Author's Note: Hello again. I read through my first two chapters acting like a regular viewer and it feels like my grammar is not the best it could be. As a college student, that's bothersome; so I'll try to do better at sentence structure, decrease misspelled words, and try to make scenes more natural.

Also, I want to quickly touch base about my other stories. I currently have two others open called Recommissioned (Halo x The Last of Us) and End of an Era (Halo x Star Wars). After the completion of this chapter, I'm going to go back and forth releasing one chapter of Recommissioned and A New Great War at a time. End of an Era is on hold until the two stories are completed so as to not bog myself down too much.

Jujugol: 3/4 of what you typed I have no idea about because I haven't read any of the book series, but yes, Mald is a bastard who deserves nothing more than execution.

Edits to previous chapter(s):

- Changed backpack to rucksack for historical authenticity.

- M1928A1 Thompson changed to the actual WW2 M1A1 Thompson.

Disclaimer: I don't own ROTSH or Kaiserreich as they belong to whatever companies own them.

"Quotes."

"Thoughts and/or reading"

Brikcards Inn, Castle Town

December 31st, 0602 Hours, 1943

She sat alone in a bunker. Loud, explosive impacts landed on the surface of the Earth outside shaking the walls of the bunker and causing the singular light within to flicker. Even with the deafening cacophony overhead, Alice heard faint echoes of her squad in the small stone room with her.

"Get these damn rebels!"

"This is for America you sons - a - bitches!"

"For my Fatherland and every maiden nation on Earth!"

"You destroyed my home, so now I'll return the favor!"

Thud Thud Thud an almost lifelike metallic noise followed the voices. Thud Thud Thud the sound echoed a second time, much louder than the first. "You should probably check that out, Sergeant, it might be important." A fifth voice recommended before the scene faded into nothingness.

Alice's eyes slowly opened as she heard the sound from her dream again. Thud Thud Thud. Rubbing her eyes to clear her vision, Alice looked around the initially unfamiliar room before her groggy mind sent the right memories through her hippocampus. Taking a deep breath, she sat up and slid out of bed, cracking open the door and peering into the hallway of the inn she had checked into the previous night.

"Royal knights? Oh thank God you guys came. Listen, I was robb -"

"Silence Shield Devil! The king is ordering for your presence at the castle. You are to come with us willingly or we will be forced to drag your miserable hide there ourselves." the commander ordered, raising his sword to Naofumi's neck.

"Wha- what?" Naofumi tried asking.

Two of the knights grabbed hold of Naofumi's arms. "Take him to the carts. The rest of you, look for the bow hero. The king wants her too, but be careful, she's a tough one. Try to coerce her if you can, we don't need the church breathing down our necks for hurting her." He ordered the rest of his men as Naofumi was dragged out of sight.

Shutting the door, Alice dragged the dresser in front of the door to buy her time. "So that bitch took everything but his boots." She thought as she hurriedly got dressed. "Killing her would just make me public enemy number one so that's out of the question. What does that old bastard want with me though?" She wondered. She didn't get much time to find out as the door was attempted to be opened.

"Sir, she's in here!" One of the knights shouted. "Bow hero, give yourself up willingly and we won't have to get rough. The king demands your presence, and unlike your shield hero buddy, we're willing to go soft on you." He tried coercing her.

Alice took that as an incentive to hurry. Grabbing her rucksack, she swung the straps around her arms before grabbing her Thompson and racking back the bolt. "What does he want?" Alice asked.

The door began creaking and the dresser started scraping on the floor as the door slowly opened. "A man reported your crimes against him earlier in the morning hours and we have been tasked with recovering you for a trial. I say again, please do not make this harder than it needs to be." The commander replied, the door getting dangerously open.

Weighing her options, on one hand she could fight her way out, but that would lead to the whole country looking for her and she has no knowledge of the terrain. On the other, she could comply and be subjected to whatever shit the king and his daughter have in store for her and Naofumi.

"A rock and a hard place. Fuck me." She growled. "Ok, I give up. Give me a second to come out." She told the knights as she moved the dresser away from the door. Swinging it fully open, a group of six knights confronted her.

As they escorted her down the hall, Olivia and Welst stood just ahead, a worried look plastered on their faces. "Alice, we heard the commotion. What's going on?" Olivia asked.

"Head to the castle, I apparently have a trial." Alice briefly responded. Once Alice and Naofumi arrived at the castle, both of them were pushed in causing Naofumi to fall to the ground while Alice held her balance. Looking at the figures spread around the room, Motoyasu stood in front of a certain red - haired princess with Red next to him. The king was different, as his face screamed anger, disgust, and animosity.

"King, what in the living hell is going on?" Alice demanded.

"Silence, Lady Alice. If you wish to acquire answers, I recommend you wait your turn." Aultcrey responded, glaring daggers at Naofumi. "You filthy creton, how dare you show your face around here!?" He addressed Naofumi. "Myne, I do apologize, but would you mind repeating your testimony for us?"

Myne began making loud, sobbing and gasping sounds as she spoke. "I- it happened last night. The shield hero barged into my room, drunk beyond belief and wreaking of alcohol. He said something close to, "The night is still young, so why not enjoy it?" He grabbed hold of me, threw me down, and began tearing my clothes off. I- I tried fighting, but he was too strong. I was lucky to escape and run into Motoyasu who was staying at the same inn."

"Clever girl." Alice thought, giving props to Myne. "But unfortunately, not clever enough." She smiled. "And I have evidence to disprove the entire goddamn thing." She said, reaching into her rucksack. Pulling out her newspaper, she raised it in the air for everyone to clearly see. "This provides some details about this world, and more importantly, that one of the princesses betrays the Cardinal Heroes."

"You're really defending that raping bastard from a vague line on an old newspaper?! C'mon Alice, I thought you were smarter than that!" Motoyasu yelled at her.

Alice clenched her fists and took a step towards him when a pair of tridents from the knights surrounding her blocked her path. "Are you that stupid Motoyasu?! I showed you on the first night we were here the summary itself! Ren, please tell me you're smarter than dick - for - brains there!"

Ren looked down for a moment in deep thought, unsure of what to make of the situation. Deciding to see the evidence for himself, he walked over to Alice who noticed Myne's face turn sour. Grabbing the newspaper from her hand, he opened it and read through the entire summary, his face showing a little more doubt about the situation every second he read before handing it back to Alice who put it away.

"I'm not too sure what to make of it. Yes, it says we'll be betrayed by a princess, but it doesn't make sense why Naofumi was the only one targeted. It's probably the other princess or someone else of noble or royal ranking. You may be right, but I can't take a side on this matter. Sorry Alice." He apologized

"Dammit Ren." She sighed. "I hope you come to your senses soon. Please at least tell me you doubt her fucking testimony."

"There is a possibility Myne is the one warned about in your papers, but until more solid evidence can be shown, I'm neutral." Ren declared.

Alice looked over to Naofumi who sat there on his knees staring in disbelief at the crime he was being charged with. "I'm sorry kid, that's all I really had."

Naofumi's emerald colored eyes slowly locked onto Alice's own brown before turning his attention to Motoyasu and Myne. "You bastard! How can you believe her when you're wearing my armor she stole from me!" He snapped at Motoyasu.

"Shut up you rapist! Myne gave this to me as a gift for saving her from your treacherous actions!"

"Are you that convinced I did it?! Go ahead and show me some proof!" Naofumi challenged.

One of the knights surrounding him stepped forward and reached into a small bag. "Your majesty, these were found strewn across the shield heroes room after we conducted a search." He said, pulling out a pair of purple lingerie.

"Myne you conniving bitch! I knew you would do something, but this takes the fucking cake!" Naofumi yelled, making an aggressive step forward only to be stopped by the knights.

The king finally found the audacity to speak up again. "Enough! Due to your status as a hero, I cannot imprison nor kill you without insufferable consequences befalling my people. However, news of your crime has been spreading throughout the capitol as my people learn of your actions. That will be your punishment." He declared.

Naofumi looked like he was about to set off like a satchel charge. Alice reached over and grabbed his hand, squeezing it a little to try and calm him down. "Don't worry kid, I'm on your side. And if we work hard enough, I'm sure Ren will too." She reassured him.

Naofumi responded by pulling away and ignoring her, causing her to shift her focus back to the king with anger building up in her body. "And what about me? What did I do so henously that constituted being put on trial?" She demanded to know.

"Your crime is nowhere as severe as the shield heroes, but it is a crime nonetheless. You are being charged with assault and attempted theft of property from the market districts yesterday morning." Aultcrey informed her.

"You mean I'm under arrest for trying to help a slave?! What dixieland bullshit is that?!" She yelled in shock.

"If I may, why were you so adamant about helping a demi - human in the first place?" Aultcrey inquired.

"Because slavery is an abhorent practice that no nation should practice. That's how it was in my world. Hell, my own country fought a bloody civil war to end it!" She told him.

"I see. I suppose I can chalk this up to a social and cultural misunderstanding. I will forgive you this one time, but you are to not, under any circumstances, interfere in slavery's lawful practice."

Alice clenched her and gritted her teeth. "Fine. But don't expect me to come running when you ask for help because of this."

"If that's what you must do because of this dichotomized situation, so be it. You are still expected to fulfill your obligations as a hero regardless of your allegiances."

"I'll do it for the people, but not for you." She growled at him. "C'mon Naofumi, let's get you back on your feet and a place to calm down." She said, grabbing his arm and pushing her way through the knights.

Stepping outside the castle, it's front gate shut behind them as Olivia and Welst, who had been waiting on a nearby bench, walked up to them. "Please tell me it's not true. Please tell me he was set up." Olivia begged Alice.

"He was, I was right on the money. Bastard and bimbo in there want Naofumi to barely be able to survive." She explained, looking at the downtrodden man. "Remember what I told you to do in case of a scenario like this? Well associating yourselves with someone who is allied to an official rape charge holder won't be a good look for either of you, so here's what I want you to do: leave, get stronger, and help against the waves in any way you can. Considering the good things Erhard said about the queen yesterday, I have no doubt that she'll see this injustice and correct it when she gets back, so we just have to bide our time. However, until then, don't acknowledge my existence. Once she gets back and clears up this mess, I'll accept you guys back with open arms. Understood?"

"Yes Sergeant." They replied with their heads hanging low.

"I understand your disappointment, but until this clusterfuck is fixed, I can't have you guys ruined by my decisions. I wish you two good luck in your futures and hope to see you soon." She said, walking away from them with a heavy heart. "Let's head to Erhard's Naofumi, we can get you resupplied with whatever money I have left."

Naofumi sighed. "That's probably my best bet."

"It's your only bet the way I see it."

As they walked back through the streets of castle town, murmurs, angry glares, and occasionally food was thrown their way. Alice stood tall and used her larger frame to protect Naofumi from the abuse of the townspeople, even if he wasn't all too affected by it.

After several minutes, they finally reached Erhards shop which, upon entering, Alice saw a large man running their way with a fist ready to attack Naofumi. Pushing him out of the way at the last second, Erhards fist impacted Alice's jaw sending her flying into some armor stands, reducing her hp to 38 despite her armor.

"Oh shit, Alice!" Erhard exclaimed, running to her aid.

As she was pulled out of the debris, Alice's head swirled and throbbed in pain and nausea. Trying to stand on her own proved useless as her legs shook to such a degree that she fell on her butt, unable to stand. Her vision was blurry and ears rang with the piercing EEEEEEEEEE of tinnitus.

"Alice. Alice, can you hear me? Are you ok? I'm so sorry." Erhard tried apologizing to a momentarily deaf bow hero.

Alice turned away as she began heaving. Unable to control what happened next, she threw up on Erhards floor. Barely keeping herself from falling into her own vomit, the floor was covered in last night's dinner.

Naofumi, a little pissed off that his only friend was attacked, tried pushing the blacksmith with no avail. "What the hell were you thinking?! Do you really think I'm guilty too?!"

Erhard looked into his eyes, seeing both determination and a lack of caring stare right back at him. "I guess not, otherwise you wouldn't have shown your face with her by your side." He deduced.

Guilt courses through Erhards body as he looked back at the suffering Alice. Once the physical vomit was over, all that was left was dry heaving. Heading to the back of his shop, he brought out a small canteen of water and lifted it to her mouth, helping her stomach immensely. After a few moments, her condition improved greatly.

"What… the hell.. Erhard?" Alice slowly asked.

"I know, it was a stupid thing to do and I'm sorry. I'll pay for whatever the apothecary wants for a few good quality healing potions." He said, pulling out 30 silver.

Fully regaining her senses, she took the money and put it in her bow. "We can worry about me later. Naofumi needs to be rearmed and my budget for this is…"

Treasury Bow

[ 358 Silver / 250 Gold ]

"250 Silver before I start getting dangerously low on money. We also need to find ourselves new party members as Naofumi's betrayed him and I don't want to drag mine down with me associating with him." She explained to Erhard.

"I may have something in mind for you kid." Erhard said to Naofumi. "I still have your measurements from yesterday so I can get to work on it right away. Just for your sake, I'll drop the price down to 210 Silver, enchantments and all."

"Thanks Erhard, it seems we can count on you for something. But that leaves us with the problem of parties. I can hold my own in a fight, but Naofumi's attack must be downright horrible." Alice said, taking out the coins and handing it to him before taking out another batch of 40. "Naofumi, take this. You need some money and this will bring me down to just over 100 Silver." She said, extending it out to the Japanese man.

Grabbing the pouch, Naofumi held it for a moment before clutching it in his hand and holding it to his shield. "This means a lot Alice, thank you." He said gratefully.

Erhard took the large pouch from Alice. "Hmph, I'm doing this because you're still with him, and you told me you were a soldier so situations like this don't just fly over your head. And I think I can help with your parties too." Erhard hinted.

"Really? Let's hear it." Naofumi said.

"Word around town for the last few months is a guy named Beloukas sells a certain type of merchandise. He's short, fat, very well dressed, and I think you two can guess what he sells if I'm talking about him."

Alice's eyes widened. "No, you're not saying he. . ."

Erhard stroked his beard. "Yes, he sells slaves. He has a tent on the other side of town."

"No way. I may have been cheated out of my ability to grow stronger, but there's no way in hell I'll stoop that low." Naofumi said.

Alice sighed, sadly remembering what happened to that demi - human boy. "Naofumi, I think what Erhard is saying is that slaves can't betray you. When I tried helping an enslaved demi - human yesterday, this crest thing on his chest activated electrocuting him as a deterrent."

"What other crimes is this kingdom capable of?" Naofumi asked, shocked at the revelation.

"I'm sorry kid, but if you want any chance of acquiring a party, Beloukas is probably your best bet." Erhard said. "And what about you Alice? What happened to Olivia and Welst?"

"I had them distance themselves from me so they wouldn't be targeted as being guilty by association. So I guess you could say I'm also looking for a party, but with my current opinion of this damn country, my trust in other's isn't exactly high." Alice sighed, knowing that unless she broke off her allegiances to Naofumi, she knew what had to be done. "I suppose a slave is my only option too until the queen returns."

Upon entering the tent, Alice immediately covered her face from the stench of death and decay that lay within it. She quickly put on her Canadian lend leased Light Respirator gas mask, covering her face with rubber and silicon. Taking a breath of fresh air, she stepped further into the slave tent.

"Holy fuck, this is worse than I could have expected." She thought solemnly. "Good thing I told Naofumi to wait at Erhards. If he came along, no doubt he would want to destroy the whole damn country, not that he already does."

Not too soon after entering, a short man in a very extravagant outfit waddled his way out from behind some cages. "Ahh a newcomer. Welcome to my shop valued customer, what can I do for you today?" Beloukas asked, putting on a smile that seemed to never falter.

"I was informed that you sell slaves." Alice answered, her voice muffled.

"My, you are correct my good dear. If you would please follow me, I'll show you more of my fine establishment." Beloukas exclaimed, turning and walking through his mage of cages. "This fine beast is one of my most prized possessions. It is a level 75 beastfolk and makes for an amazing offensive companion." He explained as the large wolf - like creature slammed against the cage.

"And could very well kill me. No thank you." Alice thought. A sudden light coughing a few cages down suddenly caught her attention. Heading over to the source of the sound, she pulled away some cloth, revealing a pair of demi - human girls whose features were a little hard to see in the dim light paired with her tinted mask. "Jesus H. Christ." Upon seeing Alice, the two girls scrambled towards the back of the cage, finding her gas mask terrifying. "And what about them?" She inquired.

"Oh these two, they're on death's doorstep, sick as a mule. You see, their previous owner loved his torture, you wouldn't get much out of them."

"I'll take them. How much are they?" Alice asked.

"Are you sure, dear customer? What if I showed you -"

"I said I'll take them Beloukas. Don't make this any harder than it needs to be." Alice ordered.

"Oh my, you're quite the assertive one. Very well. Both of them are 60 Silver, 30 if you just want one." Beloukas said, his smile never faltering. Grabbing her Thompson, she pulled out the money and handed it to the stout slave owner who unlocked the cage. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go grab the ink."

As Beloukas left, Alice pulled open the cage door, squatted down to their level, and extended a hand. "Do you two want to come with me?" She only got scared whimpers in response. "Please, let me take you away from this place." One of the two girls, the one with brown hair, crawled forward a little revealing her racoon - like ears in the dim candlelight took her hand. "See? It's not that bad." She reassured them.

Soon Beloukas returned carrying a plate of black liquid and a small knife, setting them down onto a table.

"I'm guessing those are the ingredients for that crest thing you put on slaves?"

"You would be correct. However it cannot be applied without a drop of the owner's blood, otherwise the crest would not bond with the slave."

"Yeah, no. I'm not going to relegate them to the lives they had before. Starting today, they are free." Alice declared.

"But dear customer, any demi - human's caught without a slave crest away from their masters are to be executed on sight." Beloukas warned her. His words had pierced Alice's heart like a hot blade.

"You're bullshitting me. No way around it, you are lying to me." Alice declared in denial.

"But it's true. The order came from the king himself a couple days ago when the Cardinal Heroes were summoned at the request of the Three Heroes Church. Why would I lie to any of my customers when they could return to make more purchases?"

Alice took a deep breath of the stale air circulating through her filter. "Goddammit even the clergy of this world are fucked in the head. Fine, I'm giving you 60 seconds. What do you need me to do?"

"It's simple. Just provide a drop of blood into the ink so I can apply it to your new slaves."

Taking the knife from him, Alice held her hand and made a small cut on her thumb, letting a few droplets of blood fall into the plated substance. Staying a few feet back, watched as Beloukas applied the ink to both of the girls chests. As they were shocked and burned by the process, she turned away, not wishing to watch the dehumanizing process on such girls.

"All done good madam. The slave crest will make it impossible for them to disobey your orders, lie, steal, or whatever else you may have in mind." Beloukas said, his smile never fucking faltering.

Walking over to the pair of girls, she crouched down to their level as they continued wincing in pain. "What're your names?" She asked. When they didn't respond, she took a deep breath, lifted her gas mask, and asked in a softer tone. "It's ok, I won't hurt you. What are your names?"

"R - Raphtalia, ma'am." The Racoon girl responded.

Alice winced at being called ma'am, as if Raphtalia was truly believed she would be her slave. "And what about you? What's your name?" She asked the Weasel demi - human.

A small cough came before words. "Rifana, ma'am."

Sighing, she stood up and brought her gas mask back over her face. Extending a hand to Raphtalia, the girl reluctantly took it, expecting to be dragged like she had so many times before. Instead, she found herself being hoisted up and placed on Alice's rucksack. Her lips formed a smile that quickly disappeared out of fear of showing happiness. Grabbing Rifana, Alice lifted her up and held her against her chest. "We're done here Beloukas. Don't even think about seeing me again or so help me God I will put a bullet through your skull for this slavery shit." She warned him, leaving his tent.

Placing the demi - human girls down was necessary if they were to enter Erhards shop. Upon entering, they were greeted by Erhard who smiled at the trio. "Sergeant, welcome back! Who're the little ladies?"

"These are Raphtalia and Rifana. They're best friends who I saved from the shackles of slavery, however it pains me that I still had to get them crests if I didn't want them to be killed by some knights walking by while I'm at a vendor or something. I intend to give one of them to Naofumi so he has a party member. Speaking of which, where is he?" Alice responded.

"He went to an inn to get some food. I'm sure he'll be back shortly." Erhard let her know.

"Alright. Well in the meantime, do you have any spare clothes? If I have to see these two in rags any longer I'm going to burn down the damn castle."

"Yeah I do actually, give me just a second. A customer's daughter left this in here by accident." Erhard said, pulling out a small dress from behind the counter.

Taking the dress, Alice held it against both Raphtalia and Rifana to see who it would be a better fit for. After a short analysis, she determined Raphtalia would be the one to wear it due to her smaller stature than the weasel demi - human. "Here, go ahead and get changed in that room over there." Alice pointed out, handing Raphtalia the dress.

After a few minutes, Raphtalia re - emerged from the changing room. "I - I'm so - sorry I took so long mistress." She apologized. Alice walked over to her and Raphtalia couldn't help but to prepare herself to be hit for speaking out of turn. Instead, she felt a soft rubbing on her head and began unconsciously wagging her tail.

"It's ok. You probably haven't worn anything but that sack for months, maybe longer. I promised I wouldn't hurt you, either of you, back at Beloukas' tent, and I intend to make good on that promise." She reassured Raphtalia. "Erhard, do you have anything else Rifana can wear?"

Erhard looked around for a moment. "Sorry, I only had the one. There is a tailor a few blocks down, she might be able to help you."

"Ok. Raphtalia, Rifana, come with me. We're going to get Rifana some new clothes. Erhard, if Naofumi arrives before I get back, tell him to wait for me. I'll be back soon.." Alice said, walking out with the girls.

"You got it." Erhard winked at them.

After scouring the streets of the market districts, Alice entered the tailor's shop followed by the nervous and disheveled Raphtalia and Rifana. The walls looked oddly similar to ones found in the big cities of America with a beige color scheme on the walls and a dark, hardwood floor. The tailor herself was a woman with dirty blonde hair glasses who Alice had a good 3 or 4 inches on.

"Welcome!" She greeted them, her bubbly personality shining instantly. "Oh my goodness, you two are sooo cute!" She exclaimed, walking over to the two girls. "What can I do for you today ma'am?"

Alice was momentarily caught off guard from her boisterous greeting, but maintained her composure. "I'm here to get Rifana a dress. You see, she was a slave I recently purchased and seeing her in that sack of rags makes my stomach churn."

"Ugh, slavery. Such a cruel practice, especially against such cute things like them." The tailor stated, her face contorting to show her disgust against it. "Please, come with me and I will get you sorted out real quick!" Her over - the - top personality coming out again.

Rifana stood still and looked up at Alice looking a little timid. "Go ahead." The Civil War veteran told her.

Nodding slightly, Rifana walked with the tailor as she led her into a small side room. Alice sighed, wondering just how bad she had been treated by her previous owners.

A few minutes passed by before the cloth covering the small room swung open to reveal the tailor standing over Rifana who was now wearing a pink and brown dress similar to Raphtalia's. The tailor had a huge smile on her face as she practically dragged the nervous demi - human to the middle of the room.

"Tada!" The tailor expressed at Rifana. "I decided to make her outfit just a slightly cuter version of the one her friend is wearing by giving it pink highlights instead of red. This way they can look cute together while also being distinctive!"

"As long as she has new clothes to wear, I'm grateful." Alice nodded. "So, how much is it?"

"Oh you don't have to worry about the cost. Consider it free since it gives her something to wear other than those pesky rags." The tailor said, waving off Alice's question.

"Oh, well thank you. Can I have your name?" Alice asked, taken aback by the generosity of the tailor.

"My name is Mary. What might yours be?"

"Alice Schmitt."

"Well then you're very much welcome Miss Schmitt. Now, is there anything else I can do for you today?"

"No thank you. I need to head out and get these two prepped for fighting." Alice said, drawing worried expressions from Raphtalia and Rifana. Before a further explanation, the brief grumble of an empty stomach stole Alice's attention.

"S- sorry ma'am." A meager Raphtalia said.

"Are you hungry?" Alice asked the girl.

"No ma'am." Raphtalia shook her head.

"Ok, I'm going to get you two some lunch. You'll need a full stomach in order to fight." Alice said, walking out of the shop.

Finding a restaurant wasn't that hard after prowling the market districts and keeping an eye open. Eventually finding one with it's door open, Alice walked toward it and noticed a sign that, when she tried reading, a prompt came up on her H.U.D.

Failed to translate.

"I'll ask a waiter about it I guess." She thought. Stepping inside, Rifana and Raphtalia on the other hand stopped as they read the sign.

"Uhh mistress, this sign says this place doesn't serve demi - humans." Rifana said.

"Nevermind." "They don't? Well fuck'em. If they have a problem about you two getting something to eat, they can take it up with my boot." Alice responded. Making their way to an empty table, several whispers and racial slurs were tossed at the demi - humans. Alice just covered the two of them with her arms and glared daggers at anyone who decided it was a good idea.

Sitting down at a table, Alice called over a waiter. "I'll take whatever your highest protein meal is and for them, probably the largest kid's meal you have."

"That'll be 18 copper." The waiter replied. Reaching behind her, she summoned a silver coin and handed it to the man. "Right away ma'am." He said, taking off in a haste.

A few minutes later, three plates were delivered to their table. Upon looking at their food, Alice swore she saw stars light up in Rifana and Raphtalia's faces. "We can have everything here?" Raphtalia asked.

Alice nodded and motioned towards their plates. Grabbing their sporks, they started munching down on their meals like starving wolves. Alice, in contrast, ate her Chicken Chasseur at a moderate pace. At one point, Raphtalia started to cough from a piece of food getting stuck in her throat to which Alice pushed over her cup of water. "Share." She simply told them.

[ Author's Note: When Johnny Comes Marching Home - Air Force Band of Liberty YT ]

Nearing the end of their meals, an idea came to Alice's mind. "Hey you two, watch this." She said, plucking the flags from their trays. Reaching into her boot, she pulled out her M3 Trench Knife and made small cuts through the flag. She then dipped the tip of it in her blade into the sauce and rubbed it on some of the strips that had been made before finishing it off with a droplet of water in the upper left corner that darkened the white paper. "Not every kid's meal is complete without this." She said, turning it around, showing them a mockup of the stars and stripes.

Arriving back at Erhards shop, Alice saw Naofumi leaning against a wall chatting with the aforementioned blacksmith. He was wearing a new set of metallic armor complimented by a green cape, yet seemed off about him. His face seemed expressionless while his emerald eyes, rather than shining in the lantern and candlelight, were dull.

"So, how'd the little ladies turn out?" Erhard asked.

"Overall, I'd say pretty good. That tailor, Mary, was a very nice and sympathetic individual who let us get Rifana some clothes for free. Afterwards, I heard they were hungry and figured I'd give them a good meal. However, after everything I've done today I'm down to only 47 Silver left. Should keep me going for another day or two if I tread lightly, but no doubt I'm going to need to find some volunteer or bounty work." Alice informed him.

"Well I'm sure you'll work something out. So Naofumi, these are the two "slaves" Alice bought from Beloukas to help." Erhard told him, air quoting slaves.

Naofumi turned his dipped head in Alice's direction and eye'd the two demi - humans. "I see, what're their names?"

"Raphtalia and Rifana. Raphtalia's the raccoon one and Rifana is the weasel." Alice pointed out.

Naofumi shifted his eyes back and forth between the two of them. "Raphtalia, come here." He motioned with his finger. Pulling out a harness containing a small dagger, he handed it over to Raphtalia, who took the blade.

"Hey Alice, how come she isn't showing up as someone I can invite to a party?" Naofumi asked.

"You'll need to head to Beloukas' tent. Just tell him the assertive woman sent you to change the blood connection of her crest. I would recommend you ask him to remove it, but then she'd become a target by anyone who notices and hates demi - humans enough to want her dead."

"Dammit, alright. Now Raphtalia, draw the dagger." Naofumi ordered Raphtalia. Confused, Raphtalia pulled the small blade from its hilt and held it up. "Now, attack this thing." Naofumi said, pulling back his cape revealing a balloon monster that had latched itself onto him.

The sight of it freaked Raphtalia out, making her hesitate for a moment. "Raphtalia, attack it." Naofumi ordered once more. Raphtalia continued to be hesitant as the purple crest on her chest began to light up. A few seconds of inaction later, the electrical shock activated, sending pain all throughout her body and causing her to fall to the floor.

Alice, surprised, ran to Raphtalia's side, catching her, and helping her stay on her two feet as the crest ran its course. "Naofumi, stop. Stop!" She commanded the man.

Naofumi, having been informed by Erhard about the slave crest, just stood there. "If she wants the pain to end, she'll have to kill it."

Growling at Naofumi's mistreatment of the situation, she pulled her M3 Trench Knife from her boot and reared it back to thrust it at the monster before a small shock made her drop it. "Fuck me, forgot about that." She thought, slinging her Thompson to her side. Pulling the trigger, she sent a bullet sailing through the monster, popping it. Without a target for the command to identify, the slave crest ended its shocking punishment as Rifana went up to and hugged Raphtalia.

Alice locked eyes with Naofumi before snarling and socking him in the jaw, and, while not making it through his defense to damage him, physics alone still meant he felt the pain as her fist connected. "What the hell were you thinking!?" She screamed at him.

Naofumi groaned from the pain. "Making sure she can fight." He stated bluntly to his comrade.

"And you thought that was the best way to do it?! To scare the living hell out of a kid who had just become free in the last 2 hours then use the one thing meant to punish slaves if she didn't comply?!" Alice asked, her face going red. "I didn't help you at that trial, only for you to go and treat a girl who has been through hell and back like this!"

"Oh yeah? And what do you know of suffering?" Naofumi challenged her in a blind fit.

Alice just stopped for a moment and did a double take. "I've watched as families were torn apart by war, politics, and allegiances. I've seen my comrades die in muddy fields that used to be bright farmland. I've held the dying and the dead because they didn't want to be alone before they passed. I myself was held by those who I looked out for in my own final moments. So yes, I do know what suffering is like when I fought a fucking war!" She screamed at him.

Erhard, who had remained silent during the whole affair, got in between the two of them and pushed them away from each other. "Hey, hey, hey, we're all friends here. Don't get at each other's throats like this, at least not in front of the kids."

Alice just stared angrily at Naofumi before turning on her heels, grabbing Rifana, and headed for the door. "If you want to continue having my help, you better change your damn ways Naofumi. Raphtalia, if he ever puts you in a position that could lead to serious harm, you find me right away, understand?"

Raphtalia, frightened from all the shouting between the two adults, just nodded. Satisfied, Alice and Rifana left the shop, leaving Naofumi to think over his choices in order to retain Alice by his side.

Making their way to the crest of the hill outside of Castle Town, Alice took off her rucksack and began teaching Rifana how to properly use a blade.

"First off, are you left handed or right handed?" She asked.

"Right handed ma'am." Rifana replied.

Alice sighed. "Ok, first and foremost, I am not your master, and you're not my slave. In fact, consider it an order to not refer to me as mistress or ma'am, but rather Sergeant or just Alice. Secondly, we are equals, so don't be afraid to speak up when you need to talk to me. I will never put you in any jeopardizing situation without myself by your side. All I ask is that you put your trust in me, ok?"

Upon hearing that, Rifana's demeanor improved, if just slightly, as she stood a little taller and with more confidence. "Ok, now take this," She said, pulling out her M3 Knife and handing it to Rifana. "And because of the lack of firearms in this world save for Faubrey and myself, I want you to have a firm understanding of blade fighting. Grasp the handle with both hands and hold it out away from yourself." They spent the next hour getting Rifana trained on how to properly wield a blade. Afterwards, they spent time on stances, practicing thrusts and slashes, and training her reflexes. After these tiring events, they decided that it was time to set up camp.

As Alice sat by the fire and prepared two of the five MRE's she had in her rucksack, Rifana leaned on her arm. "You ok Rifana? You look quite tired. Don't worry, there'll be more to do tomorrow." Rifana just grumbled which made Alice chuckle. "Here, dinner's ready. This is what we called in the Marines MRE's, or meals ready to eat. They taste like dogshit, but provide enough sustenance to be called food."

As they ate, Alice ruffled Rifana's hair a few times, that was until she heard the girl cough a few times. Reaching onto her waist, she found what she was looking for: her personal first aid kit. Opening it up, she took out an aspirin tablet and handed it to Rifana who studied the strange object for a moment.

"That's an aspirin tablet. It's a type of medicine from my world that helps with fevers, headaches, and colds." Alice explained.

"Ooooohhhh." Rifana said before trying to swallow the pill, key word being trying. Alice hastily grabbed her canteen and handed it to the weasel demi - human, which she happily took and began gulping down water. Alice then realized something she could possibly try. Taking out another aspirin tablet, she held it to her Thompson.

Light Medicine Bow: Unlocked

[ Simple Medical Recipe's ]

Equipment Bonus: Medical Efficiency Up

"This would probably be very useful." Alice remarked. Reaching for something else on her person, she grabbed a flare and held it up to the gem.

Illumination Bow: Unlocked

[ +11 ATK, +8 MAG, +7 AGI ]

Equipment Bonus: Greater Vision at Night

"How much can you actually do?" She wondered. Grabbing several other items, she held her personal first aid kit, a few rounds from her Thompson, a radio, and weapon repair kit.

Light Medicine Bow II: Unlocked

[ Advanced Medical Recipe's ]

Equipment Bonus: Medical Efficiency Up

Industrial Bow: Unlocked

[ +29 ATK, -9 AGI, Magic Penalty (Medium) ]

Equipment Bonus: Advanced Ammunition Crafting (Level 23)

Signal Bow: Unlocked

Equipment Bonus: Increased Communication Range With Party

Cleansing Bow: Unlocked

Equipment Bonus: Autonomous Repair of Damaged Items

Alice smirked at the bow's she had unlocked, primarily at her industrial bow. "Seems like I'll be able to have my 1911 be useful after all."

"Alice, what's that gem in your thingy?" Rifana asked.

"The gem itself? I have no idea other than it's a part of my kit since I'm the bow hero. My 'thingy' is called a M1A1 Thompson which is… think of a faster firing, louder, and deadlier bow."

Rifana's face quickly lit up from excitement. "The bow hero, as in the four Cardinal Heroes?!" Alice nodded, adding more fuel to the fire that was her excitement. "It's so cool, I was saved by the bow hero!"

"I'm just glad to have gotten you out of slavery, bow hero or not." Alice commented.

"Wait a minute. If you're the bow hero, where's the other Cardinal Heroes?"

"Well you already met one of them. Naofumi is the shield hero. The other two are Ren and Motoyasu, the sword and spear heroes."

Rifana had a sad look on her face. "Why did the shield hero hurt Raphtalia? He's supposed to be the nicest one to us demi - humans."

"Long story short, he was accused of something he didn't do and it hurt him a lot. I hope he gets past using his feelings against innocent people though because what he did to Raphtalia was not ok. But what do you mean 'nicest to demi - humans'?" She inquired.

"Well, in stories my mom and dad told me, it's that when humans and demi - humans fought each other a long time ago, the spear, sword, and bow heroes sided with Humanity while the shield hero sided with demi - humans. That just makes me curious; if you're the bow hero and I'm a demi - human, why did you help us?"

"Because it was the right thing to do. I don't know what happened with the previous heroes, but know that where I come from lives by the principles of freedom of expression and thought, freedom from tyranny, and that everyone within its borders was created equal. When its people fought to destroy that, I fought to defend it, and I'll do the same here."

"So, not every hero is against demi - humans?"

"Exactly, just look at me for example. Anyways it's getting late, we should get some sleep so we can be up bright and early tomorrow."

"Ok. Thank you for saving us Alice."

"Don't thank me. I was just doing my job."

Alice was sitting by the fire, creating small medical tablets to help treat Rifana's disease. As she was just about to finish her fifth one, Rifana suddenly jumped up from her sleeping bag screaming about her parents being dead. Immediately dropping what she was working on, she raced to Rifana's side, hugging her and singing to her trying to calm her down.

"Vor der Kaserne, vor dem großen Tor

Steht 'ne Laterne und steht sie noch davor

Dort wollen wir uns wiedersehen

Bei der Laterne wollen wir stehen

Wie einst Lili Marleen

Wie einst Lili Marleen."

After Rifana eventually cried herself back to sleep, Alice just sat there holding on and not letting go. For her, that was fine as she would not let herself let go. She was going to prove to Rifana that the bow hero could be just as good as the shield hero in her stories. "It's my job to make her feel safe. Destroying the shackles of oppression is an American ideal I will valiantly uphold, by the grace of my guns, defend the rights and liberty of the free world."

Lili Marleen by Lale Anderson:

Outside the barracks

By the corner light

I always stand and wait for you at night

We will create a world for two

I'll wait for you, the whole night through

For you, lili Marleen

For you, lili Marleen

Author's Note: Alright, there's chapter 3. I hope you guys like the "Alice will help Naofumi but only if he improves himself" thing I've set up. Also yeah, I decided to go with Rifana, hope I wrote her to at least satisfactory standards. And this'll be the last chapter till later December or early January because, if you read the notes at the top, I'm swapping back and forth.