So I am back after a month off… Anywho, welcome back everyone, the Opulent Neckbeard here, and a new chapter is on the horizon. Also ignore the egg thing in the last chapter, I forgot it hatched there instead of here, so yea….
First order of business, Shield Hero Seasons 2 and 3 have been officially announced as of writing this chapter, so yay for more content as I will largely be sticking to the Anime, and letting things be from the novels when necessary or some extra context is needed.
Also Heaven and Earth is yours, Fatalis, Fatalis!!! (I have yet to beat Rajang lol, working on it though, should get to Safi soon, maybe)
Secondly, Reviews:
Setokayba2n) Eah, not overly interested in FE in general outside a handful of characters, namely Lucina and Roy.
GundamDemon) Well you're in luck, here is chapter 5.
Thirdly is the usual "What should I do" section of the story. This doesn't just mean this story either, I read all the reviews to all my stories when I can, so any feedback or suggestions are appreciated. I would be a poor author if I didn't cater to the people I write for in some regards, right? So I have a couple of ideas I want to throw around.
The first one is an idea I started in the end of chapter 4 with story ideas as I wish to replace one of mine with another. I would like those who wish to partake in voting may in the reviews. Those stories are:
Light in the Demonic Dark v3 (Destiny x Demon Slayer)
Is it Wrong for an Avenger to be in a Dungeon? (Fate x Danmachi)
A Hunter's Guide to the Dungeon (Monster Hunter World x Danmachi)
An alternate form of Euphoric Aura, the story I am replacing? (May keep the Touhou crossover aspect.)
Or maybe a new one that fits in line with my previous works? Let me know in the reviews.
That should be enough for me for now, so onto what you guys came here for.
Chapter 5: New Looks, Same Terrifying Power
(1 week after the Gaelion incident)
Training Ava and our little pet… err, companion? Whatever it is at this point had been going rather well. I only got to Level 85 so far, but Ava is approaching level 50 already, and… I seriously need to think of a name for them. Anyways, they are at level 40, and need to class up.
That is why we came back to the Castle Town for a visit. While it sounded good and all, I might have ran into a roadblock or two when we got there….
Firstly was the fact that something was preventing us from going into the walls as there were guards, and a magic field that I couldn't fly through. We were stopped by a couple of spears, and the guards didn't seem too sure of themselves when I happened to arrive.
"Umm, sirs? Why is the city blocked off?" I asked politely, and the guards seemed to relax some sing as I wasn't mad at them.
"An order was put up to block the city off from the Sapphire Hero and their party by the first Princess." One guard said, growing more and more nervous as he spoke.
I had to deadpan a bit, but hearing about the redhead did make me curious rather than angered this time. "Is it the PTSD?" I asked, getting a couple of confused looks. "I think it stands for something involving mental trauma, it's a common thing in wars from what I'm told." I didn't know the details entirely, but Ava helped me when she could, so I wasn't oblivious.
The guards talked among themselves for a while before looking back to me. They nodded at my question finally, and I giggled a little.
"I just wanted to stop by so my little big pet can get a class up. They hit level 40 today, and I knew where here was." I said before I began to sense I was being watched by a few people, and not the civilian kind.
"That is certainly a shame, miss. The closest place would have to be Faubrey, but I would recommend not going there due to the King there taking a fancy to young women." A younger guard said, simply keeping his post.
"Can't it still be done here, or is it one of those cases where I have to look elsewhere?" I asked as I noticed Ava's ears beginning to twitch, never a good sign.
"If we could get the hourglass to cooperate to that level, then we would be more than happy to help, but it can't be moved." A more seasoned guard said.
"I should take a look then to see if I can find anything over the horizon." I said, using my wings to take to he skies, but I soon felt a sting on my neck, followed by my vision fading to black. The last thing I heard was panic before that too faded to obscurity.
(???)
'I'm here again? Please don't tell me that I died again! Things were just starting to go smoothly!
Might as well see what is going on here… like I have anything better to do for now.'
The world around me seems to fade a bit after walking around some, or at least the most that was present did, revealing an odd island of sorts. Part forest, part volcano, part icy tundra. It was jarring but beautiful at the same time, a place I would like to visit properly in the future.
I didn't fail to not notice a few people looking around for something or sharpening weapons. The human that killed me was there with a thin, but vibrant blade of sorts instead of the heavy cannon thing they carried. She looked to also have gotten some upgrades in the looks department with the armor she chose. I then noticed something off the hat she wore, and it looked to be a little plush me nestled in the rim of the hat, looking over.
'Awww, she remembered me. I hope we meet on better terms next time, Hunter.' A smile grew on my face, but another person there grabbed my attention, and I wanted what they had. They looked so cool!
It was mainly black and blue in color with a big hat, and what looked like a different version of my shroud. It made them look like… what did those dark clothed people call themselves? Shadows? I only heard in passing when the queen was mentioned, so I don't know. However it was a bit flashy for one of them.
I wouldn't mind having something like that though, and it reminds me of Ryuuinu, so it will be like we're almost siblings, though am I technically it's mom? Now that I think of it, that sounds a little awkward. The hairstyle however, I won't be able to replicate it, but I can do with a haircut. Maybe Ava can do it when I find her.
Other than those two, it was almost too calm to my liking. As if by my thoughts, I noticed that what looked like a Wave was hitting that area, leaving them and the local wildlife or monsters to put asides their differences, and defend their territory. So my original home is suffering too? That's a bummer since I can't help them too.
Fellow Elders were there however, and they looked and felt powerful. One used the winds to create draconic tempests, a couple lit the world ablaze in a sea of red and blue, another manipulated the Ice masterfully, and the last took to the rivers, calling upon the storms to aid them in battle. I remembered their names too.
Kushala Daora
Teostra and Lunastra
Velkhana
And Namielle.
Alongside the humans, they took quite the amount of time to kill a chimera, as well as the mobs that accompany them. I honestly felt proud of them, but my vision began to blur. It seems like this dream would have to end now, but I had a new little bit of information I think, so not all was lost.
And with those thoughts, I slowly awoke.. somewhere.
(Castle City?)
The room was dark, and I felt sore as chains were hung around my arms and legs. I then heard some footsteps in front of me in a paced manner, followed by some grumbling.
"Gah!! Why won't you wake up, you useless Demi?! How can I torture you without you being conscious to feel the humiliation you put me through?!" A voice said, very clearly Redhead's "Then again, I could just kill you now, as well as that mutt and the former maid, that would save me some trouble in the long run."
I remained quiet, but my hair was quickly changing to red, my wings beginning to show their constellation patterns while folded up. This was her play to get back at me, wasn't it? I heard a few other voices speak with her as they didn't notice what was going on with me yet. Something about the Church of the Three Heroes is what I heard clearly enough, but other parts were muffled. All I caught on was that there was a plan against Naofumi to get him killed if they could get through to me.
I remained still as I became fully aware, putting some dragon energy into my ears to hear them better.
"What happens if the prophecy remains true?"
"Is it possible for the legends to happen again?"
"Let's just kill her before she gets too powerful for us to handle."
"She's just a child, let gods bless her instead."
"Death is a blessing to lesser beings like her, humans are truly the ones who shall rule over them."
That's when I heard something else rumble, this time from the doors. Of course they locked them off from outside help. Looks like I need to take care of this before they get too greedy with things.
' Malty has the Sapphire Empress's attention '
Everyone froze as they slowly turned to look at me, looking on in horror as I opened my eyes to see them. The shackles meant nothing to my strength as they easily broke apart, causing me to land on the ground. Outside of the candles there, my hair and wings were the only things radiating light in that room.
"I made your dad a promise, and now I have to keep it…" I said as I started to float on up with my wings. "And without Naofumi here to blame this on, you're more hopeless than a poor Jagras… no, that is too good for you, they can fight back." I said, building up most of my reserve energy.
' Use Star of the Sapphire Empress?'
[ Yes]
[ -8000 MP]
Aiming my hands above my head, my Dragon Energy begins to compact in on itself, swirls of dark blue convening on a singularity of white-blue while the poor group could only hope to pray for safety. Little did they know their God was in front of them, fresh out of mercy. Wow… that sounds too much like that Black Dragon, Fatalis was it?
Dark tones aside, eventually it all built up to a point where the energy could be released. I let it gently fall to add that much more tension. A sapphire star plummeting towards oblivion in a sense, and if music were to be playing before I did this, it would stop when I dropped it.
As soon as the ball of condensed dragon energy touched the floor, a brilliant explosion enveloped the room. In the shadows was the imagery of my true form on the walls, a nice touch if you ask me. Those smart enough to hide behind the contraption to hold me managed to survive unscathed, but those like Malty…
Well they're dead now, no beating around the bush. Not even ash remained from those ones. On the plus side, the room is sparkly clean now, so there's that. I was also drained from that attack, not enough to pass out again, but enough to not be able to fight at 100%. I think looked to those who managed to survive, my expression being neutral under the unnatural blue glow the room has taken.
"Please never speak of this event, or do anything like that again? You were smart enough to survive, so keep that up. I believe you can change for the better." I ended with a faint smile as the feeling of elation of getting rid of Malty was hitting me. As I headed for the door, I couldn't help but notice something odd.
"BLESSED BE TO THE SAPPHIRE EMPRESS!! MAY YOUR PATH OF DESTRUCTION LEAD US TO SALVATION!!!" They all said with passion I could only imagine can be described as insanity as they then bowed. While I like praise, this was weird.
"Ummm, can you please stop that? You're making me feel weird about this…" I said with a nervous tone. "Just don't talk about this, and I will leave you alone." I said before I ended up just sort of leaving. I had priorities I needed to tend to, and first was finding my companions. I managed to find at least the way up the stares to the utter shock of the Nuns and the fancy hat guy, expecting it to be Malty.
"Miss Sapphire Hero, where is the second princess? The fancy hat guy asked, all too calm about things.
"Dead, along with several other people. Only about 5 people survived down there." I said, not even considering my words really. "They threatened to torture me, and kill my companions for being a 'damned Demi.'"
Everyone else was stunned into silence as I walked past them. Some seemed ready to attack, but I heard whispers of 'another time and what not.
"You know I have enhanced senses, right? I can hear your ill intentions." I said, deadpanning slightly, causing them to shut up again. "Look, I noticed you guys notice me as a threat, but I'm more focused on keeping you alive than to well… do what happened downstairs. So can we please not get into a huge 'blame the dragon because she is dangerous' song and dance?" I then asked before deciding to actually leave. I had other business to attend to.
Most notable is that Aultcray needs to know what his daughter had gotten herself in. Now free from the incessant black clothed people, and the church people, I headed straight for the castle. I knew there wasn't any beating around the bush, I headed to the throne room, only to see that a couple other people were there as well. They looked scared of me at first, but I then had to speak up.
"Your Majesty, I have some important news to give, but you have to promise not to get mad first." I said, even bowing to appease the two unknowns.
"Very well, what news could possibly anger me?" Aultcray asked.
"Remember that promise I made about what would happen to the First Princess should she interfere with me or the other heroes?" I asked, and I knew that he was not prepared to bite that pill just yet. "I had no other choice but to use my strength for the betterment of this world. I am deeply, and truly sorry."
"You killed the First Princess?!" one noble asked, clearly shocked by this revelation. "How could you? She was an angel!"
"Do angels threaten to torture and kill off one of the heroes destined to save this world from ruin? Let alone in the basement of a church with several of the workers there?" I asked flatly, already annoyed by them.
"Enough!" Aultcray yelled, his temper finally going off. "I will not sit here while you two bicker about the morality of my daughter!"
"Yes, your lord." The Noble said before Aultcray looked to me.
"Now, Sapphire Hero… if it weren't for the fact you are indeed a hero, I would have you executed. I will do the next best thing, and exile you out of Melromarc. You and your companions are to never set foot in this nation again!" Aultcray said before I remembered something.
' The Queen holds the true power here' That was from when those people tried to talk Naofumi to another place nearly two months ago now.
"Does the Queen know of this happening?" I asked, and let's just say that Aultcray was not expecting for me of all people to pull that card out.
"How… did you?!" Aultcray asked, trying to compose himself.
"A couple of people from another nation told me the day after I made the initial threat. They wanted Naofumi to go with them, but I think it was when he was really low down in levels, so it would have been risky." I said, now thinking about it more. I then noticed the look of defeat on Aultcray's face.
"All of you just go… I would like some time to grieve." Aultcray said with a saddened tone. I obliged by dragging the two people with him out, much to their disagreement.
"Unhand us you damned Demi!! Don't you know who we are?!" the other noble said. I looked at them with a confused look.
"Am I supposed to know who you are? You two don't look that important." I said rather bluntly to them, and the looks of utter terror of not being known came crashing down on them. "Also making a lot of assumptions about my species."
"Does your species matter? To us, you're a filthy Demi!" the second noble responded.
"This 'filthy Demi' is an Elder Dragon, thank you very much." I pouted a bit, but that was quickly replaced with an innocent smile to the now scared pair of nobles. "And I have been having a rough day… First I get drugged to sleep, then I think I saw a wave in another world, more Elder Dragons fighting with humans and things…." My voice sped up more and more, the Nobles making haste when they saw I was venting.
"Oh… okay then…" I said quietly before leaving the castle. By then it was dark, but I then also noted that I haven't found my companions yet. I wonder where they could be?
Turns out, they were at the guild hall, guards keeping them safe as well, they were under attack as well. Ryuuinu seemed to be hurt pretty bad as he was sleeping with several marks signaling a fight. Ava was a bit frazzled, but otherwise okay otherwise, though her hat didn't look to be in great shape as several holes were seen.
"Zofie!! You're okay!" Ava yelled out, giving me a big hug, and for a moment I was taken aback by her strength, though I did return the hug to her, happy she was safe. "Princess Malty initiated an attack towards us for some reason, but at least you're fine from the looks of things."
"Yeah…. About that." I said with a sheepish laugh. "I may or may not have used my ultimate attack in a fit of rage, incinerating several people in the vicinity, Malty included." Everyone paled at that statement for a couple moments.
"The Queen won't be happy despite the fact she appointed the second princess, Melty, as the next in line to the throne." One guard said, looking to me. "The First Princess was never a kind person, and always used her position to get what she wants… Spoiled child deserves it if you ask me."
"Hey! You can't say that, what if the king catches wind of your ill tounge to the royal family?" another guard said, clearly panicked.
"I'm getting close to retiring, kid, caring about the royal family isn't part of the job really. Don't be an ass, yes… Risking your life for them when a minor inconvenience hits? I would rather be drinking buddies with the Shield Hero than that." The older guard said with a bit of a huff.
"Naofumi isn't that bad. Ignore the Shield on his arm, and he's really down to earth. I trust him more than most people." I said with a small pout.
"Whatever, not my problem anyways, Lance, we're going back to our posts." The older guard said as he stood up and left, followed by Lance.
"What now, Zofie?" Ava asked me with a calm tone.
"Wanna get disguises? I saw one after I got knocked out that I wanted to try out." I said with a smile on my face.
"What about Ryuu?" Ava then asked, looking over to our pet Ebony. I remembered what they called it now, so yay me!
"Leave him with a healer so he can recover. That way, nothing would target him, and he would be safe." I said. "We have the moto pay for it anyways, so it won't be that much of a dent."
"Okay, I know where the Apothecary is from here. After that, we are heading to the Tailor or Erhard since I know how you are with your outfit." Ava said, giving me a pat on the head. I snuggled into it a little bit before I regained composure, and helped get Ryuu out of the Guild Hall.
It was an odd sight to say the least with a girl barely 5 feet tall is carrying something as long as a small house, and many people were in awe of the strength I had at that moment. Ava kept the tail up with a small cart so there wouldn't be more damages done as my status showed that he was well below 25% of his full health. He did however level up to 42, and got some minor stat boosts.
We did make it to the Apothecary, and after a bit of haggling with the owner, he opted to keep Ryuu there with a few potions that I offered. It was more a case of I needed someone with the room to keep him safe, and the Castle was a no go since Aultcray is mad at me. Important business done, we headed for Erhard's for the fun.
He greeted us as per normal, happy to see we were okay after what happened. I then told him about why we came there, and while he didn't like the idea of me having to hide my identity, he did understand the reason why. And of course, I wanted this armor to have some perks… you know, letting it change my voice a bit, and other minor illusions since my acting skills were really bad. Ava was more confident, and went with a more subtle approach. She opted for a simple color swap since her demi trait was from a subspecies, so the blue and yellow scheme from the regular Zinogre worked out in the end.
"You know with these additions, you're paying a pretty copper for it, right?" Erhard said with a skeptical look. "In total, this will go at about 50 gold and 500 silver. It will also take about 2 days to complete everything."
"Can you do 45 gold? Please?" I asked innocently, tilting my head a bit. Erhard stammered a little at my weaponized cuteness.
"Fine, but only because you came to me first, and Heroes get a discount." Erhard grumbled a little bit, and I paid him the gold. How I got it, you may ask? Well it was part of the deal that Gaelion made so that he could find a more suitable area. I got about 2000 gold out of it in total, the village getting the rst of the nearly ten thousand there.
So now it was the waiting game, and to pass the time, I got that much needed haircut I was thinking about. My bangs were cut shorter so I didn't have to move them out of the way so often, and they returned to their fluffier state that resembled fluffy wings along the sides to cover most of my ears. The back though was layered, and a large section was cut straight, leaving a bit to remain long and fluffy underneath. A simple channeling of my dragon energy to my hair changed it to a deeper red color than normal, and I didn't have to concentrate on it to keep it that way, so it was great for me.
(2 days later because can't think of anything to do until then)
The past couple of days were mostly down to seeing what I can to conceal my wings and tail, and I figured out that I can somewhat retract them to the point where they won't be too noticeable. My wings, now rather tiny, fit under the shroud that covered the upper part of my torso and back, with more substantial armor along my stomach and lower back as I needed room for my wings when I need to fly or something. My tail was small enough as well to not be so much of an issue. I couldn't change my horns however as those were there from day one, but with some tinkering with the hat I now had, they looked more like accessory than part of me, as well as the extra I could still see through it with my sensory organs. (1)
Ava on the other hand took a more… traditional approach? She wore somewhat elaborate clothing, making her look like a noble of sorts, her ears hidden by a new hat that doubled as her illusion thing as with it on, she had white hair instead of black, and her tail (and Dracophage bugs) also changed to a more blue color. Something we did find out during the two day break was that Ava had an affinity for both Dragon and Lightning magic, so this played nicely with her disguise as she needed to use lightning attacks, else with would be suspicious on her end. (2)
Before we could get Ryuu however, someone else came in wanting to speak with me specifically. I was concerned, but couldn't sense any ill will to my being, so I trusted my gut and was lead to the alleyway next to the shop.
"I apologize if the incursion seems so sudden, Sapphire Hero. I came to request you make an audience with the Queen." The person said, and for once I couldn't get a read on someone.
"Uhh, anything I need to know?" I asked, tilting my head in confusion, and I noticed a lapse in composure for only a brief moment. I also noticed the changes to my voice with the disguise on, making me sound older, and a little raspy.
"Please meet her with your normal appearance, not the disguise you currently bear." The person said in response. "Although just the removal of the hat will suffice."
"Okay, that won't be too much of an issue. From what I heard, she seems like a nice person. Couldn't say the same for the first princess however…." I grumbled a little, taking off my hat so my voice was normal.
"Yes, she has been reported missing by some nobles expecting her to attend a party or two. Do you know what happened to her by chance?" the person said as if they already knew the truth, just wanted to confirm from me.
"Incinerated, along with several members of the Church of the Three Heroes in a fit of anger. And before you ask, the King was the first person I told. He is… still grieving if his lack of activity says anything. Also the reason I got the disguise." I responded, not bothering to lie.
"As I suspected, while the Queen doesn't know of the events yet, she will by the time we get there." The person said, and I nod in understanding.
"Aultcray threatened to execute me, so it can't be much worse than that." I said with a shrug. "So before we do go, and I grab my companions?"
With a nod, I told Ava the situation, followed by picking up Ryuu at the Apothecary as he was fully recovered now. The next stop, I have no idea where, but I have a feeling that this was going to be an interesting endeavor.
And I am done!! I have been going through who knows how many drafts, a couple of 5000 word drafts for new stories, and just general laziness. For that I apologize.
I don't have much to say here outside of the stuff up top, and the general reviews I typically ask. Next chapter will be the Queen meeting Zofie and crew, plus some minor shenanigans as I am tempted to have Zofie meet Fitoria again. That will be up to you guys.
On another note… 70 favorites and 80 bookmarks?! I love you guys, and am glad you enjoy my inconsistent mess of a story ;;. I should make a Q short chapter after chapter 6 so we can have a somewhat more transparent discussion.
With that said, I am the Opulent one, signing out.
(1) Death Garon Beta for female, but modified to have more torso protection
(2) Azure Age Alpha (USJ Kimono set) with regular Zinogre Colorscheme.