The Shaman can't become a Hero
Act 4: Two-Headed Hound
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Chapter 33: Practice part.2
“— Blackhair Bind”
Raven hair flies out from the shadows to coil around the ankle of a wandering Skeleton. But this time, it wasn’t flayed like weeds, but taut as a rope, twining around the Monster.
“Yes, braiding is a go!”
Yes, what came upon invoking, was the punishing Blackhair in its newly braided glory.
In the fight with the Great Frog, my Blackhair Bind couldn’t do a thing. With only those few strands of hair coiling about, a Monster can all too easily shake it off.
At present, my Blackhair Bind is the only thing useful in battle, that too, only at restraining the enemy; so I’ll focus on excelling at that. But it’s not like a game where I can put in accumulated Skill Points to the Skill I want to improve.
That being, how does this strengthening work anyway? I’ve thought of three ways.
Number one: by simply being granted powerful abilities. The so called levelup. But, this method depends on God’s whim, so how much I need to fight to get a new Skill, or more so, what Skill will be granted, I can’t choose anything. God knows when I’ll get to power up, literally.
Number two: by repeatedly using a Skill, I’ll attain mastery. If you could call it a proficiency leveling system, then my gamer-senses will start tingling, and even if it’s not the case, there’s always the saying that practice makes perfect.
This not being mere coincidence is proved by the existence of Hirano-kun and Nishiyama-san who’ve constantly kept using their techniques and Magic. Though there’s no dramatic rise in strength, they still got used to using their Skills themselves, something that is indispensable in the rush of battle. There’s more than enough merit in training, or more like, from here onwards, it’ll likely become absolute necessity.
And last but not least, the method 3 is: ingenuity. This is where, even without the ability’s strength or effect changing, using it in a different way or two can lead to many other applications. Futaba-san using her Berserker strength to throw stones, can also be said to be one form of ingenuity.
With that, me braiding the strands of my Blackhair Bind is that so called ingenuity, that I have just successfully implemented. The result is plain as day. Rather than separated strands of hair, all of them working together visibly increases their toughness.
“Hmm, so it really worked huh”
“You did it, that’s great Momokawa-kun!”
Futaba-san’s praising words, honestly feels great.
Incidentally, the Skeleton restrained with the braided bind, was promptly pulverized with a blow from Futaba-san’s battle-axe.
“It kinda sounds obvious, but the image is pretty important”
When I gave it a try without thinking too hard about it, it was a splendid failure. But then, after thinking about how braiding works, and actually trying it a bit of my long-ish hair to solidify the image, the result is voila.
“Alright, next is the length and number, let’s get crackin’!”
It’s been several dozen minutes that I’ve been walking around with Futaba-san in the passages. Peeking through rooms, we encounter foes. Feels pretty much like grinding in an RPG.
“Haa... looks like this is it for now”
Results: hair length extends to 2 meters. Number of braids: a maximum of 2. When making 2, the length of each is cut to half, that is, to 1 meter, is what I’ve determined.
And after binding and playing around with many Skeletons, as usual, Futaba-san destroys them. Thinking carefully, we may look like doing we’re doing something cruel, but I can explain it away such that this is all for science. I mean, the other party’s coming at us with the intend to kill so why not.
“It’s amazing Momokawa-kun. The Curses are getting to be really something!”
“N-no~, you flatter me, ahaha...”
With the joyous smile, and straight-forward complements from Futaba-san, man it’s embarrassing. I’m not the type that gets praised in general, so with the complements coming in on rapid-fire, it’s really more embarrassing that anything.
If she keeps this up, I might just become a good-for-nothing very quickly. Kind, great at cooking, plus complements galore, Futaba-san, I wonder if she’s trying to become a machine that produces hopeless men.
“A-Anyway, I’ll test out Mud Doll next”
“Yeah, go for it Momokawa-kun”
Being watched over under a gaze like that of an affectionate mother, I get myself together, and concentrate on Curse practice.
This time, I’m testing if you can make the Doll with something other than mud. More like, can’t I use Monster materials to make a really powerful Doll, is the encompassing thought and goal.
The uselessness of the Mud Doll, is obvious looking at the battle with the Great Frog. I need to at least increase the resilience a bit more, or else it won’t even serve as a distraction. Currently, it only amounts to the level of collecting chump change doing street performances or something.
However, if it is the case that, depending on the material, I can create powerful Dolls... the dream gets bigger all at once. Now, arise, my strongest Servant! [1]
(TN: Servant is in Engrish desu... like in Fate )
“... Ah, there’s no mud”
Is what I realized after gathering the remnants of Skeletons and arranging them into what would become the Doll’s skeleton. My increasingly rising tension, upon such a reality, underwent a sharp decline.
The Curse’s name even has Mud in it, so not including it as a production element, I don’t foresee the process coming to fruition.
“So you really need the mud?”
“Yeah, with a skeletal structure from Skeletons, and using mud to make the meat, is the image I had in mind. We have water, but if only I had just a bit more sand—”
“Uh huh... then, Ei!”
Contrary to the gentle cry, the sounds of destruction were brutal. What the, I thought but then saw, bashing her battle-axe into the wall in full swing, there was Futaba-san.
“Ah, look, I did it Momokaka-kun! There’s sand now see!”
What Futaba-san struck apart, was the stone wall with the thickness of a cinderblock. The blade of the axe had eaten through the wall, reaching the other side, from where the underground sand spewed out.
Speaking of the dungeon’s construction, we must be underground. So breaking a wall, you’ll be presented with the soil bed beyond, would be the correct in theory... But for actually testing that out, you’d need to get past those unreasonably tough walls.
“T-thanks”
Though I continue to be astounded at how naturally she wields her Berserker strength, since I got what I wanted, I can do nothing but thank Futaba-san.
Anywho, now I can continue the experiment creating a Mud Doll with Skeleton parts.
The image is important. As for the prep work for this Curse, I remember it fine from having done it before. So, all that’s left is to finish the form, imaging vividly, and try it out.
“Rise from chaos, bind in foul blood, stand on stained earth—”
Atop the floor, I have the bone fragments of Skeleton arranged in a human shape. On top of that, I take the sand provided by Futaba-san and mix it with the Fairy Square water in the plastic bottle, creating mud and adding it to the structure. The make is simple to the extreme. So there’s no complicated imaging necessary either.
If this fails, then I don’t think it’ll work no matter how many ways I try.
So, pretty please Ruinhilde-sama. Let me have, just a bit more hope— offering up such a prayer, I let drops of fresh blood fall onto the human shape of mud.
“—Vile Mud Doll!“
And the results are made clear immediately.
“Yes, it’s alive!?”
Bestowed with cursed life, the Mud Doll stood tall adhering my command.
Its appearance, practically same as the first one. The bones were framed inside so the outside is tinted mud brown... but there was one fundamental difference.
“Wa, this one, its like it’s wearing a mask”
Yes, just as Futaba-san commented, the Mud Doll this time is wearing a mask. It was a fragment of bone I had put inside the head area. Shaped like a pie graph with 60% filled, the fragment was perfectly tacked on the Mud Doll’s face.
“H-hell yes, this thing’s, it’s really adapting to the material!“
The once useless Vile Mud Doll, it’s now time to peer into your endless possibilities.
“OK, next let’s make a bigger one!”
With rising tension like a salmon swimming up a raging waterfall assailing me, I make towards the next experiment without a moment wasted. [2]
(TN: It actually says eel, not salmon... )
Speaking of, the material for the next version is all ready.
This room contains two Skeletons that we defeated. One had its body smashed to bits and was unreminiscent of its former form, but the other had only its cranium completely blown off, with its body left as is.
These are ones I had left for Futaba-san to defeat beforehand. Though her enemy were dull headed Skeletons, seeing such splendid results, I can’t help but think she’s gotten quite used to battle. At the very least, I can’t see her losing even if she’s surrounded by Mobs like Goma or Red Dogs.
“Hey, Momokawa-kun. Isn’t it like, if you make it bigger, you’ll need that much more blood for it?”
As I was diligently molding away mud on the life-sized Skeleton in high spirits, Futaba-san suddenly raised a doubt.
“Yeah, I mean, I guess so. But I really wanna see how far I can take this Mud Doll. If it gets dangerous, I’ll stop, don’t worry”
I mean, it’s not like I’ll willingly let out my blood till I die or anything. With a bit of my Ointment, the tiny cut is easy mode. There’s no danger to be found.
“A-Alright, if you say so... be careful okay?”
I wonder how long passed after I inattentively replied, Yeah. Anyway, covering the life-sized skeleton with mud would be inefficient without anything like a shovel, so it took a good while longer.
At one point, we went back to get a refill of water. Hirano-kun and Nishiyama-san looked at us with strange eyes as we were hurriedly collecting water from the fountain all covered in mud, but I can’t be concerned about that right now.
“And, it’s done!”
After much elbow-grease, the Mud Doll’s body is finally conceived. Structure-wise, it’s literally the same as the one just before. Only the size is of human height.
Though primarily, the goal is to get a large Mud Doll, this experiment also counts as a test to see if multiple can be controlled together. So the one made before is left as is.
If, everything goes well, the life-sized Mud Doll moves around, then, along with a decently sized Doll in my possession, it’ll be possible to birth a good number of them at the same time. Like, let us forge, the Strongest Servant Army.
“Well, here goes nothing”
“Y-Yeah”
Feeling Futaba-san’s gaze, as she swallows her spit in suspense, watching over me, I challenge the 2nd Curse trial.
“Rise from chaos—”
I let down, the first drop of blood.
The drop of red falls straight down, it hits the human shape at the forehead area— and, wew, comes a dizziness.
“Bind in foul blood—”
What was that, must be nothing. I thought, during which 2 drops, 3 drops, are let to fall.
And, when those come into contact with the Mud Doll,
“Stand on stained eart—”
The world swivels.
My vision violently rocks, the Mud Doll I was looking at goes far away, before I know it, I find myself looking at pure white light. Ah, this, is the room’s light panel? Which means, I fell down I guess.
“— Momokawa-kun!”
It looks as if it’s supposed to be loud, but her voice felt terribly far.
I’m fine, I turn to Futaba-san to try and give her some reassurance, when my vision obscures. After that, any more thoughts were—