The events of the day prior had passed smoothly for Naofumi. He had worked with Erhart a little on crafting a few more goods, and had picked up Raphtalia's new armor. The lightweight metal and leather armor he had commissioned for Raphtalia fit her like a glove, and she had no issues moving around in it. The pair had celebrated with a meal at their favorite restaurant, before returning to their room at the inn.
Raphtalia had fallen asleep almost as soon as her head had hit the pillow. Naofumi meanwhile had stayed awake, doing a little more reading about Melromarc and the surrounding areas. Eventually though, his consciousness had drifted to the realm of dreams. Familiar memories played out before him, and he felt himself not only experiencing them, but seeing them from a spectator's point of view.
He saw himself racing across the desert with the Aldecados. Felt the refreshing bite of whatever booze he had been handed. Heard the soft melody of whatever song Jake was strumming on his guitar. And now? Naofumi found himself laying on a tattered blanket, the faint touch of the warmth of a fading campfire keeping the chill of the early hours of the day away. A high pitched whistle, not unlike a bird's call, echoed around him, causing him to stir but not awaken. Letting out a sleepy grunt of contentment, he snuggled deeper into the blanket.
A moment later and his contentment was slightly interrupted by something poking at his chest.
"Not now Panam..." He muttered, one hand sleepily reaching out to knock whatever was poking his chest away. "Let's just cuddle..."
Naofumi shifted slightly, the tiniest grunt escaping him as he felt something warm settle down beside him. The peaceful and quiet atmosphere was broken not even five minutes later by another whistle.
This one managed to pull him to a state of just barely awake, his senses suddenly reminding him that he wasn't in a desert scrubland. That instead he was resting on a simple straw and down stuffed mattress, covered by clean yet slightly rough sheets. Another whistle brought a new thought to the forefront of his sleep-hazed musings.
"Have the birds around here always been this loud?"
That whistle served as an improperly understood warning for Naofumi as another round of poking began.
"...ster?" The poking stopped as he shifted slightly.
"Wait..." Consciousness started to return, though he kept his eyes closed. He was aware of the sound of his own breaths, the faint snores to come from Raphtalia on the opposite side of the room, and the sound of soft breathing coming from a spot dangerously close to him. "...No way."
Yet again, he heard the whistle. The sound now having fully pulled him from the realm of sleep and confirmed his thoughts.
Naofumi rubbed at his eyes, they may have been equipped with top of the line Kiroshi optics. But even they had yet to fully master allowing one to open their eyes from a deep sleep and instantly have perfect vision. He did his best to focus on the white blur, ignoring the occasional sensation of pressure on his chest.
"Filo?" He blinked after a couple seconds, the blur now the shape of a large bird. "Okay, but how!?"
Naofumi swore on Jackie's memory that, since the inn lacked a stable, that he had paid to have the bird housed at a nearby wagon yard with her cart. And that Filo had been happily munching scraps out of a feeding trough before he and Raphtalia had returned to the inn to have dinner. He had gone back to the yard a final time before retiring, seeing her sleeping on a pile of straw.
"Master!" She whistled and poked him again.
"Filo...How did you, get in here?" Naofumi sat up slightly, "Because I know I didn't let you in or out, and I don't think Raphtalia did either." He looked over to the other bed, seeing Raphtalia was still sound asleep.
"Filo got lonely with no other filolials. And no Master. And no Raphtalia." Her expression turned sad. "Filo leave stable and follow Master's scent."
"Did I, or someone else, forget to lock the gate to the paddock?" His eyes drifted to the leg that was currently poking at him. "Wait, can filolials jump? Or fly?"
"Alright...But how did you get out of the yard. And into the inn?" Naofumi knew the innkeeper didn't lock the main door unless there was an emergency. But opening it required one to pull on the double doors, something he didn't think Filo was capable of figuring out. "And how did you get into my room?"
"Filo jumped fence. Filo kicked the door!" She answered proudly, her posture straightening up.
"What?" He sat up now and looked over Filo's back at the door to the room. It was wide open, and there was a large chunk of wood missing where the doorknob should have been. It only took him a moment to find the missing piece sitting in the center of the room. Getting to his feet, he made his way out of his room and to the common area. A similar sight met his eyes, and while both doors were also missing their handles, only one was opened out to the street. Hearing footsteps behind him, he turned to see the proud-looking bird admiring her handiwork. "How?"
"Filo kicked the door! But door wouldn't open for Filo, so Filo bit the door." Filo snapped at the air, demonstrating her powers.
"She probably bit the hole, and accidentally opened it." His head tilted to look at the damage, one hand reaching out to close the door as best he could. "How did nobody wake up from this?" Naofumi scratched at his chin, wondering how he hadn't been disturbed by it.
"Master?" She whistled shortly after addressing him.
"What is it Filo?" He turned his gaze back to her, "and what's with the whistling?"
"Master! Filo hungry!" She whistled again, opening her mouth a moment. "And Filo heard Master whistle when Master wants Raphtalia's attention. Filo always see Raphtalia look at whistle. So Filo try!"
"Well, that answers my question if Filolials can learn to follow command sounds. Might need to break her of using them though..." He suppressed a sigh, asking another question. "Wasn't there food at the yard?" He recalled seeing the trough was still half-full when Filo had gone to sleep.
"Filo ate it already. Filo wants more!" Once again, Filo mimicked a hungry baby bird and opened her mouth for food.
"What time is it?" He turned his attention to the clock only he could see. It was just barely past four in the morning. "Filo, it's...not even sunrise yet. Nowhere near time for breakfast..."
"But Filo hungry now!" She started whistling again, her feet now stomping in rhythm with her whistles.
"Ugh! Fine!" He looked in the Shield's inventory, trying to find something he could give her. He thought about giving her another packet of Eezybeef, but decided those were better saved as a reward for good behavior. After a moment, he decided to sacrifice another packet of Slaughterhouse Veggie. Ripping open the package, he dropped the strips of false meat to the floor and stored the empty package away. "Here! Eat this."
A happy chirp left Filo's mouth as the giant bird made short work of Naofumi's offering. "Tasty!"
"What is wrong with her tastebuds?" A tiny shudder moved through Naofumi's frame. Slaughterhouse Veggie wasn't the worst when it came to plant-based meat-like products, but if he had to describe the flavor? It was like bland tofu that someone had shown a bowl of beef broth to. "Good. Now go to bed."
He turned around then, but had only taken a single step before he remembered what he was dealing with. He looked back at Filo, whose head was tipped to the side.
"Where Filo's bed?"
Naofumi grimaced, one hand coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose. He briefly entertained the thought of leading Filo back to the yard, but decided against it as he checked the time. 4:12 am. He knew the innkeeper wouldn't be up for another hour at least...And while not unbelievable, having Filo present would back up the story. Especially if he could get her to tell it again.
"You can come back to the room with me and Raphtalia. But you're sleeping on the floor, and if I hear even one peep out of you before I get up again...You're not getting breakfast. Understand?" Filo opened her mouth, but quickly closed it, opting to nod instead in apparent understanding of his command. "Good."
With that, Naofumi motioned for Filo to follow him back to their room. He watched as Filo made herself comfortable beside Raphtalia's bed, the bird's head vanishing under a wing. Closing the door and loosely bracing it shut with his boots, Naofumi returned to his bed and laid down. His thoughts on the innkeeper's reaction and cost of the damages. He was a regular by now, but knew the innkeeper wouldn't exactly cut him some slack on this matter. "He's either going to want me to pay to have the doors replaced...or fix them myself." Knowing he wouldn't get back to sleep, he began to look through some of the books he had collected for ones about carpentry.
...
...-ooo000ooo-…
…
After clearing things up with the Innkeeper, who settled on charging him for the cost of the repair, Naofumi had Raphtalia take Filo for a walk around the fields outside of the town while he had gone to see Beloukas for some advice. The slaver had smiled at the sight of his 'friend', and was more than willing to dispense information the King and others had thus far held back from most of his curses. Naofumi had thanked his business partner before making his way to find Raphtalia and Filo. After a short search, he found them in the wagon yard. Filo was happily walking around the cart while Raphtalia laughed at her antics.
"Filo wanted to check on her cart." Raphtalia answered the unspoken query in his eyes.
"Just as well. There's an errand I need us to run and we're going to need the cart." He replied, removing Filo's tack from the small storage box in the back.
"Filo work!" The bird chanted, moving to the front of the cart where she waited patiently as Naofumi started to harness her.
"Alright, and where exactly are we going?" Raphtalia asked, taking a seat on the bench while Naofumi worked.
"The Church of the Three Heroes." He gave Filo's harness a final tug, ensuring that it was secure. "A friend of mine said that they could help you to 'class up' as he put it. Said something about a Dragon's Hourglass? Know anything about it?"
"Ah." Raphtalia's ears perked slightly as Naofumi took a seat next to her. "I've heard it can show when the next wave is coming. But I don't know how true that is. Never really thought about it to be honest."
"Beloukas said the same thing, and so did what little information I could find about it in the archives..." Naofumi gave a nod and picked up the reins. "Guess we'll both get to see for ourselves. Let's go Filo, but take it slow."
"Filo go!" The bird let out a happy chirp before she started to walk. Naofumi knew the church wasn't too far away from the inn and wagon yard, but wanted to see if he could train Filo to go to a destination on sight. Given that the central steeple could be seen off in the distance, the church seemed like a good starting point to test his theory. Ever watchful, he couldn't help but notice that the closer they got to the church, the more the atmosphere around them seemed to change. The houses and other buildings were the same as everywhere else, but now he was noticing several of them had Religious iconography on them. The people also seemed slightly different, with more than one carrying what he assumed was some holy book or trinket as they walked about.
Here too, he now saw members of the clergy around the streets. They stood out against the townsfolk in their robes, most walking in groups of two or three as they went about whatever business they were on for the church.
"Oh wow..." Raphtalia's gasp brought Naofumi out of his people watching, and he looked forward to see the church come into view before them. It was far larger and more impressive than Naofumi had been expecting. The stone façade, which appeared to have been some type of marble had been stained a warm and inviting brownish-red, while parts of the roof and other accents were stained a tawny yellow. There were carvings on some of the stones, and on a few of the support pillars that Naofumi could only assume represented past heroes or other important members of the faith. More than a few people milled about the area, though none paid him much attention as he tied Filo up next to a couple other carriages also drawn by filolials.
"Why Master tie up Filo?" Her head tilted to the side as she watched him work.
"Because I want to make sure you don't run off." He answered, looping the slack of the reins around once more to, hopefully, keep Filo from getting away.
"But Filo wan' go with Master and Raphtalia." She scratched at the ground and pouted slightly.
"Another time," Raphtalia reached out and gave Filo a couple scratches on the top of her head. "Besides, you've got the very important job of guarding the cart. Don't want someone to come along and take it, right?" She turned and winked at Naofumi.
"Raphtalia is right." He nodded in agreement, seeing Filo's eyes close in concentrated thought. "And look, there's two other filolials for you to make friends with."
"Okay! Filo be good and guard cart." She stood up straighter, head turning left and right in an apparent scan for threats before looking at the two other Filolials. "And Filo will make friends!"
The bird seemed to forget how to speak for a moment as she chirped at the other two, who were quick to respond. Feeling satisfied that Filo wouldn't cause trouble while he took care of business, Naofumi motioned for Raphtalia to follow him into the church. A pair of guards flanked the main entrance, one on each side of the massive doors which were currently open to allow easy entry. Other than the slightly more ornate details of their armor, they appeared no different than the guards that worked around the castle. He gave a nod to the two as he entered, seeing them both give him the briefest nod of recognition as he passed.
"And I thought the outside was beautiful..." Raphtalia blinked, seeming in awe. The inside was even more impressive than the outside. Stained glass windows let in natural light, while several floor candelabras provided additional illumination. Large paintings and carvings of religious figures decorated the walls, and seemed more like moments forever frozen in time as opposed to simple pictures. "Sorry, I've never been in a church this beautiful..."
"Neither have I." Naofumi answered, one hand coming to rest on one of the pews. It and the others all appeared to have been carved from single large tree trunks, and had ornate decorations on the sides. Despite being simple lacquered wood, they felt warm to the touch. "Though given the circumstances, I'm surprised we can just walk in here."
Naofumi would be lying if he said he wasn't expecting some level of hostility. The sight of the guards alone a potential confirmation of his thoughts. Out of habit and curiosity, he took to scanning everyone and everything in the room. The visiting members of the congregation paid him no mind, but he couldn't help but notice the slightly guarded expressions on some of the clergy. He saw a couple of men in robes he assumed were monks vanish into a room off one of the smaller side hallways. He turned his head just slightly, his augmentations allowing him to see and hear the conversation behind closed doors as if he was there with him.
"What is that damned Shield Demon doing in our church?" One of the two men gestured towards him.
Naofumi thanked years of playing cards, as well as Arasaka's Intel training for the power to maintain a blank expression. The last time he had heard someone call him the 'Shield Demon' directly had been when he had been attacked in the alley on his way to Beloukas' a few weeks prior.
"Probably came to see the hourglass finally. He's the only hero who hasn't yet." The other answered casually, as if it was the most obvious thing.
"But how would he even know about it? I thought everyone was keeping their mouths shut about it?" The first shook his head, "if he interacts with it, it will register to him and allow him to fight the Waves."
"Nice of them to tell me that..." Naofumi rolled his eyes as the pair continued.
"Don't we want him to fight? I mean, isn't that why we summon the Heroes?"
"The man is a demon! And he would probably sooner help the Waves than help us."
"The Hero of the Shield and his companion, yes?" A woman's voice met Naofumi's ears, and he turned to see a woman clothed in a nun's habit standing beside him with another monk. Her lined face had a dour yet gentle expression on it as she looked at him and Raphtalia. Meanwhile the monk didn't appear much older than Motoyasu, but there was clear hostility on his face.
"More like Shield Demon and his dog..." The monk said, soft enough for his words to not carry, but just loud enough to where the four could hear. Raphtalia's expression of awe morphed into one of mild disgust, while the nun shot her companion a disappointed look. Naofumi just stood there, waiting to see what would happen.
"Brother Andritus, that's no way to address one of the heroes." The nun replied, a chastising tone in her voice as she dismissed the younger man. She turned back to Naofumi then. "Forgive him, Brother Andritus is still young and learning the ways of the faith. Some still cling to the rumors about you from your arrival." She turned the smile to Raphtalia, though there was little actual warmth in it. "Nor does he accept our demi-human brethern."
"It's alright." Once again, Naofumi's mind was back in the alley with his attackers. "Ugh, the religiously motivated are always the worst."
"You are a forgiving soul, Lord..." The nun's eyes betrayed her a moment, and Naofumi could tell that she knew his name, but didn't want to speak it.
"V." He answered for her, "and this is my companion Raphtalia."
"A pleasure to meet both of you. I am Kareem, the Mother Superior of the Three Heroes Church. But you may address me as Reverend Mother." She clasped her hands before her in a sign of prayer and gave a tiny bow of her head. "I assume you are here to see the Dragon's Hourglass?"
"We are," Naofumi gave a nod of his own in return. "And I was also told that the Hourglass could be used to class up my party members. Is that true?"
"It is, Lord V." Reverend Mother Kareem began to walk, gesturing for Naofumi to follow. The three of them walked in silence down a short hallway from the main hall and into a large circular room. At least a dozen or more worshipers knelt on padded mats, hands clasped in prayer. The bare and humble decorations of the room were overshadowed by the giant golden hourglass in the center, the ornate decorations running over the frame were reflecting light in a way that made it look like it was coating in a blessed glow.
Naofumi had seen more effective religious iconography in a Jig-Jig Street stripper's braindance. "That is the textbook definition of not subtle and kinda gaudy. All it needs is the choir in the back singing gospel."
The Reverend Mother spun on a dime and met Naofumi's eyes with the blank stare one would present when speaking to a customer they want gone from their sight, "aside from seeing the Hourglass, what services bring you to our humble church today my lord?"
Naofumi already had a list ready and floating in the corner of his eye's display. One made with a little help from Belouka's informants. "As I mentioned, a class up for my partner. And I was hoping to acquire a dozen vials of the highest quality holy water, at least two packs of blessed wax candles, a jar of sacred incense. The highest quality you have available, if possible. Two complete copies of the scripture, in scroll or tome form is fine. Finally, six daggers of blessed silver."
The mother superior took a step back. Naofumi knew what she was thinking. That was the supplies granted to an inquisitor, the only thing it was lacked was the holy seals that marked one as a member of the faith on a mission. "I-uh-That request will take some time to gather."
Naofumi could see the nervous tension written plainly across her face, even without the aid of his artificial eyes. "Not a problem, we can occupy ourselves with the hourglass while you work." He made to take a step towards the hourglass, but Reverend Mother Kareem moved slightly into his path.
"Wait! Uh. I mean to say, you still haven't given your donation to approach the hourglass yet. Before I gather what you requested you still need to pay the two-hundred silver!"
The outworlder didn't have to turn his head to notice the few who turned in confusion at the holy woman's proclamation. "You charge to approach a symbol of your gods?"
"The church would never endure the ages if we didn't seek succor in some form or another." Reverend Mother Kareem placed a hand over her heart, a false apologetic expression on her face as if to say it couldn't be helped.
Naofumi's eyes scanned the room without moving, noticing now the guards who had been standing in the shadows behind the hourglass. "Yet the temple grounds have just as many guards in full plate, carrying fresh steel as the royal castle. Makes one think, where would they get the money to afford that?"
"That is why we charge for our services," She gestured for one of the guards to come forward, one hand pointing out the insignias on his breastplate as she continued. "Though part of the King's army, the guards are compensated for their services through the church. Many of them accompany our missionaries when they go into foreign lands to help with the spread of our faith."
"A fair point." Naofumi gave a tiny nod, conceding to her logic on spending some of the church's money on them. "But to charge see an idol of you faith? I'm surprised you'd find any followers among the common workers if that were true." He gently motioned a hand at the worshipers. "I see at least two craftsmen and a man in a merchant's clothes. If I ask them, will they have paid their two-hundred silver?"
Behind her back three pairs of eyes were now keenly observing their talks. All three faithful were now looking nervous, the merchant's hand even gripping at the coin purse tied to his side.
"I must ask you to not bother our flock while they are praying." Reverend Mother Kareem clasped her hands before her, her tone that of a teacher who was slowly losing her patience with a rambunctious student.
"I have no intention of bothering anyone." Naofumi mimicked her gesture, before opening his arms as if to embrace everyone before him. "I'm just seeking aid to help against the Waves. And to approach the hourglass."
"I see..." The elder shifted, one hand gently reaching out in silent request. "Could you hand over your payment then?"
Naofumi didn't flinch, he knew the Reverend Mother wasn't going to back down. So he tried a slightly different approach. "How about this, you gather everything I asked for, and I will pay for it all together. Save us both the trouble of counting coins twice."
Anyone could see the clenching of her jaw, or hear how her voice growled from behind pressed teeth, "Certainly. I expect I'll be back shortly."
The Mother Superior stormed from the room, muttering curses more fit for a whore's tongue than a revered woman of the faith. The expression on her face was nothing less than murderous. Naofumi smiled, his silver teeth looked more like fangs than ever. Inside his head, the circuitry of his Kiroshi threat detection wetware was busy keeping track of the area, allowing the softest of sounds to warn him of anyone approaching.
Naofumi waited until she was out of the room and beyond his hearing before he spoke again, "Bet you an hour of target practice with my guns that she's going to come back with inferior goods, missing items, or frauds mixed in." He turned a smile to Raphtalia, who had been quietly observing the situation.
Raphtalia rolled her eyes, "Sucker's bet."
"Oh?" For the first time since entering the church, Naofumi felt he had been caught just the tiniest bit off guard. "When did you become so wise and sassy?"
"I blame you." Despite the holy aura of the room, the grin on Raphtalia's face seemed slightly evil.
"Gasp!" Naofumi placed a hand over his mouth. "You shouldn't blame me for your flaws."
"Nope, I blame you." She replied, no hint of shame in her voice.
"Oh my poor metal heart." He placed a hand on his chest. "How will I live with such guilt?"
Raphtalia let out a tiny snort of a laugh. "Guilt effects you about as much as Filo's cart weighs her down."
"Ow. Point taken, but still, ow." He frowned, but his mouth didn't match the rest of his face. He noticed that several of the worshipers were looking at him. Though instead of the hostile or annoyed looks he expected for interrupting their prayers, most had looks of curiosity.
Ignoring them, the pair approached the golden hourglass, bold as brass. Raphtalia's eyes may have danced across the otherworldly device, but Naofumi's gaze was dismissive and bored. "Any idea how to use this thing? Do I just wave-"
As he gestured at the relic with his off hand, the one with the shield implanted within, the Legendary Shield made itself known. The artificial arm glowed for a moment, as the mythic weapon changed to its original bare-basic form. The green gem was bright with an internal fire, and a new display appeared.
Surprisingly, not in Naofumi's HUD, but an ethereal window with a clock ticking down in it.
[20:12:53]
[20:12:52]
[20:12:51]
The first thing Naofumi spotted was the familiar formatting used. Even a script-kiddy in Night City understood that the way code was presented and written was a fingerprint. Whomever was making the weapons was also behind the hourglass.
Such a similarity would obviously lead to testing it.
"If Scanning other materials worked..." Not caring of the potential consequences, Naofumi smiled and pressed the green gem to the glass of the holy relic.
[!Unlocked: Dragon Hourglass Sand Shield!]
[!Unlocked: Skill – Portal Shield!]
Examining the entry further only made Naofumi's prior grin look tame in comparison. "A fast travel system and redirection defense in one? This is begging for abuse so hard the local S&M community will be begging me to tone it down."
"Naofumi?" Raphtalia's voice brought him out of his musings. "Are you okay?"
"Just fine," he gently patted her on the head, eyes looking to the ethereal clock. None of the other pilgrims seemed to be aware of the clock "Tell me. Can you see it?"
"See what?" Raphtalia blinked, eyes focusing where Naofumi was indicating.
"The time until the next wave. Can you see it?"
"No, I can only see the sand falling. Which...compared to what's already fallen, I'd say its low but..." Raphtalia shrugged, "I can't say for certain how long it will take the rest to fall."
"Huh, maybe only the heroes can see the exact time?" Naofumi noticed her expression, and was about to say more but he picked up on the sound of footsteps. "Eh, we'll figure that out later...But it sounds like the Reverend Mother is on her way back. We better move away."
Raphtalia nodded, a small chuckle escaping her as she and Naofumi returned to where they were originally standing. He heard a few noises come from the watching worshipers, but had a feeling they'd keep quiet. Looking to where the timer had been, he noticed it had vanished. "Maybe you have to be within a certain range to see it?" He looked at his optics display screen, now noticing an additional timer in the lower left hand corner – still counting down.
"Oh, there she is." Raphtalia noticed the Reverend Mother's return first, this time accompanied by two younger nuns. One of them holding a wooden crate filled with the items Naofumi had requested while the other held what appeared to be a small money box.
"The light's better over here..." He heard the Reverend Mother mumble as the three women moved into the path between him and the Hourglass. A convenient excuse if he ever heard one. "Forgive the delay," the Reverend Mother gave a small bow, playing off her earlier attitude. "Took awhile to find and gather the requested items. But they're all here, and all of the highest quality we have." She motioned for the crate-holding woman to step forth. "You're welcome to double-check that everything is there."
Naofumi exchanged a knowing glance with Raphtalia, before looking to the Shield's interface. He had long since discovered the Shield's power to analyze items, even if they didn't offer any sort of benefit. "Show time..."
With careful hands, Naofumi picked up some of the items and tapped them to the Shield's orb, letting the Shield do its job.
[!Analysis: Wax Candles Good Quality!]
[!Unlocked: Wax Shield!]
[!Analysis: Incense Poor Quality!]
[!Analysis: Silver dagger Poor Quality!]
[!Analysis: Holy Water Poor Quality!]
He looked over the display, noticing first that none of the items had a qualifier of being blessed, holy, sacred, or any other word that would indicate their status as holy items. The fact that only the candles were of good quality was another troubling factor...or would be if he hadn't expected that outcome. The only thing that didn't show up in the quality scan were the two large books that he understood contained the requested copies of the scripture. Handing the books to Raphtalia, he shook his head as he gently pushed the box back in the hands of its holder.
"This isn't what I asked for."
"Ex-Excuse me?" Reverend Mother Kareem couldn't hide her surprise. "Shield Hero, that crate holds everything you asked for."
"You're half-right." He scowled, noticing several worshipers taking their leave while others moved closer to the guards for protection. "This crate does contain everything I asked for, but it is of the lowest quality. And none of it has the holy or blessed properties I requested."
"Sister Ranni. Sister Morri." Mother Kareem moved up to the pair and looked in the box. It was obvious she was trying to play innocent, but her eyes betrayed her. She picked up one of the vials of holy water and waved it at the pair. "What is the meaning of this?"
"Reverend Mother, we only did as you asked an-" The one holding the crate started, but was cut off by Reverend Mother Kareem raising a hand.
"I asked you to get the best for our Lord V." Her eyes narrowed with all the false anger of a manager who knew their associate was right, but had to play it up to appease an angry customer. "Go back and get the proper items Sister Ranni."
"But Reverend Mother, he's the Shield De-" The one holding the money box started, but stopped as she felt the elder's eyes upon her
"Oh that's it." Naofumi grumbled, hands moving swiftly to pull one of his guns from his back. The holy light of the antechamber seemed to be absorbed into the black barrel of the sniper rifle he was currently holding. Breakthrough more than lived up to its name, and would make short work of anyone or anything that got between it and Naofumi. The worshipers that stayed behind now bolted for the doors, while the two younger nuns hid behind their elder. Reverend Mother Kareem took a few steps away, arms moving to keep the other two behind her. The guards made to reach for their weapons, but they had long since heard the story of how Naofumi had blasted holes in several of the castle's floors with one of his guns and hesitated to go further.
Grinning slightly, he cocked the weapon and pointed it at the feet of the nuns. He noticed Raphtalia was staring with wide eyes at him, but saw her relax when he tapped his trigger finger on the side of the gun. To everyone else's eyes, this was a sign of aggression but Raphtalia knew it was his way of indicating he had no intention of actually shooting them...yet.
"Lord V, please..." The elder raised her hands, palms open towards him in a gesture of submission. "This is all a mis-"
"Spare me your explanation, Reverend Mother..." Naofumi didn't bother to try and hide his annoyance, hand gently shaking the gun towards the falling sand. "I'm sure you know time is short before the next wave. But if you are trying to slow down a hero, you must be trying to aid the Waves in turn. Either you will let us up to the Hourglass, or you will be branded an enemy of the country."
The two younger nuns gasped, while the guards exchanged genuine looks of shock. Naofumi briefly wondered if his bluff was really a bluff given their reactions, but quickly discarded it as the elder barked orders at the younger two.
"Forgive us our transgressions, Lord V." Reverend Mother Kareem dropped to her knees as the two sisters took their leave, money box and inferior goods in tow. Her hands were clasped before her in prayer. "I have sent Sisters Ranni and Morri back to get the proper items for you. While you wait, please...approach the Hourglass and gain the knowledge you seek."
"What about the fee?" Raphtalia asked, voice laced with a knowing innocence.
"There is no fee. It was wrong of me to try and impede the progress of a Cardinal Hero." She bowed her head, "once we are finished here, I will spend the rest of today and all of tomorrow in prayer. Asking for forgiveness of my trespasses and for the success of you and your party."
Naofumi was almost impressed that the woman told the truth, but he kept the thought to himself as he once again shouldered the rifle. He made a show of stepping up to the hourglass, a smile on his face as it once again showed him the ethereal clock.
[20:07:34]
[20:07:33]
"Impressive." He motioned Raphtalia to join him. "Now how does this thing help my party members class up?"
"We simply need to preform the ceremony." Reverend Mother Kareem rose to her feet and stepped forward.
"What does that entail?" Raphtalia asked, taking her spot beside Naofumi.
"Despite how it might sound, it's a simple ceremony. All you need to do is touch the hourglass, and choose one of the options that becomes available to you. That will determine how you grow moving forward." The elder preformed the action, her fingers barely touching on the glass.
Raphtalia looked to Naofumi, who gave a single nod. "Well, go ahead."
"Alright..." An equal mix of excitement and apprehension lingered on Raphtalia's words as she placed a hand on the hourglass. She let out an audible gasp as several options appeared before her, and on Naofumi's display.
"There's so many options...I don't know what to pick. Should I become a mage? A ranged fighter? A brawler?" She looked to Naofumi, seeking guidance.
"It's whatever you're comfortable with." He gave her a reassuring nod, wanting Raphtalia to make her own choices even as he looked over the list. "Though if it was me, I'd probably look for something that combines styles I enjoy using."
"Well, I do like using your guns and my bow, but I also like my spells." She looked over the list, "maybe there's something like a Magic Archer or-"
[!Voice Command, Accepted!]
[!Selecting: Magic Archer!]
A faint ping sounded then, and a white light briefly enveloped Raphtalia. Another gasp escaped her as the list before her vanished. "Nao- V! What just happened?"
Naofumi looked at his display, which was now replaced with the default screen. Selecting his party, he looked at Raphtalia's stats – there was a noticeable increase to some of them, and she now had a class listed underneath her name.
"You classed up." Reverend Mother Kareem answered flatly. "Congratulations."
"She's right..." He smiled, "your stats have increased...and you're now listed as being of the Magic Archer class?"
"But I didn't actually select that..." Raphtalia blinked, "I only said it? I think."
"Voice control?" Naofumi's eyes went between the hourglass, to Raphtalia, then to the Reverend Mother.
"That...shouldn't have happened." The elder woman frowned, seeming genuinely confused. She looked at Naofumi, eyes narrowing slightly as she studied him. "The only thing I can think of that would have caused that is some type of outside interference. There has been reports in the past of some items affecting or altering a class-up ceremony in various ways."
"Is there any way to undo it?" The younger girl asked, face slightly contorted in concern that she may have made a mistake.
"The only way would be to preform a reset. However, while this would allow a redo of the ceremony, it would set you back to level one." To her credit, the woman almost looked remorseful as she relayed this knowledge.
"Raphtalia?" He looked at his companion, who seemed deep in thought. "It's your decision."
"I'll stay with my current class." She answered, no hesitation in her voice. "It might not be exactly what I was looking for, but as you said. Time is short."
"Alright, just as long as you're happy." He reached out and gently patted Raphtalia's head. "And I suppose the option to change would still stand after the Wave hits?"
Reverend Mother Kareem nodded as the two nuns from earlier returned, once again holding a crate and money box.
"Did you get the right items this time?" The Reverend Mother's eyes narrowed at the pair as both she and Naofumi stepped forth to inspect the contents. Already Naofumi could see a marked difference in the quality. The daggers were more reflective, and the holy water seemed clearer.
"Of course. Please forgive us our earlier mistakes." Sister Morri bowed her head and held the crate out for easy access as Naofumi once again took to analyzing the objects.
[!Analysis: Blessed Incense Master Quality!]
[!Analysis: Blessed Silver dagger Master Quality!]
[!Analysis: Sacred Holy Water Master Quality!]
"We hope everything meets your approval." Sister Ranni also bowed her head, holding the money box close. "We've even paid the coin for the vials of Holy Water."
"We would have done more, but that's all the coin we had to our names." Sister Morri looked up then, true remorse clear on her face.
"It's alright." Naofumi looked to the Reverend Mother again, seeing her nod in approval of the sisters' actions. "How much do I owe for the rest?"
At his question, all three women startled slightly. It was clear to him that they expected him to put up another fight over paying, a fact that was reflected in Reverend Mother Kareem's voice. "Since the sisters paid for the holy water, and I want to give you the scripture as a gift for my prior transgression...You only owe for the rest of the goods. Which comes out to around one-hundred silvers."
She gave him a short run-down on the cost of each item, though Naofumi couldn't decide fully if she was telling the truth of the prices one way or the other.
"A fair price." He withdrew the proper amount of coin and counted it once himself, before letting her do the same. Upon getting the same count, Reverend Mother Kareem handed the money to Sister Ranni as she motioned for Sister Morri to let Naofumi take the crate. "Thank you Sisters. Reverend Mother."
"You're welcome, Lord V." The Reverend Mother spoke for the three of them as they all bowed in respect to him. "Please return if you require further assistance."
"Don't worry, I will." He favored the three women with a smile before moving towards the room's exit. The pair received no more stares, comments, or challenges as they made their way back outside. Most of the clergy seemed content to ignore them, one or two even smiling in triumph as Naofumi stepped outside. By sheer luck, he was greeted with several guardsmen who had come to the church, their garb denoting them as members of the castle guard and not the church. In full view of the Church's guards, he flagged down one of them and spoke just a little too loud.
"I don't mean to interrupt your trip, but can you pass along a message to the King for me?"
"Of course, my Lord." The chosen guard bowed slightly.
"Tell the King that there's suspicion of the Church committing a few misdeeds against the Heroes for me, would you?" There was a grim smile on his face as he saw one of the church guards flinch at his words.
"H-how so?"
"For one – rumors of charging heroes for the right to approach the hourglass." Again, he gauged the reactions from the guards. The castle ones seemed shocked, while the church ones seemed to be fighting to keep face. "I'm sure there are others that could be found with the right questions."
"My lord," one of the other castle guards addressed him. "Forgive me, but why can you not bring this information to the King yourself?"
"Because my visit to the hourglass has informed me that there is less than a day's time left until the Wave hits." There was an audible gasp from multiple sides, more than one jaw hitting the ground at the revelation. Raphtalia in particular had lost some of the color from her features, and now seemed disconnected from reality. "And I need the time to prepare. However, after the Wave, I will be more than happy to discuss the matter with the King. Now if you'll excuse me..."
He gave the guards no further chance to respond, one hand gently landing on Raphtalia's shoulder as he brought her back to the present by gently escorting her to the cart.
"Master's back!" Filo chirped happily as she pulled herself from the apparent conversation she was having with the two other filolials to watch as Naofumi untied her. "We go now?"
"Yeah, we're going back to the inn to drop off some items." He gave Filo a small smile as he joined Raphtalia on the bench of the cart. "Think you can remember how to get there? And don't forget to take it slow."
"Filo knows! It's this way!" She began to walk back the way they came, but stopped upon coming to the first fork in the road. "Or is it that way?" Her head turned around then to look at them. "Filo lost..."
Whatever annoyance Naofumi might have still felt towards Filo from the morning vanished as he noticed the bird's actions brought a faint chuckle from Raphtalia, who now seemed focused back on the world.
"Just go straight for now." Raphtalia answered after a moment, "I'm sure you'll remember as we go."
"Raphtalia is right again." He praised, one hand patting her on the back, further grounding her.
"Raphtalia right! Filo go! Filo will remember!" Once again, Filo puffed herself up and pawed the ground in determination before continuing on her way. Behind her Naofumi just shook his head and focused on the area around them, watching for any further impediments of his progress.
...
...-ooo000ooo-…
…
To say that Aultcray was stressed out would be the understatement of the century. Like many others, he knew the Waves were due to hit within the next twenty-four hours. He had spent the better part of the morning listening to his various advisers go over their plans for distributing supplies to the soldiers that would accompany the heroes. Hearing his commanding officers going over various battle plans, depending on what sort of foes the Waves threw at them. Listening to the mostly hollow ideas from his treasurers about potentially reducing taxes for areas hit hardest by the Waves (if they even struck anywhere close to Melromarc's boarders) or increasing them on imported supplies.
He was almost thankful when a foot soldier interrupted his meeting with this last group, stating that he had a message for the King from the Shield Hero. He dismissed the treasurers with a wave, instructing them to fully write up their proposed taxes in the meantime until he summoned them again.
"You may speak." The King gave a tiny nod to the soldier, who bowed before addressing the King.
"Your highness, the Shield Hero Lord V wishes to apologize that he can not be here in person as he is readying to fight the Waves." Another bow came from the soldier. "However, he has instructed me to pass along word of potential misdeeds within the Church of the Three Heroes."
"Misdeeds?" The King's eyes narrowed slightly as he shifted to a straighter posture.
"Yes Sire," the soldier gave a nod of his head. "Lord V told me, and several visitors to the church confirmed that some members of the church denied him access to the hourglass unless he paid a fee."
"Those fools..." Aultcray blinked, suppressing the urge to sigh as he summoned a messenger. "Tell the Church to send some representatives to see me. And have one of the coopers bring me a goblet of wine."
"Right away, your highness." The messenger gave a bow, before taking his leave.
In less than an hour's time, several representatives of the Church had been summoned. Two high ranking priests and the Mother Superior having been chosen for the summons. And though his goblet was long empty, Aultcray still held the vessel, using it to help mask the shaking of his hand.
"Your highness," Reverend Mother Kareem bowed as she stepped forward. "To what do we owe this summons?"
"There's been talk of potential wrongdoings within the walls of your church." Aultcray gestured for the soldier to step forth. "Soldier, please tell the Reverend Mother and her companions what you told me."
"Yes your highness." The soldier gave a nod, before telling the members of the church what Lord V, along with others, had said about his visit. The King watched as the younger of the two priests seemed shocked at the accusations. While the other man seemed more and more annoyed by the soldier's words. And though the Reverend Mother's head was bowed, Aultcray could tell she was upset by the recital.
"Can any of you confirm or deny this man's words?" The King asked, face showing no emotion as he looked at the three holy representatives.
"Your highness," Reverend Mother Kareem looked up and gestured to the soldier. "What this man says is the truth. Myself, and several others under my command willingly and knowingly impeded the progress of a Cardinal Hero." She bowed her head again, one hand coming to rest on her heart. "I have already punished those involved, and I myself will be returning to my own penance once we are finished here."
"I apologize for the interruption Reverend Mother, but I do wish to offer my praise for your honesty and willingness to cooperate during these times." The King gave a nod of his head, a simple action that caused the Reverend Mother to let out a sigh of relief. "That being said, I do not wish to hear of anymore issues with any of the Heroes seeking assistance from the Church. You will treat all of the Cardinal Heroes, and any of those with them, with the same level of respect. Is that clear?"
Reverend Mother Kareem and the younger priest offered up their understanding, while the older priest's patience finally gave out.
"With all due respect your majesty, but we cannot allow such an affront to everything our church stands for! The Shield cannot be allowed to garner a better standing than the saints of our faith! It is already and act of apostasy for his pets to have grown so powerful so soon! The other heroes-"
"Do you have any idea what the other heroes have been up to?" Aultcray calmly cut him off, fingers massaging his temples as if it could come close to easing his stress. The priest gave the faintest shake of his head as he continued. "One of them has been running around killing various creatures in search of only the gods know what. Another is acting like a child and traveling from place to place so he can keep 'hunting down the bad guys'. Meanwhile, the third has stained his name worse than an infant stains their clothing. The only one actually behaving like a national hero is the 'Demon' Shield that you are demanding me to denounce!" The king roared as he rose to his feet. The glass goblet he had been holding during the meeting was sent flying across the room.
A master artisan's pride, worth a hundred times its weight in gold, struck the wall nearest the man with enough force to reduce the glass to little more than shards and sand.
"Get. Out." Aultcray growled, staring down the man. Both the younger priest and the Reverend Mother had been smart enough to stay quiet. Indeed, they were both currently kneeling before him. Though whether this gesture was out of fear of him or in prayer for safety, Aultcray couldn't tell. The older priest seemed to realize then what he had done, and prostrated himself before the King.
"My king, p-perhaps I have been rude b-"
"I said, Get. Out." The king repeated. The other two members of the church were quick to rise even as Aultcray continued. "You will either leave this castle until I call for you again or I will have the guard take your head and toss it into the sewers. Maybe then your head will be filled with a more acceptable form of shit."
"Of course, your highness." Chastened, the priest gave a bow as his fellow members of the clergy did the same before taking their leave. Only when they were out of sight did Aultcray sit back on his throne. He took a few deep breaths, hoping they would soothe some of the tension he felt in his chest. His hands once again moved against his temples in a futile attempt to force back the headache he felt threatening to overwhelm him. Countless thoughts swirled in his head, some complete, some not. All vying to be at the forefront of his mind.
"Perhaps the Church was wrong about the Shield?"
"The Sword, Spear, and Bow are just young-"
"You yourself have admitted that the Shield is acting the part of a hero."
"This is a test of your faith. The holy weapons-"
"Sire? Are you alright?" The voice of one of his advisers cut through his thoughts, bringing him back to reality. "Shall I send for one of the healers or?"
"No. I just need some time to think." He rose to his feet, feeling older than he currently was. "Unless some news comes from one of the heroes themselves, I do not wish to be disturbed. Send a steward to my chambers in an hour with meat and wine."
"Of course sire." The adviser gave a bow as Aultcray stepped down from his throne and made his way through the halls of the and there, he paused to study one of the paintings or tapestries that hung on the stone walls. One that hung on the wall just outside the door to his chambers in particular held his attention the longest. A gift from the Church of the Three Heroes; a large wooden block that had figures meant to represent the heroes carved into its surface.
Aultcray knew the carving by heart: The Sword was being held aloft by its hero, ready to smite evil. The Spear was being thrust forward by its wielder, showing a willingness to fight. The Bow was drawn, an arrow nocked and ready to be sent flying at whatever threat stood before it. The only flaw with the piece was that a large chunk had been broken off at some point, no doubt the piece that held the Shield. The king had never given much thought to the missing piece. Indeed, he had counted it as a blessing that the Shield was missing from such a beautiful piece of art that showed off the Three Heroes. The heroes whom he, and so many others, had placed their faith in. The faith that had supported him so strongly both spiritually and politically.
Yet now, that faith was being shaken.
The Church had told him the Shield would bring about ruin, destruction. That it would be wielded by a demon with no interest in saving the world. That no good could come of the Shield being summoned. That while the Three Heroes would work, fight, and sacrifice to save others that the Shield would sit around and grow fat on goods brought to him by those he enslaved with false promises of protection.
Yet with his own eyes, Aultcray had seen the Shield in action. Lord V, for all the roughness and otherworldly horror he extruded, had been doing his job of helping and protecting others. The 'accomplishments' of the other three heroes could barely hold a candle against the bonfire that was the Shield's triumphs. Sure, the man had done some damage to the castle with his weapons, but nothing he had touched had been outright destroyed. And every report that came in from around and out of town about the Shield's actions were similar.
The king reached out a hand and gently traced the broken edge of the carving. Someone had sanded it smooth years ago, and Aultcray had reasoned it had been done as a sort of safety measure. Now however, he realized that doing so effectively preventing it from ever being properly repaired if the missing piece was to be found. Sighing, Aultcray realized it was a rather fitting representation of the current situation with the heroes. He looked back at the carving, now seeing the Three Heroes as doing nothing more than showing off their weapons. For the first time, he wondered what pose the Shield might have been in.
"Would it be resting upon their back, lazily forgotten? Or would it be held aloft to shield them from the elements? Or maybe it would be held before the hero, ready to defend themselves and their fellows?" He ran a hand over the carving of the other three, asking the question to the air. "Would the three of them fight to protect each other and the Shield?"
He considered the current group of heroes, and the actions they had taken. He weighed them against the stories the Church had told him as he stepped back from the carving and reached for the door to his chamber. A single thought now occupying the forefront of his thoughts.
"Has the Church been wrong this whole time? Have I been wrong this whole time?"
Aultcray let out a strained grunt and shook his head, trying to rid himself of the thought as he stepped into his room. In a show of conduct unbecoming of one such as himself, he let out another grunt and slammed a fist against the wall. The pain served its purpose, and Aultcray felt the intrusive thoughts starting to retreat as other parts of his conscious mind took over again.
...
...-ooo000ooo-…
…
Following Naofumi's revelation to her that the waves were less than a day away - Nineteen hours, fifty-six minutes and forty-one seconds to be exact from the moment he told her. To say Raphtalia was nervous about the approaching waves would be an understatement.
Upon returning from their trip to the church, she had been pacing about. Doing everything and anything to distract herself from her thoughts. The cheap grooming kit she and Naofumi had bought all those weeks ago saw more action over the last day than it had since its purchase. Every time she even felt the slightest tug, or noticed a stray leaf or other detritus in either her hair or tail. The brush and comb would be taken out of their case and put to work.
Filo too found herself at the mercy of Raphtalia's sudden compulsive need to groom and keep occupied. Filo had maybe been alone in the wagon yard for an hour before Raphtalia had turned up and struck with the grooming kit. The bird had enjoyed the first once over with the soft bristles of the brush, especially when Raphtalia had found that one spot on Filo's neck the bird just couldn't quite reach.
After that, Raphtalia killed a little more time by helping out around the yard. She helped a groom with offering hay and water to the horses, and helped a traveling merchant with unloading some of his luggage. Shortly after that, she noticed Filo had decided to roll around in some stray piles of straw and once again targeted the bird with the grooming kit.
This time, Filo cooed in delight as Raphtalia picked out the stray bits of dried grass from her feathers. Sure it had barely been an hour since her initial grooming but Filo didn't care. It was only when Raphtalia decided to polish the dirt off Filo's talons that the bird made her displeasure known and proceeded to sprint away. Understanding, she made her way back to the inn and up to the room she shared with Naofumi.
Not finding anything new wrong with her own grooming, Raphtalia turned her attention to her armor. Picking up a stray piece of cloth, Raphtalia took to polishing the lightweight pieces of metal on the armor Naofumi had commissioned for her. Taking a deep breath, she focused her attention on the task at hand. By the time her stomach growled in protest of her lack of food, the iron plates had been polished to such a level they now shone like silver.
Setting aside her armor, she opted to treat herself to a simple meal of fish chowder and crusty bread. Normally, the creamy soup would serve as a comfort full of gentle yet defined flavors. The heat from it serving as a hug that warmed her from the inside out. Today however? It just didn't seem to taste as good, nor warm her up. She had asked the chef if he had made any changes to the recipe since the last time she got it.
"Alright, you got me." The old chef let out a light laugh, before sighing in mock defeat. "I'll admit I didn't use as much black pepper as the last time I made it."
He frowned, though the expression didn't quite reach his eyes. His actions, coupled with such a simple and stupid answer made Raphtalia laugh, warming and relaxing her a little.
"That's okay, it's still very good!" She made a point to finish the bowl then, using the remaining chunk of bread to wipe it clean. The smile came back to the old man's face, and Raphtalia could feel her own mirroring the expression as she handed over the empty bowl and excused herself. Her steps had taken her back to her room where she once again looked over her gear.
The armor still shown like polished silver, and the leather was still soft yet strong. Her bow had been restrung and oiled, and all her arrows were needle sharp. She looked at the knives Naofumi had given her – all expertly sharpened and glinting in the light. To do any further maintenance on any of them would be overkill. She picked up her chest plate, seeing her reflection staring back at her.
"Relax Raphtalia." She met her own eyes in her reflection. "There's no use harping over what-if's. All you can do is just prepare to the best of your ability. Think. What would Naofumi say if he was here right now?"
"...I need a drink." Raphtalia did her best Naofumi impersonation, remembering his uttering of those words after a previous 'Filo fuck up', as he termed it. Somehow, her own joke sent her into a fit of laughter, the action relaxing her as it had earlier. She looked back at her reflection, recalling her foray into drinking back in Lute Village. "One drink shouldn't hurt? Right?"
She shrugged, setting her armor down as she made her way back to the hall that served as a small tavern for the inn. Taking the same seat she had occupied earlier, the chef flashed her a gentle smile.
"Back so soon lass?" He gave the pot he was stirring a final once over before covering it. "I've another batch of chowder going, this time with a bit more pepper if you're still hungry."
"No..." The raccoon-girl tilted her head to one side. She was a rookie through and through when it came to drinking and, taking a page from Naofumi. "I was hoping for something stronger."
The chef chuckled, seeming amused at her answer. "If you've got a silver, I've just the thing. Wait a moment."
Raphtalia watched as the man moved out of the kitchen and over to a small cabinet. She watched as he took out a simple brown decanter and poured the contents into a mug. It was a deep amber liquid, and she could smell the faintest hint of citrus as he set the mug before her.
"Here, this should do the trick." He chuckled as she handed over her coin, "some grog. A holdover from my time as a sailor."
"Thank you." She raised the glass a took a swallow, coughing at the strong flavor and burn. A reaction that brought another laugh from the chef as he returned to his place in the kitchen. Still, the alcohol worked its magic and she found herself relaxing, occasionally asking the chef about his time at sea. When her mug ran empty, he offered to refill it, but she declined and once again excused herself back to her room. Looking out the window, Raphtalia noticed the sun had long since gone down, and a yawn escaped her in understanding. Looking over her gear a final time, she proceeded to pack it all up before opting to sit on her bed.
"I should try to get some sleep..." She told herself, throwing the blanket over herself as she laid down. The feeling of the single sheet did little to comfort her, and soon she found herself gathering up the extra bedding they used when camping, forming a mountain of sorts on the bed that she had every intention of burrowing into. It was her hope that the weight of the blankets, coupled with the warmth they provided, could provide enough comfort for her to at least get a little sleep before tomorrow's impending battle. Satisfied, she crawled under one of the lower blankets. As she expected, the weight of the other blankets made her feel like she was being hugged, but she still couldn't get comfortable.
The creaking of the door to their room opening caused her to jump slightly, but she relaxed when she heard Naofumi's voice.
"Raphtalia?" She heard the confusion in Naofumi's voice, sensing more than seeing when his eyes noticed the pile of blankets. "Raphtalia? You under there?"
"Yeah," she crawled out of the pile and proceeded to sit on top of it.
"Why?"
"I can't sleep. I just can't seem to get comfortable..." The demi-human sighed, hands nervously petting her tail. "I...I've been feeling anxious all day and I don't know why. Well, I mean, I know why but at the same time...I don't-"
"I understand." He took a moment to adjust the blankets, before taking a seat beside her. "I'll be the first to admit I slept like crap the night before my first big job. Heck, I still have trouble sleeping sometimes before big jobs, but I've learned how to overcome it."
"Really?" Raphtalia blinked, not believing but not fully denying his claim. Then again, Raphtalia had to admit she usually fell asleep long before Naofumi did, so maybe it really wasn't that big of a stretch. "How so?"
"Sometimes I'll have a snack..." He reached into his inventory then and pulled out two Holobites Peach Pies. "And sometimes I'll read. Or do both."
"Well, I don't have any books with me...And honestly I'm not the best at reading." She blushed, embarrassment briefly replacing anxiety.
"Then what if I tell you a story while we have our snack?"
"I'm not a child," Raphtalia pouted, but there was the faintest smile on her face as she accepted the pie. While she knew they were Naofumi's favorite, she knew he only had a limited amount of them and thus, reserved them for special occasions. "And shouldn't we save these for after the waves?"
"An old friend of mine always found it easier to face a difficult job with a little bit of happiness beforehand." He opened up his Peach Pie and took a lick, "and I've got plenty of these. Actually, that's the story I should tell you. The time Jackie Welles and I got so drunk that we cleaned out every Holobites vending machine in Watson?"
"Where's Watson? And what's a ven-ding machine?" She blinked, opening the package in her hands.
"Heh, sorry. Watson's a district in Night City, sort of like how there's the Central district, the Silk Streets, and so on around here." Naofumi closed his eyes, a tiny hum escaping him, thinking. "And a vending machine is like a shop with no keeper. Have you ever seen a stand that uses the 'honor system'? Pick your item, and put your money in the box?"
"Yeah, Old Lady Nayru had that with her apple trees. She'd let us kids pick an apple in exchange for a copper that we dropped in a box near the trees."
"They work like that. Except they're big boxes and you can't get the item you want until you give it your money. Anyhow, Jackie and I had been celebrating a successful job we had done by going out drinking. As were leaving the bar, Jackie let out a hearty laugh and complained that he should have tried their..." By the way Naofumi's eyes moved, Raphtalia could tell he was trying to 'translate' the story so she'd understand better. "Fruity alcohols. Saying that he wanted something sweet."
"Well, I spotted a Holobites Pie vending machine just on the corner of the street and said 'Hey, why don't we get some pie?' Well, after Jackie made some comment about Misty – that's his girl and another friend of mine, he agreed. So we both staggered up to the machine, but it turns out they're out of the mint and grape flavors and only have peach."
"Not caring, Jackie and I start shoving our money into the machine, well...He added the money, I picked up the goods." Raphtalia laughed at the image of Naofumi and another faceless man standing before a box, pulling out the snack she was currently holding. "Well, once that machine was empty, we spotted another one just down the street. 'Hey! Maybe that one will have grape!' Jackie had exclaimed, a wobble in his steps as we moved onto the next one."
She blinked, thoroughly engrossed in the tale. "Did it have grape?"
"Yeah. Jackie bought all the grape, and I once again bought the peach." Naofumi laughed again, though there was a strange weight to it that Raphtalia hadn't heard before. "This continued until we had visited every vending machine in Watson, Jackie even...got a map to help us find them all. I think I went home with a couple hundred peach pies, and several dozen mint and grape ones too."
"Jackie sounds like a good guy." Raphtalia finished off her snack, handing the empty packet back to Naofumi with a yawn.
"Yeah. Jackie Welles, a legend of Night City, and just the greatest guy you could ever meet." Naofumi let out a morose laugh, which she chalked up to him missing his friend. "There was nothing more important to Jackie than his friends and family. And him and Misty were just the cutest when they were together. Jackie tried to play the tough guy, and he was a brawler, but yeah."
A small laugh escaped Raphtalia, followed by another little yawn. "Excuse me..."
"Eh, like you were planning on, you should try to get some rest. We've probably got a very busy day ahead of us tomorrow. As Jackie would have said..." Naofumi dropped his voice, an odd accent shaping the words. "This is how you cruise into the major leagues."
Another tired laugh escaped Raphtalia, "is that what Jackie sounded like?"
"Not even close," Naofumi let out his own laugh as Raphtalia proceeded to climb under one of the higher layers on the blanket mountain. "He'd have probably slapped me for trying, following it up with some comment about how I should be thankful it wasn't Mama Welles who heard. And that if she did, she'd have brought out the Chancla."
"What's a Chon-kla?"
At the question, Naofumi visibly flinched, a reluctant grin on his face. "Let's just say it was Mama Welles' signature weapon for punishing us for being foolish kids. It was the most surefire way to stop Jackie...and myself, from being stupid."
Raphtalia tried to imagine what sort of weapon could intimidate Naofumi, all sorts of ideas crossing her mind. Just as quickly, she decided she didn't want to know as another yawn escaped her along with a single word. "Scary."
That one word made Naofumi laugh. "Mama Welles was only scary if you made her angry, which, Jackie and me did a few times. Still though, both her and Jackie would go to the end of the world to help those they care about."
"Ah, Mama Welles..." She yawned, eyes feeling heavy. "And Jackie sound like great people...I wish I could meet them."
"Wish you could too." Naofumi's words were so soft, Raphtalia would have missed them if the room wasn't so quiet. "Good night Raphtalia."
"Good night, Naofumi..." A final yawn escaped Raphtalia, all thoughts of the upcoming waves leaving her as sleep claimed her.
...
...-ooo000ooo-…
…
After Raphtalia had fallen asleep, Naofumi found himself smiling fondly at Raphtalia's peaceful expression. He was glad she was entertained by his story, and retelling it had brought an odd nostalgic joy to him. However, that joy had quickly faded as he took a seat on his own bed, mind filled with thoughts of everyone he had left behind. While he felt Raphtalia had the right idea, Naofumi found himself unable, and admitted to himself that he was unwilling to sleep.
"You need something to take your mind off your problems. A project to focus on..." He heard Misty's gentle voice, care lacing every word. Sure, the words had been directed at Jackie, but Naofumi had felt he could benefit from them too.
He reached into the Shield's storage and removed a personal project he had started on a week or so back. At the moment, the blocks of wood were a bit rough, but anyone with a basic knowledge of musical instruments would recognize the rough beginnings of a guitar. He had seen a lute or two for sale, and could have bought one of them and saved himself the trouble...But making it himself just felt right.
He took out a set of woodcarving tools he had bought and began to carefully whittle away the excess from the outline he had free-handed. Thanks to memories from Johnny. His own research back in Night City. And the carpentry books he found in the castle's library, he had a decent idea of what he was doing. Consciously or not, Naofumi soon found himself singing under his breath as he worked.
"We lost everything. We had to pay the price." he sang softly to himself. Small finger-sized shavings of wood fell away with each note. "Yeah, we lost everything. We had to pay the price." Some of the pieces fell a short distance and landed on his legs, while others made it to the floor. He paused a moment and studied them, the wood in his hands feeling no lighter than when he started.
"I saw in you what life was missing. You lit a flame that consumed my hate." The small knife finally connected to the outline. His lips quirked upward in a brief reluctant moment of victory that quickly faded as he noticed how much still had to be done. "I'm not one for reminiscing but I'd trade it all for your sweet embrace." He found himself wondering if tomorrow's potential victory would feel as hollow.
"'Cause we lost everything. We had to pay the price. There's a canvas with two faces." His hands stilled, eyes going from his work to the sleeping form of Raphtalia. From there he found himself looking out the window, before they settled back on his guitar. His hands started moving again." Of fallen angels who loved and lost. It was a passion for the ages, And in the end guess we paid the cost."
As his knife connected with the outline again, his wandering thoughts landed on the painted holographic crosswalks of Night City. "A thing of beauty, I know. Will never fade away." His hands ceased their work again as he closed his eyes a moment. Images of his friends. The places they had visited, now competing for a space in his consciousness. "What you did to me, I know. Said what you had to say."
Shaking his head, he looked at the unfinished guitar with an odd determination. "But a thing of beauty, Will never fade away." The action forcing his brain to focus on the grain of the wood as his hands once again resumed their work.
"I see your eyes, I know you see me. You're like a ghost how you're everywhere." More and more shavings fell away as the wood continued to take shape. His hands stilled again, though this time it was to idly brush some of the shavings off his legs before he resumed. One of his feet brushed along the floor, semi-corralling the shavings with the intention of collecting them later to use as a source of kindling. "I am your demon, never leaving. A metal soul of rage and fear." Something about that one lyric made him snort even as he continued working.
"That one thing that changed it all. That one sin that caused the fall." His hand slipped slightly. The merc let out a heavy sigh, seeing a small chip in the wood. Naofumi found himself unable to look away from the mark. It was in a section he had yet to carve and shape, and suddenly seemed the perfect visual metaphor for the thoughts he was fighting. In Night City, he fought for himself at first, and then for his friends. Every job he took, a little more done to improve the city for himself and others.
A small growl of frustration left his mouth, even as the knife made short work of the chip and fixed the mistake. He knew he should be thankful that it was just a small chip, and not a giant gouge. That he was lucky it hadn't cracked to a point where it would require constant fixing like the world he was currently stuck in. He wanted to laugh at the thought, but instead...
"A thing of beauty, I know. Will never fade away. What you did to me, I know. Said what you had to say." His hands stopped their work again, eyes drifting back out the window a moment. The light of the moon illuminated the town, bathing it in a false sense of peace and comfort. "But a thing of beauty, Will never fade away." Outside of the desert scrublands to surround Night City, you would be hard-pressed to find the same feeling. Not for the first time, Naofumi found himself both blessing and cursing his luck in landing in a place like Melromarc.
"And I'll do my duty, I know. Somehow I'll find a way. But a thing of beauty, Will never fade away." Suddenly, his eyes were back on the guitar, mind begging him to focus on something. Anything but his current situation. He rotated the piece of wood in his hands, holding it just like Johnny had shown him. Rough as it still was, his fingers idly moved along where the strings would eventually go. It was also heavier than any guitar would ever need to be, but Naofumi reminded himself that it was still a work in progress. Still...
"What do you think Johnny?" He whispered the question to the air, imagining Silverhand's response.
"Looks like shit," Naofumi could almost see Johnny shaking his head, before the man would backhandedly compliment his work. "But it's probably better than those mass-produced models"
Naofumi let out a grunt of agreement, "got that right." His eyes drifted to the counter in the corner of his optics:
[9:59:31]
[9:58:30]
"Roughly ten hours until show time...Should be enough time to refine this some more." Letting out a sigh, he scrolled through his library until he found the carpentry book he had scanned from the castle's library. Reviewing the section on proper sanding techniques, he returned to the Shield's inventory and withdrew a couple different grades of sandpaper. With a final sigh, Naofumi picked up the first sheet and began to file the edges, opting to focus solely on the gentle scritch-scratch of the paper on the wood and ignore everything else as he waited for the light of the next day.
