Chapter 5: Girl, Isolates

 

 

 

Interlude: In the Fog

 

Chapter 5: Girl, Isolates

THEY departed Elminage and walked to their next destination. Everyone had been in good spirits during the morning, but their mood was dampened by the pounding hot sunrays as the day went on. The baking heat was particularly harsh on Wolfie with his furry body, and he was the first to lie down complaining.

“So hoooot.”

Nichika stopped next to him and poured water from her bottle into a bowl for him to drink. This magic bottle was yet another new invention of Oswald’s that kept liquids cool at all times.

‘Magic bottle’ sounds like a clichéd ad until you realize it really uses magic. Smiling wryly to herself, she placed the bowl on the ground for Wolfie.

Drinking cold water seemed to rejuvenate the wolf who sprung up on all fours. “Thanks! You aren’t hot, Nichika?”

“It’s still manageable for me.”

The beating sunshine definitely caused her to sweat, but most of Arcanshiel was permeated by dry heat with low humidity. It was within tolerable levels for Nichika who had suffered through Japan’s sticky, suffocating summers her entire life. She was impressed that her discomfort was reduced significantly just by the absence of moisture in the air.

At the moment, there was one thing that bothered her more than the heat.

“Cute Nichikaaa! Gimme water too. Waaaterrrr.”

“Oomph!” Someone suddenly leaned all their weight on her back, knocking the bottle from her hand which she caught a second before it hit the ground. She shot a miffed look at the culprit dangling over her shoulder. “Quit that. You nearly gave me a heart attack.”

“Aww. But this is my form of skinship.” Chuckling, the young man brought his lips so close to her ear they practically brushed the skin there as he whispered in a low voice. “I’d be equally happy if you gave it to me by mouth.”

Getting the chills, Nichika slammed her hand in his face and pushed him off her. “Did you not just hear me ask you to quit it with this crap?!”

“Ahahahahaha! You’re redder than a cherry! I could just eat you right up—you’re so cute!”

Nichika scrubbed her ears and shot the scariest glare she could manage at him, but it had zero effect on the brazen witch.

Their guide from Elminage turned out to be their frenemy Lambert. Since their skirmish in Lolo Village, Nichika struggled with trusting the oddball further than she could throw him. But he had given her very good advice after Oswald ended her apprenticeship, and it was thanks to him that she didn’t lose Oswald’s companionship, which perplexed her as to what his real objective was. Wasn’t he originally supposed to be an assistant to Professor Logical, a member of the Witch’s Council and the Five Eldra Steorra?

She had outright asked about it when they departed Elminage together, to which he gave the most indifferent, jaw-dropping answer:

“I switched sides. You guys seem more entertaining.”

How easily he betrayed. She was further surprised to learn he had already spoken with Ini and joined the Spirit Search Corps before her negotiations with the headmaster.

His true motives were unclear. He’s not trustworthy, Nichika determined as he sidled up to her.

Lambert played with a strand of her shoulder-length hair. “Man, you have beautiful hair. Hey, did you know that some people believe magic is stored in a person’s hair?”

Nichika knew precisely why this clingy man hung all over her. She flinched from the black shadow that had appeared behind him. But Lambert prattled on as if he didn’t notice.

“I bet it’d taste delish. Just kiddin’!”

THWACK! THWACK!

Nichika pressed her hands to the back of her violently smacked head. Lambert stumbled forward from the same blow, though his reaction was definitely exaggerated.

“Get walking. There are people behind you.”

An extremely disgruntled Oswald was the culprit. Nichika retreated from his fear-inducing subzero aura. Either unable to read the mood or doing it in spite of it, Lambert foolishly waved his hand about.

“You cad you! You can’t go smackin’ girls ’round like that. I’m ashamed to call you my upperclassman!”

“She’s guilty of the same crime by blocking my way.”

“Ohoho? Angry? Did we rub you the wrong way somehow? Hmm?”

Yep, Lambert only flirted with Nichika in order to get a rise out of Oswald. He was welcome to start a fight, but only if that didn’t involve her in the fallout. Oswald shoved past them and looked over his shoulder a few feet ahead.

“Hey, guide, you actually know where the spirit lives, right? I swear if you’re taking us to the Witch’s Council I’ll—”

“You’re soooo untrusting. Aren’t we buddies, ol’ pal?” Lambert made the peace sign and then shoved his hands in his pocket under Oswald’s freezing scrutiny. “Okay, okay, don’t look at me like that. I’m just joking,” he said, some of the amusement fading from his voice. “I’m from Windy Village.”

“Windy Village?” Nichika repeated the name she had never heard before.

Does the Great Wind Spirit live there?

Lambert turned to her and stroked her cheek with a grin. “Yep! It’s awesome. All the residents can fly. And a big aerial race should be goin’ on ’round this time of year.”

“Umm…erm…” His touch was too gentle to harshly reject and too friendly to openly accept, flustering her.

“Whew! It suddenly cooled down!” Wolfie nonchalantly observed, happy with the sudden chill, not realizing that the air temperature had dropped significantly around Oswald. Blue mana birds flew angrily around them.

Just how much does he hate Lambert?! Nichika shouted on the inside, giving her head a small shake. Sure, his frivolous teasing is hecka annoying, but Oswald has dealt with worse. What makes him hate Lambert so much?

Cold air whished past her feet when she stayed put, lost in her thoughts. “What was that?”

The chilly air current was coming from the valley ahead, not her silently simmering master. A chill had filled the air and a white fog covered the sky, blurring the sun.

“Oh, we’re here! We’re here! We call this place Fog Valley. Getting through the valley will spit us right out in front of Windy Village.”

Lambert, who finally started serving as a proper guide, took the lead into the valley with the rest of the group trailing behind. The fog grew thicker the further they went. Nichika felt like she was swimming through diluted milk as she pulled out her lantern. She gave it a light shake and spoke to the mana in the air.

“O flames, light the path we travel!”

Chanting the correct spell brought a warm yellow light to life within. Smiling at her success, Nichika happily reported to her master.

“Look at what I did! See? It lit up like it’s supposed to!”

She had good reason to be so proud of her success. This lantern was actually the first witch’s item Nichika had created. Elminage had a class on creating simple witch’s items, so she constructed the lantern during their break earlier. She formed the frame by tying together twigs she found on the ground with hemp string, and then she inserted a white round stone in the center that light mana loved. And finally, she simply asked the fluttering light mana gathering around the stone to do her a favor. That was all there was to her creation, but it worked surprisingly well. The lantern illuminated everything around her.

Oswald’s brows snapped together as he assessed his apprentice’s first work. “What’s with that shoddy frame? The mana is escaping left and right,” he pointed out the flaws.

“Ugh. I felt bad locking them in…”

The lantern she learned about in class trapped mana in a glass frame. This time she crafted one where the mana could freely come and go as they pleased, making it remarkably dimmer than the glass version.

Disgusted, her master narrowed his eyes on the inefficient product and handed down a harsh evaluation. “You couldn’t sell that if you tried.”

“It’s not for sale! Just an experiment—hey!”

Startled by Nichika’s loud voice, the last mana butterfly resting on top of the round stone flew away. Dejected, her shoulders slumped.

“Shucks. They all left.”

Lambert laughed as Oswald pulled out an official witch’s lantern. At his command it sparked to life, illuminating the area in blindingly bright light. Compared to that, Nichika’s had a long way to go.

Placing one hand on his hip, their guide casually warned, “Be careful as the road ahead is narrow and treacherous.”

“Don’t fall again.”

“I won’t…try to fall.”

Leave it to Oswald to poke at her weak spot. Nichika had no retort considering her last visit to a ravine led her to marvelously fall into the river. For now, she settled on hugging the rock wall whenever there was an area she could fall off.

As the one with the lantern, Oswald led the way into Fog Valley with Wolfie and Nichika directly behind him, and Lambert drawing up the rear. Eyes locked solely on Wolfie’s fluffy tail bouncing in front of her, Nichika took careful steps.

“……”

No one said a word as they kept a wary eye on their surroundings. Knowing she was incapable of sensing any monsters roaming about, Nichika concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. But her mind started to wander as time went on.

How much time had passed since she was flung into this world? It was anyone’s guess if time flowed the same in both worlds, but if the passage of time was similar at all, she’d be counted as a missing person at this point. Things wouldn’t be so convenient as to give her back her lost time once she went back, would it?

Mom must be worried sick. With that thought, Nichika felt astonished she hadn’t thought much about her mom until now. Culture shock and all the excitement she was experiencing in this new world was no excuse for such a lack of empathy.

There’s Miiko too. I’m sorry for not thinking of you.

Nichika tried to think of her younger sister, but her memories were foggier than the thick fog blanketing her surroundings. How could she not remember when they were such close sisters? She frantically attempted to draw on an image of what her sister looked like, but all her efforts ended in futility. Shock and panic coursed through her, but another piece of her quickly offered comforting excuses to dull her mounting trepidation.

Don’t panic. You’re just tired. So much has happened and your mind is a jumbled mess. Work hard to get back home as soon as possible.

She gave up on remembering her sister and settled for organizing the current situation. Until now she had only managed to collect the fire spirit. Wind, earth, and water remained. Lambert was showing them to where the wind spirit was, so that would take care of that one, but even then, that’d only account for half. The road ahead was long.

Once I fulfill my duties as Spirit Priestess and revive Goddess Yuna, I’ll ask Ini to do something about the Fake Lover parasite. And then I’ll return to my world. Nichika’s heart lurched. Wait, if I safely go home, will I no longer be able to come back to this world?

Her heart started pounding a frantic beat in her ears. Faces of everyone she had met since arriving in Arcanshiel popped into her head. What if memories couldn’t be carried over from world to world? Was that why she couldn’t clearly remember things about her mother and younger sister?

Nichika suddenly thought of the dreams she often had in the past. In those dreams, she was playing with someone and adventuring, but the contents became a blur whenever she woke up.

“No!”

She gave her head a jarring shake to chase the unsettling thought away. Nothing good would come of thinking about such things now. Clearing the objectives before her came first. She could worry after that.

“…Uh? What the?”

That she had a problem hadn’t occurred to her until then. Wolfie’s swaying tail had disappeared from in front of her. She looked forward then backward and had no luck finding a patch of green hair or the yellow lantern light.

“Oh, come on. Quit teasing me guys,” she called to the fog, a half smile tugging at her lips.

But there was no sarcastic remark from her master, no cheerful wolfish howl, nor a flirtatious comment coming from the young man who always implied something with his words and actions. The girl had become isolated in the fog without realizing it.

Sheer willpower stopped her from falling into a panic. Chaos would ensue if her shouts lured monsters to her. Raking her eyes over the whited out surroundings, she racked her brains until her eyes spun.

Should I fly past the cloud cover on my broom to look for everyone? Bad idea. I won’t see anyone through this thick fog. Then should I proceed through the valley and wait for them at the end? No, that won’t work either. There’s no telling how many exits the valley has, and I don’t have the skill to fly full speed for long distances.

Something sticky touched the back of her neck while she was debating what to do.

“Eek!”

She locked up and couldn’t move. Is someone behind me…? Whoever it was wrapped an arm around her waist. That solved the mystery for her—only one person touched her that way. Relieved her allies were closer than she thought, Nichika berated the culprit.

“Lambert! Save your practical jokes for someone else!”

“……”

The culprit held their silence as they ran their hands all over her body from behind. Nichika was scared stiff.

“S-Say something already.”

“……”

“Come on!”

The fog thickened to such a density she couldn’t see her legs anymore. Did I get the wrong person?!

“QUIT THE CRAP…!” Mustering her courage, Nichika tried to shake off the perpetrator when something sticky touched her thigh. The hands crept up her skirt like a creepy-crawly, drawing a scream from her. “Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

In the spur of the moment, she ripped the magic orb from her belt and held it in front of her. The pedestal instantly transformed into a staff and she shrieked at the top of her lungs.

“I don’t care what you do, just give me WINNNNDDD!”

Despite her rough command, or rather because of her desperation, a large number of green mana butterflies flurried together around Nichika, blowing violent winds in every direction around her. The fog cleared in just that spot, and sunlight shone down from overhead.

“Uhh?”

The situation finally came into full view.

STICK! ROLL!

STICK! ROLL!

STICK! ROLL!

White, semitransparent creatures clung to her clothes and every limb in large quantities. Their mochi-like bodies had the smooth shape of a daifuku, and their glossy exteriors were jiggly like Jello. Tears filled their round and adorable black eyes, and their constant squeaks of “Pii! Pii!” sounded as if they were seeking something from her.

“Wh-What’s the deal with you guys…?”

She picked up one of the creatures that were the perfect size to make into a cushion. The cool, squishy texture of its body made her want to kneed her hands into it like a stress ball.

“Kororo!”

“Petan! Petaaa!”

“Ick! Hey…!”

The horde reattached itself to her, knocking her to the ground. She was about to drown in the mysterious creatures when she heard a familiar voice from overhead.

“Oh! Oooooi!”

Nichika looked up at the top of the cliff where Wolfie and the others were staring down at her. Finding hope, her whole face lit up.

“You guys!”

Unfortunately for her, the others each offered very unhelpful comments upon seeing her buried in a pool of monsters. Wolfie was the first to speak with his wagging tail wooshing through the air.

“Nichika, are those your new friends? That looks like fun!”

“I’m not having fun here! Hurry and save me!”

Oswald slid his way down the cliff, stoically noting, “…I didn’t know you had that kinda niche foreplay fetish.”

“I so DO NOT! How did you come to that conclusion after seeing the mess I’m in?!”

Lambert dealt the ultimate finishing blow. He said the most ridiculous thing yet with a boyish grin. “Slimes can do the trick, but if I could choose, I’m far more aroused by tentacles—”

“YOU ARE ALL PERVERTS! PERVERTS I SAY!”

***

RESCUED at last, Nichika stared hard at the monsters that had attacked (?) her. She didn’t know if they understood human language, but she put a question to them anyway.

“You weren’t trying to hurt me, were you?”

The dewy-eyed slimes lined up in front of Nichika and stared eagerly at her. Something about them reminded her of small forest animals, and Nichika adored animals. Her heart did a little flip.

“They’re…kinda cute.”

“Petacolons are timid monsters that flee as soon as they see people. Though these guys aren’t running for the hills, huh?”

“Petacolon?” Lambert’s casual mention of the monster name stuck out to Nichika for some reason. Tilting her head, she contemplated the word with her face scrunched up. “I feel like I’ve heard that word before.”

“You’re imagining it,” Oswald suddenly interjected, breaking his silence up till that point. He glanced at the horde of petacolons and dismissed them with disinterest. “We don’t have time to play with those balls of jelly. The fog is rolling back in. Let’s hurry.”

“There you go being heartless again…”

These white bean bun balls were definitely seeking help. Part of her was absolutely reluctant to leave them without trying. Nichika grabbed her master’s sleeve, stopping him from walking away.

“Let’s look into what they want first. Okay?”

“I’m with Nichika on this!” Wolfie chimed in.

“Y’know what they say: the good you do for people is the good you do yourself, buddy,” Lambert threw in for good measure.

Oswald heaved a long sigh. “They’re monsters, not people…”

Three against one. The odds were stacked against him. Determining it’d waste even more time if he argued, he relinquished the point. Wanting to wrap things up quick, he crouched and poked one of the rotund petacolon.

“Oi, round, squishy thing. What’s worrying you? Did someone trash your hunting grounds? Did your natural enemy show up? Or are your problems all made up by a certain goody two-shoes who can’t keep her nose out of other people’s—and monsters’— business?”

“I can too keep my nose out of other people’s business!” Furious, Nichika pulled back her fist to punch him, when she finally remembered what bothered her about the monster’s name. “Oh my gosh! I just remembered! You kept calling me a petacolon around the time we first met. How do I look anything like these things?!” she questioned, holding one of the limbless, nonhuman creatures next to her face.

Her friends compared her to the round blob for a few moments before giving their opinion.

“You look exactly alike,” her master said flat-out.

“Maybe your daydreamy gaze is similar,” Wolfie unhelpfully added.

“You give off the same aura,” Lambert offered, thrusting the knife that landed the final blow on her self-esteem.

“Oh my gosh!” Shocked and depressed, Nichika let the petacolon slip from her hands and fell to her knees in the dirt. “Th-This is what I look like to others?!”

“Petapeta! Korororo! Petakorororo!”

The white jelly buns bounced around Nichika to cheer her up. Their adorableness soothed her weary heart, but she still felt conflicted about their resemblance.

“Oomph!”

The hopping mob of petacolons suddenly started pushing her. Afraid of being swept away, she stood and followed the river of blue toward several giant boulders. She walked right into something bouncy when she stepped around the largest boulder.

“Auggh!” Whatever she walked into bounced her onto her bottom. The others showed up shortly after and gaped wordlessly ahead. “Oh no, what is it?”

She dragged her gaze upward and was lost for words.

Through the fog she faintly made out a large translucent, putty body that towered higher than the eye could see. Moreover, there was more than one. All the giant shadows she thought belonged to boulders were actually giant petacolons several dozen times the size of a normal one.

Mouth hanging open, Lambert kept his eye trained on the shiny ball of a creature and asked, “Hey, bud, what do you think we have here? A mutation?”

“No, more likely a matured version…or so I’d guess, but have petacolons ever been recorded as growing to giant size?”

From the sound of it, the giant petacolons were unusual even by this world’s standards. Lying here and there around the clearing, the giant petacolons inflated and deflated, but didn’t move. Whereas their smaller versions bounced and rolled around without ever staying still.

“Are they sleeping?” Nichika whispered, afraid speaking too loudly would wake them.

Her efforts were wasted by Wolfie who fearlessly pranced over to wake them. “Goooood morning! It’s morning time!”

He jumped up on one of their big bodies and pushed his front paws into its jiggly belly, only to be bounced backward.

“Hyaaaah!”

Wolfie tumbled into another giant petacolon, shooting him into yet another and another like he was the ball in pinball. The wolf soon vanished beyond the wall of giant, sleeping petacolons. Nichika reached out her hand in the direction he rolled, Oswald sighed, and Lambert pointed and buckled over laughing.

“Aaaah, there he goes…”

“What’s my stupid familiar doing now…?”

“Ahyahya! Lil’ Wol is awesome!”

Oddly enough, the giant petacolons didn’t wake despite the activity. Their eyes remained comfortably closed.

“I see now. You want us to do something about this,” Oswald asked the horde of small petacolons. They looked pleadingly up at him with tears in their dewdrop eyes. Entering investigative mode, Oswald rubbed his chin and voiced his observations. “Were they fed a sleeping tonic?”

“Why’d anybody do that?” Lambert asked.

“The why can come later. Let’s try to wake them.”

At Nichika’s suggestion, they each went to a different petacolon and tried every method they could think of to wake the sleeping giants.

First, they shook the blubbery balls. Didn’t work. Then they slapped and punched it, which had the effectiveness of hitting solid Jello. Nichika shouted at the top of her lungs right next to hers. Her screams vainly echoed through the valley. Oswald tossed ice-cold water on it from his magic bottle. The liquid absorbed into the petacolon in an instant.

“What is with this thing? It absorbed the water faster than anything I’ve seen before…” Nichika observed.

“That’s an amazing new discovery. By drying and flattening out the petacolons I can turn them into an item that absorbs the humidity from people’s rooms—”

“What horrifying ideas are you coming up with now?!” Nichika loudly rebuked her master’s chilling plan, and concentrated her energy on their next option.

While not the friendliest of ideas, she tried warming the petacolon up with fire.

“…It’s coming to a boil.”

“Look at it bubble.”

The giant petacolon was still asleep, its face the picture of calm, despite the fact that the water inside it was boiling. They had tested so many things on the round monster and still it slept. Just when their options had been exhausted they heard Wolfie howling in the distance.

“Heeeey! Guys! I found something funky over here!”