"I see..." Fig mutters as she finishes writing down my description of the Manananggal. "Invulnerable when separated..." She gives me a questioning look. "Even though it was easily destroyed?"
"Well, this is the description of the Manananggal from my World. There will be inconsistencies between it and the one the Malice created. Most likely, the 'splitting' is accomplished with the Body Double Skill, which would also explain why there is several days between attacks even if there's two clouded nights in a row." I explain.
"The monster would need to recover its loss in mass between attacks..." Mina deduces. "It would also mean that it's likely one individual sending its Body Double to probe defences. Learning with each encounter..." She trails off, no doubt fascinated by the abilities of the enemy.
"So only way we'll defeat it for good is if we track down the 'real' body... Do you have any ideas as to how we would do that?" Fig turns to me, a hopeful look in her eyes.
"There's a link of Magic between the two bodies. By tracing that, one can easily find the original body." I suggest, only to be met with a hopeless glance between Fig and Mina.
"I'm afraid that's something only you, the Great Monarch, would be able to do. We simply have no way to perceive such things ourselves..." Fig sighs.
That's right... My ability to sense the ebb and flow of Magic isn't even rooted in a Skill. It's simply a side-effect of my body being incomplete. An incredibly handy side-effect, but not something I could recreate in a tool for others to use.
*"I suppose we should move up the date of us creating a Weapon to bypass our Power Osmosis... With that, it should be safer for us to face something made from Malice."*
A flicker in my field of view alerts me that Laplace's Demon is speaking to me again.
[A properly forged weapon makes a simple base with infinite potential.]
[A warped weapon is prone to shatter.]
Ah- I see... I put a hand to my chin in thought. Mina gives me a worried look.
"I know what you're thinking, Millibelle, but we can't ask for your help this time. If we lost you..." Her voice falters, the pulsing flicker of her hair quickening in response to her agitation.
"I know, but how many people will be killed in the search for the Manananggal? I would be of great help, even if only in the role of support." I insist. "It will keep attacking until the main body is killed, the more time spent delaying or searching for it is more time it can spend learning how to fight humanoids better."
Mina gives Fig a pleading look. In return, Fig looks down at her feet and says: "I agree with Millibelle. Besides, the more times it uses the Body Double Skill, the higher the chance of it ranking up is. The only reason it dies so easily at the moment is because the Double only has one fourth of the originals HP."
The Pyrean woman heaves a sigh. "Very well. But this isn't something for us to decide alone, even if we probably couldn't stop you from interfering anyway. We should inform the Guild Master of this plan. He's the one ultimately responsible for putting together a team to hunt this thing."
"It'll take a while before I'm free to do so, however..." Mina looks to Fig, a ponderous look to her. "I'll just have to write a letter to him. If you could deliver it to him?" She turns to me.
I swallow my desire to ask why Fig can't help, for I sense some untold story between her and the Guild. "Just write that letter, and I'll deliver it." I nod.
"Thank you, let me get right on writing that letter then." Mina smiles, showing off her shark-like teeth.
Getting an audience with the Guild Master was easy enough once I showed the letter addressed to him from Mina. Valena's grandfather is currently shifting between reading the letter and casting glances at me.
When he finishes reading the letter, he puts it down and sighs. I notice his hair has thinned even more since I last saw him, there's barely a feather left in it.
"I agree with Mina's initial assessment. It's much too dangerous for you to fight this thing alone." I'm about to protest, when he holds up a hand to silence me.
"However, if you can promise to only act as bloodhound, to find the target and then support the Hunters with your Bolstering Spells, then this might be the best shot we have at taking out this thing before it kills someone. Who knows the fate of its victims since Malice is involved..." He trails off, absentmindedly tucking some stray strands of hair behind an ear.
"Thank you, for letting me help with this. I know the danger the Malice poses to me, but I can't just sit idly by when a product of it is threatening the lives of men." I bow before him.
"It will take a day or so to gather the Hunters needed. You should take this time to rest up and prepare." He rises from his chair, signalling that our meeting is over.
I quietly exit the Guild Hall and make my way towards the Smithy that Valena and I visited all that time ago. Oh how simple things were back then...
I gently open the door to the smithy, 'the Razorback'. The same girl who manned the front last time looks up towards the door when I enter.
"Welcome! Are you here for a purchase?" The gaps where she used to be missing teeth have filled in nicely, that's good.
"I'm looking for a weapon. Preferably one that's big and sturdy." I explain. If the Living Weapon is unable to withstand me swinging it, what's the point then? Perhaps I could get a bow or crossbow to fight ranged?
"Hm, we've got these samples over here, and a small courtyard for testing compatibility in. Please have a look!" The girl hops down from the stool she's using to reach above the counter and scurries over to a rack of weapons of varying sizes, going from large to almost stupidly big.
*"Remember that we need a weapon that doesn't become too small to use in our true form. A longsword to a human would be more like a shortsword to us."*
I'll keep that in mind.
Looking over the available weapons, one really speaks to me. Its a giant Naginata with a wide blade. The backside of the blade has a jagged edge, looking almost like fangs.
In a daze, I pick up the weapon with one hand before taking a proper hold with both. Its heft and feel in my hands is just right as well. Is this what one could call a fated meeting?
"Ye seem quite taken by 'at one, miss." A gruff voice from behind spooks me. Luckily I don't drop the Naginata, or there might have been an imprint left on the floor of it. I clutch it tightly as I spin to face the owner of the voice.
"I'm 'onestly impressed ye can even lift tha thing. I mostly keep it on display as a joke; it's too heavy fer most to even get it out tha rack." An one-eyed Beastfolk man is nodding approvingly at me. One look at him should tell anyone that this is the owner of the store and the producer of its wares.
His back is covered in bone-white quills, about the same length and width as the Razorback Dagger I found. Indeed, this is called the Razorback Smithy, so it's no wonder the owner is a Razorback Beastfolk.
"It's perfect for me... It's the right weight, it feels good to hold and it's not too short either." I study the shaft of the Naginata, aided by my Weapon Crafting Mastery, I'm able to tell the amount of effort put into this weapon was greater than normal. "How much is it? Although, I might only be able to offer a barter instead of coin."
The smith puts a hand to his scarred cheek, tracing the outline of one in particular as he thinks. "Normally, it'd be... oh, ten or so Gold, due to tha materials in it. Tha weight comes from a core of Ardum, an' it's mighty expensive for how rarely it's worth puttin' on a weapon. But given how long it's been sittin' in me shop, none able to wield it, I'd be willin' to sell it fer half that."
*User currently possesses a total of 3 Gold, 10 Silver, 30 Copper.*
"I only have three Gold on me at the moment, but I also have a bounty of monster parts, particularly from monsters preferring a tropical climate." I offer, an apologetic smile on my face. Worst case scenario I'll have to go back to the Guild to sell the parts there before returning here.
His face lights up as he hears I have uncommon monster parts. "Please, come into tha back so we don't make a mess of tha front." He excitedly gestures for me to follow him. His assistant shakes her head in exasperation. Clearly getting coin would be better than bartering with monster parts directly in her opinion.
I ended up having to part with less monster parts than I feared. Seems the market value for one monster's worth of Liana Snake Scales is enough to cover the entire original cost of the Naginata.
Safely confined to the room I'm currently renting, I prepare for the next step in my plan. Although I could probably have crashed at Valena's place, I think she has enough on her plate already. Seems she and the other Champions are quite busy these days.
"Ready?" I call out to the Hitodama who has volunteered to fuse with the Naginata. Seems she was a Hunter of local renown before she fell to the horde of Tri-Ants that claimed her village.
Receiving a telepathic confirmation, I extend my hands towards the Naginata laying on the floor before me. A soft glow of Magic forms around my hands before snaking towards the weapon. Once the tendrils touch their target, they rapidly undulate- like spaghetti being sucked into a hungry mouth.
The Naginata is wreathed in a pale blue flame, almost entirely obfuscating it from sight. When the flames die down, an odd sight greets me.
Somehow, the largely inflexible rod of metal comprising the shaft of the weapon has turned soft and elastic, currently coiled like a rattlesnake- the long and wide blade more like an odd beak in this configuration.
"It worked! This isn't so bad, actually..." The newly born Tsukumogami writhes and shifts her body to get a better look at herself, a newly formed amber-hued crystal set where the shaft ends and the blade begins seem to act as eyes to her.
"Now, let's see..." Mumbling to herself, she lays down on the floor again, and a white light quickly flashes across her body. Just like that, other than the crystal, one wouldn't be able to tell that this is actually a monster.
"Hum~ this is quite the body you've granted me, Master! I look forward to serving you with all my might!" Her voice contains just a tinge of bloodlust at the thought of the battles to come.