Chapter Nineteen: Doctor Meets Accessory Merchant
Three days passed on by.
"Thanks again!"
Naofumi nodded his head to the young woman who ran off with a batch of medicine to help her young husband. He looked around at the dark town.
Thankfully, he had a much clearer head about him today. For one, he'd caught up on his sleep. And two, he'd made the decision that, until he could cast magic, he'd study solely from his medical grimoire. A task that wasn't so stressful, and which brought him a feeling of satisfaction instead of frustration; especially since he'd learned how to compound Better Quality Nutritional Pills which allowed him to sell them for a higher price.
He made a mental note to make more of them. With the threat of the waves, people wanted to be in top shape in case they had to fight off monsters.
His experience in this town was turning out to be similar to the first village he visited along with the one he'd visited yesterday as a night merchant. He arrived at the town after sunset. The stall had been set up shortly after, and groups of people sought him out for the medicines he was selling… and yet again, more of them had bought from Raphtalia instead of him. Which he blamed partly on the fact that she had Filo over on her side helping her out by being a cute playful advertisement.
That was part of Naofumi's excuse for being outdone... again. The other part was because of how things had gone differently after he'd arrived in this town. Word of a new night merchant going by "The Nocturnal Doctor" had already spread to this region. Apparently, successfully healing a Lord's daughter had given him a new name and a reputation boost. Meaning it'd be easier now for him to lay low from Melromarc Knights and the Church.
Unlike the last town, he'd had several people here ask for his help in healing their loved ones. Meaning he'd had to leave the stall to Raphtalia and Filo for most of the night. So, of course, they'd sell more than him.
That was his excuse anyway.
Oh well, he'd made a pretty coin healing those people. That'd offset his lack of wares.
He held up the pouch holding the coins people had paid him with. Most of it was money the family members of those he saved had gifted him. Hell, it seemed like the more he tried to undercharge them, the more they were willing to gift him for saving their loved ones. At this rate, he'd be able to afford getting Raphtalia new equipment while simultaneously being able to afford to feed Filo.
Naofumi smiled. Despite staying disguised and unknown whenever he was in town, he was really beginning to like being able to help out other people. Especially since it paid well.
"Daddy, Mommy was wondering if daddy was thinking something greedy."
Naofumi sharply turned and looked down at Filo in surprise. She was smiling sweetly, not having a clue what the term greed meant in her childish mind. Raphtalia was busy talking with two other customers.
"You can tell her I wasn't." Naofumi lied. Seriously, how the hell did she do it?
Filo continued to sweetly smile. "Mommy's also wondering if any more customers will appear tonight Daddy," Filo asked.
Naofumi sighed to himself. He looked down at the happy smiling innocent Filo with a blank face, really wishing she'd stop thinking of him as a parent. "Probably not. We'll stay open an extra fifteen minutes just in case. Now go back to… mommy." He grimaced.
It was really weird to call Raphtalia by that term.
"Okay!" Filo happily ran back to Raphtalia immediately after Naofumi answered. Raphtalia had just finished selling medicine to the two travelers when Filo jumped up into Raphtalia's waiting arms. The two of them laughed as they spun together. The two travelers awed at the sight.
It was much more obvious that Raphtalia was Filo's mother figure. Even the two traders could easily see that.
Naofumi watched the two. A smile came onto his lips at the sight when Raphtalia and Filo rubbed heads affectionately. Filo whispered something into Raphtalia's ear, and she started to giggle. She made it look so natural. Like it was built into her to be motherly...
Naofumi shook his head. He resigned himself and began packing up his side. After all, he'd never get anymore customers with the two of them acting so cute.
He lifted one of his remaining crates of medicine and put it in the back of the wagon. He found it ironic. On one side, he had Myne glaring down haughtily in his mind, keeping him from wanting to enter a serious relationship. On the other hand, he was afraid to advance to a more serious relationship because he didn't know if Raphtalia knew what the boundaries of a relationship were. And until he could find a friendly demi-human from Siltvelt that wasn't hunting them down that could give her, 'The Talk,' he'd be wary of going further than hugging or cuddling.
Damn, to think he'd have to be picky about who should be the one to teach Raphtalia about sex-
"Hmmm. Are you the famous Nocturnal Doctor I've been hearing about?"
Naofumi was brought out of his reverie. "Huh?" He looked around for the person who had spoken but couldn't see anyone. He shrugged and moved another box into the back of the wagon.
"I'm down here!"
Naofumi nearly jumped and looked down in front of his stall. Standing there was a guy almost as short as Beloukas. The man was dressed in red and gold-colored clothes. He spoke with an accent that Naofumi hardly recognized, and wore a rich red hat on his head. He... kind of looked like a merchant?
"Who are you?" Naofumi asked.
"Hickwaal's the name. And trade and commerce are my game." The merchant replied happily, his eyes closed while he bowed politely.
"... right…" 'That's a merchant's sales pitch if I've ever heard one.' Naofumi glanced over at Raphtalia and Filo. But the two of them were already talking to another person who wanted to stock up on medicine for colds.
"Not to worry. I'm not here to try and extract any trade secrets from you or anything!" Hickwaal said, holding his hands up appeasingly in front of him while he continued to smile widely. "Though if you want, I'm sure I could offer you a fair price." He winked.
"... You don't look like you're here to buy anything," Naofumi said, crossing his arms as he dryly looked down at the merchant. It was like the guy was hiding something. But he didn't see any rosaries on the guy or anything. Yet something felt kind of off with him. What was it?
"Indeed I'm not." The merchant replied happily.
Well, he was honest. Naofumi could give him that.
"At least, I'm not here to buy any of your medicines. Rather, I'm here to buy transport to Algade." He said.
Naofumi's eyebrow raised at that. Buy transport? Did he think he was some kind of taxi service or something? He was about to say 'no' when the merchant continued.
"You see, I have some merchandise I need to deliver to a customer. Unfortunately, all the other wagons have either left town or are traveling elsewhere." The merchant said, finally looking a little sad. "If I don't get my merchandise to my customer by tomorrow evening, then I'm afraid I'll lose a lot of money. You're my last shot at making it on time."
… Naofumi thought it over in his mind. 'I'm not sensing anything hostile from him. It sounds like a chance to make more money… but if I remember the map correctly, Algade is a town that puts us deeper in the mountain range. I don't want to start thinking that we got away from Bellona Village on dumb luck. Reputation or not, the sooner we leave the mountains for another part of the country, the better… …'
"What kind of merchandise are you transporting? And how much?" Naofumi asked.
"Hmmm. Nothing too much. Only two crates." The merchant looked around as if he was checking to make sure nobody was listening in. "The merchandise are some accessories I made. They'll bring in a pretty penny for my customer with the Waves of Catastrophe going on."
"... Accessories, huh?" Naofumi tried to think about what an accessory was. Despite his past gaming experience, he hadn't heard that gaming term before. He guessed the closest definition would be something you could wear that would better your stats, like an amulet or a ring. He'd already heard it was possible to enchant armor in this world, so why not some random trinket?
"Alright, I'll help." Naofumi finally said. The merchant smiled with glee. "But I want 20% of what you get from that customer for travel expenses. And I want a close look at one of those accessories on our way over."
"Hmmm... You've got yourself a deal!" The merchant happily shook Naofumi's hand. "I'll go get my goods arranged immediately so we'll be able to leave in the morning!"
Naofumi was surprised. He'd thought for sure the 20% price tag would be too high for the merchant. It turned out he was wrong. The merchant must have really been desperate.
The merchant hustled away, looking very eager to get going. "Master Naofumi, who was that man?" Raphtalia asked curiously.
"Yeah Daddy, who was that weird guy?" Filo asked curiously.
Naofumi shook his head to clear it before looking at the two of them. "An overnight customer." He answered blandly. "Let's load the wagon and head back to camp. We're coming back here again in the morning before we leave."
"Right."
"Got it… so does that mean Filo can transform now-?" Filo asked curiously.
"Transform inside the stables! Not out here where everyone can see you!" Naofumi said exasperatedly.
Hey, even if he was caught up on sleep, Naofumi still had a short fuse about Filo transforming out in public. "And no talking while you're in your Filolial form tomorrow, or else Mommy will be the one making your dinner!"
"Wahhhhhhh!" Filo immediately cried at the prospect of her dad not making dinner for her. Raphtalia had already tried once.
And while Filo loved her mommy, she loved daddy's cooking much much more.
"Naofumi," Raphtalia said with a sigh.
"What?" He asked.
Raphtalia sighed again. "Never mind."
The next morning came.
Raphtalia sat in the driver's seat of the wagon, holding the reins to Filo. Filo was in her Filolial Queen Form pulling the wagon. The two of them hummed happily together in unison as they traveled. "Remember to pretend that you're a regular Filolial, Filo." Raphtalia whispered to the big bird. "No talking, or else daddy will get angry."
Filo nodded and continued to hum to herself happily.
Inside the wagon, Naofumi sat with the merchant from the night before. The merchant had one of his two crates open in front of him. He pulled a ring out for Naofumi to look at.
"So an accessory is just that?" Naofumi asked curiously.
"Why yes." The merchant said, handing Naofumi the Silver Ring. It had a green gemstone on it. "An accessory is any trinket that an adventurer can wear. Be it an amulet, a necklace, a ring, a bracelet, a hairpin, or any other fine jewelry that has been enchanted. Some of these in the box are just for show mind you because of their weak enchantments, but that ring is one I personally enchanted myself." He said proudly.
"You mean, you enchanted that?" Naofumi asked.
"Of course. I wouldn't be a good accessory merchant if I didn't know how to perform enchantments." The merchant said as he handed the ring to Naofumi so he could look it over.
The item description appeared on his status magic screen. His eyes almost widened, but he managed to restrain himself from looking so surprised. "Very High Quality. Gives wearer Magic Up and Agility Up." Naofumi spoke what he saw.
"Yes!" The merchant said happily. "It's one of my masterpieces. A rare enchantment to be able to get with silver. I couldn't hope to make such another using silver in my life."
This would work perfectly with Raphtalia's stat build. "How much is it?" He asked.
"Hmmm, I'd say somewhere around 8-10 Gold Pieces," Hickwaal said.
'WHAT?!' He looked down at the expensive silver ring he was carrying again. It was worth much more than some of his best medicine... He contemplated purchasing it still since Raphtalia could use the stat boosts, then he remembered that he was holding a ring, and his mind shriveled at the thought.
Better to not give her the wrong idea. Stat boost or not, it might send the wrong message. "Is Silver hard to enchant?" Naofumi asked instead.
"Digging for my trade secrets now, hmmm?" The merchant asked Naofumi, feigning curiosity.
"Not really. I already know how to craft and compound. I just never knew that you could make accessories, much less, enchant them." Naofumi answered.
"Really? Does that mean you make all your medicine yourself?" The merchant asked, this time actually being genuinely curious and surprised. It almost obviously looked like a way for the merchant to try and change the subject. Naofumi smirked under his hood.
"Well, since you're asking." Naofumi pulled out his compounding tools from his inventory along with some herbs. He needed to start compounding medicines for when they visited the next town anyway. He set an empty crate in front of himself, and with the merchant watching opposite him, Naofumi got to work with his tools.
Five minutes later, Naofumi set a dozen bottles of various medicines in the crate. Then he finally set the compounding tools to the side and allowed the merchant to look at what he'd created. "What do you think?" Naofumi asked.
"Hmmm!" He hummed in amazement as he examined the item descriptions. "None of these medicines are below Good Quality! And some of them are hard to come by." The merchant said as he studied each medicine's description on his status screen. He then looked up at Naofumi. "Tell me, how did you manage this?" He asked curiously.
"What do you mean?" Naofumi responded curiously in the same tone the merchant had used on him.
"I've had the pleasure of watching several great apothecaries make medicine. But never have I seen them get this kind of result before. You must have a true knack for it." The merchant responded in awe.
Naofumi shrugged. "I guess that's just my trade secret." A few shields that increased his compounding skills, success chance, and medicine quality also helped out a fair bit. Not that he needed to know.
"Your reputation as the Nocturnal Doctor is well called for then." The merchant said, almost as if he was thinking to himself. If he was that good at making medicine, then maybe... "And you said you're also into crafting?" He asked.
"A little bit. I haven't crafted too much though since I don't have much to work with-" Naofumi was replying.
"Master Naofumi." Raphtalia cut him off.
Naofumi and the merchant looked up. "What is it Raphtalia?" He blandly asked. 'Come on! I was about to learn how to craft accessories from this guy! Couldn't it have waited another ten minutes?!'
"There's a large gang up ahead. They're cutting off our path." Raphtalia said.
...
It appeared it couldn't be put off for another ten minutes. He looked to the merchant, who suddenly didn't look so good. His skin had noticeably paled. "We'll finish our talk later."
"Oh, yes, that sounds... wise." The merchant said. He looked really nervous and was starting to break out in a nervous sweat. Naofumi frowned, now realizing that his hunch from the day before had been correct. The merchant had known something that Naofumi wasn't aware of. Maybe something more than just beating some random competitor to the customer.
He poked his head out of the wagon flap next to Raphtalia to look ahead. "What are we dealing with Raphtalia?"
Filo had taken them down a path that led between two low hills. In the middle of the small valley was a group of what appeared to be thugs. It looked like all of them except two out front were holding weapons. They were purposefully blocking the road about 200 yards in front of them. Naofumi looked around but didn't see a path that diverged from their road.
"It looks like a group of bandits. Filo counted fifteen of them. What do you think we should do Master Naofumi?" Raphtalia asked.
Naofumi thought for a second. "We could have Filo run at full speed and see if they move out of the way or not," He suggested.
…
Raphtalia gave him a light glare. While his plan could work, Filo could possibly get hurt by one of those weapons. "Or we could stop and see what they want." Naofumi amended. Even if they did get by, these bandits looked like the sort who'd track and harass his wagon if they got away.
However, he looked back at the merchant. He seemed genuinely afraid to hear that there were bandits up ahead. What was the reason...
"Hey, you," Naofumi said back to the merchant. "Just how high up in the merchant world are you?"
"Hmmm… I was keeping that secret for my own safety… trade secrets and all that..." Naofumi lightly glared from under his hood. "But, um… I might be the leader of the merchant's guild that specializes in accessory making." He answered.
...
Well, this was the last time he ferried someone around for money.
Naofumi climbed out and sat next to Raphtalia, closing the flap of the wagon behind him. He kept his shield hidden under his cloak on his back. The last thing he needed was to reveal his identity as the Shield Hero. "Slow down Filo. Let's see if they want our merchant friend or not."
Raphtalia pulled lightly on the reins, and Filo gradually slowed until they stopped ten yards in front of the group of bandits. This close, he could see that some of them were armed with axes, while others wielded swords or daggers. He saw one in the back holding a bow. Naofumi grimaced under his hood at the looks some of the bandits were directing at him and Raphtalia. The two unarmed bandits in the front of the group stepped forward. The two spokesmen of this band of bandits.
"Strange bird you've got there stranger." The one on the right said humorously as if he was greeting an old friend.
"Just cut the crap and tell me what you want already," Naofumi said dryly. Unbeknownst to the group of bandits, he had his HUD open and was trying to measure their strength. However, they all appeared as ?'s in his vision.
Most likely because he knew nothing about them.
"Oh, we're not here for trouble friend." The thief on the left said. "We just heard there was an accessory seller hitching a ride in your wagon. One our employer is very interested in… silencing."
The merchant eeped quietly in the back of the wagon. "What will you do if I hand him over?" Naofumi asked.
"At the least, we'll spare your lives." The thief said with a smile.
"So you mean you'll take everything but our lives?" Naofumi clarified.
"Heh, you're a sharp one lad. At most, we'll silence you if you refuse to cooperate." The other thief spokesman said, before revealing the sword at his side and pulling it slightly out of his sheath.
Why did he believe it'd be a good idea to bring this merchant along again? Naofumi would have had a far easier time if they hadn't had to go this way today.
"Hey. That girl there's pretty hot for a demi-human. Looks like we'll be having ourselves some fun tonight boys." A bandit in the back of the group said with a naughty laugh. Some of the others laughed along with him.
A vein bulged in Naofumi's head at that comment. Just by the bandit's tone of voice, he could tell their version of fun wouldn't be fun for Raphtalia.
"Do I have permission to cut him down, Master Naofumi?" Raphtalia calmly asked. Her tail was spiking angrily behind her as she tightly gripped Filo's reins.
"Sure, I don't see why not," Naofumi answered as he relaxed back onto the driver's bench. Whatever their levels were, Raphtalia was level 38. This group wouldn't stand a chance.
Some of the bandits looked confused at what Naofumi had said. A couple even looked nervous at how this hooded figure easily dismissed them to his demi-human companion, who stood up and unsheathed her sword. The still unarmed spokesman upfront puffed out his chest. "Don't even bother. We have a classed-up bodyguard here to protect us-" He was saying haughtily.
"Yeah, whatever," Naofumi said boredly.
Some of the bandits looked even more surprised to hear that. They had just told this fellow that they had one classed up guy with them. Normal merchants and adventurers wouldn't stand a chance. Yet, despite knowing, this hooded figure known as The Nocturnal Doctor still acted as if he was safe. "Hey, are you stupid or something-" One of the bandits in the group tried to ask.
"Go ahead Raphtalia. Oh, and if you can, kick them in the groin." Naofumi said in a bored tone with his head lowered, hiding the smile on his face. "If they truly have a classed-up individual among them, that is the weak spot you should aim for."
"Right." Raphtalia jumped down beside the wagon. It was weird, he'd never suggested that before in a fight. But then again, she had never fought against a large group before. "As source of thy power, I order thee, decipher the laws of nature, and hide me from my targets." Raphtalia raised an arm above herself. "Hide Mirage!" Raphtalia disappeared inside a pillar of light.
The bandits all looked around in shock. Naofumi merely whistled to himself as he looked up from under his hood and observed. Maybe Raphtalia learning how to turn invisible wasn't so bad after all?
It certainly made what happened next even funnier.
"Where did she go!?"
"I can't see her-"
Pow! "Ooooooohhhhhhhhhh!" The bandit who'd suggested having fun with Raphtalia fell to his knees. His hands clutching at his groin area that had been crushed by the invisible kick.
'Ohhhh, that really looks like it hurt.' Raphtalia winced to herself. Weak spot truly did describe it.
The group immediately backed away from their comrade in surprise. "What the hell-" The bandit wielding the bow started to yell.
Pow!
He fell face forward into the ground. The ground muffled his screams of pain as he held himself.
"Hah!" Another large bandit wielding an ax brought it down on the ground in front of him where he'd thought he heard Raphtalia moving. "Hey, I think I got her-"
Pow!
He stopped speaking in shock. Never before had he felt such pain coming from his nether regions. "Never mind." He squeaked out as he fell over. Screaming as he had never screamed before in his life.
Naofumi continued to watch the chaotic spectacle play out. Grown men started to run around in confusion. One hand wielding a weapon, the other covering their cajones in a desperate attempt to preserve their future posterity, if they ever had any.
Whack! "AHHHHHHHH!"
Naofumi was smiling. He was very close to laughing hard now after seeing a seventh bandit fall to the same brutal treatment. It was amazing. He'd never thought being ambushed by bandits would be so entertaining.
Filo leaned her head in close to Naofumi's so she could whisper to him. "Daddy? Should Filo be helping mommy out?" She asked quietly. She knew she wasn't supposed to speak, but she was genuinely worried about helping out her mommy.
"I think she's got this." As he said that, the class up bandit tried slashing the air in front of him while protecting his balls, only to receive a hard hit to the head, knocking him out. "Yeah, she's definitely got this."
Being invisible on a battlefield really had its benefits. However, Naofumi noticed that Raphtalia's mana gauge was steadily dropping the longer she stayed hidden. He guessed even the best spells still had a cost.
The fight, fortunately, wasn't very long. The last bandit, one of the two spokesmen, fell to the ground. Squeaking in agony as he gripped his groin area. "O… Owwww…"
Raphtalia reappeared again in the middle of them all. No blood coated her sword. She had either punched/kicked their groin areas or bashed them in the head with her sword hilt. She sheathed her sword and turned to Naofumi. "What are your orders Naofumi?"
Naofumi smiled back as the merchant poked his head out in disbelief. "I can't believe it. She took care of that whole group?"
"Tie them up. I have some questions for them." Naofumi said calmly.
All the bandits were tied up individually and placed together in one large circle. Those who had been knocked out had finally come too. Those who had taken a hit to their groins… were still recovering. Moaning in pain, or speaking in higher-pitched voices that would have made Opera proud.
Raphtalia stood beside Naofumi, who was in front of them. Filo stood behind them, making sure they couldn't escape. The merchant stood behind Naofumi and Raphtalia, using them as a shield in case one of the bandits got loose.
"So. Anyone want to tell me why you thought it was a good idea to attack my wagon?" He asked the group calmly. None of the bandits responded to his question and some continued moaning in pain. He waited patiently for a moment. "Well?"
"... We were targeting the accessory merchant you were transporting." The bandit spokesman finally answered in a higher-pitched tone. "A trader hired us to mug him since he was transporting some really good stuff."
Raphtalia was starting to have second thoughts now about following Naofumi's counsel. She made a note to avoid targeting that area in the future unless it was necessary.
"Hmmm… It must have been my competitor." The merchant said to himself behind Naofumi. He nodded to himself, thinking along the same lines.
"Alright, next question. What's the name of the trader that hired you?" Naofumi asked.
"As if we'd tell you!" Another of the bandits yelled defiantly. It would have sounded manly... if it wasn't for his higher-pitched voice. "We'd never betray one of our clients!"
"I didn't think bandits had integrity," Naofumi said sarcastically. They were thieves. Low lives. He guessed they were only bitter about having been defeated so easily and refused to answer him out of spite.
"You know, your merchant friend there has rivals who'll pay handsomely to have him removed from the table." The bandit spokesman interrupted. "If you were to untie us and help us eliminate him, we'd forget all about this little mishap. We'd even split part of the payment to you and be nice to your demi-human for helping us out. How does that sound?" He tried to say in a convincing, higher-pitched tone.
…
The merchant looked at the bandits, and then at Naofumi. He feared Naofumi might take up the bandits on their offer... "Tempting." Naofumi finally said. "However, I'm not interested in betraying my clients. I'd rather know who it was that hired you."
… The bandit spokesmen scowled. "Then I guess you'll never know who hired us. Because we won't tell you." He answered spitefully.
Naofumi sighed. He could try turning them in to the local guard and have them interrogate them. But that posed the risk of being recognized out in the daytime. Plus, these guys didn't know yet that he was the Shield Hero, and neither did the merchant. He'd rather keep it that way.
He could just let them go... "And if I let you go, I'm guessing you'll come after me to pay me back for what I did to your little group," Naofumi said dryly.
"Well aren't you always the sharp tool in the shed." The bandit said with a smirk. "You can bet we won't forget about this anytime soon! We'll have your head if it's the last thing we do!"
...
Naofumi sighed to himself. "I guess I have no other choice." He said dryly.
"You all have to die."
…
The bandits' eyes widened in surprise. All the moaning and complaining stopped as his words registered in their small peon sized brains.
Raphtalia looked at Naofumi in shock.
"Hey Filo, you have permission to speak now. You hungry?"
"Yes, Daddy! Filo's very hungry!" The large bird happily nodded her head at the prospect of finally being fed.
Most of the bandits gaped in shock at the weird Filolial who could also apparently speak. "Wait, what?!" One of the bandits yelled.
Naofumi's smirk widened. Even the merchant behind him looked surprised about how special Filo was. It was on the fly, but he couldn't have these bandits also chasing after him. The more he could persuade them to leave his party alone, the better. "You see, Filolials are omnivores, and mine is no exception. She'll gulp anything down in one go." Naofumi calmly explained with the same mischievous look hidden under his hood. "Including all of you."
'WHAT?!' Raphtalia looked horrified. She'd realized what Naofumi was doing, but this was going too far!
"They do look pretty tasty," Filo said, flicking her beak with her tongue in a drooling manner.
Raphtalia screamed inside her mind at the thought of her daughter thinking a person looked tasty. What was Naofumi thinking?!
The bandits started to freak out. "Wait! Aren't you supposed to be the Nocturnal Doctor!? Do you really want to commit murder?!" The bandit spokesman asked desperately.
So they really did know who he was. He was really glad he hadn't decided to let them go. Neither the Capital nor the Church was hunting the Nocturnal Doctor. These bandits, however, could have ended up hiring all their friends to impede his job. "I'm no doctor. And I certainly won't care if the world has fewer murderers like you in it." Naofumi said dryly as if they weren't really of much worth to him anymore. "After all, it's in my best interests to protect not only my clients, but myself. If you know who I am, then I can't have you hunting me or any of my future patients down."
"Wait, please, we'll do anything! Just spare our lives!" The bandits all pled beggingly.
"I don't know, I'm not sure your lives are worth much-" Naofumi continued to say boredly.
"It was Madrock! He was the one who hired us to off Hickwaal!" The bandit spokesman said beggingly. The merchant behind Naofumi gasped at hearing the name. "He paid us 20 Gold Coins for the job, and said we could keep whatever the merchant had when the job was done!"
"Madrock? He's supposed to be one of my assistants in the Merchant's Guild!" Hickwaal said angrily. He'd overcome his shock at hearing Filo speak at hearing that it wasn't a competitor who had hired these bandits. It was one of his own men!
That caught Naofumi off guard in his thought processes. He was so used to being able to logically deduce a situation that the error caught him off guard for a second before he recovered. "Looks like one of your assistants was looking at taking your place," Naofumi said calmly while looking back down at the bandits. "Is he lying about who hired you?" He wanted to make certain.
The bandits all shook their heads in unison. Those who were conscious at least. Some of them had fainted at the prospect of being eaten alive. "Alright. Will any of you try to hunt me down again after this?" They all eagerly shook their heads. "Good, it looks like you're not being eaten after all," Naofumi said boredly. "Sorry Filo, you'll have to wait for dinner."
"Awwwwww…" Filo sighed despondently.
The conscious bandits all sighed in relief. "However, you're not off the hook yet."
Raphtalia balled her fists at her sides. "Naofumi, are you sure we should-" She tried to calmly ask Naofumi. As much as she didn't like this group of bandits, he'd already gone too far. Any further, and she'd blow a casket.
"Relax, Raphtalia, I'm not planning on killing them," Naofumi said to her. Before he looked over the group of tied up men. He had a very evil-looking grin on his face that made some of them gulp. "However, they'll wish they weren't alive after this."
He lifted the bandit spokesman off the ground by the armpits and turned the struggling man towards Filo. "Filo." He began to teach. "These are bad men. Whenever you meet a bad man, you give them the same treatment that Raphtalia gave them. Is that clear?"
"You mean, you want me to kick them between the legs daddy?" Filo asked.
"Yep! That's exactly right!" Just to make sure the group got the message about what would happen to them if they tried to hunt down his party again.
"Okey-day!"
"Wait-" The bandit spokesman tried to say.
CRACK!
Filo obediently kicked said bandit in the groin with all her strength.
And that was how Filo learned how to punish bad, evil men.
"Alright, we're here." Naofumi said boredly. They'd finally passed through the toll gate and were entering the town. It was getting towards sunset, meaning he didn't have time to compound more stock. Which meant he didn't have much to sell. Meaning he'd have to leave after the merchant was dropped off.
At least the ride over had been entertaining.
The merchant poked his head out of the back of the wagon. "Hmmm. That ride felt like the longest in my life."
"Yeah yeah. Just get to pulling your merchandise out already." Naofumi said impatiently. He was grouchy. Raphtalia had been 'hunting' in the forest all around ever since the bandits incident. She said it was so they'd have dinner tonight. He theorized it was because she was angry with him.
It'd left him in the driver's seat for the rest of the trip, and the merchant had insisted on staying inside the wagon in case anyone else tried to attack. So he hadn't been able to learn how to make accessories or anything like he'd planned. 'Ugh…'
"Hmmm. It was very interesting though." The merchant added. "I've never seen a demi-human take down a whole group of bandits... nor have I ever met a talking Filolial."
"Just make sure to keep that to yourself. The last thing I need is people thinking my giant bird is a God." Naofumi said sarcastically.
"Wait, is Filo a God?" She asked curiously.
"No, and we're in town now, so stop speaking," Naofumi said through gritted teeth. It was late in the evening, but there were still people out and about. And he was able to tell that some of them looked excited that 'The Nocturnal Doctor' was visiting their town.
'Awwww…' Filo quietly whined inside her mind.
Naofumi got off the wagon and stretched his stiff muscles. He was disappointed as he realized some of these people would be sad if he didn't stay to help out their sick. But he'd used up most of his medicine in the last town. And doing nothing here could drive down his reputation.
Ugh, this was going to be awful-
"Oi, it's about time ya got here! Don't ya realize we've been waiting all week for this to arrive?!"
Naofumi's thought processes stopped. He turned at the sound of the familiar voice that had come from what looked like the town's blacksmith shop. "Jerry?"
Sure enough, Jerry the blacksmith came jogging out of the blacksmith shop along with another guy. He was taller than Jerry, and muscled like Elhart, except younger, and his skin was darker. "Ya sure took your sweet time Hickwaal. Don't ya know I still got me own shop to run in Mirso?" Jerry asked the merchant in annoyance.
"Of course!" Hickwaal said excitedly for he'd managed to beat his competitor here. "But you were the one that agreed for me to deliver my accessories. Hmmm?" He reminded him.
"That was because I was doing me job making sure the newest member of the Blacksmith's Guild was doing alright on his own here-" Jerry was responding when his eyes fell on Naofumi. His original line of thought went flying out the door. "Lad! I barely recognize ya! How ya been!?" Jerry asked excitedly as he grabbed Naofumi and embraced him in a bear crushing hug.
Naofumi was confused, on so many levels. His high defense stat came in handy again as he wasn't crushed in the blacksmith's embrace. 'The hell?' Jerry was here? He was Hickwaal's customer. He was part of a Blacksmith's Guild? "I'm fine. Please let me go." Naofumi responded dryly.
Jerry released Naofumi from the bear hug. "I see ya still favor hiding that face of yours! Is the lass still with ya? And is it true I hear ya've been going by a new name these days helping out people wherever you go?" Jerry put a hand to his chin in thought. "Noctur… the Loctur Boctor?" He asked.
Naofumi sighed. However, he remembered that this man had, in fact, helped out Raphtalia when she'd been in a tough spot before, so he forced himself to smile. "Nocturnal Doctor. Yes, Raphtalia's out hunting right now. And yes, I'm helping out people as a traveling night merchant."
"Splendid!" Jerry yelled happily.
"So, you mentioned a Blacksmith's Guild-" Naofumi tried to ask.
"Hey, Jerry, I'd like help dividing up the accessories for our shops before I close tonight." The other blacksmith said in a calm, yet friendly tone. He was over where Hickwaal had set the crates on the ground and was pulling accessories out to examine them. "I'm hoping the variety will help bring in more adventurers."
"Coming Andrew!" Jerry rolled his eyes. "Geeze. The next generation of blacksmiths has tunnel vision I swear."
"Hmmm, true. But they are the future of our guilds." Hickwaal said happily.
"True that. And he's such a cheerful fellow too. I'm glad Elhart gave him the okay to join." Jerry said in his weird accent as he went to help out his fellow blacksmith.
What the hell did Elhart have to do with this?
"Speaking of the next generation, I have a proposition for you, Nocturnal Doctor."
Naofumi boxed away his thoughts for another time. "What is it?" Naofumi asked.
"Would you still be interested in learning how to craft and enchant accessories?" Hickwaal asked.
...
Naofumi was floored by that statement. "What?" He asked. "Why?"
"Think of it as a token of my appreciation for saving me and my merchandise." The merchant said. "Plus, I find you rather intriguing, even if you hide your identity from other people. I have a feeling you'd make a fine apprentice."
...
Naofumi thought on it. "I don't know if I'd want to join, Raphtalia does all the selling…" His lips twitched, wanting to form a smile. "Sorry, I have my own travels to get to. But if there's anything you can teach me tonight, I'd accept that."
"Wonderful!"
Naofumi thought on it some more… "Just give me some time to compound some medicines first and then we can start." He couldn't forget about the people here, after all.
"Take all the time you need Nocturnal Doctor. I need time to make sure a message is sent to kick a certain associate out of the Guild." Hickwaal said, this time in an unpleasant tone as he walked away towards the inn.
Naofumi climbed into the back of the wagon and immediately got to work on compounding various medicines with his tools. He wanted to get this done as quick as possible so he could get to learning. He figured he could ask Jerry about the Blacksmith's guild another time. If he found it important enough to remember, that is.
Filo poked her head into the back of the wagon. "Daddy, are we staying the night here?" She asked.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think I'll be able to cook you dinner tonight Filo," Naofumi answered. Being focused on his task and his thoughts. "I'm going to be very busy."
Filo looked down at hearing that. Even though she'd tried harder to be obedient today so that she wouldn't have dinner from Daddy taken away, it had still happened. Naofumi paused in his compounding. The same thought had come into his mind. Filo really had been far more obedient today than normal. "You were a good girl today though. So I'll make it up to you with a huge breakfast tomorrow morning." Naofumi then said.
Stars appeared in Filo's eyes. "Yay!" She squealed happily.
"Not too loud!" Naofumi warned since Filo was still in her Filolial form. He then grimaced when he thought about earlier and the fact that Raphtalia still hadn't reappeared. "Also, Filo, I want to make sure you understand something."
Filo blinked her eyes in curiosity. "I hope you know I was joking about what I said about eating those bandits. Eating other people is a very bad thing to do. I don't ever want to see you do it."
"But… doesn't Filo eat other monsters all the time?" Filo asked curiously.
Naofumi's grimace deepened. "Yes, but most monsters aren't like people Filo." He briefly wondered how he could explain such a concept to the young girl in a way that she'd understand. "You see, um, most monsters are evil, but not in the way that people can be evil… and because of that…"
Filo's eyes brightened. "Wait, Filo gets it." She suddenly said. "Filo shouldn't eat people because eating people is bad. But eating monsters is good!"
Naofumi blinked his eyes in surprise. It was a very simple explanation, but surprisingly, it worked. He was surprised Filo had come to that conclusion all on her own. "So you'll make sure not to eat anyone no matter what happens in the future?" Naofumi questioned to make sure.
"Yep. Filo promises not to eat another person daddy!" She said happily. "Only monsters!"
Naofumi's grimace was slowly turning into a relieved smile. "Alright, go transform Filo. You and Raphtalia are operating the stand tonight."
"Got it." Filo pulled her head out of the wagon's front flap and ran off past several startled people to the stables.
'Finally.' Naofumi thought. He was all alone to compound by himself. 'I never thought I'd have to explain that to Filo…'
...
"So, are we staying the night here Master Naofumi?" Raphtalia asked.
Naofumi looked up in surprise. He didn't see her anywhere in the wagon. He almost thought he was imagining it when Raphtalia's form appeared sitting on the opposite bench. "You never answered our daughter's question."
Right... the invisibility thing. She must have slipped in the wagon sometime while he was distracted. "Not the whole night." He said as he got back to compounding. "Just however long it takes for this merchant to teach me how to craft and enchant accessories."
Raphtalia watched him work for a moment in silence…
"And… I'm sorry for being out of line for how I dealt with the bandits earlier." He added honestly. Thinking she was still mad with him about that. "I just didn't want them to be added to our list of problems to deal with. I went with the first thing that came to mind."
"... I knew you weren't really planning on feeding them to Filo Naofumi." Raphtalia said. "What I didn't approve of was you using Filo as a means to threaten them."
".. well, I mean, she isn't a normal girl-" Naofumi tried to say, but then he wised up, and he realized what he'd been about to say about Raphtalia's daughter wouldn't help him out. "But you're right. That was out of line. I'm sorry."
…
"Will you promise me you won't use Filo to threaten people again in the future?" Raphtalia asked.
Naofumi sighed. "No promises. You know what we're running from."
…
"I'll use you first to threaten people." He added after a moment.
Raphtalia gave him a nod, but then happily hugged him. "Thank you for teaching Filo that eating others is wrong."
"No problem," Naofumi said, feeling a blush go to his cheeks.
After a little bit, Raphtalia finally left to find Filo, and Naofumi went back to compounding medicines from the last of his herb storage. There wouldn't be as much to sell tonight, but at least some of the people here would get the medicine they needed. Plus, Raphtalia had already forgiven him.
He started to smile again.
'Maybe we'll stay the night, just this once.'
Hero Clips!
The Nutcracker
"Hi everybody!" Raphtalia yelled excitedly. Behind her was a background for a forest. "Today, I'll be showing you how to defend yourself against bad men with evil intentions!"
"Um, Raphtalia, who are you talking to-" Naofumi tried to ask confusedly where he stood nearby.
"First off, you don't allow them the chance to hurt you by aiming for their weak points!" She said, turning towards Naofumi and taking a stance.
"Wait, Raphtalia- Ack!"
Raphtalia jammed her fist up into Naofumi's chest, knocking the air from his lungs. Even with his high defense stat, Raphtalia's slave boosted attack stat hurt a lot! "One move you can choose is to knock the air out of them. Making it that much easier to topple them over and run away!" Raphtalia said excitedly as she then gave Naofumi a slight shove that sent his coughing form tumbling to the ground.
What the hell?! He struggled to stand back up. "Ugh, Raphtalia, what was that for- Agh!"
"Another move you can do if you have strength and agility is the arm lock!" Raphtalia said as she appeared behind Naofumi. Twisting his left arm behind him tightly. "Remember, the more you can twist their elbow joint, the more you'll be able to hurt your adversary!"
Naofumi's face contorted in pain. "Please, if you're still mad about me using Filo to threaten the bandits, I'm sorry-" Naofumi tried to say when Raphtalia released him and turned him around.
"And last but not least, we have a move my favorite idiot in the world taught me! The always reliable, never failing Nut Cracker!"
KAPOW!
Naofumi's facial expression was priceless when Raphtalia delivered the mother of all kicks to his balls. He fell to the ground and curled up into the fetal position. Both his hands cupping his groin area. He was in so much pain, he couldn't even speak.
'Why… just why?'
Raphtalia faced the screen again with a wide smile on her face. "Make sure you put as much power into that kick as you can! That way you can be sure the evil idiotic man won't be able to use your own daughter to threaten other people ever again!" She finished up with a wide smile on her face.
"Yay, great job Mommy!" Filo cheered Raphtalia as she jumped into Raphtalia's waiting arms. The two of them spun and laughed together while Naofumi stayed in his position on the ground.
"O… Ow…" Naofumi groaned. He knew he shouldn't have told her about that weak spot. He also shouldn't have set her crest so that it wouldn't act up if she tried to harm him.
"Do you think Daddy will be okay Mommy?" Filo asked Raphtalia curiously.
"I'm sure he'll be fine." She glared down at Naofumi. "As long as he remembers not to use you before me as a means of threatening others sweetie." Raphtalia said in a deadpan, before smiling for Filo again.
Yep, he'd definitely consider Raphtalia first to threaten others as he continued to lay on the ground. Wishing he could pass out so he would no longer feel any pain.
His defense stat was high, but even it couldn't protect him from Raphtalia's (and soon to be Filo's) infamous nutcracker move.
Till Next Time
Allen