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.

41. Izumi of the Yama Clan

Izumi of the Yama Clan

Hello everyone and welcome to the latest chapter of Armory of the Forgotten Hero! We got some entertainment in this one as our heroes deal with some of Siltvelt's more irritating customs. And for those who haven't already heard, Hailstorm Vol. 2 shall be going on hiatus until the anime picks back up in a few months. Now that seems to be all the logistical stuff for now, and with no guest reviews this week, let's dive on in!

Nighttime: Castle at Siltvelt

So far, Darius's impression of Siltvelt wasn't the greatest. He couldn't deny that he was probably being treated to the best they had to offer in terms of food and service and could likely get a lot more just by asking. The problem was that a lot of the folks he'd met so far seemed to have it in their minds that there was a certain way he was supposed to be acting and that any deviation from that might be a problem. The Armory Hero was pretty sure it had to do with the fact that they were greatly considering trying to keep him in the country as a potential way to get the Shield Hero to show up.

One of the reasons they hadn't gone all in on trying to keep him here, just yet, was that there was still apparently some doubt that he was who he said he was. It was somewhat understandable, he supposed, given the more sporadic nature of the Armory Hero's visits to this world that they'd want to be absolutely sure it was him. Though that led to the current problem of the blue-haired girl with four small black horns, two on each side of her head, and a naginata challenging him to a fight. 'I really need to come up with some sort of test that avoids stuff like this,' he thought as he stood by the opening to one of the castle terraces with Izumi standing several feet across from him.

"Alright Werner," said Darius while going through his inventory for a weapon to use, "you wanna get on my good side then nows a great time to do it. Who exactly am I dealing with here?"

"As mentioned," replied Werner, "her name is Izumi Yama of the Yama clan. At one time the Yama clan were quite powerful in their own right and only grew stronger when the previous Armory Hero joined their ranks. While the Shield Hero of that time ruled much of Siltvelt, all acknowledged that the mountains of Siltvelt belonged to the Armory Hero and the Yama Clan. But, some time after the passing of the previous Armory Hero they fell into conflict with many other clans who wished to take the mountains for themselves."

"Did they wind up getting forced out of the mountains," Darius questioned as he finally selected a weapon he'd been wanting to try in actual combat: a billhook.

"No, they still reside in the mountains," replied Werner, "but they've suffered many casualties during their conflicts and have been reduced to a much smaller size. Thankfully, they managed to negotiate a ceasefire with the other clans due to how much damage was also inflicted on them. They've been trying to rebuild their strength ever since so I didn't actually expect them to show tonight. Their network must be better than I thought."

"So in short, the Yama are some of the best fighters outside of Siltvelt's own military," surmised Rifana, "and that makes Izumi among the best if she's the chosen warrior."

"Be careful Darius," urged Melty, "if she's anything like Éclair or Figneria, this won't be easy."

"I'm not expecting her to be easy," said Darius as he stepped forward into the large floor space that had been cleared by the terrace, "though there is one thing I'm wondering." He directed his next question to Izumi herself as the two stopped a few feet from each other, just within weapon's range. "So I might've missed it somewhere, but did we ever name any stakes for this match of ours? Assuming there are any?"

"There are most certainly stakes in this battle," answered Izumi with a nod, "should you claim victory over me, you shall be awarded with one of the greatest treasures my clan has to offer. If I best you, however, your status as a fraud shall be revealed and you shall be dealt with properly."

"And when you say I'll be dealt with," questioned Darius, wondering just how seriously she was taking this whole affair.

"I shall slay you myself," said Izumi as she lowered her stance and bared her naginata in a fighting posture, "the punishment for imitating the great Armory Hero, should be nothing less than death!"

"Outstanding," groaned the University Student as he adjusted the billhook in his grip and took his own fighting stance. The weapon he wielded was an odd one as it was a polearm with a sharpened metal blade that split off into a pointed spike and a curved hook which gave the weapon its namesake. Darius hoped it would work to disarm or force a submission from her. When it was clear that they were ready, a signal was given by Werner and the battle began. Izumi struck first by bounding forward at incredible speed with a horizontal strike on Darius's left side.

The Armory Hero blocked her attack with the shaft of his weapon and had to plant his feet to keep them from sliding against the force of her blow. 'Holy shit she's strong for her size,' thought Darius as he dodged then parried the next two attacks, 'no wonder everyone was staying away from her.' A fact she demonstrated once again with a powerful vertical strike which cracked the floor where he'd just been before spinning out of the way and swinging his weapon at her legs. Izumi nimbly leapt and spun over the blade while swinging her own weapon in midair.

Darius was forced to roll back and to the side due to just ending his last attack and then blocked her next vertical strike from a half-kneeling position. "What are you waiting for," said Izumi while still pressing her weapon down on his, "use your abilities, use your powers."

"Guess I don't have much of a choice," said Darius as his mask formed on his face. He directed the naginata aside then before attacking with a flurry of jabs which Izumi blocked or evaded. At one point, the Armory Hero adjusted his weapon in midstrike and caught her naginata with the hook of his weapon before yanking it forward. But the Yama clan warrior was more disciplined than he expected, letting go of one end of her weapon so that the hook would slide off without disrupting her balance.

She then moved forward with a jab of her own which Darius knocked aside by changing his billhook to a curved sword known as a Kriegsmesser before countering with a two-handed vertical strike. Izumi was forced back by the attack and then backpedaled to avoid his next few swings before getting her other hand back on her naginata and using a horizontal strike aimed at his midsection. The Cardinal Hero blocked this strike and as she came in with another powerful vertical strike, he swatted the blow down into the floor where the blade stuck into the stone. In nearly the same instance, Darius flipped the blade on his sword and slid it along Izumi's weapon towards her hands.

The blue-haired girl only looked worried for a moment before reacting extraordinarily quickly by rapidly letting go with one hand while using her other to raise the back end of the weapon above her head. Just as Darius's blade was about to reach her other hand, she released the weapon and grabbed it again with her free hand behind his blade before moving the rest of her body out of the way. It all happened in little more than a second and left her an opening to kick Darius in the side as soon as his weapon slid off the back of her naginata. The Armory Hero winced in pain as he stumbled from the blow before changing his weapon to a flexible spear similar to a Chinese spear as Izumi yanked her own weapon out of the floor and turned back towards him.

But Darius took the initiative this time and attacked with several quick jabs of his weapon while also waving the spear point around. Thanks to the weapons flexibility it bent and swung with his movements, making it difficult for Izumi to keep track of the spearhead to block it. This would prove to be the first time he saw her frustrated during this bout as annoyance crossed her features before finally catching the spear under her left arm and breaking it with a surprisingly powerful punch despite still having a weapon in said hand. Darius knew he was in trouble then as he quickly discarded the spear and summoned a falchion blade to block her most ferocious attack yet.

Now it seemed like she really did intend to kill him as she assaulted him with blow after blow, pushing him back outside onto the terrace with each attack. It was all the Armory Hero could do to block her strikes before intentionally dropping the blade in the middle of a parry that caused her to slide past him. But he made the mistake of getting in too close behind her with a dagger and was rewarded with the back end of her weapon hitting him in the face hard enough that he felt it through his mask before she kicked him onto his back several feet away. 'Definitely felt that one,' he thought while also registering the worried voices of Rifana and the others in the background, 'time to go close to all out.'

He started by summoning a trio of shields in portals just above him to block Izumi's latest blow before opening another portal aimed directly at her which fired his Blunt Arrowstorm technique. Because they were out on the terrace now there was no one behind the Bluehaired Girl for him to worry about hitting. Which was good given how many arrows were being deflected by Izumi twirling her naginata at incredible speed. But it did the trick of buying him enough time to get back on his feet before summoning his next weapon, the replica legendary spear.

"Lightning Spear!" Called Darius as he fired the attack from his weapon. Amazingly, Izumi had taken advantage of the short interval between the closing of his portals and his next attack to perform a polevaulting maneuver over the electrified technique, launching herself high into the air before landing right behind him. He turned around just in time to stop her next strike, with a bonus. "State of Emptiness!"

This would be the first time during the match that he saw the Yama Clan Warrior surprised as she was flung back by the force of her own blow. Darius made sure not to let up as he summoned the replica legendary shield and, using one of Naofumi's tricks, sent an airstrike shield flying into Izumi's midsection. She gasped in surprise but somehow remained standing by hitting the ground and rolling back up. 'Definitely takes a hit better than Motoyasu,' Darius thought offhandedly as he charged in with a replica of her weapon.

Izumi's eyes widened as she tried to block the familiar onslaught of her own moves before taking a kick to her stomach which finally knocked her down. Darius planted his foot on her naginata then to ensure she couldn't lift it and held his replica to her throat. "So," he said as his mask disappeared, revealing that he was breathing somewhat heavily, "can we call it quits now? At this rate one of us really is gonna get hurt and-."

"It's true," she said suddenly as an excited smile crossed her features, "your powers, your replica abilities, your skills. You're really him, the new Armory Hero."

"And I hope this little bout convinces everyone once and for all," said Darius as he dissolved the replica weapon and moved to help her up, "because I don't really have the time to duel every person whose got doubts about-mmph?!" And then there came one of the bigger surprises of the evening. The moment she'd gotten back to her feet, she'd grabbed his collar and pulled him in for a kiss.

"What the shit?!" Exclaimed Rifana before quickly stomping over and yanking the horned girl away. "First you try to kill my boyfriend and now you're kissing him! Just what is your deal?!"

"He defeated me and proved that he was the Armory Hero in the process," said Izumi, "as promised, he's earned his right to one of the greatest treasure of our clan: me."

"Wait, wait, wait," said Darius while waving his hands in a 'slow down' gesture, "I've won you? In what capacity? Are you my bodyguard now or like a new friend?"

"No, much more intimate than that," said Izumi, "I am to be your wife."

"OH HELL NO!" Yelled Rifana as she got between Darius and Izumi, "I don't know how your clan does things but where I'm from we actually tell someone we want to marry them first, not trick them into a wedding ceremony!"

"You misunderstand," said Izumi, "this battle was not a wedding ceremony, it was to confirm that he was indeed the Armory Hero. The ceremony itself must be set first, so it's more correct to say he's my fiancé."

"Excuse me," said Darius, "one, I don't recall agreeing to any of this and two, this is probably a conversation better had somewhere more private."

"I couldn't agree more," said Melty as she turned to Werner, "could we please have somewhere more secluded to talk? This is something of a sensitive matter."

"Will you be returning to the banquet afterwards?" Questioned the Vermilion Bird Man.

"We'll just have to see," said Darius, "for now, tell everyone we got to step out for the evening." Werner was clearly reluctant to do so but a stern look from Melty and Rifana told him it was better not to anger them right now. So, he led them to a small conference style room with a large table and several chairs. There was a bit of a question about guards being outside the door, but they eventually settled on having one Yama clan member and one castle guard.

Once that was out of the way, they got down to business. "Alright," said Darius as he sat across from Izumi, "let's start from the top. Is this some kind of tradition for your clan, marriage through battle?"

"Our marriage traditions are quite similar to many others," replied Izumi, "but our sacred traditions pertaining to the Armory Hero are a little different. You see, it has been our goal for two centuries now to find the new Armory Hero and welcome them into our clan once again. To that end, we devised a trial by combat in order to determine if you really were who you said you were. I am the latest in a line of warrior maidens who was given the responsibility of bringing you into the clan."

She smiled happily as she said her next words. "And you demonstrated your cardinal status wonderfully. Now my duty is to become your wife so that you may be part of our clan once again. So allow me to be the first to say, welcome back, Sir Armory Hero."

"Nope, time out," said Rifana, "you apparently didn't hear me earlier when I said that Darius is my 'boyfriend', as in he's taken. And even if he wasn't he doesn't know you, so quit acting like you can just waltz in here and marry him out of the blue."

"But he is a cardinal hero," said Izumi, "and it's a known fact that many cardinal heroes who came before had harems. So it's perfectly acceptable for the both of us to be his wives. In fact, after the proving of his status tonight I've no doubt he'll receive many proposals from here on out. I actually envy you somewhat for being the first woman to catch his eye."

"You know I'm still in the room here," said Darius, "and I should point out here that not only is Rifana my girlfriend, but I also have a lover in another woman named Figneria. That's already way more beautiful women than I deserve and I'm not going to betray them by running off with the first pretty girl who says she wants to marry me."

"You have it wrong, Sir Armory Hero," said Izumi, "I have no intention of getting between you and your first two wives. I shall actually be accompanying you wherever your mission may take you and use my skills to aid in the battle against the Waves of Catastrophe. The Yama clan shall also be at your service."

"We're not, uh," Rifana looked away shyly, "we're not actually married yet."

"I honestly don't see what the big deal is," said Johann, "the Boss can handle mating with another woman no problem."

"That's not the point!" Exclaimed Rifana, "Figneria and I are actually in love with Darius and in a committed relationship. But this girl here thinks he should marry her just like that when they haven't even been on a date yet!"

"Technically you and Figneria didn't go out with him on a date before mating," Johann pointed out, "I still don't think he's been out on an actual date with Figneria unless we're counting all the time adventuring together."

"Well, I kinda was," said Rifana, slightly more sheepishly, "and Darius has had dinner with her at the castle in Koteraan. Doesn't that count?"

"Yes and no," said Melty, "but I think there's a bigger issue we need to address here. You see Izumi isn't lying when she says Darius is gonna receive a lot of proposals from here on out. In fact, it was almost a guarantee that somewhere down the line he'd be faced with a marriage for political or other reasons. But if we put aside the marriage issue, there might not be anything wrong with allowing Izumi into the group."

"You'd better explain your reasoning on that fast," said Darius as he just managed to stop Rifana from leaping out of her chair, "we've had more than enough issues tonight due to lack of info."

"You saw her skills for yourself," said Melty, "she's without doubt an exceptional fighter. What's more, accepting her as part of your group may help ease the tensions between Siltvelt and Melromarc if they know that one of their own is fighting with the Armory and Shield Heroes. And we do need all the help we can get to fight the waves at this point."

"And the marriage part," said Rifana with a growl, "I don't want her going around calling Darius her 'fiance' the whole time when she isn't."

"If you want, my clan would be more than willing to accommodate both you and Lady Figneria," said Izumi, "we can all get married to Sir Armory Hero on the same day."

"Would you stop with the marriage business already!" Exclaimed Rifana, "I know this is real important to you but we've got an upcoming wave, training to do, a village to run, mysterious monsters running around that we still need samples of. Even if by some miracle we were all okay with it this definitely is not the best time for stuff like that!"

"You're looking for samples of the strange monsters that have been appearing?" Said Izumi.

"Kind of the whole reason we're here in the first place," said Darius, "and a bit of diplomacy which, as you can see, is going great so far." The blue-haired demi-human seemed to think for a moment before getting up and heading over to the door. She had a quick conversation with her clansmen then before turning around and sitting back at the table.

"These monsters you're seeking," said Izumi, "I assume they have something resembling a turtleshell on them?"

"They do," said Melty, "have you encountered any in the mountains?"

"We have," affirmed Izumi with a nod, "currently a couple of our clansmen are in the archives as we speak attempting to see if such an occurrence as this has happened before. I intended to inform Sir Armory Hero of it after explaining the Yama clan traditions to him. I had hoped he'd at least heard of us, but it appears I was mistaken."

"Ya think," said Rifana and Johann at the same time. But the subject was quickly dropped as the door was opened to reveal another Yama clan member, this one a man with longer white horns, carrying a bundle with what appeared to be a large bat in it.

"The sample as requested," said the Yama clan member as he set it down on the table before bowing quickly and exiting the room. Darius and his party gathered around to take a closer look at it, noting that it did indeed have a turtle or tortoise-like shell on its back. Though what really got Darius's attention was the presence of what appeared to be a large, red eye on the front. Even stranger, his HUD told him it was apparently a 'familiar' monster.

'A familiar monster with a giant eyeball on the front,' thought Darius, 'so its owner can see what it sees. And there's apparently a lot more of them, all just flying around.' He suddenly heard a buzzing sound in his ear, an all too familiar sound: spinning propeller blades. 'These things are drones.' He suddenly felt a chill running down his spine at the thought of it.

'No, not here, not now,' he thought with a hand over his face to hide how his breathing rate was increasing. "Darius," said Rifana, snapping him out of his thoughts and back to reality, "do you think we can find anything else out about it if you absorb a piece of it?"

"Uh, well, one way to find out," said Darius as he pulled off one of the dead bat's claws and dropped it into the jewel on his left armband. A message popped up saying he now had access to bat type familiar abilities. Strangely, though, it still didn't identify whose familiar it was. "Doesn't say much else that my initial analysis didn't already say. This thing is a familiar of sorts."

"Well that tells us someone or something is definitely behind all of this," said Melty as she turned to the Horned Girl, "Izumi, are there any areas where these monsters have shown up regularly?"

"Our last reports indicated a village at the base of the mountain just outside of the capital was attacked," said Izumi, "it's the closest they've come yet. Thankfully a fair number of the city guard and some adventurers had already been deployed to the surrounding settlements, so there was little damage."

"Any chance you could take us there," said Darius, "we might be able to pick up some kind of trail if we follow their flight path."

"I could, yes," said Izumi, "though it'd be better if we did so during the daytime. For whatever strange reason, these familiars often attack during the day despite being bats."

"It's probably a good idea for us to get some rest anyway," said Melty, "It's been a long day. Longer for some than others."

"In that case we can meet up in the halls tomorrow," said Rifana as everyone stood up to leave, "we'll figure out travel arrangements and head out after that."

"I'll send the message along to my clan members," said Izumi, "they need to be returning to the mountains soon anyway."

"Sounds like we got a plan," said Johann as he yawned while stretching, "now if no one minds, I'm going to sleep." The rest of the group couldn't agree more as they all filed out the door and headed towards the stairs leading up to their rooms. Naturally Werner wanted them to at least make one more appearance at the banquet but Melty quickly informed him of their mission for the next day and convinced him to leave them be. Though that only solved one problem.

"Alright, here are our rooms," said Melty before noticing Rifana holding onto Darius's hand while Izumi had a hold of his other arm, "and, uh, Izumi, you can leave now."

"Why?" She asked, "my weapon is the Armory Hero's weapon now. So naturally I shall go where he goes."

"I don't recall agreeing to any of that," said an annoyed Rifana as she pulled Darius out of Izumi's grasp.

"But it was princess Melty who said my skills would prove valuable to you," said Izumi with a confused tilt of her head, "I was under the impression that I was already in your party. Moreover, it is demanded by Yama Clan tradition that I provide him with aid."

"Then how about this," said Darius, hoping to avoid another confrontation, "why don't you guard Melty and Johann tonight. You're no doubt aware of her status as the princess of Melromarc and the danger that puts her in while she's here. Me and Rifana also have some important matters to attend too so we won't be able to look after them at the moment. But if you could be their guard for a while I'd greatly appreciate it."

Izumi seemed to think on this arrangement for a moment. "Since it is the Armory Hero who is depending on me to do this, I shall gladly undertake this task."

"Thank you," said Darius, "we shouldn't be gone too long and then you can get some sleep after we get back. That way we're all rested and ready for tomorrow."

"I am touched by your concern for me, Sir Armory Hero," said Izumi with a hand over her heart, "but worry not. I shall defend your friends with my life."

"Thank you," said Rifana as they turned to leave, "we'll be back in a bit." The two continued down the hallway then, passing by Darius's room before taking a stairway downwards.

"Gotta admit," said Darius, "I feel like kind of an asshole now."

"Why," asked Rifana, "do you think she would've left you alone otherwise?"

"I just never liked lying to people unless I needed too," said Darius, "It's one thing if I'm covering for a friend or lying to throw off an enemy. But Izumi's, well, she seems like she's a lot more on the innocent side."

"'Innocent'," repeated Rifana, "if you'd lost that fight against her she was planning on killing you. What reason do you have to feel guilty?"

"Well like I said I was lying to her," replied Darius as they reached the end of the stairs and walked out into a large open area with what appeared to be a Japanese-style bath on the other end. "I said we had important matters to discuss. But really I thought a nice hot bath might be a good way to help us both unwind."

"Oh," said Rifana with a mischievous smirk, "I take it back, you are guilty, of being a naughty boy."

"Aren't I," said Darius as he desummoned his armor. Rifana pulled him along then, discarding much of her own outfit by the clothing stalls before they both fell into the water laughing. This was one time the Cardinal Hero was going to thank Werner for something, which in this case was informing him of the location of the private outdoor bath. It would prove to be just the setting they needed for their latest stress-relieving session.

A Few Minutes Later

"Oh yeah," sighed Rifana contentedly with a very pleased look on her face, "that is definitely my favorite source of stress relief."

"I'm just glad I got the idea now," said Darius as he reclined against the wall of the bath with one arm around his weasel companion, "who knows when we're going to be able to do this next. By now I imagine Naofumi and the others have already figured out where the bats are coming from in the area they were investigating."

"Well he wasn't having to put up with the royal treatment," said Rifana as she shifted position slightly to look up at him, "if Werner and the other officials like him had their way you'd probabaly only get to come out for banquets and battles. And maybe the occasional political theatre."

"And to think I called my own world restrictive from time to time," said Darius, "but that just sounds annoying on a lot more levels."

"I think you're jumping to conclusions," said a voice from the water, "this is only your first day in Siltvelt after all, Sir Hero." A head of red hair emerged from the water then as the two were greeted by a demi-human fish girl with what appeared to be fins for ears. "You haven't even experienced the best part of being one of Siltvelt's worshipped heroes."

They only heard the second part due to the fish girl's appearance making them jump a little before Rifana quickly covered Darius's eyes. The reason being, of course, that said fish girl was naked. "What do you mean by 'the best part'?" Questioned Rifana.

"Why the chance to enjoy your choice of Siltvelt's finest women," explained the Fish Girl, "there won't be as many lining up for you at first because you're not the Shield Hero, but many girls will know that this might be the only chance in their lifetimes to get intimate with the rare and mysterious Armory Hero."

"Not sure if you've noticed," said Darius, "but I kinda just got finished enjoying my time with my girlfriend. I think I'm good."

"Oh but Sir Hero," said the Fish Girl as she got closer than she needed to be, "I'm certain you have more stamina even after your performance just now. And how else will you spawn numerous descendants without laying with many women?"

"We just had a conversation earlier about issues with random women trying to marry him," said Rifana, "do not even get me started on why it's a bad idea for a bunch of women he doesn't know to have his babies!"

"If we hurry, he can get to know me before too many others arrive," said the Fish Girl with a smile, "besides, it's not fair that you're hogging him all to yourself, Ms. Weasel Girl."

"I'm not hogging him we're in a relationship," said Rifana, "and you'd be better off finding someone you actually want to have a relationship with."

"And what was that part about others arriving," questioned Darius as he heard the sound of voices on the other side of the bath. Rifana looked over and swore. The Fish Girl hadn't been joking, there must've been at least a dozen women of different shapes, sizes and animal characteristics entering from an entrance on the other side of the bath. And they'd just caught sight of them.

"Oh fuey, there goes my chance at a private session," said the Fish Girl before trying to grab Darius's arm, "but I can still be next in line."

"NOT TODAY FISH HOE!" Exclaimed Rifana as she and Darius both leapt out of the water. 'Some days I wish I could equip my party's outfits along with my own,' thought the Armory Hero as he summoned his usual attire. Rifana, unfortunately, had to run over and throw on what she could from where she'd left her clothes. Those precious few seconds she took was time they clearly didn't have as the small mob of women stampeded into the water yelling things like 'there he is' and 'please have my child Sir Hero'!

"Phalanx Wall!" Said Darius as he summoned a whole section of shields to block off their side of the bath. This didn't seem to deter the animal women as they slammed into the shields with what might've been the force of a small charging army. "May want to skip putting on the armor layer Rifana because I can't hold them long."

"Fine I'll just keep the mace and get the armor later," said Rifana as she rushed over, still missing her boots, gloves and outer armor layer, "now let's get out of here!" And it was none too soon as one of the shields was finally knocked aside by a large elephant woman. That was all Darius had a chance to see as he turned and ran, summoning his blade staff as he went.

"Dancing in the Dust!" He called to his companion who understood instantly as she summoned magic around her mace and slammed it on the ground. A portion of the soil exploded then, spreading a cloud of dust over the area.

"Oh now where'd he go," said one of the demi-human girls, this one with lizard features. Her question was quickly answered as one, two, three, and then several more Armory Heroes leapt in and out of the dust cloud.

"He's still here, just rush in and grab him!" Said the Elephant woman as they all charged the dust cloud. What followed sounded somewhere between a scuffle and a slapstick comedy as they all ran into each other, tripped over their own feet or, in the cases of the ones that actually got ahold of the 'Armory Hero', falling over as they passed through an illusionary copy. By the time the dust settled, there were a bunch of groaning women all over the bath area wondering where their hero had gotten off too.

The answer to that question was that Rifana and the real Armory Hero had already made their way back to the staircase during all of the confusion. "You know of all the times to combine dust and 'Dance of the Phantom Monk'," said Darius as he sent his staff back to the inventory, "I never thought I'd be using it to escape a mob of horny women."

"Well thanks to them our time in the bath was nearly ruined," said Rifana, "and my good mood is definitely gone now. The next time we see Werner we'd best tell him not to let any extra horny women in this section of the castle until we're gone."

"I'm right there with you," said Darius as he stopped at his door, "but we'll worry about that in the morning. For now, let's just get some sleep. We got a day of work ahead of us tomorrow."

"Hopefully no one will challenge you to a duel during breakfast," said Rifana with a smile before giving him a quick kiss. She turned to leave then as Darius opened the door, only to immediately shut it again.

"Please tell me I'm just seeing things because I'm tired," said the Cardinal Hero before opening the door again.

"Good evening, Sir Armory Hero," said a large collection of more demi-human women who were currently occupying his room. "Care for a late-night rendezvous?"

"That," said Darius while laughing weakly, "is gonna have to be a hard pass." He slammed the door then before breaking into a sprint. "Rifana I'm running again!"

The Next Day: Melty and the the Other's Room

'This is a new feeling,' Darius mused as he glanced to his left, 'beyond rockstar popularity with women.' Laying next to him lightly holding his arm was none other than Izumi who'd at some point donned a bluish, nearly translucent nightgown. He was honestly wondering if she really hadn't heard about him and Figneria. 'Though I do wonder about most of the ones after me.' He glanced to his right then were Rifana was snuggled up against him.

They'd managed to resolve the situation with the pursuing ho-er ladies last night, but not quite in the way they'd expected.

Late Last Night

"Where the fuck is Werner!" Exclaimed Darius as he and Rifana were once again running from a small horde of animal women. The only difference being this time they were running circles around the inside of the castle itself.

"Figures the one time we might actually need the guy around he's not here," commented Rifana, "And I doubt breaking the floor will go over well right now so we're gonna need another plan."

"I could summon my current maximum number of shield portals to hold them off," said Darius, "but I doubt I could keep that up for the rest of the night. The same goes for my chains."

"Guess we'll just have to teleport out of here and come back in the morning," said Rifana.

"That won't be necessary," said the now familiar voice of Izumi who'd suddenly appeared outside of Melty and Johann's room. They'd lost count of the number of times they'd run past that particular door. Though what surprised Darius and Rifana more was the fact that despite having her naginata with her, Izumi was now only wearing a blue, almost translucent night gown. Though if it was causing her discomfort to be seen like that, she didn't show it as she jumped up into the air while twirling her weapon.

"As source of thy power I order thee," she said as a trail of water appeared from the blade, "wash away my troubles with a stream of water. River Basin!" The water spiraled outward then, quickly expanding in size as both Darius and Rifana ducked. The rest of the demi-human women weren't as fortunate as they were picked up by the powerful current of the water which sent them all crashing in a heap against the nearby wall.

"You can use magic too," said Darius as he and Rifana got to their feet.

"Many members of the Yama clan learn some degree of water or earth magic," explained the Horned Girl, "it helps with finding and maintaining resources in the mountains. Though my second affinity is darkness as opposed to earth like some of my other clan members."

"I hate to admit it but you and Raphtalia could probably learn a lot from each other," said Rifana as they turned and looked at the groaning pile of women slowly picking themselves up off the floor. "Now we'd best go before they get their second wind." It was at that point that Werner just happened to pop into the hallway.

"Dear me, what happened here," said the Birdman as he looked between Darius's group and the soaked women.

"Why don't you explain that to us," said Darius, "I don't recall ordering a bunch of horny women in the bath or my room."

"Odd, I thought you'd enjoy the many fine women we sent in," said Werner, "previous Shield and, as far as we know, previous Armory Heroes certainly did."

"Previous Armory Heroes probably didn't have girlfriends beforehand," said Darius, "and even if I didn't why are there so many? You expect me to be well-rested to any degree if I stay up all night banging random women I don't know?"

"As a cardinal hero I've no doubt you're merely underestimating your stamina," said Werner, "and besides, you'd be doing a great service to these women and the whole of Siltvelt by producing as many offspring as possible. There's no telling, after all, when the next Armory Hero might appear."

"And we're all wet now thanks to you," said one of the women, a girl with dog-like features, "why not be a gentle hero and help us out of these."

"All right that does it!" Exclaimed Rifana as she punched the wall next to her, making a fair-sized hole with more than a couple cracks around it. "Do you even hear yourselves right now? Not a single one of you have even bothered to learn his name and yet you want him to pound a baby into you. He's a person and his name is Darius, he's not some rare specimen that's showed up so you can breed with him! Not a single damn one of you actually care about him, you only want to use him and throw him away without any consideration for the way he feels about it just so you can have the bragging rights and everything else that comes with bearing a hero's child. It's disgusting and every last one of you should be ashamed of yourselves."

Her voice had dropped down to normal by the end of it as the angry Weasel Girl breathed heavily. But her words seemed to do something as several of the women could no longer meet their eyes. "I think that'll do for tonight," said Darius as he put a hand on Rifana's shoulder, "let's go to bed." The Weasel girl simply nodded as they turned to leave, though Darius had one last thing to say to their feathered host.

"Werner," he said in a tone of voice that made him straighten up immediately, "some of Rifana's gear is out near the baths. Make sure it's brought to Melty's room, we'll all be in there tonight. And don't pull a stunt like this again."

"Of…of course, Sir Armory Hero," said Werner with a bow before heading off, signaling to the other women to disperse as he did so. Darius and Rifana turned to leave then before the Cardinal Hero cast a glance at Izumi. She seemed to be waiting for something.

"Come on," said Rifana finally, "I guess we owe you for waterlogging the hoes back there."

"Thank you," said Izumi, "and if I'm not being too bold, might I sleep next to you and.….Darius tonight?" The Hero and Weasel girl both exchanged a look before shrugging and saying 'fuck it, why not.' They signaled for here to follow then as the group finally got to their room and went straight to bed.

End Flashback

'Funniest part about that whole mess is that Johann and Melty slept like logs through that entire ordeal,' mused Darius with an amused smile before returning to a more neutral expression. He knew they'd laugh about last night quite a bit later, but they'd wasted too much time already. It was time to get back to work. So he put aside his usual reluctance to separate from the warmth of his girlfriend and sat up.

Naturally this didn't go unnoticed by his two sleeping companions whose eyes fluttered open. "I wish I could say it's too early to be morning yet," said Rifana with a yawn, "but I think I'll like the chance just to get out of this castle."

"I believe I'm well-rested enough," said Izumi as she sat up, "do you still intend to visit the village today?"

"I do," said the Armory Hero, "we need to get this mess straightened out as quickly as possible. The next wave is in just four days so this is gonna be an early start."

"Can't we at least wait until the sun's all the way up," yawned Johann who'd been sleeping in his dragon form curled around Melty. The little princess had a pillow and blanket covering herself and her hair was down too. It was hard to tell whether or not she was comfortable as her eyes also fluttered open, but it was still an adorable scene.

"The sun will be up soon enough," said Rifana, "probably by the time we're leaving, assuming we don't have to go through another weird ritual just to get out of here."

"If you'd like," said Izumi, "I can have one of my clan members deliver a message to Lord Werner concerning our whereabouts. If you'll have me, of course."

"I think there was some form of agreement that you had good skills," said Melty as she rubbed her eyes, "and you know the area, so I don't see why not."

"There's just the minor issue of travel arrangements," said Darius, "I plan on having Johann fly us over there as fast as possible. The more eyes we have the better and I doubt Rifana's completely comfortable leaving you alone with me and Johann so she's coming. As said, you know the area the best and can spot something unusual more quickly so we'll need you to come along as well. And there's no way I'm leaving Melty in this castle by herself given the very high possibility of an unfortunate 'accident' caused by any numer of the more fervent Melromarc haters."

"Lady Rifana," said Izumi, attempting to address at least one of the issues, "you needn't fear me making advances on Darius right now. I am professional enough to know when a situation is seri-."

"It's not just Rifana being uncomfortable," said Darius as he raised a hand to stop her midsentence, "we got no idea what we're going to run into down there and the more fighters we got the better off we'll hopefully be. The reason I say there'll be issues with travel arrangements is that Johann can only carry three people on his neck. The only way he can carry anyone else is if we use the bottoms seats."

"Bottom Seats?" Repeated Izumi with obvious confusion. "What part of the dragon is that?"

A Short Time Later: Approaching Village at Mountain Base

"This feels both exciting and terrifying at the same time!" Exclaimed Izumi as she held onto whatever she could while hanging from Johann's two feet.

"I promise I'll get bigger at some point," Johann called back, "but I think my next growth spurt's still a long way off."

"Worry not for me great dragon of the Armory Hero," said Izumi, "it is an honor just to be taken up in the air by you!"

"Heh, you hear that guys, I'm a great dragon," said Johann, looking forward to hide the very obvious smirk on his face.

"That's only because she doesn't know about the time you stuck your head in-." Rifana started to say before Johann loudly interrupted her.

"Aaaaaaaaaanyway," said the Dragon Boy, "how much further until we reach this mountain base village?"

"That should be it right down there," said Izumi, doing her best to point with her leg as her arms were currently occupied holding onto Johann.

"Let's land a few yards out from the entrance," said Darius, "this place has been attacked by monsters already so it's best we not cause a panic." Everyone else seemed to agree with this notion as Johann flew down closer to the ground. He had to stop and flap his wings in one spot for a moment as he dropped Izumi who quickly made room for him to land. The rest of the party disembarked then as the Dragon Boy returned to his human form.

"That was actually quite an enjoyable experience," said Izumi as she straightened up her outfit a little and withdrew her naginata from a special sheath she had on her back, "it's amazing that you can do that whenever you want."

"I wouldn't say whenever," replied Darius as they started slowly walking towards the village, "outside of us doing our jobs, Johann only lets someone fly on his back when he's in the mood. And that can vary by the day. Though I still gotta ask, you sure you're okay? Flying around like that cannot be too terribly comfortable."

"I'm touched by your concern, Darius Saxon," said Izumi with a smile, "but worry not. I was trained to endure many things in hopes that I might be able to help you one day."

"I hope that includes camping out," said Rifana as they stopped at the village entrance, "we haven't had to pitch a tent like we used too in the last few weeks but that doesn't mean it isn't gonna happen again at some point."

"If it does come to pass, I will glady offer the hunting skills I honed in the mountains," said Izumi. Rifana rolled her eyes in respone to that, expecting an at least slightly different reaction.

"Well the first thing I should mention if you're gonna be with us for the long haul," said Darius, "don't feel the need to be so formal. Just talk with us like you'd talk to any of your friends."

"Talk to you like I'd talk to my friends?" Said Izumi with a questioningly look. But before the Armory Hero could say anything else, the sound of the message icon appearing in his HUD drew his attention.

"Darius, are you there?" Questioned Naofumi as a small image of him appeared on his HUD.

"Yeah we're here," he replied, "got a little held up at the castle, long story, but we just got to a village that was attacked by those mysterious monsters. Also, I got a sample of the most common type of it."

"Let me guess," said Naofumi, "It's a bat familiar with a tortoise shell and a giant eye on it, right?"

"Figures you'd have already gotten at least that far," said Darius, "yeah that's what we got at the moment. Have you guys found anything else out about 'em?"

"Yeah, check around the area and burn any and all monster corpses you can find," warned the Shield Hero.

"Don't tell me we've got some kind of undead problem happening now," said Darius.

"Possibly worse," said Naofumi, "it turns out the bats aren't just familiars, they're carriers."

"And you just said they're not causing the dead to rise," said the Armory Hero, "so what in the world are they-RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWRRRR!" The group turned towards the direction of the sound as a monster emerged from the woods. It resembled a giant ape of sorts with long hair around its head. Though what surprised Darius the most was the analysis on his HUD.

"'-'s Familiar: Sasquatch type," he said aloud as thoughts raced through his head. He already knew the bats were just the beginning, but the appearance of this new familiar type meant that whatever was causing this was getting stronger. And it was getting stronger, fast.

There be problems and then there be 'problems' when it comes to being a cardinal hero. But at last our heroes have been able to make progress on their mysterious monster problem. Though their progress may not be quite fast enough as they'll soon discover. 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 our heroes discover more about the mysterious monsters, and get some news that's more than a little irritating. 'Til then.