“Finally…” It was not easy, but Mia had finally extracted a palm sized gem from the boar’s neck. The process long and grueling, the biggest challenge was finding a weak spot in the boar’s armored hide, but she managed.
A weight suddenly fell on Mia’s back, Roxie having leaned up against her from behind “Oooh~ nice, pretty.” She nodded “ Showing that to the guild will help you get to 2-A all the faster.” The mouse stepped away from her, doing an about face and slamming her shield onto the ground “We can also go after more~ to speed it up faster~?”
“…” Mia sighed, she’d be doing all the work anyways, she had yet to see the appeal of having a tank. But if anything, she was thankful for the guidance “How many do I need?”
“Who knows, the guild can be extremely fickle.” Roxie thumped her chest “I should be higher buuuut…well, not important and soon to change! Right partner?” she asked, smirking.
“…Sure, what ever gets me the most levels the fastest.” At least it wasn’t a total waste hunting the boars, she got three levels from it despite it going down in one hit.
[Don’t belong here. Will correct this.]
“!?”
Mia spun around, that wasn’t Ami’s voice, even though it came from whatever system Ami uses to talk, it sounded like it came from right behind her, in her ear ‘Ami? Did you do that?’
[Do what?]
‘The voice, said I didn’t belong here.’ Mia looked around restlessly ‘sounded like a guy…’
[…No?]
“Hey, you ok Mia?”
Mia snaped back, seeing Roxie looking worryingly towards her “Yeah just, heard something.” She shook her head, saving just in case.
“Huh?” The mouse scanned her surroundings, not seeing anyone “We should be alone here, unless someone else is looking to hunt boar spawn.”
“OR if someone is under investigation for newbie hunting, again!”
The two swung around, looking up into the air Roxie’s face paled “you…”
“Who?” Mia was staring at a human, flying in the sky above them, questioning just how long they have been there.
The man floated down, dusting off his suit “Roxie.” He nodded towards her before bringing his attention to Mia “So, you’re the new victim of Roxie, huh?” He looked behind Mia, towards the dead boar and whistled “Found a strong one to leech off of this time, guild was right sending an investigation… guild staff, Murry, it’s a pleasure.”
“Hey! I didn’t do anything wrong!” Roxie yelled in protest “You guys know I need to be in a party to get anything done!”
“…” Mia sighed; she had gotten herself involved in something that was more trouble than it was worth. She just wanted to level up to get back to her village, was that so much to ask? “Did join myself, not tricked.”
Roxie swiveled up to Mia, her eyes watery “M-mia-!”
The man crossed his arms “See, if that’s the case then we don’t have a problem here, if she told you everything.” He then pointed towards the mouse “You know about her title?”
“M-my title is not illegal!”
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Mia crooked her head to the side “Title?”
The man sighed “Roxie… you know the rules, the guild prides itself on making a fair environment for all, as much as possible.” He shook his head “Especially for a troublemaker like you.”
“No, this is harassment! Targeted bullying!”
“If you just told her your title and it’s effects, and she decided to join you after that, then this wouldn’t be an issue.”
“Title?” Mia once again asked, hardly seeing how this was such a big deal.
“The title is Leech.” Murry walked over to Roxie, towering over the small Mouse “She takes a larger percentage of exp from party kills even if she barely participates.” He then placed a finger atop her head, pressing down “Even if she hits it once, she’d get more than the person who spent the time killing it.”
“…Really?” Mia’s mist flared, remembering what Roxie did at the start of the fight. her one goal in this place was to level up, if someone was knowingly making that slower…
“W-wait! It isn’t that much! You are exaggerating!” Roxie yelled out in defense “In proper fights it hardly makes any difference! Even when I hold multiple monsters back!”
“And what If I don’t need you to?” Mia spat “Fine by own, can dodge, don’t need anyone.”
“For this layer!” Roxie shouted “Enemies get really strong…please… I can…” She looked downward “Its not my fault I have this title! Lotta people get titles they didn’t mean to get! Doesn’t everyone have something like that?!”
“Oh yeah, sure, and we as the guild respect that.” Murry spoke “the difference is when it negatively effects other people and they try and hide it, like yours.”
“…” Mia wanted to protest that, but the mist in her vision, she could relate to having undesirable titles, but like he said, nothing she had should negatively effect anyone if she was careful.
“Now, For…Mia was it? We will process the quests you have done at the guild, sorry to cut your visit short but, well…” his gaze fell to Roxie, who panicked.
She jumped back, bringing her shield out in front of her “I’ll prove it!” she pointed to Mia “If she still wants to be in my party after knowing my title, then its fine! Right?!” she then snapped at Murry “I’ll prove it! I’ll prove I am useful and worth the drain.” She lifted her shield, slamming it down in front of her “Hit me, hit me with the strongest magic you got Murry or Mia, I’ll take it and even reflect it back!”
The two stared at her, then both sighing, Murry speaking up first.
“Will that even change anything?” He looked over his shoulder at Mia “Do you even wa- woah now! Settle down!”
The mist around Mia grew thicker as she gathered her mana, her hand raised high,a spear of ice growing above. “She wants to, fine.” Her fit was reminding her of a certain someone on a boat, so if this was what she wanted Mia was happy to oblige.
“Yeah! Just like that! If I deflect that you’ll continue to party with me!” Roxie shouted, the wind picking up as a blizzard formed around them “We will be the best team! The greatest! No one will look do- OMPH!??!”
Mia launched the spear, it slamming into the shield and pushing Roxie back, surprisingly, however, Roxie took the hit, coming to a skidding stop ‘oh?’
“I…told…y-you.” Roxie gritted her teeth, pushing back against the spear “I…am…!” she shifted her weight, twisting her body and with her shield glowing she swung her shield against the spear, sending it right back “Useless!”
Mia stared wide eyed, as her spear forcibly had its course changed, being flung right back at her “Ah!” Now having to deal with her own attack being reflected, she leaped back to get out of the way.
Or at least, she tried.
[Correcting now.]
“Eh?”
The ground below she was going to push off of suddenly withdrew itself, making her lose her balancing and removing her ability to get out of the way of her own attack. She found herself slowly falling to the ground with a giant spear flying towards her.
“Mia?!”
“Shit!”
Murry, recognizing the danger, acted first, rushing towards her in a quick burst of speed but then was slammed to the ground by an unseen force “w-what is…” he tried to move, but something was keeping him pinned there.
Mia then watched as the spear suddenly changed trajectory, as if shot out of a cannon, it suddenly launched towards the ground underneath her, colliding and exploding, with Mia herself being thrust into the air “A-aaaaAaAaaaaa-!?”
She flew up high into the sky, spinning uncontrollably before being slapped by an unseen force, sending her rocketing over the dungeon city, further away from the volcano.
Managing to correct herself for a brief moment, she saw the city underneath her go flying past, but not having any time to enjoy the view she was slammed downward, hurdling towards the ground.
“A-a-aAh S-snow!” She thrust her hands out towards the ground, desperately covering herself with snow, encasing herself inside a giant snowball before spectacularly colliding with the ground.
Mia’s head poked out from beneath the snow, not seeing anything that looked familiar and the two people she was with nowhere to be seen slumped back in the snow, dizzy and dumbfounded at what had just occurred.
[Corrected.]
“…” She submerged herself deeper into the snow, packing some up to her face and screaming into it.