So it's been nearly a week and a half between Chapter 1 and this one, and there are several good reasons for that. The first is that I took a bit of a break for Easter, and then last Sunday I also didn't do any writing due to having to catch up on sleep as well as watching sports. And secondly, working a lot of original stuff into this is, whilst fun and allowing me greater creative liberty than if I was stonily following the events of the anime, can be quite tough to write as I often struggle to not only find the right words to describe things, but I'm trying not to repeat myself when I can. So yeah some parts of this chapter were tough to write but I'm glad I did it my way.
Now as I normally do before the start of a chapter, I like to discuss the anime I have been watching in the week or weeks between chapters. And I am not going to lie…this season of Shield-Hero, at least compared to season one…has felt a bit flat and rushed. Make no mistake I'm still going to watch it and continue with this story in the process, but so far, between this season and season one…I much prefer season one. We'll see if that changes down the line.
Spy x Family is awesome and Anya is the most adorable sugar muffin in existence, end of! And Skeleton Knight in Another World is proving to be another fun watch as well.
But enough of that, on with what you're all here for...Chapter 2! As usual, I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, locations, events or anything else related to the anime/manga/Light Novels. The only thing I own is my OC, Fergus Ward. Enjoy!
Chapter 2 - Smackdowns
After everything the Queen had done for me and mine, especially the fact that she was the one responsible for getting New Rurorona off the ground, it was only right that we answered her summons as quickly as always. Not only that but her message sounded urgent and dire…if what we'd just experienced was happening all over the country, it warranted a meeting and a plan of action in regards to what happened next.
Shame I'd have to be in the same room as Itsuki as part of that but the needs of the country and all that. I'd just have to make sure I ignored the little shit and his party as much as possible.
Once the Shadow left I ordered the rest of my party to gather up anything they might need and meet me in front of the town hall. As they were doing so I sought out Van and informed him of the recent events, including the summons from the capital. He assured me that he'd look after the village whilst I was gone.
"Thanks, Van, and if those familiars show up again, gather up all the adventurers we're training along with the Old Lady and Ake and his guards. That should be more than enough," I instructed.
"Of course Lord Fergus. Give the Queen my regards," he replied smoothly before offering his hand out. "I wish you the best in figuring this out."
"Thanks, Van, will do my best," I said with a smile. After giving his hand a quick shake, I left the town hall to find the rest of my party all suited up and ready to go. Raphtalia was clad in her usual red and white skirt, hide breastplate, brown lace-up boots and gloves with the sword crafted for her by Erhard securely attached to her waist. Filo, currently in her human form, was in her usual white and blue dress that had been made for her by Tilda. For her part, Keel was clad in the attire that Erhard had made for her a while back: a dark green tunic covered by a padded leather cuirass and held together by a dark brown belt, along with dark leather bracers, fingerless gloves and dark green boots. On her back was her bow along with a quiver of arrows. And finally, Rishia was clad in green clothes and a brown vest over a beige dress, along with brown arm guards, boots and a light metal breastplate, all covered by a green cape with gold trim. She too wore a light belt that held the rapier gifted to her by Erhard.
"We all ready to go?" I asked them with a smile.
"Always, Fergus," Raphtalia replied with a loving expression.
"I can't wait to see Mel again!" Filo exclaimed happily.
"I have your back as always Sir Fergus," Keel replied confidently.
"I-I'll do my best to be of help to you Sir Fergus!" Rishia answered with a small stammer.
"Glad to hear it, all of you," I responded proudly as I looked at them all. Right now, I couldn't have asked for a better party, because not only were we strong, but we also trusted and supported each other. I knew that, whatever was to come, we could overcome it as a team. "All right then, gather round. It's time to head out."
As they proceeded to do just that, I brought out my Dragon Hourglass Sand Shield. "Activate Skill: Portal Shield! Destination: Capital Town!" No sooner had I spoken these words than the familiar ray of yellow light appeared and surrounded us, and in the blink of an eye, we were suddenly wrenched away from the village.
~AoaTSH~
What seemed like a split second later, the five of us appeared in front of the Cathedral in Capital Town, and as we looked behind us we could already see the changes that had taken place ever since the Queen's return. As she'd promised during the trial of Trash and Bitch, the Queen had rendered the old Church of the Three Heroes defunct and traitorous and had instead restored the Church of the Four Heroes, one that venerated all four Heroes equally (not that I'd ever enjoy being venerated). And this was reflected in the new architecture, one that had previously only shown the Sword, Spear and Bow but now included the Shield as well.
"Hard to believe that it's been over a month since all that shit went down with the Three Heroes' Church…" I reflected as we took a moment to take it in.
"I, for one, am glad we could spend a month without being on the run and fearing for our lives. I just wish that could be the case forever…" Raphtalia added, a wistful expression on her face.
"Until the Waves are gone and threats like these are over, I fear that's not gonna be the case," I replied with a grimace. "But at least we won't be at the mercy of religious fanatics again. Come on, let's get going."
With various sounds of assent, the five of us moved away from the cathedral and into the centre of the capital itself as we made our way towards the castle. And as we walked, it quickly became apparent that our arrival hadn't gone unnoticed as before long we started hearing whispers all around us, whispers that quickly turned into shouts and exclamations…
"Hey…isn't that…?"
"Yeah, it's the Shield-Hero and his party!"
"I thought he was the lord of his own village now?"
"You didn't hear? The Queen summoned all the Heroes to meet with her."
"All of them? Something big must be about to happen."
"Mum, look! It's the Shield-Hero! They say he's the best of all the Heroes!"
"Good to see you Shield-Hero!"
"Spread the word! The Shield-Hero has arrived!"
"I heard he has a girlfriend now? Shame, he's really cute…"
"Careful, his girlfriend's right next to him! Don't let her hear you say that!"
"What, you mean the lady with the green hair?"
"No, the demi-human with brown hair, the one holding his hand."
"Oh I see…well she is adorable…they look so cute together!"
"Shield-Hero!"
What began as just passers-by greeting us became a really large crowd as the word spread that we have arrived. People were rushing out of their homes and shops and were now lining the streets as we walked by, calling out greetings and cheering at us, oftentimes for all of us but some called out individual names which garnered some form of reaction from the person who it was directed to.
For my part, I found it both touching yet slightly embarrassing as I politely waved to everyone I could and shook hands with those who approached me personally. Raphtalia merely clung to my arm as she too waved at everyone, smiling brightly as she did so and causing those who witnessed her smile to gush at how pretty she looked.
They didn't have to tell me twice, I knew first-hand how gorgeous she was, both inside and out!
Filo was having a whale of a time as she ran at the front of our group, waving enthusiastically at everyone with a happy and carefree expression. She was made even happier, if that were possible, when some of the vendors who knew her offered her free food samples. Those were all consumed straight away, but not before Filo thanked them for their generosity.
I'm glad some of those lessons I gave her on being polite to strangers had paid off.
As for the last two, Keel was waving at the crowds politely when she could, but she was mainly keeping an eye on Rishia who was wholly unused to these sorts of situations. Speaking of the green-haired mage, she currently had the hood of her cloak covering her face which she kept turned away from the crowds. Bless her heart, I knew she was trying really hard to get better but this was probably too much.
The five of us were slowly drawing closer to the castle when we were suddenly drawn toward the sounds of crying. Looking over, we saw a young lad sitting against a wall bawling his eyes out, a large bruise mark on his face as what appeared to be his mother was fussing all over him.
"I…*hic*…didn't do anything wrong!" the lad whimpered as we approached. "I just wanted to…*hic*…say hello to him!"
"I know dear, I know.." his mother soothed him as she tried to dab the bruising with a wet cloth.
"Excuse me…ma'am?" I cleared my throat, causing her to turn around and, upon seeing who it was, looked up at us in awe. "I know some healing magic if that would help…?"
"Oh, Sir Shield-Hero…" she stammered. "You…really don't have to…"
"But I want to, please…" I offered as I knelt before the crying boy. The mother looked as though she wanted to protest but was stopped as Raphtalia put a hand on her shoulder.
"Please, let my boyfriend indulge," she smiled at the mother as I used the Heal spell to clear the boy's face of the bruise. "He has this habit of saving everyone he possibly can. And whilst it can be frustrating on occasion…most of the time it's sweet, and in your son's case, completely warranted."
"There you are buddy, all done," I smiled at the boy once I finished.
"Thanks Sir Shield-Hero! You're the best!" The boy said, much happier now. "Can I…have a look at your Shield? Please?"
"Of course, have a look. Touch it if you want," I replied as I offered my Shield out to the boy, his eyes widening as he hesitantly touched it.
"So cool! Thank you so much!" The boy exclaimed before running back to his mother, but as he did so he noticed the rest of my party standing behind me. "Oh wow, the Shield-Hero's party! Can...can I shake your hands…please?"
The others happily indulged him as I went over to the boy's mother. "How did that he get hurt if I might ask? He mentioned something about wanting to say hello to someone?" I asked.
"My son is fascinated with the Four Heroes and has always wanted to meet them, so when he heard they were all coming to the Capital well…there was no stopping him," the mother explained as we both watched her son happily exchanging words with my companions.
"So what happened when they arrived?" I pressed.
"The Sword Hero was…polite yet aloof. I get the feeling he wasn't comfortable with children," she explained. "His party apologised for that and were nice enough to say hello. The Spear Hero personally came over and said hello to us, and even let my son have a touch of his Spear. From the looks on their face, one of his party members wasn't happy with what he was doing but said nothing."
"I'd bet anything that'd have been Bitch, but good on Motoyasu all the same." "And the Bow Hero?" I asked, trying to keep the distaste out of my mouth.
This caused the mother's expression to falter. "Oh no…." "Just like with the others, my son called out to the Bow Hero to say hello, but he completely ignored him. Thinking that he hadn't heard him, my son got a bit closer and said hello again, but then the knight accompanying him snapped at my son telling him not to disturb the Bow Hero. When my son replied that he'd just wanted to say hello, the knight…he…he punched my son in the face…"
"He WHAT?!" I and the rest of my party, minus Rishia, exclaimed. "THAT SON OF A BITCH!"
"It's…as you heard it. He didn't hold back either…" she continued sadly. "And the worst part is…the Bow-Hero completely ignored it…none of them said anything and just walked away as though nothing had happened…"
I heard a sob from behind, probably from Rishia. As for the rest of my party, their expressions were murderous, as I'm sure was my own.
"Rest assured ma'am, I will demand justice from the vile scum who did this to your son. I will beat it out of him if I have to," I vowed as I stood up. "Your son did nothing to deserve it, and it takes a special kind of villain to assault a child. That to me is unforgivable." I took a small breath to compose myself. "But please, do not let the actions of the Bow-Hero and his party reflect on the rest of us."
"Of course not!" She reassured me. "Having met all of you, I know at least that the rest of you are good people." Okay, that's pushing a bit with Motoyasu but if that's what she wanted to believe then fine. "And thank you for all you have done for my son."
"No problem ma'am. You two enjoy the rest of your day." And with a final handshake from each of us, we all left the mother and son behind and resumed our journey to the castle.
"Rishia…" I spoke as we walked.
"Y-Yes Sir Fergus?" I heard her stammer nervously from behind me.
"I know your immediate reaction will be to defend Itsuki and the others," I started slowly. "But even you have to realise…what Mald just did…nothing can justify that."
"I understand," she replied firmly. "Mald has always been stuck-up and rude and was always bossing the rest of us around. I just…never thought he'd do something like this…"
"I never liked that big jerk…I could tell from the moment I first looked at him that he was a meanie." Filo pouted.
"And you've always been a good judge of character Filo…I just wish we'd have gotten here in time to stop-" my reply was cut off by a firm tug of my arm from Raphtalia.
"There was nothing you could've done Fergus, we got here as quickly as we could," she said firmly. "Let's focus instead on what happens next."
"You're right, thanks babe," I replied with a smile before replacing it with a grimace. "As soon as this meeting is over, I will demand satisfaction from that bastard, and I will get it one way or another. That I can guarantee."
This was met with sounds and nods of approval, including from Rishia, as we continued to make our way up to the castle which loomed ever closer as we walked.
~AoaTSH~
"State your-Ah the Shield-Hero and his party!" A guard exclaimed as we approached the main castle doors. "Here to see the Queen?"
"We are answering her summons yes," I answered.
"Very well, go straight in," the guard said as his fellow opened the gates. "The guards inside will escort you to where the Queen is meeting the other Heroes."
"Thank you very much," I nodded as my party and I went through the gates, which were then closed behind us. We then proceeded to walk forwards towards the main steps of the castle where more guards were waiting for us.
"Ah Shield-Hero, you have arrived," one of them called out. "If you and your party would follow me, we'll take you to the Queen." With those words, he proceeded up the stairs, and as we fell in line behind him one of his fellows brought up the rear.
"Have the other Heroes been here long?" I asked as we walked.
"Not too long," he answered. "The Sword-Hero was the first to arrive, about fifteen minutes ago. The Spear-Hero then arrived not long after him, and the Bow-Hero arrived only a few minutes later. But from the sounds of it, the Queen was insistent that the discussions will only begin when all four Heroes have arrived." As he was speaking, we approached a large pair of doors.
"Through here is a waiting room where the Heroes' parties have been asked to wait," the guard explained. "Your party will be waiting near the doors to the conference room on the right-hand side, opposite the Spear-Hero's party and next to the Sword-Hero's party."
"So nowhere near the Bow-Hero's party, that's good.." I muttered.
"Yes, the Queen mentioned there's been some bad blood between yourselves and the Bow-Hero's party," the guard nodded. "But don't worry, several guards are stationed aside to guard against any trouble." I nodded in thanks. "Oh, and the Queen asked us to do one more thing which she said may…embarrass you…but she said it was necessary."
"O…kay…?" I said, puzzled, with the rest of my party looking equally confused.
"Yeah, sorry about this…when I've finished speaking, that's your cue to enter." The guard then disappeared through the door, and then a second later…
"Announcing!" "Oh god…really?…" "The arrival of the Hero of Lute Village, the Saviour of the Heavenly Fowl, the Lord of New Rurorona, the Legendary Shield-Hero Fergus Ward and his party!"
"Was that…really necessary?" Raphtalia sighed as Keel and Filo sported matching cheeky grins and even Rishia cracked a small smile.
"No... but I see why she did it…it will ruffle the feathers of those who think they're better than us," I answered. They all knew who I was talking about with that remark. "Alright then ladies, let's carry ourselves with the dignity and poise of heroes…we ready?"
"Always, Fergus." "Okay!" "Let's do this!" "I'm with you!" Came the replies from my companions as I put my hands on the doors and pushed them open, and as they swung back, I held my head high and my arms by my side as I strode forward imperiously, noticing out of the corner of my eye my companions doing the same. And as we walked through the waiting room I swivelled my gaze left and right to catch the reactions of the other parties.
As expected, on looking left, the Bow-Hero's companions were looking at us with barely-concealed hate and distaste, and as my gaze moved through each of them, I noticed that they'd already replaced Rishia with a blonde-haired girl with a spear strapped to her back. As my eyes moved over to Mald, I made sure to level him with a gaze filled with as much hatred as I could convey. "Just you wait you bastard, I'll deal with you shortly…" I thought viciously.
My gaze then moved over to the right of the room, where Ren's party were standing. From their poise and expressions, they were pretty indifferent to the guard's announcement, and two of them, the large barbarian-looking fellow with the axe and the green-haired girl gave us a nod in greeting which I duly returned.
And last of all, as we got closer to the doors to the meeting room, my eyes shifted left again and immediately caught the gaze of Bitch…or was it Slut? Either way, she was looking at me without even trying to hide her disdain. In return, I gave her a cheeky grin and a wink. As for the other two ladies, they didn't react at all. "All in all, pretty much the reaction I was expecting…"
"About time you showed up!" A familiar voice snapped me out of my thoughts as at the end of the room was none other than our old friend Melty, dressed in her usual blue attire and grinning away mischievously as we approached.
"MEL!" Filo yelled as she dashed ahead towards our friend, and as they met they enveloped each other in their usual overly-enthusiastic greeting.
"Hey there Mel," I spoke up as the rest of us approached the pair. "Everything alright?"
"Yup, although you'd better get in there quick…the Bow-Hero hasn't stopped moaning that they should've started the meeting already, despite Mother's insistence that they wait for all of the Heroes to arrive," Melty thumbed the passageway behind her as she spoke. "As for me, my guards and I will be making sure no one misbehaves whilst you're gone."
"Much appreciated Mel, thanks," I smiled at her before looking at the rest. "You lot behave yourself alright? I doubt this'll take too long…or at least I hope it won't…"
With nods of assent and a kiss on the cheek from Raphtalia, they made their way over to the side of the chamber whilst I pressed onwards down the passageway towards another set of double doors which were also being guarded by another pair of guards. And as I drew closer I started hearing muffled voices from within.
"...I was told that this meeting was important, and yet I'm not seeing any urgency from you, Your Majesty." Yup, sounded like Mel was right about Itsuki bitching away. "If it was, you'd have started this meeting already and had Fergus catch up when he gets here. At least WE all showed up on time."
"For the last time Sir Itsuki, we will wait for Sir Fergus to arrive, and then we'll get started," I heard the Queen reply firmly with a hint of exasperation as I nodded to the guards and put a finger to my lips. Catching my meaning, they quietly opened the doors as Motoyasu spoke up.
"Come on man, quit having such a stick in your ass. Fergus will be here soon, I'm sure of it." Ah perfect…Itsuki was sitting directly in front of me and couldn't see me coming.
"As if, I doubt he'll even come at all," Itsuki scoffed. "He's probably so 'busy' being the lord of his own village that he's forgotten he's a Hero and is instead getting all-" His speech was interrupted as I quietly stole over and placed a firm hand on his shoulder, squeezing it none too gently.
"Care to carry on that statement you son of a bitch?" I growled softly, causing Itsuki to turn his head in a panic and, upon seeing who it was, inadvertently gulp whilst at the same time trying to act nonplussed. "That shut him up," I thought amusedly as both the Queen and Ren wore matching smirks of amusement whilst Motoyasu couldn't help but let out a chuckle.
"Told ya so," he said whilst giving me a small nod which I returned as I proceeded to bump fists with Ren before turning my attention to the Queen.
"Your Majesty, I came as soon as I received your urgent summons," I intoned solemnly with a deep bow.
"Welcome Sir Fergus, and thank you for responding so promptly," the Queen replied with a smile. "I trust everything is under control in New Rurorona?"
"It is thank you, and I left it in good hands in order to come here," I responded as I moved over to my seat. But I didn't take it, not yet... "I know the matter you summoned us for is urgent Your Majesty, but there was an incident that happened a short while ago that I hope to resolve when this meeting is concluded."
"Oh?" The Queen responded with a frown and raised eyebrow whilst Ren and Motoyasu looked at me curiously. Itsuki as usual was acting as if he didn't care.
"Ren, Motoyasu…" I addressed my fellow Heroes. "On your way to the castle just now…did a young lad happen to approach you?"
"Yeah…I let him have a hold of my Spear…why do you ask?" Motoyasu replied with a slight frown. Ren merely nodded.
"Ren, I know you aren't comfortable with kids but you and your party at least were polite…and yes, the kid's mother did confirm that you were kind to him, Motoyasu," I then levelled Itsuki with the full force of my glare. "But when the kid tried to greet Itsuki in the same way…not only did this bastard completely ignore him but when the kid tried to say hello again, thinking that he might not have heard him…" I took a deep breath. "There's no easy way to say this but Mald…THIS BASTARD'S party member by the way…punched the kid in the face."
Silence followed for a second or two and then came the explosion.
"HE WHAT?!" Motoyasu yelled in fury as he too glared at Itsuki. Even Ren look disgusted, but unlike Motoyasu he chose to remain silent.
"Sir Itsuki…is what Sir Fergus saying true?" The Queen snapped, rising to her feet. Yet even with all the hate-filled glares directed his way, Itsuki maintained his uncaring demeanour and petulantly refused to respond.
"You bastard…you're not even denying it!" Motoyasu spat at him. "We're meant to be Heroes for god's sake! We're supposed to be an example and protect women and kids like him and his mom, not have our party members smack them around for just wanting to greet us! I-"
"Motoyasu," I cut him off firmly. "I'm glad your sense of chivalry hasn't gone away over the past month, and I'm pretty sure I know what you're about to try and do. If it were anybody else, I'd let you have your way with him, but this is a special case." I then turned to face the Queen. "Your Majesty, once this meeting is over, I demand satisfaction from that overblown popinjay who calls himself a knight for not only what he did to the kid, but also his part in nearly driving one of my party members to suicide.
"Granted," she replied instantly without a moment's hesitation. Motoyasu looked as though he wanted to protest for a second but decided against it as she continued. "The fight will take place in the castle arena once we're done, as will another matter that we will discuss during the meeting."
"I'll not have my party member waste-" Itsuki started to protest before he was instantly cut off by the Queen.
"Sir. Itsuki," she stated firmly and with malice. "I find the actions of you and your party in this affair abhorrent and an insult to the manner in which you should be conducting yourselves. This WILL happen and that is FINAL!"
"But-"
"NO BUTS!" She thundered, catching us all off guard at this sudden burst of anger. She then took a brief moment to compose herself before continuing. "Now then, seeing as we are now all here, let's discuss the real reason I summoned you all here: The monster attacks that happened only a short while ago."
"The Shadow who passed on your summons told us that these attacks had happened all over the country," I said, my gaze turning to the other Heroes as we all retook our seats. "A whole swarm of them attacked the outskirts of my village. What about you guys?"
"Same, we were just leaving the capital when a whole load of them appeared out of nowhere and went straight for us," Motoyasu confirmed. "We were able to fight them off with the help of the guards, and then a Shadow summoned me here shortly after."
"I was out in the wilderness grinding monsters when they attacked me and my party," Ren followed up. "We beat them back, and then just like Motoyasu a Shadow appeared and told me to return to the capital straight after."
"We were just about to enter a village to see if they had any quests for us when it was attacked," Itsuki said gruffly, still annoyed over what'd just happened. "And just like the others, a Shadow summoned us here after we'd killed them."
"And whilst I was waiting for you all to arrive, I was constantly getting updates from other villages and towns that came under attack from the same swarms that you all described," the Queen confirmed. "Thankfully, no lives have been lost so far."
"I wish it were all good news though," I sighed. "As soon as the attack was over, I noticed that the timer for the Waves had paused." Three nods of acknowledgement came from the other Heroes as I continued. "Add on to the fact that they were familiars and that horrible scream that came afterwards…I get the feeling this could be something worse than a Wave…"
"I see…it's as I feared…" The Queen sighed, her words carrying a faint tone of despair that we all quickly caught upon.
"What do you mean, your Majesty?" Ren asked with a furrowed brow.
The Queen looked at us all individually before answering. "These portents can only mean one thing," she gravely replied. "That the legendary monster called the Spirit Tortoise has revived within the kingdom that bears its name: The Spirit Tortoise Kingdom, located east of Melromarc."
This caught all of us off guard. As I looked at the others I saw the same shocked expression that I'm pretty certain was reflected on my own face. "What is this…Spirit Tortoise…your Majesty?" I asked hesitantly.
"It's said to be a monster that brings horrific disaster to the world once every few centuries," the Queen continued. "And based on your accounts as well as those all across the country, I'm certain that these swarms are an effect of its revival."
"That sounds bad…like a Wave but ten times worse…" I muttered, considering, and as I looked across I could see that Ren was also deep in thought. Motoyasu and Itsuki on the other hand were both completely nonplussed. "And if it sounds as bad as you say it could bring about the end of the world…" My gaze then looked back to the Queen. "You gathered the four of us here for a reason…you must have something in mind."
She nodded, seemingly relieved that I'd caught onto her next suggestion. "To vanquish a creature of its size and destructive nature, we're going to need more than what my armies can accomplish on their own. I intend to travel to the outskirts of the Spirit Tortoise kingdom myself with a large force and form an alliance with the nations that surround it. With the aid of their forces, along with the Four Cardinal Heroes and your parties, it may just be enough…"
"Sorry but…I just remembered something I needed to do…"Motoyasu interrupted, getting to his feet.
"I have more pressing matters to attend to, please excuse me," Itsuki added as he too stood up. "WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL?!"
"Are you two being serious right now or just plain dumb?!" I exclaimed to their retreating backs. I'm just glad Ren hadn't budged as well, and even he was looking slightly stunned at the actions of his fellow Heroes. "The fate of the world could be at stake and you two are treating it as a small nuisance? You two must have hit your heads on the biggest boulders in existence for I see a COMPLETE LACK OF BRAIN CELLS BETWEEN YOU BOTH!" By the time I'd finished speaking my shout had turned into an enraged bellow.
"We were summoned to this world to fight the Waves, this doesn't concern us…so I don't see what you're getting so worked up about," Motoyasu dismissed.
"Come on Ren, this is a waste of time. Surely you see that right?" Itsuki beckoned to his fellow Hero.
To his credit, Ren stood his ground. "No," he responded sharply. "I can't take the risk of dismissing this out of hand if what the Queen's saying is true. You two might think this is all nonsense, but at least some of us are taking our roles seriously."
"Tch whatever, suit yourselves." But as Motoyasu and Itsuki approached the doors, they found their way blocked by the two of the Queen's guards. "Erm…your Majesty…mind telling your guards to move please?" Motoyasu asked casually.
"He did not just address her so flippantly…" I sighed, facepalming as I looked over at the Queen. She was looking calm on the outside but, judging the twitching of one of her eyes and the pursing of her lips, she was really, REALLY mad.
"I don't recall ever giving you permission to address me so rudely, Sir Motoyasu," she began calmly. "Nor did I give the two of you permission to leave. I summoned you all here, and none of you will be leaving the castle until I am done. Am I clear?"
"Your Majesty, with all due respect…this doesn't concern…" Itsuki began.
"Am. I. CLEAR?!" The Queen snapped, not even trying to hide her displeasure now as her magical aura sprung to life around her, bringing the temperature down a few degrees in the process. "As the Queen of Melromarc, I take my role very seriously, unlike the two of you or the previous Trash who you had to deal with. And as Queen, it is my duty to keep the citizens of my nation safe from anything that threatens their safety by any means necessary, a sentiment that I'm certain Sir Fergus currently shares." I nodded as she said this. "I am not asking you…I am TELLING YOU what is going to happen. The four of you, along with your parties and any others who wish to join us, will be coming with my forces and I to the Spirit Tortoise kingdom. We will ally with the other nations, and together we will vanquish the Spirit Tortoise and the threat it poses." She paused as her gaze swept over all of us, lingering especially on Motoyasu and Itsuki as she looked at them with disdain. "Then you fools can go back to your things that you 'need to do' and take care of those 'pressing matters' that you seem to find more urgent than the lives of innocent people…" These last words were dripping with so much contempt that I'm surprised she hadn't started spewing poison.
All throughout her speech, both Motoyasu and Itsuki's expressions had changed from indifference to shock and then finally to fear, whilst Ren had merely nodded along with what the Queen had said whilst at the same time watching the other two with a disgusted gaze. As for me, I'd simply sat back and enjoyed the show as the other two, in my mind, got deserved put in their place.
"You don't need to tell me this your Majesty, I was already going to come along anyway," I spoke up straight away. "And not only will me and my party come, but I can bring along two other parties who are fully trained and ready to go."
"Thank you, Sir Fergus," The Queen nodded appreciatively before turning to look at Ren. "And you, Sir Ren?"
Ren looked from the Queen, to the other Heroes and to me before his gaze returned to the Queen. "We'll be there," he replied simply.
"Glad to hear it, Sir Ren," she smiled at him, her gaze now turning into a glare as she looked back at Motoyasu and Itsuki. "And you two?"
After a slight hesitation, Motoyasu finally sighed in resignation. "Fine, whatever… the sooner we get this shit over with the better I guess," he groused as he returned to his seat. "Moron."
Rather unsurprisingly though, at least to me, Itsuki was still standing his ground. "With all due respect, your Majesty…you can't bully us into this," he stated firmly. "If my party and I refuse to go, then there's nothing you can do to stop us."
"Oooh, bad choice of words there Itsuki…" I thought to myself as the Queen's icy glare, if possible, got even harsher. "You are one to speak of being a bully, Bow-Hero, given what I've been hearing about you the past few months," she retorted calmly. "And that doesn't even take into account today's incident as well as nearly causing the death of the daughter of the one of the Lords of my realm with your lies." Judging by Itsuki's dumbfounded expression, he hadn't heard about the Lord of Ivyred's return to prosperity yet. "Very well then, I will make it very simple: Either you and your party come with us, or I will have you all thrown into the dungeons and leave you there until we return."
Even I was stunned by the Queen's words. "She is taking this threat VERY seriously," I reasoned as Itsuki spluttered in response. "Y-you can't do that!"
"I can, and I assure you I will if you keep this up," she responded straight away. "The Waves will only get stronger if you die, so I have a vested interest in keeping you alive. That doesn't mean however that I can't lock you up if you carry on this course of action. Decide now, Bow-Hero."
It took half a minute more before Itsuki eventually conceded. "Fine…but remember I'm only doing this under duress," he muttered as he reluctantly retook his seat.
As the Queen retook her seat, she let out a long sigh of exasperation before taking a few moments to compose herself. "If only the Seven Star Heroes were here as well, then maybe I wouldn't have had to push so far…" I heard her mutter quietly.
"Um, Your Majesty…what was that you just said? Something about Seven Star Heroes?" I asked tentatively. My question piqued the other Heroes' interest as well, even Itsuki's…although he was still doing his best to look as if he didn't care.
"Oh, my apologies Sir Fergus, you weren't meant to hear that…but now it's out there, I doubt any of you will be satisfied without an explanation." She then composed herself before speaking again. "A long time ago, when your Four Holy Weapons were created, eight more weapons came into being. Just like your weapons, these weapons can also be wielded by those who are summoned from other worlds to fill the role of their wielder. But unlike yours, these weapons can also choose wielders from their own world if they feel they are the most suitable."
"So you're saying these…other weapons…are somewhat sentient?" I asked, slightly confused.
"I'm not sure…I only know of their existence because of my status as Queen," she confessed. "And since the creation process happened a very long time ago, my only source on this is the knowledge and records regarding these weapons that have been passed down and preserved through the years."
"And you say there are eight…any reason behind that number?" Motoyasu asked
"Because these weapons were created specifically to not be as powerful as your Four Legendary Weapons, and so two were created for every one of yours," the Queen answered. "From what I gather…and remember this is only from what has been passed down…that whilst these weapons are considerably weaker in terms of potential power, they make up for that by having fewer restrictions. For example, none of you can gain any experience if you level in close proximity to each other…"
The Queen was cut off as Itsuki let out a yawn, only to have everyone glare at him balefully which caused him to squirm in his seat as the Queen continued: "Also, the possessors of these weapons appear to be able to travel between worlds…although this is only speculation from reports of other weapons of the same power appearing in our world which weren't any of the eight…"
"Weapons that allow the wielder to travel between worlds…wait a minute!…" My mind suddenly snapped back to the last Wave and the exchanges I'd had with L'Arc and Glass:
" …long story short, the two of us are Heroes just like you, and we come from another world. Got it?" L'Arc's voice flowed through my head
"I am indeed what is known as a Vassal Hero, the Fan Hero, and L'Arc is the Scythe Hero…" Glass' voice came next.
"Another world…Vassal Hero…plus how strong they were…it all fits!" "No, Your Majesty," I interrupted firmly. "Based on recent events, I'm pretty certain what you view as speculation…is actually truer than you realise."
"How do you mean, Sir Fergus?" The Queen asked.
"I just remembered the conversations I had with those strong individuals we fought during the last Wave…L'Arc, Therese and Glass. L'Arc mentioned how they were Heroes from another world, and Glass confirmed that they, being her and L'Arc, were called Vassal Heroes and that she was the Fan Hero whilst L'Arc was the Scythe Hero."
"Vassal Heroes…that's another name we used for the Seven Star Heroes..in that case, it may be safe to assume that these Vassal Heroes from the world they come from work in the same way as our Seven Star Heroes," she considered, tapping her chin in thought. "Is there anything else you can tell me about them, Fergus?"
"Only how strong they are," I responded. "Glass appeared at the end of the Third Wave and overpowered all four of us." I chose not to mention how I'd been able to hold out slightly longer than the others on that occasion. "If the Wave's timer hadn't ended when it did, Glass would most surely have killed me and my party. And then in the Fourth Wave, and trust me you lot I take no satisfaction in saying this, I'm just being honest, L'Arc overpowered the others in only a few hits and fought Filo and Raphtalia to a draw, whilst I was only able to hold off Glass because I found a way to damage her plus the assistance provided by yourself and Rishia." Itsuki scoffed but I ignored him. "Again, we were only saved thanks to the Wave's timer ending, but they did say they'd return until their mission was completed."
"And what mission was this?" She asked.
"To put it simply: Kill the Four Heroes, thereby saving their own world from the Waves," I stated.
"Troubling…and if these Vassal Heroes are on the same power level as our Seven Star Heroes…plus how they were able to match up or even overpower our four Legendary Heroes…" the Queen considered with a frown, whilst the other Heroes looked between themselves uneasily.
"Your Majesty…you mentioned about not having the Seven Star Heroes available to you right now…what exactly did you mean by that?" I asked.
"Upon hearing that the Four Heroes had been summoned to Melromarc by Trash, I had to make a compromise with the leaders of the other nations to prevent them from declaring war on us," she responded, her expression darkening slightly at the mention of Trash. "That compromise was having the Seven Star Heroes dispatched to the other countries to help them fight back against the Waves. They could be anywhere at the moment, and unfortunately, I have no means of tracking or communicating with them so we'll have to do without them for now."
She sighed before looking around at all of us. "This actually brings me to the other reason I'd summoned you here," she said. "I was going to make this an offer originally, but judging on the information we've just discussed I now have to make this mandatory. It's clear to me that we can no longer achieve victory relying on skills and levels alone, and as such, I highly recommend that you all undergo combat training. Fortunately, I have arranged for a combat instructor to join us in the arena to test your skills, along with those of your party members, and from there they'll be able to get you who need it up to scratch by the time we arrive at the Spirit Tortoise Kingdom." And judging by the firmness of her words and expression, she wasn't going to accept any suggestions or refusals to the contrary.
"Honestly…we could use some more instruction…" I considered as the room lapsed into silence. "These guys, especially Ren and Motoyasu… rely exclusively on their skills to fight. Put them up against an enemy who is wise or immune to their skills and they're fucked. Plus Raphtalia's technique is all self-taught…if she were to receive proper instruction from a master swordsman, she'd get so much stronger…" "Agreed…me and mine would benefit greatly from such instruction," I answered.
"If it helps us get stronger, I'll give it a go I guess," Ren sighed shortly afterwards.
"Sucks we weren't able to show off the results of our level grinding during the last Wave but…I guess we should take any advantage we can get," Motoyasu spoke up after slight consideration. "I don't see the harm in trying this out at least."
"And if I refuse?" Once again Itsuki squirmed under the Queen's annoyed glare. "Tch, fine, whatever…"
"Splendid, then let us all head to the arena, along with your companions. And Sir Fergus?" She turned to address me as we all stood up. "I suggest you ready yourself. Your challenge will occur at the same time."
"Don't worry, your Majesty," I bowed, a vicious smirk on my face. "I am more than ready. And thank you."
~AoaTSH~
As the five of us left the meeting room and walked into the reception area where our party members were waiting, we were immediately swarmed by several of them asking what we'd been talking about, only for the Queen to hold up her fan and flash it threateningly outward, causing everyone to stop. "Now, I know you are eager to learn what I and the Heroes were discussing, but there are other matters that require our immediate attention in the arena," she spoke firmly. "Once that is over with your Heroes will inform you of what is next. For now, please follow me."
"Um, Your Majesty?" the blonde-haired member of Ren's party spoke up, looking nervously at the guards that were taking their places in front and behind us. "What's with all the guards? We aren't in trouble are we?"
"Not at all Mister…?"
"Oh, er, Farrie, Your Highness, no last name and no one of particular importance…just a member of Sir Ren's party."
"Ah, my apologies Farrie," she replied sweetly. "And like I just said, you aren't in any danger at all. The guards are just here to prevent certain…elements…from misbehaving. That is all, I can assure you."
Her words drew a relieved nod from him and the rest of Ren's party whilst Ituski's party members looked decidedly uncomfortable at her implication. But otherwise, there were no objections as the party members fell into line alongside the rest of us, with Raphtalia latching onto my arm, Filo and Melty falling into step behind us with Keel keeping Rishia company at the rear.
"Everything go okay in there Fergus?" Raphtalia asked me quietly.
"Depends on your definition of okay," I muttered in response as we descended through the castle towards the arena. "As the Queen said, I'll explain everything once we're done here." She looked unconvinced at my answer but chose not to respond.
"Sir Motoyasu, did you discuss getting my royal titles back?" Came the simpering voice of Bitch from in front of us, causing me to roll my eyes.
"No we did not," Motoyasu replied tersely. "Just drop it for now alright?" I couldn't help but chuckle at the despairing moan Bitch gave at this reply. After this exchange, everyone pretty much went silent until we finally arrived at the familiar castle arena where I'd once duelled Motoyasu for the fate of Raphtalia.
"Damn that feels like a lifetime ago, even if it was just a few months back," I reminisced, and as I looked over I saw Raphtalia looking around as if she too was thinking back to that event. "And if I remember correctly…she told me it was here that she first fell in love with me…" I bent down and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I love you," I muttered.
"I love you too…" Raphtalia murmured, laying her head on my shoulder as we all walked over to the side of the arena whilst the Queen took her place in the centre.
"Now before we come to the reason why I brought here, there is another matter that must be resolved," the Queen spoke up, and as she did so I fiddled with the gauntlet on my left arm, making sure it was ready. "Now as Heroes, and those who travel alongside them, it is expected of you to maintain a certain manner of decency, honour and selflessness befitting your role. Yet this does not give you the right to bully or abuse others and expect to get away with it simply because you are one of the Heroes or one of their companions, and recently I have found myself shocked and quite frankly deeply disgusted with some of your behaviours." As she spoke, her eyes were roving in particular over Motoyasu and Itsuki's parties until she finally locked her eyes on Mald. "You there…what is your name?"
The overblown peacock puffed himself up as he proudly responded. "Sir Mald, your Majesty. Second-in-command and companion of the great Bow-Hero Sir Itsuki!"
"Step forward please Mald, and stand to my right," she ordered curtly, not even bothering to use an honorific as she pointed. Slightly confused, Mald looked over at Itsuki, who gave a weary nod in response, before proceeding to step forward into the arena, and as he took his place the Queen continued. "You, in particular, have used your self-professed elevated status to verbally bully and abuse not only the rest of your party members but also nobles and ordinary civilians as well."
"Your Majesty! I can assure-!"
"SILENCE!" She bellowed, cutting off his protest. "Based on the evidence provided to me not only by others but also my own Shadow that has been observing your party, you are guilty of the following: plotting a conspiracy to falsely discredit your own party member as well as participation in said conspiracy. And I can also add on attempted murder, as due to your actions as well as those of the Bow-Hero and the rest of your party, you almost drove a poor innocent girl into suicide!" This drew gasps of shock from those who didn't know what'd happened as poor Rishia burst into tears. Almost straight away however she was wrapped in a tight hug by the rest of my party and Melty.
"Your Majesty, she got what she deserved!" Mald tried to protest. "She was a filthy traitor who betrayed Sir-!"
"SILENCE!" She roared again. "How you people convince yourself of your own blatant lies is quite frankly appalling! I am just glad that she survived thanks to the actions of Sir Fergus and his party members." She took a deep breath before continuing. "You are also guilty of unprovoked assault on a minor which happened only a short while ago."
"He was bothering-" His protest was again cut off, only this time by the members of mine, Ren's and surprisingly enough Motoyasu's party, minus Bitch, insulting him and calling him out for what he did
"ENOUGH!" The Queen shouted once more, silencing everyone immediately. "The fact that you didn't even try to deny it is just as appalling as the crime itself. You are unworthy of the title of knight that you keep boasting about so proudly. In fact, you are nothing more than a common thug, using your size and your self-claimed authority to belittle and abuse others you see as beneath you. I currently have more than enough evidence to see you arrested and put in jail for your crimes, but after thinking about it a little more…I think having you humiliated in front of your oh so precious Bow-Hero, the rest of your party and the other Heroes will serve as a more fitting punishment."
"And so Sir Mald, I am ORDERING you to take part in a duel right at this very moment. The first to make a fatal move on their opponent wins, and before you ask Mald…no, you are not allowed to kill your opponent or injure them in any significant way." She then let out a small chuckle. "Not that you'll ever get the chance to do so."
Throughout her speech, the colour on Mald's face shifted between red and blue, and once she'd finished he looked as though he wanted to object but, upon seeing the murderous expression on her face and the posture of her guards. "Hmph, fine…I suppose I can lower myself to take on this challenge," he retorted in a tone of greatly exaggerated disappointment. "And who will be my opponent? The filthy traitor herself? Or one of those worthless companions she now surrounds herself with?"
"Neither of those," the Queen replied as my party members all growled in his direction. "Your opponent shall be the Shield-Hero, Fergus Ward." At these words, I uncoiled myself from Raphtalia and gave her and the others a reassuring smile as I stepped up onto the other side of the arena, facing both the Queen and Mald, the latter of whom was initially stunned and then an instant later furious upon my reveal.
"HIM?!" He roared, spittle flying. "You expect me to lower myself to fight this ill-born thug who purports to being a Hero?! I will not!"
"Rude much?" I snarked back as I readied myself. "My parents were married and wonderful people when I was born thank you very much. And why not? You aren't a coward are you, you fat piece of shit?"
"Mind your tongue braggart, I will not be spoken to in such manner!" He spat before looking back at the Queen. "He cannot even fight back with that Shield of his, so how much of a fair fight would this even be?!"
"SQUAWK!" I crowed. If possible, that made him even madder.
"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!" He bellowed, face turning purple.
"I said 'Squawk' because you're a chicken, a yellow-bellied coward whose afraid of a one-on-one fight!" I taunted. "I thought you'd want revenge on me for all the times my party has humiliated you! Raphtalia!" I turned to my girlfriend. "How easy was he to beat up at that conference the other month?"
"Very! I didn't even break a sweat!" Raphtalia replied in the same teasing manner, a wicked grin on her face which was shared by Filo and Keel.
"And Filo! How good was it to hear his ribs get crushed beneath your talons on Cal Mira?"
"So good! I wanna do it again!" She cheered.
"HOW DARE YOU! HYYYYAAAAHHHHHHH!" With a loud battle cry, he drew his two-handed sword and charged straight at me.
"Too easy!" I internally cheered as I brought out my Axe Shield and used it to block Mald's attack. Not to be deterred however, Mald kept roaring and trying to break through my Shield with wild sword strikes, their force slightly augmented by his anger. But all it was doing was powering up my Shield until, after a couple more hits, it reached its full power. "Alrighty then, time to end this!" "Come forth Heartseeker!" I roared, and in response, my Shield sprouted its handle and morphed into its true two-handed form just in time for me to block Mald's next attack and push him back.
This caught him off guard as he obviously wasn't expecting this form of assault, which provided me with all the opportunity I needed. As he hesitated I swung my axe at his blade, and the force of my blow knocked the sword out of his hands which I then followed up with a strike using the flat side of the axe head to his head. The impact of the blow sent him stumbling back, dazed. Perfect!
"Air Strike Shield! Followed by Second Shield!" I yelled as my Shield morphed back to its original shape, and a second later the familiar ethereal green shield appeared flat in front of me, quickly followed by another one that was positioned slightly above and in front of the first. "Shield of the First Avenger! Discus Throw!" As this Shield manifested it flew in a wide arc towards Mald's head, during which time I leapt atop the first Air Strike Shield, and as the skill connected with Mald's head, dazing him even more, I was already leaping atop the second Shield.
"I hope this works…" I thought to myself as the Shield arced back towards me. "Here goes…" "Springboard Shield!" I yelled as I leapt off the second Shield towards the arcing path of my returning Shield, hoping against hope that I would feel my foot touching against the surface of my Shield…and it did as Springboard Shield activated, propelling me high into the air, and as I reached the highest point of my spring my Shield slotted back onto my arm. "Iron Meteorite Shield! Activate Skill: Shield Missile!" I gathered what mana I could into myself as I tucked myself into a ball and shot downwards towards Mald, who was only just recovering from being dazed by my multiple attacks.
"Wha-" That was all that came out of his mouth as I cannoned into him, sending him sprawling on his back as I quickly got to my feet, ignoring the small ache I could feel in my joints from the impact as I used my thumb to activate the hidden blade in my left gauntlet (long story short: shortly after becoming Lord of New Rurorona, I'd gone back to Erhard's shop, and between the pair of us we managed to configure my Arm-Blade gauntlet so that I could bring the blade out with a small string mechanism activated by a pull of my thumb, thus allowing me to wear the gauntlet all the time) and, with a quick cutting gesture, mimed cutting across Mald's throat.
"The winner of this duel is the Shield-Hero, Fergus Ward!" The Queen declared, resulting in cheers from my party members as I raised my hand in victory, which was accompanied by gasps of shock and some light applause from Motoyasu, Ren and their parties. Itsuki and his party tried to protest and accuse me of cheating of course but they were ignored. I, however, wasn't done with Mald yet, and so seeing as he was still flat on his back, an expression of shock and dismay on his large face, I decided to add on some extra humiliation…just like any good gamer who was proud of his victory would do.
Yeah…I did the teabagging gesture right on top of his face. And yes, that may have been low, but hey, that bastard deserved it!
"You teabagged-Are you serious, Fergus?!" Motoyasu called out in exasperation as I walked back towards them.
"Hey, he deserved it!" I defended myself. "And wait…you know what teabagging is?"
"Of course I do! Every gamer knows what tea-BEHIND YOU!" At his yell, I turned my head and with wide eyes noticed that Mald, as I'd been celebrating, had gathered up his sword and was raising it to strike down against my back. I quickly brought my Shield up to try and block, but I wasn't going to be fast e-!
*SWISH* *CLANG!* All of a sudden a figure swooped in between myself and Mald and not only blocked his attack but with another swift motion disarmed him again.
"Attacking an opponent from behind, especially after losing a fair duel, is the behaviour of a coward, and yet you claim yourself to be a knight? You aren't worthy of such a title!" They called out in a stern female voice. This new arrival was clad in standard knight's armour, with shoulder-length pink hair and piercing light-blue eyes, which would have made for a beautiful sight if it wasn't for the fact she was currently glaring a hole through Mald, her face set in a stern expression.
"Right on time," the Queen spoke up as though commenting on the weather. "Heroes, I would like you and your companions to meet your new combat instructor, as well as a knight who I trust greatly: Eclair Seaetto."
And that's where we'll end Chapter 2! I originally was going to have more of an introduction to Eclair as well as some duels in here, but given the length of this chapter, I'll save them until next time.
Alrighty then, time for changes…and to be honest, it can be summoned in these few words/sentences: Major Itsuki-bashing, slightly redeemable Motoyasu, Ren being nicer and losing some of his arrogant nature, the Queen being more forceful and taking no shits, and most importantly, changes to reflect Light Novel content that the anime skipped. Got all that? Okay, here's a brief summary of each:
Itsuki-bashing - Not gonna lie, I WAS PISSED when it skipped over the whole arc that was pretty much the last chapter of my first story. Add onto that the interactions at the start of episode one and I was like…what the hell was that?! He and the others pretty much drove her to suicide, and you're gonna have them interact…almost reasonably like that? Naofumi and the others should be spitting mad fire at them for what they did. And even trying to make Itsuki look somewhat good? Pardon my French but FUCK. THAT. That little twat deserves no redemption, and so I'm going all out with bashing the little shit and his party and making them look like monsters, hence why I added the additional scene with the little kid and the duel with Mald at the end.
Motoyasu - Spear-for-brains, like I said, has a good heart somewhere under all that female simping. He's not there yet, plus his reputation's in the mud for molesting Filo, so he's still somewhat of a jerk but also a bit nicer in places. I think Fergus not holding too much of a grudge in the aftermath of the trial helped with that.
Ren - To me, Ren isn't an idiot. Yes, he's a bit arrogant, and yes he's obsessed with wanting to become stronger, but he's also young so he still has time to mature, and on top of that he genuinely means well. Fergus figured that out after confronting him about the plagued town, and as such didn't view Ren as badly as the other two afterwards. That incident also got Ren to start to analyse and really think about what he was getting into, hence why he was more willing to go along with what the Queen suggested here. Plus, Ren's interactions with Fergus from that point on have been friendly, and whilst Ren is still a bit annoyed that Fergus, at points, has shown to be stronger than him, he also recognises that Fergus doesn't brag about it which has helped him warm up to our protagonist quite a bit. So expect a much more likeable Ren in this story.
The Queen - Really leaning more into the novels' versions of her instead of the anime's. My take on her will really emphasise her prioritising the safety of her country above anything else and not caring what she has to do to achieve that. Add on to that she will be taking no shits from Motoyasu and Itsuki who she really, at this point, doesn't respect, hence why she got them on board like that. But that won't be all to her as I'll expand upon in later chapters.
Light novel content - moving up the introduction of the Seven Star Weapons, adding in the training in the arena and moving the first appearance of Eclair and giving her a proper introduction…yeah not only am I going to be pacing this much slower than the anime, but I am going to be doing quite a few of my own original additions as well as adding in some content from the Light Novels and such to make this story, unlike the first one, much more distinct from the anime.
I've waffled on for too long now so I'll stop here. I'll take another day or two off then start on Chapter 3, which should cover the introduction of Eclair, some duels, the return to New Rurorona and the journey to the Spirit Tortoise Kingdom, with a slight deviation on the way. Until then, this is theoneandonlyedster signing out for now, and I'll see you next time!
