Stranger From a Strange Land (canceled)

Chapter XV: Dark as the Night

"Onee-sama, are you sure about this?"

"Yup! One hundred percent!"

"But... This is so embarrassing!"

"Fine, I'll do it!"

I feel a cold slap to my face. It's so unexpected that I jolt up as if I'd just been struck by lightning. "Wakey, wakey, Onii-chan!" I hear Chise yell. Oh great, it's them. I open my eyes, fully prepared to wake up in my subconscience again. Instead, I find myself in my hotel room. "What are you two doing here?" I ask. "Two succubi in your room. What else would we be here for?" She asks. "Wait, what do you mean, you're gonna...?" I say. "Yes. Now hush, and let us do all the work" she says, climbing over my chest. "Just try to keep your voice in, will you?" She asks.

The next morning, I wake up with the two of them at my sides. I try as carefully as I can to get out of bed without waking them, and get dressed. "We'll be back for more soon, Onii-chan" I hear Chise say as I leave, and I carefully close the door. When I get downstairs, everyone else seems awake. "Hey, Deisuke, you finally awake?" Asks Carne. "Yeah, I suppose" I say awkwardly. "You must have been real tired, it's almost midday already" says Aries. It still feels so strange seeing her alive and well, after I witnessed her getting obliterated. Wait, if Valoriil is a visionary, does that mean he knew Aries wasn't dead? As I think, my mind falls deeper into the train of thought. "I think I'm gonna take a walk, guys" I say. "Can I come with?" Asks Luna. "Sure, you can" I say, and we leave the building.

"Deisuke, are you scared?" Luna asks, clinging to my side. "Scared? Scared of what?" I ask her. "The whole demon lords situation. Everyone's worried that it might be the end of the world" she says. I think for a little bit. "We haven't heard anything just yet. Draag'nir was our first and only lead we have towards them. I say we keep low while we prepare, but stay sharp in case anything does happen" I say. I'm not sure going all-in, full-force is a great idea when I, the supposed hero, am only equipped with wrist bracers and a flimsy dagger. "The first thing we need is armor an weapons" I say. "I see..." She says. "I actually wanted to do a little more than just walking" I say. "What do you mean?" She asks. "I can do this thing... It's difficult to explain..." I say. I stop for a moment, trying to think about how to explain parkour to someone who's never even heard of it before. "I think it's better if I just show you" I say, finding the nearest alleyway, and jump up from wall to wall until I eventually reach the edge of the rooftop. I then jump back down, making sure to keep my knees bent and not to land on my heels. "Is that the thing you did when you rescued me?" She asks. "Yeah" I say. Now that I think about it, whoever is in charge of that operation never did come after me. Whatever, I'm sure one missing slave isn't important to them. "It's very interesting" she says. "It's a technique where I come from" I say. "I think it could come in very useful" she says. "It does, the added dexterity allows me to do many things I otherwise couldn't" I say.

"You lovebirds enjoy your walk?" Asks Carne. Luna goes red and I let out a choked sound. Does he know? "Ah relax, I'm kidding" he says. That was close. "I believe we are quite under-equipped" I say. "Yeah, I was thinking the same thing" he says. "So what do you wanna do about it?" He asks. "Well, obviously I'd like better weapons, but I'm not sure if regular old steel will work" I say. "Then how exactly do you expect us to get weapons that are suitable to your standards?" He questions. "I'm not sure, but I'll find a way" I say. "I know of a way you can get your hands on some of the strongest equipment out there" I hear a husky voice say. "Runa?" I blurt out. She's the last person I was expecting to see. "Long time, no see, kid" she says, sipping a massive gourd of ale. "I didn't see you there" I say. "Yeah whatever. About that equipment..." She says. "Please! We really need it" I say. "There's a blacksmith who is capable of crafting some pretty high quality weapons and armor, granted you have the coin. Enchant what you get from him and you'll be set for a high ranking dungeon" she says. Whatever this stuff is, it sounds seriously good. "Where is he?" I ask. "That's the catch. This guy lives in Nautila, about 3300 kilometers from here, situated in the coast. There's no coach routes that go that far, so you're going to have to walk. It'll take you around five weeks, nonstop" she says. That's insane. "That's ridiculous" I say. "If you're willing to go to the lengths you say you are, then you'll do it" she says. "It's crazy! 3300 kilometers is a ridiculous distance, and factoring in resting time, that'll take us around six weeks!" I yell. "It's our only option, Deisuke" Carne says. "I know, it's just that... Going that far is something that I've never done before, and we've never been more than a few days total coach ride away from Galia" I say. "I know it's far, and I myself am a little reluctant to stray so far from home, but if it is what Runa says it is, then it's worth it" he says. "So, are you down for a month and a half's worth of hiking, kid?" Asks Runa. "I'm not sure" I say. "Not to mention that it's mostly desert between us and the coastal city Nautila after the forests" says Carne. That's over 85% if the journey that we'll be doing over sand dunes. "I think we should give it a shot, Deisuke" Carne says. "Should we pitch this to the others?" I ask. "That's probably a good idea" he says.