[Riyute Village]
Riyute Village is a small village southwest of Melromarc Castle Town. Riyute Village is bordered to the west by a swamp, filled with poisonous monsters and harmless insects. To the north, the village is bordered by mountains. In those mountains lies an old coal mine, which is currently home to monsters after the first Calamity Wave.
Now, two very important people are walking through the village. Those two are the Shield Hero, Iwatami Naofumi, and his demi-human Raccoon companion, Raphtalia (who appears to be 10 years old). They are both making their way through the village, looking for a place to sell the items Naofumi created and obtained from the monsters and herbs they both collected, including the Usapil skin.
"How much would it be for everything?" Naofumi asks a vendor at a small stall in the village. "For everything, hmm, two silver coins," he says while holding up the Usapil skin. Naofumi narrows his eyes, a little disappointed at how little money he was able to get for everything. "Is there a place where I can get money quickly?" Naofumi asks, hoping to get more coins. "Hmm, you can get more coins by selling the ore from the mine, but..." "Is there a problem?" Naofumi asks, seeing the merchant's silence. "Well, since the first wave attacked, the place became a nest for several monsters, and no one goes near that place anymore," the merchant informs Naofumi. "I don't understand what those Cardinal heroes summoned in Melromarc are doing that still hasn't solved this problem."
"I understand," Naofumi says, preparing to go to the mine to look for those minerals. "One more thing," the merchant says before Naofumi leaves. "Yes?" "Around that area, there was also a young adventurer, saying he's going to look for rare materials, saying he wants to get strong enough to join one of the hero groups. If you see him around, tell him he still owes me for the healing potions I gave him." Without saying anything, Naofumi leads Raphtalia in the direction of the mine.
[Riyute Mine]
After a long walk, Naofumi and Raphtalia reach the entrance of the mine and enter a storage room near the entrance, where Naofumi finds three things: a sharpening stone, a mining pick, and a rope. Each one is absorbed by Naofumi's shield, and Naofumi is able to unlock three new shields. Pickaxe Shield*, Whetstone Shield*, and Rope Shield*. Naofumi noticed that unlocking the rope shield gave him an equipable combat ability, the "Air Strike Shield." When he tested it, he saw a green energy shield slightly larger than himself form. As Naofumi and Raphtalia walked deeper into the cave, Naofumi held a torch in his right hand and Raphtalia carried one in both of her hands. As they walked, Naofumi told Raphtalia that if a dangerous monster approached, she would flee and should follow its path. Raphtalia agreed.
After walking for several minutes, they finally reach a waterfall where they can see the ore the merchant told Naofumi about in the stone. Naofumi takes the pickaxe from Raphtalia and transforms his shield into the Pickaxe Shield, gaining an Equipment Bonus: Mining +1. He begins to chip away at the stone around the ore to extract the ore. As Naofumi begins to hit the stone, Raphtalia sees some animal tracks on the floor, similar to dog paw prints, while Naofumi celebrates having gotten his first mineral "yes, they will pay us very well for this" says Naofumi having the mineral in his hand, then looks at Raphtalia "now Raphtalia ..." was going to continue talking until he saw the face of his fellow Demi-human, Raphtalia's face was one of absolute terror, when Naofumi saw where the Raccoon was looking, he could see the silhouette of a large monster next to two pairs of red eyes and growls, when the creature could be seen completely it was a kind of two-headed black demon dog with a long neck, that same creature swallowed the tragic memory of the death of her parents to Raphtalia during the first Wave by the Cerberus.
When the monster fully reveals itself, Raphtalia lets out a great scream upon seeing the creature, and the monster attacks Raphtalia with intentions to kill, but Naofumi saves her by grabbing her and throwing himself into the precipice where the water awaited them to avoid his death. The two-headed dog*, seeing that his attack was avoided, becomes even more enraged and begins to use his enhanced sense of smell, searching for the scent of his prey.
Some time later, Naofumi uses his Rope Shield to obtain an anchor to return to the surface. Once on the surface, they are suspended by the rope of his shield. Raphtalia coughs a little and Naofumi asks her if she is okay. Raphtalia explains the reason for her fear, how during the first Wave, her parents had sacrificed themselves so that she could live. Naofumi, now understanding the reason why Raphtalia had those nightmares every night, when his attention is caught by the sound of footsteps and they see the Two-Headed Black Dog, waiting for them higher up.
Naofumi tells Raphtalia that if that is the monster that killed her parents and Raphtalia denies saying that it was one with three heads, Naofumi tells Raphtalia that she will have to kill the monster, so they can become stronger and that more children lose their parents, Naofumi intercepts an attack from one of the monster's heads while the other attacks Naofumi's shoulder, Raphtalia due to her trauma to the monsters can not attack, Naofumi seeing that she froze ordered her to attack, for not having followed the order the Slave Crest electrocutes her, seeing that this did not help, Naofumi told her to stop and run away, that he would take care of buying her time to flee, Raphtalia did not want to lose anyone else when she finally attacks the creature wounding one of its necks, the creature was going to counterattack against Raphtalia and when Naofumi was going to summon his Air Shield, It was when suddenly the noise of chains moving with force was heard and in that instant a ball with swells was flying until it hit one of the monster's heads bursting it, with a scream of pain the creature stepped back and both Naofumi and Raphtalias see where that attack came from "Who's there?" Naofumi asks to the shadow of the person who finished off one of the monster's heads.
From the shadows, a young man emerged. He had an athletic build, the result of his physical training. He was approximately 1.75 meters tall, with a confident and alert posture. His hair was dark, almost black, slightly disheveled by the wind and battles. His emerald-green eyes were the most striking feature of his face.
The weapon in his hands was unusual; he held two metallic disks that seemed to hum with a faint inner light. These disks were connected to his hands by thin, translucent threads that shimmered like gossamer but held the tension of steel cables.
The armor he wore was based on Tight Cloth. Beneath the plates, a garment of tight blue cloth with white and brown details can be seen, covering the torso and arms, acting as a comfortable and flexible base. The chest and shoulder plates are protected by light gray plates with red borders and details. These plates cover the chest and extend to the shoulders, where they connect with smaller, rounded shoulder guards, also in light gray; the arm guards are that the forearms are covered in white guards with red borders, leaving the elbows relatively free for ease of movement. Dark gauntlets are seen covering the hands; the leg guards are that the legs have white guards on the upper thighs and knees, secured with brown straps. The lower legs are covered in tall brown boots, and he wears a brown leather belt around his waist, from which hang several pouches and holsters, and his accessories suggest the carrying of essential equipment for the adventure.
"We'll sort that out later, now we must finish off this beast before the beast finishes us," he said.
Without saying more, the boy threw one of the disks. Instead of a simple strike, the thread spiraled through the air with surgical precision, looping tightly around the monster's remaining neck. With a violent, practiced jerk, he pulled the cord. The creature let out a strangled yelp as its head was forced backward, its windpipe crushed by the sheer tension of the wire.
The monster tried to lash out at Raphtalia in a desperate frenzy, but Naofumi activated his Air Shield, saving his partner. "Now Raphtalia, finish that thing!" Naofumi shouted.
The boy maintained the "Killer Yo-Yo Style," keeping the thread bone-taut to immobilize the beast. "Miss Raccoon, hurry! I won't be able to keep it held for long!" he strained, his fingers gripping the line as the magical thread glowed under the pressure. Together, Naofumi and the stranger pinned the demon beast down. Raphtalia, seeing the opportunity, plunged her short sword into the center of the monster's chests. Blood gushed from the wound, and the beast finally went limp.
Naofumi: +340 Exp
Raphtalia: +430 Exp
???: +360 Exp
As the adrenaline faded, the boy flicked his wrist, and the disks snapped back into his palms with a metallic clack, the threads disappearing as if by magic.
"Are you both okay?" the boy asked. He reached into a pouch and handed two flasks to Naofumi and Raphtalia. "...We're okay, thanks to you," Naofumi replied, inspecting the healing potion before taking a sip.
"But that doesn't answer the question from before," Naofumi said, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the strange weapon. "Is that... a Yo-Yo? I've never seen anyone fight like that."
The young man gave a small, confident smile. "Sharp eyes. Yes, it is. But it's not a toy. The disks are forged from Light Metal extracted from the Riyute mine, making them fast enough to defy the eye. As for the string, it's braided magic yarn—the kind used for high-end enchanted garments. It's nearly indestructible and reacts to my will."
"I'm Ichigo, Tatsuo Ichigo," he continued. "And you?"
Naofumi became slightly wary and replied, "I'm Iwatani Naofumi, and this is Raphtalia."
"Good. You two looked like you were in serious trouble. That thing wasn't just any monster—it's created by the Waves."
Naofumi eyed him with a hint of suspicion. "You're the reckless adventurer the merchant mentioned, aren't you? The one looking for rare materials."
Ichigo laughed lightly. "Guilty as charged. I'm an adventurer-in-training. I'm aiming to join one of the Cardinal Hero parties, though I haven't had the best luck so far. The Spear Hero only accepts women, the swordsman is too quiet, and the bowman... well, his 'justice' would probably make me want to hit him."
Raphtalia stepped forward. "You... really saved us. Thank you."
"You're welcome, miss. I don't like seeing good people get hurt. Especially not kids."
Ichigo looked back toward the tunnels. "I've already mapped a few areas. There's a vein of enchanted ore deeper in, but it's crawling with monsters. If you're heading back that way, maybe we help each other out?"
Naofumi looked to Raphtalia, who nodded. "Alright," Naofumi said. "But no more surprises."
Silence filled the space for a moment until Ichigo smirked. "No promises, Shield Hero—but I'll try to keep it interesting."
Naofumi's gaze darkened instantly. "How did you find out?"
"Well," Ichigo pointed to Naofumi's arm, "you're carrying a shield made of rope with a green gem in the center. Not exactly subtle. And I heard you shout 'Air Shield' during the fight."
Naofumi cursed his carelessness. "...And what will you do with this information?"
"Nothing," Ichigo said, suddenly dropping into a deep, ninety-degree bow with his eyes shut tight. "I would just like to ask Hero-sama if you would let me join your group. I want to help you fight the Waves of Calamity. Please!"
After a long, distrustful silence, Naofumi sighed. "Okay. But like I said: no more surprises."
Ichigo beamed. "Hai, General!" and began leading the way.
As the three began to return to the depths of the Riyute Mine, an unlikely alliance was forged: an alliance born of blood, danger, and a shared determination to survive and thrive in a world shaped by the Waves of Calamity.
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[Party Formed]
Naofumi Iwatani – Shield Hero
Raphtalia – Sword Wielder
Ichigo – Obsidian Flail
[Quest Updated: Clear the Riyute Mine]
Defeat Remaining Monsters: Incomplete
Recover Rare Ore: Ongoing
Return to Merchant: Pending
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Sharpening Shield: Unlocked by absorbing a whetstone.
special equip effect: automatic sharpening (8 hours), consumption (large)
Pickax Shield: Unlocked by absorbing pickaxes.
Rope Shield: Unlocked by absorbing rope.
special equip effect: rope
Two-Headed Black Dog: The Two-Headed Black Dog is an animal-like monster that strongly resembles a Rottweiler dog from Naofumi's world.
The monster is very similar to the Cerberus, but is considerably smaller in size and possesses only two heads instead of three.
The Two-Head Black Dog is one of the monsters that appear out of the several rifts in the sky during the First Wave and attacked Raphtalia's village. After the destruction of the village, the Two-Headed Black Dog, along with several other monsters from the Wave inhabited the old coal mines near the Riyute Village.
The villagers in Riyute abandoned the coal mines due to them being full of dangerous monsters from the First Wave. The Two-Headed Black Dog was later killed by Raphtalia when it attacked Naofumi.
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TO BE CONTINUED