Chapter 13: The Dragon's Den

"I love you too, Naofumi." Raphtalia whispered in my ear. She hugged me tightly as my bottled up emotions burst out of me. "Those are the words it feels like I have always been waiting for." she said. How long have I been ignoring her feelings? Man, I really am the worst. I've been making her wait, unsure if I even loved her or not. Why did it take me so long to notice something that was in front of me the entire time? Can I even blame it on the curse at this point?

My thoughts are interrupted by the rustling of bushes near us and the low growling of beasts. "It's time to go." I tell Raphtalia as we quickly grab our stuff and run through the woods. We ran back in the direction of where we ran from Ren. It was the only sure path I knew of and I didn't want us to get lost in the forest, never to be heard from again. We were able to move quicker than we were last night thanks to the sunlight that peeked through the trees. It allowed us to deftly avoid fallen logs and other obstacles that could trip us up.

Raphtalia was right beside me as we ran away from the pattering of feet that was chasing us. After a while, the pattering slowed down and eventually the only sound was our own footsteps. A loud roar was heard behind us as we burst out of the treeline into the rocky path that led up the mountain. We slowed to a standstill as we caught our breath. Looking around, I was thankful that Ren and his party were nowhere in sight, but it was likely they heard that roar as they couldn't have gotten much further down the mountain yet.

After resting for a moment, we continued moving up the mountain, eventually reaching the scene of the dragon fight. We walked up to the grave we dug for Filo. I knelt down in front of it. Behind me, I heard Raphtalia walk a few feet away. "I'm sorry I brought this fate upon you, but I promise you, I won't let your death be in vain." I whisper and place my hand on the grave marker. Next to me now, Raphtalia bent down and placed some flowers she just picked at the base of the marker. We stood up and looked down at the ground in silence. Raphtalia's hand reached toward mine and I grasped it, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "We need to keep moving." I said after a few more moments of silence.

We kept trekking up the mountain. Raphtalia spotted more of those half-breed crows that heralded our initial arrival. They squawked at us for a while before flying away toward the forest. We took short breaks when we could find spots of shade to protect us from the sweltering summer sun that beat down on us relentlessly, as if nature itself were cursing us. This mountain was bigger than I thought, as it took us most of the day to traverse it. It was later afternoon when we finally reached the peak of the trail. We had been going uphill for most of the day and the rest of the way was now downhill, which hopefully means it will be easier to travel. At the peak of the trail was also a giant open-mouthed cave. This must have been the dragon's den. "Let's investigate that cave, it will start getting dark soon and we should find a place to rest." I tell Raphtalia while I used my hand as a shield from the brightness of the sun as I looked up to the sky to gauge the time.

"If that is the home of Gaelion, it might be full of those twisted monsters. Perhaps we should just leave it be and try and find someplace else?" Raphtalia proposed.

"That's exactly why we should take a look inside. If it's full of monsters, I'd rather face them head on rather than be attacked from behind or while we rest." I countered. Although I wasn't going to tell Raphtalia this, I also kind of hoped there would be treasure in there, after all, dragons in myths back on Earth hoarded treasure, it wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility for that to be true here as well. And we could use the extra funds anyways. I'm not greedy, I swear!

"You make a very valid point, Naofumi. Let's just be ready for anything when we enter." she said. There really wasn't much we could do to prepare more than we already were, as we already had all of our belongings in our bags. We both had a couple of weak healing potions I had made a while ago. I should get back into crafting, it's been a while since I've done it. Maybe I've learned some new recipes recently! No, this isn't the time to get distracted. I mentally scold myself as we slowly entered the dark cave.

"Damn, I can barely see a thing in here!" I say irritatedly. Raphtalia whispers something under her breath, summoning an orb of light that hovered over her shoulder, casting away the shadows that were hounding us. It was eerily quiet in this cave, the only sound I could hear were the footsteps of Raphtalia and I. I could see Raphtalia straining her ears as well, trying to hear any potential danger around us. We walked in a straight line from the entrance and eventually found the back wall of the cave. The cave itself was much larger than the opening made it seem like, and the entrance alone was more than big enough for that dragon to fit into. The light never reached the walls on our sides. We had to go along the sides and ensure there was nothing here. As we were walking along the first side wall, we heard something scurry away from us, but we were still too far away to make out what it was.

"Shield Prison!" I call out, summoning the prison at the spot I thought I heard the noise from. A short, high pitched shriek came from the prison. Raphtalia and I looked at each other as we both recognized the sound. It was a human that made the sound. We carefully approached the Shield Prison. I raised my shield and Raphtalia raised her sword, neither of us quite sure what we were about to see. The Shield Prison dissipated and as we raised our weapons, prepared to attack and be attacked, there was another shriek as the thing we captured backed away from us with fear in their eyes. Raphtalia and I glanced at each other once again.

In front of us was a terrified demi-human girl. She appeared to be maybe twelve years old with dog-like ears and tail. She wore clothes that were many sizes too big for her. "It is okay, do not worry. We will not hurt you." Raphtalia said sweetly as she sheathed her sword and pushed my shield down. "You do not need to fear us, I promise that we will not hurt you, right Naofumi?" she continued, I agreed with her as she called me out. Raphtalia continued trying to calm down the fearful girl. I got the feeling that she knew all too well what being a scared little girl was like and knew exactly how to try and calm her. "What is your name?" Raphtalia asked the girl.

The girl looked between us quickly, as if thinking of her chances of escaping us. Finally, her eyes settled on Raphtalia and she seemed to start calming down. "W... Wyndia…" she said quietly. Wyndia? Wyndia. Wyndia. Where have I heard that name before? I know I've heard that name before. I can kind of remember… 'Protect… Wyndia… Pleas-'. Where do I remember this from?

"Wyndia, that's such a pretty name. What are you doing alone in a place like this, Wyndia?" Raphtalia asked in a very calming tone. Wyndia looked around nervously before answering.

"I… I'm not here alone… Father will be back soon. Why… Why are you in our home? Father doesn't like it when people intrude on our home!" Wyndia warned us. Her home? But isn't this that dragon's den? Who is her father? 'My… cave… protect… Wyndia… Pleas-'. I remember those words being laborious for whoever said it. And why do I remember the 'please' cutting off? Was it her father who said that? But when did I last meet a dog type demi-human? No, that's not it either. Wait. No way. How?!

"Who is your father?" Raphtalia asked the million dollar question. I remember now, I remember who said those words. It was their last words. Their last words before I killed them. What was its name again? I think it was-

"Gaelion…. His name is Gaelion." Wyndia said. Raphtalia gave me a look of incredulity and I couldn't blame her. The dragon we had fought proclaimed that his name was Gaelion. Which means that this is indeed his den. "He'll be back soon. He said he had to go deal with something yesterday… but he hasn't returned yet. But he will, I know he will! And he won't be happy that you are-" Wyndia cuts herself off as her eyes widen in fear once again. "Are… are you two that "something" Father said he had to deal with?!" she started backing away from us, all the while with terrified eyes. "What did you do to Father?! Where is Father?! Why hasn't he come home yet!?" she starts crying out and shouting at us. Raphtalia and I look at each other, unsure of what to do. Do we tell her that we killed her father? Or do we try and hide it from her? And what should we do about her? We can't just leave her here, she's a little girl and would very likely die quickly. Wyndia starts running to the entrance of the cave. "FATHER!" she screamed as she ran out.

We hear some loud talking from her, as if she were talking to someone. We started to follow her, until we heard her scream and we sprinted all the way out and found her being surrounded by wolves that had patches of scales in places of their body instead of the dark coat of fur they otherwise have. "Father will punish you if you don't stop!" Wyndia shouts at the wolves. In response, it almost looked like the wolves were grinning. One of them barked a couple of times before dramatically falling to the ground and playing dead. "Dead? No… He can't be dead! You'll see, and you'll regret this!" Wyndia shouted, shaking her head. The wolves barked between them for a moment before they all pounced at the girl.

"Shield Prison!" I shouted, summoning the prison to protect Wyndia from the wolves. Most of them bounced off the shield and turned to face Raphtalia and I, snarling. A couple of them hit the prison snout first and fell to the ground, shaking the stun off. Counting them, there were over twenty wolves here, a whole pack. The one that played dead was a bit bigger than the rest, he must be the pack leader. Seventeen of the wolves charged at Raphtalia and I. We were outnumbered by too many, this would be a struggle. "Air Strike Shield!" I shout the skill, using it to protect Raphtalia's side from a wolf that tried to take advantage of the opening created while she swung at a different wolf. One wolf snapped its jaws around my leg. I wasn't expecting the pain that erupted from the attack. The last time we fought wolves, they couldn't even damage me. The dragon blood in them must have made them far stronger than average wolves.

Another one bit into my left arm, piercing the skin with its fangs. I grunt in pain as the two wolves drag me down to one knee. Another two wolves come, and one bites down on my other arm and the other chomps down on my shoulder. I glance over toward Raphtalia through the pain. She's doing her best to dodge the attacks, but she made the mistake of looking over at me and she lost her balance for but a moment in her shock of my condition. The wolves press their advantage and one tears her sword out of her hands while another two tackle her to the ground.

I hear a scream as I feel my Shield Prison dissipate and see wolves approaching Wyndia with greed in their eyes. She was petrified in fear, only capable of screaming and intensely shaking. Is this how it ends? I'm sorry Filo. I wasn't able to keep my promise. Wait! There is one way out of this situation. The Shield of Rage! But what if this time is the time that it consumes me? Is it worth the risk? I look back at Raphtalia, who is being surrounded by wolves with hungry smiles. I will risk everything to make sure Raphtalia is okay! Even if it costs my sanity! Even if it costs my life!

Just before I change my shield to the Shield of Rage, I hear a familiar silky voice in my head. In this time of peril, please, use my power. The Legendary Shield is not only about destroying enemies or protecting the people you care about. It is used to protect the world, it is used to protect the Hero as well. Remember this, and take my power, Hero. I see a textbox appear in my vision. I've acquired a new skill for the Shield of Despair.

"Fear Reaction!" I shout at the top of my lungs. I feel a pulse shoot out from my body, similar to what happened when I used Hate Reaction on Gaelion. Was this the opposite effect? As the pulse shot through everything around me, all the wolves that were holding me immediately released their teeth from my skin and started running away from me. As did the wolves surrounding Raphtalia and Wyndia. They all ran off, whimpering and whining like scared puppies. All but the pack leader, who seemed to resist the effect. After being abandoned by his pack, the leader look incredibly angry. In a blind rage, it charged at me, leaping into the air to knock me down. But it instead landed at my feet, dead. Raphtalia intercepted it in mid-air and sliced open its belly. It was dead before it hit the ground. How anticlimactic. At least it was over.

What was that power I just used? We were about to be torn apart by those beasts but then I unlocked a new ability for the Shield of Despair. Raphtalia was looking at me with a concerned expression. She glanced down at my shield and I did the same. I still had the Shield of Despair equipped from when I awoke this morning. I quickly change it out for something else. I wasn't going to risk another shield corrupting my mind. Wyndia was curled up into the fetal position and unmoving but looked otherwise unharmed, thankfully. I sighed as I look toward the setting sun. "Raphtalia, can you go gather some wood so we can make a fire?" I ask Raphtalia. She nods and starts walking around to the scarce number of trees that were nearby. While she does that, I start butchering the dead wolf, letting my shield absorb parts and cutting off meat to cook. I got a few new shields, the Dracowolf series. They didn't do much other than give small stat bonuses, but every point counts.

While I carved the wolf, I kept an eye on Wyndia, who never moved an inch from where she sat. I don't have much experience dealing with children. Raphtalia was the first one I have really interacted with, and I guess she's turned out well. But that was also at a time where I wasn't very conscious of my actions. Thinking back, there were lots of times where I could have been a better guardian to Raphtalia. Turns out, I don't make for a very good role model, go figure. Luckily Raphtalia didn't take to my more nefarious actions. But back to the problem at hand, what in the world are we supposed to do with this kid? Those wolves only proved that we can't just leave her here. After I collected all I needed from the corpse, I clean myself off and walk over to Wyndia.

"Father is dead, isn't he…" Wyndia said quietly after I got close to her. Her eyes seemed drained of life and energy. She really cared about Gaelion. But now he's dead by my hand.

"Yeah… He is. I'm sorry." I replied. After a few moments of awkward silence, Wyndia finally looked up at me, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

"What am I supposed to do now?" she asked. I wish I knew, kid. She came right out of the gate with the hard question.

"I suppose that's up to you. You are more than welcome to come with Raphtalia and I to the nearest town in Zeltoble if you'd like. I don't really like the idea of leaving you here alone, especially after what just happened." I offered her. As I watched her mull the offer over in her head, I realized something silly. "Oh, I'm sorry, we never introduced ourselves! My name is Naofumi, and my partner is Raphtalia." I said, embarrassed for forgetting to say my own name. I see the very corner of her mouth twitch upward, the tiniest hint of a smirk. I see Raphtalia start walking back to us with a large bundle of sticks and small logs. "C'mon, let's make camp in the cave. We'll make some food and then you can decide what you want to do in the morning." I said, offering her my hand to hand her up.

She merely looked at my open hand for a while before nodding slightly and taking my hand. I help her to her feet, and we walk into the entrance of the cave with Raphtalia. We set up a fire and I started cooking the fresh wolf meat. Unfortunately, we only had two bedrolls so Raphtalia offered hers to Wyndia, but I think part of it was her wanting to sleep in mine now. Wyndia didn't eat much before saying she was just going to go to sleep now. I couldn't blame her, she's been through quite a lot in a very short time. "Go ahead and get some sleep Raphtalia, I'll take first watch." I said after we had finished our meal. She gave me a small pout but went and laid down, falling asleep quickly. We haven't been able to get much rest since fleeing Castle Town. I wonder when we'll really get the chance to take it easy and rest our bodies. I have the feeling it won't be anytime soon.

After a few hours, I started feeling like I was about to doze off. When I blinked, I opened my eyes to a furious looking Wyndia with a dragon crow on her shoulder. "Is it true?! Are you the one that killed him?! Did you kill Father?!" she shouted at me. I was so shocked at the sudden intensity that I couldn't get any words out of my mouth. I saw Raphtalia sit up out of the corner of my eye.. "I knew it!" Wyndia shouted before running out of the cave. Raphtalia and I both hopped to our feet and ran after her. We looked around the opening of the cave for her, but it was still so dark that we couldn't see anything. She disappeared into the night.

A/N: Sorry for such a super short chapter, I wanted to get this out sooner rather than later. Also sorry for the slight cliffhanger ending of this chapter. I haven't said anything in author notes in a while and I thought now would be a good time to start doing it again. I know I say it way too much, but thanks again everyone for reading this fic! It really does mean a lot to me that you all come back to check out every new update. I've now gotten to a point in the story where I am completely unshackled from canon events, I've hit all the major plot points I've been planning from the start. And as such, I would love to hear from all of you of what ideas you may have for my story and I'll try my best to incorporate at least parts of ideas into the story.

Sorry for the bit of rambling, but again, thanks so so much for reading! Hope to see you next chapter! Take care!