The Shield Demon

Broken pink eyes stared blankly forward, just barely meeting mine before a coughing fit forced the girl to look away. Ice ran through my veins as I gazed at her. she couldn't have been any older than eleven or ten. Yet she was stuck here, in a nasty cage wearing tattered rags and looking like she hadn't eaten in days. "Over here, Mr. Shield Hero," the slave trader waved towards me, that same smile plastered on his face. No, to say it was plastered would imply he was faking it. His smile contained entirely too much joy for what he was doing here. This was his job, and he loved every second of it. "Let me show you something you might love just as I do!" I spared the girl one more glance before I moved over to the man hosting me. Before us was a beastly creature with the shape of a humanoid wolf. Looking at it with my Heads-Up Display, its level was a total mystery to me. It must have been incredibly strong.

"A wolf Beastkin, coming up at level seventy-five," the man told me as the creature- no, the person, slammed against the bars and snarled at me, trying to swipe at us somehow. Pure anger was on the person's face. No, not anger. It was insanity. The poor thing had lost its mind. "Used to be a fighter in gladiatorial pits. This beast is perfect for fighting."

"You know something like this would be out of my price range," I grumbled. Even with the money I had, this slave would be immensely expensive. I wouldn't be surprised if this was his most expensive item.

"You've got a sharp eye, my boy," the host told me, sounding genuinely impressed. "This slave here is worth seventy gold pieces. But I've a feeling you and I will become fantastic business partners, and I need to ensure you have a good sense of quality." Noted. This man actually knew what he was doing. For a moment, I actually believed him. "Now then, what are you on the market for, Mr. Shield Hero?"

"Something cheap and easily trained," my inner frugal shopper revealed itself. "And preferably not on the verge of death, but not too much fight in it. I don't have much time to train it."

"Just one?"

"For now," I shot him a hard look, his expression never wavering. "Depends on the quality of the product, I might purchase another if it proves useful." His smile didn't even twitch as he moved past me towards the cages I had been by before.

"Well, in that case you'll probably want a Demi-human," he informed me, looking towards the one I'd just been by. He lifted the tarp once more with his cane as I joined him. "Unfortunately they aren't made for much in the means of fighting or manual labor, but they're cheap and easy to train, as you desire."

"I can teach it to fight," I told him. "If it breaks, I have the money for a spare. That is, if it proves to be of quality before it breaks." The girl wasn't looking at us, her head hung low in defeat. I wasn't even sure if she was listening to us.

"Now that's what I like to hear!" he seemed to chuckle from behind his teeth and moved to glance up towards me. I stared at the girl.

"Look at me," I commanded her, raising my voice above my normal tone. It took a few minutes of coughing before she finally obeyed me, her broken stare once more piercing my soul. I felt as if she were looking through me; judging me. Anger filled my icy veins, heating them. How dare this little bitch judge me... "Your name. Speak it." This is wrong. why was I treating a helpless little girl with such coldness?

She's one of them. One of these scumbags living in this kingdom. Little girl or not, she was just as guilty as everyone else.

Guilty of what? Existing? How could a girl know what had happened to me? How could I be so cruel to someone who didn't even know who I was? She's harmless.

Look at her. That's the body of a girl you're going to turn into your slave. How do you think she'll act once you arm her? She'll stab you in the back, just like that bastard Carlos. She'll learn.

If I'm kind to her, then-

Then what!? She'll just learn of what you did and treat you like scum just as everybody else has! You have no one! "No one!" I winced and clenched my fists as the girl's eyes widened with fear. Even the slave trader had taken a step back, and his smiled seemed just a tad bit more nervous than it had a moment before. I glared at the girl. "Well? I said for you to tell me your name! Or should I just call you 'Slave Girl'?" Hurridly, the girl shook her head and coughed a few more times.

"R-Raphta-"

"Speak up!"

"Raphtalia s-sir!" her voice raspy, she began to cough again in a fit.

"Sick as a dog, she is," the man beside me informed me. "It's best you move on and find something else. She's not got long in this world." I watched the pathetic girl cough into her hands, her suffering at my own command. Despite knowing she would hurt herself, she still obeyed me without a second thought even though I wasn't even her master.

It was fear. She feared what I would do to her. She feared that I would hurt her worse than she already was.

No, not everything and everyone relied on fear. I could show her compassion and kindness. I could turn her into a loyal friend and-

NO FRIENDS. I have no friends here! No allies! This girl is at best a tool. If you treat her, it is only to use her and gain yourself an advantage. These people are nothing to you. She is nothing to you. Nothing but scum off the bottom of your boot.

I pursed my lips in thought. "This one," for the first time, the slave trader seemed unsure. The girl, Raphtalia, however was struck with fear. "You will serve me." The man beside me wordlessly nodded and opened the cage. He pushed and prodded her to his station at the center of the tent; not that it took much to do so. She was so flimsy and weak, it was like herding a balloon into a basket.

As part of the pact to make her my slave, I had to use my own blood as a catalyst for the binding. It was a bit uncomfortable, slicing my finger, but if it needed done then I would see it done. I winced, however. I'd grown so used to being invincible to these low level mobs that the pain of the cut sent a jolt through my body. Not really much else than surprise, but it was there. After mixing the blood with some kind of special ink, he pushed the girl to her knees and lowered her ragged clothes to reveal the crest on her upper chest.

I studied the intricate design, before moving up to see the fear and hopelessness in the girl's eyes. "Let's begin," the man spoke lowly. Sher eyes almost pleaded for me to be merciful to her as the man painted my blood onto her seal. Almost immediately, a visible shock ran through her body, and her teeth grit as she appeared to be in an immense pain. I sneered, despising the weakness she was showing while ignoring my own jolt from a simple cut not moments before. It felt as if she were judging my hypocrisy. "The pain will dissipate soon," the man spoke again, though I wasn't sure if he were talking to me or her. His attention them focused on me after, though, "The slave crest on her chest makes it impossible for her to disobey you." I glared her down as her convulsing stopped, and she seemed exhausted. I watched as a few items appeared on my screen, listing her as my slave as well as a couple settings also appeared.

Companion settings. How strange. Set as companion? Well, it would be foolish not to. I would look into the specifics of that later. "Now, the girl is all yours." I glanced at him and set down a small pouch of silvers onto the desk of his.

"Thirty silvers," I confirmed for him, not even looking in his direction as I grabbed the girl by her arm. "Raphtalia, we're leaving."

"A-Ah!" she grimaced as I yanked her to her feet and dragged her towards the entrance of the tent.

"Mr. Shield Hero! You included an extra silver!"

"It's your commission," I didn't look back as Raphtalia dragged behind me, desperately trying to get her footing so I wasn't pulling her by her arm along the ground. "You were going to wring it out of my anyway." I pushed through the side of the tent and looked down at the girl, who was now on her feet and diligently following me. I needed to get her a weapon and some decent armor. I grunted internally. I didn't want to go back to that bastard who stopped me a few days ago. Maybe it was time to make another familial threat to some other merchant. Tubby needed another lesson in fear, and this would be a good way to teach the girl who was boss.

As I dragged the girl through the streets, Raphtalia was having thoughts of her own. Who was this man? What did he want her for? Why was she being so punished so harshly? She hadn't done anything wrong!

Bleary eyes looked at the man who stood nearly twice her height; he seemed like a giant. His face set in a terrifying smile as he led her through the dark streets of the city. The shield on his arm gleaming with a sinister light. "Hurry up," he snapped at her, once more yanking her. "I have a visitation to make, then we're going to see what you can do." See what she could do? Raphtalia's heart thumped wildly at the implications of those words. Was he going to abuse her? Force her to work? She could only hope it would be some kind of manual labor. Yet, it was dark out. What kinds of things did monsters do to children at night?

The girl shuddered, though her new master came to a stop in front of a dimly lit storefront, which looked like it was about to close. "E-Excuse me, but we're- oh. You're the- hurk!" Her master grabbed the store owner by the collar and yanked him forward across his stall, eyes filled with sadistic glee. Raphtalia couldn't help but squeak in fear and shrink down, hoping her master's rage wouldn't focus on her.

"I need a weapon and some kind of armor pieces to fit the kid," he motioned to her, and the slave did her best to not meet the store owner's eyes. "You're going to offer me a fair price in purchasing said things, or I'll have to pay you another visit in a more... personal environment. am I understood?" The storekeep quickly nodded, fear expressed across his features. The man let the storekeeper go, and the more rotund man quickly shifted through his supplies to find something for Raphtalia besides her rags. The master and slave stood in silence for the meanwhile, with the scary master every-so-often glancing down at his recent purchase.

After a pregnant moment, the storekeeper pulled out a small set of armor straps as well as a knife and set them down on the counter. "Good boy," the scary man complimented condescendingly, setting down a bag of silvers on the counter as well. He looked towards his slave before grabbing the items. "Let's go. We have work to do." This time, the man didn't grab Raphtalia, instead merely walking away. The slave hesitated before he stopped, sending her a cold look once he realized he was walking alone. "Well? We don't have all night."

"Y-Yes sir!" Raphtalia quickly made haste to follow her master, knowing that punishment was on its way. She grimaced and looked away, awaiting the punishment. Yet none came. Instead, as she looked up, there was only a cold stare.

"Don't make me repeat myself," was all he said before moving on. The girl shivered before following, eager to not disappoint.

It was an odd sensation to be followed around by a child; especially one that I owned. I kept to myself as we left the walls of the city, and I could see that the girl was becoming less and less frightened and more confused. Though, fear still radiated off from her. Perhaps she thought I was going to murder her. I chuckled briefly at the idea, aware that she had flinched at the sound. "You may speak if you wish." I glanced back at her, catching the trail end of her quick and aggressive shaking of her head. Another stream of coughs followed. I would have to rectify that soon. I would also have to gather food for us. Neither she nor I would be of any use on empty stomachs.

Thankfully, I knew the basics of fishing, which would give us some form of food outside of the walls of the city. Though, fishing without a proper rod, reel, and bait would likely prove annoying. Perhaps after I saw what she was capable of.

Far enough away from the city lurked the balloon monsters. I took some time to accumulate a few over my body, hiding the girl behind a nearby tree in order for her to not become a priority target. Their shallow jaws did little to no damage to my form, so I collected a handful on my arms and torso before returning to the girl. Upon returning, I tossed her the leather straps and the knife.

"Put those on," I told her, crossing my arms as best I could. Her eyes were focused on the monsters I had gnawing at me. She was hesitating. I would have to show her to be more afraid of me than stupid balloons. "Well!? Did I fucking stutter!?" A shriek of fear escaped her before she scrambled to do as I ordered. She was sloppy, and the sloppiness made her slow, but I didn't chide her for such. She was doing as I told her; speed was not an issue at the moment and thus not fair to punish.

Over her rags, the leather straps hung much like an archer's, with a shoulder pad on her right arm, a few solid leather pieces over her left hip and her chest, back and stomach, as well as a couple of leather greaves that covered her knees and elbows. It was obvious that the armor was made for an archer rather than a close-ranged fighter. I would have to correct that in the future. Her knife was also strapped to the same side the leather wrapped around her waist on the left. While clumsy, it would work. I held out a balloon.

"Kill it," I told her. Once more, she hesitated with fear and worry on her face. Her hand reached for the knife, however. After grasping the hilt, she once more left a long pause. "Kill it." I repeated in the same tone. I would stand here all night if I had to. Her eyes squeezed shut. Fine then. "That's an order, Raphtalia." A shock ran through her body, and she let out a surprised scream before running towards me. Her eyes were tightly shut, and she was going to miss her mark by an inch away from me, so I pushed the monster in front of her way.

Almost miraculously, the balloon monster caught her blade between its teeth and spat her away. I would have laughed if it wasn't so irritating how difficult this was going to be. "I said kill it, not poke it like a frog!" I snarled at her. The girl was flat on her ass, knife dropped. "If you don't kill it then I have no use for a weakling like you!" That seemed to get her gears going. "What are you, useless!?" Some of the fire left her eyes, and I made a note of that. So, she had a trigger of abandonment, not being useless.

"No!" she screamed as she took her weapon and charged forward again, putting more effort into destroying the monster. It popped as she stabbed it, and I hid a smirk from her when the notification for EXP popped up in front of us. Good. Her breathing was heavy. She was hyperventilating. I resumed my frown and rested my hand on her head.

"Good," I gave her a compliment before grabbing another monster from my body. "Now, do it again." There was less hesitation this time, though a scream still accompanied it. After every kill, I made sure to offer some sort of compliment. She was going to be my sword, after all. It wouldn't do to make her not desire to kill things. There were a few close calls, of course. Both of us were beyond exhausted for different reasons, but the result came to me having to body block her from angry balloons of all things. However, there was one thing that I had to teach her that was the most difficult of all. How to deal with getting hurt.

"A-Ah!" the girl cried out as I allowed the balloon to munch on her a bit. She didn't resist me sticking it on her, but it was obvious that she was having hesitations. "M-Master! I hurts!"

"This is a feeling you'll have to become accustomed to if you want to fight," I told her simply. "It's better you become acquainted with it now than in battle. Our enemies won't be so gentle or conditioned." Sniffles came from her, and I removed the balloon. "Now stab it to death." She gave me a confused look. "It hurt you, didn't it? Now repay the favor and end its life." Her confusion only lasted for a moment before she looked at the balloon, and some sort of childish anger crossed her face before she killed the creature without a second thought. "Good girl," I nodded approvingly. Light was beginning to rise over the horizon. "We'll head into town and sleep. Tonight we'll train more and get me stronger. Understood?"

She nodded quickly. I frowned and cleared my throat. "A-Ah, yes sir!" I took a deep breath, moving towards the city. This time, she followed of her own accord.

Dawn was breaking when we arrived at some decent inn, and the streets were already beginning to fill with people rising for the day. I was dead on my feet, but I refused to let it show. It must have been my stone silence that forced people to back away from me out of fear rather than disgust. I must have looked dirty, angry, and terrifying.

"One room," I told the innkeeper, setting down a couple silvers for him. I noted how many I had left. Enough for camping supplies assuming the merchants didn't try to screw me. I didn't want to stay in this city much if I could help it, but the girl deserved to sleep in a bed for her first night; or day rather, of freedom. "Ensure we won't be bothered and there's an extra silver in it for you. The kid needs her sleep." The man began to give me a suspicious look, but my gaze hardened and I sent him a rageful scowl. She was my weapon, not my plaything. "Am I understood?"

"O-Of course, sir," the man relented beneath my fury, and took my coin before handing me a key. I nudged the girl, who seemed almost unresponsive.

"Follow," I told her, and she did as if on instinct. The room was comfortable enough, and had a single bed. I began to dress myself down. "Go to sleep," I told her simply. She seemed hesitant for a brief moment, but any fear she must have felt was quickly squashed by exhaustion. she didn't put up any fight before laying on the floor. Of all the fucking... "In the bed," I corrected her. This time, confusion was clearly on her face.

I looked back at the girl and frowned. "You need good rest to be a decent weapon for me," I told her. "Sleep in the bed. I'll wake you when it's time to rise this evening." It took a moment before she did as I told her. She seemed unnerved by the fact I was allowing her to sleep in the bed. It wasn't my place to reassure her. I cared little for her desires. She was just a tool.

XXXXX

When I woke for the evening, it was to the sight of Raphtalia's eyes meeting mine. Wide eyes filled with curiosity, and a slightly agape mouth that would have been cute if she weren't so close. "Gah!" I shouted in surprise as I flew back out of bed, trying to still my pounding, surprised, heart. "Tch, too close!" I groaned, lifting myself off the floor to see her cowering, covering her face with my arms.

"I-I'm sorry, master!" she cried out, and I rolled my eyes before stretching a bit. When the hit never came, the girl looked at me.

"It's nothing to be worried about," I sighed and shook my head. "Just surprised me is all. We'll grab food, get some supplies and head out to train." With those words, I went to grab my things from the desk and closet. It didn't take long, and when I went to escort us to the door, she didn't seem as afraid of me as she did the night before. How strange. In fact, she walked close to me on her own.

I decided to ignore it for the most part and headed downstairs towards the bar area of the inn. I sat down at a table near the back corner, glancing at the few people who were currently eating their dinner. I was given wide berth and many dirty looks, though I noticed the same ire was being drawn to the girl trailing behind me. Speaking of, she seemed to be watching some kid eating what looked to be a meal made specifically portioned for children. The food itself was what I would normally eat from the normal lunch and dinner tray, just portioned into fun shapes of some sort. A bit of extra garnish, it seemed.

She sat across from me. I stared off into the distance, eyeing those around me in case they had any ill intentions. I also waved down the server, giving him a cold, threatening look that promised pain if he dared to ignore me. I think he got the hint. As we waited for him, the girl and I sat in silence. However, I didn't take my attention from her. She was definitely a bit less skittish than last night. Still fearful, but more open in a way.

After a few minutes, the coward approached us to take our order. "The normal dinner tray," I told him, giving him the side-eye. "And... I guess whatever that kid's having for her." The girl perked up at my words. The man, however, was hesitant.

"Um, we don't serve Demi-humans," he spoke slowly, as if choosing his last words carefully.

"If you don't give her food, you won't be able to serve anyone for the next four months," I growled back at him. "Now, what will it be? You either get the kid food, or I make it so you can't eat solid food. Your choice. I'm sure I can carve out your neck with this shield if I stab at you hard enough."

"I-I'll get it right away, sir!" the man couldn't have walked faster while looking nonchalant if he tried. My eyes once more turned back to the girl, gauging her reaction. She still had a shocked expression on her face.

"What?"

"Y-You're... buying me food?"

"You need to eat, don't you?"

"W-Well..." I rolled my eyes at her response, taking a deep breath and resting my chin in my left hand. she flinched at the movement.

"You better eat all of it," I told her, though inwardly I was aware she probably would. She looked like she was being slowly starved. "I'm not going to feed you next time if you don't."

"I will, sir!" she answered immediately. Her ears twitched before quickly laying flat against her head. Curious. After a few more quiet minutes, the food arrived. I glanced down at it. Meat, some starchy substance like a potato, and vegetables of some sort called alcrouse. It didn't matter; I couldn't taste any of it anyways. This was just sustenance and textures. The girl, however, seemed to be enthralled with her own food. I started to eat. It took a moment, but I noticed she wasn't eating her own food.

"What, are you just going to stare at it?" I glared at her. she didn't even seem to notice as she looked at the food, then at me, and swapped between the two a few times with disbelief.

"I-It's all for me?"

"Yes," I sighed while I spoke. "Now eat. We have work to do tonight and I don't want to waste time." She nodded enthusiastically before digging in. I frowned. She really was starving, wasn't she? My gaze watched as she carefully picked apart her food, though in a hurried fashion. She seemed to take care of the little flag on top of the starchy ball on the plate, gently setting it aside before using her fingers to eat.

Grunted and kept eating my own food, wordlessly passing her a cup of water when her possibly parched throat couldn't handle the amount of food she was shoveling down. "Slow down," I told her. "It's not going anywhere." She instead began to use her fork to eat after swallowing a bit of water, now pacing herself. In minutes, while I was only halfway done with my own food, her entire plate was clean. "Do you want more?" I picked at my plate.

Her eyes widened in surprise before she seemed to genuinely think for a moment. She shook her head. Behind her, there was a wagging tail. I sighed and closed my eyes, glancing at the server whose eyes were on us. I snapped my fingers before pointing to the girl, and setting another payment down for seconds.

"If you can't eat it all then don't worry about it," I told her this time. I remembered being a kid and not being able to eat all of my food. I supposed seconds would be fine this time. Next time I wouldn't be so generous, however.

"Y-You didn't have to," her voice was so soft and fragile. I closed my eyes and grunted in response. I heard, as my eyes were closed, the server take my coin. "U-Um, master..." She finished her sentence after a brief pause.

While I finished my food, she was given the chance to eat her seconds. To her credit, she almost finished them before saying she was full. I decided to eat the rest so the coin wasn't wasted. There was no discussion as I stood from the table and pet her head when I walked past, heading for the door. I paused, however, as I was met by a familiar face.

"Christian..." Carlos' voice reached my ears as I rounded the corner. He stood before me, party flanking him. I gave him an impassive stare. "You're just heading out, man?"

"Get out of my way, coward."

"Hey, how dare you talk to Sir Carlos like that!?" one of his lackeys spoke up. Soon, the rest of them joined in the choir of hatred towards me. I clenched my fists.

"Tell your dogs to stop barking, or I'll put them down myself," I snarled, getting into the taller guy's face. His expression changed between several emotions before resting on some sort of grim determination.

"I can't do that," he told me simply. Couldn't, or wouldn't? However, he did step aside for me. I walked past him and motioned for my slave to follow. "Christian." I paused as I stood midway past his party. "Who would this be?" I looked back at him through a side-eye.

"None of your business, coward." I grabbed the girl by the arm and yanked her after me, getting a small yelp in return. She kept pace, thankfully. If she hadn't, it would have been even more irritating. After I was certain we were out of view of the coward, I released her wrist.

"Master?" the girl's voice called to me. I tried to ignore it. "Who was that, master?" I sighed and ran my hand down my face, already exhausted.

"Nobody important," I told her in return. "If you see him, you come to me and never speak to him. He's a coward who will betray you in a moment's notice to save his own skin." I didn't need to look at her to know she'd obeyed. The curse on her chest prevented her from doing anything but. How convenient. That slave trader really did know what he was talking about.

Getting camping supplies wasn't so much of a hassle as usual. It seemed that word had quickly spread that anyone who messed with me would get hurt in some capacity, so I didn't have to threaten the guy nearly as much this time. After gathering supplies, it was time to head out into the world beyond the walls once more.

The girl was quiet the whole way, though it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. All in all, as we left the walls of the city, it started to become relaxing. The sun was setting over the horizon, giving it a soft orange glow mixed in with the day's blue sky. I found it relaxing.

Wordlessly, I led us further out into the wilderness surrounding the city. Both of us would need to face stronger creatures, so throwing us into the fire would be the best bet of doing such. To do that, we'd have to venture further out.

The sun was nearly set as I found us a spot to start training prominently. We'd come across some smaller balloons and mushes along the way, most of which had been absorbed into my shield as fodder. The blue mushes in particular had unlocked something of a new ability. The ability to blend certain items together to create a new item. Looking over the list of available items I could make... my eyes trailed over to Raphtalia. Medicine. Well, I knew what I was going to do given the first chance to do so. I couldn't have a dead sword, now could I? Restoring her health would be one of my first priorities to keep her useful to me.

"We begin training now," I told her, getting a hesitant nod in return. "Ready yourself and if you are harmed, ensure whatever attacked you regrets its decision."

"Y-Yes sir!" I kept a look out as the exclamation drove the girl into a coughing fit. Yes, that medicine would have to be made soon. I would supervise her for the first few bouts, then see how well she could handle her own. It wasn't long before we were discovered by enemy monsters.

"Over there!"

"Yes, sir!" Hack. Slash. Swing. Bite. Squash. Block. Swing. Block. Slash. Bite. "Ow!"

"Make it regret ever harming you!"

"Y-Yes sir!" the girl was slowly becoming skilled with her weapon, and followed my every order to the letter. Despite being bitten several times by the balloons, she was still fighting. It showed how determined she could be once her fear was taken away. Every bite still earned a wince and cry of pain, but it was good for her to- what?

The edge of my screen showed me just how wrong I was. Even despite the low damage of the bites, Raphtalia's health was in the red zone. Bless her tiny heart, she was still trying to fight despite essentially being beaten up and near what I could only assume was death. I had no idea what happened when HP reached zero, but I refused to find out so soon.

Seven balloons lunged towards her, and she, panting, faced them head on with only a knife. My body lit up with a dull throbbing as the rubber teeth bit into me and my shield. "Tch, don't get so careless that you die fighting," I snapped at her, seeing that she was terrified at my sudden appearance in front of her. "If you need help, then tell me. Don't just sit there and take it!" I growled and grabbed one of the orange balloons, thrusting it towards her. "Now, kill it!"

"Hah!" the girl stabbed it with only a second of hesitation. I continued to use my body and Legendary "Weapon" as a shield for her as we continued our training, only after about a half hour taking us to a clear part of the woods and plains to rest and recover. Unfortunately, I had no medicines or magic to expedite healing, so we'd have to wait until the girl regained her health naturally.

"Keep watch," I told her as I grabbed a hollowed out stone I could find and a relatively thick stick. The girl was definitely alert, seeming to want to impress me for some reason. At least, she acted as such from what children I'd interacted with back home. As I set up camp and my gear for hopefully grinding out medicines, I allowed myself to further observe the girl I'd purchased. Her stature was frail and sickly, and the fact she was able to move so much on her own was a miracle in itself.

No, she was shaking like a leaf. She must have exhausted herself. Did I perhaps push her too far? Having a broken weapon was not what I needed. I needed the girl at her best. Fire and food would take priority over the medicine. Speaking of... Another fit of coughs came from the girl. She tried to hide it from me. Why? Perhaps she didn't want to be seen as useless. That was understandable.

Moments later, a fire lit up the dusk light of the forest, and some fresh river water was set to boil in a pot over it. I took this time to start grinding out some medicine that my menu said could help cure colds and lesser illnesses. "Master?" the girl spoke. I glanced at her, giving her a nod to continue speaking. She seemed to hesitate.

"Who... Who are you?" Who am I? What a weird question. Though, I suppose it was not an unreasonable one. Who was I supposed to be? I scoffed

"I'm the great and mighty Shield Hero," I spat the title like the curse it was. "Destined to defend this world from the Waves, apparently." I snarled, gripping the stick in my hand with a tighter grip than I probably should have. I let out a heavy sigh and looked back down at my work. A few more minutes of literal grinding, huh? So be it.

"Shield Hero," I heard the girl mumble under her breath. I felt my eye twitch. What, was she going to judge me just on that title alone as well!? I glared at her, only to see... something expressed in her eyes. It wasn't fear or loathing. It was something... I couldn't tell. Reading the eyes of a child was something of a difficulty for me. At least... hers were hard to read. "I... I've heard stories of you..."

"Really? And what did they say I did!?" I growled, once more clenching my fists. The stick snapped in my hand, and I saw the girl flinch. My gaze must have been terrifying to her. "Because I fucking didn't!" I raised my hand to throw the now useless stick away, and out of the corner of my eye I saw the girl cower in fear." I closed my eyes. She thought I was going to hit her. My body was shaking with anger, but I allowed myself to take a deep breath and simply toss the stick behind me.

There was silence between the two of us for a moment. "Anger," I spoke slowly. "Is a source of fuel to become strong." Her eyes were still wide with fear as I gave her a firm look. "It's what drives people to do great things. To reach past their limits and become extraordinary." I frowned slightly. "It can also drive people to do terrible, horrible things. To be consumed by anger is to lose who you are as a person."

The girl was no longer cowering, but she had scooted a few inches away from me. "I've been telling you to attack with your hatred and your rage, but never let it consume who you are," I told her. "If you do that, then I'll dispose of you." Her eyes were wide with fear. "I don't need a wild blade. I need a sword that's powerful and controlled. Am I understood?" Her silence was deafening. "Am I understood?"

"Y-Yes, sir," her voice was quiet and meek. I sighed once more and looked down. The powdered medicine was complete. "This will likely be bitter, but you will drink this. It will help heal your sickness." I poured some of the boiled water into a metal cup I'd bought, and scraped the powder into the water before handing the container to her. "Now drink." The girl hesitantly took the medicine and took a long sip before spitting it to the side, coughing. "I said drink it! You won't get better if you don't!" She let out a loud, long whine as I ensured she drank her medicine. What a pain.

XXXXX

A few days out in the wilderness did wonders both for the girl and myself. Day by day, we were learning how to compliment one another's fighting style. Well, more she was learning how to fight, and I was learning to act as a shield for her as she fought. It seemed Demi-humans were naturally agile in some capacity, as she was better as a hit-and-run fighter than an actual frontline fighter. That was unfortunate for a shielder like myself, but it was something we'd have to work on. Every morning, I'd also have us train alone. That is, take on enemies one-on-one. Not only would that allow us to focus on one another's particular fighting style, but it would give us the skill to fight on our own if, God forbid, the need arose.

At the very least, I needed us both to be able to stall if we became separated. While it was easier for me, it forced the girl to learn more evasive maneuvers.

As our training in the wilderness came to an end, I had us once more return to the capital city, and all the trash it entailed. We arrived at the gates at night, just before sunrise by my calculations. Most shops would be opening soon, so we would hang about until then. It would give the girl some time to relax. Unfortunately, it was also the time in which my second least favorite 'Hero' would be awake. "Christian," Carlos' voice called out from the night. The Spear Hero himself. I sighed and turned towards the source, finding to my surprise that none of his party was with him. "I knew you'd be back."

"The fuck do you want, coward?" I snarled, and vaguely noticed Raphtalia scowling at him as well. I hid a smirk that dared to cross my lips. Carlos raised his hands placatingly.

"I just... wanted to know how you were holding up," he spoke softly. "I've been watching the gates every morning and evening waiting for you. You've been ok?" I felt my eye twitch and my fists clench with rage. He left me at the mercy of those monsters and he had the fucking GALL to ask if I was ok!?

"No," I snapped, lunging forward to grab him by the collar of his new armor. "I've not been ok. I've been out in the wilds with my fucking slave toughing it out because I'm not welcome in this fucking city!"

"Slave...?" I shook him as his eyes began to wander towards the girl, forcing him to look back at me. I slammed him against a nearby wall.

"What the fuck do you really want, coward!?" I heard the sound of scraping metal as I assumed Raphtalia had drawn her blade. I'd have to get her something special to eat for breakfast.

"I-I just wanted to make sure you were ok, man! I swear!" Carlos lied as easily as he breathed. I shoved him away from me. "H-Hey, do you know about the Dragon Hourglasses, man!?" I paused just as I had turned to walk away. That seemed invitation enough for him to continue. "It's in that church near the center of the city. You should sync up to it so you can see how long until the next Wave." I let out a breath, waving my hand to instruct Raphtalia to put away her weapon. She did so.

"Get out of my sight, Carlos," I told him firmly. He nodded and slowly walked away, taking a couple of paces before looking back at me for a brief moment, spear in hand. Then, the Spear Hero left me without another word spoken between us. I heard and felt my slave walk up behind me. I took a deep breath. "I'll be ok. Let's see how much this medicine is worth and where we can go for better training. Probably a nearby town's territory if possible."

"Yes sir," Raphtalia answered me loyally. I had to hand it to that crest, it really made her obedient. How lucky I was to have come across that slave trader. Perhaps I'd pay him a second visit soon.

As they walked along, Raphtalia quickly walked by her master's side. she took in the city in a new light. This was the place that shunner her master, the legendary Shield Hero. She'd always known this kingdom was not particularly happy about Demi-humans, but she hadn't thought they would actually disown the man responsible for showing them such kindness in the past.

Raphtalia felt anger in her chest at the thought, yet let it cool before she showed any of it. Just as her master had said, she wouldn't let her anger take control of her. It was her tool to make her stronger, just as she was his. Raphtalia could tell he was hurting, and even though he was angry a lot, he was a very kind man who wanted to do the right thing. After all, why else hadn't he just left this place behind? Someone as strong as the Shield Hero could easily leave the kingdom, right? She would be his sword no matter how she felt, just as he would be this world's shield no matter how angry he was.

The man led her to an inn, and she knew they were going to get food. He seemed to not care for whatever people thought of her, and for that she was thankful. "We'll get some food," he told her, looking back at her as if he were her caretaker instead of her master. "Then we'll go to this church that the Spear Hero mentioned and look for the Dragon Hourglass. After that we'll sell this medicine and the herbs, see what's more valuable, and plan our next move before going to bed. Am I understood?"

"Yes sir!" Raphtalia answered immediately. He might not have even known it, but she did. He wasn't just her master. He was her shield.