Seeing the Shield Hero once more

It's been a couple days, at least a week since we've arrived to this world, and we enjoyed the adventure. Wolf enjoys it even more.

It's fulfilling, hunting to our hearts content, seeing new things. That sort of stuff.

While we were hunting, I knew Naofumi was becoming the Shield Hero I knew him to be. After all, I watched him from afar the next day after the heroes met their party members.

Like how I saw in the novel and manga, he became bitter and full of wariness towards everyone. He started punching balloons with his fists, even though he can't really do damage.

I think he's just letting out all his anger on them. Wolf was enjoying the scene, even if the balloons aren't classified as real monsters who bleeds, he enjoys hunting them down nonetheless.

Poor balloons.

Just like that one time when I was on yet another hunt. The prey, a bear this time, didn't die with one arrow into its forehead. Even with a headshot, it won't matter as long as its HP still remains. I ended its pain with the next arrow.

"Go easily."

"No! Thrash! Flee!"

...

Anyways, Wolf says he approves of Naofumi now. The previous Naofumi was naive, and with this change, we're certain he can become a hero better than that dumb spear and edgy sword hero.

In any case, it's been days since our hunting began, and we'd gather not as many marks or levels as we had the first night. They're not increasing as fast as the beginning, probably because we're not hunting higher level monsters in the area.

The only way we can get more marks faster, is ro either go to higher level areas, with Wolf marking them, or I 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸 people so we can hunt them down...

I'll do that soon. Marking the bad ones first. The good ones... will wait until their time of death has arrived. After all, we can kind of tell when they're suppose to die. Comes with the perk of being the actual manifestations of death.

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𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸 of the Kindred (16)

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We really should begin moving on to more higher level areas. I guess we were nostalgic, hunting in the forest. Just like at our old home.

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Kindred (Lamb and Wolf)

HP: 170/170

MP: 170/170

-𝐎𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Hero of the Bow Level 8 / The Eternal Hunters ???

STR: 37(9)(+6) => 52

VIT: 14(+3) => 17

DEX: 84(27)(+6) => 117

INT: 14(+3) => 17

LUC:19(+3) => 22

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Still, to think we're getting so much stronger. The 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸 of the Kindred ability really is a strong skill, increasing our stats.

Although, we did absorb a lot of new monsters and materials to increase my bow's strength. Even if we don't get the usual skills as the heroes usually do. Probably due to the influence of my pasive ability.

Understandable.

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Bow of the Hunter (Legendary Armament)

Attack: 57

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I'll still have to try to copy the other bows, to see if we can get any special skills, or increase our bow's attack. Until then, its just upgrading the power of my bow, and training.

Oh, and to unlock the Dragon Hourglass. I assume it'll work for me, because it's necessary to teleport to the Waves. Can't forget that.

After Wolf was done eating our latest prey, we were about to move on to another hunt into the night, when Wolf suddenly sniffs into the air, and turned towards a direction.

Smoke.

I think it's a campfire, since the smoke wasn't really that big, but nonethless, who could be camping out here?

I smoothly leaped onto a branch of a tree, and jump towards the next with Wolf following behind me. Getting closer, I spotted someone-no two people-next to a river, both of them being familiar.

'Ah, it's Raphtalia and Naofumi.'

I should've known it was them, it was about time for Naofumi to get a slave, that slave being Raphtalia, a demihuman child. She was a somewhat 10 year old girl, and have brown hair, raccoon looking ears, and a brown tail.

Guess some things stay loyal to the canon timeline after all.

As we watched them from below a tree, staying in the shadows, I saw Naofumi mixing what seems to be medicine. He gave it to Raphtalia, who was coughing. She took a sip and almost spat it all out.

"Bllleeeeegggghhhhh, it's so bad..."

"You have to drink it, so that you can become healthy, and be strong enough to help me," Naofumi sternly lectured.

In the end, Raphtalia forcefully drank it, and after eating fish, fell asleep after the sun set.

The campfire still blazing, Naofumi was still tinkering away at making medicine. I assume he's trying to increase his medicine making skill level.

Hmm...

Do we walk up to him and start a conversation, or do we just leave? I don't really have any reason to talk with him, so I might as well just leave...

As I turned around and began to leave, I just noticed Wolf disappeared from my side.

I sensed through my bond where he was, and looked back, seeing him...

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[Naofumi] POV

*Sigh*

I kept hammering away at my medicine skill level, and checked on Raphtalia who was behind me a few times. Ever since I got her from that slave trade, I began trying to level her up.

By that, I just mean giving her a knife and using it to stab monsters for me as I hold them off.

'Speaking of weapons,' I looked at my shield, still residing on my arm.

"...you're the reason why I'm in this situation, you damn shield."

Yes, this shield is the sole reason why I'm stuck in this situation. Everybody hates the Shield Hero in this country apparently, and I can't even attack well with this thing. It only has 1 Attack.

As I began to turn back to my task, I noticed a shadow rising over me. Trying to not panic, and readied my shield, I slowly turned around, and saw behind me a bigger than average floating head of a somewhat familiar white wolf, grinning menacingly at me.

We stared at each other in silence, until the wolf spoke.

"Boo."

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[Lamb] POV

I nearly facepalmed when Wolf spoke, and Naofumi rolled away to the side quickly, putting himself between Raphtalia and Wolf, and raised his shield. Before Naofumi shout to warn Raphtalia, Raphtalia suddenly sat up and cried.

"Don't leave me! Please don't leave me! Mom... Dad...!"

Seeing Raphtalia crying and having a panic attack, Naofumi ignored Wolf and hurriedly knelt beside her, and hugged her.

"Shhh...everything's alright... I'm here..."

Raphtalia slowly calmed down, sniffling as Naofumi rocked her back and forth.

Wolf stared at them, his eyes flickering from confusion, to sadness, and then confusion as he gazed upon them. He flew over to the shade f a tree, where I was at, and he asked.

"I see water! What is that, Lamb?"

"They are called...tears."

Back in my old world, I've cried and seen people cried. In our many years as Kindred, we've never truly seen people cry out tears. Understandably, Wolf doesn't understand why people cry, never seeing people cry nor cried himself.

As we both stared at them in wonder and confusion, Naofumi must've noticed us, because he turned to look at where we were hiding, and wore a frown filled with caution.

"...You can come out now, I know you're there."

I sighed.

Guess it's about time to start a conversation.

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[Naofumi] POV

Trying to get Raphtalia to calm down, I've felt someone stared at me, and turned towards that direction.

I frowned, trying to see what was watching me, but I had a feeling I knew who it was.

"...You can come out now, I know you're there."

A moment of silence past, and then someone familiar silently walked out of the darkness of the night.

The light of the campfire dawned onto the child-like figure, a bit taller than Raphtalia, approaching us. Black ooves first appeared, going up to her pink-blue Japanese clothing, to her fur shoulders. Her red patterned white mask appeared after, along with her long bushy purple hair, two ram like horns on each side. A yellow star-shaped flower was on her left horn, one of her hand s holding her blue branch like bow, with pink petals sticking out.

She stopped walking towards us, standing at least a few feet away. She smoothly got into her usual stance of balancing on one leg, bow held horizontally with two hands in the front. Wolf floated besides her.

That's what she called him when he first appeared.

Wolf.

We stared silently at each other. I already knew she was somewhere near us the moment Wolf appeared.

If one was there, the other one was always nearby, at least I think so. I got the feeling that they were never apart from each other.

It was, of course, the mysterious and elusive Bow Hero.

Kindred.