Author's Note: Welcome back everyone! So, there had been a few comments about Keel that I would like to clear up. Yes, I know Keel is actually female in lore. However, the crew doesn't know that yet, so that's why I keep stating that she is male, because lore.

Without further adieu, chapter 22!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero, only my characters.

"Dialogue."

"Writing."

Thoughts.

A lone bead of sweat slowly trickled down Raphtalia's face as she awaited her adversary's next attack, the growing bruise on her stomach causing her to grit her teeth in annoyance. Silently, she berated herself for being careless enough to allow her sparring partner, Rifana, to get the hit in the first place.

The two demi - humans had been at it for over an hour and a half now with neither party appearing to show any signs of submitting anytime soon. What was originally supposed to be a simple demonstration for Keel eventually turned into a competitive sparring match between two of the most skillful combatants Melromarc had ever seen.

Over on the sidelines, Keel and Filo were watching in awe as the two warriors fought with everything they had and were still tied. Their newest party member, Eclair, was in complete shock as to how two people could hold such a stalemate for nearly two hours, and with only fists no less. At this point, she could only ponder as to how deadly they could be in a real battle. And if I understand everything her majesty and the princess has told me about their abilities, then they are truly worthy adversaries in the field.

Looking to her left, she gazed at the individual who she knew deserved most of the credit for her new allies' skills. In a conversation with Raphtalia earlier that day, Eclair had been informed about everything Leo had done up to this point, as well as his and Raphtalia's relationship. The pink - haired knight had to hand it to the man: He really did do one helluva job when creating this "fireteam" as the others called it, although now it could be more in line with a small squadron.

Eclair's attention was quickly brought back to the fight when a loud grunt was heard. Staring back out at the sparring match, Raphtalia had just been knocked out of the circle and was currently sprawled out on her back, her chest rapidly rising and falling in an attempt to catch her breath. Rifana casually walked over and offered her friend a hand. Accepting the help, Raphtalia was easily pulled back onto her feet, an easygoing smile being shared between the two.

"Guess that's my que." Leo said to nobody in particular. Taking a pair of canteens, he jogged over to the demi - humans who graciously accepted the refreshing water.

If there was one thing Eclair could say that truly surprised her about this group's dynamic, it was the fact that they were so casual with each other. Many of her fellow knights were either super lax about their duties to the point of not doing them, or were hellbent on upholding a strict code (not that she was any innocent concerning the latter). When she first met Leo yesterday, she had originally thought that he was one of the stoic commanding types due to the way he performed during the meeting. Now though? Well, her opinion of what type of person he was as a soldier was unclear, but she could at least hold him in high regards as respectful and kind, of that there was no doubt.

Shaking herself from her thoughts, her lips curved into a light smile to the trio who were now rejoining the three bystanders. "-was one helluva fight Rifana. You did really good at holding yourself down against me." Raphtalia complimented before giving a small nod to the pink - haired knight.

"Oh trust me, I was barely hanging on by a thread by the time I finally knocked you on your ass. It's practically a miracle that I got some of those hits on you. I mean, have you checked yourself lately 'Talia? I swear you're not only getting faster, but tougher as well. And this is coming from the heavy hitter!" Rifana exclaimed as she motioned to herself.

With the two passing by the sideliners and going to the nearby river to clean themselves, Eclair turned back to see Leo telling Keel and Filo to prepare the cart for travel. The little girl happily transformed back into her filolial form, excited to pull the cart once again while Keel went ahead and did as he was told.

Hearing a set of footsteps behind him, Leo turned to see Eclair walking up to him. "Oh, hey Eclair. Enjoy the show?" Leo jokingly stated.

Eclair nodded. "It was certainly an… interesting display of combative prowess. I cannot recall the last time two opponents managed to continuously engage each other for such an extended period of time."

Leo gave her a half smile. "Yeah well, that's the kind of prestige we've set for ourselves. Take it from a guy who's done countless hours of training exercises: The higher the standard you set for yourself to achieve, the more you're willing to keep going when it gets harder to continue."

Eclair gave Leo's bit of advice some quick thought before giving a response. "I will definitely keep that in mind. Oh, one other thi-"

"Hey Leo!" Raphtalia shouted as she waved over to him. Unlike the tank top and pants she and Rifana wore during their sparring match, the demi - human now donned her recently cleaned jacket, a new pair of tactical pants and shirt, and her neck - wrapped scarf. "The cart's all ready. C'mon, we don't want to be late for the boat!"

"Alright! Go ahead and get loaded up!" Leo yelled back. "Whatever it is you want to tell me, you can tell me later. Raphtalia's right, we should get going." Leo told the female knight before jogging over to the cart.

Eclair sighed but quickly followed, not wishing to be left behind.

It had taken a bit longer than Leo would have liked in order to reach the supposed ferry that would take them across the water. After choosing to leave the cart at an inn that was near the docks, Leo and his squad walked the final few minutes necessary to reach the ship itself. A lengthy line of all sorts of people took up most of the pier, with the other three cardinal heroes and their own parties having been separated from the line at the end of the pier.

Upon spotting the familiar camo - clad soldier and his party, Ren casually waved them over in a welcoming manner. "Leo, good of you to join us." The teen called out with a smirk.

Leo, who had decided to effectively say 'fuck it', arrived without his balaclava or goggles on. Those who recognized who Leo was were taken aback at the fact that they had actually seen his face. The rumor for a long time had been that his face was so scared that he always covered it. Now that they got a good look, they could see that rather than a face full of scars, it was the face of a man who appeared hardened by battle, but was soft in emotion.

As he got closer, he gave the Sword Hero a two - fingered mock American salute. "There's no way we would miss this sort of opportunity. My team and I really need a break from all this crap, and what better place to relax than a luxurious beach resort?"

Itsuki chuckled at Leo's enthusiasm. He couldn't recall the last time Leo seemed so lax about something. Ever. Then again, he had barely gone through half of what the older man had ever since their summoning, so all in all, his current attitude was understandable. "Yeah, I get what you mean. After that whole incident with the Three Heroes Church, I think we could all use some time off for once." Itsuki said, to which those around him chimed in in agreement.

A moment of peace overtook the small crowd of heroes and adventurers as a light breeze blew through the air. With a deep breath, Leo let his thoughts wander to the smells and the people around him: The salt of the clear ocean waters, the soft smell of the wood that made up the boat, the fact that he was going to actually have a peaceful swim, seeing Raphtalia in a bathing suit…

That last one brought Leo back to his senses as his cheeks turned a slightly red color that he discreetly hid.

"Last call for boarding! I repeat, last call for boarding!" A man's voice exclaimed from the stern of the ship.

Rishia, that green - haired female from Itsuki's party, jumped excitedly as she waved everyone over. "Come on everyone! We don't want to be late!"

Itsuki smiled at the innocent, slightly older teenager. "Coming Rish, wait for us!" He replied before turning to the rest of the group. "Let's go, we really shouldn't keep everyone waiting." He said before walking over to the ramp that connected the ship to the pier. The remaining heroes shrugged as they began walking as well, their parties following them as they boarded the wooden seacraft that would take them to the most relaxing place Melromarc had to offer.

Boarding the pristine wooden vessel, Leo was welcomed by a male crewmate who led him and his group to a room marked '19 - Reserved.' The man stepped aside so as to provide a clear path between the Shield Hero and the door. "This will be your room as per the request of her majesty. We took every precaution in order to make sure your journey across the water would be one full of comfort."

"Oh, well, thank you." Leo replied with a hint of surprise. Changing to his currency shield, Leo pulled out a small fistful of around half - a - dozen or so gold coins before giving them to the staff member. "Consider this a tip. Keep the change." Leo said as the man nearly fainted in shock. The crewmate could just barely mutter a thank you, instead giving Leo a large smile and bow before walking away.

"Guess we just made his day huh?" Rifana remarked.

Leo heard someone give a 'mhm' as he opened the door to a surprisingly spacious room. Inside, comfy pillows and pristine red sheets covered four large bunks. On the wall, a well - sized window allowed a clear view of the bright blue ocean that glistened in the sunlight. In a corner by the window stood a table with a small plate of snacks. All in all, it was better than Leo expected.

Leo whistled as he took in his new surroundings. Filo had immediately ran over to the snacks, but Raphtalia scolded her before she could stuff herself. Rifana jumped into one of the top bunks and called out "dibs," claiming the spot for herself.

Eclair sat down on one of the bottom bunks, testing its cushioning abilities. "For a ship - bound bed, it is exceptionally soft." She stated. Keel placed a hand on the other bottom bunk as if to test Eclair's opinion, but found himself coming to the same conclusion.

Taking a seat on the bench that accompanied the wall adorned with the window, Leo took off his helmet and ran a hand through his hair. "Alright, since we have some time to kill before we actually get to the island, you guys can go ahead and explore the ship if you want."

Filo's face lit up with excitement at the prospect of touring the ship. "Really master?!"

Leo nodded. "Yeah, but if you decide to do so, make sure to take it easy with the crew and other passengers. Don't want to expend all your energy before we get to Cal Mira." He explained with a content look.

Without skipping a beat, Filo quickly dragged Keel out of the room before taking off down the hall. Rifana looked at Leo before giving him a shrug and chasing after them.

Raphtalia took a seat next to Leo, adjusting herself just enough to get a clear view of the ocean. Upon realizing Eclair's presence still within the room, she spoke up. "Eclair, you're not going?" She asked the female knight.

Eclair shook her head. "I prefer conserving my strength for when we arrive. I do not wish to be caught off guard when we go out and slay the monsters."

"Makes sense. Guess you're welcome to stay with us for the time being." Raphtalia said with a soft smile, one of which Eclair kindly returned.

"Guess so indeed."

It took the ferry around an hour or so to reach the island's port. Pulling into the dock, the crew casted the line in order to stop the ship from drifting away. After letting the other passengers disembark first, Leo and his party stepped down the ramp onto the pier, only to be welcomed to the sight of the other three heroes being carried away on stretchers.

"Woah, what happened to them?" Leo asked, a clear amount of confusion ever present. In reality, he was primarily worried about Itsuki and Ren since Motoyasu always seemed to think he was a big boy who was never wrong.

"Ah, them?" A crewmate specified while pointing a pen of sorts. "Sea sickness. Hit 'em so hard that even the medicine we gave them failed to do anything about it. We were all excited to see the four cardinal heroes do some work here. It's a pity really."

Leo nodded before reaching into his bag and taking out three great quality antibiotics. "Here, give this to them when they feel a bit better. It may help." Leo sympathetically informed the man.

The crewmate nodded before walking off with the medical staff. Clasping his hands together and methodically rubbing them, Leo focused his attention back to his team. For the next few days, the world simply revolved around them and them alone. They had earned that much, and he sure as hell would make it happen.

"Alright, here's the gameplan. First, I'll go make sure we can get a good room at an inn. While I'm at it, I want you guys to go ahead and find a farming spot, secure it, and keep others away. At about…" Leo trailed off as he checked his watch, "two o'clock, we'll stop and have some lunch for about half an hour, give or take. After that, well, we'll see what our next move is. Remember, we are here to become stronger and relax, so make sure to do both. You've all earned it." Leo stated with a proud smile.

A round of clapping, "woo's", and "yeah's" were exchanged by the cheery group. "C'mon everyone, let's go! See you later Leo!" Rifana exclaimed excitedly as she and the others went on to locate their farming spot.

Leo casually waved at them as they left the scene. Now for his half of the plan: Getting some rooms. Deciding to have a simple look around in order to map out the place while looking for an inn, he simply walked with the crowds, traveling through large groups of adventurers from one place to the next. After a few minutes, his eyes eventually fell on a large hotel - like structure similar to one back on Earth.

Bingo. Leo began to make his way down the path, finding it to be filled to the brim with small shops and stands, most of which were selling different assortments of swimming attire. One specific piece however caught his attention: An olive drab triangle push - up brazilian bikini and side - tie bottom with a black trim. Distracting himself for a moment, Leo walked up to the stand that was manned by a woman who appeared to be slightly older than himself.

"Uh, excuse me?" Leo said, catching her attention.

The woman made a "hm?" sound as she turned towards Leo. "Oh! Welcome adventurer! What brings you here today?" She asked.

"Good afternoon ma'am. I was looking around and I saw that two piece swimsuit there. Is there a chance that I could buy it?" Leo asked as he pointed towards the bikini that caught his eye.

The woman leaned over to see which bikini Leo was pointing at specifically. "Oh, of course! Buying it for a special lady, hm?" She asked as she took the bikini off its hanger and put it on the counter. "This is truly a well crafted set, one of the best I have for sale actually. It'll cost you 30 silver."

Leo removed the appropriate amount from its placeholder and handed it to the stand clerk. When she was done counting, she gave Leo a bright smile, put the bikini in a paper bag, and set it on the counter once more for Leo to take. "Have a nice day!" She said with a bright smile and wave.

Leo gave her a singular nod of farewell. "You too ma'am."

Taking the bag and continuing on his way to the hotel, Leo ignored any further distractions as he entered the multi - story tan building. Inside, the hotel made use of oceanic colors with a few paintings of the ocean and generic resort pieces lining the walls. Small seating areas took up quite a bit of space, alongside a large receptionist desk towards the back of the lobby and around a dozen of said receptionists manning it.

Leo noted about the amount of people that were actually in the lobby. Walking up to one of the receptionists, they greeted him with a friendly wave before asking if he was here to check in.

"Yes. Would it be possible to acquire a room for five adults and one child?" Leo asked.

The receptionist rubbed his chin as he looked over the sheet of paper detailing the inn's rooms. "You're in luck sir, we have one open room that could be just what you're looking for. It's a crystal suite, so you may not be able to afford it." The receptionists concerningly informed.

Leo raised an eyebrow at the man. "How much?"

"Well sir, the crystal suite would cost you over fifty gold piec-" The receptionist was cut short when a small bag landed in front of him. He quickly glanced up at Leo before opening the bag and, to his surprise, saw his reflection in the gold coins.

While Leo waited for the receptionist to count the money, two people, a man and a woman with red and light blue haired, stepped up next to him.

"Hey there stranger." The man said as he leaned backwards against the desk. "Me and my friend here couldn't help but notice those clothes you're wearing. You one of those fakes that have been posing as the Shield Hero?"

Leo could only stare at the man in bewilderment. A poser? Is this guy for real? A moment went by before Leo gave an answer, albeit, a confused one. "I'm sorry, a what?

The man gave Leo a smug smirk. "A fake? You know, someone who pretends to be someone else?"

Leo shook his head. "Uh no? I'm preeetty sure I'm the guy you're looking for."

The man took a moment to look over Leo, taking in each of his features so as to come to his own conclusion. After a few seconds, his lips curled up into a smile before breaking into laughter. "Oh man, that's a good one. You, the Shield Hero? Yeah, there's no way you're him."

Leo let out a bothered sigh. The man hadn't even introduced himself yet and Leo was already starting to get annoyed with him. "What do you mean 'that's a good one'? I AM the Shield Hero. You can even ask my party, they'll tell you the same thing."

As the man's laughter died down, his female compatriot took over for him. "I do apologize for my friend's behavior, but I must agree with him. You seem nothing like the Shield Hero that we've heard about." She told him.

Leo shook his head, bewildered. Figuring he wasn't going to get anywhere without actual information, he decided to take a step back. With a sigh, he restarted the conversation, but this time, on his terms. "Ok ok, two things. One, just who are you? And two, why don't you believe me?" Leo asked in slight exasperation.

When the red - haired man finally recomposed himself, he rubbed the back of his head before giving a response. "Oh right, we should introduce ourselves. My name's L'Arc Berg, and this is my friend, Therese Alexanderite."

The light - blue haired woman waved at the mention of her name.

"As for your other question, well, it's better if we explain. I don't know if you've heard, but the Shield Hero's got one helluva reputation behind him. Thievery, blackmail, kidnapping, rape, you name it. Not to mention, he's got people in high places who'll kill anyone that he wants on a whim. A real sonofabitch of you ask me." L'Arc stated in disgust. "You? Heh, I can see it in your eyes. You're tough, but you're also caring. Therese can even sense it."

Leo couldn't believe what he was hearing. Blackmail? Kidnapping? Have these two been living under a rock these past few days? "Look, I'm telling you I'm him. But you know what? If you don't believe me, then fine." Leo stated with a hint of annoyance, his eyes more focus on L'arc. "And quite frankly, it's not really my problem if you believe me.

Leo turned, took the key from the receptionist who was quietly watching the confrontation play out and walked away from the duo. From that short lived conversation, if you can even call it that, he learned two things: That L'Arc was annoying and Therese was somewhat reasonable. What frustrated him the most though was being called a liar. After everything he and his team had been through, everything they've managed to accomplish, getting dubbed as a fake was just a slap in the face.

So what if they don't believe me? I'm not looking for praise. Leo briefly thought. Checking the bikini he had bought, his mind drifted from L'Arc and Therese to the one thing that actually mattered: His team.

Rifana remained still as she held her prone position, her AKM aimed downrange at a large monster's corpse. When she killed the beast with a single headshot, she and the rest of the team had been awarded over three thousand xp. All that for a single bullet? Oh hell yeah, this is going to be fun. She thought as a smile grew on her face.

Adjusting her position, she shifted her aim towards a cluster of slimes.

Breath in… and out…

Five shots later, all the slimes were mere purple puddles that stained the grass. The group cheered as their levels continued to increase. Even Eclair had seemed to be having a good time. Not only that, but with the high amounts of XP, Keel had grown to look like that of an early teenager.

Due to the amount of people within the group, Keel and Raphtalia had suggested that each member take turns fighting for about half an hour so as to conserve their strength. Filo had volunteered to go first, her reason being something along the lines of "I want to see what these monsters taste like!"

Rifana shook her head with a short laugh. The filolial girl had always found some way to amuse her. Scanning the field and treeline for any more monsters, she saw that it was clear. Either they're smarter than they look, or we scared 'em all off. My bet is for the latter.

"Raphtalia, come with me. We're gonna go loot those monsters." Rifana suddenly ordered her friend.

Although she didn't see it, Raphtalia nodded as she stood up. "Gotcha. I'm on your six, let's go." She said as she pulled her sword from its scabbard.

Rifana pushed herself off the ground and slung her AKM across her back, exchanging it for her tomahawk. Motioning with her head to move forward, they crossed the field with caution in case any monsters attempted to attack.

Reaching the corpse, Raphtalia stood guard as Rifana began to cut off the fur, horns, and other useful parts of the body that they could give Leo. Once she had finished collecting, the duo made their way back to the campsite.

"Hey Rifana, does your weapon seem kind of… worn down by any chance?" Raphtalia asked on their way back. Raphtalia's sword looked to be somehow scratched and rough up, as she hadn't maintained it in weeks.

The question caused Rifana to check her tomahawk. Similarly enough to Raphtalia's sword, it appeared to be worse for wear. The blade was slightly blunt and jagged, the handle was heavily scratched, and there was a crack that ran right through the main body.

"What the?" She exclaimed, obviously startled by this new revelation. "B- but how? Our weapons were just fine literally an hour ago, and I've only used mine to do some cuts off that monster."

Her confusion brought Raphtalia to a pause as she began to think of possible scenarios. There's no way our weapons are simply being worn down. Leo's made sure that we know how to clean and maintain them and when, so that's ruled out. Maybe when we kill the monsters, they're doing more to our blades than previous one's? Hm, but Rifana hasn't used her tomahawk in a few days, so it was in pristine condition earlier… It was when she checked their levels that she formed the only plausible idea that made some sense.

"Well, the only thing I can think of is that since our levels are so high now, the durability on our weapons is incredibly low when compared to our current general stats." Raphtalia guessed.

Rifana thought about Raphtalia's theory for a moment. It seemed that that was a strong probability, but there was only one way to know for sure. "Well, how about we ask Leo next time we see him? He knows more about this stuff than we do." She replied, slightly annoyed at her custom made tomahawk no longer being of any real use anymore.

When the two made it back to camp, the others were huddled around the fire telling stories as the sun continued to make its way towards the horizon. At the center of it was, not to their surprise, Leo, who had returned a few minutes after they went looting. It was times like these when the two demi - humans truly appreciated Leo for being here. He kept everyone entertained, motivated, and overall happy. His mere presence gave an aura of calm and collectivism that the two adults had only known from their parents all those months ago.

Seeing his smile in the golden light of the campfire made Raphtalia's heart skip a beat as a warm feeling began to grow within her chest. She knew she loved him and him her, but this was different. If asked about how to describe her feelings about Leo, she would easily give her most honest answer. But this feeling… it was definitely something else, as if it was some sort of deep urge. Deciding to suppress it for now, she took the last few steps towards the group before sitting next to Leo.

"Hey Leo, how'd your search go?" Raphtalia asked as she leaned back on her hands.

"Went well for the most part. I managed to get a high class room at one of the main inns. Oh, that reminds me!" Leo suddenly exclaimed before reaching for the shopping bag. "Here, I went ahead and got you something from the market. The clerk told me that it was one of her best sets."

Raphtalia raised her eyebrows at Leo's words. Curiously, she took a peek inside the bag bringing her face to cloth with the bikini. Her eyes widened at the sight of the olive drab colors of the two piece set. Her cheeks quickly turned red before looking up at Leo.

His sheepish smile was seriously not helping her predicament at all.

"I- I…" Raphtalia stuttered. Stopping herself, she took a deep, calming breath. "I love it. Thanks Leo." She said with a smile as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

As the daylight slowly faded away, the two released their embrace with Eclair telling them about wishing to wash up. The others unanimously agreed. After a few minutes, the group had gathered their gear and cleaned up the campsite, ready to follow Leo to the hotel.

"Hey, Leo, come here for a second." Rifana said as they walked the stone covered road to the hotel.

"Hm?" Leo sounded before slowing his pace allowing her to catch up. "What is it?"

The weasel demi - human pulled out her tomahawk and showed its horrid state to him. Almost immediately, he could make out the cracks and degraded areas of the weapon. "Woah, the hell happened to this thing?" His confusion was well placed. It was as if Rifana was trying to destroy her weapon.

Rifana simply shrugged. "No idea. All I did was use it to cut up parts of a monster for loot. One second it was perfectly fine, then next, it's all broken. The same goes for Raphtalia's sword. We were more or less hoping that you knew what was going on." She explained.

With furred eyebrows, Leo held the tomahawk to his shield hoping it would give him some clue or explanation. After a few seconds of scanning, the tomahawks stats came up on his H.U.D. "It says here that the durability is utter shit right now. Hang on." Leo stated before suddenly slamming the weapon against the wall of a building with Rifana shouting 'Hey, careful with that!'

Checking the statistic of the melee weapon, Leo noticed that the durability went down by one hundred and five points, over fifteen times the amount it normally would decrease after a single hit.

"Seems like the problem lies in the weapon itself. That one swing took it down by over a hundred durability points. If I remember my friend's gaming mumbo jumbo, it's something about the user's level being laughably disproportionately higher than the weapon's." Looking her in the eye, he returned the tomahawk to its rightful owner. "When we get to our room, I can craft you guys some new weapons until we get back to Erhard."

Rifana nodded with a content smile. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it. Now come on, let's catch up with the others." Jogging the remaining few meters to the hotel. Rifana was hot on his heels as they ascended the flights of stairs that would take them to their designated floor.

As predicted, the others were lounging around outside the door to their room. Inserting the key, Leo, as usual, was the first inside and first to witness the stunning view of the beach the room had to offer.

"Dibs on first bath!" Rifana playfully exclaimed as she rushed towards the bathroom.

Eclair watched with curiosity as Rifana flew by her and slammed the door closed. "I suppose she does that all the time?" She asked as she pointed towards the door.

Leo sighed while nodding. "Yeah, pretty much. Usually Raphtalia and I are up next, but you can go if you wish." He generously offered.

Eclair shook her head and waved her hand. "No no, you may go before me, I do not mind at all, Sir Hero." She replied as she went and sat on one of the large beds. "Hm, very comfortable. I'm guessing you two are sharing?" She asked, to which both Raphtalia and Leo nodded. "Very well. I will take this one while your friend takes that other. The children will simply have to share… if they do not mind, that is."

Leo sat down and began to pull off his boots before speaking. "Nah, that won't be a problem. We've had our fair share of rough nights as a team, so they'll be fine."

Eclair smiled and nodded understandingly before beginning her own de - arming process. Placing her armor and sword against the hall that hugged her bed, she went about preparing herself for a calming bath hopefully within the next hour.

With the sun in the middle of falling beyond the horizon, Leo and his party went about their normal nightly routine, each taking their respective turns washing up and turning in for the night. One person however was still wide awake as he sat up in bed, a book and pencil clasped in his hands.

September 28, 2020,

Been a few days since I've touched this thing, so I guess I'm writing for the sake of it. So, we got a new party member named Eclair. She was one of the Queen's most trusted knights, so I'm sure we can trust her. We've recently made it to Cal Mira, a set of tropical islands. It's practically a beach resort but with some monsters roaming around for some extra XP. I can't remember the last time I went on a vacation was, but I'm pretty excited for the beach. I met this couple named L'Arc and Therese. L'Arc's pretty annoying, but Therese seems alright. At the very least I tolerate her better than her male counterpart. Anyway, it's getting kinda late and we plan on hitting the beach tomorrow.

- Private First Class Leopold Wisniewski

P.S. I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight. Just the thought of Raphtalia in her bikini is making my head spin. I love her, and I wouldn't trade her for anything in the world.

Author's Note: And that's that. With the weapon durability, well, it was either get new equipment, or not. There's no way to BS my way around it. How MMO's work forced my hand at it, and I can't really change the reason for anything more practical unless, well, those laws of "gameplay" simply did not exist. Also, I have some exciting news! I have finally set up my own discord server for my fanfictions!

Anyway, stay safe. Bye!