Disclaimer:
The Rising of the Shield Hero was created by Aneko Yusagi. Shin Megami Tensei was created by Atlus. Magic Knight Rayearth was created by CLAMP. Sword Art Online was created by Reki Kawahara. DanMachi was created by Fujino Omori. Digimon is owned by Bandai and Toei. Kono Suba was created by Akatsuki Natsume. Gate was created by Takumi Yanai. This story uses reference material from them.
Heroes of Another World
By: RB3
Birth of the WDF 4: Rurorona Reborn
After extensive training in the jungles of Cal Mira, the heroes stayed at the hotel for the night. The next day, they decided to rest and recover from the exhausting fighting of the previous day. The Vassal Wielders sat in the lounge, sipping fruity drinks. "Hey guys!" said Raphtalia, clad in a frilly blue bikini, who had returned still wet from swimming at the beach.
"Hey Raphtalia! What's up?" asked Hikaru.
"Guess what I found earlier!" said Filo, who came after her while wearing a frilly pink bikini.
"What?" asked Sinon.
"I found an underwater temple. It had a Dragon Hourglass in it!" replied Filo.
"Like in the mural?" asked Takato, remembering what he saw in the jungle yesterday.
"Yeah," replied Filo.
"If it has one, that means a Wave can hit Cal Mira! How long before it comes?" asked Arpeggio.
"Relax. We have six months," replied Naofumi.
"Phew! Don't get me worked up like that!" said Arpeggio.
"We'll be gone by then. We'll report it to the others and deal with it when the time comes," said Sinon.
After more days of training, the heroes reach their final day on Cal Mira. The Spade Mercs had arrived early by the request of Naofumi. They met in the dining room of the inn, where Takato showed Abel the sketch he had made of the mural in the jungle ruins. "This is an interesting mural," remarked Abel as he studied the sketch. "I'd like to go see it in person."
"I found a Dragon Hourglass too!" chirped Filo. "It's in a temple under the water."
"Sure, we'll go look at after we're done checking the ruins," said Abel.
Yog picked up the teams, then flew them to the location of the ruins deep in the jungles on the other island of Cal Mira. They reached the mural room where Abel examined every inch of it closely. "That temple must be the one I found!" said Filo, pointing at the underwater temple's picture on the mural's left.
Abel focused on the picture of the previous four Cardinal Heroes. They were in battle with a bearded demon with purple skin who was dressed in blue robes and a horned headdress. He also carried a spell book. "Abel, do you recognize that demon?" asked Takato.
"Yes, that's Lucifuge Rofocale!" replied Abel. "He's the Prime Minister of Hell. Lucifer put him in charge of minting Macca, the currency used in the Expanse."
"Lucifuge? If the previous heroes had sealed him back then, has he gotten free to start the Waves again?" asked Hikaru.
"I don't know, but we can't rule that out," replied Abel.
"What would Lucifuge have to gain by causing the Waves?" asked Sinon.
"Magatsuhi. It is created when people feel emotions, especially strong ones. People also create Magatsuhi when they die and their souls are released. Most of the time, it just drains into the Expanse," said Abel.
"It's what demons eat," said Yuzu.
"Right," said Atsuro. "Obviously, a Wave will stir up a lot of fear as the monsters go on a rampage."
"So, is Lucifuge causing the Waves simply to feed himself?" asked Arpeggio.
"Well, if he's just awakened, he could be very hungry," replied Hikaru.
"Possibly, but he also mints Macca, which is a unit of Magatsuhi, moulded into a solid, Magnetite coin," replied Abel. "I happen to have Macca on me right now. Have a look."
He pulled a one Macca coin out of his pocket and showed it to the others. It resembled a gold coin with the glyph of Saturn engraved onto it. It radiated a very faint aura of power about it, which revealed a supernatural origin. Hikaru felt a small surge of power and an array of wild and varied emotions the moment she came into contact with the coin. Anger, joy, fear, love, sorrow... All of these swirled in her mind from just one simple touch of a Macca coin.
"Whoa!" she remarked upon experiencing that.
She then passed the Macca coin to the others for examination. When Guilmon got the coin, he got to feel the same sensations. It was so overwhelming that he passed out, his eyes turning into swirls in his momentary lapse of consciousness. "Are you okay boy?" asked Takato.
"Ah…" mumbled Guilmon, still dazed from contact with Magatsuhi.
When Naofumi took hold of the coin, he got to experience the same sensations. "So, he caused all these Waves just to make more money?" asked Naofumi. "What does he intend to do with it?"
"We can only speculate," replied Abel. "I think we've learned all that we can here. Let's go check that underwater temple."
The group went out and boarded Yog, who flew them towards the beaches of Cal Mira Bay at the west. Yog sank into the water like a submarine and after a few minutes, he found a building with a red roof, supported by columns at the front. It had an ancient Greek design to its appearance and was surprisingly well-preserved over the centuries beneath the surface. When Naofumi approached the door, his Shield activated and emitted a beam of green light which triggered the door's opening.
Yog sailed in and surfaced by a platform which allowed access to the temple proper. After ascending a flight of stairs, they came into a pitch black room. When Midori created a light, the Hourglass of the Dragon's Era came into view. Most of its sand was in its top chamber and trickled down to the bottom one where a small pile started to form. The Spade Mercenaries recorded the time from the hourglass on their comps, which stated that six months remained until the Wave arrived in Cal Mira.
"So it comes in six months? That's quite awhile," remarked Midori.
"I guess we must have reset it after beating Vepar," said Yuzu. "I haven't heard of any Waves happening in this area."
"We've recorded the time, but there's not much else we can do," said Atsuro. "Thanks for showing us this."
"Yeah, we need to get ready for the next Wave in Shieldfreeden," said Abel. "It's happening at the same time as the one in Fourbrey."
"Speaking of getting ready, I need to make a request to the queen," said Naofumi. "Please drop me off at the castle when you take us back."
"Sure," said Abel.
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After returning to Melromarc, the heroes went their separate ways. As Team Shield did their shopping, Naofumi reflected on that which had happened so far. Raphtalia and Keel's home town of Rurorona was in shambles from the Wave and a group of corrupt soldiers selling the folks into to slavery. He wanted to help his friends out, but was at a loss as to how. Naofumi then remembered how the "Wave Defence Force" had been proposed during the heroes' meeting before going to train at Cal Mira.
He got a brilliant idea and decided to consult Queen Mirellia at her throne room. "During our last meeting, we proposed the creation of a 'Wave Defence Force' to fight the Waves. Everyone unanimously agreed to it, but we never mentioned where its headquarters would be. I was thinking that Rurorona Village in the Saett Region would be the perfect place," said Naofumi.
After hearing the request, Mirellia seemed intrigued by it. She immediately saw the benefits this idea would give her nation. The first was that building the WDF headquarters at Rurorona would attract investment that would speed its recovery. Second, this would please demihuman nations like Siltvelt and Shieldfreeden to see it under WDF protection. Third, it created a delicious irony as Rurorona, site of the very first Wave, became the home of those who would stop them. Fourth, it would give Melromarc a great amount of influence over the WDF as its host.
"Very well. I'll allow Rurorona to become the WDF headquarters, but on one condition. I want Crown Princess Melty to be the overseer of the WDF. If she is to be my successor, she must learn how to properly organize a large group like the WDF," said Mirellia.
"I don't see anything wrong with that, if our partners don't mind," replied Naofumi. "Thank you, your Majesty."
After returning to the Molkerei Domain, Naofumi requested a conference between the heroes. Abel had set up the conference in the room in the basement of the east annex. Their illusory images appeared in the empty seats of a round table. Naofumi told them of the new development with the queen. "I have no problem with that," replied Itsuki.
"No argument from me either," replied Ren.
The other heroes agreed unanimously with the proposal and thus, Rurorona became the site of the WDF headquarters. Tents quickly arose around the area of Rurorona to house workers and supplies. The area became abuzz with workers hammering nails into foundations and dirt being carted off to clear sites for new buildings. One of Rurorona's spare barns got cleaned up by a group of Dwarf demons from the Spade Mercenary Company. A Pixie entered the interior and applied magic to the far wall, which became lit by white sparks.
The mouth of a cave opened up there and swallowed the Pixie into the Molkerei Domain. "Good work! Now, Rurorona is connected to us in Molkerei," said Yuzu. The Pixie smiled at Yuzu before flying back to her home in the Domain.
The Spade Mercenaries followed Yuzu through a portal set up in the likeness of the barn at a corner of the Domain. After moving to the Rurorona square, they found Naofumi with Melty, Reichnott, and an unfamiliar woman. She was in her twenties with blue eyes and pink hair which reached the small of her back. She wore a formal, navy blue military uniform with golden shoulders. It was similar to those worn by a marching band. She also carried a sheathed sword at her side. The group turned to the Spade Mercenaries.
"We did it, Melty. The Molkerei Domain is now connected here," said Yuzu. "You can use our Domain to move across the continent quickly, as easily as walking down the street."
"Perfect! That will allow us to respond to the Waves much more rapidly," said Melty.
"Who do we have here?" asked Atsuro.
"I'm Johan van Reichnott, the lord of another region," said Reichnott. "I'm here to help the demihumans integrate into the village and the WDF."
"I'm Eclair Saett, knight of Melromarc. The queen sent me to help train the heroes," replied the pink-haired woman. "I'm also the daughter of the late Lord Saett. After father fell in the Wave, I was to inherit his position. After I spoke out against the king's actions towards demihumans, he jailed me."
"I see," remarked Atsuro.
"I asked for mother to send them over as help," said Melty.
The Spade Mercenaries introduced themselves to Lord Reichnott and Lady Saett. "Thank you for coming," said Abel. "It looks like everything is going smoothly, but Rurorona still seems underpopulated. I only see the same few faces around here."
"We were discussing that," said Reichnott. "After the Wave, rogue soldiers raided the place and sold most of the villagers into slavery."
"Mother had set aside a fund to buy back those slaves. Here Naofumi. She wants you to find them and buy them back," said Melty, presenting a sack full of silver coins to Naofumi
"Of course, I'll head back to the capital and see Beloukas," said Naofumi, pocketing the funds.
After preparing Filo's wagon, Team Shield teleported back to Melromarc City and made a trip to the back alleys where Beloukas the slave trader had set up shop. After browsing his wares, Raphtalia and Keel identified those who were originally villagers of Rurorona to take home with them. "What happened to rest of the villagers?" asked Raphtalia.
"When slaves don't sell, I pass them to Uncle Stavros to see if he can move them in Zeltoble," replied Beloukas.
"Zeltoble... I haven't been there yet," said Naofumi.
"Zeltoble is a country to the east of Melromarc on a peninsula," said Beloukas. "Uncle Stavros owns the colosseum there and has slaves fight to entertain the public. Tell him I sent you and he'll treat you right."
Naofumi consulted a map of the continent, then the timer for the next Wave in Shieldfreeden. The timer told him that a bit more than two weeks remained until it arrived. Factoring in the travel time, he would be whisked away to fight the Wave before he could reach Zeltoble. Unless the Spade Mercenaries flew him there, going there via wagon would consume the available time. Naofumi teleported his team and the recovered villagers home to the Molkerei Domain's entrance in Shieldfreeden.
As Raphtalia led the slaves through the Domain to Rurorona, Naofumi found Abel at the magic range. He was with the magic specialists of the Vassal Heroes. Megumin had cast the Explosion spell upon a group of dummies downrange who had been trapped in a Clinging Morass. Her spell reduced them to ash, but Megumin herself collapsed from exhaustion immediately afterwards. "That spell takes up all your energy?" asked Arpeggio incredulously.
"Yeah," replied Megumin sheepishly from the floor. "I can get out one Clinging Morass to set up an Explosion, but that's it for me."
"It doesn't seem worth it," said Arpeggio. "What if you're indoors? If you cast that there, you'll bring the whole place down on you!"
At that moment, Naofumi approached Abel and explained his dilemma. "I see. I can give you a lift, no problem," said Abel. "Hey guys, keep at it. I've got to do a favour for Naofumi."
"Sure," said Megumin from the ground.
"We'll be fine here," said Takato, who fed a potion to Megumin.
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Abel flew Team Shield over to the city of Italius in the nation of Zeltoble. It was a peninsula which jutted southeastward into the sea from the mainland. It had a culture that was a blend of Rome and Renaissance Italy with a warm, sunny, Mediterranean climate to match. Zeltoble was less a nation and more an alliance of merchant houses who had banded together to form a nation-like political entity. Its military was not a true professional army, but bands of mercenaries hired by the merchants as security.
"Here you go. Take care of whatever business you need done," said Abel, as Yog released his guests just outside the city.
"Thank you Abel. We won't be gone long," said Naofumi.
"Okay, see you soon," said Abel, before Yog teleported him away.
Team Shield made its way down the cobblestone streets to the local Church of the Four Heroes, where he registered with the Dragon Hourglass. Zeltoble's Wave had two months until it arrived, which was far off into the future. Their next stop was the colosseum and true to its name, it resembled the one from Rome. Today, the colosseum was quiet as it was between shows. At the arena, workers moved about, cleaning it and the bleachers so their future audience would have a clean place to view the show.
Naofumi approached a ticket seller at a booth. "I'm looking for a Stavros," said Naofumi. "I was referred to him by Beloukas in Melromarc."
"Sure, he's the owner of this place. He keeps the slaves in the basement, down that flight of stairs to my left," said the ticket vendor.
Team Shield descended the stairs and found a large granite chamber lit by numerous torches and lanterns. Steel cages were lined up all across the walls and the spaces in between. The sound of weeping was interspaced with that of something like an animal growling. All of the cages were filled with a slave of one form or another, whether human or demihuman. Some cages even had monsters within them who glared at the free members of Team Shield with envy.
Team Shield encountered a man resembling Beloukas right down to his attire, but much older with grey hair. "Hello my boy, interested in a slave?" asked the slave trader.
"Sure! Your nephew, Beloukas, gave me a referral," replied Naofumi.
"Ah! You're the Shield Hero!" remarked the slave trader. "Pardon my manners, I'm Stavros. It's nice to meet one of my nephew's biggest customers."
"Yeah, something like that," said Naofumi. "Did you by any chance receive any slaves who came from Rurorona Village in Melromarc? I'm interested in purchasing them."
"Yes, right this way," said Stavros, who led Team Shield to the far corner of the northern end of the slave pens.
As Team Shield browsed the slaves, Raphtalia and Keel picked out those who had originally come from Rurorona before being sold off. During this time, Naofumi noticed a young girl who was wrapped in so many bandages that she looked like a mummy. These bandages did little to hide the sores and blisters dotting her entire body. She had white and black hair resembling the fur of a white tiger and tied into a pair of braids which hung down in front. She also had a tail to match and tiger ears poking up from under her hair. She kept her eyes constantly closed, a sign that she was blind.
"Master Naofumi, who are you looking at?" asked Raphtalia. When she looked at the slave, it stirred up unpleasant memories of her time in Beloukas' cage. She had been a sickly girl then, malnourished like this tiger girl was. "Are you intending to buy her?"
"So you've found Atla," interjected Stavros. "She's not long for this world. It'd be best to skip her and pick someone else."
"What kind of demihuman is she?" asked Naofumi, having never seen one like her.
"She's a Hakuko, a white tiger demihuman. They're one of the elite races of Siltvelt and have a reputation for being very strong," replied Stavros. "Do you still want her?"
"Yeah," replied Naofumi. "If she's with me, at least she'll be taken care of. Since she's so ill, you'll give me a discount, right? I hope you're not intending to sell me damaged goods for full price."
"Not at all! You're one of my nephew's best customers and you've given me a lot of business today just by yourself," said Stavros.
"I'll take her," said Naofumi.
"Master Naofumi, we're here to buy the villagers, not new slaves for yourself," scolded Raphtalia.
"She may not be a villager, but it wouldn't hurt to get a few extra to repopulate the village," said Naofumi.
"We need to paint new crests. Come this way," said Stavros.
He led Naofumi and the slaves to a work station near the front with ink bottles, bowls, and brushes. In Atla's case, she could not even walk and was blind as a result of her poor health. She needed to be carried there. Stavros mixed Naofumi's blood with a special ink, then used this mixture to paint the crest onto the chests of all the slaves. Each time he did so, the crest released violet electricity, causing severe pain to the victim which brought them to their knees.
Naofumi paid Stavros in full along with a commission. "It's time we did something about those sores," Naofumi told Atla.
He gave Atla a dose of a medical potion, which caused a magical aura of green to wash over her. Many of Atla's sores receded and some vanished altogether. Since some of the sores pressed against her bandages, nothing remained to hold them up, so the bandages became loose, threatening to fall off and expose her naked body. "My sores!" remarked Atla, looking at how much clearer her skin had been become. "They're gone!"
Mentally, Naofumi thanked the potion boosting skills he had unlocked from upgrading the Shield. "You look much better already. Time to bring you to your new home," said Naofumi.
"Don't worry Atla. Master Naofumi's nice. He'll give you lots of yummy food!" said Filo.
"Are you a slave too?" asked Atla.
"Yes, I'm Filo. Raphtalia and I are both slaves to Master Naofumi," replied Filo.
Suddenly, a demihuman boy burst onto the scene to confront Stavros. He was also a Hakuko, a white tiger demihuman, just like Atla. "Stavros! What's going on?" asked the boy.
"Atla just got purchased by this fine gentleman here," replied Stavros.
"Give her back!" demanded the boy.
"No can do," replied Stavros. "She's already got the crest. This gentleman owns her now."
"Why do you want her back so badly?" asked Naofumi.
"She's my sister," replied the boy.
"Yes, that's Fohl, my brother," said Atla. "Master Naofumi, can you find it in your heart to purchase him as well?"
"Master Naofumi, it would be tragic and cruel to separate them. If you're taking Atla, then take her brother too," said Raphtalia. "You said yourself that you needed non-villagers to help repopulate the village."
Naofumi sighed. "Fine," said Naofumi.
"One moment," said Stavros. "Fohl is one of my most prized gladiators in the colosseum. I can't just part with him without adequate compensation. You see, he's a very popular fighter, hungry to win."
"I want to earn enough to cure my sister," said Fohl. He looked at Atla and noticed that some of her sores had vanished, with the ones remaining well on their way to disappearing. "Sister, your sores! What happened to them?" he asked. He then turned to Naofumi and Stavros. "How did she recover so fast? My medicine can't be that strong!"
"Master Naofumi gave me better medicine," replied Atla.
"I... Thank you, Naofumi," said Fohl.
"If you want to purchase Fohl, he won't come cheaply, let me warn you now," said Stavros. "Tell ya what, I'll let him go if you team with him for a match in the colosseum. If you win, let me keep the prize money and I'll release Fohl from his contract. Otherwise, you'll have to buy him from me at full price. Personally, I expect a crushing victory out of you, being a Cardinal Hero and all, but at least make a good spectacle out of it."
"Alright, what are the rules?" asked Naofumi.
"Each team has three members. Per our deal, you and Fohl must compete," replied Stavros.
"So, I get one more pick... Raphtalia, are you up for a gladiatorial fight?" asked Naofumi.
"Sure, if it will help these two reunite," said Raphtalia.
"The fight continues until one team is unable to continue or verbally forfeits," said Stavros. "It will be in three days."
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The day of the gladiatorial tournament arrived quickly and Team Shield returned to Zeltoble to compete. Team Shield, consisting of Naofumi, Fohl, and Raphtalia, waited in the locker room of the colosseum until one of the tourney organizers popped in. "Shield Hero, you're up. Get out there and show 'em what you got!" said the man.
"Up next is what you've all been waiting for, Fohl Fayon's retirement match! We've brought the Shield Hero himself to join him in a three-on-three match. Give a round of applause to Team Shield!" announced Stavros.
The audience cheered as Naofumi, Raphtalia, and Fohl walked out into the centre of the arena. Naofumi glanced around as he waved to the audience. The event had a surprisingly high turnout as nearly every seat had been occupied. "I've never fought in front of so many people before," remarked Naofumi.
"You'll get used to it. I'm gonna miss this place once I start travelling with you," said Fohl.
"Their opponents will be the Masked Orcas. Give them a round of applause!" said Stavros.
A group of three masked individuals with harpoons entered the arena. They consisted of one woman and two men with the woman being the team captain and most powerful of them. The Shield listed the black-haired woman's name as Sadeena. She wore a bikini-like outfit with a loincloth, an ensemble which was reminiscent of an orca. This style of garb was the kind worn by sakamata, demihumans with the traits of orca whales. She was on par in level with both Naofumi and Raphtalia at Lv 100.
"Sadeena, huh? She's our level," said Naofumi.
"Did you say Sadeena?" asked Raphtalia.
"FIGHT!" cried Stavros.
The two groups charged at each other with Naofumi taking point. Sadeena met with Naofumi and attempted to stab him, but got blocked by the Shield. She made three more thrusts at different locations. Though all were blocked, her hits had great force behind them. Medusa's Hair came to life and snapped at Sadeena. "Ugh!" remarked Sadeena as she batted the snakes away.
She hopped back to safety, then cast a Dreifach Thunderbolt spell. Naofumi blocked it with the Shield, getting pushed back a few metres. Upon recovery, he lashed the Liger Shield at her. Sadeena had been surprised and barely moved right in time to evade. The flaming Shield sliced past her mask, melting it and charring her cheek and hair. She hastily tossed the mask aside as it had become too hot to wear from the Diskarmor attack. Without it, Sadeena had the appearance of a fair-skinned Japanese woman in her twenties.
Raphtalia kicked her opponent down, then saw Sadeena unmasked. "Sadeena? Is that really you?" asked Raphtalia.
"You're Raphtalia, aren't you?" asked Sadeena. "Yes, you are! It's been so long. I'm so sorry I wasn't there when you needed me."
"I'm fine now. Master Naofumi took care of me until I could see you again," said Raphtalia.
"Good! That's a relief to hear," said Sadeena. "I've got a reputation to uphold, so I'm not about to lose to you, sister!"
"Ha! I'm not giving up without a fight either!" said Raphtalia. She then cast the Zweite Hide Mirage spell and vanished from sight.
Nearby, Fohl continued his fight with Sadeena's other ally. The sakamata attempted to thrust at him, but he was quicker and shifted right. Fohl charged in to attack, but met the other end of the harpoon and got sent to the ground. "Crap!" said Naofumi as he blocked the attack of the first sakamata ally.
Raphtalia moved around Sadeena, then closer to strike. Sadeena made strange clicking sounds with her tongue, then heard them echo from behind. She jabbed the blunt end of the harpoon back, right into Raphtalia's stomach. "Ha! That trick won't work on me!" said Sadeena.
Raphtalia slumped to the ground in pain, leaving Naofumi as the last member of his team standing. Seeing no other choice, he activated the Aegis to direct Medusa's Gaze upon all three of his foes. "What kind of attack is this?" asked Sadeena as her allies became encased in stone. Her own legs started to petrify, rooting her in place. "I can't break fr..." Before she could finish, a rocky shell had encased her entire body and turned her into a living statue.
"1... 2... 3... 4... 5... 6... 7... 8... 9... 10..." counted Stavros. "The Masked Orcas are unable to battle. Team Shield is the winner in a stunning comeback victory!"
"Yeah!" cheered the audience after the surprise comeback which brought Team Shield the victory.
After the gladiatorial battle, Naofumi released the petrification on his opponents. As the Masked Orcas returned to their lockers, Team Shield returned to the slave pen. At the work area, Stavros painted a new slave crest onto Fohl's chest, which passed control of him onto Naofumi. "There! He's all yours now," said Stavros. "Use him well."
"Thank you Master Naofumi. You've cured my sister and reunited us. I owe you so much," said Fohl.
"You've got some nice moves. I could use a scrappy kid like you on my team," said Naofumi.
"Of course, I'll help you fight the Waves as best I can," said Fohl.
"Master Naofumi, can you buy one more slave from Stavros?" asked Raphtalia.
"Let me guess. You want me to buy Sadeena," replied Naofumi.
"Yes. It would raise the village's morale if they saw her return home," said Raphtalia.
"Sadeena is like a big sister to me and Raphtalia. Please bring her home too," said Keel.
"Well Stavros? How much does she cost?" asked Naofumi.
"30 gold pieces and not a gold piece less," replied Stavros.
"That's insane!" said Naofumi.
"Since you've fought her, you should know how strong she is. She's a major money maker for me. Slaves like her don't come cheaply," said Stavros.
"Very well," said Naofumi. "I'll pay your fee."
Naofumi paid Stavros in full with a bit extra as a commission. Stavros brought Sadeena to the work area and painted a new crest onto her chest. She writhed in agony as it took hold of her, but the pain receded soon after and control passed to Naofumi. "It's done. It's been a pleasure doing business with you, Shield Hero. Beloukas was right about you," said Stavros, clutching his bag of coins in admiration.
"Finally! Together again!" said Sadeena.
"Yes. It was too long, but I'm glad it's over," said Raphtalia.
"Yes! Together again!" said Keel. The three friends hugged each other, glad to be reunited after what seemed like an eternity of separation because of the Waves.
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Team Shield teleported back to the WDF headquarters, now three members stronger with the addition of Fohl, Atla, and Sadeena. They found Abel speaking with Eclair, Reichnott, and Melty by a magic circle that Yuzu was preparing. "Hi Naofumi!" said Melty once she noticed them.
"How did it go?" asked Reichnott.
"I managed to get Fohl and an extra," replied Naofumi. "Meet Fohl and Sadeena."
"Hello to you all and welcome to Rurorona Village! I'm Johan van Reichnott, lord of another region. Here in Rurorona, demihumans can live in peace, free from the discrimination of greater Melromarc. This village also houses the Wave Defence Force headquarters where we organize opposition to the Waves. I'm sure you'll enjoy life here," said Reichnott.
"Hi Reichnott!" said Sadeena.
"Oh, hi Sadeena! It's great to have you back. What happened to you after the Wave hit town?" asked Reichnott.
"I had come back from my fishing trip. By then, the Wave had wrecked the town and everyone had been hauled to the slave pens," replied Sadeena. "I decided to become a gladiator in Zeltoble to earn the money to buy back my friends."
"At least now, everyone is together again," said Melty. "Where are my manners? Let me introduce everyone. I'm Melty Q. Melromarc, Crown Princess of Melromarc. I oversee the WDF on behalf of the queen, my mother. You already know Lord Reichnott. My knight is Eclair Saett, the daughter of the late lord of this region. Last, but not least, is the mage Abel, head of the Spade Mercenary Company and a major field leader for the WDF."
Abel nodded. "Hello all," said Abel.
"What have you guys been doing?" asked Naofumi.
"We're setting up defences against bombardment. Yuzu is creating a magic sigil to act as the base of a gigantic, village-wide magic barrier," replied Abel. "Should another Wave come here, we can turn on the barrier and keep the monsters on the outside."
"Good!" said Naofumi. "It would be a pain to rebuild the town, only to have a new Wave wreck it again."
"It seems you brought in some new demihumans. I can tell they have combat training and experience," said Abel.
"Yeah. Fohl is a martial artist and Sadeena is a master of lightning magic and the harpoon," replied Naofumi. "I'm going to add them to my team, and Atla too once she recovers enough."
END OF CHAPTER