Author's Notes: This chapter down right exploded on me. It was supposed to be the end of chapter 5 but didn't the flow didn't work. Moving it to a new chapter and fleshing it out turned into a mountain of material. Buckle up dear readers, this is a big one. On update frequency, calling this year unstable for the author is the understatement of the decade. I am still writing but the hurdles are many.
The Rising of the Shield Hero: The Material Plane
Chapter 6: A New Town
The Shield Hero, raccoon girl, and feline beastboy spend a relatively uneventful night at an inn in Castle Town after their trading and orders are completed. The best they could find was a room with two beds, Naofumi and Panthro splitting sleeping in the bed and keeping a watch throughout the night.
The morning comes quickly and starts off with a hearty breakfast at a nearby tavern. Naofumi is surprised at how much both Panthro and Raphtalia are eating at each meal. Panthro speculates that if their growth is going to be level based, they both will likely be eating much more than usual so their bodies have enough mass to grow.
After the meal the three make a few quick stops for additional traveling supplies including a backpack for Naofumi, miscellaneous inexpensive items for absorption fodder, and at Panthro's insistence a supply of paper, ink, and quill pens from a scribery. The latter takes the party more time than Naofumi would have liked and a surprising amount of money that Panthro keeps seeming willing to spend.
"Just how much money do you have?" Naofumi grouses at the little feline as the three exit a scribery that the Shield Hero would have never otherwise entered. "You keep spending like it won't end."
Panthro takes a moment to re-arrange the contents of his backpack, making sure the bottles with the ink are well secured and unlikely to leak. The feline is keeping himself busy inside his pack as he says over his shoulder to the Shield Hero, "More than I am comfortable saying out loud with this auto-translation magic. Though, maybe I can tell you indirectly. Do you know Roman Numerals?"
The Shield Hero crosses his arms over his chest and responds shortly. "We learned that in elementary school."
"Whatever you do, don't say the number," Panthro replies. "In the English alphabet it looks like a capital 'M'".
Naofumi manages to refrain from blurting out the number though fighting the urge takes a considerable amount of effort. He stares down at the gray feline beastboy who is re-shouldering his pack. "How do you have that much?"
Panthro gives the hero a mild smirk. "The world on which my abilities are based has a very different monetary system than this world. Things there are far more expensive than here, like in a gold rush town. What would be considered starter money for a low level character is a fortune here. It's part of the reason why I am keeping most of my money in item storage. A robber or mugger can't get it."
"OK, fine," Naofumi says, uncrossing his arms while looking down at the cat. "Then why buy paper and ink?"
At that question Panthro looks around to see if anyone might be listening before turning back to the hero with a broader smirk. "So far we have been absorbing physical objects into your shield and my amulet. I want to see what happens to writing and drawings on paper when the paper is absorbed."
Naofumi blinks before grinning back at the feline. "You have something in mind." It wasn't a question but a statement.
"A few things actually," the cat responds cheekily. "If none of them work, I get to start a journal of our travels. Could be a best seller some day."
With their shopping completed the party sets out for Lute Village. The hard packed dirt road makes the walking easy with the exception of dodging the occasional pot hole. Staying either on the road or nearby when taking a break from walking allows the trio to observe the notable lack of traffic. Over a few hours the three pass a few groups of people carrying items the opposite direction bound for the Castle Town.
Naofumi has his tiny army stop a handful of times to scout for herbs or hunt furry monsters that can be seen from the road. With their added levels he lets Panthro and Raphtalia cover his gathering or take point going after monsters. A way into a wooded area has the three trying to tackle their next target, an oversized black squirrel with glowing red eyes bouncing from tree to tree and pelting them with magically glowing acorns.
"Ouch!" Panthro yelps, another acorn impacting his shoulder. It doesn't draw blood but the impact is hard enough to momentarily turn his small frame. "If I die to Chip and Dale up there, I am going to be a really ticked off ghost!"
"Wrong species!" Naofumi bites back, desperately trying to track the dark colored squirrel in the dark tree canopy. "How about doing something more than complaining?"
"I'm a cleric, not an acrobat!" Panthro actually growls back at the same time the sword wielding Raphtalia deflects another acorn which bounces roughly off the ground. "Two melee fighters and a tank against a mobile aerial target isn't going to end well. Why do you think the A10 Warthog has been feared for decades!"
"Thanks, a history lesson helps a lot, professor!" Naofumi yells, the sound earning him a sparkling acorn whacking into his shield. "Try using that mouth for something useful like magic."
"Keep it ticked off!" Panthro says bluntly but at a closer to normal volume level. "I need my menu."
Naofumi yells back an affirmative which earns him another glowing acorn to the shield. "Raphtalia! Get behind me."
The diminutive raccoon girl scampers from a few feet over ferns and debris on the forest floor to behind the hero. Naofumi starts shouting unintelligible sounds at the black squirrel, acorn after acorn hitting his shield.
"Ok, got a spell," Panthro says in a relatively quiet tone, nothing flying his way as a result. "I can bring it down out of the tree but it is probably going to run right back up afterward. We may get one shot at this."
"Raphtalia," Naofumi says loudly to keep the squirrel's attention. "Look at where the squirrel is. It isn't moving when throwing acorns at me. When Panthro casts, run under that spot and stab the squirrel as it falls to the ground."
"Right!" the demihuman girl says emphatically, sword gripped in her hands with the blade to one side and angled downwards.
"Enchantment Amulet," Panthro says quietly, the familiar stylized star amulet being replaced with a silverish metal female face looking dazed with golden swirls on her forehead. "Cast Command: Fall."
The squirrel lets out an audible squeak as its body lets go of the branch it was on against its will. Raphtalia is moving with the squirrel falling, her sword gripped tightly and positioned to slash upwards. She beats the squirrel to where it would hit the ground and gives it a deep slash just before it hits the ground hard. The girl rotates the sword in a tight motion before stabbing straight down into the prone and not yet moving squirrel, dispatching it before it has a chance to get back up.
The trio take a moment to gather themselves after the fight, the hero and beastboy approaching the now motionless squirrel. Both see one of the squirrel's paws is glowing like the acorns were but the glow is notably fading.
"Cut off that paw quickly," Naofumi orders the sword welding Raphtalia. She does so and Naofumi takes the paw, feeding it to his shield before the glow fades.
Panthro takes the opportunity to sit down onto the forest floor and give himself a once over. He winces a few times as he identifies the places the acorns impacted him. "Hope that shield was worth it. What did you get?"
Naofumi opens his menu and examines the shield skill tree, scrolling to the new shield that is unlocked. "It's called the Mover Shield. It allows a small object to be moved within twenty feet without needing to touch it. That doesn't help."
"Underestimate the possibilities of telekinesis at your own peril," the feline groans at his bruises before casting a heal spell on them. Patched up, he attaches his mace to his belt and goes for his canteen.
"Great advice from someone that doesn't know his own spells," Naofumi glowers down at the cat.
Panthro pauses his drinking, goes to say something, stops himself, and then says, "Melromarc really did make you a jerk didn't it?"
The question changing conversation catches Naofumi off guard, his tone turning defensive, "Don't change the subject."
"I am dealing with the biggest issue first," Panthro intones a little more loudly, the feline capping his canteen and standing up. "You are the leader of our group. We depend on you and your decisions. I need to know if you can lead under pressure or if you've got issues to work out first."
"Yes, I am the leader," Naofumi bites back, "You asked to follow me. If you don't like my decisions, you are welcome to leave. Go follow the Sword Hero or find that Red Knight. Keep your god happy that way."
"Master?" Raphtalia hesitantly says, sword still in her hands instead of being put away.
"It's fine Raphtalia," Naofumi says to her though doesn't turn his head from the feline. His next line is short and sharp. "So, what's it going to be, David?"
Panthro winces at the use of his other name but doesn't break eye contact with Naofumi. He takes a second to think of his response before replying in a level, terse tone, "The day is coming where you will have to decide who you are. Are you the hero people deserve or the villain the royalty is trying to make you? All people want is to live and maybe a little help to do so. The royals can help or play games while their people suffer. Who are you going to fight, who are you going to help, and who needs to be kicked in their rear? I choose to help you. Do I deserve a kick or don't you like someone who cares about you calling out your behavior?"
"Nice speech but don't pretend you aren't playing games with what you know," Naofumi says back at the cat though with less heat in his voice.
"I absolutely am and I don't deny it," Panthro retorts with a slightly devious tone to his voice, the cat getting his backpack and putting it on. "The difference is I am on your team and playing to help you with monsters, royals, and what is going on in that head of yours. Going to take a lot more than words to make me leave Greenie."
"If you are staying, learn your spells," Naofumi says with the heat now gone from his voice. He motions for Raphtalia to sheath her sword which she does. "They don't help if you don't remember you have them."
"The student giving the teacher homework," Panthro grouches lightly. "You got the boss part of leadership handled so far. While I am doing that, start thinking about us handling ranged opponents. I can take hits but they still hurt. Would like to minimize them as much as possible."
As morning turns into afternoon, their travels bring the trio to one final rise in the road before revealing Lute Village. The village is a collection of one to two story buildings, most of which are houses with adjoining gardens. A simple but sturdy wooden palisade separates the village from the surrounding fields with two small guard houses on either side of a currently open gate. A couple plainly dressed guards with rather worn looking spears briefly ask Naofumi the three's business in the village. Being told Naofumi wants to sell monster drops from adventuring and purchase ore from the mine has Naofumi directed first to a traveling merchant stopping in the village and then the village's lord.
The interior of the village could best be described as quaint, low wooden fences lining the roads. A watchtower sits in the middle of the village with an inn and stables nearby. Further into the village is an open dirt plaza with a fountain in the middle and what looks like a church.
Naofumi finds the traveling merchant in the plaza with his wares displayed on a large blanket. The merchant gives Naofumi only slightly better prices for the pelts and other monster remains than he was seeing in Castle Town. As much as Naofumi wants to believe the merchants were giving him poor prices due to his reputation, he may have been negotiating reasonable prices after all. When inquiring about meeting the village lord, the merchant directs Naofumi to a cluster of buildings near the rear of the village.
The hero, the raccoon girl, and the feline beastboy walk the rest of the way into the village, coming up to the last cluster of five buildings. Three look like houses, one looks like some sort of meeting hall, and the smallest has some sort of sign by the door and the door slightly ajar. Walking up to the door, Naofumi proceeds to knock.
"Come in," comes the voice of a man from inside. Sharing a look between the trio, Naofumi pushes the door open and leads the party in.
The front of the building is a single room with a door on the right of the back wall leading further inside. The front room appears to be an office with a desk and chair to the left, a round table with four chairs in the middle, and a simple couch to the right. The desk and table both have lanterns though neither is lit. Large windows dominate the side walls letting in plenty of light with one open letting in a warm breeze. In addition to the door, the back wall has a large framed map to the left and a family crest about the size of a dinner plate in the middle.
Sitting at the desk with a book, papers, and quill pen in a small ink bottle is an elderly man with white hair and a matching beard. Next to him and leaning against the wall is a staff made from a tree branch with some writing etched into the side. The elderly man finishes what he is writing and stands, turning to face the three people in his office. He is dressed nicely in brown and blue clothes with a dark green cloak around his shoulders and draping down behind him to the floor.
"Greetings travelers," the elderly man intones, moving to stand by the table in the middle of the room. "I am Victus Theobald, Lord of Lute Village. What brings you to our village and to see me?"
Naofumi takes a step forward and replies, "My name is Naofumi Iwatani and these are my traveling companions Raphtalia and Panthro." The feline gives a small bow to the lord which is quickly followed by Raphtalia. "The gate guards said to see you about purchasing magic iron ore."
"Magic iron ore you say," Victus says, his expression growing tired. "Unfortunately, our supply is running low as the mines have been closed since the first wave hit. What is left is being sent to the royal blacksmiths for better weapons and armor to fight monsters in the next wave."
"What closed the mines?" Naofumi asks, the hero sparing the map on the back wall a glance.
"Wave monsters I am afraid," the elderly man sighs. "After the wave ended, some of them found places to make nests or dens. The village guard and an aspiring adventurer have been working to clear the mines. It is slow work as we do not have a potion maker in the village and our only healer is the local priest who is far too old to accompany them."
"Monsters huh," Naofumi ponders, a smile slowly spreading over his face. "Maybe we can help each other. We are adventurers and working to level up. If we helped clear the mines, what would that be worth to your village?"
Victus gives the hero, the feline beastboy, and the raccoon girl a once over before shaking his head at Naofumi. "If you are adventurers, I can tell that you are still low level young man. Having you attempt to clear those mines is too great a risk. I will not have three needless deaths including two children hanging over our village."
"We are more capable than you might think," Naofumi counters with a firm though polite voice.
"I have many years caring for Lute Village son," Victus says back with a similar tone. "More than one brash person has stood where you are and said the same. They often find themselves in need of Father Ophelus' healing touch."
Naofumi goes to reply only to feel the furred paw of Panthro's hand tugging at his belt. The hero looks down to the cat who beckons the hero to lean down closer. Naofumi crouches slightly, bringing his head down near Panthro.
Panthro keeps his voice low so it won't carry far enough for his words to be overheard. "Perhaps if Lord Theobald knew your other title and what we can do he would reconsider. You have abilities that an adventurer of your level couldn't touch. Even with a rough reputation, a Legendary Hero is a Legendary Hero."
Naofumi narrows his eyes at the cat but doesn't say anything. Panthro responds with expectant raised eyebrows and subtly motions his head toward Victus.
"Does your companion perhaps need to step outside?" comes the warm and mildly amused voice of Victus.
Naofumi chuckles lightly at Panthro huffing indignantly, the hero standing back up. "No, but we appreciate the concern." Naofumi straightens himself, taking on a rather serious demeanor. "Lord Theobald, when I introduced us earlier, I did not fully introduce us. I am Naofumi Iwatani, the Shield Hero. Raphtalia is my party's swordswoman and Panthro is my party's healer. We will have no choice in fighting wave monsters in a few weeks. Why not start here and help your village?"
Victus looks to the shield on Naofumi's arm, up to the hero, and then down to both of his companions. The quiet Raphtalia has a slight blush on her face after being called a swordswoman. Panthro still looks slightly miffed from the 'stepping outside' comment. "The Shield Hero you say," Victus begins, his tone contemplative. "While your village would welcome the help of a Legendary Hero, the reputation of the Shield Hero proceeds you."
Naofumi grits his teeth at the reference, a subtle scowl pulling at his lips. His reaction isn't lost on Victus who is watching the hero closely.
"Though," Victus continues, "I long ago learned to seek proof of reputations. Perhaps a test of character is in order."
"What test would that be?" Naofumi asks, the hero trying and only partly keeping the aggravation he is feeling out of his voice.
"Our village has a modest filolial stable," Victus says proudly. "The oldest bird is our flock's stud Swift. He is known to be quite the cranky old bird and very choosy of who can be around him. The only person that can ride him these days is my grand-daughter Sabine. If you can stand in the riding track without Swift kicking you into the dirt, I will consider your request."
"Sounds fun," deadpans Naofumi, the hero reaching a hand over to absently rub at his shield.
Victus steps back to his desk and retrieves his staff, the wood thumping lightly against the floor as he heads for the door. "Come with me, you three."
The trio proceed Victus out the door only to have the elderly lord lock the door behind him. He then leads them back into the village towards the plaza, the three adventurers following at a short distance.
Naofumi takes the opportunity to glare down at Panthro, saying in a low voice. "Great idea. Now I might get kicked around by a bird big enough to ride on."
"At least the lord went from 'no' to 'maybe'," Panthro responds back in an equally low tone with completely fake innocence up to the hero. "If it kicks too hard, I do have healing magic. Plus, we get to see this world's version of a chocobo."
"Any other brilliant advice?" the green clad hero sarcastically remarks down at the cat.
"One piece," the cat responds in a genuine tone, the shift catching Naofumi's attention. "Don't try to out-think this test. Animals go on feelings, body language, and those very in tune with humans can read facial expressions. Rideable animals are particularly sensitive to people that might end up on their back. Let yourself feel and don't hide from those feelings. Be you and trust in yourself."
Naofumi finds himself without a retort to the little cat looking up to him. The sound of his boots crunching on the dirt road, those of his companion, and the wind are very loud to the hero as that idea rolls around in his head. He looks back up to the road only to see Victus gazing, observing them out of the corner of his eye. Naofumi could swear he spotted a whisper of a smile on the old man's face before he turned his head back forward.
Victus leads them back through the open dirt plaza in front of the church and down another fence and house lined road to the stables. The building is shaped like an L with individual stalls lining the interior of the building. Stepping inside to walk through the stable, Naofumi gets his first looks at filolials. The birds are easily six feet tall from clawed feet to to the tops of their feathered heads. The dozen birds in the stalls they pass are an assortment of pastel colors, some standing to look at the passersby while others are sitting down in hay lining the floors of the stalls. Their necks and heads are forward of the rest of their body, giving a rider a good place to hold onto or lean forward against if on their backs. Their wings are short and pulled in against their body, clearly not suited for flying any distance.
The elderly village lord leads the three adventurers through the stables and out the back of the building. Nestled between the building and the village's wooden perimeter wall is a fenced track of dirt about thirty feet wide and two hundred feet long. At one end of the track is a bullseye painted target with a dozen arrows sticking out of it. Down the track is a pastel blue filolial with a leather riding saddle on its back, bridle on his head, and reins sticking down in front of it. The reins are held by an athletically built teenage girl slowly walking the bird back towards the stable. The girl has long dirty blonde hair braided into a ponytail halfway down her back. She is wearing a coarse tan blouse, brown canvas pants, leather boots, an empty quiver on her back, and a bow slung diagonally over her body.
The girl waves to the newcomers, pulling gently on the reins to lead the bird over to the closest part of the fence. "Hello grandpa!" she smiles brightly at Victus. "If you wanted to show off Swift, we just finished riding for the day. He is pretty tired."
"I had something else in mind for our venerable bird, my dear Sabine," Victus says to the girl on the other side of the fence. The elderly man gestures with his staff towards the trio of adventurers. "This is the Shield Hero and his traveling companions. They wish to help clearing the mines. Before I would entrust them with such an important task, I would know more about the Hero's character. Shall we see Swift's opinion of him?"
The girl's expression shifts from surprised to dark to a vicious smirk at Naofumi. The hero finds himself gulping at the girl letting go of the bird's reins and climbing over the fence to stand by her grandfather. "I think that is a great idea grandpa," she proclaims, green eyes staring daggers at the hero.
The green clad hero takes a moment to look over his surroundings including the fence, the fenced off area, the bird, and where best to stand for this test.
"Be safe master," Raphtalia offers up to Naofumi with a mildly concerned look.
"You got this," Panthro follows-up with a furred thumbs up.
Grunting lightly, Naofumi grabs the top of the fence and hefts himself over, landing on the other side with a fluttering of his cape. The bird which was paying little attention to the newcomers is now regarding Naofumi wearily from a good ten feet away. Instead of walking up to the bird, Naofumi walks towards the middle of the dirt track.
The voice of Sabine comes from behind Naofumi, her voice chipper, up-beat, and projecting. "I hope Swift kicks you in the balls, Shield Hero!"
"Thanks for that," Naofumi calls back to the girl behind him. He finishes walking to the middle of the dirt area, turns around, and then faces the pastel blue bird examining him from the fence. "I know their opinion of me. How about you?"
Swift stands by the fence for at least a minute before venturing towards the hero. The bird's head is cocked slightly to a side, the reins dangling from his head and beak. Instead of coming to stand before Naofumi, Swift starts circling the hero clockwise. The bird passing by gives Naofumi the opportunity to look back at an expectant Victus, a wickedly smirking Sabine, a nervous Raphtalia, and Panthro nodding his head towards the hero. The little cat's words come to mind when the bird makes his next pass in front of the hero, the tall avian staring intently at the human he is circling and cawing softly.
The urge to close his eyes comes over Naofumi despite part of his mind thinking it a terrible idea to lose sight of his surroundings. Surprised exclamations from outside the fence reach the hero as the world around him goes black. With no distractions other than the sound of the circling bird and the breeze, Naofumi lets his mind and feelings wander.
Sabine's chipper voice saying, "I hope Swift kicks you in the ball, Shield Hero!" comes to his mind first. Anger seeps into his mind, the hero asking himself, 'Why do so many people hate me?'
His mind flashes back to his being robbed of everything but his undergarments, dragged into the royal hall, and put through a sham 'trail' being falsely accused of sexually assaulting his only party member. Motoyastu called him an 'animal', Itskui said 'he worried something bad might happen but hoped he knew better', while Suguha asked him directly 'Naofumi, did you really do this?' Deeper anger, resentment, disgust at nearly the entire hall of royals, nobles, knights, and heros passing judgment against him with only the Sword Hero not condemning him on the spot. Naofumi can feel himself scowling and his right hand forming into a fist. He can vaguely hear Swift's cawing dropping lower in tone and growing louder while the bird's claws scratch at the ground.
The next image that comes to his mind was Erhard confronting him in the street, one hand on Naofumi's collar and the other closed in a fist ready to strike. After getting a good look at Naofumi and talking for a moment, Erhard let him go and pretty much gave Naofumi a cloak to wear. Relief that at least someone gave him the benefit of a doubt despite the rumors and wanted to help him.
Help him. Naofumi flashes to the fireside chat with Panthro when asking the man in a child beastboy's body why he was so insistent on helping him. The feline's words of, 'In all those stories, every last one, you prove to be a good man and compassionate hero battling through a terrible situation, dedicated to saving everyone you can,' echo in his mind. Was that really Naofumi? Was he really that strong? Does he really care that much? In the background, Naofumi can hear the circling bird's cawing go up in pitch.
Then Raphtalia, him and her at the edge of the forest, surrounded by the rubbery remains of dead balloon monsters, telling the little girl he was scared for them getting hurt but still needing her to fight with him against the waves. The change in her demeanor from so scared to so determined to fight. Did he really inspire her that much?
All the people he had met over his short time in Melromarc flash before his eyes. Heroes, vendors, townspeople, and finally the king. That asshole of a king. Naofumi didn't deserve what the king had put him through. He could only imagine what other horrible things the king did to his people if that is how he treated a Legendary Hero. Sadness, profound sadness washed over the hero. It shouldn't be this way for him or for anyone else. It wasn't right.
Naofumi's thoughts are interrupted by the feeling of something soft, warm, and round pushing its way between his shield arm and side. The hero opens his eyes to find a mass of pastel blue feathers that is Swift's neck pushing against him with the bird's head nuzzling Naofumi's hand. The hero can't help a smile and goes to pet the bird's head tenderly. "Guess you agree, huh?" the hero asks softly.
A loud gasp draws Naofumi's attention back to the four people outside the ring. The hero realizes it came from Sabine whose eyes are wide with shock, both hands over a mouth that is clearly agape, and water welling up in her eyes. Seeing the Shield Hero looking right at her, her mouth snaps shut, she wipes her eyes, turns to say something quietly but firmly to Victus, and promptly stalks into the stables. Swift's head comes up and he moves to follow after Sabine, making it as far as the fence and starts cawing towards the stable.
Naofumi walks back to the now smaller group of Victus, Raphtalia, and Panthro. Both Naofumi's little companions look confused while Victus has a knowing smile on his face. The hero asks, "Is she OK?"
Victus hmms softly, looking between Naofumi and Swift. "After a fashion. Swift has only once reacted that way to a person. It was with Sabine shortly after her paternal grandparents passed away of an illness. The girl was inconsolable until Swift nuzzled in and brought her around. To have that reaction to someone Swift just met, let alone in front of her, was a bit much for her."
Victus inclines the top of his staff towards Naofumi, leveling a firm look at the hero. "The aspiring adventurer helping to clear our mines is my grand-daughter. She just demanded to accompany you and your party in clearing them starting tomorrow. If you succeed, you can have all the magic iron ore you can take. If you don't, you can keep any monster remains you collect. And if my granddaughter comes to more harm than your healer can mend, you will learn that his staff is used for more than just walking."
Naofumi finds himself with the urge to gulp again but manages to hold this one back. Victus pulls his staff back up and turns to leave. "Now, I have business to attend too. There should be room at the inn. I will have someone come get you in the morning to take you to the mines. Until then rest. Oh," he mentions, half-turning back to Naofumi with a small grin, "since Swift approves of you and Sabine has abruptly left, you can put him in his stable for the evening."
The elderly village lord follows in the footsteps of his grand-daughter into the stables and out of eye-sight.
Naofumi turns to the bird along the fence. Swift, having seen both Sabine and Victus leave, looks to the last person in the track which is Naofumi, caws, and walks over, placing the leather reins into the hero's hands. The green clad hero shakes his head, takes the reins, and begins leading the bird to the nearby gate in the fence. Swift seems more curious of the hero and his companions now, the bird observing all three intently as he is led into the stables then leads Naofumi to which stall to put him in. The other filolials watch the interaction between Naofumi and Swift, cawing softly until the lead bird is settled into his stall at which point they all settle down.
The remainder of the afternoon and evening pass quickly for the trio. After getting a room at the inn and a quick dinner in the small tavern on the first floor, the hero, the raccoon, and feline explore the wooded valley floor immediately around the village. The monsters are relatively sparse near the village so the three spend most of their time looking for herbs for Naofumi to create medicine later in the evening.
Naofumi, Raphtalia, and Panthro wake up relatively early the next morning for a breakfast of eggs, sausages, and greens the hero can't quite identify down in the tavern. As they are finishing, the tavern's front door opens. Bright sunlight streams in around Sabine striding into the room. Her tan blouse and brown canvas pants are mostly obscured by the full set of brown leather armor she is wearing covering her arms, shoulders, chest, and legs. Worked into the leather are rows of small dark metal studs that shimmer in the light. On both hips are scabbards with short swords and slung over her back is her bow and a quiver stuffed full of arrows. Her long hair is pulled up into a braided bun with a green ribbon tying it up.
Sabine walks the short distance to the table the trio is seated at, the girl stopping at the end of the bench Naofumi is sitting on. The hero and aspiring adventurer exchange looks, sizing each other up before Sabine breaks the silence. "I don't know what happened with you Shield Hero or how those rumors started. If Swift trusts you, I will give you a chance. Don't do anything dumb and we should have the remaining mines cleared in a couple days. You ready?"
The green clad hero looks to the raccoon girl and beastboy who both nod their heads, Raphtalia downing the last of the sausage on her wooden spork. "Lead the way," Naofumi says, standing to his full height. Up close he realizes Sabine is somewhat taller than he thought, the girl nearly eye-to-eye with him. The kids slide off their bench, adjust their weapons, and fall in behind Naofumi who is following Sabine out the door.
Sabine leads them out the main village gates and then to a well worn path in the forest sloping up to a sheer mountain face about a mile in the distance. The four adventures don't say much until Sabine looks back at the kids. While dressed in their usual attire, the backpacks from the previous day are missing and the kids instead have empty sacks tied to their belts. "Adventuring light?" she asks the trio.
"Don't need monster drops weighing us down on the first day," Naofumi responds.
"We have bags", Raphtalia says to the two leaders.
"We can drop them quicker than a backpack," Panthro pipes up, patting one of the sacks.
Sabine gives the little girl and boy a smile before looking back up the road. "At least your party is thinking ahead. That's a start."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Naofumi grumbles at the blonde girl, idly adjusting the shield on his arm. Sabine gives the hero a smirk at the retort.
"Speaking of thinking ahead," Panthro comments, leaning down to grab a small stone from the path. "Naofumi, can you switch to the Mover Shield?"
"What now furball?" the hero says back to the cat. Instead of a direct answer Naofumi hears the cat casting his light spell on the rock only to toss the shining stone forward to Naofumi.
"Practice!" the feline grins broadly. "If you can keep that floating nearby and above your head, we keep our hands free from carrying a torch."
"I could just use the Light Shield," Naofumi ponders aloud, turning over the rock in his hands. "Unless I need another shield then we would be in the dark," he says, continuing the train of thought. Panthro doesn't say anything, only nodding up to the hero.
"Ok then," Naofumi states, turning so he is looking up the road. "Mover Shield!" The shield on his arm glows and then morphs into a pale red octagon of metal with the gem in the middle. The hero holds out his arm and focuses on the glowing stone. After a few seconds the stone shakily lifts off his hand, hovers in the air, then floats over until it is a foot above his right shoulder. Once there, the stone moves with his body, staying in the same relative place.
When the stone seems stable, Panthro asks the hero "Do you need to focus to keep it there?"
"Only if I am moving it around," Naofumi remarks, looking at the glowing rock. "Not when it is floating like this. I can feel its weight in the air. Kind of weird."
"Learning new abilities?" Sabine inquires, looking at the floating rock.
"Every day since I got here," the hero replies wryly.
"Good," the girl smiles, nodding her head approvingly. "The more you know and you can do, the better you can fight. Speaking of fighting, let's talk about these mines."
The party of four has walked far enough up the path that the forest has given way to dirt and rock covered slopes. The mountain's sheer face looms over them with numerous mine entrances clearly cut into the cliffs.
"Lute Village has several mines with many entrances in the mountains around it," Sabine proclaims with no small amount of pride. "The coal and silver mines are on the other side of the village. In front of us are the iron mines and the magic iron caves we are most famous for."
The girl lifts up an arm and points towards the right. "The town guards and I have been working on the smaller and shallower mines. We have been fighting skeletons and small rodent monsters the wave made fiercer. When we clear a mine, it seems to stay clear." She then points to the center and left. "These are the magic iron mine and the main iron mine. The magic iron mine has other four legged animals the wave changed. Today we are going down the main iron slope. It is infested with giant bees like that one."
A bee the size of Panthro or Raphtalia comes out the end of the leftmost mine entrance. It hovers in the air for a few moments seemingly looking around, wavers almost falling out of the air, then flies back inside.
"That is a big bee," Raphtalia remarks, the little raccoon pulling out her sword at no one's request.
"What was that shaking about?" Naofumi asks, pushing his cape back so he can move easily.
"The bees are sluggish and shake in the air when we see them," Sabine says, a curious tone in her voice. "We don't know why. It is warm enough."
"Are there flowers around?" Raphtalia wonders while stretching out her arms.
"Not many this time of year," replies Sabine, recognition dawning on her face. "They are giant bees. They must need so much honey and can't find enough flowers."
"Good for us," grins Naofumi to his group. "If they are starving, they should be easier to kill. Panthro, invite Sabine to your group. Let's get in there."
Sabine furrows her brows in confusion, looking first from the green clad hero and then to the little cat. Panthro dramatically rolls his eyes, opens his menu, and sends Sabine a party invite. "Please excuse our army leader. Melromarc has not been kind to him and has given him some trust issues."
"That's putting it mildly," Naofumi snorts, leading the group towards the mine entrance.
Falling in behind the hero, Sabine hesitantly inquires, "Is some of that why a Legendary Hero has a demihuman slave child and beastboy as his adventuring party?"
When Naofumi doesn't respond other than glaring forward, Panthro instead says, "Short version, yes. The long version is best told not when fighting."
Hearing nothing out of Naofumi, Sabine shrugs lightly and pries no further. She looks between the bow over her shoulder to the swords on her hips and unslings the bow. Panthro unhooks the mace from his belt, ensuring his buckler shield is nice and tight on his arm. Raphtalia has both of her little hands on her single short sword.
At the mouth of the mine, the four adventurers fall into a double file formation with Naofumi and Raphtalia in front and with Panthro and Sabine behind them respectively. The bee they spotted outside is less than twenty feet inside the mine, clinging to the side of a wooden support. Remaining silent, Naofumi motions for Sabine to shot it. Notching an arrow, the girl pulls back her bow and loses the arrow over Raphtalia's head. The raccoon girl ducks instinctively at the projectile whistling above her. The arrow shoots towards the bee and strikes in its abdomen, going through a wing in the process rendering it useless. The bee buzzes angrily but futility as it falls to the ground.
"Raphtalia, finish it off!" Naofumi says firmly, the little raccoon girl recovering herself. A wordless shout has her diminutive frame shooting forward, swinging her short sword down and cutting the bee's head clean off.
The clattering of bones is heard from the tunnel, a skeleton with red glowing eyes, a sword held at the end of its single arm and a rusty helmet on its head shambles out from a doorway off to the left. Raphtalia lets out a loud "eep!" at how close it is, turning to get back to the rest of the party.
Naofumi is in motion, sprinting the distance to block a slow cleaving sword swing aimed at Raphtalia with the Legendary Shield. The next moment the tunnel is filled with the sound of cracking bone as the little cat Panthro comes around Naofumi and slams his mace into the skeleton's leg. Shattered leg bones cause the skeleton to collapse, Panthro shifting his mace to both hands, lifting it over head, and bringing it down on the monster's rib cage, splintering it. The skeleton stops moving, sword clattering to the ground as the no longer animated hand drops it.
XP notices pop up for all four party members as they gather themselves back into formation. Naofumi regards Sabine with a questioning look. "You never mentioned skeletons here."
"We didn't see them from outside," the girl replies, pulling another arrow from her quiver and notching it in her bow. "They were hiding in other mines too. Our swords and spears weren't hurting them as much as that mace did. Magic helped but I only know a little."
"More coming," Panthro all but purrs with a ferocious grin, another skeleton shambling out of the dark from deeper down the tunnel. The little cat takes his amulet in hand, the stylized face in a sun glimmering in the light suspended by Naofumi's shoulder. "My class was made for this. Divine Power: Turn Undead!"
The skeleton stops in its tracks, red glowing eye sockets staring at the party before it turns to shamble back down the tunnel way. Naofumi notices that a significant fraction of Panthro's spirit power bar just went down but none of his mana bar.
"As source of thy power, I order thee," Sabine intones, taking a firm stance, pulling back on her bow string, and aiming down the passageway. "Decipher the laws of nature and surround my arrow in a cutting gale. Fast Wind Charge!" The arrow glows white and Sabine fires, the projectile shooting down the tunnel much faster than the last one, a helix of distorted and shimmering air twisting behind it in its wake. The arrow impacts the skeleton's back, the twisting air around it expanding and shredding the monster. Bones pull apart from each other as it clatters to the tunnel floor.
Pausing to see if any more monsters come, Naofumi turns to his party, specifically Panthro. "You made it walk away? Some power."
"You will be singing a different tune when monster crowd control matters," Panthro smiles, letting his amulet drop back onto his tunic. "When I level up enough, that will destroy them."
"Panthro," Sabine begins, the girl seemingly looming over the little cat as she looks down at him. "How did you do that? That didn't sound like any magic I have heard of before."
The little cat looks from the leather clad girl over to Naofumi. The shield hero simply shrugs when the leather clad girl makes no threatening moves, inclining his head to a side without saying a word. Panthro reaches a hand up and turns his amulet around, revealing the gold colored crystal on the back side. "We all have stories to tell," the childish feline offers.
"What are…" Sabine starts and trails off, looking from the golden crystal on the back of the amulet to the green one on Naofumi's shield. Recognition dawns on the girl followed by a sharp look from the hero to the cat. "Yes, you do." She finishes bluntly, looking much more critically at her fellow army members.
Naofumi and Panthro take a couple minutes to feed the skeleton and bee remains to their weapons before the four venture deeper into the mine. The main tunnel has a few rooms and short branches off to the side before it starts sloping downwards. Skeletons are common in the equipment rooms while bees are occupying the longer branches, particularly those that widen out into chambers where iron ore has been extracted, the walls varying from dark metallic gray to a rusty red. Some chambers have the beginnings of giant bee sized honeycombs but they cover a relatively small area with nothing but air in the hexagons. The group of four get into a rhythm over a period of hours, Naofumi taking hits from the skeletons and bees, Raphtalia taking on the bees that get in close, Panthro smashing skeletons to bits, and Sabine shooting stationary targets before the party engages or bees that Naofumi uses his shield to bounce up into the air for a clear shot. Panthro breaks out another spell he calls Magic Stone, imbuing a small number of stones with magic that Sabine and Raphtalia can throw. The magic on the stones makes them hit as hard as Panthro's mace on the bees and reduces the skeletons to pulverized bone on any hit but a glancing blow. In addition to being a dead eye shot with the little projectiles, the human girl is reducing the number of arrows breaking on her. The bags the little ones are carrying come in handy for dragging useful monster remains back to the main tunnel. Sabine indicates the bee bodies won't fetch much but wings, stringers, and mandibles all have valuable uses. Panthro is insistent on dragging any equipment the skeleton's had back to the tunnel including rusty helmets, bits of worn armor, corroded swords, chipped battle axes, and even a large spiked chain a larger skeleton was dragging behind it. One of the gray cat's spells indicates magic on much of the battered equipment though he can't tell if it is residual from coming through a wave or not. They can make multiple trips back into the mine to collect it later and check it further.
The four take a break outside of the last area at the bottom of the sloping main tunnel. Trail rations, canteens, and a healing spell for Naofumi after a member of a large swarm of bees got a stinger into his back are in order. Panthro is busying himself lighting up stones for each of them to wedge in their belts and empowering others to be thrown.
Naofumi wipes his lips after a deep drink from a canteen, taking a moment to rinse some blood from his cape. "We haven't seen the queen yet, have we?" he asks the collected adventurers. Sabine shakes her head, Raphtalia's ears droop slightly, and Panthro gets a small grin.
"So, dungeon boss battle then?" the feline snickers, motioning for Sabine to pick up the last group of stones he enchanted.
"Sort of," Sabine replies, picking up the stones and sliding them into a belt pouch. The girl inclines her head down the last length of tunnel. "That is the mine face and the last opened chamber. It started out as a natural cavern in the rock and we extended it. If the queen is anywhere, she would be in that room."
"Another swarm?" Raphtalia asks, cleaning a bit of bee guts off her sword with a rag.
"Maybe," Naofumi contemplates, looking over the three of them. "If the queen is there, any bees are going to protect her, and I am going to get them mad. Panthro and Raphtalia, stay close to the entrance and hit the bees when I get close. Sabine, stand in the tunnel entrance and make sure none escape. Call out and shoot down any bees trying to get around Panthro and Raphtalia. Getting stung from behind hurts."
The two little ones ready their weapons and make a quick check of their armor. Sabine takes the opportunity to count how many unbroken arrows she has left plus the magic infused stones the little cat made for her. When ready, the three adventurers fall in behind Naofumi. They travel the short distance down the remainder of the tunnel to where it opens up into a plain if big cavern. The light from their magic stones illuminates the room, revealing the far end covered in the largest section of giant honeycomb they have seen yet. Four bees with glowing red eyes are crawling over the surface with one much bigger one facing out of a comb slot towards the entrance.
When Naofumi steps into the cavern, the four bees clinging to the comb start buzzing angrily. A couple more steps and the bees are casting off the walls, righting themselves to head directly for the Shield Hero. The green clad hero rushes another twenty feet into the cavern, giving Panthro and Raphtalia room to come in behind him and get into position. Sabine takes up position at the tunnel entrance, arrow notched and bow drawn.
Three of the bees head for Naofumi while a fourth flits around his side, making for the two little ones. Naofumi proceeds to use the shield on the end of his arm as a fly swatter, battering the three bees one at a time and getting them even more agitated, the sound of their buzzing intensifying. Sabine gets a shot in on the fourth bee before Panthro can smash it with his mace. The briefly dazed bee hesitates long enough for the little Raphtalia to slice a wing off, bringing the bee down to the ground. She proceeds to finish it off with a slash to the abdomen, bee guts spilling onto the ground.
"Sabine!" Naofumi calls out, switching the angle of his swatting motion to batter one to the side. A stone comes whipping past the kids and striking the bee, the insect turning at the damage and heading for Sabine. Raphtalia is in motion this time, sword tip licking up into the bee's path, slicing along its side and bringing it down.
"Panthro, Raphtalia, advance!" the hero calls as one of the bees manages to overcome Naofumi's defense, a stinger digging into the hero's forearm. Both kids come running, Raphtalia jumping and swinging her sword at the bee at Naofumi's arm, taking it out of the sky with one fell swoop. Panthro comes in behind Naofumi, reaching a hand up to the hero's back to push a heal spell into him. The bee's stinger wound closes, taking the pain out of Naofumi's arm. The hero takes the opportunity to grab the last bee out of the air by its wings, turning his body to face Raphtalia. An upwards thrust from the raccoon girl cleaves the final guard bee in half, Naofumi letting the remains fall to the ground.
"Look out!" cries out Sabine from the tunnel entrance, an arrow shooting past the trio well into the cavern.
The fleeting thought that it could be only one thing shoots through Naofumi's mind before the hero calls out, "Rope Shield!" He turns to see the red eyed queen is loose from the honeycomb, just dodged the fired arrow by dropping her body in the air, and is streaking toward the now tightly grouped trio.
"Air Strike Shield!" Naofumi booms, shield-hand forward and fingers pointed at the queen. A green translucent shield as tall as the hero appears midair, the queen slamming headlong into it and careening off to a side. Naofumi is in motion, shield up and charging at the queen, getting a good look at just how much bigger she is than the guards. An arrow from Sabine impacts the abdomen of the queen before she can right herself, keeping the angrily buzzing insect off balance.
Naofumi brings his shield up in front of his shoulder, putting all his momentum behind it and barreling into the queen. Unfortunately, the maneuver doesn't keep the queen off balance. Instead, she uses the opportunity to latch onto his shield with her legs and bites hard into his shield arm. The hero expects the bite to hurt more than it does but realizes something is wrong when he feels his arm go numb and his head going fuzzy.
Head swimming and groggily trying to stay in the fight, Naofumi grabs onto one of the queen's legs with his free arm and pulls, the massive bee letting go of his shield instead of letting the limb be ripped off. The queen rotates her body using her wings, trying to stab at the hero's stomach, only for the stinger and her lower abdomen to be cut clean off by Raphtalia's sword. The next moment has the queen slammed to the ground by Panthro's mace in a two fisted overhead swing. A wordless shout from Raphtalia has the raccoon jumping on top of the queen, sword stabbing downward into her upper body. The insect makes an awful screeching sound before collapsing, wings and legs twitching briefly before growing still.
Seeing the queen is down, Naofumi wavers and goes down to a knee, his good arm's hand coming up to his forehead.
"Master!" calls out Raphtalia, rushing over to him. Closely behind her is Panthro and then Sabine, the tall girl having slung her bow back over her shoulder, both short swords in her hands, scanning the room for any further threat.
"Easy kid," Panthro says with clear worry in his voice, the little gray cat putting a furred hand on Naofumi's good shoulder to put another heal spell on him.
"Who you calling kid, furball?" Naofumi mumbles, the hero shaking his head in an effort to clear it. A few words pass between Panthro and Sabine that the hero can't quite understand before his head does start to clear, feeling coming back into arm.
"It's wearing off," Sabine notes, seeing Naofumi's previously swimming head steadying. "Good thing that didn't happen first. Would have been a much nastier fight."
"Master, are you OK?" Raphtalia asks, her face coming into Naofumi's field of view as the hero brings his head back up.
"Think so," the hero comments, making sure he is steady before standing back up. "What was that?"
"Bee venom," Sabine comments, her swords going back into their sheathes given nothing else has come for them. "Some can paralyze prey their size before stinging. Doesn't last long but it doesn't need to. Good thing your swordswoman was quicker."
Raphtalia blushes and smiles at the compliment up to the taller girl.
"Let's be sure to get the mandibles then," Naofumi observes, looking to Raphtalia to start harvesting the queen. The raccoon girl scrunches her face but gets to work, cutting off wings, legs, antenna, mandibles, and anything else for Naofumi and Panthro to feed their weapons.
"I am taking the longest bath tonight at home," Sabine comments as she lifts her arms above her head and stretches up on her tiptoes, brown leather creaking around her.
"We all will," Naofumi responds, giving his group a look over. "Good job today everyone. Let's get back up to the surface, get cleaned up, and have the biggest dinner we can find."
"Best plan of the day," remarks Panthro, the little cat brushing and patting as much of the dust and dirt off him that he can.
The walk back up the sloping mine tunnel takes the party about thirty minutes, the group making note of how much equipment they piled up to be pulled out later. Sabine offers to get a couple of the guards to pull it out tomorrow while they check that the iron mine stays clear. The girl tries asking a few questions of the trio's circumstances on the walk back through the woods but the party seems too tired to get into specifics. Promises are made to talk the next day around the clearing of the magic iron ore mine and for the four to meet at the mine entrance an hour after sun up. Returning to the inn, food, baths, cleaning of clothes, and a deep night's sleep take up the rest of the evening.
Naofumi has a harder time than usual rousing his little companions in the morning, both groggy and trying to go back to sleep. A quick breakfast at the inn and the three of them are trekking back up towards the mine, morning sunlight flitting down through the trees lining the road up to the mountain face. They find Sabine waiting for them, leaning against a wooden outbuilding by a mine entrance, her quiver again stuffed with arrows resting on the ground beside her.
"About time," she calls to the trio, the leather clad girl casting off the wall, picking up her quiver to shoulder it. "Was starting to think you would sleep all day."
Naofumi gives the aspiring adventurer a slightly sour look. "A couple of us almost did."
Sabine looks to the two kids accompanying the hero and does a double take, eyes squinting as she sizes them up. "At least they have a reason. They visibly grew overnight."
"My clothes fit differently this morning," observes Raphtalia up to Naofumi. Panthro hmms in the affirmative, the cat readjusting the belt cinching in his tunic.
The green clad hero gives Panthro and Raphtalia a curious look while scratching his head. "Really? I hadn't noticed."
"Work on that," Sabine quips, shaking her head lightly at the hero. Before saying anything else, she pulls a pouch off her belt and hands it to Panthro. The sound of stones clacking together has the girl and feline sharing a smile, Sabine commenting, "I had time."
"Also," she continues, pulling a large sheathed dagger from her belt and offering it to Raphtalia. "You can borrow this today. Always have a backup blade or three when hunting monsters."
An approving nod from Naofumi has Raphtalia accepting the dagger, attaching it to her belt on the side opposite her sword. "Thank you Miss Sabine."
A few incantations later and the pouch is handed back to Sabine. The little feline tosses a now glowing stone to Naofumi with no warning, smirking as the larger hero fumbles with it before getting a good grip on it. Panthro's voice drops to a passable Yoda impersonation, rasping up at the hero, "Use the Force you will.'
The incredulous laugh escaping the Shield Hero's mouth has Sabine frowning, the blonde girl looking between the little cat obviously teasing a Legendary hero and the hero going along with it, holding out his hand to float the glowing rock. "OK, what is it with you two? You act strange around each other and some of the things you say don't make sense."
The four are silent until Naofumi breaks it, getting the rock floating where he wants off his shoulder. "Double file in the mine like yesterday. Raphtalia you are up with me. Panthro can explain things to you in the rear as long as you both pay attention."
"Think I can manage that," the cat quips, unhooking his mace from his belt and readying it. "Will go for the short version."
"First time for everything," Naofumi smirks, moving to lead the four of them into the mine entrance. Panthro gives Sabine a big grin before he and the blonde girl fall in behind the hero and raccoon girl.
The four are relatively quiet for the first twenty minutes exploring the mine, the adventurers checking the shorter side branches and equipment rooms. After running into no monsters at all, the group relaxes enough for Panthro to give his explanation. Convincing Sabine that the cat is likely from the same world as the Shield Hero takes more than a little effort including explaining why Panthro's powers and magic are different and seemingly divine. Being likely reincarnated and sent on a quest by a god he thought was fictional goes over only slightly better than trying to explain the world he is in now is another work of fiction. Raphtalia, hearing these things for the first time, has an expression of wonder that she might be adventuring with two heroes at once.
"Does that mean you know the future?" Sabine asks at length.
"Not exactly," the cat replies, reaching a hand up to ruffle the thicker gray fur on his head in thought. "Think of it like having multiple visions of future events. None may be right but they offer clues about what to watch and prepare for. Rely on them too much and we might miss something that we would have seen coming otherwise."
"You're intentionally holding out on us then!" Sabine raises her voice down at the cat though not so much that it carries down the mine tunnel. Naofumi turns his head to check that nothing unexpected happens and slows their pace slightly.
"It's not like that!" Panthro drops his voice to a stage whisper, looking around quickly to see if any monsters are about to pounce. "Those bees were entirely new to me. This mine though, I might have some insight."
"You're saying this now?" Naofumi cuts in, a cold note in his voice. "How long have we been here for?"
"Long enough to have an idea of the severity of what we are facing," Panthro says somewhat ominously. That statement brings Naofumi and by extension the rest to a halt, the hero now glowering at the cat, prompting Panthro to continue. "We haven't run into any other monsters because this mine has a boss-like monster nasty enough that it probably ate the other wave monsters in here. Otherwise it would be hunting in the woods and maybe attacking the village. Make sense?"
"I suppose," replies the hero, still not sounding happy with the cat. "That doesn't help us much."
"If I say anymore, I could jinx this whole thing," the little cat says pleadingly up to the hero, his gray tail tip whipping back and forth behind him.
"Risk it," Naofumi retorts bluntly, the urge rising to grab the cat by his tail until he complies.
Panthro is silent for a moment, looking between Naofumi, Sabine, and Raphtalia. The cat lets out a sigh and turns back to Naofumi, tilting his head to the side. "Its attack is likely powerful enough to go right through your defense to seriously hurt you. It's also fast. Think lighting bruiser; gets in, hits hard, gets out, comes back for more."
"Would it make these footprints?" Raphtalia pipes up, the raccoon girl looking down at a couple muddy paw prints on the wooden mine cart tracks.
Sabine comes over and leans down, giving the prints a close look. "A big canine made this. Probably a wolf or dog monster."
"D… dog monster?!" Raphtalia chokes up, the little raccoon girl backing away so much she bumps into the wooden slats lining the tunnel wall, sword falling from her hands to the ground. "No, NO!"
The little girl's reaction has Naofumi kneeling down before her, hands on her shoulders and looking into her terrified eyes. "What is it? You can tell me."
Raphtalia's vision loses focus, her eyes staring through Naofumi, her hands coming up to grip the hero's arms tightly, voice haunted and wavering. "A dog monster… killed all the villagers, even my mother and father."
"During the first Wave," Naofumi realizes aloud. The raccoon girl's grip tightens down, fingers squeezing into his arm, nodding absently. "Do you know what happened to that monster?"
"No," she replies in a whimper. "My parents pushed me into the water to escape."
"Raphtalia, look at me," Naofumi says to the girl. Her eye's regain their focus, looking into the hero's, her body starting to tremble. "We are going to fight this wave monster together, all of us. The stronger we are, the better we can fight against the next wave and prevent a tragedy like your village from ever happening again. We can't bring your parents back but we can prevent others from going through what you did. It's my job to make sure you can fight the best you can for everyone still here."
The raccoon girl starts to sniffle and promptly breaks down sobbing, burying her head in Naofumi's chest. The hero simply wraps his arms around the little girl and holds her, gently petting her head as she cries against him.
"Swift was right about you," comes the sedate sound of Sabine's voice, Naofumi turning to the blonde girl staring at him intently. "I want to hear your story. All of it."
"Let's clear this mine first," the hero replies, Raphtalia gradually calming down in his arms. When the little girl has regained a semblance of composure, Naofumi lets go of her and stands back up. "Ready to face the monster?"
Raphtalia nods after wiping her eyes, retrieving her sword, and standing back up. "I think so, master."
"Sabine," Naofumi says with a thoughtful tone, "where is the biggest open area of this mine?"
"That would be the Grand Cavern," the blonde girl muses, "It's the face of this mine with a huge amount of magic iron ore."
"We are going there," the hero states, reaching up to pluck the glowing stone from the air. "Rope Shield!" he follows, the shield on his arm glowing and changing forms. "Which way?"
"Follow the tracks," Sabine replies, looking curiously at the hero. "Something in mind?"
Naofumi picks up the pace, the four of them now moving briskly along the wooden tracks. "Yes. If the monster is that strong and fast, we need an open space to fight it. Panthro, get each of us light stones." The little cat complies, getting them each a light tucked into their belts. "I am going to stay in front of it to take the damage. Panthro, heal me and help cover Raphtalia. Raphtalia, do as much damage as you can without getting bit. Don't get too far from me or Panthro. Sabine, use your bow to hurt it and magic if it pulls away from us. Keep it at range and move so you are always behind our backs."
Skipping clearing all the side passages and rooms has the four adventurers in the Grand Cavern in less than fifteen minutes. The cavern lives up to its name, the tunnel leading out to an open area looking out to a waterfall coming from a ledge above and splashing into a small lake below. Clusters of aquamarine crystals shimmer around the cavern, bathing it in pale blue-green light. Naofumi motions for the four to move out into the open area, waving Panthro and Raphtalia to stand by him in the middle with Sabine behind them, all four facing where the tunnel enters the cavern. Naofumi gives each of them a look, silently asking if they are ready. Panthro tightens down his grip on his mace, Raphtalia brandishes her sword, and Sabine notches an arrow, pulling back her bow string.
Convinced his group is ready, Naofumi faces the tunnel, open his mouth wide and yells as loud as he can, "Hey, you, monster! We are here! Come and get us!"
Both Panthro and Raphtalia are flinching at the volume and the echos, ears twitching and tails frizzing. Sabine's eyes are wide with shock at what the hero just did. "Subtle" deadpans Panthro, reaching his mace hand up to stick a finger in an ear to clear it.
The shout pays off in moments, growling and the thudding of heavy footsteps coming from the tunnel. Four glowing eyes come into view first followed shortly by the inky black frame of a massive two headed dog bathed in the cavern's pale light, the dog heads easily rising above Naofumi's.
Two growls of slightly different tones issue forth from teeth lined mouths followed by the dog monster charging at the trio standing in the middle of the ledge. The twang of a bow string being set free is followed by an arrow streaking past the three adventurers, hitting the dog's left front shoulder and opening a gash before bouncing off. The impact doesn't slow the monster down as it barrels into the braced combination of Naofumi and Panthro, both raising their shields to absorb the impact. The dog latches onto both shields, planting legs and trying to rip them off of the hero and feline. The force doesn't do much to Naofumi though Panthro is lifted a couple inches off the ground before coming back down, the wooden buckler still attached to his arm but the wood is creaking. Panthro manages to slam his mace into the chest of the dog monster though other than a grunt, the dog shrugs it off.
"Now Raphtalia!" calls Naofumi, the hero holding his ground, putting all his weight into keeping the dog from pushing him over. "Stab it!"
The only sound for several seconds is falling water, growls and grunts of the hero, feline, and dog wrestling with each other, and another meaty whack of Panthro's mace on the dog's chest. The scared voice of Raphtalia finally reaches the hero's ears imploring, "No, I can't." Naofumi glances back to see the little raccoon girl trembling at the sight of the dog.
"Raphtalia, move!" Sabine shouts, another arrow notched in her bow and waiting for an opening to fire.
"I… I can't move!" Raphtalia cries into the glowing cavern, tears again welling up in her eyes, the sword shaking in her hands before her.
The next sound is a snapping sound coming from Panthro's shield, a noticeable bend forming in the wood. "Oh frack" the feline spits out from clenched teeth, desperately shoving against the breaking shield. An arrow comes more from the side of Naofumi than the rear, Sabine having moved around the open area, the arrow hitting the dog's side but barely scratching it this time before skittering back towards the tunnel.
Naofumi glances between the frozen and shaking Raphtalia to a now clearly scared Panthro to the human girl frantically notching another arrow. The realization that they may be fatally in over their head washes over Naofumi before he calls out, "Fall back! We need to get out of here. Sabine, get Raphtalia and get to the tunnel now!"
The leather clad adventurer is moving, slinging her bow over her shoulder and chest as she pushes herself to a full sprint towards the raccoon girl. Sabine intentionally tips her balance backwards, using her momentum to baseball slide to a stop on the cavern floor. Scooping the raccoon girl up in the human girl's arms and running for the tunnel entrance causes the raccoon girl's mind to flash back to her village and the first wave, her parents carrying her away from the wave as fast as they could. The image takes so much of Raphtalia's attention that the limply held sword in her hands comes loose, clattering loudly to the floor.
The dog monster pays no attention as one of its goals is being achieved before it, Panthro's shield breaking entirely, leaving the little adventurer wide open. Sabine's standing is accompanied by a piercing yeowl of pain from the cat, the sound echoing throughout the cavern. Raphtalia, mind still replaying the first wave, instinctively turns her head to where the sounds came from in the middle of the opening. The dog monster has latched onto Panthro's shoulder, blood rapidly soaking his shirt and turning the gray fur of his arm red. A shudder has her flashing back to her parents facing off against the three headed dog monster, both already bloodied, keeping the little girl behind them, only for the monster to tear into them.
The cat sinks a heal spell into himself with his free hand though all it seems to accomplish is keeping him on his feet. It is about this point Sabine is running past the fight and Raphtalia can see Naofumi's eyes. There is a dawning horror on his face, pushing against the dog monster, looking down to the little cat. Panthro manages a pained smile up at Naofumi as both go out of Raphtalia's view behind the dog monster, the feline's pained words reaching her ears, "I already died once. At least this time I die saving my friends. Run you fool and protect those girls!"
Naofumi's voice comes back loudly as the girls get closer to the tunnel, "Dammit, get yourself free! No one is dying here today!"
The retreating fight flashes Raphtalia back to falling off the cliff into the ocean, her parents dying on the ledge above her as she reached through the air towards them. There was nothing she could do for them. Nothing…
Naofumi's voice from earlier drifts into her mind, 'We can't bring your parents back but we can prevent others from going through what you did. It's my job to make sure you can fight the best you can for everyone still here.'
Her Master Naofumi is there, the Shield Hero, fighting against a monster from the Wave just like he said he would. Her friend Panthro is there, about to sacrifice himself to a monster so she can escape. They aren't gone, not yet.
"Not again!" Raphtalia shouts at the top of her lungs, her mind snapped fully back in the crystal cavern, the little girl lunging out of Sabine's arms and landing on the floor. Raphtalia barely registers the human girl's startled cry as she dashes forward, the raccoon drawing the dagger from her side, holding it blade down with the edge trailing behind her. The dog monster doesn't budge at the sound, committed to finishing off the cat it already has in one of its jaws.
Raphtalia takes several long strides and then leaps into the air, both hands coming up to the hilt of the dagger, shifting it so the downward pointed blade suspended in air is proceeding her. "I won't let it happen again!" she roars, her move putting all her momentum into a one downward stroke, the blade plunging into the dog's back all the way up to the hilt. The raccoon crashes into the dog a split second later, the combined force and damage shaking the dog loose from both Panthro and Naofumi, the dog staggering, one head howling at full volume while the other whimpers and starts coughing up blood.
The massive dog monster regains its bearing, realizes the raccoon girl is still on its back, and tries to shake her off before she can do any more damage. It spins itself around with enough force to throw the little girl off, Raphtalia sailing through the air only to right herself mid-fall, sliding to a crouching stop on both feet and one hand on the cavern floor. The desperate thought of how to get back into the fight with no weapon is answered when she realizes she landed less than ten feet from her sword that she dropped earlier. With a fierce look of determination she takes off for the sword only to see the dog monster coming for her, four glowing red eyes focused on her.
"Air Strike Shield!" echoes out through the cavern, the green translucent shield abruptly stopping the dog as both heads slam into it, the monster's momentum twisting their necks at an angle as its chest thuds into the shield below them.
The interruption was all the time Raphtalia needed, scooping up her sword and tightening down on it with both hands. She turns and charges the dog monster, closing the short gap between them right as the glowing shield fades from existence. The dog is getting its wits back from the impact, glowing eyes turning back to the charging girl, but not fast enough to handle what happens next. Raphtalia aims low for the dog's nearest neck, using all her speed and muscle strength to slice forward and upward. Her mind blanks for a moment only to catch back up when she is behind the dog and the sound of two meaty thuds is heard. Glancing back she gets to see the dog monster's body fall to the floor, both of its severed heads rolling on the ground, Sabine on the other side with her twin blades bloodied, the blonde girl looking back at her from having run the opposite direction taking the other head off.
The cavern grows still as the two girls regard each other. A whimpering sound brings them both back to looking where Naofumi and Panthro were, the Shield Hero helping the battered and bloody cat up off the cavern floor.
"Yes, plate armor," the cat quips through pained breaths, giving everyone in attendance a shaky smile. "Thick, metal, bite-proof plate armor. That's the thing for me. Right after healing this mess."
Sabine comes up by Raphtalia, her sword's resheathed, leaning down to give the heavily breathing raccoon girl a side hug. "You were amazing, sweetie," she says simply with a big smile.
The raccoon girl sniffles once, shakes it off, taking a rag from her belt to clean the sword before re-sheathing it. "Thank you Miss Sabine," she says before disengaging from her and walking to Naofumi and Panthro. By now the little cat has healed himself up enough to stop the bleeding and doesn't need Naofumi to help keep him standing.
Raphtalia looks between the hero and the cat, the determined look she is trying to give them slowly breaking down along with her voice. "We fought that wave monster together Master Naofumi, all of us."
Naofumi kneels down and with a smile, wraps his arms around the girl and pulls her into a tight hug. "Yes we did Raphtalia." No more words pass between the two, the hero holding her in a warm embrace and Raphtalia just letting herself be in it.
A meaty thwack brings Naofumi's attention to the dog monster's body. Panthro is pulling his foot back from having kicked it with a boot and is pulling the dagger out from its back. "Frack you fido," he growls at the remains of the dog, turning the blade over in his hands. "I don't usually enjoy processing animals. In your case, I will make an exception by turning your hide into our armor." The questioning look at Panthro holding the blade with no apparent consequences has the cat giving the hero a crooked grin. "What? Right now it's not a weapon, just a big kitchen knife."
The Shield Hero shakes his head at the still bloodied cat, realizing that the cat can't get much messier from breaking down the dog. It also gives him the opportunity to continue comforting the raccoon girl in his arms. After a minute Sabine joins Panthro, another dagger in her hands to assist him.
Noting the extra blade, Naofumi can't help but ask, "How many of those do you have on you?"
"Enough," is the leather clad girl's perky reply at the same time freeing a larger bone to pull out.
Breaking down the dog runs out their current light stones, leading to a brief discussion if they would want to continue by glowing crystal light, and then more light stones being lit up. When Panthro and Sabine have the dog well broken down, Naofumi lets a comfortable and reluctant Raphtalia go. Naofumi and Panthro proceed to feed materials to their respective weapons, both clearly reacting after one head is fed to each of their crystals.
"Finally some offense," Naofumi proclaims, calling up the Two-Headed Black Dog Shield. "What did you get?" the hero asks down to the cat.
"Umm, well," the cat hesitates, looking around the glowing cavern to the other adventurers, "It unlocked a magic spell series I couldn't use before."
"You're being evasive," Sabine notes, eyes narrowing at the cat. "Stop it."
The little cat takes a deep breath, pondering how to say the next part. "It unlocked the magic allowing me to summon friendly celestial monsters to fight with us." The three adventurers openly stare at the little cat who is shrinking from their gaze. "At the lowest level, good clerics would be summoning a celestial dog."
"Can I see?" pipes up the voice of Raphtalia. Confused looks all around have the raccoon girl smiling sheepishly. "I like friendly dogs."
Waiting to hear if there are any objections, the cat turns to part of the open area away from the part and reaches up to his amulet. "Conjuration Amulet," he pronounces. The amulet glows and shifts in his hand, settling into a silver disk with the image of a blue glowing stone archway with golden light inside it that a figure is stepping out of. "Cast Summon Monster 1: Celestial Dog."
Many tiny white glowing orbs form ten feet away from the cat then condense down to a small area. A flash and the orbs are gone, replaced with a white and light brown British Bulldog. The short muscular dog appears confused, circling around and cocking its head as if expecting to see something that isn't there. It does eye the remains of the two-headed dog's body before sitting down and regarding the four adventurers.
"Its face!" Raphtalia coos excitedly to the dog, her tail flicking back and forth. "It's so wrinkly!"
As the dog turns to the raccoon-girl, its ears go up and it freezes. It lets out a growling bark, jumps to its feet, and takes off running for the tunnel entrance. With a shared look the party of four is moving with weapons drawn, Naofumi and Raphtalia in the front with Sabine and Panthro bringing up the rear. A light run keeps the dog in sight, following the main wooden tracks a short distance then turning off into a side tunnel. The wrinkled, muscled dog lets out a couple quick barks and scratches at the ground with its fore-paws before glowing and disappearing, a few shimmering white orbs floating in its place then vanishing.
With the tunnel now quiet, the sound of whimpering and whining can be heard coming from further down the passage. Naofumi motions for everyone to stay quiet and to move forward slowly. With the sound growing louder, the end of the tunnel passage comes into view. A pile of cleaned and cracked bones can be seen to one side while to the other is a pile of canvas and cloth shaped like a shallow bowl. In the middle of the pile are two small black two-headed dog pups, both dogs whining and peeking looks at the party.
Raphtalia starts to move forward, her sword coming up, only for Sabine's hand grasping the raccoon-girl's shoulder stopping her. Raphtalia turns to the blonde girl, her expression clearly conveying 'Why are you stopping me?' without saying a word.
"Look at their eyes," the leather glad girl says softly, inclining her head toward the pups. "They aren't glowing."
Another glance at the pups looking over the pile of cloth confirms their eyes are not glowing, one set of heads having light brown eyes with the other set having dark green eyes. Having observed the pup's behavior while the girls were interacting, Naofumi takes the last few steps down the tunnel. He reaches his non-shield arm down and picks up the green-eyed pup, lifting it tentatively to see how it reacts plus get a good look at it and then bringing it in against his chest to hold. He shifts the shield further up his arm so it isn't in the way. The pup whimpers a bit more before nuzzling in and getting comfortable against the hero, both heads over one of his arms, necks resting against it.
"It's a girl if you are wondering," Naofumi says with some amusement, scratching at the pup's head.
Sabine steps forward next, bow slung back over her shoulder, picking up the brown-eyed pup. This one protests at being held up and examined, whining and squirming in the blonde's grip. "This one is a boy," she says with a smile, pulling the pup in against her leather chest piece. The pup fusses until Raphtalia comes over to pet it, little tail wagging at the attention.
"Ever seen or heard of dogs like this before Sabine?" Panthro inquires, the feline watching the two-headed dog pups from a distance, tail slowly flicking back and forth behind him.
"A first for me," Sabine says softly, cuddling the pup in her arms. "We can ask grandpa when we leave here."
"Let's go now," Naofumi says, making sure he has a good cradle for the pup in his arms. "They sounded hungry when we got here. We can check the rest of the mine later."
The four adventurers fall into their two double file lines and head for the mine entrance. The pups are relatively quiet until the party emerges from the mines, bright sunlight coming and going as big white puffy clouds roll through the blue sky. The sights and smells of outside have the dog's attention, making them a bit of a handful for the two humans to control. Mild cursing is mixed with laughter as the party descends back toward Lute Village at two pups wanting to get up close to everything new they are seeing including a fat squirrel running through tree branches nearby.
