Armory of the Forgotten Hero

by Masked Spider

The legend goes that there are four cardinal heroes. But fact and fable are often twisted in the land of Melromarc, while others are left out completely. One such fact is that there is actually another hero, the Armory hero, who doesn't wield a primary weapon. But the world will soon remember as Darius Saxon is called to remind the people that there aren't four heroes, but five.

21. The Future Rulers of Their Kind

The Future Rulers of Their Kind

And welcome everyone to the latest chapter of Armory of the Forgotten Hero. But first, some guest reviews. DCDGojira: I actually have an announcement about that at the end of the chapter, but the short answer is yes. To the guest who said nice fic: thank you and hopefully you'll continue finding the story enjoyable. To the other guest reviewer: I do agree that she seemed a bit too critical and seemed to lack a lot of real consideration for the actual situation Naofumi was facing. It would've made more sense to me if she had tried talking to the others first and found out what a bunch of blockheads they were before going to Naofumi. Also, glad you've enjoyed the story so far and just a heads up, more divergence, or something of the sort, is coming after this chapter.

Ruins of the Heroes: Filolial Sanctuary

If there was one thing Darius learned during his training with the Filolial Queen, it was that pissing her off was typically not a wise idea. And yet, Naofumi had gone and done just that by continually refusing her plea for them to work things out with the other heroes, which was an oddly stupid move for someone the Armory Hero usually trusted to have sound judgment. Especially when said queen now had the second Princess, Melty, trapped in a swirling wind prison. It was only thanks to Darius's intervention that Fitoria had agreed to an alternative solution that wouldn't force her to kill all the cardinal heroes while also allowing the Shield Hero to avoid making nice with the other three. If everything went well that is, which was a very big 'if' in this scenario.

The Queen of all Filolials had declared that if Filo and Johann could show her they were capable of fighting the waves of catastrophe without help from the other heroes, then she would release Melty and leave the present cardinal heroes alone. In order to test them the two mounts would have to face her in a duel, which was why the three of them were currently incased in a red domed shield Fitoria had created. The rest of the party could now only watch as Filo charged in with a flying kick while Johann rushed in low to the ground with a swipe of his clawed gauntlets. Fitoria only had to tilt her head then sidestep in the opposite direction to avoid both attacks. "Far too slow," she said as she caught Johann's arm, stopping his next attack before yanking him off his feet and slinging him into a charging, airborne Filo.

"That hurt scaly brain," said Filo as both her and Johann hovered in the air.

"I didn't do it on purpose it was," Johann stopped speaking as the two of them noticed their opponent was nowhere on the ground.

"Above you!" warned Raphtalia as the two mounts realized where the enemy was. But neither of them could react in time as Fitoria made a quick sweeping motion with her hand, knocking the both of them to the ground. The impact was enough to damage both of their outfits as they struggled to get back up before rushing in again.

"What is the point of all this?" Naofumi thought out loud, "Why does she want to fight them and not any of us, and why are they staying in human form?"

"She protects these ruins if you recall," said Darius with his arms crossed as he tried not to wince each time his party member got knocked around. "The last thing she would want is to be stomping around here trying to catch a flying dragon and a fast bird. As for why she wants to fight those two specifically, I've only got a couple of guesses for that."

"Damn it all," said the Shield Hero through gritted teeth before yelling out. "Filo! Charging in recklessly won't get you anywhere! The two of you need to think of a way together, and put some mana into your outfits to increase your defense!" The blonde girl nodded at this while Johann simply scoffed before the two of them raised their hands in the air and began chanting.

"Try not to throw off my aim chicken blood," commented Johann as a blue fireball formed above his head. "Zweit azure fireball."

"Same to you lizard breath," Filo shot back. "Zweit Tornado!" A pair of swirling winds shot out of Filo's hands while Johann's fireball rocketed towards their target at a different angle.

"I'm afraid that won't be enough," said Fitoria as she held up one hand for each spell. "Anti-Zweit tornado and fireball." A powerful see-through burst of energy erupted from each of her hands, not only canceling out the incoming attacks but almost knocking the two mounts down in the process.

"Be careful she can use jamming magic!" Called Melty from her wind prison. Even if she couldn't, though, the situation was still dire as the two party members tried to locate their enemy in the cloud of dust.

"You're both wide open," said Fitoria as she charged through the dust suddenly and stopped hardly a foot from Filo before blasting her backwards into some rubble with a wave of energy from her hand. She then caught Johann's kick on her blindside before sending him flying into more rubble with the same attack.

"Neither of them are able to defend in time, she's too fast," said Rifana in worry as the two got back up, only to be blasted down again. The outcome wasn't going in their favor so far, something Naofumi was quickly realizing as he made a decision. While Fitoria's attention was focused on the two beast children, he began making his way towards Melty. He didn't get much more than ten feet before a ring of familiar white portals opened up around him and bound him with a number of chains.

"What the shit Darius?!" exclaimed the Shield Hero, "We need to get-." His words were silenced as three orbs of lightning energy flew by his head and practically obliterated a boulder behind him.

"Your friend knows better than to underestimate me," said Fitoria before turning and knocking Johann away with a quick chop strike before twirling around another kick from Filo then blasting her away. "You're quite mistaken if you think I wouldn't notice such an obvious attempt at cheating. Though I feel I must ask, even if you freed Princess Melty what would you do about saving your mounts?" Realization crossed Naofumi's face as he noticed she was right. His shield could've possibly released Melty from her prison, but Filo and Johann were still trapped in the red dome with their opponent.

It was also from this realization that he noticed how much Darius's hands were shaking as the Armory Hero released him from his chains. He knew the Filolial Queen better than any of them, which was the reason that he hadn't made a move of his own. He'd already concluded that it'd be pointless. "Of course it goes without saying," said Fitoria as she turned her attention back to her opponents who'd struggled to their feet, "were the two of you stronger then the Shield Hero wouldn't have even thought of attempting such a tactic. Can either of you even tell me what it is you fight for?"

"It should be obvious," said a winded Filo as her and Johann started advancing towards Fitoria. "I'm fighting for master!"

"And for once we agree on something!" exclaimed Johann as the two of them each threw a punch. Their mounting exhaustion was clear, unfortunately, as Fitoria simply sidestepped each swing.

"Even together you couldn't bring down the tyrant dragon," taunted Fitoria, "And you most certainly can't beat me now. How can either of you expect to be useful to the Armory and Shield heroes?"

"We'll just get stronger and stronger!" Johann practically yelled as he threw another punch.

"And we'll beat you for our masters!" Yelled Filo as the two of them came at their enemy from either side.

"Not with such shallow willpower as that." Stated Fitoria with a powerful swing of her right hand which sent both mounts down on the ground once more. The Filolial Queen continued to inflict pain on the both of them as she hit or blasted them around the makeshift arena. But her words must've spurred something in the two as the dragon and Filolial refused to stay down, struggling back upright time and time again.

"I'll become," said Filo between breaths, "No, we'll become stronger than ever before!"

"We'll take down anyone who wants to hurt the Boss or the Shield Hero," stated Johann as he spat some blood on the ground, "even if it's you!"

"Can you?" Asked Fitoria as she leapt onto a piece of rubble and inhaled deeply. Her body began to glow as light blue particles appeared in the air and floated towards her.

"She's actually absorbing the mana particles from the air," said a worried Melty, "I didn't even think such a thing was possible." The pressure in the area seemed to increase as Johann and Filo's expressions turned to worry for the first time since the duel had begun.

"Don't back down!" Yelled Darius suddenly, "You told me dragons don't scare easy right Johann?! And you are not just a run of the mill dragon either, so do what no dragon's ever done and work with Filo!" Naofumi didn't know if it helped, but he felt he might as well say something as well.

"He's right," said the Shield Hero, "you're not just an ordinary Filolial either. Stay calm and look for openings for your attacks. The two of you can do this, I know you can!" For an odd reason this seemed to distract Fitoria as Darius recognized a familiar look in her eyes, one she only ever got when she was remembering her friends.

"Ah to heck with it," said Johann with a toothy grin as he and Filo held their arms out with their fists closed. "I guess I can make an exception this once for the boss, so let's do this Filo!"

"Right, we can do this!" exclaimed Filo as the two of them closed their eyes and began drawing mana particles to themselves. It wasn't as fast as Fitoria's gathering, but it was definitely progress.

"You're both too slow," said the Filolial Queen with an almost sad tone in her voice.

"It'll be more than enough," said Johann as he opened his eyes.

"Because," said Filo before the both of them exclaimed, "WE WILL BEAT YOU!" The mounts shot into the air then, bouncing off the top of the barrier before charging right at Fitoria. The winged Queen looked unconcerned as she raised a barrier with her hand. "Lightning Talon! Spiral Strike!"

A pair of dragons claws made of blue electricity formed on Johann's hands and feet while the fingers of Filo's gloves burned away to reveal brilliant glowing orange claws. The duo kicked off of each other then, scratching either side of the barrier before jumping off the ground, the dome, then back to Fitoria again. Blow after blow struck her defense as the dragon and Filolial bounded around the battle field, faster and faster as the Queen readjusted the angle of her barrier to continue warding off the continuous attacks. The culmination of the mount's efforts arrived as the pair charged in and struck the shield at the same time, pushing with not only the momentum they'd built up but every last ounce of strength left in their small bodies.

What happened next, surprised even Fitoria as the barrier she erected cracked and shattered under the pressure of the dual attack, bringing a look of shock to her face as Johann and Filo flew by, scratching her cheek and neck in the process before cannonballing into the ground. "Yeah!" Rifana, Raphtalia and even Darius cheered at the little victory.

"They actually did it," said a relieved Naofumi with a sigh. Whatever fight Fitoria had left in her seemed to vanish as she watched the two mounts pick themselves up and approach her sluggishly, barely managing to stay standing as they both lightly punched her.

"We have to be stronger," said Filo, "we have to protect master and Raphtalia."

"We have to be better too," said Johann, "for Boss and Rifana and all our friends."

"Very good," said Fitoria as her former opponents collapsed to their knees, "I believe the two of you have bested me." Filo and Johann tilted their heads in confusion as the red dome disappeared around them. "You've both proven you're strong enough and that has earned Melty's freedom." She gave a soft smile as Melty, no longer surrounded by sharp swirling winds, came running over and hugged both of her friends while crying in relief.

"We actually did it," said Johann as the rest of the group came to stand by them, "Hey boss, we actually pulled it off."

"You were incredible out there Johann," complimented Rifana as she and Darius patted his head.

"You were amazing too Filo," said Naofumi, getting a happy laugh from his party member. Now that the duel was over, Fitoria got to work healing the pair with her magic.

"I'm relieved the both of you were able to pass the trial," said Fitoria, "had you failed, the two of you would've died and the Shield Hero would've died along with you." For obvious reasons Raphtalia and Naofumi gave her a couple of sideways looks.

"Could you not say that while you're smiling," said Darius, "it was kind of a serious deal."

"Yes the test was quite serious," said Fitoria as she held up her hand and conjured a tiara with a red jewel and head band with a purple jewel, "Which is why I feel you've both earned these rewards. Would you lower your heads for a moment?" Filo did so immediately, but it took a stern look from Darius to convince Johann to do the same as the Filolial Queen placed the head band on the dragon boy first before moving to Filo and placing the crown on her head. The moment she was done, the gathered Filolials let out a cheer in the form of several loud squawks.

"Johann, though I had my doubts at first, I am entrusting you with this piece of the dragon emperor so that you may serve as a worthy mount for the Armory Hero. And Filo, it brings me joy to appoint you as my successor."

"Wait, you mean Filo is gonna be the next queen of the Filolials," said a surprised Naofumi. 'Huh,' was the confused reaction from the Shield Hero's mount.

"Congratulations you two," cheered Melty as the crowns glowed and shrank into a cow lick on Filo's head and a straight horn on both temples of Johann's head. 'The Filolial's crown is a cow lick while the dragon crown is a couple of horns,' thought Darius as Melty gushed over how adorable they looked now. Johann was more than thrilled to have actual dragon horns poking out of the sides of his head, but Filo on the other hand.

"Get this weird thing off of me," she said as she pulled the cow lick off, only for it to immediately grow back.

"Oh look it can grow back," Melty applauded happily while Filo was at a loss for what to do.

"It will always grow back, the same goes for Johann's horns," explained Fitoria, "So it would be best if you got used to it now. As you both grow older and gain more strength, you'll acquire more of them." 'Which is why you happen to have three,' Darius thought as he used his HUD to examine some of the info on Johann's new horns. It appeared his Stats had been raised by them, which was more than good news given what they'd encountered recently. "I also have something for the two of you," said Fitoria as she turned to the cardinal heroes.

"Yeah I think I'll pass on the cowlick," said Naofumi, drawing some confused comments from Raphtalia and Rifana about what a cowlick was.

"No need to worry, you won't grow one on your head," said Fitoria as she pulled two of her cowlicks off her head. Both were immediately replaced by new ones. "Your cardinal weapons please." Darius and Naofumi did as requested and held up the bands and shield that denoted their status as heroes. Fitoria dropped one cowlick each in the jewels, causing a message to pop up on their HUDs, Force Unlock: Filolial Series.

"Looks like we got the entire set," noted Darius, "should definitely prove useful in the future."

"Yeah once we actually get our levels high enough to use them," Naofumi pointed out as he saw that most of the shields were still locked due to his current Stats.

"And what do we say when someone gives us a generous gift like this," said Darius with a raised eyebrow. Naofumi sighed as he realized where his comrade was going with this.

"Right, thank you Fitoria," said the Shield Hero, managing to sound fairly sincere, "and sorry I tried to cheat earlier."

"You're both quite welcome," said Fitoria, "though I must speak to the both of you in private at some point if you wouldn't mind."

"And nothing about that sounds omin-uuf," the Shield Hero's comment was quickly silenced by an elbow from Darius as Melty came walking up with a question.

"Um, you said this was a test," said Melty, "was that the reason you took me hostage and also why the Armory Hero stopped Naofumi from rescuing me."

"Yes," replied Fitoria, "I needed to make sure that Filo was a worthy successor and Johann was a capable companion to Darius. But I still feel terrible for doing such a thing to you, so if there is something you desire in return, please name it."

"Well I guess there might be one little thing," said Melty as she squirmed in excitement. A couple minutes later she was cheering happily atop Fitoria's head as the Filolial Queen marched around the ruins in her towering bird form. "This is the greatest moment of my life!"

"So she could literally have asked for anything and all she wants is a ride," said Naofumi as the rest of the group watched from the forest.

"It's actually one heck of a view from up there," commented Darius, "she let me watch the sunset up there on my third day of training after beating a somewhat tougher monster without getting knocked on my ass."

"Yeah I've been meaning to ask," said Rifana as she whispered her question in his ear, "You and her didn't, ya know, get busy in the nest?"

"No we didn't do anything like that," replied the Armory Hero, "we did cuddle a bit on the night before I left here, but nothing super intimate. She's actually a little jealous of you I believe." Rifana couldn't help but smirk a little at that.

"Do you think I'll get that big one day?" Asked Filo as she stared at the immense height of Fitoria.

"I'm just wondering how many cowlicks you'll have by then," quipped Johann as Filo covered her head while yelling no. The group got a laugh out of this and after another few minutes, Melty's little ride on Fitoria's head was through. And like that morning, the party again found themselves seated around the rectangular wooden table to eat a bit of lunch this time.

"That was so incredibly fun!" squealed Melty as she, the rest of the group and the mass of Filolials all enjoyed their meals.

"I realize the day has only started for all of you," said Fitoria, who was standing to the side, "but why not rest for just a while longer before you depart."

"Should we?" Questioned Rifana and Melty as they glanced at the cardinal heroes.

"Given that Johann and Filo both got knocked around a bit, it couldn't hurt to at least let them rest for a bit," said Darius.

"And she is offering so I guess we have no reason not to accept," added Naofumi as Filo and Melty cheered.

"It seems only right to show you some hospitality since we're celebrating right now," said Fitoria as the gathered Filolials all let out their own squawking version of a cheer.

"Wait, you're throwing a new queen party for me aren't you?" Asked Filo, "I didn't agree to that-hey." Her protests were cut short as she was suddenly picked up by a yellow Filolial and placed on its back. Melty, Rifana, Raphtalia and Johann were all having a good laugh until they too were hauled up and placed on the backs of the giant birds.

"Wait, we have to go along with this too?" Questioned a nervous Raphtalia from her perch atop the Filolial.

"Just a couple words of advice," said Darius as he tried and failed to hide a playful smirk, "Hang on tight."

"No way is the future dragon emperor gonna-WOOOOOOOOH!" His screams were joined by the rest of the party as the large flock of Filolials took off at high speed around the ruins. Naofumi looked on in confusion while Darius and Fitoria simply shrugged and continued eating their meal. Unsurprisingly, Johann had a lot of nasty words when the group got back, but even that couldn't spoil the mood as a fire was lit and dinner served to all of them.

Filo had the honor of sitting on a throne that was in surprisingly good condition before being pulled in to dance around the fire with Melty. Darius danced as well, though he was forced to keep swapping between Fitoria and Rifana the whole time to keep the two girls from getting jealous, while Raphtalia had to help Naofumi and Johann get out of the mass of Filolials who were apparently anointing them with a large number of soft pecks. The result was the two were now covered in feathers and Johann was cussing up a storm whenever he thought Darius or Rifana wasn't paying attention. All things considered, though, it was the most fun any of them had had in what seemed like a week and before long, most of the group was asleep among the Filolials once again.

And once more, Darius and Naofumi found themselves still awake and standing in a different section of the ruins. Only this time, the two were in front of a structure which held a bit of sentimental value for the Armory Hero. "So this is where you were summoned," surmised the Shield Hero as he noted the door was sealed.

"Yep, the temple and tomb of the Armory Hero," explained Darius with a nostalgic look at the multi-leveled rectangular structure, "door is sealed in such a way that only an extremely powerful magic user or someone with cardinal hero status can open it. Now that I think of it, Fitoria was probably quite surprised when some yahoo came stumbling 'out' of the place."

"No doubt," said Naofumi as said Filolial queen came walking up behind them, "It looks like it's time for our private chat."

"A question has been lingering in my mind," said Fitoria, "did you ever try to reconcile with the heroes?"

"Oh not this again," Said Naofumi, "No I didn't try to reconcile with any of them."

"And did you make any effort to clear your name of the false charges that had befallen you?" Fitoria Questioned further.

"You know it's more complicated than that Fitoria," said Darius, "even if those three hadn't already made up their minds about him, the king and his daughter were dead set on ruining him and keeping him down from the get go."

"The king may be able to influence his own people," said Fitoria, "however, it's inconsequential so long as the cardinal heroes are all united. But so long as you don't deny being guilty out loud, they'll take it as an admission of guilt."

"I guess you're right about that much at least," said Naofumi as he and Darius sat down on the stairs.

"I plan on dropping the two of you in separate locations," said Fitoria, "you'll be near the other heroes so please, take the opportunity to try and reason with them."

"Well it was fun while it lasted," said Darius, "though the offer's still open if you want to travel with us."

"I will not involve myself any further until the five of you can demonstrate that you are worthy of it," replied Fitoria.

"Great, all we gotta do is switch over to being best friends," said Naofumi with a sigh.

"I think we can work something out," said Darius, "remember, if all goes well we only have to see those ass-hats once a month. So long as we work together then, we can stay out of each other's hair in the off time."

"Well I guess we both owe it to her to at least try," relented Naofumi as he glanced back at Fitroia, "Is that good enough for you?"

"What you really need to understand is that even the absence of one cardinal hero makes it nearly impossible to fight off a wave," said Fitoria, "even more so given that Darius's presence here means the world is out of balance beyond a normal degree. In the case that you can't all work together, it would make more sense to kill you off and allow a new group of heroes to be summoned."

"So you really will kill us all if we can't find a way to cooperate," said Naofumi.

"A time is coming when the world will demand great sacrifices from us all," said Fitoria as she went down a couple steps to look them in the eye, "I don't know how many waves will pass before then, but inevitably it will happen."

"What sort of sacrifices are we talking about?" Questioned Darius as he voiced the question on both their minds.

"A decisive battle in which all the heroes will be forced to choose what it is they want to fight for," replied Fitoria, "It is the moment I'm dreading most."

"What do you mean by choosing what we fight for?" Asked Naofumi.

"Is it the world you're both fighting for or the people," Fitoria questioned back, "many people will lose their lives if you choose the world, but your duty will be fulfilled should you follow that path."

"And should we choose to fight for the people, what then?" Asked Darius.

"It will be a truly thorny path to tread should you make that choice," explained the Filolial Queen with a far off look. "I've forgotten many things over the years but one detail I recall clearly is that saving the world is not the same as saving its people. The ones who came before you always hoped that their successors would fight for the latter."

"I guess that is why they'd be called heroes of the people," said Naofumi.

"Neither of you are ready to make this choice as of yet," said Fitoria sadly, "many hurdles will come before it, too many for either of you to conquer alone."

"Is the reason you're coming to me with all of this because I've been traveling with Darius?" Questioned Naofumi. "It seems like it'd be more productive to convince the other heroes to forgive me."

"Even if Darius wasn't traveling with you, I'd still consider you a hero of higher worth than the others," replied Fitoria, "don't misunderstand. I am fond of Darius here, but it is also because you've demonstrated your own set of heroic traits. Not to mention, one who can raise a future Filolial Queen typically isn't all bad."

"Plus if you had turned out to be a jerk, I wouldn't have stuck around," added the Armory Hero.

"Well I'm not exactly the nicest guy either," said Naofumi.

"Despite that, I do believe you have what it takes to convince the other heroes," said Fitoria, "and you won't be doing it alone. You have the loyal Armory Hero going along with you."

"You give me too much credit, but I still appreciate it," said Darius with a small smile.

"Should you fail, however, you will all die," said Fitoria, "you're all too weak to fight individually at the moment and if not by my hand you will certainly die by the enemies from the waves."

"I guess we'll be needing our curse series more than ever if the upcoming battles are gonna be that tough," said Naofumi.

"I'd rather you didn't, but since you seem to think it's necessary," said Fitoria before putting one hand on Darius's bands while placing the other on Naofumi's shield. A glow came from the jewels and the dragon emperor shard in Naofumi's armor as their Stats updated. "There, the corrosion will be a bit slower now. But you should still be careful as I am unable to stop it completely. Wield the cursed power as little as possible."

"You know for all the talk about killing us, you really are a kind person aren't you Fitoria, thanks," said Naofumi with legitimate gratitude. Strangely, his comment seemed to surprise the Filolial Queen a bit as a memory flashed through her mind. Before the Shield Hero could say much else, Fitoria had dropped her head onto his lap, looking somewhat tired for once. "Uh, could you please get off?"

"Just for a moment Sir Hero," asked Fitoria with a hint of longing in her voice.

"Well I mean-," He started to say before his argument was crushed completely.

"Naofumi Iwatani you shall pat her majesty's head and you will like it!" commanded Darius with a look that invited no arguments. Not wanting to really tick off his friend, the Shield Hero did as requested and began stroking her hair. The winged girl hummed in appreciation as she closed her eyes for a moment.

"So was her original owner also the Shield Hero," asked Naofumi, not wanting to disturb the queen.

"A Filolial's memory is short," replied Darius as he noted the tears of joy in Fitoria's eyes, "it's honestly amazing she remembered as much about the Armory Hero as she did. At best, she remembers it was either the Shield Hero or the Armory Hero who raised her because some of her fondest memories are her times with them."

"Well that might explain a few things," said Naofumi, "And I suppose after all she's done for us, I can't really refuse a request from her."

"You promise then," said Fitoria as she raised her head up off of Naofumi's lap, "Will you at least try?"

"I promise," said Naofumi as he stood up, "starting tomorrow, I'll try and reconcile with the other heroes if I get the chance."

"That is all I ask for," said Fitoria with a nod as the Shield Hero turned and headed off to get some sleep. "And I suppose there is something else on your mind, Darius? Even if you haven't said it out loud, I know you've already made the same promise."

"That goes without saying," replied Darius, "Though I do have to wonder about the way you phrased killing us at times. It almost sounded like you'd spare my life while eliminating the other four."

"That is because your summoning is under different conditions than the others," explained Fitoria, "In order to summon new cardinal heroes, all four of the current heroes must die. But the Armory Hero's creation was different and is subject to a different set of parameters. Should you die, there is no guarantee another Armory Hero would be summoned in your place. Though if I believed it would help the world I would put you to rest as well, with an extraordinarily heavy heart."

"I suppose that's what I get for being a monkey wrench of a hero," said Darius, "I'm kinda messing up a lot of people's plans lately, right along with Naofumi."

"Indeed," said Fitoria, "but I feel the matter of whether or not I'd end you for the sake of the world wasn't the only reason you asked that question. What other concerns are weighing on your mind?" Darius sighed as he decided he'd best not hide it at this point.

"My real concern isn't whether or not we can convince the other heroes, especially after watching the apparent impossibility that was a dragon and Filolial working together. I'm more concerned about a dream I had a few nights back, one where I was some kind of ruler freely wielding the power of the curse series."

"You fear it may become a reality," stated Fitoria, "and you are right to worry. The more you use the curse series, the more pronounced the price for it becomes."

"Have any cardinal heroes ever fallen to the curse series before?" Asked Darius. Fitoria seemed to think for a moment before answering.

"I can recall a few tales where such a fate did befall a cardinal hero," replied Fitoria, "But the one which would be most relevant to you would likely be the fate of the third or fourth Armory Hero. I cannot properly recall which."

"What happened to them exactly?" Replied the cardinal hero, not sure if he really wanted to hear the answer.

"From what your predecessor was able to uncover," began Fitoria, "there was an Armory Hero who unlocked his curse series early on due to his apparent jealousy of how powerful the other cardinal heroes were and used it extensively until it began to warp his thoughts. He started hoarding the best weapons and armors he could find, taking forcefully what he could not buy or trade through means of disguise, thievery, intimidation and even murder at times. He also used his influence as a cardinal hero to work his way up the hierarchy of a port city known for crafting the highest quality war materials. By this point the curse series had twisted his mind into something far more malevolent than the person who had originally arrived and when a wave hit, he used it as cover to end the ruler of the port city while blaming it on the monsters."

"This tactic created enough fear throughout the populace that few argued with him declaring himself the new ruler. But as time wore on, it was obvious something was amiss. He no longer removed his mask which had grown gnarled ram's horns and he adorned himself in the finest gold armor he could get his hands on. Those in the city began to call him the golden king, while those outside of the city referred to him as the gold tyrant. The consuming power of the curse series became so great that he eventually declared war on the other four cardinal heroes, believing that he alone was now more than enough to fight off the waves."

"It didn't end well for the guy, did it," said Darius.

"No," replied the Filolial Queen, "their clash destroyed the city, with two armies battling while the cardinal heroes tried to subdue him. But in the end, the heroes were forced to kill him. Such a fate will befall you as well if you are not careful."

"So it really is possible," said Darius with a sigh as he looked at his hands, "I've already scarred Rifana with my first use of the curse series, and even though I've gotten better control I can still feel it sometimes, like an itch in the back of my mind."

"You are nothing like the one who became the gold tyrant," stated Fitoria as she placed a hand on his right band. "He was an envious, greedy person to begin with. How else could he become emotional enough in such a short time to unlock the curse series? No, you unlocked yours because of an intense desire to keep anyone from taking your friends away, and complete hatred of the fact that all of you had to put up with the fanaticism of a person you'd never even met."

"I'm not sure that's a good thing even if you do spin it like that," Darius pointed out.

"It means the ones you care about are your treasures," said Fitoria, "I know you'd never intentionally hurt any of your friends, which is why I'm confident you'll listen to me and only use the curse series when you absolutely have too."

"Well I guess if one of the most powerful beings in this world says so, I should at least try to meet the expectation," said Darius, "So let's drop that depressing subject for the time being. After all, starting tomorrow we have to try to and make nice with the douche troop. It's gonna be a heck of a day."

The King and the Queen have been revealed and the next destination has been set! What shall tomorrow bring for our heroes? At the moment I can tell you all what won't be out tomorrow, a new chapter of Hailstorm Vol. 2. As you all likely know the newest episode was delayed and with no actual source material it's a bit difficult for me to write a story outline for the latest chapter. But fear not, I plan on having it out next week and the week after that shall be the continuation of the Adventures of Team WA Vol. 2! So in the meantime, I hope you all get enough enjoyment out of 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 Darius's group encounters not only the heroes, but the conspiracy which has been biting at their heels since the beginning. 'Til then.