Freelance DxD

Life 54: Boar of a Problem

"Haaah, there, that should be the last one. Finally!" Mizukume said down on a stump as Yuki stamped on what had to be the last of the demon boars they'd spent the past couple of days rounding up and stomping out. The blue-dressed fox girl sighed as her tail bobbed back and forth, and as could be expected, Taiga was sleeping… while on top of a bunch of the dead boars. "That is the last one right?"

"Has to be. We cleaned up all the ones your Shikigami didn't. There couldn't possibly be any left." Yuki remarked, flicking her fan open. "At the least now the rest of our time here should run in peace."

"Hmmm, I'm so vexed! I wanted to spend time with Danna-sama but then this happened… and that Fallen Angel girl just scares me." Mizukume muttered, her tail puffing up at the memory of the raving mad Astra. "Though I suppose things cannot always go so well. But it is my duty as a wife to show patience! Time is on my side!"

"You're a lost cause." Yuki muttered, a hand to her head, then her own ears twitched, Mizukume and Taiga perking up too. "That's not a good feeling…"

"Feels icky!" Taiga said.

"Oh this won't be good…" Mizukume murmured. "Though… perhaps we don't need to worry about it considering who's here."


"Achoo! Ugh… the hell?" Soren grumbled as he rubbed his nose from the sudden sneeze, grumbling something unintelligible as the fishing rod in his hand jolted from the movement. "Crud! Shook it too hard…"

"Nghnghngh… c'mon! Catch something good, I've been sittin' here all day waiting!" Kuroka was next to Soren, glaring down at the water in front of them. This day Soren had elected to go off to one of the fishing spots along the beach he'd read about, and tagging along on this venture was of course Kuroka, intent on making sure Soren caught fish that would be good to eat. Along with them was Jeanne, surprisingly… but maybe even more surprisingly of all was Hakunon, who too was holding a line cast out to the clear waters.

The little gathering was at one of the many piers of the island, though this one was at one of the beaches nearest to the city, well enough away to be a welcome quiet spot but also close enough hauling things back wouldn't take too long.

"Do you just have some thing for freshly caught fish? There are plenty around the various shops." Hakunon pointed out, Jeanne meanwhile scribbling in a note book when she saw something dart by, and to mark it she was still wearing the same glasses from the other day.

"It's a cat's sensibilities. Fresh prey is always better." Kuroka stated, Soren humming as he recast his line with a smooth throw. "Didn't take you for the fishing type though, Soren."

"My mom was way into it when I was a kid, and she taught me a lot about it. I think I know more about her favorite fishing spots than I do anything about Eonis outside of the capital city." Soren remarked, tugging the line here and there to tease the lure along. "Now what confuses me is why you showed up."

"Hm?" Hakunon glanced over as she was addressed, the neutral faced girl giving a small mutter as her line pulled up nothing. "I have free time is all. Neria is about done filing those issues we had, and from what I can guess from Cleo's surveillance, the Mae sisters just finished cleaning up the leftover boars. That should mean things will finally be quiet… and I can meter out the rest of this tenure in peace."

"Ahaha, yeah I know the feeling." Soren mused, and he hummed when he spotted a few dolphins streak by under the water. "Weird… one of those looked familiar."

"Oh, that's because the aquarium animals often leave their tanks to swim out in the waters around the island. It's more room for them." Hakunon said, Soren shaking his head.

"No I mean that one looked like the one I swear kept splashing me on purpose at the show." Soren grumbled, pointing as it went by again. "See! That one!"

"Oh I'm sure it's nothing. A lot of people got splashed." Jeanne said, scribbling things down again, Soren shaking his head as he stared.

"I just know it was that one aiming for me… dammit I'm being pissed about a damn dolphin! Chill and focus…" Soren let out a breath to relax himself, and he smirked when he felt the line twitch hard, yanking the line up and feeling a sudden resistance. "HAH! Caught a bastard!"

Soren reeled the line in and then yanked right up, the others aweing at the large fish that came sailing out of the water, Soren smirking as it sailed up-only for a particular dolphin to shoot out of the water and immediately snatch the fish up along with breaking the line. Things went quiet, and a low sound was coming from Soren's throat as the splash of the dolphin falling back to the water sounded.

"THAT'S IT I'M KILLIN' IT!" Soren immediately went to jump off the pier as a spear appeared in his hand, Jeanne immediately shooting up and grabbing Soren from behind to keep him from doing so, though he thrashed about as a result. Kuroka however seemed filled with the same killing intent as she balefully gazed as the skipping dolphin. Hakunon just looked confused by all of this. "Lemme go Jeanne, I'm gonna gut that smug excuse for a mammal!"

"You can't do that!" Jeanne said, Soren yelling. "It's not right to just attack animals because it followed it's instincts!"

"Instincts my ass! First the damn thing splashes me with water, then gets its friends to glare at me all damn day in the aquarium! Those I can fuckin' deal with, but nobody, not even a goddamn jackass sea creature, fucks with my fishing!" Soren had managed to nearly clamber up onto the rail in full, Jeanne desperately holding onto his waist, but the difference in strength was clear since she was nearly off the ground.

"Let him do it Jeanne. That damn thing deserves it." Kuroka coldly muttered, her baleful gaze enough to freeze over the ocean itself were it possible.

"I still think it's a bad idea!" Jeanne said, peering over and seeing the dolphin, who even when raging Soren noticed had a weird scar on its head. "But that was a bad thing to do on your end as well! Shame on you!"

"This is officially one of the most absurd things I have ever seen. And I was in SERAPH with Soren when THAT happened." Hakunon remarked, the dolphin shrinking away as Jeanne scoldingly glared at it.

"What happens in SERAPH stays in SERAPH!" Soren remarked, that seemingly snapping him out of the immediate rage a bit. "I'm still gonna kill him."

"Please don't! It's not worth it!" Jeanne pleased, Soren giving a growl as he glared at the dolphin some more, and with a sigh he dismissed the spear. "Thank you."

"Only because you're asking me." Soren muttered, Jeanne's face immediately going red as she then dropped off Soren, while Kuroka was mewling in annoyance. "Uh… Jeanne?"

"I-I'm fine! Just felt a little weird for a moment." Jeanne said, Soren leaning down and tilting a head. "S-Seriously, I'm fine."

"Really? Your face is really red… wait… no way am I walking right into that one. Just be honest will ya?"

"I-I honestly don't know. I just felt… ahh!" Jeanne suddenly yelped in a sweet voice when Soren tapped her neck, the boy raising a brow. "Ah-ahhh… wh-why did I just…"

"Weird but… hm." Soren shrugged and stood up, flinching when he felt something in the air, turning around and off to the horizon. "The hell? Hey, anyone else just feel a weird presence just now or is the paranoia finally setting in?"

"I felt it too." Jeanne said, closing her jacket a bit as she stood, and Kuroka nodded as she perched on the railing, staring off.

"That was definitely weird. It's a dark one too. Hey Haku-girl, there anything weird in the deep out there we should worry about?" Kuroka asked, Hakunon humming as she reeled in a fish at last.

"Not that I can think of. Aside from the water dragon nothing too big is out in these waters that would be much of a threat. And the dragon sleeps in his cave most of the time." Hakunon stated, casting the line back out. "I'm not good with sensing things so I apologize if I'm not able to catch on to whatever it is."

"No it's not a problem… it was just weird." Soren murmured, folding his arms and clicking his tongue. "Let's at least keep an eye on that one yeah?"

"Good idea." Jeanne said, checking her notebook, the moment from earlier seeming to have passed. "Hmm… well there are the list I made. So how about this? Why don't get to the market to get the fish we need for lunch today? I don't think a lot of fish will be around after what we sensed."

"I can confirm that. I haven't had so much as a nibble since you all mentioned it. This spot is normally rather lively." Hakunon said, showing her hook still with bait on it. "Today certainly has an odd feeling to it now."


Soren let out a breath as he leaned back in the beach chair, the scent of cooking fish in the air as the beach was again lively with the present group, this time adding on Hakunon, and not very surprisingly, Neria and Cleo as well. Chatting away as the waves lapped on the shore, the air of things was relaxing. Though as he leaned back and closed his eyes, Soren had a different idea running through his head.

His eyes closed, and his mind shifted away, dropping back from reality and into itself. When Soren opened his eyes again, he found himself elsewhere. A grand garden that gave a full view of the expansive city beyond the building, and not far off from the building was the Citadel itself.

"This is… yeah, this is the Caelum Villa. This is the royal estate's garden and all, but why did I end up here this time?" Soren hummed as he looked around, walking through the rows of flowers until he neared the edge of the garden, looking out over the city below. Were this real no doubt he would see cars moving all across the roads below, people milling about their day to day lives like any other city. But this was just a reconstruction from his memories after all. The city was as empty as if it had been abandoned. "Bahamut! You've got something to do with this one do you?"

On cue to his call, the black dragon appeared in the sky and descended down, perching himself at the edge of the skyscraper, though his massive size made resulted in his claws digging into the concrete like it was nothing.

"Back in your dragon form? Thought you'd stick with the dragon knight." Soren quipped, Bahamut chuckling in response.

"Yeah but I'm a lot more used to this one. Just used to it more, so don't see a reason to not stay like this when I feel like it." Was the reply from the dragon, Soren sitting down in a chair at one of many tables strewn about the villa garden. "Something on your mind kid?"

"Yeah, and it actually has to do with this: You're one of the Astrals, hell the head one for that matter. What the hell happened that caused you to incarnate as a more typical Dragon in the first place?" Soren asked, Bahamut humming as he adjusted and leaned on one of his hand-like paws.

"That's one hell of a long time ago when I think about it. Like just before the Great War far back. Thinking on it… yeah. It had to do with the fall of the Nulheim Empire. You ever read about that in the history books?"

"Bahamut the last time I was in Eonis I was 11. Royal education wasn't that far in yet."

"Well to at least keep it brief, Nulheim is the joint kingdom that came before the current Eonian Kingdoms. It was the land that was around when Eonis was split from the rest of the human realm and turned into a place between the Outer and Reverse Sides. During that time… well let's say the Infernian and I had one hell of a disagreement that left it's mark on the land even a good few millennium later." As Bahamut spoke, Soren was seeing images behind the black dragon, images of a battle, of land being ripped asunder by blades and fire, of a bursting form of flame being snuffed out as it was finally forced to a stop. "Thing is we Astrals aren't that far apart from one another in terms of overall power. I won the fight but wasn't in any kind of good shape, to put it lightly. After giving the progenitors of the Lines of Kings their powers, I left Eonis. In order to regain the power I'd lost in the fight I reincarnated into this form I have now. What I didn't expect was to learn the hard way how much God disliked Dragons once I decided to step in between Ddraig and Albion's idiotic spat of a fight. Because of the differing nature of my powers that damned seal was placed on it… turns out Astral power and Heavenly power don't mix well."

"So as a result, you lost your memories of being the Bladekeeper, and the corrupted seal generated the Ruina Draco Gear as an unintentional byproduct." Soren remarked, Bahamut nodding. "Well never thought I'd hear about that God fucking up so hard."

"He sure as hell loved humans, but was kind of an ass to everything that wasn't them or Angels." Bahamut remarked, picking a claw between some of his fangs. "Though kind of a stretch to say he "loved" humans in a sensible way… there was that flood… and the whole Jesus thing. Though that was a Sacred Gear behind that one."

"So literally just divine luck of the draw huh?" Soren mused, a snide tone to the remark. "And that's how we ended up with probably one of the most infuriating, of many, religions in the world. Great… either way. How does it feel being back to your old self now old timer?"

"Hah, that actually feels like it's got some meaning to it." As he said that, Bahamut's form shifted, and rather than the dragon, now Soren was looking at the dragon knight, shrunken down from being absolutely gargantuan to more just a rather typical giant. "It's still sort of crazy to believe it's happened. Ophis is gonna hold it on my damn neck she was a help with it. Hahahaha! Now it's actually funny this time around Ophis is a little girl. Last time I saw that damn snake, she was an old man!"

"That's totally not a dangerous thing to say." Soren muttered, earning another laugh from the dragon as he reverted back to his previous form. "So I guess now the question is how am I going to get back here to Eonis."

"Sorry I can't tell you that much. It's easy for me cause I'm an Astral, but, well… considering my soul is bound to yours, I can't just drop us off there. Whatever method they have to travel there and back, odds are it's your old man who has that answer." Bahamut said, Soren nodding as he stood up and walked to the edge of the garden again, folding his arms as he looked out over the city.

"I can't help but wonder how this looks now. Been gone for almost seven years, and who knows how it changed after the war." Soren hummed, giving a sigh. "Let's back to things."

He closed his eyes again, and felt like he was rising upwards. As his eyes opened again to the sight of the beach in front of him, instinct immediately made him react, Soren catching a beach ball that came sailing right at him like a bullet.

"Darnit he woke up before it hit!" Astra clicked her tongue as she put her hands to her hips, Soren tossing the ball as he sighed with an amused smile on. "Don't go napping on us now Soren! No wasting time!"

"I had something to ask Bahamut." Soren responded, batting the ball back to Astra. "So, what's on the… oh great that feeling again."

This time everyone reacted to the sudden dark pressure in the air, though many present seemed a lot more on the side of miffed than anything at all. Eyes turned to the sea line as something began rumbling out of the water. A large dark shadow that eventually broke the water and revealed itself to be a gargantuan, dark furred boar with tusks as big as trees.

"Okay what the hell now?!" Soren shouted, tapping his foot on the sand in annoyance. "Neria, Hakunon, what's up with the giant boar?!"

"I have no clue! This is the first time I've seen it myself!" Neria said.

"Hmph! You fools don't even know who I am?!" The boar spoke with a rumbling voice, and seemed downright offended by how he huffed when everyone just nodded. "Why the… has my name truly not gone around?!"

"Look big guy as far as we know you're just a big boar that walked outta the ocean!" Anwen yelled, leaning on her surfboard as she said so, letting out a groan. "And to be frank you're in the damn way too!"

"Well now that is an attitude!" The boar said, looking at Anwen, the girl just glaring dead into the red eyes of the boar. "Wait… you! I know that scent! Yes… you carry the blood of that King!"

"What now?" Anwen grumbled, then humming. "Wait… by King do you mean King Arthur or something?"

"Exactly the one!" The boar declared. "I am Twrch Trywth, the king of boars! I rise today because I felt the dwindling presence of my subjects on this island! Who among you has been killing them hmm?!"

"… okay fuck this. I'm out! Someone else deal with this thing, I'm gonna go fish somewhere!" Soren, quite quickly, immediately decided to turn around and walk off, raising an arm with a middle finger raised as he wandered off past the tree line.

"Ah, Soren! Come on don't just leave!" Lucina called out, running off after Soren.

"NOPE! I ain't doin' this Rank B level stuff!" Soren shouted back, Lucina groaning as she vanished into the tree line after him.

"Alright then I guess it falls on me." Astra hummed, clearing her throat. "Alright, so Twrch Tr-whatever, can't freaking say that, Welsh is annoying-"

"EXCUSE ME WENCH?!"

"Oi!" Astra snapped her fingers on cue with it, then reaching to her neck and pulling off her rosary, the item spinning out into her scythe. "No names! Looksie here big guy, we're on vacation, and you showing up is interrupting that! There's one of two ways we can do this: You leave and dive back to whatever ocean hole you crawled out of, or I start cutting."

"Hah! What, you think that blade scares me? Foolish girl! The only foe to defeat me was King Arthur! Unless your blade is equal to Excalibur you will never cut through my hide!" Twrch charged as he bellowed that, Astra twirling her scythe around as everyone else present quickly moved to the side, swinging as she moved to the side of the boar, who scoffed as he came to a stop, seemingly untouched. "See?! Not a single…"

Though as the boar boasted, a red line appeared from the near-base of the tusk from top to bottom, the large structure coming off in a burst of rose petals as Astra spun her scythe behind her back as the boar lurched to another side due to the shift in weight while the tusk crashed into the ground.

"WHAAAAT?!"

"My lovely little Scuderia may not be a holy sword, but it is an Artificial Sacred Gear." Astra ran a hand over the flat of the crystalline blade of the scythe, an elegant smile on as she spun it again. "I've had dad tuning this thing up for months now, ever since I met Soren. A lady such as myself needs a weapon fit for her after all."

"She's slipped into her ojou-san mode." Jeanne noted, Anwen blinking rapidly as she stared in shock, Xenovia giving a hum.

"So, is this gonna keep up or what?" Astra asked, Twrch growling as he awkwardly rose up. "Oh, do you need that balance out?"

"Being smart now are we?!"

The boar attempted to charge again, and Astra hopped over, a slash separating the other tusk, Astra smoothly landing and following the slash up with several more as Twrch tried to turn back around, red lines appearing over the boar's body before bursting into rose petal bursting cuts.

"Well that hide is definitely thick if it's like that. You aren't even bleeding!" Astra hummed as she observed the cuts she'd made, which only just breached past the giant boar's fur. "Hmhmhm. This is going to be fun."


"Red through the air… yeah that's Astra all right." Lucina hummed as she looked away from the red flashes now filling the air back from where she and Soren had gone from, Soren casting a line over into a small lagoon. "How long do you think it'll take her?"

"Not very long." Soren remarked, pulling the line back and recasting it. Along with it an blast of red light went up. "Or maybe she's already done… yeah I think she's done."

"Ehehe… just how much power did she get from that boost?" Lucina hummed, Soren shrugging as he stood up and dismissed the fishing rod, he and Lucina leaving the lagoon and trotting back to the beach… where very quickly, they found Astra laughing as she stood before the now definitely defeated Twrch, the boar lying on his side, knocked out but not dead, surprisingly.

"Hmm, Scuderia's showing some strain. I'll need dad to tune it up again. Don't wanna break it now." Astra spun the scythe back into rosary form as she finished looking it over, turning as she noticed Soren and Lucina approaching. "You two were quick. Then again so was I! Hahaha!"

"I'm surprised he's not dead." Soren remarked, folding his arms. "But hey, good job."

"Of course of course! This is me we're talking about! I'll take my reward tonight." Astra laughed with a hand near her mouth, Soren sighing as he put a hand over his face.

"Hahaha, well done, well done! As expected of the child of Azazel, your power is quite impressive even if you have quite the ways to go." And that was when everyone turned as they heard clapping, approaching young man from before, the group reacting in surprise at seeing him. Neria meanwhile was now looking at the knocked out Twrch in curiosity. "Hm, judging by those reactions it seems you lot recognize me. That saves me some trouble."

"You're the guy from the peace treaty alright." Soren said, clearly on guard. "Didn't Sirzechs call you… what, Planeswalker or something?"

"That's more of a title." The young man removed his hat, his white hair falling around and revealing violet eyes with a mystical light within them, and one would be hard pressed to say he wasn't a stunningly attractive man. "Allow me to formally introduce myself. My name is Izunia Skia Solace. And as the good Lord Lucifer said, I'm what you would call a Planeswalker. It's a pleasure to meet all of you in a much less… let's say tense situation. No need to introduce yourselves, as I am quite well aware of who you all are."

"That's not creepy at all." Lucina murmured.

"Beat me by a second." Soren murmured, sounding impressed, Lucina giggling. "So then why are you here huh?"

"Well aside from having been curious how you would deal with the King of Boars here, I admit I've been keeping tabs on your for quite a while now, Prince of Noxis." Izunia placed his hat back on his head, Soren's eyes going wide when he mentioned the kingdom. "You've been the source of some interest to me as it has been. Though I feel speaking in front of a half-dead boar is, well, quite inappropriate. If you lot don't mind, how about I treat you to something at one of the establishments here hmm? I've been on something of a food tour as it is, and I was going to head to a buffet restaurant next."

"Is it that one they only let you into with a reservation?!" Anwen snapped, Izunia nodding to her. "Soren we have to go! I wanted to get into that place but the only reservation they had was next week and we're leaving in a few days!"

"What kind of buffet place has a reservation to it?" Soren muttered.

"It is actually quite lavish! I recommend it!" Neria shouted, now on top of Twrch. "I will be looking over this one! Mayhaps the tusks can be used for something! Cleo, get them transported!"

"Right away mistress!" Cleo said, Hakunon just sighing.

"Hmhmhm, quite the amusing lot." Izunia hummed, looking back to the Siegreich group. "So, is my offer appealing? Of course you will have to change out of the beach wear but, well, that's just common courtesy I presume. If you don't I will still tell you what my, well, deal, is. But I simply wish for a more appropriate place."

"You say too much to get across so little." Soren muttered, shrugging. "But, fine. You've got me curious now that you mentioned Eonis. Let's go with him."

"HELLS YEAH!" Anwen declared, throwing a fist up.

"Great then! Let's get going now, time draws short." Izunia said, already leading off… but, Soren and co. stood around for a moment, Soren giving a hum.

"There's still something shady about him… I don't feel any kind of ill intent but I can't shake it." Soren muttered, sighing as he put a hand behind his head. "Maybe I really am just overly paranoid sometimes."


A/N

And NOW we'll be getting to the fun parts of this volume. Took me frickin' long enough… doesn't really help I've got more work hours though so that's eating up free time during the week. But I'll take what I can freakin' get… in between playing Tales of Berseria cause damn me and getting into more RPGs.