Rikuto doesn’t have a ton of time, since it’s the middle of the night, and he’s feeling exhausted. But, it’s the only way he can make this clandestine meeting. His primary guard, Martok, knows the drill. He’s watching out for anyone getting too curious near the Japanese man as he kneels in the darkness lit only by moonlight.
“Ryukana, if you can hear me, please grace me with your presence.” He is speaking softly, and even has the posture for praying, in case anyone manages to spy on him. Many things that have been thrown in Rikuto’s face over the last couple of weeks have been compounding into one critical doubt.
Why am I here?
When he was first brought to Zenkon, he was told by Ryukana that he was tasked with removing some kind of anomaly in the west, and that he may carry out that endeavor in whatever way he sees fit. But, Daniel is poised as his only real threat externally, and the American isn’t particularly aggressive, but he’s steadfast on seemingly maintaining the socio-political relationships of Earth on Zenkon. Americans tend to believe they’re the world’s police, throwing around authority that wasn’t given to them in order to maintain their own standards of ‘peace’. That seems to be true of Daniel as anyone on Earth.
But, the double-edge of that thought is the fact that Daniel’s companions were nearly assassinated right in the middle of the opening of the Peace Summit, and they absolutely could have used it as pretext to continue the war. Instead, they simply used it as leverage to effectively not compromise at all. The Mornistae nobles have been talking about trying to continue the war, particularly to seize the Stalvaltan mines and other assets. While the Grand Duchy’s territory does include actual mines, no one knows that the majority of the diamonds coming out of the Grand Duchy are synthetic. Daniel somehow found a way to occlude the oxygen that would contaminate them normally and make them yellow. In fact, the Japanese man is fairly certain he’s even manufacturing colorful diamonds as well, but as always, he can’t prove it unless he could capture the device, and they might as well go into frontline battle against the Fievegal at the Citadel again.
It isn’t especially long that he has to wait before he can feel her presence.
“Konnichiwa, Rikuto.” The goddess appears from seemingly thin air, and Rikuto looks up.
“Ryukana-sama, thank you for coming.”
“Of course. Though, I suspect we have much to talk about.”
“Yes… I…”
Ryukana is patient, waiting for him to answer. The young man swallows his saliva as he tries to force the courage to say what he needs to.
“What… is my purpose here on Zenkon?”
This noticeably surprises Ryukana, who does a double-take. “Pardon?”
“I don’t mean to question you or your decisions, but… If I really am supposed to defeat Daniel… A lot of people will die on both sides, even if I manage to do it.”
Ryukana sighs. She waves her hand, and several plants grow out of the ground as she takes a seat. Her ‘chair’ looks like little more than a handful of large leaves, but she is able to sit upon it like she weighs little more than a cotton ball.
“As you know, Rikuto, as a world manager, I am supposed to remain rather hands off and rely on my summoned heroes. However…” She sighs. “Daniel’s summoning was an accident. I had initially chosen you, and in a bout of complacency, I didn’t dig deeply enough into what the threat to this world was; the anomaly you were meant to counter.”
“S-So…?” starts Rikuto, but she holds her hand up gently to request his patience.
“As a result, I was… fired from my role. However, during the time I wasn’t able to keep track of Daniel, he had managed to take control of the Citadel from a monster that had resided there, and he used it to defeat the anomaly.”
“What?” asks Rikuto, his eyes going wide. “S-S-So…”
“Yes. The anomaly has been destroyed. To do it…”
“The nukes…” murmurs the Japanese man.
Ryukana nods grimly. “Everyone who has knowledge of that time, which includes Hekate, Ryuogriar, Reignleif, and Xyreko, all explained that Daniel was afraid, but they pleaded with him to save them if he knew how.”
“So then… What about… Do we… go back to Earth? D-Do… If you were… ‘fired’...?”
“If you wish to return to Earth, I can make sure you are returned safely.” She takes another breath and explains, “The reason Zuzia, the Polish woman, arrived when your people performed the ritual wasn’t because the ritual was successful as much as it was… my replacement’s anxiousness to prove herself.”
Rikuto is speechless. He has a lot to process, and it has his head spinning.
“My replacement has the power to return you to Earth if that is your wish. I offered the same to Daniel, but he chose to stay for obvious reasons.”
Rikuto can feel something inside of him crumbling away. He thought he had a strong purpose when he arrived at this world, because he was chosen for his knowledge, and he had some success benefitting the kingdom of Mornsistae.
But, the longer and harder I work, the more things keep going wrong.
Rikuto puts his head in his hands, trying to think. He feels like a hole is opening up in him.
Feeling sympathy for him, Ryukana adds, “I didn’t tell you any of this sooner because ultimately, we world managers are meant to leave you to your own devices. I thought it might work out better for you if you continued at your own pace.” She offers a gentle thought. “From the moment I was created, I had a distinct purpose, but when I was removed from being a world manager… I don’t have the same sense of loss of purpose as you must be feeling, but on Earth, before you ever knew anything about me or the Divine Realm, or anything else, you had to make your own purpose. That is why my superiors don’t generally interfere with me, and why we are meant to not interfere with mortals. Even if we’re assigned a purpose, we are given free will to choose our own fate, regardless of who or what we are.” She looks up at the sky, adding, “I can’t tell you whether or not Daniel is your enemy, or if you should side with him or continue to rule the kingdom of Mornistae. I can’t tell you to adventure to the ends of the world to find ancient secrets, or to start a family. What I can tell you is that all of those are possibilities. The reason I summoned you to Zenkon is indeed gone, but it’s not like the world has suddenly become a perfect place.” She rocks forward and stands up, and the plant chair disappears back into the ground from which it came.
“You can go back to Japan and finish your degree to become a civil engineer or architect, or you can stay here. Perhaps you can bring over the cultures and values of Japan.” She crouches down to his level, where he is still unable to form a solid thought into audible words. “I’m not supposed to tell you that Daniel isn’t your enemy, Rikuto. You’re supposed to navigate the world yourself, and whatever obstacles arise in your path. But, if you focus too narrowly on any one thing, you’ll overlook many others. Especially on the scale of running a country.”
Rikuto scoffs. Hearing that last sentence, especially, smacks him in the face with the reality. “I think even the kingdom that summoned me is… using me in ways I don’t… agree with…”
Ryukana replies with a soft smile as she pets the top of his head. “I can say with confidence that I never told you that you had to serve the country that summoned you, did I?”
Rikuto looks up at her, and she adds, “I’m not saying what the right or wrong path is. I’m just saying that you are not trapped.”
Her face softens into a little more of a sad expression. “That said, Zuzia was not so fortunate.”
“Wh-What? What happened?”
“You haven’t heard from your kingdom yet, but Zuzia has been captured.”
“Wait… She has? I-I didn’t know anything about this!”
“I know. And one more thing you need to prepare for… The artifact has been taken.”
Rikuto’s eyes go wide. However, his anger flares just as quickly. “Daniel…!” hisses the Japanese man.
However, the goddess shakes her head. “No. Daniel and his allies are preoccupied with something else.”
“What is it?”
She gives him a somewhat distant expression, and she answers softly, “It’s not my place to say. But, it doesn’t have anything to do with the peace agreement.”
Ryukana rises back up to her full height, saying seriously, “It may have been accidental, Rikuto, but Daniel is also one of my heroes. I will do my best to watch over you both. And, you don’t need to decide right away, but the next time you call upon me, I would ask you to decide if you wish to remain on Zenkon or return to Earth. I will honor either wish.”
With that, the goddess starts to walk away.
“W-Wait…” starts Rikuto, his throat suddenly feeling dry. “I… What about… Disrupting this world with our technology, o-... or…?”
Ryukana gives him a small smirk. “If you are in danger of becoming an anomaly, I will confront you. Until then, you must make choices and live with them.” She starts to walk into an invisible door that makes her vanish from sight, but she adds as she’s disappearing, “Daniel and his friends have been slaying monsters. There are lots of monsters beyond the well-protected borders…” Her voice trails off as she vanishes completely, and Rikuto can only stare at the place she was.
So… I either stay here without a purpose, or return to Earth… I’ve successfully distracted myself with work, but… I could go home… To Japan, to yakiniku and izakaya (A/N 1), to public transportation and the internet… But then…
“Your Majesty,” whispers Martok.
Just as he’s starting to ponder it, his guard alerts him, and the Japanese man stands up, wiping his face with his sleeve and brushing his knees off briefly. He approaches the human knight to find Heralesse approaching. She’s in her nightgown, and she asks, “Rikuto? Is everything alright? You’ve been quiet all day.”
“I’ve had a lot on my mind,” replies Rikuto. He studies her casual appearance. She would be scolded by her head lady in waiting if she was present, but seeing Heralesse like this makes her seem… more human than Rikuto let himself realize before.
I see… Regardless of anything else, what have I been doing all this time?
The young blonde approaches and puts her hand on his shoulder, clearly concerned about him. “If you’re worried about what Father said… There are things we can do to try to limit the damage that can be done by the nobles and Father.”
“What?”
She smiles softly. “If you saw the things I saw and how the Fievegal behaves… They’re dumb, but… They care a lot about their people. So much so, that even their highest ranking and most powerful… fight on the front lines. It’s foolish and stupid, but… They aren’t afraid to risk their own lives to protect everything they care about…” She frowns. “I didn’t mention it in front of Father, because he might try to pressure you… But,... I think Daniel and his… ugh… Empresses were all fighting monsters most of the time I was there.”
“What? Y-You saw this?”
She shakes her head. “No. They let me eat steaks and other meals made from beasts I nearly choked to learn the names of.” She scoffs at herself, hugging her arm gently. “Point is,... Eri is right. As frustrating as it is, they aren’t bad people, I don’t think. A-And… I never saw any evidence of a god-killing weapon. The people around the Citadel live happily. They love the Fievegal rulers.”
Rikuto hears her words, and for the first time, he’s hearing what he didn’t want to acknowledge.
The truth.
The difference is, it’s sinking in relatively easily. “I’m not going to antagonize the Fievegal anymore so long as they don’t threaten Mornistae,” replies Rikuto sincerely. Daniel may not be my enemy, but there’s still enemies all around me. In fact, I am the one who ignored them in my obsession with Daniel.
Rikuto takes her hands with both of his.
Do I want to stay in this world? What was I working towards? What did I want to achieve by defeating Daniel, or some Demon Tyrant, or even whatever thing Daniel needed nukes to beat?
“Yaulander has betrayed us,” replies Rikuto with conviction, and Heralesse’s eyes go wide.
“W-Wait… What?”
Rikuto decides not to hide anything from Heralesse. They’re formally married, even if they haven’t consummated it by that standard. And, he trusts her well enough.
“We should find somewhere to sit down in private, Heralesse. It’s going to take a while.”
***
Vaergraes sits in a more comfortable reclining chair that Neith brought for her to observe as Doephluev, Ahok, Wenlianna, and Reignleif run some tests on the water that was retrieved, while Senn and Hekate work to cast a new form of the pulse spell that will look for Daniel’s armor. Standing behind the Uhl’tall Archpriestess is the Death Knight she summoned with Hekate’s mana amplifying the spell; Arachne. Unlike normal summons, Arachne has self-awareness and a personality, though typically quiet and unemotional. Regardless, she does care about the Fievegal, and is only limited by the fact that she is too large to accompany the group as easily.
Everyone accepted Vaergraes’ plan, and Sundenelle transcribed the spell for Arachne to take with her. It’s unknown if a summon can take items with them, so Arachne is wearing a void bag stocked with supplies, including magic crystals and tools to help Daniel work on the teleporter. There are also lead containers for him to try to store whatever material is producing the anomalous mana.
“Oh! Lady Vaergraes, please have Arachne take a mana detector!” blurts out Wenlianna. The brunette darts to a nearby workbench, asking, “Lady Ahok? Is the mana detector still over here.”
“I have the second prototype stored to your right, your Grace,” replies the half-goblin magic artisan. “I didn’t want it getting broken.”
“Good decision,” replies the Stalvaltan Empress warmly. “I’ve dropped many of my experiments and projects because I let my space get too cluttered.”
Ahok nods in agreement, and while she’s retrieving the mana detector, Wenlianna notices a different device in the cabinet. “Oh! Is this… Is this some kind of engine?” Wenlianna is referring to a small device that has a shaft and a wheel on it, and Ahok takes a look. She scratches her cheek nervously, looking to the side. “I was experimenting with a generator that ideally converts raw mana from the air to usable mana… It would ideally be more efficient than the hydroelectric dam converting electricity into mana, since there are too many steps.”
“Ooooo!” exclaims the human. She’s starting to get excited, and Reignleif reminds her, “Focus, Wenlianna. There will be abundant time when Mukori is on house arrest once more.”
“R-Right, Great Aunt,” replies the brunette sheepishly. She retrieves the mana detector and closes the cabinet. As she passes Ahok, she whispers eagerly, “We’ll be talking about this later, Lady Ahok.”
“Of course, La-, Um, your Grace.”
Wenlianna giggles, about to insist on a more casual tone, but a magic circle appears under Arachne. The imposing Death Knight declares, “The spell is active.”
Hekate drops what she’s doing, saying quickly, “Sorry, Senn! I have to check!”
The elven sage chuckles as the feldrok girl runs to Arachne and jumps into a hug with the large, spider-like demi-human summon. Wenlianna also tries to jog close, but Vaergraes stops her. “Please wait, Wenlianna. It’s too late, and if it doesn’t work…”
Before she can even finish her sentence, there is a flash of light, and Hekate cries out as she falls into a face-plant on the ground. “Waaah-Ooof! Ow…” Under and around her are the various pieces of equipment and bags Arachne was given.
“I was afraid this would be the case,” replies Vaergraes. Even the simple dress Arachne was wearing to make her a little less intimidating is lying on the ground.
The Uhl’tall Archpriestess and Empress closes her eyes and meditates, focusing on Arachne. Because Arachne was summoned from her own mana, Vaergraes has a link with her that allows the summoner to keep track of the summon. This is most useful with multiple summons, but it’s also quite helpful now.
“Interesting…” remarks Vaergraes, while Wenlianna helps Hekate up to her feet. The feldrok girl asks, “What’s interesting?”
“I can feel the interference Sir Magnir mentioned.”
“Really?” asks Wenlianna.
“It’s the water,” declares Doephluev. She takes the jar she was casting magic on and pours some of it across a frying pan that’s on a magic stove. The liquid hisses as it boils quickly, and she waits until the last of the water droplets shrinks into nothingness by transitioning to steam.
She doesn’t even wait for the pan to cool down before she uses a metal tool to scrap the frying pan’s surface onto a black mat, and everyone watches powder sprinkle onto it.
“What is that?” asks Hekate as everyone present gathers around. They can’t worry about the failure to send supplies via Arachne. She’ll have to establish the link with Sundenelle’s spell.
Doephluev explains, “This is what’s causing the interference.” She beckons Wenlianna with a wave, and the brunette cautiously approaches. “Aim the mana detector at the powder, please.”
Wenlianna perks up, lifting the somewhat bulky device up towards the desk. Even as she does, everyone notices the indicator lights are already lit up. She closes the iris down, murmuring, “Wow… The level of raw mana is high just from that?”
Doephluev nods, reiterating, “Now, please aim at it.”
Senn approaches, curious as well. Wenlianna more deliberately angles the iris of the device towards the powder, and before she can do anything else, a loud ‘Bang!’ like a gunshot sounds off. Everyone but Doephluev flinches, Hekate screams as she covers her sensitive ears, and the human magic artisan lets out a scream as she drops the mana detector onto the desk and springs back away from it. In time with the bang, the device jumped in her hand, though it thankfully didn’t launch anything away from itself.
Doephluev turns the device so that its iris is pointed upwards, and a white smoke rises out of the top.
“I-I don’t understand… What was that!?” shouts Hekate, unable to gauge her volume for the time being.
Reignleif hugs Wenlianna as she checks her over for injuries. The human is hyperventilating from being startled by the sound, and Doephluev replies, “The mana detector was overloaded. The dust is to mana what anti-magic materials are to Earth. It gives off a poison aura because it is just simply too much.”
Most of the women retreat, but Doephluev adds, “You probably feel a bit uneasy, but it should be alright. That said, let’s not spend any longer near this for the time being.” The archoneldwyn places the water and dust in a lead container, closing it before leading the way out of the room. Lead works for the anti-magic materials well enough, but there’s no guarantee it’s effective on whatever this new material is.
Outside the room, Vaergraes asks, “How did you know that would happen?”
“How else? My Beloved will talk about anything if you ask him about it. I asked him how his people handled anti-magic material if it’s poisonous to him on their world. He mentioned detectors, and how it was possible for the aura they give off to be so concentrated, that the sensor is fine as long as it isn’t pointed directly at it. It’s like looking directly at a dragon flame compared to the light it gives off on the surroundings.”
“The flame is much brighter,” remarks Reignleif. Though it’s more subtle in her human form, her pupils can take on a cross-shape when she’s breathing fire, which polarizes her vision so she can still see while using her most basic draconic attack. And, saying the flame is brighter is certainly an understatement, as it can be painful to look directly at for other races.
“I believe that was some kind of true mana stone. I don’t know what it’s made of, but it was in the water, and possibly was a result of Kernuules. Hopefully, Darling isn’t foolish enough to discard the body. We’ll need to make sure it doesn’t poison the area around it.”
“So… What do we do about Arachne, then?” asks Hekate.
Vaergraes answers, “She’ll take care of Daniel and Magnir. I can roughly feel her direction as well. South west, as we suspected. But, I still can’t be precise, and I can’t quite communicate with her.”
Hekate grumbles. “Stupid Daniel and his stupid… doing important stuff all the time. We should have just smashed Kernuules’s stupid hole into smithereens.” The raven-haired teen huffs impotently.
Reignleif replies sorrowfully, “When he finally agreed to stand back, we were unable to do anything for the mission, forcing him to take action…”
“I’ll find a way to withstand it next time,” growls Hekate, her ears flattened back. “And when I do, Daniel won’t have to be in danger ever again.”
Everyone nods in agreement with her.
***
Somewhere far away, and shortly before, Daniel holds his hand on top of a diamond charged with magic that he smeared with a little bit of his blood. It is placed in the center of a ring forming a magic circle on the ground, which Magnir helped him draw out, per Vaergraes’ instructions.
“What’s he doing?” asks Sodenizia as she watches him.
“Magnir said it’s some kind of spell,” replies Glizumi softly.
“They do a lot of strange things, don’t they?” remarks Levvikami.
Moelka retorts, “Who cares? As long as they keep our bellies full.”
Tulztame smacks her shoulder. “Don’t lose sight of the future, though. We’ll need to try to convince them to give us the garatin shells.”
The others nod in agreement, and Glizumi remarks, “Yes, certainly. We’ll need them for our new village.”
All five kobolds cackle together, when a light suddenly flashes from Daniel and Magnir’s direction. The magic circle has started swirling magical energy above it, creating a small cyclone of visible mana. Sodenizia notices some of that swirling, glowing smoke-like aura is oozing out of Daniel’s equipment, which is sitting on the ground next to the camping shell they’ve been using.
She forgets all about it almost as quickly when the spell reveals its true effect.
A colossal being towering over the already-tall human and dragon rises from the misty aura, revealing a dark and foreboding form that sends shivers down Sodenizia’s spine. It has four long, insect-like legs that end in sharp blade-like points. Its massive body is armored with pitch black chitinous plates that produce sinister angles, and its torso rises upwards with clawed hands that look like they could rend stone. Its figure is also vaguely humanoid, but reminiscent of a female over a male. Its head is also rather grim looking, with a large bony frill that makes its head look like it is wearing a crown.
The creature’s legs flex as it emerges from the spell, and Tulztame is the first to snap out of the trance of fear. “Rocks! Get rocks! We need weapons!”
The kobolds all scatter as they start finding rocks amidst the snow to throw at the creature, but Daniel jumps to his feet, calling out as he stands with his back to the creature.
“It already enthralled Daniel! Don’t look into its eyes!” exclaims Moelka. She finds a rock as she’s saying this, and she whirls to throw it just before Magnir calls out, “Calm down!”
Moelka’s scales tighten as she watches the creature’s hand snap up and catch the stone with the tips of its sharp fingers, and with a simple motion, it crushes the rock into powder. When its gaze falls upon Moelka, the kobold is too stunned to heed her own advice, and their gazes meet. She trembles, and her knees go weak.
Daniel speaks, but of course, it’s unintelligible to the reptilian women. That said, the giant seems to focus on his words, losing interest in the kobolds entirely.
“He’s saying this is his daughter, Arachne,” translates Magnir. “She was summoned by magic to help us find our way home.”
The huge creature known as Arachne bows her head and speaks gently. “Arachne greets you and wishes you all well, and she thanks you for taking care of us,” translates the dragon.
“Y-Yes,” replies Glizumi. “We’re happy to help you… But… Um… Isn’t… Isn’t Arachne… dangerous?”
“Very,” replies Magnir with amusement. “But she’s dangerous and on our side.”
The kobolds look at each other. They quickly huddle around Tulztame, and Moelka points out, “They said she’s Daniel’s daughter, which means she’s his child, right?”
“They don’t look anything alike,” remarks Levvikami. “And she’s really scary.”
“Yes, but, that means she won’t be stealing him away.”
“What about Magnir, though?” asks Glizumi a little defensively. Moelka and Sodenizia look at her with sympathy, and she pouts.
“We’ll need to prove our usefulness,” declares Tulztame. “If we don’t, then we’re back to where we were before we met them. Stay focused, and we’ll be safe so long as we don’t let that woman beat us.”
The kobolds nod in agreement and excitedly.
***
“They are scheming against you, Father,” remarks Arachne with a stoic tone.
“They’re harmless,” replies Daniel. “Even if they could bite my throat out…” He rubs his neck as he realizes that, in spite of their diminutive size, he has extended a great deal of trust to the kobold women, who have the jaws and claws to tear apart meat with relative ease. If they truly are descendants of dragons, its surprising that he was able to hold them back on his own when they initially ambushed him in an attempt to capture him. He knows their intent now, and while they are undoubtedly scheming, it’s roughly along similar lines that Doephluev schemes to improve her station.
“Now, then,...” Daniel studies Arachne for a moment. She seems different than before, but he can’t quite place how. She transferred ‘nude’, but because she looks more like a movie alien than an anime spider woman, she would appear more like a monster to most people. That was actually the intent behind having dresses custom-made for her, but it’s useless if they don’t transport with her.
That said, her exoskeleton seems to have some sort of natural fabric, as he would describe it. It doesn’t look like a membrane the way wings or a pupa might, because it drifts and moves. Additionally, it is located on strange parts of her body, including a small tuft of the ‘fabric’ starting at where her collarbone would meet her sternum, and a larger cape-like sheet emerging from the base of her back.
“Arachne… Have you always had that?”
Arachne looks down at her chest where Daniel points, and she touches the small piece of fabric, which glistens under the light. “No… I did not have it until I arrived here.” She inspects her body, finding the small cape-like part as well.
“I feared interference from the strange aura,” remarks Magnir. “Is it possible this is some sort of change caused by the source of that mana?”
“It is possible…” replies Daniel. “May I?”
Arachne doesn’t hesitate to angle her thorax and lower it a little for Daniel to be able to touch the material. He kneads it between his fingers for a moment, feeling the fabric. “Do you feel that?”
“No,” replies the Death Knight.
Daniel nods. Strangely enough, it doesn’t have a weave the way a sheet of fabric should, but it has a similar softness to an extremely plush, but thin cotton material.
“There is something else…” remarks Arachne. “I feel…” She touches her chest. “I feel something… neither hot nor cold…”
Daniel doesn’t quite understand, so he tries to get her to elaborate. “Is it painful? Tingly? Or is it more like an anxiety?”
Arachne shakes her head. “No. It feels like,... Comfort. I am sorry. The comfort… moves.”
Daniel notices Magnir straighten up, and he looks at the dragon, whose eyes have gone wide as if he realized something. “Magnir?”
“My Liege… This is only speculation, but… The way she’s speaking,... It has been a very long time, so forgive me, but I believe she’s describing the sensation of a child becoming aware of their mana.”
“What?” asks Daniel.
“Rather, it’s when their pool of mana has become large enough to cast magic. But…” He swallows a little, looking up at the Death Knight. “To my knowledge, magic summons shouldn’t be capable of using traditional magic of their own. It would normally deplete their own mana and dissolve the summon more quickly. If… she is producing her own mana…” He looks directly at Daniel. “She might be the newest race of being that can grow stronger from slaying foes.”
Daniel realizes the implication immediately. One of his first thoughts about Hekate was that she ‘levels up’ whenever she beats enemies, since feldroks naturally absorb the mana of those that die in their proximity. When she first defeated a moss crawler, even he noticed she had gotten stronger just during their time together, and assumed that maybe levelling up like a video game was a thing on Zenkon.
Daniel knows now that it’s only the case for feldroks, and it’s not in discrete ‘levels’, but rather, a gradual growth like someone training their body gaining more stamina. It’s even believed feldroks absorb the souls of the fallen, which is where they get their other name ‘soulwyrm’ from.
The mechanic doesn’t intend to send Arachne out on a killing spree just to test that theory, but it is important to be mindful of. As far as he knows, as long as the target contained mana of its own, which is virtually every living thing on Zenkon, the summoned being should be able to grow stronger from that mana.
“Before we have you try casting spells, Arachne, we’ll see if we can tell if you’re getting stronger. So, for the rest of the trip, we’ll have you take on any enemies or beasts we come across.”
“As you wish, Father.” Arachne bows gracefully.
“Now then, as for why you were sent…”
“It is faint, but I can detect the direction of Mother.” She points, and Daniel and Magnir both slump their shoulders. The kobold women innocently follow the Death Knight’s finger. She’s pointing into the slope of the mountain, meaning the direction they need to be heading is in the opposite direction they’ve been going.
The human from Earth takes a breath and sighs. “Magnir, ask the kobolds how close the city we’re headed to is. We’ll make our way there first. During the trip, we’ll work on narrowing down what’s contaminated.”
Magnir nods and translates. Tulztame answers, and he replies to Daniel, “She said it’s a little less than a day’s walk at the pace we’ve been going.”
“You could be making better use of your time, Father,” states Arachne. He’s not sure, but it feels like she’s giving him a judgmental look.
“Hey! In my defense, I have ten companions capable of single-handedly leveling a country if they dedicated the time and energy to it, and four of them can teleport at will. And yet, here we are, freezing our butts off on this…” Daniel pauses. “Wait… Did you… just give me attitude?”
“Forgive me if I have offended you, Father…” replies Arachne.
“I’m not offended. I’m fine with you speaking your mind, but I’m surprised.”
He can see Arachne’s face shift a little, and it has a sort of gentle spark to it. He would swear it’s her version of a smile.
“I see. Thank you. Then, you should know, Father, that your reckless actions have an effect on many people, Mother and myself included.”
Her tone is still rather stoic, but her words have a ring of concern to them.
Daniel smiles. “Yes, I am trying to find a balance between seeing what I need to in order to make the best decisions, and relying on my allies more. I’ll ask the ladies to make a device with which I can summon you, if that’s alright.”
Arachne ‘smiles’ again, relaxing her posture a little. “Yes. Rely on me more, Father. I can be replaced easily, but you can-...”
“Stop. Arachne, never, ever say that again.”
Her face twists in concern, showing the first true emotion Daniel has seen on the Death Knight yet. “You are not disposable. That’s why I haven’t tried to deploy you unnecessarily. Just as you worry about me, I care about you as well. So, please don’t say that again.”
“Forgive me, Father. I do and will continue to cherish my life. I only beg you to do the same.”
For a moment, Daniel is stricken by an unexpected feeling. It feels something like deja vu at first, like this conversation has been had before.
Oh… That’s right… I used to talk like that…
He can’t help but smile a little as that realization sinks in. I guess life here has been pretty good, all things considered. I’d have no purpose or direction without my family, Magnir and Arachne included.
The Emperor then gives a nod of agreement. “I’ll continue to be as careful as I can.” He finally looks at Magnir. “Now then, we should start working on figuring out whatever blight is affecting magic around us.”
The dragon nods, and Arachne insists, “I will provide assistance as well.”
“We’ll just be testing whether or not the effect is localized to us, or if it’s something from the mountain.”
“The Empresses were investigating the water,” declares the killing machine. “If you have some of it, you should dispose of it.”
“Water?” asks Daniel. “Oh! You mean from the grotto?” Daniel grimaces. He looks down at his clothes. He does have some spare clothing in his gear, but hasn’t changed his jacket or pants, which he was wearing under his armor. He then looks at the teleporter pack, which is still resting on the snowy ground. Not much of his equipment wouldn’t be contaminated, since Kernuules knocked him onto his back in the water, which soaked him through, and some of it definitely worked its way into the magic device, since it was heavier after the fact.
“Oof… Let’s hope it hasn’t been cooking me inside out all this time.”
“Father?”
“His Grace was knocked into the water during the final fight with Kernuules. If the water is the factor… How were you able to be summoned here?”
Daniel tries to think. Magnir’s point is that the water has already dried from Daniel thanks to the dragon making sure the fire stays hot to dry his clothes out.
“Let’s get the teleporter apart,” says Daniel out loud. “My gut’s telling me it’s the key.”
***
A/N 1: Yakiniku means ‘grilled meat’ in Japanese, and Yakiniku restaurants, specifically, typically feature grills at the table for customers to grill meat and other food items to their liking at the table. Izakaya is made of kanji that literally mean “stay-drink-place”, and is a kind of bar centered typically around snacks and food to complement the alcoholic beverages.