Disclaimer:
The Rising of the Shield Hero was created by Aneko Yusagi. Shin Megami Tensei was created by Atlus. Magic Knight Rayearth was created by CLAMP. Sword Art Online was created by Reki Kawahara. DanMachi was created by Fujino Omori. Digimon is owned by Bandai and Toei. Kono Suba was created by Akatsuki Natsume. This story uses reference material from them.

Heroes of Another World
By: RB3
Gathering Heroes 1: Homecoming and New Adventures

Beyond the worlds inhabited by mortals was the vast dimension known as the Expanse. It was an endless void filled with the blood red substance of Magatsuhi, the very thing created when human had experiences and emotions. It was home to an endless number of demons, supernatural entities which meddled in the affairs of humanity for ideology or simply for personal gain. It also connected time, space, and even entire universes together, acting as a conduit by which to travel beyond one's world.

A great ship approached a larger continent established in the Expanse. Instead of a metal hulk like from a science-fiction show, this ship was an island of earth and rock, given propulsion and protection from the ravages of the Expanse. The island ship began docking procedures at a pier which extended from the edge of a modern city. "We're home!" said Midori Komaki, a bespectacled Japanese girl in her late teens.

"Home sweet home!" said Yuzu Tanikawa, a young woman who had a pink floral bandana holding her hair back. "The others must have been worried about us while we were in Orario."

After Midori and Yuzu disembarked, the next to do so was Abel, a young, blue-haired man in a black cloak. Once Abel descended the ramp, Yuzu hugged him and the two gazed out at the growing town known as the Babel Colony. "Let's visit Gin first and tell him about our adventures," he told Yuzu.

The last to descend was Atsuro Kihara, a young man in his early twenties who wore a bucket hat and blue hoodie. "Yeah, I'm sure he'll be glad to see us," said Atsuro.

The four friends made their way to a bar somewhere in the newly formed Japanese colony in the Expanse. The Babel Colony was still small, only having existed seven years, though time was irrelevant in the Expanse. The tallest buildings in the area were ten story apartment complexes and hotels. Their bar was a simple one storey building with a patio for seating guests outdoors. Inside, they saw several tables and a series of stools in the back where the bartender served drinks.

The bartender himself was cleaning some glasses and cups. He was Gin, named after one of the drinks he served in his establishment. His real name was Eiji Kamiya. He was a Japanese man with a goatee and dressed in a grey vest, pants, and a white dress shirt. "Hey, long time no see!" said Gin.

"Yeah, I can't believe it's been almost two years since we left for Orario," said Atsuro. "My, how time flies!"

"It must be the Expanse. It really messes with your sense of time," said Gin. "What will you have?"

"We'll have amazake, the usual," replied Abel. "Have to watch the alcohol. You never know when we might get called."

"Four amazake coming up!" replied Gin, who fetched the drink from some bottles in the back.

After celebrating their victory in Orario with Gin over amazake, the four friends returned home for the night. They returned to a large stone ziggurat standing outside of town. This structure was known as the Ziggurat of Bel, the home of the four friends and their demonic companions. Once in his bedroom, Yuzu took him in a hug and kissed him. "Let's do it!" she stated.

The two started to remove every piece of their own and each other's clothing. Yuzu pushed Abel onto the bed and hopped on top, kissing him forcefully. The two lovers spent the entire night together, united intimately in each other's arms. The next few weeks went by uneventfully. It was a good opportunity to relax after their adventures in Orario had come to a close. During one ordinary morning, Yuzu went down to prepare breakfast for everyone while Abel went to set the machine to wash the laundry.

"Hey!" Midori said to Yuzu as she entered the kitchen of the Ziggurat of Bel.

"Good morning!" said Yuzu in return.

"Don't worry about the demons. I'm making a batch of Magatsuhi gelatin for them," said Midori, pouring a blood-red liquid into a muffin pan. It hardened rapidly, becoming a darker version of red Jell-O. "Just focus on making breakfast for us."

"Okay," said Yuzu.

Midori took the muffin pans filled with the demons' meal down to the colosseum in the deepest level of the Ziggurat of Bel. She served them to the demons with her partners getting the first pick. Her first partner was Frosty, a Black Frost. He resembled a black snowman who wore a violet jester's cap and had a sinister face. The second was Catsy, a Cait Sith, a demon which resembled the Puss in Boots with his red hat, boots, and a sabre. Her final friend was Hector, a Hecatonchires, a muscular, turquoise giant with multiple faces and arms.

"Mmm, delicious Midor-hee-ho!" said Frosty after he ate the gelatinous treat.

"Purrfect!" said Catsy.

"Hector love Magatsuhi!" said Hector.

Just then, a tremor rocked the Babel Colony, along with the Ziggurat of Bel itself. "Whoa!" said Midori, trying to maintain her footing, almost dropping the muffin pan out of shock.

"Earthquake!" cried Catsy.

The earthquake caused buildings all over the Babel Colony to shudder. One of them, an apartment, had its supports snap, then toppled over. The people on the street fled the area as the building came crashing to the street, burying cars and those too slow to escape from beneath its length. Another building toppled over, falling onto a single family abode and crushing it underneath. When the tremors finally died down, dozens of first responders took to the streets, the sirens of their vehicles blaring all over the city.

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Some time after the tremors hit the Babel Colony, a Babelite island ship flew in search of the source in the Expanse. It carried a full complement of Cdogs or Counter-Demon Operations Group soldiers. It also carried Abel, his friends, as well their demonic underlings, who also went by the name of the Spade Mercenaries as a unit. They were present to assist the colonel in charge, Fushimi, with the investigation and resolution of the cause of these earthquakes.

The island ship stopped near a rift in the crimson void of the Expanse. This rift contained the image of two planets situated dangerously close to each other. "Are those two worlds colliding?" asked Atsuro.

"That doesn't sound good!" said Yuzu.

"Oh no," said Abel. "Not only will those two get smashed to pieces, the Babel Colony will get wrecked by the aftershocks."

"Don't forget about the demons that will sneak in through the hole," said Midori.

"That too," said Abel.

An alarm klaxon blared and red lights flashed all around the ship and within it. "Demons have been detected off our stern. Man battle stations!" announced a soldier over a public speaker.

The pilot moved the island ship in front of the rift in the Expanse. Its starboard side faced the horde of demons attracted to the rift and the people inhabiting the two worlds. The ship's cannons unloaded shots of elemental and almighty energy, killing dozens of demons as they advanced. However, their numbers were so great that some reached the surface of the island ship and started to attack the soldiers present. In turn, the soldiers opened fire on the demons.

One of the landing demons was an orange, one-eyed starfish known as a Decarabia. Abel met the demon and blasted it with ice. The demon froze solid and collapsed, shattering into numerous pieces on impact with the ground. More Decarabia landed on the surface of the ship and approached Abel menacingly. A naked, redheaded succubus appeared out of nowhere and sprayed the group with fire. The Decarabia panicked and flailed about in terror as the flames incinerated them and converted the burnt matter into energy for the succubus.

The succubus, Scarlet, flew to Abel and wrapped her arms around him in an embrace, transferring the stolen energy to replenish his reserves. "Here ya go, Abel darling," said Scarlet with a sultry voice.

"Thank you," said Abel.

Another group of Decarabia landed on the surface of the island ship. An anthropomorphic, mascot-like cat in red samurai armour expelled bolts of lightning upon the group. This friendly demon, a Neko Shogun named Mao, chopped one of the surviving demons with a swing of his cat-headed paddle. A second demon, Yog-Sothoth, a mass of glowing white orbs, bombarded the rest by launching the orbs which made up his own body as projectiles. The ground got peppered with craters as the shockwavess and the orbs themselves crushed all of the remaining demons to death.

After this battle, the alarm ended. "Phew, that was a close one. They almost got through," said Atsuro.

"Good thing we were able to stop it," said Yuzu. "Let's go check out the planet like we wanted to before we were so rudely interrupted."

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The Spade Mercenaries stepped out of a portal which had opened outside of a seaside village. This village stood somewhere on the southwestern portion of the main continent. It was part of the world on the left in the rift. This location was the site of the event which had triggered the earthquakes Most of the homes had been charred black and razed from whatever event had occurred earlier. Many still emitted faint wisps of smoke, a result of the fires that consumed the buildings. From the number of foundations in the area, the death toll numbered more than a hundred people.

"What happened here?" asked Midori.

Atsuro noticed a group of people trying to rebuild their devastated home. "Let's ask those people up on the hill," said Atsuro. He walked up to the men who were working on the house. "Hello. What happened here to cause all this damage?"

"A Wave of Catastrophe," replied the man, a villager who had the ears of a weasel poking through his brown hair. "It dropped a ton of monsters on us. Many people died."

"I don't mean to be rude, but why do you have ears in your hair?" asked Yuzu.

"Oh yes, that's because I'm a demihuman," said the man. "I don't know where you're from stranger, but here, there are people who have the traits of animals. That's us demihumans."

"Where is here exactly?" asked Yuzu.

"This is Rurorona Village of the Saett Region. It's a part of the nation of Melromarc," replied the villager.

"Is there anywhere else we can ask around for information?" asked Abel.

"Sure. You can try the capital, Melromarc City. It's north of here," replied the villager. "Just be careful of the monsters on your way there."

"Thanks for everything," said Yuzu.

The Spade Mercenaries left the village and boarded Yog. He flew them across the lands of Melromarc, passing a few small and medium-sized settlements. He soon found an especially large city in the centre of the country. It was a medieval city of stone buildings and cobblestone roads. It was something typical of the Middle Ages or a fantasy RPG. The Spade Mercs split up to more efficiently gather information from the locals. The people of the city were mostly human, but Yuzu saw a demihuman boy with raccoon ears helping to move goods for a merchant.

Abel entered the workshop of a blacksmith, according to the anvil on its sign. Although written in a foreign language, Abel's magical vision caused the letters to seem to smear, then reform into Japanese characters. The shop was called Erhard's Smithy. The owner was a muscular man with a dark beard and bald head. "Hello. Would you happen to be Erhard, the proprietor?" asked Abel.

"Aye, I'm the owner of this fine establishment," he replied. "How may I help you?"

"Would you mind if I asked a few questions for my information?" asked Abel.

"No, not at all. Business is a bit slow this hour," replied Erhard.

"I'm new around these parts. I'd like to know what the current news is," said Abel. "I passed through Rurorona Village and heard mention of a 'Wave of Catastrophe.' What can you tell me about it?"

"Oh yes, the king sent troops to put down the monsters that rained down, but a lot of people died during that battle," replied Erhard. "The Church of Three Heroes convinced the king to call the Cardinal Heroes, as they were among the few people strong enough to fight the Waves."

"Who are these 'Cardinal Heroes?'" asked Abel.

"They're four individuals who have been summoned from a different world. Each carries one of the Four Cardinal Weapons, which are the Sword, the Bow, the Spear, and the Shield," replied Erhard.

"You mentioned the Church of Three Heroes. Am I correct in saying you worship these weapons? Why not all four? Which got left out and why?" asked Abel.

"Yes, we do worship the weapons, but not the Shield," replied Erhard. "You see, one of the previous Shield Heroes pushed for good relations between humans and demihumans. I personally have no problems with demihumans, but this country's not like me. We've been warring with the demihuman countries for centuries until the queen negotiated peace. Old habits die hard, and we take it out on the Shield."

Abel nodded to show his understanding. "Hmm..." muttered Abel, pondering the situation in the kingdom.

By accounting for Erhard's information and what he saw in the Expanse, Abel suspected that these Waves were the result of the worlds colliding. These four Cardinal Heroes were being deployed to fight the monsters which resulted from time and space warping. He concluded that it would be prudent to build good relations with these heroes, thereby forming a united front by which to oppose the Waves on the ground. In the meantime, the island ship would maintain an umbrella of safety from the demons of the Expanse.

"Where may I find the heroes?" asked Abel.

"Ah, an adventurer I presume? Did you come to join them on their quest?" asked Erhard. "From the look of it, you must be a mage."

"Yeah, something like that," replied Abel, as it was not that far from the truth as he understood it. "Do you know where I may find them?"

"They should be seeing the king right now. Once they're done, they'll probably hit the town to buy supplies. I'm sure you can catch them then," replied Erhard.

"I see. Thank you Erhard," said Abel. "I'm heading over to meet them."

After leaving Erhard's blacksmith, Abel teleported away in a flicker of blue light and reappeared at the bridge leading to the royal castle. He found four groups of people crossing the bridge, each led by a young Japanese man who carried an unusual item. These items radiated powerful magic which Abel could see as a colour-coded glow surrounding the weapon in question. Since all these youths were Japanese, they were clearly different from the local people, who were more Caucasian or Mediterranean in appearance.

The first of the youths was a man with unkempt black hair dressed in a track jacket which had a green upper half and a white bottom half. He carried a heater shield which glowed green to Abel. It had a green orb embedded onto its front. In turn, the youth noticed the mysterious mage standing in their path, waving his hand at them to draw their attention. "Who are you?" he asked. "Did you need something?"

"Yeah, I'm looking for the Cardinal Heroes. Would you happen to be one of them?" asked Abel.

"Yeah," replied the young man. "My name is Naofumi Iwatani. I'm the Shield Hero."

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Abel, a mage. Would the rest of you also be Cardinal Heroes?" asked Abel.

"Yes. I am Motoyasu Kitamura, the Spear Hero," replied the blonde youth in a red jacket.

"I'm Itsuki Kawasumi, the Bow Hero," replied the youth with light brown hair in a green, almost tan blazer. "What did you want from us, Abel?"

"I'm Ren Amaki, the Sword Hero," replied the black-haired youth in a blue jacket. "Be warned that if you intend us harm, we will retaliate."

Ren pointed the Sword at Abel as warning against initiating violence against any of the heroes. "I assure you, I mean no harm. Instead, I'm just here to let you know that I intend to offer my support to the heroes. I too, wish to stop the Waves of Calamity," said Abel.

"Well, I could use a mage in my party. I have plenty of room here," said Naofumi.

"Thanks for the offer, but I can't travel with you right now. I have things I need to get ready first. Instead, I'll pop in from time to time to assist," assured Abel. "In the meantime, my agents keep watch over you. If you get into trouble, I'll try to help if I can. Thank you for you time."

"Uh thanks, I guess," said Motoyasu.

"You're welcome," said Abel. "Oh, before I leave, let me warn you, be careful of that redheaded woman."

The heroes noticed that Abel was looking at Myne, Naofumi's ally. She seemed puzzled as to why she was being singled out, or perhaps was feigning innocence. "What are you talking about?" asked Naofumi.

"I feel great malice coming from her. Please be careful," replied Abel. "That is all I have to say. Thank you heroes, and good luck. I hope to see you soon."

Abel vanished in a flicker of blue light. "Well, that was strange," remarked Itsuki.

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The Spade Mercs rejoined at a town square to compare notes on what they had learned, from the arrival of the four Cardinal Heroes to the Waves of Calamity. With the planets colliding in the Expanse, it caused dangerous events such as the tremors in the Babel Colony and the monsters raining down in this world. To fight the Waves, Melromarc appeared to have a medieval level of technology, but had access to magic as a weapon against the Waves. It was near three other major nations, Siltvelt, Shieldfreeden, and Fourbrey.

Siltvelt was far east of Melromarc and like a mirror to this nation. It was ruled by demihumans in contrast to Melromarc, a human nation. Melromarc engaged in heavy discrimination against demihumans, just as Siltvelt did the same to humans. A previous Shield Hero showed benevolence to demihumans, which resulted in the Shield being revered by the demihumans, especially in Siltvelt. In turn, Melromarc defamed the Shield and revered only the Sword, Spear, and Bow. Both nations had centuries of bad blood with each other.

Shieldfreeden was the other major demihuman nation and was also known as Schildfrieden, or "peace of the Shield" in German. It was a very young nation, only a century old at most. Its people split off from Siltvelt due to dissatisfaction with Siltvelt's bloodline politics. Unlike the other nations, Shieldfreeden was a representative republic and practised tolerance between humans and demihumans. They also worshipped the Shield, but were not as fanatical about it as Siltvelt was, and were more accepting of the other Cardinal Weapons.

The last of the three other major nations was Fourbrey. It was the most powerful nation on the continent, being the most technologically advanced of them all. In the past, it had summoned other Cardinal Heroes from various worlds across the multiverse. This was where it learned its technology, even marrying summoned heroes off to nobles to secure this knowledge. Fourbrey also practised tolerance between humans and demihumans and worshipped all of the Cardinal Weapons equally.

"Yeah, everywhere I went, the people really put down this Shield Hero," said Midori. "I don't see what he did to deserve it."

"This is a very bad place for him. I'm afraid people will try to hurt him, even if it's his job to protect them," said Yuzu.

"I got to meet the heroes personally and exchanged introductions. I promised I'd pop in to help them every once in awhile," said Abel. "If it gets too bad, we should consider evacuating the Shield Hero to a safer place."

"Of course. Where would take him if it comes to that?" asked Atsuro.

"Shieldfreeden is my first choice. It's run by demihumans, by they aren't as crazy as Siltvelt. They worship all the heroes, but the Shield Hero is the big one," replied Abel. "We could try Fourbrey, which is northeast of Melromarc. It's the most powerful nation on the continent and would welcome any of the heroes."

"I was told that Melromarc was under an international treaty on summoning heroes. They violated it when they summoned the Cardinal Heroes just now," said Yuzu. "It sounds like the queen's got a lot of explaining to do."

"The queen?" asked Atsuro.

"That's right. It's the queen who's in charge, but it was the king who called for the summoning, under advice from the Church of Three Heroes," replied Yuzu. "He did that behind the back of his wife."

"Oh boy, this just keeps getting better and better," remarked Midori sarcastically. "Oh! I almost forgot! I found the main temple of the Church of Three Heroes, and a smaller one to the Vassal Heroes."

"Vassal Heroes?" asked Yuzu. "Are they the heroes' underlings?"

"Not quite," replied Midori. "In addition to the Four Cardinal Weapons, there are the Eight Vassal Weapons. Those who use these weapons are called the Vassal Heroes or Vassal Wielders. The weapons are different from generation to generation, but still give their owners many of the same abilities."

"More heroes? Have they been summoned yet?" asked Abel.

"Not to the knowledge of the nuns and priests," replied Midori.

"Hmm... You know what? Let's summon the Vassal Wielders ourselves, to get help to the Cardinal Heroes. Let's find out how to do that," said Abel.

"What about that treaty?" asked Yuzu. "It also applies to summoning the Vassal Heroes too."

"Technically, neither we, nor Japan, are bound by the treaty," replied Atsuro.

"If you want to learn more about them, check out the Church of the Vassal Heroes," said Midori.

"Lead the way," said Abel.

Midori led the team into the Church of the Vassal Heroes, which revered the Vassal Weapons in whatever form they took. The Spade Mercs looked at display models of the previous generation of Vassal Weapons in a glass case. They consisted of the Axe, Hammer, Gauntlet, Claw, Staff, Projectile, Whip, and Carriage. The display also had a blurb on the nature of the Vassal Weapons and their capabilities. It said that with each new generation, they took on new forms to better complement their owners.

The Vassal Weapons differed in a few other key areas from the Cardinal Weapons. First, they did not interfere with each other the way the Cardinal Weapons did. Thus, their wielders could travel together or with a Cardinal Hero and develop their abilities. Second, the Vassals could travel to other worlds to strike at a possible source of a crisis while the Cardinal Heroes were not allowed to do so normally. Third, the Vassal Weapons could select their wielders from this world's natives. They did not require outsiders the way the Cardinal Weapons did.

All of these advantages came with trade-offs. First, the Vassal Heroes would not be transported by the Dragon Hourglasses to a Wave when it arrived. That was not the Vassal Heroes' main purpose. Instead, they needed to hitch a ride with one of the Cardinal Heroes. Second, the Vassal Weapons were not as powerful individually as their Cardinal counterparts. Lastly, Vassal Weapons were not as unique as the Cardinal Weapons. It was possible for them to overlap with a Cardinal Weapon in form and function.

Abel noticed a nun walking by and approached. "Excuse me, do you know how these heroes are summoned?" asked Abel of a nun. "Is it the same ritual that brought in the Cardinal Heroes?"

"Yes actually, it's very similar and even uses the same magic sigil, from what I heard. Due to having summoned the Cardinal Heroes, the spell won't function for Melromarc anymore," replied the nun.

"Do you know who performed the summoning of the Cardinal Heroes?" asked Abel. "I'm a scholar of magic myself. I'd like to learn about it."

"Yes, that would be Thaldor. He's the royal mage of Melromarc. He often browses magic shops around town in search of supplies. You can either find him in the castle, or around town shopping," replied the nun.

"Thank you sister," said Abel.

The Spade Mercenaries split up and asked around the magic shops in town. Yuzu entered Griselda's Magic Shop a distance from the square and found two people inside. The woman was a witch dressed in robes and a matching pointed hat. The man she spoke with had unkempt brown hair and wore a golden circlet. He was dressed in robes as well, though brown rather than Griselda's purple. "Hello, are you Griselda?" asked Yuzu.

"Yes I am, dear. What did you need?" asked the witch.

"I was wondering if you knew a Thaldor? He's the royal mage of Melromarc. I'd like to ask him some questions," replied Yuzu.

"That's me," said the mage in brown. "I'm Thaldor. What did you need to know?"

"Oh! Such a small world! I was wondering how you summoned the Cardinal Heroes. What magic sigil did you use and what did you do to perform the ritual?" asked Yuzu.

"We used a dodecagram to direct the summon, then chanted a spell to regulate the power involved. I needed four others to help me manage the power involved," replied Thaldor. "I don't remember the spell off the top of my head, but it's pretty long and complex. Would you happen to be a mage or a scholar?"

"Yeah, kinda. Thanks for telling me. I need to go see a friend to settle a bet," said Yuzu, who left the shop.

She ducked into an alley and used her comp to get in contact with Abel. "I just met Thaldor," reported Yuzu.

"Good, I'll have Scarlet tail him and look through his belongings," said Abel.

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As Thaldor left the magic shop and returned to the castle, Scarlet followed him as he made his way through the city. She glided across the sky on a pair of bat wings as she tailed the court mage. No one was able to see her as she existed between dimensions, invisible to the naked eye. Thaldor entered the castle with Scarlet following him into his room. Thaldor put down his purchases at Griselda's Magic Shop before making his way to a large chamber with the magic sigil he had described to Yuzu. Scarlet took a good look at the sigil and beamed a picture of it back to the Spade Mercenaries' comps.

The dodecagram had a star at the eleven o' clock position and a moon at the opposite. She was just in time as Thaldor and his assistants began to wipe away the chalk used to draw the sigil. Thaldor and company started etching a new magic sigil for the next spell they intended to cast. "Okay, that should be it," said Thaldor to the assistants. "We'll cast the spell tomorrow."

When the mages left, the sun had started to set. Scarlet followed Thaldor as he returned to his room to retire for the night. Since he was there, she could not risk searching his room for clues. She left and returned the next day, when Thaldor had left his room to cast the spell. Scarlet entered Thaldor's room and flipped through his books for any information on summoning the heroes. Eventually, she found a book with on that subject and beamed a copy of each page back to Spade Mercenaries' comps.

"That's good enough Scarlet. I've got what I needed. Please come back," said Abel.

"Sure Abel darling!" said Scarlet.

Scarlet returned to her beloved Abel, who was waiting in a park in the shadow of the castle. "Okay, let's start looking for a place we can perform the summoning. Let's make that place our base of operations for the fight against the Waves," said Abel.

The Spade Mercs searched the city and found a bulletin board near an inn. "How about this one?" asked Yuzu as she showed her friends a posting.

"Adam Jacob is looking for someone to take over his farm," said Atsuro, reading the bulletin. "He lives in Lute Village, south of the capital city."

"A farm would work. Let's go speak with him," said Abel.

The Spade Mercs arrived at a humble farm at the outskirts of Lute Village, one as humble as the rural village itself. They found a farmer at his home, relaxing on the front porch. He had grey hair and wrinkles all over his tanned skin. He wore blue denim overalls, a wide-brimmed cowboy hat, and a red scarf. "Hello, are you Adam Jacob? We saw your request at the bulletin board," said Atsuro.

"Yes, that's me. I've been working this farm for nearly four decades now. All my kids went to the city to find work. The young folks just don't want to tend the land like us old fogies," replied Farmer Jacob.

"I want to use your farm not just to raise crops, but a new generation of Cardinal and Vassal Heroes. Your farm has everything we need," said Abel.

"If I can help the Cardinal or Vassal Heroes fight the Waves, I'd gladly do it," said Farmer Jacob. "How would you pay for my farm? Do you have any farming experience?"

"I'm a powerful mage. I specialize in magic that manipulates plants. You know what that means? Bumper crops galore! I'm also a summoner. I can have a work crew operate your farm every hour of the day, even late into the night," replied Abel. "Allow me to demonstrate."

Abel pointed at a flower Farmer Jacob's wife grew in a pot by her window sill. Currently, it was still a bulb in the soil, but under Abel's magic, it blossomed into a mature tulip in but seconds. "Wow! Adam, look at that!" said Farmer Jacob's wife, Gertrude Jacob, who saw the event from within their home.

"So, did I make my point?" asked Abel.

"Ya sure did! Welcome aboard, partner!" said Jacob, shaking Abel's hand.

"Good. Do you have any unused barns? We can create all of our own accommodations if we have one," said Abel.

"Of course. Right this way," said Jacob, who showed the Spade Mercenaries to one of the unused hay barns behind his home.

The barn was made of wood and had an attic where extra bails of hay could be stored. "This place will do. I'll set up immediately," said Abel.

He held up a hand, which caused the environment within the barn to change into a grassy field next to a stone structure. It was a colosseum with a large annex built onto its east side. Farmer Jacob and the Spade Mercenaries entered the east annex, finding themselves in a commons room, a central area on the first floor which was meant for relaxation and daily living. It had an attached kitchen area with a table for taking meals. A stairwell between the two areas led to more rooms above and below.

"Did you create all this by yourself?" asked Farmer Jacob.

"Of course. As I told you, I'm a powerful mage. Creating Domains is well within my power," replied Abel.

Abel summoned a demon resembling a green-skinned woman in an orange dress. This demon was the Fairy Silky, a house fairy who carried out chores during the night as people slept. "Lord Abel, what is your wish?" asked Silky.

"You will share control of this Domain with Girimehkala and me and help to maintain it in my absence," commanded Abel.

"Yes milord," said Silky.

"You've got a live-in maid too?" asked Jacob.

"Aye. Don't be afraid to ask her for favours," replied Abel. "We're partners now, so feel free to make use of the facilities."

"Now how do I get out?" asked Farmer Jacob.

"Oh, just go through the barn near where we started. It'll take you back to your real barn. If you ever want to come back here, just enter your barn again," said Abel.

Jacob left the annex's entrance and found the barn where Abel said it would be, a short distance from the annex near where he first arrived in the Domain. When he entered, the world seemed to warp and he found himself outside the hay barn he had loaned to the Spade Mercs as accommodations. "Now this is convenient!" he muttered to himself.

END OF CHAPTER