Commencing Second Cour of Chronicles of the Wayward Tome Hero.
(Still) Waiting for Season 2...
Finger Count: 4/10
Eye Count: 2/2
Arm Count: 1/2
Leg Count: 1/2
Sanity Meter: 40%
Death Counter: 36
Let's burn it all to the ground.
Epic 29: The Escape Part 1
"There is a cult of ignorance in the U̶n̶i̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶S̶t̶a̶t̶e̶s̶ and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion of democracy means that 'My ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.' "
Issac Asimov
Nan's Contemplation in his Mental Void
You know, hindsight's a catch-22.
You already done what would normal people would consider the following:
Monstrous.
Abominable.
Horrific.
Unspeakable.
Evil.
But as they say, what's done is done, and now all I can do is regret it.
Never said I was a hero, but it sure as hell being called a villain by other ingrates that don't know what they're talking about.
Huh, now that I think about it, I sort of loved playing the heel ever since I was 3rd grade back at my Little Red Riding Hood play, with me as the Big Bad Wolf.
... I guess full circle?
But still, I guess I have Reinchott to thank.
People like him? The wealthy and the genuinely good people that the people of my world would kill and die for willingly?
... People like him only exist in fiction. And rightfully so.
If they existed in the real world like mine, some corporate asshole is going to do whatever it takes to get rid of him, not only to make a statement to reassert his or her authority, but also crush any notions of hope that sprouted from him and his influence.
I would've taken him, but if I did, he can no longer hold to that caliber anymore, for I would taint him beyond recognition.
... So in order to protect him from the evil, I have taken upon myself to become the greater evil that devours all the lesser evil that run rampant throughout this blighted world.
Be all my sins remembered, for I have no right to be forgiven for what am I to do next.
Switching POV: Naofumi
"EVERYONE! GET BEHIND ME!" Naofumi roared out as his admittedly-cumbersome shield blocked all the arrows coming his way.
But then again, this is what he gets for using a friggin' head trophy as a bulwark. He would switch to a more practical shield, but he'd rather not risk a stray arrow slipping by mid-transition.
"Alright, let's see what the crazy bastard's gift does..." Naofumi gritted out. "[Threatening Roar]!"
The dragon head on the shield lets out an absolutely earshattering roar towards the surrounding soldiers, causing all of them to drop their weapons in gag reflex, and wince in agony as the dragon's bellow of pure hate and rage echoed throughout the whole hamlet.
"... Holy shit, I think my ears are bleeding." Naofumi shuddered out at the [Tyrant Dragon Shield]'s destructive prowess. "... Raphtalia, are you and the others okay?"
"What!?" Raphtalia screamed out. "Master, I can't you over the ringing!"
"... I'm seeing double..." Melty moaned out. "... Although two Filos doesn't sound so bad."
Filo then vomits out her dinner from last night on the manor's carpet.
"Forget my own ears bleeding..." Naofumi groaned out. "... This shit can cause flat-out vertigo from its roar's radius alone."
By vertigo, Naofumi sees the marks of [Stun], [Confusion], [Horror], and [Silence] all over everyone from his HUD. He himself just shook off his [Stun] status, but having to recuperate his sensory nerves after he took this world's equivalent of a flashbang nuke face-first?
... Hopefully, there will be enough room between Nan's legs for both Raphtalia's and his legs for them to kick.
"Well, the opposition isn't faring any better either..." Reinchott pointed out in a slightly dazed tone. "... Now run for it!"
Everyone stumbles off of the manor's entrance and slowly pick themselves up into a proper running speed.
"Master... do we need to?" Raphtalia grumbled out as she reached for her [Steel Longsword] while passing by downed [Royal Guards]. "I don't want to prove Nan right..."
"... It's either them or us." Naofumi sighed out. "If Nan's actions won't give them second thoughts, then so be it."
Naofumi then looks at the [Tyrant Dragon Shield]'s info, and glosses over another skill.
... Out of 8.
"Well, won't have to worry about dying..." Naofumi grumbled out. "[Devour]."
The dragon head then stretches itself out of the shield and devours one of the soldiers whole, allowing him and his party to regain their HP back to full.
"That outta come in handy..." Naofumi commented as Reinchott's maids and butlers delivered the coup de tat to the downed soldiers. "Raphtalia, you okay?"
"... I'm fine." She grumbled out. "It's just... why?"
"Okay, what's wrong?" Naofumi asked. "You don't have to hide anything from me."
Raphtalia grumbles for a bit as she lays her head against his chestplate.
"... I might be beating a dead horse at this point." Raphtalia pointed out embarrassingly. "But I think this might all be some weird, convoluted, plan of that the insane bastard cooked up just to make all of us suffer for his amusement."
... Normally, he would simply tell Raphtalia to stop overthinking thing, but either through Nan's infectious insanity is starting to get to him, or the fact that everything is lining up so perfectly that it's almost too good to be true?
"... Me too, Raphtalia." Naofumi blankly stated as he patted her head. "Me too."
"Hrmmm..."
Behind him, he saw Filo pouting.
"MASTER! DON'T IGNORE ME OVER HER!" Filo threw a tantrum. "PET ME TOO!"
"Alright alright, there there..." Naofumi sighed out as he petted her head, calming her down instantly.
He'd accepted long ago that he himself had to be a parent to the two of them, but after Nan gave Filo brain damage via self-strangulation, to say that Filo has become more temperamental and demanding than usual. Workload has increased, but in all honesty, he pretty much accepted that things were going to be an uphill battle for him.
... Sometimes-Okay, all the time, whenever Nan's brought up in the limelight, he honestly cannot tell if he's trying to help him and his party, or just out to get him. Might be both?
Might be both.
As they step out of the gates, they see the soldiers slowly picking themselves back up to their feet.
"... God dammit, I'm starting to become like Nan." Naofumi cursed to himself. "Raphtalia! Kill them before they get the chance to fight back! Hurry!"
As they move across the whole ruined hamlet, the raccoon girl and the other armed servants killed the struggling soldiers who were still struggling to get back to their feet.
Naofumi is not so naive to think that he can make it through this without killing anyone. Hell, as far as he was concerned, he technically forced Raphtalia to kill a live [Jackalope] just so he can have an efficient party member. Nan on the other hand? He wouldn't put him past him to start killing for fun.
... God forbid if he actually sinks that low.
"I'm thinking too much on him..." Naofumi sighed to himself. "What am I? Gay?"
"Cannot blame you, Mr. [Shield Hero]." Reinchott stated as he shot his arrow at the downed soldier. "... The man, in my personal experience, is legitimately insane."
"Now that I think about it..." Naofumi pointed out while his shield used [Devour] once again on a downed soldier. "... How the hell did you managed to talk to him without getting maimed?"
"... Well from his words, he states that I'm a genuinely good person." Reinchott mentioned. "So I assume that he at least knows how to pick and choose his targets. Maybe explains why Rabier's territory has been of disarray of late... Call it karma, but even I think even that was too excessive."
Naofumi gulps in slight terror.
So he's less a psychopathic murderer and more of an extremely vindictive vigilante/revolutionary. Still, he's no Ryōma Sakamoto. If anything, he's one step away from becoming one of those terrorists that he sees on TV every week.
Any well-intentioned cause can easily spiral into utter bloodlust, and all Naofumi wants to do is go back home.
... But what about Raphtalia? What will she do when he's gone.
Suddenly, Nan's words from a week prior echo in his head.
"The poor bastard can't even hurt a [Jackalope] without his sword-aide, in which case you two, please fuck already, Raphtalia's physically past her teens, I think one baby won't kill her, probably."
... Just what in the actual hell is that psycho thinking?
Even though as much as he wants to go home, he sure as hell won't leave Raphtalia as a single mom.
... What is Nan implying when he said that "one baby won't kill her"? Is parental incest some sort of his fetish?
"... Ugh, I'm stressing myself out just by thinking about it." Naofumi grumbled to himself. "Anyway, any survivors?"
"A few over there." One of the maids stated. "As for the soldiers, I'm afraid that was only the vanguard."
"There's more of them, of fucking course." Naofumi spat out. "Paint a red target on my back, why dontcha!?"
"Well, complaining won't do any of us good." Reinchott pointed out. "Get the survivors to a safe space and prepare a defensive perimeter. After that, prepare the escape plan."
The maid then runs off towards the hamlet's main square, gathering the survivors of the initial attack to a safe space.
"What about you?" Naofumi asked. "What are you going to do?"
Reinchott smiles as he loads another bolt into his automatic crossbow.
"I entrust my life in your hands, Mr. [Shield Hero]." Reinchott confidently stated. "I'll cover you with the others. Pleasure to work with your party."
Raphtalia and Filo nod in agreement.
"I'm coming with you too!"
Behind them, Melty presented herself.
"Look Melty, I dunno if being in the thick of it is such a good idea." Naofumi pointed out. "I mean, I'm not doubting your competence, but at least wear some armor."
"Then I entrust that you'll be my armor, Naofumi?" Melty asked with a raised eyebrow. "Good! Then I also entrust you with my safety! Don't fret, for I will also contribute!"
Filo then transforms into her Filolial form as Naofumi mounted on her back, along with Raphtalia and Reinchott behind him.
"... Get behind me then." Naofumi sighed out. "I swear, you can be just as stubborn as that old man in the throne at some times..."
"It runs in the family." Melty pointed out.
"Ah." Naofumi remarked as he connected the behavioral patterns of the Melromarc Royal Family. "... Thought so."
Filo then runs towards the coming company of soldiers.
"I spot three [Lancers], two [Swordmasters], and a [War Mage]." Reinchott stated as he looked ahead. "[Shield Hero], your orders?"
"Cut them down." Naofumi gritted out. "They sure as hell won't let us pass otherwise."
Every time that Naofumi was proving Nan right, he felt a bits of his own humanity die piece by piece. The so-called [Heroes] are turning and training themselves into being killers.
He can rationalize, he can ignore, he can forget, but the scent of blood splashed onto his face with every kill that he claims, whether through Raphtalia, Filo, Reinchott, or hell, even Melty, his hands will never be clean.
... Maybe Nan knew that fact, and chose to lash out at this unfair world, even going so far as to state that it deserves to be destroyed. Just what could've caused him to reach that revelation? Just what was his life like before everything happened?
... And just why is he thinking about him too much?
Switching POV: Unknown Spectator
"So I see, the [Shield Hero] is in bit of a pinch."
"Yes. Should we send in assistance?"
"Hold it. Let our champion prove himself first. After all, Melromarc didn't give him the chance in the day, so let us be the one to give him a chance to prove himself as worthy as a [Hero]."
"And should he fail and potentially die?"
"... We'll need him alive regardless, so worst case scenario, prepare to move in. I suffice that the detachment from Siltvelt's finest that I've personally trained are more than enough?"
"It shall and will."
"Good. Now let's see how our potential champion holds himself to this little crisis caused by the [Tome Hero]."
Switching POV: Suzaku
"ARGH!" Suzaku cried out as he landed hard onto his back.
"Close. But not close enough." Rubicante addressed.
"You've now grasped the speed of [Godspeed Strike]." Aabidah stated. "Now we must teach you control."
Suzaku leans against the fallen tree, exhausted from his self-suggested training.
"... I must ask once more, Suzaku." Rubicante asked the [Red Filolial King]. "Why do you put yourself through this training? Surely, you did say that you're worried about our enemies getting stronger, but in my opinion, they still have yet to show themselves as such."
"It's true." Aabidah pointed out. "If anything, they seem to be wanting to walk to their deaths."
Suzaku takes in a few breathers before sipping his own goatskin sack of water.
"... I dunno." Suzaku replied. "I just... I just don't think I'm doing enough to contribute."
"Surely, our sultan doesn't see you as weak, Suzaku." Rubicante retorted. "Can it be that it's only you that sees yourself as... insufficient?"
"You are not insufficient, Suzaku." Aabidah pointed out. "You are not a liability."
"I know..." Suzaku stated. "... But that doesn't change the fact that I was born weak."
The two instructors look at each other before continuing to ask the young warrior.
"Would you like to share?" Aabidah asked. "It seems that there's more to your personal journey towards self-improvement."
Suzaku brushes his red hair before sharing.
"... Back at the slave shop in Melromarc, I was one of the eggs at the monster lottery, with big sis Seiryu being the grand prize while I was regulated as a gag entry." Suzaku admitted. "Even before we were able to hatch, we monster eggs were still able to share our premature thoughts together, like some sort of a shared space before we were sold. In that space, I was bullied by the other Filolials for being birthed out as a runt, the weakling, the one that will likely die, and be chopped into chicken stock as soon as my eventual master abandons me."
"... How?" Rubicante asked. "How are monster eggs able to communicate with each other before they hatch?"
"... It all started around when some weird-looking men looked into our eggs with their [Discernment Brands]." Suzaku pointed out. "I overheard them that the reason why put the seals on our eggs is to 'let us know our buys a bit better'. 'Make ourselves want to be sold', at least that's what they said."
"So what then, Suzaku?" Aabidah asked.
"As they we were put on carts and rolled off to be sold, I was the only one who didn't want to be sold to some random schmuck." Suzaku pointed out. "But the others... weren't exactly agreeable with my viewpoint, so they opted me to treat me as their punching bag for the rest of the duration of the my market-to-market trip. I remain unsold for three years, each Filolial and Tyrera coming and going in the shared space kicking the crap of me, with my trip to Melromarc being my last before I was tossed into pig feed if I failed to be sold."
"... You know, a part of me is thinking that the slavers have done to you all is just out of sheer sadism." Rubicante stated. "If I wanted to make people suffer, I would at least do it to the people that genuinely deserve it."
"Which brings us the question..." Aabidah pointed out. "How did you and Seiryu meet on such good terms in the first place?"
Suzaku adopts a forlorn look before answering.
"... Turns out that when she and I were put into the same rack, she was so weakened spiritually that the other Filolials were beating her as they did with me." Suzaku answered. "I got to know her throughout our time as merchandise, with her also being born as a runt, but since she was a [Tyrera], she was to be sold both as a grand prize and a joke prize. That went on for her for about five years, with her placement in Melromarc being her last before she was to be tossed to the same pig feed that I was consigned to. Through that, and the fact that she saw that I was in the same station as her, we became siblings-in-oath, destined to go together, either as freed merchandise, or as pig feed."
"... Hm, so that's how it was." Rubicante commented. "... You made the right choice coming to us for aid."
"The weak may exist to be devoured..." Aabidah interjected. "But the strong exist to aspire the weak into action."
"So can... can we go back to training?" Suzaku pointed out. "... I still owe a lot to my sis, and I want to be strong enough not only for her, but also for the rest of the family."
"... Then brace yourself, for we will now respect your resolve."
Switching POV: Seiryu
Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable.
The [Blue Tyrera Queen] was simply passing by a mountain road to hunt down any stragglers that the traps failed to catch and kill, only to overhear her younger brother's conversation.
She wanted to step and reassure him. She wanted to tell him that he's strong, and that there's nothing to that he owes to her.
Bur as soon as she saw Suzaku move at blinding speeds during his training with the [Iblis] and [Ziz], the marks of impact and scorches on the barren clearing, she knew that if she stepped in there, then she would surely die.
As the training grew more and more intense, she made a run for it into the mountains, refocusing her efforts to hunt down any surviving intruders.
"Shit, dude..." Seiryu mumbled to herself as she slid down a dirt slope. "... Never thought that it was like that. I thought our past was way behind us, not nipping at our heels."
She then stops to think for a moment, about their past as eggs in the rack, with the prospect of their failure being put into pig slops.
... Has she been neglecting her own weaknesses? Has she completely forgotten what it felt like to be on the edge of death as mere mewling yolks swimming in whites?
"... Goddammit, I'm thinking too much-"
She was then taken from behind, grappled onto the dirt before being pinned down from behind.
She looks what's behind her, revealing a haggard and malnourished man in tattered armor and fresh scars raked all over his face.
"My friends died because of you bastards!" The stranger behind her exclaimed as he pulled out a knife from behind himself. "YOU CAN DIE FIRST IN THEIR STEAD!"
The knife falls towards her head, but Seiryu catches the blade between her teeth before elbowing his exposed sides, allowing her to knock her off of herself and pull a reversal on him, beating his face in with her fists while keeping the knife blade clenched between her teeth, the blade itself slowly cracking as she growled in rage while caving the bastard's face into the back of his skull.
The blade snaps as she finishes burying her fist into his skull's gray matter.
"... Pft." Seiryu spat out the broken blade. "Asshole."
She then hears a rustle coming from the thrushes behind her, emerging a maddened female adventurer, with a crude wooden club raised over her head, charging at her with suicidal zeal-
... Another hand, but extended towards the woman's head, and said head grasped between its fingers.
"Now now, young one." An elderly voice spoke out behind the tree. "... Didn't you parents taught you that attacking from behind his rude?"
The surrounding digits then constrict around her skull, popping it like a grape.
"... Old man?" Seiryu called out. "Old man Gaelion, is that you?"
"Ohoho. It seems that my new look has been rather impressionable to the young ones, hm?"
The horned, bearded, and sage-like man dressed in flowing white robes appeared before her.
"Granted, I'm not that old." Gaelion stated. "In normal [Dragon] years, I'm still in my teens. After all, 400 years is not that old for a [Dragon]."
"... Nah, that's pretty old for me." Seiryu pointed out. "How the hell did you find me?"
"Just simply out for a walk, that is all." Gaelion replied. "Although still finding more of these adventurers grow more and more desperate in their attempts to kill us is rather... alarming."
"Tell me about it..." Seiryu sighed out. "... I thought I was gonna die there for a moment."
The two [Dragons] loiter about before continuing their prior conversation.
"So?" Gaelion spoke out. "What troubles you?"
Seiryu sighed out.
"... Guess I can't hide from you, can I?" Seiryu grumbled out. "... Just saw my baby bro training for me. Got me thinking about how I'm kinda burdening Suzaku, you know. Him being born weak and me protecting him while we were just eggs?"
"Hmm, such a bond forged before birth..." Gaelion pointed out. "... Oh course you would feel obligated to know what's troubling him."
"Yeah, and now he's training his balls off behind my back..." Seiryu commented as she kicked the bloodied corpse. "... Not that I'm against it, obviously, but can he at least tell me?"
"I do not know. Can you be sure that you'll tell him what he needs, rather than what you need?"
Seiryu's expression freezes in place for a moment.
"... What do you mean?" Seiryu pointed out. "What do you mean, what I need?"
She then grabs Gaelion by his clothes and yanks him towards her.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'WHAT I NEED'!?" Seiryu barked out. "I ALWAYS LIVED FOR MY BABY BRO! I LOVE WITH THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART! I WANT HIM TO GROW UP WITH ME... I want to be the big sis that he needed..."
Seiryu slumps to the earth, curled up into a ball.
"... I hate the fact that we were born weak." Seiryu stated as she held back her tears. "... I hate the fact that the whole world is simply telling us to die because we were born as runts. I want to be the big sis that Suzaku can be proud of..."
Tears then start flowing out her eyes and down her cheeks.
"... I want Suzaku to live without having to worry about dying tomorrow." Seiryu sniffed out. "... I want us to stay as a family, like we promised. I don't want to be alone in this shitty world."
Gaelion strokes his beard before answering.
"... Have faith, Seiryu." Gaelion stated. "Have faith that Suzaku won't abandon you. Have faith that he'll care for you. And you really want what's best for him, have faith that he'll pull through, and respect his choice."
"... Have faith?" Seiryu pointed out. "What's faith?"
Gaelion lets out a small chuckle before sitting himself down next to Seiryu.
"Tell me." Gaelion asked. "When I saw that my little girl evolved into a [Garmr], what do you think I was feeling that day?"
Seiryu pondered for an answer, but came up with nothing.
"... I dunno." Seiryu replied. "I ain't her mama."
"But still family." Gaelion retorted. "The whole party is a family, just as you and Suzaku are close as siblings by oath. And as for how I felt, I felt proud."
"... Proud?" Seiryu replied.
"Yes, proud." Gaelion remarked. "Proud that my little girl, once a timid lass who lost her birth parents, now able to stand on her own two feet, of course I would be proud that I can see her grow into her own person."
"... So that's what faith is?" Seiryu replied. "Just the fact that we get to watch our loved ones grow up?"
"Oh no, not just watch." Gaelion remarked. "If you truly respect their progress, you yourself must continue to grow, not only for your own sake, but also for your own as well. After all, just watching isn't enough of a respect. If you truly wish to respect your younger brother's choices..."
Gaelion then sprouts out three pairs of wings behind his back as he stood up.
"... Then why don't you come with me and train?"
"Eh?"
Switching POV: Raphtalia
Today was a really shitty day for her and her master.
Four days of rest, while adequate, wasn't still enough for what they have to face right now. A familiar scene of a village of demihumans come under attack by the similarly-armored soldiers from Melromarc, but unlike in the soldiers of the past, who wore the faces of sadistic glee and pleasure, these soldiers were anything but.
Desperation.
Hunger.
Fear.
These soldiers flailing their blades before her, they were driven to this point. They were not here to kill and enslave for their sick pleasure. They were here because they had nowhere else to go.
She blocks a sword strike with her own sword, and with her free hand, she unsheathes a [Kitchen Knife] that she managed to sneak out of Reinchott's manor, and slits the soldier's throat.
As a Level 65 [Duelist], she can now use both [Swords] and [Daggers] in tandem, and as much as she wants to strangle Nan to near-death, she has him, of all people, to give credit for their power-ups in the first place. Because without them, their journey would've been much more arduous.
... Still doesn't change the fact that she wants to genuinely kill the psycho responsible for, well, everything.
"DIE! DIE! DIIEEEE-"
"FUYAAA!"
Filo using her [Dwarven Gloves], she punches through the soldier's steel helmet, denting the metal plate into his skull, causing him to cease up like a frozen corpse, right before she herself pounces onto it and begins beating the soldier's deformed face into the back of his skuil with murderous rage.
"Filo!?" Raphtalia gawked out at the [Filolial Queen]'s sudden show of maddened brutality.
She doesn't respond, instead continues to beat down the dying man, right before balling both of her hands together into a one massive hammer blow, causing the soldier's head to explode in a bloody fashion, staining her white dress blood-red.
"... Filo?" Raphtalia gawked out as she slowly approached the Level 63 [Marshal]. "Are you okay?"
"I'M FINE!" Filo barked out in an even-more petulant tone. "SO MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!"
She then runs off where her master was, barreling through several of the [Royal Guards] like no one's business.
"Miss Raphtalia!"
Behind her, Melty ran towards her while firing a shot of [Aqua Bullet] towards her side.
"What is it?" Raphtalia asked. "More guards?"
"No. Much worse."
Behind the princess, a female [Shadow] appears out of thin air.
"How much worse!?" Raphtalia barked out. "We're already up to our necks with these armored assholes here!"
In rage, she jumps onto one and stabs him to death in the chest with her commandeered [Kitchen Knife], before getting back up, and slashing through two more [Royal Guard]'s legs before the [Shadow] finished them off with two quick blows to their throats with the butt of her [Assassin's Dagger].
"... Apologizes for such vulgarity, princess." The [Shadow] apologized.
"No, no... it's... it's fine." Melty stammered out, clearly being burdened by the mounting pressure of the worsening situation. "... I saw a whole mountain get defaced right before my eyes, so seeing people die left and right all because of the lunatic responsible kinda set the bar high for me-oh God, I need therapy after this nonsense."
The [Shadow] then carries Melty on her back as Raphtalia followed her.
"So anyway..." Raphtalia asked as she ran alongside the [Shadow]. "... What's worse than maddened soldiers attacking?"
"Bandits." The [Shadow] answered. "Just as hungry and desperate for resources as these soldiers after the [Tome Fallen] effectively plummeted the continent's economy after the destruction of Zeltoble. Evidently speaking, the city-state itself wasn't just a main hub for slave trading, but also where stocks are exchanged every month, holds the continent's largest bank and investment pool, and during the [Tome Fallen]'s raid, all of the liquid assets were destroyed, all bank notes were burned to ash, and roughly 40% of the continental commerce has ground to a halt, leading to mass riots, starvations, and an economic crash so bad that Melromarc are now up to their knees in future spending deficit after taking loans from Faubley. In short, a complete and utter disaster that even the [Waves] cannot compare to, and has left most of Melromarc's military in disarray, with little supplies remaining being ransacked by increased bandit activity, leaving about 60% of our military on the verge of starvation."
The two girls look at each other, agreeing in silence that all of this shit going on was entirely Nan's fault.
"... I'm going to kill that bastard the next time we meet." Raphtalia growled out. "Until then, these assholes will have to TAKE HIS PLACE! GET BACK HERE! I NEED TO VENT MY RAGE OUT ONTO YOU LITTLE SHITS!"
She then pounces onto another soldier, driving her knife into his neck, right before jumping off of him and executing her newly learned skill upon her [Class Promotion].
"[Zahn Harken]/Fang Rake!"
As she landed onto the ground, she raked both of her blades down to the earth with much force put into the downward swing, scattering the surrounding [Royal Guards] away from her.
Raphtalia lets out a maddened roar as she charged towards the next batch of equally desperate soldiers.
"[Gerader Schub]/Straight Thrust!"
She thrusts both of her blades forward, breaking through their measly phalanx formation like steel blade through a sheet of worn cloth.
Behind her, one of the guards scramble back up to his feet and tries to attack her from behind.
"DIE YOU FUCKING ANIMAL!"
"... Sloppy."
With her [Steel Longsword], she knocks the guard's [Steel Sword] from his grip, and thrusts her [Kitchen Knife] towards his neck.
"[Doppelangriff]/Double Attack!"
The thin blade pierces through his neck, and Raphtalia pulls it out with precision and grace, all in one, clean motion.
"... Haah, that should be it for now." Raphtalia sighed out as she took a breather once all the [Royal Guards] were cleared of. "... So how long until the bandits come?"
"About that." The [Shadow] remarked. "... They're already at the gates, fighting over the supplies with the soldiers."
Both Raphtalia and Melty give flat stares at the [Shadow].
"... Why aren't we even remotely surprised?"
Another haggard-looking [Royal Guard] comes charging at the three with his [Silver Halberd].
With an annoyed growl, Raphtalia parries the polearm out of the way, winds both of her arms back in an adjacent direction from their joints, and unfurls them back in an X-shaped swing.
"[Kämpferkreuz]/Fighter Cross!"
The X-slash sends the [Royal Guard] flying across the ruined crop fields right before crashing into a scarecrow.
"... I really hate today." Raphtalia grumbled out.
"Best not linger then." The [Shadow] remarked. "This way."
The raccoon girl and the crown princess follow the shadow, evading the half-starved soldiers scurrying through the ruined village, and beelining towards the hamlet's square.
"MISS RAPHTALIA!" One of the armed maids called out as she executed a [Royal Guard] with her [Steel Halberd]. "WE GOT TROUBLE AT THE GATES!"
"What is it? Bandits?" Raphtalia replied. "If so, I head there and take care of them. You two! Please keep the villagers safe!"
"With my life." The [Shadow] stated as she drew her [Assassin's Dagger].
"I won't let you down!" Melty replied with resolve. "Don't die, or me and Filo will get mad, you hear?"
"I won't." Raphtalia answered as she ran towards the village gates.
At the gates, her master and Filo were fending of the bandits, who were somehow even more emaciated and maddened than the soldiers, all of them raving and charging towards her master like a mob of madmen, with some of them being comprised of armed women and children.
Judging by their clothes, Raphtalia can easily tell that a handful of these bandits were in fact, former human villagers.
Nan's warpath against slavery is creating bandits by the dozen, all of them driven to mass starvation and forced to take matters into their own hands.
Civilian clothes caked in dirt and blood alike, all of them carrying farmer's tools repurposed into weapons, with some of them carrying dying demihuman slaves over their broken shields as patchwork repairs to their bulwark's cracks and gaps.
... For Raphtalia, a dying demihuman tied to a broken shield was the greatest insult to her people. A symbol of hope for all demihumans, now marred by the corpse of the people who once revered it.
Her hatred towards Nan has now turned into hatred towards those people who thought of such insult in the first place.
They.
Need.
To.
DIE.
Raphtalia lets out a bellowing roar of hate as she rushed towards the gates, with murderous intent towards those who desecrate her kind's symbol of hope, so that she may rectify that mistake through cutting their heads off.
"[Herausforderung]/Challenge!" Raphtalia shouted out as she brandished her blades, with some of the bandits now taking the bait.
The bandits come towards her, weapons brandished and oozing with killing intent.
"DIE YOU DEMIHUMAN TAINTSACK!"
The first weapon falls. Raphtalia's new passive [Auto-Parry] activates, redirecting the blow away from her, right before she slashed her blade across his throat.
Another comes, this time, two consecutive attacks from the bandits.
Too easy.
"[Zahn Harken]!"
The twin slashes from her dual blades knocked the bandit's weapons off of their hands.
"And then, [Doppelangriff]!"
Two attacks, each hitting one bandit, striking them down in quick succession.
And finally, a heavyset bandit, wielding a [Brave Waraxe], charges towards her with an outright murderous zeal.
"IMMANA EAT YOUR PLUMP RACCOON-ASS FOR DINNER!"
Raphtalia bared her teeth in rage upon hearing those words.
"I'M A FUCKING TANUKI, YOU FAT BASTARD!"
The bandit swings his axe down hard, but Raphtalia weaves out of the way, causing the clumsy weapon to be embedded into the arid earth, allowing her to exploit an opening provided.
"THE ONLY THING YOU'LL BE EATING TONIGHT IS THE DIRT BENEATH YOUR FEET!" Raphtalia roared out as she ran up the embedded axe and towards the oaf's upper torso.
The heavyweight tries to snatch her out of the way, but Raphtalia simply jumps over his hand and head before facing the back of his neck.
"[Jägersucher]/Hunter Seeker!"
She slashes the back of the bandit's thick neck, causing it to gush out blood onto her face, right before the bandit fell and Raphtalia landed on her feet in a crouching position.
"Master Naofumi!" Raphtalia cried out as she ran towards him.
Her master and Filo were in the process of taking care of the thinning bandit horde, in large part thanks to her master's [Tyrant Dragon Shield]'s [Devour] skill, and Filo's equally ravenous appetite for anything remotely edible.
She would normally scold Filo for this, but considering that most of these people were beyond reason thanks to a certain someone, having Filo eat them was almost close to mercy.
However, talking would have to come later, the bandits need to be pacified first.
So onwards, the tanuki-girl jumped into the fray, hacking and slashing her way though, parrying every blow that came to her, and retaliating with a vicious counterattack.
Eventually, the bandits were culled to a more manageable size, allowing her master to catch them for interrogation with his [Damned Prisoner's Shield]'s skill, [Subjugation], tying them down with black chains that bound them to the earth.
"Raphtalia!" Naofumi called out as she approached him. "How's everyone else?"
"... We managed to save as much as we can." Raphtalia sighed out in exhaustion. "Most of the soldiers that came to this village were on the verge of starvation, so they went down just fine. Although I just learned from the [Shadow] that Nan's little warpath causing the whole economic crash is the biggest reason why these soldiers devolved into impromptu raiding parties in the first place."
"... Yeah, that makes sense." Naofumi remarked as he looked towards the tied-up bandits, mostly comprised of the ex-villagers. "These guys don't look cutthroat enough to be legit bandits, and believe me, I met a fair few before I met you."
"YOU DEVIL!" One of the bandits barked out. "YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S UNLEASHED YOUR KING UPON THIS WORLD!"
Both Raphtalia and Naofumi look towards the bandit in confusion.
"... Come again?" Naofumi asked.
"Don't you fucking play dumb, Shield Devil." The bandit sneered out. "We now know that you're just a pawn to a greater evil. Your presence was just merely the heralding of the coming end."
"Um, king?" Naofumi asked. "Just who are you talking about-oh... It's the [Tome Fallen], isn't it?"
"That bastard literally trampled upon our village... killed my mom and sis... with a giant-ass turtle monster size of a mountain..." The bandit half-ranted, half-heaved out. "... Then they came. They came baring the bloodstained banner... of the Demon King..."
"Wait, they?" Naofumi asked. "Who're 'they'? Are they monsters that Nan let loose or something?"
"DON'T YOU FUCKING FEIGN IGNORANCE, YOU DAMNED DEVIL!" The bandit screeched out. "DON'T PRETEND THAT YOU DON'T KNOW SHIT! YOU'RE JUST AS REPREHENSIBLE FOR STRIPPING US OF OUR LIVELIHOODS!"
Her master looked at the bandit with an increasingly confused expression before turning to Raphtalia.
"... Call it a hunch, but I think Nan really wants us to leave Melromarc." Naofumi winced out.
"You won't get away..." The bandit heaved out. "... Justice from the [Three Cardinal Heroes] will be served-"
Suddenly, the ground below them quakes.
The tremors continue in a march-like beat, reminiscent of a slow beating of a drum, resonating throughout the earth with each beat to the earth.
Raphtalia looks towards the bandit, who's now gone completely pale in fear.
"... They're here." The bandit mumbled out. "THEY'VE COME FOR US! THEY'VE COME TO FINISH US OFF!"
"Wait, who do you mean, 'they'!?" Naofumi barked out. "Just who're you talking about-"
A soulcrushing and oppressive bellow boomed out of the forest near the gates, causing the nearby birds to fly away in panic.
From the shifting trees emerged, a massive bipedal and bibrachial creature crafted in stone and flora, a pair of glowing topaz-colored pinpricks for eyes, and in its gigantic hand of stone and root, held a massive club fashioned from stone, or rather, a stone carved into a club.
Either possibility were rendered meaningless as the massive titan before them slowly approached them, on one of its jutted-out roots and brambles bearing a bloodstained cape like a crude banner.
"What the fuck...!?" Raphtalia gasped out.
"... We're all gonna die." The bandit whimpered out before going back into screeching voice. "WE'RE ALL GONNA FUCKING DIE!"
The massive creature of jagged stone and brambling branches let out another earshattering bellow as it faced them.
[Spriggan]
Springing into action (and onto your heads)!
To Be Continued...
Author's Notes: And Nan's inevitable fuck-ups from his warpath now begins.
This little arc centering around Naofumi will explore how Nan's actions are now having dire consequences, and how they are viewed from an outsider's perspective.
So far, soldiers are going AWOL, villagers are now turning to banditry to make ends meet after Nan destroyed their villages upon Kaido stepping on them, and now, high-level monsters are prowling about, wrecking even more havoc.
Also, yes, all of this will come back to bite Nan's ass karmically. Just gotta think of a good segway into it.
So in the honor of Naofumi-centric arc (mostly, apologizes for the two appearances of two of Nan's party members making an appearance), the current Stat Lineup will be centered around Naofumi and co!
Stat Updates (Naofumi's Party):
Name: Naofumi Iwatani
Class: [Shield Fallen]
Level: 53
Affinity: [Earth]
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Equipment: [Forbidden Shield], [Barbarian's Armor]
Attack: 30
Defense: 70 (+200)
Agility: 45
Luck: 21
HP: 600 (+100)
MP: 200
Name: Raphtalia
Class: [Duelist]
Level: 65
Affinity: [Light]
Alignment: Neutral Good
Equipment: [Steel Longsword], [Kitchen Knife], [Fighter's Leather Tunic]
Attack: 80 (+30)
Defense: 40 (+10)
Agility: 80 (+10)
Luck: 30 (+10)
HP: 300 (+50)
MP: 100 (+50)
Name: Filo
Class: [Filolial Queen Marshal]
Level: 63
Affinity: [Wind]
Alignment: Chaotic Good
Equipment: [Steel Wyvern Claws], [Dwarven Gloves], [Saint's Dress]
Attack: 79 (+150)
Defense: 60 (+50)
Agility: 60 (-10)
Luck: 30 (+20)
HP: 500 (+50)
MP: 100 (+50)
Name: Melty Q. Melromarc
Class: [Mage]
Level: 30
Affinity: [Water]
Alignment: Neutral Good
Equipment: [Royal Blue Dress]
Attack: 36
Defense: 10
Agility: 20
Luck: 40 (+20)
HP: 150
MP: 500 (+100)
Name: Reinchott
Class: [Sniper]
Level: 55
Affinity: [Water]
Alignment: Lawful Good
Equipment: [Eyrmanthia Semi-Automatic Crossbow]
Attack: 60 (+150)
Defense: 30 (-10)
Agility: 50 (+100)
Luck: 50
HP: 250
MP: 100
So how will face the boss?
Will he and his party even survive their trip to Siltvelt?
And who the actual fuck is just standing back and watching this crap?
Please leave a comment or a review, for I'd like to know what my audience is thinking!