"For their valiant efforts during the Wave of Calamity," proclaimed Aultcray Melromarc XXXII, "Sirs Motoyasu, Ren, and Itsuki will each receive 3,800 silver coins. I have set aside five hundred silver coins for the swordsman Shield Hero."
Before Aris could claim his financial reward, the king continued, "However, since the funds are offset by the cost of repairing the damages to Lute Village and various other towns outside of the capital, Sir Aris will not receive the money at this time."
Aris wanted to punch the king's lights out but decided against it.
"Hold on, that can't be acceptable," Itsuki interjected. "He may not have been there to deal with the Wave's main boss monster, but the people of Lute Village are giving him and his party all the credit for saving them. He deserves at least that much money."
"Besides, you could just as easily have used our rewards for repairs," Ren added. "Yet you didn't. I may not like Aris that much, but I know what it feels like to be flat-broke, and it's tough. Just give him the money."
The king sighed. "Fine. I shall give him the five hundred silvers, but no more."
I suppose it's better than no money at all, Aris reasoned. "Thank you," he muttered to the king.
Loretta narrowed her eyes at the king. "Now, if you'll excuse us, your stinginess, I think my friends and I have better things to be doing than standing around in your stuffy audience chamber."
She and the others were gone before the king could tell them off.
"That was bold of you to talk to the king like that," Raphtalia said to Loretta. "A bit...foolish, but definitely bold."
Loretta shrugged. "No one gets to mess with my brother like that. Except me, that is."
"Why only you?" asked Raphtalia.
"Because I let her," replied Aris. "With the caveat that I can retaliate her mischief with some of my own."
"You can, but mine always beats yours." Loretta nudged him with her elbow.
"Oh, does it now?" Aris gave Loretta's blonde ponytail a playful yank.
"Ow! Mind my hair, you heathen!"
The twins shared a laugh.
"So, where are we going?" asked Raphtalia.
"To an apothecary I know," said Aris. "I've got some things to sell him."
"Ah, sir, you're back," said the apothecary. "Your timing couldn't have been better."
Aris tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
"I have something here for you." The apothecary reached below his shop counter and set a thick book on top of it. "I've got a lot of relatives over in Lute Village, and they told me how valiantly you saved them. So, I decided to give you a little something for your hard work."
"What is it?" asked Aris.
"An old grimoire of mine," replied the apothecary. "It has recipes for more advanced medicines than the ones you normally craft by hand. As potent as those medicines are, the ones in this book are much more effective."
"I'll see if I can't brew any of them." Aris reached for his money pouch.
"Oh, you don't need to pay a thing." The apothecary held up a hand to stop him. "It's free of charge. After all, it wouldn't be a reward if I made you pay for it."
Aris, pleasantly surprised, opened the book and skimmed the pages. His eyes narrowed as he scrutinized the words. "I...don't think I can read this world's writing. I suppose I'll have to learn how."
"That should help you," said the apothecary. "And, there's something else. The old lady at the magic shop asked to see you. Said you helped her grandchild in Lute Village."
"Ooh, healing magic, a most rare magical affinity indeed!" said the old mage. "It's not often I meet someone with one."
"What about Raphtalia?" asked Aris.
The mage gazed into her crystal ball. "She possesses an affinity for both light and dark magic. Both can come in handy, especially illusion magic."
"And me?" Loretta chimed in.
"Lightning!" the mage replied excitedly. "A very versatile element, I must say. Now, with that taken care of..."
The mage rummaged below her table and pulled out a book, handing it to Aris. "This is one of my best magic grimoires. I want you to have it, free of charge."
"Free?"
"Oh, but of course!" replied the cheery mage. "It's the least I could do for you after you and your friends saved Lute Village and my grandson. Though...I'd have preferred to give you a crystal ball instead."
"What advantage do crystal balls have over grimoires?"
"Using one can imbue you with the magical power sealed within it," said the mage. "They're easier to use than a grimoire, to put it simply. And I heard the royal court ordered a bunch of them for all the Heroes."
"Every one of them but me, I'm willing to bet. Either way, thanks."
"Oh, please, it was no trouble at all!" said the mage. "Learning magic from a grimoire may be a bit difficult, but just keep at it and you'll get there!"
"...and then the duck says, 'Got any grapes!?'"
Aris and Raphtalia howled with laughter at Loretta's joke. "Where did you learn that one?" Raphtalia panted after she recovered.
"A comedian never reveals her secrets," replied Loretta.
"Isn't it a magician instead of a comedian?" Aris pointed out.
"I stand by what I said."
More laughter ensued.
Raphtalia, however, stopped short. Aris and Loretta noticed. "Raphtalia?" Aris started to worry. "Is something...wrong?"
Raphtalia was shuddering. Her eyes were widening and her face had gone pale. She pointed ahead.
Aris looked. His heart skipped multiple beats when he saw a familiar face.
It was the same pompously-dressed slaver who had made an attempt on Raphtalia's life.
With not even a second to spare, Aris grabbed Raphtalia and pulled her into an alleyway. Loretta dipped into the alley with them.
The slaver passed without noticing them.
Raphtalia, who had apparently been holding her breath, let out a sigh of relief. "Is...Is he gone...?"
Loretta peeked out of the alleyway. "Yeah, the coast is clear."
"He was leaving his tent for some reason," Raphtalia noted aloud. "And he was going the same direction I went when I escaped from him."
"Escaped?" Loretta's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"I..." Raphtalia hesitated.
"Do you not want to talk about it?" asked Aris.
"N-No, it's okay," said Raphtalia. She took another deep breath to compose herself. "I...I was a slave. And I was under the control of that man who just passed by. He's a slave trader."
Loretta's eyes widened. "You were a slave!?"
"Y-Yes...I was."
She whipped out one of her blasters. "Who hurt you!? Who was it!? I'll make them regret ever being born!"
"Easy, easy, sister," Aris chided. "We don't need to resort to first-degree murder...yet."
"Then what should we resort to?" asked Loretta.
"Well, I suppose we should find a way to send a message," said Aris. "We already have what he thinks is something that belongs to him," he smiled at Raphtalia, "so how about we take more things from him? Just so he knows how it feels to lose the things you care about."
Loretta's face turned devious. "Ohoho, I like your thinking, brother."
Aris looked to Raphtalia. "You can come with us if you'd like, but I won't make you."
"I...think I'll stay here," said Raphtalia. "I wouldn't go back to that awful place if my life depended on it."
"Fair enough."
"Should we just take everything?"
"Sister, you know we can't do that," said Aris. "We wouldn't be able to carry it all."
"Then we'll just take something small," Loretta decided. "But enough to send a message."
"Like one of these, maybe?"
"One of wha-oh."
"'Monster egg lottery,'" Aris read aloud. "'Win a monster chick that doubles in value if you take care of it right. Guaranteed at least a Filolial.'"
"What's a Filolial?" Loretta wondered.
"I don't know," said Aris. "Maybe one of the eggs will help us find out." He snagged one of the eggs from the middle of the tray.
"There's these cushioned cases here, too, they seem like they'd fit the egg," Loretta pointed out, grabbing one. Aris deposited the egg inside.
"What did you find?"
"This." Aris showed Raphtalia the monster egg he and Loretta had procured.
"I think that's a Filolial egg," said Raphtalia, "but I could be wrong."
"Speaking of," said Loretta, "what is a Filolial, anyway?"
"There's one right there." Raphtalia pointed to a large bipedal bird with fluffy brown feathers. It was pulling a cart filled to the brim with goods and seemed positively overjoyed to be doing its job. "They love pulling wagons of all kinds. They're fast, too."
"Then we should hatch this one," said Aris. "It may come in handy."
"It should," Raphtalia agreed.
So, in combination with leveling up (particularly helping Loretta catch up to Aris and Raphtalia), the trio had to take care of an egg. Luckily, however, the egg was surprisingly low-maintenance. All that needed to be done was for it to be kept warm and undamaged, which was achieved by simply keeping it in its case and not bringing it out during leveling-up excursions.
Thanks to this, the egg hatched in an unbelievably short amount of time.
"Raphtalia! Brother! The egg's hatching!"
Aris and Raphtalia shot awake to the sound of Loretta's voice. Sure enough, cracks lined the alabaster shell of the egg in its cushion.
A piece of the shell separated from the egg. Pinkish-white feathers lay beneath it.
BGM: Whimsical - Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
In an explosion of eggshells all across the room, the resident of the egg made her presence known with a jovial chirp.
A tiny chick sat within the egg, spreading her little wings wide. With more happy chirps, she jumped onto the top of Aris's head, seemingly hugging him.
NEW CREATURE DISCOVERED (PASSIVE)
Filolial
Species: Filolial
Habitat: Worldwide
DESC: "Filolials are domesticated birds, popular as work animals and sometimes as pets. Even wild Filolials have almost no fear of people. This friendliness is almost never used against them, however, as most people find it hard to dislike Filolials. This juvenile Filolial seems to really like you."
"Aw, I think it likes you," Loretta cooed. "Or...maybe it just thinks your its mother."
"Either way, it's adorable!" said Raphtalia.
The chick jumped from Aris's head to Raphtalia's hands. "Oh! Hi there, little one," Raphtalia said, affectionately tapping the chick's beak.
"We have to name this little bundle of cuteness!" Loretta gushed.
"I think we should keep the name simple, but memorable," Raphtalia suggested. "Enough so we can remember it. How about 'Filo'? It's what she is, after all. It's short for Filolial."
"Eh..." Loretta was reluctant. "It seems a bit too simple."
"I like Filo," Aris chimed in.
Loretta sighed. "I guess I'm outvoted. Filo it is!"
"Man, it's barely been a week since she hatched, and she's already fully grown!"
Aris couldn't believe it himself. Filo had developed shockingly quickly; it was almost suspicious.
Either way, Aris wasn't going to complain. Filo was big enough to be ridden now, so he decided to take her out for a test run.
He took Filo into the fields with Loretta and Raphtalia, mounting the bipedal avian.
"Alright, girl," he said, "let's see what you've got!"
As if on cue, Filo took off at breakneck speed.
"Whoa! By Hylia's hair, you're fast, girl!"
Filo chirped happily as if to thank Aris for his praise.
End BGM
"Huh? What's going on over there?"
Aris, Raphtalia, and Loretta took Filo with them to find Myne and Motoyasu standing before a crowd of Lute Village's residents, giving them an announcement. Motoyasu seemed to be riding a bipedal dragon, not unlike the quadruped the slaver had sent to kill Raphtalia when she had first met Aris.
"In light of his valor during the recent Wave of Calamity," declared Myne, "Sir Motoyasu Kitamura is to be proclaimed the ruling lord of this region."
Motoyasu had a suave look on his face.
"To aid the rebuilding efforts," Myne continued, "we decided to levy a toll. Fifty silvers to enter the village, and fifty to exit."
Displeased protests sounded from the crowd.
"That'll ruin us!"
"We won't have anything left to buy food tomorrow!"
Myne narrowed her eyes. "You dare defy the orders of your lord!?"
"I do!" Aris bellowed from the back of the crowd.
Myne gasped and scoffed. "Oh, it's you. What are you doing here!?"
"Keeping your dirty hands off this village!" Aris shouted back.
"This isn't your village, charlatan," Myne jeered. "It's Sir Motoyasu's now. You have no right to question him. Or, for that matter, you have no right to even be here at all! Leave at once, you miserable criminal!"
"I wouldn't mind that," Aris countered. "Anything to not have to deal with you. But on the other hand, I don't think the villagers are too happy about whatever little scheme you intend to cook." He addressed the arrogant Spear Hero. "Do you have any idea how much it costs to stay at the inns here!?"
"Er, uh...no...?"
"One silver per night, with food included," Aris informed him. "The toll you intend to charge is equivalent to a hundred nights at an inn just to enter and exit the village once! Did your brain take a vacation, or does it not function at all, to begin with!?"
The villagers shouted their agreement.
"He's right!"
"You can't just show up here and call yourself our lord, we already have one!"
"It was the swordsman Shield Hero who defended us from the Wave!"
Myne was furious. "You dare question a royal decree!?"
The knights in the area pointed their spears at the unruly civilians.
Aris raised his voice further. "I suggest you cease this folly before I sever your heads and hang them on my Christmas tree this coming December!"
This, of course, was an empty threat. He knew the world needed the Cardinal Heroes, and, begrudgingly, that Motoyasu was one of them.
Myne, however...he would jump at a chance to cause her pain.
Meanwhile, Myne was suddenly jumped by a group of strange people in black-purple cloaks and masks. All of the masked people were women, strangely enough.
"I trust you know who we represent, Princess Malty," one of them said calmly as she swiped the scroll from Myne's hand.
"I...I do, but why are you here?" Myne was confused, and seemingly a bit afraid.
"For you, of course." The leader of the masked women handed Myne (Malty?) a different scroll. Myne reluctantly accepted it.
Her eyes widened and her teeth ground against each other as she read the scroll. "How could this be...!?" she seethed.
Myne lowered the scroll, pointing a judgemental finger at Aris. "Swordsman Shield Hero! I demand that you participate in a competition for the right to rule this village!"
"I accept, but I don't intend to rule this place," said Aris. "I intend to make sure you don't."
"Are you ready for this, Filo?" Aris cooed to the Filolial. "Mister Spear Hero thinks he can show up anywhere and own the place, doesn't he? Well, we're gonna give him a reality check today."
Filo cawed excitedly.
"Pffft, hahaha! Lame!" Motoyasu jeered. "You're riding some bird and not a dragon? You're practically begging to lose."
Filo, understandably furious, reared one of her legs and slammed it into Motoyasu's groin, launching him into the air.
"Yes!" Aris cheered. "That's a good girl, Filo! You do that whenever you see him, okay?"
Filo nodded happily.
Myne gasped. "Sir Motoyasu! We need healing magic, quickly!"
Aris was howling with laughter. "You might be able to heal his groin, but you'll never heal his pride after that stunt!"
Myne growled at him. "You dirty cheater!"
"It wasn't my fault he lacked the mental capacity to know that you shouldn't anger a Filolial!"
"The race will be three laps around the outside of the village," the village elder explained. "The first to reach this gate after three laps will be declared the winner."
Motoyasu, now healed, mounted his dragon. Aris patted Filo's neck. "You can do this, girl," he whispered to her.
"Three!" the elder declared.
Filo and the dragon got into a preparatory stance.
"Two!"
The dragon growled. Filo started swiping her leg along the dirt as if she were a bull preparing to charge.
"One..."
All were silent. Aris felt his heart racing.
"Go, go, go!"
BGM: Moo Moo Meadows (Dream Equestrian) - Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games
Filo immediately pulled ahead of Motoyasu and his dragon, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"What!?" Myne exclaimed back at the starting line. "How!?"
"Woohoo!" Aris whooped as Filo passed Motoyasu. "This will be easy! You'd best come with an appetite, Motoyasu...because you're going to eat our dust! Come on, Filo! Let's show this fool what we're made of!"
Filo cawed and chirped cheerfully as she increased her speed.
Motoyasu coughed as his face was caught directly in the dust cloud Filo was leaving in her wake.
Up ahead, a knight recited some sort of mantra - an incantation. "As source of thy power, I order thee - decipher the laws of nature and create a pit in front of me. Earth Hole!"
"Whoa!"
Aris pulled hard on Filo's reins, nearly knocking her over. "Sorry, girl!"
"No!" Raphtalia cried.
Motoyasu laughed as he passed by.
Filo was back on her feet before anyone knew. As Aris passed by the start/finish right behind Motoyasu, he reached out and flicked Myne's forehead. "Die in that hole back there!"
Myne rubbed the newly formed bruise right on the center of her forehead. Meanwhile, Aris was ahead of Motoyasu once again.
"As source of thy power, I order thee - decipher the laws of nature and heed my command to slow the speed of my target. Speed Down!"
Aris gasped and winced as he felt Filo slow down beneath him.
"Come on, Filo! We can't let him win!"
Filo agreed and shook off the spell with ease. The avian thundered past Motoyasu like Usain Bolt passing a toddler.
"What are you doing!?" Motoyasu shouted at his dragon. "Run faster, for fuck's sake!"
"Maybe treat your steed with some respect and it'll consider listening to you!" Aris jeered as he sped by.
"One more lap, you two!" Raphtalia cheered as Aris began his third and final rotation. "Don't give up yet!"
"No mercy!" Loretta roared excitedly. "Show this arrogant son of a female canine who the real hero is!"
Aris watched in shock as Motoyasu was hit with a spell - one that increased his speed. Motoyasu didn't seem to realize that it had barely any influence on the race. He was slightly ahead of Filo, but not enough for it to be anywhere substantial.
However, it was enough for Motoyasu's dragon to kick dust right into Aris's face, forcing him to bear left.
"We're heading right for that hole," Aris muttered. "But we can't fall in! I won't lose! Air Strike Shield!"
Filo launched off of the Air Strike Shield like it was a springboard, leaping over the hole and over Motoyasu's head.
"Just try to top this one!" Aris laughed as he soared overhead.
Filo and the dragon were sprinting for the finish line, but Filo was well over a meter in front.
"Come on!" Loretta cheered. "Finish strong, finish strong!"
Filo's beak tore through the finishing tape.
End BGM
"You did it!" Raphtalia was all smiles as she ran over to Aris, greeting him with a cheerful hug. "Great job, both of you!"
"That's my little brother!" Loretta cheered. "That's how it's done!"
"Brilliant racing!" the village elder commended as he approached. "Thanks to you, we can rest easy knowing we can put full focus on reconstruction."
"If there's anyone you should thank, it's Filo." Aris patted the avian's feathers.
What he didn't notice was that she'd transformed. Filo had turned much chubbier, fluffier, and (admittedly) a lot cuter.
Aris looked up and noticed.
Filo gave him a playful chirp.
"What in the name of-!?"
Before he could say more, Myne cut him off. "You cheated! You never said your Filolial was really just the fat tub of lard I'm looking at right now!"
"It only transformed after the race was over," the village elder chided.
"Right!" Aris agreed. "And if there's any cheater here, it's you and your band of goons! Those holes in the road weren't there when I was scouting the course before the race! Good thing I did, too. And I have these."
Aris cast Memanima Projection. It showed knights reciting incantations for spells: Earth Hole - to create the pit in the ground, Speed Down - to slow down Aris and Filo, and Speed Up - to speed up Motoyasu and his dragon.
"Wh-What!? That witchcraft again!?"
"The swordsman Shield Hero is correct."
The masked women from before had arrived on the scene before one could say "knife".
"We detected evidence of magic on the course," explained their leader.
"I...It was...look at him!" Myne pointed an accusing finger. "He's the one who cheated, him and that ball of feathers and fat!"
"False," said the masked leader. "His magical affinities are healing and support - in combination with the power of his very soul: his Soul Energy. His Demi-Human friend's affinities are light and darkness, and the affinity of his twin sister is lightning. We detected earth magic, which matches none of these."
When in Farore's name did they learn so much, and how did they find out? Aris pondered. Have they been spying on us?
Myne scoffed. "We'll leave for now, but we will be back. Count on it."
"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Aris shouted after her.
The elder cleared his throat, calming Aris's anger instantly. "Sir, once again, the whole of Lute Village thanks you for your help. We are forever in your debt."
"You don't owe me anything," said Aris. "Especially not your money. You need every bit of coin you can get to rebuild."
"B-But, sir!" said the elder. "With all due respect, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if I let your deeds go unrewarded! So please, let us give you at least something!"
Filo started tapping the top of Aris's head with her beak. Aris looked up at her. "What is it?"
Filo pointed with her wing.
"A wagon?"
"A-Aris?" Raphtalia groaned. "Can...Can we stop? I think I'm gonna-"
Aris stopped without hesitation. "We'll camp out here for the night, but get out and let it out."
Raphtalia jumped from the wagon and ran to a nearby bush, where she deposited the half-digested remains of her lunch from her stomach through her mouth and onto the ground.
Later that night, after Loretta was out cold with sleep, Aris lit a campfire and set up bed rolls for himself and his companions. He gently laid Raphtalia down onto one. "Do you feel better?"
"Y-Yes..." Raphtalia stuttered. "I'm...I'm sorry about...well, you know..."
"You haven't a thing to apologize for," Aris said gently. "Though...we'll very likely be traveling by wagon for the foreseeable future."
"In that case, I'll try my best to curb the motion sickness." Raphtalia sighed nervously. "I'm such a burden..."
Aris immediately refuted that. "No, no, don't you dare say such things. Don't you even think such things. You are not a burden, Raphtalia. And if you think you are, you're lying to yourself."
Raphtalia chuckled a little. "Okay, okay, I get it." She sighed. "What did I do to deserve you...?"
"Maybe it was fate," replied Aris. "Well...meeting you wasn't a part of my plans for life, or even for being in this world, but I don't regret meeting you. I never will."
Raphtalia blushed.
"Raphtalia?" Aris looked concerned. "Your face is red. Are...Are you sick?"
He placed a gentle hand to her forehead. That only made Raphtalia's face redder.
"Hmm..." Aris's brow furrowed. "No, your temperature feels normal. But why are you so red if you aren't sick...?"
Raphtalia barely managed to stop herself from laughing. Was he always so...dense? she thought.
She pushed that thought aside for now.
"Aris?" she said.
"Hm?"
"Thank you, again." She smiled up at him. "For everything. Saving me, teaching me how to fight, being there for me...all of it. You've done so much for me, and...I just feel like I owe you my life."
"You don't owe me a thing, Raphtalia." Aris smiled back. "I'm a friend, doing what a friend does."
"I-If you don't mind," Raphtalia stuttered, "could you...I...w-would you mind s-sleeping next to me tonight? N-Not sharing a bed roll or anything like that, just...next to me. I-I really like being near you."
"I don't mind." Aris moved his bed roll next to Raphtalia's. "I like being around you, too."
The two of them were out before long.
Meanwhile, Filo, who had been untied from the cart, walked up to Loretta and nudged her awake. "Ugh, Filo..." Loretta groaned. "What is it?"
Filo, a smile on her beak, reached out with her wing and pulled Loretta into her side. "H-Hey!" said Loretta before realizing something.
Filo's feathers were soft as a pillow.
Loretta snuggled up to the Filolial, a satisfied smile on her face as she fell asleep once again.
Loretta slowly felt herself drift back into the waking world, morning sunlight filling her vision. "Loretta..." said a worried Raphtalia. "Loretta!"
The former princess snapped fully awake, sitting straight up. She noticed Aris standing a few meters away, facing off into the distance and covering his eyes. "What's going on?" Loretta asked.
Raphtalia pointed.
Loretta looked down towards her right leg. Leaning against her was a little girl with long blonde hair, and noticeably, a lack of any clothing whatsoever. That explained why Aris had his eyes covered and was looking away.
The child stirred and began to wake up. Her eyes opened, revealing a twin pair of sparkling blue irises.
The little girl suddenly shot to a seated position, a small pair of white-feathered wings unfolding from her back. Loretta was bewildered. It couldn't be...no, it just couldn't.
The girl got to her feet and started walking towards Aris. Loretta shot up and stopped her. "Wait!"
The girl turned around. "What?"
Loretta reached into a bag she carried and pulled out some old clothing she'd been keeping for some odd reason. It was small enough to fit the little girl and big enough to cover the important parts. "Now you can go talk to him," said Loretta.
The little girl nodded cheerfully, skipping off towards Aris. "Papa, hi!" she chirped.
"Who is she?" said Raphtalia.
Aris shrugged, his eyes still covered. "How would I know?"
"You can look now," said Loretta. "I gave her some clothes."
Aris removed his hands from his eyes, turning around to look at the girl. She smiled at him as if she were a child smiling at her mother.
Suddenly, it hit him.
"...Filo?"
PARTY MEMBER RECRUITED
Filo
Age: 1
Sex: Female
Level: 10
Species: Filolial Queen
HP: 100/100
MP: 30/30
EXP: 11/375
STATS:
ATK: 45
DEF: 30
SPD: 85
EQUIPMENT:
Headgear: None
Armor: Worn Dress (+1 DEF)
Legwear: Worn Dress Skirt (Attached to Worn Dress)
Footwear: None