Volume 2 Chapter 7 First Quest - Strategy & Battle
We headed straight in the direction Ice pointed and found a peculiar shack. Around it stood rough-looking characters, yawning.
"That guy..."
"Ice-chan, can you check how many there are?"
"Uh, yeah... Alright then, good luck, Yuki-chan and friends."
The three snowmen, apparently named Yuki-chan, trudged quietly under the bushes. We backed up a bit and confirmed the mission details.
"It's about recovering what was stolen by night thieves. Well, they're basically thieves."
"Yeah. If we retrieve it, the quest is temporarily completed. Plus, if we manage to capture them, the guild might offer an additional reward."
"What if we kill them?"
"You'd get a reward, but it'd be less than capturing. Though it might be quicker."
"...," Toxy remained silent, stepping back.
"Um, hey, uh... Do you guys, like, feel okay with killing people, just like that?"
"""..."""
The three of us, me, Ice, and Clay, exchanged glances and answered like this,
"""We've never killed anyone."""
"Eh... This party is scary..."
Toxy looked disgusted. But, well, it feels like we've killed quite a few human-like monsters. I don't really intend to make a clear distinction between monsters and humans as enemies at this point.
However, since it's beneficial this time, let's refrain from killing for now. That's what I thought, so I called out to the others, "Let's declare our strategy."
"Let's primarily aim for capturing. However, it's not a high priority. If you're in danger, don't hesitate to kill immediately. Our magic is too powerful to avoid killing."
""Understood.""
"Wow, you're really taking charge, Wade..."
"So, um... To capture, we first need to incapacitate without killing. Can everyone share their non-lethal attacks?"
I started with my own suggestion.
"My attacks are hard to hold back, but I should be able to punch without killing for now."
"Huh, punching?"
"Toxy-chan, you see, Wade-kun can knock out a Kobold with just one punch."
"Eh, Wade? Is he gives off that tough-guy vibe? I thought he'd be more smooth or something."
"Where in me do you see anything smooth, Toxy?"
"Anyway, Wade-kun is both the leader and the boar of our party."
When Clay called me a boar, I stayed silent. But yeah, I guess I'm more like a wild boar than a tactical leader. In the dungeon, I jump in and take out a few enemies as soon as I spot them.
"...Oh, I see! Got it!"
And Toxy gives up understanding. I gesture towards Ice with a serious expression.
"Uh, um, yeah. As for me, if I aim my Ice Blow towards the ground, it might stick the opponent in place, like a trap."
"Oh, I see. That could be handy for sure."
Got it. This might come in handy.
"Next, Clay"
"If I don't use magic, my attacks are still effective but not lethal."
"I see, Clay can totally fight even without magic."
Right now, I can only rely on my fists or my heavy iron sword, which makes me less flexible in battle. But Clay seems fine without magic.
"And finally, Toxy?"
"I can adjust my magic to be non-lethal. As for arrows, I just need to avoid hitting vital points."
"Okay... In that case, we might need Toxy to help out more."
Things are starting to come together. I asked everyone questions as I planned our strategy.
"Ice, you were checking out the area with your snowmen spell. What do you know about the enemy?"
"Yeah... There are five thieves in total. Two are outside, and three are inside the cabin."
"Got it. Next question, can you use your Ice Blow spell on the snowman? I need you to target things, not people."
"Yeah... I can do that."
With a determined expression, Ice nodded along. I patted her on the head.
"Thanks. Alright, next is Toxy. About that Poison Mist you mentioned earlier, can you apply it to arrows and have it spread upon impact?"
"Yeah, I think so. I can attach the poison in a solid form to the arrow, then it switches to mist upon impact."
"Great. Make sure the poison causes paralysis. We need something fast-acting."
"Okay. Leave it to me."
Toxy still seemed a bit nervous, so I gave her an encouraging nod.
"I'm counting on you. Looking forward to seeing your skills in action. Lastly, Clay. You and I just need to beat up the weakened thieves and tie them up. Can you handle that?"
"Wade-kun. That's a silly question."
Clay replied sarcastically, lifting the corner of his mouth.
"Haha, alright, let's announce the plan. Let's take them out quickly and then enjoy a feast tonight!"
Clay and I hid near the temporary shack, crouching behind some trees. Our current task was to wait.
Right now, it was Ice's turn to prepare. From a distance away, Ice hid in the grass, giving signals to the snowmen from a place further away from us.
Then, from the grass, Ice made a big circle with her arms. That signaled that preparations were complete.
After that, there is sound of a click... It was a sound only we recognized. Toxy was pulling back her bowstring.
And then, the arrow was released. It passed through the window of the shack, and the solid poison instantly vaporized.
"Whoa, what's with this smoke?!" "Enemy attack! Enemy attack!" "You idiots, your arrow's trajectory is totally exposed to us!" "Don't underestimate us!"
The two guards tried to step forward bravely, but their feet were already frozen in place by Ice's snowman. They lost their balance and fell to the ground, struggling to move.
"Huh!? What the!?" "Ugh, what the heck!" "My hands, they're stuck!"
"Clay."
"Yeah."
Without many words, Clay and I dashed out. I attacked with my gauntlet-covered fists, while Clay used a large hammer, ambushing the two thieves.
"What!?" "Gah!?"
One blow. My punch struck the back of the thief's head, knocking him out instantly. Clay's sideways swing hit the thief's body directly, leaving him dazed from the impact.
"Two down."
"Next, we wait for them, right?"
"Yeah."
Clay and I moved to wait at the window of the makeshift shack. The ice that Ice had created around their feet started to melt away.
"Ugh! Why won't the door open!?" "Hey! Darn it! Let us out, you jerks!"
Inside the building, the thieves were banging on the door, unable to get out. Ice had frozen the door shut. It could be used to trap enemies, but I also realized it could be used like this.
Desperately, one thief jumped out of the window, practically saying, "Please, punch me."
"Hah" "Shh."
"Ugh."
Clay's hammer hit the thief's body, then my straight punch, boosted by [Weight Increase], pierced the thief's jaw. With ease, the one thief passed out.
"Darn it! Let us out! Let us outttt!" "Ugh, my body, won't move."
There was a roar or rather, a faint scream. Seeing their comrade fall instantly after jumping out of the window, the remaining two thieves seemed to give up on escaping through the window. They clung to the door, then fell silent.
I glanced at Toxy. She shook her head. That meant the thieves hadn't been poisoned long enough to be affected yet, they were just pretending to be knocked out.
After a little while, there was a faint cry of "Ugh, darn it..." This time, Toxy gave me a thumbs up.
Clay and I regrouped and opened the door of the makeshift shack.
Inside, there was a thief lying down, trembling uncontrollably. With this, were all the enemies defeated?
―――The plan was basically to trap the enemies inside the shack and fill it with poisonous mist to defeat them.
So, we sealed the door with Ice's freezing power and generated poison mist inside the shack. With the window as the only exit, we crushed their surveillance, set up a situation where we could defeat them quickly if they came out, effectively sealing the place off.
As a result, the enemies fell easily without any irregularities. It was a pretty smooth success.
"...Hey, Wade."
"Hm? What is it?"
Toxy said with a slightly tense expression.
"I mean, isn't this a bit too flashy?"
"Well, that just shows how strong we are."
I raised my hand. Toxy finally relaxed her tense expression and her face lit up with joy.
"Good job, Toxy."
"Yeah! Good job, Wade!"
We exchanged high fives with a smack sound. Then, with Ice and Clay too.
For now, our first quest ended in great success.
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