I am not the shield hero

The group traveled under the cover of night. It was a rather short ride to the point where they would break off, less than an hour, even with Dio pulling a cart. Given the condition the girls were likely to be in, Reichnott offered them a small cart to carry them.

Before they split off, Dante gave some last minute instructions to Keel and JoJo.

"Don't stay in one area too long, and stay ahead of the flames. If anyone spots you, immediately run away. Lose any pursuers and wait at Reichnott's when you're finished."

While the lord couldn't aid them too directly, he at least offered a place to return to when they finished.

"Got it!" Keel affirmed.

"JoJo." Dante looked at the ostrich shaped filolial. "Listen to Keel and stay in that form. The fewer identifying marks anyone can make, the better. You can transform once you get back."

"Gweh!" JoJo gave Dante a quick bump on the head.

"One last thing." Dante pulled a parcel from under his armor. He and Sadeena left their packs at Reichnott's, as they would only weigh them down with what they were about to do. "If we aren't back by morning, read the note I left you. It has instructions for what to do next."

"Okay." Keel said, grabbing the parcel. Dante held onto it for a moment.

"I mean it. Don't read it until morning."

"I-I got it!" Keel pulled the parcel away from him and stored it in his pack.

"One last thing." Dante brought his hand up to Keel's cheek. The boy's eyes widened for a moment before Dante brushed back his hair, revealing the side of his head.

"Huh. So, that's what it looks like." Dante gave an approving nod.

"H-How what looks like?" Keel stammered out.

"It's not important." Dante said, ignoring his concerns. "Alright, get going."

Truthfully, he was curious what it looked like on demi-humans where humans would have their ears. He didn't really have any expectations, but it was interesting to see the appendage missing.

Keel gave him one last look. "Bring them back safe, okay?"

"Of course." Dante said. With that, JoJo took off to the eastern forest.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" Sadeena asked as they set off for the western side of the hill.

"I'm sure he will. JoJo should be fast enough to outrun most anything they send after them."

Sadeena looked over the map Fiadia made them and directed Dio on where to go. They found a few of the landmarks indicated on the map and spotted the exit. It was covered with some strange sort of sheet that camouflaged it, making it appear the same as the cliff face surrounding it. Even with the map, it would have been hard to find without Sadeena. Her echolocation made finding the hole much easier.

They dismounted, pulled the cart to the side, and started moving through the narrow passage. Dio walked easily in her chick form, while Dante and Sadeena went through with a few inches of room on either side. With no natural light from the moon, Dante led the way with the glow from his shield's gem.

After about twenty minutes of walking, they came to a small enclosure with a metal door. The hinges were on this side, and there was enough room in the open space in front of the door to fit a little over a dozen people, if they stood shoulder to shoulder.

Sadeena approached the door and gave it a listen.

"I don't hear anyone directly on the other side." She said.

Dante nodded and began casting in a quiet voice. "As the source of your power, I command you. Let the true way be revealed once more. Protect my ally from attack. Faust Guard V."

A light shimmered over Sadeena before disappearing. With that, they should be more than able to handle any guards they come across. With his current MP and no potions to restore it, Dante didn't want to cast it more than necessary. Sadeena pulled at the door, only for it to remain still.

"It's locked." Sadeena pulled off her harpoon. "It's a little early, but I might be able to break it without making too much noise."

"A good backup plan." Dante moved past her and pulled a pair of picks from his shield. He'd gotten them as drops from one of the giant frogs. He began to fiddle with the lock.

This isn't really the time for jokes, but I kind of feel like Batman right now.

"Quite handy~." Sadeena said, observing his work.

"I'd like to think I'm a jack of all trades." That was one of the lessons he was always glad his father drilled into him. Be a jack of all trades, and a master of one.

However, within ten seconds of working the lock, it clicked.

My skills are wasted on these medieval locks…

It was either that, or the constant use of EP from his shield aided him. He'd tried using it with his shield skills, and they did seem stronger, but he couldn't tell by how much, and he always spent too much. He figured it was similar to driving a small nail with a sledgehammer: he could do it, but he'd be better off with a more precise method.

Dante equated having EP like this with the difference between learning a spell through a crystal ball versus learning from a tome. He had it readily available, but he would need more practice and training to do it right.

With the door open, the three of them stepped through, Dio perched on Dante's shoulder. No guards were positioned near them, like Sadeena said. They did spot a few on the walls, the guards themselves looking over at the eastern forest.

Keel must have already set some fires.

They kept to the shadows as they made their way around the courtyard. The large obelisk did catch Sadeena's eye, but they kept going. Dante had already warned her about it before coming in.

While they were looking for a stairway underground, Sadeena spotted a door with bars at eye level. No guards were around to spot them, so they approached. They glanced inside and were barely able to make out any details, but they did see it led underground a little.

"This must be it." Dante said, readying his picks.

"Wait!" Sadeena held out her hand. "This lock…I can feel a bit of magic from it."

"Magic?" Dante gave the lock a once over. It didn't appear any different, but he took Sadeena at her word. "What does it do?"

"I'm not sure. Some magic locks make it more difficult to pick, others will sound an alarm without the key."

"Damn." That was some pretty bad news. "Can one with an alarm be picked without tripping it?"

"It's possible, but difficult."

So much for channeling Batman.

While Dante had no doubt he could pick this lock, he imagined it took quite a bit of training to avoid the alarm. They wouldn't be able to get in, grab the girls, and get out without having to fight their way through. That was especially true if Rabier came with the remaining guards, which he likely would. There didn't seem to be any other openings to the dungeon either, not even a window.

"I guess we'll need the key." Dante said as he looked to the mansion. "And I have a pretty good idea where it is."

It seemed a fight with Rabier was inevitable. They prepared themselves for this outcome, but that didn't make the task any less daunting.

Dante found a good spot to break into the mansion. It was an unlit room that seemed to be a storage space. Between him and Sadeena, they were able to pull off the metal bars that acted as a window and slip in. They relied on Sadeena's echolocation to find any guards as they made their way around.

There were a few two man patrols, but they were dealt with in a fairly similar way each time. Dante would grab one and keep them silent while Sadeena quickly brought down the other before returning to the first. Dante absorbed the guards into his shield to keep anyone from spotting their handiwork, and for the drops.

They came to their first abnormality when they reached the second floor. A pair of guards were stationed in front of a strong looking metal door. There didn't seem to be any way around them, so they had to kill them to progress.

Sadeena had a nice idea for that.

"Cheep!" Dio chirped, walking around the corner they hid behind.

"What the…" One of the guards looked over at the filolial chick.

"How the hell did that get in here?" His buddy asked.

"No idea." The first guard walked over, only for Dio to scurry back around the corner.

"Well, get rid of it and come back." The buddy said.

When the guard walked around the corner, Dante and Sadeena stepped out from an open doorway. The man was bleeding from the neck and dead within seconds.

"Hey, Martin, what was that?" The other one called out, his footsteps growing closer. "You better not be screwing around aga—"

Dante had his hand over the guard's mouth before he finished rounding the corner. Sadeena's harpoon quickly found its way into his upper chest. With both guards dead and stored in Dante's shield, the three of them took a look at the metal door.

Dante gave Sadeena a look and she placed an ear to the door.

"I don't hear anyone inside." She said. "And I think this lock has the same magic on it as the dungeon."

"So it's something Idol wants kept safe." Dante concluded. It could be a vault, or possibly another torture room. "Once we have the key, we should stop by on our way out. It's not like he'll be needing what's inside when we're done."

From there, they didn't come across any more guards. Until, of course, they saw a pair standing outside another door on the fourth floor. This door was made of wood, like many of the others, but much more ornate. It looked as much, from what they could tell around the corner.

They deployed the same strategy as before, Dio luring in a guard before Sadeena killed him. The same happened to the other guard.

With all the guards they killed, Dante and Dio had gained another level. He left the new points from the Axe power up alone, since he didn't want to spare the time with the puzzle.

Before anything else, Dante cast Faust Guard V again. He applied it to Sadeena, then Dio, then himself. Another drawback of using a crystal ball was not having the 'All' variation. He tried using some EP in the castings, but ended up depleting about half of his supply.

"Are you two ready?" Dante asked.

In response, Sadeena transformed into her therianthrope form, with Dio assuming her filolial queen form. Both Sadeena and Dante had a few healing potions attached to their hips. Dante had his Reinforced Iron Shield out and ready.

"I'll go in first and stun him, Sadeena will strike after, and Dio will be on standby in case he evades or survives."

"Got it." Sadeena nodded.

"Gweh." Dio did as well.

"Alright." Dante faced the double doors. A quick look at the locks told him it could be opened immediately. He placed his hands on the handles and took a breath. He thrust open the doors—

Dante immediately threw up his shield.

The crack of a whip boomed in the hallway as Dante was thrown back, slamming into the wall behind him. He stumbled from his position, hand on leg as he tried to remain standing.

"Dante!" Sadeena called out.

"Hmph. You have good reflexes." A voice sounded from the room. A rotund man with short blonde hair retracted the whip from his outstretched hand.

Dante stepped forward on shaky legs. His arm started going numb.

85% HP?! After all that preparation, he took away 15% with a hit I blocked?!

"How did you know we were here?!" He yelled at the fat man.

"Hah! You thought it would be that easy to sneak up on me?" Idol snapped the whip in his hands. "I saw my door guards' names disappear from my sight."

Damn. That's smart. I feel like all the guards should have been in a party, though.

"So, who graces the halls of Lord Idol Rabier?" The man asked, a cocky grin on his face.

"Doesn't matter who we are." Dante stood in front of the door, Sadeena and Dio on either side of him. "You'll be dead soon anyway."

"Ah." Idol twirled his moustache with his free hand. "Perhaps you are the Shield Devil?"

Dante narrowed his eyes.

"You are, aren't you?" He chuckled, shaking his head. "It truly is providence that you are here."

"Oh yeah?" Dante crept his way into the room. Sadeena and Dio slid in on either side as well. The walls were lined with books and scrolls. A desk with documents spread on it stood in the corner. It appeared to be his study. "What makes you say that?"

"A vision." Idol stated. "A vision from God. I saw it as clearly as I see you now. The Shield Devil challenged me to a duel to avenge the beasts who worship him."

"God, you say?" Dante laughed. "He and I have a bit of a strained relationship."

"It is only natural for a devil to shun what is holy." Idol let the length of the whip fall loose behind him. "Shall we have our duel, Shield Devil?"

"If you want to call it that." Dante pressed his feet into the ground. "We'll see which of us your god actually favors."

He launched himself at Idol. The fat noble sent his whip forward, narrowly missing Dante as he jutted to the side.

"Cleave Bash!" Dante swung his shield at Idol, only for the man to duck beneath it.

"Far too slow!" Idol slammed his boot into Dante, knocking him back.

Sadeena lunged her harpoon towards the man's unarmored chest. With speed that was unexpected from a man of his size, he sidestepped the thrust and shoved her, letting her momentum throw her forward. He brought back his whip again and swung it at her back.

"Air Strike Shield IV!" The glowing green shield intercepted the whip, and immediately shattered. "What!?"

This is insane! With all the power up methods, that should have held out! How high is his level? How powerful is that whip!?

It didn't help that Dante poured too much EP into the Cleave Bash, emptying his bar. The only consolation was that the Air Strike Shield broke the momentum of the whip, saving Sadeena.

In that moment, Dio jumped at Idol, claws at the ready. Idol drew his sword from his hip. He blocked the strike and sent Dio flying back. He then spun the whip around and aimed it at the filolial.

"Shield Prison IV!" Encased in the prison, the whip slammed into the sphere and threw it back. It held, but the section it hit was cracked considerably. The prison could take one, maybe two more hits. Dante, however, released the skill, allowing Dio to jump back. Sadeena stayed at the side, just getting her bearings back.

"I expected the Shield Devil to put up a better fight!" Idol said, repositioning himself to keep his three opponents to his front.

"We're just getting warmed up!" It was a complete lie. Dante already showed him all his skills, and there was no way Sadeena would have time to cast one of her spells. And Dio… "Dio, stay back!" Dante moved in front of the filolial.

"Protecting one of your beasts, eh? It won't change anything." Idol again sent his whip at Dante.

"Cleave Bash!" Unable to evade in time, Dante tried deflecting the whip with his skill. It connected, straining his arm even more, but with some improvement.

Down to 75% now. We won't win a battle of attrition.

Sadeena came at Idol again. With his whip too far out, he had to parry with his sword. Dante ran forward to capitalize on the moment, but Idol was too quick and too skilled. Without him noticing, the whip had wrapped around Dante's leg and tripped him. Idol deflected every blow from Sadeena's harpoon, backing up as the orca woman advanced.

By the time Dante had gotten back on his feet, Idol had pushed Sadeena back too far. He brought his whip back and slammed it into her stomach with a shortened length, launching her at Dante.

He was barely able to stop her with his whole body. She looked winded, and had a deep cut on her stomach, but she was still conscious. Before he could try feeding her a potion, Dio was already in the air.

"Dio, wait—"

Idol had already brought his whip back again. The whip head connected with Dio, sending her flying into the wall. Panic gripped Dante as he quickly brought up his status.

20% left…

"One beast down." Idol said, turning his attention back to the enemy of his faith. "Now to finish off the devil."

"Shield Prison IV!" Dante brought up his skill as the whip slammed into it. He quickly uncorked a potion and fed it to Sadeena.

"What do we do?!" Sadeena called out, placing a hand over her slowly healing wound. She must have known just how outmatched she was against the man.

"I…" Dante didn't have time to think. Didn't have time to plan. Idol was much faster and much stronger than them.

Idol was far too agile to be pinned down. His reach with that whip meant he could keep them back, and he was handy with a sword as well.

They needed a distraction.

The whip slammed against the sphere again, cracking it even further.

They really need to keep him from using that whip.

Dante lifted Sadeena up.

I have an idea…a really stupid one.

"Break left when the prison breaks. I'll charge him, draw his attack, and prevent him from switching the whip to you or retreating. Take the opening, no matter what."

Sadeena gave him a worried look but nodded all the same.

The third whip strike smashed open the barrier. Dante ran forwards and Sadeena split off to the side. Idol was already bringing back his whip. There was far too much distance for Dante to reach him. His whip hand was just overhead.

Now!

"Air Strike Shield IV!" He let loose his skill.

The whip slammed into Dante's chest.

He flew through the air, slamming into the book lined walls, knocking dozens to floor as he fell.

The world spun around him. His vision blurred. His ears rang.

Dante landed on the ground, vaguely looking towards Idol on his side with hazy eyes. He saw a green light. There was Sadeena. There was another light, white and flickering, blinding him for a moment.

His vision cleared slightly. A small grin formed on his face. Sadeena held Idol up with her harpoon, his body pressed against the Air Strike Shield Dante erected behind the noble.

He knew the skill wouldn't survive a single attack. If he used it to stop the whip, Idol would have just turned it to Sadeena immediately after. So instead, he took the hit. Then, when Idol went to strike out at Sadeena with his whip, he'd find it stopped by the shield behind him. Surprised, unable to bring his greatest weapon forward and with nowhere to evade, Sadeena was able to run him through and pin him down.

Dante saw Sadeena slam the fat, slightly charred man into the ground, knocking his whip from his hand. She brought her harpoon up and thrust it down into him again and again. She didn't stop until XP flashed in Dante's vision.

Oh. I gained another level…

"Dante!" Sadeena ran over to him. She knelt next to him and brought him up. There was a strange sensation Dante never felt before. Pulling a potion from her sash, Sadeena poured it down his throat.

Up to 15%...no, 14%...it's dropping…

Sadeena pulled another from her sash and fed it to him. "Come on, Dante, stay with me!"

His vision was still slightly blurry, but he didn't feel any pain. He didn't feel anything since taking that hit. He must have been in shock. His HP went up from the potion slightly, but it kept going down.

"Gweh…" Dante could hear Dio, but she was barely in his peripherals. "Gweh!" She shouted and ran over to him, blood dripping from her chest feathers. There was a large gash across her chest and a number of her feathers were torn off.

"Dio…you're okay…" His body convulsed, blood sputtering from his mouth as he coughed.

"Dante…you're going to be okay. You hear me?!" Sadeena yelled, pulling a potion from Dante.

"My HP…keeps dropping. What's happening…?" He could barely get the words out.

"Dante…" Sadeena looked to her side. Dante followed her eyes, craning his neck to see what was nearly behind him. There were chain links littering the floor, a large pool of blood underneath them. Dante found what she was looking at. There seemed to be a chunk of meat on the ground, wrapped in more closely knitted chains links.

He brought his eyes back to his left side. He could see Sadeena's lap, but on top of her loincloth was…nothing. Dante's eyes widened.

"My…my arm…" Blood leaked from the wound on his shoulder. No, even part of that was missing. Bones were chipped and muscles were ripped.

Sadeena poured the potion over the wound. Dante arched his back as the wound hissed slightly. His HP went up less than when he drank it, and it continued to decline.

"Dante…I need to stop the bleeding." Sadeena said in a sad tone.

"Can you…reattach my arm? Can it be done?" Dante asked, hopeful.

Sadeena shook her head. "I don't have the magic to do something like that. Even if I did, your arm…"

Dante knew what she meant. Idol's whip was too powerful. Assuming that part of his body didn't receive some sort of curse damage, whatever was left of his arm was probably too mangled to be reattached.

"…Then burn it. Cauterize the wound." There was plenty of kindling in the room. A bunch of torn pages and one of the candles was all that was needed. Of course, this was going to hurt like hell.

Sadeena set him down and went to get the fire ready.

"Gweh!" Dio was standing above him, fear plastered on her face. "Gweh! Gweh!"

"Dio." Dante brought his hand up. Dio instantly lowered her head into it. Dante scratched the side of her head affectionately. "I need you to grab Idol's whip. Can you do that for me?"

Tears were in Dio's eyes as she nodded and walked around him. A few seconds later, he heard another 'Gweh', followed by a squelching noise. Dante turned his head to see Dio walking back, one of her claws coated in blood. Behind her, Idol's head had been smashed in.

Heh. That's my girl…

Dio brought the whip back over in her beak and set it in Dante's outstretched hand. Sadeena brought back over a book, just lit aflame.

"Are you ready?" She asked, the fire starting to take over the book.

Dante nodded. "Dio, hold me down. I'm going to thrash around." He placed the whip handle in his mouth, clenching down on it with his teeth.

The filolial queen did as he asked, placing her clean claw on his chest. Sadeena lowered the burning book to his stump.

Immediately after, every nerve in Dante's shoulder lit up at once. He tried to move away, but Dio kept him down. The smell of burning flesh assaulted Dante's nose.

After what felt like an eternity, Sadeena knocked the book away. She inspected the wound before nodding, casting a simple water spell to cleanse the wound and put out the book.

"Can you stand?" She asked, offering her hand.

"Yeah." Dante grasped it and let himself be pulled up. His legs wobbled beneath him, but he'd manage. The battle may not have been long, but it got desperate real quick. If he had managed to unlock and upgrade the Shooting Star Shield, it might not have been so bad. Then again, if he had the levels to do that, things would have been different regardless.

"Both of you, drink some healing potions." Dante pulled his remaining potions from his belt. He handed one to Sadeena and uncorked one for Dio.

"What about you?" Sadeena asked after drinking hers.

"I have some more in my shield, but I'll save a couple for the girls." After Dio drank hers, Dante inspected her wound. Despite taking more damage at once, it didn't seem to be bleeding, though her exposed flesh looked almost dented. He supposed the location and bleed damage on him ended up making his worse.

Dante surveyed the room next. There seemed to be little overall damage to it. He looked down at what remained of his bloody arm.

"Is there magic to find people from their blood?" He asked Sadeena. The last thing they needed was someone linking what happened here to them.

Sadeena shook her head. "No, but we should take the…arm." Sadeena didn't want to mention it any more than Dante did.

"Yeah." He slowly walked over and reached for it. The gem in his shield reacted to the bit of flesh. "Really now?" He gestured to Sadeena and she came over, tepidly placing the limb in his shield's gem.

Shield of Sacrifice (LV locked)

(abilities locked) equip bonus: stat allocation, HP endowment

Well, that looks promising.

"What did you get?" Sadeena looked down at the shield.

"I'm not sure. We'll have time later to figure that out." He looked over the broken pieces of his armor. "Can you grab the links? I'll clean up the body."

They made quick work of the room. With the glaring evidence of their actions in this room either hidden away by Sadeena or absorbed by Dante, they made their way out. The key they were looking for was in Idol's possession and, thus, now stored in Dante's shield, along with his whip.

They slowly walked down the halls of the manor. Dio kept trying to get Dante to ride her, but he kept refusing. She was just as wounded as him, though a few more potions helped fix that, and he didn't want to burden her more.

Once they reached the second floor again, they came across the metal door. Dante ejected the key from his shield and let it drop into Sadeena's hands. She placed the key into the lock and heard a distinct clink, unlocking the door. When she opened it, they were greeted by a wide room filled with various trinkets, artwork, and other valuables. Dante didn't know exactly how such things were valued here, but he had to guess there was several hundred gold coins worth of treasure here.

An idea formed in Dante's head.

"Try putting that painting into my shield." He spotted what he thought may have been a portrait of Idol's father, or some other ancestor. Sadeena pulled the painting from the wall and held it to the shield, but it didn't react.

"Figures." He hoped that, since this manor belonged to Idol, all that lay within would be considered a possession for the shield to absorb. Sadly, that wasn't the case. Most of what was here would be too cumbersome to carry.

"We should get Raphtalia and Rifana now." Sadeena said, looking to the door.

"In a minute." Dante said, looking at a chest on the floor. "Actually…" He turned to Sadeena and extended his hand. "Let me carry the key. You go and make sure no guards get in our way. I'll get the girls when I'm done here. We can meet up at the passage entrance."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? We'd be better off staying together."

Dante shook his head. "I'm no longer in a position to fight today, and Dio isn't much better off, but we should be fine against any random guard we find. If you take care of anyone who might get in our way, we won't have to worry about any more large conflicts. Plus, we'll need some money for whatever comes next."

Sadeena held the key in her hand, looking down at it. After a few moments, she handed it over to him.

"Don't take too long. We don't know how long Keel's distraction will last."

"Judging by the flames we saw, we should still have some time."

From Idol's study, they could clearly see the eastern forest. The fire's growth was…surprising. JoJo must have been moving fast for Keel to light up as much as he did.

"Alright then." Sadeena drank another potion and Dante recast his spell on her. She left the room, leaving Dante and Dio.

In truth, there was little they could take. Dante grabbed a few pendants and put them in a sack he pulled from his shield, another drop item. He dropped a pick from his shield and worked the chest sitting in the corner. After about a minute of twisting and pulling, the lock clicked. Inside, he found the chest filled with coins and gems, plus a few other items.

Hmm. I'd say about a quarter is silver, the rest bronze. Most of the gems are uncut as well. Might have been an offering or tribute from a vassal. There are a few nice things in here as well.

Dio and Dante scooped as much as they could into the sack. Dante clumsily tied the end in a simple knot and set it on Dio's back. With that done, they set out for the dungeon.

The walk there was mostly quiet. He heard a guard or two make a muffled noise, but there was no yelling. Sadeena was hard at work, it seemed, if the XP notifications were any indication.

At the dungeon's door, Dante pulled the key from his belt and unlocked it. Dante pulled a torch from outside the door and they slowly descended into the prison. The layout of the room was not what he was expecting.

The room was circular, cells made of iron were separated by walls of stone, each one facing the center of the room. There appeared to be a spot on each dividing wall to place a torch, should anyone care to. Near the center were a few chains hanging from the ceiling, likely for when Idol tortured his slaves. It seemed he wanted everyone to see what he was doing.

In the very center of the room was what surprised Dante the most. A wooden table sat there with a chair on two sides, facing one another. The table itself had blood splattered on it, but not in an excessive amount.

What the hell is this? Why would Idol—

"AH!" A voice cried out from one of the cells. "P-Please, don't take her from me! She's all I have left!"

Dante whirled around and saw the source of the voice. A small, raccoon-eared demi-human girl. Raphtalia. She was huddled over something…no, someone. She held on to the other for dear life.

Dante approached the cell slowly, Dio walking right behind him. "Don't worry, I'm a friend." He said softly, placing the torch in the holder next to the cell. "My name is Dante MacRory. I'm the Shield Hero. I'm here to rescue you."

Raphtalia's pink eyes took in his form. Her quivering lips tried to let words flow. "T-The Shield Hero…?"

"Yes." Dante shifted the form of his shield to the Small Shield before changing it back. "I was summoned here to fight the waves. But right now, I'm here to save you two. Sadeena is outside, making sure it's safe."

Her eyes shined with hope. "Sadeena…S-She's here?" Tears poured from her eyes and she shook the body she was covering. "Rifana! Sadeena's here! And the Shield Hero! They came for us!"

"Shield…Hero…?" Dante saw Rifana turn her head slightly. Her voice sounded so weak.

"That's right." Dante said softly. "You're safe now. That man will never hurt you again." He pulled out the key and opened the door to their cell. When he stepped in, he saw just how worn their clothes had become. And bloody. Raphtalia's was in bad shape, but Rifana's was basically nonexistent. Her rags barely covered her body at all. The parts that did were soaked with blood. The poor girl was covered in lashes and cuts.

Dante knelt next to the girls. He dropped a healing potion next to him from his shield and picked it up. "Can you lean her up? I can help ease the pain." He said to Raphtalia, who quickly propped up her friend. Dante changed to the Small Medicine Shield in hopes it would boost the healing potion he fed the heavily wounded girl. He brought the potion to her lips, a soft glow surrounding her body as the healing took effect.

Once the glow faded, she opened her eyes just a little bit more. She looked up at Dante with a small smile on her face. "I knew you would save us." She said weakly.

"Of course." He said, a smile on his face. It was strained, given where they were and what everyone went through. "Raphtalia, do you need healing too?"

She shook her head quickly, but it was mostly a rhetorical question. Dante had already dropped another potion and had it in his extended hand. Raphtalia took it and drank the contents. Despite their injuries, Dante noticed they seemed to be in decent health, given their surroundings.

"Can either of you stand?" He looked down at Rifana. She tried to lean up further, but quickly fell back down, barely caught by Dante. Raphtalia stood up, her legs slightly unsteady.

Dante looked back to the filolial. "Dio, come in and sit. I'll put the girls on your back. Okay?"

"Gweh!" Dio stepped through the cell door and sat down.

Dante turned back to Rifana. "Grab on to me. I'll pick you up."

The frail girl did as he said, lightly gripping his chainmail as he scooped her up with one arm. He cautiously lifted himself off the ground and placed her on Dio's back. He turned again and picked up Raphtalia, placing her right behind Rifana.

Dante looked through his drops and pulled out a pair of shirts that didn't have any blood on them. He showed them to the girls. "Here, put these on. It's not much, but it will do for now."

After dressing them and making sure Dio could stand properly, they exited the cell. Before leaving, Dante noticed a door on the opposite side of the exit. He walked over to—

"No!" Raphtalia shouted, startling him. He turned back to see her shaking in terror. "P-Please. Don't take us…" Her eyes were wide as she stared at the door.

What could possibly be scaring her so much?

Dante gave the door another look before he spoke. "Dio, wait by the stairs with the girls. I'll be right there."

The filolial walked away as Dante approached the door. There was no lock, so he was able to pull the door open without issue. He immediately wished he hadn't.

Inside the room was a table with various tools on top of it. The most prominent was a meat cleaver stuck into a heavy cutting board. A dripping noise caught his attention. When he turned to the source, he saw a trough on the floor filled with blood. His gaze turned upwards. Bound by the wrists with chains, a small body hung there.

A body…with no skin on it. Exposed muscles, fat, and bones was what he saw. The center of the body was already open, the organs removed and sitting in a large bowl to the side. He couldn't even tell what type of demi-human it used to be, or even if it was a boy or a girl.

Dante's eyes widened further as his gaze shifted behind him. Back to the table in the center of the room.

Idol…what have you done…

It started to make sense. Dante didn't notice it before, but there was a lack decay in the air. The cells themselves looked reasonably clean. There weren't any rats or corpses in any of the other cells either.

Dante looked back up to the bled out corpse, a sad look in his eye.

"I'm sorry this happened to you." He said. "I don't know who you were or where you're from, but I'll at least give you a burial."

He held his shield to the body and pulled it in. A notification popped up, but he promptly dismissed it. Closing the door behind him, he walked to the waiting filolial and children.

"Let's leave this place." He said, ascending the stairs.

Once they reached to top and passed the door, Sadeena was waiting for them. She immediately wrapped the girls in a hug, rubbing their backs and holding them close. One look from her told Dante what he needed to know: all the guards in the area were dead. At least, the ones that could get in their way.

They made their way to the hidden passage. Once there, Sadeena transformed and carried Raphtalia and the sack, while Dante carried Rifana. He had to assure Sadeena he was well enough for the task. It took longer to travel through this time around, but they eventually got to the bottom. They set the kids in the cart and hooked Dio up to it.

"Okay, hop in." Sadeena said, turning to Dante.

"What?" Dante cocked his head to the side. "No, I can walk."

"None of that, now." Sadeena shook her head. "You took a hard hit in there and need some rest."

"You did too." He pointed out. "I had the shield to protect me, and I know my potions didn't bring you back up to full HP. I'll just—"

"Dante." Her tone still had its usual looseness, but there was a small edge to it. It probably wouldn't be good to argue in front of the kids right now.

"…Okay." Dante surrendered, stepping onto the cart with Sadeena's help.

"Good." Sadeena nodded with a smile. "I'll jog alongside the cart. Let's get going, Dio."

"Gweh!" The filolial began towing the cart behind her.

With her reduced speed, the wagon ride back took longer than before. That was fine, since Raphtalia and Rifana would have likely gotten motion sickness from it otherwise. The girls stole a number of glances at him as they rode, and every time Dante gave them a reassuring smile. It took all he had to stay awake at this point. The adrenaline and shock had worn off and his body was craving sleep, but he needed to stay alert, just in case they had any pursuers. The girls, on the other hand, began to doze off.

It was unnecessary, as their ride back was devoid of any interruption. They pulled into the manor of Van Reichnott, a few of the rooms still lit.

"Dante!" He heard Keel call his name as they approached. He was sitting in front of the main door, JoJo lying beside him, and a different pair of guards standing at attention.

"Gweh!" JoJo got to his feet in a hurry and ran to the cart in his king form. "Gweh! Gweh!" He started squawking more when he saw Dante's missing arm.

"Hey, JoJo. We're back." Dante tried calming the bird by stroking his head, but JoJo kept moving it around to see his arm. "We're okay, I promise."

Dante slid off the wagon. Before he could take a single step, Keel was before him, slamming his fists into Dante's gut.

"You…You jerk…" He cried as his fists hit Dante. "You were…you thought…"

"Yeah…" Dante placed a hand on Keels head and gave it a stroke. "You read it, huh?"

He figured Keel might read the note before they got back, but he hoped he hadn't.

"Keel, if you're reading this, it's morning and we haven't returned, or the slave seal turned black. In either case, we failed. I'm sorry I didn't prepare you for this better, but I wanted to make sure at least one of us made it back. I'm sorry we couldn't save Raphtalia and Rifana, and you may have lost Sadeena as well. We knew the risks, but you know how important it was to try and rescue them.

With this note are two letters. They detail a few things I believe will happen in the future. If you can, please give these to Queen Mirellia Melromarc and any emissaries from Siltvelt. I know this is a lot to ask. If you don't think you can, you may ask Reichnott to deliver them. He has also agreed to let you live on his lands, if you want to. My pack also has the rest of my money and equipment. It's yours now.

Be well, watch over JoJo, and live a good life.

Dante MacRory, the Shield Hero"

Dante felt it somewhat cruel to leave things like that, but there was only so much he could do. He wasn't even sure who he should give that information to. He hoped that, given the warning from their god, Siltvelt would postpone any ideas about going to war. For now, at least. The next set of heroes would have to make do.

"I thought I was going to lose you too." Keel said, the tears not stopping.

"I'm sorry." Dante continued to rub Keel's head.

"Promise me you won't leave again." He gripped the chainmail at Dante's waist.

"I promise."

"And promise you won't talk about dying again."

"I promise." Dante didn't realize Keel cared so much. What had he truly done for the boy? Yes, he bought him from the slave trader. He reunited him with Sadeena. He fed him good meals and made him stronger. He caught one of the slavers that attacked his village and learned of the rest.

…Dante was a fool. In the short amount of time they were together, he actually had done more for the kid than he realized. To him, it was enacting a plan and helping out a kid. To Keel, it must have meant the world.

Keel looked up at him with red eyes. His sight quickly focused on Dante's missing limb.

"Your arm…"

"Hush." Dante gave Keel's head one final stroke. "There'll be time to worry about me later." He turned Keel's attention to the cart, to his friends.

"Keel?" Raphtalia said, waking from her dozing.

"Raphtalia! Rifana!" Keel scrambled into the cart and hugged the two girls, his crying starting up again. Dante smiled at the display.

"I see you were successful." A voice said. Dante saw Reichnott approach, Fiadia following behind him. "Though it wasn't without sacrifice."

"You could say that." Dante rubbed the stump where his shoulder used to be. "Thank you for all you've done."

"I don't know what you mean." Reichnott kept his innocent smile on his face. "Please, rest for the night in my manor."

"After what we've done?" Dante was happy for the offer, but he didn't want to put the kind lord in any more danger than he has already.

"For rescuing slaves from an unjust fate, I believe a night's stay in my home is the least I can offer."

Dante nodded. "Thank you." He turned to Sadeena and beckoned her closer. "I think I'll go straight to sleep. Raphtalia should be having night terrors, so keep her close."

"Of course~." He didn't need to tell her that. She was probably going to keep all three of them close.

"We can talk about what happens next in the morning." With that, he made his way inside.

Fiadia escorted him to an empty bedroom, along with JoJo and Dio, who refused to leave his side. A look at his arm indicated there wasn't much risk of infection, which he was thankful for. He thanked her again for her help and bid her goodnight. Dante gave the bed a glance and decided against it. His two filolials would no doubt want to be as close to him as possible, and the bed wasn't likely to hold all three of them.

Shirking off his ruined chainmail, Dante lay next to his royal filolials on the floor. Their feathers really were quite soft. Within a minute, he was fast asleep, happily enjoying the first restful sleep in a long while.

Author's notes:

The battle was pretty quick, I admit, but I feel that a few good hits from someone strong will do in most people aside from the Shield Hero, disregarding level differences. I was trying to go for a more "Oh shit, we need to figure this out quick!" type of thing, so I hope you aren't too disappointed.

But yeah, missing an arm. I had that in mind for a some time. While it won't completely keep him from getting strong, I felt it would serve as a constant reminder not to bite of more than he can chew. I also imagine Siltvelt won't be too happy to hear about it, which is something being incredibly strong can't do much about.

I'll definitely be toning down Dante's "I'm okay if I die" attitude. It was a little contradictory, given he has a wish he wants fulfilled, but hey, grief can warp your thoughts in strange ways.