SCENE: Castle courtyard. COURTIERS have left the upper balconies. NAOFUMI is dusting himself off. A priest is seeing to MOTOYASU’s nose. MYNE is doting over him as well. REN and ITSUKI are approaching the group.

NAOFUMI: Raph, we are on orange alert level until we are out of the city. Weapons out.

RAPHTALIA nods, and takes out a dagger out of her second boot. Together, they approach the group. MOTOYASU looks, for once, apologetic; it seems that the headbutt knocked him back into reality.

NAOFUMI: Where is Raphtalia’s sword? We’d like it back, please.

MYNE pivots to them, rage on her face.

MYNE: How dare you attack Sir Motoyasu, you damned demi-human?

RAPHTALIA opens her mouth to speak, but NAOFUMI raises his hand to stop her.

NAOFUMI: It was clearly self-defense. Now, the sword, please?

MYNE: Self defense?! Kind Sir Motoyasu helped your dog by freeing her, and she thanked him with a knife! Hey, I am talking to you!

RAPHTALIA notices a ROYAL GUARD who has her sword hooked to their belt, and motions NAOFUMI to them. They ignore MYNE, and head to the guard. NAOFUMI extends a hand to take the sword, and the ROYAL GUARD steps back, a hand on his sword. NAOFUMI sighs.

NAOFUMI: What’s your name? Don’t care, I will just call you Jack. Well, Jack, I don’t know if they teach this to you in guard school, but taking things which belong to someone else without their permission is known as theft. Theft is, in fact, illegal. You get put in prison for that! Do I need to put you in Prison, Jack? This is Raphtalia’s sword, Jack. Give it back.

NAOFUMI looms over the ROYAL GUARD. ROYAL GUARD gulps and hands the sword over. Raphtalia fastens it to her belt, then takes it out, switching her dagger into her second hand. They turn to leave, but are confronted by MYNE, her face red with rage. MOTOYASU, with a bandaged nose, follows after her.

MYNE: Hey! You will pay for attacking Sir Motoyasu!

NASAL MOTOYASU: Myne, please, calm down. I am fine, the nose will heal in a day.

MYNE: No! This animal attacked you! Mad dogs get put down, not let out to wander around!

NAOFUMI covers his face with his hands, making a whining noise.

NAOFUMI: What is it with this royal family? I swear, every last one of you is just begging for a kick to the face. It can’t just be the class conditions, can it? Maybe it’s the inbreeding? It has to be inbreeding, right?

NAOFUMI takes his hands away from his face, looking straight at MYNE.

NAOFUMI: Did your dad fuck your cousin to make you?

ITSUKI cringes, hearing the words, and moves towards the two. MYNE’s face turns from red to crimson, matching the shade of her hair. She steps towards NAOFUMI, putting a hand on her sword, but is pulled back by MOTOYASU. REN gets in between them.

REN: Naofumi, please! We do not need a second duel!

REN turns towards MYNE.

REN: I do want to talk about your interference, Myne.

MYNE snaps her focus to REN.

MYNE: What interference?

REN: You shot a spell at Naofumi. Without it, he would have won.

MOTOYASU: Hey! I had it in hand!

ITSUKI: Yeah, Motoyasu, I also saw it. You lost the duel.

MYNE sneers at them.

MYNE: The crowd didn’t see anything!

REN: The king told the crowd what to say. You interfered, making the duel not legitimate.

NAOFUMI rolls his eyes.

NAOFUMI: Please. It was illegitimate from the start.

REN: What do you mean?

NAOFUMI sighs, and motions to RAPHTALIA.

NAOFUMI: Go on, show them the thing.

RAPHTALIA reaches into her pouch, and takes out a letter, handing it to REN. REN opens it, and reads it aloud.

REN: I, Naofumi Iwatani, Shield Hero, owner of Raphtalia from Lurolona, enslaved, being of sound will and good health, hereby release Raphtalia from slavery, as well as from all other debts or obligations to me.

REN looks up .

REN: It’s dated two weeks ago.

REN hands the letter back to RAPHTALIA. NAOFUMI makes a mocking bow.

NAOFUMI: There you go. Duel was around Raphtalia’s status as a slave. Since she isn’t one, it was based on nothing, and therefore is not legitimate. Motoyasu’s attempts to hold her down, as well as the act of using a slave crest removing potion without her consent is therefore assault, making Raphtalia’s actions self defence.

MOTOYASU sputters, trying to explain his actions. Everyone ignores him.

MYNE: What is this nonsense? She had a slave crest!

NAOFUMI: And? Still a free person. Slave crest is just an enchantment. That it’s only seen on slaves is merely convention. And also, it costs a lot to remove.

REN looks at NAOFUMI with a confused expression.

REN: Why didn’t you mention this earlier?

NAOFUMI glances back at REN, then looks away, clearly embarrassed.

NAOFUMI: I forgot. Someone was being very distracting.

NAOFUMI sighs.

NAOFUMI: Can we all go home now?

RAPHTALIA: No! I demand compensation.

Everyone turns to RAPHTALIA.

ITSUKI: Compensation for…what? If you didn’t want a slave crest, didn’t Motoyasu do you a service?

RAPHTALIA crosses her arms, a mercantile glint in her eyes.

RAPHTALIA: For losing the slave crest, of course. Naofumi has an ability that makes people with slave crests grow in power faster. You stole this ability from me.

NAOFUMI: Oh yeah, that’s true.

REN narrows his eyes at NAOFUMI.

REN: And why do you have this ability?

NAOFUMI: Trade secret. Now, you -

NAOFUMI points to MOTOYASU.

NAOFUMI: Pony up the coins, chop chop.

REN: Well, it does make sense.

ITSUKI: Yeah, if they have this ability, you have made Raphtalia weaker. You should compensate her, at least so that she could get a new crest.

MOTOYASU looks between heroes.

MOTOYASU: You cannot be serious.

NAOFUMI rubs his chin.

NAOFUMI: You know, now that I think about it, maybe we are looking at a more serious crime here? This fellow here was always talking about how “cute” Raphtalia was, then she ends up drugged and he is going to “take her away” in order to “remove the indoctrination”.

NAOFUMI is making quote marks with his fingers as he talks.

NAOFUMI: Hey Raph, would you feel safe going anywhere with Motoyasu?

RAPHTALIA: Absolutely not.

NAOFUMI: Hmmm. Hey, Motoyasu, do you know the definition of “attempted sexual assault”?

MOTOYASU’s face goes pale.

NAOFUMI: How about we get paid and we forget all about this, eh?

Under the eyes of REN and ITSUKI, MOTOYASU reluctantly hands over a small pouch of money. NAOFUMI and RAPHTALIA head towards the exit from the castle, but are stopped by REN.

REN: Wait! You are forgetting the rewards ceremony. King is going to pay us for the wave.

NAOFUMI looks back at REN with a blank face.

NAOFUMI: You cannot expect us to show up there after what the King did here. Motoyasu is a moron, but someone drugged Raph, and that could only happen with the King’s consent. And the only reason to drug her is if he already knew she was working with me willingly and needed her out of the way.

REN rubs his eyes.

REN: Look, I can clearly see that something is going on between you and the King. In retrospect, maybe I misjudged you. But we really need unity in front of the Waves. If people see that one Hero has left, what will they think?

NAOFUMI stares at REN for a long time, then sighs.

NAOFUMI: Tell you what. I’ll show up, but I don’t promise I will be polite.

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SCENE: Audience hall in the royal castle, where the HEROES have first heard about the Waves. SWORD HERO, SPEAR HERO and BOW HERO are standing in line, awaiting the KING who will reward them for their performance in the Wave. COURTIERS occupy the balconies above the main floor. Parties of the HEROES stand to the sides. NAOFUMI and THE KING are missing.

A horrible, screeching noise comes from behind the main doors of the hall. It is quiet at first, but grows in volume. The entire hall turns towards the noise, and whispers resound from the balconies above. Finally, NAOFUMI and RAPHTALIA stroll through the doors. NAOFUMI is dragging a large chair behind himself. The legs of the chair drag on the marble floors like nails across a chalkboard. Seeing NAOFUMI, REN covers his face with his hands, and MOTOYASU turns away in anger.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Finally, NAOFUMI drags the chair up to the line of heroes, and tips it into place. The chair slams into the ground with all its weight, wobbling in place with great inertia, sending loud claps across the hall. NAOFUMI jumps into the seat, finally grounding it with a last bang, and takes a moment to get comfortable. He reclines so far that he is practically laying down, supporting his head with one of his hands, and throwing one of his legs over the chair’s armrest. RAPHTALIA jumps up, and sits on the back of the chair, towering over the crowd.

Silence falls over the hall. Finally, REN cannot take it anymore, and turns to face NAOFUMI.

REN: Naofumi. Please. What the fuck are you doing?

NAOFUMI glances up at him, but doesn’t straighten up.

NAOFUMI: What? Am I not a horrible criminal, cursed by all polite society? I have a reputation to uphold, you know. How could I face my criminal friends if I would simply stand in line as if I was some kind of honor-bound lackey?

NAOFUMI uses his second hand to dig in his ear, flicking a piece of earwax away.

NAOFUMI: Besides, my feet are too tired from kicking Motoyasu’s ass. Let me rest for a bit.

MOTOYASU grinds his teeth, refusing to acknowledge NAOFUMI’s presence. Time passes in silence. Finally, a caller comes through the doors on the other side of the hall, announcing the arrival of THE KING. A procession of the ROYAL GUARD with THE KING in the middle comes through the doors, heading to the throne.

THE KING takes his place, and surveys the heroes. His eyes pass over NAOFUMI, briefly stopping, as if looking at a roach that some servant forgot to sweep off the floor. NAOFUMI gives him a V sign over his eye, and winks.

Finally, THE KING opens his mouth.

THE KING: As a reward for your efforts during the Wave and for fulfilling my request, Sir Motoyasu will receive forty gold. Sirs Itsuki and Ren will each receive thirty eight. And, as agreed upon, I set aside five gold for the Shield. However, since it is offset by the cost of freeing his slave from her curse, he will receive no funds this time.

SPIRIT OF THE HEART: Market price of slave crest removal is one gold, one fifty if you are being raked. Fucker’s cheap besides everything else.

Whispers resound from the COURTIERS gathered above. NAOFUMI is idly checking for dirt under his fingernails.

ITSUKI: I don’t think that is going to fly.

NAOFUMI: No, no, it’s fine.

ITUKI and REN turn to NAOFUMI. He glances up at them.

NAOFUMI: If Melromarc is so poor that they cannot afford to pay me for my services, that’s totally fine. I wouldn’t want to send the country into a recession all by myself.

Gasps spread through the crowds of COURTIERS. The King grinds his teeth.

THE KING: What services? You have done nothing during the Wave.

NAOFUMI: There were, what, a good hundred and fifty people in that village I saved? I suppose Melromarc has so many people it rightly doesn’t matter if a hundred or two of them die. Or perhaps it’s the other way around, and soon it will have as many people as it has coins? It’s easy to confuse the two.

THE KING pauses and steadies his breathing, before continuing.

THE KING: The crown was not made aware of your valuable contributions to the evacuation. I shall award you five gold, as usual, for it.

NAOFUMI: Thank you kindly.

NAOFUMI goes up to get his reward from a ROYAL STEWARD, and then heads out. RAPHTALIA jumps off the chair and follows him. As NAOFUMI is passing by REN, he winks.

NAOFUMI: Unity, right?

THE CHAIR is left standing in the middle of the hall.

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SCENE: NAOFUMI and RAPHTALIA are descending down a large carpeted staircase, heading to the castle entrance. A MYSTERIOUS COURTIER is walking up the stairs, heading in the opposite direction to them. She is wearing a long, billowing dress, covering her entire body up to their wrists and neck, and a masquerade mask. As she passes NAOFUMI, she speaks.

MYSTERIOUS COURTIER: You did splendidly well this time, I daresay. Your actions have become impossible for anyone in the court to ignore, Sir Shield Hero.

NAOFUMI frowns, and stops, turning towards the MYSTERIOUS COURTIER.

NAOFUMI: Who are you?

MYSTERIOUS COURTIER smiles.

MYSTERIOUS COURTIER: There are powers who don’t take too kindly to you, Sir Shield Hero. You should exercise utmost caution going forwards. I daresay.

MYSTERIOUS COURTIER leaves, hurrying up the stairs. NAOFUMI stares after her, then proceeds towards the entrance.

RAPHTALIA: What was that about?

NAOFUMI: Not sure. Either a veiled threat…or the exact opposite.

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SCENE: The wagon of HANK THE TRAVELING MERCHANT is parked in front of a tavern in Melromarc. Upstairs, NAOFUMI and RAPHTALIA are packing up the room they once used as their base, taking down ropes, wrapping up dried herbs, and putting glassware away in bags. Soon, they are done. They walk out of the tavern carrying large bags, and throw them in the back of the wagon, climbing after. With a note to HANK, they set off. Some time passes in silence.

NAOFUMI: I am sorry.

RAPHTALIA: For what?

NAOFUMI rubs his eyes.

NAOFUMI: For escalating. I could have explained things better to Ren, and with him, moderated things with Motoyasu. Motoyasu is a moron, but I don’t think he is an actively malicious moron, so he would have eventually listened. With those two on board, I don’t think the King would have been able to force a duel.

RAPHTALIA has a confused look on her face.

RAPHTALIA: Does it…matter? I didn’t believe you before when you said it was going to be a trap. The King would have come up with something else eventually.

NAOFUMI: It was a needless risk. There was a very good chance I’d lose, and then who knows what would have happened to you. I should have told Ren about the letter in your pouch, once he was near you, but I was too angry to think properly.

RAPHTALIA looks at NAOFUMI, then stands up, and goes to hug him.

RAPHTALIA: Don’t blame yourself. Pretty much anyone would have been angry in that situation.

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SCENE: NAOFUMI and RAPHTALIA have returned to the Lyre village. They are in the stables next to the tavern, looking down at their FILOFIAL, who is now tall enough to reach his waist. ANNA THE INNKEEPER is standing to the side.

NAOFUMI: We only left a day ago. It grew this much over that time? That’s…very fast.

ANNA: Faster than any I’ve seen. Usually, they take months to grow up.

NAOFUMI: Must be my Monster Tamer Shield working. Didn’t expect the effect to be so large.

RAPHTALIA: We’ve never named it, did we?

ANNA: Her. It’s a female filofial.

RAPHTALIA: What do you think a good name is, Naofumi?

NAOFUMI frowns in concentration. A minute passes in awkward silence.

NAOFUMI: …how about Filo?

RAPHTALIA starts laughing.

NAOFUMI: Oh come on! I am not great with names.

RAPHTALIA: I disagree, this is perfect. It’s very easy to remember.

RAPHTALIA wipes away a tear. NAOFUMI scowls.

NAOFUMI: You come up with a name then.

RAPHTALIA: What do you mean? We already named Filo. She doesn’t need a second name.

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SCENE: Montage, as NAOFUMI and RAPHTALIA prepare for the trip.

NARRATOR: The time has come to find Raphtalia’s captors! Final preparations commence.

NAOFUMI and RAPHTALIA are overseeing villagers training with spears and swords in a secluded area near the mines. RAPHTALIA joins in for several spars, and pulls NAOFUMI in a while later. FILO is sleeping on the sidelines.

NARRATOR: Organizing has to be solidified! It has to sustain itself. The organized need to become the organizers! They need to know the basics of everything: how to agitate, how to plan, and even how to have a good meeting!

NAOFUMI is sitting in the tavern with ANNA, OLD GUS and several other villagers. To his side is a large wooden board, with text written on it using a piece of coal. At the top of the board, in large letters, it says RUSTY’S RULES OF ORDER.

NARRATOR: In the evenings, they train! With Filo as part of the party, they need to re-learn how to coordinate in a fight!

NAOFUMI, RAPHTALIA and FILO are jogging through a field, looking for monsters. FILO is now as tall as NAOFUMI, and moves with incredible swiftness, sensing monsters before they come into sight.

NARRATOR: Two days later, their preparations are complete. The wagon is loaded up! It is time to go.

NAOFUMI and RAPHTALIA are loading up the last of their bags into the wagon, ready to set off. OLD GUS is seeing them off.

OLD GUS: Some of the lads were asking about joining you for the Waves, and wherever you are heading now. You made quite an impression.

Their bags loaded in, NAOFUMI and RAPHTALIA approach OLD GUS. NAOFUMI is thinking.

NAOFUMI: I think that right now, heads are going to be hot. The next Wave is in three months - I will come back here before then, and if they still want in, then I’ll take them. I can mark any number of volunteers, and they will be taken to the Wave with me, no matter where they were at the time.

OLD GUS: And for now?

NAOFUMI: It’s complicated. The shield doesn’t grant me powers - it also strengthens people in my “party”. A month ago, Raphtalia couldn’t even hold a sword right, and now she could go toe-to-toe with any duelist in the city. I can affect five other people like this. But the more people in my party, the slower we will all increase in power. For now, I think it’s best for me, Raph and Filo to do it alone. Of course, I could take them with me without adding them to the core party - but without training or good weapons, they won’t be of much help.

NAOFUMI and RAPHTALIA hug OLD GUS goodbye.

NAOFUMI: See you in a few months, Gus.

They climb into the wagon, motioning for HANK to drive. Filo follows alongside the wagon. She has grown further, now easily reaching the roof of the wagon in height, and only a bit less in width, larger than any other filofial. She is a veritable ball of feathery death, soft to the touch yet armed to the beak.

HANK: So, where are we heading? You only told me it’s to the north.

NAOFUMI: We are looking for the demihuman village Raphtalia comes from. We think it will be somewhere on the northern coast.

NAOFUMI takes out the map REN gave him, and shows him what he means. HANK scratches his chin in thought.

HANK: Coastal demihuman village, huh. Then your best bet is probably Dornuromarc, or maybe Javganon. There are a lot of demihumans there.

NAOFUMI: We’ll start there then.

NARRATOR: The journey to the North has begun!

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DRAMATIS PERSONAE

NARRATOR. Voice of drama.

NAOFUMI IWATANI, THE SHIELD HERO. The first socialist. Protagonist. Bringer of chairs.

RAPHTALIA. The second socialist. Amateur NOAFUMI bullier.

HANK, THE TRAVELING MERCHANT. Owner of a wagon. Married to ANNA. Great driver.

ANNA, THE INNKEEPER. Owner of the Lyre tavern. Organizer.

MYNE. Princess. Suspected of being illegitimate. Definite racist.

THE KING. Penny pincher. Claims no interfamilial relations.

REN, THE SWORD HERO. Peacekeeper. Mediator.

ITSUKI, THE BOW HERO. Mysterious. Currently not plot relevant.

MOTOYASU, THE SPEAR HERO. Got beat by NAOFUMI. Still salty about it.

MYSTERIOUS COURTIER. Warned NAOFUMI. Or was it a threat?