I do not own the Rising of the Shield Hero, except for the OCs.
The letter that the Spear Hero, Yokubo Kawatta was his name, gave me led my party and I to another town. From what I heard, the town was known for having the most bountiful harvests of fruit and vegetables, and they regularly have festivals within their marketplaces to celebrate the harvest. When I arrived, I found the gallivanting Yokubo, hitting on his own party members, which were just a few red-haired women. It annoyed me to no end, but he was sincere on what he needed help with: a hunt to kill a large monster.
The details were thin, but basically, the monster wasn't a big deal, but annoying to deal with. A parasite that can spread itself on any plant left, can infest plant life with a disease that hurts the plants, and is nearly immortal for anyone who doesn't have any plant killing equipment. But we were thankful that Yokubo… conveniently had plant-killing equipment on him. His party and I were able to trap it in a cave, and I sealed it within a cursed box. No mess, no fuss. But just in case, I left a message on the cave walls, and to the townsfolk to never let the parasite out of its confines.
And then that was when things got messy… when I saw Yokubo pointing the Spear at me… and then I blacked out.
-Ancient Journal of the Shield Hero Entry 9.2
'Sigh…'
How many times was it? The fifth? The sixth? Valnar, peaceful head of the Shusaku, rubbed his temples with his free limb, continuing to look at the papers in front of him. The reports that he just received from the spies made him shake his head in disappointment. Their goal couldn't be achieved, even with the proverbial threat of war about to happen very soon, with the words in front of him saying:
Shield God is incredibly adamant to not come back to our sanctuary in Siltvelt. No tributes will meet His demands.
"Is this all to rub it in my face, Geki?"
The prideful head of the Hakuko didn't grin. Instead, he had a deep frown on his face, with the bridge between his eyebrows crinkling up hard. His big muscular arms were crossed across his wide chest, and posture was leaned backwards; appearing lax, but was ready to pounce at a moment's notice.
"By now, you should have realized what this implies, correct? Soroban and the others did not return with the Shield Hero by your peaceful manner, even with the promise of executing the Melromarcian Queen and her second princess daughter personally! By now, you should know: the humans have poisoned the mind of the Shield Hero, and must be acquired through any means necessary!" Geki replied, baring his teeth. His voice was powerful, yet it wasn't sounding triumphant at all. "You do know that war is on the horizon… correct?"
Valnar flinched at those words, but he knew that Geki could possibly be correct. While not proven outright, the High Priest was a radical believer in his own belief of the Three Heroes religion. And like it or not, he was going to deal with him and his followers at some point. "Is that why you imprisoned the Queen, the young princess and her personal Shadow in the catacombs? For bribery or for a measly threat? Did her words for being against the Three Heroes Church not ring as the truth to your ears? Or have you been catnapping during the negotiations table?" Valnar shot back his question with many others, irritating Geki. His growls were heard in the pheasant's office.
"Do NOT question my decisions, Valnar! I'd sooner rip out those wings of yours than give in for peace!" Geki roared, but Valnar didn't back down.
"Why then?! Start a losing war, just like the one before where Melromarc wiped out countless others, in senseless death?!" Valnar prodded, knowing that he was touching on very sensitive topics, regarding the war between Melromarc and Siltvelt twenty-five years ago. "You're sounding just like your father!"
"Take that back…!" Geki's roaring voice reverberated throughout the building.
"Grandmaster Kiara Fayon would have said otherwise!" Valnar responded. "There was a reason why her last will stated that your father, Mad King Theodoric Fayon, was not to claim the throne. For he wished to cause a war between us and Melromarc, one where he was felled by King Aultcray! And you would use us as well, to die a senseless death?!"
Deathly silence followed soon after, tension thick enough to be cut with a knife. Only the sounds of a ticking clock was heard... until Geki spoke in a quieter voice. "He made a mistake. I won't make that mistake twice."
"A mistake…?" Valnar couldn't even believe what he was hearing. "All that senseless warring and death… a mistake?!"
"I AM NOT HIM! I AM NOT MY FATHER! I WILL NOT MAKE THOSE MISTAKES AGAIN!" Geki belted out, unable to handle the rage any longer.
Valnar could only glare as hard as he could, resisting the urge to laugh… until the pheasant snarled his next words. "The Mad King would have said those same words."
That did it. Geki growled, anger and rage that has been built up finally reached its peak. He remembered the jeers and insults that were thrown at him during his upbringing. He remembered the painstaking methods he had to use to even become the head of the Hakuko party within the governing branch. And now they are questioning his decisions?! However, before the white tiger demi-human had a chance to strike, another figure jumped in and jabbed Valnar in a specific spot on his gut, causing Valnar to let out some spittle in pain, before falling onto the chair, unmoving. Geki took a deep breath and lowered his head, knowing who exactly made Valnar fall unconscious, as the assassin appeared right by his side.
"You didn't need to subdue him, Jaralis. The Shusaku head isn't any match against me." Geki spoke to the bronze-coloured lion, who knelt by his side.
"I know, my Lord. But this will make it easier for us to bring him into the cell." Jaralis replied, smirking at Geki who raised an eyebrow.
"Right. Then he will be tried in our courts, in front of the other representatives and the officials, for voluntarily releasing a prisoner." Geki explains his plan calmly, as he picks up the unconscious Valnar over the shoulder. That got Jaralis to raise an eyebrow.
"Oh? The Raigekigami, using the court of reason and law instead of his own might? Has Valnar's words affected you that much?" Jaralis's cunning words sounded taunting, but Geki glared at him.
"Don't read into it, Jaralis, lest you wish to see who wins in a duel between a tiger and a lion." Geki sharply warned, before beginning to head to the door. "Besides, the other representatives will listen to me and will agree to our declaration of war against Melromarc. For I will not tolerate anyone other kingdom to summon our Shield Hero, nor will I let live the brood of my father's killer, and the other three so-called Cardinal Heroes at our doorstep!"
"Ah! There's the battle-hardened Hakuko I've known years ago! Much respect to your ideals, my Lord!" Jaralis praised, giving an earnest smile and bowing to the powerful demi-human. Geki only huffed, and gripped the doorknob, his last thoughts permeating in his head.
'I'm not him. I'm not him! My father… Mad King Theodoric killed millions with that senseless war. But I won't make that mistake again. This war… we will win, and Melromarc and the humans will fall to us! And when the Shield Hero is back in our side… we will be the victors! Just like the World War a hundred years ago…! The Shield God will be legendary once more!'
.o0o.
Deep within the forests, south of the rebuilt town of Iwatani, laid the bodies of the dead. Silky cloaks of white and adorned gold were messily stained with crimson red life blood and cut up. The crimson path deep in the forest continued, the messy tangle of trees finally reaching a clearing, a group of citizens, and knights, running away, or closing their eyes in fear of their fate.
"RUN!"
"PROTECT THE CITIZENS!"
"AIIIIIIEEEE!"
"MOMMY!"
"NO, MY CHILD!"
The citizens of Lute screamed in terror, and the knights ran too, from the last assassin, lighting her suicide canisters up hidden in her cloak. There was no way all of them could evacuate fast enough. Ake, injured, was too injured to walk, even with the help of his father, Mayor Rolfe. there was no way they could get out in time.
"AKE!"
Étoile, on the other hand, called to him and was about to help him, but saw that he wasn't going to make it out. The Mayor was an old man and there was no way he could get out of the blast range in time. shook herself out of her funk. This gave her flashbacks back at Lute, where everybody struggled to run away and were killed, with their blood on her hands. There was only one thing she could do! Readying her axe, she charged towards the suicide bomber, intent on punting her away.
"ÉTOILE!" Ake managed to cry out her name, but it was in vain. She was too far to stop, and he couldn't watch…!
…
… …
"Submit thy obedience to the will of void and sky, by Providence true shall time doth abide! Slow Field!"
The entire clearing turned a monochrome colour, as the world felt like it was going in slow motion. Ake's mind was going fast, but his actions felt like he was going through molasses. It was the same for Étoile, her mind going a mile a minute, yet her body was barely making it to the suicide assassin, but in the end, she was too late. The sparks disappeared into the canisters, and exploded, blowing her back, with the explosive flames licking her skin. She could feel every single explosive impact going on her body. Her very bones felt the incredible impact, launching her backwards in slow motion. All the while, she felt incredible burning pain on her body, her screams unable to get out of her mouth, before her consciousness began to fade.
"Shield Prison!"
Before she could suffer any more pain, bits and pieces of a cage began to form, but it wasn't forming up fast enough to cover most of the explosion, possibly due to the Slow Field. Suddenly, the world returned back to its original coloured state, as people were running back at regular speed, and the flames of the explosion catching up towards the unconscious Étoile, now flying at normal speed. Thankfully, she had some help catching her.
"Gotcha, big sis!"
Two pairs of hands catches the flying warrior demi-human, thankful she hasn't sustained any more damage from the close-up explosion. As for the flames, Filo landed in front of the three, and flapped her wings to generate wind, powerful enough to shield them from the initial flames.
"Oh thank goodness…!" Ake, witnessing the whole thing, breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing on the shoulder of his father, who also smiled. The Shield Savior and his companions have saved them once again, however, the sounds of a struggle were heard.
"Rrrrrrrrrgh…! Shield Prison! Shield Prison!"
It was Naofumi's voice. Looking beyond the big bipedal bird, Ake spotted Naofumi, struggling to keep the explosion within the Shield Prison, with visible cracks showing, even after reapplying it a couple times more. His hands were shaky, and his head had drops of sweat from the amount of concentration and SP he was using up to contain the explosion. Even with his powerful defensive options, there was no way he could contain the force, large enough to wipe out everybody in the forest, unless…!
Reapplying the Shield Prison one last time, he swapped back to the class he was just using to create the Slow Field; a job that he acquired from having Filo in his party.
Time Mage
Control time and space to your leisure and bend it to your will, for the laws of the universe mean nothing! Uses staves, crossbows and handbombs.
Readying his stick, he began an incantation as fast as he could, purple light encompassing the tip, as the prison is near exploding.
"Oppressors of the planet, loosen your gaols and release thee into thy river of inescapable fate! Zero Gravity!"
A sphere of gravitational energy formed around the prison, and Naofumi launched it into the sky as quickly as he could. Many saw the green prison fly into the sky, before it glowed and exploded, covering the sky in a shower of fire.
"T-The Shield Hero…"
"H-He did it…! He saved us!"
"Oh thank God! I thought we were going to die!"
The villagers cheered, saved literally by the skin of their teeth. Some of them accepted their fate before, but now they were befuddled and cried happily in the arms of their loved ones that they were saved. Ake smiled wide, and the Mayor breathed a sigh of relief, patting his son.
"My goodness, I never knew the Shield Hero knew that kind of magic." Mayor Rolfe spoke to his son. "But I'm glad that he's on our side, and that he's your friend, my son."
"Yeah… I should count my blessings on that." Ake responded, before wincing in pain. The fireball he took before still hurt, but his main concern was Étoile. Raphtalia and Keel ran towards the injured knight and mayor, their concern for their fellow friend showing on their faces.
"Ake! You're hurt!" The racoon demi-human cried out in worry, but Ake only shook his head.
"I'm fine, but never mind me. How is Étoile? Is she okay?" Ake asked, frantic about the condition of the woman he looks up to. Keel shook her head.
"She's unconscious, and suffered a lot of burns, but Naofumi and Rino are taking care of her right now." Keel replied, looking down at his condition. There were burn marks on his skin and his armour was nearly wrecked from the blast.
"I need to see her. Please, take me to her." Ake pleaded, and the two of them complied, taking the soldier under the shoulders and helping him walk to where Naofumi, Filo and Rino were. The Mayor, and the other citizens slowly walked back, checking up on the Shield Hero, only to see him and Rino channeling water mana in their hands, forming water in their hands. The two young women and the knight wince at the sight of the unconscious Étoile, burns covering part of her face, her entire arms and some of her neck and torso. Water then formed around Naofumi's and Rino's hands, and they channeled it on Étoile's burnt skin, cooling it down significantly.
"Hold the water steady on her skin." Naofumi told Rino, who only nodded back, and kept her concentration and hands steady. Swapping to Cleric, he channeled healing energy onto her, as everybody watched silently. Slowly, her burns disappeared, her skin repaired, and her scars disappeared. Everybody seemed to brighten up at the sight of Étoile looking healthy again, especially Ake, but Naofumi only sighed, and stood up.
"That's all I can do for now. We should head back to town." Naofumi ordered, his voice lower than before. The citizens nodded, and the party members obliged, yet all of them could see that Naofumi was bothered. What it was about… they had an inkling on what his current woe was.
.o0o.
Mirellia had only felt fear a few times in her life.
In her childhood, her nanny would always use a scary face to practice diplomacy, review the state of her kingdom and learn many ladylike behaviours, like dancing, strategy and magic. In her teens, she had a fling with a man, which almost turned into a nationwide conspiracy, if not thanks to her own mother and her personal Shadow and trainer. During her diplomatic mission, she got the scare of a lifetime when the Church of the Three Heroes took advantage of her absence in her kingdom, and summoned all four Heroes in her country, with her husband's approval. She feared the potential backlash from all the other kingdoms, and, while many of them prodded her to fix that mistake, Siltvelt was hell bent on making her pay with her life.
In the lightest terms possible, the negotiation finalization did not end well. Mainly because of the big white tiger demi-human. She could see it in his eyes that he was going to get his way (probably why Valnar tried to bar his way, in a rather unsuccessful attempt), and that Mirellia couldn't do anything about it. At that point, she understood what they were doing: they were going to war against Melromarc and the Three Heroes Church, and they will use her, along with Melty, as bargaining chips for complete surrender, in case the war doesn't go well.
Within her animal cage, which was just tall enough to house her, footsteps echoed in the stone hallway. The shadow cast by the torch resembled a familiar body shape of a lion, making Mirellia wary. It has already been two weeks inside the prison, and she was in rough shape; her dress has not been washed in two weeks, and her hair was messy. Soon, the mysterious shadow made himself known.
"Hehehe… I must say, your resilience is quite impressive, Your Majesty." The growling voice of Jaralis drawled out, carrying a body that was too dark to see. However, she recognized the trail of fallen feathers that were falling.
"Your kingdom isn't much better than ours, I must say." Mirellia shot back in a regal tone, one she was barely able to hold up when Jaralis opened the cage in front of her, and chucked the body inside. The light finally shined on the identity of the body, and she identified it as an unconscious Valnar. "To think that you would harm and kill your fellow demi-human, one that wouldn't hurt a soul, and would give his own life for peace?"
"We have standards for our people unlike yours. Valnar is only unconscious for now, and will serve cage time for his treasonous actions." Jaralis shut the cage and turned his head towards Mirellia, a deep frown on his lion features, and harsh words boiling out of his mouth. "Compared to your kingdom, who burns entire towns down and commits genocide, brainwashing, torture and slavery, all for the sole reason of housing demi-humans instead of humans? We are saints, compared to you monsters." That got Mirellia to harden her glare, anger rising within.
"Do not think that your kingdom is safe from prejudice as well! You wish for war, not peace, for your own ends! You show prejudice towards the other three Heroes! And must I mention that you enslave human children?! Little innocent children who have done no wrong!" Mirellia's words began to heat up, ending with her slamming the cage bars. "And now you plan to murder my youngest daughter, who is key to repairing our kingdoms' cycle of hatred and discrimination?!"
"Do not bring us down to your level!" Jaralis stepped up towards Mirellia, glaring and growling back. She could feel his hot breath on her, but she was not backing down. "We war, because you declared war against us first. We enslaved your kind, because you enslaved ours first. We show love and praise to the Shield God, because your Three Heroes have been nothing but enemies and slaughterers to our people. All we have done is respond in kind, due to your people's 'cycle of hatred and discrimination'."
"Then you can break that cycle! My daughter can break that cycle! You must-!" Mirellia pleaded, her resolve breaking little by little, but Jaralis shook his head.
"We're not taking any chances with the next generation of the Melromarc royal line. Not after the World War. Not after She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named." Jaralis stepped back, taking a deep breath, before he left it as is, and began to walk away, leaving Mirellia to process what she had heard. It sounded like he was trying to ease his own fear, but Mirellia couldn't fault him. She knew who he was talking about, but she didn't want to believe it. All the history books demonized her, but from what Mirellia had experienced within Siltvelt, she knew that who they feared was the instigator of the World War, and the reason Siltvelt treats humans, even to this day.
In other words, they feared the rising of another Tyrantress.
.o0o.
Everybody settled back into their routine, as the sun was beginning to set. They all wanted sleep after the near-trauma they experienced. However, Naofumi's party was awake, in their own home, sitting next to a sleeping Étoile, bandages wrapped around her burns. Healing could only do so much, but with Naofumi as the Alchemist class and with some special herbs and tonics, they were able to get rid of most of the burns. Now, everybody lingered or sat inside, until Naofumi spoke up.
"I'm sorry."
Everybody else looked at him, confused on why he would say that. "What? What are you sorry for, Naofumi?" Ake wondered, until Naofumi looked at him directly in the eyes.
"I'm sorry. I should have sent more help to your end." Naofumi replied. "I thought that we were dealing with the main forces, but the sneak attack from behind flew over my head. I should have taken that into consideration…"
"Master, it's okay! You don't have to beat yourself up about it. Everybody made it out okay." Raphtalia comforted, but Naofumi shook his head.
"There's a difference between everybody making it out okay, and…" Naofumi pointed at Étoile, "everybody making it out 'okay'. I'll be more considerate next time. I promise."
"Naofumi, that's fine. You don't have to beat yourself up about it." Ake stood up and patted Naofumi on the back. "Everything has passed. And I'm grateful for you saving her."
The Shield Hero said nothing in return, but Raphtalia and Keel wanted to raise concerns. "Master… About the enemy we were fighting… We saw who was underneath the helmet." Keel spoke up.
"What about it? Is it important?" Naofumi asked, seeing the dread on their faces.
"They were… I… They looked like shriveled corpses… Like they haven't eaten… or slept…" Keel continued, the image of their ghastly visage haunting her. "But they just kept going… and from their eyes… they were suffering… suffering so much…!" Raphtalia only hugged her best friend tightly, comforting her as she bawled her eyes out. It wasn't so much because of pity, but because of guilt. Seeing the human slaves only made her see the point, but the corpses only drove that point home. It was sickening to a large degree… and she did give Naofumi some shit about demi-humans only suffering… It was only natural that she would feel this way.
"It's fine, Keel. Like Ake said," Naofumi began, "everything has passed over. Better now you learn and change than never, right?" His words brought a smile to her face, and she enthusiastically nodded.
"But..." Raphtalia wanted to voice her own concerns. "...Master Naofumi, I'm worried about the enemy. What if they constantly attack us...?"
"Huh? What do you mean, Raphie? We got Naofumi and all of us here!" Keel pointed to everybody, with Filo chirping up and agreeing. However, Naofumi had to disagree.
"She's right." The Shield Hero spoke up. "I wouldn't want to subject the citizens here with constant attacks... but it's not like we have a choice to migrate everybody. Plus, we can't stay here either, since Melromarc basically know that we're here." Everybody felt confounded on what to do, even Naofumi, but they can't help but agree. They need to continue adventuring or else they would become stale from routine, but the safety of the citizens and the town were their concern too. After a minute, Naofumi only shook his head. "Thinking about it now will get us nowhere. We can all figure it out once we get a good night's rest."
"Yes, my Lord... Let's go... sleep" Rino let out a huge yawn, before dozing off into Keel's arms.
"I'll take her to bed. Good night, master." Keel smiled, before holding onto her little sister and carried her off to the bed in another house.
"Phii~!" Filo chirped, before nuzzling Naofumi and plopping onto the side of the wall and closed her eyes. Naofumi only rolled his eyes and smiled, petting the big bird on her feathery head.
"I'll stay here. Let me keep an eye on her... please." Ake requested, and Naofumi raised an eyebrow.
"You know there isn't a second bed here, right?" Naofumi noted, with Ake looking at Étoile, then letting out a huge blush.
"N-No, that's not-!" Ake tried to deny, but Naofumi only chuckled lightly and pointed at Filo.
"Filo's feathers are a good substitute for. Maybe even an upgrade." The Shield Hero informed and began to walk off, Raphtalia following him. Ake only looked at the door Naofumi left from, then at Étoile, blushing a whole bunch.
"Well... I don't mind this at least..." He smiled, checked up on Étoile once more, then walked to Filo's feathers. The instant he laid down on them, his eyes closed, shocked by the feeling of soft downy feathers.
Outside, Naofumi and Raphtalia walked across the cliffside, with the house Keel and Rino were in just on the other side of the small town. On the way, Raphtalia noted on how beautiful the sunset was, with the wind blowing on their faces. "It's so beautiful..."
"Mmm..." Naofumi grunted, looking at the sunset as well. However, his mind was on a different subject.
"We should rest as well. Everybody has had a hard battle..."
"Mhmm..."
"Master Naofumi... do you think that... maybe we can...?" Raphtalia began in a bashful tone, her face lighting up. However, Naofumi was silent, but his mind was going all over the place ever since Keel had poured her guilt in front of the party, as if he was recollecting this to his past. It all felt so hauntingly connected. From what Keel has said, they were just brainwashed mindless zombies, just like hers. They never ate… they never slept… they simply worked and fought and marched and died… just like hers. They were just tools…
'How did I not make that connection before…?'
...just like her magic. The Tyrantress's magic. Queen Malitecia's magic.
"Hey!" Raphtalia's voice made him jump a little. "Are you even paying attention, Master Naofumi?"
"Oh uhhhh... Yeah...! What do you wanna eat?" Naofumi fumbled with his words. That only got him a glare.
"Master! How could you?!" She pouted hard, and ran off towards the house, on the verge of crying.
"H-Hey!" Naofumi tried to reach for her, but he was too late, and she was out of reach. Sighing as she entered the house, the man just shook his head and watched the setting sun.
'Goddammit... What should I do now, my love...?'
.o0o.
"Help us!"
"Let us out!"
"Where are they taking us...?
Carriages carrying multiple people were being driven towards Melromarc castle. Even a group of people, surrounded and chained by a group of Church knights, were afraid, and being forced along towards the castle. They heard the rumours, from merchants and passerby alike, that Melromarc has become a 'radical religious' kingdom, and should be 'avoided at all costs'. However, what they didn't count was taking them right in the worst possible times. The people, now led and trapped in the arena of the stadium, were all murmuring in fear, scared for their lives, before an esteemed figure came to them from the throne.
"H-Hey, isn't that a pope?"
"I heard of him! He's the High Priest of the Church of the Three Heroes!"
"I don't like this..."
The Pope looked at the population with his usual smile. From what the shadows have told him, these were all the citizens, governors, thugs and military figures from the northern territories. Many of them were in rags, while a chosen few were in high-quality clothing. One of them, a man dressed in a red lord's suit, ran up closer towards the Pope.
"Oh, your Eminence!" The man bowed his head rather clumsily. "You have come to rescue us from our plight of poverty! Please, you must help me!" He pleaded, with many of the citizens looked slack-jawed from the words he said.
"The nerve of this noble!" One of the thugs growled out, then whipped his head towards the High Priest. "Your Holiness! Do not listen to the lies of Lord Ivyred! He demands high amounts of money as a toll and tax his people heavily! He deserves no help at all!" This began to devolve into an argument with Lord Ivyred and a few nobles against the many commoners, close to turning into a one-sided fist fight. However, a single tap from the Pope's glowing staff stopped their arguments.
"Enough. All of your pleas have been heard." Pope Balmus calmly told them. "Lord Ivyred. You said that you require money. Is that right?"
"Yes! Yes, I do! We must have it... for f-food and...!"
"That's quite enough." Balmus stopped him mid-plea. "The Lord is merciful to your words. All is delivered through the mercy of His Will."
"Ohhhh thank you thank you thaaaank you!" Ivyred bowed his head happily, while many of the commoners scoffed at his greed. They only know that he wants money... purely for the fact that he could hoard it himself. Before they could let their denials be heard, the High Priest continued.
"However..." Balmus interjected, more information ready to be announced. "The Lord isn't happy that you have been submitting yourself to avarice." That caught the governor off-guard.
"W-Wha-? No, I-I-I-I-!" Lord Ivyred knew he was caught. Looking left and right for a way out of the situation, the cowardly man trembled.
"It seems God was right. Not only have you been stealing money and bribing others to harm innocent commoners and lords alike, but you even drove your daughter away. How... sinful." The Pope took every great care to drawl out the words. The governor only cried in panic and fear, unable to make coherent words. Of course, that wasn't the full truth. The green-haired daughter was kidnapped by the Church's Shadows, in order to get leverage over the governor to pay his dues to get his daughter back. Hence, why he was hoarding money in the first place.
But the ignorant masses do not know that. "Therefore, you shall be judged. By the eyes of God shall he deliver his will unto your very soul!" The High Priest pulls out a dusty tome from within his cloak and waves his staff, channeling mana directly in front of him.
"What's he going to do?"
"Is he blessing him or punishing him?"
"This is taking too long...!" Many of the commoners murmured among each other, but were surprised as a pillar of light covered Lord Ivyred entirely. The greedy governor screamed, unable to flail his arms, before his screams ceased midway through. The light then dissipated, and Ivyred only was kneeling on his legs. No scratch, no burn, no bruise, nothing.
"Rise, Lord Ivyred, and take up a sword." The Pope's words sounded more sinister now, as the man simply stood up and turned around, facing the citizens. His eyes were glowing golden, with no life behind the eyes.
"Yes, my God..." Ivyred's voice sounded dead, even more dead than a corpse. Many people screamed in terror at the sight of the brainwashed lord as the knights and Lord Ivyred blocked them off from escaping. Their cries and complaints of panic did not deter Pope Balmus, as he raised his staff and tome once again.
"Do not fret, just gaze deep unto the mercy of God himself!" The tome suddenly glowed a crimson light, enveloping the citizens into Balmus's thrall. Many of the panic began to die immediately, as their minds were wiped, and their bodies standing straight like a soldier. "Now, go, and gather me more of God's followers." The Pope commanded, and the newly made thralls saluted, walking off to get armoured up and march, intent on fulfilling their God's wishes and demands. The High Priest only smiled wider in satisfaction, as he closed the tome into his hand.
"Yes... This will prove to be the Shield Hero's downfall. For no one can match the rite for immortality and godhood as I am." Balmus monologues to himself, smiling his usual benevolent smile, as he gazed onto the tome's cover. "After all, you were the first to reach godhood yourself, hasn't it, your Majesty?" His old fingers touched the grooves of the book cover, as it read the words:
The Forbidden Spell of Soul Tempering
- by Malitecia G. Melromarc, XXVIII'th Queen and Matriarch of the Kingdom of Melromarc
So we finally get a name and more forwarding the plot rather than using flashbacks to tell a story. What do you guys think?
Yes, Time Mage is the new job! Now some would say that it's too similar to another great spoiler-heavy character, but it's actually not. This one influences time, but cannot reverse it, nor can he jump into multiple time lines. Time Mages specialize in time and space, using gravity magicks, speed-based spells and comets. Just like any mage, they cannot take hits, but they fare a little better than Cleric or Magus.
Yes, there are two more jobs, and only one of them is chosen. The other, however, you guys can vote! Tell me in the reviews what job you want! We already gotten a Fencer, Cleric, Magus, Occultist, Summoner, Time Mage, Machinist and Holy Knight, just saying these so that way there are no repeats!
Yes, tempering from Final Fantasy 14 is here. If you guys do not know, it is more than just brainwashing. It is enthralling and enforcing your own will into the hearts of others, eroding their souls and willpower until they become single-minded worshippers. Regular citizens can refuse this, but those who are blessed with the Vassal Weapons, those who have special equips or Legendary Cardinal Weapons can largely ignore it. However, with Naofumi busting up the Shield, many of the magicks protecting the Cardinal Weapon wielders have either drained away or is largely weakened. The only way to break out is to have a will stronger than the one enthralling.
Yes, Ivyred is here. Basically, just to canonize how Rishia got into Ishiki's party since Ishiki never killed the governor Robin Hood style.
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