Chapter 25: The Battle of the Hot Springs

Chapter 25:
The Battle of the Hot Springs

 

“CAN YOU HELP ME out here?” I asked. “I mean, I could really use a hug. And one of your patented butt massages.”

Ms. Elena narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

“No!” I said. “Don’t get the wrong idea! What I mean is, I need to prepare for this fight. Doing stuff like that gives me power. I know…it’s kinda perverse.”

“Fine,” she said. “I’ll do whatever you need, but I have a line I’m not crossing.”

I hugged her, picking her up in a bridal carry. Then she gave me her special butt-massage special. It was more than enough to get me ready for battle.

“You’re pretty skilled at throwing, aren’t you?” Ms. Elena asked.

“I can manage.”

“Well, given the circumstances, we can’t exactly use knives, so I collected some rocks.”

Ms. Elena set a bag of hand-sized stones down at her feet. She really was always prepared! It made me think about upgrading my C-Grade Throwing skill. It didn’t require much LP, so I used my Editor skill to bump it up to B-Grade.

“Even if they are rotten to the core,” Ms. Elena said, “they’re still my students. We should avoid using weapons if we can. We can use this instead.”

“Rope?”

“Indeed. We’ll set it up between the trees. With any luck, they’ll think it’s some kind of trap. It’ll distract them.”

I was impressed.

“Brilliant as ever, Ms. Elena.” Once the boys scattered, we could pick them off easily. “Although, I guess they have Hjorth. He can tell them it isn’t a trap.”

“That’ll still take some time.”

“Good point,” I admitted. “Heh, here they come. Look at those ridiculous outfits.”

A group wearing black clothes and strange masks approached slowly, and I was caught off-guard for a moment. I’d expected a more ferocious attack.

“Woman and boy,” said one of them. “Move out of the way.”

It was Allen. He’d tried to change his voice, but it was definitely him. Even if I couldn’t see through his disguise, I still had Discerning Eye.

“I don’t think so,” I shot back. “Ms. Elena and I have teamed up.”

“I have no desire for senseless bloodshed,” said Allen. “Please, do not take up arms against our organization—the Dark Sword.”

“I thought you were calling it the ‘Men’s Health Project’?” I asked.

“I’ve never heard of that.”

Why was he playing dumb?

“It’s already dark,” I said. “So you won’t be able to see anything clearly.”

“Our passion will burn through any obstacle in our way!” Allen cried. “Let’s go, brothers!”

“Yeaaaah!”

They lunged toward us, and I crouched down to scoop up some of the stones.

“Seems like these idiots need a lesson,” said Ms. Elena. “Noir, I’ll take responsibility for whatever happens. Don’t hold back.”

“You got it.”

Pew! My first rock flew toward my target and hit him right in the knee, dropping him to the ground.

“Oww?!”

I guess that B-Grade Throwing was really having an effect.

According to Discerning Eye, the boy I’d hit didn’t have any ranged abilities, so I left him where he was. Meanwhile, Ms. Elena was performing exactly as I’d expected: she’d already felled two boys with her rocks and panicked several others.

“Watch out!” one of them shouted. “Those two are crazy! And they’re not pulling any punches!”

“Calm down,” Hjorth snapped. “Split up and flank them from either side. Those ropes are a bluff. There are no traps here.”

They all had faith in Hjorth’s skill, and several boys launched themselves into the trees, leaping over the ropes. They were trying to slip past us.

“I don’t think so,” I said.

“You lot ought to use your perverse energies for something more productive!” Ms. Elena added.

We kept pitching our stones. Mostly, we hit our marks, stopping the boys in their tracks. But Hjorth slipped nimbly through the trees, shielding himself behind their trunks to avoid our barrage of stones. Before we knew it, he was behind us. There was nothing left between him and the paradise that waited in the baths. All he had to do was keep running.

“Ugh, damn it,” growled Ms. Elena. “We should—”

Before she could finish, her eyes went wide and she dodged out of the way. A moment later, the point of a rapier plunged between us.

“Oh, Noir,” said Allen. “Ms. Elena, how could you forget about me?”

He’d been watching us closely, waiting for an opportunity. Now he was planning to hold us up long enough for Hjorth to reach the baths. This wasn’t good…

“Ms. Elena,” I shouted. “Go after Hjorth. I’ll handle Allen.”

“He’s very good with that sword,” she warned. “So be careful.”

The second she turned her back, Allen lunged to attack. I drew my sword to parry.

“You’re helping her get away?” he said. “Well, that works for me.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.

“It means I’m going to crush you!”

He attacked again. I managed to block, but now he had me on the defensive. I took a step back to put some distance between us.

“You can’t beat me in a sword fight,” said Allen. “What are you going to do now, fourth son of the Stardia family?”

“Third son, actually.”

Allen shrugged. “Same difference. Everyone after the second son is expendable!”

Well, that was cruel. I mean, true, but still cruel.

Still, he’d have to try harder than that to get a rise out of me. I readied a large rock in my left hand. This time, I had a plan.

“Hey,” said Allen. “Do you really think you can hit me? I should have expected you’d try something like that. It’s a cheap tactic from a worthless third son. You think that I, Allen, the first son and heir of the Milanos family, would fall for something like that?”

Dude, why are you even bothering with that mask if you’re just going to shout your name for everyone to hear?

Still, the odds were against me. I probably couldn’t distract him enough to get a shot in, but that didn’t stop me. I threw the rock slowly. Very slowly. After all, the long air time gave me more than enough opportunity to Bestow the skill Sticky.

“Ah ha ha ha!” Allen laughed. “I can bat that rock away without taking my eyes off you, you fool…what?”

He blocked the rock with his blade, only to find that it stuck to the metal. It wasn’t all that sticky, it was a rock after all, but it was enough for my plan.

“You’re wide open!”

Thwack!

“Hngh!” Allen cried, doubling over. “That…was…not fair…”

“Well, we never established a rule against hitting below the belt, so…”

I’d known how much it would hurt, and I never wanted to go there, but he hadn’t given me much choice. The method might be inelegant, but it did the job. Allen was down. Which meant there was only Hjorth to go, and there was no way Ms. Elena would—

“Wha?!”

Someone stumbled into me, and I caught them before they fell. When I looked down and saw who it was, I was shocked.

“Ms. Elena?”

What had Hjorth done to get the upper hand?

“There’s something wrong,” Ms. Elena complained, finding her feet again. “He’s too powerful.”

I followed her gaze up the path. Hjorth stood in the distance, flexing his muscles. I guess he was trying to show off.

“What did you do?” I called out.

“Aw, shucks, you caught me. I drank a potion and put on an accessory to give me superstrength.”

Apparently, that had pushed him beyond his normal limits. Either way, his sheer power was a bit terrifying.

“Don’t tell me you took a potion just for this one act of brazen stupidity?” said Ms. Elena.

“I did,” Hjorth replied. “I sold everything I own for it.”

Ms. Elena sighed. “Hjorth, you’re a true idiot.”

“An idiot? Maybe it looks that way to a woman.”

“I’m sure a man would also find your motives asinine. Isn’t that right, Noir?”

I was at a loss for words. I mean, I could understand where Hjorth was coming from. I was desperate to protect Emma, of course I was. But if she hadn’t been at the springs, could I truly say that I wouldn’t have joined in?

Hjorth seemed to pick up on that. “It’s every man’s dream, isn’t it Noir?”

“I… suppose,” I admitted.

Ms. Elena looked incredulous. “Noir? Are you kidding me? Why would you go to such lengths just to see your classmates naked?”

Before I could respond, Hjorth flew into a rage.

“Just to see our classmates naked?!” he howled. “You really don’t get it, do you?! It’s important because they’re our classmates! True eroticism comes from somewhere close to home. Strippers don’t even compare! To us, those girls are the most exciting thing in the whole world! We would lay down our lives to see them naked, you absolute cretin!”

The air around him practically crackled with energy. Even Ms. Elena sensed it, taking a step back.

“I understand how you fee—” she broke off. “No. No, actually, I don’t. Either way, I won’t let you peep on those girls.”

“Are you really going to let this happen, Noir?” Hjorth demanded. “You want to look, too, don’t you? Then come on! I’ll give you five seconds to join me. Five, four, three, two, one…you treacherous bastard!”

He was slobbering as he yelled at us. Whatever was going on with him, he’d completely lost it. He lunged forward, fists flying. Frustratingly, I couldn’t get out of the way fast enough. One of his punches grazed my cheek. Any closer, and I would have been out cold. Even when Ms. Elena landed a heavy kick in his stomach, he only staggered a little.

“I guess it’s strengthened his muscles,” she said.

“It sure has, Ms. Elena.”

The two of them locked together in a grapple, and the fight became a pure contest of strength. Now that she wasn’t pulling her punches, Ms. Elena was holding her own. She was tough. Really tough. Even bare-handed.

But thanks to her efforts, Hjorth left his back wide open. I considered cutting him down, but I really didn’t want to go around stabbing my classmates. Instead, I punched him right in the spine.

“You really think you can protect your precious Emma with such half-hearted efforts?” he demanded.

Hjorth pushed Ms. Elena away and grabbed me by the collar, lifting me off the ground. His hands dug right into my neck. I couldn’t breathe!

“The winner is always the one with the strongest will,” he said. “Aren’t they?!”

“Ughh…”

I tried kicking him in the stomach, but it was hopeless. I was supposed to be so much stronger than him, so what was happening here? There had to be more to his strength than some lousy potion. Maybe his desire to peep was just more powerful than my desire to stop him. That would be frankly embarrassing.

Desperate, and a little ashamed, I created the skill Powerless and Bestowed it on him. It cost a ton of LP, but this was no time to be frugal.

“Huh?”

I watched as Hjorth’s body shrunk. Then I grabbed his arms and pried them off me.

“Well,” I said. “This is what I think about it!”

I tossed him onto his back and he flailed like a fish. He couldn’t even stand up again.

“Haa, I’m exhausted.”

I plopped down on the ground, assured of my victory. It was over.

“Eh he he he…”

“Why are you laughing?” I asked.

“Because we won,” said Hjorth.

He still couldn’t move, but he was grinning. It had me worried.

“Now’s your chance, Kentoll! Time for our otherwise unremarkable speed star!”

“What?”

One of the boys, who’d been lying face down on the ground with the others, stood up. Kentoll laughed and started running.

“Ah ha ha ha!” he cackled. “I just pretended to get hit! I’ll carry all your hopes and dreams on my back, guys! I’ll make sure to tell you all the dirty details!”

“What the—?” I shouted. “Get back here!”

I mustered up the strength to give chase, but he had a head start. And he must have had some kind of speed skill, because he was fast. There was no way I could catch him.

“I can see steam!” he cried. “Wait for me, girls! I’m going to pray before Emma’s massive honkers!”

“Like hell you will!”

I had to do something. I could always Bestow him with Heavy, but I hesitated. He was so fast, the cost of it was obscene. It would take me down to just 200 LP—enough to leave me feeling sick and to put me in some serious danger.

If I ran out of LP, I would die.

Still, I had to stop him. No matter what.

“Eat this.”

I successfully Bestowed the skill, and Kentoll slowed down to a crawl. It didn’t take me long to catch up, but by then he was only a few steps away from the bath. I had to make it! I had to!

“Emmaaaa!” shouted Kentoll. “Here I come!”

“Oh no you don’t!”

Splash!

We flew into the spring together.

“Gargh!”

I popped my head out of the water and got Kentoll in a headlock before he could look around.

“Emma!” I shouted. “Everyone! Get out of the baths! He’s a peeping tom! I’ll keep my eyes closed while I restrain him!”

Please hurry, girls. I feel weak already. I can’t hold on for much longer!

But no one answered. There weren’t even any screams. I opened my eyes a crack and was shocked to find the spring was empty! How was that possible? Before I could panic, I heard Emma’s voice from somewhere out of the water.

“Noir? What are you doing here?”

“Emma…I thought you were in the spring?”

“Ms. Elena told us to wait outside until she joined us.”

Oh, that was clever. Ms. Elena had predicted everything. I was relieved to see that all the girls still had their clothes on.

“Well,” I said. “That’s good. I don’t think I can keep this up any longer…”

“Are you okay?!”

“I’m almost out of LP,” I admitted.

“That’s awful! Hang on!”

With no regard for her clothes, Emma waded in and carried me out. Once we were out of the water, she did all sorts of things to help me recover my LP. It was nothing unusual, but we’d never done these things in front of other people before. It was embarrassing and, even worse, it didn’t help at all.

“What? You didn’t get any LP?” she asked.

“Nope. I guess it’s because we already hugged and kissed this morning.”

It would be tomorrow before I could recover any more LP from Emma with our usual routine. That novelty requirement sure picked a hell of a time to kick in.

“I’ll be fine,” I lied. “I feel a little better already.”

My head was pounding and my body felt like lead. I was probably going to throw up.

“Don’t you lie to me,” Emma said. “I can tell you’re suffering… Girls, help me tend to Noir!”

The other girls rushed over. Did they know I’d been fighting to protect them from a gang of peeping toms? They must have, because they embraced me one after the other. In the space of a few moments, I recovered enough LP to start feeling much better. That was when Ms. Elena came running over.

“Looks like you kept your word,” she said. “I’m glad you didn’t fall under their bad influence.”

“Great idea having the girls wait to go in,” I said.

“You did well, too, Noir,” said Ms. Elena. “Thanks to you, their ambitions were dashed.”

Kentoll was still playing dead in the water. Ms. Elena grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and dragged him out.

“I’m going to go back to the inn and give these sex-crazed jag-offs a lecture. Enjoy the spring, girls.”

I turned to follow her back, but for some reason she handed me a towel. Two towels, in fact.

“You must be tired,” she said. “I’ll talk to the owner. Go and join them.”

“Wh-what?”

“You fought hard for the sake of their dignity,” said Ms. Elena. “You deserve a reward. But you have to keep your hips and eyes covered with those towels.”

So that’s what they were for. I turned to look at the girls.

“Are… are you guys okay with this? If I’m blindfolded, I mean?”

“Yeah, totally!”

Really?!

I guess the idea of sharing the spring with a harmless guy in a blindfold was probably kind of fun for them.

“Hey,” I said. “Emma, are you sure about this?”

“If you’re blindfolded, it’ll be fine. We owe you our thanks, after all. Now hurry up and get ready.”

“Oh, Noir,” said one of the other girls. “You better keep that blindfold on!”

“Got it…”

I was still confused about what was happening exactly, but I did as I was told.

And that’s the story of how my LP shot up to over 10,000.