"A wolf?" Ryoshi exclaimed, his voice laced with surprise.
In response, the wolf emitted a mighty roar, dispersing the snowstorm and revealing its true form: a human-like figure with fur and blue-hued features.
"It's a werewolf!!!" Toruri exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock.
"Snow magic: Snowball barrage!" Yumoi commanded, conjuring ten magical snowballs and launching them at the werewolf.
But the werewolf was quick to react, summoning an ice wall that deflected the incoming onslaught.
"Wait, it's a female werewolf???" Toruri remarked, his astonishment growing.
"Wait, is that you, Ms. Tonomasa?" Yumoi questioned, his voice tinged with recognition.
"Ms. Tonomasa? Hey, you're a friend of my mom," Toruri realized, his surprise evident.
"Indeed," the werewolf confirmed, her voice carrying a sense of familiarity.
"I can't believe it, it is Ms. Tonomasa," Kuroshi added, her astonishment mirroring Toruri's.
"Who's that?" Ryoshi inquired, his curiosity piqued.
"Ms. Tonomasa used to be the inheritor of Fuyu's team. After becoming a Purotekuta, she randomly left the Negative Point and has never been seen up until now," Kuroshi explained, shedding light on the werewolf's mysterious past.
"Stop calling me Ms. Tonomasa, call me by my real name, Onri," the werewolf interjected, her voice firm yet gentle.
"Onri, huh? Well, nice to meet you, Onri," Ryoshi greeted warmly.
"...Come with me," Onri invited, her tone beckoning the group to follow.
"Where?" Ryoshi questioned, his curiosity piqued.
"I'll take you to my cave," Onri replied simply.
"Cave?" Ryoshi echoed, his interest piqued.
"Yeah," Onri confirmed.
"Okay, then! Wait, where did Yumoi go?" Ryoshi noticed, his brows furrowing in confusion.
"H-He disappeared," Toruri confirmed, his voice tinged with uncertainty.
"What- how?" Ryoshi questioned, his confusion growing.
"I don't know! Let's just follow Onri," Toruri suggested, his tone indicating a sense of urgency.
"Okay," Ryoshi agreed, his resolve firm as he followed Onri along with the rest of the group, their path illuminated by the light of curiosity and the promise of answers.
Ryoshi peered around the spacious chamber, his gaze sweeping over the intricately carved walls and ornate furnishings.
"Is this it?" he questioned, his voice tinged with curiosity.
"Come in," Onri beckoned, her tone inviting the group to enter.
As they stepped into the cave, they were greeted by a sight that left them awestruck.
"Wow! This looks like an entire palace!" Toruri exclaimed, his eyes wide with wonder.
"The outside makes it seem really small," Ryoshi observed, his surprise evident.
"Ms. Tonomasa— I mean Onri, why did you leave the Negative Point?" Kuroshi inquired, her curiosity piqued.
"I never actually left the Negative Point. Once you reach a high enough rank, you can go off and do whatever you want. But if the Negative Point needs your aid, you have to be there," Onri explained, her tone matter-of-fact.
"Yeah, but why are we here?" Toruri questioned, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"Shhhhhh! I need to do something," Onri interrupted, her expression serious as she walked into another room and closed the door behind her.
"So, uh... What is she, a werewolf?" Ryoshi asked, turning to Kuroshi for answers.
"Technically, yes. She's a type of werewolf, but not like the one you're thinking of," Kuroshi responded, her tone thoughtful.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Ryoshi pressed, his curiosity piqued.
"Step aside, Kuroshi! You've done enough explaining. Now it's my turn to shed some light on the subject," Toruri interjected, eager to share his knowledge.
"Ok?" Kuroshi acquiesced, stepping back to allow Toruri to take the spotlight.
"Ryoshi, every race has at least three different variations. Like, for example, my people, the Hachto, have three separate variations: the Deranten, or as most people would say, the Atlanteans; the Soriteoi, or dragon people—I'm a Soriteoi; and finally, the Saraoko, A.K.A the lizard people. For you humans, you have elves, goblins, and normal humans. Werewolves aren't an exception to this rule. They have two other variations. The Karski, or as most people would like to say, the snow wolves, are one of them! Instead of only turning into wolves at night, they can willingly transform, BUT they can only learn ice and snow magic," Toruri explained, his words brimming with knowledge.
"Ok... That explains a little more. But why did she bring us to her cave?" Ryoshi inquired, still trying to piece together the puzzle.
"So I could help you guys," Onri's voice rang out from behind them, causing both Ryoshi and Toruri to jump in surprise.
"AAAAHHHH!" they exclaimed in unison, their hearts racing from the sudden appearance.
"Where did you come from?!" Ryoshi demanded, his voice tinged with disbelief.
"After I transformed back to normal, I put on some clothes and casually walked out of the room. If you guys want to complete this important mission, you have to be much more aware of your surroundings," Onri explained, her tone calm and composed.
"I actually saw you walk out of the room and walk up behind me," Kuroshi interjected, her voice tinged with amusement.
"Good," Onri acknowledged with a nod.
"I heard your footsteps and was ready to attack," Toruri added, his tone serious.
"Good," Onri repeated, her expression unreadable.
"Uhm, I— Wait! How did you know about our mission?" Ryoshi questioned, his curiosity piqued once again.
"A few minutes ago..."
F L A S H B A C K (A few minutes after Robin Hood summoned his dragon)
Perched atop her cave, Onri gazed up at the sky until her attention was drawn to the sight of Robin Hood's dragon soaring overhead.
"What's going on here? Why is Robin Hood using Shin Ryu?" she muttered to herself, her brow furrowing in confusion.
"I CAN ANSWER THAT!!!" a voice boomed behind her, causing Onri to startle in surprise.
"Fuyu... What are you doing here?" Onri questioned, turning to face the newcomer.
"I need you to do a favor. I just finished talking to the warden about the vampires," Fuyu explained, his expression serious.
"Vampires? Do you need my help?" Onri inquired, her curiosity piqued.
"No, as soon as I finished the conversation with the warden, I located Shin Ryu and ran to him as quickly as possible. Right as I got there, Shin Ryu was already getting ready to fly away. So, right as he took off, I caught up with him and asked him where he was going. He told me he was going to a bandit base, so I asked him why he was going there. He responded that someone named Toruri requested it, and he was in a snow desert—the very same snow desert that you're in," Fuyu elaborated, his voice urgent.
"And?" Onri prompted, sensing there was more to the story.
"And I'm assuming that Toruri and the others are here. So could you do me a favor and teach someone in his team something?" Fuyu requested, his tone imploring.
"What is this something?" Onri inquired, her curiosity growing.
"I felt it in him; he has a magical weapon waiting for him to unlock. I need you to unlock it for him," Fuyu explained, his urgency evident.
"No," Onri responded bluntly.
"C'mon! It's gonna be easy-peasy for you. You give people magical weapons all the time!... Don't you?" Fuyu persisted, his tone pleading.
"No," Onri repeated, her resolve unwavering.
"Aw, please! He needs it!" Fuyu pleaded, desperation creeping into his voice.
"On second thought, I will unlock your student's magical weapon if you wear these human eyes I took from a thief," Onri proposed, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Not this again. This was funny 1489 years ago, but it got old," Fuyu protested, his tone resigned.
"If you want me to do this for you, you have to do it," Onri insisted, her expression firm.
"Fine, but you will also have to train him even more after. You might also have to teach him the Mana Burst," Fuyu agreed reluctantly, his tone begrudging.
"Oh, the Mana Burst is a difficult thing to teach people. Are you sure that your student is ready for it?" Onri questioned, her brow furrowing in concern.
"He might not have the best fighting experience in the world, but he sure is really good at adapting and learning new abilities," Fuyu assured her, his confidence unwavering.
"Okay, do you have anything I could use to find the kid?" Onri inquired, her attention shifting to the practicalities of the task at hand.
"Yeah! I have one of his socks," Fuyu revealed, producing the item in question.
F L A S H B A C K O V E R
"WAIT, WHAT!? HE TOOK ONE OF MY SOCKS? H-HOW?" Ryoshi exclaimed, his disbelief evident.
"Fuyu himself is a mystery. When I first met him, he creeped me out because he had no eyes," Onri explained, her tone tinged with amusement.
"That's strange coming from a werewolf..." Toruri remarked, his confusion evident.
"Oh yeah, Toruri and Kuroshi, come here right quick," Onri called out, catching their attention.
As Toruri and Kuroshi approached, Onri handed them each a star sticker.
"Stickers...?" Kuroshi questioned, perplexed.
"Those stickers are scented and will help me find you guys. You can leave and continue your mission; I'll just keep Ryoshi here and train him for a while," Onri explained, her tone reassuring.
"Yay, more training—wait, how'd you know my name?" Ryoshi questioned, his curiosity piqued.
"I'll tell you later, but now it's time for your training," Onri replied, her tone decisive.
"Alright," Ryoshi acquiesced, his resolve firm.
"Good luck, Ryoshi!" Toruri wished him, offering a supportive smile.
"Thanks..." Ryoshi responded, his determination shining through as Toruri and Kuroshi departed from the cave, leaving him to embark on his training journey with Onri.
Ryoshi's mind swirled with a mix of curiosity and trepidation as he stood before Onri, preparing for what was to come next in his training.
"Onri, what now?" he inquired, his voice tinged with uncertainty.
"To actually start our training, I need to unlock your magical weapon first," Onri explained, her gaze steady.
"Magical weapon? I have one?" Ryoshi questioned, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.
"Yes, you do," Onri confirmed, a hint of excitement dancing in her eyes.
"That's cool... How am I going to unlock it though?" Ryoshi asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Through forbidden magic," Onri replied solemnly.
Ryoshi's mind raced, thoughts swirling with apprehension. Forbidden magic... Wasn't that how Yoshiko got that cursed weapon? Or was that something else entirely? He couldn't shake the feeling of unease, but he was determined not to let himself end up like Yoshiko.
"You okay?" Onri's voice interrupted his thoughts, pulling him back to the present.
"Yeah, I was just thinking about something," Ryoshi responded, trying to push aside his lingering doubts.
"Okay, get ready. This will hurt," Onri warned, her expression serious.
"Okay—" Ryoshi's words were cut off abruptly as Onri hurled a tiny blue ball of magic at him. At first, nothing seemed to happen, but then...
"Eh?" Ryoshi's confusion quickly turned to agony as his entire body began to glow blue, surrounded by white magic symbols.
"AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!" The pain ripped through Ryoshi's body, his screams echoing through the cave as he endured what felt like an eternity of torment.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the excruciating pain subsided, leaving Ryoshi gasping for breath.
"The pain... is gone... finally," he gasped, relief flooding through him.
"It's time for our first lesson. I'll teach you how to summon your weapon," Onri declared, her voice firm.
"I don't want to do anything right now..." Ryoshi protested weakly, still reeling from the ordeal.
"Too bad," Onri responded, her tone unwavering, as she prepared to guide Ryoshi through the next stage of his training journey.