What You Can Do For Now Pt 1

For every solid step forward, I seem to take twice as many stumbling falls. But at least I'm moving forward.

I think. I hope.

My investigation is just as slow going. I have discovered that Tanya von Degurechaff… is really weird. That's pretty much the only solid conclusion I've come too. She's just so utterly baffling.

I do know three things, at least.

1: She's not evil. It sounds ridiculous, but I've been so convinced otherwise for so long that this is honestly a revelation in its own right. She's an asshole, and a bit self-centered, but she's not a fundamentally bad person.

I still don't know how to feel about this. It's just… odd.

2: She's a workaholic. Like, seriously. I'm honestly impressed. And also a bit… worried? No, no way. That's not it. Mildly concerned, maybe, but only because she's technically my provider right now. I don't exactly want her collapsing from exhaustion.

And it seems like her, well, I guess they're her friends, think the same. Degurechaff has been given strict instructions to take an entire week off, minimum. And Shuna all but ordered me to let her know if I saw Degurechaff doing anything even mildly strenuous.

And speaking of strenuous, that brings me to number three. There's more than three, really, but these are the ones that stick out at this very moment.

3: She's powerful. Extremely powerful. Magically, she's one of the strongest around. Technique-wise, she's incredibly efficient in both close and ranged combat. Case in point, I haven't managed to land a single blow on her in the three times we've fought in this world. And I even used my Unique Skill in the latter two.

And physically…

…Ah.

Well, she's pretty strong, I guess.

-=-=-=-

Title Card by (@tanjaded)

-=-=-=-

Evening

Tempest Executives' Private Hot Spring Facility

Tempest, Jura Tempest Federation

"…and here's the bath itself. There's one for the men in a separate area, of course." Shuna gestured with a hand, the other maintaining a precautionary grasp on her towel.

"We had a hot spring the whole time and I never knew about it. I've been bathing in cold water for nothing." Mary dropped her head, "Fuck my life. I miss Legadonia."

"Er, you might want to step to the side."

"Huh?" Mary raised her head, an eyebrow shooting up. Shuna pointed back inside the changing room in lieu of an explanation.

"Wahahaha!!!"

Eyes rapidly widening, Mary scrambled to the side, her hands grasping at her own towel as Milim barreled by and jumped into the bath. Water went everywhere, the splash zone nearly reaching her and Shuna.

Mary could only stare incredulously. Shuna nodded, giving her a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

"It happens every time, I'm afraid."

"Right…" Mary glanced at her, then at the bath once more. She blinked. "Ah, why is Rimuru here?"

"Why wouldn't he be?" Shuna tilted her head.

Mary stared at her for a moment.

"…Well, you just said 'he', for starters."

"Rimuru is a slime, which makes him entirely agender." Another voice piped up, this time from the bath itself.

Mary's gaze shot in that direction, finally noticing Degurechaff reclining against the rocky edge of the bath. Her arms were out to either side, a towel covering her eyes as she rested her head on top of… a tiny red slime?

What?

Degurechaff reached up with one hand, peeling the towel back slightly.

"The 'he/him' is a carryover from his past life." One of those vibrant teal eyes stared back at her, "Don't think too much about it."

"'They' is fine too!" Rimuru, in slime form and currently being held over Milim's head, quickly added. "Milim, be more careful with me!"

"There you go." Degurechaff let the towel drop back over her eyes, completely ignoring Rimuru's protests. Something Milim seemed to be doing as well.

"Don't dunk me- Milim!"

Degurechaff sunk a bit further into the bath, fully relaxing once more.

"I don't-" Mary hesitated, desperately trying to think of an appropriate response.

She couldn't think of anything, oddly enough. In the meantime, her eyes ran over Degurechaff's toned arms, scars both faded and not only further standing out against flushed skin and muscle.

How many of those are my fault?

There was also something else she couldn't quite put her finger on.

…Huh. The spring that fed this bath must be extremely hot. For some reason, her face was warm, and she hadn't even gotten in the water yet.

Shuna patted her on the shoulder once more, before making her way to the bath's edge.

"Head in whenever you're ready." The pink haired Kijin called back, quickly slipping into the bath and relaxing next to Degurechaff. On the opposite side of the bath, Milim continued to swim around, Rimuru now balanced precariously on the top of her head. She seemed to be making a game of it, in fact, which Rimuru clearly did not enjoy.

"Is Lord Rimuru here?" Came a voice from behind her. Shion strolled by, her footsteps – right, her footsteps, that's all – bouncy and upbeat. Her eyes quickly went wide, as she noticed the slime's predicament. "Ah, there you are! Milim, be more careful with our Lord."

"Your lord! My bestie!"

Shion rushed forward, causing several, ah, unfortunate accidents to occur in quick succession.

"Shion, your towel!" Shuna yelled embarrassedly, already moving over to cover the other Kijin up. The water around her was disrupted by her hurried movements, the liquid debris very nearly splashing Degurechaff.

Nearly.

Without looking or moving in the slightest, the blonde blocked it the errant droplets with a quick application of her active barrier. A moment later, the barrier fizzled away, Degurechaff continuing to give no indication whatsoever that anything had happened.

Mary could only stare at it all.

Yep. This is my life now.

Her eyes darted to Degurechaff once more.

From the deepest, furthermost bottom portion of my soul… what?

-=-=-=-

Two Weeks Later

Northern Training Field

Tempest, Jura Tempest Federation

Clack!

"Good!" Hakurou jumped back, dodging a follow up slash. "You've improved again, I see."

Mary pressed her advantage, water swirling around her bokken as it flowed directly towards its target. Hakurou countered with his own water-infused strike, his Crestwater Slash crashing against Mary's.

"And you've all but mastered my Water Arts."

Mary refused to respond, putting all her energy into forcing their wooden blades apart.

Hakurou let her, flowing backwards with the push. Immediately, Mary was on him again, this time swinging downward.

Hakurou made to block, only for Mary to pull the slash directly down at the last second, striking the ground below instead. Water rose from the impact like a geyser.

He narrowed his eyes, quickly spinning and holding his sword out. A split second later, Mary appeared behind him, her throat coming to rest perfectly against the blunted edge.

She froze, her eyes widening.

"But, you still have much to learn." Hakurou pulled his magisteel-reinforced bokken back.

"How did you..." Mary blinked, slowly sheathing her matching bokken at her side.

"You may have obstructed my vision with the water, but I could hear you moving around me." Hakurou shifted into something Mary had come to recognize as 'lecture mode'. Oddly enough, it was the exact same tone of voice Degurechaff tended to use for it. "You were also too close to me. Your movement is fast, but without purpose. It's halted. Hesitant. And without greater space, your acceleration suffers. A result of your magic, perhaps?"

"Maybe." Mary sighed. "It still doesn't flow the way it should. It just… lags behind sometimes."

"It's not a terrible thing. You should be proud that your natural power causes such a conundrum in the first place. But you don't feel that way, I can see. Care to share with an old man?"

"You don't look a day over 50, Sensei."

"You flatter me. " Hakurou stroked his beard. "But this old man has a bit more experience than that. Tell me outright. Are you dissatisfied with your improvement?"

"Well…" Mary looked away. "It's not that, it's just… I guess I am? I don't know how to feel about a lot of things anymore. I just feel… lost. Have I really improved all that much?"

"You have. I can name on less than two hands the ones who have been able to master my Water Arts like you have, or even make use of them at all." Hakurou frowned, "Your improvement isn't a problem, certainly not. What you lack is something far less concrete, I fear."

"Yeah, I fear that too." Mary muttered.

"You're improving, and will continue to improve. Of this I have no doubt." Hakurou's aged gaze held Mary in place. "But without purpose or raison d'etre, I'm not sure this issue will become resolved."

It was silent for a moment.

"Let's try and strike at the heart of the matter. Mary, what are your current goals? What purpose do you have for getting stronger? Start there."

"…I'm not sure what my purpose is. Not anymore."

Mary studiously avoided his gaze, focusing instead the somewhat scratched wood of her bokken.

"I do- I know that I want to help people. I've always wanted to help people, I think. Whether through God, through being a good daughter, or…" She took a long pause, "…even at war, I thought that I could help people. When Degurechaff and I…"

She hesitated again. Hakurou silently implored her to continue.

"…For the longest time, I thought she was evil. A devil in the form of a girl. And I thought, by killing her and winning the war, I'd be saving lives. I was wrong. Instead, I was just acting as a puppet for some damn-" Mary's hands shook. She clenched them into fists, "When I came to this world, any divine purpose or justification disappeared. But that's all I was, for the longest time. What am I supposed to do after that?"

She shook her head.

"So for now, I want to help people. And I'm trying my best to improve, but I'm still too weak to do anything! Meanwhile, I look over at Degurechaff, or Benimaru, or even Rimuru, and see their improvement every day! It's like their power grows every time I look. How am I supposed to close a gap that never stops widening? And what's the point in trying to protect others when I can't even protect myself?"

Hakurou sighed, feeling his age for the first time in a while. He rested his sword on his shoulder, before stepping forward.

"Mary," He said, stopping directly in front of her, "What do you know of Tanya's abilities?"

"Huh?" Mary blinked. "Well, not a lot. We don't exactly… talk. It's not like we hate each other anymore, but we're nowhere near being on close terms. At least, I don't think she hates me. Then again…" Her face deadpanned, "I can't help but wonder if sticking me with Demon Lord babysitting duty is some sort of sick revenge."

"Well, that's…" Hakurou coughed lightly into his fist. "Anyways, allow this old man to bestow upon you some wisdom. If, let's say Gobta, were to constantly compare his strength to someone like Lord Rimuru, he'd probably quit outright. Wouldn't you say?"

"Well, yeah." Mary raised an eyebrow. "Rimuru is terrifying. Gobta to him is like a garden snake to Jörmungandr."

"Ah, good. You do understand." Hakurou poked her in the forehead. "So, why are you doing the same thing?"

"Huh?"

"If you constantly compare yourself to Tanya, or Benimaru, or others, you'll never see your own improvement. People like them, and Tanya and Lord Rimuru especially, are in a separate class of their own. Focus on yourself first." He let his hand drop. "If nothing else, I encourage you to speak with her later. I'm sure she'll tell you the same thing. Ask about her Skills, too. You never know what might come up."

"And, for purpose?"

"That, I'm afraid, is something only you can figure out." Hakurou , "For now, focus on what you can do and work from there. Even if it's a stopgap, I think helping people is a fine goal to work towards. Though I think Tanya could advise you there as well. Just speak with her. It can only help."

-=-=-=-

Later that Morning

Unmarked Office, Assembly Hall

Tempest, Jura Tempest Federation

"Are you sure?" Tanya frowned. She tapped her fingers on the couch idly, "Do we have a reason?"

"We're not sure about the 'why' or 'how'." Souei shook his head. He sat back on the couch opposite to Tanya, his expression unusually stormy, "But it's been confirmed that Gobhua and Gobara are nowhere to be found within Tempest city limits."

"Which means they're either very well-hidden, have left Tempest entirely, or are dead. Do we know the last people to have been in contact with them?"

"Souka already questioned Gobhua's fiancé, parents, and close friends. And I have a Body Double questioning Gobara's kin as we speak."

"And?"

"According to her fiancé, Gobhua had been acting strange and 'out of sorts' over the past week or so. He said she 'felt like she was being stared at' during odd hours. Other than that, he reported nothing else out of the ordinary. Her parents and friends had similar accounts."

Souei paused, as if having a mental conversation with himself. Which was likely what was happening, given his Body Double.

"It seems those closest to Gobara reported much the same. However, Gobara also apparently mentioned a 'featureless figure' to her mother. Furthermore, one of her friends described a similar feeling of being watched."

Tanya leaned forward, putting her elbows on her knees. "What about motive? Did Gobhua and Gobara give any indication that they would want to leave Tempest? Perhaps together?"

Souei shook his head. "None. Gobhua ran a meat skewer stand with her fiancé, and Gobara was set to begin training as an educator for small children. They're unlikely to have met in any great capacity, having originated from different Goblin villages, and both were reportedly very happy and content under Lord Rimuru's rule."

Tanya was silent for a moment.

"And then what? Anything else?"

"And then, nothing. Other than what you've just heard, we also know that the two disappeared sometime within the past 48 hours."

"And of course, it wasn't reported until today, since they could have just been busy or with someone else." Tanya sighed, "Which means we have nothing."

Souei nodded.

"So, to summarize," Tanya began, "The Goblina citizens, known by the names Gobhua and Gobara, have disappeared from Tempest. There's no discernable motive behind their disappearance, and no correlation other than the time." She held up a hand, "In other words, we have no trace of where they went, or why they're gone, other than a supposed 'shadowy figure' and vague feelings of being watched. Is that everything?"

"So far, yes."

Tanya pinched the bridge of her nose. "Fantastic."

"Do you have any ideas?"

"Do you?" Tanya asked rhetorically, "No, there's nothing concrete. I can certainly guess. But first, since you know this world better than I do, what do you think is going on here?"

"As you pointed out, with nothing concrete the best I have are guesses. There's no trace, no leads, nothing of any value of substance." Souei leaned forward. "It leaves a bad taste in my mouth."

"Well, as effective as your Body Double intelligence web is, there's sure to be gaps. Don't take it too harshly. For all we know, they met in secret and absconded off to Dwargon." Tanya sat back, crossing her arms.

"Do you believe that?"

"Believe? I don't 'believe' anything of the like. It's just one of two most likely scenarios, given what we know. Or more accurately, what we don't know." She scrunched up her nose, "This lack of information is displeasing, to say the least. In my opinion, we should hope that an elope is what happened here. Given that the other most likely scenario is…"

"Humanoid trafficking." Souei finished with grimace.

Tanya nodded.

"Perhaps that, or perhaps just outright murder. In any case, the best we can assume the 'why' and hope it doesn't happen again." She shrugged, "More realistically, we have to hope there's some sort of trace the next time it happens. One of Gobara's friends mentioned being watched, didn't they?"

"That's right." Souei stood. "I'll have a Body Double keep an eye on her for the time being."

"Good idea. We should stick her with a magical tracker too. If she disappears as well, we can resolve this whole shitshow right then."

Tanya stood as well, stretching her arms above her head. "Was that everything?"

"Not quite." Souei reached into his coat, before pulling out and tossing something at her.

Tanya caught the object with ease, quickly unrolling what turned out to be a map of the area.

"We've been getting reports of magical anomalies in areas around Tempest." He said in a low voice, "Admittedly, I didn't give them much mind at first."

"Understandable." Tanya acknowledged, glancing over the marked location with a calculating eye, "This area is rather saturated in magicules, after all. If it were just one or two instances, you could chock it up as a coincidence and be done with it."

She tilted the map slightly downwards, revealing numerous red dots and timestamps.

"However, I believe this goes a bit past 'one or two'."

"The first instance is dated a few weeks after yours and Mary Sue's arrival. I'm not sure if there were any instances before your arrival, as my intelligence network was not as extensive then as it is now."

"Yes, and you were dealing with the aftermath of that Orc Disaster."

"That too." Souei agreed. "I'd like to ask you to investigate the locations on that map when you get chance."

"Of course." Tanya said easily. "We're equals here; can't have you doing all the work. I'll take care of this myself, so just focus on your other duties. Same time next week?"

"Unless something else arises." Souei said, before disappearing into his shadow.

Efficient. The perfect coworker. Even so…

"It's only been two weeks since the last incident." Tanya shook her head in dismay, moving to leave her office. "No rest for the wicked, huh?"

Everyone's eyes seem to be on Tempest. I don't want to make baseless conjecture, but is this really just inconvenient timing? She grimaced, rubbing the bridge of her nose as she left. Fuck, I need some stress-relief. Tempest doesn't have any alcohol laws… yet. When does Treyni's bar open again?

-=-