Reviews:
kombatant88: I'm glad you think it was worth the wait. I think you'll find the stand to be pretty interesting in the coming chapters
SentinalSlice: Eventually, when the queen does arrive, canon will just be a cobweb in the corner of a mega-mall :)
Guest: I completely agree with you man, but I can't change canon. What I can change is what happens in my story, and they will both get their just dues.
SomeCallMeDrunk: Yeah, it was really tiring to see Naofumi fight Motoyasu over and over and over again, so I tried to shake it up. And yeah, I can see where you're coming from. The cursed series was definitely a little forced, but I think that's mostly because I didn't originally plan for it, but instead it was an idea I had kinda late into the writing and I thought it would take the plot in an interesting direction. And Itsuki didn't get the bow of pride, he got the bow of wrath, since the heroes aren't locked to exclusive wrath series (I think). Also, if I have the time, I'll take a look at the LN.
JtBlack-Hawk3198: Yeah, he's kinda crazy, but Naofumi is the Shield Devil so what can ya do? Also in Medieval Europe, the church had all the power in the world because the masses listened blindly to them, despite any dissenters speaking against them (execution for the win i guess)
NarutoisNumber1Ninja: (sung to the rhythm of the DK rap) S-H! Canon's dead!
D3lph0xL0v3r: Thanks for the encouragement man! Also, Wireframe's appearance is described in this chapter, so enjoy the description!
Exile Soul Nomad: The midterms went well :)
calderoneric758: I'm sorry, but I don't fully understand what it is you're trying to say. But nonetheless, thank you for responding!
foxchick1: I'm glad you enjoy it!
Azure-Star-Dragon: To be honest, I kind of forgot about that. But I'm going off the idea that Itsuki's world has never seen an ability even close to what Naofumi displays (or at least not the range of abilities he displays) so for him, it would still be a vast difference between the two. It could also be pent up anger towards the people who were better than him in his own world because their abilities were just better than his.
A Shield's Stand
Chapter 6: Talking About the Future
"Hey N-umi!"
He turned his head to meet the one who had called for him.
"You agr-th me r-ght?"
He laughed in response. This was the usual for him. This was the usual for them.
"Come on! Don-ugh at me 'Fumi! I'm be-ous here! The n-hould be avoided at all costs! We c-'t have this -!"
"It's a ca-. It doesn't mat-ow many -ces are -, so just shut up an-lready."
"But-"
"EAT T-KE!"
He stood up to get between the two before they tried to tear each other apart again. He knew that they liked getting on each other's nerves every so often, even if they never admit it. He thought it was a good idea. It helped them stay sharp. While he tried to "calm" down the two cake arguers, he kept a careful eye on the other two on the other side of the table. They were off in their own conversation, completely ignoring the commotion between the two others. Even if they were calm right now, knowing him, they could shoot straight to an argument at any second.
The strange group that he had joined nearly five years ago.
They all had their reasons for joining. Some of them had nowhere else to go. Some of them just wanted to experience a rush. But some, like him, were alone. Completely and utterly alone. Yet they all found themselves here. Now. Together. What a strange twist of fate.
"HOW -U GET -ROM 2-4?!"
"IT M-KES S-E!"
"HOW?"
And just as he predicted, the other two got into their own little spat about who knows what, and seeing that they had calmed down enough not to tear into each other's throats, he made his way to them to stop them from doing the same.
As often as he ended up playing the peacekeeper role in their group, he rather enjoyed it. It was just a matter of perception. He was just watching over them like any older sibling would in a family. His family.
"Alrigh-ight you -o," He spoke as he snatched away the cutlery, "That's enou-or today. Why don't we -lk about so-eth-g else until he arrives with the n-it?" He nudged him on his side, "Mayb-e can talk about yo-dy friend that I saw you with."
"WHAT?! Ho-ou see that!" He froze. He just messed up bad.
The two others ooh'ed between each other, while the last one tried to ignore the conversation, but he knew he was listening in. He always was.
"I-I-I -an what? Wha-dy friend? I don't kn-irls!" He tried to salvage it, but no luck, he was quickly surrounded by them as he was teased mercilessly.
He laughed again, as he saw the front door begin to open from the corner of his eye. It would be interesting to get to know this new recruit. Before long, he would be a member of the family. A member of his family.
They were his everything.
"-eryone, I'd li- intr-e to you our n-uit, -o -o-a"
Naofumi woke up to a foggy wooden ceiling. The rafters of the roof being visible from the sunlight pouring in through the cracks of the boarded window. The surface under him was soft, it supported him well, likely a mattress or something similar, but he hadn't slept on a mattress in nearly a month, so why was he on one now?
He groaned at his aching body, pushing himself off the bed he slept on. He was still dressed in his adventuring gear, so he wasn't robbed, but where was everyone else? Why was he here?
Naofumi tried to think back to everything that happened yesterday. They… fought the wave and won, then they went to the party and he was forced to duel… someone. Ren. He was forced to duel Ren. He had to use his stand to beat him. His stand…
His eyes widened with realization. He burst through the door and charged down the nearby stairs. He was met with a inn full of people, both healthy and injured. He could deal with them later, right now he needed to make sure they were alright. A quick check of his party health on the top left of his HUD gave him sweet relief, seeing Rifana and Raphtalia near full health. But he still needed to know where he was, and how he got here.
A hand landed on his shoulder, startling Naofumi from his thoughts. Reflexively, Naofumi summoned Wireframe, set to attack. He turned to face the owner of the hand, coming face to face with Ren.
"Raphtalia and Rifana? Are they ok? Where are they? How did we-" Naofumi sputtered out.
Ren awkwardly brought him into an embrace, "Hey, hey. It's alright. We're all ok. They're out right now getting some medical herbs. They'll be back later today."
And just like that his exhaustion was back. He slumped in Ren's hold, the events of yesterday having robbed him of his near endless positive energy. Ren patting his back in understanding. They moved outside to avoid disturbing any of the other people in the inn, walking to the front gate. A gate that Naofumi more than recognized.
"Lute?"
Ren nodded in affirmation, "After you passed out, I tried to carry you as far from the capital as I could manage. I… didn't make it too far before Rifana had to take over for me." The tips of his ears burned red.
Naofumi starred in surprise, Ren carried him here (tried to at least). Even when their lives were in danger of being consumed by cursed flames, Ren thought of him first? Naofumi smiled. Ren really has grown from who he was before.
"Thanks Ren. Even if you didn't make it the whole way, I really appreciate it. I doubt I would've had the energy to walk anymore after everything that happened yesterday," and he really meant it. While he tried to portray a protective aura about him, the wave took more energy out of him than he would like to admit, especially when coupled with the duel and the subsequent escape. It completely drained him.
Ren grimaced, "Naofumi… you've been out for four days."
"Eh…?"
…
"Don't just stare at me like that! Do literally anything else!" Ren complained. "You're making it awkward."
Naofumi laughed at Ren's reaction, before it tapered off and his words took on a more serious tone. "I unlocked my stand. Fully. The energy to do so is probably what knocked me out for so long."
Ren nodded once more, "We figured that was the case. You lowered the shields before something grabbed our wrists and dragged us straight through the wall. Then you passed out before we could run off," the reasoning was sound, all things considered. As sound as a ghost entity in a video game world could be at least. "Rifana almost wore a whole in the ground. She was worried about you. We all were. None of us know enough about this Stand nonsense to know what went wrong or how to help you. So we brought you to Lute and they welcomed us with open arms."
Rifana had been more worried than Raphtalia? Now that was a surprise. Normally, she was the snarky one of the three, constantly making little quips about everything she could, regardless of who she was speaking to. To hear she had been so worried made Naofumi feel both guilty and reassured of her love for him. He would have to make it up to her somehow.
"These people really respect you, ya know?" Ren spoke up among the silence. He looked as if he swallowed a bitter pill, one he would have liked to avoid if possible. "When I showed up, they tried to pass me on away from the town. But when they saw you on Rifana's back, they didn't even hesitate to get you boarded up."
Naofumi couldn't refute that at all, nor did he doubt the worse said in the slightest. The townspeople's reactions are understandable when you take into account how Ren didn't even show up to help the village in danger, all while Naofumi and his party single-handedly not only saved 98% of the town from a world ending event, but also the destruction of the knight's spell.
He put a hand on Ren's shoulder, "They'll come around, so don't worry too much about it, alright? Besides, once they get to know the guy I know, they'll be begging to hang with you every second of the day," a devilish grin appeared, "Who knows, you might find a lady friend you might like."
Ren pushed him off with a smile.
"So… what does it look like?" Naofumi looked at Ren, "Your stand, I mean."
That… would be good to know actually. With the escape from Castle Town and his rush to find his party, he never actually looked at Wireframe closely. Summoning Wireframe out once more, he looked at it as it floated idly in front of him.
Its entire body was toned in musculature, no one spot being overly muscly nor weak and its size was slightly smaller than Naofumi's own body, coming up to his chin in height. The entire stand was either white or brown, with silver accents decorating parts of its body, but it's most unique features were in the gaps in its abdomen, forearms, and shins. The center of Wireframe's abdomen was cut out, being completely hollow with the exception of three brown poles connecting the bottom to the top, two lining the front. Wireframe's forearms and shins didn't just have holes cut out, rather they were entirely replaced with these poles in the same pattern (two in the front and one in the back), albeit thinner than the ones in the abdomen, all while connecting to silver plates at the wrist and elbow for the arms, and the ankle and knee for the legs. Wireframe's head was colored silver and white, the bottom half being silver before fading to white in a strange crystalline pattern. The head was also void of any human features with the only identifiable thing being two holes leading through the entire head being where the eyes would be, hollow brown poles lining the rims of the holes all the way through.
Naofumi repeated all this to Ren, who looked more and more confused with each detail said.
Poles for arms? Holes in the torso and eyes? No facial features whatsoever? Why the hell do stands look like this?!
"Y'know, where I come from, I'm pretty sure my stand is tame by comparison to some others, but hell if I know, don't even remember much about it to begin with," Naofumi said nonchalantly.
They sat in silence for a while, neither knowing what to say. Naofumi admonished himself for saying that so carelessly.
"Do you… think about what you used to be like? Back in your Earth? Who you left behind?" Ren asked quietly.
Naofumi gave Ren a curious glance, for him to bring something like that up? It was unusual to say the least. "Do you?"
Ren shifted his line of sight away. His hand went to the spot of the scar Naofumi had seen on their first day in Melromarc.
"You don't have to if you don't want to."
"No, it's only right that I tell you since I asked first." A deep breath. "I'm… not the most sociable person. I never had too many friends, always said the words wrong in someway, but that never really bothered me. I had who I needed, I never needed anyone else. Everyday, we were together, playing games, reading to one another, working on schoolwork. It was all so… normal. Then… we got caught up in something bad. We found…" Ren takes a shuddering gasp, "a killer." Tears were forming under his eyes, "He cornered us in an alley, we had nowhere to go. If I died, she would have a chance at escape, so I charged him. He stabbed me in my side." His hands clench around the scar, "He laughed at me while I died. She was crying. She never ran like I wanted her to. She just kneeled next to me as I died." The tears fell in ugly gasping sobs. "I don't care if I'm some legendary hero destined to save the world," Ren said weakly, "I just want to see Riza again."
Naofumi didn't hesitate to draw Ren into a comforting hug. Dying was a fear for most everyone, but the ways someone could die varied greatly in how much they scare people. Most people wish they don't die alone, but to die in such a manner in front of the people closest to you, is something Naofumi considers to be far scarier than anything else.
Whatever way he died, Naofumi prayed it wasn't in front of his family.
They stayed in the hug for a while. Others passed by them, but with a single pleading look from Naofumi, continued on their trip, not a word said. Eventually, Naofumi felt Ren start to calm down in his arms, the feeling of a comforting hug likely soothing his pain. Ren pulled himself off, wiping his eyes on his sleeves, drying them from the waterfalls they used to be.
Naofumi took a deep breath, leaning forward as he rested his arms on the legs, "If I'm going to be honest, no. I don't. That time of my life came and that time of my life went. I died, and apparently in quite a terrible way, so I suppose that was my time to die, and nothing I do can undo that. And as much as I might want to remember the people I met there, I have no way of knowing whether they were good people or bad. If they were my friends, or my enemies. And besides, I have new friends and a new family here in Melromarc. So if you're asking if I ever want to return, I have to say no. I can't abandon the people I love here to be with people I don't even know."
He heard a sniffle from behind him. Peering over the wall of the village gate, he saw Raphtalia crying at his heartfelt speech while even Rifana teared up at his caring words.
"Naofumi!" Raphtalia cried out as she jumped into him, knocking the both of them to the ground.
Rifana walked up after them and picked them up, her large attack stat no doubt helping her accomplish this before hugging them to her chest.
Naofumi smiled at the two, "I love you both, you know that right?" He spoke quietly to them, "You two are my family, I don't need anyone else."
After filling them in on Wireframe's appearance, they quickly got to work experimenting with its ability. Wireframe's ability was simple. It allowed Wireframe to force anything it touches completely incorporeal, allowing the object and stand to completely phase through another object. The versatility comes from the questions, 'what can it touch' and 'when does it touch it'.
(AN: I'll leave it at that, because I don't want to spoil any future fights, but those two questions should give you a couple ideas as to what it can do)
After having thoroughly explored Wireframe's capabilities, the four had returned to their seats at the wall of the gate.
"So… what now?" Ren asked.
"Well, we need to prepare for the waves, but if the wave celebration was any indication, I doubt we should stay in Melromarc any longer than necessary. So I think we should armor up in the capital and travel elsewhere" Naofumi surmised. The three Rs shared a look between each other, a silent debate going between them.
So who's going to tell him? Rifana eyes Ren.
Me? I'm not part of your party! I don't even know how to say that!
Ren ushers to Raphtalia.
Raphtalia sighs before gathering her thoughts, sending the two others a heated glare as they pointedly avoided looking at either of them. "Naofumi, I don't think we'll make it to the capital," she spoke softly.
Naofumi raised a brow, "...and why can't we go?"
"Well… the thing is… the crown and the church have blamed the destruction on you instead of the Bow Hero."
"WHAT?!" Naofumi shrieks, "How?! Itsuki was laughing like a maniac as he set everything on fire! How could anyone possibly think it was me who did any of that?"
Raphtalia tried to think of anything, but came up short. Ren took this chance to speak up, "Well, it was only a day after that the Church of the Three Heroes spoke about the 'Shield Devil' burning down an entire eighth of Castle Town and how you should be executed on sight," it was a bitter pill to swallow, but this was their reality, and they had to accept it. "It was probably to save face since their supposedly 'Holy Bow Hero' went on a rampage while the 'Shield Devil' saved as many as he could. The King believed them and now every town has bounties for your head posted all over. Even here in Lute,"
Naofumi looked betrayed at the words.
Rifana spoke up quickly, "Of course, no one here would even think about turning you in, but they had to comply when the knights showed up or else they would get suspicious."
Naofumi sighed, tenderly rubbing at his temples. Why did things always have to get so messy, and why did he always have to be at the center of them. Well, if this was his life, then he would just have to persevere through it.
He clapped his hands, his despair replaced with a beaming smile, "Well then, if the whole country is hunting us down, that makes the decision to leave much easier. So, where are we going and how are we going about it?" He turned to Rifana and Raphtalia, "Do you two know what countries surround Melromarc?"
Rifana gave a shrug while Raphtalia looked to be struggling to remember something. She gave up soon after, giving Naofumi a guilty look, "I'm sorry, but I never learned much about other countries before the wave happened."
Well then, it looks like they were making that trip to the capital anyway. Not only for recent armor and weapons, but now for information as well. And if anyone had all of those things, it would be Erhard.
Naofumi gave Raphtalia a quick headpat, her face turning scarlet at the action, before turning to Ren, "What's your plan then? As far as the King and Church know, were just fellow heroes and nothing more. You should be able to do as you please."
It was mostly true at least. They only just recently became friends and that was right before the wave. They weren't seen together before the wave, thankfully they were in an alley when they sorted it all out. During the wave, Ren tested his party members, so he never directly aided or worked with Naofumi and even after the wave in the party, they were forced to duel against each other. They were only ever together in the inn after the duel but they could spin that so that Ren was interrogating Naofumi on the ability he displayed in an effort to attain greater strength.
If they were careful about it, they could definitely use the situation to their advantage. Naofumi attacking from the bottom with Ren shielding him up top. How ironic.
"I'm actually not too sure, but I might have to do what the King and church want every so often if I still want them to think I'm their puppet. Other than that, I should be free to do as I please." Ren responded.
"And what about your party?" Rifana asked smugly, "They did all leave you, remember?"
Raphtalia smacked Rifana upside the head, leading her away from the two as Raphtalia scolded her.
"While I wouldn't use those exact words, I do have to agree," Naofumi began, "You need someone to watch your back. Someone you know you can trust, even with everything."
Ren scratched the back of his head. "I actually had a plan for that." Well consider Naofumi intrigued. "You know the big birds that pull the carriages? They're called filolials. When I first saw them I thought they looked similar to something from a game I played once, called Chocobos, so I did some research into them. They're apparently used primarily for travel and commerce, but they are also excellent fighters and fiercely loyal to whoever raises them. I was actually planning on getting one from an egg seller in the capital. Or what's still there I suppose."
Travelling monsters? That would certainly be helpful for Naofumi's party. Since they were now fugitives of the law, they would need to travel quickly and efficiently, and walking isn't always the most effective method of travel.
"Ren, if you don't mind, when we go to the capital to re-arm ourselves, could you get me a filolial egg as well?" Ren looked confused by the request but agreed nonetheless.
Partying with a monster was sure to be interesting at least.
"So where are you going from there?" Naofumi asked.
"Probably to Zeltoble if I can," a quick response.
"Zeltoble?"
"I asked around before the wave, and apparently Zeltoble is a country for merchants and mercenaries and it's the best trading hub for practically everything. I was planning on outfitting myself and my filolial with the best gear I could find. Motoyasu will probably head there soon as well and Itsuki will too if he still has his sanity by the end of the week."
Naofumi grimaced. In all their talk, he kind of forgot about Itsuki. Would he still be as insane as he was when they last met or would he return back to normal? And probably the most important question. What would they do if they met with the insane murder happy bowman?
Too many questions, not enough answers.
Raphtalia dragged Rifana back to them, tugging on her ear the whole way while Rifana whined and complained. Another tug ended that spree real quick. They continued their discussion about what they planned for a while longer before one of the Lute villagers ran up to them in a panic.
"Savior Naofumi! You need to leave right now!" She spoke in a flurry of words, most of them incomprehensible as she panicked. Raphtalia placed a hand on the woman's shoulder, leading her to a seat and leading her through breathing exercises before she calmed down. "You need to leave now Savior Naofumi. We're not sure how, but your presence here has been reported. The knights are on their way."
Well that certainly didn't help.
"Shit, we need to go," he turned to the woman, "Will Lute be ok? If they find out you helped us, they'll burn this place to the ground."
The woman took a calming breath, "Yes, but we have a falsified story ready and it isn't like it's the first time they've tried to set our town aflame."
Naofumi nodded in thanks to the woman, before they all charged back into the inn and into their rooms to gather everything they possibly could and erase as much of their presence as possible. Ren headed out into the forest, so the knights, and subsequently the crown, would be unable to link the two heroes together. If they were lucky, he could meet up with the knights and lead them in a different direction, claiming he saw Naofumi flee.
In only two minutes, the three had everything ready to depart and managed a successful-if rushed-escape from the little village.
The future had some very interesting things in store for them.
Extra:
The mayor of Lute had been through quite a lot in the past couple days.
They were bombarded by monsters and almost slaughtered with no hope of escape before their savior in the form of the Shield Hero arrived, saving everyone he could find and easily pushing back the endless tide of monsters that befell them, as well as the attempt to reduce their village to ashes by the knights themselves. Once the wave had ended, the Sword Hero arrived, and ignoring the churning anger he felt at the Sword Hero for not even attempting to save even one of them, he thanked them both for their efforts, the Shield Hero more so than the Sword Hero. He was even graced with permission to call the Shield Hero by his own name!
So imagine his surprise when the Sword Hero showed up at their village with Savior Naofumi's demi-human party members and Savior Naofumi being carried on the taller one's shoulders, completely unconscious and with a bit of a fever. A few words between them and the mayor ran off to ask for the town's aid. It wasn't long before the Hero was boarded up in their finest room in the inn, being treated by their resident caretaker.
After talking with the Sword Hero and the Savior Naofumi's party members, he learned that the Bow Hero had cut loose and burned a fair portion of Castle Town to the ground, the four of them barely escaping with their lives thanks to Savior Naofumi.
A day passed and the very same knights who tried to burn their town arrived at their gate, demanding to know about the location of the 'Shield Devil'. It took a while, but they eventually managed to get them to leave without them searching the town with the promise that they would post the bounties for the Devil's head as well as a report to them should the devil be sighted.
As if they would even think of doing that.
Shortly after, the Spear Hero showed up and tried to take ownership of the town, but the Sword Hero forcefully denied any such attempts, the Spear Hero dejectedly leaving with the princess glaring daggers at the two of them.
Finally, a few days later, Savior Naofumi woke up and nearly tore the door off the inn wall before the Sword Hero calmed him down. They went off to talk for a while before one of their merchants ran into town, warning that once again, the knights were returning, somehow knowing that Savior Naofumi was in the area.
He sent the nearest villager to warn them of the threat as he made preparations to intercept the knights once more.
The mayor of Lute had been through quite a lot in the past couple days.
But for Savior Naofumi, he would readily go through it all again.
Naofumi Iwatani
Class: Shield Hero
Level 28
Legendary Shield (Locked),「Wireframe」(Locked)
Bizarre Otherworldly Clothing
ATK: 36
DEF: 256
MATK: 28
MDEF: 193
DEX: 79
AGI: 114
ACTIVE SKILLS:
Stand Arrow (Locked)
Stand Arrow Lv 2 (Locked)
Bullrush
Tether
Air Strike Shield
Dog Bite
Shield Prison
Lion's Roar
PASSIVE SKILLS:
Herbal Enhancement
Good Cook
Demi-Human Growth
Friend of Demi-Humans
Mining Boost
Chopping Boost
Fire Resistance [ Small ]
Fishing Proficiency
Raphtalia
Class: Demi-Human Teen
Level 26
Steel Sword
Swordswoman's Dress
ATK: 112
DEF: 58
MATK: 84
MDEF: 30
DEX: 59
AGI: 112
ACTIVE SKILLS:
Crescent Slash
PASSIVE SKILLS:
Demi-Human Hearing
Undying Loyalty
Rifana
Class: Demi-Human Teen
Level 26
Steel Dagger, Steel Axe
Short Furred Covering
ATK: 115
DEF: 31
MATK: 28
MDEF: 29
DEX: 114
AGI: 142
ACTIVE SKILLS:
None
PASSIVE SKILLS:
Demi-Human Eyesight
Undying Loyalty
Notes:
I'm back baby!
Midterms went pretty well, so I should be good to update regularly for a little bit (except maybe finals week, but we'll get there when we get there)
Anyway, this chapter was mostly setup for chapters to come, but I hope I made it interesting enough to make it worthy of a stand-alone chapter. If not, then sorry about that, but setup is kinda hard.
The stand itself is not a punch ghost it is a stand that relies mostly on its ability. The only reason it has been used as such so far is because:
1) The monsters were weak enough
2) It was convenient for the plot
That's all I have to say for now, so thank you for reading so far in!
- RandomA99