202Rebellion the Fourteenth: What's at Stake
"Guess I should have expected this… but really? Just like that?"
This was the daughter of the Innkeepers, Liza, talking. She'd come to her favorite customer's room because a large breakfast crowd had gathered down below and their volunteer chef hadn't reported in for duty yet. At no response to her knocking, she used the master inn key and allowed herself in to make sure nothing was wrong. What she'd found were unmade beds, no gear left behind, and the letter that she was currently staring at on the center table. It had her name on the front and appeared rather full of paper. Despite knowing that her family would be in dire need of help down below (double dire now that Ragna wasn't showing), she opened the letter and checked the contents of the first parchment piece within.
Marie,
Sorry for leaving so soon and without saying goodbye (blame our leader), but we've all been called to an important job. Remember a while ago when Ruby did all of that grandstanding for us fixing the kingdom and heading for the capital? Well, she wasn't grandstanding, that's what we intend to do.
Sorry, but there's not really a lot that I can tell you that wouldn't put you in danger. Just know that even if it was short I cherished all of the time we managed to spend together, especially that breakfast we shared yesterday. You've been through a lot already I won't lie to you; things are going to get worse in this kingdom before we have any chance of making them better. I'll do my damndest to fight for you and everyone else while I'm out there, so find that something or that someone to latch onto and keep you sane. Even if you're strong enough to weather this out on your own, you deserve it.
Here's to seeing you again in happier times.
Your close friend,
Hyde Kido
Marie gave a small smile at the message she'd been given. While it was true that she hadn't entirely been looking for romance when she was talking with Hyde on their date, she'd quickly grown to cherish the steadfast companionship he offered… no doubt the young man would stay in her thoughts for some time. His wasn't the only letter though, as she moved on the second.
Dear Marie,
I probably can't say much that you won't already read in Hyde's letter, but just know that he thinks very highly of you. It's thanks to all of your hard work that we had somewhere comfortable and familiar to return to each and every night of risking our lives. It gave us no small shortage of relief, both in the moment and knowing that this town would do so well if people like you were in it.
In case you were wondering, it was our leader that insisted that we left first thing in the morning because we needed a head start, but… in a weird way it was almost fitting that we left without a trace. This letter's just our way of showing how much we all trusted and valued you.
I have a favor to ask though; there's a second letter in this envelope that I've written to May. You've probably met her before, but if not she works at the governor's office. Can you make sure that she gets it? Got my own thoughts to tell her.
All the best wishes,
Yu Narukami
There was indeed a second letter addressed to May behind the first. Liza considered taking a short peak at what message Yu needed to pass along… but decided he was entitled to his privacy and she wasn't one for gossip anyways (not that she ever had time with how busy the Inn kept her). Moving right along, she got to the third letter.
Heya Marie!
Bummer we couldn't get you to see us off in person, but you know what kinda person Ragna is. You… don't think there's something going on between us, do you? Just found out the hard way that Yu and Hyde think there's something and now I've got that to worry about, NOT LIKE I WASN'T ALREADY TRYING TO SAVE AN ENTIRE KINGDOM! Don't pass that along, yeah? Don't want any more whispers going around.
Liza would be lying if she claimed that there weren't at least a few hints of the young lady's potential crush on her team leader, but without much experience in romance herself she couldn't exactly comment.
But enough about that! The important thing is we're on our way out to make this kingdom a better place to live for everyone! I can't say that I'm not nervous, but that just shows that we know how serious this is going to get. Just know that by the end of this you'll for sure be able to get that extension to your Inn you were telling us about! Your Inn about to become HEAVILY recommended by heroes sister! Heck! You could be cursing us out by how much work this extra business is going to be!
…Just don't actually curse us out, I wanna stay friends.
Your friend and future savior of the kingdom,
Ruby Rose
As energetic as always that one. Liza hadn't bonded to closely to Ruby in the short time they'd spent with each other, but it was plain to see that the girl was both hard working and especially well meaning. If anyone had the drive to move forward and save the kingdom from its current predicament, it was going to be her no questions asked.
That just left their team's leader, but there was several pieces of paper crammed into the back of the envelope. That didn't seem to make much, she was a little surprised that Ragna had bothered writing a letter at all given that everyone on his team was pointing to him as the reason they were leaving so early (and everything else about the man) so there was no chance he'd have that much he was willing to say. When she started reading the paper though, it was abundantly clear that he'd written all of them and what they were meant for. Smiling, she headed downstairs to tell her family the news and give them the Reaper's last piece of assistance.
…But she gave one last look back to the room and an odd surge of inspiration entered her mind. A little rearranging, an upgrade here and there to the decor, maybe even combine the room next door into one large residency to work with… She could turn it into exclusive and much higher end place to stay in.
She even knew what to call it: The Heroes Suite.
Out in the Fields
"Do you think she saw our notes?" Hyde asked the quartet's leader as the group continued their long trek to the ruins.
"You left it out in the open; she read it," Ragna answered from the front. "Can't believe you made me write in it; I thought it was supposed to just be from you three."
"You're already way too moody if you're going to save the kingdom! Have a smile on your face and show that you actually like the people you're saving!" …To Ruby's credit, if anyone in the group was going to break the Reaper's moody exterior, it was no doubt going to be her. "We all trusted you to write something nice, so what did you put in there?"
"You said you trusted me, but you're asking me now?" he argued back bluntly.
"Right; meaning our trust will come from believing that you're telling us the truth now." Yu had a point. "…So?"
"I put in the recipes for some of the more popular dishes I made at the Inn," he informed. "Probably going to be even better at making food soon enough, but that'll help 'em manage the customers now that I'm gone."
"You didn't actually say anything of your own? Just some cooking instructions?" Ruby demanded, running alongside Ragna just to glare at him.
"You two argue like a married couple," Hyde sighed, leaving Ruby to stiffen with a blush before she and Ragna turned to collectively scowl at the mixed haired youth. "…Was that out loud?"
"Let's just agree that Ragna sending those recipes was the best idea; in his own unique way it's showing just how much he really cares. Probably more than words would have with how seriously he takes his cooking." Yu words certainly carried a sound logic to them.
"Whatever, but keep focused. We're still outside the city walls and there's no telling what we're going to run into. Another of those giant snakes; some new deadlier breed of spider, we gotta be ready." Little by little, it seemed that Ragna was easing himself into the role of team leader.
This part of the journey would have taken them several days at least if they took their time on the roads, which they wanted to in order to slay whatever monsters they could and earn their levels. As of yet, the group somehow hadn't come across any groups of monsters yet… wondering if Ragna's Luck stat was taking the day off from making their day difficult.
"I almost wish that something would show up already; it beats all of this damn suspense," Hyde groaned. "Plus, there's only so much that practicing with our new abilities can do; we gotta actually try and use them in a fight."
"Agreed, though it feels strange that we were able to learn all of the abilities in those books," Yu said, deciding that he'd at least steer their conversation to discuss their current statuses and their plans moving forward. "I can understand that Ruby was able to learn the archery skills because that's probably the closest thing in this world to gunslinging and maybe I can buy learning sword skills because her scythe is at least close range, but all of us were able to learn the archery and shield tomes despite never having even touched those armaments. It feels… off."
"Maybe's it's because of our Hero status?" Ruby had to guess. "It could be that all we need to do to learn the ability is to have it taught to us by either a trainer or read it in detail inside a tome."
"That or we automatically get the most basic abilities when we find them, the rest of them could come with hefty prerequisites. Maybe either stats or a certain amount of skill with the weapon?"
"Could be; after all learning magic required a minimum magic stat," the Reaper recalled. "For now we head off with what we've got… including this."
Ragna hadn't just been referring to the new foldable scythe he'd gotten from Ruby last night (one she was insisting he named), but also a decent sized kite shield that the Reaper held on his back. With Ragna having far and away the best physical stats of the group, they'd decided that it would be best that he provided the defense which would only be enhanced by the shield skills he learned last night. There was another sense of security beside having a dedicated tanker; now he could shield them in a pinch with something other than his own body… no telling how many uses it was going to have given his tendency to break every armament he touched.
"Are you really sure it's a good idea to be keeping that on your back though?" Hyde asked. "If we need it in an instant and you have to reach so far for it-" Faster than he was able to see, Ragna had his shield off his back, on his arm, and ready to block an incoming attack. Another instant later and the shield had returned to his back and instead his scythe was fully extended so he would carve through whatever was in his way. "…Never mind."
"Valid concern at least," Ragna acknowledged.
Back in Town
"Seriously, without even a word of warning?" Rojo asked Liza as he and his daughter sat themselves for breakfast at the Inn. Most days they'd eat with the rest of the caravan, but with other supplies to get in town, the brawler decided he could stand to treat the two of them. "Now that leader's moody enough that I could imagine him slipping off like that, but wouldn't the rest of the team keep them grounded long enough to say goodbye?"
"I certainly wish we'd gotten more of a warning; they didn't even say anything before they left last night," she sighed. Her inn wasn't very busy at the moment now that the initial rush had died down, so the server decided that she'd spend it discussing the mysterious group of travelers with the duo most involved with them. "Ragna didn't say anything to you yesterday?"
"Hardly, he just took his lessons and ran," Azula answered with a huff.
"Not true; he got us a free meal and a couple of free drinks last night," Rojo recounted. "In fact, he left the entire caravan a good portion of his cooking well after dark. I figured this was just his way of paying for his lessons, not saying goodbye. Should've seen it then."
'I remember him telling his team they would all have a busy morning and insisting to get to bed quickly... so they probably don't even know that he did that. Guy really doesn't to take credit for anything, even his own charity,' Liza remembered. "Too late for anything now I guess."
"Were you going to do something for them before they went away?" Azula asked before scoffing. "You'd have been wasting your time with that moody leader. Guy probably doesn't know how to have fun if it bit him on the ass."
"Never stopped you from eating his food I'll remember; even enjoyed it enough that you almost gave him a sincere compliment." As his daughter froze at his words, Rojo shook his head. "But now you've got me curious too; did you have something planned?"
"Nothing that would've been too big, just done our part to get what people together I could for a small going away party. Something for them to remember us by until we see them next time," Liza said, already thinking back to the group fondly.
"...You might have to consider that there might not ever be a next time." This time Azula's tone was very different than most others; she was much more gentle, much less standoffish. "Lot's going on in the kingdom right now and... there's no telling what might happen to them."
"If this pessimism is the alternative, I think I'd rather take your usual angst," her father muttered. "What? You saw what their leader was made of when you took charge of his training yesterday. Have some pride that you've managed to raise such a strong fighter. And the rest seem to have their own talents, so they can make do just as well."
"Strength and teamwork are only going to get them so far when they're headed for the freaking capital. You and I barely survived in that shitshow before running off with whatever refugees we could grab. They're headed to that and worse; far worse since they're going to try to do the impossible and fix it. That's just going to attract unwanted attention and it looks like they already get plenty." Rojo didn't argue there. "I'm not saying that they're doomed from the start, but it's a million to one odds at best."
"Then it means that there's still a chance," Liza said confidently. "Now that the pleasant talk is out of the way, what can I get you both?"
"I just want coffee to wake me up for now," Rojo requested. "But as for my daughter, you can let her know if you're available after your shift tonight."
"D-DAD!"
"There's that blush I can only see once in a full moon... or whenever a fellow young lady catches your eyes," Rojo mused as Azula practically buried her face in her palms. "You haven't exactly been subtle, giving her all of those passing glances."
"I mean, I'll consider it," Liza said, surprisingly unfazed.
"…You will?" Azula asked.
"Of course, if you want me to really consider it, maybe you could give me some extra help during the dinner rush tonight?" It was said in a sweet tone, but her aura was that of a dominating businesswoman.
"…I don't have to act all cutesy, do I?"
"No, but you'll have to curb all of your scowling; unlike Ragna you won't have the kitchen to hide yourself away in."
Meanwhile
Letting out as strong of a sneeze as Ragna did was bad enough, but doing it in the middle of combat could've gotten him killed. One of the spiders seemed to catch onto this momentary distract as it shot webbing from a decent range, but Ragna had quickly recovered and dodged the sticky projectile.
"Unarmed Technique: Force Shot!" With his call and execution of the move, the long-ranged punch blasted the creature apart into gory chunks. A much larger spider charged forward and tried to crush Ragna under its massive bulk. "Weaponless Technique: Iron Body Charge!" Ragna took the full force of the creature's attack and countered in turn with his own charge which flipped the monster over. Unleashing a Dead Spike on massive foe, Ragna blew it to bits before turning his attention to the smaller foes. Unleashing a devastating roundhouse kick, he blasted an entire line of spiders to pieces.
"Why aren't you using the scythe I made you!?" Ruby demanded from where she was swinging her scythe against her own group. "And if you need to defend yourself you can at least use your shield!"
"Saving 'em for when I need them! We don't know if this is a one-shot weapon in my hands or not!" Ragna answered before he unleashed another Dead Spike. It was slow enough that the spider's he'd targeted were able to leap out of the way, but that leap was taking them right into Ruby's scythe.
"Come on, my smith work's better than that… probably," Ruby muttered to herself. Truthfully it was hard to tell how much her upgrades were helping the group against this group of lesser spiders; sure they were killing them in one hit, but they'd always been able to do that again these small guys. Maybe they were moving a bit faster thanks to the artifacts that she'd made? …Maybe? It was seriously hard to tell and it was getting on her nerves a bit. 'At least I know this has improved.'
Ruby's beloved Crescent Rose remained unable to use her recently acquired Sword skills (discovered after a test about a minute prior), but at least she'd been correct in guessing that Archery skills counted towards her use of a gun. The spiders had taken note of her wide range with scythe swings and instead formed up for a single file charge to overwhelm the young huntress. Ruby instantly transformed her weapon as the advanced, but instead of firing her shot she just kept it aimed allowed it to gather energy, as indicated from the red glow that came from her sniper's barrel.
"Archery Technique: Hyper Shot!" Somehow Ruby didn't feel the titanic force and kept her aim steady as her gun fired off a deadly shot. It wasn't increased in shot diameter, only power as it tore through the entire line of spider and killed them all in that one shot. "Awesome!"
"Ruby! Blue potion!" she heard Yu call from where he was fighting off his own horde of spiders with Izanagi. Quickly reaching into her backpack, she brought out one of the mana potions Hyde had created yesterday and tossed it to the Persona user.
After Yu had drunk the potion (and managed to get over the agonizing taste), he could feel his mind quickly recover that small headache utilizing magic had brought about. While normally the youth would have been balancing his magical skills along with his physical ones and using would a potion on such an easy battle would've been seen as a waste, this way he'd be able to test his own effectiveness of spell casting along with how much of his magically health these potions would truly be able to heal. Thankfully he could both take a potion and defend himself with Izanagi while doing so as his person unleashed a Mazio blast on the approaching spiders. Dropping the empty vial for now (he'd pick it up after the fight along with his katana's sheath), Yu gathered up magic into his free hand as he cast his fire spell.
"Fire Spell the First: Flames!" Yu shouted as he shot a torrent of fire and severely burned many of the spiders. He'd been working with different spells this entire fight, and though each spell seemed to carry similar strength (though slightly weaker than his personal Zio skill), the spiders themselves seemed more affected by fire spells in particular. Dropping the spell, he cleaved his sword though one that had been leaping at him before ducking and three more tried a similar approach, only to get cleaved in half by Izanagi'sCleave.
With Hyde, the youth was much more suited for using his longer sword for wide swings making him perfect for crowd control. He'd only fought through some the weakest but most numerous of the spiders of that point, but he soon noticed them back away as two bigger and likely advanced versions came forward. The first was much sleeker and Hyde could already tell would be nimble as they fought while the other one moved much more deliberately to compensate for their carapace which looked hard as thick stone. Not intimidated after what they'd fought, Hyde only smirked and waited for their first move.
Even with his preparation, he wouldn't have been able to stop as the spider took off faster than he'd been ready for. Rolling over to the side, Hyde let loose a Black Orbiter which this monster was ready for as it leapt over the attack as soon as it had landed, barely dodging. Before Hyde could focus on chasing after this threat, the heavier spider from behind him was charging forward to ram him. Side stepping the monster, the agile one waited to get cover from the sturdier one until it could get Hyde while he was distracted. Playing around this strategy, Hyde stabbed his sword to the ground for a Shadow Scare and the Insulator's energy tore right beneath the agile one and cleaved it in half. With the heavy one right where he wanted it, Hyde moved to attack quickly.
"Sword Technique: Double Slash!" The basic name of the attack said everything about the move that it needed to; two slashes performed in the time it would normally take Hyde to perform one. An effective but simple technique and it was made all the better by Hyde's personal sword as the first slash weakened its defenses and his follow up attack finished the job.
Confidently, Hyde turned his attention back to the lesser spiders that had stayed back to watch the fight... only to see that their number had since increased. In fact, it was starting to look like more spiders were coming in from the distance... a lot of them.
"It's like every damn spider in the region knows where we are!" he shouted. "How could they all be suddenly heading this way!? ...Unless."
Ragna had the faint feeling of everyone's eyes focused squarely on him.
"...The more we take out, the less the others will have to deal with. Think of it as making the best of my luck."
"YOU BETTER BE HELPING WHEN I DISASSMBLE THESE THINGS LATER!" Ruby shouted as he cleaved through another two spiders before shooting a third one down.
'With all of the spiders we're going to have to fight through, that's going to take an hour,' Yu thought... before seeing yet another group of the creatures approaching from off in the distance; its size matching what they'd already dispatched and what they were still fighting combined. 'At least.'
Later –The Capital-
Princess Maire gave a tired sigh as she finally disembarked down the steps of her royal carriage, aided down the long steps by her personal guard, Lavell. Even if she could take what little faith she had that the four heroes she'd summoned were already performing their newly assigned duties for the kingdom, the situation that she'd observed on her journey back to the capital was far from a pleasant one. Towns lay in disarray aside from the houses of the wealthy or politically powerful (there was plenty overlap to be seen there), mercenary turned bandits would've attacked them at several points had it not been for her well-equipped guard causing them to flee, and they'd had to fight through no less than five hordes of differing monster breeds. And when she finally returned to the capital and traveled from the outer poorer districts to the kingdom's castle in the center… the less thought about what she saw during that stretch, the better.
"Shall I instruct the maids to draw a bath for you, milady?" Lavell asked as Marie took that small opportunity to stretch herself.
"Perhaps later; first thing I need to do is personally inform his majesty of my return." Even without her abundance of dedication to her duties, it would've been a clear decision; her father expected them to act orderly and keep him well informed of where they were at all times. As things stood now she was already late returning home… and the king did not enjoy being kept waiting. "Give my personal guard the next few days to their families; I doubt I'll be leaving the castle any time soon unless ordered by his majesty."
"Of course, I shall inform them myself once you are attended to."
At Lavell's promise, the two stepped into the royal palace. The opening lobby was far less occupied than when she'd left, apparently there were no merchants or other nobles waiting to curry favor with her father today… a waitlist that would stretch for solid months. That didn't mean that it was without people though, as the occasional maid or butler performed their duties to keep the palace spotless. Sitting in one of the chairs with a book was someone else of a touch more importance.
"So my dear older sister returns," the young main notes, having yet to raise his head from his book. His hair was blonde like Marie's and his was dressed in formal garb reflecting that of 18th century Europe. "A week late at that."
"Well met, Noah," Marie said, trying to remain courteous as did Levell who gave the royalty a brief but formal bow. "It's kind of you to welcome me back personally."
"I had very recently returned from my own dealings, so I just returned a moment before you had," the current eighth heir to the throne sighed. "Just some unpleasant merchants with far too much coin to spend in any lifetime, but desperately looking for new ways to make more." He shrugged. "I suppose we all pick our own vices… or deities we worship." Marie held her tongue. "You made quite the stirrup coming home so late, especially whence we gotten word of the horde of spiders afflicting the Southern region. If you'd been even a day slower, you'd have been trapped there."
"I… trapped?" Marie questioned.
"By his majesty's blockade of course; he thinks that the lands outside the castle town is unruly enough without an infestation of those horrid creatures to worry about. So he's sectioned off the southern region until the issue… works itself out." Her brother didn't appear malicious at least, but Marie could clearly tell how disinterested he truly way.
'It seems I was right to have them head to Brinkstone first thing; that area was in more danger than I would've thought. But if there enough monsters that father would've wanted to create a blockade, are they capable of handling such a situation? And even if they can handle it, how are they going to get past the blockade… perhaps I should've coordinated my efforts with Governor while I still had the chance.' For now, Marie could only hang onto the small measure of hope she'd secretly bought. "In that case, I'm happy to have arrived home safely… and that you cared enough to welcome me back."
"I already told you-"
"You did, and you're still bothering to speak to your beloved older sister," she countered with a smile. Her brother appeared as emotionless as ever, but the slightest change in his demeanor said more than a thousand words. "As pleasant as it was to talk, I'll have to inform his majesty of my return."
"That… may not be a possibility," Noah said. Of all his expressions, it was unfortunate that this grimacing was his most common. "His majesty is currently busy. I was about to give him my own homecoming words, but he was walking with I woman that I had never seen before… to his royal bed chambers."
'Another concubine!? How many does this make!? Surely over at least a dozen!' Maire internally demanded. "I see… in that case this will have to wait. I suppose I'll also have to greet this new arrival soon enough."
"At least you may have plenty to discuss with this one; she seemed very close to your age." Noah's words nearly allowed the briefest showings of disgust to show in his sister, but she'd had training in containing her emotions on a physical level. As had Lavell who'd only reacted with the briefest twitch of her eye. "It looks like there be another half-sibling on the horizon… one for all three of us." Again, Levell's composure was nearly broken but she remained strong.
"And the Queen?" Marie questioned, wondering the whereabouts of hers and Noah's mother.
"Readying herself for some soiree or another she'll be attending tonight." Of course she was going out, Marie could scarcely remember the last night her mother wasn't going to some lavish party thrown by the higher classes off the backs of their subjects. "I'm sure if you ask nicely, she could be persuaded to bring you if you ready yourself quickly." There was some truth there, her mother often brought those of the royal lineage (on both sides) to these gatherings, but would often leave them by their lonesome as she enjoyed the night's events unhindered by her own progeny.
"Mayhap another time; I've grown tired from my trials on the road. If you'll excuse us," Marie said as she all but escorted her own escort out of that room. After traveling far too many hallways, they finally reached the immediate sanctuary of Marie's room. The Princess gave an almost dramatic slump as she felt all of the tension leave her body. "I am sorry you had to hear that."
"Don't apologize my lady; I am trained for much worse than that." Lavell answered, still remaining at attention even in this privacy. "And the king is… a man with the same wantsand desires and any other. Only he has the power and privilege to indulge upon it."
"Yet it's his own sired children and everyone else that has to suffer for it," the princess responded bitterly. "Sister…"
"Please don't; I am your knight and guardian foremost and I prefer we keep it that way. That man isn't my father; the clan of warriors that raised me is all the family I need," she said sternly. "Besides, if you said anything like that in public, the consequences would be dire."
"I know, I know, it's just difficult," Marie sighed.
"And no one's saying it isn't, or that it won't continue to be. You've done what you can to ensure that the people have a chance, now we have to wait and offer whatever support we can from the shadows. Let us hope that news of their exploits reach our ears soon enough." She paused in consideration. "Should we consider coaxing your father into removing the blockade?"
"Too risky of a move and if the threat of spiders is that vast then there's no solid grounds we could make for such an argument. We sent them to Brinkstone, we just have to hope the situation's been solved."
That Afternoon -Southern Region-
"That better have been the last of them," Hyde said with a scowl as he held one fishing line.
"You've been saying that for the last hour," Yu reminded as he held the other.
"After what we had to go through, I think I'm entitled for complaining the rest of the week," the wielder of the Insulator groaned. "That had to be every spider in the damn kingdom! At the very least I hope that was all of them in this region! I'd ask how the hell they all knew where we were, but the answer is blindingly obvious! How can Ragna's bad luck do that!?"
"To be fair, he was given the stats to compensate for his rotten luck… though I guess that just leaves us to pick up the slack," Yu said before shrugging. "At least we got three whole levels from that encounter. Might be helpful once we align them over dinner… If we can catch anything." He sighed. "Ruby might've made us some pretty good fishing rods with that Survival Skill of hers, but it won't do anything if the fish aren't biting."
"…You know you could try to attract them with your Sex Appeal skill," Hyde joked.
"Already tried, no effect." …And Yu was already prepared with the strangest option. "Plan B then. Izanagi! Mazio!" Yu's classic lightning ability shot out of his Persona and heavily shocked the waters before him with a widespread attack. A few seconds later, several dead fish floated to the surface. "Watch out for lingering electricity, throw them in the basket, and we'll see if Ragna can't work his own magic with these."
"Sure thing, but the solution of electrocuting the water came only after trying to charm the fish out with your skill?" Hyde asked. "How the hell does your mind even work?"
"I've been called a Wild Card before; I can just apply it to plenty of other facets than combat."
Soon the boys had brought back their very reasonable haul to the campgrounds that Ragna and Ruby had set up (neglecting to tell either of Yu's method) and all four of them were waiting for the fish shish kabobs Ragna had made with accompany vegetables to finish cooking over the firepit. Ragna was keeping an eye on the fireplace, but all four were deep in their menus as they thought on how to spend their most recent powerup.
"So three levels for us and only one for Ragna who won't even have a new skill point to work with. At least now we're finally all at the same level at 17. How are we going to do this?" Ruby asked.
"Much as I liked the idea of maintaining a balanced build, I think it's time I invested in my fulltime roll as our resident caster," Yu decided. "Investing all 18 into my magic would've been a bit of overkill if I only had the basic skills, but with Mazio to give area coverage and Zionga to devastate powerful single targets it might be my best move."
"Makes sense to me; you're our best magic user so you clearly need to grow it out as best you can for now. My only worry is making sure you've got enough Spirit to heal us properly in case we take any amount of damage and... Ragna's the only other one to heal us." Their leader only nodded bitterly at his healing magic's side effect. "I dunno, maybe trade off 5 points or so?"
"Can do," Yu agreed.
Strength: 24
Dexterity: 24
Constitution: 24
Magic: 37
Spirit: 29
Luck: 24
"Since Yu and I are working so closely together, I should account for him. I've had some areas I've needed to work on, so I guess I'll balance myself out with an even build in everything except for magic. Weirdly enough, my Black Orbiter seems to be impacted by magic but Shadow Scare seems strength based." With no disagreement, Hyde gave himself a pretty rounded spread.
Strength: 28
Dexterity: 34
Constitution: 32
Magic: 25
Spirit: 23
Luck: 20
"Think my next move is pretty obvious; if anything I need to make sure I can finish fights quickly so that we won't even have the chance for anything to go wrong," Ragna decided.
"...Any chance you can invest in your luck stat now? I know what it said about class restrictions, but..." Hyde all but begged.
"Already tried," the Reaper sighed.
Strength: 62
Dexterity: 56
Constitution: 56
Magic: 44
Spirit: 44
Luck: -100
"That leaves me up last," Ruby figured as she looked over her options. "I'm not going to lie, slinging attack magic as I move around quickly sounds like a cool move to use, but I think that healing is just as important for me as it is Yu since I can get around so quickly. But it's also a waste if I can't use my weapon's unique forms. Thoughts?"
"If speed's so important to you, then why not try to balance everything else and have that be your focus?" Ragna suggested.
"Weren't you teasing me for having such an absurdly high dexterity?" Ruby reminded.
"Weren't you taking it as a compliment?" he retorted. Ruby shrugged as she aligned her points.
Strength: 18
Dexterity: 56
Constitution: 28
Magic: 18
Spirit: 19
Luck: 23
"That's our stat points coordinated; now we need to focus on our skills. Hyde and I both have 2 points while Ruby has her one after investing in Smithing," Yu recalled. "Normally I'd think we should figure out plans for the future, but if this is our first real dungeon, I think we should all invest what we have in dungeon exploration in case we get split up."
"Right; that should keep us ready," the Reaper agreed as his team invested their necessary points. Using the chance to check the fish, he saw that they appeared to be done. Handing out a first kabob to each of the others before taking one for himself, Ragna took in the smells and couldn't help but feel a little prideful. "Dig in."
His team did so with gusto and took full notice of the many flavors that-
ZAP!
...the accompanying sting of electricity brought. After getting over the initial and sudden shock, Ragna and Ruby (whose hair style had grown outrageously spiky) both glared at the only member of the crew with lightning magic while Hyde scooted away from his partner to avoid association. Even given his normal reputation of getting out of these situations with his bizarre mannerisms, Hyde thought that there was no way he could-
"I was wondering if we could all learn lightning magic this way."
Gained One Rank to Bluff
Author's Note (And Poll)
Well that's another chapter of this done with. I'm posting this a few days early because I'm going to be leaving on vacation soon and I won't have steady internet access (and updating stories on my phone is hella weird). Next update's going to return to my small slice of life Grim Reaper and Beastkin so look forward to that. After that, Awakening (not making you guys wait four years again) and then… I've got a bit of a vote for each of you to make for the following update.
Azure Guilt or Loss, Redemption, Revenge
This isn't just a new chapter that's going to be posted, I'll also be making all of the needed updates on the old chapters so I can bring them over to AO3. Vote in the comments here, on the stories themselves, the poll on my homepage, or even on my YouTube poll that just posted (early video posting there too!)
Now then, let's get to the review responses before we continue that Omake you love so much. Ciao!
P3R50N4: Check to see in a moment if he followed your advice.
Reclusive Dork: If we're lucky, that the least drama he'll have to deal with.
Sarcasm Sage 626: Glad you like the interaction, pride myself on those.
Kitsune No Hi 75: Misunderstanding of hints to the future? …Pretty obvious knowing me.
Wlyman2009: …It would come up on a corner every single time, even if they smoothed the corners off.
Panicrain: It's an RPG, there has to be an upgrade system to just about everything. And yeah, the omake is certainly a big draw… SPEAKING OF WHICH!
Cross Tag... Apartment?: Part 7
"We finally get a day off to ourselves and you have to insist that we all meet at your apartment regardless?" Weiss Schnee demanded with a less than satisfied glare at their host.
"I don't get why you're complaining; you're getting dinner out of this," Ragna reminded. "And you sure as hell enjoyed what I've made these past few times. So act a little grateful, yeah?" Weiss gave him a noticeable huff, but didn't offer a counterpoint. "Anyways, let's get into what I needed to talk to you guys about: the sudden change in your workload from school. These past two days have felt like a sudden drop-off, haven't they?"
"Understatement of the friggen' schoolyear!" Yosuke said. "We've barely had any homework, the regular schoolwork has been easy, and we haven't even gotten any of Kashiwagi's surprise projects! It's like night and day!"
"And it's not just them, it's been the same with us too," Rise said, able to join today without an idol shoot to worry about. "My year wasn't hit as badly as Senpai's, but there's still been a noticeable decrease of assignments lately. Made things easier with my idol work."
"I've just been worried it's the slow before the friggen' storm," Kanji input, admittedly a touch less confident than usual.
"That's… calm before the storm, Kanji," Orie decided to input. "Just tell us what's really going on Ragna, you sound worried about something."
"Hell yeah I'm worried, I might be the cause of this." He then went into the details of two nights ago; Kashiwagi's drunken stupor, the (accidental) encouragement he'd provided, and her advances the next morning after she'd sobered up.
"Oh man, the timing totally checks out doesn't it?" Chie noted before looking to Naoto who would've given their best analysis given their role as a junior detective prince… they didn't have anything to add. "I mean, thanks for such a save and right now especially, but why are you acting like this is the end of the world?"
"Because she gave him her number and he hasn't called back yet. Remember all of the times that she was checking her cell during the middle of the day?" Hyde reminded.
"…She hasn't show up at your work again, has she?" Linne asked, though in her usual monotone voice instead of having any real noticable worry.
"Not yet, but there's no telling what's going to happen when she does," the Reaper sighed as he pulled out the number and set it on the table. "All of this hell started when her last boyfriend broke up with her, so what are we going to do?"
"Burn it."
"Weiss, let's not be too hasty," Ruby told her bestie worriedly. "Did she say what she wanted when she gave you the number?"
"Not… really?" Ragna admitted as he scratched the back of his head. "It was more like-"
"She invited you in a tone that was both sultry enough to make certain suggestions, but vague enough to where she could claim innocence if you ever brought it up to her," Yu answered out of nowhere. "Remember, we've been in her class."
"Right, you would know," Ragna again admitted. "Since you're the ones with experience, what should I do?"
"Burn the number," Weiss answered again, leaving everyone to stare at the heiress. "What? I'd be doing him a major favor if he listened to my advice."
"Acting so harshly would get him out of trouble for certain, but it could prove poorly for the rest of us in the future; even if she's not directly connected there's no doubt that with the similarity of course strictness that Kashiwagi holds plenty of power for my year as well," Naoto said, putting a few key elements together. "A bit of a personal question, but by no means meant as an insult."
"…I reserve judgement until asked."
"Have you ever dated before?" Naoto asked. This was when Ruby, Yu, and Hyde realized that they knew next to nothing about their guardian's romance life.
"Dated? Yeah, but it never got past one or two dates with the few girls that I took out, so they were pretty casual… and it's been a bit." Ragna could admit to that much, but the situation surrounding the question made him uneasy. "You're really thinking I go for this?"
"Not all the way obviously, but her attitude is going to have an effect on us all," the detective prince decided. "Maybe you could just go for… something casual?"
"I get it; you're saying that he doesn't do this lead her along but rather to let her go gently," Kanji realized. "Could that really work though? Kashiwagi's… intense."
"How would you-?"
"N-NOT THAT I KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THAT!" Most of the crew only exchanged a few confused glances at the blond's outburst, while those in the know only grimaced at their friend's sacrifice.
"…We'll meet up for coffee on my next day off for a start then; I doubt she'd want to rush things after what happened with her last boyfriend anyways," Ragna decided. "Still it feels kind of wrong to do this; dating a teacher so that the students can have time to breathe during the school year."
"Hey! If anything it's her fault for trying taking out her breakup woes on us!" Chie shouted. "Just do what you have to, if this turns out to be hell you'll at least be done with this quickly with vacation fast approaching!"
"And then he can dump her," Weiss staunchly agreed.
"Oh yes, with gusto," Yukiko agreed.
'…What am I getting myself into?' Ragna sighed to himself as he looked at the number. "Should I call her now or-?"
"Please don't; I'd like to still have my appetite while we eat," Yosuke denied.
"Ditto," agreed Kanji.
"Right…"
"I still think he should burn it."
"Weiss, you've made your point exceptionally clear," Rise noted. "…Not that any of us disagree, but still."