As much as I like the original More Than Just a Shield, I noticed its many flaws (as did most of my readers, who were entirely correct in their criticism) and decided that an overhaul was in order. Anyway, welcome one and all to More Than Just a Shield Re:Written!

A burst of green energy lit up the night rain from a remote forest.

Aris plunged the Master Sword into the body of a Yiga Footsoldier, one of a few who had made an attempt on his life.

"Certainly nothing unusual for a return to Hyrule," Aris mused. "Or rather...what's left of it."

He continued his fruitless search for survivors amid the desecrated kingdom, which once stood proud and prosperous. Now, however, it lay in shambles.

Aris soon found himself in the ruins of Hyrule Castle, rifling through the worn-down bookcases lining the walls of the library. All of the books were crumbling apart alongside the rest of Hyrule.

All, however, except one.

A red binding stuck out like a sore thumb on a shelf right at Aris's eye level. His curiosity was piqued and he slid the book off the shelf and looked at the front cover.

"'The Record of the Four Cardinal Weapons.'" He read the title aloud. Shrugging, Aris opened the book and began to read.

The narrative opened with a background on the setting: a world not unlike Hyrule. There were differences - and many of them - but the similarities were noticeable.

Then the book told of a harrowing prophecy. One of an apocalypse in the form of monstrous hordes that would spawn from the Waves of Calamity.

Calamity. Aris felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end at the mention of that word.

The narrative turned much more positive as the protagonists of the story made their appearance. They were four heroes, each wielding a different legendary weapon: a sword, a spear, a bow, and a shield. The Spear Hero stood dauntless in the name of protecting his friends. The Sword Hero worked tirelessly to grow stronger. The Bow Hero fought against all the injustices of the world.

"But what about the Shield Hero?" Aris wondered aloud. He turned the page, hoping that the Shield Hero would be profiled next.

Such was not the case. If it was, Aris certainly couldn't see it. The page appeared starkly blank in contrast to the text and illustrations that dominated those before it.

Before Aris could even think to question the blankness of the page, a light burst from the book and engulfed him. He disappeared from the library.

"What the..."

Motoyasu Kitamura was absolutely not expecting this to happen. He held a spear in his hand, but before he could even question that, someone spoke and roused him from his shock.

"Fantastic! The summons was a success!"

A group of men in ornate robes stood before him.

"O brave Cardinal Heroes!" said another one of the robed men. "Won't you please wrest our world from the clutches of evil?"

It was then that Motoyasu noticed the others present with him - all boys around his age. Two looked as painfully ordinary as him, but the third looked entirely different - and certainly far from ordinary.

Upon the request of the robed men, Motoyasu stood in stunned silence with the other two ordinary boys. One of them held a sword, and the other gripped a bow.

Meanwhile, the strange-looking boy stepped forward without hesitation. Motoyasu saw his right arm pulse with a strange green light, and in that brief illumination, he could see some mechanical bits that were just as strange as the boy himself.

"What do you mean your world needs saving?" asked the boy with the bow.

"With all due respect," said the leader of the robed men, "ours is a long and complicated story. But in summary, you are the four Cardinal Heroes spoken of in ancient prophecies, and you were summoned to this world using a ritual far more ancient than any prophecy. Our world is in a most fragile state, teetering on the brink of annihilation. As such, we humbly beg of you, o Heroes...please lend us your strength."

The green-armed boy stepped further forward. "I will do what I must."

Motoyasu could see the strange boy much more clearly now. His golden hair shined in the light coming from the windows in the nearby staircase, and it cascaded down the back of his neck like a waterfall. His ears were elongated and pointed, like that of an elf. His eyes were of two different tints - one green and the other blue. An ornate broadsword with a violet hilt was strapped to his back in an intricate scabbard. Motoyasu noticed his right arm. Sure enough, it was entirely mechanical, like something out of a movie he'd watched. Certain parts of the prosthesis pulsed with green light.

"Forget it," said the black-haired boy with the sword.

"I refuse, too," agreed the boy with the bow.

"You can send us back to our home world, right?" asked Motoyasu. "Maybe we can talk if you're able to do that."

The sword boy pointed his weapon at the robed men. "You brought us here without our consent, and you don't seem the least bit guilty about it."

"And if you throw us out as soon as we restore peace to your world, we'll have just done all that work for nothing," added the bow boy.

Motoyasu was in agreement with them. "You can accommodate our requests, can't you? Unless you want to be our enemies instead of our allies?"

The green-armed elf boy seemed shocked - not at the robed men, but at Motoyasu and the other two boys.

"P-Please, sirs," the robed leader said nervously, "with all due respect, we would like you to have an audience with His Majesty, the king of Melromarc. You may negotiate rewards directly with him."

The sword boy lowered his blade. "Fine. We'll consider it."

The four "Heroes" followed the robed men upstairs.

Aris was appalled at the gall of the other three Heroes. An entire world was at stake, yet the first thing they prioritized was their reward.

Never before have I seen someone like them be so...selfish, he thought. I'll be sure to knock sense into them if I need to.

His attention turned to the group of nobles - men and women all dressed very fancily - in the throne room. Some were glancing at him and murmuring to each other. Aris's keen Hylian hearing picked up some of their whispers.

"I thought all the Heroes had different weapons. Why are there two Sword Heroes?"

"Was the Shield Hero summoned to Shieldfreeden? Or perhaps Siltvelt?"

What are these people speaking of? Aris wondered.

He was roused from his thoughts by a deep, regal voice.

"So, you four young men are the Cardinal Heroes of legend," said a royally dressed man who sat on a grand throne in the castle's audience chamber. "Welcome to the land of Melromarc. I am her king, Aultcray Melromarc XXXII. Please, tell me your names."

The Sword Hero went first. "Ren Amaki. I'm a high school student, and I'm sixteen years old."

He was followed by the Spear Hero. "Name's Motoyasu Kitamura. College student, twenty-one."

Then came the Bow Hero. "I suppose I'm next. My name is Itsuki Kawasumi. I'm still in high school, and I'm seventeen."

"Very well," said King Aultcray. He eyed Aris. "And who are you? I...assume you are the Shield Hero, yet you carry a sword."

Aris nodded, holding out his prosthetic right arm and summoning a shield of the green energy he knew so well. "My name is Aris Harkinian Atreides, Your Majesty. I am seventeen years old, and hail from the land of Hyrule. ...A kingdom which no longer exists."

The king seemed confused but continued with his speech. "Now, then. I suppose you all are owed an explanation as to why you are here. My beloved Melromarc - nay, the entire world - is on a collision course with complete, permanent, and inevitable destruction..."

As King Aultcray told his story, a realization dawned on Aris's mind. The story was almost identical to that of the book Aris had found in Hyrule. Some things, however, were still new to him. One such thing was the Dragon Hourglass - a magical tool that marked the amount of time left until the coming Wave of Calamity. The Waves of Calamity - often referred to as just Waves - were a series of invasions in which monsters poured out from portals in the sky to destroy the world.

According to King Aultcray, the first of many Waves had already come, and Melromarc's soldiers worked together with local adventurers to miraculously stop it. Destruction, however, was still widespread across the kingdom. The second Wave would arrive in less than a month, and it would be much more destructive than the first.

"We severely underestimated their destructive power." King Aultcray tightened his grip on the armrests of his throne. "Once we experienced one firsthand and barely survived, we realized that only the four Cardinal Heroes are capable of stopping them. So we poured over ancient texts and used them to summon you here, to our world. There is no time to lose!"

A well-dressed man (presumably the king's advisor) spoke up in addition. "And once you repel all the Waves, I assure you that you shall be rewarded most handsomely."

"Will you, now?" Motoyasu seemed pleasantly surprised. "Well, you've got my attention."

"We'll work with you," said Ren, "but don't think you can keep us on leashes."

Aris muttered under his breath, "By the Goddess, these three are more conceited than any 'hero' I've met."

"Very well," said King Aultcray. "Now, I would ask you Heroes to check your statuses."

"Status?" Aris raised an eyebrow. "I...suppose I feel okay."

Itsuki and Motoyasu voiced their confusion, too.

Ren sighed. "Are you three stupid? You didn't notice the little thing in the bottom right corner of your vision?"

"I don't see anything," said Aris.

"I can see it," said Motoyasu. "But if you can't, Aris...maybe try that fancy right arm of yours?"

Aris lifted his right arm, facing his palm up. A small wisp of green energy burst from his palm as Aris felt his soul ripple within him.

Aris Harkinian Atreides

"I remember my dark past so that it does not have to be someone else's dark future."

Age 17

Sex: Male

Level: 1

Class: Swordsman Shield Hero

HP: 150/150

MP: 30/30

SP: ∞

EXP: 0/250

STATS:

ATK: 35

DEF: 30

SPD: 30

EQUIPMENT:

Weapons: Legendary Shield (Soul Energy), Master Sword

Headgear: None

Armor: Traveler's Tunic (+1 DEF), Hide Breastplate (+2 DEF)

Legwear: Hylian Trousers (+1 DEF)

Footwear: Leather Travel Boots (+1 DEF)

"Only level one?" said Itsuki. "That can't be good."

"No shit," Motoyasu agreed. "Can we really even fight like this?"

"Sir, what is all this?" Aris inquired to the king's advisor.

"That is status magic," replied the advisor. "It is exclusive to the Heroes, and it tells you various important things."

"So...what now?" Ren chimed in. "What's the first step?"

"You are to set out on an adventure to strengthen and upgrade your weapons," said the advisor. "Though I am unsure if the Shield functions as the legends told, I am sure all four of you will be able to find your path from there."

Motoyasu smirked, brandishing his spear and twirling it like a circus baton. Aris was slightly impressed, but only slightly.

"Oh, and another thing, brave Heroes," said the advisor. "I nearly forgot to mention that you four cannot travel together as a group. You must recruit other adventurers and travel separately."

"What hinders us from working together?" asked Aris.

"It is said that the Cardinal Weapons repel one another by their very nature," the advisor answered. "If you travel together, it will stunt their development."

Aris sighed. "Very well."

"The sun is about to set," said King Aultcray. "You may rest here for the night and begin your journeys tomorrow. In the meantime, we shall find the best adventurers in the land to join you."

A brunette woman in a yellow gown approached the Heroes. "We have prepared quarters for you, sirs. Right this way."

Aris sat on the edge of an ornate bed in the guest bedroom that had been set aside for him.

He could hear Ren, Motoyasu, and Itsuki conversing in the room adjacent to his, and as such, he felt a bit guilty for eavesdropping. That guilt turned to curiosity when their conversation became suddenly centered around him.

"What about that Aris guy?" Aris heard Ren say. "He doesn't seem Japanese."

"Or human." Motoyasu posited. "Did you notice his ears? They're all elf-like. His clothes, too. They're like something a medieval adventurer would wear."

"And he didn't seem confused by the sword on his back," added Itsuki, "which means he may be familiar with it. Maybe he carries it on his travels."

"But why does he have a sword?" Ren asked. "I thought I was the Sword Hero."

"That remains to be seen, I suppose," said Itsuki. "He was able to summon a shield out of some sort of green energy."

"I noticed that, too," Motoyasu put in. "Some parts of his right arm glow with that energy. And the arm seems...mechanical. Like a...ugh, what's the word?"

"Prosthesis," Itsuki clarified. "Which means he lost his right arm and lived to tell the tale."

"Sounds like he's a seasoned adventurer already," Ren mused. "But we'll find out tomorrow. We should get some sleep."

Aris silently agreed, slipping under the comforter of his bed and falling into slumber.