"Hurghh!" Naofumi grunted.
The hero was using his strength to lift up the left side of a wooden wagon while five villagers struggled to lift the right side. Another two carpenters were fixing the wheels in place. The villagers were heavily panting and sweating, their eyes fixing on Naofumi, wondering how could the hero have that kind of monstruous physical strength.
Firo was watching impatiently on the sidelines, her eyes shining with the prospect of soon having her own wagon. The filorial was chirping to the men as if encouraging them. Raphtalia was around to help in case they needed her help, but so far everything was fine. Shadow was doing whatever she did while out of sight. Dera had gone out hunting, her levels slowly increasing to match everyone in the party.
"All done! You can lay it down now!" The carpenter who was in charge of fixing the wheels in place exclaimed, wiping some sweat from his brow and fastening his hammer to his waist. The group of villagers and Naofumi slowly lowered the wooden construct until the leather padded wheels touched the ground. The men sighed in relief, doing a few exercises to avoid sudden cramps; Naofumi busied himself by examining the wagon, happy with the result.
He had been riding around with Firo on a borrowed wagon to get the handle of it, but it was fairly easy, all things considered. Firo sometimes was a bit trigger-happy in her want to rush and run, but Naofumi managed to get her to slow down. Shadow seemed fine on the times she rode on, while Raphtalia got terrible motion-sickness. Dera did her usual and coiled around his waist like an expensive leather belt.
Now looking at his own wagon, Naofumi felt some pride fill in his chest. Things would only go up from here. He examined the wheels, wondering it they would work as well as he hoped. He did some mock tests, but the best test would be out there on his travels. Who knows, he might get better materials to work with.
The hero thanked the group of villagers and the carpenters, signaling for Firo to come closer. He settled the harnesses over her and loaded a few wooden boxes inside the wagon. The wheels seemed good so far.
"Now Firo, we will do this slowly from the start. Did you hear me?" Naofumi asked, worried about breaking his vehicle. The filorial cooed and chirped, eyes blazing with excitement. The Shield sighed and hoped for the best.
Raphtalia, from a safe distance, encouraged and waved her hand at him. "You can do it, Naofumi-sama! Just take it easy!"
"Easy" she says. She's not the one riding this death chariot. Why did I improve the wheels already? This is like jumping straight into the grave. The hero mumbled to himself, gathering courage to give the order to the increasingly excited filorial. How does a bird get so excited from pulling a damn wagon?
"Firo, go ahead. Slowly!" The wagon slowly started moving, the usual shaking of the borrowed wagon less present due to Naofumi's instructions on where to put the suspencions on his wagon. The shock absorvers would really be great, but this was good enough. The menchandise wasn't shaking much, and Firo was doing good so far with a low speed.
Naofumi smiled, instructing the filorial to ride around the Ryute Village's outskirts. It was going good so far. Confident in his apparent success, Naofumi let out an excited shout. "Yeah! Ok, Firo, let's increase the speed a bit." The bird was ever so happy to comply, putting more power into her legs. The wagon increased in speed, but inside it, Naofumi still felt just fine. They completed their first round with no problems. He released one hand from the harness and moved it to open one of the wooden crates inside, revealing a few empty glass bottles, none cracked. The hero smirked.
"Firo, step up!"
"Are you alright, master?" Shadow asked, ready to catch Naofumi in case he fell down. She had returned a while ago and changed watch with Raphtalia.
The hero exited his wagon perfectly fine, stretching a bit his sore behind. "Yes, just fine. Firo ran faster than what I expected and wore down the wheels a bit, but otherwise, the crates with our stuff are fine." Naofumi explained, showing the inside of the wooden crates where all his glass bottles were in, undamaged. The Shield Hero moved closer to the Ranger-Assassin hybrid and checked her out, seeing that the girl had added a few changes to her wardrobe.
Shadow had reinforced leather armor with various small sheathes to store the multitude of throwing knives he had bought from the local Smith for her. Leg and van braces in leather, with metal sheets to reinforce and add extra protection, and hidden under her cloak was the hardest weapon to acquire, a spool of finely thin metal wire thread. All her clothing and armor were dyed in shades of dark blue, perfect for night stealth mission. He also had some spares (clothing and armor) ready for her, two in fact, colored to match the surroundings of Melromark, which consisted mostly of dark green forests and some grey mountainous areas.
The rogue squirmed a bit under his serious gaze, her masked face shifted to the side. "Master, is something the matter?"
Naofumi shook his head sideways. "Just checking on you. Everything's going good?" His question made Shadow nod. He hummed at her affirmation and called out Firo. "Go get Dera; Shadow, get Raphtalia. We will grind some levels and get some materials. I have spent too much; it's time to make some money!"
Shadow nodded and vanished in a burst of speed, while Firo chirped and ran into the forest in search of her two-headed companion.
Later, the party got together and did their work. The mobs became too weak for them to acquire EXP, so they focused on gathering materials. Monster leather, medicinal herbs, anything that the Shield Hero had a fleeting thought that would have use, he would grab it. Eventually, his wagon was full of materials, which he hauled to his inn room and went to work. Shadow sat by his side, working on her own pieces of armor. She already knew how to work on light leather armor, so he didn't need to keep tabs on her. Raphtalia tried her hand at armor crafting, but the best she could do were repairs.
The following week went by on a fast pace, the group excited to hit the road and start earning money.
"What the fuck is this shit?!" Naofumi shouted, eyes wide in surprise at the creature inside the filorial stables.
Shadow immediately rushed his way, appearing as a smoky blur at the hero's side. Raphtalia also ran towards him, emerging on the door of the stable, a dirt cloud emerging from behind her.
"What-.." Raphtalia was left speechless at the sight. Shadow merely stared at the fluffy creature. Dera, from her usual hiding place, coiled around Naofumi's waist, cocked her heads sideways as her forked tongues flickered and gathered the modified smell of the bird.
.
.
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Melromark Castletown
Erhart's Weapon Shop
"HEY! Old man, open up! HEY!" Naofumi's fist banged on the wooden door of the store like a sledgehammer, loudly announcing his presence. The hero continued knocking on the door for a few seconds, after which he waited for a response. A few seconds later, the door opened slightly, Erhart poking his head outside to see who would be crazy enough to bother him at such time in the night.
"Shop is closed, the heck do you want?" The tanned, bald man announced before he could get a good look at the perpetrator. As his eyes settled on the frame of the Shield Hero, his cramped face eased a bit. "Sweet bread, kid, do you know what time is it? Why are you knocking on my door like you've heelhounds in your heels?" The smith asked, opening the door for the hero and his party to enter.
First one through the door was the Shield Bearer, soon followed by a small, blonde haired girl covered with a green cloak. Raphtalia and Shadow soon followed, the latter closing the door.
"Master, who is the big, bald man?" The young girl asked, pointing her finger at Erhart. Naofumi sighed in annoyance, wondering what sort of cosmic entity he had pissed off to have such rotten luck.
"Don't point at people, and don't call him bald!" Naofumi reprimanded the girl, turned to the smith and apologized. "Sorry for the inconvenience, we'll take just a short while."
"What can I get you, Shield-kiddo?" The tanned man asked, going to his counter. "Please, don't tell me you came here to brag about buying a good slave, or I'll throw you out and make you pay me a meal." The hero exclaimed loudly his refusal about bragging. While the two men discussed and talked, the blonde girl sniffed the air a few times, calling the attention of the duo. "You hungry, jou-chan? I made some late night dinner; Can give you some for sure, how about it?" The offer made the girl's eyes shine and glimmer. Naofumi tried stopping her, but she rushed past him with a quick step.
"Yeaahhhhhh!" The blonde girl rushed over to the fireplace with a giddy step. She quickly approached the pot where soup was boiling, grabbed pot and with a quick puff of smoke, ate the entire thing in one go.
Silence ensued as the small blondie had suddenly turned into a big bird resembling a filorial, except a lot bigger. Naofumi facepalmed, Raphtalia stared in exhasperation at the bird as she spat the empty metal pot, the cooking ware clanging loudly on the stoneground. Erhart's face froze into a mix of expressions, none discernible due to his shock. Shadow watched the entire play three feet behind Naofumi's back, her masked eyes betraying nothing.
"Master's cooking was way better~!" The bird exclaimed, relaxing her frame against the nearby wall. Naofumi marched close to her, his voice full of an fed-up tone.
"Firo! Turn back into your human form. Sorry, old man! I'll make it up for you later, just give me a sec." The hero apologized once more. The big bird, now identified as Firo, yawned and rustled her feathers in a lazy manner.
"My tummy is full, so I'll do it later~!" Her words made the hero ground his teeth audibly. He looked in his HUD for a few seconds, eyes focusing on the slave contract page.
"Oh, yeah? Let's fucking see to that!" His words were accompanied by a slight crackling of electricity, as Firo's slave crest - a rather fancy one at that - lit up with a strong light. "Change back to human!" His shout and the sudden discharge of lightining echoed inside the shop.
Soon, whining and crying left the form of the once more little blondie, now draping rags over her body as the green cloak she used was ripped to shreds during her transformation. Under the whining of Firo, Naofumi turned to the blacksmith.
"So the kid is actually a tamed monster, huh? Even so, quite harsh treatment, don't you think?" Erhart asked as he pointed to the crying girl. Raphtalia went to her to see if she could calm her down, but the sudden emergence of Dera, who uncoiled from Naofumi's waist and rose to his shoulders, was an effective measure. It did startle the smith, who jumped back in fright at the sudden appearance of the Hydra and grabbed a nearby battleaxe. "KIDDO! Don't move! Considering your defenses, this won't really hurt, but just in case, let me aim where there is armor to protect you!"
"What?! Oh, her?" Naofumi pointed with his right thumb to the double-headed snake staring at Firo. "There's nothing to worry about this one. Dera's really docile and won't attack unless I tell her too. Unlike a certain someone!" The hero stared at the blondie. Dera, considering her height advantage while on Naofumi's body, stared harder at Firo. The blonde girl showed her tongue to the snake.
"No way! Master won't lay with Firo in human form! Boo~!" The statement made the smith sputter and glance at the hero. Naofumi looked back at the man with a annoyed face.
"Never mind her, she already costed me a hefty sum of money! I had to go back to the Slaver's tent and get a high-level slave crest since the previous one stopped working on her, she made a fuss there and almost broke a cell, and that fucking penguin kept bothering me to let her stay there to examine her. To top if off, she shredded my only good cloak. Please, tell me you have something that won't turn into confetti next time she transforms." Naofumi pleaded, reigning in his annoyance.
"What do you think this shop looks like, kid? I sell weapons and armor here, not magical items." Erhart drapped his battleaxe over his left shoulder and pointed to a few of his profucts.
"Hey, don't tell me you expect me to take outside a naked girl that turns into a bird! I'm not exactly hero material, but even I have morals, you know!" The shield deadpanned.
The smith sighed in good manner. "You really are a handfull, you know?" He lowered his weapon and leaned on the counter.
Naofumi let out a relieved breath. "You have it then!?"
"Not here with me, but the old Witch on the magic store should have something for you. You should know her, she mentioned talking to you last time we're having some tea together." The smith smiled in good tone. "Rest for the night since it looks like you rushed here without stopping. It's a surprise the gatekeepers let you in at this time."
"Sure, appreciate it. As thanks, let me cook you something since Firo ate your dinner." Naofumi stated. Erhart suddenly remembered about that too, and crossed his arms.
"Yeah, that's right! Barging in here at this time, demandind help so suddenly." The smith teased, smiling lightly as Naofumi rolled his eyes and made his way back to the fireplace. "Must be the influence of your armor, which is strange since you were so against it last time; now, here you are, behaving exactly like a Barbarian Lord!"
"Shut it, old man! Shadow, get me some boar meat and some spices from the wagon." Naofumi huffed and grabbed the discarted pot. Washing the saliva coated cookware using a water-bucket nearby, Naofumi once more placed it over the small flame in the fireplace. Shadow was quick on her step, already back with a myriad of ingredients, included those that Naofumi asked for. Raphtalia, not to be outdone, quickly went outside the shop and got a water barrel from the wagon in the shop. Although not as fast as Shadow, Raphtalia had strenght to spare.
The hero took off his gloves, washed his hands and prepared his cooking utensils, quickly starting on the meal. Agile and nimble, his hands picked the cooking knife and he rapidly chopped a few herbs and vegetables, adding them to the heating pot. The vegetables started sizzling as he added some fat from the monster meat, Stomping Boar, and then, cube shaped pieces of the meat he cut. The smell was enticing, seeing as everyone got closer to the pot. Erhart peeked at it, even when he wanted to keep looking away from the pot. Raphtalia and Firo outright stared at the meal, drooling at the corner of their mouths. Shadow was looking at it hidden behind the smith's frame, and Dera had left his waist, tongues flickering rapidly in and out of her mouths as she coiled around herself.
Naofumi grumbled and shooed them away. "I'll call you when it's ready!" He sighed and focused back on his task. Using a big fork, he picked the juicy meat and let it rest on a plate as he grabbed some spices he had acquired on Ryute Village. Since the meat was only lighty cooked, the meat juices would enhance the flavor. Salt, pepper and spices rubbed on the meat cubes, the hero let them inside the pot once more, some steam hissing away as meat cooked together with vegetables and herbs. He added just a bit of citrus-fruit juice to not let the meat burn and let it all simmer for a few minutes. The last touches were some raw vegetables akin to red bell pepper, a few more herbs to mask the gamey taste of the boar and lastly another light sprinkle of salt and pepper and more citric-fruit juice.
When the hero turned back, he spotted everyone hanging on the door's frame, eyes glued to the pot. He loudly sighed.
"This is the Old Man's food! You all ate already!"
"But Master!"
"Naofumi-sama~..."
"Master, this worthless one begs for a small share!"
"NO!"
The next day, the Hero and his party were inside the magic shop, the plump witch setting a tray with a few cups of tea for her guests.
"Please, have some." She offered, setting the first steaming cup for Naofumi and followed by giving the others their share.
Naofumi took the ceramic cup and took a sip of the tea. It had light taste, something rather appropriate for small talks. It would be perfect if acompanied by some snacks. He joked inside his head before setting down his cup and asking the robed woman about his business.
She smiled and pointed to a spindler-like construct at one corner of her store. "Sure, making magical clothes is possible. I use it quite frequently, as always ripping my robes when using transformation magic would be troublesome. I'd love to help you..." Her hesitation made Naofumi raise one of his browns. The witch stood from her place and walked closer to the tool. She pointed to a inbedded gem, which was cracked.
"As you can see, my magic stone is currently broken, and buying one on the market is going to be too expensive, considering the prices of magical materials have been increasing." The witch exhaled in defeat. Naofumi took the information with joy. A merchant is always up-to-par with the most recent news, after all! He took another sip of his offered drink and coughed to get the attention of the plump woman.
"Hmm, you wouldn't happen to know where we could acquire those magic stones? Firo is fast on her feet and my wagon is big, we can go there." He offered. The lady's eyes lit with excitement and she rose from her seat with surprising agility.
"My my, a date with the Shield Hero! Who would know this old lady could still attract such a fine man!" Naofumi deadpanned. The witch laughed softly, waving her hands at him. "Just a joke, just a joke~. Yes, I know the place, it's not too far from here; in fact, I was about to suggesting the same thing to you, but I guess we do have some compatibility after all." The woman continued her light teasing, enjoying the pouting raccoon girl's face.
"Great! Then, let's get on the road quick." Naofumi finished his drink and stood up. THe group exited the shop and soon they were out of the capital, wagon running to the mine the Witch pointed at on a map. The Hero needed only a few glances to have his own [World Map] skill updated, directing the bigger in size Firo to their destination.
They needed just two hours to reach their supposed destination. They soon closed in on the entrance of a temple, the place reminding Naofumi of old, Roman styled buildings. Firo parked her wagon a few meters away from the building per to the Witch's instructions, but Naofumi was rather curious as to why they had stopped at this place. It definitively didn't seem to be a mine.
"What's with this place? Why have we come here?" He asked the plump woman, helping her descend from the "vehicle".
"This is a shortcut for us to access the mine which contains the magic stones we are looking for. Legend has that it was once the base of a mad alchemist, but there is no danger for us to worry about. Exploring a secret lair, doesn't it sound exciting for our first date?" THe witch joked again, eyeing the reaction of the second female companion of the hero. The first one, the raccoon girl, was protective of him, but apparently hadn't had any romantic ties with the hero yet. The second one was more of a mystery, considering she showed no signs of anything so far, always reserved and collected, a perfect assassin. Good, it seems no one has occupied the position of spell-caster in his party. Felicia sent me a letter stating that she is finishing her studies, so she will be perfect for him. By the time she comes from Faubley, she should be advanced enough in levels.
"Yeah, sounds good enough." Naofumi ignored the last part and nodded, picking some mining equipment from his cart. Firo approached him, as did Shadow. Dera was wrapped on his waist, hidden in plain sight. He eyed the raccoon girl hanging on the edge of the wagon, looking like she was about to empty her stomach contents. "Raphtalia, rest for a while. Your motion sickness won't go away right now, so sit tight and watch the wagon." She wanted to protest, but her cheeks colored with a green hue and she slumped against the wagon.
"Sorry for being useless right now, Naofumi-sama~" The hero waved her concerns off.
"Get better then, so next time you won't be troubled with it." He gave Raphtalia a quick headpat and moved to lead his group into the temple.
Changing to his [Lantern shield], the hero pointed his weapon in front of him. "[Focus light]!" his weapon lit a small light, which began to grow and increase as he changed the SP input into the skill. "Shadow, scout ahead and see if there is anything in there. We will be walking at a normal pace, so return either in 15 minutes, or as soon as you find something."
"Yes, Master!" The girl nodded at her orders and rushed ahead, quickly dissapearing from their sight. Naofumi looked back and confirmed his group: Him, Firo, the witch and Dera. "Let's get going then." He said, taking the lead.
The group walked inside the temple and started their search for the shortcut to the mine. Naofumi was also on the lookout for anything that could be treasure for him. Shadow came back on the meantime, nothing to report as they headed deeper into the temple. After a few more minutes, Shadow pulled lightly on his cape to get his attention.
"Master, this one sees something up ahead. Doesn't look like it is a monster, degozaru." Her report made the Hero focus the light of his skill towards the place she had indicated to him. The light showed the group an open chest. They approached it with caution, but the witch assured them it wasn't a magical trap.
They looked at the chest, nothing inside it. Naofumi sighed in displeasure. The witch got closer to the small stone monolith beside the chest and analyzed the words written there.
"'To those that dare open the seal placed on this, I pray that the seeds never touch the ground.' is what it says here. Maybe the records of a failure of the alchemist?" The plump lady spoke to the group.
"Nevermind that, it's empty so we might as well make use of it." Naofumi said, closing the opened chest and with ease, lifting and carrying it under his currently unoccupied arm. The witch widened her eyes. Normally a chest like that would weight a fair bit, but here was the Hero lifting it like it weighted nothing. She let out a soft laghter.
"Ufufufu, showing off to impress this old lady?"
Naofumi scoffed and rolled his eyes.
The group procceed deeper into the temple, soon finding a downed wall that continued into a mining shaft. Shadow wasted no time and went in first, scouting ahead. Firo played about, singing an easy tone and enjoying how the sound echoed. More walking and a few dead ends later, the group were currently walking down the length of one of the tunnels.
Naofumi stopped a bit for a short rest, seeing that the witch had started to lag behind a few times. As he put down the chest, he realized that Firo had been too quiet for a while, which was strange considering she was usually a ball of energy. He looked at her, seeing the filorial look at him with teary eyes. What is she doing?
"Master! Don't sell Firo! Firo will be a good girl!" She suddenly rushed at him and started smothering him in her feathers, startling the witch with the antic.
"What the hell are you talking about, Firo?" He asked, trying to get the filorial to release him from her hold.
"Master said that Firo was playing around too much and that he would sell Firo to the meanie at the tent. Firo promises to be a good girl, so please, don't feed bitter medicine to Firo!" She pleaded harder. Naofumi was about to smack her on the head due to her nonsense, but he suddenly realized that their surroundings had darkened, which shouldn't be possible as his light skill was still active. He was about to shout, but a shrieking noise sounded first, a bat-like monster falling to the ground with a throwing dagger stabbed into its abdomen.
"Everyone, close your eyes!" He shouted, increasing his SP output into his [Focus light]. The sudden light made many other monsters shriek, first off surprise, second after a knife sound its way into their soft bellies. One dagger clipped one of the bats on the left wing, the monster falling close to Naofumi. He stomped on the creature, his boot dyed crimson as fresh blood caked it. The witch prepared her wand and released a spell, many more bats falling on the ground. Those that avoided the daggers and the magic, found a furious Firo. "I never planed to sell you, Firo! Just keep listening to me!"
"Firo is angry! She will eat all of them!" The attack didn't last five minutes.
Many of the bats laid on the ground, dead due to either the sharp edge of Shadow's daggers or Firo's furious beak. Naofumi himself managed to kill some of the buggers, his Counterattack staggering them enough for him to either stomp on them or simply squeeze them in his hands. A bit brute, but what would you do? Shadow also had experimented with her new weapon, the metal wires, many immobilized bats squeaking and shrieking as they were cut by the thin metal thread.
"As expected from a hero's party, the monsters never stood a chance." Witch complimented. Naofumi busied himself with picking the more intact corpses and throwing them inside the chest he had acquired. Absorbing a few to unlock some shields, the hero quickly finished his work and they procceed to advance a bit more, Firo's beak in action as she ate the killed monsters.
More walking and some banter exchanged between Naofumi, Firo and the witch, the group finally emerged on a larger part of the mine, many crystals exposed on the cave walls. Naofumi was about to continue walking, but once more Shadow pulled on his cloak.
"There is one enemy there, Master. Somewhat strong, but no threat to us." The girl said, already pulling on some daggers from their sheaths. To his surprise, Dera stirred and moved, uncoiling from his waist and flickering her tongue to taste the air. The witch, whom hadn't seen the two headed monster before almost let out a surprised yelp, but Naofumi stretching his right hand to pat the snake calmed her. Her heart was beating wildly though.
Dera slittered her way to the closest wall and started climbing it, coiling around some of the jutting cyrstals to have better leverage. Shadow followed the snake, sheating her daggers and climbing the wall with quick and precise movements. Naofumi prepared his shield. "Witch, we'll kill the monster, can I count on assistance from you?"
"But of course, it's only fair I help out." She said, a focused expression adorning her face.
The trio walked a bit and found the monster Shadow had sensed. It seemed to be a mix of monsters, monkey head, raccoon body, tiger limbs and to top it off, a snake head as a tail, a Nue. The monster was staring at the crystals, seemingly unware of the group. Naofumi wouldn't waste such a chance for a surprise attack. He raised his hand in the air and quickly brought it down.
That was the signal Shadow had been waiting for. Her hands flickered with speed, precise movements throwing daggers at specific parts to pin down the Nue. The monster tilted its head on the incoming daggers, and managed to dogde two of the five thrown. One pierced the left forepaw, the other two burrying deep on the creature's torso.
As that happened, Naofumi just waited for the monster to get distracted, which it did. "Air Strike Shield! Blunt Spike!" One green, magical shield emerged over the Nue, the monster not paying attention to it since it represented it no danger. Big mistake. The following magical stake dropped the shield on the Nue, smashing the monster against the ground with much strenght. The attacks didn't stop as Dera first spat a thick glob of purple goo at the Nue, making the monster screech in pain; The two headed snake followed with another attack, this time spewing a cloud of noxious gas on the monster. "Now witch, use yor magic; preferencially, something fire-based!"
"I, as the source of thy power, command thee: become truth and manifest yourself in fire. Zweiter Fireshot!" Witch chanted her second magic of the day and threw a orb of fire at the purple gas covering the monster. Needless to say, the resulting explosion was quite the boom.
Naofumi rose his hand to stop the incoming attacks, waiting for the monster to move. The dust cloud around the Nue shifted, lightning spewing around the monster. The attack was mostly useless, considering it didn't have a long range to affect them. After the attack stopped, Naofumi rose his hand once more and pointed to the monster. "Firo, finish it!" At his command, another wave of daggers rained upon the monster, all aimed at its limbs instead of vital parts. Firo obeyed the order and rushed to meet the charred monster, a vicious kick aimed at the Nue's head. It was a bit of a surprise when the head was blown away, the remaining bits showering the wall behind the monster with brain matter and blood.
"Yikes, you never skipped leg day, huh?" Naofumi deadpanned to Firo. Dera and Shadow dropped from the ceiling of the cave, the Hydra failing directly atop the hero's shoulders and the girl by his side. He moved closer to the monster and started doind his usual job of skinning and cutting, Shadow quick to help him. Dera coiled around herself and looked at the pretty scenery provided by the crystals lighting the cave. As the hero gathered enough Nue materials to unlock various shields, he grabbed the pickaxe he had brought with him. "Let's get working already. Shadow, keep skinning it; Firo, stand watch; Witch, tell me which crystal you think will be good for you. Dera, get together with Firo and clean-up any remaining monsters.
Having received their orders, the group went to work.
"Masteeerrr~~ This is boring and tiring; Firo is tired of spinning the thingie!" The filorial complained. After they had finished their endeavor on the mine, Naofumi netting up a good quantity of crystals, the group headed back to the Magic Shop. There, the witch used the stone Naofumi dug for her to replace her broken one and immediately start on the process of acquiring magical thread. Firo had been doing it for the past forty-five minutes, a great spool of glittering, soft blue, magical thread accumulated.
Naofumi rolled his eyes at the complaining blonde, but nodded. "Yeah, get some rest. Shadow, get yourself some thread while we are at it. I've an idea for a new weapon to you." His command was immediately followed, Shadow sitting down on the stool where Firo was previously. She started spinning the wheel's handle, this time a darker colored thread began to come out. Naofumi rose one of his brows, but the Witch waved his concerns off.
"Don't worry about it. The color is a representation of her mana afinity." The magic store owner explained. Naofumi nodded.
"Keep at it until you feel that you have enough thread." The hero said to Shadow and turned to the witch. "How much is it for her portion?"
The lady seemed in thought for a seconds, after which she simply smiled at him. "Instead of paying me with money, how about we strike a deal?" Naofumi narrowed his eyes, but considering the woman had been true to her words up to now and even had helped him, he chose to hear her proposition.
"My niece is a mage aprentice, just like me. She has been studing magic on Faubley, and is close to graduating the Magic Academy, but her parents told me her plans are to stay cooped inside Academy's library. Books sure are amazing to help one undestand magic, but I feel that going out there and accumulating real-life experience would also be as great as the Magic Academy. What better ccompany for an upcoming mage than the Shield Hero? How about it, sir?" The proposition wasn't bad per say, but Naofumi wondered if he would be able to accept someone so easily in his party. All his current companions were slaves, people bound by a curse to never betray him. Would a normal person be able to do that?
Should I trust people again?
The hero pondered for a while. The witch was about to give up on her proposition, but Naofumi spoke out first.
"I can't promise to be a baby-sitter, I have my duties. However, you have helped me out a fair bit, so sent me a letter when she arrives. I'll come to pick her up. Can't promise that traveling with me will be pleasant or have any use for her, but I can guarantee that she won't be harmed under my watch." Naofumi said, making Raphtalia smile. Her master was showing his caring side once more. "I'll deposit some trust in you, Witch. Please, don't make me regret this." He pleaded in a low voice. The plump lady smiled, but something stirred inside her. Was it the tired tone with which the hero asked, or the darkness inside his pupils as his eyes bore holes into her, she couldn't decide which feelings her heart should be feeling. So she settled for what seemed to be the right choice.
"I guarantee, sir Shield Hero-sama!" The woman gave him a serious look. Naofumi's eyes stayed on her frame for a few seconds, after which the hero slowly closed them as he nodded to her.
"Good."
"Master, master, how does Firo look?" The filorial asked excitedly. She was twirling around Erhart's shop, adorning a beautiful baby blue and white one piece dress. Raphtalia complimented the girl, gushing over how cute she looked. Erhart gave his silent thumbs up, enjoying the cute display of the girl. Shadow was silent, eyes some daggers on display. She stealthly took glances at Firo through the reflection on the glass, but Naofumi had caught her gaze a few times. He nodded at Firo, but crossed his arms and displayed a grumpy face.
"Yeah, yeah, you look amazing, but you also costed me a pretty penny. I have spent over 350 silver coins on you Firo. Raphtalia and Shadow together were cheaper, you know." His complaint made Raphtalia blush in shame, her tail whisking up.
"Naofumi-sama! Don't say things that imply I'm a cheap girl!" The raccoon was short of shouting at him. She turned around and walked at Shadow with a hurried step. "Shadow-san, please tell Naofumi-sama something too!"
Shadow looked at Raphtalia and tilted her head sideways. "Why should this lowly one complain about simple facts? This lowly one is happy to have not been a burden on Master's finances; besides, our values have increased since we have become useful for Master." Raphtalia was at a loss on what to say. Erhart shook his head jokingly.
"Rogue-nee-chan, you sure talk like the kiddo. You sure you aren't related?" The smith joked, his bulky arms shaking as he softly laughed to himself. Raphtalia slumped, defeated by the mood.
Naofumi coughed to get everyone's attention. "Well, since we have everything we were looking for, how about hitting the road? We have to sell our stocks." His proposition made Firo jump with joy, the prospect of pulling her wagon sounding amazing. Shadow nodded, approaching the hero, Raphtalia doing the same. Dera, coiled around him, simply nuzzled into him to demonstrate her agreement. Naofumi could feel something else beside her two heads touching him. The hero lifted his cloak, taking a look at her and finding a third nub growing. Already growing a third head? At this rate, I sure hope you don't eat like Firo, else we might have to increase the food budget again.
"I'll see you when the time for the waves is closing on, old man." Naofumi said his good-byes to the smith, earning a loud clap on the back.
"Don't get all sappy with me now, kiddo! Go out there and make a killing, then spend your money here, please!" Erhart's smile annoyed Naofumi, or so the hero would like to think, the tiny smile on his own lips betraying him.
The group exited the weapon shop and went their way. Erhart grabbed a whetstone and went to work, sharpening some equipment with diligence. He continued his work for a few minutes, but someone entered his shop with a hurried step.
"What is it, kiddo? Forgot you pants here or somethi-" His speech was cut short, since the person inside his shop was not Naofumi or the girls from his party. In front of the smith was a tall woman, dressed in knight armor. Her pink colored hair was stunning, matching her blue eyes perfectly. Her face locked in a expression of focus, like someone on a mission. "How can I help you, missy?" The smith asked.
"My name is Eclair Seatto. I came here to talk with the Shield Hero, as some merchants informed me that he was a constant patron of this shop. May I meet him?" The female knight, Eclair, pleaded, her voice coated with a mix of a desperate plea and hopeful assurance. Erhart stratched the back of his bald head, following by massasing the hair of his goatee.
"Shield-nii-chan was here not too long ago, but he left kind in a hurry. Doubt you'll see him before the waves, though. What do you need to talk with him, miss knight." The smith's question made Eclair's face drop, the woman letting a bitter smile settle over her lips. Erhart knew Naofumi wasn't exactly buddies with the Knight Order of Melromark, so he was ready to give some misdirection if the need arose.
"I was trying guarantee Melromark's future..." She spoke in a small voice, the letter on her hands crumbled due to how hard she was holding it. Eclair would come to regret her decision even more after word of the acts of the three heroes spread out.
Ten days after Naofumi's departure from Melromark's capital.
Cossete Town's outskirts, West Melromark. Night time.
Naofumi had been traveling for a few days now, his work being very lucrative. Selling medicine, potions, crafted goods like acessories, and performing mercenary work for the villages and towns he had come across, the hero couldn't complain as his [Currency-Holder Shield] had evolved into [Currency-Holder II Shield], allowing him to stock even more money safely and even giving him a passive [Fortune up(small)] bonus skill. He had stopped close to a city after receving a sudden request from the previous village.
Cossete's lord had asked for a great deal of herbicide, which the hero was ever so happy to comply, since due to this work his [Alchemy] skill had turned into [Advanced Alchemy]. Apparently they were dealing with some overgrown plants, the details short since the man that asked him the request simply gave him a bag with silver coins and pointed the location of the village on a map.
Naofumi was already close to the location of the request, and he could see the why of the request. His wagon had been approached by a lot of plant-type monsters such as Man-eater plants, Treants, and the ocasional acid-spitting plant, all of them dealt accordingly by Firo, Raphtalia, Shadow and Dera.
He placed more wood into the fire he had, the light needed as even now late in the night he continued with his work, concocting potions and other items. Firo was closeby, sleeping in her bird-form. Raphtalia was inside the wagon, also asleep. Dera was the one in charge of guard duty tonight, her three heads each looking at one direction from atop the wagon. Shadow was also close to the fire, working with her weapon, the metal thread wires.
Naofumi finished the last potion of the night, set his tools aside and watched the girl work with her complicated weapon, her slender fingers doing subtle moves and shifting the thread around a piece of hard wood. She continued, full focus on her weapon, until she realized the hero was staring at her. A bit surprised by his full atention, she slipped up on her control, almost wrapping the thread around her left fingers. Shadow managed to avoid chopping her fingers off, but she cut them, blood flowing from the cuts.
The hero moved closer to her, hand stretched out in a silent request for her to show her wound. A bit ashamed by her blunder, the girl shyly showed her left hand to him.
"I, the Shield Hero, discovered the principles of nature in ther deepest form. Restore and heal my ally under my command. First Heal." Magic gathered on his hand, a green light emerging from him to cover her hand in warmth, her cuts healing rapidly. "There, it should be alright now."
"Thank you, Master, for healing this lowly one." Shadow thanked the hero, her head lowered a bit.
"Don't mind it, just take care to not hurt yourself with those." He pointed to the spool of glithering metal thread. "How is it? Getting used to them?"
Shadow lowered her hand until she touched the cool metal, eyeing it with care. "They take a bit to get used to, but I've been practicing with them alot. It's the weapon Master got to me, so I'll have to try my hardest to master how to use it." Her voice, although still flat, carried some determination with it. Naofumi extended his hand once more, this time patting her hooded head.
"Don't rush it. Get used to them in your own time, you fight plenty with your daggers." He said, turning back and returning to his previous place. He sat down and searched his things a bit, pulling out the grimore he had finally finished reading in Melromark's language. He softly clapped his hands together, thanking the Magic Shop Owner for her gift, and fed the book to his shield.
[Magic Tome Shield unlocked.]
[Magic Tome Shield]
-Increased magic proficiency (medium); Increased magic resistance (High)
+Passive skill: [Magic Imbuing]
+Bonus skill: [Magic book]
He equiped the shield, his current [Small Shield] taking the shape of a book. Naofumi examined his newest shield, its shape of a book. He almost laughed at how simple it looked, but an idea went passed on his mind. The villages far from Melromark's capital didn't have a clear image of who he was, all they had was the description of a fiendish-looking man with a legendary shield strapped to his arm; all the hero had to do was change his shield to something less conspicuous, le [Magic Grimore Shield], and he should probably be fine. God knows how many good deals he had lost as soon as a merchant spotted his weapon.
He hummed to himself, so amused with his newest shield that he almost missed the tug on his cloak. He turned to see Shadow, her left hand grasping the edge of the green cloth. She had taken to grasping it frequently, making the hero wonder if it was the girl's own clique or something.
"Master, would it bother you if this worthless one...laid by your side?" the girl's question surprised the hero a bit. What kind of question was that? He saw no problems with her request and indulged her with a head nod, allowing her to do as she pleased. Shadow nodded to him and went to her equipment, gathered her things and got closer to the hero. She laid her backpack closer to his own, and took off the outer layers of her garments, meaning her leather armor, cloak and mask.
The hero took in the chance of see her face, a moment quite rare as she spent most of her time hiding behind the mask and her hood. A light blush dusted her cheeks, making the hero wonder if she was okay on the health department.
Done with her preparations, Shadow sat back down and leaned her back against the Hero's. Naofumi wondered the why of her sudden display of intimacy, but decided to not comment on it. He eyed the night sky, stars shining with a soft glimmer he hadn't seen back in Japan. It almost made his summoning to this world worth it, were it not for the fact he had been set up from the start. He remembered the story Shadow had shared with him, wondering how things would be if he were to be summoned somewhere like Siltvelt, where he was suposedly worshiped as a god.
No time to dwell on things that didn't happen. We'll go to the village tomorrow, deliver the herbicide and then go away. After this village, we'll follow the road to go farther west. The rumours of here are that there isa country going through civil unrest, hopefully we can net some profit selling medicine and armors there. Shadow and I have been making some fine leather armor, so there is that to look forward to. The hero filled his chest with fresh air, releasing a sigh. I know alcohol doesn't really do anything to me, but I kind of miss drinking a cold beer.
Once more, his cloak was tugged on. "Master, forgive this worthless Shadow, but..." The girl's eyes were covered by her hair, but he could perceive a growing blush dusting her cheeks. "Could Master sing me a song from his homeworld?" Another unusual request coming from the ever so quiet girl, but he couldn't find it in him to refuse her. He went silent for a while, wondering what he could hum without either waking up the others or horribly go out of tempo. He started to softly hum, trying his best to hum to the beat and sing the lyrics.
(Play out Telephone Awoo and enjoy the kawaii.)
Shadow relaxed even further against his frame, tapping softly her boots at his humm. He tried his best, and it wasn't horrible, if the light snoring coming from the girl was anything to go by. He let her sleep like that, until soft fabric covered his vision. Firo, whom had turned into her human form, was hugging him from the front, agressivily nuzzling against him. He heard a hissing coming from the top of his wagon, Dera no doubt angry at the sudden action from the filorial.
"Master, no fair~! You and Shadow were getting all clingy. Master doesn't get clingly with Firo!" The blonde loli complained, making the hero stop his humming. He tried to separate the filorial from himself, her grip almost as strong as his. He managed to get some breathing room, huffing as his body temperature was increasing.
"Firo, you get too clingy and your body's temperature is too high, I'll cook inside my armor." The hero rebuked, making Firo flail even more against him.
"Then take off your armor and get sleep with Firo~!" That got a response from Raphtalia, whom quickly exited the wagon, her face flushed red at the conversation.
"Firo! You can't say such things and trouble Naofumi-sama like that!" The raccoon girl said, redness consuming the entirety of her face. She too rushed to get closer to the hero, hugging his free right arm, as his left was occupied by Firo.
The hero let out a troubled noise, his face displaying a mix of annoyance and acceptance. When did I spoil them like this?
"It's too hot like this!"
"I fucking hate you, Motoyasu!" Naofumi shouted, curb-stomping another plant vine attacking him.
He managed to arrive at Cossete Town, the place being almost overwhelmed by plant-matter. The village lord had managed to gather the civilians on a more secure part of the town, thick wooden barricades protecting a zone from the expanding threat. He met with the lord, a middle-aged man with a dirty-yellow mop of hair and simple clothing, and delivered the herbicides requested. After receiving his payment, Naofumi planned to immediately fuck off from the place, but a group of villagers surrounded him and begged he help them rescue those that had been left behind.
At first, Naofumi wanted to refuse such a troublesome request and get going, but he stopped and pushed his luck a bit.
"If you want my help so bad, how about some extra payment? I'm sorry to say this, but I'm a busy merchant. Got anything to make it worth my while?" He asked, almost sure that the people would reject him. Imagine his surprise when five minutes later, the group put together 350 silver coins and offered even more after he returned. Not even he could refuse that. He separated 100 silver coins from the bag and gave them back to the lord, who looked at him with curiosity.
He quickly swapped [Magic Tome Shield] for the [Chimeric Viper Shield] and got his slaves together. Many exhasperated gasps from the crowd were all he heard as he left to exterminate the plant plague. Not before asking the lord the reason such a thing had happened.
"A convenient seed that quickly sprouts fruits and helped them through a drought, delivered by none other than that fucking wanker and his redheaded bitch. The same seed that a certain alchemist had locked away, fearing something. That fucker ignores all warnings and simply gives them that shit, and the idiots here accept it just like that. Is everyone in this world a fucking idiot!?" The hero shouted his frustration to the heavens, a furious punch delivered against a Man-eater plant trying to sneak behind Raphtalia. The stunned monster was quickly sliced thin by a combo of Raphtalia's sword and Shadow's metal thread wire.
Firo was happily chirping as she devoured the fruits hanging from the trees around the town. Dera was busy, slithering at a quick pace to find any remaining civilians alive. They had found a couple of children, all sickly and with roots wrapped around them, no doubt work from the big plant monster at the town's square.
The hero had half a mind to burn everything down, either with fire or his own cursed flame; however, he reigned in his anger and focused on counterattacking the enemies as his group walked towards what he supposed to be the boss monster.
Bio Plant Boss LV. 47
"Heya, big fella. You are the one causing all this fucking trouble, aren't you?" The hero darkly said, hands grasping a vial of herbicide. He had discoreved earlier, as he rescued a kid wrapped in vines, that his herbicide was also considered medicine. Add on that the various shields he had unlocked by feeding his products to his shield, and well...
You have leveled up!
you have leveled up!
Your party has leveled up!
The previously intimidating monster shrivelled and withered, not having the chance to face off against the Shield Hero and his party. The monster died, leaving behind many red, heart-shaped fruits. Naofumi took two in his hand, munching on one as he fed the other to his shield.
[Bio-plant Shield unlocked]
The hero quickly equiped the shield and checked out the skills. He smirked to himself, rapidly changing the status screen in front of him to match something more friendly.
[Vegetal Reconstruction] Skill: Bio-Plant.
Mutation rate: B class(previous) - 0 (current)
Growth rate: A class(previous) - B class(current)
Reproduction rate: B class(previous) - C class(Current)
Fruit spawning rate: C class(previous - A class
Was that so fucking hard, Motoyasu? Couldn't you observe the plant for a few days before handing villagers some ancient, sealed artifact? Do I have to babysit everything you do? Think with your head a bit more, you twat, not with your dick! I swear, can this get worse?
AUTHOR NOTES.
Can it now, Naofumi?