Disclaimer: I do not own Rising of Shield Hero
I wrote the first half of this chapter at home and the last half at my Aunt's cottage. I am too modest to mention more.
S(H_I^
Having amnesia he lost the common sense of not sticking his hands in his pockets when he rolled around. He wasn't sure what happened but there was a funny feeling in his wrists and that made it hard, struggling, exerting trying to pry his hands free.
All of a sudden a two-way screen flashed before his eyes. He could see numerous features shown on the screen, but it didn't help with his struggling. However, in the fleeting second it took for the screen to materialize...the red sky was gone reverting back to dark sky and cascading moonlight.
Ainny skimmed through the screen. From it he learned something about combination and experience, ergo if he put something near the ring it might be absorbed. Even though he could barely move he fiddled with his right leg until it jounced off the bedsheets and wriggled all the way to the drawer of the cabinet beside him. It opened only he still couldn't reach his arms for anything. He simply tried using his toes to move it out of the wedge keeping it inside.
With every twerk he felt a little better inside his head.
Slowly but surely the drawer was about to pop right out of the cabinet...it fell down but with a much louder crashing noise than Ainny expected even when over half of it landed on his belly.
"What's that noise?!" One of the maids outside his room yelped.
Ainny clutched his hands on a ring inside the drawer like he thought there would be when the door crimped open. He wasn't alone now. The maid who shunned him before came in looking at Ainny sprawled under a drawer with a cold gaze in her eyes. She stood there motionless for a full minute before she broke her solemn posture taking a breath in and sighing out.
"I'll get you back to bed." she said.
Although she seemed to have a very cold demeanor from his first impression of her the way she lifted the cupboard off with a hand under it and a hand on the knob was almost the same as a mother gently lifting her baby out of the cradle. Not only did she lift it so cautiously, she had the knowledge to help pry his hands out of his pockets before lifting him up and placing him on his bed.
"Thank you for helping..." Without even glancing back when he murmured out a compliment she jolted to the door and walked out, slamming the door so loud it probably woke up the rest of the servants. "me."
The maid moved slowly, cautiously through the hall. It wasn't her intent to be in Ainny's room, he just happened to cause a commotion while she was on her way to see her informant. It was no surprise even to Synyoug she couldn't stand being a maid for him. Ergo, she would pay an informant to find ways for her to free herself from her shackles.
She walked down a quarter-turn set of stairs into a room with a blue luminescent lamp, black and white stones in the floors, and a black corroded glass mahogany bookcase she didn't know or cared if it had books inside.
At the far end of the room there was an ancient looking man. He had rectangular red earrings slanted so the edges were facing upwards and downwards, tufts of white hair, a red mask that had no blepharon's only a completely red orbicular and three yellow teeth on its teeth, and he was cladded in a violet cape with tiny glittering white specks that almost resembled stars especially when they were shinning brighter than the lamp. Although she couldn't tell what expression he had with that mask over his face, she could guess he relished her service with his smarmy tone.
"Welcome back, valued customer. I'm always happy to help with your expenditure."
She reached into her little front pocket in her maid apron surprisingly big enough to fit all sorts of useful things from knives to flasks but she pulled out a leather pouch from it.
His hands covetously reached out to grab the pouch, but she held it out of his reach. He was too old to overpower her.
"First you must hand over what you said would be mine."
S(H_I^
The allies of the Cardinal Heroes had to go to each of their different kingdom's in order to relay the horrible news: there was no sign of any of the four heroes. The first kingdom was Sietoble, the place Matt was brought to, and it was a place that loathed demi-humans.
Canda had to keep her head down and her eyes closed when in the presence of their king. His eyes were short which made the wrinkles on his face and his angular nose look bigger. He was cladded in a blue cloak with a long sleeved white shirt beneath. The shirt was bound with purple pins on his right breast. His legs were wrapped in purple wallpaper while his feet were hidden underneath his pet bobcat; golden yellow furred with black spots and orange eyes.
The seams on his face were dark red and his eyebrows were furrowed.
"You lost him?!"
"He...we..."Sunelh stammered.
The king clenched his fist on his thrones' arm rest, but soon eased it away.
"The next Swarm is one week away. It is important you find him and replenish him with food...and maybe some wine."
Candid small slights: We already know that you lazy king...and he's too young for wine.
She and the rest of the confrère's were dismissed without saying another word.
On their way out the Queen sauntered in the hall.
She was perfect hourglass figure and pastel Caucasian with long wavy red hair yet Candid didn't find her beautiful. She wore a sleeveless red dress with enough room around the neck to wear a teardrop necklace attached to the most expensive material in Sietoble. And she was barefoot and who could blame her when they were in her kingdom. Candid never got to see her eyes but she believed there was a glint of purple in her eyes. She was a queen this xenophobic kingdom deserved: imperious, haughty, and demanding.
Now Candid could leave without anymore slights: Go back to the woods creature!
S(H_I^
Ainny was called to the veranda of King Syntomarc's castle where they would meet. And what a meeting it was, silver bowls, trays and a wooden board with holes inserted to hold candles were positioned on an ivory table, but more importantly food.
There was pancakes, a bowl of sliced fruits, and even a whole pig being incised by a maid with a cap covering her red hair other than the crops jutting out. And sitting on the end was the king, looking over the veranda gazing at the clouds.
"Good morning, Ainny," he said on the chaise chair. "I want to show you something please. Come over here."
Ainny obeyed, strolled up and looked at the sky just like Syntomarc.
He saw a blinding white light in the sky that almost made his eyes close from what Syntomarc wanted him to see: orange clouds; three stacked on top like a sandwich.
"Do you know why their orange?" Ainny shook his head, the king made the chk-chk noise. "When the sun sets it beams light that reflects off the clouds, but in this case the morning sun rays reflect off the clouds and that makes it perfect for your training."
Before Ainny could even ask "Why?", he was apprehended—just grabbed by the shoulders—and carried by the maid with the frowsy personality to a chair at the table.
He just stared at the white dowlie under his chin, soon a plate was dropped on it like something Ainny couldn't remember but had a visual picture of a giant metal bulbous arrow. Without even being allowed to wiggle a finger food was scooped out and fell on his plate.
When the maid was done, Ainny just looked at Syntomarc who was having something big on the table: langoustines. His eyes flitted from his food to Ainny, what he said was a singular sentence that would reverberate to him the rest of the day.
"Food—God's engine fuel for his children. Eat from the fruits of his sow that haven't been tainted by people using Satan's additives."
S(H_I^
Some of the servants at Syntomarc's manor were not kept abreast in the matter of the otherworldly hero Ainny. But—and this seemed to be a blunder on his part—he entrusted his information to his One maid building for a coup.
She sat on the saddle of a Frisian black mare while the king and hero were inside a carriage redid in the shape of an apple. She couldn't hear what that pompous king was saying to that credulous boy, but she didn't care. It was just a king taking in a stray.
The real harbinger that would end this reign of tyranny was located in her buxom. They stopped at last near a grassy meadow where orange balloons liked to bounce around and eat insects; slowly munching on them with their jagged teeth.
The maid scowled in their direction before unsaddling from her mare and jumped off. No sooner did she start stroking the mares' nape as a sign of appreciation and affection did the door to the apple-caravan open letting the two passengers out.
It figured when Syntomarc walked exiting the caravan he'd be behind Ainny gripping his shoulders.
"The air here must smell nice after being cooped up for so long." he said.
This grass made him feel like an acorn in a grassland. It's resin-scent was different from the mahogany scent in the castle and best of all: the noise was all nature, no clamoring or bangs from dropped utensils.
"Yeah, it's pretty...majestic." Ainny replied sheepishly. "Is this where my first battle is going to be?"
"Yes, but first you get to do something every fragile hero does for their fickle minded king: punch one of those balloons."
"Umm, okay."
Ainny walked tentatively towards the orange balloons, Syntomarc's chk-chk noise behind him.
The balloons noticed him from eight feet away. Ainny raised his silver signet of hero ring at them and murmured for it to come to life and annihilate the balloons.
The balloons bounced up to him; three feet in front of him and Ainny's ring did nothing to scare them away. His first taste of excitement came when a balloon hopped in and tried gnawing at his skin!
Through instincts, Ainny slugged the balloon in its face! The balloon was stunned, faltering back midair, only to surprise Ainny by flying straight at him! Ainny thrust his cocked hand letting the balloon maw into it!
Ainny had an easy target now, repeatedly punching the balloon in the cheek while it mawled—their health bars hemorrhaging by a small amount.
Suddenly, the balloon was in its red bar...Ainny's ring glowered brightly a refulgent red. Syntomarc only now gave him advice:
"Yell to order your ring: CAPTURE!"
Ainny tried to do what he was told, and for some reason his head buzzed like a wasps' nest as memories were enlightening his head just as fast as they were fading: him pulling a less than one hundred page book on a travertine shelf, a sutured tear of barb wire, a Rhodesian Ridgeback barking, a young girl holding her stomach as blood blotched her dress, and it all gave him an insouciant view of this world—those clenched teeth and ghostly eyes on the balloon's face didn't seem so bad.
"C-C-Capture." he stuttered timorously.
And then—his red ring vacuumed the balloon inside, after fifteen seconds of it wailing to break free.
Now it was trapped in the very confound of his ring. Ainny smelled the steam roiling from the ring as it smoldered his finger.
Even if he could grab it—the heat making it singe to the touch—he couldn't take it off. While he was going through that dilemma, more balloons bounced their way to Ainny who was at half health just fighting one.
"Quick, announce the name of the monster you caught: Orange Balloon!"
Ainny didn't feel that motivated to experience migraines and flashing memories, however, he raised his hand the conjure that power.
"Orange Balloon...show yourself!"
Ainny felt clarity announcing this strange command and not even feeling a fleeting pain in his brain from it.
A maelstrom or glitter swirled from Ainny's ginger into the sky. This phenomenon was just the ring's way of materializing Orange Balloon.
The genderless monster appeared. It's white eyes replaced with orange pupils and black irises and its twisted appendage pinned up high.
It landed softly to the ground.
Ainny waited for it to attack something—him or the other balloons three feet away. However, it hopped around in a circle just for unknown reasons.
The king and his maid could see Ainny was frightened. The king pointed his finger and yelled for his maid to hear.
"Help him!" he yelled.
A distraction, a perfect opportunity to use her weapon. Right when she raised her hands to heal Ainny, keeping the kings' attention off of her, the orange balloon Ainny summoned plowed right into the other balloons' blind spot.
It lurched after dealing that blow hitting the right cheek of another balloon.
Ainny was surprised for more than one reason: the balloon was protecting him as it was stranger than it was before.
Both balloons eventually popped; the rest bounced away. Flashing nicer Ainny's head ands the astrange balloons head was 2 EXP emboldened in yellow letters.
Ainny was silent, standing like a blank slate until the king put his hands on his shoulders.
"Not bad," he complimented. The next thing he said was so boisterous he nearly ruptured an eardrum. "Do you understand the prominence of your ring now?"
Ainny was so confused he just spoke dumbfoundedly.
"Not really. It feels as if I've yet to really use my ring to its pinnacle. All I know is weakening monsters helps me—"
"Exactly!" He exclaimed. "My kingdom is small, infinitesimal. Ergo, capturing monsters will make our fight against the Swarm somewhat less galling."
Ainny got that but not him.
"Allow me to introduce your party member for your training; Inaka."
The frowsy maid with the cold eyes approached him with her hand in her uniform. Ainny extended his hand courteously.
"Nice to officially meet you."
Her eyes flitted from his hand to his eyes with her cold gaze. Although she was indignant to agree to that, she missed her golden opportunity being forced to play along.
"It's a privilege to serve under you."
S(H_I^
Seven Days Later...
Thu, 7:17 AM
A small pair of shoes nonchalantly stepped into a hole in a tiled pave being trenched in water. Those shoes belonged to Inaka. She was able to travel to the debacle town of Zelvelt where the Bow Hero was summoned with the excuse she was going out to gather supplies, but really she was there to meet someone of a certain attaché.
She entered a bar made of brick tenements with a sign that divested itself to shirts and shoes. She entered to the smell of alcohol, people groszy by their empty glasses. The chairs were old, close to breaking with blueberry coating.
The tables were in the same conditions but with a lime green coating.
The bartender was a rotund man who only served ale through a barrel with a faucet attached. Inaka skimmed past the drunkards and degenerates making her way to the back where the man she was looking for sat stolidly with a pint.
He had short black hair with a knot on the right fringe where red was painted, a green tunic, orange eyes, and brown trousers with a bandolier of knives.
She sat down, felt like sitting on a broken flask and the chair wobbled as if it were going to snap, but she wasn't staying too long for it to matter.
What was hidden in her buxom was finally out on the table: a sword. A red short sword with holes inserted on the edge of the black with a black handle.
"Your target is poised for a revolution. In one hour he'll keep himself locked in his throne room trying to last through the Swarm. While he's in there you can sneak in from the roof."
He nodded hearing her plan to assassinate the now-famous king, but he (word) his fingers as a sign of composition. Under the table, feeling hot, he got what he wanted...a pouch of coins.
"With that, our business is over. Good day."
Inaka stood up feeling dizzy, a condition she's had since she was twelve.
She walked past the laughing drunks and the hooded ones who made her spine tingle.
Outside, her horse spurred up to her, its bridle swaying in the wind until she grabbed it. Her horse whickered as they started walking to an adjoining street.
Suddenly, a loud sound chimed in the distance. That sound was like a thousand bees had stung her. Quickly, she jumped on her horse trotting so fast sparks skidded off the ground.
She had to move—the Swarm was happening now.