Shieldfreeden

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An independent nation on the western side of the Kingdom of Eonis. it is a nation founded and led by Demi-Humans. They welcome any and all who come there and seem to subsist on basic trade system with a regional republic government. They have a volunteer army which trains itself in the open fields during the dry season, and they keep wild animals and creatures from their lands with nature. The entirety of the country is quiet, friendly and just barely past the entrance of industrialization. They are cash poor but rich in other ways and with an excessive amount of man-power which may eventually help them become a proper independent Kingdom.

A large, ornate-looking arch appeared abruptly within the nation of Shieldfreeden early in the day. Its construction was the work of Amakusa, the newest Avatar of the outsider to this world, Geno Killer. A full group emerged from this portal, including the young monarchs of Eonis Kingdom, and key members of a rising Adventurer group including Amakusa himself. This was a clear sign of something to be feared by many present Demi-Humans, but the Ruler-Class male seemed to wave off any worries of those who beheld the group. "Let's see what you have then, princess. You're obviously the talker of the two, so start talking. Lead your future people. Make them want to follow you, and then hold yourself to whatever words you offer them."

Out of this ornate looking arch bounded a certain Tanuki Demi-Human. Her presence alone, among these newcomers set a few people at ease at least. "Oi, Nii-san don't do anything too crazy. I'll be back in a few minutes..." she said giving a quick wink to Miki before headed off into the distance to find her Dragon Hourglass. Miki chuckled about the whole thing while Aerona came into this new place looking a bit distressed. She didn't know what she expected to find in Shieldfreeden but this place looked peaceful. Her own Kingdom never looked this way to her, and until they showed up here, it looked as if these people had been going about their lives completely unbothered by the potential threats of the world at large. Though some were without question displaced others seemed to be quite at ease here, even with the number of strangers suddenly in their midst.

In the meant time Amakusa's words to Aerona made her eyes widen slightly. "Of course!" she said with an amount of false bravado that was obvious to the blonde atop her pillow. She thought back to the first time she'd given a speech to people she didn't know, trying to convince them of her rightness in a situation which didn't seem to favor her. She sighed at the thought, though it was one of her better memories. "Sou ka, straight into the deep end. It's sink or swim then..." she muttered still thinking over a great many things. Aerona stood before a gathering of Demi-Humans and wondered what she could say to them. They didn't know her, and it had been made clear that people didn't just follow others for no reason. Something so simple as a combined effort against the Demon front might not be enough. "Citizens of Shieldfreeden," she started seemingly working through the first part of the speech she was working on. "I'm Princess Aerona, of Eonis and I come to you asking your assistance." she stated, her words while still arrogant seemed to have gained a bit less aggression."Eonis is under attack, a demon menace aims to overtake us, and we... simply don't have the manpower to fight it off on our own," she said. "I am aware that many of you, previously lived within the walls of Eonis and experienced ill-treatment at the hands of our Kingdom which I cannot hope to ask forgiveness for," she said, thinking of her brother and wondering if she'd be able to convince the group. "I won't seek forgiveness for the past, I can only hope to right the injustices from this point forward and with your aid I know we can find peace and a demon free country together..." she finished not really knowing if that would amount to anything.

"Hai. Good luck," he said to the Demi-Human Avatar of his sister. When he spoke these words, he didn't mean them quite so literally. In fact, it would have been more accurate if he'd advised her to have fun instead. That was a bit closer to his true meaning. Having no concern for what the lass might get herself into, he chose to observe the ruling method of Aerona. Her start was a bit shaky, though it quickly righted itself. By the end, though, she seemed to be losing traction. Was that all she had to say? She was missing some very key aspects to motivating those she wished to have follow her. He offered a single look, and nod, to Eonis' prince during the silence.

As a result of Amakusa's prodding, Aeronius stepped forward with only a moment of hesitation. "I am Prince Aeronius Eon. As my sister said, we cannot hope to right the wrongs you have suffered. We only hope that you will give us this chance by fighting with us, that we might work toward a brighter future for Humans and Demi-Humans alike within Eonis! King Eon... our father, has been overcome by Devil Magic. If you can help us stop him, we can all band together and work toward never letting this sort of thing happen again."

In the moments after her speech, Aerona could see herself losing traction, and she wasn't quite sure why. It wasn't until her brother spoke up, that she realized what it was she truly lacked as a leader. She could go off to war, fight, and talk a good game. But after the war was over, dealing with the people helping them with their ambitions, helping them find peace, this wasn't one of her original thoughts. It took someone as soft as her brother, to make claims about a future and to want to stick by them. Apparently their crowd thought the best of this addition. With several of the faces who'd looked discouraged choosing to stand a bit straighter once more. "We can't force you to stand with us, we only wish you to join us in reclaiming our home!" she managed to bring the end of the speech together.

All the while Miki watched this partnership begin properly. 'One soft outcast and one rough shut-in. Pretty good teamwork I'd say. At the very least they cover each others weaknesses which is more than can be said for most people,' the blonde lass thought. Several of the people here began to disperse. Some wouldn't fight after being turned away so viciously. This was understandable, but those who wished for a better future, or didn't really want to leave home in the first place and with more forgiving natures. They would stay. This upped the number of able-bodied individuals by quite a good number, several already carrying weapons some stating their intentions to gather their necessary equipment and be ready to leave at a moments notice. "That speech had some shaky points, but not bad for your first go of it..." Miki mentioned before reverting her attention to Amakusa. "Is that big enough for what we have to do next?" she asked of the white haired man, wondering exactly how much depth this would need for his plan to continue.

All seemed to be well. The pieces of this puzzle had been fitted together quite nicely, with the complimenting aspects of the royals' personalities working in unison. Neither of the two could have managed a thing without the other. On one hand, the princess came off as a tyrant who thought too little of her people's welfare. On the other hand, the prince presented himself as a softhearted individual who could do nothing to protect those who needed a mighty ruler. These forces together created the perfect harmony, as if they were meant to rule as a unit. Amakusa had no visible reaction to either part of the overall speech, but he was silently observing and judging the outcome. "Hmm. Considering how well this is gone, I think our percentage may have gone up to about 120+. It's still not ideal, but a few specific approaches when we get to the kingdom should push us to 150% easily enough. The proper pieces need to be in place around the Demi-Humans, though they can't be smothered and feel like there's any chance of being turned against. It's a delicate situation, but that is where you come in... Madoka."

It seemed both of the leaders of this group saw what the ones who'd come from the Kingdom of Eonis couldn't. This brother and sister were definitely infinitely better off as a pair. But Miki and Kou or right now Miki and Amakusa knew the benefits of such a partnership and as such they seemed to work out fine. The words of Amakusa hit Miki's ears and she could do nothing but agree. The overalls on their composition increased dramatically with the addition of this number of Demi-Humans. "Yeah, my calculations about this working out are getting better. I also have a pretty decent plan for keeping them placated after the dust settles..." she mentioned having enough time between the speech and the initial speaking of the group to have thought through the economic impact of ingratiating the new group. Especially now that she had something more exact as far as numbers to work with as well as a look at the country proper to see what kinds of skilled and unskilled labor they had going. She could foresee only one potential problem but if all else failed they could come back and handle that later. Or rather they'd likely have to...

Apparently there was at least one other delicate situation which required the hand of one such as Madoka. The white haired lass had accompanied this group but she'd been quietly watching this whole thing. She'd never imagined Aerona coming off as anything other than a tyrant and though she didn't know the lad Aeronius he was definitely good for the Kingdom and she had no idea why he'd left in the first place. Still the shocking mention of her name brought a newfound wideness to her eyes. "M-me?! What do you think I can do?" she asked whether this was genuine or not didn't really matter. She had said she would help, and she needed to continue proving her usefulness to remain in charge.

Their planning was so close to completion, and they were rather close to their final moments in this area as well. Amakusa hadn't mentioned, but his method of teleporting them while sending them ten minutes into the past, was meant to see them return immediately after their departure. They still had a few minutes remaining to meet quota, and it seemed those few minutes would start with Madoka questioning of her worth in this escapade. "You fill a role I can't while I'm in this form. To put it simply, you play a vital role in supporting the Demi-Humans and Humans alike. Your Ultima Strike can be used to arm and heal the forces. If you use Form Change along with it, you could easily turn the tide of battle for an entire army at a moment's notice. Actually... you may be one of the more valuable pieces," he explained. Had he developed a legitimate respect for Madoka? No, not really. This was all a puzzle, a game even, and he intended to use all pieces at his disposal for the ultimate results. There would be no moves wasted, nothing unnecessary done, and nothing lost. "If I'm right, it should take no longer than thirteen minutes to reach King Eon. Ideally, we should be there in seven."

Miki listened to Amakusa's words. Did she wonder if he'd gained some strange respect for Madoka? No, she was at least baseline familiar with this sort of tactic. Whether you respected someone or not, if they had a role to play, you had to understand the whole of their situation and abilities. Madoka's abilities were listed as well as their uses, and Miki as a high tier gamer previously understood immediately how this would work out. Arming the citizens, helping out the healing and the like. she could be used to practically make the army into Berserkers. "Wait? I can do that?!" asked Madoka. She'd never thought of auxiliary uses for her abilities and had never tried to make more than a single weapon. After all, she couldn't use more than a single weapon, she had no reason to try and create more of them. "You know a bit of creativity goes a long way... think outside the box once in a while," Miki said which made Madoka nod her head. She began looking at her own skills list wondering in what ways she could be of additional use besides the ones mentioned. Madoka looked to both Amakusa and Miki and understood what she'd been told. "Hai, I'll do my best," she said knowing she would fully commit to the idea.

In the meantime Hikari would return her own level now 32, she smiled at her brother and bounced on her toes. In her wake a few other young Demi-Humans who seemed to fall into her age group. "I brought some extras just in case they botched it... well, seems fine. So, are we about ready to go back?" she asked happily. It hadn't taken her very long at all to go back to her Dragon Hourglass, unlike others hers was in a simple place and could be approached at any given time, not extra work required.

"Of course you can. Your skill layout doesn't suit your design for maximum optimization on your own, but putting you with the right team ─ or an army ─ will make a very strong combination. That Omega Skill of yours is actually something very potent, if you use it properly. When I saw it in you, I thought of it being used as an Ars Armagus. Try it that way, and it'll go far." He didn't have much more to say about Madoka's skill set. It was horrible for solo play at level 50, but quite good with the right group dynamic as he saw it. If nothing else, Eonis' princess would make a wonderful DPS/Support in a low-tier Raid Party. Now then, with Hikari returning, it seemed their time to depart was finally here. She even managed to round up a few more Demi-Humans, so all they needed at present was to bring the entire group through the gate. "Hai hai. Now that we're here, we can go back to saving a kingdom. This arch should lead us all to the seconds right after we left."

Madoka hadn't really considered that her build might not be the best for the way she was playing until it was pointed out to her. She'd originally made every choice presented to her, based on the offerings of the Nexus. It would figure that the CPU itself would instead of optimizing builds for solo adventures, give newer players options that made them more suited to group play. "Sou ka... I'll give it a try!" said Madoka, beaming. She didn't know why this Amakusa managed to be so nice to her, perhaps she'd been wrong in her desire for a Knight, this personality seemed much more agreeable. Beyond this Miki found the whole speech to be a great deal of information presented to the lass known as Madoka. Perhaps there would be hope for her yet.

Hikari's return though would herald a few more words from Amakusa who claimed they would all return to Eonis only a few moments after their departure. "Umphf, I don't know how you managed that, but whatever, there is a Kingdom to Save. With me!" Aerona said. Perhaps stately adventures and proper ruling weren't yet her thing, but she was at least a warrior who knew how to command a battalion and thus a large number of Demi-Humans were following her through. Madoka skipped her way through as well happily joining up. The last one through in this case would be Miki, who had been quiet and deep in thought about the coming events. The fight itself didn't scare her too much given all the pieces they had in place now. The aftermath would be a bit annoying but nothing she couldn't handle. No, right just now only one thing needed saying, "Hoh? Bending space-time in this form seems like cheating!~" she teased Amakusa as she went on through as well, she might as well have a bit more fun if they were about to head into a war zone.

Continue the Adventure Here.