Filo crept her mouth slowly to Melty's ear "Alright, I think we're ok now"
"So, why is Raphtalia acting so weird"
"Well you see She likes (Yn) in the husband/wife way and she must be really embarrassed"
"Ohhhh I see now"
"But the funny thing is, (Yn) also feels the same way!"
"Really?? Aww that's so sweet"
"However...Raphtalia thinks he likes you"
"What? Why would she think that?"
"By how friendly you two are and how you went off by yourselves today"
"Oh...oh dear. I'll have to set that straight then"

You were sitting nearby, out of earshot of the mutterings of the two young girls. You were reading a book on wilderness cooking, and it turns out there was a surprising amount of gourmet level meals you could cook using just a few leaves and berries, let alone adding meat to the mix. You stomach growled at the delicious sights, and looking up at the sun you realised it was midday. You got up from the log and went over to Filo and Melty
"Hey Filo, I know it's a bit annoying but could you guard the camp and take care of Raphtalia?"
"Ye no problem (Yn)!"
"Thanks. And Melty could you help me gather a few things for lunch?"
"Ok, sounds fun!"
You chuckle and form a soft smile "thanks you two"

——————————————————

You walked through the forest, reading the book on the ingredients you needed. You had already gotten a large leaf bag of berries thanks to Melty's supreme work, and you had the ingredients for litmus bread back at camp. You now only needed a few handfuls of hearty herbs, an apple and some fatty bird meat. You told Melty to go and find some herbs while you scoured the trees for birds and apples. You hit the jackpot when you saw a flock of large, fat-winged blue peaks fly overhead an apple tree. You snatched two apples off the tree and a few nearby acorns, chestnuts and eggs. You launched yourself into the air and formed Rosmarinus into a bow and fired off a barrage of arrows. The entire flock fell down onto the ground, and you raced to find their delicious fatty meats

An hour has passed, but you had finally skinned all of the birds and carefully cut each piece of meat off. You placed them into your little pocket universe pouch and stretched your muscles out. You looked around, wandering where Melty might have run off to. The forest seemed surprisingly disturbed for some odd reason, and you thought you could head a wail in the wind. However, everything seemed fine until you saw a small tear of clothing on a sullied log. The ground around it seemed ripped from a struggle, and you eyed the clothing once more. It was only a slither, but you could see a hint of dark blue on the very, very tip of the shredded clothing. The rest was white
"Oh...fuck..."
You scoured the earth for any signs of footprints, clothing, or just any form of a lead. Your eyes rested on some disgruntled flowers and disturbed twigs. Following the trail you noticed the grass became abnormally disfigured. You closed your eyes and listened in. The soft wailing you heard before was coming quite far ahead of you. You raced across the treeline, jumping from branch to branch like a superpowered monkey, which was in turn thanks to a certain blue shard. The wailing turned into crying, and then stopped dead. You paused, tracing the echoes with your mind as your heart raced and your blood boiled
"Ok...it came from a little...that way!"
You raced across the treeline once again, tears forming in your eyes
"I'm so sorry Melty...please be alright....just a few more seconds!"

The tree-line came to a halt, and after a small green patch of grass came a steep drop into a river below. on the other side there was another treeline, but that wasn't what caught your attention. On the cliff face, there was a few wooden platforms, and you noticed movement on the rock wall on the cliff near one of those platforms. Very small, yes, but still movement.
"I'm coming for you Melty. Just hold on a little longer"

————————————————————

Melty was sat down at the very end of a fairly sized dugout from the cliff side. She had her hands and feet bound, and her clothes were badly ripped from the struggle that ensued what seemed mere moments ago. There were 2 people in front on her, one large brute and another nimble swordsmen. They sat around a log fire and chatted away about various endeavours. As she scanned the room, she saw sacks and barrels full of goods, and grand golden chests filled with bejewelled treasures. Many other members of this little mountainside group came and went., but she could hear even more chatter in a large connecting tunnel way to the right of the log fire. To the left of the fire was a steep platform that elevated. A guard was sitting outside a door, most likely the entrance they used to come and go into this place. A large, armoured man came into the room, with a silver mask and a long, elongated blade on his pack
"You two, who's the girl?"
"Oh, we found her in the woods when we's was hunting. Figured she might be a nobleman's girl or somethin. Might fetch a pretty penny" said the small man
"Hm...alright. I'll send some scouts around to see if anybody is searching for a missing girl" and with that the armoured man walked off. However as he passed into the darkness another man came out. He was very small and runty with a pervy smirk on his face
"Oh hey guys, who's the new girl?"
"Found 'er when we was out huntin'. Gonna sell her if she goes for a penny" said the swordsman again
"And by sell you mean?"
"Missing daughter, not selling her off to a tavern or whore house"
"Well, fine. I'm just going to check if our 'product' is still in good condition"
Before the runt could get anywhere the brute, who hadn't spoken a word yet and merely listened, swiftly stood up and put a boulder of a hand on his shoulder
"Listen now Zog. Don't you go anywhere near her. She's a child you sicko. I know what your mind is thinking. NOW SCRAM! BEFORE I SMASH YOUR BONES INTO DUST!"
The runt scampered off into the dark tunnelways like a whimpering dog. The swordsmen smirked and stirred a pot of stew a few times before sharpening his blade. The brute walked over to Melty and sat down crossed-legged in front of her
"Hey there miss, are you alright?"
Melty, Who had every muscle tense in her body, slowly nodded in response as she hugged the wall with her back ever harder in fear
"It's ok miss, I'm not going to hurt you. Now, I'm going to take off the cloth in your mouth ok? As long as you don't scream or cry and make any loud noises you can keep it off. Deal?"
Melty nodded her head again, and the brute slowly took off the gag from her mouth. She coughed a bit, so he offered her a small bowl of water. She nodded slowly once more, and the man carefully hovered the water near her mouth so she could sip it. He placed the bowl down and looked back at her
"Feel better now?"
"Yes, thank you"
"I must say kid, you can put up quite a nasty fight" the brute stated as he indicated to some wounds on his face and arms"
"You were trying to kidnap me though!"
"True. Now, back to business. What is your name miss?"
"My name? My name is Melty Melromarc, 2nd child of the King and Queen of Melromarc and the current crown princess"
The brute, swordsmen and door guard gasped in awe
"W-w-Wait your the crown princess???"
"Yes, I am!"
"Well...explains the maturity..."
"Mike! Durv! How in the hell did you two get the heir to the fucking country?!" Shouted the guard
"I don't know! I don't even know why she was in the forest out here in the first place!" Protested the small, skinny man
The brute turned towards Melty "so...your the daughter eh? Hm...I don't know if any use we could have of you. We ain't trying to change the country, at least not yet anyway"
"Huh? Change what? aren't you bandits?"

—————————————————

You stood atop the opposing cliff face as your mind raced on what to do
"(Should I go in guns blazing, or take a stealthy approach? Should I just teleport inside quickly and grab Melty or send in minions?) ugh why does it have to be so hard to come up with a simple plan!"
Your anger built up inside you, and your back started to have a weird feeling
"(God I should've slept better last night")
You threw a rock out of anger into the aquatic abyss below, and started to pace up and down. The day was waxing, and you had to get Melty out before the sun passed down
"Fuck it, I'm just going to smash my way through!"
But your body didn't agree with that decision. It felt weaker and that weird feeling on your back become more potent. Then, as you felt it instinctively for the problem a strange wet substance encircled your fingers. You took your hand out to reveal an alarming red sludge wrapping itself around the palm like kraken
"Blood..."
Just then you couldn't see the world. This man slashed at your eyes and now you were kneeled down confused and in agony as blood substituted tears. You were slashed many times in the gut and ribs and then was given a few good jabs in the chest. He swung for your neck but was thrown violently backwards.
"YOU SHALL NOT HARM GILADA'S CHAMPION!"
You slowly got up as blood poured from every crevice. You cried, and the tears stung your bleeding eyeballs. However, your bloodied vision soon returned to a normal state. You could see...just fine. You noticed the power stone glowing on your gauntlet
"Regeneration Powers?? Hell yes!"
You look back to see your attacker, and there, clad in silver armour lay your irritating foe
"You again?? How in the hell did you escape from that prison??"
"Like I'll tell you!" Immortul Screamed, slashing at you once again

———————————————————

"Hey Raphtalia, can I ask you about what you said last night?" Asked Filo as she sat on the edge of the wagon as Raphtalia lay down on a sleeping bag almost directly below Filo's dangling feet
"What do you mean Filo?"
"You know about you and (Yn)-"
Her face lit up and she started to mumble "w-w-Hey Wait no m-m-e and (Yn) aren't a couple! And I thought I told you to be quiet about that?!"
"I am. I haven't told anyone other than Melty"
"Filo!"
"But she promised not to tell!"
"Still!"
"Still what?"
"I..I...."
Raphtalia buried her head in her hands and rocked her face from side to side
"Raphtalia? Are you ok?"
She got no reply. Raphtalia just continued to bury her face in her hands, along with having very red cheeks

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"Bandits?? No, we aren't bandits! We're freedom fighters!" Protested the brute
"Freedom fighters?" Questioned Melty
"Yeah, freedom fighters, for Demi-humans. We've been pressuring the local lord to meet our demands, and until he stops the abuse of Demi-humans then we'll continue to raid his supply wagons"
"Ohhh So that's why you have so much food and treasure"
"Exactly! We had hoped to get some leverage with you, but it seems that we've gotten too bold. But I must ask Miss, why were you out there in that forest in the first place?"
"Um....well...I was collecting herbs for a friend"
"Herbs? Friend? Your the crown princess why would you be out in the wilds alone??"
"Um....well um....I..."
"Well?"
Melty, fidgeted, and replied in barely a whisper "I don't really want to say. I'm too scared to say"
The brute sighed and picked up Melty from the waist. She let out a small yelp as he did so. He walked up to his colossal battle axe and wrapped his rocky fingers around its magically durable handle. He lifted it onto his back and sheathed it in place and walked towards the guard outside the door
"I'm going out to talk to the girl privately. No one follows me. Understood?"
"Alright, gotcha"
The brute stepped through the door and placed Melty down into a string of caves
"Now Miss, for safety reasons I'm going to put this blindfold over your head. Don't struggle please, as it'll only result in some accidental pain knowing my skills wielding my own hands"
"Ok...just please be careful"
"I will, Miss"
After wrapping the blindfold around her eyes and ripping off the binds on her hands and feet, Melty was carried a short while in the brute's arms until she finally felt the fresh spring sun on her skin. The brute walked a short while further before plopping her down on the ground and untying the blindfold
"Ok miss, we're all alone now. You can just tell me, and I swear I won't tell a soul"
Melty sat down on a nearby rock while the brute knelt down on one knee. They were roughly eye level, which allowed Melty to see the honesty in his soul.
"Well, you see...I'm with the shield hero's party and I was collecting food for a meal my friend was going to cook us"
"I see...and why are you travelling with his party?"
"Because my sister wants me killed...and she framed it so it seemed Naofumi tried to kidnap me...and....and it's all my fault! I shouldn't have been so careless! I shouldn't have stayed with him!"
The brute patted Melty on the head "ok kid calm down. Who the hell is Naofumi for starters, and why do you blame yourself?"
"Naofumi is the shield hero's name, and I let him down because after the fake news started to circulate I should have been gone back to the castle immediately!"
"Probably not the best idea, considering you have a murderous sister"
The two of them stood idle for a time, allowing the calming grassland to ease their souls
"So...um...sir....what's your name?"
The brute glanced towards Melty before writing twiddling with his armour "My name? It's Durv, might've heard someone earlier say it"
"Ah ok...and are you a Demi-human Durv?
"Of course, otherwise I wouldn't be fighting for Demi-human rights"
"Well, I'm not Demi-human and I'd fight for their rights!"
Durv looked swiftly at Melty and then returned to inspecting his axe "Well that's nice, I suppose. Not gonna do much though"
"What um...what species of Demi-human are you?"
"I'm a Buru. Or a bull if you want. I also share some...unique abilities with my ancestors"
"Like what?"
He chuckled and looked on towards the ravine "well, maybe I'll tell you another- Wait is that Silver??!"
"Silver?"

—————————————————

Immortul kicked you a few metres away from him. You tried to stand but couldn't. You gritted your teeth and as a last-ditch effort fired off an electrical discharge from your arm gauntlet. It merely tickled immortul as he laughed and sliced off a huge chunk of your right arm. You cried in pain; the super healing the stones gave you wasn't enough.
"Ah haha, isn't this a delight! Seeing my most hated foe beg for mercy!"
"F-fuck...*sob* you!"
That response got a slash across the forehead
"You're an idiot (Yn), you should really know when to be more cautious of your surroundings"
A loud crash signalled behind immortul. He spun around to see Durv's hulking figure emerge from a cloud of dust and dirt, wielding his massive axe with his paws and snarling with a murderous face
"Ah Durv, nice to see ya. How's that girl?"
"She's here with us. Wanted to talk to her privately. But what's happening here?"
"Old enemy of mine. Finally got to see him cry in pain! It's such a rush, ya know?"
"Can't say I have. Most of my enemies die quite quickly, or at least they have little way to eject their pain"
A small blast of purple fire was shot and seamed the back of immortul's silver armour. He spun around and laughed at the beaten and broken mess you had become. Durv stood next to Immortul and watched on with a grim face
"Old enemy?? IVE KNOWN YOU FOR A WEEK YOU SICK BASTARD! I'LL KILL YOU! I'll...I'll...."
Immortul broke down laughing "Jesus (Yn), how pathetic are you? Making idle death threats? Not very heroic now are you?"
"S-s-says the guy who slaughtered all those people....who killed that father!"
Durv suddenly became very agitated "what?!"
"Wait that leader was a father?? AHAHA oh yes that is amazing! Bonus points right there!"
Immortul stroked his long silver sword with an air of excitement. Suddenly, Melty rushed out from behind Durv to rush to your side. She put her hands up and she muttered a few words as blue light emitted from her hands
"(Yn)! Are you ok??"
"Y-y-OW! No....no I'm not alright..."
"Huh?? Isn't this the girl?!"
"Yes, I told you I brought her out here. Turns out she isn't the daughter of a local lord after all" Said a grim-faced Durv
"Well, no matter" cackled a now-mad Immortul "I'll slice them both up with one slice!"
Immortul raised his sword into the air as it pierced the screaming light from the sun above. Melty screamed in pure fear
"WAIT!" Boomed Durv
"What??!"
"You, the one with the glowing rocks. This father Silver killed....did he have a daughter?"
"You mean Immortul *cough* then yes, he did have a daughter"
"What did she look like?"
"Ugh-*cough* early twenties, fair skin. Light blue eyes and golden blonde hair"
"Hm...Ok"
"You finished now?" Asked a pissed Immortul
"Ye I'm finished" replied Durv. Immortul grinned and arched his sword high into the air, before the sword and the right arm he held it in fell to the floor in a pool of blood. A sharp heavy weight was plunged into his chest. It was a finely serrated Battleaxe
"And so are you" Said a grim Durv making a play on words for seeming the first time. As Immortul's body fell to the ground, your vision slowly blackened, your last sight being the pale, blank eyes of your sadistic counterpart