I return with yet another chapter. This one is a bit rushed, as I'm preparing for a busy week next week. However, I hope you all enjoy it anyways.

"This town has seen better days." Aldwyn commented as they passed through a town. A few days had gone by since they accepted the services of those soldiers, and were now going about their usual routine. The town they were in had some ruined buildings, and the people around town didn't seem too happy. They looked scared.

"Maybe it's because of the famine?" Filo asked. Recently, a famine had been hitting smaller villages further away from the capital, and were suffering from failing crops.

"Maybe…"

The group stopped by a tavern in the town, looking to find a place to stay for a while and gather some information. Naofumi left his companions in an inn while he went to a tavern to hopefully get some info. As he sat down, Naofumi head a familiar voice. He turned his head and saw Itsuki, the Bow Hero. He listened in on the conversation he and his companions were having.

"Apparently, the governor here has been setting higher taxes than the crown requested, and he punishes anyone who speaks out against him." A large man in a suit of heavy armor said to the Bow Hero.

"Then someone will have to show the governor the error of his ways!" Itsuki seemed enthusiastic about bringing down the corrupt governor. The way Naofumi saw him act made him accidentally snort. He quickly hid behind the counter he was seated at, avoiding the gaze of Itsuki and his party. He remained hidden as they left, taking a breath as they were out of sight and sitting back up in his seat.

'Does he really think beating the governor and then lecturing him about morality is going to do anything?' Naofumi thought. Itsuki seemed way too optimistic about things to him. He got up and made his way back to the inn, opening the door to their room.

"Welcome back." Raphtalia greeted.

"Learn anything interesting?" Aldwyn asked.

"Nothing that would interest us, besides high taxes here. Come on, let's see if we can do some trading." Naofumi brought his slaves with him back to the carriage and opened it up for business. Almost immediately, people surrounded them.

"Please, will you give us food for food for this?" People brought up trinkets and heirlooms. They were desperate for food. "This is all we have left." A man presented them with a small totem of a man with a moustache. Naofumi didn't want it, however, he could use their hunger to his advantage.

"I'll cook you some food." They all smiled. "In exchange for information." They all nodded. Naofumi motioned for Raphtalia and Aldwyn to start cooking some food for the townsfolk.

"So, how's upgrade kid?" Erhard asked. He finally finished the upgrade for Naofumi's armor. On his chestplate, there was a bit of reinforced armor, and a red gemstone in the center of it. "What's the matter? Don't like it? It might not look different, but it's more powerful. The dragon core you brought me is in the center there. That's the biggest change."

"I don't care about design. The next wave is almost here." Naofumi said, meaning he approves.

"Good. Now, go save the world, Hero. This is all I can do for you." Erhard said with a grin. Naofumi grinned back.

"Save the world? Right." He began to walk out of the shop. "I'll see what I can do." As Naofumi and his party walked out, in front of them stood Itsuki and Ren.

"It's you! You're the one who took my quest reward money!" Itsuki accused.

"What?" Naofumi asked, confused at his claims.

"I defeated a wicked governor who tortured his people! But when I went to collect my reward, they said the reward had already been claimed!"

"And why would I do that?" Naofumi raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

"Because your the only Hero that would behave that way!" Itsuki was relentless with his accusation.

"How do you know it was a Hero who took it?" Naofumi questioned. "When you accepted the quest, did you prove you were a hero? Haven't you been traveling around in disguise?"

Itsuki grit his teeth. "What are you trying to say?!"

"When you try to hide your identity, you shouldn't be surprised when you don't get the rewards." Naofumi told him, his expression unchanging. "I've heard rumors about Ren and Motoyasu, but nothing about what you've been up to. Did you think everyone would just know it was you? See the kind of blunders you create when you try to be cool?"

"You want me to be prideful of the help I provide people?! My ethics do not allow such behavior!" Itsuki spoke as if taking pride in something was a sin.

"What's wrong with basking in the glory of Victory?" Aldwyn asked. "It feels good. Why deny your right to feel good and take pride in your hard work?"

"Well, I don't feel as if people should be thanking me for-"

"Then tell me what happened to that town. Did the land suddenly become prosperous after what you've done?" Naofumi asked sternly. "Did the citizens try to secretly cross the border to escape the famine?" Itsuki became surprised that he had such information. "Sure, the governor might have been a jerk, but the town was in the midst of a famine. Just switching out the guy in charge won't make the problem go away."

"You too Ren!" The Sword Hero garnered a look of surprise as well.

"You know that dragon you killed? You left it's body to rot and the sickness infected a whole town and the ecosystem around it." Naofumi explained. "Two of my companions nearly died because it came back to life as an undead."

"What?!" Ren exclaimed.

"We just happened to be there to clean up your mess. That's why your request was canceled." Naofumi explained. "You'd think I could get a word of thanks…"

"W-Well...Your right. I'm sorry…" Ren apologized with regret.

"You'd just believe him?!" Itsuki shouted at Ren.

"He has no reason to lie." Ren said calmly.

"But then, who took my reward?!" Itsuki seemed furious that his reward was taken from him.

"How should I know?" Naofumi rolled his eyes. "If it bothers you, stop with the Self-Righteous act and look out for your own reputation."

Itsuki turned to leave. "I-I still don't believe you!" Ren sighed and left with Itsuki, looking regretful still.

"Shield Hero!" A familiar voice called to them. It was the young soldier and his party. "We heard you were back in the city! We'd like to meet with you about the coming wave of destruction."

Naofumi turned and smiled to them. "Sure. Good idea. We were just about to look for an inn. Come with us."

"Yes sir!"

"Not too much longer now." Naofumi muttered as he watched the clock tick down. He turned towards his companions. They stood around a wagon carrying spare weapons for the soldiers and some potions in case they get hurt. Erhard had just arrived with them, giving them the weapons for free.

"Hey." He got the attention of the four. He approached Raphtalia. "Raphtalia, hold out your hand. I have something for you."

"Huh? Alright…" She stuck out her hand. Naofumi reached into his pack and grabbed a gold bracelet with an emerald gem at the top of it. "What is it?"

"It's a bracelet with a spell on it to boost your mana regeneration." Naofumi answered with a hint of pride in his voice.

"Neat present for a lady…" Erhard muttered with a grin.

"Will it really do that? Thank you so much!" Raphtalia examined the bracelet with glee.

"Hey!" Filo tugged on Naofumi's cape and pouted. "Why is Raphtalia the only one getting a present?"

"I got you." Naofumi pulled another golden trinket from his pack. He placed it in Filo's hair. It was a golden hair clip in the form of a wing with sapphires for each of the four outlined feathers. "This will make your speed and agility twice what it was."

"Thank you so much, Master! I love it!" Filo pumped her hands into the air with glee.

"Don't think I left you out, Aldwyn." The Gladiator, who was focused on the soldiers they had recruited, turned his head to Naofumi and tilted it in curiosity. Naofumi reached into his pocket and got close to Aldwyn. "Hold out your hand." Aldwyn did so. Something shiny and gold with a small chain dropped into his hand.

"Hey, what did you give him?" Erhard asked, crossing his arms. Filo and Raphtalia peered over to try and see what it was.

"I tried to make it the best I could. That, and it has a spell on it that raises you're overall stamina and pain tolerance." Naofumi pat Aldwyn's shoulder. Aldwyn opened his hand and saw a necklace. It was shaped in the form of a kite shield, with a sword engraved into it. The swords crossguards were in the form of eagle wings, and they branched off of the shield. In the middle where the hilt of the sword was, was a small red gem. A ruby. It came together to take the form of the symbol of Carthism.

"I...Thank you." Aldwyn said with a smile. He placed the necklace around his neck, the symbol resting just below the middle of his collarbone.

"No problem." Naofumi looked at the timer on his hud for the wave. Seconds away. "The wave is almost here. You guys set?

"We're ready!" Aldwyn said with a nod, trident in hand. Raphtalia put a hand on the hilt of her sword, and Filo nodded in her bird form.

"Good luck kid." Erhard said, confident that they would succeed.

The timer hit zero, and they were suddenly teleported to the scene of the wave. They were in a forest yet again, and in the Sky was a ship with tentacles coming from the lower decks and an eye the illuminated the inside through a hole. Monsters poured from the ship; flying whales, lizard men, phantom wolves, etc. The soldiers that join Naofumi's party seemed to have teleported with them.

"Get out of the way!" The parties of every other hero rushed past them, not even waiting for them to move as Aldwyn was pushed by one of Motoyasu's assistants.

"Jackass…" Aldwyn muttered. "Wait, they don't have any soldiers with them."

"From where we are, any reinforcements will take a day to get here!" Raphtalia said, noticing the place looked familiar.

"There's no time. We have to take care of the evacuation." Naofumi announced.

The other Hero's ran straight for the boss while Naofumi and his crew stood back to fend off the monsters and eliminate them before they could get to the nearest village.

The fight went on for hours. They were getting tired.

Aldwyn shoves his trident into a lizard man, holding it by one hand and swinging it around, sending the monster off of the weapon and slamming into a group of other monsters. Something slammed into his back which send him to his knees. He turned around and saw a man with a boar head, holding a large shield. Aldwyn went for a stab but it was blocked. Suddenly, a soldier came up from the side of them and cut off the monsters shield arm. Aldwyn took the chance and ran the trident through the monsters belly, leaving it in there before ripping it out. It's entrails followed, spraying blood over the Gladiator.

He noticed the soldier getting attacked by a group of zombie men. He charged forward, stabbing a zombie in the head and slamming his Buckler into the head of another one, making the weak flesh rip and the head to get knocked off. The third zombie went for a lazy slice at the soldier, but the soldier blocked it and shoved their sword into it's chest. The zombie was still alive, however, Aldwyn stabbed the back of its head, the prongs ripping out its shriveled up eyeballs. Once he pulled his trident back, his removed any bits of flesh off his trident before letting out a roar of Victory.

"Thanks for the help." A feminine voice said to him. He turned his head to the soldier, who was smiling at him. He recognized her. She was the soldier that shot the Wyvern in the eye with an arrow during the first wave. He nodded to her.

"And I thank you. Now, onward! For Glory!" He charged forthe once again, the soldier following him into battle.

Meanwhile with Naofumi, he teamed up with two other soldiers and Raphtalia, but they were barely hanging on.

"Argh! They're too slow! Why are they taking so long?!" He shouted in frustration, looking at the ship.

"You go ahead Mr. Naofumi!" The young soldier shouted to him. "We'll take care of the village evacuations and deal with any monsters!"

"But...Alright! Good luck! Filo! Raphtalia, Aldwyn! Let's go!" Naofumi waved to the soldier and ran off with his companions to the boss.

When they reached the area under the flying ship, they saw Itsuki, simply firing arrows at it.

"Itsuki!" Naofumi shouted to the younger Hero.

"What are you doing here?!" Itsuki sneered at Naofumi, firing another arrow at the ship.

"Id ask you the same thing! What are you playing with?"

"If we don't destroy the ship, the wave won't end!" Itsuki answered. "But Motoyasu and Ren climbed up there."

"I hate to break it to you, but your arrows won't take it down. We need to get up there and help coordinate an attack." Aldwyn said to Itsuki and Naofumi.

"He's right. We need to take it down from the inside. That's where we'll do the most damage." Naofumi agreed.

"No! That's not how you do it in the game Dimension Wave!" Itsuki replied. Aldwyn became confused but Naofumi groaned. He got off of Filo, whom they've rode to the boss with, and grabbed Itsuki by the shirt.

"Game?! A game?! Are you still playing around?!" He tossed the Bow Hero away. "How long are you going to wait around? We're going up there and taking that ship out!" He got back on Filo.

"Are you still taking my jobs!?" Itsuki shouted as they started to fly away. Filo flew quickly up to the ship, landing hard on the deck, gaining the attention of Motoyasu and Ren. Before they was a skeleton in a pirate captain get up, and tentacles surrounding it. A skeleton captain and it's kraken.

"Motoyasu, Ren, explain to me what's happening!" Naofumi shouted at them. "Why are you two fighting separately?!"

"Get out of here!" Malty, who joined the Spear Hero in the fight against the boss. "What could a shield guy do?!"

"Shut up!" Naofumi shot back.

"If we defeat the Captain, the boss, The Soul Eater, will appear!" Ren said to Naofumi as he dodged another attack made by the Captain.

"What are you talking about?! We have to kill the kraken!" Motoyasu shouted to the Sword Hero. Then, Itsuki finally made his way up to the ship.

"No, it's the ship itself! Can't you see your fighting the wrong enemy!" The three Hero's began to argue back and forth as to how they should defeat the boss. Naofumi then thought of an idea.

"Raphtalia! You can use Light Magic, right? Burn them out!"

Raphtalia nodded and put her hands together. "I am the source of all power. Heed my words and bring them. Give us light! First Light!" She raised her sword into the air and a bright light shined from it, illuminating the whole ship. Dark shadows were cast behind the masts, showing a face behind them.

"It's in the shadows!" Aldwyn pointed out.

"Got it!" The other three hero's used their weapons and attacked the shadow. The attacks caused the monster to finally appear, however, as it fled the shadows, more than one escaped the onslaught. There were multiple Soul Eaters.

"We drew it out! The rest is up to you guys!" Naofumi told the three hero's, who were already engaging the monsters. However, even with their combined efforts, it kept regenerating. A ball of energy began to form in its mouth.

"Wait! Watch out!" Naofumi shouted for them to move, but it was too late. The ball of dark energy shot out at the hero's and their companions, launching them across the ship. "Are you guys okay?" He asked his own followers.

"Yeah, we.'we okay. The others seem to be alive too." Raphtalia said as she looked over the others. Just the , the Soul Eater began to form another attack of the same caliber.

"Watch out!" Aldwyn cried out, preparing to move out of the way. However, Raphtalia seemed distracted. She looked up at the top mast, looking at a woman who stood atop it.

"Raphtalia! I need you!" Naofumi called to her. But she didn't move. He needed to use it. The shield that hurt her. The blast hit them, covering the group. The other hero's watched in dismay. However, when the flames cleared, they saw Naofumi with his shield raised, the others behind him still standing.

'I don't need to protect them. But if I lose control, Raphtalia, Filo, Aldwyn...They'll die.' The Shield Hero thought to himself. Dark thoughts flooded his mind. Voices began to speak to him. He resisted. Or tried to. He felt rage overcome him. His hatred for the world, for the other hero's, for Motoyasu. For Malty and the King. He felt the power begin to consume him. The others stood by and watched in horror as a dark aura surrounded the Shield Hero. Flames began to cover his arms. The voices got louder.

'Where? WHERE IS THE ONE WHO KILLED ME?!' A deep voice shouted in his head.

Raphtalia began to shake him. "Mr. Naofumi! Get it together!"

"Raph...Talia?" Naofumi seemed distant and confused. Just when he came back to realization, the Soul Eater appeared behind Raphtalia. However, out from the air, Filo jumped down on it, using her new weapons, metallic claws for her feet. She began to fight with the Soul Eater, with fury that seemed impossible for her.

'Could it have been because she ate a Dragon Core, and I have one too? Maybe it's affecting her too…' Naofumi grit his teeth. He didn't want her to get hurt.

"We need to finish this thing off!" He heard Motoyasu shout, preparing to fend off the kraken.

"I can't get a shot at the Soul Eater!" Itsuki cried as he dodged the krakens attempts to hit him. They all began to bicker again. Pointless. The Shield Began to invade his thoughts again. He felt irritated with the other hero's, to a point where he begs me to growl.

"Incoming!" Aldwyn's voice snapped him out of it as he saw the Soul Eater preparing another energy bomb attack. It fired the ball at Naofumi, who once again blocked it effortlessly.

'Hatred...I finally have a weapon. Hatred.' Naofumi began to grin. "The other hero's...I should just let the Shield kill them and make my life easier…" Saying that made him turn to Raphtalia and Aldwyn. "You two, get away from me…"

"No! You can't-!"

"I'm sorry, but I have to finish this…" Naofumi interrupted Raphtalia's plea.

"Mr. Naofumi, please…" Raphtalia reaches out to him, but Aldwyn grabbed her and pulled her back, despite any resistance he got from her. Black armor made of flames began to cover his arms.

'These flames that hurt me, they are stronger than any weapon.' "I know how to kill it…Prison Shield!" A sudden cage formed around the Soul Eater and trapped it. "Bee Needle Shield!" Barbs replaced the prison, being stuck into and through the Soul Eater.

'This is how it'll be punished…' "Confined by screams, pierced by pain, Iron Maiden!" A large Iron Maiden trap appeared behind the Soul Eater, quickly closing shut around it. The Iron Maiden shook before opening. The Soul Eater, filled with holes, fell from it. Just as it did, Naofumi fell to his knees, the attacks he preformed and the flames taking their toll.

"Mr. Naofumi!" Raphtalia broke away from Aldwyn's grip and ran to the Shield Hero.

"Wow, he sure can fight…" Motoyasu commented.

"Guess he has saved up power from slacking off the whole time." Itsuki said, crossing his arms.

"You call evacuating a village and slaying the monsters attacking it 'slacking off'?" Aldwyn replied to the Bow Hero.

"Well, we were up here fighting the boss." Itsuki defended himself.

"And doing a shit job at it." Aldwyn shook his head and made his way over to Naofumi, crouching next to him.

"Is...Is that the end of the wave?" Naofumi asked, exhausted.

"Those little monster gave you a hard time?" A voice said to them. Everyone looked up and saw the woman from before staring down at them. She jumped, dropping down in front of the Hero's. "It looks like there's only one real hero among you."

Aldwyn stood up and stepped in front of Naofumi, acting defensively. As he did, a Soul Eater appeared from behind the woman. "Another one?!"

With a flick of her wrist, a fan unfolded in the woman's hand and a burst of wind shot out, splitting the Soul Eater in half. Aldwyn raised his buckler just in case something happened.

"Do not interfere in our glorious battle." The woman said to them, walking towards the group. "That's right...The real battle is just beginning!"

"Like hell I'm letting you touch him." Aldwyn snarled, pointing his trident at the woman.

"You don't possess the power to fight me. You aren't a real Hero."

"Never said I was. Won't stop me from gutting you with my Trident." Aldwyn reached his arm back, preparing to lunge, however, Naofumi placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You're a Hero? What's your name?" The woman asked Naofumi, who stepped in front of Aldwyn.

"You ask my name without giving yours?" Naofumi played along with the woman.

"Pardon me. I am Glass." Glass gave a small now. "And I am an enemy of the Hero's." The other Hero's seemed to prepare their weapons for a fight.

"...I'm Naofumi."

"Very well, Naofumi. Let's begin the real battle!" Glass lunged at Naofumi. Before she could reach him, Raphtalia and Aldwyn stood in front of him to protect him. Motoyasu swing his spear at her, which she was able to jump out of the way. Ren ran up and jabbed his sword towards her, which she easily spun away from. And just as she landed, and arrow came right for her, to which she clung off of her fan.

"Too slow."

"Get out of my way! I'll use my magic to-" Malty attempted to hit her with a magic attack, however, Glass circled her fans around her, muttering something. Suddenly, slashes of wind spun around her, going outwards towards the other Hero's and their companions. Naofumi put up a shield and covered Aldwyn and Raphtalia. When they hit, they all got sent flying in different directions. Malty flew past Naofumi and crashed against a wall.

"Oh my...Is that all? They are weaker than I expected." Glass taunted as she walked her way towards Naofumi. "Those legendary weapons are crying…" She began to walk faster. Naofumi only had a split second.

He pushed Aldwyn and Raphtalia away from him. Just as he did, Glass shit forward and struck his shield, sending him back into the wall Malty was sent into.

"So, you were able to block one of my attacks…" Glass sauntered here way towards the Shield Hero.

"Stay away from Master!" An angry Filo appeared next to Glass. Filo struck the woman, however, it was blocked by a fan. Raphtalia ran for Glass, attempting to strike her back, but was once again blocked by a fan.

"The bird struck me eight times in that moment, and the girl has good instincts with a sword." Glass commented. She flicked her wrist and sent Filo back, while breaking Raphtalia's sword by closing her fan. "And yet…"

Just as she did, a trident appeared by her face. She opened her fan and blocked the incoming strike. Just as she did, she saw a glint of red appear out of the corner of her eye. The edge of a Buckler shot towards her face. She bent her back, falling backward, and the edge of the buckler only cut off bits of hair from her forehead. She sent the trident into a wall with another flick and stood straight. The buckler flew into the rail of the ship. She turned to look at the impact, and as she did, she heard running. When she turned back around, Aldwyn was in a full sprint towards her. He was quick and grabbed one of her arms, twisting it. With his other hand, he held his short sword and went for a stab. However, Glass kicked up and sent the short sword up into the air, sending it far away, off the ship. Using that same foot, she kicked Aldwyn back, sending him stumbling away from her, weaponless.

"And this one has the strength and ferocity of a Lion. However, he has no patience. Nor discipline." Glass continued her walk to Naofumi. "Why don't you use that flame shield of yours? Are you mocking me?" Glass asked, thinking he's holding back. She waited for a response, and got none.

"That's too bad. If you won't fight, then you leave me with no choice." She prepared herself for an attack, however, Naofumi stood up and made his way over to Malty. He began to look through her satchel.

"Mr. Naofumi!?" Raphtalia called out, confused.

"You steal from the fallen and call yourself a hero?" Glass asked, also slightly confused.

"Call me whatever you want." Naofumi said as he pulled a bottle from the satchel. He opened it and drank its contents before tossing it aside. "A recovery item. Don't you want to see what I can do?" Glass frowned, and Naofumi walked forward. The shield on his arm transformed into the Wrath Shield, and his body once again lit aflame. "Now...Come at me!"

Just as the Shield lit, Filo once again became crazed, and leapt for Glass, drooling like a mindless beast. Filo went to bite down on Glass, however, the woman simple slapped her with her fan and sent her crashing down into the ship. A hole went through it, going down all levels.

"Oh no…" Glass' eyes widened a bit. "I think I overdid it. We better find a new place to fight. This ship is about to fall apart. Follow me." Glass turned to the hole and jumped down it, heading for the ground.

"Mr Naofumi? Should we go?" Raphtalia asked, hesitant about following the woman.

"We don't have a choice. Aldwyn, get your shield and trident. We're going down." Naofumi ordered. The Gladiator Retrieved his gear and jumped down the hole, with Naofumi and Raphtalia following. When they got to the ground, they saw Filo, lying in a crater.

"Filo!" Raphtalia called out as she ran to the Filolial.

"Wait!" Naofumi stopped her. "She could freak out like I did with the Shield. Leave her be for now." He turned to Glass, seeing her just a short ways away. "I'll end this."

"That's easy to say." Glass replied. "No more holding back!"

Glass lunged at Naofumi, using the closed fans to strike his shield. Just like he wanted. He grinned, and Glass saw it.

"Self cures burning!" The area around Naofumi erupted with dark flames, catching Glass by surprise. She quickly regained her senses and used her opened fans to blow away the fire. She stood her ground and began to swipe her fans in the air, sending quick wind strikes against Naofumi's shield. He felt them hit him. She was breaking through the shields defenses.

"You survived my attack, but I see your weakness. The black flames only work in an area of effect around you. If I stay at a distance, it can't affect me, and you're helpless." Glass has the upper hand here.

"But you have another trick, don't you?" Glass unfolded a fan and covered the bottom half of her face with it. "I'd hate to end the battle without seeing it." Naofumi grew even more frustrated.

"Shield Prison!" Steel shields and chains wrapped themselves around Glass in a moments notice. "Iron Maiden!" An Iron Maiden formed behind the Shield prison and closed around it, a crunching sound being heard from it. However, the Iron Maiden began to shake, and dents formed outwards from it. Suddenly, the cage shattered, and out came Glass, perfectly fine.

"It wasn't as wonderful as I was expecting." Glass said nonchalantly. "What a pity. I have no grudge against you personally, but this wave battle...Was a victory for us."

Naofumi felt anger overcome him once again. He wanted to go at her again, however, a beep sounded out, making Glass gasp.

"Already? But it's so early…" Glass spoke to herself.

"Now!"

"First Light!"

"First Sandstorm!"

A flash of light followed by heavy winds carrying sand swirled around the battlefield. Glass sighed and blew away the sand, making the battlefield clear, and found no one there.

"Well well...They escaped…"

"Filo, c'mon!" Naofumi shouted as the large Filolial ran with her three companions on top of her.

"But I'm tired~..." Filo whined as she ran as fast as she could.

"We need to keep going or she'll kill us!" Naofumi replied, making her go faster. "There was no way to win…"

"Look!" Aldwyn pointed skyward. The cracks in the sky began to dissipate. "The wave is over. Finally."

"So that timer was for the wave…" Naofumi grit his teeth. She didn't seem to be on the monsters side, but why…

Suddenly, the trio were sent stumbling forward and Filo collapsed to the ground. They rolled forward a few feet before Raphtalia got up and crawled over to Filo.

"Filo? Are you okay…?"

Naofumi stood up and looked back at the crashed ship. The bodies of dead monsters and the unconscious Hero's were visible, all sticking out of the debris. "Alright, let's head to the village and help clean up there."

"What about them…?" Raphtalia looked at the ship.

"I'm not playing nurse for them. I can't do everything." Naofumi rolled his eyes as he began to walk back towards the village.

"Besides, what have they ever done for us?" Aldwyn said in agreement with Naofumi. The Gladiator helped Filo to her feet and walk her back to the village.

A fire crackled underneath a pot of hot stew. The villagers needed the food after the evacuation, and so the group had decided to cook some for them. Naofumi and Raphtalia handled dealing out the food whenever it finished. For the meantime, everyone else, including the other soldiers, took a well deserved rest.

Aldwyn sat on the ground next to a storehouse that was lucky enough to only receive minimal damage. He laid semi-asleep, his head dipped down with his helmet still on. While he was still angry about losing the short sword, he was promised he would get a new one alongside Raphtalia by Naofumi.

Aldwyn heard light footsteps approached him, with the clank of metal armor. He looked up and saw a soldier walking up to him. They strode past and out their back against the storehouse wall, sliding down and sitting next to him.

"Good to see you made it through the wave." The soldier spoke to him. He recognized the voice. It was the girl who helped him back before they fought the boss.

"Oh, it's you. Glad to see your in one piece." Aldwyn straightened up as he spoke to her. "I'm pretty sure I said this already, but thanks for the support. It would have been a lot worse without you and your friends."

"Of course. Anything to help you and the Shield Hero out. By the way, you're one of his companions, but I never learned your name. Do you mind…?" The soldier asked, tilting her head a bit.

"Ah, no. Names Aldwyn. Nice to meet you…"

"Delphine Xenia. You don't have a last name?" Delphine raised an eyebrow.

"I did, but not anymore. One tends to forget when they haven't heard it for the past 13 years." Aldwyn lied to her. He had to. He needed to be sure that he wasn't found out by those who took him originally.

"It's been 13 years?" Delphine's eyes widened. "Why?"

"Been a slave for that long. Since I was 10." Aldwyn answered with a shrug.

"You've been a slave since 10?! That's horrible."

"It wasn't all bad. First 2 sucked. Got sold to a pretty nice owner for 5 years. The next five years I was forced into the servitude of another prick, and then he got bored of me and sold me off to a slave trader who brought me here. Now Naofumi owns me, but he's treated me better than most."

"I see...I'm glad the Shield Hero found you." Delphine replied.

"Why are you glad?" Aldwyn asked curiously.

"Well, I'm glad you were picked by someone who obviously cares about you. You seem like a nice person-" Aldwyn snorted ,"...And you've helped a lot of people here."

"Maybe it was Carthus who put me here by fate, or maybe it's just luck. But I'm here. And Naofumi picked me. That's all I need." Aldwyn couldn't remember the last time he actively practiced his religion. The last time he actually prayed was years ago.

"Carthus? You're Carthan? Not many in Melromarc follow Carthism."

"Well, I'm from its country of origin, so…"

"Oh? So you're from Requidas? I've never been there. Not many of your people besides diplomats and traders come from there." Delphine scooted in front of him. "What city are you from? What's it like there? What kinds of weapons are made there?"

Aldwyn blinked a few times at Delphine's sudden questioning. It made him a tad bit suspicious. "Why do you want to know?"

"I've always wanted to go there. From what the traders say, it sounds like an amazing place to live in!" Delphine smiled widely. Her tone didn't make it seem like she had any ill intent. She was more like an excited child.

"W-Well…"

"You! You stole some of our troops!" Aldwyn turned his head, and saw a squad of knights standing in front of Naofumi and the young soldier from their own squad. He stood up and grabbed his trident, even though his muscles screamed for him not to. Delphine also stood as they both went to investigate the commotion.

"Took you long enough to get here." Was Naofumi's response. "I should have expected as much."

"It's not the Hero's fault! We came because-" The Squad Commander tried to explain.

"What? You can't listen to the Shield!" The Knight Commander spat.

"You still haven't changed…" Naofumi muttered. "Just look at all this destruction. All because you didn't do your jobs." Naofumi pointed to a ruined building. "Oh, and the other Hero's you all love so much are all beaten over there." The knights turned and gasped, worried about the other Hero's. "You're soldiers and the surviving villagers are nursing them back to health. I told them not to bother, but…"

"What!? Have them sent to the hospital!" The Knight Commander ordered.

"But sir! There are others with more serious wounds-" Delphine tried to step in.

"We prioritize the Hero's for the future of our country! For the good of the world!" The Knight Commander snapped at Delphine, who took a step back away from him.

"Hey!" Aldwyn shouted, gaining the Knight Commander's attention. "The Hero's will live. Villagers who suffered worse injuries aren't going to make it with what we have here. Prioritize the people your supposed to protect first. Isn't that what's most important?"

"If the Hero's aren't healed, then there won't be any villagers to protect in the future!"

"And there won't be anything left when the Hero's are healed if you ignore the villagers needs!" Aldwyn stood face to face with the Commander.

"Don't think I don't know who you are, you Requidan scum! You and you're people are just savages who band together to-" A trident was placed to the Knights throat before he could continue.

"Say more. I dare you." Aldwyn threatened. "My people may like to fight, but I must remind you that we care more for our people than you do for yours. You have no right to talk about my people that way when you do nothing for your own!"

"Aldwyn!" Naofumi called to the Gladiator. "That's enough. He's not worth it."

The Gladiator hissed and removed his trident from the neck of the Knight Commander. He made his way to Naofumi, and the Knights went off to retrieve the other Hero's. Delphine approached Aldwyn hesitantly.

"Hey, you weren't going to hurt him, were you?" Delphine asked, holding her hands together behind her back.

"I was thinking about it real hard. But the Captain's right. He's not worth it." Aldwyn answered as he sat down. Delphine sighed and made her way to the young soldier who lead their squad.

The wave was over, and it was time to recover.

I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter and a new addition to the named characters, Delphine! She's going to be a minor side character, but I felt like she was a needed addition to the story to balance out Aldwyn's cynicism with some positivity. Anywho, please feel free to rate and review, and have a lovely day.