We vanished from the courtyard that was newly made into ruins, into one that had been in ruins for some time, with small structures at the edges of our view, and columns that had obviously once held something above us, likely a stately manor's roof, from the markings on them. Markings faded and weathered enough that it was impossible to tell what they meant, or if they had been pictures of some kind.
The five of us walked out of the Vassal Carriage, with Fitoria having been outside when we traveled, and looked about. Well, the others looked about, the moment I was outside, I looked up, and was aghast to see that the moon was in a different position. It was obviously not time that had changed the heavens though, we'd just traveled so far that it was simply somewhere else in relation to us.
"These ruins are impressive to have stood so long," commented Naofumi, and I had to admit, the age of the things was evident in the vines and such growing on them. Nothing we'd seen had been quite this ancient before, at least not obviously. It got even better when I used (Sense) to quickly get a feel for the place, and was given not only a name, but about fifty pages worth of history in a box I closed before getting past the first few paragraphs of.
"The City of Sanctuary, built in the Time of the First Heroes to Walk this world. Their bravery saw the world through Catastrophe, and when it was safe, they expanded from here, a Council of…I can't read that part, but it says they were at peace for some time, before centuries later, the Waves returned, and the City was laid to ruin, the nations born from the Heroes deeds fragmenting as more were summoned to do battle once again," I read, and that news seemed to shock Fitoria, who started a bit.
"That is…the history I had been taught, but in truth, I did not know if they were fact, as these have been ruins since long before my birth," she admitted, and I nodded, approaching one of the columns, and brushing some of the dirt off it, finding…well gibberish underneath, the sort my reading skill refused to translate sadly.
"They are my home for some time now, and I watch over and keep them safe from those who would defile them," she said, and I had to wonder who would defile ruins like this or why, but then felt the magic in the air as I rose up, and she did something. It was…like a blanket of warmth that spread over the whole of my form, and I felt safe on an instinctive level, showing exactly why this would be the sort of place someone might want for themselves.
"This is a filolial sanctuary, huh?" asked Melty, and Fitoria nodded.
"Correct. In fact, it is against the rules I laid down long ago to bring humans to this place, but the time of the Waves is the time when some rules must be placed aside for the greater good," she answered, and Melty looked around, eyes sparkling in delight at the things around her.
"So for now, we'll be safe then?" he asked, and Fitoria started to nod, only for her to be interrupted by a growl that wouldn't have sounded out of place on a monster, but was, in fact, Filo's stomach, making the Shield Hero laugh.
"Yeah, I think it's time we took a break," he said, patting her on the head.
"It has been a long day," added Melty, and Raphtalia, smiling one moment, had a dark expression cross her face as she glanced into the distance.
"A longer one for Keel and the others. I hope they're safe," she said, and to be fair, it was an honest question, given whom we'd left them with. I had little doubt that Malty might try and take control of the situation…and even less of one that Ray or Ren might overrule her if she tried anything out of turn. Heck, the fact that Motoyasu had stopped her from casting anything was a good sign.
"Lord Reichnott and his people would never allow anyone to harm their kith and kin in front of them, and the knights seemed properly ashamed of what they had done. I think we can trust those two factors to ensure their safety," said Melty, and Naofumi assured her of the same thing, both of them placing her hands on her shoulders to show their support.
"So, since it HAS been a long day, and we only had trail rations, why don't I make us all something to eat?" he proposed, and given neither I nor Melty had had even the rations, we agreed, so we got to work gathering something for a stew, with Raphtalia starting a small fire, Filo hunting down some fish in the nearby lake, while Melty and I gathered what herbs we could find in the area, sense helping us gather more than enough.
When it was all assembled, I got to watch as the Shield Hero went to work, whipping up a…stew…soup…whatever, fish stuff in a short amount of time, his hands glowing at certain points as he shifted his Shield between a few forms, with me asking after each one, finding I had used similar unlock materials, but gotten entirely different weapons from them, as his increased the efficacy of items and preparation, while mine tended more towards boosts against certain enemy types.
"So, let me guess, you never cooked anything a day in your life?" he asked, as he found me staring at him as he began to stir the concoction in the bowl, and I shrugged.
"I can microwave things, and fast food was easily available where I lived, so I never had any reason to do much else," I admitted, and he shook his head, chuckling, in a good natured way.
"Man, you just haven't lived then. What about your party, don't they know how to cook?" he asked, and I shrugged, holding out one of the herbs to him, and he took it, shifting his Shield again, and then crushing the plant in his hands, causing it to glow, as he dumped it into the boiling pot.
"They do, but I think your technique is superior," I admitted.
"Thanks," was all he said, as he went about finishing the stuff, soon enough pulling the pot off the fire, and using the ladle to stir it a few more times, saying it needed to cool just a little to put the real flavor in it. That done, he dished out some bowls, and we proceeded to dig in.
The stuff was…good. Not as good as the pretzels were, but probably better for me, and I ate two bowls, which was actually the smallest of the meals taken, as Raphtalia put away four, Melty six, and Naofumi seven. The Two filolials that looked like young girls put away all of the rest, probably twice as much as the rest of us combined between them, and when Naofumi declared he'd make enough for the whole herd, who'd been looking longingly at our meal, they partook some there too.
It was as he was preparing to make more food in those large metal drums that I snuck away from the group. I should have, of course, left, used (Fast Travel) and brought back some assistance to 'rescue' the First Princess, and maybe bring Naofumi back to face judgement for his 'crimes'. That was what was expected of a Hero, and I could probably get a hefty reward from doing such, including the sale of the t-rex monster's component parts and such.
I didn't even think of that, honestly, as I instead slipped off into the night, and then back to the point where we'd arrived, finding the Vassal Carriage, still sitting in the place it had been, not moved an inch, which said lots, honestly. The filolials must give it a wide berth to have not pushed on it or shuffled against it at all, and Fitoria either left it here because she trusted no one could get to it, or had some connection to it that prevented anyone from making off with it.
As before, the moment I was near it, I could feel a sort of…low pull. Like two refrigerator magnets pulling towards each other, not enough to move either even a millimeter, but still enough to make the pull known if you were holding them. It was actually kind of intoxicating, like being on the cusp of something, and so I drew close to the thing, noticing as I did that the jewel on my bow was 'blinking', shining on and off as the wheels of the thing did the same.
The displays in my eyes said loads of things. Most of them detailing the status effect I got just for being near the Vassal, and the effect it got from me. A good boost to a few stats, but far more importantly was the skills I was seeing it had…not fully unlocked, but were now something I could see, off to the side, in my skill menu. Taunting me, telling me they could be mine, if I only figured out how.
"I had wondered why the feeling from the Carriage had changed. I suppose it's obvious, in retrospect," said a familiar voice, one that I most certainly did not 'eep' at, as it came from right behind me. Seriously, how did a woman who was normally a few dozen meters tall sneak around like that? Regardless, I didn't turn to her, instead reaching out a hand towards the wheel in front of me, and gently caressing it.
"The Vassal Weapons have a connection to the ones that they spawned from," I said, explaining what I was doing, and she made a noise, one that said a lot without words. Mostly the typical, 'of course I knew that' and the ever present 'I am no fool', sort of thing.
"What do your menus show you? Mine are showing me several power ups that I can unlock with the right conditions, ones I did not claim before as that would not have been possible during the last Waves," she said, and I looked at her, a question on my lips, but she waved a hand at me.
"By the time the Vassal Carriage was made mine, the Hero of the Bow had either perished or left, I cannot recall which, and thus, I was left to discover much of what this weapon is capable of on my own," she explained, and I nod, seeing some logic in that.
"You don't remember something from that long ago? Or you never cared to know?" I ask, curious, and she shrugs.
"Honestly, a mixture I think. My memories are not 'hazy', or at least, no more than a normal person's would be, but details seem to fade with time. After all, can you perfectly recall your own history, or even that of your world?" she asked, and I had to think, but then shrugged back.
"I can't say I can, but then, the state of a Hero seems like the sort of event to stick out in the mind, given there's only been eight in your lifetime," I counter, and she seems to consider that for a moment, before walking up to me, and joining me in placing a hand on the Carriage.
"So, do you know how to unlock the powers I am being shown?" she asked directly, and I pulled my hand back to rub at my chin.
"Well, that's a question. I mean, I think I do, but if it works, you'll have more power, and as of right now, I can already tell you're probably the strongest thing on this whole planet. So does giving you MORE power make this world more or less safe?" that answer brings Fitoria up short for a moment, as she legitimately seems to consider my words, walking around the Carriage slowly, deliberately, before coming to stand before me.
"I wonder, sometimes, Hero of the Bow, if my actions would please my old friends, those whom I left behind so long ago. I know you have little reason to trust me, as I have not explained myself much to you, so why don't we fix that? Ask me the questions on your mind, and I will explain myself as best I can. In return, I will ask you a question, and you will answer honestly, to the best of your knowledge, and we shall go from there and see who is best for this world," she said, simply, eloquently, smiling a little, and showing me this was less a concession, and more a dare, one I probably shouldn't back down from.