Let's get more adorableness going this chapter! Now that the traumatizing stuff is past!
Also, today is Allen's birthday. Here's a birthday present for you all.
Chapter Nine: May I Have This Floof?
The next few days passed by quickly for little Naofumi.
He and Raphtalia both had the same nightmare their first night after killing the Orthrus Dog. In it, the scary Dog Monster would appear and try to eat them both. After that, Naofumi normally fell asleep head patting Raphtalia to make sure neither of them had that dream.
He didn't care that he was sleeping next to a girl. That monster was scary! No one should have to see that in their sleep.
Aultcray arrived the next morning, but he didn't stay very long. He checked with Naofumi and Raphtalia to make sure they were okay. Said he had some important business to take care of. Then he left with another carriage following him. Naofumi didn't see who was in it, but he could have sworn the voice yelling from it sounded familiar.
Oh well.
Since they had no reason to go back to the Capital for a while, the two kids and Erhard stayed close to the village. The people were definitely nicer here. They were especially kind after the incident in the mine. It was likely because he and Raphtalia killed the big bad dog. Their efforts had made the mines safe enough for the people to use them again... or something like that. He wasn't certain. He definitely didn't plan on going there again anytime soon.
Now they were outside in a field of tall grass. Hunting down more innocent(?) and less terrifying monsters.
"I got it! I got it!"
Naofumi jumped forward in the tall grass and barely managed to wrap his arms around the surprised porcupine monster. The needles didn't prick his skin anymore, though they had the first few times he'd done this at a lower level. "Now Raphtalia!"
"Hah!" The smol girl burst out of her hiding spell, holding a shortsword instead of a dagger. She stabbed it down into the creature, which screeched in pain before it died.
"Yay! We did it!" Raphtalia got up and cheered happily. A wide smile on her face. Her cute bushy tail wagged happily behind her. An experience notification popped up on her HUD.
"Yeah, we're really getting good at this!" Naofumi cheered. Breaking down and absorbing the fifth porcupine of the day into his Shield.
Another porcupine charged through the grass nearby. Raphtalia eeped and huddled in on herself, thinking it was going for her. "Shield Prison!"
The second porcupine was encased in a ball of plates and chains next to Raphtalia. She stood upright and stared at the skill shield curiously.
"You alright Raphtalia?" Naofumi asked worriedly.
"Yep!" She got ready, and when the skill dissolved, she was on the porcupine. Stabbing through it before it could runoff. It died just as quickly as the last one.
Raphtalia still got afraid every now and then. But she was doing a lot better ever since the Dog Monster. She didn't freeze up as often fighting monsters. And Naofumi didn't have to hold down every monster for her to kill it anymore.
Naofumi absorbed the porcupine. And he finally got several notifications about new Shields being unlocked. "Sweet! I finally got a shield that raises my attack stat!" He said happily.
"Yay!" Raphtalia cheered for her friend happily.
He was level 27 now. And Raphtalia was level 29. Despite his increase in levels, his Attack Stat was still a measly 1. Naofumi chuckled evilly, reveling in the fact that he was finally getting a shield that increased his attack stat by-
His eyes widened. "It only increases my attack stat by one!?" He fell to his knees. "Nooooooooooooo!"
Raphtalia started patting her friend on the head in sympathy. He pouted as he equipped the new Shield so he could unlock it.
'Stupid Shield!'
It zapped him lightly in response to that.
Be glad I give you an attack stat at all, you little punk.
Naofumi paled. His Shield was rather handy, but it was best to not make whatever it was living inside of it mad at him. It had a nasty temper and wasn't very nice.
The right side of their vision stopped getting blinded by experience notifications. Which meant one thing.
"Hey, kids!" Erhard came over, hammer covered in fresh blood and gore like always. He was smiling widely. "You missed it. I found a whole nest of these things!" He dragged another pile of dead, bleeding porcupines behind him.
Naofumi and Raphtalia covered their mouths. It was becoming a familiar sight for the blacksmith to drag a large pile of monsters behind him. But it still made them queasy when he did it. "Don't tell me. Are you kids still having a rough time around blood?" Erhard asked. "Strange, I wonder why you two aren't over it yet." He scratched his bald head curiously.
It was like it wasn't supposed to be strange or disgusting for the big bald man to be standing next to a pile of dead monsters, some of which were still twitching!
Animal cruelty!
As Naofumi reluctantly absorbed the pile, Erhard looked him and Raphtalia over on his HUD. "Da- Dang, you two have really grown in levels this week. I can't believe how strong you're getting." He said. Making sure to check his language. "To grow over 25 levels in just a couple of weeks." Maybe there was more than one perk to being a Cardinal Hero.
He was still level 90. But he was finally getting close to reaching the next level!
"Uncle Bald Guy, my sword… um…" Raphtalia looked down shyly as she presented the blade. There were long cracks in the iron.
Erhard looked the blade over with a frown. He'd given it to her the day after the Orthrus Dog incident. "Little lady. You especially are getting strong." Her stats were way higher than what he remembered himself being at level 27. And he had been a young adult approaching his prime! Studying under (and working hard to pay off the debts of) his old master! How was such a little kid getting so strong and wearing out good blades so quickly?!
Raphtalia looked down. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to break it." She said sadly. Her tail limping behind her.
Erhard started rubbing between her ears. "Hey, don't worry about it. These are a dime a dozen. When we get back, I'll make a special sword just for you." He said.
"Really?!" Raphtalia looked up at him excitedly.
Naofumi wanted to help Raphtalia feel better too. He didn't like it when she was sad. But Uncle Bald Guy was already rubbing her head and promising her cool stuff!... he looked down at the tail, the gears in his little mind turning.
Should he touch it?
…
"EEP!" Raphtalia jumped away, gripping her tail.
Apparently, the smol stronk girl still didn't like having her tail fluffed.
"I was only trying to cheer you up-" Naofumi started defending himself. He'd only petted it. He didn't grip it or anything!
"Naofumi!" Raphtalia complained in an oddly high screeched embarrassed voice.
Erhard started laughing at both of them. "Come on, you two. Let's get going. I want to get back to the Capital so you can get preparing for the Wave and so I can start working on some new equipment for both of you."
"Yay!" After almost a week away, they were finally heading back home!
It was a long, boring trek back to the Capital for the trio. Raphtalia held her tail protectively almost the entire time. Much to Naofumi's chagrin. Despite the long trip, his legs didn't feel tired like they had the first time. They walked through the gates just as the sun was dipping below the horizon.
Since there was still some time, Erhard told the two kids to head to the Church without him so they could register at the hourglass without him. He needed to get started on their equipment in order for it to be ready as soon as possible. He also had to make progress on officially closing his shop for good, though the bulk of that could wait until after the wave.
As Naofumi and Raphtalia entered the church (and after multiple wrong turns that landed them in various incorrect locations, including a large circus tent which Raphtalia steered them away from), they were immediately accosted by nuns in the large chapel area.
"What brings you, children, to our holy sanctuary?" The head nun asked, crossing her arms.
"We're here to register at the big hourglass for the wave!" Naofumi exclaimed with a smile. "Uncle Bald Guy said it would be here, but I don't see it anywhere. Are you hiding it?"
Another nun whispered into the main nun's ear, then walked away. The head sister turned to them with a frown. "I'm afraid we cannot allow children to fight against something so treacherous as the waves. It would go against our teachings to place you in such danger."
Naofumi looked disappointed. "Awww, but we put in so much work to get stronger for it." He said sadly. "Besides...Isn't that what I'm supposed to do? I'm a hero, you know..."
Raphtalia patted him on the head comfortingly as she looked at the holy women. "Can we please register? We want to help protect people. We know it'll be scary and dangerous, but we got strong for a reason!"
The nun was still frowning disapprovingly even at KidFumi's stirring words. "Again, we cannot allow-"
"Young Naofumi." Naofumi and Raphtalia turned around, and they both smiled widely. "Mr. Aultcray!" They ran away from the mean nun towards the King dressed in his royal attire.
The King looked like he'd seen better days. Dark bags hung under his eyes. But he still looked happy as he got on one knee and embraced them both. The nun's eyes widened in shock, seeing the King hugging the Shield Hero and a demi-kid.
So the recording hadn't been a lie.
"Thank goodness the two of you are still safe. When I'd learned that you'd been in serious danger, I feared the worst." He smiled widely for them both. "But you two are truly becoming strong, brave heroes!"
"Mr. Aultcray. That lady there says we can't register to fight for the Wave." Naofumi said with a childish pout. "Uncle Bald Guy said we had to or we wouldn't get teleported to the wave!"
Aultcray stood back up, dusting off his robes. "Is this true?" He flatly asked the nun.
"Your Majesty." The nun gave a bow of respect. "Our teachings dictate that we are to protect the young and the old from the Waves of Catastrophe. We can't allow kids to fight when they are to be prot-"
The king stood at least a head over the nun, glowering down at her. His intimidating presence cut her off. "Children or no, these two are heroes. Their participation in the waves is necessary and crucial, and they will register for the waves tonight. Unless your teachings say we should refuse the help of a hero we summoned."
The nun gulped. "Um… yes, right this way then." She recomposed herself and opened a set of double doors. Leading the three through a hallway of the Church towards the Dragon Hourglass.
Naofumi didn't pay too much attention to the works of art on the walls or the ornate decorations. Rather, he was completely focused and smiling up at the King.
"So, Mr. Aultcray, what are you doing here?" Naofumi asked.
"I came here because I stopped by Erhard's shop and he said you'd be here, young Naofumi," Aultcray said with a tired smile. Before he yawned into his hand.
"You look really sleepy. Have you been eating right? My mom always told me eating healthy helps you stay awake." Naofumi said.
Aultcray chuckled. "No, young Naofumi. I've been eating right, as a King should. I just haven't had the opportunity to sleep much during my trip."
"That reminds me? I thought you said you couldn't leave the castle much." Raphtalia asked, tail wagging in interest.
"Um…"
"Yeah, what were you doing that was so important for you to leave your castle, Mr. Aultcray?" Naofumi asked curiously.
Aultcray thought over the highlight of the trip in his mind.
Flashback:
Aultcray sat on a throne, watching as a line of demi-humans strung the priest to a stake on the border wall between Melromarc and Siltvelt. Beside him were several members of the Council of Siltvelt, demi-humans of varying sizes and appearances sitting on thrones of their own.
"This is… an interesting gift, King Aultcray." The one that spoke was a bird-like demi-human. He was dressed in fine robes, and the large wings sprouting from his back were red like the Vermillion Bird. "I must admit that when your messenger arrived, I had my doubts about his honesty."
"None of us did." Another council member said. Looking at what was going on with an impressed look on his wolf-like face. The priest was still wearing his robes. Easily identifying him to the Council and the crowd of curious demis gathering down below them. "What are you really plotting, Wise King?"
Aultcray shook his head. "I assure you that I am not plotting anything." He said honestly. "This man tried to kill the Shield Hero and his demi-human friend. I thought it'd be fitting, considering his beliefs, that you should be the ones to execute him for the attempt on the Shield's life."
"... He did WHAT!?" Was the outcry of the Council. Their faces were a mixture of shock and absolute fury, with an elephant demi-human actually slamming a fist and breaking the arm of his throne.
"Did my messenger not tell you?" Aultcray asked, one eyebrow raised.
"He mentioned executing a Three Heroes Priest. But we never got to the 'why' part. We were so excited to do it that we didn't ask for details." The wolf demi-human said with a shrug.
"This… this cannot go unpunished." The elephant therianthrope said in a deep voice.
The bird-like Councilman cocked his head to the side while the Council deliberated with each other. "I must ask, what brought about this sudden change of heart, Wise King? Our nations may no longer be at war, but we are far from being at peace. This behavior seems very out of character for you, so I'm sure you understand our caution."
The human king smiled softly, leaning on one fist on the arm of the throne. "Believe it or not, your Shield Hero has had a surprising impact on me." The other Council members stopped discussing to listen to the Wise King of Melromarc. "He may be just a young boy, but he possesses a resolve and strength of character that is impossible to ignore. He has a pure soul and a desire to protect those he doesn't know… Plus..." He trailed off, looking to the side and mumbling the end of his sentence.
Though, with their superior hearing, some of the Councilmen still heard it.
"I love him like my own son."
...
Their eyes were wide. The Wise King, who once waged war against their nation and advocated the extermination of demi-humans across the land, loved their God Hero like a son!?
"S-surely you jest, Wise King!"
"Oh, I am completely serious. In fact, after the execution, I have another gift for the man that dared to harm young Naofumi." Aultcray said, his voice hard as he glared up at the priest. Who had just been finished getting tied to the stake. "I think you'll all find it quite pleasing."
One of the demi-humans tying the priest to the stake nodded in their direction, and a lion demi-human therianthrope stood from his throne. He was smirking widely. He wasn't a fan of Aultcray because of the war, but this was definitely a step in the right direction for him. "People of Siltvelt and demi-humans across the land! The Wise King of Melromarc has gifted us this wondrous opportunity this day!"
The crowd roared in excitement, ranging from cheers to animalistic roars. The lion Councilman continued, raising his hands into the air as if preaching. "This human, this blasphemous Three Heroes Priest stands guilty of the attempted murder of our beloved Hero - no, our Great God!"
Gasps erupted, and the roars and cheering became shouts of rage. "Fret not, however! Our Shield Hero lives to this day, and this attacker failed in his endeavor! For this most heinous crime, we the Council of Siltvelt and representatives of demi-humans everywhere, along with the King of Melromarc, sentence him to death! By! FIREEEE!"
He pointed a clawed finger at the priest, whose eyes were wide in terror as a group of demi-humans lit the kindling beneath him. "May your pathetic excuse for a soul burn in the depths of hellfire for all eternity, human! Even your own king has forsaken you!"
The flames started licking at the feet of the Priest. He struggled in his bindings. Trying to somehow free himself and to flee from all these devils. But the knots were tied well. Even as the stake behind him began to burn, the ropes did not come loose.
"This is your fate! This shall be the fate of all those who stand against our Great God!"
The Priest started screaming. "You devils!" The priest screamed in pain as his foot caught fire. "The true Gods will honor my sacrifice! I'll dine at the table of the great ones in heaven, and holy judgment will be brought down upon your misbegotten kind!"
"When you see your gods, tell them who sent you!"
The audience cheered and roared as the priest's body was engulfed in fire. His screams of agony were almost unheard over the deafening crowd. With one hand forward, the lion demi-human roared. "Zweite Tornado!"
A massive gust of wind erupted from below the priest's feet, causing the fire to blaze hotter and fiercer than before. His screams were completely unheard, not just because of the crowd but also because of the roaring tornado of flames he was in.
It was only when the priest's screams began to die down that Aultcray stood. "It's time for me to reveal my second gift." He snapped his fingers, and several knights appeared from a tower to the side of the burning man. Dragging a crate with them. The lion therianthrope looked at Aultcray in surprise. Expecting it to be a double-cross.
"You claim that your soul will meet the Gods! To dine with them at their fine tables!" Aultcray used wind magic to boost his voice over the roar of the crowd. His words caused the whole Council to look to him instead of the dying man. "But for your punishment, I, King Aultcray Melromarc XXXII, say you will never see the faces of the Gods ever again!"
The crowd had quieted, watching curiously as the knights brought the crate up to the edge of the fire. Then, they opened the side, quickly backing away from what was within.
The priest was still barely alive amidst the flames. But when he saw what was in the crate, his eyes widened. His strugglings against his bindings renewed. "NO! NOT THAT! ANYTHING BUT THAT!" He yelled, his voice now filled with genuine fear.
The Council couldn't see what it was at first. But as the creature rolled out of the crate, their own eyes widened in shock. These things were rare. Used mainly as a special punishment for the worst of criminals in Zeltoble. But they still recognized the pale skin of a Soul Worm, a creature that painfully fed on the souls of others.
It was worse. Much worse than death. This thing shredded souls into oblivion.
"No god deserves a wretch like you in their midst! Know that death is only the beginning of your suffering! You will find no peace, no sanctuary, and no respite! Reflect upon your sins and die like the dog you are! Humans and demi-humans alike are better off without you!" Aultcray's booming voice echoed over the crowd.
The priest's struggling renewed against his bindings, but his body was so badly scorched that he could no longer muster the strength to move. After several minutes, his flesh was melted so horribly that he was unrecognizable. He hung there upon a burning stake, motionless as a corpse.
Suddenly, the soul worm thrashed against its holders for a moment and they allowed it to move. Its jaws opened wide and a deafening screech rang out as it consumed the priest's soul. With wet, smacking noises, it tore what remained of his existence apart. A last, soul-shattering scream came from the soul as it was sucked in and shredded, and then… it was over.
As the deed was finished, Aultcray turned to a knight that had walked up, holding a recording crystal. "Let this be a warning to any of those who would threaten the Cardinal Heroes who defend our world."
The knight was about to end the recording, but the king held up his hand. "And one last thing..." He trailed off, before moving in close and pointing a finger into the crystal.
"Balmus, keep your priests in line. If you fail to keep another one from plotting against the Shield Hero again… I'll be coming for you."
The crowd of demi-humans and even the council had been silent. Watching in shock at the severe form of punishment. But at Aultcray's words, they started roaring and cheering.
The second gift was greatly appreciated.
Aultcray scratched the back of his head, looking anywhere but at the two children in front of him. "Oh, a bit of this and a bit of that." He said, cryptically.
Naofumi and Raphtalia groaned. "Aww, but that doesn't explain anything!" They whined, putting on the puppy-dog eyes.
Normally he would fall for this trick, but he held his ground. "Trust me when I say you're better off not knowing the details. Just know that someone tried to hurt you, and they were put in time-out for a very, very long time." The king said while crossing his arms.
"Like a few years?"
"Much longer than that, young Naofumi. He isn't coming out of time-out until you're as old as I am."
"Wooooaaaaahh, that's super old!"
Aultcray's eye twitched at the offhanded insult, but he chuckled awkwardly. "Perhaps. Now then, let's finish what you came here for."
They arrived at the massive, spinning hourglass. The red sand was pouring down from the top half into the bottom half, and only a small amount of sand had yet to fall.
"Alright, young Naofumi. Go ahead and place your hand against the hourglass. That will register you to fight in the wave, and it will summon you there when it starts." Aultcray said with a smile.
"Okay!" Naofumi exclaimed, running up to the golden hourglass and gently laying a hand upon it. A gentle glow emanated from his shield, intensifying until it coalesced on the green gem. All of a sudden, a beam fired out of his shield and into the hourglass. In the corner of his HUD, a timer appeared.
Melromarc
66:25:43...
66:25:42...
66:25:41...
"Woah, a timer just popped up but I don't know how long it is until it hits zero!"
Aultcray's eyebrow raised. "How can you not know when it'll hit zero if it's a timer?"
"Well, the way it looks is weird!" He said, turning to the king with a pout. All of a sudden, the numbers rearranged themselves.
Next Wave in Melromarc
2 days, 18 hours, 25 minutes, 30 seconds remain...
2 days, 18 hours, 25 minutes, 29 seconds remain...
2 days, 18 hours, 25 minutes, 28 seconds remain...
Naofumi smiled widely. "There we go! Much better! Hey, Raphtalia! It's only less than three days until the next wave!" He said happily.
"Really?! So soon?! I-I don't know if we're ready!" She said in surprise. Aultcray gently patted her head.
"Worry not, young Raphtalia. From what I understand, the monsters of the wave will likely be weaker than the monster you fought now that you're both stronger. You have both grown very strong in a very short time, and I have faith that you'll both protect our world."
The vote of confidence made her happy, and her tail swished back and forth.
"Hey, is that…"
The new voice caused the three to turn. "Moto!"
"Yo, Nao-bro!" Motoyasu ran up to them and held out his fist, which the young hero bumped with his own. "How've you been, little dude? I heard you got into some trouble!"
"Yeah it was scary, but I'm okay now thanks to Raphtalia!" Naofumi said happily. Hugging the little girl close. She started blushing, and her tail wagged even harder. "We went into a mine and a big scary dog monster with two heads came after us! I would have been toast - like the extra crispy kind, not the tasty, chewy kind - if Raphtalia wasn't there to help me kill it! You should have seen it, Moto! It was HUGE!"
"Whoaaaaa!" Motoyasu looked in amazement between them both. "That does sound scary! I'm glad you both got out okay though!" He said, rubbing them both on the head.
"Oh, hey Naofumi."
"Ren!" Naofumi looked from behind Motoyasu. Cool guy Ren had walked in too! His armor had been updated, and he looked even cooler than before! Normally he thought the all-black look was too much, but Ren managed to pull it off! He looked like one of those superheroes with a dark past, and that was super cool!
Oh, there was someone else with him too- Naofumi's face soured. It was Itsujerkface! Why'd he have to ruin Ren's cool entrance!? BOO!
"Hello, Naofumi." the younger blond said without even smiling at him. "I see you're taking your role as a hero seriously. Good. I was worried you would be too busy playing to get stronger."
What a jerk! He could at least pretend to be happy to see him! That guy with the shiny armor and the creepy mustache looked really mean, too! And to think he'd looked cool when they first met! Come to think of it, Meanie was here too! Her red hair was hard to miss, and she didn't look happy to see him!
Good, he wasn't happy to see Meanie either! Moto should just dump her already for someone else!
"Chill out Itsuki," Motoyasu said, waving him off. "Naofumi here has been working to get stronger just like us! I actually walked in on him once studying the world's language so he could learn magic!"
Ren and Itsuki both looked at Naofumi in surprise. "What?! Why would-!" Ren quickly cut himself off and recomposed himself. He could not lose his cool and aloof manner. He could not let this kid think he was uncool!
"Why would he waste his time with that?" Itsuki asked seriously. "Wouldn't it be easier to just learn from a crystal ball like the rest of us? That time he wasted on learning to read could have been used to get better shields and equipment."
Before Naofumi could think up an answer, Motoyasu did it for him. "Because learning from grimoires instead of crystal balls makes our magic way stronger. Watch this!" He pointed at a party member of Ren's that had a bandage around one of her legs. He was struggling with learning the language. But he was doing it to help his little bro know he wasn't alone in his struggles. And his hard work and effort had paid off in helping him to learn a spell.
"Healing Warmth!"
A red glow appeared around the hurt party member. A few seconds later, the girl looked surprised as she was able to put her full weight on her leg again. "The damage… it's all gone!"
"And? Any healing spell would have healed such a small wound." Itsuki said, rolling his eyes.
Motoyasu groaned. "Dude, that was a beginner's healing spell! I could barely heal a paper cut with it in the actual game! Just take my word for it!" He then looked to Naofumi. "How about you cast a spell to back me up." He suggested. "You've been studying hard too, right?!"
Naofumi looked nervous. "But… I've only learned one spell…" He said nervously. He'd learned it while studying the grimoire with Raphtalia two nights ago. His little kid's mind, despite his complaining, had learned the characters of Melromarc's language with surprising ease.
Young minds like his were actually more capable of learning a new language than older minds.
"Come on! You can do it!" Motoyasu said excitedly.
"Yes, I'd like to see this for myself, young Naofumi. I wasn't aware that you'd already managed to cast a spell." Aultcray said curiously.
Naofumi still looked nervous, but Raphtalia was giving him the thumbs up. She'd helped him a lot with getting the feel for magic. Including using her hiding spell on him so he could get a better feel for what magic felt like.
He nodded and took a deep breath. "Okay." He pulled up his HUD, and… "Um, where do I find my spells again?" He asked.
…
Everyone around him facepalmed. Including Raphtalia. This cute adorable forgetful little boy. "It's under the spell tab in your menu," Motoyasu said.
The icon highlighted itself in big bold letters on Naofumi's screen. It was almost like his Shield was facepalming too. He focused on the icon, and words appeared in front of him. Ever since he had managed to cast it correctly the first time, they seemed to appear for him whenever he wanted to cast the spell again.
It was like his Shield didn't trust him to remember on his own.
"As, as source of thy power, I order thee. De, um, (the next word turned into its pronunciation form on his HUD) decipher the laws of nature, and protect my target." Naofumi pointed a finger at Ren. "First Guard!"
A soft green glow emanated from the Sword Hero, and the man's eyes widened slightly. "Okay. My defense just went up around 20%... Granted, my defense isn't very high. But that's actually very helpful." Ren said, cracking the slightest of smiles.
Itsuki looked surprised at that. "No way. Cast it on me!" He angrily demanded. There was no way a first level spell should have that much of an effect behind it! Even the intermediate spells were barely that strong!
The boy did the same thing, and Itsuki's eyes widened as well. "Amazing… it even lasts longer than the original spell..." He mumbled. "I don't know what kind of cheat this is... but I guess I'll take it."
What did he mean CHEATING!? He'd busted his mind long and hard just to learn that one spell and use it! Itsujerk was really proving how much of a jerkface he was!
"Maybe learning the language isn't such a bad idea," Ren muttered. The two looked at each other and nodded.
"Sir Motoyasu." Myne looked to be holding back a scowl. "Did we not come here to register for the-"
"So what else have you been doing little bro," Motoyasu said, starting a conversation with the little boy again. Ren and even Itsuki came closer. Curious themselves.
Naofumi told them more about the mine and the monster he faced. Completely ignoring Meanie's attempts to try and get their attention. He learned that the purple arrow he'd seen before hovering over the beast indicated that it was a boss. He also shared tales of Uncle Bald Guy and his unethical treatment of innocent(?) monsters.
Motoyasu shared his own tales about protecting the shipment of food from bandits (the fair maidens of Leruno had been happy for his help, though he had another idea for helping them out that he wanted to try after the Wave was over. Maybe little Naofumi could come along for it if he wanted). Itsuki proudly shared his stories about going after groups of bad people that he knew about from his game. Ren was mainly silent but shared a story about taking down a big fearsome monster.
It was the coolest story of them all in Naofumi's mind.
"Mr. Aultcray, is this what being a hero is like?" Raphtalia asked, gently grabbing his robe. "They're all so amazing that it's a little frightening."
Myne let out an angry huff, walking over to a pillar and beating her head against it. Either nobody noticed, or they didn't bother to acknowledge it.
Aultcray smiled and rustled Raphtalia's hair. "Don't think that you're any less amazing than they are, little Raphtalia. You have accomplished great things and overcome your own obstacles." He leaned down and whispered in her ear. "I'm proud of you the most, you know."
Raphtalia smiled happily. Her little tail wagged really happily at Aultcray's words. "Really!?"
"Yes, just don't tell young Naofumi." He whispered in her ear. "It'll be our little secret."
Naofumi frowned in their direction. "What are you two talking about?" He asked. "Is it about me?"
"Oh, um, it's nothing about you Naofumi." Raphtalia quickly said, holding her hands behind her back. The way her tail wagged quickly indicated she was lying, though.
"Hey!" Naofumi complained. "I want to know too!"
Aultcray laughed. "I'll tell you... when you're older."
"BOO!"
Motoyasu laughed heartily. Ren put a hand over his mouth to hide his amused chuckles. Itsuki looked annoyed though since he'd been in the middle of telling his tale. Naofumi hadn't really been paying attention to it though. Since it was long and bland and utterly B-O-R-I-N-G!
Itsujerk needed to learn how to be cool and fun. Like Ren and Moto! He took his justice role way too seriously.
Aultcray yawned. "Would you look at the time. I must get heading back to the castle. I haven't had a good night's rest in a long while."
Myne pouted. She still had to ask Father for permission to take funds out of the royal treasury for… helping others! Yeah, that was it! She certainly wasn't going to use any of it for herself! No way!
...Okay, maybe just a tiny bit. But that would go towards helping her save the world! It's helping others by extension! It's not like the money does any good sitting somewhere gathering dust!
"Oh yeah. We came here to register for the Waves." Motoyasu shrugged. "Eh, talking to Nao-bro here was a good surprise! Don't you think so, girls?" He asked his party, who had been interacting with the other heroes' party members.
"Yes!" They all snapped to attention and smiled warmly. All except for the soulless Meanie, who was again beating her head against a pillar.
If she wasn't careful, she'd leave a dent. Whether it was in her head or the pillar. If she dented the pillar, that might make the people who care for this place sad.
If she dented her head... maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing. It'd make Naofumi happy at least.
"Alright then! Let's do this before I get any more sidetracked." The blond hero said, laying a hand on the hourglass and registering. Ren and Itsuki did the same before returning to their party members.
"So what's your plan for the rest of the night, Naofumi?" Ren asked. Trying his best to remain calm and aloof. Motoyasu and Itsuki walked out. Helping the King and talking with him about the things they'd been accomplishing in greater detail.
Ren couldn't help but wonder. Did he look cool? He was pretty sure he looked cool. But did this kid think he was cool, or was he overdoing this? Oh man, was he sweating?! Was that sweat falling down his forehead?! Could this kid tell he was nervous!?
The boy hummed in thought. "Well, Uncle Bald Guy is making a super delicious dinner and he's making us new stuff like armor and weapons!" He motioned to his distinct lack of football-player chest plate. "The dog monster really ripped up my armor, but I didn't mind because it was so big on me. And my defense has been high enough that other monsters haven't been able to harm me much." Besides the porcupines. But that was a few levels ago. And the needles only left papercuts.
The Sword Hero sweatdropped, looking at the smol demi-human girl whose armor was noticeably completely unharmed. Naofumi took his job of protecc seriously. "Y-yeah...hopefully having armor that fits will help you move a bit better, as well."
Was that good enough!? The kid thought he was cool even when nobody back at home did, so he had to protect his image! He didn't want to seem overly serious like Itsuki, but he couldn't afford to be jolly and goofy like Motoyasu! Why was maintaining an image so hard!?
This was the toughest roleplaying he's ever had to do!
"I know! It was so annoying to move in that thing! Sometimes it'd move up into my eyes and I couldn't see what I was doing!" He said complainingly. Raphtalia then grabbed him by the hand and lightly tugged, indicating they should go. "Well, I'll see you another time! Stay cool Ren!" Naofumi yelled happily as he and Raphtalia ran off.
…
Ren breathed a sigh of relief. He'd done it. He'd gotten through the whole ordeal without making a complete mess of himself. Naofumi had even said to stay cool, so that meant it had worked! He was still cool in the little kid's eyes!
Then he remembered that stay cool could also mean something else. His eyes widened. What if the kid wasn't telling him he was cool!? What if he was saying he'd been too cold to him?! Had he wandered too far into Itsuki's personality!? His social anxiety was going through the ROOF-
"Lord Ren," One of his companions asked. "What should we do now?"
The Sword Hero's eyes bulged in surprise. Then they sharpened. "We do what we must to prepare for the wave. Find me a book on language and another on magic. I'll need some tutoring." He said in a cool uncaring voice.
Yep, he's still got it. Roleplaying in Caves and Critters with his friends really paid off.
"Right away, Lord Ren!"
Naofumi and Raphtalia returned to Erhard's shop to see a large sign on the door that read "CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE". The boy was proud that he could read it all on his own, and it proved that his suffering was far from meaningless.
Though he still hated the suffering involved with LEARNING.
"Got everything taken care of, kids?" The blacksmith and final member of their party asked as they walked in the door. He wore an apron as he tended to a pot filled with stew.
"Yep!" Raphtalia said happily.
"We'll all be teleporting to the wave in less than three days!" Naofumi said happily.
"Great, that's good to-" Erhard turned around. "DID YOU SAY THREE DAYS!?"
"Um, yeah," Naofumi said. "Is your hearing getting bad with your old age Uncle Bald Guy?"
Erhard moaned. "I'm going to have to work through the night to get your new equipment made on time. And I could use something new for myself." His blacksmith's outfit wouldn't really cut it anymore. It didn't scream COOL AND AWESOME to him. Even with his stats being as high as they were, he needed to wear actual armor or some of these monsters might be able to do more than just scratch him.
"Do you think he didn't hear you?" Raphtalia whispered.
"Yeah. He must really be losing his hearing." Naofumi whispered back.
"Getting old sounds scary..."
"I AM NOT THAT OLD, YOU BRATS!" Erhard shouted, a vein popping from his forehead as he continued cooking.
The two kids laughed, and Erhard couldn't help but laugh too. It was just like these kids to keep his new life interesting.
Tonight's dinner seemed even tastier than before. Naofumi and Raphtalia couldn't stop eating. They asked for seconds, then thirds, then fourths. Finally, the two finished and ran upstairs. Leaving Erhard to do the dishes.
The blacksmith had splurged before they left town before, buying a second bed so nobody had to sleep on the floor. Although he had an extra room that could be converted to a bedroom, the two kids refused to be separated from one another. He managed to fit both beds into one room, along with a small chest to store their clothes.
Naofumi flopped on his bed with a happy sigh. "Today was awesome!" They'd hunted innocent(?) monsters. Registered for the Waves. Had an awesome meet up with the King and the other Heroes (minus sour face Itsujerk) and a bunch of other cool things!
It couldn't get any better than this!
Raphtalia sat down on hers in silence, causing the boy to glance in her direction. "Hey...you okay?" He asked curiously. She wasn't saying the good things she liked about today.
She nodded. "I think so. It's just...a little overwhelming. In only a few days, we'll be fighting the thing that destroyed my village." She huddled in on herself.
"Hey, it's okay." Naofumi came over and sat beside Raphtalia, head patting her. "I'm sure we'll make it through it."
"Aren't you scared?" Raphtalia asked curiously. Humming as the cute boy gently floofed her ears.
He hummed in agreement. "Of course I'm scared. Even if I don't get hurt much, it's scary when monsters attack me. And it scares me more when they attack you or others."
Raphtalia hugged Naofumi from the side. And the boy continued to rub the top of her soft head. Her tail behind her stared temptingly at him, but he resisted for the moment. He would not give in to the might of her cute, fluffy, adorably thick tail! Nor would he listen to its teasing movements and the thoughts of floofing it out! No matter how awesome it would be!
"I-I still get scared, even when we're fighting things that are weak," Raphtalia admitted. "I'm scared that we'll fight something big that we can't handle, and-" She sniffled. "I-I'm scared that something will happen to you or Uncle Bald Guy."
Naofumi chuckled. "I don't think we need to worry about Uncle Bald Guy. He's killed dragons!" He said excitedly. "I'm more worried about making him mad and him hitting me over the head. He hurts more than the monsters we face!"
They giggled together, remembering how Erhard had playfully smacked some sense into Naofumi after one of their pranks on him in the village. The blacksmith hadn't controlled his strength very well though, and he accidentally sent the young hero flying into the wall of a building, breaking it down.
He took full responsibility and paid for the whole thing, but it made both of them very cautious not to make the man legitimately angry. He might turn out to be even more threatening than the Waves of Catastrophe if that were to happen.
After a few minutes of them holding each other, Raphtalia spoke again. "Do you think we'll be okay when the wave comes?" She asked. "Do you think...we'll be able to protect the people there?"
"Absolutely," Naofumi said. "That's a big word too! But if I can say it, I know we can do it!"
Raphtalia giggled again, looking to the side while blushing again. This cute adorable little boy...
The tail wandered close to Naofumi. It stayed there like it was BEGGING him to PET it. And Raphtalia was looking away in what he thought was nervousness. Was this it? Was this the point where she was allowing him to floof her own tail!?
This was the only way his day could get BETTER!
Naofumi's little kid hands were too eager, and his mind too curious to resist the temptation any longer. He let go of Raphtalia, and rested both his hands on her tail to-
"EEP!" Raphtalia bolted off the bed, knocking Naofumi over.
When she'd recovered, she turned around and marched over to Naofumi. A harsh glare on her face. "WHY DO YOU KEEP TOUCHING MY TAIL?!" She angrily asked. She suddenly looked very scary, and her tail was puffed up in agitation.
"I'm sorry! I just, um…" Naofumi looked very scared as Raphtalia grabbed one of his hands.
"YES!" She put it on her head. Then she moved it to her ears. "ALSO YES!" Naofumi instinctively floofed her fluffy ear, and it almost caused Raphtalia to let go from how good it felt.
She finally regained her composure and moved the hand and pointed to her tail, glaring at him. "This, NO!"
...
"Aww...Why not?" Naofumi looked down at the ground sadly in disappointment.
"Because it's sensitive! And it's personal! And… and..." She trailed off.
Naofumi was looking down at the ground with such heartbreak that she almost gave in. Her tail just looked so cute and adorable. He didn't mean anything bad by touching it.
"And… and it's…" Naofumi looked so sad. Raphtalia tried to resist. But…
"Okay." Naofumi disappointedly walked over to his bed. Sad that he'd made his friend upset with him. He laid down and rolled so his back was facing her. He didn't want her to see him be sad over such a silly thing, but he couldn't help it! It made him feel bad!
"Naofumi?...Hey, Naofumi?" Raphtalia pushed against his shoulder.
He huddled further into himself. "...Yeah?" He finally asked. His voice laced with depression.
"Um…" Raphtalia didn't speak for a moment. And then Naofumi felt something soft against his back. Something warm and fuzzy.
He turned, and saw Raphtalia facing away from him. Her tail as if on display behind her. "Raphtalia?" He said confusedly.
"Just this once, I'll let you touch it... As long as you're gentle!"
Naofumi looked at her in shock. And then at the tail. His hand hovered over it, as if unsure if it was really okay or not… he looked up at her again. Her face looked red even though she was facing away from him. "Are you sure-"
"Just this once!" Raphtalia's hand grabbed his wrist and set his hand against her tail.
WOW! IT WAS SO SOFT AND FLOOFY! IT WAS LIKE HIS PILLOW SHIELD, BUT BETTER!
Maybe there was an upgrade that made his pillow shield like this? He'd have to ask Ren and Moto about it later. If anyone knew, it would be them.
Raphtalia shivered where she sat. But she didn't make a move to remove Naofumi's hand. He rubbed the tail. Looking at it in awe.
"Your tail is so soft..." he said in awe, gently running his hand down its length. "How do you not cuddle with your own tail all the time? I know I would, if I had one."
Raphtalia was blushing a fierce red. His hand on her tail… felt SO GOOD! She almost didn't hear what he'd said, and she stuttered as she tried to respond.
"U-um, I guess I do...s-sometimes..." she said softly, trying her best to force the blush away from her face. Why did this have to feel so great!? It made it so hard not to let him do it whenever he wanted, but it was so embarrassing at the same time!
Naofumi eventually stopped floofing her tail. And he gave her a hug. "Thanks, Raphtalia." He said happily, smiling into her hair.
Raphtalia shuddered again. Why did this cute little adorable funny boy have such an effect on her?! "Okay, I'll let you pet my tail more often!" She finally relented. "But you can only do it when we're alone!"
"Really!?" He asked excitedly.
She nodded slowly. "As… as long as you hold me at night if I have any nightmares..." She said shyly.
Naofumi smiled happily. "Deal!"
After that, the two laid in their beds to fall asleep. But it was only what felt like a few minutes later before Raphtalia pushed against Naofumi's shoulder. Gently waking him up.
"Nightmare?" He asked.
The shivering smol girl climbed into bed with him and cuddled her head into his neck. He tiredly hugged the girl, moving one of his hands to rub the top of her head. Her tail laid itself over their legs, adding another layer of soft warmth.
She continued shivering for a short while but eventually relaxed into his embrace. Naofumi smiled into her hair as he heard her breathing even out and she fell asleep.
It was weird. Raphtalia was a girl. Girls were supposed to be bad for you and full of cooties. But… Naofumi didn't mind being around Raphtalia like this.
It was weird… but in a good way.
He hoped his mom wouldn't be mad if he came back home with a severe case of cooties.
It only took a few more minutes for him to fall back into his own sleep once more. And his dreams were full of smiles and floofy soft tails.
Author's Notes:
Allen Blaster: Can, you feel, the love, tonight… ah, Lion King vibes be hitting me hard here. I can't wait for these two to beat the Waves so they can grow up and live their lives together! I also hope the reviewers that asked are glad there was finally a chapter about tail floofing.
RLTygurr: This was both a cute chapter and an interesting one. Going from an execution scene to a friendly one, then to an adorable one was quite an experience for one chapter. Naofumi TOUCHED THE TAIL! AND SHE ALLOWED IT THIS TIME! Keep an eye out for more tail floofing (in private) as our heroes battle with more than their embarrassment.
Hero Clips!
Malty's Head Bashing
"Ahhh… I can already tell today is going to be great." Myne said, sitting up in bed.
She'd gotten to sleep in her room in the castle. She'd had excellent dreams of becoming Queen. Now, it was time to make her dreams a-
"Wheeeeee!"
Myne opened her doors with a confused look. "What's-" She ducked, barely avoiding the missile that was Naofumi, being carried through the air by Aultcray's wind magic.
"It's so awesome! It's like I'm flying!" Naofumi yelled happily.
"P-Papa-" Myne tried to indignantly grab her Father's attention.
"Young Naofumi! Do a backflip!" Aultcray encouraged the young boy.
Naofumi started backflipping over and over again in the air. "Whoa! I'm getting dizzy!" He said as his flipping didn't stop.
"Papa! PAPA!-" The two disappeared around another corner, Aultcray laughing in delight. It was like she didn't even exist.
Myne growled and started beating her head against a wall.
"Nao bro, go long!" Motoyasu heaved the ball across the courtyard. He and Naofumi were playing a friendly game of catch.
"Sir Motoyasu-"
As the boy caught the ball, Motoyasu charged him. "I'm gonna get ya!"
"No you won't!"
The blond tried to tackle Naofumi, but he was too quick and managed to escape.
"Sir Motoyasu, I must-" Myne was saying indignantly.
"You won't get away that easily little bro!" Motoyasu got back up and charged after the giggling Naofumi.
"Urgh!" Myne started bashing her head against a nearby pillar again.
The redheaded woman sulked as she sat down for dinner. The fact that she had to share a meal with the shield devil and his demi-human playmate was beyond insulting, but even worse...
"Why won't any of you talk to me!?"
All day, everybody was acting as if she never existed. It was so bad that they didn't even leave a space open at the table for her. She was forced to steal a chair from a different room and drag it all the way to the table herself.
She was a princess! How dare they ignore her!
"Young Raphtalia, dear, would you mind passing the syrup?" Aultcray asked with a smile.
"Sure, Mr. Aultcray!" The raccoon grabbed the bottle of syrup and leaned over Myne's lap to hand it to the king. Along the way, she accidentally tipped it too far and a huge glob of sticky syrup landed right on the redhead's lap.
"UGH! Excuse you, filthy brat! Give me that!" Myne snatched the syrup from the girl's hand and slammed it down on the table in front of her father. Rather than acknowledge her, he smiled at Raphtalia.
"Why thank you! But I think you dropped a bit of syrup on the floor." The king chuckled, before waving down a maid to clean it up.
"Oopsies! I'm sorry!" Raphtalia faked her panic.
The maid returned with water and a rag and began to wipe the floor beneath Myne's feet. Enraged, the princess, kicked the rag away and stood angrily.
"THAT'S IT! WHAT IS GOING ON WITH ALL OF YOU!?" She screamed. After they ignored her again, she grabbed the bottom of the table and flipped it. Food and silverware clattered to the floor, and the dishes shattered.
"IF YOU WON'T PAY ATTENTION TO ME, THEN I'LL JUST LEAVE! HMPH!"
"Malty, dear, you're so easy to tease."
"WH-!" Myne stuttered as she realized her father had spoken to her. "What the heck is going on, Papa!? Why has everyone been ignoring me!?"
Everyone burst into laughter, and it made the princess's blood boil. Even the maids were laughing at her! How shameful!
"You always seem so stiff and upset that we thought it would be funny to play a bit of a prank on you," Motoyasu said with an innocent smile. "I wasn't too sure it would work, but it really got you!"
"... Lord Motoyasu-" Myne growled threateningly.
"So do you want to see something cool Moto!?"
"Always little bro!" Motoyasu said excitedly.
"Alright, Raphtalia, help me with this!" Naofumi said to his best friend excitedly.
"URGH!" Malty went over and started bashing her head against another pillar.
She should be careful. Too much hitting and the pillar might get destroyed by her stubborn head.
Till Next Time
Allen and RLT