First off, I want to say that I did not expect so many reviews and favorites on the story in such a short amount of time. It really makes me happy, yet embarrassed that so many people read and enjoyed the first chapter. Thank you to everyone who gave the first chapter a read. I hope this next chapter and the following ones will live up to your expectations.
I read every review I got on the first chapter, and I hope that this chapter will answer some of the questions you guys may have had while reading it. There's not too much action here, so sorry about that. I'm still learning and experimenting on how I can write better fight scenes.
Once again, I want to thank you for giving my first fanfic a chance. I have lots of good stuff planned out for this story. Any sort of criticism is welcomed. Also, please point out any spelling or grammatical errors so that I can quickly fix them.
Note: I don't own 'Rising of the Shield Hero' and "Final Fantasy VII'. Everything belongs to their respective creators.
"Guh…" Cloud groaned. When he saw that his pursuer was still hot on his heels, he increased his walking pace so that he was now jogging.
When the sound of heavy footsteps grew even louder, the blond resorted to running at full speed.
"For crying out loud!" Cloud shouted in frustration. "Why are there Chocobos in this world, and why are they chasing me!?"
Behind Cloud, a horde of Filolials were chasing him. All of them were squawking happily as they chased the blond across the fields. None of them seemed to show signs of tiring, despite the amount of time they were running. Eventually, the inevitable happened: one of them slipped up. Cloud's boot got caught on a patch of grass, and the blond was sent tumbling down a small hill. As soon as he got up to his feet, Cloud was tackled to the ground by one of the big birds. It was only a matter of time before the rest of the birds piled on top, drowning Cloud in a sea of feathers.
"Hey, do something!" Cloud's muffled voice shouted out. "You're friendly with these things, right!? Get them off of me!"
"Ahahaha!" a girlish laugh sounded out. "I'm sorry, but I don't know if I should! They've really gotten attached to you!"
Cloud's head eventually popped out from within the sea of feathers, though it was only his head that emerged. This prompted the small girl in front of him to laugh even harder as one of the Filolials began to nuzzle his head.
The girl in front of him was small, couldn't have been more than twelve years old. She wore an elegant blue dress, which meant that her family was at least in the noble class. She had bright purple eyes, and her back hair was tied into twin pigtails. Instead of helping the poor blond, the small girl instead jumped onto the sea of feather and released a content sigh.
"Ah...so warm~" the girl mumbled as she buried her face into the feathers.
"Sheesh. What's up with nobles these days?" Cloud grumbled. He felt a sharp pain on his head, and quickly swatted away the bird that was chewing on his hair. "And hands off of the hair!"
"I think that they like you so much because of your hair," the girl commented. "It does resemble a Filolial's feathers somewhat!"
Cloud did not find the girl's remarks amusing and glared at her, which only made her giggle instead of scaring her. The blond simply sighed and hopped out of the feathers, much to the dismay of the birds.
"Come on. We gotta move before it gets dark," Cloud instructed, yanking the girl out of the birds.
"Aww! I wanted to stay!" she protested.
"You want to be attacked by monsters? Be my guest." Cloud retorted sarcastically. The blond walked away with the little girl in tow. The birds didn't even chase after them, only looking on with sad eyes.
"You wanted to go back to that city, right?" Cloud asked as the two walked down the trail. "Remember that I'm only doing this to get paid. Be sure to stay close to my side."
"Jeez, why do you talk like that?" the girl pouted. "It's not cool at all! And you rarely smile."
"Stop talking about useless," Cloud answered, causing the girl to huff in annoyance. "Anyways, what's a kid like you doing out there by yourself? What about your guards?"
"I got separated from them on my way to the kingdom…" the girl trailed off. "I got lost, but then I met the Filolials. They treated me very kindly, and I felt safe around them."
Cloud found the girl's story to be a bit suspicious. The guards must either be really stupid or incapable if they left some noble girl alone by herself in the wilderness. He only found her by chance when he fed one of those birds a piece of jerky. If he hadn't stumbled onto her, who knew what kind of creature would've gotten to her first. Then she had asked him to escort her back to the walled city that Cloud visited before he was teleported into Ryute Village.
"Okay, let's stop here," Cloud said as he stopped and sat down on the grass. He reached behind his back and stabbed the Buster Sword into the ground so that he could sit comfortably. He reached into his pocket and laid a couple of sticks into a pile so that he could start a fire. The blond held a hand out, and a small bolt of lightning fell down from the sky and struck the wood, instantly igniting it. The girl stared at the fire with wonder.
"Wow...you know magic!" She quickly scooted closer to the fire and held her open palms close to the flames to warm herself up. "What are you? An adventurer?"
"I'm just a mercenary." Cloud replied flatly. He leaned back so that his back was leaning against the Buster Sword. "Go to sleep. We have a long way to go."
"Say, why do you still use that beat up hunk of metal?" the girl asked, pointing to the Buster Sword. "How do you even use that thing? And why are your eyes so bright?"
"You ask too many questions, you know that," Cloud said in an annoyed voice. He reached out and pinched the girl's nose. "Go to sleep."
"Hey!" she shouted in protest. Even though her escort had done something rude, she didn't find herself becoming angry or annoyed. She instead found herself staring at the blond man. Yes, his hair was a bit on the ridiculous side and the sword he carried was even more so. But, the main thing that she was focused on were his eyes. She was no stranger to blue eyes. She had seen more variety in colors before. But, something about the blond's eyes felt off. It was even more apparent that his sky blue eyes were glowing. She had never seen anything like them before.
"What are you looking at?" Cloud suddenly asked.
The girl flinched and quickly fell onto the ground. She flipped over so that her back was facing Cloud. "I-it's nothing!" she stammered.
"Well, we're here," Cloud said as him and the girl stood in front of the city gates. "Ready to go in?"
"Yes. Let's go." the girl answered. The pair walked through the massive gates and entered the busy city.
"Don't worry. Once I get my money, I'll be out of your hair." Cloud assured when he saw the girl glance up at him nervously. She quickly looked back down.
"I-it's not that," the girl stuttered. "I just don't know your name. I want to thank you properly."
"...Cloud."
"Huh? I didn't hear you." the girl replied.
"Cloud Strife. That's my name," Cloud repeated. "Don't worry. It's not like you'll remember it after today."
"How can you say that!?" the girl demanded. "Of course I'm going to remember you!" The girl ran in front of Cloud, stopping him in his tracks. She put her hands on her hips and huffed angrily. "Meru! That's my name! I'll remember your name, so you better remember mine too!"
"Do what you want." Cloud grumbled. The blond swordsman pushed past Meru and continued to walk down the street. "Come on. Time is money."
"Jeez, even after everything I said!" Meru complained as she ran up to Cloud while waving her arms in frustration.
As the duo walked down the street, Cloud noticed that he was beginning to draw in stares. The whispers from the people around him grew, and it wasn't like they were being subtle either.
"Cloud, something's not right…" Meru whispered.
"Stay right next to me," Cloud ordered as he quickly grabbed Meru's shoulder and pulled her closer to him. "Things could get rough."
"There he is!"
Great. Just what he needed. The clanking of metal and rapid footsteps were more than enough to Cloud that he was now surrounded. Men in armor similar to what Cloud saw in the first Wave all drew their swords.
"It's him!" one of the men said. He pulled out a piece of paper and showed it to the man next him. "Spiky hair and that sword. There's no mistake!"
"Sword Hero! Please come with us! We have you surrounded! Surrender now to make it easier for yorself!" His order was accompanied by the sound of even more swords being drawn.
"That's my line." Cloud retorted. He drew the Buster Sword and leaped at the group in front of him, knocking away and smashing through the tiny swords with the Buster Sword. Several men were tossed back and landed through windows or into vendors' stalls. "Come on, we gotta move!" Cloud quickly picked Meru up with his left arm and placed her behind his back. The small girl quickly latched onto the blond's back as he ran right through the soldiers that he had knocked aside.
"A-after him!" one of the men shouted. The remaining soldiers quickly gathered their senses and ran after the blond, but he was already too far ahead. Cloud jumped on top of a vendor's stall and pushed off, placing him right on the roof of a building.
"This wasn't in the plan…" Cloud mumbled to himself as he ran along the rooftops, periodically changing roofs as he ran.
"W-wait!" Meru shouted into Cloud's ear. The blond grimaced and stopped running.
"What is it now!?" Cloud asked impatiently. He really wanted to hurry on before more soldiers caught up to them.
"T-they called you the Sword Hero…" Meru breathed. "I-is that true?"
"I don't know what they're talking about. Everyone's been calling me that." Cloud explained. "I'm a mercenary. Nothing more, nothing less."
Meru suddenly began to squirm so much that Cloud was forced to drop the small girl. "What's your problem!? Can't you see that we're being-"
"Please turn yourself over to the king!"
Cloud nearly fell over at the girl's suggestion. "Huh!? The hell are you saying!?"
"W-when I told you my name, I was lying," 'Meru' began. She was fidgeting and tightly gripping her dress with both of her hands. "My real name is Melty Melromarc, and I am the princess that will succeed my father."
"What!?" Cloud exclaimed. He stared incredulously at the tiny girl in front of him. Gone was the girl that played with the Chocobos and asked way too many questions. The girl in front of him had an air of authority and confidence despite her size and age, though it took the blond a good bit not to laugh. The blond scoffed and turned away from Melty. "What, you want me to get myself purposely arrested? Is that why you asked me to take you to your family?"
"N-no!" Melty exclaimed defensively. "I didn't know you were the Sword Hero, and I didn't know my father was looking for you!"
When it looked like Cloud didn't buy anything she said, Melty sighed and sagged her shoulders. "Please. You have to believe me. If you turn yourself in with me, my father is less likely to treat you harshly. In fact, I don't think he has it in him to do so."
"So what's your point?" Cloud asked impatiently. He could hear the voices of the soldiers becoming closer and closer.
"If you turn yourself in now, then there's the possibility that you can get money for escorting me and be free." The aura of confidence was back again. "So, what's it going to be? Will you live the rest of your days on the run or take my advice?"
Cloud growled and glared at Melty, who didn't falter one bit. He was practically being blackmailed by a child. Being a former First Class SOLDIER did give him the confidence that he would be able to handle anything that came his way. But on the other hand, he had no knowledge of this world, and he apparently had the title of 'Sword Hero'. Hiding from the public would not be easy.
"Fine," Cloud stuck the Buster Sword back onto the magnet on his back. "But keep in mind. The second something goes wrong, I am going to get out of the castle no matter what."
And so, the blond swordsman walked over to Melty and picked her up. The princess didn't seem to mind the blond's sudden actions as he jumped off of the roof. With Melty giving the directions, it didn't take long for the two to reach the castle where the royal family lived. Immediately, the guards froze upon seeing the blond and the girl beside him.
"I-it's the Sword Hero! And Princess Melty!" one of them men yelped. "What do we do?"
"I don't know!" another yelled frantically.
"Please open the castle doors. I must meet with my father, and the Sword Hero wishes to do the same." Melty commanded. The soldiers nodded and immediately got to work opening the massive iron cage that blocked the castle's entrance.
"You better be right on this." Cloud mumbled under his breath.
On the plus side, Cloud was treated fairly well by the people in the castle. Too well in fact. It almost made Cloud feel uneasy and creeped out. When he and Melty were being led by a group of servants, those on the side quickly bowed as they passed along. Cloud thought that they were simply showing respect towards the tiny princess, but it was far more than that. His ears picked up on the whispers that were directed towards him.
Cloud had expected to be immediately taken to the king of this city. Instead, he and Melty were led into a giant dining room. The blond had never seen such a long and massive table before. Him and Melty were seated across from another and the servants were fast enough to put a plethora of food in front of the two.
While Melty began to eat her food in a calm and dignified manner, Cloud simply stared at his, refusing to eat a bite. He instead took a piece of jerky out of his pocket and began to chew on it.
"...What are you doing?" Melty asked. She could not believe that Cloud was choosing jerky over the lavish feast that was laid out in front of them.
"Anything can be poisoned." Cloud reasoned. Melty simply sighed tiredly and got out of her seat. She walked over to the chair next to Cloud and stabbed her fork into a piece of meat on Cloud's plate and began to eat it.
"You're too serious for your own good, you know," Melty jabbed.
When Melty showed no signs of becoming ill, Cloud hesitantly grabbed his own fork and ate the steak. It was good. He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten something as good as this. He was used to the terrible field rations on the field and living by on the bare necessities. This was a nice change of pace. It was only a matter of time before he began to pile more and more food onto his plate. He had never realized just how hungry he was.
"You Highness," a voice interrupted. A man who dressed up in a fancy suit was calmly standing near the entrance of the dining room. "The king would like to meet you and the Sword Hero."
"Yes. Tell him we're on our way," Melty immediately answered. She got off her chair and walked towards the butler, motioning Cloud to do the same. The blond was hesitant to leave all of the uneaten food wasted, but chose to tag along.
The pair were led down another corridor, instead this one was noticeably bigger and more grander. They soon reached two giant wooden doors that supposedly led to the throne room. The two guards that stood on either side opened the doors when they noticed Cloud and Melty approaching.
"Welcome, Melty," a loud booming voice echoed. Cloud could see an old man with a crown on his head sitting in an elaborate throne. A long line of servants were flanking the left and right of the room. The king got up to greet the two. "And of course, the Sword Hero as well."
The blond didn't reply to the king's words. Melty simply bowed in response. "Father, I have returned. I am sorry for causing you trouble, but the Sword Hero was kind enough to keep me company."
"I see…" the king murmured. He stared at Cloud while stroking his chin. "I am terribly sorry for the trouble you may have faced in the city, but I hope you understand that it was the only thing we could do in these circumstances."
Cloud replied to the king's apology by extending his left arm out to him. The king stared confusedly at the blond's gesture.
"Give me my payment, and I'll be on my way." Cloud started.
"Huh!?" the king exclaimed. "What do you mean!?"
"Little Princess over here promised that I would get paid if I brought her to her family," Cloud deadpanned, glancing down at Melty who did not seem amused at the nickname Cloud gave her. "So? Am I gonna get my money or what?"
"H-how dare you!" one of the servants on the side roared. "Even if you are the Sword Hero, we cannot permit such disrespect towards His Majesty! He is the one who has summoned you here! Show some respect!"
Cloud lowered his hand to glare at the king, who momentarily stepped back at the blond's stare. "You what?"
"It is as he said," the king reaffirmed. "We have summoned the Three Great Heroes to this world to help save our world from the Waves."
"Waves?" The king must be referring to the time when Cloud was suddenly teleported into that village and had to fight monsters.
"Yes. However, only the Bow and Spear Hero were summoned at first. The Sword Hero was nowhere to be found, so we had to search all over the kingdom for him. But now that he is found…" The king bowed his head in front of Cloud as he trailed off. The rest of the servants as well as Melty did the same. "Please, O' Great Sword Hero! Save our world from the Waves of Calamity!"
"Not interested."
Everyone collectively gasped at Cloud's rather blunt answer. The blond was standing still with his arms crossed. He did not look a bit moved at their actions. "I think you got the wrong guy. I'm a mercenary, not some willy-nilly hero who does things out of the charity in his heart. If you want me to fight these Waves, then you better pay up. If not, then send me back to my world."
Cloud continued to study the king in front of him with uncaring eyes. Instead of getting angry, the old man looked downright scared. He was trembling and sweating profusely. Surprisingly, the king nodded frantically.
"O-of course. We could never ask one of the Three Great Heroes to fight the Waves without proper support."
"Father!" Melty protested. "Are you sure this is what you should be doing!? How can you bow down that easily to-"
"Silence!" the king ordered. Melty quickly shut her mouth at her father's declaration, though she did not look any more happier. Cloud could feel her gaze right at him. The king looked over to one of the servants and pointed at him. "You! Get the Sword Hero his promised sum now!"
"Y-yes, Your Highness!" The robed man ran out of view and quickly reappeared holding a sack that was filled with something. Cloud took the pouch and opened it and saw several gold coins inside. He didn't know how much he was holding, but he decided to take it. The blond stuffed the pouch into his pocket and turned around to walk away from the king.
"Fine. I'll help you deal with these Waves as long as you continue the payment." The pair of guards that stood on either side of the wooden doors suddenly crossed their spears across from one another, blocking off the exit.
"Even if you are the Sword Hero, we cannot permit you to show such disrespect to the king!" one of the men shouted.
"Fine. I guess it's the hard way then." Cloud growled. His right hand went up and grasped the hilt of the Buster Sword.
"Enough! Let him through!" the king yelled from across the room. The guards looked like they were about to protest, but they uncrossed their spears to let Cloud through. Cloud pushed the doors open. Following the path he and Melty took to reach the throne room, it was only a matter of time until Cloud was back outside.
The blond did not look back at the castle as he walked away from the stone fortress. On the plus side, he didn't have to cut through anybody to get back outside. He now knew how he ended up in this strange world, though he still thought that the way he arrived here in the first place was a bit ridiculous. Summoning? It wasn't like he was a summon like Ifrit. Still, there was something that continued to nag at Cloud. Even the king of this city called him the 'Sword Hero'. What made him so special in the first place? As far as Cloud could tell, there were plenty of other people that used a sword.
"I-I-I found him!"
"Huh?" Cloud glanced behind him out of curiosity and his vision was greeted by the metal point of a spear. Cloud lurched his body to the side to avoid the spearhead and placed his right hand on the ground, kicking off and vaulting away from his attacker. That gave him plenty of room to draw the Buster Sword and intercept Motoyasu's spear.
"Tch. You again." Cloud growled as him and the Spear Hero stared each other down. "Don't you have better things to do?"
"Mein!" Motoyasu shouted. "All I have to do to free the Sword Hero from Naofumi's curse is hit him hard enough, right?"
"Exactly!" a shrill female voice declared. Cloud looked to the person Motoyasu was talking to. She was a woman of average height and had crimson red hair that was tied back into some sort of pony tail. Her eyes were green and she wore an elaborate and fancy-looking breast plate. She was standing amidst a group of adventurers and was standing confidently with her right palm stretched out. "That man is the Sword Hero who the treacherous Shield Hero brainwashed! Do not worry, however! With the magnificent strength of the Spear Hero, he will free the Sword Hero!"
"The hell is she talking about?" Cloud asked before he found himself being pushed away by Motoyasu swinging his spear down.
"Don't worry! I'll free you from Naofumi's curse!" Motoyasu declared as he dashed forward and stabbed the ground where Cloud was standing. "I'll have to warn you, though. It's gonna hurt a bit!"
"Do the people in this world only have half a brain!?" Cloud shouted in frustration before being forced to block another one of Motoyasu's strikes. As Cloud continued to step back and parry, he caught a glance at the woman that Motoyasu called 'Mein'. Her cocky and arrogant grin was enough to make Cloud want to end the fight and cleave her in half. He couldn't understand why she would hold a grudge against him. This was the first time he had seen her. Was it because he kicked the Spear Hero's ass a couple of days ago? Motoyasu thrusted his weapon once more, forcing Cloud to step back to create some distance.
"Guess there's no way out of this." Cloud groaned. He readied the Buster Sword and gathered his energy. Blue wisps of Mako energy began to emanate from Cloud's body and then-
""P-please stop this, Spear Hero!" a desperate voice cried out. A young man in armor similar to the ones Cloud saw in the castle broke through the crowd and placed himself in front of Cloud. He spread his arms out like he was shielding the blond swordsman.
"Get out of the way!" Cloud growled. "You're gonna get hurt!"
"Who the hell are you-" Motoyasu shouted angrily before getting cut off by the young knight.
"Where do you think you are!?" the boy shouted. "This is the residential area! Please stop fighting!"
Once the knight had pointed out where he was, Cloud noticed the destruction around him. Motoyasu had not cared what his weapon hit as long as it was aimed towards Cloud. Several stalls were destroyed and many houses in the area also suffered damage. The people who probably lived in the area were now gathered around Cloud and Motoyasu. None of them looked too happy about the destruction of their homes and businesses.
"No, this is a lawful duel," Mein countered. She pushed through the people and shoved a piece of paper at the knight's face. "With the royal decree bestowed upon me by my father, I hereby declare this duel completely fair and acceptable! Don't interfere...or you'll know what will happen."
"Wait, you're a princess!?" Cloud exclaimed. All eyes were on him now. "Then, Meru is your-"
"Do not speak of her name!" Mein spat out venomously, before quickly clearing her throat and regaining her composure. "This is needed in order to free the Sword Hero from the Shield Hero's curse!"
"B-but I'm a soldier to protect the citizens…" the knight mumbled. "I think it's completely unreasonable to believe that the Sword Hero is under some sort of control! We don't have any proof that the Shield Hero can do something like that!"
"You insolent man!" Mein berated angrily. "Don't you know who you're talking to-"
"Personal duels are not condoned by the kingdom, Onee-sama…" a voice interrupted. Mein's expression quickly warped from confident to horror.
"No...how are you here!?" Mein yelled frantically.
"You're…" Cloud trailed off as he looked back to see Meru confidently striding up and placing herself in front of Malty. In her hands was a scroll that looked similar to the one that Mein had used to declare the duel lawful. The confident aura was around her once more.
"It's been a while, Onee-sama. You'll be sorry if you think you can cover up this disturbance with either your power or the Spear Hero's." Melty lowly threatened.
Cloud stared in awe at the little girl in front of him. Even though her sister was clearly older, Melty was completely overwhelming her sister. It was hard to believe that Melty was once the girl that cheerfully played with those Chocobo birds.
"It seems that you have been quite mischievous lately, Onee-sama," Melty softly scolded. "Not only have you slandered the Shield Hero by claiming he brainwashed the Sword Hero, but you have also orchestrated a duel between the two heroes."
"I can't overlook that comment. I was simply doing my duty as a hero's support." Mein countered angrily.
"Is it a hero's support to drive them into a deadly street fight in front of a group of subjects?" Melty pressed.
"H-hey, calling the fight 'deadly' is a bit of an exaggeration…" Mein faltered. She was clearly being beaten by her younger sister.
"Spear Hero, I hope you understand," Melty said as she bowed slightly to the blond. "Please disperse, or things are going to become...even messier."
The crowd around them began to murmur for a bit until they all eventually thinned out, leaving Cloud, Melty, and Motoyasu's little group. Motoyasu looked a bit unsure as to what he should do next as his eyes began to dart from Mein to Melty. Eventually, Mein huffed angrily and turned around.
"Hmph. You may have had your way this time, but luck will not be on your side next time." Mein threatened under her breath. She walked away from Cloud, and Motoyasu followed behind her while complaining about not finishing the fight.
"Alright. What do you want?" Cloud asked tiredly as he sheathed the Buster Sword. He turned to face the small girl. "There's no way you just happened to stumble onto me. You've been following me, haven't you?"
"Sword Hero…" Melty began before shaking her head. "No, Cloud. Can we please have a moment to chat privately somewhere else?"
"So, why my shop?" the bald man behind the counter asked. He glanced up and eyed Cloud carefully. There was no way he was going to forget that hair and sword.
"Couldn't think of another place." Cloud answered. The man scoffed and turned away from the blond.
"So, what was that all about?" Cloud asked. "You didn't mention that you had a sister."
"Ah, about that. I am the heiress apparent because Onee-sama has been a troublemaker due to her personality, so I am a bit higher now." Melty explained.
"What the hell…" Cloud trailed off. The more he learned about this world, the more he wanted to take an entire bottle of painkillers and sleep for a year straight. "Your sister mentioned how I was under some sort of curse. What was she talking about?"
"Well, it's simple," Melty explained. "There are four Great Heroes. The Spear Hero, the Bow Hero, The Sword Hero, and the Shield Hero. However, the Shield Hero is greatly despised. That is why Onee-sama claimed that you were under some sort of curse placed by him in order to get back at him."
"How stupid," Cloud grumbled. "It's gonna take a lot more than simple mind control to get the best of me."
Melty glanced up uneasily at Cloud. "You didn't know that you were the Sword Hero before coming here, right? Do you even know what level you are?"
When Cloud looked confused at Melty's question, she let out an exasperated sigh. "You don't know, do you?"
"Well, how do I check it?" Cloud asked. He felt a bit silly asking a kid about what to do. He didn't know that people were measured by levels.
"Well, focus on the core of your weapon," Melty suggested. "It is a Legendary Weapon after all. You should see a screen with your information show up in front of you."
"This is ridiculous…" Cloud mumbled under his breath, but he ended up drawing the Buster Sword. He held the broadsword in front of him and closed his eyes. To him, it was nothing but a tool. He couldn't see why everyone thought it was a legendary weapon. Focus on a core...Aside from the Thunder Materia slotted into the sword, Cloud couldn't sense or feel anything. Did he have to think even harder then?
Suddenly, Cloud saw something. It was faint in the darkness, but he willed his consciousness to approach the thing. It got bigger and bigger, until he could see it clearly. It was a small purple orb, about the same size as a regular Materia. Cloud reached out and grasped the orb into his hands. The darkness around Cloud was suddenly washed away by a bright white light, It was so bright that Cloud's eyes shot open and he was back inside the weapons shop.
"W-what was that!?" Cloud exclaimed. His bewilderment grew even more when he saw a screen in front of him that had his picture.
"Heh. Looks like you finally got the hang of it, kid." the shopkeep commented. "What you see is your general stats such as your strength, mana, and level. Why don't you take a look?" the man suggested.
Cloud stared at the screen in front of him. There was a photo of him and under it was his name and other bits of information.
NAME: CLOUD STRIFE
OCCUPATION: SWORD HERO, MERCENARY
AGE: 21
LEVEL: 10
HP: 1290/1290
MP: 33/33
"Hold on," Melty interrupted. She moved next to Cloud and leaned in to see the screen. "You were only level 10!?" the princess exclaimed. She turned to look at Cloud with a look of shock, and the blond simply shrugged his shoulders.
"Hell if I know," Cloud said. "They don't have this kind of stuff where I'm from."
"Well, check your skill tree," Melty instructed. She pointed over to a button that had 'Skill Tree' written on it. Cloud reached out and pushed the button.
The screen quickly transitioned and displayed a branching skill tree. There were so many different branches and options that just looking at it made Cloud's head spin. In the center was a single icon that was lit up.
"You get skill points by leveling up. You then use those points to level up and unlock different abilities," Melty explained. "Try upgrading that skill over there."
Cloud reached out and touched an icon that was near the shining circle in the center of the screen. Once he did, a pop up appeared.
"Learn Limit Break 'Blade Beam'?" the prompt asked. Cloud clicked on 'Yes' and the prompt disappeared. The icon that Cloud clicked on was now glowing.
"I...don't feel any different." Cloud mouthed. Was he supposed to feel different? He apparently gained a new skill, but now he didn't know what to do.
"You're not supposed to feel the effects right away, kid," the shopkeep explained. "You'll definitely see the difference in battle though."
"Still, I find it surprising that you were only level 10…" Melty trailed off. "The fact that you were able to keep up with the Spear Hero and survive the First Wave all on your own is amazing."
"Really?" Cloud asked. "That spear asshole wasn't that strong. I've faced far stronger and faster."
"The Spear Hero was more than double your current level," Melty argued. "Just who are you?"
"I thought you said you wouldn't forget my name," Cloud jabbed, causing Melty to pout and glare at Cloud for having her question avoided. "I'm Cloud Strife, mercenary-for-hire."
After finishing his reintroduction to Melty, Cloud turned around and headed for the shop's exit. Cloud could hear Melty's footsteps as she ran after him.
"Hey, where are you going?" Melty asked.
"Isn't it obvious?" Cloud asked rhetorically. "I'm heading out to fight some monsters. Time to see what this 'Blade Beam' can do."
Cloud pushed the door open and closed it behind him just as Melty was about to say something. If what Melty said was true, then it looked like the blond was going to have to fight a lot more monsters if he wanted to become stronger in time for the next Wave.