Surgence of The Armored hero
Chapter 2: From Zero and Back Again
WARNING: I own none of these characters sides from my OC(s). All rights go to their respective owners and properties.
This is nothing more than, well a fanfic, a story made up by a fan for entertainment and knowledge.
Everything in this fic is not canon and is only meant to give the audience a new idea of the works of each of the franchises in this story.
So please support me, my work and have some fun. Now enjoy the story. ^w^
It had been 3 weeks since he left the capital alongside his poor circumstances. Cody was already hearing the false rumors this far out, and even more on how this country is seeing him as.
A criminal hero.
Just hearing about the rumors and more he has heard is making him disgusted at this place. Even if two of the heroes were on his side, they couldn't do much to help due to the limitations of their legendary weapons and the authority of the king.
Cody was sick of it. He was already pondering if he should do anything to 'help' these people? Already ousted as a criminal and being looked down upon for it made him wonder if he should just leave it be. Then again, there were just as many people who were not happy about their only hope of fighting the Grongi being labeled a criminal and some even gave him free provisions as compensation for his false accusation.
All of this was just too much for the lone hero to process, and with little money he could barely get much scraps. He hoped this town would be better and help him out, but he wasn't sure which side the people inside were on.
As he walked through the streets he looked around for whatever he could find that showed him to be a place to eat. He was unable to read the language of these lands made it difficult but the images that some have did save him time in looking for a restaurant or eatery. His stomach growling with hunger made him step inside, hoping for a decent meal.
"Um, excuse me?" he asked a nearby waitress, "Can I ask something?"
"Hm? Of course sir. Is there a problem?" She responded in kind.
"Is it possible if I could eat here?" he hoped. 'Please be one of the good towns, please be one of the good towns!' he repeated in his mind.
"Hm? But of course sir. I don't know why you'd think we'd turn you down." the waitress said with confusion.
"Oh, thank you." he said, 'Alright, so far so good.'
"Please, let me show you to a table." the waitress smiled softly as she lead him to an empty table and waited for him to settle down and order. "Now, what can I get for you?"
"I'll just have the house special please, water too." He requested as another growl was loud enough for them both to hear, causing the waitress to giggle.
"I'll have two orders of the special ready. Seems like its been awhile since you had something." She giggled upon hearing his stomach.
"You could say that…" Cody chuckled.
As the waitress walked away, the Armored Hero heard a bunch of adventurers laughing.
"Man, those three Heroes are really at each other's throats." one adventurer noted, "I'm surprised the Sword and Bow Heroes even have jobs at the moment, given they sided with the Armored bitch."
"Tell me about it. Like we can tell the Armored Hero did it. It's so obvious!" Another added on, "One simply got power and gave into such sins. I say they should've killed him."
"H-Hey, it's possible that the Armored Hero could have killed that Grongi." a third adventurer piped up.
"Please, everyone knows that he's working alongside those things. He only kills them to try and save face." The second one waved off.
"Yeah, kids probably dead by now. Would explain why the monsters around here are a lot stronger than before." the first adventurer observed.
"Hey, think if we found his corpse, we could take that armor and be a better hero than him?"
"You crazy? Only outworlders can use the armor. Besides, what if the Grongi thinks one of us killed him? Who knows what they'd do to this city." the third adventurer gasped.
"I bet they'd thank us." Another adventurer cackled out.
As the laughter and more surged from that side of the restaurant, the nearby Armored Hero was frowning with disgust and annoyance from their rumors and more. Even if one seemed to be well, it got drowned out by the insults and lies they're spreading.
Already losing his appetite, he was ready to just head off again.
"Here's your food, sir." the waitress said, only to see his face and expression causing her to turn to the laughing adventurers. She turned her attention back to the boy, "Please don't listen to them… It's thanks to you that some of the Grongi are starting to grow fearful."
Cody flinched, she knows he's the Armored Hero?
"And if it's any consideration… I've always admired what the Armored Hero stood for. So please… keep fighting. There's people like me who still believe in you." She said to him with a caring smile.
Cody was touched, "Thank you, miss."
"HEY, WAITRESS! WHERE'S MY BEER? I'M PARCHED OVER HERE!" a loud redneck adventurer roared as it seemed one of his legs was replaced with… a mini-cannon?
"PLEASE DON'T MIND MY FRIEND, HE JUST GETS ANTSY SOMETIMES!" a white-haired researcher called out as for him, he had a metal prosthetic in replacement of his own missing limb.
"Seems I'm needed… Thank you for helping us, Hero." The waitress said with a smile as she went back to work, leaving the young man alone with his meal but with kind words now in his mind.
Cody couldn't help but smile before he ate his food. Maybe this town might be a haven for him?
XXX
As the next day came by, Cody stretched as he was luckily able to get a room, but sadly only for one night as he made his way off. He needed to find another method to level up and fight. Just on his own isn't enough, especially with the constant attacks of the Grongi and other monsters now.
He needed some kind of partner or someone to help him fight. But where exactly could he find a party member? The king forbode anyone from joining up with him under the threat of death.
"Hmm? You wouldn't happen to be the infamous Armored Hero, boy?" A voice beckoned out as nearby stood a small, chubby man wearing a white outfit that showed both a showman and a trader as his shades hid his eyes but his grin showed character.
"Uhh… who are you?" the Armored Hero asked the strange man.
"My name is Beloukas… I'm… 'a collector of trade' so to speak." He said, bowing to the hero, "And I've heard many things about you, hero. Especially the little 'pickle' you're in! I believe I have what you need, of course… for a price."
"Oookay? And the catch is?" he asked. The young man knew a hustler when he saw it, and the shady aura this man was giving wasn't helping either.
"Just your patronage is all. That's all I ask for." Beloukas said with a bow, "Now as a friend would say, what'cha buying?"
'How does he even know that reference?' The hero pondered before following him.
Inside there were cages filled with half-human, half-animal people of shapes, sizes, and species alongside many other creatures and more. The Armored Hero knew fully what this man was… and it wasn't a 'collector'.
'If I ever meet the queen, I'll ask why the heck they still allow slavery in this world, because what the fuck is this?' Cody thought to himself.
He could already hear the sound of a bald eagle screeching in his mind.
"So, Armored Hero. Which of these tickled your fancy?" Beloukas questioned.
Cody, of course, was doing his best not to just lash out or cause a scene from this, regardless how he feels about such a thing. "I-I um.. Think I'll be good… Thank you though…"
"Ah, do not fret my young hero. Yes, these are all slaves and more. But what can you do with such a law being pressured upon you?" the slave trader questioned, "With the law that the king placed, you can't truly fight with others! So, the work around that law? Why with one of these slaves."
Cody flinched as that was the problem. With the law in place, he really couldn't do much… Even with his blood crying out not to do this… He has no real choice in the matter.
'I hate that he's right…'
"Plus, even if you own one. Who's to say you treat them as such? Think of it as… a binding contract with another living being. They can't betray or lie to you, and you get a partner to deal with! Not to mention that you wouldn't need them for long. Just a bit until you can unlock your normal form. After that, you can release the contract just like that!" the slave trader added.
"Huh? 'Normal form'?" Cody questioned as he turned to the dealer. It was as if he knew how his armor worked.
"Of course, as the Armored Hero, you have access to four different transformations. Each one has a specific task they can accomplish, and allow you to fight on your own without leaving you defenseless." the slave trader explained.
"How do you even know that?"
"I have read a couple of books about the Cardinal Heroes. They do give me a bit of detail of your kind."
"All of them 'given' to you willingly, right?" Cody frowned but understood how he got them.
"Indeed, I'm not a thief." the slave trader said.
Cody sighed. There was truly no real way around this, was there?
If he can't get stronger, he can't find a way to get home. And without help he'll die someday by being overwhelmed. There was no way to get through this at all as he nodded.
"Ancestors, forgive me for all of this…" He said to himself, "Fine… show me someone that I can work with." He asked the trader.
Beloukas smirked, "Shall we peruse through my current collection?" he offered the boy.
"Let's… just get it over with…" Cody grimaced as he followed the slave trader through his… 'collection'. As the young hero walked through it, he took notice of the many exotic creatures and of course the… 'slaves' he has.
Though thanks to his Status Magic, he was able to see many of their states… including ones that he was certain would mess with how he fights, even with whatever they have to control the more 'anxious' ones.
"I think I get it… showing me the more dangerous and unstable ones at the start before revealing the ones I can use and work alongside with." Cody noted off, as this felt like it was some tactic to get him to see what he 'could' get in the future.
"Hehe, well informed Armored Hero. Yes, you are correct." Baloukas nodded as he soon moved towards the back area of the 'collection' as the pair began to come across smaller but more controllable creatures and 'slaves'.
Cody soon came across one cage with a cover on it. Something was there that felt like he was drawn to it, and upon revealing the cover he was looking at a very small young girl. A demi-human of course, as she had red-ish brown hair, small animal ears and a tail. From what he could tell she was a demi-human with tanuki attributes on her person.
But what broke his heart more was not only how dirty she looked, but her eyes were practically lifeless. How she ended up here was a mystery but the trip to it must've took every ounce of her will and heart. And the Status Magic showed she was sick, diseased and obviously more that he was looking through. If she stayed here any longer… she won't make it by the end of the year.
"I ended up with a two-for-one deal for this one. I ended up gaining both her and another girl just a couple of days ago." the trader explained.
"Show me her?" He requested.
"But of course." He noted before pointing his thumb towards another part of the same cage, "She's in the corner over there."
Cody walked over to remove the rest of the cloth that covered the cage to find another girl quivering in fear. Also wearing a rag, she had much shorter hair but still very unkempt and dirty. Her eyes, still showing at least a bit of life, were different from the other girl. She had platinum blonde hair and yellow eyes, and as for her animal features, she had simple animals ears and a slimmer tail. Seemed she was a weasel in nature.
Cody's heart could only handle so much from seeing their condition, pain and fear. He'll save them right now as he turned to Baloukas.
"I'll take them." He proclaimed, knowing that it'll be tough but he'll save them.
They'd be slaves under his command, sure. But he won't see them or treat them as such, but as people and hopefully as warriors that'll help him. Plus, the moment he does gain a form that can allow him to attack, he can free them afterwards.
If he came home and his aunt heard he had slaves… Cody shivered, he did not want to think about the outcome. Nor what his friends would do if they learned about it too.
"Feeling a chill, Armored Hero?" the slave trade asked him.
"You.. could say that… So how does this work? I just give you the money and that's it?" Cody questioned, "No branding or anything?".
"Well in a sense. Come, come. I'll get things prepared." The slave trader said, gesturing him into a nearby tent.
Cody sighed, 'Aunt Em? Guys? Please don't skewer me for this…' he thought.
Soon Baloukas came back with the two girls in tow as he then showed at first a clear small cup of ink, and a knife. "All you need to do it prick yourself and let a drop enter the ink. This'll show they are tied to you and cannot resist the Slave Crest that'll be placed on them." He informed the hero.
'I'm going to die…'
Cody sighed as he pricked his finger with the knife as a drop of blood spilled into the ink, turning it a dark purple. Once that was done, the slave trader took up a brush and let it soak in the ink before he turned to the first girl.
He soon drew a crest on it, but as he did so, the crest glowed as the young tanuki girl began to cry in pain from the drawing. The hero could only hold himself back from stopping this but he had to let it continue. Once the tanuki girl was finished he drew the same crest on the other demi-human.
Once the drawings were done, both of the girl's symbols appeared on his Staus Magic, including their names.
'Raphtalia. Rifana.' He noted in his mind, as he knew the first thing was to get them freshened up and clean clothes before they headed off to the next town.
"And there! The Slave Crest is made. Now they cannot attack or even betray you as the crest is bound by your own blood. Meaning if you give a proper command, they have to do it, otherwise the crest will activate and well… give them a push to do it. If they keep resisting the crest's power and pain will increase until they do it… or they die from the pain." Baloukas informed the hero as he bit the inside of his cheek from learning that.
'Yeah, knew. Probably Rex will kill me before Hayato or Kruz gets me… That or they'd help him.' Cody mentally panicked.
"So what's the payment I need to give?" Cody asked, reaching for his money, "I don't have much on me."
"I think simply two silver coins will be enough for now. Gotta make sure these two are fit for battle, no?" Baloukas pointed out.
Cody begrudgingly coughed up the coins and gave him the two silver coins.
"Ah splendid! Thank you for your patronage, Armored Hero. Please… come back soon." The slave trader chuckled as Cody walked back outside with the two girls.
XXX
As the three of them made it outside back in the town, the daylight made it hard for the girls to see clearly for a bit. Seemed they were down there for a long time before they got use to the sunlight and followed after him.
Cody of course, still had need to get them better and cleaned up as he went back to his room in the inn since he didn't fully check out yet as he lead them inside to his room. Once there he sat on the bed to look at the two scared girls.
"Do you two know how to bath?" He questioned, knowing that saying that made it sound creepy to them, "Erm… I mean… before we go, you two should get cleaned up first. Since you seem close, hopefully you both can clean each other up, right?" Cody winced in his mind, 'Oh gosh, what have I done? I can never show my face in my world ever again!'
Rifana nodded softly before he gestured to where the bathroom is to let the girls go inside. Once he heard the door lock, he let out a venting groan as he laid back on the bed.
"I hope that Wren and Ibarra are doing better than I am…" he sighed. 'This is going to be so rough… Hopefully they can learn quickly so I can give them their freedom… Otherwise this'll become yet another bad rumor for me…'
XXX
As the Sword Hero wandered into a new town, he and his party soon made for the nearest tavern. The group then found a table and gave their orders of what to eat.
"Ugh, this is gonna suck…" a fledgeling male thief with brown hair and a navy blue headband groaned loudly, "Why the heck are jobs drying up lately?"
"It could be due to the king and his hatred for the Armored Hero." One of his members, a female mage with olive green hair, glasses, and a large metal staff, spoke up. "What about you, Sir Wren?" She asked the Sword Hero.
"Tough as it is. We must keep doing our best for the people. We're heroes and need to give them some peace." Wren responded. "But yes… it is obvious the king is attempting to force us to side with him, by cutting any jobs or tasks we find. But Sir Ibarra and I made an oath to keep working with Sir Cody, even if we become enemies of the kingdom."
"Yeah, I can't wait for the day the queen comes back." the male thief agreed, "Seriously, those Three Heroes cultists can go suck my a-"
"Kage! Language!" The female mage scolded him.
"Oh lighten up Sherra." The thief, Kage, rolled his eyes, "You can't just keep avoiding such things because of your bookworm lifestyle…This ain't one of your romance novels, ya know!"
"I know that! But we should still set a better example." Sherra frowned with her cheeks puffed out in annoyance, "Right, Sir Wren?"
"It's only right that we should. After all, if we end up foregoing the law, we might not be able to help Sir Cody or this town."
Sherra smiled as she stuck her tongue out at Kage, knowing the Sword Hero agreed with her.
"That being said, you two should stop acting like children." Wren added, "I know squires who don't bicker as much as you two."
"We have known each other for years after all. We're practically like siblings." Kage reminded.
"An old married couple more like it." the Sword Hero groaned as he massaged his head.
"As if!" They shouted in unison.
"I wouldn't dare marry such an oaf as him!" Sherra shouted.
"Nor would I date a bookworm like her! She doesn't even know how to respond when someone is holding hands!" Kage added on.
As the two argued, Wren slumped his head onto the table, 'Here we go again… I hope Sir Ibara is having a better time than I or Sir Cody…'
XXX
In a forest, a large roar was heard as Ibarra and two members of his party were screaming in terror. Why? Well it has to do with the large and very angry bear with multiple heads chasing after them.
"Alright, who decided it would be a good idea to wake up the bear before we set up the TNT?" A male rabbit demi-human thief shouted.
"How was I supposed to know the Multi-Bear has hay fever!" A female monk shouted.
"Skips? Lei? Less talking, more running!" Ibarra hastily told the pair while firing arrows at the bear in an attempt to slow it down, "We need to get to the extraction point before that thing has us for dinner!" The Bow Hero soon thought to himself, 'Do a simple quest, they said. It'd be easy EXP, they said! This is the last time I trust a quest giver in a weird green suit and speedos!'
As the three of them kept running, they saw the ridge they had set up as they waved to the last two members of their group to signal them to be ready.
One was a burly male knight with a large club, clearly the oldest of the party, while the other was a young girl with green hair done up in two braids.
"Over here!" The young girl called out to the fleeing trio.
And just as they headed to her side, the knight pushed down on the lever, setting off several barrels full of TNT and blew up the ridge, causing the debris and more to come falling down on the Multi-Bear, crushing it underneath.
As Ibara saw the EXP gain go up, he, Skips, and Lei slumped to the ground in relief. The quest was complete, and they could safely collect the bear's remains for materials and food.
"I thought I was gonna die!" They said in unison.
"Sir Ibarra! Are you okay?" the young girl in braids said, rushing to him with utter worry.
"I'm fine, Rishia! Just… I need to catch my breath…" Ibara reassured her, "Gusto ko nang matulog. Putangina mo…" he grumbled in his mother tongue.
"Thank goodness…" Rishia sighed in relief, knowing that her hero was safe.
Soon, the group began clearing the debris as Ibarra grabbed a piece of the bear and placed it at the crystal on his bow. He soon saw it transform into a furskin bow with the bear's head being where the arrow would fire out of.
[UNLOCKED WEAPON: Multi-Bear Bow]
Unleash multiple arrows with one shot with Arrow Rain.
"Whew, at least it makes reloading a bit easier…" Ibarra sighed with relief before turning to Lei, "Lei, we could have died back there. What happened to 'don't wake up the bear'?"
"I just thought that it'd be easier if we jumped it when it was sleeping." Lei huffed, crossing her arms.
"That was what the TNT barrels were for." Ibarra explained, "We put them near the bear's cave, get a good distance away, then boom! Easy kill! But nope! Had to resort to plan B!" There was no way the Bow Hero wasn't going to try that little trick from some old cartoons he watched as a kid.
"Well… I didn't expect such an odd thing from you to work fully, Ibarra. I didn't think the explosion would do much." Lei confessed, as Ibarra was reminded that they didn't have such fire power until he showed it to them.
"Fine, fine. At least the quest is complete." Ibarra sighed as he admitted defeat, "My idea was cooler though…" he grumbled under his breath.
"I-It was! I was shocked at how big the explosion was, Sir Ibarra!" Rishia said, wanting to cheer him up.
"See? Rishia agrees with me!" the Bow Hero said.
"Only because she has a massive cru-"
"Lei! You promised!" Rishia cried out, covering Lei's mouth.
"She has what now?" Ibarra asked, confused in what she was about to say while the girls had a brief squabble.
"She has a craving for meat, that's what." Lei informed them with a sigh.
The three males of the party looked at each other and shrugged.
"Guess it's just a girl thing." Skips guessed.
"Well I agree with Rishia! I'm starving!" Goun, the knight bellowed out with a hearty laugh.
"Yeah, let's eat!" Ibarra cheered as the group went to grab the Muti-Bear's meat to cook.
Rishia let out a sigh of relief as she looked to Lei with a pouty look. "You said you'd promise to keep it a secret, Lei!" she whined out to her teammate.
"Sorry! It's just so hard not to tell him. If you just confessed, I'm sure he'd respond with your feelings in kind." Lei said to the now blushing girl.
"Like you do with your childhood friend?" Rishia pointed out to the monk.
"Skips and I… It's more complicated than that…" Lei sighed. "I give him the signs, but he just doesn't listen…"
"That makes two of us." Rishia agreed.
"I wonder how kuya Cody and kuya Wren are doing? They're probably doing fine." Ibarra pondered aloud, "Anyway, I'm sure that Tak's waiting for us back at the inn, so we should probably grab some for him too!"
XXX
Back with Cody, he was now arriving at a shop to find some new clothes and hopefully a weapon for the two girls who were now cleaned and freshened up. Though he could tell they were still weary of him and why he bought them.
"Okay, this should be the place…" Cody noted as he looked at the sign, which displayed a sword and shield.
As he entered the shop, he looked around to see the several weapons and armor around him. Luckily they were also selling some clothing, most likely tailor to withstand any type of job. That gave him some relief as he went to the counter to speak with the owner or whoever was manning the front desk.
"Uh, excuse me?" He asked, hoping to catch the attention of the shopkeeper, hopefully there was someone working there.
"Ah, just a minute!" A voice responded back to him, as the hero waited.
Cody looked back to the girls, seeing how they were fairing. Both Raphtalia and Rifana were still stuck together, as they were like sisters in a sense, with Rifana being the one to protect and look after Raphtalia.
It truly will be hard to get through to them but he'll be doing his best to make sure they are both happy and healthy. Meaning he'll have to stop through a few other shops in hopes to do that. Maybe a potion shop will help him find a method to cure them or at least stop them from getting more sick?
'I just hope I can get strong enough to not need them as slaves…' he hoped.
As he heard the footsteps he turned head… only to soon find the blacksmith from before?!
"Ah! It's you kid. Heh, what are the odds about that?" He smirked softly, as Cody was dealing with an old face again.
"Why are you here? What happened to your store in the capital?" He asked the blacksmith as they shook hands.
"Eh… well… sadly I was ousted by some collaborator for the incident… I basically was kicked out and lost my shop because of that bratty princess lying." He frowned with a heavy look on his face and arms crossed, "So I packed up my things and moved back to my hometown here to set up shop once more."
Cody though frowned softly upon hearing this. Another life was tarnished and ruined because of that bitch of a 'princess'. "I'm… sorry my involvement got you kicked out…" Cody said, apologizing for involving him into such a mess.
"Bah, don't worry. Either they did that or I would've given them a piece of my mind and left myself. Either way, I would've come back here." He waved off, showing that he too was now supporting the Armored Hero as it made him smile a bit. "Now… What can I do for ya? For old times sake?" he asked the young man.
"Oh, I kind of need some gear for someone!" Cody asked.
The owner looked over to the side to see the two small girls looking at the shiney shield as they were making faces to try and entertain themselves.
"What's their story?" he asked the Armored Hero.
"Slaves, at my command... But once I plan to help and then later give them back their freedom." Cody confessed to his plan, "I just hope that no one from my world will kill me for this."
"Ah… right.. You're probably from one of those 'land of the free' worlds." The owner nodded before smiling, "Just leave it to me, kid. I'll give them something that'll be easy and protect them more." he reassured the Armored Hero, "Speaking of, I forgot to introduce myself. Name's Erhard, at your service."
"Well thank you for everything, Erhard. I'll pay you back for everything I owe." Cody promised him, assuring he will pay him back for this help.
"No worries Beetle Bro." Erhard chuckled.
The two shared a light chuckle, with Cody knowing he now has another friend in these lands that'll help him. He soon turned to see the two girls messing around with a helmet, only for them to flinch and freeze in place.
Cody simply chuckled at the sight as he kneeled down, "You're not in trouble. We just need to take your measurements so this nice man can give you some proper clothing." He said to the two as that earned a shocked yet confused look on the girls.
"Y-You sure?" Raphtalia asked him, still a bit worried.
"Of course. I didn't just buy you two for anything malicious… I did it to save you two." Cody reassured the two. "I didn't say this to you before but… I'm one of the four Cardinal Heroes." he told them before revealing the belt around his waist.
The moment they saw that, Rifana quickly gasped in shock as she rushed up to him with delight.
"You're the Armored Hero!?" She asked as he nodded.
And the moment he did, she jumped up, hugging the boy tightly as this made him a bit shocked. But as he soon heard her whimpers and shivering, he realized what she wanted.
He was a hero to her… One that was passed through the ages and more as it was the one she wanted to see in person one day. And with whatever happened to them that made put them into cells, it was so hard for them both to continue. They needed a hero and after so long… they were give to one.
Soon cries of remorse, relief and grief filled the air as Rifana cried. She wanted to say much more but her cries and whimpers made it hard for her to speak. Cody knew this feeling well as he soon hugged her, letting the young demi-girl let her bottled emotions out.
Rapthalia was shocked to see her friend, someone who kept remaining strong just to break down like that. But when she saw the Armored Hero holding out his arm to her, to let her join her friend to finally release such emotions? She took it.
The tanuki girl began to tear up and cry as well before rushing over and hugging him alongside Rifana. Erhard could only watch with a soft heart knowing that these girls were finally given some freedom and hope as he left for a bit to let the girls grieve and recover.
Cody hugged the two demi-humans tightly, sharing his warmth and kindness to them both as he held them until they were satisfied. Their cries were all that he needed to hear as well.
Regardless if they recover or not… He'll remain by their side. And even if they can't fight back? He'll make sure they will be safe. He doesn't want to see these two girls cry or be hurt ever again, and if that also means he continues to fight alone? So be it.
XXX
The Armored Hero was now heading to another shop for some supplies as the two demi-human girls followed, both now wearing new outfits. Raphtalia had a black and gray shirt with red accents in the center as she had a large knife on her waist and as for Rifana, she was wearing a tan blouse with red overalls on top as she had twin daggers and some darts.
Cody felt relieved that they weren't looking like fresh slaves anymore, but at this point, he felt like the idea of taking them in as slaves will pay dearly for him in the future.
Once arriving at the potion shop, he told them to wait outside as he dealt with a quick transaction as he stepped inside. Upon going further in he went up the counter to talk with the shop owner as he was curious on how much certain potions or herbs can be sold here? Especially when he went into detail about the two demi's accompanying him and their diseases they have at the moment.
Sadly, the owner said he didn't have anything that could help them with that, as the materials he would normally have were in an upcoming caravan that swiftly was taken down by some bandits only a few days ago.
"Listen kiddo, wish I could help you with your wards, but my hands are tied here," he admitted.
Cody sighed as he was ready to simply move on, but something else caught his eye… It was an old alchemy craft set, one that he could use and learn.
"Huh, looking to do things yourself? Well, I could give some quick lessons to help you out on making some potions." the shopkeeper observed.
Cody smiled softly with a nod, as he purchased the set. As he made his way outside, he noticed the two demi girls were watching some kids play nearby, a ball to be exact. Their tails softly swayed with eagerness as he could tell they wanted the toy too.
"Shall I get you two a ball to play with?" He asked the pair, as they flinched in response to his voice.
"Oh, uhh Mr. Hero! We-" Raphtalia stuttered.
"W-We're fine! We don't need it at all." Rifana said, chiming up to defend her friend.
Cody chuckled softly as the trio made their way but before they even set out of the town, he went to a nearby stall and bought them one ball as he handed it to the girls.
"You two can play it when we're not training, alright?" He said to them with a soft headpat for them both, "I don't want to overwork you girls too much."
"T-Thank you, Mr. Hero." Raphtalia smiled softly.
"Please, no need for formalities. You both can call me by my name. Cody." He reassured them. He wanted to show the girls he's equal with them as well.
As the day went by, Cody began asking around town to see if there were anyone who saw where the bandits went. Some would only mentioned about the rumors while many others either didn't know or simply turned him away. Suffice to say it was quite difficult to find any more information.
Rifana though began to whisper to Raphtalia, "Say, why don't we help? We can find the bandits easily!" she said, showing her fearlessness once again.
Raphtalia was conflicted, "Are you sure? What if we get caught? I don't want to go back into a cage." she feared.
"He gave us these weapons, right? If it comes to it, we'll use it to defend ourselves. Plus we have to show him we're capable, right?" The weasel demi-human noted.
"R-Right…" the raccoon demi-human finally relented, "But if this goes wrong, I blame you."
Rifana smiled as she began to look around. One detail she always had was able to spot very minor details, or even able to pick up faint scents. As she looked around something caught her nose. It smelled like… cheese? She sniffed it out as it led from one of the food stalls, all the way out past the town.
Realizing what this could be, Rifana took the lead while Raphtalia followed her from behind, the girls following the scent to where it could lead.
Back with Cody, he had walked out of another store, disappointed about another lead gone cold.
'At this rate, it'll take all day to find those bandits' he thought to himself. He was ready to just walk off with the girls and hope he just runs into new info, but as he stood there… he noticed the girls weren't around.
"Rifana? Raphtalia?!" he called out.
Feeling a bit worried, the Armored Hero quickly checked his HUD, hoping that he could see their current location. To his shock, the girls were leaving town and seemingly heading into the woods!
His mind was running with confusion as to why they would do this, as they didn't seem the type to just run, especially with that touching moment they had earlier. But he soon felt his blood run cold as he realized there was another thing…
"Crap… Are they trying to get themselves killed?!" He grimaced as he rushed ahead, hoping he could catch up to the girls before they got hurt!
XXX
The girls soon noticed a light in the woods, the sound of fire crackling in the distance. There was also the sound of merry laughter too.
'This could be it!' the girls hoped.
Sure enough, several bandits were there, laughing away at yet another successful heist for them. Nearby was not only the caravan from a few days ago, but many other things they stole from the town. Seems they were building up a way to live in luxury with the stolen goods.
"Yes! I was right!" Rifana said quietly, as she knew that the bandits were still close by if they were able to steal a caravan so easily.
"W-We found them, Rifana. We should head back and tell Mr. Hero about it…" Raphtalia said, as she was still a bit scared.
"And what do you two think you're doing? Young ladies?" A very, very disappointed voice growled.
They flinched as they turned, but instead of the Armored Hero standing there. It was the boss of the bandits. The girls tried to make a break for it, but he easily reached out and grabbed them, lifting up the girls with ease.
"Well, seems we have a couple of brats! Maybe they'll fetch us a good price in the next town?" The boss cackled out.
"I think those brats are slaves." Another bandit noted as he pointed at the slave crests.
"I'll be, you're right!" The boss noted, "Then maybe if we hand them to whatever noble lost them or needs more, we can hand these two mutts off and get a bigger payment!"
"Let me go!" Rifana shouted, soon drawing out her dagger as she waved it wildly and slashed the bandit boss's face. Raphtlia on the other hand bit down on the bandit's hand, the pain causing him to let the girls go.
"We need to run, Raphtalia!" Rifana said, taking her friend's hand as they made a break for it.
"Get those brats! Forget about the reward! They're dead meat!" The bandit boss shouted out with anger, causing the rest of them to chase after the girls.
The two demi-humans ran as fast as they can, panting as they dodged various rocks or arrows that were flung and shot at them. The bandits cackled in delight of a new hunt for them to partake.
"I-I knew this was a bad idea!" Raphtalia whined as they kept running.
"Just keep running Raphtalia! If we can make it to the town, we'll be safe!"
"But what if they start attacking other people?" The tanuki girl pointed out, making Rifana flinch as that was a possibility.
"Get back here, you little runts!" the bandit leader roared, making the girls run faster than before.
They soon saw the town in the distance as relief began to swell their minds, only for a large net to appear and catch the both of them. Raphtalia could only watch as she was frozen in fear and unsure what to do as Rifana was trying to use her other dagger to cut them free but the bandits caught up to them in no time, showing no escape.
"Now then… I think I'll have you two pay for what you did to me…" The bandit boss hissed in anger as he drew out his own large knife, "Let's see if Demi-Human's make good pelts?"
The two girls, frozen in fear, could only close their eyes, scared and wishing that they didn't leave Cody's side.
"Let them go, bastards!" A familiar voice called out.
As soon as the bandit boss turned his head, a fist struck him hard and sent him flying into the other bandits. As they tumbled, the girls recognized the voice as they opened their eyes to see Cody there, frowning at the sight.
"Tch, why don't you mind your own business?!" One bandit chimed up, each one drawing out their weapons.
Cody didn't pay attention to their threats as he looked down upon the two girls, "Raphtalia. Rifana." He called them.
"Mr. Hero!" Raphthalia wailed with relief.
"Do you understand now, not to leave my side? I can't protect you two if you run off like that." He said, giving them a slight scolding. After freeing them, the Armored Hero hugged them tight, "Never scare me like that again, okay?"
"Mr Hero..." Rifana responded with a few sniffles, before she nodded.
"Good… Now sit tight. I'll take care of these guys now." Cody patted their heads as he turned to the bandits.
After focusing his power into his belt, the Armored Hero quickly transformed into his Growing form, surprising the bandits from his change.
"Hold on boss.. I think that's one of the four Cardinal Heroes." One bandit noted with worry.
"Huh? You mean that lousy fairy tale about the 'Wavey' things?" The boss noted, showing he was oblivious to the legends.
"I mean hey, if people find out we kill the Armored Demon, we'd be swimming in dough!" A bandit chuckled
The idea of that soon sparked interest in the bandits, each one chuckling as they began to show no fear. Though Cody could only frown as he began to walk towards them, showing no fear or hesitation in taking these bandits down.
"If you think you can take me on…. You must be crazy." Cody responded as he made the first move.
He started off by kicking up a small rock and kicking it, causing it to fly through the air and smacking a few of the bandits as it bounced off of their faces, making him rush ahead as he punched the archer, taking him down first before he turned and slammed his arm in a nearby bandits throat, as he turned to kick the next one through a tree.
"What are you punks doing? It's just one boy!" The boss growled at his men.
The other bandits growled as they charged on, attempting to take down the Armored Hero. As one bandit swung his axe, the hero stepped back before side kicking him away, as he dodged another swing from a blade before he made an axe kick to break one of the bandit's staffs, forcing the blow through to knock another bandit out.
Cody quickly smirked, "Anyone else want a go?" he taunted the bandits, "I've seen pillagers with more coordination than you guys!"
"I resent that!" One spoke up, charing with his mace as he began to swing it downward onto the Armored Hero, but Cody responded as he held back his fist and thrusted it forward, smashing through the mace like it was glass as he punched the bandit and sent him flying too.
Rifana and Raphtalia meanwhile were cheering the boy from a distance.
The bandit boss, hissed knowing this could pose a problem. But with the demi-humans, he could get an advantage as he snuck back to hide himself as he made his way towards the demi-girls to use them as bait to have the hero surrender with ease.
Yet as he reached out to try and nab one of them, Cody reacted as he jumped back and gripped the bandit boss's hand tightly, holding him down as her glared at the bandit.
"I told them that I'd protect them both… And I always aim to keep my promises…" He said with venom in his voice until he then….
*SNAP!*
He crushed the bandit's wrist like it was made out of cheap plastic. The bandit boss howled in pain from his literal stump of a hand now before he was lifted up and tossed to the rest of the bandits, causing them all to pile on top of one another.
"You all dare to harm them… They've done nothing to you!" Cody hissed out in anger.
His blood was boiling as he was reminded of not only his predicament, but also the state the two girls were in when he saw them. This whole kingdom so far has been nothing but poison, and it made him livid.
As he said that, parts of his armor briefly started to turn black before he knocked the bandit leader out with a headbutt. The Armored Hero calmed down before letting him go before turning his attention towards the girls.
They both looked a bit worried and scared for a moment. Cody quickly realized he must've lost himself in his rage and took it out on the bandits. Seeing such a sight would startle anyone so he calmed his mind a bit before approaching them.
Once he got to the two girls, he gently kneeled down as he patted their heads.
"Are you two okay?" he asked them.
"A-Are… you mad at us…?" Raphtalia asked with worry.
"No I'm not, I was just worried." He reassured them, "I thought I was going to lose you two. What made you think to do such a thing?"
"We.. We wanted to show we can be helpful too… That you wouldn't throw us away…" Rifana spoke up as she lowered her head.
Cody sighed as he scratched his head from her response, "I know you want to help… But until you both can properly defend yourselves, doing something as reckless as that will only get you hurt."
The girls nodded. "We promise we won't do it again."
Cody smiled, "Good." he noted before turning away… as his smile became a bit of a mischievous grin, "No playing with your new ball until the next town however."
"Aww! No fair!" The girls pouted in unison.
"Actions breath consequences girls. That's something you'll have to learn while with me."
"Yes sir…" The two pouted with a set of huffs.
"I told you this would fail." Raphtalia grumbled to Rifana.
"Think of this as a learning experience." Cody chuckled, patting their heads, "Now, first things first… You two will tie these bandits up nicely for the local town to take them in, understood?"
"Yes, Mr. Cody…" they groaned before getting the rope.
He smiled softly as he watched them work, each bandit groaning either in pain or gargling from their beat down that it was easy to handle for the two girls. Of course, Cody was more happy that they started to be less formal. Still needed work, but this is still a learning experience for them all.
'I mean it… I promise to save you both… Just hoping I can learn how to craft something that'll cure you two… And hopefully give you both a proper future to lead before I head off on my own again…' Cody stated in his thoughts, knowing that in the end he'll have to leave the two so he can either make sure they're both safe or should this war end and he can go home with a clear consciousness.
A/N:
Striberx: Phew, and with that another chap done! Sorry for the wait on this everyone, but its here! And with several new twists. First off, Rifana being alive. This was an idea we worked around to think about. And well, we figured it'd be an interesting change and dynamic to have Rifana here as well. We still have a plan on the girls meeting the 'corpse' of a friend, and no its not Keel, it's someone new.
HackerEX: And we get to meet the parties of the Sword and Bow Heroes too. Well, almost everyone.
striberx : Yup. Motoyasu's party and such will remain. Gotta have some annoyances, right? XD Speaking of, lets go over the two parties and their team for the time being, no? First up, Wren and his party.
HackerEX: Going with the classic Fighter, Thief, Mage set up for this one, with his party members being a pair of old drinking buddies
Striberx: Of course, more additions will be added on. And to inform everyone ahead of time? Only Motoyasu's party is gonna be wiped out later. Since we're making Wren and Ibarra much more differently from Itsuki and Ren? Might as well give them some benefits as well since we're making things a bit more digestible than the og series.
HackerEX: I mean come on, Konosuba's Aqua was somehow made better than the original Three Heroes. Aqua, the dumbest goddess I've seen in anime. That is inexcusable. Also, don't worry, Motoyasu won't be left completely alone after his party gets wiped.
Striberx: Though we will have plans on how Wren and Ibarra unlock their own Cursed Sin Weapon Series too. But that's something for a much later date. Now then, time for Ibarra. Mind doing the honors with this, Hacker? :3
HackerEX: I'm sure you guys know I love the idea of a band of misfits teaming up to save the world, so naturally I made Ibarra's party the classic group of rowdy dumbasses bound together by a similar feeling of family… and one snake in the group.
Striberx: We're confident that those who know this series, already know who's the "snake". And also yes, Ibarra will be with Rishia and even Wren will have someone but she'll be much different than anything else we have.
HackerEX: Anyway, hope you guys enjoy the month of spooks and not BRING UP CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS IN THE MIDDLE OF FUCKING SEPTEMBER!
Striberx: I'm already prepping for Easter. :3
HackerEX: Yare yare daze… Anyways, see ya. I need a drink…
Until then, later minna!