SCENE: NAOFUMI and RAPHTALIA have returned to the tavern. NAOFUMI is poking at his status menu, making his shield glow and spit out a new magic arrow with each poke. RAPHTALIA is stacking them to the side.
FILO has won her tournament, and has a small wooden crown pinned to her hair. The crown has a stylised image of a hill burned onto it. She is still in the pit, but no longer fighting. Instead, she is teaching a couple people how to grapple better, pointing out their mistakes. The pair seems winded, but appreciative; FILO is as enthusiastic as ever.
RAPHTALIA: It’s a shame that we didn’t know about all this system stuff earlier. It would have really helped us in the first Wave.
NAOFUMI scratches his head.
NAOFUMI: Would it have, really? Itsuki knows a lot about the game and the system, but practically speaking, I was missing only three abilities. Fast travel would have saved us some time, but it’s only a couple days at best: we didn’t travel around much.
RAPHTALIA: That is true.
NAOFUMI: Next is the ability to copy other shields by holding them. It would have given me an initial leg up, but there aren’t that many different shield types sold in Melromarc. Call it one or two dozen, maybe? That’s nothing compared to how many I unlocked my way.
NAOFUMI pauses in his work, taking a sip of his drink.
NAOFUMI: The only real improvement so far is automatic crafting from recipes. It does save a lot of time compared to doing it by hand. But these recipes… They are discrete, limited in ways that normal crafting isn’t. Instead of a smooth spectrum of health potions, from strongest to weakest depending on how you distill them, there is just “small health potion”, “medium health potion” and so on. You can’t really mix recipes either, and the system doesn’t recognise the recipes for some of the potions we use. I suspect this means that there could be powerful potions that you can only brew manually. If I had this ability from the start, I am not sure I would have bothered to learn how to do so, and we would have never learned this.
NAOFUMI runs out of mana and lowers his shield, having finished the current bout of crafting.
NAOFUMI: If anything, it’s the other heroes who would have benefited more. Itsuki only has a couple dozen bows to choose from because his interface didn’t let him unlock new weapons by finding materials. And I wonder if Ren or Motoyasu have anything else that is unique to them.
RAPHTALIA binds the arrows into bundles and packs them into their bags. NAOFUMI takes out his notebook, and starts to brainstorm ideas about the system and their future plans with RAPHTALIA. Time passes quickly, and soon they are joined by FILO for dinner. As they order their food, a MESSENGER enters the tavern, and heads to NAOFUMI.
MESSENGER: Sir! I have a message from the traveling merchant guild.
MESSENGER hands a sealed letter to NAOFUMI, bows, and leaves. NAOFUMI cracks the seal on the letter and skims its contents. Soon, he grins.
NAOFUMI: We’ve got our birdie. Marquis Idoru Reibia.
RAPHTALIA snatches the letter away from him, her eyes skipping over the page. Her hands shake subtly.
RAPHTALIA: Two days away. Just two days.
RAPHTALIA breathes out shakily. NAOFUMI nods, silently.
WAITRESS comes by with their food. As she puts the plates and the drinks down, she slips a small piece of folded paper towards RAPHTALIA, and quickly leaves. RAPHTALIA unfolds the paper.
FOLDED PAPER: Same place, same time. F.
NAOFUMI: Everything’s coming together. One way or another, tomorrow we set off.
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SCENE: It is night again. NAOFUMI, FILO and RAPHTALIA are heading to the same warehouse where RAPHTALIA met the head of the mysterious slavery abolition organization last time. RAPHTALIA leads the way, her boots playing a rapid beat on the paved streets, long hair billowing behind her like a cape. FILO is idly glancing up at the buildings around them, skipping down the road without a care in the world.
They head into the back, and NAOFUMI moves to take place next to the door, but RAPHTALIA grabs his arm and pulls him inside.
NAOFUMI: You went alone last time.
RAPHTALIA: And this time, we will all go together. I do not want them to work with me alone.
They enter the warehouse, and NAOFUMI turns his shield into a large lamp again. They wait, much longer than before. FILO climbs up the stacks of crates out of boredom, hopping between them. Eventually, the window opens again, and a SHADOWY FIGURE steps through, settles their own lamp on a windowsill, and looks down on NAOFUMI.
SHADOWY FIGURE: My lieutenants told me that it is too dangerous to meet you, Sir Naofumi, in person, and that I should send one of them in my stead. Hopefully my trust is not misplaced.
RAPHTALIA snorts, looking up at the SHADOWY FIGURE.
RAPHTALIA: If you are concerned about your safety, then he isn’t the person to be wary of. That would be Filo.
She motions to FILO sitting on top of a large stack of crates, swinging legs off the side. FILO cheerfully waves at the SHADOWY FIGURE. NAOFUMI frowns.
NAOFUMI: If you were worried, why put trust in us? You barely know us. I can see that you yourself are very strong - level twenty seven, much higher than what I’ve seen from any guards, even ones at the palace - but you still needed us to take out that Chimera. If we were malicious… you couldn’t expect to win the fight.
FILO perks up at the mention of strength. SHADOWY FIGURE’s face is hidden beneath the cloak, and they are silent for a while. Finally, they speak again.
SHADOWY FIGURE: So casually you mention abilities any kingdom would kill for. To see someone’s level at all, let alone with but a single glance…
SHADOWY FIGURE shakes their head.
SHADOWY FIGURE: I had my people follow you. They recorded your speeches for me - yours and that of young Raphtalia. Some of the talks you may have thought private too.
SHADOWY FIGURE shifts around on the windowsill, leaning against the side of the window. They stare into the distance.
SHADOWY FIGURE: I have lived a long life, and seen many liars, actors and spies. I know that anything can be faked, any expression put on like a mask, any speech prepared. Yet some things are harder to fake than others, and both of you speak with such conviction. And the things you say? I am surprised guards did not accost you yet, if I am being frank.
NAOFUMI: They do, sometimes. Takes them a while to catch on.
SHADOWY FIGURE: So suppose you were a plant sent to kill me. Suppose it is all a play. But why this play? Why someone who all but asks for rebellion? Is there truly nothing simpler?
SHADOWY FIGURE sighs.
SHADOWY FIGURE: But of course if that was all - just a strange, incongruous pattern - I would not have come. It is the abilities you wield, the stuff of legends. When I told you about the Chimera, I expected you to stake out the cave over many days, to catch it off guard. Instead you leave town, and a scant few hours later you return with its head. You waltz in and slay it, as if it is nothing.
NAOFUMI crosses his arms.
NAOFUMI: It was a difficult fight.
SHADOWY FIGURE turns their head towards NAOFUMI.
SHADOWY FIGURE: Was it truly? Were any of you in any real danger? Pushed against the wall, with no way forwards?
NAOFUMI pauses, then shakes his head a bit.
NAOFUMI: Filo was grabbed, it could have been bad. But…no, as long as we got her out, we had a way to retreat.
SHADOWY FIGURE: And yet again, you speak of this as if it is nothing. Did you know, some of our best were in that cave when the Chimera came. None of them managed to leave it alive. But you say - nay, you know that you could have retreated. That your Shield can protect you.
SHADOWY FIGURE shakes their head.
SHADOWY FIGURE: I have never put much stock in the tales, but this is making me reconsider.
RAPHTALIA: Because we killed a strong monster? How is that different from what an adventuring party could do?
SHADOWY FIGURE: Oh but it is! It’s not just the strength, but the variety too. You can see levels and do not even think this to be terribly unusual; what else can you do? Is it a coincidence that your companion can turn into a filofial - something unheard of among the demihumans? It is true that there are races that can shapeshift; but none into a filofial! At this point I wouldn’t even be surprised to learn that you ride around on the Heavenly Fowl.
NAOFUMI is quiet, incapable of denying the truth.
SHADOWY FIGURE: But enough about my motives. I promised you help, and you have delivered your part of the bargain. Tell me where this village of yours is, and I will help you move people away from there.
NAOFUMI and RAPHTALIA share a look.
RAPHTALIA: Actually, we mostly just need help with where to move them to. Moving itself isn’t a problem.
SHADOWY FIGURE: What do you mean?
NAOFUMI: I have an ability that lets me instantaneously move myself, as well as five other people, to any place where I have been before, across any distance.
SHADOWY FIGURE is silent for a while.
SHADOWY FIGURE: You did not mention any such ability last time.
NAOFUMI: I only acquired it today.
SHADOWY FIGURE touches their face under the cowl.
SHADOWY FIGURE: A day has passed, and already you have turned your insane venture into something feasible. It is like fate itself runs from you.
NAOFUMI frowns.
NAOFUMI: There are many limitations. It takes a minute to use the skill; the place I move from and where I move to must be “peaceful”, and under open sky; the movement is only accurate down to about a hundred meters, so targeting a precise spot is not possible; all those to be moved must consent; and so on.
SHADOWY FIGURE: And yet, it is still enough to move a good two thousand people across the continent in a single day.
NAOFUMI: Yes. But it is not some kind of inviolable fate magic. It’s just another skill.
SHADOWY FIGURE sighs, and leans out of the window, climbing into the warehouse. They hop down to the ground in a few practiced movements, and approach NAOFUMI and RAPHTALIA.
SHADOWY FIGURE: Show me.
Their group exits the warehouse, and NAOFUMI adds the SHADOWY FIGURE to his party. He focuses, and their bodies fade into motes of light, then disperse. Warehouse descends into darkness
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SCENE: Melromarc, square in front of the Great Three Heroes Church. On one corner of the square motes of light condense out of thin air, turning back into their group. SHADOWY FIGURE looks around the square.
SHADOWY FIGURE: We are in Melromarc.
NAOFUMI: Yes.
SHADOWY FIGURE: I must walk to believe this.
They pass from the square onto side streets, avoiding guard patrols, then into alleys, heading into a poorer part of town. SHADOWY FIGURE leads the way, pausing at certain points to look at houses, running their hands over the stonework. At one point, they pause in front of a small basement door, knocking on it in a complex pattern, and whispering to a person who pops their head out. NAOFUMI, RAPHTALIA and FILO follow quietly.
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After a good half hour, SHADOWY FIGURE sighs, and turns back to NAOFUMI.
SHADOWY FIGURE: At this point I am simply wasting time. My people would worry. Take us back, please.
NAOFUMI raises his shield, and they turn into motes of light once again.
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SCENE: Back in the warehouse. NAOFUMI, RAPHTALIA and FILO are waiting inside. SHADOWY FIGURE re-enters through the window, descending down to the floor.
SHADOWY FIGURE: I sent out a runner. We will collect a list of available safehouses, and give it to you when it is ready. I’ll lead you to them myself.
RAPHTALIA: Thank you.
SHADOWY FIGURE shakes their head, their body posture tense.
SHADOWY FIGURE: I do have a request attached to this information.
RAPHTALIA crosses her arms. NAOFUMI puts a hand on her shoulder.
NAOFUMI: What kind?
SHADOWY FIGURE: Your shield grants you power to match your ambitions, but you lack finesse. I heard what happened in the capital. You are like a blind bull in a glassware shop, not knowing where to go, running into walls you could have easily avoided. Let me travel with you. I could find you allies, and help you get your way with much less damage. That way, at least, fewer people will get caught in the crossfire.
NAOFUMI: Oh. Sure, we do need help with that.
SHADOWY FIGURE releases a breath they were holding.
NAOFUMI: Well that was easy.
SHADOWY FIGURE: I suppose it is time for us to be introduced properly.
SHADOWY FIGURE pulls back their cowl. As they do so, shadow recedes from their face, billowing like smoke, and their voice loses the strange reverberation it had. Finally, the shadow fades, revealing CONSTANCE VON MARUKIEVICH. RAPHTALIA steps back in shock. CONSTANCE bows deeply, winking at RAPHTALIA. NAOFUMI looks between them in confusion.
CONSTANCE: Countess Constance Marukievich, at your service.
Realization dawns on NAOFUMI’s face. RAPHTALIA puts a hand on her sword. CONSTANCE glances at her in amusement.
RAPHTALIA: You were talking about “our people”, but you are human. I have heard you speak at church.
CONSTANCE smiles slightly.
CONSTANCE: That is what everyone assumes, yes.
CONSTANCE reaches into her dense, long hair and pulls it back. The sides of her head are flat, devoid of ears. RAPHTALIA gasps.
CONSTANCE: People do not question what is in front of their eyes. I dress richly and go to church; who would suspect me of being demihuman? If they did, who would dare question a countess? As long as I do not contradict this picture, their mind will fill in the gaps. True, none have seen my ears; but if you were to ask them, many would swear on their life they complimented me on my earrings.
RAPHTALIA’s gaze goes to the top of CONSTANCE’s head, which looks as flat as that of a human.
RAPHTALIA: And… your real ears?
CONSTANCE: I was enslaved when I was young. When my captor found out I was trying to learn to read, he took my ears from me, along with my tail. Said that if I wanted to read like a human, I should look like one.
NAOFUMI and RAPHTALIA cringe back. CONSTANCE waves them off.
CONSTANCE: It was decades ago. Once I escaped and learned to fight, I found the bastard, slit his throat, and waited until he drowned in his own blood. The debt is not repaid, but lessened.
NAOFUMI: And the title?
CONSTANCE sighs.
CONSTANCE: It took some conning, but I married into it. He was a good man. Eventually I told him the truth.
CONSTANCE looks into the distance, reminiscing.
CONSTANCE: He took it well. A good man, like I said. Sickness took him some years back, and the world is worse for it.
RAPHTALIA frowns.
RAPHTALIA: How do you hide something like this from a husband? I mean…you would be naked with one another, surely?
CONSTANCE laughs softly.
CONSTANCE: Oh to be so young again. There are dozens of ways. I could teach you later, if you wish; for now, we have more important things to discuss.
RAPHTALIA blushes in embarrassment. CONSTANCE puts her hood back up, and heads to the warehouse door.
CONSTANCE: Come. My people told me about the assassins at your tavern: it would be safer for you at my manor. None would know you are there. I will send one of my people to pick up your things. Tomorrow morning, we would sneak out of the city, and head to your village.
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SCENE: Lavishly decorated guest room. Large bed with a baldachin takes center stage, two blankets folded neatly on top of it. The floor is covered in a thick carpet, windows hidden behind heavy curtains. FILO is busy building a nest out of pillows in one corner of the room. RAPHTALIA and NAOFUMI are likewise preparing for bed. Their packs are stacked against one of the walls. RAPHTALIA is frowning.
RAPHTALIA: Do you not find this strange?
NAOFUMI: Strange how?
RAPHTALIA motions to the room.
RAPHTALIA: This, everything. That the person in charge of a group opposing slavery is a countess.
NAOFUMI scratches his head, hopping onto his side of the bed.
NAOFUMI: There was some precedent in my world, for rich or powerful people to take part in various liberatory movements. I could not tell you how common that was: you would have to ask Ren. It is a smart place to be in, in any case. She has access to resources and information that would otherwise be very hard to dig up.
RAPHTALIA: So you think her going to the three heroes church is just an act? A way to get close to slavers and plant her agents among their servants?
NAOFUMi raises his eyebrows.
NAOFUMI: You do not trust her?
RAPHTALIA’s lips twitch.
RAPHTALIA: No. Yes. I don’t know. Perhaps I am just feeling on edge.
NAOFUMI taps the side of his face.
NAOFUMI: I doubt that this is some kind of trap. The things she said and did, they make way more sense if she is telling the truth. But if you are feeling on edge, we can split up the night into watches, same as how we do when camping.
RAPHTALIA nods.
RAPHTALIA: Thanks.
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SCENE: Lavish dinner room. The walls are covered in wooden paneling, full of carvings and painted scenes. Long table occupies most of the room. The floor is polished to a mirror shine, reflecting the morning light coming through the windows.
CONSTANCE VON MARUKIEVICH is seated at one end of the table, reading a newspaper. NAOFUMI, FILO and RAPHTALIA enter the room, and take places near her. CONSTANCE nods to them. The moment they are seated, servants enter the room with plates full of food, and set them in front of everyone. Each plate has a pair of large fried eggs, sausages, fresh cut vegetables and sauce, with tea to the side. Having set the table, the servants leave. FILO immediately digs in. CONSTANCE looks up over her newspaper.
CONSTANCE: Have you slept well? Today is a busy day.
NAOFUMI picks up a fork, spearing one of the sausages.
NAOFUMI: I hope you don’t expect us to follow proper etiquette, because none of us know how to do that.
CONSTANCE blinks.
CONSTANCE: Oh by no means, I know that would be hopeless, even if there was a point. We are so far beyond the usual rules that it would be easier to count the ways in which you didn’t violate them. Don’t mistake my manners for trying to pressure you to imitate me; I am simply old enough that it comes instinctively to me.
CONSTANCE folds her newspaper, setting it to the side.
CONSTANCE: But I suppose you’d want to get straight to business. As I said yesterday, I have sent the message down the grapevine to see which safehouses will have spaces ready. My organization isn’t centralized, deliberately so, so it will take time for the information to make its way back to us.
RAPHTALIA: Does “your organization” have a name?
CONSTANCE smiles.
CONSTANCE: No, actually. A deliberate decision, to make it harder for authorities to track us. If you give your people a flashy name, then they will use that name, and then some guard will overhear it, or see it in captured documents, and the whole game is a bust.
CONSTANCE takes a sip of her tea.
CONSTANCE: Of course, rumor mill has a dozen different names for us. “Society of friends”, “Association vigilant”, “The underground” and so on. You may have heard some of them?
CONSTANCE raises her eyebrow at RAPHTALIA. RAPHTALIA shakes her head.
RAPHTALIA: No. I was kept in a cell the entire time I was enslaved, and had nobody to talk to.
CONSTANCE hums in sympathy.
CONSTANCE: It matters not. With your help, the scope of the organization would change drastically, and what people called it before would lose meaning. Assuming you do not straight up start an uprising.
CONSTANCE glances at NAOFUMI. NAOFUMI doesn’t deny his obvious intentions.
CONSTANCE: On the subject of changes, there is some news that may interest you. The Sword Hero has slain a dragon that was terrorizing Langurohel, while The Spear Hero has found some sort of magic crop in Jarluc, helping with a famine. What The Bow Hero is doing, I do not know: my people lost track of him. FInally, it seems that The Spear Hero is getting married to the royal princess.
CONSTANCE times the last piece of news perfectly, and NAOFUMI chokes on his tea. She smiles with her eyes.
NAOFUMI: Married?
CONSTANCE nods.
CONSTANCE: They are rushing things, but with the show you did with the duel, I suppose they needed a way to build legitimacy.
NAOFUMI listens attentively, and raises his tea cup to his lips without realizing it.
CONSTANCE: After all, they need a solid base if Myne’s coup against her Majesty is to be successful.
NAOFUMI chokes on his tea again. CONSTANCE sips from her cup, a picture of innocence. NAOFUMI wipes off his mouth with a napkin and glares back at her.
NAOFUMI: You are doing this deliberately.
CONSTANCE: Educating you about the political situation? Why yes, I am.
NAOFUMI sighs, looks down on his cup, and moves this dangerous weapon away from himself.
NAOFUMI: Fine. What do you mean by coup?
CONSTANCE crosses her fingers, looking into the distance. Finally, she speaks.
CONSTANCE: You may have noticed that despite being a matriarchy, there is no Queen sitting at the throne right now. This is because her Majesty Mirellia Q. Melromarc is currently in Faubrey, attempting to negotiate an organized response to the Waves with the other states. She gave her husband, Aultcray Melromarc provisional powers until her return. This was supposed to be a relatively short trip, but his Majesty went ahead and summoned all four cardinal heroes. This put her Majesty into a shall we say delicate position, because now Melromarc had monopolized all four heroes in the entire world. Traditionally, they would be summoned by different countries, with each only getting at most one hero.
NAOFUMI leans back in his chair.
NAOFUMI: Holy shit. Why haven’t the other countries got in touch with us yet?
CONSTANCE: The news spreads slower than you may expect. It took them a bit to figure out what happened, and longer still to realize Melromarc was responsible. I am sure their agents are on the way to try and find you as we speak, but there are ways for His Majesty to interfere in their efforts, and you do not stay in one place.
CONSTANCE sips her tea.
CONSTANCE: After they caught on, Mirellia was put in an awkward spot. She could either claim Aultcray’s actions were her plan - which would undermine her attempt at a negotiation - or she could say that he acted without her knowing, in which case she would look weak. That’s why she is still held up there.
NAOFUMI: But you said Myne’s coup, not Aultcray’s.
CONSTANCE: That is because alone, he would not have moved forth with it. Best as I can tell, Myne is the initiator, and Aultcray follows her lead. A conflict between Myne and Mirellia was brewing for a long time - there were even rumors Mirellia would cut her out of the line of succession. It seems that now, Myne has decided to force the issue. But by doing this she set the clock in motion: if Myne doesn’t gather enough support among the nobility before Mirellia returns, Mirellia would surely punish her.
NAOFUMI: And because there are many Trinitists among the nobility, marrying The Spear Hero would build her legitimacy. As would pushing down on me.
CONSTANCE: Indeed. You are a quick learner.
NAOFUMI stares at the ceiling, then shakes his head.
NAOFUMI: Thank you for the information. I can already tell we will need your help in the future, but this can wait. We should set off soon to avoid wasting daylight.
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DRAMATIS PERSONAE
NAOFUMI IWATANI, THE SHIELD HERO. One of the socialists. Protagonist. Blind to his own legend.
RAPHTALIA. One of the socialists.
SHADOWY FIGURE / COUNTESS CONSTANCE VON MARUKIEVICH. Supports slavery in the open, opposes in the darkness. Secretly demihuman.