SCENE: Guest room at the tavern. Travel packs and clothes are scattered on the ground. Morning light streams in through the window. A pile of blankets on one bed serves as NAOFUMI’s burial ground. The other bed is empty: RAPHTALIA is already up, working on something at the windowsill. She exclaims in surprise.
RAPHTALIA: Naofumi!
NAOFUMI immediately rolls out of his bed, and tries to take a guarded stance in his underpants, but loses his balance and falls on his butt. RAPHTALIA looks at him, and starts to laugh. Blinking sleep out of his eyes, he realizes there is no actual danger.
NAOFUMI: Sweet mercy, don’t scream like that while I am asleep.
RAPHTALIA: You’ll get over it. Look, your egg is hatching!
NAOFUMI approaches the windowsill. On it is a container he got from the SLAVE TRADER, with a mysterious monster egg. The egg is cracked, and occasionally, a beak pokes through. As NAOFUMI and RAPHTALIA watch, the egg breaks completely, to reveal a chicken - like creature. It has pearly white plumage, a large head, and a fatter beak. Its legs are tipped with vicious-looking claws.
NAOFUMI: It’s…a baby filofial? I think?
RAPHTALIA leans in closer. FILOFIAL yawns at her.
RAPHTALIA: Woah. It’s pretty cute!
NAOFUMI: What do they eat, I wonder?
RAPHTALIA: The soldiers back then told me they would eat pretty much anything, but need very little food. Just an apple a day is enough to keep one running.
NAOFUMI scratches his ass, and looks around for his clothes.
NAOFUMI: You’d think they’d eat in accordance with their size. Magic birds, I suppose. I guess that explains how they can run trade on wagons instead of ships.
RAPHTALIA: Not going back to sleep?
NAOFUMI: After your shock therapy? No way, I wouldn’t survive a second wake-up call. I’ll see if Anna can show us where we could get a bath.
As NAOFUMI is dressing up, he takes another look at RAPHTALIA.
NAOFUMI: Wait. You are taller.
RAPHTALIA: Oh, yeah. Demihumans age faster when we gain levels, and I got a bunch of them yesterday.
NAOFUMI: But what about the armor? Do you need to have it resized?
RAPHTALIA: No, it resizes itself. Erhart put an enchantment on it.
NAOFUMI: Well that is incredibly convenient.
----------------------------------------
SCENE: NAOFUMI and RAPHTALIA are jogging through the forest, looking for monsters to clean up. They come across a clearing where all trees for a hundred meters have fallen away from the center.
NAOFUMI: Look, there is someone there.
They approach the center cautiously.
RAPHTALIA: It’s a monster.
In the center of the clearing lies a dead figure. From a distance, it may seem like a woman wearing a wedding dress, but up close the difference is clear. The arms of the figure are disturbingly long, reaching down to the shins. The head is elongated, and the mouth is enormous, large enough it could swallow a whole human head. Its body is covered with burns and stab marks from a long fight.
NAOFUMI: It’s a banshee.
RAPHTALIA: You have seen one before?
NAOFUMI: No. But my world has legends of them, and everything fits. I think this is what the heroes were fighting while we dealt with the village.
NAOFUMI squats down next to the corpse, poking at the dress.
NAOFUMI: Look, this isn’t even clothing. Just some kind of membrane. Give me a hand, I want to get a sample for the shield.
RAPHTALIA kneels down, and helps NAOFUMI cut off a part of the dress to feed to the shield.
SYSTEM MESSAGE: Banshee shield unlocked! Special: Banshee scream! Drains stamina and mana points from those who hear it, increasing their exhaustion.
NAOFUMI gets up, and looks at the corpse again. He frowns.
NAOFUMI: Isn’t this strange?
RAPHTALIA: What?
NAOFUMI: The other three have killed the banshee, but look at the corpse. They didn’t cut off any parts for their weapons.
RAPHTALIA: Huh. You are right, all these wounds look like they were made during the fight.
NAOFUMI stares at the scene for a bit longer, then shakes his head.
NAOFUMI: Pointless to speculate. Let’s go, we have a lot of ground to cover.
----------------------------------------
SCENE: Tavern in the Lute village. NAOFUMI and RAPHTALIA are eating sausages with eggs, discussing their future plans. INNKEEPER is gone.
NAOFUMI: Our next major goal is your village, but first, I want to solidify things here a bit. I think…three, maybe five days, and it should be enough.
RAPHTALIA makes an inquisitive noise, rapidly devouring sausages on her plate. NAOFUMI nods, understanding.
NAOFUMI: The big problem with the organizing we did yesterday is time. Normally, each of the steps would take weeks or months to properly set in. Instead, we are blazing through them. The circumstances certainly help, but I worry that if we leave immediately all we did would go to waste. Old Gus was a sergeant in the army, so he seems to intuit a lot of this stuff, but it’s still an unstable arrangement. With a couple more days we could shore up the big problems, and then, if luck will be in our favor, it would be stable for at least a couple months.
RAPHTALIA nods. They eat in silence for a bit, before the TRAVELING MERCHANT comes downstairs, and heads for their table.
TRAVELING MERCHANT: Naofumi! Raphtalia! How nice to see you.
NAOFUMI looks at his plate sadly. The sausages are cooling down, but fates are forcing him to talk and not eat.
NAOFUMI: Thanks…
NAOFUMI looks at the man, clearly trying, and failing, to remember his name.
RAPHTALIA, WHISPERING: Hank.
NAOFUMI: Thanks, Hank! Why don’t you take a seat?
HANK THE TRAVELING MERCHANT takes a seat.
HANK: I don’t know how to thank you. You saved me, you saved Anna, and what you are doing here, it’s just incredible. If there is anything I could do for you, just tell me.
NAOFUMI looks at HANK, chewing thoughtfully.
NAOFUMI: You know, I think there is. Me and Raph will be heading north in a couple days. I don’t know where you were going to move, but if you could give us a lift in your wagon, it would help us a lot.
HANK waves him off.
HANK: Nonsense! I can peddle my trade pretty much anywhere. My ride is at your full discretion. I will even introduce you to my guild: we traveling merchants might not have a lot of pull, but we do know a lot.
NAOFUMI stretches out his hand, and HANK shakes it. They eat for a bit, with NAOFUMI asking HANK questions about the merchant trade.
Soon, sounds of gallop can be heard outside, followed by a commotion. A ROYAL GUARD enters the tavern, looks around, and heads straight for NAOFUMI. NAOFUMI faces them grimly.
ROYAL GUARD: Sir Shield! I have a message from his Majesty!
NAOFUMI shovels more sausages into his mouth and hums noncommittally, looking at the guard.
ROYAL GUARD: His Majesty requests your presence for a celebration of a successful Wave at the castle! It shall take place in three days.
NAOFUMI: Tell him I am not going.
RAPHTALIA and the TRAVELING MERCHANT look at him in surprise. The ROYAL GUARD falters, not sure how to take this.
NAOFUMI: What? It’s pointless to go. At best, it would waste my time; at worst, it’s another trap.
ROYAL GUARD: But.. you must! His Majesty orders it!
NAOFUMI: Well, too bad.
ROYAL GUARD: But how will you receive your reward for the wave?
RAPHTALIA elbows NAOFUMI and whispers in his ear, aggressively gesturing with her eyebrows.
RAPHTALIA: We do kind of need money, for the thing. You know. That big thing.
NAOFUMI: What money? He won’t give us shit.
RAPHTALIA elbows him again. NAOFUMI sighs.
NAOFUMI: Fine, fine, if you want to be stubborn I’ll go. But if it turns out bad, I will be so smug.
ROYAL GUARD retreats out of the tavern, having fulfilled their mission.
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SCENE: Banquet hall at the royal castle. As if transported into a world of mirrors, every surface is polished to a fine finish, starting from the marble columns, continuing to the intricate bas reliefs at the ceiling, and finally to the incredibly detailed marble mosaic covering the floor. A giant staircase leads to the second level, where an orchestra is playing. A crowd of COURTIERS is twirling through the floor in a riot of colors, dancing their feet away. To the sides, many tables are set up with catering, and packs of COURTIERS prowl around in search of rumor and gossip.
SWORD HERO, BOW HERO and SPEAR HERO are engaged in conversation with the COURTIERS. All heroes are dressed to the nines. NAOFUMI is leaning against a wall near the balcony, snacking on a piece of hardtack. He is wearing the same armor and cape as during the Wave.
RAPHTALIA approaches him. Besides her usual armor, she is wearing a stylish tabard and a nice hat. In her hand is a glass of wine.
RAPHTALIA: Come on, at least have some wine. Shouldn’t we celebrate?
NAOFUMI: Absolutely not. That food and wine may be poisoned for all I know.
MOTOYASU notices RAPHTALIA, smiles, and heads in their direction. He is stopped by MYNE, who whispers something in his ear.
RAPHTALIA: Oh come on, now you are just being stubborn. You will get thirsty eventually.
NAOFUMI smiles smugly, and takes out a flagon from beneath his cloak. He takes a drink of water and puts it back.
NAOFUMI: I came prepared. You can drag me here, but the day you see me eat anything from the royals, you can stab me because that’s not me, that’s a skinwalker wearing my face.
RAPHTALIA narrows her eyes at him.
RAPHTALIA: How much hardtack and water did you bring?
NAOFUMI: Enough? Why, do you want some?
NAOFUMI offers her a piece of bread. RAPHTALIA snorts.
RAPHTALIA: I’ll go find some proper food, thanks. Really tasty food. You have fun.
NAOFUMI: Well, jokes aside, here.
NAOFUMI hands RAPHTALIA a small potion bottle.
NAOFUMI: An antitoxin. It’s pretty weak so it will work slowly, but it should help with the hangover if you take it after the party.
RAPHTALIA takes the bottle, smiles, and heads off into the crowd. A couple minutes later, REN approaches NAOFUMI.
REN: Naofumi. I’ve been meaning to ask, where were you during the Wave?
NAOFUMI takes a bite from his bread, considering his response.
NAOFUMI: Me and Raph were evacuating a nearby village. I figured you would have it in hand, and if you didn’t, we wouldn’t help much.
REN: I see. Did that go well?
NAOFUMI looks at him sharply.
NAOFUMI: I wouldn’t call seventeen dead “going well”, no. It could have been much worse though.
REN is taken aback.
REN: Oh, I didn’t mean -
NAOFUMI waves him off.
NAOFUMI: It’s fine. You did your job, I did mine. Next Wave, things will be different. How did the fight with the boss go?
NAOFUMI and REN start to talk shop about the Wave. A couple minutes in, they are interrupted by MOTOYASU, who walks up to NAOFUMI and throws a glove under his feet. NAOFUMI raises his eyebrows at him, his mouth curling in annoyance.
NAOFUMI: The fuck do you want?
MOTOYASU: Naofumi. Duel me.
NAOFUMI: And why the fuck would I do that?
REN: Please. There is no need -
Both of them ignore REN.
MOTOYASU: I heard that Raphtalia is your slave.
REN: What?!
REN looks at NAOFUMI in shock. NAOFUMI is focused on MOTOYASU.
NAOFUMI: And?
MOTOYASU: And?! It’s not right to enslave others!
NAOFUMI frowns in confusion.
NAOFUMI: She is free to go at any time. Why are you talking to me about this? Go talk to Raphtalia.
MOTOYASU scowls. A crowd starts to form around them. REN goes away.
MOTOYASU: Just because you let her walk around doesn’t mean she is free to go! You own her!
NAOFUMI stares at him with a blank expression.
NAOFUMI: Have you even talked to her once? About what she wants, needs in life? It’s her decision, not mine.
MOTOYASU: What nonsense is this?
NAOFUMI: Raphtalia. The person you want freed.
MOTOYASU grinds his teeth.
MOTOYASU: She certainly doesn’t want to be forced to fight for the scum like you!
NAOFUMI chuckles.
NAOFUMI: The sheer degree of contempt you have for the concept of a woman making her own choices is truly amazing.
MOTOYASU: Enough of this! Of course poor Raphtalia doesn’t want to fight! Now, you are her owner, and I will force you to break the slave contract!
NAOFUMI blinks, then smiles darkly.
NAOFUMI: Oh, I see! You want to do this legally, by forcing me to break the contract through a duel?
MOTOYASU: Yes!
NAOFUMI: Ooooooh, okay. Well, legally, you can go fuck yourself.
NAOFUMI turns around and heads for the balcony. MOTOYASU steps forward and grabs him by the arm.
MOTOYASU: Where do you think you are going?
NAOFUMI sighs, turns around, and pushes himself in MOTOYASU’s face.
NAOFUMI: Let me explain this to you using small words. You don’t give a single shit what Raph thinks. You just want to put her in a cute dress behind closed doors and keep her there like a pretty little flower. Raph? Doesn’t want this!
NAOFUMI shoves MOTOYASU back. His voice is dripping with poison.
NAOFUMI: Now, legally speaking, you have ways of forcing your will on her, of course. You are a hero after all, you have options. But legally speaking there is nothing forcing me to accept your offer of a duel. It’s voluntary, you see. I learned all about it when you legally forced me into an underclass. Figured I’d need it someday!
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
MOTOYASU stumbles back, not expecting this level of aggression.
NAOFUMI: So you see, legally speaking, I can wipe my ass with your challenge. Now, if I were a noble? Why, I’d lose all honor if I did that! A coward who backs off from a duel? Nobody would want to deal with me! But here is the thing.
NAOFUMI stops, and spreads his arms.
NAOFUMI: I don’t have any honor left! You stomped my name so thoroughly into the dirt that the only way from here is up! So I don’t give a shit about your challenge. Fuck off, go jump off a bridge.
THE KING: I couldn’t help but overhear your discussion.
THE KING comes out of the crowd of courtiers. NAOFUMI turns to him, fuming. In the crowd, MYNE is smiling.
THE KING: A hero, using a demi-human as his slave? It seems that you are rotten to the core.
NAOFUMI folds his arms.
NAOFUMI: She is only a slave in as far as it would be too expensive to remove the crest.
THE KING: Yet more lies. I order you to accept this challenge!
Whispers go through the crowd of COURTIERS. NAOFUMI closes his eyes, breathes in, breathes out, and opens them again.
NAOFUMI: Okay. Everyone is going to be learning something today, it seems. You don’t have the authority to order me.
The crowd is alive with shocked whispers.
THE KING: What?
NAOFUMI: I was not born in your lands, and neither were any of my ancestors. I didn’t swear fealty to you. I am not your subject. I help with the Waves out of my own good will and a duty I feel to the people, not because of your authority. You don’t own me, King.
The noise from the crowd grows louder, yet more agreeable. THE KING notes it, and changes tracks.
THE KING: Perhaps. But we had some reports that your slave was accquired illegally. Without a duel, we shall have to hold her until the investigation concludes.
A pair of ROYAL GUARDS walk up the stairs to the second floor, visible over the crowd. They are holding RAPHTALIA by the hands. RAPHTALIA is stumbling as if very drunk, and is holding her head with one hand. Her sword is missing. NAOFUMI notices her.
NAOFUMI: What did you do to her?
THE KING: She is drunk. I am sure it will pass.
NAOFUMI: She is not drunk. I saw her five minutes back, she was fine.
Suddenly, NAOFUMI’s eyes go wide.
NARRATOR: A realization! Worst predictions coming true!
NAOFUMI: Sweet mercy, you people actually poisoned her!
Whispers go through the crowd. NAOFUMI turns to THE KING, rage on his face.
NAOFUMI: If so much as a fucking hair falls off her head -
REN: There is no need for that.
REN walks up the stairs to the two guards holding RAPHTALIA. They glance around uncertainly. REN shoves them back, taking RAPHTALIA from them.
REN: I will guard Raphtalia myself, Naofumi. I hope you can trust me that much?
NAOFUMI: Fine.
NAOFUMI turns to MOTOYASU.
NAOFUMI: You want a duel? You will get a fucking duel.
NAOFUMI and MOTOYASU are escorted by the ROYAL GUARDS to the place of their duel. REN and RAPHTALIA follow after. As they leave the hall, RAPHTALIA stumbles, and falls on her knees. REN helps her get up. Nobody sees her slip a small bottle out of her pocket and drink it.
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SCENE: Courtyard of the royal castle. It is a large, empty space, surrounded by a two-story tall building on all sides. Both floors of the building are open, and framed by delicate, cast iron railings. A crowd of COURTIERS is gathered on the second floor, in order to observe the duel. THE KING and the POPE OF THE CHURCH OF THREE HEROES stand out prominently. SWORD HERO and BOW HERO are on the first floor, alongside RAPHTALIA and several ROYAL GUARDS. RAPHTALIA is still clutching her chest. MYNE is standing on the opposite side of the first floor from them.
NAOFUMI is preparing for the duel in a small alcove. On the other side of the courtyard, MOTOYASU is doing the same.
SPIRIT OF THE HEART: Okay, rage aside, how are we supposed to win this? We literally cannot damage the other guy. He is seven levels above us, and clearly geared for damage. What are we supposed to do?
SPIRIT OF DIRECT ACTION: Well, sit down and watch, I am taking over. First, stat boosting.
NAOFUMI takes out a dozen potions and drinks them in quick succession. His body glows in different colors, before the glow fades. He then puts his hands together in a complex shape, and whispers.
NAOFUMI: As a source of thy power, I order thee. Decipher the laws of nature and increase my strength.
His body glows once again. He repeats the chant several times, boosting different stats, then drinks a mana potion.
SPIRIT OF DIRECT ACTION: Probably won’t have time to cast in combat, these chants are insufferably long. Doesn’t hurt to be topped up though. Well, time to go.
NAOFUMI walks out of his alcove. On the other side of the field, MOTOYASU is ready for a fight.
ANNOUNCER: This duel will take place in the presence of His Majesty and the Pope of the Church of the Three Heroes, who will officiate the result!
MYNE: Best of luck, Sir Motoyasu!
MOTOYASU and NAOFUMI approach the center of the courtyard.
MOTOYASU: Naofumi, be a man and admit defeat!
NAOFUMI snorts.
NAOFUMI: Spare me the patriarchal bullshit.
ANNOUNCER: Ready? Begin!
MOTOYASU charges at NAOFUMI, delivering a series of quick strikes, but NAOFUMI blocks all of them.
MOTOYASU: You stopped them? I guess you aren’t the shield hero for nothing.
SPIRIT OF DIRECT ACTION: Good. We can tank his basic hits. Now for the hook…
NAOFUMI: You lose.
MOTOYASU: What?
NAOFUMI: Remember that folk tale about an irresistible spear and an immovable shield? You lost the moment you couldn’t break through my shield.
NAOFUMI pivots around the spear, slamming his shield into MOTOYASU’s stomach. MOTOYASU jumps away, and finds that NAOFUMI planted an orange balloon on him, that is happily chewing at his side. MOTOYASU kills it in one strike.
MOTOYASU: What the fuck?
SPIRIT OF DIRECT ACTION: Line…
NAOFUMI: If I can’t win, I can at least make your life miserable, can’t I?
MOTOYASU’s face contorts in rage. He crouches and charges up an attack, dark red glint forming on the edge of his spear.
MOTOYASU: Take this seriously! Chaos Spear!
MOTOYASU flies off towards NAOFUMI at great speed.
SPIRIT OF DIRECT ACTION: And sinker.
NAOFUMI: Air Shield.
An enormous green shield appears in mid air right in the path of MOTOYASU’s charge, facing MOTOYASU with an edge. Not capable of stopping in time, MOTOYASU rams himself chest-first into the edge of the shield, immediately losing his breath. NAOFUMI pulls back his cloak and throws several more orange blobs at MOTOYASU, before encasing him in a Shield Prison. The green ball of shields and chains hides him and the blobs from sight.
NAOFUMI: Now I win.
From inside of the Shield Prison come muffled curses and sounds of MOTOYASU trying to fight off the blobs. The crowds on the second floor mutter in confusion.
MUFFLED MOTOYASU: What the fuck do you mean you win? They barely deal any damage!
NAOFUMI sits down next to the Shield Prison.
NAOFUMI: Oh, I’ll have to wait a bit, but it’s inevitable at this point. It’s a simple question of mathematics. The sphere is exactly as large as your spear, so you won’t be able to use your weapon. Do you know how long it takes to kill one of those blobs with your hands? I know, because I had to do that. It takes twenty minutes. And this sphere?
NAOFUMI knocks on the sphere.
NAOFUMI: Completely sealed. It’s even waterproof! Well, my friend, you only have enough air in there for half an hour. After then, you will start to suffocate. The more you try to kill the blobs? The faster you breathe, and the faster you will suffocate! So either you will run out of health and will have to give up, or you will run out of air and will have to give up. In either case, I win, and you can’t do anything to stop it.
SPIRIT OF ENGINEERING: Wait, is that even correct? How large is that sphere?
SPIRIT OF DIRECT ACTION: How the hell should I know? The point is, he doesn’t know it either. He will feel like he is suffocating soon enough.
Shocked gasps come from the crowds of COURTIERS. THE KING frowns. Inside the Shield Prison, MOTOYASU is breathing heavily.
NAOFUMI: But let’s make that process go faster, shall we?
NAOFUMI transforms his shield into a plain-looking steel buckler. When the light shines just right, you can see a ghostly face on the surface of the buckler.
NAOFUMI: Banshee Scream!
A horrible screech comes from his shield and the crowd of COURTIERS shrinks back. Many start to leave the courtyard entirely.
NAOFUMI: There we go. Now you will suffocate even faster!
SPIRIT OF DIRECT ACTION: Once he feels exhaustion set in, he will panic, and we will have our victory.
Sounds from within the Shield Prison intensity. Above the courtyard, THE KING’s knuckles whiten on the railing. On the first floor, MYNE’s face contorts in rage, before she moves back behind the columns, hiding her from sight of most of the courtyard. She raises her hand, and magic gathers in her fist. She releases it, and an invisible blast of air barrels towards NAOFUMI. He is thrown to the side, losing concentration on his skills. The Banshee Scream cuts off, and Shield Prison vanishes.
MOTOYASU immediately gets his bearings.
MOTOYASU: What a dirty trick. Lightning Spear!
Sparks of lightning gather on the end of his spear, before, with a clap of thunder, a lightning bolt flashes between him and NAOFUMI. NAOFUMI falls to the ground, twitching from residual electricity.
On the other side of the courtyard, REN has clearly seen what MYNE has done, and rushes off to confront her. ROYAL GUARDS, seeing him leave, grab a hold of RAPHTALIA.
ANNOUNCER: The Spear Hero has prevailed!
GROANING NAOFUMI: No…
NARRATOR: A catastrophe! Complete failure!
THE KING and the POPE start clapping. Soon, the crowd of the COURTIERS joins in. Below, REN is gesticulating at MYNE, who appears unconcerned by this.
THE KING: And now, we must free the poor slave.
NARRATOR: Despair floods into Naofumi! Fear! Desperation!
NAOFUMI flops over on his back with great difficulty, and manages to raise his voice.
NAOFUMI: This is bullshit! Myne interfered in the duel. She hit me with magic!
THE KING: Nonsense. My daughter is too honorable to do any such thing.
SPIRIT OF DIRECT ACTION: Daughter?
NAOFUMI’s eyes open wide in realization.
NARRATOR: The puzzle pieces click into place!
THE KING: But perhaps someone else has seen this interference?
The crowd of COURTIERS is silent. REN is still arguing with MYNE, not paying attention to the courtyard as a whole.
THE KING: Of course. Simply more lies from a scum like you.
A PRIEST comes down to the courtyard and approaches RAPHTALIA, still surrounded by ROYAL GUARDS. He pours a potion on her chest. Lightning sparks from the slave crest, and RAPHTALIA spasms in pain.
THE KING: Naturally, once she is freed, we will have to watch over her carefully. No doubt the despicable Shield has indoctrinated her.
NARRATOR: The walls are closing in! Everything collapses!
Strange black smoke pours from NAOFUMI’s shield. Soon, it covers his entire body.
SPIRIT OF THE HEART: Of course this was all a setup. Of course the king was on her side. She is a fucking princess… Do they want to see me suffer this badly?
MOTOYASU smirks at NAOFUMI lying there, then approaches RAPHTALIA.
MYSTERIOUS VOICE: Do you really have to ask? Of course they do.
MOTOYASU takes RAPHTALIA from the guards, holding her by her hands. Her breathing is ragged, recovering from the slave crest being removed. She looks up at MOTOYASU. Her eyes are clear, the poison having been burned off from her system by the crest.
MYSTERIOUS VOICE: They will trample over you again and again. Why do you keep pretending? They would keep drowning you in shit while you try to save them from the Waves.
MOTOYASU: Raphtalia! Finally, you are free from that monster! He will never abuse you again. You don’t have to fight anymore.
MYSTERIOUS VOICE: Just give up! You are the only one who cares about this world. If you want to save it, you will have to do it by force!
SYSTEM MESSAGE: Activation requirements met. Curse Shield series unlocked!
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SCENE: Flat, featureless gray plane stretches out into infinity. Above it, the sky is a void of darkness. NAOFUMI is lying on the ground, wearing his Earth clothes. His shield is gone. A second NAOFUMI is squatting above him. This clone is made out of two colors, black and white. His skin is whiter than bone; his lips darker than coal; his eyes, voids; his hair, ebony; his clothes, checkered in black and white.
This is DARK NAOFUMI. He puts a hand on NAOFUMI’s shoulder.
DARK NAOFUMI: Come on, up you go. We have a lot to talk about!
DARK NAOFUMI grabs NAOFUMI by the shoulder, and effortlessly yanks him into a standing position. NAOFUMI looks at him in confusion.
NAOFUMI: Who are you?
DARK NAOFUMI: My friend, a better question is, what can I do for you? You are in quite a pickle here.
NAOFUMI grinds his teeth.
NAOFUMI: It’s not over. I will just have to free Raphtalia -
DARK NAOFUMI laughs in his face.
DARK NAOFUMI: Oh please, you couldn’t even keep her from being captured. How are you going to free her? You can’t do shit.
NAOFUMI cringes back. DARK NAOFUMI advances on him.
DARK NAOFUMI: You are pathetic. What do you have, hm? Raphtalia is gone. That village you tried to organize? Even union drives take months, why are you kidding yourself that you can get something done in days? They will abandon you as soon as things get tough. Hell, they might have done so already.
NAOFUMI: I convinced Raphtalia. I can do it again.
DARK NAOFUMI: Oh, did you? Did you really believe she followed you? You know perfectly well how fucked your power dynamic is. You can, literally, legally, murder her and nobody will do anything about it! Under these circumstances, how can you be so sure she wanted to follow you, and wasn’t just scared? That she wasn’t just terrified of you beating her to death if she pushed for her slave crest to be gone?
NAOFUMI shrinks back again.
DARK NAOFUMI: Face it, bröther, you have nothing. Anything you will gain? They will just take it away again. So-called allies? Will betray you, same as Myne has done. How do you plan to fight the whole world? They will stomp you into the dirt and piss on your face.
NAOFUMI stumbles, and falls on his ass, staring up at DARK NAOFUMI. He is breathing hard.
DARK NAOFUMI: What? Have anything to say? Of course you don’t.
DARK NAOFUMI stretches out a hand to NAOFUMI. NAOFUMI backs away, but DARK NAOFUMI is simply keeping it open, in a friendly gesture.
DARK NAOFUMI: What you need is power. With power, you could force people into line, keep them from doing things that will ruin us all. I could make that happen. Now, what do you say?
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SCENE: Back in the courtyard. The crowds of COURTIERS are slowly dissolving. RAPHTALIA is still being held by MOTOYASU. Her face contorts in rage, and she headbutts him, breaking his nose. In shock, he loses his grip on her.
RAPHTALIA: Who the fuck asked you to?
RAPHTALIA spins around and sprints towards NAOFUMI. MOTOYASU gets his bearings, and rushes after her, grabbing her by the hand.
RAPHTALIA: Get your fucking hands off me!
Turning the grab into a spin, RAPHTALIA flashes a concealed dagger out of her boot, and slices across MOTOYASU’s hands, drawing blood. MOTOYASU releases her. RAPHTALIA throws the dagger at his face for good measure, and runs towards NAOFUMI. Dropping down on her knees, she shakes him by the shoulders.
RAPHTALIA: Naofumi!
NAOFUMI is not responsive. RAPHTALIA slaps him across the face.
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SCENE: Back in the gray void. NAOFUMI hasn’t taken the hand of DARK NAOFUMI yet. The world shakes, and the faint voice of RAPHTALIA comes through. DARK NAOFUMI closes his hand, a disappointed grimace on his face.
DARK NAOFUMI: Tsk. Oh well, we will talk later. See you!
The void fades, returning NAOFUMI to reality. He gasps for air, grabbing at RAPHTALIA.
RAPHTALIA: Thank the gods. For a moment there, I thought you died.
RAPHTALIA fishes out healing potions out of NAOFUMI’s bandoliers, feeding them to him. NAOFUMI sits up, and sees MOTOYASU rolling on the ground, clutching his nose and covered in blood. He nods appreciatively at RAPHTALIA.
NAOFUMI: Okay. Let’s get out of here before more bullshit happens.
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DRAMATIS PERSONAE
NARRATOR. Voice of drama.
SPIRIT OF DIRECT ACTION. Direct, but patient. Master of combat. Voice of action.
SPIRIT OF THE HEART. Despairing. Voice of everything else.
MYSTERIOUS VOICE / DARK NAOFUMI. Mysterious. Pessimistic. Offers power.
NAOFUMI IWATANI, THE SHIELD HERO. The first socialist. Protagonist. Amateur duelist.
RAPHTALIA. Second socialist. Early riser. Poisoning survivor.
SYSTEM MESSAGE. Voice of the system. Potentially malicious.
HANK, THE TRAVELING MERCHANT. Owns a swanky wagon. Offered to move NAOFUMI and RAPHTALIA around.
REN, THE SWORD HERO. Hero. Distracted duel overseer. Neutral towards NAOFUMI.
MOTOYASU, THE SPEAR HERO. Major misogynist. Lost a duel to a guy who can’t attack. Allegedly a hero.
ITSUKI, THE BOW HERO. Second duel overseer.
THE KING. Ruler pro tempore. Plots downfall of NAOFUMI.
MYNE. Princess. Betrayed NAOFUMI. Manipulates MOTOYASU.
THE POPE. Leader of the Church of the Three Heroes. Supports the King.