Sword and Shield
Intermediate 1: Magic
Naofumi woke up with a start, and it took a moment to remember where he was. He was still in the disused servant's room he and his party had retired to after the feast. Looking around, he found Raphtalia sleeping on the only bed in the room, Shirou having fallen asleep in a chair, and he himself sitting up against the foot of said bed where he had been resting.
The man slowly got up, stretching his limbs and working out the kinks in his body from his less than ideal sleeping arrangements. He was used to it, though. Compared to sleeping out in the wilds, they now at least had a roof over their heads.
As he woke up, Naofumi mentally took stock of what had happened the night before. A feast. A rigged duel. Blatant cheating. Losing said duel. Shirou and Raphtalia being released from their Slave Crests. Losing it and unlocking the Shield of Rage. Shirou and Raphtalia choosing to stay by his side and believe in him in spite of everything. Unlocking the Companion Series of shields. Shirou regaling them with his actual and completely unexpected backstory.
Even as he felt a flush of warmth at the thought of his companions, Naofumi's eyes settled on the snoozing Shirou. To say that he had been surprised would have been an understatement, but he did not disbelieve the words of the boy in a young adult's body. Even if he hadn't earned Naofumi's trust the night before, the following question and answering session left no room for doubt that Shirou came from an alternate Japan, just like he and the other 3 Heroes had.
Shirou's name, even without knowing his surname, should have been a dead giveaway. Naofumi had just thought it a coincidence. That just showed how out of sorts he had been over the last month.
That did bring up the question how in the hell Shirou had ended up in this world. The Heroes, himself included, had been summoned, but Shirou had said that he had just gone to bed one day and woke up in a cage the next with a Slave Crest on his chest and odd new additions to his body, somehow having been transformed into a demi-human. He had no clue how he ended up here.
Naofumi knew that magic was a thing in Shirou's world, but that by itself did not explain how the kid had ended up in this world. If Naofumi had to hazard a guess, there were three possibilities. One, Shirou had been summoned just like he had been. Two, it had happened spontaneously. Or three, one of the Magi of Shirou's world had, for some reason, punted the boy into this world for unknown reasons and motives.
All three were possible, but there was no way to figure out how it had actually happened.
"Wait, that's not exactly true," Naofumi mussed under his breath.
Shirou had somehow ended up in the less than kind care of the Slave Trader. Asking the Slave Trader how he got his hands on him might yield a clue of how Shirou had been transported to this world and had been changed into a demi-human. There was even a very, very small chance that it could lead to information on how to get back to their old worlds. Beating the Waves had been offered as a possible method to go home, but as it was the thrash King to have postulated this, Naofumi's was loath simply to believe it. There was no guarantee that beating the Waves meant going back home.
It's decided, we'll be visiting the Slave Trader later today. Ugh. What a pain.
That decided, the Shield Hero turned his thoughts to other matters. He raised his shield, and pulled up his Menu.
Requirement met: [Companion Shield II – Base Defense 5 – Equip Bonus: Companion Stat Growth up (small) (mastered)]
Good, Companion Shield II had been mastered while he slept. The first shield in the Companion Series had already been mastered in the middle of the night, just after their party's long conversation came to an end. Now, onto the next. Companion Shield II was changed out for Companion Shield III.
That done, Naofumi scrolled through his Menu, and pulled up the information regarding the Cursed Series and the Shield of Rage. A pop-up appeared in his field of vision.
[Curse Series]
[A weapon that grants power and consumes the user. Hero! Do not use it.]
Naofumi frowned at that description. He dismissed the pop-up.
[Shield of Rage – Base Defense 125 – Equip Bonus: Change Shield (Attack) / Iron Maiden
Special Ability: Self Curse Burning, Strength Up – The more the Hero loses themselves to anger, the stronger they become.
Jesus, the Shield of Rage's base Defense Stat was insane. All his other shields had a base Defense Stat that was at best a fifth of the Shield of Rage, perhaps a little more. And the abilities that came with it… he read the description. He swallowed. This…this actually gave him a potent attack capability that was all his own, though he couldn't use Iron Maiden yet, because he lacked the base form of the Change Shield Skill. To say nothing of the Special Abilities. They sounded awesome, in a cruel, wicked sort of way. If he equipped this shield, he would capable of fighting on his own.
Of course, any time he did use it, he risked losing himself to his anger. That made it a last resort, but, even considering this power's evil slant, the fact that he could fight on his own if required was a relief to say the least.
Naofumi heard a grunt, and he looked up from his Menu. "Morning, Shirou."
"Morning," the demi-human greeted back as he got up from his chair, rolling his neck and stretching his limbs.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Not really, but I have had worse," Shirou admitted truthfully. "What will we be doing today?"
Naofumi closed his Menu. "First we will get that cash reward. Then we'll visit the Old Man and see if he can fix your armor. I was also thinking of swinging by the Slave Trader."
Shirou's face soured at the mention of the Slave Trader. "Why would you want to visit that guy?"
"Mostly to ask how you ended up in his care," Naofumi said, much to Shirou's surprise. "He might've some information how you came to this world, or maybe even how to go back."
"I doubt it," Shirou said, but shook his head. "Still, I guess it couldn't hurt. But, is it alright if I don't go with you to see him? I don't think I could stomach being in that guy's vicinity for long."
"I don't like the guy either, you know," Naofumi grumbled.
"It's more than just not liking him," Shirou said with a bit of heat. "His entire stock and trade is vile. If it was up to me, I'd shut his entire operation down ASAP. If only…"
"…If only that would solve anything," Naofumi sighed. "The basic situation hasn't changed. We don't have the resources or the knowledge to help the slaves. If we tried anything, we would just make things worse. And even if we shut him down, or killed him, someone else would simply take his place and continue where he left off."
"You don't have to spell I out, I'm well aware," Shirou said. "The only thing that would work is the outlawing of slavery wholesale, and even then we'd still need the recourses to somehow provide for the slaves while we find them homes and a means to support themselves."
"You have thought this through, huh?" Naofumi said with a raised eyebrow.
"It has been in the back of my mind ever since I was brought to this world, but it was only since our conversation in the forest that I started looking at it from other angles," Shirou admitted. "Like you said, there is nothing for it but to amass recourses, power and connections, and hopefully, once we have amassed enough, we might be able to help them. In the meantime, I just have to grit my teeth and bare it."
Naofumi nodded, then sighed. "Well, you don't have to come if you don't want to. You could go and visit the Old Man in the meantime and get your armor checked out."
"Actually," Shirou said. "I would also like to see if I might be able to get a bow."
"You know how to use one?" Naofumi blinked, surprised.
"I practiced kyūdō almost daily back home," Shirou answered.
"Still, practicing archery is different than trying to hit a moving target," Naofumi cautioned. "Do you think you could hit a monster during life combat?"
"Yes," Shirou was not the prideful sort, but he did have confidence in his archery skills.
"Good enough for me," Naofumi decided, running a hand through his hair. "We will first have to see how much we will get for a cash reward. We'll set some aside for a bow and arrows."
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it," Naofumi said, waving his hand. "It's high time we got a ranged attacker anyway. Could you wake Raphtalia while I get some fresh air? I'll probably need a quiet moment to myself to prepare if I am going to have to be in a room with Trash, Bitch, and those three Cardinal Hero Stooges."
"Trash? Bitch?" Shirou blinked, nonplussed. Who the Cardinal Hero Stooges were was self-explanatory, but who did Naofumi mean by Trash and Bitch?
Naofumi shrugged. "The King is a trash King, and Malty is a bitch through and through. I have every intention of forgetting their names as fast as possible, and I've already forgotten the King's name. But I still need to refer to them as something. I think Trash and Bitch fit them perfectly."
Shirou didn't say anything, but his flat, deadpan gaze did wonders to convey his feelings on Naofumi's rather childish decision. "How…creative of you."
"Oh, blow it out of your ass and go wake Raphtalia. I'll be back in ten minutes."
"Trash and Bitch, eh?" the Old Man of the Weapon Shop said, looking over Shirou's Leather Armor set that was sprawled over his counter. The Iron supplementary armor pieces laid beside it. "Kind of childish, but considering what you told me happened last night, I can't really blame Shield Boy."
"I was of the same mind," Shirou groused, having changed out into a plain set of clothes that the Old Man had provided. "But then they tried to pull another stunt. They actually tried to cheat us out of our cash reward by claiming it as expenses for removing our Slave Crests. Those people really are the definition of shameless. Being named Trash and Bitch is putting it lightly."
"You don't say," the Old Man said, tracing one of the holes in the Leather Armor with his fingers.
"At least the Bow and the Sword Hero aren't all bad," Shirou said. "They protested what the King was trying to do. We didn't get nearly as much as the others, but 500 silver coins is not nothing."
"True, but have they helped in any other way?"
"A little," Shirou said. "They didn't stop me when I intervened in the duel between Naofumi and the Spear Hero. The cheating was so blatant, they probably saw no reason to stop me. They also told the Spear Hero off for the crap he tried to pull after the duel."
The Old Man made a non-committal hum and finished his inspection of Shirou's damaged armor. "It seems you are in luck, kid. The damage is fairly clean and minor, and the Iron armor pieces, which would have been harder to fix, came out unscathed. I'd be able to fix these holes for 10 silver pieces. I should have it ready to go again before the day is up."
"Thanks," Shirou said. 10 pieces of silver clinked on the countertop a second later.
"Pleasure doing business," the Old Man said.
"I was also looking if I could get a bow?" Shirou inquired.
"I do have a few of those," the Old Man waved over to a rack to the side where over a dozen bows of varying make hung.
"Any recommendations," Shirou asked as he ran his eyes over the bows.
"Depends. What kind of funds do you have?"
"I was given 150 pieces of silver from our cash reward, so now 140 pieces of silver."
The Old Man got out behind his counter and picked a brown longbow with a silvery bowstring. He also picked a plain quiver filled with several dozen arrows. He deposited the bow and the quiver filled with arrows on the counter and gave the demi-human a confident grin and a thumbs up.
"I am certain these pieces will suit your needs," the Old Man said. "An Oak Longbow and a Mundane Quiver full of Iron Arrows."
"Mundane Quiver?" Shirou questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"Ah. Some quivers have special magical properties woven into them," the Old Man explained. "These quivers can imbue arrows with Enchantments that improve speed and attack power. Some of the more exotic quivers can automatically apply a coating of poison onto arrows, or summon the arrows back into the quiver after having been used. If a quiver doesn't have any of that, we just call them Mundane Quivers."
Shirou whistled. "Those magical quivers sound impressive. Must be expensive, too."
"Expensive is putting it lightly, kid," the Old Man said. "And they are rare as well, which is the reason why magical quivers are so expensive. Precious few people know how to make them and very few establishment sell magical quivers. The only place where you can find a magical quiver that I know of with any degree of regularity is Zeltoble, the country of mercenaries and merchants."
"Zeltoble," Shirou repeated, blinking. For some reason, that country sounded familiar…
"What's with the egg?"
Instead of a greeting as the Shield Hero's party met back up outside the Old Man's Weapon Shop, those were the first words out of Shirou's mouth. Granted, they were justified as Raphtalia was carrying a container that had a large, cream colored egg inside.
"It's a monster egg," Naofumi explained. "Apparently, the Slave Trader runs a side business dealing in monsters. Think of it as a long term investment."
"Investment is not exactly the word I'd use. More like a gamble," Raphtalia huffed. "This egg cost a 100 pieces of silver, and we have no idea what might hatch from it."
Naofumi shrugged. "Eh, if it can fight, than we will have another party member that we will not need to buy equipment for. And if it isn't a good fighter, we will probably be able to sell it for more than we bought it for. It's a win-win as far as I am concerned. Besides, I've always liked to take care of pets and animals have always been comfortable around me."
"I'd say that our sudden influx of money has loosened your purse strings, Naofumi-sama," Raphtalia rebuked.
Shirou had to a hold back a chuckle at how blunt Raphtalia had become. He sobered quickly. "And? Did the Slave Trader know anything?"
"Afraid not," Naofumi sighed. "Apparently, one of his men found you passed out in one of the side streets close to his establishment, extra parts and everything. They took you before you woke up and slapped a Slave Crest on you. That's all they know about you."
Shirou frowned. "I'd figured it would be something like that," he grumbled. "Anyway, the Old Man said he could fix my armor for 10 pieces of silver and he'd have it finished by the end of the day."
"Good. And that bow and arrows that you wanted?"
"Found and bought. I'll come and pick everything up later today. No reason to lug all of that around if I'm coming back anyway," Shirou said. "What's next?"
"I was thinking of visiting the local Apothecary," Naofumi answered. "We still have a few extra potions left over from the Wave. It won't hurt to sell our surplus."
A few minutes later, they stepped into the shop of the old, grouchy Apothecary of Castle Town. Said man turned towards them as they stepped inside, and surprised all three of them with a smile.
"Ah. I was hoping you three would be stopping by," the Old Apothecary said.
Shirou blinked, surprised. The Old Apothecary usually looked sullen. So why was he looking so happy now? It threw him off, to say nothing of Naofumi, who looked clearly on edge.
"For what?" Raphtalia asked.
"I have some family in Riyute Village, two grandkids. You saved my little girl's life and came to the aid of both of them during the Wave," the Old Apothecary explained. "They stopped by shortly before they returned home yesterday night and asked me to help you if and when you stepped into my shop again."
Naofumi's eyes widened as he realized who the Old Apothecary was referring to. "You're talking about Zeph and Nina! You are their grandfather?"
Huh, small world. Shirou felt something warm inside of him at Naofumi receiving an honest word of a gratitude for what he had done during the Wave.
"Yeah, and in thanks I'd like to…" the Old Apothecary placed several well worn books on the counter. "Zeph told me you're quite talented in compounding and are already working on mid-level difficulty potions and compounds. These books will help you further your skills and some even hold recipes for high-level potions and compounds. I'd reckon you are ready to take them on."
Even as Naofumi hesitated, since they couldn't read those books anyway, Shirou gladly gathered the books and graced the Old Apothecary with a smile.
"Thank you. We will do our best."
"I'm glad to hear you say that. And… I also have one other gift for you."
The three of them watched curiously as the Old Apothecary placed a potion on the counter. It looked perfectly ordinary, but instead of the liquid in the potion bottle being clear, it was a bright gold, close to fluorescent.
"Please take this and… oh, before I forget. The owner of the Magic Shop wanted you guys to stop by as well. Anyway, this potion is…"
After the Old Apothecary had explained the mystery potions properties and worth, they were able to sell their surplus of potions. The Old Apothecary bought them for a very generous price and Naofumi used the extra funds to buy new potions ingredients and a new set of tools to use in his compounding. The old set of tools had started to get worn down after repeated use. And what did he do with the old set? He fed them to his shield, of course.
Requirement met: [Mortar Shield Unlocked – Base Defence 5 – Equip Bonus: Compounding + 2 (unmastered)]
Requirement met: [Beaker Shield Unlocked – Base Defence 12 – Equip Bonus: Compounding + 3 (unmastered)]
Requirement met: [Druggist Mortar Shield Unlocked – Base Defence 10 – Equip Bonus: Collection + 2 (unmastered)]
"Excuse us!"
"Ah! The Shield Hero and his companions. I have to thank you for saving my daughter and grandkids. If it weren't for you three, I would have lost my only remaining family," the owner of the Magic Shop greeted them happily and politely as they stepped inside.
Shirou blinked. That greeting was not surprising in and of itself, and just like with the Old Apothecary, the fact that Naofumi was receiving honest thanks for his efforts gave Shirou a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. But the fact that said owner of was a pudgy old lady dressed like a stereotypical witch threw him just a little. He had very little experience with Magi of his own world, but he was certain that they weren't usually dressed quite this stereotypical. At least, not many of them.
"I heard you wanted to see us?" Naofumi asked.
Shirou looked around the shop. Staves and wands were stacked up in racks. The shelves were lined with old, dusty books, and there were a number of crystal balls lined up behind the counter. Just like the owner of the shop, the shop itself was just like what you would expect from a Magic Shop.
He was quite interested to hear what the Magic Shop Owner had to say, as it probably pertained to her area of expertise: magic. Ever since he had been brought to this world, he had been wondering if the magic of this world was the same as his Magecraft, or if it worked off other principles.
"Yes, I did. I want to properly reward you three for what you did during the Wave. Tell me, what do you know about magic?"
Naofumi's and Raphtalia's eyes briefly darted towards Shirou. Naofumi shook his head. "Except that it exists, very little."
"I had figured as much," the Magic Shop Owner smiled. "If you would like, I could teach you the basic principles now and get all three of you started on learning how to use magic."
Shirou's eyes shined with excitement. This is what he had been hoping for. Kiritsugu had only taught him so much, and he knew that there were large gaps in his knowledge. And even if the magic of this world was entirely different from his own, he still might be able to learn something useful.
"Go ahead," Naofumi said, not quite being able to hide his own eagerness.
"There are a dozen principles governing the use of magic and I could spend several days talking about said principles, but I suspect that none of us have the time for that. Don't worry, though. I'll provide several texts with all the information you will need. For now, I'll only start with the foundation you'll need to get started."
Naofumi's eagerness took a slight hit hearing that. Ugh, more reading. And first he'd have to learn to read the local language before he could even begin properly learning. There was nothing for it, though. He had no other choice, if not for maximizing his future profits and the enticing possibility of learning magic, then for convenience sake if nothing else.
"There are three attributes that dictate what kind of magic a person can learn," the Magic Shop Owner began, taking on a lecturing posture. "Element. Origin. And one's Magic Circuits. These Magic Circuits in turn can be rated in both the amount a person has and their quality."
"Elements are the basic substances that shape the World, and a magic user has the capacity to at least manipulate one of said Elements. Some people have the capacity to manipulate more than one Element, and a few can even manipulate all Elements. But people like that are vanishingly rare."
The Magic Shop Owner had begun to pace as she explained.
"Origins, on the other hand, can be used to describe precise details about a person. Unlike Elements, there is no way I can give a concise explanation about Origins. Though a gross over simplification, for now it will suffice to know that an Origin is one's starting point and directs one's actions throughout life. It can be described as a sort of base instinct of a living being. This instinct does not necessarily have to be followed, but most people live their lives according to their Origin without realizing it. An Origin can be basically anything. So long as it exists in concept, it can be a person's Origin."
"Origins are relevant for learning magic in the sense that magic that is at least tangentially related to one's Origin is much easier to learn. Magic that aligns with both one's Element and Origin even more so."
Shirou was listening with rapt attention. Everything the Magic Shop Owner had explained so far lined up with what his dad had taught him, but she had further expanded on several things. And, he had to admit, that she was much, much better at explaining things than Kiritsugu.
"And finally, Magic Circuits. Magic Circuits are a universal trait that every person possesses."
Shirou's eyebrows rose. That was definitely different compared to his world.
"Magic Circuits are just as complicated a concept as Origins, but as gaining control of one's Magic Circuits is one of the very first step for learning magic, I'll go in a bit more detail."
The Magic Shop Owner stopped her pacing and turned towards them. "The purpose of Magic Circuits is to convert the Life Force energy of a person, an energy most magic users call Od, into a form usable for spells and supply said magical energy to the spell in question. Life Force energy is constantly produced as long as a person lives, but the amount and quality of a person's Magic Circuits dictates just how much Life Force energy can be converted into magical energy and can be used for spells at any given time. When the limit of the Magic Circuits are reached, said person can no longer perform spells."
"Actually, it would be more accurate to say it becomes inadvisable to do so, as continued use is liable to damage the Magical Circuits through overheating. On a side note, it's from this principle that Magic Water works. Contrary to what most people think, Magic Water does not restore your magical energy. It simply removes the heat caused by the use of Magic Circuits and cancels out the strain the Magic Circuits had been under from channelling Life Force energy and converting it into magical energy. Magical Water is literally a Health Potion for your Magic Circuits."
"The amount and quality of Magic Circuits people have can vary wildly, and while the amount of Magic Circuits a person is set from birth, their quality is subject to Levelling. The higher one's Level, the higher the quality of one's Magic Circuits becomes. That said, some people are born with Magic Circuits that are very high quality from the start that will only improve further through Levelling. It's because of this, combined with the amount of Magic Circuits a person is born with, that the capability to perform magic between people can vary wildly."
"Oh, and before you can use magic, your Magic Circuits need to be opened first. Magic Circuits are dormant until Life Force energy is run through them and magical energy is produced for the first time. If you have been wondering why there isn't a Stat for magic in your Status Menu, that's why. And don't worry, any Levelling you might have done up till now will have increased the quality of your Magic Circuits. It simply hasn't been visible in you Status Menu, because your Magic Circuits haven't been opened yet."
The Magic Shop Owner smiled at the flabbergasted look she received from Raphtalia and Naofumi for the longwinded and complicated explanation. "Don't worry, everything I just told you is included in the texts I'll be giving you. There's a reason I wanted to explain this personally. Magic is fiendishly complicated at the best of times."
Shirou hesitantly raised his hand.
"Yes?"
"What exactly do you mean by "opening" the Magic Circuits? I've been taught a little magic, but I've heard anything along the lines of what you just said," Shirou said.
The Magic Shop Owner blinked. "You have never had your Magic Circuits opened? If so, it should be impossible for you to perform any magic."
"But we've seen him use magic several times now," Raphtalia commented. Naofumi nodded.
The Magic Shop Owner frowned and held out her hand. "Let me check your body. I will use a spell to see if your Magic Circuits are open or not. It will also allow me to check how many Magic Circuits you have and their quality. Maybe your teacher used other terms when he taught you."
Shirou took her hand. A second later, he felt a tingle go through him as foreign magical energy briefly surged through his body.
"Strange," the Magic Shop Owner said, frown deepening. "You have 27 Magic Circuits that are a little above average, but they are still dormant. What exactly do you do when you perform a spell?"
Shirou explained. He knew something was wrong when the Magic Shop Owner gave him an alarmed look.
"Dear me," she said. "From the sound of it, when you say you "make" a Circuit, you are actually converting your nerves into makeshift Magic Circuits. That's highly dangerous. Even a single mistake could fry you from the inside out and kill you."
There was a moment of silence.
"As you might imagine, that's not normally the case," the Magic Shop Owner said. "Once one's Magic Circuits have been opened, they can then be activated at will through a mental trigger and there's no risk of death. At least, not by just activating your Magic Circuits," she shook her head. "I don't know how you came to belief that you have to "make" a Magic Circuit, but whoever taught you must have been either terribly misinformed or a terrible teacher."
Shirou could guess which. He had noticed early on in his teachings that Kiritsugu wasn't the best teacher. The man always seemed to have trouble explaining complicated concepts in understandable words. Shirou himself had to have misinterpreted something in one of his first lessons.
Dammit, dad…
"Thankfully," the Magic Shop Owner continued, breaking Shirou from his thoughts. "Your bad habit doesn't seem to have done any permanent damage. I will be able to activate the Magic Circuits of all three of you, and you will never have to do any such "make" a Magic Circuit nonsense again."
Shirou bowed his head in thanks. Naofumi and Raphtalia copied his action.
"But first, lets figure out everyone's Element and Origin, shall we?"
The Magic Shop Owner led them to her countertop in the back of her shop. She placed two crystal balls atop the counter, both completely clear and see through.
"I'll use these crystal balls to assess what your Element and Origin are."
"How does it work?" Raphtalia asked.
"It's quite simple, really. These crystal balls are just ordinary glass, but I've cast a spell on them that will make it possible for that glass to reflect one thing and one thing only. In grossly simple terms, I'll be instructing the crystal balls to reflect only the Element and Origin of the one touching them. That said, the images produced this way are very much abstract, usually just a mesh of colors, but trained professionals like myself can interpret these images, deducing a person's Element and Origin."
"What do we need to do?" Naofumi asked.
"Just place your hands on the crystal balls. I'll do the rest. Who would like to go first?"
Naofumi stepped forward, silently declaring that he would go first. He placed his hands on the crystal balls, one on each. The crystal balls briefly flared with color, then seemed to settle down. The left one was a deep, rich brown, and the right one was a wild mishmash of bright orange, light blue and a deep green.
"Hmm," the Magic Shop Owner took a moment to take a long and deep look at the crystal balls. "You have the Element of Earth and the Origin of Aegis. How fitting for you, Shield Hero."
"What do you mean?" Naofumi blinked.
"Aegis can be described as doing something under the protection and the support of a benevolent source. It implies a helpful nature, a need to protect and support others and perhaps a natural talent in leadership. I'd reckon it's quite fitting for the Shield Hero," the Magic Shop Owner explained.
Shirou and Raphtalia shared a smile. Naofumi frowned.
"As for what this means for your magic studies," the Magic Shop Owner continued. "You are suited for learning Recovery and Support magic. Of course, you are also able to learn Earth magic. Earth magic that is geared towards defence would be especially well suited for you to learn."
Naofumi picked up an important word in that last sentence. Especially. "But, I could also use Earth magic to attack?" he asked eagerly.
"Naturally," the Magic Shop Owner said with a nod. "As attacking is the most far removed from your defence and support oriented nature, learning spells for attack would be more difficult for you. Spells for defence, entrapment and hindrance would be much easier, but using Earth magic spells for attack wouldn't be impossible for you. Just harder."
All of a sudden, Naofumi felt much, much more motivated to learn how to read. He'd be willing to put in any amount of effort if he could learn to attack, without running the risk of using the Shield of Rage, and be able fight back on his own.
"Next I'll take a look at the nice young lady behind you."
Naofumi stepped back, the eager grin still on his face, and Raphtalia took his place, having given the Shield Hero the monster egg she had been carrying. Without a word, she placed her hands atop the crystal balls. The one on the left became a swirling whirlpool of black and white. The one on the right became a bright pink.
"No surprise here. Raccoon demi-humans are known for having an affinity for Light and Shadow magic, and you, young lady, are no exception in that regard. You have the dual Element of Light and Shadow. As for your Origin… it's Commitment. A good combination, I must say."
Raphtalia raised an eyebrow, a question in her eyes.
"Naturally, you'll be capable of performing Light and Shadow magic, but people who have both Light and Shadow Elements are also naturally suited to learn spells that deal with illusions," the Magic Shop Owner explained. "One of the main stumbling blocks for learning illusions is to actually believe that the illusion you have constructed is good enough to fool another person. When it comes to magic, intent is everything. Any kind of doubt in your mind will cause the illusion to crumble instantly. With an Origin like Commitment, I believe this will not be a problem for you. You should be able to commit to the believe of your illusion's effectiveness much easier than others."
"Now," the Magi Shop Owner turned to Shirou. "It's your turn, young man."
Shirou stepped up, a small flame of anticipation burning in his gut. He had known beforehand of the existence of Elements and Origins, but Kiritsugu hadn't been able to tell Shirou what his Element and Origin were, though he never explained why he couldn't. But now, he would finally find out.
He rested his hands on the crystal balls, but the result he got was much less ambiguous compared to Raphtalia and Naofumi. Both crystal balls displayed the ghostly image of a sword. These swords in the crystal balls were completely identical, except that the outline of the sword in the left constantly shifted from black to white and back.
"My word," the Magic Shop Owner said, blinking rapidly, looking closer at the crystal balls.
"What? What is it?"
The Magic Shop Owner didn't answer. She continued to look at the crystal balls with a focus that was almost frightening. After a long moment, she closed her eyes and leaned back.
"I have read about this, but I have never seen it in person before," she said, opening her eyes. "You have an aligned Element and Origin. They are both Sword."
"Sword," Shirou repeated, not quite believing it. Raphtalia and Naofumi also made noises of surprise. "Having Sword as an Origin doesn't seem out of the ordinary, but as an Element…"
"As I said, I have only read about this, but there have been cases like this before," the Magic Shop Owner declared, crossing her arms. "Sometimes, when one's Origin is strongly expressed outwardly, the Element of a person can be overwritten by their Origin, resulting in the Element becoming the same as said person's Origin."
"But what does that mean?" Naofumi cut in.
"For learning magic? That this young man will be the definition of a specialist. He will be brilliant at learning magic that is in some way related to the concept of Sword. Any magic beside that, though, it would be damn near impossible for him to learn. Except…"
"Except what?" Shirou asked curiously.
The Magic Shop Owner tapped the crystal ball that displayed one's Element. "Except you still possess Elements of Light and Shadow, as is customary for a raccoon demi-human. The concept of Sword is so strongly expressed in you that the Elements of Light and Shadow are almost completely blotted out, but they are still there."
"So, Shirou will still be able to learn Light and Shadow magic, as well as illusions, just like me?" Raphtalia mussed.
"Technically, yes, though it would be difficult. Fiendishly so, in fact, but it is possible," the Magic Shop Owner said. She turned towards Shirou. "I'd recommend focussing on Sword related magic, as that will come the most easiest to you but if you're willing and capable of putting in the required time and effort, learning Light and Shadow magic, as well as illusions, is possible."
Shirou nodded, barely holding back how eager he was. Hard work had never scared him before.
"Before we continue, however, might I ask what kind of magic you are able to perform right now?" the Magic Shop Owner asked. "I must admit, because of your unusual situation, I'm unsure just what grimoires I should give you. The magic you can already perform might give me a clue."
"You make it sound as if these grimoires are more than just books," Raphtalia cut in.
"Dear me, didn't I explain how grimoires work?" the Magic Shop Owner blinked. "I'm sorry, it seems I have lost track a little of what I have and haven't told you."
"It's fine. It's been a long conversation, and you have already told us a lot of useful things," Naofumi waved off.
"Thank you, but back to grimoires," the Magic Shop Owner said. "Before someone can learn magic, they must first learn the Magic Alphabet, so that they can decipher the symbols in a grimoire. These symbols appear different to every person who reads them based on their Element, Origin and even their personality. Besides that, if your nature is too far removed from the subject of a grimoire, it will be impossible for you to decipher that grimoire. A grimoire on Fire magic would be incomprehensible for someone who doesn't have the Fire Element."
"Because of this you can't have someone else read a grimoire for you and learn magic that way," she continued to explain. "Everyone develops their own way of casting a certain spell as they decipher a grimoire and make the magic detailed inside their own. Magic, after all, is very much a personalized art."
Naofumi, Shirou and Raphtalia were nodding along. It was another longwinded explanation, but it made sense.
"So, back to my previous question…" the Magic Shop Owner said leadingly, looking at Shirou.
"I only know three spells," Shirou said, ticking them off on his fingers. "Reinforcement, which allows me to enhance an object's purpose. Structural Analysis, which allows me to understand the structure and composition of an object. And Projection, which allows me to create objects out of raw magical energy," he said, then added. "Also, this isn't a spell of mine, but… I've just recently discovered that I automatically gain a lot of information whenever I lay eyes on a sword, no effort required."
The Magic Shop Owner nodded, narrowing her eyes in thought. "That undoubtedly happens because of your aligned Element an Origin. A blade-only psychometry that works on sight…"
"Psychometry?"
"The divination of facts concerning an object through contact or proximity to said object," the Magic Shop Owner explained absently, her mind clearly being elsewhere. "What exactly can you tell about a sword after having seen it?"
"As of now? I can tell a sword's structure, the material it is made out of and the forging process."
"Hmm, you think you might be able to tell more?"
"I know I can," Shirou said, certain. "I can feel it. There's much more information to work with here in my mind. I just can't perceive it yet."
"That makes sense," the Magic Shop Owner agreed. "An object, sword or not, is much more than just how it was made. There's also the concept behind its creation and the history said object has accumulated in its existence. If your psychometry with swords goes that deep…who knows what kind of interesting applications that might have," she said, nodding her head. "If you, as you say, have only recently become aware of this phenomena it's probably because of unfamiliarity with this ability of yours that you cannot perceive all the information you receive."
"I dare say that being aware of your Element and Origin, and the opening of your Magic Circuits, will make it easier for you to master this ability. For the rest, I can only advice you to continue to practice and experiment," the Magic Shop Owner finished.
"I will," Shirou promised. No way in hell would he falter now that he had some direction in his studies in Magecraft.
Having finally finished her explanation, the Magic Shop Owner began bustling around her shop and took several grimoires of the shelves, murmuring beneath her breath as she collected the books. She then placed the grimoires on the counter in three neat piles.
"Grimoires on Earth, Recovery and Support Magic for the Shield Hero," she said, sliding the first pile of three books forward. "Grimoires on Light, Shadow and Illusion magic for the young lady," the second pile of another three books slid forward. "And last, grimoires on Enchantments, Material Transmutation and Applied Sword Magic for the young man," the last pile of books slid forward. "All of them are grimoires for beginners, so they are perfect for you three."
Then the Magic Shop Owner bend down, disappearing below the counter for a moment. She emerged a second later and placed another three thick books, one fairly thin book, and three potion bottles with blood colored liquid on the counter.
"And these are?" Naofumi asked.
The Magic Shop Owner pointed at the three thick, leather bound books. "These books hold all the basic principles on magic you will need to know before you can try and learn spells," she said, then indicate the much thinner book. "And this book has everything you need to know to learn the Magic Alphabet. You'll first have to understand the basic principles of magic, gain control of your Magic Circuits, as well as learn the Magic Alphabet before you can start trying to learn magic proper. I know it will be difficult and time consuming, especially considering your duties, but I'm certain all three of you have it in you to learn magic."
In spite of everything that they would need to learn and the sheer effort required to do so, Naofumi, Raphtalia and Shirou all looked excited at learning magic. Seeing that none of them appeared put off made the Magic Shop Owner smile.
"I can't wait to begin."
The Magic Shop Owner chuckled. "Hold your horses. These potions," she waved towards the stylized potion bottles. "Are called Miracle Work Potions. You'll be using these to open your Magic Circuits for the first time. Once you drink it, the magic contained in the liquid will force open your Magic Circuits and then flush itself out of your system as fast as possible. Oh, and it will deaden your nerves for a while, as well as apply a low strength, continues healing effect to you that will last for about a day."
"Deaden our nerves and heal us?" Shirou blinked. "Why?"
"Magic Circuits can be considered foreign elements in the body. Opening them up is little different than implanting and jump starting an organ that wasn't there before. Normally, this would be a quite painful procedure, not to mention dangerous," the Magic Shop Owner explained. "These Miracle Work Potions negates the risks involved. Not to mention ensures that you will be back on your feet in short order and make it so that you won't be in too much pain."
Naofumi nodded, showing that he understood. He looked over everything the Magic Shop Owner was offering to them: the books on the principles of magic, the book – more of a pamphlet, really – on the Magic Alphabet, the grimoires and the Miracle Work Potions.
"How much for everything?" he asked.
"I'd like to give everything to you for free, but I would run myself out of business if I did," the Magic Shop Owner sighed. "Instead, I'll offer you a friend's price. 180 pieces of silver."
Naofumi held back a grimace. Even with the money they had made with selling their surplus of potions earlier, that would only leave them a little over 60 pieces of silver left. It had not been even a day and their cash reward was almost already completely spent.
Well, in for penny in for a pound. Naofumi grumbled inwardly. He sighed. "Could you throw in another one of those Miracle Work Potions?"
The Magic Shop Owner blinked. "Sure. That'll be 200 pieces of silver, then."
"Deal."
Requirement met: [Magic Foundation Shield Unlocked – Base Defense: 10 – Equip Bonus: Magic Stat Growth Up (small)] / Magic Circuit Maturation Adjustment (small) (unmastered)]
[Magic Stat Growth Up (small) – Provides small bonus Stat gain to Magic to both the Hero and his companions with each Level up]
[Magic Circuit Maturation Adjustment (small) – Allows for small adjustment to be made to Magic Circuits]
"So, what's the plan?"
They'd left the Magic Shop behind and headed back to the Weapon Shop of the Old Man. There they had retrieved Shirou's fixed Leather Armor and Iron supplementary armor pieces, which he had immediately donned. He had also equipped the Oak Longbow and Mundane Quiver, which was slung over his shoulder and was filled with Iron Arrows. His Magic Steel Sword was sheathed at his side.
Shirou had to admit that, coupled with his raccoon features, that he now really looked like a character that wouldn't have been out of place in a fantasy novel. Like a humanoid adventurer from a different, but similar species.
They were standing just outside the Weapon Shop of the Old Man, discussing their next course of action.
"Not sure," Naofumi mussed. "From the sound of it, when we drink the Miracle Work Potions, we'll probably be out of it for a short while. I… don't feel comfortable leaving myself vulnerable here in Castle Town," he admitted. It was basically the belly of the beast for them.
"We could head back to Riyute Village," Shirou suggested. "The Wave happened just the other day, a lot of monster remains must still be lying around. We didn't get the chance to feed any of those monster remains to the Legendary Shield as all the heroes and their parties immediately headed back to Castle Town after the battle, so…"
"True," Naofumi said. He himself had been rather cross that he didn't get the chance to feed his shield after the Wave's end. Those damn knights and that pompous leader of theirs. If it wasn't for the promise of a cash reward, he would have told them to shove their demands where the sun don't shine.
"Sound good to me," Raphtalia nodded. "We can gather all that we need to further improve Naofumi-sama's shield and rent a room at the Inn. Once there we can drink the Miracle Work Potions and get started on learning magic. From what the owner of the Magic Shop said, we'll probably be out of it for a couple of hours, maybe even a full day. It will probably be best to open our Circuits late in the evening, so that we can sleep it off and don't lose too much time."
"But we will also have to get a hang of opening and closing our Circuits, remember?" Shirou said in a cautioning fashion. "The owner of the Magic Shop also warned us that, if we don't get control of our Circuits and they open without warning, that we could really harm ourselves."
"We'll probably have to take it easy the next day, then," Naofumi said. "We can also use the time to start learning to read the local language," he sighed. "That's going to be a pain."
"Not as much as you might think," Raphtalia said with a smile.
"Huh. What do you mean?"
"I don't know everything, but my parents taught me most of the characters that make up the core of high Melromarcian dialect," Raphtalia began.
"And because of the ritual that the Slave Trader made me undergo I can speak the language," Shirou continued. "I can translate the local language into Japanese and with Raphtalia's help I'm sure we can write up an alphabet table."
Naofumi blinked. "You've both thought this through, huh?"
"We talked it over earlier. It makes sense," Raphtalia said with a shrug.
"Good to hear. Off to Riyute Village, then," Naofumi decided, then frowned. "Actually, as we walk, can you both tell me all that you know about the Church of the Three Heroes? I got the gist last night, but I'd like to know everything that you can tell me."
"…Sure," Raphtalia nodded.
"…You realize it will piss you off big time, right?" Shirou asked to be sure.
"Yeah," Naofumi sighed, deadpan and utterly resigned. "What else is new?"
Requirement met: [Companion Shield III – Base Defense 5 – Equip Bonus: Companion Stat Growth up (medium) (mastered)]
They arrived at Riyute Village barely three hours later. They had gone straight for the village with no detours, and monster encounters were few and far between. They had made good time, all three of them decided as the village gates came into sight.
And it just so happened that someone they knew was waiting for them there.
"Yo! Naofumi! Kids in grown up bodies! Fancy seeing you guys here!"
"Alfyn," Naofumi greeted as the blond Apothecary came walking up. His ever present grin was still on his face, though said face was gaunt with exhaustion. "Everything alright?"
"Eh, considering the circumstances, it could be worse," Alfyn said, shrugging. "I have been busy like you wouldn't believe the last two days, coordinating the reconstruction efforts together with Zeph. I can't complain, though, as I'm still alive. Anyway, what brings you back here?"
"Several things," Naofumi said. "Mostly getting away from Castle Town."
"Ah, makes sense, I guess. I never liked those pompous idiots back in the capital," Alfyn nodded like he perfectly understood what Naofumi meant. Maybe he did.
"How is the village doing?" Shirou cut in. Riyute Village and its inhabitants had been in the back of his mind for a while now.
"Again, it could be worse," Alfyn declared. "Quite a few of the buildings were smashed and the roads have taken a beating, but that's nothing a good month's worth of effort won't fix. Besides that, the fields and produce were much better off then it originally appeared, so we are good on that front so long as the harvest goes smoothly. The main thing we have been focussing on is disposing of the remains of the monsters as quickly as we can. I rather not that my home village becomes ground zero for another great epidemic."
"…I might be able to help with that," Naofumi said, placing a hand on the Legendary Shield.
Alfyn raised an eyebrow at them, and it remained raised in scepticism even after Naofumi explained some of the Legendary Shield's abilities. But the man quickly changed his tune when he saw a monster's corpse disappear with but a simple touch, being sucked whole into the Legendary Shield's green jewel.
They were shown to the battlefield outside of the village, as the village proper itself had already been cleared of monster corpses. Naofumi went around absorbing the monster corpses, Raphtalia and Shirou dismantling them so that they got the most possible out of it. All told they unlocked about 80 shields, most of which simply defaulted to Equip Bonuses for Naofumi's various Stats, which were quickly mastered as they repeatedly fed the same monster parts to the Legendary Shield. There were also one or two shields with interesting effects.
Requirement met: [Otherworld Zombie Gut Shield – Base Defense 16 – Equip Bonus: Inventory Rot Resistance (small) (mastered)]
Requirement met: [Otherworld Bee Needle Shield – Base Defense 20 – Equip Bonus: Attack +1 (mastered)]
Special Ability: Needle Shield (small) / Bee Poison (paralysis)
Eventually, after clearing several fields, they were brought to ground zero of the Wave. There, they found the corpse of the Boss Monster, the biggest and strongest monster spawned by the Wave. The vocal point of the destructive phenomena that had struck Riyute Village.
Or, what was left of it.
"Man, what a mess. The other Heroes must have gutted this thing," Naofumi said.
It was some kind of chimera, easily the size of a large house if it had been standing up. But it was kind of difficult to tell which animals had made it up. It's three heads had been torn off, obviously having been used to further improve on the other Hero's Legendary Weapons. Beside that the skin and flesh of the beast was pockmarked with slash wounds and craters.
The only thing still relatively intact looking was the chimera's tail, which was tipped with the head of a massive snake that reminded him eerily of the Otherworld Blotted Viper.
This thing really took a beating before it went down. Naofumi felt a sweat drip down his brow at the mere thought of trying to stand up to its attacks.
"Would you mind if we took a little of it?" Shirou asked.
"Sure," Alfyn decided after a brief discussion with the some of the other villagers. "We were thinking of processing it into equipment and preserving what we could to sell later, but there is no way we could make use of all of it. As far as I am concerned, you can consider this your payment for services rendered during the Wave and you can take what you want."
With that said, they went about butchering the massive carcass. The villagers, Alfyn included, pitched in to help.
Requirement met: [Otherworld Chimera Meat Shield – Base Defense 25 – Equip Bonus: Cooking + 8 (unmastered)]
Requirement met: [Otherworld Chimera Bone Shield – Base Defense 16 – Equip Bonus: Shadow Resistance (unmastered)]
Requirement met: [Otherworld Chimera Leather Shield – Base Defense 28 – Equip Bonus: Defence + 15 (unmastered)]
Requirement met: [Otherworld Chimera Claw Shield – Base Defense 23 – Equip Bonus: Agility + 6 (unmastered)]
Requirement met: [Otherworld Chimera Viper Shield – Base Defense 45 – Equip Bonus: Change Shield / Compounding + 12 / Poison Resistance (medium) (unmastered)]
Special Ability: Snake Venom Fang (medium) / Hook
Naofumi looked over the Stats of the last shield he had unlocked. It had a lot of good Equip Bonuses, especially since he now had the base form of the Change Shield Skill, and its Special Abilities really fit his current fighting style. Not to mention, its base Defence Stat was, except for the Shield of Rage, the highest he had in his entire arsenal. Too bad he needed to master all the other Chimera shields before he could use it.
He got a feeling that the Chimera Viper Shield would be his to go to shield for a long while after he'd unlocked it.
"Good. I got some nice shields out of it," Naofumi said and closed his Menu.
"Let's continue, the fields are almost clear of corpses," Shirou suggested.
They continued on helping the villagers clear the fields around Riyute Village, now simply allowing the Legendary Shield to absorb the monster's whole. This sped up the process considerably, and by the time it became dusk the fields were free of the looming biohazard.
"Thanks for all the help. Is there anything we could do in return?" Alfyn asked a moment later. "I feel kinda bad having you guys helping us constantly without really showing our appreciation."
After a moment, Raphtalia raised her hand. "Um, if you know how to read, can you maybe help teach us? Me and Shirou only have been taught a little, and Naofumi-sama is from another world, so…"
Alfyn blinked, obviously haven't expected that request, then grinned. "Sure, it would be my pleasure. Our houses got wrecked during the Wave, so me, Zeph and Nina have been staying at the Inn. I'll put a word in so that we can share a room together for free and have us a late night study session."
With that, they entered the village proper.
Shirou looked around at the wrecked buildings. He'd noticed it before, but half the village had been demolished during the Wave. Even with Alfyn's assurance that the people of Riyute Village would pull through just fine, he worried for their future. He wanted to help with the rebuilding, helping for the sake of helping as he was won't to do, but that would cut into study time, which in turn would affect his ability to aid people in the future, to aid in future Waves and save lives. Compared to that, helping people to rebuild houses, while a good thing to do, felt like a hollow gesture at best.
He had to prioritize how and who he could help, try and find the most optimal path that would allow him to help the most people, and it galled him. But if through prioritizing like this he'd be able to help more people in the long run, that's what he would do.
Zeph was waiting for them at the Inn, and he greeted them warmly. "Hey, guys. I had heard you had come back and have been helping out in the fields. How's it looking?" he asked.
"Perfect. No more monster corpses," Alfyn answered for them.
Zeph let out a sigh of relieve. "Oh, thank god. Now I won't have to worry about that anymore."
"You're welcome," Shirou said, smiling. "And thank you for putting in a kind word in for us with your grandfather. He gave us some useful stuff."
"After all you guys have done, that's the least I could do," Zeph shook his head. "I still feel like I have not paid you all back properly. If there's anything else I can do…"
"Way ahead of you, pal," Alfyn slung an arm around Zeph's shoulder and led the group inside the Inn.
They retired to a shared room where Nina was already waiting for them. The monster egg that they'd bought from the Slave Trader and had been in one of Naofumi's knapsacks was deposited on a table.
With Alfyn's and Zeph's help they then managed to quickly draft a table of the local language's characters. With Shirou's help they coupled said characters to the corresponding symbol in Japanese, and with that a long night of studying began.
For Naofumi, who was also using the time to compound some medicines and concoctions, trying to memorize the strange symbols was a pain. It reminded him painfully of those times he had to study for a particularly important test when he was in college. It did not have that same undercurrent of urgency, but the soul killing monotony was similar.
Still, they studied deep into the night, making a little headway before they decided to go to sleep. But first, they had one last thing to do.
"This is going to suck," Naofumi grumbled as he looked down at the Miracle Work Potion in his hands with trepidation.
"The Magic Shop Owner said as much, didn't she?" Shirou deadpanned.
Naofumi gave the demi-human a flat look. He had noticed it before, but Shirou had suddenly kind of developed a tendency to be snarky at times. Considering that it slipped out only rarely, he figured that the boy had always had such pointed thoughts and now simply felt comfortable enough around him to not always hold his tongue.
That thought made him feel oddly warm for some reason.
"Please don't start an argument now you two," Raphtalia sighed. "Let's just get this over with."
All three of them were sitting on a bed. Alfyn, Zeph and Nina were already asleep, having retired to their own beds. They looked at each other, and nodded. With a popping sound, they'd pulled the stoppers out of the Miracle Work Potions, raised it to their mouths and downed the concoction in a single, swift gulp.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then, suddenly, Raphtalia let out a hiss, Naofumi took a deep breath and Shirou tensed. On their skin, glowing blue lines manifested, looking almost like circuitry as the potion's magic surged through their systems and forced their Magic Circuits open. Their body temperature rose quickly as their Magic Circuits converted Life Force into magical energy for the very first time, and their breaths quickened as their bodes tried to adept to the sudden rise in temperature, sweat starting to bead on their brows. Pain seared their flesh, and all three of them had to clench their teeth to not make a sound and-
The pain suddenly lessened, becoming a dull, continuous ache instead of a fire in their flesh. The secondary effects of the Miracle Work Potions had kicked in, deadening their nerves and dulling the pain. After a moment, the glowing blue lines on their skin disappeared, the Magic Circuits closing. Still, their breaths remained fast paced and they continued to sweat, their body temperature similar to when a person has a fever.
After a long moment, their breaths evened out, but they continued sweat and have what was pretty much a fever. Naofumi groaned as he picked up one of the towels they had laid out beforehand and whipped the sweat of his brow.
Shirou, meanwhile, opened his Menu. Yep, just like the Magic Shop Owner had said, he now had a Stat for Magic. "It worked."
"It better have," Raphtalia let out a shaky breath.
"Let's just try and get some sleep," Naofumi said, breathing deeply. "We have to sleep this off. Good night."
With that, the Shield Hero laid down.
Raphtalia and Shirou copied him. Sleep did not come easy for any of them that night, but all three of them fell asleep eventually. And tomorrow, they would continue with their studies, all in the name of learning magic.
Requirement met: [Companion Shield IV – Base Defense 5 – Equip Bonus: Companion Stat Growth up (large) (mastered)]
Requirement met: [Magic Foundation Shield Unlocked – Base Defense: 10 – Equip Bonus: Magic Stat Growth Up (small)] / Magic Circuit Maturation Adjustment (small) (mastered)]
Swords.
Emiya Shirou dreamed of swords, of blades.
On a Hill that seemed to go on into infinity, a field of blades stretch beyond the horizon under an everlasting sunset that painted the sky a vivid crimson. Their numbers were beyond counting, maybe even infinite in the literal sense, as if he found himself in a Universe of Endless Blades.
Shirou looked over this vast expanse, and came to a saddened realization that virtually all the blades in this world were indistinct. Their impressions, their potential, their possibilities were there, but their actual existence and records were not to be found here. One day, if fate would have it that way, all these weapons might find a home here.
But for now, in spite of this reality's fast potential, it was mostly empty, waiting to be filled with what few blades having been recorded so far being dull and ordinary.
There were only two exceptions, and as such, they drew all of Shirou's attention.
Midway up the Hill, two weapons rested close by each other. A spear and a sword. A Legendary Spear and a Legendary Sword both in the literal and figurative sense, weapons only to be wielded by chosen champions. But their existence was recorded here, their owners were not present, so there was nothing stopping anyone else from reaching out and taking them, nothing stopping anyone from using them even if they weren't the intended wielder.
So he did just that. Shirou reached for them, and the moment his hands closed around the hilt of the Legendary Sword and the pole of the Legendary Spear, their records unfolded in his mind.
It was gibberish to him. These Legendary Weapons were Holy, divine in the literal sense. Even if their records were recorded here, a mortal mind could not comprehend the divine beyond mortal ken. Their structure was alien to his mind, the materials they were made from had no name in any spoken mortal's language, and the Legendary Weapons weren't so much forged as they were wished into existence. The records on the Legendary Weapons were incomprehensible to him, and as alien to his mind as the concept of philosophy would be to an ant.
Except for one, mundane part of the Legendary Weapon's existence that was as ordinary as anything else: their history.
His sight went deeper then it ever had before, and the histories of the Legendary Weapons were laid bare to him. The battles they had been used in, the materials that had been used to unlock new forms and the Skills that had been gained as a result, the constant use of abilities and functions. All of that and more.
And, most importantly, the methods their wielders had used to bring out their Legendary Weapon's potential.
Shirou woke up, gasping for breath.
For a brief moment, the room seemed to spin wildly around him, and the covers he found himself under made him feel unbearably hot and stuffy. It took him a moment to realize he was still suffering from the fever that the unlocking of his Magic Circuits had caused.
"Oh," he groaned, turning over in his bed. "I feel terrible."
Because of how he felt he was ready to chalk up what he had just experiences as an odd fever dream, but when his mind automatically went to the only thing of real substance he had dreamed about, the Legendary Spear and Legendary Sword, all the information he had been able to grasp, the events that said weapons had experienced, appeared as clear as day in his mind.
Suddenly, the information was just there for him to peruse at his leisure. Just like the Magic Shop Owner had theorized, he could evidently also perceive the history of a blade. But was he now able to perceive it because he was becoming more familiar with his innate abilities, because of his knowledge of his aligned Element and Origin of Sword, because his Magic Circuits had been unlocked or because of a combination of all of the above?
Not that it really mattered. The fact was that he now could also perceive the history of weapon. And as he mentally sorted through the information on the Legendary Weapons in an attempt to focus his mind away, he realized that there were a few… inconsistencies between the functions and abilities of the Legendary Spear, the Legendary Sword and the Legendary Shield. There was a lot of overlap, but there were also quite a few differences.
"I've got to figure this out," he decided. Curiosity roused in spite of how awful he felt, Shirou got out of bed and dressed himself. Not like laying in bed would make him feel better, might as well continue being productive.
Shirou dug out a piece of paper out of his bag and a pencil. Then he started putting pencil to paper, writing down all that he considered important that he had discovered about the Legendary Weapons and their functions.
"Let's see…"
Naofumi had woken up at around 07:00 in the morning to find that Alfyn and Nina had, to his surprise, already left, while Zeph was still asleep, and his demi-human companions had already been up and working on something. If nothing else, Naofumi had to admire Shirou's and Raphtalia's dedication. They had to be feeling every bit as awful as Naofumi also felt, suffering from a fever as all three of them still were, yet they had still gotten up very early and had set to work on something.
Raphtalia had been sitting up in her bed, practicing turning her Magic Circuits on and off. Shirou, on the other hand, had been writing something down with such focus that he barely responded when Naofumi wished him a good morning. Following Raphtalia's example, he had also gotten to work on trying to get control of his Magic Circuits.
He had little to no headway when Shirou had suddenly gotten up and handed him the piece of paper he had been writing on, startling Naofumi.
"Here," Shirou said. "Read it. It's important."
"What is it?" Naofumi asked more out of reflex that anything else. He looked down and started reading.
Legendary Weapon Functions
Universal
[Unlock Form] – A Legendary Weapon can absorb materials into it. If the material can be used to unlock a new form it will do so. If not, the material will be stored in the Item Box. The time required to unlock a new form is dependent on the material used and the number of forms the weapon has already unlocked. As more forms are unlocked, it can unlock new forms faster.
[Item Box] – The Legendary Weapons have a subspace to keep unused materials.
[Drop Item] – When a monster is killed and absorbed by the Legendary Weapon, in whole or in part, the Legendary Weapon will generate a drop item
[Recipe Synthesis] – A Legendary Weapon can unlock recipes for cooking, potion making, smithing, etc, through mastery of certain weapon forms. After the recipe has been unlocked, the Legendary Weapon can craft, cook, smith, etc. the corresponding item. The quality is always Normal, regardless of the quality of the materials put in.
[Weapon Copy] – Weapons of the same category as Legendary Weapon can be copied into said Legendary Weapon without consuming the original copy.
[Weapon Mastery] – Weapon forms can be mastered through use, repeatedly absorbing more copies of the unlock material, or by simply having the weapon equipped long enough outside of battle. Once the form is Mastered, the Hero gains the weapon form's Equipment Bonuses, even with the form is not equipped.
[Equipment Bonuses] – Equipment Bonuses are bonuses that come from individual weapon forms and can be mastered to make permanent.
Legendary Sword
[Level Link] - As the Hero Levels up, all weapon forms will grow stronger alongside them. With every Level up + 0,5 will be added to a weapon form's Attack or Defence rating.
[Weapon Proficiency] – Weapon Proficiency is a gauge that fills up and runs concurrent with the time spent Mastering a weapon. The gauge for Weapon Proficiency goes up to 100 for each weapon form, and can be reset to gain Energy.
[Awaken Weapon] – Once a weapon form is Mastered, it can be Awakened by consuming Energy gained from [Weapon Proficiency] in order to provide even greater Equipment Bonuses and enhance Special Abilities. Numerical Equipment Bonuses will be increased by 50%. Nonnumerical Equipment Bonuses and Special Abilities increase by one grade (Poison Resistance (small) becomes Poison Resistance (medium). Awakening weapon forms might also reveal previously hidden abilities.
[Upgrade] – A weapon form that has been Awakened can be Upgraded by consuming more Energy gained from [Weapon Proficiency]. Any item in the Legendary Weapon's Item Box can also be turned into Energy. There is only percent chance of success with each attempt and each form can only have up to 5 successes. Each success increases the Base Stats of the weapon form by +20% (additive stacking). Each successive upgrade will increase a weapon form's Rarity. First the weapon form will gain the Common Rarity, then Uncommon, then Rare, then Super Rare, and then Artifact.
Legendary Spear
[Weapon Familiarity] - A weapon form becomes stronger through continued use. This is a gauge that can at least go from 0 to 10 and adds + 2 to the Attack or Defence rating with every level reached on the gauge, but can go much higher depending on the weapon form.
[Weapon Enchantment] – A weapon form can be enhanced by using [Soul Fragments] gathered from enemies absorbed into the Legendary Weapon. An enhanced weapon form gains damage/damage-reduction against the enemy type the weapon form is specialized for. These bonuses will be different depending on the level of specialization of the weapon. As the Level of enchantment gets higher, it becomes more and more expensive.
[Weapon Tempering] – A weapon form can be made stronger with the use of certain ores. Each weapon form has only a single kind of ore that will increase its Tempering Level. The more powerful the weapon form, the more ore needs to be infused before its Tempering Level increases. There is no limit how many times a weapon form's Tempering Level can be increased. There is, however, a percent chance of failure, and if the process fails, all previous Tempering Levels will be lost. Weapon Tempering will give +1 to the Base Attack or the Base Defence with each Tempering Level.
[Status Enchantment] – A weapon form can be Enchanted by infusing them with certain materials in order to add special properties, depending on the material used. Rare and more magically potent materials may give higher bonuses. If you use a new Enchantment, it will overwrite the old one.
Naofumi read it. Then read it again, just to be sure. He looked up at Shirou, Raphtalia having joined them in the meantime.
Shirou saw the question in Naofumi's eyes and started to explain. "You know how the Magic Shop owner theorized that I might be able to read a weapon's history? She was right. I don't know how it happened, but now I can also perceive a weapon's history. I can't make head or tails of most that makes up the Legendary Weapons, but how their wielder used them is pretty mundane. I used that info and what I know about the Legendary Shield to make this list."
"I didn't see anything on the Legendary Bow," Naofumi said, handing over the piece of paper to Raphtalia as she asked to see it. "Why's that? You saw it at the feast too, right?"
"I think it's because a bow is a bit too far removed from my aligned Element and Origin," Shirou said. "On the other hand, a sword and a spear are pretty similar all things considered."
"Hmm," Naofumi hummed, eyes narrowing in thought. He pulled up his Menu and looked through it. "I can't see any of those options in my Menu…"
"That doesn't make any sense," Raphtalia protested, looking up from the piece of paper. "I would be able to understand if these Strengthening Methods might not be available to you, Naofumi-sama, since they might be weapon specific, but if both the Legendary Sword and the Legendary Spear have this Drop Item and Weapon Copy abilities, and presumably the Legendary Bow does too, why would the Legendary Shield be the odd one out?"
"True, that would be odd," Naofumi agreed, staring hard at his Menu. "But I am still not seeing any of these options. Is this why they said the Legendary Shield was the weakest weapon?" he grumbled.
Still, the more he thought about it, the less sense it made to him. The other Heroes always said that the Shield was the weakest weapon, but they always alluded to the fact that he had virtually no ability to attack. There was no logical reason that he could think of why the Shield would not have the same basic functions as the other Legendary Weapons. He did have the Unlock Form, Weapon Mastery and the Equip Bonuses functions, then why didn't he also have the use of the Item Box, the Drop Item, the Recipe Synthesis and the Weapon Copy systems?
So deep in thought Naofumi was, that he didn't realize that Zeph had woken up. Or the fact that Zeph had left the room after a brief conversation with Shirou.
Naofumi continued to ponder it, and eventually his mind came to focus on the existence of the Shield of Rage. Before he had unlocked the Shield of Rage, there was no information on it in his Menu. The Curse Series Skill tree had, prior to its unlocking, simply not existed as far as his Menu was concerned. Could these other options be hidden from him for a similar reason? But what could the reason be? The Curse Series Skill Tree had been unlocked when he been driven to the edge of despair and his anger had overwhelmed him. But again, why would that be so?
Were the Legendary Weapon's perhaps influenced by their wielder's emotions, by their perceptions? And now that he thought about it, had not his Menu included more options before he had been framed for rape? And he had closed off his heart in response? It was a hell of a logical leap, he had to admit, but it did make sense to him.
So, did that mean that those options weren't available to him because he did not believe they existed in the first place? That thought, that his own rather perceptions were holding him back, galled him.
"I'm back," Zeph announced, slamming the door shut behind him loudly enough to break Naofumi from his musings. He marched up to the Shield Hero, and handed over a plain Iron Shield. "Here, the Innkeeper here had a short stint as an Adventurer, before deciding that it wasn't for him. This was the shield that he'd used. Try it."
Naofumi looked at the shield in his hands, then up at the people staring down at him expectantly. He sighed, then stared hard at the Iron Shield.
If… If his conjectures were true, then the reason he didn't have access to certain options was because he hadn't been aware they existed, at first, and now they weren't available to him was because he did not believe that they were real. To be more precise, somewhere inside of him, he was refusing to believe.
But that just meant that he had to convince himself, convince himself that those options, did in fact exist.
The problem was that Naofumi's sense of trust had been damaged, perhaps irreparably so. It'd be an uphill struggle to convince himself on nothing more than force of will.
But, the one that had informed him of this was Shirou, a person that, just like Raphtalia, he'd trusted implicitly. The mere thought of those two made him feel happy and warm. With those feelings and the conviction they had inspired in him, he tightened his hold on the Iron Shield, and dug down deep.
The ability to copy weapons must be real! If Shirou say so, then the Weapon Copy ability exists!
Something in the shield responded, its green jewel lighting up.
Weapon Copy – Complete: [Iron Shield Unlocked – Base Defence 3 – Equip Bonus: Shield Bash]
[Shield Bash – Bashing the Hero's shield against a target will stun it for 5 seconds (unmastered)]
In a flash, the Legendary Shield changed into the form of the Iron Shield.
"It worked…" Naofumi breathed.
"Good job, Naofumi-sama!" Raphtalia cheered.
Naofumi nodded at congratulations he received, the others following suit, but his thoughts were still elsewhere. After all, if the Weapon Copy ability was real, then the other abilities had to be real too, right? He opened his Menu, stared hard at it, and believed with all his might. The screen flickered as static seemed to dance over it, and…
Yes! It worked!
There were now icons for the Item Box and Recipe Synthesis in his Menu. He didn't see anything that corresponded to the Drop Item function, though. He opened and scrolled through the Item Box. There was a lot of stuff in there, and some materials used in the making of medicines and concoctions immediately caught his eye.
There were also images of monsters he had absorbed into his shield in the past. He tapped one of those images and it revealed the Drop Item corresponding to that monster. Ah, so the Drop Item function was integrated into his Item Box.
Besides that, there were also a lot of separate monster parts, from limbs to organs. As far as he could see, there were no intact monsters in the list. Did the Legendary Shield automatically dismantle monsters when it absorbed them? That would be something to follow up on. If so then they might no longer have to dismantle monsters manually.
He tapped a few more of the monster icons, revealing their drop items. Naofumi's eyes widened in delight: a few of those monsters had dropped money. In RPG's, monsters dropping money was rather standard fare, but it still surprised him in a good way.
It wasn't a whole lot, only a measly 15 pieces of silver, but he'd only checked a few of his item drops. Who knew how much his shield had accumulated over the last month of almost constant fighting and absorbing monsters?
He then tapped the Recipe Synthesis icon. There were a lot of recipes in there, most of which had to do with Compounding. Previously, he'd made use of those recipes by making them manually after he had acquired them through an Equip Bonus, but now he could let the shield take care of it. Hell, he could even let the Shield cook for him. Then again, everything the Legendary Shield make would just be Normal quality. He could continue honing his Compounding Skill and leave the Legendary Shield for the use of mass production.
If all those abilities were available to him, did that mean that he might also be able to use the other Heroes' Strengthening Methods? Just as he was about to give it a try-
"…Fumi. Naofumi!" a voice called him.
"Yes!" his head darted up, annoyed at having been interrupted.
"The egg!" Shirou said, pointing towards the monster egg on the nearby table. A long crack ran down its side and it wobbled from side to side.
Naofumi quickly got up, getting in front of the monster that was about to hatch, momentarily putting the matter of his Legendary Shield aside. Mentally, he thanked Shirou. The Slave Trader had told him that a monster that hatched from an egg would imprint on the first being that it sees, making it easier to control as the monster would usually heed the commands of the person it had imprinted on. Shirou's observant eyes and quick actions might just have saved him quite a headache.
All of them watched the egg wobble with bated breath, Zeph included, curious to see what might just hatch from it. Finally, the cracks on the egg widened, and the pieces of the shell fell away.
"Pi!" the small, pink feathered monster that was revealed chirped happily. It laid eyes on Naofumi and its tiny wings fluttered joyfully at the sight of him. It quickly flew over to him and settled itself in his raven locks atop of his head, squirming around and making itself comfortable there.
"It's really cute, Naofumi-sama!" Raphtalia said, smiling. "It must think of you as its mother."
"We must think up a name for it," Shirou suggested.
"I'd first like to know what it is, though," Naofumi said, raising a hand to poke at the monster with his finger. It playfully snapped at him, determined to play a game.
"It's a Filolial chick," Zeph informed them. They turned to look at him. He smiled "We have a monster breeder here in the village. I've seen more than a few of those running around, and it's definitely a Filolial chick."
"A Filolial, huh…" Naofumi mussed.
"You have seen them before, Naofumi-sama. They are often used to draw carriages," Raphtalia said.
"Ah, those ostrich like birds," the Shield Hero nodded. He'd seen them often in Castle Town, drawing a carriage like Raphtalia said. So that's how this little one would grow up. "Filolial, hmm, I will call you Filo, then," he decided.
The now named Filo let out a happy cry, apparently satisfied with the name.
"Filo, as in a shortening of Filolial," Shirou's said, voice going dry and deadpan, Naofumi knowing that the snark was about to be unleashed. "I see that your… creativity hasn't improved from yesterday."
"And I'll say the same thing I said yesterday. Blow it out of your ass, it's a good name," Naofumi grumbled and huffed.
Raphtalia snorted, barely holding in a rather unlady-like laugh.
Credit for the description of the Legendary Weapon functions goes to A Dyslexic Writer with his story Wandering of a Sword Hero. I lifted their description almost word for word from him. I'm glad I remembered that he had dedicated an entire chapter to explain the functions of the Legendary Weapon's in detail. It would have been a pain to try and describe all of that myself and keep my facts straight.
