SCENE: HANK THE TRAVELING MERCHANT is driving in his wagon down the road. NAOFUMI and RAPHTALIA are riding on top of FILO, circling around the wagon through the tall grass. FILO is moving much faster than the wagon itself. Whenever they see a group of monsters, RAPHTALIA and NAOFUMI jump off, and make short work of dispatching the enemies. FILO fights alongside them, tearing monsters to shreds with vicious claw swipes, each as long and as sharp as a dagger. She seems to derive great enjoyment out of the process, hooting and cawing throughout.
Soon, they come closer to the wagon, and hop in to have lunch. NAOFUMI unpacks some jerky, and feeds some to FILO. He gestures with a stick of jerky as he talks.
NAOFUMI: Riding on Filo seems to work well, but having to dismount and remount is really slowing us down. I think we should get you a ranged weapon, like a bow or a gun; then we could keep moving constantly.
RAPHTALIA nods, muted by lunch. They look over the landscape, absorbed in thought. Soon, the wagon comes into view of a village, surrounded by a tall palisade.
HANK: That’s Wegrolona. A small place, so not much trade, but the innkeeper always picks up some supplies from me.
As the wagon rolls into the village, they pass several workers hammering thick stakes into the ground, expanding the palisade around the village. A gatehouse is being constructed on the road.
NAOFUMI: That fence looks new.
HANK: You see this in a lot of places now. It’s the monsters. They are getting more aggressive, and numerous. Not just where the Waves happen - all over the country. See that?
HANK motions to the tall grass growing to the sides of the road.
HANK: It’s called shivergrass. Used to be you’d only find it in the mountains and far-off places. Now it’s all over the place, and monsters come from it.
NAOFUMI frowns.
NAOFUMI: If this continues… Maybe the Waves aren’t even your biggest problem.
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SCENE: Wagon is parked in front of a tavern in the middle of the village. FILO is resting next to it. Within the tavern, HANK and RAPHTALIA are talking to the INNKEEPER, while NAOFUMI is bringing in boxes of goods, his face and shield hidden behind his cloak. RAPHTALIA hears a piece of conversation from one of the tables, and sits down to chat with the TAVERN GUESTS.
TAVERN GUEST 1: Man, I don’t know how we are going to make the tax this year. I can’t harvest with the monsters in the fields, and they ruin the crops.
RAPHTALIA: The crown does not help you?
TAVERN GUEST 1 laughs.
TAVERN GUEST 1: The crown? They help themselves to our food is what they do!
RAPHTALIA keeps talking to the guests, trying to agitate them where she can. NAOFUMI brings in the last box, and HANK gets the payment from the INNKEEPER. As NAOFUMI passes one of the tables, one of the TAVERN GUESTS notices the shield under his cloak.
TAVERN GUEST 2: Wait! You are that criminal Shield Hero!
TAVERN GUESTS start to become rowdy. NAOFUMI retreats out of the tavern. TAVERN GUEST 1 scowls at RAPHTALIA.
TAVERN GUEST 1: Aren’t you with him? Are you trying to start something here?
RAPHTALIA is forced to flee as well. Their party gets into the wagon, and drives off. RAPHTALIA looks dejected.
RAPHTALIA: I thought we could get some organizing done there.
NAOFUMI shrugs.
NAOFUMI: You are right, material conditions are ripe for it. But because the King is spreading bad rumors about us, we can’t capitalize on them.
RAPHTALIA: It’s like there is a pile of firewood, but every time we approach it with a match, it blows off.
NAOFUMI: Yeah. It is what it is. We’ll have to find ways of gaining trust, and work from there.
NAOFUMI thinks of something, and goes to the front of the wagon, clapping HANK on the back.
NAOFUMI: Sorry about the tavern. You aren’t worried about your reputation?
HANK chuckles.
HANK: Nah, not really. People are already suspicious of us merchants, what with us traveling from place to place. A little more isn’t going to hurt me. Frankly, with you guarding my wagon for free, we are making more money than usual.
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SCENE: NAOFUMI, RAPHTALIA and HANK are camping for the night. Full moon shines down from the sky, surrounded by stars. The wagon had been rolled off the road, with FILO resting next to it, forming a protective semi-circle. Her white plumage looks orange in the fire light. In the middle, NAOFUMI is squatting over a fire, keeping a keen eye on a couple skewered rabbit monsters, turning them over slowly to keep the meat evenly browned. RAPHTALIA is sitting next to the fire, reading her book on the magic of light and shadow. HANK is digging through the items in the wagon.
Finally, HANK finds what he was looking for, and comes to the fire holding a wooden box.
HANK: Alright, here it is.
He opens the box, showing off a set of scalpels, forceps, hand drills, vices, files, and polishing materials, as well as an arrangement of gemstones, carefully arranged on silk cloth.
HANK: I am not much of a mage, but I learned some enchanting back in the day. I don’t have the mana reserves to do much with it, but I could at least teach you the basics.
HANK shows RAPHTALIA how to cut out symbols on the surface of a gem, and channel magic into it. After a few attempts, RAPHTALIA manages to make a gem that shines light like a candle.
HANK: Best I can make is simple things, something to get the cart out of a ditch but not much else. Enchantments run out of power eventually, so you either have to keep special crystals on hand to replenish them, or power them from your own magic, and I don’t have much of either. But if you have the talent for it, and are a good mage, then you can make some very strong items.
NAOFUMI: That does sound useful. I’ll have to pick up a set like that for the shield, once we get to a larger city.
RAPHTALIA plays with the enchantment set for a while more. Soon, the rabbits are ready, and after dinner, our party retires for the night.
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SCENE: Morning. YAWNING RAPHTALIA comes out of the wagon, wearing a loose shirt and leather pants. Her sword is strapped to her waist. She picks up wood they gathered the previous night, and starts the fire again with a piece of flint. As the fire slowly takes off, she starts doing stretches.
With the fire burning, YAWNING RAPHTALIA takes a pot and turns to get some water from a nearby stream, but suddenly stops. Her gaze sweeps over the camp, and finally notices the total absence of a giant bird that was there yesterday.
ALERT RAPHTALIA: Filo? Filo, where are you?
A groan comes from the tall grass near the wagon. RAPHTALIA puts her hand on her sword hilt, and moves towards the sound. Soon, a twenty year old-looking woman with white hair pops her head over the grass, rubbing her eyes awake. She is buck naked, with a pair of white, vestigial bird wings on her back. On the upper part of her chest is a slave crest.
RAPHTALIA: Who are you?
FILO: What do you mean? I am Filo.
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SCENE: The entire party is gathered around the fire for breakfast. NAOFUMI is rubbing his temples, eyes closed. RAPHTALIA is busy with the pot of water, making soup for breakfast. FILO is laying on the ground near the fire, in human form, her head propped up on one hand. She is carelessly covered by a blanket. HANK is busy with the wagon.
NAOFUMI: How did this happen? I don’t have a shield which turns animals I raise into humans, let alone ones that learn human language in a single day.
FILO shrugs.
FILO: ‘iunno.
NAOFUMI opens his eyes and looks at FILO. FILO has picked up a blade of grass and is picking her teeth with it.
NAOFUMI: What are we even supposed to do with you?
FILO: Do with me?
FILO has a disinterested look on her face. RAPHTALIA motions that the soup is ready, and gives out bowls of it to everyone. HANK approaches the fire and sits down with his bowl, awkwardly avoiding looking at FILO. FILO takes her bowl in one hand and sips from it as if from a cup, still lounging on the ground. They eat for a while, before NAOFUMI looks at FILO, and sighs.
NAOFUMI: Well, we could find a place for you in a town or something. Or you could come with us? We are looking for Raphtalia’s village.
FILO: Will there be fighting?
NAOFUMI pauses, then continues.
NAOFUMI: Probably, yes. If you don’t want to -
FILO: I love fighting, it’s super fun.
FILO grins with malicious intent. HANK glances at her, and shudders. NAOFUMI studies her thoughtfully.
FILO: If you are going to keep fighting monsters, I’ll come with. Town sounds boring.
FILO looks at her soup bowl, now empty, then looks to RAPHTALIA.
FILO: Also, this was really tasty. Can I have another?
RAPHTALIA takes FILO’s bowl, refilling it. NAOFUMI sighs.
NAOFUMI: Alright. Now that you are a person, we’ll remove the crest once we get to a larger town. Welcome to the party.
RAPHTALIA furrows her nose.
RAPHTALIA: It’s expensive though. And your shield gives a growth boost to slaves.
FILO: Will that make me better at fighting? I want that then.
NAOFUMI rolls his eyes at them.
NAOFUMI: We will need to meet with a lot of slaves soon. How exactly do you want me to talk to them? “Oh yes, I am on your side in a fight for liberation. Please ignore this slave that is following me around. Don’t tell Spear Hero, either, he’d try to duel me again.“
RAPHTALIA narrows her eyes at him. NAOFUMI folds his arms.
NAOFUMI: Also, I hate the concept of getting a benefit out of owning people. The crest goes, I am not budging on this.
RAPHTALIA sighs and waves her hand, conceding the argument. NAOFUMI looks back at FILO.
NAOFUMI: You’d also need some clothing.
FILO: Clothing? I am not cold.
NAOFUMI: It’s so that you could walk around town without freaking people out.
FILO frowns.
FILO: Why? I could just do this -
In a blink, FILO’s body expands into her bird form. The blanket is thrown upwards by the expansion process. FILO speaks, her voice taking on a birdsong quality.
FILO: See? Ordinary filofial. Perfectly fine in a city.
FILO turns back into a human, uncaring that she is once again completely naked. HANK turns away in embarrassment, blushing. NAOFUMI looks at HANK, then scowls at FILO. The blanket drifts to the ground nearby.
NAOFUMI: Pants are a definite priority, I can already tell.
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SCENE: NAOFUMI, RAPHTALIA and FILO are having lunch inside the wagon, while HANK drives. FILO is wearing a large, loose poncho that was clearly sewn together from a travel blanket, with a crude hood for her head, her feet bare. NAOFUMI is writing in his notebook. RAPHTALIA comes closer to him, and looks over his shoulder. The notebook is full of numbers, arranged in matrices.
RAPHTALIA: What’s this?
NAOFUMI scratches his forehead with the back of his writing feather.
NAOFUMI: Shield shows me numbers about the system, right? How much health everyone in the party has, armor, attack, that sort of stuff. I have been writing these numbers down as we level up, and I have a lot of data to work with. So now I am trying to use the dreaded least squares method to figure out the pattern behind those numbers, see if I can predict how they will change in the future.
RAPHTALIA: Why is it dreaded? Is it some secret magic from your world?
NAOFUMI: No, it’s just a pain in the ass to do by hand.
NAOFUMI sighs and closes the book, a distant look on his face.
NAOFUMI: Back in my world, I was studying to be an engineer, someone who designs mechanisms and machines. I was good at it. But besides the basics, most of my knowledge relies on a computer, and you don’t have any of those here. This math I’ve spent half an hour on, a computer could have done in a heartbeat.
NAOFUMI gestures with his book.
NAOFUMI: I am not sure if there is any point in this, honestly. It doesn’t matter that much how the numbers change if the only option we have is to increase them by gaining experience. But it feels nice to think that there is at least some use in the skills into which I’ve put years of my life.
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SCENE: The party is making camp. NAOFUMI is cooking food over the fire, conversing with HANK.
HANK: We should reach Malatok tomorrow morning. It has the largest office of the traveling merchant guild: if anyone has records of Raphtalia’s village, they would.
A distance away, RAPHTALIA and FILO are facing off in a circle of stomped down grass. FILO is in her human form, unarmed. RAPHTALIA is holding a stick instead of a sword, circling FILO. FILO is as aloof as a parakeet. When RAPHTALIA gets behind FILO, she starts a chant.
RAPHTALIA: As a source of thy power, I order thee. Decipher the laws of nature and hide me from sight. Hide Mirage!
RAPHTALIA vanishes from sight, her movement only telegraphed by the footsteps she leaves in the grass. FILO closes her eyes, and ducks to the side at the last moment, invisible stick whistling just over her head and only disturbing her hair. RAPHTALIA’s form appears as a blur in the air, as the spell struggles to deal with fast movements, and FILO goes for a low punch. RAPHTALIA manages to deflect the strike with her weapon, and they exchange blows. Finally, FILO is forced to jump up into the air, away from RAPHTALIA’s reach. RAPHTALIA laughs and closes in, aiming to catch FILO on her fall.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
RAPHTALIA: Finally! You can’t dodge while in the air!
FILO: Wind Spear!
A tight tornado of wind forms at the end of FILO’s hand, flying towards RAPHTALIA. She is caught off guard by the attack, and is blown to the ground, burying her face in the grass. Her invisibility spell quickly fades. FILO lands on RAPHTALIA’s back and puts her in a neck hold, until RAPHTALIA slaps the earth several times, tapping out. FILO releases her and grins.
FILO: Haha! I win again.
RAPHTALIA spins on her with an accusatory scowl.
RAPHTALIA: Not fair! I didn’t know you were a mage!
FILO crosses her arms.
FILO: Well, you used it, so it’s not cheating.
NAOFUMI: I think what Raph means is that we didn’t know you could do any magic. Do you just know how to do it naturally?
FILO scratches her head, and then shrugs.
FILO: Yeah, I guess.
RAPHTALIA flops on the grass, defeated. NAOFUMI sighs.
NAOFUMI: I wonder what else you “just know”.
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SCENE: High up in the mountains, ice is melting. Water from it collects into a clear spring, running down cliffs, gathering more and more water until it turns into a river. This river roars down the canyons, down into the valleys below, where it merges with other rivers, grows and spreads, its banks quickly passing out of earshot of one another. As it levels out on the plains it slows, and starts to twist and bend around the landscape, passing around islands and under bridges, carrying boats and ships up and down stream, connecting hundreds of towns and villages all across the land.
Far downstream, so far that some locals have never even seen the mountains that bring them water, this river reaches a sprawling stone city. It is like a blood vessel passing through a metastasising tumor: soon the water grows darker, polluted, as if filled with toxic blood. The boats grow more numerous, shuttling this way and that, carrying tons of goods in barrels, boxes, casks, sacks and packages. The city is tall, full of stone, wood, coal and glass, with smoke stacks dotted across it. It is a haven of industry and mercantilism, of learning and research, of science and magic.
This is MALATOK, the largest city in the duchy of DORNUROMARC.
NAOFUMI, RAPHTALIA, FILO and HANK have joined dozens of other wagons that are waiting for permission to enter the city. They move through the gates, pass by guards doing inspections of goods, and finally, flow out into the streets. HANK skillfully drives the wagon through the narrow streets, soon reaching a three-story building, tucked away from the main streets, with a small square in front of it. Many wagons are parked in front of the building, and people are moving barrels to and from the building, running around in a carefully engineered chaos, as if managed by an invisible conductor.
This is THE TRAVELING MERCHANT GUILD.
The party dismounts from the wagon. NAOFUMI picks up a blanket and fashions it into a crude sling for his shield, wrapping it around his neck to conceal his identity from the casual observer.
HANK: Well, here we are. Come, let’s meet with the guild council.
NAOFUMI nods and follows HANK. FILO grimaces.
FILO: Do we have to? That sounds boring.
RAPHTALIA looks between FILO and NAOFUMI and then shrugs.
RAPHTALIA: We could find a place to stay, and get Filo some better clothes while you guys deal with the council.
NAOFUMI nods.
NAOFUMI: Good idea, I think. If we get lost, let’s use the guild hall as the meeting point.
HANK: Be careful. In these parts, almost all demihumans are slaves.
RAPHTALIA crosses her arms.
RAPHTALIA: I can take care of myself.
FILO: If there’s a problem, we’ll just punch it until it’s gone.
HANK and NAOFUMI enter the guild hall, while FILO and RAPHTALIA head in the opposite direction, looking for a tavern.
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SCENE: Clothing and tailoring store. Walls are covered with various fabrics and boxes of thread, in a myriad of colors. Several mannequins stand in the windows of the store, showing off the beautiful, delicate clothing. A uniformed ASSISTANT is sweeping the floor. He is a dog demihuman, and his carefully tailored uniform has an open neck line, displaying the slave crest prominently. On his wrist is a small bracelet with the symbol of the Church of the Three Heroes. The counter of the store is empty, but sounds of work are coming from an open door in the back of the store.
A bell rings as RAPHTALIA and FILO enter the store. ASSISTANT notices them, his eyes going wide, and hurries to meet them. He grabs them by the shoulders and whispers hurriedly.
ASSISTANT: What are you doing here? Don’t you know where you are?
RAPHTALIA frowns at him. She doesn’t whisper, but speaks quietly.
RAPHTALIA: No, we are new in town.
ASSISTANT: This isn’t a store for slaves!
RAPHTALIA’s mouth twitches in annoyance. She reaches down to her shirt and pulls down her high neckline, revealing her clean upper chest.
RAPHTALIA: I am not a slave.
ASSISTANT’s face goes white, and he worriedly looks back at the counter.
ASSISTANT: Do you want to cause me trouble? Please, you have to leave.
RAPHTALIA crosses her arms. It appears construction equipment would be required to dislodge her. FILO is idly looking through the threads on display. A voice comes from the door in the back of the shop.
CONFIDENT VOICE: Elmak, do we have customers?
ELMAK THE ASSISTANT looks between RAPHTALIA and the door in a panic. His hands go into his hair, ruffling it.
CONFIDENT VOICE: Elmak?
ELMAK turns to RAPHTALIA and makes a begging gesture.
ELMAK: Please play along.
He turns to the door, and responds, raising his voice.
ELMAK: Yes mistress! There are two slaves here, they say they have a request from their master.
CONFIDENT VOICE: Slaves?
A tall TAILOR wearing spectacles comes from the back of the store. Her clothing is a careful mixture of practicality and style - a long, patterned dress which blends smoothly with an apron holding a variety of tools - measuring tapes, needles, thread, scissors, and so on. She looks at RAPHTALIA and FILO, and raises her eyebrows.
TAILOR: Dears, what are you doing here?
From behind RAPHTALIA steps out her identical clone, dressed in worker clothes: tall pants with suspenders out of rough cloth, a practical scarf tying their hair back, a thick shirt, steel-toed boots and large gloves. On the clone’s chest is a large sigil of a raised fist. This is THE SPIRIT OF SOLIDARITY. SPIRIT puts their hands on RAPHTALIA’s shoulders, and WHISPERS in her ear.
SPIRIT OF SOLIDARITY: Elmak probably has reason to worry. Now is not the time for pride! If we push the subject, we will not only ruin his trust in us; we will also fuck things up for him. We should follow his lead, and talk to him afterwards.
RAPHTALIA’s eyes flash, and she speaks confidently.
RAPHTALIA: Our - master - had a request, yes. We are travelers, and he sent us ahead to explain things, while he deals with negotiations for our next job.
TAILOR: Request? Oh, do you have his measurements?
RAPHTALIA: No, it’s not for him. We need better clothing for Filo.
RAPHTALIA motions to FILO. TAILOR frowns.
TAILOR: I don’t specialize in demihuman tailoring. You’d be better suited to go to a special store, I think.
RAPHTALIA: It’s a special request. Filo can turn into a giant bird, and when she does that, she tears up most clothing. We need something that can stand up to that.
FILO motions an explosion with her hands, grinning. TAILOR purses her lips and taps on her cheek with her finger, thinking.
TAILOR: Magical clothing, I see. They wouldn’t know how to do that in a demihuman store, it’s true…
Finally, she shrugs.
TAILOR: Alright. This is very unusual, but I think it’s fine. Let’s get you measured.
TAILOR motions for FILO to follow them. Tension visibly drains out of ELMAK’s body, and the group goes into the back of the store. TAILOR motions to FILO’s misshapen poncho.
TAILOR: Take that off, please.
FILO takes off her poncho. She is buck naked underneath. ELMAK turns away, blushing, and hurries back into the front room of the store. TAILOR stares in shock.
RAPHTALIA: Like I said, tears up clothing. Poncho can be thrown off, at least.
TAILOR: … I see. I suppose you’d need everything magical, then.
TAILOR begins measuring FILO.
TAILOR: What kind of demihuman are you, anyways? I have never seen ones with wings.
FILO: I am a filofial.
TAILOR: A filofial demihuman? That’s new.
Having finished measuring FILO, TAILOR starts sketching out dress designs and brings out several fabrics to choose from, as well as a set of underwear. RAPHTALIA and FILO look through them.
TAILOR: You know, perhaps this is a good idea. I can see that your master taught you well, you seem very polite and obedient. If I, a human, would make a beautiful dress for someone like you, then I think it could really inspire the other demihumans. Get them to behave better.
RAPHTALIA: Truly?
FILO shows the TAILOR her fabric selections, and TAILOR gets to work. She brings the fabric to a table with glowing inscriptions on its surface, and starts to rapidly cut the cloth into shape, and sew it into a dress using a nearby sewing machine. Her hands are sped up by the table, moving with inhuman speed, and the dress takes shape before their eyes. It is light blue, complementing Filo’s eyes and hair, and looks as if it was stitched from a cloud, glistening slightly.
TAILOR: Oh yes. I am quite the progressive, you know. When I bought Elmak all my friends said it was a crazy idea to put a demihuman in uniform, and I said that if their slaves can’t behave, then it’s their fault. We have to teach demihumans how to be civilized, and this is the only way to do it. Perhaps you could even go with Elmak to church today! I am sure they will love you.
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SCENE: A small, comfortable conference room with wooden paneling. NAOFUMI and HANK are seated at a table with two other, well-dressed people. They are drinking tea and sharing smalltalk. Finally, they come to the topic of this meeting.
GUILD MERCHANT 1: Well, I must thank you, Sir Naofumi. Hank used to be very active in the guild, and must have trained a good dozen of the younger merchants. It would have been a tragedy to lose him.
HANK: Oh don’t you go discounting me yet.
GUILD MERCHANT 2: If there is anything we can do for you, just give us a word. Within reason, of course.
NAOFUMI leans back in his chair, putting his hands behind his head.
NAOFUMI: There are two things you could do, actually.
GUILD MERCHANT 1: Oh?
NAOFUMI: Well, first of all, I am looking for the holdings of a specific noble. I don’t know his name, but here is a description.
NAOFUMI takes a piece of parchment out of his bandolier, and hands it to the GUILD MERCHANTS. They look over the description and shrug.
NAOFUMI: If you could point me in their direction, that would be of great help.
GUILD MERCHANT 1: We’ll check our records. You should get a response by the end of tomorrow, the day after at the latest. And the second request?
NAOFUMI looks at the ceiling, humming.
NAOFUMI: I hear there are some rumors about me going around.
GUILD MERCHANTS share a knowing glance.
GUILD MERCHANT 2: There are rumors about many people. You shouldn’t take them to heart, Sir Naofumi. Serious people pay them no mind.
NAOFUMI: Oh no, you misunderstand me.
NAOFUMI puts his hands back on the table, and leans in, conspiratorially.
NAOFUMI: Your merchants travel all over the place; of course, besides the goods, you trade in rumors and news. Now, I know that the King is spreading all sorts of lies about me. I can’t really do anything about that. What I can do is dilute them with even more rumors about me.
GUILD MERCHANT 1 reclines, taking a sip from his cup of tea, with a thinking frown on his face.
GUILD MERCHANT 1: What kind of rumors?
NAOFUMI leans in even closer.
NAOFUMI: All kinds. Every kind. True rumors, false rumors, ridiculous rumors, nonsensical ones. Tell people I beat Spear Hero in a duel; in the next breath, tell them I traveled backwards in time and founded a country. Tell them I saved a village of people from the Wave, and that I am the King’s long lost younger brother. That I brought the Waves to this world; that I am actually a vampire; that at night, I fly into the sky to sleep among the stars; that an ancient hero taught me his long-lost art with his dying breath.
NAOFUMI leans back.
NAOFUMI: When people hear the name Naofumi Iwatani? I want them to treat everything as if it’s an old wives’ tale. That way, at least, King’s rumors would not stand out too much.
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SCENE: Back in the tailor shop. Having finished the dress, TAILOR gives it to FILO. As soon as FILO puts the dress on, it shrinks to fit her body perfectly. FILO spins around, watching the iridescent fabric shift colors in the light, and smiles.
TAILOR: This dress is made from magical fibers. It is very difficult to cut or tear, and will resize itself to fit your body. If it can’t fit you at all, then it will turn itself into a brooch somewhere in your hair. I think that should work fine for turning into a bird, don’t you think? Now, for the shoes…
TAILOR goes into a storeroom next to the work room, and comes out with a pair of slippers and stockings.
TAILOR: Here, try these on. I’ll have to enchant them too, but it’s faster to start with a prototype.
FILO tries the shoes on, but furrows her nose.
FILO: Don’t like them. Feel weird on my feet. I think I’ll just go without.
She throws off the shoes, and TAILOR frowns in anger.
TAILOR: Young lady, I would not have you behave like an animal! Put on those shoes at once!
FILO stares the TAILOR down, and takes a wider stance, balancing on the balls of her feet. Realizing where this is going, RAPHTALIA intervenes.
RAPHTALIA: Mistress, our master only requested a dress. I wouldn’t dare purchase these shoes from you without his orders.
TAILOR stares at RAPHTALIA, then sighs, and waves her off. RAPHTALIA pays for the dress, and they leave.
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SCENE: RAPHTALIA, FILO and NAOFUMI are eating lunch in a tavern. RAPHTALIA has just finished telling NAOFUMI how their trip to the clothing store went. FILO is playing with a small ball, bouncing it off the ceiling and back into her hands.
RAPHTALIA: I caught Elmak outside afterwards and chatted with him for a bit. He invited me to their church in the evening. What do you think?
NAOFUMI nods.
NAOFUMI: It’s a good idea. You’ll find out the conditions on the ground, what kind of propaganda they are being fed. If you get lucky, you could even get us in touch with the local anti-slavery groups: they must exist among the slave underclass.
NAOFUMI takes a sip of his drink.
NAOFUMI: It might work better if you would blend in more; your decision whether to switch out of armor or not. Me and Filo will get that goddamn slave crest removed, and then will head to the industrial district, do some advocacy among the proletariat. We’ll see you after the service.
NAOFUMI, RAPHTALIA and FILO finish their food. It is time to get back to the hard work of organizing!
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DRAMATIS PERSONAE
NAOFUMI IWATANI, THE SHIELD HERO. The first socialist. Protagonist. Creator of sentient life.
RAPHTALIA. The second socialist. Amateur slave ring infiltrator.
SPIRIT OF SOLIDARITY. Alone, weak; Together, strong.
FILO. Ex-bird. Loves fighting.
HANK THE TRAVELING MERCHANT. Great driver. Has connections in the traveling merchant guild.
TAILOR. Slaver. Sells clothes.
ELMAK THE TAILORING ASSISTANT. Enslaved by TAILOR. Afraid of rocking the boat.