Ch 34

The first rays of light pierced through the horizon, as the sun gradually made itself visible once more, and with it came a clear sight of what lay before him.

It had taken them two days to reach Ehrenhalf Village, a trip that would ordinarily take a week was cut in less than half thanks to Quartz, that besides being incredibly fast could also be viewed as an all-terrain transportation. Their carriage, however, had surely taken a beating at being put to the test.

"So that's Ehrenhalf Village huh?" A young man murmured with one hand over his squinted eyes.

With one last step and Ryou was at the edge of the ridge, and in front of the Bow Hero stood a very steep slope. Beyond it were large grassy fields, with the occasional tree here and there, but his attention was on what lay even beyond.

A great grey, almost brown stonewall cut through the fields, stretching far beyond what he could see in both directions, and right in front of him, almost resting against the wall was Ehrenhalf Village.

At first glance the village itself seemed about the size of Gentlewood, though the architecture was vastly different, almost having an Egyptian feeling to it, completely different from every other village he had seen in Melromarc. There were however a few buildings clearly out of place, possessing a more medieval look, akin to those in Castle Town.

"Ryou, we're ready."

Turning towards his partner he shot her a small smile, before nodding, "Alright, let's get this over with, but first…" Ryou stopped as he tapped the ground twice with his foot.

The earth shook lightly for a moment before something broke through the surface a few meters away. Raising from the ground seven creatures, now more than twice as long as he was tall raised their heads, releasing a soft hiss.

[Mithril-Plated Juvenile Worm]

[Level- 9]

[Exp - 350/960]

[Traits Points 3/15 - Defense Bonus(Medium), Magic Defense Bonus(Medium), Imbued Magic Core(Small), Underground Moving Speed Bonus(Medium), Health Bonus(Medium)]

[HP - 754/754]

They've grown this much in just two days huh? Looking at his worms he couldn't help but to marvel at the effectiveness of the Grow Correction abilities. Not everything could be attributed to that particular ability however, since he had also tweak them a bit using his monster's modification ability.

The augments had been only defensive in nature since he wanted to make sure they survived until they reach a level where they could be used in battle.

While their stats were rising quite nicely in his opinion, especially since the only experience they received had been from whatever monster Quartz had trampled along the way, they were still too low to deploy.

"...Alright you guys, I want you to stay under the ground and follow us until I order you otherwise." Ryou ordered, and as a tight and obedient unit, the worms bowed their heads, and burrow once more in the ground, and out of view.

Satisfied he turned once more to his party, "There. Now we can go."

Walking through the gates of Ehrenhalf village it was hard for Ryou to think that the situation was as bad as the Shadow Maid had hinted too.

The streets were full of people doing all sorts of business either in stores, stalls, or just the average merchant having his wares presented on top of some old cloth, something that should be expected from a village on the border, and one of the stops between Melromarc and Zetouble. The only thing that indicated something being wrong, was the unusual number of guards both patrolling the streets and on the walls.

"Quartz, stay close to me or you might get lost." Ryou advised as he placed his hand on top of the girl's head, "That goes for you… two…" He trailed off as he realized that the rest of his party was gone.

"One minute... How the hell did they vanished in less than one minute?" Ryou commented out loud in disbelief. Wherever he looked there were people, but no sight of green anywhere.

A pull on his sleeve had him look down towards Quartz, who was pointing to something in the distance.

"Onii-shama they're over there."

Following the finger, he finally saw Rishia and Rifana, glued to some display window. As he passed through the crowd to reach them while trying to keep Quartz near him, he realized they were passionately debating something, and that something became apparent when he got within hearing distance.

"Fuee! They're beautiful!" Rishia gushed with her hands clapped in front of her, as her head swayed from side to side.

"Right?" Rifana asked with a touch of melancholy, her tail wagging lightly behind her.

Raising an eyebrow, Ryou came to a stop behind them to see just what the girls in his party were gushing over.

"Sea jewelry huh?" He noted as he observed the variety of accessories made from seashells, coral, and other sea-based materials. "So that's what got the both of you so excited."

Rifana nodded softly, "They sure bring back a lot of memories…"

Ryou's eyes fell on the not so small demi-human girl, that now reached all the way to his chin, and he saw her eyes gaining a far-away look.

"Good ones?" He asked.

She nodded again, a small smile blossoming in her face, "Yes… Raphtalia-chan and I used to go to the beach near our village and pick all kinds of seashells." She released a tiny laugh, "Not Keel-kun though, he was always saying it was too girly."

Ryou released a nonsensical sound of amusement at the image.

"But it was Sadeena-onee-sama that always gave us the largest and most beautiful ones…"

"Sadeena?" Rishia uttered tilting her head, "You mentioned her before... The fisher from your village right?"

"Yup!" Rifana confirmed, "She always went out to dive every morning, either to fish, or just to fool around, but she was the only one who could get seashells from the ocean's floor."

"Oceans floor?" Ryou whistled in admiration, "Sounds like she had one hell of a pair of lungs."

He also had good memories of fishing, and diving in general in his youth. His paternal grandfather had made his life as a fisher, and although Ryou hardly had any memories of the man, it had been something that he had passed on to his own son. Unlike his grandfather, his father had found his calling somewhere else but still took a few days a year to go out to fish.

Looking back Ryou remembered, back than he usually found the whole thing somewhat boring, preferring to spend his time playing video games, or just hanging out with his friends. Now years later he could only remember those memories fondly, memories of a time that would never again return.

To think the day would come when I missed fishing or diving in general… He thought with fondness.

"There were a lot of aquatic demi-humans in the village, but none could beat Sadeena-onee-sama at diving…" A small giggle erupted from her mouth, even when it quirked into a small grin, "...Neither at diving nor at drinking I should say! That woman was a bottomless pit."

Ryou chuckled at that, shaking his head lightly.

Sounds like she would have made a worthy opponent for you, right Naofumi? Though he was sure his fellow hero would have been far less thrilled at the idea given what had happened the last time alcohol and the female gender had mixed together in his presence.

"Sounds like she was an interes…" Whatever Ryou was going to say was caught in his throat, as something brushed against his shoulder.

A sensation seized his heart, and his body felt as if the sky had fallen on top of him. The color from the Bow Hero's face bled, as a loud thumping noise echoed inside, and it took Ryou a moment to understand it was his own heartbeat.

What the hell?! Turning his head around, Ryou tried to catch sight of what had sent his instinct into overdrive, but could only see a multitude of people.

"R-Ryou what's wrong?" Rishia asked worriedly, as she saw the frantic look of their party leader's face.

Ryou, however, didn't even hear his partner, his eyes moving erratically over the crowd.

"Ryou?" The voice, and the hand on his arm, finally grabbed his attention and had him turn around to the worried gaze of Rishia and the rest of his party.

"Sorry…" He apologized as he took another deep breath, "I just thought I felt something."

Yet even with those words the feeling of trepidation and hopelessness still remained in his heart, and it still felt like he had just brushed shoulders with death itself.

A figure came to a stop amid the crowd. Turning its head slightly, blue slitted eyes narrowed as they surveyed it with suspicion.

"Fuse-dono is something wrong?" Another, cloaked character asked from his side.

There was a moment of quiet from the other young man, as he continued to watch the crowd, before releasing a soft grunt, "No. I just felt something mildly interesting."

"Interesting?" The cloaked figure probed.

Shaking his head, white hair that escaped from under his bandana danced with the motion, "Yes but nothing of consequence." The young man stated, before his lips turned into a frown, his eyes stopping on a nearby alley.

"Come, let us get out of this crowd." He directed lightly, already in motion towards a dark, and humid alley, between two buildings.

Reaching the alley, the cloaked figure lowered his hood revealing a male adult face, a few creases at the corner of his black eyes with a rosary swaying from his neck at the action.

"Fuse-dono when is the envoy from Faubley going to get here?" The man asked gazing at the clearly taller and younger man.

The figure named Fuse spared a look at the man before looking upwards at the sky, "It will get here when it gets here. That guy works at no other pace than his own, so he will send his minions to retrieve the merchandise when he feel like it. Though I wouldn't bet for it to be this week, nor the next one for that matter."

"You sound displeased." The man pointed out, noticing the frown on his companion's face.

The frown on Fuse's face intensified, "If it wasn't for the fact that he is willing to pay a fortune for it, I would have cut ties with him a long time ago."

The other man nodded, though confusion filled his expression, "Still what would someone as esteemed as one of the Seven Star Heroes, want with such a beast."

"Dear old Takt likes to obtain unique things, specifically unique female things, though being the Whip Hero he can't be bothered to collect them himself, so he normally either sends his minions to get it, or he buys them." Fuse revealed as he doubled the corner of the dark alley.

"I see…" The man mumbled, though his tone of voice made it abundantly clear he didn't.

"He as an ability thanks to his Vassal Weapon that allows for monsters raised by him to change into humans. In short, he's just creating a harem of female human-like monsters… Though he as a few demi-humans too."

Demi-humans… Loathing filled the man's mind and expression, as he thought about the barbaric creatures that continue to poison their world with their existence.

"I never quite understood his fixation with collecting rare monsters or breeds of demi-humans, but for some reason the rarer it was the more excited he got." Fuse pondered, as his thoughts went to the time he had been part of the Whip Hero's party, "What I can tell you is that it was pure torment the time I spent with them. Those harpies did nothing but squeal, and worship him at every corner. A minute didn't pass were I didn't felt like snapping their little necks…"

It would have been a favor to this world… The other man admitted to himself with a small grin, as he pictured the man in front of him breaking the necks of those loathsome creatures.

"...Nonetheless, the time I spent with him was amazingly beneficial, even if I had to lick his boots everyday…" Fuse confessed, as his eyes went to his hand before clenching it in a fist, a fist covered with a leather glove, something he had picked up from the Whip Hero.

A buffoon he might be, but even I can deny he had a pretty good fashion sense… That had been true even during their time in Faubley's college. The place where he had first met the Whip Hero, and even before being awarded the right to wield a Vassal Weapon, Fuse had seen the potential in the prodigious youth, and how advantageous building a friendship with him could be.

Shaking his head of memories he would rather forget, Fuse came to a stop. His eyes surveyed the back alley establishment door, before raising them to the sign above the weathered entrance.

[Sinner's Paradise]

Sigh…" I really need to change the name of this place, even if it rings true in some ways…" Fuse stated almost exasperated.

"But Fuse-dono, I was the one who chose the name!" The man interjected.

Sending his companion a side glance, Fuse raised an eyebrow, "That's the only thing I find funny about it. How did someone so devoted to religion come up with such a name?"

"It's a misdirection! No one would ever connect such a name to our esteemed church." The man explained almost haughtily as he closed his eyes and nodded to himself.

Since his eyes were closed he never saw the expression that came over Fuse, as his eyebrow twitched.

That as to be the stupidest thing I have ever heard in my life… Anyone with half a brain that knows what their little cult is all about would easily figure it out...

"Whatever, that's not relevant right now, " With that, Fuse pushed the door and walked in, the other man following a second later.

At first glance, the establishment couldn't be distinguished from any other brothel. With a few chairs and couches, a couple of customers were seated on them, faces that Fuse recognized as regulars, near them dancing were a couple of female demi-humans, clad in about as much cloth as he had in his gloves.

His blue slitted eyes moved to another less familiar face that was being led by the hand to the upper floor, courtesy of a blond human girl. His captivated expression told Fuse that the man would soon become a regular too.

Ignoring the surface activities of the establishment, he locked eyes with the man at the counter and motioned with his head towards the door behind him.

The man's small pleased smile broadened, as he quickly opened the door for Fuse, and his companion to walk in, before following them into a dusty small room.

Closing the door behind him the owner addressed the man with all the enthusiasm of a small child, " Fuse-dono what a surprise! I didn't expect to see you here so soon."

Crossing his arms over his broad chest Fuse scoffed at the man's enthusiasm, "Enough with the fake pleasantries Fusir, they don't suit you."

"I apologize, it's a habit, especially when dealing with sheep for so long." The man's smile dropped a fraction as his tone changed, "So what is it that brought you back here so soon? Have you come to seek your own brand of entertainment again?"

"Unfortunately no, not right now, I'm just dropping by to warn you that someone will soon be delivering some merchandise specifically for me and that she is not to be touched until I return." Fuse commanded sternly, with a pointed look towards Fusir.

"Ohhh! Something specifically for you Fuse-dono? I'm excited!" Fusir exclaimed, before reigning himself once more as a glare found his person, "I do have to ask though, who will be making this delivery?"

Fuse eyed the man for a few seconds before answering, "Malty Melromarc."

"The First Princess?! She's coming here?!" Fuse's companion cried out in shock.

"Yes. Apparently, she has some baggage she wants to get rid of, and from the letter she sent me, it sounds just like the type of toy I enjoy the most." Fuse finished with a smirk.

His companion shuddered at the admission. He knew what kind of toys Fuse enjoyed playing with, and it always left a bad taste in his mouth.

"So the innocent humankind I take it?" Fusir asked in a giddy fashion.

"You know me too well Fusir." Fuse smirked as he leaned against a wall, "They are the best kind. They are always the ones that give out the best screams before they break…"

Fusir placed his hands on his cheeks, as he chuckled to himself.

"I wonder what this person did to have evoked Malty-sama's wrath in such a way?" The other man questioned, mostly to himself.

Fuse, however, raised an eyebrow in his direction, "You haven't the smallest idea of what kind of person your princess is, do you? One would assume the previous Captain of Melromarc's knights would at least have an idea of the devil that exists in the royal family."

"D-Devil?" The ex-captain stuttered in shock at hearing such a description being made at their country's princess.

"Indeed…" Fuse remarked with amusement, "Let me give you a piece of advice. Malty in some ways is even more twisted than I am. Just some food for thought."

The Ex-captain eyes widened but he offered no response.

"Sounds like you and the princess have a lot in common, Fuse-dono." Fusir ventured in curiosity.

"We were associates in college nothing more." Fuse offered, before moving away from the wall, "That being said I still have a few transactions to make, so I trust that the present she is bringing will be in pristine condition when I return."

Fusir clapped his hands, and nodded, "Of course Fuse-dono! However, does that mean I shouldn't use the normal procedure?"

Fuse mulled over the question for a few moments before shaking his head, "No, you are allowed to brand her, I wouldn't want to return only to find she ran away."

"The same as always then?" Fusir asked with a knowing smile.

"Of course. You know how I hate to have my blood used in that ritual. Brand her to your name." Fuse ordered.

"It will be done!" Fusir agreed.

"Good." The blue slitted-eyed man nodded, as his eyes went to another door, "Now with that dealt with, go get me the merchandise. The sooner I'm done with these transactions the sooner I can return to enjoy my new toy."

"Indeed." Fusir quipped as he walked over to the door. Opening it revealed a dark staircase, and in moments the man was gone disappearing in the darkness.

"As for you…" Fuse stated as his eyes moved from the door to the Ex-captain, "...I want you to lay low until I return. According to her letter, Malty is now part of one of the Legendary Yuusha's party, so no doubt he will follow, and while she clearly stated he is an idiot, I don't want to risk him catching wind of our operation. Is that clear?"

The man's head shot up straight at being addressed, having been lost in thought over the information pertaining their princess, "Of course Fuse-dono, I will tell my man to do the same until you're return."

"See to it that you do." Fuse warned lightly, "Also, I heard this region got itself a new noble. The previous one was an idiot and that played in our favor, but I know nothing about this new one... Is he going to be a problem?"

The previous captain shook his head from side to side, "No. Lady Adamalys is Lord Rabier's younger sister and a fellow devout. She has also been briefed on what is happening, so I'm sure she won't be a problem at all."

"That piggy has a sister huh..." Fuse noted with mild interest, "I wonder if she also shares her brother's hobbies."

"I wouldn't know, she is a very discreet one, or maybe shrewd would be more accurate. The only thing I know is that Balmus-sama pulled a lot of strings and called in on a lot of favors to have her established as the ruler of this region."

"He did, did he?" Fuse mused out loud.

"I only received bits and pieces of information, but from what I know the arrangement was done in a very swift manner, and there are some rumors among my man that her appointment was just a cover-up, and that she was sent here to retrieve something for his excellency." The man explained in a hushed tone.

"Probably some old religious relic. You faith addicts love to go crazy about those kinds of things." Fuse dismissed almost indifferently.

The ex-captain, however, shuffled in place, before shaking his head once more, "I don't know Fuse-dono, but I know that with the way it was done, and in such a short time-frame that whatever she might have been sent to retrieve, as to be incredibly valuable and there is a lot of urgency in retrieving it."

Fuse hummed, "So maybe it isn't some relic, but it hardly matters anyway. As long as she isn't a problem and lets me do as I please we won't have a problem."

Whatever the other man was going to say was cut off as the sound of whistling along with that of rattling chains could be heard, and slowly Fusir emerged from the staircase with his lips pursed, as he gave another pull on two chains in his grip.

Slowly from the staircase two figures emerged. Unquestionably female, both girls walked slowly into the room, clad in nothing but rugs, their eyes dead as a rotting corpse, and as far as the Ex-Captain was concerned they might as well be considered as such.

He felt no pity for the smallest one since she belonged to the race of beings he despised the most, even if she no longer possessed the traits that marked her as a Demi-human. Long gone were the ears and tail that held similarity with that of a wolf, having been removed during one of the sessions that Fuse called playtime.

The oldest one did fill him with a small sense of revolt however. As one of the Captains of Melromarc Knights, he had fought for his country and their religion for countless years. A country that knew were true purity lied, humans. The one true pure race, and the only one worthy of the lord's blessing.

Necessary Evil… Those had been his excellency, Balmus-sama words when he had first described the need for selling their citizens into slavery. While it could be deemed as an abominable sin, it was nothing when compared to the possibility of their church losing its place as the main religion in Melromarc do to the lack of resources.

Just the thought of it being replaced with something like the Church of the Four Heroes filled the Ex-Captain with a sense of righteous fury, and it had dispelled most of his reservations.

He would sooner die a thousand deaths before allowing a religion that worshiped the Shield Hero to gain root in his country.

Especially when god's justice is in the process of being delivered… He reminded himself. Already the largest blight on his country's soil had been expunged by his, and his comrades hands when they had burned the unholy settlement that had been Lurolona to the ground and delivered God's sentence on those devils that inhabited it.

It had been clear even before that, that Lurolona's destruction had been the will of the lord, if not for what reason had the first wave of calamity struck there?

And to protect God's will in this world, we all have to make sacrifices… He recognized as his eyes fell on the human female once more. It did hurt him that such sacrifices were needed, but human slavery in Melromarc was far more profitable than demi-human one since it was prohibited, so the very few that had the means to dip their hand in such a market, had the right to sell their merchandise at the price they wanted.

Until God's will is done, we have no choice but to thread on forbidden grounds…

...After all, nothing was more important than God...

With a motion of his hand, the dragon of his party came to a stop, near the edge of a green meadow, and in front of a heavily dense forest. The only place cleared of vegetation would be the one road that led deeper into a small bordering country and towards Zetouble.

A small jump later, Ryou landed on the ground in front of Quartz as he surveyed the area. Besides the forest in front of him, there was a ledge half a football field to his left, that from what he had been able to observe during the trip, led to a very big drop ending on a pristine lake at the bottom.

Better stay clear from that, I don't want to find out if my Hero abilities protect me from falling into a lake at near terminal velocity…

"Alright girls, you know what to do, so let's get this show started!" He directed.

"Okay!" Quartz chimed in, before dashing into the forest with Rishia in tow.

After having visited the mansion where the noble in charge of the region lived, Ryou had been briefed on the circumstances at hand. Much to his surprise, the nobility had turned out to be a young, and charming woman that had been appointed almost at moment's notice, due to the ineptitude of the previous lord.

Politics at its best… Although with rather unfortunate timing, such a situation while uncommon even in his previous world, wasn't unheard of, where a leader got released from his position when he couldn't present a solution to a crisis.

Adamalys had however been able to gather a few bits of information about the general situation on short notice, and had explained that the first evidence of the attacks had been found almost a month prior. At the time no one had batted an eye at it since the roads were far from safe, and if a merchant or traveler wanted to spare some coin at the cost of protection, then whatever came to pass would be on them.

The problems started as the attacks begun to escalate both in severity and frequency, causing problems for the village, and to a lesser degree to the whole country of Melromarc. As caravans that brought very essential merchandise from Zetouble and other surrounding countries started to dwindle, over fear of the attacks, the former lord had issued patrols along the main road.

According to what Adamalys what been able to uncover from the guards at Ehrenhalf Village, those patrols seemed to work for a few days, but before long even those guards and knights started disappearing, and sometimes the following patrol would find them, or what was left of them.

After that, the Lord of Ehrenhalf had lost almost all credibility so the very few merchants who just couldn't stop their trade begun to hire adventurers from Zetouble, classed-up ones at that, and once more it seemed like Ehrenhalf had finally received a much-needed break, however it did not last, as a far more terrifying creature begun to be sighted, one that even classed-up adventurers were no match for.

It almost seems like every time they come up with a solution the situation escalates further…Ryou had thought back then.

With his reputation and position on the brink, the Noble had issued an urgent quest around the entire country, nevertheless, the powers that be had decided that he should be replaced with someone more competent.

The young woman had acknowledged that there hadn't been much that her predecessor could have done in such a situation, but there was a need to have someone take accountability, so the man had lost both his position and his status as noble.

After explaining the situation Adamalys had promised to help Ryou in any way she could, and while it seemed like she earnestly wanted to solve the situation, the Bow Hero had wondered if she too was just afraid that the fate that befell on her predecessor would fall on her too.

"So your plan is for us to stand here, while you shoot at those gryphons?" Rifana questioned from his side, with a touch of annoyance.

Ryou nodded, "Yup… You heard Lady Adamalys, she said this forest is theming to the brink with gryphons, so it's the perfect place to start."

Rifana frowned as she looked into the forest where Quartz and Rishia had disappeared a moment prior, "I also wanted to help."

He sent her a side look, "I know, but I'm not sending you into the thick of things when we don't know exactly what we are dealing with here. Besides you were there when Lady Adamalys told us what happened to the knights and guards that were sent to patrol that road."

Rifana's frown deepened at being remembered of that particular detail, "You still sent Rishia, and Quartz in there knowing that."

"They can take care of themselves, also they have experience fighting monsters stronger then they are. I trust them to retreat if the situation calls for it." Ryou explained, before taking a small breath, " You, on the other hand, are still learning how to fight, and have hardly seen battle so I'm not risking it."

The demi-human girl huffed, her face going to the side.

Her action so teenager-like had Ryou release a small smile. He knew from experience how fast demi-humans could grow, but Rifana had Raphtalia beaten in that regard, no doubt because she had leveled much faster than her friend. Her body was still lagging behind somewhat, but that didn't surprise Ryou, after all, magical world or not, there had to be limits on how much one could grow in a single day.

"Why are you smiling, Ryou?" She almost demanded, irritation clear in her voice.

"Nothing… Nothing at all, I'm just happy." ...happy that you got a chance at getting angry at such simple things. That you actually have a chance to grow and experience life...

"Happy?" She uttered confused, then her eyes narrowed at some memory, "This wouldn't have anything to do with that woman would it?"

The Bow Hero blinked, unable to understand what his newest companion was getting at.

"Ohh don't make that face! I saw those looks she kept sending you! She wasn't even subtle about the fact that she wanted to take a bite at you!" Rifana exclaimed heatedly.

"W-What are you talking about?" Ryou stuttered in shock.

"Ohh come on…" She huffed once more throwing her arms in the air, "It was so obvious! The moment you announced yourself as the Yumi-no Yuusha I could almost swear her eyes began to shine!"

"I-I… Okay so maybe she was a little too friendly, but that's to be expected from nobles as far as us heroes are involved you know." Ryou tried to explain.

Sure he had noticed the woman had been a little bit of a flirt, throwing the off-handed compliment here and there but she had remained professional for the most part.

"Little friendly my tail…" She muttered, before looking at him straight in the eye, "You should learn where to draw a line, or else Rishia is going to get sad you know!"

Ryou felt his face heat up slightly at the accusation, "W-What exactly are you implying?!"

Her lip's broke into a grin, one that left Ryou feeling like a small child all over again, "Ohh I think you know exactly what I'm implying."

BOOOM!

An explosion rocked the area, with its epicenter in the direction where Quartz and Rishia had disappeared.

Saved by the bell, or in this case Rishia's handiwork… Ryou thought as he released a breath of relief. He wouldn't consider himself to be such an idiot as to not recognize the meaning behind her words, though he was left with the question of why she had an interest in that particular topic in the first place.

Scree!

Squinting his eyes towards the shriek, Ryou finally had eyes on his new enemy. Over a dozen creatures flew out of the forest, about half the size of Quartz, brown plumage covered most of their bodies, besides the white head, and wings. Half-lion half-eagle, he took a moment to appreciate the creatures straight out of mythology.

"So those are gryphons huh…" Ryou commented as he extended his arm forward, "Guess it's time to go to work. Change Bow: Siderite Longbow!"

Following the command along with a golden glow, a longbow materialized itself. Almost pure golden, with a few shreds of lime green crystal, the weapon that unlocked Itsuki's favorite skill finally rested in his grip.

He had hoped that since Erhard had the shield, then maybe the blacksmith also had the Bow equivalent. His wishes were answered, and even if Erhard had explained that he didn't have a big stock when it came to bows since people ordinarily preferred melee weapons, the ones he had were all quite handy.

Time to see if this thing is worth all the hype…

Placing his new bow in front of him, he took aim at the same time the monsters registered their presence, and in a moment they were dashing above the tree line, straight at them.

"Shooting Star Arrow!"

Calling out his new skill, his legendary weapon answered, as golden bolts of lighting gathered on the tip of his arrow, generating an almost blinding light, then the attack was released. More than two times wider than Ryou was tall, a blast of golden lightning reminiscent of a comet erupted forward with a roar, fracturing the ground under the Hero as it soared above the trees engulfing four of the gryphons in its path. Reaching the apex of its ascension the golden blast arced, slowing down momentarily, before crashing down on the ground like its namesake.

The remaining eagled-headed monsters stopped in their onslaught suddenly wary of the newest threat. Similarly, Ryou was busy picking his mouth off the ground, as the dust cleared, revealing nothing of the monsters that had been hit almost as if they had been vaporized by the attack, the only proof they ever existed being the experience points registered in his HUD.

"Holy Jesus…" Ryou breathed out, wide-eyed in both awe and wonder at the power he had just unleashed.

"A-Amazing…" Rifana marveled, as she too stood rooted in place at the display of strength.

I don't remember this thing being anywhere near this devastating in the Anime… Ryou regarded as he glanced at his new bow for an instant, sunlight reflecting from it.

[Siderite Longbow - Sealed - Mastery 1/100 - Common - Equipment Bonus - + 10 Attack, Shooting Star Arrow]

This thing isn't even powered up, like at all, so either the anime toned it down, or… He hesitated in drawing such a conclusion since there was no feasible way for him to compare himself to Itsuki at the moment.

"Doesn't really matter though." Ryou smirked, as he once more faced the opposition that was still hovering in the air above the forest, "I am mastering this thing asap!"

With that declaration, he broke into a short dash, before leaping. Landing sideways half-way a tree trunk, he began racing upwards until he reached the top.

"Ryou what are you doing?" Rifana shouted from below.

The Bow Hero, however, paid her no mind, as he continued to grin like a maniac and took aim once more.

"Let's turn this up a notch, shall we? Rapid Shooting Star Arrow!"

His SP took a major hit at the combination of skills, but once more lighting condensed on the tip of his arrow, yet, instead of one, three blasts were released in quick succession at varying angles, and screeching filled the air before it was dwarfed by the roaring golden blasts that reduced the gryphons into nothing but particles.

Just as he was about to release another volley, the tree he was perched on swayed drastically almost making him lose his balance. The cause became visible as a gryphon came charging, and screeching out of the forest, its golden slitted eyes locked on the weasel demi-human.

Rifana's eyes widened slightly at the beast charging towards her before they narrowed in focus, and she clapped her hands in front of her, "As source of my power I order thee. Decipher the laws of Nature, and create a wall that protects me!"

Crouching, the girl slapped both her palms on the ground as she intoned, "Faust Earth Wall!"

From the earth in front of her, a brown magical circle expanded, and the ground quaked as a square wall made of solid rock rose in front of the girl, just in time to stop the attack as the Gryphon slammed beak first into the wall with such a force that it cracked. A moment later the winged monster fell on its side twitching, as reddish foam began to escape its broken beak.

Ryou blinked at the scene watching as two hands gripped the wall from behind, a face peering between them a moment later.

Looking down almost confused Rifana observed the downed creature as its hind legs twitched lightly. With newfound confidence, she took a few steps towards it, pulling her mithril sword out of its sheath before raising it vertically above her head with a two-handed grip. The blow came down finding purchase in the gryphon's eye, coming out on the other side as the creature jerked one last time before coming to a complete stop.

The girl blinked as realization began to creep on her, and then she grinned, as she raised her sword in the air towards the Bow Hero.

"Ha! Did you see that, Ryou?"

"Well, would you look at that…" Ryou mirrored her grin with one of his own as he placed a hand on his hip, "...seems to me like someone has been learning more than just swordplay from Rishia when I wasn't looking, huh?"

"Hehehe!" Rifana giggled almost as if embarrassed as she scratched her chin with one finger. "It's like you said, we should try learning all kinds of things, right?"

Ryou nodded at her. That had been one lesson he had learned the hard way, and since then he tried to impart it to every one of his party members. The importance of some diversification, something he had lacked when he had almost became wolf food.

Nowadays he had a mix of mobility skills, crowd control, and offensive skills, he could even rely on his magic, as lackluster as it was.

It was normal for someone to specialize in one thing alone unless they were Rishia who was able to use to great effect everything she as much as touched, but jack-of-all-trades were the exception, not the majority rule, and even then he had pushed his partner to learn swordsmanship. Even Quartz with her unorthodox fighting style could change forms and could also attack in different ways all in a blink of an eye, from earth-shaking punches to bone-crushing bites or a living flamethrower if the situation called for it. As such he had tried to explain to Rifana the value of always having a backup plan, and it became apparent the girl had taken his words to heart.

His musings were interrupted as a familiar feeling developed, creating an annoying itch in the back of his head, one that had Ryou jumping sideways, not a moment too soon as the top of the tree he had been standing on was ripped apart by an almost unseen force.

Landing on top of another tree, he was quick to locate the new threat. Similar to the others, another gryphon stood higher in the air, with a visible difference- its plumage a reddish-brown, almost like wine.

The creature gave a shriek as it folded its wings in front of itself, a moment later they lashed outwards, releasing a gust of wind in his direction like an air cannon.

So they can use magic too huh? Not all that surprising, Rishia did mention that they were at the top of the food chain along with dragons and filorials… The Bow Hero reminded himself, as he dodged another blast.

Landing once more, he was quick to take aim and release another Shooting Star Arrow. The skill found its target, however, his eyes narrowed, noting that unlike his other attacks, this one had only taken out a single gryphon since the other creatures had fanned out.

Smart little buggers ain'tcha? Well, two can play that game… "Change Bow: Gryphon Feathered Bow!"

With another screech the gryphons dive towards him from various angles, keeping their distance from one another.

"Rapid Air Strike Arrow Barrage!" Releasing his upgraded attack courtesy of having evolved his bow, a barrage of nine arrows flew in quick succession, though only less than half hit their intended target.

At the same time two new explosions erupted from the forest. Ryou, however, paid no attention to it as he dived towards the ground avoiding a claw that tried to rearrange his face.

Touching down, he jumped backward again, to avoid another diving monster, who slammed on the ground where he had just been standing.

The creature raised itself and released a roar that actually shook him slightly, mostly do to how threatening it sounded, a lion's roar, and a hiss mixed together, before charging.

Pulling his weapon back, Ryou slammed it against the mythical monster's open beak bringing the charge to a standstill, as the dry ground under his feet cracked from the impact.

"My attack attribute doesn't just mean I deal more damage, it affects my strength as well buddy." Ryou quipped, watching the gryphon struggling against his bow before an arrow to the mouth put the creature down for good.

The small breathing window, had him looking towards the top of the trees that composed the forest, as more and more gryphons took to the skies.

"Quartz, you and Rishia might want to stop stirring up the hornet's nest for a little bit, things are getting a little heated over here." Ryou voiced in his mind but outwards.

"Why? These birds are weak…" Quartz answered through their telepathic link.

"For us maybe…" The Bow Hero paused, as he slapped away a claw with his bow, before following with a sidekick sending the offender crashing against a lone tree."...but Rifana is not as strong as we are, and these things are pretty smart."

"Stupid birds are stupid, Onii-shama."

Releasing a barrage of wind coated arrows, Ryou cleared another wave of diving gryphons, as he put some distance between him and the forest.

"Do you hate anything that's bird-like?" he questioned.

"Bird-like? Quartz doesn't understand Onii-shama…"

"Nevermind just take a break... Okay?"

"Okay… Onee-shama is being loud again anyways…" There was a small amount of annoyance in his dragon's voice.

Geez, I wonder why that is… He thought sarcastically, before turning his attention to Rifana who was weaving around avoiding a gryphon's slashes, apparently trying to find an opening to attack.

The opening never came nor was needed, as an arrow punctured a fist-sized hole in the creature's head a moment later.

"Rifana! Fall back so I can take them all out at once!" Ryou ordered as he began running in the opposite direction of the forest and towards the green plains.

"Okay!" She shouted, falling in step with the Bow Hero a moment later.

A cacophony of screeches alerted Ryou to the fact that the gryphons had seen the running prey, and had given chase. Turning his head slightly he almost grinned, as the winged monsters once more bundled together in the air, and with a quick calculation he came to a stop.

"Change Bow: Balista!" He called out while turning around, and from his hand, a far greater glow shined, as his siege weapon materialized.

Hunching slightly to get a better shot, he locked on the ball composed of gryphons, trying desperately to reach him.

"Rapid Flaming Arrow!" Pressing the trigger, three flaming bolts like missiles were released, flying straight into the heart of the coming wave.

Reaching the center the projectiles detonated magnificently, and in an instant a roaring ball of fire filled the skies in front of the Bow Hero, leaving behind nothing besides falling flaming corpses unto the green plains.

Good thing I didn't do this above the forest or Rishia would have given me hell… He chuckled to himself, dismissing his weapon, however, something else caught his attention at the corner of his view.

[ 0 EXP Gained]

[ 0 EXP Gained]

[ 0 EXP Gained]

"Huh, why aren't they giving experience all of the sudden?" Ryou queried with a frown.

"I'm still gaining experience though…" Rifana interjected coming up to his side, her Status Window visible in front of her.

"I was wondering what those explosions were about…" An annoyed voice came from behind Ryou, and he turned around as his eyes widened slightly.

"Ren?" Ryou asked in surprise at the sight of his fellow Hero.

Clad in his usual black and blue armor, the teen stood just a few meters from him with his arms crossed, but what truly got Ryou's attention was the mighty scowl on the Sword Hero's face.

"What exactly do you think you're doing?" The Sword Hero's words were uttered almost like an hiss, and for the life of him, Ryou couldn't understand why Ren's tone and glare seemed to regard him as his worst enemy at the moment.

The heck is up with him..?