This is something Naofumi thought was only saved for video games and books. This is not that. From Melromarc to Equestria, The Shield Hero is whisked away to help another world.
The Four Cardinal Heros.
Bow. Sword. Spear.
And the Shield. Naofumi Iwatani has been in Melromarc for a few months and so far, nothing has gone his way. With false accusations of rape, deceit, and being labeled Devil Of The Shield, as given to him by the bitch Princess Malty.
After defending another small village from one of the Waves Of Calamity, Naofumi is felled in battle. Hope seems lost in this world without all 4 Cardinal Heroes, but Naofumi could care less, it looks as if Equestria needs The Shield Hero more.
Some time ago, Naofumi, along with three others, were pulled from different versions of Japan and summoned to the world of Melromarc.
The initial shock and awe were stamped out by a bigger threat to the young men.
The Waves Of Calamity. Each of the four were to be heroes, tasked with learning all that they could about the land around them; to grow stronger so they may come together to help save the world and gain fame and glory.
"Filo, Melty, behind me!"
Naofumi received the worst possible hand in the ‘game’ set before them as The Shield Hero, with accusation followed with hatred of the item he wielded, all the way to denial of basic rights.
Alone, Naofumi felt nothing short of pain and confusion that would force him down certain roads where few dared travel alone, and against the kingdom itself.
Nothing short of renouncing the world he found himself roped into saving to return home was what he wanted most.
Initially, Naofumi observed the name of The Shield Hero as a curse versus any gift he could be given.
The current thought of surviving along with his companions in the middle of a Wave Of Calamity reminded him of how much changed during that first day.
"Raphtalia, retreat for now!" Naofumi commanded, his voice raspy from hours of combat, or to him, it might as well have been days with the rows of monsters not seeming to stop. After finishing beheading a large orge with her sword, Raphtalia took refuge behind her master's trump card with Melty. "Filo, on my mark, go for it!"
"No problem!" Filo exclaimed, cracking her knuckles as her white dress and long blonde hair billowed with the bit of wind magic she began to channel, a gleeful glint in her eyes.
By Naofumi's count, it could have been at least 2 hours, and if anything, the hero and his party would begin to slow down.
''Damn,'' Naofumi cursed, gritting his teeth and steeling himself against the force of another charge against an undead's axe, the two metals of shield and sword vibrating back into his ears. ''What the hell are the other 3 doing? Probably wasting time arguing about who has the better idea again,'' another clang and a quick beheading from Raphtailia ceased the sound as Filo looked to her master. ''Change Shield! Now!'' Filo nodded and shouted at the top of her lungs, the force of her shouts amplified by the Sound Shield.
"Master Naofumi!" Raphtalia uncovered her ears, rubbing them with a tender hand.. "Should we go and see what the others are doing?"
"We can't!" Melty scolded, using her water magic to launch a water blade as she managed to bisect two grotesque hogs. "If we do that, something could go wrong" Melty reached her hand into the water, gasping as another hog nearly got to her if not for Filo ramming her gloved fist into its head. ''-w-will all be for nothing.''
"She's right," Naofumi thought. "Much as I hate to admit it, if we try helping the others, we may not live to be able to. . .damn, why does this life have to be so unfair?"
He vowed that at a moment's notice if he could be the one to fight, he would.
Naofumi resolved himself for the moment as he needed to focus on finishing getting through this wave without injury.
"Come on, Filo! Let's go!" Naofumi shouted, laying a hand on the girl's shoulder as she nodded and transformed into a Filolial with a poof of smoke. Hopping on and clutching her feathers, he gestured to Melty and Raphtalia. "You guys, too! We'll take care of the boss, whether or not they realize they need help!"
The two girls nodded, hopping on Filo and holding on for dear life as she blasted off, swerving in between monsters trying to get over from the current village to a clearing where the boss was said to be.
Filo turned around a collection of trees, the ground sloshing and crunching with sounds of bone and liquid. Further ahead, the party could see 4 figures fighting against one, though still appearing to be losing. A quick burst of light raced towards the figure only to be flicked back, knocking the person on their butt and knocking the bow from their hand.
"Looks like Itsuki's struggling," Naofumi commented as The Bow Hero scrambled to his feet, his pale blonde hair caked with dirt and face littered with tiny scars. Growling, he grabbed his weapon and put further distance between the attacker. Yellow wisps of magic surrounded him as his bowl glowed and brought an arrow to life.
The wind whipping, the strain of drawing the bowstring all the way back, and the throbbing pain in his legs didn't matter. He had to make the shot. Or they may all die. "Tempest Arrow!" Itsuki shouted with all his might, the sound of a whip-crack following as the force knocked him back.
Behind him, another figure dashed forward, before sending a blue wave of energy along the same path as Itsuki's attack "Tempest Slash!" Rin pronounced, stopping on the other side of the attacker, his hair frazzled and side of his head slowly bleeding as he breathed heavily, hacking as the last of air left his body before he collapsed.
"Even The Sword Hero?" Melty said, surprised, looking to see where the-
"-Tempest Saw!" Motoyasu followed after Rin, following after him and twirling before the momentum launched the weapon in a fantastic display of magic, a small explosion occurring that caused a depression to form. "Did. . .did we get her?"
Melty and Raphtalia peered on, watching the cloud of smoke slowly reveal to see a woman, standing still and chuckling. A wave of her hand violently dispersed the smoke and revealed more of the woman's features. "You most certainly did not 'get' me as you three think," the woman chided, unfurling a set of fans and opening them.
Naofumi and Filo frowned and felt a twinge of annoyance while Raphtalia felt some anger. "Glass," the three of them said at the same time.
"Hello, again, Shield Hero Naofumi," Glass's cold calculating red eyes peered at his party, almost hidden by her silky black hair. "I trust you've gotten stronger since last we met? Because these so-called 'Heros' and their companions-" Glass gestured to the boys and Malty as she held her hands up in fear. "-are not nowhere near to even besting me at my weakest."
"I've noticed," Naofumi summoned his regular shield. After everyone got off her, Filo transformed back into a girl, banging together her reinforced magical gauntlets as she took a boxer's stance. "We all have gotten stronger, so this shouldn't be boring."
Glass watched on with a curious eye. How much stronger could he have become in a short period of time? Seeing his other two party members draw her new sword and the other summon spheres of water around her that turned into daggers, she smirked as this would be a good fight, with promise.
"Then let us begin the true battle of this Wave Of Calamity," Glass angled her fans to be thrown. "And we will find out who is the strongest here."
"We just need to kill time until The Wave ends," Naofumi whispered to his party, making sure his footing was secure.
"But won't she just keep coming back?" Melty asked, looking to The Shield for an answer. "We should take care of her now if we have the chance." Naofumi rolled his eyes at her. Even for a princess, she still was lacking wherever it came to tactics.
"Just follow my lead, and we should get out of this alive," Naofumi said, slowly walking forward, his shield held with both hands at chest level. Raphtalia and Filo was not confused however and immediately followed after, sticking close to him. Melty shook her head and did the same, being in the middle of Filo and Raphtalia. From here, she could only see the back of Naofumi. How broad it looked, even under his armor. His shoulders were relaxed and his walk was calm but consistent. "When you get the signal, hit her with what you have and protect yourselves. . . she'll mostly be after me."
"Huh?" Melty asked, not quite understanding 100% confident in the plan.
"Master's right, Mel!" Filo happily said. "That'll be our chance to hit her in the butt!"
"Filo, no," Raphtalia scolded, thwacking the girl on the back with her hand. "Focus, otherwise we'll mess up things for Master Naofumi."
Filo pouted and hmmped, continuing to keep pace walking. "Fine.~"
Naofumi moved closer to Glass as she also mirrored the party's approach, now it was only a few feet between them.
She still had that same small grin on her face while Naofumi had a focused neutral expression. At any moment, something could change.
This would be different than with The Soul Eater.
"Air Strike Shield!" Naofumi chanted quickly, the effect instantly sending the armament at the fan wielder, while Filo and Raphtalia split off and took positions on either side of Glass.
"Hmmph," Glass said. "Trivi-ooommph!" Glass felt. Not only surprised, but. . .a little hurt as well. She went sliding back a bit, closing her eyes for a brief second before opening them to sense an attack planned for her left and right sides. The bird and demi-human no doubt. Sighing as she was lied to about a good fight, she would just run the pair into each other and focus on Naofumi.
Or so she thought as she met nothing but air with her fans.
"Oh? Illusion magic, Shield Hero? Admirable if not anything," Glass smirked, dashing towards the hero. "Wherever those two are matters not to me, only having your head on a platter."
"I'd like to see you try.'' Naofumi said, staying planted, hoping Glass would stay true to her bullheaded ideals.
Raphtalia charged forward, swinging her sword in an arc to stop her enemy's advance and almost cutting Glass within an inch of her hair, forcing her to dodge left. and right into a fist by Filo that was blocked by her fan, Raphtalia's sword meeting the other fan in Glass's hand as the pair took turns trying to break through her guard with sparks flying everywhere. ''Ha!'' Filo was able to land a solid hit on Glass as an Air Strike Shield struck her in the head at the right second, sending her stumbling back.
''You seem to have a decent-''
''-Second Shield!'' another green armament appeared as a wall right behind the Fan Hero, making her tense. ''Now, Melty!''
''Ars Tzuvait Aquashot!'' a wave of orbs of water launched forward at high speeds, causing Glass to unfurl her fans and block the onslaught, allowing Filo to deliver a brutal gut punch that rocked Glass back to the shield, and from that point, a wild torrent of punches and kicks followed, putting Glass on the defensive with every clang and thump from gauntlet and fan.
"Shouldn't we try and help?'' Ren asked, managing to stand and look upon Naofumi and his party fighting off Glass with better luck than the three of them barely managed to present an actual threat to her. ''What if we don't get the reward we were promised?''
''I mean, that is true, but we should still get it anyways, even if we don't end helping him,'' Itsuki said, returning his bow to his back and clenching one of his arms.
''True, let Naofumi handle it and make our lives easier,'' Motoyasu said, backing away and observing with a very patient eye. ''How much longer of the wave you think we have?''
''Doesn't matter!'' Princess Malty proclaimed, nursing a particularity bad cut near her left eye. ''We should retreat and let the Devil handle fighting his own kind; we should get prepared to go back and inform the king of what's happened here.''
''This doesn't seem right, I hope the Shield Hero will be ok.'' Rishia thought as she moved with her party away from the danger, advancing and going through any monsters that came across their way as they fled to head back to Melromarc. She knew this was wrong, leaving the Shield Hero behind to deal with enemies way behind any of the other 3 Cardinal Heroes respectfully. She actually held no real doubt of Naofumi winning, but it still sparked a flame of worry within her as she watched Filo and Raphtalia with the help of Princess Melty to hold back the Fan Hero as Naofumi was preparing to unleash a fearsome attack with his Cursed Shield equipped. ''Fight well Naofumi-san.''
''-Born from my flesh,'' Naofumi chanted, his eyes strained and hands shaking as he focused on his target became more difficult as each second passed. ''Become an offering to the gods as you howl in pain!. . .Blood Sacrifice!'' the purple hue surrounding his shield slowly dissipated and traveled throughout his body as he maintained his strong and unmovable stance as blood spurted from his body in all directions. His pained grunt and twitching eyes did little to deter him as he continued to hold a great amount of focus on the summoning.
Filo and Raphtalia backed away from Glass as quickly as the pair could after seeing the blood from Naofumi slowly spread towards their way, both knowing what was bound to happen in a few seconds. Melty still continued her onslaught, though her attacks began to wane.
''What are you up to this time, Shield?" Glass asked, the ground rumbling a tad. She prepared her fans for another attack, the ground suddenly began to rumble and crack, bringing a smile to the Shield Hero's face and a look of worry to paint itself across Glass's face. Another few moments passed as the blood seeped into the cracks and a wickedly shaped bear trap sprang from the ground, ensnaring Glass.
The feeling of the metal around her threatening to impale and bind her did little to deter her from attempting to win this battle with the Shield Hero, though it did provide with enough of a distraction.
''Y-Y-You won't get away with this, you d-damn Shield!'' Glass shouted, baring her teeth as she tried to use her fans, though as she failed to notice Raphtalia and Filo maneuver around the bear trap. Twisting and turning around, the more that it began to constrict and tighten. The situation began to look less in her favor, and more of that for the Shield, and that was something that seriously irked Glass. Attempting to use her fans to destroy the trap, Glass's vision began to be eaten up by black dots, and the rattling and dinging of chains began to increase.
''A little bit more, and we're home free.'' Naofumi thought, holding his Cursed Shield steady and firm on one leg as more of the magic and blood ebbed from him. He was surprised he did not end up passing out at the shock of the ritual taking a monumental toll on his body.
The sky around them began to lighten some, and the monsters began to weaken in their assault. Naofumi felt a small amount of relief at the sight of the fight beginning to wane. Forcing himself a little bit more, the jaws of the trap shut closed in the blink of an eye, the sound of metal grinding against metal and the shout of pain coming from Glass provided some hope that she was seriously injured or on the brink of death.
''Master Naofumi!'' Raphtalia came to her master's side, along with Filo and Melty. Naofumi was in pretty bad shape, almost couldn't stand, and had already lost a lot of blood. The situation seemed grim if nothing else, and the lack of the other 3 heroes only told of their cowardice and desire to run back to King Altcruay and inform him of 'their' victory in the Waves of Calamity.
Naofumi grew tired of the back and forth; the lies, the putdowns, being treated like the worst human being ever, and everything else.
He was angry.
From the first day that he was sent to Melromarc, he felt that without a doubt; God was not on the teen's side as he was the odd man out, destined to be the black sheep, and he was given a weapon that everyone hated, and by extension, him. He was a nobody in Japan, living his life to the best degree that he could when everything was against him from the moment he picked up that book in that library.
A warmth was spread throughout his body at the very, very small moments of his life in this world that was filled with some happiness; namely, Raphtalia, Filo, and Melty even though she was relatively new and connected to the royal family. In each individual case, he has demonstrated compassion, strength, and courage when it came to the three. With Filo, he initially was a tad surprised by how quickly she grew, and even more when she fully grew into a Filolial Queen, and that only served to increase his protective instinct of his new family member.
Though still slow-going, Naofumi nevertheless made the effort to try.
''The Cursed Shield.'' Naofumi thought, referring back to when he had snapped when he was certain that Zombie Dragon had eaten Filo. His rage that day was incomparable to anything else he had ever experienced since being in this new world. He only had nothing but pure hatred for everything around him; he wanted the world to burn in brimstone and ash, for the people who wronged him to suffer the worst death imaginable, and for all of the pain that he felt to come to a stop.
He wanted to feel nothing and everything at the same time.
With Melty, he was borderline hateful because of her status, and that only made for a somewhat rocky start as she joined his party through all the turmoil, as well as the attempt on her life by her own sister. That, in itself, made for a. . .connection as he, Filo, and Raphtailia helped to defend her and themselves. He wouldn't openly admit it anytime soon, but he was somewhat fond of Melty, despite his rough and naive attitude for a child. He began to see why she and Filo got along so well, and he found comfort in that by caring for her the same as Filo.
''Malty.'' Naofumi fumed in his mind, wanting nothing more. . .then to see her perish.
And there was possibly the most important person in his life and the one who gave him the biggest reason for living; Raphtaila.
From that fateful day when he was talking to the slave trader, and looking for someone to fight for him, he happened to come by the cage with her in it, and it would be possibly the best choice he had made since being here. Raphtalia was the one to comfort him, to care for him, be his sword and fight for him, and be pretty much everything to him, and to an even bigger extent that he did notice from the very beginning would be her feelings.
''Naofumi, something's going on!'' Melty announced, looking around to see that the bear trap thrashed about before disappearing in a shimmer of gold light that punched through to the sky, as well as the Cursed Shield beginning to glow its ominous purple again, causing Naofumi to howl in pain. The light blinding the party made their appraisal of the situation that much more difficult.
The feeling of pain and the thought of what would come after was something that Naofumi worried about. He could barely think straight with all of his entire body on the brink of shutting down on him only made everything even worse. The sound around him began to deafen, and then after a moment of silence, a voice called out to him.
''Hero. . .I call upon you; come and be the salvation of our world gripped in the choke of corruption!''
Darkness. It was a constant thing for Naofumi to experience that he really did not think much of it. He began to hear voices again; whispers here and there speaking some kind of different tongue as he could not make sense of what was being said.
Or maybe the blood loss was making him hallucinate.
Before he could try and say anything, Naofumi could feel his mouth open and some kind of liquid pour into his mouth, and slowly his injuries began to wane. From what he was able to gather, it was more than likely a potion administered by Raphtalia. He sure was glad that he could rely on her when it came to the things that he could not handle. After giving the potion a few moments, Naofumi did still have some residual aching, but nowhere near as bad as it was before the potion, and allowed him to open his eyes and look upon his party members altogether, but something was indeed off.
''Where the hell are we?'' Naofumi asked, his body beginning to tense and his shield changing back to his regular one. The cold, hard cobblestone floor told him of not being on the battlefield anymore. The group was in a room that was small in nature and had only one way in and out A faint light shone in front of him, the sound of someone walking filled everyone's ears, Filo, Melty, and Raphtalia all tensing the same as Naofumi.
''Oh, my; this is where the spell ended up putting you, I am so sorry for the inconvenience!'' an old voice called out, a figure showing through the sliver of light. Something was off. The silhouette was too small and. . .animal like.
''Who are you?'' Ratphtaila asked, reaching for her sword. ''What happened to The Wave Of Calamity?''
The figure laughed and walked closer into the room, Filo and Melty tensing the same as their party member.
''I apologize; from what it seems the battle there ended. As for my name; I am Starswirl The Bearded, and Equestria needs your help.''
The night was always something that Naofumi found comfort in since being in Melromarc; it was a small way of the world shutting down and allowing him to rest. The moon's presence gave an almost warm feeling, and he was sure he would rarely tire from it.
This, however, was a completely different night, and in a completely different world.
''So you mean to tell me that you pulled me and my party away from our world because I was dying?'' Naofumi asked Starswirl. The mage looked over some papers that were scattered about his desk as Raphtalia, Filo and Melty sat on the floor, watching and curious. ''How did you know how to find me?''
''I didn't, dear boy,'' Starswirl chuckled a bit and stood up, walking over to the hero. ''The spell I chose merely found the first hero that it could locate that was the brink of passing. And it seems, Naofumi, that you were the closest one. I am glad that there existed a hero as strong as you to assist us in this dire time of need.''
''You still have yet to go into full detail about that,'' Melty said, raising a hand to interject into the duo's conversation. ''And what makes you think that we would be so willing to assist you?''
The girl did pose a good point. But then again, Starswirl knew that in his heart; this would be something that the four of them would be happy to undertake. And also. . .
''No.'' Starswirl thought. ''He need not know. At least, not as of now.''
''That is yet to come, my dear,'' Starswirl said, presenting the group with a small stack of papers. ''If it were not for the spell, would I be wrong to assume that Naofumi would have undoubtedly perished after your long battle?''
''That may have been true, but I did not ask for your help to save me from death,'' Naofumi said, glaring at the wizard before his gaze lightened some. ''But thank you nonetheless. I guess. . .we can at least hear you out.''
''Excellent, excellent!'' Starswirl cheered, the bells on his cloak and hat jingling every which way. ''I do hope you will be able to assist with the terror that plagues our fair land. . .though it is one of our one that this conflict stems.'' Naofumi could feel the emotion that emanated from Starswirl, from the drop of light in his eyes to the sagging of his body as he sat down for a moment. His jaw clenched for a moment before he sighed.
''What happened?'' Raphtalia asked.
''I shall spare you some of our histories for the present moment. But I will tell you the tale. . .of Nightmare Moon.''
Melromarc.
''And so shall it be set from this moment in time that our Cardinal Heroes are once again victorious in repelling another wave of Calamity,'' King Altcray boomed in his most authoritative voice. ''The Bow, for drawing the attention of the monsters. The Spear, for leading the charge. And of course, The Sword for delivering the finishing blow. I applaud you all for the efforts that you have made in defense of our kingdom.'' Rishia knew every word out of the king's mouth was completely false. Naofumi and his party were the true ones to end that battle.
But she would not speak out about it. Not openly.
She only hoped that the Shield Hero was only able to rest in peace, wherever he might be. She knew that he had fought enough; suffered enough; now it was his time to be absolved of his pain.
But luckily, there was another among them who had the courage, or in this case the disrespect to note the true hero of the battle.
''Also-'' King Altcray reluctantly noticed the lack of the Shield Hero. ''it would appear that the Shield Hero is not among us. I can only assume that he perished in battle, doing what he was able to. Well, the time for mourning is not afforded to us. We must celebrate the efforts of our hero and their party members. . .''
''Like I figured,'' Rishia thought, shaking her head. She only hoped that this world would be able to survive with, in her opinion, 3 sub-par heroes she was only sure would end up being the end of this world.
Equestria
''And it was foretold that when the Hero of Legend arrives in this world, and the spheres align, a perpetual conflict of consequences inestimable will consume the world in a darkness that is to last until that evil is extinguished. And the Night Order will not rest until their mission is realized.'' Starswirl explained to the group, the tone of the conversation resembling that of when the group was in Melromarc. From what was understood, Equestria was in a state of disarray. ''It's the result of something beyond what we knew at the time.''
''So this Night Order wants to bring about change in this world by destroying it?'' Raphtalia asked, confused. ''Why would Princess Luna want that to happen?''
''My guess,'' Starswirl looked at the demi-human with a look of wonder. ''she wants to be recognized as a ruler who is loved more than her sister. But I fail to see the logic in her choice. She has been imprisoned in the moon for roughly 400 years, but I would guess her influence before her fall to her sect was powerful enough to last all this time.'' Starswirl said, catching Naofumi's curiosity at the length of time. He wondered what this Night Order could accomplish.
''So what can Master do to help?'' Filo asked, still not understanding the problem fully but she did know that there were bad people who needed to be punched.
''While they have the numbers and relative know-how on what they need to do, it will be all for not if they are unable to break the Chains.'' Starswirl said, the group becoming more confused by the second. Then the wizard realized the group's look of wonder. ''The Chains Of Paradox are 4 massive chains of magic that Princess Celestia, with the help of The Elements Of Harmony, constructed to ensure Nightmare Moon's imprisonment.''
''Elements Of Harmony?'' Melty finished drinking a glass of water as she looked over the parchment.
''Very powerful relics of the time where Princess Celestia and Princess Luna ruled that embodied different elements of magic inherently composed of the world around us. . .there are 6 in total. If those chains were ever to be broken, it would spell disaster for the world.''
Naofumi's mind piqued at the term of the world ending. ''Why?''
''The Paradox Chains are the closest thing in this world that we know to be made of almost entirely magic. It was constructed long ago, and served to be an anchor to this world and the one beyond. It was made under intense pressure, and should one, or even all of them break; it can shatter the very world itself,'' Starswirl shuddered at the very slim, but real possibility of something like that happening. ''And the word preparation will pale in comparison should that happen.''
''Because people will die?'' Raphtalia asked, her mind not fully understanding the extent of the statement, but she knew enough to know anything resembling a prophecy or omen was something to not be ignored.
''And those not utterly erased in the skirmish will ultimately fall to Nightmare Moon's wrath. . .''
Naofumi took note of the situation. As much as he hated to admit it, this was possibly a more severe case of Melromarc.
And he did not like that one bit.
Naofumi wanted so badly to just shut the world out, if only for a moment. But, in his heart; he knew that it was something that would serve to make his situation worse by not helping. Raphtailia, Melty, and Filo would back his play, regardless of what it would be, but he would have to consult their opinions on the matter. For how much of his intellect he had, it only could be outweighed by his snarky attitude and less than desirable attitude when he was in Melromarc.
But, in his recent time dealing with the backlash of the accusations, he slowly learned to be more open. . .about certain things.
''So-'' Naofumi said, catching the group's attention as he wondered how they would exactly pull this off. ''Where can we start, and what exactly do I get in return?''
''Naofumi!'' Melty said, the otaku not wavering in what he said. ''How could you-''
''-No, no Melty,'' Starswirl said, waving a hoof to the girl. ''It is perfectly understandable. I would not thrust this upon you without some type of due compensation for embarking on the quest to save our world; the least we can do as its denizens is offer our thanks to the ones who will do what we asked of them.''
''Reward?'' Filo asked, a glint in her eyes. ''Master, can we get food out of this?''
Naofumi sighed. Filo and her one-track mind.
''Worry not dear, food will be the least of what you will receive. I will convene with Princess Celestia on what we can have worked out for you. In the meantime, I would have you lot settle in for the night. I shall show you to our bathing area so you can clean yourselves and be offered some relief after your long, hard-fought battle.'' Starswirl said, the tone of the room going to a close. ''In the morning, we shall discuss what needs to be done, and what assistance we can provide to you.''
Naofumi only had one other thing to say that he would make sure that would stick. ''We'll see how far this goes.''
Naofumi led the charge out of the room after Starswirl exited and directed them. It was instinct that he be in the front since he was the more experienced individual in the room, save for Starswirl. Plus, it made the most sense as he is The Shield Hero. A tinge of remembrance came across his mind as he walked down the hallway with his party, the various torches lighting the way providing light as he observed the long rows of shelves laden with books on either side of him, they seemed to stretch on almost forever into the darkness above.
It would seem that he merely traded one messed-up situation for once that could be potentially worse. Though, he welcomed it in a way as he would not be under the scrutiny of the world before him.
He only hoped him saying yes would not bite him in the rear later on down the line.
Naofumi awoke that morning feeling. . .different. He couldn't quite pinpoint what it was, but it definitely was entirely different than night and day as compared to Melromarc.
''Huh, this bed actually isn't too bad,'' Naofumi commented, noting the dimensions being so different from that of a human that Starswirl had to gather 3 to 4 beds and stack them side by side and have them turned to face lengthwise to the wall so he and Raphtalia could actually enjoy their slumber for the night. In all, the fabric was pretty comforting and there was not much to complain about. ''And of course, you're still sleeping.'' Raphtalia snored a tad as she was cradled up to Naofumi's left arm with a trail of drool on her face.
He always picked with her about her snoring habits, though she would never admit to it, whether out of preservation of being seen as a lady or if to not seem like a child.
Either way, Noafumi still picked at her and laughed at every opportunity he could. He thought about demi-human and what he and the rest of his party had been through before coming to Equestria; dealing with the corrupt nobles of Melromarc, the monsters from The Waves Of Calamity, the 3 useless heroes, and so much more.
Naofumi would never tell Raphtalia or even anyone for that matter, but how lucky he found himself at times. Raphtalia was always the one who would come to his defense, to have his best interests at heart, and give him the scoldings he knew he deserved time from time whenever he did something stupid.
The pair did not have the exact best of relationships when they first met, but when faced with danger, that indifference slowly melted away with the time taken to talk and understand the other. Though a kid in her mind, Naofumi had no doubt the person lying beside him would be one of the few to lay down her life for him at a moment's notice, and that it would take moving the heavens and earth to even consider to get her to stop.
He also felt a heavy amount of guilt for her having to go through what she did, amplified by her being in the care of a slave trader and being on the brink of death from malnourishment. Not just with her, but all those who have been oppressed and treated like livestock. He did not know of the existence of another world, let alone Melromarc to have any idea of what to do to help, but he figured the best that he could do would be to take Raphtalia with him; to help her grow, survive.
To give her life, despite his initial wanting of a slave to further his own agenda.
He was essentially her world, and he resolved to do whatever he needed to bring her and Filo, and even Melty happiness.
But the time for such talk had to be set aside for another time. In the meantime, he wanted to try and track down this feeling that he was experiencing since he woke up.
A knock on the door interrupted that from happening.
''Come in,'' Naofumi's voice called, wiping the crust out of his eyes. He was pretty sure that this was Starswirl coming to get the group to fully get them going on what they needed to do to protect The Chains Of Paradox and take on the Night Order.
''Good morning, all. I do hope you all slept well,'' Starswirl proceeded into the room, carrying a tray with water and orange juice, along with some scones and fruit. ''I hope you all are ready to proceed with today's events.'' Starswirl set the tray down on the dresser next to the bed, looking to see Filo over on the other side of the bed on the wall in her Filoilol form, stretching her wings and yawning. ''Where is Young Melty?''
''Oh, in here.'' Filo moved some of her feathers around, producing Melty in a poof of feathers, her hair all tangled up. ''Wake up, Mel; it's breakfast time.''
''HUUUUAWH.~ Good morning, everyone,'' Melty said, looking over to the tray on the other side of the room. ''Is that grapefruit?''
Starswirl chuckled. ''Yes, dear. Please help yourselves, if you require more, you need only ask.''
Raphtalia woke up, her eyes glazed over, appearing like a zombie until she saw the fruit as well. ''Pears. . .''
''I guess we're gonna need to eat first before we do anything today, Starswirl,'' Naofumi chuckled, looking at the tray just like the rest of the group, the mage looking to have fit laughing about the group. ''But can you give me the play-by-play?''
Starswirl sat down and leveled with the otaku. ''Well, the first thing would be for you lot to meet with the group of individuals that I have conferred with along with Princess Celestia who may be able to provide some insight on what angles we should approach this from.''
''There's going to be others helping us out with this?'' Naofumi asked.
''Why, of course, my dear boy. We could not just leave things to you four alone, I realize the task I have given you is indeed daunting, and it will take the help of those highly skilled for us to make any kind of headway with this. There are 3 others that I will introduce you to that will be in charge of helping you adjust to this new world, as well as giving you anything that you may need to help on your journey.''
Naofumi hmmped, wondering how the inhabitants of this world got by when it came to fighting. From his own experience back home, and to some degree in Melromarc, he held a basic idea of what equines could do, he just wandered about the implementation of magic when it came to. And something else he had yet to confirm fully would be his own skills; whether or not they transferred over certainly can make the difference between this being easy or very difficult.
Scarfing down a nice granny smith apple and some water, Naofumi sought to resolve himself for what was to come. Food first, world-saving team meeting later.
Walking down the halls with the unicorn in tow, Raphtalia and Melty went over all the items they had in their inventory to make sure they had what they came into this world with, as Naofumi made sure Filo had her gauntlets and feet blades for when she transformed. And they would need sharpening again, no doubt. He observed more of the intricate designs of the castle. Canterlot Castle was apparently the capital of the land of Equestria where Princess Celestia resided as the nation's sovereign.
From that small amount of information, he wondered if she was like the King Of Melromarc or The Queen.
That was a very important question.
The pristine marble floors, careful floor carvings of lines and swirls, all the way to the few windows that spaced out every so often to provide a better look at the world outside certainly gave a much better impression than that of Melromarc by any stretch. The sun seemed to shine brighter here, the air was crisper, and the overall feeling was not filled with malice or contempt. And to think that he was in the dungeons when he was summoned.
He was sure that was not at all some kind of sign, but he digressed.
Opening the massive throne room door, he instantly noticed a tranquil vibe going on in the room, but also a slight undertone of repression; as if something or someone had died. Following the long purple carpet up to the raised platform where the throne of Princess Celestia sat, the otaku had to admit he had never seen a horse so big in person this close, much less one who could talk.
Princess Celestia looked a tad surprised to see the hero and his group but looked to Starswirl in a silent look of wonder before he nodded to her and spoke. ''Princess Celestia, I present to you the Hero Of Legend, summoned forth to our world by the ancestral spell; I give you Naofumi Iwatani, Raphtalia, Filo, and Melty.''
The gaze in her eyes softened before she spoke. ''Hello, all. I am Princess Celestia, and I would like to personally offer my thanks in your assistance.''
''Greetings, Princess. I hope that we can be of some assistance.'' Naofumi said, a neutral tone in his voice. He only hoped that this would not go bad. From an initial glance, Celestia seemed okay, but with everything else in this world; he would wait and see.
''Hello,'' Raphtalia said, smiling a bit.
''Princess.'' Melty curtsied.
''HI!~'' Filo waved, a bright smile on her face.
''I only hope that you all can do your best in helping us with this. . .I would be lying to myself if I did not say that this is something beyond the range of my ability. The Chains Of Paradox are something I constructed with the aid of others to ensure the imprisonment of Nightmare Moon and to prevent her group from freeing her and bringing about the eternal night. But the power that it holds is not so easily protected.''
Naofumi's widened a bit as he took a step forward. ''Why is that?''
''If there is a high enough concentration of the opposing magic, it can shatter the chains and have catastrophic results if done,'' Celestia lowered her head trying to think about what exactly. ''And I hope I need not remind you of the grand scale of destruction that will follow if even one or all of those chains are broken.''
But then came the question of how exactly they would accomplish that.
''And why is this Night Order so fixated on doing this?'' Raphtalia asked. She knew that certain ideals and promises can make people do questionable things, but to want to destroy the entire world for one person did seem a little bit extreme. This whole situation seemed very unfair.
''Conflicting ideas, I'm afraid. Nightmare Moon was once my sister and the ruler over the moon. Another of her duties involved the dreams of ponies,'' Celestia hoped she would not have to divulge that information, but she did figure everything that she knew would go a long way in securing the chains, and the fate of Equestria. ''From my understanding, it would seem some of her followers held the belief that she was better than myself and that she should be the one idolized instead of me.''
''Jealousy?'' Naofumi asked, curious about the internal motive of why this happened. ''And why did you imprison her in the moon, of all places?''
Celestia stopped to think about that for a second. Why did she really? There was no particular connection to the moon and her having to be sent there, she really did not have any rhyme or reason to do what she did versus a standard sealing spell and having her locked away only she knew.
''I honestly do not have a clear answer for you when it comes to that, Hero Naofumi, it just seemed to fit the situation at the time of doing it,'' Celestia blushed a tad.
''Naofumi's just fine. And this Night Order; what's their deal?''
''I believe I may be able to shine some light on that a little more, Princess Celestia.'' Starswirl chimed in, hoping to provide the group with as much information as needed to make sure their world can be saved.
''Go ahead.''
''The Night Order Of Nightmare Moon, more commonly known as the Night Order, is a collective of ponies that devote themselves to the study, ideology, and return of Nightmare Moon to this world. In their minds, they wish to make the world be born anew, with her as the sole ruler. Those to the cause will be blessed the promise of power, wealth, and a hoof in the destruction they have predicted to happen,'' Starswirl recollected what he was able to gather from sources and seeing first hoof some of the things that they were indeed committed to in the name of their dark ruler.
''So, I guess my question is, how can we protect the Chains from being broken, who leads the Night Order, and who is joining us?'' Melty absorbed the information and understood that this rogue unit was just that; a rogue unit. And they needed to make sure about who were to be joining them.
''Well, for the first question, dear Melty. As there are 4 Paradox Chains, it stands to reason that there are 4 countermeasures to ensure the Chains can not be so easily broken by the Night Order. Each place that Princess Celestia ventured to construct the Chain has its own unique magical signature that resonates with the Chain. However, each Chain has a resonance that helps to keep the other in place.''
''Huh?'' Filo asked, not understanding fully. they had to stop these chains from being broken with the power of the opposite chain, but the power of the opposite chain can also keep it from breaking? Ugh, her head started to hurt. ''Master, that doesn't make sense.''
''I guess it would not hearing it like that, Filo,'' Celestia chuckled but understood where the girl was coming from with her confusion. ''What he means to say is that the power of each chain is intertwined with the others, but never with its true opposite. So each chain has two other chains connecting to it. That in itself is the failsafe, but the countermeasure is actually the 4 of you; you need to travel to each of the Chain's location and confer with the leaders of each of the lands to ensure each of the Chains is safe for the moment while we prepare to mount our offensive.''
''Offensive? You mean to say you wish to take on The Night Order?'' Raphtalia hoped for there to be no bloodshed if it could be helped. There was too much of that back in Melromarc.
''More like taking down a peg. The Night Order may follow Nightmare Moon to the very depths of Tartarus and back, but in her imprisonment, they have taken to following the lead and ideals of one who holds the strongest faith in Nightmare Moon. . .Zenith. He who stands overs all.'' Starswirl brought forth a drawing of the pony in question, and from the name itself, Naofumi could definitely see why he was given that name.
His mane, as black as night, was swept to one side, revealing a massive scar over his right eye. His eyes seemed to radiate a ginormous indifference to anything and only seemed to focus on the one thing that mattered the most to him. A rugged beard was laid on his face, along with a caption underneath his mugshot.
''Extremely dangerous. Is not to be approached or engaged, especially alone.''
''Our last known location of Zenith, we heard he was mobilizing his forces for an attack.'' Starswirl produced a map of the land and began marking locations.
''Attack on the Chains?'' Naofumi wondered. ''And has he tried to do something like this before?''
''I say attack with a grain of salt for the moment. Zenith has tried to be diplomatic about the whole venture, researching all that he could about the Chains, from their location to who he would have to stamp out, should they get in his way. He only became aware recently of where each Chain is, but getting to each one is not as simple as walking to it,'' Starswirl presented the map to the group.
''Each Chain not only has the other 2 Chains as deterrents to prevent it from being broken, the journey to get to each one is monumental in itself, which is why he has been unable to do.'' Celestia had hoped the failsafe would be enough for the time being for Naofumi and his group to do what they were summoned here to do. ''But it seems he has grown tired of waiting and may have found a way to get past said measures.''
''And what is that?'' Melty asked.
''That we do not know as of yet, but we know that we need to hold off their advance until we can determine that,'' Starswirl sighed and shook his head. He only wished for this senseless pursuit to stop.
''Well, who do you have helping us?'' Naofumi asked, trying to get down to the bottom of all that he could. He also wanted to know the extent of their abilities beforehand to get a better idea of how the team dynamic will work.
''The only one here present at the moment, one of Princess Celestia's most trusted guards. Valiant Barrier.''
Elsewhere in Melromarc
If one were to visit Melromarc at the right time, they would be subject to a great many things; the beautiful landscape, the wonderful and flavorful food, and in this particular instance; the king of the land being thrown of the castle and into a nearby lake.
''Again!'' Naofumi heard the ring of the bell behind him as he held his shield firm and prepared for another mock attack. Valiant Barrier certainly lived up to his moniker. At first, Naofumi had a moment where his brain stopped working.
''He holds that hammer like he has hands.'' Naofumi lowered himself, not choosing to tense until the very last second, the force pushing him back a few inches before he roared and charged forward, pushing the hammer off to the side as Raphtalia came around Naofumi with a wooden sword, dragging the blunt stick across Valiant's midsection in a horizontal arc. ''Ha!'' Naofumi swiveled on his feet like a boomerang as he came back around and slamming the shield into the dazed guard that sent him to the ground.
Vaulting over his right shoulder like a table, Raphtalia followed her assault, pushing her boot into Valiant's jaw and causing him to flip on his back as the sword stopped an inch short of his forehead. ''Checkmate.'' Rapthtalia cheered, smirking at the guard who paused in the next attack he was attempting.
''And that's the match!'' Starswirl's voice boomed as both parties settled down and reviewed the situation. By himself, Valiant certainly proved to be someone that Naofumi couldn't take lightly. It was thanks to Raphtalia's skills and reflexes that won them this match. Getting up and levitating his hammer by his side, Valiant took off his silver and blue helmet adorned with flares towards the sides, with the image of the Royal Guard in the middle, setting it on the ground as he took a seat on the ground and laughed a bit. ''Good job, both of you!'' Starswirl cheered, handing the pair a cup of water each as Valiant took his from the wizard's magic.
''When you said that you were a guard of Celestia, I thought you were more of a grunt, but this is a whole different level,'' Naofumi commented, the guard looking at the pair in curiosity. ''How'd you get so good?''
''Push-ups, sit-ups, running, and plenty of juice,'' Valiant responded matter-of-factly, pushing some of his dark blue mane out of his eyes as he told the pair. ''I always had a knack for getting into tussles, so I figured to just apply that more in a professional sense,'' Valiant smiled wider the sun itself, the teeth in his square-shaped muzzle shining brighter than ever. ''But you two actually gave me a run for my money a few times, especially with that shield of yours; what's it made out of?''
Naofumi didn't even know the answer to that question. The Legendary Shield sure performed its job like no other when it came to defense. Most times, depending on the enemy, the shield would cancel out the inertia of the attack, allowing him to quickly follow up with a shield bash, but Valiant's attacks forced him back every so often, which had to speak to the level of strength of his magic.
''Not really sure, but I know I can depend on it, and Raphtalia when I need it the most,'' Naofumi commented, looking to see his partner holding her sword in a sling on her hip. ''So, how's Filo doing with her repairs?'' Starswirl chuckled and gave the otaku a piece of parchment with details about the Filolial's equipment, and what would be needed to fix them.
The spell that Starswirl cast on the pair that allowed them to read the language of the land certainly helped to clear up any confusion. According to the list, they would need a few items to help fix, and even improve her claws. When it came to taking stock of all their weaponry, Raphtalia's sword would need sharpening, and Filo's gauntlets would need reinforcing when she would be in her human form.
''Green Ariendust, Magnesium, Copper, Iron Ore, and Redback Spider Silk?'' Raphtalia asked, looking at the list.
''Yes, these are the kind of materials I can gather that may be beneficial to Lady Filo's weapons, as well as yours, Lady Raphtalia,'' Starswirl smiled, looking to Naofumi. ''And Lady Melty is also contemplating about acquiring a weapon as well.''
''That'll be the day.'' Naofumi laughed, not being able to imagine the ex-princess with anything besides magic, but the thought of her attempting to improve her skills, but it was appreciated nonetheless. ''So where can we go to get these kinds of things?''
''I shall mark the particular locations, but most of the items on this list can be found in The Everfree Forest. Valiant Barrier will assist you in locating the necessary materials.'' Starswirl said, looking at the guard in a hopeful manner to which he nodded and began to clean up the practice arena. ''After gathering what is needed, then we shall help you with the implementation, and then we can begin our plan of action to each of the lands governed by the Chains.''
Naofumi held no doubt that the upgrade process would take long and only the group would need to make sure that they have all that they need before setting out on their journey. ''And what of the other two who were going to join us?''
Starswirl assured the group that, at the same time as the otaku's group would be gathering the items, the other two who were going to join them at the first Chain's location when all was said and done.
''Master Naofumi, hopefully, we can become stronger than ever before,'' Raphtalia had to have some sort of mind-reading powers from time to as that was the very thought the otaku had.
''Yea, me too. We're gonna have to if we want to stay alive in this world and stop Night Order.''
Melromarc.
''Ugh!'' Motoyasu, Ren and Itsuki grunted as they were pushed to the back of a wall by Wind magic.
''I will ask again. . .where is Naofumi?'' Fitoria asked the other 3 heroes as the Filolial Queen looked at the 3 useless heroes before her. She felt a disturbance a few days ago, but thought nothing of it. When she ventured to a nearby Filolial clearing to observe around when she heard whispers of a recent Wave Of Calamity and a bright, almost blinding light following the death of one of the bosses. ''And who was the one to kill the boss?''
The other Heros tried to defend against the wave, but only served to distract the fodder until the true Legendary Hero was able to turn the tide.
But at a cost.
''We told you, we don't know!'' Motoyasu said, clutching his sides and looked at the strange girl who suddenly ambushed his and his friends on their way back to the kingdom. She was quite the babe, however. But that could come later. Why did she want to know about that sham Naofumi? ''We did.'' Ren and Itsuki looked at their 'friend' and frowned. Even they know that was a lie, but lying would do no good at all.
Motoyasu was smacked across the with such force that his face warped and he instantly sunk into the ground. The Sword and Bow Hero winced and looked to the girl that stared at them. ''Do you two want to tell me the truth?''
Ren clicked his tongue and stood up, noticing the fire in her eyes, even for a small girl. She seemed to hold some kind of relationship to Naofumi, but to what extent, he couldn't tell. And as far as the Shield Hero, the trio heard nothing at all about him; they merely thought he was lying low from injury, but according to King Altcray, he died in battle, defending against that woman with the fans.
He didn't have much of an answer.
''We. . .didn't. It-''
''-Was Naofumi. . .I know; I only wanted you three to be honest.'' Fitoria sighed and looked at the Spear Hero on the ground. She wondered what exactly happened with Naofumi. But, the bigger issue also was the impending disater that was sure to follow without him present. All 4 heroes were needed to help save this world, and waiting for him to return would be even more useless. So it would only be one such thing to do that would yield the best results.
She grew tired of having to do this. From the times she could remember, every encounter with the Legendary Heroes that failed to get along always ended up in the same result; death.
''Promise me. . .promise me that you will help this world, Fitoria.'' the thought of the Shield Hero who mattered to her the most, besides to a degree, Naofumi, sounded out to her. ''No matter what it takes.''
''I will. . .father,'' Fitoria whispered, clutching a hand to her chest as she willed her power to rise and create a sword out of her magic. The horses long abandoned the three, leaving a bit of a lengthy journey back to the kingdom.
And with no help, things were looking less than desirable.
''Huh?'' Itsuki asked, slowly getting up and backing away. ''What are you doing?''
Fitoria only responded by sweeping her hand in an arc, sweeping the would be heroes off their feets once again, the look of fear, anger, and pain in each of the of trio's faces. ''This world will be saved, one way or another.''
''You can't do this. We're the Heros Of Legend!'' Ren growled as her sword lightly made a cut on his cheek, the movement not even registering to any of them. How powerful was this girl?
''You are nothing. Naofumi was the only true hero out of the four of you, regardless of what you may think. . .and without him, we are surely doomed if something is not done.'' Fitoria stood firm in her actions. And when it came down to it, the three of them would barely be anything of a challenge to her as she was able to prevent Naofumu from using his weapon, she doubted much could done to her aside from annoying her. ''Unless you're prepared to sit down and listen to me so that this world may be given a chance, I will cut each of you down where you stand,'' Fitoria turned around and walked a few feet away, waiting to see who would strike first.
Sensing the object coming towards her as she turned around, her foot went into the chest of the unsuspecting Sword Hero while her Wind magic provided a sleeve of protection against the edge of the blade going to cleave through her shoulder. Watching him fly back a few feet made her smile.
They would die trying.
Silence reigned for a moment before their shouts filled the air.
Starswirl sat in his study, going over his notes. He had committed himself to look at any reports on the Night Order and, even more so anything that could relate to Zenith. The sooner that The Chains Of Paradox can be protected, the better it would be for the entire world. Naofumi and his party certainly seemed more than ready to help out Princess Celestia. So far, nothing.
''Hopefully, Naofumi and his party will not run into any trouble as they set off in their quest,'' Starswirl walked over to his balcony from his tower in Canterlot. The light of the night always was a comfort for the wizard. In the distance, Ponyville could be seen; almost like a small blip of light from the light of the town being a dim yellow. ''I hope things will not be catastrophic.''
''You would know about catastrophic things, don't you?'' a voice sounded out before Starswirl, causing him to sigh and turn around. ''I heard that you found another one to follow in your impossible task.''
The voice, quick and piercing reverberated in the room. If there could be a force that held more anger than this individual, Starswirl would eat his hat. She came rather early; he figured he would have a few more days before word reached her.
''Always so quick, even about things that had the slightest to with you,'' Starswirl thought. ''But, that's what I admire the most about you above all else.''
He had to say something; if only to get her to leave. It would be the hardest thing for him to do, but it was something that would be needed. He. . .owed her that much.
''And a good evening to you, too, Mon Partenaire,'' Starswirl mumbled under his breath. Should have said it louder. ''Is there something that I can assist you with?''
''Spare me your feelings. Not that you had any, to begin with. I am only here to confirm if you truly sent another one to their death.''
No. . .that was an accident. How could she know? It was never. . .
''If you are asking if I have sent a hero who is capable of saving those world, then you are true-''
''-Do not lie to me! I know you better than that, you murderer!''
She wouldn't understand; she may never understand for that matter.
''Stormy, please listen to reason. I had no idea that the Iron Division would be there,'' Starswirl threw a hoof in the air, intent on not losing his cool. He promised he would stop falling into that routine. Not after it almost cost him. ''I received information from a reliable source that-''
''My name is Storm Song, you pompous bag of bones! And you knew exactly what you sent those stallions into; what you cost their families, and what you cost our son!'' Storm Song stomped up behind the wizard who turned around and forced him to stare into her fiery red eyes full of pure rage and pain. ''Do you even know what's going to be happening in two days, you ungrateful-''
''-His anniversary! I at least know that!'' Starswirl yelled back at the Pegasus as he spied her curly mane. ''You dyed your hair again. And his favorite color, no less.''
''Of course, Starswirl; it's called paying tribute to your loved ones. When was the last time that you did anything remotely close for him?''
How dare she. . .she accused him of not caring. In his study at this hour; the nerve. The last thing he needed was to be berated on what he knew was right at the time. For doing what nopony else would do; for being the hero when there were none.
And he would do it gladly again.
''I will not stand here and be the subject of your scrutiny. I will not be the butt of any joke, and I especially will not be questioned about my love for our son,'' Starswirl poked his hoof into Storm's chest, the pegasus taking a step back and growling. ''I know exactly what is going to occur, I do not need to be reminded of that, and I would appreciate you not insulting my intelligence on the matter.''
Storm Song clicked her tongue and moved out onto the balcony with the wizard. It was the moments like this where Starswirl always admired his wife's beauty. Rather, ex-wife in this case. The cool night air blew through her coat, tickling her feathers and blowing her cloak a bit. Her dark blue coat and armor pads on her hooves, shoulders, and wings shone brightly. ''Help me understand something; why is it after three different occasions you still fail to understand that nothing can be done to stop what is coming?''
''That's just it, Storm Song. In our darkest moments is where we shine our brightest and overcome any adversity in any way. Nothing is impossible to do; the impossibility is when you give up and refuse the circumstances. That is why I keep going despite it all; because it is nothing better than to lead the charge against what may threaten our world.'' Starswirl said, Storm not wanting to listen anymore.
''I just came here to make sure that the 'heroes' you summoned know exactly what they're in for. That's the least that you can do, and you know it,'' Storm walked back inside, brushing off his attempt to lay a hoof on her shoulder. ''I may hate you like it's nopony's business, but I do still hold a semblance of care about you. But only just. . .Princess Celestia is a fool for allowing you to remain alive after what you did. But I guess, anything to make sure her family stays in line is worth overlooking the death and destruction of another.'' Storm Song said, casting a look back to Starswirl as he held his head down.
''I never meant for any of this to happen, you know,'' Starswirl resigned to what he knew in his years of experience; just stop talking.
''I don't care what you meant; what's done is done, and there's nothing any of us can do to fix it.''
Then why come here to berate him?
''Then why come? I know I don't need reminding of what I did.''
Storm Song stopped short of the door, sighing as she turned around and looked him in the eyes, and even from here he could tell that what she was about to say came from a place of care.
''Just. . .don't be so quick expect much out of this batch, is all. And communicate what we both know to be true. Do it just so they have the choice of backing down.'' Storm Song left without another word, silently cursing to herself as the wizard resigned to looking over the documents that he was reviewing. ''Or I will.''
''Huuwah. Where did things go so wrong,'' Starswirl said, sitting down and rubbing a hoof idly on the wood of the desk. Before he could allow himself to be refocused, he thought about what she said, and how. . .flawed she was in her thinking. But not entirely wrong. ''I only hope that Naofumi is indeed the one to save our world, possibly give some salvation to my own.''
Naofumi ventured forth in the tall grass, minding his footing as he shuffled over to a long, thin plant with green and blue leaves adorned with pods with white splotches. This time he would not be as foolish as to touch this one as the last one ended up blowing the seeds that he needed from them up. Holding his shield over the plant, the light on his weapon glowed projected a beam of light that slowly consumed the plant until it was sucked into the weapon a moment later, the heads-up display showing the item as Dim Milkweed in the crafting menu.
UNLOCKED:Dim Milkweed. Mild Hallencugentic. New Shield Unlocked: Poison Breath Shield.
''At least the menu is the same here,'' Naofumi cheered, doing his best together up enough of the herbs and plants that Valiant marked off as helpful or able to be refined. ''I wonder if there's anything like those Lucol berries, those would be good in a pie,'' the thought of one made his taste buds flare, well he was in a world where he was sure they could at least do something like that, so he marked it off in his mind to do some cooking when he had spare time to enjoy the process and reward.
''Ok, I think that's enough for now. We should be heading out.'' Valiant said, walking over and giving the otaku another Dim Milkweed that he easily absorbed into his shield. ''We just need to stop out by Ponyville to pick up our carriage and we can set out to the first chain,'' Valiant tossed on his saddlebags filled with some light medicine and parchment and quills so they could document anything important on their journey.
''Where's Ponyville?'' Filo asked, walking over in her Filolial form. ''Is that town over there?'' Valiant pointed a wing in the distance where the few slivers of houses and gardens could be seen from their position from just outside the entrance of The Everfree Forest.
''Yep, Starswirl and Princess Celestia already had the forethought to have a carriage set up for us with all of the essential things we may need. We just need to pick it up and just attach Filo. You sure that won't be a problem for you?'' Naofumi laughed a bit at what he asked. Filo was a big girl, and a small carriage would be the least tiring thing.
Not to mention Filolials loved to haul stuff, so it was perfect.
''How long will it take us to get to the first one?'' Melty asked, sniffing a few of the flowers that Valiant assured her that was safe to smell. Mmm, they had a lemony scent to them. ''And what can we expect when we get there?''
That was something that the guard did not know. This whole talk of The Chains Of Paradox was indeed new to him, but the information he was briefed on gave him a vague idea of hypothetical situations and to what extent they may or may not expect resistance. They all knew from Celestia telling them that would need to do at least 3 things.
''Well, one; establish contact with the powers that govern each chain, help with any fortification effort and ensure Night Order is not there in any way, and should they be; get rid of them and defend the Chain, no matter what. If we do those things before Zenith gets a chance to get his grubby hooves on any of the Chains, we may have a fighting chance until we can deal a blow big enough to force them away for good,'' Valiant chewed the inside of his mouth, going through possible simulations of what could happen. Being in the Vanguard had its ups, as well as downs.
''Depending all on Filo and the terrain, a few days, possibly shorter time, but it would end up putting more obstacles in our way if we unboarded there versus an almost straight shot with minimal issues.'' Naofumi weighed his options, and it made sense, but he'd want to have safety versus convenience when it came to something to this significance. ''But it's up to you, Naofumi. What's your call?''
It was simple.
''We'll take the carriage. It's better because we can be more mobile and if we encounter any trouble, we can use whatever we have around us to our advantage, I say go with being safe than sorry,'' Naofumi summoned his new shield, the shape resembling that of a leaf-shaped purple shield adorned with vines and Dim Milkweed pods.
''Then that's it, but I do have to ask something; what do you make of all this so far?'' Valiant asked, looking to see the look of thinking that was on the otaku's face as he stared out in the distance. He wasn't sure what was on his mind, but it seemed like it would be something that he may want to talk about.
''Just. . .seems a little like the world I was in before I was before coming here; it's the same set of issues, just a different execution of them. We've been told about how important it is to make sure none of the Chains end up broken, so we'll do our best to make sure that that won't happen while here.'' Naofumi said, Valiant nodding his head and continuing with the hero as they began to do any last-minute searching for anything they may find useful. ''But where are we heading first?''
The question lingered since they first set out from Canterlot. And. . .when it came to Naofumi he only had one thought when it came to the prospect of saving this world versus Melomarc, the choice was very simple. Valiant told them they would head to Yak-Yakistan, Home of the Yaks where the Paradox Chain of Ice resided. According to the dossier, Prince Rutherford would be awaiting their arrival, and from the sounds of it, Night Order may have already begun to infiltrate the land and sent the kingdom into a downward spiral.
''I only hope the Queen and everyone who doesn't have their heads up their asses will be ok. Who knows, maybe with me being gone, they'll learn not to be spoiled brats; they may even be able to summon another hero since I technically died,'' Naofumi told Raphtalia who agreed but worried more on what currently was going on with the Yak-Yakistan.
Melromarc.
The Sword, Spear, and Bow heroes stood(were pushed to their knees in shame and defeat) before Queen Mirellia. After being completely trounced by Fitoria, they were sent back to the kingdom to account for their actions in driving the only hope that the world had at a chance of survival.
''Help me understand one thing,'' Queen Mirellia sat on her seat, drumming her delicate fingers alongside the armrest, her eyes slowly twitching with each passing second. If she could crush this seat into dust, she would. But alone. The guards did not need to see their sovereign act so sloppy. She had to handle this with every fiber of her being and every ounce of her experience ruling for the years that she has.
Tact, Melty called it to her some years ago.
“Why is it that the three of you, along with my mentally challenged daughter and overcompensating husband have driven out the only hope that this world had for salvation?” Queen Mireilla glared and stomped her foot, the sound seeming to echo in the throne room.
“But, your Majesty,” Itsuki tried to plead with the Queen but failed as he clenched his sides and whimpered into the carpet as his cuts from Fitoria’s talons were sure to leave an ugly scar.”W-We-“
“SILENCE!” everyone in the room tensed and stared on with the blind curiosity of a lost animal. They dared not even breathe unless she commanded it. “I have heard you beg and cry long enough, and none of you refuse to acknowledge the truth, not even Sword Hero Ren,” Ren looked away and swallowed the blood that was in his mouth from his tongue being almost torn to shreds. “The only punishment fit enough can only be one thing.”
“A-And what’s that?” Trash also asked from his position on the floor, stripped of all his regalia and covered with small bleeding red spots from leeches latching onto his body in the lake.
Queen Mireilla simply chuckled and sashayed over to her less of a man husband, cupping his chin and smiling. Would it be the dungeon? Or public humiliation? Or-
“-The guillotine,” Mireilla closed her eyes, seemingly hurt by her own words. But she resolved herself. This needed to be done. “And this time, Naofumi will not be here to save you.”
Naofumi zoomed down the mountain, doing his best to keep his footing and body relatively in sync. For his first time snowboarding, Naofumi did rather good. At first, he had an initial doubt that riding his shield was something he could do without some form of injury. Even still, his Defense stat was maxed out, for the most part, so he doubted a fall would do a substantial amount of damage.
The snow-capped mountains seemed to swallow every part of his vision, the only thing that he was able to discern was Filo pulling the carriage along a trail that presented itself in front of the otaku. He told her to go on ahead versus trying to come back for him because he knew he could figure something out to get out of this situation. The cold of Yak Yakistan's borders certainly got to him quicker than he thought. From the looks of it, Filo would possibly just barely pass in front of him or pass after him as he would pass over the ridge.
''HNNNGH!'' Naofumi leaned over to the left, narrowly avoiding a tree as he fought to stay upright and not fall over. ''Just great!'' Naofumi yelled, fighting the ice forming on his eyebrows. How did things get this bad?
Earlier. . .
''Wow, so pretty,'' Melty commented on the scenery as the group traversed the terrain. The majority of the trip was relatively uneventful, though with the occasional stop to gather some items. The view of the wilderness and more rural areas on the way certainly gave a more rustic feel to the world than Melromarc. Melty had never seen snow, so the sight itself was something that captured her entire attention since the first few specks came into view. She always heard stories of the snow and how it looked, but actually see it and touch was something magical.
''Yea, you're still a kid,'' Naofumi commented, Raphtailia and Valiant snickering a bit as the princess blushed and puffed her cheeks out, the hood on her snow coat covering her eyes as she stared down the otaku. ''You've never seen snow in person?''
Melty ignored the teasing looks from Naofumi. She never had much of a chance to actually witness such a phenomenon since she was busy performing duties on behalf of the kingdom, and whenever snow was presented to, she never had much of a chance to be there whenever it was present. But the books did not do it justice. It was even more beautiful.
''Putting that aside-'' Valiant reached for the map in his saddlebag and looked over their current route. They would end up reaching the border in more than likely a few minutes. Filo certainly was better than even some of the better stallions that he knew could pull, and she seemed to have even more fun than he thought at doing it, too. She didn't even look tired after pulling for the few hours that they were on their journey. ''We should get there pretty soon.''
That sounded like heaven to Naofumi. He wouldn't say it out loud, but he was not the biggest fan of the winter wonderland they were, but for the reason, most may think. Typically, this time of year in Japan or any part of the world that received snow would always magically produce, in his honest opinion; idiots that either could not drive or do anything with the semblance of safety that should have come with the weather taking a cautious turn for the worst.
Many drunk or distracted driver has led to accidents occurring, only a select few nearly involved him almost getting killed.
So he stressed being safe when conditions often got bad; either that or the mixture of becoming The Shield Hero.
The road ahead was paved rather well from what he could see, and set up with wooden barriers every few feet. His guess was that this road may be one where accidents may occur, and that statement provided itself more as the party had to go uphill at quite a steep incline before reaching the top, the cold wind blowing against the cover of the carriage as they slowly crawled to a stop to admire the scenery.
For as far as the eye could see, white mountain peaks stood like buildings, the faint glow of the sun's rays blanketing the landscape as all sound stopped for the moment. The landscape appeared broken, and well put together as it took everyone's breath away.
''Remember, Filo; slow and steady,'' Raphtalia reminded Filo as she assured the demi-human she would be careful; she didn't want her friends and master to be hurt. But, Raphtalia still felt the need to tell her about what to do since she was known for being aloof at times. Truly, Raphtalia did love Filo with the love of a sister, even more so since she really possessed no family; Naofumi filled that role for the moment until she came along. Initially fighting with Filo over the affection of Naofumi was something that she did want to relent upon, but slowly she grew to deal with it.
Filo was now her little sister, and she would embrace the role by teaching her and keeping her safe the best that she was able to. She would be sure to let her know that once things were allowed to calm down.
''I got it, Raphtalia, don't worry. My claws are super strong! This silly snow won't be a problem!~'' Filo cheered, taking smaller steps and applying a bit more pressure as she stepped to ensure her metal claws dug into the ice and provided her with traction.
''So you mind sharing a little bit more? How'd the old fart get a hold of you guys? Can't imagine it was the best of circumstances.'' Valiant said, offering the group each a cup of hot cocoa as he heated the mixture up with his magic. He was not briefed on much before the group left, and while the sparring they did gave more insight into their skill, he had to admit he had never seen anything like Naofumi before.
''Man, where to start?'' Naofumi chuckled, rubbing the back of his head as he blew the steam from his drink. Mmm, it even had tiny marshmallows; that was a point in his book. ''The last world was. . .challenging to say the least. I really rather not go too far into it, but let's just say I didn't expect to die and end up here,'' Naofumi stared at his reflection back in his drink, noting the somewhat tired look in his eyes as his mind throbbed with uncertainty. Knowing that he died did little to boost his confidence from being away from Melromarc; he just wanted to leave there and go back home, not die and end up somewhere else, as much of an upgrade it definitely was over the other.
''Ah. One of those. Say less, you don't have to explain everything to me,'' Valiant said, waving a hoof as he pulled his coat around his body closer and sipped away, sighing in contentment. ''I generally can get a good idea of who a pony is from the things they do; actions are more valuable to me than your word,'' Valiant used his magic to bring forth an amulet he had tucked under his armor. His mood shifted as he circled a hoof around the amber encased around the small silver ring. ''I just want to make sure I can trust you guys to do what we need to do if things come to blows, that's all.'' the locket was tucked back in as Raphtalia spoke.
''Of course, I am Master Naofumi's sword, and as such I will never be far from Master Naofumi. I am an extension of him and will defend against any threat, no matter who or what it is,'' Naofumi's heartstring was plucked a tad as she thumped her fist against her chest in determination. His mind flashed back to the moment where she staked her claim as his sword and vowed to be at his side, in even the darkest of times.
''I am your sword!'' Raphtalia announced loudly, causing the Shield Hero to turn around and stare at her. She put a hand to her chest and cleared her throat as she continued. '' Wherever you go, I will go with you.''
Remembering those words in the arena when he was down and out during his battle against Motoyasu fueled him to push on and keep going. To see the small amount of good that existed in that world, to see the person who he thought would never abandon him.
And the person who loved him above all else and wanted nothing more to stand at his side.
And the person who needed him.
''I can vouch for her; she's saved my butt on more than one occasion, and I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her.'' Valiant looked at the hero as he spoke, looking to see the glint of power in his eyes. He stared for a bit longer, the beady-eyed look in Naofumi's eyes matching the guard's more critical stare as Raphtalia embraced the otaku in a one-handed hug.
''Hmm. . .'' Valiant said, tilting his head. ''Ok.''
''Ok?'' Melty asked.
''Ok, like I said. I judge pretty good, so I can take your word for it,'' Naofumi quirked a brow at what he said. To be so easily trusting and have a more positive track record of it working out certainly was a rarity. ''For now.''
''Filo!, How're things going out there?'' Naofumi asked, crawling to the front of the carriage, slipping past the supplies on the floor, and coming out on the bench to see the road ahead.
''Good, Master, I can see Yak-Yakistan from here!'' Filo pointed a wing to the far right, spying the kingdom in question becoming less and less of a spec as the snow crunched underneath her feet and the spiked wheels of the carriage. ''Can we eat when we get there? Filo's getting a little hungry.''
Patting her head and ruffling her feathers a bit, Naofumi agreed. Eating some grub did sound like the perfect thing to do. So of course that would be one of the few things that would be done after touching bases with Princess Rutherford. All in all, it seemed pretty-
''-Filo, watch out!'' Naofumi shouted, spying an object coming towards the carriage. Filo grunted as she made contact with the object, or rather it with her as she slipped for a moment, the momentum causing the cart to slide and contact a barrier, causing Naofumi to brace himself against the rein as he reached for it, or rather tried to as he missed the grip within an inch as he flew off the carriage, his body feeling weightless for a few moments.
''Master Naofumi!'' Raphtalia shouted, her hand reaching out but missing short.
''Craaapp!'' Naofumi cursed, contacting the snow with a semi-soft landing, tumbling and rolling down the mountainside, fighting to get his balance before sliding on his back.
Craning his head to see whatever it was that struck his carriage must have already retreated. But the more important thing here would be to make sure that he could survive this downhill slide. Grunting as small rocks assaulted his back, Naofumi began to growl and attempted to use his shield to slow down his speed only proved to do the opposite as he ended up flipping over onto his stomach and his upper body straddling the shield-like some kind of sled as he fought to get back up.
''What now?!'' Naofumi thought, a slanted rock sliding against his shield, sending him in the air once again as he felt a pop and his shield came off of his arm and his feet barely managed to land on it, his body swinging about wildly. The wind was fully in his face, causing him to shut his eyes for the moment. He figured he may as well only have one chance to save himself. ''Change Shield!'' Naofumi's man shield changed to the Chimera Viper Shield, the bigger surface area hopefully giving him more control.
This certainly was not the way he wanted to head to into Yak-Yakistan. The town quickly came into view as he passed by the carriage on the diagonal, zooming by and clutching the bottom on his shield as he dared to do something possibly stupid. Spying a patch of ice that looked to curve upwards just enough, Naofumu leaned to his left, crouching down and bracing himself for the jump. ''Hope this works!'' Naofumi zoomed off the ramp, the shield shredding parts of the ice as he soared over a few of the houses that were on the very outskirts of town and called for those walking about to clear out as he looked to have a very narrow window to land.
Once his shield hit the cobblestone, a loud scraping sound followed as sparks began to be created. Naofumi prayed his shield would not look too bad when he stopped. When it didn't appear that wouldn't happen as easily, Naofumi called upon an Air Strike Shield to stop his movements. He could at least say that he did good, to a degree.
''And you thought that would be good idea?'' Prince Rutheford asked the Shield Hero as he and his party stood before the prince relatively unscathed. Naofumi began to say something before he was cut off by the prince. ''Because it was! Welcome to Yak-Yakistan!''
Naofumi had to admit that he may never fully get used to having animals that are just as human as the average person. Filo, he long got over as they held a bond that would not go away.
The Yaks however, were definitely giving him German vibes from their bluntness. The last person he knew who was this straightforward off-hand was Raphtalia when it came to him. Prince Rutherford spoke in mostly choppy sentences, only ever missing one or two words for his thoughts to be complete sentences. Along with speaking in the 3rd person, the otaku knew he would have very interesting time with Yak-Yakistan.
“As Yaks were told by Wizard Starswirl, we prepared the best way we Yaks do,” Prince Rutherford as he, along with his other three advisors stood in the throne room, which was nothing more than a large hut inlay with bricks, wood, and concrete. It was put together rather well, and insulated against the cold outside with the help of cork and mud. “We also have prepared big feast for you and party,” Prince Rutherford said, the fur covering his eyes giving him an aloof appearance.
Naofumi accepted his invitation with grace and gusto but wanted to get down to the real meat of things. Namely, how long would they have before Night Order would be at their doorstep, and the state of the Chain Of Ice. “So, are the borders well-protected?”
“Mostly. Cold weather and high mountainside make travel and attack difficult. We have occasional avalanches, and that really is about it. Do you think Yaks borders are weak?!” Naofumi flinched back at the loudness of his voice. It reminded him of his own screams or declaration of anger. And something he did not want to do in another new world would be to make the wrong person angry.
If only to save his own sanity.
“No, no. We aren’t saying that at all. We just wanted to see if we could make them even stronger than before,” Melty said, chuckling nervously as she waved her hands back and forth. Those techniques to tone down a volatile situation were beginning to make more sense when she was on the receiving end of one’s emotional outbursts. “Surely having the borders be the strongest out of any kingdom can’t be a bad thing, right?”
Prince Rutherford hmmmed and held a hoof to his chin as he advisors whispered amongst themselves and Raphtalia and Filo were enjoying some of the milk that the Yaks were happy to provide as Valiant walked back inside from being shown the bathroom.
. . .
“Yes! You make sense!” Rutherford boomed, standing up and looking to the sky as Naofumi quirked a brow. He pointed to Melty before walking over and patting her shoulder. “That sounds like best idea ever, almost mad I not think of it before you. You sure you not Yak?” Rutherford bellowed a laugh like no other as Melty was folded nearly in half as he hugged her before sitting down again.
“So, Prince Rutherford,” Raphtalia said, raising her hand as the Yak pointed to he as if she was in a classroom. “We heard from Starswirl that there was a likely chance that Night Order may already be here,” Naofumi noticed the advisors continue their talking, but he noticed one of the Yak’s ears perk up slightly. It almost was hard to notice if he didn’t look at the right time.
Stomping a hoof on the ground, Prince Rutherford merely sat straight up and lowered his voice some, only enough for them to hear. Naofumi had hoped they would have had more time. “We have heard rumors of Night Order agent in the kingdom; who it is? We not able to say right away. Could be any of us,” a harsh undertone was present in his voice. He sounded very angry at there being a double agent or outright enemy of the kingdom.
“Any idea of where they might be?” Valiant asked, jotting down what the prince was saying. He figured the more information, the quicker they can apprehend the mole and keep the location secured. “Has the location of the Chain been revealed?''
''No. We no tell any Yak about that. Only ones who know are me, advisors, and Celestia,'' Prince Rutherford pointed when he seemed to remember something. ''We have feeling that in kingdom lies a traitor who know that the chain is here, just no know the location.''
''How do you know that?'' Raphtalia asked. One of the advisors came forth and began to speak. He was a bit smaller than Rutherford and was adorned with various colorful beads and jewelry. Upon his head stood a circular hat that contained various carvings of symbols. His dark blue fur and small eyes shone at the group as they looked at the Yak.
''We have heard reports of some of the routes that we normally have leading back into the kingdom to be vandalized before they ever reach the gates. We would attempt trying to find more information, but the list of who it could be is far too great for us.''
''And who are you?'' Filo asked, tilting her head to the side.
''Oh, forgive me! My name is Silver Mark, 1st advisor to Prince Rutherford,'' Silver Mark nodded and gestured to the other two, who were more or less of the same build and wearing the same garb, with the only difference being one was male and the other female from their voices. ''Over there is Rapid Shadow and Steel Star, 2nd and 3rd representative to Prince Rutherford respectively.
''And what exactly do you think we can accomplish? More so, Naofumi and his party?'' Valiant asked, sweeping a hoof to him and his friends. ''They may think we're more of the intruders than Night Order.''
''That is true,'' Naofumi thought, cupping his chin in worry and playing back the possible scenarios in his head. If there was to be a mole in the kingdom, they would almost immediately know something is up by seeing him and his friends; and if that were to happen, word could possibly reach Zenith quicker than what any of them would actually want.
''True, but we Yaks are typically accepting, or at least understanding of other species, namely the ponies. Granted Naofumi will possibly be something none of us may have ever seen, I would hope our citizens will be willing to assist in finding out who had betrayed the bond between self and country,'' Silver Mark handed Valiant and Naofumi a bag of bits. ''I would guess one place to start would be the local taverns and shops; the owners always seem to have some sort of information to help.''
''So, we're basically going into this blind?'' Naofumi let out an exasperated sigh. Yep, some parts of Melromarc was definitely present here. ''Can I expect any hostility?''
''Yes! Yaks are very much known for being quick to anger!'' Prince Rutherford bellowed and laughed. ''One time, I ran into wall by running too fast! So I fought wall, and what surprise me was wall fought back as well!''
''Uhhh. . .'' Naofumi looked at Silver Mark, who only giggled and reassured the hero.
''Walls are dangerous, what can I say?'' Silver Mark shrugged his shoulders and gave the group some possible leads on where to find out where the mole could be hiding. But, a better question that came across Naofumi's mind had to be what exactly was to be done with the mole once they found out who it was. While killing someone was not something that the otaku was against, he did not know how well it would play out in this world; would they be all for it, against it? Impartial?
However, with the concept of the world actually ending if any of the Chains are broken, perhaps a few measly deaths are something that could not be avoided. He certainly knew he wanted to kill pretty much anyone and everything that caused him the slightest amount of suffering when he was falsely accused of rape. When he was hung out to dry; like some kind of glorified demon that would be used for a political stunt to promote allegiance to the kingdom and the Three Heroes Church.
The thought made his blood boil.
''As much as Prince Rutherford may be correct, we do hope that would be the least of your worries while going on your investigation. Once we have located the mole and their true intent, only then will we focus our attention to The Chain; but rest assured. . .it is secure for the moment.''
That sounded good enough, given the present circumstances. It would be a bit risky to try and show the group the status of the Chain, as well as anything else that would have to be put on pause until the kingdom was secured of any possible threats.
''Fine, we'll get started. We don't want to draw too much attention if we can help it,'' Naofumi said as he stood up and secured his gear. Having everyone at once would just paint a bigger target on their back than one or two of them unless they split up. ''Filo, Raphtaila and Melty; I think it would be good if you guys just hung back here for a little bit; let me and Valiant survey the town and see what we can come up with.''
Raphtalia stood up, clutching Naofumi's hand as she warily looked at him. She didn't want to leave him by himself, even with Valiant. They were in an unknown land, with a different set of rules than Melromarc, and with the possibility of there being-
''-It'll be fine, you don't have to look so worried,'' Naofumi petted her head and ruffled her hair to which she playfully swatted his hand away and stared with a firmer expression. She wouldn't just take this sitting down. He pecked her forehead with his lips as she blushed wildly. ''I promise. . .I am stronger than the last time I really got hurt, remember when we killed our first boss monster?'' the words instantly made her remember how she almost lost her master because of her own fear. Seeing him hurt, defending her even with death less than a foot away, he still assured her that her life was more important than his since she was too scared to fight.
The look in his eyes and the sound of his pained voice still echoed in her mind from that day.
''Yes, M-Master Naofumi. It's just you know that I worry.'' Raphtalia said, her voice a little quiet as the otaku and Valiant ventured towards the exit. ''You understand that, right?''
The laugh that followed after caught her off-guard. It didn't sound mocking, just more playful and full of life as he held his side for a moment before he regained his composure. Flipping the hood back on the head, he flipped back the cover and walked out. ''I know, and that's what I love about you.''
L-Love?! H-H-He said love?!
THUMP! Raphtalia collapsed on the ground, chuckling and shaking like a kid on a sugar rush.
''Is she going to be ok?'' Silver Mark adopted a worried look as Raphtalia kept muttering about kisses and getting pregnant.
''Yea! Raphtalia is just in love with Master!'' Filo poked her sister with a foot to get no reaction. ''And she thinks Filo is so bad!'' Filo snickered, Melty doing the same.
Melromarc Dungeons. . .
In the dark, cold halls of the dungeons beneath the castle, a single torch illuminated the only cell spacious enough to accommodate the convicts of the worst crime to be ever committed in the kingdom. Each sat in their own space of the cell, as far away from the other as they could. The quiet swallowed any thought of speaking that dared come up. It was too long without speaking that it seemed almost taboo to say even a single word. The flickers of the torch's flame were the only thing that everyone could focus on. It's warm heat could not be felt from here. The cold floor, as well as the carved window that was too far for any of them to reach constantly blew cold air into the cell.
The atmosphere sucked, to be frank. Before long, their execution would come.
Two pair of steps echoed from the end of the hallway, one of the heels, the constant clacking against the ground getting louder with every step, as well as the sound of bare feet. Tap. Tap. Tap. Clack. Clack. Clack.
. . .
''Well, well, well. . .it would appear fate is not your side,'' the harsh words came from Fitoria as she stopped in front of the cell, laying a hand on one of the bars. Cold. But their bodies would be colder. ''I warned Naofumi what would happen if the 4 of your didn't work together, and I even extended that courtesy to the 3 of you before you foolishly decided to challenge my authority,'' another sword was formed of her Wind Magic, the design resembling Ren's sword. She pointed it between the bars and spoke again. ''I should slice the lot of you all in two. . .but your deaths being publically witnessed will quell any unrest that would come with your sudden disappearance if we did not do it this way.''
''But, honey,'' Trash attempted to speak, only for Fitoria to use her sword to blow a gust of wind in his face.
''If you any of you utter another word, I will just finish what Fitoria started. You are lucky I am taking the time to make this happen as smoothly as possible, but not for your sake,'' Mirellia harshly spit, literally spitting in the direction of Trash before he lowered his outstretched hand in shame.
''Then why. . .why?'' Bitch muttered, holding her knees to her face, shaking and staring at her mother. Her eyes long lost their treacherous glow as the gravity of what was soon to occur weighed on her mind. They would indeed. . .die. And her mother had no care in the world at all. Never before had she felt so alone, so betrayed.
Mirellia hmmped and turned around, Fitoria following behind as she dispelled her magic. Nothing else needed to be said at that moment. In each of their hearts, they had a decent idea of why she took the time to prepare everything, and it wasn't just to make sure there would be no loose ends or for it to make the kingdom look sloppy.
It was because of Naofumi. And that was something the five of them hated. . .more than anything else at the moment.
The air in the kingdom of Melromarc was certainly different than most other times whenever something important occurred.
''Death to the king! Death to the Princess! Death to the Heroes!'' the shouts of the citizens echoed throughout the arena that Naofumi and Motoyasu dueled in. Funnily enough, Queen Mirellia looked upon her subjects as they began to get riled up about the soon to be executed. The moment that she was able to produce an audience and show the kingdom the true nature of her corrupt family, as well as the so-called Legendary heroes, could not have come quickly enough. Her only regret during all this would be that Naofumi would be unable to be fully absolved of his accusations and see the looks on each of their faces as their life was taken from them with the least amount of effort.
It made her want to end their lives herself, but just a sliver of control stopped her. This had to be professional and be a display of power to her allies, and enemies.
''I know I was weak the last time this happened, I was. . .hesitant.'' Mirellia looked at the dagger that she nearly brandished when the first set of guillotines were cast up. Then, she did not fully understand the deeper meaning behind the cogs in motion at the time, but with Naofumi being dead did little; even with Bitch and Trash with their new names and the abolishment of the 3 Heroes Church failed to fully mend the pain that he, that she felt. In a way, she was happy that she was stopped at the time by Naofumi; her resolve would not be quite as strong as it is now if she laid down her life and begged for mercy for those who did not deserve even a passing glance. ''But I will do my best to ensure this will go smoothly, and that their suffering will echo as drums of war.'' a guard came to her, saluting and reporting to her.
''My Queen,'' the young solder took a knee and crossed his hand over his heart as he pointed his head to the fine lavender carpet that her feet delicately danced across. He would not dare look her in the eyes; not with the recent event surrounding the royal family. The Queen held a very strategic mind, though not to the same caliber as the former king, it was enough to make him think twice about doing anything that even resembled disrespect of lack of tradition. ''the platforms have been put in place, and we are eagerly awaiting your next set of orders, My Queen.''
The tone of his voice. . .it sounded familiar. Was this one that Naofumi confided in his quest for justice? Her Shadows reported everything to her, and more than once; a certain guard from her own ranks has been known to accompany Naofumi on a few of his quests and speak highly of him, even once throwing himself in the middle of a fight between Naofumi and Motoyasu with almost no hesitance. This soldier has a spark. ''You need not be so formal with me, soldier. Please-'' Mirellia touched his shoulder, causing him to tense. ''-please raise your head and look me in the eyes. I believe your name is. . .Ake, correct?''
''I-If that is what My Queen wants,'' Ake slowly stood and raised his head as he looked up at the queen. She wasn't terribly taller than him, but with those heels, it definitely made things a bit more intimidating the longer he stood there alone. ''Y-Yes, My Queen. Why do you ask?''
She was correct, well her Shadow was.
She gestured for Ake to take a seat for a moment, who only relented after furiously denying until a glare and firm now made him do otherwise. She merely wanted to get some information from the young soldier about what he was able to learn from traveling with Naofumi the few times that he had, and while she would not make this, in particular, a habit, she wanted to know his thought on today's agenda. A different opinion may just be one that she would need just to further sold what she planned. ''Tell me, please. What do you make of Naofumi's. . .passing?''
That was something that he was not ready to talk about, but his queen wanted to know, so he would oblige her. He couldn't still, even with the bit of time that has passed since being briefed about the death of The Shield Hero made him wanting to talk about it in any capacity all the more difficult. Naofumi was the model example of what a true Legendary Hero and just how a hero should be in general. A little rough around the edges, which he could understand but still good nonetheless. ''I. . .dodon't want to accept it. But I know that's the only option any of us who actually saw the good in him had; it's hard to think that he dealt with so much, and still resolved himself to be a hero of this world whether he wanted to or not and that I will never forget.''
Mirellia smiled, folding her arms in her lap as she listened. Could not have said it any better than herself, really. ''Thank you for that. I apologize if me asking you that was out of the ordinary. I just figured with you being one of the few ones that Naofumi held some level of trust in, I would only wish to extend my personal thanks to you and who has followed the same path that you were on in helping Naofumi adjust to this world.'' Ake looked over at his queen and chuckled nervously. She definitely still held that aura of regalness about her when she spoke but also held some child-like tendencies. He froze as she stood up and laid her hand on the table in front of her as she looked him in the eyes with a look that seemed to drain her with each second.
''My Queen, are you ok? Are you ill?'' Ake wanted to reach over, but could not. It would be. . .unwise. She merely banished the look from her face as she perked up a tad, but what she said failed to give any indication that her words and the look on her face were the same.
''I miss Naofumi; not just as The Shield Hero, but also as a young man. He has been done wrong since stepping into this world by my bastard of an ex-husband, and cocksleeve of a daughter. Oh! I apologize! Slip of the tongue,'' Mirellia apologized as she bowed a bit to Ake, scolding herself for getting too invested in the past, and giving him a bad idea about her. She never intended for that to happen. ''And. . .Melty. My youngest. Roped into. . .this.''
Ake slowly approached her, the shoulder that she put her hand on stopping him instantly as he watched her movements and eyes slowly close. ''I am fine. Please report back to your Captain with my next set of orders that are to pass on right away; I want the prisoners in place at 12:00 sharp, not one moment more. Is that understood?''
Quickly stepping back and saluting, Ake cleared his throat and sounded off with pride. ''My Queen, it shall be done.'' Ake excused himself and slowly found his way out of Queen Mirellia's booth. Breathing a sigh of relief out and sitting back down in the chair, she carefully massaged her temples and expelled almost all the air in her lungs out through her nose in one sharp exhale. She only had a few minutes to compose herself before she would address her subjects about what would happen. She remembered an old saying that actually held more validity here than any other time it would be used; fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.
''Ma'am,'' a Shadow reported in, craning her head over so slightly as she lowered her head to not directly meet her master's gaze. ''Everything is set in place, and we have received word from our neighboring kingdom, Siltvelt.''
Siltvelt? This early?
''Go ahead.'' Mirellia only wondered to see what would be thrust upon her plate.
Her Shadow unveiled a parchment and passed it to her as she unfurled it after peeling the wax seal of the Legendary Shield off. The message was not short, but she knew that whenever a letter was long, trouble would follow.
To whom it may concern, we of the nation of Siltvelt have reluctantly respected the majority of Melromarc's borders, and as thus we find this letter to be a small example of the steps we are willing to take to one day achieve lasting peace. The only issue that we find to take precedence before anything else. The recently minted Legendary Shield Hero, along with the other 3 Legendary Heroes have been summoned, without the consent of the other neighboring nations should be considered a breach of trust and out agreement. When it pertains to the matters of our kingdom, we only are looking for the interests of our own. As such, we demand the release of the current Shield Hero to our custody, as well as a call to the other countries to dispatch the Heroes to the respective countries that will undoubtedly reach out to you with their own declarations. If we are not given a response within the next three days, we will resort to force. -Kingdom of Siltvelt.
''Ma'am, the situation seems different than we expected. Perhaps we should withdraw the execution?'' Mirellia studied the letter in its entirety; Siltvelt, as well as the other kingdoms obviously held the power to give Melromarc problems. The idea of war coming to the nation repeatedly came up, especially with Trash's less than desirable tactics being used in favor of the kingdom when she was away, and the notion that current 3 Heroes would be able to defend against an army from different nations at once. ''It would make sense, for the moment.''
Mirellia sat there and made a look of deep contemplation that came with the letter's wording. It came too little, too late in her opinion. Even with the subpar approach, it would fail to stop what was already fated to occur. The second stay of execution would actually do more harm than good for her; she, without saying anything too much about the particulars, told them that death would be in the air, and it would be an event for the centuries. She would have much work to do, and even more further down the road when it came to repairing the tensions with the other kingdoms.
Sigh. If only she possessed more of the tact and knowledge that the ex-king, it would definitely be something that she would need to work more on.
''Ma'am?'' Mirellia's Shadow asked, hoping she did not talk out of turn. She could tell her queen was deeply contemplating the entire incident. It wasn't something to suddenly decide on the fly, much less one that affected the stability of an entire nation and its best interests. She rushed to deliver this before the demi-human messenger could without being heckled on the way to the kingdom.
The choice was already made to her as she closed her eyes and rolled the letter back up. She stood up and straightened out her dress and cleared her mind as she prepared for the show to come. And she would do everything in her power to make sure that this would not be interrupted. ''We shall cross that bridge when we come it,'' Mirellia peered at the guards walking them out. The crowd only got louder and louder with each step that each of them took against their will. The assortment of the guillotines that she had the guards positioned to resemble the rough outline of a star.
''As you wish, Ma'am. I shall continue to be vigilant and update you as things develop.'' the sound of her vanishing into the shadows sounded as she tilted her head down a bit and waited.
FWOOSH! FWOOSH!
''I see the time is nearly upon us.'' Fitoria landed in the booth as she ruffled her wings and walked over to Mirellia, her gaze picking up instantly at the sight of the Filolial Queen. ''Are you prepared? We will have to act quickly afterward if we are to save this world. Just know I will do everything in my power to assist you.''
It was good to have an ally and one that held regard for Naofumi in a bit of a higher position than those who wished the worst upon him. She would get over her fascination with Filolials for just long enough until things stabilized. It would be difficult, but everyone had to make sacrifices now and then. She would make sure not to waste this opportunity, or to go against her own word.
''Yes, I know. I am. . .ready. It's just a small part of me hoped that this would not have to happen; if only their minds were not clouded by judgment or pretenses,'' Fitoria looked at Mirellia as she wiped a small tear that trailed down her left cheek. It would be hard for her to recover from this. The clocktower in the distance sounded off at 12:00 on the dot, the sound slowly quieting the roars of the crowd. On the fifth ring, everyone was quiet. The time finally came. As if on cue, the clouds surrounding the kingdom finished their move into position, covering most of the sun's rays and welcoming the darkness.
Clearing her throat and extending her fan to the center of the arena, every citizen of Melromarc, whether in the area or watching from magical projection had her absolute attention.
''Citizens! I stand before you, Queen Mirellia Q Melromarc on this day most momentous. We are here to witness the punishment being carried out by possibly the worst criminals this land has seen since the beginning of our kingdom's founding. And to make matters worse-'' Fitoria walked over to her chair and sat in wait at the matriarch pausing to gesture to the criminals that were strapped in the specially made death machines, the drab and second rate cloth put together to resemble peasant clothing giving them rashes. By touching bases with the other kingdoms and their own methods for torture only made what she had the local blacksmith construct for each of the prisoners all the more sinister. ''-it comes from those who were sworn, expected, and given the privilege to guard and keep the interests of this fair nation in their best interests. But, as you see; power can indeed corrupt.''
That sparked a feeling of affirmation within Fitoria. She knew firsthand from the Shield Hero of previous times and to a degree Naofumi. Whether by choice or not; too much power will often have a bad effect on the individual's ability to control said power or to make conscious decisions and that was always was a recipe for usurping or death.
Whichever suited her at the moment.
The crowd only grew even more enraged, as a harsh barrage of whispers echoed out.
''We have the most despicable, ungrateful, and disgusting examples of royal power, as well as heroes gifted with extraordinary power,'' Mirellia said with spite in her voice, literally spitting down into the courtyard, hoping even the smaller bit of saliva would touch them. She wanted to yell; more than anything. But she would have to keep herself composed. This would not take too much time out of everyone's day, just enough to leave a lasting enough impression for the days to come and the future. She collapsed her fan and tapped the metal against the balcony with a sharp ting. ''Guards. Remove blindfolds.''
And that was just what each of the guards did at the moment, Ake being the one to undo the blindfold of the Spear Hero as he looked to be a bit crestfallen at what he had to do, but he knew in his heart that this was the right thing to do; to a degree. The light stung each of their eyes since they were blindfolded and escorted out from the dungeons all the way to the courtyards, their protests, and threats of what would happen if they were not released doing little to those she ordered to ignore any and every word that would come out of their filthy mouths.
The restraints they were currently bound to offered little to no room to move. When the five of them could see properly, their shouts/protests were laughable.
''Mother! Why are we like this?! What is this, surely you're kidding? R-Right?'' Bitch looked to see a long piece of reinforced wood take up her vision. Craning her eyes up as far as they would go, she nearly fainted at the sight of the guillotine's blade. It was painted blood red and looked wickedly sharp. She wasn't sure, but this one looked higher than the last one, which would only give the blade more power to carve off their heads like butter.
''I kid you not, Bitch.'' Mirella responded flatly, narrowing her eyes. She knew having them to face their own death literally would also spike up the fear factor, but to also ensure an even and clean-cut, she opted to have the bases reinforced even more and the height raised to compensate. Nothing at all would stop this from going astray like it did the last time. ''This is the punishment for the life that each of you has decided to live, and there was plenty of time before leading up to this that you could have used to correct your mistakes, but you did not. Thus, I could think of no better way to tie off loose ends, and to make a true example of those I thought I could trust.''
''Myne! Are you ok? Where are you?'' Motoyasu fought to get free, only resulting in him getting tired and giving his neck a much-needed chafing. His arms and legs were also bound, extended out at his sides as if he was going to swan dive, but failed to move past the inch of wiggle room that was provided. ''Why is this happening?''
''Come on, stop playing dumb,'' Ren said, his breaths coming out in harsh exhales as he fought to calm himself from the feeling of entrapment. His eyes began to dart back and forth, possibly looking for a way out. When there was none, he sighed and attempted to level with the Spear Hero, who had less than stellar intelligence and common sense, possibly even before coming to this world. ''We. . .did this to ourselves.''
''Indeed you did, Ren,'' Mirellia responded as she was able to hear him clear as the day. The sound amplification spell made it so that no word, no matter at what volume uttered would escape her ears. If they were going to die today, it would be with the utmost set of rules to promote honesty. ''And I would also mention that in your small lapse in time before coming here, I instructed my mages to give each of you, except for Bitch as she already has one; a Slave Crest. Call it. . .extra insurance.'' Fitoria watched with a very critical eye. She would not miss an entire moment of this.
''What gives you the right to do this?'' Itsuki asked, daring to tempt fate by speaking. He knew this would only be a misunderstanding that-
''-I am the true power of this country, contrary to what my ex-husband may think,'' Mirellia stated with venom, causing Itsuki to swallow his words for the moment. So fiercely. She sounded like she didn't even want to hear anything that he had to say about the matter. That ticked him off a bit, causing him to grit his teeth. ''I will decide what rights are to be given if there is evidence of misuse of trust and power within these walls. And you three are certainly no exception.'' Itsuki could feel her piercing gaze on her as she effectively shut him up. ''We will now begin.''
''B-Begin what?'' Trash asked, his long hair blocking some of his view from the little that he was able to see. Everything just seemed to be going downhill, and all because of that damn Shield.
Fitoria then spoke, throwing some of the citizens who were glued to the scene for a loop when a completely different voice sounded in the midst of the conversation. ''Your trial. The verdict has already been decided, but your queen wanted to afford the chance to at least admit what you did before you are all put to death.''
That didn't make any sense. What were they being put on trial for? This had to be some kind of propaganda constructed against them to help bolster the aid of the sham of a Shield Hero. Yes, yes. That was the issue. Possibly one of the cursed spells that Naofumi, no doubt cast on the crowd to make them think that they indeed were the wrongdoers in this situation.
It only made the most sense.
''I will only ask three questions, and worry not; it will not be for each of you,'' Mirellia chuckled. It would not take much for them to crack, especially her daughter. ''Answer correctly, nothing happens. However, answer wrong and you will wish for me to personally come down and end your suffering myself.''
''W-What's worse. . .than just killing us?'' Motoyasu asked, actually seemingly the slightest fearful. Something began to slowly dawn on him, but he could not quite piece it together at the moment; the sight of a blade of death only held up by a rope somewhat took precedence.
Fitoria and Mirella both answered, only adding to the severity of the situation. ''Answer wrong, and you'll find out.''
''B-B-But, why?! Why?! WHY??!!!'' Bitch thrashed back and forth, shaking the guillotine a tad, the slight give of the blade moving back and forth doing little to calm her nerves as she wanted the truth. This was unfair! This was not the way things were handled, and this!
. . .Was. . .
Her fault?
''I am done speaking. The time for asking is now. If I pick you to answer the question, you will answer it, or you will just die, right then and there; it is of no consequence to me. But, since I am in a mood for fairness, I will ask the one out of all of you who probably has the best chance. Ren. I ask. . .no. Order you to tell what why you lot thought it would be in the best interest of the kingdom to but your own selfish interest ahead of ours? Why you caused so much destruction wherever any of you went? Why you killed.'' Mirellia's words would have carved a hole into him if they could. It left no room for error, and even if the tone of his answer was wrong; it would not be good.
''I-'' Ren was cut off by something else that occurred to the queen.
''-And know that if you lie, not only will the Slave Crest react and violently shock you, that will be instant death for you and I will have your remains fed to the pigs and maggots to make fertilizer for. I just wanted to make sure that you know that.''
''What the?!/How is any of that-OOF!'' Itsuki and Bitch was struck in the face with the butt of the nearest solder's swords as they hollered in their face about remaining silent unless the queen asked them a question or if they were the former Sword Hero, which not even Ren was anymore, barely in name.
Ren felt the sweat run through his hair and droop off into the basket that would, no doubt hold their heads. He was between a rock and a hard place, or more literally a blade and wood. Where did things all go so wrong for them? This wasn't what being a Hero was. He fought himself as he felt the gaze of everyone on him as he was made the star of the show for the moment.
It was funny, really. Never had he thought he would go out like this, but something, be it his own conscience attempting to save him or some form of god telling him on what to do and say not have something like this happen.
In a twisted sense of the word, he listened; but only to what he wanted to be known.
It took more out of him at the moment than he would care to admit, but he knew in his heart that he was right in saying this. ''We. . .treated it like a game. A game we thought if we worked hard enough at, that we would come out on top. . .'' Ren's head would have sunk more if it was allowed. He was caught.
Fitoria and Mirellia quirked a brow. The very notion of it being a game was something that neither of them had ever heard. The lives of the people that they were sworn to protect being used as some sort of game to gain experience and fame? Was that how far the depths of their own depravity went in defining their own character?
Naofumi told both of them that once they were truly given the choice to speak freely, that it would shock them to hear what they knew to be true about the situation that they were in. It failed to give him any surprise.
''Well,'' Mirellia said, standing up and looking at Ren, who had closed his eyes in defeat. The Slave Crest did not react. ''It seems you did know all along; from the very beginning of what atrocities you were committing and the part that each of you played in Naofumi's slander. I expected more out of you, Ren. I truly did.''
''How is any of that-'' Trash attempted to speak only to be silenced by a blast of Wind magic that hit him like a glove. Fitoria's hand lowered and she glared at him with the purest look of anger that most turned to look away from.
''-I remember her saying that she would ask the questions and unless you wanted to have a guard strike you in the face,'' Fitoria gestured to the queen who looked a bit happy at how quickly she shut him up. ''Continue, please.''
The crowd, from her account, began to get restless, they would not be able to contain themselves for long. The last time this happened, the air was a bit more civil, and while she did not want to take chances, she wanted this last question to be known.
And known by all.
''This will be the final question as I have grown tired of being cut off and undermined like you all do not seem to understand that I am the one who literally has all of your lives in my hand,'' Mirellia's voice began to pick up from a gentle speaking voice all the way to a shout that was very much unlike her. But it fit the situation. And any who had even the slightest of problems would answer to her. If they failed to even get something like this wrong. . .
She would not be surprised.
''Answer me this,'' Mirellia long cared to get this over with, but with this question; it would make what would happen afterward all the more wonderful for her and Melromarc or worse for the five of them. ''With everything that has happened; do you regret anything that you have done when it comes to Naofumi? Do any of you feel any amount of guilt? Do you even care?''
She didn't need to hear their words. The sounds of their pained screams in the air told her all that she needed.
''. . .Citizens of Melromarc,'' Mirellia raised her hand and everyone turned their eyes towards her. ''You heard it from their mouth, and as such, this will come to a close. Guards, attention!'' the soldiers snapped to the position, their backs perfectly erect and hands by their sides as they stood unmoving, waiting to hear their next command. ''Ready swords!''
SHING! A wave of metal unsheathing rung through the air like needles on a chalkboard. Each sword lay down by their sides, the tip an inch from touching the ground as they held firm. The weight of the blade seemed to call out to Ake a bit, as his arm began to tremble some. He would perform his duty. Even if he didn't like it.
''Aim!'' with a quick upward lift, each blade reached to heavens, the gleam of the silver being the only thing that held any true color that remained pure, even in darkness. Each guard took their position by their assigned prisoner, the rope that would release the blade being presented to them as an irresistible flame.
And they were the moth.
"Please! Don't! NO! MAMA! MAMA! PLEASE SAVE MEEEEEEE!!!!!~'' Bitch cried out, her face stained with tears as her body shook with fear, the look of the blade being raised nearly made her faint as she pissed herself out of fear.
''MYNE!'' Motoyasu called out.
''YOU CAN'T DO THIS!'' Itsuki yelled out.
''I AM THE KING OF MELROMARC! YOU DARE ATTEMPT TO TAKE MY LIFE?!'' Trash yelled out more than the lot of them, prompting to the crowd to continue their previous yelling.
Ren was the only one who resigned to his fate.
''DEATH! DEATH! DEATH!''
''Strike!" Mirellia yelled out, her voice resembling that of an animal. They would receive their just due. The guards swung with all their might, thwacking against the wooden barrier as they severed the rope. Each blade seemed to fall in slow motion, every beating of anyone's heartbeat almost following along with the descent of the blade.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Release from this life would be sweet.
Except it did not come.
. . .The crowd went silent. The blade made contact with something, but it was not a cutting of the flesh sound. Had it failed only partly severed their heads? The citizens had looked to their queen to see her. . .laughing? Mirellia was shaking with the vigor of a child on a sugar rush, clutching her head with a free hand as her laughter overshadowed everything and everyone.
The confusion on everyone's faces but the guards and Fitoria was questionable. Had this been-
''HAHAHAHAHA! You really didn't think I would not have a little bit of fun for the last few seconds of your pathetic lives?'' Mirellia listened to the sound of Motoyasu, Bitch, and Trash having a mental breakdown, be it from almost choking on their own spit from the shock, babbling incoherently, or have a borderline seizure from the way that Bitch's guillotine was shaking more than the others. Upon closer investigation, the first blade was stopped on purpose by a brace, harmless sitting above the neck by a good four inches.
On top of the contraption stood a secondary blade.
''Second strike! May you rot in the deepest parts of Hell for your sin!'' Fitoria watched as the crowd began to go ballistic, cheering even more at the guards who took up their position again, striking a second rope that let the true blade travel unabated. The screams soon died out as each blade made quick work of their victim, cutting the head from the body within a second and dropping into a basket with a dull thump.
And then, there was silence.
Yak-Yakistan, Silver Fur Tavern.
Naofumi stopped as he and Valiant were about to walk into their 3rd tavern for the day. They hadn't found many leads. They hoped this one would be a good push in the right direction. Valiant saw him pause for a moment and his body begin to shake and shiver some before settling. ''You ok over there?''
Clutching his hand that calmed down from shaking, he answered the guard. ''Yea,'' Naofumi smiled, feeling a bit more invigorated for a moment. He wasn't sure why, but he liked this feeling. ''Just got a feeling about something.''
''Anything bad?'' Valiant turned to face him as he walked over closer to the otaku.
''No, I think for once. . .this is a good feeling. I think it's a very good feeling,'' Naofumi walked ahead as Valiant shrugged his shoulders and headed inside with him.
Valiant opened the door for the pair, the harsh wind instantly flowing into the room and assaulting the faces of the patrons. Hearing the protest of a few, Naofumi quickly shut the door behind him as the whipping wind outside was cut off. Facing the inside, this bar certainly looked to resemble a bit of the one that the otaku favored in Melromarc. Four torches spread out in the corners of the tavern provided just enough light. The smell of alcohol and smoke was present in the air.
''One of the nicer ones,'' Naofumi slowly walked down into the tavern's sunken floor, noting the Yaks that were spread out drinking their mead and engaging in shouting matches and slamming their grooves on the dark oak wood tables. He continued on forward, looking to the barkeep in the center square counter. A few of them cast sideways glances at him and Valiant as they continued ahead, the clicking and thumping of their boots and gear being the only sound that filled the air since they walked in. ''Are you Pagus?''
The Yak in question turned around, setting down the tool he was using to keep the kegs locked as he locked eyes with the pair. ''Depends, who, or more importantly; what. . .are you?'' Naofumi huffed once again as the auburn colored Yak narrowed his eyes and sized the pair up. Same with the other two, who were initially skeptical, but not enough for any hint of prejudice to be present. Their mission of going to find more information about the possible mole inside the kingdom did not yield much, and they did want to do too much to possibly reveal their intentions, so this one would make or break their investigation without any further consideration on what to do next.
''Just a pair of traveling adventurers, we heard there may be some trouble going on here,'' Naofumi said, Pagus scoffing and pointing at the pair. A few of the patrons got up and left, the scrapping of their chairs against that the aged wooden floor screeching and scrapping as more came and went.
''We have about as much as a problem as the two of you being here,'' Pagus inched closer.''We Yaks don't want problems; at least not ones we know we can't handle. And I shouldn't even be caught talking to either of you.''
Valiant quirked a brow, hoping what the Yak was not saying what he thought he was. He had enough of hearing that kind of stuff from his days in boot camp; ponies not being as appreciative of diversity or just plain being hateful towards other species or those not quick on the uptake as the rest. It sickened him that any species could racist and feel little to no remorse. ''You're saying you only speak to Yaks then. That right?''
Pagus handed the pair a mug of some pale yellow liquid. The smell was strong, and the vapors made Valiant's eyes tear up. It smelled like. . . some kind of fruit bomb. When he reared back and looked to Naofumi, he looked to be unaffected, as if nothing was placed in front of him.
''What I said, ponyboy-'' Pagus poured himself a bit of the liquid in a shot glass and drunk some, harshly hissing at the burn that rushed down his throat and the wave of heat that settled in his stomach. ''AAAAHH! That's the stuff! What I mean is that we typically only trust Yaks or those we choose to trust. And as of this point, you are neither. The race of either of you are is irrelevant, at least to me.''
''So, how can we get you to trust us?'' Naofumi asked, looking to see Pagus roll his eyes and chuckle. ''And what's this?''
''Lychee and peach mead, it's a stable of the town. It's one of the stronger drinks we have, and mostly only Yaks can handle it. If you can stomach a mug of the stuff, I'd be more willing to talk to you,'' Pagus gestured to the mugs with a bland expression. Nothing else looked to sway him until the pair took his offer.
''A drink? That's how we can prove ourselves? A drinking contest?'' Valiant looked at the cup, not believing the proposition that the Yak put in front of them. A simple drink enough should be nothing much to do in order for Pagus to trust them.
Pagus laughed a bit, catching the eyes of a few patrons that soon settled down once he did. Something told Naofumi that this would be more than what he aimed to make it out to be. ''You say that now, but I have heard stories of the few ponies that almost ended up passing out or getting severe poisoning from a few sips,'' Pagus said, tapping a hoof to the barrel behind them. ''This stuff could possibly kill you if you don't have a good tolerance; we Yaks do, however.''
Valiant and Pagus continued to bicker back and forth about the drink as Naofumi took a sniff and swirled the drink around, there being a slightly syrupy consistency. Opening his mouth and taking a drink, it flowed down his throat and some of the drink coated his tongue for a moment before following with the rest. Mmmm.
''This actually ain't bad,''Naofumi thought, smacking his lips and frowning a bit when his cup ran dry. He noticed the conversation between the pair pick up a tad, with Valiant attempting to sway the argument in his favor when Pagus began to point out the flaws of him objecting to him wanting the pair to drink with the possible risk of them being poisoned or worse.
''-And another thing-'' Pagus pointed to Naofumi. ''-your friend here-wait. You drank the whole cup?'' Valiant stopped his mouth from making the next thought that was about to come out before looking at the otaku who presented the mug to Pagus completely empty. ''How are you not on the floor right now?''
Naofumi shrugged and took Valiant's mug when it looked like he wasn't going to drink any of it. ''It's not as bad as you make it out to be; it's more like really sweet peach juice.'' Pagus looked dumbfounded as he began to down that mug as well.
''Well, turns out you can trust him,'' Valiant snickered as Naofumi finished that mug as well, being completely unfazed. ''That good enough for you?''
Pagus was not convinced so easily. He figured maybe that he was using some kind of magic to dull the effects or something. Even some of the less experienced Yaks ended up getting hammered just after half a mug, and here he was just downing the stuff like no tomorrow. Trickery, he thought. And for him to have some. . .travelling hero or whatever he claimed to be to just strut in and act as if his drinks were nothing was the equivalent of him being disgraced, and that was one thing he not known for.
Luckily, the main drink that would put him on his butt would have yet to arrive.
If he could handle it.
''Well, it looks like you can manage that, but I'm still not convinced.'' Pagus smugly said, casting a sideways glance at Valiant. ''And I mean, most of us Yaks aren’t lightweights, so it shouldn't be too surprising. If you can take what I got next for you, I may be a bit more willing to hear you out.''
''You said this one though,'' Valiant replied in a lowly tone, tapping his hoof on the counter.
''Do you want the info or not?'' Pagus asked simply.
''Fine,'' Naofumi waved a lazy hand back and forth as he took off his hood and got comfortable. How bad could another drink be? ''What else you got?'' Pagus went over to another barrel used a key to unlock the tap and pour out a mixture that was a deep red and even smelled stronger than the previous drink, the scent almost hitting Valiant in the nose and causing him to shake and cough violently as Naofumi only quirked a brow and munched on some of the peanuts that were set out in a nearby bowl. ''And what's that?''
''Idrium Rum. This is way stronger. The alcohol content is pretty high.'' Pagus noted the looks of some of the Yaks looking over after smelling the drink being dispersed and the smell emanating in the air. Great. He would have to keep more of an eye out for any unruly Yaks looking to snag a drink if the opportunity presented itself.
''H-How bad?'' Valiant held his nose in his hooves, shying away from the counter.
''About 78%. And that's exceeding what's normally allowed by Prince Rutherford for the masses every so often, so I often refrain from doing this without giving a nod to the advisors to let them know, but I think I can take a chance here. Just don't come crying to me if you have issues after.''
''Aren't you supposed to care about your customers when selling them drinks like this?'' Naofumi titled his head a bit and wondered. Pagus's response struck a chord within Naofumi that actually made a lick of sense.
''If you're choosing to make a choice like this when it involves your life, it's up to you to be careful. I only intervene when needed.''
Huh. . .that was. . .a bit of a skewed way to think.
Pagus poured the drink in a shot glass, filling it to about almost half before setting it down in front of Naofumi and looking at the otaku, challenging him silently to take the drink. At this point, he could care less about the money; he wanted to prove this smartass wrong.
Valiant dry heaved but managed to wipe some of the drool that began to run down his mouth as he looked to Naofumi and touched a hoof on his thigh. “Y-You don’t have to-COUGH!-do this.”
Taking the drink in one hand and casting a look just as equally challenging to Pagus, Naofumi smirked and downed the whole glass, completely uncaring of what would happen. Mmm, this drink was more of a fruit punch flavor, with a bit of fizz to it as he smacked his lips and saw his reflection in the liquid once he paused halfway to stop and close and eyes and down the rest. “Ahhhhhh. . .”
Pagus slammed a hoof on the table in retaliation, still unbelievably miffed at what Naofumi did. Was this kid some kind of natural alcohol distillery or something? That was his strongest drink he had on call, and he. . .just chugged it like water.
Again.
The mirth in Naofumi’s eyes seemed to shine brighter than even the purest of lights; he knew he was second to none when it came alcohol drinking; his immunity did at times make it suck a bit that he couldn’t get drunk even if he wanted to, but the more he thought about it, the less he would actually want that or Raphtalia tearing into him.
A few of the patrons began to look on with mild interest, noting what had transpired; Pagus was getting his just deserts and he looked to be absolutely suffering every second of it as he grit his teeth so rough, nearly all of them were sure that it would only take the slightest mistake for him to crack his teeth.
And Valiant soon found himself on the ground from the fumes, drifting in and out of consciousness, babbling to himself.
“You think you’re hot stuff, huh?” Pagus asked, nearly turning red with anger.
Naofumi didn’t want to embarrass the Yak, at least not any more than he already did, but he did need what he came here for, and the quicker with the fewer eyes, the better. “I drunk both of what you wanted, and I think I proved myself, haven’t I? We just want to know if anything’s been going on here, is all.” Naofumi held his head in his open palm, slowly using his peripheral vision to check his surroundings the best he could.
Pagus wanted to see just how far this kid would go, he wanted to salvage his pride; no Yak, Pony, or whatever came through here and treated his drinks like bottom shelf. He worked hard to establish himself, and while none of them spoke now, he was sure the others would begin to talk and claim lies about his business, his livelihood, his everything. But it was something. . .in the kid’s eyes.
That told him otherwise. He dared to question it, but a nagging feeling in his head told him not to. At least not now.
“Ok, look,” Pagus whispered, writing something down on a piece of paper, playing the action off as if he was reaching for something underneath the counter. Ugh, he knew he would probably regret this. ''You didn't hear this from me, but I have heard some commotion going on down by the port, and I do mean commotion.''
''Like?'' Naofumi asked.
''Not sure, but the only thing I know is that a few of my boys end up reporting about a few hooded figures during the night. According to them, it would be quick; shakedowns for anything they could get their hooves on and leaving as quickly as they came,'' Pagus moved forward to collect the empty mug, leaving the piece of paper right by Naofumi's hand in the process. ''Be as good as a place as any to start.''
Naofumi stood up and began to gather Valiant after setting some bits on the counter. He had to ask this. ''Why trust us so easily? We could be with those hooded figures. You never know.''
Pagus rubbed his chin and nodded. He did have a point, but so did he. And he wouldn't just do this for any Yak or whatever came through his tavern doors. If he could take his strongest stuff to the head like it was nothing, it would definitely be something that earned his respect and ire to a degree. Why was he doing this, really? He owed them nothing, but there still sat something that gently nudged him in the otaku's direction. He. . .couldn't quite place it.
''Why do any of us do the things that we do? It's a mystery.'' Pagus said, merely shrugging and cleaning up the area the pair sat at. ''Plus, if you are those figures in question, then it only helps me to protect my business more by having the two of you taken care of if you end up slipping up. Plus, I've taken a bit of liking to you, kid.'' Pagus chuckled, still trying to wrap his head around what he had done. ''What's your name, by the way?''
Taking his time to help Valiant stand up, Naofumi stared up at the Yak and simply responded. ''Call me The Shield Hero.''
The waters of the Svoya Sea were, on average, calm this time of year. But ever since the recent moves by the small settlement of Dragons from the South and their use of fire in the surrounding regions melting the lesser icebergs slowly brought about change. The crisp, salty air flowed the sails of the ship, directing it towards its destination. Once again, the same route as always proved to be the best, cutting down the journey for those weary who would come from all corners of the world.
''Make sure we have all we need for the small stay here, crew!'' a loud voice boomed over the sound of the rushing water soon coaxed the individual out of their thoughts. Staring back at the many distortions of the night under the day that would soon turn into night, and it always became a sight to behold every single time; the untold, fragile beauty of the natural world.
It would be a shame for anything to disturb such a natural wonder.
Hmmph. Over their dead body.
''Aye, Aye, Captain!'' the crew shouted back, running back and forth between the frigate, ensuring everything on the ship was in the best shape that it could be so nothing would make docking anymore difficult than it would need to be. This journey was certainly a long-awaited one, but also not for leisure.
It's been ages since any trip was for leisure, but the experience of traveling to and fro had to suffice. Well, no matter. The ship was beginning to set anchor, and more of these thoughts would better be discussed on land. . .and with who they were truly sent to meet.
Nearby.
''Nothing so far,'' Naofumi whispered from his semi-crouched position. The pair had chosen to wait just before the cover of darkness would be upon them in order to minimize their chances of being noticed. The otaku only hoped that Pagus's tip about the docks would not turn out to be false. ''What about you?'' Naofumi asked Valiant, who covered their rear, his eyes scanning the entire small mountain that spanned up from the coast side, not seeing much if he had to be honest. Having an alert eye and steady ear would be their bread and butter for now.
''Not much, remind me again why we don't have the other 3/5ths of our team here?'' Valiant actually knew why he would want lesser numbers in a place that was unfamiliar; to minimize issue or surprise, but that would also be a negative to them as this was in a completely different land for the both of them. Naofumi's plan so far seemed. . .unorthdox, to say the least.
And Valiant actually liked that, most of the time.
''We're just doing some light recon. We can't just rush down there without having an idea of who might who, and if they know where The Chain is.'' Naofumi said, digging his boot into the snow a bit more to get a better grip.
Valiant held a mildly curious look as he tilted his head and looked on. ''And how does this connect The Chain to Yak-Yakistan?''
Naofumi had the same question when they first set out to current position, and it actually begun to make more and more sense the longer he went and thought about it; seeing as this world was definitely in the period of time of carriages and simple locomotive trains, travel was something that had to be planned out.
One such thing that he knew that was the most unreliable from his studies in college and of Earth told him that ship travel was one of the things to be more left up to chance than anything. Yak-Yakistan sat near a major body of water that led further into other lands, so monitor the seas for any possible attack on a different nation by sea would be crippling.
“It’ll connect, trust me. If Night Order is here, they may try to secure the waterways for their approach and escape,” Naofumi continued to peer at the ship that just finished docking. “Pagus said he’s heard of trouble of goods being stolen, so it may be that those supplies are being used to further their efforts.”
Valiant huffed, a valid point. “Still nothing?”
The crew of the ship began to walk down off the plank, a few Earth Ponies carrying a few wooden barrels while a small group of Yaks began their own approach to the group. They appeared to be talking for the moment, gesturing here and there to the barrels before remaining still for the moment.
Drat, he couldn’t see all that good from here, and he did not want to compromise his position behind this rock.
Wait a minute.
“Change Shield,” Naofumi whispered, the familiar green glow over taking his vision for a second before it died down, revealing one of his lesser shields, which he almost questioned why it even existed, until now.
Valiant noticed the light and turned around quickly, looking to see Naofumi sporting another shield, only this one looked very strange. “The fuck is that?”
Naofumi wanted to laugh as well, but the Spyglass Shield was able to make a debut. He did also think it looked weird, from it’s overall shape of a aged golden spyglass stood up all the way to the almost comical lens that stood dead center. “What’s going to help me see what’s going on down there better,” Naofumi thrust the shield forward a bit, the lens shrinking and jutting outward as it was surrounded in the metal of the shield. “This thing views like you were right next to the person.” Naofumi said, scanning the group and barrel.
Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary at first, but he wondered what were contained in those barrels.
“You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?” Valiant clicked his tongue, shaking his head. “Next you’ll tell me you have kind of trump card if we’re in the paint.”
Naofumi’s flat stare from the guard would have merited a small laugh, but was the time the right one? Should he tell him?
“Mmmm. . .Nah.” Naofumi thought to himself. It would make for a better suprise, and also he still had to be a bit wary about revealing every little thing about him and his party, friend or not.
Smack!
“What was that?” Valiant tensed, searching around the pair, Naofumi using his shield to zoom in on what happened down by the ship. One of the Yaks looked to smack the Pegasus captain directly in the face, the force making him stumble before one of his crew caught him. The Yak wrapped in a tan cloak moved forward, pointing a hoof at the Pegasus, then his ship and finally the barrels and back from where they and their companions came from. “Sound like a bad deal.”
Naofumi couldn’t hear much, but he figured Valiant could. “What are they saying?”
Flopping his ear, Valiant focused in on the conversation. It was certainly a heated exchange based on the body language, but something he could make out towards the end that caught his interest.
“You brought a passenger? Are you mentally ill? Because only an idiot would bring any creature that is not part of this exchange, Captain Fleet!” The Yak sounded very angry, betrayed almost. “I don’t pay you to export these goods to other lands and quadruple their profits for nothing. If you jeopardize my endeavors any further, I will see to it that you and Pony Jones’s locker meet very soon.” Naofumi continued to look at the Yak who looked very upset.
“That’s not good, their voice is distorted, so it’s kinda hard to tell,” Valiant told Naofumi, who tried to get a better look of who was talking. “Pagus was half right; Yak-Yakistan’s getting ripped off, but it looks like by its own citizens by flipping the product for a higher product if they sold it themselves.”
“Smart.” Naofumi replied, nodding in approval.
“Wait, what? You’re cool with them doing this?” Valiant asked, hoping Naofumi was joking. Weren’t heroes supposed to be. . .selfless and neutral, or whatever Starswirl spat in his face about the topic.
Naofumi, however did not find any problem with what they were doing, for the most part. A lot of counties often up selling products off at a lower price with an agreement for someone to else make a bigger profit and reap the dividends after paying their part to the middle party.
It may be a bit much and somewhat unethical to some for whatever reason, but money makes the world go around. Just as long as people don’t immediately die or greatly suffer was good enough for him. Looking back through the lens with a watchful eye, he replied. “Just being observant from a business standpoint, is all. But what else are they saying?”
“Well, you haven’t been paying me all that much, or even providing me with enough merchandise to make the profit you desire, sir,” Captain Fleet pleaded with his supplier, sweeping a hoof to the barrels that his crew brought. “We had to return two units because of complaints. And to make matters worse-“ a stroke from his hoof to white slowly whitening bread brought a wave to him as he paused for a second. He wanted to approach this with the upmost tact.
The last time he talked back, he lost a tooth.
“I can barely afford to pay my own crew, and they have families, and their own issues to handle. What kind of leader would I be if I don’t take care to those who put their trust in me?” Captain Fleet looked on in wonder as his ‘boss’ looked unimpressed. “I. . .barely have enough to maintain The Calypso, and I pretty much make squat running back and forth for-MMMPH!”
Valiant winced as Naofumi looked on to see Fleet be essentially mad handled by the Yak, shaking him like a rag doll before tossing him to the ground, his crew instructed beforehoof not to do anything, should any aggression be present. It would be over before long.
“Listen to me. . .I have promised you all of the money you could ever want, but I only told you that under the condition you do what is asked if you,” Fleet rubbed his sore cheek as he looked on quietly, silently fuming in the inside. “Things change, and so must we. Everything each one of you has been shorted will be paid back, in due time. But, we have a. . .problem.”
“What’s that?” Fleet asked, hoping he wouldn’t be crossing the line by a simple question.
A exhale of a breath and the rearranging of their hood came before. “We have visitors, asking questions they should not be, and they may catch wind of what we are doing here. And as such, we will be ceasing operations for the time being. Tell our mutual friends that, from me.”
Captain Fleet tensed. Tell? The customers? E-Even?
“He won’t be so happy to hear that, sir.”
“And you think I care why? You report to him, not me. My own tail is covered, my friend. It is you who needs me if this goes awry in any way.” Captain Fleet frowned and looked at the ground at those words, knowing they were final. “I do expect you to be swift with our message, and give our kindest regards.”
Naofumi instantly knew what they were talking about. Them. He had a good feeling that he would be heckled, even in a new world. He obviously didn’t have a lot to go on with that. And the better question would be who that particular Yak was, and who they were referencing.
“What’s the play?” Valiant asked. He had personally heard enough of the exchange, and wanted nothing more than to go down there and give that Yak a piece of his mind. But that was the young him, and he couldn’t really afford to do such a thing.
Princess Celestia would have his head so quick.
Naofumi pursed his lips and thought. Just going down there wouldn’t be the best course of action, especially not with them being so close to the water that something could happen. But before he could form another thought, Captain Fleet was pushed aside by the Yak, intent on releasing his wrath on the other object of his aggression.
“And where is this so-called passenger of yours? I do hope you know that you just doomed this traveler. Any not of us in this exchange will promptly die,” the Yak ventured onto the ship as his two follower did the same, watching around the cargo that was skewed about on the deck.
“Come on out, sea traveler. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your life took a turn for the worse when you decided to get on this boat, of all boats. I will promise, if you come out now, I promise to be-OOOF!” a figure zoomed straight into the Yak, knocking him off his hooves and on the ground with a sickening crunch.
Captain Fleet and his men looked on with suprise. “Mmmmlh! Mmmmph!” Naofumi angled his shield over the ship, unable to see much except the Yak holding a hoof over his mouth as his friends were switfly tackled and stomped on, the unrelenting fury of strikes becoming too much for them before a final buck to the chin took them out of commission.
“What the? Who are-“
“-Don’t worry about it, Captain. You and your crew are safe, I can tell you’re not doing this because you want to, but I can sure as hell see what this really is.” Naofumi spied the figure to be a pony of some kind, once again hidden by a black cloak. She was female, that much was for sure from what Valiant told him. She seemed familiar to the Unicorn, but what was it?
“What was that about killing me?” the figure looked back to the Yak who sneezed and spat a few of his teeth out.
There was a fire in his eyes, Naofumi could feel it. That burning rage inside of him that wished for release. He almost wanted it to be free. But the pain he was feeling out shadowed that.
“Oh, sorry. Guess you can’t speak with what I did. But I know you can listen, I don’t know what your deal is, but I don’t care about your little smuggling ring; I have bigger fish to catch,” the figure unfurled her wings through the holes in her cloak, nearly blasting off like a rocky into the night sky, her silhouette soon melding into the darkness as she disappeared, a dark blue streak of what looked like magic following her.
“Whoa.” Valiant said, mystified. He now knew who that was, where they had met, a few times before, but only just. “I think I know who was; Storm Song.” Naofumi quirked a brow at the name. Storm Song? Reminded him of that American movie about a mermaid girl. What was it called, again?
“We should care about her, why?” Naofumi asked, looking on at the dock to see the aftermath of what Storm Song did. Captain Fleet and his men looked visibly confused and scared while the three Yaks were in bad shape.
“Starswirl’s ex-wife, otherwise known as the Storm Pegasus.”
“Have the preparations been seen to?” Queen Mireilla asked her guards who stood at attention the entire time they gave their reports in the throne room. Today would be the only day they would be afforded this chance to summon a new set of heroes. . .to summon the true protectors who would defend the world from the outside forces that wished ill will, and above all else. . .
Properly honor Naofumi’s memory of carrying the kingdom on his shoulders the entire time he was sent into this cruel, cruel world.
“Yes, My Queen; everything is just as you ordered it to be, and the spell is ready for use,” Ake looked on as his Captain gave their grace the report she told them to when all was said and done. “We also have taken the precaution to steer any citizens away from the immediate vicinity of the castle.”
Good. Now this way, nothing unexpected would happen that she didn’t account for. Summoning the new heroes would definitely be something that could not be interrupted, no matter what. The smallest disturbance could result in any number of issues from the hero not being summoned properly to it reaching the wrong person.
Her fingers absently rubbed against the gold armrests of her throne, the feeling being second nature as she could tell every small imperfection, groove, dent or chipped piece of precious metal. She would have to do this quickly, so to not provoke the other nations who were suddenly dead set on obtaining a Hero for their lands, as the Waves Of Calamity grew fierce and the number of deaths grew more and more.
It still gave her a migraine that her idiot ex-husband made the colossal mistake of summoning all of the Legendary Heroes; if it had been one, she wouldn’t have been quite as upset, versus stripping the other nations of their chance of some salvation.
But, any positive of this situation would be that he would make a fine fertilizer for some Heirloom tomatoes.
“Thank you, guards. You may return to your post.” Queen Mireilla said, slowly closing her eyes for the moment. She was tired; not just mentally, but physically as well. Having the best coffee in the kingdom did little to perk her up, especially when she detested such a drink; but it held its benefits nonetheless. “I cannot wait for this to be over with, goodness knows we could all do with a break.”
Fitoria sat on the throne next to her; silently paying a watching eye to the mages who went back over the summoning circle to make sure that there were no imperfections that would hinder the process in any way. She would be inclined to agree with the ruler, but even she knew better. A few of the lessons the previous Shield Hero imparted onto her before his passing was one she put her best foot forward in practice.
”People in charge don’t really get a day off; if they did, everybody else that depends on them will probably be lost. . .but that doesn’t mean they’re gonna work forever. Someone else will have to take up the mantle sooner or later.”
She remembered that one all too well; alongside being strong and having the power to stand up and to never settle for what you have when you can’t strive for so much more.
That’s why she beat that lesson into Filo; she would have made a fine successor for her once her own time came; but alas, the incompetence of the other 3 Heroes made that non-existent.
Fitoria signed, slumping in the chair after she stretched out and yawned. She only hoped this next batch of Heroes would be better than the last. And more importantly; she wanted each of them to have the resolve, the courage, and the common sense of Naofumi, or else they may all die. “We can only truly rest when we’re either dead or someone else has taken our job.”
Mireilla quirked a brow and looked to her Filolial friend. What would compel her to say something like that? The both of them had plenty of life left in them, and she was more than certain that between the two of them, as well as the new Heroes and the help of the other nations, they may just be able to change this world for the better, if only just. “What makes you say that? I believe we can enough change with the time we have.”
Fitoria shook her head, not disagreeing with her, but seeing the idea in a different way. She wouldn’t understand it quite yet; she hasn’t lived as long as Fitoria has, so it would make sense her thoughts were still young, in a sense.
She was the same all those years ago.
''When you lead a country; you often leave the extent of your rule to the people underneath your command. Everyone answers to you and takes in your 'opinions', but ultimately take their own course of action when carrying out the overall mission.'' Fitoria said, thinking about the numerous Filolials under her watch, and how they chose to do most of the different things that helped the mission of continuing life.
''How so?'' Mirellia asked.
''The damage that was caused by the other 3 Heroes will take years, if not decades to fully be eradicated from the public eye; regardless of if we are alive or not. The people we put in charge of what we will entrust them to do when we are gone will be just like us; they can, and probably will make mistakes. And we will have to have faith they understand said mission,'' Fitoria chuckled a bit at how much she's matured over the years; most of this stuff would be something Naofumi would say.
Mirellia hmmed, cupping her chin and absorbing the information. ''I just hope this next batch of Heros will be able to cooperate on helping the rest of the world in helping the trouble we face,'' the thought of Naofumi came to her mind as she began to play the possible events through her mind of how the world may be saved by the Legendary Heroes.
The thought of the Shield Hero still was a wound that was still fresh. As far as either of them could see, Naofumi held the highest regard out of the 4 of them. He was unafraid of taking risks, faced down countless monsters, devised plans that yielded fairly good results, and even managed to unlock a level of power unheard of to most.
All while being unwelcome into this world.
''The Three Heroes Church and Trash did conspire to make life in Melromarc for the Shield Hero a living hell, but he endured,'' Fitoria saw both entities as one and the same. Being forbidden from Class upgrades, sup-par or next to no service for dining, the leisure of rest, and just exploring the kingdom was indeed difficult for the man who they each knew very briefly. ''You've already disbanded that organization, have you not?''
''Indeed,'' Mirellia said, as she thought of the vigilant work her Shadows did in obtaining information. Had they not been there, a plot to kill Naofumi by outside means would have surly been enacted by Pope Biscas. The man's devotion to God drove him to orchestrate the plot to ambush the Hero in a moment of weakness with a replica weapon that had the ability to copy the Legendary Weapons. ''Any immediate problems that may have been set to arise have been swiftly taken care of, now all we can hope to do is do things the proper way. Prepare the incantation.''
''Didn't Trash do this exact same thing? Shouldn't the other world powers be present here to witness this?''
''You're right, but we do not have the time afforded to us for all of the other leaders to come to Melromarc. The last Wave that Naofumi died in was more vicious than the previous ones, and waiting for them to come around may be the very thing we would hope to not happen.''
''And how will this time be different?''
''Because-'' Mirellia sighed, rubbing her armrests again out of habit. ''I will dispatch each Hero to where they are needed, and without preferential treatment to our own kingdom,'' Fitoria watched as Mirellia watched as her mages looked onto their queen for their next command, a silent hurt in her eyes that cascaded down to her legs that shook a tad as she put on a brave face for her subjects; she would have to in this times of uncertainty. ''And I miss her, by the way, you know. Melty? I. . .miss my baby girl. I can't get her back, even if I tried; she was only 10.''
''Mirellia, I-'' Fitoria stopped talking when her friend gave her a silent hand to stop talking.
She had to get this out, or she may never muster the courage to pull it out of her and say it before it was pushed away to the back of her mind. ''I couldn't protect her; I couldn't protect Melty. She had so much life in her, a great future that I had put in motion for her so she would not have to worry about much, but just like that. . .gone. I couldn't even tell her how much I loved her the last time I saw her, and that's something I will regret for the rest of my life.''
Fitoria knew about loss and on more than one level. The previous Shield Hero who raised her was the biggest loss that she could remember; the second was the memories that she couldn't. As she told Naofumi that night she laid her head in his lap, she regaled him with a bit of the information that he either asked about or would need to know. One such would be the potential that Filo had to surpass even her with enough time, but also how it would be partly for not as Filolials have short memories, so she would have possibly ended up being one of the strongest beings ever, only to just be power and no technique.
And forgetting her Master would be something else. She hated the vague memories, she hated the times she was so close to remembering what his face looked like, only for it to be a blur in her mind. It aggravated her to no end.
''It may not mean much, but I understand how you probably are feeling now. But I think you know that you can't break down and cry about any of that right this second because there are bigger things to worry about now, but know I am here for you.'' Fitoria said as Mirellia passed her a glance for only a second, but told her all of what she needed to know with the glint of tears plotting to come out any second. Thank you.
''Do you regret letting her go with Naofumi? Do you blame him?'' it was a bold question, but one the pair both wanted to be known. Did she truly blame Naofumi for anything that went on? Even though the whispers throughout the kingdom may have seemed. . .ludicris at best, there still existed a certain air to them that made one listen, but just. The good that one man did in the stead of an entire kingdom was always something that she took into consideration the longer she thought about it, and also, her now-dead daughter's previous thoughts on the matter.
In a way, if she accused Naofumi, she would also be accusing herself.
“No, no I. . .don’t think I can do that. I would be a hypocrite if I pinned all the blame on Naofumi; I sent Melty on those missions on my authority. All those times l I thought she was doing good, but I feel that I may have accelerated what happened. D-Does that-“ Mireilla whispered, her breath hitching in her throat as she looked at the summing circle with tear-filled eyes. “-make me a bad mother?”
Fitoria didn’t want to overstep her bounds and answer her, it was too personal for her own taste, as well as being something she would have to iron out versus Fitoria handling it for her. The pain that a mother feels over her child was one of the strongest feelings in the world.
Fitoria must have taken her silence as whatever answer she viewed it as and pushed onward with the summoning; everything was set in place, after all.
“I apologize; we should be getting this underway before long.”
“Understood,” Fitoria said, using a bit of Wind magic to whisper a phrase into Mireilla’s ear that upon contacting her, made her crack a small smile.
The mages took their place right in the summoning circle, using their tomes to bring life into the drawing of lines and symbols. A bright blue light illuminated the throne room, making the pair shy away a bit until it died down. Voices began to whisper from the circle, some sort of foreign tongue being uttered every few seconds.
“Come forth, Heroes of Legend!” Mirellia observed the lead priest shouting at the top of his lungs, holding his hands up in offering as the magic flowed from him and his followers to the circle.
After the longest time, nothing had happened, making Mireilla wonder if the spell had worked at all. The throne room was dead silent, and only after a few more tense moments, did something happen.
The symbols on the circle began to catch fire, blazing away all of the hard work of the mages and burning the pristine carpet. Thick blankets of smoke filled the air, swallowing the clean air and blinding everyone. The heat was immense, and the flashes of light that sparked from the epicenter carried distorted voices along with it.
“What is happening?! Put out the fire!” Mireilla panicked and coughed, trying not breathe in the smoke.
“As source your power, I command you. Decipher the laws of nature and quench my target in a wave of the seas,” Fitoria chanted, her hands clasped together and her mind focused. “Zwiet Water Wave!” Fitoria summoned a monstrous wave of water that helped to quench the fires before they grew to be too unmanageable.
The hiss of flame and steam rising in the air did little to deter the Filolial Queen. Holding her ground until it was done, the room began to reek as the mages who were nearest were severely burned.
Mireilla hopped out of her seat, intent on checking on her subjects and to asses the damage caused. What had went wrong with the spell? Did they not have enough magic, the wrong incantation, what was it? “Is everyone ok?” Mireilla covered her mouth with her dress and attempted to filter out the toxic air.
After having some of the windows opened to help funnel out the smoke, the thoughts of what went wrong was the only thing on Mireilla’s until something caught her eye at the middle of summoning circle. Though vague, due the heavy smoke still being present in the air, she was able to make out a silhouette.
“Come on, we can’t let him get away!” Naofumi hopped over another crate, almost falling and slamming face first, but a quick roll with the momentum helped to stay upright.
The chase was on.
“How can a Yak be this fucking fat, but so agile; I don’t get it!” Valiant panted as he used his magic to move the crates that looked to be too tall to vault over. He had plenty of questions that he really wanted to have answered, but the most relevant would be why Storm Song was here so soon; and without backup, no less. This Yak didn't have much when it came to speed on account of the trouncing Storm Song gave him, but he made up for it by navigating the docks with such ease.
In the chaos, Captain Fleet and his shipmates left, taking the barrels with them as the pair worked to chase their only possible lead.
''Damn it!'' Naofumi came around a corner a bit too quickly as his footing gave and he slipped, running into a woodpile. His legs ached and the snow and dirt covered his back as it spread over his entire being. He could faintly make out the shape of the figure hopping on a few crates in the hope to gain higher ground. Valiant came speeding around said corner as well, using his metal grips on his hooves to slid to a controlled stop by the otaku.
''You ok, kid?'' Valiant asked, adjusting his helmet so it would remain tight. ''I think I can catch up to him,'' Valiant frowned a bit as Naofumi laughed.
''It's fine, I got this,'' Naofumi thrust his hand out and angled his shield facing upwards as the gem on his shield glowed. ''Air Strike Shield!'' Naofumi's green shield shot outwards towards the Yak, catching off on the side of his body as he tried to climb up another crate before sending him to a long descent to the ground. A plume of snow and wood shot upwards, the sounds beginning to rouse some of the drunkard Yaks or those who slept near the docks. “Shield Prison!”
''Question,'' Valiant asked as he helped Naofumi up, his face displaying an unimpressed reaction as the green ball of interlocking shields stood still. ''Why not do that the second he ran?''
''We stopped them, that's all that-watch out!,'' Naofumi pushed Valiant out of the way, the figure of a shadow landing in the spot where the pair stood a moment ago. Another figure crashed into Naofumi's shield, pushing the otaku back as he growled, barely managing to hold his ground. ''Get back!'' Naofumi summoned his Chimera Shield, using the snakes to strike at the Yak in the neck, the thrashing that followed after frantically picking up with each second until the Yak's body tensed and the light in his eyes slowly began to ebb, soon slumping over on the ground.
''Ahhhh!'' Valiant summoned his war hammer in a flash of magic, the small symbols of the head and star-shaped spike bathed in his magical glow as he poised to strike, his faster instincts managing to make the difference as he swung, catching the unfortunate Yak by the temple with the head, knocking him down as he came back with vengeance, managing to buck into the guard, catching him across the face with a hoof before another Air Strike Shield appeared, providing space between the pair.
''You bastard!'' the Yak cursed, wincing at the dent that formed in his head, slipping once he attempted to step forward, adrenaline rushing through the pair's veins. Naofumi prepared to step forward before Valiant turned the hammer on the other side, the spikes facing the Yak as Valiant swung in an arc, every second appearing to take an eternity as the Yak’s face deformed on impact, tearing through tough skin as the Yak fell for a final time.
Blood began to look out of his open wound and onto the ground as his eyes, opened as wide as possible stared at the night sky.
“Hwuah, take that, prick,” Valiant took a step back, panting and setting his hammer down for the moment as Naofumi gazed at the attacker, and instantly came to the same conclusion he knew his partner did.
“You killed him.”
“Yea, kid; either him or me,” Valiant hocked some spit in an off-direction, gingerly rubbing his chin. “And I prefer living, if it’s all the same with you.”
Naofumi defended his point. “We could have gotten information out of him before you did that.”
“That wasn’t the priority.” Valiant bluntly said, looking at Naofumi as he stared down the otaku. “Surviving was a bit more important.” Naofumi hmmped and looked at his own victim. The sound made Valiant challenge what he knew Naofumi tried to say without saying. “Look, kid; you ain’t no saint either; your guy’s dead too. Sometimes-“ a sigh came from the guard as he sat down, all sound around them seeming to ebb for a moment. “-sometimes, you don’t always get what you need, and we have to improvise.”
“I get that,” Naofumi said, agreeing with his friend, but he knew that wasn’t the whole truth of why he wanted to stake his point. “But we-“
“-Have you killed before, kid?” Valiant’s question came as a bit of a suprise.
“Yea, but I-“ Naofumi was cut off again by Valiant who swept a hoof in front of him, making his lips go flat and his eyes narrowing.
“Have you actually killed another creature with sentience?”
Naofumi instantly thought back to when he was the one to kill Pope Biscas; that was a situation that was unavoidable as he wanted to kill everyone who he deemed to be impure or of little faith. The kill was justified; he was a terrible person to have even been born, if half of the thing he heard about him were indeed true.
And then there was the immense, immeasurable hatred to kill all those who wronged him from the very first moment in Melromarc.
And, if he didn’t know any better; Glass.
“Yea, I had; another human like me, possibly two, and there even was a time where I wanted a lot of people dead for things that happened to me, but I don’t see how-“
“That’s cause the way you see things are flawed; that’s not entirely your fault, you just haven’t been accustomed to digging graves and putting some creature in them, in a manner of speaking,” Valiant thought back to a few of his less than spectacular moments where he had to make a choice, often times in front of very young witnesses who eventually rose up to enact revenge.
Only to fall in the same pit as their parents, friends, or whatever relation. . .without fail.
“You probably think how I handled that was brutal; but I can assure that that was probably the least messy I’ve ever had to do one away.” Valiant said, rubbing his head as he felt a headache coming from thinking too much. He hated discussing the past, as it reminded him too much off her, of his own failure, and the pony he once was that he swore to never be again. “Something tells me that you just had that lingering on your chest, I know the face of one playing the part.”
Naofumi tried to argue the point, but grew to understand that what Valiant said was right, and that he merely found a moment of uncertainty. He never did like killing, at the end of the day, even if he grew somewhat numb to it.
But it was a necessary evil to escape from the shackles of wrongdoing by others and his way of making things final.
“Look, I don’t expect you to understand right away, or get over how fierce I handled things if you feel that way, but we have more important things to worry about; we need to find out who our friend is, what’s in those barrels, and where Storm Song went,” Valiant used his magic to store his hammer again, beginning to drag the bodies off to the dock. When Naofumi stared at him like he had grown a second head, the thought came to him. “Don’t worry, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
“Cross the bridge? How do you think this looks? Prince Rutherford might not share your positive attitude if he finds out we murdered two of his people.” Naofumi said, walking alongside Valiant.
“In self-defense,” Valiant replied.
“Only issue; who do you think will believe the visitors who just got here?” Naofumi’s question made Valiant think for a moment, tapping a hoof against his chins as he dropped the current body just shy of the edge of the dock.
“We have Pagus; he’s a Yak. And Storm Song, if we can find her.” Valiant pushed the first body. “I gotta feed the sharks.”
Naofumi pinched the bridge of his nose, only wanting to know one more thing. “Why dump the bodies in the water? I’m sure someone will come looking for whoever these two are.” Naofumi watched as Valiant shrugged and finished pushing the second body over with his head, whispering little encouraging words under his breath the whole time. “Wait, what did you say?”
Valiant looked back at the otaku, smiling. “I said I gotta feed the sharks, I gotta feed the sharks,” Valiant chuckled at his own morbid sense of humor. Naofumi looked very confused, the next set of words that attempted to come out dying right in his throat. “What? Some creature will love me for me, at least I hope so.”
“You’re one in a million, Valiant,” Naofumi chuckled at his partner; who was a bit rough around the edges, but so was the otaku himself. He saw a lot of himself within Valiant, but to what extent was good or bad remained to be seen.
“Damn straight.” Valiant replied, a smug look of knowing on his face.
Raphtalia stared at the flame in front of her with a lazy eye, watching the wax on the candle slowly melt with each passing moment. Oftentimes, things would sate her boredom included Master Naofumi; be it farming for exp, cooking, or even having her hair cut.
Though she wouldn’t admit the last one openly.
Prince Rutherford was gracious enough to have the group put up in a modest wooden house, complete with beds, insulated walls, and a fire bath. The entrance long dried from their shoes and boots tracking snow in, all the way to the padded chair that Raphtalia sat in, admiring the room.
If only Master Naofumi could be here to enjoy it with her.
“Hey, Raphtalia, come join us in the bath; the water’s really nice!~” Filo exclaimed as she came out of the bath, steam trailing off her body as droplets of water hit the floor. Maneuvering around the raised circular covering that housed the cauldron for cooking, Filo bounced up and down in excitement at all the little things that they were provided. “There’s even bubbles!”
“It’s fine, Filo; I’m waiting for Master Naofumi and Valiant to come back,” Raphtalia huffed, returning her attention to the flame.
Fill pouted, also wondering what was taking her Master so long. He was missing out on all of the nice things the Yaks gave them. Filo often had a knack for reading emotions, even young as she was; she tell Raphtalia was worried. She was too; but she would be a big girl and but on a brave face. For Raphtalia, for Melty.
And for her Master.
“Huh? What are you doing?” Raphtalia asked, the younger girl ensnaring her in a hug, not particularly minding the gesture. Filo did hug pretty tight, however.
“. . .Big sis, you can talk to Filo. Filo will listen, even if I don’t understand everything you might say, but Filo cares; you know that, right?” Filo sounded unsure of herself, but still felt the need to say something. She was trying her best to be a good girl.
Raphtalia stood up and returned the gesture, noting the surprised look as she pet her hair with one hand. It was nice; having a support channel, other than Master Naofumi; however small. And Filo was probably the best person right now to be that channel.
“Thank you, Filo,” Raphtalia said back, kneeling down to her level as Filo’s eyes looked to gloss over a tad. Any tears that almost came out were wiped away by Raphtalia’s hand. “I can be your support channel, too. You can talk to me about anything, and no matter what; I’ll always love you,” Raphtalia gave her sister a chaste kiss on the forehead as she giggled.
“So will you bath with Filo and Melty?” Filo wondered, a look of playful innocence in her voice.
Fitoria and Mirellia looked on with hesitation at who just arrived. The spell certainly succeeded in summoning someone to this world. They did not know, however, if who was summoned would be as worthy and powerful as a true Legendary Hero.
If they would be anything close to Naofumi.
''Did everything go accordingly?'' Mirellia looked at the head priest who managed to avoid the flames to question their work. Indeed, did they summon a Legendary Hero, or was it something to be possibly worse than the previous ones. Fitoria finished expelling the last few ambers as the magicians who used their mana were attempting to be tended to after using everything they had to perform the ritual.
''We shall see,'' Mirellia spied the figure move forward past the thin veil of smoke to present them a male figure that fell on the floor, using their clothes to masks the fumes. ''Are you ok, Hero?''
The figure coughed and slowly began to stand up, revealing it to be a male. Something that instantly drew the attention of the pair was the striking similarity to one of the previous Legendary Heroes. His blue eyes managed to stare back at the monarch, who looked shocked to see him there. Did he know this woman? Was he supposed to?
''Define ok, and I'll get back to you on that,'' Fitoria also paused her thoughts to stare upon the Hero who instantly made her brow furrow and a sword of Wind Magic form in her waiting hand as she leaped forward, raising the blade above her for a downward strike. She barely missed, the instincts of the Hero being a tad sharper than hers, even with the deterrent of the smoke. ''Whoa! Careful there, little mama.''
''Why are you here? How are you here? We killed you!'' Fitorita shouted, pointing her sword in front of her at chest level, crouching down to prepare for another attack. The Hero stood up, brushing himself off and steeling himself as he narrowed his eyes as he got into his stance, keeping his arms close and angling his body off to the side slightly.
''Fitoria, wait!'' Mirellia shouted, her friend paying no attention to her words of caution. A swipe of her blade came diagonally, narrowing missing the boy's hair as he veered to the left, launching the palm of his fist into Fitoria's side, sending her tumbling a bit before steadying herself. This person had good instincts and showed that in his quick, but effective attacks that Fitoria managed to redirect or block at the last moment, but this level of skill was comparable to Naofumi, and even her past master.
''Little feisty there, aren't we?'' the boy joked, balancing on his toes, mockingly. Fitoria flung her sword forward, expecting some form of resistance to direct it away so she could plan her next move. He used a spinning jump kick to flick the sword off to the side, almost impaling a magical who was getting treated for burns within an inch of his life. ''Nice try, but-''
''As source of your power, I beseech you. Unravel the light of the stars and blind my enemy in a wave of light; Blinding Aura!'' Fitoria shouted, a massive wave of light, shooting out in a cone of light, instantly striking his retinas and weakening his defense followed by the massive shout of pain that followed with him laying on the ground and rolling around.
''Arrrrgh! You bitch! What did you do to me?!'' the boy shouted, clutching at the ground as he launched a magical spell without the incarnation, the words filled with the anger of being embarrassed by this. . .woman getting to him. ''Zweite Aqua Freeze!'' a flash of blue light appeared above his enemy, quickly enveloping her in a wave of water that soon began to freeze her from the legs up. A burst of her magic through the cracks and over her body blew away the water, the frown on the male's face betraying the look of still etched into his eyes as they slowly healed. Fitoria readied herself again. ''Round 2 then, bi-''
''Enough!'' Mirellia commanded, her voice piercing through the sound of combat as both combatants looked at her. It was times such as these where she greatly appreciated her aura of command and personality that made it relatively easy to defuse most situations. She would have to get this under control before anything rash would happen. Well, anything more. ''How is it you have escaped death? Your head and body were burned, and there should be no trace of you left,'' Mirellia raised a finger to the man who was soon surrounded by the guards, their blade interlocking and forming a circle of death around his neck as he stood there, watching and waiting to see what this crazy woman was talking about.
''I'm as alive as day, what are you talking about, lady?'' the boy announced, his mood instantly going sour once his would-be adversaries used their blades to trap him for all of two seconds as all of the blade tips broke within a second of him finishing his last word, the shards and large pieces nearly impaling those around him as he walked forward, the soulless look in his eyes betraying the rockish attitude he held earlier. ''And if you ever try something like that again, I will stick my foot up so far of each of your asses that it’ll be an interpersonal relationship.''
''You dare talk to us like that?! We are the elite of Melromarc!'' Ake's Captain shouted, not liking the tone of voice this punk had, nor the fact that he broke their swords so easily and was beginning to galavant around as if he owned the place.
''Elite wastes of space is more like it; I wouldn't even let you shine my most dirty pairs of shoes, I give that little of a fuck about any of you. But you two-'' the male looked to Fitoria and Mirellia eyed him with a cautious glare. ''-have caught my interest. Why am I here?''
Mirellia cleared her throat and spoke, noticing the lack of visual attention on her from this individual, but more so on Fitoria as she explained. ''We were in the process of summoning the Legendary Heroes to this world to help stave off-''
''-The Waves of Calamity, right?'' the male's small grin surprised the queen who would have thought that kind of knowledge about their world would be lost on a Hero who was summoned from their own world. But, there definitely was something familiar about him, and the way that he fought did attest to her theory that he may be more closely related to this land or one of the many others, but she had to be sure.
''Yes, and how do you know about something about that? Were you not summoned from your homeworld or land?' Mirellia asked, the male throwing her a curious look. Did this woman no have a shred of a clue who he was? What advancements have been made in his name? And what the price for being disrespectful would get them if they did not resolve to fix their issue immediately.
''Of course. . .I did come from this land, after all; though not this exact land. It would be hard to not know the Waves by now, even if they are given different names from time to time.'' Fitoria watched with an attentive eye as he came a bit closer to the two of them, Mirellia giving a hand gesture to quell the guards from taking any action. He stared down Fitoria with an almost primal hunger, noting her wings and how she didn't wear shoes, all the way to the small details on her dress. ''You know me, don't you?''
Fitoria nodded, wanting nothing more than to kill this man herself. The fact he was even allowed to walk after all of the things he has done as a disservice to this world was unforgivable; it would take every ounce of her willpower to not act on her need to inflict pain and make sure he stays dead. ''I don't know how you managed to come back after we literally made sure you were no more, but I will make sure you stay dead this time, Motoyasu,'' Fitoria said, her wings jutting out a tad as she clenched her fists in restrainment.
The male looked absolutely confused at that name; Motoyasu? What kind of name was that? Was she speaking some kind of different tongue that didn't know about? Now he had questions. ''Before you decide to do anything you think you might regret; answer this for me; who is Motoyasu?''
Mirellia knew it. Something did indeed seem off once they were able to ascertain what he looked like, and him saying helped confirm her point as if Motoyasu had indeed come back in any regard, she would be sure that he would possibly have some kind of semblance of remembering that day when they were all exposed to the blade that ended their lives.
''Then what is your name, and where do you come from, Hero?''
The male put a hand on his hip, the other straightening and tightening the bandanna that was beginning to come off. He picked some of the ash out of his blonde hair and struck a pose. ''Hero is beneath me; you can call me a god, and my name. . .is Takt Alsaholn Faubrey.''
''Faubrey? As in the kingdom?'' Mirellia asked, suddenly beginning to realize the implication of who they just summoned. Faubrey was the kingdom that typically took care of summoning. Because the legendary heroes were traditionally summoned by the most powerful countries, hero summons was supposed to be performed in Faubley. However, Trash, and by extension, Melromarc monopolized it and created tension with the Faubley kingdom, inciting talks to fix the mistake, though the damage was already done. She tried hard to diffuse this tension and even agreed to the conditions set forth by the king to gain their support in the international conference in an effort to promote peace and cooperation in defeating the waves.
A great many figures that represented hope, change, and power often came from Faubrey, leaving other countries to essentially be left to their judgment when it came to dispatching the Heroes to across the land. And as Melromarc did not the best of track records behind it at the present moment, having a technical enemy be summoned as an adversary did seem very counterintuitive; she knew he would hopefully fight on behalf of the mission to protect this world.
But how far in the regard of Melromarc would Takt go?
''The very one. And don't think I don't know who you are, Mirellia,'' Takt commented, his smug attitude rising to the surface the longer he stood there understood the situation for what it truly was; a plea for help. From the enemy, no less. He then looked to Fitoria with a lecherous smile, his grin growing as she grimaced a bit at his advance. ''You, however; I do not know, but you are a Filolial, no doubt. How would you like to be a part of my party? I will treat you right, and it would be forgiveness for attacking me earlier,'' Takt grasped Fitoria's chin, noting the look of anger on her face as he figured she wanted to attack again, but he knew that they essentially needed him. ''What do you say?''
''Takt!'' Mirellia shouted, looking at him stop and groan at her. ''I realize the tension between our two kingdoms are. . .tense for the moment, but I do hope that you can be cooperative to help combat the Waves Of Calamity.''
Takt did consider the prospect of keeping the world alive; there were a great many things in this world that he would hate to see eradicated by these troublesome waves, not to mention the women. . .so many women. He supposed that he could be persuaded to be the salvation that this world needed if only to have a stake in this kingdom. Melromarc was still on the radar after summoning the Legendary Heroes, and not dispatching them to where they were needed versus keeping them sheltered and suckling off the royalty's teat like a mindless baby.
He would give mercy to his subjects.
''Very well,'' Takt huffed, knowing that it would pointless for him to continue talking to one of little faith and understanding. He would be this kingdom's salvation, but the kingdom would be his in return.
Storm Song zoomed through the skies, feeling the wind whip at her face as she aimed to find a suitable place to touch down at on the ground. Ugh, Starswirl and his. . .naivety.
Hovering above a cloud that overlooked a sliver of Yak-Yakistan and the few buildings, huts and halls in between the snow and and ice, Storm Song took a quick assessment of her situation.
“Where in pony’s sake is this ‘hero’ that you managed to rope into this dead battle, Starswirl? And why Yak-Yakistan first of all places to want to secure?” Storm Song asked herself, taking out a map of the area that was she purchased from the port before coming here. It even noted a few of the bar and taverns that she would end up visiting at one point or another. “Prince Rutherford may be an ally of ours, it still doesn’t make it right to just come into his country’s borders and start controlling the show.”
Starswirl didn’t tell her much about this Naofumi besides that he saw that may have more promise then those past, and that somewhere, however small, was a spark that he could ever so conveniently sense that gave him an even greater feeling of confidence in his ability to help stop Night Order and prevent Nightmare Moon from coming to destroy everything they’ve ever known.
“But then again, what could the harm beside the possible end of the world if we fail? It’s not like we should be doing everything in our power to correct our mistakes before going in swords drawn and arrows lit,” Storm Song huffed to herself, wanting nothing more than to wring the stallion’s neck; his sin; his pride. . .and his utterly obsessive nature with magic and the secrets of the world cost him more than a lifetime of personal pain, but also accountability for so many other lives, and he had yet to fully grasp that concept. “Your pride wouldn’t let you.”
FWOOSH! Storm Song, latched her goggles back over her eyes as she dove below the clouds, keeping her wings folded in until the last second, unfurling them and feeling the change in gravity as she flapped to hover for a few seconds, pushing loose snow away from her before gracely landing on her hooves. Casting a wide angled look around her, it appeared she caused no disturbance to any around her, so she flipped her hood up and proceeded to walk to the bar that was still lit, the small sounds of the patrons shouting, stomping and singing off-key filled her ears as she approached.
“Ugh,” Storm Song entire body shuddered, her eyes nearly rolling in the back to her head as she hung her googles around her neck and walked in. “Sound like a dying cat trying to play the flute drink. Let’s hope they have better manners than last time here,” the door was opened, the harsh chill of outside coming in in droves, alerting the nearest Yaks by the door to slosh their mugs in her direction and arrogantly demand she close the door faster.
“Geez, tough crowd.” Storm Song said to herself, walking in a straight line on the sunken floor to spot the barkeep shooing away a pair of Yaks that looked to be flailing their hooves towards a keg painted a deep red amongst the 4 other brownish black ones that stood all unlocked expect for the red one.
“I told you, that was a one-time thing!” Storm Song saw the Yak behind the bar take out a broom and poke at the two Yaks who defiantly slurred their words and called out the drink provider over not getting a sweet taste of the most coveted drink the establishment had. “If any you drink it, you’ll be in bed for a week puking out shit and shitting out puke if you get more a half a cup of this, now scat!”
“Grrrrrmmmble. . .no fai-r.~ Monkey and small horn pony g-get-BURP!-super strong. . .drink.” one Yak muttered, deciding to walk away with his friend as the determination in the barkeep’s eyes won this battle, for the moment.
“Monkey?” Storm Song asked to herself before connecting the dots. It had to be this Naofumi, but who was the small pony with them with a horn? She had to be sure and confirm. “Rough night?” Storm Song asked the barkeep, who turned around at the sound of her as he went over the keg to check it had been undamaged.
“Like you wouldn’t believe, and it’s only been. . .oh shit; Storm Song,” Storm Song chuckled a bit at the tone of the Yak she hadn’t see in some time. If he recognized her that quick versus assuming she was another pony looking to prove themselves in Yak-Yakistan, then she more or less, was in luck. “What are you doing here at this time of night? And this time of year?”
“Nice to see you too, Pagus. I couldn’t help but overhear those customers of yours refer to a monkey and small horn pony.’ Care to explain a bit of about that?”
Pagus signed, running a hoof through his fur as he had enough Yaks talk about the kid and the wuss unicorn passing out for one day.
But Storm Song, he had history with.
“Not sure what you can really do with it, but there was this. . .Unicorn guard and this. . .well, he looked like a monkey, just skinnier and he stood up straight and had on clothes. Wasn’t the strangest thing I’ve ever seen, but it was something to make note of.” Pagus said, shaking his head.
Storm Song scooted her chair closer and wondered. “What did they want?”
“Information. Said they were traveling heroes or something like that; I didn’t really care, but they inquire the recent shakedowns going on at the dock,” Pagus nodded his head behind him to the direction of the docks that was quite the distance away. Pagus also wanted to get to the bottom of what going down for the sake of his drinks and business. “I figured they could have been the ones taking care of it or had some sort of part in it, and I figured baiting them out if it turned sour would be less liability on my end.”
“Did they find anything out?” Storm Song asked, taking the bowl of salted cashews on her left and putting them in front of her, slowly munching on them as she gestured for Pagus to pour a drink as she dropped a few bits of her neck pouch. “And why trust them so easily if you weren’t sure? It could have been a plot-“ Pagus rolled his eyes set the mug of peach and lychee mead in front of her. “Make it a double.”
“A good point,” Pagus reached under the table to grab his larger mug for those with hefty troubles on their mind. “I still don’t really know why I told them anything, but besides the fact he took a glass of Idrium Rum like water and wasn’t phased at all had gained a bit of my respect,” Pagus nodded to himself, but soon chuckled in mock happiness, though it was masked with a bit of shame at his not affecting every creature that had ever come across it. “And there was this. . .I guess, aura about him that somehow told me I could trust him.”
Storm Song stopped drinking halfway through, feeling the strong burn of the mead in her throat as it tingled long after being swallowed, the exhale of relief putting her in a small state of euphoria for a moment before she looked at Pagus. “Well, when did they come in? I’m pretty sure they’re who I’m looking for; I have business with them.” Storm Song took another sip, smacking her lips.
Pagus hmmed with curiosity. Had the kid and guard been ditching Storm Song? The Storm Pegasus? They must have done something to piss her off greatly. “They owe you something?”
Shaking her head and laying her hoof on her head, the drink slowly began to give the tiniest of buzzes, her forehead beginning to feel a bit heavier. “No, more like I owe them something. . .something my bastard of a husband should have briefed them about before essentially sending them to their deaths without any care of the sacrifice he’s asking of them.”
“Starswirl? How’s the old moldy carpet doing? How long had it been since y’all; you know? Separated?” Pagus didn’t want to press the issue any further than what was deemed acceptable without any thunder and lightning bolts being thrown his way by saying the wrong thing.
“Oh; hmm. . .almost 3 and a half years? Seems like yesterday we were madly in love, and completely devoted to each other when we were younger; everything was good. No argument, no lies, nothing.”
Nudging her as she reminisced on the past, Pagus attested to the vast understatement of their love being more or a bond that not even the strongest of magic could break. All of the times they would sneak away and almost get caught often cracked the Yak up whenever the pair visited the snowy land. “I know; I even remember that one time behind the outhouse, where you two was so sure that you wouldn’t be seen because of all of those haphazardly placed wooden boards that were rotting.”
“Don’t remind me,” Storm Song muttered as she laid her head on the counter, the sound being muffled some. “And I almost slipped and fell when he wanted to try something new on the ice.”
“Me bailing you guys out wasn’t easy, I even get heckled about it by the few who actually managed to get a decent look at what was going on, but they don’t care to let me explain,” Pagus chuckled, but soon remembered her original question about the kid and the guard and his about Starswirl. “So he’s ok?”
“If you must know, he’s not dead, though I would personally like for that to change. But yes, he is fine. I am far more concerned about the hero he sent here; I won’t let another one be sacrificed to a needless death.” Storm Song said, finishing the rest of her drink and growling. She would whatever she could to warn, to deflect.
To hopefully not make another mother have to suffer as she did.
“Hmm, I don’t think it’s that easy, Storm. If he’s the hero you say he is and that Starswirl picked; wouldn’t using reason and having faith do more good than bad? Plus there has to be some hero or figure of sorts if there’s any trouble.”
Pagus did have a point; but only just. Storm Song believed that there could another to stop this bloodshed; stop the conquest, and make it so none would have to endure anymore pain.
If she could do even the smallest thing.
“What do you know? Have you felt the pain of losing another that was so close to you that once they died, you basically died along with them? Ever had a part in helping to create life, only for it to be taken so easily? Something you swore to protect. . .but couldn’t,” Storm Song slumped in her seat, tears threatening to come down onto the counter. She eyed Pagus with a dirty stare before speaking again. “Of course you don’t.”
“I might not have that kind of pain, and I do sincerely hope I may never experience it. But what I can do is at least offer advice and no judgement.” Pagus cracked a half smile, knowing all too well about drinkers who would let the drink drink them would often get emotional and be an entirely different creature then when they walked in sober. “You can’t change something that’s as naturally occurring to life as breathing, eating and having opinions. It’ll just happen.”
“So what do you do, then? Just sit there and take it as is?” Storm Song asked, not really wanting to hear too much more about this conversation, and more about where she could find Naofumi.
“That’s the answer I don’t know If I can gave without it being biased. What I can say is that; the way to move a mountain isn’t by yourself. If you want to have a chance to do whatever it is you’re doing, you won’t be able to do it alone,” Pagus poured another drink for her. He knew she would be on this would be like for a little while. “But what I can do is put you on the right track about the kid.”
Storm Song hiccuped, the drink soon getting to her as she felt her muscles relax for a moment. While this was not a leisure trip in the slightest, a small break after such a long time at sea had to be taken into account.
“Pretty sure you’re gonna need a room for the night while you sober up; you got the bed in the back.”
“Come on, could you all be any slower?! Your Queen begged me for help, so the least you can do is keep up with the new god of this world,” Takt breathed out through his nose, lazily walking down the dirt path with his hands behind his head. “I shouldn’t even be walking; one of you mongrels should be pulling me in a carriage.”
Ake followed with his fellow soldiers, with their captain in tow as they marched outside the walls of the kingdom. The queen had made it a point for a platoon sized element to investigate the area where Naofumi and the previous Legendary Heroes fought.
And where Naofumi fell.
Another condition of the investigation would be that Takt would be the leader, only seconded by Ake’s captain.
“Ungrateful bastard,” Ake’s captain muttered to himself, grunting as he stood with his back tall, at the side of the platoon, being the guide as they continued on the path in formation, wanting nothing more to show that arrogant punt what for. “Thinks that he’s so good, and in the face of royalty.”
Ake somewhat agreed; Takt did have a more. . .lax attitude when dealing with the queen; and with everything else in general, but that possibly was something he attributed to his status as a Hero.
“Marktime; march!” Ake’s captain, shouted, the command registering with his fellow 59 soldiers in half a second as they each began to march slowly, shortening their steps in tandem, as they sounded as one unit before stopping as they marched in place, waiting for the next command. “Platoon; halt!”
“What the hell is that about?” Takt asked, turning around and eyeing the group with a wary eye. “Does doing that make you guys proud or something?”
“What it does-“ Ake’s captain sneered, sounding more irritated as the moments went by. “-is instill discipline by reminding us that we are in the greatest military in the land.” Takt watched as the captain executed a facing movement to to address the group. “Left; face!”
“I fail to see how that works,” Takt huffed, wiping his head a bit when the heat began to get to him.
“Fallout! And be sure to scour the area throughout; we are to return with something worth mention. And as for you; are you going to just stand there and disrespect-“
“-I am bit low on fucks to give in regard to your broken system; and I seem to recall that your queen put me in charge, commander,” Takt replied, walking over to him as he hocked some spit in an off direction, sizing the man up before tilting his head in an in inquisitive manner. “Unless you wish to disobey your superior officer.”
“You are no officer,” Ake’s captain responded, refusing to acknowledge the man child before him as one who could have any shred of power that would go towards saving this world they inhabited.
“Not by your standards, not that it matters. What does is we are in the field, which mean you report to me whether or not you agree with it. Now, unless you wish to explain to the queen why you returned empty-handed, I suggest you all get to work searching for what may be here while I attend to other matters.”
Grunting, he had to ask. “And what may that be. . .sir?”
Throwing his hands out to his sides and smiling, Takt spoke in a joyous tone. “Absolutely nothing! Call it. . .involuntary supervision.”
“I wonder how far down this rabbit hole we’ll be made to go,” one of the soldiers near Ake voiced, in a sarcastic tone as he looked around.
“I’m sure it won’t be that bad; as long as we can find something to report back to the queen,” Ake said, rummaging around as he viewed a particularly huge footprint that resembled a Filolial. “He does seem a little eccentric, however.”
“More like a nutcase; did you see how he acted when he was summoned? Almost like he didn’t give a shit about anything,” another soldier responded as he spied a few of the the trees that he assumed were charred from a fire of sorts. “And we have to listen to him? I’d rather take my chance with the captain.”
For all of the somewhat negative talk about him, they all could do little to deny that his combat prowess was through the roof; if he really wanted to, each of the soldiers were sure that he could kill them with the weight of his hand if it came to it.
“Talk later, search now. The quicker we find something is the quicker that we can return and hopefully not have to dealing with him and his. . .antics,” the captain came over, waving a hand to relax when the 4 soldiers stood at attention as he walked over. “How goes the search?”
“Nothing so far, sir; we’ve only found a few footprints that resembles a Filolial, and a few of the weapons from our previous brethren used in the battle.” Ake said, looking over his captain’s shoulder to see Takt sitting under a tree without a care in the world, yawning. “Is he really in charge of us?”
“For the time being, and for their little excursion. He claims to be a Hero, but I see nothing more than a child playing the part of an adult.”
Takt certainly was a special case, though his family name carried a weight with it that none of them were as ready to accept as the next person. The kingdom of Faubrey has been known for great advancements in different fields, as well as contributing when it was seen fit to other countries. The agreement between the other nations being violated due to the new dead ex-king of Melromarc left a wound that would take some time to heal, though there was not much that could be actively done to rectify it any quicker.
The soldiers put their utmost faith in their queen, as they knew they should, though the person that she put in charge of them had less assurance when it came to their lives and ensuring the completion of the mission at hand.
“Dammit,” Takt cursed, fanning his hand in his face to stave off the heat some, wanting to be underneath the comfort of food, wine and women. “How long does it take to find nothing; this is pointless.”
Though he was stuck babysitting hens.
“Hey, I think I found something!” Ake shouted as he walked over to the crater where it appeared that Naofumi used his great magic to do away with the boss of the Wave of Calamity if the spread of dried blood and what appeared to be some of the fur and part of his snippets of his green cloak were any indication.
“Oh my goodness!” Takt shouted, catching the other soldier by suprise as he stood reluctantly and slinked over. “If this is bullshit, I’m killing one of you.” Takt said as the sky began to darken, casting a shadow over the group. “And what the hell is this now?”
“Is it a Wave of Calamity?” a solder asked, drawing his sword and gripping it tightly.
“Didn’t we have more time since the last one?” Takt eyed a soldier backing away a tad.
“Are we gonna die?” Ake spied another shoulder shake his head at the thought of having to engage this soon after the previous one had just passed.
“No. . .I don’t think this is one,” Ake’s captain said, narrowing his eyes at the sky once he noticed the surrounding area that was not where they were all standing to be barren of any shadow, save for the trees. The clouds seemingly only hovered where they stood, waiting.
Takt shoved his hands in his pockets, eyeing the clouds with a disgusted look as he found yet another reason to have a dislike for this land. “First shitty soldiers, and now the weather? What will be next?”
A thrum sounded, bringing with it a large red beam of magic that stuck the ground with such intensity that it splintered, misplacing dirt, rocks and sending a wave of heat that threatened to fuse the metal to their armor if it got any hotter. A bright white light flashed, blinding the group as a figure zoomed from the base, appearing like a bullet that none of them could easily observe except for Takt who merely groaned, leaning over to the left and jutting his left knee to the middle of his chest, the force barely making him move as he kept his hands in his pockets the entire time.
The soldiers behind were not as fortunate as they the pressure pushed them off their feet.
“W-What the hell?” Ake’s captain shouted in surprise, viewing the clouds disperse as another figure swept their hand to the sky, bringing a wave of fire from above that barely missed the soldiers.
“What the hell, indeed.” Takt said, still keeping his expression the same as he got a better look at who dared to attack him. “What in the name of me do you think you are doing?”
“I should be asking you that, kiddo; I was sure you couldn’t avoid my slash, but here you are.” Takt viewed the male with red hair as he held his scythe with one hand, his body turned halfway towards his target, the blade facing away from him as he felt next to no give in the knee that this guy had. “Got a name?”
“It’s God to you,” Takt growled, pushing the weapon away as he spied the male stand back up and hold his weapon in a reverse grip behind his back, watching him carefully. “What is yours and what do you want?”
“Well since you asked so nicely, asshole,” the guy smirked, noting the stick that had be up this guy’s butt to be pretty far in there. “It’s L’Arc!” Takt leaped forward, coming to blows with L’Arc as he came in a for a sideways slash, Takt hopping over the move with almost no effort as he remained unconvinced that this man would actually pose a challenge. Another slash followed by a feint did little to deter him as he saw through the move, leaping off of his non dominant foot to launch an axe kick that L’Arc barely managed to dodge, settling for going with the downward motion to move out of the way at the moment. “Heh; you’re pretty fast, kid.”
“And you’re misleading.” Takt simply responded, clicking his tongue and charging him, a small snarl following. “And it’s God to you!”
“Take defensive positions!” Ake’s captain shouted, point his sword to the other figure who landed down on the ground with a flourish, flipping her hair to one side as she chanted a spell, sending a blast of wind that blew a few off their feet as the rest took their place spacing out and drawing their swords.
A giant chuck of rock was uprooted as L’Arc slashed downward, giving Takt the opportunity to launch the stone to his opponent, the rock soon being slashed to small pieces easily as L’Arc grinned, his warrior spirit beginning to ignite at the idea of fighting someone who could be on equal footing as him. His moves were planned rather, and he attacked with an almost labored ferocity that yet to be fully realized. “Why not tell me what I want to know, and we don’t have to fight?”
Dodging another slash as he frowned, wondering what he meant by that. First the queen, and now him? Why does everyone assume he knows everything? A god should only know that what is important to them, nothing more. “Being?”
Boom!
“Who killed Glass?! We know it was one of you!” Ake watched the female who came behind L’Arc , raising her hand and charging an ice attack that she held back from firing to hear him confess to the crime. “We felt it when she passed! And we want justice!”
Takt wanted to laugh. Crime? Attack? What were these people talking about? Were they mental or just crazy enough that they believed whatever nonsense coming out of their own mouths that they took it as truth? He honestly figured both. “To what you are you referring? And what about glass? Do you not have mirrors where you come from or something?”
“Enough!” L’Arc waved off his partner, grinning all the more. “Therese; focus on the others; the little smartass here is all mine.” L’Arc began to laugh, spinning his weapon with an almost ecstatic feeling of wanting to see how strong this ‘God’ was.
“Ugh, very well. But I expect some answers out of him, so don’t actually try to kill him.” Therese said, channeling her attack to the soldiers.
“That’s assuming you’re able to.” Takt commented.
“Dammit! Faubrey, we need to pull back!” Ake’s captain shouted, leveling his sword in preparation of another attack.
“Hah! Yea right, you all can do that if you want; I got some questions for these two, especially you, L’Arc; you remind of someone,” Takt laughed for a moment before stopping.
L’Arc paused his next attack, curious to hear what exactly he was talking about. Who could he resemble? “And who’s that?”
Takt smirked, pointing to the captain. “A bitch.”
“You bastard!” Ake’s captain shouted, Therese’s attack catching him off guard as an icicle imbedded itself in his shoulder, causing him to shout out on pain as he dropped his sword on the ground.
“See? Can’t even keep his focus when someone badmouths him, just like you.” Takt simply replied, lowering a finger at L’Arc who moved forward a bit only to be frozen in place as Takt rushed forward, catching him on his face with a kick, the move making him appear almost as a blur until it connected, sending him skidding across the ground with a grunt of pain following.
“L’Arc!” Therese shouted, clapping her hand together and sending a wave of blue fire his way before he appeared as a blur, zooming behind her as it took a second for her to realize what had happened before jabbing both of his elbows in her ribs, hopping forward and delivering a brutal rear kick in between her shoulder blades that sent her flying in a slight arc as she landed face first, fighting to clammed back up to her with L’Arc who managed to break whatever hold was on him. “What the hell did you do?!”
“Something that you obviously weren’t quick enough or skilled enough to learn,” Takt said, shaking his head as he put his hands back in his pockets. “I suggest you go all out if you want your answers. “Boy who found whatever he found.”
Ake’s mind caught back you after zoning out after watching what he did. “Y-Yes!”
“Take you and a few soldiers back and report to your queen. And take your leader with you; I’m pretty sure he ain’t fighting anytime soon.”
“W-What about the rest of us, sir?” a soldier asked, wary of what would happen next.
Undoing his bandanna and stuffing it in his pocket, Take adopted a lazy crane style stance, sizing his opponents up. “Try not to get in my way.”
Naofumi, along with Valiant, trudged along in the snow following the failed attempt on their lives after discovering some form of treachery within Yak-Yakistan. Pairing that along with the two of them killing two of the assailants in justified self-defense with the notion that it may not be seen that way with Prince Rutherford certainly ticked within Naofumi's mind. Valiant's all but cold attitude at the prospect of killing the two and dumping their bodies in the water to remove a chunk of evidence did spark a small concern within him.
Perhaps he, himself had grown accustomed to 'killing', though it was often done in self-defense as a quest, finding new material to further improve his shield, or hunting for food. The undead, or oftentimes barely alive monsters from The Wave of Calamity could have been considered a necessary evil to be extinguished, though he held no qualms when a monstrous sword or weapons with the power of the 4 Legendary Weapons were pointed at him; he merely acted accordingly.
Valiant, however, seemed so used to the notion it somewhat began to engrave itself into his very being.
Something else that Naofumi thought about for a second that he was sure would come up whether of his own doing or that of the Yaks were how much trust was placed in them being who they were, and for his party, what they were. Without thinking too much of it, he was sure that, in some form or fashion, fate would play a cruel hand into possibly making the entire experience in Equestria anything but enjoyable.
Slowly taking his time to maneuver over an ice slick as he checked on Valiant's path; though he had metal grips on his hooves, a slip and fall could still occur, and he did not need that in a place he did not know and with creatures that did not look like him. A breath of hot air exited his mouth as he continued on as Valiant walked alongside him, seemingly feeling that he wanted to say something.
''What's on your mind, kid?'' Valiant asked, casting the otaku a side look as he blinked a few times before facing the guard as they continued their walk ahead. The Yak that Naofumi managed to incapacitate with his Shield Prison was still unconscious as Valiant pulled him along on a cart with straps to keep him down. They would get all the information they could out of this one before anything else.
''You seemed. . .I don't know; too-'' Valiant cut him off, his tone of no-nonsense filling his mind as he spoke.
''-Detached from what I did earlier?'' a sigh came from Valiant as he was sure he explained himself to Naofumi, but he was sure that being the Human that he was, Naofumi would not relent until he had a clear understanding. ''I can't really tell you in the way that you need get an all-important epiphany, but if you couldn't tell back then; killing another creature is only that big of a deal if you make it.''
''It's not that, really,'' Naofumi argued, just wanting to nitpick a bit to keep a rapport with him, though he felt that probably wouldn't be the best thing if he wanted to have a somewhat decent relationship with the guard. ''Just. . .I guess I'm asking; how many for it to not matter anymore?''
The question threw off the guard as he rarely heard that question. Ponies would more so ask what happened to make him the way that he was rather the specifics of what he did to continue on in the light of the action of killing that most who asked saw as wrong versus a need, should their own lives be in danger. Valiant lived by a strict code of speed, violence, and aggression because in his heart, he knew he would never allow himself to do anything but that.
Every slice, head stomp, choking, poisoning, spear through the heart, drowning, and whatever else got the job done mattered in another lifetime; but not this one. His care for emotion for whoever chose harm against him was as pointless as wanting to fly if he didn't have wings.
''There's no clear number, Naofumi. . .if there was, then that would be the hallmark of some creature that takes delight in that,'' Valiant said, looking the otaku in the eye as the gleam in his eyes soon died to be replaced with a dull, lifeless grey. ''Do these eyes look the ones of those who enjoy killing?''
Naofumi had no words at that question; he couldn't really tell, even with the help of the internet when he was in Japan, but the reports of different serial killers, kidnappers, or those who wish death upon another often came with its own set of choices and upbringings to make it different from the others. ''I. . .''
''No; of course you can't tell. I don't blame you. True, I could have stopped myself, I know I had at least another second or two to do something different, but in that moment, all rationale went out the window in favor of instinct. I. . .won't expect you to understand anytime soon, or at all, but I hope you just know enough that I am nowhere near the worst of ponies or creatures that you'll meet in Equestria.'' Valiant told Naofumi with the hope that he would understand that part of his story at least if nothing else. It was always hard opening up to those who either chose not to understand or just did not grasp the concept. Every time, he would put on his best face and let his inner demons show, but with his track record, he only figured-
''-I guess. . .it's not that bad once you take a chance to look at it,'' Naofumi hummed, relaying the information of how he figured Valiant to be versus an outright assumption without any decent information. His claims were not as crazily assumed when his disposition was somewhat sunnier, at times. ''It's better to have a smart killer on my side versus one that doesn't have any remorse about anything or had nothing to lose. . .it might be me or just the things that I've done, but every killer can't be bad.'' Valiant's look of small shock was lost on Naofumi as he continued on walking as the conservation seemed to come to a stop.
Had he. . .gotten through to somepony, to some degree? The two of them walked back onto the main road to Yak-Yakistan, heading towards their home for the time being where they were here. While he didn't think much of it at first, Valiant also had a care for the other members in his little temporary group; Filo, Melty, and Raphtalia were special in their own little way, and even though he did not know much about them, but he would defend them against anything, no matter what.
Naofumi included.
''Well, I'll be damned,'' Valiant muttered to himself, the sound of semi-affirmation seeming like a foreign concept to him. ''Thanks. . .Naofumi. Huh, you're way better than I'd thought you'd be.''
The notion made Naofumi smile. He probably thought the same thing that Valiant was thinking; he probably made a friend. ''Same here,'' Naofumi said as he spied the small hovel that contained the rest of his party within a few minutes of walking.
“So, what’s the situation with our little friend, here? Think he’s with Night Order, trying to get to The Chain and cause some shit?” Valiant asked, wondering what kind of methods they would have to employ to get the result that they want. The other two were probably long gone as possible shark food, and this Yak was the one seen at the head of the pack, so it was important to bring one source of possible information back versus nothing.
Naofumi thought about the Night Order and their mission for the moment, and more specifically, what it mean for Equestria if the plan was allowed to meet its end. Destroying the world for the sake of bringing forth a figure that would rule the broken and charred remains? Seemed akin to cult rituals, which Naofumi knew would only result in death at the end for all with no possible reason for wanting to do anything but. “I don’t think so, at least not without information. . .he could be the middle-man, not directly reporting to who is the big boss to protect their interests.”
Valiant agreed on that regard; having a face pony if anything went to shit would mostly only lessen the blow versus avoiding it all together if he had to be honest. The better idea would be to get what one needed without alerting other; stealing, in a nutshell. “I’m guessing naval assault if nothing else.”
Naofumi paused his own thought at the mention of fighting on the seas; granted Yak-Yakistan was a country, if he could even call it that, that would have a better chance of enduring with the various mountains and caves blanketed with snow to conceal various weapons and other advantages with early detection. “Huh; what’s their chances looking like for success?” Naofumi asked as Valiant laughed a bit, shaking his head.
“No idea; have to get a look at their defenses, that of the enemy and what tactics both know before estimating,” Valiant pointed a hoof towards the seas as Naofumi looked on. “Let’s just hope we don’t get caught in the crossfire, is all.”
Naofumi nodded as he knocked on the door to their temporary home, sifting the small layer of snow off his cloak and shoes as he waited to hear a response from Raphtalia before going in. When nothing came, he knocked again, a bit more forcibly, waiting a few more seconds to hear nothing. Looking at Valiant, he nodded, summoning his Chimera Shield as Valiant dropped the cart, unsheathed the small short sword on his back and grabbed the handle with his magic, rushing in after Naofumi when the door opened.
''Guys! You ok?'' Naofumi shouted, scanning the room in an instant, not seeing anything besides the furniture and small firepot, he systematically thought to clear all of the rooms to ascertain the threat.
''Come out slowly!'' Valiant shouted, his sword leveled in front of his face, slowly creeping ahead as Naofumi took the opposite room, rushing in to see nothing. Valiant checked the other room and kitchen as Naofumi pointed his shield towards the bathroom, figuring that was the last place he could think of before somewhere else.
''Valiant,'' Naofumi whispered, nodding towards the bathroom as the guard nodded and crept forward, waiting for Naofumi to pull the door back, seeing laying eyes upon Filo, Raphtalia, and Melty in the large bathtub, their faces red, eyes blurred and bodies slumped against the porcelain, steam rising from their heads as they muttered to themselves, nearly sinking into the water as Raphtalia managed to look at Naofumi open her as she slowly realized who was looking at her.
''M-Master. . .Naofumi. . .'' Raphtalia sighed, slowly sinking into the water as Naofumi rushed over and pulled her up so her she wouldn't drown.
''What the hell happened?'' Valiant asked, shying away to preserve their integrity.
''Valiant; they're too hot. They're burning up, help me get them out!'' Naofumi shouted, his instincts taking over.
25 Minutes Earlier. . .
Raphtailia had agreed to climb in the bath with Filo and Melty; it would be better than dealing with just sitting around for Master Naofumi. A bath would be nice, anyways.
''Filo, are you being careful?'' Raphtalia asked, hearing the sound of Filo splashing around the water and being loud as she knew she would always be. It did bring a spark of relief to know that Filo's nature of being a child would not diminish anytime soon, or if it attempted to, she would do everything to make sure she remained as pure as possible. It never dawned on her until Master Naofumi and Erhard told her; she, herself was growing up, even she still was a kid.
Her Demi-Human side would want to say otherwise, but she knew, and that was all that mattered. She was a mature 10-year old.
''Hey, Raphtalia, come on in, the water's just so nice and warm!'' Filo cheered, splashing around in the water, catching Melty in the eyes a few times as she had to shield herself until her friend stopped. The bath itself was huge, it looked to be able to fit 5 or 6 people comfortably, and the rising steam from the water was tempting to go and jump on in, but it had to be precautions taken so the water wouldn't be too hot. ''Has Master come back yet?''
''No, Filo; he and Valiant were following a lead; remember? We're waiting for him to come back.'' Raphtalia said, shaking her head as she walked over to what was she assumed to be a window of sorts to see the part of the entrance of Yak-Yakistan that Naofumi came in, or rather, shield-boarded his way into the town square.
The skid marks were still there.
''I hope they're okay,'' Melty said, combing her fingers through her hair as she soaked her hair in the water. She would have to use Wind magic to help get it back to her original style, but it was a necessary evil to take care of her hair. ''Do you think we'll be able to help Prince Rutherford?''
That question was something that Raphtalia herself was unsure about, yet the same question wormed its way through her mind ever since they were sent here. The Chains of Paradox were something any of them held any strong knowledge about, so, they played everything they were presented with by ear, and in time, that would fail to be of significant use to them if they were going to save the world and prevent this Night Order achieving their goal. And whatever else came after that, they were. . .unsure. Filo and Raphtalia would follow whatever their Master wanted, but that in itself would come to light when it was ready.
''We'll just have to see, how long have the two of you been in this bath? I think you guys are clean enough,'' Raphtalia hmmped, tying her hair up and stripping down as she slowly began easing her way into the hot bathtub, exhaling sharply as the heat was a bit greater than she expected, though not overly hot where she could not bear it. Each second felt like miniature suns on every inch of her skin until it mellowed out, slowly causing her to sigh in contentment as the water came up to just before her collarbone as her back rested against the tub. ''What are these?'' Raphtailia raised in her hand to stare upon small light-blue fragments that slowly inched their way towards her body.
''Silver Mark gave us bath salts! He said they make our skin shine and relax our muscles!'' Filo cheered, relishing in the feeling as Raphtalia slowly began to feel the effects slowly work their magic on her, slowly giving her muscles the rest she did not know that she needed. She would have to definitely talk to Silver Mark before they left Yak-Yakistan. Casting an eye to Melty as she allowed the fragments to soothe her body. Melty was the only one in the group who was still new to the idea of being an adventure and associated with the Shield Hero.
Being the only one in the royal family barring her mother who contained any semblance of sense was here rather than being in the kingdom to be groomed the next leader to hopefully bring about the era of peace that she knew Melromarc deserved. Her somewhat bold nature mixed with that of the knowledge of what she was taught gave Raphtalia the inkling that she would be ok when the future pertained to her being an adult and living whatever life she chose, be it by the political or the life of adventuring.
''I just hope we can see more of Yak-Yakistan and whatever else Equestria has to offer before we try getting back to Melromarc,'' Melty hummed, not being as shocked as being taken from her home as Raphtalia thought. ''And just maybe Naofumi can learn some manners while he's here too,'' Melty puffed her cheeks, not letting even the smallest instance of her being made fun of or looked down by the Shield Hero go as she personally took it as disrespect when she was the royal in this situation and the Heros of Legend were to be the heralds of whatever kingdom summoned them, rather going off and doing whatever suited them as Naofumi did.
But. . .if she were, to be honest with herself for a moment; Melty altogether did not mind his forward-thinking, especially when danger was present.
''What about Valiant? He seems nice!'' Filo thought about the Unicorn that came to join their party. He didn't say much at times, and he liked making jokes when he did speak, but Filo took a liking to him; maybe he would join their party for good if he didn't want to be in Equestria anymore.
Raphtalia nodded, finding the guard's actions, fighting style, and overall demeanor good, even though she was only able to render judgment due to Master Naofumi's, and while she may have not been the best one to ask about matters concerning her Master, she would always speak highly of him. ''Hmmm. . .'' a small warbling began to find its way into her mind, her core began to heat up, or had it always been this hot? And when?
SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH!
''M-Melty!'' Filo shrieked as Melty's body suddenly began to jerk and throb before freezing, her face of shock slowly being worn down with a look of peace as she began to sink under the water, Filo trying to reach over to pull her up only for her own muscles to do the same, causing her to bonk part of her head on the tub before slowly falling back and the water to meet her mouth as she slowly began to sink as well.
“Fi. . .lo.~ Melll. . .ty,” Raphtalia gasped as her own body went against what she wanted when she reached across to catch her friends, only for her to slip as she felt her strength slipping as she, too fell under the water, as she possessed none of the strength to gasp when water began to flood into her mouth.
“Master Naofumi!” Raphtalia shouted in her mind, hoping something would save the three of them from a most morbid death.
Naofumi finished administering the last potion to Melty as Valiant made sure that Filo and Raphtalia had drunk some water and finished draining two cool rags to lay on their foreheads. The reading on his shield told them that the three of them were bordering a temperature near 103, which gave him the knowledge that if they were a few moments late, that they would be. . .he. . .couldn't even say the word as it came to them. Slowly, their temperature came down as Naofumi's rage went up.
Who did this. . .
''What happened?'' Valiant asked, feeling the notion that some creature was behind this. The three of them being as smart as they are, would never deal with something such as that, and what happened just did not sit well with the guard. ''We weren't gone that long, did any figures come by and try and do something to you?''
Raphtalia hummed, in disagreement. ''I. . .don't know. Filo said. . .Silver Mark gave her some bath salts for us to. . .use,'' Raphtalia breathed, coughing up a bit of water.
''Raphtalia, don't talk,'' Naofumi said, his tone a bit forced as he rubbed her hair and laid a hand on her forehead to check on her fever. ''Save your strength. Filo; are those bath salts still in the bathroom?'' Naofumi asked as Filo nodded as Valiant trotted over to the bathroom, using his magic to bring out a watermelon-sized bottle of the bath salts that Filo said she was given. The bottle itself was filled with pale blue fragments with a corked lid. ''That's it? When did he deliver it?''
Valiant sneered, taking the lid off and smelling the salts as he shied away, the scent being too much for him to handle. ''What does it matter? He gave them the salts, which in itself should tell you that something is a bit off.''
Naofumi was inclined to agree, but even he would need proof to make sure before he went over to start cracking heads open.
Luckily, their quarry was still outside, passed out and tied up.
Melty wheezed, sighing in content at the heat being replaced by cold on her forehead with the rag that Naofumi put on her. He looked positively worried, his eyes losing their normal stoic indifference to hold genuine fear and concern for the three of them. It was comforting. “W-W-What. . .are you going to-“
“-Do?” Valiant asked, looking over Melty with a watchful eye before he looked to Naofumi. “We’re going to go find whatever lowlife tried to kill you guys-“ Naofumi stepped over closer when Valiant began talking, a fire burning in his eyes.
“-And drop them from the highest point I can get to like a egg, being crushed by the weight of gravity and my bloodlust,” Naofumi growled, turning his attention to the Yak outside that they had yet to question, but figured that this would be the best time to do so while the two of them were in a reasonable place.
“I’ll wake our little buddy up, just set him over there,” Valiant pointed to an empty chair as Naofumi dragged the Yak inside as he transferred the rope and ensured it was extra tight as Valiant’s concentration was within sync with his current emotion that he calmly created a pale blue wave of magic that slowly enveloped the entire house before stabilizing. When Naofumi looked at him, he explained. “Sound barrier; no sound at all gets out; well, no sound that can be heard by these Yaks, so we’re free to do whatever we need.”
“What are you. . .guys doing?” Melty asked, regaining her strength enough, albeit a bit hunched over. Filo stayed on her bed that was pulled out while Raphtalia did the same, only settling from looking at the angle she was able to.
SPLASH! Naofumi watched as Valiant threw a bucket of cold water at the Yak, setting for taking the nearest blunt object and throwing it across the Yak’s head as he began to stir.
“Huh?” W-What the?” Nafoumi listened to the Yal stir and look around, visibly confused as he sounded unsure of himself. Valiant only settled for taking off his helmet and setting it on the table, casting a look of mild disgust to this Yak, even though he was unsure if there were a closer relationship with that bastard Silver Mark.
Or Night Order.
“Well, would you look at that? Kid, it looks like we have a volunteer. . .for Operation D.” Valiant said, unamused at the Yak’s panicky nature that would only make things worse for him, the longer he went on.
“What does the D stand for?” Naofumi asked, throwing his own glare at the Yak who looked a mix of scared and confused at the statement.
“Degrade,” Valiant replied, almost in a whisper of a tone as the Yak in front of him struggled to get away. “Take the girls in the other room, I don’t want them to see this,”
“Hey! What are you doing?/M-Master?/Master. . .Naofumi.” Melty, Filo and Raphtalia all voiced their protest as Naofumi ushered them to their rooms, the look on the hero’s face being that of no-negotiation, as his rage began to boil like water. Once the door was closed, Naofumi slowly began to walk towards the Yak, a sneer on his face as his normal shield was summoned.
“Don’t blink.” Naofumi simply said.
“Wha-“ Valiant understood what Naofumi meant as he sidestepped, giving him room as he charged forward, his shield cocked back with his fist as embers began to form and hit the wood floor. The Yak’s face was the perfect target.
A thrumming sounded. An echo of voices over one another became jumbled as the realization began to sink in.
Yago had fucked up.
''U-Ugh. . .'' Yago breathed in a exhale accompanied by a wheezing vocal fry. Yep, his lip and some of his teeth were definitely broken. How had the deal gone so wrong? It was a simple exchange as it had always been. Granted, the client had been demanding more products than could be delivered with the quality and care needed for the price of it to matter. ''Mmm. . .''
''Oh, hey; he's waking up.'' Yago heard a voice sound surprised as the sound of metal was sound against the wooden floor. He had done his best to not speak, to not rat those who had given him his big break, and give his family the life they had so desperately wanted. The torture, so to speak in comparison to suffering would be worse.
''Good, because we're going to need him awake. I don't want it said I killed him when he can try and vouch for himself, but we have enough evidence to warrant a hearing.'' Yago's eyes were harshly assaulted in a form of light that was put in his face to facilitate waking up. What looked to be a shape covered in green slowly revealed itself to be. . .the thing! Hero, he was sure that was what it was called. And he. . .looked angry. ''Start talking.''
''Huh? W-What?'' Yago asked, looking at the shield that was on his arm, and the dried red stain, which upon thinking about it and feeling the sting of pain from his forehead, the stains being his blood suddenly made all the more sense.
''We're asking the questions here,'' the Unicorn looked at Yago, walking forward and tapping at the floor with his reinforced hoof claw, the sound of scraping making his ears hurt and his surroundings made his mind go haywire when he was able to understand where he was at, and more importantly, the reason for the violence. ''What were you doing?''
Deny. Deny. Deny. They had nothing to go on, and they would only use intimidation tactics until they got what would basically be a lie; a means to an end of spreading their mission of oppression and power-grabbing until nothing would be left. ''Y-You got nothing, you colored freaks. You're in Yak-Yakistan, so everything you've done since you set foot here is against you. Prince Rutherford-''
''-Is on our side with making sure that this land of yours is adequately defended against threats, foreign or domestic, as well as cracking down on the shakedowns that have been going on at the docks, and from what I and the kid's seen when we investigated-'' Valiant gestured to the Hero, who looked to be barely containing himself from striking him again. ''-those barrels and the fact that you were harboring some creature who slapped one of your guys' shit and ran off poses some questions.''
Yago huffed, that had almost been him if he hadn't backed away and let his friend take charge with escorting her from the ship. She paid well and kept her mouth shut until they got to port, and that was a capital offense to act such a way to a host. Though against the situation that occurred, Yago was caught with the proverbial egg on his face as he was assaulted, and for no reason other than to flex one's power. ''I ain't talking, so you might as well let me go, and especially since you have no evidence.''
Valiant almost wanted to laugh, but he knew that would only insult the Yak in front of him as he thought him not telling the truth would erase what did before coming into contact with them, and even more so what was attempted to be done before things went south with the deal. He had to applaud him, however. It was a relatively good tactic that was used to deflect on the basis of no evidence and to allow time for those with the small, or big amount of power in such a case to double down on the denial.
But Valiant was smarter than that. Taking a chair from the rear of the room with his magic and bringing it to his rear as he sat in it, he smirked and played his own card. ''You see; what is wrong about that way of thinking is actually that even when you think this little 'spat' will be enough to deflect us off of what we all know is your bullshit, then you are more dead wrong your friends that I fed to the sharks.'' Valiant cleared his throat and looked at Yago with the most unimpressed look, the dullness in his eyes unnerving the Yak the longer the two of them stared at Yago without trying to hurt him any further. ''So, I ask again; do you want to tell us what you were really doing down there?''
''Don't tell them,'' Yago thought. ''They don't need to know, it wouldn't be any use.''
''Look,'' Yago looked to the Hero who walked forward, clutching his fists and scowling, the green light on his shield glowing brighter the closer he got to Yago. ''Whatever it was you and your guys did to my party almost killed them, and if I hadn't been there in time, if I hadn't. . .'' Naofumi growled, withholding a deep breath before it came out through his nose, Valiant looking at his partner before he spoke again, the anger being felt in the entire room. ''If you don't tell us what plans you have going on, or who you're working with, I will make every second from now on the worst you've ever known.'' Naofumi's cold, iron stare began to get under the Yak's thick skin, each passing second with the shield getting closer provoking him to flinch when Naofumi exhaled a breath or grunted until he was only a few inches from his nose.
Valiant silently agreed as a small moment of understanding where something came up when Yago talked about no evidence.
Storm Song. He was pretty sure that was her by the color of the flight streak on the way out. Her information about traveling on the ship could yield something, and being in Yak-Yakistan still would provide the advantage. He also knew that he or Naofumi had yet to tell him about Silver Mark, specifically, so they had plenty of things on their side versus what Yago may have thought otherwise.
They would only need to push the envelope to make it work.
''Well, we could just let you go, and then what good would that do for you? You probably could have your things to attend to, and probably you're late by now,'' Valiant mused, going over the multiple options he would try and deflect to in the event of things going his way. ''To your. . .partners, they must be wondering where you are, and that will make them come looking for you. You'll tell them what we tried to do to you, which will force your plans to speed up, and that's gonna be where you're gonna slip up-'' Valiant said, Naofumi holding his anger in check behind a pressed growl.
''-And we already know what we're going to do to counter that. So it would be better if you just told us before we resort to less civil ways of talking.''
''Pfft, what could that be, yutz?'' Yago asked, not believing what they may have had for an idea to get him to talk, even if it was more violence. He was a Yak; he could and would endure; if it meant his own goals could be accomplished. These two would be able to do little in the face of the great Yaks, and once Prince Rutherford was told of the true nature, then it would be only a matter of time. ''Whatever you got for me will be a piece of cake.'' Yago was deep in thought as he waited to see what lengths the two of them would go in order to get nothing out of him.
Naofumi looked at his shield, working out different scenarios if it would be able to provide any kind of trump card to make the situation better, but knowing if it would be that easy to change the outcome of certain things around him, then he would be probably back home in Japan. Yago was stubborn, but he would eventually crack when prompted.
''That is a very good question; I actually have the answer to that. But, here's another: How willing would you be to go against what you know if it involved your family. . .Yago?'' Valiant asked, a smirk on his face as the Yak's eyes nearly bulged out of his skull. How did he know? Did he mutter in his sleep? Were they being watched before their meet? Or were-
''-I would gather, pretty far, as a matter of fact,'' another aged voice sounded from behind Yago, making his worst fears come to light; he had been ratted out. And by one of his own, no less. ''I figured it would be some fuckery in play, but you, Yago? For shame,'' Pagus slowly came into view, shaking his head with a disapproving aura, followed by another figure with a cloak over their head, before the realization sat in from the color.
''You,'' Yago growled to the both of them, wanting the positions to be reversed so he could enact his revenge. ''Both of yous, sellouts!''
Pagus snickered, taking a slow sip from his carry flask of peach and lychee mead, the slow, fruity concoction soothing his sore throat. He knew he could do little in this environment, but he would indeed make the most of it while he was present. He held an idea of who may have been behind the botched job at the docks, only making work for the common Yak all the more difficult while making their pockets richer while draining every bit of commerce versus working hard for the currency agreed upon by the masses.
And especially when it came to his alcohol.
''You got caught, simple. From what I hear, you got off lucky by not getting eaten by sharks. So, what the hell have you guys been shipping and selling for a reduced price? I would love to know from your own mouth.'' Pagus said, circling around the Yak in question, his earrings dangling with every second as Valiant and Naofumi looked on. ''So spill.''
''What you talking about, Pagus? I know you know I walk the straight and narrow; trouble? Never me. C-Come on, what do you think I am?'' Yago asked, sweating the longer the conversation went on, his ground on the matter becoming more and more lost.
''A waste of a Yak, for one,'' the hidden stranger made themselves vocal, throwing back the hood to show a Pegasus mare with a dark blue coat, adorned with golden armor pads that seemed to shine even with the smallest amount of light with the custom molding of letters he was unable to read ever-present. Her curly violet mane was tied back to avoid it getting in her face as Yago spied the rage of 10 Yaks within her as she slowly spoke to him, clicking her tongue when he attempted to find innocence. ''And I already know exactly what it is you are smuggling in and out of these borders, but it would help Prince Rutherford punish you better if it came from the Yak's mouth itself.''
Valiant snickered as Naofumi went to check on his party, making sure they were properly hydrated and if they required anything besides rest. Storm Song and her iron-clad will made almost all under it buckle when provided the right information. It was certainly a blessing that they met within an acceptable timeframe to help the mission go along swimmingly. With Storm Song in the party, any opposition would be dealt with almost no effort. ''Believe me now, yutz, I think you said?'' Valiant asked, his smug grin spanning a mile long.
Yago still held the will to fight, even with the circumstances. They may have known what they were moving to, they couldn't have possibly known for who, or why. They covered their tracks too well for-
''-And we managed to recover the manifesto of everything your bookkeeper's been logging, and from all accounts, we have an idea of the kind of firebombs you're trying to make. You plan to carpet bomb and take down most of Yak-Yakistan's defenses, natural and otherwise. Let's also not forget the names of those you mentioned too. And while the masses that aren't dead fight to make sense of the chaos, you guys will swoop in and take the country by force, and whatever else that comes along with it.'' Pagus summarized from what he saw that Storm Storm showed them before their guest woke up. ''Still want to cling to the notion that you 'know nothing'?''
Pagus's glare, Storm Song's aura of intimidation, and Valiant's gleeful expression of being caught produced a twinge of annoyance for Yago. He knew that if he tried to escape his bonds, he would most certainly be met with resistance on at least 3 fronts, with one being at least as strong as him, if not strangely stronger when drunk. If he continued to stay quiet, they would just goad more information out of him, and chip away at his feelings. He. . .only had one option. It would cost him his bonus, but he figured it would be worth it if it meant he would live another day and his family live through what would undoubtedly happen.
Channeling his thoughts and drowning out the sound of the constant bombardments, Yago slowed his breathing, feeling a cold unlike the harsh winters of Yak-Yakistan take him over as he shivered, movement in between his fur producing a small crystal tear bound by a string through a hole swaying back and forth before lifting up above his head, the trio taking heed to stop their talks and look at what was occurring before the small tear lodged itself in Yago's forehead, the force knocking his chair over and slamming his head on the ground; his last exhale coming out as a rumble that sounded covered with something as his eyes opened to their widest before closing and any tension in his body soon relaxing.
Naofumi came back into the room, hearing the sound with his shield prepared, his eyes focused. ''What was-'' Naofumi was barely able to get out before a wave of extreme cold hit the room, engulfing and swallowing everyone in it.
Takt soared through the air with his last attack, landing on the ground with little recoil, his form straightened back into his crane stance. ''Had enough?'' Hmmph. The nerve of these peasants. . .these worms. When Takt made his declaration of being God, he was 1,000 percent positive and assured in himself. ''I can't tell if the two of you are just that weak or that stupid.''
L'Arc coughed up a blob of blood and spit on the weathered ground, his scythe clattering to the ground in front of him. His last attack had more power behind it, but he wouldn't fall. Not here. L'Arc was trained better, he had a mission more important than whatever bullshit this kid was trying to sell. Therese came up behind him, offering a hand in comfort, but he knew she was close to falling over herself. ''Y-You good?''
Therese grunted, the wave of fire from her own attack flying over their heads as Takt laughed. For a girl with the passion to match the prettiest of jewels, Therese wasn't the best front-line fighter in terms of taking damage. Her hairbands came undone, resulting in her hair being caked in dirt and twigs. Pulling up her companion, she managed to maintain one eye on her enemies. ''He's starting to piss me off.'' L'Arc laughed, so of course not.
Three of the soldiers who managed to stay fighting spaced out, keeping their swords at the ready; what they lacked in magic and defense was made up for by sheer determination and creativity. Their queen gave them a task, and they would have the backing of their fellow soldiers and the lifeblood of being born in the greatest country in the land.
''So what do you think? Bottom of the barrel? Top of the bottom of the barrel? Or just on the ground, waiting for the sweet release of death?'' Takt asked the nearest soldier who flinched at the question, nearly dropping his sword. Great, another wimp. ''Nevermind. But back to the two of you; why do you fight against your maker? I know the texts say I am forgiving, but only for so long.''
Therese finished chanting, throwing forth a fire spell once again, hoping the fool would take the bait. He sighed and jumped forward a tad, simply settling to kick away the spell with a tad of Wind magic, only it split apart into three, aiming for the other 3 soldiers who were either too slow to react or attempted to run away to only be burnt to a crisp. ''Why we fight is no of your concern,'' Therese reluctantly crushed one of her smaller jewels on the necklace around her neck, spilling a green wave of healing onto her and L'Arc. ''You just need to die.''
Takt raised a brow.
''And how sure are you willing to place a bet on that? I do like a good bet from time to time.'' Takt said, chuckling when the pair stood firm against him. ''Are you sure we can't come to an understanding? Little less fighting, a little more you both worshipping the ground I walked on so you don't die here in vain.''
Growling and positioning his weapon behind him again for another attack, Takt focused his eyes on the pair, even from the distance apart, his inquisitive, but smug glare could be felt. . .almost as if he were aiming for-
''-Euuugh!'' Therese was suddenly flung toward Takt, the dust getting into L'Arc's eyes. Dammit. He was being cheeky again, with his cheap tricks and attitude. ''H-H-H-mmmph!'' Therese's mouth filled with spit, unable to be moved by the almost vacuum-tight grip Takt held on her with two hands, the heat of his hands, the smell of his sweat, and the thousand-yard that was bored right into her brain with each passing second.
''You know I don't do this for my health, right? I do it because when itsy bitsy punks like you try and come here with your second-rate magic and vague bullshit ideals,I have to deal with it, and for what? If you could fight half as good as you talked, then maybe this would be more entertaining for me than it is a brainfuck for you.'' Takt's words sparked a fire within the scythe wielder. It sparked something he was sure that should have stayed buried. But it didn't. There was too much going on at one time, not enough people to divide resources, and he was the only one that could truly shoulder it.
Time and time again, the expectations given to him were relatable to the same level of standard as being a king of a small country. This world was so drastically different than the other, and the more similar certain things were, the worse the assessment was. At times, L'Arc wondered if there could be a different way to approach things; a different soul that could take charge of what few could do. The time between his companion being dragged from him and his reaction to leap into action, swinging his scythe in the hopes that he would feint and drop his guard. ''Takt!''
''Let's see what you got!'' Takt exclaimed, paying the weak grip of Therese no mind as the other bug who so rudely tried his luck to fight God. His resolve would be tested, and the repentance for such foolish actions were either lashings or death. Takt lifted Therese right in the way of his next attack, the slight hesitance in L'Arc's eyes as he barely managed to shift his weight just enough to slide off to the side of the ground, his weapon falling loose from his grip and being embedded in the ground some few hundred feet from him as he slid to a stop. ''And what do we have here? It seems you ain't got much.''
''Shut up!'' L'Arc hissed, slamming a fist into the hot ground, standing up and wincing when some skin at the surface level was taken off by not being covered with armor or leather. Maybe, just maybe he could entice him with something. Their world did have its fair share of treasures and trinkets if he could bide his time to think of something that he could use to buy his favor. ''You don't know what I got, it could be something you could want.'' Takt laughed at the thought. Something he could want? There wasn't much that he already didn't have that already was not falling into his lap or given by the utter of a word.
''I doubt that,'' Takt simply said, growing bored of holding the magic caster when her breath began to grow short, he needed only to hold her there a bit longer to bring her to an unconscious state. Her efforts were something to commend to a degree, and his attitude toward the situation was to be expected, their biggest mistake was their complacency. More of their kind should have come from that beam of light, but the time for that has passed. ''And I also doubt this fight will ever go beyond this.''
And so did the conversation.
A chuckle rose from L'Arc's throat. He was down, for the moment; but not out. Most of his talents were yet to be seen, and the majority of his power had yet to be seen. ''And how do you figure? It's not like you have a weapon that has the power to counter a Vassal Weapon!'' L'Arc figured the time for playing around would be over with; if he didn't actually put some power into this next attack, then anything could happen. His outstretched hand clasped around the shaft of his weapon that flew towards him, the sneer on his face showing. ''Spirit Enchant!'' the jewel on the weapon glowed a bright purple.
''Hmmm.'' Takt looked around him, seeing a faint line of purple lines from spots on the ground where he assumed either the soldiers who came with or those before who perished sprout up, only fueling his initial theory once he managed to fight the whiner long enough. ''You're right,'' Takt smiled, tossing Therese aside on the ground, his arms open and raised. His eyes closed. ''I have several.'' L'Arc's scythe glowed a deep purple on the edge of the blade.
''Rahhh!'' L'Arc's charge, the blinding feeling that followed unable to be told as his attack landing or if the power was too much.
A bucket of cold water splashed on the pair, nearly sending Therese into shock and irritating L'Arc. From what they could gather, they were in a cell; their armor was gone, with dirty smocks that barely passed as clothes in their place. The dim light from the wall torches so far spaced out made it hard to see in the cold, dark space.
What they could see plain as day in front of them was another matter.
''See? I told you. Not dead, just really bad at whatever the hell they were doing.'' Takt simply responded, paying the glare of the other two people little mind as he tossed the bucket to the side. ''Didn't get much out of them, so good luck.'' L'Arc hissed, even now, he still had that same attitude? Why, he should-
''-I hope the two of you are comfortable,'' the soothing voice of the woman in front of them showed. Her voice, calm thought firm sounded a bit whimsical. There was no mistaking it; from the garb to the stance.
She was royalty.
''W-We have nothing to say to you,'' Therese whimpered to herself as she tried to fix her hair. ''You may as well kill us.''
The woman in front tilted her head a bit, while the other, shorter one gave a light scolding to Takt. Her eyes glistened with the feeling of confusion, only tempered with a touch of rage. She kneeled down, her hands on her knees. ''Help me understand.'' L'Arc watched the woman with a cautious eye, the realization taking a moment to sink in of who she was. ''Why do you attack us? Why the ill will?'' silence followed in the next few seconds, Therese only settling to bunch up as if her questions would not reach if she was in a ball. ''You do realize the predicament the two of you are in, correct?''
Takt huffed, leaning against the wall and picking dirt from his nails. This was getting them nowhere, and he frankly didn't have time to babysit any longer. The pair barely fought with any shred of real power, no real plan, and the next thought on his mind that Fitoria had to put to his mind was the time of the next Wave; it was still some time before then, but according to her, the rest of the Heroes would need to be summoned in order to defend against it. ''Well I don't give a shit, so I'm going to go take one; call me when you have an act worthy of God.''
''And off he goes,'' Fitoria sighed, shaking her head and stepping towards the iron bars of the cells, wanting the results of how these two were able to do what they did. From her assessment when Takt brought them in, mixed with what he witnessed and what the queen told her about the figure that Naofumi fought before his passing, she was almost so sure.
Heroes, but of a different breed, and world. The previous Shield Hero had mentioned once or twice about the possibility from the fragments she could gather when she allowed herself time to deeply concentrate and probe her own mind. From what place or the particular summon method was lost to her. But more than that was lost; Fitoria felt. . .a shift. Something, with either the arrival of these two, the departing of Naofumi and the other sub-par Heroes, or a grander scheme of which she had no idea of still pointed to the same result of there being an issue. ''You're going to want to talk.''
. . .
''Perhaps my words fail to convince you,'' L’ Arc watched the queen continue from her spot kneeled, her voice becoming a bit louder but toeing the line of aggression. The almost imperceptible glow in her eyes made L'Arc's raise a bit, the silent sign of telling him to focus as he was the only one of the two willing to at least glare back at her and see whatever it could be that she wanted to say. For all his arrogance and carefree attitude at times, he was not above listening. ''You two come into the borders of my land, attack my soldiers and a summoned Hero, and expect to be not be questioned on your actions? a small series of chuckles came from her mouth before she contained herself. ''You must take me for either a fool or you yourselves may be more foolish than what I can believe.''
Therese lifted her eyes from her lap, noting that the two women who were essentially marking them as villains, as troublemakers yet had the audacity to be before them and act all high and mighty. The thought made her stomach want to turn inside out. ''You don't know us. . .'' Fitoria narrowed her eyes and said nothing in response. She would not be the butt of anyone's jokes.
''Hmmm, then why were the two of you dispatched rather easily from what Takt told us? I would be under the impression you would have better combat ability for the Heroes you claim to be,” Fitoria spoke in a condescending tone, noting how small, how weak they looked when not baring their fangs. “Though not as strong as Naofumi in some ways, Takt is powerful enough to-“ Therese interjected, a shaky hand pointing to Fitoria.
“His. . . fault. It’s all his fault! He ruined everything!” Therese rose up suddenly, knocking over L’ Arc and running over to the bars, her speed catching the women off guard until Fitoria caught Therese’s hands that she held almost no doubt that were attempting to choke her. The crazed, frantic movements of her dilated pupils failed to move the Queen of Melromarc as she met the young girl’s gaze with an inquisitive frown.
“Therese, calm down!” L’Arc walked over, slowly approaching to appear as helpful as he could only without sending her further down the rabbit hole. Ever since word, or more so, the feeling of Glass’s passing reached the pair, their plans were noticeably thrown astray, but not completely stopped. The one wildcard in the form of Takt certainly made the two plot their escape with that and other factors with more consideration in mind.
“Hmm? The mention of Naofumi seemed to pique your interest, could it be you feel he was the issue rather than perhaps the two of you?” Mireillawatched as Therese shook off her partner and turned her attention elsewhere.
“If he just stopped interfering. . .then our plans would be accomplished!” Therese shook and cried, no longer caring for grace or elegance; not when she was literally reduced to next to nothing in a situation where nothing much would change immediately, such as her pride. “Our world would be saved, and-“
“-Then what?” Fitoria asked, still holding the frantic girl’s hands as she craned her eyes towards her, noting the narrowed stare and emotionless words that she spoke. “If Naofumi laid down his shield in battle, you would have killed him, and for what? So your world could survive while ours withers away and dies?”
“W-Well, I wouldn’t put it like that exactly,” L’Arc chuckled a bit, in a way to try and lighten the mood, knowing that a small laugh would draw a bit of attention away from the point, hopefully. “The kid-“
“Naofumi Iwatani, or Shield Hero Naofumi, is what he was known by, and you shall not disgrace his brief legacy here in this world,” Mirellia’s tone left no room for negotiation, though with the hopefully temporary altered mindset of the female and obvious deflecting nature of the boy before her, she ensured respect for the honorable dead. However, she needed to get information out of these two, and to what degree that knowledge could do in furthering her own plans for her nation and people. “But seeing as we have had a lovely chat for today, the time for actual information is now; so you may want to talk if you want your conditions to improve.”
L’Arc instantly laughed, calling her bluff from a mile away. All rulers implored a similar mindset and almost always resulted in things not being where they would want it, at least those unwilling to do the things that needed to be done to accomplish a result. “What, are you thinking of torture?”
A thought occurred in the ruler’s mind. Not of torture, since that already was on the agenda to have, but the. . .tenacity was to be appreciated. Multiple thought formulated about the current situation and how a trade of sorts could be used to get what she knew she wanted, and what she knew she did not yet want. Should she tell them outright, or play the part of the fool? With all the trouble that the pair gave her and her solders, Mireilla did figure it to be the least of their worries to know what was coming in the event they held any opportunity to adjust to it. Another thought rose to her mind that a part of her wanted to have squashed, but simply could not as that same part of her being was what held her in check in these recent months, especially following the execution of her own family, regardless of their fall from grace in the eyes of the people. Many a night, slept plagued with mild visions and dreams of her head in the block, her name being changed for the worse, and the last thing for her eyes to witness being the fall of a blade.
“Melty,” Mireillathoughts of her late deceased daughter flooded her mind, seeing the last interaction before her set-off with Naofumi’s party in the last wave pass as an eternity that only intensified with greater attention to the smallest detail to the grandiose conclusion and confusion that she sent her youngest to die in a war Mireilla herself was not so sure if the end was a possibility anymore than if anymore would have to die due to the broken system of the world they all shared. “I do this for you.”
WHOOSH!
“Ma’am, we may. . .have an issue.” Mirellia’s eyes widened a tad at the information her Shadow gave her, slowly rising from her kneeled position and fixing her dress. This would need to be discussed elsewhere, least the two prisoners before them gain any ideas. Their punishment would suit the crime once information began to flow, and said information would flow.
Whether they would like it or not.
5 Months Later. . .
Another rumble came from the distance, sending a small wave of pressure throughout the castle, the tail end of it reaching the dungeons and blowing a light breeze in L’Arc’s food to which he longer tried to fight against shielding against; almost like clockwork, this would happen and sour his mood. Therese absentmindedly brushed her hair with the simple brush she was given, though she couldn’t tell how good it looked without a mirror, and L’Arc was only so good at telling her that her hair looked fine to the dismay of her. Even being in terrible conditions didn’t make so it they would have to forget simple behaviors and expectations. “Ouch.” Therese groaned, accidentally touching a welt that she paid little to when brushing. The many blows over the weeks made it difficult to properly remember unless she managed to focus.
“Be careful, you’re not getting any older, you know.” L’Arc dryly commented, stuffing his mouth full of mildly salted rice and baked chicken breast with at least three day old bread. When the queen made it clear they would be fed, she failed to tell them under the pretense the quality of food depended on what they could willingly or otherwise expound to her in the efforts to support her kingdom and people. The only other thing that made it worse was the repetition; L’Arc was sick of this crap for the past week. He craved a nice steak and some beer, only to be dangled with the idea of such by way of dreams. “What day is it?”
“Your guess is as good as mine, we tried keeping track and that didn’t work.” Therese said, pouting when a particular knot took a bit more hair then she would have liked when she was met with resistance. “I don’t think we can-“ L’Arc growled, knowing what would come and the way that his partner would try and weasel out of talking about their escape plan. It only took a matter of the right opportunity, though they had yet to actually witness such a thing with the security up the max whenever they were moved anywhere in the kingdom.
“-Don’t. We’ll find a way out of here,” L’Arc shook his head, reassuring himself. Yea, they would get out; they had to. Every ‘session’ only gave them greater knowledge, but it would be worthless if they were unable to actually put any effort into it. “We just have to stay confident.”
“I’ll have to admit that is one of your better qualities at times,” Therese gave a weak smile, though purely for show to appease her partner’s ego so the both of them wouldn’t go crazy. “Who do you think is attacking them?”
L’Arc shook his head, not having the slightest idea. They never made much of a note to study the rest of the world outside of what they were sure that would need for their plans. The rest mattered little. Grabbing a small piece of chicken breast, L’Arc sat up from his spot on the floor, walking to the edge of the cold cell’s bars, hurling a chunk into the nearest torch, watching the food overcook and burn. Cleaning his throat, he spoke in the loudest tone short of giving himself a sprained voice box. “Yo, can we get some service here? We’ve been here how long and we don’t have a clue of who’s attacking you! I think we should have a right to know!”
The last words managed to echo before L’Arc cursed himself, hoping that would get a response of some kind versus the other times, but he figured each day, or night, whichever, the two of them couldn’t tell. He almost considered giving up at times, but he couldn’t. Their world was in ruin, he knew. The people, the beautiful landscape, the great food and the memories of the lives of the people who just wanted to live a decent living, and all of that would be for the reason of selfishness.
Their weapons long gone, and under heaviest guard fortified by enchantments were put the farthest away, which L’Arc was sure that the guards made sure the key to such was far away as possible.
But the worst of it had yet to come for this ‘day’ if L’Arc was correct.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
“Oh, no. . .again already?!” Therese’s exclamation following by her incessant breathing made her partner groan as she fought to crawl back to the wall, her chest rising and falling rapidly. “No, no, no!”
A deep throated chuckle followed with the last thump of well-made leather boots against the dungeon floors, revealing the silhouette of a man adorned in padded but baggy grey pants and light armored obsidian black shoulder and knee guards flanked by two mages and Melromarc guards. The grey padded shirt he wore bore a singular sleeve on his left while the other, while bare held a noticeably bigger shoulder guard with a singular reinforced leather glove. The look of mirth in his magenta eyes shone even in the dim lights of the torches. “I’m sure that was a bit quicker than the last few times, are we getting better, Therese?”
Therese writhed from her place on the ground, shutting her eyes and hoping that the experience would be quick at the very least. Her mind still remained in fragments from the last time where she attempted to fight from the ‘reach’. At first, her and L’Arc resisted, their own wills being superior to what they believed to be mediocre talent.
But how wrong were they.
“What’s the score today, Leri?” L’Arc standing up and walking right in front of the man, his hand loosely clutching the cold bars, an challenging look in his eye as Leri waved a finger in disapproval, barely able to watch the digit move as a blur as it poked L’Arc in the head, sending the man back to his partner, his head hitting the wall with enough force knock his brain and forth in his head, Therese slowly reaching out to check on her partner as the cell door opened, both guards who accompanied him who readied their swords as the mages began to chant, the faint sickly purple light illuminating inside the cell walls and floors, showing the shape of modified Slave Crests.
“Well,” Leri said in a whimsical tone, hearing the shout of pain from the pair as the Crests activated. This, he would enjoy like every other time, and while the result mattered to his employer, the personal enjoyment made the job all the better, each and every time. These two were certainly better than the common ones he would get, but even with his experience, he knew there still existed some measure of fear beyond the bravado. It always made it clear when the last bit of hope was squeezed out, and some innate feeling made it so that Leri knew that day would possibly be today. “You tell me what the Queen wants to know, and it stops, real simple. Life’s not that hard to go through.”
Therese simply yelled back out, shrinking at Leri’s gaze, clutching her blanket tightly. “W-We already told you e-everything! All you d-do is torture us now! When will you get that?!”
Leri tilted his head, jostling a bit of his brown mop-swept hair to the side as the question made him chuckle; it wouldn’t stop, not now or ever until what was agreed upon was delivered. The basic rules of a contract were something of a holy text to follow by in a world of lawlessness and immortality. “When the Queen says so. You think I’m dumb, that’s not the case, I air more on the side of caution when I say there’s a few more things you know, so why not be upfront?”
Therese howled when the mages increased their input, her attempted move towards Leri was cut short as he laughed when she crashed on the floor.
“Oh my goodness, you should know this by now, but I guess if we need to go another round then fine, we can-“ Leri was stopped by another voice from the end of the hallway, his hand paused midway in grabbing her hair with the arrival of a rather young messenger solider, his armor dirty and face flush with fear as he quickly gave his report with a half effort salute. The soldiers present gave him a passing glance.
“-Sir, Ake reporting! The queen requests you out to the front line! The opposing kingdom’s defenses have weakened our Sapper division and are currently gaining ground to the East!” Ake breathed out his report, nearly falling on his back if not for the solider nearest him breaking his fall. “Acting Sergeant Takt is at the front line, attempting to kill the enemy commander but he may need assistance with the amount of reinforcements their kingdom provided.”
Leri quirked a brow, knowing that the situation outside was one of fragility. The nation of Siltvelt certainly made good on their promise of taking positive action against Melromarc for the failed release of The Shield Hero to the kingdom in accordance with the breached decree that was set forth and agreed upon. With the perception of Melromarc changed by the public execution of the Heroes by the kingdom, along with the royals made for a tense situation over the three day time limit to a declaration of war. “Is that so?”
Ake nodded furiously, wanting to get his report out and get back to the front line to defend his kingdom. Initially scared out of his young mind, the drive to go out and fight for the well-being of his country and leader far surpassed that of the immediate fear of death. “Yes, Sir. Sgt. Takt expects you within the hour.”
Fortune had to be favorable. . .for those two, for now.
“Fine, I expect my payment as it’s always been, not one coin more.” Leri smirked, shooting a two finger salute to L’Arc and Therese who knew better than to try and get up when Leri stood as close to them as he did. Flexing his gloves and ordering the mages to walk with after the guards locked the cell, Ake hurried behind the man, the thump his boots slowly losing sound while the guards ensured the cell was locked before marching off and locking what was sure to be the mother of all doors to even lead inside their own cell before the loud metallic clang followed.
Seconds passed before they even considered talking. It would be too dangerous; Therese looked to her partner and nodded, her muscles randomly spazzing.
Their trap had been set.
“Do you think?” L’Arc asked, feeling his head hang with the intensity of a drum. He had to sell the act, but the pain did not make it any better. Whatever hole they drug the monster of a man of made the idea of knowing he was birthed and taught to do what was obviously good at all the scarier.
“It will, we’ll just have to be prepared to fight, we won’t know where exactly he’ll be, so we’ll have to trust our instincts.” Therese said, knowing the slip-up a guard basically telling almost all of their information on their enemy over the past few months in small droves, and the experience she just witnessed gave them enough information to enact their plan. “He won’t be here for long, so make the best of what we have.” A grin began to form on her face all the same as her partner, they would need to wait long enough.
Eastern Borders of Melromarc. . .
Another volley of arrows soared through the air, the amount managing to temporarily outshadow the sun on their descent down, hitting either the shields of seasoned veterans and recruits from the academy. The clang of steel against steel, shield to face, and magic afflicting those with either death or lasting effects; all of it drowned out by the shouts of the opposing kingdoms who waged war.
“Onward, you fuckers, fight for your kingdom! And kill those who try to do harm to God!” Takt announced, the horse given to him, grace and elegance shown as she charged forward, unaware of the deeper understanding of the fight to come while her rider guided her with a strong fist. Siltvelt itself was bold in its approach to attack the kingdom of Melromarc, and what made the situation all the more amusing was the reasoning for starting the war; The Legendary Heroes’s death mattered not to the kingdom, but so the the exception of Shield Hero Naofumi.
Another volley of arrows came, protection by way of Wind magic deflecting the projectiles away from the soldier while Takt, alone and past the major scope of fire was adamant on capturing the leader of the other side and making him and his troops surrender, versus engaging the riff-raff unlike the last 2 and a half months of engagements. “Where the hell is that guy she hired? Leri, was it?” Takt asked himself aloud, maneuvering his steed over a fallen Melromarcian artillery cannon, the dense, cold air of the morning making things difficult to see at times.
From the intelligence they were given by the queen’s Shadows, the enemy commander’s area of operation remained in the last known position when scouted two days prior. His vision clear due to the smoke lifting just in time to see the row of Beastmen and regular soldiers. “Hnngh!” Takt jumped off at the last moment, twisting his body and rolling into a run, expertly twisting away swords and spears away with the back of his gauntlets.
One by one, the opposition fell, the Melromarcian soldiers doing their best to contend with their enemy’s versatility for the time being with losses not as vast as Siltvelt, though noteworthy nonetheless. A wave of hot air cascaded from the DragonNewt squad that unleashed their fire in a four-sided attack, the blazing heat scorching the ground and engulfing the man where he stood, the pain of the attack would have been felt if any other stood before them. “Nice try!” Takt maneuvered his arms in a circle, utilizing Wind magic to redirect the attack and essentially supercharge it with his own power, resulting in a greater show of carnage as the fight continued.
Leaning to the side after a sword was tossed his way, Takt’s quicker instincts enabled him to catch the handle of the blade, using the surprised solider’s lack of focus to drive his blade into the exposed area of his neck, driving his fist into his face and watching as he fell with a gurgled grunt. Spying ahead of the chaos and from where the majority of the forces came from told Takt’s intuition where to have bodies be. “Straight ahead, they can’t stay this way forever!” the sound of cheers from the soldiers that echoed the battle cry carried on hours into this engagement.
Before long, when the battle soon drew to a close with Melromarc barely managing to hold the line as their attackers fled with wounded pride and greater loss than what the last few surprise attacks brought forth. The amount of battlefield injury to death was relatively low, while the stain of would wash away, little would be able to be done for the mental state of those scarred by the act of war. A lone solider came to report to Takt in the makeshift operation area as he haphazardly looked over the remaining assets; the commander no doubt moved back further which would cause them to go deeper in territory that even Takt knew would be laden with traps. “Sgt, Private Denwas r-reporting.” Denwas grunted, his second-degree skin burn on the side of his forearm aching as he shifted into the position to address him. “We have located enemy traps ahead of our path and disabled them.”
Nodding and grimacing when he saw a solider’s face melted by the fires of the enemy, ironically being proud of the damage that was done to cause half of the young man’s face resemble and smell of burning rubber and meat. “Good, prepare a squad of 120, we’ll make to take the commander so I can shove my boot so far up his ass so that’ll rupture an organ and bleed out internally and die at my feet,” Takt munched on a dried piece of meat, watching the map with a lazy eye. “This war should be over with by now, but attacking Siltvelt directly would force a hand I know your Queen wouldn’t let be played, but I say to hell with that depending on what happens with Mr. Commander.” Takt closed his eyes for a moment to relax.
That much for a moment he deserved. The world around him was nowhere near the specs of where it should be for God, but he would fix the world and all imperfections before-
“-Sgt, something’s going on outside,” another soldier called, a bright light penetrating through the tent and kicking the wind up to the max, uplifting fallen weapons and armor. The ground shook, tossing the strong and still standing men on their feet. The sky began to turn a sickly purple, cackling with lighting that rained down indiscriminately, vaporizing some soldiers on the spot while other nearly went into shock by the loud noise or by flying debris. A wave of pressure pushed downward easily crushing the remaining soldiers who collectively folded while their leader merely groaned and stood tall, eyes widened as a singular sentence managed to find its way out of his mouth before everything that happened came to an abrupt stop. “What the holy fuck?” Takt asked once a last thunder-strike hit in the distance, revealing a massive mountain not previously there.
The situation was uncalled for if Naofumi had to say something in response.
A blinding, white light filled the room, followed by a stinging cold that steadily crept up from the floor to the walls. Something in his menu informed him of a temporary status proc that would slow their movements for a few minutes until its effects wore off. He counted himself lucky that he hadn't let Raphtalia, Filo, and Melty be in the room, not with their recovery from the near-death experience of drowning. Storm Song, Valiant, and Pagus stood their ground, the Unicorn guard erecting a semi-circle barrier to shield the torrent of cold as it quickly crept its way up, vast mounds of snow and ice filling the hovel.
''We need to do something, quick!" Storm Song shouted, her throat feeling as if sandpaper was shoved down her throat. The air's temperature began to drop drastically, causing Naofumi's head to tingle, and the possible thought of death sent his emotions off the charts. Valiant's barrier began to crumble under the intense cold, and the Shield Hero could barely see how much longer the cooldown had until it wore off. With frost covering his eyelids and his body's shivering response set into overdrive, Naofumi slowly found himself on the losing end of this metaphorical fight, and on one knee, the small, brief respite was in the form of Pagus giving him cover and yelling something he was unable to decipher.
''Nnggh!'' Naofumi grunted, raising his shield, the slight glow of the gem slowly turning red giving him the understanding that something involuntarily triggered his shield. His body began to heat up, embers of flames beginning to form, despite the cold and frost. An feeling stuck between instinct and fear compelled Naofumi to slowly rise, as the heads-up menu displayed the Cursed Shield's status effects displayed as a minuscule loss of his MP. ''Move!'' Naofumi barely managed to move Pagus out of the way and trudge to the barrier. ''L-Let me through! I have a plan!'' Valiant voiced his concern about the situation; it was bone-chilling cold, and the kid wanted to go out into it. If he didn't know better, Naofumi was essentially himself from another world. The flames grew in intensity, whipping and jumping toward the ice as it began to melt.
''What the buck's happening?'' Storm Song could feel the intense cascade of heat, the melting of ice on her eyes letting her be able to see Naofumi's crouched position over the mound of cold-spewing ice that began to melt. From what Valiant and Pagus were able to tell her, she was unable to get a read on his power, but she would have to see more to conclude the grander scheme of things. Starswirl and his hard-headed nature would be to come back and bite him in the flank, once again.
''Whatever he's doing, it's working!'' Pagus responded, coughing as the air wormed its way into his lungs, pieces of his coat causing him to lean over to one side as the icicles began to pull him down. Naofumi's shield continued to spew its flames, performing a sweep of the room as the cold slowly began to subside. Valiant dropped his barrier but had Storm Song and Pagus keep their distance from Naofumi as he instructed them to not get burned by the flames of his shield.
He still felt a twinge of pain causing Raphtalia to get tangled up due to his incompetence. He vowed to do better, be better, even if it meant braving the fire of Hell itself to be the salvation Raphtalia, Filo, and even Melty needed.
''You all alive still?'' Pagus asked, watching Naofumi rush to the back room once again to check on his team and ensure their well-being. Storm Song and Valliant didn't appear to be shaken up, just some gradual heat, warm tea, and some blankets would do them good from what he could see. A thought in his mind formulated and made him wonder the extent of whatever Yago did mean for the rest of them.
He knew it wasn't good, and he knew that it would be a long night.
The Next Day, Town Center. . .
Naofumi and Storm Song marched on, their minds set on them each doing their due diligence in preparing for whatever was sure to come their way after the events of last night. Storm Song walked on with a sense of purpose, as Naofumi marched with the tempered fury of a god, his back and head raised high and eyes laser focused. His outburst last night would pale in comparison to the Hell on Yak-Yakistan he would raise.
Valiant and Pagus took to moving Raphtalia, Filo, and Melty to Pagus's bar for the time being and to stand guard until the two of them came back from their meeting with Prince Rutherford, to inform him of what happened with Yago, and more importantly; for Naofumi to pay Silver Mark a personal visit. ''Remember, we need to be quick, there's no room for error.'' Storm Song said, briefly turning her attention to the area near the center of town that held the massive fireplace for Yaks to come by to warm up a few Yaks were feeding more wood to keep the flame going.
''I know,'' Naofumi said, a grit on his face as a few of the Yaks who passed them by looked more shocked than what the hero thought possible at the sight of the thousand-yard stare he possessed, his fists clutched tightly. Their footwear clinked and thudded under the ground, alerting residents who paid little attention to move as Storm Song's ears perked a bit, a low hum coming from her mouth that Naofumi failed to register. "We just need to get there, and make sure nothing else happens that we aren't prepared for.''
She couldn't disagree with that; last night's event certainly took more out of everypony than she cared to admit, but she would never openly say that in the face of something negative where next to no resources were on their side, and the ones that were would take time to muster, time that from the multiple looks on Princess Celestia's face as she was briefed only silently told her that they would have to handle the problems as they came to the best of hers, Valiant's and Naofumi's way if there would be a shred of hope of a liveable future in Equestria and beyond. ''What do you think that meant? Was it a signal or something to scare us?''
Only speedwalking faster in the direction of the meeting hall where he and his party first arrived, Naofumi's mind only centered on the eventuality of wrapping Silver Mark's neck with a pair of spiked chains and watching him bleed out slowly, to watch the life ebb away from his scared and confused eyes. ''He almost got away with it too,'' Naofumi thought to himself, giving Storm Song a half-hearted response to her question, the majority of his focus on the one thing that would make him feel better; nothing else at that moment mattered. Not the Waves, not the incompetence of Ren, Motoyasu, Itsuki, or the passiveness of Fitoria.
Naofumi wanted blood.
Giving him a sideye, Storm Song took the answer she was given as is, the sight of the meeting place she was supposed to go to by herself to brief Prince Rutherford on her arrival and the subsequent pertinent information about Zenith and The Chains that her connections were able to scrounge up. The firebombs from the manifesto, while crazy luck in time and place, only added to her report and gave her a better understanding of the capabilities and reach of Zenith and his followers. ''Yes, let's not forget why exactly we're here, I understand your team nearly died, and I am truly sorry for that, but I need you to have a level head before you go in there. We can't buck this up.'' Storm Song glided in front of Naofumi, stopping his advance abruptly, nearly causing him to fall into her if not for using her hooves to stop him. ''Trust me, I know how it is seeing the ones you love be hurt, and it hurts worse if you know it was because of something you could have done differently.''
Naofumi grunted. ''I don't need your backstory now; that's my party, my family you're talking about. I would do anything for them, and they almost died last night.''
Nodding her head, slowly controlling her breathing to not cause a scene and not have both of them emotional when the element of focus was needed, Storm Song leveled with Naofumi's plight, his. . .anger. It could be seen a literal mile away, from how he walked with tight, and meticulous purpose, down to the almost burning fire in his eyes. It reached out to her, and touched her would for a brief moment; a small portion of it, she witnessed when he assaulted Yago, and she was only all the more sure that he meant every ounce of his words behind defending those girls with everything within him, even and especially if it would kill him. ''But getting angry enough to petrify a Cockatrice won't do any good right now. Those three girls are fine, Valiant and Pagus are taking care of them, but we have a more important job to do what we can to protect this world.''
Protect? How convenient to make that argument. After all, it wasn't her family on the line, it wasn't her life whisked away from one place to another, and another when the first new world only served to break him. He felt. . .different since last night; something about it he didn't understand. Naofumi just could not for the life of him understand. Why? Could it be the doing of the shield again, or was it his failure to keep himself strong again?
Or had this world already begun to break him before anything truly sinister was allowed to happen? Was he too naive; too childlike? Like Filo? His thoughts drifted to when he and Raphtalia got her clothes, and the entire adventure that entailed. Filo's bright, untainted, innocent nature when she wanted to know what he thought of her.
''Then are you like my father or something else like that?'' Filo asked Naofumi with that same, curious glare he could almost describe to a t.
''No, I'm your owner.'' Naofumi responded his mind at the time, was set in stone that she was just another slave, to help further his goals of helping to save the world so he could be sent back. The feeling of ending the constant suffering he was put under by those who would want his head on a pike if not for the power 'bestowed upon him' drew a very thin line in the dirt between cooperation and killing. It angered him to no end, but he slowly found bits and pieces of salvation in Raphtalia, and the warmth and comfort that offset the harsh reality and pushed back the notions of burning the world down to a crisp, and standing on the ashes to feel vindicated, and to cleanse his heart and mind.
Looking back on that instance, and the ones that followed after only went to show him how much he changed; each new experience, monster fight, and new level gained with Filo helped Naofumi grow in a positive direction; to have the overall result of changing for the better if he was going to be the role model for those who chose to follow him not just due to duty, but a greater feeling that could never be replicated or artificially created. He. . .did not want to believe it, and even now, he held little belief of. . .
Love.
''Ok, ok fine,'' Naofumi said, closing his eyes for a moment, breathing slowly, and doing his best to listen. It would have to be done this way if the two of them were going to work together from now on, and as a general rule of thumb. He couldn't always go flying off the hinges. Clutching the hem of his pants with a fist, Storm Song's breath of relief filled his ears. ''Let's keep going, the locals are probably staring at us.''
''Right about that.'' Storm Song said, offering a tender, friendly smile, her dark orange mane blowing in the wind as she landed back on the ground. ''Look. . .now's not the time for thoughts like that, we can't let our judgment get clouded if we want to approach this the right way, we can't let those who depend on us get hurt anymore,'' Storm Song's points hit home for Naofumi, had he been himself after being thrust into Melromarc, things would have gone a different direction. Stopping in front of the meeting center, Storm Song gestured for Naofumi to walk in, first, the tarp pulled back to reveal Prince Rutherford, Rapid Shadow, and Steel Star conversing with a female Yak and her calf that looked to be debating about something with a fierce intensity.
''We have not heard from him since last night! This worries me; Yago always comes back in the morning after work!''
Her statement complicated things for the pair. Naofumi and Storm Song stood off to the side Rapid Shadow excused himself to walk over to the pair, a grunt of relief when the shouting became louder. "Good morning, I trust everything is going ok, please try not to pay too much attention to what's going on behind me. Did you need something?''
Storm Song's eyes widened, a restrained smile on her face. ''We need to talk to Prince Rutherford, it concerns Yago.''
''Ah, and you must be the other individual mentioned earlier; Storm Song, the estranged wife of Starswirl.'' Rapid Shadow's eyes perked up at the sight of her, noting that she looked exactly how she was described to be. Her presence here would help to turn the tide. ''And what did you mean by that? Do you have any idea of what's happened to him?''
Naofumi should have brought Valiant along, he could have used a bit of that uncaring bluntness when the question was posed. With that night at the docks, he did figure eventually someone would come looking for those Yaks, and by extension Yago, but the thought process on what they would do when that bridge stood before them was unclear. A wife and child, Naofumi assumed; meaning that Yago possibly did pose the illusion of walking the straight and narrow, but only to feed those who depended on him, and the activities done under the cover of darkness would be something he hid, tempered only by punctuality to not throw anyone off their course and ask questions they knew that shouldn't be asked.
''We need to talk to Prince Rutherford, he would be better suited to hear this.'' Storm Song said, not completely being the most trusting of his advisors, seeing as one of them nearly poisoned Naofumi's party. The lack of his being here, while not a complete admission of guilt, it also failed to work in his favor.
''Well, I assure you; anything you need to say to the prince, you can say to his advisors, after all, we are his eyes and ears, after all.'' Naofumi cast a glance at Rapid Shadow, seeing the smile on his stay the same, the earlier bickering dying down once Silver Star ushered the mother and child outside.
''And while I don't doubt that, this is something we need to have him hear and decide on. If you'll move aside, the quicker we can get out of your fur and let you get back to-'' Storm Song was cut off by Prince Rutherford walking over to them, greeting them with a hearty good morning.
''-Pony Storm Song! Good to see you! You find Yak-Yakistan to liking? And Human Nafoumi! Where rest of friends?'' Prince Rutherford boomed.
Nodding, Storm Song walked around Rapid Shadow, feeling his eyes linger on her a bit longer than she would have liked, as Naofumi did the same, his stance squared and vision focused. ''We may have some new information, but we think it would be best if we just talk about it amongst the three of us.''
''Then speak! Silver Star and Rapid Shadow are advisors! If news is bad, we need know!'' Prince Rutherford said, gesturing for the pair to take their seats and tell him what they knew.
''That's a part of the issue; we think we know what might happen to Yak-Yakistan, but there may be some foul play.'' Storm Song said, minding her wording, and keeping her ears open. She didn't like this one bit, the temperature felt different, bit by bit, and that same smile plastered on Rapid Shadow's face was seen in her mind even though she knew he was behind her.
Which was also disheartening.
''Foul play? You mean chickens?'' Prince Rutherford asked, curious about what did birds have to do with this?
''No, Prince; she means that one of our citizens may have been responsible, is that what you meant to say, Storm Song?'' Rapid Shadow's voice irked her to no end, but she would have to maintain her bearing if she wanted this exchange to go any further.
''Look,'' Naofumi stepped forward, already seeing the possible back and forth that would go on unless a firm hand was laid down to get keep them on track; Raphtaila would have no doubt said something by now. ''We have physical evidence to suggest that an attack is coming here, and the only we can't be certain of is when, so we need to do our best to make sure the kingdom is protected. Nothing here will get done with us sitting here and bickering.'' Prince Rutherford nodded at Naofumi's comment, the small burning within him from last night not fully extinguished. He needed to make sure a certain someone understood that. ''Yago, one of your Yaks shared information with Night Order for the creation of firebombs that would be used to burn Yak-Yakistan to the ground.''
''Is this true? Yago? He troublesome Yak from time to time, like us all, but he work with Night Order? Cannot be!'' Prince Rutherford shook his head, his mouth sagging into a low frown as he huffed. It had to be false. Yago? Night Order? No, it couldn't be.
''And,'' Storm Song stood, facing Rapid Shadow with a calm, and collected demeanor. ''We have reason to believe that Silver Mark may also be in league with Night Order, seeing as Naofumi's party nearly drowned last night due to a certain 'gift' of his.''
Rapid Shadow stepped forward, not believing a word of nonsense from her. How dare she claim that one of the Prince's most trusted, most loyal followers would be one to be under investigation? ''And what proof of that do you have? You do know these are essentially baseless claims, even with the physical evidence you suggest, we would still have to see to confirm it wasn't drafted up by the two of you all of a sudden.''
''Why would you think that? We're supposed to be on the same side, you know,'' Storm Song's eyes narrowed, not liking the tone of voice Rapid Shadow held. When Starswirl told her that the Yaks would be the least agreeable of those who governed the chains, she sure didn't expect all of the pushback at the simplest of things. Granted, he held a point, but when it came to the betterment of their country, all of the different secret meetings to report, discuss and brainstorm would have fostered a better relationship than what she was seeing. She had to hold her ground if she wanted anything to get done and that in itself would require all of her skill. ''If you haven't realized, Night Order is the biggest threat to us all. I may not be well-versed in the history of the Yaks, but I am sure that your ancestors have heard of Nightmare Moon's awesome power and how bad things can get if she is allowed to be released.''
''This is why we are taking all possible avenues to ensure that things that may be founded on a whim are carefully investigated before it gets to the ears of those who hold the power to do something; I am sure that Prince Rutherford would not want one of his citizens falsy accused of an act without the proper trials, wouldn't you?'' Rapid Shadow quipped, nodding over to the Yak leader who nodded vigorously. Ugh; more of that Yak simple-mindedness. ''I didn't know that your Princess Celestia had the great and wise Starswirl scrap the bottom of the metaphorical barrel to acquire aid from species that none of us have ever seen,'' Rapid Shadow dragged his words out, paying little attention to the glance Storm Song gave her.
Storm Song flared her nostrils, and a tingling sensation felt on her forehead. Low blows? She never figured bad manners were something Yaks used when challenged on simple things. Why she ought to-
''-That's enough,'' Naofumi stepped forward, laying a hand on hand Storm Song's shoulder, taking the manifesto out of her saddlebags, the aged and thickly covered wax covered binding with cork pages displayed multiple pages out of place made Prince Rutherford tilt his head. ''We know you and Silver Mark supplied Yago's associates with the know-how and materials to construct their firebombs, but the only thing we don't know for certain is if you told them the exact location of the Ice Chain.'' Naofumi tossed the book to Prince Rutherford, the look of surprise on Rapid Shadow's face being the icing on the cake for Storm Song as he gasped and looked back and forth between the pair. "Still care to lie as Yago did?''
The smugness on Rapid Shadow's face slowly drained, being replaced by a generating frown as he began to step back, watching as Prince Rutherford looked over the documents. The situation certainly dived in an undesired direction, but it mattered little. ''I wished you hadn't found that, but also in the same breath, it matters little in the grand scheme.'' Rapid Shadow reached into his fur, bringing out a tear necklace, pulsing with green ethereal waves of magic as Naofumi raised his shield in defense while Storm Song unfurled her wings. ''Apologies, Prince. It looks like we'll have to catch up some other time, say when Yak-Yakistan burns?''
POOF! ZAP! ZAP!
Naofumi's pupils constricted, the intensely bright flash of light flowing through his body and causing his legs to buckle. The borderline scorching sensation provoke him to immediately rub his eyes, the sound of Prince Rutherford's surprise drowned out by the small crackle and pops of electricity emanating off of Storm Song's body, her hooves deeply pressed into the spot where Rapid Shadow stood. Arcs of blue and orange electricity jumped between her shoulder, knee, and wing guards as her muscles were tensed to their limits. Slowly rising and turning over to her partner, Storm Song winced.
''Sorry, should have made sure you had goggles on; my power can be a bit much if you don't prepare.'' Storm Song's sheepish tone of voice was replaced soon after. ''I knew we had a traitor, I bucking knew it! Prince Rutherford, are you ok?''
''Prince Rutherford fine! Rapid Shadow knows magic? He not share? He. . .traitor!?'' Prince Rutherford asked, his confusion quickly turning into anger as Naofumi's eyes slowly began to readjust, Storm Song's hoof helping him up. ''Night Order responsible?''
''Oh, yea, very much responsible; we need to prepare.'' Storm Song's removed her goggles, craving a cup of mead.
The brass signaling bell stood out to Naofumi the more he looked at it, noting the crude, but delicate in its touches in its on its lip and waist, the aged wooden yoke chipped and weathered. He knew his ears would hurt like no tomorrow when it was rung.
A few hours passed after Prince Rutherford ordered the emergency meeting and directed his people to strengthen the outside borders, using quick thinking from Valiant and Pagus to help retrofit as many of their defenses as they could within the given period. The sky began to darken, harsh winds blowing the flag of Yak-Yakistan proudly from up top of Prince Rutherford's hut, most of his older, stronger, and more intelligent Yaks acting as Generals to lead those who controlled the urge to blindly charge into danger and use wits to defeat their threat. Naofumi stood at the top of the platform erected to spy over the wall, Storm Song, and Prince Rutherford standing at the ready, the leader of the Yaks dressed in armored garb, the dull gunmetal gray chainmail and armored hoof plates essentially turning him into a living battering ram. ''The air; feels different now. Storm Song do one last sweep to make sure?'' Storm Song's expertise in the air was invaluable.
Nodding, Naofumi adjusted his armor and looked over his stats, seeing his party layout with Filo, Raphtalia, and Melty. The last time they leveled up was before they were swept away from his battle with Glass, being 76, 75, 74, and Meltly's level being around 45. Monsters were not as common as far as he could tell, so leveling up their skills and such would be a different task in of itself to tackle. ''It's a good thing we have Storm Song doing some recon; I don't doubt it'll be a hassle when crap hits the fan, but we have to need all of the advantages we can get,'' Naofumi summoned his Spyglass Shield once again, looking over the work of a few countermeasures put into place where Valiant had the best guess on angles of approach. The mountains to their rear were the ideal choke points for any flanking maneuver, though admittedly a double-edged sword in the guard's same breath as well.
''True, but Yaks are ready as Yaks can be! After everything Prince Rutherford has been through, can't believe Rapid Shadow and Silver Mark enemy of the alliance. It makes Prince Rutherford. . .sad,'' Prince Rutherford's eyes were shown with a tender somberness, his hair parted to either side to ensure he would better see any attack coming and to be the symbol of power for his people during a period he knew for some, could very well be their last. ''Human Naofumi, Prince Rutherford is not sure of what may come next, of who to trust.'' Naofumi's shield lowered a bit at the mention of trust. ''We like to trust you, trust Starswirl; it seem like we not have many choices.''
''Tell me something I don't know; I can't disagree with you when I say I may not fully trust either Starswirl, Celestia, or even Valiant 100%. But things are too all over the place.'' Naofumi said, his eyes and shield managing to track the trail of Storm Song's flight pattern, the ease, and precision of her navigating through the air and into the cover of the clouds a seamless transition. ''If we make it through in one piece, I'll tell you-''
''-There one way you prove trust to Prince Rutherford. May not be the best way, but in times like this, it speaks for itself more than anything else.'' Prince Rutherford stepped forward, a stoic look on his face as Naofumi felt his gaze upon his back. Even though he was not a wager of war or a true fighter; he knew. ''Help my Yaks win this battle, help us come back to a home we all worked to make. . .bleed for us, and we bleed for you. Blood pact.''
He's heard of those a few times, few and far, but the implications behind them remained the same as a bond that transcended all facades of life. Race, culture, orientation, and the like went out the window in favor of loyalty in the truest sense of the word, to know that a call or message would be answered, with no question. Naofumi contemplated refusing the offer, he had all ground to, and he was somewhat sure Prince Rutherford meant in the sense of battle.
But, something within him compelled him to take an extra second to consider. If this happened, Rutherford, and essentially the Yaks would be in his debt. He knew little about Equestria and its borders, let alone what lay ahead and having true allies to confide in just as he did in Melromarc would be something of great benefit for whatever length of time he was to be here.
His resistance would take care of anything harmful that could arise.
Slowly turning around to face the Yak leader, Naofumi looked to his Spyglass Shield, changing it to the Two-Headed Black Dog Shield, raising his hand to one of the dog's teeth, putting a bit of pressure into his thumb before he drew blood, a blob of the red liquid pooling before dripping on the wood. Prince Rutherford stepped forward, offering one of his hooves covered with a blob of blood. The look of confirmation in his eyes told Naofumi that he meant every word and the lengths that he would go to based on trust.
''With this pact, on behalf of Yak-Yakistan, in company of Prince Rutherford; this builds bond that will never be forgotten. No matter what species, what belief, or what reason; Prince Rutherford, and by extension Yaks of Yak-Yakistan. To help each other, to confide in, and to honor. You bleed for us, we bleed for your own, and we bleed for each other. In this, we are brothers.'' Prince Rutherford pressed his hoof to Naofumi's finger, signifying the beginning of a brotherhood that would transcend all others.
''I. . .don't really know what to say, I know a thank you is nowhere close,'' Naofumi nodded his head, spying Storm Song circling overhead on her descent back down to the command platform. ''But the best I can do is show you. Whatever we come into, we'll do our best to cover both our backs.''
Prince Rutherford nodded, he didn't have to. Enough had been said, they had to prepare. The young ones and females moved to the rear of the mountains in a holding area. He tried to convince them to leave altogether, but their insistence only made him a tad proud but worried for anything they failed to account to happen.
Storm Song touched back down, her goggles and mane covered with droplets of water. She scratched her scalp with her wing feathers. ''Things are not looking so grand out on the sea. I spy at least 6 Frigate class ships, loaded to the brim with all makes of firebombs, cannons, and the like.''
Naofumi's eyes fell to the wooden floor for a moment, a dull throbbing at the front of his head. ''And Night Order? What are we looking at enemy-wise?''
''Hard to tell for some. But Griffons, Dragons, a few Diamond Dogs, and others I couldn't tell; the majority of them are more than likely Equestrians since that's the Order formed initially.'' Storm Song's comment made Prince Rutherford's ears perk up. ''And yes, I did spy a few Yaks on board, so we may have to contend with some of your citizens, Prince.''
Shaking his head and giving her a firm, but strong tap on her shoulder, the detached look in his eyes reflected a pained, but ultimate understanding. ''Prince Rutherford understands. . .do not like, but choices Yaks make are choices Yaks make. Only can do our best to end fighting as quickly as possible. To not spill any more blood than what is needed.''
''You speak true, I wanted things to run smoothly, but with the realization of your inner circle full of lies, but if nothing else, Starswirl spoke the truth on the 'issues' that would arise with allying lands.'' Naofumi waited to hear the rest of her report before making the final call. ''My estimate is they'll be within firing distance of the shoreline in about 10 minutes.''
A cold wind blew through, whistling through the massive signaling bell that gently pushed the clapper against its side, the low resonating sound reaching his ears. Funnily enough, it was nowhere near as cold as Naofumi's first day in Yak-Yakistan than it was now. His body ached, though no pain flared. His mind swam with a multitude of thoughts, and he could tell the minds of his party grew restless, worried, and scared.
He would do what was necessary.
''Everyone's clear on their plans? Got everything they need?''
Double-checking her saddlebags, Storm Song only stood by, gathering her wits and energy. Both would be needed to weather the metaphorical storm. ''Ready when you are.''
''Prince Rutherford?'' Naofumi gestured to the Yak, only to see him step back and gesture to the bell, giving a solemn nod. He wanted him to ring it. A motion such as that could be seen as good as any when showing the fruits of a pact. Something of that magnitude. . .could he live with the aftereffects of that choice? Would he be the same person? Would there be any regrets? ''Here we go, then.'' Naofumi walked over to the front of the bell, seeing his dull reflection before he squared his stance, his Legendary Shield being summoned once again. His hands gently clenching the lips of the bell, breath held and eyes closed, Naofumi pulled upwards slowly, the clapper lightly touching the inside, the final calm resonance filling his ears before he pushed forward and down, stepped back, and observed the motion seeming to take place in slow motion.
Ring! Ding! Ring! Ding! Ring Ding! Ring Ding! Ring Ding!
On the final audible ring that Naofumi could hear after the whining sounds in his ears, a chorus of shouts throughout Yak-Yakistan sounded, a distant vibration heard as a flicker of light from the shore as a bright red mass arched through the sky, black trails of smoke following with the second volley. A group of Dragons ascended from their perches, aligning in their formations.
''For Yak-Yakistan! We no give in on this day!'' Prince Rutherford shouted at the top of his lungs, Storm Song fixed her google again, and with a furl of her wings, electricity enveloped her as she made a beeline into the fray.
Naofumi exhaled, all of his focus put into all of his experiences, as the otaku from Japan and the Shield Hero; all of his skills and instincts would be the matter between life and death.
Once again.
''Guys, be safe.'' Naofumi thought to himself, wanting nothing more than their safe return from the possible madness he could only imagine. With the change of plans, he and Valiant had a bit of a debate against the three of them participating in this battle. He could have ordered Raphtalia and Filo to stay behind, for fear of their Slave Crest reacting, which was something he would have less remorse for if it kept them safe versus the daunting responsibility if any of them were to get hurt.
Melty, while still a child, was essentially a proxy through Filo. If she stayed behind, Melty would have no choice but to, though he knew she would only stomp her feet and contest her position as the next in line of Melromarc, even though her voicing of the position in question held less influence than her age.
They each had a partner and would take care of each other. It took a bit of effort to draw himself away from those thoughts and focus his energies on the first ability he would not doubt rely the most on.
''Air Strike Shield!''
Inner Caves. . .
They had split up, she knew that much. It was the best plan to have the best chance of winning the fight to come, though the war in question that Raphtalia was sure could never be won in the way those who would need it to. Master Naofumi adamantly made it a point to contest their involvement, and with them not being completely 100% up to par only made the argument go on longer.
Valiant's counter to Master Naofumi's disapproval of the three of them fighting was a hard sight to take in, but ultimately she placed her trust in the Unicorn, his judgment thus far not leading them astray.
Her feelings of being away from him, even not by far; of not being his sword currently. . .worried her. Raphtalia swore a promise from that very day, to go where he would; follow in his footsteps, and hold her place above all others to understand him better than even himself.
Currently, she was failing in every regard.
One last check of her supplies and Filo's, and at any moment Master Naofumi would sound the bell to essentially kick off a battle nobody knew the outcome of; only that it was one they could not afford to lose, no matter what.
''Raphtalia, are you ok? You seem sad,'' Filo poked her cheek to rouse her out of her thoughts, the feeling instantly snapping her back to her current place in the world. ''Master will be ok! And me and you will beat all the bad monsters down!'' Filo's energy rarely failed to surprise Raphtalia.
''Right, we need to stay focused if we want to make Master Naofumi proud.'' Raphtalia surveyed the area around her and Filo's area of operations. After being informed by Storm Song and Prince Rutherford about the particulars of the Ice Chain and its location, they were given the responsibility to safeguard it as the absolute last resort if all else failed. ''I just hope Master Naofumi and Valiant know what they're doing.''
''Master is strong! And Valiant is smart and strong too, they'll be fine!'' Filo tilted her head to one side, gingerly skipping around the spacious and complex cave system, littered with safeguards, natural and constructed deterrents, and two fighters as last-line defenders. The path to enter initially took less time to navigate to the uninformed eye and appeared as a simple walk before corkscrewing right into the line of preset spear traps, covertly hidden slick spots, and uneven ground. ''I hope Mel will be ok with him by herself.''
Rahphtalia nodded, hoping the same for her fellow friend and party member. She reassessed the path they took in her mind once again. The only thing she did not know was how well said traps would hold up in the event she and Filo were left to perform their job.
As she peered down, she admitted the Yaks and whoever helped them to build these safeguards knew what they were doing. Posted on the other side of three identical passageways, two of which were enchanted with illusion magic, the path ahead of them led further down to the depression where the Ice Chain stood in its splendor. Columns of silver, gold, and steel support beams embused with defensive magic were arranged in parallel lines on either side of the large linked chain, erected vertically to the ceiling. No imperfections were seen on the chain that Raphtalia figured was about the width of an average person, with wisps of blue and accumulating frost on the base link that remained rooted in the ground.
Filo hummed questioningly. ''How long do we have to stay down here?''
Raphtalia sighed in response, leaning her body against the wall. Her ears twitched incessantly, and the range of her hearing managed to extend with the aid of Wind Magic, picking up the faintest sounds of movement from the Yaks who posted to their positions, the shifts of their weapons as they stood side by side, ready to defend their land. Their fear was nearly palpable, every range of emotion she could understand being displayed the longer she honed in on separate individuals. ''As long as we need to, hopefully, nothing goes wrong and we can all go home when all of this is over with.''
Her answer failed to assure Filo. ''But how can we do that? We got sucked through that portal thingy when Master fought the fan lady, and I don't think he likes where we came from.'' Filo's perceptive nature rarely was proven wrong and made for a good judge of reason when people attempted to hide their feelings. ''Master seems a lot happier here, and we don't have to deal with Sword Guy, Bow Guy, or Spear Guy.''
True, but another issue that would come up, no doubt would be how Master Naofumi's personality would change since being separated from Melromarc as far as she could tell, and not directly under the effects of the Curse Shield's effects. It proved to be very beneficial when situations called for an extra oomph of power, but she hoped the repeated use wouldn't yield negative effects on the man to whom she and Filo owed everything.
Ring! Ding! Ring! Ding! Ring Ding! Ring Ding! Ring! Ding!
Shooting up from her position, the last notes of the bell's sound reached her ears, and Raphtalia's mindset took a different turn once she distantly heard the call of an Air Strike Shield shortly, the almost ear-shattering explosion being part of the barrage of firebombs. The cave shook, displacing loose rocks and icicles, causing Filo to shove Raphtalia out of the way just in the nick of time as the frozen projectile embedded itself in the ground, the ones soon following after displaced by a surge of magic. ''Zweite Tornado!''
Diving into a roll and huffing, Raphtalia cast her view upwards, ensuring that no other aerial surprises would come the pair's way. ''Thanks, Filo. We're going to need to be careful, and hope that Master Naofumi and Valiant can finish their missions.''
The battle had not been going well, at all. In one instance, all of the planning done at the last moment failed to seem worth it when the first barrage arrived. The thicket of black smoke filled the air, and the concentration too thick to breathe would surely leave some with health issues down the road for those that managed to survive past the day. The Yaks coordinated their efforts bravely, settling on playing on their bulk and brute force to spearhead land-based elements comprised of Griffons and Dragons.
The sight of darkened red, and the smell of rusted iron filled his nostrils, nearly causing him to keel over and throw up, but he remained strong; he had to. Low vibrations thrummed in his ears, His light, standard-issue armor rattled on his body with each blow he deflected and met in turn with a swing of his war hammer, relishing in the calming wave of warm, but consistent energy within after each bout. The path ahead leading to the docks, while bare of any enemies, made him reconsider an obvious ambush from the last-second view of the movement of a figure toward a fallen hut.
Valiant smirked to himself, summoning a wide enough barrier around the would-be ambushers. ''Amateurs.''
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Shrieks of pain and terror were heard from inside the barrier, and those within slowly began to experience the lethal effects of the gas within that Valiant teleported in, the thick, yellow mist easily inhaled into their lungs and causing their bodies to instantly convulse and slowly release blood from any one of their orifices, one unfortunate Griffon's feathers forcibly removed to get to his skin, the pus-filled blisters bursting, spreading the affliction to the others within the barrier. Their pleas to be released were ignored, as allowing the gas to escape was dangerous, and though cruel as it was to the guard; Night Order did attack first, Valiant knew that Night Order knew the consequences of their attack, and if for some reason, they did not. . .
They would on this day.
Whether due to his perspective on accomplishing the mission, and keeping hold of one's emotions in times of stress, or the fact most of his career thus far failed to rile him up enough to warrant a second thought about his role. Naofumi and Storm Song had the hardest job, which also required their skillsets together to make enough of an impact to justify the two of them going off on their own, while Raphtalia and Filo stood by the Ice Chain, being the last line of defense should the enemy break contact with the Yaks, discover the location of said Chain if Rapid Shadow and Silver Mark did not already divulge the information.
This left him and Melty to provide ground support where needed while Pagus took the fight to Night Order, fighting for his country and prince.
''Zweite Aqua-COUGH! Shot!'' Melty chanted, the water spell launching in a torrent, pushing a trio of Dragons back. Her voice grew harsh and scratchy from the constant chanting of her spells and inhalation of the firebomb smoke that painted the sky in black trails of smoke. Her MP began to get low, and the constant movement in her coat nearly made her overheat. Jumping over fallen defenses, jumping behind Valiant erecting shields and barriers, and running as fast as her legs would let her keep up with the Unicorn guard as they moved positions to not get bogged down in one spot. But, she had to be strong; do her part, and help those injured if she came across them. Everyone's job was important, and she shuddered, thinking of the possible consequences of inaction or lack of results. ''Are you okay?''
Nodding, Valiant trotted over to Melty, checking their surroundings, and erecting a small barrier between the two of them, letting her sit down on the ground for a moment and collect her thoughts. ''Don't get too comfortable, we have to keep moving. We can't be too sure about how determined the bastards are if all they sent were 6 ships.''
Melty coughed once again, thumping a hand against her chest when mucus began to build up, expelling it as she spits off to the side, giving the guard a scrunched frown and narrowed eyes. He could see it, especially when it came to an actual kid. The way her body moved under stress, the shortness of breath, all the way down to her quiver and whimpers in her voice. ''You're at your limit kid, we might have to pull you-''
''-N-No! I can COUGH! still, fight! Naofumi said he needed all of us if we wanted to win this!'' Melty slapped away Valiat's hoof offering to help her get up, the action seen more as an insult than that of one a good gesture. ''W-Why else am I-COUGH! here?'' Valiant's thoughts on her fierce attitude lit a fire within him for more than one reason.
''She's just a child, but she seems. . .accustomed to this, and that's. . .not good.'' Valiant grimaced internally, wondering how many more like her were back from her world; Filo being the next thought to compare the gross injustice of a child having to fight in a battle, even for any 'noble' reason. A flood of thought from his youth and basic guard training flashed before his eyes.
''Why do we do the things that we do?'' Princess Celestia spoke to the newest graduating class of the Royal Guard, the past 18 and a half weeks all amounting to their big day where all of their efforts paid off, the blood, sweat, and tears making or breaking the ponies, who wanted to truly be there. The spacious training field where the class of 30 recruits performed their day to training exercises, fitting punishments, and all other facets of training was filled to the brim with the faces of friends and family. Princess Celestia glided into the center, her regal white coat, and strictly ceremonial Sun-plated armor she donned to link herself to her Guards deepened the bond and became more of the centerpiece of their graduation ceremony than the future Guards. ''To ensure that those who do not have to fight will not; to set the example, and to use our best judgment to maintain the peace those before you have worked to create.''
A younger Private Valiant stood front and center, as the leader of his platoon, the sound of his name called for the representation of the future Royal Guards behind him, and the oath they each took as said guards. To use their talents for good and not for safety, personal privilege, pleasure, or outright monetary value. None of it meant anything if they failed to meet and uphold the standards placed on them, and for the training to continuously build upon the desired, baseline skills while others were weeded out. ''Our world today will be different from that of the future, and whatever change that may entail. But-'' Princess Celestia paused, letting her words sink in for the moment, the guards soon to be under her command looking on with fresh anticipation. ''If you all remain true to yourself, to your land, and to the ideals that inspired you to take this path in the first place, then I see no reason for the remainder of our days to be blessed and fruitful.''
As quickly as the memory came, it was gone and back into the recesses of his mind. His opinion may have been skewed by the time and lessons he put upon himself, but he knew he knew the values of coming into a volatile situation, but armed with faith and responsibility.
But also rationale and logic.
Distant firebombs soared overhead, a pack of Griffon and Dragon cultists weaving in and out of the destroyed, flaming homes, tossing their cloaks or capes in an attempt to distract the Yaks who charged ahead bravely, some who met a well-placed claw or stream of fur singing flames at the wrong time. Valiant maneuvered through the death and debris, coming out into a clearing where a few dismembered Dragons, some bludgeoned to death as their skills caved in akin to a smushed grape.
A snarling was heard nearby as Valiant made sure Melty was secured on his back after they stopped, her disagreement falling on deaf ears. He turned around, his eyes looking upon a Diamond Dog, lanky in stature, but immensely powerful the longer they lived, survived, and killed. Parts of the ground were uprooted, the massive reflective claws attached to the ashen black Diamond Dog failing to take Valiant's head off harmlessly bounced off his barrier following him on his pursuit away, the swift and exaggerated acrobatics of leaping from hut to hut a curious sight until he stopped in his tracks, the look of defiance and hammer raised in defense. A flash of excitement was shown as its triangular-shaped snout unfurled to reveal gem-laden teeth, misshapen and covered in drool. A continuous roar sounded again, a wave of pressure being formed around Valiant's bubble.
''Damn it! So not fair!'' Valiant grunted and turned away slightly as Melty managed to crawl off of his back, ignoring the ringing and pounding in her head she put a sizeable chunk of energy into her spell, banking all of her power thus far would continue to be useful. She would be strong, for Filo, for herself.
And her mother.
''As the source of your power, I beseech COUGH! thee. Decipher the laws of nature COUGH! and form a great weapon born of the ground. Earth Hammer!'' the Diamond Dog snarled in confusion, the ground beneath rumbling and throwing him to the ground, a hammer made of the ground coming up in an instance, the force stopped, but only just by the paw that held it back, the twitching of its ears causing it to grasp the other that formed quickly behind, both appendages stretched to their maximum, the look of defiance turning into glee once the magic faded, leaving the newly made creations in the creature's paws, a high-pitched cackle filling the air. He slowly began to advance, cherishing the look of panic in Melty's eyes. Valiant swung his hammer, the Diamond Dog easily knocking it out of its path and next to a downed Dragon on its side.
ZOOM! FWOOSH! THUMP!
A whine of surprise was heard as the Diamond Dog stopped his charge, his breathing increasing a bit before looking down to see the apple-sized hole in its scraggly midsection, free of anything organs or bones in that particular spot. There was just an open space viewing that showed the equally sized circular metal bolt driven into the ground. Falling to the ground, Valiant turned his head and smiled at his backup, the trio of Yaks waving to him from behind the mounted bolt crossbow, as the other 10 behind them took to checking the perimeter. While initially skeptical of the Yak's ability to aim, he was glad the last-minute design and attentiveness paid off.
''Worked a little too well,'' Valiant said to himself, turning to Melty as she was given water and some food to snack on as even the Yaks who just happened to pass by could also see that she was nearing her limit and that she should take it easy. ''You all can take to securing this perimeter; the ground we give these guys, the worse off it'll be Naofumi and Storm Song's plan doesn't cut it.''
''And COUGH! what should we do? Do you think Pagus is doing fine?'' Melty finished swallowing a bit of apple and some water. Mmmm. A bit underripe. Valiant'sm flat look at her made her feel a bit uncomfortable. Did she do something wrong in not letting him attack?
''Melty, you shouldn't be here, I'm telling you. I don't really know what Naofumi was thinking, and maybe he had good intentions, but this is starting to get out of hoof; I don't-''
''-What? Don't want COUGH! me to fight just because I'm a child?'' Melty put a hand over her chest, offended. ''I'll have you know I am a princess; next in line to the throne of Melromarc, one of the greatest nations to exist!''
''Uh-huh, and that's wherever Melromarc is. It isn't here; this is Yak-Yakistan, and you're an entirely different species, but I think the value of morals and ethics still apply to some degree on child fighting in literal wars,'' Valiant's point made her face go red and almost caused her feet to stomp. Why did nobody understand? Even Filo somewhat did, but she was her friend; that was different. Naofumi never held any real faith in her, still treated her like a child, and coddled and made fun of her. She's proved time and time again from the beginning that she has what it takes and that the deeper picture was communicated and understood to her.
''What about Filo? Would you have this talk with her too?''
''If she stayed still or awake long enough to listen, but I trust Naofumi would go across that bridge at some point, or if not; then I'll have to. But I am starting-'' Valiant gently poked a hoof to Melty's forehead, her hand rubbing the dirt off the spot he touched. ''If you think I talk out of my flank for fun, then you don't know me. But this one thing about me I will have you know.'' Melty watched as Valiant took out of his inner armor an amulet attached to a chain. The ember was polished beautifully, the silver ring in it managing to shine more brightly than any treasure that Melty had ever laid eyes upon. ''I've already lost one child to senseless violence, and I do not intend on making it two if I have something to do her say about it.''
Her mind swam with uncertainty, and confusion at his words before it all clicked in her mind. Melty raised her hands to her mouth, seeing the life nearly drain out of his eyes the longer he stared at the amulet. The lowering of his ears lower than she had seen thus far made him look like a sad rabbit. The sounds of explosions, shouting, cannon fire, and homes being destroyed mattered none in that one moment.
''Y-You COUGH! had a child. . .Valiant, I am so sorry, I-'' Valiant tucked the chain back into his amour, speaking with a pained voice, his words wavering at the time and his eyes set to the ground.
''-Didn't know. Kinda the point, I wanted to do this in a different way, when I could trust you all more than I already did, but you need to actually understand this before something happens.'' Melty hung her head a tad, noticing that Valiant had yet to get his hammer. Seeing as the immediate area was under patrol and Valiant shook himself out of his trance to go and talk to the Yak in charge of the group, Melty figured the least she could do is let him focus on the mission at hand without being too much of a bother. ''How's the fighting going so far? How bad is the. . .'' Melty stopped listening the further away she got from him, looking over at his weapon near the Dragon who no longer moved, the shaft of the hammer laying on the Dragon as the head was buried in the ground.
Grasping the handle with both hands, she was surprised to feel that the hammer held a certain warmness to it. With all the time he had used it since the battle started, Melty expected the ice-cold steel to make pulling the weapon from under its own weight a greater task than she thought, but the feeling inside she gathered from it made her smile a bit, aside from the conversation prior. ''This COUGH! should be easy, I just need to pull and MMMPH!'' the hammer began to shift towards her, and the scrapping of her shoes against the icy ground gave her little grip. Bit by bit, up it came from beneath the ground.
The sudden movement of the Dragon in front of her caused her to drop the handle and fall to the ground, the crazed yellowing of its eyes causing all of Melty's senses to dull, the barely audible call of her name by Valiant as she scooted backward. It all happened so fast, she could see from her peripheral the forming of a barrier, the sight of another firebomb launched overhead, and the mix of fantastic colors from the Dragon's maw before a stream of intense, orange heat before she raised in her arms in defense.
''AHHHHHH!'' Melty's powerful blood-curling scream as she fell to the ground, holding her hands in her face before going quiet was the singular thing Valiant was sure would provide him with a kind of trauma he would not be able to handle. Jumping over his barrier, he willed his hammer back into his magical hold, nearly becoming a blur with the weapon's swings thrusts and arching smashes. Forcing the coward away from the barrier and out into the firing range of the next cross bolt failed to make him happy, failed to do anything but anger him. Seeing the metal projectile enter from its side and exit into the side of a home, Valiant delivered a jaw-shattering buck once it fell to all fours, the guttural, primal, and tear-filled swing of his hammer to the Dragon's face was a sight to see for the Yaks who were confused at the events spiraling out of control until they witnessed the Unicorn continuing his assault for a few moments more, leaving the head of his weapon buried deep in the Dragon's brain matter.
Dropping his barrier and rushing to Melty's side, Valiant cursed himself, almost daring not to touch her for fear of making it worse, when he managed to pry away the vice grip of her hands from her face, the guard desperately wanted it to be him instead of her that got hurt.
Things would never be the same from that moment on.
''On your left!'' Naofumi called out, calling forth another Air Strike Shield to protect a Yak Launcher and its gunner, the grunt of approval registering in his mind as he jogged through the town center, performing sweeps of the area with Storm Song providing overwatch from above. Fantastic clouds of orange and blue lighting arched throughout the air, the sounds akin to a supersonic whip cracking back to back. Maneuvering his way by the wreckage of a home, Naofumi's eyes stung with the fog of black smoke and the taste of metal on his tongue nearly made him throw up. ''Second Shield!'' Naofumi braced once again against the falling debris around him.
He would hold the line.
Storm Song faced the same issue, if not bigger in her air defense. The skies made it a challenge especially to curb the constant firebomb assaults. Nosediving down towards the ground, the water droplets on her goggles were forced out of the way, her hooves and wings tucked in as the sounds of explosions went off, Storm Song pulling off at the last second, the monstrous wave of lighting arching in the small area, causing the limbs of those caught to seize up and keel over, allowing for the Yak gunners who followed behind her on the ground, a defeating salvo following on the immediate area. ''Good job fellas,'' Storm Song gave a hoof salute, climbing higher into the clouds before gently landing, surveying the situation from above.
How much longer could they keep this up? Night Order did come prepared, and those ships did prove to be an issue with how far out they were spaced, and the covering fire they provided to hit the shores of Yak-Yakistan and beyond. She was barely able to hear the sound of another firebomb hitting Naofumi's Air Strike Shield, the tenacity and resolve he displayed being something to keep her, and the rest of Yak-Yakistan motivated in the fight to come, and if they wanted to be remembered after today.
A tenant of advice that Starswirl could certainly take from if he intended for any shred of his dignity to be salvaged.
On the ground, the Yaks held together, their seemingly simple minds coming together as one to repel the enemy in a fantastic display of military and unconventional warfare tactics, the like that Storm Song had never heard or seen of. Slowly, but with great power, Night Order's initial assault was pushed back down to the shore.
''Pony Storm Song!'' Prince Rutherford bellowed with a mighty shout, his voice being carried without effort to the clouds where she was able to ascertain his location by the signaling bell that remained firmly planted in the ground due to a stray firebomb striking it. Without missing a semblance of a beat, the leader of the Yaks pressed on, unshaken at the efforts of Dragon and Pony alike coming to do him harm, only to be met with a furious set of hooves caving their chests inwards.
Focusing her breath in the clouds and crouching low once again, Storm Song rocketed off in a flash, impacting the ground with a swift, but controlled landing, cratering a bit of the ground around her as she landed and looked around the immediate area to clear as Prince Rutherford walked over, a glint of anger in his eyes and claw marks covering his armor. ''We need to do something about firebombs! My Yaks hold ground good as they can, but Night Order ships bring more attackers! Need to cut off at source!''
Storm Song agreed, watching another attack from overhead soar toward the backs of the mountains, melting the snow and ice before being lodged in the rock solidly, a deep rumble of the ground following that nearly forced the pair off their feet. Resisting the urge to breathe in too much of the smoke proved a challenge. ''I don't think we can do that, and keep them distracted long enough. I can't exactly ram through all of those ships by myself, even if I pushed it to the limit.'' Storm Song flexed her wings, beginning to feel them tensing up. Her power as the Storm Pegasus was no laughing matter, but to take something like this on by herself would be essentially suicide; if she managed to gain enough energy to take the ships out, it would kill her before Night Order would get the chance.
''Friend Naofumi? He helps?'' Prince Rutherford handed her a canteen of water, the full container being drained to nearly empty in the few seconds she had in it her mouth before sighing a breath of relief. If Naofumi helped, then the only real line of aerial defense besides her would be gone, and that leaves the way open for Night Order to finish the job. Homes were destroyed, the females and children evacuated to safety, and the small pocket of cover around the Ice Chain would dwindle with every passing second. ''Storm Song?'' Prince Rutherford asked softly, noticing the look in her eyes as she thought the variables over in her head.
It would be a gamble, nonetheless, but would it be one that she herself would be able to live with if she. . .if she and Naofumi failed? Even her staying still as she was for the moment did little good than it did bad, and that would have to change if Princess Celestia wanted her to help.
''How do I just gamble the hopes and dreams of an entire nation on my word? I mean, who just does that?'' Storm Song's mind swam with thoughts of the past, of missions where certain calls could have been made better than others; if those more qualified than her should have led; and if the nightmares would be any less if she had opted out in the beginning.
No time like the present.
''Well, I have an idea, Prince; but we'd only have one chance at it,'' Storm Song hovered a bit in the air, looking at the shores the best she could and laying eyes on the main three ships that had begun the bombardment, while the rest remained spaced out from the other. Their shots came far and few in between, possibly telling her either their supply rain low, or they figured their endgame was in sight.
And Storm Song was less sure of which one would be the lesser, all things considered.
''You have faith?'' Prince Rutherford asked, eyeing her from the side, his voice lower than she would have thought possible. Always as if he had none. ''Prince Rutherford trusts you. Trusts Naofumi and his party. We need to come together, if plan will work, Yaks will back you with all we have.''
And that was the issue itself; would it work, or would it be only misplaced bravado that she could be the one to help turn the metaphorical and literal tide of battle at an even more grave cost?
''Prince, I. . .'' Storm Song tried to talk, only to be shut down by the leader of the Yaks laying a comforting hoof on her shoulder and giving a grunt of confirmation. She knew that he knew what she attempted to say, only for the words to fall short in her throat at the idea of bridging a point of no return. His small smile told her everything that was needed; that if she put forth the effort, and stuck to her vices, it should be ok.
It would be.
Finding little else to be said, Storm Song reaffixed her goggles, giving Prince Rutherford a wing salute as her body tensed and hunched over, streaks of lightning and sparks traveling across the ground as Prince Rutherford thrust his own hoof to the sky, watching The Storm Pegasus zoom over to the Shield Hero as a blur, their supposed conversation taking a few moments to be communicated between the two before she rose in the air, downing a vial that Prince Rutherford was sure that was given to her, the trail of sparks left behind in her wake almost resembling a beacon of sorts to her ascent into the heavens.
''Go. Fight; and win.'' Prince Rutherford's words rang into Storm Song's head as she prepared her plan that would either but her further in fame or infamy. The supplement that Naofumi gave her seemed to have boosted her power; making her senses more finely tuned; her focus crystal clear, and even feeling the mending of wear and tear from the battles of days past. As if in slow motion, the waves of fodder from Night Order simply grazed past the blades on her wing guards, a warm, but firm feeling washing over her with each passing second.
The blackened skies cleared in the direction that she traveled, her motions cutting precise lines in the clouds as she passed over the waters of the Svoya Sea. The few bodies of those who met their end in the air were strewn about on the surface, their last moments contorted on their faces in a final expression of fear. The ships were getting closer, the forward cannons aimed at her missing their target with her quick burst of dodging speed, the water rippling and jutting upwards from under her, doing little to deter her. ''Let's go!'' another push her of wings and Storm Song rose in the air, at level with the crow's nest of the main assault ship.
ZOOM! ZOOM! ZOOM! ZOOM! ZOOM!
Her mind and body literally split off, Storm Song wanted to admire her power boosting as five copies of her comprised of electricity took to provide lighting bolt fire cover as she controlled her breathing and spread her limbs out, gathering as much as power as she could, the shout of protest from the group of Dragons that foolishly began to follow after, armed to the teeth with spears, swords, and sharpened claws.
''Just a little more,'' Storm Song, feeling the lack of oxygen present after 10,000 feet, playing on the fact that Dragons rarely flew this high if ever to perform any kind of evasive maneuvers. Soon thereafter, their wings flapping began to die down, some being too stubborn to turn back or risk an untimely plummet to their death due to their own stupidity. Finding a good place as any to stop, Storm Song did just, turning her body horizontally to barely avoid the claw that grazed her side, spinning her around a second time before her mind caught with the change and propelled her body back towards the ground. ''F-For High. . .Hoof.''
Her mind worked faster than she had thought possible, the pseudo-connection with her 'clones', so to speak perfectly in sync with her emotions. The efficiency displayed rivaled that of any seasoned Royal Guard worth their salt, and with not a complaint to be heard during the entire process. Her target, resembling blips from the current height would force her hoof in the most minute adjustment to hit her mark, and not cause any unneeded mayhem.
A whine echoed, Storm Song paying little attention to her descent down through the clouds, the thrill of her power activating in such a way, forcing a surge of adrenaline through her veins. She knew. . .the risks but the fate of Yak-Yakistan below depended on her success, along with Naofumi and his party. The wind whipped past her as she flew at a dizzying descent of hundreds of feet a second, her wings outstretched and her eyes fixed on her target.
As she approached the ships, she began to channel all of her energy into a single, focused burst of lightning. The electric charge crackled and sparked around her as she dove towards the ships, the sound of the wind and her own heart pounding in her ears.
With a thunderous roar, Storm Song unleashed the full force of her power, sending a bolt of lightning streaking toward the nearest ship. The release was massive, easily covering all of her body and armor beating with the intensity of 10 stallions.
But Storm Song didn't stop there. Using the momentum from her dive, she inhaled, drawing in enough air to form a miniature ball of a storm, a rapid-fire barrage, one after another, striking with deadly precision and causing a chain reaction that ripped through the remaining ships as her copies began to detonate alongside her attacks, sparking fires on the decks and setting the remaining firebombs off in a final display of madness as the skies contorted around her in her own image.
As the last ship sank beneath the waves, Storm Song pulled up sharply, her wings straining against the force of the wind, and backdraft of heat pushing her higher into the clouds than intended. She felt exhausted, drained from the effort of channeling so much power at once, but she couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction at the destruction she had done in the name to protect the Yaks.
Breathless and exhilarated, Storm Song banked sharply to the side and glided overhead, ready to continue the fight on the ground. ''Not so bad,'' Storm Song nodded to herself in confirmation.
At the same time, the whole of Yak-Yakistan was engulfed in a sphere of noiseless white.
Princess Celestia frowned, chewing the inside of her lip as a result of the subpar conclusion of the past 2 and a half hour's meeting. While it differed little from the countless other meetings in terms of substance, it just felt different somehow. Being the leader of what was essentially one of the freest nations to exist and stand the test of time, it often was overlooked by those outside looking in on what the cost of that freedom meant.
And all by herself at the end of each day and night.
Slowly, that began to shift in recent years, and even more so with the emergence of the Night Order. While loathe to admit to any one pony, Celestia knew that things would only get worse before they got better; it was the nature of things.
''Huah. . .I need a break,'' Celestia muttered to herself as the last of the dignitaries from Saddle Arabia, Prance and Jaypan left for the day. Talks would resume in the morning on Prance's proposal to form a union of allied nations under the common interest of reservation of political, financial, and militaristic interests not just against Night Order, but any gungho organization that felt 'froggy' as the dignitary from Prance worded it. Out of the week-long talk that was scheduled to take place, this was the 4th day, with noticeable gain, but it would have to be put on the back burner for the moment. All mighty that she may be, Celestia was still a pony who needed rest, and food. ''And some cake.''
''Still in the habit of cake daydreaming, Celestia?'' then the sound of Starswirl rousing her out of her confectionary daze was not unwelcome, but she did wish to drool over the thought of a chocolate and red velvet cake. The wizard walked in, dressed in only his cloak without his signature hat. A knowing grin splayed across his face as he walked closer to the end of the table where Celestia sat. ''If you have a moment, I would have words with you.''
''Of course,'' Celestia willed herself to brighten up a bit, knowing that it would more than likely be an even longer day with a negative attitude. ''I assume you bring news about Naofumi and Valiant on their mission?'' Celestia asked, her tone filled with hope for the success of their mission since setting off with the intent to protect the Paradox Chains from Night Order or to possibly put an end to the tyranny that slowly began to make itself known to the world as Zenith. The idea of even one of the chains breaking would end up having ramifications that would go beyond even the scope of conventional magic, as it took a nearly immeasurable amount to do something Celestia herself fought with herself day in and out on if it was a sound choice to make. . .to put her sister in the moon, and to have to fight the eternal battle to justify it to none other than herself.
Clearing his throat, Starswirl used his magic to close the door and cover the conference room in a sound concealment spell, the motion long being second nature to the wizard. Celestia looked to see a glint in Starswirl's eyes while taking a seat; she hadn't paid it much notice before, but Starswirl looked even more sleep deprived than he usually did, the speed and accuracy of his movements not being quite as crisp as before. Probably just nerves, she thought.
Spearheading the research and summoning ritual to bring Naofumui to Equestria, was no small feat in itself, and only adding his own personal issues with Storm Song and upholding his position as Great Mage only added to the fire. ''Yes, the last time I was able to establish a contact of sorts. Not entirely as much as I would like, but more than before.'' Starswirl shrugged.
Establishing a stable channel of communication would help against Night Order, especially when the method of how information was conveyed over vast distances was sent back and forth, reliability and all. ''Then speak; the more equipped we are, the better.''
''It appears your hunch about their being a mole of sorts in the inner circle of Prince Rutherford was correct.'' Starswirl brought a map of the land of Yak-Yakistan, laden with pre-laid out marks, and drawings, and out for the pair to observe and mark . and one of his own Advisors, no less. It did make for the perfect cover where most would assume that the last guilty party. While she had no concrete evidence to accurately make such a declaration public, Celestia was glad that it was able to be solved. Yet, at the same time, the idea of Night Order expanding their reach into the very nations who stood against them only made the princess more cautious of the different angles she would have to approach the fight ahead. ''From Valiant's own account, it was a ploy long in the making with the hope of crippling Yak-Yakistan from the inside out.''
Celestia's gaze narrowed as she looked upon the map. ''And what of the situation now?''
Starswirl shook his head, wishing that it could be that easy. ''No report as of late. When last I heard, Valiant and Naofumi were preparing to go to Prince Rutherford after making contact with Storm Song.''
''So,'' Celestia smirked a bit, impressed a tad at the information. ''She finally finished her own mission?''
''Yes, and not a moment too soon,'' Starswirl muttered to himself, remembering the conversation he had with his ex-wife the night she made the bold declaration to question morality; and when the world could possibly be on the cusp of ending. She chose to question if summoning Naofumi and enlisting him in this war was more an intelligent choice or a death wish. ''With her helping Prince Rutherford, the battle may soon be won.''
''Yes, but we may have to consider the chance possibility that we may be underestimating Night Order's capabilities,'' Celestia said, rubbing one of her hooves against her head at the feeling of a migraine coming on. ''After all, they do possess the goal of upending the world only to bring Nightmare Moon here.''
''That won't happen.'' Starswirl firmly argued. It couldn't. With everything that was sacrificed to ensure the world survived was the smallest of prices to pay. Starswirl could rarely argue the idea when results were all that mattered. But, in the back of the wizard's mind swam a modicum of doubt at times. He could do his best to tune it out in pursuit of his greater interests and the highest understanding of magic, often at the cost of what most would consider to be basic decency for another. ''We've too much at stake to let that happen, especially now that we have Naofumi here to assist; with his support, this Night Order will soon be exterminated like a bad virus, and Nightmare Moon a thing of the distant past.''
''Are you sure?'' Celestia suddenly spoke after a moment of thought. Her voice was deep and meaningful. Even though Nightmare was too dangerous a threat, Celestia believed that somewhere deep down, still was her sister, wanting release from the prison that Celestia unintentionally put her in. While not sure what she could do to help, Celestia never let the hope of restoring her sister slip. ''
Having the title and position of leader of the kingdom did not suddenly grant her all-knowing wisdom, nor did shield her from the indomitable will to push on in the most trying of times, in fact, it did the complete opposite, and by luck of a power higher than herself that she managed to stay at the top, and for millennia without pause. ''What is your plan for when everything is over? Surely, even if Naofumi's previous world was. . .less than desirable, he would like to return, would he not?'' Celestia's question caused Starswirl to slowly turn his head towards her as a dim of his eyes gave her pause and suddenly gave her worry. ''Starswirl?''
''Nonsense, and besides; I think it best. . .to focus one thing at a time, Princess. We are, after all, fighting for the betterment of all, such trivialities are secondary until we can assure victory,'' Starswirl's tone of finality made Celestia raise an eyebrow and manage a thin line of agreement to graze her face as she nodded. Celestia was not going to push the matter further, at least for now. Though not as much of a valuable talent to some, Celestia could feel when a pony's emotions and thoughts betrayed them, or in this case; may be misplaced.
''But something that we do need to do our best to assure for the moment is tracking down Zenith; as he is the key to all of this,'' Starswirl directed his attention to a few possible spots on the map. ''This area location where likely operations for Night Order could be centralized, or even better; Zenith's own personal refuge from his conquest of the world. Our resources are currently spread thin at the moment, but- '' Starswirl's next words were paused by Celestia suddenly gasping and coughing, a deep guttural scream leaving her mouth. ''What is that?!''
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! A massive thud sounded from the distance, Starswirl grappling towards the nearest window to see what transpired. Opening the closest window, the sky and room were filled with the sight of a brilliant white that blinded the wizard before a sudden wave of pressure flowed towards the castle, shattering windows, uplifting tables and chairs, and dragging unfortunate and unaware ponies into the air while some were cast off the side of Canterlot.
Thud! Starswirl heard the sound of a body hitting the floor, followed by the sound of Celestia's voice.
''T-T-The Paradox C-Chain.~'' Celestia began to convulse, her horn swirling with a flash of yellow and cerulean-colored magic. She attempted to speak again, only for her eyes to roll to the back of her head, with her body becoming motionless.
Brillant streaks of electricity zoomed through the air, the eardrum-shattering sound it produced managing to incapacitate a few of the frontline soldiers who manned the ground artillery. One could barely hear the shouts of the soldiers to their left and right, only able to get by with hand and arm signals. For the past 3 days, the battle, or rather, this battle in particular carried one, with less and less ground being held by the second. Swarms of familiars drove down upon the foot soldiers who ventured too close to their assailant. With morale low, and supplies even more so, the vast numbers of soldiers 10,000 strong were whittled down to 2,500.
''Watch out!'' Ake's entire form was essentially tackled to the ground, the shift in air pressure nearing causing his neck to fold into his chest. A cloud of dirt and dust kicked up all around him. Another bout of ringing filled his ears. His heart wanted to leap out of his chest, his hands shook quicker than ever before, and he nearly wanted to cry. Craning his head where he stood, a giant, spiked thorn imbued with magic stood lodged in the ground. ''We're in the kill zone, we need to move! Go! Go! Go!'' Ake was picked up by his hand, slung over someone's shoulder, and taken down the strait of fallen artillery, soldiers, and weapons. Ake cast a look to his savior, only to gasp and blush at the beauty of the woman who saved him.
Her name was Eclair, Ake was pretty sure. The daughter of Lord Seatto, a close and trusted ally to Queen Mireilla. While her beauty enthralled others when first meeting, some knew better when dealing with the knight who truly embraced the full meaning of the word. Even in a literal war, she only thrived, being one of the first to set out once the news of Siltvelt's campaign, only to be thrown a whammy when the Spirit Tortoise emerged in the middle of the battle. Never before had he seen the only beautiful display of steel and grace at the same time. For those who managed to live through the initial attack saw her, as well as a few others as a beacon of light to keep the fight going.
Expertly weaving through the assault of mountainous spikes with a soldier on her back, not to mention with both of them in full combat gear hit the young soldier's pride, just a bit. In a blur, he was on the battlefield, and the next; he was safe.
For the moment, at least.
''There.'' Eclair set Ake down, handing the soldier his sword that came unsheathed in the chaos. A soldier without a sword might as well be bait for the enemy, at least in her mind. But, the kid did have spirit, if nothing else. ''You ok? Anything broken?''
''I. . .uh,'' Ake stammered, trying to find the right words to respond, only for them to get caught in his throat. The reality of almost dying, again did tend to make him freeze up.
''Yea, you're fine,'' Eclair gave Ake a quick once over, nodding to herself when she was done. He was a soldier, she figured as long as he had all of the limbs that he started with, then he was still fit to fight the good fight. ''I need you to wrangle together a few bodies and go with the mages to provide aid support; we have too many of our soldiers dropping like flies out there,'' Eclair's face scrunched up as she paused to soak in the true account of the what her eyes gave her. ''Can you handle that?''
Ake was still too lost in his mind to respond, his previous brushes with death slowly beginning to catch up to him. Could he do this? Was he strong enough? Maybe he was the-
''-Focus!'' Eclair slapped both sides of Ake's face with her hands, eliciting a shout of pain from him. ''Can you do this, or not?''
''Y-Yea. I think I can.'' Ake replied, the stinging in his face making him wince.
''Not think,'' Eclair shook his head back and forth, Ake's eyes focused on her. ''Know. I need to know you can do this; I won't send you back out there to your death if you're not 100% confident.'' Eclair searched his eyes for any hint of betrayal of his words. She knew all too well the false power of soliders who had good intentions, only for said intentions to get them killed on account of bravado. Too many had been lost already, and if she could help avoid more bloodshed, then what Eclair would.
If the battle at hand didn't force him to undergo a bit of introspection, then the words of his savior did. On the inside, past the soldier that the citizens of Melromarc saw in their day-to-day, what the queen expected and entrusted, and the power of the vow behind his pledge to defend the true home that he knew all rushed into Ake's mind.
''What would the Shield Hero do?'' Eclair's question instantly gave him the answer he was looking for.
''Keep fighting, despite it all. He would tell me to be brave, and not give in or give up,'' Ake clutched his fist, slowly breathing in and out to steady himself and the growing headache he felt growing. ''I haven't backed down from the enemies of this kingdom, and I don't intend to start now. I can do this, ma'am.''' Ake said, sheathing his sword and standing up straight. ''I won't let you down.''
''I know,'' Eclair softly replied, the environment seeming to quiet down for a moment as she laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. ''Remember your training, trust your instincts. I know you can do this, soldier.'' Eclair made to head to the command center.
''Have you met him? The Shield Hero, I mean.'' Ake asked when Eclair tilted her head. ''It seems like you had.''
Shaking her head, Eclair could honestly say that was one of the things she had not done. In a way, it was a shame. The word of mouth and the effects of what he accomplished in his life only confirmed what Eclair herself already knew about the young man who came into their world, not knowing how it would attempt to chew him up and spit him out. However, he never let his morals be affected by those with ill intentions. He did so much and received so little in return. ''No, but from the different accounts, I agree with what you said that he would tell you. He seemed nice; I would have been honored to meet him.'' Eclair said, waving Ake away.
There was a battle to win.
''And what took you so long to get back?'' Eclair heard the voice of Sgt. Takt he called out to her walking into the command tent. ''You wait on God, not the other way around.''
''Roger that, Sgt,'' Eclair stood at the correct position as she stopped near the map table, her expression and posture stock still. Though she was a military brat in a way, she believed that Takt was not quite as powerful as he led others to believe. The way he carried himself, his demeanor when talking to Queen Mireilla, and even the way he engaged targets gave Eclair. . .a unsure feeling. ''Our reports tell us that the viable weak points to slow down the Spirit Tortoise would be its legs; we would need to only cripple one, which I have an entire demolition company currently posted adjacent to the path of the Spirit Tortoise. It needs only to continue on its current path.''
''Some good news, from what it sounds like,'' Takt said, rubbing his chin.
''The next step once that is done would be for you and Queen Fitoria to take care of its head,'' Eclair gestured to the matriarch in question on the other end of the table as she discussed her part of the plan with a few of the mages who give her the magical boost needed to give her cover. ''The Spirit Tortiosise's defense with the number of familiars have begun to drop, and with some of Siltvelt's forces essentially becoming a buffer for us, it seems the battle ahead may just be won.''
Casting an unimpressed look to Fitoria, Takt hummed, throwing his hands up in mock defeat. ''Me and little Mama huh? And Siltvelt being engaged with the giant reptile, two birds, one stone. Guess I can't argue with that plan; just make sure you're where you need to be. You hear that?'' Takt called to Fitoria, watching her head perk and stare at him in surprise before narrowing her eyes. ''Now, what to do with you? Send you back to the line? Or-''
''-She can come with us,'' Fitoria said, walking over and waving her hand to Eclair to relax. ''Unless you disagree.''
''And why you would do that? The only thing she'll do is slow you and me down; plus the mages we have for support-''
''-May not be able to reach or cast their spells in time at the speed I will be moving versus if she,'' Fitoria pointed to Eclair and then to herself. ''Rides on my back with you to provide backup just in case. We can't discount the fact possibility that the Spirit Tortoise may still be hiding its true power. The 4 Spirit Beasts are older than you can know and are the literal last defense of this world. This. . .is all so wrong; how did it get to this point?'' Fitoria sighed to herself, shaking her head.
''Maybe when you took it upon yourself to help kill the only three smucks with half a chance at winning this; myself excluded, of course.'' Takt grinned from ear to ear.
''Not helping, Sgt,'' Eclair replied in a neutral tone, ignoring the pointed look he gave her. ''And are you sure? I don't want to slow you down when the stakes are so high.'' Eclair felt a tad uneasy in the conversation, not knowing fully if her idea would even yield the results that she wanted.
''You forget, Eclair. The stakes have always been high; ever since the start of this world, the fact it has trickled down to us means little.'' Fitoria closed her eyes, resigning herself to what could be the hardest battle.
At least one that she could remember.
Frontlines. . .
''Rock Blast!'' Leri chanted, uprooting parts of the ground to send a barrage of medium-sized rocks as a cover, utilizing his agility to scale up the nearest cliff, weaving to avoid the strikes of bat familiars. Crouching as he landed, Leri felt his connection to his magic grows, summoning a hammer of Earth in one arm to intercept the sword aimed for him in an arc, the nearby air forming a dome of pressurized air. ''You sneaky devils, if I had known you had this little trick up your sleeve, I would have been through in me breaking the both of you.''
''Shut it!'' L'Arc growled, holding the stalemate to the best of his ability on the rough semicircle of the earth around the pair, Leri's smile only serving to anger him the longer the fight carried on. These cheap weapons broke too easily, they weren't made from metals from his own world, and above all else; it wasn't his own scythe that he trained with for hours on end. ''Therese!''
Following close behind her companion, though looking a bit worse for wear, Therese chanted her spell. ''Shining Stone! Showering Thunder!'' the already darkened skies flickered with light before striking down true on its target.
CRACK!
''Hmm, feels different. . .like you're not even trying,'' Leri noted, his other hand and arm, wrapped in leather unaffected by what he assumed would be a solid attack, only for his arm to tingle. ''WEAK!'' Leri pushed L'Arc back over the edge, slamming the head of his hammer into the ground to produce a rocky dust storm of sorts. A rumbling sounded off in the distance, causing Leri to narrow his brow and stare ahead at the form of the Spirit Tortoise preparing to fire a beam from its maw, only to be seemingly in an inner conflict with itself, the beam growing and shrinking. ''What the?''
ROAR! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! THUD! FWISSH!
The Spirit Tortoise trudged forward slowly, an explosion larger than the ones over the past few days erupting near its bottom leg, causing the gargantuan beast to nearly collapse under its own weight if not for its other legs. Another flash of light came from its mouth, only for it to be snuffed out by a distant blast of magic that forced its mouth closed. Leri looked to the sky to see a giant white speck soar toward the Spirit Tortoise's head.
BLAM! A gruesome kick was delivered to the walking mountainous beast that sent it reeling, in slow motion. Landing on the ground with the combination of Sgt. Takt and Eclair Seaetto on the back of the Filolial Queen, in all her magnificent glory throwing a cold stare to the enemy of essentially the entire world. Using her mastery of Wind magic, she climbed into the sky.
''Well, well, this little plan of yours may just work; God is pleased,'' Takt spied the troops on the ground shrinking in size as Fitoria climbed higher and to clear in front of its head to the very top, shifting back to her human form as the trio landed, nearly being tossed to one side if not for the folds of the tortoise's neck being a handhold. ''Go!'' Takt called to Eclair as she steadied herself, breathing in and out to focus the flow of her mana.
''Hengen Muso: Multistrike Demolition!'' Eclair unsheathed her sword, trails of her mana emanating out and upwards towards her sword's tip. Crouching down low with her blade grasped securely, her attack came forth in a blinding flurry of strikes, slowly piercing through the tough skin with each passing second to provide enough of an opening.
ROAR! HISS!
''Watch out! Zwiete Tornado!'' Fitoria quickly managed to cast her spell to deter the fleet of Demon Bats preparing to surround the trio and give Eclair more time, the movement of the Spirit Tortoise's neck causing Takt's predatory attack to miss. ''Takt!'' Fitoria called out, the hero nearly falling off of the great beast, if not for the hand that outstretched to catch him.
''How?'' Takt questioned less his savior, he couldn't care less about that. What intrigued him, or drew him in was. . .her radiant beauty. ''Who?''
The woman, dressed in a green dress, adorned with hexagonal patterns, with healthy and bright skin simply replied as the swarm of Demon Bats froze in place, parts of their essence leaving them and going to her with a bright glow. ''My name is Ost. But we have more important things to worry about.''
All was quiet, as nobody dared speak a word. Naofumi marveled at what could be described as the coldest of colds, far surpassing that of the harshest winter lay upon Yak-Yakistan and its people. Even colder than the night Yago nearly tried to do him and his party in. Naofumu dared not get up too quickly for fear of his bones breaking off at the slightest bit of resistance. His eyes stung, watering as if drenched with a blistering heat with no end in sight. A stinging, thrumming headache began to make itself known, and his moniker came detached from his arm, laying at his feet. ''Ugh.''
The port side houses and equipment that graced Yak-Yakistan were all but in shambles; a mixture of either having been charred beyond recognition on account of the firebombs, used as impromptu weapons in the ensuing fighting, or frozen to pieces by the wicked cold.
In some form or fashion, Naofumi found himself a few hundred feet away from where he had sworn he stood his ground before the skies quieted and were blanketed in a wave of blistering cold. The small group of Yaks he set out with the bolster the vanguard were nowhere to be seen, and he hadn't caught wind of Storm Song. ''Hello? Anybody out there? Hello?!'' Naofumi trudged past fallen house debris, the crunch and shifting of the heavy snow that piled up on his position making for a slow start. Within a few minutes of walking around the battlefield and calling out for survivors, Naofumi began to reassess the situation at hand.
''U-Ugh. . .over, h-herre.~'' Naofumi paused, hearing the sound of what sounded like a Yak call out to him. He hadn't quite noticed that he was stepping on a comrade.
Naofumi stepped back, minding his footing while his hands got to work digging a sizeable hole to bring the downed Yak out of. Touching the snow of Yak-Yakistan was unbearably cold, but he would press on if it meant helping another. What he did not expect was to pull out Prince Rutherford.
''F-Friend Naofumi? You ok?'' Prince Rutherford asked, blowing snow out his nose, resulting in the mop locks of his snow-covered hair flopping about temporarily, revealing a diagonal scar running the length from the bottom of his right eye, nearly to his nose. And while Naofumi was relatively certain that his experience in Melromarc (in some parts) was outclassed by his friend, he remained surprised by the gaze of a fighter still present in his eyes. It reminded him of Valiant. ''Where Pony Storm Song?''
''Not sure, but more importantly; we need to get a count of everyone.''
Naofumi huffed and helped to brush some of the snow off the prince, a pit gradually beginning to form in his stomach the longer he looked on with him to either confirm the dead or help rescue the living who were buried beneath the violent barrage of snow. If this happened when it did, then it told Naofumi at least one of two things; The Ice Chain broken, and as for the other, that Raphtalia and Filo. . .
No. Impossible.
''I have to go; I. . .need to check on them,'' Naofumi scrambled to get his bearings, his eyes laser-focused on the mountain in the distance that housed the chain deep below. Prince Rutherford called out to the hero, only for his words to fall on deaf ears. As if a growing beacon to be answered, he ventured forth in a type of autopilot, his breaths coming out in ragged, guttural exhales, amplified by the cold air. While not feeling it initially, Naofumi's body began to work against him, constricting in places as his gait shortened with each step closer to his teammates. On his menu, displayed a message for him that he chose to ignore if it dealt with anything but the status of Raphtalia and Filo. He would be strong enough to hold out; for them. He needed to put eyes upon them, to hold them close and not let go. ''I'm coming, girls.''
Naofumi would-
THUD!
Falling onto his side, one of the last things that Naofumi could see was a sliver of the sky untouched by firebomb smoke or the unyielding cold; the shape of Storm Song coming towards their position. ''G-Guys. . .''
Naofumi awoke with the mother of all headaches.
He was lying in a cot, perfectly swathed in a blanket to protect him, along with a cool rag over his head. He could see a wood ceiling, reinforced with nails and insulated with heat-retaining material. Attempting to get up, he was forced back down by a strong, but gentle hoof.
''Rest, Friend Naofumi.''
Naofumui grumbled, the stinging pain in his head causing him to hiss. ''Prince Rutherford?''
''You had great fall. Not sure of what at the time, but Pony Storm Song, Friend Filo, and Raphtailia say work body too hard.'' Prince Rutherford's voice was somewhat hushed, no doubt to not cause any unwarranted discomfort to any other patients. ''We. . .have news.''
Hearing those words was never a good thing, but then again, being used to hearing kind of good news was far and few between anyways. ''W-W-here?''
''Filo and Raphtalia are safe, most of the Yaks managed to hold the line, and Night Order looks to be held back for the moment, but the Ice Chain was chipped. Haven't heard a word from Starswirl, but we can deal with him in a little bit.'' Storm Song walked over to Naofumi's side, seeing her face littered with fresh open wounds and her eyes maintaining a soft appearance. ''Good to see you again, kid.''
Naofumi grunted, feeling his headache slowly subside a bit to where he could begin to sit up. ''What about Valiant? And Melty?''
''They're. . .ok,'' Storm Song sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck in response. Nafoumi hummed. ''We should focus more on you, right now.''
''What happened?''
''No getting around you, huh? Well, get yourself dressed and follow me.''
Darkness. That was it. Just. . .darkness. It was almost something to laugh at; the concept of the absence of light, and all that it entailed. In the words of those who tried to delve further into the topic only served to have more questions than answers. Voices came in and out. Throbbing, pulsing, pulling, grabbing; all of it hurt.
What happened?
She tried to remember, whatever little detail to help boost her memory. She. . .remembered the sensation of running, the cold air, the shouts and shrieks, the thrumming of war drums, and the metallic taste that spread throughout her mouth. Her body jerked and shook uncontrollably.
And despite all that, all of it; she could hear, faintly the voice of;
Mother?
''Wake up. . .''
A hand took hers in a comforting, but firm grip, while a mass nearly tackled her further into her bed. ''Melty!''
''Wha? Am I?''
''It's ok, you're safe.'' Raphtalia's voice pierced through the veil of pain and discomfort. ''Valiant got you out of there.''
''Melty! Filo was so worried!'' Melty could feel her friend nuzzling her head into the crook of her neck. Rubbing her back and feeling the urge to cry, Melty agreed. While she hadn't given the two of them a chance to properly talk before the battle, it was the very battle itself that began to build upon her resolve to want to do better.
''I'm happy to know you guys are okay. What about Prince Rutherford and Naofumi?'' Melty's thoughts went to the one person who she knew would possibly be the most affected by the battle. ''And Valiant? Is he?''
''Right here. Nothing to worry your little head about, squirt.'' the voice of Valiant gave her a level of comfort she hadn't known was there. ''But, we really should be focusing on you right now.''
Melty was confused for more than one reason. ''Why say that? And more importantly, can I take off this blindfold?''
The room went silent after her question as Filo took hold of her other hand.
''Oh, uh. Melty, I don't know how to say this, so let me ask you; what's the last thing you remember?'' Valiant's voice came right up close to hers, his tone cautious and tense. She hadn't heard the guard sound so careful with his words, which made her wonder about what it could.
''I remember me and you going towards the docks to assist, and we ran into some trouble.''
''What else?'' Valiant asked, his tone seeming to become more tense.
''I remember sounds, the cold air, and then,'' Melty felt her head throb, her hands clinging up. Another surge of pain and a torrent of tears flowed from her eyes. ''Then my eyes hurt. W-What's wrong; why can't I see?''
Melty heard a huff and grunt from Raphtalia and the sound of Filo full-out bawling. Her eyes were open, she was sure of it. It couldn't be real; it just couldn't!
It was never easy to deliver bad news, but Valiant always took it on the chin somehow. ''You're blind, Melty.''
