Return of the Fallen Volume 3 Chapter 9
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Author: Blue_Rat
ch9
“A millipede, you mean the insect?”
Danny continued to inspect the long object while he nodded to Asuna.
“Yes, this seems to be a leg.”
Danny knocked on the so-called leg several times as though he were trying to ascertain something.
Everyone else was alarmed by this. Only Kazuki was calm on the inside.
“Danny, may I?”
Kazuki gestured to Danny and Danny handed it over. This leg was over 6 feet in length and as thick as an average person’s wrist. Divided into three places were odd-looking joints, allowing the leg to bend in two different spots. At the very end, although it came to a point, it wasn’t particularly sharp, indicating that the creature’s legs were made of course for walking. To stab someone or something with it though would probably be difficult, unless its strength was, as Hina said, tremendous.
Kazuki passed this nasty looking leg around. Everyone looked it over curiously except for Kimi, apparently, the thought of a large insect freaked her out.
“Danny is there a reason you said millipede and Centipede? How can you be sure from just a leg?”
Danny rubbed his chin in thought.
“I can’t be 100% sure but Hina mentioned it had hundreds of legs and mandibles as well. Back where we come from, millipedes can have hundreds of legs easily. As a matter of fact, the record is 750 legs, that’s 375 pair. Now I’m not saying biology here and biology back home is the same but we do indeed share a shit ton of similarities. People, similar-looking animals and in some cases identical animals, similar insects and so on and so forth. It would not be strange is all I’m saying. I think I’m already discounting the Centipede though. A Centipede should just devour its prey but a Milipede only eats dead organic material. This might explain why people were taken instead of killed on the spot. A large Milipede might take prey back and kill its meal there. All of this is just a theory though.”
“But the size of that, isn’t it just too much?”
Kimi squirmed a little as she hugged herself. Danny turned and pushed the leg in front of her, causing a scream to escape from her lips.
*Kyahhh!*
She jumped behind Sam and held onto him for dear life.
Danny and Shin both began to chuckle until Sam took a single step forward. The two’s laughs seized on the spot and they both couldn’t help but gulp.
Danny cleared his throat and went back to trying to explain things. Meanwhile, the kids found it too crowded to properly play inside and they themselves found the adults screaming every few minutes annoying and scattered about outside.
“Anyway. Kimi you mentioned it’s size. For that, I would just say look at the world we’re in. Have you already forgotten some birds we ran into recently? They were well taller than any bird we know, except for what you might find in prehistoric times. If magic energy here is truly the source of all things then using that basis would it be weird for things to grow differently?”
Kimi understood Danny’s theory but she still couldn’t comprehend an insect as big as Hina mentioned. It simply did not make sense.
“Hmm, Hina if that creature is just in that mountain over there, why are you letting the kids play outside. You even said it might come back, shouldn’t you be more cautious then this?”
Hina balled her hand into a fist and squeezed it hard enough for her nails to turn white.
“I did say that but it hasn’t been back in weeks. After it took all of the grownups, it returned to mount Shinsei and has stayed there. I don’t understand it myself. Why were we left alone? Why did it take them? I…I.”
Hina’s eyes filled with tears but she held them back as hard as she could.
“We were all scared and we waited in here together. Yet..yet even when people finally showed up, they robbed us. They stole our food and beat us repeatedly. They would have taken us too and sold us as slaves if not for the amount they would lose to transport us to the nearest city. The creature hurt the good adults in our village but spared all of those bandits, why? Why us? I don’t know what to do anymore. The food is gone, the creature is gone, my parents…are gone but someone has to help these children. Someone has to look after them, care for them, and comfort them when they cry themselves to sleep every night.”
Hina’s tears like a dam finally broke free and flooded down her face.
“I’m so tired, I’m scared and I don’t know what to do anymore. Please…please help us.”
Hina poured her heart and soul out to them. She hoped for a savior. She hoped to finally be free of this nightmare.
Tsura sat down next to her and pulled her into her chest, holding her and comforting her.
“You poor child, it’s ok, cry to your heart’s desire. Aunty will hold you.”
Hina’s big green eyes poured out everything she had, as she buried her face into Tsura’s chest as much as she could.
Tsura softly whispered to her while rubbing her back gently.
“There there child.”
Asuna felt her own heart tinge with pain and sorrow.
“Ryuta, we have to help them.”
Everyone looked at Kazuki, expecting him to say no but surprisingly he agreed.
“You’re right.”
Asuna was a little taken aback.
“What, does that mean yes?”
“If we help them this may actually be a win-win for all of us.”
Danny wondered out loud.
“Oh, why is that so?”
“From Hina’s description, that monster is probably actually a tier 2 Magical beast. Once we defeat it and recover its core, I can remove the memory of the ancient hand signs from my mind and the danger around us will lessen a decent amount.”
They finally realized the reason Kazuki was so ready to help. The only ingredient he said he needed was a tier 2 beast core. Once he got that he said he had a method to remove the ancient hand sign from his memory. Everyone recognized the danger of that power. If Garn or someone else got their hands on it, they could threaten the entire world. They had been suspicious of Kazuki for a while and when he revealed the ancient hand signs to them, they understood why he hid it.
Now that it was out in the open and they knew, this secret put them at risk as well. Even if someone didn’t get Kazuki if they got one of the others and used a Mind Frey, just that knowledge could cause kingdoms to get involved and wars could possibly be started over it. It was in all of their interest to help Kazuki remove that memory. Of course, this was all just an excuse Kazuki had made up. They though did not need to know that.
“Ryuta, I don’t mind helping these children out, not at all but the way you say it, it’s as though you know its a tier 2. How can you be sure it’s not stronger? What if we go to that cave on the side of the mountain and it turns out to be a Sky beast or something even greater. At that point our lives are already forfeit, are they not?”
Everyone felt that Danny was spot on. If his words were accurate how could any of them enter mount Shinsei? The thought sunk into them and fear crept up on a few of their shoulders as they now realized what the risk was. It wasn’t just a simple injury they would receive and then they could run and hide and escape later. No, with a Sky beast speed and strength, their end would only be a tragic death. Kimi and Shin felt regret that they said nothing and didn’t object when Kazuki so readily agreed but knowing Kazuki, they found that it probably wouldn’t have mattered either way.
“A Sky beast would definitely be suicide for us all but Its not a tier 3, that I can guarantee.”
Hina’s finally stopped crying and by this time had fallen asleep. Tsura slowly and gently sat down on the floor with her and gave her a lap pillow.
Tsura was listening to every word of the conversation but she still felt worried for Mei.
“Ryuta, are you really sure that the creature isn’t that strong?”
Kazuki nodded.
“It is a tier 2 at best. Were it a tier 3 this leg of its would not have been cut off by a normal villager’s strength. This also tells us it does not use the earth element as well. Otherwise, it’s body would be a lot tougher or it could make a rock type of armor over itself. Another thing if it was a tier 3, it could have wiped out this entire village with a single spell, no matter the element it uses, yet this village is left standing and looks basically fine. Another thing is that it took only a few people at a time up to a few dozen right? If it were a Tier 3 then given its size and strength, it should have been able to carry at least half the village away. Two trips and this village would have been empty, yet it came back on several trips to take its victims. This description reeks of weakness and lack of power.”
Danny rubbed his chin in thought.
“Hmm, could it be feigning weakness or maybe it could be injured, possibly sick.”
Kazuki denied that theory.
“Even if it were weak, sick or injured, that doesn’t explain why a normal villager could cut a leg off. I think it’s doing just fine. Plus most if not all tier 3 can heal even grievous wounds in as little as a few days. Then that leads us to it feigning weakness. For what reason would a Sky beast pretend to be weak in front of villagers, it makes no sense and I see no logical reason for it as well.”
“Hmm, by all accounts what you say is sound. So if it isn’t a tier 3, how do you expect us to beat a tier 2. Do you not remember our encounter with that Scron cub back in the Mirian swamp. There was little to nothing we could do against it. How in the hell do you expect us to beat it.”
Kazuki confidently pointed out the nearby window and smiled.
“With her.”
Everyone followed the direction of his finger outside to Mei rolling around on the dirt like a log. All the while she giggled as though she were told the funniest joke just moments before.
Danny sighed loudly.
*Haaa*
“Ah Shit.”
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