Collecting Apples Part 2

[Kazuma Mizushima]

The next day, the pair make their way to the Apple Orchard, Kazuma still physically exhausted. Some of his magic reserves had come back but he was a far cry away from full strength. Given the job, they figured it’d be a piece of cake. Yawning, Kazuma and Charlotte make their way to the Farmer’s house, seeing the man sitting on his porch with a disturbed look on his face. Upon seeing them, his demeanor changes slightly though he is still greatly disturbed.

“You boys from the Blue Pegasus Guild?”

They nod in approval as the man quickly ushers them inside, locking the door with various locks. Once it is secure enough for his liking, he turns around and greets the two warmly.

“Hello, my name is John. Sorry about all this. Given how you two seem, I’ll assume you haven’t been briefed on what’s going on. The trees have been coming alive, attacking any they see fit. Seems like the house is a bit of a safe zone.”

He glances towards the two and realize that their demeanor hasn’t changed at all. They still have the nonchalant look in their eyes. Once he finishes up his debriefing, he looks expectantly, waiting for some sort of reaction.

“This thing happens often. Give us five minutes.” Charlotte says.

The man was flabbergasted by the Exceed’s words, thinking it would be near impossible to defeat those things, even more so in five minutes. However, the looks on their faces could tell a story, he felt compelled to trust them. The two get up to exit the house, Kazuma looking at the trees walking in the distance. Charlotte begins to walk towards the trees, ready to fight but he is stopped short. Kazuma wanting to handle it himself. He takes a deep breath before activating the Earth Dragon’s scales once more. The fruits of his training had paid off, the scales had become harder and more durable. It was time to show what he could do. As soon as he came in range, the trees went on the offensive. Various strikes from their limbs showered around him, the Earth Dragon Slayer easily dodging the brunt of them. The rest bounced off his scaly body, leaving the trees open for a counter attack. Focusing his power in his hand, he rears back, punching one of the trees at its base as hard as he could. It flung backwards with amazing speed, crashing into the other trees behind it. Running after the trees, Kazuma summons his hammer, shaping it into a katana. He prepares himself, waiting for the last possible moment before taking a single swipe at the lot of them. The trees were split in half, apples falling all around them. The job was completed, though the apples lay littered. After deactivating the scales and his hammer, he uses basic Earth Magic, collecting the various apples in the makeshift barrels he created. With job fully completed, he walks back to the astonished farmer and an awaiting Charlotte with a bag of jewels in tow. The man was impressed with the work done, graciously thanking Kazuma for his efforts. Seeing no other point in being there, the two turn to leave. Upon getting a good distance away, Kazuma stops and stares intently at Charlotte before replying.

“Did you see the shirt that ugly swing was wearing? Good God, that was hideous.”

566/500 Completed.
The Apple Orchard Mission Completed