"Is there anything else in the books that you would like to share with me?" Kayda asked, her voice low and calm as she sat next to me in the carriage. The wheels creaked beneath us as we rattled along the uneven road toward the slums. Her arms were crossed, but her tail flicked, betraying her impatience.
"Hmm, An kind of explained everything. The only problem is that we need to shut it off or know how long it stays, but I can't find anything about it," I said, staring at the leather strap of my spear harness. My voice came out more frustrated than I meant, but hours of fruitless page-turning had left my head pounding.
"I understand; that could pose a problem. But didn't An say that it works on lives?" Kayda leaned back, her eyes narrowing in thought. The sunlight that cut through the slatted window painted one side of her cheek in gold, the other in shadow.
"Yes, do you think it might hold out until the life force that was sacrificed runs out?" I said this more to myself than to her, and my words came out almost as a mutter.
"Yes, but that's too vague to run on," Kayda said, nodding slowly.
"Yeah, you never know how long the life force of a dog can hold the summoning on," I said, shrugging. The image of the guild master's tail swishing popped in my head, and I almost smirked.
"Just don't call the guild master 'dog' or 'pup' in front of the other adventurers. It will make this operation just run way smoother," Kayda said with a long sigh. She rubbed at her temple like she could already see the future argument.
"I need to be friendly with the young man who has an attitude problem." No promises."
"Yes, but I wouldn't really say he has his head stuck up his ass," Kayda said, tilting her head slightly at me, her lips twitching like she wanted to smile.
"He expects everyone around him to follow his orders with—" I stopped mid-sentence, the words dying in my throat. A heavy realization washed over me, cold enough to make my ears droop.
"Kitsu? You okay there?" Kayda asked, her voice softening as she noticed my dreaded expression.
"Kayda, I am the—" I mumbled, the last part muffled, almost inaudible. My throat clenched, the words bitter.
"Kitsu, don't just stop in the middle of your sentences like that. You are making me worry."
"Kayda, I am the same as him, aren't I?" I said finally, forcing my eyes to meet hers. My voice cracked slightly, pleading for her to tell me I was wrong.
"Who, what now?" Kayda blinked, clearly confused.
"I am the same as the guild master."
"Ooh, yeah, pretty much," Kayda said after a heartbeat, not denying it in the slightest. Her answer was blunt, her honesty cutting sharper than a blade.
"You could have been nice about it."
"Why? You guys don't like each other because you share similar traits. And on second thought, he's worse than you. You won't expect someone to reveal everything about themselves on the first meeting." Kayda nodded to herself as if her words were comforting wisdom.
"I guess I won't, but I might force someone to tell me," I said, my tone turning thoughtful, though my stomach twisted.
"Might? You have done that a couple of times." Kayda flicked her hand up and swatted me lightly over the head.
"Tch, that's true," I admitted, clicking my tongue in annoyance.
"In all fairness, that was all I needed at the time."
"Still, it is frustrating to think that I am being compared to that dog." "It is quite irritating," I said, venom dripping from each word. My ears pressed flat to my skull.
"If you don't like it, change it," Kayda said with a chuckle.
"But that's a tall order."
"Yes, but I know you can do it," Kayda said suddenly softer, leaning close enough that her breath tickled my cheek before pressing her lips against it. My face went hot instantly. She pulled away just as the carriage jerked to a stop, her timing cruelly perfect. Without missing a beat, she hopped out of the carriage like nothing happened.
"We have arrived," the coachman announced politely, bowing slightly at the open door.
"Oi, that's unfair. You can't surprise me like that," I said, flustered, my hand flying up to cover my blushing face.
"Come on, Kitsu, let's get moving," Kayda called back, glancing over her shoulder at me with a wink that only made my chest tighten.
"Fricking dragoness, one of these days, you're going to kill me with these surprises," I mumbled, muttering into my palm as I stepped out.
"Pah, a heart attack won't kill you," Kayda laughed loudly, her voice echoing in the open air.
"Tch, it will still hurt, though," I said, turning away with a pout.
"With your pain resistance, it might just feel like an insect bite," Kayda rebuked smugly.
"... " There was nothing I could say to that, because it was probably true. My lips pressed into a thin line.
"Ah, you guys have arrived. Luckily, the summoning hasn't started," the guild master said, his tone dripping with sarcasm as he stepped forward. His dog ears twitched with irritation, and his tail flicked sharply.
"Yo, we have a bit more intel about the summoning," Kayda said, walking right up to him, unfazed.
"You do; do tell us, please. I hope it has something to do with how long it will last." The dog's voice was demanding, authority bleeding into every syllable.
"It is somewhat related, but we are uncertain about the duration it will last." All we can assume is that it depends on how much life force was sacrificed," I said before Kayda could answer, shrugging as casually as I could manage.
"Hmm, good assumption but useless in the end."
"No, it is instrumental, you know," I shot back sarcastically, my tail flicking.
"So, guild master, what's your game plan?" Kayda asked, bumping my shoulder lightly to keep me from starting another fight.
"We took all the houses away in a one-kilometer radius, making it open grassland so we can see the thralls easily," the guild master explained, sweeping a hand outward. The flattened ground stretched out around the fortress ruins, dirt still raw where buildings had been torn down.
"Not bad, but with that much open space, the thrall can run rampant much easier," I said, squinting. I didn't see enough people around to manage this wide of a field.
"True, but that's where I thought you might have a plan." The guild master's eyes locked onto mine.
"... I have something cooked up for that," I admitted with a nod, surprised he was willing to hand me that much trust.
"Great. I was also thinking to put all the adventurers who are only physical attackers on bows and arrows to have their shot at the seekers," the guild master continued, his voice calm now.
"That would work wonderfully," Kayda said brightly, nodding in agreement.
"Hmm, how many guys with magic sword skills do you have?" I asked, glancing over the gathered fighters.
"Let me give you a complete rundown instead."
"Clever idea," Kayda and I said at the same time, both focusing on him.
We have only 120 physical attackers, 114 mages, and 56 swordsmen who also use magic.
"That's quite many people. Sadly, I don't think it will be enough," I said, trying to sound polite but failing.
"If we work in shifts and properly, we will make it work," the guild master said firmly.
"You've done the calculations already?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes. We will." His tone left no space for doubt.
"You can oversee that or tell Kayda. I'm just going to go set up the fence. Oh, and the rock seekers, I will manage them the best I can."
"Okay, ask Jess over there to help you," the guild master said, pointing at a woman explaining something to a group of adventurers sitting on the ground in front of her.
"Thanks," I said, heading toward them.
"Remember to hit the seekers in the eye," Jess said to her group, tapping her own eye as emphasis.
"Yes, ma'am," they chorused obediently.
"Now it seems I have something else to do, so go get your bows ready. If you don't understand, ask someone to help," Jess added, her tone brisk. She glanced at me, her gaze sharper than I expected, and I tilted my head at her.
'Did she hear us talk?' I thought, studying her closer. She wore greenish light armor with a hood hiding most of her face, but the long elf ears poking out made it obvious what she was. Her hair was the same shade of green, her pearl-white skin flawless, and her striking blue eyes clashed almost unnaturally with the rest.
"You seem to handle newbies quite well," I said sarcastically.
"And you seem too knowledgeable for your age," she rebuked, her tone clipped.
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" I said, frowning.
"You're too young to be here, but the guild master is listening to you. Let me remind you, our guild master never listens to someone younger than him."
"Hmm, what can I say? "I have a good head on my shoulders," I said with a shrug.
"Sigh, anyway, you were sent here for something, right? How can I help you?" she asked, shaking her head at my confidence.
"Aah, yes. I need help setting up a fence."
"Might I inquire what this fence is meant for?"
"Well, the mages will need a lot of protection. With only a small number of guys who can do physical and magic damage at the same time, the fence will provide protection by doing constant magic damage."
"Huh, you can make something like that?" she asked, dumbfounded.
"Yeah. Working with my element will be a bit complicated and dangerous for the people involved, but it shouldn't be impossible.
"I remember the guild master said you apparently have special elements. But do explain your plan."
"We will use these as poles, and in between each pole we'll span adamite wire," I said, pulling spears, rods, and long objects from my storage, laying them out like bones of a skeleton.
"Hmm, are these made out of your ice magic?"
"Yes, they are," I said, arranging the wires.
"Then can't we use these to kill the thrall?"
"I thought about it, but it won't work. My ice magic in this state is physical, not magical."
"Yeah, that won't work," she agreed.
"Anyways, in the first run, I'll channel my mana through a mana conductor. Those will be set every few hundred meters."
"Hmm, by mana conductors, do you mean those things that are made in guns?"
"Yeah, just bigger."
"How many do you have?"
"Enough. I made them mostly out of ice as well. They do work, if you were worried."
"You made it out of ice? Is there anything you can't make out of your ice?" Her eyes widened, almost glowing.
"Not much, actually. The guns I create from my ice can withstand one shot before breaking," I admitted, scratching my cheek.
"I give up. Okay, let's get the start-up."
"Oh, also, for each conductor, get someone with excellent mana control, okay?"
"But that would mean the stronger mages won't be able to fight."
"That, or your newbies get burned to death by devil magic."
"... Okay, fair point. I'll get everyone ready and explain," she said after a pause.
"Great. With a grin tugging at my lips, I said, "Let's move before things get messy."