SHIRO
Half an hour had passed since we left the city. The sky was still pitch black with tiny specks of sparkling stars decorating it. The moon was nowhere to be found, making it hard for us to see the road ahead. If it weren't for our lamps, we wouldn't be able to see a thing.
Silence reigned between us five, and only our footsteps announced our presence. Indistinct surrounding noises could be heard as well, and sometimes, sounds from nearby and distant creatures were also audible.
The air was freezing, and every breath delivered a cold sensation into our nostrils. Not only that, but with the deafening silence between us, it also made the atmosphere awkward.
"Now that I think about it," Mister Arano suddenly said, breaking the silence that once reigned earlier. "We never actually properly introduced ourselves."
"I agree," the mage seconded.
"So, how about we do it now? I'll go first..." he cleared his throat, "I'm Arano, the marksman and the finance officer of this party. You're next."
"My name's Riku. I'm one of the mages of this party and also the cook. It was nice to meet you, Shiro," he introduced, but all I got was a perplexed face from myself.
"One of the mages?"
"There's actually two mages in our party, but Shino is with Kenshi right now. Did you not know about it?" Mister Riku asked.
I shook my head. "All I know is that only Mister Kenshi and Kana went to Aste City."
"We are actually on a break. After the siege, we've decided to take a break from questing and do other things. But we got so used to adventuring that doing 'other' things makes us feel uneasy. To tell you honestly, we were discussing what quest we should take before we saw Daku. And then, you came," Mister Arano narrated.
"So strangely, you just helped us with our decision about which quest we should take, right, Keiro?" Mister Riku elbowed his friend who had been quiet since the start of our journey.
Mister Keiro just scoffed and went back to being quiet.
"Keiro is our leader," Mister Arano declared. "Although he has a bit of a problem with his attitude, when it comes to combat, he's dependable—"
"And yet, I failed to save Dai. So much for being 'dependable'," Mister Keiro mumbled, and in an instant, the air changed drastically from being awkward to sad.
"We've told you already, Keiro, that what happened to Dai is not solely your fault. In fact, none of us should be blamed for his death. It was the Dark Order that should be held responsible for it," Mister Arano lectured.
I thought Mister Riku noticed my curiosity about the story, and so he told me what happened to their late friend. And I was a little bit surprised to discover that Mister Daku, Mister Kenshi, and Kana were there when it happened.
Mister Daku didn't usually tell me about their questing, and I didn't have the courage as well to ask him about it. Kana, however, would tell me a gist of what happened but not the entire story. Probably because she didn't want me to feel what they felt.
"But don't worry, Shiro. We won't let the same thing happen on this journey. We promise to keep you and Daku safe. After all, we all owe our lives to Daku and Kenshi that day. If they weren't there, Dai would not be the only one dead."
It felt reassuring when Mister Riku said those words, and I could tell that he was being sincere.
"Thank you," I thanked.
"Too early for that, kid," Mister Keiro disagreed.
"Still, thank you," I insisted, and just as I expected, Mister Keiro let out a scoff.
***
I knew from the beginning that this journey would never be easy. This was due to the fact that the road leading to Wset Region is notorious for bandits and monsters, especially the place we're in right now.
Paple Swamp was known to every adventurer as the shortcut to Wset Region. It shortened the travel from six days on the normal route to four days.
But everything had its price. Because lurking within the water were vicious flesh-eating fish that could finish an entire human body in just a span of minutes. They attacked in great numbers, and with the water being murky, they could easily swim around without being spotted.
But these vicious tiny predators were afraid of the light. Thanks to Mister Riku's light magic, we were able to walk through the waters without being attacked.
"Just stay close to me," Mister Riku reminded everyone.
I held tightly to Mister Daku, who looked unbothered by our situation. He didn't even flinch when the water close to him suddenly moved by the sudden motion of one of the creatures.
"To think that we have to walk all day through these waters is making me nauseous. Can you even last that long, Riku?" Mister Arano worriedly asked while frantically looking at the waters near him.
"Let's just pray that I can."
"Just great! Should I start praying now?" sarcastically said Mister Arano. "You've been quiet, Keiro. You okay?"
"He's not okay," Mister Riku answered.
"Oh, right. You're afraid of murky waters. You're making me feel bad for complaining earlier, knowing that you're having a harder time than me."
"We wouldn't be in this situation if someone didn't forget that I'm afraid of murky waters— AHH!" Mister Keiro screamed in such a high-pitched note that it resembled a scream of a girl.
"Keiro!" Mister Riku and Mister Arano said in unison.
"It's a normal human reaction when something slithers under your foot!"
"Still, try your best not to shout. Because if you don't, not only will these fish come and try to eat us," Mister Riku threatened.
"Easy for you to say," Mister Keiro grumbled.
"How about you, Shiro? How are you two holding up?" Mister Arano asked.
"I'm fine, Mister Arano, and I think Mister Daku is too."
Mister Arano smiled. "You're such a brave kid. Someone should be ashamed," Mister Arano teased while eyeing Mister Keiro.
All of a sudden, the surrounding water abruptly got disturbed as if everything that swam in it got scared. This made us stop in our tracks.
"What did you do now, Keiro?" Mister Riku asked.
"I didn't do anything! Why are you blaming me?"
"Something is wrong. There's only one reason for those fish to get surprised like that."
"And what is it, Riku," Mister Arano inquired with a hint of fear in his voice.
"A bigger predator," Mister Riku declared.
"Prepare to engage," Mister Keiro announced while unsheathing his sword. He walked in front of us and stood in a fighting stance. "It's coming right at us."
I took a peek at what was ahead of us, and my eyes gaped in pure horror upon seeing the movement of the water as if something was swimming under its surface. And by the looks of its size, one could tell even from afar that it was ginormous.
"This is not going to look good for us," Mister Arano commented before grabbing his bow from his back.
Mister Riku didn't have to get his grimoire because he was already using it for the light magic.
As for me and Mister Daku, we didn't have any other option but to let these adventurers protect us. But I couldn't help but feel powerless right now. A part of me was hoping that I could fight.
The sound of disturbed waters intensified in volume until it overpowered other noises. And it intensified even more when the creature behind it emerged from the depths of the water.
"A croc," Mister Arano announced.
"Riku!" Mister Keiro shouted, and in an instant, his body glowed red. "You know what to do, Arano."
"I got you, boss!"
Mister Keiro launched at the creature with both of his hands on the hilt of his sword. When he was a meter away, the creature raised its claw and reached for Mister Keiro. But Mister Keiro skillfully evaded the attack and struck the flank of the monster.
"Watch out for its tail, Keiro!" Mister Riku alerted just in time for Mister Keiro to barely dodge the attack.
Mister Keiro retreated a few steps while Mister Arano released his arrow. The arrow multiplied in mid-air, and most of them hit the target. But with the creature's thick skin, the arrows just bounced off.
"I should've used the piercing one," Mister Arano complained.
"My turn," Mister Riku announced and pointed his right hand at the monster. A small light blue magic circle appeared before his hand, and five sharp projectiles made of ice materialized. "This will keep him from moving. Use that time to finish him."
"No need to tell me," Mister Keiro replied, casting Swift on himself. Mister Riku released his magic, and the monster was struck in five different places. The projectiles pinned the monster down, immobilizing it.
Mister Keiro then advanced his left leg and stretched it in front of him, while his right leg held the weight of his body and was slightly bent.
He pulled back his right hand while holding the sword straight, pointing towards the monster. His left was stretched in front of him like his left leg, and its palm faced upward, serving as a guide for the sword's trajectory.
"You're dead," Mister Keiro mumbled, and in just a blink of an eye, he dashed towards the monster with his sword leading him. A strong gust of wind and force spread throughout the horizon when the sword made contact with the monster's head. The monster let out a wail of pain and agony with a deep bloody hole on its forehead. "Sh*t! Its flesh is too thick!" Mister Keiro screamed.
"Let me finish it for us, boss," Mister Arano favored while aiming an arrow toward the monster. I could feel the energy gathering at the tip of the arrow.
Mister Arano released the arrow, ejecting a sudden surge of wind from the bowstring. The arrow rotated in mid-air until it resembled a drill. That was when I realized the kind of magic Mister Arano used on his arrow.
True to its name, the arrow pierced through the open wound Mister Keiro made earlier, unaliving the monster.
This might not be the first encounter we had on this journey, but this was the first time the three of them had to work together to defeat an opponent.
Thank the gods for having them!