"We'll need to break one of its legs," I said out loud.
It's been a couple of days since we officially defended the city against the monster's attack. The city is still in the state of recovering from the damages caused mostly by the Chaplain Beast. Casualties was kept at a minimal, but something unfortunate occurred that brought our moods sour.
Peter was caught in the rubble trying to protect Mr Wick and Daisy during the initial laser attack by the Chaplain Beast. It was our fault to push him to care for Daisy, but he denied it and said that it was his age catching up and carelessness that he couldn't avoid in time. It was just a leg injury, so his life is not at stake, but he'll be bedridden for a couple of days to a week, depending on his healing capabilities.
He shooed us to begin our tracking mission after we informed him that we had successfully captured one of the beasts. It was being held captive in one of the most secure prisons available here, as we cannot afford to allow it to escape.
Which brings us to where we are now, in the operations chamber, to do an anatomy inspection on the beast and to sew the elven bell underneath its skin. This suggestion was given by Lily, as this would minimise the chance of it being caught by something or removed by other beasts. She assured us that she can still hear it at a distance despite being beneath the beast's skin. And this is where I made the suggestion of breaking one of its legs.
There were quite a few people around the room studying the beast. From high-ranking officers to doctors and scientists that may shed some light on their weak spots, their dietary preferences, and their reproductive organs. But all of them turned to look at me when I made that suggestion.
"W... why do we need to break its legs for?" asked one of the scientists.
"Because we need to slow down the beast in order for us to be able to keep tracking it by sound. And I said a leg, not all of them. The hind leg would be more preferable," I answered.
"I don't think that would be appropriate, seeing that we're still studying the beast," answered another one of the eggheads in the room.
"I'm not saying right now, but eventually we'll need to. You don't have the luxury of inspecting this beast for long. You have plenty of time with the other dead specimens to inspect. We need this one for tracking purposes," I answered firmly.
"There will be no violence or cruelty in this room," one of the more senior scientists came to warn.
"I'm sorry—cruel? Might I remind you that there are hundreds of dead soldiers and adventurers out there who gave their lives because these beasts decided to attack the city just a few days ago. Families, that had their lives and homes ruined from the attack. This city—your city— is now in ruins, disrepair, and will probably take months to get back in shape. And you call this cruelty? You better pray to the heavens that another attack doesn't take place anytime soon, or you won't have a city to live in," I warned all of them.
Rose confronted me and pushed me away from the operating table. She placed her hand on my chest and stared directly into my eyes. She probably thought that I was losing my temper, but I was not. I just stated the truth, and she realised it soon after. She breathed a sigh of relief and petted my head. Just because she's taller than me doesn't mean she can treat me like I'm her little pet!
SMASH!!!
A loud slam followed by a sickening crunching sound erupted from somewhere within the room. All of us were stunned by the sudden noise except for the one who made it. It would appear that Lily had broken the hind leg of the beast with her fist. To be able to break such thick bones without her gauntlet at that, yikes. Just how thick are her fist bones to be able to break the hind leg of the beast so easily?
The beast awoke from the sudden rush of pain, roaring and struggling to free itself from its restraints. Doctors and officers rushed in to hold down the beast while one of them rushed to inject sedatives into its bloodstream for quicker effects.
"I believe you were trying to test the healing factor of the beast earlier. Feel free to do so. You only have until tomorrow, when we'll begin our mission," spat Lily with frustration.
"Y— you can't be serious? This is important research for us to discover more about the beast attacking us. We need this information to help us, all of us," explained one of the scientists.
"I'm afraid Mister Zen has the blessings of our founder and has every right to do so. And I do agree that there's no cruelty in this when our opponent is slaughtering us without mercy," said one of the high-ranking officers.
"Gentlemen, might I remind you that time is of the essence," spoke a familiar voice through the microphone.
The doctors cowered at the sound of his voice and proceeded to do whatever they needed to research on the beast. The three of us headed out to meet with the speaker. We knocked on the door, and he allowed us to head in.
Mr Wick was the speaker, overseeing the operations that these people were doing through a glass window. His voice was basically the order of Peter himself. And here I thought that Mr Wick was just a simple commander when I first met him.
"I trust that you'll be providing us with an update on whatever information they're able to find? We'll begin our quest at dawn tomorrow," I informed him.
"And you shall have it. I swear these people will never come to terms that you are one of his greatest students, not to mention a member of the Great Powers. It would appear that their discipline with higher ranks is questionable as of late," he spoke as he gripped a pencil tightly.
"Woah, woah… like they said, no need for violence in that room. That pencil has done you no harm, so you should put it down," I tried to calm him down.
"You can be assured that everything will be in place at dawn tomorrow. East gate. Your room has been extended and thankfully wasn't destroyed by the so-called Chaplain Beast. Rest well, ladies and gentlemen. We are all counting on you," he bowed to us.
***
"Are we heading straight back to our tavern? Feels like we should go for a walk as it's still pretty early," asked Lily.
It was still midday, and there was nothing else for us to do for the rest of the day. I told both of them that there was something I wanted to see, and both of them told me to lead the way.
We reached the site in question, and it was a magnificently beautiful scene. The Chaplain Beast was still completely frozen with no sign of thawing, and it is breathtaking when the sunlight bounces off around it.
"Wow… a little overkill, isn't it, Lily?" chuckled Rose.
"I might have. I needed to make sure that it stays dead. Who knew what else this beast was going to do? Good thing ice works on it as much as fire does," she scratched her head with her tongue out, trying to act cute.
"About that new power of yours, Lily. Does it use charges? What's the name of your legendary gauntlets?" I asked her curiously.
"Heh heh, trying to figure out my weakness? It doesn't have charges if that's what you're asking. It mostly uses cooldown, though. It's called "Breath of Kuraokami," and I ain't telling what other spells I have in store. Fu fu," she smirked.
"Well—let's see. So far, you're able to freeze time, summon an ice dome to reduce people's speed, toss ice spikes, deliver punches that spread frozen lightning on impact, and toss a giant frozen lightning spear that you call from the sky. Did I miss anything out?" I grinned evilly at her.
"Y... you— memorised all of my spells?! Why would you do that?!" she started hitting me softly.
"Of course I need to! We'll be travelling together, and I need to know what your new capabilities are. I've known Rose's strength since we often trained together. We rarely keep any secrets from each other, so we can support each other properly," I explained to her.
"Well— I don't know about that," Rose started whistling and moved her eyes away.
"And what do you mean by that?" I squinted at her.
She continued whistling, trying to avoid answering me. I sighed and changed the topic, as I knew I was not getting anything out of her.
"Right, let's move to the next thing. Who's going to be the team leader for the upcoming mission?" I asked both of them.
In the exact same time and motion, both of them pointed at me. I thought of raising concerns but quickly gave up on it. These two share the same brain cells, one way or another. It's the reason why they both get along so well in the first place.
"I wonder if Peter will keep this frozen beast somewhere. It's beautiful and certainly a marvel to gaze at," said Rose.
"Why would anyone want to keep this thing for? We should smash it apart and be done with it," sighed Lily.
"It's your trophy, Lily. I believe Peter would be delighted to keep this in his museum. 'Chaplain Beast, frozen in time, by Lily Moonshine'. Haha, seems cool, doesn't it?" I smiled with affection.
"Well, if you put it that way. I guess it's fine if he chooses to keep it," she shrugged.
"One question, your frozen lightning is not affected by heat? There are no signs that it's melting even under direct sunlight," I asked her.
"No… my spells are quite special. No amount of sunlight is going to ever melt this thing, nor will it melt," she stared at her trophy with passion.
"Alright, what's next? Is this all you wanted to see, Onii-chan?" asked Rose.
"There's one more location I wish to visit. Got to keep my promise to a certain someone," I chuckled as I headed in a direction.
Both of them looked at each other confused. They are probably wondering what promise I was referring to. Well, they just have to follow along to figure it out.
***
I knocked on the door of the location I wanted to visit. There was barely any signboard stating the name of this store aside from a logo of a diamond square shaped with a long-haired mermaid on top of the door frame.
Upon opening, there was nothing but barrels all around the reception area. The only thing out of place was a frail-looking table in the middle of the room with an old candle, a box of matches, and a bell.
I walked up to the table and rang the bell without waiting for both of them to acclimatise themselves to this strange shop. I'm sure their first impression is that I'm about to do something illegal. Truth be told, I am sort of doing something illegal. But hey, that's what connections are for. I waited for the person in question to appear from the back room before I proceeded to do anything else.
"Who are we waiting for, Onii-chan?" whispered Rose.
"Oh, you'll see," I smiled to both of them as we continued to wait in this relatively creepy atmosphere.
Someone with a hunched back, hiding behind a cloak, appeared and peeked at us from behind the door. Even without showing himself, I knew he was grinning after he saw that I was here. He was practically giggling as he approached the table.
"Greetings, Master Zen. To what do I owe the pleasure? Heh heh," he giggled.
"A pleasure to see you again, Quasimortuus. How have you been?" I asked him as I casually lit the candle with the matches provided.
I placed the candle in the middle of the table, lifted it once more, and blew it directly at him.
"How did you beat the mould?" I smirked at him.
"Heh heh… I'm glad you still remember. Follow me, right this way," he gestured us to follow him to the back room.
I gestured for both Rose and Lily to follow after me but keep close. We headed downstairs to what looked like a creepy, empty room with couches. It wasn't brightly lit, but there was another door where no one could ever peek in. Pretty sure that's where he keeps all his merchandise, but no one is ever allowed to see what's inside.
"Juice or wine?" he giggled.
"Wine for the silver lady and juice for the rest," I said.
"Just—juice for all of us, please," Lily overrode my words quickly.
"What are you looking for this time, Master Zen? Please tell me it has something to do with both of them," he licked his lips as he passed us all a cup of juice.
Both of them were grossed by his demeanour, but I gave him a straight answer to ease the tension in the room.
"I'm looking for the finest elven wine. Do you happen to have one?" I asked him straight.
"Heh heh… as a matter of fact, I do. And what do you have to offer?" he giggled.
I reached into my hip pouch and pulled out a potion and recipe. He seemed intrigued by it.
"My offer is the all-stats potion, including the recipe. And you, my friend, will be the only one in the world that will have access to this recipe," I smirked as I lifted it up for him to see.
"My, my… what generous offer you made. Are you sure an elven wine is all that you need?" he giggled.
"Finest elven wine, mind you. And what else are you willing to trade for this one-of-a-kind potion recipe?" I asked curiously.
"Heh heh heh… wait right here," he proceeded into his secret door.
"Zen, who the hell is this? I really don't like his demeanour. And why are you trading your prized possession for just a wine? Why would you do that?" she asked while feeling flustered.
"What do you mean? You said that wine was your prized possession, and I used it as a Molotov. Who am I to not provide you with the best wine available as a replacement?" I smiled at her.
"No, not by giving up your own. This was not what I wanted, Zen," she explained.
"Oh, calm down. I never said it was my most prized possession. I never told him how much stats it added in the first place," I shrugged.
"H— huh?" she grew confused.
Quasimortuus opened the door and brought a few items along with him. He kept most of them hidden inside his cloak but placed the wine bottle on one side of the large rectangular table. Now that— is a fine-looking wine bottle. It's like it's carved and decorated by the elves for sure. I thought he wanted to offer something else along with it.
"I have a couple of other things with me that I'm willing to… complement along with this wine. But only one additional item is allowed. Here are three items for your consideration," he placed them on the opposite side of the table.
There was a pair of rings, a weird looking book that I don't recognise and lastly, what looked like a pocket watch. Damn it, Quasimortuus. Where did you even get that watch from? How is it possible that you've already have one this quickly?
"Heh heh… which one tickle your fancies?" he grinned.
"You can remove the watch as I've already got one of my own. What I'm interested in is that book in the middle that I don't recognise," I said.
"Colour me intrigued. I thought the watch would have been your main choice. Heh heh. Well, this thing over here? This— is a prayerbook, traded by a stranger who passed by here a couple of days ago. Inside, it contains a seal and spells that belong to what seems to be… fingers related," he opened the front page along with the seal inside and lifted it up to show us.
"In short, you have no idea the value of the book. I'm surprised you're willing to trade with something that you have no knowledge of," I replied boldly.
"Oh no, Master Zen. I know the value of this. The reason I am willing to sell this to you... well, I know what your wife is capable of," he snickered.
"And the rings? Because my silver-haired friend is not wearing one?" I asked bluntly.
"Come now, Master Zen. Anyone who is anyone knows about you and Lily Moonshine's unrequited love. This is no ordinary ring, mind you; it belonged to an elven couple that had pushed through time and realms to be reunited. This ring is imbued with their undying love. This— is the ring of eternal love," he showed us.
I stopped both of them from approaching the other side of the table. None of us are allowed to approach close to him. Rose was getting giddy, wanting to inspect the book, but I had to stop her by grabbing her shirt. Should any of us approach him while the transaction is taking place, we will be instantly sent out of his shop without making a deal. This little hunchback is no joke.
Damn, those are two rather interesting and intriguing items he offered because he knew both of their values. What if I turned down the wine instead? No, that'll not work. He will never agree to it because that was what I was requested for in the first place. Alright then. Let's negotiate, then, you cunning little lad.
"What if— I take everything you're offering instead? And offer you some additional item?" I asked him.
"Oh? Ho ho ho… I knew you would take the bait. What else are you willing to offer?" he giggled.
I opened my backpack and searched for something. Hmm, what am I willing to trade that is unique enough? The lighter? Nah, that is too valuable and it is really handy in the field for me. My other potions? I don't think he would be that interested in single-stat potions though. Hmm...
"I offer this in exchange for the book," said Rose as she raised a gold coin and placed it on the table.
Somehow, that coin had gotten him all giddy despite only seeing it for a couple of seconds, and he started approaching us quickly. I warned him with a glare, and he stopped in his tracks. He raised both of his hands and walked back to the other end of the table. Both sides must follow the rules that he set. I took the coin and inspected it. On one side, it looked like an angel was stabbing a dragon, while on the other, a ship with a rose. What's so special about this gold coin?
I lifted it up for him to see again, and along with the opposite side. Then I slammed it on the table.
"Careful, Master Zen! That thing is worth more than your life!" he shouted angrily.
"Well… you seem to be really interested in this coin. Mind telling me it's worth?" I grinned at him.
"That... is the Angel coin. The one and only coin of its kind. How interesting that your wife is holding this coin, but fitting, I might say. I would be willing to trade that coin for the book and the watch. Two items for four. A fair trade, one might say," he chuckled.
I turned to Rose and whispered to her. We do not know the value of that book yet, but she was willing to trade this precious coin that even Quasimortuus is getting all giddy to obtain. She told me that it's fine since she never understood the value of that coin in the first place. Her guildmaster passed her the coin and told her to do what she wanted with it. However, she has a feeling that she understood the value of that book. She could feel it in her guts. I asked her whether she was firm with her decision, and she answered with a firm "Yes". Such unwavering conviction.
"Alright, it's a deal. All items on the table then. Rose and Lily, would each of you stand on one corner of the room separately?" I pointed to both of them.
Both of them responded and walked towards both corners of the room. Quasimortuus and I had placed all our items on the table and proceeded to walk to the opposite side. He took the left side while I walked the right with the same pace. Everything must be coordinated without showing any hints of eagerness or any attempts to steal the items. Anything out of place and he will cancel the deal with a snap of his fingers. What's fair is that even though the deal is off and you get kicked out, he gives you back your items without taking them for himself.
We reached the other end of the table, and I stared at him. "Inspection time," he smirked.
I checked the four items, and they seemed to be in excellent condition. Even the watch looked better than the one I have. The wine was sealed and showed no signs of tempering, but it certainly looked fancy. Only Lily can understand the value of it. I couldn't understand the book, but it definitely had informational value in it. The so-called "seal" looked weird. It was V-shaped but circular at the top. I wonder if Rose can make sense of what this is.
"Are we in agreement? Everything checks out," he grinned.
"Yes, the deal is complete. We'll be on our way," I bowed lightly.
"Perfect, right this way then," he gestured us to head back up to where we came from.
The deal is never truly over until we leave his premises. I still need to be careful until I make it out of his shop.
"A pleasure doing business with you, Master Zen. I look forward to the fruits of your exploration," he grinned.
"Likewise, see you next time, Quasimortuus," I bowed lightly once more and headed out the door.
***
"Phew! Glad that's over," I breathed a sigh of relief as I stretched my body.
"What would have happened if things went south?" asked Rose curiously.
"We would have been kicked out with a snap. I've tried to be an idiot once and… let's just say I needed to do favours to gain back his trust," I chuckled.
"Is that all for your errands?" asked Lily.
"Yep. Any of you got anything else to do for the day?" I asked both of them.
"Hmm… let's go on a double date. Who knows what's going to happen on this mission? Let's spend time together while we still can," said Rose.
Her idea of a 'double date' is rather inaccurate, but we knew what she was asking for. As we headed towards a place for a meal, I deliberately slowed my pace and pulled Rose to slowly match mine.
"Rose… last chance to change your mind. You sure you want me to get along with Lily in a romantic way? Give me your word and promise me that you won't get jealous. Don't say that I'm a cheater or being unfaithful," I warned her.
She pushed me into an alleyway. She rested her head on my chest, bending her knees just to do so. I'm so sorry that your husband is such a shorty. Sob sob.
"Onii-chan, this is why I love you so much. Any other guy would have leapt at the opportunity without even asking their loved ones. But you… are just so different. I love you, Zen Onii-chan, and will always do. But this… is because Lily resurrected you. Without her, I wouldn't have gotten to experience this, any of this. We owe her that, Onii-chan. She deserves your love as much as I do. Just… promise me that you'll treat us equally? I will eventually grow old, and you'll be fed up with me. Just— promise me that you won't abandon me or Daisy, please?" she asked with a soft tone.
"This is why I insist that having only one partner is the best, as it breeds insecurity. I promise you, Rose. You are and will always be my first and most important wife," I hugged her.
Lily's head poked out into the alleyway, squinting at us.
"If you two wanted to be left alone, you could have just told me instead of leaving me to walk ahead," she pouted.
"Oh no, we were just clearing something up. Let's go, Lily Onee-chan," she started pushing Lily from her shoulder to walk together.
I smirked at their interactions. Perhaps things might work out after all. Or Rose might finally get to experience the threesome that she's secretly plotting, and I'll end up all alone.
"Now, hang on there, you two. Let's see here, this is for you, Lily. And—keep this as well. A reason for you not to forget or avoid me any longer," I passed her the wine bottle and the rings.
"W... what? Zen. I'll take the bottle, but you should give these rings to Rose. This is meant for your wife, not me. C'mon, you have to give this to her," she tried to pass back the rings.
"Nope, we already have a ring of our own. No reason to overwrite it with another. Just think of it as… hope," I smirked when I pushed the rings back to her.
"W… what are you trying to say? You want to marry me?" she asked while tilting her head.
"Hmmm... I wonder. We shall see," I chuckled.
"Why won't you tell me instead of leaving me with a cliffhanger? You can't do this, Zen," she pouted.
"Sorry, but we have a mission to complete. Got to focus on that first," I whistled as I walked ahead.
She inspected the wine bottle and gave a loud gasp. She told us that this wine is one of the oldest and rarest out there. There's no way she's even going to drink any of this as it costs a fortune if sold to the right noble elf. I teased her that she is that noble elf and she should enjoy her life, but she retaliated and said that she'll never be one.
Rose approached her and passed her the watch. As expected, she tried to reject it but gave in when we told her that both of us already have one of our own. How speechless she became when we suddenly showered her with gifts. I thought she would be crying tears of joy by now.
As both of them walked ahead, I turned back to gaze at the frozen Chaplain Beast once more. Whoever is pulling the strings is definitely going to be stronger than that beast. The three of us will be plunging ourselves into danger and possibly getting outnumbered by thousands of beasts. But we don't have a choice. We are this city's only hope of stopping the attacks. I should make sure to enjoy these last few remaining hours with both of them while I still can. Felt like the calm before the storm.