As I stare, slack-jawed at the sword, it...

It retracts.

It resumes the shape of a short-sword. I almost drop it in fright, but it almost feels warm... almost... happy that it hit something for me.

What?!?

"Uh... m-metal manipulation...? D-didn't y-you have a Thunder Spirit, Elijah-sama?" Rishya sounds confused.

I'm also confused as all hell.

It's been weeks, but I call up my status.

----------------

ELIJAH

LVL 6 ETRANGER

SUMMONED HERO OF JERALDINE

----------------

HP>> 97/118 (=STR+END+50)

MP>> 46/55 (=INT+PER)

30 YEARS OLD

(-6 YEARS APPEARANCE BOOST DUE TO SUMMON POWER)

SKLPNT>> 0 (53 USED)

STATUS>>

ETRANGER REGENERATION (Permanent, +1 HP per Minute)

TRANSLATION FUNCTION (Permanent)

----------------

Strength 9 (+13)

Agility 7 (+13)

Endurance 13 (+13+20)

Intellect 19 (+13)

Perception 10 (+13)

Charisma 12 (+13)

----------------

(4) > (Increases skill with Paperwork, treats Endurance as +40 higher when completing it; original skill)

(7) > (Gives appreciation for Literature and Art, boosts Base Intellect by +5; original skill)

(6) > (Has withstood pain to watch many animes, read many manga and LNs and WNs. Reduces Base Charisma by -2, Boosts Base Endurance by +5; original skill)

(3) > (Has an extensive gaming knowledge and good skill level; not quite a Pro. Boosts Base Perception by +1; original skill)

(3) > (Wide experience in running Tabletop Roleplaying Games, +3 Charisma and Intellect when running a game or telling stories; original skill)

(1) > (Experience in constructing own computers)

(6+?) > (Can defensive support young girls, and take damage from them, with a +60 Endurance bonus. +7 Charisma when viewed by girls aged 11-15; original skill)

(S) > (+13 to all stats; boost as level rises)

(S) > (Mutual High Affection: Gains +15% XP gain when in close proximity to Summoner, Summoner able to request and receive ‘Protection of Earth II’ in times of need.)

(S) > (Ougi of Earth: Earth's power is to allow all potential skills ever learnt by its people, and stored in its collective Akashic Record, to be learnt by its Etranger. Still requires Experience and meeting prerequisites, but no limit on total knowledge and acquired knowledge, and skills witnessed by the Earth Etranger get added to the collective memory as well, as an Earthling is witnessing them. Chant this skills name to activate the full skill-forest.)

(1) > (A supernatural ability; allows viewing the status of others)

(1+3) > (Allows creation of bombs with impact, lit, and mechanical fuses)

(1) <> (Allows instinctual identification of explosive ingredients)

(2) > (Allows creation of nitroglycerin weapons from relevant improvised ingredients)

(1) > (Basic Theory of Stave-combat usage)

(1) > (??? training regime, gives a +10 bonus to Endurance)

(2+3) > (??? training fosters exceptional resilience beyond norms and appearance, +10 bonus to Endurance and bonus +50 HP)

(3) > (Arms specialised in throwing pitches and shot-putts. Trebles throw distance.)

(1+2) > (Chance to dodge even if unaware of threat, +10 to Agility for dodges made proactively, upgrade of Heightened Threat Awareness)

(X) > (Basic Thunder Magic, 1 MP. Spontaneously creates burst of low-level static electricity)

(2) > (Foundation Thunder Magic, costs 6 MP, Fires a scatter burst of electric discharges, grounds quickly, but may paralyse.)

(X) > (Basic Metal Magic, 4 MP. Can manipulate the density of metal items on an atomic scale, changing their dimensions. New metal cannot be created.)

----------------

I’ve certainly gained quite a list… my stats have gotten higher, and I’m probably now the second most durable party member, not that this means much, that light claw slash from the creature stripped at least 21 HP it seems… but the biggest surprise… Metal manipulation...

"Elijah-sama? Are you ok?" She looks concerned now.

"So... it seems... I now have two spirits?"

"Whaaaaat!? That's... surely not possible!" Rishya exclaims, jumping up and balling her fists.

"I don't get it either... but for certain I now have both Thunder and Metal magic basics."

She puts her hand to her temple, closing her eyes, in thought.

"Ah!" She suddenly exclaims. "You... when I healed you from the demon attack... I took out a wad of metal that had stabbed you below the shoulder."

Oh... that... I now have a scar there. Right... the severed wrist kind of took my attention, but that did happen as well.

So... wait...

"So… I had a second spiritual harrowing, Rishya?"

She grimaces.

"It is insane. It should not be possible. But that is the only thing I can think of..."

I guess... it kind of makes sense. I wouldn't have noticed passing out because that happened anyway. And any strange feelings upon waking would have been distracted away by the naked Aria.

It concerns me, because Seria's lesson indicated that you cannot have two spirits. They conflict and destroy you from within.

But then... didn't we recently have the mystery of Kaede's jutsu's of several elements as well?

And it has been a fair while and I've not felt bad.

Perhaps... is an Etranger except from the usual rules again here?

Well... I guess it’s pointless to dwell on it too hard.

"Well... I don't get it... but let's go with that for now." I shake my head. "More importantly, where the heck is this?"

Rishya jumps and looks around. I don't think it had sunk in that this wasn't the strange room with the circling creatures anymore.

"W-what...? Why did we..."

"Those weird creatures... they could teleport. Who knows where in the dungeon we are now..." I explain.

She gets a weird smile, blushing and looking shy.

"We should look around, right?" I say.

"Eh! Oh... yes... let’s look around."

She's gone strangely meek all of a sudden.

"C-can I hold your hand...!?" She suddenly shouts.

How brazen!

But I'm a filthy pervert already... so I grab her hand straight away.

She gets a big smile, so cute!

...

...

...

We searched high and low in the cavernous lake. A beach extends all the way around it, and it is rather shallow all the way in, except a dubious dark pit near the centre, which, going by its depth, is presumably where the water comes from.

We're now stood next to a peculiar field of nocturnal flowers. They glow with a radiance resembling blue leds. They seem to grow around a strange slab of stone, that almost feels like it’s a missing piece of Stonehenge. But translation function-san gives me no idea of what the runes on the stone mean. If they mean anything.

It's a surprisingly bright and flora-heavy area. There are also weird large luminescent mushrooms everywhere in this section that Rishya titled 'Fat Helmets'. Heh... that reminds me of making fortresses of dwarves.

Speaking of things liable to cause tantrum spirals though...

"T-there... there's no way out... is there?"

Rishya's lip quivers and her squeeze of my hand tightens.

But this is indeed the final part of the cavern we hadn't yet checked. There is no way out, apparently. Not even an obvious collapsed tunnel I could try a vial on or anything.

I mean... randomly bombing the walls isn't going to be productive, is it? I could even cause a collapse.

This is the problem with games that have random teleport mechanics. Haha... not that this is a game, for sure.

Rishya sneezes and shivers.

"Are you okay?"

"I... uh... I couldn't be better!" She exclaims, but it’s terribly forced. She sneezes again.

I grasp her in a hug. She squeaks and tries to get away, but quickly realises the futility of this exercise.

It seems she is still soaked.

Of course. I forgot.

"You're such a liar..."

She looks at me with her eyes swimming.

"D-don't y-you... like that about me?" She gives strange smile and fidgets.

"Not when you hurt yourself." I say, strongly. I squeeze her and then let her go.

"Hmm...? T-then... It seems, Elijah-sama... that I am very cold."

She blushes and looks up again, making strange motions with her boot. It's distractingly cute.

But what can I do? I wonder if I can make a fire somehow? Would mushrooms burn if I can sprinkle part of a vial there and use my tinderbox?

But suddenly, she pulls her top and under-slip off in a single motion.

Being shocked at this... all I can think, seeing her lovely wet bosom bounce is...

I want to touch it.

I really am an irredeemable pervert even in this situation...

But...

"If we are going to be stuck here..."

She glomps me again, pressing herself up against me and whispering...

"T-then... can you warm me up?"

R-right... that's an option as well. I gulp.

And as ever, it seems my restraint when confronted by a girl like this is non-existent.

I push her down like a furious beast...