A.N.: Hello, all! I have returned to my writing after far too long, and am happy to present to you the latest idea that I have been working on. A Rising of the Shield Hero fan fic that has enough aspects of Final Fantasy XIV that I am considering it a full on crossover. There will be more XIV things added as it goes on, but at start, they'll be fairly small. So, for now, sit back, relax, and enjoy!
Side note, I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or Final Fantasy XIV. Those belong to Square Enix and... whoever owns/writes Rising of the Shield Hero, respectively. I'm just playing around in their sandbox.
It was just another day for Valina as she sat at her desk, a recent library find sitting in her lap as she typed the occasional line or two on her computer. On the screen was a simple scene, her pink haired Miqo'te standing alongside her husband's as they roleplayed in the cage/bar that was their second house, in their favorite MMORPG, Final Fantasy XIV. It was her favorite way to pass the time and relax between work and house chores, along with allowing her to fill a few things that she would never be able to have outside of a fantasy. It truly amazed her, how much this game had helped to shape the woman she would become over the years and allowed her to experience so many things she so desperately wanted.
"Four Heavenly Weapons Manual, huh?" Valina remarked softly, brushing a few stray strands of red hair behind her ear, "It seems like an interesting read, that is for sure, but why are there so many blank pages?"
Valina frowned as she typed a response to her husband and one of the customers of their little shop, the book left open to the page of the Spear Hero as a free hand reached down to fix the hem of her favorite pencil skirt. The young woman sighed and shook her head at her husband's in-game antics, leaning back in her chair while looking back down to the book in her lap with yet another frown at some of the things that the books spoke of, such as a princess betraying the Heroes, something that just did not make any sense to her.
"Val, I'm heading to the store to pick up dinner, you want to come with me?" came her husband's voice from the other side of the door to her office, bringing a smile back to her face at the thought of how much he had supported her over the years, and how he didn't mind she'd never be able to give him a child.
"Yeah, give me a moment to log out and fix my makeup," Valina called back, making her excuses before cycling through the menu to leave the game once everyone had left. But as she got up and stretched, one hand rubbing her chin with a frown at the little bit of hair she felt growing there, Valina noticed that the book's pages had started to glow brightly, flipping very rapidly as it got brighter and brighter. Just as her husband came through the door, likely alarmed by the sudden lights, she was suddenly pulled in towards the book, one hand outstretched to him and a cry on her lips and -
"Alex!" came from her lips, but sounding very… wrong, and yet familiar all the same. As her vision slowly came back to her, Valina first noticed her outstretched hand lacked the pink, blue, and white she had just painted on them that morning, and her blouse looked wrong. On top of that, her surroundings were very different, looking more like some kind of old English castle with torches burning away all around them to provide an uneven light, robed figures standing in front of her and three others. Even her balance was off, and she couldn't feel her hair down her back as she typically enjoyed it.
"What the fuck happened? Where am I? And why the fuck is my bra so fucking tight yet loose at the same time!?" Valina wondered as she looked to either side of her, spotting three men standing there each holding a different weapon. There was a young man to her left with brown hair light enough to nearly look green or gold in the right light, holding a bow. And beside him, another young man with black hair wielding a sword. To her right stood the last, another black haired young man with a shield on his arm and a very confused look to his eyes equal to her own. Just as she took stock of the spear that was clasped in her own hand, one of the robed figures before them spoke up.
"O brave heroes, please save our world!" the central figure exclaimed, the only one with their hood down, hands clasped together as though in prayer. Four others stood behind them, fully cloaked and their features barely visible to the shocked woman.
"What do you mean by that?" the blond haired boy asked as he pulled lightly on the string of his bow, almost as though he was testing it. The lead figure before them spread his hands out and explained about there being a long story, and the summoning of the Four Cardinal Heroes, before once more begging for help. Just as the man to her right, the one with a shield, was saying that they should at least hear the people out, the black haired boy spoke up in refusal, along with the blond.
But Valina had frozen, barely paying attention as her hands slowly moved up and down her chest… her flat chest, lacking any signs of the progress made from years of HRT and the surgeries she had undergone. Her hips felt wrong, there was far too much hair in places that there shouldn't be, her thighs… okay, those were still quite thick, but she had always been cursed (or blessed, according to her husband) with those long before beginning her transition. Slowly things began clicking into place as the young woman looked around once more, her legs shaking causing the heels of her shoes to make little barely audible clicks against the cobblestone floor. But to her, they sounded all too loudly.
Valina's mind was trapped inside of itself as the others continued to talk around her, sounding more like a distant thing rather than just to her sides and maybe a yard or two before her. The young woman found herself becoming more distant until finally she felt the hand of one of the others on her shoulder, turning to look at the shield bearer who had come up beside her to let her know that they were on the move. Valina just slowly nodded while attempting to gather her wits about her, beginning some slow breathing exercises to calm herself before following along after the others. But her mind refused to let go and latched onto all that she had lost, not noticing anything around her until finally the four were standing before a pair of thrones in a great hall, only one of which was occupied by a man in robes of black and white with gold trim, a cloak of royal purple over his shoulders and a golden crown with an amethyst upon his brow.
"So these men are the Four Cardinal Heroes of ancient legend?" the man sitting upon the throne said, drawing Valina's attention to him and the number of advisors around him, "I am the king of Melromarc, Aultcray Melromarc XXXII. Heroes, name yourselves."
"Amaki Ren, sixteen years old, high schooler," said the first of them to step forward, the dark haired boy with a sword, which he raised up to hold the blade in his other hand.
"I suppose I'm next," said the blond haired boy, bringing his bow up to his chest, "Kawasumi Itsuki, seventeen years old, and a high schooler."
The king's gaze seemed to now focus on Valina, as though expecting her to be the next one to answer, but when she remained still it was actually the shield bearer who stepped forward next, saying, "My name is Iwatani Naofumi. I'm twenty, and a college student." But as Naofumi stepped back, the young woman noticed a dark look coming across the face of the king that got her curious and finally gave her the courage to step forward.
"I am Valina [White Noise, twenty-eight years old, author, Gunpla builder, and loving wife," she said after a moment, having taken the time to make sure that she would at least be able to sound like herself… which was only a partial success, almost as though there was something that was attempting to block her from doing so.
Her introduction seemed to bring everything to a screeching halt as everyone was now staring at her with various looks of bewilderment and shock on their faces, though her three fellow Heroes at least seemed to have some inkling of an idea as to what was going on. The king upon his throne seemed to be the most shocked, though, as a mixture of emotions flew across his face from confusion to agitation to rage, almost as though Valina had done something wrong in simply introducing herself the way that she did. But she refused to allow that to get to her, instead taking the spear that was still in her hand and slamming the butt of it on the ground in an attempt to get everyone to focus their attention on the matter at hand, saying, "For what reason have you called us all here? Why have we all been ripped away from our homes to this place?"
That seemed to work for the most part, as the king began to explain to them all about the Waves that were a threat to the kingdom and world at large, and of a prophecy speaking of how if the Waves were not stopped it would spell the destruction of their world. He spoke of the mass destruction and calamity that had been caused by the first Wave, and that despite all the local knights and adventurers rising up they had only just barely managed to stop it while suffering a great loss. They had underestimated the Wave, and knew that each one after would only be more dangerous and powerful, and so had followed a legend to summon the Four Cardinal Heroes as their only hope of being able to stop the Waves.
"We get the gist of it," Ren said, swinging his sword back down to his side, "Anyway, surely you didn't summon us expecting us to save you for free."
"Of course, once you repel all the Waves, we shall reward you handsomely," spoke up a man to the side of the king's throne, likely one of his lead advisors, a very seedy looking man that Valina right away would not trust.
The other seemed to take the words of this advisor at face value, though, each stating their acceptance of the terms provided so long as they were free to do things without being looked down upon. Valina just continued to stand there listening, leaning heavily upon the spear that she had been summoned with. Her mind was once again trapped within itself, whirling with all of the information that had been unloaded upon her and the impossibility of all that had happened. But this was no dream after collapsing at her desk while writing her next novel, no hallucination brought on by long nights of trying to work on her next custom Gundam, but her new reality that she was trapped in. And it hurt. And then something was said that once more returned her focus upon the king, as they were being asked to check their status with her being the only one still not doing so.
"I'm sorry, check my what, now?" Valina questioned softly, wondering what they were going on about.
"Bottom-right of your vision, do you see something there?" Naofumi said from right beside her, his hand hovering in that area of her vision and-
"Has that been there this whole time?" the young woman muttered as she brought her own hand up to mirror his, miming tapping on it like she was using her VR headset. When it came to life she jumped back in surprise, nearly knocking her fellow Hero over in the process as she exclaimed, "What the fuck!?"
Valina's vision was suddenly filled with some kind of display or interface, showing her the various stats that she had and the name of the spear that she was holding, the Small Spear. She frowned a little at some of the numbers that she was seeing, especially the extremely low defense that right away had her thinking, "I am going to end up a floor tank, aren't I?" But she pushed past that while listening to the explanation being given about the Status Magic that only they had access to, being the heroes, and that they would have to go out on an adventure to level up their weapons. Valina scoffed at Naofumi complaining about them not being "maxed out of the box" while pondering about how she would go out to work on increasing her level when the advisor once more informed them that they would all have to level separately, a notification appearing on her HUD confirming what she was being told.
"The sun is about to set," spoke up the king, his tone sounding a bit… suspicious to the young woman, "Rest up tonight, and set forth tomorrow. In the meantime, we'll gather the best of the best to form your parties."
Valina nodded as another woman in an off-shoulder gown stepped forward, telling them of prepared rooms and asking for them to follow after her towards the quarters. As they went, Valina heard many talking among themselves about the fact that all four Cardinal Heroes had been summoned, as though that was something unusual, and many remarks about the Shield Hero that sounded quite negative. "At least they aren't talking about me," she thought as they went along, eventually ending up in a grand hallway with several doors leading to suites. Following the lead of Itsuki, all four of them moved into one room to gather and discuss and enjoy a meal that had already been prepared for them, the smell of which hit Valina's nose and had her nearly drooling.
"Hey, isn't this kinda like a game?" Naofumi asked after their meal was finished and all four were sitting around the table.
"Yes, I suppose that it is, in a way," Valina confirmed with a nod, sipping at a cup of tea while frowning at something that just seemed… wrong.
"Well, that's because it is," chimed Itsuki, hands together over the table, "It's a world out of a console game, called Dimension Web."
Then Ren chimed in, saying, "You're wrong. It's a VRMMO. It's pretty much the exact same as Brave Star Online."
"Before we go any further…" Valina spoke up, getting up from her chair and moving towards the door. Upon wrenching it open, she saw a pair of maids crouched over near where the keyhole was, slowly looking up at the woman that currently looked like her old male self, "I do beg your pardon, ladies, but would you mind giving us some proper privacy? Or is it the norm for maids of this world to listen in on conversations that are best kept private?"
The pair of girls suddenly couldn't get away fast enough, scrambling over one another to flee back to whatever their tasks would normally be and drawing a sigh out of Valina. She shook her head and moved back towards her seat, leaving the door open this time so that she could keep an eye open for any further evesdroppers.
"Look, let us settle a few differences and discrepancies, shall we?" Valina asked as she slumped back in her chair, slowly starting to twirl the spear in her hand, "Ren, you said that this is a VRMMO, while Itsuki claims it to be a console game. And while I do not have a game that quite resembles this world exactly, I did enjoy playing Final Fantasy XIV with my husband when he wasn't streaming and I have noticed a few things in my Status Magic that are starting to resemble that instead of what it was originally. But, do you boys get what this means?"
"I think a sci-fi game I'm familiar with explored the concept," said the Bow Hero.
"I've read about them in LNs, yeah," added Naofumi.
"Welcome to the Multiverse, boys!" Valina squealed, her voice sounding perfectly normal for once as her excitement began to grow, "Each of us came from a different version of Earth, each at various points in time, each with differing technologies and settings. Now, we could go on comparing our histories, though being the only American here there are many things that I would not be able to talk about with you three, I think that we should instead - ah, yes!" The young woman smirked while tapping at her HUD, finally finding what she had been looking for - Friends List, or at least as equivalent to it as she found. A little bit of focusing had her sending invites out to the other three with a soft ping, followed by three more pings as each one of her fellow Heroes accepted it.
"To think that there are parallel worlds out there," Naofumi sighed as he collapsed back into his chair, "Why am I the only one unfamiliar with this stuff?"
"Hey, you're not entirely alone, here," Valina replied, moving over to sit on the edge of the bed and setting the spear down beside her, "I am more of a general nerd, really, and a huge Gunpla otaku, even after I began my transition."
"Are you sure that it is not just because he's the Shield Hero?" questioned Itsuki.
"It is only natural," added Ren, folding his arms across his chest and nodding.
"Wh-what're you guys talking about? Is there something wrong with the shield?" Naofumi asked, leaning forward in his chair and looking quite worried.
"Absolutely not!" Valina countered, sending dark glares towards the two high school boys that had them shivering, "Shield users are just as important as anyone else, if not more so at times. The shielder is the one that stands at the front of the party, tanking the enemies and taking all the hits. The three of us, all we are is simple DPS who whittle down our opponents. Hell, even the spear users of Final Fantasy XIV aren't immune, as Dragoons are often referred to as 'floor tanks' for how often they end up killed by AoE attacks that the greedy fools don't move out of in time!"
Valina stood there panting for breath after her long-winded rant, hands on her hips and a dark look upon her face at how quickly the other two were to judge one just on their given weapon. And though she knew it was likely some kind of stigma from their own gaming experiences, it still grated on the spear wielder how little a proper tank was appreciated. Then suddenly, realizing how her outburst could have possibly been seen, Valina straightened up and cleared her throat, one arm under her - where her bust would normally be, and the other hand in a fist before her mouth, before once again taking the lead in the conversation.
"Anyways! I do want to thank the three of you for not making a fuss like the nobles, when I mentioned being a wife," she said softly, brushing some stray dust off of her skirt and finally kicking off her heels, "It's like… transgender women aren't a thing in this world."
"And they likely aren't," Ren said with a shrug of his shoulders, "This may be a fantasy setting, but it is also medieval based. So the concept of transgender people is not something that they would consider."
"Fuck!" Valina groaned, collapsing back onto the bed with her arms spread out, "Fuck all kinds of duck!"
Valina lay there upon the bed, remarking on how soft it was and felt like it was cradling her body, as the other three remained at the table stewing over all the information they'd figured out or learned thus far. She heard them discussing about finding the ideal training grounds for their respective weapons, and speculating over what kind of party each of them would prefer to have. But Valina's mind was filled with thoughts of how to go about getting her body back, returning to her true self the way that she should be. Soon the conversation of the others turned to their stats, each of them comparing what they had in each and what they were capable of.
"What do your stats look like, Valina?" Naofumi asked, bringing the young woman out of her stupor.
"Oh, umm… hang on a sec," she replied, pulling up her stats as she sat back up, "It looks like… yeah, zero defense, at all, but my physical attack is three and magical attack… five!? General Magic of ten, which could play well into my planned build and if I can buckle down on studying. Agility is decent at two, HP is two… so, fairly average for the most part."
"But you're going to need someone that can take hits for you," Ren said in that ever calculating tone of his.
"Yeah, I'm really hoping that I can find someone to tank for me. I put too much stock in what the king can find for us, and would rather recruit in a better environment without pressure," the young woman said with a nod, arms folded across her chest and glaring at the spear that jumped into her hands.
"I think I may side with you, on that one," Itsuki agreed, standing up and stretching out, "But for now, let us retire to our rooms and hope we do not have any further evesdroppers. Good night."
And with that, the other three vacated Valina's room with farewells upon their lips and a wave of their hands. As the last one left and closed the door behind him, the new Spear Hero rose from her bed and made her way out onto the balcony overlooking the kingdom they had been summoned to. The cityscape sprawled out for miles, surrounded by a great wall before changing over to a vast field and a forest beyond that. As she took in the glow of various establishments that thrived in the night life, Valina felt the last herself beginning to collapse inwards and her mental stability crumbling around her. And with that last resistance gone, she broke down into sobbing tears, collapsing to her knees.
The next morning came bright and early with the sun shifting and shining right into Valina's eyes, pulling the young woman from her slumber and the extremely unrestful dreams that had filled her mind all night. She slowly sat up and rubbed at her eyes, the nightgown she had found in the closet just barely fitting with how tight that it was around her chest and shoulders, but it was at least long enough to allow her some comfort while sleeping on the bed that actually helped with her spinal issues. Stretching with a yawn, Valina looked to where she had set her clothes she had been wearing the previous day when summoned to this new world, just to gasp in shock at seeing that they were no longer there and instead replaced with some kind leather pants and silken top that were very clearly made for men.
"The fuck is this shit?" she growled, twirling the spear that had flown into her hand when she stopped at the chair that had at one point held her favorite pencil skirt, eye twitching with the anger that was slowly rising in her. Still growling and muttering, Valina made her way towards the closet where she had found the nightgown and began rummaging through for something more fitting that she could wear, a task that would end up taking her a good two hours or so before settling on a simple skirt and blouse that were quite modest in their fit. Slipping back into her heels, which were thankfully still where she had kicked them the night before, she took one last look around before leaving the room to meet up with her fellow Heroes, the butt of the spear on the floor sounding with every other click of her heels on the cobblestone.
"Morning, Valina," said Naofumi as he came out of his own room, still wearing the same clothes as the day before, "Did you sleep well?"
"Honestly, I slept like shit," the young woman replied with a sigh and shake of her head, running a hand through her hair, "How about you and the others? Was it at least restful for you?"
"Well, I can't speak for Ren and Itsuki, but I had a pretty decent night, myself."
Valina slowly nodded as they continued along the hallway, following without error the route that they had taken to get to their room the night before but in reverse. Before too long the pair found themselves standing before a grand set of stairs, a great portrait hanging on the wall before the next landing where the stairs split to go to either side. A portrait that caught Valina's attention as it showed not just the king that they had met the other day, but presumably his wife and daughters, refreshing the young woman's memory of the book that she had read before ending up in this world, and a warning that now seemed wise to heed.
"Naofumi, let us wait here for the others," she said, holding an arm up to stop the Shield Hero from beginning his ascent of the stairs, "There is something I think that the four of us will need to discuss before we go any further and meet the king."
Naofumi just nodded, joining Valina in looking at the painting that had caught her attention with a confused look upon his face. It wouldn't take long for the Sword and Bow Heroes to join up with their counterparts, Ren still in the same clothes as the day before but Itsuki having changed himself into something likely from his closet that would better fit into the world they were now stuck in. Greetings and pleasantries were exchanged before the other three turned their focus upon Valina as she cleared her throat.
"The four of us need to be quite careful, from here on out," she said, hands on her hips and eyes darting about to make sure that there was no one nearby to overhear her, "Before I was summoned to this world, I was reading a book that very well may have been about this world with how much of it fits with our current situation. Cardinal Weapons, Heroes, so much… but there was one thing that really stuck with me. A warning that the four of us need to heed."
"And what warning would this be?" Ren asked, arms crossed and one foot tapping on the ground.
"Beware the princess, for she will betray us. I do not know how, nor do I know when, but if that book is to be believed…."
"Then the princess will be our downfall, and drive the four of us apart," Naofumi finished, revealing to Valina that he had been reading the same book as her before they were summoned to this world.
"Then let us stand together," Itsuki said, looking to the Spear Hero like an excited puppy, "We shall be a united front, and keep each other from becoming victims to whatever ploy the princess may employ."
And with that agreement in place, and one final glance at the portrait to lock the image of the princess within their minds, the Cardinal Heroes made their way up the steps and towards the pair of large doors that would lead them into the throne rooms. To their future in this new world. For better or for worse, they were in this together, and together they would overcome any obstacles in their path.
Closing Notes: And so, there you have it! I do hope that you all have enjoyed this first chapter of my new fan fic, and look forward to future chapters to come! I think that I actually will stick with this one, for quite a while, because of how personal that this one is to me. So, farewell for now!