Originium Slugs and Hops

By the way, Vanilla, there's something I've been meaning to ask you.

What do you usually feed Kuro?

Kuro's not a picky eater. He's usually happy to eat whatever veggies or meat I give him.

If you keep feeding them, do they grow up?

Of course. When I first got Kuro, he was only as big as my palm, and now he's—Hm, why don't you come take a look yourself, Chard? He's really cute!

I heard that when Provence and Skyfire were out on a mission in Siesta, they came across a huge Originium slug—as big as a small mountain.

Apparently it ate some kind of rock called... obsidian to grow that big.

It's true that Originium slugs' body sizes can vary greatly depending on the environment they live in, but a small mountain?

If you fed Kuro some obsidian, maybe he'll grow that big too? It'd be really cool to take to the battlefield riding on him, don't you think?

Chard—Don't ever do that.

(Uhh... Vanilla's glaring at me!)

Oh, looks like we're here.

Let's see. The map's direction checks out. The village's name... Rockville. Yeah, this is the place.

What's going on? This looks like a normal village to me. Forget about mutant Originium slugs. I haven't seen so much as a single slug on our way here.

Though I guess most Columbian monster movies start out like this?

(Movie... Is that the kind of pictures that move in the screens?)

That's true... but Originium slugs are very common creatures, and we haven't even seen one on the way here. Doesn't that seem kind of strange?

What should we do now? Take a stroll around? Or wait for our contact to come get us?

Hold on... Is it just me or I smell something really nice?

This seems familiar... This fragrance...

Hops!

Now I remember! The mission handbook says this village's main product is beer.

We're allowed to bring back some souvenirs, right? Dr. Kal'tsit won't mind, will she?

Um, Chard, please focus on the mission at hand.

Before our departure, Instructor Dobermann reiterated several times that this is a very important mission.

Take a look at these reports.

My goodness... Originium slugs attacks are leaving villagers heavily wounded and their farms destroyed?

Some of the wounded have been transferred to Rhodes Island from a nearby hospital. They are all from the same village, and all of them were injured in an Originium slug attack.

Aside from patching the wounded up, the villagers also wanted us to take care of the Originium slug problem for them.

The hospital was worried that they'd be infected and sent them here. Thankfully, they're only hurt. None of them are infected.

But... unless they are under the control of Casters, wild Originium slugs don't normally attack humans, much less charge into human settlements.

There must be a reason for something like this to happen.

According to the villagers, it was an extraordinarily huge mutant Originium slug that attacked their village.

A mutant?!

We don't know anything more concrete than that, but we mustn't sit by idly when the villagers there are seeking our help, with no one else to turn to.

That's why I would like you to investigate this for us. Of course, you'll have other operators assisting you, but I'm leaving you in charge of all the decision-making during this mission.

But, Instructor Dobermann, are you sure you want me to take on a mission that has to do with Originium slugs?

Listen, Vanilla. This isn't a test. This is a serious problem that needs your knowledge and skills to solve. This is not the time to push your luck.

I trust that you will take care of this, Operator Vanilla.

Y-Yes!

(I never thought I'd get to take on a whole mission myself like Liskarm and Franka.)

(If Instructor Dobermann's willing to put her trust in me, then I can't let her down!)

(If I don't finish this mission, I'll definitely get my pay docked. Kuro and I will starve!)

That's why you need to treat this mission seriously, Chard. Don't get distracted until the mission is done!

R-Right...

(Why is she so serious all of a sudden?!)

Excuse me, but are you two the Rhodes Island employees?

Hello! You must be...

I am the chief of the village. I am the one who reached out to Rhodes Island.

*Sigh*... Finally...

Huh? Are we too late? But it doesn't look like anything happened around here—

Come with me...

My goodness!

You mean... this whole plantation was destroyed by Originium slugs?

It was about a month ago. One night, the villagers heard someone call for help from the plantation.

Everyone hurried over, only to find the nighttime guard lying on the ground, badly injured and on his last legs. The plantation was just as you see it now.

It took three whole days for him to come to.

From what he told us, that night, he heard noises out in the fields. He thought it was thieves and went closer to check it out, only to find about a dozen Originium slugs.

Hold on. Did he really make out how many slugs there were in such a dense forest at night?

According to him, the smallest of them was as tall as a person, while the largest was about the size of a small house.

Phew... Now that's really straight out of a monster movie.

Is it possible that his eyes were playing tricks on him, and they were some other kind of wild beast?

It's true that these bites are far bigger than what you'd expect from an Originium slug.

Vanilla... Have you seen slugs this big?

(Shakes head)

Right, no one believed him at first. A few of our young'uns then formed a search team and went to the hills behind the village to investigate.

We looked all over, and we finally got a clear view of it. It was really a giant Originium slug... The search team got ambushed too, and quite a few of them got seriously hurt.

We stopped going outside the village after that, but the slugs kept coming nonetheless. The villagers often find themselves attacked, too.

We tried asking the cities for help, but none of the nobles cared about a little village like ours. It wasn't until we took our wounded to Rhodes Island that we found out about this company.

*Sigh*... Thanks for your help.

Don't worry, sir, we'll do all we can to solve this problem.

If I may ask, did the village have any run-ins with Originium slugs before this?

Well, they'd pay us a visit once in a while, but usually it's just a couple of them chewing on the hops in the fields, and they'd run the moment they spotted us.

We never saw any slugs that big, much less ones that would attack humans.

So there's always been Originium slugs in this area, then...

The woods outside the village are pretty uneven terrain. Not even I know exactly what's going on in there.

Aside from that, have you noticed anything out of the ordinary in the village lately?

What do you mean?

Like, have there been any strange visitors? Or a sudden change in climate? Please try to remember. All of this is very important.

If I have to say, the only brewery in the village went out of business three months ago. Some of the men were attacked by the slugs when they were delivering hops to other towns.

Any ideas?

(Shakes head)

Excuse me, sir, but could you take us to the other places where there have been sightings of Originium slugs?

Alright. Come with me.

Huh? What are those folks doing over there?

Why are there so many dead slugs on the ground?

......!

Stop what you're doing!

Dad—

Chief, perfect timing. We found the culprit behind all this.

No wonder we couldn't catch them. All of the Originium slugs have been hiding here with this family.

Horrible. How could someone keep these monsters inside their home?

Did all of you kill these Originium slugs?

Chief, we all saw it. You have to make sure this guy's dealt with properly.

*cough* *cough*...

You killed all my Originium slugs. What more do you want?

What more do we want?!

Do you know how many people were hurt because your slugs bit them? They might even get infected! Let's not even mention our crops! You can't stay here anymore! We won't allow it! Your whole family's got to go!

People like you should die in the wilderness!

Yeah! To hell with all of you! Leave Rockville right now!

That wasn't my slugs...

No? Then why don't you explain why you were keeping these monsters?!

Why should I tell you?! It's not my slugs' fault that your brewery went under!

Skurwysyny—

Stop!

Explain this. What's with the slugs?

They're for brewing...

Huh?

It's something that I discovered by accident. When Originium slugs eat hops, they secrete a special liquid, and it makes beer taste much better.

I told the others about it before. I wanted to promote this kind of brewing, but everyone said I was nuts...

Well, that's something. I didn't know you could do that. Now I gotta try it.

I think I heard the traveling caravans mention something like that when I was back home.

Hey, who the hell are you two? Stay out of this!

They are Oripathy experts I invited to help us solve this problem. Mind your manners.

Hey, dude, chill out a little. Think about it. These Originium slugs are tiny. How are they supposed to bite anyone? It'd take years for them to chew up a huge plantation like that.

Besides, didn't your search team find mutant Originium slugs outside the village? There's no reason to slaughter your neighbor's pets.

*Spit*—Say whatever you want, but I never saw any of those giant slugs they kept talking about, and all the people on the search team are in the hospital right now.

Who knows if these Oripathy-infested bugs knew some weird kind of Arts? If he's keeping these filthy things in his house, he's got to be up to no good!

Originium slugs can't get Oripathy!

—?

We only call them Originium slugs because their outer shells contain Originium. They don't have any crystals inside their bodies.

They've been studied by many, many biologists out there, and even though no one knows why, no one has ever found an Originium slug that's been infected with Oripathy naturally.

And it's nearly impossible to come down with Oripathy from an Originium slug bite.

Please don't frame an innocent man with baseless accusations like that.

Why should I believe—

Sir, please give us a little time. We'll get to the bottom of this. But before we do, could you please not make things so hard on this man?

O-Of course...

Please let us go outside the village to investigate. My guess is that the Originium slugs who wrecked the fields didn't stay in the village.

Yes, of course, but I'm afraid you might find the woods and hills outside a little difficult to traverse with just the two of you.

Alright, I'll go with them. Let me see for myself those mutant slugs they're talking about.

Alright, that sounds good. Time is tight, so let's get going.

Ugh. The forest is too dense. I can't see anything.

Hmph, and here I was wondering how amazing you two would be with how cocksure you were.

Better drop the tough act and go home.

Look! Behind you!

Eek!

There's nothing there...?

Hah, look at you. You say all that, but you're actually scared shitless, hoping we don't run into any of the slugs.

You—

Quiet down, please. Now is not the time for a fight.

Humans may be afraid of Originium slugs, but they're really scared of humans too. They don't usually go anywhere near human settlements.

Even if they run into humans by chance, they usually run away on their own. So they shouldn't be that close to the village. We just left the village, so it's not a surprise that we haven't found any yet.

So what do you think of this whole thing?

Normally, when a swarm of wild slugs suddenly becomes aggressive, the most likely reason is that their habitat has gone through a sudden, drastic change.

When that happens, you just have to guide them properly. That's usually all that it takes to calm the aggressive slugs down.

But to figure out what exactly happened here, we have to first find where the Originium slugs lived in the forest.

This is a huge forest, though. How are we supposed to look?

Hm... Let's see.

If the slugs are regularly attacking the village, that has to mean their area of activity has gotten very large. If we look carefully, we should be able to find...

Look, there it is! Chard, look!

What's this...? Wild hops?

Yeah! Look, and it's pretty spread out. I don't think it grew here naturally.

According to the village chief, the Originium slugs here probably love eating hops, and when they don't digest the seeds, they get spread all over.

So you're saying that wherever we find hops, they've been there?

I can't say for certain, but it's very likely!

Amazing, Vanilla!

H-Hey... no big deal.

......

We've been following the girl for ages. Where's the mutant slugs you've been talking about?

Look over there.

Hah, save it. You're not fooling me twice—

(Pulls bowstring)

Even if you—Eek!!!

Hold on, Chard!

It's not hostile.

(Stares)

It's noticed us...

Look, it's leaving.

Phew... Scared me to death. I wasn't sure I could take that slug down with how big it is.

Hey... Why did you let it go?

It didn't attack us. There's no reason to provoke it.

You've got to be kidding me!

If you don't kill it now, it might come back to ruin our crops and attack our people!

That's not the mutant Originium slugs we're looking for...

It noticed us just now, but it didn't attack us. That means its habits are no different from regular Originium slugs. It won't come close to humans.

It could just be—

I promise you. We'll do our best to solve the problem the village is saving, but can't we spare the innocent?

Hmph... You'd better keep your word.

Thanks, Chard.

No problem. I trust your judgment.

So doesn't that mean we've found the slugs? That just goes to show what an expert in Originium slugs you are.

You're exaggerating. I just know a thing or two about them, is all.

I used to run into critters like these a lot back in Vouivre. I've always thought of them as nothing different from other animals. They're all cute little things.

Instructor Dobermann always tells me that I hesitate too much when facing Originium slugs in battle, and I know that's not a good thing...

But when we're not in a fight, I want to save as many of them as possible, if that's okay. I mean, they're innocent lives...

Hey, cheer up a little. I think you're right.

I never had a pet Originium slugs, but I had other pets when I was a kid. I know how it feels.

And actually, if we get the chance, I kind of want to meet your little Kuro sometime, hahaha.

R-Really...? We'd love that!

Hey, is there a cave over there...?

This place... If I remember correctly...

Dear God...

......

This... This...

Help... help me—

Shut up! Don't move. If you startle them, it's all over!

Vanilla... What do we do?

......

Vanilla...?

Let's get out of here for the time being...

I know different countries have different standards when it comes to Originium waste disposal, but this... This looks illegal just about everywhere.

Excuse me, sir? You said you worked at the brewery before, right?

Right...

Did you know all the Originium waste was dumped in the mountains after the factory shut down?

It wasn't me... I didn't do this...

No... It was the boss who made us do this. I didn't know this was going to happen—

Hey, what are you two spacing out there for? Hurry up and kill the slugs!

How come...?

What?

How come you're making that sound like the natural thing to do?!

They lived here, and it was you who ruined their home. In the end, you even want to kill them because of your mistakes?

Vanilla, calm down...

Come on... They're just slugs—

Just Originium slugs...?

You're the ones who turned them into mutants, and now you're saying you want to kill them without batting an eye.

When you don't understand the truth, your instinct is to lay the blame on those around you, condemning them to death.

Is it so easy for you to judge whether a life has value?!

Vanilla, snap out of it!

Sorry...

We'll talk sense into this guy later. What do we do now?

There's... nothing we can do.

I'm sorry. We came too late. We weren't able to... save your Originium slugs...

Don't say that. You cleared my name, and for that I'm thankful.

The man earlier wanted us to tell you that he's sorry for what he's done. He said he won't give you any more trouble.

*Sigh*, and here I really wanted a sip of your secret brew.

Hahaha, looks like that's not going to happen.

I'm just glad we got the misunderstanding cleared up... but even though this is behind us, everyone here is probably traumatized by Originium slugs, and I don't want to give anyone any more trouble.

But I'm sure someone out there has discovered this same brewing technique. Maybe you'll come across a special slug beer someday. Make sure you try some when you do.

Hah, I gotta keep that in mind.

Ma'am, are there really mutant slugs outside?

Don't you worry. They've gone somewhere else. The Originium slugs won't attack the village anymore.

Really? I was so scared when everyone said there were monsters outside...

You don't need to be so scared... Actually, they're really scared too.

They aren't monsters. They're just like us. They are just living things trying their hardest to survive in this world.

Mm... Oh yeah, you should take this.

Is that...?!

When those men charged inside, I hid one of the slugs on me... but I only had the time to save one of them.

I guess I can't keep it. Could you take care of it?

I'll look after him, yes!

Thank you...

The explosives are ready to go. All that's left is setting them off, and there's more than enough in there to blow the entire cave.

But... Vanilla, are you sure there's no other way?

It's obvious that these are the slugs that attacked the village...

They've lived in an Originium-dense environment like this for so long that their bodies have mutated. Not only have they grown dramatically, they've gotten very aggressive.

We don't know the exact cause, but we don't have the time to get to the bottom of it.

If we just leave them be, they will destroy all the villages nearby sooner or later... We have to do this.

Hey, you okay?

Chard, give me the trigger.

You don't have to—Alright...

Sorry...

Yep... Incubator, food, water... Everything's the same as Kuro.

This is your new home. Welcome home!

Whoa, another one? Not bad, Vanilla. You find yourself a new pet every time you go out on a field mission... Did Dr. Kal'tsit really give you permission to keep so many pets?

Of course. Just like Kuro and Tiny, he's registered.

This place is starting to feel like an Originium slug museum... What's the new guy called?

He looks a tad bit rounder than Kuro. Okay, you'll be Puffball! Kuro, Tiny, be sure to get along with Puffball. Don't pick on him!

Vanilla? Why are you crying...?

Huh? Am I?

I... I'm fine... *Sobs*... Franka... I... I didn't run away this time... I did it...

*Sobs*... Waaaaaaaaaahhhh!!!