Before we get to his chapter, I want to apologise for the length of time it took for me to release this. I know I said in the last chapter that I wanted to publish this one in early August, and I fully intended to do just that. However, life got in the way with the past week especially being very stressful, so much so that writing this chapter took a back seat whilst I dealt with it. And whilst the main cause of the stress is getting dealt with, this whole thing will mean that my writing schedule will change completely in the next few weeks. I'll explain further after the chapter.
In the meantime, I hope you are all enjoying this new season of anime. I've been finding it alright, nothing special. The shows I'm watching are proving to be fun experiences, and I'm planning to catch up on Lycoris Recoil as well since I've heard good things about it. We've also been swamped with trailers and visuals for new and returning anime coming either at the end of this year or in 2023, including the first teaser for Shield-Hero season 3 which of course I can't wait to hear more about.
Enough waffling though, chapter time. We're gonna meet some old friends and new enemies ahead, so how will Fergus and the gang deal with them? As always, 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.
For Billy.
Chapter 8 – Journey to the Center of the Beast
You'd be forgiven for thinking that the initial entranceway to the inside of the Spirit Tortoise resembled more of a slightly larger-than-average cave rather than a passageway leading to the insides of a Guardian Beast, but as we took our first steps through the entrance and headed down the path, that was exactly the case. And to be honest that was preferable to what I'd been expecting since when I imagined us traversing through the Tortoise's insides I expected to be surrounded by blood, veins, arteries, bones and everything else that made up the inner workings of a living organism, not solid rock.
But that could still be the case later on and further in, so I didn't want to say anything out loud in order to jinx it. What was more concerning right now was, now that we were out of sight of the initial entryway, our lack of light that was making it harder and harder for us to see the pathway ahead until we eventually lost sight of our route altogether.
"Did anyone bring any torches or lamps with them?" I asked into the gloom. Even though I knew the others were only a couple of steps or so behind me, the lack of light made it impossible for me to see them. In fact, the only person whose location I was sure of was Raphtalia and that was because she was holding my hand.
"I have some torches," she replied.
"I-I brought a lamp with me, just in case," I heard Rishia squeak from nearby.
"Good work. We'll use the torches for now and save the lamp for later in an emergency." After a minute or two of digging around in her pack, Raphtalia passed me one of the torch handles. "Rishia, mind giving us some fire for a sec?"
"S-Sure!" A few seconds later her face was illuminated by a small flame that was hovering above her hand. After lighting the torches, I passed the one I was holding to Keel whilst Raphtalia gave one of the two she was holding to Ost whilst keeping the other for herself.
"That's better, at least we can see ourselves and where we're going. Let's keep moving." With those words I fell into step next to and slightly behind Raphtalia who was now leading the way with her torch. Looking back, I saw Keel fall to the back of the line to keep watch for any surprises whilst Rishia, Ost and Filo all walked together between us. But even though we had our torches now, the path ahead was still dark and foreboding, a tell-tale sign of danger if we ever needed it. However, we pressed on regardless.
"It's so dark and eerie…I'm just glad we haven't encountered any familiars or such," I commented after a while.
"Master, do you reckon we're actually inside the Spirit Tortoise yet? It's still really rocky," Filo asked.
"I know what you mean Filo. This may look like a cave but I'd hazard we're definitely walking through its insides as we speak," I replied after a moment of thought. "And judging by where we entered, if it was the very top and centre of the tortoise and that we're walking in the direction of its head…I'd say we're currently passing through its large intestine."
"Fergus! That's disgusting!" Raphtalia hissed from in front.
"But if that's the case…" I continued, ignoring Raphtalia's outburst momentarily and furrowing my brow. "If all the Tortoise eats is souls and whatever it eats has to pass through here whilst being digested…I wonder how all the souls look when they get digested and where they go once they're pooped ou-OW!" My sudden cry of pain was courtesy of Raphtalia deliberately kicking my shin.
"That's enough! Don't make this any more disturbing than it has to be!" She snapped, totally unamused.
"Okay okay jeez! I was trying to lighten the mood," I moaned. "And I was only saying what we were all thinking…"
"I highly doubt that. I CERTAINLY wasn't thinking about it," she huffed as she turned back around and kept walking.
"I'm surprised it doesn't smell weird!" Filo piped up.
"Told you so babe," I smirked triumphantly.
"Not you too Filo…!" Raphtalia moaned.
"I didn't say anything! You put the words in my mouth!" Filo huffed. "Which means you were thinking about it in some way!"
"Sorry Raphtalia, but she's got you there," I pointed out. Aside from another huff and pained moan, Raphtalia chose not to respond. All the while I could hear Keel giggling to herself in the background whilst Ost and Rishia were having their own whispered conversation as we pressed onward. I could barely make out a few snippets since they were speaking so quietly, but judging by some of the happy and relieved noises that came from Rishia's squeaks, it would seem the familiar was doing her best to encourage Rishia and keep her spirits up. I imagined part of that would be reassuring her that Itsuki would be safe.
"…I said this back before we came down here…" Rishia's voice suddenly became loud enough so that we could all hear her. "Right now, I'm a member of the Shield-Hero's party, and as such, thanks to the kindness he and the others have shown me by taking me in, I will do what I can to help them in their goals, which was right now is to stop the-EEP!" The slight clattering of rocks triggered by the rest of us stopping and turning to face the green-haired girl caused her to let out an embarrassed squeak of surprise.
"Thank you Rishia," I said genuinely before chuckling. "And please…don't ever change. It wouldn't be the same."
"Your good heart and innocent clumsiness…that's what makes you so special to us," Raphtalia added with a smile.
"Yeah, that's the Rishia we know and love!" Filo piped up, causing Rishia to moan in embarrassment and Ost and Keel to giggle slightly. However, our joviality came to a sudden halt as another clattering of rocks came from nearby, and this time none of us were the cause.
"What was that?" Raphtalia asked as we all turned back to the passageway ahead of us.
"I'm not sure, but I think we may have company. Guard up everyone," I replied. With a POOF Filo transformed into her Filolial form as Keel readied an arrow on her bow. "Pass me your torch babe, that way you have both hands free for your sword."
"Right." With one smooth motion, she passed the torch to my left hand as she proceeded to rest her hands on the hilt of her sword as I held my Shield up in anticipation of any surprise or hidden attacks. And it was a good thing I did as without warning a figure burst from around a nearby corner and leapt at me, a two-handed axe raised above their head and already coming down towards me.
"Everyone get back!" I roared as my Shield of the First Avenger took the blow and forced the axe, and its wielder, backwards.
"Wait, hold on! You're human?" The figure exclaimed, now revealed to be a man in what appeared to be his late twenties with brown hair and blue eyes. He was also garbed in what appeared to be adventurer's attire that was a mix of blue and black along with a bandanna. As we recovered from our clash, I noticed, thanks to the light illuminating from the torch, two other figures hidden behind the man with the axe, both of whom were female. The one in front had parted blonde hair that fell to their shoulders and was wearing a dirty brown cloak over a black attire. As for the one in the back, we couldn't see much except they had red hair tied back in a ponytail with the rest of her body hidden from view.
"Wait a moment…how did they get here? We're the only ones who should be here right now!" "Relax, we're not here to harm you. You just caught us by surprise that's all," I placated them quickly as the rest of my party gathered to my side. "I'm assuming you guys are adventurers as well. How did you get down here so fast?"
"Oh…well…you know…" the guy in front stammered, rubbing his hair awkwardly. "Her Majesty sent us in as well…just in case you needed help, that's all!"
"That can't be right…the only other adventurers with us were the rest of my party…and they should still be with the Queen. His story doesn't add up…" I thought to myself as Ost came forward next to me.
"I don't know about that. Would the Queen really give an order like that to people she wasn't familiar with?" She asked them.
"Hey look, whatever our reasons for being here…the more people you have done here, the easier things will be right?" The guy tried to placate us, but it was becoming increasingly obvious that he knew his story wasn't going to hold up long. "Well, better get going right? We'll see you around kiddo!"
"Kiddo?! Wait a minute…there's only one person I know who would call me that! But could it really be…?" "Raphtalia…you thinking what I'm thinking?" I quietly asked my paramour as the three strangers walked past us.
"I believe so…you want me to cast it?"
"Go for it…Hey you three, stop right there!" I called out to the three strangers who stopped as they turned to look at us and thus providing me with the few seconds of hesitation that we needed. "Now Raphtalia!"
"Reveal these adventurers for who they truly are! Anti-Mirage!" A yellow ball of light appeared between Raphtalia's hands as she spoke, and as she completed the spell she thrust it at the three adventurers who reflexively shied away from it. And as the light from Raphtalia's spell faded, we saw that our suspicions had been correct and that what we'd seen before were merely illusions to hide their true forms.
"Heh, should've known you guys would see through our disguises!" The now-revealed form of L'Arc Berg chuckled as he slammed the butt of his scythe against the ground whilst running his other hand through his all-too-familiar red hair, clad in pretty much the same attire from back on Cal Mira and with a familiar carefree expression and smile on his face. "Long time no see kiddos, it's good to see you again!"
"W-wait! Isn't that?" Rishia stammered.
"L'Arc's here?" Keel asked, momentarily stunned. "And behind him…isn't that…?"
"Why'd we even bother with these disguises? You didn't have any intention of hiding did you L'Arc?" Therese Alexandrite spoke up, momentarily palming her face in exasperation before smiling at us also. Like L'Arc, she too was wearing the same attire from before. "It's good to see you again Fergus, and your companions."
"Hey, it's Therese! Hi Therese!" Filo cried exuberantly, waving a wing at the blue-haired girl who waved back with a small giggle.
"But then who's the…wait…it can't be!" Raphtalia gasped, her hands going straight to her sword as she realised who the third figure was. And as they turned their head to look at us, I realised why Raphtalia had tensed up as my first instinct also was to raise my Shield, memories of our previous two encounters flashing through my mind as we locked eyes.
She may not have been wearing the same kimono that she'd worn during our first two meetings, but there was no mistaking those red eyes and black hair that was currently worn in a ponytail, nor the fan she was clutching in her hand.
It was Glass. Somehow both Vassal Heroes, along with Therese, were here once again.
~AoaTSH~
Well…this was certainly awkward…
On the one hand, both L'Arc and Therese had been good friends of ours back on Cal Mira. We'd chatted, fought and drank together and had developed a good camaraderie during the brief time we'd spent together. Heck, between the two of them and my party, we'd done the most work in beating back the most recent Wave with L'Arc himself landing the killing blow.
On the other hand, right after the Wave, they'd turned on us. L'Arc had struck out at myself and the other Heroes with the intent to kill, and after the other Heroes tried to attack him, he'd fought them off effortlessly before proclaiming, in a voice and expression that'd reeked of both grim necessity and regret, that for the sake of their world I and the other Heroes had to die. And after that Therese had set the allied forces' boats on fire, albeit harmless ones, to keep them out of the way whilst the two of them battled the four of us.
Even though we'd had to give it our all in that fight, I could tell that both L'Arc and Therese, whilst enjoying the fight, weren't fans of having to take us on, thereby proving that the trust and friendship we'd built up with them hadn't been a lie. They really did like us, but they had a mission to accomplish and a world to protect which trumped everything else in their eyes, an attitude I completely understood even if at the time their betrayal really stung.
And then at the end of it all, when the timer for the Wave had run out and L'Arc and Therese, along with Glass, had to return to their world, L'Arc had sincerely wished for us to remain alive until the next time we met. Heck, when I'd proclaimed that I would find a way to save both of our worlds from the threat of the Waves, he genuinely wished me good luck and hoped that would be the case.
So yes, I considered them good friends, even though at the same time I knew we might have to fight them again for the fate of our worlds. But hopefully today, with the current threat of the Spirit Tortoise looming over our heads, that wouldn't be the case.
Glass, on the other hand, was a different story entirely. She'd first appeared at the end of the third Wave, the second one that the other Heroes and I had participated in. And whilst the first words out of her mouth may have been a courteous greeting to myself along with a remark that I was the only competent one out of the four Heroes, she'd then followed up by declaring herself our enemy and attacking us relentlessly, driving the other three back with little effort and fending off all of mine, Raphtalia and Filo's best efforts to take her down. In fact, if it hadn't been for the timer running out at the end of that Wave, it was highly likely that she'd have been able to kill us all.
She'd then reappeared during our fight with L'Arc and Therese where once again she'd tried to kill me and the others. I'd managed to suck her into a one-on-one fight and was on the verge of defeating her when, in a moment of desperation, she let slip what was driving her. Until that moment I thought she was a product of the Waves or perhaps one of those controlling them, only to find that that wasn't the case at all. In fact, her motivations were the same as L'Arc and Therese's: She had people in her world she wanted to protect and would do anything to keep them safe, an attitude which, just like with L'Arc and Therese, I understood even if I didn't agree with it. This revelation had given her renewed zeal and she would most likely have killed me if not for Raphtalia's intervention and her subsequent drenching in cohol that forced her to retreat alongside the others.
Right now, she was still an unknown. Yes, she'd tried to kill me twice but it hadn't been out of any malice. She'd just been defending those she cared about and I couldn't blame her for that.
So that was why in the seconds, clocking up to nearly half a minute since we'd revealed their true identity the seven of us (i.e., everyone except Rishia and Ost) had done nothing but stare numbly at one another, completely unsure of how to respond in a situation like this.
"So…erm…" L'Arc was the one who eventually broke the silence, rubbing his hair awkwardly once more. "This is…kinda awkward…"
"You're…telling me…" I replied hesitantly. "Never thought this reunion would be so…weird…but then again, our whole dynamic with these guys is all sorts of weird…" "It's…. good to see you I…guess?"
"You too…so…how have you all been?" L'Arc asked.
"We've been…busy…remember that ruined village where we first met?" I asked, causing both L'Arc and Therese to nod as they recalled that encounter. "Well, when we got back after our fight on Cal Mira, we started to rebuild and…I got named the new Lord of it. Between that and training…. that's what we've been up to the last month…"
"It's no longer ruins? It's actually a thriving town like you said it used to be?" Therese marvelled, her eyes shining bright like the jewels she adored. "That's so wonderful Fergus! And I'm so happy for you, Raphtalia and Keel…" she added, her eyes roving over my two demi-human companions with genuine happiness. "You must be so happy to have your home back!" They both nodded, smiling somewhat awkwardly given the situation.
"So… you really did rebuild it, just like you said you would when we met back then. I guess you really do keep all your promises, huh kiddo?" L'Arc commented with a genuine smile before striding forward and holding his spare hand out. "Look, I know our last encounter didn't go so well, and you probably don't trust us so much anymore but… I promise we're not here to kill you this time. So what do you say…truce for now?"
I looked at both L'Arc and Therese's gentle smiles and expressions, searching for any hint of a lie behind their words and finding none. Heck, even a quick glance in Glass' direction and seeing her calm poise and expression clued me in that they were telling the truth. To be honest, I didn't have any reason for doubting them, they'd never lied to me before. "Some people would say I'm nuts for trusting you after last time but…I know you lot. You've always been straight up even when trying to kill us…" I then strode forward and grasped his hand, shaking it with a smile as the others all let out a sigh of relief. "A truce it is."
"Thank you so much! I promise we won't let you down! It'll be so good to team up with you again!" Therese gushed as I shook her hand next whilst Raphtalia and the others greeted L'Arc.
"You too Therese," I told her with a genuine smile before looking at Glass, who hadn't moved a muscle or shown any change in expression during this. I let out a sigh, at first unsure of how to address her before settling on the polite and respectful route. "Glass," I began. "I know this is probably as weird to you as it is to me but…this doesn't have to change anything, alright? Once we're done with this crisis, we can go back to fighting against one another to save our worlds. Does that sound okay?"
Glass closed her eyes and let out a sigh before turning her gaze fully upon me. "I can accept those terms," she replied curtly. "Straight to the point…I can work with that."
"Good," I replied before stepping back to address all three of them, my companions alongside me once they'd finished exchanging greetings with L'Arc and Therese. "Whilst it is good to see you again…what brings you here in the first place?"
"Ah yeah, that…well it should be simple enough for you to figure out. The guy who broke the seal on the Spirit Tortoise? We're here to kick his ass too." L'Arc said shortly.
"Really?" I asked, puzzled. "I mean, not to sound ungrateful or anything 'cause we're glad that you're on the same page but…how do I put this politely…?"
"…I think what my boyfriend is trying to ask is why this concerns you as well?" Raphtalia finished. "The Spirit Tortoise is threatening our world, not yours. And doesn't the destruction of our world mean that yours would be saved? If anything, we-" Her line of questioning was cut off by another grunt of pain from Ost, and as we all turned in her direction we saw her once more clutching her head and grimacing as more memories and information came back to her.
"Ost! Are you okay?" Rishia cried.
"I-I'm fine Rishia, I was just remembering…" the familiar replied before fixing her gaze on myself and the other world's heroes. "I think the person who broke the seal…came from another world just like they did. In fact, they may have even come from their world as well."
"That does make some semblance of sense…especially if this person is a Vassal Hero like Glass and L'Arc…" "Could she be right?" I asked them.
"Yes, what your friend just said is accurate," Therese grimaced.
"It's more than that though…this isn't the first time he's done this," Glass added. "He's trying to control Guardian Beasts from other worlds too, an action that goes against the very laws of our worlds."
"The laws of our worlds? Wonder what she means by that…" I mused
"To answer the question you were about to ask Raphtalia since I can pretty much guess what it was. Yes, we have to kill you in order to save our world, so it makes more sense for us to help him and let the Spirit Tortoise stomp all over you, right?" L'Arc spoke up, with Raphtalia nodding in confirmation that it was exactly what she was about to ask. "This guy's different. He's wreaking havoc in this world purely for the sake of his own personal greed." I could practically feel the venom and disgust of L'Arc's tone as he spoke, and honestly? I was starting to feel somewhat the same. If L'Arc was right about this guy…he sounded like the worst kind of bastard.
"And if he isn't stopped soon, then his actions will bring misery and despair not only to this world, but ours too eventually," Therese added sadly.
"We have no choice but to eliminate him," Glass proclaimed, the hand clutching her fan pressed against her heart. "The words L'Arc and I speak, these are their feelings. The whispers of our Vassal Weapons."
L'Arc nodded along with their words. "That's why we're after him, and I can pretty much guess why you're after him too. After all, you're the Shield-kiddo, right? One of the Heroes protecting this world? Of course you'd be at the forefront of keeping it safe which involves stopping the same bastard we're after. So I guess you could say our goals are aligned."
I pondered slightly on their words, all the while keeping an eye on their expressions. Not once did they break eye contact or hesitate, and since I had little reason to suspect them of lying before, it could only mean one thing. They were being 100% honest as to their goals. But of course, it wasn't just my thoughts and feelings on this that mattered. "How about yourselves, girls? Do you believe them?" I asked my companions.
"I do…they've always been kind and honest with us," Raphtalia spoke up.
"I can't sense anything bad from them, even Scary Lady who's tried to kill us twice. I say we trust them!" Filo interjected, referring to Glass.
"I don't fully trust them after they turned on us, but at least they were honest about it. If you're okay with them, then I am as well Sir Fergus," Keel said next.
"T-They did try to kill you and S-Sir Itsuki, but they s-seem like nice people!" Rishia spoke up hesitantly. "L-Like Keel, I'll follow your judgement on this Sir Shield-Hero!" Ost didn't say anything but nodded in agreement with her. A unanimous verdict across the board.
"Okay, we'll work with you three on this." I started, causing L'Arc and Therese's faces to light up whilst Glass offered no reaction. But I wasn't going to give them exactly what they wanted, no way. Even though I and the others trusted them, there was still that sword of Damocles hanging over our heads regarding the fact that they still intended to kill us to save our world, and so I'd be an idiot to go into this without a few caveats. "However, if we're going to do this, I insist on two conditions. Firstly, once this is all over…you give us a few days at least to recover before trying to kill us again."
"We'll probably need some time to rest ourselves. Deal." L'Arc answered immediately.
"Second…this monster is huge, and I doubt we'll be able to find its heart as quick as we would like to, and we're on a strict time limit until the Tortoise wakes up again. We'll need to split up to cover as much ground as possible. Depending on who finds it first, they can create as much of a racket and outburst of power as possible in order to try and get us all there so that we can deal with this threat quickly. Make sense?"
"But hang on, what would be the point of us-" L'Arc's objection was cut off by a sharp elbow and glare from Glass.
"The Shield-Hero is right, we stand a much better chance of finding the heart quicker if we stay in two groups rather than joining forces," she replied forcefully, although there were hints of relief in her words as well. "Besides, between the three of us and the six of them, each group should have more than enough power to deal with any threats we may encounter."
L'Arc sighed regretfully before acknowledging the truth of Glass' words. "You both make a fair point. Alright Shield-kiddo, you got yourself a deal." He offered his hand to me once more and I shook it. "We'll go on ahead, and at the first branching path we'll take the left side, and you guys head right. Sound good?"
"Absolutely," I replied fiercely, with my companions nodding in agreement. "Good luck. And in case we don't see you again for a while…it was good to catch up."
"Likewise, kiddos. Cya." With a parting wave, L'Arc made his way back the way they'd initially come.
"Please stay safe down there," Therese entreated us before following L'Arc. Glass said nothing but gave us a respectful nod before jogging to catch up with her two companions, leaving the six of us alone once more.
Just as L'Arc suggested, we gave them about a minute or two to get well ahead of us before setting off once more. And at the first chamber we came to there were, just as L'Arc had said, two branching paths. We headed down the right path and deeper into the belly of the beast.
~AoaTSH~
As we progressed further and further inside the Spirit Tortoise, two more items of note became apparent, one good and one bad.
The good news was that the further and the deeper we went, Ost was beginning to remember more pockets of information from her sealed memories. With that being the case, she eventually took over from me at the front so that she could guide us in the right direction.
The bad news was that, as we continued to progress, the insides of the Tortoise began to change. What was once a rocky pathway and cavernous walls gradually turned into more…fleshy and gooey surroundings. The walls around us were turning red and sinewy, and dotted around them were smaller red balls of pulsating mass that continually throbbed even as we passed by. Thankfully the ground around us, although it was also turning blood red and starting to become laced with small veins, remained somewhat more solid and less sticky so we were able to continue walking on it safely, although quite often there would be a bit of *SQUELCH* noise made as one or two of us put their foot down on the odd occasional bulbous mass we ran into on the ground.
And it wasn't just our surroundings that were foreboding…there was still the looming threat of the person currently behind all this. They still hadn't made any sound or hints of an appearance, but I couldn't help but get the feeling that should we get much further in, they'd no doubt reveal themselves
Just as we were coming across to another chamber with two diverging paths, my mind couldn't help but wonder about those who weren't here. In the case of L'Arc, Therese and Glass, I hoped and prayed that they'd be okay and not run into anything dangerous, and as for the Queen, Eclair, the other two parties and all the solider still outside, that they were getting themselves organised and in a position to retreat should the Tortoise awaken once more. I was pulled from my thoughts as we all suddenly stopped behind Ost, whose hand was once more pressed against her head as she tried to recall the right path.
"C-Can you remember the path, Ost?" Rishia asked.
The familiar concentrated for a few seconds more before opening her eyes and pointing to the passageway to our right. "That way," she said, heading in that direction. Rishia immediately followed at her side, with Filo and Keel walking side by side just behind them. I was just about to follow on when I suddenly felt my arm being pulled and stopping me in my tracks. I looked to the side to see Raphtalia was the culprit.
"Babe, what's-?" She shushed me and shook her head, waiting for the others to enter the passageway and out of sight before pushing me up against one of the walls, her sudden action catching me by surprise once more. I was just about to ask her again what was going on when she pressed her lips against me and silenced me with a passionate kiss. And once again, after a second or two of resistance, I gave in and started kissing her back.
Like I said before, I never needed an excuse to kiss my girlfriend or not stop her from kissing me, no matter the situation. Just the taste of her lips, the feel of her hair…it was more than enough to push any other thoughts to the back of my mind whilst we made out. But still…to do it here of all places?"
"Hmmm…not that I'm complaining babe but you pick the strangest of places to start snogging my brains out. What was that for?" I asked after we broke the kiss.
She didn't reply for a few seconds, instead just staring at me lovingly and caressing my cheek with her hand. "For once more showing me that you are the best person I have ever met," she spoke softly, her tone oozing affection and pride. "Most people would've responded very differently to seeing L'Arc, Therese and Glass again, especially after what they did to us, and most likely would have been angry and refused to work with them. But not you. You saw past that and decided to trust them, despite all the risks and despite knowing what they still intend to do. I am so proud of you…"
"Oh…okay…well thanks babe but…haven't we had this conversation before, back on Cal Mira the day after the last Wave?" I asked whilst blushing a little at her words.
"We did, but it's one thing to talk about it…it's another thing entirely to see it happen before your eyes," she responded with a loving smile. "Just seeing you handle it the way you did made me feel so warm and happy inside and I…just wanted to show you those feelings intimately."
"And not with the others watching…I get it…" I said as I reached out and stroked her cheek in response, causing her to lean into my touch. "And like I told you back then, I was just applying the teachings of the one who taught me to see the best in everyone."
Raphtalia giggled at having her words thrown back at her. "I'm glad to see the student has been learning well," she teased sultrily, pressing one more kiss to my lips before pushing off from me and holding her hand out. "Come on, the others will be wondering where we are."
"Right, right…let's not keep them waiting." I took her hand as we jogged down the passageway to the right, where just a short way in the others were standing around waiting for us.
"Is everything okay? We were just wondering where you two went," Keel asked as we rejoined them.
"Yup, all's good Keel…we just had one or two things to discuss in private," I said by way of evasion. Raphtalia said nothing but her face was still blushing bright red. And Keel, ever observant, picked up on it.
"Whatever it was you two were up to…I really don't wanna know about it…" she said with a sigh. "Let's just keep going, okay?" With that, she turned around and started back down the passageway. Filo and Rishia looked momentarily confused by her words but said nothing, and as for Ost she caught our eye and gave us a coy smile and wink before resuming her place at the front of the group as we pressed onward.
~AoaTSH~
For the next couple of minutes, we passed through several more chambers and passageways as we continued further and further downward, and with each chamber we passed through Ost was able to successfully point us in the right direction. Though it would have been great if we'd gotten to the heart already, it was comforting at least that we had a direction and weren't just fumbling around in the dark and potentially getting lost.
And as we walked, mostly in silence due to the ominous tension in the air, I often caught one of Raphtalia or Keel's ears twitching, as though they were able to hear something in the distance. Once or twice I asked if they knew what they were hearing, but they shook their head and told me it was too far away to make out clearly. And when I tried to strain my ears to catch what they may have been hearing, all I was met with was silence. Whatever was going on out there, we had no way of finding out and so could only keep pressing on.
And that's exactly what we did, right up until we entered another chamber. And as we entered this particular one, two things were immediately apparent that made it stand out from the other chambers we'd passed through so far. First of all, it was slightly larger than the previous ones.
And second, and most shocking of all, there was a large, bright blue hourglass standing on a small pillar of flesh and sinews right in the centre of it. The look and size may have been different due to where it was located, but there was no mistaking its design.
"No way…a Dragon Hourglass? What's one doing in the heart of the Spirit Tortoise?" I breathed.
"It's not like the other ones Master, it's all blue!" Filo pointed out.
"And the sand is located at the bottom," Raphtalia added, pointing. And as we looked closely, we saw that she was correct: There wasn't much, but what sand was currently in the Hourglass was currently all pooled at the base.
"But that would mean a Wave is happening, and we aren't experiencing one at the moment so far as we know," I said with a frown. As I looked towards the top of my Status Menu, I saw a smaller outline of the hourglass displayed below the number 7, although now that number was currently preceded by seven smaller dots and were currently illuminated in the same colour as the hourglass. "So, the hourglass is glowing blue, and the number 7 on my Status Menu, which appeared after the first attack by the familiars, is also glowing blue. It feels connected but I'm not sure how…"
"What you are seeing is the current number of souls that have already been taken by the Spirit Tortoise," Ost spoke up, her eyes fixed firmly on the hourglass as we all turned to look at her. "Once the Hourglass is full, it's supposed to create a barrier that can protect the world from the Waves."
"So she was correct back at the council meeting. Even before she'd regained her memories, she'd been telling us the truth…" "So, this is more like a storage room for souls rather than actual heart, correct?" I asked her.
"Yes, that's right Sir Fergus, this place isn't the heart. It's just to show how many souls have been harvested by the Spirit Tortoise" She confirmed almost sadly. "Only now am I remembering this…" Her solemn recollections were suddenly cut off as what sounded and felt like another quake echoed all around us, causing small bits of rock to fall from the roof of the chamber and shatter all around us.
"We can't stay here, let's move," I commanded grimly, and with Ost pointing the way once more, we exited the chamber containing the Hourglass and continued forwards through more sinew-coated passageways and chambers. But as we set out, it was clear our stop at the Hourglass had affected Ost more than we expected, as instead of leading us forward as she'd normally done, she was now trailing at the back of our party, her head bowed and mood downcast. The only time she made a sound was to point us in the right direction, but other than that she remained mostly silent. It was concerning to all of us, especially Rishia who kept looking back at her friend almost mournfully, but I got the feeling none of us really knew how to try and comfort her, especially when it seemed as though she wasn't likely to be forthcoming with what was troubling her.
We were proven wrong, though, as passed through another of what seemed like infinite passageways that all seemed to have the same sinew and flesh-like structure to them. "I…I just can't understand it anymore…" she suddenly spoke up, catching us all by surprise. Rishia in particular, since she was walking directly in front of her, jumped about 3 feet in the air from startlement.
"Are you okay, Lady Ost?" Keel asked concernedly.
"The original task I was given…was to steal the souls of the living and use them to power the Spirit Tortoise…" Ost continued as though she hadn't heard Keel's question. "I thought by doing that I'd help save the world…" She paused for a few seconds, head bowed and almost melancholic as we all stopped to listen, with Rishia going over and placing a shaking, yet reassuring hand, on her shoulder. "However, I had no idea what that entailed…is this world worth protecting at the cost of the lives and smiles of those who fought alongside and protected me? Aren't the souls of the people smiling like that…aren't they the ones I should be trying to protect instead of the world?"
Her words made me think back to what I'd learned not only from the past few days but also from my conversation with Fitoria when she first asked me whether I'd choose to fight for the people or the world. Back then, my answer had been simple: I'd fight for those who I cared for and wanted to keep safe. And that's why we'd also come to stop the Spirit Tortoise: to save the souls of those who could get crushed under its feet. But my resolve to that promise I'd made back to the Filolial Queen had been tested by Ost's revelation that, should the Waves begin to overcome the world and we couldn't hold them back, it'd be myself or one of the other Heroes who'd have to be responsible for unleashing the Spirit Tortoise or another of the Guardian Beasts upon the world and allow them to harvest the required number of souls in order to protect the world from the Waves, but at the cost of a huge proportion of the world's population.
Even now, if it came down to that choice…I still don't know what I'd do and honestly, I didn't even want to think about it.
My quandary, however, was much different from Ost's. Her entire existence was created and based on the mission given to her by the Spirit Tortoise: to gather as many souls as she could by tricking and deceiving the leaders of the world's nations into making war on each other, and if that didn't work then she'd start unleashing other familiars on the world instead to speed up the process. And yet, this contrasted different from the Ost we'd gotten to know, who was kind-hearted and caring, who was thought of as an older-sister type by Rishia and who was currently doing everything she could to help us stop the person behind the forced awakening of the Tortoise.
It was like…she wanted to be the person she had been whilst around us at all times, but can't because of her mission, and it was likely these feelings were the reason behind the sad and mournful expressions she wore most of the time.
Whatever thoughts I, or the others, were going through were interrupted by the sound of Rishia stepping in front of Ost and taking her hands in hers. "You can't carry those burdens alone! So trust in us, we'll find a way to save everyone together!" She pleaded before breaking into a warm smile. "You don't need to worry…we're all comrades here after all, right?"
"C-Comrades? I-Is that…what you all think of me?" Ost asked hesitantly, looking around at us all. Raphtalia smiled as she walked up to the pair and put a hand over theirs.
"I can't speak for the rest of us, but knowing them as I do, I'm certain that all we think and feel the same way about you Ost," she told her warmly.
"Of course we do!" Filo piped up, placing her wing on top of their hands. Keel said nothing but also placed her hand in there.
"Raphtalia's right, we all think of you as a friend and comrade Ost, no matter what you are or what your goal is," I told her with a smile as I joined in the circle and placed my hand on top of everyone else's. "Even if you are the Spirit Tortoise's familiar, it doesn't mean you can't come to care for those you spend time with. In your own way, I'm sure you, and the Spirit Tortoise itself, care for people's lives, hence why you do what you have to in order to keep whoever you can safe from the Waves. And the fact you are with us now, giving your all to save the lives of all of those gathered here…that's something that, to me, shows that at your core, you really are a caring individual."
For a few seconds, Ost didn't react apart from staring around at us all as we smiled at her reassuringly before allowing herself to shed some tears of happiness. "Thank you, all of you…" she murmured, doing her best to smile. "I'm so glad that I found you all…that I have been able to spend even just these few days with you. It's made me the happiest I've felt in a long time…"
Well, there was only one response to give to that. "Okay everyone, bring it in. Let's show Ost how much we care." No one needed telling twice as we all wrapped Ost in a warm yet gentle hug. She looked startled at first before eventually surrendering to the comfort all around her and letting out a sigh of relief and contentment.
We held the hug for a few seconds before coming apart once more. "And with regards to what Rishia said, about not carrying your burdens alone and trusting in us?" I added. "That goes for everyone else here as well. We're here for you Ost, so please…you never have to feel that you're alone." She smiled and nodded at me in response as she wiped away a few remnants of her tears. "Okay then everyone, let's keep moving. The sooner we find the heart, the quicker this will all be over."
"Right!" Everyone replied as we pressed onward, but shortly after we started walking again we came to a sudden halt as one of the walls of the passageway we were in suddenly opened, causing a bright beam of white light to shine through. This was followed by a sudden rush of fresh air that blew in through it, which could only mean one thing…
"I think this is an exit to the outside world," I said as I walked up to it and tried to peek through. There were no visible sights beyond it, but the instant I poked my head through I felt another strong rush of fresh air on my face. I turned my head back around to look at the others, Ost in particular. "What do you reckon Ost? If this is a dead end, should we turn back? Or head through here and see if we can find out where we are?"
"There's no need for either of that," she replied with certainty as she stepped forward and pressed her hand against a section of the wall at the end of the passageway. Her hand glowed green in response, and suddenly the wall beneath where she'd placed her hand opened up until it was a large enough size to allow us to fit through, revealing another passageway leading upwards. "There we are," she said, turning back to us and gesturing towards the now-revealed passage. "This path should take us directly to the heart."
"Then let's not waste any time," I said grimly. "Everyone, I suggest you arm yourselves now, for if I had to guess, I'd say the bastard responsible for all this is waiting for us there." I took a deep breath to compose myself, steeling my heart and mind for whatever awaited us in there. "Okay…let's go."
Without another word, we all strode forward into the passage, making our way towards the heart of the Spirit Tortoise and, hopefully, bringing us closer to ending this whole thing once and for all.
~AoaTSH~
The passageway that Ost had opened for us ran completely straight, with no changes in direction whatsoever. And whilst there were some slight changes in elevation along the way, it mostly led us upwards, meaning that wherever we had started from had been below the heart and this route was now leading us directly to the heart itself.
The other clue we had was the sudden and constant thumping noise that we started to hear as we walked, and which only got louder as continued. It didn't take a genius to figure out what we hearing: the sounds of a large, beating heart, our final destination.
And so it turned out to be when the passageway suddenly gave way to the largest chamber we had encountered so far as the loud thumping sound of the heart now reached crescendo levels. And as we entered, all of us couldn't help the awed and shocked gasps that emitted from our lips as we beheld the massive heart of the Spirit Tortoise. Now, I hadn't been the best student of biology back in my world, but even though it was of a slightly different shape and much larger than our own human hearts, there was no mistaking the fleshy structure hanging from the ceiling before us, glowing an almost sickly orange and with several large arteries and veins that was, as we watched, pumping blood all the way around the Tortoise's massive body.
"Is that…?" Filo asked, her normally cheery aura replaced by one of awe and, judging by her tone, slight queasiness.
"Yeah, that must the heart of the Spirit Tortoise," I confirmed grimly. "Now we just need to figure out how-" Whatever I was about to say was cut off as another sound started to echo through the chamber, one that, even with the constant thumping noise given off by the Tortoise's heart that was already deafening, could clearly be heard: The sound of maniacal laughter that, from first hearing, was coming from a mouth of a male individual.
"My my my, I never expected all of you to come all the way here!" The voice called out in the same maniacal tone as we all looked around, trying to see where the voice was coming from. "I suppose I flirted with the idea of you all showing up, but I am still surprised nonetheless!" As the voice continued to speak, we heard footsteps start to echo as whoever was here started to move, and shortly enough a figure appeared from around the back of the heart and walked towards us before coming to a stop in front of the heart and facing us directly. "Since you are all here now, I suppose it would be right to introduce myself," he continued, his face lighting up with a crazed smile and expression. "You may call me Kyo Ethnina, also known as the wielder of the Book Vassal Weapon!"
As he introduced himself, we all got our first looks at the new arrival: Long, white hair that appeared shaggy and unkempt that fell just past his shoulders and a pair of spectacles that rested on his nose and which framed eyes that seemed to shine with a crazed glimmer matching his current expression. His outfit was coloured mostly green with some tinges of light blue and consisted of a shirt, a buttoned-up vest and a sturdy belt clasped around the bottom of the aforementioned shirt that contained several test tubes, along with leather gloves and boots that covered his hands and feet. And completing the look was a long cloak that hung off his shoulders like a cape. This mixed ensemble gave him a look that was somewhere between an alchemist and a cosplayer's best attempt at portraying a diabolical mastermind, a look that was somewhat enhanced by the fact his outfit appeared wrinkled and uncared for, as if he'd been wearing it for several days without getting it washed.
"Is he the one?" I whispered to Ost as Kyo grinned at us before floating upwards so that he was hovering just in front of the heart. By way of a response, Ost's expression went furious as she fired off a black and green-coloured energy ball at the Vassal Hero. But to all of our surprise, especially Ost's, the attack went straight through him before fading out of existence.
"That was point blank…how could I have missed?" Ost asked, bewildered.
"Because that's not actually him. He's using an illusion, which means his actual body must be elsewhere," Keel replied with a grimace, and judging from Raphtalia's matching expression they were on the same wavelength. "Figures this crazed bastard wouldn't make things easy for us."
"You're going to start throwing hands and spells without even introducing yourselves? That's incredibly rude," Kyo smirked. His expression and tone of voice alone were making me want to punch him in the face, and that was even before we took into account the atrocities he'd committed. "And you…you must be the famous Shield-Hero I've heard so much about," he said next as his mad eyes turned to me.
"If you've heard so much about me, you should know by now what happens to people who get in my way," I replied bluntly, not even trying to be polite. No way this guy deserved any niceties.
"And look at all of those you've gathered around you. You certainly attract quite the crowd," he continued as if I hadn't spoken, leering at each one of my companions as he spoke. "Wait…your party is comprised wholly of girls? This must be the harem you've been assembling!" This caused every one of us to send heated glares his way, none more so than Raphtalia who was looking right at Kyo with a look that, if looks were lethal, would've turned the Vassal Hero to mincemeat a hundred times over.
"0 to 100 per cent pissed in seconds…yup, this guy's going down HARD," I thought to myself as I placed a calming hand on Raphtalia's shoulder whilst not taking my eyes off of Kyo. "You talk a big game for someone floating high in the air and hiding from us. Why don't you come face us in person and back that up?" I challenged.
The smirking jackass let out a short bark of laughter before replying. "It seems you do live up to all the tales of your exploits after all! Given your numerous defence skills and methods of resistance, it's unsurprising that provoke resistance is also extremely high, unlike those other three morons you call Heroes."
"Provoke resistance? Either that or you just suck at trying to bait me." His mention of the others reminded me of the other task we were here for: find the other Heroes and get them out of here. I chanced a quick look at Rishia to see her reaction, and whilst she was giving Kyo an angry glare she hadn't been provoked into snapping back yet either. "You mentioned the other three Cardinal Heroes…what do you know about them?" I asked, doubting that he'd give me an answer but trying just in case.
"Eh? Why the hell would I tell you that?" Kyo snapped back with a brief flicker of annoyance. "Stop asking other people for help and find that out for yourself, moron!"
"Serves me for trying to be polite!" I raged internally, but Kyo wasn't done speaking. "Oh, but I can tell you about THEM! It's pretty funny actually!" He continued with a cackle. "THOSE muscle-brained idiots travelled all the way here from another world just to waste their time here trying to stop me!"
"You mean L'Arc, Glass and Therese, right?" I guessed.
"Oh ho ho! Bravo! One point for the Shield-Hero! Yes, them!" Kyo teased with another cackle. "Even as we speak, those three idiots are busy racing around the Spirit Tortoise trying oh so hard to destroy its heart!" He let out another loud laugh before continuing. "All of those hearts they're destroying? All fake! Accomplishing nothing and wasting so much energy in the process…it's absolutely hysterical!"
"Tch…bastard…!" I growled under my breath.
"So we weren't hearing things earlier! Those sounds we heard…" Keel realised.
"Yes, we must have been hearing L'Arc and the others destroying the fake hearts this jerk was bragging about!" Raphtalia finished with a snarl as she drew her sword and pointed it straight at Kyo.
"My my, guess you aren't just pretty faces! I have to hand it to you Shield-Hero, although even saying that makes me sick, you've obviously assembled quite the party!" Kyo mocked. "Now…I'm a very busy man, so I'll only ask you once: What brings you here?"
"For someone who likes to think he's all that as well as trying to play the mad scientist trope, I'm surprised you don't know already," I snarked back, causing another brief flicker of anger to pass over his face once again. "I'm going to put this to you very simply: You're going to release your control over the Spirit Tortoise and give back all of the souls that you've taken so far. Whether we do that the easy way or the painful way? That depends entirely on you."
"Oh my, such a ferocious ultimatum, Shield-Hero! You know, I'd probably consider that if I actually gave a damn about what you wanted," he replied, his cocky expression now clearly replaced by a frown. "But if you seriously think that was going to work, you need to rethink your entire gameplan!"
"Alright then, hard way it is," I snapped back as I raised my Shield as everyone around me prepared their own armaments. "You're going to regret ever coming to this world, along with thinking that you could possibly get away with the shit you've pulled!"
"Hah, and give up my fun in this piece of shit world you call home? Not happening! After all, getting to this world and being able to have my way here was so easy, how could I ever regret coming here?!" Kyo shot back, the mad glint back in his eyes once more.
"You absolute…UGGH what an asshole!" I continued to rage inside as my companions started venting at Kyo themselves.
"This guy's getting on my nerves, even more so than Spear-Guy ever could!" Filo almost snarled.
"I agree wholeheartedly Filo. He's rude, degrading and has continually insulted Fergus, and for that, he needs to die." Never before had I heard such quiet and venomous rage come from Raphtalia's mouth.
"I'll gladly stick a few arrows down that rotten mouth of his just to shut him up," Keel added, her normally calm expression etched with fury. For her part, Rishia didn't say anything except for continuing to glare at Kyo with the same angry expression that'd appeared after he'd insulted the other Heroes.
Even Ost, normally calm, serene and oft times mournful, was holding nothing back. "If you truly believe the nonsense spilling out of your mouth, then you also shouldn't be surprised that the people of this world are choosing to fight back against you," she proclaimed, causing the Vassal Hero's face to twist in anger while letting out a snarl. "Only the Four Cardinal Heroes summoned to this world can decide its fate, not a heartless and sadistic maniac such as yourself. Which is why you're going to give back the Spirit Tortoise, along with all the souls you have taken, NOW!" She took a slow breath before continuing. "This is not just my will, but also the will of the Spirit Tortoise itself!"
"Damnit woman, can't you just shut up already?!" Kyo snapped, briefly losing his composure. This only lasted a few seconds before he closed his eyes and, with a deep breath, resumed his usual smug mannerisms. "Very well then…if that's the way you want to do this, then I guess you leave me no choice. Best of luck!" With those final words, and one last cackle of laughter, he vanished from sight, and as he did so, several large eyes suddenly manifested themselves on the heart itself, with the one appearing directly in front of us gazing our way balefully as a yellow light started powering up over its iris.
"What on earth are those?" Keel shouted
"Watch out everyone! That light looks nasty!" Filo yelled.
"She's right! Somehow that madman has activated the heart's biological self-defence system! Prepare yourselves!" Ost cautioned, and just in time as the eye suddenly fired a yellow beam of light straight towards us!
And that is chapter 8 all squared away and done! I hope you enjoyed it! As expected, the major changes came with the interactions between Fergus, L'Arc, Glass and Therese as well as our gang meeting Kyo for the first time. With Fergus not feeling as much ill will towards the Vassal Heroes as Naofumi did in canon, it certainly made for a warm, if awkward, reunion and I did have quite a bit of fun adapting their conversation to cater for that.
And then came that mad man Kyo! He certainly doesn't like our Shield-Hero that much and will be doing his best to stop our heroes from getting in the way of his plans! Looking forward to their interactions/fights going forward.
Now then, the slight kicker to future plans for this story as I mentioned above. In the past week, I've made the tough decision to leave my main job in the next week or two, and working evening shifts there it'll mean I'll have more time for other things, including gaming, anime and stuff, for the next few weeks at least. The current plan is, for the moment and providing things work out as I hope, to spend the next few weeks before I go on holiday for a few days in early September job hunting to ensure that once I get back from said holiday I'll be able to, hopefully, start afresh in a new job.
What will this mean for this story? Well besides job hunting I hope to be able to get at least one more chapter out before my holiday, and then after that…well it'll depend on what sort of job I get and the hours I'll be doing for it, but more than likely it'll be a day job meaning I can write in the evenings instead. And that will probably mean having to go on a temporary hiatus until things get sorted and I know my schedule going forward.
What this means is that Chapter 9 will be the last chapter for the Spirit Tortoise arc of this story and will deal with the rest of episode 5 along with episode 6, and then in Chapter 10, we'll arrive in the Other World which I'm very much looking forward to starting to write when I get there!
Again, many apologies for the delay, and once more thank you for sticking around and reading my story. This is theoneandonlyedster signing out for now, and I'll see you in the next one!
