It was around 2 p.m. when Mari, the chickens, Lumi, and Nawa, along with me, gathered near the Snitch in the garden to discuss how we'd proceed.
"The obvious thing is, let's go after them."
Mari said as soon as all the chickens, except the one assigned to look after the chicks, appeared.
"Yes, that wasn't even up for discussion. What we have to do is decide which of us will go."
"What do you mean, of course we'll both go!"
"Mother and Father asked you to stay because you were the best person to take care of the house, thanks to your green magic. After experiencing how it works yesterday, I assure you, they were right."
"I know, but—"
"Besides, you can communicate with animals and plants (in a limited way that I won't even begin to understand). Who better than you to take care of everyone? We know very well that I'm the last person on that list."
Lumi, Nawa, a tentacle sticking out of the pond, and even Mei (who I don't know how got out of the aquarium/vivarium) all seemed to nod their heads (or tentacles) in agreement. I would even feel offended, but there's no way in this case, if any of them depended on me to live...
Let's say the garden plants would have more nutrients than desirable... If they aren't brown after a week.
"Yes, I can communicate, but I'm not the one the chickens obey. You are their master. They have a duty to listen to you, not me."
"Don't be like that, Impeto."
I called, looking straight into the fire rooster's eyes.
"While I'm gone, you and the chickens will listen to and obey my sister, understood? The basic terms continue, and you don't need to listen to anything Lumi or Nawa tells you."
Impeto nodded quickly. Lumi and Nawa looked offended, but I didn't pay them any attention.
I named him Impeto for two reasons:
1. During our fight, he demonstrated great command and the impetus to protect his flock.
2. Even though he was very rudimentary, he still had the blood of a phoenix (God only knows how), a legendary creature often treated with a regal or imperial air. It's only fair to honor both these creatures and a good adversary.
Yes, I'm a bit of a chunnibyo, sue me.
Hey, now that I see it, there are actually three reasons. Well, four if we add that it inflates his ego😮💨, and by extension, the chickens, what makes them more... malleable?
"Satisfied?"
"...um, well, what if—"
"I know you're worried about them, and you have about as much trust in me as a child holding a loaded 9mm. But please trust me on this one. I have diverse combat, hiding, and recovery skills. And something deep inside me tells me I'll be able to fight better without anyone around."
"that's one of my fears."
"What?"
Even with my enhanced hearing, I couldn't hear her clearly; she barely moved her lips and exhaled more than spoke.
Mari took a deep breath and looked me straight in the eye, with a firmness and concern she rarely showed.
"Are you sure you can find Mom and Dad?"
"You said they went to that hardware store further up, right? Near the avenue?"
She nodded, but didn't interrupt me.
"Even though there's a large open area there, there are also several buildings, at least seven stories high. If I climb the water tower at that wholesale store at the exit from the street to the avenue, I could probably jump across the rooftops with my body like that now."
"If that's the case—"
"Yes, it would be faster to fly."
I interrupted her by raising my hand before she could begin.
"You're right, but my previous logic still stands. Besides, this way I can look for which types of monsters are most... suitable for consumption. And if nothing works, I can still find some mana-altered animals to replenish blood; I can't rely solely on the chickens."
The chickens clucked happily, but a look from Impeto made them lower their volume. Luckily, even though we were outside, we were on the side of the wall that used to house our first guard dog, may he rest in peace.
"And finally, it's like I said, with my [stealth] and [ambush] skills, I'll be able to move around better on my own. And, as a bonus, I'll have a better sense of the neighborhood."
"As a [Trainer], you'd need to be with a partner to get the most out of your job skills. Didn't you yourself say that taking care of them both was quite difficult when you patrolled the block?"
She had no answer to that. While her job has several aspects that would make finding the mother and father easier, it also requires a larger number of people (or animals, in this case). This inevitably attracts more attention than a single person who can hide well.
There's strength in numbers, the chickens are there to prove it. The number of animals and monsters they fended off before losing to me was no joke, and that's even without relying on Momentum. But depending on the situation, this strength becomes a weakness.
And in this case, where we were supposed to find and (possibly) get them out of trouble, it's best to have as few people as possible carrying the components they need to fix the car. And the fewest possible number in this case was just one: me.
With that decided, we just need to check if we have what they need to take to them.
"What exactly do they need, anyway?"
Rolling her eyes, she replied.
"From what I could understand from what they said on the walkie-talkies. They need more fuel, 1 large magic stone, and at least 20 kilos of pure iron, no matter the source, as long as it's not oxidized."
..... Okay, the first and third items wouldn't be so bad to get. We still have at least 5 liters of gasoline that my father keeps here at home in case of emergencies (yes, even in Brazil, some people fill up gallons with fuel and store them at home, but it's not common).
And iron would be the easiest to find; the second-floor attic was full of various metal things that my family refused to sell to a recycling company. From old, rusty garden grates (which wouldn't work in this case but I just mentioned it for illustration purposes) to old car springs.
Hunting down 20 kilos of pure, unoxidized iron shouldn't be too difficult, probably. Especially since it's not just up here that there's metal stored. Televisions that were rarely used, wardrobes with fallen-off doors, the very shelves where some things are stored. All of this was made of or contained some metal. Whether it was pure iron, I don't know, but I know an easy way to find out.
Going to the attic, I grabbed the first metal thing I found, an old retractable picnic table. I put it in my inventory and...
[Item box: 1 iron children's table]
It doesn't say if it's pure iron, but it's something.
"Hey Mari. Would you mind transferring all the metal you have in your item box to mine?"
"No. I'd have to take out each iron item, one by one, give it to you, and so on."
Ugh, of course it wouldn't be that easy.