Content Warning: This chapter contains religious slavery apologia, based on arguments from the time of the US civil war.
----------------------------------------
SCENE: RAPHTALIA is heading down a dense, narrow street. Unlike her normal attire, she is wearing a loose shirt with a high neck line, covering her absence of a slave crest, and a floor-length red dress. As she rounds a corner, she comes into sight of a church. It is a tall, stone building, with two crowds entering it. Humans are coming through the front entrance, while demihumans seem to come from the side. RAPHTALIA stops, and kneels down, checking that a pair of daggers she has secured to her legs are still in place and hidden. Straightening up, she smooths over her clothing, and heads towards the church.
Elmak meets her near the gates, and looks glad to see her. He is dressed in simple clothes, having taken off his uniform. He brings her to other demihumans for introductions. Like Elmak, everyone is dressed in muted colors, with simplistic cuts to their clothes, and visible stitches and patches of fabric where repairs have been made. Almost without exception, their neck lines are low, slave crests visible. Compared to them, RAPHTALIA stands out.
ELMAK: This is Raphtalia. She is the “traveler” I told you about before.
ELMAK and the others share knowing glances. RAPHTALIA bows.
RAPHTALIA: Thank you for inviting me, Elmak. I’ve never been to a Three Heroes Church before, and I am quite interested.
Together, they file into the church. The hall is much smaller than the cathedral in Melromarc, and shaped like a sword with a cross guard, with the altar where the pommel would be. Humans file into the “blade” section of the church, taking their places at long seats filling the hall. There is a great variety in dress among the crowd, as every walk of life, from laborers to rich merchants, comes into the hall. In the middle of the crowd, the TAILOR that RAPHTALIA met earlier in the day is seen.
Demihumans do not cross paths with humans. Instead, they are led into the “crossguard”, separated from humans by a tall, elaborately carved wooden fence. The Demihuman section does not have seats, and is soon quite crowded.
RAPHTALIA takes place in the back of the crowd. Murmurs of conversation resound throughout the church hall. Several demihumans approach RAPHTALIA, and ask her about her travels. From their faces, it is clear they want to ask about something else.
Soon, a PRIEST walks in front of the altar, holding a large book, with a chorus of nuns behind him. They start a hymn, and the conversation quiets down. As the hymn comes to a close, PRIEST addresses the parishioners.
PRIEST: Today I’d like to read you all a story from our scripture.
PRIEST opens his book. On the cover is a symbol of the Church of the Three Heroes.
PRIEST: During a Wave, the Four Cardinal Heroes were defending a town. The Queen gave an order that all people in the town, human or demihuman, were to help with the defense. The Heroes agreed that they would all lead the town defense for one day, and rest for three. On the first day, Spear Hero took the lead, and the town was defended. Humans stood strong, and even demihumans served their duties. On the second day, Sword Hero took the lead. Humans fought bravely; but demihumans wanted to laze around. Sword Hero whipped them into shape, and the town held. But on the third day, Shield Hero stood to defend the town. Do you think he defended the town well?
PARISHIONERS: No!
RAPHTALIA is taken aback by the crowd’s unanimous response. She looks around in confusion.
PRIEST: That’s right. Shield Hero thought he was being kind. He let the demihumans rest. He thought that they would come back to defend the town when the time came. Of course, they turned to sloth and debauchery, and drank themselves into a stupor. The humans could not defend the town alone, and the walls were breached. Monsters slaughtered many people that day!
RAPHTALIA’s eyes twitch in barely contained anger.
PRIEST: The moral of the story is simple. We all must follow our duty! When the queen orders to defend the town, all must rise to defense! Only by following the guidance of those superior to you, can you reach glory.
PARISHIONERS: Amen.
PRIEST: And it is only with the guiding hand of humans that demihumans can reach civilization. It is a heavy duty we humans must take on, but a necessary one: for without us, who would protect the demihumans?
PARISHIONERS: Amen.
PRIEST turns his back to the crowd, facing the NUNS. PRIEST and NUNS lead the PARISHIONERS in prayer by singing a hymn. When it is over, PRIEST turns back.
PRIEST: But the wisdom of our Lord shows itself in all aspects of life. Let me tell you a tale I heard from one lead mine overseer. Their mine employs slaves alongside prisoners, those serving a penance for their crimes. Before this overseer came in, their predecessor had made quite a mess of things. He didn’t provide a guiding hand to these lost souls! They grew soft, and the mine produced no ore. The prisoners grew bold enough to attack the guards! So what did this overseer do? Did he whip the slaves and hang the troublemakers? No…he gave them even more freedom!
Shocked gasps spread throughout the crowd.
PRIEST: It is true! He pulled all the guards out of the mine. Of course, he also stopped giving prisoners food. He said that the mine will get food in proportion to the ore they gave him, and otherwise, he doesn’t care how they run things. And what do you think happened? Did the prisoners come together, as treacherous Shield would have you believe?
The crowd of PARISHIONERS wonders alongside the PRIEST.
PRIEST: No! Of course they did not. Those within the mine fought among themselves. Of course, at once, humans separated from the demihumans. Without a strong human hand, demihumans descended into barbarism. A “King” of sorts emerged within the human race, and enforced his will by force, bringing demihumans back into the fold. Eventually, with no food to speak of, the prisoners relented and went back to work. The mine has worked this way ever since!
The crowd murmurs in amazement. RAPHTALIA grits her teeth in silent rage.
PRIEST: The truth of nature cannot be denied. The wisdom of our Lord shows itself in all things! Amen.
PARISHIONERS: Amen.
The NUNS and the PRIEST lead the PARISHIONERS in prayer. RAPHTALIA opens and closes her mouth to blend in. Once it concludes, the PRIEST addresses the crowd once again.
PRIEST: Never before has the demihuman race, from the dawn of history to the present day, attained a condition so civilized and so improved, not only physically, but morally and intellectually. Only in service to our Lord is this possible! Our Lord blesses the Crown; the Crown blesses the humans; and the humans bless the demihumans. Together, all are made greater. Amen.
PARISHIONERS: Amen.
PRIEST points to one of the parishioners in the front row.
PRIEST: Constance! Why don’t you help me with the closing prayer.
A woman comes up to the altar. She could best be described as aged: not quite old, but definitely no longer young, with wrinkles marring her serene face. A slight smile lights up her lips, as if holding in a joke she does not wish to share. Her long hair and eyes are black as night, contrasting with a white hat sitting on top of her head. A practical suit completes the picture, likewise made out of black and white, with light golden accents. The gold glistens in the light: this is not merely yellow dye, but the real metal. She takes the PRIEST’s place, and speaks, lowering her head in prayer, other parishioners joining her.
CONSTANCE: Thank you, Father. We have all heard so much today. Let the light of God guide us on our ways, let the wisdom of the Queen steer us from failure, and let the three heavenly weapons protect us from the treachery of the Shield. Amen.
PARISHIONERS: Amen.
With the prayer done, parishioners get up, and start mingling. The demihumans leave the building, RAPHTALIA with them, trying to school her face into a neutral expression. Once outside, the demihumans begin conversing among themselves. RAPHTALIA finds ELMAK, and tries to get him aside for a talk.
RAPHTALIA: Is this…how it usually goes?
ELMAK looks into her eyes, seeking something there.
ELMAK: It was, yes. What did you expect?
RAPHTALIA’s expression breaks, her face contorting in rage. She hisses back, barely keeping her voice at a whisper.
RAPHTALIA: How do you stand it? That fucker treats you all like animals. No, worse than that! Even rats do not need instruction to know where to take a fucking shit.
ELMAK is taken aback. RAPHTALIA ruffles her hair in rage.
RAPHTALIA: Sweet guardian beasts! I want to go up there and tear his fucking throat out, to show him what a real animal is. And I only listened to these lies once! You have to listen to it every day!
While RAPHTALIA’s words do not carry far, her tone does. Several demihumans standing further away turn heads in their direction. ELMAK sees this, and puts his hands on her shoulders, trying to calm her down.
ELMAK: Raphtalia, please! People will hear, I don’t want -
RAPHTALIA: Hear what? That every word he said was a lie? They should hear that! Did you even listen to him - he said prisoners were kept in a mine with no guards! If this was real, they would have simply dug themselves out and escaped!
RAPHTALIA is slowly losing control of her voice as it rises above a hissed whisper. ELMAK’s face goes white. He speaks with shaky lips.
ELMAK: Please, keep your voice down! If the masters hear of this, we would all die! I saw it happen before. They would feed me to the dogs, please! What do you want us to do? We can’t do anything. They have weapons and mages and armies, and we - we don’t have anything. You would just die for no reason.
RAPHTALIA’s face grows colder, but more collected. She stares into ELMAK’s eyes, and speaks very quietly.
RAPHTALIA: So if I could get you weapons, then you will fight?
ELMAK looks panicked, having put himself into a rhetorical corner. RAPHTALIA pokes him in his chest with her finger.
RAPHTALIA: If I could teach you magic. Will you fight then? If I could kill their mages, would you fight?
ELMAK: I - I don’t know, please -
There is a commotion in the crowd of demihumans. One of them goes up to ELMAK and whispers something in his ear. He looks shocked, and turns to RAPHTALIA.
ELMAK: They say mistress Marukievich wants to meet you. Please, she has always been kind. She is the only one of the masters who does not whip us, and she teaches the children to read. Whatever it is you want to do… could you at least avoid antagonizing her for today?
The crowd of demihumans parts like the sea. CONSTANCE VON MARUKIEVICH drifts through it, heading straight for RAPHTALIA, smiling. RAPHTALIA schools her face into a neutral expression, and watches her cautiously. ELMAK looks between them, wary. As CONSTANCE comes closer, ELMAK bows. RAPHTALIA doesn’t. ELMAK puts a hand on her back, trying to guide her down, but she isn’t moved. CONSTANCE sees RAPHTALIA stand tall, and a strange twinkle appears in her eyes.
CONSTANCE VON MARUKIEVICH: You don’t bow, young one?
RAPHTALIA narrows her eyes imperceptibly.
RAPHTALIA: My master told me I could bow only to him. I could not possibly disobey his orders.
CONSTANCE: Oh, I see! Very well, obedience is to be rewarded. For as they say: through service we find salvation.
CONSTANCE puts an errant lock of hair back under her hat, correcting its placement slightly. RAPHTALIA observes her calmly.
CONSTANCE: I heard your master is a traveler. I hope you enjoyed our service?
RAPHTALIA: It has been an experience like no other.
CONSTANCE: Well that is good to hear. If your master will be in the city again, please ask him if you could come. The light of the Lord reaches every heart.
CONSTANCE VON MARUKIEVICH leaves. RAPHTALIA chats with ELMAK some more, before hurrying out of the church grounds. As she heads toward the nearby industrial district, she doesn’t notice a cloaked, SHADOWY FIGURE following her over the rooftops.
----------------------------------------
SCENE: A large tavern at the edge of the industrial district. The hall is filled with long drinking tables, and a rowdy noise of workers coming off their day shift fills the air. In one corner of the hall, a circular arena has been dug deeper into the ground, surrounded by a low wooden fence. A loud crowd surrounds the area, focused on the fighters. Within the arena, grinning FILO is confronting a large, muscular FIGHTER. FILO’s body is bruised all over, and blood runs down her nose, but she doesn’t seem to care. She has her arms spread wide, riling up the crowd further. The FIGHTER is taking a guarded, professional stance, his hands shielding his head. A distance away, NAOFUMI is chatting up a dozen workers, paying sideways glances to the fight. His shield is still covered by a cloak.
FILO turns to face the crowd behind her and away from the FIGHTER, and he exploits this moment to close in and go for a punch. FILO seems to stumble when he comes close and bends forwards, avoiding the punch. Her right leg buries itself in the FIGHTER’s stomach in the same movement. The FIGHTER collapses to the ground, breath taken completely out of his lungs. The crowd goes wild.
FILO turns back to the FIGHTER, as if only now noticing she hit him, and theatrically scratches her head. Her grin grows wider, and she approaches the edge of the arena, climbing up onto the fence. The crowd is confused by this, growing quieter. The FIGHTER is still lying on the ground, trying to catch his breath. FILO stands on the fence and turns back towards the arena, spreading her arms wide, before somersaulting through the air to land on top of the FIGHTER. The crowd reaches a fever pitch. FILO puts the FIGHTER in a headlock, and he soon taps out.
RAPHTALIA enters the tavern. She sees NAOFUMI ordering a round of drinks for everyone with FILO’s prize money and makes a beeline for him.
A SHADOWY FIGURE, cloaked and with a cowl covering their face, enters behind RAPHTALIA, and follows her at a distance.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
FILO fights another match, and NAOFUMI continues his worker agitation throughout. When it is over, he motions for FILO. Seeing the sign, she jumps out of the arena, accepting accolades as she moves through the crowd of adoring fans. FILO, RAPHTALIA and NAOFUMI retire to a table at the corner of the tavern, and order drinks and food. None of them notice the SHADOWY FIGURE, hidden among the crowds, taking a table a distance away from them.
RAPHTALIA: At least you guys are having fun here.
WAITRESS brings each of them a pint of beer, and says that food will be done shortly.
NAOFUMI: That is Filo’s doing. We had some trouble at first - the waiters wanted to throw her out on account of being demihuman. Then she saw the arena and jumped in. Apparently they host no-rules fights here every evening, and the crowd loved her.
FILO is busy inhaling her pint of beer and simply flashes a thumbs up.
NAOFUMI: At that point the staff wisened up to the fact that they’d sooner get thrown out themselves than get her away from that crowd and left us alone. It even helped me make in-roads with the locals: they think I am her trainer, so it’s easy to get them talking.
WAITRESS brings them a couple plates of roasted ribs, and they begin eating. RAPHTALIA glances around: there is nobody right next to them, and the hall is loud, covering up the noise of conversation. She retells the events of her church visit. NAOFUMI gets a thoughtful look on his face.
NAOFUMI: Honestly, I expected something like that.
RAPHTALIA’s eyebrows fly up.
NAOFUMI: Yeah. My world had slavers too, remember? The justifications are quite similar.
NAOFUMI takes a sip.
NAOFUMI: I did learn something interesting while you were away though. In your village there was no Three Heroes Church, right?
RAPHTALIA shakes her head.
RAPHTALIA: No. My parents taught me about the four guardian beasts, and there would be a celebration for every season, but nothing like this.
NAOFUMI nods.
NAOFUMI: That’s because Trinitism - what the Church of the Three Heroes preaches - isn’t the only faith around. Apparently it came about as a result of a schism in the Church of the Four Heroes. The King is a Trinitist, so when he married into the royal family that branch of the church got a lot of power. I suppose the Queen didn’t push back on him? That part is still not clear to me.
NAOFUMI finishes his drink and motions for a waitress to bring another.
NAOFUMI: One thing led to another, and the Four Heroes faith got slowly pushed out. At about the time when the waves started, this came to a head, and there were pogroms. The Patriarch of the Church of the Four Heroes fled, and now it’s tacitly repressed. I think it’s still around among the common folk, while nobility is pretty much entirely on the Three Heroes side.
NAOFUMI starts counting out faiths on his fingers. FILO orders a second plate of ribs.
NAOFUMI: Besides these two, there is some kind of demihuman faith - probably what your parents followed, but the people here only really know it exists. There is some kind of animist faith - belief in spirits - and interestingly enough, there is a fairly widespread belief in the “Heavenly Fowl”, which from what I can tell is some kind of enormous filofial with magical powers.
RAPHTALIA and NAOFUMI look at FILO. FILO shrugs.
NAOFUMI: For what it’s worth, she is supposed to tower over buildings. FILO isn’t quite there yet.
FILO takes a bite of two ribs at once, and swallows.
FILO: I am a growing woman.
NAOFUMI: Still, it’s something to keep in mind. We may be able to borrow some credibility from that faith.
They finish their food in silence, pay their bill, and head towards the entrance.
RAPHTALIA: So what is our next plan?
NAOFUMI: Let’s head to our inn first. I don’t want to discuss it in the open.
As they are exiting the tavern, SHADOWY FIGURE rushes past RAPHTALIA, tripping her to the ground. Before they can react, it is lost in the crowds on the street. NAOFUMI helps RAPHTALIA get up.
RAPHTALIA: Some people, I swear…
As they walk out of the tavern, RAPHTALIA frowns, and pats down the front of her shirt. She reaches in, and takes out a MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE on a small piece of parchment. She unfolds it to read it.
MYSTERIOUS MESSAGE: If you wish to save your brothers and sisters, be at the docks at midnight. North from the Gerat bridge, third warehouse on the left. Enter from the back. Signed, F.
----------------------------------------
SCENE: Spacious room at a tavern. Four beds sit against the walls. Packs are set in neat piles next to the beds. FILO is laying down on one of the beds, bouncing her ball off the ceiling. NAOFUMI is sitting down. RAPHTALIA is pacing anxiously.
RAPHTALIA: How could they know?
NAOFUMI: I don’t think they do know. Let’s look at things logically. Do you have siblings?
RAPHTALIA: No.
NAOFUMI: Then probably the message isn’t about you in particular.
RAPHTALIA stops, and visibly breathes out.
RAPHTALIA: Okay. Yeah, that would make sense.
NAOFUMI: It’s more likely that someone heard you talk to Elmak, or saw that you don’t have a crest, or something like that.
RAPHTALIA: So this is what, an invitation from someone else fighting to free the slaves?
NAOFUMI: It could be. Or it could be a trap.
RAPHTALIA takes out the piece of parchment and reads it again.
RAPHTALIA: We have to go there.
NAOFUMI nods.
NAOFUMI: Yeah. I think it’s probably friends, not foes. And even if it is a trap, I think we could fight our way out.
NAOFUMI scratches his forehead.
NAOFUMI: Still, I’d like to stack the odds a bit more in our favor. We were going to get you better weapons; it’s prime time we did it.
----------------------------------------
SCENE: Weapons store. Walls are covered with glass cases, containing various weapons. Bored WEAPONS MERCHANT is sitting behind the counter, reading a book.
NAOFUMI, FILO and RAPHTALIA enter. MERCHANT looks up, but doesn’t get up from their chair.
MERCHANT: How may I help you?
MERCHANT turns over a page in their book, continuing to read. FILO goes between cases, browsing the selection.
RAPHTALIA: I need a better sword.
MERCHANT: Licenses?
NAOFUMI frowns.
NAOFUMI: What do you mean, licenses?
MERCHANT sighs, not looking up from their book.
MERCHANT: You need a license for just about everything here. Unless you are a noble, but you don’t look it, buster.
NAOFUMI unfolds the blanket covering up his shield, and changes it rapidly between multiple forms.
NAOFUMI: I am a Shield Hero. Does that suffice?
MERCHANT looks up, sighs, and finally sets his book down.
MERCHANT: Sure. A sword, you said?
He goes to one of the cases and unlocks it. Inside are swords of various lengths.
MERCHANT: We have magic iron, starmetal, even adamantine - that’s in the back.
RAPHTALIA talks with the merchant about pros and cons of various materials. NAOFUMI goes around the room, looking at various cases. There are swords, axes, bows, crossbows, polearms, and all sorts of other, more exotic weapons; but something is missing. NAOFUMI frowns, and turns towards the MERCHANT.
NAOFUMI: Do you have any guns?
MERCHANT sighs in response.
MERCHANT: We aren’t Faubrey, pal. Guns are banned by royal decree, you won’t find any in Melromarc.
NAOFUMI: What, really? Nowhere?
MERCHANT folds his arms.
MERCHANT: Yeah, nowhere. What do you need them for, anyways? A bow with magic arrows is easier to get and just as deadly.
NAOFUMI: Show us.
MERCHANT goes to a different display case, and takes out a bow, and a quiver with arrows with glowing tips.
MERCHANT: Here. Will go straight through armor without enchantments, unless they are packing serious plates.
RAPHTALIA picks up the bow and clumsily tries to put the arrow into it. MERCHANT watches it, then goes to a different case and takes out a crossbow, handing it to RAPHTALIA.
MERCHANT: Try this instead. No complicated aiming, just point and shoot. If the target is running, lead them by a bit.
RAPHTALIA tries the crossbow, moving it from side to side.
RAPHTALIA: I think we’ll take it.
They purchase the crossbow, a sword for RAPHTALIA, and a pair of weighted knuckle dusters for FILO, then leave.
----------------------------------------
SCENE: The moon shines down upon the docks from the clouded sky. Islands of light illuminate parts of the docks where work happens at this time of night, ships being loaded and unloaded. Most of the docks, however, are empty, dark wooden buildings staring ominously over the streets.
RAPHTALIA, NAOFUMI and FILO are heading to their arranged meet. RAPHTALIA is dressed in armor, with her crossbow slung over her shoulder. FILO is skipping cheerfully down the road. Their target comes into sight, seeming no different to the other, faceless warehouses.
FILO stops, and stares up at the warehouse.
FILO: There’s someone on the roof.
NAOFUMI comes closer, speaking quietly.
NAOFUMI: How do you know?
FILO: I can hear them walking around. There, too.
FILO points to the next building over. NAOFUMI strains his ears, but doesn’t hear anything with his pitiful human physiology. They circle around the warehouse, coming to a small door in the back. RAPHTALIA grabs the door handle. NAOFUMI and FILO stop next to it.
NAOFUMI: They didn’t say if you should come alone or not, but I think it’s best if we don’t go in. If you need our help, call out.
RAPHTALIA nods, and enters. The door makes no sound as it swings open. Behind it is a lit lantern, illuminating a small area of the floor. Beyond that is pitch blackness. There isn’t even a window for the scarce moonlight to leak through. The door slowly closes behind RAPHTALIA. She looks around, straining her demihuman eyes against the darkness.
Suddenly, a window opens near the ceiling, letting in light. A silhouette passes through it, setting down an identical lamp on the windowsill, sitting down next to it. With a twist of a knob, they brighten their lamp, revealing themselves. It is the SHADOWY FIGURE from before, still wearing their cloak and cowl, covering their face. They speak, and their voice reverberates strangely, concealed by magic.
SHADOWY FIGURE: The night is young.
RAPHTALIA stares up at them, her gaze defiant.
RAPHTALIA: Are you mister F?
SHADOWY FIGURE stays silent for a moment.
SHADOWY FIGURE: At first I thought you were one of ours, an agent I wasn’t told about. But you aren’t, are you? You don’t know the codes. You are with the Shield Hero.
RAPHTALIA: What of it?
SHADOWY FIGURE: Is he as good as the legends say?
RAPHTALIA: Legends are just stories. This one is real.
SHADOWY FIGURE: And what does this reality want to do?
RAPHTALIA: Many things. Why don’t you come down here to discuss it?
SHADOWY FIGURE laughs.
SHADOWY FIGURE: You think I trust you, just because you aren’t in chains? Just because you follow someone who calls himself a Hero? Trickier traps have been laid before to catch me.
RAPHTALIA crosses her arms.
RAPHTALIA: So you are against slavery.
SHADOWY FIGURE laughs again.
SHADOWY FIGURE: Against it? Dear child, if I could lay down my life to free our people even a moment sooner, I would do so.
RAPHTALIA nods. A risky glint comes to her eyes.
RAPHTALIA: Good. Do you want to help us then?
SHADOWY FIGURE pauses, and leans forward, in interest.
SHADOWY FIGURE: Help you? Dear me, and here I thought I would convince you to join us. Well, do tell me, how can my organization help your dynamic trio?
RAPHTALIA: We will free a village soon. Could you help us afterwards?
SHADOWY FIGURE: A village? Child, are you insane?
SHADOWY FIGURE sits up.
SHADOWY FIGURE: Do you even realize what you are saying? Breaking the chains and removing the crests isn’t enough to “free the slaves”. You have to hide them, move them out of the country, and feed them throughout. This is delicate work which must remain in utmost secrecy. If some kind soul offers their house to shelter escapees for the night, and they get discovered, then they will be hanged, their house closed to us forever. A single person can move through this network, and so can a dozen; but a village? How do you plan to hide this many at once? You speak of stories and reality, yet in the same breath you say things that no bard would put to song.
RAPHTALIA narrows her eyes.
RAPHTALIA: So you would not help?
SHADOWY FIGURE’s voice grows colder.
SHADOWY FIGURE: No, I would not assist in this insanity. You would not bring those slaves to salvation but to death, and my people would not get caught up in this.
RAPHTALIA turns around and heads for the door.
SHADOWY FIGURE: Wait.
RAPHTALIA turns her head to look back at the SHADOWY FIGURE, who covers their cowled face with one hand.
SHADOWY FIGURE: Perhaps I spoke too soon. You are with the Shield Hero, and if even a tenth of the stories are true, then many things are possible. But please understand, we did not get to where we are by committing to possibilities. We work in likelihoods, and the likelihood is just not there.
RAPHTALIA nods.
RAPHTALIA: I have been with him for a scant few months, but already I have seen things I would not have believed if they did not happen in front of my own two eyes. But my word is worth little to you.
SHADOWY FIGURE sighs.
SHADOWY FIGURE: If you want our help, then I see two possibilities. Either show us some amazing magic of the Shield… or help us first. Enough that even if this scheme of yours goes up in flames, we would still be ahead.
RAPHTALIA: How?
SHADOWY FIGURE thinks, staying silent for a moment.
SHADOWY FIGURE: Upstream from here, about two hours way, there is an island shaped like a bird’s foot. A stream joins the river next to that island. If you follow the stream into the hills, then you will come across an old, dying oak; not far from there is a cave. It used to be one of our best hideouts, but a monster made its nest there. It is larger than a filofial, with three heads: one of a lion, one of a goat, and one of a dragon. It is too strong for us. If you defeat it…you could take some supplies from the cave, and I would offer you some help with your efforts. I don’t see a way to safely free an entire village; but we could still commit forces to help a large number of people, much more than usual.
RAPHTALIA nods.
RAPHTALIA: Thank you. How will we meet you again?
SHADOWY FIGURE: Do not worry. I will find you.
RAPHTALIA nods again, and walks out of the warehouse.
----------------------------------------
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
NAOFUMI IWATANI, THE SHIELD HERO. The first socialist. Protagonist. Hobbyist fighting coach.
RAPHTALIA. The second socialist. Occasional sermon listener. Cannibalistic tendencies.
ELMAK THE TAILORING ASSISTANT. Enslaved by TAILOR. Afraid of rocking the boat.
TAILOR. Slaver. Sells clothes. Goes to church.
FILO. Local rising fighting star. Can pick out a footstep at a hundred paces.
PRIEST. Average slavery apologia enjoyer. Head preacher.
CONSTANCE VON MARUKIEVICH. Rich church goer. Allegedly kind. Deigns to talk to the slaves.
SHADOWY FIGURE. Mysterious slavery abolitionist. Does not peddle in railroads due to lack of trains.
WEAPONS MERCHANT. Sells weapons to all comers. Does not ask questions. Will sell anything if he is sure you are not a cop.