The Disgraced Hero

Castle Town: Capital of Melromarc

"Now you're absolutely sure you read the map right?" Questioned Darius as he guided the wagon around another bend.

"I've been reading the map better than you this whole trip, so yes I'm sure," Rifana replied as she examined the edges of her new mace. Her previous one had started to crack after a battle with a type of snapping-turtle monster, forcing them to buy a new one that had much larger, and sharper, edges which were constructed using an ore known as magic iron.

"Including the time you took us through a tunnel filled with giant rats," the Armory Hero reminded her.

"I had the map upside down only once," Rifana shot back, "You got us lost three times and we lost two days because of it."

"Didn't we also loose a couple of days because you let yourself get sprayed by that nasty skunk creature," Darius pointed out.

"I didn't 'let' myself get sprayed by that little demon," said Rifana with a huff, not really wanting to think about that particular event, "I just happened to not notice the stripe until it was too late."

"Well everyone in town noticed the smell," said Darius, "I do hope you remember our strategy for the next time something like that happens, because I doubt the next town will be nice enough to help us get rid of the stench for free."

"How could I forget," Said Rifana, "All we talked about for hours was strategy after that, you were even writing notes so neither of us would forget!"

"Well you know the reason for that," Darius said, "we were both lucky it was only a skunk monster that time, but what if it had been something that shot poison or acid, or had an electrified body?"

"I know, I know," said Rifana as she checked the map again before rolling it back up and sticking it back in one of her pockets, "we flush out the monster first then engage it once we know what it can do."

"And if it's a monster with ranged attacks," questioned the Armory Hero.

"You grab it's attention with your own ranged attacks while I flank around to the side or behind it," Rifana recited from memory before turning around with a question of her own, "And what do we do against armored enemies?"

"If there's no obvious weak point, we wear down or try to damage the armor and if the initial attacks don't work, we circle and strike at anything resembling a weak spot," answered Darius. "And most importantly, what do we do if we encounter an overly large monster with tendrils?"

"We book it out of there," answered Rifana, "Though to be honest I'm still not clear on why that's the strategy. I know my mace might not be the best weapon against it but you've got at least a dozen different types of cutting weapons in your inventory."

"It's uh, difficult to explain," replied the cardinal hero as he glanced at his companion's almost fully grown body, "let's just say I've done some reading where I come from and you do not want one of those things getting ahold of you."

"Well if you really think it's that big a deal-oh wow look!" exclaimed Rifana as they reached the top of a hill. In the distance was a large castle on a plateau and in the surrounding area was the largest town Darius had ever seen. "That's gotta be it! We finally made it!"

Darius smiled at his partner's enthusiasm, feeling a good bit of relief himself. As they'd been discussing, the trip from Reichnott's mansion to get to the capital had hit a few snags along the way. It started off well enough with them traveling along the road and stopping every now and then to either eat or grind levels for a while. It had been a unanimous decision to stop at one of the town's to rest at the end of the first day.

It was afterwards, however, when problems began to crop up. Darius had overheard something about a shortcut to get to the capital and, while a little skeptical, decided it was at least worth checking. This turned out to be a bad move as the reason the shortcut was not used often was the presence of bandits and monsters. Darius and Rifana were able to fight through them with little trouble, but it meant a lot more stopping and resting as well as losing a day just to change the wheel on the carriage.

The journey got slightly better after they made it back to the main road, but then Rifana had a little run-in with a skunk-like monster. She managed to kill it, but in order for them to get rid of the stench, the people of the next village had her sit in a special room where the smell couldn't escape and spent two days dousing her every few hours with what was supposed to be a remedy of sorts. Darius had suggested tomato juice, but apparently the village lacked the ability to grow tomatoes on their land.

It was then that the Otaku managed to get them lost a second time, where it was declared from that point on that Rifana would be the navigator of their little group. She did the job well, until she led them into a cave filled with rat-like monsters who wanted to chew their faces off. As far as road trips went, it had been terrible. But it also gave them both a great feeling of accomplishment as they rode down the street, taking in the numerous sights of medieval style buildings, stalls, shops and various people roaming about.

"Oh there's so much to see," said Rifana as her eyes darted from place to place as she bounced in her seat excitedly.

"We'll have plenty of time to look around in a bit," said Darius as he guided the wagon into a stable Reichnott had told them about. Apparently he had a man here who did the occasional bit of delivery work for him. The two of them had a letter explaining the situation and a list of items he was supposed to bring back to the mansion from the capital.

"Is there any chance we could go shopping for a bit," said Rifana as she leapt down once the wagon was parked.

"If we're shopping around for more weapons and materials, yeah," replied Darius as he climbed down and began unhitching the Filolial.

"You know that's not what I mean," said Rifana with her arms crossed and a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, I know," said the college student, "how about this. You go and scout around a bit for souvenirs, nothing too expensive please, and I'll get the business here wrapped up." A smile appeared on the weasel girl's face as she happily nodded and sped off. "And try to find somewhere for us to eat dinner while you're at it!" He didn't get a reply back as to whether or not she had heard him.

'All this traveling works up an appetite,' he thought as he finished leading the Filolial into a stall, 'so the quicker I get this done the quicker the both of us get what we want.' Fortunately for him, delivering the letter and explaining the situation to Reichnott's contact took almost no time at all. Apparently the man was used to running odd errands for the noble, especially since the king had run him and any other demi-loving noble out to the remote regions of Melromarc. Darius had heard the story himself but now that he was actually in the capital, it made him a little uneasy to know the ruler was probably racist.

But whatever the case, he would still probably need to see the king if for no other reason than to find the other heroes. With that in mind, Darius checked their supplies and money one more time to insure everything was set before heading out into the semi-crowded street. As his eyes scanned the crowd, he noticed the population was largely human, which made finding an animal girl that much easier. It also helped that he'd figured out Rifana had a love for necklaces, so it was no surprise when he found her in front of a stall which sold a few.

"Finding anything interesting," said Darius as he walked up next to his companion. She responded by holding up a necklace with a few pieces of metal resembling a snowflake with a small hole for a jewel.

"What do ya think," she asked, smiling like a little kid who'd found a new toy. Though when one really thought about it, she was technically still ten years old.

"I think it's well-crafted," replied the cardinal hero, "But are you sure it's practical for fighting?"

"As a matter of fact it can be," said Rifana as she pointed at the hole, "we can set jewels here that can enhance magic when we find them."

"I'm limited to only certain types of magic," Darius reminded her, "So this thing will probably only help you, assuming you can use magic."

"Everyone has at least a small degree of magical affinity," Rifana informed him, "We just need to find a magic shop first and see what the two of us can do. That's something Figneria told me. Which means if we happen to have something like this ahead of time-."

"Alright, alright," said Darius, "I can already tell you'll pester me about the ups and downs the rest of the day if I don't buy it. And I suppose it'll make for a good souvenir at least."

"Thank you!" said Rifana as she gave him a quick hug. He admittedly did enjoy seeing her happy, though his mood was quickly soured when he learned the price was one hundred and fifty silver.

"I hope that decoration does everything you say it can do," said Darius as they continued walking down the street. "I don't like paying so much for a simple aesthetic."

"But we've still got a fair bit of money thanks to you," Rifana reminded him as she moved along, examining her new trinket for a moment with a bounce in her step, "And the stall owner was nice enough to give me a deal. He said it was originally three hundred silver."

"I'm sure he says that to everyone," remarked the Armory Hero. Rifana was about to reply when she stopped suddenly, looking down one of the streets.

"What is it," questioned Darius as he looked back at his party member.

"It, it can't be," Rifana almost whispered as she stared down the street, transfixed by what she saw.

The Armory Hero looked towards where she was looking and froze as well, similar thoughts playing through their heads. 'How can it be, she was nearly dead the last time we saw here.' The two almost dismissed it as another person resembling her until she caught sight of them and stopped as well. All doubt disappeared then as the raccoon-eared girl they were looking at said a single word. "Rifana," said the raccoon girl as tears began to fall from her eyes.

"Raphtalia," said Rifana as she stepped forward slowly at first. Her friend mirrored the action for another few moments before the both of them broke into a run, meeting each other halfway as they both hugged each other. It was a touching scene as the two friends held onto each other while kneeling in the middle of the street. The moment didn't last too long, though, as a somewhat stern voice interrupted the two of them.

"Raphtalia," said a guy standing behind her, "What's all the fuss about over here?" Darius turned his attention to the speaker, noting the large green cape he wore. Underneath it was a mix of leather armor with a steel chest plate, all of which possessed fur around the edges. But the most striking feature to Darius as he pulled up his Stats screen was the shield attached to his right arm and its title as a legendary weapon.

"Oh, master Naofumi," said Raphtalia as she and Rifana got to their feet, "This is one of my childhood friends from my home village, Rifana."

"It's nice to meet you," added the weasel girl with a curtsy, "Are you the one who saved Raphtalia?"

"I'm not sure saved is the right word," replied Naofumi, "I purchased her, took care of her and trained her to fight." Indeed the raccoon girl had also grown in a similar manner to Rifana, and she was wearing a new, long-sleeved red shirt which reached down to her knees and had chainmail underneath.

"No way, you learned how to fight too," said Rifana with a questioning look at her friend.

"Well I had to or we'd both be dead right now," explained Raphtalia until a thought occurred to her, "But wait, if you're here and all grown up like this then that means." Her eyes finally settled on Darius, who'd been standing off to the side for the last couple of minutes, averting his gaze from her eyes. "Darius!" The raccoon girl bounded forward and grabbed the Armory Hero's hands.

"Uh, hey Raphtalia," said Darius in as cheerful a tone as he could muster.

"You did it after all," Raphtalia said with a smile, "You saved everyone at the mansion. When they took me here, the only thing that helped me fall asleep at night was knowing someone was helping my friends."

"Yes, I was able to save everyone," said Darius, "everyone but you. I'm, I'm sorry I wasn't faster. If I had been then maybe-."

"No," said Raphtalia as she gave him a stern expression, "you did nothing wrong Darius. Neither of us knew what was going to happen the next day, including the fact that I was going to be shipped out. You still saved Rifana and Keel and the rest of my friends and that's more than enough for me. It was thanks to you that I was able to hope again."

"But if he'd decided to ship all of you out-," the college student started to protest before being stopped by the raccoon girl.

"But he didn't," said Raphtalia, "And besides, if I hadn't been shipped out, then I wouldn't have met master Naofumi."

"Who would like an explanation on who this guy is, Raphtalia," he said with a slight bit of impatience.

"Before I tell you that," said Darius as he turned and pointed to Naofumi's shield, "I just gotta know real quick. Are you the Shield Hero?"

"What's it to you if I am," questioned Naofumi with a raised eyebrow. Raphtalia was going to speak out about her master's rudeness, but Darius stopped her by stepping forward with an outstretched hand.

"Darius Saxon," he said, "though in this world I'm apparently known as the Armory Hero."

"Armory Hero?" repeated Naofumi with an obvious hint of disbelief in his voice, "there are only supposed to be four cardinal heroes. Not to mention, you look pretty bare as far as weapons go, did you forget the armory at home?" The cardinal hero simply smiled at this as he held out his hand and conjured one of his new, magic iron axes.

"It's more precise to say that I am the armory," said Darius as he smirked a little at the surprise on Naofumi's face, "And if you're still not convinced, well I've been wanting to try something for a while now." The Armory Hero returned his ax to his inventory and concentrated his vision on his fellow hero's shield. To his pleasant surprise, the weapon copy system responded with a positive notification. "Here goes, REPLICA!"

A green light glowed on Darius's right arm for a moment before forming into a copy of Naofumi's shield, with the main difference being that his shield was darker with a white jewel instead of a green one. "What, but how?" Questioned the Shield Hero, now unable to hide his own surprise at this stranger's odd abilities.

"It's like I said, I'm the Armory Hero," repeated Darius as he held up his left arm, "Like you, I was called here from another world, but unlike you, I don't have a primary weapon. Instead I use these bands to store, summon, and replicate weapons, though the replicas aren't quite as good as the original." Naofumi seemed to consider this for a moment, muttering something under his breath about more lies from the trash king. "Anyway, do you happen to know where the other three heroes are, I kinda need to locate them and the dragon's hourglass as soon as possible before the wave hits."

"I don't know and I don't honestly care where those three are," said Naofumia as he turned to walk off.

"But we are going to the dragon's hourglass," said Raphtalia hastily, "You two should come along."

"Well I'm not letting you just walk off after finally finding you again," said Rifana before leaning in and whispering to Raphtalia, "Plus, I want to hear what it's like working with the Shield Hero." The raccoon girl rolled her eyes a bit and beckoned them to follow her. Naofumi didn't protest the two of them coming along, but his mood was still a bit sour. Then again, Darius couldn't blame him as he looked around, noting the tense atmosphere of the town as a large number of guards marched from one place to another down the street.

As it turned out, the hourglass was contained inside a massive church with a tell-tale ornate window below the red roof. What made it stand out, however, were the three spires extending from the top of the church, all of which were shaped like a bunch of triangles stacked on top of each other. 'Well that's definitely fantasy style right there,' thought the Armory Hero as they entered. A nun wearing white robes greeted them with a neutral expression and showed them to the hourglass, which resided within the center of the church. It didn't escape the Armory Hero's notice that she was wearing the rosary of the Three Heroes Church.

"Please step over here," said the nun as she showed them the entrance. The party of four moved forward as a number of metal stairs rose up mechanically to allow them entry. A collection of gasps and one low whistle from Darius could be heard as they gazed upon the device for counting down the waves. As said, it was indeed an hourglass, but it rose at least twenty to thirty feet in the air and was held up by a golden frame with two dragon statues constantly rotating around it. It was also decorated with four red jewels on the top, sides, and bottom of the hourglass.

"So this is what they use to measure the countdown to the waves," said Naofumi as they stepped forward. A burst of light suddenly emitted from his shield and Darius's bands then as two beams shot from their respective legendary weapons into the center of the hourglass. A timer appeared at the tops of their HUDs with a countdown reading twenty hours and twelve minutes.

"Well that helps," said Darius, "It'd be a pain if we had to keep coming back here to check the time."

"No kidding," agreed Naofumi, "But if this thing is right, we don't have that much time left before the wave hits." The Armory Hero nodded at this before an unfamiliar voice cut across the room.

"Is that you up there Naofumi?" said the voice as everyone turned to see a blond guy whose hair was in a ponytail. He was also wearing relatively fancy armor with a red cape. But the detail that stuck out most to Darius was the spear on his shoulder. "You still aren't fighting with flimsy armor like that are you?" 'Well don't we have an ego,' thought the Armory Hero.

"Do you know these people master Naofumi," questioned Raphtalia. The only response she got was the Shield Hero gritting his teeth. He clearly wasn't happy seeing this person.

"Just a shot in the dark here," said Darius, "but are you the Spear Hero by chance?"

"Huh," said Motoyasu as he finally noticed the three other people in the room, "Oh yeah, the one and only. I'm surprised you don't recognize me, are you new in town?"

"Just got in only a couple of hours ago actually," said Darius in the neutral polite tone he'd adopted years ago when talking to strangers.

"Well that's a relief," said Motoyasu, "I was worried you were some mercenary Naofumi hired for a party member."

"What in the world is he-," Darius was about to ask Naofumi until he noticed the Shield Hero had already started walking off with an air of utter irritation, ignoring the comment from a red-headed girl that Motoyasu was talking to him. He didn't get far, though, as another pair of newcomers suddenly blocked his way. One wore a black and white outfit with dark, spiked shoulder armor on his right shoulder and a blue scarf around his neck. His face reminded Darius of another character he'd seen in an anime with his black hair and blue eyes. 'Hello discount Kirito,' he thought while noting the legendary sword on his back.

The second newcomer was a little shorter with yellow eyes and curly blond hair, wearing a brown and white outfit with a green cape on his right shoulder and armor on his left shoulder. His weapon was a legendary bow, which was also hanging from his back. 'And that's four for four in finding all the heroes, not bad.' But something was off about the whole situation. Naofumi seemed beyond ticked to see the three of them and they didn't seem all that happy to see him either.

'What the heck kind of dynamic do these guys have going anyway?' Wondered Darius as he turned to Rifana and Raphtalia, only to frown as he noticed Motoyasu introducing himself to the raccoon girl. "An adorable thing like you shouldn't be wielding a sword," he said as he held onto one of Raphtalia's hands.

"Why are you complimenting a demi-human Sir Motoyasu?" Questioned the red-headed girl from Motoyasu's party that Darius had honestly forgotten was in the room. It's not that she wasn't pretty with her long red hair done up in a bushy ponytail and armor that left her shoulders and collar bone exposed. He'd just written her off as more of a groupie after her comment to Naofumi, and the Spear Hero hitting on Raphtalia wasn't helping in that regard.

"Because as a hero it's my sworn duty to protect such a fair maiden," said Motoyasu, "if you come along with me, I'll keep you safe from now o-WHOA HEY!" Thankfully his little performance was cut short as a certain weasel girl grabbed him by the neck of his armor and yanked him backwards, causing him to flail about on one foot as he struggled not to fall.

"I've always been one for a good romance," said Rifana, "But trust me when I say that Raphtalia isn't some weak little girl that needs your protection."

"Thank you Rifana," said Darius, "to say I was cringing just watching that is an understatement."

"Who do you think you are!" exclaimed the red-headed girl with a sneer, "You'd best call off your demi-human slave this instant!" 'Bad move,' thought the hero as he turned to the irritated party member.

"I mean I could've, if you hadn't just said that," he remarked as he pointed back to Rifana, who was now trembling in rage as her grip tightened on Motoyasu's armor.

"I," she said with a good bit of menace in her voice before suddenly grabbing and hoisting the Spear Hero over her head, "AM NO ONE'S SLAVE!" The weasel girl proceeded to toss a now screaming Motoyasu into his red-headed party member, knocking them both to the ground in a heap. "Raphtalia has already sworn her loyalty to the Shield Hero so you just back off!"

"What, that can't be true," said a confused Motoyasu, struggling to his feet as Rifana turned around in a huff and began to walk away.

"Actually it is," said Raphtalia, "I swore to fight side by side with master Naofumi."

"So tough luck," said Rifana, "Now let's get out of here Raphtalia, I'm starting to get nauseous."

"But you can't go with him," said Motoyasu to the raccoon girl, "Surely you've heard all the rumors! If you stay with him you'll only get hurt!" This comment was the last straw as Naofumi, who'd been quietly watching in irritation, finally stepped forward towards Motoyasu. But Darius intervened with a hand on his shoulder.

"Forget about it," said Darius, "It's obvious now he's more bark than bite and besides, we've got bigger problems coming our way." The Shield Hero looked like he wanted to argue this point, but in the end he simply turned and began walking out of the church, calling for Raphtalia who quickly followed behind him.

"Darius," said Rifana with a questioning look as she glanced between him and her retreating friend.

"You head on with them," said Darius, "I've got something I need to do here real fast then I'll catch up." The weasel girl nodded as she went after Naofumi and Raphtalia.

"We'd best be going as well," said the hero with the bow as he turned to leave.

"Before you do," said Darius, "Would you all mind answering a few questions for me?"

"I've wasted enough time here already," said the sword hero as he headed out of the church.

"Don't mind him, Ren's always like that," said the bow hero, "What is it you want to know?"

"The rumors," explained Darius, "I was wondering if there's even the slightest bit of validity to them."

"What, are you serious?" Questioned Motoyasu, "of course they're true. He tried to force himself on my party member after all, despite her joining up to help him! It was only by sheer luck that Myne managed to escape!"

"I'm assuming you mean the redhead right there," said Darius as he pointed to the girl.

"It was awful," she said, "he came bursting into my room in a drunken state and tried to have his way with me. I don't know how I managed to get away but as soon as I did I ran straight to Sir Motoyasu."

"The king's guards also further confirmed her story," said the bow hero, "they found her nightgown torn to shreds in the room at the inn her and Naofumi were sleeping at."

"I see," said Darius as he put a hand to his chin, "You must be a tough girl then. Most victims of sexual assault are horrified by the very memory of their attackers, let alone being in the same room as them."

"If you'd seen the state she was in when the guards brought Naofumi to the castle, you'd be just as upset as we were," said Motoyasu, "What was worse, the guy not only acted like he had no idea why he was being arrested, he claimed that Myne had stolen the chain-mail she'd given to me as a gift."

"Hold on a second," said the Armory Hero, "she got you a gift the same day she was assaulted? What sort of state was she in when she came to you?"

"Weren't you listening," said an annoyed Motoyasu, "she was crying, distraught and fearing for her life."

"I wasn't talking about just her mental state," said Darius, "What was she wearing when she came to you for help? Surely a womanizer like you can remember a detail like that."

"Oh, well, uh," said the Spear Hero as he took a moment to think, "The same armor she has on now, but why's that important?"

"Because it just seems curious," explained the cardinal hero, "According to the both of you, she should've been scared out of her mind and fearing for her life. So at what point would it occur to her to get dressed in the middle of fleeing an attacker? Is modesty more important than safety in this kingdom or is she simply skilled at getting dressed while running for her life?"

"What exactly are you implying," said Myne with a glare.

"I'm saying that if you seriously look at the story concocted here, something doesn't add up," explained Darius, "It becomes even more suspect if you factor in that the major religion of this country is known as the Three Heroes church. So it's not out of the realm of possibility that someone is lying."

"How dare you!" exclaimed Myne as she stepped forward and pointed an accusing finger at him, "That shield carrying villain is nothing more than a monster! I tried to help him when he arrived and he repaid me by trying to force himself on me! This whole country would be better off if he hadn't been summoned in the first place!"

Whatever effect the girl thought her outburst was going to have on the Armory Hero, him smirking was clearly not one of them. "I never said you were the one who was lying," Darius pointed out, "Anyway, I need to get going before I'm left behind. See you all at the wave." The cardinal hero turned on his heel then and proceeded out of the church, his small triumph overshadowed only by the fact that his first impression of the other cardinal heroes, was not great.

Dining Area of Local Inn: A Short Time Later

Darius had been slightly worried he'd taken too long with his little conversation, but Rifana had planned ahead and asked Raphtalia which Inn they happened to be staying at. Though what should've been a happy mood was being rained on by Naofumi's currently pissy attitude and the disappointing meeting with the other heroes. "So I take it you weren't really given a trial were you," said Darius as he stuck some mashed potatoes into his mouth.

"It's not really any of your business," replied Naofumi, who didn't seem to have much of an appetite at the moment. Rifana and Raphtalia were eating their meals relatively slowly, not really sure what to say in the current situation.

"Are you sure," said Darius, "Because the wave hits tomorrow morning and if this crap gets in the way in the field we could all die."

"I'll be fine," said Naofumi, "You're better off worrying about yourself and Rifana. Come to think of it, why are you two still hanging around us? If you haven't noticed, I don't have the most stirring reputation in this town."

"Two simple reasons, well three but we'll get to that one," said Darius as he raised a couple of fingers, "One: the other heroes have got more than enough members in their parties already judging by what I've seen so far. And two: you might not be the most pleasant person to be around, but you're not an arrogant jack wagon or a moron that just accepts stuff without thinking twice. I know you don't want to tell me what happened when you arrived at the kingdom but I'm gonna take a guess at the other hero's reactions: They didn't even question whether or not you were innocent, they just flat out believed you did what that red head said you did."

"Figure that out yourself did you," said Naofumi with a look of indifference on his face.

"Yes, and I'm quite proud of myself," said Darius with an overzealous smile before his face returned to neutral, "Or at least I would be more proud if I didn't get a heads up about the bullshit on the way in."

"Well if you want to avoid more of it, you'd do best to avoid me," said Naofumi, "after all, cardinal weapons repel each other."

"So I've heard," said the Armory Hero with a dismissive wave, "But as I keep saying, we're all fighting the wave tomorrow and you have once again proven that you're the better choice to hang around."

"And just how did I prove that?" Questioned the Shield Hero with a raised eyebrow.

"The fact that you even bothered to mention that hanging around with you was a bad idea," The college student pointed out, "If you really didn't care, you wouldn't have warned me."

"You seem pretty confident I'm some sort of a nice guy," said Naofumi, "But you've got me pegged wrong."

"Oh in this case it's the other way around I believe," said Darius as he leaned forward with his chin on his hands, "or could you tell just by looking at me that I've already killed over twenty people since I arrived here?" This got the Shield Hero's attention as he looked up with widened eyes. "Judging by your reaction, I'd guess the answer is no, but before you freak out I should let you know they were all pieces of human filth. And you don't have to take my word for it either, just ask them."

The Armory Hero indicated Raphtalia and Rifana. "It's true," said Raphtalia, rather quietly, "I met Darius right before I was shipped off to the slave trader who sold me to you. He discovered us in the cells below the mansion of a man named Idol Rabier, he…used to torture us."

"But thanks to Darius here, he's been put out of business," said Rifana, "he laid waste to the majority of his guards and freed us from the cells. But the one who put a dagger in his throat over and over again until he finally died was me."

"You did all that," said Naofumi with a look on his face that said he was thinking rather deeply.

"The best part about the whole thing was Rabier originally invited me to his mansion after I protected his carriage from monsters," explained the Armory Hero, "He actually was willing to pay me to end your life after seeing what I could do. So the way I see it, you need all the friends you can get right now and besides, after seeing the care you've given Raphtalia, I at least owe you the benefit of the doubt, and dinner." Darius conjured a few pieces of silver in his hand and laid them down on the table. Naofumi looked at the money with the same skeptical look in his eyes, but now his expression was more neutral, as if he was deciding on something.

"Tell me," said the Shield Hero after a moment, "Did you take a huge haul from that noble?"

"Ransacked his vault right before confronting him about the children," answered Darius, "So why don't we start over with a proper introduction. I'm Darius Saxon, the Armory Hero, pleased to make your acquaintance." Naofumi sighed at this, but at long last the four of them were able to get an actual conversation going, swapping stories well into the night before finally turning in. In no uncertain terms, it appeared the Shield Hero finally had at least a couple more allies, even if he still didn't entirely trust one of them.

Castle Town: Day of the Wave

If yesterday seemed tense around the city, then it was beyond palpable today as Darius and Rifana walked out of the Inn. He would've been out a bit sooner, but he thought it best to let his partner get just a little bit more rest, especially given how quickly she was able to get her gear together nowadays. As they looked around the street, it was impossible to miss the mass of adventurers who'd been pouring in from the last few days. All of them sported varying outfits from armor, to robes, capes and even witch hats, as well as just about every weapon Darius could think of.

But the two they were looking for were standing just to the side of the street, watching the sun rise. Well, it was more correct to say that Naofumi was watching the sun rise while Raphtalia appeared to be making a rather heartfelt declaration, one which neither Rifana nor Darius dared to interrupt. The Shield Hero and the raccoon sword girl turned towards their new allies then as the Armory Hero gave a thumbs up and Rifana nodded her head. The time for talking had passed as the timer finally reached zero and the sky turned red. But what happened next, none of them expected.

A sudden bright light surrounded them as the area seemed to disappear in a flash. 'I know what's happening,' Darius realized as he felt the familiar sensation of being whisked away, 'we're being teleported!' His fears were quickly confirmed as they all reappeared in a forested area no one recognized, looking all around the new location in confusion. 'So there's no getting out and no running, which means only one thing.' "I guess it's time to get this fight started," said the Armory Hero as he conjured a one-handed ax.

"Look up there," said Raphtalia as she pointed towards the sky. Sure enough, a massive piece of what appeared to be red energy was floating through the air with what appeared to be numerous blue whirlpools dotted all around it.

"So that's the wave of catastrophe," said Naofumi as he readied his shield. Everyone else did the same with their weapons as they leapt down off a rocky crevice and began running forward. As the group advanced, the blue whirlpools started releasing numerous dark shapes which swarmed down like bats towards the area beneath the wave. It didn't take long for anyone to realize that these dark shapes were all monsters, specifically giant hornets larger than Darius's head, accompanying undead soldiers of varying shapes and sizes wearing different variations of dark armor. "I'll take point, so you'd best have some good tricks up your sleeves."

"I got one that might work," replied Darius as he opened up a four foot wide portal over his head, "let's start with Arrow Storm!" The skill activated on command and unleashed a torrent of thirty arrows in a barrage style attack, wiping out a number of the hornets and even taking out a couple of the undead soldiers. Naofumi followed up with a skill of his own as three undead soldiers closed in on him.

"Air Strike Shield!" He called as a large, glowing green shield appeared in front of him, repulsing the attacks of the undead, "Now Raphtalia!" The raccoon girl took the signal and leapt in behind the zombies, quickly decapitating all three.

"Rifana you're up," said Darius as he summoned his clawed chains against two shield and sword zombies. The weasel girl raced past him as the chain hands yanked the shields from the undead soldiers, giving her a clear opening to smash one in the chest with her mace and send it flying into its partner. She then turned around and held her mace horizontally. "Raphtalia, Darius." The two complied as they ran forward, each jumping off the mace one after the other before splitting open another couple of zombies with their respective weapons. The weasel girl then turned to face another four soldiers who'd surrounded her.

"Shield Prison!" called Naofumi as a number of green shields and some chains formed around Rifana, causing all of the undead weapons to bounce off. The skill deactivated to reveal a smirking Rifana as she swung low in a circle, breaking off all of their legs. Raphtalia and Darius came in and assisted her in finishing them off via head smashing and decapitation.

"Well that's a start," said Darius, noting that the flow of monsters was still coming. Another problem arose then as a signal flare was fired into the air.

"That's not good," said Rifana, "that flare means villagers are still in this area, but why?"

"Down there," Raphtalia said as she pointed in the distance, "that's the village of Lute. They must not have been able to evacuate in time."

"Or they think just calling for help will be enough," said Naofumi with a hint of annoyance in his voice as he seemed to be wrestling with a decision, "But even if the castle's not that far, there won't be anything left to save by the time the knight's get here."

"It might not matter whether we defend it or not. If this wave works the way we've been told, then we'll need to find and defeat a boss monster," Darius said, "Otherwise the small monsters might just keep coming." The Shield Hero took all of this information in before making a decision.

"We're splitting up," he said, "Darius, you go and make sure that boss is taken care of. Raphtalia and I will go protect the village."

"Got it," said the Armory Hero as he turned to his companion, "Rifana, you go with them."

"But what about you?" She questioned with a note of concern in her voice.

"I'll be backing up the other heroes, so I should be fine," Darius explained, "Naofumi and Raphtalia are gonna need all the help they can get saving the civilians down there, so go." She still didn't look convinced, but offered no further argument as she turned and headed off after her childhood friend and the Shield Hero. 'Now I just need to figure out a way to get there quickly,' thought Darius as he managed to spot the telltale signs of another battle happening in the distance and took off running towards it. But a slight issue blocked his way in the form of more zombie soldiers and giant hornets.

'Imitator,' thought the Armory Hero as he summoned his mask and a couple of daggers. Knowing he had no time to waste, Darius leapt, dodged around and rolled past most of the incoming enemies, cutting them down only when he was able to do so without breaking stride. But as he feared, the monsters kept coming and his progress was far too slow for his liking. 'I've got one attack which might be able to get through these guys and get me there faster,' he mused while sliding between the legs of an especially large zombie, 'but it's also gonna suck because it's the strongest and most disorienting move I've got.'

His decision was made for him, however, as another group of zombie soldiers with three large cleaver wielders in the back stepped out of the trees to block his way. "Screw it," the Armory Hero said as he disabled his mask, "Phalanx series: Rolling Armory Shell!" Multiple portals opened up around him then as he floated into the air slightly, allowing a mass of weapons and shields to gather together in the form of what amounted to a boulder with numerous sharp weapons pointed outwards. It was the most powerful move he had in his arsenal at the moment, one that put a fair drain on his mana. But that wasn't the only reason he seldom used it.

"Here goes," he said from the center of the boulder as it began rolling forward at an incredible speed, smashing and skewering anyone or anything moronic enough to get in his path. It was an effective move, especially given that while it was active, Darius still had awareness of the area outside and a bit of control over the direction of the weapons as they barreled through the trees and into the area where the boss was waiting. The downside, he was still spinning forward while inside the sphere of weapons, which didn't do so well for one's stomach. 'I'm gonna hurl if this goes on for much longer,' he thought with an increasingly queasy feeling in his stomach.

As luck would have it that was the moment when his attack finally hit a brake, in the form of the wave's boss monster. Darius felt himself go flying through the air as the sphere came apart, revealing the main enemy to be a chimera of sorts with a lion, goat and some kind of dragon's head. He also caught sight of the three heroes and their party as he shifted the weapons around the air to form underneath him. 'I didn't think I'd actually get to use this move, but a good entrance is a good entrance.'

The cardinal hero landed then and took a seat on the makeshift throne he'd brought together on an upraised, rocky outcropping. "Hey," said Motoyasu as the rest of the heroes looked questioningly at his arrival, "what in the world do you think you're doing?!"

"It just occurred to me that while I've been introducing myself a lot lately, I never told all of you," said Darius as he sat back in a seemingly confident posture, "I am he who sits upon a throne of weapons, the Armory Hero Darius Saxon at your service!"

At last the heroes have been found! And none too soon as the wave of catastrophe is upon them. Hello everyone, hope you enjoyed this latest chapter and hopefully some of the issues I've had with rushing the story were addressed in this chapter. If not, feel free to let me know in a comment or review as well as what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for future chapters. Oh and one more thing, I'm thinking of doing some reader shout outs so thank you VladImpaler for the idea about the throne of weapons and thank you Noble Eight for suggesting the story idea and character in the first place. Let me know what you think of this idea everyone. Drop in next time as Darius reveals his abilities to the other cardinal heroes. 'Til then.