Vol 1 Chapter 14 (1/2)
Chapter Fourteen: To Take a Life
We walked through the fields and based our operations in the woods and mountains
We were fighting otten the hang of it
We were also doing hen it cas with loot and herbs
That hen it happened
We’d been fighting monsters that resembled, for the most part, inanimate objects, but finally an animal-like monster appeared
It was like a giant, brown… rabbit?
Usapil
Weird name, if you ask me
“Booo!”
The Usapil looked us over for a second or two before rushi+ng at us with its huge front teeth bared
“Watch out!”
Probably thinking it looked weak, Raphtalia was already locked on So I ran in front of her to cover
Kiine! Kiiine!
The Usapil dug its teeth in, but just as before, it didn’t hurt at all Apparently h
“Got it! Stab it!”
“Ahh… I…”
“What is it?”
“It’s alive… and it… it’ll bleed!”
I tried to figure out what she wanted to say
“Just deal with it We’re going to have to fight lots of living things”
“But… but…”
The Usapil kept biting me, over and over
“Just do it! If you don’t, I won’t be able to watch out for you”
Sure, we’d spent tirown a little attached But I still needed her to fight for et a new slave, one that could fight
“Hiya! Hiya!”
Raphtalia let out a child-like scream and stabbed the Usapil, time after time, in the back
When she pulled out the knife, blood sprayed
“Ah…”
The Usapil collapsed to the ground and rolled back and forth Raphtalia watched it there, and then kept looking at the blood on her knife The color left her face, and she looked like she was going to run off
But there was no ti hundreds, if not thousands of times
“Boo!”
Another Usapil appeared from the shrubbery and bounded towards Raphtalia with its teeth out
“Ah!”
I dashed between them and deflected the Usapil attack
“I’m sorry I know it’s reallybut protect others That’s why you have to do it”
The Usapil buried its teeth in my arm as I spoke
“I have to get stronger I need you to help me”
If I didn’t, there was no way I could survive as coreat destruction would be co in just a little over a week
If I had to face it at my current level, I wasn’t sure if I could survive
“… But…”
“In just over a week, a wave of great destruction ash over the world”
“What?!”
“That’s why I have to get stronger Before the wave coh to meet it”
Raphtalia listened in silence but was shaking in fear
“You’re going to fight the wave?”
“Yeah That’s what I’ it for fun… If you think about it that way, you and I are very much alike Not that I’ you and all”
“…”
“So don’t give o”
I didn’t want to It wouldn’t be good for anyone to put her back in the cage in that tent
I had no money If I didn’t sell her off, I couldn’t buy a new slave
“I understand… Master I will… fight”
Color slowly came back to her pale face She nodded Then she turned to the Usapil and stabbed it with her bloodied knife
She looked suddenly determined Her eyes were fixed
The Usapil was rolling over at her feet She looked at it, and then slowly closed her eyes She stepped forward and corrected the grip on her knife She was going to dissect it
“Leave that to me This isn’t all your responsibility”
“Okay”
I took a dissecting knife fro and went to work
This was reality, not a game If I could have, I’d have looked away But that wasn’t an option
It wasI’d have to do to survive When I first saw the Usapil’s blood on my hands, I understood how Raphtalia felt
Also, apparently I couldn’t use weapons in combat, but I could use them to carry out tasks like this Granted, there were lots of times in life when you needed a knife, so it only seemed natural
I butchered the two Usapils and let the shi+eld absorb them
UsaLeather shi+eld: conditions met
UsaMeat shi+eld: conditions met
UsaLeather shi+eld: ability locked:
equip bonus: agility 3
UsaMeat shi+eld: ability locked:
equip bonus: dissection ability 1
I turned my shi+eld into a UsaMeat shi+eld and stood up
“Master, please, um, don’t… abandon me”