Prologue: A new world
A new story once again. I do not own anything except the OC.
A young man in his late teens was confused. He was abruptly brought in a place unknown to him.
"Where am I?" The boy asked.
The boy in question had bright blue hair that appeared toned and straight. His eyes are a gray color, akin to silver. He was wearing a white collarless shirt with blue jeans and red-black sneakers. He was in his late teens, appearing to be 17. The boy noticed several people on the floor. There were 4 males.
'These people... I don't know them...' He thought.
The first male looked like a mirror copy of the boy, though he had black hair instead. Almost all of his clothing was black. His eyes were a Prussian Blue color. He appeared 16 years old.
"Feels like I'm in Brave Star Online." The male commented.
The second male was a 17 year old boy who looked younger. He had curly brown hair with gold eyes. He looked shorter than everyone around him.
"This place... It looks like Dimension Wave, but it feels different." The second male remarked.
The third male was in his twenties and had long blonde hair tied in a ponytail. He had orange eyes.
"This place feels like I'm in Emerald Online." The third male noted.
The fourth male had black hair with olive green eyes. He was a 20 year old man with evidently sharp features.
"What happened...?" The fourth male asked in confusion.
All five males noticed a strange symbol on the ground that was glowing before it faded down. Surrounding the symbol, several people wearing black robes and holding staves were shown.
"Who are these people?" The boy asked.
"I don't know... These guys give me a terrible vibe..." The fourth male noted.
"Welcome, beings from another world. I apologize for summoning you all to this world. However, there is a reason as to why we brought you all here." An elder male spoke, making his presence known.
The elder male in question was a King, evident by the royal clothing and crown he was wearing. His hair was already white while his eyes were a soft green color.
"What is your name, sir? I need to know the reason as to why we're here." The boy questioned.
"At ease, young one. I'm Aultcray Melromarc XXXII, king of Melromarc." The elder man named Aultcray introduced.
"Melromarc...? I don't think this a country known from Earth." The second male realized.
"Wait, you guys are all from Earth?" The boy asked in surprise.
"I'm Amaki Ren." The first male introduced.
"I'm Kawasumi Itsuki." The second male followed.
"I'm Kitamura Motoyasu." The third male followed.
"I'm Iwatani Naofumi." The fourth male said.
The king watched as the boys were talking with each other. They were trying to understand their circumstances.
"Judging by all your names, you are all from Japan. I'm Sato Shinobu." The boy introduced.
"Seems that confirms your case. However, I don't think we don't see each other. I was born in Japan in the 90s." Motoyasu said.
"Hmm? I was born in 2019. The Japan I knew was more advantaged in technology." Ren noted.
"It seems that we were all from different existences. Even though we're from the same country, we are not in the same world. It's essentially..." Itsuki paused.
"Alternate realities... Shinobu confirmed.
"Alternate realities? Like different dimensions?" Naofumi asked.
"I didn't read much about stories of protagonists being summoned to different worlds... However, this phenomenon explains as to why we are brought here, despite being from separate planes of existence." Shinobu explained.
The four boys were able to piece the details together.
"So it seems that we are now following any protagonist of another world story." Motoyasu said.
Soon, the males experienced a sudden glow on their arms. They were all glowing green till they had certain weapons with them. Motoyasu was equipped with a spear. Ren was given a sword. Itsuki held a bow. Naofumi had a shield on his left arm. Shinobu had two short swords on both of his hands. All had a gem embedded in their weapons. Ren had a blue gem. Itsuki had an orange gem. Motoyasu had a red green. Naofumi had a green gem. Shinobu had a purple gem.
"What the?" Ren asked in surprise.
"I'm sure you're all surprised about what happened. I'll explain as to what occurred, but please follow me. This matter is of serious discussion." Aultcray ordered.
"Hold it. We need answers. Start talking." Ren ordered.
"I assure that I will explain them to the best of my ability. Please follow me." Aultcray said.
"Depending on how you answer, we may turn enemy against you." Motoyasu warned.
"This is not the time to bicker. It may be a dangerous task, but the way we were summoned, I don't think we can be brought back." Itsuki said.
"I'm afraid so. We used an ancient summoning spell to bring you 5 Cardinal Heroes to save us from the brink of destruction." Aultcray responded.
"So we can't be brought back... You do realize you brought a high risk of making us enemies for bringing us here against our wills." Motoyasu said.
"We'll need to be accommodated for where we are." Ren said.
Naofumi found their personality to be somewhat untrustworthy. Shinobu didn't like the tone they gave.
"We will accommodate what you need, but you must come with me to be explained of the situation." Aultcray responded.
The five males were left to ponder for a brief moment. Seeing there was no other way to be informed, they followed the king.
The five males were lead to a throne room. All were awaiting the king's explanation.
"Heroes from another world, I have asked the best mages to summon you all here." Aultcray announced.
"Please continue, milord." Shinobu said, bowing.
"The reason we all summoned you here on Melromarc is due to a grave threat. My kingdom and the neighboring countries have been experiencing a phenomenon called Waves of Calamity. We don't know what they are and why do they appear. The problem is, the Waves are known for bringing in monsters that wreak havoc. It is said that the five heroes summoned from different worlds will find the cause and end the threat." Aultcray explained.
"So, let me understand this... We were summoned to your kingdom to help defend it from the Waves that cause damage in their wake..." Shinobu responded.
"In simple terms, yes. You were all called here to defend us from this ever increasing threat." Aultcray confirmed.
"What do you mean that it is ever increasing?" Ren asked.
"The Waves were bringing in weaker monsters, but they have been increasing in strength. Each time a Wave appears, the monsters grow stronger and difficult even for my men to help everyone. There were heavy casualties as the threat kept increasing." Aultcray explained.
"How will we know the Waves will appear?" Itsuki asked.
The king led the five males to a large hourglass with dragon designs.
"This hourglass represents how much time left for the next Wave to appear. Once the clock hits zero, the Wave will appear." Aultcray explained.
"Is there an average time of the Waves for them to appear?" Shinobu questioned.
"Quite bright for a young man. The average time is generally a month for each Wave to appear. However, there are exceptions in which they can appear less than a month, even coming in a week." Aultcray responded.
"That's definitely troubling... Since we're given our respective weapons, we are essentially the 'heroes' of this country." Motoyasu said.
"Yes. The Spear, the Sword, the Bow, the Shield, and the Dual Sword Heroes. All 5 of you were summoned for this purpose." Aultcray confirmed.
"These weapons... They are given to us when we arrived here. What purpose are they given?" Shinobu asked.
"They are the legendary weapons of the heroes. Each of you can only use the weapon granted to you. Hence why you are all given titles befitting to the weapon you have." Aultcray answered.
Shinobu and Naofumi began noticing what looked like an interface system. It felt as though they were doing a virtual MMO game. However, when Shinobu accidentally poke one of his fingers on one of his swords, the pain felt real enough to show it wasn't a game.
"This is the real deal... That means we have to be careful when dealing with tough fights." Shinobu said.
"Doesn't that mean we can't equip any other weapons other than the ones given to us?" Ren questioned.
Soon, Shinobu attempted to hold a shield, only to feel a powerful electric shock. He was immobilized from it after holding to the shield before letting it go.
"Ugh... Seems like we can only use weapons that we specialize... Otherwise we would suffer a nasty shock." Shinobu said.
The boys were all surprised of what Shinobu said. They now knew they had to be careful.
"In any case, we'll provide you with money to prepare you all for both your adventures and acquiring your equipment. It will also be helpful if we all introduce ourselves." Aultcray said.
The five boys began introducing themselves. Ren and Itsuki were high school students. Shinobu was already a college student due to his prodigal studying. Naofumi and Motoyasu were college students. Soon, several knights were shown holding large pouches filled with coins.
"The Shield Hero and the Dual Sword Hero shall have 800 gold coins while the rest will have 600 gold coins." The king announced.
Shinobu didn't miss that particular detail. He felt somewhat concerned as to why both he and Naofumi were given a larger amount.
"Also, we have our forces to party up with their respective heroes. Everyone, choose your hero and be ready to set off on your adventures." The king said.
Soon, Ren, Itsuki, and Motoyasu all had their party members. Naofumi and Shinobu were left with no one.
"Wait, we have no party members?" Naofumi questioned, noticing no one was joining him or Shinobu.
"Seems like it... Is it possible for another hero to join another hero's party?" Shinobu asked.
"In general, they don't do the practice, due to the weapons conflicting with one another." An elder male replied answered.
"Even so, this practice is not uncommon then, or is it due to the fact you're refusing to fill us with information?" Shinobu questioned.
"No, I assure you that I'm not." The elder man replied.
"Seems like we're partners then, Iwatani-san." Shinobu commented.
"You can call me Naofumi." Naofumi responded.
"Then call me Shinobu." Shinobu responded.
Before the two boys set off, a young woman suddenly went to them. She had youthful facial features with a cute face, semi-long crimson hair, and green eyes. She was slightly shorter than Naofumi, but was equal in height of Shinobu.
"Pleased to meet you two, Shield Hero and Dual Sword Hero." The woman said with a kind tone.
"Pleasure to meet you as well, Ms..." Naofumi paused.
"Myne. Myne Melromarc." The woman named Malty introduced.
"Ah, pleasure to meet you. I'm Naofumi." Naofumi introduced.
Naofumi felt bashful from seeing Myne's beauty. Seeing her up close made him feel nervous.
'She's incredibly beautiful. I never met anyone like her back where I lived.' Naofumi thought.
Shinobu had different thoughts about her. Upon hearing her surname, he was slowly piecing together information.
'Hmm... So she's the king's daughter... Wonder why she decided to join us instead of leaving with Motoyasu...?' Shinobu thought.
Pondering of possible explanations, Shinobu set the thought aside.
Naofumi, Shinobu, and Myne were out at the shopping areas of Melromarc. They noticed several shops with items of their display. They all ranged from food, special goods, maps, and weapons.
"Look at all these shopping areas... With this many, we can choose a variety of items and clothes to buy." Malty said happily.
"We need to focus on armor and equipment. We'll need to ensure we have the equipment that's well suited for the Waves." Shinobu noted.
"You're right, Shinobu. But how do we need to know which one?" Naofumi asked.
"It's given to us..." Shinobu said, looking at a fruit.
'"A pepper berry... This fruit alone can induce healing and is quite sweet.' It's as though I'm looking at a menu screen from an MMO..." Shinobu commented.
"So that's how it works... Maybe that might help." Naofumi said.
Shinobu, Myne, and Naofumi entered a blacksmith shop. The owner was a middle aged man who had a shaved head, but retained his beard which was brown. His eyes were a gray color.
"Welcome to my shop." The owner said.
Soon, the owner noticed Shinobu and Naofumi with their respective weapons.
"Ah, I see that you have two particular weapons I specialize. Come have a look." The owner commented.
The weapons were several shields and dual swords. Naofumi and Shinobu marveled the sight.
"You have enough weapons to prepare a decent army. Not that I'm complaining or nitpicking, but why shields and dual swords?" Shinobu asked.
"Many people underestimate these weapons. The shield can be used for combat since it deals heavy blows at the expense of not having the attribute of a sword." The owner explained.
"In other words, the shield itself can give internal wounds instead of exterior wounds. Those are hard to heal." Shinobu answered.
"Precisely. Now for dual swords, they can create an elegant dance of death. I've seen users of such weapons perform such elegant dances, the enemies around them fell as the blades took them down." The owner concluded.
"Sounds like a dance macabre... I'm starting to like the weapons I have." Shinobu admitted.
"Same here. Thanks for sticking up to me, Shinobu." Naofumi spoke.
"Anytime. Oh yes, Naofumi. If you look carefully at lower left side of your sight, you should see a small icon. Touch it so you can open your menu." Shinobu said.
Naofumi soon touched the icon, showing a large menu screen. He was soon shown a variety of choices.
"A skill tree?" Naofumi asked.
"Each class of weapon users have special skills unique to them. You, being a shield wielder, will find them useful to use when you discover them. I too have unique skills as the Dual Sword Hero." Shinobu explained.
"You're an MMO gamer as well?" Naofumi asked.
"I understand the concept of weapon classes so I can provide some tips to help." Shinobu confirmed, scratching his head bashfully.
The owner of the store liked the friendly aura the boys gave.
"So, you three are setting off for an adventure?" The owner asked.
"Yes, we are. Mind if we know your name?" Shinobu asked.
"I'm called Erhard. How about you two?" The owner named Erhard asked.
"I'm Shinobu." Shinobu introduced.
"I'm Naofumi." Naofumi followed.
"I wish you both luck. Come by anytime to my shop." Erhard said.
Both boys nodded as they set off from the outskirts of Melromarc.
The boys managed to purchase some high quality armor and equipment. Naofumi and Shinobu encountered several monsters that looked like rubber balls with fanged mouths. They had a mean expression to boot.
"Orange balloons...? I think these guys are the weaker monsters used as training for us. I would be careful not to get bitten." Myne explained.
"Naofumi, your main attribute is strong defense, but low attack power, these guys shouldn't hinder you too much. I'll take my time fighting them." Shinobu said.
Shinobu managed to cut down a few orange balloons, leaving behind rubber scraps. Soon, his dual swords were reacting to a plant nearby. He went to it and plucked one of its leaves, causing his swords to change in appearance. They looked more like leaf blades than ordinary swords.
"Dual Leaf Swords? Maybe this might work..." Shinobu mused, taking a portion of the plant for Naofumi.
Naofumi had some difficulty fighting the orange balloons. He can dish out powerful punches with force, but they lacked attack power. This made Shinobu feel bad for Naofumi.
"Damn... I can't even damage these airheads." Naofumi complained.
"You did earn some EXP when I slashed some of those monsters. Considering we're in a party, we are receiving shared awards." Shinobu noted.
"That's fine. I appreciate it." Naofumi said.
"Also, use this material on your shield." Shinobu said, providing the leftovers of the balloon.
Naofumi was instructed to place it at the gem of his shield. It soon glowed before forming an orange color shield.
-Requirements met. Orange Shield unlocked.-
The message was clear as day to Naofumi. His shield soon transformed in an orange color in response.
"Whoa... My shield changed." Naofumi said.
"The same thing happened to my swords. Looks like there will be variations for us. Try this one out." Shinobu noted, providing a piece of a leaf.
Naofumi soon provided his shield the leaf fragment, causing it to morph. It soon turned into a leaf-shaped shield.
"A Leaf Shield. Maybe we can figure out how it works." Naofumi said.