SCENE: The same seedy tavern where NAOFUMI tried to pick up some mercenaries. NAOFUMI is confidently approaching the doors, RAPHTALIA follows. NAOFUMI is wearing a cowl and pulling his cloak tight around himself, to conceal his identity. On one side of the doors, there is a candle set above the tavern sign. Below the name of the tavern, it says “We don’t serve demihumans”.
NAOFUMI pauses in front of the door for a step.
SPIRIT OF NAOFUMI: Damn it, how did I miss this last time? Should I pick a different tavern? No, it would be pointless. There isn’t a single tavern keeper in this town who will serve me willingly anyways.
NAOFUMI enters the tavern. RAPHTALIA follows at first, but also sees the sign and stops.
RAPHTALIA: Um… Mister?
NAOFUMI: Come on, ignore it.
RAPHTALIA follows, cautiously. The tavern is half full, even this late at night. RACIST INNKEEPER mans the counter. His eyes pass over NAOFUMI, not recognising him due to his cloak, and stop at RAPHTALIA, his face contorting in disgust.
RACIST INNKEEPER: Oi, what’s that dog doing here? What part of ‘We don’t serve demihumans’ did you miss? Can’t read?
NAOFUMI stops in front of the innkeeper and pulls back his hood. RACIST INNKEEPER takes a moment to recognise him, then recoils back.
NAOFUMI: I don’t know. What part of your face will I have to use to wipe that sign off?
WHISPERING TAVERN GUEST 1: It’s the shield hero!
WHISPERING TAVERN GUEST 2: I heard he is part of the mafia. That’s why they let him walk free despite all his crimes.
WHISPERING TAVERN GUEST 3: No, that is nonsense. He actually has blackmail on the Pope, that’s what I heard.
RACIST INNKEEPER scowls at NAOFUMI, clearly on edge.
RACIST INNKEEPER: What do you want?
NAOFUMI puts some silver on the counter.
NAOFUMI: Need a room for three nights, with two beds. Bring some food up, too, and a pot of boiled water. Oh, and -
NAOFUMI leans in closer.
NAOFUMI: If the food for my friend will be bad, I’ll know. Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen.
RACIST INNKEEPER reaches under the counter, and takes out a key, handing it to NAOFUMI.
RACIST INNKEEPER: Two floors up, third room on the right.
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SCENE: Small, almost cramped room in the attic of the tavern. The ceiling is sloped, going from seven feet on one side of the room to only three on the other. A small window is set in the short wall, with two beds to the sides of it. A small desk with a stool stands to the left of the door, leaving little floor space free. The room is lit by a single oil lamp, standing on the table.
NAOFUMI is setting down plates of steaming food and a kettle on the table. RAPHTALIA is sitting on one of the beds, rubbing her eyes. She keeps her eyes on the food, and licks her lips.
NAOFUMI: There we go. Dig in. I’ll see if I can make some medicine for your cough while you eat.
NAOFUMI motions to the plates. RAPHTALIA scampers to the desk and starts eating, with gusto. NAOFUMI opens the door to the room, pokes his head out, looks this way and that, and closes it, locking it from the inside.
NAOFUMI: Okay, now that we are alone, I should clarify some things.
As he is talking, NAOFUMI puts down his backpack on one of the beds, and starts taking out alchemical supplies from it: various herbs, roots and mushrooms, a mortar and pestle, a set of measuring cups and glasses, a small knife, and so on.
NAOFUMI: My name is Naofumi. I am the Shield Hero. I hate slavery of all forms. If I could have gotten you out of that place without the slave contract, I would have, but that slave trader wouldn’t have let me.
RAPHTALIA chokes on her food, looking at NAOFUMI with big eyes.
SPIRIT OF NAOFUMI: Oh come on, did she hear the rumors too? How?!
SPIRIT OF RAPHTALIA: THE shield hero? From the stories?
NAOFUMI continues on.
NAOFUMI: If I was stronger, I could have done it regardless of what he thought. Break in, beat up his guards, free everyone. But right now, I can’t do that. I don’t have allies and my shield is too weak to harm anyone.
NAOFUMI looks down at his tools, and starts making medicine. He cuts up the herbs and slices off some parts from the roots, grinds them down with the mortar, and separates different components into different glasses.
NAOFUMI: As far as I am concerned, you are a free woman. I’ll find out how to remove the slave crest - I am sure there is a way - and in the meantime, I disabled all punishment settings on it. If you want, you can walk through that door, never turn back, never see me again. I’ll give you money to tide you over, until you get to someone who can support you. If you don’t know anyone, then I’ll pay for room and board for you for as long as it takes for us to find someone who can take you in.
Measuring out precise quantities of each ingredient, NAOFUMI mixes them all together into a larger glass.
NAOFUMI: I wish I could leave it at that, but the world won’t let me. There are these Waves of Apocalypse, events when massive numbers of monsters spill into the world on schedule. The next Wave is in three weeks time. If the Waves aren’t stopped, then the world will end.
NAOFUMI gets up and takes the kettle with hot water, pouring it into the glass. He sets it down on the table, covers it with a little plate, and leaves it to infuse.
NAOFUMI: As a Hero, I would be teleported to wherever the Wave takes place when it starts. As I am now, I would probably die. There are other heroes - maybe they can stop them alone, maybe they can’t, I don’t know. Maybe the King will summon more heroes to deal with this problem. But I am too weak to deal with anything.
NAOFUMI: I hate to be asking this - especially given your position - but I desperately need help. I literally, physically, cannot hold a sword - the shield makes it fly out of my hands if I try. Because of this, I can’t kill monsters, and killing monsters is how I am supposed to grow in power. I need someone to hold the sword for me.
NAOFUMI looks up at RAPHTALIA with pleading eyes.
NAOFUMI: You don’t have to decide right away, and as I said, I am fine with just helping you find a family that will take care of you. But you should know that there is a real chance that in three weeks, without help, I will be dead.
NAOFUMI finishes his speech, and waits for RAPHTALIA to respond. She focuses on her food, her eyebrows furrowed in thought. Finishing it, she sits in silence for a bit, before speaking.
RAPHTALIA: My parents told me legends about you, you know.
NAOFUMI: What?
RAPHTALIA: Yeah. About the four heroes who protected the world in the past. How Shield Hero helped us demihumans the most, hid us from the rampaging Spirit Turtle. When I was young, I um. Wanted to meet you. My parents said if I behaved well, they were sure it would happen.
RAPHTALIA blushes and looks down.
RAPHTALIA: When everyone from my village was enslaved, we wished every day that the Shield Hero would come and save us. We’d make up stories about how he - uh, you, I guess - was held up somewhere, but was on his way, and soon we’d all be free. It was the only thing that kept us alive.
NAOFUMI: I am sorry.
RAPHTALIA shakes her head. A tear rolls down her cheek, and she wipes it, and tries to continue speaking.
RAPHTALIA: You- no - you, you didn’t…
RAPHTALIA fails to keep herself together. As the tension in her body abruptly releases, she starts bawling, tears streaming down her face. NAOFUMI gets up, kneels next to RAPHTALIA’s stool, and hugs her. She buries her face in his neck.
NAOFUMI: There, there. It’s okay, you are safe now. Shhh.
Crying continues.
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SCENE: The same room. NAOFUMI and RAPHTALIA are sitting on the bed, side by side. RAPHTALIA has mostly stopped crying. She sniffles and sobs, wiping her face with a towel NAOFUMI gave her. NAOFUMI’s brow is furrowed in thought.
NAOFUMI: We will free your people from slavery.
RAPHTALIA glances up at him in shock.
RAPHTALIA: But the waves -
NAOFUMI: Nonsense. Waves are dangerous, but you can’t live just to survive. You need something to strive for.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
NAOFUMI reaches for his chest, and takes off a pin with a red star. He holds it out in front of RAPHTALIA.
NAOFUMI: This pin comes from my world. We had our own kings and slavers, but there were some people who wanted to build a better world. One where everyone, everywhere, would live as equals, regardless of their parentage or race. Where nobody would go hungry or sick, and if they did, they would have help. A world without slaves, kings or subjects. They were called socialists, and this red star is their symbol.
RAPHTALIA sniffles.
RAPHTALIA: It sounds nice.
NAOFUMI: It is nice. It is also very difficult. All the powerful people - the kings, the nobles, the rich - would put aside their differences when they sensed that a socialist revolution might be near. They go to any extreme to stop it. Often, they would rather sell their bodies and souls to fascism than let a common person live a bit freer. If you are a socialist, you aren’t just fighting a difficult fight - you are fighting every army in the world, at once. In my world, they haven’t managed it yet. But it is a good fight to keep fighting.
NAOFUMI: I want to fight it in this world. Free the slaves and hang the slavers, blow up the noble castles, and keep going until the last remnant of the old order is gone, and the soil where it could take root is salted and burned so that it could never grow out again. Until a better world is here, and it is here to stay.
NAOFUMI: I was going to do this well before I met you. Yes, right now, my biggest problem is the Waves; but long-term, I need to build an army to take on all the forces of feudalism. Freeing your people isn’t getting in the way of the Waves; it’s the other way around.
RAPHTALIA: Thank you.
NAOFUMI pats RAPHTALIA’s head.
NAOFUMI: Tell me everything about the people who enslaved you. How did it happen?
RAPHTALIA hugs her knees, staring into space.
RAPHTALIA: I was born in Lurolona, a small village on the coast. It was named after a character from Shield Hero stories - Lula, his pet bird. My parents would fish, and sell the fish to the only town near us. A year ago, our village was destroyed in a Wave, and right after soldiers came and captured everyone, killing anyone who resisted.
RAPHTALIA squeezes her eyes shut, willing herself to continue the tale.
RAPHTALIA: They brought us to the manor of some nobleman - I don’t know his name, servants just called him “master”. He was fat as a pig, middle-aged, with yellow hair and a little mustache. And he had this disgusting laugh when he would torture us.
RAPHTALIA sniffles. NAOFUMI hugs her.
RAPHTALIA: He lived at the edge of some city - not the town near us, further away. It is also far away from this city - after he sold me to the slave trader, we drove for more than a week to get here.
NAOFUMI: That’s a start. Now, you must be exhausted, so you should sleep. Tomorrow, we can talk more about this.
NAOFUMI gets up from the bed and takes the glass of medicine he prepared earlier. He focuses on it for a moment.
SYSTEM MESSAGE: Skill used: potion enhance 1!
The glass of medicine shines for a second, and NAOFUMI hands it over to RAPHTALIA.
NAOFUMI: Drink this. It should help with your cold.
RAPHTALIA takes the glass, and drinks it. Her eyes bulge, and she barely manages to finish the glass.
RAPHTALIA: Ew! So bitter!
NAOFUMI: Yeah, I should have warned you, it doesn’t taste very good.
NAOFUMI dresses for bed. RAPHTALIA is sitting on her bed, deep in thought. As NAOFUMI reaches for the lamp to extinguish it for the night, she speaks.
RAPHTALIA: How should I call you?
NAOFUMI: Just Naofumi. Comrade Naofumi, if you want to be formal.
RAPHTALIA looks up at him, her eyes full of determination.
RAPHTALIA: I want to help. This better world, I want to build it.
NAOFUMI: You really shouldn’t decide this right now.
RAPHTALIA: No. I have decided. This is the right thing to do.
NAOFUMI looks at her for a while, then stretches out his hand. RAPHTALIA looks at it curiously, and NAOFUMI has to take hers and show her how to do a handshake.
NAOFUMI: Good to have you on board, comrade Raphtalia.
NAOFUMI turns off the light.
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SCENE: Weapons shop. Counter is still manned by THE BLACKSMITH. The door rings as NAOFUMI and RAPHTALIA enter. RAPHTALIA is wearing a pair of pants ten sizes too large for her, tied at the waist by a rope and rolled up so much they look like bloomers. Her shirt goes down to her knees. BLACKSMITH looks up as they enter, and sighs.
THE BLACKSMITH: I thought I told you not to show up here.
NAOFUMI: It’s an emergency. Raphtalia here needs armor and a knife.
BLACKSMITH looks down at RAPHTALIA, who meets his gaze confidently. He sees the slave crest poking out from behind her shirt, and scowls.
BLACKSMITH: You are using slaves now?
RAPHTALIA: I am no slave!
BLACKSMITH stops in confusion, and looks between RAPHTALIA and NAOFUMI. NAOFUMI leans against a wall and smirks.
BLACKSMITH: Did he make you say that? I can see the slave crest from here.
RAPHTALIA crosses her arms.
RAPHTALIA: And? Just because of some tattoo I am somehow less of a person?
BLACKSMITH: …That is usually how it works, yes.
RAPHTALIA: Nonsense. I am a free woman who happens to have a slave crest at this time. You, on the other hand, are a slave who happens to not have a crest.
BLACKSMITH looks between NAOFUMI and RAPHTALIA in sheer bafflement.
NAOFUMI: I’ve been arguing with her about it since this morning. Made the mistake of explaining some socialist theory to her first. She picks up the rhetoric very quickly.
BLACKSMITH: What’s socialist theory? Wait, nevermind, what does any of this mean?
NAOFUMI rolls his eyes.
NAOFUMI: I told her we should get the crest removed. We asked around - it would cost, but I could afford it.
RAPHTALIA spins around to face NAOFUMI, pointing a finger at him.
RAPHTALIA: We don’t have the money to waste! We have to prepare for the Wave. Every coin counts!
NAOFUMI: Yeah, see what I have to deal with.
BLACKSMITH rubs his eyes, not prepared to deal with the fact of his enslavement by the forces of manorialism.
BLACKSMITH: Okay, whatever. You said you needed armor?
RAPHTALIA: Yes. Me and Naofumi.
NAOFUMI: I don’t need armor, I have a shield boosting my stats into the stratosphere. Every coin counts, remember?
RAPHTALIA scowls at NAOFUMI, but cannot find a way out of the rhetorical trap. BLACKSMITH comes out from behind the counter, a roll of measuring tape in hand.
BLACKSMITH: Well, let’s measure you up, so the armor fits you better than your clothes.
NAOFUMI: Tailor said we’d have clothes by the evening. Gave Raphtalia his old clothes in the meantime, all she had was a cloak. Can’t go around town without pants.
BLACKSMITH skillfully measures RAPHTALIA’s size, writing down numbers on the back of his hand with a pencil. He goes behind the counter and takes out several pieces of armor: a chainmail coat, heavy pants, undercoat and boots, putting them all on the counter. Taking out a small glowing hammer, he starts tapping on the pieces of armor, resizing them. After a few short minutes, the armor is done. RAPHTALIA takes it and goes behind a curtain to try it on.
NAOFUMI: Good that you are against slavery though. Was worried I’d have to find another blacksmith.
BLACKSMITH: I am not your blacksmith!
RAPHTALIA comes out from behind the curtain, having put on the armor. It fits her well.
BLACKSMITH: And now, for the sword… I think something like this would be good to start with.
He hands a short steel sword to RAPHTALIA. She grasps it uncertainly.
BLACKSMITH: Do you know how to use it? Here, let me show you the basics. I used to be an adventurer when I was young.
BLACKSMITH shows RAPHTALIA some basic sword forms.
NAOFUMI: For what it’s worth, I think the status magic will give you the knowledge pretty quickly, just from being in my party.
NAOFUMI counts out the price of the armor and the sword, his pouch seeming much smaller afterwards.
NAOFUMI: Well, thanks for your help.
NAOFUMI heads for the door. RAPHTALIA pauses, and turns to the BLACKSMITH.
RAPHTALIA: What’s your name?
ERHART THE BLACKSMITH: Erhart. Would you believe that this guy never asked?
RAPHTALIA sighs.
RAPHTALIA: Yes. Thanks for your help, Erhart.
ERHART: Yeah, no problem. Keep each other safe, alright?
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SCENE: Fields of tall grass next to the town. NAOFUMI has caught an orange blob and is holding it in his hands. RAPHTALIA is standing nearby, holding the sword in her shaking hands. Orange blob snarls and bites at the air, attempting to get at her. RAPHTALIA keeps her distance.
NAOFUMI: Come on, I know you can do it. Just stab it.
RAPHTALIA: What if it bites me?
NAOFUMI: It’s not going to bite you. Besides, you have a lot of health, I’ll get it off you in no time.
RAPHTALIA: Easy for you to say! You don’t even feel pain because of the shield!
NAOFUMI: Only when my health is full! Come on, just do it, let’s get it over with.
RAPHTALIA clenches her teeth and looks straight at the blob. She psyches herself up and rushes at it with a scream. The blob is pierced by her sword and explodes instantly.
NAOFUMI: There we go! Now we just have to do this another ten thousand times, and we’ll be getting somewhere.
RAPHTALIA narrows her eyes at him.
NAOFUMI: Hey, don’t look at me like that. Why, back in my day, I had to bash them to death with my own two hands! Youngsters these days.
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DRAMATIS PERSONAE
SPIRIT OF NAOFUMI. Voice of the heart.
SPIRIT OF RAPHTALIA. Likewise.
SYSTEM MESSAGE. Claims to not be obnoxious - lies. Voice of the status magic.
NAOFUMI IWATANI, THE SHIELD HERO. The first socialist. Protagonist. Unwilling slave owner.
RAPHTALIA. Racoon girl. Second socialist. Hadn’t read theory.
ERHARD THE BLACKSMITH. Concerned weapons trader.