by Tôwa
We exited the Guild, and Suzuna used Salt Laying around the entrance and windows. Before long, more Flying Dooms appeared in the sky above the nearby buildings and started hurtling down when they saw us. I fired a long-range shot from my ebony sling at one that was coming after me, but the one hit didn’t have enough power to bring it down—!
“Ack!”
“Atobe, watch out!”
“—!”
Igarashi interrupted the Flying Doom’s path with her cross spear, and Theresia blasted it away with a Wind Slash.
“—Suzuna, Misaki! Step in front of me, even if it’s just half a step, then continue the attack!” I ordered.
“Got it, Arihito! Hah!”
“Eat my dice—!”
Suzuna’s arrow and Misaki’s die struck the Flying Doom that had bounced off a wall and was now coming again for another attack. With the twenty-two support damage, they were able to finish it off, even though they weren’t as strong as Elitia.
“They’re just flying all over the place… Arihito, we need to help the support people and Seekers who can’t protect themselves,” said Elitia.
“Yeah, I know. These monsters are the ones that came out of the labyrinth because of the stampede… Which means they’ll be coming from the entrance to the Sleeping Marshes. The guards will most likely head there, so let’s cover a different area.”
““““Right!””””
The sky was full of these flying monsters all across District Eight. There were at least a couple dozen Flying Dooms, with a bigger, vibrant one mixed in—likely a Named Monster, which we’d need to do something about.
Suzuna would continue to lay salt to create safe havens as we kept saving the residents of the city and defeating monsters. It was the start of a surprisingly chaotic day.
Part II: A Flurry of Wings
We finished our first fight after leaving the Guild, and Elitia showed us that our license would display the monsters’ locations when they were in the city. In the labyrinth, you couldn’t tell where a monster was unless it was within your detection range. There weren’t any people other than the party members displayed on the license, perhaps to maintain privacy.
About fifty monsters had entered the city as a result of the stampede. Half of those were gathered around the Named Monster. The blip indicating the Named Monster was pulsing, making it look ominous even on the license.
I realized something looking at the map: There were a number of monsters circling around Falma’s shop.
We need to clear out the closer areas first. There’s a lot around the Mercenary Office in the east, too… But would they be able to send the mercenaries out to fight…?
There were sure to be other Seekers who were level 3 or higher and had gone outside to fight, but the enemy was moving erratically, making it impossible to join up with them and work together. Some places ended up locked in a stalemate. The monsters were flying relatively high, out of range for magic and your average ranged weapon, so there was no way to shoot them down.
We could lie in wait for them to come down. That’d be tough work, but our only other option would be to wait for them to come attack us… No, hang on… There’s that skill…
I could theoretically use Rear Stance on the Flying Dooms in the sky, but it would essentially be a suicide attack. No, I was actually thinking of Auto-Hit, which would make it so that the arrow would hit no matter what, even if the enemy were out of the bow’s range. The problem with that, though, was that Suzuna’s magic was going down every time she used Salt Laying, even if it was only a small amount. I’d asked her to regularly throw salt to create a larger area that the monsters couldn’t enter, so it wasn’t ideal to use up even more of her magic… Which left us with one option.
“Elitia, could you lure the enemy down for us?” I asked.
“Not a problem! I probably can’t take that vividly colored one down in one hit, but the rest of ’em are all mine!”
“All right… Igarashi, use Force Target on Elitia!”
“Understood… Brave spirit of the warrior, draw the enemy’s wrath… Force Target!”
♦Current Status♦
> KYOUKA activated FORCE TARGET Target: ELITIA
> 3 FLYING DOOMS and 1 DEMI-HARPY switched targets to ELITIA
A Demi-Harpy… So those are mixed in, too. I wonder what kind of attacks they have…?
“Guys, we’ve got a new enemy coming! Keep your guard up!” I shouted instinctively.
♦Current Status♦
> ARIHITO activated MORALE SUPPORT 1 6 party members’ morale increased by 11
Just then, I realized something: It was less than twenty-four hours since the party had used their Morale Discharge. Morale Support shouldn’t have had an effect, but everyone’s morale still went up.
So after one night… No. Did staying in the nice lodging improve morale? Will we be able to get the party’s morale to one hundred before we fight the Named Monster?
If a person’s morale reached one hundred, they could use a powerful set skill called a Morale Discharge. Whether or not we had that final trick up our sleeves could greatly influence the outcome of the battle.
Flying Dooms weren’t too much to handle so long as you were capable of catching and landing an attack on a flying enemy. Even a level-3 party could defeat one. I imagined that Named Monster wasn’t as strong as some monsters we’d fought so far, but even if it were a bit of an overkill, I wanted to try and activate Igarashi’s Morale Discharge, Soul Mirage, which would give each of the party a duplicate of themselves in the form of a mirage warrior and double the number of our attacks. That was much better than risking a long battle that someone could get injured in.
Force Target was working on the monsters flying above the Chest Cracker shop; the Flying Dooms started to come down one after another into a street a short way from the shop.
“Makes no difference how many of you there are… You’re too slow!” shouted Elitia, easily evading the tentacle-ball tackles without using any skills to improve her speed. Twice, three times she dodged, then Igarashi and Theresia leaped forward to attack the one that had ricocheted off the ground after Elitia dodged it.
I’ll use Attack Support 1 again… I should focus on using the stable extra damage for now!
“Here I go! Double Attack!”
“—!”
The Flying Doom was pierced by dazzlingly fast strikes from Igarashi’s cross spear. Suzuna’s arrow then struck the monster, finishing it off. The effect of Force Target was still active, wrapping Elitia in a yellow light that seemed to scream caution and pulled in the remaining two monsters. Elitia evaded their attacks, and one bounced from the ground to the wall before coming down to try and swallow Elitia whole, but she readied her sword and slashed out with a killing blow.
“—Fall to your death!” she screamed, even more forcefully than usual, attacking twice even though she was in such close proximity to the two incoming creatures.
♦Current Status♦
> ELITIA activated RISING BOLT
> Stage 1 hit FLYING DOOM A
11 support damage
> Stage 2 hit FLYING DOOM B
11 support damage
> 2 FLYING DOOMS defeated
What a terrifying skill—multiple attacks on an upward swing… Wait, there’s still the Demi-Harpy… Where the hell is it…?
A chill ran up my spine— That couldn’t mean anything good. Right as the feeling struck me, I heard a song. I couldn’t understand any of the words, but I could feel my consciousness slipping the moment it reached my ears.
♦Current Status♦
> DEMI-HARPY activated LULLABY
> ELITIA, KYOUKA, SUZUNA, and MISAKI fell asleep
“Ah… Atobe…”
“This…song…”
“Arihito…”
“Agh… Get it together, guys! You’ll die if you fall asleep here!” I shouted. I was being completely serious. If we couldn’t locate the Demi-Harpy, it would use Lullab
y on the rest of us, and we would never wake again.
These things are really dangerous if they can put us to sleep… I can’t believe this… If I don’t do something…
“—SKREEEEEE!”
♦Current Status♦
> DEMI-HARPY activated CALL REINFORCEMENTS
> 2 SWEET BIRDS were summoned
It summoned other monsters with its birdlike call. My slumbering friends would be hurt if I didn’t act!
Can Theresia and I handle this alone…? Even if I back her up, things will get bad if we’re surrounded… Dammit, this wouldn’t have happened if I’d gotten stronger…
I heard the sound of flapping wings—bird-type monsters—from far away. Two of them appeared from the sky and saw us, then circled above us before bursting into song.
♦Current Status♦
> 2 SWEET BIRDS activated FLURRY OF WINGS
> Attack and defense of winged monsters temporarily increased
For these foes to buff their own abilities… They’re way different from the monsters we’ve fought so far!
I needed a way to wake my sleeping allies—if only I had a support skill that removed status ailments. I’d known that was a weak spot in our defenses, but I hadn’t found a way to fix it yet. Being put to sleep would directly result in death here. We needed to find a way to defend against all status ailments that prevented action—before we encountered them.
“KAAAAAW!”
The two Sweet Birds swooped down to attack. They were covered in bright green feathers with a blazing red cockscomb on their head—but the comb pointed forward like a spear…! To make things worse, the two birds weren’t going after me or Theresia, but rather Elitia, who still had Force Target on her.
The only way I could protect her at this distance was if I used Rear Stance to teleport and used my own body as a shield. But if I did that, then I’d—
…Even if I’m left with a single vitality point…that’s better than letting Elitia die!
Theresia used Accel Dash, but she wouldn’t make it to Elitia in time. I activated Rear Stance and tried to be her shield.
The moment after I teleported, I heard the roaring of wind as I watched the two birds dive down. I prayed they would leave me with at least one vitality point and threw myself over Elitia, and then—
“Awooo—!”
♦Current Status♦
> ARIHITO activated REAR STANCE Target: ELITIA
> CION activated COVERING Target: ARIHITO
—Cion!
The massive dog shot out like a bolt of lightning and placed herself between me and the enemies. Cion got the defense boost from my Defense Support 1 and took the attack of the two Sweet Birds, and then—
“Awooo!”
♦Current Status♦
> CION activated TAIL COUNTER Hit SWEET BIRD A
11 support damage
> 1 SWEET BIRD defeated
A one-hit KO, but there was still one more Sweet Bird. It had bounced off the defensive wall from my Defense Support 1, strengthened by Cion’s own defense, and was now flapping awkwardly in the sky as it tried to pull back.
It was then that another massive form leaped from the street that the Chest Cracker was on.
“Grraaaaw!”
I couldn’t believe that beastly howl came from a dog. Cion’s mother leaped at the remaining Sweet Bird, knocking it dead with a single swipe of her massive forepaw.
Incredible… That mom dog has got to be a pretty high level.
“Mr. Atobe, are you all right?!”
It was Falma. Of course—with the two silver hounds, she wasn’t in much danger at all… Actually, that wasn’t true.
If the Demi-Harpy gets them with its status effects, even Cion and her mom… I have to do it, then!
“Falma, please look after my friends! I’m going to finish the last monster!” I shouted.
“Ah… Mr. Atobe, where is the last monster?!” I didn’t know the answer. Most likely, it was hidden somewhere on a rooftop. I’d just have to risk using that skill in order to find and capture it instantly!
Even if I can’t see it, as long as it’s in battle with me… Please let it work!
♦Current Status♦
> ARIHITO activated REAR STANCE Target: DEMI-HARPY
My senses stopped working for a moment, and then the next moment, I found myself behind a young girl who had wings instead of arms.
“KAAW?!”
It was on top of the roof. I didn’t bother to secure my footing; I just used everything I had to grapple the Demi-Harpy.
“—Cion! Or mom dog even! Catch us, please!” I shouted.
“Woof!”
“KAAAW!!”
Since I wasn’t capable of close combat, the only real option I had was to pin the Demi-Harpy’s wings and jump from the roof. As I plunged down with the Demi-Harpy, Cion leaped from a window ledge on the building, catching us perfectly on her broad, fluffy back.
“Oof!”
We landed, and the impact threw me off Cion’s back. I was pretty roughed up from the fall, but I’d managed to hold on to the Demi-Harpy.
“Well, now… So cute, yet such a giant pain… Nasty little miss monster,” Falma said.
“Cheep…cheep…,” it replied. It’d suddenly become quite cooperative, for good reason. It was surrounded by Falma, Cion, mom dog, and Theresia with her short sword drawn. And Cion’s mom was growling in anger at the Demi-Harpy because Cion had been attacked.
“Grrrrrr!”
She opened her jaw threateningly, wide enough that she could easily swallow the Demi-Harpy whole. Even I thought the sight was scary. The Demi-Harpy must have actually thought mom dog was going to eat her and so stopped struggling. Actually, she seemed to completely lose consciousness out of sheer terror.
“Well, we somehow managed to make it out of that… Uh, T-Theresia?” I said. She was still cautious about the Demi-Harpy possibly waking up, but she moved behind me and wrapped her arms around me. She was shaking. Maybe I made her worry when I jumped off the building.
“I’m all right; Cion caught me. I’m sorry I scared you. I couldn’t think of any other options. The only way to beat it was to grapple it from behind.”
“……”
Theresia silently shook her head. Maybe she was saying I didn’t need to apologize.
“Mr. Atobe, there’s a stampede, isn’t there? That’s why there are monsters in the city,” said Falma.
“Yes. This Demi-Harpy sings a song that puts people to sleep. It’s dangerous if you don’t have anything that prevents you from falling asleep, so you should hide in your shop until it’s over. We’ll make it so that no monsters come into this neighborhood.”
“I have a few accessories in the shop that protect against Sleep inflicted by monsters’ attacks. I purchased them for the store when multiples were found in chests that I opened…”
“Huh? …Really?!”
“Normally, I’d supply them to a specialty shop, but please take them. I think they’re needed now. I’ll go to the nearby Pharmacist to get some medicine that will wake your allies up. Astarte, please carry everyone back to the shop.”
We’d need to gather ourselves and prepare for the fight against the Named Monster and its group of monsters. Theresia and I worked together to place our still-sleeping companions and the unconscious Demi-Harpy atop Astarte—Cion’s mom. I was uncomfortable killing the Demi-Harpy because she looked so much like a human… This wasn’t really the place to be so kind, but it wasn’t a threat as long as we could keep it from singing. My party faced annihilation thanks to this small Demi-Harpy, and I was now very well aware of the dangers of status ailments. I needed to take them as seriously as possible to make sure no one got hurt because of them.
Theresia followed close behind me the entire way. She still seemed worried about me. I wanted to avoid any crazy suicide attacks in the future so that I didn’t make her worry more.
Part III: Battle Interception
We carried
our companions into the Chest Cracker shop, and Eyck and Plum came up from the stairs. They’d probably been hiding just in case.
“Welcome back, Mommy! …Huh? Everyone’s asleep,” said Eyck.
“You okay, Arihito? You got a scrape here. I’ll give it a bandage,” Plum said to me.
“Oh, thank you. It’s not that bad, though.”
“I can’t believe you would do something so dangerous… You are braver than I had thought, Mr. Atobe,” praised Falma. It didn’t seem all that extreme from my perspective. I was only able to do it because Cion and the others were there. It’s not like I would’ve done something that reckless without thinking.
“Mommy, can I give Arihito medicine?” asked Plum.
“Ah, don’t; potions are too valuable for that…,” I refused.
“Oh, no, there are things called healing herbs that are used to make potions,” said Falma. “If you dry them and grind them into a powder, you can use those alone to heal minor injuries. The biggest problem is they don’t taste very nice.”
“Oh, I see. Even so, if they’re used as ingredients for potions, they must be valuable…,” I started to say, but Falma put a finger to her lips, like she wanted to keep that part her little secret.
“The Guild provides a number of different medicines to the city people in a medicine kit to keep in their homes. Some people do sell the contents for money, but we haven’t used ours… Please let us help you, especially considering the situation outside.” Falma brought me the healing herbs on a piece of paper, along with a glass of water. She warned me they didn’t taste good, so I braced myself for the worst, but it was sort of like herbal medicine. It was almost spicy, but the taste wasn’t really that terrible.
Oh… My vitality recovered. They were just minor wounds, but I feel better now that I can actually see them heal.
“Ah-ha-ha, you made a funny face when you took it,” Plum observed.
“The worse it tastes, the better it works, you know,” said Eyck.