CHAPTER 17:

AFTERMATH

"You know, I'm glad to see you like this, Kazuki," Kyo said, approaching the former Vassal Katana Hero, even as he was being healed by his little cheer squad slash harem. "You screwed me over, and you screwed the pooch on ensuring those morons didn't escape. Well, it looks like karma's fucking you up the ass." He pointed to the glowing white crap Raphtalia slashed out of Kazuki, knowing full well it was condensed mana, and laughed. "See? There's the cum that dribbled out!"

"Fuck off, Kyo," Kazuki snarled. "I'm not in the mood for your bullshit, especially not after that bitch did a number on me, and all while spouting pop-culture shit from back home. Besides, you should be more helpful."

Kyo rolled his eyes. "Do as you will. That is what we were told. And you put paid to more than a few of my people in pursuit of your 'genius accomplishments', never mind stealing my notes. Turnabout is fair play."

"I don't know what you're talking about. You have no proof," Kazuki retorted.

"I don't need proof, dumbass. Now, I could heal you, but this new body needs breaking in, and my magic's a bit wonky, along with my colon. Seriously, you ever had a bowel movement filled with the shit this body was breathing up until a little while ago? Semi-digested breathing liquid is not fun passing out. It's like crapping out mapo tofu with a topping of napalm and sulphuric acid. So I'm not sure I feel up to saving you from your own stupidity."

"Fuck you, I don't need your help anyway! I'm going to head to Sickle and slaughter those bastards."

Kyo scoffed. "Sure, sure, go ahead and charge in like Leeroy Jenkins. They're morons who got lucky to some degree, but they've got a Cardinal Weapon, four Vassal Weapons now, not counting Ethnobalt's little yacht, and they have Harry motherfucking Potter and Hermione fucking Granger on their side, not that you really know who they are," Kyo said flatly. "I mean, I underestimated Potter, so I'm revising my threat assessment on Potter and Granger. It seems their reputations weren't that overblown after all. Even if you were at full health, I wouldn't put good odds on you winning, and you'd be ensuring war was declared by Sickle on Raybul. Now, the countries we've been allied with are on the verge of going to war, but this little clusterfuck, while it could prove a good pretext, has also shifted the balance of power, namely in Sickle's favour. You could have just kept the Vassal Katana in hiding and pretended to still be wielding it with some fake, but no, you had to showboat and stroke your ego just like you stroke your tiny dick. Congrats, you dumb fuck. You've just complicated matters."

"You're the one who put those fucks into prison here in Raybul! Did you plan this, Kyo?! I ought to…GHBRRKKLEDERP!"

Kyo sighed as Kazuki, goaded by Kyo's insults, stormed towards him, only for him to promptly fall apart in a gory mess, his body split in two by Raphtalia's final attack, his haremettes screaming in horror. He'd been watching through scrying prior to showing up, and he had to admit, despite being angry towards that damned demi-human for killing his prior body, he was impressed by her skill with a weapon she had only just obtained. Some of it was clearly skill she had picked up elsewhere.

In truth, he wanted Kazuki dead. He'd revive him, and then ensure the treacherous little fuck was firmly under his thumb. Kyo was more intelligent and his superior in alchemy, but it wouldn't hurt to have someone with a different perspective. Plus, good test subjects were hard to find.

Still, Kazuki could have shown some self-restraint when his life was at stake. Honestly, Kyo's sigh was out of exasperation that Kazuki was so easily goaded rather than annoyance at his death (which Kyo actually wanted). For a so-called genius, he had a short temper and even worse impulse control.

Kyo had to admit, to himself if nothing else, that that was the pot calling the kettle black. But Kyo also tried to learn from his mistakes, or at least ensure he wasn't in a position to make mistakes again. Patching the bugs in the game, so to speak.

Still, now that his own temper had cooled, he examined his interactions with Harry and Raphtalia, along with that trio of pricks from Sickle. He'd let them get under his skin too much, thrown by Raphtalia's knowledge of Earth pop-culture, as well as their rather accurate guesses as to what his previous life had been like. He also had no counter to Apparition, assuming that was what Raphtalia used. He didn't even get to use the stat-inversion gravity attack on them.

He had to admit, if he wasn't their enemy, he'd applaud their pragmatism in dealing with him swiftly. As it stood, they were in the way of his plans. And he'd use the stat-inversion gravity attack on them first off if they managed to get to him.

Not that they would get the chance to. He already had plans. He doubted they would attack him yet. They probably didn't have high enough levels to do so, so they'd need to grind like the scrubs they were. And the thing about scrubs grinding away in the 'safe' noob areas of a game is that they were vulnerable to being ganked…

Thankfully, the sheer fatigue of everything they had gone through over the past several days had ensured that Harry and Raphtalia had a decent night's sleep. But they knew that they had much to deal with the next morning. Hedy seemed reluctant to go to bed in her own room, given everything she went through, but Rishia promised to sleep in the same room, on the bed Melty had used.

Harry spent much of the morning comforting Hedy, who'd gotten clingy after her bout with her captor, while explanations were exchanged by all concerned over breakfast. Harry grimaced as Raphtalia explained what happened to Winky. "…I shouldn't have sent her there," he said.

"Harry, you couldn't have known. House Elves are normally quite inobtrusive, and you had no way of knowing she'd be noticed," Hermione said. "And keep in mind, while she was loyal to us, she was pining for Barty Crouch Junior for a long time, even despite what he became. Did she want to die? Not really, but…she was going through the motions for us, I think. I know that's small comfort, but…"

"It is," Raphtalia said. "I didn't know Winky that well, but she didn't deserve to die like that, stomped on like some cockroach." She looked to Riffy, who was eating a fruit. "To change the subject a little…Hedy aside, I was surprised to find another daughter had turned up."

"They suggested it to help find you," Harry said. "I mean, you don't mind the name, do you?"

"No. If anything, I find the name sweet and fitting," Raphtalia said. "Rifana would get a kick out of it."

"Raph! Raph!" the Shikigami barked happily.

Naofumi rubbed his chin. "So, the upshot is, we now have five of the Vassal Weapons in Sickle's possession, counting the Vassal Boat. Not that anyone really counts it. Unfortunately, that's going to complicate things even further, given what's happening with the world."

"I hate to say it, but Naofumi is right," L'Arc said. "Not because I like being contrarian, but because Naofumi's pretty cynical. I dunno what it's like on Raphtalia and Rishia's homeworld, but here, the Vassal Weapons are major military assets, and when wielders are chosen, it can cause a major shift in power depending on their political allegiances. Mikakage probably locked Kizuna away to try and hobble our power, because between me, Glassy, and Naofumi, we had three of the Vassal Weapons."

Ethnobalt nodded, making a gesture, with a globe of this world appearing above the table. "That is probably why Raybul and Mikakage are in a coalition with Luvar, which is where Kyo is based. He's got hideouts all over the world, but his home country is Luvar, an aggressively expansionist empire."

Naofumi scoffed. "The sad thing is, Luvar is all but calling the shots with its so-called allies, and is playing victim against 'Sickle aggression'. We basically rescued Kizuna, I got bound to the Vassal Mirror by accident, and we tried to blow the whistle on Kyo, and that's the thanks we get."

"Fweh…even though the Waves are a clear and present danger?" Rishia asked.

"Remember what Lüge did," Harry pointed out. "He might have been encouraged by Balmus and maybe Malty, but he basically hoped for the Waves to weaken the rest of your world while holding the Cardinal Heroes hostage as a trump card. Actually, Rishia, aside from those held by Lüge and Fitoria, what do you know about the other Vassal Weapons of your world?"

"Fwehhh…not much," Rishia said, pursing her lips in thought. "We know the Vassal Whip is held by Takt of Faubrey, and I think the Vassal Claw is currently held in Siltvelt, wielded by a werewolf demi-human known as Rhubaldt Warbaldt. But those are all the ones I know."

"Given what the Vassal Katana Spirit said, the Vassal Hammer may be in Q'Ten Lo," Raphtalia said. "Still, the fact that people are playing politics in the face of Armageddon is depressing."

"And that's without going into my fellow Cardinal Heroes," Kizuna said with a sigh. "Those morons think that the world is a game that needs patching, that the Wave Monsters are too OP. They basically do their own thing. The only bright side is that they don't want to get involved in politics, and their problem is not taking this world seriously enough, well, with the exception of the Ofuda Hero, given what he did to Naofumi."

"…And what did he do to you?" Harry asked.

"He framed me for a crime he committed, looting some sacred artifact and pinning it on me," Naofumi said with a shrug. "Kizuna and Glass were the only people to try and listen to my side of the story at the time. Honestly, the only way it could have been worse is if I was accused of murder or rape. As it was, I was very nearly executed, and Shinji was not only singularly unrepentant, but he broke off ties with me, saying I couldn't handle a joke."

"You seem pretty blasé about it," Raphtalia observed.

"…Look, they helped me get through it. Am I still pissed at the piece of trash I thought was a good friend, but who nearly got me executed thanks to his greed? Hell yeah. Same with that country of morons who believed his every word. But…I'm here, with friends and allies…and L'Arc."

"Hey, you wound me, Naofumi! Is that for all the times I called you 'kiddo'?"

"Amongst other things, or are you forgetting that drunken bender you took me on?"

"Kiddo, what was the saying Kizuna used when she learned about it? What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas."

"Except that wasn't Las Vegas! I was scrubbing paint off my body for weeks! And do you want me to mention the goat, the baby drake, the 'herbal cigarettes', and the molasses tin?" L'Arc shook his head hurriedly. "That's what I thought."

Harry looked to Hermione. "…Should I ask?"

In a firm tone, his old friend said, "No."

Glass cleared her throat. "All that aside, our world is in a precarious state. Unfortunately, too many are using it to their own advantage. I can't pretend that everyone in Sickle, especially in authority, have immaculate characters who won't take advantage of the situation, but those three countries in particular may yet use this as a pretext for war, despite the Waves."

L'Arc nodded. "I'm the newly-crowned King of this country, and yet Raybul locked us away. That goes to show how willing they are to risk war. Any attempt at diplomatic overture's going to go down like semolina pudding."

"…Given all that, is it still all right for me to have the Vassal Katana?" Raphtalia asked. "Your world seems to need it more than ours, but…it is bound to me."

"Vassal Weapon wielders can travel between worlds if need be, unlike their Cardinal counterparts, save for special circumstances," Therese pointed out.

"Indeed. While it is far from ideal, do not forget, thanks to Kyo's actions, your world now faces the Guardian Beasts," Ethnobalt said. "The main problem will be if you are taken from your world to deal with a Wave or a similar crisis here. Especially if there's a crisis on that world. But I am of the opinion that, if the Vassal Katana chose you, then we shouldn't interfere. I would ask that you register the Katana at the Hourglass here at Sickle, though."

"There's also a few countries still friendly or at least neutral to Sickle," Kizuna said. "Glass' homeland, for example, despite how they treated her, and the former domain of the Demon Dragon Emperor. All that aside, we also need to upgrade your gear. It seems to be out of commission on this world. Plus, you need to do some grinding. Later today, we'll visit Romina. She's the local blacksmith, a Jewel, and a friend."

"A shame we couldn't have Erhard meet her," Harry said. "They'd probably start talking shop, get along famously."

"Also, I want Rishia to speak with a friend of ours, Altorese," Kizuna said. "Alto's been studying stuff to do with the Waves, and he, along with Ethnobalt and Hermione, have been making progress in finding more lore about the Waves that supersedes the other writings, the stuff that claims that other worlds have to be sacrificed to save others."

"That reminds me," Therese said. "Sadeena spoke of that S'yne girl, the one who is a surviving Vassal Hero from her destroyed world. Harry, when you get back to the world you're defending, please track her down in Zeltoble and ask her for any information she is willing to part with. The more information we have on the Vanguards of the Waves and the World Eater, the better, even if it's from indirect sources."

"Yeah, I was thinking about that earlier," Harry admitted. "Stopping Kyo is the priority, but that's a point for when we return. Then again, I think Itsuki expressed interest in heading to Zeltoble to help Sadeena. Maybe he's on his way there now with her. Hopefully, he'll remember to try and talk to S'yne if he can." His face fell. "If Winky was still alive, I could send him a message."

"…Harry, it wasn't your fault," Hermione said.

"It was, but it's something I can worry about later," Harry said. "I haven't got time to mourn either Winky or Ost. We need to get strong enough to be able to face Kyo, and in a short period of time. Once we've stopped the genocidal maniac and go home, then I can mourn them. Any negative feeling I have between now and then, I'll take out on Kyo, and any of his allies who decide to take us on. I am done with having people I care about taken from me. I've already had to deal with genocidal maniacs before, but now, there's reincarnated gamers amongst them. People who think of these worlds as playgrounds to do whatever they want. Raphtalia told me what she told Kazuki last night, and I agree. These monsters treat real worlds as if they were games, and not because they're delusional like the Cardinal Heroes of this world are, with the exception of Kizuna, or like Ren and Itsuki used to be. Hell, even Motoyasu wasn't that bad. He's an idiot and a lolicon for Hedy at least, but he's not truly malevolent. But Kyo…Kazuki…who's to say there aren't others like them on our two worlds, or even the others hit by the Waves?"

"Yeah, it's a pretty horrific thought," Naofumi admitted. "Even I have to admit to being somewhat self-centred during my initial time here, especially after Shinji betrayed me. I found it hard to be invested in this world. But to many gamer otakus, it's a dream come true."

"And yet, they've turned our worlds into nightmares," Raphtalia said bitterly.

"Then we'll stop them," Kizuna said. "I'm sorry for Winky, but we'll try to find another means of sending messages back and forth across worlds. We can share intelligence, and shut these monsters down for good. And our next target will be Kyo…"

CHAPTER 17 ANNOTATIONS:

So, there you have it. Kyo goading Kazuki into dying (seriously, why else would he visit Kazuki in the anime?), and the heroes have had a conference.

Review-answering time! Skull Flame: Well, the canon version of the character would probably be equivalent to Stromboli, from what little we see of him, but the version in this story is even worse. Ugh, it's been so long since I've seen the Disney version of Pinocchio…I mean, the animated one. As for Shinji being a shorthand for 'scumbag', actually, one of my favourite characters from anime, or at least someone who is definitely not a scumbag, is Shinji Ikari from Neon Genesis Evangelion. I even have Naofumi joke about that in his own dark way.

As for Kazuki's insults, he is pretty repetitive in canon, going on and on about how Raphtalia is a thief and how he's going to kill her. I decided to go with the anime's take on events because it's good to see Raphtalia come into her own, and while she's a more developed character in this story, I felt we needed to see the moment when Raphtalia proved (not that she needed to) that she can be a Vassal Hero.

And thanks, I'm glad it isn't just me, though to be fair to Yomogi, she has only seen Kyo's good side, or at least the mask that served as such. I think Kyo, in this second life, did start out good, but his sense of entitlement and ego led to him desiring more. But while he is nominally working for the World Eater as a Vanguard of the Waves, he despises the leash put on him, at least in this story, something I came to when thinking about his character. Why else would canon Kyo be researching the Waves?

L: We won't see more of Glass' world for now once the Kyo arc ends, except maybe interludes and the like, side-stories set there. But the novels do end up going back to her world after the Takt saga is dealt with.

Another good example to compare to Kratos, as I haven't really played The Last of Us, is Booker DeWitt from Bioshock Infinite, and indeed, he is compared to Zachary Comstock, who is actually an alternate version of him (yeah, I know, it's a spoiler, but the game has been out for long enough). Booker in both sets of timelines did some nasty shit at Wounded Knee and during the Boxer Rebellion, and the version you play as sold his daughter off, even if he can't remember that.

But Booker is also actively trying to redeem himself for his sins, and while he is a vicious and violent man, he's leagues better than Comstock, who, after being baptised, views himself as a prophet (helped by the Luteces' technology), and thus has license to commit all sorts of atrocities in the name of creating what he believes to be a utopian society. Comstock believes himself to have the moral high ground now and forever, and so is a self-righteous moral absolutist, while Booker knows he's got to clamber his way out of the abyss. Both Comstock and Booker treat Elizabeth like their adoptive daughter, but Comstock intends to brainwash her when he thinks she is too wilful and independently-minded, whereas Booker, while he handles some situations badly, is genuinely protective of her, and unlike Kratos towards Atreus, handles her gently enough in bad situations, and is honest about himself and his dealings…most of the time.

No numbered annotations this time.