Pandora Hero Chronicles
Chronicle 2: A Cruel Reality
" Zweit Lightning Shot!" Myra called as she shot a beam of lightning at the guards blocking our way. She then held out her right hand and a black aura surrounded her hand.
" Burn to cinders! Chaos Fireball!" A large black fireball shot out of her hand and raced at the guards and landed on the mark, knocking them into the ground again. The light behind us has dissipated and the guards who were blinded had began regaining their eyesight. Myra took my hand and we ran off again, passing by the fallen guards. I saw some numbers generated in my eyes and figured out that we had gained EXP from that short encounter. From taking out those guards, we had raised about 3 levels.
Level Up!
James Level 14
Myra 14
All stats 8
Skill Obtained! (Hero) learned Burning Slash.
(Mage/Cleric) learned Thunderbolt.
20 Gacha Coins earned from leveling up 3 levels at once.
Ooh, we learned a skill from that! And, we got those Gacha Coins that was mentioned in the Quest from earlier. Well, we need to find a safe place to try this out. Myra and I ducked in an alleyway a couple blocks away from the guards and we hid in the shadows as multiple guards raced past the alleyway, not noticing us as they passed by. Myra and I peeked out from the shadows and sighed as the guards were out of sight. I leaned against the wall and wiped the sweat from my forehead. The sword morphed back into Pandora and I looked at Myra as she looked down.
"Everything okay?" I asked her and she blushed as she shook her head, "Anything you wanna get off your chest? I'm all ears." Myra looked up at me and sighed.
"Those guards… They were part of the Royal Guard. They aren't supposed to leave their post at the castle unless it was something important," Myra said and I raised an eyebrow, "Something is very wrong. I know they are probably gunning for us… But, it seemed like they weren't trying to harm us."
"Didn't seem that way to me…" I muttered and Myra shook her head, "Well, they are your guards, so you know them better than me. What seemed off?"
"I… I don't know. It's just a feeling…" Myra said softly and I then realized something. Myra might be hinting towards Malty and Naofumi and that whole mess that took up most of Season 1 of the anime.
"Well, I am trusting your words. Let's be on the lookout from here on out, okay?" I said to her and she nods her head slowly and we turned to walk back onto the street when a voice called us from the dark alley. We looked behind us and a man in a business suit and a top hat stood at the edge of for shadows, fixing his glasses on his face. Myra frowned and walked up to him and stood in front of him.
"It has been a while, Lady Myra. I can see you made a friend," he said as he smiled at her. She sighed and nods her head.
"I am here to ask for a favor. Are you still in business?" She asked him and he chuckled at that, "Okay. Lead the way, then. I have the money for it."
"Of course… And, remember. Not one word to anyone," he said solemnly as he turned his back to her and walked into the shadows. She motioned for me to follow her and I did. This was the slave trader where Naofumi found Raphtalia from. I wonder if she is there now…
-Scene Skip; 7:00 P.M.; En Route to Slave Trader's Tent-
We have been walking through the rough part of the kingdom for a few hours, stopping for an hour to get some food for lunch and avoiding the guards patrolling the streets. On the way, there were some robbers that stopped us in an alleyway that we took and went in to attack us. Well, we beat them with little effort and leveled up again about 2 levels. Now, we were both level 6.
Level Up!
James 46
Myra 46
All Stats 3
10 Gacha Coins
That brings up my Gacha Coins count to 30 now. I am still curious on how I can use them and what they can get me. We did complete one of the objectives on the Main Story Quest, so I feel comfortable. Plus, I have been thinking on what type of Demi Humans he has in cages. If he weren't a plot heavy character, I would've probably skipped him entirely. But, whatever… I needed teammates. And, we can raise them and give them a good life. Anyway, we made it to our destination… Which was a large orange and red circus tent. We went inside and I looked around at the small office area he had set up in the front of the tent and continued on to the back behind the slave trader and Myra. When we got to the back, I stopped and looked at the many large cages stacked on top of each other and several different types of species of Demi-humans packed in the many cages. I looked around at the cages as we passed by them. This looked more horrifying up close than seeing it on a screen. Some of the Demi-humans were lying on the cage floor, coughing and wheezing while others were curled up in the corners of the cages. This made me sick to my stomach and I was holding myself together to not just jump this man and free all of them. Realistically, I couldn't care for all these Demi-humans. I needed to be smart and not emotional. So, I sucked in a deep breath and stopped when I saw a pair of Demi-humans about elementary school kid age with small dragon wings and a dragon tail behind both of them. One was a boy with short and spiky black hair and green eyes and the other was a little girl with crimson red hair and Crimson red eyes. The boy and girl both had fair skin and their wings were colored the same way their hair was colored: the boy had black dragon wings and the girl had Crimson red dragon wings. Their tails were the same color, too. They stared at me with curiosity and fear mixed as they backed away from the bars. The boy stood protectively in front of the girl. They were cute and the had some dirt and scratches on their bodies, too. I knelt in front of their cage and smiled softly to them.
"It's okay. I am not here to hurt you," I said to them kindly and they slowly scooted away from me, "I promise. I will not harm you." I looked down and reached into my pocket and pulled out an apple. The slave trader and Myra were watching me as I placed the apple in the cage and nudged it in so that it rolled towards them. It stopped in front of the boy and he looked at it for a second before slowly reaching down to pick it up. He looked at it and back at me, in which I gave a warm smile. He used his sharp 2 inch nails to cut the apple in half and handed half to the girl.
"Normally I would advise my customers to not feed the merchandise… But, from what I can tell from you, oh legendary Hero… I think you have a good idea on how to communicate with them," the slave trader said and I looked up at him with a smirk and back at the dragon Demi-humans as they took small bites of the apple. They perked up at me as they heard the word Hero.
"Hero?" the boy said and the girl stayed silent as she ate the apple, "As in, the 4 Cardinal Heroes?"
"Well, technically yes. But, I am what is known as a Legacy Hero," I said and realized he had said his first word, "You understand me?" He nods his head and I rubbed my chin.
"Ah, one of the lost Legacy Heroes! Now, that's a rare find! I have heard many stories about them! Unfortunately, that was a long time ago, so my memory is hazy," the slave trader said as he fixed his jacket and looked at me, "Tell you what… Choose any of these Demi-humans and I will sell them to you for 2 gold coins!" Myra looked at me and I looked at the Dragon Demi-humans with a smile.
"These 2, then. I don't know… I just feel a kinship with them," I said and the slave trader came over to me and unlocked the cage for them to come out. They slowly walked out of the cage and stayed with each other as the slave trader took them to the office with Myra and myself walking behind him.
"Are you sure about this? I mean, they look quite young," Myra said and I nodded my head, "Just know that Demi-humans have a faster growth rate than normal humans." Oh, I knew that. But, she didn't know that I knew that.
"How fast we talking?" I asked her curiously as I leaned in close to her.
"By the end of the month, they will be teenagers," She said and I flinched at that. Wow, I thought it would be the end of the week for some reason. Then again, when Raphtalia became a teenager by episode 3… Almost a month had passed, so that is plausible.
"Well, that's pretty fast," I said and she smirked at me.
"Let's get this over with, am I right?" she said and I nodded my head. We arrived at the office and saw the slave trader trace a Slave Crest on both the boy and girl. The crests glowed and both of them gasped in pain and fell to their knees in pain. I went over to them and checked on them.
"They will be all right… The Slave Crests will make sure they won't disobey an order from you," he said as I rubbed their backs. Then, my HUD appeared in my eyes and it registered the 2 Demi-humans as companions. I then looked back down at then and decided to learn their names.
"What are your names? Or, do you have names?" I asked them and they looked at me in fear, "You don't have names?" They shook their heads and I sighed and stood up while thinking of names for them.
"Are you siblings?" They nodded their heads.
"Fraternal Twins, in fact. Unfortunately, they have been slaves their whole lives," the slave trader said and I gritted my teeth at that, "They were never named, so you get the right to name them." I looked at them and realized something. The girl looked kinda like Stella Vermillion from Chivalry of a Failed Knight if she were in elementary school and the boy kinda looked like an earlier sketch of a character I used to draw in middle school named Bradley Phoenix. Okay, I got the names.
"Okay, here's your new names. You will be named (Bradley)," I said to the boy and he blinked at me before nodding his head. I turned to the girl and she blushed while looking away from me.
"And, you will be named… (Stella)." She looked at me and smiled small at me while still eating the half apple from earlier. Then, my HUD appeared again in my eyes and the slave name holder disappeared and Stella and Bradley's names appeared in the places of the slave name holders.
Name: Bradley Vermillion
Class: Slave Rouge/Fighter
Weapon: None
Equipment: None
Level: 1
STR: 14
DEX: 10
DEF: 10
VIT: 7
INT: 9
LUCK: 4
MAG: 15
HP: 100
MP: 300
Elemental Affinity: ???
Skills: ???
Name: Stella Vermillion
Class: Slave Knight
Weapon: None
Equipment: None
Level: 1
STR: 15
DEX: 10
DEF: 12
VIT: 10
INT: 7
LUCK: 5
MAG: 20
HP: 150
MP: 400
Elemental Affinity: ???
Skills: ???
Whoa! I was not expecting both twins to have high Magic and strength from the get-go! That's incredible! Well, at the cost of very little luck… Which is ironic. We can work on that. We better get these guys a warm bed and some real food. Maybe there is an inn that is not full at this time of night. I looked back at Myra and she smirked at me, knowing what I was thinking.
"All right, you 2. From here on out, you need to pull your weight and help me protect this world from suffering like you 2 did," I said as I pat them on the heads, "And, I know that is a tall order… But, I believe in you both. You are very strong, I can tell. You survived on your own so far, so that counts for something."
"Will we have to fight?" Bradley asked me and I nodded my head, "I wanna be able to protect you… Master."
"You don't have to call me Master. James is fine… That's Myra, my friend," I told him as I knelt down in front of him.
"OK, Master James. I wanna call you Master or Master James since you are taking care of us," Bradley told me and I sighed, shrugging my shoulders. This is gonna take some getting used to…
"Be… Gentle… With us," Stella said as she looked at me and I smiled warmly at her. Her voice sounded so sweet, it melted my heart.
"I will try my best," I said to them. I stood up and looked over at Myra, who was paying the man some gold coins. He also handed her a weird looking miniature gold hourglass that was attached to a rope necklace. She puts it on around her neck and stuffed it in her shirt for safekeeping.
"Thank you for your business, you 2. Come see me again," he said and Myra came over to me.
"What was that you put away?" I asked her and she shushed me as she ushered us out of the tent, "Thanks again."
"My pleasure, Lady Myra. Safe travels," he said and we left out of the tent.
"Let's get to an inn and we can discuss what I received in private. There is one nearby," Myra said quietly as she looked up and down the dark street. Stella and Bradley stuck to my sides as Myra pushed me away from the tent.
-Scene Skip; Inn; Several Minutes Later; 7:45 P.M.-
Myra walked away from the front desk and came over to me as I had Stella in my lap, sleeping soundly while Bradley stayed awake and was looking around. Myra had a solemn look on her face again as she came over to us.
"What is it? Will he let us have a room?" I asked her and she shushed me again.
"Yes, but we have to take a cheap room. Most of the people here don't take kindly to Demi-humans and will lash out if they find them," she said softly, "Here. Hand me Stella and you keep Bradley with you." I handed Stella over to Myra and she carried the sleeping child in her arms as Bradley stood up at the same time as I did and held my hand as we went into a room in the far back of the Inn and went inside. The room wasn't very spacious and had only one bed on the floor.
"Sorry… It's all I could do for now."
"Myra, don't apologize. It's what we will deal with in the future. I will sleep on the floor and you and the kids can sleep on the bed," I told her and Bradley looked at me quizzically.
"Master? Why are you sleeping on the floor? I can…" Bradley said and I pat him on the head.
"It's all right, Bradley. You and Stella need to try and rest. I got some things to do before going to bed," I told him, "Myra will lull you to sleep." Bradley looked at me and I pet him on the head. He smiled small and went over to his sister's side, laying beside her and holding her close. I smiled as Myra sat beside them and hummed a little tune to them, looking down at them while rubbing Stella and Bradley on their backs. I stood up and looked at Myra with a calm look on my face.
"What are you gonna be doing?" Myra asked me and I turned to the door. I looked back at her and smirked.
"I am gonna patrol the rooftops for a bit… Make sure no guards are gonna be jumping us," I told her and noticed a cloak hanging on the wall with a hood on the hook it was being hung from. I took it off the wall and looked at it fully. Then, my HUD pops up out of nowhere and scanned the hooded cloak.
Equipment: Darkness Cloak
Rarity: Rare
Stats: Grants 10 to DEX and VIT
Ability: Grants Shadow Step ability (Allows wearer to get Shadow Step, allowing them to step in any Shadow they want, including other people's shadows. Works exceptionally well in Stealth missions and nighttime)
A cloak that grants a new ability? What the hell was this doing hanging in this room? I shrugged my shoulders and put it over my shoulders, fitting the hood over my head and closing the door behind me. I looked down the dimly lit hallway and noticed there were shadows going up and down the hallway were the candles were not lighting and I slipped into the nearest Shadow beside me. It was like going into water, almost… You get that feeling when you jump into the water, it feels like you're floating… Right? Well, multiply that by 5 times… And, imagine that your head is trapped in a clamp. It's almost painful, but I managed to keep my sanity and keep going. The more I stayed in the shadows, however… The less the pain stayed. It was as if I was rapidly getting used to staying in the shadows. And, just like that… I got the hang of it. When the pain went away completely, I started moving through the shadows of the hallway and made it to the front office. I went to the front door and went outside into the night and came out of the shadows. Then, I looked around and went to the rooftops and took a scan of the area using my HUD to scan for any guards. Well, it was quiet mostly… And, it was still too early to turn in for the night. So, I decided to check out those Gacha Coins that I received and a small gold sack appeared in my hands. I opened it and saw some gold coins with a logo of a G on the front and back of the coins. Then, my HUD displayed this message in front of me.
Congrats, Hero! You have earned Gacha Coins! You can spend them in a Gacha lottery that is always open at any time of the day and night. All you need to do is hold out 2 coins out in your hand and let the coins do the rest. Good luck!
Chances: -Common, 50%; Uncommon, 40%; Rare, 35%; Super Rare, 30%; Ultra Rare, 25%; Legendary Rare, 15%-
Types of Rewards: Weapons, Medicine, Equipment, Tomes, Summons, Party Members
Wait, I can get people out of this?! What the hell?! That seems ludicrous! How would that work?! Summons? Ooh, that sounds interesting… What kind of Summons we talking about? I took out 2 coins and held them out in front of me in the palm of my hand. They disappeared into thin air and my HUD displayed in front of me, showing me a new screen that had the chances and types of rewards lined up vertically in 2 rows neatly and an arrow beside the chances on the left side. It began scrolling through the choices and stopped on Ultra Rare and Weapon. A golden broadsword with red markings on the blade appeared out of nowhere in front of me and I grabbed it out of the air in front of me. I took a look at it and hummed in curiosity. The sword itself was bright golden with red markings on the blade and looked like it was coated in orange flames. A description appeared next to the sword and I read it.
Weapon: Laevateinn
Rarity: Ultra Rare
Description: A weapon wielded by Stella Vermillion in Chivalry Of A Failed Knight. A powerful Device that can take the form of a golden broadsword and can manipulate the flames of its wielder into anything they want.
User: One who is of Dragon descent
Stats: 50 to all stats and grants Fire Elemental Affinity to wielder
Damage Output: 60 Damage per swing
Oh my god… Yeah, definitely giving this to Stella when she gets a little older and can control her powers. Well, before the 1st Wave anyway. Not a bad pull for my first go at this. I stored the weapon away in my inventory and took more coins out and held it out in front of me. The coins disappeared like the 1st 2 and my HUD pops up the Gacha Lottery screens. This time, the arrow stopped on Super Rare and Weapon. Now, a spear that looked oddly familiar appeared in front of me and I nabbed it, staring at its description. This… Surprised me.
Name: Green Heart's Spear
Rarity: Super Rare
Description: The primary weapon of Green Heart, CPU of Leanbox. She is rarely seen without her trusty weapon and can fell any enemy with it without fail.
User: A CPU or a descendant of a CPU or CPU Candidate
Stats: 30 to all stats and grants Wind Elemental Affinity to wielder
Damage Output: 40 Damage per attack
Skill Obtain: Sylhet Spear, Rainy Rantapara, Photon Verity, Inbetween Spear
What the hell?! I got Green Heart's main weapon?! Okay, seriously… First, I got Stella's main weapon from Chivalry of a Failed Knight, and now I got Green Heart's main weapon from Hyperdimension Neptunia! What next, a character from another series or some random healing item?! Well, if it's like that… I could give this to Bradley. Well, what can hurt from that? I put the spear away and I pulled out 2 more coins and repeated the process. This time, it landed on Legendary Rare and Party Members. Oh, shit… Did I just jinx myself? Out of nowhere, a portal appeared in front of me and I fell back onto the rooftop as a girl with short purple hair lands in front of me and lands face first on the roof. She groaned and shook her head, rubbing it softly as she sat up and looked at me. She wore a parka hoodie that looked kinda big on her and D-Pad clips in her hair and lilac purple eyes.
"Hey, umm… Sorry about that. Looks like I jumped into some random portal and landed in another dimension again, huh?" She said and looked around, "Weird. Looks all old fashioned, too. Mind telling me where I am?" I blinked in shock at the figure laying on the ground in front of me. It was fucking NEPTUNE AKA PURPLE HEART! OH, SHIT! I royally screwed up on this one… How do I get her back home?! My HUD appeared in my eyes and displayed a message to me.
Do not worry. This is a copy of Neptune from the Prime realm, not the other Neptune you see in the games prior. She was told in advance on going on a dangerous journey. Fill her in on who you are and what you are doing, okay? You will not have to worry about sending her back. Since this is also a copy, she will thin she is just in another dimension instead of a whole different universe.
THAT DOESN'T HELP MUCH! JEEZ, SELF AWARE AI OR SOME SHIT! I took a deep breath and shook my head while standing up. My HUD also displayed her stats.
Name: Neptune
Alias: CPU Purple Heart
Class: ???
Weapon: Katana
Equipment: Pudding Surplus, Parka Hoodie
Level: 1
STR: 18
DEX: 18
DEF: 15
VIT: 18
INT: 12
LUCK: 25
MAG: 10
HP: 1000
MP: 200
SP: 500
Elemental Affinity: Fire, Wind, Ice, Lightning, Light
Skills: Blaze Break, Critical Edge, Victory Slash, Cross Combination, Thunder Edge, Jumping Arts, Dual Edge
Well, she's a Goddess. So, that is expected of her to have really good stats. Shit, how do I explain this to Myra and the kids? I looked down and sighed, finally figuring out what to tell Neptune.
"Okay, so… I should warn you ahead of time. This world can kick your ass if you joke around too much. I know exactly who you are, Lady Purple Heart. But, we have never met nor am I from your world," I told her and Neptune looked at me in shock, "My name is James Edward Scott. I am the Pandora Hero, a Legacy Hero. I am here to mark my place in this world and kick royalty in the ass for fucking up this world so badly." I also explained to her what the Waves are and what can happen in this world if she isn't careful.
"But, I will not let any harm come to you, Neptune. I promise… Although, you will have to listen to my orders perfectly and not laze around." She was uncharacteristically silent to my explanation and it unnerved me to no end.
"Neptune?"
"Yeah? I'm just taking this all in," Neptune said as she nods her head, "From what you told me, this place sucks. But, with you around… It will suck a little less. All right, you have my full support. Just a couple of conditions."
"Okay?" I said and she stood up.
"I will need to cash in on those Gacha Coins you have," Neptune said and I flinched at that, "Listen, if those coins can realistically bring stuff from my world, too… It might be the best way to gain better weaponry and equipment. Using the resources I have at my disposal, am I right?" Oh, well… That is a smart thing to think about.
"Well, I am the only one that can earn them, so you will have to ask me for them. But, not every second. There are points where we will not be able to get any breaks, so you will be pushed to your limits," I told her and she sighed while rubbing the back of her head.
"Yeah, I kinda figured. Well, I can get behind that. Okay, 2nd thing… Working bathrooms," Neptune said and I pinched the bridge of my nose.
"That's a no. I have no idea if toilets are possible here. We have to rawdog it out in these streets," I told her and she shuddered at me.
"Well, that sucks even more. But, fine… How about good food? Pudding in case I run out of my own pudding?" Neptune said and I blinked while thinking about it.
"I.. Can arrange good food. We have a princess with us so we can get some good food at inns when we can. Right now, the food thing is on hold until we get on the road," I told her and Neptune nods her head, "However, pudding… I can try and figure out how to make some since they aren't sold in this time period."
"Good enough… Well, I will have to eat my Pudding sparingly," Neptune said and I raised an eyebrow. I swear, she is more cooperative than I thought. No temper tantrums of any sort…
"You are taking this lighter than I thought," I said and she smirked at me.
"Histy always said that I need to act my age. So, this is gonna be good practice for me," she said and I swear I never thought I wanted to kiss a tome so much in my life. Histoire, you are a godsend…
"Final thing, I want to get some new threads. If I wanna fit in to this world, I need to look the part," Neptune said and I raised an eyebrow.
"Well, I can do another pull and see what I can get for now," I said to her and pulled out 2 more Gacha Coins, bringing my coin count to 22. The Gacha Lottery appeared in my HUD again and it landed on Ultra Rare again and Equipment this time. An outfit that Neptune recognized from one of her previous adventures appeared in front of her. She snatched it out of the air and smiled at it while looking at it fully. I checked the description of the outfit and I WAS SHOCKED. This outfit had crazy stats for this early in the adventure!
Name: Neptune's Paladin Outfit
Game Originated: Cyberdimension Neptunia: 4 Goddesses Online
Rarity: Ultra Rare
Description: The Paladin outfit Neptune's character wore in the beta testing of this game that came out worldwide in Gamindustri at this time. With the help of the other Goddesses and Candidates, she helped stop an evil threat within cyberspace and saved the world in game. With this outfit, the wearer gains the Paladin Class and Double Edged Broadsword and Elemental Affinity Holy.
Stats: 150 to all Stats
Benefits: Allows the user to transform into CPU form in the form of an angel like in 4 Goddesses Online, all basic attacks have different elemental effects on each swing,
Weapon Equipped: Double Edged Broadsword
Oh my fucking goodness! What is this?! Neptune just got broken equipment on the first try! To be fair, once I give this staff and sword to Bradley and Stella… They will be able to get some crazy affinities. I should get something for Myra… Hopefully whatever I get can really benefit her. So, I pulled 2 more coins and pulled again. This time, it landed on Super Rare and Weapon. A familiar looking purple and yellow staff appeared in front of me and I nearly gasped out loud. I snatched the staff out of the air and looked immediately at the description.
Name: Dark Magician's Staff
Rarity: Super Rare
Description: The staff of the legendary servant of the lost Pharaoh, Dark Magician. Most anime fans would recognize the sight of it and would last for it if they had the chance to own one. Grants Dark elemental affinity and allows the wielder to use the Dark Arts.
Stats: 50 to all stats And 25 more to MP
User: A Mage or a Cleric
Damage Output: 50-75 damage
Yep, definitely giving this to Myra! I cannot believe this luck! Must have something to do with my high Luck stat. I put the staff away and put the pouch away as Neptune puts on the Paladin outfit and stores her Parka Dress away in her inventory as a broadsword appeared on her back.
"Much better. This will take some getting used to. Hey, you said you have teammates earlier?" Neptune said and I nodded my head.
"Don't worry. I will tell her the truth. She knows I am from another world, after all," I said and she nods her head, "I can trust her." Neptune nods her head and I grabbed her hand, taking her into the shadows. Okay, maybe not the best idea… Because Neptune freaked out and I had to keep her quiet while she had to work through the same thing I went through earlier. When she was calm enough, we moved through the shadows back to our room. We made it back safely and came out of the shadows. She bent over and took deep breaths.
"Don't… Ever do that again. At least, not with me around," Neptune said as she panted with relief.
"No promises. We may need to sneak through stuff like Metal Gear," I said to her and she looked at me, "But, I won't do it often." Neptune sighed and shook her head. I took her into the room… And saw Myra rubbing Bradley and Stella on the heads, comforting them as they clutched onto Myra tightly. She looked at me and saw Neptune.
"It's gonna be a bit hard to explain, Myra… But, just know we can trust her. Her name is Neptune," I told her, "She's a goddess, but not in the traditional sense." Myra sat up ad Neptune rubbed the back of her head.
"Yeah, not sure how to explain it myself… But, I assure you, I am a Goddess," Neptune told Myra as she walked over to the bed, "For now, let's get some shut eye. I'm beat…" Neptune plops on the bed and fell asleep instantly. I slapped my forehead and sighed.
-Scene Skip; The Next Day-
I slowly opened my eyes and raised my head to look around the room. I was sitting on the floor in a corner, watching my party sleep when I dozed off. It was morning and my clock read 9:22 A.M. as well. I noticed that Neptune and Stella were missing and Bradley and Myra were fast asleep. I quickly sat up and looked around the room. Then, the door to our room opened up and Stella and Neptune came in, holding some food and drinks in their hands with old looking dinnerware. They noticed that I was awake and came over to me to give me a cup and a plate of food.
"Thanks," I said and looked at Bradley and Myra as they began to wake up, "Good morning, I guess?"
"This wasn't easy to get. There are guards outside, looking for you guys. They have wanted posters of you and is asking for Myra," Neptune said as she looked at us.
"Jeez. This might be troublesome," I said as I took a sip from the cup, "Is that tea? It's good."
"Yep. Jasmine tea, weirdly enough," Neptune said as she took a sip from her cup, "Vert would love this stuff."
"I bet," I muttered as I closed the door behind then, "Let's not waste any time here. We need to eat and move out, quickly. If we dawdle, they could come in here and take us away. Oh, by the way Myra… Catch." I called out the Dark Magician's Staff from my inventory and tossed it to Myra. She caught it and puts her Mage Staff away. Her hands started to darken and she took a deep breath.
"Whoa… I feel stronger," Myra said as she looked at me, "Okay, then. Let's hurry and eat breakfast." So, we ate in silence and quickly finished our food. I had already told Myra about Neptune and where she came from and as well as the Gacha Coins and she was… Actually on board with using them whenever we can. I updated the party on what our next objective was… And, our goal for the next few days. I wanted to get Bradley, Stella, and Neptune caught up with myself and Myra as well as get to Naofumi's betrayal meeting. If I can at least call out the king and Malty on their bullshit, then that should sway public opinion. But, at the same time… What if they will expect us? Would we be captured? I mean, if the Quest gave me a bonus objective… Then, it shouldn't screw me over right? Hopefully not… Well, if memory serves me right… It takes a few days before the trial. So, I can get my team grinded up. Well, things are gonna be a bit hard for us right now, so… It's best to head out and try not to attract any attention to ourselves. Hmm… But, if any of the guards are outside and they target Stella or Bradley… Then, we are in trouble. I then had an idea.
"Myra, do you have any spare hoods?" I asked her and she looked at me.
"I found some more last night… I know what you are thinking," Myra said as she placed the hoods on Bradley and Stella. The hooded cloaks went over their body perfectly and Myra smirked at her handiwork.
"Good, next… Nep, you need to change back into your Parka Hoodie. Trust me, I know what I am doing," I said and she nods her head and changed back into her Parka Hoodie. Myra placed a cloak over Neptune's body and Neptune pulls her hood over her head.
"Good. Now, stay close and follow me closely," I said and I went to the door, "If anything goes south, we meet up at the Outskirts. Nep, you're with me. Myra, take the kids."
"Roger/Yeah," Myra and Neptune said at the same time. We went out the door and out of the Inn. When we got out onto the streets, there was a commotion that halted our progress. There was a group of guards dragging Naofumi away! What?! This is bad… It seems the time table has sped up!
"What's going on, Master?" Bradley asked me as he looked on.
"Change of plans: Myra, get Neptune and the kids to the Outskirts Of town immediately. I will catch up with you soon… I have to do this," I said as I looked at Myra.
"Where are you going? Back to the castle?" she asked me seriously.
"Remember that I said I knew a few things? Well, those things are happening faster than I originally anticipated. I need to do this before it gets worse. I promise that I will be all right," I told her as I looked at her, "There is no time. Go!" I turned away and rushed off after the guards.
"Be careful!" Neptune called after me and I ran into an alleyway.
"All right… Shadow Step, " I said and vanished into the shadows. This is gonna get ugly… And I don't like it.
-Scene Skip; Several Minutes Later; Melromarc Castle-
I slipped out of the shadows of the castle and scaled the wall to where the throne room was and stayed hidden from view. I waited until I heard Naofumi's voice yelling in anger.
"You can't be serious! I didn't do anything wrong!" he yelled as I took a look from my spot on the windowsill. He was being held by several guards as they held spears around him. The other 3 heroes stood by and watched this while Malty stood with the simp, Motoyasu. The king sat on his throne, staring daggers at Naofumi.
"You are not gonna talk your way out of this, Accursed Shield Hero! You defiled my daughter after she has shown you much faith!" Aultcray yelled in anger, pointing his finger at Naofumi.
"You are lying! I didn't lay a finger on her!" Naofumi yelled in anger. I waited for my chance to speak… But, fate had other plans. Suddenly, a light arrow skimmed past my cheek, cutting it slightly and I reeled back in shock from almost getting headshot. That was definitely Itsuki… Shit.
"Come out! You have some nerve, spying on us!" Itsuki called to me and I sighed while leaping down from my spot. I was still wearing the Darkness Cloak and the hood was still over my head so they couldn't see my face. I stood up straight and looked around. The room was silent as all eyes were on me.
"I'm sorry… Am I interrupting?" I asked sarcastically as I regained my composure from my 2nd near death. I am so gonna pay Itsuki back for that.
"Who are you?!" Aultcray yelled in anger as he glared at me.
"A passerby, nothing else. Couldn't help but overhear… Is this a trial?" I asked nonchalantly as I stepped forward. I secretly used Pandora to get a Crossbow ready… Just in case.
"This is kingdom matters, intruder! Leave at once!" Aultcray yelled.
"Okay, I'm going… Just wanted to hear, that's all. Besides, whatever happened to Innocent until Proven Guilty? Or Shotgun Cases? Because that's what this feels like to me," I said seriously as I shrugged my shoulders. Naofumi raised his eyebrows in realization as well as Ren when I mentioned Shotgun Cases. I guess they knew it was me… Oh, well. Cat's out of the bag… I pulled off my hood and revealed myself.
"You! Where is my daughter?!" Aultcray roared angrily as he rose up from his throne.
"I mean, isn't she standing beside you? And, isn't she walking perfectly fine for someone who was raped? Or is it just that she is too stubborn to admit it?" I asked calmly as I folded my arms, "I find 3 faults in her story immediately. And, I wasn't even here long to figure that out."
"How dare you call my Malty a liar!" Aultcray yelled as he took a step towards me. I pulled out the crossbow and smirked. Then, I bit my index finger and Itsuki fired another arrow at me. A drop of blood fell from my hand and it morphed into a tendril that grabs the arrow out of thin air.
"Wha… What the hell?!"
"Just shut up and listen to my defense, unless you want to be dethroned. Sit back down, now. And, Itsuki… Chill out. I'm not gonna harm anyone unless I have to," I called as I glanced back at the Bow Hero. Ren touched Itsuki on the shoulder and shook his head. The king growled and sat back down on the throne.
"What is that magic?" Malty said in horror as she watched the blood tendril circle around my body, "Are you a demon?"
"Zip it, prodigal liar. I know it, you know it, Naofumi knows it. And, my 3 reasons are spot on… And, don't get embarrassed if I get them right," I said darkly as I glare at her, "Shaming a Hero is the ultimate form of disrespect in my eyes. Especially since he is the most sensible out of these 4. Me, I call people out on their bullshit. Now, let's go over Fault #1 shall we?"
"Which is?" Aultcray growled sinisterly and I walked over to Naofumi.
"Naofumi, she has stated that you violently raped her while intoxicated. Is that correct?" I asked him as I made eye contact with him briefly. He looked at me and nods his head with a frown.
"But, that is far from the truth, correct? There lies Fault #1: If he was intoxicated, he would be severely hung over. Does he look hung over? I mean, I could be wrong and hangovers work differently. Plus, he doesn't look disheveled or a wreck does he?" No reply came from Malty as she looked right at me into my soul.
"Nope. Not at all… You would even smell alcohol on his breath even afterwards, too." There were murmurs all around the room from that as my blood tendril wraps around my arm.
"Now, Fault #2: Let's say Fault #1 is incorrect, which it isn't. But, let's just say it is. Malty said she was wearing that nightgown, right?" I pointed to the pink see through negligee that one of the guards was holding, fully intact and no tears on it.
"Yes!" Malty said quickly.
"How quickly you answer that, princess. But, therein lies the Fault in your accusation. Is it ripped in any way? Or rather… Is there any semen on it?" Malty blushed as Naofumi raised an eyebrow.
"I-I said he tore it off of me! You can't prove he didn't!" Malty called to me and I groaned.
"I just did, dipshit," I said plainly as I walked over to the guard and pointed to it, "Is there any tears on it? Is the straps broken? Plus, if you would have said a different one, then Fault #2 would be invalid. Also, even if you bring in another one that is ripped and miraculously had his cum on it… You pointed out that this is the dress he ripped off of you, not the other." Malty balked at that and I sighed as I went back over to Naofumi.
"Finally, Fault #3: Which is actually the best thing we can prove. If she had dried blood on her thighs, we can prove that she had been raped. Am I right?" Malty glared at me as she moved her hands to her thighs.
"And, you hide them. Why? Even if you wash off the blood, the smell of sex would still be on your body. Unless you used soap and hot water. And, let me tell you… The smell of sex doesn't leave the area." I took a whiff and shook my head.
"All I smell… Is your bullshit. But, what do I know? You would probably just kick me out and say, 'Heretic' or some dumb shit. But, that will not work so well in your favor. Know why?"
"Why?!" she asked me angrily with a blush. I motioned my hand around the room at the indifferent faces.
"Because you have lost your faith in your people by being exposed. Yeah, some of them will be in your side… But, look at all the others that have followed you and realized how full of shit you really are," I said as the guards let Naofumi go. He came to my side and looked at me.
"Don't thank me yet… Just give it an honest minute," I told him as he was about to thank me.
"Why should I believe a kidnapper like you?" Aultcray snarled and I smirked at that, "You find this funny?!"
"Yes… Yes, I honestly do. Your ego blinds you, Aultcray. That's why you will fall, and fall hard," I told him cryptically and he glared at me, "By your own. Let's get out of here, Naofumi. Oh, and watch your back… Now that you have been caught in a lie, this will spread out into the kingdom itself." Naofumi and I left out of the silent room as I heard something whizzing towards me. My blood tendril grabs it out of thin air and breaks it in half.
"If you wanna start something, don't do it behind my back," I said sinisterly as I glanced back at the king and Malty. I pulled out the Crossbow and shot a bolt at Aultcray and it hits the throne cushion beside his head. He gasped in shock as sweat drips from his forehead.
"Father! How dare you! You are no hero!" Malty yelled at me and I aimed my Crossbow at her.
"That was a warning shot. Best believe I won't miss next time," I warned her, "Stay away from the Shield Hero and my party. That's your warning… We are here to deal with the Waves and that is it. No help from you freaks… If all you do is shun Naofumi, then he will receive help from others that trust him, like me." I put the Crossbow away and moved Naofumi out the doors.
"…Thanks. You didn't have to…" he said and I held up my hand as the blood tendril swirled around it.
"Don't even mention it. You and I are on the same boat, so we look out for each other. For now, it's best that we go in separate parties to minimize the damage. They will undoubtedly be gunning for us both. So, I want you to…" I said and out of nowhere, a screen pops up and there was a letter appearing I the middle of the screen. What the shit was this?! I heard voices behind me and I swiped the screen away, grabbing Naofumi and stepping into the shadows, sinking inside of them. I had to cover Naofumi's mouth to make sure he didn't scream out as we were hiding in the shadows. There were guards passing by us and Motoyasu, the simp, and Malty followed behind them. Strangely enough, Ren and Itsuki weren't following behind them. When the guards and Motoyasu's party disappeared down the hallway, I slinked deeper into the shadows and down the shadows of the castle wall all the way back to where I first went into the shadows in the alleyway. I came out and Naofumi collapsed onto the ground, panting.
"Sorry about that. The noise must've attracted them. What was that? I never seen that before… Have you?"
"Are you joking? No!" he said as he stood up and sighed, "Is that something you have exclusively?" The letter screen came up again and I pressed on it. There was a silhouette of a man standing far away from the screen and he was staring at us intently with his blacked out face.
Hello, James Scott and Naofumi Iwatani. This is the first time we have met, actually. I am a helping hand, essentially. I am also the one who gave you the Gacha Coins, James. That Neptune is part of my universe, too. I told you I would explain everything…
Uhh… This is beyond meta.
-To Be Continued…-
-Surprise! A cliffhanger for you guys! Yeah, this will not be a thing. Anyway, few things to discuss… My team is already planned out, so no suggestions. Neptune and Stella are choices I wanted from the start. Bradley was just too good of a person to pass up, too! Now, this will be the team for the first Wave of Catastrophe. Next, 2 new members will be in the 2nd Wave. I will not spoil them to give some suspense for them. Now, the trial was vastly different than what you thought, huh? I basically had to highjack it for it to be remotely fair, but at least Naofumi will not be super pissed. Just regularly pissed. But, don't worry… That will have little impact, honestly. However, the king and Malty being caught in their lie early will have HIGE impacts in the story going along. Mainly because 2 of the heroes will not be on Naofumi's case as much. However, I want to make Motoyasu as stupid as possible, if that were possible. Why? Well, I hate him and I want to express that. Well, he has some redeeming qualities… I just can't see them. Anyway, next chapter will be exciting! Stay tuned for that! SONIK OUT! A/N.)
- End Chapter 2-