Reviews:
Azure Star Dragon: To put it simply, I don't want to. To put it in more depth, I don't have the time to read through the manga, nor do I want to put in what's canon to the manga into my story which is following the anime canon, with some creative liberties. There's a couple more reasons as to why but the end all be all is that I don't want to pirate it or buy it legally and I will be waiting for the second season of the anime before continuing on with the story.
TestuChris: Stand battles are just the best part of JoJo, there's so much opportunity for creative and amazing fights that showcase not just unique powers but also incredible fight choreography and all that and its incredible. Add in the fact that literally 95% of JoJo stand fights (that I know of) are based on both ends of the bullshit-to-insane spectrum and its amazing.
Takia5683: Bada-bing, bada-boom, baby. It's on its way soon.
D3lph0xL0v3r: Motoyasu... will be an interesting character in the upcoming non-canon JoJo related arcs I plan to implement once I get some more time to plan it out properly. He might get significant character growth and redemption or he might continue to be a huge jackass, I haven't really decided yet. But for right now, he will stay as a mentall unstable hero who poses a huge danger to others.
Spellflame: I don't think I will, but if its interesting enough or enough people are able to recognize it, like maybe a stand from the 7th Stand User fangame, then maybe.
Guest: They truly are.
Lean: That's why stand got the Development Potential stat, baybeeeeee. There's a whole bunch of interesting strategies and that's often why simpler abilities are often the better ones.
SentinalSlice: L'arc will be a considerable antagonist now that he and the rest of the otherworld crew are going to be armed with stands in the near future. Also I scoured the last chapter but I didn't see anywhere where Raphtalia called Naofumi Daddy. Maybe you read one of Silver's lines as hers? Anyway, during the hiatus I'll occasionally update with Stand Fight Specials, so it won't be gone entirely.
A Shield's Stand
Chapter 26: So This Is What We've Come To?
Having hit the apparent level curve cap for the Cal Mira activation event, Ren was currently taking it easy, with Riza hovering over him as she usually did while he spent some time just exploring the areas around the town. Fighting the same monsters got boring really quickly and they weren't even giving all that great of drops anymore so it wasn't like he was missing out on anything.
He had just gotten finished looking through a jeweller's merchandise, 'Wow, they have some good stuff,' when Riza tapped his shoulder, drawing his attention.
"Are you really that busy looking for my engagement ring?" She teased while cradling her face and lightly swinging her hips. Ren just sighed, seriously, where did she get this ridiculously overflirty personality?
He delivered a light chop to her head, "No. Bad." Riza just pouted.
He was granted only a few more minutes of silence before Riza spoke up once more, "Hey, is that Naofumi? I thought he was supposed to be at the beach."
Ren knew it was likely a ploy to try and get some more attention from him, but figured he'd humor her this one time. He turned his head to see… "Wait, that is Naofumi." He rubbed his eyes and took a second look, sure enough Naofumi was charging towards the two of them in a full sprint. Naofumi told him they'd be relaxing on the beach, he'd even served as a Motoyasu deterrent for a bit so why was he here?
Naofumi reached them and skidded to a stop, nearly toppling over in the process. He took a few deep breaths before unloading the motherload of vague warnings on him. "Ren, we have a couple huge problems."
Ren blinked, "One: that's horrifically vague. Two: when do we not have huge problems."
Naofumi's face fell to a frown, "Not helping Ren." Ren just shrugged, "Whatever, listen, we have two huge problems right now. L'arc stole a copy of the arrow and there's a wave that's going to hit the island in just two days."
Ren's widened eyes blinked and then blinked again. What.
"Listen, I have to go warn the Queen, I can't waste any more time, the ship is waiting for me." He turned to run back to the docks only for Ren to stop him.
"Naofumi wait, you don't need to rush back, I can go instead, I can teleport there and come back with the Queen," Ren explained.
"You can teleport? How- Oh wait, that's right. Dammit, I didn't believe you guys so it didn't work. Whatever, I'll get the teleport shield when we finish this. You warn the Queen and I'll get things set on the island's end," Naofumi really wished he believed Ren back at the council.
"Oh and Ren," Naofumi's shield changed forms to the Otherworldly Shield, and Naofumi plucked the arrow off the surface tossing it to Ren who caught it with surprised arms. Picking up on the unspoken message, Ren absorbed the arrow, unlocking the Otherworldly Sword. The weapon was golden in color with silver rims that made up the blade of the sword. The signature arrow laid on one side of the flat blade. The hilt was a dark blue and formed a curved guard and the pommel flared out to the sides of the intricate looking weapon. "Get yourself something fancy, alright?" He turned and ran towards the dock to stop the boat and change plans.
Ren looked at his new sword in wonder before schooling his features. His new sword could wait a little longer, he had a responsibility. He shifted to the Transport Sword and with a flash of light, him and Riza vanished from their spot to warn the Queen.
After the quick explanation to the boat crew that no, they didn't need to take towards Melromarc instantly and could instead stay on the island to prepare, the group of four were hustling around doing all they could on their end. Evacuation efforts were undertaken and implemented smoothly, the residents of Cal Mira being efficiently transported from the island and towards the mainland, with every citizen being taken off by the middle of the second day. From the small snippets of conversations Naofumi heard from some passengers, Itsuki and Motoyasu were doing what they could do to help with the efforts, but that wasn't important right now.
While evacuation efforts were underway, the group prepared in other ways. Rallying adventurers as a form of local militia, stocking up on mid battle necessities such as potions, and of course, training their skill with their stands and refining it as much as they could.
Blood Drain swung its sword in a wide arc, Rifana's stolen speed granting her the ability to maneuver away from the swing, but she was caught off balance by the kick that was levelled at her. She blocked the blow with her arms, slamming back first into a brick wall. She recovered quickly and rejoined the free for all between the group. Wireframe phased through the ground throwing a right hook towards Blood Drain's core. Blood Drain went to block but it turned to be a feint as Wireframe phased through Blood Drain's body and wrapped its arms around its body, struggling to lift it over its head and perform a suplex on the oversized stand. Blood Drain threw Wireframe off and retaliated with a quick shield bash to Wireframe's face which as usual phased through its body.
The three stand users and Silver fought against one another normally as the stands duked it out. Constantly switching between using team tactics to attack the other members and just resorting to a no hold barred free for all brawl. Rifana's stolen stats were giving her an undeniable advantage, but not so great a one where the other combatants became overwhelmed with her power. An axe kick slammed against Naofumi's shield and he pushed Raphtalia off him, trying to gain some space to breathe, only to turn and be met with Silver's metal body slamming into him. He slid across the ground as he brought her charge to a halt and dropped to the floor, making her lose her balance and vaulting her away.
Rifana darted in, delivering a quick chop to Silver while she was downed, punting the ball of steel towards Raphtalia like a poor imitation of a bowling ball. Raphtalia dodged the projectile before approaching Naofumi with her sword drawn. She jumped and lashed out with an overhead swing, the telegraphed move was easily blocked by the Shield Hero and she vaulted herself off his shield, rotating her body to slice at the speeding Rifana as she passed. Rifana took the blow, but managed to slide most of the impact towards the air and counter.
Blood Drain materialized from Raphtalia's body and blocked the blow, its ability tugging on Rifana. The pull was strong yet Rifana managed to keep her footing and resist the pull, but that left her open to a slam from Silver, the metal filolial chuckling at the blow.
Rifana recovered and the four watched one another warily, the whistle of the wind being their only company. Finally, Naofumi spoke out, "Alright, that's enough practice for now." The three others immediately cried out and collapsed from exhaustion, melting on the ground. "Let's take a half hour rest before we get back to it. We need to be ready for tomorrow."
"What! Just a half hour! Daddy, you're too mean!" Silver whined from her spot on the ground.
"Nah, half an hour is more than enough..." Rifana rolled out her shoulder, "...for a nap." When she didn't move for a while, the rest of the group froze in shock.
'She's asleep standing up!'
"Welp, I guess she's out then." Naofumi shrugged, "Silver, Raphtalia, we're heading to town before everyone is gone."
Raphtalia laid her head in her hands, "Town? What for, Naofumi?"
Naofumi lifted his shield, "We're heading to the armory, I'm going to need every shield I can get my hands on. The stats wouldn't hurt and any new abilities are always useful."
Raphtalia nodded, standing to her feet, ignoring how they felt like jello, "Right! Let's go!" She pointed while trying to walk forward.
The shop was empty, which was to be expected considering the evacuation efforts currently underway, but surprisingly enough, the shop owner was still there, toiling away in the back of the shop.
"Hey, shouldn't you have evacuated already?" Silver accuses, pointing her finger dramatically at the woman.
"Hmm?" The woman popped her head out of the doorway, her mint hair draping behind her. "But I am. I'm just packing some stuff for the moment. I refuse to sleep on the hardwood floor of a ship if I can help it." She thrusts a blanket towards the group as proof, "But since you guys are here, I take it you need to buy something for the wave?" She steps up to the counter, throwing her arms out to show her wares.
"Always looking to make some cash." Raphtalia sighs, "Merchants really are some of the most opportunistic people in the world." All the shopkeep can do is laugh.
"Anyway, the shield has an ability to copy an exact replica of any shield I come into contact with, so I was hoping to buy these copies off you. But I guess I should ask what kinds of shield you have for sale first," Naofumi rambles on a bit.
"Copies?" The shopkeep hums to herself, rubbing the end of chin in thought, "Alright!" She throws her hand to the air and slams it down on the countertop. "I'll sell you the copies, here's what we got, sir Hero."
"Just Naofumi is fine, miss," comes Naofumi's automatic response. Formality doesn't really sit all too well with him.
Iron Tower Shield
DEF: +3
MDEF: +3
Not quite as cool as a spire, but much more resistant to slaying
Steel Tower Shield
DEF: +4
MDEF: +4
Star Platinum deadass threw an entire tower at DIO and he said "nah".
Magic Steel Tower Shield
DEF: +5
MDEF: +5
Skill [ Immovable Object ] Unlocked
That awkward moment when you forget to plant your feet and your AK shot goes 40 miles to the left
Spiked Bouche Shield
ATK: +1
DEF: +2
AGI: +1
You can live in a castle for free as long as you promise certain european governments to maintain/restore them
Ceremonial Shield
Swagger: +1
Skill [ Blinding Beam ] Unlocked
The time-honored tradition of up high, down low, too slow
Iron Targe Shield
DEF: +2
That's America's ass
Steel Targe Shield
DEF: +3
Truly a shame break the targets hasn't made a reappearance
Iron Pavise Shield
DEF: +1
MDEF: +1
Undyne probably would've won if she used a spear and shield
Magic Steel Pavise Shield
DEF: +2
MDEF: +2
MW2 lobbies truly were the pinnacle of online rage and trashtalk
Naofumi hefted the last shield back onto its display. Sure, he was missing a few shields, but if the weapon copy system could truly copy any existing shield, then maybe he could experiment a bit. But that's for later. Right now, he's got a wave to deal with. He paid the shopkeep eight gold, each shield for half off since they're only copies, and rushed back to the training spot. They still had time to train after all.
Standing atop the deck of one of the Queen's prepared ships, Naofumi, Raphtalia, Rifana, and Silver all gazed across the waters of Calmira's ocean. The waves were calm, the sun was bright, and the weather was beautiful. It was truly a shame this would all be reduced to chaos and bloodshed as soon as some stupid hourglass ran out of sand. The world could truly be cruel.
"I'm impressed you could whip up a force this large so quickly," Naofumi had to give his props to the Queen. That was certainly no small feat.
"Your excellent evacuation of Cal Mira cannot be overlooked, Sir Naofumi," the Queen retorts. "Even though the Earl was aiding you in that endeavor it is still quite a task to evacuate an entire archipelago of people in only two days."
Rifana blushed, "Oh stop it, you." She playfully swatted her hand only to get a jab to her side courtesy of Raphtalia.
"Please take this seriously," she scolded the weasel demi-human, "The wave will start any minute now."
She looks towards Naofumi, "Ninety seconds," Naofumi answers her implied question.
"Thank you, Sir Naofumi," the Queen motions, "I will handle it from here."
"Soldiers!" The Queen roared, the men of her naval fleet standing at attention, "We have little time before the wave begins. We have all four heroes with us and we are prepared for everything this wave can throw at us! Do not panic! Place your faith in the heroes and in yourselves. Our jobs are to keep the smaller monsters off the heroes so they can slay the boss and end the wave as soon as possible! Do you understand?"
The cry of determination she was met with seemed to be to her liking as she nodded with a small smile on her face. Said smile melted off her face as the timer continued to decrease towards its foretold battle.
"You guys ready?" Naofumi asked his party.
"It might be the first aquatic wave but I'm sure we can handle it, no problem," Rifana leaned on his shoulder.
"Whatever happens, I'm sure we'll pull through, like we always do," Raphtalia followed up.
"This'll be easy peasy!" Silver cheered, Melty looking at the group with a bit of longing.
"Alright, then it's time to take this down!"
A gong rang out and the naval fleet glowed before teleporting out of the waters. They reappeared in a flash, the calm sea now rough and drenched red. The sky held the signature red and green swirls the waves were known for. Already monsters poured from the portals in droves, diving into the waters beneath them.
The soldiers were quick to action, tossing caskets of wine into the waters before detonating them, exposing the ocean to incredibly potent berries inside and giving the monsters alcohol poisoning. Bits of monsters flew from the water and those that didn't floated to the surface soon after, dead from ingesting such an ungodly amount of alcohol. The soldiers armed themselves with arrows, taking potshots at the monsters that attempted to board the ships. Most struck their mark, with the soldiers being well trained marksmen in the Melromarcian navy after all, and the fodder monsters were at bay for the moment. It wouldn't stay that way for long, but it was perfect for them.
Naofumi and crew ran to the boat's edge, searching the churning waters for any sign of the boss. There was no sighting of the mega monster until one of their front ships was capsized in an instant, a giant horn impaling the hull and tearing it in two. The beast breached the surface, giving all an up close look of its sheer magnitude.
Interdimensional Whale
Lv 56
The boss crashed into the ocean, throwing up a gigantic wave and a light drizzle of sweater that wetted the party. That was much larger than any of them had anticipated, but it wasn't anything they wouldn't be able to handle.
"As source of thy power, the Shield Hero orders thee, energize the target of my choice, Zweit Aura," his palm flashed and Raphtalia and Silver both felt the full effect of the spell.
"Alright Silver! Like we planned!" Naofumi shouted as Raphtalia vaulted over the railing, Silver hopping over alongside her. The two crashed into the water, sinking like weights. Raphtalia mounted Silver and they shot off with a jet of water propelling behind them. Silver's water magic is definitely a nice thing to have sometimes.
It didn't take long to find the boss, its white hue and size would make it stand out even in a Where's Waldo? book. The whale was swimming along, crashing into any boat it could find or when it decided it didn't like melee attacks, firing off giant lasers as a long range beam of destruction. As the two approached, Raphtalia summoned Blood Drain, the large stand holding its claymore in a reverse grip.
They jetted next to the boss and Blood Drain thrust its claymore into the boss's side, dragging the mental weapon through the whale's hide and tearing a massive gash as the two flashed up its side. Blood spilled from the wound and the whale roared in pain, it shook its body, attempting to throw off the attacker, but couldn't manage any progress in that regard, so it decided to swim off as fast as it could, foregoing any other attacks until it could escape this stubborn nat in its side.
To the whale's credit, it's attempt worked, Blood Drain's claymore becoming dislodged as Silver simply couldn't match its speed, however, that was a wonderful part of the clever tanuki's plan as Blood Drain struck several more times before the whale fully escaped. As the whale escaped her stand's effective range, she jabbed her finger between a set of Silver's metallic feathers on the right side of her neck. Silver nodded at the message and jetted away, leaving Raphtalia floating on her own. The bird girl repositioned herself underneath her older sister and charged her water magic.
"As Filolial Queen, I order thee, drown my target in the wave of my power, Zweite Aqua Blast!"
A jet of water shot out from Silver, overtaking and lifting Raphtalia from the current. On the surface, a tower of water shot out from the churning waves, reaching incredible heights before peaking, far higher than the boss had managed to attain prior.
"That's the signal! Everyone ready their shots!" Naofumi ordered, throwing his hand up for emphasis. The dozens of harpoon cannons they've loaded up aimed themselves, directed towards the pillar of water.
The water pillar began to collapse, the planet's gravity forcing the water back to its home and from it emerged Raphtalia, continuing her ascent from the water's forceful current, Blood Drain beside her.
"Now!" Raphtalia commanded her stand. Blood Drain glowed purple as its ability activated, its outline blasting off before fading. For a moment, nothing happened, the entire battlefield seemingly holding its breath. While drawing an opponent in might seem like an exceedingly simple and unexciting ability, it's often that the simplest of abilities are the most powerful.
Blood Drain's is no exception, as draw-in ignores any mass difference that physics dictates would draw her in instead.
The entirety of the boss blasted out from the waters, flailing wildly as it was forcefully pulled towards Raphtalia and Blood Drain in the sky, the extra hits and damage Blood Drain caused during its escape making that draw much too strong to resist.
"Fire!" Naofumi shouted, throwing his arm down and to the side. Every harpoon shot, their metal projectiles striking and piercing the boss, giving it the incredible experience of a free unplanned acupuncture session. The boss roared as it desperately tried to gain control of the situation, lasers blasting off at random as the boss grew more panicked. Eventually, it reached Raphtalia, the tanuki demi-human landing on its scaled hide and allowing Blood Drain to wreak havoc. Each swing easily demolished the scaled defense of the whale and forcefully removed flesh as the claymore completed its arc. The stand swung anywhere it could as she charged for the head of the beast, leaving grenades of light under the scales as she ran.
Silver popped out of the water, landing in an exhausted heap on the deck, her magic reserves completely drained. She weakly gave a thumbs up to Rifana who grinned with manic glee, who began to charge her own spell.
"As party member of the Shield Hero, I order thee, reach my target and paralyze them with shock, First Thunder Strike!"
A bolt of pure unfiltered electricity rocketed out of Rifana's small body, flying at the speed of light before it crashed into the boss's side. The boss looked as if it barely felt it, but Naofumi noticed it's left fins were struggling to move, the spell did what it needed to do. Other attacks, likely from the other heroes, also struck the boss as it was exposed, but those looked to have a much lesser effect.
"Perfect shot, Rifana!" Naofumi cheered as Rifana whooped at the shot. "Next part! Let's finish it off!"
Wireframe popped out of his body and grabbed hold of Rifana and Naofumi's forearms, the two latching onto the stand in return before the stand took off, carrying its two passengers towards the sky bound boss. As they got closer, they could see smaller explosions going off alongside the side and top of the boss, chunks of the boss's scales flying off with each blast, before Rifana spotted their target. Raphtalia had nearly reached the boss's head and was ready for pickup. Wireframe landed atop the boss, depositing its passengers on the scaled ground. Raphtalia reached the two and they continued running towards the head, finally reaching it a mere two minutes later.
After a quick moment to catch their breaths, Raphtalia and Naofumi nodded towards Rifana, who activated her stand in response. I've Been A Fool opened, and Rifana began her chant.
Power of my crown, heed my command,
The faith of mine and all others are placed in your hand.
Give our wisdom and our chants to my best friend,
Give her the strength to bring this wave to an end.
The effect was instant, Rifana felt her body growing more exhausted as her magic reserves were steadily transferred to Raphtalia. A quick glance showed Naofumi felt the same drain. In contrast, Raphtalia's hair began to float and sway at the excess of magic in her body, her amber eyes glowing just the slightest bit brighter.
Naofumi changed shields, his new Ceremonial Shield taking its place on his arm. He readied his shield, dropped his body lower and took a firm stance, planting his feet and preparing for the blow.
"Ready." Was all he needed to say.
"As the daughter of the Shield Hero, I order thee, channel all my strength and force it outwards, burn anything the light touches and then further beyond, Zweite Light Sword!"
A large beam of the brightest light Rifana swears she will ever see fires itself from Raphtalia palms, striking the center of Naofumi's Ceremonial Shield and rebounding from the crystalline pattern of the instrument, reflecting at greater intensities straight into the hide and skull of the whale. The beam pierced the hide instantly, the sheer strength of the magic behind it making quick work of its scales, skin, and blubber, giving way easily to bone. The bone, to its credit, lasted slightly longer but also crumpled under the weight of the spell. The beam continued, unabated in its path as it completely pierced and obliterated the entirety of the whale's brain and an entire section of the ocean, alongside any poor creatures living in those waters, monster or otherwise.
The lights of its eyes gone, Raphtalia commanded Blood Drain's ability to end, the corpse falling to the water lifelessly. Wireframe plopped them down safely as the body stabilized on the water's surface.
Rifana tiredly sighed before regaining some of her chipper mood, "Well I think that went pretty well."
"Y'know what," Naofumi chipped in, "It really did."
What was worrying, however, was that the telltale sign of the waves of destruction, the giant swirls in the sky, did not disappear with the boss's death. So either there was another boss out there… or Glass was back. Or maybe some other people if L'arc's words were to be believed.
While the three caught their breath and drank some magic recovery potions, Itsuki and Motoyasu rode up on their boats. Naofumi offered them a tired wave, Itsuki waving back anxiously while Motoyasu seemed to ignore them entirely, seemingly unwilling to acknowledge them.
"What are you two doing here?" Rifana asked with no lack of hostility. Itsuki flinched while Motoyasu offered only a blank stare before it flipped entirely on its head and he smiled brightly at them all.
"Ah, we're just here to get some of the boss materials to unlock new forms," he explained, "We'll make our way to help out with the small monsters once we're done here, so don't worry about that."
"Bullshit!" Rifana roared, "You two barely did a damn thing! At least fight the monsters first, you jackasses!"
Naofumi laid a hand on her shoulder, attempting to calm her, "Rifana, it's fine. There isn't anything we can do about it now. So just leave it for later." His words worked somewhat as she didn't raise any more complaints, but she was very clearly still upset about the issue. They'll deal with it later.
"Naofumi, we should meet up with the Queen to give aid where it's needed," Raphtalia cut in.
Naofumi nodded in response, "Right."
As the five split off on their ways, a chuckle sounded out from atop one of the boss's fins. Three of them recognized that chuckle, the other two didn't.
"Oh? Are you an adventurer here to help with the wave? I'm sorry to say but we've already handled the boss," Itsuki tried to approach the man calmly.
"You guys are the heroes of this world?" Naofumi, Rifana, and Raphtalia faced the man atop the fin, and standing there, the light of the waves bathing him in a crimson hue, was L'arc, Therese standing silently beside him. "Is that your idea of a joke? 'Cuz no one's laughing. You weaklings can't protect a thing."
"What did you say?" Motoyasu charged in with a roar, spear drawn and already lunging for L'arc's vitals.
"Hmph," L'arc smirked, "Skybound Wheel Swing!" His Scythe produced an incredible gust as he swung the weapon, whipping ferocious winds towards the two heroes and Naofumi's party. While Naofumi, Raphtalia, and Rifana managed to stay standing, Motoyasu was blown away effortlessly and Itsuki followed soon after, the two tumbling off the side of the whale and into the churning waters.
"Itsuki! Motoyasu!" Naofumi called out for his fallen heroes but refocused on L'arc. "I'd ask why you're doing this, but I have a fair idea to start," he growled out as he raised his shield.
"Oh? Do tell, kiddo," L'arc taunted the shield wielder.
"Like me, you're not from this world," Naofumi accused the pair, "but you came voluntarily. What I don't get yet is why."
L'arc sighed and Therese stepped forward, "Please understand, that we do not wish to harm anyone here, but for the sake of our own world, we must eliminate the heroes of this world." That bit of info caught them off guard. The three share quick glances before refocusing on the blue haired adventurer from another world. "Just like your's, our world is also facing its own set of catastrophic waves, each one growing worse until not even us heroes can hope to combat them. So we travelled to your world to destroy it, so that ours may be saved."
"Bullshit!" Rifana called out, "How does destroying our world save yours?"
L'arc drops into a stance, his scythe posed to swing, "That doesn't matter to you. All you need to know is we are your enemies, so let's just treat each other how we should've from the start." He doesn't look to be enjoying this situation.
He burst off with incredible strength, closing the distance within a fraction of a second, but even with his incredible speed, Naofumi was ready. He blocked L'arc's first strike and pushed off, ducking for Raphtalia to vault over him and strike with a counter blow. L'arc blocked and the two landed, stuck in a power struggle. Raphtalia grit her teeth as she struggled to push L'arc back while the man in question only smirked and pirouetted their weapons, Raphtalia's grip weakening as it struggled to follow the hilt and the tanuki demi human being quickly disarmed. She ducked under a blast of blue fire and attempted to sweep his legs, the man hopping back and giving her time to grab her weapon.
Rifana charged in her axe chopping powerfully, with each missed swing digging into the scales of the whale beneath them. L'arc ducked under a blow and went to slice Rifana in two with his blade, but the tip of the weapon halted as it struck against Naofumi's shield.
"Dog Bite." The two dog heads of Naofumi's shield stretched and bit into L'arc's arms, pinning him and leaving him open. Rifana made to capitalize but another blast of ruby fire gave her pause. An Airstrike Shield appeared, blocking the blast and Raphtalia delivered an overhead slash to L'arc, driving him into the ground.
L'arc skid along the scales of the whale and backpedaled for space, Therese giving him covering fire all the while.
"Rifana!" Naofumi called. He gave a series of hand signals, those being a hand raised with the pinky, middle, and pointer raised, a fist, and a chop.
"On it!" Rifana responded. "Blood Rush!" Her skill activated, a slight glow to her eyes trailing behind her as she blurred forward. In the background she could hear Naofumi call out another skill, Armored Shell, and the formation of plating around her skin but all her attention was on her enemies.
"Skybound Wheel Swing!"
"Bejeweled Blitz!"
A torrent of wind and a blaze of fire washed over Rifana, blocking her from view of any of the participants in the battle. Yet she emerged completely unscathed and her armor smoking lightly as she lashed out with a furious blow. L'arc barely managed to block it but was left open to the straight kick to his knees Rifana followed up with. His leg gave out and her knee met with his chin, launching him away from them. Turning towards Therese, she crossed her arms in a guard as a constant stream of fire washed over her body. Therese nervously holding her ground. Rifana grit her teeth and marched forward, her left fist bursting from the flames and landing in Therese's gut before launching her after L'arc.
She landed, winded and struggling for breath, and turned to L'arc. "D-wheeze-Dammit L'arc, stop messing around and use it already! They're wiping the floor with us!"
"Tch. I wanted to have a little fun in a real fight, but I guess as it is right now, we can't get very many openings. I guess my little surprise will have to come out sooner than I had wanted," L'arc announced as he rose to his feet, helping Therese up as he did so. "Why don't you all say hello to Night Running?"
A figure emerged from his body, hovering over his shoulder. Naofumi scowled, it was another stand.
Night Running was slightly larger than L'arc himself, but portrayed itself in a much different manner. Where L'arc wore rugged and worn adventurer's garb and leather armor, Night Running wore a crimson colored suit with a white dress shirt. On its left breast sat a carnation. The suit ensemble ended at the head, however, as Night Running simply seemed to not have one at all, a lack of any psychic flesh or whatever the hell stands are made out of pronouncing itself with a gaping hole in the collar of the suit. The final touch on L'arc's stand was a pair of holes that existed in the center of its palms, cleanly cut and perfectly see through, taking up about half the stand's hands in their entirety.
"Well? Like what you see?" L'arc asked genuinely.
In all honesty, it seemed a little underwhelming, but they didn't know its capabilities yet, they couldn't afford to underestimate it.
"Guess its stand time, huh?" Rifana snarked back, "Raphtalia, why don't you show Mr. Bigshot just how outclassed he is," she spoke in a fake posh accent, mocking the enemy stand's attire.
"But of course, it would be my pleasure to display the gap in our strength," Raphtalia joined in on the joke and called out Blood Drain, the massive stand towering over Night Running and casting L'arc in its shadow.
"Oh."
"L'arc? Everything ok?" Therese asked her fellow hero.
He turned to her and spoke with full honesty, "We might have bitten off more than we could chew."
Blood Drain rocketed forward, its claymore crashing into the spot Night Running had been previously. It blocked a blow from the crimson suited stand, the spiked shield it held barely rattling.
"It's blows aren't that strong! Don't be afraid to take a hit!" Raphtalia called out to her party who nodded at the information.
Therese threw up a wall of flames to separate the groups, but that mattered little to the armored Rifana and the Shield Hero himself, who dove through the wall without hesitation to continue their onslaught. Rifana's axe swings forcing their retreats and Naofumi's array of skills keeping them close and on edge.
"Minor Illusion," Naofumi murmured as the two charged their otherworld foes, copies of them splitting off from their real bodies. The copies surrounded the two, before jumping in to strike from all directions.
The two heroes dodged as many blows in the mash of bodies, treating each strike as though it were real, and struck back whenever they could, dispelling any illusion they could. But with that many strikes it was only a matter of time before they were overwhelmed. Bodies flung themselves at them all at once, axes raised and fists drawn, ready to strike.
"Air Scythe Suite!" A second scythe appeared alongside his first, "First Stance: Winde Blowout!" A tornado of wind erupted from L'arc body, blasting away all the illusions and Naofumi and Rifana's own bodies, though they landed safely. "Jeez kiddo, you sure don't play around." He moved his scythe to block a surprise blow from Raphtlia, who had gone invisible. "But I don't intend to lose."
He pulled his scythe back and sent a torrent of wind underneath the scales of the whale, sending them up and towards the party of three. The sharp scales clanged off the surface of Naofumi's shield and Rifana's armor, but they couldn't see a damn thing past them.
L'arc emerged among the wave of scales and his scythe slammed into Naofumi's shield, the strike doing little to make it past his defences, or so he thought. A crippling pain lanced through Naofumi's arm and he cried out, but he stood strong and pushed back against his adversary.
Naofumi rubbed at his sore arm, wincing as he felt internal damage in his muscles. Nothing a healing spell or potion couldn't fix, but it was still worrying, "Didn't expect you to have a defence reversing skill on you. Gotta say, that alone could be enough to beat me."
L'arc smiled ruefully at that, "It really is the perfect counter to the Shield Hero, so why don't you give up peacefully and we can leave the other two girls alone. We don't want to hurt them, we're only here for you, kiddo."
Naofumi sighed, before smiling. "L'arc, if it was up to that alone, I might just be willing to concede to your demands, but you're lacking one critical thing in this fight." Naofumi raised a finger, holding it in front of his scarred face.
"And what would that be, Naofumi?" Therese asked.
"Information." He nodded at Raphtalia who mentally commanded her stand to make the blow.
Whilst the heroes had been fighting, Night Running had weaved around Blood Drain to the best of its ability, delivering strike after strike to the oversized stand but failing to make any sort of dent or damage to the stand's heater shield. The large stand was also deceptively fast, as it took most of Night Running's speed to dodge the stand's advances and blows. That is, of course, not taking into account Wireframe's mere existence. As it emerged from the ground and latched onto Night Running's body, holding it still for Blood Drain to strike at any moment. With Raphalia's command, the stand ran claymore through L'arc's stand, and with their knowledge on stands, that damage transferred over wonderfully to its user.
L'arc suddenly lurched forward before a massive slash suddenly appeared over his midsection, erupting into a spray of blood. He collapsed to his hands and knees, pitifully holding an arm to his gushing wound. "W-what?"
Rifana tutted, "What, you didn't think stands were completely invulnerable, did you?" Rifana sighed, heaving her axe over her shoulder, "If you had stalked us a bit longer then you would've found out that only stands can hurt other stands and that any damage a stand takes, it's given right back to the user." She smiled wildly, "Isn't that just so fun!"
L'arc coughed out a wad of blood. Therese supporting the fallen hero. He spit out a buildup of blood from his mouth and looked at the three defiantly in their eyes, "It's not over yet, kiddo."
Night Running jumped to its feet and clapped its hands on sections of Blood Drain's body, the holes in the palms of its hands beginning to let out a high pitch hum that grew in intensity and within a second, Blood Drain was vibrating at unimaginable speeds, afterimages being left behind as it's body moved at speeds it simply could not handle, Raphtalia crying out in pain as she experienced the full effect of L'arc's ability. A blast followed and Blood Drain was launched away from the other two stands, its user following suit as she flew back several dozen feet, blood spurting out from the wounds in her body, mirroring where Night Running had grabbed.
"Raphtalia!" Naofumi and Rifana cried.
"I didn't want to use such an underhanded tactic, but we don't seem to stand a chance without it," L'arc apologized, "These things are weird."
"Tell me about it," Rifana growled out, her full anger directed at L'arc, "I'm going to tear you apart for that." I've Been A Fool emerged, Rifana uttering a poem and beginning to sap the strength of her opponents.
"There it is!" Therese called out, "Now Glass!"
Naofumi's eyes widened in realization, "Rifana, pull back now!" He commanded as he rushed to defend the weasel demi human. He wasn't quick enough as a blur crashed into the powered up member of his family, launching her into Naofumi who managed to catch her and maintain his balance.
Standing with L'arc and Therese was their former adversary of the waves, Glass, dressed in her signature kimono and wielding her familiar fans.
'Shit.' Naofumi thought, a quick glance at Rifana showed she was down for the rest of the fight, the axe wielder barely hanging onto consciousness. 'Raphtalia is wounded, Rifana is down, and Silver isn't here. This isn't good.'
"I must say, it's nice to see you Naofumi," Glass spoke calmly as if she hadn't just rocketed from the sky and taken out their best offensive member. The woman turned her head to L'arc, inspecting his state and sighing at his wound, "L'arc," she lay a palm to her cheek, "I warned you about using your stand so recklessly without understanding fully what they are."
"Y-yeah, yeah, Glassy. You were right, but we're a bit busy for 'I told you so's' right now," L'arc snarked.
Glass hummed, "I suppose we are, aren't we." She turned back to face Naofumi, who had been attempting to collect his party members and pull back. Damn. "Surrender now and we'll make your death a swift one."
"W-we can take them, Naofumi. L'arc is injured and Wireframe is unbeatable," Raphtalia uttered as she shambled next to him.
"As the Shield Hero, I order thee, mend the body of my target and heal their injuries, First Heal." A soothing glow encompassed Raphtalia and her wounds mended themselves up, the blood flowing from the holes slowing before cutting off entirely. She wasn't entirely healed, likely having some bad internal injuries, but she wasn't in danger of bleeding out anymore. "L'arc might be hurt, but so are you, and Wireframe isn't unbeatable, nothing is."
A blast of fire crashed against his shield, Naofumi shielding Rifana from the heat. He glared at Therese who met his eyes with a heated glare of her own.
Glass shook her head, "A shame." She launched off, spinning in the air and coming down with an overhead strike. Wireframe emerged and ferried Rifana off to safety while Raphtalia took cover behind Naofumi. The blow turned to a feint as she landed and swept Naofumi's feet from under him. She stabbed at the falling man but met only the metal of his shield.
"Scatter Shot! Gust Bellow!"
His shield, a pile of slime that rested on his arm, fired out a volley of slime balls, littering the battlefield with piles of mobility reducing slime. Then a torrent of wind blasted from his shield, Glass straining to stay on her feet while right up against the source of the torrent. She held her ground before jumping to the side as Blood Drain's claymore cleaved through the space she had been.
Glass frowned, lunging forward to meet the stand in battle. She danced around Blood Drain's blows and her own were met with the stand's shield and armor plating. She jumped over a horizontal cleave, landing atop the claymore the stand used before delivering a brutal roundhouse kick to the stand's temple. Raphtalia staggered back at the blow but felt no damage from the hit.
L'arc dashed in, despite his injury and sliced his scythe at the pair, yet the blade phased harmlessly through their bodies. As Wireframe went to retaliate, Night Running emerged, blocking Wireframe's strike with a forearm and attempted to place its other palm on the stand's body. The attempt was meaningless as it once more phased through.
"Bejeweled Hailstorm!"
Jagged spikes of ice rained down on the two, who dodged and phased between the person sized hail that threatened to cut them in two. Night Running was waiting for them as they pulled back, palms on the ground they fought on, vibrations already travelling into it and shattering their footing. Night Running went for a blow but that was a ploy to pull Wireframe out as L'arc went for a wide swing, wind magic covering the weapon's blade.
Naofumi was sweating, "Parry!" His arm moved automatically and beyond speed's he could achieve normally to block and parry the strike, the wind magic being blasted off into the monster infested seas.
"You fell for it, kiddo," L'arc said smugly, a trail of dried blood flaking on his chin.
Naofumi's eyes darted to his right, where Glass was waiting, her Tortoise Shell Cracker skill charged and ready to fire. All of their attacks, they were just to make him vulnerable. They drew out both Wireframe and Blood Drain, they made him use a defensive skill and they separated him from Raphtalia. Naofumi could only watch as Glass drew back one fan as though she were pulling back the drawstring of a crossbow, and released it to fire.
Until a white beam collided with her hand, making her stumble and cry out in pain. Another two beams blasted into the otherworldly woman, first in her forearm and then in her opposite shoulder. She was launched off her feet and collapsed to the ground several meters away.
"You couldn't wait even a few minutes for me to get here before you got into a fight? Jeez, if I didn't know better, I'd assume you didn't care." Ren's voice rang out, as he alongside Riza and Silver stepped onto the battlefield.
Behind Ren floated a new stand. It was shorter than Ren and skinnier too, its body colored a navy blue with dark grey reticles lightly covering it. It was lightly muscled, mirroring Ren's own stature very well but that was where it's similarities with its user ended. It's face was covered by a screen that wrapped around its head to its ears and reached up to the stand's eyebrow line. Symbols flashed on the screen, none of which Naofumi understood, before settling on a symbol of the reticle that marked the stand's body. On the sides of its head were two horn-like protrusions that curved down and under the 'chin' of the stand. However, the most unique attribute of the stand was that it only had one arm, its right. The left arm ended slightly before the elbow and the other arm was fairly standard, its joints being outlined in a dark grey and a final, more detailed reticle encircling the stand's palm.
"But we're here now, so why don't we deal with these guys and end the wave already. That sound good?" Ren finished. He threw up a small rock to his stand, the stand pulling its fist back and delivering a punch to it. A familiar laser launched out of the other side of the rock, aimed directly at L'arc who had been locked in a power struggle with Raphtalia. The laser hit him in the right breast, burning him and leaving him open for Raphtalia to deliver a slash to his exposed chest.
"L'arc!" Therese worried as she prepared another powerful spell.
"I'd worry about yourself first, you bitch!" Riza cursed as she and Silver jumped the otherworlder. Her claws and Silver's talons and metal feathers leaving several deep cuts and gashes on the magic caster before knocking her away from the battlefield and out of the fight.
Glass climbed to her feet, seeing their odds of victory dwindling as more yet another stand appeared to combat them. She sighed, it seemed they would not emerge from this battle victorious.
"L'arc, we're going," she told her teammate.
"N-not yet, we aren't!" He recalled.
Night Running rushed the lone Ren, who waited for it to get close.
"Blinding Lights!" The now named stand rushed forward, meeting L'arc's own and throwing blows back and forth. Despite being down an arm, Blinding Lights was capable of keeping up with the injured stand's attacks and threw a few of its own. Every strike that landed, a beam blasted out of the opposite end of the stand. The encounter ended when Wireframe joined the brawl and alongside Blinding Lights, landed a right hook to Night Running's cheek, L'arc going down after that strike, still conscious.
"L'arc." Glass said simply.
"I-it can't end like this, we can win." He struggled to climb to his feet.
"We will have more opportunities to battle. Let us use our time to plan and grow in strength," Glass reasoned with the beaten, bruised, and bleeding man.
"Fine," he spat out.
With an unconscious Therese thrown over her shoulder and supporting L'arc with her other arm, the three otherworlders began to float towards the swirls in the sky.
"You've won this battle, but it won't be the last time you see us," Glass warned.
"See ya around, Naofumi." He paused, "It feels weird to call you that, I think I'll just stick with kiddo."
And with that they vanished into sparkles and the wave ended.
Meeting up with the other heroes proved mostly fruitless, as Itsuki didn't really have a plan outside of helping around Melromarc to try and make up for his past actions, Motoyasu didn't really stick around to speak, and he already knew what Ren's plan was… sort of.
"You're leaving Melromarc?" Naofumi questioned, "How come?"
"I want to practice with Blinding Lights but I also want to spread the help, y'know?" Ren answered, "You said Fitoria was picking up our slack since we've only handled waves in Melromarc, right? I think it's time I try to correct that on my end."
"Ohhhh! A romantic trip around the world with my Ren? Dear, you're too much!" Riza squirmed in place.
"You're incorrigible."
"I don't even know what that means."
"Sigh."
"Don't say 'sigh' out loud!"
Never-the-less, Naofumi found himself back with his party, in the company of the Queen and Melty.
"So, Naofumi, what is it that you plan to do from here on? I would love to try and convince you to stay here, but with everything that's happened I can understand if you'd want to leave for another country, loath as I am to admit it." The Queen's words were answered quickly, Naofumi having long thought of his next course of action.
"I think I'll finally claim my reward for fighting the pope, progress has been steady since it began and I'd like to check up on it," he scratches the back of his head, "See how things are running."
"Progress?" The two demi-human girls glanced at the other, seeing if they knew what Naofumi was talking about.
"Don't worry about it," Silver reassured them, since Naofumi told her where to go, he told her it needed to be super secret so they could surprise her big sisters. She could handle that much, easy.
"Alright, you three, could you leave for a moment? I need to ask the Queen something alone."
"But Naofumi-" Raphtalia began
"You heard Daddy, let's go, hup hup." Silver ushered the taller women out of the room, Melty following her, smirking at their usual antics.
Once they had left and Naofumi was sure there was no eavesdropping going on, he looked the Queen in the eyes, "Has it been transported?" His previous steely gaze turned somber, undercurrents of anger running through them.
The Queen merely nodded, "It has."
"Thank you."
After a quick pit stop with Erhard and some others around Castle Town, Naofumi, Raphtalia, Rifana, and Silver were all on the road, with only two of them knowing their current destination. With nothing to stress about, no plots against them or immediate upcoming waves to worry about, the ride was enjoyable, the four chatting amicably as they traveled.
Eventually, Raphtalia and Rifana smelled it, the salt in the air. Peeking out from within the cart, the two came to enjoy a beautiful sight of the ocean, the very same ocean they had grown up with before the waves had robbed them of it. Passing the last of the hills, the four rode through what used to be Lurolona town, most buildings currently under reconstruction or fully completed.
The two demi humans were speechless, gazing upon what had once been the ruins of their homes, now nearly rebuilt in their entirety.
"'Fumi…" Rifana whispered in awe while Raphtalia could only cover her mouth with her hands as small tears dripped from her eyes.
"Construction has been going smoothly, I figured this would be a nice surprise, right?" Naofumi asked the two. The two continued to watch in shock, "No one else can touch this land, ok? I'm the lord of this region now, if anyone even tries to mess with this place, they deal with me and all of Queen Mirellia's political power." In all cases, that would be suicide.
"But… why here?" Raphtalia managed to speak out.
"I… figured we'd need a base to operate out of, to combat the waves I mean." Naofumi stutters out, "I couldn't imagine any other place being our base. I know how much it means to you two."
They rushed Naofumi, crushing him in a killer hug, momentarily catching Naofumi off guard. But he smiled and patted the tops of their heads as they buried their faces into his jacket. SIlver joined in the hug not long after.
An old, frail woman approached the four, leaning on a cane for support. She had neon pink hair and unblemished wrinkled skin. "Hello, Shield Hero. It's nice to see you've finally arrived." She offered a mournful smile.
"Hello to you too, I'm sorry it took this long," Naofumi apologized to the old woman.
"Naofumi? Who is this?" Rifana asks.
"This… is Elina's mother," he said softly.
Their heads swivel to the woman, tears building in the corners of her old eyes. To compare the monstrously sized Elina with such a small old woman was astounding, the two looked nothing alike beside the neon pink hair. The three women gazed between another in silence, neither Rifana nor Raphtalia truly knowing what to say. How do you speak to the mother of the person who sacrificed themselves to save you?
So after a bit, they just settled on some plain greetings and the group moved on.
"Naofumi? Why is she here?" Raphtalia asked.
"Because it's time we held Elina's funeral and it's only right that her mother is there to see it."
Some time passed, Naofumi showed them around the rebuilding town, seeing that the apothecary, witch, and others from Castle Town had moved to the town to aid in its reconstruction, and settle down when that had finished. He revealed his intention to have the two of them teach what they could to the new fisherman for a stable income, and he met up with the frail old woman he had healed during the second wave, all that time ago.
Finally, with dusk approaching and the hanging sun bathing the cliffs in a golden hue, the four members of the Shield Hero's family gathered at the edge of the cliff, a row of gravestones lining the edge already and a fresh hole dug to accommodate its newest resident.
Elina's body, dressed in her adventuring garb and with her shattered war axe laid over her chest was lowered into the hole as they all watched on silently. When their guests had finished giving their kind words and partings to the deceased, the family stepped up for their own final goodbyes.
Silver went up first, "When I first hatched, I always thought you were big, mean, and scary. And I ended up being right, but only for a little bit. You got nicer and nicer when you moved with us and you even protected us when a wave hit. I'm sorry I didn't talk to you more while you were here, Elina. I love you," she plucked off a metal feather and dropped it into the hole, nestling it in Elina's hands.
Rifana went up next, and stood silently for a while, just gazing upon who had once been the indomitable force that was Elina. "There isn't really a lot I can say that would really tell you what you meant to me, but I'll try anyway, I guess. When you joined, you were just this… unbeatable weapon that refused to back down to anything, and I really admired that about you. Sure, you were kind of a bitch at first but I'd like to think you grew out of that pretty quickly." She sighed, "We were axe buddies in life, and when I pass, we'll be axe buddies in death and one day, I'll finally outdrink you. I hope you'll be watching over me to see it." She leaned down and laid one of her older axes in Elina's arms.
Raphtalia headed up next, crying all the while, "You were absolutely insufferable… but you were there for us. For that, I'll never be able to repay you. I'm sorry you had to sacrifice yourself for me, but I promise I won't let it go to waste."
Naofumi stepped up last, silently looking over the body of his former party member, and his family. "I was really angry at you for a long time, Elina. I thought you had left me… but I understand that it wasn't your choice. The time you spent beside us was some of the greatest in my admittedly short memory, and we'll all miss you more than words can really express." He took a moment to pause, "Please, for the sake of all of us, rest in peace. We won't let you down on this side, so don't worry about any of us. We've gotten through tougher things before." He bends down and places a replica of the Legendary Shield (in looks only) atop her hands, "I would give you the real one if I could pry it off my arm, but I hope this will do instead. Thank you, Elina."
He paused before leaving, bent down once more and took a single piece of her war axe as a physical reminder of the woman she had been.
"I hope you enjoy your afterlife with your last party. We'll try not to join you too soon, alright?"
He walked away, the grave being filled and Elina finally being put to rest.
Elina's mother approached the somber hero, "I truly cannot thank you enough for all you've done for my daughter." She was sobbing, rivers of thankful tears pouring from her eyes.
"But… why? She died with us… she died because of us," Raphtalia begged the woman to reconsider, she should be furious, not thankful. It didn't make any sense.
"She didn't die because of you four," the frail woman meets them with a peaceful look, "She lived because of you four. When she came back home, my fierce and passionate daughter was gone. She was replaced by a miserable and grieving woman who just looked like her. I refused to let her go back into adventuring work because it was just too dangerous, but all that did was smother her. And I'll admit, when she ran off to join you four without my permission, I was furious. But then I saw her walk through town just a bit later, trailing after you four like a lost puppy and I knew she was finally back. You brought my daughter back, Shield Hero. Even though I never got to see her again, I'm glad, so, so, glad that my daughter was happy before she died. So truly, from the bottom of my heart, thank you all."
With that, the woman left the group to sit beside her daughter's grave. The golden shower of light bathing the two in a tragically gorgeous display.
They stood there a while, as people offered their condolences, even Forh solemnly saying, 'she wasn't bad for a human.' Eventually, they all left, returning to their work or retiring for the night, and the group remained, basking in the presence and warmth of one another.
"So what do we do now, 'Fumi?" Rifana asked, her tears having long dried up.
"Now…" Naofumi paused, "We wait."
Naofumi Iwatani
Class: Shield Hero
Level 72
Legendary Shield,「Wireframe」
Bizarre Otherworldly Clothing
ATK: 83
DEF: 631
MATK: 74
MDEF: 484
DEX: 201
AGI: 285
Stand Arrow Charge: 12%
Raphtalia
Class: Demi-Human Knight
Level 71
Custom Sword,「Blood Drain」
Swordswoman's Dress
ATK: 293
DEF: 173
MATK: 250
MDEF: 106
DEX: 180
AGI: 293
Rifana
Class: Demi-Human Rampager
Level 71
Custom Axe, Magic Steel Dagger,「I've Been A Fool」
Short Furred Covering
ATK: 336
DEF: 147
MATK: 114
MDEF: 108
DEX: 309
AGI: 408
Silver
Class: Adult Filolial Queen
Level 71
Steel Wings
ATK: 296
DEF: 367
MATK: 298
MDEF: 439
DEX: 141
AGI: 292
Wireframe
Power:
D
Speed:
C
Range:
C
Durability:
E
Precision:
C
Development Potential:
A
I've Been A Fool
Power:
C
Speed:
E
Range:
C
Durability:
C
Precision:
A
Development Potential:
C
Blood Drain
Power:
B
Speed:
B
Range:
B
Durability:
B
Precision:
C
Development Potential:
D
Night Running
Power:
C
Speed:
B
Range:
C
Durability:
B
Precision:
C
Development Potential:
D
Blinding Lights
Power:
B
Speed:
D
Range:
A
Durability:
D
Precision:
A
Development Potential:
C
Fahrenheit
Power:
A
Speed:
A
Range:
D
Durability:
C
Precision:
C
Development Potential:
C
Notes:
Yo! This took way too long to write! L'arc's stand was kicking me in the ass and I just couldn't figure out a decent stand/description to give him. I went through three whole drafts of the wave until I finally settled on what's written now, and I gotta say I'm pretty satisfied.
Anyway, this was a big chapter. Two new stands, the first proper stand fight, and putting Elina to rest. A lot happened and I got a decent bit to talk about. Firstly, L'arc's stand. Anything it grabs with its hands and connects with its palm holes can have intense vibrations channeled through it to deal major internal/structural damage, so with that what you will. Secondly, Ren's stand. I got inspiration for this from Hit from Dragon Ball Super. The beams are basically hit's cool punch effects, y'know the ones I'm talking about. I just thought those were neat. In other stand related news, please let me know how I did with the stand fights. I know they were kind of short, but I couldn't have L'arc just automatically be a master of his stand like certain JoJo characters.
Next, where is Rishia? I have some half baked plans for her right now, but I'm going to wait for the second season to drop before I finalize those plans. Other non-canon events will also be taking place and I have an entire non-canon arc that will make up a considerable portion of Motoyasu's character redemption in this story, so that will be exciting.
Finally, yup, this is goin on hiatus till the second season. I know I've said it before, but I'm saying it again here. Before then, however, I'll occasionally drop some Stand Fight Specials, so let me know of some stands you want Naofumi and Wireframe to fight if you haven't already, either in the reviews or just PM me.
See you guys next time :)
- RandomA99