CLEVATESS
You're finally awake, Alicia.
Klen!
It seems we've been captured.
Captured? Why are you so calm?
Don't worry.
Luna is safe.
They were crying until just a moment ago, though.
Sorry, let me through.
What's going on here, Klen?
Why was that one hit enough to down you?
Don't tell me you're as weak as a human now that you've transformed into one.
Of course not.
I was just surprised that this thin skin and
frail body were so much weaker than I thought.
Then why aren't we running?
Right now, I'm a human.
Until I crown Luna as king,
I intend to hide my true identity.
And I want to see this side of humanity, too.
It seems that everyone here has been hurt and is being taken somewhere.
Explain what's going on.
We've been attacked by filthy bandits.
From the look of things, they intend to take the survivors to a slaver.
How strong are "bandits"?
As humans go... Well, they're not the weakest.
But the problem with them is they'll resort to dirty tricks without a second thought.
Just a bunch of scum.
Please don't make assumptions about all humans just by looking at them.
Episode 2 The Beast Lord in Captivity
Okay, we're here!
Get out! And get moving!
Men and old people over there!
Kids and women over here!
No! I won't let this happen to me!
Fool.
We're the Ravens!
We'll kill anybody who tries to run or doesn't do what we say!
Got it?
Now get moving!
That's what they're like.
Blonde girl.
You're coming with me.
Come on!
You're not moving, kid.
You come here.
What, you've got a baby with you?
Hey, Nell! Nell!
I'm coming...!
What are you doing?
You're such a klutz.
I'm sorry, Sister Carme...
Sheesh.
He's got a baby.
And your job is to look after babies.
I'm coming inside.
I brought her, Vroko.
I told you to stop calling me by my name!
Call me "boss"!
Zazak is gone.
So right now, I'm the boss!
Nobody calls you that.
If you don't like it, I'll just have to make you change your mind.
Of course, it won't be me who does it,
but my pretty little Betty.
Don't get so excited, Betty.
A troll: a dark beast from the west!
He's got one as a pet?
What? Horny for a man?
All right, I'll let you have your way with one of them.
Hell no!
Damn! He's worse than Zazak!
Now, I'm told you brought these from Luna Mountain.
That's the dwelling place of Clevatess, one of the Four Lords of Dark Beasts.
I'm told the King of Hiden sent 13 heroes there with Regalia...
They failed, though.
And one of them, supposedly, was a woman.
You can't get stuff of this purity anywhere near human lands...
Is this a coincidence?
You've got a nice, toned body...
And you're far too calm, given the situation.
See how you haven't pissed yourself in front of Betty here?
You're one of the heroes, aren't you?
Did you know that Clevatess attacked Hiderat and destroyed its castle?
But for us Ravens, nothing could be better!
That red blade...
Don't tell me...
Yes... steel that only the Hiden royals can create. Mana Hiderite.
The brighter the red, the higher the purity.
It's said that using weapons forged from it makes the wielder much stronger...
Of course, this one's a fake, though.
We don't just sell slaves. We sell fake magic swords.
Most people are too stupid to know the difference!
The rumors say that every royal in the castle was killed.
But what happens to the value of these things
if Mana Hiderite can no longer be created?
It's going to go way up.
The fewer that are made, the more valuable each one becomes.
I'm a genius for coming up with an easy way to make money like this!
And what's more!
The purest weapons, the Regalia made by the kings themselves,
are sure to be worth an incredible amount!
That's right. We're collecting the Regalia.
And there's just two ways to get them.
One is to become a hero, recognized by the king.
The other is to steal one from a hero.
The simplest way is to take one from a dead hero.
But most heroes die at the hands of the dark beasts, deep in their lands.
It's impossible to even find them, let alone get close.
And so, Miss Hero...
Where's your Regalia?
I'm guessing you dropped it when you were running away from Clevatess, right?
Where did you drop it?
Where are the other twelve weapons?
Dagarn! Satch!
Have her take us to the Regalia tomorrow.
I'm fine with that, but...
If she's really a hero, isn't there something else we should make her get?
Idiot!
She's the key to finding thirteen of 'em.
I don't want her dying first.
That's the slaves' job.
Just get going.
You can tire her out if you want,
just to the point where she no longer wants to disobey.
Thanks, Vroko!
Maybe you're not as bad as I thought!
Now get going!
You and I are going to have lots of fun!
How about tonight?
Hmm, I don't know.
Aww, come on!
Is it yummy?
Drink a whole lot.
This is the only thing I can do.
Hey, Nell.
I'm out of booze!
I-I'm coming...
Be a good child and wait here.
You're too slow, cow-woman!
Sorry!
I'm coming...
Hey, kid!
Bring me meat!
You've got a bright future, kid.
Me too! Hurry!
Me too! I want some too!
I want some meat too!
He's got muscle and he does whatever he's told.
He was a good find.
It's a waste to sell him.
He's a little creepy.
That horn... I thought he might have some Orggite blood.
But he's too pale for that.
And those eyes...
Hey, Nell spilled some booze again!
What are you doing?
I-I'm sorry!
I'm sorry!
She'll have to be punished!
Come on!
Let me go!
Jeez, those guys have weird taste.
What would they want with a girl like that?
That's enough, I guess.
Don't drop the booze again.
I need to go see the baby...
She really is just like a cow.
You've got that right.
Did I drink more than I thought?
I'm getting dizzy...
Me too...
They really are wonderful breasts.
Let's talk.
Now, Nell, right?
Are you with the bandits?
I am... why?
Tell me more. I want to know what you are.
You can keep feeding it while you talk. So talk.
I-I've been here with the Ravens since I was born...
I don't know who my dad is...
I had a mom...
But I always saw her from the back.
I don't really remember her face.
I think she was a slave.
I always watched her from the shadows...
She disappeared after I turned twelve...
I don't know if she ran or died.
But...
After that, they began to hurt me.
They'd hit me, kick me...
I lost most of my teeth, and now I can only hear out of one ear.
And that was the first time
I realized that my mom was protecting me.
After that, I was treated like cattle.
It only got a little better when big sis Carme came.
All you need to do with guys is spoil 'em a little.
They'll get satisfied and wander off.
Come here.
I'll show you how to deal with men.
I wasn't able to do it like she does...
But everything was so much better than before...
And now I have a job.
I give lots of milk, so I can fill a baby's stomach.
I've heard only those who have given birth can give milk.
Where is your child?
I don't have one.
It was stillborn.
I could feel it moving inside me, but...
But I never got to hear it cry.
It's all my fault.
I could feel my body growing cold...
The world felt so dark...
I could feel myself being pulled to the cold bottom of the earth...
I wished I would die, too.
If I could see my child in the next world...
But...
I woke up, feeling something warm.
I looked down and saw a baby suckling at my breast.
It was a kid I didn't know... just six months old.
It was sucking so hard... as hard as it could... so that it could survive.
And when I saw that, I thought...
Maybe for its sake... I could stay alive a little longer.
Another day, it was another child...
I never knew where they came from or where they went.
I had a second stillbirth, and then a third...
And the reason I'm still here...
...is that there were babies that would suckle my milk.
I want them to be happy, since my own kids never will be.
That's all I have.
Thank you for telling me.
That's enough.
Come with me, Nell.
I shall hire you as Luna's wet nurse.
I don't trust humans. But I found no reason to reject you.
And more than anything, Luna seems to like you.
Let me hear your answer, Nell.
Will you come with me as Luna's wet nurse?
Or will you stay here, serving as a slave for the ones I'm told are "scum"?
Choose.
Um... I'm really happy for the offer...
But you can't.
You're a slave.
And I need to take care of the babies that will come in the future...
So... I'm sorry.
Get going, Miss Hero.
I said get moving.
Don't think about jumping off.
The walls of this place slope inwards...
You'll hit the rocks before you hit the lake!
No matter how strong you are, you'll die on impact!
An old arcanacite mine?
Which means this is...
What?
Another brave challenger, huh?
What a fool.
I'm sure you've at least heard the tale, right?
Of the hero Khordhwar.
I knew it...
This is the last place Khordhwar came to...
The Shaft of Elbe...
You'd better keep your promise, okay?
Sure we will!
You can do it, honey!
Okay, here I go!
You're crazy!
The whole shaft's underwater!
And if the legends are true, there's...
Yup. This is where "they" live.
The ones who put an end to Khordhwar's legend...
Darling...
You—
Darling! Darling!
No luck, huh?
How awful...
Arvensis, the dark beasts of water...
They came with the floods 300 years ago...
And that's why they abandoned this mineshaft.
Even Khordhwar, the strongest hero of his generation, was no match for them.
And back then, there was still ground to fight them on.
His weapon, the Stream Splitter,
was named because it split a waterfall before the king of Hiden.
That's what you're after, isn't it?
I didn't know the sword had a name.
Does yours have one too?
There's no reason for me to tell you that.
You promised them freedom, but you didn't put a rope on that slave.
You never intended to let him leave alive, right?
I can imagine what you scum were thinking.
And what if you're right?
You don't seem to understand your position.
Bindings on your wrists!
Steel balls on your legs.
And you're on top of a bridge!
Look!
All of 'em are looking forward to making Little Miss Hero squeal like a pig!
I'll make you scream!
Hey!
Don't act crazy, Feeto!
I can't see, so I don't care about height!
But smell and sound are enough to tell me everything!
I can see the way your flesh moves...
The scent of a bitch!
And the wonderful sound of your heart...
You're nervous! That's so hot!
First, I'll rip off all your clothes, so the others can see you naked!
Sheesh...
To think the day would come when I'd be grateful for his curse!
She dislocated her own shoulder?!
She ripped off my ears! She ripped off my ears!
You don't care about height, right?
What you said about me being immortal...
I'm going to believe it, Klen!
That hero...
What happened?
Next Time
Episode 3 Hero's Duty