The Rising of the Secret Shield Hero

by Laci the Hunter

A hunter of monsters and member of a secret society is yanked away from his world and sent to another, where cruelty and betrayal are part of the norm. Will he still risk his life to save the world, even if everyone labels him a criminal, or will he let this world suffer the fate his home world shouldn't? Well, find out by reading this story.

2. A Beestung in a New World

A Beestung in a New World

"Dude what the hell is this?!"-Patrick asked as he looked at the small shield that was – somehow – attached to his right forearm.

"Yeah, what the heck is all of this?"-asked a voice from Patrick's left, and when he turned to see, he was greeted by the sight of three more people.

The first one right next to Patrick was a young man, who looked like he'd be one year younger then the Templar beestung. The young man had long blond hair which was tied in a long ponytail. His clothing consisted of simple red track clothing, with the tracksuit being completely unzipped and giving the whole world a view of his white t-shirt underneath. In his right hand was long white staff, which ended with a decorated black spike at the bottom, while the top had a gold and black colored crescent-shaped metal, along with a black spear blade being on to it. Between the blade and the piece of metal there was a red gemstone.

The next one, right next to the spear guy, was another young man, but this one was much younger than the spear guy and Patrick. In fact he and the one with the bow looked to be highschoolers. Anyway, the teenager next to the spear guy had dark blue medium length hair – which didn't look like it was dyed and it was his natural color – and dark blue track clothes. He was holding a black and gold colored sword with a blue gem in its cross guard.

The last one was another teenage boy, this one with short greenish-blond hair, and his fancy dark green uniform was definitely a dead giveaway that he's a highschooler. Most likely from a private school for rich kids. His weapon was a gold and silver bow with a yellow gem at the center of its shaft.

Patrick was actually quite surprised since he wasn't the only one stuck in this situation. But he was more surprised by the fact that two of them are so young. The one thing he noticed all of them had in common was their Asian heritage, making him stand out as the only westerner.

"Aside from their choice of Power Rangers color codes aside, they don't look like beestungs to me. The way they're studying their weapons is a clear indicator, but I can't sense any kind of anima emanating from them, and we beestung should be able to pick up on each other's anima, even just a little bit."-Patrick internally contemplated until the black cloaked man from earlier spoke one again:

"Please great heroes save us from destruction."-the man's words drew all four men's attention-"Our country is on the brink of annihilation and we desperately need your help, the help of the four Cardinal Heroes. Please save us oh great heroes!"

"Four Cardinal Heroes?"-Patrick thought-"That sounds exactly like the title from that strange book. I wonder…"

But before Patrick could get a word in edgewise the blue swordsman spoke up suddenly:

"Not a chance. I refuse."

"I agree."-the young bowman spoke up next, and somehow Patrick was able to understand them, as if they were speaking English-"There's no way we will work with you after summoning us here so suddenly."

"That's right."-the blonde spearman chimed in-"If you guys can teleport us back to our world, then I guess we could talk then, but if you won't send us back home, than don't expect us to so much as listen to you."

Patrick was both shocked and surprised by their behavior. Surprised because, despite them obviously being normies, they were taking this whole taken-to-another-world deal in strides. And shocked, because they're all acting like a trio of assholes.

Before he could contemplate any further, the sword wielding teen now pointed the tip of his blade at the cloaked people and said-"You people brought us here without our consent! Doesn't this make you feel even a little bit guilty?!"

"Not to mention the fact, that if we do agree to do whatever it is you want us to do and then you throw us away like garbage, we'd have done all of that for absolutely nothing."-the bowman said next.

"You were planning on rewarding us for our efforts, weren't you? And keep in mind that depending on your answer, we might end up as your enemies."-the spearman said with so much arrogance dripping from his voice alone.

"Okay, there's being smug, but this is just too much for me."-Patrick thought, having had enough of what he was hearing from these three, so it was time for him to speak up as well.

"Hey!"-the three weapon wielders turned to look at Patrick-"Why are you three acting like a bunch of smug pricks for? This is no way of responding when someone's asking for your help."

This statement confused the gathered youths and shocked the cloaked people, but nobody paid attention to that. Anyway, the three youths then spoke up after a few seconds:

"Huh? What are you talking about dude?"-the spearman asked first.

"Didn't you hear what we just said?"-the bowman asked next-"These people brought us here without our consent, which is practically kidnapping. Don't you find this to be wrong in the least bit?"

"Look I hear ya loud and clear Legolas junior."-Patrick answered swiftly-"But you guys are just threatening and demanding from these people, even though you haven't even heard what they want yet, and you're just being all around jerks. And that isn't exactly a good way of making a good first impression in another world."-this statement drew a surprised silence out of the three youths, and Patrick took this opportunity to continue-"Look how 'bout this: let's hear these people out and listen to their story, because it sounds like they might really need some help with whatever it is they have. So let's just listen to them first, and then we can go from there. Sound good?"

There was a moment of silence, as all three of them seemed to be contemplating this proposal. Finally it was the swordsman, who lowered his weapon and spoke up first-"Alright gaijin you've made your point clear. We'll do it your way…for now."

With the other two nodding in agreement Patrick smiled and said-"That's all I'm asking for."-he then turned to address the cloaked people-"Sorry about that guys. People just react differently when they're flung halfway across the universe. So how 'bout you all take this opportunity to explain the situation to us."

The cloaked people were still in shock for some reason, but after recovering, the leader spoke up once again-"Ah yes, of course noble Shield Hero. But I'm afraid the explanation you seek would be quite long and convoluted coming from me. Perhaps it would be wiser if you heard the information directly from our king's lips. So please follow me heroes."

While the three civies were surprised that the 'play nice' act worked, Patrick looked satisfied with how things turned out.

"Well…I guess we should go as well."-the bowman hesitantly said.

"Yeah, lets."-the swordsman said, following the cloaked man, with the others following along.

"Sure, though it doesn't really matter what anybody says. We won't change our minds."-the blonde spearman said with arrogance again, shocking Patrick once more.

He also overheard the other two agreeing to the spearman's statement. This caused him to pinch the bridge of his nose as he sighed in annoyance.

"I guess every group has to have those kinds of people."-Patrick thought as he fell in step with the others, though still a bit annoyed.

-X-

As the four weapon wielders followed the cloaked man through, what could only be a castle of some sort, one of them was keeping himself busy.

Patrick began studying his surroundings ever since he stepped out of the summoning chamber. Right now there wasn't much to see since they were still inside a castle, but an interesting thing he noted, was that some of his belongings were missing: his sword Muramasa, and his two pistols. His talismans and biogage were still there, as well as his messenger bag so there was that. He checked inside his bag as well to see if his weapons somehow ended up there, but it seems like they didn't. This seemed rather strange to him, but what truly was strange was the new shield he acquired.

At first glance it looked like an ordinary small kiteshield, no different from the ones you'd find in 'Dark Souls', but it was the gem that really drew his attention. For some reason, Patrick kept sensing enormous amounts of anima energy swirling inside the green gem, but he couldn't tap into it just yet.

"I'll definitely have to look into this some more later. If the energy inside this thing really is anima, than that means that anima could exist in other worlds as well."-Patrick contemplated as the group began ascending a spiraling staircase.

As he walked by a window Patrick looked out and saw buildings that formed a city and a beautiful natural environment past it. The sky was starting to be coated in light hoes of orange, indicating that sunset will be upon them soon. But even so, Patrick couldn't help but admire the sight before him.

"Wow this is a pretty sweet view. It kinda reminds me of those 'Wish You'd Be Here' postcards you'd find at Greece or Italy."-Patrick stated, and when he looked up the group stopped and the three youths now looked at him with curiosity.

"So I take it you've done some traveling outside the States?"-the young bowman asked with a smile on his face.

"Judging by the air alone, I'd say this place has a standard Mediterranean climate."-the blue swordsman said with an indifferent expression on his face, like he was trying to seem cool.

Patrick was surprised by the teen's deduction skills and couldn't help but smirk and crack a joke-"Well now, get a load of Columbus Jr. over here. Guess you're gonna name all the animals in the region next, huh?"

However, instead of chuckles or groans of annoyance, Patrick received a bunch of confused looks from everyone present. Now the cloaked man he'd understand, but the three weapon wielders?

"Uh…who the hell is 'Columbus'?"-the blue clad teen asked, which now confused Patrick for a change.

"Okay, either the Japanese school systems are severally lacking in some aspects in their education…or-"

"Anyway,"-the red spearman spoke up, breaking Patrick's line of thought and the awkward silence as well-"Gotta say, I for one am quite surprised an American like you can speak Japanese so fluently. It's like you were born and raised in Japan."

Now Patrick was even more confused, and he feared that if he kept getting any more confused than he already is, his brain would turn into a mushy paste and then the Dreamers could easily turn him into their very own flesh-puppet.

"Okay, what the hell are you talking about?"-Patrick simply blurted out the question.

The blonde guy quirked an eyebrow at this, but it was the bowman who answered-"Well…every time you open your mouth you speak fluent Japanese, just like us."

And the confusions just keep piling up.-"Uh no, you're wrong kid."-Patrick spoke up-"I'm speaking in English, and so are the rest of you whenever you talk."

Now all three of them were confused as well, however the blue clad teenager spoke up first before anyone else could-"If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say that this must have something to do with our weapons."-when the other two and Patrick looked at him he continued-"These weapons are probably translating everything we hear into a language we're most familiar with."

This explanation certainly had some weight to it and even Patrick had to agree to this-"Well if there's one thing I have learned in my time in the Secret World, it's that anima can do some pretty weird shit. So maybe what Sasuke 2.0 is saying could be true."

"Oh yeah, I guess that would make sense."-spearman said.

"Well we are in another world, so maybe things like this are to be expected."-bowman said next.

"So basically, this is some 'Doctor Who' type shit."-Patrick added, earning another round of confused looks from the three young men-"What?"

"Uhm, excuse me, uh brave heroes?"-the cloaked man's voice drew all of their attention-"Uhm pardon me for interrupting, but we shouldn't keep the king waiting."

That statement drew some widened eyes from everyone, as if they just realized that they were still supposed to get some answers to their more pressing question.

"Right, sorry my dude. Just a bit of brainstorming going on over here. Just lead the way and we'll follow."-Patrick said, and with that the man kept going and the boys followed him in silence.

-X-

After a few more minutes of walking and hallway navigating, the group finally made it to, what could only be the throne room. The cloaked man left them once they reached the doors.

Once inside the throne room the group of four, or at least Patrick, surveyed their surroundings. To the left the walls were replaced by large windows looking out into the world, while to right there was a higher level, enabling nobles and guards alike to view the proceeding from a better vantage point. On the ground level there was a large red carpet leading up to two thrones and guardsmen standing on either side of the carpet.

While there were two thrones, the right one was vacant, while an aging old man sat on the throne on the left. The man, who was no doubt the king, was rather old, as indicated by his shoulder length silver hair, as well as his similarly colored beard. His outfit was off course flashy and fancy, as is typical with royalty, and in addition he had a purple cape draped over his shoulders, with white fur on the edges. He had golden rings on some of his fingers and off course a golden crown on his head, with a purple jewel in its center.

Once the group of four stood in front of him, the king spoke in a deep voice, befitting his age:

"So these are the four heroes of legend. It is truly an honor to have you all here. I am the king of this country, Aultcray Melromarc XXXII. And now noble heroes, may we please have your names?"

"Sure, I'll start."-the swordsman answered almost immediately, as he stepped forth and introduced himself-"My name is Ren Amaki. I'm seventeen years old and in high school."

"Then I'll go next."-said the spearman as he stepped forth-"I'm Motoyasu Kitamura, college student and twenty one years old."

"Guess I'm next."-said the bowman as he stepped forth-"Itsuki Kawasumi. I'm seventeen years old and still in high school."

With that only one person was left.

"At least now I know their names. So I guess it's my turn to take center stage."-Patrick thought as he stepped for-

"Good."-the king suddenly said, effectively interrupting Patrick all together-"Motoyasu, Ren and Itsuki. It is truly an honor to-"

"Uhm excuse me, your majesty?"-Patrick interrupted, raising his hand for emphasis-"I know we might be pressed for time and everything, but don't you think it's rude to not let the last guy introduce himself?"-while he seemed calm on the outside, Patrick felt a bit offended that the king didn't even give him a chance to introduce himself yet.

The king was surprised for a moment, as if he just now noticed that Patrick was even there. However he quickly recovered before anyone could notice.-"Ah yes, my apologies…"

"Hey, you shouldn't just interrupt the king like that."-Itsuki whispered to Patrick, drawing the beestung's attention.

"What? I'm just saying it as it is."-Patrick said nonchalantly.

"Ahem, anyway,"-the king said, trying to get everyone back on track-"Please introduce yourself Shield Hero."

"Alrigthy then,"-Patrick said with smile and renewed vigor-"The names Patrick Shadow and at the tender age of twenty two, I'm just your friendly neighborhood monster hunter."

This garnered shocked and surprised reactions out of the three weapon wielders, but somehow everyone else in the room was as silent as a graveyard, and kept looking at Patrick with indifferent looks on their faces. Even the king looked like he's bored when Patrick spoke.

"Now then,"-said the king-"I suppose you are all wondering why you are here."

This not only caused Patrick's shock to resurface, but also started his suspicion meter.

"Okay now I know he's deliberately ignoring me"-Patrick thought, as he did his best to look calm on the outside-"I get that he wants to get to the point as quickly as possible, but this kind of behavior is really rude, even for a king. And that reaction of his earlier, like he just noticed that I'm here in this room? That shows that something's going on here. Well, I guess rule nr. 1 when going to a new world still applies: always be vigilant of everything."

King Aultcray then went on to explain that his country, Melromarc, is under the threat of catastrophic events called the Waves of Calamity, or just Waves for short. No one knows exactly how or why are the waves appearing, but what they do know is that the waves are basically giant dimensional portals that summon monsters of various shapes and sizes to attack and destroy everything in sight.

Up until now there has been only one Wave, but that one alone caused significantly large damages to Melromarc. Many people died during this event as well, and through a combination of the country's soldiers, traveling andventurers and a MASSIVE amount of luck, they were able to pull through. Which brings us to now.

"We underestimated the power and ferocity of the Waves."-Aultcray said, as he was concluding his explanation-"And we only now realized that the only way to combat the Waves, was to summon the four Cardinal Heroes of legend, in this case you four. Please understand that the chosen heroes are the only ones powerful enough to stop the waves and save us all. So please great heroes, help us defend and save our home."

"Right, so ignoring the king's rude behavior,"-Patrick thought, coming to a curious conclusion-"Everything he just said sounded exactly like the premise of that weird book that brought me here. So either that book is some kind of portal with a solid, physical form, or I somehow stumbled on one of Nostradamus' books. Heh, that would be something, although given my extensive experience of how weird everything eventually turns out to be, I'd say that that is a distinct possibility."

As Patrick came to this odd conclusion, the three chosen heroes decided to speak their minds:

"All right, I think we all get the gist of it."-Ren was the first to speak up.

"Well this all sounds well and good."-Motoyasu spoke up next-"But I hope you guys weren't thinking that we'd help you for free, right?"

"Off course not."-a short nobleman, with a very suspicious face that would make Jafar proud, spoke up-"Once you have emerged victorious over the Waves you will all be handsomely rewarded for your efforts, brave heroes."

This seemed to have caught the attention of the three heroes as they all seemed to have come to a unanimous agreement.

"Alright, well then I guess we have no choice but to help you."-Motoyasu said first, his cocky smirk never disappearing.

"Just as long as you keep up your end of the bargain, we'll cooperate with you."-Ren added.

"And don't even think about trying to control us, because we won't tolerate you looking down on us."-Itsuki added as well, also sporting a cocky grin.

Patrick on the other hand simply couldn't take their behavior any longer, so he decided to voice his own thoughts as well-"Look, not to sound like a jerk or anything…but there's a huge difference between being a hero and being a mercenary. Just putting it out there."

This resulted in some hushed voices being heard from the nobles, and the three soon-to-be heroes to look at Patrick with incredulity. Patrick on the other hand didn't care about their reactions, because he knew that demanding rewards before even doing something important or big is behavior akin to a mercenary then a hero.

"The hell are they looking at me like that for?"-Patrick thought-"Whenever someone asked me to help them I never demanded anything right from the get-go. Even when I helped Arturo back in Venice I didn't ask for a reward, and he's the big cheese of the Council. I only ever accepted rewards from others when it was either necessary, or if they were being too insistent."

Before any of the three boys could say anything, the noble with the suspicious face spoke up, once again addressing all four males:

"Ahem, now then heroes, please check your statuses."

"Uh, the what in the what now?"-Patrick asked, not sure what the noble tried to say.

"Uhm, what's a 'status'?"-Itsuki asked, both him and Motoyasu looking confused.

However Ren decided to step up to the plate-"Are you guys really this dense, or are you just clueless?"

A moment of silence passed before Patrick spoke up-"Uh Ren? The 'smartass' look doesn't really suit you, ya know that?"

Ren sighed in annoyance at this response and spoke once again-"Alright listen; look to the bottom right corner of your vision. There should be a small, transparent looking rectangle."

Patrick, Motoyasu and Itsuki did as Ren instructed them and true enough the little transparent object was there.

"Oh yeah, I see it."-Motoyasu declared happily.

"Yeah, so do I."-Itsuki stated as well.

"Wait so you guys can see that thing too?"-Patrick asked innocently, but it still caused the three boys to look at him in surprise.

"Hold on, you mean to tell us you knew about this thing this entire time?"-Motoyasu inquired, to which Patrick simply nodded.

"Then why didn't you tell us earlier?"-Itsuki added.

"Well…"-Patrick answered-"…Because I thought I was just seeing things because of the taco I ate before arriving here. Also BTW, do not trust a ghoul selling you tacos. You may never know when it might give ya a rancid one."

If it were possible for jaws to hit the floor, like in the cartoons, then Motoyasu and Itsuki would be in that exact situation. Ren was shocked as well, but he made an effort not to show much of his surprise. Said swordsman then coughed into his hand a moment later, signaling his recovery, although a barely visible blush still dusted his cheeks.

"A-anyway, moving on."-Ren's words drew the other three hero's attention-"Now that you guys see the rectangle, focus your vision on it."

With that, all three of them did as they were instructed.

"Like this?"-Patrick asked and as he focused his vision on the rectangle, something unexpected happened.

The rectangle suddenly expanded outwards and in its place was a holographic screen on the retina. The screen itself looked like a statistics menu from an mmorpg video game, showing the power levels of both the character and the corresponding weapon. While the four males didn't read all of the stats presented on the screen, their main focus was on the level of their respective weapons.

"Only level one?"-Itsuki asked with a surprised tone.

"Well that's a bit disconcerting."-Motoyasu added.

"Yeah, no kidding."-Ren said as well, as he already knew his own stats.

"Excuse me, but what exactly is this?"-Patrick asked the nobleman, hoping to find out more about this.

"This is called 'Status Magic'."-the nobleman answered-"It is a magic ability exclusive only to the four heroes. It will provide you with the necessary information you will need on your journey."

While the explanation itself was as bland and rudimentary as sheet paper, Patrick got the gist of it as he inspected his shield's specs on the stats menu.

"Okay, got ya. But the fact that these 'legendary' weapons are at level one, kinda throws the whole 'hero' mood for a loop."-Patrick stated as Motoyasu added his own ten cents:

"Can't we just use some stronger weapons until these can be properly usable?"

"Well I think that we're supposed to make them stronger."-Itsuki stated.

"In any event, we'll figure things out along the way anyway."-Ren added with finality.

"Yeah, you might be right."-Patrick voiced his own thoughts-"And here's an idea: once our levels are high enough we could form our own little marry band of heroes."

"One last thing heroes."-the Jafar nobleman stated before the heroes could voice their agreement-"The legends say that the four cardinal weapons must not be used next to each other for an extended period of time. The reason for this is simply because, by their own nature, the weapons' powers are simply opposed to each other, and would therefore be rendered useless in battle."

This brought some surprised and disappointed looks to the four heroes.

"So I guess we'll have to do this separately then."-Motoyasu concluded.

"Looks that way."-Itsuki added, with Ren silently nodding.

"What?! Boo! That's so lame!"-Patrick stated his opinion on the matter, which attracted everyone's attention to him-"Ugh, and I had a cool name for our team and everything."

While the nobles and even Aultcray looked at the Shield Hero with confusion, the other heroes were a different matter: Motoyasu and Itsuki looked at the beestung with amusement and curiosity while Ren just looked indifferently.

"Riiiiight. I'll bet it's something nobody in this room would understand, right?"-the spear hero inquired with a smirk, while Patrick just looked at him calmly and with a bit of confusion.

"Well I can't imagine the name 'Avengers' would be THAT confusing."-Patrick retorted, which now served to confuse the three heroes.

This confused the heroes and everyone else listening even more.

"Why would you want to call us that?"-Itsuki inquired, not knowing the meaning behind that name at all.

Patrick was a bit shocked at first upon hearing this question and seeing their reactions, but he quickly hid this reaction and simply answered:

"Well because it sounds awesome, duh. And because 'League of Monster Slayers' is already taken."

"Ahem, at any rate,"-Aultcray finally spoke up, addressing the four heroes-"The sun will set shortly, so all four of you will be staying here in the castle tonight. In the meantime we will gather the best adventurers from the country and tomorrow morning you will each receive a party with which you will begin your journey with."

"SIR!"-all four heroes said, unanimously agreeing with the king's plan.

Then a girl wearing a yellow dress stepped closer to them and addressed them-"We have prepared rooms for each of you brave heroes. Please follow me."

And so the heroes went along, exploring and getting familiar with the castle while they were at it.

-X-

As the first hours of night crept over the kingdom, whispers of the arrival of the Four Cardinal Heroes have been spreading all over the castle, as well the town and its neighboring areas. However among the guards and nobles, a particular tone was used whenever the Shield Hero was mentioned.

Meanwhile, after having dinner at the king's table, the Four Heroes in question decided to have a little secret meeting of their own. While they were each provided with a room of their own, they decided to gather in Patrick's designated room. There Motoyasu sat at the end of the single bed in the room, Itsuki sat in a chair that was in front of a small table, Ren simply leaned against a wall in front of the small table and finally Patrick sat on a couch with the little table in front of him.

The three heroes were actively speaking to each other, while Patrick only spoke up a few times as he was busy analyzing his statistics menu, but still kept an ear free to listen to the conversation:

"Man this place sure is turning out to be amazing."-Motoyasu suddenly said-"And that girl who showed us to our rooms? She looked like a real cutie."

"And while it did taste quite strange,"-Itsuki added-"Our dinner was very satisfying at least."

Ren simply nodded from his place by the wall and after a moment of silence Patrick decided to voice a thought that has been in his head for a while now:

"Hey, not to suddenly change the subject of this riveting conversation, but this 'Status Magic' thing? Am I the only one who noticed that this looks like something out of a video game?"

"Well, that's because this IS a video game."-Motoyasu was the first to answer-"In fact this whole world so far is exactly the same as 'Emerald Online'."

Patrick only raised an eyebrow at this, before activating his biogage and saying-"Sorry, never heard of it."

This garnered a surprised reaction from Motoyasu, but he quickly recovered and spoke once again-"Seriously? It's a pretty huge deal back in Japan. I even heard that there are more players from America on the server."

"No, you're wrong Motoyasu."-Itsuki suddenly spoke, getting the Spear Hero's attention, but not Patrick's as he was still fiddling with his biogage-"This isn't some online game. It's actually a console game I was playing before arriving here, called 'Dimension Web'."

"No, you're both wrong."-Ren chimed in-"Everything about this place is the same as a vrmmo I was playing back in my home, called 'Brave Star Online'."

Now all three heroes who were speaking were thoroughly confused, as they looked like they didn't understand anything that was just stated, except for what they said individually.

Coming to a decision, Motoyasu stood from the bed and stated-"Alright, then there's only one way to solve this dilemma."-he then turned his attention to their resident swordsman before speaking again-"Ren, before we get started, tell me something: when you said 'vrmmo' did you mean it like literally and for real?"

"That's right."-Ren answered immediately, not even bothering to be surprised at this point.

"There was a video game I played once that explored this concept."-Itsuki added.

Patrick didn't answer and Motoyasu took this as his que to continue-"Okay, now that we've got that out of the way, let's get started. I'll ask a question, and we all give an answer that we know to be true. But first…"-Motoyasu then turned to Patrick and asked-"Hey Patrick if you're not too busy with that…thing on your wrist, can you tell me how much of Japanese culture do you know?"

Patrick looked up and answered his fellow hero-"I happen to know plenty; from the types of food, forms of greeting, customs and language, to the national currency. And for your information Motoyasu, this thing *shows left wrist* is called a biogage."-then he went back to the device.

This surprised all of the gathered heroes, since they thought that, as an American, Patrick wouldn't know so much about Japan, but they didn't voice that particular nugget of thought, and Motoyasu continued:

"Alright, than that's what we'll go with. Now then, here's the question: who's face is on the one thousand yen bill?"-he paused to let everyone ready themselves for the grand reveal-"Ready? And…"

Then all of them, even Patrick said…four different names, which only served to confuse the sword, bow and spear heroes, but the Shield Hero remained silent and impassive. The three heroes then proceeded to ask more question, each receiving three different answers each time. Patrick simply remained silent, having finished with whatever he was doing on his biogage and was now simply sitting and thinking. After five minutes of playing Q&A the three heroes stopped as they all came to a unanimous and shocking revelation:

"Three different answers each time."-Ren stated first.

"Well then, there's only one logical conclusion: we each come from a different version of Japan."-Itsuki concluded, the thought being the same on everyone's minds.

Motoyasu though looked at Patrick with a curious and suspicious look on his face and decided to ask the Templar agent a question:

"Hey Patrick, you've been kinda silent this whole time man."

Patrick lifted his head and looked at the gathered heroes, who were all now looking at him.

"He's right."-Itsuki added-"You've hardly spoken a word, ever since this whole meeting started. And you've also not shown a single reaction when we said we've all come from a bunch of parallel worlds."

Patrick was silent and held his gaze with the other heroes…until he cracked a smile and scratched the back of his head as he said-"Oh, that? I figured that one out already."

The three heroes once again were shocked real good and their jaws were even threatening to hit the floor. A moment later Motoyasu was the first to speak. Sorta:

"Wha-…but…how…you…son of a…"-Motoyasu kept stuttering, until he worked up the nerve to speak in actual words-"Well if you already knew we were from parallel worlds, than why didn't you say something earlier?!"

"Easy, for two reasons."-Patrick calmly said, as he began explaining to the listening heroes-"First off, none of you would've believed me."-the three males looked surprised by this statement, as Patrick began elaborating-"I mean think about it, if I suddenly went up to you guys and said: 'Hey guys, guess what? I think we all come from parallel worlds.' Now how crazy would that sound, even if it came from any one of the four of us?"

The three heroes lowered their heads and contemplated these words. Patrick's words rang true though: while they are standing in a fantasy world, the concept of parallel worlds would've been a massive stretch, especially without proof. Taking their silence as his que to continue, Patrick said:

"Which leads me to the second reason: I simply wanted to be one hundred and ten percent sure about my suspicions."

"So wait,"-Ren interjected-"How did you even figure out that we came from parallel worlds?"

"Easy: through our conversations."-Patrick answered, which confused the three heroes further, so the beestung elaborated-"C'mon guys. Columbus? Doctor Who? The Avengers? Those are household names that anyone from my world would understand immediately. But every time I mentioned anything well known from my world, you guys would just look at me as if I grew a second head."

The three heroes lapsed back into their surprised states, stunned by the fact that this glasses-wearing American could deduce their origins through simple conversations between themselves.

"Okay, just what are you, some kind of detective or something?"-Ren suddenly asked, coming to the only conclusion he could think about, based on everything he just witnessed.

Before Patrick could answer, Motoyasu spoke up first with a chuckle-"Nah, of course not. I mean haven't you heard him earlier Ren? He said he's a fearsome 'monster hunter'."

Patrick gave a deadpanned look at Motoyasu's direction, while Itsuki spoke up next, his voice sounding as innocent as ever:

"I was wondering about that myself Patrick-san. Why did you say that? Was it meant as a joke, or…?"

"Off course he was joking Itsuki."-Motoyasu spoke up, again-"I mean it's not like he was being serious about that, right Patrick?"-but upon looking towards the beestung, the young Japanese spearman saw Patrick still giving him a deadpanned stare, which only drew an uncomfortable look from him-"…Right?"

After a moment of silence Patrick finally spoke up without someone – Motoyasu – interrupting him-"Well, if your done cutting into my lines Motoyasu, I should point out the fact that, under normal circumstances if I ever told this kind of information to civies slash normies than I'd get into a shitload of trouble, especially with the Council…buuut since we're in a J.R.R. Tolkien world and you three are from three different flavors of Earth, I suppose I could tell you guys a thing or two."

The three would-be heroes just looked at each other with uncertainty, realizing the weight Patrick's words carried and having second thoughts about knowing any further.

"Okay, you're starting to sound more like a secret agent now dude."-Motoyasu pointed out.

"Heh, I guess you could say that."-Patrick said, before once again having a distant look in his eyes and speaking in a serious tone this time-"Where I come from monsters are real. Every creature of myth, legend, even urban legend is real. Everything from vampires, werewolves, ghouls and zombies, to ghosts, mummies, demons, giant scorpions and jinn."-Patrick looked up and saw that the three weapon-wielders had varying expressions: Motoyasu looked shocked out of his mind, with his mouth hanging open for good measure, Itsuki was shocked too, but had a more 'tamed' expression than his fellow warrior and Ren seemed only mildly surprised with a bit of skepticism thrown in the mixt. But Patrick smirked at this because, regardless of the way they showed it, the beestung's words caught their attention.

"They mostly exist outside of human society, living in the shadows and dark places of the planet. The times they DO interact with humans mostly ends in hostility for both parties involved, though it also mostly ends with the human party being torn to pieces, drained of blood, half eaten, burned alive, cocooned in toxic webs, reduced to a vegetative state or cursed with eternal torment. These are the reasons why some humans who were brave and/or stupid enough to face these things decided to band together to stand a better chance against the supernatural. As time went on humans kept developing bigger and better weapons to combat monsters. They even discovered magic at some point and pattened it for use against the monsters as well.

"After a while these groups of humans decided to conduct their 'businesses' in secret, fearing the global-scale panic humanity would face if they found out about the truth. That's how the first Secret Societies were born, and-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on a minute!"-Motoyasu suddenly interrupted, earning himself an annoyed sigh from the Shield Hero-"First there are monsters, than magic and now there are secret societies?! I mean, what's next?! You're gonna say you have dragons too?!"

A moment of awkward silence later Patrick spoke up-"First of all, dragons went extinct 65 million years ago, along with the dinosaurs. Every Secret Worlder worth his salt knows that. And second, do you want me to finish telling you the story, or not?"

Before Motoyasu could speak up, Ren and – surprisingly – Itsuki elbowed the Spear Hero in the abdomen from both sides. HARD.

"Yes/Yes please."-Ren and Itsuki both said at the same time.

Motoyasu cradled his injured abdomens, and was about to issue a complaint, but Ren spoke up first-"Just shut up and listen."

Seeing that the red clad blonde was willing to at least listen to the swordsman's warning, Patrick took this as his que to continue.

"As I was saying, at first A LOT of Secret Societies were formed. TOO. MANY. However, out of all of them, only four societies grew the most in power and lasted until the modern times: the Templars, the Illuminati, the Dragons and an evil Sun cult which changed its name about fifty seven times already.

"After a long while of society-against-society conflicts, the big three decided to call it a truce in order to keep the Natural World and the 'Secret World' as balanced as possible. And so the big three now occupy the three most powerful regions of the planet: the Templars stand watch over Europe, the Illuminati protect the Americas and the Dragons TRY not to get Asia in anymore messes.

"And, in order to enforce this 'Cops 'n' Robbers' sorta stability between the Natural World and the Secret World, the Big Three, as well as most other secret societies, recruit people with…special powers that were granted to them by Gaia, the very heart of the planet."

After he finished, all three heroes, even Ren, just starred at Patrick with such widened eyes, one would think that said body parts would pop out of their sockets at any second. Patrick allowed this silence to linger for a bit longer, before he spoke up once again:

"And in case you three haven't connected the obvious dots by now, I am part of the Secret World, the Templars to be exact, and I am also one of Gaia's chosen 'bees'."

This seemed to have snapped the would-be warriors back to…whatever this planet is called, and it was Motoyasu, who spoke up first:

"So wait. Back in the throne room, when you said you're a 'monster hunter', you were serious about that?"

Patrick had to resist the urge to roll his eyes, reminding himself that, he too was in the same position when he first spoke to Sonnak.

"Yes I was, and besides, what could I possibly gain by lying like this? I mean, if I had something to gain from all of this – of which nothing comes to mind at all – don't you think I could've come up with something that doesn't sound as farfetched as the story I just told you?"

Motoyasu tried to give a response to this, but couldn't come up with anything. Then Ren spoke up again-"He's right. All of us, including Shadow over here, come from other worlds of our own. So at this very moment, none of us have anything to gain by fabricating stories like this."

"So wait!"-Motoyasu spoke up again, once again addressing Patrick-"If you're someone with…powers, or whatever, than what kind of powers do ya have."

Patrick's deadpanned look quickly morphed into one of surprise, since he didn't expect Motoyasu of all people to ask him that. But a moment later, the beestung adopted a thinking pose and answered:

"Well, back on Earth I was good with a sword and guns – pistols to be specific. And also, I guess you could say I 'mastered' all three types of magic from my world: elemental magic, blood magic and chaos magic. Some of the folks from the Templar Order even called me a 'Magus' for learning magic the way I did."

Upon looking at his fellow outworlders, Patrick saw that their looks were a mixture of surprised, shocked and skeptical.

"What? Ten years in a Secret Society is enough time to practice and improve one's skills."

Before Ren or Motoyasu could say anything else Itsuki spoke up for the first time since Patrick finished his story:

"So…does that mean you're like a superhero, or something?"

Patrick's eyes widened for a moment, since nobody has ever called him a 'superhero' before…well except for that kid in Japan, but still. The beestung then chuckled a bit before saying:

"Well, I wouldn't really call myself that. I'm more like the guy who cleans up the really nasty messes that nobody else can, or wants to."-and it's true, since he always found himself in such lovely places, like old haunted mansions, underground Filth-infested temples, experimental facilities that look like glorified slaughter houses. See? Only the finest of places.

"Well, that's a pretty humble thing to say, considering the fact that your much stronger and more experienced than the rest of us."-Ren said, his voice carrying hints of jealousy, which didn't go unnoticed by the Chosen of Gaia.

"Well,"-Patrick said-"I think that being humble and kind is a lot better and more rewarding than acting like some arrogant, stuck-up prick who demands respect and attention every five seconds."

While Patrick's words meant in general, the three chosen heroes couldn't help but feel that he was referring to them.

"Is that why you spoke against us when we demanded reconciliation from the king and those summoner people?"-Itsuki asked, voicing the three's thoughts, to which Patrick responded immediately.

"Mostly, yeah. But also because we're in a new world now, with people who don't even know us. It's important to make a positive first impression, so that the people we're supposed to protect don't start thinking that we're just a bunch of heartless mercs that are only in it for the moola."

Once again, none of the heroes could argue against the beestung's words, since they didn't even listen to him the first time around. They could only hope now that none of the guards or servants will start spreading nasty rumors about them.

"Well,"-Motoyasu suddenly said-"that's very wise and all, but you're still left with a major issue Patrick."

"Oh?"-Patrick inquired, curious as to what the spear-holder was talking about-"And what might that be?"

"Well, duh. You're using a shield."-Motoyasu said matter-of-factly, as if it was supposed to be obvious.

However, Patrick's confusion only grew further upon hearing this, and he asked-"Yeah, I know. What's your point?"

At first Motoyasu was surprised by his words, before saying-"Oh, right. I forgot for a second that you're a superhero, so you most likely don't have enough time to play mmo's. So, seeing as I'm the most senior expert on the matter, let me explain it to ya plainly. Nobody ever chooses the shielder class, because it is lame and is for losers only."

Looking at the other two, Patrick saw them nodding their heads, Ren with a neutral look on his face and Itsuki with one of sympathy. However Patrick still didn't really understand the point of this subject, but he decided to add his own two scents in:

"Well, back where I'm from, every mmo, or co-op style game that I've known of has a particular class of player, known as 'tank'. A tank's role is to be equipped with heavy armor and weaponry, which also includes shields, and to basically absorb any and all incoming damages from the enemy. In short, a tank's role in a party is to be the party's shield, which I guess is my role now."

Motoyasu reared back, as his own words were countered yet again. He was familiar with tank players, but he never really thought of them as that important, seeing as he preferred roles that involved lighter and faster kinds of weapon and armor.

"Yeah, okay, but still,"-Motoyasu tried to argue-"You still only have a shield. That's not exactly a very useful weapon."

"Motoyasu's right Patrick-san."-Itsuki added-"Even with all of your experience and skills, you still only have a shield in a world that most likely has some very strong monsters."

Patrick was silent for a moment, before a smile slowly crept its way across his face as he said-"Oh ye of little faith. Tell me boys, do you know what separates us squishy little humans from beasts?"-this sudden question took the three heroes by surprise, and taking this as his que, Patrick continued-"The one major thing that separates us from the beasts is our…resourcefulness. Ever since the early days of humanity, we were always able to make the most out of what we had available to us. I mean, back when we were wielding stone-tipped spears and were living in caves, we used everything we had at our disposal to survive everything that's been thrown our way. Even before to era of Secret Societies, we didn't have the fancy weapons and super strong magics that we have now. We used what we could as best as we could, and my case is no different. So I have a shield? Big whoop. I'll simply use it to the best of my abilities, for both defense and offence."-Patrick remained silent for a moment, as he saw the three heroes looking shocked and surprised after the beestung was done with his speech. Then Patrick added a final thought-"And besides, the king said he'll provide us with some adventurers tomorrow, and I'm pretty sure I'll be able to acquire a sword or something somewhere along the way. So, there's that too."

The heroes remained silent once again, starting to think that maybe they should just give up on trying to win an argument against the beestung. However Motoyasu, turned away from the shield hero with an upset look as he muttered-"I still say the shield sucks."

"Yes, thank you for re-emphasizing your bias Mototyasu."-Patrick said cheekily, upsetting the spear hero further.

"A-anyway, changing the subject,"-Itsuki suddenly said-"Would it be okay if you…told us a story or tow about your adventures Patrick-san?"

This took the American by surprise, luckily Itsuki elaborated on his words-"You said earlier that you spent ten years as 'Secret Worlder', so I can only guess that you must've been on quite a few interesting adventures. Plus, maybe we could also learn a few things from your stories too, to help us on our journeys."

Patrick honestly couldn't argue with that logic, assuming they'd pay attention long enough to get something out of it. And, again, since they're not from the same Earth as he is, he didn't see the harm in telling them.

"Well…I guess I could tell you guys a story or two…"-Patrick said before adopting a thinking pose-"Now, where to begin?…"

"Well,"-Motoyasu surprisingly suggested-"why don't you start with how you ended up…like this. I mean, there's gotta be an interesting story behind that, right?...Unless you were born this way."

Patrick chuckled at this, as he began-"I guess starting from the beginning does sound like a good idea. Well, it all started with three things: a goodnight's sleep, a dream…and a bee."

-X-

The next morning, bright and early, and four heroes were once again standing before the king, as well as a line of people clad in various pieces of apparel, as well as carrying a variety of weapons.

"As promised, we have gathered the greatest adventurers in the kingdom. They will assist you heroes in your journeys."-Aultcray explained, making three of the heroes internally excited, however one of them not so much.

Right after the king finished, Patrick wasn't able to hold back his yawn any longer, and as he did so, it drew everyone's attention to him, not that he cared.

"Hey, you alright man?"-Motoyasu asked as he noticed the faint bags underneath Patrick's eyes and the sower look on his face-"No offence but, you look like shit right now."

Directing an annoyed look to his fellow hero Patrick said-"Really? Well, it's not like I have exhausted myself mentally and vocally by telling you three chuckleheads three stories, back to back, and not getting enough sleep afterwards."

And it was true. After telling them origin of his powers and how he became a Templar agent, Patrick was forced to tell them two more stories, since they became so interested. He didn't mind at first, but after the third one, he had to put his foot down. And the problem was that the other three weren't even a little bit ashamed about what they made him do. Well maybe except for Itsuki, who at least had the decency to look bashful, while saying:

"Yeah, sorry about that. I guess we might've gotten a little bit carried away."

"Well,"-Ren added, having his eyes closed and looking smug-"nobody forced you to tell us more stories after the first one. So, you only have yourself to blame."

Patrick knew that Ren was only being like this to look cool before the adventurers, but come on.

"Actually, you three forced me to keep telling you. I was the one who had to pull the stop sign on it."-Patrick said annoyedly, which insurprisingly didn't even make Ren flinch, to which the beestung sighed-"And this is how I know you three are evil, and that you are out to get me."

"Riiiight…"-Motoyasu said amusedly, knowing that Patrick didn't mean what he said, and Itsuki was smiling at this as well.

*Ahem*

Aultcray cleared his throat, getting the heroes to focus on him once again-"As I was saying, these brave adventurers will aid you four in your adventures, as well as your battle against the Waves."

"So, how's this supposed to work exactly?"-Motoyasu asked outloud-"Do we get to pick our party members or…"

"Actually,"-the Jafar look-alike noble spoke once again-"In this case, these adventurers will be the ones to pick which hero they will follow."

This surprised the three heroes, as they thought that they would be the ones to choose who will go with them. Though this method seems to be more fair towards the adventurers.

"Oooooohhhh!"-Patrick suddenly said, bringing his right fist down into his open left palm, and his interest suddenly renewed-"I get it now! So, it's basically reverse dodgeball, where instead of the team leaders choosing the players, the players choose the team leaders. Hey, that's pretty clever."

"Ah yes, dodgeball. America's signature school sport."-Ren commented dryly.

Looking towards the Sword Hero Patrick said-"Hey, there's nothing wrong with dodgeball. It actually helps you develop two things primarily: quick reflexes and pain tolerance. I mean, I used to play dodgeball all the time back when I still went to school and look at me now. I can now take pain like a boss."

"In other words, you're a walking punching bag now. Got it."-Ren added, actually smirking at the end, to which Patrick responded swiftly:

"Ha ha, laugh it up Amaki. Laugh it up."

*Ahem*

Aultcray cleared his throat again, before speaking-"Anyway, it is now time for these adventurers to choose the hero they will serve. Now BEGIN!"

And with that the adventurers silently marched forward towards the heroes. Wanting to be surprised by who will pick him, Patrick decided to close his eyes. He just hoped we wouldn't end up with party members who looked like Rose, Mei, or even Alex, since it would only make things super awkward and would make him even more homesick.

After a moment Patrick's ears picked up silence, which meant that the selections were made, so now he had to open his eyes.

"And the lucky winners are-"-Patrick said as he turned around to see….-"no one…apparently…"

Behind each hero was a certain number of adventurers: Itsuki had three, Ren had five and Motoyasu had four – all of whom were girls. But Patrick had zero, which made him slightly worried for a moment.

"Ooookay, this is awkward."-Patrick said, trying not to let his nervousness show as he turned to address the king-"Uhm, you highness, I think we have a bit of a problem over here."

"Indeed."-Aultcray responded calmly, a little too calmly though-"It shocks me to see such a thing."

"It would appear the Shield Hero doesn't have enough charisma…"-the sus noble offered, but then a man who looked like an advisor whispered something in the king's ear, to which Aultcray sighed in…relief?...however he quickly banished that look, but not before Patrick was able to see it.

"I have been informed of a rather startling news."-Aultcray said, addressing the heroes.

"Has something happened sir?"-Motoyasu asked, to which the king responded:

"No. But I was just informed that the Shield Hero is a powerful warrior in the world he comes from. Perhaps due to this, the adventurers believe that the Shield Hero doesn't require any assistance."

The king's words shocked all four heroes as this meant that someone was spying on them while they were talking.

"Hey, looks like someone was eavesdropping on our conversation last night."-Motoyasu whispered to Patrick, who only narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"Yeah, apparently."-the beestung shot back.

"Okay, the rumor and the strength and everything, I get that, but who in the Nine Hells eavesdropped on us last night and what for? Also, why did Aultcray look relieved when his advisor told him of this? Did he know about this already?"-Patrick thought, his mind pilling up one suspicion after another.

"Well,"-Itsuki spoke up, drawing Patrick's attention to him-"the fairest thing to do would be to split the number of adventurers evenly between us, but I think that would only end up causing problems for morale."

While Itsuki looked bashful saying this, the people who chose to be in his party simply nodded eagerly, as if they were opposed to be in any other party other than the Bow Hero's.

"Well, what about Ren?"-Motoyasu asked, offering an argument-"He's got the most adventurers with him. I don't it'd be a problem for him to let a few go, right?"

"You're right, I am more of loner."-Ren said, turning to address his party members-"Those of you who can't cut it will be left in the dust."

And with that, Ren's party members closed ranks tighter, not planning on giving up just yet.

"Damn, Ren does NOT mess around."-Patrick thought.

"You're one to talk Motoyasu when every one of your party members is a girl."-Itsuki argued, voicing what everyone else thought.

"Well, uh yeeaaah, I find that to be strange too, hehehe…"-Motoyasu said, trying to look embarrassed, but he wasn't fooling anyone.

"Yeah, your stupid grin makes it so obvious."-Ren commented, to which Motoyasu was about to retort, but-

"Guys, guys, guys, c'mon! Look, if I gotta solo this whole thing, then fine, I'll do it."-Patrick said, drawing all three heroes' attention to him.

"But Patrick-san,"-Itsuki spoke up-"All you have is shield. It won't be enough for when-"

"A ta ta ta ta!"-Patrick suddenly interjected-"What did I say last night Itsuki? What do we have that beasts don't?"

There was silence for a moment, the royal court looking at the scene before them with interest, while Aultcray was doing his best to not let his annoyance show. Then Itsuki slowly said:

"Resourcefulness?"

"Resourcefulness."-Patrick repeated-"Ya gotta work with what ya got. And yeah, this shield *lifts his right forearm* may not be a circular shield made of vibranium, but if Captain America can kick ass with just a shield, then I may as well try it out myself."

"Almost nothing you just said made any sense."-Ren commented-"And don't you think you're being a little too cocky about this?"

"Maybe."-Patrick responded-"But I'm just stating the facts here Ren. Nobody wants to join me, so I will have to rock this solo either way."

"Yeah, we get it, but still…"-Motoyasu said, trying to come up with a solution that would be beneficial to everyone.

"So, you truly believe you can face the Waves and the dangers of our world alone Shield Hero?"-Aultcray finally spoke up.

"I have no idea!"-Patrick said with enthusiasm-"But, real talk though, this wouldn't be the first time I'd have to do something by myself. I mean, literally two weeks ago, I had to face an entire city full of monsters by myself and still came out on top. So, if I can survive that, then I'm pretty sure I can survive a fantasy world without problem."

To be fair, Patrick was a little bit nervous, since Kaidan was one thing and a whole world is a completely different thing. But he meant what he said about making the most out of what he had. He had to go up against numerous enemies without the aid of his weapons or powers in the past. And given that his shield was practically drowning in anima energy, logic would dictate that it must have some useful powers as well.

The king was about to speak again, most likely to send the heroes off, until-

"Excuse me, your majesty?"-a female voice from behind everyone, and coming from Motoyasu's group, spoke up-"Could I perhaps switch parties with the Shield Hero?"

Turning around, Patrick was surprised to see the owner of the voice was quite beautiful. She was only a few inches shorter than him, with long, flowing red hair, emerald green eyes and wearing some standard and simply armor and carrying a sword at her left hip. On the outside Patrick couldn't deny the fact that she looked amazing, but…

"That's odd. Why are my instincts telling me to not let my guard down?"-Patrick thought, though he made sure to not let it be seen.

"Uh, didn't I just said that I can manage by myself like…five seconds ago?"-Patrick said, trying to reassure the girl.

"Yes, and your speech was very inspirational sir Shield Hero, but I just don't think I can live with myself if something were to happen to one of the Cardinal Heroes. So please accept me into your party sir Shield Hero."-the redhead said, her innocent smile never vanishing.

Patrick was slightly hesitant to say anything, mainly because he wasn't sure how to respond to this after he said his speech and everything. But since this girl is already part of someone else's party, he decided to just address the leader of said party:

"Motoyasu, she's from your party, so what's your take on this?"

At first the Spear Hero didn't know what to say, as he simply looked between his friend and his party member. Then he sighed and said:

"Well, as long as she's okay with this and you look after her, then I'm good."

"Great! Then it's settled, right sir Shield Hero?"-the girl said happily, turning to look at the afore mentioned hero.

Patrick still wasn't sure about this. It's not the he didn't want any party members. Far from it. He just couldn't get this nagging feeling out of his system that this girl will only bring him trouble in a very bad way. But he realized that at this point they're just wasting time, so he decided to just roll with the punches for the time being.

"Uhhhh….welcome to the team, I guess."-Patrick said with unease.

Aultcray was silent for a moment as he observed the girl step next to Patrick, before raising his voice and address the adventurers:

"Are there any others who wish to join the Shield Hero?"-what greeted him was silence and afterwards he spoke again, this time addressing Patrick-"Very well then. Master Patrick it would seem that you will have to recruit your own party members."

"Alright, sure, no problem."-Patrick quickly answered-"I always preferred DIY anyway."

"Now then, every month the heroes will receive funds necessary for their quest."-Aultcray continued-"However, just this once Master Patrick will receive more than the other three heroes, due to his lacking of sufficient party members."

The beestung wanted to protest against that, since he didn't deem it fair for him to receive any special treatments. However another part of his brain told him that more funds would come in handy, seeing as he will require proper equipment for this journey, and he didn't have any of the local currency.

"The Shield Hero will receive eight hundred silver coins, while the rest of the heroes will receive six hundred each."-the nobleman said, as four sacks of coin were distributed among the heroes.

"And now, it is time for you four to begin your journey. Good luck, brave heroes."-Aultcray said with finality, with the four heroes simply saying:

"SIR!"-and with that their journey has begun.

-X-

A short while later, and the heroes and their respective parties were at the gates of the castle. While the Sword, Bow and Spear heroes aimed to go out and start battling monsters immediately in order to 'level up' as they said, Patrick decided to stick around a bit longer in order to purches some weapons for the journey ahead, but not before saying goodbye to one another.

"Well, guess this is goodbye for now, huh?"-Patrick said, as all four of them were standing in the middle of a stone bridge leading towards the gates.

"Yeah, guess so."-Motoyasu said first-"Still, you better take good care of her, ya hear? I mean, since ya already had a partner before, I guess it shouldn't be too difficult for you, right?"

"Don't worry Motoyasu, I promise I won't let anything bad happen to the redhead."-Patrick reassured his friend.

"Well, even though we were told not help one another, the least we can do is wish you good luck on your recruiting."-Itsuki said, his smile never leaving his face.

"Yeah, thanks dude. And remember guys…"-Patrick said as he then threw his arms up and shouted-"AVENGERS FOREVER!"

What followed was an awkward silence, after which Ren turned around and began walking away saying-"Well that's our que. Later Shadow and try not to die out there."

"Yeeeaaaahhh that was super awkward."-Patrick said, crying internally.

"Ren's right."-Itsuki suddenly said-"After all, you promised you would tell us more stories from your world."

"You do realize I'm not your personal radio, right?"-Patrick said with a smirk and his hands on his hips, with Motoyasu directing the same smirk back at him.

"Really? Huh, that's funny. And here I was thinking that you really were just a radio with legs."-the Spear Hero chuckled, as Patrick picked up a pebble and casually threw it in the direction of the retreating heroes.

"Alright, that's it. Go on. Get outta here, you knuckleheads."-Patrick chuckled, as the departing heroes waved one last time, before the only ones to remain were the beestung and the redhead, who proceeded to step in front of the Templar agent and speak:

"Sir Shield Hero, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Myne Sophia. It is a pleasure to be working with you."

Patrick slowly took the offered hand for a shake as he said-"Names Patrick Shadow. It's nice to meet you too Myne."-even as he felt the warmth and softness of her hand, his unease still didn't leave him-"Well, now that the obligatory introductions are out of the way, I guess we should get going too."

"Right."-Myne said, her smile ever present-"First off, let me show you around town."

And show him she did, as Myne guided Patrick through the marketplace, which was already packed with activity. There were the usual stalls that sold various items and foods, but there were also stalls that simply showcased various forms of magic in action, something which interested Patrick greatly. He also couldn't help but notice that, apart from humans, there were also humanoid beings with animal ears and tails, as well was large, dinosaur-like creatures being ridden like horses.

"I so have to get me one of those back home with me. Rose would get soooo jealous."-Patrick thought, as he excitedly eyed one of the passing dinosaurs.

"Well sir Shield Hero, where should we go next?"-Myne asked, getting Patrick to focus once again.

"Well, as tempting as it would be to get one of those dinosaur things, I think the best – and obviously only – place to start with would be a shop that sells weapons and armor. After all, we gotta be decked out for what's coming our way."-Patrick said.

"Oh, you're right."-Myne said, as she stepped in front of the Shield Hero once again-"With all of that silver with you, you could buy all sorts of amazing things."

"Ehhehehe, why don't we start with the essentials and move on from there."-Patrick said, trying to let Myne off easy and not get too excited.

"Well then, let me take you to the best weapons shop in town sir Shield Hero. Come on!"-Myne said, as she happily ran ahead, like a kid at a carnival.

Patrick smiled in her direction, thinking that her enthusiasm was rather cute, but…

"Why does it feel like she reminds me so much of…her?"-Patrick thought wearily as he followed his companion slowly with a determined look on his face-"Well, in all my time spent as a Secret Worlder, I've learned to trust my instincts. So for now, I'll just keep a close eye on her without rousing any suspicions."

After a few more minutes of walking, the two adventurers stepped into a modest looking building which sold various types of weapons, shields armors. Honestly, it already looked impressive on the outside, but the inside sealed the deal.

"This shop gets my highest recommendation."-Myne said, as the two stepped inside, with Patrick starring at all the swords out on display.

"Hope you've got a hankie with you Myne, 'cause I might just start drooling over here."-Patrick said absent mindedly, with Myne chuckling in the background.

Heavy footsteps were then heard, as the beestung turned to the lone stall of the shop, where an older man stepped into view. He was a bit taller than the Templar agent, bald with a thick beard and sporting a few scars on his head as well. His large, muscular build was covered by a standard white shirt and a leather apron, commonly found with blacksmiths.

"Welcome to my shop."-the man said with deep, yet gentle voice-"From the look on your face, I can tell that this is your first time visiting a shop."

Realizing that the shopkeeper was talking to him, Patrick quickly straightened out and spoke-"Yep, that's true."

To be honest, Patrick wasn't a stranger to buying weapons, especially from some of the more shadier kinds of merchants from his world. However, this is the first time he visited a shop like this OUTSIDE of 'Skyrim'.

"Well then, I'd say you've got good tastes kid, since you know how to pick the good ones."-the man said with pride and amusement in his voice.

"Thanks, but to be honest, she was the one who pointed me here."-Patrick said, stepping aside to present Myne.

The shopkeeper looked surprised at the girl as he said-"Say, you look quite familiar miss. Have I seen you around before?"

"Sure. I came here shopping before."-Myne said with a smile-"Your shop does receive the highest recommendation, after all."

"Well, that's very nice of you to say miss."-the shopkeeper said, his suspicious look all but evaporating-"Anyway, who's your friend in the funny outfit."

"Hey, hey, don't diss the threads man."-Patrick said, adjusting the collar of his jacket for emphasis.

Giggling at the beestung's reaction, Myne answered the man's question-"Really? Can't you tell?"

The man wondered for a moment, before his eyes widened in realization-"No way, you're one of those heroes that were summoned? And you're wielding a shield, huh? Then I guess you must be the dud."

While Patrick chuckled slowly, his thoughts were different-"Oh, so now I'm a dud, huh? Geez, why am I the only one who gets dissed?"-But Patrick quickly stopped that train of thought, as he stepped forth and extended his hand towards the shopkeeper.

"I am the Shield Hero, if that's what you mean. Name's Patrick Shadow, but please call me Patrick."

A bit taken aback by the monster hunter's friendly behavior, the shopkeeper none the less took the offered hand and gave it a firm shake as he said:

"Patrick, huh? Well my name is Elhart. And if you become a regular at my shop, I won't give two shits what you wield kid."-Elhart's words brought a wider smile on Patrick's face, as he just made himself a new friend, who is also a native of this world. After letting go of the beestung's hand, Elhart asked-"So then, what can I get ya?"

Patrick was about to answer, but Myne already beat him to it-"Well, we are looking for some weapons and equipment for our journey. Our budget for now is around two hundred and fifty silver."

A minute later, and four swords were lined up on Elhart's stall, each looking unique from the other, but all looked quite formidable.

"From left to right, you've got, iron, magic iron, magic steel and steel iron and all in ascending order of price. All of them are strong and guaranteed to be formidable weapons."-Elhart described his merchandise, sounding very proud of them.

Patrick didn't pay too much attention to what the shopkeeper was saying as he eyed each sword with excitement in his eyes and his fingers also twitching slightly.

"Wow. Finally I can wield a sword agai-"-Patrick said as he grabbed one of the swords, but the moment he did, a strong current of electricity suddenly appeared, injuring his hand and shooting the sword out of his hand and embedding it into the wall in front.

"Wha-?! What the hell?!"-Patrick shouted in shock and surprise, as he tried to grab another sword, but the results were the same: electric shock, followed by the sword shooting out of his hand like a slingshot.-"Okay, what the hell is going on?! Is this supposed to happen or what?!"

"No. I've never seen anything like this before."-Elhart answered, baffled by what he just witnessed.

"It looked like the swords just shot right out of your hands."-Myne said, stating the obvious.

"Yeah, I saw that, but why?"-Patrick said, but then a holographic image appeared right before him, titled 'Caution'.

The beestung was surprised by this and as he read the message, he became even more shocked about what he was seeing.

"Well, this sucks. Apparently I can't use anything else, other than a shield, unless I want to fry my hand."-Patrick said drily, dejection clear in his voice.

"Well, I guess that explains why Muramasa and my guns aren't with me."-Patrick thought-"This is definitely going to hinder me even more."

"Here, let me take a look."-Elhart said, as he kneeled down and analyzed the shield on Patrick's right forearm with a monocle that emitted magical energy-"Hmmm, at a glance it looks like an ordinary small shield."

Elhart then tried to take it off Patrick's arm, but couldn't for some reason-"That's odd. Does this thing not come off?"

"I can move it around my body, but for the moment I don't think I can unlatch it."-Patrick admitted, as Elhart took a closer look at the green gem in the center of the shield.

"I see. Well I can definitely sense a great deal of magic coming out of this thing, but my appraisal magic doesn't seem to work beyond that for some reason."

"I see."-Patrick said, Elhart apparently knowing as much as he does.

"Well, thanks for showing me something interesting today anyway."-Elhart said, as he stood up straight and went back to being upbeat again-"Wanna buy some armor at least?"

Having no other alternative, Patrick agreed. A few minutes later and Patrick was now wearing a full set of chainmail armor. Nothing fancy, but just enough to give him a decent start.

"Well, well, now you're starting to look the part."-Elhart said amusingly, as Patrick stepped out of the changing room.

"How much?"-Myne asked Elhart, to which the humble shopkeeper answered.

"With the hero's discount? A hundred and fifty silver."

"And the buyback price?"-Myne asked again, to which Elhart again answered:

"Well let's see. If it's still in good condition, I'll give ya a hundred silver for it."

"Buyback price?"-Patrick asked, to which Myne answered:

"Once you become stronger, you won't need this armor anymore. So it's best not to get ripped off when you sell it, right?"

"Guess so. Just wasn't sure if buyback was thing around here too."-Patrick said, as Myne quickly grabbed his arm and started pulling him away.

"Well, now that that's settled, we'll buy it."

"Excellent, and I'll throw in some innerwear to show my appreciation."-Elhart said, happy to hear Myne's words.

And with that Myne ran ahead-"Ready to go then, sir Shield Hero?"

"Uh, yeah. Let's go."-Patrick said, as he paid Elhart the agreed upon price.

"Well, time to see what this world has to offer."-Patrick thought excitedly, as he started walking as well.

-X-

Some time later, and the duo were now in a large field that extends for miles. Patrick was enthralled by the sheer beauty of what he was seeing here. Nothing that he saw back on Earth could compare to the natural splendor laid out before him.

Myne gave him an encouraging look from her position behind a large tree, to which Patrick nodded. He told her prior that he wanted to deal with the first monsters they encounter by himself, so he could see for himself just how much he will have to rely on his party.

A moment of silence has passed, before Patrick saw movement in the grass in front of him. Getting into position he was ready to face the beasts that sprang out of the grass, which were…orange balloons?

"Huh?"-Patrick wondered, as he just stood there and saw up to five little critters that look like orange balloons with glaring white eyes and a large mouth full of sharp tooth-like growths.

However, his distraction made it possible for the little things to latch onto various parts of his body and start chomping down on him. At first the Templar agent thought that it might hurt, but he surprisingly didn't feel anything, other than a slight tingling sensation.

Emboldened by this new discovery, Patrick went ahead and started pounding the little balloons, either punching and kicking them, or grabbing them and ripping them apart like wet paper. As he 'killed' one monster, the number of experience points he receives was displayed, showing that he gets one exp per monster. That was slightly disappointing, but ya gotta start somewhere.

It took Patrick an hour and a half, but in the end he managed to destroy the opposing balloons…while only accumulating five exp. It was clear that unlike the other three heroes, Patrick will have to work the hardest in order to get anywhere. A disconcerting thought, but he was no stranger to hard work. It was after all the first thing he had to do after being recruited.

*SLASH**POP*

Turning to the source of the noise, Patrick saw Ren effortlessly destroy the Balloons with his sword. For a guy who's supposed to be civie, Ren was actually really good with the blade, a potential the Patrick couldn't ignore.

Figuring he could use a break after all the balloon popping he did, Patrick decided to walk up to Ren and speak, and action observed by the surprised party members of Ren and Myne.

"If you only came here to make me jealous that I can't use a sword anymore, then congratulations, you've done it."-Patrick said, drawing a surprised look from the Sword Hero, as if he just noticed the Shield Hero's presence.

"Oh, Shadow. Didn't expect to see you again so soon."-Ren said in an almost bored tone as he continued slashing Balloons.

"Well, I heard this is where all the cool kids hang out, so naturally I had to come."-Patrick retorted cheekily, as he observed Ren slashing away. He then turned and saw Ren's party members, who were…looking at him wearily? Ignoring that he turned to once again address Ren.

"I see you haven't kicked anyone out of your party yet. Does that mean they all passed the 'Ren Bootcamp'?"

Stopping for a moment to catch his breath, Ren turned to address the smiling beestung.

"They've proven useful, for now. Anyway, don't you have your own leveling up to do?"

As Patrick observed Ren continuing his hack and slash routine, he couldn't help but figure he might be able to help his new friends…indirectly.

"Yo Ren! You want some helpful advice?"-Patrick asked, as he grabbed a charging Balloon by the face with his left hand without even looking.

Sighing in annoyance, Ren turned to talk to the beestung, if only just to get him to leave.

"What?"

"Listen,"-Patrick began, as he held a firm grip over the balloon in his hands-"when you will face some humanoid enemies, than use a technique called the 'Snake Bite'."

"…the Snake Bite?"-Ren asked, not following with what Patrick was saying, who was more than happy to elaborate.

"It's a special sword technique I learned back in my world. What you do, is you strike your opponent's throat with the butt of your sword, stunning them. Then you immediately slit their throat with the blade, or just simply lob their heads off. Whichever is easier, I guess."

Ren surprised to hear of this. However ridiculously this technique is called, it sounds like a very efficient technique, none the less. Ren could certainly see the benefits of using such a technique against humanoid targets. However, as he pondered over the practicalities of the sword technique, he directed a suspicious look towards the former swordsman.

"Why are you telling me this? You know we're not supposed to help each other."

"Well yeah, we're not supposed to fight alongside each other – which I still think is horseshit,"-Patrick began, not noticing the Balloon had now latched onto his left hip ages ago-"But, nobody said I can't give ya any useful tips. You know, from one swordsman to another."

Ren couldn't argue with that logic, and he saw no harm in simply exchanging tips and information.

"Well, thanks…"-Ren turned and was about to walk away, until he spoke again, stopping Patrick in the process-"…I heard that the north eastern forest is full of stronger monsters. The tougher a monster is, the more exp you can get from killing it…just thought you should know…"

Patrick was surprised at first, but then smiled at Ren's helpful advice, as his eyes remained on the departing hero and his equally surprised party.

"Hey thanks man. And remember…"

"Don't say it!"

"AVENGERS FOREVER!"

Ren sighed in annoyance at Patrick's words, still not licking the name. Patrick just chuckled at the reaction, before turning around getting back to work, ignoring the new friend that was literally glued to his hip.

-X-

Hours went by, and the sun was now beginning to set. Patrick managed to make some significant progress, and along the way, discovered that the jewel in his shield could absorb whatever it was that he introduced into it.

After 'feeding' his shield a few more ripped pieces of Balloon, a new window popped up, appearing as some sort of skill tree, with the 'Small Shield' in the very center, and the 'Balloon Shield' appearing after.

"That must be the power of the Legendary Weapon."-Myne noted with awe in her voice.

"Yep."-Patrick said absentmindedly as he continued to feed his shield, sensing the anima in the jewel rising with each feeding-"It looks like I can strengthen my shield by feeding it things that I come across. And from the looks of the amount of things to feed it seems to be limitless. Oh by the way, these ripped Balloon shreds, do they cost any money?"

"Well yes, but I'm afraid that since their just Balloons, you'll only be able to get one copper coin for each fragment."-Myne answered.

"I see. And judging by how easily Ren defeated them, they must be the weakest type of monster."-Patrick said, finishing what he was doing-"Well that should do it for now. I think we should head back for today."

"Then why don't we go back to the shop sir Hero."-Myne said as she went ahead, as usual-"If we buy some new equipment for me, we can become more efficient against monsters."

Agreeing with this logic, Patrick followed suite.

By the time they reached Elhart's shop, it was nighttime already, but luckily the older man still had his shop opened.

"Welcome back kid. What can I do for you this time?"-Elhart kindly welcomed them.

"Hey Elhart. We're here for some gear for Myne over here."-Patrick answered as he went up to the counter, while Myne browsed around.

"I see. Well miss, you pick the right gear, and you will definitely become more formidable."-Elhart said, letting the redhead choose by herself.

"Right?"-Myne said excitedly as she picked up a sword.

"Well,"-Patrick started, addressing Elhart-"since I suspect that my 'hero discount' is over and whatever she picks will be pricy, I guess I should just start haggling right now and get it over with."

"Oh, so our hero fancies himself a comedian, eh?"-Elhart retorted, a challenging smile on his face.

"Let's start with….sixty percent off."-Patrick began.

"Hmmm, not bad, but I say, twenty extra."-Elhart countered.

"Oh, so you're upping the price, eh? Then how 'bout seventy five percent off."

"Anyone who starts haggling before seeing the goods deserves to pay double. Thirty plus."

"Oh, jumping up now, are we? Then how 'bout I go with a hundred percent off."

"What? But with that, you'd just be getting it for free."

"Free works just fine with me, besides-"

Patrick and Elhart could've continued butting heads, but Myne put onto the counter the equipment she chose, all of which looked quite expensive. Both shocked at what they were seeing, Patrick decided to try his luck, one last time:

"So uh…how much for sixty percent off?"

"Four hundred and sixty silver with a discount. That's the best I can offer."-Elhart said, trying to come up with a solution that would benefit them both. Jokes aside, we didn't want for his future regular to go bankrupt, but he also wanted to make sure he got good deal out of this transaction as well.

"Let's see, that would leave us wiiiiith…"-Patrick said, doing the calculations and coming up with-"…two hundred and forty silver."

Being more than slightly intimidated by the steep price tag, Patrick turned to address his companion-"Hey Myne, how 'bout you cut back a little with that pile. Nothing personal, but I'm still not familiar with the price of food and inns in this world."

"Oh don't worry about it sir hero."-Myne said, as she slowly approached Patrick-"After all the stronger my equipment, the more experience we can gain in our journey. And the more formidable we can become."

She emphasized the last part by pressing Patrick's right arm to her chest. Naturally Patrick blushed at this, but he was still able to focus on the fact that they would still be left with very little money. However, stronger gear would mean more monster parts, which would mean more money, so there was that.

"*sigh* Alright, fine. But just this once, alright."-Patrick stated-"I know we have lots of dough, but I prefer to save up as much as possible for when we will need some cash. *Patrick turned to address Elhart* Alright Elhart, looks like we have a deal."

"Thanks a bunch kid. You've got a good eye for some good stock."-Elhart praised Patrick's decision.

Some time later and the duo now sat at a table in an inn, eating some delicious food, Patrick being the happier of the two.

"Mmmm, this is sooo good."-the beestung said as he swallowed his meal-"No offence to the royal chefs, but tavern and inn food is the real shit."

"Well, I am glad you find it to your liking sir Shield Hero."-Myne said happily, already decked out in her new armor, while Patrick changed back into his regular clothing some time ago.

"So, now that we've had a taste of the action today, where to tomorrow?"-Patrick asked, as he finished eating his dinner, while Myne pulled out a map of the area.

"Well, I believe the best course of action would be to follow sir Ren's advice, and head over to the forest. After that, we should head over to a nearby dungeon."

"Wait a sec. A dungeon?"-Patrick asked, thinking he didn't hear it right.

"Yes, a dungeon."-Myne confirmed-"The one I'm talking about is ideal for beginning adventurers, since it's filled with strong monsters. We probably won't find any material worth selling, but it will be ideal for leveling up."

"Hmmm, I see."-Patrick said, thinking that what Myne said actually made sense, seeing as he needs to find a way to level up faster-"Well then, I guess we've got our daily schedule for tomorrow planned out. Now all that's left is to actually do it."

"Yes, you are absolutely right sir Shield Hero."-Myne complimented happily, then she asked a curious question-"Uhm, if I may sir hero, why did you take your armor off and replaced it with your regular clothes?"

"Oh, well…"-Patrick said, not thinking she'd ask him such a question-"I'd kinda like to wear my usual clothes as much as possible, since they both make me feel more comfortable, and I've been wearing these babies through my toughest battles back at home."

"Oh, well in that case, please allow me to keep your armor safe until you decide to wear it again."-Myne said, surprising Patrick for a moment.

"Oh, you don't have to do that."-Patrick said-"There's plenty of room in my bag over here. I'm positive they'll fit right in."

"Perhaps,"-Myne said-"but I simply wish to be as useful as possible, sir Shield Hero. After all, you probably already have some very important items from your world in that bag of yours. It would only be for the better if I were to safeguard our wear for tonight."

Patrick could've just argued that his messenger bag is actually a gateway into a pocket dimension, were he stores away all of his important and essential stuff. However, he reflexively bit back his tongue to not tell her.

"Well…alright then."-Patrick conceded, and then had a mischievous smile creep up onto his face-"Though, I hope you're insistent on this just because you want to sniff the chainmail for my scent."

"W-w-what?! O-o-off course not, s-sir Shield Hero I-"

"Hahaha, relax Myne, I was just joking."-Patrick laughed, as Myne blushed intensely, and then gave a playful frown.

"Oooh, don't be like the sir Shield Hero."-Myne complained, to which Patrick answered:

"C'mon, just learn to relax a little bit. And also, get used to the jokes, 'cause you're gonna hear a lot of them while you're with me."

Myne's frown vanished quickly as she giggled a little before speaking-"Well I suppose it seems fair to liven up the mood as we travel. Anyway…would you like to share a drink with me, sir Shield Hero?"

Patrick was taken aback by this for a second, but Myne did insist on ordering wine, so maybe he shouldn't be too surprised.

"Sorry, but no. I'm not much of a drinker."-Patrick politely said, which surprised Myne.

But she quickly hid that away behind her everpresent smile-"Oh? But this is a very good, vintage wine."-Myne then downed her glass in one gulp, after which her face started blushing again and her smiled turned into a more seductive one-"And it would be such a waste to leave it like this after ordering it. And drinking alone is simply so boring."

Even as she clinked the two glasses, Patrick was still far from convinced, and not to mention he was growing ever suspicious of this current situation. Particularly about why Myne was so adamant about having him drink, when clearly doesn't want to. Plus, her face wasn't helping the situation.

"Look, sorry Myne, but I have strict, self-imposed no-drinking policy, and I'm not going to change my mind about it."-Patrick said, this time with a bit more force behind his words, not enough to yell, but just enough to make her understand his decision.

"Oh? Well, that's a shame."-Myne said, as if she wasn't even affected by the beestung's words-"Most men I know wouldn't even think twice about accepting a drink offered by a woman. Especially since this country is ruled by matriarchy."

While that last bit of information was good to know for later, Patrick was starting to become increasingly suspicious of Myne's behavior, but he made sure to not let it be shown.

"Listen Myne, I respect a country's traditions and stuff, but my no-drinking policy is something I won't change, even if the Almighty himself forced me to."-Patrick once more repeated himself, his words spoken with finality.

It was subtle enough to miss if one were to blink, but just for a moment, Patrick saw Myne's left eye twitch in annoyance slightly, before quickly being hidden by a pleasant smile.

"Well, alright then, I won't push the issue any further."-Myne said-"But still, may I ask why is it you are so adamant to not accept a drink?"

Patrick would have become annoyed that Myne won't drop this subject, but this was actually a question he was asked a number of times, even by Rose once. So, after taking a deep breath, he answered:

"Let's just say that familial experiences have taught me that alcohol is more of a poison, rather than a treat. I don't want to talk about it now, but someday perhaps."

"I see."-Myne said-"And, does it have anything to do with your…scars, sir Shield Hero?"

The redhead was referring to the three claw marks on Patrick's left cheek, to which he answered-"That's actually a different story. One which I definitely don't want to talk about right now."

What followed was a moment of awkward silence, before Patrick stood up from his seat and proceeded to walk-"Listen Myne, I just…wanted to thank you for coming along with me. I know this doesn't seem like such a big deal to you, but back home, I always had a partner who came along with me. She's not here with me, obviously, and since I rarely go on adventures solo, I'm pretty sure I would've started crying after the first five minutes."

Myne was silent for a moment, before she started giggling in amusement at Patrick's choice of words.-"Oh, don't be silly sir Shield Hero. I'm quite certain you would have managed just fine. By the way, you said you had a partner back in your world. What were they like?"

"Have, Myne. I still have a partner."-Patrick corrected her-"And she is a tough and resourceful girl. We always fought side-by-side, and whenever there was a problem of a personal nature, we would help each other get through it…or at least I would most of the time. But yeah, she's also a really nice person once you get to know her. I'm sure you two would've like each other."

Myne giggled once again at the compliment, before Patrick stretched his arms above his head and said-"Well, I'm gonna go and hit the sack, since we've got a long day tomorrow."

"Alright. I will go to bed as well after I finish up here."-Myne said pleasantly again-"Though it will be quite lonely to drink all this wine by myself."

Patrick stopped at the foot of the stairs leading up to his room, before turning to address his partner:

"Hey Myne? Look I'm sorry about turning down your offer for drinking wine. I'll make sure to make it up to you someday. Promise."

Myne was surprised by the Templar agent's words for a moment, before smiling and saying-"Alright then. But really it's no problem at all sir Shield Hero."

Nodding at her response, Partick made his way upstairs and into his room. After closing the door, Patrick's mood quickly shifted from happy to suspicious.

As he sat down onto his bed, his mind started wandering:

"Why can't I get rid of this feeling? I can tell from the outside that Myne is a sweet and helpful girl, and yet my instincts are telling me that she is like that bitch, Lilith. I guess I can see why though. Lilith did disguise herself as a Council agent with some seductive tendencies…only to then betray me and chop my legs off."

Patrick felt a tingling sensation shoot through his legs upon thinking of that particular memory.

"And the fact that she kept on smiling all day without frowning at least once is also very suspicious, especially with how she kept insisting on taking my armor and making me drink. This is reminding me too much of Lilith right now. But, no matter how suspicious I may be of her, if I do something stupid and make a move too early, I could end up committing a mistake, and I could end up in big trouble, hero or not. I guess the best and only thing I could do for the moment would be to keep a close eye on her and see if she tries anything."

Having come to this decision, Patrick was ready to go to bed, until he heard some familiar voice outside of his room.

Once outside, he saw Motoyasu and Itsuki walking down the hall, arguing about how many monsters did they kill today.

"So, we're supposed to work separately? Yeah, well today begs to differ."-Patrick thought sarcastically, as he then called out to the two heroes-"Well, lookie here. If it ain't Legolas Jr. and the Monkey King."

Upon hearing Patrick's voice, the two heroes turned around and saw the beestung leaning on the doorframe and smirking at them.

"Patrick? What are you – Hey! You better not have called me a monkey king, man!"-Motoyasu complained, while Itsuki smiled awkwardly, still not understanding his nickname.

"Hey, you're the one with the magic stick, I'm just sayin'."-Patrick said, his smirk never leaving his face and before Motoyasu could correct Patrick about his spear and start a long banter session, Itsuki spoke up:

"It's good to see you again Patrick-san. Though I'm honestly quite surprised that we meet again so soon."

"Yeah, I know what you mean Itsuki."-Patrick said, getting off the wall-"Ren said almost the exact same thing when I bumped into him today."

"So you met Ren too?"-Motoyasu asked with surprise in his voice-"Damn. Well either what we were told about working separately is bullshit, or you're like a lost puppy that we can't shake off, Patrick. And personally, I'm leaning towards the latter."

"Oh, real funny Stick Man."-Patrick said sarcastically-"It was so hilarious, that I completely forgot how to laugh."

"Well anyway, we were just on our way to our rooms while talking about how many monsters we've killed today."-Itsuki said once again.

"Ha! Called it!"-"Well good on ya then. All I got today were Balloons."-Patrick said.

"Yeah, so did we."-Itsuki said-"But today was just the first day. I'm sure we'll find some bigger and better monsters later on."

"Ha! Speak for yourself Itsuki."-Motoyasu boasted-"I guarantee you that tomorrow, I'll bag myself a dragon."

"Riiiight."-Patrick said, once again smirking-"You do realize that at the current levels we are in right now, we may not be able to beat a dragon even together, right?"

"Pfft, I can take one out all by myself. And I'm gonna prove it to ya."-Motoyasu said, boastful, but with determination in his voice.

"Fine, then go and get yourself roasted if you want, but leave me out of it."-Patrick said-"Speaking of which, I'm gonna hit the sack myself. Got a full day of adventuring scheduled for tomorrow."

"Alright then."-Itsuki agreed-"We should get some sleep as well. We may not be as 'ambitious' as Motoyasu over here – Hey! – but we still need to rest, none the less."

"Yeah, guess so."-Motoyasu agreed, before turning to address the beestung one last time-"Hey Patrick! If we run into each other again tomorrow, then we should see which one of us will kill the most monsters. Which will obviously be me."

Patrick was surprised by the suggestion for a moment, then he smiled before saying-"Yeah, sure. Sounds like it could be fun."

And then Patrick went inside to get some sleep, but not before saying one last thing to the Spear Hero:

"And keep dreaming Stick Man!"

As Patrick was ready to let himself be taken to the Dreamrealm – after placing a chair over the knob of his door – some final thoughts made their way into his head:

"I just hope I'm being paranoid over nothing. Because now that I think about it, this place would be a perfect hiding spot from all the media attention back home. Plus, I've also made some new friends from three parallel worlds. So, I really hope that I'm just…worrying…over….nothing…"

-X-

Sometime later, Patrick started hearing noises that were slowly waking him up.

"Wha…what the fuck is going on?"-Patrick thought, still sleepy.

As his mind was getting back into focus, he realized that the noises were coming from his door. Looking towards it, he saw through the faint light of the Moon that the door was slightly shaking, as if someone was trying to get in.

"Either room service works real late, or someone's trying to steal from me."-Patrick thought as he slowly got off from his bed and quietly went over to the door, the rattling intensifying for a moment, before calming down.

Patrick then grabbed the door handle, making it stop and after a moment of silence, he shoved the chair aside and swiftly opened the door.

Patrick's shield glowed green, ready for a fight, but there was no one to fight. He looked up and down the hallway and saw nobody. After checking again, to make sure that there was nobody there, Patrick quietly closed the door and put the chair back in its place.

Then he went back to bed and went back to sleep, contemplating what had just happened.

"Guess I should've seen this coming, but not this soon. Well, whoever the thieving prick was, I hope they won't try to break in again tonight. Otherwise, our meeting won't be pretty."

-X-

*BANG**BANG**BANG*

"Shield Hero, we know you're in there! Come out right now!"

The incessant knocking on the door and yelling was really enough to wake Patrick up. Groaning in annoyance, Patrick managed to peel the covers off of him, while removing the pillow from his head.

"Seriously? Who in the hell just goes and wakes a guy up this early?"-Patrick mentally complained, as the knocks just kept going.

"If you won't open this door, we will be forced to-"

"Alright, alright, I'm coming! Don't get your panties in a twist, Jesus!"-Patrick yelled back, as he put on his glasses as well as his boots.

After opening the door, Patrick noticed a bunch of soldiers standing on the other side. He recognized them as the soldiers from the castle yesterday, but they didn't look very pleasant right now.

"There something I can help you guys with?"-Patrick said, still a little groggy from being woken up so early, but still doing his best to be civil.

"The king has issued a summons for you Shield Hero. You are to come with us."-the soldier that was at the front of the platoon told the beestung, which surprised him.

"Okay…any particular reason why it has to be now?"-Patrick asked, not feeling very confident about this situation.

"We were ordered to escort you there."-the same soldier said-"And if you resist, we are allowed to use force."

"Geez, what the hell could be this serious that they would be allowed to force someone out like this?"-Patrick thought, feeling uneasy about this situation.-"…alright, well just let me suit up and get my party member and then we can-"

"She's already at the castle, along with the three heroes. So stop stalling and come with us already."-the soldier ordered, his patience running out.

Patrick didn't like the tone this soldier was using on him, neither did he like this situation either. Something was definitely up…and he had a feeling that he wasn't going to like it.

Fortunately, Patrick was able to collect his jacket and talismans and after a short time they were back at the castle.

Once inside the throne room, the soldiers outright just shoved Patrick in, forcing him onto his knees.

"Hey, watch it bub!"-Patrick complained, but then he looked in front of himself to see the people gathered before him. The king and his advisors were at their usual spots, and the three heroes were standing at the foot of the throne, and also-"Oh, guess they were right, she really is here. Yo, hiya Myne!"-Patrick cheerfully said, waving in the redhead's direction…who then proceeded to hide behind Motoyasu in fright.

"Ooookay, that's weird. Why is she acting like that?"-Patrick wondered-"Come to think of it, why is everyone looking at me like I've done something bad? Even the three guys are looking at me like that. Something's definitely wrong here…"

The beestung then spoke up-"Okay guys. If this supposed to be some kind of prank than, alright! Ya got me! Now can we-"

"Be silent, you vile villain!"-Aultcray suddenly shouted at Patrick, catching the Shield Hero by surprise, who in his shock didn't even notice the soldiers surrounding him point their tridents at him.

"'Vile villain'? What the hell is he talking about?"-Patrick thought, now feeling more confused than ever.

The king sat back down and took a breath to calm himself down. He then spoke to Myne in a more gentler tone-"Myne, I know this is most difficult for you, but would you please repeat your testimony one last time."

Myne then proceeded to speak while sobbing-"Th-the Shield Hero barged into my room last night. He was completely drunk! At first I thought he was going to sleep, but then he forced himself onto me! He pinned me down and began ripping my clothes off, saying that he will do to me, what he did to his former partner."

It was in that moment Patrick's eyes widened beyond their limit. He didn't do any of the things Myne just said, and he especially didn't do any of those things to Rose.

"I ran away as quickly as I could."-Myne continued, but Patrick was still in shock-"I tried to look for help, and then I found sir Motoyasu, who was sleeping at the inn that night."

"What the hell is she even talking about?!"-Patrick thought, his mind still trying to process what he had just heard-"I haven't done any of those things, so why-"

"Y'know,"-Motoyasu spoke up, his voice snapping Patrick back to reality-"if Myne hadn't told me to wait until dawn for her to call the guards, I would've cut you down myself."

"What the hell are you even talking about?!"-Patrick spoke up, finally finding his voice-"I didn't do any of those things! I went straight to bed, and you also saw me before that and you saw that I was sober!"-then Patrick's eyes widened, as he now saw what Motoyasu was wearing-"Wait a minute, that's my armor! Why are you wearing my armor Motoyasu?!"

"Heh, what are you talking about?"-Motoyasu asked smugly-"This armor is a special gift from Myne when we met last night."

As Motoyasu held Myne closer, the king stood up from his throne and spoke up, addressing the Shield Hero.

"To think, that one of the Four Cardinal Heroes would commit such a grave sin."

"Exactly."-the nobleman from yesterday added-"In Melromarc even attempted sexual assault on a woman is a crime punishable by death."

"And if you weren't a hero, I would have you executed at once!"

Aultcray's words shocked Patrick even further, but he then spoke up-"For the last time, damn it, I didn't do any of those things! I know better than to sexually assault anybody, and it's something I have never done, nor will I ever do! And besides, you keep saying those things, but you don't even have any proof to back them up!"

Then, as if on que, a soldier stepped forward, carrying something in his hands, and said-"When we checked the Shield Hero's room we…found this…"-he then presented a piece of purple female underwear that had a large tear in the middle.

Everyone in the room gasped, Myne covered her face and back up, yelling in terror, while the glare the three heroes already had only got worse.

"It seems to me, that the proof is quite obvious."-Aultcray declared.

"What the hell do you mean?! This proves nothing, that wasn't even in my room!"-Patrick yelled out, trying to defend himself, but no one was even listening to him.

"Guess all that talk about being some superhero from your world was just a lie, wasn't it?"-Itsuki spoke up-"You were just saying those things to throw us off from realizing what you really are."

"Not only did you lie to us,"-Ren added-"but you also thought that being a hero means you could do whatever you want without punishment."

"This world isn't some consequence-free playground for you to do as you please. Know your place scoundrel!"-Motoyasu added as well, pointing his spear at Patrick at the end.

Patrick simply remained petrified in place, before falling on all fours, trying to keep himself from completely collapsing. He couldn't believe what was happening. He was in this world for only two days, and now he is being accused of a crime he never committed. And to make things worse, no one, not the king, the noble, not even his new hero friends believed him. And most of all, it was Myne who started all of this.

"Why is this happening?"-Patrick thought, as everything went silent around him, as he focused his sights on only one person-"Why are they all suddenly against me, when yesterday they were just fine? Myne, why would you do this to me? We're supposed to be a-"

Patrick's thought suddenly stopped as he saw Myne uncover her face…and she was smiling in his direction. Then she pulled down her right eyelid and stuck her tongue out at him, outright mocking him.

Then, like glass being smashed by a large object, Patrick's mind suddenly snapped.

"So, I was right all along. She really is like Lilith."-Patrick thought, recounting everything that has transpired up until now, from meeting her, towards last night-"Her joining me…being friendly with me…helping me…it was all a lie…a rouse so I would let my guard down and she would bring me down. My instincts were telling me that she was trouble and yet I-"

On the inside, a raging storm of thoughts was swirling while on the outside, his face contorted into a look of absolute rage.

"You…"-Patrick growled, as he then directed the most hateful glare he ever mustered towards the traitorous woman-"You damn bitch…YOU FUCKING SET ME UP!"

"I'm scared sir Motoyasu!"-Myne 'sobbed' as she hid behind the Spear Hero.

"Hey, watch your mouth criminal!"-Motoyasu yelled at Patrick, but he was having none of that.

"FUCK YOU, ASSHOLE! You know full well she's lying, yet you're defending her anyway!"

As Patrick shouted the last part, his mind began piecing things together-"That's right. All she ever called me was 'sir Shield Hero', yet she calls this prick by his own name. They were originally in one party, right? Which means that they've been conspiring against me together from the start! I'll bet anything that she was also the one who tried to break into my room last night too!"

"Refusing to admit his own guilt and now pinning it onto others?!"-Ren yelled out, his look of disgust never leaving his face.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. He doesn't deserve a shred of mercy or sympathy, from us or anyone one else."-Itsuki added, and then the nobbles began speaking out loudly, saying things like summoning the Shield Hero was a mistake, and that they already 'knew' that the Shield Hero was a criminal.

Patrick was able to stay focused enough to hear all of this, and he realized that all these nobles were referring to the 'Shield Hero', not him personally. Which means that the only reason he's under so much attack is because of the thing latched onto his arm.

"Why are they all like this? Is it because I'm the Shield Hero? Is that it?! But if they hate the Shield so much, then why pin it on me?! I didn't even choose to be a Shield Hero!"-Patrick's thoughts kept raging on, until they suddenly stopped, as he came to a startling conclusion-"These people…they're nothing but scumbags. They're doing all of this to make me look weak and bring me down, to make themselves look better. And the people of this country despise me as well for no reason. They would see me fall and suffer and laugh, while still forcing me to help them. This explains everything: the king's weird behavior, no one willing to become my party member, all of it…"

Everyone in the room was suddenly surprised as they heard Patrick softly chuckle, before the beestung spoke-"So that's it then? This is why I was brought here? To be humiliated, falsely accused and tormented for shits and giggles? Hehehehe…WELL THEN SCREW ALL OF YOU!"

Patrick roared as he shot up from the floor, instilled with a newfound rage that was now driving his very thoughts. He didn't notice, and neither did the rest of the mouthbreathers in the room, but small, jet-black sparks flashed for a few seconds on some parts of his body.

His red irises did start glowing slightly, but Patrick didn't care as he continued with his words-"You summoned me here to help you against the Waves, but now I find out that the only reason you brought me here was so you could laugh at my suffering and accuse me of things I didn't do and make me your plaything?! FUCK YOU! FUCK ALL OF YOU! Right now, my world is under attack by beings of monstrous power that will destroy it and annihilate everyone! I am one of the few people on the planet that has the power to prevent that, and in my home's darkest hour, I'm taken away just to be made fun of?! DAMN YOU! AND DAMN THE GODS THAT HAVE CREATED YOU ALL! Send me back to my world right now and summon some other hero or whatever! I've got better things to do than to suffer such humiliation!"

"Seriously?! First you refuse to admit your own crime, and now you want to run away?!"-Ren shouted, as Patrick stopped to catch his breath.

"After everything you have done, how could you possibly think about running away and abandoning your duty?"-Itsuki added.

"I say, let him go."-Motoyasu added smugly-"Who would want to fight alongside a rapist anyway? Let him run home to his mommy-"

"SHUT THE HELL UP, YOU FUCKING, PIECE OF SHIT!"-Patrick roared out again-"WELL?! I'm waiting, send me back to my world this instant, you bastards!"

Aultcray sighed as he said-"Believe me, there is nothing I would want more than to get rid of you…but the legends say that no new heroes can be summoned until the current set of heroes perishes."

His words drew shocked looks from the three heroes as they realized the gravity of their situation, but Patrick had a much different look on his face. Being a Chosen of Gaia, he has a hard time dying completely, as he would resurrect after a mortal wound was inflicted upon him. That may not be the case in this world, and he could die for real, but right now he was too enraged to focus on the finer details.

"So, you're telling me that I am trapped in this damned world?!"-Patrick asked, to which Aultcray responded immediately:

"Not quite. There is only one other way for you to return to your world; and that is to fight off ALL of the Waves of Calamity."

"But sir, does that mean we'll have to fight alongside Patrick?"-Motoyasu asked-"He's a criminal and he-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"-Patrick shouted-"Screw all of you! If I have to fight the Waves to return to my world than I'll do it, even if I have to tear apart the HEAVENS THEMSELVES!"-the beestung pushed the guards surrounding him away from him.

The soldiers were about use their tridents again, this time intending to stab him, but out of reflex Patrick punched the floor with his right fist, his shield glowing and sending out a small shockwave that knocked all the soldiers back. After a moment to catch his breath again, Patrick spoke up again:

"Know this, I will take on the Waves and win. But I won't be doing this for you, or your damned world. I will only do this to get myself back to my world as soon as possible."

"Be that as it may, you will not be leaving this castle unpunished."-Aultcray shot back-"The news of your crime is now spreading to every village, town and city across this country. You will never be welcomed anywhere with kindness and sympathy, and no one will ever be willing to fight alongside you. You will never lead a decent life in this country ever again. That is your punishment."

Patrick gritted his teeth at this. Off course this fool would act even more like Samael and turn the populace against him. But Patrick still had a few more things to say:

"Fine. But know this: don't expect me to cooperate with you any further than the Waves. I was willing to be friendly and become your ally at the start. But now you have made the biggest and gravest mistake of your lives: you have just made an enemy of me. And you don't make an enemy of a Chosen of Gaia unless your prepared to die. So, if you ever even think about pulling another stunt like again on me, I swear, with Gaia as my witness, I will make you all regret you have ever thought to fuck with me. I'm not just going to lie down and take this shit, so mark my words there will be blood if you ever dare to mess with me again."

Having said his peace, Patrick was about to leave, until he felt a weight on his belt. Looking down he saw his coin purse. He didn't want to do it, but right now he was filled with so much indignation, that he reflexively grabbed the bag as he turned to address the woman who started all of this.

"This is what you wanted, right you greedy wench? Well than take it and shove it up your ass."-Patrick said as he tossed his bag at Motoyasu and Myne's feet, the contents spilling out before them.

Making to look like the bravest, even after what he just heard, Motoyasu ran towards the walking beestung.

"Hey, wait! We're not done here you-"

But just as Motoyasu grabbed Patrick's left shoulder, the Templar agent swiftly turned around and backhanded the Spear Hero, slamming his shield into his face. The sound of the impact resounded in the entire room, with everyone gasping in shock and horror, while Motoyasu landed face first onto the floor. He spat out some blood and directed a glare at the beestung, only for said beestung to slam his boot onto the Spear Hero's face, pinning him down, while glowing red eyes glared down at him.

"Never. EVER. Touch me again bitch."-Patrick growled, as he applied more pressure onto Motoyasu's head-"I warned you already that I'm not some submissive little bitch for you to play with. This was your one and only warning. Next time, I won't be so gentle."

And with that Patrick marched out of the throne room, ignoring Motoyasu's shouts directed at him.

"And just like that, I lost everything. My gear, my money, my respect…my trust. I've lost everything"-Patrick thought, as he walked passed the gates, disgraced and humiliated as the gates loudly closed down behind him.

-X-

As Patrick was walking down the streets, intending to head out to fight some monsters, everyone was looking at him with looks varying from scarred to angry. But the beestung didn't pay attention to any of that, as his gaze remained unfocused and his mind was still a storm of rage.

"Hey Shield Bro!"-a familiar voice made him reflexively stop, as Elhart stood at the side of the road, an angry look on his scared face.

A moment later, the blacksmith pinned the Templar agent to the wall of an alley and said-"I heard what you did to that girl from yesterday! You better tell me why, or I'll-"

"So you've turned against me too?"-Patrick asked softly, drawing a surprised look from Elhart. The beestung then looked into the eyes of the shopkeeper with his intense glare and said in a low voice-"Listen closely Elhart; you only get one shot, after that you'd better be ready to die."

The blacksmith hesitated for a moment, staring intently into Patrick's red eyes, seeing an intense look of rage and betrayal in them. This wasn't the look of a criminal, but the look of a victim.

"Ahh, forget it."-Elhart said, letting go of Patrick's jacket.

"Good choice."-Patrick simply said as he was about to leave.

"Wait a minute."-Elhart said as he pulled out a black cape and presented it to the beestung-"You won't get very far wearing those clothes. So, consider this as a parting gift."

"Oh yeah? And how much do I owe you?"-Patrick asked sardonically, now being unable to trust anyone, not even Elhart.

"Well, I can't exactly charge ya right now since you're broke."-Elhart answered-"But once you get enough money, five coppers."

"Fine."-Patrick said as he took the cape, wrapped it around his shoulders and then moved on-"I'll pay you back when I can."

Elhart wanted to believe what Patrick said, but given the state in which he is in right now, he wisely considered not expecting any payment anytime soon.

Once out in the fields, Patrick just kept walking in a straight line, with packs of Balloons following after him, but he didn't pay any attention to them. Nor did he pay attention to the grey clouds darkening the sky and creating a chorus of booming thunders.

Some of the Balloons had the courage to leap and bite Patrick. However, the beestung's mind was still focusing on the events from earlier, which only served to fuel his rage. With his mind going blank with rage, Patrick proceeded to violently attack every Balloon around him; punching them, kicking them, even grabbing some of them and tearing them to pieces with his bare hands. All the while he was roaring in outrage and anger, letting out all of his pempt up frustration over everything that has happened to lead him to this point.

After several hours, Patrick was now sitting at the base of a tree near a forest, out of breath and rain pouring down on him. Using up all of his adrenaline and most of his anger, Patrick was able to kill enough Balloons to reach level two, but given how vastly weakened he is now and that the only thing he can use is a shield, the process proved to be much more laborious than he originally thought.

However, his anger still hasn't subsided yet, as evident by the small arcs of black electricity dancing around his body, but the Templar agent didn't notice or care about that, as his eyes were trained on the Balloons making their way towards him through the grass. Gritting his teeth, Patrick got up from his sitting position and leapt forward, ready to kill some more Balloons.

Some time later, the rain had stopped and Patrick has returned to the city and was making his way to a shop that was trading in monster parts. Since he already has the corresponding shields for the Balloons, Patrick figured he should sell the remaining parts for some coin.

Arriving at his designated spot, he overheard a man standing before him agreeing to sell his Balloon parts for one copper for every pair. Once his business was complete the man moved away, but not before giving Patrick the stink eye, to which the beestung simply narrowed his eyes further and quietly growled, prompting the man to leave immediately.

Once that was done, Patrick wordlessly placed a large pile of Balloon shreds onto the shopkeeper's counter, the shopkeeper himself looking distrustfully and disgustfully at the disgraced agent.

"How much for the pile?"-Patrick growled, still not in the best of moods.

"Oh, Orange Balloon parts, huh?"-the shopkeeper remarked, as he examined the pile, then he deviously smiled-"By my count this pile's made up of around…fifteen pieces, right? So, how 'bout I give ya one copper coin for the entire pile?"

The shopkeeper may have been smiling at a possible 'victory', but Patrick simply glared at the stupid little man.

"You gave one for every pair the other guy had."-Patrick reminded the shopkeeper, who was still smiling, as if he already won the argument and said:

"Did I now? Sorry, but I can't seem to remember doing that. Listen pal, this is simply how it goes in my shop. If it displeases you, then take your shabby business somewhere else."

Even by adding the shooing motion the shopkeeper still had no idea just how much trouble he had gotten himself into.

"Oh, is that so?"-Patrick said as he grabbed the sleezy merchant's shirt and brought him down to look at a bunch of still-living Balloons biting onto the sides of Patrick's body-"Then I guess these intact ones will fetch a far better price."

The shopkeeper then proceeded to scream as Patrick shoved his head into his cape and let the little critters do what they wanted, with the shopkeeper screaming and squirming to escape, which Patrick didn't allow.

"How 'bout instead of trying to rip me off, you offer up a much more agreeable deal. Or are you like this because I have done something to offend your precious little feelings, you little smartass?"-Patrick elaborated as shopkeeper proceeded to speak:

"Alright! Alright! You win! Just get these things off of me!"-after which Patrick obliged and pulled the shopkeeper's head away from the eager and hungry Balloons-"How 'bout I give you ten coppers for the pile. And to answer your question sir, as much as I like to refuse, the exchange of goods has nothing to do with any crimes you may or may not have committed."

After receiving the agreed upon amount of money, Patrick said-"One more thing. Tell the other shopkeepers to not try and rip me off, otherwise they'll be sorry."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure to spread the good word."-the shopkeeper said, eager to have the Shield Hero leave his shop already.

And Patrick did so wordlessly.

As sundown approached, Elhart was bringing some more materials to craft into new items for his shop, but as he approached his counter he saw something rather curious: five copper coins. Elhart took a moment to remember what these were for, until he remembered a certain disgraced hero who owed him this exact amount of coins.

"Thanks kid."-Elhart thought as he pocketed the coins-"Just make sure you don't die."

At night, Patrick slept outside the town, believing that someone might try to rob him again, or fleece him when asking for a room. He honestly didn't mind, since he slept plenty of times out in the open in New England, Egypt, Romania and many other places.

The next day, Patrick went to the forest the Ren mentioned, before…Anyway, he went there to look for monsters that could give him more exp than the Balloons. Along the way, he spotted some very familiar looking plants at the base of a large tree. He recognized the leaves as he saw some of them at the display window of a medicine shop from the city.

Out of curiosity, he placed one of the leaves onto the gem of his shield, which was then absorbed, opening up his shield skill tree.

"I see. So, this thing is able to absorb things other then monster parts, and the things it absorbs unlock corresponding shields."-Patrick thought outloud, as he held out his right arm and chanted-"Activate Leaf Shield."

That was when his shield glowed a brilliant emerald color and the shape changed into a large, leaf-shaped shield. The green gem still remained fixated in the center.

"So, the powering mechanics really are just like the ones from video games."-Patrick realized, as he took one of the plants, but then something happened. His shield and the plant glowed and the plant's leaves became larger and their ends curved, not only that, by analyzing the plant, Patrick noticed something interesting-"So this shield can improve the quality of medicinal herbs. This will certainly come in handy."

Patrick then proceeded to improve the quality of a lot more of the herbs, picking them and putting them in his bag along the way.

By sundown, Patrick had gathered a hefty amount of the upgraded herbs and figured he should sell them to the shopkeeper of the medicine shop, since he can't produce healing potions out of the herbs without the proper tools. The elderly shopkeeper narrowed his eyes slightly upon the Shield Hero's arrival, but once the herbs were presented to him, his look changed into one of astonishment.

"This is some amazing stock you've got."-the shopkeeper said-"Where in the world did you find these?"

"From the forest outside the city."-Patrick simply answered-"I saw some of these here at your shop. Figured you already knew about them."

"Well, yes off course, but…"-the shopkeeper explained as he continued to examine the plants-"The ones I have here are only of common value. These ones are of a much higher quality and can be turned into much stronger healing potions."

For his part, Patrick received a hefty amount of coins, but most were only copper and only a few silvers. He did have enough to buy himself dinner though at the local inn. He still needed to eat, chosen or not, but there was a problem…

"Ever since that accursed day, nothing I eat has any flavor anymore. Damnit it…"-Patrick thought depressingly as he finished eating.

"Hey there, Shield Hero."-a shifty male voice was heard, as three men approached Patrick. One was fatter then the other two, while one looked normal and the final one, who was the one who spoke and is most likely the 'leader', had spiky hair-"We'll be your new party."

"Yeah, so thank your lucky stars, Shield Hero."-the fat one, who's deep voice made him sound like an idiot, said as he placed his hand on Patrick's shoulder.

While in the emotional state he was currently in, Patrick would either break or tear off the guy's arm for touching him, but he didn't want to cause a scene that would have him banned from the inn. Also, he didn't need to be a genius or to be reminded of Myne and Lilith, to know that these three are just some bottom feeding scavengers trying to make quick buck out of him. Deciding to keep being calm while inside, Patrick played along with this farse.

"Alright. So, how 'bout we discuss the terms of this partnership upfront?"-Patrick said, making sure to keep his voice as leveled as possible, so as not to growl.

"Sure. Sounds good."-the broom-head said, laughing loudly along with his buddies.

Ignoring this, Patrick proceeded to explain his terms-"Your payments will be entirely performance based. Know what that means?"

"Nope! Not a clue!"-the fat one spoke this time, followed by another round of laughter.

"It means that your payment will be reflected on what you kill, what you find as well as the amount of effort you will be putting into actually doing it."-Patrick calmly explained, his words drawing the men's attention to him-"And since I'm the leader, forty percent of what you find goes to me. Also, if you find nothing or do nothing, then you can expect to be paid with nothing."

"What?!"-the normal looking member of the trio asked-"But that means if you get a wild hare up your ass, than you get to keep it to yourself!"

Ignoring the man's outcry, Patrick stood up and continued speaking calmly-"Then I suggest you perform well. Do that and you will be paid well. It's that simple."

Patrick then went to the exit, with the leader of the trio smiling deviously towards his pals, signaling them to agree.

"Alright, fine."-the broom-head once again said.

"So, how about you buy us some equipment, bossman?"-the normal looking one asked, as Patrick walked into an alley behind the inn, with the three idiots following him.

"Go and buy them yourselves."-Patrick said, stopping in the middle of the alley-"I gain nothing by holding your hands the entire time."

"Alright, let's just forget the whole party crap and you can hand over all your valuables, including that shield of yours."-the leader said, confident that they will walk away with full pockets and a bleeding Shield Hero left in the dust, but…

"Well now, if you'd have just come clean right from the get-go, it would've saved us a lot of time and effort."-Patrick said, readying himself for what's to come.

"Ha, well this was easer than we thought! Who would've thought, huh?!"-the fat one laughed as he stuck out his hand to the beestung, thinking that he will give him their prize. And give him he did.

Patrick quickly turned around and gave the fat one a hard right hook, slamming his shield into the man's face, breaking his nose, knocking some teeth loose and drawing a lot of blood.

The leader then charged Patrick with a knife he had concealed in his clothing, while the normal looking one tried to attack Patrick from behind. The Templar agent however wasn't helpless to this. He first grabbed the charging broom head by his knife hand and twisted his arm to the point that it broke loudly, and the fool screamed in agony. He also dropped the knife, which Patrick quickly grabbed. He knew he couldn't hold weapons that aren't shields, but he only needed to hold the knife for a few seconds as he ducked from the normal man's left hook from behind. Patrick then swung the knife behind himself, stabbing the fool right in his liver, making him scream in pain.

The three idiots, each with a distinct injury looked fearfully at the Shield Hero they thought was helpless and couldn't hurt them. But with their injuries as clear reminders to the contrary, they proceeded to run away, leaving Patrick alone in the alley.

"This is ridiculous."-Patrick said outloud-"My only offence are my fists and legs, which won't work against stronger monsters. I can't even use any of the types of magic I learned back home. If my offence isn't strong enough I can't farm exp points, and if I can't farm exp points I can't level up, and if I can't level up I can't strengthen my offensive abilities. I'm stuck in a Gaia damned loop. FUCKING DAMN IT!"

Patrick screamed out the last part as he punched the wall to his left with all his might. He ended up busting up his fingers and leaving a blood splotch on the wall. Luckily his shield's rapid healing fixed his hand right up, but good defense and zero offense is a recipe for suicide. Patrick was truly at a loss as to what he should do, since he can't trust anybody in this world to not betray him. And because he couldn't fight the way he used to, he still needs someone else who can use a weapon for him.

"It looks like you could use some help."-a voice suddenly spoke up, drawing Patrick's attention to another alley entrance, where he spotted a short, rotund man, wearing black and white clothing, along with a black tailcoat adorned with pink feathers at the collars, white gloves with golden emblems on each, golden jewelry, a large top hat and glasses. He also bore a mustache that rimmed an excited and slightly creepy smile. The man honestly reminded Patrick of a certain short mob boss that always got his ass handed to him by a certain caped crusader.

"Who are you and what the hell do you want?"-Patrick asked, not that he was interested at all. The guy looked far too suspicious, even for him.

"You heard me good sir."-the man said, the excitement in his voice never going away-"You look like you're in a bit of a bind, and I am here to provide a solution to your conundrum."

"Really?"-Patrick asked skeptically-"What, you've got some party members you wanna give me?"

"'Party members'?"-the short man asked amusedly as he was now standing next to the beestung, leaning on his cane-"No, no my good sir. What I want to offer you is something faaar more helpful."

"Well, I'll do you one better: piss off."-Patrick sardonically said, proceeding to walk away.

"My, my, such a fiery temper. You are exactly as the rumors say you are."-the man said, his words stopping Patrick in his tracks and he looked towards the man with curiosity.

"Rumors? Then does that mean you know who I am?"-Patrick asked, not sure what to make of this man. These 'rumors' the man spoke of were no doubt the false accusations the bastard king had spread to turn the populace against him. That would naturally mean that everyone would avoid him like the Filth, yet this man was going out of his way to speak to Patrick in the most civilized manner he has seen since his humiliation.-"Just what is this Penguin wannabe's angle?"

"Off course I know who you are, brave Shield Hero sir."-the man said, Patrick's face being reflected off his tinted glasses-"And like I said, my offer is exactly what you need in your current situation. Now, if you are still interested, then please follow me."

The man then wordlessly started walking away. Patrick stood in place for a moment, not sure what to do. His immediate response is to obviously refuse, since no one from this world can be trusted, but the more desperate side of him wanted him to follow the suspicious little man. Patrick really didn't want to indulge this man in any way, but he couldn't deny that the man's friendly and civilized attitude towards him certainly intrigued him, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't curious about this man's offer. And if the man did try to stab him in the back, he'd probably have enough fight left in him to teach this fool and whoever was collaborating with him a painful lesson.

So, with that in mind, Patrick slowly followed the man from behind.

A very short walk later, the man led Patrick to a large circus tent, which only served to confuse the beestung.-"Is this guy a ringmaster or something?"

Once inside though, Patrick noticed that there were crates, boxes and cages of all shapes and sizes everywhere. The very little light provided by torches and lamps didn't do much in the way of showing him exactly what he needed to see.

"So, what kind of business did you say you're running again?"-Patrick asked, not liking where this was going.

"Can't you tell from what's inside the cages my boy?"-the man casually said-"These are slaves."

"What?"-Patrick asked, making sure that he heard him right.

"Yes! I run the biggest slave trade business in this entire-OOFF!"-the man boasted, but was promptly kicked in the gut by Patrick.

After the man's back impacted one of the cages, agitating its occupant, Patrick slammed his left foot onto the man's bloated gut, before saying in an angered voice:

"Give one very, VERY, compelling reason why I shouldn't kill you, free these slaves and burn this entire operation to the ground?"

"W-wait! Wait, please I told you I have a very helpful offer for you, and I meant it!"-the man hastely said, not expecting the Shield Hero to act this way.

"Talk. Now."-Patrick ordered, his shield already glowing emerald. The man took a deep breath and calmly started speaking again.

"As I was about to say, while you may think that owning slaves is abhorrent, believe me when I say that slaves are your best and only option right now. Tell me, how many times have you looked at a person in this country and thought they would betray you if you let them be part of your party?"-Patrick's eyes narrowed at the man's words, to which the man's smile simply grew-"I'll take the look in your eyes as an obvious answer. Humans always had a natural impulse to be envious of others and take for themselves what isn't theirs, which always leads them to betrayal. However, when it comes to slaves, no matter how badly they want to, they can never commit such a sin."

Patrick's eyes widened slightly, now more curious about this. Slaves should be the ones to desire betrayal the most, so why would these ones not favor betrayal over enslavement. Taking the hero's silence as his que, the continued.

"You see, the slaves in this world are branded with a special seal curse. Once applied, the slave has no choice but to follow every single thing their master tells them. If they so much as think about refusing, the seal will activate, causing them great pain and sometimes even killing them."

At this point Patrick's eyes widened considerably. The morally sound part of himself, told him that such practices are still horrible and that he should still burn this entire thing to the ground. But his logical side sung a different tune. If such a thing were possible, then he could train whatever slave he'd end up with to use weapons, which would allow him to level up much faster. And he'd also order the slave not to betray him right from the get-go, and if they did decide to defy him, then this curse thing would remind them otherwise. A part of him still didn't like using such inhuman methods to achieve his goals, but right now his back is up to a corner, and if he didn't find a solution – any kind of solution – than he wouldn't survive even the first Wave and he'd never get to go home.

So, after coming to this grim conclusion, Patrick took his foot off the man and sighed in defeat-"Alright, fine."

"So, does this mean accept my offer?"-the man asked excitedly, getting back onto his feet and dusting himself off.

"Show me what you have first Penguin, then I'll consider."-Patrick instructed the man.

"Excellent, a chance to show you my merchandise is all I ask for sir Shield Hero."-the man joyfully said as he proceeded to lead Patrick further in-"Oh, and for future reference, my name is Beloukas."

"Whatever."-Patrick said, not interested in the slightest about what to call the slave-trader.

As they walked through the tent and passed the many cages, Patrick noticed that there were two kinds of 'slaves', as far as he could tell: those that look like humans, but with animal ears and tails, and humanoid creatures that look more like some of the monsters he faced back home.

"Tell me about these creatures. I still don't know much about this world."-Patrick told Beloukas, who was more than happy answer.

"Well let's see, the ones that look like humans, but in fact aren't, are what are known as Demi-humans and they are usually used for manual labor. The ones that look like humans but are more bestial, are known as Beast-men. They are typically stronger than Demi-humans, and are usually used as bodyguards, or are gambled on in gladiatorial matches."

"And yet, both species are regarded as slaves."-Patrick concluded, based on what he's seeing.

"Correct. You see, this country is very keen on practicing human supremacy, which is why most of the people here regard Demi-humans as monsters, and therefor treat them as harshly."

Patrick listened intently, coming to the conclusion that the relationship between humans and demi-humans is exactly the same as the relationship between the vampires and werewolves back in his world. During his mission in Transylvania, Patrick saw how poorly werewolves were being treated by vampires, with the later considering themselves as the 'superior' and 'civilized' species. Granted these slaves had it easier than the werewolves, but still…

Patrick's train of thought was interrupted by the sound of coughing. The voice sounded like that of a little girl, which immediately prompted Patrick to follow and find the source. He followed the sound of coughing, eventually standing in front of a small cage covered by a dirty tarp. Bushing the thick fabric aside, Patrick saw something that made his stomach churn: a little girl.

She was a demi-human, obviously, with small, brown and round ears, and a short bushy tail of the same color, giving her the appearance of a racoon. But it wasn't her animal features that repulsed Patrick, but the state in which she was in: her skin was pale and covered in dirt and bruises, her long brown hair was a mess, the only clothing she wore were some brown, tattered rags and her brown eyes looked deader than dead.

The child's condition quickly conjured images of the Orochi testing facility, the Nursery, where the corporate sons of bitches would kidnap innocent children with powers and treat them as if they were experimental test subjects and weapons, subjecting them to horrible experiments that would often even kill some of them.

That was one adventure – among others – that Patrick really wanted to forget about, but it wasn't just the Nursery that came to mind as he looked at the little girl. As he kept studying the girl, Patrick couldn't help but think back at the dream he had three days ago.

"Why does she look so familiar?"

-X-

A/N: Well that's it for this one.

Damn, this took a long time to make, but let's be honest it's the first episode from the 'Shield Hero', what can any of us expect.

Also, sorry for all the swearing during THAT part, but let's be honest, wouldn't any of you do the same if you were in Patrick or Naufumi's position?

Anyway, like I said in the previous chapter, if any of you have any 'Secret World' related questions, either right it as a review or a PM, and I'll answer as best as I possibly can.

I'll start the next chapter of this story shortly, but I want to see if I could at least TRY to finish writing the next chapter of 'Cartoon Darksiders' and put it up as soon as possible, instead of ten years from now.

At any rate, hope you guys enjoyed it at least a little bit, and I will see you all next time. La revedere.