and sat down on a rock nearby, catching his breath.
"...fine fine, just wait there. I will look forward by myself".
"But the sensei said..."
"I dont have time for this. I am just doing what makes sense".
Certainly, he was quite different from present day Mitsuki. But everything changed this day. Mitsuki ended up going a bit further then he meant to, when there was an earthquake. Everything shook, and he managed to cling to a tree. It was a pretty bad one, but perhaps the worst had yet to come, as he started to hear rumbling.
"Eh?"
It took a moment to realize, but when he looked at the source of the noise, up the hill, he saw what was a landslide. It was far away, but it was rapidly getting closer. He tried to hurry, but he accidentally tripped and hurt his ankle. He was alone and hurt, and was deeply afraid for his life as the landslide closed in on him.
And then he heard a voice. From up on a ledge above, Kobayashi was there, holding a branch as he leaned outward with a hand.
"Quickly! Grab on!"
Mitsuki, afraid and not wasting any time, quickly grabbed Kobayashi's hand. Kobayashi pulled with all his strength right as Mitsuki jumped upward, and he was able to pull Mitsuki out of the way of the landslide and onto the safer, higher ground.
When he looked over at Kobayashi though, he had ended up falling backwards and hurting himself in the process. He had tried to twist his body around, but he just ended up twisting his own ankle while helping Mitsuki.
"Your ankle..."
"Its okay...we are safe".
"But...if the landslide had been more this way, then you wouldn't have been able to save yourself...you really are an idiot. A brilliant idiot".
Afterwards, they had tied their legs together and put their arms around each other, and eventually met up with their sensei by pushing forward together. But Mitsuki knew, he was only here because Kobayashi saved his life. And he realized just how wrong his behavior had been, and how wrong he had been about Kobayashi.
And it was at that point that they became best friends.
----------------------------------------
It was because of that moment in the past, that they understood well the danger of a landslide. And there was one heading right towards them.
Kobayashi and Mitsuki took charge immediately, and began to make preparations. Mitsuki had taken everyone free who could use water magic, and decided to bolster the rock defenses with ice walls as well. Every extra layer would give them more protection, every rock stopped would save their lives.
It was a fight for their lives, but not against monsters this time or people, but nature itself.
They pushed all the magical energy they had to the limits, as the landslide finally came barreling down upon them. The trees that were cut down helped soften the blow a bit, but the momentum was not affected too much, so it hit the rock walls with so much force they collapsed almost instantly. That said, it ate into the momentum quite a bit, and they hit an ice wall next. Although the very front of hte landslide was stopped, there was a lot of rocks in it, and they barreled over and came attacking next.
The ice walls shattered against the might of hte landslide, but then there were more Earth Walls made behind those. Emiyo and Ayumi were forming as many as they could even now. The landslide shattered through them, but once again more of it was stopped or slowed down.
"There are a lot of boulders in this one!"
Kobayashi blasted some of them with a concentrated wind cannon, or forming projectiles from mana itself and flinging them at the rocks.
Furthermore, one of the rocks somehow or another got launched up, and was going to fall right on the bus. Yuika jumped out and struck it with her sword and as much enhancement magic as she could muster, but it wasn't like she got cheat like abilities that could cut boulders. Kobayashi helped though, attacking at the same point she did. With them together, it was knocked off course, flying past them and going down the cliff instead.
A tree trunk also came flying at them from the sheer momentum and force, but that was a bit easier to deal with since solid rock was a lot harder. Still, it meant Yuika and Kobayashi had to stay on guard and couldn't attack any more of hte landslide.
Riku and Shiki had been bombarding it as well. Shiki had to use a more focused lens, which resulted in it firing pure magical blasts with high power. Riku was using as condensed fire as possible to form explosions, and break everything apart, but it had limited effectiveness.
At the same time, one of the defenses broke again, and a rock that ended up gaining a lot of momentum flew forward and hit Shiki in the shoulder, injuring him. He fell backwards, but quickly got up and continued to fire.
"You okay Shiki?"
"Yeah! It hurts like hell, and I think my arm is broken, but I can use the camera with one hand!"
Endo rushed out suddenly, and used healing magic on Shiki.
"There, use that".
"Mmmhmm. Keep at it, it was a bad enough injury that it needs conttinuous healing it looks like".
"Got it. You good Riku?"
"Riku wanted to say yes, but he got hit in the gut by a rock and was in severe pain himself. The landslide had gained who knew how much momentum, and it was a big one. Still, it was nearly over.
Tamayo fired various light beams at the rocks as they tried to approach Shiki now. Against rocks, they didn't look all that great, but several of them seemed to explode when hit, making them wonder exactly what Tamayo had been thinking when she did that spell.
Reika was also very active. She formed several ice walls at once, and although they broke just as quickly, it helped slow the tide.
"...just a bit more..."
A few more large rocks got through, heading right towards the bus. Kobayashi, Yuika, Riku, and Shiki attacked it all at once, but even as they shattered it, some of the fragments went flying. One hit Riku in the head, knocking him back and rendering him with a fairly bad head injury, while Endo got hit in the leg. Shiki was able to avoid getting hit this time, but another came. However, Ayumi and Emiyo were able to change the terrain at the last moment, and make it roll off to the side.
And then the final large one approached, and everyone attacked it together, blasting it back and reducing it to pebbles.
It seemed that the landslide was over after that.
"Ahaha...we survived somehow".
"That was...intense".
"After Goblins and Orcs, I never thought we would nearly get killed by nature itself".
"Mitsuki, Riku got hit in the head, and I am injured as well. Can you treat him?"
"I am on it! A head injury, lets get him onto the bus and have him lie down".
"Are you okay Shiki?"
"Yeah, I am Tama".
Everyone sighed with relief, as the rain continued to pour on them. Kobayashi looked up at the clouds.
"You know, now is the time in the story when the clouds part and sunshine arrives, to celebrate us overcoming such an ordeal".
Kobayashi said that, but as everyone expected, there was no response, and the clouds did not magically part at his words.
Still, although several of them got hurt, they managed to survive the landslide.
----------------------------------------
"We managed to survive today, but the Orcs are still coming" Yuika said as she walked outside, looking at the night sky as Kobayashi sat on the top of the bus, watching the rainclouds from under his umbrella. It was still raining, but it was finally lightening up.
"I know. So, you kinda glossed over it and let Junta explain, but from what you saw, how were the scouting Orcs?"
"Most were like the one we ran across, but one of them had a better sword. Very proper. It also had some more armor, and it was taller. It was definently in charge".
"So, probably the Orc that leads the scout forces then".
"Yeah. It wont be long until they find this place".
"The rain will slow them down right?"
"Yeah. At the very least, I dont think they made any serious progress today".
Kobayashi sighed with relief, but then his eyes became wide, as he saw what was coming.
"Yuika-nee, get firewood. Get it right now, and get it inside the bus".
"Sure, but we cant start a fire inside..."
"Do it now Yuika! Look at what is falling, and its picking up again!"
Yuika held at her palm, and her eyes went wide the moment she saw it.
"Kobayashi, get inside now! Get everyone to huddle up in the blankets!"
"I am on it!"
What she was holding right now, in the palm of her hand...was snow flakes.
And if the rain was suggesting anything, what was coming next would be a freezing blizzard. It was about to get very cold.