SZ: Greetings all, and welcome to a new story idea of ours.

GT: This one has been one in the making.

Z0: I'm mostly here for support. These two are the masterminds here, *jumps into the secret chamber under the office* I'll be back with magical stuff!

SZ:..that worries me…*looks at the readers*You might be asking...why Breath of the Wild and Rise of the Shield Hero? Well we've been in a mood for the former to be honest thanks of Age of Calamity…*mutters*nearly done with the game too if it weren't for stupid Joycon Drift…

GT: Yeah, that is a pain that so many people know that Nintendo has made it absolutely free to get your Joycon fixed if it happens. There's even a section for it on the webs…*sees the cast looking at us with a few making 'Get on with it' motions* Anywho, the reason for the latter is because we've been wanting to do something with that for a long while as well. Plus, this actually fits with the Legend of Zelda series in that 4 is a powerful number. Now before anyone says 'I thought it was 3,' the number 4 is also a very important thing in the series. There's the Four Swords, Four Goddesses (the three that make the Triforce and the Goddess of Time), Four Goron Elders in Twilight Princess, the four Guardian Deities in Majora's Mask, etc, etc...and, of course, the Four Champions of Breath of the Wild. Funny enough, there are also Four Cardinal Heroes in Rising of the Shield Hero, are there not?

SZ: I believe so…*pokes head into next room*Z0?*pulls head back in*guess he's too busy to answer, but you get our point kinda folks. Ahem! Anyways...before we officially start off...disclaimers! GT?

GT: Thank you. We do not own Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild nor Age of Calamity. They are owned by Nintendo. We also do not own Rising of the Shield Hero. I...have no idea who owns it, so I'll just say that the creator of it owns it. Now if you excuse us, we need to get Z0 out. *pokes head into the secret chamber* Z0, we're ready for your-OH SUGAR HONEY ICED TEA! *pulls head out* We gotta flee, SZ.

SZ: Oh geez…*puts armor on* What did he bring out now?!...It's not a Malice Lynel is it?!

GT: There's a Lynel made of Malice?!

SZ: In Age of Calamity yes! Same for Hinox, Talus and Guardians!

GT: Wait, I thought Guardians were already infected with Malice. ...N-Nevermind! We gotta go now! *places starts shaking*

Z0: Hey it works! Oh this is gonna get crazy, eh I'm sure they can handle it while I get the parts to fix it. *bamfs away*


Calamity. An event causing great and often sudden damage or distress; a disaster. To many, there are various things that one can declare to be a Calamity based on what they consider to be one, be it from a child who has lost their treasured toy to a horrific event such as what befell on the 11th of September several years ago. But for one world, the word 'Calamity' means so much more and is a greater threat than any the world has felt. So much so...it lasted...permeated that world for a hundred years with little to no opposition. That is until one day...a hero and a princess rose up and drove the source of the Calamity back, bringing back some form of peace to their world. However, this is not their story...this is the tale of the four Champions that fought alongside them, and their tale within a new world wrought with its own form of Calamity.

In this world, a large chamber was being emptied by knights. As they removed the last of the objects within, several priests entered, led by a tall blond-haired man with a worried look upon his face. He knew the consequences of what they were about to perform, but knew his highness would not back down from this action. He looked at four of the priests with him and gave a small nod. Each nodded in turn and each pulled out a different colored chalk-red, blue, yellow, and green. With seemingly practiced ease, the four proceeded to create an intricate seal upon the floor, each one providing a different piece to the seal in their respective color. Once done, they proceeded to pull out four items: a jeweled one-handed sword, a gold spear, a well-decorated bow, and a dented shield that looked as if someone had gone to town on it with a mace...a spiked mace at that. The blond-haired man cringed at the sight of the last of the four objects as the four objects were placed at the north, south, east, and west ends of the seal before encircled with the colored chalk; blue for the spear, green for the bow, yellow for the sword, and red for the shield. The four then moved away and behind the blond-haired man, who sighed after a few moments.

"Before we begin...do any of you object to this action? By doing this, we will more than likely cause war to erupt," he advised.

"We know the risk...which is why we need to do this," another spoke up.

He sighed once more, wondering if he was trying to fool himself into thinking there was a soul amongst those surrounding him despite each one wearing a necklace sporting a spear, a sword, and a bow crossed together. He looked at the book in his hand before opening it as the four pulled out wooden staffs with a different colored gem from their robes.

"In these times of Calamity, we call upon you! Heroes of Legend! Warriors whom come from lands beyond our own!" the man recited as the four slammed the bottom of their staffs on the floor at the end of each sentence, "We call upon you to rid our realm of these Waves of Calamity! We beseech thee for guidance through these dark times! We ask of you, Legendary Heroes of lands beyond, to come forth! Come forth and bring us salvation! We offer these-Bow, Shield, Spear, and Sword-to connect our lands!" the gems on the staffs glowed before firing a beam at each weapon, causing them to light up, "Connect them and bring forth the Heroes that we need! Bring to us the Champions that will save us from the Calamity that befalls our world!"

The four weapons rose into the air as the seal on the ground began to shine with a white light. The sword was the first to move, its blade becoming longer and its guard taking the shape of an upside-down 'W' with a yellow gem connecting the blade to the guard while the jewels on it faded away, leaving it to be colored in white with gold and black detailing. The bow was next, the decorations burning away to reveal it to be white with intricate gold and black detailing and a green jewel in the center. The golden spear peeled off its gold, exposing the same colors as the first two and a blue gem connecting blade to staff. The last of them, the shield, became angular, almost like a square with a triangle on one end. It was mainly silver with black detailing and a single red gem nestled in the center.

Unseen by them all, the gems began to shine within, sporting at first a triangle composed of three smaller ones. The triangles were then replaced by what looked to be outlines of a camel, a bird, a lizard, and an elephant. Upon that, the gems shined brighter as the light that came from them...seemed to shape and mold into figures that now wielded the weapons. The blond-haired man heard the startled gasps behind him as he mentally cringed as only more troubles seemed to lay ahead. For instead of four humans, there was only one human and three demihuman...at least, one of the trio looked to be demihuman.

The human of the four-the holder of the sword with a yellow gem-was a tall, dark-skinned woman with her long, crimson-red hair held together by a green bangle, a bit held up into a high ponytail in the back. Her chest was covered in just an elaborately designed breastplate of blues and red with gold detailing with two shoulder guards of the same design as the breastplate. Around her waist was a gold belt with a red and gold one over that that kept the large blue scarf with white detailing that she was using as a skirt in place. On each of her slender, toned fingers were slim gold rings with her fingernails painted as blue as her skirt. She was the first to look around with her yellow eyes, her large hooped gold earrings moving with her head turns.

"What is this place?" she pondered.

"Ugh...what is that thumping? Is...Is that my heart? By Hylia, I didn't realize how loud it is."

The woman turned to the speaker, the holder of the bow with a green gem. He appeared to be a humanoid bird with the tips of his wings acting as fingers. His feathers were primarily a dark blue, almost navy blue in color, with hints of white feathers amongst them. He had a pair of brown shorts with dark red and gold bands on his legs with jade rings below them. His torso was covered in dark red and gold armor with a gold 'skirt' of sorts and gold shoulder-guards. Like the woman, he also sported the blue cloth with white detailing, but acting as an ascot.

"Wait...Am I alive?" the birdman pondered as he looked at himself in surprise with his green eyes, "This...is rather interesting…"

"Ugh...Did I eat too much Rock Roast again?"

The birdman quickly looked down before moving off, letting the largest of the four stand up while rubbing his head. By large, it was both in terms of height and weight. His body was covered in a coarse orange-brown skin. His 'shorts' were more like a pair of underwear made of a pale brown-green fabric and thick braided rope held together by a metal clasp. Across his body was a thick metal chain with a metal plate over the part on his chest with what looked like a red 'shooting star' in it. Crossing his body in the opposite direction was yet another blue fabric with white detailing, acting as another 'chain.' Thick metal bands were on his ankles, wrists, and on his upper arms near the shoulders. His face sported large red lips, beady red eyes, and a massive 'mane' of white hair that also doubled as a bushy beard. He looked at the shield on his arm.

"Huh? Now what's this?" the large figure pondered, "When did I get a shield?"

The woman was still trying to gather everything in her mind before spotting the last of them. She was the shortest of them and appeared to be part dolphin with her head shaped like a dolphin's entire body. Her body was covered in red and cream scales and, aside from the-yet again-blue cloth with white detailing that acted as a makeshift toga, she was decorated in numerous silver decorations, including a tiara of sorts. Resting in her hands was the spear with a blue jewel. The red-haired woman gently knelt down, worry on her face, as she gently nudged her. The dolphin-woman mumbled as she slowly opened her eyes, as blue as the gem in her spear.

"Mmm...Ur...bosa?" the dolphin-woman asked, looking up at the tan-skinned woman.

"It is good to see you again, Mipha," the woman replied, offering her hand to help the dolphin-woman up before looking over at the other two, "Revali, Daruk."

"Huh?" the big one looked up from examining the shield before grinning widely, "GUYS!"

"No, no, no, no! Daruk, don't you d…" the bird began before the rocky-looking one scooped them up into a bear hug, "Ack!"

"Hey you guys are here, too!" Daruk beamed before blinking, "...Wait...we're alive? We're alive!"

"Oh...we are," Mipha realized once Daruk ended the hug, letting her and the others drop onto the floor to look at themselves, putting a hand to her chest and felt her heart beating for the first time in 100 years, "How is this possible?"

"That...was what I was pondering…!" Revali grunted as he stood up, holding his back a bit as he stretched a bit, "Ugh...By Farore's winds, I've forgotten how rough you hug, Daruk…"

"Perhaps we should ask the proverbial elephants in our midst," Urbosa noted as she had noticed the man and the robed figures, "Excuse me."

"...y-yes?" one of the robed figures answered.

"Did you call upon us?" Urbosa questioned.

"Y-Yes, we did," the blond-haired man replied before clearing his throat and brought his hands together, "Please, I apologize for our actions for summoning you all, but we were left with no choice. We beg of you, Cardinal Heroes of the Holy Weapons! Please help us in our dire time of need!"

"...It is fine, but...what do you mean, good sir?" Mipha asked out of curiosity and concern.

"The Tides of Calamity are upon us…"

"?!" the four tensed up at that.

"...Y-You're joking, right?" Daruk asked, "Ganon is still alive?"

"Eh? Ganon?" one whispered.

"Our king will be more than happy to explain the details further," the blond-haired man replied.

"Understood," Urbosa nodded, 'The Tides of Calamity...they've expanded out this far? Even after Ganon's death?"

"Urbosa," Revali whispered once they were following the men, "Do you see something in the corner of your eye?"

"Hm?" Urbosa glanced at the corner of her sight, noticing a small blinking square, "I do."

"I'll ask Daruk, you ask Mipha?"

"Of course," Urbosa replied.

"Whoa~!" Daruk awed as they passed by a balcony, letting him look out, "This place seems as big as Castle Town!"

"Daruk…." the big Goron turned to see Revali approach him, "By any chance do you see something in the corner of your eye?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean do you see a small blinking square by any chance?"

"Hmm? A square? Square...Square…" Daruk muttered, looking at the corner of his eye, "Oh yeah. I do see it! It's kinda neat to look at and-WHOA!"

"What?" Revali asked.

"When I focused on it, it suddenly popped up into a big ol' screen like the one on the Sheikah Slate!" Daruk gawked.

"Huh?"

"Yeah, it's right in front of me," Daruk replied.

Revali raised a brow while looking at the front of Daruk and saw nothing. He looked at the corner of his sight as well, focusing on the square like Daruk did. It flickered before it expanded into a screen of sorts before him as well. It was transparent, but it did remind Revali of the few times he looked at the screen of the Sheikah Slate, even down to the words being made of an ethereal blue glow.

NAME: REVALI OF THE RITO

RACE: Rito

AGE: 117 Spiritually | 17 Physically

TITLE: HERO OF THE BOW

LV: 1

EQUIPMENT: Otherworld Armor | Otherworld Scarf | Legendary Bow

HELP | EQUIPMENT | STATS | PARTY | EXIT

"Well...This is something," Revali noted after a moment, "Does yours show your name, age, race, some form of title, and calling your outfit 'Otherworld?'"

"Yeah! I'm apparently called the 'Hero of the Shield,'" Daruk replied before holding up the shield, "Explains why I woke up with this. Don't know why it's called the Legendary Shield, though." he gave it a puzzled look before whispering, "...You don't think I'm being made fun of with how tiny it is, do ya?"

"No, you can do that just fine on your own," Revali replied, earning the stink eye from Daruk as he looked at the screen, "There are a few things I don't understand, though. What is this 'L-V' and why is it at 1?"

"Eh, maybe we can ask the king of this place about it," Daruk noted, scratching his head in thought, "Though…"

"Though…?"

"How do we get this out of our faces?" Daruk asked as he reached out before him and poked at the 'EXIT' on his screen, "Oh! It went back to being a tiny box when I touched that 'Exit' button!"

"Interesting…" Revali noted, doing the same, "So you are able to dismiss it as well…" he held up the bow, "So this is called the Legendary Bow? Hmm...Seems rather...plain for something called 'Legendary.'"

"Um, p-please heroes, do hurry. With the duties our king has, there is not much available time he has," the blond-haired man advised, earning their attention.

"Ah, sure thing! King Rhoam had those same issues," Daruk noted as he was the first to continue following.

"King Rhoam?"

"Yeah. He was the king of the kingdom we were all part of before it fell," Daruk replied, sighing, "We kinda...died when the Calamity attacked us by surprise. Took a hundred years before we could do our duty at last to beat it as spirits."

"A-Amazing," the blond-haired man noted, his eyes wide in surprise, 'We summoned veterans to this calamity! All the more reason we're going to be in trouble!'


"I am King Aultcray Melromarc XXXII."

The speaker was an older man donned in robes of cream and navy blue with detailing and trim of gold. Over that was an elegant cloak of a rich purple. His grey hair reached down to his shoulders with a trimmed grey beard. Each of his fingers except for the pointer fingers was a gold ring with only the right index finger sporting a gem, purple in color. Upon his head was a gold crown with a lone purple gem on the center of it. The four summoned Champions had gone down to a knee with heads bowed.

"So, these are the Four Cardinal Heroes of ancient legend?" he questioned while glancing at Daruk's shield with his purple eyes, "Heroes, rise up and name yourselves."

The four rose up and Urbosa spoke first, "I am Urbosa, former leader of the Gerudo Tribe before my demise a century ago."

"I'm Daruk, Champion of the Goron people!" Daruk grinned, pumping a fist, "It's a pleasure to meet you, your highness."

"My name is Revali, Champion of my people, the Rito," Revali replied, smirking.

Mipha slowly took a breath before speaking gently, "My name is Mipha. Before my death, I was the princess of the Zora. As my friend Daruk said, it is a pleasure to meet you, King Aultcray Melromarc XXXII."

The king managed to hide his surprised expression behind a calm exterior. He had heard the Spear Hero was often boisterous and the most hardy of the heroes whenever they were summoned, but this one...her gentle stature and even how she spoke brought an old pain to his heart.

"I see," the king noted after a moment of silence, "I welcome you all to Melromarc. Please, allow me to explain as to why we have summoned you. Long ago, there was a prophecy...one that predicted the end of our world. The skies will burn as the moon bleeds red. Peace will be shattered by the coming dread. They come and befall the land, their arrival determined by the hourglass's sand. Demise approaches, brought by the Calamity that emerges from the Wave. Summon us, we Four Cardinal Heroes, so that this world we may save. Should we fall, then so will everyone and all." The four gripped their weapons tighter, their thoughts turning to that horrific day a century ago, "None believed this to actually be true...until a week ago when the sand in the Dragon Hourglass ran out and one of our kingdom's villages was wiped out by it. While knights in the area and Adventurers in the area were able to fight back, it did nothing to save those that were lost in that first Wave."

"My condolences for your loss," Urbosa offered, earning a small nod from the king.

"Thank you. While we did fend it off, the next Waves that approach will only grow stronger with each one that happens," Aultcray spoke, "So long as the Dragon Hourglass continues to spill its sand that resets when the Wave ends, more will appear. At this moment in time, we have less than a month to prepare for the next one." he clenched a hand on his throne, "We underestimated the danger of this prophecy...and, as such, we put all our effort into learning how to call upon you to save us. We have no time to lose!"

"..." the four looked at each other for a moment, pondering over what they were just told and how dire the situation this world was in.

"I'm up for it," Daruk stated, banging his fists together, "We've managed to deal with it before, we can do it again!"

"You know we died the last time, right?" Revali reminded.

"Yeah, and we still beat the Calamity," Daruk replied.

Revali rolled his eyes, "Well, since you went through the effort of getting us here, I may as well partake in fighting the Calamity off once more."

"In our home, the Calamity was horrible and lasted for a century. My little brother Sidon had to deal with that, growing up in that horrific time...I will not allow anyone else to suffer from it," Mipha spoke.

Urbosa snapped her fingers and everyone but the other Champions jumped at the green/yellow-tinted lightning that went off outside before she spoke, "To deal with the Calamity once more, but as flesh and blood and not simply a spirit...Very well. While my spirit may have found solace, my flesh and bone has not."

"...Thank you...you four are truly a blessing to us all," the king smiled, "You are more than welcome to acquire anything you may need for your battle against the Waves of Calamity."

"At this moment in time, could everyone please confirm their statuses?" the blond-haired man asked.

"Statuses?" Mipha repeated.

"Oh, that weird Sheikah screen that popped up when Revali and I looked at the block too long?" Daruk asked.

"Sheikah screen?" Urbosa repeated.

"Yes. When we looked at that small little box long enough, they turned into screens that looked like the one on the Sheikah Slate," Revali explained.

"Really now?" Urbosa pondered as she looked at the box in the corner of her eye, "Ah. Interesting. Though how it knows my age troubles me."

"Oh? Not wanting to let anyone know your age?" Revali asked.

Urbosa snapped her fingers and Revali yelped and twitched on the floor, smoldering from the lightning strike. Many a man, the king included, cringed, knowing very well you never ask that or anything related to it to a woman. Mipha tilted her head, looking at her own. She looked at the bottom of it, seeing the word 'STATS' and blinked twice.

"Is this it?" she pondered as she tapped at the 'STATS,' causing the screen to change, showing a full body image of herself beside several numbers, "Oh! Um...What are these?"

"What...are what?" Revali wheezed as he got up, coughing up a bit of smoke.

"I touched the one that said 'STATS' since it sounded like what, um...Please, forgive me, but I never asked for you name, sir," Mipha apologized.

"I am Altair, the Royal Advisor," the man replied.

"Thank you," Mipha gave a gentle smile before looking back to Revali, "When I touched it, a new screen replaced the previous."

"Huh?" Revali blinked, following what she did, "Ah." he shook the soot off him and looked at it, "'ATT: 17,' 'MAG: 13,' 'P. DEF: 10,' 'M. DEF: 14,' 'DEX: 15?' What do these even mean?"

"Attack, Magic, Physical Defense, Magical Defense, and Dexterity," Altair explained, "These are terms previous Heroes told our ancestors of. The higher their numbers, the greater they are."

"Interesting," Urbosa noted as she looked at her own while Daruk gawked.

"Is everything alright, Daruk?" Mipha asked.

"ATT...That's 'Attack,' right?" Daruk asked.

"I think so," Mipha replied before Daruk slumped.

"It says mine's at 1."

"I beg your pardon?" Mipha asked, surprised at that.

"My attack's at 1!" Daruk groaned, "Oh, I gotta figure out how to get that up!"

"Just what is this?" Urbosa asked.

"Status Magic," Aultcray informed, "It's a basic magic that everyone can learn at even a young age, but the Heroes can access more of it than anyone else."

"To increase the numbers of your statuses, you will need to raise your levels," Altair informed.

"And how, pray tell, do we do that?" Urbosa asked.

"Each of you must head out on a quest to develop and upgrade the Legendary Weapons you have equipped," Aultcray explained, "With the Waves coming, monsters have grown more confident and have been coming closer to settlements in the kingdom."

'Minions of Calamity Ganon, no doubt,' Urbosa thought.

"ALRIGHT!" Daruk cheered, "Let's get going then! If this 'Level' thing can help me get this 'Attack' thing up, I'm all for it! Plus with the four of us fighting together, we..."

"About that…" Aultcray spoke, earning the four heroes' attention, "I've neglected to tell you that you must recruit allies and take your own quests separately. It is said that by their very nature, the Legendary Weapons repel one another. If you try to work together, it'll apparently hinder their development."

"Really?" Mipha gasped before another screen popped up, reading 'HELP: When two or more wielders of Legendary Weapons operate together, it causes an adverse reaction in the weapons. Working separately is highly advised.'

"How adverse are we talking about here?" Revali asked.

"It's best you do not find out."

"...Noted…" Revali whispered, shooting a look of suspicion at Aultcray.

"The sun is starting to set. Please, rest up for tonight and set forth tomorrow," Aultcray advised, "In the meantime, we will gather you the best of the best in the kingdom to form Parties for each of you."

"Great! I can really go for some nice tasty Rock Roast after being a spirit for so long!" Daruk beamed.

"What is this Rock Roast you speak of?"

"!?" Daruk gawked.

"Another world, Daruk," Urbosa reminded.

"Right. Gotta get this level thing up so I can get more Attack, fight off the Calamity, and find a mountain to get the right rocks for Rock Roast," Daruk muttered before a maid approached.

"We've prepared four rooms for each of you," the maid informed, giving a curtsey...as the cat ears on her head twitched.

"...You're all seeing the ears, right?" Daruk whispered.

"Yes," they all replied in unison.

"Please, come this way," the maid spoke.


"You all felt something was off in there, right?" Revali asked, the four sitting in a well-decorated room with a large bed and table with four couch-like chairs surrounding it.

"Yes...There is something they're not telling us," Urbosa frowned a bit.

"Really?" Daruk blinked, "I thought they sounded off, guess that was it."

"And that warning that we can't work together just felt...forced," Revali spoke.

"True. From how they spoke, we need to work together to deal with these Waves that the Calamity is making," Mipha noted, "But...how can we when we have to stay away from one another?"

"His entire reasoning is a contradiction," Urbosa spoke, "He seemed...happy to stress that fact. Almost as if he didn't want one of us to work together with the others."

"It was so painfully clear he's hiding some sort of distaste," Revali sighed, "His act was subpar at best. I could tell from that look in his eyes he was displeased with most of us. If I had to guess, the people in this world are highly segregated."

"That would explain the small looks of disgust aimed at us for a moment," Mipha noted, referring to herself, Revali, and Daruk.

"Yes...because they were most likely expecting human heroes," Revali stated.

"Human?" Daruk repeated.

"Did you not notice their ears weren't pointed like a Gerudo or Hylian?" Revali asked.

"Huh? They weren't?" Daruk asked in surprise, absentmindedly tapping at his Status Magic.

"I didn't notice it," Mipha admitted, "Mainly for the fact of everything else going on around us."

"I think we are the odd ones out here," Revali added, "The only one they didn't seem to give odd looks to was Urbosa. Probably to them, they noticed nothing different."

"So we need to be careful tomorrow when they show up with those guys, right?" Daruk asked before gawking at something on his Status Magic, "Huh?"

"What is it, Daruk?" Mipha asked.

"When I tapped on that shield rune on my screen, it just showed what kinda shield it is. And it does nothing to bring up that attack thing," Daruk frowned, "Gotta find me a good hammer until I can remake mine." he picked up a letter opening knife and started to act like he was holding his old weapon, "That way I can sma…" he grunted when the knife shocked him and shot off and embedded itself in the ceiling, "What just happened?" a screen popped up, "Aw come on!"

"Now what?" Revali asked.

"I can't use anything but the shield!" Daruk complained, "Says I'm in some sorta violation and that Legendary Weapons are the only thing we can use to fight!"

"...Then I cannot use a shield then…" Urbosa noted, looking down at her sword for a moment, "Quite the jealous weapon, it seems."

"That will be an issue for you two." Revali spoke, "But I think we'll be fine with what we have." he chuckled, motioning to himself and Mipha.

"Perhaps," Urbosa noted as Daruk helped her up to get the letter opener out of the ceiling, "But it will be an interesting challenge." she raised a brow when a notification appeared, "[Weapon Copy]?" she looked at her sword before it glowed and changed into a copy of the letter opener aside from the gem now on it, "..."

"...Okay, that's something neat about these," Daruk noted, blinking twice.

"Weapon copy?" the other two blinked in interest, no sooner did they say it, the exact same option appeared to them in their eyes.

"Well now, this should be quite the experience," Urbosa noted with a smirk.

"Interesting...At least now I can find something more befitting my style," Revali noted, "Though I wonder what else these can do."

"Same…" Mipha admitted as she looked through her own screen.

"We'll investigate more of this tomorrow," Urbosa spoke as she looked out the window, "It is getting late."

"Sleep does sound appealing," Revali sighed, "I think it is best to play along just 'till we know what we need."

"Alrighty…" Daruk nodded, yawning a bit as he stretched his arms out, "I can go for a good night's sleep anyways…just hope the bed is strong enough for me."

"Could check to see if the bed has a 'Defense' of 2," Revali chuckled.

"Bah…" Daruk grumbled.

"I thought they were a headache before…" Urbosa sighed.

"Boys will be boys," Mipha giggled.


"Mmm...You called those pillows filled with featherdown?" Revali muttered as he and the others began to approach the throne room, "Granted it was...okay at best, but…"

"Oh please not again…" Urbosa sighed.

"It cannot beat any made from Rito Village."

"I dunno...I slept like a rock," Daruk muttered.

"That's because you broke your bed," Revali deadpanned.

"Hey, I said I was sorry," Daruk muttered, "Plus, when I find a good mine, I'll make sure to bring a lot of it back here to pay off the damages, too."

"Hopefully the king will understand," Mipha whispered as the four opened the door, walking right into the throne room as they saw a line of people standing before the throne.

"Greetings, chosen heroes," the king greeted before motioning to the line of people before him, "We have gathered the finest warriors in the land. These brave souls will fight the Waves alongside you."

"Huh...so do we choose them or do they choose us?" Daruk asked.

"The latter actually," the king stated before standing up, "Now our future champions, it is time to begin your journey!"

"Ahh...gotcha. So who…" Daruk began as he noticed some of the chosen warriors go right to the others...with him getting no one, "...uh…"

"...Your majesty," Urbosa spoke up, earning the king's attention, "Is there a reason why Daruk wasn't chosen by your warriors?"

"Oh...It is rather concerning," the king stated, one of his advisors whispering something to him for a moment, "Ahh, I see…" he whispered before looking out at the group, "There is word that there are dark dealings involving the Shield Hero, that they know nothing of our world and that the people find him unbefitting of a warrior."

"Excuse you?" Urbosa frowned at that.

"Hey, I was the strongest warrior in my village," Daruk argued.

"And yet when it comes to the Shield Hero, while strong in terms of defense...they are the weakest in strength," Aultcray stated.

"So you're saying Daruk has to fight with no one helping him?" Mipha questioned.

"Rather bias if you ask me…" Revali stated.

"Hey don't worry guys. I'll be fine," Daruk assured as he looked at his shield, "Besides, I can probably pull off what the little guy could do with his shield!"

"You intend to fight with just the shield...alone?" the king blinked in surprise.

"You'd be surprised what us Gorons can pull off!" Daruk grinned, banging his chest once with his shield-covered fist.

"I...I see," the king noted, "St-Still..I wish you heroes the best of luck in the coming battles."

"Aw, thanks your highness!" Daruk grinned.

"Excuse me, Ms. Spear Hero?" a voice spoke up, making Mipha turn to see a young woman with crimson-red hair walking up to her and Daruk, "Would it be okay if I switched parties?"

"Hm? You wish to help Daruk?" Mipha asked before smiling, "Thank you."

"Of course. It would be a shame for him to go out there by his lonesome," the young woman smiled.

"Mmm…" Revali shot a suspicious look at the young woman, 'She's planning something…' he glanced to Urbosa, who gave a subtle shake of her head and earned a subtle nod in return from the Rito.

'Whatever you are up to, little Vai, we'll need to help Daruk avoid,' Urbosa thought.

"Each month, the kingdom will provide the Heroes with the funds they will require," Altair informed, "This time, due to his small party, Lord Daruk will be provided with a higher payment than the others."

"Pay?" Daruk pondered as four maids approached, one being the cat-eared woman, carrying small sacks, "Huh?"

"The normal monthly stipend is 600 Silver. For this first time, Lord Daruk will be given 800 Silver."

"Silver?" Mipha pondered, "Is there a conversion rate to this, your highness?"

"100 Bronze is a single Silver while 100 Silver is 1 Gold," Alutcray explained as Revali raised a brow.

'It's unusual. When we first met him, he looked at us with disgust. But with Mipha...why do his eyes show pain?' Revali pondered.

"Use these funds to prepare yourselves with the necessary equipment and set forth on your journey," Aultcray continued.

"Understood, your majesty," Urbosa answered as the four Champions bowed.


"Right, the first thing is to ready ourselves," Urbosa spoke, the Champions and their parties standing outside the castle gates before looking at her party, "Where can we find the best blacksmith?"

"We're not separating from the other heroes, Lady Urbosa?" one of her party members asked.

"While we cannot work together to increase this 'level,' it does not mean we cannot work together in gathering supplies and making sure we know who is with our fellow Champions," Urbosa explained.

"We're meant to work together when the Waves come. How can we if we do not know what our fellow Champions can do and what their parties are capable of?" Mipha asked, Revali and Urbosa mentally noting any reactions to Mipha speaking up.

"She does make a point in a way," the woman that was formerly in Mipha's party spoke, "In fact, there's a weapon's shop I trust. They should have whatever you need."

"Oh? That's great! Mind showing us where it is, er…" Daruk began.

"My name is Myne. A pleasure, Sir Shield Hero," the redhead introduced herself.

"Ahh...a pleasure to meet ya then, Myne!" Daruk laughed a bit, "Can't wait to start working with ya!"

"Daruk...a word?" Revali whispered, making the Goron blink as he leaned down a bit to listen, "...alone," he added, seeing Myne looking on in curiosity.

"...mmm," she pouted before walking off.

"That woman...be very careful and cautious of her," Revali whispered to him.

"Huh?" Daruk blinked at that.

"Doesn't it feel...convenient that she suddenly changed her mind?" The Rito questioned.

"Huh...kinda. I just figured she was nice," Daruk answered.

"Yes...too nice," Revali pointed out with a frown, "Just be careful with her...just because a flower, especially a rose looks beautiful and smells nice, it often hides some rather nasty thorns…"

"Right," Daruk replied before rubbing the palm of his right hand with his thumb, "A hundred years and I swear I still feel that thorn the first time I plucked a rose…"


"Was that a dragon?" Revali questioned, seeing a lanky man with cat ears walk by, leading a dragon wearing a saddle and reins past them.

"A Tyrella," one of the adventurers, a burly man wearing a grey cloak and keeping an axe on his back, replied before pointing to a burly man in knight armor, "They're often used by knights like Mald before he became an adventurer."

"It is rather strange," Mipha noted, "There are only three dragons in Hyrule."

"Three dragon types?" an adventurer with silver hair and a grey robe asked.

"No. Just three dragons," Mipha replied, "It is believed they are the incarnations of the three goddesses of Hyrule, Nayru, Din, and Farore."

"Really now?"

"Yes...and as such the three dragons are named after these Goddess...Naydra, who presides over the frozen mountains of Mount Lanayru...Dinraal, who presides over the Eldin region...and Farosh, who watches over the Farron region. It is said they protect the Shrines of the Goddesses, waiting for the one to bear the power of the Triforce of Wisdom."

"The Triforce, Lady Mipha?"

"Th...oh! I-I'm sorry…" Mipha whispered as she calmed down, a faint blush on her cheeks, "I...I didn't realize how far I was going in my explanation…"

'...Cute~' almost practically everyone there thought.

"We're here," Myne spoke as they stopped before a structure and opened the door, revealing a showroom of sorts for a multitude of swords, spears, bows, arrows, shield, and even armor, "I wholeheartedly recommend this place."

"Feels like the blacksmiths back home," Daruk noted, taking in a deep breath, "Good times at those places." he then scratched the side of his head sheepishly, "Aside from Karuk getting mad at me when I came back with Boulder Breaker damaged to the point he had to get another diamond to fix it."

"Hm...interesting choices…" Revali muttered, picking up one of the bows for a moment before pulling the string, "Hm...The string is rather strong. Perfect for singular strikes, but not much else if used to fire multiple arrows at once."

"You have quite the eye, good sir," the group looked to see a tall, muscled man approach them, a scar being seen on his bald head, "Welcome to my shop." he greeted before spotting Myne, "Hmm...you look familiar, miss...have we met before?"

"Sure. I've been here before," Myne smiled, "Your shop is rather renowned afterall."

"Aww~ Sweet of ya to say so," the man chuckled a bit before looking at the four Champions, "So who are your friends?"

"Oh? You mean you haven't heard?"

"Heard?" the blacksmith repeated before noticing the weapons they were carrying, "Oh...you must be those heroes that have been talking of the town lately."

"Heh...we sure are!" Daruk beamed a bit as he pumped his shield arm.

"A shield, huh...I would say you must be the dud, but given your stature I bet you can more than make up for it."

"See? He gets it," Daruk smiled at the others before looking back at the blacksmith, "I'm Daruk, and my title is the Shield Hero!"

"You heard that, right?" Revali whispered to Urbosa, "These rumors seem to be attempting to demonize the one who wields Daruk's shield."

"We'll need to be careful then," Urbosa softly advised, glancing at the adventurers that had come to be part of their group, "Perhaps a test of sorts is in order."

"A test?"

"We'll discuss it later," Urbosa whispered.

"Oh~!" the two looked to see the man looking at a paper, "Even if it's just a blueprint, the blade is quite stunning!"

"Yep! That's my Boulder Breaker!" Daruk beamed before frowning, "'Course, I can't wield it anymore because of this shield." he held his shield up, "Couldn't even use a letter opener to pretend I still had my sword because it zapped me and sent it right into the ceiling."

"Really now?" the blacksmith blinked as he walked over, pulling out what looked like a monocle as he began to examine Daruk's shield, a green light starting to come off the monocle, "Hmm...At a glance, it looks like any other shield...does it not come off?"

"Nope, but I can move it on my body," Daruk answered as he switched the arms the shield was on, "Found that out last night before I went to sleep."

"I see," the blacksmith noted before looking at the jewel within the center of the shield, "How strange...I can feel a lot of power in here, but my appraisal magic doesn't really tell me much more."

"There's magic that can appraise a weapon?" Revali asked.

"That there is," the blacksmith replied.

"Then you may get the same results from our weapons," Urbosa noted as the trio offered their own.

"Hmm…" the blacksmith looked at them with the monocle as well, "You're right, ma'am. These are like the shield Daruk wears. I can feel the power in them, but that's all my magic can tell me...hmm..." he began to ponder for a moment, "Considering what Daruk said about being unable to wield any other weapon, I assume it is the same for you all?"

"Of course, sir," Mipha nodded.

"Hmm….Tell you what? I'll help find ya some armor," the blacksmith offered, "In fact...I can offer the Heroes discount as well."

"And what of the buyback price?" Myne asked, getting Revali and Urbosa's attention.

"Hmm...Well, depending on the condition of the armor, I can offer to buy it back for 100 silver a piece."

"Buy back price?" Daruk blinked, pausing from trying to put a helmet on.

"Once you all have grown stronger, you don't need it anymore," Myne explained, "You don't wanna get ripped off after all."

"Huh….Never thought of it like that," Daruk admitted, "Sounds like a bargain for twenty Rupees."

"Oh lord, not that again…" Revali groaned.

"Hey...You can buy a lot for twenty Rupees if you haggle right," Daruk argued.

"Daruk, do we even have Rupees?" Urbosa asked.

"Uh…" Daruk patted himself, "Hmm…may need to think of how to get the best feels for Silver then…"

"You see what you've done?" Revali deadpanned to Urbosa.

"I have," Urbosa replied.

"Hmm...With the supplies we'll need, it'd be safe to do 250 Silver at this shop," Myne noted.

"Sounds reasonable…" Mipha noted with a nod before looking at the blacksmith, "Right, sir?"

"Of course, little lady," he chuckled a bit, "Once you find the armor you need, you can head off on your journey."

"Great! I can't wait to fight and get more Attack!" Daruk beamed.


"Heh heh...Their teeth tickle," Daruk chuckled, wearing a bit of armor on him as a bunch of balloon-like creatures of different colors were biting him all over his body.

"Really?" Revali deadpanned, looking at the people who had joined him a bit aways as he gestured to the balloon creatures before sighing and, as they blinked, shot several arrows that pierced all the ones before him and popping them, "Well, I suppose everyone starts somewhere."

"Heh heh...They remind me of Chu-Chus," Daruk chuckled before flexing his muscles a bit, causing the balloon creatures to flinch and they fell off him, theri teeth shattering before popping, "That's about six...how much…" his screen popped up as a smaller screen showing '6 EXP' popped up, "EXP?"

"Experience," the silver-haired mage explained, casting a fireball at another balloon monster, "As one slays monsters, they gain this experience to increase their Level, which in turn increases one's stats."

"Meaning if I pop enough of these...I get a better number for that Attack thing!" Daruk beamed as he ran off, "Alright! Come at me, ya little chu-chu copies! Come to Papa Daruk to pop!"

"Strange," Urbosa noted as she knelt down and picked up the scraps of some of the orange balloon monsters that she sliced apart, "This is more than what the monsters we've dealt with leave behind." she raised a brow when the gem on her sword started to glow along with the scraps, "Hm?" she placed the scraps to the sword's gem before her eyes widened as the gem 'ate' the scraps, "Well now…" a notification popped up, reading 'Requirements Met. Orange Balloon Sword Unlocked. +1 Defense. Equip Bonus: [Damage Reflect],' "So not only can we copy weapons, but giving the remains to our weapons can also create new ones."

"Um...Lady Urbosa?" Mipha spoke...while holding a trident that seemed to have been made of blue balloons, "I feel...unsure of how effective this will be in a fight." a balloon jumped out, teeth bared, "Eek!" she stabbed at it with her new weapon...only for it to cause the balloon monster to bounce off and land in a pile that Daruk jumped on in a belly flop, "Oh...I...I guess that is what this 'Damage Reflect' does."

"This is ridiculous," Revali stated, his eye twitching at the bow made of orange balloons and the arrow he held made from blue balloons, "...I refuse to use this bow."

"Revali…"

"Refuse, I say!" Revali declared before pulling up his screen, "How do I change this back?"

"Mmm...Oh, I think I know!" Daruk beamed as he walked over and plucked a feather from Revali.

"Ah! Hey, hey, hey!" the Rito snapped before Daruk put the feather on his shield's gem...where it was absorbed and transformed, becoming a navy blue shield made of feathers and what looked like bits of Revali's armor, "What in the…?"

"Neat!" Daruk beamed as a notification popped up for him. 'New Shield Series Unlocked. Rito Series Unlocked. Companion Series Unlocked. Rito Feather Shield I Unlocked. +5 Dexterity. Equip Bonus: +5% Damage to Avian Monsters,' "Oh, that's nice! Any extra damage is good damage!"

"..." Revali blinked for a moment, looking between the Orange Balloon Bow and the shield...before sighing as he plucked a feather from his head and put it into the jewel of his bow, "So I'll be wielding a bow made from me...I rather like that, I suppose." the bow glowed before transforming into a wooden bow with silver and gold decorations and detailing with a blue cloth, "!?" 'Great Eagle Bow unlocked. +10 Speed. [Triple Arrow]. Equip Bonus: +5% Accuracy,' "Well, this is quite the amusing surprise." he looked at the ones who had stood behind him during the choice, 'Testing them, Urbosa? Hmm...I have just the thing then.' "Well, I know we're doing quite well with these...rubbery Chu-Chus, but I will be moving on with those who wanted to see how an archer of my skill does it." the adventurers grinned a bit, "And the first thing to do...is to keep up." he crouched down and a wind erupted around him that he quickly used to shoot up high into the sky and fly off, "Come along now! If you can't keep up with me in the skies, how can you expect to handle the Calamity?"

"Ah! Wait for us, Lord Revali!" one of the Rito's party members called out as they chased after him.

Urbosa rolled her eyes, 'Of course he'd do that. Then again…' she quickly sliced through some more balloons, 'These things are quite tedious in numbers. Makes me wonder what other creatures await us in this new world…"

"Coming through!" Daruk called out, curled into a ball as he rolled over some of the balloons, "I got more...but it's not enough for my Level to go up…"

"Really?" Mipha asked, popping one more as a popup appeared reading 'Level Up! Level 2,' "I think I just did."

"Hah?! How many did you deal with?" Daruk asked.

"Um...Thirtythree, I believe," Mipha replied.

Daruk gawked, "Just that little?"

"Of course...you did get three experience from each one, right?"

"Three?!" Daruk gawked, "You're getting three EXP while I get only one for each copy Chu-Chu?!"

'...Hmm…' Urbosa pondered a bit at that.

"...Well...guess that means I'll have to work extra hard then!" Daruk laughed a bit before seeing more balloons flying right towards him, "Ooh~! Here comes some more!"

"You can do it, Lord Daruk!" Myne cheered on, using her sword to slice a balloon in half, "Oh! And be sure to save up on the remains. We can sell them for some bronze."

"Really now?" Urbosa asked.

"Yes," the silver-haired mage confirmed, "Many shops tend to purchase the remains of monsters since they can use them for various items, such as potions, outfits, even armor and weapons."

"I see," Urbosa noted, 'A bit like back home then. Though I wonder if there are Fairy Springs in this world then.'


"Hey~! We're back!"

"Oh? Well that was…" the blacksmith began as he turned, seeing Daruk carrying a large bag filled with bronze and silver, "...well now. Someone was busy."

"Took almost the entire day, but I finally went up a Level!" Daruk beamed before frowning a bit, "Though my ATK thing still wouldn't go up as much…"

"Hmm...Could make some armor that could try to increase one's Attack," he noted, rubbing his chin in thought as he looked him over, "Would need to be a Custom Order."

"Really? Great!" Daruk beamed, "Oh...and Myne is also looking to buy some armor, too. If we're gonna be dealing with stronger monsters, need to be well prepared ya know?"

"Duly noted," the blacksmith noted, "So how much are you willing to pay? This isn't gonna be cheap y-"

"20 silver and Bronze!"

"Hah?! That's way too cheap!" the blacksmith argued, "Twenty percent extra!"

"It's a good deal! 20 silver and bronze!"

"D'oh...30 percent extra!"

"It's a good deal!"

"How can you buy armor for just…" the blacksmith began before Myne walked over and placed some armor and a sword on the counter.

"Twenty bronze, silver, and gold," Myne offered as she pulled her own mini satchel out.

"Huh...When did you…?"

"The Balloons we killed had a rare one in it, so I got a rare drop from it and sold its remains for some gold," Myne explained.

"Really?" Daruk gawked, "Huh, that's kinda neat. Gotta be on the lookout for those later."

"...ugh. Fine...twenty bronze, silver, and gold it is…" the blacksmith sighed, "And if you're gonna be searching for rare monsters...keep an eye out for a slime made of metal. Those things are highly sought after amongst adventurers for the amount of EXP they can provide..."

"...How much are we talking?" Daruk asked out of curiosity.

"The weakest of their kind usually give 1,350 to 2,010 EXP," Myne explained.

"...Well, I know what we're doing tomorrow," Daruk grinned.

"They're also incredibly hard to hit and have incredibly high defense, so you better hope you strike a critical hit on them," the blacksmith added.

"Should be easy enough then!" Daruk beamed before his stomach rumbled, "...I'll meet ya at the inn, Myne. I gotta search for a mine real quick to make some rock roast."

"What even is a Rock Roast…?" Myne whispered.


"You asked what a Rock Roast is, didn't you?" Urbosa chuckled, seeing Myne's surprised expression as Daruk chomped on the large ham seemingly made of roasted rocks.

"You….you actually….eat rocks?" Myne blinked in surprise.

"Of course! We Gorons love our rocks, especially Rock Roast!" Daruk grinned happily, "Back home, I have a little buddy that likes Rock Roast as much as me...heh. I swear it's like he has teeth of steel!"

'...How's anyone supposed to eat that without breaking their teeth?' Myne thought as Revali sat beside Urbosa.

"Well, not one of them could handle a simple exercise," Revali whispered, "And that armored fellow-Mald, I believe? Didn't think I could read lips." he spoke aloud, "So anything while we split up?"

"We did alright on our end," Mipha spoke up, "Though a few have gotten injured in the process, so I had to use my healing magic on them…"

"We couldn't say 'no' to that face of hers…" one member of the female Zora's party whispered from nearby.

"...um...a-and what of you, Lady Urbosa?" Myne asked the female Gerudo, "Surely you and your party have had quite the battle."

"Sadly, none of them could handle the way I do battle," Urbosa noted before rubbing her chin in thought, "Well, not all of them. Tersia, I believe her name is, was able to impress me just a bit. The Voe, sadly, could not handle my storm."

"Voe?" Myne repeated.

"It is the Gerudo's language for 'man,'" Mipha explained.

"...and what are women called in her language?"

"Vai," Urbosa answered.

"Ahh...Not too bad. The rocks aren't as good as Death Mountain ones, but these were pretty good for a rock roast," Daruk noted as he finished his meal off.

"There's a place called Death Mountain?" one of Revali's party members paled, overhearing it.

"Well of course...that's where Goron City, where I was born, is!" Daruk answered, banging a fist on his chest, "Best mines in all of Hyrule!" 'Though with the hundred years I was trapped in Rudania with that Blight, I have no idea how the mines are faring even if I know the Gorons are still going strong.'

"My people would often trade with the Goron for their mined ores in order to craft jewelry to trade with the other domains," Urbosa noted.

"...D-Duly noted…" Myne whispered, 'Just what did the Church summon?!' she mentally exclaimed before shaking her head. She then gave a smile as she held up her wine glass, "Anyways, I'd like to propose a toast...to our four chosen heroes."

"A toast, eh? I can dig it!" Daruk grinned.

"Just don't go overboard like the last time we did toasts," Revali sighed.

"Oh, like you were any better," Daruk countered, "Weren't you the one who got that picture taken of you hanging upside down in a tree, wearing a…"

"No, that was Link," Revali quickly argued, shoving Daruk's mug into the Goron's hands, "Just Link did that."

"Oh come now. You looked quite nice in th…" Urbosa began with an amused smile.

"Just my normal attire," Revali quickly interrupted.

"I did not know that…" Mipha admitted.

"That's because you were busy gazing at L-" Revali began before he was suddenly deluged by a pillar of water, "Blblblblbbl~!?"

"I was doing nothing of the sort!" Mipha argued, her cheeks glowing.

"Mmm…" Revali grumbled, now standing there completely soaked in water, "This is humiliating…"

"Even more than the Cucco incident?" Daruk asked.

"No…Nothing will ever top that."

"...Fufu…" Myne giggled, "My, my, the Cardinal Heroes really are a wonderful group."

"Aw, thanks!" Daruk beamed as he hefted his drink up, "A toast to a tomorrow without the Calamity!"

"A toast!" everyone within the four heroes' party declared.


"Zzz…..aahhh…." Daruk yawned as he began to wake up, sitting up from the remains of the bed he was laying on, "Man...What a night!" he looked at the bed, "Err...I'll make sure to leave some Silver for buying a new bed….heck. Might ask Myne i-" he began as he stood up, only to blink when he noticed a nearby dresser was missing something, "...Hey. Where's my bag of money…and where's my armor?" he looked around, "Oh, Revali and I didn't go streaking again, did I? Wouldn't be the same without Link there." he began to sweat before quickly patting himself and sighing in relief, feeling the blue fabric, "Phew. The little Princess's gift's still on me."

"Do you mind?" Revali's voice spoke on the other side of the door.

"Huh? Revali?" Daruk pondered before walking over to it and opening the door to see the Rito, "Revali! Hey, uh, we didn't go streaking while drunk, did we?"

"Daruk, must you?" Revali sighed before looking over his shoulder at the soldiers that were standing there, "Honestly, I come to wake you up so we can go get that custom order of yours and then these 'fine' soldiers come stomping up the stairs, no doubt disturbing any guests still hung over from trying to out drink a Goron." he turned to fully face them, "Now, you mind explaining why you're choosing to hear complaints about knights being too loud in the morning after a night of partying later today?"

"Er...We were informed to bring the Shield Hero to the castle," one knight in the back replied, a bit awkward.

"Huh? The king needs me for something? Well, let's get going then!" Daruk replied, "You never make royalty wait too long! Otherwise, you get a scolding from Urbosa."

"...Daruk, don't you find this the least bit suspicious?" Revali whispered.

"Maybe," Daruk shrugged, "But we won't know 'till we get there."

"Right…" Revali sighed, 'Who knows...It probably isn't that big of a…'


"...I had to say something, mentally or not…" Revali muttered as the guards aimed their spears at Daruk.

"Hey, uh, ya mind not trying to poke me with those? I really don't want to add the cost of buying new spears to the broken bed at the inn and the one here in the castle," Daruk pleaded, "Especially when I have to go get a whole lot of monster parts to sell with my bag missing."

"Silence, Devil," one of the guards scowled.

"Eh? Devil?" Daruk blinked just as he and Revali were led into the throne room, Urbosa and Mipha already there with a shaking and fearful Myne standing near the latter, "Oh hey, Myne. I…" he began before Myne hid behind Mipha, making him blink a bit, "Uh…" he looked up at the king, "Hey your majesty, can you e-"

"Silence, you utter filth!" Aultrcray snapped, making Daruk flinch as the king sighed, "Myne, my dear...I apologize but can you repeat what you told me and the royal guard?"

"It...it was the Shield Hero. He...he forced my way into my room, stinking of alcohol and had a predatory look in his eyes," Myne stated, her voice quivering as she held her hands over her mouth, "He pinned me down and told me 'hey...the night's still young', and then he….he…he tore my clothes off and tried to..." she paused as she forced back a sob, "I managed to escape and arrived at the castle with the money he stole from the other heroes!"

"Wait, what?!" Daruk gawked, "But...I didn't even do anything! I went to bed after we partied last night!"

"Then explain this?" Aultcray spoke as one of the guards held up a lacy nightgown, "The knights found it strewn across his bed, meaning he dragged Myne into his room to force himself on her."

"An assault on a woman alone is punishable by death," one of the king's advisors stated with his own scowl, "If you weren't the chosen Shield Hero, you'd be executed on sight."

Urbosa snapped her fingers. Everyone jumped from the sudden bolt of lightning that struck behind her as she had her arms crossed under her chest with her eyes closed. She opened her eyes in a narrow glare.

"Daruk, what was the state of your bed this morning?" Urbosa asked calmly, the look in her eyes demanding nothing but the truth.

"Um...Broken," Daruk replied, "Those wooden beds just can't handle my weight."

"If that is true…" Urbosa paused as she turned towards the king, "Then why are there no signs of gravel or wood chips on the dress?"

"Hm?" Altair pondered.

"Yeah, the beds here, soft they may be, can't really hold my weight," Daruk explained, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

"Mipha."

"Yes?" Mipha spoke up.

"Can you see if there are any bruises from Daruk's supposed 'assault' on Myne?"

'?!' Myne mentally tensed up at that.

"Hold on...why are you defending…" Aultcray began before another flash of lightning went off, "?!"

"Silence…" Urbosa didn't demand...she ordered.

'Gh!? Th-That's the same look my wife can give when she's absolutely livid…' Aultcray thought, now starting to sweat a bit.

"Do not think we don't see what's going on…" Urbosa stated, shooting a small glare at Myne for a moment before looking back at the king, "This was a set up...to try and demonize the one chosen by the shield."

"?! U...Utter rubbish!" Aultcray snapped before calming down, "Please...explain your actions in defending the Shield Hero."

"Simple…" Urbosa began as she looked over at Daruk, "Daruk is a kind soul...he would never purposefully, let alone assault someone with such ill intent…"

"And we have fought alongside him many times," Revali added as he decided to chime in.

"Yes...Daruk would never bring harm to his allies," Mipha added.

"But...what I say is true!" Myne called out, "He really…"

"You have no say in this manner…" Urbosa stated, shooting an icy cold glare at Myne, "Do not think we didn't see what you were planning…"

"Eh?"

"The two of us had a suspicious feeling about you the moment you offered to switch to Daruk's party," Revali stated as he shot his own glare at Myne, "In fact...you'd probably do the same to Mipha or myself since we are not humans…"

"GH?!" Myne further tensed up at that.

"Though, it seems only one of you here is realizing the trouble that comes," Urbosa noted, glancing at a pale Altair.

"..." Myne said nothing as she stood there, visibly shaking for a moment.

"Myne...that's not true, is it?" Mipha asked, reaching a hand out to her, "Were you really…"

"Don't touch me, you filthy demihuman…"

"?!" Mipha's eyes widened at that.

"And now the mask comes off…" Revali frowned a bit, seeing the glare Myne was giving the three non-human members of the group, "This is who she really is Daruk, Mipha...She pretended to be a nice, caring and helpful person, but in truth…" he paused as his eyes narrowed, "She's a cold, manipulative monster."

"Seriously? ...And I made you a Rock Roast," Daruk frowned.

"Plus, do not think I noticed the other craven act your so called kingdom has, your majesty," Revali added as he shot a glare at Aultcray, "Yesterday during my party's trek through town after our practice session, I noticed a few...what were they called again? Demihuman, was it?"

"...y….yes," Altair nervously answered.

"Perfect…As I was getting at, I saw something on some of the adult and children demi-humans...a tattoo of sorts…" Revali stated as his own eyes took on an icy glare aimed right at the king, "Those are slaves….aren't they?"

"?!" Daruk and Mipha's eyes widened at that while Urbosa's scowl grew.

"Gr...I am not the one on trial here," Aultcray growled a bit, "However you three see it, I believe Myne and that Daruk assaulted her...and while I wish I can replace him...ugh. I cannot unless all four Cardenal heroes die."

"?!" the four tensed at that.

"You are still the chosen heroes and must fight the Calamity…" Aultcray stated before frowning at Daruk, "However, word has already spread of your crime...that is your punishment. You will never be allowed to lead a decent life in this country."

"Eh, says you," Daruk shrugged, seemingly nonchalantly, "So long as I've got a good night's sleep and some Rock Roast every now and then, I'm good. And you didn't have ta say nothin' about the Calamity. I'll never let that win. Even when I was killed by the Calamity back in Hyrule, I still fought it as a spirit for a hundred years!"

"?! Wh...What…?" Aultcray whispered in disbelief.

"Tch...What does it matter?" Myne spoke, "You'll be treated like trash as long as you live, you filthy beast! Besides..." she paused as a confident grin grew on her face, "We don't need a worthless Shield Hero. We have the Sword, Spear, and Bow heroes to fight for the kingdom, so it'll be best if you rot in a…"

"We refuse."

"?" Myne blinked as she, the king, and the rest there stared at Urbosa.

"We will fight the Calamity, but we will not do so in the name of Melromarc," Urbosa stated, "We fight the Calamity in the name of the fallen Kingdom of Hyrule and its allies. We fight the Calamity in the name of all those who have fallen due to it and those who must suffer under it." she pointed her sword at Aultcray, "We will never fight in the name of your kingdom nor your allies if they so agree with your actions of trying to harm one of our own." she tossed the bag of Silvers on her hip, letting it drop on the ground, "We will be earning our own currency, so keep your money stained with the blood of innocents you've enslaved and falsely accused."

"Agreed…" Mipha spoke, a small frown on her face as she tossed away her own bag of Silver while standing beside Daruk, "I refuse to fight under someone as cruel as you…"

"!" Aultcray actually flinched from that look, 'Lucia…'

"The only King I recognize is King Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule, a king who died in defending not only his kingdom, but all of our domains as well, to the last," Revali stated, tossing his bag into the air, "Since you are not him nor his daughter whom held back the Calamity for a century by sheer willpower alone…" the bag was struck with an arrow shot by him, letting it fall perfectly between the other two, "...Then I neither need nor want a thing to do with you."

"...Y...You're all insane!" Aultcray shouted in disbelief, "You would throw a chance at being Champions to the people...just to side with the Shield Devil!?"

"Considering that you and that little manipulative witch have been trying to demonize Daruk because he was the Shield Hero and framed him? Yes…" Revali nonchalantly answered as he began to walk away, patting Daruk on the back, "Come now, Daruk. I found a nice area where you can let loose from this farce."

"Thanks, little buddy," Daruk thanked, patting Revali on the back, causing the Rito to fall flat on his face, "Oops."

"I'm fine," the Rito gave a muffled reply before Daruk helped him back up.

"..." Myne gave a shaky gasp, panting in anger as she saw the four champions walk off, Urbosa giving her and the king one last icy glare before she followed the others, "...Father."

"Yes, my daughter?" Aultcray spoke.

"It seems the Church's greatest fear has come to fruition…" she frowned, glaring at the doorway the four walked out of, "It's not just the Devil of the Shield we need to worry...its the Devils disguised as the three heroes."

'Oh we're dead...We are completely and utterly dead when the queen returns,' Altair thought, deciding the pillar he was beside was a nice spot to collapse against for his failing leg strength.


"...It would seem what the king said is true," Revali whispered, seeing the townspeople stepping away from the four as they walked by, being heavily cautious of them...especially Daruk.

"Aw man...This is gonna take some getting used to," Daruk noted, looking around at the people as they approached the blacksmith's shop.

"Let me go in first," Urbosa advised, "Hopefully, he is not so easy to be swayed by word of mouth."

"Right," Revali replied.

"I am so glad I paid in advance," Daruk noted as Urbosa opened the door and entered, "Even more so that I found those gems in the mines when I was getting my Rock Roast supplies for the armor."

"Excuse me," Urbosa spoke as the blacksmith looked up from his polishing.

"Ah! Welcome back," he greeted before frowning, "Did you hear about what happened?"

"I did and the Vai was a liar as was the Voe that calls himself a king," Urbosa scowled.

"..." he sighed, rubbing the back of his head, "I had a feeling that's what happened. That Daruk guy is way too nice to do something like that."

Urbosa nodded, "Indeed. This may be the last time we will speak in a while, so I am here to gather Daruk's order so that none who believe the rumors associate you with us."

"I see…" he noted before walking into the back and pulling out a large sack, "I spent most of the night up getting this finished. Hopefully the big guy likes it."

"From someone he respects as a fellow member of his people's craft, I'm sure he will," Urbosa noted, "Thank you, sir."

"Please, call me Erhart," he smiled a bit, "But...promise me something."

"And that is…?"

"Don't die on me," he stated in concern, "It's rare to see honest to good people fight for a kingdom as corrupt as ours…"

Urbosa nodded, "It is a promise. So long as you, in turn, if you see those who were with us the day before and tell them of our apologies that we cannot let them remain with us so long as Daruk is vilified. A shame as well; there were a few I noted had potential."

"I'll make sure to tell 'em if I see them."

"Thank you," Urbosa nodded, picking up the large sack as she walked out.

"So how was it?" Daruk asked once Urbosa was outside, "...He hates me too, doesn't he?"

"No. He believes the accusations caused on you are false as well," Urbosa assured before holding out the sack to him, "He also hopes you'll like the armor he made for you."

"Ah, that guy...I owe him a lot!" Daruk beamed as he took the sack and quickly looked inside, letting out a slow whistle, "And my compliments on the design." he hefted the sack onto his back, "When we get out of this place, I'll put it on."

"Great, now one last question before we leave this place…" Revali noted...before looking over at an alleyway, "How long are you going to just watch us?"

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, a soft chuckle escaped as a figure stepped out of the shadows of it. He was a somewhat short man wearing what appeared to be a traditional circus ringmaster's tuxedo, glasses with a small chain attached to them with the lenses of the glasses hiding his eyes, white alchemist gloves, a long top hat, and a red bow tie with a small diamond brooch on the center. He sported a small mustache and a grin that never seemed to vanish. What they were quick to note was that unlike the humans...his ears were pointed.

"Such a keen eye...if you weren't the chosen Bow Hero, I'd offer up a pretty penny for you," the man grinned, "Oh my apologies...I shouldn't act this way towards the four chosen heroes."

"You know of us?" Mipha asked.

"Of course! You're the talk of the kingdom after all," the man chuckled before motioning them to follow him, "Come come. I have a special offer just for you all."

"..." the four shared looks before Urbosa nodded and the four went off, following the strange man.


"Right this way," the man, whom introduced himself as Beloukas on the way, spoke, parting the entrance to a black and white circus tent.

The group entered and several reactions came out of them. Urbosa narrowed her eyes as she clenched her sword tighter. Mipha gasped, a hand to her mouth and tears welled up in her eyes. Daruk paled and felt glad he hadn't eaten anything since waking up while Revali narrowed his eyes. The reason for all this...was the cages. Cages upon cages were organized about. The occupants within the cages were humanoid animals and creatures with some looking like they were human just with additional animal-like appendages.

"You're a Slave Trader," Revali stated.

"Indeed I am," Beloukas replied, "Finest in all of Melromarc. I have more Demihumans than anything else, but this makes things easier."

"And what makes you think we want one?" Urbosa questioned.

"Trust, of course," Beloukas replied, "Right now, you have no one to trust here aside from one man. But with a Slave, they cannot lie nor disobey their master."

"But that's too cruel. Why w-" Mipha began before she heard a faint coughing noise, making her turn towards a cage covered up in a tarp.

"Oh, you don't want what's in that cage, little lady," Beloukas stated, "That one is ill and has a lot of mental issues. But I can offer you to see them."

'First he warns her not to buy, then offers to show us,' Revali thought, 'No matter the shape of their ears, those not of the Rito confound me.'

Mipha uncovered the cage and gasped. Curled up in a ball inside of it was a little girl, no older than ten at best. Her long brown hair was matted and knotted from months of little to no care and Mipha could swear she could see her bones beneath the flesh in some spots. Shackles covered her wrists and neck, the faint red she could see around her wrists evident to her. All she wore were rags in the form of a makeshift dress and she had a tanuki's ears and tail. But the worst of it all...was what Mipha saw in her brown eyes. They were dull...as if she were broken in spirit.

"...She…." Mipha began, holding a hand over her mouth as tears began to form in her eyes, "She's only a child…"

"But of course!" Beloukas declared, "Some of the Demihumans I sell here are children. It is often best to get them while they are young...but as I have warned before, she is ill and has a lot of mental issues, especially with canines."

"Dog?! Where?!" Daruk asked, looking around before yelping at seeing what looked like a humanoid wolf in one of the cages and quickly curled up into a ball and formed a red energy sphere resembling a boulder around him, "Gyah!"

"Had her for quite some time, too...Her previous owner loved to torture her…" Beloukas chuckled a bit.

"...How much?" Mipha questioned.

"Hm?" Beloukas looked to the Zora.

"I said how much?"

"You plan on buying that one?" Beloukas blinked.

"We returned the money the king gave us, but it does not mean we didn't keep what we rightfully earned selling yesterday," Mipha replied before her spear glowed and turned into a gold pole with the blade replaced with a treasure chest.

"That's new," Revali noted.

"A gold coin reacted with my Spear, so I gave it to the spear and unlocked this," Mipha explained as she opened the chest and showing the Copper, Silver, and a lone Gold coin in the chest, "Now how much to get this child out of this place, Mr. Beloukas?"

"Hmm...Considering she might not have long left for this world...160 Silver."

"Agreed," Mipha replied as she pulled out the Gold coin and gave it to him.

"Hm? Miss, I think you…"

"For any other children you receive as an advance payment," Mipha replied.

"Oh?"

"Unless…" Urbosa began, slowly unsheathing her sword as electricity crackled off it, "You have a problem with that…?"

Beloukas simply laughed, "Ah, I have a good feeling this is the start of a wonderful business plan. Very well. But who will her owner be of you four?"

"Could we not pay for her to not be branded?" Revali asked.

"The cost of removing a Slave Crest is 500 Gold."

"Wonderful," Revali sighed, "Well, we know what we need to save up for on our next visit, it seems."

"...I'll do it," Urbosa stated.

"Hmm?" Beloukas raised a brow as the other three Champions looked at Urbosa.

"Being a ruler, even a former one like myself, means one must make the hardest choices for the good of those that stand beside them and those they swore to protect," Urbosa spoke as she knelt down to look at the girl, "I will not let anyone take on something like this if I could not do it myself."

"Ah...Excellent then," Beloukas grinned as he opened the cage and scooped her up before she could try to move away, "Then follow me. I need your blood to help with the branding anyway."

"My blood?" Urbosa repeated.

"It is for her Slave Crest to signify she is bonded to you," Beloukas explained, "If she were to try and defy your orders, she will suffer a painful shock."

"!?" Mipha looked at Urbosa in concern.

"It will be alright," Urbosa assured her as they followed Beloukas to another part of the tent where he pulled out a small tray with a few brushes, a small bowl, a knife, and two bottles, "Will it be fine if Mipha stays close to her during this process?"

"Of course," Beloukas assured as he opened one bottle and dipped a brush into it before walking over to the girl and lowered the top to expose an intricate tattoo which he then draw a circle over with the brush, causing the seal to ignite with purple flames and make the girl whimper and bit her lower lip to not scream, "It's alright. This is a normal thing with removing a Slave Seal's ownership." he looked to Urbosa, "Now then, simply pluck your finger and put a few drops into the dish."

Urbosa picked up the knife. After a moment, [Weapon Copy] completed duplicating the knife and she let her sword turn into it. With a quick flick, she opened her finger and let a few drops fall into the dish. As Beloukas opened the other bottle and poured a small bit of its contents into the dish, mixing the blood with it, Urbosa looked at her cut.

"I wonder…" Urbosa whispered before holding her finger over the gem of her blade and let a few drops fall, causing a popup to appear. 'Gerudo Series Unlocked. Gerudo Blood Sword Unlocked. +3 Attack. Equip Bonus: +5% Electric Damage,' "Just like with Revali's feathers and those balloon monsters."

"Now this one will be a bit more painful for her. Are you sure you wish to stay close?" Beloukas advised.

"Indeed," Mipha replied.

Beloukas nodded before making another circle over the mark. The little girl barely held back a cry of pain as Mipha held her hand, which started to glow softly. The girl's eyes widened as she didn't feel the pain of the branding. With Urbosa, she had given a few drops to Revali and Daruk's weapons before a popup appeared in her sight.

'Slave A has been Added to your Party. Slaves are unable to disobey commands of their owners so long as they are branded with the appropriate level of Slave Seal. Stronger monsters require stronger Slave Seals to keep command over. Selecting a Slave in your Party allows you to modify the level of damage caused by disobedience.'

She quickly brought up the Party and looked at it, "That's rather high…" she muttered before reaching out and lowering the punishment to its lowest setting.

"And there we have it!" Beloukas beamed as Mipha gently helped the girl up, "She's all yours now, madam."

Urbosa nodded before looking at the young girl, who tensed as she tried to look away, "It's okay, little one….We are not here to harm you…" she assured in a calm, reassuring voice.

"Kinda hard to say that after what happened in getting her," Revali noted before Urbosa snapped her fingers and he was zapped once more, "Hot wings, off the pot!"

"Ignore Revali," Urbosa advised as the Rito fell over and was caught by Daruk, "Now then...do you have a name, little one?"

"..."

"It is alright. You can speak…"

"...r….Ra...Raphtalia…"

"Raphtalia? That's quite a nice name," Mipha complimented as she picked her up gently while the name 'Slave A' in Urbosa's Party menu changed to 'Raphtalia,' "I am Mipha. It's a pleasure to meet you, Raphtalia," she looked at the slave trader, "..."

"Oh don't worry. If I get any more children, I'll be sure to set them aside for you to purchase," Beloukas assured.

"Thank you," Mipha nodded as they made their way to leave.

"The first thing we should do is get something for her to eat," Urbosa noted once they were outside, seeing how thin Raphtalia was.

"Poor little girl. Oh! I'll go make some Rock Steak!" Daruk beamed.

"No!" Revali exclaimed, shaking the soot off his body, "I mean, I don't think she could handle it at the moment, Daruk. She probably needs something light, like a soup."

"Ahh...I guess that's fair."

"Though acquiring said soup will prove difficult…" Revali added with a frown, "As we were leaving the castle, I noticed a few restaurants don't allow Demihumans into their establishments."

"This kingdom is too cruel," Mipha whispered, a look of sorrow on her face.

"...Seems we'll be seeing Erhart sooner than any of us expected," Urbosa noted.


"Hmm?" Erhart blinked as he heard the door to his shop open, "I'm sorry, but we're closing u-" he began as he turned to see Urbosa and her fellow Champions, Raphtalia being held in Mipha's arms, "...Oh don't tell me…"

"It was the only way to get her out," Urbosa explained.

"We trusted Urbosa for this mostly," the two Male Champions added.

"...Let me see if I can find something for her to eat then," Erhart stated as he walked into the back of his shop.

"...I...I'm really not that h-" Raphtalia began before her stomach growled loudly, "...mmm~"

"See you're hungry," Revali spoke, "You need to eat something, you look like you're in need of it."

"I think I have enough for a Rock Pie for her," Daruk noted.

"Soft foods, Daruk," Mipha reminded.

"Ahh. Not enough for Rock Soup, sadly."

"She meant something like a sandwich," Revali deadpanned.

"Oh. I can probably whip up a Granite Sandwich then."

"Oh Farore above…" Revali facepalmed.

"How about we stick to giving her normal and healthy foods for a child." Mipha added, "It would be best for her current state of health, and we aren't sure what her appetite might be as a Demi-human."

"That's right, for all we know what kind of animal she is could play a part in what she can and can't eat." Revali realized as well, "It's for her sake if she eats only what's healthiest for her!"

"True," Urbosa nodded, looking down at Raphtalia before focusing on her ears and tail, "Hmm...Raphtalia?"

"Y-yes?"

"Tell me...what is the animal part of you?"

"Um..I-I'm a tanuki, ma'am…" Raphtalia replied.

"A Tanuki…" Revali nodded, "I'm not sure what that is…" he admitted.

"Mm-Mmm…" Daruk agreed.

"It's a type of Racoon," Erhart spoke up, getting their attention as he walked back in, "The Heroes, before you four, are said to have been amazingly smart and not only helped shape how things in our world worked, but enlightened us about all sorts of stuff, or so history claims."

"Really now?" Urbosa asked.

"I'm not sure how their worlds worked, but from the stories they claim past Heroes always came from this similar sounding world called Earth, specifically a large number of them from a Nation called Japan." he went on, "Heck if I know what it means, but it seems their world was said to be centuries more advanced than ours."

"I see…" Urbosa noted, 'Well now...it would seem there is more to learn of this world than we thought…' she thought before the sounds of Raphtalia's stomach grumbling broke her train of thought.

"Ah right. The little lady," Erhart recalled before bringing up a small tray with an apple, a pile of rice with a tiny white flag standing up straight, and a sandwich in it, "It's not much, but it's all I could find and make for her at the moment."

"...?" Raphtalia blinked twice at the tray, her eyes mainly focused on the tiny white flag.

"You should eat while it's fresh." Revali spoke, "You'll need your strength, we plan to move around often."

"R-right," Raphtalia nodded, cautiously moving towards the tray before taking the small flag off the rice pile. She then took a bit of her rice before putting it into her mouth, making her tense up a bit before her demeanor brightened up, her tanuki tail wagging happily as she began to wolf down as much of the food as she could.

"Oh. Easy now...you don't want to choke on your…" Mipha began before Raphtalia tensed up, pounding her chest a bit as she nearly choked on her food.

"Whoa now," Daruk spoke up as he used his hand to pat her back to help her, "Easy, I know it's super soft, but everything has to be eaten slowly, savor it."

"Y-Yes sir…" Raphtalia coughed a bit before a cup of water was offered to her, "?"

"Here...drink up, little lady," Erhart offered.

Raphtalia stared at the cup for a moment before she took it and began to drink its contents...before sitting it down and went back to eating, picking up the wooden spoon as she did.

"Hmm hmm...how's the food, Raphtalia?" Urbosa asked with a smile.

"Mmm...It's good, ma'am," Raphtalia answered, pausing between bites with her tail wagging still.

"Good to hear," Urbosa chuckled a bit before Raphtalia gave a small yawn, "Tired?"

"A little…"

"It is getting rather late," Revali noted, looking out the window to see it was dark out, "And I doubt we'd be allowed to rest in an inn given our current...situation."

"We are in a bit of a situation." Daruk spoke, "Maybe we can sleep in the woods, camp or something?"

"And what about all the monsters?" Revali countered.

"I mean...I won't feel 'em." Daruk argued.

"...Someone should stay awake just in case," Revali suggested.

"Good idea. We'll perform it in shifts. I'll take the first," Urbosa nodded, 'Knowing the king..or that nasty little Vai that tried to frame Daruk, they'll try and send someone out to assassinate us…'


The soft sounds of snoring could be heard within the forest outside the kingdom as the group rested up near it for tonight, Mipha and Raphtalia, now wearing a dark-red and brown armored 'dress' of sorts and a sheathed knife given to them by Erhart, resting near an already knocked out Daruk, his upper body covered in silver armor, his 'shorts' covered with a metal kilt, a orb-like shoulder guard on his right shoulder, and a shield-like guard on his left shoulder bearing a symbol of a bird with wings spread between an upside down gold triangle beneath it and a gold triangle made of three smaller ones above it, while Revali rested in a small cloth cot he hung between two tree branches. Nearby, Urbosa kept an eye open as she leaned against a tree, her sword out as she looked for anything suspicious.

'So far no sign of the king's men…' the Gerudo thought, 'No...they wouldn't try anything this late near the city. It would cause too much of a scene...tch. It's like the Yiga all over again, only…' her thoughts were soon interrupted by the sounds of whimpering, looking over to see Raphtalia shaking and squirming a bit in her sleep, "?"

"Mother...father…" Raphtalia whispered, trying to reach out for something as she began to pant in her sleep, "No..please...don't leave me..no...no...no…! NO!" she cried as she shot up, tears in her eyes as her tail stood up, "MOTHER! FATHER!"

"Raphtalia," Urbosa whispered, hurrying over and kneeling down to her as she carefully put her hands on her, "Young one, what is wrong?"

"Help...please…" Raphtalia begged in her scared state before Urbosa pulled her into a reassuring hug, "Th...They're gone...mother...father…"

"Shh...It's okay...You're safe now," Urbosa assured, holding the shaking tanuki girl close, 'She must've seen her family die before her eyes….this world...' she began in her thoughts as a frown grew on her face, 'It is truly a cruel place…'

"Mother...Father…" Raphtalia sniffled before a soft, soothing humming could be heard, which began to calm her down little by little.

Urbosa just sat there, holding the young girl close as she hummed the soothing melody Raphtalia heard. As she continued to hum, Raphtalia began to yawn once more as a calming, soothing feeling replaced the terror she felt before, the young tanuki girl starting to fall asleep once more as she rested in the Gerudo's arms.

"...You've suffered through so much," Urbosa whispered quietly, making sure not to wake Raphtalia as she looked down at her, "...Do not worry...I…" she paused as she looked at her fellow Champions, "We will make sure you will never have to suffer such a hell again." she looked at the night sky, "Sorry, old friend. It will take a while longer before we can see one another again and that I can tell you stories of your Little Bird. I also hope you don't mind me borrowing her song to sing to little Raphtalia for now."


SZ: And with that..the first chapter of this tale has come to a close...with some notable changes of course.

Z0: Your probably wondering how These four got through that moment remarkably better then Naofumi himself did...the answer there is...yeah these characters aren't effing stupid to record breaking levels…

SZ: Eeyup. These are veterans that fought alongside each other and trust one another...kinda hard to shatter that trust, especially when someone is trying to falsely accuse one of your teammates because of who they are. Also…*points to an image of Myne's 'innocent' face*Like this bitch was gonna not get noticed

GT: Oh this will be good for the heroes and readers, bad for those against them.

Z0: Also lets face facts the Original heroes of the anime were stupid guys

SZ: Agreed, especially Motoyasu...freaking dumb ass Spear Hero…*shakes head*but this is a different group for our fic, so we hope you'll journey with us and them through this new story of ours.

Z0: Of course things will go differently. How much so will be seen as we go.

SZ: Hai, so read, review and enjoy folks!


Current Party's Stats:

Name - LV - Armor - Weapons (Current Form at End of Chapter)

Urbosa: LV5 - Otherworld Armor - Otherworld Skirt - Legendary Sword (Original Form)

Revali: LV3 - Otherworld Armor - Otherworld Scarf - Legendary Bow (Rito Feather Bow)

Mipha: LV4 - Otherworld Jewelry - Otherworld Toga - Legendary Spear (Original Form)

Daruk: LV2 - Otherworld Armaments - Otherworld Sash - DaruArt Armor (5 P. DEF 5 M. DEF) - Legendary Shield (Balloon Shield)

Raphtalia: LV5 - Armored Dress - Small Knife