Author's Note: Alright, welcome back to the story everyone. As per usual, welcome all newcomers or returning readers! Without further adieu, chapter 11!
Disclaimer: I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or any of its characters, only my own.
"Dialogue."
"Writing."
Thoughts.
August 28, 2020
"I cannot believe it. Just yesterday, Raphtalia expressed her love for me, and I her. I was surprised at first, but I'm sure she was more so when I actually returned the feelings. After everything we've been through together, I feel closer to her than anyone. Well, almost anyone. I still wonder if Klementyna misses me, or if she has moved on from my disappearance. I can only express a finite amount of hope that she will read the book and get pulled into this world too. Once a Pole, always a Pole."
- Private First Class Wisnieski
Closing his journal, Leo looked over at two pieces of jewelry that he had made. One appeared as a golden bracelet with a shining green gem, while the other had a similar look to that of a hair pin. It was thanks to Hickwaal that I was even able to make them. Maybe when we get another proper place to relax I can give it to them. With a smile, Leo pocketed the items before leaving the carriage to the sight of a large bird and humanoid raccoon.
"Alright Mast- I mean Leo, we're all set to go. If you need some breakfast, Filo here made sure to leave you enough." Raphtalia informed the man as she began to clean up their campsite.
"Thanks a lot Filo." Leo said playfully with an eye roll. She just performed a mock winged salute. Shaking his head, Leo took a clean bowl and poured himself some stew. Not an actual breakfast meal, but it works.
Sitting down on a log, Leo was just about to dig into his meal when someone coming down the road got caught in his peripheral vision. Looking up, he saw that it was two people, an older woman who seemed to be in her 50's, while the child next to her looked to be in his early teen years. The woman had a large backpack and a stick which she was using to help her walk. No doubt that pack is heavy for her.
Raphtalia, upon noticing the two travelers as they got closer, immediately welcomed them to their camp. Without a second thought, Leo got up and went over to the older lady, handing her his bowl of stew due to how tired she seemed.
The old lady seemed grateful for the action. "Thank you, young man. It has been a long and hard few days for us."
"Don't sweat it ma'am," Leo waved her off, "You two seemed like you required some assistance, so that's exactly what I and my group wish to do." He replied with a kind and concerned face. "If you don't mind me asking, why were you on the road? To our knowledge, the nearest village from here is that one over by the mountain." He then asked their guests.
"That's the thing kind sir, we're from the mentioned village. And if you plan on going there, you best turn back now." The teenage boy said, his face striking Leo as depressed or lost.
"And why's that, if you don't mind telling us." Raphtalia asked the two. If the boy was warning them of something, then it was better to be safe than sorry.
"The village, our village, got hit with a devastating plague that swept through like locusts. Even our village elder fell ill to it. We left before anyone else, but last we heard, many people had already died." The old woman informed them. Raphtalia and Leo turned to look at each other before nodding.
"Don't worry ma'am, we're going to help your village the best we can." Leo said with determination. "Fireteam Eagle, we have a mission, let's get a move on. Filo, to that village!" Leo ordered, pointing to the mountain village. Giving her master and party member a moment to get on the driver's seat, Filo immediately set off with the cart and its two passengers in tow.
On the way there, Leo took something out that he never thought he would use. "Raphtalia, gas mask on. If it's a proper plague, then we can't risk getting infected. I'm almost positive this will be worse than the miracle seed." Leo commanded. Without a word, Raphtalia quickly took out her own gas mask before putting it on, pressing the button that allowed for normal communication.
The gas masks themselves were a deep sage color with a single glass piece for optimal vision. Once the masks were on and they confirmed that oxygen was coming through, Leo held Raphtalia's hand as they neared their destination, which she quickly reciprocated.
Leo took the lead and began formalizing a plan for their arrival. "Alright, here's the plan. Once we arrive, we gain intel on the current situation: Plague's origin, infected count, medicine count, everything. If there is a proper source for this disease, then we leave the townsfolk with medical and magical supplies so they can continue their healing, while we head out to dispose of whatever is causing this." Leo concluded. With their plan now in place, Filo finally made it to the front entrance. The moment the group came up the small incline, they saw just how horrible the situation truly was.
The buildings were slowly falling apart, with many having holes in the walls. The few people they could see appeared miserable, as if they've had to endure this for a long time. Hell, even the air seemed darker. My God, just what the hell actually happened up here? Leo thought in dismay.
In a building near the entrance stood a man who seemed older than the woman who met Leo at their campsite. Standing outside his doorway, he saw a group entering his village, two of which had strange masks covering their face, the third was a large bird pulling the cart, a filolial, no doubt.
Facing his attention towards the person who appeared to be a man, the old man asked, "Why, hello there stranger. What brings you to a God forsaken place like this?" His confusion was evident in his voice.
"We're a group of traveling merchants, and we're here to help. We heard of a plague hitting this town, so we brought food and medicine. Whatever this village needs, we should be able to provide." The man with the mask replied. The old man was surprised. How was he able to talk with a mask like that? It was the large filolial that made him suddenly realize something.
"Wait, is that? Yes, it must be! You're the Savior of the Heavenly Fowl!" The old man exclaimed. He took off and began running into the town, shouting for the doctor to come forth and meet their new savior. A minute later, a man in white robes came out of a larger building. Must be where they're keeping the infected.
Leo and his companions met the man halfway, which gave the doctor a chance to ask some questions. "Are you truly the Savior of the Heavenly Fowl?"
Leo nodded, stating, "Yes, that is true. We met some people who left this town just down the mountain. They told us of the situation, so we came as fast as we could." This confirmation made the doctor's hope soar, with his face contorting into one of excitement. Our savior has truly come! We're saved!
Reaching the building, the doctor let Leo and Raphtalia step inside before following. The first thing they noticed was how dull the color of the bricks were, stimulating an environment of an isolated disease. Good, they're keeping it contained. Opening a door, the two soldiers were introduced to a room full of people laying on beds. Many of the people were coughing, most of them bandaged, some with blood trailing from their mouths.
Leo couldn't help but mutter to himself. "It's almost exactly like the miracle seed."
A nurse then stepped forward and greeted the two. Upon noticing the doctor behind them, she expressed her confusion. "Oh, doctor, are they with you?" The man nodded, informing the nurse of their new guests current status as merchants.
Leo took out a bottle of medicine from his backpack, Raphtalia doing the same with one that Leo had bought for her at the inn at the hot springs. "Alright, Raphtalia, you get that side." Leo said, pointing two fingers to the right side of the room. "I got this one." He continued as he pointed a thumb to his left.
"Yes sir." She replied simply, her mind going from casual adventurer to solid soldier to less than a second. With a nod, Leo went to provide the nearest patient a sip of the potion, Raphtalia doing the same on her end.
Pouring some of the potion into the sick man's mouth, he quickly drank the refreshing liquid before glowing. His pain stricken face turned to that of comfort and relief. The doctor and nurse were amazed at how quick and effective Leo's potions were. Without skipping a beat, Leo and Raphtalia moved on to their second, third, and fourth patients, eventually reaching the end of the room.
Stunned beyond belief, neither the doctor nor the nurse could utter anything as they stared at Leo and Raphtalia.
"Raphtalia, let's give them some extra potions and some pills for future events. Go have Filo bring the cart around." Leo told her before walking up to the two medical professionals. "We're going to lend you what we can in case something like this happens in the future. Is there a place where we can store it?" He asked them.
"Y- yes sir, O' Savior. In the building just next to us." The doctor replied. With a nod, Leo stepped outside, the Filo and Raphtalia awaiting his arrival.
Pointing to the building, which looked like a mix between a shed and storage house, Leo began speaking. "Alright, let's get some of our crates off loaded. The doc said we could store some of it in there." Raphtalia and Filo quickly and effectively began a train to pass three crates of healing potions and a crate of pills to Leo for him to store them.
Once the last crate was stored the doctor and nurse approached them. "We can't thank you enough for your help. Please, take this as a token of gratitude." The doctor told Leo, a grateful smile on his face. Taking the bag, Leo quickly understood that it was money.
"I can't accept this." Leo informed the two as he kept his tone neutral. The medical professionals seemed shocked.
"B- but we don't have much more to give. We could try to get some bu-" Leo cut the nurse off before she could continue.
"That's not what I meant," Leo said, "What I actually meant by that was, I can't accept it, as you people need it more. I have a good amount of money, but due to how dire your situation is, you'll need it more." He concluded as he gave the bag back to the nurse.
Stuttering, the doctor bowed before Leo. "T- thank you so much O' Savior! You truly are the kindest man throughout Melromarc!" He exclaimed. Leo placed a hand on his shoulder before asking the million dollar question.
"No need to bow, but I do need information. Where did this infection come from?" He asked, his breathing within his gas mask noticeable from the close distance shared between him and the doctor.
The nurse was the one to inform them this time. "We believe that the wind that comes down from the mountain is what carried this plague into our home. For many years, there was a dragon who lived atop the mountain. His name was Gaelion, and he protected our village from the waves, due to our relative isolation from the rest of the kingdom. But around a month ago, the sword hero came by and killed him…" The nurse said, the venom in her voice unable to make her sadness for the dragon's death. "We do not know why he did it, but we could not stop him. Soon after, adventurers from all around came to see the sword's hero's "triumph." She said in disgust.
At the mention of the dragon, Filo's eyes became slightly filled with anger. "Did he at least clean up the body?" Leo asked, hoping common knowledge about decomposition crossed Ren's mind.
The nurse shook her head. "No. By the time we found out about the plague, it was too late. Many adventurer's fell ill, with most dying. We quickly found out that our guardian's blood was poisoned due to his rotting flesh, and the wind carried the disease down to our village."
"Oh for fuck's sake Ren…" Leo trailed off. "Alright, we'll see what we can do about the body. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry for your village's loss." He watched the nurse silently nod before the doctor led her back inside. "Raphtalia, Filo, load up! We're going up the mountain to dispose of a mighty warrior's body. Filo, I know of your hatred for dragons, but do NOT let that get in the way of the process, as in, you cannot eat it." Leo ordered as he climbed on.
"Hmpf, okay..." The bird replied. Once Leo helped Raphtalia up onto the cart, they were off to fix Ren's mistake.
"So the sword hero, his name is Ren?" Raphtalia asked Leo as they traveled further into the mountain.
"Yeah, and here I thought he was the smartest of the other three heroes." Leo replied, a bit frustrated at having to clean up the teen's mess. "Regardless, we're here now. It's a good thing I had Erhard make some copies of my equipment, especially your gas mask. "
Smiling, she quickly held his hand before speaking. "And it's another part of the long list of things I owe you for saving and guiding me." Leo smiled as he squeezed back.
"Master, up ahead. There's lots of bad monsters!" Filo exclaimed, dragging both Leo and Raphtalia's attention to the front. Indeed, ahead of them was a large gathering of animals and monsters with glowing red eyes.
Even if we shoot them all, that'll be time wasted for the villagers. Guess we've got to go with plan B. Holding a hand out to Filo, Leo began an incantation for a spell he had learned earlier that morning. "As Shield Hero and Guardian of the Innocent, I order thee. Decipher the laws of nature and defend my target. Fast guard!" Once he was finished, a green glow emancipated from Filo. "Filo, charge! Run them down and do not stop!" Leo ordered.
With a smile, she replied with "Ok!" before running as fast and hard as she could. The wall of creatures stood no chance, as the large bird broke their ranks in seconds, causing many to be shot away due to the sheer force of the birds' impact. After breaking through the crowd, the trio quickly found their way to the top.
Getting off, they quickly climbed the final slope. Even with a mask on, Leo couldn't help but feel how dense the air was, noting how sickly the environment must be for such an event. Looking up, the trio gazed onto a massive corpse. The blue color had faded, with blood and flies surrounding the beast.
So this is Gaelion. Such a godlike beast's fall saddens me, and I'm sure Raphtalia feels the same way. "Alright, let's get to it. Raphtalia, you have the arms, I'll get the legs. Filo," Leo said before turning around. Instead of having a bird waiting to be told to do something, Leo was instead greeted to the sight of her eating. This bird I swear… "Filo, listen up. You're going to break down the torso and head. Remember, no eating it."
Filo smiled, swallowed, and replied. "Okie dokie!" Leo sighed before turning back and walking towards Gaelion, a hatchet in hand.
Before they could begin, Leo and Raphtalia saw the flies surrounding the corpse buzz off in haste. Glancing at the head, a red glow began to form in the empty eye socket, while the flowing blood quickly seeped back to its owner. A portion of the broken skin began reforming before the dragon finally stood up.
"No no no, a dragon ZOMBIE?!" Leo shouted. Of all things in this world, he did not expect this. There were not stories back in Europe of dragons coming back to life, so this was a whole new part of the experience. Raising his head to the heavens, Gaelion let out a large roar, making all the birds within a mile radius fly away in terror. A new flicker appeared on Leo's HUD.
GEaliOn ReBoRN
LeVEl: -?
"Pull back, pull back! Find some cover!" Leo shouted as he and Raphtalia began running away for the slope. Before they could reach it, Filo came flying over them, a fire burning in her eyes. Shit, Filo! "Filo, pull back now! Don't charge that thing dammit!" Leo ordered her. What she did made Leo almost want to strangle her.
Filo leapt towards the dragon, completely going against Leo's orders. "Die dragon, die!" She exclaimed, as she went to attack its head. Gaelion, seeing her move, opened his mouth in anticipation for her attack. Once Filo was close enough, Gaelion went to bite, but Filo kicked him from above, her talon scratching his left eye, rendering it less effective from the hit.
"Oh thank God. Filo, get back here!" Looking past Filo, Leo saw a purple mist begin to erupt from Gaelions mouth. Switching to his Breath of Death Shield, Leo gave an order that was filled with slight worry. "Both of you, behind me, now!" Moving as fast as they could, Raphtalia and Filo stood behind Leo as he raised his shield. The wave of poisonous gas hit Leo's shield like a truck. Even with his mask on, he could feel the air become slightly more difficult to breath in. Fuck, that attack almost overdid the filter. We can't last for long against this thing, even with my tech.
Turning to Raphtalia, he had to make sure she was ok. She seemed to understand his action, as she gave him a quick thumbs up, her breathing normal as well. Leo then felt a rush of wind pass him. Facing front, he saw Filo charging in once more. "Filo! Pull back! NOW! That's an order! Do not let your hatred get in the way of... shit."
Filo's response frustrated Leo even further about her behavior. "Don't worry master, I got this! Take this dragon!" She shouted before kicking Gaelion in the head once more.
"Dammit Filo. Raphtalia, pistol, now! Help her out!" He ordered. In a flash, Raphtalia pulled out her pistol and began firing, the 9mm bullets smashing against Gaelions skin. Some of the bullets managed to penetrate his hide, while others either scratched or bounced off his thick scales.
Turning towards Raphtalia, he went for a strike, swinging his right arm at the raccoon. Leo tried to move and block the attack, but was too late. Gaelion's claw made contact with her as she tried to dodge, sending her flying backwards towards the rocks behind Leo.
To the soldier, time seemed to slow down. The dust in the air, the fight between bird and beast, everything. Leo knew what he had to do, so without any hesitation, he abandoned the battle for a moment. Running as fast as he could, he reached Raphtalia in record time.
Gazing upon her body, her uniform was torn in many places, while her left leg appeared broken. Worst of all however, was the fact that the visor of her mask was shattered. Before Leo could do anything, Gaelion's poisonous breath filled the air around them, which in turn, made Leo's heart drop.
When the purple smoke cleared, the effects that it had were worse than Leo could have ever imagined. Her torn uniform allowed for the gas to come into contact with her skin, which now had burn - like marks all throughout her body,neck, and face. The coughing was even worse. It was rough, and her breathing became labored. Leo only had one concept in mind that was similar in its effects: Mustard gas.
Oh fuck, no no no. No! No longer caring for what truly happened to him with the poison, Leo replaced Raphtalia's gas mask with his own before clipping the broken one to his vest. Grabbing her under the arms, he dragged her unconscious form behind the rock she hit. Taking two pills, which were great quality healing and antibiotics, he pulled up her new mask and placed the healing one into her mouth before providing her water. Once she swallowed, he did the same with the antibiotic.
The pills did their job, with her breathing quickly becoming normal once more, all the while her coughing slowly subsiding, with the color in her skin returning. Thank you, God. Thank you. Leo was grateful that the pills had worked, unsure if they would due to the heavy amounts of gas she had breathed in. The burns, on the other hand, were not fading. It was then another notification popped up on his HUD.
Curse Affliction: Lingering Death
Curse may only be dispelled with healing effect of Holy status.
A curse? The hell is this? And Holy status? Like Holy Water? Leo was dragged out of his thoughts when he heard a war cry that could almost rival Raphtalia's. Almost.
Looking up, Leo saw Filo fly through the air and deliver the final blow, her kick finally snapping Gaelions neck, killing him.
At last, the beast falls. I bid you a great afterlife, Lord Gaelion. Leo thought for a moment. Turning his attention back to Raphtlia, he saw her eyes slowly flutter open in an attempt to block the bright sunlight, while also trying to sit up slightly.
Pushing her back down to the ground, Leo caught her attention with his voice. "Easy, easy. You took a hard hit, rougher than any other so far. The pills I gave you can only do so much." He said before taking her hand. "Don't ever scare me like that again."
Smiling, she returned the gesture. "No promises sir. You of all people know how dangerous fieldwork is." She wittily replied. With a light scoff and roll of the eyes, he took her hand and helped her up, if only so she could sit on the rock.
Glancing over to Gaelion's body, Raphtalia reminded the others of why they were there in the first place. "Come on, we still have a body to dispose of." She said, a small cough escaping her.
Leo immediately shot down the idea with a shake of the head. "No, you come first." before she could retort, he was already taking up his role as the leader. "Filo, take Raphtalia back to the carriage and give her more healing potions to fix that cough of hers completely, be careful with the mask. I'll take care of the dragon's body, so get me one of the barrels of lantern oil."
"Yes master! Come on Raphtalia." Filo replied as she let Raphtalia slide onto her back. Since the cart was barely even fifty feet away, she managed to supply Leo with the oil in no time at all before heading back to treat Raphtalia.
Walking up to Gaelion's corpse, Leo felt remorse for the dragon. Before covering the body and burning it, he removed some of the scales and unlocked a rather unique shield.
Dragonian Shield
+79 DEF, +94 MDEF
Equip Bonus: MAG Resistance (High), AGI Bonus (Low)
Satisfied, Leo began the slow process of completely covering the body with fuel. After a grueling ten minutes of labor, he took out a match, lit it, and threw it onto the fuel covered corpse. The heat was intense, but Leo knew better than to be affected. While he went to sit on a nearby rock to watch the burn and pay respects, Filo and Raphtalia saw the blaze from the wagon and stared in awe, the fire giving a majestic vibe to Gaelion.
The fall of a fellow guardian is saddening to say the least. Next time I get into contact with Ren, he'll have some explaining to do. Leo thought as time trickled away. The body did not take long to burn, as the rotting flesh sped up the process. The tinted blue hide blended with the orange blaze of the fire, creating an intertwining coordination of colors. After thirty minutes, the heat began to die down as the body turned to ash. With a sigh, Leo got up and went back to the cart, unaware of the purple glow that engulfed a portion of Gaelions cremated body.
Returning to their mode of transportation, Leo went inside to find Raphtalia seemingly healthy, however the burns still had not left her.
"Alright, we're done here. Let's get back down to the village, see if the doctor has any holy water or something to heal those burns." Leo said, his voice stoic, serious, and calm somehow all at the same time. Both of his female companions were surprised by his tone, Raphtalia never having heard him like that before. Without so much as a peep, Filo transformed into her filolial form and began their decent down back to Dragon Village.
Sitting across from her, Leo placed a hand upon her shoulder. "Hey, don't worry. We did the right thing and helped Gaelion. And now we're going to help you. So with that, how're you feeling?" He asked Raphtalia.
She kept her sad stare, her thoughts going back to Gaelion and his first death. "I'm feeling… odd. I can feel the curse's existence, but it's like I can't physically feel it, nor is there any pain internally or externally." She replied in an informative tone. Leo simply nodded, having nothing more to say for the time being. Taking her hand, he laid her down onto the floor of the cart and placed a blanket over her. Getting the message, she closed her eyes and fell asleep, the medicine and battle fatigue having drained her energy, despite the cart's rocking movement.
The group had returned to the village in half the time it took to ascend the mountain. The first thing Leo did was went to fetch the village doctor. Barging into the clinic, he found the man sitting at a desk, the nurse sitting nearby.
"Doctor, I need you. If you have any holy water, potion, spell, whatever, get out here. Now." Leo spoke, his voice carrying such authority that the doctor had never heard before. Stuttering, no proper words formed within his mouth, but he eventually got up with some bandages, the nurse having retrieved some holy water. The doctor, upon entering the back of the cart with the bandages and holy water, saw Raphtalia laying under a blanket with some burns covering her face.
Leo moved the blanket off the raccoon and motioned for the doctor to get to work. Once the doctor had dipped all the bandages into the holy water, he began the process of wrapping the cloth around Raphtalia's arms, left leg, neck, and forehead. Looking into his HUD, Leo saw the curse's effects lower slightly, but only by a fraction.
"I've done what I can, however, our holy water is simply not pure enough to fight such a curse." The doctor informed. Getting up, he made his way to take a seat across from the man.
Concern and worry covered Leo's face. "Is there any place that does have such holy water?" He asked, at which the doctor nodded.
"There should be. If you head to a large town or the city, look for a church. They should have the holy water necessary for your companion's situation."
With a sigh of relief, Leo just smiled. "Thank you, sir, for all you have done. Helping your people and mine must have not been an easy task. You truly deserve your title as doctor." The doctor was left with a sense of pride as he left the trio.
With his exit, Leo pulled Raphtalia's blanket up so it covered her torso before giving her a quick kiss on the forehead. Going to the driver's seat, he planned on getting a head start to the capital, the only place to his knowledge with a church. Not surprising though, was the fact that Filo had taken this time to sleep as well. With a shake of his head, Leo came to terms with how rough the day had been, so for now, it was better to rest.
Today was one big clusterfuck. From the plague, to Gaelions reanimation, to Raphtalia's curse… Yeah, Ren is going to have some heavy explaining to do when I find him. Leo thought as he went to the back. Grabbing a blanket, he laid down on one of the seats. Taking off his helmet, he pulled up a pillow and slowed his breathing. Soon enough, he was also asleep, with one helluva day behind him.
Author's Note: And that wraps up chapter 11! There's not really much for me to say right here, so uh, yeah. Stay safe, bye!