Yea, Futaba-san curtly replies. Her face being clouded to the utmost, I can tell without looking back.
We advance through a now-all-too-familiar stone pa.s.sage in that slightly strained and awkward atmosphere.
Having rested and slept, not really feeling like diving into this hopeless dungeon, we decided to head in nonetheless.
Futaba-san’s depressed state had shown no changes after having woken up. For the time, I did do my best on the follow up, saying that I didn’t mind about the failure with the Red Dog; since I felt it couldn’t be helped, and then, also explained what I thought about Psyche Skills.
I mean, there’s no way a girl would cheer up with just those words... so I said something like we can get it on the next try, and with that, we return to the present of us traversing the dungeon, ever so cautious.
And so, we’ve been walking nearly an hour. We’ve pa.s.sed many a stone pa.s.sage, going left and right at intersections, sometimes pa.s.sing through Forested Domes like before; we kept walking.
All the while, we haven’t encountered a single Monster; what is this even? Not even a Fang Rat. Maybe there’s the Cla.s.s Rep party, or some other cla.s.smates preceding us, eliminating all the monsters on their path?
Though well, we heard cawing from a crow-like bird in a Forested Dome, so it’s not like the place is completely devoid of fauna.
May be that it’s plain good luck. If everything’s started going us, I’d gladly take this opportunity, and hope we can be blessed with a wonderful levelup right about n—
“Ah”
I let out a sound just as we were approaching a bend in the pa.s.sage. Just as we were turning, and the scape of what lay beyond entered my field of vision, I backed away to escape from the ‘thing’ that caught my eye.
“Stop”
Her large body trembling, Futaba-san managed to not scream out, and with a start, halted her steps. Displaying a hand sign to ‘wait’ behind me, I slither towards the bend and take a peek.
“...Goma”
There’s no mistaking that filthy, black body akin to a c.o.c.kroach.
Beyond this bend, there is a large path with a width similar to a 2-way road. Both sides were lined with numerous trees like in a Forested Dome. Of course, they weren’t being maintained at all, and the twisted, overgrown branches took over a significant amount of the s.p.a.ce. To pa.s.s through, we had to traverse the meter~3.3feet of gap right in the middle.
And beyond that overrun, treelined path, looks around 30 meters~100feet away, there was a single Goma.
“E, GueEEE... GeaAAA!”
“Hii!?”
I hear Futaba-san leaking a scream behind me. I mean, when I heard the Goma’s cry from all the way over there, even I thought my heart stopped.
“It’s okay Futaba-san, calm down. That Goma, isn’t gonna attack”
“E-eh... how can you tell?”
“It’s fallen over“
Yes, that Goma, it was collapsed face down.
I checked to make sure one more time, but it was indeed powerlessly keeled over. Since we heard its cry, there’s no doubt it’s alive... though looking closer, I saw a pool of blood around the Goma.
“I think, it’s fatally injured and can’t anymore”
Futaba-san comes sliding towards the corner to peek at the state of affairs herself. My eyesight isn’t bad enough to warrant gla.s.ses, and Futaba-san isn’t of the meganekkogla.s.ses-girl archetype either. We wouldn’t mistake an injured Goma.[1]
Having completely made sure, within tension and unease, I make a warped smile and say,
“It’s here, our 2nd chance”
“Eh, that’s... you don’t mean...”
“We’re gonna kill that Goma”
Just when I thought they weren’t coming at all, a weakened, solitary Monster, the ideal prey was right there. We can’t let this chance go.
“It’s ok, if we do it like with the Red Dog, it’ll work”
“B-but... I...”
Her big-bodied trembling and tears collecting around the eyes were, eh... can’t be helped. After all, we haven’t solved the problem of mental fort.i.tude at all. If we do it like last time, her spear will definitely stop yet again.
And I haven’t found any ground-breaking “How to Stab: even Futaba-san can do it!” method either.
“Okay, then this time, we can stab it together”
The two of us on our first joint mission, I dub it, let’s cut that cake, stab it to shreds. I know it’s an offhanded and spontaneous naming, but couldn’t you’ve done better, me!
“Y-yeah... Alright! I can, if it’s with Momokawa-kun, I can do it!”
Eh, for real, you really got motivated from this lamebrain method? I mean, I did say it but... yeah, just as she said, this time, she’s positively burning with fighting spirit, so I’ll gladly take that.
Now, before the pa.s.sion subsides, we’ll finish it in one go. Perhaps after this bout, all our problems will be solved, with a wonderful levelup and all.
First, and I had completely forgotten this with the Red Dog, I pop in a Power Seed.
It’s recommended to swallow the tiny, red berry without chewing. Since the juice is extremely sour.
“—!? -!”
I’ll just pretend not to notice Futaba-san’s acutely puckered face. I had previously cautioned her, but it’s easy to imagine her biting down hard from all the tension.
Any, we’re now ready and set.
“Alright, now or never, let’s go!”
Look right, look left, look right again, no other enemies sighted, affirmative. Futaba-san and I leap out into the path in synchronous, and close in the collapsed, bloodied Goma.
Heat rising from the center of my body came from the quick-action effects of the Power Seed. It’s not like a fever, but feels more like the kind of warmth you get after a good set of warmup exercises.
Thanks to which, disregarding the fatigue from walking all the way here, my feet on the stone paving feel immensely light.
“OO! GebUReaA!?”
“Kyaa—!”
We had no a.s.sa.s.sin-like techniques to conceal our presence, and were boldly running through the path, which the Goma immediately saw. The muddy yellow eyes glaring at us, it shouted, I don’t know if in a language or just shrieking, but in an aggravated tone nonetheless.
Futaba-san’s own cry, was perhaps from seeing the menacing reaction from the Goma. Or maybe, a branch had caught on her grand body, multiples of my size.
Whatever the case, the unmoving Goma could do nothing but cry out, and without any way to obstruct our advance, we quickly got in range for the spear to reach.
“—‘Blackhair Bind’!”
I had already finished the aria on the way here. And come now, invoked the binding Curse. Maybe because I’ve done it once already, I could form the image much more clearly and the invocation process went smooth.
The description coming to my head is this kind of useless thing, so it’s leagues better to field-test it to gain mastery. The already brief description amended with further incomprehensible flavor text makes it even more annoying.
Leaving aside the quibbling, as if proving the cast successful, ‘Blackhair Bind’ manifested with even greater effect than with the Red Dog.
From the pool of blood around the Goma, the bundles of hair sprung forth, entangling its whole body. Focusing on the arms, the Goma was made fixed to the ground. The dirty black-brown body was tightly wrapped in glossy black hair.
Both the constrictive strength and the quant.i.ty of hair tentacles had augmented. It’s likely not a levelup but original specs of the Curse being brought out.
Thinking from the opposite view, it won’t get any better than this; but yeah, at present, this is definitely the Curse with the most immediate effect.
Anyway, with that, binding complete. Next, we stab. I guess this time I won’t use ‘Red Fever’. After all, using it or not, won’t really change a thing.
“Futaba-san, just making sure, you can’t do it alone?”
“U, uuu... C-can’ttt...”
While my spear is already raised overhead, edging to strike, Futaba-san was hugging hers with her log-like arms in a girly pose, trembling stalk still.
H-hot d.a.m.n, that portion of the subtly thick branch-spear is completely buried between her chest, can’t see it at all...
“DunGaAAA!”
Woah, sorry Goma-san. Ain’t no time to be starin’.
“Okay, now, slowly, calmly... grab onto mine”
By which I mean grab ‘my spear’. And without expressly offering that correction, I went from the overhead pose, to one where I look like I’ve about to dig the ground with a shovel.
With 1 spear to be held by 2 people, I’m thinking this position is the best way to smoothly deliver a piercing blow to our grounded enemy.
“O-ok...gyuu!”
I wonder if there’s any purpose in her voicing out her grabbing sound effect. Maybe it strengthens her resolve, or she’s just going with the flow, it doesn’t really bother me. With a face on the verge of crying, Futaba-san tightly grasped my spear.
With one hand.
“Right now would be a good time to let go of yours”
“A, y-you’re exactly right!?”
The spear made a dry clanging as it was thrown away.
Once again, we use both hands. My twigs and Futaba-san’s logs, a total of 4 hands grab on to the single spear.
“FuU, Uu,gubURUrU...”
I hear the Goma’s rough breathing, and indecipherable whinges. But, it feels like it strangely went quiet.
Futaba-san and I are grabbing the spear together, and holding that position. We had quite an awkward stance because of the difference in height, but there’d be no problem stabbing this dying Goma.
We just need, one final push. Right now, the push, the resolution to lunge the spear.
“Ha, haah... fuu...”
I peak at her face to find tears already dropping. And dropping even larger drops of sweat, she had the pained face of a marathon runner right before the goal.
Her waterfall like perspiration isn’t solely due to the Power Seed most likely.
“Futaba-san, eyes, close them”
“Mm... okay...”
The target wasn’t even 10 cm~4inch from the roughly carved spear-tip. Accuracy would be 100% even with both eyes shut.
So to alleviate even a bit of the stress, she can seal her vision.
“Futaba-san, a bit less power please”
“... Yea”
For the past while, Futaba-san was shaking and stiff, grapping the spear so hard, I couldn’t even make it budge with all my strength.
We can’t go on like this.
Right now, Futaba-san didn’t need didn’t need the courage or guts to kill a Monster by her own hands. She only needs to know that the spear used to kill the Goma also had her hands on it, just that fact.
For now, that much is fine. It could become a trigger to let her think she can do it herself next time.
“Keep holding it, just like that”
After a bit of time, I feel Futaba-san finally easing her strength. With a light back and forth, Futaba-san’s arms swayed together. She truly was only holding it.
Good, with that, the final piece of groundwork is done.
On my end, while I see the Goma as a Monster, its humanoid form stirs a resistance greater than with the Red Dog.
But that is only a feeling. In me, a hesitation in killing Monsters, that kind of delicate spirit, doesn’t exist anymore.
“...Here we go, Futaba-san”
“Yeah, Momokawa-kun... sorry”
Her kindness p.r.i.c.ks at my heart.
Don’t apologize dammit. It’s fine already. I mean, my actions can only, serve to taint you too.
I’ll protect you. If I said that, it’d pretty much make me the manliest man around right.
But yeah, that’s impossible for me. Personality-wise, and power-wise.
So, this is, just fine.
“YaAAAA!”
In the strike I landed while shaking off the light self-derision, contrary to my thoughts, the recoil was light.
“—moGYaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”
A scream of such outrageous volume, I thought it travelled through the whole dungeon. As if the stone pa.s.sages that already bounced sound well, were all focused solely on the death throes that this one immobile Goma mustered with the last of its all.
As if trying to tear apart its cheeks, the already large mouth stretched to the limit to scream out its loudest ever.
The tip of the spear was plunged quite deep into its flank. This crude spear, casually carved with the boxcutter had indeed torn the Goma’s skin, impaled its meat.
The Goma’s body was pierced through so anti-climatically, maybe Goma are actually pretty soft-bodied or it could be thanks to the Power Seed’s boost. Right now, I didn’t have the composure to calmly a.n.a.lyse.
“Again!”
As I draw out the spear, quite naturally, blood rushed out of the opened hole. Far from the familiar crimson, it was a muddy, red-brown tint. Maybe human blood is like this too, who knows.
The spouting blood gets on my indoor shoes, which are by now, completely dirtied from the day’s walking, and it gets on the cuffs of my trousers, already smeared with mud and earth. It’s pretty late to call it getting dirty, but other than the blood, the wound also produced a strange slimy gel-like substance, the sight of which gave me intolerable disgust.
Ah, feels sick, feels sick. So awful, f.u.c.k this, why do I, have to be here, the h.e.l.l, do I gotta do this for—
Forcefully holding back the sudden jolt of anxiety, the feeling of swallowing back vomit, I continue stabbing the Goma, wis.h.i.+ng only to perfectly reap its life.
Again, Again. Another time, a third time... countless times. Single-mindedly, I stab.
“GI! iIIGeEEaA!”
Flank, stomach, chest, any big part I can lay my eyes on, I shred with the crude spear. Every time I do so with all my strength, the Goma raises agonizing cries as it writhes. Yet, the shackles of curse don’t let it turn in the slightest.
I think I heard Futaba-san’s screams mixed in with those of the pitiful Goma. Seems like she’s shouting something, I think, maybe.
Maybe I was also shouting, don’t really know.
“Haa... haa...”
It felt more tiresome than the time with the Red Dog.
I got that impression when the corpse before my feet had already suffered atrocious slaughter. Red-brown, dirty blood and chunks of gore. It has already stopped letting out noises from my stabbing.
“Uu, uu... M-Momokawa-kun... over? it’s... over, right?”
In a fatigue and breathlessness as if I ran a 400 meter~quarter mile dash at breakneck pace, after a pause, not after 3 good pauses, I replied to the sobbing Futaba-san.
“It’s over... The Goma, it’s dead”
As I look, I see Futaba-san still has her eyes sincerely sealed tight. So you can shed tears even with your eyes closed. That, uselessly carefree impression floated to mind.
“I think, you shouldn’t open your eyes yet”
“...Mm”
“Just walk a bit back, as you are”
“Mm... mm...”
This corpse, you don’t need to see it. Especially since you had a hand in it’s creation.
While considering these ways to avoid reality, Futaba-san and I succeeded in our Goma killing.
[1]Ahem... I present you the ! [2]R-reminds me of a certain maid...
