Adventure Universe, A small Location in Melromarc…
"Okay ladies and gents…welcome to Melromarc and visit Mythos Hearts'….Guild display! As luck has it, we are always recruiting adventurers ready for work and such. But not feeling up for the work, we already have an alternative!" Theo said.
"Thank you Theo. Now…if you don't want adventurer, we welcome you to try your hand at being one of the best warriors in Tempest. The fantastic Dungeon knights. Just ask…this guy." Luz said as a spotlight shined on Kaze as he stood there without a shirt.
"Uh…yes. We are the best of the best. The amazing Dungeon Knights." he said almost unenthusiastically.
"(Hey, were trying to make Mythos Hearts look good in the auction, show some more energy!)" Luz whispered.
"(Maybe I would if I had a shirt on!)" Kaze whispered.
"(But it shows off your tough side. Makes you more…attractive?)" Luz said.
"Besides, you said you wanted to start rebuilding your old platoon's numbers." Theo said.
"I know what I said. Cause of what happened in Tempest, Dark Dungeon is a shadow of its former self, down to about 100 to 200 personnel." Kaze said. "You all said you could help me improve on that."
"And we are. Lots of guilds do this sort of thing." Theo said.
"Oh yeah? Who besides you presents shirtless guys for a promotion campaign?" Kaze asked.
"Uh…Kazuma if he's delusional?" Luz said.
"I mean other guilds…" Kaze groaned.
"Look, we would have asked Naofumi since he is the Shield Hero. But he's busy managing his lands right now." Theo said.
"Oh yeah. I heard he got ownership of Raphtalia's old village after he repelled one of the waves around here." Kaze remembered.
"Yeah." Theo said.
A short recap…After finding Terapagos and defeating Sombron, Mythos Hearts and the Fatebreakers undertook a trip to an island called Cal Mira to improve before the next wave. It was there they encountered visitors from another world. They managed to fight them off just as the wave ended. It wasn't long after that the village Raphtalia once lived in was purchased by them as well as obtaining new allies.
"Man…feels like it was so long ago that we…oh, we got interested eyes!" Theo said.
"What? Really? Maybe this shirtless thing actually does….oh." Kaze said as they saw it was only the alliance. "Don't advertise to them. We know them."
"Uh, is there some kind of modeling thing that he's doing on the side?" David asked.
"Don't look at me, it was his stupid idea!" Kaze said, referring to Theo.
"We remember Bolin having Tenzin do something similar to bring in new airbenders." Roy said.
"Ugh…" Kaze said. "Why couldn't that demon have killed me too? I'd pray for anything to happen to end this awkward situation." he said.
A loud roaring was heard as they all looked up to see a flock of bat-like monsters descending on the venue.
"Ah yes…that'll do." Kaze said proudly.
"So much for some time off." Mermista said.
"Relax, they're just a bunch of monsters. That's hardly anything new. At least we get to stretch our legs a bit." David said.
The bat monsters swooped in and started attacking the venue without a second thought. The heroes sprung into action and started swatting them down like flies and protecting the townsfolk.
After lots of them were cut down, the rest of them retreated, leaving everyone to inspect the fallen remains.
"Ace, when you guys helped Theo out in Melromarc the last time, you see any monsters like this variety before?" Hope said.
"Unfortunately no since we didn't take part in the waves." Ace said.
"And our guild only took on one after leaving Unova. But…these monsters don't look any of the ones from the waves." Theo said.
"And look at their wings and backs." Luz said.
"The pattern…kinda looks like…turtle shells." Kaze said.
Before anyone had anytime to question what was going on, everybody felt a piercing presence in their heads, as it caused the scenery around them to go white.
"Such anger and hate…" Natyal said as she collapsed to her knees.
Far off in the distance, everyone in vision could see something coming. It was something massive, and extremely powerful. They only got a glimpse of its face before the presence stopped and everything returned to normal.
"What the hell was that?!" Hope said in shock.
"I-I have no idea. I could only make out its face." David said.
Theo on the other hand got a serious look. "Luz, return to the village. Inform the other guild members what's going on. We're all meeting at the castle. Kaze…"
"You don't even need to say it. I'll try locating the big bad beast." Kaze said as he vanished into darkness.
"I think you guys should come to the castle too. This is bound to be serious." Theo said.
"What was that…?" Natyal asked as Chien-Pao helped her sit up.
"It was definitely some kinda monster. I'm sure we'll get all the info we need once everyone's together." Hope said.
"Right." Natyal said, slightly exhausted. "(That was definitely a creature, but I've never felt such an overwhelming presence like that. And the emotions it drew out felt…unnatural and forced.)"
It was moments after they encountered the monster that everyone met up in the castle with the leaders entering the audience chamber with the queen and the other Cardinal Heroes.
"You all have my thanks for coming." Queen Mirellia Q. Melromarc thanked. "I hope this urgent meeting didn't cause any inconveniences, but I've called you here to discuss an important matter."
"No, no. It's no trouble at all, Your Majesty." David said with a bow before he stood back up. "In fact, we are more than happy to be of assistance."
"The reason we're all here is because of those bat monsters, isn't it?" Ren Amaki, the Sword hero, asked.
"I hope so. Those things were giving me the creeps." Motoyasu Kitamura, the Spear Hero said.
"Guess that means you all encountered them too." the Bow Hero, Itsuki Kawasumi added.
"Yeah. And for some reason, the countdown for the next wave has stopped." the Shield Hero, Naofumi Iwatani spoke.
"Are they connected in some way, Your Majesty?" Ace asked.
"Yes…this could mean one thing. The Spirit Tortoise in the Spirit Tortoise Kingdom has been revived." Mirellia spoke.
"Spirit Tortoise?" Hope asked.
"Once every few centuries, the Spirit Tortoise is said to bring despair across the entire world. I believe the monsters you all encountered are a parallel effect of its revival." she said.
"Horrific disaster huh? Sounds like the waves." Naofumi said as the other three heroes got up.
"Sorry…but I have something else to attend to." the Sword Hero spoke.
"Yeah me too. We're just a little too busy to deal with this." Itsuki said.
"Hey, this is a big deal you guys, sit down!" Ethox tried to convince them to stay.
"Need I remind you the only reason the heroes were summoned in the first place was to face the Waves? We don't have time to do anything else. Isn't that right, Naofumi?" Motoyasu asked as the sword, spear and bow hero began to depart.
"Same fools as last time." Ace said.
"I knew they were stubborn, but… man, it's just as bad as you said." Ethox said to Theo. "Why would they just leave like that…?"
"No idea. Even with all that's happened, they still act like they always have." Theo said.
The others outside the conference hall saw the other three heroes departing with thier parties.
"Sir Motoyasu, did you convince her?" asked a certain red haired girl. "Did you get my mother to reconsider making me a princess again?"
"I'm sorry My-...I mean Bitch. But it'll have to be next time. I promise." Motoyasu said as he started to depart.
"Sir Motoyasu…!" she cried out before growling. "Useless fool." she said before glaring at the guild. "What an ugly collection of demihumans and commoners.'
"Hey…we are what we are…Bitch." Ajna said with a smirk as the former princess just growled more as she walked off.
"What a repulsive girl." Captain Parkour said.
"You don't know the half of it, brother." Cobalt said.
"So is that…" Mayumi asked.
"Yep. She's the reason Naofumi turned out to be the kind of guy he is today." Ivy said.
"And her name is…Bitch?" Issei asked.
"Oh no. It was originally Malty. But before she could be executed, we legally changed her names. Bitch for normal, and for adventuring, its Whore." Cobalt said.
"Uh, hey, I don't feel comfortable saying that word, can I refer to her as Witch instead?" Ethox raised his hand.
"...Yeah, that can work too, I guess." Theo said.
"That innocence of yours is adorable." Nine smirked, pinching Ethox's cheek.
"Shouldn't you two…"
"No need. We were already going to go after the Tortoise even before the other three left." Theo said.
"What's the plan then? March into the Spirit Tortoise kingdom and just attack the thing?" Glimmer asked.
"You're….you're joking, right?" Theo asked. "We don't know a single thing about it. Like its weaknesses and stuff like that."
"Plus there is also the matter of equipment and assembling armies to counter it." Ainz added.
"Ainz is right. This isn't something we can just charge in against half-cocked. That is…unless you actually WANT some of us dead." David said.
"Well, we don't want that." Ethox shook his head. "Any ideas, bro?"
"We'll need to get our equipment repaired and get some new equipment to boot. Then…" Theo said looking at a green haired girl. "Rishia…are you…oh." he said seeing that the girl was staring at the Bow Hero's party as they departed.
"Well don't just stand there, tell him!" G. Aqua whispered to her.
"A-Are you sure?" Rishia asked.
"Filo didn't rescue you from drowning just so you couldn't talk to him at least once again. Just get it off your chest." G. Aqua said.
"What? No. Don't listen to her. Her ideas are terrible." Kazuma said to Rishia. "Don't do it. You can do better than him. Trust me."
"Uh, we seem to be missing something here. Who's the new girl?" Scorpia asked.
"Oh, right." Michiru said. "This is Rishia Ivyred. She used to be a member of Itsuki's party, but she sorta… got… kicked out."
"Huh? What for?" Flamberge asked.
"While we were in Cal Mira, she played a big part in repelling the wave over there. And that sorta got Itsuki's party mates jealous." Kazuma said.
"They framed her for something she didn't do, and Itsuki bought into it! She got kicked out not only because of that, but because everybody including him thought she was too weak and useless!" G. Aqua said.
"What? That's a sucky way to get ejected." David said with disgust. "Those Heroes and their egos, man, I swear… No offense to Naofumi, he is the only outlier. I'd take getting sliced to bits by Cheetah over dealing with those guys any day."
"Even after all this time, they still see this as a game." Simon said. "Thinking like that will get them or their party members killed."
"...That may turn out more true than you believe." Claire the clairvoyant said to herself as she looked in the crystal ball.
"Okay, Naofumi and the family unit can get their gear fixed at Erhad's shop. As for the rest of us…" Ultra trailed off.
"We'll be preparing the troops to march off to battle." Theo said.
"Yeah. Ainz's and Rimuru's…wait…where is Rimuru and his band?" Hope asked.
"They've gone off to take in the auction sites. The only forces from Tempest we can rely on are the Dungeon Knights." Theo said.
"Still, there must be reason for this unnatural aggression the Spirit Tortoise is bringing out." Natyal said to herself.
"I…you…me." a disembodied voice called out to her.
"Who's there?" Natyal asked.
"Something wrong, Natyal?" Ethox asked.
"I thought I heard a woman's voice. But I could barely make out what she said." Natyal said.
"We should worry about all that later." Adora said. "How have you guys enjoyed the auction so far?"
"Pretty good, up until all this happened." Legolia said.
"Yeah. We were gonna check other sites, but think that's going to have to wait until we put down the Spirit Tortoise." Cobalt said.
"Sounds good. Oh, and about that Rishia girl, you did the right thing, taking her in. You guys were never ones to turn down people in need of help." Hope said. "How's she been settling in?"
"Eh…she's had her good days, and her bad days." Grantz asked. "We had to put her on watch for a bit, but then…well, the Major decided that she should go through the same training we did."
"Wait, what?!"
"Yeah…but believe it or not, she made it through." Koenig said. "She's alot stronger than she looks. If only she could realize that herself…"
"We think if we can train Rishia up, get her to gain some more experience, maybe we could use that to get Itsuki to come around." Visha added.
"That's a good idea, but she's gotta get out there and get her hands dirty too. And considering Itsuki probably never let her have chances to fight, she's not gonna be shooting up a couple levels."
"Not unless she gets herself a Slave Crest and gets contracted to Naofumi…" Kaze said as he returned.
"What? We can't do that!" Ethox said.
"Why not? Filo and Raphtalia both have those crests too. So do some of the villagers." Theo said.
"Well, that's…" Ethox said, looking nervous and anxious. "It's just…it feels wrong, okay? I know it worked with Raph and Filo, but they got those before Naofumi joined us. And those crests are meant to protect the villagers in case somebody tried to take them again. We can't rely on them just to help others get stronger."
"Can't get squeamish if you wanna get stronger." Kaze said. "Violet knows I regret not having those crests around when dealing with some people in the past… But anyway, it'll work. She'll get a boost in XP gain by having that crest."
"But… but what if she doesn't do as she's told? You told me what those things did to Witch, and yeah, she deserved it, but Rishia's different, she doesn't need to get shocked." Ethox said.
"She won't disobey Naofumi. If she wants to get stronger so she can see Itsuki again, she won't do anything out of line." Tanya said.
"Plus, she kinda has a crush on the guy, so…" G. Aqua said.
Ethox still looked conflicted for a moment. "If we lay out all this on the table, and she says no…then that's it, no means no, got it?" he said sternly.
"Loud and clear." they all said.
"It's quite fine. It's her decision after all. She's not getting forced into it." Kaze said.
"Alright then. Let's go ahead and ask her." Ethox acquiesced.
"Oh, that's a great idea, Kaze! I was thinking the exact same thing." Raphtalia said.
"So I wasn't the only one thinking it." Kaze said.
"Wait, how are you okay with this, Raphtalia? I mean, you were the first one Naofumi ever contracted as a slave." Ethox said. "And before you met my bro, didn't something between Naofumi and Motoyasu cause you to get your crest removed?"
"That's true, but afterwards, I got a new crest. One that shows my faith in Master Naofumi as his party member." Raphtalia said. "This worked for me, so it'll work for Rishia too."
"You're surprisingly cavalier about the idea of Rishia becoming a slave." Tanya pointed out.
"I trust Master Naofumi. If I didn't, I'd never even consider it." Raphtalia answered.
"Hold it. I'm not about to force anyone to become a slave." Naofumi said.
"Who's forcing? We'll lay out all our cards on the table, and decide if she wants to take the seal or not." DJ spoke up. "No means no rule is in play here."
"That's right. It's your call, Rishia. You don't really have to do this if you don't want to." Legolia said.
Rishia thought it over for a bit before making her choice. "I will become Naofumi's slave." she said.
"All right. We'll get it all settled." Naofumi said.
With Rishia's decision set in stone, the group made a stop by Melromarc's Slave Tent, owned by the enigmatic Beloukas. A Slave Crest was easy to apply. All that was needed was a drop of the master's blood before the crest was painted onto Rishia's chest.
"You're an odd one. Normally you can never make your mind up, but you didn't hesitate when it came to this." Naofumi said as Rishia's party status was changed on his HUD. "Itsuki's respect…is it really all that important to you?"
"Yes. It's why I'm so desperate for you and everyone else in the guild to train me and get stronger." Rishia replied as she dried her eyes from the pain caused by the Slave Crests application.
"Itsuki… I know I talked smack about him earlier, but… I kind of feel bad for the poor kid." David said. "I can understand his mindset pretty well."
"How so?" Dusk asked.
"As you are all probably aware, I was bullied a lot when I was a kid." David said. "My half-blooded nature and nerdy status made me a pretty frequent target."
"So you sympathize with him because he might also have the same past as you?"
"Yeah. Just once he wanted to feel like he was the one in control. All the praise and glory that boosts his ego… He wanted to feel like he was somebody." David said.
"Yeah, I can see that. But that doesn't excuse what he's done." Kazuma said.
"I know. He treats his party like they were just there to set things up and make himself look good. Like he has some sort of god complex. Honestly, it was a miracle I was able to get out of that mindset when I did." David said. "Eikichi's death was a real eye-opener for me. The fact that I couldn't do anything to protect him left a few mental scars in me. But Itsuki… He never had the excuse of trauma. He is acting this way because he believes he is invincible. But reality has a way of bringing people like him down to earth hard."
"Time will tell if he changes." Rime said. "I don't need to look into his future just yet. Because I know that this experience will put a blow to his pride."
"And if he's still stubborn after the Spirit Tortoise is killed, we'll just rely on Rishia to knock some sense into him." Tanya said. "That also means we'll be ramping up your training, so get ready for more harsher drills." she said to Rishia.
"Hueh?!" Rishia gawked.
"Maybe lose the noise quirk first." Kaze said.
Rishia yelped again but realized it. "Wait! Sorry, I mean…yes, you all have my utmost thanks!"
"So Kaze, you figure out where this giant turtle is?"
"Yeah, it's still stomping around its home kingdom. It has caused a lot of trouble for the locals already." Kaze replied.
"Then that's our destination." Kido said.
"Right. Let's finish our prep and head off." Theo said.
"Great. I get to pull the wagon!" Filo said.
"Ah…she loves that wagon." Theo chuckled.
It wasn't long before they started mobilizing across the land and headed towards the Spirit Tortoise Kingdom. A grand outing it was on the way into the kingdom. Trading with the locals, exploring nature, camping, and so many fun things on their way into the kingdom.
But…even they couldn't ignore the people who departed alongside their forces.
"What were those…" Issei asked.
"Refugees…from the Spirit Tortoise Kingdom probably." Naofumi said.
"Has it caused that much destruction already? What kinda monster even is this Spirit Tortoise anyway?" Bow asked.
"Well, according to the handbook we got from the auction site, it's a giant turtle that has been sealed away by the previous four heroes. There are instructions on how to destroy it, but… I can't really read them. They seem faded over time." David said. "However, it also says that it played a big role in defending against the waves, so it is recommended to seal it rather than destroy it. Also known…as one of the Four Guardian Beasts. They were only meant to be released if the Heroes were not strong enough to stop the waves on their own. However, to stop the waves completely, two-thirds of all life in this world must be destroyed."
"So they're supposed to be meant as a last resort if the Cardinal Heroes can't get the job done?" Hope said. "But if they do that then, the amount of loss would be…"
"Over 5 billion lives… That's insane." Ace said.
"Hence the reason they were sealed away. But clearly someone or something has revived the tortoise, and we need to put it down." Sheer said.
"Right. No way we can put that thing back to sleep." Nemo said. "Anyone think that the other heroes'll will pull a last-minute appearance to fight?"
"Please. They'd sooner go fight the Spirit Tortoise themselves before joining with any army." Theo said as the group laughed a bit before stopping. "You…uh….you guys don't think they would…right?"
"I mean they didn't seem interested in it during the emergency meeting, but…" Ethox said.
"Yeah, they have pretty big egos if what we heard about their behaviors are true. Hard to say how trustworthy they can be in a pinch." David said.
"But that would be crazy. Sure, they're strong but there's no way they can take on some guardian beast with the parties they have." Subaru said.
"And that's why it's so important for Naofumi and them to work together right? But based on the actions so far, that's not likely."
"Yeah, and Fitoria's pretty upset about that." Naofumi said. "I get it though."
"Hold on, what're you talking about?" Rishia asked.
"Basically, if Master and the other guys like the Spear Guy can't get on the same page…" Filo said.
"She'll kill us because she's the Queen of the Filolials." Naofumi said.
"I tried folding them into the Guild minus their parties to try and get them to be better, but it didn't work and they all mostly acted on their own when it came to jobs." Theo said.
"Yeah, that's kind of what to expect when you get people like these guys." Sachiko said.
"So it's pretty bad with these guys, huh?" Ragna asked.
"Yeah, those three sure have their flaws. Ren is cool, but he's the one who sees this world as a video game the most. And his Lone Wolf act isn't doing any favors for anyone." Legolia said.
"Itsuki takes being a hero way too seriously. He thinks he's some kinda vigilante dealing out justice, so he only takes jobs related to taking down corrupt officials and helping out when it's the right time for him. And then there's the aforementioned party composition with his seniority." Kazuma said.
"And then there is Motoyasu. He's kind of a skirt-chaser that only recruits women. Not to mention he's constantly been manipulated by Bitch." Cobalt said.
"Yeah, safe to say, it's gonna take a miracle to get these guys in line." David said.
"If there is one, we could sure use it. Do you still think we have a chance at getting them to come around,bro?" Ethox asked.
"I'll admit it's a challenge. But I haven't given up on the adventure quite yet." Theo said.
"Well, we'll worry about them after current issues have been wrapped up. We can only head to the Spirit Tortoise and stop it for now." Tanya said.
"Uh…yeah…think that may have to wait. We got company." Naofumi said as the group saw several Spirit Tortoise familiars coming onto their location.
"Crap, they've gotten this far already?" Hope said.
"We've already crossed into the kingdom a while ago. And the familiars are already roaming." Theo said.
"They're headed back towards the checkpoint. We'd best take up defensive positions." Mirror Match suggested.
"Those who specialize in defense with some offense, go back and defend the civilians. The rest of you, focus on wiping out the familiars!" Kaze said.
"You heard him, let's get to work!" Tanya said as everybody split into defense and offense groups.
The combined group battled against the familiars as more and more of them kept coming as the others managed to get the last of the civilians out to safety.
"They all still keep coming. All of you…you need to keep back. I'm breaking out the Wrath Shield." Naofumi said, changing his shield.
"Crap! Move, move!" Theo said as they were all forced back and away from Naofumi as he unleashed a cataclysmic eruption, incinerating all the familiars and leaving a large crater.
"Master Naofumi!" Raphtalia called as everyone rushed to his side.
"Are you okay?" Lily asked.
"Don't worry about me…" Naofumi said as he rose to his feet. "I'm totally fine."
Natyal perked her head up before turning behind her as she saw a woman standing before her and the group. She has shiny brown hair tied into a chignon with flowers and sharp, Chinese-looking eyes. She wore a green Chinese-style dress with a hexagonal pattern resembling a turtle shell. She also had a loose shawl wrapped over her which was attached to her dress at the waist with lotus flowers.
"You must be the fabled Shield Hero." the woman spoke up.
"And so what if I am?" Naofumi asked.
"I beg of you….please kill me and put an end to this madness." she said.
"That voice…it was you." Natyal said. "Wait…you asked…to be killed? Just…who are you?"
