***
After proclaiming her intentions to turn me into someone worthy of the Relic that chose me, Enda dropped it on my lap.
Supposedly a powerful item, and yet it looked so plain. A simple dark green wire grip, perfectly symmetrical with a hole on either end, practically begging to be fitted on a longswords frame with a hilt and pommel.
"Stay here. I'll see if Ru is available to perform a checkup"
"Why not just get a copy to call her over?"
"Ota, they may have originated for me, yet they each have their own will, lives, goals, ideas. Delegating small errands would be an insult- not only to them, but Ru as well. Touji is… He's my responsibility"
Somewhat stunned by her reasoning, Ota found herself at a loss for words.
***
By the time Enda left, the once gentle snow wafting outside the gothic window behind me changed to light rain.
Before I could comprehend such an odd change, Arisu popped back up from under the bed with a few towels and wearing a white lab coat. After tossing a spare rag to Eyebore, she grabbed my arm to poke and prod.
"Hmmm, let's see. Looks like you're in good shape. Any pain or discomfort?"
"Wha- You a Priest?"
"No, but I can pretend to a Doctor"
"Doctor?"
"Two-Tails MD"
"Uhhh"
By the looks of things, she didn't have anything fluffy attached behind her, yet her lab coat was snagged, held up by an invisible force.
"Again with my butt"
"Sorry, I just-"
"No- that's my bad. Should've shown you this earlier"
With a metallic twag, Arisu detached a black ring with a single hinge with plenty of runes lining its flat surface. As their white glow faded, two long tails revealed themselves. Expertly groomed, its thin hair danced with each subtle motion.
"So it's true"
"Yep, it's a secret though, got it? I might be great with a blade, but if I shackles around my hands, there's not much I can do. Without my speed or Relic, I'd be an E rank Adventurer, and as Strong as a ten year old"
Carefree, she shrugged as if her secret wasn't a big deal. My attention followed the motion of her flowing tails, down to the Relic in lap.
"You know… if I had that thing, I might be able to pull off a whole lot more"
"What does it do?"
It only looked like a greenwire grip ready to be fitted onto a longsword, with a clean connection straight through the middle as if it came apart. I picked it up to see what it could do or if my assumption was correct, only to be unable to do anything of significance.
"*Ahem* Well, Touji, there's something to be said of imitation"
"W-What?"
"At first, I hated the idea of things being copied, it felt cheap, ya know? Then, over time, I began to realize there's a certain… charm- when they take on a life of their own"
As Arisu exited the makeshift room with Eyebore, I caught a glimpse of the Copy's new prosthetic left arm as her brown cloak was conveniently pushed aside by one of the Kitsune's tails for all but a second.
For some reason, I got the feeling that Arisu wasn't talking about the woman with a black stone inside a fake glass eye.
***
Ota sat on her small chair, shifting slightly side to side. Any sense of intent I could interpret changed so frequently, it seemed impossible to get a clear read of what the Oni wanted.
Uneasy, I spoke up to break the awkward silence enveloping the room.
"Hey, uh- didn't you get a Relic too?"
"Yeah, I got this"
Enthusiastically, the Oni undid the metal buttons of her unwashed white shirt to reveal a glowing red light originating from her heart. A subtle blush washed across her cheeks and short pointy ears as both of us came to realize what she was revealing.
Of course, Arisu blew into the room at that very moment, holding a glass orb or sorts with lacquered wooden base.
"Wow *Cough* Anyway- Touji, see this?"
Immediately brushing over Ota's frilly black undergarments, Arisu jumped back on the bed while shoving the small glass ball in my face, positioning herself in front of the Oni.
"Uhhh…"
"This is a Snowglobe, see the little house in it? Check it"
After making sure my eyes locked onto the miniature house with the glass ball, the two-tailed Kitsune shook it vigorously. White flakes swirled and danced within, then slowly came to rest on top of the miniature house inside.
"Now imagine that little house is the city we're in. It's winter now, but because of the big-ass Dragon skull basically everything is built on, weird magic stuff happens. Well, unless it's heavy snow, most the time it'll just rain, like now"
Not a great explanation, but I kind of get it
Dragons Mort had a reputation of being an impossible city with many secrets hidden within. Finally arriving in the place I heard so much about only to be stuck indoors kinda sucked, even if I understood why.
"So like that 'Snowglobe' thingy- in reverse?"
"Bingo! Apparently it has something to do with a barrier"
"I'll be taking that back. Our otherworldly museum can't take another 'incident', and that barrier exists to keep this city safe if we ever fall under siege"
Eyebore reentered the room and snatched away her Snowglobe to avoid appernet repeated destruction.
"Come on! That wasn't my fault!"
"No, I do believe it was. You may fool Enda with those innocent eyes, but not me"
"Fooey!"
"Now-now, the nurse will be here shortly as well, so let us give the young man some privacy. If all goes well, we can go over those Relic's- both of them"
"Alright"
Ota picked Arisu and carried her out over her shoulder as she crossed her arms and pouted in protest.
"Please put Arisu down…"
"Hey! I'm not some Griffon gullet you can carry round!"
"But you weigh as must as one"
Soon enough, I was alone for all but a few seconds as the bickering continued outside.
"Hey, its my favorite british bunny boy"
"Please stop calling me that, I have no idea what it means"
Although I found it odd how little effort it took the Oni to pick up my new foster sister, no time could be spared for that chain of thinking as a short, yet slender and elegant Beast-kin spoke up to let himself in.
"Please excuse me"
A blonde, floppy-eared Beast-Kin only a few inches shorter than Arisu, who was already lacking in height, entered my room carrying a large black bag. He wore a dark green sweater vest over a white long sleeve shirt and suspended beige slacks.
His voice sounded silky and refined.
With clear blue eyes, gentle skin, and a slender figure, he was the kind of elegant young man that I expected to be fought over for his looks.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Touji Himura, my name is Batoris Swiftsteal. Doctor Ru is unfortunately rather busy with personal matters, so I've come on her behalf"
Batoris set down his suitcase on Ota's seat. If there was ever such an object to be described as buxom, his bag would be it. Clipped together like a small purse, and opened just as such, with a large strap for carrying.
"Are you a Doctor?"
"In training, as of now I am a nurse. This here is Flobby, my assistant"
Climbing out of his bag, an odd green slime with four stubby limbs waved a small feather duster in greetings. No more than a ball of bouncy liquid that wore a miniature maids apron, I almost laughed when I first saw it.
Slimes, tamed or not, typically rolled around slowly absorbing things at random then and then digesting them inside their body. To see one dress up in a maid's apron, walk on two little legs, and wield a duster was a whole new experience.
"Can you stand?"
"Uh-um, I think so, yeah…"
"Now let's see. You're from Tyrants Rest, so this may be an odd sight. Here, tammend Monsters like Flobby, are domesticated. However, even amongst regular Slimes, he is rather special"
After quickly glancing over a sheet of paper, he pulled out a few metal measuring instruments and a tape from the bottom of his doctor's bag.
The, shockingly, the handsome Beast-Kin in his early twenties pressed his hands into the top of the Slime, up to his wrist, and pulled out. Seconds later, small magic circles appeared on his hands, followed by a hissing sound.
He'd created gloves out of the Slimes jelly.
"Worry not, these are a hundred percent sanitary. Flobby was raised on a diet of soap and healing herbs"
That explains the color
"Let's get started"
What followed was a fairly personal check-up measuring each muscle group, my weight, and finally, height.
"Esssh!"
"Did that hurt?"
"A little. I'm just a bit sore"
I grit my teeth and breathed in harshly as Batoris tested my flexibility. Not moving for a Season seemed to make my whole body feel a little stiff.
Amongst the dull silence I heard the tossing of logs and eventual crackle of fire outside my room. If I had to guess from clues alone there was a kitchen to my right, living room opposite my temporary bed, and something to the left.
After all was said and done, I got back under blankets.
***
"Touji's examination is finished, you may all return"
As the women entered the room, the Doctor in training took off his gloves and began packing up his equipment. All save Eyebore came to see the results.
"What's the snitch Bunny boy? Is he going to die? Tell us the truth, how long has he got?"
Arisu bounced around the room leaving afterimages as she looked over Batoris's instruments while Enda gave Ota a few leaves to feed Flobby.
"With his family, I wouldn't discredit that possibility. As for his physical health, 'Interesting' certainly is the right word to describe it"
"Oooo?"
After absorbing all the herbs through the top of his body, Flobby patted his belly then gave, what I assured, to be a thumbs up to a dumbfounded Ota.
"He's grown several inches, his bone and muscle density has doubled. All appear to be side effects of his Energy-deficient coma, something highly unusual. Possibly all related to his Relic"
"Yeah-yeah, we knew that part, what about the black hair stuff? It was all brown at first, now there's a few strands"
"Doctor Ru believes that to be related to his lineage. Blood testing revealed that one of his parents was mixed race. Of what race I am uncertain, however, similar cases of hybrid children tend to reveal their true nature during puberty"
"So he's not gonna die?"
"No, and I suspect he will soon grow taller than you"
"Damn, that's a bummer"
Of what? Growing tall or not dying?
"Enda, please ensure he receives a balanced diet, meat and vegetables in equal portions. Nutrition is vital at his stage of late growth"
"Figured as much. Plenty of Beast-Kin around his age grow more or less on what they can eat before maturing into a full adult"
"Is that why you're so tall?"
"Hmmm? No Touji, I just got unlucky. And I just so happen to be human, mostly"
Enda gave me a warm smile and ruffled my hair. I couldn't help but wonder why she felt that being tall was unlucky, given the immediate advantages.
I could guess her 'mostly' was referring to the Phoenix blood running through her veins.
"For now, I suggest Touji realine himself with his body as he aquaints himself with his new home"
***
Once Batoris left with Flubby, Ota took his gloves and tossed them into the fire just outside my room that Enda began to disassemble. My assumptions of the area I was in turned out mostly correct.
A rectangular room with a kitchen to my right. It had its own set of wooden furniture, several ice boxes, a fridge stocked with chilling Sprites, and an elemental stovetop oven.
The floor was solid stone that was roughly hidden by many different monster hides of various sizes and a large square rug in front of the fireplace. On it, two leather lounge chairs, a couch and coffee table in the middle which appeared to be a midsection cut-out of a colossal Giap tree.
Pink parks flashed from inside a large stone fireplace.
Ota sat on the carpet between the table and chimney, somehow unbothered by the heat, and held her knees close while watching the pink flame fade back into an orange blaze.
Sensing her nervousness, Arisu approached her from behind and began to brush the Oni's messy hair.
"Do you want me to come with you?"
"No… I need to go alone- and apologize"
"Well, if you need any help, I'll be a whistle away"
"In your spirit fox form!?"
"Fufu- can't use that anymore"
"Aww, why?"
"Because two tails tends to give away what I am now. Buuuut, just for you~"
"Arisu wait!"
Enda attempted to interrupt their conversation, however, she was too slow and in place of the Kitsune was a stack of clothes with movement beneath them.
"*Sigh* We still haven't made another set that shapeshifts"
The Witch wandered over to dig out her daughter who pounced on the Oni.
Pure white, eyes glowing, and a couple of tails, all part of a questionably small spirit fox that seemed more akin to a fluffy pup than an adult.
Ota's eyes lined up and I got to see her genuinely smile for the first time as she embraced Arisu. Contempt with letting the two have a moment of joy, Enda carried the loose clothes through a door next to the kitchen.
Well, it was less a door and more a line of beads that served as a barrier between rooms.
After enjoying the fluff for a few moments, Ota stood up holding onto Arisu in an odd way, looked at the fireplace and declared herself ready. Her grin gave way to a small fang on the right side of her mouth, somewhat making up for the broken horn.
"Touji, I know I made a bad impression when we first met… I…"
"D-don't worry about it"
"..."
Her face filled with disappointment. Clearly not what she wanted to hear, as to her, my words were nothing but dismissal. Regardless, I remained concerned about the Oni.
Before I had lost consciousness, I felt the bitter cold of metal slice open a millimeter of skin on my chest. At the time, it all appeared to slow.
That feeling of helplessness haunted my thoughts.
"Thanks- for taking care of me"
"Yeah… I'll catch ya later Touji"