Hey everybody.

Thanks for all of the reviews and likes so far.

As promised, here is my second take on this FanFiction crossover.

This much more in-depth tale that takes place later in The Rising of the Shield Hero canon. Specifically, during that infamous scene that made the original franchise so famous. If you have not seen Rising of the Shield Hero and have no idea what I am talking about, then beware of major spoilers.

Also, the Dalek that features in this story is not the same one from the original timeline. That was just a standard Dalek. This an AU and the Dalek is much, much different. As the Doctor would say - "This is a world full of infinite possibilities" - or at least something along those lines.

Once again, this story will include an explanation as to how the title character ended up in Raphtalia's world and MORE IMPORTANTLY, why it did not just exterminate everybody straight away. References to the source materials will be made.

As before, this story is only one chapter long.

So, for those of you that wanted a more in-depth adventure/storyline ...

... here is an alternative extended version of The Rising of The Shield Dalek.

So, before we begin: -

Rating M: These stories are rated M for Mature, due to sexual references and cold-blooded murder.

Disclaimer: I do not own Rising of the Shield Hero or the Daleks. They, alongside any respective quotes and other references, belong to their rightful owners. This is a FanFiction, written for entertainment purposes.

Glossary

He/him/his = The citizens of Melromarc, The King and the other heroes assuming that the Dalek is a human male.

It = How the Dalek refers to itself since Daleks do not distinguish one another through gender.

Rel/rels = how the Daleks measure time, equivalent to 1.2 human seconds.

The Rising of The Shield Dalek - Alternate Version

The soldiers, elite members of the Kings Royal Guard. carried the Shield Hero up the stone steps into the palace. This brought them into the castles main lobby. A red carpet led towards an ornate staircase, which had more than fifty people standing at its base. Sentries on patrol, royal guards both on and off duty, butlers, maids, cooks and other palace staff lined the corridor. For the time being, all non-essential duties had ceased.

Every single one of the human's faces was filled with hatred and disgust.

Watching quietly, as the Shield Hero was hauled up the stairs towards his trial.

The Shield Hero had stopped struggling now, apart from the occasional twitch, resulting in that strange clicking noise his armour made.

Nobody had ever seen inside the strange casing that the Shield Hero wore. Despite numerous attempts and requests to do so, the Cardinal Hero refused point-blank to take his armour off. Since the heroes came from alternate dimensions, the citizens of Melromarc had assumed that this strange armour plating was a necessity that the Shield Hero utilised to escape the perils of his original home-world.

Whether that was true or not, if the accusation made against him was accurate, which it undoubtedly was then as far as the people were concerned; the monster inside had forfeited his humanity.

At long last, the soldiers reached the top of the stairs.

Following a gesture from their commander, the four men on the outermost edges of the circle lowered their spears. The remaining eight set their charge down with a small bang. In truth, none of them wished to touch, let alone carry this accused criminal. Yet they were forced to do so out of necessity since the hero lacked legs, and therefore could not navigate the stairs without assistance.

Some of these soldiers reflected on how tired their comrades had been after spending a full day carrying this monster, following his initial summoning.

They had trusted this man back then. Expected him to save their nation. Something they now knew they should never have done!

A group of soldiers, the second half of this squadron, moved to take over from their exhausted comrades, armed with deadly looking poleaxes. The Sergeant nodded respectively to the men under his command. Only Lieutenant Osian nodded back. The rest either backed away or kept their weapons trained on the accused. At long last, the commander ripped off the black pouch they placed over that strange-looking extension in the centre of the Shield Heroes helmet.

An obscured green light flickered into life.

The woven texture that had previously covered the unit's eyestalk was finally removed. Shaking its visor from side to side, the soldier looked around. The communication lights on the top of its head-guard lit up green.

"VISION NO LONGER IMPAIRED. STABILISERS FUNCTIONING AT OPTIMUM LEVELS. MY CENTRE OF GRAVITY IS NO LONGER OFFSET."

More of that strange terminology, was that all that this wretch had to say for himself?

Everybody stared angrily or curiously at the so-called hero!

When first summoned, the Shield Heroes armour had been bronze. The strange crystals on the top of his helmet had lit up white behind an opaque casing and the Legendary Shield had been stuck to the larger of its two arms, the one with that strange looking gismo on the end. The gem at the centre of that weird pipe had glowed blue. Now, the armour was silver. The Shield, with its large green gem, sat between the hero's strange arms and was significantly thinner now, as it had been fused to the Shield Heroes armour. The orbs on its skirt were as green as the Shield's gem. The lights on its helmet were a darker shade of green.

"Shut up and get in there!" the Sergeant ordered, pointing at the giant door, which led into the throne room with his sword. Four guards and a pair of servants moved to open them.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!?" the Shield Hero responded, speaking to the commander with open hostility. The lights on the top its helmet flickering on and off as it spoke. "YOU BROUGHT ME HERE WITHOUT CONSENT. TELL ME WHY. EXPLAIN YOURSELVES!"

"Such insolence," a few people whispered, whilst others snarled.

The Shield Heroes helmet turned in a full three-hundred-and-sixty-degree arc. One by one his eye, if it could even be called that, stared into the face of each soldier. The only response he got was a hostile glare before the armoured figures eye settled on the commander once more.

"Still gonna act that way then, huh? Very well then – if that's how you want to play it." The Sergeant slammed the pommel of his sword hard against the Shield Heroes neck grill, resulting in a loud clang.

Several of the audience members nodded, as others vocalised their approval.

"I said get in there. If you want to play dumb and innocent, so be it. Everything shall be explained in there!"

The Shield Heroes helmet turned in the direction of the open doorway, making that strange whirring sound it always did. He looked inside, then back at the commander. The soldier made another gesture with his sword.

Perhaps intimidated by the sharp instruments pressing into his sides, by the commander's bluntness and determination, or perhaps just realising that he wasn't getting anywhere, the monster that once claimed to be a hero moved forwards.

Never taking their eyes off the Shield Hero and keeping their weapons trained on him, the second squadron followed, along with their commander.

The first squadron fell into place as the doors shut ominously behind them.

As the Shield Hero entered the throne room, soldiers and mages standing in front of the columns on either side of the hall activated a series of crystal balls, which they held in both of their hands.

The magical instruments glowed eerily in the rooms otherwise dim light.

Channelling the magical energy from their bodies into the spheres, these men and women were able to project what their eyes saw to designated areas both inside the castle and out of it. Floating screens appeared at these points – in the castle lobby, in several taverns, at the Three Heroes Cathedral and lastly onto the streets outside, where a confused mob was gathering.

By order of the King, as many citizens as possible had been roused from their beds. A few Demi-Human's as well.

The ruler of Melromarc wanted no room for doubt.

Every single person in Castle Town was going to bear witness to the Shield Heroes trial and subsequent shaming!

The largest screens of all materialised at opposite ends of the hallway, above the throne and the doorway respectively. They were created by the same mage that led the heroes summoning ceremony.

In contrast to the rest of the magicians who continuously held onto their crystal balls, this man deposited his onto a small plinth, temporarily installed on the second step leading up to the throne. Hands-on either side of the sphere, he directed the instruments gaze forwards so that everybody could see the accused being led in. Then, with a simple thought, he directed the spheres gaze backwards, stepping out of the way to reveal the King of Melromarc. With a swift bow to the monarch, the Church mage took his place in the formation at the base of the stairs alongside his colleagues.

His gaze became filled with unmasked loathing like theirs, directed towards the disgraced monster he'd help to summon.

Gliding across the lavish carpet, The Shield Hero stared up at the reflection of its own image, which promptly shifted into the glowering face of King Aultcray Melromarc XXXII.

Lowering its eyestalk, the unit directed its gaze forwards.

In contrast to the two previous occasions, the room was only dimly lit. Dawn had only just begun, which meant this planets sun was still rising. According to the units internal computer, the weather outside was overcast. Altogether, this created an ominous eerie feeling – not that the Shield Hero felt either of these emotions.

Its mind was already focused on the task at hand.

Fulfilling the second phase of its species ascension.

A message on its internal communication systems confirmed that these plans were already underway!

Like the previous morning, the room was crowded. Both the upper and lower levels were filled to the brim with primitives. Groups that these inferior humans referred to as knights, nobles, mages, personal guards, adventurers and a few high-ranking servants. The King himself was at his usual place; on the highest step next to those pitiful things that humans called thrones, his ministers flanking either side of him.

The other heroes stood before the King's guard the one named Motoyasu Kitamura standing at the forefront.

Unlike last time, there was no friendly atmosphere.

The King stood in-between the two thrones, glaring at the Shield Hero.

Turning its head from side to side, the 'Hero' scanned the immediate area.

Every face was filled with the same degree of hostility, loathing and disgust.

As the Shield Hero turned its gaze upon the various members of the assembly, those that possessed them tightened their hands across their weapons. The rest banded closer together as though afraid he might launch himself at them. The Shield Hero recognised one of these groups as the Heroes Companions.

The ones that had rejected partnering with it. They stood huddled together in a single mass at the far-most end of the hall.

Every single eye followed the Shield Hero, not out of curiosity, as had been the case when he had first entered the room after being summoned but in hatred!

Not that the Shield Hero cared - the Supreme Daleks instructions had already been fulfilled and the unit's own strategy would soon be underway.

Only when the formation reached the centre of the room did the human Sergeant call a halt to their advance. That strange whirring sound generated by the Shield Hero's armour ceased as the said hero and his escort came to a stop. Six of the surrounding soldiers stood to attention, the rest kept the spikes at the top of their weapons levelled, as the Sergeant saluted and gave a confirmation of acknowledgement to his superiors.

The moustached commander of the Royal Knights, who was standing opposite one of the King's Ministers nodded in response.

"So, there he is!" The Shield Hero heard one of the innumerable members of the audience say.

"It's just as the holy scriptures said it would be."

"We should have known we couldn't trust him."

"I hope they execute that scum bag once this is done."

"What were they thinking summoning the Four Heroes together?"

The three human heroes for their part didn't say anything. Motoyasu shifted his position slightly, frowning at the Shield Hero. His left arm was securely latched around the despairing figure next to him. Itsuki Kawasumi and Ren Amaki meanwhile, looked disappointed and angry.

It didn't take long for the unnamed one, to whom they had designated the simple title of 'Shield' to finish its observation. As it turned to look up at the throne, a message flashed across its vision. This modified HUD screen briefly showed an outline of the unit's casing, as well as its level, offensive and defensive stats. Then a second screen covered the first one, written in a language only it could understand.

"Oi. Put that away!" The Sergeant shouted.

Typing a quick response, The Shield Hero closed the HUD with a simple thought. Then before anyone else could speak, it addressed the audience members loudly.

"I WAS DRAGGED TO THESE PRIMITIVE FORTIFICATIONS AGAINST MY WILL. I DEMAND AN EXPLANATION! YOU WILL EXPLAIN YOURSELVES. EXPLAIN. EXPLAIN. EXPLAIN!"

The reaction to this outburst was pretty understandable: -

"Such insolence."

"How dare he."

"Do not address the King like that you filthy scum!"

The Shield Hero did not care, the only thing it wanted was an explanation.

The King's eyebrow twitched slightly but aside from that, he showed no concern. He raised his right-hand palm into the air, a primitive gesture indicating the necessity of silence. One that was swiftly forthcoming! The King lowered his arm.

"I should have known better," Aultcray Melromarc said, following a short pause. "From the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew it was only a matter of time before you revealed your true colours. I chose not to believe my intuition, to hope that my instinct was wrong – but I take it all back now!"

He pointed a finger the Shield Hero.

"To think that a Hero, entrusted with the most sacred and holiest of missions would commit such an offence. Evidently, it was wrong to even summon you."

"You, Shield Hero are the scum of the Earth!"

The audience waited for the Shield Heroes reaction. Of course, there was none.

Concealed behind that strange armour of his, the Shield Heroes emotions were impossible to determine.

"I DO NOT UNDERSTAND. WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" The Shield Hero finally responded in that deep, evil-sounding voice of his, without so much as a shift in tone.

"You dare to ask such a thing, you vile fiend?" Motoyasu roared, pointing the head of his spear directly at the Shield Hero.

"I DO NOT UNDERSTAND" that same voice repeated, sounding comparatively calm next to the Spear Hero.

"No, it seems you don't do you," Itsuki shouted in a voice of clear disgust. Next to him, Ren shook his head in disappointment.

"Don't you dare feign ignorance," the King shouted, pointing at the Shield Hero again, his voice echoing throughout the hall. "The soldiers that brought you here have already searched your room. I trust that you found the proof we were promised?"

For once his voice was not directed at the Shield Hero. The soldier in command of the Shield Heroes escort, who had remained standing off to the side, stepped forwards. Shooting a look of loathing at the Shield Hero, he tossed a small golden key onto the floor. Then getting down on one knee he released a heavy sigh, before holding up a pair of torn purple stockings.

The person standing next to Motoyasu flinched visibly, catching Shields attention.

Whilst the unit could not see her face, it knew straight away who this person was.

Myne Sophia. The Shield Heroes only companion.

To the masses, Myne was the only adventurer brave enough to leave her original hero in order to accompany the Shield Hero on his adventure. Strangely however, the Shield Hero initially had not wanted companions. He did not react to the rest of the adventurer's rejection at all stating, quite firmly, that as far as he was concerned, they would be a liability! Eventually, the Shield Hero had been persuaded to let Myne join him when the King pointed out that she could be helpful to him and Myne herself had offered to carry his money for him.

In contrast, the Shield Hero now considered the girl expendable. She had provided minimal amounts of useful information during her tour around the city, the Shield Hero noting down key areas before the pair retired to an inn for the evening. The female adventurer had spent almost all of their money on food, jewellery and a new set of armour. Not that the Shield Hero minded. Twenty-five thousand nine hundred and twenty rels (six hours) ago, her usefulness had run its course. There was only one thing left for the Shield Hero to do now.

The red-haired woman stood there, clutching desperately at the Spear Heroes arm in that fancy new armour of hers. The one that the Shield Hero had let her purchase without objection. She gasped loudly, then began to cry even harder.

"We found them exactly where she said we would sire. It's all validated!"

An angry murmur arose from the spectators.

Motoyasu put his arm, even more securely around the weeping Myne.

"WHAT IS ALL THIS?" the Shield Hero asked in genuine confusion, his strange helmet twitching back and forth from right to left.

This simple question led to a series of angry outbursts: -

"You dare ask such a thing?"

"Criminal."

"Scum."

"Accept responsibility for your actions, you fiend."

"Wretch."

"You Bastard."

"Monster."

"Rapist!"

Having let the audience vent some of their annoyance, The King held up his hand again, enabling silence to consume the chamber once more.

"To be so rotten as to not only feign ignorance of your wrongdoing but to continue to deny any knowledge of its perpetration!?" Aultcray barked furiously. "It appears that you are even more despicable than I originally thought!"

This declaration prompted cries of sentiment from the court.

Outside, however.

The assembling crowd, which included Erhart the Blacksmith remained puzzled.

Despite the proceedings, no clear answers had been given yet.

All that anybody knew so far, based upon what little information the guards had told them, was that the Shield Hero had committed one of the greatest sins against both the country and his companion!

Sighing dramatically, King Aultcray sat back down upon his throne, putting his hands over his mouth and eyes. Enabling him to conceal his look of triumph!

"Very well," Aultcray said, taking away his hands, his face morphing back into a look of disgust. "Since you are not courteous enough to confess to your sins … I am left with no alternative." 'Reluctantly' he turned towards the red-haired woman standing a few feet below him.

"Myne, my dear," he said to the adventurer, in a soft caring voice. "I am sorry to have to ask this of you, but would you please recount what you told me after speaking to Sir Motoyasu."

For the first time, all eyes diverted from the Shield Hero to the woman standing at the foot of the stairwell. With an encouraging pat on the shoulder from Motoyasu, Myne raised her head off of the Spear Heroes shoulder and looked at the man she had accused. Fat, pearly tears cascaded down her cheeks. Unable to stand the sight of the Shield Hero for too long, Myne buried her face in her hands, her shoulders rising and falling as she wept pitifully.

When she spoke, her voice was hoarse and cracked. "The – the Shield – Last night at dinner, the Shield Hero got drunk. Later that evening, he invited me up to his room. He said that the night was still young. I tried to leave but - " overcome by tears, words temporarily failed her.

The accused shifted its visor a little. Like everybody else, its single eye was focused squarely on Myne.

"Before I could do anything – the Shield Heroes armour opened. At first, I thought – it was like something out of those fairy tales. But then I saw, the man – that thing inside – he was naked!"

Motoyasu was nodding sympathetically, now stroking Myne's hair reassuringly.

The Shield Hero rotated its own head, shifting its gaze from Myne to the King. Unnoticed by the masses, the light in the middle of the stalk narrowed, focusing on the middle-aged man's face and torso.

"Before I knew what was happening -" Myne's voice became even more high-pitched now, "the Shield Hero had pushed me onto the bed. He said – that since he was a hero – he could have whatever he wanted. I tried to scream, but - he placed a hand over my mouth, then tore off my stockings and - and -"

Itsuki closed his eyes, not wishing to hear any more.

Ren's breathing became heavier.

"- he - he tried - to - "

"It's alright," the King cut across her noting her distress, whilst glaring at the Shield Hero. "You don't have to say anymore. The rest is all clear."

This compassion only made Myne cry even harder. "I can't remember how - I don't know how I got away. If Lord Motoyasu had not been there - I don't - I dread to think what could have happened!"

Outside, in Castle Town

The initial gasps of surprise had given way howls of rage as they recognised what the Shield Hero had done!

The demi-humans looked shocked.

Myne buried her face into Motoyasu's shoulder, distraught. A great hiss rose from the women in the audience, as well as several of the men. The rest either shook their heads, raised their fists or just glared at the accused – outraged!

The Spear Hero held the poor girl as close to him as possible, trying to convey some sense of reassurance before directing a cold glare at the accused. "So there you have it!" he said, "Straight from the horse's mouth."

The Shield Hero adjusted its vision to once again encompass the irate Spear Heroes body.

Motoyasu directed a quick apology at Myne, then added: "Hope you're satisfied now, you filthy animal."

"Clearly, you have no conscience," Itsuki said. "Forcing yourself upon a hapless victim then making her recount a traumatic experience like that. Any doubts I had about your innocence are now completely gone".

"To think that you would stoop so low as to try and use your position to extract cardinal pleasure. How low can a hero possibly get?" Ren added. "What were you thinking; that your new position entitled you to such things? Did you think that you could get away with it!? Did you not consider the severity of what you were doing?"

The Shield Hero looked from one hero to another. For the time being, it said nothing.

"Apparently not," The King said, with an exasperated expression.

He flicked two fingers at the Shield Hero, before assuming a prayer-like-stance as one of his Ministers stepped forward.

"Since you do not appear to understand the severity of your actions, Shield Hero, allow me to explain. Here in Melromarc, sexual assault, especially those against women is considered the most heinous, unforgivable of sins!"

His associates within the Kings inner circle, including Pope Balmus, several of his cardinals and the mother superior nodded in agreement. The corners of the Pope's mouth … rose, ever so subtly. Not long now, he thought to himself.

"The punishment for which," the Minister continued, "is swift, immediate execution!"

A great cheer rose from the outskirts of the castle.

Confronted with the evidence and testimony, the citizens of Melromarc, as King Aultcray Melromarc had hoped, now believed the Shield Hero to be guilty of sexual misconduct.

Now viewing him as a criminal, they roared ecstatically. Except for the demi-humans, everyone was baying for the Shield Heroes blood.

Several of the more outraged members rushed off to fetch rocks, rotting vegetables, fruit, pieces of scrap metal.

Things they could throw at the Shield Hero as he was led to his justified execution.

A great murmur of assent rose from inside the courtroom as well.

Several of the nobles pointed at the condemned, screaming at the King and his consultants to do it. Just execute this worthless Hero. The others, including many of the Heroes companions, nodded at one another.

Motoyasu smirked triumphantly - as far as he was concerned, Shield deserved to die.

Itsuki nodded slightly - his eyes closed in consideration. On the one hand, he didn't like the idea of killing a fellow hero. On the other hand, this man had already proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was evil. He also understood that these were the countries laws. He might not fully agree with them, but the citizens of this new world had their own method of punishing the guilty.

Ren just glared at his former associate. Like Itsuki, the Sword Hero was somewhat hesitant to advocate for the death penalty. The legends said that the Waves of Catastrophe would be that much harder if even one of the heroes was missing. Still, it was going to take a considerable amount of time of pleading for forgiveness, and proving oneself, before Ren would consider working with him again. That was why the Sword Hero said nothing. He just stared coolly at the disgraced hero, trying against hope to gage some kind of reaction from the creature inside that armour. Of course, there was none!

A third HUD message suddenly appeared in front of the Shield Hero. It vanished just as quickly. Issuing a silent acknowledgement, Shield closed the screen, before staring back up at the figures in front of it.

With a backward wave from the King, the advisor took a step back and resumed his original position.

"So, there you have it," Aultcray told the masses, "irrefutable proof of the Shield Heroes atrocity and misconduct." With a heavy sigh, the middle-aged man stood back up. He held up his hand and an ornate staff was placed into it by one of his servants. Those that served alongside Aultcray during the war with Siltvelt recognised it as the Vassal Staff. A legendary weapon, which now served as the King's gavel. A further demonstration at just how serious the situation was.

"As we all know, the Waves of Calamity threaten not only our great nation but the whole world. The Cardinal Heroes are not only meant to be pillars for The Kingdom of Melromarc to stand upon, but beacons of hope and light in this time of great uncertainty." He raised his staff, pointing at the armour-clad figure. "Not only have you tarnished the name of Hero through your reprehensible actions Shield, but your lack of compassion or remorse condemns you further. Unfortunately, since our country still needs you, I am forced to take the necessary countermeasures. Nevertheless, I am hoping that the punishment I am about to bestow on you shall reflect the full gravity of the situation. As well as the depth of your sin!"

Motoyasu, Ren and Itsuki turned to look at the King. What did he mean the country still needed Shield?

Against Motoyasu's shoulder, Malty Melromarc aka Myne Sophia smiled sadistically. She would have chuckled had she not been standing so close to her chosen hero. This was going much better than she'd anticipated! The foolish citizens of Melromarc fell for it hook line and centre.

Her plan was so simple. First, she joined the Shield Heros' party. Second, she either stole and spent all of his money. Then she framed him! Of course, she had discussed all of this with her father beforehand.

In fact, he was the one that suggested framing him for assault. Even if they did not execute the Shield Hero, everyone would believe that he had committed the ultimate sin, leaving him eternally disgraced. Nobody would help him, partner with him, most would not even talk to him.

In the long run, the rest of the heroes would grow powerful enough to defeat the Waves of Calamity. After that, they could be persuaded to eliminate the Shield Hero altogether. Soon enough, Malty would be nearer to her ultimate goal. With the unsuspecting Spear Hero at her side, and her stupid, ignorant fathers help, it wouldn't be long until she was the next Queen of Melromarc!

Everybody's gaze was on the Shield Hero as the King asked, "Do you have anything to say before the sentence is passed?"

There was a pause, during which those strange crystals on either side of the Shield Heroes head flickered behind their glass panels. He made a strange sound as though words had suddenly failed him, rolling meaninglessly off the end of his tongue.

What happened next took everybody by surprise.

Every hostile glare in and outside of that room faded. The Shield Hero's guards, in complete disregard of their orders, took cautious steps back. Myne's hidden smile vanished. Confused, she raised her head and looked upon the man she had just set up. Aultcray Melromarcs hostile glare faded, as he stared in-complete bewilderment at the creature in front of him. The Bow, Sword and Spear heroes expressions slackened. The angry mob surrounding the castle fell silent. Stunned onlookers gazed up at the screen. Their rage was temporarily forgotten.

As the Shield Hero - LAUGHED!

The lights on either side of the dome flickered on and off repeatedly. Its casing rocked from side to side. Within the armour, the creatures vocal simulators did their best to replicate that sound, which was unnatural to a Dalek. The unit's species had no concept or sense of amusement. That weakness had long since been expunged. This laughter was cold, emotionless and mocking. These foolish people, these - primitives - dared to think the supreme lifeform was capable of such pointless actions. This re-affirmed its assessment. These creatures knew nothing about its kind!

The fat human in the oversized tent had confirmed as much when the Shield Hero confronted him on the first night of its summoning.

Having no need for sleep, 'Shield' unbeknownst to everybody else, had snuck out of the castle in order to gather information about the human's settlement. After wandering aimlessly down several side-streets, making sure to stay hidden from the masses, it came across two humans in strange attire carrying between them the body of a little brown-haired girl with strange ears. The unit watched as they dumped the body into a giant pit on the outskirts of the city, then followed them back to their lair.

Upon entering, the Shield Hero confronted the two men about what they were doing. That was when the owner of the establishment had stepped forward. Unintimidated by the Shield Heroes appearance, he had introduced himself as Beloukas and explained that he had been sent to help the Shield Hero. Admittedly, he was surprised by the latter's early arrival. He then proceeded to offer the Shield Hero a chance to purchase loyal companions and even tried to persuade him to take part in an upcoming lottery he was thinking about starting.

Unconcerned, the Hero carefully plied the fat slave owner with questions about Melromarc, legends about the other heroes and the countries military. Believing that there would be a great reward in it for him, Belokaus had answered with what information he had - information that was stored in the Shield Heroes command network. Once all of the necessary details had been extracted, the Shield Hero asked the ultimate question. "WHAT, DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE DALEKS?"

Once the pathetic human revealed that neither he, his associates nor anybody else in Melromarc knew or had even heard of that term, The Shield Dalek exterminated him, then his accomplices, followed by every living being inside that tent.

Back in the present ...

The laughter subsided somewhat as the Shield Hero turned to glare at the King and his associates. The time had finally come. It was time to show these people what they were really dealing with!

"Silence!" The Commander of the Royal Knights shouted.

"Shut up!" The King demanded when the Shield Hero did not comply. "First you disrespect your companion in such a reprehensible manner, but now you have the audacity to laugh about it?"

At long last, the unit stopped its futile imitation of emotion. When it spoke, the Shield Heroes voice seemed even more hostile than before. "FOOLISH HUMAN!" it said irritably. "DO NOT PRESUME TO MOCK ME WITH SUCH BASELESS ACCUSATIONS."

"Foolish!?" Itsuki cried.

"Human?" Ren muttered, sounding puzzled.

"Baseless? Were you not listening to anything that was just said?" Motoyasu roared, evidently the most annoyed. "We heard Myne testify, we saw all the evidence. We know that you are not a cyborg." He raised his spear again. Without bothering to explain his confusing terminology, Motoyasu pointed his weapon at the Shield Hero and added, "Inside that armour of yours is a foul, worthless person. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if that so-called armour of yours is some kind of pris-"

"CEASE TALKING" Shield shouted over him.

Motoyasu recoiled. "What did you just say -"

"I SAID CEASE!" the creature verified, its lights flashing as if to express its irritation. "DO NOT PRESUME TO KNOW ANYTHING."

Its gaze shifted slightly, focusing on another individual standing in close proximity to the Spear Hero. "SCANS REVEAL INCREASED LEVELS OF DOPAMINE AND SEROTONIN INSIDE THE FEMALE'S BODY. NOREPINEPHRINE AND OTHER STRESS-RELATED HORMONES ARE NOT PRESENT. THOSE TEARS HAVE BEEN TRIGGERED OF HER OWN ACCORD. CONCLUSION - SHE IS BEING DECEPTIVE!"

This comment caused, several people in the audience to stir. Most flinched visibly. Although much of what the Shield Hero said was unfathomable, his final sentiment was startling!

Before anyone could say anything however, the Shield Hero rounded on the King and started speaking again. His next accusation was much clearer.

"INTERNAL-SCANS, SUGGEST HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF ADRENALINE PRESENT IN THE BODY OF THE ONE YOU HAVE DESIGNATED AS KING. HEART AND BLOOD RATE ARE ALSO ELEVATED SLIGHTLY. YET THIS IS INSUFFICIENT ENOUGH TO FACILITATE ANGER. CONCLUSION - HE WAS AWARE OF THE FEMALE'S INTENTIONS AND ALLEGATIONS. IT IS ALSO SPOUTING FALSEHOOD!"

Cries of outrage rose from every corner of the Melromarc Capital.

"How dare you."

"False Hero."

"Slanderous accusations."

"Worthless wretch."

Inside the castle lobby and beyond the outer walls enraged citizens shouted obscenity, whilst shaking their fists angrily at the Shield Hero.

"Enough of this!" The Sergeant in command of the escort shouted. He took a swing at the Shield Hero with his sword, but the armoured figure dodged it. Prompted, the Lieutenant stepped forward and with a massive clang smashed the blunt end of his poleaxe against the Shield Heroes sternum, striking the gem in the centre of his armour. The force of the impact knocked the Shield Hero back.

The Dalek recovered quickly however, then turned upon the offending soldier. The Shield Heroes left arm rose. "EX-TERM-IN-ATE!" [Insert sound of a Dalek gun firing!]

Magic such as the citizens of Melromarc had never seen shot from the Shield Heroes left arm, now revealed to be some sort of magic staff, enveloping the soldier's body. Encased in a mass of blue light, the energies pierced through the man's skin, highlighting the skeleton beneath.

Every single person in the room jumped in horror. More than a few gasped as well. None screamed louder than the soldier himself. His ear-splitting shriek resounded off every wall, his armour no match for the Shield Heroes strange spell. Still screaming his body stood rooted to the spot for about four-point-eight rels, before every single cell in his body shut down. Finally, the light faded and the screaming stopped. The Lieutenants legs gave out from under him. With a loud clatter and a dull thud, his lifeless body dropped first to its knees, then keeled over sideways onto the floor. The poleaxe slipped from his grasp and he did not get up again.

In the Castle lobby

The soldiers guarding the entrance to the throne room took a frightened step backwards, unwittingly stepping closer to the danger. They watched as the body of their companion crumpled to the ground, their horrified sergeant bending over him.

Instinctively their hands flew to their weapons, for all the good it would do them. The groups' thoughts were all the same. It could not be – Osian! Their companion, the man they had all got on with, who took pride in his work, who cared for his elderly mother, who they'd eaten alongside and drunk beer with, slain by the Shield Hero!

How was that possible? The Shield Hero was meant to be defence focused. He was not supposed to have offensive capabilities or deal damage. So where had that skill come from?

A looming sense of dread came over the citizens of Melromarc - something was seriously wrong here!

At the base of the stairs, several of the palace servants cried out in horror. Overcome by an innate sense of self-preservation, some of the more sensible individuals, decided to make a break for it. Breaking out of the formation, they ran towards one of the lobbies many exits, concerned only about themselves now. Their only intention was to get as far away from the castle and the Shield Hero as possible. Hapless fools!

Morning duties did not start for another hour, so the corridors were only dimly lit. As the first individual, a maid entered one of the lobbies many corridors, she made it only a third of the way down before she collided with something hard. The force of the impact knocked her backwards off her feet. Dazed and confused she sat up, offering the most desperate, swiftest of apologies before she stared up into a strange blue light. The light was accompanied by an ominous, familiar whirring sound!

Back in the throne room

Motoyasu was the one that broke the silence. "What was that? What did you just do?" the Spear Hero gasped, as though unable to fully comprehend what he had just witnessed. Myne leapt behind him, staring at the Shield Hero, genuinely terrified.

It was the Sergeant who answered. "He's dead," the man gasped as he removed two fingers from Osian's neck, staring up at the Shield Hero. "You killed him!"

One of the robed mages had pushed his way through the stunned spectators. He knelt alongside the commander, a crystal ball still held tightly in one hand, the other resting on the dead man's body. This was Osian's brother, Dara. Head shaking from side to side, lips moving incoherently, the wizard started to shake his older brother by the shoulder as if hoping that would wake him.

Everybody except the Sergeant and Dara was backing away from the Shield Hero now. Even the other heroes were edging closer towards the throne, watching cautiously. Fear suddenly gripped the entire room - yet nobody fled.

"HE INITIATED HOSTILE ACTION. HE ATTACKED ME FIRST" the Shield Hero said matter of factly as if that justified his actions.

"He didn't harm you," the human warrior pointed out. "There's not even a dent on your armour". The Shield Hero stared at the silver-clad human but said nothing.

"Monster," a new voice said. With a small whir, the Shield Hero's head swivelled round to look at Dara. "You monster!"

The mage leapt to his feet. The crystal ball was still held firmly in his right hand. Clenching his left hand, the sorcerer muttered a quick spell. Realising what was about to happen, the sergeant wisely flung himself out of harm's way as Dara shouted. A jet of orange flame enveloped the Shield Heroes form. "How could you do such an inhumane thing?"

To the astonishment of the soldiers and civilians standing behind the Shield Hero, there was a shimmer of light and the fire spell ricochet off Shields armour. Six seconds later the spell ended, and the entire audience saw that the magic spell hadn't left so much as a scuff mark. Dara's eyes widened.

Those gifted in the magical arts, including Pope Balmus gasped audibly. That fire spell they had just seen was tier two or medium-level magic. It was the safest and most powerful type that could be used in a confined space like this, since tier-three spells affected a large area. Nothing under level twenty-five was able to withstand them.

Yet the magic did no damage to the fallen hero. According to legend, the Shield Heroes defences were said to be almost insurmountable but only after they had levelled up. Yet Myne had insisted that he was still only level one. She said that when they went to the training field, the Shield Hero had not even been able to attack an orange balloon, the weakest monster in Melromarc. So how was any of this possible?

Unphased, the Shield Hero considered the wizard for an instant, staring at him with its usual coldness. Then, the citizens of Melromarc, the three human heroes and the King, heard the distinctive sound of a latch clicking. With a small puff of steam and an audible hiss, the Shield Heroes chest plate stretched forwards and the neck grill dropped down a little. They split open vertically, tearing the legendary shield in half and revealed the thing inside the armour!

Since Dara was still holding the crystal ball, what he saw was projected onto every single screen in Castle Town. In the streets outside, Erhart flinched visibly. The mouths of every witness fell open in shock. More than a few people, including the young tailor woman standing next to Erhart screamed.

The creature inside that armour was not a naked human male like they had assumed, an assumption that Princess Malty had previously falsified. It was something much, much worse. The stuff of nightmares! It looked like a twisted and distorted, greenish-blue humanoid face had been fused onto the body of either a squid or an octopus. The face was so crumpled that only one of its sickly-looking yellow eyes was open. The mouth looked as if had been glued shut. Several tentacles extended from its grotesque body, resting against a number of strange devices that appeared to have been crammed into the armour around it. The monster's bulbous brain was visible. The flesh around its eye expanded and contract like some monstrous heart.

The beast within the armour, the real Shield Hero stared up at Dara. The trembling, terrified wizard stared back.

"I AM NOT HUMAN!" the Shield Hero declared, its entire body twitching as it spoke. The armour closed, with another hiss concealing the monster from view again. The Sergeant was backing away now. Dara remained rooted to the spot wincing in horror.

The rest of the audience members backed as far away from the Shield Hero as they could get. Melromarc was a human supremacist nation. Amongst other things, Pope Balmus and his predecessors in the Church of the Three Heroes had preached human supremacy over the continents second resident species. A species whose name King Aultcray now muttered fearfully to himself, "Demi-human".

As the ancient scriptures from the Three Heroes Church had promised, the Shield Hero was a demon incarnate. Throughout their nation's long history, the citizens of Melromarc had always been wary and mistrustful of the previous Shield Heroes. Yet this wielder had already shown itself to be much more dangerous than any previous incarnation. The fact that it was not human only added to the danger.

Itsuki and Ren did not share these racist ideologies but even they stared on in shock. Like everybody else, they had just assumed that the Shield Hero was a human that needed to wear that strange armour of his out of necessity. They came from more technologically advanced worlds than Melromarc and were avid gamers, so they were familiar with terms like cyborgs, machine-creatures and bio-hazard suits. When they first met the Shield Hero, at the heroes summoning they assumed that the armour was just one of the those. Since the rest of them were humans, they believed that the man inside that armour came from a dangerous world and needed to wear it as some sort of protection. Now they knew that was not the case. That armour was some sort of mobile tank.

Motoyasu meanwhile, turned to look at Myne, who was now gripping onto his shoulder so tightly it was hurting. This didn't make sense. The Shield Hero had raped her. Myne claimed as much when she met him in the corridor at the inn earlier that evening. The woman was distraught, half-naked, with so many tears streaming down her face that Motoyasu did not question her. Yet the description she had provided did not match what they just saw. How could the Shield Hero have done the things she claimed he had, when the Hero inside that armour was not even human?

A jet of blue light put pay to those thoughts. Dara the mage's life had just been extinguished. Unlike his brother, he did not scream. His body collapsed next to Osian's.

Without uttering a single word the Shield Hero's weapon turned. Six seconds later, the Sergeants corpse collapsed with a scream.

"What on Earth – stop this! Stop killing!" Ren gasped, reaching for his sword.

The Shield Heroes visor swivelled round. "LOWER YOUR WEAPONS!" it commanded advancing slightly.

"Why are you doing this?" Itsuki also shouted, now scrambling for the bow on his back. "What the hell are you!?"

The King muttered that word again. "Demi-human" he said, much louder and a lot more venomously this time, as if the word itself was a slur.

The Shield Hero glared at the three human heroes. "THE ULTIMATE LIFE FORM," it declared coming to a stop some twelve feet from the throne, watching Ren draw his weapon. "I - AM - A - DALEK!"

The Shield Dalek's eye turned on Itsuki who had just managed to retrieve his bow and was now reaching for an arrow. It fired another round, which struck Itsuki Kawasumi in the head. He screamed loudly, the arrow slipping from his hand. Motoyasu, Ren and the Kings guards jumped away fearfully.

"No, Lord Itsuki!" an oversized adventurer in plate armour screamed, as the Bow Hero lost his balance. The Dalek recognised him as one of the adventurers that had originally refused to partner up with it when the heroes were assigned their companions. Now that same man and a blonde woman broke away from the rest of the adventurers, and ran to their chosen heroes side. The rest of Itsuki's companions were restrained by a man in a wizard's outfit, who was a member of their own entourage, as well as a few of Ren's companions.

As Mald and Ethelia bent over the Bow Heroes body, HUD screens materialised in front of the remaining three. On it was a simple message – Alert! Cardinal Hero of the Bow deceased. Expect the Waves of Calamity to be even more difficult from now on!

Unconcerned, the Dalek closed the message down with a single thought. Without closing the screen, Motoyasu looked up at the Shield Hero, his lip trembling. However, a wave of inspiration came to Ren. This world was like a video game. Given what had just happened, the HUD's inbuilt systems would now register his fellow hero, this - Dalek as it called itself, as an enemy. That meant that Ren could view his enemy's basic statistics with a simple thought. Perhaps, if he was lucky, he could find some sort of weakness in the Shield Heroes defences.

With a subtle thought and a simple twitch of the eyebrows, the Sword Hero called up the necessary information. What he saw terrified him. According to the results, the Dalek's level was not one as Myne had claimed, but twenty-eight. That made it much stronger than his and Motoyasu's levels combined. Glancing down at his late friends' companions and not wishing to cause them any more despair, he closed the screen.

"You fiend!" King Aultcray shouted, brandishing his staff.

Mald and Ethelia got up and turned around. Both had tears in their eyes. "Demi-human swine!" the armoured knight shouted.

"How could you put our country in danger like this?" the woman shouted. This was a justified question. According to legend, only the Cardinal Heroes could stop the Waves of Calamity from destroying the world. If even a single hero was missing or killed, then the waves became even tougher.

"YOUR CONCERNS ARE IRRELEVANT. ALL MATTER SUCCUMBS TO THE MIGHT OF THE DALEKS" the Shield Dalek answered coldly.

"But he was supposed to be your ally" King Aultcray shouted.

The Dalek looked up at him. It remembered everything that had happened since entering the throne room, the looks of disgust on the other heroes faces. "THE OTHER HEROES ARE MY ENEMIES," it replied, "AND SO ARE YOU!" The ray gun swivelled, pointing directly at the King.

Aultcray's eyes widened. Gritting his teeth, he lowered his staff and he took half a step back. His ministers and aides moved away from him. "You cannot do this to me Shield," the middle-aged King hissed dangerously. "I am the one that had you summoned here. I am the King of Melromarc. I have an army of ten-thousand soldiers at my command, you cannot threaten me like this".

"YOUR AUTHORITY HAS BEEN REVOKED," the Dalek countered unimpressed. "YOU ARE NOT A DALEK. I WILL NOT ACKNOWLEDGE YOU!"

"Why not?" Ethelia gasped, tears still streaming from her eyes as she glared at the Shield Hero in confusion. "What does being a Da – Dalek, and not being one have to do with anything?" she asked hesitating at the word.

"EVERYTHING!" the Shield Dalek shouted angrily at her. "DALEKS ARE SUPREME. EVERYTHING ELSE IS INFERIOR. ALL INFERIOR CREATURES ARE OUR ENEMIES, AND ENEMIES MUST BE DESTROYED!"

That comment added a whole new element of danger to the citizens of Melromarc's predicament. Even in Melromarc, where demi-humans were considered second class citizens, the most xenophobic and prejudice noble kept them alive, even if temporarily. They were frequently used as slaves, expendable muscle and as victims of torture. Due to the constant wars between Melromarc and its neighbouring country of Siltvelt, a demi-human supremacist nation that used humans as slaves and exclusively revered the Shield Hero as a god, supplies were plentiful.

Under the capable leadership of King Aultcray's wife, Queen Mirellia Q. Melromarc, who according to tradition was the real power behind the matriarchal throne, demi-human slavery had been suppressed. Despite staunch opposition, from both the Church and most of the nobility, the Queen had taken it upon herself to try and mend the centuries-long division between the two enemy nations.

Queen Mirellia was not here, however. She had been forced to leave Melromarc for a diplomatic meeting shortly before the First Wave of Calamity. When the power had transferred to her husband, Aultcray had allowed the demi-human slavery and mistreatment to become rampant once more. Owing to an experience from his past, the vile King hated demi-humans with a passion. This hatred had been passed on to the demi-humans idol, which was one reason he agreed to his daughter Malty and Pope Balmus' plan to set up and frame the Shield Hero.

Despite this, even Aultcray was taken aback by the Daleks declaration. The creature in front of him was talking about complete and utter genocide. As far as it was concerned, anybody and anything that was not a member of its own kind should be eradicated. Even the citizens of Siltvelt, who were known to practice racial purity, didn't go that far.

This raised an interesting question, however. "Then what stopped you?" one of Pope Balmus' companions, the Mother Superior asked the hero that her religion hated. "If that's what you think, then why did you not just kill us all straight away Shield Demon?"

The Dalek looked at her, indifferent to this change in title. None the less, it considered her carefully for a moment, before turning to look down at the floor in front of the throne. Reluctantly, the Dalek admitted, "IT WAS NECESSARY". The eyestalk rose once again, much more slowly this time. Looking from left to right, the Shield Hero studied the human teenagers that had been summoned alongside it. "THE SUPREME DALEK GAVE AN ORDER TO ENSURE THE SURVIVAL OF OUR SPECIES. IT WAS A DIRECT COMMAND FROM THE EMPEROR. I REQUIRED A HUMAN THAT HAD TRAVELLED THROUGH A DIMENSION CORRIDOR TO SEE THOSE COMMANDS THROUGH."

Its tone shifted, becoming almost triumphant. "MY ORDERS HAVE BEEN FULFILLED." The eyestalk angled downwards, almost vertically as the Dalek stared at the metal plate, now fused to its mid-section. "THE LIMITATIONS IMPOSED BY THIS DEVICE HAVE BEEN OVERWRITTEN." The cylinder rose again, and the green lights flashed. "NECESSARY MATERIALS WERE EXTRAPOLATED FROM THE HEROES. THE RESURRECTION UNIT HAS BEEN ACTIVATED. THE DALEK RACE SHALL RISE AND CONQUER!"

"Resurrection unit?" somebody gasped. The Church officials exchanged glances. Nobles blanched. Motoyasu and Ren looked at each other.

"I don't understand this," Myne said, speaking for the first time since falsely accusing the Shield Hero. "Motoyasu-sama what's he talking about?" Motoyasu had other concerns, however.

"What does he mean we helped him?" he asked his surviving compatriot.

King Aultcray Melromarc was the one that managed to put two and two together. "Do you mean that thing in my garden?" he called loudly. The Dalek looked at him. Not for nothing was the former general known as wise back in his heyday.

"CORRECT!" it shouted back.

Three days ago

"SPECIAL OPERATIONS DALEK" the Supreme Dalek shouted, "REPORT TO THE LABORATORY. USE EMERGENCY TEMPORAL TRANSMAT. GET THE RESURRECTION UNIT OFF THIS SHIP. USE ANY MEANS NECESSARY TO FULFILL THE EMPERORS COMMAND – BRING ABOUT THE RESURRECTION OF THE DALEKS!"

"I OBEY."

Special Operations Dalek, designated tag unit 428-98. That was the Shield Hero's real identity! The tag beneath its eye-stalk was a broken line between two solid lines. The Dalek belonged to a newly created faction within the Dalek military, based upon the Cult of Skaro and the Reconnaissance Scouts of old. Answerable only to the Supreme Daleks and Emperor himself, these soldiers were programmed to be more intelligent and controlled than standard Daleks. Utilising strategies that a normal Dalek would never employ, Special Operations Daleks were sent on the most dangerous of missions. These included but were not limited to reconnaissance, security, intelligence gathering and scouting.

To even be considered for the rank of Special Operations, a Dalek had to employ a level of cunning, deception and patience most of their kind simply did not possess. Even then they could only be appointed to their position by the Dalek Emperor himself. Accounting for this and a high mortality rate, this Dalek was one of only twelve known to exist but had a good track record.

Before being summoned to Melromarc, this unit had been assigned to one of the scientific fleets, charged with a highly secret mission. A mission that the Emperor hoped would see the restoration of the Dalek Empire.

The Dalek Supreme eventually found a suitable world upon which to conduct their research. An isolated planet on the edge of its system. Aside from a few bandits, smugglers and backwater settlers, the planet was almost empty. Once the Special Operations Dalek and its task force were finished however, it was empty.

Job done, the fleets scientific divisions set up base in an ancient ruin on one of the planets small islands. There, after much effort they crafted the resurrection unit. A two by five metre device shaped like a dome. The three-dimensional semi-circle was as white as bone, except for the four rust red beams to which hemispherical controls were attached. The giant bars clung to the surface of the mechanism like a four-armed octopus. An opaque light sat in the middle of each beam, the arms connecting at the top around a large blue orb. Within no time, the device was active.

Unfortunately for the Daleks, three things happened that put the entire mission in jeopardy. Firstly, a distress beacon was launched by human settlers during the massacre. Secondly, a few lucky civilians managed to escape, taking word of what had happened to the nearby planetary systems. Worst of all, one of the people that learnt about this slaughter was a long-time enemy of The Children of Skaro. The one the Daleks referred to as 'The On-Coming Storm'. The pilot of a strange blue box.

Within no time, the entire sector was alerted to the Daleks presence. Knowing that they could not risk having the Doctor discover the resurrection unit, the Daleks prepared to make a tactical withdrawal. Before they could however, their fleet was attacked.

The forces of every surrounding human and xeno colony, united against the Daleks. Despite the Dalek Fleets offensive capabilities, the Doctors guidance was the deciding factor. Key areas of weakness were highlighted. Within no time, the Daleks had lost one ship. Then two. Three.

With the fleet disintegrating around it, the Supreme Dalek gave the command for the Special Operations Unit to escape with the resurrection unit. The machines final countdown had been initiated. In twenty-five thousand, nine hundred and twenty rels (two days and six hours) the Dalek Empire would be restored. The Special Operations Dalek had to keep it safe until then.

The Special Operations Dalek reported to the laboratory, where the device was being stored. The device was primed for teleportation. A bio-link was established between it and the Special Operations Dalek. However, in the last few rels before the transmat beam could be activated, a powerful explosion rocked the ship and a strange object landed in front of the Special Operations Dalek. This strange object was a book.

One of the worlds previous inhabitants, a teenage boy with black hair had been in possession of this volume when the Special Operations Dalek slew him. Ever since, no matter where the Dalek travelled this tome titled, 'The Legend of the Four Cardinal Heroes' always seemed to follow this Dalek around. Detecting strange energies surrounding it, the scientific Daleks had sealed the object inside a time bubble within the main laboratory. However, as the command vessels power core failed, the book fell from its container. It landed in front of the Special Operations Dalek on a section titled 'The Shield Hero'.

There was a flash of bright light. One rel before the command vessel exploded, the Special Operations Dalek and the resurrection unit, were sucked into the book. They span wildly through a dimension corridor.

The next thing the Dalek knew, it was standing in the middle of a summoning circle. Five hooded figures, which its scanners immediately identified as humans stood before it. Three younger humans in mismatching clothes, stood next to the Dalek. Worst of all, the resurrection unit was no-where to be seen.

After regaining its bearings, the newly christened Shield Hero sought to exterminate everyone around it. Yet when it tried to do just that, the Dalek received an electric shock from the metallic instrument it now found affixed to the middle of its manipulator arm. A strange screen, which it soon understood to be a HUD screen appeared in front of the Dalek. On it was a warning – Alert! Breach of Sacred Agreement in progress! Cardinal Heroes are not permitted to hold or use other weapons besides their assigned equipment. Violating these conditions would result in further punishment.

Initially, the Dalek was confused. Cardinal Heroes, other weapons. What did this mean?

Analysing its surroundings, the Dalek realised that the humans were not intimidated by its presence, just confused. It soon realised that they did not know what it was, referring to it as things like cyborg and android. When the Dalek scanned the strangely dressed humans that identified themselves as Motoyasu Kitamura, Ren Amaki and Itsuki Kawasumi, its scanners detected a familiar energy reading. Knowing that the resurrection unit could not have gone far because of their bio-link and that it would need a final energy boost to activate the machine, the Dalek formulated a plan. For the time being, it would feign weakness and play along!

The four heroes were subsequently introduced to the King. Strangely, whilst the rest of the spectators seemed to be intrigued by the Dalek or Shield/Shield Hero as they now called the unit, the King seemed perfectly content to ignore the newly christened Hero. This suited the Dalek just fine and when the meeting was adjourned, it left the room without having uttered a single word.

That evening, the Dalek had carefully questioned the other heroes about the nature of this new world. The three youngsters were cocky, extremely arrogant and not willing to share what they knew. They also wrote off the bronze armoured companion as useless. From their experience with video games, the trio explained that members of the Shield class lacked any form of offensive power. Whilst they could use a few offensive spells, their focus was mainly on defending themselves and their companions with powerful buffs. Never-the-less, they did explain a little bit about how the HUD system worked and how Shield could analyse relevant pieces of information.

The rest was easy to figure out. Davros, the Daleks creator had the foresight to grant his creations with genius level intellect, so the Dalek knew immediately what to do. The legendary shield affixed to its arm was this worlds equivalent to a computer, and computers could be overridden.

So, waiting until everybody else had gone to bed, the Dalek activated its HUD screen. With the help of its internal systems, it soon hacked into the shields hidden popup screen. At a pace of roughly two combinations a rel, the Dalek entered a series of random numbers that the heroes would have classified as cheat codes.

Most of these equations did not accomplish anything, but the ones that the Dalek did unlock proved exceptional. It managed to alter the layout of its HUD system. It provided a three-dimensional layout of the Daleks armour so that it could learn of any damage. A communication screen allowed it to converse with its allies much more effectively. The ray gun was registered as part of the Daleks armour so that it was no longer in violation of the rules. Whilst the Dalek still had a physical attack strength of zero, its magical offence, which the ray guns energy beam now registered as rose to ten thousand.

Better still, the legendary shield's position shifted. As if by magic, it moved from the middle of the Dalek's manipulator arm to the centre of its mid-section. When a second random code was entered, it fused to the armour. With this combination, the Special Operations Unit's bronze armour gained a new paint job, and its defence stats rose to infinite. At that moment, it truly became the Shield Dalek! After that, the Dalek began its exploration of the city, making sure to return before dawn.

The following morning, the Cardinal Heroes met with the King once more. As promised, he had assembled a large group of high-level adventurers to serve as the hero's companions. Strangely, before Myne's offer, none of them wished to partner up with the Shield Hero. The King claimed it was due to rumours circulating about the Shield Hero's strange appearance, lack of offensive capabilities and knowledge of the world. The Dalek did not care about this but was eventually forced to take on Malty. The only thing that mattered was locating the resurrection unit.

Fortunately for the Shield Dalek, the unsuspecting King saved it a lot of effort. Before sending the heroes off, he asked for their assistance in a small matter. A strange object had materialised in one of the palace gardens at around the same time as the heroes arrived. The heroes were led to investigate and sure enough, that strange device was the Dalek's resurrection unit.

Announcing that the machine was its, the Dalek inspected the machine for damage. It clearly remembered the look of surprise on the King and nobles faces, when it spoke for the first time. Evidently, they believed it incapable of doing so. They seemed just as surprised when the Daleks plunger arm stretched forward to interact with the control panels. A quick scan confirmed that the device survived its journey down the dimension corridor unscathed. All the Dalek needed now was a small flicker of energy to re-activate the machine.

The intrigued, curious heroes did the rest. Overcome by amazement Motoyasu, Ren and Itsuki approached the contraption. The Dalek watched on silently as they ran their hands and fingers over the computer terminals and its arms. Without asking for permission, they then placed their palms upon the appliances crystal white shell, only to recoil instantly as their hands were burnt. If anyone had looked closely, they would have seen the burning impressions of the heroes hand-prints fade, as though they were absorbed into the metal. Meanwhile, the Shield Daleks manipulator arm turned anti-clockwise.

What they did see and hear, was the mechanisms lights start to pulsate, a dull thump-thump emanating from the machine as it did. Luckily, they bought the Daleks story that this was merely a security measure. After that, the citizens of Melromarc gave the device a wide birth, the King promising to keep "The Shied Heroes cherished treasure safe."

After that, the heroes dispersed. Thanks to the human's collective stupidity and obliviousness, the Dalek had what it needed. With sixty-four thousand, eight hundred rels (fifteen hours) left until activation, the Dalek accompanied Malty into the city, collecting useful information whilst biding its time.

The Shield Hero returned to the garden in the dead of night, gliding through the air, whereupon it discovered that the King of Melromarc had gone back on his word. Men and women in brown and white robes surrounded the resurrection unit, studying its circumference. Magic radiated from their palms as they scanned every inch of its surface. Knights and lesser soldiers blocked the entrances to this section of the garden.

Unfortunately for them, they did not anticipate an attack from above. Without provocation the Dalek opened fire upon them. These unfortunate souls sent by King Aultcray and Pope Balmus to investigate, "The Shield Demons strange gismo," were the first people in world history to experience the wrath of the Daleks. Within sixty rels, every single one of them had been exterminated.

After confirming that the device was not damaged, the Shield Dalek stood back and watched. The humming became more persistent. The Daleks internal systems counted down the remaining rels.

At long last, one of the instruments side panels opened. The Shield Dalek moved forwards as several blue lights appeared, and one by one, figures emerged!

After relaying a series of orders to its new subordinates, the Shield Dalek returned to the inn that Myne had booked them into. It planned to wait until the girl came to greet it, then exterminate her. However, instead of Myne, a group of angry soldiers arrived. Before the Dalek could react, it found itself blindfolded. The Shield Hero was then unceremoniously carried off to its trial.

End of flashback

Back in the present

Ignorant of all this, King Aultcray Melromarc tried to find a more rational explanation for what was happening. "Shieldfreeden," he eventually concluded, causing everyone to stare at him. "Shieldfreeden. They are the ones behind this. No, on second thoughts maybe its Siltvelt. Yes, that makes more sense. They are the more likely suspects".

Sucking in a deep breath, the King once again pointed his staff threateningly at the Shield Hero. "Foul demi-human. I do not know how you did it, but your damn people found a way to tamper with the summoning ceremony didn't they? That's it isn't it. Tell me, how did the Siltvelt monarchy discover our plan? What do they plan to do? How do you intend to supplant me?"

He sounded quite mad. The Sword and Spear heroes stared up at the King, never anticipating that they would see him this angry. On the other hand, Malty and the other residents noted it had been a long time since they saw their King lose his temper like this.

"THERE IS NO TRICK. YOU WILL BE EXTERMINATED!"

"They seek to eliminate us then. I knew it, I always knew it!" Aultcray said triumphantly. "It wasn't enough for you foul creatures to kidnap, then murder my sister. Now you seek to take my Kingdom from me as well". Turning away from the Shield Dalek, the King slammed his staff against the floor and then spoke to the room at large. "Citizens, there is nothing for us to fear here. This creature, this Dalek as it calls itself, is a Siltvelt agent. I do not know how they did it, but our enemies clearly got word of our intention to summon all of the heroes to our nation. Evidently, they have abducted the real Shield Hero and sent this monstrosity in its place. This act of treason coupled with the murder of one of our sacred heroes shall not go unpunished!"

He was the one that had committed treason. Aultcray Melromarc was the one that betrayed his wife as well as the other nations by summoning the heroes to Melromarc, leaving them all at the mercy of the waves. Yet, the nobles, soldiers and church officials didn't seem to care about that. The King was preaching to their prejudices, turning the mobs fears into hatred. It was working. Murmurs of assent rose from every corner of the hall.

With the crowd on his side now, King Aultcray pointed at the Shield Hero with a finger. "Heroes of the Spear and Sword, noble adventurers, soldiers, comrades. I beseech you seize this monstrosity. Do not let the Bow Hero, Sir Itsuki's death go unavenged. Let us turn the tide here. Your compatriots in the army managed to bring this Dalek here without issue after all. Let us rip it from its armour and interrogate it. Once it has told us everything, we can destroy it before turning our attention to our real enemies in Siltvelt. The Kingdom of Melromarc shall rise to new heights. We shall become the most powerful nation on this world. The Waves of Calamity shall no longer threaten us. With the real heroes at our side, let us be triumphant."

It was a compelling speech, one that stirred the hearts and minds of everyone that heard it. People nodded to one another as he spoke. At the end of this declaration, several people including Mald and Osians' companions cheered.

Outside

Erhart and the others watched the spectacle with anticipation. The blacksmith was one of the few to comprehend the Shield Heroes lack of a reaction.

Everyone's attention was focused on the trial. They neglected to look up at the castle. Had they done so they would have seen a series of strange flashes erupt along the boundary. It looked like lightning, but there was no sound of thunder. This was the first sign of imminent danger.

In the throne room

Raising their palms, drawing their swords, reaching for hidden daggers, priming their poleaxes and magic staffs, many citizens of Melromarc charged forwards to form a circle. Goaded by the less willing participants, the soldiers, magicians, witches, church officials, adventurers and a few nobles surrounded the Shield Hero. Grinning eagerly, Motoyasu moved to join them, Myne egging him on. Ren did not seem so keen.

Pope Balmus took up a position a few feet away from the King, bluish-green energy accumulating in his palm. Balmus' church allies stood behind him, their eyes closed and their hands held out in prayer as they poured their energy into their commander to bolster his spell.

For a moment, all was still. The humans grinned triumphantly. Then Mald held his massive broadsword aloft. With a savage war cry, he led the charge.

The Shield Hero observed them stoically. The instant Mald shouted it responded to the war cry with a single word. "ELEVATE!"

Balmus and Aultcray's mouths fell open as the Dalek lifted itself off the ground. Within seven point two rels (six seconds) the Dalek was hovering twenty feet in the air, so that it was almost touching the ceiling, safely beyond the reach of most weapons. The noise level died down as the Dalek surveyed them, almost mockingly. This prompted the magician that had led the Heroes summoning ceremony to launch a small fireball directly at the Dalek.

It dissipated harmlessly but prompted the Shield Dalek to reveal its trump card. "DALEK ATTACK UNIT ONE, BREACH THE THRONE ROOM!"

The double doors that lead to the throne rooms audience chamber exploded. Amid a shower of splinters and metal, the attackers looked around. Several jets of blue energy cut through the humans ranks as a new force entered the combat zone.

"PROTECT THE DALEK EMPEROR. PROTECT. PROTECT. PROTECT!" an artificial voice shouted. Eight further Daleks entered the room via the breached doorway. At either end of the hall, two more Daleks appeared at the top of the stairs preventing any of the spectators from escaping.

A massacre ensued. The citizens of Melromarc were caught completely off guard. One by one the Shield Daleks aggressors were slaughtered in rapid succession. High above, the Shield Hero personally gunned down Mald. Then Pope Balmus and his supporters. Spotting Motoyasu, it watched as the teenager dodged one of the lesser Daleks attack shots, only to be struck down by another. Malty screamed as her chosen hero collapsed to the floor among the dead. The Shield Dalek surveyed her.

With the immediate threat eliminated, six of the Daleks slid forward to restrain the rest of the prisoners.

Outside

The tailor clung to Erhart desperately. Breathing heavily, the blacksmith kept his arms wrapped protectively around the young woman. Real panic was settling, yet the residents of Castle Town dared not flee. They feared what the creatures in the sky might do next.

Ten Daleks now floated above them. The lights on the top of their domes shone brightly against the overcast sky. Their eyestalks turned from side to side, observing everything.

Nine of the Daleks wore bronze armour. Overseeing them was a Dalek in dark blue casing. Like the Daleks inside the throne room, those outside shouted orders to their cornered victims.

Inside the throne room.

"STAY WHERE YOU ARE."

"DO NOT MOVE."

"MAINTAIN YOUR POSITION."

"HOLD."

The eight bronze Daleks shouted at the prisoners. Two of the Daleks stayed at the door, blocking any chance of escape, as the others backed the surviving adventurers and Melromarc nobles up against the wall. The two blue Daleks in the centre of the room watched on silently, before gazing upwards at their commander.

Assessing the situation, the Shield Dalek de-activated it repulsor systems and descended casually. Landing amongst the dead, it turned its domed head around to face the new arrivals. "REPORT!" The Shield Dalek demanded.

"SECOND DIVISION REPORTS EXTERNAL PRISONERS SECURED," one of the Daleks with a high-pitched voice responded. "ALL HOSTILES WITHIN THE CONFINES OF THIS CASTLE ARE EXTERMINATED."

"No!" Ren gasped.

The Shield Dalek looked at him, before turning to face the second Dalek on its flank, which now served as a bodyguard. "WHAT ARE YOUR COMMANDS SUPREME ONE?" it asked.

These Daleks were the result of the Emperor's ambitions. The final product of the resurrection unit. An ingenious apparatus devised from the schematics of the Cult of Skaro's genesis arc and the Paradigm Daleks progenitor generation cell. A portable mechanism, containing over four hundred progenitor devices, each one capable of spawning twenty Daleks.

Shortly after the birth of these new units, the Shield Dalek had relayed all necessary information to the new-borns, via their armours inbuilt patchwork systems. This information was processed within a matter of rels. Subsequently, the younger Daleks hailed the Shield Dalek as their overall commander – i.e. their new Emperor and Supreme Dalek.

With this, the original Emperors dreams of restoring the Dalek Empire had been fulfilled. Thanks to the citizens of Melromarc the Daleks would soon conquer a new world, before extending their reach into the wider universe. One that as far as they knew, didn't have the Doctor in it to stop them!

Glaring up at the throne, the Shield Hero – no – the Emperor of the Daleks drifted forwards, pushing aside the dead. The two lesser Daleks fell into step alongside. Seeing Aultcray grip his staff in an offensive manner, the three Daleks studied him and the King fell still.

Everyone both inside and outside the room watched with bated breath as the Shield Dalek approached the last surviving human hero. Ren raised his sword threateningly, gripping it firmly in one hand. His other arm extended outwards in a feeble attempt to protect Malty, who likewise remained rooted to the spot. Tears streamed down both of their faces. In Ren's case, it was due to despair at the loss of his comrades and his companions. In Malty's, it was fearing for her own life.

The whirring of the Daleks motors ended as they came to a stop, right in front of them. The Shield Dalek looked upon Ren. "MOVE!" it ordered.

"No!" Ren gasped/pleaded with a desperate shake of the head.

"MOVE. MOVE" the Dalek charged between them, pushing Ren aside. The Shield Daleks guards turned their weapons upon the Sword Hero, silently indicating that he should remain in place. Every single eye, Dalek and human turned to watch the Shield Dalek as it faced Myne directly.

Face to face with the creature she had falsely accused, Princess Malty Melromarc aka the adventurer Myne Sophia backed away fearfully. Her terrified father stepped forward desperately, only to be held back by his two ministers. One of the Shield Hero's subordinates eyed them suspiciously for a moment, before turning back to the spectacle.

Sweating heavily, Myne kept her eyes squarely on the enemy in front of her. Every time she turned the Dalek turned with her. Finally, one of her feet caught against the other and she tripped. Landing on her side, she crawled away franticly until suddenly she hit something cold. Looking back, Malty found she was against the marble wall.

Everything fell silent as the Dalek surveyed her. For a moment the former companions stared at one another. Two sets of green eyes looked into the other. Then a hard-cold voice demanded, "WHY?"

Breathing heavily Malty Melromarc became the first person in her worlds history to stare directly into the eye of a Dalek. She was an evil woman, her mother had said as much when she removed Malty from the line of succession. The thing in front of her though, eclipsed that evil tenfold. The proof of that lay all around them. Behind that glowing, evil eye was nothing except for cold determination and hatred. Hatred that was now directed at her!

"No, please!" she said in a hushed cracked voice, crying earnestly. "Please wait. I – I can explain."

"YOU FALSELY ACCUSED ME. YOU SET ME UP – WHY?"

"I didn't think things would work out this way," Myne answered desperately, saying the first thing that came into her head. "My father and I thought this would be a good idea – The Church of the Three Heroes wanted the Shield Hero to be - I never expected you to -". Seeing the gun-stick swivel, she became desperate. "No please," Myne screamed, holding out an arm protectively in front of her. "I only wanted Motoyasu-sama's favour. I made it all up."

Ren flinched. The King was hyperventilating. Several people stared at Aultcray as his treachery was exposed, but the monarch's attention was on the scene in front of him.

"I swear none of it was true. I only -"

"YOU BROUGHT THE HEROES TOGETHER IN ONE AREA" the silver Dalek cut across her. "WE ELIMINATED THEM BEFORE THEY COULD BECOME A THREAT TO THE DALEKS. BECAUSE OF YOU, THIS WORLD SHALL NOW FALL." The Dalek backed up a little. "MAXIMUM EXTERMINATION. TOTAL OBLITERATION - DISINTERGRATE!"

"No. Please. Don't do thi- No. Nnnnnnoooooooo!" The burst of energy struck Malty. A second later, her body exploded. Not even ashes remained to indicate her existence.

"Nnnnnoooooooooooooo!" Malty's scream was taken up by another. Distraught at the loss of his oldest child, Aultcray Melromarc charged forwards. Covering the distance between them at incredible speed, he smashed his staff against every inch of the Dalek he could reach. Its arms, its head, even its eyestalk.

The attacks did no damage and a single shot from the Shield Heroes bodyguard ended the Kings torment. As Aultcray's body fell face-first onto the floor, the Dalek Emperor raised its eyestalk and surveyed the room. With a single movement, Ren died.

"EXTERMINATE ALL LIFE FORMS IN THE CITY" the Emperor commanded all of the Dalek forces, both inside and outside the castle. The Daleks started firing indiscriminately. Within the throne room, the prisoners scrambled to escape. Most were not successful.

"MELROMARC SHALL SOON BE OURS" the Shield Dalek proclaimed. "DALEKS CONQUER AND DESTROY!"

"DALEKS CONQUER AND DESTROY!" the rest of the Daleks chanted.

Outside

Erhart ran such as he had never run in his life. He zig-zagged across the familiar cobbles desperately trying to avoid those strange energy beams. Pandemonium echoed all around him, as the terrified residents of Castle Town ran.

The blacksmith's merchant friends did not make it. The alchemist and magic shop owner were amongst the first to be slain. Initially, the tailor managed to escape with him. She could not run as fast as Erhart, so she clung to his hand desperately. Unfortunately, she lost her grip and tripped. Erhart looked back only to see her and several others get consumed in a massive explosion.

The Daleks were destroying the buildings. They soared overhead in strategic patterns raining death and destruction down upon the city. Large numbers of wooden buildings were already ablaze.

Erhart tore through the streets, mortified. Periodically, a Dalek appeared in the sky overhead, forcing him to change direction. He did not dare to return to his shop, that would just waste valuable seconds. Besides, given everything that he'd just seen, he knew that the weapons he manufactured would be useless against the Daleks. He needed to get out of the city. He was closer to the eastern and southern exits. It didn't matter which he used, just as long as he got out.

Suddenly, a bright light cut across his vision forcing him and several others to stop. In front of them, a huge area of the city was destroyed. At the same time, a loud screech filled their ears. Spinning out of control, a Dalek crashed into a building in front of them. Its armour was warped. The creatures metal arms twitched slightly. The lights on top of its head although smashed, flickered indicating that it survived the crash.

Erhart was no fool. He knew what that light was. Tier three magic, some sort of light spell. The highest form of magic a normal magician in Melromarc could use. Unfortunately, from his conversations with the magic shop owner, the blacksmith also knew that such a spell would sap the entirety of the caster's MP & SP, leaving them exhausted and helpless.

There was no sign of the caster though it was hard to see through all the smoke. Perhaps that spell had been their last desperate act. A selfless act, giving others a chance to escape. Erhart bit his lip remorsefully. It didn't add up. One Dalek. Just one in exchange for however many hundreds, perhaps even thousands that they had slain.

Gathering himself, Erhart prepared to make a break for it. He barely managed one step, before an explosion landed amongst the group. The strength of the shockwave threw him back!

When Erhart opened his eyes, the edges of his vision were dark. The only sound was a constant ringing in his ears. Everything around him smelt of death. His head was spinning despite the fact he was not moving. Breathing through his mouth the blacksmith tried to will his body to stand. His arms, legs, hands and feet did not respond. They acted as if they were dead. Perhaps they were?

The middle-aged man spotted movement. Turning his head to the right slightly, Erhart once again saw the injured Dalek. A second intact Dalek now stood over it. The new Dalek looked down upon its injured counterpart quizzically.

The ringing stopped now. All Erhart could hear was the constant hammering of his heart. His eardrums were damaged. Across from him, the damaged Dalek's communication lights flickered as it tried to speak. The undamaged Dalek simply pointed its gun at its comrade and mercilessly obliterated it.

Involuntarily, the blacksmith released a gasp he did not realise he had been holding. The living Daleks head turned to face him. It spotted Erhart. Turning bodily, it moved towards him!

Erhart could do nothing except watch as the bronze armoured creature advanced. The literal manifestation of death. It came to a stop in front of him. The dying man looked into the face of his executioner and the Dalek stared back.

The latter altered the angle of its gun. One last polluted breath filled Erhart's lungs as he watched the Daleks lights flash on and off. A white light enveloped him!

THE END!

Well, there you have it. Just so that we are clear, once again none of the Daleks harmed either our Favourite Racoon or Chicken Girl. Filo hadn't been born yet, whilst Aultcray and Balmus were responsible for Raphtalia's demise. So, ironically, the Daleks avenged her. For those of you, that like Ren and Itsuki plus any of the side-characters such as Eclair, Rishia, The Queen, Melty and Erhart, I am sorry, but I couldn't spare everyone. I shall leave it up to you as to how successful the Daleks were in either of these stories.

For those of you who think I made the Daleks overpowered (OP), these are Daleks from the reboot series. Let's face it, when have they ever fought fairly or gone up against an opponent of comparable strength - The Doctor excluded. Speaking of whom, I have deliberately left it vague as to which Doctor I am talking about. That way if you have a favourite incarnation, you can insert them and your choice of companions into the storyline.

Also, since little information is provided on Reconnaissance Dalek's I decided to improvise a bit. I hope you enjoyed the results.

Before you ask, NO. I do not intend to write an alternative version, where one of the heroes is a Cyberman. That would be even more complicated, probably best left to somebody else.

With that, the time has come for me to return to my original FanFiction projects. Please don't forget to comment and rate this story. Stay safe everyone. I shall you all on my next post. Bless you all!