Micchi Versus the New World - Chapter 92

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Chapter 92

We set off early the next day with Naka, the beastling adventurer turned relic-hunter, bound for a small village in Mou'nan and supposedly the closest settlement to Ririko's artifact. The carriage transporting us there was enchanted with magic to keep us warm. Aside from the bumpy ride, the snow and ice didn't slow the vehicle down.

When I opened the window to look outside, it was mountains and snow-dusted trees as far as the eyes could see. Even though it was snowing, the paved road wasn't covered at all and was mostly dried. As soon as a flake touched the ground, it melted instantly. Probably a sign that there was magic underneath.

Honestly, it all reminded me of Tokyo in the winter.

I could do without it.

Our supposed guide had been quiet since the start of this journey, having buried her face into a map and reading from a thick notebook.

"What happened to the Grishant Branch anyway?" I asked.

Naka couldn't be bothered looking up as she answered, "Fashion Queen dissolved it about a year ago. Every adventurer either left Mou'nan or became members of the Glamour Police."

"You didn't like either of those options?" Anya snatched the notebook from Naka but was unable to make heads or tails of what was written in there, so she tossed it back into the beastling's lap.

"Well… I only became an adventurer to hunt relics. My father used to be one, too. He'd tell me sooo many stories of his dungeon-diving days. I even have one of his relics!" She pulled out from her shirt a necklace hanging around her neck, revealing a foggy green gem.

Doing so caused the Celestial Bell in my bag to vibrate like a phone. Fade's reaction to it must mean Naka's relic was real.

"Where's your old man now?" Anya asked.

"I'm not sure." The energy in Naka's demeanor vanished. "He went in search of a relic one day and never returned."

Must be nice to have a father that cared and to be someone that cared for their parents.

They said the apple didn't fall far from the tree. Guess it was true for Naka when it came to relic-hunting. I wondered if it was true for me. Maybe my old man was where I got my violent streak from.

When the carriage came to an abrupt stop, we hopped out into the freezing cold of a modest village in which every rooftop was blanked in white. Chimneys were working overtime spitting out smoke, a small creek ran through the village with small fishes braving the cold within, and beastlings worked away cutting wood and clearing snow from burying their homes. Most people were too busy to pay us any mind.

Thank fuck I was given a jacket. The cold further into Mou'nan was biting into my bones.

Anya on the other hand…

"Hoooey, is it chilly out." Anya didn't look at all bothered by the cold. She only wore a sleeveless leather vest, but the dragon tattoos on her arms were glowing.

"Searching for a relic might take days. We'll come back here to rest before nightfall," Naka said.

"Alright, where do we start?" I asked. "The faster we get Ririko's stupid relic, the better."

We left the village as quickly as we entered it, following Naka's map and heading deeper for the better part of the afternoon until she had us stop at the foot of a mountain. The beastling looked left and right, up and down, and was ultimately confused about where we were.

"What? Are we lost?" Anya put a hand over her eyes to gaze into the distance.

"W-We shouldn't be! Between a lake… and… and… My research points to the entrance being right in front of us," Naka stammered.

Suddenly, a pack of seven monsters emerged from the forests. Large, white wolves with fangs the size of daggers sticking out of their upper jaws growled at us, eager for their next meal.

"Haven't found the relic, but it looks like fun found us. Come on, Naka. Time to show us what your A-rank is made of." I grinned. However, instead of a brave adventurer, all I got was a scared shitless beastling who had fallen into the snow and was about to crap her pants. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"F-Frostfangs… C-C-Can you guys take care of them? I-I-I'm going to stay down here…" Naka buried herself in the snow instead.

When I turned to Anya for help, she shrugged at me. "You can handle it, right? Don't need me for every little thing."

Worst. Adventure. Ever.

"Alright, you mutts. Bring it!" I growled.

All seven pounced on me at once. They bit through the jacket, but didn't so much as pinch my enchanted coat or skin underneath. A hard hit to the head knocked each of them out cold.

"This could have been a lot easier with help… Alright, Naka. Get your ass outta there, you chickenshit," I ordered.

When Naka stuck her head out, she was relieved to see the seven hounds beaten. However, the beastling gasped as one of the frostfangs leapt past me for her.

Anya slammed her fists together so hard, the shockwave sent the monster crashing back into the forest.

"Whew. Close call. You're losing your edge, Micchi." She sneered.

Something started to roar and rumble, and it wasn't the hounds we just defeated. The three of us glanced up the mountain to see a massive avalanche coming right for us.

Naka turned as pale as the snow. "Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh no."

"This is your fault." I glared at Anya.

"You can't just pin it all on—"

We were buried instantly upon impact. I had to crawl my way out of the snow and back onto the surface. The avalanche had buried trees up to half their height. Anya popped her head out next, then fished Naka out from under.

"I'm starting to regret coming out here with you two…" Naka said through chattering teeth.

"Think we found the entrance." I pointed to the side of the mountain which had just been cleared of snow. The enormous entrance fit for large monsters was framed by strange sigils which lit up one by one, illuminating the long and wide corridor inside.

"I think you mean I found the entrance." Anya flashed a wide smile.

"Oh, shut up," I groaned.

Naka was brimming with excitement as we entered. Torches on either side of the wall ignited with each step we took. The fact that there was no snow or ice in here up until the entrance opened meant it had been sealed away by weather for a long time. No wonder it was left undiscovered until now.

At the end of the tunnel, however, sat an armored mannequin as tall as a house. It was blocking a set of doors decorated with images of flowers in a meadow. Ririko's prize was probably just beyond it.

"Halt," the suit of armor said as I stepped forward, demonstrating itself to be alive rather than a mannequin.

"Sorry, but I ain't stopping for anyone. Either you move out of the way or I crack you open, tin man," I said.

"I am Thume, the guard of Ashanti's relic. In order to enter, you must answer three riddles correctly," the giant continued. "These doors will remain closed until then."

"I think we should try to answer the riddles. It's worth a shot," Naka insisted, her adventure brain stirring with keen interest.

"The first riddle: What cries in the morning, remains silent in the day, and awakens at midnight?" Thume asked.

"It's going to be you when I'm done fucking you up for not letting us through!" I shouted.

Anya snorted and turned around, covering her mouth to keep from laughing. Meanwhile, Naka's jaw dropped as she stared at me in exasperation.

"I-Incorrect," Thume followed up and swallowed hard. "Perhaps an easier riddle? For two seasons I grow my coat, then I shed my coat for two more. My cycle repeats evermore. What am I?"

"Dead, if you don't move outta the damn way," I growled, losing my patience.

As if searching for help, Thume turned to Anya and Naka.

"H-How about this? What rises in the morning but falls at night?" he asked them instead of me this time.

Finally fed up with the riddles, I kicked Thume's metal leg out from under him. He collapsed to the ground with a yelp.

"Anya, lemme see those brass knuckles I gave you," I said.

"Gladly." Anya tossed them both over to me.

Thume shielded his helmeted face as I wailed into him. Every hit imprinted the 'FUCK' and 'YOU' from the brass knuckles onto his armor.

"What rises in the morning but falls at night? Hahh? Answer the riddle, soda can!"

"No, please— aahhh! Ashanti told me to guard this place! Fine, I'll let you through! Just stop hitting me… I didn't wait thousands of years just to be beaten up!" he cried.

"That's what I thought." I got off and spat on the now mostly dented armor, then tossed the brass knuckles back to Anya.

"Y-Your methods are brutal and surprisingly effective." Naka gulped.

"Told you," I said.

Thume stood up, but he was wobbly from getting his shit kicked in. The giant pressed both hands to the door, causing the gaps to light up and open on its own.

Inside the chamber was a dirt mound. A streak of light bathed a single crystalline flower.

"Ashanti's Grace." Naka gasped at the sight of the beautiful flower. "It is believed to be a key ingredient to making the elixir of life. Consuming it would grant eternal beauty."

"Something is wrong," Thume said, frozen at the entrance. "That is not Ashanti's Grace."

"Maybe we should ask someone more familiar," Anya suggested to me.

I pulled out the Celestial Bell and struck it. Fade jumped out, clutching himself and rubbing his arms. Thume and Naka were dumbstruck.

"W-W-Why would you bring me out into this god-forsaken place?" Fade asked, shivering from the cold.

"Is… Is that Fade of the Eighteen Gods?" Naka blinked as if trying to discern an illusion.

The god smiled. "Finally someone who reveres me for my divinity—"

"Don't get so full of yourself." I clocked him over the head. "That flower over there. Is it the real deal?"

"It is not," Fade answered promptly, taking only the briefest of glances to confirm it.

Thume knelt over the crystal flower and reached out to it. However, upon touching the petal, the plant shattered into water. It was a fake.

"Impossible. I have been guarding this vault for ages," he said.

"Evidently not well enough. I would know Ashanti's blessed flower anywhere, and that, my dear subjects, is not it." Fade scoffed.

Someone or something had taken what Ririko was looking for. More than that, it robbed me of my chance to find Chika.