Nymphs and Greco-Roman Mythology # 3
"It is said that long ago, the forests, mountains, and fields were ruled by creatures known as 'masters'…! The Nemean Lion and Ladon, master of the volcano, were said to be beings of that very kind…!"
In the distant past of ancient Greece, it was said that colossal spirits and beasts roamed the mountains and forests of the land where the gods themselves once walked. In every treacherous gorge, a lion with hide like steel roared mightily, and in the deepest caverns dwelt serpents as long and fearsome as dragons.
"Which means this creature must surely be one of them…! It appears powerful enough to claim dominion over an entire territory, does it not…!"
That was Oinoi's verdict on the photograph Erato of the Muse Guild had shown us.
A powerful ancient-species monster, wandering about in the real world. "A rift break?" When a magical beast manifests in reality, the odds were high that a rift somewhere had been overloaded and burst. A rift left neglected for far too long was clearly beginning to spit out what it held inside.
"Have you been searching for the overloaded rift, by any chance?"
When a rift overloaded, the first order of business was to close it, so that nothing inside could keep slipping out into the world.
"That is, we've been looking as hard as we can, but we just can't find it…."
Apparently they were having considerable difficulty locating the overloaded rift, and I honestly didn't understand why. Rift-detection instruments measured the mana wavelengths a rift emitted. An overloaded rift radiated an even stronger wavelength than usual, which was supposed to make it easier to detect. And yet they couldn't find it?
"Probably the typhoon's fault. You do know a typhoon is heading our way, right? This bizarre storm has been throwing off our detection equipment. Come to think of it, the rift going berserk might be the typhoon's doing too."
I looked up at the sky. Far beyond that distant horizon, I could make out thunderclouds flashing and crackling with lightning. Typhoon No. 35, "Typhon" — spawned over Greece by freak abnormal temperatures. Erato theorized that the storm was causing problems in many places, and that might well have been true. Not that I was some doctor of rift studies; it wasn't my place to say one way or the other.
"Beasts straight out of ancient myth, actually appearing in reality and roaming around. I thought there couldn't possibly be any more surprises left in this line of work, yet here we are. It's remarkable." Erato shook her head, and my eyes drifted to the nymphs, who were busily slurping down their gelato.
The nymphs were, after all, an ancient race who belonged in mythology themselves. When nymphs strolled about the world in plain sight — tapping away at smartphones, even driving supercars on occasion — there was hardly a law against fearsome ancient-species beasts showing up in the twenty-first century too.
"I've heard nymphs are close with animals and excel at tracking them. Mr. Ildo — could you and the nymphs track down the ancient-species creatures and capture them for us, or at least contain them?"
Erato of the Muse Guild was on the verge of tears. Watching her, I felt like one of those heroes of old, hearing women plead, "Please slay the monster…! And we shall sing your praises and grant you fitting rewards…!"
Oinoi, too, was delighted by the situation.
"Receiving a request from women and accomplishing a great deed is the very foundation of heroism, as it is said…! I believe the master of the house ought to grant this request…!"
"I, Coris, think this is a fine idea as well…! For chasing animals about is far more fun and delightful than one might expect, it is…!"
"Of course…! Rare beasts…! Ancient species…! They will surely fetch a very expensive price, it is…! Catch them and sell them at auction, it is…!"
So the nymphs were even more thrilled about this commission than I was. All I'd come to Greece for was to meet Achilles, hear about how to use his Whispering Coin, and learn about a man called "the Pinnacle." Instead, I'd somehow wound up accepting a request from the Muse Guild.
"Eh, why not. Let's give it a shot."
# # #
"Mr. Ildo, it's a pleasure to see you again under these circumstances."
At the fountain in the square, Achilles Legion, who had been waiting at our meeting spot, extended his hand. When I took it, his grip was impressively firm.
"I heard from Erato. You've joined the ancient-species capture operation? Just hearing the news puts my mind at ease. You are the master of animals, after all, Mr. Ildo."
Master of animals. I knew it was inflated flattery meant to butter me up, but it felt pretty good all the same. Achilles continued without missing a beat.
"I hadn't called you here because of the ancient species, but… well, things have grown urgent. So let's handle this matter first, shall we? First—"
Flutter—
Achilles spread a map open before me. It appeared to cover all of Greece.
"The ancient species was sighted here — a small mountain village called Zagori. The residents reported seeing a beast the size of a wolf, with a long tail, gnawing away at the trees."
A wolf-sized beast with a long tail. The people of Zagori, whose forest roots had been gnawed to stubs by this terrifying creature, had taken to calling it the Root-Gnawer. Because so many of the mountain villages of Zagori lived off foraging and gathering, they were the ones suffering the worst of the damage.
"The problem is that it ranges freely across the forests, mountains, and valleys, which makes simply finding it a challenge. No one's been hurt yet, but heaven only knows what might happen if we leave it be."
Capturing a beast that was nearly impossible to even locate — a perfect setup for Ha Ildo and the nymphs to step in.
Vroom—
We piled into a car and headed straight for the mountain villages. Zagori. Forty-six small mountain villages scattered ruggedly among ravines, peaks, and valleys — the sight of it made me feel as though I'd stepped straight into a myth.
"For some reason, this scenery stirs something in me, it does…! This is the land where Zagoriol, the ravine-water nymph who was my friend, once lived, it is…!"
Coris was absolutely thrilled as the car wound its way up the curving mountain roads. This landscape seemed to be quite familiar territory to her. And truly, the sight of those rugged ravines, the dense forests, and the brook and stream water flowing between them was idyllic enough that no one would have blinked to hear that nymphs and fairies and spirits had once frolicked here in ages long past.
━Grrrrowl…!
Keong-keong-i, on the other hand, bristled like he was absolutely furious. When Keong-keong-i suddenly puffed up his fur like this, it was almost always one of two things. One: he was simply bored. Two: some powerful somebody had dared to intrude on the territory of the Prime Dog-Squirrel himself. In other words, Keong-keong-i had clearly sensed something here in Zagori so intense that he believed his position as Prime Dog-Squirrel was under threat!
"Mr. Achilles! Please let me out here!"
"Here?"
Achilles glanced around. Did he think the rugged ravines and sheer cliffs looked too treacherous?
Screech—
The car finally braked to a stop, and the moment the door was opened for him, Keong-keong-i shot out like a bullet.
"The territory master who rules the nature around these Zagori villages is certainly hiding somewhere nearby, it is said…! I, Oinoi, can feel it, I can…!"
Brrr—
Oinoi shivered. Soon Coris and Illinoi too were pricking up their short, pointed triangular ears this way and that, as if trying to detect or sense something.
And that was the exact moment it happened.
━Woof-woof…! Grrrrowl…!
Bam bam—!
From far in the distance came the sound of Keong-keong-i slapping the ground with his tail over and over. Soon a crowd of small squirrels, birds, and every manner of beast began flocking toward him, and watching them gather, Oinoi spoke up.
"That is the ritual of challenge, it is…! The dog-squirrel Keong-keong-i has become the challenger and is calling his opponent out, he is…! It has been a long while since I, Oinoi, last witnessed this, it has…!"
The ritual of challenge? Just as I was wondering what on earth that meant—
━───!!!!
Something let out a roar like thunder. Hurrying along the road toward the sound, we found — hanging upside down from a sheer cliff face — an enormous russet-furred beast, bellowing a thunderous cry down toward the ground below.
━Grrrrowl…!
It was literally a voice like rolling thunder. A bear-sized brown body with black stripes, a long and luxuriant tail, and claws like stout hooks that could hang off an inverted cliff without a hint of wobble. What in the world was that thing?
Just as my head was beginning to swim, Oinoi answered.
"That is certainly a primordial, ancient dog-squirrel, it is…! I have heard that in the very olden days, all dog-squirrels were as huge and fearsome as that, it was said…!"
A Primordial Ancient Dog-Squirrel. True to its name, it looked every bit as powerful and sturdy as legend promised. According to Oinoi, it was so enormous that some also called it the "Gigantosquirrel."
"Weren't you saying it was hard to find?"
As I tilted my head, Illinoi let out a muhuhu— chuckle.
"Naturally, an alpha individual who has received the challenge ceremony must answer it, it is law…! The dog-squirrel Keong-keong-i challenged that big chimerk and flushed out its presence, it did…!"
Paf—!
The Primordial Ancient Dog-Squirrel, the Root-Gnawer, launched itself toward the road. Its bulk was that of a compact car, and perhaps because of the speed and destructive force born of all that mass, the asphalt caved in at once as though struck by a giant excavator.
Kuu-woong—!
The Primordial Ancient Dog-Squirrel planted all four legs against the earth. And there before it stood Keong-keong-i. As the two beasts locked eyes, deer, rabbits, squirrels, and other animals came flocking in from who-knows-where to watch the spectacle.
━Woof-woof…!
━Woof-woof…!
At last, the two dog-squirrels lunged at each other. I wondered whether Keong-keong-i — no bigger than my palm — could even stand up to that terrifying territory master, and… he truly, absolutely could not!
Wham—!
A body slam backed by the Gigantosquirrel's overwhelming mass sent Keong-keong-i flying straight at me. Like an outfielder snatching a fly ball out of the air, I caught him neatly in both arms.
"Keong-keong! You okay, buddy!"
━Grrrrowl…!
He didn't seem badly hurt, but whether from taking that hit or sheer wounded pride, he was furious.
"Truly, it is impossible for two alphas to exist in one world, it is law…! The Prime Chimerk Keong-keong-i no doubt yearns to defeat that old chimerk in battle and become the one true alpha, he does…!"
Illinoi had a point. Keong-keong-i was a combative dog-squirrel. The existence of another powerful dog-squirrel besides himself was simply not something he could tolerate.
"All right, Keong-keong. Hyper Evolution!"
━Woof-woof…!
I projected my mana at Keong-keong-i in a single focused point. At once his body flared blindingly bright, his fur began to shift to a gleaming gold, his tail grew longer still, and crack-crack—! fierce currents of electricity sparked and snapped from his body.
The Hyper Dog-Squirrel. Keong-keong-i had evolved into the legendary super dog-squirrel.
"That form is truly—"
Achilles, who had been watching the whole scene unfold, seemed utterly astonished by Keong-keong-i's transformation. But knowing better than anyone how limited the evolution's duration was, I didn't waste a second.
"Keong-keong, GO!"
Paf—!
Keong-keong-i leapt high into the sky. Biting down on his own tail and spinning as he fell, he came down fast as a thunderbolt of fury striking the earth — and hit harder than any thunderbolt could.
━Grrrrowl…!
At last Keong-keong-i loosed a cry like a lightning strike. The instant he released the tail clenched in his jaws, his tail-swipe broke the sound barrier, split the air, and struck home squarely across the Primordial Ancient Dog-Squirrel's back.
"HYPER GALE KEONGKEONG SLASH!!!"
FAAAAAAANG—!!!
KWAGAGAGAGAGAGAK—.
━KEGEGENG…!!!!!
The Primordial Ancient Dog-Squirrel let out an agonized shriek — a pitiful, wretched sound, like a dog suddenly smacked on the nose. Reeling and swaying, having allowed such a devastating blow, the Gigantosquirrel finally flopped over and collapsed.
And that meant only one thing.
Victory for the dog-squirrel Keong-keong-i.
━Grrrrowl…!
Keong-keong-i scrambled up onto the fallen beast's back and roared so loudly that his cry echoed across the entire valley. It was as if he were declaring, "I am the Pinnacle!" — and all of nature went quiet, calmed beneath the sound of the dog-squirrel's roar, as if hushed by his voice alone.
I was marveling that not even a single birdcall could be heard when Achilles, gazing at the fallen primordial squirrel, spoke.
"This giant dog-squirrel was roughly a Semi-S-Rank magical beast. Its speed and the way it slipped freely through the forest made it one of the more troublesome types to deal with."
If Keong-keong-i hadn't flushed the creature out with his ritual of challenge, we would have spent days upon days chasing it through this vast, treacherous network of ravines. In that sense, finding and taking down a territory master right off the bat was pure luck.
"Muhuhu, it was very lucky that our opponent was a baby chimerk, it was…!"
A baby chimerk?
Illinoi's words snapped me wide awake.
"THIS is a baby?"
"Of course…! A fully grown Gigantosquirrel is as big as a hill, it is…!"
Was this for real? It was a truly astonishing claim.
Paf.
Just then, the young Gigantosquirrel stirred and hauled itself upright, as if coming back to its senses. I'd expected it to be down for at least a day — its recovery was genuinely monstrous.
━Woof-woof…!
Boing, boing—!
It began bounding merrily across the ruined road. Was it running away?
"Ahh, it appears to be asking us to follow, it does…!"