Author's Note: Ok, now this is surprising. Chapter 4 already? I must be a wizard or something, maybe even the Shield Hero! Nah, I'm just kidding. Antics aside, I hope you all continue to enjoy what I provide as my so called "story." I appreciate all the great reviews and helpful comments. Also, if you're wondering why I am doing journal entries at the beginning of each chapter, the game series Metro inspired me to do so, as it had entries before each level.
Review Response -
J.F.S Northern Command - I see what you're saying. That was honestly a mistake on my part that I forgot to think of. However, there will be compensation for bullet crafting in the future. As for the gun, you'll just have to wait and see.
Abbade01 - Yes, it was his combat knife. More specifically, a boot knife, which is similar in design to that of a dagger, which he has dubbed it. Back in chapter 2, when he said he didn't have his knife, it was in his pack, which was laid down by the tree. He HAS his knife, he just didn't have it on him at the time. Also, thank you for the comment on his speech. That was personally my favorite part to write in that chapter.
Takia5863 - It has been months since Raphtalia had seen sold into slavery. At this point, she knows what dominance is.
Anyway, without further adieu, chapter 4!
Disclaimer: I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, only my own.
"Dialogue."
"Writing."
Thoughts.
August 7, 2020
"I finally got a chance to write in my journal. After the events that transpired yesterday, I thought it would take much longer. To make a long story short, I was placed on a staged trial under the false accusation of raping the princess. I won't go into much detail, except for the fact that this princess was smarter than I gave her credit for. There is also the case of Raphtalia, the slave girl I managed to acquire. I am not proud of my actions, but Myne had forced me into a position of desperation. I just hope God will forgive me for my sin.
- Private First Class Wisnieski
Leo looked up from his entry, shifting his position on the rock he was sitting on to be more comfortable. At the same time, Raphtalia was doing sword exercises with his knife that he had told her to work on. I feel as if I am becoming my Commanding Officer. Drills, drills, and more drills. Nonetheless, even for as small as she is, Raphtalia is definitely making improvements in her wielding capabilities. Closing his journal and stuffing it back into his backpack, he continued to watch as Raphtalia continued to practice, going between slashes, thrusts, footing, and dodging. She really is making a hell of an improvement. Just yesterday, she was this shy, timid little girl. Now, while still being the same little girl, her mood has increased tenfold.
"Master! How did I do?" Raphtalia suddenly asked, dragging Leo back to the real world. Her tail was wagging heavily, her eyes filled with determination. He stared at her for a moment, assessing how she practiced before providing his own critique.
"Stance could've been better on the resets. Dodging was good, however, make sure to protect the sword, as it could be damaged in the roll. Slashing was good, just don't raise your arms so high, as it leaves you wide open to more advanced hostiles. Other than that, you're progressing well." Leo replied, a smile plastered on his face. Raphtalia could only smile at the praise, noting Leo's thoughts.
"Anyway, it's time we start heading back. I have some items that I need to sell since we're getting low on cash." He told her. She simply nodded, said Ok, and went to clean up the campsite, Leo following right behind her. She's a good kid. Energetic, helpful, and surprisingly resilient. I'm glad she's on my team. I can only imagine what would happen if Motoyasu came by.
After cleaning up the campsite, Leo and Raphtalia began to make the trek back to the main town in search of Erhard. "Master, what's that symbol on your shoulder? The red and white stripes, I mean." Raphtalia asked out of the blue.
Leo took a quick look at what she was talking about, before realizing that it was the Polish flag. "Oh, this?" He points to it. "This is the flag of my home country, Polska, or Poland." He responded.
"Why does it have two names?" She asked, curious as to why a country needed two names instead of just one.
"Well, it's because of the many different languages in my world. Polska is the name of Poland in my native language, Polish. Poland is the english version of the name, as well as the most common language in my world." He told her.
When Leo looked back ahead of him, he realized that they had already managed to return to the main town, and were almost right next to Erhard's shop, which surprised him for a second. Once they had entered, Erhard came out from below the counter. Upon seeing his two favorite customers, he greeted them with the same gruff voice he always did. "Shield bro! Little lady! How are ya? I take it your little trip to the fields turned out alright?" Erhard asked, intrigued.
"Yeah. Not a whole lot done in the way of leveling, but I managed to teach Raphtalia here how to properly wield my knife, as well as some tricks about fighting from my home world." Leo responded, Raphtalia at his side. "Anyway, I was here to ask if there was anywhere that I could sell these?" Leo took out a group of about seven pills, all looking similar to each other.
After taking a look at the pills, Erhard just had to ask. "Uh, shield bro? What are these exactly? I don't think I've ever seen these before."
Leo quickly responded, "These are pills, a form of medicine from my world. I made these last night. These ones here are common cold pills."
Erhard nodded slowly at the new information. He then informed the duo, "Hm, well, if they're a type of medicine, then go see the apothecary down the street. He specializes in herbs and medicines. He'll definitely want to take a look at that."
"Thanks for the info Erhard." Leo said, glad to someone to turn to for information.
"No problem shield bro, anything to help make a customer happy." Erhard replied, putting on his trademark smile.
"Oh, and something else too." Leo began, before taking out a gasmask. "This is a gasmask, something from my world that allows people to breathe in areas contaminated by deadly chemicals. Think you can make a few?"
Erhard took the mask from Leo's hands, studying it. "Hm, I've never seen this kind of craftsmanship before. This could take a few days, if that's ok with you."
Leo calmly told him in response, "No problem. Just don't break it, it's my only one. If necessary, I'll pay you two hundred silver to put it at the top of your production list." Erhard's eyes turned wide in shock for a moment at the offer. "Well, I guess I'll just have to take you up on that." He told Leo. And with that, Leo provided Erhard the two hundred silver.
"I'll make the best copy you've ever seen shield bro. Good luck with those pills. Something exotic like that could be worth a fortune." Erhard told them as he waved them off.
Leaving the blacksmith's store, Leo and Raphtalia quickly located the apothecary based on Erhards directions. "Raphtalia, go ahead and wait out here, I'll be just a minute." Leo told her before heading inside.
The apothecary, upon hearing the door to his shop open, looked up and saw the newcomer. "Ah, you must be the Shield Hero." Said the older man.
"Yeah, and I've got some questions for you, as well as something special to sell." Leo responded.
"Oh? If that's the case, then let's take a look at what you have first." He told him. Taking the pills out of his bag, he showed them to the apothecary. "Hm, these are quite special indeed. Can't say I've seen these before." The older man said, curious as to what was being shown to him.
"These are what my world calls pills. Basically, it's just medicine, but in a small capsule that can be easily swallowed. I only have seven, but only I know the recipe. So, how much do you think I can get off them?" Leo asked, asserting his position as the sole provider of the product. The apothecary took hold of one of the pills, trying to figure out its quality.
"It's hard to say since I cannot tell which pill is of higher or lower quality. So for these, even if they are potentially lower quality, I will give you 15 silvers." The apothecary said.
"How about 20? They are able to be used faster than a potion and should have the same effect." Leo bargained.
The apothecary simply held a hand to his chin in thought. "Sorry, but unless you can tell me exactly what quality they are, then I can't go any higher." He responded. Leo sighed at his failure to gain more money.
"Alright well, do you have any tools I can use to help me make more?" Leo asked.
The apothecary provided a quick nod before taking a box out from below the counter. Within it were simple tools to help craft medicine. "These are some older tools that I don't need anymore. I haven't found the time to get rid of them, so you can have them for free."
Leo smiled at the notion. "Thanks, I'll make sure to put these to good use. Have a good day sir." He said, walking out of the shop.
Exiting the shop, Leo looked around for Raphtalia, seeing no sign of the girl until he saw her sitting on a nearby barrel watching two kids play with a ball.
Walking up behind the girl, Leo asked, "Do you want a ball like that Raphtalia?" Raphtalia quickly got off the barrel, shaking her head.
"No sir! I don't want a ball." She stated, her instincts telling her to say no. Her tail betrayed her however, as it quickly swung back and forth behind her. Noticing the tail's movements, Leo figured that she must have really wanted it. She really wants it huh? I thought I told her that she doesn't have lie to me.
Leaving the scene with Raphtalia in tow, the pair quickly arrived at the nearby vendor selling the toy in question. After paying four coppers for it, Leo handed the ball over to her.
"You can play with it after our work and your training for the day is done, ok?" He asked, saying no more. Raphtalia nodded, and soon, they were underway once again. "Since it's getting late, we'll stay at a nearby inn. Is that ok with you?" He asked her, waiting for her input.
"Yes master." She stated, carrying the ball in her arms.
Once they had entered the inn, Leo walked up to the main counter and rang the small bell. "Yes yes, I'm coming!" The owner stated, entering through a side door. He gasped as soon he saw who his new patron was. "O- oh, the Shield Hero! What brings you here?" He asked in surprise.
"I'd like to rent a room for the night if that's fine. My companion tends to scream at night, so maybe a room that dampens the sound would be nice." He told the innkeeper.
"O -of course sir," the owner stuttered, the larger man clearly intimidating him by accident. After reaching for the key's, he handed them over to Leo's extended palm. "Right here sir. Third door down the hall." He said, pointing towards their new room.
"Thank you." Leo simply said, before heading to their room for the night.
As the next day came and went, a few notable events had occurred to Raphtalia that made her like her new master even more than before. The first being that he had bought her a treat that she had her eye on as they passed a food stand in the market. The next was her hair. After explaining how it was too long and messy to have in a fight, they went back to the inn, with Leo taking out a pair of scissors and spending the next half hour cutting her hair to military standards. While Raphtalia had been checking herself in the mirror at her new look, which consisted of a ponytail that was held back by a hairband that Klementyna had lost, Leo was absorbing her hair into his shield, seeing if it would unlock anything new.
Beast Tamer Shield Unlocked
Requirements Met 4/4
+ 11 DEF, +16 MAG, Increase Growth of Beast - Like Companions
Beast Tamer Shield II Unlocked
Requirements Met 10/10
+ 15 DEF, +20 MAG, Increase Growth of Beast - Like Companions II
After getting a haircut, the two went back to the restaurant they had first been to in order to get some food, which was the same as last time.
Wait, why does this taste like fish? Isn't this beef? Leo wondered. Taking a bite of the fruits on his plate, he continued to wonder what was going on. The fruit also tastes like fish? Just what the hell is going on anymore…
Once their dinner was finished, they headed back to their room, nothing else really occurring until later in the night.
As Leo was trying to work on a new recipe he discovered, universal antibiotic pills, he failed to notice that Raphtalia awoke with a start, realizing her bed was wet. As she was getting out of the bed, Leo heard the sounds of sheets moving around. Taking a quick glance behind him, he saw that she had woken up and moved out of the bed, a few tears filling her eyes. Wondering why she got up, he went over and took hold of the bed-sheets, pulling them back. In the middle of the bed lay a mediocre sized wetspot. Looking back at Raphtalia, Leo noticed that her tears had begun to intensify, and she seemed like she was bracing herself for something. Shaking his head with a sigh, he took the three steps necessary to be next to her.
As Raphtalia heard the movement, she tensed up, waiting for a possible blow to occur for wetting the bed. What she did not anticipate however, was a gentle hand running side to side on her head. Opening her eyes and looking up at Leo, she saw a smile on his face as he did his best to comfort her.
"It's ok, I know you didn't do it on purpose. Every kid wets the bed once or twice in their life, especially when they have a scary dream." He calmly stated. After taking Raphtalia and placing her on the other bed, he silently took the sheets down to the front to have them washed.
While he was gone, Raphtalia's mind went into overdrive at the scenario. He wasn't mad. He wasn't mad! He told me that all kids did it. Does that mean human kids too? It was then reality hit Raphtalia in the face, to which she quickly dug said face into the pillows. He patted my head! He really did! And he was so gentle about it too, no aggression behind it! He really does care… She thought. Around ten minutes later, Leo finally returned, the bed-sheet squeaky clean. After putting it over the mattress, he quickly cleaned up his work station and climbed in, falling asleep.
The next day, after getting some breakfast, Leo made sure to see what quality the pills were with his status magic.
Universal Antibiotic Pill x 9
Quality: Good
Affect: Cure Any Illness Inflicted Upon User
After confirming its stats, they made their way to the apothecary. Surprised at their quality and affect, they manage to sell the pills for over 28 silver. Finally, it was time to head out to the fields once more and resume training.
*SLASH* Went the blade of Raphtalia's weapon as it cut through two balloons. Leo's dagger, or so he called it, was in reality a dagger shaped knife, more specifically, a Boot Knife.
+25 XP
Level Up!
Leopold Wisnieski
Level 5
+34 XP
Level Up!
Raphtalia
Level 3
"Good attack Raphtalia. Next time, try to be quicker, you never want to give your enemy an opening." Leo informed her as he picked up the pieces and absorbed them. "Yes sir!" She exclaimed before holstering her knife. Suddenly, rustling was heard in the bush behind to them, before out jumped a rabbit looking creature.
Enemy: Wild Rabbit
Level 4
After taking a quick look, Leo stated, "Wow, this place even has enemy rabbits? That seems way too much like a vid-." He was quickly cut off when the rabbit launched itself at Raphtalia, giving off a high pitched screech. "Watch out!" Leo shouted, taking position in front of Raphtalia to catch the rabbit mid - air. "Raphtalia, now! Kill it!" He told her as the rabbit latched onto his arm.
As he looked back, Raphtalia took a few steps back in fear. "But if I do, it'll bleed! I hate blood!" She told him. Due to this statement however, her crest began to activate, shocking her.
"Raphtalia, listen up. If you cannot fight for me, then I won't be able to take care of you." He began. This statement forced Raphtalia to look up at Leo, eyes fixed with shock and fear. "A Wave is inbound soon and I need to get stronger if I am to fight it. If not, then everyone is at risk! But defending is all I can do." He gritted his teeth. "That's why I got you, kid. I need you to fight for me." He continued, the rabbit biting down on his arm. "If you can't do that, then I'll have to find someone else who can." He told her, holding the rabbit back.
"Yo- your fighting the Waves of Catastrophe?" She asked. "I don't have a choice. I'm a hero, so it's my duty to protect these people, no matter how bad they are." He replied, his face twisted into focus, holding back the rabbit.
Once those words were spoken, Raphtalia seemed more determined than ever. As she reached for her knife, the slave crest stopped, and she told him a simple "I understand," before charging towards the rabbit with all her might.
Upon hearing those words, Leo smiled, pulling the rabbit off his arm and facing it towards the now charging girl.
*SLICE!* With one solid thrust, the knife went straight through the rabbit's body, blood exploding onto Leo and Raphtalia.
+15 XP
Level Up!
Raphtalia
Level 4
Removing the knife, she stood there, panting. Then, in a voice that would make any Commander proud, she firmly stated, "Then I will fight too. Not only for you, but for the people as well! Please, don't get rid of me."
With a proud smile glued to his face, Leo replied, "You've got yourself a deal… Private."
A small bag of about 100 silver fell onto the counter of Erhard's shop. "What weapons can we get with that amount?" Leo asked the burly man.
"Hm, time to get the little lady a proper sword now, huh?" Erhard asked before walking over to a small crate of swords. "How about this? A small iron shortsword. Perfect for the little lady's size." He said.
"Sure, that'll do, thanks." Leo replied, nodding. After handing the sword to Raphtalia, Leo began to ask a question of his own. "Hey Erhard, due to what equipment we have now, are there any nearby villages or towns that we could travel to? We do need to find more places to sell our loot." Leo stated.
Taking a moment to think, Erhard soon responded, "Yeah, there's a small village nearby called Lute. I feel like that's a good place for you two to start." Leo nodded, processing the new information.
With a smile of good grace, Leo said, "Thanks. We'll get out of your hair now."
Erhard simply waved as they left, but not before realizing what Leo had just said. "Hey!"
Lute village seemed like the kind of place you would find in the countryside of early 20th century Italy. The different styles of architecture seemed all too familiar to Leo, as he had once stayed in such a place himself when visiting relatives. Visiting a street vendor, Leo took out the hide of the rabbit that Raphtalia had killed so he could analyze it for a price.
"So, how much would you say that it's worth?" Leo asked the man.
After a few seconds of checking it over, the man replied, "I would say about two silvers. Maybe three at best."
Leo quickly muttered to himself, "I mean, that's a start, but we need more. Hey, are there any nearby places that could help us earn a lot of money quickly?" Leo asked the man. "Actually there is. The nearby mines on the outskirts could get you a nice amount of money, although…" The man trailed off. "Although what?" Leo immediately asked. "Ever since the first Wave, the mines have become the home of a lot of dangerous monsters. Nobodies willing to go near that place anymore." The man told them, shrugging.
"Dangerous monsters?" Leo asked. "Yeah. I have no idea what the four summoned heroes are doing right now, but to me, it doesn't seem like much." The man told him. "Hm, alright then. Raphtalia, looks like we're going mining today." He told her.
Near the entrance to the mine was a large wooden building that looked decaying. "Hang on, let's check inside to see if we can unlock some new equipment." Leo said. "Right." Raphtalia replied before he went inside. Once inside the building, there wasn't much left except for some rope. Picking it up, Leo went to absorb it, unlocking a new shield.
Rope Shield
+15 DEF, +20 MDEF
Equip Bonus: Air Strike Shield
A rope shield? Doesn't sound like much, but you don't want to underestimate the power of ropes. Leo thought. After observing what he got further, he noticed the equip bonus that came with it. Air Strike Shield? Heh, if I'm lucky, it'll rain hell onto Myne's bitchy face. Standing up and equipping the rope shield, Leo suddenly called out, "Air Strike Shield!" Within a moment, a green glowing shield with an intricate design of an eagle with a crown appeared. Taken aback by what had actually happened, Leo was mouth agape for a moment until Raphtalia called out to him.
"Is something wrong Master?" She asked him.
"No, nothing wrong, but look at this." He replied, waving her over. Upon closer inspection, Leo pointed out something special about the ability's design. "This, Raphtalia, is the Polish Coat of Arms. I never thought I would see this design again!" He exclaimed happily.
"Uh, what's the Polish Coat of Arms?" She asked innocently.
Leo smiled before taking Raphtalia by the shoulders. "The Polish Coat of Arms symbolizes the strength of Poland, and its willingness to stand firm in the face of destruction." Leo simply explained. And with that, they left the building and finally entered the mine.
Lighting a torch, the pair began their adventure into the mine. "Remember, if any monsters come our way, we fight. We need all the levels we can get. If it gets too dangerous, pull back. I'll be right behind you." Leo said with a firm tone. Raphtalia nodded as they kept going deeper into the mine.
"Uh, master?" Raphtalia asked out of nowhere.
"Yes Raphtalia?" Leo questionably replied as they kept walking, Raphtalia following behind him.
"I was just wondering, what should I call you exactly? I mean, you're my master, but it does get old not knowing what to address you by." She explained.
Leo smirked before replying, "You can call me whatever you like. I honestly prefer Leo."
Before the conversation could continue further, a small bat monster came flying towards them. "Raphtalia, you know what to do." Leo said.
"Right." Raphtalia quickly drew her sword and took a fighting stance. Once the bat was within range, she pushed herself forward while keeping low to the ground before swinging upward, catching the bat off guard and slicing it in half.
+15 XP
Level Up!
Leopold Wisnieski
Level 7
Before Leo could check the notification, three more bats came flying towards them from the darkness. "Raphtalia, slice left!" Leo shouted as he summoned his rope shield. "Air Strike Shield!" Leo shouted, blocking the path of the bats, which caused them to slam into it. Taking the momentary stun into effect, Leo removed the ability as Raphtalia swung her sword across, killing two of the bats and fatally wounding the other. The final bat dropped to the floor and tried to jump away in a futile attempt to escape. Raphtalia had different plans however, as she quickly stabbed it from above.
Pulling out her sword from the ground and placing it back in its sheath, she went over and picked up the dropped pickaxe. As she was, Leo was checking the new notifications he got.
+60 XP
Level Up!
Leopold Wisnieski
Level 8
+90 XP
Level Up!
Raphtalia
Level 7
Taking a breath of relief for Raphtalia's safety, the duo quickly continued on. After another five minutes of walking, they came upon the entrance to the actual mine itself.
"This seems like the right place. Alright, let's get to it." Leo said. Taking the pickaxe from Raphtalia, he began to mine one of the crystals. While he was mining, Raphtalia took a look around from her position before noticing muddy footprints.
Footprints? Raphtalia simply wondered. Back with Leo, he had just finished getting the crystal out of its spot. "Hm, seems simple enough. With more time, we could make a fortune out of this. Raphtalia, what do you-" He suddenly stopped mid-speech after he turned towards the girl. Instead of finding her watching him however, her body was facing something else entirely, face twisted into fear. Turning around, Leo found out just what it was Raphtalia saw. A large dog-like creature with two heads came walking out of one of the tunnels.
Shit that thing is huge! Leo suddenly thought before unclipping the straps blocking him from his gun. Rising it to eye level, he squeezed the trigger, expecting a bullet to fly out and kill the creature. Instead, he got a shock which forced him to drop his weapon and a notification from his shield:
[Legendary Weapon Rule Violation:]
Legendary Hero cannot use weapons other than that assigned to them.
The hell?! You're telling me I can't use my gun?! Leo angrily thought. Picking up and re-holstering his pistol, he grabbed Raphtalia and jumped for the edge, falling towards the water below as the monster leaped at them. Before they could hit the water however, Leo used his rope shield to grab onto a nearby ledge, pulling both him and Raphtalia to a safe location away from the dog monster.
"Raphtalia, why did you freeze up back there?" Leo asked, worried for the girl.
"D- dog monster! It killed everyone in the village, including my parents!" She exclaimed, tears in her eyes as she was frightened beyond belief. So that's why she cries every night. Leo thought, finally understanding what caused all her trauma.
Hiding beyond a rock, Leo had begun to ask, "Raphtalia, is that the creature that killed your people?"
"No." She replied, fear being carried in her voice.
Leo sighed. "Raphtalia, listen. You're going to kill this thing, here and now. If so, then we will become stronger. We'll fight the Waves of Catastrophe so that no one else will suffer the same fate your village did. I vowed to myself to protect you, and that's what I'll do, but you need to be what I can't. You must be my weapon." Leo told her. She stared at his covered eyes as they stared back. Almost as if a light switch went off in her head, Raphtalia's eyes grew firm as she drew her sword. "Ready?" Leo simply asked. She nodded. "Then let's do this!" He shouted, jumping across the gap into the beast's path. In response, the beast charged towards him as well, one head slamming into the shield. The second however had other plans, coming down and biting him on his shoulder. It wouldn't stay like that for long though, as Raphtalia came flying forward, digging her sword into one of its necks.
Recoiling in pain, Raphtalia was launched off, her sword still clutched tightly in her hands. As the monster turned to attack her, Leo was not going to let that happen. "Air Strike Shield!" Leo shouted, the familiar green aura blocking the monster's leap. "Raphtalia, NOW!" He ordered. Raphtalia did not waste another second as she got up and charged the wild beast. The moment she was close enough, she dug her sword deep into the beast's chest, piercing its heart. As the dog - like monster fell over dead, Raphtalia just sat there, breathing heavily.
"Good job kid." Leo said, heavily panting himself.
+340 XP
Level Up!
Leopold Wisnieski
Level 13
+430 XP
Level Up!
Raphtalia
Level 12
Slowly getting up while clutching his wound, Leo made his way over to Raphtalia just as she stood up. The second they were next to each other, Leo immediately brought her into a hug, giving her another head pat.
Tears formed into her eyes as she quickly hugged him tight. "I- I was so scared that you were going to die, Master Leo. Please, don't take risks like that. Don't leave me alone." She told him through watery eyes.
"Ok, I won't. And don't worry, I'm not leaving you, I could never leave you Raphtalia." He said genuinely, smiling down at her. "If you attack and I defend, we can keep each other safe, ensuring that neither of us die. The Wave will eventually be upon us, so we have to keep going, no matter what lies ahead." Leo said. "We'll leave here after I put this creature into my shield, so c'mon, let go, I need to get my backpack." He told her.
She promptly responded with a small voice, "Just a few more minutes." Still hugging her, Leo could only sigh in response.
She conquered both of her fears within the same day. I couldn't be more proud of her. For such a small little girl, she is becoming stronger than any person I knew. She'll make a fine addition yet.
Author's Note: And that wraps up chapter 4! This was honestly the most difficult chapter to write so far, as I tried to do new things and add more dialogue to the story. Also, here is what I originally had in mind for the fight, so I hope you enjoy the extra content. Stay safe, bye!
In another time, she would have screamed. She would have frozen up, and only been able to move out of fear. But not today. Today, she no longer felt fear, only anger. Anger at this beast that looked similar to that of the one that attacked her village. Anger for all the people that this monster must have killed before they arrived. Anger at her lack of ability to do anything to help protect her people. Today, that all changed. With a face full of anger, resentment, and hatred, she stood up, taking out her sword and gripping it as tight as she could. Leo quickly made his way to her, getting into a fighting stance of his own.
With speed that even Leo didn't know she had, Raphtalia charged forward, intending to kill the monster. "Raphtalia, look out!" Leo cried. A bright glowing shield suddenly appeared next to her, blocking one of the heads that went to strike. Using this to her advantage, Raphtalia leaped onto the shield before stabbing the head from the top. As the head lifted itself up in an attempt to free itself from its painful fate, but gravity had other plans. The faster she was lifted, the quicker gravity dragged her blade downwards, causing half of the beast's neck to be ripped open, causing it immense pain. The other head went on the offensive, trying to grab the girl. Leo was not going to let that happen however, as he blocked the other head mid attack. Raphtalia, who had let her sword stay buried in the neck of the first head, took out her knife and stabbed the beast in the eye. As the large giraffe-like neck recoiled in pain, Leo took this chance to pull out his gun. Unclipping the strap from its holster, Leo took hold of his Glock - 18 pistol. Pulling the trigger, Leo expected a bullet to come flying out and kill the monster. Instead, he got a shock and notification from his shield:
[Legendary Weapon Rule Violation:]
Legendary Hero cannot use weapons other than that assigned to them.
Oh you've gotta be fucking joking. That comes up NOW of all times?! Leo thought. Picking up his gun and putting back into his holster, he looked around for Raphtalia. Once he saw her, he could help but smile as she dug the knife deep into the heart of the creature, killing it.