You know, I've had to hold back due to spoilers, but now this arc is over, I can unload some stuff.
This was the weakened Tortoise of LN 6. Because of that, Fitoria was more than powerful enough to one-shot its head (you saw Filo's move, imagine that from a thousands-year-old bird that's many times more powerful. Giant Bird = OP). That would have made for a very anti-climatic battle. In fact, it would have made for a very short and boring arc if Fitoria had been there from the beginning.
I didn't want that. As well as that, I wanted to explore some character growth. Mainly for Naofumi, as well as Ren, Raphtalia, Itsuki, Filo, Eclair, Dou-Lon, yes, even Fitoria.
I thought I put in enough foreshadowing before to show that Angryfumi was still a possibility. I'll blame my shortcomings as a writer for not hinting at that more clearly. I'll also regret the somber atmosphere of the latter end of this arc making it hard to want to insert an omake amongst other things.
I have more to say, but there's a chapter to read and things for you the reader to discover. Let us step forward and see how this arc ends, and find what the next arc has in store. Oh, and before I forget, a good song to listen to for most of this from Youtube is "Xion's Death Theme". I don't normally recommend music, but hey, let's capture it.
Chapter Thirty-Four: Despair, The Bastard Appears
After the Tortoise's death, it took several more hours for the fighting against its minions to stop completely. All the familiars the Tortoise had sent out against the army during the battle had been wiped out completely. But it came at a high cost.
Many had been killed. Many more had been wounded. The medical tents of the camp were overflowing with patients who were being treated for their injuries. Their moans and crying could be heard all throughout the camp.
Meanwhile, outside of camp, those who'd escaped the battle uninjured were taking the bodies of their fallen comrades and putting them to rest through cremation at one of the countless funeral pyres that now burned throughout the plains surrounding the dead guardian beast. It was to prevent more familiars from hatching from their bodies... and to send the dead off with some level of pride and honor for their heroic sacrifice.
The Cardinal Heroes were in their own medical tents. Itsuki was being treated in one. Ren had a Shadow watching over him in another. And Naofumi, who'd been hanging on the verge of life and death ever since the battle had ended, had a whole legion of mages and physicians working on him.
Raphtalia and Filo were huddled outside the entrance of his medical tent. The mother and daughter were hugging each other, trembling in fear while listening to what was going on inside.
"Drifa Burn Heal! Quick! Feed him another potion! One of these combinations has to work!"
"Raphtalia, Filo. How is Sir Naofumi's condition?" The two girls looked up at the Queen's approach. Mirellia had finally returned to address the conditions of the Heroes after fighting alongside her soldiers to make sure that the remainder of the Tortoise's familiars in the area were dead.
Raphtalia opened her mouth to speak, but another shout came from inside. "It appears this one didn't work either.!"
Mirellia's face tightened. She quickly rushed into the tent, leaving Raphtalia and Filo outside.
"What's going on here?!" Mirellia demanded.
"Your Grace." One of the masked healers standing over the bed holding Naofumi gave her a curt nod and gestured to the rest of his colleagues around him to continue before walking up to the queen. He took his gloves off and handed them to one of the assistants. "We're doing all we can, but it's not looking good. We had to cut Sir Shield Hero out of what was left of his armor since it'd cooked into his skin, but the damage goes far deeper than that.
"Sir Shield Hero is suffering from fourth-degree burns all over his body. His organs are barely functioning as is. By all accounts, he should be dead and I can only assume that the legendary shield is the reason he's still alive right now."
"General prognosis?" Mirellia asked, her voice calming down a bit.
"He's going to die." The chief healer replied bluntly. "Even our strongest healing spells and potions are having little to no effect. We've repaired what little damage we could, but we can't grow new nerves, skin, or muscle tissue with what we have."
"... What about Yggdrasil Elixir? Would that work?" Mirellia then asked.
The healer looked thoughtful for a moment, his lower face twisting with uncertainty. "There's a possibility. But even that miracle medicine has its limits, Your Grace."
"Go ahead and use it. You have my permission. We can't lose the Shield Hero." The queen quickly nodded towards the table and snapped her fingers, making a shadow show up and hand her a piece of parchment and a stamp.
"... Your Majesty, pardon me for saying this, but…" The healer called out to her, making Mirellia turn around to face him again. "The coalition only has enough Yggdrasil Elixir for a few individuals. Its use is in case something happens to you or the other leaders. Even with your permission, it is likely that we'd be wasting it here-"
The queen snapped her fan shut loudly. "I said: You have my permission." She spoke out slowly while the temperature in the tent dropped by a few degrees.
"...of course, your majesty." The healer took off his glasses that got frosted over and put them in his pocket before turning around to return to the table.
There was the sound of running and shuffling coming from inside as a shadow ran off to acquire the miracle medicine with a signed royal decree in hand. Raphtalia hugged Filo to herself more tightly. Tears were coming from the eyes of the small girl in her arms.
"M-Mommy, Daddy's g-going to b-b-be okay, r-right?" Filo shakily asked.
"Yes! Daddy will definitely be okay!" Raphtalia tried to say encouragingly. She didn't know if that was more for Filo or for herself though.
She'd never seen such horrendous injuries before in her entire life. It had to be because of Naofumi's shield that he was still alive at this point. But if it had finally come down to that miracle medicine, then that meant this was Naofumi's last chance. And if it didn't save him…
Raphtalia held back her sobs of fear for her daughter's sake. And while hugging her, she clasped her hands together, praying to the Gods above that the medicine would work.
For Naofumi to be going through so much pain just to stay alive… it was like her heart was breaking all over again.
Naofumi couldn't die. They had just fixed things between each other. They were going to beat the Waves and spend the rest of their lives together.
He couldn't die now…
He just couldn't! That'd be too unfair, after everything they'd worked through together! Naofumi couldn't die!
But if he did die… what would she do with her life? She had Filo, yes. But without Naofumi there...
…
"Here it is, your Grace! I hope that it'll work on Sir Shield Hero." A clear voice rang from inside again, signaling the Shadow's return. Mirellia approached the bed Naofumi's body was lying in.
It truly was a terrible sight to behold. His one remaining good eye fluttered opened and closed as his chest moved slightly up and down. She couldn't even tell if the Shield Hero was lucid enough to understand what was happening to him or not. But...
"Naofumi, if you can hear me. If you want to live, I want you to switch to that shield of yours right now." Mirellia told him firmly. "I was informed in the past that it has the power to boost the efficacy of medicines and healing spells. So please, if you're listening, if you don't want to cause your family heartache over your death, change to that Blessed Shield of yours right now!"
…
…
There was a tense silence inside for a moment as everyone wondered if the shield hero could even comprehend what her Majesty had said. But then, a soft blue glow began to form on his shield arm.
"By the Gods… is he…" One of the mages muttered in disbelief.
"Quick, help the Shield Hero drink the Yggdrasil's Elixir!" Mirellia shouted.
…
...
Raphtalia and Filo sat silently outside. No sounds came from within…
...
After a few minutes, the healing mages began to file out. Raphtalia looked up in fear. Even if it was miracle medicine that was claimed to heal almost everything, there was always the chance the patient it was used on was too far gone for it to work.
But fortunately, upon seeing the relieved tired looks on the faces of everyone exiting, Raphtalia nearly shook with relief. She still felt to ask though, just in case.
"Is Naofumi going to be ok?"
"Don't worry. It looks like the Shield Hero will make a full recovery." The masked man answered her.
Raphtalia finally began shaking, tears falling from her eyes. Filo's face brightened upon hearing the words. "I-Is it alright if we see Daddy?"
"... Her Majesty is with him right now. I'm not sure if-" The man began to speak.
"Let them in." Mirellia's voice ordered from inside.
"As you wish, your Grace. You may step inside." The physician gave the two a mock bow before following after his peers.
Raphtalia and Filo rushed into the tent. When they'd last seen Naofumi, he'd been covered in fourth-degree burns, was missing an eye and his hair, and had overall been nearly unrecognizable.
"Ugh, hey you two." Naofumi smiled and groaned upon seeing them.
He still had burns on him, but they were healing over before their eyes. The hair on his head was regrowing too. A new eye had grown in his eye socket, and he scratched the area around it in discomfort. He was the source of the blue glow in the room. The glow of his body, which had the Shield of Hope II attached to it.
And besides a blanket covering up to his waist, he was naked.
"Damn, I didn't think the Healing Boost Efficacy of this thing would also work with the world's most powerful medicine." Naofumi drank the last couple drops of the small bottle down. Though uncomfortable, new skin, nerves, and muscles were regrowing all over his body. The damage to his internals was being fixed. Even some of the scars he'd procured during his early days as the Shield Hero were fading away.
He could only imagine what'd happen if this kind of medicine existed in his world.
He directed a grateful glance at the Queen. "I… I don't know what to say, Your Majesty. Thank you. I…"
"Had you not blocked that attack, many good people would have died today. My husband included. This is the least I could do to repay you." Mirellia nodded before facing the two girls who'd come in. "Ah, look, your family is here, Naofumi."
"Daddy!" At being acknowledged, Filo ran up to the bed, jumping up and wrapping her arms tightly around the Shield Hero's chest. "Filo was so worried!"
"Ow, ow, ow, Filo, please be gentle, I'm still tender all over!" Naofumi cried out in pain. Now that he could feel his arms and legs and everything again, he realized just how much everything HURT! OW!
"Ah!" Filo quickly let go, hanging her head in shame. "Filo's sorry…"
"Hey, it's ok. Just be soft, like this." Naofumi reached forward, fighting through the immense amount of pain he still felt to move his body and gently hug Filo close.
The cowlick on her head stood up straight in surprise. And then, tears leaked from her eyes as she began to bawl.
"There there, it's alright. It'll take much more than a giant tortoise to get rid of me." He kissed the top of her head.
The little girl continued to bawl as Raphtalia sat at his bedside, lightly gripping one of his hands. Upon seeing her with his newly regrown eye, he gave her a happy, genuine smile that made her heart skip a beat.
"Can you believe it, Raphtalia? I actually managed to block that breath attack!" He said with an unusual tone of excitement in his voice. "It was definitely way stronger than what Ren and Itsuki had predicted, but I still blocked it with just my shield! Amazing, huh?"
Raphtalia sniffled, shakily nodding her head. "You… you were really amazing, Naofumi." She said softly. Tears leaked down the sides of her cheeks.
For someone who'd been on the brink of death, Naofumi was surprisingly cheerful. It was probably a natural side effect of learning you'd been given a fresh lease on life. She felt so happy and beyond relieved that her Naofumi would be ok. And that he was happy. All she'd wanted was to make him happy. And he was happy right now.
"And I kept my promise too," Naofumi said, continuing to smile.
"Wh-What promise was that?" Raphtalia asked curiously.
"Not a single person died while I was standing," Naofumi answered.
…
…
Everyone in the room had suddenly gone quiet. Naofumi looked from Filo to Raphtalia, to Mirellia. But not a single person could look him in the eye now. Filo pulled back, holding her hands to her chest in what looked like nervousness. Raphtalia looked away, fresh tears leaking from her face, but for a different reason.
Naofumi's happiness was about to be ruined.
"What's wrong?" Naofumi asked, looking worried. "What happened after that attack? You guys killed the Spirit Tortoise, right?"
"Naofumi…" Raphtalia trailed off.
"What happened?" Naofumi sat up tall, his face filling with worry by the second. He looked to Mirellia again, but the Queen hid her face behind her fan. "Tell me what happened!"
"Naofumi, you need to rest-" Raphtalia tried to tell him gently.
"Raphtalia, I protected everyone, didn't I?!" Naofumi asked frantically. "Please, if somebody died in that blast, tell me! I promised Ren that I wouldn't let anybody die!"
…
"No one died... in that attack…" Raphtalia trailed off.
Naofumi's breath hitched. The implication of her words reached his mind like a lightning bolt.
"What happened…" His voice came out as a small whisper, a plea for an answer.
"We… me and Filo had to take you away from the battle." Raphtalia shakily answered. "You would have died if we'd left you there. And… and…"
Raphtalia couldn't continue. Naofumi didn't look surprised from what she'd said. Actually, in this case, he agreed that she'd made the right call since he'd been in mortal danger at the time. But still… "What happened after that?"
Filo opened her mouth. Closed it. Nobody knew how to break any of the news to the recovering Shield Hero. Where could they even start?
...
"The Sword Hero fell into his Cursed Series."
All heads turned to the tent flap as it opened. Walking in, her head lowered, stood Fitoria.
Mirellia's fan fell from her hand. But besides that, the Queen made no other reaction to the legendary queen of the Filolials entering the room.
"W… What?"
Naofumi was shocked. At Fitoria's entrance. At the bombshell she'd dropped. At the tears falling down the sides of her face…
"The Guardian Beast killed two of his party members… then, the Sword Hero snapped, killing it, and then he almost killed the Bow Hero and several others... including the girl who loved him." Fitoria continued, her voice holding back suppressed sobs.
"Fitoria was too late to help… all Fitoria could do was lock the Sword Hero's Cursed Series away. Fitoria couldn't help with the Guardian Beast. Fitoria couldn't help with the Bow Hero or Shield Hero's wounds. Fitoria couldn't help the Sword Hero with his Despair." Her voice became rapid fire. Letting each statement off one after the other.
"It was all Fitoria's fault that this happened!"
And with that, the bird queen launched herself into Naofumi's lap, hands over her eyes as she began to sob.
"Ow…" Naofumi groaned but didn't make a move to push her off. Only looking down at the normally composed bird queen sobbing like a little girl who'd done something wrong. "Fitoria…"
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Fitoria cried. "Fitoria made a mistake! Fitoria made a huge mistake! I shouldn't have abandoned the Heroes because of you! I shouldn't have tried to isolate myself when you were struggling so hard! If I'd only fought alongside you from the beginning! If I'd only been here today…"
Tears entered Naofumi's eyes. 'Oh… oh Ren… Itsuki...'
Naofumi embraced the sobbing Filolial Queen. Then, slowly, Raphtalia and Filo also joined in the hug.
'I'm sorry… I'm so, so sorry you two.' Naofumi felt plagued with guilt. But he had to force it aside for the sobbing little girl in his arms.
"I'm sorry… my behavior was unworthy of my station," Fitoria whispered. "I'm sorry, that this is the way I am."
"I was just… seeing the way you began to act… I was so afraid it'd be like every other time…"
"I was afraid of being hurt."
"I was afraid of having to live with that hurt again."
…
…
"I was afraid. And because of that, the Heroes Fitoria cares so much for were hurt." She fell back into a fit of sobs. "I don't want a better set of heroes. If this set died…"
Naofumi's hand started to rub her hair. It was soft and smooth, just like Filo's.
This poor little girl had been without a family for so long…
"I'm sorry too," Naofumi whispered. "We both made some big mistakes… Thank you for remembering your kind nature, Fitoria."
Fitoria continued to sob as the small family silently agreed to accept her into their flock.
"U… Urgh…"
Itsuki slowly opened his eyes.
Bandages were wrapped tightly around his chest and back.
"Where…"
He suddenly remembered. The Spirit Tortoise. The battle. Ren…
"Ren!-" He tried to get out of bed with a shout, only to cry out in pain as he collapsed.
"Fueh! Itsuki!"
Itsuki was pushed back down by several pairs of hands. Rishia was there. Crystal and Rachel were too.
"W-where's Ren?!" Itsuki asked desperately.
"He's being cared for in another tent. Don't worry, Fitoria saved him." Rachel calmly explained, not looking Itsuki in the eyes.
"Fitoria…" Itsuki tried to struggle up again, but Rishia firmly pushed him back down.
"No!" Rishia fiercely exclaimed. "You need to rest, Itsuki!"
"I can't, I have… I have to see Ren…" Tears began to appear in the blonde boy's eyes. "I have to make sure he's okay."
"Itsuki." Crystal loomed large over him as she glared down. "You were stabbed through the chest. It's a bloody miracle the doctors were able to fix your lung and patch you up. Don't you dare ruin all their hard work to save your life.
"Sir Ren isn't trapped in his Cursed Series any longer. Fitoria has made sure he won't be able to access it while he's in this camp. Right now, you should be focusing on recovering from almost dying on us." The silver-haired spearman finished harshly. Yet there were tears in the corners of her eyes, showing she was being harsh because she cared.
"But… but I…" Itsuki tried to protest.
"Fueh…" Rishia whimpered again, looking at him with big, pleading eyes.
…
"Ok…" The Bow Hero sadly sank back into the mattress.
Rishia tightly gripped his hand. And giving into fatigue, the Bow Hero reluctantly sank back into unconsciousness so his body could focus on recovering from nearly dying.
The large knight stood in a very familiar spot of the camp.
Aksel had one arm wrapped in a cast. The other hand was holding a cup in it.
He stood in the promised spot, waiting for two individuals to show up.
"... I'm not planning on dying tomorrow. So let's promise to meet here again after the battle and have another drink. I'll make sure it's mead this time."
His own words rang hollow in his ears. Looking at the nearby table, he saw two cups of mead resting there. He was waiting for his friends to arrive.
Waiting for Welt… waiting for Bakta…
It'd only been yesterday that he'd made that promise to them, right? They'd been full of life then. There was no way they could have been snuffed out...
…
He heard the sounds of someone's footsteps approaching him. For a moment, he raised his eyes, hopeful that it was who he thought it was.
But it was only Maya. Her eyes looked red from crying. In her arms, she carried the two pieces of Bakta's shield.
Tears entered his eyes. 'D… Damn it…'
It hadn't been a dream after all. What the others had told him hadn't been a lie.
They were truly gone.
"A-Aksel," She stammered. "I-I'm so sorry…"
"... I-It's fine." Aksel hiccupped. "I-It's not like it's my fault or anything. I-I took that hit for my bro. I w-was t-t-taken from the f-fight, a-a-a-a-and, and I-I… I…"
The large knight collapsed to his knees, the hope he'd been holding onto gone. The mead in his cup spilled all over as he dropped it, putting his hand to his face as he began to weep.
"Baktaaaaaaaa!" His friend. His brother in everything but blood. Gone.
The raccoon girl gently set the pieces of the shield on the ground before embracing the weeping man, being careful not to hurt his arm. She said nothing. Only comforting him with her presence.
Aksel continued to weep for a long while.
Never again would he get to play matches of strength with the friendly tank. Never again would he get to tease him about his last name. Never again would they get in trouble together at bars or anywhere else.
He was dead. And Aksel knew no way to bring back the dead.
For a while, they stayed in that position. With Aksel holding tightly to the Raccoon girl. Finally, as his sobs began to resign to whimpers, she spoke.
"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry that I couldn't do anything to save him… after how nice he was to me..." Tears glistened in her eyes, but she tried to give him a reassuring smile. "As much as it hurts me, I know you're hurting far more. So I promise I'll be here for you if you need me."
Aksel continued to sniffle for a little bit. She hugged him again, and he made no move to push her away. "Maya... he died for the right reasons, right?" He finally asked.
"That's… that's hard for me to say," Maya answered sadly.
...
"Who am I kidding? That brave idiot proved he was stronger than me in the end." He chuckled.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Maya asked, surprised as Aksel began to smile.
"I always talked about being stronger than him. Yet he had the strength to sacrifice his own life to save the Hero he served. I'll never be able to top that." Aksel continued to chuckle. "You payne in the ^%$."
Aksel forced himself to stand again. Maya looked surprised at the action. "Aksel?"
"Sorry, I just… I want to have one last drink." Aksel said, picking up one of the spare cups of mead off the table next to him.
There had been nothing left of their bodies. Unlike everyone else in the camp, those two had no remains to be given a warrior's sendoff. All that was left was the two burnt halves of the Tower Shield that Bakta had used. Setting the cup on the ground, Aksel took the two halves, as well as the greatsword Bakta had left behind from off his back. He stuck the shield pieces into the ground where Welt and Bakta had been standing the day before, then stuck the greatsword into the ground between them.
Memorial finished, the knight sadly smiled, picking his cup back off the ground before raising it to the air. "Thank you, bros. I'll… I'll make sure the world never forgets the legend of the two brave men who gave their lives to save the Sword Hero."
He moved the cup forward as if to clink against others. He smiled after the action, putting his head back to drink the best, and the last cup of mead he'd ever have.
He wasn't sure if it had been his imagination as he left with Maya from that spot. Perhaps it'd been a way for his mind to handle the overwhelming grief he was feeling.
But he could have sworn when he raised that cup for a toast...
He'd heard two more cups clink against it in return.
No one would ever remove the broken shield fragments or sword from that section of ground. Instead, years later, they'd become part of a monument, representing the sacrifices made by the Heroes to defeat the Legendary Guardian Beast.
The two brave idiots would never be forgotten in the books of history.
The unconscious Sword Hero laid in a cot.
Wyndia sat in a chair next to him, her hands gripping one of his. She stared at his face, which kept twitching. Whimpers also escaped his lips. At times, a coherent word or two slipped out. But his tone was laced with sadness, grief, and despair.
"... Welt…"
Wyndia gripped his hand tightly, trying to give him some sense of comfort. But Ren didn't react. He only continued to whimper and cry in his sleep.
"... Bakta…"
"D-Dummy, it wasn't your fault," Wyndia whispered, trying desperately to hold back the tears from her eyes. She'd already cried too much today. "You did your best. We all did. Please, don't blame yourself for what happened. It wasn't your fault."
"... Itsuki… … … Eclair…"
Wyndia went speechless at that.
Did Ren… remember what he'd done in the Cursed Series?
Tears began to fall from the Sword Hero's eyes. "No… I don't want to… hurt them… I didn't want... no…"
Wyndia began to tremble as Ren began to sob in his sleep. "Wyndia, please kill me… I can't take this pain anymore… I can't live with my mistakes anymore… I killed your Father, so please, take my life."
"I-Idiot!" Wyndia shouted in his face, trying to wake him up. "I don't want to kill you! I forgave you for what happened to Papa long ago! I don't want you to die! I love you too much to ever allow that to happen!
"I know you didn't want to hurt us! And I know that you won't ever do it again! So, so stop blaming yourself for what happened! Stop being an idiot and LET ME LOVE YOU!"
However, Ren didn't wake up, and he continued to cry. "I'm sorry… I wasn't strong enough… I'll never be… strong enough…"
Wyndia stared. Her face was a blanket of shock as Ren muttered his next words, before falling into unintelligible whimpering once more.
I'd be… better off… dead…"
…
…
Wyndia began to harshly breathe in. She wanted to break down. She wanted to sob. But she couldn't… she… she...
...
"Wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" The dog girl gave in, burying her face into the Sword Hero's chest as she loudly sobbed. Letting out all her tears of frustration, anguish, and grief in the process.
Here they were. Two foolish fools in love with each other. And now, one was so broken by the weight of his mistakes that he no longer wished to live. And the other… had absolutely no clue how to help him.
It was like yesterday had never happened. That moment of happiness they'd shared was a faint memory, dashed to pieces by the events of that day.
If she'd only decided to tell him instead of fleeing out of embarrassment. If she'd only told him sooner…
A hand rested on her shoulder. The dog girl looked up in surprise.
Eclair stood there. Her sword arm was in a cast, and a bandage was wrapped tightly around her forehead. She was looking down at the two of them sadly. Two broken teenagers crushed by the weight of the real world.
"E… Eclair…" Wyndia hung her head. "I'm sorry about your sword…"
"It's fine." The knight hugged the dog girl close with her good arm. "I was told it saved your life. That proves it was a good sword to the very end."
Wyndia gripped tightly to her and began to sob again. "I… I can't help him…" She admitted. "I'm not good enough… for him…"
Eclair looked to the corner of the tent. A Shadow stood guard, watching over them and the Sword Hero. He gave her a nod and went back to watching over the Sword Hero, in case he woke up and the first thing that appeared in his hand was his Cursed Weapon.
That wasn't likely to happen as Fitoria had used her Sanctuary ability again near the camp as a precaution. As long as it remained active, none of the Heroes could equip their Cursed Series. Still, it didn't hurt to have someone watching to make sure it didn't happen.
"Come, I'm sure a night of rest will do you some good." Eclair gently said to the dog girl.
"But… but Ren…" She pulled her head back to look at the fallen Sword Hero, tears still leaking from her broken, amber eyes.
"You said so yourself. There's nothing you can do right now to help him. And staying here all night while you're like this won't help him either." Eclair gently began to lead the dog girl towards the tent's entrance. "Let's rest on it, and then tomorrow, when your mind is more clear, I'm sure you'll think of a way to help him through what he's going through."
"But… but I'm not Raphtalia…" Wyndia whimpered. "I'm worthless…"
…
Eclair was shocked, and couldn't think of how to respond. All she could do was lead the sniffling dog girl to the tent flap.
At the tent flap, Wyndia paused for a few seconds to look back at Ren's unconscious form. He continued to whimper and tremble. She let out another cry, wishing so badly that she could help him.
She truly didn't know what she could do to help. She was hurting because he was hurt. Is this what it was like to truly care for someone? Their pain was the other's pain.
She loved him, yet she didn't know how to help him.
Because in the end, she wasn't Raphtalia. She wasn't Rishia.
She was Wyndia... And Wyndia wasn't enough to help her Hero out.
The tent flap fell, and it was only the Sword Hero and the diligent Shadow watching over him for that night left inside.
…
…
…
"Wyndia!" Late in the night, Ren suddenly sat up, breathing in and out heavily.
"Sword Hero." A hand pressed him back against his cot. Ren looked up through the darkness at the unfamiliar voice above him…
"A… a shadow?" He asked, barely making out his mask.
The man nodded. "Yes. Her Majesty assigned me to watch over you. How are you feeling?"
"I… urgh…" Ren put a hand to his forehead. Hadn't they just been in the middle of fighting the Spirit Tortoise?
He could remember Naofumi being injured. Then he was unleashing one skill after another on the Tortoise. But then… what happened? He couldn't recall anything after that last Meteor Slash of his.
"I see. Shall I inform her Majesty that you've awakened?"
"I, I don't know…" Ren laid back on the cot again. For some reason, he felt a great pain in his chest, but he couldn't remember why. Actually, most of his body felt like it was in pain. "What happened?"
"... What do you mean?" The Shadow tensed up.
"I can't remember the battle. Did we beat the Spirit Tortoise?" Ren asked.
However, the Shadow didn't immediately answer his question. "... You… you don't remember, Sir Sword Hero?"
Ren shook his head. "No. Did we defeat the Spirit Tortoise?"
…
The Shadow remained silent, pondering over the new information. If Ren couldn't remember what'd happened, what would her Majesty want him to do?
Ren tried to sit up, then grimaced. He felt weaker than normal. And pain was coming from so many different parts of his body. It was like he'd been beaten up by a sledgehammer and then some brass knuckles. "Is Naofumi and everyone else ok? I have to see them."
The Shadow moved, standing in front of Ren. "I'm sorry, but you're in no shape to go anywhere Sir Sword Hero. It is late, but I can bring her Majesty to you if you wish."
"I don't want to see the Queen. I want to see Tersia. I want to see Farrie, Wyndia, Bakta… Welt…" On saying their two names, Ren felt a chill go down his spine.
A faded memory appeared in his mind. He was under the Spirit Tortoise's breath attack. But then, something or somebody pushed him out of the way… who was that? What was that? Ren put a hand to his forehead, grimacing as he felt the pain in his chest increase.
Wait, it didn't feel physical so much as it did… emotional?
"If you can't recall then I insist. It would be better if you rest first." The Shadow suggested. "It is late. And your friends are also recovering from the fight."
Ren slowly nodded. He struggled to fall back asleep. But his mind wouldn't let go of that faded memory. It was like it was trying to tell him something. But he couldn't remember what it was!
And was it just him, or was the Shadow treating him like he was fragile glass? Or… was it something else…
He eventually pulled up his HUD. To his surprise, there was no one else on his party HUD...
Wait, why was he level 75?! Hadn't he been level 93 earlier that day?!
And what was that debuff… wait, that was a curse, not a debuff...
'I… I can't gain any EXP for almost two months?!' Ren read it over frantically.
What happened?! Why was he a lower level, and why was he inflicted with a curse?! Had Itsuki or Naofumi pulled out their Cursed Series during the battle, putting him in the crossfire?! But neither had shown curses like that before!
He pulled up his weapon tree. He looked over all the swords he'd unlocked, yet none of them had that kind of drawback to using the weapon. But then, how had he…
Wait…
That wasn't…
Sword of Gluttony III
Ren began to tremble in his cot.
Why did he have a Cursed Weapon in his weapon tree? That… that wasn't supposed to unlock unless he'd fallen into deep despair, right? Why… why did he have this?!
"Shadow, did I use the Cursed Series before I passed out?" Ren asked.
"Sir Sword Hero… I thought you said you didn't recall-"
"Tell me, did I use the Cursed Series before I passed out?" Ren asked again, this time, more harshly. Sitting up to face the man.
"..." The Shadow remained silent. While the two looked at each other, neither of them noticed a third person entering the tent.
"I… if you can't remember, I'm not sure if it's wise-" The Shadow began to say.
"I need to know." Ren interrupted. "Please, tell me what happened-"
Slash!
Ren's eyes widened in horror.
The surprised Shadow gurgled, raising a hand to the fresh bleeding gash on the front of his neck. Then, he fell to the ground, wriggling in the throes of pain and death. A figure covered by the darkness of the night stepped over the shadow's body.
'What… what the…' Ren's heart rate quickened. His breathing escalated into a panicked pitch. He stood up, drawing his sword out to fight. But his movements were sluggish, and he felt far weaker than normal. There was also all the pain that he was still in.
Whatever had happened, had definitely involved the Cursed Series. But why couldn't he remember anything?! The others had memories of what they'd done after falling into it! Why not him?!
"Ah ah ah." Something flew past Ren's vision, and his arm was trapped to his side. Ren struggled to move it, but it was like something was pinning it down. Before he even had the thought to scream for help, another piece of whatever it was this person was using wrapped around the lower part of his head, cutting off his voice.
"Mmm! Mrm! Mhmm!"
"Oh, I'm sorry, do you want to scream? Can't let you do that though. I'd be pretty stupid if I allowed that to happen. That'd ruin all the work I put in to get in here quietly."
The Shadow continued to convulse behind the figure. The nightly invader held a book with a gemstone attached to the cover in his hands. That was all that Ren could make out as he couldn't see the many other details due to the darkness. He could only look up at the figure, eyes wide with fear.
"To think that I managed to sneak past all those dumb soldiers and find you! Truly, my genius astounds even me at times!" The figure cackled. "Out of all of this dumb world's idiot heroes, you were the only one that actually made me feel some concern! You even managed to kill my pet! But fortunately, with you out of the picture, I won't have to worry anymore!"
What was that man talking about? Ren scowled as he felt something hurt in his chest again.
Actually, that didn't matter now. He was being attacked! He had to defend himself!
'Crimson Blade!' Thinking of the skill instead of uttering it, the sword at his side flared up, and whatever was binding his arm was destroyed by the flames. The figure's eyes widened in surprise.
"Mmmm!" Still gagged, Ren swung his arm forward to attack.
"Urgh!" The figure growled in frustration as he thrust his palm forward. Several more objects floating in the darkness around him wrapped around Ren's sword arm, stopping him. "Nice try, but you'd have to be far smarter to ever hope to outsmart me!"
Ren realized then that what was wrapped around his arm were pages. Book pages. There were plenty of them in the darkness all around the tent. One was hovering in the air next to the figure. Blood was dripping from it.
That had been the one he'd used to kill the Shadow.
That meant that book in his hands wasn't some mere book.
"Mmmm!" Ren tried to scream, but the page around his mouth made it difficult. He tried switching his sword to his other hand, but then that arm was wrapped in pages as well. The rest of his body became wrapped up as well.
"Ha, I'm not dumb enough to fight you here. I'm trying to kidnap you, not start a fight that'd draw everyone's attention. So why don't you make it easier on yourself and come quietly." The villain drawled.
"Mmmm!" Ren screamed into the page as he strained against the bindings. Even if he was weakened, he couldn't go down so easily!
He had to find out what happened! Better yet, he had to see Wyndia! She promised she'd give him an answer after the battle! He wouldn't stop here just because some bozo with a special book decided to kidnap him!
He freed his left arm, and as the figure tried to rebind it, Ren freed his right arm and slashed at the pages around him, cutting them to pieces.
"Damn it, stop struggling already, you idiot." More pages from all around flew at Ren, but he twisted and dodged. Slashing with his sword over and over again, causing the villain to scowl as he summoned even more from his book that surrounded the Sword Hero.
Yet Ren struggled. He tried to fight them off. He couldn't keep this up for long, but he didn't have to. His free hand was prying the gag from around his mouth. If he could just get it off for long enough to scream, he could call for help, and-
"Seriously, why are you fighting back so hard? Isn't it bad enough that you already killed those 'friends' of yours?"
'... Huh?!' Ren froze up in shock, and the pages flying through the air all around him zoomed in and tightly wrapped around his body in a full-body bind.
"Oh, perhaps you were so far gone with that cursed weapon that you don't recall." The figure smirked as he approached the struggling Sword Hero. "Don't worry, that's a natural side effect of going too far into the Cursed Series. Heroes tend to forget what they did when they're that deep into it. So I'll tell you exactly what happened.
"After killing my pet, you turned around and killed your allies too."
Ren's eyes widened in horror. 'No… NO! THAT CAN'T BE!'
"First, there was that amatuer wielding a bow. You skewered him like a shish kebab. And then, that stupid dog girl and swordswoman tried to duel you. It looked like they were trying their best to reason with you, but eventually, you cut them both down too." The figure continued, smirking evilly as the pages around Ren tightened. "And after that? Hoo boy, you should have seen it, there was an entire lake's worth of blood leftover before that dumb bird showed up and ruined all the fun. Oh, and before you ask, that guy who got fried like a dumb^&* after taking the beast's breath attack head-on didn't make it either. He died long before the medics could reach him."
Tears entered Ren's eyes. He pulled up his party HUD, but he still had no party members.
He… he couldn't have…
"I guess I should thank you for killing everything though. While I managed to wake that dumb turtle up, it wouldn't follow any of my orders and then that damn beast went off to do its own thing!"
"But now that it's dead, I can just use you and that other cardinal idiot I captured several days ago to bring it back stronger than ever. And this time, with me at the helm."
Ren's tearful eyes widened, the evil smirk on the figure's face grew even bigger. It was sick. It was like looking at the male version of Bitch. "Now, do me a favor and give up already. I can't use your weapon as a battery if you die on me. The last thing I want is to kill you."
No, this guy, he had to be lying! Ren wouldn't kill his friends! He wouldn't kill Wyndia! He'd never do that!
That faded memory came to mind again. He scowled as he tried to resist.
This figure had also claimed that he was the one that woke the Spirit Tortoise! Even worse, he was planning on bringing it back to life! Ren couldn't let that happen! He couldn't, he had to warn…
He slowly looked back. His eyes falling on two, good, loyal friends.
Ren's eyes widened as the memory became clear.
The Tortoise's breath attack was coming down from above.
Bakta and Welt were standing with their arms held out in front of them. They had combined their strength to push their leader and friend away from death's door.
The two's gazes focused on Ren, their lips curving into smiles. Their hands slowly raising to their heads, giving their friend one final salute.
Ren's hand reached out a soundless cry on his lips.
The Spirit Tortoise's attack landed, enveloping the pair entirely.
No… no, it couldn't…
"Bakta! Welt!"
'No, please Gods, please let them be alive! PLEASE!'
He reached the edge of the smoking crater. Looking down, it was plenty obvious.
No one besides Naofumi would have had a chance of surviving a direct attack like that.
Not even a trace of their bodies was left.
The only thing remaining was the blackened remains of the tower shield that Bakta had been wielding.
They, they were…
"Wyndia, please…"
The only thing he remembered after that was a memory tinged with orange. But he could still recognize her. Clutching the handle of Eclair's shattered sword, a look of anguish on her blood-covered face.
"Please, kill me. I can't… I can't stop!"
"This hunger, it's… it's too much… please, kill me!" Ren screamed.
"No… no, Ren, I can't-" Wyndia started to reply.
And then the Orange brightened once more. The memory faded, but not without Ren hearing the next words.
"Chain Bind."
…
No… NO! NO NO NO NO NO!
He couldn't have! There was no way, he...
The pages around him tightened. Ren's body flailed in desperation.
He learned the harsh, painful lesson Naofumi and Itsuki had learned. They'd warned him, Motoyasu had warned him, even Fitoria had warned him. But the Cursed Series...
He'd killed the Spirit Tortoise. And he'd killed Itsuki. He'd killed Eclair...
He'd killed Wyndia.
No wonder that Shadow had been watching over him. He'd murdered his friends. He'd… he'd murdered Wyndia...
He began to cry as his struggling ceased.
If that was the case, then he should have died back there. Fitoria should have killed him. He would have deserved it. He hadn't been strong enough to kill the Tortoise before it used its breath attack. And now he'd murdered everyone he cared about.
He wasn't a Hero. He didn't deserve to be one.
...
As Ren cried, the figure's smirk grew to its biggest yet. "Theeeeeereeeeee we go, I'm glad you finally see reason. I guess even idiots know when to give up." The page around Ren's neck tightened, beginning to choke him.
'I'm sorry, everyone… I… Wyndia…' He began to sob.
He'd killed the girl he loved… in his despair, his weapon automatically tried to pull up the Sword of Gluttony to give him back a purpose to fight. But he was in Fitoria's Sanctuary ability. The Cursed Series had no sway on the overwhelming sadness and pain he was going through.
The pain in his chest… made all too much sense now.
All the punishment he was about to be given... would be completely justified.
"Oooh, I can't wait! Those idiots will never find me until it's far, far too late! With your help, I'll be able to resurrect the Spirit Tortoise, and no one will be powerful enough to stop me!" Ren heard the figure give one last laugh as he began to black out from lack of air. Then, white light surrounded the both of them, and the tent around them disappeared as he blacked out.
"Ren…"
Wyndia stood outside the flap to the medical tent where the Sword Hero was staying.
The dog girl breathed in heavily. Her eyes were red from crying. Even though Eclair had encouraged her to rest, she'd hardly slept the previous night. And it hadn't been because of the cries of those who were wounded or dying.
She just couldn't stop thinking about Ren. About how much he was still hurting.
She still didn't know how she'd help him. But with the sun rising over the horizon behind her, she knew that she didn't have a choice.
Even if she wasn't the right girl for the job, she couldn't just sit around and cry. She had to help him get better. It'd hurt for both of them. But as long as she tried, she'd find a way to get through to him. As long as she tried, she could help him to become happy again. As long as she… tried…
As long… as she...
Why… why did she smell blood in the air?
She looked around. There were other tents full of wounded people. And yet, why was the scent of blood sticking out to her now.
Because…
Because… it was coming… from inside…!
Wyndia tore the tent flap back. "Ren!" She screamed, hoping that he hadn't tried to kill himself while she was gone.
However, what she saw that made her come to a complete halt was far, far worse.
The cot Ren had been laying in was empty. Near it, the Shadow's dead body laid on the ground in a pool of blood. Torn pages laid on the ground of the tent.
"No… no… he couldn't have…" Wyndia trembled. Had Ren woken up and killed the Shadow guarding him? But then, why hadn't anyone been attracted by the noise? Why did no one-
Looking at the ground by the Shadow, she found the man's outstretched hand laying against the dirt. His fingers, dry with his blood, had written something into the floor.
Book
Kidna... -
The second word trailed off into an arrow, pointing somewhere else. But Wyndia's breath caught in her throat as the weight of the message sank in.
She didn't know what the word Book meant. But the second word… Ren hadn't killed the Shadow. Ren hadn't run away.
Ren had been kidnapped.
The sound of one, bone-chilling, heartrending scream of anguish split the air above the coalition camp.
The scream of a dog girl who'd ultimately failed to protect the hero she loved.
"REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!"
End of Arc 6
Author's Notes:
I'll admit this here. I've deleted certain guest reviews over the past few months for trying to spoil, or for getting things they're trying to spoil wrong. I'll put it clearly below so that nobody can misunderstand.
There are TWO versions of the Spirit Tortoise in canon. I mentioned the Heroes have been fighting the LN 6 version. There is also the LN 7 version, which, thanks to the bastard introduced in this chapter, will make an appearance in the next arc. I will completely verify that the spoilers you guys were trying to give were of the LN 7 Tortoise and had nothing to do with the LN 6 version. Also, some of what you guys said about the Tortoise just wasn't true at all. I don't believe it was intentional. Still, I have to say the following below:
I believe I mentioned this before when I began to introduce the Spirit Tortoise: "do not spoil the readers". I should also mention "do not feed bad info to the readers". Please, review and criticize only on what's in the chapter or story so far. Do not spoil what's up ahead, and beyond that, DO NOT give false info about the Tortoise. If you're wondering why something is happening that doesn't line up with what you know, PM me. I will answer. Just please, don't spoil those readers who don't have access to the LN. I already said before that this arc isn't inspired by the manga for good reason. I'm not following the manga for this section here. That thing butchered the Spirit Tortoise Arc so badly in the rush to get through it that I can't consider using it for inspiration.
As for Motoyasu, yes, he was kidnapped by this chapter's bastard. That is why I have ignored your pleas to have him appear. And now, he has Ren too.
I hope your blood is boiling. Mine is too. The Tortoise is dead. But Naofumi and Itsuki will have to deal with an actual non-monster antagonist. The figure who first woke the Spirit Tortoise and started this mess. The One who has kidnapped their two Hero friends and comrades in arms to resurrect the Guardian Beast, stronger than ever, and under his complete and utter control.
And they aren't even aware that he exists.
Hero Clips!
The Giant Lego
"Are we sure this is going to work?" Naofumi asked.
"Come on, this is like the most popular meme from my world," Itsuki said upbeatedly. "There's no way it wouldn't work here."
"Right, because a meme is an effective way of dealing with real-life problems," Ren said depressedly.
"Come on, cheer up Ren! I know it hasn't been happy times for us lately, but things will get better!" Itsuki told him.
"Like you weren't the one who was kidnapped, believing you'd killed Rishia." Ren again said in the same tone of voice.
"But that's not comparable. You were convinced that you killed the girl you loved-" Itsuki started to say in confusion.
"Shhh! It's about to step on it!" Naofumi shushed them.
The two heroes watched the Spirit Tortoise take another step forward. Because of its freakishly massive size, digging a hole trap wouldn't have worked. Neither would traditional pickets, wire, or any other anti-siege strategies. It would have decimated such contraptions with just the force of its footsteps long before it ever reached them.
They'd needed something big. Something tall and immovable. Something that wouldn't fall apart like the earth around it. Something that could go undetected even in the light of day. Appearing only when its very existence was to cause maximum pain and suffering for whoever was unfortunate enough to step on it.
And so the Heroes had opted for a simpler, more effective solution. By taking all the plastic in the world...
The Tortoise's eyes widened in shock.
… and turning it into one, giant lego.
"█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ !"
The giant monstrosity jumped back, screaming in pain from the massive object it'd stepped on. Said pain was only made worse as it crashed into the ground again, further driving the offensive object into its foot.
"Whoa… the meme is actually working," Ren said, sounding a little more upbeat than before.
"It's a meme. How could it not work? Everyone knows how painful stepping on a lego can be." Itsuki laughed at the comical site.
The Spirit Tortoise kept on stomping down on it in an effort to remove the large object in its foot. But in so doing, it only drove it more painfully into itself. The three Heroes laughed at the poor display.
"Maybe we should have done this to start." Ren thought out loud.
"█ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ !"
Suddenly, the Tortoise let out a breath attack, decimating its own foot.
…
"Huh?" The Heroes stared, shocked at the action.
Nothing was left of the foot. But there was nothing left of the lego either. For a half-hour, it waited as its foot slowly regenerated. Then, at last, it began moving forward again. The melted remains of the plastic lego laying in the background behind it.
"Well, I see why we didn't go for that strategy," Itsuki muttered nervously.
"Yeah, the world would have probably been pissed about us using all of its plastic for that too," Naofumi admitted.
Though if any of them had a recording crystal on hand… they could have become the first viral YouTubers of Raphtalia's world.
Or would it be crystaltubers, hmmm… going to need to go to the drawing board for that one.
Either way, the Giant Lego would have not worked.
But it would have been funny to see that even mountain-sized monsters feared stepping on legos too.
Till Next Time
Allen