Return of the Winged Queen
Welcome everyone to the latest chapter of Armory of the Forgotten Hero. Now for some guest reviews: to Jason Wu- Don't worry, I've got a few fun moments planned for how Rishia's eventually gonna deal with Itsuki and his party's bullshit. And to our other guest reviewer: that what he be sayin'. Now then, onto the story!
Mansion of Lord Van Reichnott
"So fleeing from Melromarc's forces is what brought you all to my domain," surmised Reichnott as he gazed out of one of the many windows of the dining room at the setting sun. It was exactly as Darius and Rifana remembered it. A large yet simple room with white walls and a wood floor decorated with numerous pictures. Currently, the only one standing was Reichnott himself while everyone else was seated at a rather long rectangular table. "According to the knights the forest fire from yesterday evening was started by you, Sir Shield Hero, in order to cover your tracks and aid in your escape. Would you call that story accurate in anyway?"
"It's a complete and utter lie," Naofumi almost spat with his arms crossed, "I can already tell you without a doubt that the first princess is behind that occurrence."
"I thought as much," said Reichnott as he turned to face everyone else, "and I know Darius and Rifana already vouch for you so it must be the truth. In fact it was my suspicions of these reports that led me to patrol the grounds out of concern for Princess Melty, hence why you found me outside of the mansion earlier."
"You must feel a lot safer if you're patrolling the grounds yourself," said Darius as he leaned back in his chair a bit.
"Indeed," replied Reichnott, "You two will have to tell me about running into Figneria later, but for now I imagine you're all exhausted." The nobleman signaled for a pair of maids to enter the room each pushing a cart of food for everyone. "Please eat as much as you like and take whatever time you need to rest up here for a while."
"Oh that looks so yummy," said Filo as she and Johann gazed at the meal that was laid out on the table before them, "can we eat master, please?"
"Not yet," said Naofumi sternly, "we need to make sure-Oh come on guys."
"What," said Darius as he swallowed some of the food, "I told you before we can trust this guy. Rifana and I got a pretty good read on him after spending a week training here. Oh and the food's not poisoned, I already used a detection skill to check that."
"But you told me it had its limits and-," Naofumi's protest was cut short as the nobleman took a bite of the food himself.
"Ah, exquisite as always," said Reichnott with his trademark friendly smile, "I can assure you Sir Hero the food isn't poisoned. Even if you don't take my word for it surely you can believe Darius's observation."
"That means it's time to eat!" Exclaimed Johann as he and Filo went to pick up their food by hand.
"Where are your manners?" Scolded Raphtalia, "Use your utensils to eat."
"Grr, fine," said the two of them as they picked up their forks and knives to eat at a much slower pace than they would've liked.
"It is really quite rude to cast such doubt on our host's gracious hospitality," commented Melty as she ate some of her food in the dignified manner of a royal.
"Well we're not gonna be hanging around that long anyway," said Naofumi as he finally took a bite of his food.
"But we just got here," said Rishia, who'd been rather quiet throughout the whole exchange, "We need to at least rest a little first."
"We'll be heading out at dawn tomorrow," informed Naofumi, "that should be more than enough time for us to rest."
"But why do we need to head out that soon?" Questioned a surprised Melty between bites.
"Because staying too long will only increase our chances of being caught," Darius answered for Naofumi, "It's very likely those poorly drawn wanted posters have already been circulated through the nearby villages around here and the soldiers are still looking for us."
"Well I am aware but I'd hoped we'd get to rest at least a little longer," said the second princess in disappointment.
"It's interesting to see you like this," said Reichnott to Melty, "You normally have such a mature attitude but it seems a bit different now. Perhaps a result of you traveling with the Shield and Armory hero's parties?"
"What! What are you saying?!" Questioned the second princess as she became incredibly flustered.
"I think he's saying you're behaving a little childishly," quipped Naofumi.
"You be quiet!" Ordered Melty as she actually stood up in her seat.
"Just keep it down, we're trying to eat," replied the Shield Hero as he kept his eyes on his food.
"And whose fault is that?!" Melty shot back as she and the Shield Hero continued this line of banter for a few minutes. Raphtalia sighed at this while everyone else more or less ignored it.
"Has it been like this ever since you saved the princess?" whispered Rishia to Rifana.
"Pretty much," said the weasel girl with a shrug, "but it's kind of like Johann and Filo. You just learn to tune it out eventually."
"I see," said Rishia with a nervous smile as she noticed that said mounts were currently both eyeing a large slab of meat on the table. Darius would have to make an apology to the maids about the mess once dinner was over. After that, Reichnott began leading them to where they'd be staying for the night.
"So I've been meaning to ask," said Rifana as the group approached the stairs, "how have the others been?"
"Ah, you must mean your other friends that Darius rescued," said Reichnott, "you'll be pleased to know that-DARIUS!" The question was answered for him as everyone looked up at some of the railing by the stairs to see three demi-human children dressed in new clothes waving from above.
"Hey you three how's life be-UUUUFFF?!" The Armory Hero got the answer to that question when the three children leapt over the railing, two of whom basically tackled him to the ground while the wolf boy, Keel, landed in Rifana's arms.
"We heard you've been fighting monsters," said one of the girl demi-humans sitting on top of him. A cat demi named Mia if Darius recalled correctly.
"Have you met the other heroes, what are they like?!" Asked the other girl, a rabbit demi known as Len.
"And who the heck are these guys?" Questioned Keel as Rifana set him down.
"I don't believe it," said Raphtalia as she stepped towards the three of them, "It's true, you're all okay."
"Well of course we are," said Mia with a confused expression on her face.
"Darius rescued us after all," added Len who was also at a loss for what was going on.
"I suppose it would be a bit hard for you all to recognize me right now," said the raccoon girl as she wiped the tears of joy from her eyes, "it's me, Raphtalia."
"What, that can't be," said Keel, "Raphtalia's the same age as all of us."
"I've had to grow up fast recently," she replied while kneeling down, "do you remember Keel, when you nearly drowned while diving once and I had to get Sedeena to pull you out of the water? Or the time you ate that poisonous mushroom and wound up with an upset stomach? You were also the first one to speak out in support for me when I said I wanted to rebuild the village, do you remember that?" It took a moment, but recognition finally dawned in the eyes of the three demi-humans.
"R-Raphtalia," said Keel in disbelief, "It can't be, it's, it's really you!" The wolf boy ran to his friend and hugged her then. He was quickly followed by Len and Mia as the four of them shared a group hug with happy tears streaming from their eyes.
"Thank you Darius," said Mia as she turned to the Armory Hero, "thank you for saving her."
"If you want to thank anyone, thank Naofumi," said Darius as he sat up and pointed to his friend, "He got her away from the slave merchant. And to answer your question about meeting the other heroes the answer is yes, I have met the rest of them. This guy happens to be the current Shield Hero."
"That's so cool!" cheered Keel as he and his two friends rushed at the cardinal hero.
"No wait!" Naofumi tried to say but was too late as he was tackled to the floor by three laughing kids. "A little help here guys."
"It appears we've finally found the Shield Hero's true weakness," quipped Rifana, "large groups of children." Everyone else proceeded to laugh at this while the Shield Hero frowned from beneath the three young demi-humans. It would take a minute or two before they finally got him off the floor.
Large Guest Room: Some Time Later
Raphtalia decided to go with her friends, plus Johann and Filo, after a bit in order to catch up with them, but not before urging Naofumi to get some rest. It took some convincing but he agreed after Rishia promised to keep watch from the window. This left Darius and Rifana to their own devices as the two of them decided to sleep in the next room for a bit. When asked why, the weasel girl simply replied that it felt nostalgic was all. Though there was another reason, one the two partners had been meaning to get to for some time.
"It's good that Raphtalia finally got to see Keel and the others after all this time," said Rifana as she sat down on one of the beds, "She'd always deny it but I could tell it was at the back of her mind even despite the numerous times I assured her they were all okay."
"After all of the bad news we've been getting lately it's a nice change of pace," said Darius who was seated on the bed right next to hers, "maybe if we keep at it something else good will happen."
"Speaking of something good, well, I think we'd best talk about this now while we've got a moment," said Rifana as she turned to face him, "It's about what we did in Koteraan."
"Yeah that," said Darius as he rubbed the back of his neck somewhat nervously, "I guess the first thing I should really do is apologize for being such a-."
"Don't," said Rifana with a stern look, "I know what you're going to say, that you were weak and gave into Figneria's demands. But the truth is I'm just as much to blame because I didn't say no either. The fact of the matter is we chose to do what we did that night with our teacher and no matter how much I think about it I really have no regrets over the whole thing."
"But Rifana I took away your first time," said Darius, "what should've been an intimate moment for you and someone you love is now gone because of me and Figneria."
"And why in the world wouldn't I want to get intimate with you?" Questioned Rifana. "Figneria spoke the truth that night and the latest wave made it even clearer: our time could be up well before we know it. Because of that we should try to enjoy what little moments we can, but that's not the reason why I finally gave in. No, the truth is I wanted it to be you that I gave my first time to even before Figneria suggested it."
"But why me?" Questioned Darius, "A girl like you could have any guy she wanted so why-?"
"Because you're not just 'any guy'!" exclaimed Rifana. "You watched me stab a man to death and didn't flinch, you hardly bat an eye when I have to smash someone's head in and you've never once looked at me like I'm some blood thirsty monster. You've seen the real me countless times, a broken little girl whose feelings are all over the place yet you continue to show me nothing but kindness and respect. I have a purpose in life now because of you and I wouldn't think twice about sacrificing it to save you, Johann and all the others. I know that while my body is practically an adult's my mind is still a lot like a child's and it's possible I'm mistaking what I feel as something else." She proceeded to hug herself as she continued.
"But I know one thing," she said, "that night you made a woman out of me was the most enjoyable night of my life and I'd do it again even if Figneria was there along with me, heck, I wouldn't mind if she brought Rishia along the second time around!"
"Wow," said Darius, blushing thanks to the image his partner had just put in his head, "I honestly don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything if you don't want too," said Rifana as she put her hands on Darius's, "I know that even if we defeat all of the waves you might still have to go home. What I don't know is if you can take me with you or if you can choose to stay here so even trying to have a relationship of any kind could be pointless. So if you're willing, could you take me here? Even if this is the last time we ever do this, I'll still be happy in the end."
Darius seemed doubtful for a moment as he moved his left hand out from under hers. But then he cupped her cheek and gave her his answer by moving in to plant a kiss on her soft lips. Rishia would pick a very bad time to walk by the door that night after changing watch with Raphtalia.
The Next Morning
"So is it true that you fought a thunderbird," asked Keel as they all sat in the dining room having breakfast, "or that zombie dragon, what about it? Come to think of it Johann said something about fighting a soul eater on a floating pirate ship!"
"All true," said the Armory Hero as he took a sip from his cup of milk, "though it was Naofumi's group that took on the zombie dragon. Rifana, Johann and I were in Koteraan at the time getting smacked down by a Leshen."
"No way, some of those are still around," said Mia, "I heard most of them were wiped out or sealed by the previous heroes."
"Some ding bat decided it was a good idea to unseal this one," said Johann with his mouth full.
"I still can't believe that the two of you were hatched from eggs," said Len, "what's that even like?"
"Can't really remember," Replied Filo, "the first thing I saw when I was born was Master's face and then I jumped right on his head." The two little girls let out an 'awe' at this while Johann and Keel made gagging noises.
"I'm just happy you've all been doing well," said Raphtalia, "the one thing I couldn't quite believe was seeing all of you out of that awful mansion."
"Speaking of which," said Darius, "Figneria told me your little auction on the place went quite well."
"I managed to contact some friends in time to keep things from getting out of hand," replied Reichnott with a tip of his glasses, "after all it's usually big news when a nobleman dies and also a chance for other nobleman to move in on property with no clear owner. Fortunately, one of my friends was in the market for a mansion as his had been damaged in the first wave. With the help of his own hired guards and a couple of threats from Figneria we were able to pull off a peaceful transaction with all of the parties involved."
"So it was you that ended Rabier's reign after all," said Melty to Darius, "there was a lot of speculation surrounding who the mystic weapons wielder was when the news reached me and mother."
"I did it to save all of them," replied Darius as he indicated all of the demi-humans present, "though I wasn't quick enough to get to Raphtalia before she was shipped off. It was only by pure chance that Naofumi happened to be in the market for some help at the time that she was rescued."
"And I've had no reason to regret it so far," commented Naofumi, "It was only thanks to her that I even made it to the second wave to begin with. Though if we're gonna make it to the next day we'd best get going soon."
"Umm, Master Naofumi," said Raphtalia sheepishly, "could I ask you for a favor?"
"What is it?" Questioned the Shield Hero without looking up from his food.
"I'd, well, I'd like to venture over to the next town and see the mansion," said Raphtalia.
"Why on earth would you want to go back there?" Questioned Rifana, voicing the opinion of just about everyone else at the table.
"Call it closure I guess," said Raphtalia with a sigh, "I just want to see with my own eyes that it's no longer a place of torment."
"I don't see a problem with that," said Reichnott, getting a few confused looks, "It just so happens I'd planned a visit there today to see what my friend has done with the place. Apparently he's decided to get creative with some of the extra space it has."
"And just how would we get in there without being spotted?" Questioned Naofumi, "Need I remind you we're still on the wanted list."
"That should be simple enough," said Reichnott, "I happen to have a couple wagons of wine I was going to deliver to him with my visit. His guards know me so they won't search them as long as I'm with you. Not to mention I imagine the king's soldiers have already searched that particular town and won't be expecting you to head over that way." The Shield Hero put a hand to his chin in thought. It made sense in a way and he did say they needed to keep moving. Plus, if the guards had already searched that area what reason would they have to suspect a nobleman like Reichnott would be smuggling them in.
"Alright," he finally said, bringing a smile to Raphtalia's face, "but the moment there's trouble we're hightailing it, understood."
"Right," said Raphtalia with a happy expression at her Master's decision. No one else had any objections to going there either so it was decided that their destination would be the next town over.
That Night: Town of Nautilus Whittaker
Getting everything together and organized took a bit longer than expected and Reichnott's wagons had to move at a regular pace so as not to arouse suspicion from any potential knights who might happen to be on the road. It wound up being a much slower ride than when Darius had escaped with the children in a wagon. But eventually the group arrived at the town which the Armory Hero noted for the first time was actually rather nice now that he wasn't worried about his present company with clean streets and red roofs as far as the eye could see.
Their nobleman guide also had to make the occasional stop to greet a friend or acquaintance along the way. It seemed Van Reichnott was not only well-known and liked in his own town but this one as well. Of course the friendly atmosphere didn't stop them from peeking out of the wagon every now and then to insure there wasn't any trouble nearby. At one point Darius was worried they'd been spotted when he saw Raphtalia's tail tense after looking outside.
But what she was really looking at was the former mansion of Rabier as they ascended the path to the stone wall surrounding it. "Ah, Lord Reichnott," said the guard at the gate with a friendly tone, "Master Whittaker mentioned you might be stopping in today."
"Indeed," replied the noble with his only friendly smile, "I happened to have some extra wine with me. Ever since that auction I've had plenty of money to splurge on and wound up buying more wine than I know what to do with. Is Lord Whittaker here now by chance?"
"Indeed he is," replied the guard as he opened the gate, "you've also come at a good time, he's finished up giving tours for now so he should be able to see you right away."
"You have my thanks Anthony and try not to work too hard now," replied Reichnott as he guided the wagon inside. The group waited a moment for him to park before filing out.
"Wow, this place feels way different from last time," noted Darius as he looked around the walls. The guard presence was only half of what it had been while Rabier was in charge and what was more, there seemed to be a number of common folk, both human and demi-human, wandering around between the buildings.
"Yes, Whittaker and I talked at length about what should be done with this place," explained Reichnott. "In the end we decided to open it to the public as an Inn of sorts. It serves both humans and demi-humans at a reasonable rate and with so much space it allows for separate sleeping areas for both the guards and servants while also allowing the lord to govern the town from the main office. What's more, in times of emergency it can be used to house much of the townsfolk who can't defend themselves, an idea which has proven rather popular with the people of this region."
"I take it this Whittaker guy is liked a lot more by the townsfolk than the last owner," commented Rifana as they began walking through the courtyard. Rifana and Raphtalia both had cloth blankets to hide their heads while Filo and Johann wore large cloaks to conceal their wings. Melty wore a long cape and a hat which hid her twin tails. Naofumi simply pulled his hood up and hid his shield within his cape while Darius changed his white cape to a blue shoulder coat with a large matching hat that concealed his face to a degree as long as he kept it tilted forward.
As the group proceeded towards the main house, Raphtalia suddenly stopped by one of the arches, recognizing where she was currently standing. Rifana and Darius also recognized the location as the former entrance to the dungeon where Rabier had kept the children for his own demented pleasure. "This is it, isn't it?" Asked the raccoon girl with a solemn look on her face. Where there had once been a staircase was now a sealed off section of the ground, the only indication of which being that the stone used to cover it was clearly newer than the rest of the surrounding stones.
"Rifana and her friends told me everything when Darius first brought them to my mansion," explained Reichnott with the first somber tone anyone had ever heard him use. "When I saw it for myself there was little left of Rabier down there that the rats hadn't gotten too. At the time I thought a man who'd raise his hand to torment innocent children for his own personal pleasure was not worth respecting. So mine and Whittaker's first order was to have this place sealed with his remains in it. Now they're only purpose is to be walked upon by the very demi-humans he'd brought so much harm too."
"I see," said Raphtalia as she knelt down to feel the new stone with her hand, "then it's over. It's really over for good, no one else will suffer because of this person." She stood back up then with a sad smile on her face. "Thank you Master Naofumi, thank you all for putting up with such a selfish request."
"If it helps you sleep better at night it's worth it," said the Shield Hero, "just try to focus a bit more on the future from here on out."
"I will," said the raccoon girl with a nod as her smile became broader and her eyes filled with determination.
"Is that you Van?" Came an unfamiliar voice as a man with long grey hair wearing simple yet elegant blue robes walked towards them.
"Nautilus my old friend how are you," greeted Reichnott as they shook hands, "I hope my arrival was at a good time."
"A perfect time actually," said Whittaker with a friendly smile, "we're in the middle of making dinner right now and some extra wine would be perfect for the occasion. By the way, who are these mysterious fellows you've brought with you?"
"Why these two right here," said Reichnott as he indicated Darius and Rifana, "are the ones that made all of this possible."
"You mean the Armory Hero and the mace girl Figneria trained," said Whittaker as he stepped forward and looked at the two of them. "You two realize you're in a lot of trouble right now I hope, what's going on out there?"
"If you'll allow me a moment to explain Lord Whittaker," said Melty as she stepped forward and removed her hat, "there's been a grave misunderstanding about the current circumstances."
"P-Princess Melty," said the surprised nobleman as he backed up a couple steps.
"I do apologize for our intrusion," said Melty in her most upper class sounding tone of voice, "but the situation has forced me to flee with both the Shield and Armory Heroes as my trusted bodyguards. I assure you none of what you've heard about my supposed kidnapping is in any way the truth."
"Goodness Reichnott," said Whittaker, "It's been a long while since you've brought this much trouble to my door."
"We just need some supplies and a place to rest for the night," said Naofumi, "we'll leave early in the morning so we won't draw any attention."
"Well it's not like I can turn all of you away now that you've walked through my front door," said Whittaker, "and I've said myself I'd like to share a drink with the man who killed that fat bastard Rabier."
"I had planned on killing him on the way out," said Darius, "but Rifana beat me to it so she's the one to share a drink with."
"Well then I'll toast to the both of you," said Whittaker, "Now come along, we'd best get moving before the servants start wondering what's keeping us." Everyone nodded in agreement as they followed the nobleman through the courtyard. As the group walked along, Raphtalia happened to glance at the large marble obelisk that dominated the center of the courtyard.
"Master Naofumi," she said, "I'm not certain but I think I sense, illusion magic."
"Illusion magic?" Repeated the Shield Hero as he turned to his companion, "Why in the world would someone be using illusion magi-."
"DEVIL OF THE SHIELD!" boomed a man's voice from seemingly out of nowhere as it echoed around the courtyard. In the next instant a man in a black robe appeared right next to the obelisk as he ended his illusion spell and spoke his next words. "How fortuitous of you to come here of all places! For within this structure lies a beast sealed by the previous heroes for centuries! Now in the name of God I whose will this must be I shall unseal it to trample your evil for good!"
"Oh not this shit again," exclaimed Darius as he and everyone else tossed off their disguises and made to charge forward.
"Come forth great dragon and devour the evil ones!" Shouted the man as he raised up the three heroes rosary. The obelisk reacted by giving off a brilliant flash of purple energy before the stone cracked and exploded, firing a beam of light into the air. A roar erupted from the newly formed crater as a massive creature emerged from it, standing atop two enormous hind legs. "Tremble in fear because your judgment is at h-AAAAAAAGH!"
The church mage's final words were cut short as he was quickly and very ironically devoured by the very monster he'd unleashed, giving Rifana and Darius a bit of déjà vu in the process. "What in the world is that thing?" Questioned a stunned Naofumi as the monster stepped forward.
"Well you remember Jeff Goldblum's line about chaos theory," quipped Darius, "I think that's what's happening right now." The reason he said this was because said monster looked like a fuckin' black t-rex with two rows of spikes on its back, red eyes and a type of 'x' shaped head piece right above its nose. And as it opened its mouth to unleash a roar so powerful it created a blast of wind, they noted it also had extra-long, extra sharp teeth.
"That's the tyrant dragon that was sealed by the previous cardinal heroes," explained Reichnott, "and he just unleashed it onto the world again."
"Evacuate everyone from here now!" Ordered Darius as he summoned as many chains as he could to bind the dragon's feet and keep it from moving. This only served to aggravate the creature as it thrashed about, swinging its tail into a nearby structure and destroying the wall with practically no effort. Rifana, Rishia, and Johann all fired their own spells at the dragon but the impact hardly seemed to phase the monster as it managed to yank one foot free from the Armory Hero's chains.
"Stupid lizard!" exclaimed Filo as she transformed and charged at the beast with a powerful kick. But the blow simply bounced off the toughened hide on the T-rex's face, only really succeeding in drawing its attention.
"Blasted bird," cursed Johann as he also transformed and took to the skies. For whatever reason, his arrival seemed to divert the tyrant dragon's attention as he alternated between fire and lightning attacks aimed at whatever looked like a weak spot.
"We can't fight a monster like this in the middle of town," pleaded Melty as it freed its other foot from Darius's chains and rammed into another building head first, just barely missing Filo.
"I know," said Naofumi as he switched to his viper shield, "we need a way to lure it out of the area."
"It seems to like Filo and Johann quite a bit," noted Rifana as they watched the monster continue to pursue their mounts.
"I think it's because of that," said Melty as she pointed her finger at a specific spot on Filo, Johann and the dragon, "their bellies are all glowing purple."
"The crystal fragments of the dragon emperor," said Darius, "Filo and Johann swallowed them some time ago so it must want to consume them for its own."
"Well we have our lure then," said Naofumi as he turned to Reichnott and Whittaker, "get your people to safety while we lead that thing away." The two nobleman nodded in understanding to his order.
"Rishia," said the Armory Hero, "I hate to ask this but help them with the evacuation and healing for the injured."
"But I can help you all fight," said the green-haired girl before Darius held up his hand to stop her.
"I know and I wish we could bring you along," he said, "but the fact of the matter is if we can't stop that thing then someone, and I can't believe I'm saying this, is gonna need to get the other three heroes and you're the only one they might listen too." Rishia clearly saw the logic in this argument, but she was definitely not happy about it. "Hey it's only for a little while, we'll see each other again I'm sure of it." He put a reassuring hand on her shoulder as he said the last part. After another moment of contemplation the green-haired girl nodded and headed off with Reichnott and Whittaker.
"Alright, time to get out of here," said Naofumi as he and Darius both whistled for their respective mounts. The two responded instantly, breaking off their engagement with the tyrant dragon and landing right next to their owners. Everyone piled on as quickly as they could before taking off over the stone wall surrounding the mansion. The T-rex was right behind them as it simply slammed through the protective structure before leaping down the mountainside after them.
"Life finds a way," quoted the Armory Hero as he and Rifana flew several feet above Filo on Johann, "You know I always thought I'd be more excited about being in a Jurassic Park spin-off."
"Well at least we were right about what it's after," noted Rifana as they sailed through the town over a number of buildings. These too posed little problem for the one pursuing them as it simply crashed through structure after structure without hardly slowing down. By the time the two groups reached the town wall a line of destruction was quite prevalent behind them. The surrounding stone wall which protected the settlement also proved to be no obstacle to the tyrant dragon as it busted through to continue its pursuit of the two mounts.
Darius almost lost sight of Naofumi's group once they entered the forest until he saw what was up ahead. "We've got a clearing coming up with a large lake," he said using his HUD to contact the Shield Hero.
"I guess that's as good a place as any," he replied back as the noise from collapsing trees and roaring sounded behind him. The moment the two parties exited the tree line, Johann landed next to Filo where they let their riders off. "Here it comes, get ready everyone." The unanimous response to this was each person taking a fighting position with a weapon or spell ready to use at a moment's notice.
Hardly a minute later the forest seemed to burst open as the tyrant dragon came charging at them. "Phalanx Wall! Airstrike Shield!" yelled the cardinal heroes as a collection of shields and one large emerald shield materialized to halt the monster's charge. The shockwave from the attack was still felt by everyone as the tyrant dragon's snout rammed into the barriers, cracking and destroying Naofumi's while also breaking a few of Darius's before he returned them to his inventory.
Filo and Johann struck back first as both landed a flying kick to either side of the creature's neck before backing up to attack again with a combination of the dragon boy's fire against the monster's back while the bird girl aimed another kick at its gut. "Zweit Aqua Slash!" called Melty as she produced a powerful stream of water aimed at their opponent's face. Raphtalia and Rifana attacked next as each rushed in and hit it on either side of its right ankle. Against most other monsters such a barrage would've had them howling in pain, but the tyrant dragon took each blow in turn and seemed to just shrug it off.
"Give me a lift Naofumi," said Darius as he finished chanting a spell which opened several portals around the T-rex. The Shield Hero nodded as his comrade charged in with Raisetsu at the ready. "Blizzard Barrage!" The weapons fired from the portals all impacted with a freezing edge, causing small layers of ice to form wherever they hit.
"Airstrike shield!" Called Naofumi as Darius jumped into the air and leapt off the horizontal shield. He did so once more with a second summoned shield before slashing at his target, the throat of the tyrant dragon.
"Lightning Blizzard!" Yelled Darius as his weapon produced an electrified snowstorm at the point of impact while Johann snatched him out of midair before he hit the ground and dropped him next to Naofumi. "Did that work?" He got his answer in the form of an enraged snarl as the beast slammed its foot on the ground, causing all of the formed ice to shatter. It's crashing blow also produced a thunderous shockwave which sent debris in all directions and even shifted the ground into a number of rising obstacles that Raphtalia and Rifana had to maneuver around. The dust kicked up from the ruined earth blocked the cardinal hero's vision for a moment, giving the T-rex an opening to swing its massive tail at the two of them.
"Heads up!" Said Naofumi as both he and Darius used the viper and a replica shield to create a barrier seal to lessen the blow. It succeeded only in keeping them from getting crushed as the appendage slammed through their defenses and sent the two of them flying onto the shore of the lake.
"Darius! Master Naofumi!" Called their companions as they slowed their advance for a moment.
"We're fine, keep at it!" The Armory Hero called back as he and the Shield Hero struggled to their feet. The girls nodded in understanding as they resumed their attacks alongside Filo and Johann.
"We can't keep this up as this rate," noted Naofumi as he put a hand on his shield, "we're gonna have to go for the trump cards Darius."
"It's certainly proving to be stronger than the Leshen or the zombie dragon, so curse series it is," said the Armory Hero as he readied his bands. Then out of nowhere, a voice sounded in both their heads. 'You mustn't,' said the voice causing the confused heroes to look around for the source. "That sounds like, can it really be?"
"Something's wrong," said Melty, getting their attention as a sudden fog rolled in out of nowhere, "This mist, I think it's a high level magic field."
"And just what in the world does that mean for us?" Questioned the Shield Hero as they looked around the shrouded area, "Don't tell me we're trapped in here?" His answer came in the form of several pounding feet as a massive, colorful flock of Filolials suddenly emerged from the forest.
"The heck are all those crazy birds doing?" Questioned Johann as he and Filo regrouped with the rest of them. The mass of large avians had formed into two lines which split off in opposite directions before stopping in a circle, surrounding the tyrant dragon.
"I think they're waiting," said Darius as he suddenly dematerialized his replica shield. "And if I'm right, we're about to see a show."
"You'll forgive me for being impatient about that," said Naofumi as he again tried to activate his rage shield. But just as he opened the menu a message popped up which caused static to cover the ability screen. It read 'transformation jamming.'
"I implore you not to resort to that power," said the voice again, much clearer this time.
"Gah, who in the heck are you?!" exclaimed the Shield Hero in frustration. The response to his and everyone else's wonder came shortly as the wind suddenly picked up and the water in the lake shifted and churned. The center erupted as a massive shape rocketed into the air and landed on the bank several feet in front of the group. Almost everyone's eyes widened in amazement as they gazed at the new arrival, an enormous Filolial with blue feathers on her head resembling a crown.
"YEEEEEEESSSS!" yelled Darius upon seeing the large bird, only just restraining himself from jumping in the air.
"T-That's the Filolial Queen," said a shocked Melty as the towering avian turned towards them and held out her wing.
"Please stay back from this point on," she urged before facing the tyrant dragon.
"Hey I know better than to get between you and a good fight," said Darius with his hands behind his head, "he's all yours."
"Why the heck are you talking like you know her Boss?" Questioned Johann with a tone of disapproval. Before Darius could answer the T-rex charged at the Filolial Queen. But her status was more than just a title as she reared back her leg and countered the charge with a powerful kick that actually sent the dragon sliding backwards.
"Since you've refused to hand over the fragment peacefully, I can only offer you death," said the Filolial Queen as the dragon struck back with a blast of flame from its mouth. "Pitiful." With a wave of her wing, the queen conjured a huge magic circle in the air which dispersed the onslaught of flames as they impacted against the magical barrier. It was only thanks to Darius and Naofumi raising twin airstrike shields that none of their party was burned from the intensity of the attack.
"I'll be finishing this now," stated the queen bird before rocketing forward with her own, vastly more powerful version of High Quick. Due to her size and speed a massive wind was kicked up simply moving past the dragon before several bloody gashes erupted from its body. The tyrant dragon gave one last dying roar before collapsing into the shallows of the pond as the battle came to an end.
Everyone gathered looked on in amazement save for Darius who simply had a knowing smirk on his face as he applauded a bit before stepping towards the feathered queen. "Am I to take it this is the Shield Hero you've allied yourself with?" She asked as she reached down and removed the dragon emperor fragment from the T-rex corpse and deposited if in her feathers.
"The genuine article," said Darius as he stopped near one of her giant feet, "you weren't kidding when you said some folks had warped perceptions about him."
"Indeed," said the queen as she shifted her gaze to Naofumi and the others, "we have much to discuss, but first I should take a form better suited for such a purpose. One moment." The large avian crossed her wings in front of her as her body began to glow blue and shrink down several sizes. By the time the glowing ceased, there was a short, winged girl with silver hair that didn't even reach past her neck standing before all of them. And she looked exactly as Darius remembered her.
"Ladies and gentleman," said the Armory Hero as she unfolded her wings, "I give you the Queen of all Filolials, her highness Fitoria."
"Pleased to meet all of you," said Fitoria as she opened her eyes and looked over both parties with a scrutinizing gaze.
"So it really is you," said Melty, "but why are you acting so familiar with Darius?"
"Oh right I never got around to telling some of you," said the Armory Hero as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Fitoria was the first person I met when I arrived here, my first sensei if you will."
"What, first sensei," said Johann, "what the heck does that even mean?"
"I believe he is saying I was his first teacher," explained Fitoria before turning back to Darius, "which reminds me." She suddenly hugged the cardinal hero's waist, burying her head in his stomach. The Armory Hero eventually responded by lightly patting her head. "It's good to see you again Darius." The following reaction of the rest of the group could be summed up in one word: "HUUUUUUUUUUH!"
At last Fitoria has appeared again, and despite her friendly demeanor now she is going to have some not so nice things to to say about a few certain topics. In other news, I've seen that season four of My Hero Academia has arrived and as such have begun my writing on Hail Storm Vol. 2! I don't have an exact date out for the first chapter's release yet but know that it should be within the next few days. Also, I won't be including the first episode with the camera guy as that whole thing was basically just a recap anyway. In the meantime, I hope you all enjoyed this latest chapter and as always 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 Fitoria puts things in perspective for Naofumi, and makes fun of Johann. 'Til then.