AN: Before I begin, I just want to say, yes, you read the title right. Only it's spelled mine with an 'i' not Myne with a 'y'. Does that make sense? I hope so. Anyway, on with the next chapter. Enjoy😊

After they learned about the mine near Lute Village, Naofumi and Raphtalia set out. Along the way, they encountered a rabbit monster but Raphtalia was afraid of using her sword because she was afraid of the blood. Naofumi helped out along with Spot and they defeated the rabbit. Raphtalia felt disappointed for being useless but Naofumi petted her head and told her to cheer up.

As they were walking down the path towards the village, Raphtalia kept on sulking and pouting and she hugged herself tightly when she remembered the slave owner who kept pushing her and insulting her when she didn't do a job right. Naofumi took notice and said, "Hey Raphtalia, you may have missed that monster, but you'll get another one. All you gotta do is believe in your heart."

Curious, the raccoon girl said, "My heart?"

Naofumi nodded and said, "That's right. Because sometimes our true strength comes from deep inside us. And once we tap into that strength, then everything will be better for us."

Raphtalia became intrigued and suddenly, she heard Naofumi sing something and it made her eyes go wide with amazement as she heard the smooth angelic singing coming from the man walking with her. Hearing the lyrics, Raphtalia noticed that it was about becoming stronger no matter how weak you are. She then thought that if she was strong enough maybe she'll be useful to Naofumi.

Suddenly, Raphtalia felt Naofumi push her away and she fell onto the grass. She then heard Naofumi scream in pain and she looked and saw Naofumi clutching his ankle and a blood was pouring onto his pant leg. Looking further down, Raphtalia saw what it was. Clenched around Naofumi's ankle was a bear trap device and it had a tight grip on him. Spot bit onto the trap and tried to pry it open with his teeth.

Raphtalia realized that the reason Naofumi pushed her away was so she wouldn't get caught in it, so he saved her by sacrificing himself. The raccoon girl ran towards him and asked with a worried look, "Are you okay?"

Naofumi grunted in pain and forced a smile and said, "Ironic, ain't it? I'm a shield and I'm not supposed to get hurt, but this thing hurts like a bitch!"

Raphtalia put on a determined look and said, "Hang on, I'll get you out of there."

Just as she was about to touch it, a voice called out, "Stop! Don't touch that trap!"

The group looked up and saw Stella flying towards them. When she landed, Stella looked at the trap and she said, "This thing is quite troublesome. If you touched it, little miss, it would zap you hard."

Raphtalia looked at the crow girl with pleading eyes and said, "Can you save him, Miss Stella?"

Stella nodded and soon, raised her hand, said an incantation and pretty soon, a magic circle appeared and the trap opened releasing Naofumi's leg. The shield hero slowly stood up but his leg was in too much pain to stand on. Stella offered to wrap it so he would get infected and Naofumi smiled and thanked her. With Stella's assistance, the group arrived in Lute Village in just an hour instead of two days.

As soon as they got a room at an inn, Stella took off Naofumi's boot, rolled up his pant leg and cringed when she saw how deep the jags of the trap went into his skin. She started by cleaning the wound with a solution and as she was working on him, Raphtalia asked, "Miss Stella, what was that bear trap thing?"

Stella let out a sigh and she explained while still working on Naofumi, "It's a trap specifically designed to capture run away demi humans. They're enchanted with a special spell that tells the caster who was caught in it and the Royal Knights head there right away to see who was captured."

Stella started to wrap the bandages around Naofumi's leg and she said with a solemn look, "A few friends of mine were caught in similar traps and in my case, they sometimes have nets to capture those who can fly. It's sickening that the nobles treat us demi humans like animals just because we have animal like features."

Naofumi looked down when he heard Stella's story and he said, "I'm sorry you all have to go through with it. In my world, we have racism and discrimination towards different people too. People of religion, people with different cultures, people with different skin color, the list goes on and on. Even though most people fight against it, there are some that stick to the ways they were taught and they keep doing it."

Stella smiled as she pinned the bandages closed and said, "At least our world and yours are no different, Sir Naofumi. Maybe some day, people will see demi humans as humans and more than just animals."

Little did Naofumi, Raphtalia and Stella know, Naofumi's shield picked up on his pain and it said to itself, 'Pain Resistence: Lvl 1. Acquired.'

Once Stella fixed up Naofumi's leg, she handed him a bag of medicines from Rayas and she said, "This is medicine the good doctor made for you Sir Naofumi. I think it has the same quality as the medicine in your world when you get cramps in your stomach."

Curious, Raphtalia asked, "What does she mean, Naofumi?"

Wanting to protect Raphtalia from knowing more, Naofumi chuckled nervously and said to her, "I'll tell you when you're a little older, okay?"

Raphtalia looked down in disappointment and said, "Okay."

After Naofumi thanked Stella and she flew off, the party of two plus the balloon monster headed toward the mine to get supplies and fight some monsters. As soon as they entered the mine shaft, Naofumi looked at Raphtalia and told her to be careful as he remembered Itsuki telling him something before they left the capital.

In the Capital City of Melromarc:

Naofumi was sitting in the cafe with Raphtalia next to him and Itsuki was across from him and the shield hero had a look of surprise on his face. He then said, "Monsters from the First Wave are lurking in the mine near the village?!"

Itsuki nodded and said, "I heard from Mald, one of my party members, that after the First Wave struck, most of the monsters went into hiding. They either took refuge in abandoned caves in the forest, in the deepest part of the sea or near towns and villages like Lute. The people there used to go to that mine to collect ore and crystals. But they stopped because they feared a Wave monster has taken residence."

"So they stopped going because it was too dangerous. Have the people seen what it looks like?" Naofumi said curiously.

Itsuki began to think and he said, "I may be wrong, but I think Mald told me that the monster is kind of like a dog with two heads."

Hearing that, Raphtalia got nervous because she remembered seeing a two-headed dog appear during the First Wave and it killed her parents. She looked at Naofumi and thought about telling him, but she decided she would later.

In the Mine:

Naofumi and Raphtalia wearing chiseling some ore in the walls with their pickaxes in order to sell some off for money. Spot rolled up to Naofumi with a green ore in his mouth and Naofumi accepted it and put it in his shield. The HUD screen then displayed something and it said, 'Air Strike Shield acquired. A barrier will be activated to protect the hero and party members from imminent danger'.

Naofumi was surprised that he got a new shield power from just that one ore. Looking around the mine, Naofumi saw that most of the ores were different colors. Some were red, some were blue, some were green, some were yellow and so on. To test it out, Naofumi chiseled out a red ore crystal, put it in his shield and his HUD screen said, 'Fire Shield acquired. Fire will be launched from shield gem towards opponent and the opponent will face severe burns'.

Naofumi got impressed that he acquired a shield that will let him attack. He tried again with a yellow ore crystal and the HUD said, 'Lightning Strike Shield acquired. Lighting bolts will be launched from the shield gem towards the opponent and the opponent will be struck with severe shock and paralysis.'

He tried again with the blue ore crystal and the HUD said, 'Water Wave Shield acquired. Strong waves of water will be launched from the shield gem towards the opponent and the opponent will be knocked back by the strong water current.'

Naofumi smiled as he got three types of shields that will let him attack and he got excited deep down as he can't wait to try them out. Suddenly, they was a long, low howl coming from one of the tunnels. Raphtalia got scared and hid behind Naofumi and Naofumi prepared his shield to see what was coming. The two of them heard the sound of loud footsteps trodding closer to them.

They saw four pairs of beady red eyes glaring at them and from the dark came a big, black two-headed monster dog and it looked just like what Itsuki said. Naofumi and Raphtalia slowly backed away from it but the monster kept on slinking closer to it and one of the heads let out a long low growl and Naofumi saw drool slobber from its mouth.

Naofumi then said to the raccoon girl in a low voice, "Raphtalia, listen. When I give the signal and say, 'Now', you and I will tag team to defeat this thing."

Still scared, Raphtalia shook her head and said, "I can't."

Naofumi then said to her, "You want to be stronger, don't you? Well, think this like a training test. I'll help by distracting it, meanwhile you will do what you can with your sword. Spot will back you up too." And the little monster growled in agreement.

Raphtalia looked at the dog monster as it was still trudging closer to them and the images of her parents being killed were still playing in her head. Suddenly, she felt a kind hand pet her head and she saw it was Naofumi doing it and he smiled at her and said, "Don't worry. I'm here. I'll protect you."

Raphtalia looked in his eyes and saw Naofumi had the look of a big brother wanting to protect his little sister. Seeing that look gave the little girl the confidence she needed and she put on a determined look, nodded and said, "Okay."

Once Naofumi gave the signal, the two separated and Naofumi called out to the dog monster, "Hey Fido! You want a new toy to chew on? Well come and get me!"

The monster heard Naofumi, let out a roar and chased after him. Using his new shields, Naofumi used the fire to singe the monster a little bit and the lighting to give it a shock. He even used the water shield to send the monster flying towards the mine wall. However, that didn't faze the creature and it let out a roar and charged toward Naofumi.

Suddenly, it let out a cry of pain when it felt something bite it and it looked down and saw Spot was latched onto its back hind leg. The dog monster tried to shake the balloon monster off, but he wouldn't let go. After one last kick, the monster shook Spot off but not before the balloon took a big chunk of leg with him and swallowed it before it hit the wall. The dog monster started to slink towards the balloon monster, but Naofumi was quick calling on his air strike shield to protect Spot from the big dog.

Seeing Naofumi and even Spot try hard, Raphtalia thought she should try too. So she unsheathed her small sword and ran towards the dog monster and plunged the black into the wound that Spot left which made it cry out in pain. One of the dog heads turned to Raphtalia and snapped at her but she out of the way and swung the sword at it making it scratch the dog's nose and the head howled in pain.

She kept swinging and stabbing at monster while Naofumi watched. Suddenly, he got an idea as he saw water from his shield was still on the ground. He then shouted to the raccoon girl, "Raphtalia, take Spot and hide behind one of the boulders!"

Raphtalia took the knocked out balloon monster and did as she was told and she watched as Naofumi was face to face with the monster which was bleeding badly from the wounds Raphtalia inflicted. The shield hero smirked and said, "All right, ugly. It's just you and me now. Don't try anything funny because I know you'll find it quite "shocking."

The dog monster charged at him and Naofumi summoned his lightning shield and by using the sparks from it, the whole cave lit up and the dog monster felt the pain course through its body. Naofumi was also feeling the pain from the shocks but he did his best to endure it. His shield then said without him knowing, 'Pain Resistance: Lvl 2. Acquired.'

The shield also said, 'Monster Tamer: Lvl 1. Acquired.'

Before long, the dog monster couldn't take the pain anymore and it landed on the ground covered in burn marks from the shocks and bleeding from the wounds from Raphtalia's sword. Naofumi also covered in burns from the shocks limp over to the monster, knelt down next to it and gently petted its head. He then said in a kind voice, "There now. You'll be okay. You just didn't want others entering because this mine is your home. Right?"

The dog monster let out a little growl as if it was agreeing with Naofumi. Naofumi smiled and said, "I understand wanting a quiet place to be alone in, but you can't stay here. People from the village need to come here to harvest the ore crystals that are being made in this mine. If you keep scaring them away, it'll make it harder for them to keep the village running. You don't want people to be scared do you?"

The dog monster lowered its ears and let out a guilty whimper. Naofumi then said, "Tell you what, big fella. Why don't you become a part of my shield? That way, I can use you and your power to help me get stronger and fight the Waves. You'll have somewhere quiet to live and I can call you out whenever."

The dog monster wagged its tail and one of the heads lifted up and licked Naofumi's face as of it was saying thank you. Naofumi chuckled wiping away the slobber and said, "Okay, okay. You're welcome."

Suddenly, there was a glow of light from the dog monster and the whole body went inside Naofumi's shield. When he looked at the HUD screen, he saw it said, 'Two-Headed Dog acquired. The shield also said without Naofumi knowing, 'Monster Tamer: Lvl 2. Acquired.'

After the dog monster went into Naofumi's shield, Raphtalia ran over to him, looked at him with worry and asked, "Are you okay?"

Naofumi petted her on the head, smiled and said, "I'm fine, Raphtalia. You did a good job."

Raphtalia smiled brightly and chuckled after he said that. Naofumi looked around the cave and asked, "Where's Spot?"

Suddenly, the two of them saw Spot rolling over to them with a sickly look on his face. Before Naofumi could ask what was wrong, a light was glowing around the balloon monster and Naofumi saw the form get bigger until it stopped and the light was gone. There standing before Raphtalia and Naofumi was not a balloon monster but what looked like a black wolf with wings, blue eyes and orange markings.

Wondering what happened, the HUD screen from Naofumi's shield said, 'Party member, Spot, acquired new form. Cause of form came from Two-Headed Dog after party member swallowed a piece from it.'

After he read that, Naofumi looked at his friend's new form and Naofumi petted his head and said with a smile, "Congratulations, Spot."

Spot let out a growl bark as if to thank him and Raphtalia hugged the newly formed monster and said with a smile, "You look so much cooler this way." And the wolf monster licked her cheek making her laugh.

Back at the village, Naofumi and Raphtalia were sitting at the table at a cafe enjoying a meal after working hard in the mine. Naofumi saw Raphtalia's meal had a white flag and he took it, dipped his finger in the red sauce from his food and pressed his finger in the flag's center. He then showed it to Raphtalia and said, "In my world, kid's meals had this flag so I thought I show you."

Raphtalia thought it looked pretty and kept it as a little souvenir. That night, the two were asleep in their room at an inn they checked into. Raphtalia was sleeping on one bed while Naofumi slept in the other and Spot was laying right in the middle. Suddenly, Raphtalia heard shuffling and groaning which woke her up and she lifted her head up a little and saw Naofumi squirming and sweating in his bed.

She then heard him say, "Go away. Leave me alone. Don't touch me."

Raphtalia knew that he was having a nightmare just like she had when she dreamed of the First Wave that struck her village. She was about to get up to comfort him, when she felt someone's hand on her head and she looked up to see who it was. Her eyes went wide when she was it was Motoyasu and he pressed a finger to his lips telling her to keep quiet.

Raphtalia watched as he walked to Naofumi's bed, knelt down next to him and he then lowered his head to his ear and whispered, "It's okay. They're gone. No one is here to hurt you. Just relax and think of things that'll make you happy."

As if hearing Motoyasu's words were some kind of spell, Naofumi's face relaxed and he settled down. The spear hero stood up, looked at Raphtalia, gave her nod and exited the room. Naofumi's shield then said, 'Spear Hero Bond acquired.'

Outside the inn, Motoyasu looked at the window that had the room Naofumi and Raphtalia were staying in and he smiled and said, "Sweet dreams, Naofumi." And he turned and walked away back to his party before they could ask where he went.

AN: Hey everyone. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next one will kind of be before the Second Wave happens, but I'm not sure. Anyway, let me know what you think and I'll update as soon as I can. Till then my little kittens😘😘😘