The Tiger Clan

Off in the distance,the sun began peeking up above the horizon, shining its light across

the vast southern continent, and, of more interest to the ship's passengers, on the

massive town that hugged the coastline.

Despite the incredible length of the ship we rode on, it felt small in comparison to the

sprawling town that lay before us. It was bigger than any human town I'd seen thus

far.

The village of Landfrea, where we'd left port just the day before, was pretty large in its

own right, but the town of Plymouth was something else entirely.

The tree-trunk high rises that were a common sight in elven villages were nowhere to

be seen, instead replaced by mammoth buildings that put even the Rhoden Kingdom

to shame. Somehow, they managed to fit in naturally with the rolling hills the town sat

on.

Chiyome let out a gasp of surprise at the sight, while Goemon stood at her side, arms

crossed in silence.

Ariane let out a sigh, wonderment clear in her voice. "I'd heard of Plymouth's size

before, but this is truly something to behold. It makes human towns look like little

more than hamlets."

I nodded in agreement. "I bet they could fit 100,000 people into a city this size."

The closer the Rievbelta drew to Plymouth's port, the more ships we passed, hailing

from both here and afar. The ships were all crewed by mountain people, suggesting

that cargo was often transported by ship here.

The Rievbelta arrived at one of the slips at Plymouth's dock and several burly men

came running up to pull the ship in.

The crew began the work of preparing the cargo to be lowered down while the captain

greeted the dock workers. We went back to our cabins and grabbed our bags before

taking a wooden gangplank from the ship's deck down to the dock.

As we stepped off, we were met by several mountain people dressed in light armor

and armed with spears—the port's guards—who subjected all passengers to an

inspection before allowing them to enter the town.

Ariane handed over the letter of introduction she'd been given by Landfrea's elder.

After a cursory inspection, we were allowed to enter Plymouth proper.

The town was buzzing with life. It was like nothing I'd ever seen.

The majority of the people we crossed paths with had some sort of beastly

characteristics, including ears, tails, and more, though there were more than a few

dark elves as well, like the ones we'd seen aboard the Rievbelta.

Up ahead of us was a market filled with row upon row of shops and stalls stocked with

all manner of products, which had probably just come off the boats. Customers rushed

in to purchase their wares.

The crowd was dense, like what you'd find at a summer festival, though we still

managed to draw more than our fair share of attention. Apparently, a man fully decked

out in armor with a green-furred animal on his head tended to stand out.

Goemon, the one who'd normally stick out in a human town, managed to blend in

easily with the crowd. His bare-chested figure looked identical to many of the people

around us.

I served as the group's leading edge, pushing our way through the throngs of people.

"I can't believe how many people are here," Ariane said. "We'd better not lose sight of

each other. If one of us got lost, it would be near impossible to find a way back to the

group."

This was probably the first time she'd ever traveled so far from home, to say nothing

of the massive crowds we had to fight through.

Even for me, someone used to congested cities, it was difficult to get back into the hang

of pushing through such large masses of people.

Ah well, I'd get used to it.

We were surrounded by stalls filled to the brim with fragrant spices and all sorts of

food, the likes of which I'd never seen. This, at least, helped me forget the bustle

around us.

Ponta's tail whipped as it looked around excitedly at all the unique and interesting

things the market had to offer.

I walked with my head on a constant pivot, inspecting all the interesting sights that

lay before us. I overheard a conversation at one of the stalls and stopped to listen

closer, looking for the source.

"No way! You've never charged that much before, Grandpa! What gives?"

The customer, a man who looked like a werewolf, was yelling at the old shop owner, a

bear of some sort, while waving his hand toward one of the spices lining the counter.

The bear man raised an eyebrow at the ornery customer, looking more annoyed than

anything, as he explained curtly. It looked as if he didn't really care whether or not the

man bought anything.

"Whaddya want me to do about it? The tiger clans off to the west haven't been around

as much as they used to. These are the last red nails I've got."

The customer muttered a few more objections as he shoved his money back into his

pouch and stalked away.

Once the argument was over, I turned my attention to the source of the men's conflict.

As soon as I caught sight of it, I made my way toward the stall.

"Hey, wait a minute, Arc! They're selling tomatoes over here!"

Ariane had apparently spotted the literal fruits of our labor, the item that had brought

us down to the southern continent in the first place. As soon as she saw me heading

off in the opposite direction, she began yelling after me.

I raised my hand to signal for her to be quiet and continued toward the stall.

Once I got close enough, I examined the "red nail" that had been the source of the

men's conflict. The talon-shaped object was about the size of an index finger. Its dry

surface was a bright shade of red, and it was covered in wrinkles.

I'd seen this food… spice before.

I picked one of the red nails up. "Excuse me, sir. Is this spicy?"

The old shopkeeper was taken aback at the sudden appearance of a large armored

figure before him. Gauging that I might be a customer, he slowly nodded.

"I, ah, yes. They aren't that popular, except for those who've got a taste for them, but

they get their name from their spicy burn."

That was all the confirmation I needed.

This was almost certainly a chili pepper back in my world.

I couldn't believe how lucky I was to come here in search of tomatoes and stumble

across a chili pepper while I was at it.

Whereas tomatoes were incredibly useful in the ingredient world, chili peppers were

something of a catch-all spice.

Put the two together and you'd get… arrabbiata sauce maybe?

My head was now full of all sorts of Italian recipes as I started inspecting the other

items carefully arranged on the counter.

Just then, Ariane appeared. She took one look at the red nail and cocked her head.

"Oh, you're going to buy that too?"

"Yep. I never imagined I'd find this here! I'd like to buy it if I can."

Ariane inquired about the price. She responded in much the same way the werewolf

man had.

"Whoa! Just because you don't have many left doesn't mean you can charge that much

for it!"

Ariane was nearly beside herself at the price the bear man had quoted. Chiyome

nodded her support. As usual, Goemon simply stood by silently, gazing curiously at

this red nail we were fussing over.

As for me, I didn't even give it a second thought. I pulled several gold coins from my

wallet and tried to pay. Ariane stared on disapprovingly, the look in her eyes

suggesting that she simply couldn't believe I'd be willingly pay such an absurd quoted

price.

"What a rip-off."

The elven economy was focused more on bartering than on the exchange of money,

which made her reaction seem a little strange to me. However, I wondered if she was

more used to monetary transactions due to her technically being a citizen of Maple,

the capital city of the Great Canada Forest. Why did women care so much about prices,

anyway?

My mind started wandering toward the differences between men and women until the

frowning shopkeeper opened his mouth and brought be back to reality.

"I told the guy before you… my already-limited stock isn't getting replaced, since the

tiger clan hasn't shown their faces around these parts of late."

This was exactly what I'd heard earlier, but at least it explained why he wasn't

interested in negotiating. Since the pepper was already dehydrated, that freed the

shopkeeper from any concerns about it rotting. He could afford to wait until he got the

price he wanted.

Ariane's face screwed up into a scowl, but she seemed to realize the position we were

in.

What surprised me most, though, was that the usually quiet Goemon's eyes seemed to

respond ever so slightly to this conversation. But that could have just been my

imagination.

So long as Ariane showed such reticence toward the shopkeeper's asking price, it was

going to be difficult for me to buy the red nail no matter how long we stood around.

I decided to change the subject. "Do you know of any other shops that deal in red nails?"

Of course, I didn't really think that the shopkeeper would introduce me to a rival. As

expected, the man tensed up and shook his head firmly. "Like I told ya, the tiger clan

to the west hasn't been around lately to bring in any more red nails, so no one's got

any to sell. If you don't believe me, feel free to have a look around the market for

yerself." The shopkeeper crossed his arms and let out a snort.

He seemed to be telling the truth. I turned my attention back to Ariane.

She nodded, as if something the man said had suddenly clicked. "Actually, I've never

even seen them before, at least not back in Canada."

"By the way, do you know where I can find the tiger clan?" I gave a quick glance around

the market, but couldn't identify anyone who bore any resemblance to a tiger.

Alas, my hopes of the shopkeeper telling me where I could find these people were

dashed. He clamped his mouth shut and averted his gaze. It made sense, I supposed.

After all, who would want to tell a potential customer how to cut out the middle man

and do business with the producer directly?

There was no point in pressing the issue. Instead, I decided to put a little pressure on

the shopkeeper, but Ariane butted in before I had the chance.

She sounded exasperated. "What do you even plan on doing with that, Arc? Didn't he

just say that it's spicy enough to kill? You're always obsessed with the strangest things.

First the kraken, now this…"

Before I had a chance to respond, Chiyome and Ponta beat me to the punch.

"The kraken was really good!"

"Kyiiii!"

Chiyome's voice was clear and firm as she locked her azure eyes on Ariane. The little

green furball chimed in as well.

Even Goemon was nodding.

The conversation was entirely derailed at this point, so I decided to explain the ways

this red nail could be used.

"I can make an incredibly delectable dish with just this and a tomato… I think. So that's

why I'm hoping to find a steady, and hopefully affordable, supply."

Ariane furrowed her brow at this, but the shopkeeper was the first to get a word in.

"You're going to use the red nail in a dish?! I've heard stories of the tiger clan cooking

them up in order to invigorate their fighting spirits, but I've never known anyone

around these parts to do something crazy like that!"

The look of surprise on the shopkeeper's face was surpassed only by my own. "Then

what are these red nails used for if not for cooking?"

Honestly, I couldn't think of any use that didn't involve eating them.

Ariane and Chiyome seemed interested in the answer as well, and turned their

attention toward the shopkeeper.

"Around these parts, people mix them into a liquid and use it to keep away insects or

deter monsters by spraying it into their eyes. I've also heard that you'll get stronger if

you put slices of red nail up your nose."

I recalled that the capsaicin in chili peppers, the source of their heat, could keep food

from rotting and drive away insects, though, the thing about stuffing it up your nose

was new to me. Maybe it was some kind of ritual.

But at least that answered one question. Even if the members of the tiger clan used it

in their dishes, the red nails still weren't considered a food elsewhere.

"Assuming only a small number of people have any interest in these red nails, then

there's not really much of a reason to keep your supplier a secret. Besides, I'm sure I

can just ask around if I want to try to set up a meeting with the tiger clan."

Something was off about the tiger clan not being around, but I figured if I played my

cards right, I could turn this into an opportunity to purchase red nails directly from

the source.

I looked around at other people milling about the market.

Finally, the bear man let out a heavy sigh and scratched the back of his head.

"Grr… Fine, have it your way. The tiger clan mostly comes here to sell monster hides,

fangs, and the like. The majority of their kind make their home in an area known as

the Kuwana Prairie, just beyond the Singareeka Plains. They're most frequently found

coming and going through the Fobnach town of Fernandes, near the Dodgas river to

the west."

The shopkeeper scowled as he gave up the name of the town where the tiger clan

visited.

I knew practically nothing about the geography of the southern continent, so I turned

to Ariane and inquired about where Fernandes was located. However, she simply

shook her head, apparently just as clueless as myself.

The old man smiled and explained while Ariane silently returned his gaze.

"Fernandes is a ten-day journey from here on horseback, maybe twenty on foot. You

really plan on going all the way there?"

It sounded like it wasn't close at all.

The shopkeeper's exuberant smile suggested that he believed we'd readily pay his

price rather than make such a long journey. Besides, there were no assurances we'd

even run into any members of the tiger clan out in Fernandes.

But he didn't know that I could cut our travel time considerably by using Dimensional

Step.

It'd depend on how good my line of sight was, of course, but I figured it would take

only about three days or so to get to Fernandes.

Ariane locked eyes with me before turning her gaze to the bag on my back.

"You still have those rune stones, right?"

I'd almost forgotten about the rune stones we'd picked up some time ago as we made

our way through the underground cavern.

The cavern had a pretty distinct look to it, so I could use Transport Gate to go back

there any time and pick up more, assuming the distance from the southern continent

didn't cause any issues.

I nodded. "I have a few in my bag. I can give them to you if you need them." I wasn't

quite sure what she was asking, so I just replied honestly.

Her lustrous lips curled into a smile. She was plotting something.

"Come with me, Arc. We've already come this far. It won't hurt to go a little farther."

Ariane turned and began heading away from the stall.

"H-hey!"

The shopkeeper called after her. I pulled a single gold coin out of my wallet and handed

it to him, which quickly got him to quiet down.

"Excuse me, sir, but I really would like to buy that red nail of yours. Is this enough?"

Not only did I want to get a taste of it, but I figured I should compensate the man for

his information.

The man looked back and forth between Ariane's shrinking figure and the coin in my

hand before deciding that there was no use negotiating any further. He took the coin

and examined the odd symbols on its surface with a skeptical eye, as if trying to check

its authenticity. I quickly told him that this was a human currency used up in the

northern continent. With that assurance, we managed to close the deal.

What I got in return was a small bag, no bigger than what you'd buy in a supermarket,

filled with the so-called red nails. Apparently, the source of the man's hesitation was

the thought of selling his entire supply at once.

Even considering that the man was likely charging me a fee for using foreign currency,

a gold coin still seemed pretty expensive for what I was getting in return.

The experience reminded me of the old stories of spices being worth their weight in

gold… literally.

I looked down at the small bag in my hand.

"This seems a little on the small side for a gold coin…"

Chiyome, Goemon, and I hurried after Ariane. Once we caught up, I called out to her.

"Where are we headed?"

She shot me a look, as if stunned at how dense I could be.

"Don't you remember? Before we even came here, I told you that there are teleportation

shrines similar to those in our elven villages. Though, there aren't as many of course.

Anyway, I don't know if we'll be able to teleport directly to this Fernandes place, but

it's better than going by road."

Chiyome hit her hand into her fist.

I groaned. How could I have forgotten that? I'd even talked about it with her myself.

"Ahh, right. So, do you think the teleportation shrines are open to anyone?"

"I imagine we'll need permission from the village elder."

Thanks to Ariane's position as the daughter of a village elder, the process to obtain

said permission would likely be perfunctory at best.

We made our way down the packed thoroughfare while my mind continued wandering.

Large buildings, the smallest of which were still three stories tall, flanked both sides

of the road as mountain people and strange animals made their way in between, either

on their own, or transporting goods.

Of particular note to me were the horse-drawn carts… if you could call them that. The

animals hitched almost certainly weren't horses. In fact, their white fur and large,

curved horns made them look more akin to mountain goats, with the exception that

their faces were pitch black, as if their faces had been dipped in ink.

Unlike your typical mountain goat, these animals were as large as horses, and

managed to pull the heavily laden carts they were hitched to with ease.

They were able to muster up quite a lot of horsepower… or was that goatpower?

Along the road, I noticed pairs of mountain people wearing matching outfits, allarmed

with swords dangling from their waists. Each one sat atop a large, two-meter-tall bird

with two long legs. Guards, perhaps?

Thanks to their height advantage, they stood out easily, even in the crowded streets.

Near their midriffs, the birds seemed to be short on feathers, and instead had small

arm-like appendages where the feathers folded in on themselves. Except for their

white heads and yellow beaks, the rest of their bodies were covered in brown feathers,

making them look a little like bald eagles.

"Well, those are certainly new to me."

"Kyii!"

"That bird must be pretty fast. It's as big as a horse!"

A bird-like horse? I wondered if it was even appropriate to call it a bird. Or maybe

"horse" would be better. Even if you wrote it out using the kanji for bird, maybe you'd

still read it as "horse"?

While I was busy rambling about this to Ponta and Chiyome, Ariane was up ahead

asking a pedestrian for directions.

"Hurry up! The sun's going to set soon!" Apparently done getting directions, Ariane

called out to us to hurry up.

After walking for another hour or so, we found ourselves in front of a large open

square in the middle of town. At the very center of was a tall, solemn-looking building

surrounded by a castle wall, with several intricately decorated spires rising out of it.

It looked not unlike a mosque from my world.

Up ahead, I spotted some guards standing at attention in front of the entrance. A long

line of people carrying bags extended out from it.

Ariane made her way toward the guards; the rest of us followed.

"I guess this is what teleportation shrines look like here."

The word shrine didn't seem to do this building justice, considering its size. It looked

more like a sanctuary.

As we got close to the newly dubbed teleportation sanctuary, one of the guards

seemed to pay particular attention to Ariane before calling out to us.

"It's rare to see a dark elf around here. Looking to use the teleportation pad?"

Ariane nodded. "That's correct. We'd like to make our way to a town called Fernandes.

Will this get us anywhere close?"

"Fernandes, off to the west? You can go straight there, but not today. We're only offering

two more teleports, and those are going to Galapagos."

The man turned toward the long line of people having their bags checked and gestured

with his chin.

As far as I could gather, the teleportation pads were used something like regularly

scheduled airplane flights, with more frequent trips to more popular destinations and

less frequent ones to more remote locations.

I was curious if the name Galapagos had anything to do with evolutionary theory…

"We're already at capacity today, but our announcement for Fernandes will be made

tomorrow, next opening on the following day. If you're interested, you can sign up now.

However, you'll have to pay half up front."

Ariane readily agreed, though I was pretty surprised when I heard the price. It

certainly wasn't cheap.

As if that weren't bad enough, the price skyrocketed the more bags you planned on

taking with you. This definitely wouldn't work as a replacement for freight transit. I

felt like I was back in the early twentieth century, about to embark on an international

trip.

"I heard that you can pay in rune stones. Is that true?"

"Ahh, in that case, you'll need to go to the counter over there to have the rune stones

evaluated and settle your payment."

The man gestured toward a counter built into the wall and went back to his work.

Apparently, they would first evaluate your rune stones for quality at the counter, then

adjust your teleportation fees accordingly. Fortunately for us, the rune stones we had

were enough to cover the fees.

However, since the rune stones were applied to the full price of the trip, and we were

supposed to only be paying half, we ended up dumping out all of our rune stones and

having them exchanged for money.

Once that was done, we were given wooden tags to present when it was our time to

use the teleportation pads. I guessed these were our tickets.

After putting the money and the tickets into my leather pouch, I turned back toward

Ariane, Chiyome, and Goemon.

"Well, we should be set for our travel expenses for a while."

Ariane crossed her arms, looking at the town beyond the open square as she put

together a plan of action.

"The announcement for Fernandes will be tomorrow, and the opening the day after

that, so I guess we're stuck in town until then. We should probably find an inn."

Something about the way Chiyome was shifting her weight looked off.

"What's wrong, Chiyome?"

Her face lit up as she spoke. "Oh, uh, it's nothing. I was just thinking about how I might

finally have a chance to meet the fabled tiger clan. According to the stories I've heard,

they're all renowned for their bravery!"

She looked like a little kid about to meet her idol.

I glanced at the mammoth of a man standing next to her and his ripped, muscular body.

Goemon looked more like a tiger than any other sort of cat. I wondered what he was

feeling about all this.

I chuckled lightly. "Well, I hope we can make that happen for you, Chiyome. From what

the shopkeeper said, they haven't been around much lately. Personally, I'd just like the

chance to buy these red nails straight from the source!"

Ariane suddenly pointed a finger at my face. "Speaking of which, you bought red nails

at that scam artist's booth earlier, didn't you? I don't get it! You said you were going to

meet the tiger clan to find a supplier."

She crossed her arms and scowled.

I figured she wouldn't notice the transaction, since she'd already started walking off,

but apparently being perceptive to these things was an important part of being an

effective soldier.

"I just wanted to grab a few to get a handle on the taste. Besides, we'll be here for a bit,

so this will be a good chance for me to pick up some other ingredients and cook

something up with these red nails."

Ariane and Chiyome gave me odd looks as I stood there with my fist clenched.

"Arc, you can cook?" Ariane wore an expression of utter disbelief.

Aside from the kraken, I hadn't really done anything resembling cooking since I'd

arrived here. However, after years of living on my own, I could whip up a few dishes at

least. In fact, I rather enjoyed cooking.

"Well, well, well. I guess I'll have to show you my mad kitchen skills!"

This would be the first time I'd cooked in quite a while. First, I figured I'd make

arrabbiata with the red nail and some tomatoes.

I was sure that I'd seen garlic and onions—or at least foods that looked like them—

back in the human towns, so I was pretty confident I could find them here too.

"Kyiiii! Kyi!"

Ponta let out an excited cry and began swishing its tail around wildly, almost as if it

could read my mind.

I'd definitely need to make an extra dish without the red nail in it. The spice would be

too much for the little fox.

I made my way back to the market and picked up the ingredients I needed before

arranging with the innkeeper to let me use part of their kitchen for the night. Even if I

planned to stay in my own little corner, a man cooking in gleaming armor would no

doubt draw attention, so I decided to drink some of the spring water from the Lord

Crown to transform into my elven form. I also bought some proper clothes to really

round out the look.

Much to Ponta's chagrin, it wasn't allowed to be in the kitchen while I was cooking, so

it went back to the room to wait with Chiyome. Poor little Ponta looked crushed, but

Chiyome was more than happy with the arrangement.

Ariane, for some reason or other, decided to stay in the kitchen with me. Maybe she

wanted a cooking lesson? Meanwhile, Goemon decided he wanted to take a look

around town.

Well, it was time to get started.

First things first, I needed to get the staples of the meal ready before I could start on

my sauce. I threw some flour into a wooden bowl, followed by two eggs, some

vegetable oil, and a pinch of salt. I folded the ingredients together with a wooden

spatula until it started to form into a dough. Once fully mixed, I sprinkled some flour

on the counter, dropped the dough on it, and began to knead with my hands. Thanks

to my powerful muscles, this usually tedious task was pretty easy.

Once the dough was nice and springy, I threw it back into the bowl, placed a damp

towel over the top, and put it in a warm place to rest. I figured it'd be ready to go in

about fifteen to thirty minutes.

While I waited on the dough, I went upstairs to go check on Ponta. However, when I

arrived, I found the fox fast asleep on Chiyome's lap. The young girl was also nodding

off. It was actually pretty rare to see her in such a relaxed state.

Back in the kitchen, the dough was ready to go, so I took out a rolling pin and started

spreading it out. Then I spread it out some more.

Once that was done, I rolled it into one long tube, which I proceeded to cut into

centimeter-wide pieces. Leaving the cut end facing up, I took a pantry knife and held

the blade tightly between my fingers as I finished off the final detail work. It took a bit

of skill, but I was used to it.

The next step would require a bit of endurance. I began chopping the dough up into

little rounds of pasta.

The noodle was called orecchiette, meaning "small ear," though, in my head it always

sounded oddly similar to a phrase in Japanese meaning, "I'll just go and disappear."

Aww, no need for that.

With the pasta out of the way, it was time to start making the arrabbiata. But first, I

needed to boil some water to cook the pasta. I looked over toward the pot and found

that Ariane had already done that for me. I decided to just be appreciative and say no

more.

All right, now I could focus on the sauce.

I poured some vegetable oil into a fry pan, dropped in a few garlic cloves and a red

nail—with the seeds removed of course—and began cooking them up. Leaving the

seeds in really ratcheted up the heat. Once the ingredients in the pan had gained a nice

color, I threw in some diced onion to soften them up over low heat. The onion added

a nice, sweet aroma to the mix.

Finally, it was time to add the tomato, with the poison removed of course. I mashed it

up and put it into the pan as well. The juices from the tomato danced around the hot

pan as they turned to steam. The sauce slowly began coming together, so I turned my

attention to the boiling pasta whichwas soft and springy. Perfect.

I took the squishy, ear-shaped pasta and poured it into the fry pan, stirring the sauce

quickly as I incorporated the pasta.

After a quick taste, I decided it needed a little salt. Mmm, this was shaping up nicely.

When cooking by hearth, the only way to adjust the heat was by constantly keeping

the fry pan elevated, modifying the distance from the flame. I felt like someone would

have called me a cheater if I were to adjust the flame with a lever, or use an elevated

kettle stand like they did in the old world.

While I was busy thinking about all that, the arrabbiata had come together quite nicely.

I poured the contents into a dish, drizzled some vegetable oil over the top, and finished

it off with a sprinkling of a finely chopped herb that resembled parsley. It didn't smell

exactly like parsley, but I'd bought it at a green grocer, so I figured it ought to be okay.

Finally, my dish was finished: "Arrabbiata in Another World."

Ariane, who had been watching me the entire time, eyed the dish carefully. She'd been

skeptical of using the red nail, but it seemed like watching it being prepared helped

alleviate some of her concerns. Now she was staring at the food intently, looking as if

she wanted to start eating any minute now.

"That's just… Wow…"

She tore her gaze away to look back at me.

"Well, we better eat up before it gets cold. Can you call Chiyome down?"

With a nod, Ariane hurried off toward the rooms.

I thanked the inn's chef for letting me use the kitchen. In response, the older man

asked me to let him have a taste of the dish I'd made. I was more than happy to oblige.

If he wound up liking it, then maybe demand for red nail would increase in Fobnach,

making it easier for me to get my hands on it.

I made my way to the first floor, where we had a table reserved. Moments later, Ariane

appeared with Ponta held tightly to her chest, followed shortly by Chiyome. Behind

them was Goemon, who'd apparently come back some time earlier.

"Kyii!"

As soon as everyone sat down, Ponta mewed and began waving its tail about excitedly

as it looked up at me.

"No need to get yourself all worked up, Ponta. I made some for you, too."

I set a dish with arrabbiata specially prepared for Ponta down in front of it.

I'd left the onion and red nail out of my furry companion's food, but judging by the way

it ravenously lapped at the dish, I probably could have left the onion in.

After distributing plates to everyone else, I held my breath for the moment of truth.

Ariane was the first one to try the dish. The moment she slid the sauce-covered pasta

past her lips, her eyes went wide, and she brought her hand to her mouth.

"It's… amazing! I can't believe that a buffoon like you could make this, Arc."

In spite of the personal attack, I was pleased. She began slurping up the pasta at a

steady pace. I gathered that Ariane wasn't so good at cooking herself, but that was

hardly a bad thing. It was more important for her to focus on her swordsmanship.

Then again, her mother Glenys was excellent both on the battlefield and in the kitchen.

To be fair, there was a difference of quite a few years, not to mention experience,

between mother and daughter, so it'd be an uphill climb for her to get there.

I felt a tingle run up my spine. I turned around to look for the source, but there was

nothing. Just my imagination.

Both Chiyome and Goemon were also a bit taken aback at the intense sensation upon

their first taste, but they, too, quickly began slurping it up.

"This is really good, Arc! It has a nice, spicy burn to it!"

Chiyome offered up her honest feedback, though Goemon apparently would have

preferred something with a little more bite.

"Yes, with a little more spice, I think it would have quite the impact."

Impact? Just what was he hoping for the chili pepper to do?

After taking in their feedback, I finally tried my own dish.

This was the first time I'd cooked anything since coming here. Back in my world, I used

to cook pretty much every day, so it felt good to get back into it.

The soft, delicate pasta was really good. The flour I'd used was for making bread, so

the pasta was squishier than it normally should be, but it was still good, and the acidity

of the tomato was a perfect match for the spiciness of the chili pepper.

I was pleased to find that the degree of heat from the red nail was similar to the chili

peppers I was used to. Maybe a little spicier, if anything.

While I was preparing the dish, Ariane had looked at me like I was crazy when she saw

me throw away the pepper's seeds. After paying so much money for them, it must have

seemed like a waste. When she asked, I explained that the majority of the chili

pepper's spice was concentrated in the seeds and stringy innards, so putting them into

a dish was risky.

To get my point across, I gave her some of the insides to taste. Her eyes immediately

began tearing up, and she glared at me.

However, now that she'd had a chance to eat the arrabbiata, Ariane said she'd like to

see the red nail become more common in Canada as well. All in all, it seemed like my

dish had earned a passing mark.

The only thing I wanted to change was the cooking temperature. No matter how strong

I was physically, it wasn't easy to hold a frying pan in the same place for a long period

of time.

According to Ariane, the elves had a type of magical cooking device that would allow

them to adjust the strength of a flame, like a stovetop. That would solve that problem.

However, despite this item having been thought up quite a long time ago, it apparently

still hadn't gained widespread use, due to the fact that it used powdered mana, a fuel

source far more expensive than simple wood.

Even so, the idea of being able to adjust the heat of a flame was incredibly appealing

to me. When I got back, I wanted to look into purchasing one of these cooking devices

for the ruined shrine that would become my home.

Besides, if I were only using it for myself, I could easily teleport back to the

underground cavern and pick up rune stones whenever I wanted. It'd probably be

easier than chopping wood.

While I was busy calculating the costs of outfitting my future kitchen, Ariane

interrupted my thoughts to discuss our next plan of action.

In two days' time, we'd be heading to Fernandes to find the tiger clan.

I wondered if I'd meet anyone that happened to bring some red nail with them.

***

Two days later, I found myself standing in a long line, looking at the backs of all the

people in front of me.

We were in the yard in front of the entrance to the teleportation shrine, at the center

of the port town of Plymouth.

It had been two days since we first came here, and now we were about to use the

teleportation pad to transport us to Fernandes.

We handed over the wooden tags—our travel vouchers—and made our way up the

stairs to have our bags inspected before boarding the teleportation pad.

I held my waterskin and helmet under my arm to prepare for the inspection, taking

occasional sips of the magical spring water as we waited in line.

Between me, an elf fully outfitted in armor, the dark elf Ariane, Chiyome and Goemon,

and the little spirit animal Ponta, we must have made quite a travel party. The other

people in line were constantly glancing over at us.

Once our turn came up, we were asked a few simple questions then ushered inside the

sanctuary.

Given the sanctuary's spires and complex design, I was surprised to find that the inner

hall was relatively simple in construction, looking like a large box with domes sticking

out of the ceiling.

The walls were all decorated with intricate mosaics of wildlife.

"This is pretty impressive."

The hall itself looked like a brilliant combination of technology and art. I felt like a

tourist doing a bit of sightseeing.

In the center of the room were four obelisks. Each had a square platform that looked

like an altar, with a set of stairs leading up to it.

Nicely dressed people stood on the altars with their bags, chatting away as they waited

their turn to board the teleportation pads.

Considering the incredibly high cost to use the pads, I figured they were a luxury

reserved for the affluent.

All eyes were on us as we made our way up the stairs toward the altar at the center of

the sanctuary hall. A bell rang, and everyone went quiet.

A staff member announced the next departure: "All passengers going to the border

town of Fernandes, please make your way to the central teleportation pad. We will

begin shortly."

People began murmuring among themselves as the bell gave one final ring, and a large

rune on the floor of the altar lit up, filling the room with a harsh, bright light, causing

me to squint. Just like with the teleportation pads in the elven villages, I felt like I was

hovering in the air for a moment, then everything around me was consumed in light,

and I found myself in a completely different location.

This new sanctuary was similar in size to the one we'd just been in, though the

decorations were much simpler. Apparently, we'd teleported just fine.

Chiyome ran her gaze across the new room and muttered under her breath. "I know

I've said it before, but traveling long distances in a matter of moments is nothing short

of miraculous."

I had to agree.

"The only limitation is that the more people and objects you teleport, the more

powdered mana you consume. Back in the villages, the teleportation pads are

restricted to five people at once. In that regard, at least, Arc's teleportation magic is

far more impressive." Ariane turned her gaze to my waterskin, which I had just refilled

that morning. The exercise served as proof that I could use Transport Gate to teleport

between continents.

The two continents were separated by a day's journey, or at least, a day's journey on

an elven ship. I figured the distance was somewhere around several hundred

kilometers. Being able to teleport across continents suggested that I possessed an

immense amount of power. However, I could feel teleporting such a vast distance

consume a lot more of my magic. Back in the game, it cost a fixed amount of magic to

teleport between any two locations, but here, it seemed like the farther I teleported,

the more of my magic it consumed. In that regard, my teleportation magic wasn't much

different from the sanctuaries' teleportation pads.

"Well, at least it's going to be easier to move between the continents. No sense in

worrying about the little things." I laughed at Ariane's comment, avoiding her gaze as

I joined the crowd heading down the stairs.

"Thanks for delivering that dried kraken meat to the village, Arc." When I was

discussing my plans to teleport back, Chiyome had asked me to deliver her half of the

meat to the hideaway village in the mountains.

I responded to her comment with a simple shake of my head. It was really no big deal.

Fortunately for me, Transport Gate made traveling between continents incredibly

easy. The added trip between the elven village and Chiyome's home was no extra effort

at all.

I hefted my bag over my shoulder. "It was nice to lighten our load a bit."

With that, we made our way through the sanctuary door, where we underwent another

simple inspection before being sent off through the exit in the outer wall. Once outside,

we were greeted by a large open square similar to the one we found in Plymouth.

However, the scene beyond the square was completely different from the city we'd left

behind.

Unlike the bustling merchant town of Plymouth, where shopkeepers hawked their

wares to a constant stream of customers in practically every direction, the buildings

here were of a much simpler construction. Off in the distance, I could see a large wall

surrounding the whole town. Given that Fernandes was a border town, I assumed the

wall had been constructed against something on the other side.

I looked around. The streets were filled with all sorts of people, from everyday

townsfolk, to ruffians getting up to trouble, to soldiers trying to keep the peace.

"I guess we should ask around and see where we might find the tiger clan." I pulled my

helmet back onto my head, adjusted it, and glanced back at Ariane and Chiyome. They

both nodded in agreement.

Chiyome held our furry companion close to her chest, its legs dangling in the air. Ponta

sniffed about curiously as it tried to get a sense for this new town. This was likely due

to the fact that Plymouth had been filled with the scent of the sea, whereas now we

were much further inland.

I glanced around for someone to ask and approached a man running a stall in the town

square. He looked annoyed even before I had a chance to open my mouth.

"Excuse me, sir, I was wondering if you happened to know where we could find

members of the tiger clan?"

I pulled a gold coin out of my leather pouch. The man's eyes lit up immediately.

"Ahh, the tiger clan, yah? Haven't really seen 'em around lately…"

"Oh, that's too bad."

This wasn't useful information, so I closed my fist around the coin and began turning

away. A deep wrinkle formed in the man's forehead as he hurriedly continued on.

"Ah, wait, that's right! I remember hearing that the owner of the stable near the

southern wall recently picked up one of the tiger clans' mounts."

"Is that so?"

We were looking for the tiger clan, not their horses. I readjusted my grip, letting some

of the gold coin show through my fingers.

The man looked over at Ariane, standing guard nearby, and nodded to himself as if

something had just fallen into place.

"I can't see your face with all your armor, but are you by any chance an elf, kind sir? If

so, I suppose it makes sense that you wouldn't know about all this. You see, the tiger

clan ride about on huge two-legged dragons known as driftpus. They receive their

mounts the day they become adults and ride them for the rest of their lives. You can

imagine how rare it is to lose one. It's a fate worse than death."

I was starting to get a better picture of the whole situation. "I see… So they would

definitely come looking for a lost mount then?"

"That's right. I hear the stable owner has been dealing with tiger clan mounts rather

frequently these days, so he may know more about their situation. Really, believe me!"

I nodded to the man and, with a flick of my finger, sent the coin flipping through the

air into his hand.

I turned to Ariane. She seemed none too pleased.

"Don't you think you overpaid just a bit for that information?"

"We all value information differently. Besides, I'm willing to consider it a necessary

expenditure."

She slumped her shoulders dramatically at this.

According to the man, the tiger clan hadn't been seen around these parts in some time.

I still wasn't sure what the cause of all this was, but talking to the stable owner about

it seemed like the best plan of action.

Worst case scenario, if I wasn't able to get in touch with the tiger clan here in town,

then I could try to meet them in their own domain, off in the Kuwana Prairie.

"Well, I guess we're off to look for the stable near the southern wall?"

I shifted by bag and began heading toward our next objective.

Chiyome called out to me. "Uh, Arc? South is that way…"

"Kyii!"

Ariane shot me a cold stare.

I turned on my heel and began heading in the direction Chiyome had indicated.

Hey, anyone can get lost in a new town. It happens.

***

I was surprised to find that the wall didn't stretch all the way around the town. In the

distance, I could see a gap to the northwest. I remembered hearing that Fernandes

was built next to a river, so I could only assume the gap was where the wall butted up

against it. This landmark made it easy to keep myself oriented.

After making our way through the dense crowds, and stopping at a few shops along

the way, we found ourselves at the southern gate. Next to the gate lay several fields

closed off by wooden fences. Inside these areas, I spotted several of the large bird-like

creatures as well as the horse-sized mountain goats I'd first seen back in Plymouth.

Hands on her hips, Ariane scanned the surrounding area. "Huh, so it looks like there

are actually quite a few stables near the wall…"

Ponta mewed excitedly from where it dangled in Chiyome's arms. "Kyii!"

Chiyome gestured toward a large animal enclosed in a small yard. "I think that's the

one we're looking for, no?"

I looked where she was pointing. Two large animals sat alone in the corner of a grazing

field, segregated from all the other birds and mountain goats.

They looked like gigantic reptiles. More specifically, they looked incredibly similar to

the illustrations of triceratops I remembered seeing in the dinosaur encyclopedias I'd

read endlessly as a kid.

They were a little over four meters from snout to tail and were quite tall, even while

lying on the ground. Their bodies were protected with a layer of reddish-brown scales,

and they had two large, white horns rising out of the tops of their heads. Unlike their

dinosaur counterparts, however, they each had a thick band of white hair that ran

down the middle of their backs to the ends of their tails.

But the biggest difference between these massive creatures and the triceratops I was

familiar with was that they had six legs.

In stark contrast with their rather intimidating appearance, these dinosaur-like

lizards were just lazing about, calmly munching on grass. One let out a massive yawn

before rolling over onto its back.

"Are those the mounts?"

I made my way toward the fenced-off yard.

These looked nothing like any animal I'd seen in Fobnach so far, so it seemed a fair

guess that these strange creatures were the mounts ridden by the tiger clan.

An older man with long rabbit ears called out to us as we approached.

"Well, hello there! Are you looking to buy a mount? Excuse my ignorance, but you don't

happen to be guards from the capital, do you?"

Upon catching sight of my armor, the man bowed and took on a more polite tone of

voice.

"We're from the Great Canada Forest, up on the northern continent. We're just

browsing around."

Ariane looked a bit surprised at my self-introduction, but said nothing.

"You don't say! It's quite rare to see elves around these parts. If it's a mount you're

looking for, I'd recommend the driorgle for their speed alone. How about it?"

The rabbit-eared man gestured toward several of the large, two-legged birds and shot

me a sly smile.

Apparently, we'd found the owner of these stables.

I put my hand up to stop his sales pitch and turned the topic back to our objective:

finding the tiger clan.

"I heard talk that there was a man out here selling tiger clan mounts, so I came looking

for him. Do you know who I'm speaking of?"

"I believe I do. May I inquire what business you have with him?" The merchant eyed

me with suspicion.

I shrugged my shoulders. "It's a personal matter. You see, I was hoping to get the tiger

clan to sell me some of their red nails. According to a shopkeeper, there's a man out

here who found some of their mounts and might know more about what's become of

the tiger clan."

This was enough to satisfy the merchant's concerns. He smiled broadly and nodded.

"Is that all? Those red nails sure are useful for blinding beasts. I see, I see. Well,

actually, I was the one who found those mounts, the driftpus, over there."

The man leaned back against the fence and turned his gaze toward the six-legged

dinosaur creatures. He let out a sigh. Before I could say anything, he let out a dry laugh,

deep wrinkles creasing his forehead.

"The driftpus are a sign of adulthood to the tiger clan. They're practically like a partner

to them. I figured if I picked up the mounts and kept them safe, eventually their owners

would come back. However, we haven't seen any members of the tiger clan in quite

some time."

He paused to glance over at a driftpus that had wandered closer to us to graze. The

man let out another long sigh.

"As I'm sure you can see, the driftpus love to graze, and they eat a lot of grass while

they're at it. This has been quite a strain on my space, time, and food costs. On the

other hand, it's not like I can just release them back into the wild after taking

responsibility for them. If I did, it'd destroy the relationship I spent years building with

the tiger clan."

The man's gaze was filled with sadness.

He was looking at me in search of a way out, of some sort of help or assistance.

Unfortunately, I really didn't know what I could do.

But if what he said were true, that the tiger clan was no longer coming into town, then

we'd have no choice but to head out to their lands instead.

"How many days would it take to travel from here to the Kuwana Prairie?"

The man's eyes glinted. "After crossing the Dodgas River at the edge of town, it's a tenday journey through the Singareeka Plains. The Kuwana Prairie is on the other side of

the Syla River that flows down from the Khinray mountain range. Such a journey

would certainly be reckless on foot. Why don't you go by bandehaps? They've got great

stamina, and I can get a few ready in no time."

The shrewd, rabbit-eared merchant gestured toward a small herd of large mountain

goats beyond the fence and smiled.

We almost exclusively traveled by teleportation, so the idea of mounts struck me as

entirely unnecessary. On the one hand, sitting atop a massive beast of burden with all

my bags dangling off its sides would add a nice fantasy adventure feel to our whole

endeavor. On the other, we really weren't here for the thrill of the adventure.

I glanced over at Ponta, in Chiyome's arms.

"Kyii?"

I turned back to the beasts of burden on the other side of the fence. It seemed

incredibly unlikely that Ponta would ever enjoy a sudden growth spurt, allowing me

to ride on its back as we traveled around the countryside.

The merchant continued his sales pitch. "I'm quite serious, sir. Trying to make your

way through the plains on foot is foolish. They may be a beautiful sight to behold, but

the plains are filled with countless meat-eating monsters, always on the lookout for

prey. Beyond the benefit of the bandehaps' speed, they're especially useful at night.

They come from the plains and are able to pick up the slightest hint of a monster

lurking close. They serve as great lookouts."

He had a point. We'd probably be all right traversing the plains during daylight hours,

but once night fell, I wouldn't be able to use my teleportation abilities, since there

wouldn't be any light. Ariane, Chiyome, and Goemon might do all right on night watch,

but I wasn't so sure of my ability to detect monsters lurking in the dark.

The merchant seemed to sense my doubt and went in for the hard sell. "If the Kuwana

Prairie is your ultimate destination, how about taking the driftpus with you instead?

As I'm sure you can tell, most monsters' claws and fangs are no match for their scales,

and it might even prove useful for your negotiations with the tiger clan once you find

them."

A shrewd smile graced the rabbit man's lips. Not only was he pushing his problem off

onto us, but he was looking to make some money while he was at it.

To be fair, the man wasn't wrong. Plus, this was pretty normal behavior for a merchant.

For a moment, I was reminded of that young human merchant and his somewhat

uncertain smile, but I shook his image out of my head.

The man rubbed his hands together. "If you agree to take the driftpus, I'll give you a

discount on any other mounts."

I cocked my head in confusion. "If we have these two driftpus over here, I don't think

we'll need any other mounts. Each one could carry two of us with no problem."

Ariane nodded in agreement.

The man waved his arms and shook his head emphatically. "Well, I mean, you're right,

in the physical sense. But driftpus are very particular about who they let ride them.

When someone other than a member of the tiger clan is working with them, we

usually just pull them along by the reins."

He wiped some sweat from his brow and let out a sigh.

"How do the tiger clan get the driftpus to accept them as their master?" I asked.

Chiyome looked incredibly interested to hear the answer to my question and turned

her gaze toward the older man.

"Well, it's actually quite simple. They face off against the driftpus in a show of strength."

I shot a look at the large reptilian creatures munching away on the grass.

That explained a lot. It'd be pretty much impossible for a normal person to win in a

contest of strength against these massive beasts. There were only a small number of

people I could think of who might accomplish such a feat: Goemon here, with his

unmatched fighting prowess, as well as some of the bear people back in the hideaway

village.

"In that case, I'd like to try my hand against one of the driftpus."

I dropped my bag to the ground and stretched my arms as I approached the fence.

The merchant looked on in utter disbelief. "No, that's crazy! They might look calm and

docile now, but when they're challenged, they'll take a grown man out in a single blow!

Even the powerhouses of the tiger clan sometimes lose."

The man turned his attention to Goemon, who was also eyeing one of the driftpus.

"That one over there, he might stand a chance at getting one of them to obey him."

Several bystanders had gathered, drawn in by all the ruckus the merchant was making.

They watched me intently, to see what would happen next.

Goemon put his hand on the fence railing and hopped over it with ease. You generally

wouldn't expect that type of grace from such a large, muscle-bound man. Instead of

his usual blank expression, he wore a defiant grin as he made his way toward the one

of the grazing driftpus.

Sensing that someone had entered their domain, the creature narrowed its yellow

eyes and fixed this intruder with a glare.

"Hey, some idiot's going to challenge the driftpus!" one of the rubberneckers called

out, drawing even more onlookers.

"That big brute? Is he a member of the tiger clan?"

"Nah, no way. I've never seen any of the tiger clan who are that color. He's one of the

cat people, I think."

The onlookers gossiped among themselves over the exciting event about to unfold.

Goemon didn't seem to hear the voices as he walked straight toward the driftpus, a

stern look in his eye.

The driftpus returned his gaze. It stretched out its six legs, raising its massive body

covered in reddish-brown scales to its full height, which was about the same as

Goemon's. From where I stood, it looked almost like a small dump truck.

The driftpus charged, its white mane fluttering in the wind as it turned its two horns

straight toward Goemon.

Goemon smiled and stuck out the palm of his hand, beckoning the driftpus to come

closer.

"C'mere. I'll show you what true strength is."

It was rare to hear Goemon speak, though the challenge was oddly fitting.

"Grweeeeeeee!"

The driftpus let out an ear-splitting wail, almost as if it had understood Goemon's

challenge, as it continued its mad dash toward him.

The crowd that had gathered let out gasps and cheers as they watched. Goemon,

however, remained cool as ice.

He launched into a dash of his own, heading just to the right of the driftpus. His

opponent picked up on his movement and adjusted its course.

Goemon's body began glowing faintly. I could barely follow his movements as he

reached up to grab the driftpus's horns and dropped himself to the ground.

It looked almost comical as the massive driftpus flipped up and flew through the air

before crashing to the ground and rolling straight into the fence, which creaked

audibly on impact.

Everything went quiet for a moment. Then, suddenly, the crowd began cheering.

"I can't believe it! He tossed it through the air like it was nothing!"

"See? I told ya he must be from the tiger clan!"

The driftpus's eyes rolled in its head. It made no effort to try and get up. The fallen

beast didn't appear to be harmed, so Goemon would likely be able to ride it without

any problems. However, despite its massive size, carrying four people was still out of

the question.

The rabbit-eared merchant ran over to make sure the driftpus was okay before turning

back to yell at us.

"What do you think you're doing? The test of strength is a shoving match, not… hurling

the driftpus through the air!"

Goemon shrugged. Chiyome started explaining, but just then, the other driftpus let out

a loud snort and stood up.

It let out a menacing roar, shaking its head from side to side.

"Grweeeee!"

Apparently, it wasn't too pleased to see its partner tossed around.

Goemon turned to me and nodded his chin toward the raging driftpus.

I set my bag on the ground, handed Ponta to Ariane, and bounded over the fence.

Goemon and I bumped fists as we walked past each other. It was my turn to go.

I could hear the roar of the crowd as I approached the driftpus.

I cast my eyes around the enclosure. The land here wasn't quite flat, but rather marked

by several small hills.

I was pretty sure that Goemon had used a ninja skill to throw his opponent around

like that. Despite his large size, he was able to pull off some pretty intricate techniques.

Realizing that I was lost in thought, the driftpus took the opportunity to bring itself

low to the ground and start a full-frontal charge toward me, its yellow eyes glinting in

the sun.

"Grweeeeeeeeeee!"

In a total rookie move, I hesitated over whether I should dodge left or right as the huge

mass of muscle and bone came rushing in at high speed. That moment of hesitation

cost me dearly as I found myself face to face with the oncoming horns.

A massive thud echoed across the plain, followed by the cheers of the crowd. I had

managed to grab both horns and shove the beast's snout under my arm, stopping the

driftpus in its tracks.

I ignored the crowd and smiled down at the driftpus as it tried to slowly push its way

through me.

"Nnng… You're a strong one."

In the game, the Paladin class gave me far greater physical strength than any normal

character. However, here in this world, there were people who could actually face off

against beasts like the driftpus. This made me fully aware just how dangerous it was

to rely on my strength alone.

That said, losing just wasn't an option.

I could feel my feet driving deep grooves into the ground as the driftpus slowly pushed

me backward. Grabbing hold of its white mane, I dropped to the ground, pulling its

head down with me.

"Grwaaaaaaeeeeeeeeer!!!"

The driftpus shook its head violently from side to side in an effort to break my grip. I

squeezed tight with both arms, but I could still feel myself being pushed back ever so

slightly.

"Nnnng…"

I threw all my weight to one side. This knocked the driftpus off-balance, three of its

legs waving about in the air. The crowd let out a collective gasp.

Not wanting to lose my hard-won gains, I twisted the driftpus's head by the horns,

sending the scaled beast slamming into the ground with an explosion of dust.

"Whoa, no way! Did he really just take down a driftpus head-on like that?!"

"I can't believe it! Those guys must be demons!"

As the crowd cheered, Ariane sighed and slumped her shoulders on the other side of

the fence.

All of a sudden, the crowd went quiet. The driftpus had gotten back up.

"Grwaaaaeee."

It looked rather displeased, though it calmly dropped to its knees and lowered its head

in front of me.

Apparently, it was willing to accept me as its rider.

I reached out to stroke the long strip of fur that covered its back. It was surprisingly

soft compared to the surrounding scales. The driftpus narrowed its reptilian eyes and

let out a low purr.

I moved around to its side and hopped up onto its back.

"Grweeeeeeeeeee!"

With a loud screech, the driftpus stood back up.

From this height, I could see far into the distance.

I looked toward the fence and saw that the old man had finished checking on the fallen

driftpus and was now looking at me, mouth agape.

I pushed my heels into the driftpus's side, and it began lumbering toward the merchant.

The fallen driftpus had regained consciousness and, after shaking its head from side

to side, kneeled before Goemon.

I smiled down at the merchant. "We'll be taking these two with us. Do you happen to

have any saddles?"

He forced a smile in return and offered up a terse nod.

It looked like we'd secured mounts to take us out to the Kuwana Prairie—the home of

the tiger clan.

***

We left early the next morning, before the sun had even risen.

Despite the hour, there were already people moving about the dimly lit town, beginning

their days. Whether they were humans, elves, or mountain people, it seemed everyone

here was an early riser.

We'd managed to arrange for the rabbit-eared man to put saddles on the driftpus.

Intricate markings had been stitched into the leather with colored thread, giving me

some insight into the unique culture of the tiger clan.

After attaching the saddles and purchasing various other equipment and goods we'd

need for our journey into the plains, we spent the night at an inn.

The merchant had been pretty excited about the prospect of selling us some other

mounts to go with the driftpus, but unfortunately for him, the two beasts would be

more than enough to carry the four of us, which meant he'd basically lost all of the

money he'd spent on feed for the driftpus.

However, when I told him that we would explain everything he'd done when we

returned the driftpus to the tiger clan, he thanked us profusely, with tears in his eyes.

This was assuming, of course, that I didn't forget.

We were now standing atop a bridge at the northwest corner of Fernandes. The

Dodgas River running beneath us was quite wide, maybe two or three hundred meters

across. Several small boats were docked at piers on the town's side of the river. I could

see their crews moving about busily.

The river was clearly used as a waterway for transit.

I turned my gaze away from the town and off toward the bridge ahead of us. At the

center was a large drawbridge, which was currently raised in the air, held tight by

large, thick chains. This was to allow taller ships passage up and down the river.

Up ahead, a group of people waited for the drawbridge to be lowered. Most of them

looked to be mercenaries, outfitted with light armor and weapons, though there was

another group that appeared to be farmers, judging by the implements they carried. I

could instantly feel all eyes on us.

Chiyome and Goemon, being cat people, could easily blend into the crowds here on

the southern continent, but Ariane and I—one of us a dark elf and the other outfitted

in gleaming armor and a billowing, pitch-black cloak—drew a lot of attention. The

driftpus weighed down with our bags and other gear certainly didn't help things.

As we sat on our mounts, I tried my best not to do anything that would invite further

attention. Of course, given that driftpus was usually only ridden by members of the

tiger clan, and I was most certainly not one of them, it made sense that people would

be so interested in the sight of me riding one.

Ponta, usually an ever-present fixture atop my head, had left its usual resting place to

play around in the white fur at the base of the driftpus's neck. It would occasionally

rub its face excitedly in the fluffy mane, eliciting a large yawn from the reptilian mount.

At least the driftpus didn't seem to mind.

However, Ponta's soft, cotton-like fur blended in perfectly with the mane, making it

nearly invisible from a distance.

Speaking of which…

"You really like being high up, don't you?"

"Kyii?"

Ponta shot me a curious look, currently standing at around the same height as me.

Ariane, who'd been watching the exchange, teased us. "Haha! Maybe Ponta only likes

you because you remind it of being back up in the trees."

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Chiyome's shoulders shaking slightly in silent

laughter.

Suddenly, the loud sound of metal on metal filled the air as the bridge began lowering.

The two ends of the bridge connected with a heavy thud, and the ground shook

beneath us. The crowd instantly began moving.

I nudged my heels into the driftpus's side, prompting it forward. Ponta immediately

ran back up to assume its throne atop my helmet.

"Ponta, I just don't get you…"

"Kyii!"

I figured this behavior must be common to Ponta's species and let out a sigh. Ariane,

who'd been watching the whole situation unfold, laughed. I offered her my hand,

which she took and easily hopped up onto the driftpus' back behind me. Chiyome

climbed aboard Goemon's driftpus.

Now that everyone was seated, I pulled on the reins and gave the driftpus the signal

to start moving.

Despite its hulking frame, the driftpus was actually quite nimble on its six feet and

quickly outpaced the crowd.

"Hey, don't you think you're going a bit fast, Arc?" Ariane clutched my back anxiously.

I'd stored my shield and other belongings in the saddle bags hanging from either side

of the driftpus, so when Ariane pulled herself close, I could easily feel the shape of her

pressing against me. Of course, this was all through my armor, so I couldn't feel her as

much as I might have liked. How disappointing.

Ariane somehow managed to pick up on the perverse thoughts running through my

mind. "Get your head out of the gutter, Arc."

"Whatever could you be talking about?"

I was starting to think that Ariane had some kind of sixth sense for this sort of thing,

but decided to keep my eyes facing straight ahead while avoiding her accusatory gaze.

Past the town's wall, Fernandes was surrounded by a vast swath of rich farmlands.

However, here on the other side of the river, there were only small, mostly unkempt

fields.

Considering the stories we'd heard about all the monsters and other beasts that ran

wild throughout the Singareeka Plains that lay ahead, I supposed it only made sense

that they hadn't had much success developing the land.

I also remembered hearing that the humans ruled the lands beyond the plains, so the

people of Fernandes probably put a great deal of emphasis on protecting the river.

As we moved along the road, I watched as groups of farmers slowly split off toward

their respective fields.

After a short time, we found ourselves standing before a vast, endless plain that

seemed to go on forever. There were scatterings of underbrush and stands of trees

here and there. I wondered if this was where the monsters were lurking.

It all kind of reminded me of a savannah.

I mumbled to myself as I cast my gaze across the plain. "Hmm. I can't really spot

anything resembling the Black Forest the merchant mentioned."

As the merchant had been preparing the driftpus for us and explaining the route we

should take through the plain, he'd mentioned several areas to avoid. The Black Forest

was one of them.

Apparently, it was a vast forest that ran along the southern border of the plains, cutting

it in two. It was also known by other names, including the Magic Forest and the Death

Forest. But by whatever name, it obviously wasn't a place we wanted to be.

Chiyome looked at me, her cat ears perked up at attention.

"Well, the plains are pretty big, so as long as we don't veer off to the south, maybe we

won't even run into it."

"You're probably right. The biggest problem we're going to face is trying to keep our

bearings."

I glanced back at Fernandes. We were still pretty close to the town, so it was easy to

use as a landmark. However, once we found ourselves in the vast, open plains with no

roads to travel by, I worried we'd easily lose track of the correct direction.

Somehow, I felt like I'd run into this same problem before.

While I was dealing with this sudden sense of de ja vu, I felt Ariane's fist jab into my side.

"Leave the directions up to Chiyome and me. You just keep pointing straight and

steering."

I shrunk a bit in the saddle and readjusted my grip on the reins.

Much like with a horse, all I had to do was guide the driftpus, and it would easily adjust

its speed whenever I prompted it to.

Goemon didn't seem to be having any problems, either.

I could feel my body lean back slightly and the ride get a little rougher as the driftpus

picked up speed. The scenery began flying past us.

Sadly, I didn't have a speedometer, but I figured we must be going around normal

driving speed.

While I was busy being impressed with the physical prowess of the animals here in

this world, Ariane yelled into my ear. She sounded far more alarmed than I'd ever

heard her.

"Ahh! S-slow down Arc, you're going way too fast! Eeeeeek!"

She was practically screaming in my ear as she huddled tightly against my back.

I glanced over my shoulder and saw that she was hanging on to me for dear life, her

eyes closed tightly. There were tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

I pulled back a bit on the reins to slow the driftpus down.

"It's not like you to yell out, Ariane. Are you uncomfortable riding on animals?"

"I'm just… I'm just not used to it is all! You remember where I live, don't you?"

Ariane shot me a glare, her breathing rough and her amethyst cheeks taking on a light

shade of red.

When I thought back to her village and its surroundings, it all made sense. In the Great

Canada Forest, where she and the other elves lived, traveling by horse was probably

unheard of.

Even in the villages themselves, I didn't recall seeing any mounts.

It was probably fair to say that Ariane wasn't used to the whole riding experience.

"Could… Could you just hold back on the speed a bit until I'm more used to it?"

Hearing Ariane plead like that brought out my teasing side. "Hmm, I dunno. It's kinda

funny hearing you cry like a little kid…"

The red-faced elven woman delivered several hard blows to my back before I could

finish getting the words out of my mouth. Fine, fine.

I slowed the driftpus down a bit and began using Dimensional Step wherever I could

to gain some more ground. Unfortunately, the technique wasn't really all that useful

while we were riding animals.

Whenever we teleported, it took a few seconds for the driftpus to get their bearings.

They'd stop and look around a bit before starting off again at a slow trot.

If we were going to go through this stop-and-start routine every time we teleported,

it seemed like a better idea to just let the driftpus keep speeding along. Besides, out

here in such a wide-open plain, I'd be lucky to travel six, maybe seven kilometers at

most with Dimensional Step, and that was only if I focused on the very edge of the

horizon.

All of this, of course, was based on the assumption that this world was of similar size

to the Earth.

The plains spread out around us, blank, endless, and generally featureless, in every

direction. We continued our journey west as the sun slowly began falling, adding a

deep scarlet hue to the sky and bathing the distant horizon in darkness.

I held my hand up to try and shield my eyes from the setting sun.

"I guess we should probably look for some place to set up camp."

"How about that tree over there?"

Chiyome was pointing toward a tall, solitary tree in the middle of the plains. I steered

the driftpus toward it, and we all settled down for a quick dinner.

While I'd felt a degree of anxiety trying to camp among the trees in the darkened

forest, being out here in the vast, open plains left me with a general sense of unease.

There were no breaks, no boundaries, no obstructions. This was quite different from

the places I'd been thus far, and it left me feeling more than a bit lonely.

Ariane's eyes also darted around uneasily, which made sense, considering how much

of her life she'd spent surrounded by trees. Chiyome and Goemon, on the other hand,

moved with practiced ease as they got the camp ready. They must have done this

countless times.

Ponta darted about the camp, looking at everything with great curiosity. Seeing its

excitement brought an easy smile to Chiyome's face. She must have been around

fourteen or fifteen, but seeing her act so tough out here in the middle of the plains

made me more than a little sad—a sadness, no doubt, brought about by the privileged

life I'd led.

If I were still human and left on my own to survive the night out here in these empty

plains, I knew I'd never make it. It was thanks to being a skeleton, and the inhibited

emotions this afforded me, that I'd been able to make it as far as I had.

That being said, I still had no intention of staying this way forever.

And that was how I spent my first night on the plains: my mind fruitlessly wandering

while I watched Ponta get in Chiyome's way as she diligently prepared our camp.

***

The next morning started off as many did nowadays: with Ariane and I training.

Unable to get ahold of anything like our usual wooden swords, we spent the morning

armed with feeble branches and practiced our footwork instead. I had nowhere near

the experience of Ariane and the others when it came to fighting, so I figured that

learning how to move my body in combat would be of the greatest importance. I

trained and trained until it was nearly reflexive.

With power and speed already on my side, all I needed was practice. I was slowly

getting used to it under Ariane's tutelage, but was still nowhere near Glenys's level.

After finishing our morning practice, we ate a quick breakfast before continuing our

journey west. Right around sunset on the second day, I could make out a mountain

range running up from the south. Some of the peaks were capped in snow, indicating

they must be pretty high up.

The mountain range didn't entirely bisect the plains however. Turning my gaze to the

north, I could see where they ended.

"So, I guess this is the Khinray mountain range the merchant told us about. The Syla

River should run from the base of the mountains off to the north, and on the other side

of that will be the Kuwana Prairie."

"And that's where we'll meet the tiger clan." Goemon finished my sentence for me as

he gazed ahead at the mountain range. Behind him, Chiyome nodded.

My mind ran wild as I thought about the tiger clan waiting for us on the other side of

the mountains. I cast my gaze to the south, where I spotted the forest.

There was something about it that seemed… odd. I shielded my eyes with my hand

and squinted.

"What… is that?"

A gigantic tree poked up out of the forest, standing tall and proud.

We were too far away to tell how tall it was, but it was obviously completely out of

scale with the trees around it. At a glance, I thought it might be as tall as Tokyo Tower.

It looked a lot like the Lord Crown, actually, though it didn't have anywhere near the

huge canopy that capped the Lord Crown, which gave it a rather lanky appearance.

But that wasn't what was so odd about it.

This mammoth, Tokyo Tower-sized tree was slowly moving south.

Every time the tree moved, little black specks flew out from the surrounding forest—

probably birds, or some type of monster.

Ariane's stunned voice came out as a whisper. "Is that… a tridentinum?"

"What's a tridentinum?" I repeated the word.

Chiyome was the first to respond, her eyes also fixed on the massive tree moving in

the distance. "A tridentinum is a creature."

Ariane continued, "The humans consider them to be a type of monster, but in reality,

there are several kinds of tridentinum. Some are inhabited by spirits, others

consumed by death. Still others live by the power of rune stones. They're known

collectively as tridentinum. However, I've never seen one that big before."

She let out a surprised gasp as we watched the tridentinum slowly but surely make its

journey south through the woods.

"I wonder if those woods are connected to the Black Forest we heard about."

"Who knows? Best to avoid them either way. Tridentinum can be pretty ferocious."

I squinted and focused my gaze on the lumbering juggernaut.

Ferocious or not, even being next to a thing that size could prove dangerous. One

misstep and you're done for.

"You're right. Better we stay out of the forests unless we absolutely have to go in."

Steering clear of any place that had such outrageous animals living within it seemed

like a great idea to me.

Chiyome turned her gaze away, ears still twitching. "Why don't we look for a place on

the bank of the Syla River, where it comes out of the northern side of the mountain

range? We can set up camp there."

I glanced back at Ariane, who nodded in agreement.

Well, it looked like we'd have to save the Kuwana Prairie for tomorrow.

***

Early the next morning, we crossed over the Syla River and into the Kuwana Prairie.

Under normal circumstances, crossing the wide river would be impossible, and you'd

need to head upstream toward the Khinray mountain range. However, Dimensional

Step took us to the opposite shore in the blink of an eye.

Or two blinks, really. We had to go back for the second driftpus.

The Kuwana Prairie, home of the tiger clan, looked a lot like the Singareeka plains we'd

just left. After crossing the river, I could spot four gently sloping mountains ahead of

us, seemingly placed at even intervals from south to north. Other than these, there was

little else in the way of noteworthy landmarks.

So far, the trip was going along splendidly. We continued west, the sloping mountains

an ever-present sight to our right. I was glad we hadn't run into any of the predatory

creatures we'd heard so much about, though riding along day and night through vast,

unending plains wasn't quite the adventure I'd had in mind.

Ariane was now used to the driftpus's speed and spent the time quietly watching the

scenery pass by, only piping up occasionally to complain about her butt being sore and

wanting to take a break. Other than that, we didn't talk much.

It was Ponta, enjoying the breeze from atop my head, who notified us that our peaceful

journey was about to end.

"Kyii!" The cottontail fox let out a mew of alarm as if it had just spotted something.

Ariane instantly responded. "Someone's coming."

Off to the right, two shadows were moving across the plains toward us. Judging by the

plumes of dust behind them, they were approaching at a high rate of speed.

There was no way we could outrun them, even if we tried.

I pulled back on the reins to slow the driftpus down while keeping an eye on the

shadowy figures. Ariane was the first to identify them.

"They're riding the same mounts as we are. Do you think maybe they could be part of

the tiger clan?"

I brought the driftpus to a full stop.

Lacking Ariane's superb eyesight, I still couldn't quite make out the figures, but I was

excited about the opportunity to finally meet the tiger clan. I'd been searching for them

everywhere.

My excitement was quickly doused when I realized that the incoming figures were

bearing down on us to attack. However, once they drew close, they slowed down a bit

and took a more investigative posture. There was no doubt about it—they were

members of the tiger clan, just as Ariane had said. Each of them rode their own

driftpus and carried a spear. The weapons had decorations dangling from the ends of

them.

It was hard to get a feel for how tall they were while seated atop their mounts, but

they seemed to be even taller than Goemon. I figured they had to be around 250

centimeters. They were about as buff, if not more so, than Goemon too. However, their

bodies were covered with black and orange fur, giving the impression of large tigers.

Much like Goemon, the two men were bare from the waist up and showing off their

impeccable muscles. They wore similar gauntlets as him as well.

Almost all of the cat people I'd seen were quite slender. These two tiger clan members,

however, were both hulking masses of muscle. While most of the cat people had

rounded ears poking out of their short, shoulder-length hair, these men had more of a

beast-like appearance.

They brought their respective driftpus to a stop about five meters in front of us.

One of the men spoke in a loud, booming voice as he thrust his spear in my direction.

"Where did you fiends get those mounts? Those saddles belong to the Ena, one of the

six great clans of the prairie. Spare us your excuses! We'll strike you down where you

stand!"

I glanced at Ariane, and Goemon glanced back at Chiyome.

Apparently, the saddles we'd picked up marked which clan owned them. These men

probably suspected us of stealing the driftpus.

I raised my hands in a gesture of peace and tried to explain. "We come from the land

of the elves in the Great Canada Forest, up on the northern continent. We've journeyed

here into the prairie to meet with the tiger clan. A merchant in the town of Fernandes

gave us these driftpus, and we've ridden them here to return them to you."

I decided to start there and see how they would respond.

The two men looked slightly perplexed and leaned in to whisper among themselves.

"We are soldiers of the ancient Whilee clan! What business do you have with us,

fiends?" The man punctuated his words with another thrust of his spear in my

direction. All eyes were on me.

I figured I had nothing to hide. "I found this peculiar spice known as a red nail back at

a stall in Fernandes. I came out here in the hopes of acquiring some from you. Would

you be willing to discuss this with me?"

The men looked back at me in disbelief.

Trying to explain in such simple terms amid the tense standoff that my only reason for

being here was a desire to buy chili peppers probably came off as little more than a

poorly thought-up excuse.

While the two were puzzling over how best to interpret my explanation, Goemon and

Chiyome suddenly jerked their heads in another direction. They seemed to have

picked up on something.

"Hm?"

"What's that?"

The members of the tiger clan also noticed something was amiss and turned to face

the same direction. Off in the distance, I spotted a thin plume of dust rising up into the

sky, and it was getting closer. This figure seemed to be traveling alone, however.

Another member of the tiger clan perhaps?

A look of concern washed over one of the men's faces. He lifted his spear high into the

air, as if to convey some sort of message.

The newcomer pulled up nearby and breathlessly delivered a message. "Two giants

have appeared near the camp! Round up everyone you can and head back at once!"

"It can't be!"

"Dammit!"

No sooner had the words left the man's mouth than he immediately turned his mount

around, tugged on the reins, and dashed off in another direction.

The remaining two men quickly glanced over at us before also turning their mounts

to face in yet a different direction.

"You're a fighter, aren't you? If you want to meet the chieftain, then come with us!"

The men didn't even wait for a response before snapping the reins and taking off at

high speed. I stared at their backs as they grew smaller.

Ariane's head popped out from behind me.

"What should we do, Arc? It seems like they want us to help them out of a pretty tough

situation."

I glanced over toward Goemon and Chiyome. They both nodded. The final call was up

to me.

"Well, we've come this far. We might as well see it through."

Goemon snapped his reins and sent his driftpus running off after the other two men.

I followed close behind.

The messenger had reported that giants had appeared near the camp, but I still wasn't

quite sure what that meant exactly. From a human's perspective, the tiger clan could

easily be classified as giants in their own right. So a giant by their standards, especially

one that elicited such a worried reaction, said a lot about the danger these creatures

presented.

For a moment, I thought back to the mysterious creature, the tridentinum, that we'd

seen off in the distance. But then I shook my head and focused on the task at hand.

Against something that size, I wasn't sure we'd stand a chance. While I'd do my best

to slay such a beast, it was more likely that I wouldn't walk away from that battle.

Ariane interrupted my meandering thoughts. "Seems like we've gotten ourselves

wrapped up in someone else's problems again."

"Well, think about it. If we help them out, it should be easier to negotiate later. So

maybe we should consider ourselves lucky."

But my cheery laugh was only met with sighs of exasperation.

Ponta wagged its tail calmly from its perch atop my head. Judging by my furry

companion's composure, I could tell that we weren't in any real danger yet.

I lost track of time as we continued after the pair of driftpus leading the way ahead.

There were no watches or any other method of actually measuring time, but I figured

it'd been about half an hour or so. Despite the frantic dash, I was impressed to see that

the driftpus weren't even tired.

Finally, I spotted a small camp ahead in the distance.

It was still pretty far off, and I had a hard time making out any detail with all the

jostling from the driftpus's movements, but I could make out a small cluster of

buildings that looked similar to the yurts used by Central Asian nomads.

A short distance away, among the hills just outside the camp, I could make out the

figures of two giants. They struck an imposing sight, standing nearly three times as

tall as the tiger clan members bearing down on them.

"So, those are giants?" Ariane peeked around me to get a look at what waited us up

ahead. Even over the driftpus' thundering footfalls, I could hear the sound of her

gulping.

"Kyii kyiiii!" On the other end of the spectrum, Ponta began mewing loudly, hopping

down from my helmet and wrapping itself around my neck.

The giants were nothing like what I'd imagined.

That is to say, they had no heads.

They weren't quite human, but they certainly were human-like. Or, more accurately,

they looked a lot like headless gorillas. Though, I'd yet to see a gorilla in this world.

Standing at an impressive six meters tall, these behemoths had dark skin, stubby legs,

and carried crudely fashioned stone axes. Every time they swung these axes into the

ground, huge plumes of dirt erupted into the sky.

While they might have lacked proper heads, their faces—consisting of two eyes, a

gaping mouth filled with yellow teeth, and no nose—emerged from their upper chests.

They looked like villains you'd see in a kids' superhero show.

The name suddenly came to me. "Are these… dark giants?"

I watched as a dramatic fight between the tiger clan and the dark giants unfolded in

front of me, each side gaining and losing ground. There was no way that all the

members of the tiger clan would come out of this battle unscathed. Not with the

strength the dark giants could bring to bear.

I saw one of them clutch a man's body in its fist, gnawing on his upper torso. My

Revival spell would be of no use here, not with how much of the body was now

missing. I spotted other injured combatants all around them too.

Sensing just how dire the position of their comrades was, the two soldiers ahead

pushed their driftpus even harder, charging straight toward the dark giants. Once the

men drew close, one of the giants turned toward the newcomers and let out a loud,

intimidating roar.

The driftpus were coming in way too fast for the giant to react in time, and they

managed to score a direct hit on the side of its leg, twin horns striking its flesh. When

I looked back, I was surprised to see that one of the driftpus' horns had snapped off.

They'd looked pretty solid to me, which could only mean one thing: The dark giant

had really tough skin.

Of course, the driftpus' charge wasn't all for naught—it was successful in knocking the

giant back slightly. Though, judging by its movement, it didn't seem to be in much pain

at all.

"Whoa… This one won't be easy!"

Chiyome was standing on the back of the saddle, holding on to Goemon's shoulders as

he continued steering the driftpus, watching the battle unfold.

"I'm not able to use any of my more powerful magic with all these people around. But

we definitely need to do something about these big lugs."

I yanked back on the driftpus's reins, hopped down from the saddle, and retrieved my

Holy Thunder Sword of Caladbolg and Holy Shield of Teutates from the saddle bags.

With my sword drawn and shield at the ready, I made a mad dash toward the dark

giant.

Ariane, Chiyome, and Goemon each got their own weapons ready and followed closely

behind me.

"First off, a little bit of protection! Holy Shield!"

As soon as I summoned this Paladin skill, a dim glow enveloped my shield, spreading

out to cover my entire body.

I hadn't had the opportunity to use this defensive skill yet, so I wasn't too sure how

effective it would be. However, I figured a little insurance couldn't hurt.

I zigged and zagged through the bodies of the tiger clan, my body glowing as I moved

toward the front line. Once I got there, I found myself facing off against one of the dark

giants alone