Side Story: Inter-species Cooperation

Hello again everyone, here we are at another surprising chapter post. The main idea for this chapter came from a guest reviewer, though I've scaled it back a bit to make this short but hopefully cutesy chapter we have now, so let's get to reading!

Rurorona Village: Morning Time

It was another day in the currently under construction village as the parties of the Shield and Armory Heroes rose yet again to what had quickly become a familiar routine of eat, work, level grind, work some more then sleep. Currently, everyone was in the main village hall eating a fair serving of food that had been acquired by the hunting parties or brought in from the market. At least, that's what everyone had been attempting before another semi-routine situation occurred. "GET BACK HERE YOU THIEVING BIRD!" Yelled Johann as he chased Filo around the many tables set up in the hall.

"Oh it is too early in the morning for this," groaned Darius as he rubbed his temple, voicing the thoughts of the rest of his and the Shield Hero's party as they sat at the table the two mounts were currently circling around. Figneria was currently absent as she had taken her latest report back to Koteraan. Darius would be heading there himself and teleporting her back later.

"What in the world set them off this time?" Questioned Naofumi as he removed the apron he'd been wearing and sat at the table with the rest of them. They tended to rotate who was cooking each day, but all of the villagers had unanimously agreed that the days when the Shield Hero cooked were the best. Though Darius was sure it more than helped that he used his shield's cooking skill to enhance the ingredients and flavor.

"Oh same old same old," remarked Rifana as she took a bite of her own meal, "We ran out of some of the pastries and Filo managed to grab the last one that Johann was going for."

"It still surprises me they have so much energy this early in the morning," said Rishia, who was currently wearing one of the penguin suits they'd gotten from Cal Mira with the hood pulled back so she could eat, "They seem like they could do this for hours."

"If we don't put a stop to it that's exactly what's gonna happen," said an annoyed Naofumi as Johann, getting tired of going in circles, hopped up and off the center of the table in an attempt to swipe the little pastry out of Filo's hand. But the little Filolial was too fast for him, moving her hand out of the way before rushing out of the door with the dragon boy close behind her.

"We should probably go after them before they get into too much trouble," observed Raphtalia with a hint of concern. The sound of something crashing outside told them they were already too late.

"And that's our cue," said Darius as the two parties got up from their positions and quickly made their way out of the village hall to see that both mounts had transformed and knocked over one of the carts carrying rubble.

"You spit it out!" Yelled Johann as he snapped at the large bird who was managing to dodge out of the way so far.

"Sorry, Filo already ate it," she replied as she leap-frogged over an especially ferocious bite from her dragon counterpart.

"Oh for the love of, Darius could you please separate these two," Naofumi groaned.

"Yeah I got it," replied the Armory Hero as he summoned several chains from the ground to hold down Johann's head and neck while also grabbing Filo's legs to keep her from running off. "Alright, enough is enough you two!"

"Aw come on Boss I was just-," Johann started to protest before Rifana cut in.

"Making a mess again," said the weasel girl, "only this time you two managed to damage one of the carts. Did we not make it absolutely clear that you can't just go chasing each other through the village?!"

"Well, uh, yeah," said Johann, "I guess you did anyway."

"They did so," said the Filolial with a smug expression on her bird face, "Even Filo remembers Master and Darius saying so."

"Don't act like you're not in trouble too Filo," said Raphtalia with her arms crossed.

"She's right," said Naofumi, "It's ridiculous that you two don't know how to share at this point and we have too many responsibilities now to break up every little dispute you get into. From this point on it'll be better for everyone if you start working at least a few things out yourselves without us mediating everything."

"But Master it wasn't my-," Filo tried to protest before Naofumi cut her off.

"I don't care who started it," he said, "you both made a mess and now you're gonna clean it up. After that, we'll have a little project you both need to work on, so get to it." The two mounts frowned at this but nodded as Darius released them.

"Come find us when you're done picking up the rocks here," said the Armory Hero as he and the rest of the party turned and headed back into the village hall to organize the tasks for the day. But Darius did have one question for his fellow cardinal hero before they got to that. "So what did you have in mind for their little bonding project?"

"I, actually hadn't thought that far ahead," admitted Naofumi, "we just need to think of something they can do together that doesn't involve them transforming."

"I might have an idea for that," said Rifana as she rummaged around in her armor and pulled out a strange plant with white flowers sporting purple markings. "You've been looking for some of these around the village right?" Darius nodded as his girlfriend began explaining her little plan.

Near the Outskirts of the Village: A Short Time Later

"Alright," said Naofumi as he, Darius and the rest of their parties stood in front of Johann and Filo, "I've been told that currently we have enough wood gathered from the forest that Johann won't need to fly any over for a bit. I've also gotten confirmation that the ones clearing the rubble will be able to handle it without you for a bit, Filo. So for the next couple of hours we'll need you two to head out into this part of the woods and collect some of these." The Shield Hero pulled out the plant Rifana had shown them earlier and handed one to each of the mounts.

"Hey, I've seen the Boss working with some of this stuff," said Johann as he sniffed it for a moment before turning his head in disgust, "Ah, why does it smell so bad."

"It's poisonous," explained Darius causing Filo to pause as she was about to lick it, "I've got a little concoction I've been working on that requires these plants. So collect as many as you can and keep them in this basket." The Armory Hero set down a somewhat large wicker basket with a lid on it.

"But wouldn't it be better if we both had a basket," questioned Filo with a tilt of her head, "Master is always saying we need to be iffy…effy…effin'?"

"Efficient," Raphtalia said, "and normally that'd be the case but this is also to teach you both something important. You'll need to take turns carrying the basket while the other picks the plants and places them inside."

"Ah do we have too," groaned Johann with a look of utter annoyance.

"Yes," Rifana shot back, "We know you two can work together when the situation demands it but you both need to learn to work things out on your own as well. If you were an ordinary dragon and Filolial we'd be able to forgive your behavior but neither of you are, which means you need to learn not to solve all of your disputes by simply acting on instinct."

"Fine," said Johann as he picked up the basket, "Let's get this over with chicken liv-."

"Ahem!" Darius cleared his throat, "You'll also be keeping the name calling to a minimum. Same goes for you Filo."

"Oh okay," pouted the Filolial Queen candidate as she and Johann began walking off towards the woods.

"Are we sure this is really a good idea Master Naofumi?" Questioned Raphtalia, "I know they need to learn to behave better, but is sending them both out on their own the best way to do it?"

"We can't keep an eye on the two of them every minute of every day, especially now," said Naofumi, "I don't know if sending them out by their selves is the best idea, but they need to learn to cooperate outside of combat somehow."

"I'm still keeping my water magic staff handy just in case," said Darius as he summoned said mage's staff, "anyway we'd best get moving as well. Still plenty to do to get this place running smoothly."

The Woods outside the Village: Some Time Later

"I said I got it," repeated Johann for, what seemed to him, the hundredth time now, "You just keep picking the flowers and I'll keep carrying the basket."

"But big sis Raphtalia said we needed to switch up every now and then," said Filo with her hands on her hips, "and I don't want to make her or Master upset because you were being a lazy dragon."

"Who you calling lazy," said Johann with a raised eyebrow, "I've been carrying this thing around the whole time trying to keep up with a certain someone that keeps missing large patches of the flowers because she keeps getting sidetracked trying to eat whatever wild berries we come across. The only reason you're still on task is because of me."

"Filo could do this job fine without you," said the Filolial dismissively, "I'll bet the real reason you're not picking the flowers is because you'd have too hard a time finding them."

"What was that?" Said Johann through gritted teeth which showed off his fangs.

"Filo is having fun because she knows we don't have to be in a hurry," she continued, "but if a dunderheaded dragon like you were looking for the flowers, you'd be lost in no time." Johann wanted to say a whole lot to that, but instead decided on a different course of action.

"Don't drop this and stay out of my way," ordered the dragon boy as he shoved the basket into Filo's hands before crouching down onto the ground like a dog. It took him only a minute to pick up a trail before he raced off in that direction, followed by a somewhat frantic Filo. The next several minutes of their search consisted of Johann finding a patch of flowers that he more or less dug up, as opposed to picking, before tossing them at Filo. The bird girl often had to move quickly in one direction then another to catch the falling plants that were tossed her way while also getting showered with dirt. By the time they'd filled the basket, Filo was covered in a fair bit of soil and flower petals.

"There we go, job well done," said Johann as he brushed his hands off, "so what do you got to say about that Filolial?"

"You stupid lizard," exclaimed Filo as she sat the basket down roughly, "you didn't have to throw them at me. Now my nice outfit is filthy!"

"Consider that payback for stealing my pastry at breakfast this morning," said Johann as he put his hands behind his head, "assuming you can even remember this morning with that short Filolial memory of yours."

"It's not my fault you weren't quick enough," said Filo, "and besides there was plenty of other stuff to eat. If you weren't so greedy then we all could've enjoyed a nice breakfast without breaking anything!"

"What did you expect?" Said Johann as he pointed at himself, "I'm a dragon, greed is in my nature. If I'd been hatched like any other dragon emperor I'd be scouring the land for whatever riches I could find. And it's not like you made the situation any better by doing your usual 'stupid dragon' routine."

"Because you are," said Filo with a stomp of her foot, "all dragons are mean and nasty and they're always trying to take territory from us Filolials."

"Do you even have a territory for me to take," Johann pointed out, "You've spent all your time traveling around with Shield Guy while I've been traveling around with the Boss. Now we both have our own houses to sleep in, a whole village to run around and we get fed every day. So excuse me for thinking it was too much for me to ask to have at least a bite or two of some yummy pastry."

"It's not like they won't make or bring in more," said Filo, "If you didn't have such a lousy temper all the time we'd probably get along just fine."

"My temper is only this bad with you, and why shouldn't it be?!" Exclaimed Johann, "You mock me whenever you see an opportunity and when that doesn't work you try your best to prove that you're better than me. Even if you weren't a Filolial I'd still get pissed off about stuff like that!"

"I have to prove I'm better!" Filo almost yelled as she waved her arms in the air, "If I don't then Master may get himself a dragon and then what'll I do?!"

"Wait," said Johann, "you really think Shield Guy would just up and get a dragon like that?"

"I've heard him talking to Darius sometimes," said Filo as she deflated a little, "he always says your flying ability is so useful and that it's handy to have around. You can also breathe fire and shoot lightning. Filo wanted to spit acid but the class upgrade thingy wouldn't let me, so now I'm stuck shooting tornadoes."

"You know tornadoes are like my number one no fly thing right?" Said Johann.

"Yes, that's why Filo worked hard to learn how to do them," said the winged girl, "but Filo still can't fly." The dragon boy simply sighed at the strange turn the conversation had taken. He counted it as the Boss and Rifana rubbing off on him that he didn't immediately take this as a chance to make fun of her.

"Look Filo, I don't know how you got such a ridiculous idea stuck in your head," said Johann, "but one thing I can say for certain is that Shield Guy isn't going to trade you in for another mount."

"How can you be sure," asked Filo, "how many times could Filo have done better if I'd been able to fly?"

"Not many, because you couldn't pull your wagon if you flew," said Johann, "Shield Guy runs his whole business out of that thing and the only way he's able to get it from place to place is thanks to you. Even with the fragments of the dragon emperor I've obtained I still can't fly with a wagon strapped too me."

"I, uh, yeah you're right," said Filo, "Master does need me to pull the wagon and Filo loves pulling it!"

"And, as much as I hate to admit it, I can't swim either," said Johann, "I just wasn't built for it. But you swam and held your breath forever during the last wave and that's the only reason we were able to beat the boss. Yeah, me flying is super useful but it only works out as well as it does because the Boss can store all kinds of stuff and won't overload me. Truthfully, I'm worried what I'm gonna do now that he's unlocked that teleport skill. Once he's got enough locations, the only drawback will be that hour wait for the recharge."

"But teleporting isn't fun like riding," said Filo, "it's just poof and we're there. But you know master told me the world is a really big place, so I bet it'll be a long time before they have enough locations to make it better than flying. And you did good during the last wave too. Filo and master got the fishy boss out of the water but it was the rest of you that finished it, so there's still plenty you can do with flying." Johann seemed to think on her words for a moment.

"You know I don't like saying this out loud, but you're right," admitted Johann, "I'm way too awesome for some little teleport skill to put me out of business. And I guess, as much as I hate to say this too, you're way more awesome than most Filolials Filo."

"Filo knows," said the girl happily with a smile and her hands behind her back, "so, does this mean we're okay now?"

"I wouldn't say okay," replied Johann as he crossed his arms and thought for a moment, "but I guess we can at least call a truce. What do you say to no more fighting over food?" The dragon boy stuck his hand out expectantly.

"Well, I guess Filo is kinda sorry for making fun of you this morning," admitted the Filolial.

"And I suppose I overreacted a bit," added Johann, "I may be a greedy dragon, but that doesn't mean I can't pick and choose what I'm greedy about. So yeah I guess I'm a little sorry about this morning too."

"Then Filo accepts," she said as she shook the dragon boy's hand, "no more fighting over food!"

"Good, now that we got that out of the way we should probably-HEY!" Exclaimed Johann as he noticed that the basket they'd been putting the poisonous plant in was currently being consumed, by a nasty purple slime. It had apparently managed to creep up on them while they'd been having their heated discussion.

"Give that back you icky slime monster!" Yelled Filo as she and Johann formed their new signature attacks. "Spiral Strike!"

"Lightning Talon!" Added Johann as the two attacks impacted against the slime, blasting it to pieces and littering the area with its fried remains. "Ah man this is so gross," he said as he shook off some of the foul smelling slime.

"I guess we're even at least," said Filo, "Now we're both filthy!"

"Yeah but," Johann pointed to a small pile of debris where the slime used to be, "I think we may have messed up the basket a little."

"Uh oh," said Filo as her face fell a bit. The same thought was running through both their heads at that moment: 'Now what are we gonna do?'

Outskirts of the Village: A Short Time Later

"Oh no what happened to you two?!" Exclaimed Raphtalia as she and Rifana rushed over and started wiping off some of the slime that was still hanging off of the two mounts.

"We, kind of set the basket down for a moment to take a break and-," Johann began.

"A big nasty slime came over and started eating all of the plants we'd gathered, so dum-er-I mean Johann and I blew it up. But we kind of ruined the basket."

"We got what we could Boss," said Johann as he and Filo held out the arm load of flowers they'd managed to collect, "Will this be enough?"

"Forget about those for a moment," said Darius, "What we need to know right now is whether or not you two are okay?"

"We'll be fine, I think," said Filo, "we're just really icky and gross right now."

"Nothing a good scrub and a hot bath won't fix," said Naofumi, "though we're gonna need to drain all the water from that particular bath after you're done so it doesn't get on anyone else."

"Even I feel like agreeing with that," Said Johann, "and I hate baths-hey it's Mel!" Everyone turned to see that the blue-haired royal was indeed strolling up to them.

"Naofumi," called Melty, "we need to discuss the latest shipment of-oh no Filo! Johann! What happened?!"

"A nasty slime monster," said Filo as she rubbed the back of her head, "we killed it but it got us all gross."

"Are you both alright?" Asked Melty as she rushed over to check the two of them.

"Just a little tingly," said Johann, "It might've been bigger than the others we've seen up to this point but it wasn't a problem."

"Though now that you're here maybe you can help with this little problem," said Rifana, "would you mind taking Filo and Johann to the baths? I think they've earned a little rest time."

"YAYYYY!" exclaimed the two mounts as they each grabbed one of Melty's hands and rushed off towards the bathhouse. As the group watched them leave, Raphtalia couldn't help but voice the thought on some of their minds.

"Did they seem like they were getting along for a moment?" She asked. Everyone else simply shrugged at the question before proceeding to head back into the village themselves to continue their work. But the next day the two parties did notice one definite change: Johann and Filo were managing to sit next to each other happily without fighting over a single scrap of food. Though once they learned that Melty had gotten sick from helping clean the slime off of them, it became a battle of who could take care of the second princess better. Rifana's following remark summed it up quite well: "One step at a time I guess."

One step at a time indeed, and speaking of which, I probably should've voiced this question in the last chapter post. Who all wishes for me to continue posting the occasional side story for Armory of the Forgotten Hero? Just let me know the usual way in a comment or review along with what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for future chapters. For those wondering, the next side story idea I might be writing is a few scenes from the perspectives of Glass and her group as they reflect on their battles against the Shield and Armory Heroes. In the mean time, I hope you all enjoyed this latest chapter and I'll see you all in the next posting. 'Til then.