Hey everybody! First off, thank you reviewers old and new, it was great hearing from you! I have my reasons for not adding certain gauntlets yet, but they will come in time (or be added in- some suggestions were very creative). But HOLY MOLY, over 23,500 people have read this fanfic (when did THAT happen?!) so thanks for reading this! \T.T/ Banzai!
I hope everyone reading this is doing well as we deal with our current reality. Do not give up and stay safe out there- your health matters! I'll try to lighten the boredom…
As always, I don't own Rising of the Shield Hero but I do own my OCs and crazy plot twists! Warning! Gore, violence, swearing and extreme bitchiness ahead! Also wtf moments, cause those are way too much fun to write~!
Enjoy the Wave…
A (somewhat familiar) bright light washes over them and Hazel bends her knees to absorb the impact better. Instantly her party is on alert, surveying the area before Hazel spots the other heroes for the first time in months. The Bow, Sword and Spear Heroes are charging right for the cracks in the vermillion sky, their parties trailing behind them. To her surprise, the Shield Hero is running with his companion towards a village nearby.
Hazel nods in approval then frowns as one of the Hero's parties shoots a flare.
"Alright everyone, show time! Let's get this done!" Hazel orders before jumping on board Kai with Sher.
Rong mounts Meili and gives them a concerned expression.
"Be safe." She requests before Meili jumps into the air and propels herself over the war zone.
Kai needs little urging to break into a gallop, streaking towards the village: Hazel narrows her eyes when she spots monsters have already reached the village. Thankfully, Mister Shield Hero was already defending the townsfolk while a familiar face is running the evacuation.
Raphtalia-san?! …Huh. Things suddenly make a lot more sense. Hazel muses as Kai kicks a zombie away from them.
Hazel nudges Kai's sides and he rockets forward, crushing a knot of zombie soldiers attacking civilians to pulp. Hazel leaps off and Sher gives her a crisp nod before leaving to rescue more villagers. Hazel turns her attention to Tate-san (she still doesn't know his name and 'Shield Hero' is too damn long to say) before leaping into the fray.
Naofumi's Point of View:
He grits his teeth as another zombie slams its' rusty sword into his shield. Naofumi shoves hard, throwing the zombie off balance and takes off, attracting the attention of more monsters. They lumber after him while the wasps buzz, hovering in the air. A scream catches his attention and he quickly summons his Shield Prison, protecting a mother and her daughter.
Dammit, where's Raphtalia?! She should be finished with the evacuation by now! He thinks frantically, dodging another clumsy strike from a zombie.
As he turns to lead the monsters away, a giant zombie lifts his club to crush Naofumi. He brings his shield up in time, grunting under the weight as the zombie applies more pressure. Then something blurs in front of him and kicks the zombie in the face.
Its' head explodes, showering gore everywhere. Another kick sends it flying back into other zombies, a make-shift bowling ball of destruction. Naofumi blinks and feels a shudder run down his spine: the person before him has armor fit for a demon or a savage. Glittering scales, tough leather, insect carapaces and accents of snowy white fur give them a feral appearance. They turn their head to look at him and Naofumi pales.
A skull of some animal (part of his mind marvels over how similar it is to a wolf's) hides their face- except for their mouth, which is smiling wryly.
"Sorry I'm late, Tate-san. You mind if I hop in?" A female voice asks, crushing a nearby wasp in one silver gauntlet.
Naofumi blinks in surprise.
"Who the hell are you?!" He growls aggressively.
The woman spins in place, kicking a zombie in the gut- its' torso explodes, before looking at him again.
"Hazel the Gauntlet Hero- I got summoned with the rest of y'all." She answers succinctly.
Naofumi bristles.
"You're-!"
"Behind you!" Hazel snaps.
Naofumi spins and barely stops an ax from hacking him in two. Hazel leaps, using his shoulders as a platform, and changes her gauntlets. Icy looking claws with deadly talons on the right hand while the left becomes a golden shiny carapace with black delicate-looking fingertips. She grabs the zombie general's head with her right hand- it freezes solid before she crushes it between her fingers. Hazel rides the body down and stands on the corpse, a left hand on her hip as she glares at him (he can only guess since her eyes are hidden).
"Save your 'what the fucks' and 'you bitch's for later. We don't have the time and frankly it's not useful. So instead of ranting, let's focus on making sure the villagers make it out safely then crushing the fucking Wave. Understood?" Hazel asks, flexing the fingers of her golden hand.
Naofumi can barely see thin spider silk extending and attaching to surfaces as Hazel talks, his mind thrown into confusion. He hadn't expected… this. In his mind he had built up the missing Hero as a final insult by Fate- the only other Hero hated by Melromarc, but had escaped scot free. Instead of a coward, or an asshole, he gets a no nonsense feel from her and a refreshing degree of common sense.
So Naofumi (reluctantly) bites his back his accusations and curses, understanding her logic.
"I don't trust you." He states, using Air Strike Shield to ram a squad of zombies down.
Hazel binds them up with her spider silk and starts swinging them around, mowing the other monsters down with her make-shift mace.
"That's fair." She agrees, slamming the zombies into several wasps which stick to her webbing.
"But… I'll cooperate." He says grudgingly, flanking her.
Hazel nods, changing her right gauntlet into one with black fur with fangs stabbing into her arm and cruel fangs for fingertips. Then she detaches the mess of webs, zombies and wasps from her gauntlet and gives a command.
"Ghost Fire!" She calls out, pointing at the trapped monsters.
Green flames flicker to life and set the entire mess on fire- Naofumi appreciates her efficiency. They quickly settle into a pattern: Naofumi would lure the monsters and Hazel would trap them with webs before roasting them alive. Naofumi grabs a torch at one point and Hazel steps back, letting him take a few kills. It's to this scene that Raphtalia, Sher and Kai find them casually setting helpless monsters on fire.
Raphtalia glances worriedly over at Naofumi as Sher rides over to Hazel, who waves in greeting.
"You finished up?" Hazel asks, tilting her head.
Sher nods and Kai chirps happily. Hazel grins broadly, cracking her fingers.
"Good- time to wreck 'em. Tate-san, Tanuki-chan, I'll have Sher and Kai act as bait to lure them to the square. I'll string up webs to fence them in so they don't have anywhere to run then we can kill them off. Tate-san, can you do the thing that makes all the monsters pay attention to you again? That would help immensely." Hazel questions him.
Naofumi nods, his frown becoming more thoughtful than grumpy- Hazel notices.
"You got an idea?"
He blinks, startled out of his thoughts before clearing his throat.
"Yeah- the watch tower has a bell. The sound will catch the monsters' attention." He tells her.
Hazel laughs merrily and gives him a thumbs up.
"Do it. Make sure to stick with Tanuki-chan, don't die." She tells him before looking to Sher and Kai.
"Sher, Kai, raise a ruckus. Don't die. Return when Tate-san stops ringing the bell."
"Hai!" Sher answers before urging Kai into a gallop, chopping zombies apart as they race towards the cracked sky.
Naofumi and Raphtalia bolt for the watch tower; Raphtalia kills zombies and wasps as they run while Naofumi blocks any attacks aimed for his partner. Raphtalia climbs the ladder first, Naofumi following her. Once they reach the top, Naofumi activates his skill and bangs the bell. All the monsters congregate in the area, some starting to climb the watch tower, groaning pitifully.
In the distance, Naofumi notices the other Demi-human (Sher?) chasing zombies into town and slashing them to pieces with efficient blows. The golden bird thing is just as brutal, crushing or ripping apart anything in its way. Raphtalia shouts suddenly, pointing. Naofumi glances over and freezes, stunned.
In the few minutes he and Raphtalia had been drawing attention, Hazel had strung up massive webs between the houses and ruins. Monsters that got caught stayed caught, wiggling uselessly as Hazel builds a death trap. She ties off the last strands and nods to Naofumi, holding her thumb up. He switches his shield to the rope shield and kicks over the oil vat. Raphtalia, catching on, sets a torch to it before grabbing Naofumi as he pulls a Tarzan.
They land heavily but Hazel is there, mowing down monsters and letting the pair recover until they step up as well. The monsters groan, buzz and roar at them. Hazel bares her teeth and her gauntlets shift again. They change into savage skulls, exactly like her mask, with the purple gems gleaming at the center of the foreheads. Her fingers look like they are made of bones, sticking out from between the jaws.
"Cover your ears!" She barks before lifting both hands.
Then she howls.
Naofumi can feel his teeth vibrating in his skull as the sound swells, drowning out all other noises. Raphtalia has her tail tucked between her legs as she tries to block out the deafening howl with her hands. All the monsters in the area collapse, writhing in the dirt futilely in a poor attempt to evade the sound. Naofumi absently notes their behavior but inwardly wonders what the fuck Hazel did to earn her various gauntlet forms.
Abruptly, Hazel stops howling and deafening silence falls across the battlefield, save for the crackling of the flames. Then the monsters stir and scream, gathering together and roaring in response. Hazel forces Raphtalia and Naofumi to their feet as yet more monsters pour in from the woods.
"What the hell was that?!" Naofumi yells over the cacophony.
"Summoning Howl- it weakens monsters then they all attack en masse. Which is why I spent so much time setting up the webs- ah! There they are!" Hazel grins, pointing.
Sher reappears on Kai, slaughtering the monsters from behind, driving them forward. Hazel cackles and turns to Naofumi and Raphtalia.
"Time to get out of the way- I put exit points in the webs for us to use. I'll join Sher and Kai to herd them in then we'll roast the bastards."
Naofumi stares at her and lets out a surprised bark of laughter, shaking his head.
"You're insane." He tells her.
Hazel shrugs, kicking a zombie in the balls.
"Nope~! Just ruthless on the battlefield." She replies before heading for the exit point.
Naofumi and Raphtalia follow her, Naofumi using his Air Strike Shield to hold off the monsters long enough for Hazel to reseal the webs.
Then everything goes to hell in a handbasket.
Fireballs rain down from above, burning everything: Hazel's webs burst into flames, igniting a firestorm. Naofumi manages to protect Raphtalia with his light ore shield but loses track of Hazel in the chaos. A few minutes later, the flames die down enough for Naofumi to peek around. Laughter in the distance catches his attention as a group of knights approaches.
"Ha! Not a single survivor left! Not even that blasted Shield could have survived that!" The Knight Captain declares, swirling his mustache.
Raphtalia explodes out from under Naofumi's cloak, sword gleaming as she aims for the Knight Captain's throat. Sadly, she is blocked by another knight with a scar across his nose. The captain flinches then flushes with outrage.
"W-Why you filthy Demi-human!" He yells, pointing at her.
"Be quiet! You admitted to attacking with magic despite knowing Master Naofumi is here! I'll have your head!" Raphtalia snarls, pushing hard.
"… Oh, he was here? How unfortunate!" The captain sneers.
"You-!" Raphtalia hisses, her tail bristling.
"Raphtalia, that's enough." Naofumi orders.
"But-!" She starts to protest when a familiar voice cuts in.
"He's right, Raphtalia-san. They're not worth your time- or the prison sentence." Hazel tells her, walking up.
Her gauntlets changed again- one looks like the icy scaled one from before and the other is black, shimmering fur with flames dancing upon it. Hazel had suffered some burns but ignores them as she casually intimidates the knights with her unexpected appearance. Her skull mask has soot all over it but that just makes it appear more malevolent.
"Besides… we might as well put them to work." She purrs, sending chills down their spines.
The captain stiffens before angrily retorting.
"And who are you to order me?" He snaps, glaring.
Hazel smiles- it's not a nice smile.
"The bitch who doesn't give a fuck about prison sentences- now, you have two options. You do your job, which is defending Melromarc and its' citizens; or you go and suck up like a dickless cunt to the Heroes who haven't beaten the Wave Boss yet. Your choice. Either way, I'm going to go see what's the hold up."
At her words, Meili and Rong drop from the sky behind her. Meili curls her lips back over her fangs and hisses at the knights, who are visibly shaken. Raphtalia gapes in recognition as Hazel glances at Rong and tilts her head.
"How close are they to actually killing it?" She asks casually, ignoring the stares.
Rong shakes her head and sighs.
"It has a third of its health left. The Heroes… are not very experienced or able to work well together."
"Figures. Naofumi-san, Raphtalia-san, I'm leaving most of my party here to assist in thinning the monsters. I would be much obliged if you would work with them. Rong, make sure Sher and Kai get their marching orders." Hazel states, jumping aboard Meili's back.
Naofumi quirks his eyebrow at her, folding his arms.
"Just like that?" He demands, eyeing her.
"Yup. Bye." She waves as Meili jumps into the air.
The knights, for the most part, stagger back as Meili stirs up a dust storm. Naofumi, Rong and Raphtalia are unaffected by her departure but the partners give Rong questioning looks. Rong merely sighs and throws a dagger, killing a zombie before it can munch on an unfortunate soldier.
"Is she always like that?!" Naofumi demands, even as he stops a zombie general from killing the captain.
"Yes." Rong says bluntly.
"… Great." Naofumi sighs.
Hazel's Point of View
Meili rips past the airborne threats, her wings creating enough wind to knock them out of the way. Fairly soon, Hazel spots the Wave Boss and whistles.
"A chimera? Nasty. Hmm, what to do, what to do..?" She hums, watching the Spear, Sword and Bow Heroes spam attacks like no tomorrow and as if they have infinite SP.
"… Meili, I'm gonna dive bomb it. Hover about… forty feet up then feel free to support from the air." She instructs the dragon, kneeling on her back.
Thank god my balance is ridiculous. She thinks as Meili gives a chirp before hovering as instructed.
Hazel shakes her head at the other Heroes lack of situational awareness before grinning evilly.
Time to teach them about battle awareness~! She thinks before changing Knokene and Rysty's forms again.
Rysty become bristly with thick reddish fur and two short tusks extending from Hazel's knuckles with a thick ruff supporting her wrist. Knokene shifts to the Ice Drake's signature scales but two sturdy fangs are sheathed under her forearm, cocked and ready. Hazel stands and jumps off, aiming her body for the Chimera's back. Thankfully, it stays relatively in the same spot, hissing at Sword-kun as he tries to sever its' leg.
Hazel cocks both her fists back as she mentally counts down in her head the remaining distance.
Thirty… twenty… fifteen… ten… five..! Impact!
Immediately, she activates separate two skills: the first is [Trampling Charge], courtesy of her Baltaboar gauntlet series Rysty currently has equipped. It allows Hazel to slam into something at extremely high speeds and not suffer HP damage- so long as her stamina is not below twenty percent. The other is [Springing Blades]- the two Ice Drake fangs extend ten inches from her forearm, causing piercing damage and injects a numbing agent that slows the enemy's reflexes.
Hazel fondly refers to them (respectively) as 'the ultimate sponge' and 'scaly Assassin's Creed gauntlets!'
Add in Hazel's strength and aim (she was going for the middle of its' back) and it's no surprise she shatters the Chimera's spine. It immediately screams and tries to buck her off, only to find its' back legs and viper tail can barely move. Hazel bares her teeth in a feral grin and changes Rysty into the Chain gauntlet, whipping the heavy links around the Chimera's necks. When the free end reaches the rest of the chain, it melds seamlessly into one giant loop.
Hazel smirks and wrenches backwards with her considerable strength.
It wails in abject agony as she forces its' spine to fracture even further before withdrawing Knokene and slams Knokene into the back of the lion head, killing it. The Chimera screams and the dragon head tries to twist enough to flame her but she drives Knokene under its' jaw, sealing its mouth shut and piercing the brain. That leaves only the goat head, which huffs and bleats angrily at her.
Hazel merely grins wider before finishing it off with a simple blow through the base of its skull.
The sky shifts and changes back to azure blue, the cracks fading and the portals vanishing. Hazel yawns and stretches, popping her shoulders before deigning to glance at her fellow 'Heroes'. They all seem to be in a state of shock, outright staring at her. Hazel rolls her eyes behind her mask and shifts Knokene and Rysty back to their base forms.
"Are you done staring? We have clean up to do." She reminds them idly.
That seems to spur them to speak at least.
"Who the hell are you?!" The blond boy with the bow demands, glaring at her- hatefully?
Someone had his feelings hurt… Hazel notes.
"My, such manners. Tell me, is it the custom in your home world to be so rude while asking for another's name?" Hazel inquires, propping Knokene on her hip.
That seems to irk Bow Boy even more, leaving him spluttering with incoherent rage. Hazel sighs and shakes her head ruefully before tearing bits off the respective heads of the Chimera. Sword Boy speaks next, his expression stormy.
"Why did you interfere? We had it handled!" Hazel contains a snort- barely.
"'Had it handled'? If you had it handled, as you put it, then I would not have had to interfere in the first place." Hazel replies, tearing off skin, meat, and the viper tail.
"Stop! That's our loot!" Bow Boy yells, drawing his bow.
Hazel pauses and tilts her head with amusement.
"Oh~? So quick to draw your weapon against someone that assisted you? I would hate to see what you would do to people you hate."
That seems to elicit murmurs amongst the party members watching- save for a busty redhead who is busy glaring daggers into Hazel's back. Her companion, Spear-kun, appears torn between ogling and righteous anger. Given that he hasn't said anything, Hazel elects to ignore him until he makes a nuisance of himself. Confidently, Hazel stands carelessly, still staring at Bow Boy through her unnerving mask.
[Hero, you have 5 minutes until forcibly relocated.] Knokene and Rysty warn her privately.
Dammit. Hazel sighs mentally before addressing the other Heroes.
"I take only what is mine to take. First choice of the spoils always goes to the one that kills the monster. Now, I have more wave monsters to go clean up~! Enjoy the rest of your day~!" Hazel says cheerfully, jumping almost fifteen feet straight up.
Meili takes that as her cue and swoops- Hazel lands on her back and Meili flaps hard to return to the village. Hazel keeps an eye on Bow Boy- he seems the most impulsive of the trio and the most likely to hold a grudge. He doesn't shoot, to her surprise, so she passes the time dropping her portion of the Chimera onto Knokene and Rysty. By the time she finishes, Meili is landing in the charred ruins of the unfortunate village.
Sher, Rong and Kai rush up, checking Hazel and Meili for new injuries. But aside from the new layer of gore on Hazel, Hazel and Meili are basically the same as when they left. Naofumi and Raphtalia watch from the sidelines, unsure if they are welcome. Hazel spots them and walks over, still carrying the bloodied trophies from the Chimera. She holds them out to Naofumi, startling him.
"What the hell?!" He demands, trying to ignore the absurd amount of gruesome substances staining her armor.
Hazel tilts her head.
"Here. We split the spoils, since you stayed to protect the civilians. Honestly, you were more useful than those dunderheads," She grumbles.
Naofumi and Raphtalia sweat drop at her casual dismissal of the other three Heroes. Sher winces while Rong face palms.
"Ilmatar-san, you do realize this was their first Wave..?" Rong sighs.
Hazel rolls her eyes.
"Really? I hadn't noticed, what with the lack of cooperation, teamwork and sheer ego." She drawls, pushing up her mask so Naofumi and Raphtalia can see her face.
"Look, Naofumi-san, I don't have a lot of time before I get fucking teleported again to yet another random spot on the map. So just take the damn monster remains already! I fed my two gluttons so you don't have to worry about shorting anyone. And at least this way you get a bit of everything versus whatever leftovers they leave for you."
Naofumi hesitates but Raphtalia quickly accepts, bowing.
"Thank you very much, Hazel-san!"
"Raphtalia!" Naofumi hisses grumpily.
Hazel sighs and resists the urge to rub her forehead.
"Please stand up, Raphtalia-san." Hazel begs awkwardly.
"I'm not here for bowing and scraping!"
"… What do you want?" Naofumi asks suspiciously.
Hazel blinks, tilting her head in confusion.
"Say what?"
"What. Do. You. Want!?" Naofumi snaps, his hands clenching into fists.
Hazel is completely bewildered but does what she usually does when she's not sure about something- she goes with her gut.
"… Okay, that's a whole tangled mess of issues I don't have time to sort out. If you need a reason, then what I 'want' is for you and whoever becomes part of your party to have the best chance of surviving this shithole of a world. That's it." She tells him, honestly.
"You don't know me and I don't know you. But here's what I do know- you don't abandon people when they need you. Glory means next to nothing to you. You're wary and basically hate everything aside from Raphtalia and not dying."
Naofumi blinks and opens his mouth to argue but Hazel holds up her hand, forestalling him.
"I don't know what crime they accused you of. I don't care, as long as you continue to do two things: one, protect your party. Two, protect civilians during the Wave. Deal?" She demands, eyeballing him.
Naofumi hesitates, clearly surprised she doesn't know about the false charges but ponders her simple demands.
"So… basically, in exchange for the monster materials, you want me to continue to do what I've been doing?" He clarifies.
Hazel nods shortly but firmly.
Naofumi hesitates before grunting in annoyance, folding his arms.
"I can't accept that- it's not a fair deal." He grumbles, looking away from her.
Hazel internally swears and then an idea occurs to her.
"Oi, Tate-san? If you want to make us even, can you get a bit of everything from the run-of-the-mill Wave monsters and leave it at Erhard's shop? I probably can't come back to this area for a while but that means missing out on whatever random ass variations I could have potentially gotten. If you can set some aside for my use, I would appreciate it." Hazel requests, giving him a short bow Japanese-style.
Naofumi blinks before huffing loudly.
"Yeah, sure." Is his grouchy response.
Hazel grins before it suddenly becomes a frown.
"Ya know… I just realized we never introduced ourselves." Hazel realizes out loud.
Naofumi blinks, laughing shortly before meeting her gaze.
"Iwatani Naofumi, college student, 20 years old." He introduces himself.
"Ilmatar Hazel, an American foreign exchange student and also 20 years old." Hazel reveals with a wicked grin.
Naofumi blinks before snorting, loudly, as he shakes his head.
"You're an American? That explains a lot." He remarks dryly, giving her a once over.
Hazel mock gasps, still grinning.
"Le gasp! Not just a foreigner, but an American! What ever shall you do?!" She teases.
Naofumi opens his mouth to retort when Knokene and Rysty's gems blaze with light.
[Warning! The Gauntlet Hero is not allowed within close proximity to the Cardinal Heroes unless fighting together in the Waves or stopping a fight between the Cardinal Heroes! Conditions not met! Relocation effective immediately!] They declare, startling Raphtalia and Naofumi with the suddenness of the message.
"Ugh, it's already been five minutes?! Shit, please drop us at the carriage Rysty, Knokene! I don't wanna leave Melromarc without our fucking gear! Oh! Naofumi-san! I'm gonna leave something for ya at Erhard's so pick it up whenever! Don't be a dumbass and don't die! See you at the next Wave!" Hazel rambles, waving goodbye.
Sher and Rong bow slightly to them and Kai and Meili merely cock their heads at the general silliness. The magic circle flares, blinding Naofumi and Raphtalia. When it fades, the Gauntlet Hero's party had vanished, leaving few traces of their presence.
Elsewhere…
"Ouch!"
"Ack!"
"Grao!"
"Greeee!"
"Ugh…"
Hazel moans under the dogpile of bodies, wincing as Kai shifts his weight on her legs and Meili's claws dig into her back. Sher and Rong were the luckiest of the group, landing on top of the two monsters in an undignified heap.
"Get… off..!" Hazel wheezes, trying to free herself.
Sher and Rong take the hint, reducing the weight a little bit- but not nearly enough.
"Meili-! Kai-! Heavy!" Hazel grunts.
They (painfully) scramble off of Hazel. She lays there for a moment, relishing the sensation of being able to fully expand her ribcage again before sitting up. Kai bumps her shoulder and lets out a concerned chirp- Meili hisses at him before crooning herself. Hazel absently rubs their heads, glancing around them- her eyes light up with excitement.
"YES!" She cheers at the sight of their wagon.
Sher muffles a giggle as Hazel rushes to check the wagon and makes certain their belongings are still present.
"She's acting like a child!" Sher whispers to Rong.
Rong hums noncommittedly, folding her arms. Hazel's head pokes into view and she starts waving them over.
"Let's get a fire going! I don't know about you four, but I'm famished!"
Kai and Meili perk up at the word 'food' and charge the carriage; Sher chases them frantically to grab their reins while Rong starts the fire. Just the end of another day with the Belladonnas…
Several hours later…
Hazel yawns as she cleans her armor, wearing dark gray pants and a violet wrap jacket over a longer grey tunic as she works. Sher had already fallen asleep, bundled up inside the wagon with Kai and Meili flanking both entrances, leaving only Rong outside with her.
"Yeesh, this reminds me of dusting- except more important." She grumbles, scouring off dried blood and other body fluids.
Rong snorts from across the fire, reading a scroll.
"You were rather amusing when you found out that armor requires regular maintenance." Rong recalls.
Hazel pouts at her before groaning.
"Okay, maybe I was a little ridiculous about it…" She admits, rubbing her head.
Rong smirks, putting the scroll inside its' leather traveling tube before standing and stretching.
"Don't stay up too late, we still have errands to do tomorrow." She chides the younger woman.
"Yes, mo-!" Hazel starts to retort when Rysty and Knokene's gems flare and a magic circle manifests beneath her.
[Warning! Cardinal Heroes have engaged in combat! Conditions for Gauntlet Hero's intervention met! Summoning to battlefield!]
Hazel's jaw drops and Rong, thinking quickly, tosses Hazel her skull mask.
"Put it on, quickly!" Rong snaps, anxiety swirling in her gut.
Why are the Heroes fighting? Did someone set them up? I need to let her Majesty know! Rong thinks, praying that Hazel and the other Heroes survive tonight's politics.
Hazel doesn't argue, slipping her mask on and tightens the straps before the magic circle flares a brilliant violet. Darkness comes back, revealing that Hazel had been spirited away by her troublesome gauntlets yet again.
…
Naofumi fends off Motoyasu's Chaos Spear, grimacing at the cuts his armor didn't fully protect him from.
"Naofumi! I'll beat you and free Raphtalia-chan!" Motoyasu yells, charging again.
Naofumi braces himself, internally grateful for Hazel's gift of the chimera loot, changing his shield to the pipe version when the gem on his shield and the one embedded in Motoyasu's spear glow in tandem.
[Conditions met. Summoning Gauntlet Hero to mediate.] A message pops up out of nowhere, throwing both Heroes into confusion.
Naofumi's eyes widen in disbelief.
Hazel?! What the hell is going on?!
A blast of purple light fills the battle arena and Naofumi squints before his green eyes widen as he recognizes a familiar figure. Hazel, wearing her skull mask again, somehow is between Motoyasu and Naofumi: Motoyasu's jaw drops in horror as he tries to abort his attack.
Her head snaps up and she sweeps her left arm right to left, redirecting his spear to hit only air. Motoyasu stumbles and Hazel lets him fall in a heap, looking around before finally speaking.
"What are you two doing?" She demands coldly.
Motoyasu and Naofumi stiffen before Naofumi answers.
"Motoyasu challenged me to a duel." Naofumi grits out, still furious.
"Of course I did! You're keeping Raphtalia-chan as your slave! She shouldn't have to fight for a worthless bastard like you!" Motoyasu yells, getting to his feet.
"Why you-!" Naofumi hisses, fists clenched.
"Enough." Hazel interrupts icily, physically repositioning herself between the two irate Heroes.
Motoyasu blinks but that doesn't deter him for very long as he sends Hazel a simpering smile.
"I'm sorry, miss, but you really shouldn't be interrupting a duel! You could get hurt! Besides, it won't take me very long to finish up!" He exclaims with a wide grin as he tries to escort her to the sidelines.
Hazel brushes off his offered arm and stares him down, her mask shadowed menacingly.
"Why are you fighting?" She interrogates him flatly.
Motoyasu blinks before smiling again.
"Eh? Ah, for Raphtalia-chan! That bastard Naofumi made her into a slave and makes her fight for him!"
Hazel turns and looks (presumably) at Naofumi.
"Is that the only reason?" She asks him quietly.
Naofumi grits his teeth.
"Raphtalia is my only party member- if she's gone then I can't fight or level up! The bastard king forced me to accept the duel, even though I didn't want to fight!" He snaps, glaring hatefully at everyone in the arena.
Hazel inclines her head to Naofumi before speaking with a cold, authoritative voice.
"Spear-san. You are questioning Tate-san's right to have a slave fight for him, correct?" She asks.
Motoyasu nods enthusiastically.
"Yeah, that's right!" He says proudly.
Hazel sighs loudly before speaking firmly but calmly to the (apparently braindead) Spear Hero.
"There are several issues I want you to consider, Spear-san. First, slavery is legal here. Please do not interrupt me, I was not finished." She cuts him off as Motoyasu opens his mouth.
He subsides, confusion and righteous outrage showing on his face.
"Rules that applied in our home worlds are not necessarily going to apply here. Slavery is legal, meaning Tate-san has the legal right to purchase and own slaves. Whether or not he chooses to do so is his business, not yours. I doubt Tate-san tells you who can and cannot join your party. To assume you do is unprofessional and disrespectful." Hazel continues.
Naofumi blinks at the unexpected support. Motoyasu's jaw drops, along with many other bystanders while Aultcray stares at Hazel with growing hatred.
"B-But! But he shouldn't be forcing Raphtalia-chan to fight!" Motoyasu argues, starting to sweat.
Hazel deadpans.
"Spear-san, what is Tate-san's class?" She asks him like he is a very dumb child.
Motoyasu blinks.
"A shielder!" He answers confidently.
"And how do you think he can gain experience, if he is a shielder?" Hazel continues to lead his admittedly slow thought process.
Motoyasu opens his mouth, closes it, frowns and tentatively answers.
"Um… his party? Since he has no attack?"
Hazel claps slowly, mockingly.
"Well done," She drawls, her eyes gleaming behind her mask.
"You have a basic understanding of Tate-san's situation. Yes, Spear-san, Tate-san has low attack, meaning he needs to rely on his party member to earn both of them experience to level up. Raphtalia-san is a slave, yes, but Tate-san needs her for his continued survival. All four Cardinal Heroes must survive or the Waves grow worse with their deaths, so in short, you are doing a disservice to yourself and the other Heroes by hobbling Tate-san with this farce."
"How dare you call a sacred duel a farce?!" Aultcray roars, leaping to his feet.
Hazel turns and tilts her head slightly.
"Ah, the Queen's consort, Aultcray-dono. I was wondering when you would join this discussion." Hazel says nonchalantly.
Aultcray's eyes bulge and the nobles shift uneasily. Malty's jaw drops at the not so subtle reminder of her father's official position. The Pope quirks his eyebrow, intrigued by this new devil's words. Naofumi's eyes sharpen, wondering what exactly was making the nobility so nervous.
"Since you have graciously spoken up, is there a particular point you would like to clarify?" Hazel asks in a calm tone.
"Yes, I do! The Shield Hero should not be using slaves to fight on his behalf! It is disgraceful to his position as a Hero! He should be using a traditional party, like his fellow Heroes!"
"Shut up! Naofumi snarls, baring his teeth at Aultcray.
"It's not like I had a choice! The only people willing to party with me were bastards who wanted to take advantage and milk me for all I was worth! The only person I could trust was Raphtalia-!" He continues hotly.
Motoyasu's face twists in disgust.
"Naofumi, you bastard-!"
"Ah, you are referring to the conditions that can be set utilizing a slave crest, correct?" Hazel clarifies, her voice drowning out Motoyasu's.
Naofumi nods, folding his arms.
"Of course I am," He huffs.
Hazel turns her attention to Motoyasu.
"Spear-san, are you aware of what a slave crest actually does?" She presses.
Motoyasu's eyes flicker from side to side wondering how to escape the interrogation he had been stuck in.
"No, but what does that have to do with anything?!" He finally explodes.
Hazel sighs before answering.
"Slave crests of have three main features: the first is that slaves follow a command given by their owner. The second is to forbid lying. The last is that the slave cannot betray their master or their master's interests. Despite your beliefs, slave crests do not allow for mental manipulation or 'mind control'. Given that, you really should have asked Raphtalia-san what she wants under the circumstances- especially since she cannot lie. As for his majesty's comment…"
She turns to face Aultcray and the crowd shudders at the horrifying mask still smeared with dried blood.
"Tate-san deserves a party he can trust with his life and his interests- given his circumstances, Raphtalia-san is best suited to be in his party. Appearances are exactly that- appearances. Such things have no use on the battlefield. Now, you can continue to protest his decision to utilize legal options available to Tate-san, but of course that merely reduces you to a lowly hypocrite since you enforce the laws of Melromarc. Lastly…"
She tilts her head and her unwilling audience quiets further under her stare.
"You claim this is a 'sacred duel' yet you are forcing two Heroes to fight, which is a waste of time and resources, with Tate-san operating under a severe handicap. Why was he not offered the option of someone fighting in his stead, since Tate-san was the challenged? That is a serious lapse of basic duel protocol, your majesty. Not only that, instead of strengthening comradery between the Heroes, you are actively trying to set them against one another. Such a rivalry damages their chances against the Waves in the long run: how can they work together in the future if they cannot trust one another?" Hazel demands.
Motoyasu and Naofumi stare openly at her (though Naofumi hides it better).
Shit. She's right. Naofumi admits, unwillingly, in his mind.
Motoyasu doesn't seem to know what to say, clutching his spear limply as he tries to process what the fuck just happened. Aultcray is grinding his teeth, glaring down at Hazel with a rage that he can barely suppress.
"And who are you to interfere, False Hero?!" He demands.
Hazel is unfazed by his rage.
"I'm the one tasked with keeping the Cardinal Heroes and by extension, your world, alive. You and I may never see eye to eye, your majesty, but in the most basic sense our goal is the same. Survival."
"And yet you challenge my authority?!" Aultcray snarls, hands tightening on his cane.
Hazel remains stoic.
"Challenge? I am asking why your majesty is performing actions against the best interests for Melromarc."
Aultcray's expression mottles with fury before he takes a deep breath, calming himself. He stares down at Hazel, expression cold.
"If you are not a threat to Melromarc, you will allow this duel to continue. You have no notion of what the Shield Hero has done, but I assure you," He leans forward menacingly.
"He deserves to DIE like a mangy DOG!"
Silence rings out across the arena, everyone holding their breath in anticipation of the False Hero's response.
"… Whatever crime Tate-san may or may not have committed does not allow you to ignore the law or his rights. As the challenged, Tate-san has the right to ask another to fight in his stead as well as determine the method of battle. The challenger decides the place and time, nothing more. Will you follow the law, or become lawless yourself?" Hazel states simply.
The nobles side glance each other awkwardly while Motoyasu looks pole-axed.
"How the hell do you know all this?" Naofumi mumbles to Hazel in an undertone.
"I read a book about Melromarc's laws and customs." She whispers back.
Naofumi wants to face palm.
"Leave it to a bookworm to undermine a king…" Naofumi snorts, warily watching Aultcray.
The king is currently speaking with his advisors, waving them away and looks down his nose at Hazel and Naofumi with ill-concealed disgust.
"Naofumi Iwatani. As the challenged, you have the right to ask another to battle in your stead. The results will be the same regardless. If you, or your champion, wins the duel your slave will be returned to you. If Sir Motoyasu wins, the slave is freed. You have a moment to decide if you, or the False Hero, will do battle against Sir Motoyasu." Aultcray stiffly informs him.
"Choose wisely."
Naofumi and Hazel glance at each other.
"Do you want to fight Spear-san? The insult is against you," Hazel asks him quietly.
Naofumi frowns, glaring at Motoyasu and Myne as the redhead whispers in the Spear Hero's ear.
"…"
Aaaaaaaaand, cliff hanger!
Originally, I was planning on adding in the duel into this chapter, but now I have IDEAS. So I couldn't decide which of the two, Naofumi our favorite grouch or Hazel the wild child, should do battle with Motoyasu the idiot.
Hence… I am posting this as a poll! Choose which of our two scruffy Heroes will fight Motoyasu! Please review or PM me which one you choose! And just review in general, I like hearing from you all and I am hoping you are staying safe out there!
Until next time~!