STRANGE DAYS
Chapter 271
See first chapter for disclaimers.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks to Storyseeker for beta-reading this. As usual, if you have any comments or preferences, please don't be shy. RandR.
Star Trek TNG & Tales of the SCP Foundation
And now
Rising of the Shield Hero And…?
Name That Shield Hero
The mages had been working hard for days to prepare the summoning ritual. They had a deadline to meet, and King Aultcray would brook no excuses. The heroes had to be summoned as soon as possible in order to prepare them for the next wave. Finally, all of the elaborate preparations were complete, and they began the ritual.
It took time and an immense amount of magical energy. The MP potions required to enable them to finish the ritual were, by themselves, a considerable investment. None of the mages performing it were exactly certain what was involved in reaching beyond their world to draw the heroes from theirs, as the ritual was very old. Any research notes regarding its initial creation were long gone. They still had the detailed instruction necessary to perform it, though, and that was all that mattered.
With a final invocation and surge of magic that left all of them swaying on their feet with exhaustion, the summoning was complete. Four men stood before them, each bearing one of the sacred cardinal weapons. The Sword Hero, the Spear Hero, the Bow Hero, and unfortunately, the Shield Hero were all present. All four looked confused, which was understandable. The most senior of the group of mages stepped forward and addressed the group. He had prepared the speech in advance, hoping he could win them over.
"Brave heroes, won't you please save our world from pure evil?"
The four stared at him with varying degrees of confusion. The shield hero looked at him, at the shield on his arm and then turned to stare at the other three, silently mouthing something. The mage pushed on, trying to get it all out in hopes of convincing them to help.
"Please, oh brave heroes! Our world is in dire need of saving."
"We refuse," the man with the sword said, sounding far too arrogant for someone in his current circumstances. The records indicated that this was not uncommon, and he pushed on, only to be interrupted by the bow and spear heroes. One demanded to be returned home, the other wanted a reward of some sort. The mage swallowed his irritation at their presumption, and convinced them to speak to the king. He sighed in relief when they agreed. The shield hero seemed distracted and was the last to follow. For some reason, he looked rather panicked. None of the mages really wanted to speak to him, but as the court mage that had led the summoning ritual, being the most senior of the group, he dropped back to speak to the new shield bearer.
"This must all seem very strange to you," the man began.
"I know where I am," the man answered, "and what's going on. I had a lot of time on my hands back home to read. Melromarc, right? The waves have started up?"
"Indeed." The mage was caught off guard. Before he could ask, though, the man pressed on.
"I know how important the shield is to you, even if you don't appreciate it, which is why you need to get it off me."
"I don't understand," the mage admitted after a moment.
"I never stay in one place too long, and that's not a choice. It's only a matter of time before I get pulled somewhere else. What if the shield goes with me? I don't want to rob you of something so important."
The mage did his best to parse the rush of words, putting the pieces together in his head. "You believe you will be summoned elsewhere?"
"I know I will," the man sighed, still tugging half-heartedly at the shield. "It's routine for me, kind of like a curse."
"The shield is an integral part of this world," the mage said, thinking out loud as they walked. "I do not think anything can separate it from this world."
The young man looked hopeful for a moment, which only confused the mage, but then, he sagged. "Do you know how long I've wanted to be stuck in one place? Any place?" He winced as if remembering something unpleasant. "Well, almost any place." He shook off the depression. "That's why you gotta get this off me! If I get snatched away and take your shield with me, there's no guarantee I'll ever be able to bring it back. You guys may hate the shield hero, but you need one to drive back the waves, right?"
Opening and closing his mouth for a moment in confusion, he finally settled on trying to reassure the man who honestly seemed more worried about them than about himself. "I do not believe that any of the cardinal weapons could be drawn away as you describe. The magic that makes their very existence possible is fundamental to this world."
"So…, you think it might act like an anchor? Keeping me here?"
"I believe so." The mage still wasn't sure what to make of the man, but he seemed to be sincerely worried about accidentally harming them. While not entirely sure that the shield being taken away would be a bad thing, he found himself appreciating the new shield hero's concern.
Assuming it's genuine, he reminded himself. The Three Heroes Church had always said the shield devil was not to be trusted in anything. That that so-called hero would disrupt the natural order and try to corrupt others with bizarre ideas. While the court mage had never been all that religious, there were certain things that everyone knew to be true.
"I hope you're right." The man said. "If what I've read about Melormarc's history and the waves is right, your country is in for a rough time."
"Whatever help you can give will be welcomed," the mage assured him, wondering what exactly the man knew and how he knew it. The legends weren't exactly clear on how the heroes knew what they did about the world, but it wasn't uncommon for the shield hero to arrive woefully ignorant when compared to the other three. This one did not seem to fit the mold, though, leaving the mage wondering if the newly summoned shield hero's knowledge was a good thing or a bad thing. When the worrisome man lapsed into silence, the mage decided to hurry him along, not really wanting any more of this strange conversation.
"Come on, shielder," the blonde spear hero called from up ahead. "Don't lag behind, we can't keep the king waiting."
The man blinked and nodded, picking up the pace. "Oh, right. Coming Motoyasu."
The spear hero stopped in his tracks and whipped around. "How did you know my name?"
The shield hero blinked in confusion for a moment, distracted from his own worries. "I, ah, read a lot?"
"What? What could you have read about me?" The answer made no sense to the spear hero or the mage.
"Manga," he hesitated a moment, "one about the four heroes."
"What?" The spear hero seemed even more confused by this, and stared at the other man with an unreadable expression.
"Ah. Yeah," the shield hero looked away, nervously fidgeting. "I guess that's gonna be kind of awkward, but I'll try to explain if I have enough time."
"What do you mean?" The spear hero, Motoyasu apparently, tried to grab his arm but the shield hero flinched away.
"Please don't. It's been a bit over two weeks since my last jump. It could happen any time."
"Huh? Jump? What are you talking about?"
"Perhaps, that discussion can wait till after you meet the king?" the mage suggested diplomatically. He wasn't sure what to make of any of this, but he was eager to make it the king's problem rather than his own.
"Yeah. I guess so." Motoyasu decided to let it go for the moment. "We will finish this conversation, though." They pushed on to the throne room.
OOOOOOOOOO
King Aultcray Melromarc XXXII waited impatiently for the heroes to arrive. He knew there would be consequences for what he was doing, but he didn't care. The other nations and their people didn't matter, especially not the damn demis in Siltvelt.
A servant entered ahead of the group, as he had ordered, and signaled the approach of the heroes. Ending the conversation with his ministers, the king straightened on his throne and gave his full attention to the door. A moment later, the mages that had conducted the summoning led four men into the throne room. All of them looked fairly ordinary, although the spear hero's hair was worn in a very odd style. His eyes were drawn to the shield hero last. The man was dressed in sturdy looking garments and boots. He carried a pack of some sort on his back and had a hunting knife sheathed at his belt. He actually seemed better prepared than the other three.
Curious.
When they approached the throne, the three heroes stood straight, their heads up, arrogantly meeting his gaze. This was, according to the records, normal for the heroes. The shield hero, however, bowed deeply.
"It's an honor to be here, king Aultcray."
"You know who I am?" Aultcray was a bit taken aback by the man's knowledge and formality. Perhaps this one had asked questions of the mages?
"Yes, majesty. There were pictures of you in the, ah, history book I read about Melromarc and the heroes." This astonished Aultcray, but he hid his emotions with practiced ease and merely nodded. He then asked that the heroes introduce themselves.
The sword, bow, and spear heroes gave their names, ages and said something about being students. The shield hero said nothing when Aultcray deliberately skipped him. The new shield hero might have surprised him, but that didn't mean he'd waste any more of his time on the man than he absolutely had to.
He introduced himself to the others and explained the situation. When the explanation of the waves and the summoning ritual were almost complete, and he was about to humble himself by asking these four strangers for their help, something very odd happened. The shield hero suddenly stiffened, looking alarmed, and then his form flickered. For barely a second, the man vanished. The shield remained, hanging in midair.
"What-?"
Before he could complete the sentence, the man reappeared. He blinked owlishly and looked around in surprise.
"Well, that definitely felt different. How long was I gone?" he asked.
"Barely a second," the bow hero, who was standing nearest him, answered. "The shield just sort of hung there and… What happened?"
"I-I'm not sure." He glanced down at the shield and a grin spread across his face. He looked to the court mage that had led the summoning ritual. "You were right! The shield is like an anchor, keeping me here!"
The mage opened and closed his mouth silently for a moment. "S-so it seems," he finally managed.
"Yahoo!" The shield hero actually jumped into the air and started to dance and cheer. Aultcray stared at the exuberant man in utter confusion, before looking to the other three heroes in hopes of making some sense of this, but they appeared as surprised and confused as he felt. King Aultcray repressed a sigh as he watched the apparent lunatic.
"No more random jumps!" he shouted happily. "No more going to sleep in my bed and waking up in a show bank or under water! No more smiling man! No more giant spiders! No more telepathic plants screaming at me! No more hotdogs trying to grill me!"