"Boss!" With a slam, the blacksmith's shop door was opened, revealing Naofumi, with Filo behind him. Beside Naofumi, was You and Raphtalia.

"Master... who is this man?" Filo asked, lifting her hand to point at the blacksmith.

"Don't point at people." Naofumi told her. She dropped her hand as the shopkeeper sighed.

"So, you've come to brag about buying another good slave?" He asked.

"Nope. This is..." Naofumi was stoped when Filo began to sniff the air.

"I smell... food." She stated.

  "I got a sandwich in the back waiting for me! Wanna bite?" The blacksmith started to walk into the backroom, emerging with a large sandwich.

  "That's not a good idea..." you warned. Alas, it was too late.

  "Thanks!" Filo grabbed the sandwich, pushing up the cap you put on her head.

  "Wait, Filo-" Raphtalia tried to grab her,

  "It's fine missy. How big a bite could she take anyway?" He asked. Big mistake.

  With a cloud of dust, Filo grew, becoming a bird.

  "Time to dig in!" In one gulp, the sandwich disappeared down her throat.

  "It was so-so, I guess." She stated. You sighed, shaking your head.

  "Dammit, Filo." You muttered. The blacksmith, in the meantime, was on his butt in shock of the sight before him.

  "Sorry about that." Naofumi grimaced, looking at Filo.

  Filo began to wander the shop, pecking at various shields and suits of armor.

    "So, what's her deal?" The blacksmith asked.

  "According to the slave merchant, each flock of Filolials have a king or a queen leading the flock." You got to explaining.

  "It's a long explanation, but basically, they have the ability to disguise themselves as not only normal Filolials, but also humans, which none of us expected. And as it turns out, Naofumi accidentally got one." You told him.

  "Interesting..." the boss scratched his beard, thinking about it as Naofumi spoke up.

  "What's more, they need a special crest to be tamed." Naofumi began to flash back to getting her the crest.

  "Once again, I had to rely on Y/n to pay for that. It almost failed too, because Filo was resisting with all her might. And this was all at level 19, mind you." Naofumi pointed out.

  "Imagine if she was level 70." You absentmindedly spoke, inspecting another weapon the boss made.

  "Anyways..." you nodded to Filo, who was staring intently at a dragon decal on a shield.

  "As you probably figured out by now, Filo destroys everything she puts on whenever she transforms. Went through three sets of good clothes before I decided it was hopeless." You told the shopkeep.

  "What he said. Do you sell any clothes that can at least change size with her?" Naofumi asked.

  "Well, sorry to say, but I'm not a clothing shop." He told Naofumi. Naofumi looked from him to Filo, then back to him.

  "Are you saying I have to take a naked girl that can turn into a monster outside?" He asked, bewildered. The shopkeep turned away for a moment, a grin growing on his face.

  "I just can't refuse you, kid." He muttered.

  "Wait, are you telling me...?" Naofumi sounded hopeful, as the shopkeep spoke up again.

  "I'll introduce you to an expert. If anyone knows what to do, it'll be her."

"Wow! She's so cute!" A young, blonde woman wearing a pair of wireframe glasses shouted out.

She kept freaking out over Filo, her wings, and overall, how she looked.

"She's so cute, like an Angel!" She declared, looking back at Raphtalia, who just looked at Filo.

"Wait, she has wings, so maybe she is one?" She asked. Filo turned around to look at Naofumi, with you beside him. Filo was currently wearing a red dress, as was probably the norm for children her size. However, this one was borrowed from the shopkeep, who said it was left by a previous customer.

"Am I cute, Master?" She asked. Naofumi shrugged.

"Don't ask me." You elbowed him in the side, as the seamstress furrowed her brows, looking at Naofumi.

"You shouldn't be like that as the father." Raphtalia looked at the seamstress, shocked.

"Fath-"

"Compliments help girls grow even cuter!" The seamstress told Naofumi. He scoffed, averting his gaze.

"Master, are you my father?" Filo asked.

"No, I am your owner." Naofumi insisted.

"So what that make Raphtalia then?" Filo asked.

"Don't ask me. She belongs to him." Naofumi pointed a finger at you, and you rolled your eyes.

"Raphtalia is my apprentice and faithful disciple." You told Filo, who tilted her head in confusion.

"What's a... apprentice?" She asked.

"Don't worry about it." Raphtalia rested a hand on Filo's shoulder, as Naofumi stood up.

"We want clothes that don't rip when you transform and can go back to normal later." Naofumi told the seamstress.

"Oh, that's what your looking for? Did you bring magic thread?" She asked. You looked at her, confused for a moment.

"Magic thread?" You asked.

"Magic thread. It's spun using the owner's mana, and it's always used when making transforming clothes." She explained to you as Filo began looking around the shop, sniffing at the various threads and needles.

"So, they're custom made?" Raphtalia asked.

"Indeed! If you bring me the magic thread, I'll make you the cutest dress ever!" The seamstress leaned back, and your eye was caught by the glare of her glasses.

"Alright, we get the point." You told her.

"Now, where can we get some?" You asked.

"Magic thread?" The old lady from a few nights ago, the one that read into your arcane prowess(or at least tried), asked.

"Well, you could certainly spin it here, but not right now." She looked over to her loom, which lay unused.

"My magic gemstone broke recently." She explained,

"Are they expensive?" You asked, looking at her.

"They are, but the issue is, they're always in short supply. I'll try and procure one as soon as possible, but it'll take time." She told you.

"Hey, what's this?" Filo put her hands on the counter, looking at the crystal ball the lady had. You sighed, walking away from the counter as the lady started explaining the ball to Filo. You walked over to the loom, inspecting it.

It was definitely pretty normal, as looms go. Not that you'd really seen many looms in your lifetime.

"Filo has wind affinity!" Filo was cheerfully singing, pulling the cart along a dirt road, as Raphtalia held the reins. She had definitely improved, at least in terms of her motion sickness.

"My job is to drag the carriage! To wherever Master says! And if I see the Spear Guy, I'll blow him away with a full power kick!" You chuckled at her lines as she drew the carriage, producing an almost rhythmic rumble.

"It's going to be a while before we can get Filo clothes, so in the meantime, we're going to try and get a bit of money." Naofumi announced, looking at the trade pass he got from the village lord to help him when trading.

"Master, there's someone up ahead." Filo told Naofumi. He stood up, looking past Filo, towards a man who was weakly attempting to run. Raphtalia slowed Filo to a stop by the man as he stopped to rest for a moment.

"Is something the matter?" She asked. The man stopped panting to look up at Raphtalia. It took a moment for him to realize that you were all on a carriage.

"P-pleas elect me take a ride on your carriage!" He requested.

"I need to get this medicine to the village across the mountain at once!" He held up a gray vial, probably said medicine. Naofumi stood up, looking towards Filo.

"Filo, how long will it take to get to the village at full speed?" He asked.

"Not long." Was the answer.

"But we can get there even faster without the carriage." She explained. Naofumi looked back to the man.

"I'll take you there for one silver." He offered. Normally, you would've interjected, and offered to do it for free, but Filo wasn't your bird to control.

"Huh? But... I already spent all my money on this medicine..." he told Naofumi, dejected.

"It doesn't have to be up front. It doesn't even have to be with money." You spoke from the back of the carriage, standing up.

"You can pay with goods if that's all you have." Naofumi decided to build off of your statement, instead of go against it, thank goodness.

"But don't you dare even try to weasel out of it." Naofumi warned. The man seemed much more encouraged by this, nodding.

"Y-yeah, that'd be fine." He held you the vial, as Naofumi turned to Raphtalia.

"Give me the reins." He told her.

"Here." Taking the leather straps, Naofumi hopped onto Filo, pulling up the man as Raphtalia undid the harness connected her to the carriage.

"Keep an eye on the carriage, Y/n." He told you. You nodded, giving him a salute as he looked at Filo.

"Go, Filo!" He ordered.

"Yes sir!" Filo bolted off, taking Naofumi and the second screaming passenger with her, leaving you and Raphtalia with the carriage.

"Who do you think that medicine is for?" Raphtalia asked, sitting down beside you. You shrugged, stroking your chin.

"Can't be sure. I hope they turn out fine, though." You commented. This seemed to draw her attention towards you.

"Y/n?" She asked. You looked up at her, as she scooted closer to you.

"Yes, Raphtalia?" You asked.

"Why is it that you and Naofumi are so different?" She asked. You thought over her question, looking at her.

"Could you specify what you mean by that?" You requested. Raphtalia looked away for a moment, steadying herself with a deep breath.

"Well, when it comes to Naofumi, he's always so cold with people, and only does stuff for them for a price, while you're always so gracious, helping without discussing things like price or debt. Even when you two were raising me, you were the one that would hug me when I got scared, and cleaned the blood from my face when I couldn't move." Raphtalia pointed out. You thought back to those days, when Raphtalia was smaller, and less mature.

  "And yet..." you looked back at Raphtalia, who continued her point.

  "You two stand together like old friends. How do you do that?" She asked.

  "I'm sure you've heard the rumors surrounding us, right?" You inquired. Raphtalia.

  "Everyone is accusing Naofumi of violating an old comrade, that red haired woman, the princess." Raphtalia answered. You nodded, reaching forward to pinch her cheek.

  "Exactly. This undoubtedly means you've heard that I am also a part of these rumors, no?" You responded. Raphtalia struggled out of your pinch, holding her cheek as she answered you.

  "Yeah, they think you helped him do it." She told you. You smiled beneath your mask, pulling her to sit beside you.

  "And we didn't do it. Naofumi trusts me as much as I trust him, because we've been put through the same things. He knows I don't distrust him because I was also accused." You explained. Raphtalia nodded, as you continued.

  "But you, he doesn't know about you, because even if you're a slave, you have your own thoughts and mind. Filo, on the other hand, only knows Naofumi. She literally knows nothing but trust and love for him, as he is a father to her." You finished.

  "So, it's bonding by shared trauma?" She asked. You let out a chuckle at the question, surprising Raphtalia.

  "It's definitely not trauma, but it's the same concept." You told her. Raphtalia nodded, closing her eyes as she relaxed her head, leaning against you. You patted the side of her face in a comforting gesture, waiting for Naofumi to return.

  The next few days passed by pretty uneventfully. Naofumi made the decision to pursue traveling trade as a profession in his downtime, something you could only agree to. Over the course of the week or so, you had helped deliver medicine, give rides to and from certain places, and sell things you procured, mainly medicinal objects.

At this point, you were helping Naofumi provide transport to some rich trader, who was more than excited to be riding with the Shield Hero.

  "I can't believe I get to ride with Our Savior Of The Heavenly Fowl." He excitedly stated, facing Naofumi while you rode up front, beside Raphtalia.

  "Our Savior Of The Heavenly Fowl?" Naofumi asked. He didn't sound surprised, concerned, or anything. He was getting good at hiding his emotions.

  "You've become quite famous around these parts." He explained.

  "Traveling in a carriage drawn by the god of domesticated birds, Our Savior travels across the land to treat the sick with his special medicine!" He declared. Filo turned her head back, looking at Naofumi.

  "Am I a god?" She asked.

  "Hush, Filo." You told her.

  "Naofumi told you specifically, no speaking around company." You reminded Filo. She turned her head forward, remembering her instructions.

  "Sorry..." The trader looked at the bird, eyes wide.

  "She can talk, too? That's the god of domesticated birds for you!" He declared. Up on the road, a small group of people came to your attention. They were all wielding weapons, and all of them looked cocky. You sighed, a new weapon appearing on your back.

  "Naofumi, it appears we have company." You told him, standing up.

  "Woah now, stop right there!" Filo slowed to a halt as Naofumi stepped to the opening, looking out at the group.

  "Strange bird you've got there." One of them remarked, before continuing.

  "We heard you have an accessory seller hitching a ride with you. We know you're in there!" He called out. Before you could open your mouth to speak, one of them spoke again.

  "Hand him over, and we'll spare your lives, at least." One in a green shirt demanded.

  "That means you'll take everything but our lives?" Naofumi asked. You already knew the answer.

  "Heh! You're a sharp one, lad!" One of the bandits complimented. The next remark was under his breath, but loud enough for you all to hear.

  "That girl's pretty hot, for a demihuman. Looks like we can have some fun, tonight." This drew some laughter from the others, as Naofumi and Raphtalia both looked towards you.

  "Y/n, May I cut him down?" Raphtalia requested. You stayed silent, shadows covering your expression.

  "Y/n?" Naofumi prodded you. You stepped forward, hopping off the carriage.

  "Oh? Looks like this one thinks he can take us on!" One of the bandits shouted out, with a laugh.

  "Don't bother, we've got a class upgraded bodyguard." The one who seemed to be the leader declared. Beside him, a man in all black stepped forward, placing a hand on the hilt of his sword. He looked towards you, as you let your eyes land on his.

  "You know what?" You spoke aloud, taking your weapon off your back. It seemed to be some bony mace, sporting heavy weight that not anyone could carry. Yet, you held it like it was a matchstick.

  "I think I've got this." You stated. With a flick of your wrist, the Amygdalan Arm extended time it's full length.

  "Eh? What kinda weapon is that?" One of the bandits asked. You began to step towards them. As expected, the fools rose to the challenge.

  The first one hefted a shortsword, raising it above his head as he charged at you, letting out a war cry.

  "You're open from the waist down." You stated. A second later, the Amygdalan Arm moved on its own, sweeping the bandit off his feet.

  "What the-!?" He didn't get the chance to scream as his head hit a rock, rendering him unconscious.

  "How the-"

  "He didn't even swing..."

  "What is that thing..." several bandits began to step back, discouraged. The swordsman in black, the 'Class Upgraded' one, looked to them, annoyed.

  "You idiots, there's only one of him! Charge!" He ordered. The bandits all seemed to grow a pair, charging at you.

  You smirked in victory as the bandits all tried to attack you at once, only to be rhythmically cut down by the swings of the arm.

From above, one of them tried to jump down onto you. He was simply batted away, into the ground.

  With a shout of pain, the last one was slashed across the chest by the claw marking the end of the whiplike appendage you wielded. He fell to the ground, groaning in pain, leaving only two left.

  The bodyguard, and the one who made the remark about Raphtalia. They were both on edge, slowly backing away. You lifted your left arm, as a warm orange glow surrounded it.

  "Skill mimic: Winter Lantern." You spoke. The bodyguard was brought to the ground by a spike of blood erupting from his ear, clutching his head and writhing in pain, leaving the one you wanted most alone.

  "Hey, listen, we can talk about this, can't we-" you raised the hand carrying the arm, swinging it at full force. The arm wrapped itself around the torso of the bandit. He let out a cry of shock as you yanked him towards you, catching him by the throat.

  "No, we can't talk about it." You told him, making dead eye contact. He let out a cry of pain as you tightened your grip on his throat.

  "Y/n! Let him go." Naofumi told you. You scoffed, looking back at him, then the whimpering bandit. You dropped him onto the ground, where he was left to try to crawl away from you.

  "I'm thinking we're going to be generous with you." You told him. You put the arm on your back, as it coiled itself up.

  "In fact, we're so generous, that we'll even let you have your lives!" You raised your arms, announcing. You looked back at Naofumi, who watched you in curiosity.

  "Of course, that will cost you...." you turned your gaze back to the frightened bandit, as some of the still conscious ones turned their attention to you.

  "...that is, it will cost you everything, except for your lives." You told them. The bandit nodded, getting onto his knees.

  "Yes! Thank you!" He pointed to the trader, as the other bandits started to get up, spurred by Naofumi and Raphtalia.

  "Some other trader told us to mug you, that you were carrying a guy who was loaded with stuff!" He told you. Around him, begrudgingly, the bandits gathered the items they had on them, watched by your party members.

  "So, one of my own sold me out..." the Accessory trader sighed with this information, shaking his head.

  "Well, this obviously isn't all your stuff, is it?" You asked, looking at the feeble amount that had been gathered. It was simply their weapons, and about 100 silver in total.

  "It's everything we have on hand..." one of the wounded bandits complained, holding his bleeding arm. You grit your teeth, taking the arm off your back and slamming it onto the ground, cracking it(the ground, that is), and frightening the bandits.

  "I said your lives were worth everything you owned, dammit! If you won't pay us the proper amount, then we won't give you what you want! Filo!" You snapped your furious gaze towards the bird.

  "Yes?" She asked you.

  "Are you hungry?" You asked her. This prompted a wave of gasps and shock from the bandits.

  "She will eat you guys if we let her." Naofumi spoke, shrugging.

  "She's an omnivore, you see?" He raised a hand, gesturing towards you.

  "And right now, Y/n's calling the shots. You'd better listen to him, or I'll let him tell Filo to eat you." He threatened.

  "Alright, we understand! Everything we own is at our base! You just need to let us get there!" One of them shouted. You looked at him, hefting the Arm.

  "All of you, in line. If you step out, you'll be hunted down and fed to your Oh So Heavenly Fowl." You growled. They didn't need any more commands.

  "Um.... Y/n?" Raphtalia nervously called your name as you sat in the carriage, which followed the marching bandits. If one was unconscious, they'd have to be carried.

  "What is it?" You asked, looking at her.

  "Well, I'm not sure how to put it, but..." Raphtalia bit her lip, looking from you, to the bandits.

  "If this really necessary?" She asked. You looked back at Naofumi, who was looking into one of his books, while the trader looked at you in awe of how you handled the situation.

  "Let them tell the story of how they had to work for and purchase their lives from the Savior of their Heavenly Fowl. Let them describe how they forfeited their lives to me, and got themselves kicked in the ass." You growled, as the group reached what seemed to be an abandoned lookout post.

  "This... this is the place." One of the bandits told you, as a few collapsed onto the ground. You hopped out of the wagon, looking at the building. You then looked over the group, counting heads.

  "I expect your place picked clean by sunset. If there are any less than 16 of you lined up after you're done, your lives are all forfeit. Even those who ran." You told them.

  "Y-yes, sir!" They all ran into the building, driven by adrenaline, and their fear for their survival.

  Soon enough, a system was formed. Eleven bandits were bringing everything outside into a pile, and five would bring the items from the pile and hand them to Naofumi, who loaded the carriage. You watched the whole business, making sure none of the bandits were comfortable. Off to the side, Raphtalia and the Trader spoke.

  "Hey, Trader!" You shouted out, getting his attention.

  "I expect to see some work out of you, as well. You too Raphtalia!" You ordered. Raphtalia nodded, and jogged over to help Naofumi, while the Trader started to first head to the pile to grab something, before Naofumi pulled him aside.

  As they spoke for a moment, you stopped a random bandit. He seemed to be carrying a jewelry box. You took it, and pushed him back to the pile of loot that was now under your and Naofumi's name.

  Opening the box revealed quite a few pieces of jewelry, unsurprisingly. There weren't many, compared to the average box of this size, either.

  You took out a random necklace, which bore a golden cross, a red gem adorning the center. Maybe Raphtalia would like this box....

  You slammed it shut, stowing it away in an inside pocket. The sun was barely dipping down into the sky as bandits stopped taking things from inside, and everyone focused on getting stuff into the carriage.

After maybe 10 minutes of that, the wagon was fully loaded, and all the bandits in sight were lined up in front of you. Knees were shaking, wounds were festering, and more than a few pairs of pants were likely soiled.

  "12...13...14...15... and..." you stopped at the 16th bandit, who swallowed nervously. You sighed in disappointment, turning your back and walking away, before facing them again.

  "Know that next time, I'll not be so merciful to your ilk. Now scram." You ordered. No force was needed behind those words.

  After that, The Trader seemed to grow a liking to the Shield Hero. You and Him treating even the lives of bandits as merchandise had really struck a good chord with his business spirit, and he had spent a few days teaching Naofumi his craft, and even bringing him into the interwebs of his trade, which helped you learn a few things of the other heroes, and their deeds.

  Motoyasu has made a name for himself by saving a famine-stricken town in the southwest, driving away a pack of beasts, and bringing them a legendary crop.

  ...it was probably that slut that brought him through that. You'd enjoy toying with her, when her soul finally entered your hands.

  Ren, the sword hero, one of the other two to gain your legitimate respect, had only deepened that respect by apparently slaying a plagued dragon to the southeast. This alone proved that he had grown past the Cleric beast, which he previously couldn't even harm.

  Itsuki, on the other hand, only had rumors around his name. He took up small jobs, taking care of the beasts that besieged several small towns and villages, but otherwise, nothing he did was of note.

  Overall, all three of the other heroes had certainly proven themselves stronger than when the first wave of scourge struck. For Ren and Itsuki, it almost brought you a feeling of pride, that the ones you had to assist and get to tolerate each other were beginning to overcome the cost of your presence. For Motoyasu, on the other hand...

  You would still stand by your point that without Myne, he would've been a much better person.

  But, this was all stuff regarding your final goal. Naofumi's, on the other hand...

  "I'm amazed you learned where to find that gemstone so quickly." The magic trader told Naofumi. Raphtalia held Filo's reigns as you held onto the side of the cart, letting the wind blow at your body as the two in the cart spoke.

  "It's not all good news, though." Naofumi told her, concerned.

  "It's in a rather dicey location. There's a chance we could run into some trouble there." He told her, undoubtedly talking about the Winter Lantern you first found in a similar location.

  "Naofumi, Y/n." Raphtalia turned back towards you too, pointing off to the left. You looked in the direction, finding the canyon you were in to split off to the side, revealing a large temple.

"This temple was once a notoriously evil alchemists base, but..." The magic dealer looked down the tunnel you would be venturing into.

  "I never knew there was a tunnel here." She stated.

  The initial walk down the tunnel brought no surprise, nor any interest. It ended in a room, carved out in stone. At the end of the room was a single pedestal, holding an empty chest with some writing beside it.

  "Hm.... this is ancient writing. Let's see..." the magic dealer leaned forward to read it, before you grabbed her shoulder, pulling her back.

  "The language is called Phtumerian. Give me a moment..." you looked at the runes, reading it.

  "May this seed never leave this place, as it is a twisted form of our desire for nobody to starve." You read out loud. Naofumi scoffed, looking into the empty chest.

  "Well, looks like some bandits already let it out." He remarked, holding his torch up high.

  "Well, there's another tunnel. Let's go." He announced, walking down the tunnel. You followed behind him, going for a moment. It didn't take long to notice that someone was lagging behind.

  You looked back at Filo, who stared into the air, almost confused. After a second, her eyes widened in surprise, and she started to speed walk forward, keeping up with the group.

  "Stop." After a few minutes of walking, the Magic trader cane to a halt, looking down at something.

  "What is it?" You asked, looking down at the indent in the dirt. It seemed to be a footprint of sorts...

  "A monster's footprint." She answered.

  "It must be a rather large one, at that..." She muttered. Naofumi looked ahead, into the darkness.

  "Doesn't matter. We've got to get what we came for." He told her, pressing on.

  "Just be care-" he was stopped as the torch went out, cloaking the corridor in darkness. Filo gasped in shock as Raphtalia spoke up.

  "Y/n! What's going on?" She asked.

  "Don't know, but everyone, stay together." You ordered, drawing the rakuyo. Behind you, a high, screechy voice spoke.

  "I'm sick and tired of being Y/n's slave." The voice echoed.

  "I only pretended to become his slave again so that I could kill him with my own-" you swiftly turned, stabbing at the source of the voice. A loud squeak echoed in the air, followed by the sound of blood falling.

  "What the-" Naofumi's voice was interrupted by the witch.

  "Don't let the voices mislead you! They toy with you by saying the last thing you want to hear, in the voice you last want to hear say that!" She told you.

  Is that so? You took your blade down, feeling it for whatever you just impaled. Grabbing it, you rolled it around in your hand. It had wings, fur, and.

  Something cut through your vision, and a flash of pain seared your arm. Something was attacking you.

  "Hey witch, something's trying to attack us. You got anything about the light?" You asked, swinging the rakuyo, and cutting another creature from the air.

"As source of thy power, I order thee... decipher the laws of nature and restore our sight! Fast Anti Bind!" A shatteringly bright glow emanated from the wand, as the darkness around you faded away, revealing hundreds of bat-like creatures in the air around you.

"Now that we can see them... Filo!" Naofumi called.

"Yes!" All it took from her was a simple flap of the wings to generate a vortex of air that sucked in the bats, killing whichever ones were stupid enough to stay. You pulled out a torch, staving off the darkness as the witch turned back towards Raphtalia and Filo.

"Are you all okay?" She asked. Raphtalia nodded, while Filo gave a hum.

"So, those things are supposed to attack you by making you hear voices, huh?" You asked, tossing one of the things behind you. This place was mostly untouched for a while, and as a result, the creatures were remarkably healthy, free of the scourge.

"Well, this'll be useful." Naofumi finished buffing his shield, standing up.

"Let's go." He ordered.

"Master, you won't abandon me, right?" Filo asked. That's what she must've heard, poor thing.

"I've got money riding on you. I won't get rid of you easily." As always, Naofumi's response was blunt as all hell. He continued ahead as Filo stopped for a moment. You placed your free hand on her body, giving her a rub.

"Don't worry, Nugget. He's not all bad, like those hallucinations might try and tell you." You told her. Despite the use of a potentially insulting nickname, this seemed to lift her spirits.

"Okay! I'll believe in him!" She told you. You smiled at her, walking ahead.

Soon, the path came to end, at a room filled with glowing blue crystals.

"Something's in there." Filo stated. This alone got everyone present on guard, looking into the room.

"That's the gemstone." The witch said, looking at all the gems in the room.

"Well yeah, but..." you pointed with your blade at the monster inside. It was asleep, had a lions body, snake-headed tail, and wings.

"That's a Nue." The witch stated.

"They're on the small side, but still dangerous." She continued.

"This'll be roughly, then." You remarked.

"Yeah, the gem's right there, but we can't get it..." Naofumi paused for a moment, before Raphtalia drew her sword.

"We're going in!" She declared, running towards the Nue, Filo right behind her.

"Those two!" You growled, splitting the Rakuyo into to as you and Naofumi ran in.

"Cover us!" You shouted at the Witch, watching the Nue get up.

Raphtalia tried charging in with a stab, only for the Nue to leap over her, making use of her momentum to kick her onto her stomach. Before it could act on that, it swiftly moved aside to dodge a charging thrust from your weapon.

"Zweit Fire Blast!" The Nue was caught in a first blaze from the witch's spell. As soon as it recovered, it reared up, swiping down on Naofumi, who blocked the hit, you watched as the Nue slowly began emitting sparks.

God, I fucking hated Paarl

You charged towards the Nue, slicing towards it's side as Filo descended from above, delivering a drop kick to the head of the Nue, as you delivered a pretty nasty cut to it's side. You felt Filo's claw close around your arm as she lifted you and Naofumi into the air, just as a massive electrical blast emanated from the monster.

"Thanks, Nugget!" You shouted out, as you were dropped onto the ground. Behind the panting creature, you watched Raphtalia try to approach it, turning invisible. This was the result of a spell she had been practicing.

She barely got two steps closer before the Nue turned, lashing out at the invisible demihuman, who swiftly rolled over the attack, and out of the way.

"It can hear her." You noted. Filo nodded.

"It's sensitive to sounds." She noted. The Nue kept into the air as Naofumi shifted his shield. It now looked like a megaphone, which he held up to Filo's mouth.

"Filo! Yell into this as loud as you can!" Naofumi ordered.

"Everyone, cover your ears!" You shouted. You got your hands over your own ears just as Filo shouted.

The force of the shout alone was enough to knock back the Nue, ears bleeding.

"Alright, everyone, as one!" Naofumi shouted.

"Zweit Fire Blast!" The Witvh launched her attack to the Nue as Raphtalia and you ran towards it, both of you impaling it from opposite ends.

From above, Filo slammed her foot into it, forcing your blades to cut through it as it fell to the ground, already dead.

"We won!" Filo exclaimed, landing besides Raphtalia, who flicked the blood off her sword before sheathing it. You looked at her, walking towards her.

"Are you unhurt?" You asked her. She nodded, rubbing your shoulder.

"Yup. All thanks to your lessons-" You snatched her wrist, inspecting her sword arm for any injuries from the snake head.

"Don't charge in like that. Wait for the enemy for make the first move. Learn from it, and it's habits, then make the best decision." You told her, stopping your inspection of her arm.

"What if you got a scar that never faded?" You asked her, grabbing her other arm, and looking at it.

"Wait, are you worried about..." you stopped her by holding up a finger, dropping her arm.

"Are we clear?" You asked her. A light, smug smirk appeared on her face.

"Yes, we are."

"Wow, so pretty!" Filo exclaimed, looking at all the crystals that had formed in the cave.

"It really is beautiful..." Raphtalia admitted, watching Naofumi approach a crystal with a hammer. He raised it, and received the fruits of his labors.

One long night of Filo spinning thread, and the clothier getting to work later, and it finally happened.

The curtain was drawn back, and Filo stepped forward, in a rather beautiful white and blue dress, that allowed her wings to stretch out, even in her humanoid body.

"How do I look, Master?" She asked. Naofumi gave her the slightest hint of a smile, to your shock.

"Very nice." He told her. She raised her arms in celebration.

"Yay! Thank you!" She leapt forward, towards him, catching him in a hug.

"Well, yeah, she looks cute." You remarked.

"Does she!?" The clothier asked, giggling over her work. You looked at her, as she began to ramble over the details of Filo's outfit.

"I'll... just..." you slowly stepped outside, not wanting to have to listen to that.

You closed your eyes, listening to the faint sounds of their conversations, in the still-young morning air.

~ASnazzyGuy

~5946 Words