First Quest Part 4

“Yuck!” Bisky jerked her foot around, trying to dislodge the slime “Bisky! Focus!” Selena called. Bisky jumped a few feet back and resumed her fighting stance. “We’re not going to switch off until you can kill a slime without needing help to finish it off!” Bisky rolled her eyes. ‘My leg strength has helped me out with stealing, and I have been able to fight off grown men! It’s not like I’ve done anything particularly intensive, but still! Why can’t I kick them to death in one blow like in manga?’

“Why don’t you try using your claws and fists?” Mahannana suggested as she perched on a rock. “You can run and jump like a cat, but you don’t have the experience or muscle definition for combat. You seem to instinctively jump to using your fists, so maybe you’d have better luck with them?"

“Worth a shot!” Bisky grinned as she extended her claws, feeling as badass as wolverine. She paused to consider the weight of her nails. She’d extended them longer than usual; maybe two or three inches past her fingertips. Since they were a biological part of her, they were bulkier than normal cat nails, but they were nothing near the weight of a traditional blade. ‘These are far sturdier and denser...they actually are more like wolverines’ claws!’ The girl realized. “I can put a lot more force into slashing with these since they extend from my body, and they’re sharp. I think you’re right, Ma-Chan!” Bisky admitted aloud. “I can’t compare with an adult adventurer. Yet. I need to do weight training or something but, until I get stronger, my nails can compensate.” Bisky squared off with the irritated slimes, feeling encouraged by her new chances.

“Hmm, in terms of raw strength, you have us both beat.” Mahannana observed to her mother. “You’re already naturally at the level of someone who’s had strength and combat training for years because you’re an animal. Your issue is more not knowing what to do because you’re having an out of body experience. I’m far stronger and faster than I used to be, and my endurance has skyrocketed, but I don't particularly have any physical aptitude. I can use magic, but that comes with its own weak spot of being limited to the spells I know. And, unlike you, Bisky's biological advantages mean nothing on their own without training.” Selena looked back at her daughter, surprised by the insightful nature of her comments. 

“My issue is not being good at thinking on my feet?...You may be right.” Selena admitted reluctantly. “I really want to find someone to just explain dire wolf combat techniques to me, but...I need to figure things out on my own. I like things making sense but there isn’t an instruction manual for everything. I suppose this means we’re going to have to do more of these quests...” Her tail twitched in agitation. ‘Ugh the idea of more monster hunting puts my nerves on edge!’ She turned her attention back to the little girl.

Bisky bounced in place for a few seconds before flying straight for a slime without warning. ‘If I drag down and then pull up-!’ Bisky swiftly arced her nails through the slime, slashing it into ribbons. ‘Carving a chunk out of them will do it!’ She jumped among the slimes, slashing through each one as she flew past. When she finally skidded to a stop, the area was coated in slime. She'd killed about a dozen in one go! Bisky looked down at her nails. ‘These sliced through those guys like butter, but my leg joints still hurt from winding up to kick! The sharp edge and leverage definitely helped.’

“Good job, Bisky-Chan!” Mahannana clapped for her friend. “You’re right...I need to do some strength and weight training or something.” Bisky pouted. “I’m not capable of the force needed to mash those things with my hands.” “Well, you’ve never had a reason to do strength training because you’re eight.” Selena pointed out. “Believe me, just because you have a different body doesn't mean that you’re going to be an instant expert in anything. I could barely figure out how to walk or sleep when we first got here. It still feels weird when I really think about it but, most of the time, it is what is. It’s how I am now. You'll learn.”

“Yeah, OP heroes who are OP right off the bat fell out of favor years ago.” Mahannana assured Bisky as she gave her shoulder a squeeze. “That’s a newer fantasy trope that was taken to stupid extremes by Isesaki anime. It’s so oversaturated and overrated! The heroes' journey is classic fantasy trope that literally goes back to ancient times!” She smiled. “Getting stronger and figuring your life out is universal, no matter what world you’re in! We’ll get stronger together, Bisky-Chan!”

Every fiber in Bisky’s being wanted to call BS on the mage’s promises. They were so cliche and stupid! Even if they were in a fantasy world, that rosy outlook just wasn’t how life worked. Bisky wasn’t opposed to optimism, but she of all people knew that having good intentions and positive feelings didn’t magically make things work out alright in the end. But, as much as she’d wanted to laugh at some of the things that came out of Mahannana’s mouth, she’d repeatedly found herself holding her tongue. She looked up at the clear eyes and genuine smile of the older girl. ‘She means it. She doesn’t want me to feel discouraged and she’s serious about wanting to train with me. I still don’t understand why she is the way she is, but she does think of me as a friend and worry about me. She might be a little goofy in the brain, but she’s nice and I like being around her.’

“Right!” Bisky nodded back.

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“This cave isn’t that big. You’d think we're near the end?” Bisky asked. “I’m...not sure.” Selena admitted. “The only research we did on the cave was to ask if it was underground and where it was located.” “Well, the dwarves want to convert it into a workshop, so I’d think we should be nearing the end now.” Mahannana offered. “I mean, we’ve covered a lot of ground, and I doubt they’d want this place if it was just an endless maze.” The three didn’t know how long they’d been in the cave, but they’d assumed an hour or two had to have passed.“You guys are too slow! I’m going ahead to look for the end!” Bisky took off sprinting.

“Bisky-Chan! Stop! We don’t know what’s ahead!” Mahannana called, sighing as the girl zoomed around the next bend. “Bisky’s going to give me heart attack if this is what she’s like every time we go on a quest. Kid has no sense of danger or self-preservation!” “Sounds like someone else I know.” Selena smirked. Mahannana's  shoulders sagged. “Well, I guess this is karma then, but I don’t think I was ever this bad.” Selena recalled the number of times Madoka had run into traffic, climbed to dangerous heights that she couldn’t descend from, or gotten lost in public. “Eh, yes, and no?” The wolf shrugged. “I was constantly worrying that you’d be hit by a car or get abducted, and that was terrifying, but I never had to worry about you getting eaten by monsters. Jury’s still out on which situation is worse.” Mahannana massaged her forehead. ‘I love this kid, but working with her is seriously exhausting!’

“I’m impressed, though.” Selena admitted. “You’ve been handling her well! With how moody she is, she’s like a tiny teenager, but she seems to listen to you." Mahannana was surprised. “You think so? I can tell that she enjoys hanging out together but...” She frowned. “I don’t know, it just seems like she’s keeping me at a distance and doesn’t trust me, even though she likes me, if that makes sense.”

“Well, she lived in an orphanage and seems to distrust people in general. If you ask me, the fact that she intentionally sought you out after you first met because she was curious makes it seem like there’s already some level of trust she rarely gives.” Selena observed, thinking back to how Bisky had been polite-ish enough to her and Aqua while she’d become affectionate with Mahannana right away. “She’s a vulnerable kid who thinks she needs to put on a strong front. Remember how she tried to act like she didn’t want to visit or accept help from us the first time she came over? But she’s always been fine with you touching her randomly and accepted your feedback while fighting today. That’s a form of trust. Everyone shows their trust differently.” Mahannana considered her mother’s words.

‘She’s not wrong. I’ve had an easy time trusting people here because they’ve never known my old self but, back at home, the amount of times people pretended to be my friend on a dare or because they wanted something from me...’ Mahannana’s stomach sunk as she recalled a particular time in 5th grade. The incident where one of her classmates used her to get a good grade on a literature project and, after taking credit for everything, left her to take a failing grade and be labeled a cheater. Her heart skipped a beat as she shoved the memory away. It was a mental wound that never fully healed and she didn’t want to dredge up that pain again ‘The amount of times people had preconceived ideas of me just because they thought I acted “weird”, or they already heard stories from other people made me not want to try anymore. It got to where I could only assume everyone was biased against me before they even talked to me once.’

“You’re right, mama. Again.” She admitted aloud. “Moms are smart.” Selena snickered. “But you should just keep doing what you’re doing. Just because some of the feelings a situation gives you makes you feel frustrated and upset, that doesn’t automatically make the situation itself entirely bad. From my perspective as your mother, you’re doing your best. You’re really changed since we ended up here, and I can tell you’re a lot happier. Just remember that.” Mahannana smiled, glad that her mother seemed to understand her for once. ‘Maybe it’s just me, but mama seems to have gotten a bit more patient and relaxed with me in the last few weeks, too. Maybe the change of world’s has helped her, and she hasn’t realized it yet.’

Suddenly, a blood curdling scream blasted through the cave like a shock wave. “Bisky!” 

The two took off running. They immediately recognized the voice, even though it was making a sound that they didn’t think Bisky would ever make. They tore around the final corner and reached the end of the cave. Mahannana stared up, frozen in place. “W-wha?” She knew that she needed to act, but she couldn’t make her body move in that moment.

Standing in front of them was a blue slime the size of a house. Through its translucent body, they could clearly make out Bisky clutching her throat, her face frozen in a scream. Mahannana felt like she was going to throw up as the child’s bloodshot, panicked eyes locked on her and silently pleaded for help.

“I-it’s suffocating her!”