Ken
At the library Celestine was gone through several books in a matter of hours. These contain important details on the history of Eostia, ranging from Larentia's descent to the Black Fortress being formed on the badlands of Garan, to Olga's war on the continent and the formation of the Seven Shield Alliance. Even some such as myths and fairy tales. Yet none held the information regarding the Monster Shifter, Jack Andros.
"Out of the troubles that has been present to me, this by far is the most confusing." Celestine let out a sigh of frustration. There was absolutely nothing on the books that told anything about Jack or even the magical artifact that lets him transform into other creatures not seen in Eostia.
"Then again, he is helping the people and is making far better progress in fending off Olga's monsters than we ever could." Celestine's heart aches as she remembered having to recall all available troops across Eostia to their kingdoms in an effort to drive back the monsters invading after the failed expedition to the badlands which severely reduced their manpower, leaving those outside vulnerable and left with the choice of either fending for themselves or having to pay ridiculous amounts of money just to have protection.
Though she is grateful that Jack is using that power for the greater good, the fact that someone holds that much power frustrated the nobles to no end. Most would bicker on what to do with the Monster Shifter. Jack's identity wasn't exactly that well hidden given two Iris Knights had given descriptions of him, the problem lies in that Jack would rarely stay in one place, often busy exterminating demons or bandits that harassed villages.
Some would suggest offering Jack their gold and land if it meant they would have the Monster Shifter under their household name.
Others wanted to their most powerful and beautiful daughters to marry him in the hopes of being able to raise his children.
Others are even saying that they must arrest him and take away his powers, declaring that a "commoner" doesn't deserve that kind of power, even going as far to make to eradicate the village Jack commonly stopped by in the hopes of luring him out and subdue him.
Celestine quickly shut that notion down and threatened to punish them if they ever brought that up again. The last thing she wanted was for Jack to be convinced that they were out to control him and turn to Olga as a result. The thought of the Monster Shifter serving Olga and ordered to raze Eostia brought shivers down Celestine's spine.
She can't let that happen. Even if they failed to recruit Jack into the Alliance, she had hope that Jack would be on good terms with them. Something that would be discussed in the upcoming meeting later.
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Steel clashes with hardened ice as two giant monsters duke it out in the center of the village amidst the fighting between guards and other demons. Those who're either hiding (the civilians) or not fighting (the demons who're busy raping females or too lazy to fight) are cheering for their respective representatives to win which will decide their fate.
The ogre roared as he swung his spiked mace again, only for Jack, who'd transformed into Goss Harag, to counter with his ice blade formed on his right arm. Sparks fly as every attack ends in a stalemate, neither getting the upper hand. Both circled each other for a while, locked in a stare down. Then both roared as they charge forward and swung their respective weapons forward with all their strength.
The result was both their weapons breaking upon impact, rendering them useless. However Goss Harag is faster to react and immediately sends a right hook the knocks the ogre down causing him drop the handle of his mace. He jumps at his adversary and they rolled around a bit before the Fanged Beast got on top of him and begins pummeling him with his clawed hands, sending blood splattering across the ground with every swing.
Try as the ogre might, the Snow Oni Beast was way heavier and thus can only roar in agony as Goss Harag literally beats him to death. A minute passed before Goss Hara lifts his claws up to reveal the ogre's caved head wit blood dripping from his fists. This broke the morale of the the demons, who upon seeing their strongest member dead, to drop whatever they're doing, fighting the humans or raping the women, and began to flee in terror.
Only Jack wasn't going to let them escape and slams on the MonTrix symbol, undergoing another form. This time it's a large wolf with cobalt scales ending with white edges and having ridges down its back. The MonTrix symbol located on its left shoulder.
"LUNAGARON!" The Icy Wolf Wyvern howls as ice forms on his body. His chin, chest, front claws, back and even tail soon had ice and began to stand on his two legs, becoming akin to a werewolf and began chasing the fleeing demons. They had no chance as Lunagaron used his mouth and ice-powered claws to shred their bodies into mince meat.
With the threat eliminated, Lunagaron drops the upper body of a goblin in his mouth and rears his body up to howl, which was followed by the cheers of the guards and civilians as they celebrated their victor over the invaders.
The Fanged Wyvern turns to head back to the village when he stopped and glance to his side, sensing a strong energy in the air but couldn't make of it. "Hm, strange." He muttered and stared at the direction of the energy he'd sensed.
A moment passed by later before he shakes his head. "Probably just my imagination." He said to himself, switching to helping the villagers rebuild their homes and bury the dead while burning any demon corpse.
(^)(^)(^)(^)(^)
Ken
Celestine sat in front of a large round table with two maids beside her. Her fellow Seven Shield Princess are also in attendance: Claudia Levantine from Geofu, Prim and Alicia from Ur and Feoh, Maia from Ansur, Luu-Luu from Rad and Kaguya from Thorn.
After chatting and exchanging greetings from each other, Celestine decided to start meeting to discussion one important thing. "I'm grateful for all of you for making the long journey here." She started and bowed to which the others returned.
"As you all know, Queen Tamanna of Burkan Kingdom and Queen Celine of Ribfoul Kingdom will be arriving here soon to discuss trades with us. However, this is not why I have brought you here for this meeting." Celestine stated, to which the others became confused. "Rather, the topic I will be discussing is the mysterious person named Jack Andros, aka the Monster Shifter."
"Oh, oh, oh! You mean that guy?!" Luu-Luu stood from where she sat, excitement seeping through her voice. Despite Halflings possessing most advanced engineering race Eostia has produced, she was in awe of how his magical artifact worked.
"You mean the same guy that saved Prim here before and kicking demon ass?" Maia asked, curious about Jack herself. She's meta lot of people throughout her career, but nothing to the degree Jack has. The same applies to Alicia and Claudia who had the same thinking expression.
Prim said nothing but had a smile on her face, recalling the time Jack had rescued her from being raped by a pack of imps.
Kaguya, on the other hand, had narrowed her eyes as she is in deep thought on Jack's artifact that lets him transform into various creatures completely unknown in Eostia. She had dug deep into the most sacred parts of her library to look for information, yet nothing came up about the MonTrix. Only by asking the Monster Shifter himself in person may quell her curiosity.
Celestine coughed in order to make them focus on the topic. "Based on the the reports that Anne and Marie had given, we are aware that Jack has done a lot of good deed since he arrived here. As of the latest report, Jack has defended or rescued 4 villages from demons this week, making a total of 107 villages in total."
Maia let out a whistle at that as the other Princesses had their interests peaked. Even their best soldiers couldn't manage to repel every demon raid.
"There's another thing I would like to bring up. Witnesses have claimed that whenever Jack transforms into any of those creatures, he lets out a burst of energy. Mages have reported this is energy is as powerful as our magic, possibly even rivaling my own, but is said to be natural."
They gasped in shock, unable to comprehend what Celestine dropped. Natural energy on par with magic? It was absurd. Even the natural energy from elves and dark elves have can only do so much on their own. Even Celestine herself, who is the goddess Larentia reincarnated, would have to channel enough magic to perform miracles.
"..... So what do you suggest we do about Jack Andros?" Kaguya broke the silence.
"Same as always, we request an audience from him and request to if he's willing to join the Alliance. Or at the very least, become our ally in our war against Garan." Celestine said.
"Well we trying our best, but the guy just won't stay in one place. And even then, he's somehow hard to find even with the descriptions Alicia's knights gave us." Maia crossed her arms and sighed. Every time they get a sighting of the Monster Shifter, they would arrive too late as he would depart not long after rescuing people. And they still hard a time trying to spot him in the areas he's seen hanging around.
(A/N: Just remember that Jack wore his original clothes when he first arrived and when he saved Prim, not his adventurer outfit. Plus black hair and brown eyes are probably common in this era so trying to find him amongst a crowd without his original appearance would be difficult.)
"And the people Stawford village weren't exactly very helpful either." Alicia frowned, recalling that many residents either avoid the question or don't answer at all whenever she. Even Anne and Marie, who were there when Jack saved it from a demon raid, hard a time time getting an answer out of anyone.
"To be fair, they probably think we're trying to arrest him because of what he can do." Luu-Luu said crossing her arms. She knew some nobles who were seething about a "commoner" having that much power and want him removed him from the equation.
"Which is exactly why we must find him and show that we're not trying to control him or anything." Celestine said, her face stern as she gazed at her companions.
"Because the alternative is Olga getting her hands on the Monster Shifter if we were to drive him off." That statement alone brought shivers down their spines. They already saw what what Jack's monster forms are capable. The thought of him using those forms not to protect but to destroy didn't bode well for everyone.
But before anyone could ask, Marie barged through the doors followed by several other Iris Knights and Dawn Templars, all looking exhausted as they had to run all the way.
"You majesty! I have have terrible news!" Marie panted, trying to catch her breath. "A Savage Dracon has been spotted crossing the border and heading straight for the Bread Hills!"
A cacophony of horrified gasps echoed throughout the room. The Savage Dracon was one of the most powerful monsters in Garan, possessing immense power and magic that's only surpassed by Olga and Celestine. At the height of its power, it eradicated most armies. It was only by Celestine calling forth the power of Larentia was it repelled. It went dormant when Olga's power weakened and couldn't call upon it again. The fact it reawakened terrified them.
But that isn't the worst part. The Bread Hill is one of Eostia's most important farming lands in the region and if that were to be destroyed, then tens of thousands of people would starve!
"We must assemble a huge army at once!" Alicia slammed her hands on the table.
"But can take hours and by the time we gathered enough soldiers, it may already be too late." Claudia, frustration taking over.
"Well we can't just stand here and do nothing! We have to gather whatever troops we have now and deal with it." Maia said.
As the other Shield Princesses bicker on how to deal with the incoming threat, Celestine noticed Marie squirming a bit. As if she was shy about telling them something. "What's wrong, Marie?" Celestine asked her, holding her hand up to silence the others as the listen to what the Iris Knight has to say.
After a moment of hesitation, Marie took a deep breath. "Miss Celestine, there's something else I need to tell you that requires your attention."
"The Monster Shifter has been spotted in Geofu and, upon hearing that the Savage Dracon was heading for the Bread Hills, went off on his own to confront the beast." This caught everyone else off-guard.
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A few hours ago.....
"Huh?" Jack, in his adventurer outfit, stopped in his tracks and was perplexed by the sight of numerous Dawn Templars and Iris Knights scrambling all over the place, assembling horses and weapons while others gathered boxes. He had just recently arrived in Geofu and had only managed to explore the market before the bell rang several times.
'Seriously? Even their armors are no different from the ones Anne and Marie wore.' Jack's right eye twitched at the sight of the Dawn Templars' armors. Other than having more silver than gold, they're still the same skimpy ones the Iris Knights put on. 'No wonder demons have a easier time raping them if they catch one.'
"Uh, excuse me." He called out to one of civilians who were getting out of the soldiers' way and watching from the sidelines with concerned faces. "What is happening?"
"A Savage Dracon has been spotted crossing the borders from Garan to Ken and was heading for the Bread Hills." A blacksmith explained, smoking his cigar.
"Oh man, the Bread Hills is where we get our food supplies." A young man said gripping his hair. "If it gets destroyed, we all starve to death in the winter!" Many citizens are gossiping about this, worried for their livelihood.
Jack is in deep thought. He remembered reading from the books that the Savage Dracon was a very powerful and dangerous monster that guarded the Black Fortress long before Olga took control of the tower. Supposedly it went dormant after the Dark Queen's magic waned but now it was active and is about to destroy one of the most important lands of Eostia, jeopardizing thousands in the process.
'..... Could it be my fault somehow?' Jack frowned, looking down. He wondered if his arrival in Eostia is what caused the Savage Dracon to awaken once again as they are also drawn by immense energy. He felt really guilty about him accidentally waking the beast up to wreak havoc upon the continent.
Then he'll have to make up for it by taking care of that monster.
"Where is the Bread Hills located if I may ask?"
"Northeast from here, just pass the Gravelport River. It'll take half a day on a horse." Another man replied. "Why'd you ask?"
"..... Thanks." Jack turned and headed towards the gate.
"Hey, where are you going?" He turns to see a Dawn Templar walking up to him. "It's not safe to be out there with the Savage Dracon going on a rampage."
"Where else? I'm going to the Bread Hills and confront the Savage Dracon." He declared. This caught the nearby civilians and knights' attention as they gasped at his statement.
"Are you crazy?!"
"You must be delusional!"
"You're either stupid or gotten too drunk!"
"This is no time to be playing hero, sir!" She scolded, grabbing his shoulder roughly to pull him back. "The Savage Dracon is unlike anything we've seen so far, capable of taking out entire armies. What makes you think you can fight it by yourself?!"
'Originally I didn't want to make myself known to any of the Kingdoms yet, but I guess now's the time to introduce myself.'
Jack simply smiled and grabs the hood over his face to pull it down, revealing his face. "Because I have this." He held up the arm that held his MonTrix.
Everyone, civilians and knights alike, gasped as Jack revealed himself to them as the Monster Shifter they had heard rumors about. The Dawn Templar loosened her grip on his shoulder in shock. He wasted no time slamming the MonTrix's faceplate to undergo a transformation. "VALSTRAX!" The Sky Comet Elder Dragon declared.
"Wait!" The Elder Dragon is about to fly off when he heard Anne's voice calling out to him. He glance to see Marie towards him.
"Jack..... the Goddess.... wants to speak....." Apparently she'd been busy running errands with the other Iris Knights when she saw him and barely managed to catch up to him before he was
"No time. Whatever Celestine wants with me will have to wait. I'm gonna have to face the Savage Dracon and prevent him from reaching the Bread Hills." Valstrax said.
"And if you can't?" Marie asked, worried filling her voice. As much as she knew his capability, the Savage Dracon might be even too much for him to handle.
Valstrax went silent at that. The Savage Dracon was unlike any demon or monster he'd ever faced in Eostia. Mainly because it uses magic at its disposal which has been considered the second strongest only below to the likes of Celestine and Olga. None of the Monsters he has any magic of their own save for the Behemoth.
But Jack swore to never to that form after Khyber tricked him into using that to go on a rampage and was only stopped by Ben and Gwen taking him down. Afterwards he requested Azmuth to remove Behemoth from the MonTrix and was inaccessible since then.
However, he'd be damned if he let more people die. "..... then least I can do is stall the Savage Dracon long enough for the Alliance to assemble an army strong enough to finish it." Valstrax made his choice.
He reached for the MonTrix symbol with his and twists it as he changes. While his most of his body remain the same, the wings had undergone a the biggest changes as they had exhaust vent-like structures and had permanent red marks on them alongside its change due to the immense Dragon energy he was emitting.
"CRIMSON GLOW VALSTRAX!" The Star of Despair screeched, his spreading his wings and releases huge amounts of Dragon energy to lift himself up in the air as he soars above Geofu and headed to the Bread Hills to fight the Savage Dracon.
Marie stood there stunned before shaking her shock off and hopped on a horse to rode to Ken with several other Iris Knights and Dawn Templars with her, rushing to inform her that Jack is about face the biggest fight of his life.