Chapter 80: The Bridge of Malevolent Coincidences

Our return to the Adventurer’s Guild was met with confused silence. Natsuki proudly presented the sack of Root-Weasel tails to Gretta at the counter.

“Quest complete!” he announced.

Gretta stared at the sack, then at us. “Right,” she said flatly. “I heard you had some… unconventional tactics.” She paid us, adding, “Don’t go spending it all on glitter.”

Natsuki, missing the sarcasm, cheerfully accepted the next quest: clearing a goblin toll gang from the Grumblewood Bridge. It was a C-rank, a significant step up.

“Are you sure that’s wise, given our… new variable?” Lirael asked, glancing at me.

“Aki was great!” Natsuki insisted. “Her support was weird, but it worked!”

“The chaos pixie is our good luck charm,” Kaelen added with a grin. “This is gonna be fun.” Elara agreed that more data was required. And so, it was decided.

From his shadowy realm, Isao watched, furious that I was being reduced to a clumsy sidekick for a mortal. “My direct approach was too crude,” he mused. “Subtlety, then. Let’s see how her ‘luck’ holds up when the world itself starts to unravel around him.” He sent a thread of his power to settle like a blight upon the Grumblewood Bridge.

The bridge was a long, rickety structure spanning a deep gorge. “Standard goblin tactics,” Natsuki explained, drawing his spirit blade. “They’ll rush us. We’ll meet them in the middle.”

As Natsuki took his first step onto the bridge, I sensed Isao’s trap: a cursed plank that would snap under his weight. I had to act fast. “Oh no, my crystals!” I cried, pretending to stumble and dropping a pouch of polished stones I’d bought earlier. They scattered across the planks.

“Whoa!” Natsuki stopped just inches from the trapped plank. “Aki, be careful!”

Before he could help me pick them up, the goblins charged from the other side. “Aki, get behind me!” Natsuki commanded, placing himself in front of me as a shield.

As the goblins rushed forward, Isao empowered them, turning their mob into a coordinated assault. A hidden archer took aim at Natsuki’s exposed side. I didn’t have time to shout.

“For truth and justice!” I shrieked, unleashing a “[MAXIMUM SPARKLE SHOT]!”

A blinding, concussive blast of glitter erupted from my hands. The light from the glitter-nova reflected off Natsuki’s spirit blade, sending a focused beam that struck the goblin archer in the eyes. He yelped, firing his arrow harmlessly into the sky before falling off the bridge.

“I… I saw him in the reflection!” Natsuki stammered in awe. “Aki, your magic… it revealed him!”

Isao was enraged. He decided to get more direct, overloading Natsuki’s blade with chaotic energy. The sword began to swell and whine, on the verge of exploding.

“Natsuki, your blade!” Lirael shouted. “It’s overloading!”

He struggled to control the magical bomb in his hands. I panicked. There was only one insane thing to do. “Mochi, go!” I yelled, throwing my fluffy companion directly at the sword.

The tiny bunny sailed through the air and hit the hilt with a soft thump. As a creature of divine-adjacent energy, Mochi acted like a grounding rod. The chaotic power flowed harmlessly into his body. His fur stood on end, he glowed with an amethyst light, and then let out a tiny hiccup that sounded like a thunderclap. The sword returned to normal.

Mochi, looking dazed, floated back to my shoulder. “I think… I need a nap,” he mumbled.

The bridge was silent, save for the whimpering of the remaining goblins. The Crimson Blades just stared, looking from the sword to the slightly-singed bunny, and then to me.

Natsuki was the first to speak, his voice filled with utter bafflement. “Your… your bunny… just ate a magical explosion.”

I just smiled weakly. “He gets hungry.”