- Location
- Somewhere.
I'm looking at you, BAHHSQ...
The Rising of the Shield Heroine
- Thread starter Tale Swapper
- Start date
- Crossover
... Yeah. It does. I... just....
- Location
- SoCal
I've really enjoyed this and look forward to more.
Two things stand out.
How does Aisha recognize Taylor's voice when she's too young for Winslow? She's not studious so she wouldn't have skipped two years. They may have been in the same middle school and the extra time might contribute to her not being able to place the voice.
Also where was Madison shot? Upper or lower?
Two things stand out.
How does Aisha recognize Taylor's voice when she's too young for Winslow? She's not studious so she wouldn't have skipped two years. They may have been in the same middle school and the extra time might contribute to her not being able to place the voice.
Also where was Madison shot? Upper or lower?
Those are two are excellent questions that I am looking forward to reading the answers to. Thank you for pointing them out.
Tutorial Interlude: Two Sinners, Two Trials
Tale Swapper
(Unverified Madman)
- Location
- Lost Among a Sea of Imaginings and Dreams
Madison Clements hated her room.
That hadn't always been the case. As little as eight months ago, she'd loved her room, having her own space separate from the rest of her family. The old-style vanity to one side, the desk with her rebuilt laptop, and the many knicknacks cluttering the bookshelf had been indicative of her style, and who she was.
She supposed self-loathing would make a place created in one's own image a prison.
Madison glared at the vanity, not for the first time wishing it was one of the ones whose heavy mirror could be rotated to place the surface against the wall. The mirror, and the person in it, was no longer her friend.
Madison couldn't ever lay a finger on the one moment that made her think she'd sold her soul. Taylor's flute had been bad, but she'd managed to retrieve it and get it patched up. Seeing Taylor humiliated- for the twentieth or thirtieth time- was, at the end of things, relatively minor. Something that would pass. Ruining her books, something that caused the already poor Hebert family to pay for replacements- well, that might have been a bit much.
But Madison knew her soul was already gone by the time Emma suggested the Locker. Otherwise, it wouldn't have taken until Taylor's screams died into wimpers within the metal box for her to feel the slowly churning pangs of guilt she'd gotten so good at suppressing.
She was actually pretty scared about that. How much further would she have gone, if Sophia had managed to get away with even that torture? How much further would her empathy have shrunk?
But even at school, within her carefully constructed mask, she had felt the horror and fear. Been baptized in guilt, time and again. Never during the acts; it was easy, when surrounded by the popular folks, defended by Sophia's muscles and Emma's charisma, to ignore the feelings. But afterwards, in the comfort and security of her room, she'd broken down, many times.
It was all too easy to see herself in Taylor. So she'd tried to harden her heart, simultaneously hoping Sophia and Emma would always rule the roost and praying for their downfall. And then her prayers were answered.
Madison still wasn't sure what had happened to her was enough. Expulsion? Grounding? Those were chump change. Owning up to Taylor, and apologizing; that meant a bit more. Getting a crossbow bolt through her leg was a good payment, she supposed, but surviving meant the debt had not entirely been paid off.
(Also, of course Sophia had been getting away with it all, she was Shadow Stalker. No wonder they got into Taylor's locker so easily… So many things made more sense.)
But through every punishment, the guilt remained. She'd cost Taylor a year and a half of her life; to that a few months of grounding was nothing. Apologizing and returning the only priceless thing she'd helped steal didn't begin to pay back for every ruined lunch, ripped textbook, or pilfered assignment. And Taylor's wounds in the locker were worse than any Madison had ever endured.
And now… now her family was treating her like a victim.
She knew why. Shadow Stalker had attacked them, gone after the only daughter of her family- that struck close to home. But seeing Sophia's actions writ large in her alternate ego's black costume had only further driven home how much of a villain Madsion Clements had been; and Taylor was only the main target of her manipulations.
Her cutesy smile, clever tongue, apt agility; all turned into a small-scale monster. As much a villain as the one who'd nearly ended her life.
Curled up in her bed, Madison looked around the room, remembering the girl she once was, and lamenting that she'd never see her again. As she drifted off to sleep, she found herself half-hoping to never wake again. It'd be better than living with the guilt, knowing nothing she could do could pay off the debt she owed her own soul.
Madison stood on a balcony, overlooking a sprawling city. Thatch roofs, wattle and daub made up the main construction materials, and the sky was a perfect blue. It was something out of a storybook.
"The view is lovely, isn't it." Turning, Madison set her eyes upon a single man, sitting at a table overlooking the city below. Despite the opulence of the palace room behind him, the man sat on his seat in coarse brown robes, his white beard and hair cropped neatly but without styling. Before Madison could speak, he held up one hand. "Before you protest, this is no dream. This is a glimpse of what might have come next, for you."
Madison took a seat across from the man. "Living in a palace? I don't think I deserve that."
"Neither do I, Miss Clements. But what you see below is but an illusion of prosperity and peace." The man sipped from a clay cup as he spoke. "The people there are mere facsimiles of reality; they cannot properly think, nor reason. We are alone in this city, far from any friends or family. And I cannot leave."
Madison shuddered. "Isolation? I suppose that's a punishment of sorts."
The man nodded. "Once, I was king of this place. Melromarc was my wife's demesne, and I was her co-ruler. I was known as Aultcray Melromarc. But by the end of my life, I was known as Trash." He groaned, sinking in his chair. "I earned that name."
Madison's lips pressed together. "So you're trapped here, alone, with no company. For what sins?"
"I broke numerous oaths and many laws to see one of the heroes of the realm accused of heinous acts, a decision which nearly caused the world to end. I allowed for the construction of a system of slavery which ended many lives and broke the spirit of thousands. I allowed my eldest daughter to run roughshod over many, corrupting and betraying dozens of good men and women while I turned a blind eye. My actions cost my sister and her daughter their lives, caused the deaths of tens of thousands, and allowed a sadistic monster a chance to overrun our world." Trash sighed. "This is my punishment. Either eternity alone, or-" he motioned to one side, towards an empty doorway standing nearby "to suffer through what I caused."
"What do you mean?"
"Each time I step through that door, I live through the life of one of the people, one of the beings who suffered directly for what I did. I must live through twenty one lives, each one beginning with joy but ending in tragedy and sorrow. Because of my own actions, and the horrors they enabled." Trash's head was bowed as he stared down into the cup before him. "Children torn by whips, raped and left for dead. Loyal knights and lords, who saw all they'd built torn to pieces by my policies, until their children were forced to shoulder their burdens. My own niece, dead at eleven because I was too focused on retribution to look for the sister I claimed to avenge." His face clenched, cutting off gathering tears. "I've lived through eighteen of the countless lives I've ruined. This city is a refuge, but one I must leave to one day see my family again. And to leave is to suffer, to take wounds upon my soul."
Madison listened, her gut twisting as he spoke. "Do I need to step through that-"
"No. You have sinned, yes. But your sins could be fixed in this life, not the next or the space between." He held up one hand, forestalling her questions. "I have an offer for you. A way to get the power you think you need, and pay the debt you shoulder."
Madison's brow furrowed. "...think I need?"
"You believe that only power will allow you to make a difference. Eventually, I suspect you would settle. Maybe become a teacher, or a community leader. Someone with the power to guide others. But here, I can offer you a different strength. Something more… immediate."
The long-dead king waved his hand, a small crystalline orb appearing on the table. "This orb contains the remnants of a dead soul. That of a raven demi-human infant." His face grew lines as he stared into the orb, his shoulders slumping forward. "She was killed to punish her mother, a slave who had become too unruly. Another death at my hands, and in one too young to have developed a complex soul."
Madison's heart stilled as she stared into the small orb. "Why would- how would offering me that help me? Shouldn't she rest?"
"Souls that young have no full sense of self. They are passed back into the cycle of reincarnation. This one had yet to be sent back." He motioned towards the orb. "Despite that, it still contains the essence of the soul it held- the potential, the link to power. If you accept, her soul would be spliced into yours, and you would carry her power with you as you grew. A similar thing has been done already, in your world."
Madison eyed the orb with trepidation. "And if I messed up…"
"It would damn her soul as well, yes. Although, with even a little time, she and you would become one." His face grew grave, lips curling into a frown. "As I said, young lady, you could still do a lot of good alone. You do not need power to do the right thing. This bargain will twist your body, and to a smaller extent, alter your mind and soul."
"But I'd be able to…" Madison's thoughts went to a silver-and-green figure, intercepting a shadowy assassin. Standing between her and a monster, not knowing that they had one at their back, as well as before them. At the very least, she could ease the burdens on those real heroes, the ones who had nothing to repay. "I'll do it."
"Very well." The old man lifted the orb. "Take this, then. A warning- it is likely to be painful."
"Yeah well-" Madison grabbed the orb, feeling it sink into her hand. "I deserve every bit of it."
"I doubt that." Madison's last sight of the man was him standing, taking steps towards the empty doorway, even as shocks and tremors began to run through her form, the dream collapsing around her. "Fare thee well, Miss Clements. Seek out the Shield, once you figure out your new abilities."
Madison nodded, even as she convulsed on the flagstones, the world fading from her vision. As she vanished, she heard the fallen king speak to someone just out of sight. "You have grown more forgiving as you age, Lord Naofumi. If even the gods can change, perhaps there is hope yet for me..."
Author's note: you know, I actually finished this some time ago, then forgot to publish it. And now that I'm going back through my notes, I found it waiting. Well, I'm still writing. Let's see how far I can go...
That hadn't always been the case. As little as eight months ago, she'd loved her room, having her own space separate from the rest of her family. The old-style vanity to one side, the desk with her rebuilt laptop, and the many knicknacks cluttering the bookshelf had been indicative of her style, and who she was.
She supposed self-loathing would make a place created in one's own image a prison.
Madison glared at the vanity, not for the first time wishing it was one of the ones whose heavy mirror could be rotated to place the surface against the wall. The mirror, and the person in it, was no longer her friend.
Madison couldn't ever lay a finger on the one moment that made her think she'd sold her soul. Taylor's flute had been bad, but she'd managed to retrieve it and get it patched up. Seeing Taylor humiliated- for the twentieth or thirtieth time- was, at the end of things, relatively minor. Something that would pass. Ruining her books, something that caused the already poor Hebert family to pay for replacements- well, that might have been a bit much.
But Madison knew her soul was already gone by the time Emma suggested the Locker. Otherwise, it wouldn't have taken until Taylor's screams died into wimpers within the metal box for her to feel the slowly churning pangs of guilt she'd gotten so good at suppressing.
She was actually pretty scared about that. How much further would she have gone, if Sophia had managed to get away with even that torture? How much further would her empathy have shrunk?
But even at school, within her carefully constructed mask, she had felt the horror and fear. Been baptized in guilt, time and again. Never during the acts; it was easy, when surrounded by the popular folks, defended by Sophia's muscles and Emma's charisma, to ignore the feelings. But afterwards, in the comfort and security of her room, she'd broken down, many times.
It was all too easy to see herself in Taylor. So she'd tried to harden her heart, simultaneously hoping Sophia and Emma would always rule the roost and praying for their downfall. And then her prayers were answered.
Madison still wasn't sure what had happened to her was enough. Expulsion? Grounding? Those were chump change. Owning up to Taylor, and apologizing; that meant a bit more. Getting a crossbow bolt through her leg was a good payment, she supposed, but surviving meant the debt had not entirely been paid off.
(Also, of course Sophia had been getting away with it all, she was Shadow Stalker. No wonder they got into Taylor's locker so easily… So many things made more sense.)
But through every punishment, the guilt remained. She'd cost Taylor a year and a half of her life; to that a few months of grounding was nothing. Apologizing and returning the only priceless thing she'd helped steal didn't begin to pay back for every ruined lunch, ripped textbook, or pilfered assignment. And Taylor's wounds in the locker were worse than any Madison had ever endured.
And now… now her family was treating her like a victim.
She knew why. Shadow Stalker had attacked them, gone after the only daughter of her family- that struck close to home. But seeing Sophia's actions writ large in her alternate ego's black costume had only further driven home how much of a villain Madsion Clements had been; and Taylor was only the main target of her manipulations.
Her cutesy smile, clever tongue, apt agility; all turned into a small-scale monster. As much a villain as the one who'd nearly ended her life.
Curled up in her bed, Madison looked around the room, remembering the girl she once was, and lamenting that she'd never see her again. As she drifted off to sleep, she found herself half-hoping to never wake again. It'd be better than living with the guilt, knowing nothing she could do could pay off the debt she owed her own soul.
Madison stood on a balcony, overlooking a sprawling city. Thatch roofs, wattle and daub made up the main construction materials, and the sky was a perfect blue. It was something out of a storybook.
"The view is lovely, isn't it." Turning, Madison set her eyes upon a single man, sitting at a table overlooking the city below. Despite the opulence of the palace room behind him, the man sat on his seat in coarse brown robes, his white beard and hair cropped neatly but without styling. Before Madison could speak, he held up one hand. "Before you protest, this is no dream. This is a glimpse of what might have come next, for you."
Madison took a seat across from the man. "Living in a palace? I don't think I deserve that."
"Neither do I, Miss Clements. But what you see below is but an illusion of prosperity and peace." The man sipped from a clay cup as he spoke. "The people there are mere facsimiles of reality; they cannot properly think, nor reason. We are alone in this city, far from any friends or family. And I cannot leave."
Madison shuddered. "Isolation? I suppose that's a punishment of sorts."
The man nodded. "Once, I was king of this place. Melromarc was my wife's demesne, and I was her co-ruler. I was known as Aultcray Melromarc. But by the end of my life, I was known as Trash." He groaned, sinking in his chair. "I earned that name."
Madison's lips pressed together. "So you're trapped here, alone, with no company. For what sins?"
"I broke numerous oaths and many laws to see one of the heroes of the realm accused of heinous acts, a decision which nearly caused the world to end. I allowed for the construction of a system of slavery which ended many lives and broke the spirit of thousands. I allowed my eldest daughter to run roughshod over many, corrupting and betraying dozens of good men and women while I turned a blind eye. My actions cost my sister and her daughter their lives, caused the deaths of tens of thousands, and allowed a sadistic monster a chance to overrun our world." Trash sighed. "This is my punishment. Either eternity alone, or-" he motioned to one side, towards an empty doorway standing nearby "to suffer through what I caused."
"What do you mean?"
"Each time I step through that door, I live through the life of one of the people, one of the beings who suffered directly for what I did. I must live through twenty one lives, each one beginning with joy but ending in tragedy and sorrow. Because of my own actions, and the horrors they enabled." Trash's head was bowed as he stared down into the cup before him. "Children torn by whips, raped and left for dead. Loyal knights and lords, who saw all they'd built torn to pieces by my policies, until their children were forced to shoulder their burdens. My own niece, dead at eleven because I was too focused on retribution to look for the sister I claimed to avenge." His face clenched, cutting off gathering tears. "I've lived through eighteen of the countless lives I've ruined. This city is a refuge, but one I must leave to one day see my family again. And to leave is to suffer, to take wounds upon my soul."
Madison listened, her gut twisting as he spoke. "Do I need to step through that-"
"No. You have sinned, yes. But your sins could be fixed in this life, not the next or the space between." He held up one hand, forestalling her questions. "I have an offer for you. A way to get the power you think you need, and pay the debt you shoulder."
Madison's brow furrowed. "...think I need?"
"You believe that only power will allow you to make a difference. Eventually, I suspect you would settle. Maybe become a teacher, or a community leader. Someone with the power to guide others. But here, I can offer you a different strength. Something more… immediate."
The long-dead king waved his hand, a small crystalline orb appearing on the table. "This orb contains the remnants of a dead soul. That of a raven demi-human infant." His face grew lines as he stared into the orb, his shoulders slumping forward. "She was killed to punish her mother, a slave who had become too unruly. Another death at my hands, and in one too young to have developed a complex soul."
Madison's heart stilled as she stared into the small orb. "Why would- how would offering me that help me? Shouldn't she rest?"
"Souls that young have no full sense of self. They are passed back into the cycle of reincarnation. This one had yet to be sent back." He motioned towards the orb. "Despite that, it still contains the essence of the soul it held- the potential, the link to power. If you accept, her soul would be spliced into yours, and you would carry her power with you as you grew. A similar thing has been done already, in your world."
Madison eyed the orb with trepidation. "And if I messed up…"
"It would damn her soul as well, yes. Although, with even a little time, she and you would become one." His face grew grave, lips curling into a frown. "As I said, young lady, you could still do a lot of good alone. You do not need power to do the right thing. This bargain will twist your body, and to a smaller extent, alter your mind and soul."
"But I'd be able to…" Madison's thoughts went to a silver-and-green figure, intercepting a shadowy assassin. Standing between her and a monster, not knowing that they had one at their back, as well as before them. At the very least, she could ease the burdens on those real heroes, the ones who had nothing to repay. "I'll do it."
"Very well." The old man lifted the orb. "Take this, then. A warning- it is likely to be painful."
"Yeah well-" Madison grabbed the orb, feeling it sink into her hand. "I deserve every bit of it."
"I doubt that." Madison's last sight of the man was him standing, taking steps towards the empty doorway, even as shocks and tremors began to run through her form, the dream collapsing around her. "Fare thee well, Miss Clements. Seek out the Shield, once you figure out your new abilities."
Madison nodded, even as she convulsed on the flagstones, the world fading from her vision. As she vanished, she heard the fallen king speak to someone just out of sight. "You have grown more forgiving as you age, Lord Naofumi. If even the gods can change, perhaps there is hope yet for me..."
Author's note: you know, I actually finished this some time ago, then forgot to publish it. And now that I'm going back through my notes, I found it waiting. Well, I'm still writing. Let's see how far I can go...
Leechblade
Orientation Nitpicking
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
Yay! This story is back! All hail Tale Swapper!
Imp caused Madison to be misspelled.
Well well. Nice to see that Trash realized his errors by the end of Shield Hero.
And it looks like Madison is going to be the Raphtalia to Taylor's Naofumi.
The story is back??
Nottheunmaker
Altman be praised
- Location
- USG Ishimura
So she's gonna turn, at least partly, into a raven demi-human? That'll make for a rough rest of her life.
Offering her that at such a low point in her life is a dick move, but honestly, I suspect it'll work out.
Offering her that at such a low point in her life is a dick move, but honestly, I suspect it'll work out.
Tale Swapper
(Unverified Madman)
- Location
- Lost Among a Sea of Imaginings and Dreams
One of the things Madison capitalized on to pull her 'role' in the Trio was her cutesy looks. When I was considering putting her in the story, I decided to give her a new form which took that away from her. But yeah, it'll be hard on her, though there are some mitigating circumstances and effects which could help.
As an aside, you now know one of Taylor's eventual teammates. Can you match Madison to her cape name? I know I listed them some time ago...
I was so incredibly excited when I saw this update, I had to drop everything and read it. Thank you!
I will have to go back and reread, but I remember how much I liked your storytelling despite not knowing anything at all about the crossover world of Shield Hero. I still look back on my omake with fondness.
I will have to go back and reread, but I remember how much I liked your storytelling despite not knowing anything at all about the crossover world of Shield Hero. I still look back on my omake with fondness.
I was just imagining her with some wings a feathery hair, nothing terribly drastic. Is she a full on bipedal bird person with beak and everything?
I was thinking something similar. Basically something like Aya Shameimaru from Touhou.
Tale Swapper
(Unverified Madman)
- Location
- Lost Among a Sea of Imaginings and Dreams
I'll be giving a full description of her later, but the form she's going to start out with is going to be closer to a Skyrim Hagraven than anything else. Getting a 'pretty Tengu' shape is not currently in the cards for her.
FictionPack
Monochromatic Ursine
- Location
- Tennessee
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Why do I get the feeling Madison will call herself Nevermore?
- Location
- East of Sun, West of Moon
I would honestly be surprised if the name wasn't already taken... But Narrative needs not bother with mere plausibility, least of all considering how rarely Reality seems to bother with it.
Tale Swapper
(Unverified Madman)
- Location
- Lost Among a Sea of Imaginings and Dreams
I already listed the tentative cape names for Taylor's entire party... I think here. And Nevermore
FictionPack
Monochromatic Ursine
- Location
- Tennessee
- Pronouns
- He/Him
It wouldn't matter if the cape who did take it is dead. It's really only currently active, or extremely famous names that aren't reused in setting I believe.
Tale Swapper
(Unverified Madman)
- Location
- Lost Among a Sea of Imaginings and Dreams
Not quite a Hagraven, but it's a closer analogue than most modern anime takes on Tengu. More feathers, less wrinkles, and less twisted body, for one.
- Location
- Askew to the British Isles
True and willing redemption always make the best stories.
FictionPack
Monochromatic Ursine
- Location
- Tennessee
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Well right off the bat I'm leaning towards Madison being Conspiracy, but she might also be Hawking.
Conspiracy being what she was involved in and a group of ravens is called a conspiracy, Hawking is hunting with a bird, specifically a hawk.
Plus those are the names of the magic user and the rogue. And a mage fits the Skyrim Hagraven reference the most as well.
Herne is an antlered English forest ghost.
Bogatyr is a character in a knight tale.
I just don't see Madison as a main Damage Dealer in any case.
Pankration is wrestling.
Outlander is a stranger or foreigner, and that's the farthest thing Madison is from Taylor, may have some merit with the extra universal soul though.