Heroes II

—chirp!

After traveling on the continent's western roads for half a day, the party led by Braver was suddenly transported to a snowy field. Shay had gone ahead, and by throwing kunai and teleporting in rapid succession, he'd been able to travel thousands of kirlos in record time. When he reached the hinterlands, he'd transported the group with his magic, just as suggested by Finn.

This was the first time most of them had experienced his magic, and many of the lower Level supporters were in a mix of awe and disbelief. As they felt the chill air bite through their battle cloths, they took in the grand sight before them.

This area, known as the hinterlands, was the vast snowy plains at the foot of the massive mountain range at the northern tip of the continent. Within that mountain range was the Valley of Dragons, where various measures of scaled beasts had been living for centuries.

This was one of the mortal realm's Three Great Frontiers, just like the Dungeon. As the full gravity of the location hit them, many of the adventurers' faces were stiffened in anxiousness. Looking around at the varying expressions of his comrades, Shay couldn't help but notice the different reactions. Most of the supporters were frightened, but that was to be expected. His gaze finding the main fighters of the group, around half of them reminded him of his younger self.

Hatred.

Most were calmly resolved, but the faces of a few of his comrades were twisted in anger.

As he spotted the dark dragons cresting the nearest of the mountains, Allen scowled, gripping his spear with vicious intensity.

The trash heap….

One of the nations that had been destroyed by the One Eyed Black Dragon. Allen and his sister had been found by Freya among its wreckage.

A similar look overtook Bete's features as he was reminded of his home.

The Valley of Dragons…

This was the birthplace of the calamity that had befallen his tribe, setting him on his lonely path to strength. Shay's eyes moved to the one heading the formation.

Aiz Wallenstein.

The Mercenary King. Albert Valdstejn…

Aiz's father had given his life to drive back the One Eyed Black Dragon, only for her mother to perish alongside him.

The tragic histories of his comrades were etched into Shay's mind as the mountains were increasingly overrun by dark beasts that had noticed his magic. As the group took in the scene, he went to go talk with Finn, who was standing resolutely with Riveria and Gareth.

"From here, we only have a couple more kirlos to go until we reach the Valley of Dragons."

Handing Shay a mind potion as she responded, Riveria's gaze wandered to Aiz as her expression turned somewhat motherly.

"And it's waiting for us there?"

Watching Aiz's expression soften as Bell made his rounds, Shay gave his evaluation.

"It should be. The other dragons are in a frenzy, and judging by the reports it was heading right for that valley."

Watching the snow white tips of the mountains turn gray as specks of black began to fill the scene, Shay prepared for battle. Heading to the front of the formation, Finn thanked him before speaking to the party as a whole.

"Everyone, prepare to move! We will pass through these mountains, and defeat the monsters on our path to the Valley of Dragons!"

As he started his speech, the eyes of all those present were locked onto his small frame. The prum Braver led with a calm and resolute voice, giving his comrades courage as they prepared to take on the last of the Three Great Quests.

~

"UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

The deep rumbling roar carried over the mountains as the ground quaked in response, a light flurry of snow coming down around the stopped party.

…t-there it is…!

The second the noise found the party's ears, half of them fell to the snow.

The One Eyed Black Dragon…!

As Shay struggled to move his limbs in fear, he realized the roar was similar to that of minotaur types, like Asterius.

We can't even see it yet! It's that much stronger than us…!?

Asterius's roar was of a type that struck fear into its opponents, and its effectiveness was directly linked to the difference in relative strength. The fact that even the Level Six Shay found himself completely unable to move in the face of this kind of roar meant that their opponent was of an entirely different class. Willing life into his frozen hands, Shay called upon his Spirit for strength.

Raijin!

White-blue electricity forming an erratically shifting web over his skin, Shay regained his ability to move. Turning his head to his teammates amid the sound of clattering equipment, he saw some quaking in fear. As Bete clawed his own leg to force himself to move, his eyes mirrored the sentiment of the rest of the group.

'It's so much stronger…!'

As the sky darkened with the wings of a thousand dragons soaring towards the party, the only ones not visibly shaken were the leaders. Only Finn, Riveria, Gareth, and Ottarl stood fast in the face of this nightmare. As the Loki executives had been taken as supporters back when the Zeus and Hera familias fought Behemoth, they had experience with the truly absurd. As for Ottarl, his stoicism needed no explanation. As the main force was frozen in terror, the shaking voice of a timid sorceress floated forwards to support them.

"Grow. Uchide no Kozuchi!"

Looking back at the weak renard as eight hammers of light struck down at the vanguard, Bete's expression warped into a nervous smile. Still shaking as he watched the army of dragons close the distance, he cursed some courage into his voice.

"Well shit. If a measly Level Two is doin' all that, we got no excuse."

With the party rallying around Haruhime's Level boost, the group's morale was looking salvageable. As the party felt their limbs begin to obey them once more, Finn's confident voice broke the air.

"Everyone! Separate into your groups, and prepare for battle! Shay, you're up!"

Here we go.

"Got it!"

Filling his hands with marked kunai, Shay tossed them into the ground next to his comrades as he looked to the black cloud of dragons headed their way.

They can't all be high Level, right?

"Let's do this! Toothless!"

Bursting out of one of the carts and terrifying a supporter in the process, the bat-winged dragon Xenos jumped into the sky to meet an already airborne Shay. With him landing on its back as the beast rocked with each flap of its wings, he felt the incredible wind against his face, the pair rising up rapidly towards the cloud of dragons.

As they neared confrontation, Shay noticed that not only was the sky darkened by the dragons, but a storm seemed to be brewing as well, with its center above the Valley of Dragons. Recognizing the likely cause, Shay resolved to focus on his task.

Looks like we're on a timer! Let's do this quickly!

Speaking to his companion as he prepared to engage, Shay used his downforce to keep his footing on the strongest Xenos.

"Get as many as you can, and help me out too, alright?"

With a roar of its own, Toothless started shooting bursts of purple plasma to break up the cloud of enemies before they pierced it. Noticing some of the dragons already falling out of the sky, Shay estimated that the Levels varied from Seven to Nine.

Alright, looks like they're ready.

His comrades spread out in groups around his kunai in the snow below, Shay prepared to thin the herd as it fired back. Flashes of purple and blue flickering against an overwhelming orange glow, Shay leaped off Toothless just as they pierced the mass of dragons. As the Night Fury swirled between opponents, incapacitating them with its plasma and tearing through their wings with its claws, Shay charted a path through the enemy.

Using Deucalion to dodge a searing stream of fire, Shay corrected course with a red flare, blowing a hole through an errant wing as he sailed towards another attacking dragon. Ducking under its claws as he used his magic and skills in perfect harmony he slashed upwards with his chokuto, tearing through muscle and spraying red droplets into the air as he flew by.

Level Eight.

With his base Status at Level Six and the golden glow of Haruhime's Level boost, Shay could use his enchantment to fight with an effective Status of an early Level Nine. As he continued carving through the writhing mass of dragons, an incredible orange glow built from his left side.

As he leaped upwards to avoid it, Shay's heart rate increased.

It's not dimming!?

Even having leaped a good few hundred meders, Shay was still in the blast radius. Throwing a kunai even farther upwards as he felt the heat begin to encroach on him, Shay Blinked at the last moment. Emerging above the cloud of dragons, Shay looked down to see an orange stream flowing between black patches, pained roars reaching his ears as the other dragons struggled to get out of the way. As thin flakes of snow floated down with him he spotted the massive body at the base of the flame, deciding to switch his tactics.

Okay, it's definitely time!

Throwing his kunai towards the beast with an incredible cracking noise, Shay used his Sylph skill, Blinking and closing the distance before his opponent even knew he'd moved. Throwing the kunai into the beast's scales, Shay Blinked to it to kill his incredible momentum, sending his lightning to envelop the ten-meder beast. Looking down to his comrades, he made the decision.

Alright Finn! This one's yours!

~

In a flash of lightning, a large category black dragon appeared on the battlefield. Reacting immediately, Gareth yelled and charged the beast as Finn backed him up. Expertly creating blindspots for each other, the legendary teamwork of the Loki familia's executives was on full display.

After some maneuvering around the beast and trading positions, Finn managed to thrust his spear right under one of the dragon's main scales on its chest. Seizing the opportunity as his long time friend levered the scale off its owner, Gareth unleashed a mighty strike of his ax into the underlying flesh.

The beast wailing in pain as it swiped at its attacker, it began to build up an orange glow in its jaws. Her comrades having created precious time to finish her spell, Riveria unleashed her first attack magic of the day as her teammates deftly avoided the blast.

"Wynn Fimbulvetr!"

A surge of ice forming around the beast just as it was about to unleash its fiery breath, Gareth went in for the finisher with a roar of his own. Landing a leaping strike as the dragon's neck froze solid, there was a dull shattering sound as the dwarf's greataxe made its way through the frozen flesh.

Looking across the battlefield as they prepared their next attack, the three Loki executives evaluated the state of their comrades.

–Slash!

Elsewhere on the battlefield, a streak of blonde was revealed behind the parted flesh of a medium sized dragon as streaks of flamelike lightning lit up the scene. Covering each other's backs with practiced ease, Bell and Aiz cleanly slashed through the dragons sent to them by Shay, deftly moving through the battlefield like exotic dancers of death.

"Take that!"

The Amazon sisters covering for Bete as he activated his magic, the fierce slashing and kicking sent shockwaves across the snow, creating a thin cover of mist on the ground beneath. As another dragon flashed into existence in their midst, it let out an impressive stream of fire at the group. Rushing out in front of his teammates as he completed his spell, the wolf devoured his opponent's flames, the scarlet glow lighting up his face tattoo as he sprinted towards the beast, undaunted.

"I ain't losing to some fuckin' cat!"

As the dragon was torn apart by its own flames, a wildly smiling wolf emerged from the burning carcass. As they watched their teammate run wild, one of the Amazons couldn't help but be a little jealous.

"No fair! Why does that lousy guy get the good magic!?"

"Focus, Tiona! I won't forgive you if you mess up the captain's plan!"

Taking a moment to stop, the sisters finally noticed the rumbling. Searching the battlefield, it only took a moment to find the cause. A flash of blue passed by the Amazons as Freya's chariot tore through the battlefield. Passing by Bete, the cat person gave his response to the raging wolf.

"You're cocky to think you have a chance this time, dumbass."

Bete's eyes widening as he raced after Allen, he shouted back.

"Oh yeah!? Get over here then, pussy cat! Let's really find out what that extra Level did for ya!"

As the two tore through the battlefield, a set of fang shaped, rust colored eyes followed them. As his next opponent was given to him, Ottarl's beastly gaze shifted away from the magic glowing in the distance. Since the Level Eight boaz was arguably the most reliable member of the party, Shay had tasked him with the strongest of the dragons as he continued to thin the cloud above. Defeating his opponent with a slash that made the ground quake, Ottarl spotted a white-blue light streaking through the sky.

~

Alright, this should be it.

As he transported the last two high Level dragons to his comrades, Shay landed once again on the back of the Night Fury Xenos. Picking off the last of the weaker dragons with bursts of purple plasma as the golden light of his Level Boost finally faded away, Shay downed a mind potion to help his building fatigue. In place of the dragons, a massive storm had been developing as they fought, now looking like a sizable hurricane with its eye right over the Valley of Dragons.

"Let's get back down. We need to talk to Finn."

As they returned to stable footing, the healers were busy at work fixing up the main fighters of the group as they prepared to face the day's main challenge. Nobody was seriously injured, but there was certainly a measure of fatigue and intimidation that was setting in. After facing the horde of incredibly strong dragons, all the fighters were thinking the same thing.

'That wasn't even the real battle.'

As he himself considered this, Shay looked to the sky. The scene had been bright before, but under the building storm clouds the party was cast in an eerie gray. As he walked up to speak with Finn, he noticed the prum clutching his thumb. Following the gaze of his leader, Shay saw exactly what the problem was.

…!

A monumental claw clutched the peak of the nearest mountain. As the One Eyed Black Dragon's somewhat skeletal wing emerged from behind it, everybody in the party was completely silent. Nobody was surprised, noone was stunned. But even still, not a single person dared to speak.

As its head breached the skyline, everybody instinctively prepared to meet their end. A deep red glow beginning to spill out into the atmosphere, Shay noticed it had its origins in between the scales on the massive beast's throat. As he noticed the damaged scales shifting on one side of the dragon's face, Shay realized the time for action was this very moment. With Riveria hastily beginning to cast a barrier as she realized the same, the dragon built up an absurd amount of magic energy in an instant. Spreading the tendrils of his lightning among every member of the fighting force, Shay activated his magic just as the One Eyed Black Dragon unleashed its calamitous breath.

—BOOM!

A flash of heat seared his skin as his vision returned to him amid the shockwaves. The wind howling towards them as they looked towards their previous position, the party was frozen in awe.

Calamity.

There was simply no better word.

This thing's easily Level Ten…!

As he judged the legendary dragon's attack, Shay realized that there could be no defense against such a thing. The ground where they had stood was no more, instead replaced with a fifty meder wide orange lake, burbling flakily as the freshly created lava began to cool in the atmosphere. As the heat spread downwind and through the ground, the party's footing was already becoming uncomfortably hot, most of the snow having evaporated the moment the attack was unleashed.

This is the beast from the Dungeon Oratoria…

The calamity that had destroyed the previous strongest generations with no mercy. The evil monster that had robbed Aiz and so many others of their families. This was the calamitous Black Dragon of legend.

Looking to Aiz as the storm winds picked up, Shay saw a hateful scowl. At the front of the formation, she was the only one who retained her hate amid the intense pressure. The beast slowly striding down the mountain as its massive figure cut out a terrifying black shape, the party of Heroes prepared to sacrifice themselves. Lightning building up in the clouds above, the dragon let out a roar, attempting to crush the party and their spirits in one fell swoop.

~

Our morale is in a death spiral…!

As the swirling clouds lit up in response to the dragon's roar, Finn searched for something to give his allies hope. Recognizing another incoming attack as lightning built above them, he started to call on Shay to transport everyone once more. As he was about to shout, he was stopped by a streak of white-blue and gold racing out in front of him, and throwing a weapon to the sky.

"Shay—!"

The adventurer appearing a kirlo above the party in a sheath of lightning as the clouds above flashed a blinding white, a piercing thunder rang out across the plains.

The prum's eyes adjusting the quickest, Finn was the first to see what had happened. Shay was backlit by the flashing clouds as he held his spear to the sky, taking the lightning all on himself. As it forked to and from his body, he asked for the help of his Spirit, pointing his arm at the dragon who'd sent the attack.

Fantastic work, Shay…this…is exactly what we needed!

As the unbelievably thick bolt of brilliant white lightning shot out towards the unstoppable calamity, Finn took advantage of the changing tides. Shouting above the howling winds and magnificent thunder, the prum Braver roused his allies.

"Hear me, great Heroes!"

The stunned adventurers felt a rising courage in their souls as the diminutive prum stood at the front of their forces. Over the repeated chanting of Aiz's wind magic and accompanied by a hopeful ring, Finn continued resolutely.

"We have the blessings of the Gods and the magic of the Spirits, but make no mistake! Ours is a story woven by mortals!"

As Shay fell down from the sky, he sank into Riveria's jade healing light. With Ottarl's war cry and the support of both Riveria's and Haruhime's blessings, the party ran to meet the imposing dragon as it descended from the mountain. The beast's scales were still smoking, Shay's redirect having hit home and done a barely noticeable amount of damage. The forking burns on his skin still sizzling, Shay smiled as he heard his captain do what he did best.

"The Mercenary King! The Zeus and Hera familias! These Heroes stood before this same beast and fought for the sake of the mortal realm!"

As he watched his comrades rush headlong into the jaws of death, Shay couldn't help but be reminded of the Heroes of the Oratoria. Readying himself to enable their victory, he stood back up as his comrades got within a hundred meders of their opponent.

"And we must do the same!"

As Finn's words echoed through the air Shay Blinked to Ottarl's kunai, running beside him. Chanting his magic as he raised his sword, the boaz prepared to strike. Throwing a kunai above the great dragon and Blinking to it, Shay tossed it down at the beast's neck before maximizing his perception of time. Blinking back to Ottarl and then transporting the two of them to the projectile, Shay's hand was on his comrade's back as Ottarl's gold-wreathed greatsword crashed into the angularly scaled neck of the One Eyed Black Dragon.

—CLANG!

The moment Ottarl's sword was deflected, the two disappeared in another flash of light.

Damn…! This thing's just ridiculous…!

As the vicious claws of the massive dragon tore through the air where his comrades had just been, Allen took his turn. As the most agile fighter in Orario, Allen was quite possibly the only one Shay didn't need to worry about with this strategy. Trusting his old familia members to handle themselves for a moment, Shay Blinked to Gareth as Allen's blue light rushed in and out of the dragon's legs, attempting to shake the beast's foundation.

Amidst the rapidfire clashes of Allen's spear on the dragon's scales, Gareth spun his ax as Shay readied another attack. This time aiming for the dragon's functional eye, Shay tossed his first kunai. The beast intelligently waiting for the flash of lightning, it swiped as soon as the pair Blinked into existence beside it.

Throwing the kunai again just before the massive claws made contact, Shay Blinked Gareth and himself just barely past the counterattack, sailing towards the beast's menacing eye. Just barely able to move its neck in time, the great dragon tilted its head downwards, Gareth's ax denting itself on the beast's scaled brow.

Come on…!

Getting them out of there as Riveria built up her magic from the back lines, Shay once again heard the voice of the Braver.

"We are the great Heroes of this generation!"

Braver, who wished to become the hero of his race. The Warlord, who wished to serve his Goddess victory. Vana Freya, who wanted a safer world for his sister. Vanargand, who wanted the weak to stop crying. The Sword Princess, who wanted to avenge her parents. Gjallarhorn, who wanted to fulfill the promise he'd made to his ancestors.

—Ring!

And of course, there was him.

Argonaut, ferryman of the Heroes.

As Shay felt Riveria's magic energy reaching a crescendo, he Blinked back to her, transporting her to the front lines accompanied by the sound of a grand bell.

—Ring!

With no hesitation, Nine Hell unleashed her magic.

"Incinerate, sword of Surtr—My name is Alf. Rea Laevateinn!"

As pillars of fire shot up from the ground into the great dragon's underbelly, Allen, Ottarl, and Gareth all scattered. The only one who stayed let out a wild roar as he sprinted headfirst into the flames.

"Bare your fangs—and devour all! Hati!"

The dragon roaring in anger as it was hit with the full force of Orario's greatest mage, it didn't notice the wolf that had snuck in beneath.

"We will face this great dragon, and this time we will see victory!"

Finn's words compounding his courage, Bete rushed towards the beast's back leg, his scarlet flames building to an absurd degree. In his most powerful attack, the wolf unleashed a flying kick to the dragon's leg.

"Diiiiiiieeee!"

The plume of fire expanding outwards with a massive explosion, the spectators couldn't believe their eyes. Through the flames, they saw the hope-giving sight of the legendary beast stumbling.

It worked!

"Guided by the lightning, protected by the wind!"

Rescuing an injured Bete as the dragon tried to snuff him out, Shay just barely managed to get them out before their previous position was turned into a crater. As he heard another chime of the grand bell, Shay threw a kunai as high as he could into the dark clouds, Blinking back to Aiz as he yelled to his comrades.

"Get clear! We're finishing this!"

~

'Wouldn't it be nice if you met a wonderful partner, too?'

Echoes of her mother's words mingled with those of her father as she focused on building her wind.

'I hope that someday, you find a hero—your hero.'

As she was brought back to reality by a flash of lightning, Aiz felt the firm grasp of Bell's hand as he entrusted everything he had to her wind. Her captain's voice ringing in her ears as Bell gave a confident smile, Aiz prepared to give this story an ending.

"We will bet everything on the white light of the Argonaut!"

—Ring!

As the grand bell rang out for the final time, Shay transported the pair to his airborne weapon with a sharp chirp. As the silver wind swirled around the three Heroes, Shay spotted the patch of darkness upon the plains below. Preparing his highest stakes attack, Shay gauged his comrades one last time.

"Ready?"

Returning his gaze with resolute ones of their own, Bell and Aiz prepared to attack, the latter strengthening her wind as Bell maintained his charge.

""Yes!""

Activating Sylph and maximizing his Dexterity, Shay threw his kunai down as fast as possible towards the dragon before Blinking to it. The three emerging from Shay's sheath of lightning halfway to their opponent, Shay threw the kunai again, doubling their speed as they Blinked the rest of the way down.

As they watched their comrades careen towards the One Eyed Black Dragon at ridiculous speeds, the vision of everyone present was overtaken by a brilliant white light.