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.

40. The Red Carpet Treatment

The Red Carpet Treatment

Hello everyone and here we are at the next chapter of Armory of the Forgotten Hero! Today our heroes will be venturing to Siltvelt and boy do they have a bit of a different atmosphere. But some of you might already know that and for those who don't, well, this should still be fun. Now then, not much else to say this week and since we've no guest review questions to answer, on to the story!

Early Morning: Rurorona Village

"Johann," called Rifana, "we're about packed up here so quit playing around and get ready to take off!"

"Who's playing around," said Johann who was for some reason on all fours in his human form, sniffing the ground, "I'm making sure there aren't any monsters around here that might get Melty!"

"And I do appreciate it, Johann," said Melty with a giggle, "but I don't think we'll need to worry about anything until we actually get to Siltvelt."

"Can never be too sure," replied Johann as he continued to sniff around, "I'm just glad I can finally take you for a ride through the clouds."

"Hope you don't mind having passengers for that first flight," said Rifana as she put in the last bit of travel supplies before closing the bag she'd been working on, "though we still need Darius here before we can get going."

"I think I see him on the way now," Melty pointed out as she spotted the Armory Hero approaching.

"Hey Darius," called Rifana with a wave, "we're all packed up and ready when you are!"

"Right, I'm coming I'm coming," said Darius as he picked up his pace a little bit. But as he was passing a narrow space between two of the buildings, a figure in a cloak seemed to suddenly appear there.

"Are you the one who currently possesses the Cardinal Bands?" Questioned the stranger who Darius could now tell was a woman based on her voice and what little he could see of her figure.

"Yeah that's me," said Darius as he came to a halt, "and who might you be?"

"Someone who's come to request something of you and the Shield Hero," she said, "Please Defeat me." Naturally Darius raised an eyebrow at this statement while instinctively readying to summon a weapon. "At the rate things are going, I won't be able to fulfill my intended role."

"And what role would that be-," the Armory Hero started to ask before the jewels on his band suddenly started to glow.

"Please, defeat me," she repeated, "if you do not, many meaningless sacrifices will be made." A sudden gust of wind kicked up then, slightly obscuring Darius's vision with a cloud of dust. When he looked again, the woman was gone. 'What in the world,' thought the Armory Hero before being broken from his thoughts by Rifana's approach.

"Darius," she said, "is everything alright?"

"There was someone here just now," he replied as he looked back down the small space, "did you see her?"

"I didn't see anyone over here but you," answered a slightly confused Rifana, "is something wrong?"

"I don't know," he replied before turning to walk towards Johann and Melty, "but it's gonna have to wait. Right now we need to get going."

"Alright," she said before pecking him on the cheek and then whispering, "but let us know if something comes up again, okay?"

"I will," he replied quietly before walking up and storing several of the items they'd gathered into his inventory. The rest of the supplies they'd be taking were in a large carry pack which Johann would hold onto while they flew. "Okay, that's all set. Are you both ready to be on the way?"

"Are you kidding," said Johann as he pumped both of his fists, "I've been waiting all morning for this! I could barely sleep last night!"

"Don't we all know it," said Rifana in a deadpan voice before she and the others giggled.

"Alright then," said Darius as he opened his menu and selected the teleport function, "get ready for a long couple of days everyone because here we go!" A flash of light enveloped the group of four then as they were teleported to their destination. When it faded, they were all at the border of Siltvelt.

A Few Hours Later: The Sky over Siltvelt

"This is amazing!" Yelled Melty over the sound of rushing wind, "I've never flown on a dragon before!"

"I told you flying dragons were awesome," said Johann with a glance back, "now hang on and watch this!" Melty let out an excited squeal as the dragon barrel rolled to the left and then back to the right, his altitude altering more than a couple times as he did so. It seemed that even despite being sandwiched between Darius and Rifana she was still having a blast.

"While this is fun and all," said the Armory Hero, loud enough to be heard, "try and save at least some energy for the flight there. We've got at least another day's worth before we get there."

"Don't worry about it Boss, I got this," assured Johann while doing some slight lists from left to right.

"Truthfully we could probably make it there today if we really worked at it," said Rifana.

"We could," agreed Darius, "but Johann gets tired more easily while carrying three people and an extra bag's worth of supplies. Since we don't know what kind of welcome to expect when we get there, it'd be best to err on the side of caution and make sure Johann's got enough energy for a quick escape if necessary."

"I doubt the leaders of Siltvelt would really be so brazen as to try harming the Armory Hero or the daughter of the Queen of Melromarc," said Melty, "they'd be provoking a war at the worst possible time."

"I'd like to think they know that," said Darius, "but past experience so far tells me at least one of them might be dumb enough to try it anyway."

"Speaking of Siltvelt's leaders," said Rifana, "what's the story we got cooked up for us being all the way out here?"

"I don't think we'll need to keep the fact that we're investigating strange monsters a secret," said Darius, "and Melty being here as a diplomatic envoy will definitely stick. The main problem is whether or not these folks are fond enough of the Amory Hero to listen to me, or if they'll go apeshit the moment they see Melty."

"I was with Mother for several of her visits with the representatives of Siltvelt," said Melty, "and with the recent punishments she handed out to my sister and father along with the dissolving of the Three Hero's Church, I don't believe they'll view me in a terribly hostile light. Plus, I've been instructed by Mother to present a number of proposals to help mitigate the strain on our relationship caused by my unruly family members."

"Fingers crossed that'll be enough," commented Rifana, "so it sounds like this whole trip is gonna be investigation with a side of diplomacy."

"I vote we let Melty handle that diplo-whatever you call it," said Johann, "she's great at talking to people and we can focus on finding those weird monsters. Should be a piece of cake."

"You say that," replied Darius, "but I doubt either of our jobs is gonna be that simple. We'll still need at least one of us to keep an eye on Melty and since there's so little information about the mysterious monsters we're investigating we could be running up on the source of them here, for all we know. And that's not even counting the very likely headache that diplomacy is gonna be."

"I'd like to think the leaders of Siltvelt will at least be able to see reason," assured Melty.

"So do I," said Darius, "but I can't help but think of a quote from my world by a man named Winston Churchhill: 'Diplomacy is the art of telling someone to go to hell in such a way that they ask for directions.'"

"Wow, did he really say that?" Questioned Rifana with a tilt of her head.

"It's been debated as to whether or not he actually said it at all," replied Darius, "but even if he didn't, I'd still say that's pretty descriptive for the type of politicking we're going to be dealing with."

"Then I suppose I'd best prepare all the polite ways I know how to say, what's the phrase you used once, 'piss off'." Said Melty, smiling in spite of herself. She was joined shortly in a laughing fit by the others. It was a little while after that when the group decided to set down for the night.

The Next Day: Just outside Siltvelt

"I think I see it," called Johann as they dropped in altitude, "or at least I see a place that kind of reminds me of Melromarc!"

"No, that's it alright," Melty confirmed as she peeked out from behind Darius for a moment, "though I've never seen it from this high up so it looks a lot bigger than I remember!" And she wasn't kidding. Much like Melromarc's capital, the central city of Siltvelt was a massive circle divided into sections separated by large stone walls. Naturally the wealthier houses were closer to the center of the city while the less fortunate were more on the outskirts. And in the center rose the castle with its main difference from the one in Melromarc being that it had several, smaller towers on its outer edges with large, rounded heads.

"Alright," said Darius, "get the letter from the Queen ready. We'll land a dozen yards or so outside of the main gate and go from there."

"Should we have our weapons out, just in case?" Questioned Rifana, her hand already on her mace.

"Definitely keep them handy," said Darius while summoning the Whirlwind Warhammer, "but don't do anything that'll make us look aggressive. We're here to help, after all."

"I'll just keep my fingers crossed then," said Rifana with a shrug as Johann landed and the group all leapt off of him. The Dragon Boy transformed back into his human form then and handed the travel pack to the Armory Hero who slung it over one shoulder. The group advanced at a casual walking pace then and approached the massive gate which marked one of the entrances into the city. Naturally the guards there had already noticed their arrival and were standing ready, behind some rather large tower shields.

"Who goes there?!" Questioned the apparent captain of the guard, a man with bear ears sticking out of his helmet.

"Uh, hey there," said Darius, "not sure if you heard but we're representatives from Melromarc and-."

"Melromarc?" Spat the Bear Captain, "what business does that human-filled cesspool have here?"

"I think you'll find we might be able to help with an i-," Melty started to say while holding up the letter before being interrupted by the captain.

"Help?! That's a laugh," said the Captain, "the last time you claimed you wanted to help, you summoned all four heroes for yourselves! Then you treated the Great Shield Hero with nothing but disrespect and humiliation! Our leaders might believe your Queen is sincere, but what proof have I that you are who you say you are?"

"Well as I was saying," continued Melty, "this letter here has the royal seal on it. Within it is the full explanation for our visit and it is to be passed on to the representatives of the Genbu, Shusaku, Aotatsu and, if they're available, Hakuko. But to answer your question, I am Melty Q. Melromarc, daughter of Mirellia Q. Melromarc and heir to the throne of the kingdom of Melromarc. My escorts are none other than the Armory Hero himself, Darius Saxon, and his party members, Rifana and Johann."

"Now I know you're trying to fool us," said the Bear Captain, "you expect us to believe that's the Armory Hero? He looks like a mercenary in that rugged armor and you've got him carrying your bags for you! If he really is the Armory Hero then you should be carrying his bags for him!"

"Dude it was my turn to carry the bags," said Darius, "and this isn't her bag anyway, it's extra stuff for all of us. The majority of Melty's stuff is in my inventory which, now that I say that out loud, is kind of weird. I have little girl dresses in my inventory."

"And all our underwear," said Rifana and Johann at the same time before realizing something. "Can they still get dirty in there?"

"Enough," said the Bear Captain, "you can make all the claims you want but unless you do something that only the Armory Hero can do I've little reason to let you in here without the usual search and seizure."

"Since you insist," said Darius with a sigh before dropping the bag and raising his hand in the air. In the next instant, a large white portal appeared above his head with numerous clawed hands on chains shooting out of them. Several of the demi-humans were more than a little surprised as their shields were yanked off their arms while a few of the more stubborn ones were drug along the ground. Darius directed the hands to drop them all into a neat pile a few feet in front of them, with a couple of the less fortunate soldiers being a part of said pile.

Though the most rewarding sight was how much wider the Bear Captain's eyes got upon seeing the ability. "Well what do you think," asked Darius as he sent the portal away before changing his Warhammer to a shortspear, "you convinced I'm the genuine article now?" He held up both of his bands then, making sure the white jewels were visible.

"The Phantom Chains," said one of the other guards, a dog demi-human, "and he can change his weapons at will."

"I can do lots of things," said Darius, "but we unfortunately don't have all day. So, you gonna let us pass or not?"

"Well I," said the Bear Captain, "we just need to, uh-." He was cut off then as a man in fine, white robes pushed him aside and stepped forward. The Armory Hero quickly noted that his arms were covered in vermilion feathers and that his face was somewhat bird-like, accentuated by his pointed red hair. Though the most notable feature about him were the vermillion wings protruding from his back.

"So it's true," said the new arrival in apparent awe, "the Armory Hero was summoned and he's at last come to Siltvelt. Tell me, great hero, what has finally brought you here?"

"Well before we get too far," said Darius, "you should know my visit's only temporary. Got the Wave coming up and all that which we need to prepare for. But I heard you guys might be having trouble with some strange monsters. We also want to encourage a little bit of interkingdom cooperation while we're at it, the details of which Melty here can give you."

"It has been some time, Lord Werner," said Melty with a courtsy, "at least a couple of years now."

"Ah that is you, Melty Q. Melromarc," said the man named Werner as he squinted his eyes a bit, "so the Queen has sent you along with the Armory Hero. Am I to take it that means his allegiance is still with Melromarc?"

"My allegiance is to my friends," said Darius as he put a hand on Melty's shoulder, "and Melty is a good friend of ours. So long as she's here, consider her to be under my protection because, as you likely know, I'm also good friends with the Shield Hero. So if anything happens to her during our little visit, you better believe I'll convince him to never even set foot on the borderline of this country for the rest of his time in this world."

"Oh of course, of course we'd never allow anything to happen to her while she's here," said Lord Werner, "to displease the Armory Hero or worse, the Shield Hero, is tantamount to a sin."

"Glad to know we understand each other," said Darius, "so, where's a good place around here to talk?"

"Why no place other than the castle shall do for one such as you," said Werner, again with a slight bow, "come this way. And you, Captain, show some respect and carry his bag for him!"

"Uh, right away," said the Bear Captain as he moved over and accepted the luggage, bowing as he did so, "my sincerest apologies for the misunderstanding, Great Hero."

"No worries, happens to the best of us," said Darius as they all followed Werner through the gates where an ornate carriage with no roof waited for them. This one was being pulled by a tyrella ground dragon as opposed to a Filolial. This detail likely had to do with the belief that Darius preferred dragon transportation due to having Johann as a mount.

"I trust you'll find this to your satisfaction, Sir Hero," said Werner as Johann started checking over it. Naturally they'd been told by both the Queen and Naofumi to keep their guards up while they were in Siltvelt, but even if they hadn't Johann planned to take his role as Melty's protector seriously.

"Nothing seems out of the ordinary," Johann finally said shortly before Darius and Rifana completed their own check. The Dragon Boy then hopped into the carriage where he helped Melty in who was followed shortly by Rifana and then Darius. Werner sat down across from them and signaled the driver to start moving, which he did so at a fair pace, though not quite as fast as Filo would sometimes go. Though even at the slightly higher speed they were going, it was still easy to make out the houses around them. And now that they were up close, they could spot several differences from the ones in Melormarc.

Many of the dwellings resembled regular European style houses with some being larger or smaller than others depending on the occupants. There were also more oriental style houses that reminded Darius of old-style Chinese architecture. Another feature which set Siltvelt's capital city apart from Melromarc's Castle Town was the far larger presence of dirt and grass paths as well as viney or other types of plant overgrowth. Darius assumed it had something to do with the needs of the inhabitants, or at least a few of the inhabitants.

Speaking of which, the people of Siltvelt's capital had clearly noticed their arrival as both sides of the streets, balconies, house roofs and even some of the trees were filling up with people who all wanted to get a glimpse of the so-called Armory Hero and his party. There were people with the features of birds, rodents, dogs, cats, bulls, lizards, bats, fish and just about any other kind of animal one could imagine. At one point, the Cardinal Hero was sure he caught a glimpse of a few citizens with dragon features. "My apologies if this welcome is a little disorganized," said Werner after several minutes, "we'd hardly gotten the word that you were coming before you landed outside our gates."

"Well with the Wave coming and all we're in kind of a hurry," said Rifana.

"Indeed," said Werner, "so why don't we get the main reasons for your visit out of the way."

"As mentioned earlier," said Melty, "we've received reports of mysterious monsters in this and several other countries. You've no doubt put together by now that a swarm of these unknown creatures is massing in the East. So the Queen has sent us out here to discover, if possible, why that is along with any other information we can gather. She's also sent me here with a proposal on cooperation for the next Wave and all Waves occurring after it."

Melty handed the letter to Werner who opened it and quickly skimmed its contents before handing it back. "Now that is interesting," he said, "an offer to trade supplies and information to help strengthen our defenses. Though her highness must be aware of what the quickest way to earn our cooperation would be."

"Sir Naofumi has already been given the choice as to whether or not he wishes to come here," replied Melty, "he has so far chosen to remain in Melromarc in order to manage his own fighting force. Should he at any point change his mind, however, we would allow him to travel here unmolested."

"I can't help but wonder about that," said Werner, "though her majesty's willingness to send the Armory Hero here for a visit is most certainly a step in the right direction. There are some here who have awaited his return for years."

"My return?" Parroted Darius with a raised eyebrow, "most of the previous Armory Heroes have probably been here, but this is technically my first time."

"Quite right," said Werner, "this country has been home to the Shield Hero and quite often the Armory Hero. So though this may be your first time here, we consider it your return to the land your predecessors have called home for centuries."

"You make it sound like he's been on vacation or something," said Johann.

"We'd prefer to think of it more as the Armory Hero being on a campaign," said Werner, "your exploits in Melromarc and your aid to the Shield Hero both demonstrate that you are indeed like the previous ones from our legends. The only mystery to me is why you chose to remain in Melromarc when you could be here?" He raised his hand and indicated the large castle they were approaching. Much like the rest of the city, it had a combined Oriental and European ascetic and was possibly even larger than the castle back in Melromarc. "But perhaps you merely need to experience Siltvelt first to be convinced that this is where you belong."

"As I mentioned earlier," said Darius while crossing his arms, "my allegiance is to my friends and it's with them that I make my home. So if you want to make a good impression on me then you'll treat my party, which includes Melty right now, with the utmost respect. Moreover, a good start to any future visits from me or the Shield Hero would be helping us help you."

"Of Course, anything you require," said Werner with another short bow.

"Then why don't we start with the monsters themselves," said Melty, "do you happen to have any with the so-called turtleshell characteristics?"

"We have a few samples that were brought in from our patrols," said Werner, "once you're all settled in we'd be more than happy to provide them to you."

"We'll also need access to your library and any archives you have that pertain to monsters," said Rifana, "it's possible whatever's happening could be another ancient beast released by another moron who thought they could control it."

"You'd think word would get around about what happened to the last two guys who tried something like that," commented Johann.

"Whatever the case may be I'm more than certain the great Armory Hero and his party are capable of handling it," said Werner, "and forgive my boldness but your return is a time for celebration. If the others agree then there will no doubt be a banquet in your honor, and we'd be most grateful if you'd be willing to attend it."

"Let's worry about one thing at a time," said Darius, "for the moment, let's just get settled in."

"A splendid idea," said Werner as he clapped his hands together with a smile on his face. It was by this point that they pulled into a sort of castle parking area for the carriage where the group disembarked. A large bull demi-human led the cart away while a servant came and carried their bag for them. Werner led them up several hallways and flights of stairs after that until they reached an area that was possibly close to the top floor.

"I trust you will find these accamodations to your liking, Sir Hero," said Werner as the group peered inside the room he was indicating. As far as living spaces went, this one was enormous and possibly took up as much floorspace as their house back in the village. The massive bed near the far wall could easily have fit all of them and still had space for more. The final touch to the room was a fair-sized terrace that gave them a clear view of possibly half the city if not more.

"Well there's certainly enough space in here," said Rifana, "though we're gonna need at least one more bed to keep things from getting awkward."

"Oh, this room is meant solely for the Armory Hero," said Werner, "the rest of you shall be in the rooms reserved for diplomats and envoys."

"Excuse me," said Darius with a raised eyebrow, "I'm not sure if you've heard but I tend to sleep in the same room as my party. And given that we're in a country with someone a lot of you probably consider an enemy, I'd much prefer it stay that way."

"Sir Hero I can assure you our guards will see to the safety of your party," replied Werner, "and they shall be in a nearby adjacent room. So you will have both your privacy and be close to your party members."

"And do I have a guarantee the guards will let them come and go as they please?" Questioned the Armory Hero with a raised eyebrow.

"Most certainly, anything the Armory Hero wishes," said Werner with another bow, "now, I must be off to present your other requests to the leading members of government." The avian man turned and hurried out then, leaving a somewhat annoyed Armory Hero and a confused party.

"What in the world's that guy's problem?" Asked Johann, "there's nothing weird about a hero spending a lot of time with their party."

"No doubt it's an attempt to isolate you from the rest of us," said Melty, "the more alone time they get with you the more likely you might be to change your mind. At least that's what they'd like to think."

"If they wanted me to think well of this place they wouldn't be trying to isolate me," said Darius with his arms crossed, "I don't know what all the previous Armory Heroes did here but I'm just here to do the job so that we can get back to preparing for the Wave."

"Still, it's probably best that we go along with it for now," said Melty, "remember, we're also here as diplomats trying to promote peace between two countries."

"That quote Darius used earlier is starting to make more sense," said Rifana before sighing, "but since it's just for a little while I guess we can put up with it." She leaned in and kissed Darius then before whispering conspiratorially in his ear. "Besides, sneaking around for a late night rendezvous might be fun."

"We can only hope," said Darius with a light smirk before giving her one last quick kiss. The rest of the party vacated the room then as the Armory Hero sat down on the massive bed. 'Alright then,' he thought, 'now what do I do?'

Some Time Later

A fair bit of time had passed since Werner's departure and in that time Darius found himself doing various things to keep himself occupied. He browsed over his menu and inventory, looking to see if there was anything he needed to improve or adjust, paced the room and checked around for anything suspicious, took several minutes to look out over the city and get better acquainted with the layout, and spent time doing drills with some of his less commonly used weapons. A maid would show up from time to time during this period to check on him, though they'd often deflect any major questions he'd ask them about how much longer it was going to take for Werner to return. Though he was able to glean some useful information about the mysterious monsters, mainly that they were proceeded by bats.

'I wonder if those bats are the key to the sudden appearance of the rest of these monsters,' mused Darius until his thoughts were interrupted by the entrance of several maids carrying a strange assortment of clothing. "Sir Hero," said the apparent headmaid, a lion woman, "the banquet in your honor is about to commence and we've been tasked with helping you look more presentable."

"And the monster samples we requested," said Darius, "any word on those?"

"They have indeed been gathered and await your examination tomorrow," replied the Head Maid, "for now, Lord Werner believes it best that you all enjoy the festivities of Siltvelt to its fullest. So if you'll excuse our boldness." The group of maids moved to take off Darius's armor, but the Cardinal Hero moved just a bit quicker as he leapt forward and touched the articles of clothing they'd brought, causing them to disappear as they were sent to his inventory.

"While I appreciate it I got a slightly quicker way that'll save us all a bit of embarrassment," said Darius as he switched his current attire to the outfit they'd brought him.

"Such a useful ability," complimented the Maid, "and one befitting a hero who must be ready to go to battle at a moment's notice."

"It comes in handy," replied Darius, "though I gotta ask, what in the world kind of outfit is this even supposed to be?" the reason he asked was that while the outfit itself provided him with a fair bit of movement, the large black pants felt baggy, and the furred boots seemed heavier than they needed to be. The white sleeveless undershirt he wore was covered with a purple, short-sleeved shirt made of some kind of silk-like material. The main attraction of the outfit was the large dark blue, sleeveless coat which reached down to just above his heels, allowing his armbands to be on full view as well as the rest of his arms up to the elbow.

He also wasn't sure if he was crazy about the dragon-like headpiece which came with the outfit either. "It is some of the finest clothing available in the castle," explained the Head Maid, "perfect for such occasions as this. You're sure to stand out at the banquet now."

"You know I wasn't trying to create any big fuss by showing up here now," Darius pointed out, "I just dropped by to encourage some cooperation between two other countries and hopefully figure some more out about this monster mess."

"Naturally there is much the Armory Hero has to do," said the Maid with a bow, "but even so, we'd be most honored if you at least attended this banquet. I also know that many of the lords will be put at ease if you go there and vouch for Melromarc's innocence."

"Can't argue much with that," admitted Darius with a sigh, "alright, one banquet and then we need to get to work. So if you don't mind I'll be heading to get my party members now-."

"They are already on their way there," said the Head Maid, "we shall escort you to the entrance along with your own personal guard."

"Oh, uh, how thoughtful of you," said Darius as he followed the maids out where they were met with a number of guards who crowded around him. 'With a formation like this,' he thought while glancing at the stone-faced soldiers, 'I'm not sure if I'm a VIP or a prisoner right now.'

"Ah, splendid," said Werner as he seemed to appear almost out of nowhere, "you look dashing, Sir Armory Hero. No one should doubt who you are now."

"I'd thought I'd made a good enough demonstration out at the gates earlier," said Darius, "at least enough that an outfit like this wouldn't be necessary."

"But it would be an affront not to present you with the finest Siltvelt has to offer," said Werner, "and while I was most certainly convinced by your demonstration, there are still many within our leadership who don't believe you are who you say you are."

"I thought there was supposed to be more documentation on the Armory Hero in this country than there was in places like Melromarc," said Darius with a slightly raised eyebrow.

"Far more," affirmed Werner, "but due to the nature of the Armory Hero's rarer appearances there have been those who've shown up claiming to be said hero in the past. I wouldn't be surprised if there were some this evening who wish to question you and examine your abilities at length."

"Sounds like one more headache I don't need," said Darius while rubbing his temple, "I'll have to run this by my party when I get to the banquet. The fewer surprises we have right now the better."

"Of course, do what you must," said Werner as the guards and maids suddenly split off from them and went down separate passageways, "but first, it's time for you to address everyone."

"It's time for me to do say what now," questioned Darius as they climbed a short flight of stars. Though Werner acted as if he didn't hear him before they stepped out from a giant curtain.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" He announced loudly as the Cardinal Hero now noticed they'd actually walked up onto some sort of stage. "I present to you, the Armory Hero!" A thunderous cheer, which sounded more like a potential stampede due to all the animal noises, filled the assembly area then. As Darius looked out on what he now knew was an assembly hall, he saw that there were several refreshment tables covered in all different types of food, some familiar and some not. Several delegates also crowded the floor wearing varying types of robes, long coats or, in some cases, actual armor.

The University Student also didn't miss the presence of more than a couple personal guards standing near some of the tables where the slightly more important occupants were seated. But he also felt relief wash over him when he spotted Rifana and the others seated at their own table. Now he just needed to find a way through the crowd without having to shove everyone else aside. It was then, however, that he noticed another small and likely annoying detail, the hall had fallen surprisingly silent.

'Oh tell me I don't have to do public speaking now,' he thought nervously while looking out over the crowd. His hopes were quashed upon seeing the expectant looks on everyone's faces and a glance at Werner who was mouthing 'go on' made it official. 'Well it won't be the worst thing I've ever had to wing before.' He noisily cleared his throat then as a plan began to form in his mind.

"Uh, evening everyone," he began, "for those of you who don't know my name is Darius Saxon, or as I'm more commonly known these days, the latest Armory Hero. Like the other cardinal heroes who came before me I intend to do my job of protecting the world by fighting against the Waves of Catastrophe and other potentially nasty problems that might crop up from time to time. I've come to you all now in hopes of quickly dealing with an issue that plagues not only this country but many others. It's my hope that by working together, not only Siltvelt but many other countries will be able to extinguish this new threat and then be able to stand together to face the coming Waves. So let tonight be not only a celebration of the Armory Hero's first visit to Siltvelt in a long time, but also a celebration of our conviction to fight against the monsters that threaten this world!"

At first, Darius was afraid he might've hit the wrong note with this particular speech as he searched the faces in the crowd. Then, another thunderous cheer rose in response to his speech as he breathed a slight sigh of relief. 'Well I at least got that much off to a good start,' The Armory Hero mused before another idea occurred to him. "Alright, now, if anyone needs me I'll be by my party. But don't worry about moving, I got that covered."

He ran to the edge of the stage then and leapt off of it before jumping off of a shield he summoned with a portal in midair. Some of the crowd gasped as he repeated this maneuver twice more before jumping and grabbing onto a chain claw which reeled him up and tossed him towards his party. He landed on a group of three shields he summoned in midair before jumping one last time and grabbing onto a spear which he summoned from the floor. He swung his weight around then before landing in a slight crouch right next to his party's table.

More than a few applause broke out with this little stunt as Darius did a bow before sending the spear back into the portal and sitting down with the rest of his party. "Having fun yet," quipped Rifana, trying to decide if she should be annoyed or amused with the display, "you forgot the backflip."

"I'll get it next time," said Darius, "I just wanted to get through the crowd as quickly as possible. And I figured that little performance might be enough to keep the doubters off of us for at least a little bit."

"So you did hear about that," said Melty, "good. I know they might all seem nice now but we have to keep our guard up. There might be some who still don't believe you're the Armory Hero even after that little display, and the more fanatical ones may try extra hard to keep you here now."

"So I solved one problem and may have made another," said Darius as he bit down on some of the Siltvelt cuisine, immediately noting its more gamey taste, "outstanding. And just when I thought I'd only have to wear an outfit like this once."

"It's not the most flattering thing you've ever worn," commented Rifana, "but we can fix that later."

"I'm more concerned about the three of you," said Darius, "they haven't been giving you any trouble, have they?"

"They keep asking us about how we met you and everything," said Johann while stuffing his face, "and about Naofumi or as they like to call him, 'The Great and Mighty Shield Hero'."

"They're also really stressing how wonderful Siltvelt is and how eagerly they're awaiting the Shield Hero's return," added Rifana, "on the upside, that might mean they won't try anything so long as there's a chance you could steer Naofumi away from here."

"Still, it's best we stick with what Melty's said," replied Darius, "there still might be some folks here who try to cause an 'unfortunate' accident or two. So check the food and be on the look out for anything weird."

"Johann's already taken care of this batch by smelling it," assured Melty, "and since you're eating it, I can only assume you haven't detected any poison either?"

"None so far," replied Darius, "again I'd like to think no one here's stupid enough to try harming us with an upcoming Wave and the fact that we're good friends with their apparent deity. But we have had to deal with some really, really stupid people before."

"I think we might be doing more of that, Boss," said Johann as he pointed to a group of demi-humans headed their way, "because here comes some people now who don't look too happy." Darius glanced in their direction to see that they all had horns of varying shapes and sizes while wearing outfits that looked vaguely Japanese in origin, if this world had had a Japan in the first place. Though what caught the Armory Hero's eye was the one leading them, a blue-haired girl.

The reason she caught his eye wasn't just her long blue hair which ran down her back or the white, sleeveless kimono-like top she wore which stopped just above her knees. It also wasn't the detached, robe-like sleeves on her arms, the black stockings which reached from her knees down to her boots, or even the four small black horns which sprouted from her head. What really caught his eye was the fact that despite having a clearly developed body that told him she was at least eighteen, the lead girl was actually the shortest of the group. If he had to guess, she might've been right at five feet which was shorter than Itsuki.

This reason was what made it all the stranger that several of the other demi-humans in the room, including large elephant and gorilla demi-humans, gave her and her procession a wide berth. It probably had to do with the blue and gold naginata she was carrying with her, but Darius didn't have anymore time to wonder about it. "You are the one they are calling the Armory Hero, correct," said the Girl as she and her profession stopped in front of their table.

"Got the bands and all the other credentials that came with it," replied Darius as he held up one of his arms so that she could see said band better. It was at this point he noted her right eye was blue while her left eye was gold.

"So you say," replied the Girl before bowing slightly, "allow me to introduce myself then: I am Izumi Yama of the Yama clan. Long ago, my clan aided the Armory Hero in battle, and he helped lead us into prosperity after the Waves. He even accepted one of our own to be among his wives and some of his descendants still remain within our family to this day, though I am not one of them. Despite that, I have trained myself like my mother before me and her mother before her, awaiting the day of your return."

"My predecessor had 'wives', not just a wife," said Darius as he scratched his head for a moment before realizing there was a bigger issue here, "but anyway, it's an honor to meet you, uh, Ms. Yama."

"You may call me Izumi," she said after straightening up, "it'll make it easier for everyone present."

"Izumi, got it," the Armory Hero corrected himself, "it's an honor to meet someone else who knew my predecessor. Though you no doubt realize that you were waiting for a time when the world was worse off than usual, right? You haven't been intentionally causing trouble, have you?"

"By no means," said Izumi, "we knew it might take more than a few generations before you returned. But such a situation would not be enough to deter our resolve. And now our patience has been rewarded with your appearance in the world once more."

"It definitely wasn't my idea," said Darius, "but I do intend to do some good while I'm here. And if you're offering help then we'll be more than happy to accept it."

"As the current chosen warrior of the Yama clan, it would be I who will assist you," said Izumi, "however, there is one small matter that must be addressed before I can pledge my loyalty to you."

"And what might that be," asked the Cardinal Hero, for someone reason suspecting he really wasn't going to like the answer.

"You first must prove your status to me and to the rest of the Yama clan," said Izumi while pointing her naginata at him, "and so I challenge you, Darius Saxon, 'Armory Hero'. Demonstrate to me that you are truly of cardinal status and not just one capable of performing above average parlor tricks!" And this current predicament was to be only the beginning of their troubles in Siltvelt.

And such is the weight of celebrity status, or at least the pain in the neck that comes when you got to keep proving your celebrity status. Though the better question is whether or not they'll be able to accomplish much of anything while putting up with Siltvelt's celebrity treatment. But that's for 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 faces off against the Yama clan's strongest while also trying to get some more insight on the mysterious monsters! 'til then.