"We and you too, you most of all, dear boy, will have to pass through the bitter water before we reach the sweet."
― Bram Stoker, Dracula
Raphtalia coughed as she trudged through the forest, the stones and twigs poking and prodding her feet and the bare skin of her legs.
"Farther. I have to go farther."
Her marking in the middle of her collarbone pulsed with every step she took, guiding her to lands that were unfamiliar to her. She had only seen the forest through the slots of the caravan that brought her inside the city walls. The trees were lush and green, but further in were fallen branches and trunks that made them seem like bony hands. They beckoned her to go further into the darkness.
Into a land of monsters.
She shivered while clutching the egg she held with both her hands closer to her chest. It was stupid, really. It was the only thing she had brought along with her while making her escape through the hole in the wall. She could've gotten anything from that blacksmith shop the rest of the demi-humans ransacked, albeit politely by their savior's demand. Instead, she took one of the many eggs that her former trader had kept. She didn't know its importance, but it had the markings of a Slave Crest so she took it while the rest just followed the giant out of their torn cages and past the broken body of the trader into the city streets.
"D-Do you think we're safe, yet?" Raphtalia asked the egg only to receive no reply. "I hope so... I don't want to see any monsters."
No, monsters were big and terrifying. Things of many shapes resembling creatures she knew but worse. Claws and teeth that gnashed and tore, that spilled bellies and...
...the blood... so much blood, red and dark to the point that it was almost black. The screaming that followed as Mommy and Daddy...!
Raphtalia stopped and began to hyperventilate. She felt numb and cold, the memory consuming everything. Her town destroyed by the Waves, the monsters killing her parents, falling down the cliff as that... that thing bit off Daddy's head and made it squirt blood all over her...
She began to cry, tears streaming down her cheeks while clutching the egg tighter.
"Why? Why does the world need to be so cruel?" She sobbed out while collapsing on her back. She didn't even mind that a branch had cut her foot. She just wanted to lay down and cry. To not do anything but stay on the ground and looking at the clear and beautiful morning sky through the tree leaves. "I don't... I don't understand..."
"What you do now is your choice. Go on, get outta here."
Her savior's words came to her head and stopped the sobbing. She hiccuped and looked down at the egg. It was unbroken, but she needed to be more careful with it.
It was her only friend right now.
The sun glinting off her shackles hit her eyes and made Raphtalia wince. These things were cold and reminded her of days she would rather forget.
The nights going hungry, coughing in a steel cage as her trader would show her to people only for them to pass her by.
The days just sitting there, hearing only the screams, curses, and pleadings of her fellow slaves.
The beatings and insults, the slanders against herself and her people while the humans laughed at her misfortune.
Of her time with the hands and the masters, groping and petting her while their teeth sunk into her flesh...!
Something bubbled within her. Her mark began to pulse as she set the egg down and took note of the fact she was by a riverbed. There were plenty of rocks inside and a giant bolder sat at the edge. She walked towards it and felt the cool water run over her legs and she picked up a rock the size of her fist.
Oddly, it didn't seem all that heavy.
Walking towards the bolder her breathing grew harder. Her head seemed to throb and she ground her teeth.
"Never let them do this again. Ya hear me? If those puny humans ever get their hands on you and start talking all that crap, wanting to bind you in chains..."
"Smash them."
Raphtalia set her right wrist on top of the bolder and clenched the rock with her left hand. Bringing it back, she smashed against the iron shackle.
"Smash."
The image of the trader entered her head, reminding her time and time again how she didn't have long.
"Smash."
Her former master came next, and his tortures made the pain going through her wrists and hand seem like nothing. She didn't even care about how her head felt like it was being split apart.
"Smash!"
The three-headed Wave monster with its fangs and horns, slowly approaching her and her parents at the edge of the cliff.
"SMASH!"
The mark of emerald blood that her savior had put on Raphtalia, erasing her Crest and granting her the freedom she had not experienced since those quiet days with her parents, was now screaming. On the edges of her vision she saw emerald green swimming as she brought the rock down again on her shackle, a tiny crack beginning to form.
And she remembered last night when the Shield Hero saved her.
"I'm going to kill that son of a bitch the moment I get out."
"You've been saying that for weeks. Quit kidding yourself."
"I would if I could!"
"SHUT UP! Some of us are trying to sleep here!"
"You may be willing to throw away your pride as a demi-human, but I will not!"
"Hey, fuck you!"
Raphtalia coughed hard within her cage, the chains of the shackles around her arm and wrest clinking in the cold darkness of the "troublesome" demi-human section of the tent. The air smelled distinctly of sweat and urine, the clean-up time still some time away. Raphtalia could not tell if hours have passed since or minutes, but the trader made it a point to not make the place unbearably filthy.
Nobody wanted to purchase a slave covered in their own filth.
Her muscles ached and it felt like something was stabbing into her lungs with each cough she made. Her former master had done a number on her, to the point that the trader had said she was "damaged goods" and "cheap" in front of her as he showed around new buyers. They took one look at her and agreed.
It scared her. Some nights she would stay up and curl into a ball, shivering at the thought that soon she would be dead. Dead just like Mommy, Daddy, and Rifana. So many people dead and the blood that flowed when it happened. The stench and the color draining from their skin and eyes as their souls left this world to the gods.
She prayed sometimes, but not that often. Her former master discouraged it and the slaves around her laughed.
They told her if the gods really existed then they wouldn't have stuck her in here.
She never saw the demi-humans around her for long. Sometimes they were sold, sometimes they just died in their cells, and sometimes they committed suicide. Their trader just clicked his tongue whenever that happened as two of his assistants dragged away the body, muttering about a loss of an investment.
Raphtalia rarely spoke. But she wasn't like the ones here who had been reduced to snarls and barks. She hadn't become the animal most humans considered her to be.
The only time she spoke was when someone was talking to her, and even that was painful.
"I want to go home..." That thought made tears run down her cheeks.
There wasn't a home to go back to. The Waves and its monsters took that away from her.
"My, my. So rowdy."
Raptalia glanced up to see the trader, the fat and short man wearing a tuxedo with a red bowtie. His vest was purple which matched the feathered collar he wore. His mustache barely twitched as he smiled, his perfect teeth matching the glint of his glasses in the firelight.
"Though I suppose that is what makes you so attractive to adventurers and those of a... less savory disposition." He sighed and shook his head. "Never understood the sadists. So much money wasted to do something that they could so with a captured animal or insect."
Her fellow demi-humans didn't express their hatred in words she could understand. Most of them reverted to animalstic barks and snarls while some shouted curses in tongues.
But they all hated him.
Even she hated him, but her fear was greater. This was the man who will sell her to the next master, bound to be just as cruel if not crueler than Idol Rabier and he would do it with a smile.
The trader sighed as he looked over them. "I'm afraid that tonight will be a slow one, my dear slaves. It appears that my assured sale and commission will be for naught, as the Shield Hero is dead."
Raphtalia stared at him in horror.
"No, he's lying. He can't be... the Shield Hero can't be...!"
"LIAR!" The lizardman in the cage across from her shouted. "The Shield Hero cannot be dead!"
"You're not going to break our spirits anymore by telling us stupid shit like this!" A kitsune growled, bearing his fangs in anger. "If I didn't have these chains on me I would rip out your fucking heart for this blasphemy!"
"I would tear out your throat! Make it a really slow one and watch as the life drains from your eyes!" The werewolf further off from their location howled. "Just you wait, Beloukas! I'll do it the moment I'm free!"
"Please, settle down!" He raised his hand to make his two assistants back off from torturing the werewolf for his disrespect. "Let me assure you there is none more disappointed about this news than I! I was meant to sell the man one of you fine demi-humans to him by the order of the Queen herself! Perhaps with a nice bit of extra coin with a commission added to the Shield Hero's fee. But, alas, it was not meant to be." He sighed dramatically. "Such a shame, really. In this fine kingdom any of your would make for fine party members."
"He's not lying." If there was one thing she knew about her trader, it was that he valued money as his god. To him, a loss of money was no laughing matter. "He's... he's telling the truth..."
The Shield Hero, the legendary hero meant to stand tall to the Waves and savior to demi-humans, was really dead.
Raphtalia couldn't help it. She began to sob.
It hurt, and she was coughing while it happened, but she couldn't stop. Her wails were mixed with those of her fellow demi-humans who understood that the man they all hated was telling the truth.
The hero she thought would come and rescue her, the one she prayed to in her nights at Idol's residence with Rifana and here to come and rescue them all. To make those who enslaved and tortured them pay and whisk her off to some place without pain was now dead.
Dead like her parents. Dead like her friends.
Dead. Dead. Dead.
She looked up at her trader and allowed for a blasphemous thought to enter her head.
"Gods, please... make this man suffer for what he has done to us."
Everything happened so fast.
Something crashed through the roof of the tent, tearing cloth and slamming into the ground which spread dust and debris into the air. Raphtalia shielded her eyes as she heard the shouts of her fellow slaves and the muffled screams of her trader's assistants. She lowered her arms in time to see the two flung into the over the shoulder of the intruder.
Even she had to admit he looked terrifying.
It was a hulking... creature... that looked like a human but certainly wasn't one. Heavily muscled and green-skinned with a matching head of dark green hair. It was bleeding emerald which glinted in the moonlight, but what stood out more were the piercing green eyes that glowed brighter than the moon itself.
But what stood out the most was what was attached to its right arm.
A silver shield with an emerald gem at the center.
"W-Wh...!?" The trader was at a loss for words as he fell on his butt, staring at the creature.
"Hrm." The creature took one look around and sneered. "Thought I smelled something rotten around here." he turned his attention to the trader and grinned. "So tell me... what's it like treating people just like you as if they were less than animals?"
"I-I... This is a legitimate business!" The man was babbling as he pointed at the creature. "Y-You have no right to judge me!"
The creature leaned down, sniffed the air, and somehow his grin grew wider. "Ah... I see. You're one of those people, right? Can't see others as anything but walking sacks of money that flow directly into your pocket." Almost as quick as lightning, it put its hands over the trader's head while his massive thumbs floated over the man's eyes. "Lets fix that."
"Wait, do-!"
The creature... no... their
savior... thrust his thumbs forward and she heard her trader scream as something cracked and crimson liquid shot onto his arms. The demi-humans howled and cheered in triumph. She shivered at the sight, the blood coming out of the spots where the trader's eyes once were...
The blood... by the gods the blood as he screamed and clutched his face. Mommy was crying by Daddy's side before the monster crushed her spine in its jaws...!
Their savior flicked the trader away with his massive right hand, sending him careening into a support beam before the man landed in a meaty thud, broken and unconscious.
"That shield...!"
"It's the Shield Hero!"
"I knew that fucker was lying!"
"Shield Hero! You've risen from the grave to save your chosen people!"
"I don't give a damn if you're the Shield Hero or the devil itself! Just get me the fuck out of this cage!"
The demi-humans continued to cheer and hurl curses at their broken trader's body, spitting in his general direction before clasping their hands in prayer towards the Shield Hero's direction. He, however, seemed to be focused on her and frowned at the sight.
He went on one knee and reached towards the bars. She wanted to smile at him, but her eyes kept looking back at his hands that were stained in blood.
She couldn't help it. She began screaming.
It was a wail from the depths of Raphtalia's soul as the Shield Hero parted the bars as if they were made of paper and reached out to her. The image of the hand transformed to that of the snarling, gaping maw of the monster. It had come for her after feasting on Mommy and Daddy's bodies and drunk on their blood. Coming for her! Coming to get her and finish the job that they had started...!
"Hold still, kid."
Something dug into the flesh of her collarbone and she hissed in pain, bringing Raphtalia back into reality to see that the Shield Hero had snapped the shackle on her neck. It was bleeding now, just above her crest while her savior winced. "Told you to keep still." He reached with his index finger to her wound as a dollop of emerald blood rolled off the tip and landed on her wound.
It burned and she hissed in pain as it rolled down and...
Her crest glowed green, shining brightly and pulsating. In her shock she began to wipe at it, but the blood smeared on her skin and glowed as it dried. Tried as she might it would not come off.
"I... I can't feel it...!" She looked at her savior who had raised one of his massive eyebrows. "My crest... it's gone...!" Even her coughing had subsided! This was... this was like something from the fairy tails Mommy and Daddy told her! She began to cry and muttered, "Thank you... thank you...!"
The Shield Hero brought back his arm and looked at his blood in wonder. "That's new... never thought letting those idiots wail on me and cut me up a bit would do this. Hell, would've thought the cuts would've healed by now. Guess wounds left by Legendary Weapons take a bit longer than others..."
He fought the other Cardinal Heroes for their freedom!? And won!?
"Look! The Shield Hero's blood liberates us!" One of the demi-humans screamed. "It's a sign!"
"Holy shit!"
"It's a miracle! A sign from the gods!"
"Oh Shield Hero! Please free us!"
"You're the only one that can!"
"Shield Hero, our lord and savior, please...!"
"Quit callin' me Shield Hero. That's just what those idiots called Banner back at the castle before they killed him." The Shield Hero grunted before getting up. "Call me Hulk."
He seemed to ignore the shouts and pleas, the chanting of Hulk intermingled with Shield Hero echoing into the night. Raphtalia watched as he rubbed his chin in thought.
What could their savior be thinking?
After another second he spoke. "Alright. I'll free you all... if you help me out with something later down the line. I'll call on you, all of you, and you'll do whatever me or a guy called Banner says." With that, he squeezed his right arm and made his blood drip out more rapidly to create a small puddle on the ground. "Do that and I'll let you right out of those cages and let you rub as much blood as you want on those crests of yours. I'll get all of you out of this place and you won't ever have to look back."
Surprising even herself, Raphtalia was the first to speak.
"W-What do you want help with, Lord Shield Hero?"
She shivered when he looked at her and grinned. His eyes seemed to glow all the brighter as he spoke.
"A little something called ending the world."
"This'll do." The Shield Hero muttered as he hefted a sack of coin in his hand. He looked over his shoulder towards the broken body of their former captor and said, "Now, I'm sure that's all the money this place has, right? And don't try to lie to me. I can smell a liar."
The fat man groaned as a rabbit demi-human with an injured arm walked over to his body and kicked him hard. "Answer the Shield Hero, you shit-stain!"
"Y-Yes...!"
Raphtalia was on the tips of her toes as she sifted through the contents of the trader's desk. Once their savior had freed them from their cages and chains, all the former slaves began dipping their fingers into the Shield Hero's green blood and rubbing it on their crests. They hissed as if they were being burned, but they all felt it disappear. In the crest's place was a mark of green not unlike paint or blood being smeared on the skin and completely covering the symbol of their captivity.
A few tried to put the blood in their mouths but the Shield Hero discouraged it. Said that they would just burn up from the inside out.
Now they were ransacking the trader's supplies, searching for anything that might be of use. Some of the men were making good use of the spare clothes the man had squirreled away while others kept searching for weapons.
All she wanted was a new pair of shoes.
"I'm sorry, Shield Hero..." A Kitsune stood to their savior's side and looked up to the massive hero. "But..."
The Shield Hero glanced at him. "I told you to call me Hulk. Are you trying to piss me off?"
"R-Right... Hulk." The Kitsune shook himself and motioned towards the upturned office. "It appears that other than a few pokers there isn't much in terms of weaponry. Beloukas and the shuffling morons he kept around probably didn't want the possibility of an uprising."
"Hrm. Figures. Men like that like to think they're always in control, but there's always an itch in the back of their heads. Something always telling them that any day now, the people they've wronged are going to come knocking on the door demanding their pound of flesh." The Shield Hero chuckled to himself. "I think we've gotten it now, haven't we?"
The Kitsune glowered at that. "No, we haven't."
The green giant shrugged. "Yeah, but we can't keep at it. Not enough time, and the bastard would die before you all got what is due to you." He nodded to a Nui and said, "Hey, get some containers and fill them with the blood. I ain't gonna bleed forever and we're going to make a few stops."
"Right, Lord Shi-." Their savior, their Hulk, growled. The Nui quickly corrected himself. "Er.. I mean, Lord Hulk!"
"Don't push it."
"Lord Hulk..." It was strange testing that title in her head. A hulk... was not what one called a hero. She had heard the legends from her bed and Daddy's knee that the Shield Hero would come from another world, one where the names and even the customs were strange. But Hulk sounded like the name of some beast.
Of some monster.
"And he said he wants us to help him destroy the world..." That sounded so much like the wishes of a monster. The Shield Hero hadn't elaborated on what he meant, but the others were all for it. Declaring that the end times have come and other stuff Raphtalia could barely understand.
He couldn't have meant it literally. He was supposed to lead the demi-humans to prosperity and freedom, to guide them to a better world! Surely it didn't mean destroying the very world!
...Could it?
"No, don't think like that." She opened a small box in her so far fruitless attempt to find at least some shoes but paused at the contents. Within velvet cushions and dividers were sixteen eggs, each divided into rows of four. Every one of their number was branded with what looked like a variation of the slave crest... though she could not be sure. "Oh who am I kidding. It probably is one."
It pained her to know each of these little ones weren't even in this world yet and their fates had been already sealed.
"They are so much like me. Like I was in that cage..."
"Alright, all of you! We're heading out so grab whatever you think is useful and follow me!"
Gasping to herself, Raphtalia's eyes scanned the eggs. She wanted to bring them all but she could only carefully carry one. If she took anymore then there would be a chance they would be all squished. "Which one? Which one!?" Her hand hovered over them, going past their tops row by row.
Then, something began to throw when her hand hovered over the second egg to the right of the third row. She looked down and saw that the mark that the Shield Hero left her was lightly glowing green, pulsing almost to the tune of her heartbeat. "T-This one?" She muttered to herself but received no response. Hesitantly, she took it in her hand.
It felt warm.
"What's keeping you?"
Raphtalia turned and looked up at the Shield Hero. He seemed almost bigger than when he was in the cage. His wounds had closed and he seemed to be lightly glaring at her.
"I-I...!" Suddenly, she began coughing. She put her free hand over her mouth and cursed herself for doing this in front of her savior.
"Ah, that one..." The Werewolf grunted while twirling his poker. "I heard it from the shitbag himself. Her old master was one of those sadistic bastards who loved to torture demi-human kids. She won't last long."
But... that wasn't true. She was coughing, sure, but it didn't hurt as much. Her old wounds weren't stabbing her as if the hot knives and whips were still tearing her skin. In fact she was already recovering!
"I'll be the judge of that." Raphtalia squeaked in surprise when the Shield Hero picked her up with his massive right and index finger by the scruff of her neck.
"L-Lord Hu-!"
"Just Hulk, girl." He placed her on his massive shoulder and glanced up into her face. "I'm not going to do this forever. When you feel better or if we run into trouble I'm taking you right off."
"T-Thank you..." She wanted to cry, but held it in. This Hulk who had the name and even looked like a monster was treating her with kindness she had not seen since her parents' deaths. "I-I won't be a burden!"
"Trust me, you couldn't be one if you tried." Hulk began walking through the crowd of former slaves and she could see them all staring up at him with awe and scary devoted looks. It... frightened her a bit. When they reached the entrance leading to the main road he turned to the corner. "Hold on. I wanna try something."
With a casual flick of his finger, the Shield Hero took out a portion of the wall. Raphtalia couldn't help but gape at the display of power. Wasn't the Shield Hero supposed to be physically weak, but strong in both defense against injustice and the heart which gave love to his chosen people?
"Amazing...!"
"The Shield Hero just arrived, and he can destroy buildings with a mere flick of the hand...!"
"Ha! This damn kingdom's time has finally come!"
"Judgement is at hand!"
The Shield Hero ignored them all and brought down his shield in front of it . In a swirl of light and magic, the stone was gone and Raphtalia bore witness to the Legendary Shield transforming.
What was once a shield of metal was now something shield-shaped comprised entirely by brick. In the center of the orange bricks was a single green gem that glowed ever brighter.
"Amazing..." She whispered in awe. She had never seen something like that before! All the stories she heard from the fairy tales paled in comparison to this! It was like light hand molded the shield with the hands of angels, granting it a new form with the material around it!
Her savior grinned savagely and admired it in the firelight. "Well how about that..."
"HALT MONSTER!" The Hulk didn't even move his head and grunted when soldiers came running down the left side of the street. Their swords were unsheathed and others were beginning to draw their bows. Raphtalia gasped while the demi-humans behind them growled. "LAY DOWN YOUR ARMS SO THAT WE MAY GIVE YOU A PAINLESS...!"
"Shut up." Hulk drew up his arm and clenched his fist. The floor in front of the soldiers glowed a green light before bricks began to form. Brick after brick that slowly made a wall going from one side of the street to another, as higher than the buildings themselves and completely blocking the soldiers from getting to them. "Wall Shield, huh? So this is how you work? I just keep feeding you crap and you get more powers?" The gem glowed a bright green as if in response. "I think I'm gonna like you."
They began marching down the street, the demi-humans that were once slaves now walking tall and proud as shopkeepers, nobles, and the occasional commoner closed up shop or leapt into open doors before shutting them.
They were all afraid of them.
"Good."
Raphtalia blinked when that thought exited her head. It sounded so... angry. So bitter. What was happening to her? She never thought stuff like this!
Eventually, they made it to the front of a blacksmith shop. Raphtalia squinted and began sounding out the words. "Er...hard's Black... smith.. Forge?" She hadn't been able to read for years. It was a miracle she could even understand the words.
The Shield Hero said nothing and tapped on the door lightly with his massive hand. It opened to reveal a very muscular dark-skinned man who blinked in surprise of the Hulk's presence. He licked his lips and gulped but said in a shaky but calm voice, "May I help you... sir?"
Hulk grinned at him. "Me and my friends would like some of your goods. Hope you don't mind."
The blacksmith leaned to the left and saw the group of demi-humans before looking back at the Hulk. Then, with a shrug, he stepped out of the way of the door. "Try not to damage anything."
"You heard him." Hulk inclined his head. "Take whatever you need. Don't mess up his nice little display cases."
The demi-humans cheered and barged into the store. They took any weapon that wasn't nailed down. A sword, an axe, daggers... anything that they could carry on them.
"You gonna get anything?" The Shield Hero asked her. Raphtalia shook her head vigoriously.
She couldn't. Knives meant killing. It meant cutting and bleeding like the teeth of the monsters and the knives of Idol.
"We oughta kill this one." She was snapped out of her memories and saw that the Werewolf had the tip of his broadsword at the blacksmith's throat. The man was leaning back but he showed no fear. He stared at the demi-human directly in the eyes and kept his hands up in the air and steady. "He'll alert the guards."
"Put it down." The Hulk's voice rumbled. He seemed angry, but it was a calm and steady flame.
"Why should I?" The Werewolf asked with narrowed eyes. "This bastard is a human. Just like the ones who enslaved me and my kind. Who threw me into the ring time and time again before tossing me aside in that shitbag of a country Zeltable."
"I'm not going to ask twice."
All activity in the shop stopped, the demi-humans staring at the scene in wonder. The Hulk leaned forward and told the Werewolf, "You can kill him sure, but do that and I'll come after you. I'll make sure you regret it, and if you do somehow manage to escape... if you somehow manage to kill me..." He grinned. "I'll come back and find you."
The Werewolf shook in freight, staring at the Shield Hero in horror. "Y-You're a lower level than me..." It sounded more like a wheeze than an implied threat.
The Shield Hero merely chuckled. "You really think that matters? Look into my eyes and tell me I'm bluffing."
That seemed to squash any remaining fight in the Werewolf. He lowered his sword and trudged out of the store, not even glancing at Hulk.
"A-Amazing..." Raphtalia whispered in awe while clutching the egg. "I-Is it true? Would you have come back to us, Shield Hero?"
Rather than answer her, the Hulk shouted, "And that goes for the rest of you! Any human who isn't attacking will not to be harmed! They may be puny but at least they've got brains!" He then pointed to the main desk. "And no taking the guy's money! You don't need it!"
He turned to the blacksmith who was rubbing his neck. The man looked up to him and muttered, "T-Thank you..."
"Don't thank me. Thank Banner." Hulk then dropped the sack of the trader's loot and said, "Consider that half of the payment. The other half is an I-Owe-You whenever you need it from me."
As the demi-humans filed out of the store the blacksmith just stared at the Shield Hero. "That shield..." Then, the man began to chuckle before laughing. "No wonder you didn't need a sword! And here I thought you were stupid!"
To Raphtalia's shock, the Hulk gave an amused smirk rather than threatening the man. "I'll let that slide. But only because you were the only one who treated Banner decently in this crappy little kingdom." With the blacksmith waving farewell, the Hulk began leading their band again.
"D-Did you know that man, H-Hulk?" She asked tentatively to her savior who merely grunted.
"Banner did. Really, talking to him was the only time he felt comfortable in his own skin since getting here. Everyone else either confused him, made him sad, or just pissed him off a tiny bit."
"Who's Banner?" Was he the Shield Hero's friend? He talked about them as if they were one in the same.
"You'll see him eventually. Especially if you keep you end of the deal."
Raphtala fidgeted on her place atop Hulk's shoulder. She still didn't know what he meant by that and it didn't seem like the Shield Hero was interested in explaining it to her.
Was he that enraged by their plight? Was he seeking to punish the unbelievers like some of the demi-humans said? He didn't seem to act like someone with a divine mission.
"I just don't know. It's all so complicated..."
"There they are!" A guard screamed while several of his men got into position. The ones in the front lowered their spears while the men in the back drew their swords. "Damn it... that devil gave the demi-humans weapons! Show no fear men! Your training under the Kingdom of Melromarc will allow you to overpower these beasts!"
"Great, I was waiting to test out my blade!" The rabbit demi-human twirled his dagger, grinning in anticipation.
"We don't have time for this." Raphtalia didn't scream this time as the Shield Hero placed her on the ground and stepped forward. "Cover your ears..."
Setting the egg down, Raphtalia did as instructed and watched as Hulk raised both his hands.
"This is gonna get loud."
The Shield Hero roared as he stepped forward and clapped his hands. Raphtalia screamed as the sound of something booming filled her ears and rattled her brain. She watched as the air in front of the Hulk seemed to shimmer and the soldiers were flung back screaming. Glass broke in the windows of buildings and the structures began to shake. The demi-humans of the canine variety began to bark and howl when they weren't yipping in pain.
But, as soon as it came, the noise left and Raphtalia slowly uncovered her ears.
Everything was destroyed. Stalls made of cheap wood were knocked down, the splinters intermingling with the broken glass. The soldiers were on the ground, the few that were on their knees were throwing up and clutching bleeding ears.
The Hulk, however, let out a dissatisfied huff. "Should've done more damage."
Raphtalia gaped at him. The Shield Hero did this much with a simple clap and he was complaining about it being too weak!? Just how much power did he have before being blessed with the Legendary Shield!?
"Come on, we're wasting time here."
Raphtalia picked up her egg and followed the Shield Hero while the demi-humans cheered in victory. They didn't rest on their way to the walls, freeing two other slave shops, one that specialized in female slaves and the other in cheap indentured servants. Raphtalia could not help but feel bitter about the latter one. The 'indentured servants' comprised mostly of human peasants that were enslaved for failing to pay back loans or angered a noble.
Their accommodations were more comfortable than that of her kin's.
But at the same time, she could not help but marvel at the Shield Hero's kindness and generosity. "I think... I understand him a bit more. He doesn't care about our race at all. To him, all that matters... is that injustice was committed against us."
Most of them fled in terror but a few stayed with their group with the Shield Hero silencing any protests with a glare. A few more guards and even some adventurers came at them, but they quickly fell to their greater numbers. Raphtalia didn't look to see what had happened. She didn't want to know if they were dead or not.
It was better this way.
Soon, they were at the walls of the kingdom. She followed just behind the Hulk was he placed his hand on the smooth surface.
"I want all of you to watch. To see what these walls those idiots put up mean to me."
Then, with one mighty punch, a giant hole was carved out. The stone went flying into the grass of the land outside while cracks began to snake up to the top and the sides.
"Not a damn thing." The Shield Hero then pointed out to the dark expanse with the moon and stars being the only things that provided light. "What you do now is your choice. Go on, get outta here."
Raphtalia shivered as she looked into the forest. Everything was so dark, so cold. As much as she hated herself for thinking it, she wanted to go back into her cage. At least there was light. There was a sense of security, a place for her.
Out there was the unknown.
"But, Hulk!" Someone behind her cried out. "We wish to fight alongside you! Let us follow you so that we may begin our mission right away!"
Her heart soared at the idea. Traveling alongside the Shield Hero? That was the greatest wish of any demi-human! By his side, she would be safe! She would help him with whatever he wished and finally have a purpose!
She would fulfill her promise to her parents and friends, long since dead and lost.
"I ain't ready yet, and the last thing I need is dead weight before I'm ready."
"Oh..." Well, it figures didn't it? The Shield Hero didn't want just anybody by his side. Not when there was a world to explore and power to be gained in order to destroy it.
"But when I'm ready, I'll give you all a sign." He turned to her and Raphtalia tried hard not to flinch as those green eyes stared down at her. "Never let them do this again. Ya hear me? When those puny humans ever get their hands on you and start talking all that crap, wanting to bind you in chains..."
Hulk turned around, crouching low as his massive leg muscles bulged. He grinned savagely as he finished his statement.
"Smash them."
She didn't know if the Hulk had jumped or just began to fly. He soared into the air in an arc, his form growing smaller and smaller with each passing second. Within a few blinks of her eyes, he was gone and she was alone again.
The former slaves ran past her, fleeing into the night. A few ran back into the streets intending on killing a few guards to cover for them. She, however, stood at the hole and stared into the unknown.
Where could she go? She had no home to return to. No friends to share her newfound freedom with. All of her fellow former slaves would see her as a nuisance at best.
Her mark then pulsed and she stared into the moon where the Shield Hero had flew into.
Raphtalia, clutching her egg, made her choice and stepped out into the night.
She panted when the shackle snapped off, revealing a reddened and bleeding band around her wrist. The hunk of metal fell into the river with the water swallowing it whole.
She had done it.
She had broken her chains all on her own.
"Not done." Raphtalia moved the rock into her right hand while the edges of her vision swam in green. "Not yet."
She bared her teeth while breaking her left shackle. It amazed her how easy it seemed to be. Shouldn't this be more of a struggle? She was never this strong before.
But as she continued to beat down at the iron she felt... better somehow.
"Is this what the Shield Hero feels when striking his opponents?" She needed to ask him when they met.
He probably would be a bit angry... but this was her choice as given to her by him. She had nowhere to go. She had nothing to live for. All that remained... was her promise to him.
That she would help him end the world.
When her left shackle fell into the river, Raphtalia dropped the rock and stumbled back to the egg. She muttered to herself, "And maybe... maybe he'll tell me what that means." When she was close to it she fell to her knees while the green seemed to fade away. Her mark stopped pulsing and the skin grew cool. Laying beside the egg she said, "I should give you a name..."
But what would be a good name? A name to give to her only friend in this cruel world? Her companion in these unknown woods?
"A friend..." Her best friend came to mind. Her soft and short blond hair and golden eyes, with ears so much cuter than Raphtalia's own. "Your name will be Rifana..."
With tears swimming in her eyes, Raphtalia fell asleep without chains for the first time in years.
Bruce woke up with a silent scream and grasped his neck. "The knife! I have to stop her from pulling out the..." When he rubbed his neck and found no blade he moaned and laid back in the grass staring up at the clear morning sky.
"Figures."
Well, he supposed that a day and a half without dying or turning into the Hulk in this new environment set a new record. And, if he were to look at the bright side of things, he was grateful that the Hulk hadn't decided to just stick around after dark to do his own thing.
He already dealt with that on Sakaar and wouldn't like a repeat.
Bruce took a look around and saw that there were the corpses of several creatures that looked similar to creatures from his world while others he could not recognize. There were some torn-apart winged beasts that vaguely resembled bats but with a bell-like main body while further down the clearing were the burst remnants of those Balloon monsters, but yellow-colored.
"Interesting..." Allowing curiosity to guide him, he picked up one of the bat creatures with his left hand. Its head was like a burst grape while its right wing was completely torn off. Glancing at his shield, Bruce asked the Hulk's reflection, "Should I even bother to ask?"
The gem in the center of the shield pulsed and the bat corpse glowed a bright white light. It seemed to turn into water in Bruce's hand, flowing from his fingers into the shield itself. "This thing consumes material?" Then why wasn't it just trying to eat everything in the vicinity? Was their a range restriction or did he need to hold material for the process to begin!"
The gem only pules once before a new notification appeared in Bruce's vision.
Ten out of Ten bats defeated! Restrictions to Voice Ganger Shield (Bat Type) have been lifted!
Voice Ganger Shield unlocked!
"Just like what happened with the Orange Balloons..." But he hadn't defeated enough to unlock that "Orange Small Shield" thing. "I guess you've been busy last night." He didn't even bother to look at the Hulk and instead pulled the rags that were once his pants to the left and tied them closer to his body. Seeing smoke a bit past the trees in front of him, he proceed to walk towards them.
Smoke meant civilization. Civilization, especially one that wasn't past the medieval area, meant clothes drying on clotheslines.
Clothes were a really nice idea right now.
"I can only hope that the Hulk didn't kill Myne. I don't think Amadeus' theory will apply to him anymore." Amadeus Cho, one of his and the Hulk's more recent friends as well as a current "Hulk" himself, once made a theory that Bruce retained a subconscious influence on the Hulk. That was why the Hulk always seemed to cause tons of property damage but never any intentional human casualties during his rampages.
Bruce himself had some doubts about that, but the theory had some merit. After all, by all rights there should be thousands of not millions of people killed by the Hulk and yet it wasn't until a couple of years ago that his colleagues decided to shoot them into space for the good of the human race. But Amadeus never accounted for the people who died because of the aftermath, those who lost their homes and livelihoods because of the Hulk's rampages and the army's insistence to waste billions of dollars trying to capture him.
And he doubted that Amadeus accounted for this Hulk.
"This one doesn't mind killing." Likely in self defense since those Balloon monsters seemed especially thirsty for his blood, but it was still jarring when the Savage personality couldn't even bare to hurt puppies. "And it is supposed to have access to this shield's skills... did he just kill these things to gain this shield form?"
There was so much he didn't understand.
"I will have to assume that Myne is still alive, but not living well." This Hulk tended to cripple his opponents by breaking their bones and at worst putting them into comas. Was it to make them suffer for killing him? "Which means I have to assume I'm a fugitive again... though that's not anything new. The lack of modern conveniences will be a problem, though."
Maps in this era likely cost a lot of money and those 'adventurers' likely had accessed to especially detailed ones. If he was going to get a sense for where he stood on the map, he would need to purchase them. He never knew how much he missed Google Maps until now.
As Bruce made his way through the forest, his mind drifted back to Myne. "She enjoyed killing me." He had countered enough sadistic madmen to tell the difference between satisfaction in completing a mission and pure sadism. "She didn't plan for it but she wanted to make it as painful as possible." She mentioned a plan to discredit him with a rape accusation but what was the point in that? They had him in their servitude! He was already in the "weakest" class and the other Heroes were training to be ready to kill the Hulk. What purpose was there in socially disgracing an asset as powerful as the Hulk?
Was the king just trying to rub in how much power he had over the people? That one judgement from him was all that it took to make him a pariah?
"And rape of all things... after everything the Hulk has done, was making up an accusation of rape on the spot all they could come up with!?" Bruce rubbed his forehead. "No, calm down. It's all over now. I'm a criminal all the same and I have to assume Ren, Motoyasu, and Itsuki will be on my trail. I have to get moving..."
It didn't take long for Bruce to see the backyard of a small cottage. To his relief there were a pair of pants and a shirt drying on a clothesline and seemed about his size. Carefully running out and keeping his eyes on the windows, he took the garments off the rack and ran back into the woods.
"A bit big, but they'll do." He muttered while buttoning up the grey slacks and looking at his shield.
A new notification appeared in his vision.
Equipping Upper Garments? Yes/No
By clicking on the yes option, the shield dispersed from view and allowed for Bruce to but on the brownish-red shirt. When he was done the shield reappeared on his arm as if it had never left. "Aren't you convenient."
The next part was what he hated the most.
Going to the neighboring house, Bruce peeked through the window from the bottom and looked around. Nobody was inside and all seemed quiet. Slowly, he inched to the backdoor and opened it. No barking of a dog meant that this place was probably safe to steal the essentials from.
Before, when he only transformed when he got angry, Bruce could spend weeks or even months never turning into the Hulk. That was enough time to pick up a job, albeit never a good or well-paying one, and buy his own clothes and food. With his new situation, however, Bruce had to be a bit more... pragmatic about things.
Stealing clothes, taking money if they were in the clothes, and occasionally breaking into empty houses for both.
He wasn't going to get far without a pair of shoes and something for breakfast.
Going inside was a tense affair. It was incredibly likely that in this world's development period the wife or daughter was still inside and then he would either have a very difficult discussion or they would kill him in self-defense. Neither were particularly appealing scenarios, so he needed to tread carefully.
Finding a pair of leather shoes that fit him was something that made the affair worth it. He couldn't find any money on the tables or counter tops and Bruce could guess that the family kept them hidden. Deciding not to waste what little time he probably had ransacking the place, he instead searched the kitchen and breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of a loaf of bread and a hunk of dry cheese.
"Breakfast. Thank god."
Taking both, he quickly but quietly left the building with his heart racing. He needed to get onto the main street before people asked what he was doing traveling around people's backyards.
To his surprise, everyone was gathered outside and forming a crowd around two dismounted knights bearing the Melromarc flag. Bruce turned so that they would not see him, but listened while taking a bite of the bread.
"Hear me, good people of Tanelorn! We have come to announce the death of the Shield Hero!" The knight's voice boomed as he read off of the prepared speech. "Sir Robert Banner had been killed by a merchant to defend a demi-human who had stolen his wares! With this, the Four Cardinal Heroes have been reduced to three!"
"No mention of the Hulk..." Either the King had decided to not make that public yet or the messenger informing them all about his resurrection hadn't come yet. In this age before even the telegram was invented, news was slow and updates came and went whenever the person delivering it made their way to the village. "I suppose I should be glad. It means that I've got a head start."
"The Shield Hero's dead?" One of the villagers muttered. "That's a bit of a shock. It hasn't even been two days!"
"Well, I suppose it was a foregone conclusion. In the end, the Shield Hero does not come close to the strength of the others."
"I, for one, am glad! At least now the devil cannot trouble us or throw the demi-humans into a frenzy!"
"This culture is strange." He glanced at his shield while making his way to the village's exit. "They're acting like the Shield Hero would've caused trouble regardless. Is there some sort of stigma against the Shield Hero in their legends?"
If that were the case then the old Shield Heroes must've been bastards or something. Nothing else would warrant the nickname "devil".
Bruce shivered at the name and just made his way into the woods. Once he was deep enough he sat down and continued with his meal.
This situation was looking bad. He didn't have any money, most of the kingdom would be against him for what the Hulk did, and he had no way of trying to find a way back to his universe until these Waves were finished off. "So I need to assume that I will be stuck here for an indeterminate amount of time." He paused mid-bite into the cheese and looked around. When he heard nothing else he continued chewing. "Then there's the issue with this world's aggressive fauna."
Those monsters from yesterday acted differently towards him. Myne's reaction confirmed that the behavior was not natural for their species, which meant that they had to be reacting to the Hulk. They could sense him, and it would be safe to assume that other creatures like the Balloons would flock towards him with the intent to kill.
While dying was not exactly much of a concern, there was the fact that it hurt. He felt the pain of being stabbed or shot with all his blood draining out while his nerves sent the signals to his brain. Dying was never a painless experience and he preferred not experiencing it if at all possible.
So how could he avoid it? How could he survive in this world and not die every day?
Finishing his meal, Bruce got up and brushed the crumbs off his pants. He then felt it, a tug in his brain telling him to look.
A hunch, and he knew that it was his other half directing that extra sense.
Reluctantly, he turned his gaze to the right and noticed a herb of some kind with leaves that had ridged edges. "Is this... mint?" Plucking a leaf, Bruce rubbed it against his fingers and sniffed it. It did smell like mint, but it had an almost chemical edge to it as if he just took a whiff of chlorine. "I should probably ask if its edible..." He had done foraging from time to time, but he was now in an alien world and the last thing he wanted to do was to figure out toxicity of the flora by eating them and hoping for the best.
To his surprise, the gem of the shield glowed again and enveloped the leaf in a bright light. When it vanished from his hands a new message appeared.
Due to the usage of the medical herbs, the restrictions on the Leaf Shield have been lifted!
Leaf Shield unlocked!
"What is with all these shields?" Bruce rubbed his chin while resting his back on the tree. This just proved that the shield had different forms, and he doubted that they would be just for aesthetic purposes. "The Wrath Shield had its own power... Though that one will bring the Hulk out, so that's a no-go."
But what was the power of these other shields?
Opening the menu again, Bruce went straight to "Help" and read the instructions carefully.
The Legendary Shield allows for the user to unlock multiple forms when requirements are met. Each shield has their own unique ability that can aid in combat and defense, while having their own MP and SP requirements. Currently held shields, their abilities, and the requirements for other forms can be found in the Status Tree.
"It's almost like this shield is making itself easier for me to use." Bruce pressed on the highlighted 'status tree' option and viewed a graph that had the Legendary Shield in one circle before it branched into seven different shields.
Wall Shield
Equipment Bonus: Barrier 1
Oil Shield
Equipment Bonus: Oil Stream 1
Orange Small Shield
Equipment Bonus: Defense +2
Yellow Small Shield
Equipment Bonus: Defense +2
Voice Ganger Shield
Equipment Bonus: Megaphone
Leaf Shield
Equipment Bonus: Harvest Skill 1
Curse Series: Wrath Shield
Equipment Bonus: Change Shield (Attack), Iron Maiden
Special Effect: Self-Burning Curse Physical, Strength Up
Well, this just confirmed that the Hulk had been busy before leaving the kingdom. "These Wall, Oil, and Ganger Shields sound like they have greater offensive and defensive capabilities. And if I take into account what the shield has told me about its ability to unlock new forms it must mean that I need to keep feeding it both monsters and materials if I want something useful to defend myself with." He grimaced. "How morbid."
Bruce had killed a few animals during his time on the run. Well, Rick had done most of the work. The last thing either of them wanted was for him to get upset from a missed shot or a busted trap and let the Other Guy out. When the choice was starvation and killing an animal for food the choice was very clear.
The times he had no money for a meal just helped to make that choice into a cold hard fact.
But just traveling around and going out of his way to kill monsters sounded too much like senseless slaughter. How many animals had been driven to extinction just because the hunters found that their fur sold for a killing? The last thing he wanted was to completely destroy an ecosystem just to survive.
"But this information is useful. It means that I do have a way to fight back if needed." Curiosity taking hold of him, Bruce decided to check the levels again.
Level: 1/38/34/25
The one level that had increased probably belonged to the new Hulk persona in control. He could only assume that went up because he fought those monsters and probably some guards.
"Meaning that getting into battles and winning will increase my own level." For the first time since arriving in this world, Bruce felt slightly elated. This was what he was made for. He was a scientist and he was supposed to figure things out. "But I can't get overconfident. I still don't know much about my surroundings and there's still the matter of money."
Well, that wouldn't be too much of an issue. Nobody knew his more common name and it wasn't like these people could check up on his work history. He could probably pick up a simple job or two to get enough coin for a map and some food.
"But you don't know where to go, genius." Bruce hated to admit it, but he would have to rely on the Hulk for his sense of direction. The Hulk seemed to have an almost supernatural sense of direction, a sixth-sense that directed them where they needed to be in order to punish the wicked and all that stuff. "So... where to?"
He stood still for a moment, closing his eyes and feeling the cool breeze. When his mind was completely empty he turned slightly to the right and began walking.
He just needed to keep going straight for another two hours, and by then he would reach a town that needed him.
Call it a hunch.
"Get up, you little shit."
A sharp pain in her stomach caused Raphtalia's eyes to open and then close as she began to dry heave while clutching it.
"What? What's happening!?" Was what happened a dream? Was she back in her cell? No, no she didn't feel her chains. She could feel the wind and hear the running water of the river.
Opening her eyes, she looked up to see the forms of two armored knights. Both men had their faceplates up and were grinning in sadistic delight down at her. One was slightly fatter than the other, but the thin one had cruel red eyes that traced her body.
"Who knew that you coming here to take a piss would be so fortunate to us!" The red-eyed knight laughed as nudged the fatter one. "I owe you ten silver, Kris!"
"Damn right! Told ya she was here!"
Raphtalia shivered in freight. She was caught already!? "No, no this isn't happening! I-I ran all night! How could they have found me!?"
But that was it. She, a ten-year-old Tanuki, had ran as far as she could. And in an unfamiliar woods with short legs that wasn't very far.
"I need to go! Now!" She reached out for Rifana, plans of grabbing her and diving into the river flew into her mind.
They were shattered when the red-eyed knight kicked her again, this time making her body fly back-first into a tree.
"By the gods, you'd think that demi-humans would be smart enough not to run." The red-eyed knight began to saunter towards her, one hand holding his blade while the other on his belt.
"It's their brains, I'm afraid. I've read a few books about it. Demi-human skulls tend to compress their brains and diminish their thinking abilities." The fat knight shook his head. "Just genetic proof of humanity's superiority."
"Sounds like a lot of crap, but whatever."
Raphtalia was wheezing with tears coming out of her eyes. Everything hurt and she wanted to just cry. How could this happen when she Shield Hero just rescued her!? Wasn't she supposed to be by his side right now free of men like this!?
She felt something poke her chest and cried when the sword cut through her rags to reveal her mark.
"Yup, that's it. Green and bright as the day itself." The red-eyed knight sneered. "The mark of the Shield Devil."
"That means we kill her, right?"
Raphtalia held her breath, her eyes widening in horror.
She was... going to die?
"Nah, she's worth more alive."
"Good god man, she's a child and a demi-human to boot."
"Not me. She's ten years too early, but I know a noble that has a penchant for young ones." The tip of the sword forced her head up so the knight could see her face. "Someone as pretty as her should get us some gold."
No, it was worse. They were going to bring her back! Put her in chains again and throw her to men like Idol! The hands... the sharp pains... the biting...!
"N-No! I can't do that again! I'd rather die!"
"Never let them do this again. Ya hear me?"
Raphtalia gasped as she remembered the Shield Hero's words.
Her attention drifted from the red-eyed knight and saw that the fat one was picking up Rifana.
"Hey, I know this little bugger! It's one of those Monster Eggs from the raffles!" The fat man inspected the egg. "Good chance at getting a dragon from one of these."
"Keep it if you want. The orders didn't say anything abou-."
"P-Put her down..." Raphtalia muttered under her breath.
"Hrm?" The red-eyed knight raised an eyebrow. "What was that, little raccoon?"
"Put her down! Put Rifana down now!" She screamed, the anger bubbling inside again as she glared at the fat man. Her mark was pulsing and her head was pounding. Every second he spent getting his grubby little hands on Rifana just made her angrier!
"If those puny humans ever get their hands on you and start talking all that crap, wanting to bind you in chains..."
"Such insolence!" Raphtalia's head snapped to the side and she felt the sting of a new cut on her left cheek. The red-eyed knight just smacked her with the flat of his sword. "Keep talking like that and I won't even bother sparing your miserable life!"
"He hit me. They keep hitting me, over and over again talking about how I deserve it and should be grateful I'm alive! They're treating me and Rifana as if we're just things to buy and sell!"
Her vision swam in green.
"Smash them."
Raphtalia let out a scream as she grabbed the blade on both sides. Ignoring the searing pain in her palms, she pulled the blade out from the knight's hands.
"What in the...!?"
Grabbing the handle and feeling the blood run down her wrists, she turned and swung up. The red-eyed knight's arm flew in the air as blood began to spew from his shoulder.
"AH! OH GOD!" He screamed while falling to the ground, clutching the now bleeding stump of a shoulder and rolling around in pain.
"LET HER GO!" She yelled while running forward, the blade still in her hands and soaked in its former wielder's blood. The sound of pounding kept echoing in her ears as her mark seemed to sear into her flesh. Every vein in her body felt like they were pumping fire.
"N-No! Please!" The fat man set Rifana to the ground and was backing away, waving his hands in surrender. "Don't come any...!"
She could barely hear him. Her head was hurting and her eyes... her eyes must be playing tricks on her.
His face was Idol's face!
With a scream she leapt forward and plunged the blade into his throat, landing atop his body as Idol fell back. Rifana's killer... their tormentor was underneath her choking out blood. She kept pushing the blade further until the hilt reached his neck his neck and with one final shove heard it crack.
"Die! Die you monster!"
She heaved out breaths of air as she stared into his eyes. The eyes that enjoyed seeing her suffer when she learned of her village's destruction, the eyes of those who killed her friend and so many of those she thought of as friends, the eyes of a monster in the form of man...
But when they drained of color, the pounding of her head began to lessen and her mark stopped burning. With every blink, her vision became clearer as the green retreated back into the edges of her vision. "What? What did I...?"
She wasn't on top of Idol. Idol was never here.
She... She killed two people. There was blood coming out of his mouth and... and... she chopped off the other one's arm and pushed the blade into his neck!
"Blood... so much blood!" She looked at her hands and saw the rivulets coming down to her wrists.
The wail that came out of her didn't sound like her voice.
The rest was a blur. She stood on top of the fat knight crying and screaming until her throat was hoarse. When that happened she went to Rifana, who had miraculously remained unbroken, and curled up into a weeping ball.
It was dusk when she got up with Rifana and set out to the river.
"I have to get it off..." Raphtalia muttered to herself. "Clean it off... I-I can't have it on me...!"
Sobbing, she set Rifana down before dunking her arms into the water and wiping them clean. She needed to wash away all this unpleasantness. She needed to make the blood disappear.
"They were going to sell me! They were going to sell me and take Rifana! They deserved it!"
"No, no!" She shook her head. "I didn't mean to...!"
"I smashed them. Smashed them like the Shield Hero told me to! I should feel good about this!"
But she didn't. She didn't feel good at all.
She only felt like a murderer.
Washing her face, Raphtalia noticed something.
On the sides of her face were veins that lead to her eyes. They glowed a sickly green that was brighter than anything she had ever seen. Her eyes, once a teal-red that Mommy called beautiful, was now green. The veins ran down her neck and into the mark left to her by the Shield Hero which began to pulse.
"What's happening to me...?"
Chapter 3: Journeys Begin
Note: Well, this came out sooner than I expected! Blame my wish to focus on Raphtalia and show how her journeys taking a turn to the fucking weird and Lovecraftian.
Gonna admit the more "gamey" aspects of Shield Hero are the most difficult to write. I'm not much of a JRPG guy save for Persona, so I can't really find a way to portray this stuff withou the plot coming to a grinding halt or sounding like an idiot. It was useful here to show Bruce figuring shit out, but other than that... I dunno.
Still, Raphtalia's the star of this chapter and I hope I did her justice! I really want to give her the Immortal Hulk treatment and explore the well-justified anger she feels towards her plight and where that journey will take her.
Anyways, be sure to leave a review and check out the spiffy TV Tropes page that was made for this fic! Feel free to add anything you want to it!