Chapter 329: Encounter: Big Name
[One of the biggest screwups in the series so far just got exposed while I was replying to comments, and I can't hide how shaken I am.]
Survival diary, day one. My inner Sunraku (Fuckaria Form) is rampaging with its killing intent fully bared and it's a real problem.
Sunraku: "…Emul."
Emul: "No reactions in the area… we got away, wa!"
Good, good. I can hear the triple roar echoing from way off in the distance, but if we've made it all the way to safety across the way, even a deadly fire is just something to kick back and watch.
Sunraku: "Alright… solo aside, for an escort, this outcome was pretty much inevitable."
I can't help but think if I'd tackled this with a group—like, fifteen people—it'd have been way easier… No, wait. Is that why Saint-chan set it up this way? If the quest-giver restricts the number of participants, the difficulty stays intact. Damn. Should've checked if I could form a party. Emul's an NPC, so the fact I pre-registered her isn't a good reference—she might've been allowed to party up anyway.
Sunraku: "Well then… Your Majesty, Your Highness. We've succeeded in getting away, but we fled in the exact opposite direction of the frontline base. We'll be walking for a while… and depending on the situation, I may have to resort to 'rough' measures. Is that acceptable?"
Toravante: "Hmm… even I am in no position to make demands under these circumstances. That said, however."
Hm? And Your Highness Aria, please don't look this way. The darkness in my heart is creaking painfully.
Toravante: "O blade of vengeance… first, I commend you for rescuing me and Aria."
Sunraku: "Ah… hah. I am unworthy of such an honor."
I don't do knight play much… The apocalyptic round table was less "knights" and more "knight-thugs." Still, I've seen enough knight characters to pull off surface-level roleplay. I kneel, bow my head, and accept the king's praise. In moments like this, if you don't show proper etiquette, your affection score comes up short when it really counts and the whole thing goes sideways—so it's seriously important.
Toravante: "State your name."
Sunraku: "I am hardly someone worth giving a name, but… Sunraku, I am called. And this is Emul, a Vorpal Bunny. A monster she may be, but a reliable partner."
Emul: "Heh-hehn!"
With a "hmph!", Emul stood tall, balancing deftly on my head. The fact that a homicidal rabbit—one that will pinpoint your vitals the moment you meet—is talking has both the king and Fuckaria— no, Her Highness Aria staring at Emul with a mix of curiosity, shock, and fear.
Aria: "Sunraku… Sunraku-sama, you said?"
Sunraku: "Nngh—"
Urk. A flare-up.
Aria: "I was… I was so very moved!"
Sunraku: "Nnghgh."
Urk. The other, dark personality is—
Aria: "You were just like… yes, exactly like a hero from a fairy tale…!"
Sunraku: "Kh—"
Calm down, stay. Calm down, stay… Aim carefully—stand by. Aim carefully—stand by… —Hah!? What the hell was I—I was targeting her carotid artery without even realizing it.
She's not Fuckaria. Aria wouldn't cheerfully say this immediately after some other, painstakingly designed character—probably the originally planned second heroine—had died a pretty gruesome death:
Fuckaria (recalled): "What a lovely day!"
Even a reaper shows the dead some respect…
Sunraku: "Y-You overpraise me. I am nothing but a lowly drifter… a pioneer who rose through the ranks on nothing but brute strength."
Still, damn. The more I look at her, the more she's the spitting image of Fuckaria. In Fearia Chronicle Online, "Faria" was a great spirit princess transformed into human form by the final boss, so she had more elven features. But this one's fully human. And from the communication we've had so far, she's nothing like Fuckaria, who had the texture of a pretty girl plastered over sludge-like evil lubricant running through her veins instead of blood. This one feels like a typical princess.
But that face is Fuckaria. The implanted meme is just too strong. Just like, once you know Pencilgon's true nature, you can't see Amane Towa's smile on a magazine cover as anything but shady. Just like, once you know Oikatzo's passive side, you can't help but snort when you see Uomi Kei acting tough in an interview. This is purely a matter of recognition, concept, and conditioning. Pavlov's dog, you could say?
Aria: "Despite possessing such strength… Sunraku-sama, if it pleases you, might you become my knight…?"
Toravante: "Calm yourself, Aria. Now is not the time for such talk."
Aria: "Ah… yes. My apologies…"
Unfortunately, I can't throw myself into a role the way Josette and her crew can, being in constant roleplay mode.
Sunraku: "At any rate—I am fully aware this is unbefitting of your persons, but please be prepared for the possibility of sleeping outdoors."
Toravante: "Hmm… mm. If I consider that we have escaped death, I suppose this is too luxurious a worry to fret over…"
Emul's "Gate" can't transfer anyone unless the caster and their companions have been to the destination before, except during event usage when accepting a Unique Scenario. And on top of that, it needs a wall to create the gate in the first place. At the very least, we should all have visited Fifticia in common, so the conditions themselves should be met… But if, somehow, only the king and princess are excluded from the transfer, we'll be plunged straight into a worst-case nightmare scenario I can't even bear to look at. I ran through this forest pretty haphazardly—reaching a specific coordinate in here without a locate function is impossible.
Sunraku: "If I finally find it and they're just corpses… I wouldn't know whether to cry or what…"
There's no shame in choosing the safe play. Unstable efficiency just turns into a loss when you fail. A fifteen-second task with a 100% success rate is worth more than a ten-second task with an 80% rate.
Alright. For now, let's reconfirm the situation and provisional hostiles. And define the clear conditions. First, the situation: Currently lost. The positions of the stars are completely useless, so I need to figure out which way is east from where the sun rises. Provisional hostiles: The Third Knight Order, and the dinosaur-imitations swarming this forest. Right now, the latter is the bigger threat. Clear conditions: Return to base with the NPCs "Former King Toravante" and "First Princess Aria" alive. No, wait—placing them under the protection of the Three Gods Faith might be the actual clear condition.
When I think about it this way, I really hate my own carelessness for not bringing a map. The old continent's areas were basically straight paths, so even without a map, you could manage just by going forward. But the New Land doesn't have that. Uncivilized means no roads exist either. Once you're lost, you seriously need to use celestial bodies or something to get back. I mean, if I really wanted to return, I could just off myself right here and let a monster assist, but death-return is a solo ride, so that's rejected.
Sunraku: "Ideally, the Third Knight Order will have been annihilated or rendered incapable of action in their battle with the three-headed Tyranno. But it's wisest to operate assuming the worst at all times. Therefore, we will refrain from large-scale movement, select a suitable location to wait out the night, and await morning… Is that acceptable?"
Toravante: "Mm…"
Sunraku: "Lighting a fire is also dangerous. Ideally, we'd climb a tree… ah, no. There were owl-types too, weren't there…"
With Emul here, her danger-sense is sharp even without Active Sonar, so we probably won't get completely blindsided. But if we have to respond, being on the ground is better than up a tree.
Emul: "…Sunraku-san, there's something on that tree two over, wa."
Sunraku: "Your Majesties, if you'll excuse me a moment—I'm just going to shoot a pheasant…"
With utterly natural motions, I got everything ready… There's nothing more ridiculous than stealth action after your coordinates have been pinpointed, y'know?
Sunraku: "I don't chase what runs. Flip that—if you don't run, I kill!"
With the same casualness as simply walking forward, I launch into a high-speed start through an absurdly over-the-top motion. Activated Gravity Zero and Trial Traverse in sequence, ran up the tree just ahead, and at that timing, activated Possessed by the Great Asura King. While pondering, quite seriously, whether simultaneous parallel skill activation isn't possible, I twisted twice in midair… and launched a surprise attack on whatever was lurking in the branches and foliage.
Hahaha, owl or whatever, if I seize the initiative and crush them, there's nothing to fear…
???: "Hiyeeeeee!?"
Whoa, that's quite the soprano voice for a monster…!? Diving in like a bullet, my outstretched hand grabbed hold of what seemed to be a very slender monster(?) by the neck, and I dragged it down from the treetop. It tried to flee in a panic, but reality doesn't work like Achilles and the tortoise. The fast one goes first—that's the truth of this world's physics engine.
???: "Fukyah!?"
Sunraku: "Nngh."
Monster… no. Let's stop trying to play that off. This is clearly a humanoid something-or-other. I landed on the ground, still gripping its neck. Fall damage plus the immediate damage check nearly killed me, but I didn't let it show. Instead, I pondered what to do next. The worst-case scenario is if this is another player… the ensuing drama is way more of a pain than with an NPC, so in a pinch, I'd just solve it with money or items… No, first move: apologize. Check, okay, it's an NPC. Not sure what's "okay" about that, but I intensified my glare and spoke to the subdued… yes, from those distinctive ears, apparently an NPC elf.
Sunraku: "Answer my questions within three seconds. Fail, and the next time we encounter a monster, I'll throw you out as bait."
???: "Y-Yeth… pleathe thave me…"
Ah, yeah. If this game didn't have an age restriction, she'd definitely have lost bladder control by now. That's the picture as she streams tears and snot… Elves. In this work, they're called elves—wasn't it?
Sunraku: "Was it 'coincidence' that you were here spying on us? Or was it—"
???: "Whoa there, player with the funky getup. Mind steppin' away from Erina?"
Sunraku: "Huh?"
Meta comment. Not an NPC. I turned to see a lightly equipped male player standing there, shortbow drawn. The arrowhead was aimed squarely at my head. The moment I put any force into the hand gripping this elf's neck, I'd be headshotted.
???: "Ain't here to judge your kinks, but she's kinda in my party and a key person for a Unique Scenario. If it comes down to it, goin' red-name's on the table…"
Sunraku: "Funny coincidence. I'm on high alert myself, mid-quest guarding some NPCs… royalty, at that."
???: "For real?"
Judging that this man—who from every possible angle screamed "I am a Ranger"—was at least not connected to the Third Knight Order, I released the elf. The pro-demi-human king Toravante and First Princess Aria get lost, and at that exact timing, we run into an elf? Players are mixed up in it too, sure, but… isn't this an event flag?
That is, unmistakably, that bastard.