"Dark Fire Palette!" Wyndia summoned black flames to engulf the enemy in front of her. She fought from a distance with her whip and magic to cover Ren whenever there were too many enemies around him to handle.

Ren jumped back from the flames. "Thanks, Wyndia!" He then started a combo of slashes to cleave through the remaining enemies.

The two leveled up, Ren reaching level 16 and Wyndia reaching level 14.

"We're doing really well for ourselves. Let's break for lunch." Ren did a fancy twirl to fling the blood off his sword before putting it on his back.

Wyndia nodded, blushing softly as her stomach growled loudly. "Yes. I don't think I'd be able to go on for much longer."

"Yeah, you are a growing girl…" Ren looked up Wyndia. He wasn't oblivious to how Wyndia was growing, and he had been watching her grow over his time with her.

Wyndia now looked maybe a year younger than Ren though also the same height, and she had been given more proper leather armor because of it, the armor complete with a nice hood to hide her demi-human ears when she wasn't feeling comfortable. She had matured into a beautiful, young woman, but she would likely grow just a bit more as she got to level 20 where it would likely stop.

"You're going to be taller than me…" Ren muttered jealously as he turned to walk back.

"Don't worry. I'm sure you're still growing." Wyndia pat Ren on the head like he would do to her when she was smaller than him.

Ren just grumbled to himself in annoyance, accepting the headpats like a good boy.

Wyndia had gotten a better grasp of her master in their time together, mainly because she got to watch Ren let go of his quiet tendencies more and more to the point that it had been like they were growing together. She had found out most of all that Ren was a shy and timid but still loveable dork who regularly made references no one would get. At first she had assumed the references were from the worlds that the heroes came from, but then she realized Naofumi didn't get them either most of the time. Just the previous day, she had remembered watching Ren laugh for ten minutes at an egg for no reason, something she wouldn't admit brought a smile to her face.

The two had distinctly high speed stats, so they were able to run back to the city at impressive speeds.

Wyndia made sure Ren didn't fall behind. She didn't trust him to watch where he was going after he ran into two poles in a row on the first day he got her.

"Geez… I should have done more cardio in my past life…" Ren huffed as they made it to the city.

Wyndia quickly held him to make sure he didn't fall over. "Ren, don't pass out… You're embarrassing me."

"I'm fine… Just let me cough out my right lung," Ren told her.

"Ren, you need your lungs…"

"I'm sure I'd be fine with one less."

"Ren!" Wyndia shook him as she gave him an annoyed look.

Ren eventually raised a hand after regaining his breath. "I'm good."

"You'd better be." Wyndia gestured at her whip. "I know one way to get you going." She couldn't actually whip Ren without her slave seal going off, but she knew the thought of it still lingered in Ren's mind.

"N-no need for that! I'm good! Let's get food right now!" Ren was quickly running again, this time to the restaurant.

"Correct answer," Wyndia said smugly as she ran after him. She didn't let him rest until she had gotten him into the restaurant and in a seat. After all, she was hungry and was afraid Ren would find something to get hung up on.

Naofumi came in with Raphtalia right as Ren and Wyndia finished placing their orders. He went right over to Ren, putting down what was no doubt most of his money. "Ren, I need you to handle a job for me."

Ren blinked in surprise at how sudden this was. He knew by Naofumi's tone that this was important. "Naofumi, you still don't have your gear setup for the Wave. I'm not taking money off of you."

"Something important came to mind recently, and you're the only one with the speed stat needed to make it in time. At least the only one I trust. I need this job done," Naofumi told him firmly. "You will have one day to run over there and another day to run back."

"Not a good idea. Ren almost died from a simple run back into the city," Wyndia told Naofumi with a joking tone.

"I…could make it happen. It would be hard, and it would be pushing my body to its absolute limits. I could make it happen though," Ren claimed. "But I'm not taking your money Naofumi."

"Mr. Naofumi…how important is this really?" Raphtalia asked, seeming to only be in on this now as well.

"It's life and death," Naofumi said firmly.

Ren was silent for a moment. "You're making accessories now, right Naofumi? I'd rather be paid in one of your creations. Wyndia and I don't have accessories to help us in battle. I'll take one of those instead of money."

Naofumi was silent for a moment before collecting his money. He had indeed tried to get a start on his accessory business before he had to worry about Filo's appetite, and he realized now would be a good time to make use of one of his items. He pulled out a silver ring with a blue gem in it. "This should cover it. It increases your stamina by a little bit, so it should make the run over easier for you."

Ren looked at the ring before slipping it on his left index finger. "So what's the job?"

Naofumi pulled out a map and spread it over the table.

"Hey! Leave room for the food!" Wyndia told him with a huff.

"I'll try to explain this quick." Naofumi tapped a spot he had marked on the map. "This town here is run by a corrupt noble who gets away with an awful slave business. Demi-humans are dying there, and I don't know how many are left. I need you to run there and get them. I'll provide you with the medicine needed to keep them alive until you can carry them back, but you need to be careful. Everyone there is above your current level."

Wyndia changed her focus as soon as she heard Naofumi explain himself. "Ren…we do need to do something about this. I can't imagine leaving anyone in there."

Raphtalia was looking at the map with a look of horror. She knew where Naofumi was talking about, but she didn't know how Naofumi had heard about it.

Ren nodded as he listened to this. "A stealth mission. Ok. I guess I do wear black for a reason."

"You're not going alone, Ren. I won't leave you there to fend for yourself if it really is that dangerous," Wyndia said firmly.

Ren smiled at Wyndia. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

"Then if it's settled…" Naofumi rolled up the map and gave it to Ren. "Raphtalia and I are going to get back to Wave prep right after eating. Please hurry with this."

"I'll make sure it is handled." Ren took the map.


By the time Ren and Wyndia made it, it was already late at night. Thankfully nothing had impeded their run.

Ren switched from the Calorie Sword which gave him a small boost of stamina, switching to the Blue Egg Sword for the vision bonus that would be a big help in the dark. "This city has some big walls, and I'd assume entering through the actual entrance would be a bad idea." He wasn't in any state to pick up another long-distance run so soon after the run over, so running right through the entrance was the worst idea.

Wyndia nodded in agreement. "We can find an area to scale up if your stamina is still holding up."

"It isn't, but I'll make it work," Ren said tiredly.

Wyndia gave Ren a worried smile. "I can go on without you if you'd like."

"Not an option. You wouldn't let me go in alone, and I won't let you go in alone. Simple as that. Now come on." Ren crouched next to the wall as he started walking the perimeter of the city. To keep himself occupied, he would hum to himself.

Wyndia smiled a bit and shook her head at how much of a dork her master was. She had no idea what Ren was humming, but any of the other heroes would probably recognize it as the Mission Impossible theme.

"Man, no wonder Snake has a great ass… Always crouching under boxes must be great for the glutes…" Ren grumbled as he continued checking the wall. He eventually stopped and pointed at a nearby tree. "We can make the jump from there." He ran up the tree and backflipped off of it and over the wall within an instant.

"Showoff." Wyndia rolled her eyes. She used her whip to catch a branch on the tree before swinging over the wall after Ren.

Ren was thankfully quieter on the other side. He stuck to the shadows where his black color scheme worked best. He scanned over the area, looking for where a no-doubt creepy noble would keep slaves.

Wyndia gagged a bit, her more sensitive sense of smell catching a scent of decay that Ren couldn't. She gestured towards a staircase by the noble's manor that led underground. "That's definitely it," she whispered to him.

"I guess it would be hard to miss." Ren looked at the noble's manor, and he could feel his stomach twist. He was actually scared to be in this city, and it got worse the closer they got to the noble's manor. Ren made sure to lead the way the best he could. His vision was currently better thanks to his vision bonus, but the lighting here wasn't the best. He would assume it would be easier to see in this area when the moon was more full, but that would be a long time from now. He waited at the stairs, letting Wyndia go down first.

Wyndia had to hold back from plugging her nose from the awful smell of death that filled the whole dungeon. "This really is hell…"

Ren nodded in agreement, making sure no one threatening was there. He then pulled out the medicine Naofumi had given him. "Let's see who we can even save."

The two split up to check the cages.

Wyndia didn't take long to call Ren. "I found one, Ren! Barely breathing! Hurry!"

Ren quickly ran over, checking the unconscious demi-human's pulse to find he could barely feel it. "Geez… She's barely breathing. I'd say she's been in a coma for a while, and everyone here thought she died long ago. She's lucky to not be dead." He opened the medicine and prepared to pour it into her mouth. "Wyndia, hold her at this angle. We need to make sure she swallows it instead of breathing it in."

"I heard giving fluids through a kiss will make swallowing easier," Wyndia said blankly, not citing her source at all.

Ren gave Wyndia the blankest look of all. "Are you really going to make me do this? She's ten."

"You're like six years older than her then. That's not creepy at all. I'm ten, and I see no problem with this."

"BECAUSE YOU'RE TEN!" Ren held out the medicine to Wyndia. "You do it then!"

"…Ren, you're a pervert who likes seeing girls kiss don't you?" Wyndia asked with a smug grin.

"Fine, I'll do it-!" Ren said as his face was taken over by a blush. He remembered Naofumi had told him to use the Small Medicine Sword while applying medicine because it would increase how effective it is. He switched to the Small Medicine Sword. "God, please forgive me for living a life subjected to anime clichés…" He then poured the medicine into his mouth and kissed the demi-human girl to make her drink the medicine.

The weasel, demi-human girl glowed from the medicine's healing effects before she suddenly opened her eyes. Realizing she was kissing someone, she quickly started hitting him with her weak, skinny arms to get him to pull away.

Ren was more than happy to pull away. "Are you ok? How are you feeling? I just applied medicine, and it should give you a bit of a boost."

"I-I'm feeling a little better…" She looked around in a panic. "Where is Raphtalia-?"

"She's fine. She's with the Shield Hero," Wyndia told her.

The small girl widened her eyes and seemed to brighten up almost immediately. "The Shield Hero is here!?"

"Yes. He sent us here to get all of the demi-humans we could out of here. I'm the Sword Hero, Ren," Ren told her, giving the best comforting smile possible.

"I-I'm Rifana." She smiled back at Ren, her heart jumping when she realized she had her first kiss taken by a totally cute boy. "Thank you for helping me."

"We're not out of the woods yet. We're in as much danger here as you," Wyndia told her. She picked up Rifana to give her a piggyback ride.

"One down. I'll see if there are anymore. Tell me if Rifana's condition gets worse, Wyndia." Ren put his Small Medicine Sword back on his back. He then went to check the rest of the cages. He didn't like how many corpses he saw around, and he was worried there were no other survivors. "This guy is fucking sick…" he grumbled to himself as he made it to the last cage. "Yes! One more survivor!" He yanked open the cage and ran in.

The demi-human inside slowly woke up, turning to look at Ren. "Go away…" He was shackled up, likely for bad behavior.

"No! It's ok, I'm here to help! The Shield Hero sent me!" Ren opened more medicine. "Drink this."

"Are you really?" He turned his head away from the medicine.

"Maybe try mouth-to-mouth again," Wyndia suggested.

"Now you want me kissing 10-year-old boys too!? Do I look like I'm from the church!?" Ren asked in annoyance.

"Well Melromarc's religion is based around the Church of the Three Heroes…" Wyndia reminded him.

Ren didn't grace that with a response. "Listen, I'm Ren. I'm the Sword Hero. The Shield Hero made this medicine for you. He sent me to get you because he is getting ready for the Waves. We need to go now."

The young boy was silent for a bit before nodding and letting Ren pour the medicine into his mouth. "Bleh! It's bitter-!"

"Don't waste it!" Ren told him quickly.

Wyndia supported Rifana with one hand and grabbed her whip with the other, using her whip to break the shackles holding the demi-human boy.

"Ok, now we need to get out of here." Ren turned away and crouched, gesturing for the dog demi-human boy to climb on his back. He awkwardly moved his sword to hang off his leg to make room on his back.

"I'm…Keel by-the-way," the boy said as he climbed onto Ren's back.

"I think we're good to go now." Wyndia checked Rifana again, finding her to be sleeping comfortably now. "I think these two will be ok. Naofumi's medicine really is amazing."

"I don't know how to jump the wall while carrying these two. We may need to use the actual exit," Ren said worriedly. He wasn't sure if he could stealth his way out either.

Wyndia was silent for a moment as she thought. "I have better stamina than you. Let me carry Keel as well. I can run out, then you can jump the wall."

"That's too dangerous… For all of you," Ren argued.

"I can make it. I'm more worried about you," Wyndia told him with a serious look. "I won't argue this with you."

Ren looked her in the eyes, seeing the determination burning in them. He also felt his heart skip a beat for a moment. He trusted Wyndia. He really did. It was time he followed through with his trust. He finally relented and carefully let Keel down. "Be safe."

"I'll see you on the other side." Wyndia picked up Keel in a bridal carry.

The two went out, ready to follow through on their plans.

Ren switched to his Blue Egg Sword just in time to see something glint in the darkness and lash out at Wyndia. He quickly moved in front and blocked with his sword.

Wyndia heard the crack of a whip, turning to Ren. "Ren-!"

Ren staggered a bit when the whip hit his sword. He couldn't block the damage well at all, and he felt the damage go through his sword and fracture his arm and hand in a few places. He let out a growl of pain, swapping his sword to his other hand.

That was when the source of the attack made himself known, the fat, corrupt noble who ran this area. He walked up with a giddy smile on his face. "What's this? You're stealing these disgusting animals? I'm afraid they are my property!"

Ren widened his eyes when he saw the whip the noble was carrying. He could assume it was filled with the blood and pain of so many demi-humans, because the weapon was now radiating with so much hatred that it was no doubt a cursed object. He barely jumped back in time to dodge the next whip strike. "Wyndia, run!"

"But what about you!?" Wyndia asked quickly.

"I'll catch up! Go!" Ren assumed his best stance possible with his dominant arm out of the picture.

"You can run! I'll find what belongs to me! Then I'll use you too, filthy demi-human!" The noble lashed his whip at Wyndia again.

Wyndia couldn't dodge easily while carrying two children, so she just turned to run. She had to get away. The longer she stayed, the more at risk they all were.

Ren stepped in the way again. "GRAH-!" He blocked, his left arm somehow getting more broken than his right. His mind was already getting delirious from the pain, his vision blurring. He passed his sword back to his less-damaged right hand. Naofumi was right… I'm not at level for this at all…

The noble watched Wyndia run. He turned to his men that had now just caught up. "Catch that demi-human! I want her!"

"No you don't!" Ren switched to his base sword because it had his best attack bonus plus all of the skills he had unlocked through use of other swords. "I'LL TAKE YOU ALL ON!" He swung his sword, gritting his teeth as his bone fractures got worse. "Shooting Star Sword!" He unleashed the raw power of the attack to push back anyone who tried to go after Wyndia.

The noble flicked his whip at Ren again. "You're not looking so heroic! It looks like you're a fake Sword Hero after all! I will do my holy duty and cleanse you!"

Ren twirled away to dodge, but he was knocked away when the whip hit his side instead, fracturing some of his ribs. It curved to attack me? That was against the laws of physics! It has some sort of homing ability too!? I can't block or dodge it!

The noble pulled his whip back. "Take him down, now!" He pointed at Ren, his men all running around Ren and kicking him into the dirt.

Am…I dying here? Ren felt like the pain was enough to kill him at this point, but he still hung on the best he could, blocking all he could with his sword. No. NO!

The noble was laughing like the psychopath he is at this point. "God will surely shine down upon me for cleansing the world of the fake Sword Hero! I'll use your phony disciple next! How does that make you feel, hmm~?"

No… She's my friend. Mine! Mine! MINE! Ren punched the ground as he coughed up blood. "Crimson Sword!" He jumped up with a whirling slash, killing the men all around him. He was far beyond choosing not to kill people at this point. He was mostly battered and broken now, but he limply looked at the noble, his face contorting to a creepy smile of his own. "My friends believe in me. They believe in me to return. Wyndia is important to me. She is mine." He would protect Wyndia. He would do anything to protect her, no matter how much it hurt him.

Curse Series Unlocked!

Sword of Greed Unlocked!

Equip Bonus: Strength bonus

Special Equip Effect: Curse of Decay, strength up

Skill: Assassinating Sword, Guillotine

Combo: Chain Bind - Chain Needle - Guillotine

Ren changed to the new sword and turned to leave.

The noble immediately looked pissed. "Are you ignoring me!? Let me see your face twist in agony again!" He whipped at Ren again.

Ren blocked it with his Greed Sword without even looking at the attack, the strength bonuses helping to negate a lot of the impact. He then placed an open palm on the building next to him, rubbing his palm over it until his hand touched the metal frame.

The metal frame rusted and started to dissolve.

Ren walked just in time for the building to collapse behind him, blocking him off from the noble and his remaining men. He could hear a voice in his head, the voice telling him the same thing over and over.

Take.

Take!

Take!

Ren hobbled along until he exited the city, but he kept going. "Wyndia…" Pretty much every bone in his body was broken by now, but he still kept walking, his blood staining the grass behind him.

Wyndia eventually saw Ren stumbling along. She had waited for him after all. She didn't want to leave him, but she couldn't leave Rifana and Keel to go back for him either. She quickly started running to him when she saw him. "Ren!"

Ren could hear her, and he closed his eyes when he heard her voice, her voice being the light he needed to push through his curse and switch back to his default sword. "Wyndia…" He then collapsed over right in front of her.

His world went black.

Wyndia quickly looked around. She couldn't carry Ren, Rifana, and Keel all at the same time. She needed help. She needed help or they would all die. She looked around frantically when she heard what sounded like someone approaching, worried it was the noble's men coming after them.

A beautiful woman rolled in, the same woman Motoyasu had recently met in the bar. She curiously looked at Wyndia, Ren, and the children.

Wyndia felt tears roll down her eyes. "Help… Please…" She held Ren close, becoming soaked in Ren's blood in a matter of seconds.

The woman was silent, standing and watching blankly. She eventually nodded and went to pick Ren up.

"Thank you…" Wyndia bowed her head before going to get Keel and Rifana.


Well then, first Curse Series weapon unlocked by Ren of all people. Oddly enough, it was unlocked on page 69 on my document, and it wasn't a Lust weapon. I feel like I have brought great shame... I also think I might want to check on Itsuki before the Wave...