"Talking"
"Thinking"
[Status Magic or other reference to a system or power]
…
"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.
...
The following morning was filled with just as much 'super dino soup' as the night before. Everyone was looking to be in much better shape. Their magic clothing had fully mended themselves from the damage they received and their Hp was full. Leon still seemed less than 100%, but he should be by the following day. Overall, Naofumi felt they were in a good place... except for Fitoria hovering near them.
Naofumi also informed the party of the information he received the night before.
"So if one of us heroes die, we all have to, or else they can't have all four heroes and they absolutely have to have all four... So we can't kill them."
Leon was beyond frustrated. He wanted a rematch with Ren and to slay him as he did Gaelion, but now he had to let Ren get away with killing the one who would have been his father or he'd lose his current father too. He would do so though. He'd kick Ren's ass, but spare him, he wouldn't endanger the family again.
"I understand." Leon gave up.
"That doesn't mean he gets away with it though. For the sake of the world, those three need a reality check. Personally, I want a shot at the bow hero." Sophia said.
"I agree, they need to be beaten and shown that this world isn't a game and that they are not the main characters, but we have to be careful. Our goal would be to weaken them and get them to admit defeat." Naofumi added.
"So you still plan to fight them, but you will do so in order to help them and not kill?" Fitoria asked, as she came over for a bowl of soup.
"Yeah. Based on everything that is going on, it seems to be the only way to accomplish everything that I have to. We have to defeat an army, defeat the church, defeat the other greater nobles, beat the three other heroes while not killing them and survive... The usual." Naofumi ended the depressing news with a joke.
Fitoria was beginning to appreciate Naofumi's situation. He had to thread a need to succeed, it was such a difficult set of circumstances to have to deal with. To do that, his allies must be strong. She looked to Filo. If she could determine that Filo was worthy, she could conclude the other monsters were as well. She could sense power from Monti and Leon and something strange in Teal as well. If they were up to task, then she'd be willing to let Naofumi try his plan.
Fitoria sat there among the party, eating two bowls of soup as she took them in. They all seemed so friendly, even Monti..., except Leon. He was closed off a lot and expressed himself less. Filo and Teal seemed the most expressive and contributed the most to their lively mood. Oddly though, Fitoria noticed the heart of the family wasn't Naofumi, but Raphtalia. While Naofumi was the center of the group, Raphtalia was the glue that seemed to hold them together.
They all seemed nice and she felt that Naofumi was the closest person to understanding her pain in a very long time. She was beginning to like these people. She even called Melty 'Mel-tan' and it all made her a bit happy...
But all things come to an end. If she truly wished for their success, there were things that needed to be done. She got up from her seat and walked over to Melty.
"I'm sorry, Mel-tan" [Liberation: Wind Prison]
"Wha-"
In the next moment, she was in a cage of swirling wind. She reached out to the edge only for her to get cut.
Filo stood first, "Let Mel-chan go!"
Eclair was second, "Unhand the princess!"
The others quickly followed.
"Did we screw up? Has she determined that we failed some kind of test!?" Naofumi wondered.
"...Naofumi. I question whether you and your party can complete such a task. Surely it is beyond your ability. If you are going to fail, you might as well die here. I'll kill the other heroes and replace you personally. Your party will not share your fate."
Everyone got ready to fight.
"If anyone moves from their spot, I'll shrink this cage further. The only ones able to move now are Filo and I."
"Filo?" Naofumi asked aloud.
"Yes. From this moment onward, consider me your opponent. We will fight in our human forms."
"Ah, why? These forms are weak."
"That right there shows me your inexperience. There are many reasons to choose your human form. You're a smaller target, better use on hands, etc."
"Is she...?" Naofumi was thinking something.
"Filo knows that, Filo transforms to dodge."
"You rely on the physical strength of your full form. You are a monster. You have access to magic that can aid just as much if not more so. I will show you real strength."
Fitoria began to walk to an open field as Melty floated helplessly behind her. Filo followed while the others did, but at a slower pace. They were afraid to act in a way that could harm Melty. Once Fitoria reached the field, she moved Melty to the side, atop a wall. The others stayed off to the side, close to the wall. Eclair seemed to really consider breaking Fitoria's rules.
"You may start when ready." Fitoria said with a welcoming hand gesture.
A barrier appeared at the behest of Fitoria's slight movement and the two of them were now within a large dome. Filo didn't seem worried, though.
"Heyaa!" Filo rushed at Fitoria, trying to strike her with a punch. Fitoria only retreated slowly as she effortlessly dodged the blows, observing her.
"You truly have no experience fighting in this form." Fitoria commented as she struck Filo with her open palm, pushing her to the other side of the barrier. While Filo was coughing and gasping for air, Fitoria simply retook her old position.
"Filo, don't just rush in without a plan!" Naofumi yelled.
"At least use your magic!" Leon complained.
"..."
Filo raised her hands. [Zweite Tornado]
The twister left her fingertips and rushed Fitoria's position, but would never reach her. She held one hand up in response. [Anti-Tornado]
The spell was canceled in its entirety, but Fitoria was confused, where did Filo g-
Fitoria took a swift step back, dodging Filo. She had rushed in behind her spell, knowing it'd be canceled and safe for her to approach.
"You seem to have some experience with counter spells." Fitoria guessed as she readied herself again.
"Yeah, it's like Leon's favorite thing." Filo admitted.
Leon wore a smirk from the sidelines.
Fitoria was pleased that Filo wasn't without some experience. She rushed at Filo this time. Filo attempted to use [High Quick], but it was weird doing it in her human form and she wasn't able to pull it off. She was struck hard, bouncing off the barrier and fumbling to the ground.
"Filo-chan!" Melty called from the barrier.
"That was a poor attempt. You can't simply dump your magic out of you like that. Your human form requires more exact magic use than your full form." Fitoria lectured.
Filo was mad, but did as she said. "..." [High Quick]
Filo shot off like a rocket at Fitoria, who still simply moved out of the way. However, she was unaware of Filo's other abilities.
[Wind Walk]
Filo was able to recover from a miss and come back at Fitoria in less than a second. This continued for nearly 30 seconds, Filo in constant motion, attacking from all directions. Fitoria couldn't be more pleased. This ability was quite handy and she could tell that Filo didn't just rely on her natural talents. She could tell that Filo actually trained often and that her sloppy human form performance was due to her needing to overcome the muscle memory of all that training.
That Naofumi took the time to have her actually train meant he likely did the same for each of the kids. Fitoria was pleased.
After [High Quick] wore off, Fitoria struck Filo again, knocking her back. Once she was down, however, Fitoria kept at her. Striking her several times and tossing her into a nearby rock.
Eclair took this opportunity to sneak closer to Melty. No one else budged. They still had faith in Filo.
"Your spells are not bad, but you become too focused and lose track of important things. That your spell faded when you didn't want it to could cost you your life. You would have failed your hero, your father."
"..." Filo picked herself up and began to focus on actively regenerating her clothes, her defense was being lowered too much.
"Would the enemy wait for you to do such a thing?" Fitoria asked coldly.
Fitoria rushed in and Filo used [Blow Back] with a punch. Fitoria overcame it easily, but it slowed her advance enough for Filo to dodge to the side. It had been the first attack she had dodged.
"Yet another useful ability and you actually dodged me..." Fitoria was again pleased.
"She has good senses and is adapting quickly, but she lacks real offensive power."
"..."
Fitoria launched a shot of magic that passed through her own barrier without interruption and struck Eclair, pushing her to the wall.
"The rules were simple, yet you can't follow them." Fitoria commented, as she shrank Melty's prison a bit.
"S-Stop..." Melty was now crouched to avoid being cut by the spell.
Eclair looked up at her failure with a grimace.
"Stop doing that to Mel-chan!" Filo warned.
"She only broke my rules because she thought you weren't good enough, Filo." Fitoria announced.
"..."
"Does it not concern you that your party doesn't trust you?" Fitoria asked.
"Nope." Was all Filo said.
Fitoria was confused.
"Knight lady isn't family or Filo's friend... Filo's family hasn't moved." Filo said smiling.
Fitoria looked over and sure enough, the family seemed worried, but hadn't attempted anything yet. Naofumi didn't even seem worried. He seems to have seen through her. She'd need to push Filo harder to get the result she was looking for.
"I'm bored of this. If this is all you're capable of, I can't see a reason to spare your brothers. I hate them even being here, but I thought the hero's party was worth something. After I'm done with you, they're next, of course after Mel-tan."
Filo's face flashed anger and she rushed Fitoria, only to be met by Fitoria rushing as well. The next 30 seconds was a series of exchanges of which Fitoria landed dozens of blows, while Filo landed none. After Fitoria felt she had done enough, she kicked Filo away and perched herself atop a rock.
Filo was in bad shape, but she got to her feet quickly. Naofumi noticed how quickly her clothes were regenerating, it was quite fast. She had gotten used to the process very quickly.
Fitoria observed her a moment then began to gather the mana around her. Leon was shocked at first, but somehow understood what she was doing. The mana began to gather around her, forming a ball. Filo couldn't gather the mana around her. It was too one-sided.
"Filo! Use your own mana!" Leon yelled.
Filo flinched and looked back. The party was quite worried, so much so that Leon actually gave her advice. That's how she knew it was serious and that Leon would only give the advice if it was truly needed.
She stopped repairing her clothes and started surrounding her body in mana. It was hard to keep it going at first, it seemed wrong, like she wasn't doing it right. She leapt at Fitoria and was met by the ball that formed around Fitoria. She was pushed away with little effort.
"Now, that was disappointing. You sho-"
Filo used [Wind Walk] to recover from the knockback and came at her again. This time, she focused her mana into the attack itself. What was once formless mana quickly gained shape as the mana formed talons from each of Filo's fingertips. Even in human form, Filo was a bird.
The claws struck against the barrier, but wasn't repelled. Slowly, Filo cut through the barrier until it shattered and the still empowered Filo kept going, tagging Fitoria's face as she passed by. Filo pushed herself too hard and couldn't use [Wind Walk] to go for another hit. She crashed into the ground and tried to pick herself up fast. As she reached up to grab something, she found Fitoria's hand. Filo froze.
Fitoria pulled Filo to her feet a huge smile on her face.
"You pass. I'm quite pleased." With a snap of her fingers, the prison spell and dome barrier spells ended.
Naofumi causally approached, the others were more cautious.
"So, the purpose was to teach her or test her?" Naofumi asked.
"Both. I saw your plan has a low success rate based on what I heard. I wanted some sort of assurance that you could achieve it." Fitoria clarified.
"And now you do?" Naofumi asked.
"No." Fitoria said as she turned to Filo.
Naofumi was stunned by that answer, he didn't expect that. Fitoria held out her hand and a tiara of silver appeared in her hand.
"I, queen Fitoria, do hereby name you a potential successor to all that I am." She finished by placing the tiara on Filo's head.
The tiara began to glow a moment then vanished. Right afterwards, a tuft of Filo's hair stood up.
"Waah?" Filo wasn't pleased.
She felt it a bit, she didn't like at all. "Dad, get rid of it!" Filo whined.
Leon went up to Filo and pulled the hair out. "Ow! Not like that!" Filo whined again.
A moment later the tuft grew back. Filo and Leon both looked at it and gave up, Teal, laughing at their efforts. Raphtalia came over to comfort and congratulate Filo.
"Oh, that reminds me, Sophia, can I have a hair or something from you?"
"Ah, yes. You totally forgot to ask the other time, huh?"
She plucked a hair for him and a moment later he felt it. Another small boost. Nothing major, but he was still growing. Monti couldn't help but smile. That new attack Filo has looked very powerful and Monti aimed to remain at the top of the totem pole.
While the family interacted and calmed down, Fitoria went to Melty's side. She helped her stand and placed her hands on Melty's own.
"I'm sorry I put you through that. I want to apologize. Request something of me and it is yours."
Eclair pulled herself to her feet next to Melty.
"You threatened royalty and you think an apology will cut it?" Eclair sounded pissed.
"As far as I am concerned, I am the only royalty here, real royalty. I now consider Filo the next closest. The titles handed out in the land of humans mean nothing. A cheater like you should simply be happy I held back on you before." Fitoria reverted back to here icy voice.
Eclair was upset, but composed herself.
...
Briarhaven
...
The church left that morning and they took the heroes with them as promised. Silvius received a brief message earlier this morning from Liviccic and everything seemed to be going great.
A guard walked into the room, ruining Silvius' meal. "Sir, some adventurer are here and are demanding to speak to the lord. They say no one else will do."
"Their number? Any stand outs?" Silvius questioned.
"Ten in total, sir. Two demi-humans among them." The guard answered.
Silvius smiled. "Bring them in here. They are likely part of the group that fought alongside the lord." He informed him.
The guard nodded and left. Several minutes later, the ten of them entered the room, noticeably nervous. Silvius looked them over. Liviccic didn't give too many details on the group, but Mia's orange hair was one of them. He motioned for them to take a seat.
They didn't move to sit down. Kurtis spoke.
"We are sorry to take up your time, sir, but we need to speak with Liviccic." Kurtis said.
"You say his name and not 'lord'? Why is that?" Silvius questioned.
"No disrespect, but when we tried calling him that before, he yelled at us." Godiva admitted aloud.
"You idiot, don't-" Cassian went to complain.
"It's quite alright. Am I to take it that you were with my lord during the wave?" Silvius asked.
They all relaxed and few sat down.
"Heh, 'my lord'? You say it, no problem. I saying it and I get my ass chewed out." Clement complained.
"At the time, he was not officially lord. The Blackcrown family loves its formalities... What did you need?" Silvius asked.
"We figured that Liv-that lord Blackcrown would be aware of everything the shield hero is going through. We came for information and to help." Kurtis declared.
"Help? You're adventures, not soldiers. We will be marching soon, some to our grave. I'd caution against such actions." Silvius warned.
"I owe the shield hero, or rather the savior of the heavenly fowl. I will see this through." Kurtis was unconvinced.
"...I see. I am in command while my lord is away, but I have no authority over you." Silvius admitted.
They saw that they would be a source of stress to Silvius and bowed in appreciation.
"If I might ask, are you in the shield hero's party right now?" Beatrix asked.
"So you know about that too? Yes, I am." Silvius answer freely.
"Would you mind letting us join your party then? The captain wishes to speak to him." Beatrix requested.
"...Fine. Miss Sophia and I are currently my lord's only party members. I ask that you remain here in the military section for the time being. I'll arrange lodging and food." Silvius let them join the party.
"We appreciate it, Sir." Mia said genuinely.
"Not as much as I do. No matter what happens, a lot of people are going to die soon. Having a bunch of opportunistic adventurers side with us makes me feel like we're the ones going to win." Silvius admitted, showing his own nervousness.
Silvius spoke with them at length. He wanted to know what they could do and what help they'd be, Mia's skill set was of particular interest. He'd see them armed and armored as well as he could, given the time restraints. He jus needed Liviccic to call and all would be well.
...
Fitoria's hidden kingdom
...
Over the next hour, the party and Fitoria calmed down and they tended to Filo and Eclair. Fitoria gave Melty a ride atop her in her full form as a means of apology. Fitoria also seemed less cold than before, but still refused to look at Monti or Leon. It was a start. After Fitoria was done giving Melty a ride, she brought her back to the group and Melty immediately went to Eclair to check on her.
"Are you doing better?"
"Yes, princess. Naofumi's medicine is a wonderful thing."
Fitoria went to Naofumi to talk further.
They spoke of the king, the church and Naofumi's various enemies he has or will face.
"You should have simply taken the vassal staff then." Fitoria said at one point.
"Take it? How? He never had it on him and even then you can't just steal one, right?"
"It is not stealing. As a cardinal hero, you have [Divine Authority] over the vassal heroes. That's why they're called 'vassal' heroes, they are to serve the cardinal heroes. If they are acting against the sake of the world, you can simply strip them of their weapon." Fitoria said matter-of-factly.
Naofumi and Liviccic shared a look.
"You gave Filo the position of your successor and you give me this information, but you still say we'll fail."
"Yes. Against that many powerful enemies... You will rely on that curse of yours and you'll doom everyone."
"Then what else can I do?" Naofumi asked.
"Not you, I. There are things I can do to help..." Fitoria pulled her three tuffs of hair out and fed them to Naofumi's shield.
.
[Filolial Cavalier Shield]
+4 agi
[Ability: Mounting] While riding a filolial, you both gain 10% of the other's stats.
.
[Filolial Ancient Shield]
+5 agi
[Ability: Mounting Plus] While riding a filolial, beneficial effects to one of you effect both of you.
.
[Filolial Royal Shield]
+5 def, +2 mag, +5 mdef, +6 spd
[Ability: Motion Magic] Gain stats the faster you're moving, this is always in flux.
.
Then she placed her hand on Naofumi's chest.
.
[Barbarian Armor has gained curse resistance (medium) and Wind resistance (weak)]
.
"...Thanks... Will this make the difference?" Naofumi was still unconvinced.
"This should allow you to use your curse a bit more, but what I said still stands. If you use it too much, you will stop being you." Fitoria informed him.
"I will avoid using it whenever possible." Naofumi promised and he meant it.
Fitoria studied him a moment, then she turned.
"You all need to gather your things, we are leaving in a few minutes." Fitoria wouldn't elaborate further.
The party did as they were told and gathered everything and everyone together. A few of the kids wanted to explore this place and said so out loud.
"We will be returning afterwards." Fitoria said.
So it was a short visit?
They were motioned into her cart soon after and they felt themselves teleport again. They didn't exit until they were told to.
"This is what I believe will help you win." Fitoria said as they exited the cart.
What they saw blew their minds. They were on some kind of rocky hills, yet in front of them there was no doubt. It was a dragon hourglass.
"What!?" Was all Naofumi could manage to say.
"There are hourglasses all over the world, not just in major nation capitals. This is one of the hourglasses I am registered to. I fight the waves that attack this place and many others. I will operate the hourglass and grant you class upgrades..., but you have to do something for me."
"Name it! We need this!" Naofumi answered immediately.
"When we are done issuing these class upgrades, you are to register to this hourglass, Naofumi." Fitoria explained.
"Yes, a hundred times, yes!" Extra waves would be rough, but he'd see it through.
Fitoria raised her hands to the hourglass and it shifted several times.
"Who's first?" Fitoria asked.
Raphtalia stepped forward. Before her lay a myriad of options. She had dozens of classes to choose from. Raphtalia seemed unsure. She turned to Naofumi. He said nothing, but gave her a reassuring smile. It was enough. She stopped hesitating and chose what she thought was best. She reached out and pressed the words [Spell Sword]. Once chosen, some sort of glitch occurred and in the next moment, the class upgrade was finished, Filo's tuft glowing.
Raphtalia confirmed her class and saw her new abilities, but her jaw was hung open at the results. Her stats had doubled, all of them. Naofumi saw her expression and he checked too. He was also stunned.
Fitoria didn't waste time. "Next."
Monti stepped forth and this was one of Fitoria's issues. She was unaware if Monti could even use the class upgrade system. He approached and a number of options appeared before him, but they slowly faded away until their was a single option left. Monti stared at the name a moment. A less sure Monti wouldn't accept it, but he knew his family loved and cherished him, so he pressed the only option, [Wave Boss].
Monti received his class upgrade, but more than stats changed. He appeared a year older now. Clearly he looked 11, maybe 12 years old. His race also changed from [? of ?] to [King of beasts]. It was almost like the system was accepting Monti as a proper royal beast.
Naofumi saw the job title change, but said nothing. Fitoria didn't know if she was happy that it worked for Monti or not.
Filo went next and didn't wait for Fitoria to call her. When her options popped up, her initial thought was to spit acid, but then she remembered that Teal already did that. Filo stood there longer than anyone thought she would. She was giving the choice genuine thought. She decided to go with [Assassin]. That surprised Naofumi, but with her speed and now claws on command, it made a bit of sense. He was happy to know she thought about this seriously.
Teal went next, but waited to be called by Fitoria. She saw the many options before her and shot them down one by one until only one logical choice remained. [Druid]. She chose hers rather quickly and again her stats doubled, but also like Monti, her race changed to [Crowned Flower]. She too was regarded as royalty now, the system having worked her out, confused by her alchemist origins before.
Leon was next and he approached Fitoria and the hourglass a little conflicted. Fitoria still didn't look him in the eyes as she pretended he wasn't there. Leon looked at the options before him. He wanted the best possible option, the strongest option. Eventually his eye landed on his choice, [Archmage].
His stats doubled and Filo's tuft glowed again. Before he stepped back, he looked to Fitoria.
"Thank you." It hurt him to say it, but he did it.
Liviccic went next and chose [Warlord] immediately. His stats also doubled. He felt the added physical and leadership abilities would do him better than doubling down on magic. That and it was the class his father chose and his father before him. He felt so powerful so suddenly that it felt like a cheat, but he'd accept it. He returned to the other, excited to see Sophia's choice.
Sophia went last and took a bit of time before she decided on [Conjurer]. Her reasoning being her webs. She quickly took her place next to Liviccic and began to brag with the rest of the party.
Everyone who was level 40 with them was now class upgraded and their power increased greatly. Naofumi understood now why Fitoria was dismissing their chances before, doubling their stats was amazing.
"Double! How can such a thing be possible?" Eclair was floored.
"I think it has to do with Filo's hair." Teal guessed.
"That is correct. There are many magical objects that can effect what classes are available to you or how strong the process will make you. Filo's crown allowed for this outcome." Fitoria explained.
"So you're only strong because of me." Filo said to Leon, rubbing her finger in his face.
"I bet I could easily take you now!" Leon boasted, snapping his teeth at her hand.
The party was ecstatic and most of their stress was gone. They felt this significant boost in power had given them the breathing room to not worry as much. Naofumi saw that all the kids now had the [Royal Authority] skill Beloukas mentioned some time ago. Naofumi looked through the skills they now had, only pausing briefly at one of Monti's. Before they could get too comfortable, Fitoria called Naofumi over.
She handed him some of the hourglass' sand and he absorbed it.
.
[Hourglass Shield]
[Ability: Portal Shield] You may teleport you and your party to any registered hourglass as well as a number of saved points. (max 3)
.
"...Thank you for everything, Fitoria... I mean it. You've given me the ability to protect them all and for us to win. I'll never forget this." Naofumi was being sincere.
Fitoria seemed to be made uncomfortable by those words as she tried brushing them off.
"Don't forget your side of the deal." Fitoria reminded him.
"Of course." Naofumi's shield shared a beam with the hourglass briefly.
Naofumi's face quickly lost it's smile, while Fitoria found hers.
"This is the test for the whole party. Please pass it." Fitoria said darkly.
[00:00:27:31]
They had half an hour to prepare for a wave of catastrophe.
.
[Author's Notes]
So, as expected Fitoria and Filo have their fight, but Filo is not like she was in canon. She has siblings that kept her from being happy with her strength and she has done actual training before this. This resulted in a more solid fight, even if Fitoria was never going to lose.
Kurtis and the gang have met up with Silvius and they will be there backing Naofumi up.
Now the big thing, the class upgrades.
I'm sure I'm going to receive mixed opinions on this, but it was necessary, they are facing too much. Naofumi in canon teamed up with the other heroes against the pope, while here, he's against them both and even more than that.
The only change I made from canon in regards to the system was that they actually get to pick classes instead of just doubling their stats. Sorry if it bothers you, but I wanted them to change their skill sets as they grew.
It also always irked me that Fitoria didn't do this for them in canon, it's literally five minutes of her day.
Also Monti is officially a wave boss now. I wonder what that actually means?
Fitoria has one more test in mind, another wave. One she will beat if they fail, but she wants to see them in action.
Please leave a review!