The Astray Elf (Part 2)

…

It is to my great regret that even in the weeks that passed since I last met Hikigaya, I have not surmounted the challenge that still plagued me. Though I faced the monsters that now assaulted Orario before, and proved myself capable of destroying them, I nonetheless felt fear of fighting them growing in my chest. Though Tiona strode ahead with only her bare fists and Hikigaya took to my side without hesitation, I found myself faltering as I took in the enemy that had nearly killed me several weeks ago. How unbecoming of an adventurer I am, to find my resolution failing easily in the face of the same challenge, especially when innocent lives were on the line!

"Viridis, stay calm." Hikigaya's voice was calm and measured, a far cry from how he addressed me during our last encounter together. Simply glancing at him, however, made it clear to me that he was wholly concentrated the battle at hand. I remembered that he was a Step behind myself in Divinity. The confidence and assuredness that he exuded always made me believe he was closer to the gods than myself. I knew that I should have felt indignation and shame at myself as he began to instruct me, but I felt myself growing emboldened as he continued to speak to me. "Focus on what you're supposed to do. Nothing else matters at this moment."

"Y-yes." How I wished that I didn't stutter. Taking his words to heart, I began gathering magic. After our last encounter against this foe, in Under Resort, Riveria-sama had discussed with me the weaknesses of our opponent. While both of our attacks, hers of frost and mine of pure magic, had been to great effect against regular fiends, the larger monstrosity that formed of them had been greatly resistant to our attacks. Wisely, Riveria-sama surmised that magic of the Flame would have the greatest effect. "I will take on the enemies below us!"

"I'll take the rest, then." Succinctly, Hikigaya acceded to my plan, beginning to chant for his favored spell. I had not meant to take command, but I stilled my tongue as he swiftly brought forth his new stave. From the shape of the Spell Stone at the end of the black iron rod, I was able to surmise it was the one focused entirely for shaping and directing blasts of magic. How would he use it with his preference for the element of Lightning? Unlike that of other elements, Lightning surged onward without pause and sapped upon Mind quickly. I had expected him to utilize one of his staves for Amplify, to increase the power of his magic to a greater degree. Had he made a mistake? "Continuous Chain Lightning."

I began to cast the spells in my repertoire that did not rely upon my Fairy Ring. Simple spells, procured in hindsight of the new threat, such as Flame Lance and Fire Spheres, were practiced by both myself and Riveria-sama. Their chants were short, easy to remember, and their cost in Mind little in comparison. I was glad that Loki-sama thought to purchase them for both myself and Riveria-sama after she fetched the others from training with Hikigaya. They worked well against the rushing tendrils, the Lances cut and burned away the tendrils while the Spheres diverted them and caused them to crash into the surroundings.

Still, even as I cast spell after spell, I could not help but be fixated on my savior's usage of the Shaping Stave. The stream of lightning projected from the end of the Spell Stone, of which I expected to elongate endlessly, instead curved and rippled into the shape of a massive, weightless sword. He wielded it with the practiced ease that he had once used to save my life. Most of the tendrils of the fiend were met with a quick response, born from both his recent Step into Divinity and his own skill, but those that evaded the edge were met with branches from the main body that he allowed to dissipate moments later. It was a melee weapon made of pure magic, a newfound use for Staves, a display that did merit to the praise I held for him!

Hikigaya worked with me seamlessly, despite the matter of us having only met once before. I held no doubt in my mind that I would have feared having to fight with someone else, not of my Familia, at my side. Yet, knowing of the time he spent training others, turning normal adventurers into skilled and capable ones, I was able to take heart and surge forward. I elevated my barrage, making better effort into using both of my spells, and began to supplement his own efforts. I was unsurprised to find him readily altering his own plans and meshing them with my own. Soon enough I was no longer casting Spheres, as he took up the defense, and I focused entirely on using Lances to debilitate our foe.

Working in tandem with Hikigaya-kun, the battle become a blur even as more of the fiends congregated towards us as they detected our gathering magic. It was unlike any other battle I had ever fought. Though the prospect of death still lingered on my mind, the immense oppressiveness that I was plagued by was replaced with the urge to spite it. I had felt the thrill of victory many times over and this was similar. I felt… the promise of impending victory. Of one hard-earned, tenaciously-fought, and worthily-won through an intense endeavor. The decisiveness of my role, to end battles swiftly from afar, made the feeling scarcely felt… and all the more intense.

When Riveria-sama cast her spell, ending the threat for entire blocks, I felt as though the battle ended sooner than I had expected. No, I would not dare lie. Deep in my heart, I had felt as I expected many of my other Familia members did during our engagements. Giving my all, being an Adventurer at the forefront of the fight, had exhilarated me tremendously. For once, I had fought in a battle that had ended sooner than I wished it to.

All thanks to Hikigaya.

…

"You did exceptionally well, Lefiya." Riveria-sama's smile and compliment flustered me greatly. I could not remember a time when I had such praise set upon me. Nearly, I tripped as we made our way across the city to provide further aid to its denizens. Finding allies was a priority as well, but Riveria-sama decided that our objective was to eliminate as many of the fiends as possible. Having cleared a large section of the city in moments, I had no doubt that we would accomplish our goal. "Though you've had little practice in that role, I was astounded by your efficacy."

"T-thank you very much, Riveria-sama!" I desperately hoped that I was not flushed, but the heat gathering upon my face and the tips of my ears told me otherwise. Under normal circumstances I'd have hoped to hide my childish embarrassment, but my hands held onto my stave tightly. It would be remiss of me to lose my weapon through mere carelessness! For a moment, I wished to merely bask in the praise, but I soon realized that I greatly undermined Hikigaya by not speaking on his behalf. "Hikigaya-kun helped me immensely! I-I am sure that I wouldn't have been able to accomplish what I did without him!"

"Yeah, Hat-kun was all like 'Woosh!' and 'Zap!' with that sword of his!" Tiona cheered, giving a nudge to Hikigaya as he ran by her. As he gave a yelp, the smile my Amazon Familia member normally sported widened another degree. While Tione seemed to enjoy showering Finn-sama with affection, Tiona was more guileful and teasing in her affections. Or, at least, that was what I saw. The culture of the Amazons was a confusing one. Was it truly affection or mere playfulness? "Ne, Hat-kun, why'd you never use that before? It was amazing, Hat-kun!"

"First time using it." Since he was relying on combining Haste and Empower to keep up with us, Hikigaya gave Tiona a glare as he had to recovered from the slight push. My Amazon Familia member only seemed to grow happier at the attention, outright beaming at him with a massive smile. The scoff that followed from him had her giggling and forming a more pleasant smile. I was surprised by how close the two were, after such a short period of time. "Can't be done without a Focusing Stave, and even then I can't use it all the time unless I want to waste a Spell Stone."

"Such powerful magic would degrade the Spell Stone quickly. You will need many Staves to use such a technique multiple times." Riveria-sama agreed, suddenly halting atop a rooftop's chimney. We all ceased to move as she slowly turned about. Given that she was on her Sixth Step to Divinity, I had no doubt that her senses were more powerful than all of our own. I could not remember a time when a fiend ever managed to surprise her. "There is a mage in the vicinity." There was only a second of a pause before Riveria-sama pinpointed our fellow mage's location and sharply gestured towards it. "Several monsters are heading their way now! I will distract them! Hikigaya, with me! Tiona, rescue the mage, Lefiya, support her!"

We gave our affirmations to her plan and surged forward. Though a part of me wished to fight with Hikigaya as I had in the earlier battle, I knew better than to question orders for such a trivial matter. I knew that I needed to be as comfortable at the rest of my Familia's side as I was at his and Aiz's. Relying on only two people, when I had an entire Familia willing to support me, would do many a grave disservice. I would not be able to live with such a shame upon my shoulders. Each and every one of my Familia would do the same as Hikigaya and Aiz for my sake, and for that reason alone I should be able to fight as well at their side as for the one who saved my life and the one whose side I wished to reach.

Tiona and myself found the mage quickly. She was an elf that sported onyx hair and a dress of white and blue. A barrier made of golden light stood before her and the fiends. Though her attacks surged through the barrier, the fiends could not bypass it. Still, she was harried and chased as the plant beast surged through the houses and cobblestone streets. Though she stayed a step ahead of them, tendrils still managed to graze and render wounds upon her.

Rather than stay atop the roofs in relative safety, I chose to take to the ground as well, eliciting a sound of surprise from Tiona. Taking to the side of the elf, I grabbed her waist, and launched us both back as Tiona fell upon the fiend with a cry of appreciation.

"T-thank you." The elf heaved a sigh of relief as I set her down gently. I offered her what potions I had and she took them with gratitude. An appreciative smile stretched across her features. "You saved my life."

"…" I only gave a nod in return, even as I felt pleased by her words. No, I had yet to save her, the fiend still lived and until it was dealt with… neither of us were safe. Still, it was odd to say nothing after such a proclamation. After a moment, I decided on giving another nod and instructing them as Riveria-sama would in my position. "Drink, then help us defeat this monster."

As Aiz did when she faced Udaeus, and as Hikigaya did when he willingly took a blow to defeat his opponent, rather than hoping for change to come, I swore to myself that I would endeavor to make change occur.

That in mind, I turned on my heel to face my opponent with all the might I had to my name.

I could do nothing less.