BEN 10: RISING OF THE SHIELD HERO
CHAPTER 19: SHIELDFREEDEN
Announcement: Rewritten Chapter (1) is published so if you are interested, please check it out. I considered rewriting and fixing the prior chapters, especially chapters (1) to (9) and so it happened. I hope this development can improve the story further.
Regarding the next few chapters as a new arc of the story, I considered introducing another batch of aliens.
I was driven by the mood while writing the first chapters (1 to 3 and so) hence I wasn't particularly trying to perfect the chapters. In fact, I was excited to see the direction of the story.
So we question Ben Tennyson's personality. The No-killing rule isn't an issue here. The main reason Ben doesn't kill is he isn't ready to shoulder the guilt (and burden) of murdering someone. Killing someone would totally change him and it is against his moral codes.
When he said "Heroes don't murder," he meant intentionally killing someone while it wasn't necessary. Of course, heroes do kill. Pretty much every Tokusatsu hero kills their enemies. But that isn't the point. He doesn't take lives (of sentient species) even in the Akame ga Kiru crossover fanfictions. I mentioned that this world is just mid-level.
Ben already knew that the Pope was dangerous from the beginning. But he didn't take any measures because he found it "interesting."
Without further ado,
Shieldfreeden, a country that is located southeast of Melromarc, … In my personal opinion, this nation gives the most freedom and rights to people. The term "people'' here means both humans and NON-humans. Unlike Siltvelt that still bears a form of discrimination, Shieldfreeden is an open country, thus allowing the merchants from various countries to freely work within the country.
Siltvelt was founded by the Shield Hero's followers and influenced by certain races that were defined as "great" because of their wealth and strength. From what I've known, there were four great races – Hakuko, Genmu, Shusaku, and Aotatsu, though "Hakuko" was weakened after the war.
While I don't know why their names sound so Asian, I did some research and renamed them according to their appearances.
Man, demi-humans gave me a hard time understanding their biology and constitutions. Unlike humans, demi-humans and beastmen include a large range of variations and their DNA are complex. Technically, I defined them all as separate species. After all, Perk and Murk Upchuck belong to a single species so I doubt my opinion was true.
Hakuko… A hybrid between a white tiger and a human. White Tigerman? Let's see… Someone of this race would probably kill me if they heard the name.
"Ahem… Ben Tennyson, I have done analyzing the demi-human DNA and modified it into the peak of the species. The stats look good and clean, you won't believe it."
Though I have never used it, the Omnitrix always has a certain feature that lists the species names of the aliens it contains. But I never really bothered to try to know their species name, rather I named them myself. It is easier that way.
"Thanks, I think it will help a lot."
The holographic figure of the old alien sits on the table with his arms folded.
"If I may, their growth methods are truly astonishing. And I accidentally found out that they possess a transforming ability like filolials."
Now I am curious.
"Transforming?"
In fact, I know nothing really related to them. Their abilities might be based on their physiology, and even more natural than the aliens that the Omnitrix currently houses. But this is a world of magic and mana. So I am sure there is more to them.
"I am not still sure, but it's more like a magical ability, depending on channeling mana through your body, much like a filolial king or queen."
"Like lenopans?"
"No, I don't mean advanced transformations like shaping their body. It's just… this world is like that. Mana is pretty much a life force and their transforming ability depends on the life force. Hmm… Precisely… It's like a filolial queen transforming into her human form."
He clarifies the facts but I am still half-confused. Basically… they may have two forms like filolials. Then… what would–
"But not all demi-humans can do it," he adds. "I believe it's totally about genetics. The DNA structure and data suggest that demi-human physiology varies according to the species."
"But you won't know which species can, right?"
"Of course, I don't. And keep in mind that we won't go around the world to collect demi-human DNA samples. It's too much work."
I am even delighted to hear that.
Knowing Azmuth, he'd not care about a universe that isn't his. He is sorta selfish and egotistical. But he doesn't bother fighting his enemies and follows what he believes. He doesn't care about his universe but he tries to preserve its species.
That one time when Azmuth desperately tried to defend the Primus from Vilgax…. He sure is twisted and difficult to understand…
"But at least, I can use them to disguise myself."
"No need to thank me," he whimpers and lets out a sigh before disappearing.
"*knock knock knock*"
I hear a couple of knocks on the door of my room. Is that… Aria?
Things have been awkward between us since she crawled into my bed naked. She is being cheeky, where is my Aria who addressed me "Sir Ben?"
"Sir Ben?" she sure calls me sir Ben, but the voice isn't her. It is…
"Rifana? What's up?"
When I open the door, she almost runs away and hides behind the door.
"Um… Rexlarzar wants to know if you will join him… in hunting for dinner."
Rexlarzar? Anyway, he might have asked the weasel girl to call me.
"Oh, yeah, I will go meet up with him."
"Um…"
She is keeping her glances away from me.
"What's the matter? Is there anything you want to tell me?"
She seems hesitant to tell me about it. But… I don't sense anything regrettable–
"Did you really sleep with Aria?"
I blink at the question before realizing the direction where it is going.
"N-no, of course NOT. W-why did you jump to that conclusion?"
She is staring at me for some time but…
"Really? Then it's OK."
She mutters to me and runs away.
Whatever. Her misunderstanding is cleared.
"What do you want for dinner!? Croco-monsters? Or some fish monsters?"
Rex the duke shouts at me as he prepares his Big Fat Sword.
We are wandering around a stream in the wilderness to look for monsters.
"We've got a goat and a lizard. Aren't they enough?"
Warning, they are monsters. I mean, like, mutated versions of animals. The lizard monster, that isn't HUMONGOUSAUR, possesses darker skin than an average reptile from my world, and hard spikes on its back, but when you removed its skin and cooked the inner parts, you would find its meat delicious. The one we hunted down is at least three feet long.
The goat monster has white skin and horns that can harm its predator. Its size rivals an elephant. Its teeth prove that it is a carnivore although it looks like a goat.
Rex says nothing back, instead, he swings his sword into the stream and strikes down a crocodile-like monster that is much smaller than a crocodile. In fact, it looks more like a tadpole with 2 limbs but its snout is relatively long.
"Whatever you said. Raphtalia and Kool say they want to eat a crocodile for dinner," he finally says with a smirk.
I shrug as I look down at the prey we got.
I am 12 feet tall, and bald, with a muscular red-skinned body, two pairs of eyes, and two pairs of arms. My right arms carry the two poor creatures.
"Say, how many of them are vegans?"
He laughs. "Ask Raphtalia."
Damn… I forgot.
"Let's return already," I mumble to him as I prepare to go back to the village.
"Aye."
Rex always acts as your friendly neighborhood superhero, and he does so… in order to assure his peers that they are safe. Well, it is one of the traits that a hero should have. My monstrous appearance always disturbs the mind of the ones I rescue.
The dinner at Lurolona is… a feast. As usual, Rifana and the kids take care of the cooking. Plus the help of Aria and Melty. First Aria and Melty had a bad relationship between them. Now things have gone awkward between Aria and Rifana. Melty doesn't know what happened… thankfully. You god of romantic comedy! Spare me the cliche. My heart isn't strong enough to take it all in at once.
(A/N: The term "God of Romantic Comedy" is a Hikigaya Hachiman reference.)
"Hey Tennyson, tell me about Shieldfreeden. What kind of country is it?"
Motoyasu approaches me for the info. I think…
"Shieldfreeden is a country of demi-humans, ruled by demi-humans but unlike Siltvelt, it has "less" discrimination. You don't hope it to be flawless. The Queen herself said every nation has its own flaws and history. I don't imagine what happened to the people who originally lived there."
"Every nation has its own flaws and history… I haven't visited any other country but I hope they aren't as bad as Melromarc," Ren comments.
"No, you'll regret it," Rex butts in. "I have been to some foreign places… don't get your hopes too high."
"True," I agree. It is reasonable to think the countries of this world have balanced strengths and flaws. When they got a good point, they'd likely get a weakness, too.
"What do you mean by less discrimination?" the Spear Hero inquires.
"Uh… I can't say… just a hunch. You know about four great races of Siltvelt?" I guess Motoyasu didn't study other countries.
"No, sorry I don't."
"OK, there were four demi-human races that influenced Siltvelt in ancient times. They are called Hakuko, Genmu, Shusaku, and Aotatsu. Hakuko is–"
"Wait a minute, are they Japanese words!?" Itsuki exclaims, standing up from his seat with a surprised expression.
"Now you say it… they are Japanese words," Ren comments.
Japanese words… Now come to think of it, they truly sound like… (Julie) Yamamoto, Motoyasu Kitamura, Ren Amaki, and Itsuki Kawasumi.
"That aside, please explain them," Motoyasu almost begs me for answers.
I chuckle before continuing my lecture. "Hakuko is basically… white Tigerman. Imagine a man with the features of a white tiger. I suspect they even have tails," though it wasn't included in illustrations.
"Tiger Girl waifu… not bad," Motoyasu mutters. I don't understand what he just said, however, unfortunately.
"When it comes to demi-humans, don't expect their biology to be simple… what I can say to you is just a brief explanation," I warn them.
Rifana and Raphtalia glare at me for some reason while Keel giggles in the background.
"Genmu is a race of turtle-like people," I ignore the kids. "Shusaku is a race of bird-like people. And Aotatsu is basically dragons. I mean, they possess the features of a dragon. There are other species of dragon-like people… so it's inconsistent. I can't guarantee everything I said is true…"
Ren cups his chin as he enters the chambers of deep thoughts.
"You know a lot about them, huh?" Aria whispers into my ear as she hugs my arm.
"I… just happened to… have read about demi-humans, somewhere, hah," I received a glare from Rifana.
"Buy souvenirs for us, will you?" Raphtalia attempts to break the ice.
"S-sure, we will," I laugh awkwardly as the heroes stare at me. I brush off their stares and grab a glass of drink. Gulp…
"Oh, now I remember. Don't you and Filo need to do ascension?"
Rex says pointing his finger at Aria.
"Oh, yeah, we can do that in Shieldfreeden," I struggled my way out of Aria's grasp.
The levels of Aria and Filo have hit the wall. They both somehow made it to level 40. My alien forms outshine them so much that they can't level up properly. I am concerned about it.
-(BREAK)-
"Partner, can you give me a list of demi-human forms that I can access."
The night is still young. I was working on Aria's plasma guns until the last minute. I can finally take a break after replacing the core with a magic energy source. Hope it will help it.
A hologram of Azmuth appears on the screen with a display of a list next to him.
"I group them all as the sub-species under the DEMI-human category. We still don't have beastman DNA… or probably… I fail to distinguish the DNA from Beastmen."
"It's OK, Partner," it is a neat list with the species names that AI organized by himself. It's a shame that he tried to distinguish the DNA by separating the components. And listed all of them as "hybrids."
"Don't question me why I distinguished them as hybrids. Well… I don't have their proper species names after all."
The details don't bother me at all, but this list… Never show this list to any demi-human or I will earn myself a punch from them for this.
"Thanks," I mutter before the holographic alien disappears.
Let's see.
Human+Weasel… Mustela Sapien…
Human+Raccoon… Procyon Sapien…
Human+Dog… Canis Sapien…
Human+Rabbit… Oryctolagusapien cuniculus…
Human+Raccoon Dog… Nyctereutes Sapien…
Human+Fox… Vulpes vulpesapien…
Human+Mouse… Souris Musapien
It is a mystery that I didn't gain any of the stronger species. But well… I never expected the demi-humans to be super-strong for me.
[A/N: I suck at naming so I prepared the list by using their Latin names and species (+Genus) names. Remember that there are several species among the Genus like Procyon. And there are various Dog species as well. The AI distinguished the species based on their biological data, hence he simplified the names. There could probably be many more species than described.
Human+Fox was a simplified description. Actually, it is Vulpes vulpes (that are commonly known as Kitsune in Japan, and Kitsune itself includes several members.) Raccoon dog also refers to the Japanese raccoon dog, commonly known as Tanuki. *I am not Japanese nor learned Japanese but fortunately, I play a game called Genshin Impact and happen to know those species that are native to Japan.]
However, to be honest, apart from the first three, I don't remember how I would have obtained the rest. Slave trader? No, not just from him. There are some mouse-demihumans and rabbit demi-humans in Lurolona.
"You good?"
Rex's voice snaps me back to reality.
"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Got something to think about, that's all."
He is in his usual orange coat.
"But you were talking to yourself. I mean… If you need someone to talk with, I will welcome you… Uh… Gladly."
Tsk, I forgot to mind-talk to Partner, instead I discussed it out loud.
"Oh, sorry if it disturbed you," I hastily respond, hoping he'd not pry into the matter anymore.
"Whatever, so long as you are OK, dude. I am leaving."
"Uh, yeah, thanks for your consideration, anyway."
Rex waves his hand as he walks to the entrance of the house.
I sigh, looking back at the blueprint that I drew to build a new plasma weapon. I guess I'll have to do the project after the journey.
-(SKIP)-
The journey to Shieldfreeden normally takes a month. Or at least 2 weeks by ship. But I've got one more option.
The following morning. We are on the way to Shieldfreeden.
Our carriage, drawn by the Heavenly Fowl - Filo Tennyson, is running on the main road that leaves the Castle Town.
In the capital, the conditions aren't so bad. Well, the soldiers are everywhere and in every corner of the town though. But I don't feel disturbed. I am currently disguised as my older version, or Tros Bennett the merchant, and Aria as her male version, Arian. Melty finally wears a disguise as a little girl who doesn't look like someone from the nobility.
Merlinsapien shield skill ON
Oh yeah, we stopped by Erhard's weapon shop, too.
"Hey, Erhard, how are you doing?"
Erhard was startled by my greeting that came out of nowhere.
First, he was genuinely shocked, and then he calmed down.
"Oh, it's you. Why don't you enter through the door like normal people, please? Ha, it startled me."
He breathed heavily as he walked out of the counter.
"A-haha. Uh, we are traveling to Shieldfreeden… otherwise, a war is gonna break out. And I am going to take the Queen back to Melromarc," the last part was a joke, indeed.
Erhard laughed dryly at me.
"Good Luck with that. I can't refuse you have enough power to even move the Queen herself."
"Uh, about the crystals… I haven't been able to mine them for a while. Sorry for the wait."
"Don't think much about it. You can deliver the goods whenever you want. I understand."
"Um, OK. Then, see you later."
And then I transformed into Big Chill and left the shop.
Merchant again…
I don't possibly need souvenirs for the people from Shieldfreeden, do I?
I'd really love it if you allow me to use Deejay Emcee…
"Hmph…" the holographic copy of Azmuth grunts.
As usual, Arian takes the responsibility of driving the cart.
What would the Church of Shieldfreeden be like?...
I hope the ruler and the Pope are good people… But whoever the ruler is, they planned to declare war on Melromarc for their symbol of religion – the Shield Hero. Would they be… extremists? Worshipping the shield hero or not, extremists would never get along with me. Until they finally change themselves.
But on the other hand, I can learn from this experience… about other countries. Even if there is a risk… or it is a flawed country, I don't have any reason to avoid the country. I made a promise to Fitoria.
Shoot, I need to explore the whole world and not just a single continent when I have time. Defending the whole world from the waves of calamity, huh? As fantastic as it sounds, it isn't easy. Or I will just punch whoever created this world with a celestialsapien fist to have them fix the damn door… Oh, I mean, the damn world.
Let's see… Shieldfreeden, Siltvelt, Faubrey, Zeltoble… And how many are the rest?
This is crazy… Truly absurd. Mysterious "waves" of destruction fall upon the random places of the world in a "designated" period. It's like… some kid having the godly powers and creating a world as his plaything. I'm gonna punch the heck out of them for making people suffer as if they are in a living hell.
Let's have a flashback.
"Ben Tennyson, for what reason did you come here?"
The green face of the voice of aggression tensed up as he looked down upon me.
"Oh there, Bellicus, can't you please avoid being hard on Ben?" Serena intervened.
Bellicus calmed himself down. "I am the voice of aggression after all."
When I was alone last night, I decided to have a conversation with Bellicus and Serena who supposedly know pretty much everything.
About the creator of this world.
And about the conditions between us. I get a little help from the duo from time to time but…
A real Omnipotent Alien must have all of his personalities work together.
That said, Bellicus and Serena are a part of myself and reflections of my mind. So… I think I can somehow manage to understand them.
"So, what's the reason? Tell us, the voice of reason.," Serena demanded with a smile.
"Uh… Since we are at it… how about me listening to your arguments and… proposals?" I presented my idea.
"You won't even let us argue peacefully!?" Bellicus growled. Serena calmed him down again.
"Let's listen to what he has to say, Bellicus. We have been arguing for the span of time itself. And if Ben listens to our argument, it will probably help us in deciding the fate of the universe, isn't it true, Bellicus?"
Bellicus let out a grunt. "When you put it like that… Grr…"
"Thanks," I said to them.
"First is… bringing new stars to this universe. I find it pretty disturbing to see the constellations of this realm… out of order. We can fix it with our power."
Bellicus proposed his idea.
"Seconded!" I declared. Serena was probably thinking to interrupt Bellicus but I intervened before she did.
I needed to bribe Bellicus into agreeing on things with me, first. He was a difficult man.
Serena let out a sigh as she winked at me.
"I see no reason to disagree with you, Bellicus. But keep in mind that we shouldn't disturb the constellations of the universe more than we need to."
"Of course," the aggressive man responded rather enthusiastically.
Then, the purple energy radiated from Bellicus, and Serena became linked with the energy from my body. I became nigh-omniscient for a second…
It was hell… A realm of hell… Tons of knowledge about stars, meteors, and constellations entered my brain and vanished in a second.
The stars were born… out of nowhere. Some of them were even bigger or brighter than the Sun.
"""Star Creating Motion Carried!"""
"And second…" Bellicus continued.
"Hold on, how many arguments do you guys normally hold a day?" I demanded.
"A lot… And what do you mean a day? You abandoned us for most of the time… We basically spent the span of the universe in a pocket dimension arguing against each other," Bellicus mumbled furiously.
"Relax, Bellicus. Ben isn't a god. He is just a mortal being," Serena warned.
"Thanks, Serena," I said.
"You're welcome. Bellicus, feel free to start again."
"Oh… OK. Another proposal is bringing back dinosaurs–" Bellicus continued
"Denied!" Serena rejected his idea immediately.
"You should at least listen to the end," Bellicus complained but he didn't seem to win over Serena unless she allowed him to.
"You brought up that matter for like two thousand, eight hundred and forty-three times, and are you expecting me to listen to you!?"
Man, did you actually propose the same idea 2843 times? What a consistent fellow.
"Alright, alright, let's skip the matter and discuss that another time."
He whimpered the last part but it didn't go unnoticed by the voice of love and compassion.
"What!? No bringing up that matter anymore!"
I chuckled as I looked at the duo acting like a quarreling married couple.
Let's skip to the final part.
"So you propose that… You will listen to fifteen arguments between us… For every one help we give you?" Serena inquired with me to confirm.
"Yes! I mean… I have been selfish… with you guys. So I think I should give it a try to help you guys, too. Alien X isn't perfect without you two…" I answered.
Bellicus didn't say anything but let out a grunt.
Serena smiled genuinely as she eyed Bellicus.
"Fair enough, I am glad that you are finally accepting us as a part of yourself. Accepting one's weaknesses and trying to live with them are the qualities of a good person," Serena commented.
"How come we are his flaws!?" Bellicus argued. "We practically lived billions of years before he was born, no, we lived before his universe ever started existing. How come we are his weaknesses!?"
"Sorry, Bellicus," I apologized but Bellicus responded to my apology with a glare.
"We all have weaknesses… We can't be with the voice of reason while he's in his other forms. We can just watch whatever happens to him when he is a human or an alien although we are a part of him," Serena smiled at me. "Ben doesn't want to play God, do you? In fact, I like your speech… That one you declared to the poor creature. "God never was your plaything," one."
I felt the warmth on my cheeks. "I-is that so? I just bluffed the words that randomly came up in my mind."
"Hey, Ben Tennyson," Bellicus called out.
"Y-yeah?"
"Don't hesitate to be proud of something you've done. You are a hero at heart, and your weaknesses… are ours, too, even if we don't want to admit," he stole a glance at the woman. "But… we know too much to help you blindly and grant you everything you ask. Remember that."
I thought Serena quietly laughed at Bellicus.
Not a hallucination.
"Can I ask you about the creator of this–"
"No," this time, it's Serena who stopped me. "It's not for us to answer this question, Ben Tennyson. Find the answers yourself on the hero journey."
"Seconded," Bellicus said, slightly smiling.
Well…
Aside from that, I successfully accomplished an objective.
Convincing them is extremely difficult. Or it was.
Accepting each other is essential in driving Alien X.
I exited the pocket dimension and transformed after the conference.
Now back to the present. Journey to Shieldfreeden.
Uh… Seriously?
There is a group of soldiers guarding the toll gate.
Here we go again.
"Ahem, I am a certified merchant and… uh… I got this special permission to cross the border."
Oh yeah, as a precaution, I took special measures. I forced Balmus to write a trading permission letter for us, considering the Queen's certification documents won't work.
I fold my muscular arms, standing right before the knight with my tall, intimidating 40-year-old figure. I hope this will indirectly threaten the knights into allowing us to enter the harbor town.
The Knight is reading the (fake) permission letter and occasionally steals a glance at me, which doesn't go unnoticed. For some reason, all those knights bear serious expressions as they stare at us… and then they all sigh almost in unison and relieve their tensed-up faces.
"Tax is… 150 silver."
"Here you go," I pay 150 silver to him before walking back to the cart.
I look back at the knights when the carriage has finally entered the town.
I shout at the knights. "Good work, everyone. Love the cult!"
I can't help but joke around the knights whenever I meet them, hah. It's nice I used disguises and aliases, or else since I have been "WANTED" by the Knights of Melromarc… as a runaway criminal, the consequences might not be pretty.
"Filo, let's switch," I say to Filo as an alarm while I am scrolling the dial of the Omnitrix.
"Yes!"
The cart is stopped. Filo regains her human form and gets into the cart.
"Alrighty…" I smack the dial back into the watch.
"UPGRADE!"
Upgrade has a black exterior with green stripes that resemble circuitry all over him. The green circle on his head is his eye, which glows whenever he talks. His body is made up of billions of small cell-like creatures called nanites.
I fuse myself with the cart, upgrading it into a faster vehicle, running on a special engine that the liquid of my body materialized into. The front of the vehicle has a large glass pane, allowing the passengers inside to see the view.
I add an air conditioner and filter on the back of the vehicle. The cart itself was built of metal so I didn't need to upgrade the frame specifically.
My head pops up from a dashboard-like structure in the wagon.
"Is everyone alright?" My techno-electro voice escapes the liquid organs of my body.
This strategy is planned for unique situations like this… where we have to travel longer than expected. We are… shortening the time taken from a month so… the vehicle itself must be extremely faster.
"W-we are fine," say Melty, leaning on the wall.
"Here we go!"
I had to coat the semi-metallic wheels with my liquid and nanites to enhance it into a tougher, flexible kind of wheels that can adapt to the rough road trip.
The vehicle begins to accelerate to a high speed in seconds as I control the engine to run.
Air filters should help those with motion sickness… though I am not sure.
The road trip takes 4 days for us to reach the border of Shieldfreeden.
Thankfully the rations we brought were enough.
There is a town near the border of Shieldfreeden. The architecture around is virtually no different from the one from Melromarc. But the buildings look newer. I just remembered that Shieldfreeden was founded about 100 years ago.
Uh no, that might not be the case. Logically… uh… I start feeling that something's wrong with my theory.
And the population here is awfully small…
We stop by a fruit shop to ask what happened here… well, maybe nothing happened. But I am feeling uneasy and two or three questions shouldn't take too long…
"Oh, hey. We are merchants from Melromarc. This is our first time in Shieldfreeden," I introduce myself and my party first.
In the street shop tent is a little demi-human girl who possesses light brown hair and a pair of mouse ears. She looks up at me with her big gloomy eyes.
"Enjoy your trip, mister," she replies with her small monotonous voice.
Arian jumps down the cart and stands next to me who is looking at the fruits. Indeed, I have a couple of questions to ask the girl but her expression is holding me back.
"Um, what is this fruit called?"
He says, holding up a yellow, elongated berry with a faint black stripe on its skin.
Uh, wait a minute, is that banana?
"It is a banana, Mister."
I gulp quietly, almost losing my initial purpose of stopping by the street shop.
"What is a banana?" Arian asks.
"It is a sweet and… extremely precious fruit! You should try it, hah! Hey, little girl, I want to buy two bags of these bananas."
As soon as I have explained bananas to Arian, I am determined to buy at least two bags of fruit.
She would probably think "what a merchant."
Come to think of it, I am nothing like a merchant, I buy things for myself and sell things for myself. And even now, I am thinking to make a banana-strawberry smoothie.
"Bananas are expensive around here. Are you OK with it?" the girl asks.
"Of course, I am a merchant. I'm gonna be fine. Just name the price."
Yes, I am eager to taste this wonderful combination!
"35 silver for each."
Arian brings me a pocket of money.
She stands on her toes to whisper into my ear.
"Shall I eat one first?"
"Help yourself," I reply with a smile. "And hey, Filo, do you want to eat snacks or something? We've got fruits here."
Crap, I forgot she normally consumes too much food.
But fortunately,... the meat I fed her an hour ago really helped. She shakes her big fluffy head to refuse the dessert.
"We have some questions," Arian speaks to the little girl, chewing the banana. "What happened here?"
The girl is hesitant to answer at first, but later, she wears a small smile.
"The village was ravaged by monsters about three months ago, so we had to rebuild a town here. Thanks to a man who called himself a "hero," some of us survived the disaster but… the others… didn't."
Her voice fades away as she tells us about the calamity that occurred here.
Three months ago… if my calculations are right, it was before any of us heroes could reach out for the village. A hero, huh? Who was that?
The only person who I know is powerful enough to handle a wave is… Rex. But I know Rex alone isn't enough. I am not sure… maybe it was someone I don't know.
Should we continue our journey, we might find the answers on the way.
"Sorry for your loss," I say to the girl with a saddened voice. "And thanks for answering. Bye, we'll be on our way then."
I put on as a genuine smile as I can before walking away from the tent with Arian.
"So it's what happened," Arian doesn't show any emotions so I can't read what's on his mind.
I narrow my eyes as I stare at the path we will be traveling along.
There really are a ton of things that were happening… and we never knew.
Tsk, there was a foretell that predicted what would occur in this world. The King summoned us only after Lurolona was doomed. And all four of the heroes at that. That man is a troublemaker in more than one way, so disgusting that I can punch him in my right state of mind.
"Hey, how long will you be dazing like that!" Arian's voice snaps me back to reality. "Let's go already."
"Um, sorry."
"Don't mention it… as long as you are fine."
He climbs onto the driver's seat and waits for me to get into the carriage.
"Thanks," I mutter to her but she doesn't likely hear me.
And so we continue our journey to the capital of Shieldfreeden.
The towns and villages on the path to the capital usually have large populations. In fact, the towns here are bigger than the towns of Melromarc.
But I can think of two or three reasons. Demi-humans and beastmen have a large diversity in their species and a few humans also live in Shieldfreeden, too. The large population isn't really something to be amazed by for those reasons. Villages sure have a better environment for many reasons… and we've also got another three bags of bananas with a price of 5 silver each.
For the first time in my life, I met some beastmen, too. I can't really distinguish them from demi-humans unless I can see their faces. But it doesn't really matter… I don't need to be a racist here and go out of my way to distinguish them.
"We've got a lot more DNA data," the Omnitrix AI reports. "But I still have to analyze how to separate demi-humans and beastmen. I believe you will like it more that way."
Yes, I prefer it that way. When you get it done, tell me.
"I have already upgraded the data to peak form of the species so you can use them whenever you want. You remember that demi-humans can transform into a form that is more animal than human, right?"
Yes, I do. What's with it? I reply eyeing a cute girl with white rabbit ears who is giggling at me for some reason which I don't know.
"I am wondering if that form is similar to the appearances of beastmen. Never mind, Tennyson. Don't concern yourself with these issues. I take full responsibility," he assures me.
Thanks, partner.
After the hologram has disappeared from my sight, I look into the list of shields I possess.
Rage Shield… what is this?
Seems like this one is my strongest shield. But I feel uneasy… this just feels like cursed shields.
"Bennett, we are entering the capital." (Melty)
"O-oh, yeah, thanks."
We still haven't got the name of the city but we somehow made our way to it.
The capital is surrounded by man-built walls and the north side of the capital is surrounded by a river that flows from east to west. We can guess the geography of the town's location from the position of the river.
The Knights of Shieldfreeden wear lighter armor (than the ones in Melromarc.) The knight costume includes metallic armor covered with beige leather on it and a metallic helmet with a red feather sticking out of the back of the helmet. The suit under the armor is black, similar to the suit that the knights of Melromarc wear.
Till now, many soldiers I've seen are lizardmen – the demi-humans with crocodile or reptile features.
"Merchant guild? So they also have one," I mutter to myself, looking at a tall building with a "Merchant Guild" signboard above the entrance. Several people of various species including humans are entering and exiting the building. Bird-like demi-humans and dragon-like demi-humans that wear like noblemen are mostly spotted in the area around the guild.
The market area is pretty noisy and crowded. People are moving around the line of many street shops.
"Government building? Not a castle?" Arian asks Melty.
Melty seems experienced and knowledgeable in this matter.
"Yes. They have a government system with public representatives from the nobility. They got a parliament and a leader of the whole nation. But yeah, though they got representatives in the system, they are mostly noble people."
"So their government is better than ours?" (Filo)
"Not necessarily. I mean, as the sword hero said, every nation got its own problem. Even if the people who control the nation act as they care about all classes of the society, the mass agreement in the system is the core of the whole government thing. So if the majority of them agree with allowing something bad for the people, then it is beyond help."
"Filo doesn't understand but it's the opinions of the upper classes that matters, right?"
Sadly, she is true. I am not interested in politics but when Melty explained it that way, their government sounds like some of the shitty politicians that trick people into voting for them. On the contrary, people might take them at face value or just really be tricked into their traps.
I don't think this country got a system of electing and the world itself is too medieval to have a politically democratic community.
"Whatever. It doesn't concern us as long as we can save people," I assure Filo and Arian.
Passing by a cathedral, we have finally arrived at the premise of the government building area.
I deactivate the ID Mask to regain my youthful appearance and cancel the merlinsapien shield skill. Aria takes off her disguise and Melty finally takes off her wig.
The guards stop us suspiciously.
"Identify yourselves. Show us the documents if you intend to cross the gate."
"This person is Ben Tennyson, the Hero of the Legendary Shield," Aria introduces me to the guards. Melty steps forward and stands next to her.
"And I'm the second princess of Melromarc," she declares.
"Ahem..." I fake a cough to grab attention and hold up my shield to show off... though it isn't much of an evidence.
The reptile demi-human knight who I think is the leader of the guards orders his disciples (?) to move aside. "Yeah, the shield hero is... supposed to arrive a month later... you are too early!"
"You can test whatever way you want," I declare confidently making the reptile knight flinch.
"If... you say so... let me see the documents."
Aria gives them the necessary documents sent from the Queen a week earlier.
"These... are real. My apologies..."
"No, I don't mind."
He orders his disciple. "Let the leaders know that the guests has arrived."
"Yes, sir," the guard rushes his way into the main building.
"Sorry for the inconvenience we caused..." the guard leader bows his head and apologizes... respectfully. One of the reasons I was disguised when entering the country...
"Ya know, it's really fine."
"Thanks for your consideration, lord of the shield."
I stare at the knights... I just got another title.
The knights take us and our carriage into the compound. For carriage, they said they would take care of it. They even said that they could prepare a vehicle to the main building... which isn't farther than 40 metre from the gate. So I denied their offer and chose to go on foot.
"Wow, seeing their buildings like that... no different from castles, huh?" I mutter out of astonishment.
Or... it's just that the castle I've seen in this world wasn't anything like a castle and... built like these buildings?
The main building is also the main parliament gathering place and the office of the prime minister. The personnel who are responsible for the state government live in the respective regions to serve the prime minister and the system.
"Sorry for all the inconvenience of coming here. The Lord of the Shield is as powerful as Queen Melromarc described."
The Prime Minister is a tall, muscular man with brown wings on his back. His hair is also brown, matching with his wings. His eyes are sharp, somewhat demonstrating his intelligence.
"Please don't mention it, er... mister Prime Minister," I reply.
Next to the minister are... his councellor and the knight commander, I suppose. The counsellor is a demi-human with a turtle shell on his back and possesses grey beard. The knight commander has portions of reptile skin on his face and a dragon tail... suggesting that he is a dragon demi-human, possibly Aotatsu. I heard from the villagers on the way to the capital that Aotatsu people were beginning to gain power in the country...
"Oh, my, we've not introduced ourselves. I am Andrea Ferrai, the prime minister of governmental affairs. This is-" he turns at the counsellor (?). "Chengli, my most trusted advisor."
The old turtle-man bows in front of me. "I'm delighted to meet you, our lord of the shield."
"Likewise, glad to see you," I respond, keeing my cool.
In fact, in my mind, I am conflicted. I have, though, associated with the royalty but no one has ever worshipped me, or so I thought. Thus, it is awkward seeing someone bowing before me respectfully. I have talked to the Queen casually... and insulted the King of Melromarc... damn...
"And he is the knight general, Ryuuji." (Mr. Ferrai)
"It's a honor to meet you here, Sir Shield Hero."
Yeah... but I just nod in response.
He wears a beige leather (?) armor with silver linings and fingerless black gloves with silver guard on the back of each palm.
"Oh, sir Shield Hero, you are already here. I was a bit late..."
The owner of this voice is... the Queen of Melromarc.
I can finally sigh and relax my mind with her arrival.
"Let me introduce the teammates of the Shield Hero," she say, walking towards us. "Aria Brambila, she mastered a ranged weapon that could shoot magic blasts. The weapon was created by the hero himself. And Filo Tennyson, the daughter of the shield hero, also known as the Heavenly Fowl."
"Yeah,... wait, how do you know Filo's title?!" I exclaim.
The Queen laughs gently. "Sorry but I was always checking up on you fot your safety."
Oh, yeah, she also looked after other heroes.
I notice Ryuujis glare on Queen Mirellia... but she doesn't seem to know.
"Melty... did you have fun on the trip?"
I fold my arms acting a bit angry... for entrusting her daughter to me and all the bossing around... but then the sight of the Shieldfreeden's leaders flashes in my mind. I decided to say nothing about it.
"Of course, Mother."
"Ahem, it is only welcoming ceremory today but... allow me to invite you to the conference tomorrow, Lord Shield Hero," Andrea says.
"Oh, thanks. I will attend the conference."
The prime master looks happier.
"But can we visit the dragon hourglass this evening?" I add, looking at Aria and Filo.
The ascension should be done as soon as we can...
The dragon knight offers.
"Yeah, let me assign my knights to guide you to-"
"No, it's okay. We know the way," I interrupt, considering not to cause unnecessary trouble for them.
"But... the public..." Andrea seems to be agree with Ryuuji.
"We use disguise in public, so it should be fine. Thanks for consideration."
I don't think the demi-humans don't seem to agree with my idea... well, I can understand them, I suppose. But I don't like to gain more public attention than I need, especially ever since I arrived in this world.
Queen Mirellia steps in and whispers to me.
"Trust me in this matter. You should listen to them," she advises.
Come to think of it... I am here to fix the relationship between Shieldfreeden and Melromarc. If I don't consider their feelings... it isn't fair for them.
Aw, man... I've got no choice.
"Alrighty, I will gladly accept your offer."
CHAPTER (19) ENDS.
I will state some facts as a knowledge-sharing feature. For readers who don't know the capabilities of alien forms.
0. This one is important so I put it at No. 0. Most fan fiction authors including myself write Big Chill being able to turn invisible, which is canonically confirmed to be a glitch (rather than an actual ability) by the producers (or creators). But I thought it's more fun if Big Chill could turn invisible so I never fixed the error. Sorry in advance if it was misinformation for Ben 10 fans.
Diamondhead MIGHT be able to manipulate different types of crystals with difficulty variable to the composition (thus it automatically counts density, weight, and atomic or molecular structure) of the crystal.
Heatblast possesses some sort of geokinesis ability. (via heat manipulation (?) or the technique is unknown.)
Friction Manipulation of XLR8 can actually help him stop at zero velocity from supersonic speed. A similar science is also used in Cannonbolt's sphere form that can turn without slowing down. Unfortunately, Fasttrack doesn't have such an ability. Though we can assume Fasttrack can keep up with XLR8, decelerating must be a serious problem at times.
Atomix's species are another sentient creation of Galvans, the first being Galvanic Mechamorphs (Upgrade). NRG, unlike Atomix who is a walking nuclear reactor, enhances his radiation by feeding on nearby energy sources.
It's canon that Atomix's strength and power rival that of a Kryptonian.
NRG's main weakness might be the fact that he's made up of pure energy, so he needs to feed on energy to live on. Though someone like Feedback or Chromastone can be a threat for NRG, he himself can absorb energy radiations from such opponents, too.
There are some DNA(s) that actually influenced Ben's personality, like Rath, Big Chill, Whampire, etc. Whampire is an underrated one and fans mostly forget that his life force draining has side effects.
Thankfully, Chromastone is one of the most powerful yet died multiple times.
It is hinted that mana works differently than other forms of energy. That's the main reason Chromastone couldn't afford to absorb all the mana generated.
Master Control includes a feature that can turn other people (?) into a different species.
Azmuth is so smart that he never became evil in all timelines.
Atomix's species is artificially created by Galvans, like Galvanic Mechamorphs.
A reminder that Ben Tennyson in this story has the same backstory as the canon Ben Prime. But Ben Prime never regrets his failure to save the universe. There are fan theories that Ben brushed off the miserable feelings by bragging to Rook.
Thanks for understanding. I actually started writing this fanfiction mainly because of my love for the Ben 10 show. And when I explored the Rising of the Shield Hero category, authors didn't continue their stories for years. So I decided to write one myself because I was curious how this story would end. In short, it is like Touma Kamiyama's (Kamen Rider Saber) catchphrase – "I will decide how this story ends."
I'm not good at English literacy. It was good timing that I was in a slump so I had to take a break from my work when I decided to start working on this fanfiction. I didn't want to create a Ben Tennyson with a different backstory because I didn't want to ruin his character. So I take in all the available resources and wiki facts to rebuild his character. Being an enthusiastic reader myself, I always read the reviews on my chapters to work on improvements.
I have read tons of Ben 10 fan-fiction and wiki facts so I actually took references and elements from several of them. But I use canon facts (for Ben 10). I didn't know the master control facts until I read about them in the 5YL wiki. I actually took elements from other fanfics like Azmuth AI (which is an upgraded version of the Omnitrix AI).
Thanks for reading and writing reviews. I am not fully recovered so I can't properly work for hours. So I took a long time to write this chapter. Sorry in advance.
Christopher Paradox Chronos