Once there was a small town in the outskirts of civilization.  As such towns go, it started as a farming colony, spreading to mining, woodcutting, and other endeavours.  The town grew prosperous, and started to grow in population as well.  Naturally, as comes with a growing populace, crime also rose.

  One of the peasants of the town managed to calm more than his share of ruffled feathers.  His abilities were noticed by the town council, and they appointed him peacekeeper of the town, giving him the town sword - an impressive and beautiful blade left behind by one of the warriors who helped hew the town from the wilds.

  The peasant peacekeeper did his job well.  He managed to keep barfights to a minimum and track down or find ways to have stolen properties replaced.

  All was well until the day a fancily clad warrior came to town.  This warrior wore highly ornamental armor, and carried a smirk on his face.  Clearly a warrior of noble blood.

  This fancy warrior came before the town council and spoke to them, "Your troubles are over, my good fellows! For I have arrived to ensure peace and prosperity for your town!"

  The town council told him that they were quite happy with their current peacekeeper, whom they summoned to the meeting, just in case.  When the peasant arrived, the noble warrior's smirk let loose a mighty laugh.

  "Ha ha!  You call this charlatan a peacekeeper?  He's naught more than a mere peasant! Whereas I, my magnificent self, am a true and noble Defender of Justice!", shouted the nobleman.

  The noble warrior unfurled a scroll in front of the council, stamped with many impressive seals and finely inked letters, which declared that the bearer was that hero's pride, a bonifide and certified Defender of Justice!

  The council was quite impressed by the document.  But their peacekeeper, they told him, had done well by them, never having had to even use the Town Sword once.  The Defender of Justice laughed once more.

  "This meagre peasant cannot know the finer points of swordplay!  I bet he cannot even lift that sword, much less swing it with the grace and beauty of a Defender of Justice!", gloated the noble warrior as he produced his epee and began stabbing it about the air in very rapid fashion.

  The peacekeeper of the town had enough at this point.  He placed his hand upon the hilt of the Town Sword, a threat that had stopped most all from such foolery.  But the noble warrior was not an ordinary fellow.  With blinding speed the smirking warrior zipped his epee all around the peacekeeper, then sheated his sword before the peasant had his hand fully upon the Town Sword's hilt.

  The peacekeeper was confused at first, then felt a draft.  His peasant clothes fell to the floor in shreds.  The noble warrior once more laughed, and the town council joined him.  The peacekeeper was shortly thereafter dismissed of his duties, and the Town Sword was given to the Defender of Justice, a true Hero, to defend their burgeoning town from evil.

  The peacekeeper returned to toil in the fields, and all was reasonable well in the town, as all criminals were presented with that cerification in their face and a hearty boast from the Defender of Justice that their Evil shall not go Unpunished!

  A moon or so after taking charge, word came to the Defender of Justice that there was a horrible monster attacking travelers on the road to town.  A giant Gog, with more Maws than a peasant could hope to count, was chewing up all manner of goods and people.

  "Ah ha!  A worthy challenge for the Defender of Justice!", boomed the noble warrior, who took the Town Sword and headed out to meet his challenge.

  When he came upon the Gog, the noble warrior let loose yet another speech, "Foul creature of Darkness!  Your Reign of Terror ends here and now, for you face, the one and only Hero of this town, a true and noble Defender of Justice!"

  Instinctively, the noble warrior held out his certification before the monster.  His constant smirk faded quickly as one of the Gog's Maws clutched the parchment and chewed it up.

  "You... You vile demon! That parchement is too fine for your monstrous stomach! Prepare yourself, fiend, for you now must face the wrathful blade of the Defender of Justice!", declared the noble swordsman.

  The warrior drew the Town Sword from his hilt and thrust it at the monstrous gog, straight down one of its throats.  The Maw came crashing down upon the sword, which shattered from the pressure of the Maw, showing the blade's age.  The Defender of Justice's smirk faded quickly, as he turned tail and ran for his life.

  The peasant peacekeeper was harvesting crops in the field as he saw a strange sight... The Defender of Justice came running through the fields, trampling crops and crying, "Save me!  I'm too important to die!"

  Shortly behind the Defender of Justice came the Gog.  Seeing this monster, the peacekeeper gripped his scythe tight and leapt into battle, hacking away the tentacles that support the Gog's many maws.  Once divested of its extra mouths, the scythe was firmly planted in the body of the beast, killing it.

  The noble warrior was set to work in the fields, to repay the crops he damaged and the loss of the Town Sword.  The peasant peacekeeper was reinstated with the council's deepest apologies, for they failed to grasp a lesson when they should have:

Heros are defined by their actions, not their titles.