by Ennki Hakari
I watched a light streak across the sky, blinking out an instant later.
I wished that tomorrow would be just as good as today.
***
On the third morning, low, cold mist still clung to the underbrush.
Our party moved at an easy pace through the dimly lit forest, winding between gaps in the trees.
“Kyiiiii…”
Ponta let out a mew mixed with a long, lazy yawn as it scratched the back of its neck with its hind leg.
The trees thinned, and we found ourselves standing on a hill overlooking a vast, grassy plain. I saw a large lake a little farther off.
Actually, if I hadn’t known it was a lake, I might have called it an ocean due to its sheer size. Behind the lake, mist obscured the Furyu Mountains, giving the impression that the water stretched on forever.
The whole party stared in awed silence, the mountain people taking in the wonder of their new home.
Chiyome stepped up beside me, cat ears twitching slightly. “It’s beautiful…”
Goemon nodded, striking an imposing figure.
“We should set our first village over there, where the land juts into the lake.” Pittah pointed to a small, round peninsula connected to the shore by a narrow strip of land. It almost looked like an island. A small wall would be more than enough to ward off intruders.
“That area’s shape will make it easy to defend, and difficult to attack,” I said.
Pittah’s menacing face twisted into a smile. “Indeed. It might not support many people, but it’s a good place to start.”
As we made our way through the vast field, I spotted a row of large boulders. No one else in the party, including Pittah, seemed to pay the boulders any mind, so I thought nothing of them. Just as we passed them, however, the earth shook and the boulders moved, a loud scraping filling the air.
We froze as a long, red tendril broke from the earth. It moved as if it had a mind of its own, lunging toward Rowze at the front of the group. Moving at a speed I would have thought impossible for someone so tall and massive, Rowze drew her battle axe and used it as a shield, deflecting the tendril.
“Nng!”
There was an awful crash at the moment of impact, like the sound of two semis colliding head-on. I felt the shockwave deep in my bones.
Rowze’s anguished cry showed just how powerful the blow was. That, and the fact that its force drove her feet into the ground.
The tendril twisted back into the earth, pulling the battle axe—and Rowze—with it.
Looking closer, I noticed a stringy substance, almost like glue, connecting the tendril tip to Rowze’s blade. It pulled her along, as though playing tug-of-war. She glared daggers at the bizarre, fungus-like tendril.
“Rowze!” I called.
Rowze cast a sidelong glance in my direction as she was slowly but surely dragged along the ground, her grip on her battle axe unyielding.
I teleported to her, drew my Holy Thunder Sword of Caladbolg, and slashed through the sticky, glossy tendril.
It was no match for my mystical blade. Blood sprayed from the gaping wound. The remainder of the tendril quickly vanished into the earth.
“Grwaaaawoooooooooooooon!”
A hollow, bone-chilling cry filled the air. It was followed by a loud explosion that threw the boulders upwards. The ground beneath us trembled, sending up great plumes of dirt. The boulders slammed into the ground, the shockwaves knocking us backward.
Ariane came running over. “It’s a grand dragon!”
I readied my blade and looked up at the massive creature that now blocked our path.
It was at least fifteen meters long and around five meters tall, counting the boulders growing from its shell-covered back. Spines covered its tail completely, like a porcupine. The dragon’s thick, tree-trunk hind legs, capable of propelling it through the air, were neatly folded beneath it. Its front legs looked puny in comparison. I suddenly remembered Ariane saying that her leather armor was made from a grand dragon’s hide.
“So, this is a grand dragon,” one soldier said.
The creature sitting in front of me, its huge eyes darting as it took in the scene, looked quite different from the ones I’d faced in the game. The grand dragon let loose another eerie growl.
“Grwaaaawoooooooooooooon!”
Ponta skittered backward and tumbled to my shoulders, wrapping itself around my neck. Its fur stood on end.
“It’s like a living, breathing Frog Rock from Hyogo!” I blurted out my first impression. The rows of sharp fangs lining the dragon’s mouth made it clear just how wrong my assessment was. However, despite its intimidating teeth, its oversized eyes gave it an adorable appearance.
The dragon’s pupils narrowed slightly. A moment later, the ground beneath us trembled, and it was gone.
Well, not gone, exactly. Rather, the dragon had used its massive hind legs to throw itself high into the air, and was hurtling back down straight toward me.
Despite the attack’s relative simplicity—and no matter how strong I was, or what armor I wore—I wasn’t in any hurry to take this creature head-on.
“Ariane, over here! Dimensional Step!”
I grabbed Ariane’s arm and teleported us away.
The grand dragon smashed the place where we’d just stood to pieces. Even this far away, I felt the ground tremble. Rocks and dirt filled the air as the monster continued to pummel the earth, obscuring my vision. Without a clear sightline, I couldn’t use Dimensional Step.
I’d teleported us behind the grand dragon. It was, fortunately, preoccupied with the ground at its feet, clearly annoyed at missing its target. It hadn’t spotted us yet. I looked around for the others as I weighed my options. Either I needed to use magic to clear the dust clouds, or close the distance and strike while I still had the element of surprise.
The outlines of three figures appeared in the haze: Rowze, Gin, and a soldier whose name I kept forgetting. The soldier struck the grand dragon’s shell with some sort of blunt, mace-like object. However, the shell was far too strong. Despite the soldier’s best efforts, he only scratched the surface.
The dragon let out an angry growl, swinging its body around to stomp out this new threat. It leaned over, tensing its powerful legs.
Rowze dove in from the dragon’s blind spot, striking one of its hind legs with her massive battle axe. “Take this!”
The blade sank deep into the grand dragon’s flesh, drenching Rowze with blood. She’d avoided the main shell and struck at one of the joints, where its armor was weaker.
“Grwaaaaaaaaaawooon!” The dragon roared in anguish, slumping to one side. Rowze ducked out of the way as its massive body hit the earth with a ground-shaking thud, sending more plumes of dirt into the air.
I spotted Pittah charging toward the dragon, scimitars at the ready. He jumped on top of the creature, hopping effortlessly between the boulders that lined its back. His twin swords glinted in the sunlight.
A devilish grin spread across Pittah’s rabbit-like face as he reached his target and drove his blades straight into the grand dragon’s eye.
“Grwaaaawoooooooooooooon!”
The bloodcurdling scream made my ears ring. Pittah pulled his scimitars free and retreated.
The grand dragon lay on its side, kicking its legs and spinning in slow circles on the ground.
The destruction the mountain people had wrought on this massive fifteen-meter beast was impressive. It was like watching a tornado of death.
Two more figures approached. The first was Goemon, rushing toward the grand dragon at incredible speed. The second was Chiyome, running at a slight distance from Goemon to come in on the dragon’s flank.
Goemon was unarmed, aside from the metal gauntlets on his fists. He struck them together with a loud clang, and his body began to glow, his deep voice echoing across the plain.
“Muscle to stone, exploding iron fist!”
Goemon’s arms turned to metal from fist to shoulder, giving off a d
ull gleam. He launched an onslaught of punches into the grand dragon’s stomach, timing each blow with the creature’s movements as it thrashed on the ground. I could practically feel the punches in my own gut as the dull thud of each blow resonated in the air. When the dragon curled up and stopped moving, Chiyome took that as her opportunity to strike. She leaped into the air, straight toward the dragon’s head.
“Body to water, aqua spear!”
Chiyome’s right hand glowed as water snaked around it, forming a spear. She twisted in midair and threw the spear with all her might at the beast’s remaining eye. It buried itself with a wet thud, spraying blood everywhere.
The dragon’s limbs twitched. Then it stopped moving altogether, slumping to the ground like a marionette with its strings cut. It looked like a pile of rocks.
Chiyome yanked her spear free. Blood streamed from the grand dragon’s eyes, staining the earth below a deep red.
Ariane and I returned our swords to our sheaths.
“They really did pick the best of the best for this party,” I said. “We didn’t even get a chance to fight.”
Ariane nodded. “I’m still impressed that Rowze held her own against that thing’s tongue. She definitely proved her strength.”
Rowze caught us watching her and flexed her massive biceps, a big grin on her face.
Ariane was no weakling, but the sheer brute strength Rowze and the other bear people displayed was in a different category entirely. If it came down to arm wrestling with Rowze, I doubted I’d stand a chance.
“Clever, how it disguised itself to lure unsuspecting prey. I never would have figured those boulders were a dragon. Do you think there are more monsters in the area?” I looked across the rocky terrain, trying to imagine what other threats might lurk.
Ariane seemed to be doing the same thing. “Grand dragons mark off pretty wide territories, so it’s not likely anything else is hiding in the rocks. They hunt in pairs occasionally, but since a second dragon never showed up, that also seems unlikely.”
Pittah approached, adding, “I figure we’ll be safe for a while, at least. Seems like a shame to leave the carcass behind, but for now, we should prioritize reaching our objective. Could you use anything from the grand dragon, Arc? You get first pick.”
I looked at the grand dragon’s body, then at the hide armor that protected Ariane.
Since I was outfitted with mythical-class Belenus Holy Armor, I didn’t really need grand dragon armor. If I took its hide, I would probably just sell it for gold.
Suddenly aware of my gaze, Ariane shot me a glare and crossed her arms over her chest. Apparently, she misunderstood what I was staring at. Well, she wasn’t entirely wrong. But still…
I turned my attention back to Pittah. “There’s nothing I really need from the grand dragon. Is its meat edible?”
Pittah’s eyes widened. He broke into a broad smile, although it didn’t wipe away the fiendish look that always graced his face.
“With a suit like that, I guess you don’t really need any other weapons or armor. The meat, well, it’s not all that good, but I suppose it’s edible. Are you sure you don’t need its rock humps?”
I cocked my head at the question. The rocky growths on the grand dragon’s back looked like boulders to me. The only use for them I could think of would be decorative rocks. Perhaps I should make a Japanese-style garden next to the outdoor bath.
“What are they for, Ariane?”
She shrugged. “We only use them as construction materials.”
I’d hoped for a more fantastical answer, but it was starting to look like they were basically just rocks.
When I decided it wouldn’t be worth the trouble of lugging them to the Lord Crown, especially since repairing the shrine took priority over building a garden, Chiyome appeared.
“They’re incredibly valuable to humans, you know. Nobles use them in their homes to show off their wealth. You’d probably make quite a bit of money if you sold them.”
Ariane looked surprised. “Oh? I had no idea.”
It sounded as though the boulders on the grand dragon’s back were similar to elephant tusks in my world.
“Hmm. In that case, I suppose I could sell them in town to offset the cost of repairing the shrine. I humbly accept your offer.”
Pittah smiled, offering his hand. “We’ll leave the dragon here for now. Nothing we can do until more of my soldiers arrive to help carry it, anyway.”
I shook Pittah’s hand. “Shall we collect our bags and get moving?”
***
A short time later, a numerous mountain people milled about the narrow stretch of land leading to the peninsula, taking in the splendor of the scene.
There were about fifty or so villagers—the first group of settlers.
After the advance party reached the peninsula, I’d left them there, and used Transport Gate to return to the village. There, I gathered a small group of settlers and supplies, and teleported back. I repeated that process several times.
This first village would serve as a beachhead of sorts, so the group was comprised of the village’s biggest, strongest warriors. What might otherwise have been a furry’s paradise was filled with the overwhelming scent of animals and sweat.
I watched as men and women swung massive axes, felling trees to clear the land. Others busied themselves removing stumps, or preparing the simple accommodations where everyone would sleep that night. I felt like I was standing in the middle of a military camp.
“Is there anything I can do? I could at least help cut down trees.”
I drew the Holy Thunder Sword of Caladbolg, walked past the workers, and started slashing at trees.
The mythical-class weapon was so sharp that cutting through even the thickest tree trunks felt like snapping twigs. I got into the swing of things, chopping down tree after tree.
“Whoa, look at that! He’s cutting ’em like butter!”
I made my way through the dense forest as if I were mowing a lawn. Knowing that this would provide the mountain people with more land to live on made me feel better. I completely lost myself in what I was doing until a fist-sized rock smacked the back of my helmet.
I turned to see Ariane clutching Ponta tightly to her chest with one arm, her free hand pointing straight toward me. Shattered rock fragments littered the ground at my feet. I guessed that she’d used spirit magic to throw the rock at me.
I looked around and saw what I could only describe as the horrors of deforestation: felled trees covered an area the size of a soccer field.
“Just how much of the forest do you plan on chopping down, Arc?! They’ve got more than enough wood now! Besides, Chiyome’s looking for you.”
I slid my sword back into its sheath, stepping over the fallen trees carefully as I made my way to where Chiyome and Pittah stood talking.
Pittah offered me a warm smile. “Well, I didn’t figure we’d be done clearing the land that quickly.”
I mumbled something in response before addressing Chiyome. “You wanted to speak with me?”
Chiyome glanced at Pittah before turning to me. “Thanks to you, we cleared the area much faster than we expected. But it will still take us about a month to build the village.”
She paused for a moment and looked up at me, trying to gauge my reaction. They would probably only construct the absolute minimum number of buildings necessary to get the village running. Even so, a month would be an incredibly fast turnaround, considering that all the work was manual labor.
“We’ve brought food over from the village, but they don’t exactly have a lot of surplus, so we’ll need to gather food here as well. If we assign people to the task, it will only delay construction on the village.”
What Chiyome said made sense. The anxiety of living on unprotected land without any barriers to keep monsters at bay—all while building a town by hand—would certainly take its toll on the body. The settlers would need a lot of food to get their energy levels back up, but securing provisio
ns for this many people would be an undertaking in its own right. If they split their labor force, it would take even longer to build the village.
I’d agreed to use Transport Gate to bring over the remaining settlers as soon as the village was finished. I had nothing to do in the meantime, however, and I certainly didn’t want the construction schedule to get pushed back.
“Should I go look for food?”
Chiyome shook her head.
Pittah chimed in. “I think this would be a good time to collect the grand dragon we killed. I hoped you and Chiyome might take it to a human town and sell it for me.”
“Aaah,” I said. “You’d like me to buy food in town with the money?”
Pittah smiled broadly and gave a firm nod, happy that his unspoken request made it through to me. “I’ve already had some of the young folks prepare the dragon for transport.”
“Understood,” I said. “Happy to help.”
Heading to a large town with a wide variety of shops would probably be best. The biggest town I could think of was the Rhoden Kingdom’s capital, but considering the mass havoc Chiyome, Goemon, and I caused there during our rescue attempt, it seemed best to stay away for now.
We also probably needed to avoid the empire’s Karyu area, where we’d laid waste to numerous churches and nobles.
That left the port town of Lamburt.
We had gotten involved in trouble surrounding a slave-trading ring with the neighboring kingdom, Nohzan. However, I’d built a relationship with Petros, the lord of Lamburt, so I wasn’t worried. Worst-case scenario, I figured Petros could step in and convince someone to buy the dragon parts from us.
“How about we head to Lamburt, in the Rhoden Kingdom? It’s probably our best bet.”
Chiyome’s long tail swished back and forth. “I agree.”
It’d be good to have her along, since she’d know exactly what the mountain people needed.
Ariane, who was listening in silence, spoke up. “I’ll be going, too. You need someone to watch Arc like a hawk. You never know what will happen if you leave him to his own devices.” She arched an eyebrow at me.