The summoned heroes were woken up early morning. They were fed breakfast after being woken up and then were made to wait for a long while. No use in having them rush out of bed, Atreus figured. It was when the sun was high in the sky, probably around 10 AM, that the king finally called for them. They could barely contain their excitement as they were each led through the halls, heading to the throne room. Atreus pulled his father aside, waiting until the other Heroes were out of earshot before speaking.

'I don't think the people here like me very much,' he said.

'And what makes you think that?' Kratos asked.

'It's just…Everyone has been giving me cold looks. The king didn't seem to acknowledge my existence yesterday. And I've noticed how some people looked at you as if you were some kind of monster.'

'Aye, the disrespect we've been given so far is unacceptable,' Mimir said. 'You'd think a hero of legend would have a little bit more respect.'

'Yeah. The other Heroes didn't seem to think too highly of me as well. They think I'm useless, or something, all because I have a shield.'

Kratos put both his hands firmly on Atreus's shoulders, looking deep into his eyes.

'You are not useless,' he said. 'You've grown, Atreus. You've become stronger, faster. You have become a warrior, worthy of your namesake. You will always be strong, in my eyes. No matter what, I will be there by your side. Always.'

Atreus looked into his eyes for a moment, a smile on his face.

'Thank you, Father.'

The two continued onward, meeting the other heroes in the throne room. There were several strangers in the throne room, all dressed like they were ready to go on adventures of their own. There were at least a few knights there as well. Atreus looked around and noticed Okaya again, standing next to Ren. He was still smiling, like he had been last night. Atreus quickly found himself unnerved.

'I don't like that guy over there, the one with the bow,' Atreus whispered to his father.

'Don't you?'

'Yeah, something seems…Off about him. It's…The way he's always smiling. It looks…forced. And his eyes. They look empty. No, not empty…Dead.'

Okaya turned his head and caught Atreus staring at him. Atreus quickly looked away. They had only locked eyes briefly, but Okaya's dead gaze pierced Atreus to his soul. He couldn't sense anything resembling life behind those eyes.

'His smile is unnerving,' Kratos agreed.

'We'd probably do well to avoid him if we can,' Atreus said.

'Heroes,' King Aultcray said. 'As we have previously discussed yesterday, I have called for others to assist you all in your journey. Adventurers, please choose the Legendary Heroes you wish to journey with.'

This came as a complete shock to the heroes.

'Wait, so they get to choose, and not us?' Atreus asked.

'I mean, if you think about it, it makes sense,' Motoyasu replied. 'We all came from a different world, so what do we know about our journey? Better let the experienced civilians choose.'

'Yeah, I guess,' Atreus conceded.

The gathered adventurers began to move in the heroes's direction, beginning to form a line behind the heroes they chose. Five people stood behind Ren. Four people, all women, stood behind Motoyasu. At least four people stood behind Okaya. None of them stood behind Atreus, Kratos, and Mimir.

'What?! No allies for us?!' Mimir bellowed out. 'What gives, you old knob?!'

The king frowned as he spoke.

'I was not anticipating this at all…'

A noble appeared and whispered something into the king's ear. A few robed men behind them laughed. Aultcray sighed as he bowed his head.

'What is it?' Atreus asked.

'It appears that a rumour has spread around the castle,' King Aultcray explained. 'It is said in the legends that the Legendary Heroes have a firm knowledge of our world. The Shield Hero is lacking in this sense, from what the rumours have been saying. The people are concerned about whether you will be able to fulfil the conditions set in the texts.'

'Seriously?' Atreus replied, incredulous. Motoyasu leaned into Kratos, elbowing him gently in the side.

'Someone must've been eavesdropping on our conversation last night,' he whispered.

'Ya think?' Mimir replied. 'All this because Atreus is the Shield Hero?! The treatment he's been getting here so far is obscene!'

'Yeah, I think I deserve a little bit more respect here,' Atreus said. The king frowned, seeming indifferent. Atreus sighed and turned to Ren.

'Ren, I don't think you need five people,' he said.

'Yeah, you're right,' Ren replied. 'Anyone who cannot keep up gets left in the dust,' he said to his allies, who in turn seemed to shuffle closer to him.

'What about you Motoyasu?'

Motoyasu only grinned foolishly.

'I mean, I do have more females than anyone here…' he replied.

'Okaya?'

Okaya only stared. He never lost his smile as he made a small shrug.

'It would seem fair for us to split our allies evenly so we get the same amount. But then again, it wouldn't be fair to force them after they've made their choice.'

'Fair enough,' Atreus conceded. It was then that one woman from Motoyasu's group raised her hand.

'Sir, if you are okay with it, I can switch and join the Shield Hero,' the woman said, volunteering. Motoyasu turned to her, raising an eyebrow.

'Myne, are you sure?' he asked.

'Of course,' Myne replied.

Atreus got a good look at Myne. She was a cute-looking woman, with mid-length red hair. She was relatively tall, only slightly shorter than Atreus. Something about her looked wrong to Kratos and Atreus. Atreus and Kratos both froze when they saw her, becoming unnerved.

'It's her,' he whispered to Kratos and Mimir. 'It's the princess.'

'The one from the book?' Kratos replied.

'Yeah, the horrible manipulative one.'

'How can you tell?' Mimir asked.

'See how she acts? It's like she's barely even trying to act kind. And her clothing looks like something a princess would wear.'

'She looks two-faced,' Kratos conceded.

'Should we at least keep an eye on her while she's in our group?' Mimir suggested.

'No. After what happened with Odin, I don't want to take any chances with her. She could try something really horrible.'

Myne smiled as she walked up to Atreus. Like Okaya, her smile appeared forced. Her whole demeanour gave off the look of a really poor actor.

'Well then, shall we go off then?' she asked, forcing out a giggle.

'Uh, you know what, forget what I said earlier,' Atreus said to the king. 'I don't need any allies.'

Myne tilted her head curiously. The king frowned at Atreus.

'Are you sure?' the king asked.

'Y-yeah, I'm sure,' Atreus replied. 'I have my Father.'

'Come on, one more party member wouldn't hurt,' Myne said. 'I could show you around, and I'm an excellent fighter.'

'N-no thanks,' Atreus said quickly, becoming unnerved. 'I'm fine. I'm sure I can work things out on my own. And my father is something of a great fighter himself.'

Myne's eye twitched from frustration, although she never dropped her smile. Kratos sighed as he stepped forward, standing between Atreus and Myne.

'I shall fight for my son,' Kratos said. 'You remember, Atreus? From last night?'

'Yeah,' Atreus replied. King Aultcray sighed heavily.

'If that is what you wish,' he said, 'then there is no other way around it. I suppose you may recruit new allies if you deem it best. Each month I shall supply you all with necessary fees, though as compensation for today, Mr. Loki's fees shall be higher today.'

'That sounds fair,' Atreus replied. 'Thank you.'

'Now, I ask that you each accept the funds that we now give to you.'

Attendants came to hand the heroes their funds, as Myne slinked back into Motoyasu's group. Motoyasu smiled as he patted Myne's back in sympathy. Atreus's bag felt heavier than the other heroes.

'I have set aside 800 pieces of silver for Mr. Loki, and 600 for everyone else. Please take these funds, and begin your journey.'

'Yes sir!' The three heroes said in unison, before making a formal bow. As the four heroes left the room, Atreus caught a glimpse of Myne. The glare she gave him showed pure fury that he had rejected her from his party. Atreus got a chill up his spine, declaring to himself that he had made the right choice in rejecting her.

When Atreus, Kratos and Mimir went through the drawbridge out of the castle, they caught their first real look at the town. While they had only gotten a glimpse earlier, they were now able to take in everything. Cobblestone streets flanked tall buildings pressed together and stacked on one another. The three of them truly felt like they were in another world.

'Wow, it all looks so impressive,' Atreus remarked.

'It truly does,' Mimir replied. 'This is great, the three of us, back together again!'

'I know! I can't wait to see what kind of adventures we'll get up to in this world.'

'I can't wait either. I've missed the time we've shared together,' Kratos said.

'What should we do first?' Mimir asked.

'Maybe we should have a look around town. We can find a place that sells equipment.'

'You are the leader, we shall follow,' Kratos said.

'We're right behind you, lad,' Mimir replied.

The three of them began to walk through the town, taking in everything as they explored. The streets were packed with people, such that Atreus and Kratos had to push their way through the crowds. Some of the people noticed them and murmured to one another. Apparently, the rumours had begun to spread outside the castle as well. Atreus and Kratos paid them no mind.

It was a while of walking that they came upon a store, far from the castle. It consisted of a small shop made of wood, with a large sign in the shape of a sword hanging over the door.

'Is that a weapons store?' Mimir asked.

'Looks like it,' Atreus replied, peering through one of the windows. 'There's lots of weapons and armour on display inside. Might be worth checking out.'

The three of them entered the store, where they saw the owner wave at them.

'Welcome!' the owner said. 'You seem new around here.'

'So it is a weapon store,' Atreus observed.

'I take it this is your first time in one. You sure know how to pick one.'

'We were just looking around,' Atreus replied. 'We're looking for equipment. You know, for our adventure?'

'Well, you definitely picked the right store to find em. May I ask who you are though?'

'I think you already know the answer to that.'

Kratos grunted in affirmation. The storeowner only stared briefly before his eyes widened in surprise.

'So you're…One of those heroes? Wow!' He eyed Atreus up and down. 'Ya don't look very strong…'

Atreus sighed in frustration. Already he was being looked down upon. All because he was seemingly the weak one? He needed to get stronger.

'Listen up, Hero, if you don't get some better equipment, the other heroes are gonna wipe the floor with you.'

'Yeah. I am Loki, Champion of the Jotnar, Hero of the Shield. Things might get rough from here on out, so we've come for your assistance.'

The storeowner nodded, a smirk on his face.

'Mr. Loki was it? Well, I hope you become a regular here. Oh, and the name's Erhard. How can I help?'

He was an amicable guy, Atreus thought, though a bit blunt, like Kratos.

'Well, do you have any good equipment for us?' Atreus asked.

'I certainly do. What's your budget?' Erhard asked.

'Well, we only have about 800 silver pieces. Maybe we should spend 350,' Atreus explained.

'That much huh? Well in that case, you should check over here.'

Atreus and Kratos followed Erhard as he led them to a corner of the store, showing them various weapons and equipment.

'Say, lad, you got a favourite weapon?' he asked.

'I can't use any weapons,' Atreus replied. Erhard looked back, raising an eyebrow.

'What? Why not?'

'How do I put this?' Atreus asked, trying to think. 'I can't use any weapons other than shields. Something about this weapon violation.'

Erhard only stared, seemingly unbelieving. As if to prove it, Atreus grabbed a sword from the counter, holding it tightly. A jolt of lightning struck his hand a moment later, making him drop the sword. Erhard stared in shock, then sighed and shook his head.

'Man, you really got the short end of the straw, huh?' he said.

Atreus's eye twitched. The rumours had spread far quicker than he thought. He found himself frustrated at how the people looked down on him. It was clear that no one here respected him. Kratos put a hand on Atreus's shoulder, almost reassuring him.

'I shall be fighting for him,' he said stoically. Erhard smirked and nodded.

'Well, that about solves your problem then. Guess you're lucky to have your father here, huh?'

'Yeah. Do you have any armour we can buy?'

'Sure do! Have a look!'

Atreus and Kratos spent the next 30 minutes trying on armour that Erhard showed them. In the end, Atreus settled on basic leather armour, worn underneath a yellow tunic. The shoulder guards were oval and moderate in size, decorated with curved animal horns on each side.

The upper arms were protected by pointed, fully covering rerebraces that fit quite well under the shoulder guards. The lower arms were protected by vambraces which had wolf paws attached to the outer sides. Atreus's hands were protected by thick leather gloves.

The breastplate was made from many vertical layers of leather with edges of fur. It covered everything from the neck down and stopped at the groin. The lower legs were protected by leathered greaves that had layers of squared leather on the outer sides. Leather pants and boots were worn underneath all of this.

Erhard whistled when he saw Atreus in his new clothing.

'Well hey, now you certainly look like an adventurer at least!'

'Thanks,' Atreus replied. Kratos for his part wore only basic leather shoulder guards, decorated by three small horns on the sides, along with leather straps on his arms. He favoured mobility, apparently.

'Hey, can I get a look at that shield real quick?' Erhard said.

'Okay?'

Atreus held his arm out. He couldn't exactly take the shield off. It was stuck to his arm. Erhard muttered to himself as he examined it.

'Interesting,' he said. 'It looks like a normal shield, but it behaves…Differently.'

'What do you mean?'

'See this orb in the centre?' Erhard said, pointing to the orb in the centre of the shield. 'There's a great energy coming out of this shield. I can't exactly examine it, but it feels really powerful.'

Erhard got up, wiping the sweat from his brow.

'Thanks. You've shown me something interesting.'

'Well, if that's it, I suppose we pay you then,' Atreus said. He paid the 350 silver pieces, as Erhard put Atreus's other clothing in a sack.

'Well, thanks for stopping by,' Elhart said, handing the sack over to Atreus. 'I hope you come back again.'

'We will, thank you,' Atreus replied, taking the sack off of him. With their new gear, Atreus, Kratos and Mimir left the store, beginning their adventure at last.

Kratos, Atreus and Mimir left the castle and entered the fields. Lush, green grass went on for miles. A cobblestone road meandered off in the distance. A cool, strong breeze blew strongly from the south, rejuvenating the trio.

'Ah, a new adventure begins!' Mimir said. 'So, what first, Atreus?'

'We'll explore a bit. Maybe we'll find some useful loot nearby,' Atreus said.

'Couldn't have it any other way,' Mimir said. 'Lead the way!'

'We shall follow,' Kratos said.

The three of them wandered the country side for a long while before they came upon trouble. Out of the tall grass leapt out several small monsters. They looked like orange balloons to Atreus and Kratos. Their eyes glowed a deep crimson red, their open mouths filled with sharp teeth, signifying that they were enemies. An alert notice told Atreus that they were called 'Orange Balloons', and were indicated to be pretty weak. The balloon monsters lunged at the trio as Kratos took out the Leviathan Axe.

'Are you ready for this, Atreus?' Kratos said.

'Ready when you are!' Atreus replied.

Kratos immediately began hacking away at the Orange Balloons, ripping them to shreds easily, as Atreus began pummelling several with his fists and shield. His fists appeared to bounce harmlessly against the Balloon Monsters. No matter how hard he punched, they didn't seem to be affected by his attacks. They all suddenly drew back and lunged at Atreus, baring sharp fangs.

'Aaah!' Atreus yelled, raising his arms to defend himself as they all clamped their teeth around various parts of his body.

'Atreus!' Kratos called out, turning to Atreus.

Atreus stood motionless. He felt no pain or irritation as the Orange Balloons chewed on his body mindlessly, yet it didn't seem to affect him. He could feel an aura envelop his body like a protective barrier, seemingly protecting him from the Balloon's attacks.

Atreus smirked, before throwing the Balloon Monsters off of him, continuing to pummel them with his fists. It felt like forever that he was wailing away at them. Finally, after five whole minutes, the Balloon Monsters finally burst open.

Atreus panted as he kneeled over, sweat beading down his brow. He heard a persistent beep as he saw a metre called EXP say +1.

'Atreus?' Kratos said as he knelt by his side, concerned. Atreus looked at his father, swallowing to soothe his dry throat.

'Th-that was exhausting,' Atreus said. 'I've never felt so weak before…I saw something go up…Something called, EXP?'

'It means Experience,' Motayasu said. Kratos and Atreus looked up at him, smiling down at them. His party members were there with him as well. Malty stood behind Motoyasu. Atreus tried to avoid looking at her, but he could sense her furious gaze on him.

'What's Experience?' Atreus asked.

'So, you really don't know what a Video Game is?' Ren said. Atreus looked and saw Ren, along with his party, standing nearby.

'Relax, as two experts on Video Games, let us break all this down to you,' Motoyasu said with a chuckle. 'You see the text that says Lvl.?'

'Yeah?' Atreus said.

'It's called Level. Your levels determine how strong you are at any given time. The higher your level is, the stronger you get.'

Atreus nodded.

'Okay…Not sure I understand, but alright.'

'Experience determines how close you are to leveling up,' Ren said. 'It is gained by defeating enemies on the field. Gain enough experience, and you go up a Level. The amount of Experience needed to level up also increases as well.'

Atreus nodded.

'Okay. I think I understand. But what's this thing called, Stats?'

'Stats show how good you are at a particular thing,' Motoyasu said. 'Your stats increase as you Level up.'

'I don't understand,' Atreus said. Motoyasu nodded, sympathetic to his plight.

'Here's how it works,' Motoyasu explained. 'There are several stats. There is Strength, which determines how strong your attacks are.'

Atreus nodded.

'That explains why my attacks were so weak against those Balloons.' Come to think of it, his Strength Stat did have a pretty low number. Did that have something to do with it?

'HP means Health Points,' Ren said. 'It basically determines how much life you have. If your HP reaches zero, you die.'

'Defense determines how tough you are,' Motoyasu explained. 'The higher defence you have, the less effective an enemy's attacks are on you,'

'That makes sense. Explains why those Balloon Monsters couldn't hurt me,' Atreus replied. 'So, if I level up, does that mean my defence increases as well?'

'Yeah,' Motoyasu replied. 'The shielder class got really unbalanced as it levelled up. Eventually, nothing could even harm them.'

Atreus nodded.

'I think I'm starting to understand. So, my level determines how strong I am. I collect EXP by defeating enemies. If I get enough EXP, I go up a level, and my stats increase, in turn, making me stronger.'

'That's basically the gist of it,' Motoyasu said. Atreus smiled.

'Alright, I get it now. Thanks guys. That helped a lot.'

Motoyasu chuckled, smiling.

'If you need any more help on how things work, we'll be here when you call!'

'Well, I suppose we better get on our way then,' Ren said, turning away from them. 'Until we meet again, Loki.' he began walking away, his party members following closely behind him.

'See you later, Shield Hero!' Motoyasu said before he too left with his party.

'Yeah, see you.' Atreus said. 'They're pretty helpful, aren't they?'

'Well, they certainly seem to know what they're doing,' Mimir agreed.

'Shall we continue on, then?' Kratos asked.

'Yeah, let's go,' Atreus said. 'I wanna get some training in before it gets too dark.'

Kratos nodded.

'We go,' he said.

So, the trio went back on their way. They journeyed on for a while before they came upon a large group of Balloon Monsters. Kratos and Atreus held their ground, their weapons at the ready.

'Let's get em!' Atreus shouted, before charging at the Balloon Monsters to engage in battle with them, Kratos roaring as he followed closely behind him. It was then that a thought occurred to Atreus.

Release the wolf.

Atreus wondered why he hadn't thought of it earlier. He put all of his focus into his Spartan Rage, channelling it as he felt it surge through his body like rising fury. When it reached breaking point, he unleashed all of his rage. He roared as he transformed into his wolf form mid-air, taking a Balloon into his jaws and tearing it in half. Several of the Balloons screeched in terror as the wolf leapt at them, barking aggressively as he ripped one apart. Several Balloons tried to jump at Kratos at once and were all sliced in half by Kratos's Blades for their trouble. Three Balloons Atreus attacked and tore apart with his teeth. Another tried to bite onto him, only to be struck by Kratos throwing his Axe at it. Three more met Atreus's jaws as he tore into them. The last tried to flee, terrified, only for Atreus to chomp down on it, tearing it to ribbons. He transformed back into a human after all of them were slain.

'Well, done, Atreus,' Kratos complimented. Atreus chuckled, smirking.

'Well, at least I can use my wolf form,' he said. 'That's useful.'

'But how? Doesn't the Shield restrict you from using other weapons?' Mimir asked.

'Only other weapons,' Atreus replied. 'It doesn't seem to affect my magic though. It's a part of my Godhood, I guess. It doesn't count, it seems.'

'Aye, that makes sense. If you can use the wolf form, you may be able to use your other magic as well.'

'That's something we'll have to discover along the way.'

Several more Balloons came out of the tall grass, leaping straight towards the duo. Both of them yelled as they charged the Balloons head-on, ripping them into pieces.