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.

39. The Old Sage of Hengen Musou

The Old Sage of Hengen Musou

Hello everyone and here we are again at the latest chapter of Armory of the Forgotten Hero! Now before I forget there's a quick explanation I'd like to go over for how I'll be doing my chapters in the future. I'll be focusing on this as my main story for now so it will be updated most often and followed by The Swordsman and the Asura, Hailstorm Vol. 2 and then A New Crusade IF. Worry not, though, as I'll be wrapping up the current season of Hailstorm within the next chapter or so, meaning more time to update A New Crusade for those impatiently waiting for it. And that's about all I have for announcements at the moment and with no guest review questions this week, let's dive on in!

Daytime: Within the Royal Castle

Darius had been expecting one or two surprises today given that they were meeting and working with new combat trainers. Despite that, he still couldn't say he was totally prepared to see the old adventurer, Elrasla Grilaroc, at the castle. Or rather, at the castle and basically sexually harassing Rishia. "Please put me down Mrs. Grilaroc!" Exclaimed Rishia, "what's even gotten into you?!"

"Oh I'm just excited is all," replied the Old Woman, who was currently still refusing to let the green-haired girl go, "I've been mulling this decision over for a while now and finally decided to pull out the old combat attire."

"Why not let go of my party member while you're at it," said Naofumi as he grabbed the Old Adventurer by the scruff of her neck and hoisted her up, finally freeing the confused and frightened Rishia from her grasp, "and aren't you already training the others back at the village?"

"I've been training them all in basic hand to hand combat," replied Grilaroc with a grin, "but what I'm going to teach all of you is something a bit different." She reached up and touched Naofumi's hand then, causing the Shield Hero to recoil and release her like his hand had been shocked by something.

"That just pierced through, my divine protection," said Naofumi, surprised by the amount of pain she'd inflicted on him with just a single touch.

"Indeed it did," said Grilaroc while making a slight claw gesture, "that is the power of the style I teach."

"Wait a minute," said Darius, "you aren't the Hengen Musou practitioner, are you?"

"She is," said the voice of Mirelia Q. Melromarc as she came walking down the hall with a guard escorting her, "imagine my surprise when I found out she was already acquainted with all of you, the sage of the Hengen Musou style."

"Your surprise," said Rifana, "we're pretty surprised too. Why didn't you ever tell us you were a sage?"

"I'd honestly been wrestling with the decision for a while," replied Grilaroc, "you see, the school of Hengen Musou is a school for the weak. It teaches them a method to fight against overwhelmingly strong opponents. But after years of decline I wasn't sure if I'd ever be able to pass it on, until I heard the queen was looking for combat advisors. Apparently, you're all going up against some overwhelmingly strong opponents, and my school's principle is to lend a hand to those who need it, no matter what form it takes. So if I can't add to the strength of the cardinal heroes, I can't call myself a Hengen Musou user."

"Well whatever the reason," said Naofumi, "it's reassuring that you've decided to lend us your full strength. Though I'm not sure how many of those techniques I'll be able to learn since I use the shield."

"Perhaps, perhaps not," replied the now revealed Sage, "my school deals with 'Ki', whose power can be received by every being equally."

"How exactly is it different from magic?" Questioned Darius, "because this doesn't sound like something I can just copy and use."

"Magic is something that brings movement in the world's order. You use it based on your knowledge and aptitude," replied Grilaroc, "but Ki is something more primitive than that, so let's see?" The Old Woman looked around for a few moments before her eyes settled on a statue. "Your majesty, might I use this statue for a demonstration?"

"You may," said the Queen with a quick nod as she opened her fan in front of her mouth out of habit.

"Much obliged," replied the Sage as she turned to the statue and, after a moment of looking over it, stuck her finger in the solid rock base. A moment later, it burst apart as if it had been struck by a cannon or blown apart from the inside. "This is the power of Ki." Everyone looked on with expressions ranging from astonished to shocked. "As you might have guessed, it crumbled not from a blow but from-."

"Just slow down a moment," said Naofumi, "we don't even know what it is you did just now!"

"It was still amazing," cheered Kiel while Rishia picked up a piece of the shattered statue to examine. It promptly fell apart in her fingers, getting a cheer from Grilaroc as she suddenly hugged the girl from behind again.

"That's it right there!" Exclaimed the Sage while Rishia squealed in discomfort, "this girl really does have the quality!"

"Wait, that might've just been a brittle piece," Rishia tried to explain, "I haven't even heard of Ki before today!"

"I've decided!" Exclaimed Grilaroc, clearly not listening, "this girl shall be the successor to the Hengen Musou style!"

"Will you stop sexually harassing my party member!" Exclaimed Naofumi while Darius, Rifana and Johann simply sighed.

"Not sure if I liked it better when she was just a really strong old lady," commented Johann, "or this crazy sage person." Darius would've commented also until he noticed one of the Queen's shadows had appeared and was relaying some news to her. The last part caused a look of concern to cross her face as Darius decided to inquire.

"Do we have something of a problem going on right now?" He asked while crossing his arms.

"I think it would be best if you and Sir Iwatani accompany me," replied the Queen. She turned and led the way then as everyone else followed her back out to the training yard where they'd met Éclair earlier that day. She was there with Raphtalia, Figneria and Filo, all of whom had decided to head back to the training yard early while Kiel and Rishia were getting their slave crests applied. And for whatever reason, Éclair was in the sparring arena facing Ren.

"Raphtalia," said Naofumi as the rest of the group approached, "what's happening right now?"

"Well," began the Raccoon girl, "All three of the other heroes happened to gather out here by chance a little while ago. Éclair brought up the fact that they weren't training and…...it kind of led to this."

"Éclair," said the Queen, "you do not appear to be entirely calm right now."

"Oh, your majesty," said the blond Swordswoman with a quick glance in her direction, "please overlook this matter. Inexperienced though I may be, I am still a knight and thus cannot allow an insult to go unchallenged."

"It wasn't an insult," said Ren, "I merely suggested there were better things to do than training for this cheap mimicry."

"Especially if it's taught by someone with a lower level, right," mocked Motoyasu who was standing to the side with a smug looking Itsuki next to him.

"Didn't you get your ass kicked repeatedly by Naofumi and Raphtalia despite their levels being lower than yours," Rifana pointed out.

"And not only that you got your balls smashed in by a girl who was more than a head shorter than you with a handicap on her weapon that kept her from killing people," added Darius.

"That-That was just a fluke," said Motoyasu while laughing nervously, "just an off-day, ya know."

"Nah ya just suck," said Johann, "and Bow guy can't really brag either. Darius nearly mopped the floor with him from what I hear."

"He had help," exclaimed Itsuki, "I would've had a shot if Rishia hadn't interfered!"

"I did it because you were fighting the wrong person," Rishia shot back with surprising force in her voice, "but even if I hadn't interfered it was obvious he had you beat!" Itsuki growled in response to this.

"I guess that means you two still need a little bit of work," said Ren.

"Didn't Scythe guy kick your butt," Filo pointed out, "oh and you got dropped in the water too! It's funny now that I think about it."

"I was taken by surprise," Ren shot back, "he was more skilled than I anticipated."

"Well you have a chance to prove that right now," said the Queen with a sigh, "Éclair, I shall allow you two to fight so long as it's a sparring match."

"I'm honored to have this chance," said Éclair with a bow. Ren simply replied with a 'hmph' as the two of them drew their swords.

"The first person to attack the vitals shall be the winner," explained the Queen, "magic or special skills of any kind are not allowed."

"So," Darius said off-handedly, "anyone wanna take bets on how long this is gonna last?"

"Not long," said Naofumi, "it's what happens afterwards that concerns me." The Queen gave the signal to begin then as Ren rushed forward and attacked with a diagonal strike on Éclair's right side. The confidence on his face was clear as he mouthed 'my win', only to immediately shift to a look of surprise when Éclair simply held her sword up by her head at a downward angle to parry his blow. The attack wound up sliding off her blade as the cardinal hero lost his balance and stumbled past her, giving Éclair all the opening she needed to point her sword right at the back of his neck.

'Wow, over even quicker than I thought,' mused Darius. "It can't be," said Éclair as a perplexed look crossed her face, "you're more bark than bite, aren't you?"

"I coulda told ya that," commented Johann as Ren grit his teeth in frustration before leaping back up to his feet and swinging his sword at Éclair.

"Once more!" He declared as he swung again and again at his sparring partner.

"Sir Amaki that's enough!" Declared the Queen as she tried to put a stop to the match.

"I don't mind this your majesty," said Éclair while continuing to parry Ren's blows, "this is a good opportunity for training, after all. So we'll keep at this until he tires out." By the looks of things that wasn't going to be more than a few minutes. Ren was swinging his sword haphazardly, making big movements in his attempt to strike at Éclair as hard as he could, meaning each strike cost him more and more energy.

Due to his rising frustration, the cardinal hero resorted to the only thing he had left: one of his skills. "Airstrike Bash!" He exclaimed as his sword produced a powerful air blast which knocked Éclair onto her back.

"Hey," yelled Naofumi, "the rules were no skills Ren! Or magic!" The now embarrassed Sword Hero sheathed his weapon while doing his best to look dignified. Raphtalia and Rifana went over to help Éclair up while the Queen got Ren's attention by loudly closing her fan.

"Well, Sir Amaki," she asked with a knowing smile, "how was Éclair's swordsmanship?"

"I," Ren hesitated to say at first, "I approve. And I'll take the training alright! I'll take it!"

"And what about the two of you," asked the Queen as she directed her gaze towards Itsuki and Motoyasu, "I can assure you that all the combat trainers we've brought in are on a similar level to her."

"I…...guess I don't see the harm in it," Itsuki finally said, though rather reluctantly.

"I'll take the training too," said Motoyasu, "though I have something of a condition."

"And what might that be?" Questioned the Queen, already half-suspecting what he was about to ask.

"Whoever trains me has got to be either a hot woman or an adorable little woman like Filo!" Proclaimed Motoyasu.

"I vote give him the ugliest guy we got," whispered Rifana, getting a nod from Éclair.

"We do have a few female spear wielders," said the Queen, "if it won't prove detrimental to your training then perhaps I can allow it. Let us gather the instructors and see what we can figure out."

"Oh that's fine, I already got someone in mind," said Motoyasu with a smirk before pointing at Figneria.

"I beg your pardon," said the Former Assassin with a raised eyebrow.

"I heard from Ren and Itsuki that you trained Darius," replied Motoyasu, "I was hoping you might be able to show me some of the stuff you taught him, ya know, shortcuts and the like."

"I didn't show him any shortcuts," said Figneria, "if anything I taught him not to rely solely on his cardinal weapons. The reason he and Naofumi are so much stronger than any of you has less to do with their weapons and more to do with the fact that they've had to fight much harder and endure far more to reach this point. If you ever want to match them then it will require you putting in far more time and effort than you ever have before."

"Yeah I can do that, no sweat," said Motoyasu, "just show me a few moves and maybe later on-."

"I don't recall agreeing to train you," said Figneria with a hand on her hip, "I have prior commitments to both the village and to Darius and his party. There is still much I have to teach them and even if there wasn't I still wouldn't agree to train you."

"What, but why not?" Questioned Motoyasu, "you and the other combat instructors are supposed to be helping us, right?"

"There are plenty of instructors to teach both you and your party," said Figneria, "you'll learn plenty from them if you actually pay attention. Now if we're done wasting time-."

"Just one more question," said Motoyasu, getting an eyeroll from several members of Darius and Naofumi's parties, "I bet I know the real reason you don't want to train me."

"You say that as if I have only one reason to refuse training you," replied Figneria before turning to leave.

"You got a thing going on with Darius, don'tcha," he said, "what'd he do to get your loyalty anyway? He ain't charming or handsome and if it's cardinal status, well, I got that too. And if you're helping him out of pity, I might get that, though you could do way better." Figneria's eyes narrowed at this series of comments before she glanced at the Armory Hero.

"Darius," she said, "I recall that today was the day I was going to go over more dual weapons, correct?"

"That was the itinerary," replied the Armory Hero, "what'd you have in mind?"

"The dual sticks please," she said while holding out her hand, "I'm going to teach you how to deflect spears with them. You should also pay attention, Rifana."

"I take it this is not something from the original plans," inquired the Queen, already suspecting the answer.

"It is in a way, but you're right that it's not the original plan," said Figneria as she accepted the dual sticks and stepped into the sparring ring, "Spear Hero, step in the ring, now." Her voice was low and dangerous, inviting no argument. Naturally Motoyasu was confused at this turn of events but stepped in after a moment.

"Hey look I wasn't trying to be mean or anything," he said while twirling his spear, "I was just being honest. You, Raphtalia, Filo, you all deserve a guy who can look after you and won't need you to fight."

"Then prove your prowess," said Figneria as she adopted a somewhat lazy fighting stance, "show me the skill of the weakling who loses to two children."

"That fight was me holding back," said Motoyasu, "I didn't want to hurt the lovely ladies. But if you need proof so bad, then here goes!" He charged straight at Figneria with a straight thrust of his spear. Much like Ren his attack was easy to read and avoid as the Mercenary Woman lowered her body while moving forward.

She parried the spear point with an overhand block held over her head before moving forward, the metal ringing with the sound of the wood sliding against it. "W-Wha-GAAAAAAAAHHH!" Motoyasu didn't even have time to react as she batted the spear the rest of the way aside before striking him in the head. She quickly followed up with several more strikes to his torso, stomach, neck and head again before kicking him onto his back.

"My apologies," said Figneria before turning to the Queen, "we never specified the rules of this sparring match, did we?"

"We did not," acknowledged the Queen as Motoyasu struggled back to his feet, "the first to attack the vitals rule should work in this match and-."

"Airstrike Spear!" Exclaimed Motoyasu as he attempted to use a similar tactic to Ren. But unlike Éclair, Figneria knew to expect such a tactic and leapt over the attack before kicking down with both of her feet behind the spearhead. The result was the weapon planting itself in the arena floor as the Spear Hero tried to free it.

But it was already too late as Figneria jumped and spun, lashing out with a vicious kick to his face which knocked him over onto his back yet again, this time with him cringing and holding his nose. But Figneria wasn't done as she walked over and kicked up the armor plate below his belt before half-stomping her foot down on the cardinal hero's manhood. His response was a slightly high-pitched groan as Figneria began to speak on a particular matter.

"Now, you asked me why it is that I am loyal to Darius," she said while still stepping on his nuts, "it's true that he's not all that handsome and while he possesses whit he is somewhat lacking in certain areas when it comes to being charming. But what he does possess is an actual respect for his party members and their abilities, along with a willingness to learn and admit when he's wrong, something you and the other cardinal heroes currently lack. He understands the responsibility that comes with the title of 'cardinal hero' and he'd give his life for me or any one of his party members, can you say the same? Lastly, he gave me a place to belong, to use my skills and to learn new ones because he actually wants us to be more than glorified cheerleaders or a status symbol!"

Motoyasu let out a high-pitched squeal then as Figneria greatly increased the pressure on his manhood, likely threatening to injure it if not for the Queen's intervention. "I believe that will do," said the Queen, "such a place as that is considered the most 'vital' for the Spear Hero."

"Of course, your majesty," said Figneria as she finally removed her foot from Motoyasu's crotch and headed out of the arena, "I merely felt that the seriousness of our situation needed to be stated. There is no time for tomfoolery at this stage."

"You're right in that respect," said the Queen as she looked over at Itsuki, "will you also need any encouragement?" A quick shake of the Bow Hero's head said he'd gotten the message loud and clear: either take the training or be humiliated. "Splendid, then we shall go over the curriculum. You'll find the other instructors over there and do bring your party members along with you."

"Y-You mean we're," Motoyasu said weakly as he struggled to his feet, "starting right now?"

"Yes," replied the Queen, "and the program will keep you busy. After all, there are many things you have to learn. So let us do everything we can until the next wave." The other heroes gulped at that while Figneria made her way back over to her party.

"And hear I thought you only loved me for my handsome face," quipped Darius. Figneria simply smiled before pecking him on the lips.

"If it helps, yours is the only face I care to think of these days when it comes to the men I've loved in my life," she said, "though if that doesn't convince you, we can always have a private session later, provided you do well at training first."

"I just hope we get a spare moment for something like that," said Rifana, "things are about to get hectic."

The Next Day

The sound of numerous activities out in the training yard filled the air. The rattle of wooden training weapons against training dummies, the 'thunk' of arrows hitting targets, the shouts from the other instructors as they gave commands, corrections, and other pieces of advice. In one particular corner of the training yard, the sound of steel rang out as two blades clashed. "You weren't lying about that mask," commented Éclair as she blocked and parried several blows, "your technique and attack form drastically improve when you're using it."

"It's saved my ass on more than one occasion," replied Darius as he continued to jab and make quick, short swings, probing at his sparring partner's defense. They'd been at this for a few minutes now, mostly due to the Armory Hero attacking cautiously and retreating whenever his rushes were broken.

"You still need to be a bit more aggressive!" Said Éclair as she batted away his latest blow with more force than last time before charging at him with a five-hit combo. Darius parried the first two strikes with the third one narrowly missing his head. The Armory Hero sidestepped the next two strikes before he counterattacked with a series of low and mid blows.

Éclair parried and dodged these easily enough until Darius feinted his latest low blow and went for a thrust aimed at her neck. The Swordswoman's experience and discipline shown through, however, as she gracefully moved her head around and beneath the blade before striking under Darius's guard. The Cardinal Hero reacted more on instinct than anything as he leapt to the side and intentionally fell back to avoid the follow up strike aimed at his waste. The moment he rolled back up; he went all out using the same ten-hit combo that Éclair had used against Naofumi the day before.

The Blade Instructor was pushed back by this onslaught, blocking every strike as quickly as she could. During this frenzy of blows, Darius saw an opening and went right for her stomach. But Éclair moved faster than he anticipated, just barely sidestepping the blow before striking back with a jab towards Darius's face. The Armory Hero moved to the side to avoid the technique, losing his balance slightly as he did before Éclair resumed the attack with her ten-hit combo.

Darius tried to block as many of the blows as he could, but he couldn't get his footing set correctly and had to catch himself before he stumbled. This gave Éclair the opening she needed as she thrust her blade forward, poking Darius right where his heart would be. "And that's the match," announced Figneria, "well done Éclair, you've once again demonstrated the importance of skill and experience."

"I'll say," said Darius as he dissolved his mask and went to set his training sword back on the rack, "I thought I had you there at one point."

"Your mask's ability to mimic attacks you've seen before is impressive," said Éclair as she also set down her training sword, "you used my own technique against me with near perfect form despite having only seen it yesterday. Though I've noticed that unless you're counterattacking, your defense is much less precise."

"I've told him as much," said Figneria, "that's why we'll be working on his weapon defensive skills as a main focus."

"Yeah the mask can do a lot of things," said Darius while wiping his brow, "it'll even make minor adjustments to my body whenever I'm using a copied attack but that's it. I'm pretty much on my own when it comes to dodging, parrying or any other fancy blocking tricks. That's why I got my stomach sliced a bit in the last wave against L'Arc."

"Well this time you'll be more prepared for such a confrontation," said Éclair before taking a breath, "but we'll have to wait for a bit. I promised I'd have lunch with Raphtalia as soon as our session was over."

"It's pretty much lunch time for all of us right now," said Rifana as she came walking up, having completed the latest set of movements Figneria had shown her, "so may as well compare notes on everyone's progress."

"Well here's my progress report!" Called Johann as he landed in front of them in his dragon form, "I cleaned up all kinds of monsters around the village and kept an eye on Filo and Kiel! Now I'm hungry!"

"That last part's nothing new," said Darius as he spotted Filo arriving with an exhausted Kiel riding on her back, "but you did your job and leveled up by the looks of it, so go and chow down." Johann cheered as he transformed back into his human form and ran into the mess hall with the others following after him. Though the sight that greeted them when they entered wasn't the most encouraging thing in the world.

"Why does this seem so familiar, even after coming to another world, it's just like being in school again," groaned the three other cardinal heroes as they all had their heads on the table, clearly worn out. Their other party members weren't doing much better as they too were almost sprawled out all over the mess hall.

"So what do you think," said Rifana, "was it the physical part of the training that got to them or the mental part?"

"Hard to tell, honestly," said Darius, "I don't want to jump out and say the mental part, but it does seem highly likely."

"I'm more disappointed in their party members," said Figneria, "I was under the impression most of them were adventurers to one degree or another. Former King Trash must've passed up some incredible warriors just to get people who'd follow his lead unquestionably."

"I'm just wondering if their levels really are higher than Éclair's," commented Naofumi, having overheard their conversation as he came walking up next to the rest of the group.

"I think it's another case in why Stats mean more than levels," Rifana chimed in, "I know it's been said before but if level was everything, we'd all probably be dead right now."

"Then let's count ourselves lucky," said Darius as he turned to Naofumi, "how are things back in the village, by the way?"

"Reichnott has things handled pretty well and Rino's making sure the troops keep to the routine with the occasional mix-up," said Naofumi, "though Figneria should probably head back there soon. No doubt you've come up with a couple of other ideas for their training after this."

"I'll be able to stop by for a brief time," replied the Weapons Master, "but then I'll need to head to Koteraan. Lord and Lady Ivyred should be about ready to send some of the newly trained soldiers up this way."

"Do what you got to do," said Naofumi, "in the meantime, Darius, I got a question for you."

"What is it?" Replied the Armory Hero, generally curious what his comrade might need from him.

"Do you happen to know of any alternatives to stamina potions?" Questioned Naofumi, "we don't need to waste our own stockpile of them just for training, and honestly you shouldn't waste them for some of the other 'activities' you get up too."

"Hey I ain't giving my ladies anything less than the best I can," said Darius, "some days that means I need a little potion assistance to counteract the effects of a long hard day. But now that you mention it, there was this one thing the Herbs Shop Owner told me about some time ago."

"And that was," inquired Naofumi further, "and is it expensive?"

"Not from what he told me," Said Darius, "when you get the chance, head back to the village and ask him about 'Spirit Healing Water'. He told me the stuff is supposed to restore vitality, though he might've also been trying to get rid of it too."

"Well it's worth a look either way I guess," said Naofumi with a shrug, "we need to get as much accomplished as we can before the next wave and while I always hate to say it, we'll need those three to get in gear too."

"Maybe they'll shape up if we promise to sing their praises or something," commented Darius, "though I shudder to even consider such an idea."

"Let's save it as a last resort for now," said Naofumi, "first things first, we all need to eat and get back to training." A series of nods was his answer to that statement as the collective heroes and their parties proceeded to chow down and chat amongst themselves about how their own training regiments were going. Shortly after that it was back to work, this time with the Hengen Musou style.

A Few Hours Later

'Never thought I'd actually be seriously meditating,' mused Darius as he sat cross-legged in a separate training area while holding his hands in a circle in his lap, 'then again I'm not supposed to be thinking while I do this, per se, but feeling.' The Armory Hero had seen several movies, shows and read more than a few books where something like this occurred. It always came down to generating or finding a certain 'feeling' or state of mind. According to his instructor, feeling 'Ki' required concentration as one visualized life force.

Now what life force or 'Ki' looked like or felt like was something that he'd apparently understand once he actually felt it. 'Which could mean a lot of things,' he mused, 'I kind of wonder why this is really all that different from feeling magic? In a lot of popular media, life force is used to generate and control magic, so in theory.' He concentrated and reached out with his mind, this time feeling the mana that he usually employed for magic.

He then tried to feel not just it but anything else that was a part of it. Not just the basic elements but what connected them all, where they came from. 'It all leads back to the same place,' he thought, 'the energy of the world itself, all the way back to the beginning and all the way to now.' Then he noticed something, off, or rather something distorted. There was an energy and it seemed to approach him, but when it came close it almost seemed to bend and twist unnaturally.

'What in the world is-,' he started to think before being interrupted. "THAT'S IT!" Yelled Grilaroc suddenly.

"GAAAAAAAHHHH! FUUUUUUUUEEEE!" Exclaimed both Darius and Rishia as they were rudely broken out of their concentration.

"You've managed to grasp it," explained Grilaroc, "the method for feeling and calling Ki."

"All I felt was me jumping out of my skin," Said Darius, "any reason you couldn't have said that a little more quietly?"

"Pardon my excitement but my disciple, at the very least, is ready for the next step," said the Old Sage as she pointed towards a large chunk of rock that was taller and wider than a regular person. "This is the next task, destroy it just like I showed you." Rishia looked somewhat unsure for a moment, no doubt because she'd just been asked to try and damage the thing with her bare hands. But she set her eyes to a more determined look and struck.

"TAKE THIS!" She Exclaimed before jamming her finger into the rock. "FUUUUUUUEEEE!" The result was she now had a throbbing finger and a slightly disappointed sensei.

"That's no good, you're still not concentrating," said Grilaroc, "remember the feeling you had before. You've done this once already so do it just like you did then."

"I will as soon as my finger stops hurting," she said, currently waiting for the 'feeling' of pain to go away.

"Still at it over here," said Naofumi as he came walking through the entrance to the training area.

"We've made some progress, I think," replied Darius, "we might be getting around to the 'cracking rocks' portion soon."

"Yeah," said Naofumi as he turned to Grilaroc, "sorry for making you teach Rishia and some of my other friends separately."

"It's not a problem," said Grilaroc, "to my understanding some of the other heroes and their party members can prove, distracting, from time to time. At least for those in your groups."

"You got that right," said Naofumi as he passed out the 'Spirit Healing Water' to Rishia and Darius, "anyway, I was actually able to do that 'Ki' feeling thing, but I couldn't grasp it after that."

"'Ki' permeates your body," explained Grilaroc, "and provides something that feels like vitality. If you can learn to control 'Ki' then you can block even the defense ignoring attack."

"It almost sounds like we're breaking a rule," mused Darius, "if we're still comparing some of the systems in this world to game systems, then nothing should be able to stop an attack that ignores defense. Though that might partially explain why this is a lot more difficult to grasp-."

"Wow!" Exclaimed Rishia with a satisfied sigh, "this water is amazing! I can feel my body warming up from the inside!"

"What," said Naofumi, "but I'm not feeling anything, what about you Darius?" The Armory Hero simply shook his head.

"Hmm," thought the Old Sage, "Rishia, my disciple, this is it! Concentrate as if you're trying to hold the energy inside! Strike the boulder right now as you are!"

"FUUUUUUEEEEE!" Exclaimed the Green-haired girl, clearly startled by this command before moving and striking the boulder. This time something did happen, an actual crack formed in the large rock. It wasn't large by any means, but it was definitely noticeable. 'The fucks in this stuff,' thought Darius as he glanced at the Spirit Healing Water again.

"Now tell me, my disciple Rishia, how did it feel?" Questioned Grilaroc, this time with restrained excitement.

"That warm feeling I had before," said Rishia as she looked at her finger, "it's gone now, and I feel cold."

"I see," said the Old Sage as she rubbed her chin, "it seems like you cannot hold onto 'Ki' just yet, my disciple."

"It was still amazing," said Naofumi, "this medicine to restore vitality, it must've meant 'Ki'. But how come Darius and I didn't feel anything when we drank this?"

"Not true," said Grilaroc, "you and Sir Armory Hero are both the same, you just don't realize it. Originally, the training for 'Ki' required secluding oneself in the mountains."

"Which would be possible if we didn't have a village to run, other training to do and the imminent approach of the next wave," commented Darius.

"Indeed," agreed the Old Sage, "but one thing that can be done is to invest time in it and learn it little by little."

"Well we can do that," said Naofumi, "the question is how many others are willing to do that."

The Next Day: The Woods Near the Castle

"I'M TIRED OF THIS!" Exclaimed Bitch before being quickly silenced by a chop on the head from Grilaroc.

"You can't stop meditating right now," said Grilaroc. This only proved to infuriate Bitch more as she stood up.

"Why Old Hag?!" She Barked, "Is there even any meaning in doing this?! I'm not a monk and this is something that martial artists do, isn't it?!"

"The Hengen Musou style is one that can be learned by everyone to one degree or another," replied Grilaroc, "'Ki' is central to the style and the first step is investing time and learning to perceive 'Ki'. No other shortcuts exist to this except training and disposition."

"But how much time are we even supposed to invest?" Questioned Itsuki, "we're not regular people with loads of time on our hands."

"And we don't even know if this item you guys brought us is even working," said Motoyasu as he was examining the bottle.

"It worked for Rishia," said Darius, who'd come to check on their progress with Naofumi and Raphtalia, "in theory it should at least do something for the rest of us."

"Though even with the item the training will still take at least one month," said Grilaroc, "though the real tricky part is that it depends on the person. It might take a few months, or a year or even ten years. It's possible you might not even grasp the concept at all unless you're enveloped in the vitality of the mountain." Expectedly, this was not the kind of answer the other three heroes wanted to hear.

"DON'T MESS WITH US!" They exclaimed before following up with their own series of comments. "We don't have all the time in the world, if what you said is true there's no way we'll make it in time for the next wave, we're leaving everyone!"

"Hey now what a second!" Exclaimed Naofumi, "you can't just leave!"

"It might take time to grasp," said the Old Sage, "but if you don't start now then you'll never learn it."

"We don't need it," said Motoyasu before directing his next comment to the other two heroes, "and Naofumi, you and Darius should stop too. Do you really think this will be of any use when we can do this?" He activated one of his spear's skills and destroyed a large rock that was nearby. "See, one strike with a skill is enough."

"Piece of cake, even I can do something as simple as that," said Ren and Itsuki as they demolished some similarly sized boulders.

"Oh wow," said Darius as he applauded mockingly, "you blew up a bunch of rocks. We'll definitely be just fine if Glass and her allies decide to not show and just drop a collection of boulders from their world in the next wave. You remember them, right, how they used Skills and magic too?"

"What are you even getting at?" Questioned Itsuki. This apparent lack of understanding turned out to be the last straw as Naofumi gave his own loud answer to the question.

"He's saying we've reached the limits on the old methods!" Yelled the Shield Hero, "that's why we're trying a new one, so we have something the enemy isn't prepared for! Are you all even aware that you and your parties were just burdens in the last wave?! If you put in some actual effort for once then we might have a chance!"

"Effort," spat Motoyasu, "we've been chosen by these weapons and became heroes, didn't we? But if you're saying we're weak then the stronger person should just save the world!" He turned then and started to leave. "We're going back."

"I warned them this was a pain in the ass job," said Darius as he shook his head at their departure, "now what are we gonna do?" It was a good question, one the Queen soon found herself asking.

A Short Time Later: The Royal Throne Room

"Very well," said Mirellia with a sigh after hearing the other three hero's reasoning, "I understand your discontent. If you say that you truly cannot adhere to my country's policies then, while it is a shame, this is it. You'll no longer receive any assistance from my country, and you are free to go to another country of your own decision. However, there are some conditions to be met before you go." This clearly got their attention as they listened more intently.

"First," said Mirellia, "you must help subjugate the mysterious monsters who've been appearing recently, and participation in the wave that will occur one week from now. Achieving both conditions shall lead to your freedom."

"Mysterious monsters," said Naofumi, "what mysterious monsters?"

"It is an issue that has been troubling not just this kingdom but every country," explained the Queen, "we noticed the phenomenon happening just the other day. Many of the testimonies from other countries don't match up, but one thing all the reports do have in common is that the monsters have a distinctive feature on them resembling a shell. Furthermore, they appear to be forming a swarm that will come from the East."

"And we're sure this has nothing to do with the next wave," asked Darius, "like another dragon's hourglass we don't know about?"

"We're fairly certain that this is a separate occurrence from the Waves," replied the Queen, "though it is still under investigation before we know for sure. Since it is occurring during the time of another approaching Wave, though, things are getting out of hand. So both this mysterious case with the monsters and the Wave must be handled with haste. It will also provide us with a good opportunity to re-evaluate the other three's worth as heroes. So please, by all means, save our world, heroes."

"Got it! Bring it on! And then we'll be free!" Exclaimed the Three Heroes with varying degrees of enthusiasm. 'I get the feeling this is gonna be quite a mess before all's said and done,' Darius thought with mild dread as he turned to leave with the others.

"Sir Armory Hero," said the Queen, "before you go, there is another matter I'd like to discuss with you." Naofumi gave him a questioning glance before exiting the throne room while Darius shrugged his shoulders, turned back and walked up to the Queen, this time a little closer so she wouldn't have to raise her voice.

"What seems to be the problem, your majesty?" He asked, "we've got something to worry about besides the Wave and the weird monsters?"

"This actually has something to do with the mysterious monsters," replied Mirellia, "as just mentioned they've been massing in the East. There's a particular country I'd like you and your party to venture to in the Northeast to investigate why the swarm of monsters is congregating there."

"There a reason you're just sending me and my party for this job?" Questioned Darius.

"I have reason to suspect that the country I'm sending you to is not being entirely truthful with some of its reports," said the Queen, "moreover, I'll also be sending my daughter, Melty, along with you as a show of good faith."

"Still haven't answered my question," said Darius, "but by the sound of it, you really don't want to send Naofumi there."

"Quite right," said the Queen, "were I to send him there the country would do everything it could to keep him from leaving. Moreover, I doubt the other three heroes would be able to move around as freely as you would, or protect my daughter as effectively."

"Oh great, I can already tell this is gonna be a fun job," said Darius, "so, where in Siltvelt should I start first?"

It seems stubbornness can cause as many problems as it solves, at least in this case. But the better question is, what will Siltvelt think of the Armory Hero and his party when they get there? Guess we'll find out next chapter, in the meantime 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 and his party experience one of the more unusual welcomes from the kingdom of Siltvelt! 'Til then.