A/N: (Note/Disclaimer) All recognizable characters belong to their respective owners. Such as Neopeople for Dungeon Fighter Online(Also known as Dungeon & Fighter) and Aneko Yusga for The Rising Of The Shield Hero
Note 2: For those getting a second update, this is the actual chapter, Sorry for the mic up.
("Human/Speech")
("Thoughts")
(Attacks/Weapon names)
(Other/Foreign/ Speech & Text/Book/Scroll)
(Actions/POV)
(Titles/Flashback/Time/Dates/Place)
(Narration & Everything else)
('Demonic Speech')
("Demonic Thoughts")
Hero And Fighter Chapter 3
Naofumi and Itsuki's Room: ? Castle: Kingdom of Melromarc
5/18/0000: 0000
Third Person: Omni
Naofumi looked through his phone while sitting on the couch, he decided that he would be sleeping on it like a responsible adult. Itsuki slept in the bed already, probably a product of being a good high school student and a good child to their parents.
He knew that the zero signal didn't affect his offline stuff, and he had quite a few game guides downloaded on there. Though he was mostly looking at their mechanics and cross-referencing it with the shield in order to figure out what he could do. He had the least amount of knowledge of the system that the weapons… no the world ran off of.
"Ho, if it isn't Shirya cosplaying as Melina." He remarks at one of the photos he was last sent, a petite woman with lavender hair and amber eyes was messing around with her staff. It was of course a cosplay cause no one in his own world would have such a strange hair color naturally.
"This would be at the summer comiket right?" He was forced into helping the group during the break and everyone decided to cosplay as character avatars. Melina was the group's and mostly his Enchantress.
"No please…" Naofumi looked up from his reading after hearing the sudden sleep talking of Itsuki. The rustling of the bed was a loud disturbance of the originally silent room. He quickly understood that the younger of the two was having a nightmare, something that he was far more familiar with than he would like.
"No, don't hurt me!" Naofumi felt his instincts as a big brother kick in as he heard the distressed breathing and talk of the brunette. Quickly climbing onto the bed, making sure to be careful of fully waking them.
"It is alright, you are okay now… I am here with you." He soothingly rubbed circles on the younger's back, paying little mind to the newest discoveries about her. He felt that her nightmare might be on the same level as his little brother's.
"Good, rest easy, we have things tomorrow." He remarks in a soft voice as Itsuki slowly calms down to a restful sleep. After several minutes of gentle coaxing, Naofumi sighed in relief at getting her out of the nightmare.
"Bullying probably… Hopefully, she gets good teammates as I can't accompany her." He remarked as he once more settles on the sofa. He observed the night sky filled with stars, noting shadows flicking across areas of the castle. The moon was full tonight, brightly shining in the sky.
"I need to get some sleep." He finishes up on reading on the guide of the Female Slayer's Sword Master subclass. Quickly setting up an alarm on the phone to wake him up at around the equivalent of 6 am in this world and connecting the large solar battery to it, he went to sleep on the couch.
_(DUNGEON FIGHTER ONLINE)_
? Castle: Dungeons
A young robbed woman quietly stepped into the dungeons, making sure to hide from the shadows. Illusions engulfed her as she walked past the guards undetected. Sitting in one of the cells was a young woman curled up by one of the walls.
"Come to laugh at me more?" The arrested individual spoke up without moving her head and left the rose-colored hair to cover her features. The robbed figure just looked at her, it would seem that the guards have no sense of keeping their traps closed.
"Are you the one that wanted to be in the Shield Hero's party?" The rosette immediately looks up to the robbed individual, though she could not make any distinctions due to the illusions that the robbed individual cast, all that she could see were the amber eyes looking down at her.
"Why do you want to know." She jumped up to the bars, revealing her armor and unfilled sheath. She spoke in an urgent tone, not many knew about the reason why she was imprisoned. The robbed figure tilted her head as she observed the knight.
"Considering that there is a trap laid for him and I am moving to disrupt it. It would be good to see a potential party member." The robed individual's voice was garbled yet distinctly feminine. The lady knight looked at the robes once more, it seemed to be an altered version of the mage team's uniform.
"What? You must free me so that I can fulfill the queen's request." She only really heard bout the trap laid to harm the shield hero, she was desperate and hopeful to be free in order to help him. She shook the bars, yet they did not budge.
"No, not yet, you and he are not ready just yet… just hold onto that light and dream of yours, it will do you well whence you fight alongside him." The knight looked surprised at the mention of dreams… she had the most pressing ones with the young woman that looked almost exactly like her with a white and golden shield.
"Just who are you?" When the robbed figure moved to leave the dungeons, her self-appointed task done, the knight asked the mage for her identity. She stopped herself at the doorway out of the dungeons at the question.
"I am just a traveling mage trying to find a way to save my world. And if you would, never speak of this conversation. The shadows have ears after all." She spared final a passing glance with her amber eyes one final time to the rose haired swordswoman. Her footsteps making no sound as she moved back to who knows where.
_(RISING OF THE SHIELD HERO)_
Castle Town: ? Castle: Throne Room
5/19/0000: 0858
The four heroes stood outside the throne room, the large doors blocking them from seeing inside. They were ordered to form a line from oldest to youngest. Naofumi took the time before the reception to look upon Itsuki once more, noting that she is in a far better state than before.
"Remember, don't let praise or criticism get to you," Naofumi spoke to Itsuki in their room a bit earlier, though not about anything really groundbreaking. He was trying to be someone that could be relied on for emotional support… especially when he was probably the one with the most emotional stability.
"What do you mean?" Itsuki looked at the university student, his tone was far warmer than yesterday… what happened last night to have him act like this?
"Cause it can warp you very much… I've seen it with authors becoming too arrogant and others that become unable to work on what they love cause they are hated." He remarks with a sigh. Naofumi knew that it was extremely easy to manipulate the put-down, his own brother was one in fact. They were the only two heroes actively talking to each other, Ren was brooding in the corner and Motoyasu was trying to flirt with the passing maids.
"Why are you giving me this advice?" She asked him with a critical eye, he was the first besides her parents to actively try and care about her.
"You remind me of my younger sibling… though I do want to get to know you better." He said with a slight smile on his face. They noticed the guard motioning for them to stand in the preordered line so that they could receive their parties.
_(DUNGEON FIGHTER ONLINE)_
"We have gathered the brave warriors who will fight the waves with you legendary heroes." The two lines stared at one another. Naofumi looked at all of them and got the feeling many of them were incompetent despite the weapons and armor that were fastened to them. They all searched for the weapons on the heroes.
"Now, future companions! Time to begin your journey." Naofumi immediately knew it was sabotaged as he notes their eyes, pre-choreographed, they all walked towards the ones they were staring at before. When they all looked at his shield, they paid it no mind and immediately went to another hero.
"Wait for a second…" He said aloud to give the king what he wanted. He quickly looked at the party composition of the groups, Ren had the largest amount by far. He could understand the mage, archer, and heavenly armored man, but the one in furs did not work with them at all.
Motoyasu had three girls in his party, a mage, an archer, and a swordswoman. While Itsuki had the other three, two men and one woman. One was in robes, the other armored and the woman was in leathers.
"I have to admit that I was not expecting this." The king spoke with a cold expression… nothing like how a good king should feel. Naofumi immediately knew from his eyes that he was lying out of his teeth. The king had this orchestrated, along with the redhead in the spear hero's party. He had seen her when coming out of the summoning chamber after all but did not know what her relation to him was.
"The shield hero must have no charisma to have no volunteers to come up." The asshole of a minister spoke… what a dumb way to speak up about it considering nobles were watching. Naofumi could tell that he was arrogant, far more than most of the nobles. An aid spoke quietly to the king, he knew it was just an act.
"There are rumors that the Shield hero is ignorant of this world that spread through the town." The king supplied his supposed reasoning, Naofumi knew that only the king would have known due to his shadows and was the only one who could have had it spread.
"Would any of you like to come into the Shield hero's-" The king was cut off as a young woman wearing robes stepped through past the nobles on the ground floor. Naofumi looked at her and was immediately shocked at who she was.
"I will join in the Shield hero's party, my king." A young woman with lavender hair and amber eyes walked to the behind of the shoulder… he could tell that the king was surprised by the look in his eyes, though not for the same reasons.
"Who might you be?" He demanded an answer but keeping his cool as much as possible. Naofumi also looked back at her and in his peripheral the redhead looking a bit pissed at the sudden inclusion of another adventure.
"My name is Melina, an adventurer that arrived a bit late. For that, I must apologize." She bowed to the king with a solemn expression… but in the shadow of her hair, Naofumi could see a smug expression on her face.
"I see, I must ask if there is anyone that would like to accompany the Shield Hero?" He quickly passed over the mage. He knew that he had to atleast get the another or the others would get suspicious.
"I will my king." The redhead from Motoyasu's party moved into his group.
"Are you sure?" Motoyasu looked at the female adventurer in a bit of longing, it was not nice to have beauties leaving his party.
"It will be fine." She assuages his worries swiftly, playing the lancer like a fiddle, and all the others could tell quite well.
"Would any others join his party." The king looked at all of the adventures once more, if they could cohere the mage the plan would go off without any hitches, so he was not worried.
"I suppose that other measures will be taken then. Naofumi-dono, you will have to recruit a party on your own." The king states in a serious tone.
"We will provide the heroes with the funds required every month. This time, Naofumi will have a larger amount in order to compensate." The king stated in a noble manner, Naofumi could tell that he was still full of annoyance.
"Here are your funds for the months, Naofumi with 800 silver and the others with 600. Use this to procure the necessary equipment and set forth on your journey." The king orders them all in a calm manner. The maids immediately walk over to give them the bags of money.
"Yes." They all spoke in response to the order. Itsuki grew suspicious at the already prepared bags of money… why wouldn't they have four 600 bags?
_(RISING OF THE SHIELD HERO)_
Castle Town: Castle Gates
"One second, I have to say something to the other heroes," Naofumi said to them as the other heroes trailed behind the adventures, watching the team talk.
"That is fine, we will wait here." The character he made come to life states with a calm expression on her face. Myne smiled lightly in response, but it fell flat to the other two in the party.
"Itsuki, remember that a party must be balanced and that they must work with you. Do not enjoy one-sided praise." The hidden female immediately nods at the warning and advice only she could hear. They hit it off quite well and knew each other far better than anyone else.
"Make sure to take care of her." The spearman immediately remarked, he was talking about the redhead from what Naofumi could gather. The other two were unsuspicious at the king, they did not note the smaller details about what happened in the throne room.
"See you again when the time comes." Ren remarks with his usual blank expression.
"Stay safe and have good luck with your party." Itsuki smiled gently at the young man. With all their farewell messages done, they quickly left the castle to catch up to their party members.
"Sir Shield Hero, it is an honor to work with you. My name is Myne Sophia." She introduced herself in a bubbly manner. If Naofumi wasn't already used to true cheerful personalities, he would have definitely been fooled by the act.
"My name is Melina, Melina Pandemonium." Naofumi barely hid his looks at the fully mature body of the spell user. He knew that the battlemage was hiding her true appearance, and that last name was a fake one. He would have to find a way to talk to her alone later.
"Nice to meet you, I am the Shield Hero, Naofumi Iwatani." He spoke his name for the first time to the world's inhabitants. Or rather the single native, he knew that the mage was an outworlder. Twice over even.
"Let me show you around Castle Town," Myne remarked with a kind smile on her face. The lavender rubbed her head, she would not know the town better than Myne, she spent most of her time in the castle.
Word Count: ~2500 Words
Date Completed: 12/11/2020
Note: Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. And the reveal of the Neo Awakening for the Female Mage was nice… despite me not being able to play due to computer restraints.
Comment Cove:
FFN:
darkstel: enter the entire list of the harem so that I can understand whether it is worth spending time on your story or not.
Response: Well that is kinda demeaning to the story (and to a lesser extension: me) in all honesty. I can understand if you dislike characters being in the harem and things like that, but I would not like the harem or any single element to define the fic in your eyes. Sides, nothing is concrete besides the extremely obvious characters so I can't exactly give you a list of the harem… and story-wise it is a spoiler of spoilers to do so. I ask, please give it a chance on its own legs but if you don't want to spend your time on it, don't. On another note: if enough of the others voice out the want for a harem list, I will probably do so, though it would be nothing concrete besides established relations in the final product.
AO3:
Aodean: Is Itsuki a girl or just extremely bishounen?
Response: As was noted in the chapter, Itsuki is a girl. Though she binds her chest and consciously keeps her voice lower in pitch. The bullying was worse due to being a girl… As to how Naofumi figured it out? Itsuki left the bindings off in order to sleep better.