Author's Note: So, some of you may be wondering where all the journal entries are. Do not fret, for the entries shall make a return soon. As for all the reviewers, thank you for your kind words! I appreciate the love and support, so in return, here is a new chapter!
Without further adieu, chapter 16!
Disclaimer: I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, only my own.
"Dialogue."
"Writing."
Thoughts.
"Open fire!"
Without wasting any time, Rifana and Raphtalia pulled out their guns and began firing into the group of knights. Most were hit and killed immediately, with few managing to avoid being shot. This proved futile though as the two demi - humans pushed forward and shot each of the knights in the head to confirm the kill. None of them deserved to live for attempting to assassinate Melty.
The one knight who held the crystal ball hid behind the carriage in fear. Once he believed the coast was clear, he began to run away but quickly found his leg no longer able to function. Crying out in agony, he gripped his bleeding leg, the red liquid slowly flushing out of his system.
Walking up to the man, Raphtalia's eyes held malice at the man for his role in recording the whole ordeal. "How dare you people try to kill the crown princess! Let me guess, you were going to blame us for something, weren't you?!" She exclaimed as she aimed the Glock at his head.
The nameless knight raised a hand and pleaded for mercy. "No, no please, don't do this! I have a family, please!" His cries went unheard as his tormentor spoke once more with a voice colder than ice.
"You should have thought about that before you tried to kill our friend you bastard." Before the man could beg any further, she put a bullet into his skull, ceasing his pleading for good. The two women sighed before reloading and holstering their weapons. Reaching down, Raphtalia took hold of the crystal ball that was going to be used to frame the Shield Hero and his team. Instead, it was thrown to the ground and shattered before being stepped on repeatedly by the tanuki demi - human.
Walking back over to Leo, Filo, and Melty, the two saw Melty on the ground with Leo standing over her.
"-ts going to be ok Melty, you're safe now." They heard Leo say. Looking up, the man quickly questioned his companions about the knights. "Are they all dead?" They gave him a silent but quick nod. "Good, serves them right for their actions." Turning to the frightening girl that was sitting on the ground, Leo did his best to comfort her after she saw all the broken and dead bodies. "Don't worry Melty, everything's going to be alright. You're ok, that's all that matters." Leo said in a calming voice.
Melty looked up at Leo, her eyes red and puffy with a face stained with tears. "W- why would they do that?" She innocently asked in her frightened state.
Leo shook his head and decided it was best to give her a silent answer. Patting her on the shoulder, he grabbed her arm and helped her to her feet. "Come on," he called out to everyone, "We have to get a move on. No doubt the kingdom will send more knights when they realize these ones are dead. Rifana, Raphtalia, pack up the camp. Filo, get yourself hooked up."
The two friends saluted their team leader while Filo jogged over to do as Leo said. Taking Melty's hand, Leo led her to the cart and helped her in. Once that was done, he helped put away the crate chairs. With the fire out and everything packed away, the group went on the road once more, leaving the gruesome scene behind them for the flies.
Melty finally stopped crying after spending some time petting Filo's feathers, it soothed her mind from the horrid sights of her traitorous knights having a bullet shred their bodies. Shaking the image from her mind, she simply carried on with her activity.
Letting the fabric fall, the inside of the cart was blocked from the sunlight once more. Leo lifted his goggles and rubbed his eyes in a mix of tiredness and frustration. "So, what do we do now? We can't go back, not after this." A dejected sounding Rifana asked her teammates.
After a moment of silence, Raphtalia voiced her thoughts. "Nothing changes, we stick to the plan. We make our way to and across the border, Melty included. Once we get our class upgrades, well, we can either come back here or stay in Shieldfreeden. As of right now though, I'm down to stay there. Once the Queen returns, we decide if we want to make our way back and explain the whole situation to her."
Rifana nodded repeatedly at Raphtalia's idea. "Yeah, alright." Pulling out a map, the three members leaned over to look at it. Pointing at the nearest part of the border, Rifana began strategizing. "Here. That's where we cross. On the way, we trade at smaller towns for food and other essentials. At our current pace, we should be at Shieldfreeden in the next four weeks at the most. Two if we speed things up." Rifana explained as she continued to point at different areas on the map.
Leo smiled as he watched the two plan the group's next course of action. "Well well, look at you two coming up with a plan." Leo complimented.
"Well, we learned from the best." Raphtalia said with a wink as she smirked at him.
"There is no such thing as the best, there are only those who are willing to take up the responsibility. Remember that." Leo informed. Going back to the map, they went on and formulated their next step, which involved stopping in a nearby town known as Riza.
The next few days went by without issue, with the group making it to Riza and buying some extra food for their fifth member. When Leo heard news about the Shield Hero having murdered a group of knights, no doubt the quick spread of news being the effect of the church or king, he had the crew pack their bags and leave under the dead of night. With enough food to last a week, there was not much to worry about, nor any need to stop in any town.
As a week went by, the group found themselves within visual distance of the wall separating the border between kingdoms. Kind of looks like the Great Wall of China in a way. Leo thought as he stared through a pair of binoculars that he bought from a trader, said binoculars being a product from Faubrey. Although the binoculars were more accustomed to early twentieth century technology, they were better than nothing. Setting the binoculars down, Leo checked the progress Rifana was making in setting up the camp, Raphtalia having gone off to learn more news from the surrounding villages.
Putting the binoculars back to his eyes, Leo took note of the amount of knights that were on the border itself. Seems like they increased security, they really don't want us leaving. No matter, we'll find a way out of this damn country.
"So, how are we looking?" Rifana asked as she went prone next to him. She just finished setting up the camp site, making sure to keep the fire low and cover the surrounding area in foliage.
Leo held out the binoculars for Rifana to take, which she easily did. "Take a look at the gate to the northwest. They've been reinforcing it for the past ten minutes. Guards are posted all along the wall, no doubt in efforts to keep us locked in Melromarc. Overall, the situation continues to get shittier by the minute." Leo informed with a sigh. "Come on, let's get dinner started before Raphtalia comes back. I'm sure everyone is hungry." With that, Leo helped Rifana to her feet after taking the binoculars back. Getting some stew prepared in the pot, Leo began the normal cooking process that he and his party were so accustomed to.
As the sun began to set behind the horizon, a figure came into Rifana's view as she scoped the surrounding area. After checking the individual, who she saw was Raphtalia, she sat back down and went back to scouting. A few minutes passed before Raphtalia entered the camp. Leo was passing out bowls of stew to the others, so she quickly made herself a meal and sat down on a log.
Sitting across from her, Leo took a bite before going into questioning. "So, what's the status of the villages?" He asked her before taking another bite.
"The situation's bad, worse than we initially thought. Those cheeky fucks at the church recorded the scene of the dead bodies and reported the princess as missing, more than likely kidnapped. The major villages along the border have already been 'informed' on the current situation, so going to them is a no - go." Raphtalia informed.
Leo sighed as he put down his bowl and pulled out the map of the continent. The border and villages between Melromarc and Shieldfreeden had multiple 'X' marks on them, with only a few having a circle and question mark. Leo quickly marked most of the few circles with the same 'X.' "At this rate, our best bet may be to fight our way across the border. Either that or don't and stay here." Leo said hesitantly. With their lack of options, food supply slowly running out, and the overall situation continuing to worsen, Leo slammed his pencil into the map in frustration.
"Guys, you may want to come look at this." Rifana called out from her position. Getting up, Raphtalia and Leo went over to see what Rifana was referring to, while Filo remained with Melty to comfort her.
Crouching beside her friend, Raphtalia didn't need to ask as she saw the fires along the border wall. "Shit." She simply cursed.
"Shit indeed. They've completely locked down the border, haven't let anyone through whatsoever. Whoever tried anyway, well, let's just say it didn't end well." Turning to Leo, her eyes seemed slightly deprived of hope. "I don't know sir, this seems like too much for even us to handle. We could try shooting our way through, but that could escalate a war between the two nations. I think we lost this time Leo." Rifana stated in an uneasy voice.
Patting her shoulder, Leo did his best to help ease her worries. "Don't worry Rifana, we'll find a way, we always do." Standing up, the trio made their way back to the camp. Taking a look at their map once more, Leo pointed to one of the last remaining circles. "Hey Melty, what do you know about this Van Reichnott place?"
Looking up, Melty appeared to be in better shape emotionally, at least in comparison to earlier. "The Van Reichnott Estate is one that practices equality for demi - humans. Not only that, but he is also a close friend to mother." She informed Leo.
"Ok then, seems like we're going there. Only problem is, it's across a damn mountain range. And here I thought we could actually get a break." Leo said as he folded the map and put it away. "Alright, let's finish our meals then get a move on. We'll take the cart as far as it'll go, but then we'll be on foot. Raphtalia, Rifana, finish up then get some sleep. You too princess."
With their next route planned, the group ate their stew in silence, the crackling of the fire giving away the stillness of the forest. After everyone was done, Rifana, Raphtalia, and Melty all turned in and went to sleep in the wagon. Filo got herself hooked up and began to take a short nap. Taking this time, Leo decided to write something.
September 19, 2020
"I have found some time to write, however short it may be. We are on the run, but now, it's from the entire kingdom. Princess Melty was going to be assassinated, but we managed to save her. In turn, we have been framed for kidnapping her. We are currently going to Van Reichnotts Estate, as it seems like the last bastion of hope for us now that the border has been locked down. May God help us.
- Private First Class Wisniewski
Putting his journal away, Leo cleaned up the small camp that was set up before getting on the wagon. Waking up his bird companion, the group began to move towards their next destination.
Within two hours, the group arrived at the mountain range. Due to its rocky nature, Leo had everyone pack a bag with everything they could before hiding the cart in a dense piece of foliage.
"Alright, from here on out, we're on foot. We stop only when we need to. My guess is that, if everything goes according to plan, we should arrive at Reichnotts in a few days." With nothing else to say, Leo waved the group forward as he took the lead and began scaling up the mountain slope.
The group continued on further into the mountains for a sum of hours before the sun began to set as day turned to night. Searching for any spot to stop and rest, Rifana pointed towards a small rock formation that acted as a cave. After being given a nod of confirmation, Rifana and Raphtalia led the way, with Filo and Melty in the middle, and Leo in the back. Once they made it to the formation, they gathered inside as Leo took out a lamp and lit it, providing heat and light, albeit low.
After taking seats in the small area, the crew let out a sigh of relief as they rested against the rocks. It was by no means comfortable, but it was better than the floor.
"Sir Leopold, there is something that I wish to ask you." Melty asked the man across from her. Filo and Rifana had fallen asleep with Raphtalia close behind.
Leo leaned forward so as to close the gap and not speak as loud. "Well go ahead then, what is it?"
"I wish to know what has gone on between you and father. Why can't you get along with him?" She innocently asked once more.
Leo shook his head, knowing that he would have to tell her sooner or later. "Do you really want to know kid?" When she immediately nodded, he let out a quick sigh before telling her everything. "Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you. When I first got summoned, the king seemed like any ordinary ruler, and your sister tried to trick me into believing she was an adventurer. On my second night here, they had me framed for a crime I didn't commit."
This caught Melty's attention as Leo had mentioned before that her father had branded him as a criminal. "What did he frame you for, Sir Hero?" His response was not what she was expecting.
"Rape. He and your sister framed me for raping her. During the 'trial,' if you can even call it that, I exposed so many holes in their testimony, but your father decided to brand me a criminal anyway, said I would have been killed if it weren't for my status as a hero. Luckily Ren and Itsuki seemed to have believed me, or at least no believed the accusation. Motoyasu was completely convinced that I committed the crime however, and you've seen what he's done."
Melty was in complete shock after being told that her father would take part in framing the Shield Hero for one of the worst crimes in the country. "No, that can't be true. Father would never do that!" She exclaimed in denial at Leo.
The soldier shrugged at the crown princess. "I don't know what to tell you Melty. Your father clearly isn't the man you thought he was. He even said that he would have my companions killed if I did not tell him how I became such a strong hero. So, as you can see, he and I aren't going to be apologizing to each other anytime soon." Leo firmly stated.
Before the conversation could continue, a flock of crows suddenly flew over the rock formation. Ceasing all movement, Leo only had one thing in mind. "Everyone, wake up." Leo said as he began waking up his party. "Take whatever supplies you can carry. We have to move, now." Turning off the lantern, Leo clipped it on his backpack once more while Filo, Raphtalia, and Rifana got ready to walk again.
Following the path they had marked earlier in the day, the group went further into the range before coming across a split in the path. One path went up and into the forest, while the other led down into a narrow walkway. Seeing as light was filling from the forest, Leo and his party opted to take the narrow path.
Things went smoothly as the group quietly made their way down to the narrow pass. The guards continued to search around the upper path, so there was a low chance of actually being caught. That was, until the rock beneath Rifana gave away. The combined weight of the weasel demi - human, her supplies, and her weapon must have put too much stress on the rock!
"Shit!" Rifana cried out in fear as she began to fall, Raphtalia and Leo quickly catching her. With their combined strength, they easily pulled Rifana back up onto stable ground. After pulling their squadmate back up, Rifana had little time to say thanks before the knights peered over the edge and called out the Shield Heroes location. Taking off in a run, the group finished crossing the narrow path only to find themselves stuck between a steep drop and the knights who were quickly surrounding them.
"Come on Leo, stop this. There's nowhere else to go." A familiar voice said. Itsuki stepped forward from the crowd of knights and horses, Motoyasu and Ren right behind him.
"Itsuki? Ren? Finally, people with common sense who will listen." Leo said with a slightly relieved voice. This made Motoyasu a bit annoyed at Leo. "You two truly don't believe I kidnapped Princess Melty, do you?" Leo asked with hope.
Ren was the one who spoke up this time. "To be honest Leo, we don't know what to believe. On one hand, we don't think you of all people would do something like that. On the other hand though, we were shown the bodies of the knights you shot." Ren stated with his usual calm and collective manner.
Leo wasted no time in explaining his actions to the other heroes. "The knights? Yeah, we shot them, but only in self defense. You see, they were trying to assassinate Melty here. We were just protecting her!" When Leo said that the knights tried to kill the girl next to him, the two teenage heroes recoiled in surprise and shock before taking a quick look at the squad of knights behind them.
"See? I told you Leo wouldn't do something rash like that without a good reason!" Itsuki quietly exclaimed to his friend.
Motoyasu, who had overheard Itsuki, decided to join in on the conversation. "Yeah, and that reason is because he kidnapped the princess! He's obviously guilty, just like every other crime he's committed."
Ren held up his hand, silently telling Motoyasu to stop talking. "Maybe we should ask the princess herself before we jump to any conclusions." Looking back over at the cornered group, Ren spoke with his signature calm demeanor. "Melty, is Leo telling the truth? I have little doubt he isn't, but I want to know for sure."
At her cue, Melty took a step forward before speaking with a voice that held confidence. "Yes, sir heroes. Allow me to introduce myself formally. I am Princess Melty, crown princess of the Melromarc throne. Sir Leopold and his party were the ones who saved my from an attempted assassination by the knights who were accompanying me at the time. I assure you, I am perfectly fine as Sir Leopold has kept me safe throughout our travels."
Raphtalia was the next person to step forward from the group. "You see? Leo here is innocent, just like he was with all the other crimes he has been accused of! He is an honest man who protects the people he cares for! This whole situation was more than likely a set - up to undermine Leo's status as a hero!" She exclaimed. The reactions of the other heroes were enough to show that at least the Sword and Bow Hero believed her.
Another voice came forth with an angry tone amongst the silence. "I order you to not listen to that devil and his seductress!" Malty cried out from behind the other three heroes. "The devilish liar holds a brainwashing shield that allows him to control your mind and make you believe him simply by talking to him! He has been traveling the country under the name, 'Savior of the Heavenly Fowl,' and has taken hold of the minds of many of Melromarc's citizens! The Three Heroes Church is currently working hard to find a way to reverse the cursed effects!" Once she was finished with her accusation, Malty held that smirk of victory that she always had when she felt as if she beat Leo in some fashion.
Motoyasu seemed to revel in the fact that his partner came up with some logical reason for why Leo was beloved by many in the countryside. "Yeah, that must be right! Nobody would ever praise a scumbag like him for 'good deeds' that he's surely lied about! Filo, Raphtalia, and that new demi - human must all be brainwashed into following you, admit it!"
Leo had to take a moment so as to make sure he heard the red head correctly. "A brainwashing shield? Are you fucking insane?! No such thing exists you idiot! And even if it did, I would never manipulate anyone, especially my damn girlfriend and her childhood friend of all people!" He shouted back with anger. "If I had that capability, why would I let the king treat me like a piece of shit? I could have then easily lived a comfortable life without issue in this God forsaken hell hole! Riddle me that you lying bitch!"
Itsuki and Ren took a moment to stare uneasily at Malty, Ren's neutral expression changing slightly as a small grin grew on his face. Melty however was not done, as she managed to somehow continue to spew bullshit. "Your brainwashing shield has no effect on the royalty, as our minds are stronger than that of the citizens!"
Well that proves otherwise. Leo thought as a smirk of his own grew underneath his balaclava. "Hm, I seem to recall that Melty was under the effect of my so - called 'brainwashing shield.' Now you say that my shield has no effect on the royalty of Melromarc. Well, which is it Malty? Is Princess Melty under my control or not?" Leo easily retorted.
This new comment made Itsuki and Ren's stare go from uneasy to completely convinced that Malty was lying. Itsuki and Ren then stepped forward before Ren told Leo something that caused all the knights, as well as Motoyasu and Malty, to be surprised.
"We believe you."
That simple statement made Leo and his entire party collectively release a breath they did not realize they were holding. Extending his arm, Leo gave them an offer that he could only give once. "Then come with us. We need to get Melty to a place where she'll be safe. We could use some backup."
Itsuki and Ren took a moment to think about Leo's offer. "We'll come. Where are we goi-."
Ren was interrupted when a red projectile was thrown in Leo's direction. Turning towards the culprit, the two teenagers saw that it was Motoyasu who had attacked. "Motoyasu, what the hell are you doing?! Are you trying to get them killed?!" Itsuki shouted at the taller blonde.
Motoyasu scowled at Itsuki and Ren as he held his spear. "You two seriously cannot be considering going with that lying prick! He kidnapped the princess, so I'm going to do something about it! Chaos Spear!" The Spear Hero launched the attack at the now escaping Leo.
Turning, Leo quickly deflected the attack, but the force behind momentum made Filo lose her balance mid flight, causing those who were riding on her back to fall off. Grunting in slight pain, Leo slowly rose from the ground, being quickly followed by his party and Melty. Looking back up at the cliff above them, Leo could see Motoyasu and Ren engaging each other in a duel while Itsuki rushed down the rocks towards his position.
Deciding to try and help the Sword Hero, Rifana began reciting a spell incantation. "As companion of the Guardian Shield, I order thee. Decipher the laws of nature and slice thy target with deadly precision. Zveit Tomahawk Slash!" Once she was finished, a golden replica of her primary weapon manifested in her hand. Throwing the weapon, the tomahawk changed its direction of travel based on where Motoyasu was currently standing.
Seeing the weapon flying towards him, the Spear Hero blocked the attack but left himself open for Ren to land a hit, causing him to fall onto his back. At this point, Malty had enough as she launched a fireball at Leo, who currently had Melty standing behind him as cover. Itsuki, who saw the attack occur, took out his bow and aimed an arrow at the older princess.
"Are you crazy your highness?! You could have killed your sister!" He exclaimed in a worried and angry tone.
"I have to defend myself against that disgusting demi - human that tried to use its spell and attack me! Zweit fir-." She was never allowed to finish her spell as Itsuki shot an arrow that flew past her head by inches.
"That was a warning shot! Don't make me shoot again!" He warned with a vicious look on his face. Malty turned to face Itsuki and shot a fireball at him, which he promptly dodged.
With all of the chaos occurring, Leo had his team slowly slip away while he remained behind for a moment. "Ren, Itsuki!" He cried out. Whether they heard him or not did not matter as he continued. "We'll meet up with you guys later, just get out of here!" With that, Leo sprinted off towards the forest to rendezvous with his party.
Taking a seat at a small group of logs and rocks, Leo, his companions, and Melty caught their breaths after having sprinted away from the firefight.
"I can't believe Ren and Itsuki fought against them. I hope they end up ok." Rifana said after recuperating herself. Everyone else gave her nods of agreement while Filo gave her a hopeful smile.
Leo lifted his goggles and lowered his balaclava, exposing his entire face once more. "Yeah, goes to show that they believe us. Now that they've done that though, the King will more than likely send knights after them and their parties as well. Hopefully they'll come out unscathed, but no doubt they'll go into hiding." Leo said with slight concern. Ren and Itsuki were good people who were willing to help, regardless of how bad they messed up in the end. They were true heroes, whether they knew it or not.
"Regardless, we have to keep going to ensure Melty's safety. If we weren't enemies of the state before, we sure as hell are now. And now that those two were dragged into this mess, we have no other choice: We wait for the Queen." Raphtalia said with conviction. The strength behind her words caused the rest of the group to agree with the plan, even if it was a dangerous one, as who knew how long it would take for the Queen to finally return to Melromarc.
A sudden rustle of leaves caught the group's attention as a cloaked figure with a bird mask landed with grace from above. With reflexes that made them a blur, Rifana and Raphtalia pulled out their Glock and Kalashnikov and took aim at the mysterious individual. Leo changed back to his Ballistic Shield and stood in front of Melty, prepared for any attack that would come his way.
"Wait, don't shoot her, please!" Melty cried out at the demi - humans in panic and worry. "She's a Shadow. They're a squadron of elite warriors and messengers under the Queen's direct control. If she's here, then mother must be on her way!" She exclaimed excitedly.
The Shadow hesitated for a moment, something that worried Melty as Shadows never hesitated. "Not exactly your highness. The Queen is still currently locked in talks with the other kingdoms. However, all is not lost, I dare say. Her majesty is preparing her army to assist you once she is done, Sir Shield Hero. All she requires of you is to hold fast for a sum of days."
Rubbing his chin, Leo took a moment to think over the information the Shadow just provided. Look up at his companions faces, the looks they gave him told him everything. "Understood, a sum of days. Inform the Queen that we are currently making our way to the Reichnott Estate." The Shadow gave a firm nod before jumping up and into the tree, disappearing from sight.
Getting up from the rock, Leo began checking over his bag to make sure he had everything. Raphtalia took over as the acting commander for a moment during this process. "Everyone, on your feet. We still have quite a distance to travel, so we have to get a move on." Without skipping a beat, Rifana and Melty began looking over their own backpacks to make sure they had everything they needed.
During the process, Rifana's ears began wiggling, indicating that she heard something. "Raphtalia." She simply spoke.
"Yeah, I hear it too. And that smell, it smells kind of like-."
"Smoke." Leo finished. Looking over at the man in question, everyone saw that he was staring off in the distance at a bright light. Moving to stand next to him, they all became witnesses to a sight that would be engraved in their minds.
For the forest was an inferno.
Kalashnikov: Ak - 47
Author's Note: And that wraps it up! It really was a blast writing this chapter, especially the beginning. That's all for now. Until next time, stay safe! Bye!