Section 10: Mount of Doom

All right, I think we're finally ready to begin our attack on the third area.

Keh heh heh! And now, the Con are fully equipped with both weapons and armor.

Whatever water monsters we face there should pose no threat to us at all.

Hohoho, I like your spirit, little girl. Ahh, to be young again.

I am a beautiful and vivacious young woman, yes, but if you ever treat me like a child, I will teach you more about pain than you ever wanted to know.

This isn't the time to let our guard down. There's no telling what we might come up against next.

The goddess is right. We've made excellent progress, but we still need to be careful.

So what are the enemies in this next area like?

Luckily, they're easy to describe.

Basically...water horses.

Well...oh. Oh, my. And I thought that was a figure of speech or something.

A water monster that looks like a horse, huh.

There were several potential matches in the database, but the most likely match...

...was the kelpie.

The kelpie is a water spirit known primarily from Scottish folklore.

While it usually resembles a horse, it can apparently also transform into a bird.

From what I read, it's a terrifying being that drowns and devours any human who gets too close to it.

Hmm. Anything else we should know about it?

Like if, say, it runs really fast or something, then we'll need to make sure it doesn't escaHuh? Hey!

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Waha. I wanna...ride it...

What!? That Con got eaten just by getting on that thing's back!

Oh no! All of you, stop! Please!

What do you think you're doing!? You should have eyes only for your star!

Huh? I... I...

So...cool... Must...ride...

Pretty horsey...

What's going on!?

It's as if the Con are being sucked towards them...like they've been charmed or something!

That's how those wicked kelpies operate.

They lure people into getting on their backs to ride them, then drag them into water and drown them.

Not only that, it's also said that once you've touched or gotten on a kelpie, you can never get away from them again.

？！

Maybe it's a pheromone thing?

Whatever it is, at least it's not working on us or Fujimaru.

Maybe the Con just aren't as able to resist, or are being actively targeted.

I don't know, but right now

What are you waiting for, Torturers!? Get to work!

Grab hold of any Con heading for those horses, and don't let them go, no matter what!

Go, my Leviathans! Form a wall and hold them back!

？！

You're right. If the Con can't fight, there's no way for us to liberate this area.

Let's fall back and regroup for now!

We're so ashamed.

We heard you say, "Stop!"...

...but the horses were so cool...

We just HAD to ride them! That's all!

I had this same thought when we were building the defensive network, but the Con really do love rides, don't they?

Maybe that's why the kelpie got to them so easily?

...They like stilts, too.

Hoho. Indeed, they used to ride on my shell all the time.

But I guess they stopped once they had so many other rides to choose from...

What a shame. I kind of miss those days...

I-I'm guessing your shell is a lot like their family home, Elder.

And if it is, then it must be a special place they know they can always come back to.

I'm sure of it!

At any rate, all we know right now is, there's something about the kelpie that makes the Con want to ride them...

...and the instant they do, they're eaten.

In fact, their entire bodies were absorbed at once, so the armor didn't make a difference.

Is there anything we can do to prevent that?

We could tie them up to make sure they do not move, but of course, they still need to be able to fight.

There is no point bringing the Con along if they cannot deal the final blow.

？！

Why don't we just ask them what they think?

Maybe they can give us a hint as to what could help them resist the kelpie's temptation.

For example, if it's a smell luring them in, then maybe they could just cover their noses.

？！

It was just an example.

Get on Sister's level. Not that you'll ever get as close to it as I am.

Hmm. Maybe...

Maybe we wouldn't want to ride the horses anymore if there was something cooler to ride instead!

Yeah! Cooler rides! The coolest rides!

We're pros, after all.

A cooler ride, huh.

We don't care how fast it is.

Looks are all that matter!

Hmm. Let me make sure I've got this straight.

You're saying you want something you can just sit on and relax? Like one of those coin-operated kiddie panda rides?

And you're also saying that if this thing looks cool enough...

...then you won't be tempted to ride the kelpie?

Exactly!

？！

Oh, for... I knew it would come down to something like this.

We cannot go with an actual dàxióngmāo (translation: panda). Not when this thing they sit on needs to look cool.

The fact that it has the character for "cat" in its (Chinese) name alone means it's out of the question. You will need to come up with something better.

Something cool for them to ride? That's a surprisingly tough one...

The answer is clear and unchanging, like a brilliant shadow that falls across your closed eyes...

Hehehe. Why should that be at all difficult?

If the speed of this "ride" is unimportant, then all you need worry about is its form.

And if a cool ride is what you require, we already have one right here.

The deep crimson silhouette that captures your gaze and sets your heart ablaze with desire...

The vehicle none can help but covet, that all dream of driving.

But that dream must always die when the dreamer learns of the crippling expense of the fuel its high-performance engine demands.

A phantom thief may simply steal what she wants, but I'm not sure that's an option for you.

Does that not make this the perfect opportunity to enjoy a car of superlative beauty?

A supercar, huh? That's awesome.

Supercar!?

But we can't have them pushing it around themselves, right? We would make a real, but small-scale, supercar.

You can't have a supercar that isn't super...fast, can you?

I can't help but worry they would end up going faster than they should, or even mean to.

So, with that in mind...

...what could be safer than a bull?

I have to agree. And there's one bull in particular whose easygoing nature is downright divine.

Master, you know about the holy bull Nandī, right?

I don't think we could get the real one for this, but we could certainly make an imitation mechanical bull. And I don't mean those dangerous carnival rides!

Mechanical bull!?

？！

？！

Mysterious flying rides!?

It sounds like the Con are interested in all of these.

Okay Master, let's get them the coolest looking ride we possibly can!

Something so amazing they won't even be tempted to look the kelpie's way!