Author's Note: Another week down, and I have officially entered the new season of Anime. So Read, Review, Favourite and Enjoy!
Chapter 16: Return to Melromarc
Pope Biscus T. Balmus was glaring with rage at the contents of the report he was reading. The Siltvelt wave suppressed via the sword Hero, the Shieldfreeden Wave dealt with at the behest of the Spear Hero, now the Bow Hero and the Shield Hero appeared to be best friends with each other! The sound of Grinding teeth told the pope's followers everything that they needed to know about what he thought about the situation that had now unfolded. Kill the four of them immediately? No. No if they take a swing now then the other three will merely rally together to wipe them out, the level of preparations that they would have to take now was not something that could be done before the next wave. Even then they'll have to wait until the four of them are together until they can make the attempt, in the mean time it was time to see what the Demon of the Shield had been up to since they lost track of her.
"Follow the Shield for now, as soon as you find a trail follow it back until you reach the Castle Town." The Pope stated much calmer but no less angry for how he felt.
Katarina and company were just now starting to return to Melromarc with a explanation from Elena for how the other countries would be dealing with the situation.
"Faubrey should be able to handle itself?" Katarina asked looking at Elena curiously.
"Airplanes." Elena stated bringing up a term that Katarina knew for a fact had no business in this world. "With no need for roads and no obstacles to get in their way they can cross vast distances practically in a instant, and are usually carrying explosive payloads to visit their displeasure upon whatever target they see fit." All they really need was a general idea of where the boss for the wave is in order to deal with it. "It's one of the reasons why they're so unruly to deal with." One of the past Bow and Sword heroes had been a programmer and engineer respectively, through them Faubrey's magical and Technological prowess shot straight through the roof. Mind you they didn't realise that what they created would fall into the sweaty mitts of a serial rapist who also happened to be a king after a few generations. "I'd prefer not to speak further on the topic."
"What about Zeltoble. We haven't heard anything from them." Katarina asked looking at companion mildly suspicious.
"Zeltoble hasn't been looking for anyone to defend them because there's nothing there for them to defend." Elena stated bluntly. "That 'country' is the world's biggest shanty town filled with Slaves, mercenaries, enslaved monsters and other doubtlessly unpleasant things that are better not said." Nothing they can't rebuild and mostly consisting of people who can look after themselves then. "The main issue here is that they'd see the wave as a opportunity."
"What does that mean?" Katarina asked cocking a suspicious brow at Elena.
"The one that hit Melromarc released a massive hoard of rare never before seen monsters into the world. Considering that Zeltoble is ruled by a conglomerate of Merchants you can understand why they might see profit in this yes?" The young lady who was also the daughter of a Merchant stated letting her wisdom and experience in this situation be known.
"But how will that affect the other waves?" Katarina asked much more concerned about how the countries selfishness might affect the rest of the world.
"I don't know." Elena stated bluntly.
"What I do know is that their wave has already come and gone, and there won't be another one until after Melromarc's." Katarina nodded her head to Elena's words.
They might have to force their way into Zeltoble after they finish in Melromarc. Speaking of which.
"Halt." One of the guard's for the gate leading inside moved to stop them. Katarina might be feeling in the mood to be reasonable if it had been someone else, but there was this familiar rosary hanging from his neck depicting a Sword, Bow and Spear that was serving as a giant eye sore for the young spear wielder after being given a explanation on the most likely reason Maple was attacked.
"Do you know who I am?" Katarina asked the beginning's of a smirk creeping across her face.
"No I do not. Now-"
"That's okay." Katarina stated switching over to a spear with a head of crystal on it and making the guard scared in the process. "I will teach you."
The King walked out of his personal carriage as he prepared to meet the Spear hero's party, with any luck his daughter and the reconciled Spear would be meeting with him soon and he could begin outlining the defences he had planned out in anticipation of-
"Sargent." The King stated watching as several dozen over grown crystaline spears smashed their way out through the gate. "Why do you people antagonise the heroes?"
"We received word of your coming and attempted to tell the Spear to wait for you." The soldier stated looking at the mass of crystal shoved through the gate. "It didn't go so well, it seems."
Katarina marched through the gate, the spear she received from Shieldfreeden's wave resting on her shoulder while her companions brought their wagon through the crumbling crystal, Malty noticeably absent.
"Lady Katarina." The King stated looking down at the younger girl. "Do you know where my daughter might be?"
"For the record, it was not my idea." Katarina stated and already the King did not like where this was going.
Malty knew what hell was, sitting there fish eyed, right up until her midday slop was dropped into the bowl and splattered across her face. She has been engaging in back breaking labour from dawn to dusk for a week now, her hair hadn't grown back yet and even if it had it's tips were still chard black and smelled of burning. She hasn't gotten a decent shower since getting here and the spring heat was starting to come into full effect causing her to stink of sweat. Still missing her tongue she couldn't do anything to improve her situation, she could only barely escape the advances of the other prisoners by virtue of the smell and the wounds on her face was starting to get infected. Then life finally returned to Malty's face as she saw her father's carriage roll up to the camp and the man himself step out of the carriage, she was less than pleased though to see the Spear hero step out with him.
"Line them up." The King stated to the warden and he did so without question. Malty wasn't able to move without provoking the slave seal but it mattered little as the King walked by them one by one and stopped in front of Malty. "Show her." A familiar holograph aired showing the princess from behind as she confronted the spear outside of the gates of the border.
"Turn around girl, and go back to Melromarc Girl." Malty's voice echoed for the first time in a week, just as threatening and commanding as it had been then, though now it felt like that threat was aimed at her.
"We've already promised Shieldfreeden our aid Malty." Elena suffered as few fools back then as she did now, the fake moustache did nothing to hide her identity with the woman herself standing next to it.
"That's your majesty to you, Plebian." Was it though? The King looked less and less sure. "And Shieldfreeden is a country of crossbred mongrels and traitors to the human race. So turn the wagon around!"
"Turn it off." The King's tone of voice was tired. "Just turn it off..." He didn't need to see the part about Katarina pondering who had set up the Shield Hero to go on a rampage in the capital and the ensuing beating that his own flesh and blood had received. He already had enough to deal with. "You should pay more attention to the scriptures of the Church young Malty, especially if you intend to ally yourself with them." The King's eyes held something like contempt for his own. "'With the power called Experience of Battle, the monsters with man flesh grow in power. Through the Waves the Devil of the Shield gives his followers that which they need to become stronger and spread.'" And Katarina watched several of the prisoners lower their heads in whisper to their gods. "Oh sure the waves monsters might off a few of their villages, but after that they'll have become stronger for the slaughter, and they will have been provoked." The King let out a tired sigh. "It seems that there's only one thing I can do here to prevent the war that you seem so eager for." Nothing. Katarina and the King both walked back onto the carriage as they left, the same people onboard as when they arrived.
"What do we do now?" Katarina asked looking at the king concerned.
"Now?" The King's face hardened. "Now I go home and sleep less I do something unwise in my rage." Oh he was mad, as Katarina was realising with startling clarity. "I suggest you do the same. We will discuss how we will deal with you come the morning."
Kuro could not move. Her body was not sore, her status told her she wasn't under any weird ailments, and yet she could not move a single finger. She reasonably suspected it had something to do with why she couldn't see or feel anything but the tip of her tongue slipping through her teeth. What was she doing? Well she just watched a bunch of people who could've been her friends but she had been too arrogant and paranoid to treat as such get killed by some sort of illusionist. She saw what she was fairly certain was that same illusionist get the Jack the Ripper routine done to her so that had been a point in her favour. Yet she distinctly recalled that there was supposed to be a horde of monsters and a mutant chimera to deal with afterwards. Since she had been pretty certain that the wave monster had no use for these theatrics that meant that Chem had captured her. Alright then that's one mystery solved now where was she? Well Kuro's never been in one before so it was hard to say but odds were starting to look good that this was a vac bed, mind you whatever material had wrapped around her body was stronger than latex so she simply couldn't tear her way out of here. The next question was why she had been restrained in the manner she had been, in this vaccbed with both her arms and her legs spread apart as if... ah. That would explain it. Unlike the late Kearu they couldn't drug her without damaging what they hoped to get out of her, so instead they were going to cut off her senses until her brain goes numb, assuming that they were even going to wait that long. Right then, escape. A quick look through the status menu revealed that she was low on Magic and spirit to the point of almost being out, and it wasn't regenerating.
'KP Draining device has been attached to the Sword Hero.'
Ah. Byakuya again, quick question though, where did all these raised stats come from?
'The Assassin which attempted to kill the Sword Hero's party appears to have been at a unusually high level.'
Level... holy cow! Seventy? And that was divided between all of Kuro's companions too, whom she saw from the party menu were still alive. What kind of monster was this lady?
'Unknown. The Legendary Sword wasn't able to obtain materials from the Assassin.'
Kuro wasn't even going to touch that and the tone that made it sound like it was blaming her. Right then, time to get out of here before her brain starts to rot. Thus struggling with all her might, Kuro managed to accomplish absolutely nothing. How did she even beat that lady at her relatively low level before anyway? Having her menu opened for her Kuro's attention was drawn to a list of blades.
'Swords of Lust and Envy. Curse blades born of The Sword's hero's despair. They feed off of the Hero in exchange for power. Do not use it Hero.'
Kuro dived into the Infinite Sword Sea, if the former Unlimited Blade works was as connected to the sword as Kuro has been led to believe then it should be here.
"Byakuya, that blade is shaped like a dick." Kuro noted looking at the penis shaped blade that she willed floated by her vision.
'It is called 'Sword of Lust.''
"It's still a dick, are you sure that's not your true form?" The lightning coursed through Kuro's veins again and she got a jolt of pleasure out of the deal as opposed to the usual pain, which was weird because she didn't remember being a masochist unless...
'It would appear that you've become 'too kinky to torture.''
Oh that was a lovely thought. What else does the damned sword do?
'Sword of Lust and Envy. Main Bonus: Lust/Envy Augmentation, Lust/Envy possession.'
'Lust/Envy Augmentation: Increases the stats of those who allow Lust and Envy to rule their actions.'
'Lust/Envy Possession: Causes the Hero to loose control over their desires.'
So what it's saying is that the reason why Kuro was able to go Jack the Ripper on that crazy lady was because her stats had been through the roof from this thing's curse. Well now we have a plan in motion.
'Warning: the Cursed Series devours the Hero from within. They should not use it.'
Okay then they should just stay there, waiting for her brain to go numb, hell with this new kinky status she might even enjoy getting raped over and over again by some manner of abominable beast man hybrid churning out their mutant babies while the waves progress unabated...
"Has she been subdued." Jaralis asked as he walked through the laboratory, Shieldfreeden rejects muddling about in their cages while glaring holes in his head. Mostly creatures suffering mental or physical defects, but their potential was undeniable, when those defects were removed in their offspring.
"Yes. It seems that child has a bad habit of grasping magic beyond her capacity to wield." The Shukaku scientist in charge of the facility stated mouth smiling most sinister.
"How long until the process can begin?" Jaralis asked mentally assessing which ones they should start with.
"We can extract the girl's ovaries immediately, we've been able to acquire a plethora of suitable surrogate mothers to serve as hosts, after that we can begin extracting her bone marrow to produce sperm through stem cells. We'll be able to proceed for a hundred years with the breeding stock we will acquire."
He was smiling at the golden age of Demi-human supremacy that he was about to usher in, even as Chem walked behind them clenching his fist in disgust. If not for his slave seal he would have killed this monstrous demon in Lionel flesh years ago, and swore that if he ever got the chance that he would. His slave seal couldn't hold him forever, in fact looking at the corners of his vision, watching glitches and static and distortions go out of control, he came to the realisation that it couldn't even hold him today. Suddenly all of the prisoners started screeching like they had gone mad, shaking at the bars trying their damnedest to tear them off as insane amounts of power coursed through their veins.
"What's wrong with them. Activate their slave seals!" Jaralis stated glaring at the Scientist.
"I'm trying but it's not working!" The Shukaku snapped desperately holding down the pain button in his H.U.D.
"Then kill them!" Jaralis snapped back as the cells were all ripped apart and their contents flowed.
"That's what I'm trying to-Guh!" Chem struck first, hand going through the scientist's chest and grabbing hold of his still beating heart before he ripped it out, glaring at his grandfather and maddened look on his features.
"Hello Grandfather." Jaralis was next to die.
"Wow that sounds like quite a party going on out there." Kuro stated having found her armour and clothes and now put them back on.
'Warning: desire does not necessarily mean lust.'
"And I can imagine what they're desiring right now." Kuro stated as she began making her way out of the prison. In the hall way she ran into Chem, shirt open as he rubbed blood on his chest, leading to a invisible slave seal to dissolve.
"Well I can't fault you for that." Kuro stated prompting the now calmed down Chem to turn to her, fulfilling his desires seemed to have snapped him out of the madness of the Lust Envy sword. "Want to get out of here?" After Jaralis had died Chem led Kuro to the entrance to this facility, only to see the door open and Welt's face to appear within the entrance.
"Kuro! You're okay!" Welt said before he spotted Chem.
"He's on our side." Kuro stated bluntly.
"I know." Which did nothing to alter the fighter's displeased expression. "He led us here before sending us to grab the Siltvelt Military."
Jaralis you fool. You raised your grandson to be smarter then you but made him hate you in the process. No matter.
"Well I've had enough of this country for one day." Kuro stated as she and Chem were pulled up through the trap door.
"Tell me about it." Welt stated indicating the side of her head.
"If not for that helmet you gave us we'd be dead right now, well that and playing dead." Ah yes Graphene, durable and heat resistant, perfect for dealing with laser wielding assassins.
"I'll take the materials from the boss, and the assassins corpse, and get out of this god forsaken land now." Kuro stated tapping her foot in clear displeasure at what she'd been through in the past several hours.
"Yes. There is quite a bit left to clean up here." The old turtle stated looking at the facility, knowing full well what Jaralis had been up to but unable to find it for all the time he spent parading his abomination around. And if felt himself sufficiently cornered... "A gift before you go." The old Turtle stated holding out a bag full of red sand. "Dragon Hourglass Sand, given your high level it should expedite your return."
After getting what they needed from the woods Tanya and Maple went to a hot spring's town to try and relax with their parties, well after Tanya put the members of Maple's party through some basic training that is.
"Huu. I feel alive again!" Raphtalia called out letting hot water soak sore muscles up to her shoulders, echoing the opinions of a few other young ladies and one gender confused as they let the healing effect of the hot-springs take hold.
"Feel better now?" Tanya asked one eye looking at Maple who looked like she could melt into the hot water.
"Haa..." As Japanese born and bred nothing made them take it easy quite like a communal soak in a big pot of hot water. A splash indicated someone else had arrived in the hot tub, not a living someone else as Tanya observed Kuro's throwing knife disappear from the back of the shadow she lodged it in.
"I thought we were avoiding leading anyone to her?" Kuro stated sitting on the edge of the hot spring.
"She stumbled upon us, and made a monster in the process I might add." Tanya stated eyeing Maple with blatant suspicion.
"It tastes like Coca Cola." Maple stated half happy and half defensive.
"Please tell me she didn't make a soda pop monster?" Kuro legitimately winced at Maple's statement.
"Who made a soda pop monster?" Like Kuro Katarina had been directed to where Tanya and Maple had been resting after getting back to Melromarc.
"Maple went looking for a solution to the food crisis that's been hitting Melromarc ever since the waves started." Tanya stated still looking at Maple like she had done something apocalyptic in the process. "She was under the impression that legends about a magical super crop that had to be sealed away was a good place to start."
"To be fair I think I've solved most of the problems with that." Maple stated scratching the back of her head.
"So you've been messing around with that behind my back then?" Tanya stated eye twitching. "And you somehow think that you've solved the problems with those plants in the span of a couple of days when the alchemist that made it had who knows how long?" Oh Maple was going to get scolded again wasn't she?
"I've got some mana, and a few weapons for Maple to copy, so can we save it for later?" Kuro stated dismissively.
"I picked up some materials from the wave in Shieldfreeden too." Katarina stated as she raised her hand into the air.
"Should we have a look through them with everyone else when we get the chance?" Kuro had a look at everyone's weapons. Unlike the case with her own sword she saw something blocked in them, a part of their history she'd never be able to see. Maple had not been making use of the Shield of Gluttony anyway, although that did not make the episodes of sobbing raw emotion any lesser for it.
'The virtue series suppresses the effects of the cursed series.' Kuro closed her eyes, inhaled sharply, and exhaled.
"Hey guys, I've got a bad idea." Later in the lobby of the hot springs Kuro waved her hand and manifested a familiar shield, made of the white and black fur leather of a ancient monster slain by the legendary heroes.
"Wow! Did you take that out of your sword Kuro?" Maple asked as she none the less picked up and copied the 'Shield of the Beast King.'
"No. I made it using magic from my world." Kuro explained looking to the other two who nodded for her to continue.
"You have magic in your world?" Maple asked looking to Kuro in amazement.
"Yes and there's more. They're called Noble Phantasms, pieces of history weaponized for a magical death match. My issue here is that without any of that history in this world they have an absurdly high mana requirement." Kuro stated eyes going over to the others as well.
"Mana potions?" Maple suggested as she took them out of her shield. "The issue here is not quantity, we cannot safely exceed the limit on how much mana our bodies can handle without causing serious lasting damage to our bodies." Kuro stated making her opinion on the matter clear. "We need to connect together the mana pools of multiple people."
"How do we do that?" Maple asked and Kuro let out a sigh as she walked over and whispered the answer into Maple's ear. The older girl turned bright red. "I'M NOT HAVING SEX WITH A TEN YEAR OLD KURO!"
Thus Kuro was limited to the one Noble Phantasm at a time, but which one was best for fending off the Shield of Gluttony? Perhaps Maple could use a friend, and Kuro had an idea of who.
'Weapon copy Activated. Lord Camelot Level locked 120.'
The Legendary shield of Galahad of Arthurian Lore, youngest of the Knights of the Round Table and Wielding a shield made from the table itself that gave Arturia's Knight's of the Round Table their name. The four Heroes and their companions stayed for several days at the hot springs letting exhaustion and sickness leave their bodies. Each night Kuro would make another shield and Maple would copy it into the shield while Kuro did her best to expand the limits of her mana capacity and regeneration. The end result?
'Conditions Met. Shield of Compassion Unlocked. Main Ability: Dedicated Affection, Iron Maiden.'
And then the wave came.
Review Section:
drmcgraw186: I thought that would be the case, I was debating calling them Maple Tree or Maple Leaf, in part because I also have a idea for 'Maple Leaf' down the line, but I decided just to use that one as a mascot. Oh far, far from healing, but I plan on making some progress for that in the next few chapters. And yes, Maple is the physically oldest but that's only if you exclude the pre-reincarnated ages of the others, that said the others do still have the brain chemistry of children which makes it so that they still have plenty of immaturity. I agree, that's why I did it that way. While it may seem irresponsible to rely on the Bio-Plants considering the legend surrounding them the fact of the matter remains that they need solutions to the food crisis. True. All fear the Ripper, well all women should anyway.
Captain Imaginat: Being enthusiastic is good but it's also difficult for me to look through a dozen different reviews as well. Their bond might be unbreakable but Fitoria's concerns here are far from non-existent. I'm pretty sure the cockroaches aren't offended. Loss of taste is the least of Maple's concerns I can assure you. What makes you think Katarina would even Tell Maple something like that? Maple Leaf primarily does Food, Medicine and Accessories made using materials they get from fighting monsters, Van Reichnott handles the paper work that allows them to operate as a business with the Merchant's Guild, they thus far do not sell anything that doesn't come out of Melromarc do to not having left it's borders. This is this and that is that, Filo isn't the same as the others, her feelings of devotion are different and as such they are treated differently.
RonaldM40196867: Sure does. Tanya acts decisively and intelligently when she sees a situation that needs fixing.
Kisami Hoshikagi: Maple Tree was primarily made as a way to deal with Maple's crazy antics. I agree, Keel's father was a absolute moron there. Don't assume that just because Tanya doesn't understand empathy she doesn't have it.
RedBurningDragon: Good to know.
reindank: It's like watching two cute horrible monsters.