"Talking"
"Thinking"
[Status Magic or other reference to a system or power]
…
He had no choice. He knew curses hurt this thing... He'd need to use his [Wrath Shield]... He'd need to use the ability he gained right before he met Liviccic and Sophia. The cursed skill he gained from absorbing that cursed gate. Something he was scared to use... [E̷̡͕̔̑v̴͚͊̂e̸͕̿̕n̷̘̰̾ṯ̷̐u̸̪̗̿͛a̸͖̮͝l̸̛̳̿ ̵̰͝V̶̤͂͘i̵̳̇c̷̠̦͐t̷̮̔͋o̴͉̼͒r̵̝͆̒ẏ̵͖́].
...
Naofumi looked around at his party. They were hurt, but all of them were stumbling to their feet. Sophia remained the only healthy party member and she knew it. She pushed past Naofumi, determined to do... something.
"Wait... I have one last thing I want to use." Naofumi reeled her in.
Sophia stopped, but she was unconvinced. Naofumi placed his hand over his shield and went to change it to [Wrath Shield], but it wouldn't change.
["Don't rely on such dreadful things, I will be there in a moment."]
"Shut up! If I don't do something, they'll die!" Naofumi thought violently as he pushed his way through whatever foreign power was keeping him from switching his shield.
Naofumi was too focused to even question what or who was speaking to him.
"Raahhh!" Naofumi forced the change despite the interference.
The curse tried for only a moment to affect Naofumi before being completely subdued by him.
"Fuck off, I don't have time for your shit!" Naofumi suppressed the curse himself. Naofumi was becoming better and better and doing so.
He ran a few feet forward and called out the skill's name.
"Eventual Victory!" [E̷̡͕̔̑v̴͚͊̂e̸͕̿̕n̷̘̰̾ṯ̷̐u̸̪̗̿͛a̸͖̮͝l̸̛̳̿ ̵̰͝V̶̤͂͘i̵̳̇c̷̠̦͐t̷̮̔͋o̴͉̼͒r̵̝͆̒ẏ̵͖́]
Suddenly a menu opened up.
[Offering Menu]
[Please select which shield(s) to offer.]
[Menu Plus]
[Shields offered to [E̷̡͕̔̑v̴͚͊̂e̸͕̿̕n̷̘̰̾ṯ̷̐u̸̪̗̿͛a̸͖̮͝l̸̛̳̿ ̵̰͝V̶̤͂͘i̵̳̇c̷̠̦͐t̷̮̔͋o̴͉̼͒r̵̝͆̒ẏ̵͖́] grant [E̷̡͕̔̑v̴͚͊̂e̸͕̿̕n̷̘̰̾ṯ̷̐u̸̪̗̿͛a̸͖̮͝l̸̛̳̿ ̵̰͝V̶̤͂͘i̵̳̇c̷̠̦͐t̷̮̔͋o̴͉̼͒r̵̝͆̒ẏ̵͖́] more power. Offered shields are locked and their bonuses are temporarily removed until the skill dies.]
"What the fuck does it mean by 'until the skill dies'? How does a skill die?" Naofumi asked himself. "It must be like the door I absorbed to gain this skill, requiring a sacrifice, but in a different way..."
Naofumi went down his shield list, offering most of his shields. He made sure to keep ones he thought he needed; his summoning, communication, and healing shields.
["I said, N-"] "No."
That same force came back again, interrupting Naofumi. He heard the voice again, not just through the shield at the end. His shield was forcibly shifted to his base shield. A large shadow cast itself over Naofumi as filolials moved from the treeline inward. They didn't seem like they wanted to fight, simply let their presence be known. Naofumi looked up to see what the shadow was, only to see a mountain of danger and fluff.
The new creature landed softly for its size, but still quite loudly. Naofumi recognized its appearance a bit. It looked like Filo's full form, only as large as the Tyrant Rex. He didn't even stop to think as he tried to overpower the binding on his shield again. While he managed to do it before, it was very difficult. He worried he'd be unable to do so again.
Fitoria went to offer the poor beast a chance to surrender, but she felt that Naofumi was about to remove her binding yet again. She needed to let him know the dangers of such a power. So she did things a bit out of order. Instead of offering the Tyrant Rex mercy then fighting if it refused, she found it easier to do the reverse. She used something so blindingly fast that if it wasn't for her being in a new position, no one would have claimed she moved. It almost seemed like a [High Quick].
She left the beast on the brink of death and would offer it mercy in a moment, as soon as she dealt with this stubborn hero. Before Naofumi could even fully register that the Tyrant Rex was no longer a threat, Fitoria was in front of him, in her human form. Her appearance contrasted her great power and violent potential so much that he failed to catch up on what was happening for several seconds.
"Hero, do not rely on such things. That power may seem useful, but it corrodes the very soul of the wielder. Each time you use it, there is less of you. And each time, you will want to use it more. A vicious cycle that will destroy your will and lead to a fate worse than death. Do you understand?" Her voice was pure ice. So much so that even Sophia, who always acted in control of the situation was shaking at the presence Fitoria emitted.
"I-Um..." Naofumi couldn't find the words, but he removed his other hand from his shield and let his arms fall to his side. He stopped trying to bypass her binding and allowed himself to relax a moment. "S-Sorry." Was all he said.
Fitoria was far from convinced that this hero understood the situation. The more he used the curse, the more he used the curse. The only way to beat the curse was to never use it at all. She needed to let him understand this, but-
"Ggwwaarrrk!"
Suddenly, Naofumi received a notification. It told him that he just received an enormous amount of EXP.
"Who dares!?" Fitoria turned to see Leon atop the now dead Tyrant Rex. He attacked the beast through the large wounds Fitoria made and tore the dragon emperor shard from its chest.
"That is mine you filthy dragon. Surrender it and your life will be spared." Fitoria said coldly.
All of Leon's perceived pride quickly crumbled under her gaze. She was a filolial, his sworn enemy. She was also so powerful that he couldn't begin to understand the difference between them. The last time he felt this fear was the day he was born. Being a newborn baby and level one made Filo seem like death itself. Now though, he even began to consider that the gap in strength between Fitoria and himself was larger than it was between level 1 baby Leon and level 40 Filo.
He shook and teared up, but he made no move to hand it to her.
"Don't be stupid. I'm allowing you to live, you cretin." Fitoria warned again.
Leon would not stand being insulted by any filolial other than Filo. He stopped thinking and looked her in the eye.
"Fuck you, you fat chicken." Leon then immediately swallowed it and attempted to flee.
Fitoria made the slightest movement and Naofumi acted.
[Cover]
Fitoria went from about 20 feet away from Leon to about 3 feet away from Leon, with Naofumi between them. He had his shield raised, but the only reason he stood was because Fitoria stopped herself.
"A foolish hero has raised an equally foolish dragon? I thought my flock said you were raising a filoli-" Fitoria took another step back to dodge Filo, who landed between Naofumi and Fitoria.
"Brother is pretty dumb, but you still can't bully him!" Filo declared.
Fitoria stared in complete confusion a moment. "Wha... Brother?" Her ice cold attitude slipped a moment as her own bird brain tried to understand the situation.
Naofumi saw the confusion and clarified "I'm raising both... What's it to you?"
The others began to gather together. Fitoria was trying to wrap her head around the idea of raising both a dragon and a filolial and somehow not everything dying. It seemed impossible.
"You said 'brother'? Are you stupid? He's your enemy, he's our enemy." Fitoria thought none of this made sense.
"Filo is dumb, but dumb brother is still brother."
"Oi! I'm not dumb!" Leon roared.
"What's it to you what I raise?" Naofumi asked cautiously.
"...I am Fitoria." She simply gave her name.
Melty gasped, "As in 'queen Fitoria'? As in the queen of all filolial the world over?"
"Yes, that is correct. So this little whelp of a dragon has stepped quite out of line." Fitoria said, staring a hole through Leon.
"W-We didn't need your help. I-It was our kill." Leon protested.
"This woman just beat that monster instantly and then you insulted her and ate the thing she demanded. Pretty dumb, brother, not gonna lie." Teal said as she made her way over.
Fitoria took a look at this new person. They were a monster, but beyond that, she had no clue. She had no issue with her directly, but she referred to the dragon as her sibling as well. The others came closer, cautiously, but hopeful.
"You already had one... Maybe it would have been better to just give it to her, Leon. I mean, we owe her big time." Monti disagreed out loud.
Fitoria looked at Monti for all of a second before she went at him.
[Cover]
Naofumi was once again between Fitoria and her target. Fitoria seemed even more upset though. Monti received no warning like Leon did.
"Why do you protect that creature? He is of the waves, I can feel it! Are you not a hero? Is your purpose not to fight the waves?" Fitoria's patience was wearing thin.
"I'm the only hero taking the waves seriously and Monti has been helping me do just that! All you people want to do is attack my family. If that's how it's going to be, then fuck off!" Naofumi was being less than civil himself.
Fitoria didn't buy that for a second and took another step forward. Everyone got ready to fight. Even hurt badly and absolutely outgunned, they'd not tolerate this. Naofumi himself began to break through the magical binding that locked his shield. Fitoria seemed not to mind their attempts as she was about to deal with the problem.
The only one thinking things through was Monti. He knew from what she did earlier that they were doomed if they fought and if hearing that he fights against the waves wasn't enough to change her mind, then nothing would. He was going to die, but no one else had to die. Monti found his resolve and moved passed the others.
"Monti, stop!" Raphtalia called.
Naofumi stopped trying to use his curse series and grabbed Monti by the back of his collar and pulled him back. Fitoria was curious if the invader thought he could actually harm her.
"What do you think you're doing!? You can't take her head on!" Naofumi yelled.
Normally being yelled at by his parents would have Monti tucking his ears and tail and buckling, but not this time.
"Dad, think about it. We can't win." Monti said calmly.
"Wha...?" Naofumi knew that, but why bring it up?
"It's like you taught me. Sometimes you only get to choose who dies." Monti then wrestled himself free of Naofumi's grip.
"So you are offering yourself?" Fitoria asked with a hint of interest.
"Yes, so leave the-" Monti went to respond.
[Shield Prison]
Naofumi placed Monti in his cage skill. Filo then moved and kicked the cage over the group, placing everyone between Fitoria and Monti. Teal then planted seeds around the cage. This caused Fitoria to have even greater interest.
"He just offered a solution that would benefit you and you declined? ...How did this happen? How did you come by such a creature? How did you raise it into wanting to die for you, a cardinal hero? How did you raise and filolial alongside a filthy dragon without them killing each other? These all seem impossible."
"..." Naofumi wasn't exactly in the mood to tell her or to spill his guts so openly, but if she wanted answers she was going to get them.
"When I was summoned, this country took steps to weaken and sabotage me. They falsely accused me of heinous crimes and it led to no one wanting to help me. So in order to gain a party, I did whatever I had to do. I can't attack that much, I needed a party more than the other heroes. Long story short, I raised monsters to fill out my team and bought a slave. I had no idea what we were going to become."
"And what was it that you became?" Fitoria asked.
The [Shield Prison] timed out. In response, Teal used [Living Wall], making the trees grow inward to hold Monti longer.
"...A family. I know it's strange to others, but that's exactly what we became. We became what each other needed. I needed a reason to protect this world and the means to do so. Raphtalia needed others to fight for and a reason to want to live. Monti needed to see himself as something other than a monster and then the opportunity to prove so. Filo needed people to watch over her but also needed to have people rely on her, so she could grow up. Teal needed a purpose to live for and a means to achieve it, and Leon... Well, Leon needed people to show him he isn't inherently the best and then show him that it's okay to rely on others."
"Oi!" Leon yelled, he was being dissed on all fronts.
Fitoria's eyes shifted to each of the ones Naofumi spoke of as he talked. She could tell who he was talking about at any point. That meant Melty and Eclair were non-family party members, but they were human so it hardly mattered. She considered this answer a moment.
"..."
[Blightning]
The moment Teal's trees died, Monti blasted a hole through them and crawled out.
"...Then I've decided. I'm curious about you hero. While you were unable to defeat that beast, you hurt it admirably. That you could raise things like those two into something more than dumb beasts has me all the more curious to see how well Filo has been raised... At the very least, I'll refrain from killing them for now." Those two referring to Monti and Leon.
The family was beyond relieved. They truly had no way of even stalling her. Monti heard those words and fell to his knees. He had resolved himself to die, but the moment he was given a way out, he crumbled. Raphtalia walked over to him and to everyone's surprise she slapped him across the face. Everyone was silent.
"O-ow! Mom, I'm sorry. I-" She then hugged him.
"I am tired of losing people, so don't you dare do that again. You can do whatever you want to in life, except throw it away. Do you understand me?" Raphtalia sounded like the mother she had been trying to be up to this point.
"Yes...Sorry." Monti hugged her back.
Fitoria would be lying if she said this hero and his party weren't the most interesting thing she'd seen in some time. She'd need to help them a bit, even in ways they wouldn't like. She looked at Filo a moment. She just didn't like the idea of Monti or Leon, but oddly enough the wave monster seemed to behave better than the dragon. To have either of them come to her sanctuary would be an insult..., but one she'd need to bare, for now.
"Then I've decided." She snapped her fingers and a cart appeared. "You will come with me to heal and allow me more time to learn things about you." Fitoria wasn't offering, it was an order.
Everyone understood that, but first-
"Then we need to collect the materials from the Tyrant Rex first." Naofumi said.
Fitoria nodded in agreement. She'd wait for that at the very least.
"... Okay. We need all the hide and bone. We'll package and store as much meat as we can. Sophia, use your webs as twine for the meat." Liviccic said aloud.
Naofumi and Monti went for a quick snag of super dino.
.
[Tyrant Shield] (locked: Higher level required)
+20 Def, +20 Mdef, +5 fire resistance
[Ability: Fire Proof] Can grant a buff on an ally that adds your own total fire resistance to them for 5 minutes.
.
"Locked? Even at my level?" Naofumi looked up. "Level 56! Five levels from just killing one enemy!? ...Then-"
Naofumi checked everyone else's level. Leon was level 40, he'd be pleased with that. "That's probably why he went for that kill..."
What he saw next had him nearly popping his eyes out. Melty went from level 21 to level 37 and Eclair went from level 11 level 32. Those were ridiculous gains, but he'd not question their good fortune.
"...What?" Monti seemed confused.
"What's wrong?" Naofumi asked.
"I didn't get anything?" Monti explained.
"...Maybe that means you're done advancing?" Naofumi purposed.
"What are you speaking of?" Fitoria interrupted.
"...Monti gains power from eating wave bosses, chimeras and royal monsters, just a taste will do. He used to have a lot of issues and shortcomings, but I guess he's done evolving now." Naofumi didn't want to reveal that, but knew better than to lie to Fitoria.
Fitoria could just let it go and say nothing, but she decided to give out a little information.
"...No. This beast was not a royal monster. It was a monster of a lower station that obtained a shard and was heavily influenced by it. Its body changed and grew, trying to become a dragon, but only came this far. While the previous heroes had to seal it away, its power was a false one."
"The previous heroes had to seal it away? Meaning all four of them together couldn't beat it?"
"Indeed, which is why I'm curious about you and your party, since you did harm it greatly. If there were four heroes like you, with parties this good, then the four of you could have taken that beast. Which is to say, I see you as above the standard of those previous heroes."
That was probably the closest he'd get to a compliment from her.
"Am I to assume that this... 'Monti' has also sampled the other three royals here?"
"Three? Is she saying Teal is a royal?" Naofumi thought a moment.
"...I forgot to ask Sophia last time, huh?" Monti realized.
"Oh yeah, Sophia. Duh. We'll rectify that at some point." Naofumi thought.
While everyone else helped with the Tyrant's body, Naofumi went around treating everyone, healing them and offering potions. They were all pretty beat up. Liviccic was sad to find out that he couldn't use [Revive] on the Tyrant Rex. It was simply too large and even his full SP wasn't enough. He'd have to settle with them making weapons from its bones.
Once all the prep was done, they had one issue. They couldn't carry it all. Naofumi's [Inventory] simply could not deal with the weight. He said as much to the rest of them.
"That makes no sense, hero. You don't have a weight limit. No hero does, cardinal or vassal." Fitoria spoke in absolutes.
"Wha-How do you know that?" Naofumi didn't want to question her, but he knew she was wrong.
"Just hear me. You have no weight limit." Fitoria didn't have the time to go over her long history.
"But I do. I have two shields that provide inventory space, but it's limited." He pushed again.
"What are you talking about? Forms don't provide inventory, that's an innate ability of all weapons. That's like saying one of your shields granted you a drop menu." Fitoria said, again in absolute terms.
"!"
"Wait. My drop menu... I didn't have one until I had an item drop increasing shie-no. I didn't discover it until I knew to even look for it in the first place... But Fitoria seems to know what she's talking about. What is going on?"
Naofumi went to look through his menu
[Notice] [Help Menu] [Menu Plus]
[Changing configuration]
[Please wait]
[Configuration complete]
[Storage Shield and Storage Shield ll have been deleted. Storage expanded]
Naofumi rushed through his menu and sure enough those two shields were gone and so was his weight limit.
"What does this mean? Why did I gain shields before and a weaker inventory and now I lose the shields and have more inventory? It was the same with item drops. I only gained something once I knew how it worked..., but this time there was a weaker version. I don't get it. What is going on? Wait! I lost those shields..."
Naofumi checked his menu frantically.
"I lost 3 attack! I went from 17 attack to 14 just like that!? Dammit!"
Naofumi pouted a moment before wordlessly standing and walking over to the materials, storing them all.
"It seems you figured something out. Good. Now hurry. I hate to bring those two along and if you stall any longer I may decide to leave them here." Fitoria said.
Everyone exchanged looks and complied. Raphtalia and Teal stayed by Monti, while Naofumi and Filo stayed by Leon. They had no choice but to follow her orders, but they didn't trust her. As they entered her cart, they became quite confused. The inside of the cart was quite a bit larger than it was on the outside. They wanted to marvel at it, but knew to take their seats in a timely manner.
They weren't exactly safe, but the assassination of lord Idol Rabier, the rescue of the slaves, and the military sabotage of the town was a success. Even with the Tyrant Rex throwing a wrench into their plans, their mission was successful.
As the cart started to move, the cart began to glow and they all felt the same sensation that teleporting to the wave gave them.
...
Briarhaven
...
Liviccic hadn't been gone less than half an hour before someone informed Silvius that the pope wanted an audience. "When it rains, it pours." Silvius thought bitterly.
Silvius barely had time to forge some false field reports and weather them to look to have been a day or two old before he was informed of this. He brought the forgery with him and went to meet the pope alone. He'd be risking his life, but his actions seemed so foolish that few would entertain the idea.
Once Silvius arrived, he was greeted by not only the pope, but all five archbishops as well. He took the initiative.
"I'm sorry to give you the run around, your holiness. Lord Blackcrown will not be joining us." He greeted warmly and bowed low.
The pope was visibly disappointed, a few of his archbishops whispering. The calm one asked for clarification.
"And why would that be? Are we not in a military alliance? Does the young lord not see how this would look?" The calm man asked.
"I'm aware of how this looks, which is why I brought this. My lord did not give me permission to disclose this, but I believe he will see the wisdom in it and forgive me." Silvius handed the field report to the calm official.
"...I see." He handed it to the pope.
The report detailed a man wearing a mix of knight and church garb hurting a patrolling guard. It went on to describe Chloe as a dead shadow found on the side of the road as a few went to pursue them. The pope knew it was Chloe by the description.
"So the young lord...?" One of the officials all but asked.
"He and Miss Sophia have went to pursue him. Their combined strength and abilities will easily run Fitts down. Please don't think less of my lord. He has the makings of an excellent leader, maybe even better than his father from what I've seen." That last part Silvius meant sincerely.
"...It is we who should be making such platitudes. We let the man slip through our fingers a number of times. This latest victim, this shadow, was our own. We failed your lord again."
"Lord Liviccic is a good man. I'm sure he'll feel he owes you greatly for the loss of life you put towards honoring his late father. He-"
Silvius just received EXP again. He had been receiving EXP regularly. From Fitts and Chloe a few times and this night he received EXP several times from Naofumi's mission. This, however, was ridiculous. He received his share of EXP for the Tyrant Rex and it sent his own level from 31 to 40. It was crazy.
"What's wrong, Sir Silvius?" One of the other officials asked.
He decided to sprinkle the truth in.
"I am partied with the lord currently. I received EXP. I was just hoping it was from Fitts. I could have very well just received the notification of his death. The amount is above the average beast."
The pope and his officials smiled.
"That would surely be great news for everyone... As for why we wished to speak to your lord, we are leaving."
"I understand the heroes and princess Malty have received less than great treatment, but I've heard nothing of your-"
"No, Sir Silvius, you misunderstand. Now that we know that Briarhaven is not going to offer aid to the shield devil or princess Melty, we must continue the previous plan. The shield devil could try flying right over the border and few have the means to knock his dragon from the sky. We must go to the border."
"...If I could be so bold as to ask a favor, your holiness?"
"...What would that be?"
"If you leave, the heroes will likely continue their ways. With my lord and Miss Sophia not here, we'd lose some men if they tried anything. You seem to be the only one who can keep them in line... So-"
"You'd like me to take them with me?" Balmus cut to the chase.
"Y-Yes, your holiness..." Silvius admitted.
"Of course. Your concerns are more than warranted. I already had princess Malty working to get the spear hero to listen to Balmus and the bow hero listened well enough before. Our only concern is the sword hero." The normally loud official revealed.
"We already planned on utilizing their strength against the shield devil and possibly the queen, so we never had any intentions of leaving them here." The calm official added.
Silvius breathed a sigh of genuine relief. All of them together is trouble, but he worried what would happen if the heroes remained. Had they found the undead kraken, it'd likely result in a fight and reveal that Liviccic helped Naofumi during the wave.
"I must say, I was quite nervous to speak to you, your holiness, even more so all six of you, but you've proved agreeable allies and have been quite understanding. I'm sure my lord will show his gratitude when we march on that worthless king." Silvius offered.
They all shared nods as the pope handed the man back the forged document.
"Then we shall leave before the first light." Balmus informed him.
"I'll make sure no one stalls your leave, your holiness." Silvius promised.
After a minute or two more, the short meeting was over. Silvius told them he had to let the other higher ups know of Liviccic's absence and he promised to organize the troops in his lord's stead. Hoping to march the troops in time to catch up to the queen at the least. Once he left, the others spoke amongst themselves.
"That Silvius is a good man, but I think he puts too much faith in that boy. To abandon his post for revenge?" One of the officials thought aloud.
"It is fine. As you say, Sir Silvius seems like a good man. He will pick up after the lad well enough. Besides, a leader so easily manipulated by his emotions makes for a predictable ally." Balmus decided.
"I'm still furious about losing a shadow. Just how many men have we lost to that Fitts?" The calm official asked.
"Less than what we gained from Briarhaven. It became a worthy sacrifice." Balmus concluded.
They all nodded to that. By sacrificing more than the crown in pursuit of the false killer, they believed they had secured Briarhaven.
They all thought so lowly of Liviccic behind closed doors and thought him predictable. Had they only known the trick he was playing on them and the real personality he kept hidden from them. Silvius wore a smile as he walked back, not because they were leaving and taking their 'heroes' with them, but because they failed to see the very real threat that Liviccic was to them. In a way, the other three heroes were more right than they could know.
...
Fitoria's hidden kingdom
...
The party came to a stop only a minute after they started moving, but if teleportation was used, that was no surprise. After a moment, Fitoria called for them to exit and they did so. As the left the fancy cart and looked around, they were a bit concerned.
The area looked like the ruins of a long gone ancient civilization that'd long been beaten down by the return of nature. There were hand-carved stones as lone pillars, likely the last of many that held up a great building. A once functioning fountain, likely the center of a garden or maybe even a town square. Many well placed stone steps running between square stone pads,.. These were probably once roads and houses.
They took in the sight that was made all the more mysterious by a heavy fog that seemed to make little sense. The humidity and temperature didn't feel like it'd cause fog right now. Meaning this fog was magical in nature.
"You are the first visitors to my sanctuary in more than 200 years. Understand that this is a privilege and that some of you are already on thin ice." Fitoria welcomed them with a warning.
"Where are we exactly though?" Eclair asked.
"You will not find this place on any map. I've long since hidden myself from the people of this world. They continued to disappoint me until I gave up on them." She said with a hint of sadness.
She motioned for them to follow her a bit until they were inside a large ruin. Two of its walls still stood fully, but there was no roof. Fitoria stopped, they did too.
"It is already dark out. I will leave you to heal and rest for the time being." Was all she said.
After an awkward moment, Naofumi brought out the limited cookware that he got from Van and began to make their dinner. They were all nervous, but they focused on the positives. They were alive, Leon, Melty and Eclair gained much needed levels, and most importantly, Raphtalia was given the chance to face her demons and came out better for it.
As soon as Naofumi began to place the Tyrant Rex meat into the pot, the many filolials began to gather around, bugging them. Leon wanted to lash out at the gluttons, but he was in enemy territory and couldn't act up any further. He hated the damned birds and Fitoria too, but he understood he screwed up and needed to bear with it, for the family's sake. He saw it with Monti earlier. If he screwed up, the family would back him up, even to their graves. It was comforting, but also left him wanting to behave better.
"Stop. Get away." Naofumi told the filolials, but they would only shy away a half step, before taking a full one.
"I'm serious. Get away! This is our dinner." Again, it did nothing.
Naofumi looked up to Fitoria, who perched herself at the top of the ruins. She was watching them, uncaring of her flock's behavior.
"...Fine dammit! Bring me more pots and pans. We got plenty for you hungry fucks!" The filolials chirped in glee and ran off to do just that.
"Language." Was all Raphtalia said to Naofumi.
"..." He was trying to be better around the kids, but it wasn't easy. A curse was exactly what Naofumi wanted to do.
The filolials brought back all kinds of huge pots, pans, and cooking supplies. The stuff was in great shape, it looked brand new. Naofumi gave them a stink eye as he began making more 'super dino soup'.
After some time, the food was ready. He placed the other pots away from them and the filolials began to eat up. They had their own pot for the party, Filo got a whole pot to herself. The food was about as good as the meal they had at Van's estate. Leon asked for seconds, which surprised them. They were nervous to even let Leon eat it, the Tyrant was kind of like a dragon after all.
Leon's second bowl was handed to him only for Fitoria to snatch it from his hands.
"You steal from me, I steal from you." Fitoria said and she sat with them and ate the soup.
Leon could do nothing but pout. It was kind of comforting to know that Fitoria was acting petty as revenge and not beating the hell out of Leon instead. Naofumi simply fixed him another bowl.
Within the hour, most everyone was asleep. Filo slept on one side of Melty, while Eclair slept on the other. Monti and Leon slept with Raphtalia. Not only so she could protect them, but because Naofumi was still up and hoped they'd keep her from her nightmares, if she'd still have them. Teal rooted herself it the ground and opted to sleep as well. Liviccic and Sophia were cuddled together in a hammock made of web. The filolials were all spaced out in huge piles of swollen birds.
"I should fry them up and sell KFC, the bastards." Naofumi thought as he walked over to Fitoria.
He knew she wanted to talk to him and he did too. Maybe now with it being just the two of them, they'd get everything done and over with. Naofumi knew dealing with a full filolial was always easier.
"So, now we talk?" Naofumi asked.
"Yes, now we talk... How did that beast become unsealed?"
"The lord of the place the seal was at released it to try and kill us." Naofumi informed her.
"Why?" Was all she asked.
"Because we came there to assassinate him and he's a sore loser." Naofumi said honestly.
"And why would a hero occupy himself with such trivial things? You should focus on getting stronger." Fitoria was annoyed.
"That's what I was saying before. They sabotaged me. They won't let my party go through class upgrades. They are trying to kill me and Melty. I'm just trying to get to an hourglass to get stronger, as you said." Naofumi defended.
"So you are aware there is more than one dragon hourglass?" Fitoria asked.
"Yeah. I plan on registering to more, but they have the border blocked. That's why we assassinated the l-"
"I don't really care what the humans are doing, it's irrelevant. I have been fighting in waves all over the world, while you cardinal heroes stay in one place and squabble over meaningless things." Fitoria informed him.
"Our lives are not meaningless! Those bastards tried to kill my family! I have been trying to register to other hourglasses, but can't. These things are not irrelevant." Naofumi kept defending.
"I'm not interested in excuses." Was her only response.
"What about solutions then? That assassination will weaken the border and allow us to possibly win over those that have been attacking me. When that's done, I'll be registering to the hourglass in Siltvelt and class upgrading my party. Stop giving me shit, I'm doing my job as hero. I'm the only one doing my job." Naofumi made it clear.
"...You speak of the other heroes? What of them? How are they doing?" Fitoria asked.
She'd need to meet each of the three and measure their worth herself.
"Level wise they are all higher level than me, but for some reason it feels like they should be stronger than they are. Which is fine by me, easier to kill them that way." Naofumi said aloud.
"What...?" The wind died and Fitoria was producing a cold aura.
"They tried to kill my kids and they are trying to help the others kill me. So I'm going to kill them first. I've made up my mind. I don't need them to defeat the waves and save the people, in fact-"
Naofumi was too busy describing his hatred for the three to notice the icy stare and killing intent that Fitoria was giving out at first.
"Let me make some things clear to you, hero. All four heroes are needed to quell the waves. If a cardinal hero dies, a new one can only be summoned if all four are summoned together... Do you understand? If any of you die... then for the sake of the world..."
"Then what am I supposed to do!? They attacked my party and are working to get me killed! How the fuck do I salvage that!?"
"...You have to find a way. If they kill you or you they, then I will do what must be done. For the sake of the world, I will kill the cardinal heroes and usher in anew."
"...Dammit." Naofumi sat down and held back tears to no avail.
Fitoria watched him.
"Why do you cry? Do your job in its entirety and-"
"I'm so tired of all this! I just want to protect my family and fight these damned waves. Yet I have to deal with coup!? A religious war!? And now you're telling me if I can't find a way to beat all three other heroes at the same time, backed by a huge army, then you'll kill me!? When will enough be enough!? When can I rest!?"
"...When the waves are defeated." Fitoria said with a hint jealousy.
"And you? When do you rest?" Naofumi asked, seeing through her.
"When I die... Which isn't anytime soon." Fitoria said with disappointment.
"Why do that to yourself?" Naofumi asked with a lot of sympathy in his voice.
"Because the hero who raised me asked me to. I will do as he said." She responded.
"And for him, you'd go through any amount of suffering? Forever?" Naofumi couldn't believe it.
"Yes." Fitoria said in terms of absolutes again.
"...I see." Naofumi was finding his answer and calmed down.
"Do you?" She questioned.
"You will press on because of that hero..., then I will press on for them." Naofumi reasoned.
"You will bare that pain for their sake?" Fitoria hated to share this resolve with anyone.
"This is their world, it was always for their sake." Naofumi reasoned.
"What of Monti?" Fitoria questioned.
"He hatched from his egg here, this is his world as far as we're concerned." Was his answer.
"Is that so?... I feel I'm beginning to understand you more, hero." Fitoria admitted.
"It's Naofumi." He offered.
"Naofumi." Fitoria tried the name out.
"I have to say though, you make me sad." Naofumi admitted out of nowhere.
"Why is that?" She tilted her head.
"My kids will all outlive me, live as long as you. The idea that they'd suffer so much or would come to just reject people outright... I don't want them to have that kind of life. I'm sure your father felt the same." He admitted.
"My hero was not my father." Fitoria corrected him.
"Sure." Naofumi was not buying it.
.
[Author's Notes]
Haha. I baited you fuckers. I bet you thought you'd see [E̷̡͕̔̑v̴͚͊̂e̸͕̿̕n̷̘̰̾ṯ̷̐u̸̪̗̿͛a̸͖̮͝l̸̛̳̿ ̵̰͝V̶̤͂͘i̵̳̇c̷̠̦͐t̷̮̔͋o̴͉̼͒r̵̝͆̒ẏ̵͖́] or at least a bit more flexing too bad. you've had two chapters of fighting.
Fitoria wanted to kill both Leon and Monti, but is more interested in Naofumi. Will it last?
Fitoria correcting Naofumi has him questioning the nature of the shield and how its abilities really work. What does this mean for him?
Silvius receives good and bad news. Pressure is off Briarhaven, but that just means the enemies will be together when the fighting started. Do you think it's more good new, or bad news?
Fitoria and Naofumi's talk took a few turns, thoughts?
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