How To Trigger Boss Monsters

Alright, time to try out answering guest reviews: Only one main question this week and that is Darius's connection to the false cardinal weapon. Unfortunately I can't spoil it, but the cardinal hero does have something to do with the replica weapon.

Castle of the King of Koteraan

The view from the massive balcony of the royal chambers was breathtaking. From up here one could see for miles and take in the beautiful landscape of a country which had once seemed like it was teetering on the edge of collapse. One could easily get lost in their own imaginations staring out into the distance. Although despite all of this beauty, two things marred what would've otherwise been a serene setting.

The first was the presence of ever growing storm clouds which were currently forming over the castle with the occasional flash of lightning. The second issue which interrupted the peace of the twilight scene was the sight of numerous dead soldiers littering the ground out in front of the castle, their bodies impaled and broken by countless weapons while their blood mixed with the soil and turned the road into a sickly red color. The one responsible for all of this death was currently sitting on the balcony upon a throne formed by weapons, his hand currently supporting his head which was covered with a skull-like mask that sported two antler-like horns. 'This could be you,' said a deep voice from seemingly out of nowhere, 'the country is already yours, now you need only embrace the power of greed and sloth within you.'

The figure shifted his gaze without responding to the voice as he spotted another approaching column of soldiers marching down the road. 'You've been granted the mantle of one who isn't hardly acknowledged in legend despite the contributions of your predecessors. So instead you should begin your own legend here by embracing every last bit of your destructive power. You'll become more than a hero, you will be a ruler who can shape the world as he sees fit. And for those who oppose you.'

The figure stood up then, revealing his outfit to be a modified version of the one worn by the Armory Hero, with white monster skin replacing his scarf cape and scaled boots and bracers over his hands and feet. He was also not alone as a large azure dragon landed behind him, carrying a fierce-looking demi-human girl with intimidating bandit-style armor and a woman with two wicked looking daggers wearing dark purple armor which still managed to leave little to the imagination. 'This can all be yours if you simply give in,' said the voice as the figure picked up a demonic-looking version of Raisetsu and raised it towards the sky, summoning a large white portal above the balcony. He pointed his weapon towards the approaching soldiers then as a number of gold weapons emerged and flew out of the portal, creating a mass of explosions on impact. To sum it up simply, it was a terrifying scene for all to behold.

Royal Chambers of the Castle of Koteraan

'Oh what the fuck,' thought Darius as his eyes almost shot open, 'since when does one have nightmares after celebrating?' And it had been quite a celebration as numerous people from the nearby villages had come to partake in the festivities of their new found freedom. It was mostly supposed to be a distribution of funds to help the other villages recover as well as a gathering of trustworthy nobles. Clearly they wanted to start the new rule off right as they'd arrived with numerous types of food, drinks and gifts to share with the people.

Any hope of maintaining complete order after that was lost as the villagers ate, drank and sang the songs of their country well into the night. They'd also begged Darius to let them perform a ceremonial burning of the remains of the Leshen, leaving only its skull to hang in the great hall of the castle in his honor. The Armory Hero thought it was a bit much, but the people were insistent so he eventually agreed. Johann wasn't complaining as he got to eat as much as he wanted while Rifana and Rino revealed their ability to dance. Even Figneria was convinced to demonstrate some ceremonial blade forms for the crowd's enjoyment.

As for how Darius wound up sleeping in the royal chambers, well, it wasn't really his idea. Once the party died down a little, Johann fell asleep in dragon form inside the throne room while Rifana led the cardinal hero upstairs to the room to get away from the crowd for a bit. The plan, according to his weasel-eared companion, was to get some actual rest before heading back to Melromarc the next day. Figneria had different plans, however, as she entered the chambers shortly afterwards in order to teach Darius, in her words, a valuable lesson about pleasing women.

'And damn what a lesson it was,' thought the Otaku as he glanced to his left side to see Rifana snuggled up against him. He did frown, however, once he brushed his hand across a recent scar on her bare left side, one that she'd gotten from a small bit of the Greed Series molten gold. 'Heh, embrace the powers of Greed and Sloth, not if the fallout takes those closest to me.' "Something on your mind Sir Hero," said another voice on his right as Figneria lifted herself up from beneath the covers. His former weapons teacher was currently pressed against his right shoulder while also holding onto his right arm.

"I was just thinking," said Darius, "I hope this doesn't turn out like that Game of Thrones show I've heard about."

"I'm afraid I don't catch your meaning Darius," said Figneria, her concern showing given how she used his actual name, "though it doesn't sound pleasant."

"It's a book and TV series from my world," explained the cardinal hero, "it's got a lot more of, this, in it. But also a whole lot of people dying, both good and bad. And dragons too, but they take forever to show up."

"A shame I didn't have such a thing to read while I was bored at Reichnott's mansion," said the mercenary woman as she released her former student and sat up in the bed, "though if someone were to create a book of these events, I might be tempted to read that as well."

"I doubt it'll be as interesting," said Darius, "A whole lot less political intrigue and whatnot. Not to mention it'd probably be best to leave this part out anyway."

"And why would you say that?" Questioned Figneria as she stood out of the bed, causing Darius to avert his eyes a little out of habit as she picked up her cloak and held it to her chest. "You started your journey in this world meeting and receiving training from the Queen of all Filolials herself, Fitoria, then hardly two days after that you end the reign of a horrendous noble and free several children in the process. After your training with me you went on to fight in the first wave and stood up to the king of Melromarc himself, both within the same day. You've also provided aid to numerous people, including freeing Rino when her own party betrayed her, all while helping the Shield Hero to save a village from the Spear Hero's lack of foresight. Now, just under two months since you're arrival, you've managed to succeed where another cardinal hero failed by liberating an entire country."

"Not to mention," Figneria cupped her hand under his chin, "you're also the only student I've ever given this particular test too, and for it being your first time your performance was, satisfactory. Even if not for me it certainly was for her." Darius glanced at Rifana as the girl began to stir a bit. "So if a story of your exploits does get written one day, I'd want every exquisite detail of this particular scene."

"Could you include how sleepy I am in this part too," groaned the weasel girl as her eyes finally opened, "last night was more fun than it probably should've been. Do we have to get up today?"

"Afraid so," said Darius as he brushed some of Rifana's hair out of her eyes, "the wave isn't gonna wait on us and I doubt you want to get teleported while in your birthday suit."

"So this is what they mean when they say no rest for the weary," said Rifana before yawning and sitting up, "we should also probably talk about what happened last night."

"That might be-," Darius started to say before a knock sounded on the door, or rather several irritated sounding knocks.

"Hey, are you guys awake?!" exclaimed Johann from the other side of the door. "Rino and the rest of her party have already had breakfast and left for the capital! If we don't hurry it'll be lunch time before we get there!"

"Yeah we're up," Darius called back, "just give us a sec to collect a couple of things."

"I guess I'd better help then," said Johann as he began to push open the door, "Collecting things sounds like it'd take a bit."

"NOOOOOO!" Darius and Rifana yelled at the same time before the Armory Hero barred the door with some of his chains, "We'll be out soon, until then please, do not come in here."

"Alright, geez," said Johann, "You'd think I was walking in on you in the bathroom or something." 'Oh if you only knew,' thought everyone before the two party members realized that they'd probably be the ones teaching him about it one day.

"I'd better prepare myself as well," said Figneria as she pulled on her own clothes, "someone needs to insure the election of a fair leader proceeds smoothly. So I wish you two the best of luck and may we meet again." Her former students nodded in appreciation as they proceeded to pull their own outfits back on.

Several Hours Later: Outside of Castle Town in Melromarc

It didn't take them long to get breakfast and pack up for the flight back, especially with Darius checking the countdown clock on his HUD for the arrival time of the next wave. But it didn't keep the flight from being a bit awkward along the way as the two party members tried and failed several times to hold a lasting conversation. A fact which even Johann was able to pick up on. "So did something happen last night?" Questioned the flying dragon as they approached the capital of Melromarc, "You and the Boss have been acting all weird this morning?"

"It's, well, hard to explain," Said Rifana with a sigh, "we're just thinking over a recent decision."

"I, think I understand," said Johann, "kinda like how I was wondering if eating some of that purple fruit was okay yesterday. I don't feel bad, but it did turn my tongue purple and this morning it still is. Now I don't know if it'll ever go back to normal."

"I'm pretty sure it will," said Darius, "Now we'd best set down and head in. Naofumi's gonna meet us at that little restaurant he likes to frequent, but he won't wait on us to order food, especially with a hungry Filo nagging him."

"Then we'd best double time it," said Johann as he headed for the trees, "I'm not gonna let that bird ruin my lunch by eating in front of me while I wait on mine." As it turned out, that wasn't the only problem waiting for them at the designated meeting spot.

Local Restaurant and Inn

'You've got to be kidding me,' was the collective thought on the minds of both Naofumi and Darius's parties as they noticed two particular individuals eating a couple tables over from them, Ren and Itsuki. "So, any idea why out of the hundred plus places to eat in just this section of the capital alone those two decide to eat here?" Questioned the Armory Hero.

"Who knows," said Naofumi, "but they're not trying to attack us in the middle of the street like Motoyasu, so we can probably just ignore them."

"I'm just ready to eat some yummy food, so I say let's dig in!" exclaimed Filo as their server arrived with a tray of said edible morsels. It took about two seconds for her and Johann to get into another speed-eating contest. Despite the noise the two were making, though, the cardinal heroes managed to catch a few words of Ren and Itsuki's conversation, such as how both of them couldn't get rewards for their most recent quests. They actually listened more closely when it was mentioned that a lord to the North was overtaxing his people and hiring mercenaries.

'Sounds like the guild's a bit behind on the news,' thought Darius as he went to take a bite of his food. "Well, it seems like someone needs to be taught that with great power comes great responsibility." Said Itsuki to the party member who'd brought him the news. Naofumi immediately spat out what he'd been drinking while Darius nearly choked on the food he'd just put in his mouth before coughing it back up.

"Ew, that's gross master!" exclaimed Filo as she wiped the spit off of her.

"Sorry Filo," said the Shield Hero with an actual smile on his face.

"I think I physically felt Stan Lee turn in his grave just now," added Darius as he wiped his mouth. Unfortunately, this little display was too much for the Bow and Sword Hero to ignore.

"And what exactly do you two find so funny right now?" Questioned Itsuki as he and Ren approached their table.

"Oh, we'd just had no idea a radioactive spider bit you," joked Naofumi.

"A radioactive what?" Questioned Itsuki, clearly confused at such a statement.

"It seems they don't have Marvel comics in their versions of Japan," whispered Darius.

"Yeah, so just forget we said anything," said Naofumi as they tried to go back to their meal.

"It's you two isn't it," accused Itsuki, "you've been impersonating us to steal our jobs and take the rewards for yourselves."

"Why in the world would I want to impersonate either of you?" Questioned Naofumi dismissively.

"Because who else would think up something like that," said Itsuki as he pointed at Darius, "with his abilities you could easily convince people that you're us."

"You're only half right," said the Armory Hero, "Naofumi never impersonated anyone he just cleaned up the mess that Ren left behind."

"What mess?" Questioned the Sword Hero with a raised eyebrow.

"I put a stop to an epidemic in a village," said Naofumi, "an epidemic you caused by leaving the corpse of that dragon you slayed to rot. The job request was cancelled because I got rid of it."

"It caused a what?" Said a shocked Ren as his eyes widened in realization, "But that can't be."

"Don't try changing the subject," said Itsuki, clearly not understanding the point, "what was Darius doing during that time?"

"Cleaning up the mess you left in Koteraan," explained Darius, "as I said you're half right, I did in fact impersonate you for a bit."

"So then you-," Itsuki started to say before he was cut off by the Armory Hero.

"But I didn't take your reward," said Darius, "I've been too busy toppling the corrupt governing body you left in power."

"What are you talking about?" Asked Itsuki with clear annoyance in his voice.

"I'm talking about the fact that you left the job before it was finished," said the cardinal hero, "you helped the country's resistance oust the previous king, likely without a clear understanding of the actual situation and then went on your merry way, not even bothering to see if you left someone honest in charge. Spoiler alert, the revolutionaries turned out to not only be just as bad as the previous ruler, they were worse. The pricks were hiring mercenaries to quell any dissent within the kingdom and forcing numerous people to flee the country as refugees on the verge of starvation. So my previous weapons master suggested the idea of taking up your mantle to spread fear, purge the mercenaries, and use your authority as a cardinal hero to install an actual honest governing body. Which reminds me, that lord the guild wants you to take out is probably one I already dealt with yesterday."

"So you admit to stealing my job requests," said Itsuki as he slammed his hand on the table.

"Have you not been listening," said Darius with annoyance as he stood up, "you left an entire country no better off than when you found it, all because you were clearly more concerned about playing the role of some masked vigilante. If you'd actually used your identity and authority as a cardinal hero you probably could've solved the problem without even ousting the previous king and actually saved a lot of lives. Instead you hid your identity, which is the only reason I was able to pull off my impersonation of you in the first place, all so you could play at being a hero while avoiding taking responsibility. If you're gonna beat the Empire, you gotta do more than just blow up the Death Star."

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Questioned Itsuki angrily.

"He's saying this isn't a game," Naofumi cut in as he also stood up, "there are real consequences to your actions here. Because of you two numerous people died!" This finally seemed to make them think a bit as Ren glanced at the wounds Raphtalia had sustained from the zombie dragon.

"I see, I'm, sorry," said Ren as he hung his head a bit lower.

"Wait, you actually believe these two?" Said a surprised Itsuki.

"When you think about it, they have no reason to lie about this," said Ren.

"If you understand then try not to cause any more problems," said Naofumi as he and Darius brushed past the two other heroes. The rest of their parties were quick to follow them outside, all ignoring the fact that Itsuki said he still didn't believe them on the way out. The next stop after that was Erhard's shop, where he gifted Naofumi with his newly repaired armor as well as some studded shoulder plating for Darius.

"I embedded that dragon crystal into your armor," explained Erhard as the Shield Hero examined his equipment, "And I gave both sets of armor auto-repair functions. It's likely my best work to date."

"Yeah, but I gotta know, do you want me to look like the king of the bandits this badly," commented Naofumi.

"It's not that bad," said Darius, "I've always been partial to the furred armor look myself. Though the wandering rogue look I've got going on ain't too shabby either."

"I think you both look cool!" cheered Filo happily as Johann nodded, grudgingly, in agreement with her. Rifana and Rapthalia also gave their approval before Rino's party suddenly emerged from a side alley. What was surprising, however, was the presence of a certain green-haired girl with them.

"Rishia, what are you doing here," questioned Darius as he noted that she was dressed in the same armor she'd worn at the siege in Koteraan.

"It's the least I can do after everything you've done for our kingdom," said Rishia, "I talked to Rino and the others about why they were fighting the waves and I realized that they threaten Koteraan too. So I'm going to fight alongside you all to help put an end to the waves. Also, could you tell us where to meet up next time, it was kind of difficult finding your group." She rubbed her nose sheepishly as she said this last part.

"I was afraid we'd never find you," said the lead guard as he held up a bag of coins, "It took a bit, but thanks to the Armory Hero we can more than pay for that accessory now and we even managed to get some better equipment as well."

"Then the next thing to do is stock up on any other supplies you might need," said Naofumi as he placed the accessory in the guard's hand, "use the money you gathered for that."

"So then you're really accepting us?!" Said the lead guard happily as his group's Stats began showing up on Darius and Naofumi's HUDs.

"Don't go getting the wrong idea," said the Shield Hero as his tone turned serious, "the moment you attempt to exploit me, set me up or betray me in any way, I'll make sure you regret it for the rest of your lives."

"Don't worry about that," said Rino, "we've got your backs."

"Alright then," said Naofumi, "we've got a few hours left before the next wave, so let's go over our strategy and make sure we're fully prepared." Everyone nodded in agreement as the final preparations for the wave got under way.

A Few Hours Later: Erhard's Shop

Thanks to Erhard, Naofumi's connection with the town herbs shop, and Darius's inventory ability the group was able to stock up on a large amount of medicines, potions and even left over weapons to be used for backups. The Shield Hero also gifted Raphtalia with a bracelet he'd made himself with a spell to boost her mana generation, along with a jeweled hair clip for Filo to boost her stats. The Armory Hero was just as generous, gifting a yellow stone to Rifana to use in the necklace he'd purchased for her a while back as well as a head band for Johann which turned into a collar when he transformed. The only item of business to take care of then was registering Rino's party to teleport with them as the final minutes counted down to the arrival of the wave.

"I'll be waiting in my shop," said Erhard as the mystical yellow light surrounded them all once again, "try to come back alive okay."

"Will do," said Rifana with a thumbs up. 'Yep, time for the next round of monsters,' thought Darius as they were all teleported to a village full of square stone buildings. Just like before, the sky became a swirl of colors which resembled the motion of a rolling tide, signaling the arrival of the next wave.

"Let's take 'em down!" Ordered Naofumi as the party split up around the village. The difference in this wave in comparison to the last one became obvious immediately as instead of the undead attacking, it was hordes of goblins and lizard men.

"Show me what you got!" Ordered Darius as he unleashed a hail of spears at a line of charging goblins, mowing down several with brutal efficiency. The ones that got past the barrage were quickly bashed away by a combination of blows from Rifana's mace and the skillful blows of Rino's monk staff. Johann took flight and swept around the perimeter of the village, bombarding the monsters with varying fire and lightning attacks. Meanwhile, the guards patrolled the village, evacuating civilians and taking down the smaller monsters. On the occasions where they encountered a larger one, they'd pull back and give a signal to either Naofumi or Darius, who'd jump in and bring down the creatures with a combination of defensive and offensive tactics or abilities.

A surprising help came from an old woman who was capable of beating down the smaller monsters with her bare hands! As it turned out, it was the old woman Naofumi had given enhanced medicine too, though by the looks of it he might've accidentally added steroids. This pattern of monster killing and evacuation continued for some time until the group gathered together in the center of the village. "Sir Heroes," reported the lead guard, "it looks like the evacuation of the village is complete."

"That's good," said Naofumi, "Now just focus on keeping the monsters out of this area."

"We've been keeping the monsters out of this area for three hours," said Darius as he pulled a chained flail out of the skull of a goblin, "the last wave would've been over by now so what gives, are they playing cards with the boss or something?"

"Don't ask me," Said the Shield Hero, "but if they don't stop dicking around this village could be overrun."

"Then you and your parties should go Sir Heroes," said the lead guard, "No one will be safe until the wave ends."

"Are you sure," asked Naofumi, "It'll just be you guys fighting on your own if we leave."

"You just leave this place to us," said the old woman as she slapped the lead guard's back, nearly knocking him over in the process, "Me and these whippersnappers can handle anything that comes along."

"I guess the village is in good hands then," said Darius as he whistled for Johann.

"Just try not to push your luck too much Grandma," commented Naofumi. The heroes and their party members then proceeded to climb up on their mounts and head out of the village, looking for any signs of battle. They kept in contact using the crystal ball function as the Armory Hero scouted above the forest while the Shield Hero ran through it. After a few minutes of traveling, both groups entered a canyon-like area where a number of explosions were going off in the distance.

"You seeing what I'm seeing," said Darius to Naofumi on his HUD.

"Not clearly," replied the cardinal hero, "what are we up against this time around?"

"Captain Hook's flying ship," explained the Armory Hero, "after picking up some passengers from the bad section of Davy Jones's locker." To be more precise, it was a giant flying wreck of a pirate ship with several flying monsters around it and a freakin' KRAKEN in the bottom of it thrashing its tentacles around. As for the explosions, they were being caused by a bombardment of arrows and magic, the source of which was on the left side of the canyon.

"Itsuki," called Naofumi as they both landed by the Bow Hero and his party, "Where are the others?"

"On the ship if you must know," replied Itsuki, clearly not happy to see either of them as he fired another arrow at the flying monstrosity, "I told them it'd be best to target the figurehead on the ship to spawn the soul eater, but no, they don't feel like listening to reason."

"Hate to point this out now," said Darius, "But if you've been hitting that thing for this long with no results, it might be time to change tactics." With that said, he and Naofumi took off with Johann matching the ship's speed above it while Filo landed on the mast with a couple of great leaps. The two parties quickly took stock of the situation, spotting Motoyasu's party engaged with one of the main tentacles of the kraken while Ren's party was fighting a skeleton pirate captain or Skull Captain. The Sword Hero actually managed to cut down the undead pirate, causing it to collapse into a heap on the deck of the ship.

The victory was short-lived, however, as the Skull Captain respawned in a whirl of purple energy with his health fully restored. Both Ren and Motoyasu were forced backwards by their respective monsters and bumped into each other. Unbelievably, this resulted in not only them but the rest of their parties bickering. "Oh for fuck's sake we do not have time for this," exclaimed Darius as he summoned Raisetsu to his hand, "vine trap chain!" A number of white portals opened up underneath the kraken's main tendril as several vine-covered chains grasped it, inflicting blight damage on the limb.

Rifana and Darius both leapt down then, with the weasel girl smashing the head of the limb with her mace while Johann dropped down on it with a lightning powered stomp, destroying it. "This is no time to be bickering," said Naofumi as he dropped down next to block a strike from the Skull Captain with his shield, allowing Raphtalia and Filo to knock it away with a combination of kicks and slashes.

"Darius, Naofumi," said a slightly surprised Ren as he lowered his sword for a moment.

"Shouldn't you two be off defending some village," said Motoyasu with an annoyed tone as he rested his spear on his shoulder.

"I wholeheartedly agree," said Myne, "we don't need incompetent heroes like-."

"Blow it out your royal ass," said Rifana, "we've actually managed to accomplish something in the last three hours unlike the rest of you." Myne seemed taken aback by this statement as Naofumi stepped in.

"But as long as the wave's still going more monsters are going to come," said Naofumi, "you should all be working together to take these things down but instead." He had to block a strike from the Skull Captain before continuing. "Instead you're all doing whatever you want and bickering the whole way." Another tendril from the kraken shot up onto the deck then and headed straight for him, but was quickly intercepted by a horizontal strike from Darius's ax.

"Do we really need to remind all of you that if we lose, not only will you die but the rest of the villagers will as well," said the Armory Hero as he and the Shield Hero stood back to back saying the next line together, "THIS ISN'T A GAME!"

"You really think I haven't learned that by this point!" exclaimed Ren, "That's why I've been targeting the Skull Captain to spawn the Soul Eater."

"Yeah right," laughed Motoyasu, "you've killed it how many times now without a single thing spawning."

"It has to die multiple times to make it work," argued Ren with a clenched fist. Motoyasu simply scoffed and argued back that they should be focusing on the kraken as the two parties went to bickering again.

"Great, I guess that means we're on our own," said Darius as he and Naofumi scanned the deck of the ship, "we know three methods that won't work, so what else is there?"

"I'm not seeing any special parameters from the Skull Captain," replied the Shield Hero until something caught his eye, "Rapthalia, I need you to cast some light magic over the area."

"I can give it a try," said the raccoon girl with a slight bit of hesitation.

"Do it, as much light as you can manage," urged Naofumi. Raphtalia nodded her head and closed her eyes in concentration.

"As source of thy power I order thee," she said, "decipher the laws of nature and illuminate my surroundings, fast light!" A flare-like flash went up in the air then and exploded like a firework, causing the shadows of the monsters to bend and contort as a sinister face appeared on them.

"Quickly now, attack the shadows!" ordered the Shield Hero. Rifana and Raphtalia reacted quickly and slammed their weapons into the shadow of the Skull Captain while Darius fired a small number of spears and swords into the shadows of the kraken tendrils. The result was a number of purple, vapor-like forms rising out of the shadows.

"Incredible," said Ituski as he and his party managed to climb aboard the ship, "Soul Eaters are spawning over the entire ship." Unfortunately, it was worse than that as the numerous vapors formed together in midair. What emerged was a vicious looking giant fish monster with two arms ending in clawed hands, white scales, a type of purple flaming fin covering its entire head and back with two red eyes and rows of razor sharp teeth completing the nightmare which was now floating in front of them.

'Dimensional Soul Eater,' Darius read on his HUD as he glanced at the other three heroes and noticed actual fear etched into their features. Even Naofumi seemed hesitant to strike at the beast. It didn't last long, fortunately, as Ren raised his sword and fired off a skill known as thunderbolt slash. Itsuki and Motoyasu followed his example with the skills thunder arrow and lightning spear. All three attacks landed, but the damage was minimal as the beast roared in annoyance.

"Lightning's no good," said Naofumi as he turned to his mount, "Filo, hit it with wind magic!"

"Can do, fast tornado!" sang the Filolial as she fired a small vortex at the Soul Eater. This time the attack actually managed to chip off some of the boss's health, and anger it as a green and black ball of swirling energy formed in its mouth.

"We need to stop it before it fires that attack," said Ren as he rushed forward. Motoyasu was right behind him as the attack quickly intensified.

"Everyone, get behind Darius and me," ordered Naofumi upon realizing they wouldn't stop it in time. The Shield Hero held up his viper shield while Darius held up a replica to cast a protective barrier around their collective parties. No sooner had they done this than the Soul Eater fired, causing an explosion on the deck which not only knocked the other three heroes back, but also rendered several of their party members unconscious. 'That was too close,' thought the Armory Hero as he and Naofumi lowered their shields to see the other three cardinal heroes staggering to their feet.

But other problems were also arising as the Skull Captain was reforming and more of the kraken's tentacles were reaching onto the deck. As for the Soul Eater, it was readying another energy ball attack. "Not this time," said Darius as he summoned some clawed chains to force its mouth upwards, causing the attack to fire into the air.

"Filo, hit it now!" Ordered Naofumi as the Soul Eater shook free of the chains. The Filolial nodded before using her high quick attack to hit the monster in midair before zipping around and striking it again from another angle, establishing a hit and run pattern to stay one step ahead of it. Raphtalia was quick to join in as well.

"Johann, fly below and keep that kraken off of us," ordered Darius, "Rifana, you keep that skeleton at bay."

"On it," said the two of them at the same time as the dragon took flight and the weasel girl knocked the pirate captain back with a blow from a flaming mace.

"As for me, let's try this, lightning blizzard!" An electrified snowstorm formed around his weapon as he waited for Filo to move out of the way. The moment he had a shot, he swung and enveloped the boss in a contained thundering blizzard, causing the creature to shriek in pain. A chunk fell from its health bar, but there was still a problem. "I'm gonna need to recharge before I can use a full power attack again."

"So it's basically just your attacks and my party's attacks hitting it right now," said Naofumi as his two companions landed back on the deck to ready for another bout of hit and run strikes. "That'll take too long, we're gonna have to try something else."

"You're not really suggesting 'that' are you?" Questioned the Armory Hero.

"The curse series," said the Shield Hero as he turned to his companions, "I'm sorry Rapthalia, I'm going to use the rage shield." The raccoon girl looked unsure only for a moment before taking hold of his hand.

"It'll be alright," said Raphtalia, "I swore to follow you through fire and fury and to always be the sword by your side. I won't be going anywhere now." Naofumi's features softened for a moment as he nodded in appreciation before turning to Darius and Filo.

"If something happens, you know what to do Darius," he said, "and take care of Raphtalia too." The Armory Hero frowned but nodded in agreement as the Shield Hero stepped forward and called upon the rage shield. A red glow began to emanate from his defensive weapon while red veins stood out on his body. 'I wonder if this is what it felt like when I called upon the curse series,' thought Darius as he recalled a private conversation they'd had during the strategy meeting before the wave.

A Few Hours Ago

"So it's safe to say that your 'rage shield' is linked to the wrath portion of whatever these curse series abilities are, while I've got the Greed and Sloth portion," surmised Darius as the two stood at the back of Erhard's shop watching their companions discussing different strategies to use with their abilities.

"It might also explain how you had an easier time controlling yours," said Naofumi, "but the fact of the matter is, we just don't know enough about them yet to safely wield them."

"We might not have a choice given that each wave is more dangerous than the last," the college student pointed out, "It's highly likely that we'll need to pull out all the stops by the time this is over, including wielding this curse series."

"I never said we couldn't wield them in an emergency," said Naofumi, "but because there's so much risk involved, we need to be prepared to do what we have too if the curse series backfires on us."

"You're not seriously suggesting what I think you're suggesting," said Darius with a raised eyebrow.

"I am," said Naofumi, "In order to use them safely, only one of us should use the curse series at a time, and if the wielder goes out of control, it'll be the others responsibility to take them out."

End Flashback

'You really do think I'm that cold-hearted as to just end a friend's life like that,' mused Darius as he watched Naofumi's armor shift to a black dragon like appearance, even growing a dragon-like gauntlet and shoulder pad which went up his entire right arm. His shield had also turned jet black with a large red symbol on the front which was spewing a small but menacing flame from the now red jewel in the center. But the Shield Hero wasn't the only one affected as a roar came from both Filo and Johann, whose eyes were now glowing red as flames wrapped around their bodies, regular for Filo and blue for Johann. "You'd best get out of the way," called Darius to the other three heroes as they realized what was going on.

No sooner had they moved then Filo and Johann came flying in with a combined talon and tail attack which knocked the Soul Eater out of the sky and onto the deck of the ship. 'The fragments of the dragon emperor within them also make them susceptible to the effects of the rage shield,' the cardinal hero realized as he conjured more chains from the deck to hold the Dimensional monster down. The enraged Shield Hero took this opening to charge forward, ramming his cardinal weapon into the downed creature and engulfing its entire body in a miniature inferno. 'This heat is actually cooking my chains, I'm not sure how long I can keep this up.'

As he struggled, the other parties looked on at the spectacle, not sure what to do in that instant. "So he's basically like a wild beast now," commented Myne smugly, "it's certainly not the way a hero should be fighting."

"And just who are you to talk when you and everyone else is merely standing around!" exclaimed Raphtalia.

"What did you say, you should know your place you damn demi-," Malty started to say before Rifana stepped in yet again.

"Our place is by our friends," said Rifana, "we're not cheerleaders like you and your bimbo party members. When was the last time you did anything even remotely useful?! And that goes for the rest of you, are you all too scared to take action?!" No one had an answer for her as Raphtalia spoke again.

"Master Naofumi and Darius are both risking their lives to do the things that the rest of us aren't strong enough or brave enough to do," said Raphtalia, "Rifana and I have done everything we can to help them, but we're just not strong enough on our own. So we have to stand here and watch them go through all of this, but the three of you have been granted power, so why don't you use it? Can you really call yourselves the world's heroes if you aren't going to fight for it?!" This remark finally seemed to do something as Ren made the first move and slashed apart the Skull Captain which had resurrected behind Darius.

Itsuki jumped in next with a scattershot version of thunder arrow, destroying one of the kraken's tendrils which had gotten by Johann. Motoyasu was the last, and most begrudging, as he rushed forward and stabbed the Soul Eater itself. By this point, the monster had regained enough strength to throw off both Darius's chains and force Naofumi back. Filo resumed her enraged attack on the beast then, aided by the other three heroes now as each one employed a tactic of hitting it, then moving out of the way for the next attacker.

The damage they were dealing was steadily piling up and the distraction allowed Darius a moment to rest as he collapsed to one knee and looked at his ally, whose glowing red eyes seemed to be staring off into space as the flames intensified around his shield. 'You'd better not make me do it,' thought the Armory Hero as he gripped Raisetsu tighter, waiting for even the slightest movement of hostility from his friend. But the moment never came, instead, the flames around his shield suddenly extinguished as his eyes returned to normal. The Shield Hero had returned to his senses, and he was determined to end this battle now.

"Shield prison!" called Naofumi as he trapped the Soul Eater in the largest version of the move Darius had seen yet. The creature thrashed and struggled inside the confined space, but to no avail as the hero used his needle shield next, impaling the monster with spikes from the walls of the prison. "Now, even your screams shall be swallowed within the embrace of this virgin ore as you suffer in anguish while your body is stabbed and skewered. Behold THE IRON MAIDEN!"

An intense glow came from his shield then as a red portal thundered open in the sky, allowing a massive iron coffin with a doll-like head to descend. The doors were pulled open by chains to reveal a mass of spikes on the inside as the imprisoned boss was deposited in the center. With a clench of the Shield Hero's fist, the doors slammed shut on the Dimensional Soul Eater with a resounding clang. It was obvious then that the battle was over, even before the iron maiden dissolved and dropped the corpse of the skewered boss monster into the canyon below. "Finally put an end to that thing," said Naofumi weakly as his armor and shield returned to normal before he collapsed to one knee.

Filo and Johann weren't far behind as they both transformed and collapsed onto the deck. "Ow, what just happened?" Questioned the Filolial.

"I don't know," replied Johann, "But it was awesome. Can we do that again?" This comment was obviously ignored as Raphtalia rushed over to the Shield Hero.

"Are you alright Master Naofumi?" Questioned the concerned sword girl as the cardinal hero got to his feet.

"Sure am, don't I look okay to you?" He asked back as he held his arms up as if presenting himself for inspection. Raphtalia simply nodded, happy that her hero was safe.

"So that's the power contained within that shield," Itsuki thought out loud.

"Naofumi basically cheated then is what happened," said Ren. This didn't escape the attention of Johann and Filo as the two mounts stepped forward.

"Keep telling yourself that," said the dragon boy as he pointed at the group, "he earned the power of that shield, risking even his own sanity to protect everyone. You all could be a lot stronger too if you actually worked at it."

"Ya think so, huh," said Motoyasu, "well guess what, I could've easily one-shotted that monster if I'd actually gotten serious!"

"Then why didn't you just do that?" Questioned Filo with a smirk on her face, "You aren't a sore loser are you?" This clearly caught the Spear Hero off-guard as he began to babble incoherently about how it was a no brainer and how he'd definitely do better next time. Darius shook his head at the spectacle but he was relieved nonetheless that everything turned out alright. That is until the universe decided to screw with them a little more as an ominous feeling suddenly hit all of them.

"Are you guys feeling that too," Asked Naofumi as he readied his shield.

"Unfortunately yes," replied Darius as he opened a few portals and aimed for the center of the deck where purple energy had begun to swirl. The next thing they knew, a second Dimensional Soul Eater was emerging, just as nasty as the one before it. 'Another one!' was the collective thought on everyone's head as they took various fighting positions. But this monster was not to be their opponent.

In a flash, numerous daggers of yellow light rained down on the creature from above, tearing through its flesh like it was wet paper and nailing it to the deck. That single attack accomplished in just a few seconds what had taken them several minutes to accomplish on their own, a second dead Soul Eater. "What an extraordinarily disappointing performance," said a female voice as a woman with long black hair wearing a blue kimono dropped down from above. The force of her landing was powerful enough to scatter the remains of the second Soul Eater as she drew herself up to her full height. "To have such difficulty with a weakling monster like that makes me wonder if you really are the heroes meant to hold the fate of this world in their hands."

'She may have taken out that boss monster,' thought Darius as his grip tightened on his weapon, 'but something tells me she isn't a friend.' "Truthfully, only two of you are even worthy of the title 'hero,'" continued the strange woman as she walked forward before stopping a few feet from them. "What might your names be?"

"A first meeting usually means introducing yourself before the others," said Naofumi, trying to hide his nervousness like everyone else.

"Ah forgive me," said the woman, "it seems I've forgotten my manners. I am known as Glass, and the only other thing you need to know about me is that I am your enemy."

"Well that does put a damper on friendly conversation," said the Armory Hero, "but since you asked, I'm Darius and this is Naofumi."

"Naofumi and Darius," repeated the woman as she readied a pair of iron fans with purple jewels on the edges, "Interesting names. And you are correct, the time for pleasantries has ended, so let us begin," she opened her fans and took a fighting stance as she said this, "the time has come, to fight the only battle of this wave worthy of the title."

Whew, and for the second week in a row I manage to surprise myself by yet again getting this chapter out on my original schedule. Hopefully this comes as a pleasant surprise for everyone else too, so feel free to leave a comment or review about what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for future chapters. Be sure to stop in next time as our heroes square off against the mysterious Glass and her powerful abilities. 'Til then.