"Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change."
- Mary Shelley, Frankenstein
"Hey! What are ya tryin' to do!? Make them think I'm chicken!?"
"Come on, you fool! We've got to reach the protective trench before the bomb goes off!"
"Bomb!?"
The sun beat on him as Bruce dragged a young hotheaded Rick Jones to the shelter, mentally cursing the teenager for doing something so stupid on a dare of all things and himself for driving all the way here to save him. The air of the desert was dry, shriveling his lips and evaporating the spit in his mouth yet seeming to do nothing for the sweat dripping down his brow.
The boy was scared, his mind beginning to comprehend what Bruce was saying. Memories of nukes were flashing in his brain and he wouldn't be wrong. The military wanted a weapon comparable to the nuclear bomb but better. Using the power of gamma radiation which Bruce spent all his life researching.
This was supposed to just be a stepping stone to greater things. An easy way to make the military and Betty's warhawk of a father pay the bills.
Bruce was silently praying, something he hadn't done in years. Not only was he a scientist, but his life experiences left little room for belief in God. A monster of a father, a murdered mother, years of silence, and his own part in his father's death made him wash his hands of the concept.
But now? Now he sorely hoped something out there was listening. That Igor had informed the button-pushers to delay the countdown and possibly save the two of them.
He could hear the ticking of a watch as the seconds passed.
The trench was up ahead. If they went in they would be safe. The bomb wouldn't leave fallout. After a few seconds below ground it would be safe to come out and he could give this stupid teenager a real talking-to before handing him over to Ross for the old man to handle.
Bruce didn't know why but he pushed Rick in. Was it just to speed along a boy still comprehending the horrible situation he found himself in? Him being selfless? He didn't know even to this day.
"There! You're safe! And now I'll- AHHH!"
He heard a thunderclap before his eardrums burst. A force slammed into his back, the radiation cooking his skin. He could feel every part of him bulging and soaking in the gamma as the energy began cooking him alive inside and out. Everything seemed to stand still, the pain growing with every second as he stood at the brink of eternity.
Bruce Banner let out an ear-splitting scream from the depths of his soul.
"AHHH!"
Bruce found himself screaming as his eyes opened. It took him a second of confusion to recognize that he was in a bedroom and another second to remember the events of yesterday. "Shit..." Groaning as he rubbed his eyes, he took a peek out of the window and saw the morning rays of light. "Morning. Thank God."
Something was now knocking on the door. "Shield Hero!" Another second and the door opened to reveal a scared-looking servant. "Shield Hero, are you alright? I heard screaming and..."
"Fine. I'm... fine." Bruce put his hands to his face and collected his bearings. "I just had a nightmare. That's it..."
"Oh... Um... well, that's good." He peeked between his fingers to notice the girl was shifting uncomfortably. "Is there anything you need? Please keep in mind that I have been ordered to escort you and the other Cardinal Heroes."
Bruce glanced at what could generously be called a bathroom with its basin of water, soap, and cracked tub. Rubbing his chin and feeling the stubbles of hair he asked, "Can I have a razor to shave with?"
"Of course." The servant closed the door. Looking under his bed, he saw the little porcelain chamber pot with intricate markings and sighed.
"Wonder how those kids are handling being in a time period before the toilet? Doubt those 'Isekai' stories ever mentioned that interesting tidbit."
As he relieved himself Bruce cursed how he passed out. Sleeping at night was dangerous. It was when his mental locks on the Hulk weakened and allowed his other half to come out. Thankfully the lack of a giant hole in the wall indicated that he hadn't gone exploring in the city. The last thing he needed was this king to think he was unmanageable and up the security, thus making his planned exit from the kingdom all the harder.
"Well, not for me. It's mostly for the guards and kids' benefit."
Bringing up his zipper, Bruce walked to the door as he heard the knock and opened it. The servant handed him the blade and he muttered his thanks before closing it. Taking the blade, soap, and water basin he walked to the mirror and stared at what should've been his reflection.
Instead it was the Hulk.
One of the most frustrating things about never seeing his reflection was the fact it made shaving even more troublesome. He could not see if he was doing a good job and could only rely on the Hulk's face as an impression on how he was doing. Afterwards he would rub his face and find missing spots and how he managed to shave off some of his sideburns in the process.
So, wetting his face before rubbing the soap onto it, Bruce brought up his arm with the Hulk mirroring his action.
After a few minutes and hissed curses, Bruce set down the razor and rubbed his face against his sweatshirt's sleeve. The knocking on his door returned and he looked into the mirror. The Hulk was raising his eyebrow, as if asking if he was really going along with this. "For now." He assured his other half. "When we've gotten everything we need, we'll go."
He walked to the door and opened it to see the woman from earlier. "Are you ready?"
"Yes." He exited the room and noticed that Motoyasu, Itsuki, and Ren were exiting their own rooms.
Motoyasu noticed him and waved in greeting. "Yo, Bob. You sleep..." The pony-tailed man seemed to get a good look at him and changed his question. "You get any sleep?"
"I've got insomnia." It wasn't exactly a lie. Having to stay up all night to prevent the Hulk from coming out could be considered a case of insomnia. "You ready for your first day as a hero?"
"Hell yeah, I am!" That seemed to wash away his grogginess. He seemed as giddy as a schoolboy as he continued. "I mean, today's the day when we're supposed to get our party!"
"Huh?"
"Weren't you paying attention yesterday?" Ren huffed in annoyance. "Adventurers are going to be assigned to us in order to act as our parties. They provide combat support and generally help with keeping supplies."
"Well, I wouldn't blame him for missing that. Yesterday was kinda a lot to take in, especially for a non-gamer." Itsuki smiled at Bruce. "At least you won't be fighting alone!"
"Crap." Just what he needed. Some people that will be following him around constantly. Had the king guessed he would make a break for it? No, this was likely for the other three's benefit. They would need all the help they could get in order to keep the Hulk under control, and his "party" would likely be there just to keep a closer eye on him. "No, it's fine. I can deal with this if I just lay down some ground rules."
"God, I hope that my party's full of cute girls!" Motoyasu looked hopefully at their guide. "So, we going to meet the king for that?"
"Unfortunately, the king requires extra time to prepare for the morning." Bruce got the subtle message that the king was a late-riser. "I am to bring you for breakfast. If you'll follow me..."
Breakfast was as diverse and plentiful as last night's dinner. Bruce could've had anything ranging from a whole pig to a rainbow of pastries. Instead he settled for his favorite breakfast which consisted of two eggs sunny-side up, three pieces of bacon, and a piece of toast. Rather than have the servants season the eggs for him he did it himself, savoring each bite and ignoring Motoyasu's complaints about how he should live a little.
In a life like his, it paid more to enjoy the little things.
Bruce had finished his breakfast when the real summoning to the king occurred. The four of them were quickly but politely hustled over to the throne room which was now packed with more people. Twelve people stood in front of the king with their armor, weapons, and general disposition informing him that these were the adventurers. For some reason the girls were dressed in less armor than the men but it it hardly phased him. After all, most women in the superhero business seemed to do that for reasons Bruce couldn't fathom.
He remembered Tony once joking when he was drunk, years before he quit, that most of them did it because it was some sort of fetish. Janet slapped him across the face for that.
"Welcome, Heroes." All of them bowed to the king's greeting, though it felt awkward for Bruce. Was it awkward for the others too? "Now as promised we have gathered various brave warriors who will fight the waves with you legendary heroes. Now, future heroes of this country, time to begin your journey! Choose the one you wish to serve!"
The twelve proceeded to walk towards them and began weaving as they lined up behind Motoyasu, Itsuki, and Ren. None of them gave him a second look except for a red-haired woman who gave him a smile and a wave. Aside from her none of them even glanced at him or briefly headed to his direction.
By the end of it, Motoyasu had four party members who in some strange twist of fate were all women, Itsuki had three, and Ren had five.
He had none.
"Well, this is kinda awkward..." Motoyasu muttered as he scratched the back of his head.
Bruce, however, was relieved. No party members meant that he would have less people shadowing him and fewer people who would get hurt when it turned to night.
Everyone else, however, just looked at his situation in astonishment. Some of the adventurers had the decency to look a bit embarrassed with how things played out while other people in the room shot him looks of pity and barely-concealed amusement.
Aultcray looked unsurprised about this turn of events beyond a slightly raised eyebrow and the beginnings of a smile. "I have to admit, I wasn't expecting something like this to happen."
The advisory next to him, however, decided to forgo basic politeness. "Not a single volunteer? Perhaps they think the Shield Hero will fall asleep on the battlefield or ramble about his 'nuclear physics'."
Bruce didn't say anything and watched as a servant whispered something into the king's ear who nodded at the news. If he stayed quiet then perhaps the man would decide that forcing any watchdogs on him was more trouble than it was worth.
"It appears that rumors have been spread among the people." The king motioned to him. "They believe the Shield Hero to be a coward, one that has no knowledge of combat and who only partakes in this quest due to a lack of options."
Okay, the first and third reasons Bruce could understand. The way yesterday's conversation with the king went would make him out to be a coward to the populace who had no knowledge of the Hulk and he had said they didn't have much of a choice with this mission. But...
"How could they have known about you not playing any games?" Motoyasu whispered, just as confused as he was about the rumor.
"I think someone was spying on us, yesterday." Ren glared lightly at the king. "They don't trust us."
"C'mon, you're just being paranoid." Itsuki laughed and shook his head. "I mean, everyone knows that shielders aren't really combatants."
"It's fine." Bruce shrugged. "I'm... not really a person who likes working in groups, anyways."
Oh, he had joined various superhero teams like the Avengers and Defenders. But his time there was always fleeting, his allies laughing but always on edge wondering if he'll be set off and they'll have to battle the Hulk. The Hulk even got sick of the Avengers a couple of missions in when they first formed and left!
"Because of Minecraft, right? Solo-player. I get ya, but still..."
Did they always have to refer to things in terms of some video game? Bruce wasn't even an avid player of Minecraft and they were acting like it was the only thing he did during his free time!
"This is a problem. It would not be wise to send out one of the four Cardinal Heroes without a party." The king looked at the other three and asked, "Would any of you be willing to lend the Shield Hero one of your members?"
Ren shrugged. "I'm comfortable with my party, but I'll be the first to admit I'm also a loner." He glanced back at his party and said, "If any of you can't keep up and slow me down I'll leave you behind." He regarded his new companions in such a cold manner yet it yielded no reactions, nor even a change in expression.
A tad overdramatic in Bruce's opinion, but it still served its purpose. None of Ren's party were willing to leave his side.
Motoyasu piped up next. "Well, to be honest, I'm pretty comfortable with my group. Surprisingly they're even all girls! But in the end, it's really not my decision to make…"
Finally Itsuki decided to add his opinion on the situation. "I agree the follower ratio is uneven and that it would be best to have groups of three each, but if we force it against their will it could be terrible for morale." The two girls behind him furiously nodded in agreement.
"Well, this is going better than I would've hoped!" None of them were interested in joining up with him and it didn't seem like the nobles were about to volunteer.
"Really? Will none of you go with the Shield Hero?" The king sighed and raised his hand. "Very well. I suppose that..."
"Sir Spear Hero!"
Glancing behind Motoyasu he saw it was the red headed woman again. He had a better look at her now that she was closer. She had bright acid green eyes and a fancy blouse with a choker on her neck. Over top of that was leather armor that still left the entirety of the upper part of her chest exposed along with matching leather gauntlets. She had a royal purple skirt with belts strapped over top to support the scabbard for her short sword.
She stepped forward into the forefront and grabbed the attention of everyone in the room. She put on a gentle smile as she placed a hand on her chest.
"Would you allow me travel alongside the Shield Hero?"
"...Shit."
This shocked everyone in the room. Almost everyone. The king strangely didn't react at all to this while Motoyasu was stuttering over his words. "R-Really? Are you sure?"
With all the resolve she could muster she responded with a simple but clear "Yes." She looked to Bruce with a kind smile on her face.
Alarm bells rang off in Bruce's head and he could feel the rumblings of the Hulk. This showy turn of events... the theatrics with bravely volunteering to be with him... it was staged.
This girl was the king's spy.
He needed to find a way to worm out of this. "Are you sure?" He asked before glancing at Motoyasu. "Y-You know I'm a shield...er?" When he received Motoyasu's stiff nod while the man gaped at his former companion, Bruce continued. "I cannot really fight and you'll be doing most of the combat. I don't feel right with that kind of arrangeme-."
"I'm well aware of the risks, Lord Banner." The woman replied in a tone that dripped with determination. "And I, Myne Sophia, accept them wholeheartedly! It would be an honor to fight beside you against the forces of evil!"
"Well, I don't want to deprive Motoyasu of..." The pony-tailed man nudged him and Bruce turned to see the face of a person making a great sacrifice.
"Dude, don't argue with it! If there's a chance for a hot chick like that to fight in your party you take it!" Motoyasu then glanced fearfully at the newly-named Myne. "Not that I don't respect your opinion or anything! If you aren't comfortable with joining Bob's party then you don't have to!"
Bruce could tell that the man was lying through the teeth. He sorely wanted this woman in his party but didn't want to be impolite about it.
It also meant that Bruce had no way of getting himself out of this arrangement.
Sighing, he nodded at Myne. She smiled brightly at him before quickly moving to the invisible line behind him.
The king seemed to be pleased with this turn of fortune to his plans. "Very well. Now, you heroes will be provided funds by us every month to aid your mission. Due to the nature of the Shield Hero's party, he shall receive a slightly higher amount." The man snapped his fingers and four bags were rushed to them by servants on top of velvet pouches. "These shall be your initial funds. Six hundred silver for the Sword, Bow, and Spear Hero while the Shield Hero receives eight hundred. Use them for the equipment you see as necessary!"
With that, they were dismissed and the crowd of nobles were dispersed. As one, Bruce and the others filed in the neighboring hallway in order to get to know their party.
"Sorry about how I acted back there." Myne chuckled slightly in embarrassment. "But, well, nobody was going to volunteer and I just had to make a stand."
"...It's fine." Bruce didn't like this woman hanging over him but he didn't want to be rude either. "You don't have anything to prove with me. And if you're ever uncomfortable with this you can just go back with Motoyasu."
"Trust me, Lord Banner." She was on his side and grabbing his arm. She hugged it tightly against her body and looked up to him with a sly grin. "There's nothing you could do that would make me feel uncomfortable."
"...God, I miss Natasha."
At least the Black Widow knew how to be subtle when she was trying to seduce someone.
His farewells to the other heroes were brief, each of them almost giddy with excitement for their first mission. Bruce supposed that he couldn't blame them. A lot of the young superheroes he met had the same disposition. That odd mix of joy and fear as they set out to put their lives on the line for their fellow man.
When the drawbridge lowered and the gates opened Bruce got his first good look at the kingdom. The architecture of the various buildings and townhouses looked familiar yet so different with its red clay roof tiles, white walls and dark wood accents. The crowds milling around the streets weren't as dense as the ones he knew from the major cities, but it was still pretty crowded.
"So... where do you want to go first?" Myne asked him they stood in the middle of the throng of people. "We've got eight hundred silver pieces to spend on supplies. That can get us plenty with the places I know."
"I'm not used to this adventuring business. Where should we go first?"
Myne hummed for a minute while placing her index finger on her chin. "...The blacksmith is our best bet for weapons and the like. I know a really good place that'll sell us quality goods!"
"Do they sell clothes?"
That made Myne stumble a bit. "B-Basic armor and stuff, yeah. But why would you want to go to a tailor?"
"...I have my reasons." Pants that could stretch was one thing he desperately needed for his trip.
"Alright then, follow me!"
They made their way through the busy market chocked full of merchant stalls and shoppers. He watched as a massive lizard like creature parted through the crowd. It almost looked dragon like with three massive horns protruding from its skull and the vibrant blue and yellow coloring of its scales. "Fascinating. Do horses exist in this world or are these the equivalent of them?" He noticed the young man leading the mount and saw that he had cat ears on his head. "Mutants, too? Or perhaps an offshoot of this world's humanoids. Most of these people do not have natural hair and eye colors so it wouldn't be out of the question."
The trip through the market was rather educational for Bruce. For all its similarities to Middle-Ages Europe and Renaissance-era Italy there were clear differences from his Earth. The fish and some of the vegetables being sold looked completely alien to him. A part of him wondered what they would taste like and guessed he would find out eventually. He noticed a few street performers were out displaying obvious magic, but nothing like the reality-bending feats the likes of Doctor Strange would show. Compared to him these people might as well be performing parlor-tricks.
But there was one thing that was bothering him.
"Why can't I read your language?"
"Huh?" Myne looked at him curiously. "What do you mean?"
"Well, I mean obviously I can understand you and vice-versa. I can even understand Motoyasu and the others despite the fact they are native Japanese speakers. They would be speaking their native language when they first arrived in your world because it would be more convenient." Bruce bit his lip. "Do you know?"
"Can't say..." She didn't seem too enthused about answering this question. "If I remember from the lecture we got yesterday regarding you Heroes, you should've been gifted a skill that allows you to understand languages. Have you checked your status?"
No, he hadn't since yesterday. Grudgingly, Bruce focused on the black dot again to bring it up. Briefly looking through the options he decided to press on the Help button and selected the language option.
ATTENTION:
Your Cardinal weapon will automatically translate any foreign languages to your native one. Vice versa your weapon will also translate your own speech to the listener's own language. HOWEVER any written text cannot be translated for you. You are required to learn any language yourself as apart of the "Language Comprehension" skill.
"Well, that's annoying." So he could understand when people spoke to him but couldn't read it? That was just way too inconvenient! If there was one thing Bruce hated more than the Hulk it was feeling like an idiot. "Any way I could learn it? Like a children't book or something?"
Something flashed across Myne's face. Annoyance mixed with contempt before it smoothed out to simple mirth. "I wouldn't waste your money on that. I mean, eight hundred can buy a lot of equipment!"
"It's a children's book, Myne. It can't be that expensive."
"Alright, alright. We can grab that after we go to the blacksmith." She motioned Bruce to follow. "He's close by here, so it won't take long. Dunno why you want a kid's book, though. I can just read you everything."
"It's the principal of the thing." It was obvious that the woman didn't really like him, but her orders were likely to fulfill any of his wishes until told otherwise.
After a few minutes of walking they eventually made it to a store that had a large sword printed on the sign. Looking to to the shop the sign lead to he could see a smaller one pinned above the entrance that also had some words in the native language engraved on it. "Ta-Da!" Myne looked pleased with herself as she stared at it. "Here's my recommendation. I know the owner and he's one of the best blacksmiths around."
"Alright, then. Lets see what he's got."
They entered the shop and Bruce could see that every square inch of the shop was covered in goods. Various shields hung directly on the wall while several freely standing racks displayed dozens of swords. There were even a few mannequins displaying full sets of armor. It was as if he were in a museum dedicated to the art of war.
"Welcome!"
A voice bellowed from the back of the shop. Turning his gaze from the many weapon racks he found himself staring at who he guessed was the shop owner. Besides a darkly colored beard he was bald and had a very muscular frame. He was wearing nothing but a simple tunic and a leather belt with several pouches and pockets.
"Hey, Myne. Fancy seeing you here." The man nodded at the woman who smiled back at him. "Who's your friend?"
"May I present to you Lord Robert Banner, the Shield Hero." She motioned Bruce to the man. "Go ahead and ask for whatever you want. I'm just going to look around."
"So... you're the Shield Hero, huh?" The man looked Bruce from head to toe. "Gotta say, you don't look like much of a fighter."
"I've been getting that a lot." Bruce admitted with a small smirk. "To be honest I don't even know where to begin with this place."
"Well, you've come to the right shop if you want advice. Bein' the dud of the Heroes you'll need it more than the others." Great, now even blacksmiths were thinking he was the dud among the Heroes. Well at least it confirmed that the citizens weren't aware that he was the Hulk. "And since you're one of them Cardinal Heroes and Myne introduced you I'll give you a discount. Name's Erhard."
"Nice to meet you." They shook hands and Bruce glanced at the sword rack. He didn't need one but Myne likely was expecting him to get her something. "What do you have for basic swords?"
"Well, first I need an idea of what metal you want. We've got iron, magic iron, magic steel, and silver. Iron is rather self explanatory. It's just your basic metal. Magic iron and steel have the benefit of enhancing any spells you happen to be using at the time by a small amount. Obviously magic steel has a higher percentage over magic iron. Silver iron has a small holy buff and is especially useful against wave monsters. No doubt that's going to be a top seller soon enough."
Yeah, he didn't know how to make heads or tails of what would actually be useful. To him they were all just swords. "Hey, Myne? Which one do you want?"
Myne was by his side in an instant. "Oh, Lord Banner! You shouldn't... I mean I have my own equipment and...!"
"Consider it a treat." More like a bribe considering what he was going to ask of her when they left this place.
"Well..." She pointed at the middle one. "That one! If I have to judge it's worth at most two hundred and seventy-five silver."
"It is, but only because I'm being nice to the new customer you brought me." He took it off the rack and asked, "For an added bonus it's treated with Blood Clean. Free of charge, of course."
"What's that?"
"It's a special coating that makes blood and gore slide right off the blade. Keeps it from going dull and makes it so you don't have to manually clean your weapon every time."
Sounded morbid. "That sounds great. Now I would like to talk about armor and the like."
"Okay, shoot."
Now he felt a bit awkward, especially with Myne listening in. "Do you have anything that can... well... stretch with its user."
Erhard blinked as did Myne. "Stretch?"
"Yes, like if the user grew or something would it grow with it?"
Erhard scratched his chin. "Can't say that I have. It's a pretty unusual request... maybe if you ordered it a week in advance I could see what I could cook up but..."
"Why would you want something like that, Lord Banner?"
Bruce sighed. "Forget it. It's not important..." He looked at the armor and asked, "You have anything light and cheap?"
"You're a real miser, you know that?" Bruce guessed that the translator was just reinterpreting the closest equivalent this world had to the term. "Well, if you're not looking for anything heavy I suppose I can give you some chain mail and a leather breastplate... but in exchange can I see your shield? Not everyday a legendary weapon comes into my shop."
Shrugging, Bruce lifted his arm and placed it on the counter. "Sure, but I can't take it off if you want a closer look."
"No, this is fine." The man fished out a monocle and mumbled something. Soon, his eyes widened and he gasped in awe. "Amazing... it looks like an ordinary shield but there's something to it..." The man frowned. "Is it magic? It seems a bit... off..."
"More off than a magical shield?"
"No, that's rather mundane in these parts. There's just something strange but my Appraisal magic can't seem to pin it down..." Shrugging, Erhard put away his monocle. "I'll just chock it up to 'legendary weapon' shenanigans and leave it at that. Keep an eye on that jewel in the center, though. Something's odd about it."
Well, magic was a field of study Bruce never liked to mess with. Too unpredictable and unwieldy.
Too much like gamma...
"You wanna try a weapon before you get fitted for the armor?" The blacksmith motioned to the swords. "Doubt that shield'll be enough for the kind of fights you're gonna get into."
Bruce smiled bitterly at that. "Unfortunately... I'm not the kind of person that can fight. Those weapons would be wasted on me."
Erhard seemed unconvinced but shrugged. "Well, it's your life on the line and your money. Can't say I approve, though."
He expected Myne to voice her own concerns but the woman stayed silent. "Probably thinks that if I get myself killed then it'll be one less problem." He followed the blacksmith to the back where he showed him the leather armor. After a few measurements and a tour through the rather standard clothes the store had to sell for adventurers he was put into a changing room.
Putting on the clothes had a strange affect. His "defense" leveled up from the chain mail and the leather breastplate with the menu cheerfully informing him that light slashes from enemies would be have reduced damage.
"If this is really like those new games the others have been playing then they can keep it."
His outfit was a rather simple one. A pair of purple pants that were tucked into the dark-brown shoes which reached to the middle of his shins. He wore a long-sleeved dark green shirt with the leather breastplate shining in the light. In order to complete the set he chose to wear a pair of dark brown leather gloves. It was a rather cheap set, only two hundred and fifty coins altogether.
Though he would likely lose it come nighttime.
"Excellent outfit, Lord Banner." Myne was holding the sword as Bruce stepped out with the blacksmith.
"Thanks." He turned to Erhard and began giving the man the money for his services.
When he was done the blacksmith grinned. "Well good luck and come again! Maybe by tonight you'll come to your senses and realize you need a sword!"
"Here's hoping." Waving at the man he and Myne left the shop. "Myne, before we head to get the book..."
"Yes, Lord Banner?"
"Well, first off you don't need to call me Lord Banner. Robert will be fine." He didn't feel comfortable being addressed as if he were royalty. The Hulk didn't mind solely because his personalities barely cared. Well, save for the Green Scar but that was opening a whole other can of worms. "And regarding our partnership..."
Myne looked at him, her eyes turning cold and calculating.
"Yes?"
"I just have two rules." He held up his index and middle finger. "One, when the sun begins to set we'll call it a night and head back."
"...Manageable, but we will not encounter many monsters that way."
Well, good because Bruce didn't want to fight monsters all day. He'll leave that to the Hulk and the other Heroes. "And two, you won't go to my room at night."
"E-Excuse you!? Myne sputtered, her eyes widening in surprise.
Bruce's cheeks reddened. God, he phrased that wrong. "Not like that. I mean... you'll hear some things. Things that might scare you or become concerned for my well being. If you hear that then do not go near it. Ignore it and go back to your room."
Myne was quiet for a few seconds, dissecting his requests in her head with pursed lips. Eventually she nodded. "Very well. I can do that, Robert."
Weird. He expected more protests from her. "Alright then. So long as we're in agreement lets go and get that book.
The two set off with Myne leading the way. She was silent throughout the trip, and Bruce was too preoccupied observing his surroundings to noticed her clenched fists and the snarl on her face.
The book itself was a fairly standard picture book which included the letters of the local alphabet that were under pictures for the reader to make a connection. It was fairly interesting for Bruce to read, partially because throughout his career he never really bothered to learn other languages. Sure he knew Spanish and a smattering of Russian from his time working alongside Igor but for the most part he never tried to learn the languages of his world. This world's standard language seemed rather similar to English, though Bruce was still struggling with it.
"If I were like I was before the arrow, I probably could've figured this out in a day."
Myne had directed them to the gates and Bruce found that, yes, this world did in fact have horses. Myne wanted to take them in order to reach the village that was currently having a monster infestation in its fields but Bruce insisted on walking.
He had spent most of his life walking across the highways of America. He felt far more comfortable on his own two feet than on the back of a horse.
Reluctantly, the woman had agreed but still took one so it could carry any supplies they had.
While they walked with the horse in tow Bruce was trying to figure out his menu. While it was straightforward at points some parts were just confusing. The 'magic' tab was actually crossed out while the equipment section just gave him a run-down on what he had on his person. One tab had caught his eye, which was helpfully 'Persona'. Clicking on it he got two profiles with very short descriptions.
? Hulk:
Condition: One of two parameters must be unlocked in order for user Bruce Banner to access this persona. The user's health must be depleted and nightfall must come, or the user waits until nighttime. Persona will have all skills it or Bruce Banner has unlocked since.
'Savage' Hulk:
Condition: Unknown.
"I guess that confirms it. This Hulk is the new one." He had labeled the Hulk that had the mentality of a child and spoke in the third-person 'Savage Hulk' years ago. The Savage persona was a simple one, all it cared about was being left alone and generally didn't attack others unless provoked or tricked. Unfortunately, the requirement for him to transform with that persona was if he ever got mad.
This new one, though... it was more aggressive. More calculating and determined to get out whenever night came. Bruce could only assume that it was a new persona unlocked from the trauma of his many deaths, which wouldn't be unexpected. He did have Dissociative Identity Disorder, which had been untreated thanks to being undiagnosed for years. A new personality crawling up from the depths of his head which was already home to the likes of Joe Fixit, the 'Guilt' Hulk, and the 'Devil' Hulk persona wasn't out of the question...
The Devil Hulk... that thing still gave him nightmares from time to time. The hissing, reptilian thing chained up which called Bruce its 'special boy' and beckoned him to come closer. The thing that wanted to end the world and would do it if let loose. A prior experience had informed him the thing was actually just a manifestation created by Nightmare, but he wasn't convinced. It seemed too personal, like something he would create and suppress.
"But my head... if that arrow had pierced my brain... could it have gotten out?"
"Robert? We're here."
Bruce was a bit embarrassed to realize they were at the town entrance and a couple of the guards were coming over to greet them. After the usual pleasantries they mentioned that monsters had infested the fields outside of town and that they would be a good starting point for all of them. It would seem that some of the others had heeded this advice as he could hear Ren and his group fighting, the young boy grunting as his blade impacted against something. The cheers and encouragements of unfamiliar voices carried farther, but likely the young man's party since they shouted his name a lot.
"You ready for our first mission?" Myne asked with a grin. "I'll be providing support, so don't worry too much and just take the lead."
Damn it, he wasn't suited for this. He could lead a research team, sure, but actually having to give someone instructions and be the first to strike wasn't his forte.
They trudged up the hills and Bruce couldn't help but admire the greenery and blue skies. This was a world that hadn't experienced the troubles of the modern age with massive deforestation and pollution. Global Warming isn't even in the horizon yet, meaning that most of what he saw before him was unspoiled by humanity.
That moment of silent admiring was interrupted by... small angry orange orbs?
"Balloon monsters!" Myne helpfully informed him while unsheathing her sword. "Get ready, Robert! They may be small and weak but when they gang up they can be a real handful!"
"Alright." he raised his shield and watched the advancing monsters hop towards him. While it was true he didn't have a weapon, the shield would act as a sufficient blunt object. "Are these really monsters? They're more like cartoons."
When the first jumped towards him and opened its almost cartoonish maw, Bruce smacked it away with his shield. Unsurprisingly, the orange monster just fell a couple of feet away and was shaking itself as if in a daze.
"Huh, this might be easier than I...!"
Searing pain came from his shin. He screamed and looked down to see one of the Ballons biting into his ankle, its maw cutting through the leather and drawing blood.
"Robert!" Myne shouted and ran to his side, stabbing the balloon which burst into a cloud of light that then flowed into his shield.
Orange Balloon defeated!
Orange Balloon Scraps acquired!
One out of twenty needed to unlock Orange Small Shield!
"What good is that information right now!?" Bruce was kicking and bashing against the balloons which seemed to have it out for him. More were spawning and swarming towards their direction. His attacks weren't doing and while he defeated some of them the others were slipping through his defenses and gnawing at his body. Myne herself seemed scared and confused at this sudden turn of the battle. "What do I do!?"
Two options entered his head: One, he let these Balloons just chew him until he died. But that would likely result in Myne's death and he wouldn't allow that to happen even if she was the king's spy. Two...
He grabbed Myne's wrist and pulled her away with him. He ignored her protests as he ran down the hill, batting away at the balloons still on him. One of them managed to take a rather big chunk out of his side and it was bleeding all over his pants.
"I don't understand." Myne looked wildly from him to the top of the hill. Now the swarm practically covered the hill as they bounced in their direction. "They swarm at their prey, sure, but they aren't this aggressive! What could've set them off!?"
"They likely sense the Hulk. They want to kill me... him... before he comes out." Shit, what could he do? He didn't have many options and he wasn't a fighter. What on Earth could he...?
Memory hit him. "That Wrath Shield I unlocked..." Going to his menu, Bruce took a chance and selected equipment. The tab labeled Legendary Shield was glowing and when he hit it he saw two shield options: the 'Base' Legendary Shield and 'Curse'.
He didn't like the sound of curse but he selected it anyways.
The next thing he knew was searing pain.
Fire was consuming his limbs, burning his flesh as he fell to his knees on the ground. Myne was shouting something but it was drowned out in the flames and the pulsing of blood in his ears. "Oh God, what's happening to me!?"
OUT.
LET ME OUT.
That voice... was it the Hulk's? His own?
I CAN TAKE THEM. SMASH THEM. MAKE THIS TIME MY TIME AND THEY WILL NEVER HURT YOU AGAIN.
NEVER AGAIN!
"NO!" His vision was being drowned in a sea of green. "No, you can't come out! Not here! I won't let you!"
As if God were listening to his declaration, the flames died away and the green left his vision. He was now staring at the ground, letting out gasps of breath while his sweat dripped off his face.
"W-What was that..." He turned his face to Myne, who was on her backside shaking and looking pale as she stared at him. "What on Earth was that...?"
"I-I..."
"Couldn't say. If I had to guess it was some sort of special ability you unlocked too early."
Bruce turned his head to see Ren standing in front of him sheathing his sword. The hill was now free of monsters and on the top was the young man's party staring at the events from a safe distance.
"Ren...?" Bruce shakily got to his feet and winced at the stinging of his now cauterized wounds. "Did you...?"
"Those were low-level monsters, you know. Even someone in the shield class should've been able to take them with minimum difficulty." Ren regarded him coldly. "If that was too much to handle, I suggest you give up right now. The battles we're going to be in won't be as forgiving and we won't always be around to assist you."
With that, the young man turned and began walking up the hill while leaving Bruce and Myne alone.
"Trust me, kid. You'll need all the help you can get when the Hulk comes out." He stared at his shield whose cold reflection revealed a stoic Hulk. "What the hell are you?"
His inner monster and the shield only offered silence.
"I'm really sorry. I was sure that I packed a healing potion or two."
After the incident, the other three heroes had cleared the fields of monsters and Bruce decided now was a good time to head back. Myne believed it was just so they could restock on supplies but he just wanted to call it a night. He was tired and the sun was still up. A nap was something he sorely needed since he was running almost solely on adrenaline. It also seemed that this country hadn't discovered the magic of coffee beans or its closest equivalent, which was unfortunate.
"Fine. It's fine. I'm just sorry that I couldn't be more helpful back there." Bruce winced and rubbed his side. God, it still stung. He was almost glad that tonight's transformation would make the wound disappear.
"Well I did know the risks when I joined your party." Myne looked at him oddly. "Robert, what was that back there with your shield? It changed form and what I felt..."
He should've expected this. "I have no idea. I had gotten this notification when I accessed my status the first time about a Wrath Shield and thought it would help. Something about a Curse Series..."
Another emotion passed through Myne's face, something he never thought he would see on the girl in such a casual conversation.
Pure, unadulterated fear.
"Myne?"
"Did you say Curse Series?" She whispered out loud. "Are you sure that was what it was?"
"Yes, but... what's so special about it?" He watched as Myne hesitated. Well, this was unusual. "Do you know something?"
"I... cannot say. It's not my place. You would have to talk to the priests and magicians if you want more..."
Something caught Bruce's eye in the alleyway just behind her.
A brute of a man was kicking a young woman with fox ears and a tail, who was dressed only in rags with bruises littering her face. The man had a sick angry scowl on his face as he let out proclamations.
"Bitch! Little demihuman bitch! Did you think you could rob me and I wouldn't notice your stench!?"
Bruce knew that it wasn't his business. That he should just focus on Myne and uncover the mystery of his shield before informing the guards about this incident.
He wasn't one to confront other people. That was the Hulk's job, not his.
"Y'know, it's a funny thing... I'm an orphan, and no one ever did anything for me before... 'cept you, a stranger!"
Rick Jones' words from their first night together made him sigh and circle around Myne. "Hey, Robert! It's not our business!" Myne shouted at him but followed just a step behind.
He entered the alley and coughed, bringing the man's attention to him. "Okay, that's enough."
"Who the hell are you?" The man shouted before looking down. "Wait a sec... you're the Shield Hero?"
The woman was looking at him with blackened and puffed eyes.
"That's right." He motioned to the woman. "I heard you say that she stole from you. Don't you think that beating her is a bit excessive?"
The man sneered. "HA!" He stomped over to Bruce and poked at his chest. "Shows what you know! Those demihumans aren't worth the shit on the bottom of my shoe! I have the right to do to her whatever I see fit since I caught her stealing my goods! Law's on my side, so what the hell are you going to do about it!?"
"I guess some things never change." Bruce muttered bitterly to himself. He nodded to the woman. "Get out of here. I'll deal with this."
"T-Thank you, Shield Hero." As quickly as she could, the woman got to her feet and ran away.
"Hey! Get back here!"
Bruce put his arm on the man's shoulder. "Look, just take it easy and..."
It was a blur from Bruce's perspective. The man reached to his belt and unhooked something before thrusting it into Bruce. The next thing he knew he felt something cold enter his throat before the red-hot pain filled him. He tried to breath but couldn't. Blood was filling his lungs and he was stumbling to the wall.
"Oh shit." The man breathed out, looking from Bruce to his hand and back again. "What did I...? Fuck!" He looked sick as he passed by Myne, who was staring at Bruce with an unreadable expression.
"H-H-H...!" He reached out to Myne, hoping that she would do something. Call for help! A magician to heal his wound! Anything!
Instead, a small smile graced her lips.
"Well, that actually went better than I could've hoped." She sauntered towards him and went on her knees by his side. She took his right hand and gently led it to the handle of the dagger. "This almost makes up for the Balloons swarming me and having to degrade myself being led around by you."
"M-M-M..." Shit, she was seeing this as an opportunity to get rid of him! The king must've given her orders to just let him die if the opportunity came! They didn't know about the Hulk's current status!
"If we're being honest, and now's the best time for honesty, the original plan was for me to cry rape tomorrow and publicly humiliate you. Strip you of your very dignity and laugh as the entire kingdom and your fellow heroes turned against you." Slowly, she made his fingers wrap around the handle. "But this works out so much better."
He tried to push away his hand and fight Myne, but she was strong.
"Oh don't be such a baby, Robert."
She had him grip the knife and slowly pulled it out of his throat.
"It'll all be over soon."
Darkness settled into his vision as he began choking on his blood. Some of it splattered against Myne what the rest began to drip down and soak his shirt. As if he were watching and listening from down a long hallway, he watched as Myne hyperventilated while tears formed in the corners of her eyes and and her face morphed into the perfect picture of despair.
"HELP! HELP! THE HERO...! THE SHIELD HERO IS... IS...!"
Then, everything went black.
And it would remain that way until he saw the Green Door cracking open like an unholy beacon.
"This is so screwed up." Kitamura muttered as he and Kawasumi sat to Ren's sides.
When they had returned to the castle after their little level-grind mission they were informed that Banner had died. The story was that he spotted a demihuman being viciously beaten by a bread-vendor for stealing. Unaware of the kingdom's laws against theft, the Shield Hero had gone over to try and diffuse the situation. The man was obviously on his last bit of health and didn't have in mind to heal up as soon as he completed the mission, so one stab and pulling the knife out did him in.
It was scarily efficient how the king was able to set up a funeral for Banner. Servants cleaned them up and rushed them into the main hall where Banner's body was laid on a golden slab with a sheet covering him and gemstones weighing it down. Nobles and their fellow party-members cried while the king and Banner's traveling companion gave eulogies about his bravery and how he was taken from them before he could truly rise.
Ren, Kitamura, and Kawasumi didn't shed a tear.
He could guess that it was the shock still settling into them. After all, none of them expected to encounter real death so soon in their journey. Didn't it take longer for this kind of thing to happen in stories and games like this? Shouldn't they have gotten to know Banner a bit more?
"Tell me about it. I figured that his shield would have enough defense for just a stab even with low health." Kawasumi shuddered. "And the body just stays there? It's not dissipating?"
"I don't think this is that kind of Isekai world, dude."
Ren remembered his death quite vividly. Tackling that man who broke into the school when his legs acted on their own, trying his damndest to shove the psychotic away from Ryotaro only to feel the knife going through his chest. Everything stung and burned when his heart was pierced and for some reason he had tried to take the knife out. He had screamed so much as the blade scraped against his broken ribs...
"And that's what Banner had to experience."
Now he felt guilty for his jealousy last night. His bitter thoughts about how the older man didn't have to experience death in order to enter the game.
Well, he was experiencing it now and there were no do-overs this time.
"It's almost unreal, you know." Kawasumi looked up to the richly-painted ceiling. "Sure, he was the shield class but Banner-san shouldn't have died. This isn't how things are supposed to go..."
"Over an NPC of all things..." Ren muttered bitterly.
"Huh?" Both of his fellow heroes turned to him.
"We need to use this as an example. This world isn't playing around and we cannot afford to get careless." Ren nodded to the slab that contained Banner. "He wasn't cut out for this world. He didn't understand how it worked and that's what did him in. We're not like him. We need to keep getting stronger no matter what or we're all dead."
Kitamura scratched the back of his head. "That's kinda cold."
"It's the truth." It wasn't that he blamed Banner for his own death. The man just wasn't a gamer and this world pulled no punches for people like that. He was also grieving for the scientist, even if he didn't know the guy well. But he would do it his own way.
Kawasumi sighed. "Well, at least he died trying to do the right thing. I guess we have to look at it like that."
Kitamura nodded before noticing something. "Hey guys, I'll see you later. I gotta go and do something."
They watched the pony-tailed man as he walked over to the sole-member of Banner's party who was sobbing into a handkerchief in her seat. He said something to her before embracing the woman in a hug, who cried all the harder.
"We all grieve in our special little ways."
Malty Melromarc, known to the adventurers and outsiders as Myne Sophia, laid in bed sipping on a glass of wine from her mother's personal collection.
"And with that, my side of the bargain has been fulfilled." She took another sip. "Now lets see what the Church will do."
It had been so easy to fool idiots like Motoyasu with her tears. Honestly, if there was an award for acting she likely would've won it by now. She had been the picture-perfect representation of a shocked and heartbroken party member who bonded with her leader in a short time, only for the man to be cut cruelly down by fate.
She chuckled to herself. That display had been a cakewalk. All her life she wore masks to get what she wanted. The dutiful but loving daughter, the stern older sister, the savvy political genius, the wet-behind-her-ears adventurer, the kind mistress, the sadistic punisher of evildoers...
Well, that last part wasn't hard to fake.
"After all, evil is whatever the kingdom declares it to be."
The Shield Hero's death was unexpected but welcome. The sooner she was able to deal with him the better. Not that she would've minded crying rape and breaking that sad, thin man's spirit down publicly.
There was many things she had in her character. Shame was not one of them.
In the end, how it was done didn't matter. The Church wanted the Shield Hero gone and so she did it. His killer wasn't going to be searched for. If anything the man did a public service! And now her position with the most gullible of the Heroes was secure, her path to the throne all the clearer, and the Shield Hero was dead.
God, that made her shiver in satisfaction.
She had been disgusted with the man the first time she saw him. He was shabby, bags under his eyes and pale as a corpse. The man was a coward, but an observant one who knew that she was there on behalf of her father. She had been worried when he asked her to not visit him room, thinking that Banner had somehow deduced her plan of action, but it was just the man's paranoia about the night showing itself.
"Killing him was surprisingly simple." Malty hummed to herself while finishing off her glass. "A quick tug with the knife was all it took. What frail things human bodies are."
She looked forward to when the other heroes stopped visiting the man's grave. Her father already made plans for it to be dug up at as soon as possible so they could throw the body in a river somewhere.
"More than the devil deserves." was how her father phrased it.
Suddenly, everything shook. Malty screamed as her glass fell to the floor and shattered. "An earthquake!? All the way out here?"
The rumbling did not stop and instead it grew harder in intensity. She heard a knocking on the door and throwing on her nightgown she rushed over to open it. Motoyasu was in front of it flanked by the other whores of his party and several guards. "Myne, you okay!?"
"I-I'm fine!" She peeked outside. "What's going on?"
Motoyasu's expression changed to one of pain. "I don't have a clue. Ren and Itsuki went over to investigate with their parties but they haven't come back. I was thinking we go over to help them out."
She wanted to tell him to go to hell and shut the door in his face, but that would flush so much hard work down the drain. Instead she nodded and closed the door to get changed. Once she was back in her adventurer clothes she opened it and followed the group down the hall.
"Stay behind us." Motoyasu warned. "I know you're not a hundred percent after Bob's death so it's best if you just acted as back support."
"Understood." Well, at least it meant these morons would die before she did.
She could hear the sounds of battle from the throne room past the door. She heard screams and shots of magic being flung around by experienced adventurers alongside the Sword and Bow Hero. She could distinctly smell something burning... was it flesh? No, it smelled almost acidic and...
Malty watched as the wall exploded, blinding them all with a cloud of debris.
She could see a massive figure approaching them, its arms covered with green flames as something hung off its right.
Motoyasu charged forward, spear drawn back and ready to strike.
A massive fist decked him first and she could only watch as his body sailed overhead.
Malty heard screams from the other women in the party as something grabbed them and pulled them further into the cloud. "PROTECT PRINCESS MALTY!" The guards shouted and charged.
"What the hell is that!?" Not one to waste an opportunity, Malty turned on her heel and ran away. The cloud was fading but she could see this creature, whatever it was, throwing a guard into the air and go through the ceiling. "Did it... did it beat Ren and Itsuki!? No, that's impossible! Nothing can defeat two legendary heroes like that! Not unless it were part of the waves!"
She reached Motoyasu who was trying to get up. "Get up! Get up you fool, or we're both dead!" She hissed while helping the man to his feet.
The pony-tailed hero seemed to be in a daze and she cursed at the trickle of blood coming from his temple. "A concussion. Isn't that just perfect."
"M-Myne?" Motoyasu mumbled, his eyes swirling in his sockets while trying to get back his bearings. "You're a princess...?"
"Yes, but now's not the time for that!" Myne pointed to the rapidly disappearing cloud
That seemed to sober Motoyasu up. "Myne, go to your room and stay there. Don't come out unless I'm the one to knock."
She wouldn't argue with that, but she had an image to maintain. "What about you?"
"I'm just going to kill the monster and be the hero." The man gripped his spear. "That's what heroes d-."
Suddenly, two massive green arms shot out from the wall. They were as thick as tree-trunks and rippling with muscle, blood trickling down them like little streams as they grabbed Motoyasu. The man barely had time to scream as he was pulled into the darkness.
Not wasting any time, Malty ran into her room and shut the door behind her.
She felt the vibrations and listened to the battle. She couldn't make out what the Spear Hero was saying but she could hear the sound of metal clashing against metal, something piercing flesh, and the breaking of stone which shook the entire room.
Eventually, she heard one shout from Motoyasu as clear as if he were speaking right in front of her.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YO-!?"
Malty felt her her blood turn cold when Motoyasu's scream was silenced.
"Is he dead?" No, that was impossible! Whatever this monster was, it could not stand against the combined might of three Heroes! "They aren't that fucking useless! The Waves haven't even started yet!"
No, it had to be a trick! The other two must've shut that idiot up and were planning their next move. Itsuki and Ren weren't as idiotic as Motoyasu. They could plan! They could be stealthy!
So why hadn't she heard anything?
Carefully, Malty began to open the door and peered outside.
The hallway to her right in shambles. The holes littered the ground and ceiling, giant craters of broken marble and stone that let moonlight seep in from the ceiling and gaping maws of darkness from the walls below. The wall where those massive green arms swept up the Hero of the Spear was yawning from the wind, beckoning to her to come and take a look...
"Father? Where's father and the guards!?" She could hear nothing. The castle had become as silent as the grave. "I have to get out of here..." Her father had his own retainers to care for him and she couldn't give less of a shit about the knights or servants. "I'll go into town and rally the common folk and guards to hunt this beast down. I'll stay in one of the underground bunkers coordinating the search as the full force of Melromarc descends onto this... this thing!"
She couldn't run away. If she did then the Church would lose faith in her and when her mother got the news she would begin poking and prodding. Her mother would ask questions like how the hell did the Shield Hero die on his first day and why did people see Malty in his party. The dominoes would fall and she would lose her chance at getting the crown to her bitch of a sister!
A firm plan of action in mind, Malty turned...
"So, you're the princess?"
Malty saw the giant green monster in front of her, massive and looming over her with its left hand on the ground while the right was raised and aimed at her. Now that she got a good look at it, the thing looked distinctly like a man. His emerald green skin seemed to accentuate the hard and rippling muscles that seemed ready to act on its every whim. Its hair was a darker shade of green, waving slightly in the air. It didn't wear any gear besides a pair of stretched and torn pants, which miraculously managed to stay on despite looking like they could burst at any second.
But that wasn't the thing that made Malty's blood freeze and begin hyperventilating.
Its eyes were a light shade of green, glowing in the darkness as they bored into her. Those pools seemed to be staring at her, through her and peering into the depths of her soul.
On his right arm was a shield, huge and menacing looking. It was stylized with green markings and black highlights that made it appear as if the shield were made of flames. In the center was a green, reptilian eye that kept looking at her!
Oh god, why was it looking at her?
"T-That shield! No... No it can't be! He's dead! He's fucking dead and that weakling could never... he never...!"
"Why?" The beast asked her, its voice almost like the growl of an unholy demon.
"I-I..." Malty was already beginning to back into her room. The beast was following her, unperturbed by her actions. "I... For the good of the kingdom...!"
"For the good of the kingdom..." The beast was repeating her words, tasting them and finding them amusing. "Please. Do you wanna know how I found you? How I'll keep finding you even if you manage to run away?"
To Malty's horror, it plowed through the wall as if it were nothing. Debris and marble stone fell past its body as if it were water. She could see in the moonlight it was bleeding, but it was undisturbed by this and the green streams of liquid dripped onto the floor.
It grinned, showing a maw of straight and pearl-white teeth. Each as big as her fist...!
"It's because ever since you learned how to speak... you've been lying, 'Myrne'. To those idiots, your coward of a father, to your subjects... you've been lying to everyone but yourself. And I can smell a liar."
No... no! It had to be lying! Nobody could smell lies! It had to be magic of some sort! This beast knew magic and nothing more!
"But those eyes...!"
"Come on, lets be honest with each other. It's just you... and me. Backup isn't going to be coming for a good while. I've made sure of that." It took another step and Malty realized that she had fallen onto the floor. "Haven't you ever wondered what it would like to be honest? To finally throw away all the masks and just show the world what you really are?"
"I-I..." She was dead. This thing was going to kill her! It was playing her and... "T-The Church! The Church of the Three Heroes promised... they promised...!"
"Lemme guess, they promised you power right? The throne when daddy dearest finally croaked, and all you had to do was off Banner?"
Why was it talking as if it and the Shield Hero were two different people!?
"I-I deserve it!" The words came out of her mouth before she could do anything about it. "My mother and Melty are too soft! Their actions do nothing to help the kingdom, giving so much to the rabble and demihumans! My father... he's a weak and posturing old man! Under my rule... under..." Why? Why was she crawling away like a pathetic weakling!? "Please! I-If there was another way to secure my rule...! We would've never summoned you Heroes! T-The Shield Hero wouldn't have died and...!"
The thing raised its hand and wagged its finger.
"Tsk-tsk your highness... I thought we were being honest with each other." Its steps shook the ground and Mary found herself crying in freight. "You see everyone around you as pawns, disposable for your rise to power and amusement. Your own family isn't even exempt from this. All they are is just slightly more useful. After spending so much time trampling and spitting on your lessers... did you not think the bill would come due?"
"P-Please!" She was now on her knees, blubbering with her hands clasped in prayer. "I promise that I will lead a better life! Y-You made your point...! I-I'm sorry! I-I'm sorry for letting the Shield Hero die! J-Just don't kill me!"
The beast chuckled at her pleas.
"Sorry, Princess. You made your bed..." It reached out to her with both of its hands, its eyes glowing ever brighter in that sickly green while its teeth seemed to glow in the moonlight. "Time for you to lie in it."
Princess Malty Melromarc barely had time to scream.
"I didn't know she was your daughter." Motoyasu told King Aultcray, who stared at Myne's... Princess Malty's... form.
The red-haired woman he had tried to comfort after Bob's death was on top of her bed wrapped in bandages.
That monster had done a number on her. The kingdom's best healers did what they could and reported the damage as it was discovered. A collapsed lung, internal bleeding, and just about every bone in her body either broken or crushed. She was unresponsive, and Motoyasu had enough sense to realize they were saying she was in a coma.
The potions they were dripping into her open mouth would heal most of the damage, but mending the bones would take time and the scars would never go away.
"Damn it... damn that thing...!" Motoyasu gripped his spear tighter with his left hand. His right arm was still mending as was in a sling. In comparison to Malty, he and the others had gotten off lightly. Just a few broken bones and some bruises.
It was as if it had singled her out.
"I know, Lord Motoyasu. I know." The king sighed and Motoyasu could see the man's true age at that moment. All the despair of seeing his daughter in that state was doing a number on him. "I do not blame you for being enamored by her. Many a men were."
"Then why...?"
"She wanted to become an adventurer, to aid the fight against the waves and fight alongside you heroes." The king then sneered. "Just her luck that she chose to be with the Shield Hero. If she were with you, then...!"
Motoyasu allowed the man to vent. The guy was upset and looking for someone to blame. It made him sick that it was Bob, but hey what could you do. He was never good with handling raw emotional situations like this.
It was how he ended up in this world in the first place.
"Swear to me, Lord Motoyasu." The king said coldly, wiping away his tears. "Promise me that you'll hunt his beast down... and end its miserable life. I want its head brought to me on the tip of your spear! Oh, Malty... My sweet, sweet daughter..."
"Yeah, I promise."
With that, Motoyasu exited to room to be greeted by Ren and Itsuki. They didn't look so hot themselves with Itsuki on crutches as his right leg mended in a cast while Ren's entire right side of his race remained bruised.
"How's he handling things?" Ren asked Motoyasu, who only grunted.
"He told me to bring the monster's head on my spear, so you tell me."
"What was that thing?" Itsuki asked them quietly. "That thing... it was no monster from the game. Such a high-level thing... its speed and its strength stats were off the charts!"
"Not only that, but its weapon." Ren looked Motoyasu directly in the eyes. "It was on fire but I saw it. It was a shield."
Motoyasu would be the first to admit he wasn't a smart guy. He was a doer, not a thinker. But that little tidbit was enough for him to get what the teenager was implying. "Come on, no way. You're crazy."
"The way that shield was shaped... it was similar to the one Banner used on the fields against the Balloons. It can't just be a coincidence."
"Come on, Ren-san." Itsuki laughed. "Banner's dead. We saw his body and everything!"
"Yeah, and there's no way in hell Banner was alive and he just sat in his coffin six feet under waiting for us to go to sleep! And next you'll say that in the moonlight he transformed into that monster like a freakin' werewolf before bursting out!" Motoyasu scoffed. "You've watched way too many horror movies."
"I never said he wasn't dead."
That made Motoyasu's blood run cold and he could see Itsuki grow pale.
Ren, however, just glared out the window. "We're all from different worlds. We've confirmed that two days ago with Banner. But we forgot to ask one important question."
"Yeah, and what's that?"
Ren's hands clenched into fists.
"Was he a human?"
"What nonsense are you spewing!?" Aultcray roared to the guard as the man led him down to the Shield Hero's grave. "A body does not just dig itself out and walk away!"
"I-It's the truth, your majesty!" They reached the hallway and stamped down it. "The guard came out to check on the gate to find a possible entry point for the monster that attacked last night, but he found the Shield Hero's grave dug up! We don't know how it happened!"
Aultcray growled. Nothing was going right today. He had spent all of yesterday in a fog of satisfaction, piss-drunk after the funeral in celebration for the Shield Devil's death. His sister was now properly avenged and all was right in the world. He was actually glad that his daughter wouldn't have to debase herself by saying that thing wearing human skin had raped her. He even commended her ingenuity when she told him all that she had done was remove the knife stabbed through his throat.
But then they were attacked by that monster that had practically killed his daughter! She was now lying in bed with a broken body and her mind a prison, unable to say or do anything!
Not only that, the monster had beaten three of the Cardinal Heroes before leaping off into the night. Sightings were being reported every moment by scared nobles and commoners, and news had reached his ears that a bread salesman was found broken and bloodied inside his own shop. The beast had even decided to attack slave traders before destroying a portion of the kingdom's walls, allowing the demihumans to escape into the night!
"This is a nightmare." Aultcray wiped his brow with a handkerchief. He had sent a messenger out to tell his wife, the Queen, and his youngest daughter the news about Malty's condition. They would likely drop their negotiations with the neighboring countries and return demanding an explanation. He would be forced to try and hide his plans with the Church to eliminate the Shield Devil, but his wife would find out and he would be punished severely. Everything was going wrong... and it could all be traced back to the Shield Devil! "Damn him! Damn his rotten soul!"
He and the guard went through the gate and the king gaped at what he saw.
Within the small garden they had buried the Shield Devil's body, strictly for the benefit of the other heroes, was a massive crater of upturned earth. The tombstone that was chiseled for Robert Banner was smashed into pieces, scattered into the flowerbeds that circled the garden.
"We don't know what happened, your majesty." The guard explained as Aultcray circled around it. "We couldn't find any fresh footprints. There's no sign of tools or magic being used to dig it up... it's like something came from the depths of hell itself!"
Yes, he could see it. It had been years since Aultcray had been a hero and he was fat from the luxuries of being the king, but he still retained the eyes of a hero. He could see that whatever had dug up the hole... it came from within the ground.
And there was the matter of the Shield Devil's coffin.
It was empty, with no signs of struggle from within. Instead the sides were splinters as if something had grown from within. An image came to Aultcray's mind of this thing punching its way of the coffin as it grew too big for its confinements.
"By the gods..."
Just what had they summoned?
Was Robert Banner truly a man...?
Is he a monster...?
Chapter 2: ...Or Is He Both?
Note: Surprise! Here's the next chapter!
There was a lot of set-up in this thing, which I'll admit was a slog to get through. To be honest my favorite parts were the latter half from Bruce's death onwards. Because now we're finally free from the standard monotony of the Shield Hero fics and get on to more interesting things!
I may have upped Malty's intelligence, but honestly just having her be so stupid evil that she sticks to the same script despite other opportunities presenting themselves makes her boring. So I decided to make her slightly more interesting but just as devious.
Hope that you guys liked the characterization in this. Be sure to let me know what your thoughts are and leave a review!
Also be sure to check out Amazing Fantasy!