My hiatus is long over and as promised another chapter has been posted with a lot of foreshadowing both obvious and buried between the lines.
Large crowds gathered in the town square huddled around in separate social circles arranged in association with another either by profession or relationships. Among them, guards stood in between keeping the peace while cautiously waiting. Hushed, but still loud whispering could be heard as they beheld the sight before them. Some were still trying to push away the crowds to peer into the event, but this was no ordinary calling. A city gathering unlike any other and the main focus of it lied in at the very center – the Four Monster Bandits solemn and filled with anxiety stood, the ones that were bothering Iliasburg's and the surrounding villages' locals. Many looked at them bemused, others were in awe or discomfort, and some even couldn't help but let their contempt escape from their souls
Yet anyone who would dare to even act upon that contempt would likely face dire consequences, for Luther towered over the small girls almost like a parental guardian. His apathetic frown only enforced his intimidating appearance that promised anyone that had the desire to hurt the little Monster's pain and possible death, along with him the other saviors of the city joined him. The Four Bandits felt underneath his vigilance and the tiny lamia cling to his leg to feel a semblance of protection
Luka try as he might, he couldn't exactly appear intimidating, although his status sure did bring an air of supposed untouchability to the people. Alice's studying gaze sent shivers down their spines, her mysterious presence garnered the respect of the people, and there was something about her, some unexplainable phenomena surrounding her that commanded obedience and fear in the people's hearts despite her rather provocative attire.
"We're so sorry for bothering you…" The tension was interrupted by the sudden wave of apologies thrown out at the people of Iliasburg, who seemed to breathe a collective sigh of relief as most of them relaxed. First, there was the sudden appearance of the strange heroes that rescued their city from its equally as sudden draconic oppressors, and then their bandit problem was solved by the same heroes. A puzzling godsend for this town…
"Geeze, the bandits were little things like this?" Most followed this example of slight, but thankful disbelief and even the city guards were relaxing their grip on their weapons.
"I saw them a few times, and I thought they might be kids…"
"We have to punish their leader. They have done harm to our community after all." Some voices stood out in their desire for justice however small it may be, especially some of the more devout followers of Ilias, though many appeared hesitant at the idea with the reveal of the childish origin of their annoyance. It didn't stop the small bandits from being afraid.
"And…what might you suggest? " Luther stepped forward, his voice cold, Tusk floating above him, the sound of his boots hitting the cobble bricks along with his stare silenced and made them retreat into crowds. "They're kids, and as far as it's to my knowledge they haven't done much damage, save for stealing some food to survive, which well…you're little town doesn't look that much worse off without it."
The citizens whispered fiercely amongst each other, the stand user heard small snippets of agreement, and the present military refused to pose as much as a warning to him scared of the consequence they might bring. Chambers was soon joined by Luka, offering a rational reprieve away from his companion's imposing presence. "They did apologize and promised to stop as well… in all honesty, I can't blame them for doing what they did. Living alone in a cave isn't easy…"
Painful silence passed after his reveal, the citizens of Iliasburg considering the life that their harassers have lived, few even looked a light bit ashamed.
"It seems like they're genuinely sorry, why not forgive them? It sounds like they lived a hard life." The owner of the Sutherland Inn suggested. The idea of forgiveness becoming more prevalent in the populace's mind.
"There were a lot of Monsters in the forest twenty years ago. Once the bandits showed up it looked like they fled." An older man, possibly one of the few elders added as he slightly approached closer. Monsters came and went into their continent either taking men, valuables, and resources. Leaving nothing but remnants of their destruction or having settled into the far corners, some even unknown to the most curious explorers. However this time it seemed the Monsters left more than pillaged land in their wake, they left their very children abandoned, it didn't matter whether it may have been a forced decision or one of free will, the people cared not."
"That hero does have a point - these bandits didn't really do much to us." A trader and tool merchant carefully eyed the dragon and vampire children." The only thing we were afraid of was the dragon and vampire."
Like that the tension ceased once more, very few of the less interested citizens were already leaving to go about their day. Luka's tensed up shoulders relaxed, his hold on the Angel Halo also loosened, as did Luther's defensive stance. The Monster children seemed more composed in the face of such acceptance.
"Well, it is like that then- stealing to survive and no home." The innkeeper paused for a moment gauging the reactions of her fellows and the Monsters. "I'm sure we'll be able to accommodate you here somehow, but that doesn't mean you'll get out scot-free. You'll have to put in an honest day's work to earn your keep."
"Okay…" The dragon girl and leader of the bandits responded but were soon surprised to be flooded with requests. This innkeeper's suggestion prompted many opportunistic sorts of Iliasburg to offer jobs suited to their unique talents, the local blacksmith knew the potential of dragon flames when applied to weapons and armor, a warehouse owner saw how casually the tiny goblin carried around her war hammer. Soon enough the crowds of people along with the city guards dissipated. A large majority satisfied with the conclusion, some remained distrustful but were glared away from the center by Alice.
"Oh, A happy ending for everyone!" Luka proclaimed, smiling brightly. For the humans of this city to so quickly accept the Monster meant that his ideas were certainly plausible, it meant a victory against Alice and her cynicism.
"For the most part, look over there." Amused Alice pointed over to Luther, almost all of the bandits already left to see to their new jobs, all except one. The Tiny Lamia remained latched on to the cold man, refusing to release him.
"Wait, you're leaving, can't I go with you?" The small lamia asked, looking up to him with pleading nearly teary eyes. Tusk danced around its user's shoulder at the prospect but was ultimately mentally silenced. Luther blankly stared back at the adorable Monster child with a slightly pained expression.
Again adorable but…I can't. Chamber knelt to meet the small child's eyes, he took a deep breath gently putting his hand on her shoulder, though by her pouting he noticed his mild parental gesture did nothing to ease the small girl's nerves.
"I'm sorry, but you can't go with me – too dangerous. All of your friends are here and you would leave them for someone you barely even know?" To say the least, Luther was bemused at this, he couldn't imagine trusting someone so deeply, although considering she did trust him during what was for her a life or death situation could have at least explained this behavior, but he still found it baffling to consider traveling with someone so readily.
"How can I stay here? No one offered me a job and the others ran off, this place is just too different! You're the kindest human I've met. You didn't hurt me and treated me nicely. I can't exactly say the same about this city, some of them don't like me even being here…I saw their stares…" The tiny lamia pushed him down from his burnable position, hanging onto and hugging his chest with her body with force much the same as she before in the cave.
"You'd still be safer here. Sentora won't be kind to you, safety isn't guaranteed with me and I'm practically a wandering hobo myself. Please…there are many people, Monsters and humans alike that would want and will hurt you, do yourself a favor, and stay with your friends. You might find a place to stay." He brushed her hair, swallowing a lump in his throat. At the side of his vision, he spotted his traveling companions approach him with a small dragon girl in tow, he knew had to finish this up quickly.
"Look…maybe… after my journey is over and I find a home for myself…I could go and take you back there if you want…" Lying, normally something he was used to at this point, yet he couldn't help but feel immense shame in the core of his soul, Tusk certainly didn't help with its screeching within. It felt like a part of his soul died with how the lamia's expression lit up like a bright sun as she wiped the very little tears that had formed.
"Really?" Out of excitement, she squeezed his body tighter with her tail, the man in her constriction yelped in pain.
"Yes." He hissed out. "Now, just let me go for a bit…it's getting uncomfortable…"
"Oh…alright, sorry." Her tail loosened from his body letting Luther get up, as if nothing happened between them, though the tiny lamia noticeable still hung close to him. They both turned to see the dragon girl approach.
"Hey, what are you waiting around here for?" The leader enthusiastically asked her sullen mood from before drastically different. Luka and Alice watched in silence, meeting Luther's grave and guarded stare.
"I…was saying goodbye and why are you asking me that? You're the one that ran off the first you got." The lamia child pouted, her friend flashed an apologetic smile.
"Well, I needed to see where to go, besides I went to look for you, didn't I?" The Dragonkin offered her a hand to her compatriot; small squabbles weren't going to break them apart that easily if years of sticking together showed them anything. "Now come on, we'll go look around."
But before leaving the dragonkin lightly slapped her head in realization much to the confusion of her friend. "Oh, right I nearly forgot!"
She turned to Luka and pulled out a shiny red orb in front of him, something she intended to sell, but given their reputation as bandits and Monsters, it wasn't likely anybody would be willing to take it off her hand without marginally lowering the price. If it couldn't be sold then it would serve another purpose. "You've helped us so much, so let me give you this."
"Uh…where did you get this?" Luka warily eyed the red gem in his hand, whatever it was it looked important and valuable; he even spotted Alice's curiosity at the sight of it. It was an object he couldn't imagine ever ending up in the bandits' possession, unless…
"Some rich people saw me by the hideout and ran away." She proudly exclaimed. To have simple humans run away in fear at the sight of you was both a blessing and a curse. They may not be able to legitimately interact with them, but the stuff they dropped ended up being useful sooner or later.
"The gem dropped out of their luggage." The tiny lamia added. "We think it might be a valuable treasure."
"I see…is it alright to give me something so valuable?" Let alone something that was stolen, he was hesitant to carry around such an unrightfully earned reward, even if he wasn't the one who took it. He shuffled it in his hand while pondering on it, eventually coming to a single conclusion.
"Ah that's it, I'll just have to find the owner and give it back to them." With a nod the fake hero held the shiny red orb more confidently, the Dragonpup looking all the more pleased at his decision at keeping the gift, especially if it was used for just cause.
"Once again, thank you! You might be a bully hero, but you are a good bully hero. Goodbye!" The dragon Monster skipped along the cobble streets although at a slower pace than usual letting her friend keep up. Her words made Luka choke up, particularly when combined with the smirk that his monstrous companion was giving him.
"Bully hero…" He heard her whisper as she let out a few chuckles, it was another name added to a list of nicknames she no doubt would think of in their journey. The boy shuddered at the thought, and it was already enough being called an idiot. Alongside the new idea for an insult for Alice, this was his reward – a gem of unknown purpose or origin.
The tiny lamia following her friend stopped for a moment, turning to the bizarre group of adventures as she gazed at Luther, hesitantly uttering. "Goodbye, I hope to see you again."
"B-bye." The older man barely responded, the weight of his lie finally dawning on him as watched her leave.
"Chu."He could feel his stand's sheer disapproval. An emotion he ultimately agreed with, not one of his damned lies came close to being as disgusting as this one. All of the others had good intentions and eventual beneficial payoff – he could live without being constantly pursued as an inter-universal traveler and his companion could continue without the burden of possibly forbidden knowledge. But this one barely had any justification or than to stop a child from pestering him.
Holy shit…I just lied to an orphan that I would adopt her… Luther forced down the bile and self-disgust down his throat, thankfully keeping all within himself, he needed to focus and compose his inner self before he broke down.
The man used the only thing that seemed to give some semblance of peace, Hamon breathing, although sparingly. However he didn't feel the serenity that accompanied its use, instead, a chill spread through his body and soul. Frostbite spread throughout his skin covering him in a white icy texture, it didn't burn or damage in any way, Rather a protective shell. A soft breeze started howling around him as he glowered at his hands
He felt empty…it stayed off his negative feelings enough, but the idea that he would attain any prospect of joy ended with it as well. Chambers stopped his breathing; better feel disgusted, than not anything at all…his hearing picked up on his friends' conversation, perhaps in an attempt to divert his attention.
"To think such a valuable thing is in such a place…I don't want a human to misuse it, at least there is no sign of silver or blue, so no issues here." Luther and Luka heard Alice mutter to herself and sigh, one of them already of the orbs' purpose – a way to get to the Hellgondo continent.
"Eh? Alice, do you know what this thing is?" Luka held it out to her as if showing it would do any better of a job at convincing her to reveal information, the purple-haired boy had a smidge of a feeling that he won't get anything from her.
"Of course I do, who do you think I am? Although it's probably for the best that I don't tell you." Luka huffed at her response, disappointingly shoving the red gem into his bag, they both glanced at Luther who was palming his face.
"Well, well…aren't you prime father material? I could have sworn, they would be crying all the way here. Now…where did a wandering loner like you learn to do that?" Alice inquired; it seemed the man took a complete one-eighty when he spoke with the Monster children. A soft speaking tone, bribing with candy, speaking to their level…it seemed too far off to what the Monster Lord saw within the man, such a capability for kindness didn't seem to fit Luther much to her opinion or rather the vision of Luther she created.
I will figure you out…eventually. Truthfully she didn't mind this mystery if it posed no danger, just another subject to keep herself preoccupied.
"Whatever it is, I'm sure you'll be a good parent someday…" Luka said, unaware that each remark tormented the man bit by bit. It wasn't as if he hadn't desired such a thing, but it was just impossible. His careless lifestyle could not hope to create a healthy childhood for anybody.
"I had helped take care of my younger brother, everything you saw was learned painstakingly, kids are…finicky creatures…it takes a certain amount of dedication to learn how to interact with them…probably because we ourselves often forget what's like to be so young…so innocent…" Luther remarked with a deep breathe needed anything to continue this conversation and keep his emotions at bay, disclosing some truth didn't seem too bad to him, in fact, it might have made him feel a little light in spite of how simple it might be, they even seemed to agree with the assessment about children with their silent nods
"Oh, where is he now? Can't imagine you just went up and left to traveling, leaving him all alone." The purple-haired hero curiously questioned him further, any amount of information on him was deeply desired for the boy, his strange friend certainly did have a way of intrigue the people around, whether it was intentional or not, perhaps it was just his mysterious presence…
"Alive and kicking, most likely doing better than I am." He laughed a bit from the self-deprecating jab, no pain came from, in the end, it felt justified and most importantly true.
"That's not much of a high standard for someone who is stranded on a continent." The purple lamia grinned wickedly, joining Luther's supporting Luther's bout of self-deprecation.
"Alice…" Luka grimaced, his own objection only serving as fuel to fire that was the Monster's amusement. "Uh…whatever…come on let's go, we need to stock up on more supplies in the market, luckily it's on our way out."
"No, she is correct…compared to him, I've hit rock bottom, but you'll help me get outright?" Chambers flashed a fake smile past his subtly pained expression, the boy needed more encouragement, last night training made it clear as day. And… it felt nice having somebody he could mutually rely on in these trying times.
"Of course, you'd help me and I help you." Luka returned his kind expression with his own as they walked to the city markets, their brains preoccupied on different topics, some were simple, and some more were more complex. For Luther, his mention of his younger family member brought back pleasant memories that kept him wandering in his mind.
It…would be nice to take care of someone like that again, it brought a bit of light to earlier days, sure it was a pain…but those better times with him were irreplaceable, a part of your life where you want to re-experience it again and again because the trials were worth it. Perhaps that's why I wanted to have my own; to know you helped bring in a person into the world and watched them grow is a gift. That girl likely grew up without any parents, alone. Such a shame, there are many more like her in this and my world…maybe just maybe…it doesn't have to be a lie…maybe I'll come back, be a good parent figure to someone who never would have had one.
Should I even get my hopes up? He scowled. Get those thoughts out of your head Luther! You can barely take care of yourself, let alone someone else…who would want some alcoholic down on their luck as a parent? What about my world, I have to go back, taking her with me is out of the question. That would cause many more issues when I get back. It's best for both of us if she stays.
"Such a strangely optimistic conclusion…I never expected that to happen." Alice quietly mused underneath the shade of the wide rooftops. However much to her chagrin, her voice was loud enough to be picked up on by her companions. They stood around in the marketplace catching many glances or stares of awe from the locals, but none of them seemed to have a reason or courage for that matter to approach them.
"Is something wrong with that?" Luther perked up from watching Luka recount his purchased supplies, after some time he realized he could ask a long intended question. It seemed unlikely for him to believe that the Monster would possess such an arrogant nature regarding her own beliefs, that she would desire even the worst outcome just to be proven right, his previous conversations with her didn't give that impression.
"No, of course not, though it does beg the question – how did these people living on a continent known for its anti-Monster sentiment come to accept them?" It didn't make sense for her, that they suddenly dropped this and accepted these little Monsters, who are widely regarded as the enemy in the Ilias teachings, into their community.
She had certainly expected more backlash from Iliasburg, which as the leader of all Monsters she would inevitably have to deal with, it would be a shame on her honor if her direct inaction hurt orphan Monsters. Still, it didn't mean she wasn't curious to investigate strange behavior.
"They accepted Amira." Luka and Alice stared at Luther while checking their surroundings as he had unknowingly uttered an unholy incantation to summon wile wretch from the deep depths of the world.
"Yes. But Amira is harmless and a bit of a special case." The Monster Lord quickly refuted, in her own eyes, that unfortunate lamia lack the complete capability to be intimidating to even humans, besides she hadn't exactly made herself a nuisance with the populace.
"Well this is a city, people here seem to be more open-minded, can't imagine that happening in my village," Luka suggested as he winced, remembering the times where a mention of Monsters riled up their fear that led to long term hatred. In the end, his idea was taken aside.
"Open-minded compared to a village that completely hates Monsters…" Alice pointed out.
"Eh…" The fake hero narrowed his eyes and then shrugged, a different and more concise reason was needed to convince, so he went with his second assumption. "Maybe it's because they were children and they haven't done anything serious."
"That and I don't think they wouldn't trust the judgment of the ones that saved their city," Luther added basic intuition from the way people observed them told him that they had formed a respective image of heroes in the eyes of the people, one that was hard to distrust. Coupled with a request that is only slightly discomforting to commit to - accept children into their community, only the ones that truly hate Monsters from the bottom of their heart could have qualms with this.
"Hoo… Trust out of status? It was not the only motivation…no..." She hummed, a familiar wicked smile returning to her face. "As far as they know it we are the ones that beat Granberia - a Monster who almost with little to no effort nearly razed the entire city to the ground. I doubt there is anybody here that has the spine to oppose someone who they think is stronger than that."
"I'm sure it isn't like that, can't you just put a little more trust in humans?" Luka sheepishly said, rubbing the back of his neck, though much of what he requested didn't reach the lamia's radar.
"Oh…but is, didn't you notice how the guards were shaking in their boots at the mere thought of fighting you when Luther approached that one burgher, I could smell the fear in their stench." Alice reminisced, her snickering sending shivers down the poor boy's spine.
Was I that scary? Luther awkwardly shifted remaining silent as ever, he couldn't imagine himself striking fear into the hearts of others. It seemed all too villainous for him to do so and to not even notice it, just as if it was second nature to him. Was all of that really necessary? The situation would have solved itself without his small intervention. Coupled with his lies, his committed murder he couldn't help but feel self-disdain, he could only hope he didn't have to anything else desperate.
"Chumimi~in" The presence of Tusk dominated his mind as he stared at his own fists, what he did was for a rightful purpose - defending somebody else's livelihood without actually harming anyone. A mere threat was all he did today. That was it…not a butchered corpse was left from his actions, just a bad day for some stranger.
"Maybe you are right…they did seem a little uncomfortable," Luka admitted, despite how cynical it was some of the people that gathered around them did seem to be a little frightened of what they were capable of.
"Of course I'm correct, people are a lot more complicated than you think. My judgment is more trustworthy than you think. After all, it was my call to save you from Granberia." Her slyness only grew at the sound of Luka's groan. Unbeknownst to them, a figure approached from the shadows.
"My beloved…" An eerily familiar hissing voice caused the fake hero to jump in surprise as his group suddenly turned their attention to their new company, a collective inner frustration smoldered within Luka and Alice at the reveal of Amira – the unfortunate lamia.
This is…the most surreal thing I've witnessed so far. Luther couldn't exactly describe what he felt as he witnessed the famous or rather infamous reverse lamia that was Amira, her appearance was relatively normal apart from the skimpy attire and most important feature of her snake part of her body including head and neck. Her appearance was thankfully too ridiculous on its own right to touch the uncanny valley as she presented herself.
She doesn't seem too repulsive. Perhaps the only positive aspect he could give her credit for was the lack of predatory gaze he was used to seeing on so many Monsters even on Alice, whether it was from an inability to do so because of her facial structure or simply because it wasn't too much in her nature he didn't care, though admittedly his scientist mind passed around about the logistics of having a snakehead.
Was she cold-blooded, although based on her clothes I guess not. Did she have the capability to see in the dark, how was her hearing? What about venom? He wondered, as there didn't seem to be a conceivable way she would be capable of hearing.
"Oh…you came back again." Differently from Luther's neutral, yet curious state Luka didn't seem to be all too chipper on meeting his "informant'.
"Of course I came back again. I'm surprised by the true heroine after all." She boasted, her voice failing to sound remotely attractive enough to make her sentence anything but wince-worthy.
"When did you become the heroine?!" Alice growled, she wasn't the only one to not take kindly of her words or her presence for the matter, it was as if she was a magnet for all the possible disdain that the Monster Lord and the Fake Hero could muster up meanwhile Luther and his stand could only stare in bemusement.
"And I see you have your other companion, the hero of heroes!" Amira exclaimed, now it was time for Alice and Luka to be shocked and confused, any amount of disgust they held for her vanished for that second. The people that walked by paid no mind to the unfortunate lamia's peculiar conduct.
"The hero of heroes?" Chambers repeated again and again in his own thoughts, all of his previous questions about her physiology vanished in place of another with a downright outlandish nature to it. He nearly experienced a mind crash as if he hit a sudden speed bump while going at light speed. A title he could never see himself wearing, let alone one of a regular hero. "Why call me that?"
"Why? Isn't it obvious? You're the one who saved my beloved, valiantly charging in against insurmountable odds to save your friend. Truly inspiring, a worthy contender for my heart, but alas my love remains true for you, Luka." Amira's revelation made Luther's company share a painful look of condolence at him as he began silently choking and heaving up. The unfortunate lamia remained unaware of his disgust.
Thank whatever god is out there that she didn't fall for me, yes… even you Ilias. I think…I think I understand now. A chill went down his spine as if Death itself appeared to him but a minuscule moment, yet admittedly it would have a much more desirable fate than whatever this was. Tusk within his body felt pity for the poor Monster but nonetheless shriveled up at the thought of ever being pursued by her, like a supernatural concept of distaste surrounded the very notion of her being attracted to him.
"Unless you'd be willing to fight for my love. Oh, how dramatic when two best friends fight for a maiden's heart." A bit of droll went down her mouth, as fantasy played out in her head with familiar faces participating in battles of wit and duels of fate for her, however soon it was drowned out by loud denial.
"No, thank you!" Luka and Luther yelled out in unison, with a huff their monstrous ally waved off such ridiculous imagination. There wasn't even the slightest amount of chance that such an event would occur between them, let alone for someone like Amira as far as the Monster Lord was concerned.
"Then I shall continue seeking for Luka's love, we are destined to be together and I will show you what I'm now capable of." With a click of her tongue, Amira's energy started to increase and gather, oddly into a heart shape. Luther felt her energy comparatively spike, yet there was something off about it, its flow was too disjointed with it cutting off at certain intervals. She directly faced Luka; the boy took a defensive stance, remaining slightly curious as to what was about to occur.
"Take this, heart splash!" Raw magic was about to be fired at the fake hero, however with a pink flash of light and agonizing screech she faded into nothing, leaving the group of heroes alone, relieved, but nonetheless a completely confused mess as they tried to process the situation.
Uh…my head hurts…what did I just witness? The stand user grasped his head. Amira's energy seemingly ripped itself apart adding to the dim and foggy environment. There were still minor traces of it left, leading to unknown paths.
"Chu…" Tusk and its user lamented. He was too confused to even begin to find the rapid pace of ridiculous events humorous. Amira's sudden screech of pain didn't help him either. Part of Luther hoped this wasn't the end of her appearances in his journey. It would have been too meager of a death for anyone to suffer. A fate he would not wish on anyone.
"That was…" Luka started, absolutely dumbfounded to the point where any other words he would've said were left on the tip of his tongue. He closed and opened his mouth multiple times over a minute.
"Completely idiotic." Luckily for Luka, the Monster Lord finished his trail of thought with her almost signature catchphrase shaking her head in disapproval. At least she wasn't the only one with disapproval. Luther's cold stare had taken a more lost and critical appearance to it.
"For once, agreed." That was all Luka could add to her comment.
"So…now that we are done with that, let's move on…." The fake hero suggested as he pulled out a map to desperately try to distract himself. They followed his example, slowly marching to the city's gates with him as their collective composure gathered itself bit by bit in torturously awkward silence. Luka focused his attention on the locations listed on the map.
"I'm not going to Sentora yet, I think... there are people that might need our help and some other strange oddities that are worth seeing." Luka's thoughts crossed on three of his remaining clear locations, he could immediately proceed with his goal and go to Iliasport to the north, but he decided against it leaving him with Enrika and…
"Happiness Village." Alice blurted out much to the surprise of the fake hero who shared a bewildered glance with his other human companion. A strange look of hunger crossed her face, but it was unlike the primal one of Monsters, it called for something more refined to fulfill her gourmet taste.
"Eh? What? Why?" While Luka had no particular objection to going to the village, after all the community there was in danger and he wouldn't be able to begin calling himself a hero if he ignored their desperate plea for aid, but curiosity would no doubt manifest in the face the sudden shift in Alice's opinion. Why did someone who constantly complained about his decision in helping stop the bandits instead of immediately going to Sentora face turn and demand to take a detour? It didn't make any sense for the boy.
"Happiness Village now." The Monster Lord repeated it would have seemed childish were it not for the complete dead serious tone she took on.
"If you're going to waste my time trying to help everyone down, to the last child who lost their doll, might as well make yourself more useful and go to Happiness Village, let me have a bit of their famed honey while we are there. It would be beneficial for both of us." Alice glanced at the opened gates, a determination never seen before brewing in her eyes.
"That sounds good, you did mutually agree on this journey so follow through with her deal." Luther chimed in. "I can wait a while longer before we go to Sentora."
"Chumimi~in" Tusk jumped in excitement, a perfect opportunity to steer them away from the mainland and buy more time appeared and Luther took it, nothing too deceitful, just a small agreement to push things along. It was mutually beneficial; he had more time to think while Luka needed more time to train and get stronger, which he so desperately needed if either of them wanted to survive.
"See even Luther agrees with me." Alice proclaimed victory like a child letting out a fake boisterous laugh.
"I'm good with that. Happiness Village, here we go!" Luka beamed, to have them all agree on a decision was truly a wondrous moment that meant no arguing or constant complaining from Alice and it seemingly gave Luther more life in that cold frown. He hoped this happened more often, simply for the sake of his sanity and his friendship with them.
As they passed the gate into the mountainous wilderness and the troubled village awaited them Luka remembered his last private conversation with the older man, he took each step a little stronger than before.
Tress upon trees they passed by into a grassy semi-hilly landscape that quickly became familiar to them, a stroll in the wooded path, wind rustling and calmly disturbing the overgrown fauna that flew its flowery and sappy scents into his nose. Luther could almost call it therapeutic…almost if it wasn't for the various thoughts, problems that haunted him. From basic anxiety that came with being in an alien world, to more recent events that left less than a tasteful outlook on the future. He glanced around like a hyperactive child looking for any distraction, an interesting conversation, a sudden disturbance, the man wouldn't even mind if a Monster appeared before his group if it meant he would have some reprieve from his stressed mind. At least Tusk, the most amazing companion he could ask for to accompany him on this journey, knew when to give him space.
Right…another problem to deal with. How do I even begin to unravel this mess… Through sheer coincidence Chambers made the mistake of making his gaze linger on his friend's sword – the sealing blade Angel Halo, which somehow despite its broad size rested neatly in its sheath. He remembered it, how couldn't he? In a stroke of his bad luck, the blade turned out to be alive and suffering in its sealed state and he was the only contact they had seen in centuries. In hindsight he should have considered it true sooner, he didn't need a first-hand introduction.
So many years alone, trapped with no hope of escape or sweet release by none other than their own sibling, the greatest of their peers…obliviously used as nothing more than a tool, and then discarded awaiting use again in canon. A fate possibly worse than death, he wagered. The man knew what it meant to be alone in his large period of isolation, it wasn't literal, but it sure as held the same feeling. He couldn't imagine spending any longer than a few years at most in such a state, this was something that needed changing. What shreds of decency left in his consciousness screamed for him to fix this.
Perhaps whatever fate that befell them was deserved, maybe Lucifina had a good reason for doing this atrocity to them besides a practical one. Angels aren't as good as they'd like you to believe in this world, truly no different than Monsters, they don't deserve your pit-…no…stop, don't. SHUT UP! The stand user growled in self-disgust, whatever crimes they may have committed it didn't matter to the man, they already paid for it with their punishment enough. Mending was needed. He could heal them, with Hamon. The logistics of which he cared not to question, it simply had a calming and charming property to Monsters and possibly angels. If not to free them, then he could at least ease their pain with his company and his technique. Problem was…
They probably hate me…I don't blame them. He was scared of facing them again; they nearly tore him apart the first time they met. The only contact they had left them, it would no surprise if they responded with hostility upon greeting them. He would too. To be abandoned by your fellows only to meet them again wasn't anything new to him; his hatred for them grew afterward only to be drowned out by hope and desperation to rekindle his friendship. Those angels did not have this. And what would he even tell them? That she should suffer a bit longer…for the sake of a world they probably don't care about.
Luther restrained the urge to slam his head against a tree and scream out to the whole wide world about all of its injustice, but his current company made it hard for him to do exactly that. It did grant him an idea to eavesdrop on their current conversation; it would only be respectful if he at least provided some opinion on matters.
"By the way… do you know why it is called Happiness Village?" Alice already knew the answer, she was the one that brought a world travel guide with her after all, it was only a matter of testing Luka's knowledge (and potentially insult him) to keep herself entertained.
"Is it because they're all happy…?" The boy guessed and shrugged, in his training, he hadn't wondered a lot about the other villages residing in the same continent nor did he have much opportunity to do so given the only books he got his hands on were in the temples, not much of them had information on minor trivia.
"You're an idiot. The name is derived from the nearby Harpy Village." Alice corrected, shaking her head at her fellow traveler's lack of knowledge of the very continent he resided in.
"That implies the village has been there for a long time, what's a Monster settlement doing in here and for such a long time? I thought Iliasburg was known for its anti-Monster sentiment, how could it exist out in the open?" Luther interjected, his tone being of strange desperation, his movements shaky. Another question to preoccupy his mind and push out all the awful out was deeply desired for the man
"You're half correct in your assessment. This continent was the last one to be settled by Monsters. Humans have lived here in peace for a long time with no one else contesting it, villages, towns came and went. Due to some accessibility issues and the pure zealotry of Humans, Monsters were hesitant in traveling there, but fervor faded and migrations began occurring once people realized how soft and weak the human populace had become. The harpies are no different from the other Monster settlements that settled here, despite that anti-Monster sentiment it's safer, because of the lack of manpower your towns have. Though comparatively there are still not many Monsters here." She studiously explained, as a ruler, it would have been shameful if she had no education on the history of her own subjects. It was a necessity, to fulfill that requirement of skill and knowledge that came with being a Monster Lord
"So even if the village's location is known, there is actually no threat that can be posed to them." Luther summarized, glad about another subject to keep him company. He always found pondering history fascinating. There were so many factors to consider.
"Exactly, besides that most heroes can't match up to queen level Monsters, they often end up being leaders or guardians of these settlements." Alice confirmed his summarization with a smug expression.
"I'm just glad there aren't many Monsters on Ilias, less likelihood of fighting someone." Luka concluded, relaxing ever so slightly at the explanation, although his monstrous companion's wicked grin he wouldn't have this peace and comfort
"Enjoy this while it lasts, Bully Hero, many stronger beings are waiting in Sentora, hungry for your semen. "
"Uhh…" The fake hero groaned out, it was already hard enough to acknowledge the fact that there were more powerful Monsters hungry for his essence in the other continents but to be reminded of that Ilias forsaken title was another matter in its entirety.
"It'll be fine, you'll just have to get stronger and if it ends up being too much I'll help." Luckily Luka had some reassurance from Luther to balance out the unending "torment" in the form of teasing or discouragement that Alice would most likely be subject to and he was ultimately thankful for friendly company.
"You keep motivating him. Quite caring, aren't you?" The Monster Lord sarcastically remarked, her eyes brimming mischievous suspicion. "Caring enough to encourage an innocent child to fight Monsters that are stronger than him for your own selfish goals."
"Because that's something he desires and I'm going to support his decision as thanks for helping me, it's simple as that…with the training, you keep giving him while at the same time insinuating to him to turn back, isn't that a bit contradictory?" They both shared the same challenging glare, with Luther being less included to participate in this sudden contest.
"At least I'm more thoughtful about his safety, it would be for the best if he did stop with this mindless idealism…but if this fake hero wants to continue his little charade then so be it, might as well make it more entertaining." Alice replied, playful venom dripping down her tone.
"Both of you stop, please…" Luka watched, his imagination manifested figurative sparks of tension that flew toward one another. After a hectic moment, they complied, turning away from each other as the boy heaved a sigh of relief.
What the hell was that about? Luther brushed off his little 'argument' with Alice, he found it easier to focus on his surroundings and enjoy the beauty of nature with the feeling of doom looming over him in far enough distance for it to not be an issue. His sixth did its work, alerting him to wildlife that surrounded them and…
"Chu." Through his stand's confirmation, he felt it, an energy signature much larger approaching them as he heard the faint sound of insect wings rapidly flapping. His prayer for salvation from his self-imposed torment and anxiety was answered as much as it was inconvenient now as if the universe itself granted him a monkey paw without him even knowing, at this point, he could accept and complain about it later. Luther saw how Alice slightly hesitated in moving forward, her long sharp ears twitching from the faraway buzzing noise. She suspiciously caught his glance for a bit before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, after a few long seconds in a small glimmer of dark purple sparks she vanished before the man's eyes.
"Oh, is Alice gone…? I swear this is the sixth time this day we meet another Monster, right?"Luka shook his head refusing to take attention off the dirt road as he kept his hand on the hilt of his sword, his eyes narrowed once his hearing caught up to the faint buzzing heading toward them. The sweet scent of honey filled the air.
"Yes, very likely. Get ready." The older man suggested. His steel balls, which were already spinning just within a finger's reach, though much to his dismay his travel partner's stance remained unchanged, still refusing to draw out his weapon.
"I am ready, though are you sure you want to be here? She might just attack you if we fight." Luka said with a concerned look on his face, an act which seemed a little strange given the time they spent together, it should have been clear for the boy that his older companion was more than capable of handling any danger.
"Why not? I promised I would help." Luther responded, a slight feeling of disbelief resounded through his tone of voice as Luka cautiously checked his surroundings once more.
"…If… it ever becomes too much for me, that's what you said…I need to fight on my own a bit more, it would also be much easier to surprise if you hide… "Luka countenance became one of pleading, for a chance to continue proving himself, his bright blue eyes shined with innocent light and Chambers couldn't help but stare into them in recognition. Buzzing noise approached them even closer, they could see the thin outline of a flying monster creature farther away from them, but unrelenting in her pursuit. A large oval shape, much larger, seemed connected to her body; it had many intersecting openings that dropped out a thick liquid as she flew. Her wings on her back appeared too small and thin for them to have enough lifting strength to let her fly like this.
Luther was stuck in a now or never situation, he could stay and disregard his friend's wishes and possibly risk getting sexually assaulted if he didn't want to reveal any more of his capabilities or he could comply saving him any painful disappointment from Luka and sneak away comfortably.
The man steadily nodded to his compatriot, offering to relieve him of his travel bag's burden before combat. He dashed into the nearby plant life for cover, thorns on the bushes lightly digging into his coat and jeans almost like nature tried entangling him to stay, he partly agreed with it but carried on until he was left crouching behind the bark of a tree, he could still clearly see Luka with their latest arrival coming in after his departure, however, Luther's spot remained out sight for both them, veiled by thick fauna only his footsteps in disturbed wet moss.
Common sense tells me this is for the best, besides the guy has puppy eyes that don't think anyone can say no to…except maybe Alice on a bad day.
Here we go…hope this can be solved quickly and peacefully. Luka took one last glimpse to where Luther ran off and focused his breathing, becoming a calm rhythmic tempo calling him to a heroic battle as he faced his potential adversary, his hand tugged on the handle of his blade pulling it up and letting drop back into the sheath.
"Fufu…an unbaptized traveler, you look delicious." She was a bee girl Monster, who like most towered over the small hero, her wings created an annoying buzz as they rapidly fluttered becoming an invisible blur to the simple eye. The oval shape connected to her bottom appeared to be some large bee nest that leaked out an impressive amount of honey. She used her extra pair of appendages that were covered in brown chitin with small tufts of yellow fur at the joint, to scoop up some of the sugary syrup and lick it seductively in front of Luka. Her abdomen was covered in a soft thin layer of yellow fur, and her pale chest and arms remained uncovered apart from small scraps of chartreuse-colored fluff decorating her neck like a large collar and short sleeves, which matched her helmet-shaped hair. Two antennae protruding from her forehead jumped up and down to the erratic movement of her floating.
"Left all alone here, don't worry I'll keep you company…" She said in a sultry voice inching just a bit closer to the boy.
"Now wait, can't we talk this out and go about our day?" He took two steps back, raising his hands up to his chest in a non-aggressive manner, she chortled at his venture for peace. Her theatrical chuckling, her smug and ravenous demeanor reflected in body language slowly diminished the possibility of a smooth resolution within Luka's mind; it took a considerable amount of hope to not just groan and wipe out Angel Halo.
"Hmm…if you are willing we can do this quick and easy, no struggle at all, and I might let you go. It would be better, don't you think~?" The Monster offered, spreading a good amount of her honey on her chest. Several thick strings of sweet sticky confection stuck into a particular inviting mesh on her body as she massaged her breasts presenting them for the boy, licking some of it off. "I'll even let you taste my honey…though it's missing a little something to be perfect, I'm sure you'd be willing to give to me~"
It's not what I mean, oh dear Ilias what I have gotten myself into, the scent, the thick texture…it would be so easy to just start lick-...no snap out of it, This is dangerous. Luka's face flushed a deep red as she stared at her rock-solid nipples. None of his affected senses helped him resist temptation, but his will remained steel hard, despite the pitched tent in his pants. He had an important adventure to attempt to and his belief's tenants to uphold.
"I won't do this. Ilias doesn't allow intercourse between Monsters." Luka's succinct response only got a dissatisfied scoff from the bee girl redoubling his tension.
"How disappointing, I covered myself in honey just for you. Guess I'll have to force you to pay me back." The flapping of her wings intensified, her antennae twitching became more irritated as her seductive stance became more threatening, she looked like she was about to attack
Remember…no hesitation. Start with a demon decapitation to close the distance. With a heavy exhalation, he drew out his accursed prison blade making his new opponent hesitate a little at the sight of it, which was absolutely perfect for him if he let himself be honest for just a moment. Turns out having a terrifying weapon on hand is always useful in scaring your enemies. The fake hero dropped down to a predatory stance, like a tiger ready to pounce on its prey, he had done this numerous times already both in combat and in training. It granted him focus unlike any other, like time in his surroundings became frozen and there were only him and his target left.
Luka leaped towards the bee girl slicing at her neck like the technique intent, his sudden burst of speed and attack left her too shocked to respond properly as she nearly fell, her insect wings unable to keep up with the force. He landed not too far away from with a fierce glint in his eyes.
Still disoriented…He quickly observed. Follow it up with another attack, more step closer to victory.
"Take this is…" The fake hero swung Angel Halo at the Monster's honey-covered side when she was turning around to him, the blade cleaning swiping through despite the sticky liquid, her appendages seizing and twitching from the unexpected null of her energy. He dashed in for a third strike aiming at her head but hit the air instead.
"Why…you…" The bee girl seethed which sounded a bit more of a tired groan. "We are skipping foreplay then."
Oh no, I should have expected that. Luka stared flabbergasted as she found the strength to fly far above him as if taunting him for his own lack of ability to do so, any thoughts about an easy fight faded away at the reveal of her skill. But she is close to being sealed, I'm sure of it.
Luther silently observed the battle cringing away from the Monster's attempt at seducing him, his allies' capability to quickly respond to aggression gaining the opportunity to strike first was certainly an improvement from his more distracted state of mind in the boy's previous battles. What was impressive was Luka capability to take advantage of the blade's effect, the lack of power could leave them wide open
You have taken in my lesson in great regard, good. He will need them. The man steadily nodded to himself, tusk manifesting behind him to demonstrate its approval with cute cheering that sadly nobody else but its user could hear. A strange and abrupt feeling that he was being watched shocked him through his soul, he turned to the sudden soul and gentle tap on his shoulder that appeared behind him and came face to face with a familiar Monster lord.
"Finally decided to hide and watch, just like me?" They stared at each other in silence, a couple of seconds passed between them Alice's signature feature – a demeaning smirk returning moments after. "Are you going to coddle this Monster as well after she gets slammed into a tree?"
"No, it was only I onetime happening…she just was a child that got hurt, that's all." He responded coldly narrowing his face into a cautious glare. He didn't let any of his uncomfortableness from their proximity slip by him. She was too close, did she enjoy tormenting everyone like this, or was there a personal vendetta against him and his friend? Tusk didn't help this matter all with it jumping back in distress inside of his coat, an accurate reflection of his own emotional state.
"Hmm…I suppose it would be a bit too ridiculous for you to suddenly jump in to lick her wounds…but oh how good you are at that, would never expect it from someone who constantly is as emoting as a stone wall, even now remaining unmoving." She lightly knocked on his chest like she expected to hear an echo from a hollow shell, her amused expression turning solemn once he shuffled away from her. Alice averted her gaze to Luka's battle.
"He's changed, hasn't he…? That fighting style is much more befitting of a cursed sword technique user." She remarked, traces of pride and satisfaction left her face as she watched Luka deliver a second blow
"It'd take a blind man not to notice, it seems he finally realized Angel Halo's potential." Chambers gulped and hope she wouldn't catch on to anything too out of the ordinary, having her find out about him secretly training Luka would only make him more shifty and untrustworthy in her eyes not that he already wasn't secretive, but having one more person potentially intruding in his nightly ventures was unpleasant. He had enough good nightly company with Luka that he wouldn't mind continuing.
"A little too much realization, but not enough skill." She sighed at the sight before her eyes, one of Luka trying upward slash to Monster. "Cursed Sword Art relies on aggressive rapid pace attacks meant to quickly and efficiently overpower your opponent, many of its techniques are gap closers as well, but…it heavily relies on a Monster's natural strengths to accomplish that."
"But he is not a Monster…" Luther finished, of course, Luka was still the half-angel hybrid, which gave him power even if it was sealed, but the man had no need to mention that unless he risked getting killed by Ilias for knowing forbidden knowledge. The bee girl employed evasive maneuvers goading the boy into blindly attacking, perhaps this was just his pessimistic mind, but it all seemed predictable, that somehow Luka will leave a large enough opening.
"And so he can never be too aggressive with it unless he wants to tire out in the middle of combat or make a critical mistake." She concluded as they both watched from a concealed view their companion get straddled to the ground with such strength that Angel Halo dropped out his hand, along with the raining honey from her disturbed hive.
Luther started in dread and worry as he heard Luka's opponent say something and push Angel Halo further away from the struggling Luka while her other appendages helped hold down his body.
"His only means of defense is out of any possible reach, unless he gets her off there is no chance for him to win…" She pointed out carefully gauging Luther's nervous reaction. "If you want to help him be my guest, or are going to stay here and wait?"
Luther couldn't give a clear answer as he witnessed his nails spinning once again, part of him wanted to postpone his potential ambush to see if his friend could truly prove himself and partly for his reluctance in fighting the Monster himself, and a part of him wanting to calm his worries. Luka had Angel Halo - he had an excuse to fight to his fullest extent, but Luther could barely hold back with his skill set without it being lethal if he were to do anything it might end in unfortunate consequences for both of them.
"It's not fear that's stopping you, no. You're powerful enough to take a blow from a Heavenly Knight with a palm of your hand and survive, that 'Spin', that 'Hamon'…you're surely stronger than most of the Monsters on this continent." She paused looking back again at the struggling hero. "The time to decide is quickly ticking. While you're wondering what to do your friend here is going raped, I may have the quality of being a simple observer but you don't….you will be forced to fight."
"I trust Luka will have a way out of this. I'll help him when I see fit." Was his only response as he consciously ceased the rotation of his fingernails, after his conversion he fully realized he couldn't constantly keep saving the boy from danger. Luka needed to grow and Luther had seen him previously break out holds such as this and all the fake hero needed was one more hit with the cursed blade and the Monster would turn into a simple bee, besides his clothes remained untouched yet.
He couldn't ruin the boy's chance at an independent victory for him and for the boy's sake, yet in spite of his decision to not intervene his hands remained on his throwing instrument. Just in case.
This is bad…very bad, Angel Halo is too far away… Luka lied on the ground, straddled by his now haughty opponent. He had the critical mistake of leaving a wide opening for her charge and pushed him down, two of her extra appendages dug into the earth near his head, she loomed over the boy honey dripping down from her breast and onto his face as she grinded on his lap. He looked to his left where Angel Halo was thrown to the side, if he could just nudge himself a little bit closer to it he would win.
The fake hero nudged his body to the side occasionally attempting to kick the bee girl back, his cheek pushing against one of her bee legs as his left arm stretched out to grab the sword's hilt. Just a little more and I'll finish this...
Much to his surprise the Monster suddenly pressed down on the arm before it could stretch further as the very tip of his fingers were left a good foot away from the black hilt of the sealing blade, she smirked at his fruitless attempt, though appearing winded from the lack energy running in her system. She resolved to fix this issue soon enough.
"How troublesome, strong for a human…" She panted letting her hot breath tickle his face and neck as she leaned in to whisper being amused by his body's reaction to her subtle teasing. "Let's just skip the foreplay shall we…? You'll make a fine mate once I take you back."
"No, I can't lose, not now." He muttered, writhing against her every touch with what little of his body he had left free from her hold. She chuckled at his resistance letting his left arm go to lightly brush against his cheek as if comforting him while the other started taking off his pants.
"Oh, don't you worry~ our days will be filled with everlasting pleasure, we will have some many wonderful children together…" She faux consoled him, giving him a quick peck and lick on the cheek. The kind and intimate gesture made his flush even redder, his build quivering as he continued reaching for the unique weapon.
It…it's in my hand, was it closer than I thought? Luka blinked in bewilderment as his fingers wrapped around the handle carefully playing with it as if checking whether are not his senses were deceiving him. He expected to get his hands on it with a lot more of a brawl for dominance in all honesty, but all of that didn't matter. Whatever speculation the boy had was thrown to the wayside, more important issues need to be dealt with.
He groaned and frowned from the feeling of him rubbing against her wet entrance, much to his luck he had more than enough stamina left in him to deal the sealing blow to his confident enemy who was too absorbed in feeling him up and enjoying herself to notice that had rearmed himself.
"This is the end." He stated to himself, noticing she had left her guard down completely. A wide-open arc was available for him to attack with enough force to vanquish her into her sealed fate. His statement appeared to puzzle his sultry adversary.
"What are you-ah! "Barely catching the glimpse of a black blur that cut through her form she felt the last of her energy vanish before she could finish her question. The Monster body lacked any power to keep stable and so dissipated into the air leaving a common house bee in her stead, which hectically flew around in dismay.
"Finally it's over, thank Ilias…nearly thought I was done for." Luka exclaimed in relief at his aggressor's 'end', yet he didn't come unscathed from the confrontation, he was sure a small of his dignity had faded at sight and sensation of his stained clothes and body, his naked crotch disturbed by the free cold breeze flowing through it. He pulled his trousers back on and laid his head back down letting his body rest as he waited for his companions to show up, the only thing keeping him company was Angel Halo.
Luka heard the cracking of sticks and audible footsteps against wet moss making him turn to the noise and see Luther emerge from the back of a tree with Alice steadily in tow, the man's expression appeared brighter than usual as he towered over the boy's laying form. Truly a sight for a sore mind.
"Strike when she least expected it, brilliant, good job." Luther offered him an arm for the support that Luka gladly took, sharing in the positivity that his friend displaced. It was a feat anybody would have been proud of- to make his constantly stone-faced friend show even the slightest of signs of a smile was truly a special experience.
"There's some honey covering you there, and there…well you're practically drenched in it." Luther patted the boy on the back sheepishly pointing to his friend's stained clothing. He handed back Luka's large travel bag with some amount of pity for the experienced misfortune.
"It's nothing, I'll clean out eventually." Luka popped his backpack back on his shoulders
"That change to your fighting style…" The fake hero nervously looked up to his monstrous companion. "Can't decide whether you want to be overly aggressive or overly defensive, still you dipped your toes in unfamiliar waters and fought the way you're meant to with the Cursed Sword Art, good."
"But." The Monster Lord continued, Luka already suspected that she had something more awful to interject with. "You're too sloppy at dodging to even begin making up for that lack of defense, it's clear we still have much to do, at least you showed me you have clear potential to improve. "
"Ah…thank you." Luka nodded, he didn't expect her words to be more than just offhand insults that he wasn't looking forward to. In the end, he was thankful for the well-deserved criticism and training she continued to offer, so he gave her credit where credit is due.
"You're welcome." She said pleased with his response, showing a sight that stunned the young hero.
Wait, is that a genuine smile from her…? The boy stared at her wide-eyed at her pure bright countenance that wasn't just a smug grin a wicked smirk she flashed just before teasing him, it was cute…nearly made him forget about her manifested image of a merciless tormentor for a moment, replaced by a decent beautiful girl.
"What are gawking at? Creepy…" And like that the beautiful spectacle turned into a suspicious frown, depriving him of gratification, it seemed Luther was also uneasy at his weird interaction.
"Oh, n-nothing…something crossed my mind, that's all." His cheeks flushed from embarrassment as he shook his head, the awkward atmosphere only barely disappeared with his clarification.
"Well, you can think about it as we get going unless your numbskull isn't capable of multitasking." She scoffed and turned away heading towards their destined location in a classic Alice fashion leaving them only to follow in delicate silence.
Luka looked at Angel Halo as he wondered, observing its features, the eldritch blade, like always appeared something out of this world, it was hard for him to glance at without wincing from its features - the melted angels, the material and faint presences it permeated. Nothing pleasant came to mind when he thought about it with the exception of its unique powers that have so far helped carry him through the continent. He had made a personal record of the time he could endure looking at it, one of its red eyes even blinked under his careful gaze, whatever it seemed alive...if he could wholeheartedly believe a weapon can be alive and sentient.
That seemed ridiculous and yet...I felt it, my hand didn't grab the hilt, I felt it moved into my hand…Angel Halo. Is it alive? Can it see and hear us? With the power it already possesses, I wouldn't doubt if it could.
Luka held it out before him, staring deeply at its crooked shape. You're very special, aren't you? Even Luther was interested in you, regardless I'm thankful for your aid...whatever you are.
"Hey, Luka, what are you waiting for? We have a village to save." The fake hero faintly heard his friend call out. As broke focus from his weapon to see Alice and Luther had already moved up quite a distance without him. He put Angel Halo back into its sheath and followed after them with heavy anticipation for the future in his heart.
"Don't worry, I'm coming!"
Three days ago.
? POV
No time, I have no time…my chances of success are improbable. A lab coat wearing figure paced around the isolated room, one handheld a file folder the other mug of coffee, her shoes tapping against the metal floor stepping across some of the wires that connected to a myriad of screens – the only light source illuminating the dark laboratory. It so happened to be that light sources mocked her sluggishness of research. Her red eyes scanned across the screens stopping at the point that most struck her heart, a piece of information she wouldn't dare let any of her colleagues see.
!WARNING! CHAOS INTRUSION PROGRESS 99%!WARNING!
Damn it all! The scientist slammed her folder onto the table that the computer screen was standing on. She was too slow, now all of her entire life's work, her research, her goals that went beyond the goddesses of this world would be for nothing, erased by an uncaring force of the multiverse as all the others around them all because she wasn't fast enough. Another display showed a red dot with a blue circle around it surrounded by a background of constantly shifting colors which moved closer -the energy digging into walls of the universe, so close to entering and consuming it.
"I must stabilize my breathing, there is no use in having a panic attack" The scientist gripped her chest as her breathing became conscious. Chaos had enclosed around their world a long time ago slowly encroaching it – the most terrifying discovery in her observations outside her universe. This hidden part of her laboratory was a testament to it, an observation room to monitor this devouring primordial soup.
At first, it was meant to be a simple study outside of her world, after all, to find the secrets of the universe including its origin one must sometimes look outside, but she stepped into realms possibly beyond her with new knowledge that she and the rest of life's days were inevitably numbered, this was but a painful reminders of this fact. She took a long sip from her cup, the liquid no longer possessing any taste in it.
No…there is still hope, I'll just have to skip the testing phase of the serum, even if it might prove fatal. Either way I am dead, but there is still a way to increase my chances of survival, devouring Ilias and Alice VIII should give me enough power to repel it, those fools know nothing. Despite her resolution, her hands were left shaking as she turned to leave. Before the scientist could even input a code into the secret door's keypad she heard loud beeping, an indicator.
Her eyes widened in shock at the data, she quickly rushed over to the observation deck writing a series of commands into the computer. "The spreading has stopped, but how?"
Any Chaos's movement into the world was halted struggling to press further in as if held back by a strange barrier that layered itself over. The scientist ran a diagnosis of her devices to confirm if she was receiving any faulty readings, which was not the case. She observed in intense curiosity as the inter-universal struggle evolved, spiral and rotational scars developed into the fabric of reality as the two foreign energy sources with no will to guide fought one another. One's chaotic patterns she was already regrettably familiar, the very thing that mocked the scientist for nearly the entirety of her existence, the other…
The other energy source had orderly and harmonious movement in a tight mesh of strings connected continuously increasing and transferring energy in peculiar vibrations as it reinforced the fabric of reality. She flipped several unassigned switches changing information being relayed to her, revealing another interesting discovery. "Readings would indicate the energy output is…infinite…"
!WARNING! UNKNOWN ENTRANCE DETECTED!WARNING!
"What is…" She looked back to another monitor which showed the mysterious anomaly rammed into the inner walls of the universe, puncturing it imparting a small part of its rotation into their world and launching them far away from the nearby chaos into empty and void space.
"It moved us, but that isn't logistically possible!" Yet the data was there, her universe was no longer under threat of being consumed, the chromatic background of the radar turned into a calming black as both forces vanished from possible detection with the exception of a small trace left from their savior. She hectically changed feeds to track down its location, in a moment all of the screens violently flashed calculating the rough prediction of its movement revealing that it would land on their planet. The machinery was unstable, before she could even begin noting down the coordinates it erupted in a series of sparks leaving her in a dark room.
Holy light shined from her hand, as her shoulders slumped down and she breathed a sigh of relief, her monotonous countenance soon turned to a smirk.
"Interesting…very interesting."
Luther's notes: Ilias Continent
The so-called Ilias continent, one of the last landmasses to be settled by this world's Humanity, and with that the Monsterkind followed suit as well. It appears where there is prey there will also be predator…interestingly enough my digging of the history of this continent I came across records dictating that there was of a period of time where there were little to no monsters inhabiting the continent despite the presence of Humans which given the zealotry and belief that Humanity displayed in Ilias was quite a blessing for them, it is reflected by the many named landmarks, villages, and towns that bear the likeness of the Goddess's name it is also the reason why Ilias Temple is the largest worship grounds dedicated to Ilias besides San Ilia, which architecture seems to be based on Classicism building style.
Faith in the Light Goddess remained comparably strong there, though it was still subject of fading away albeit a lot more slowly compared to the mainland given some of its periods of isolation that occurred after Monster raids or migrations, which happened very rarely as it was more prominent for small groups or individuals to travel. As a result of the lack of monsters and other clear opposition, the people here grown lax in terms of military power often lacking any organized force besides the city guards and troops, however, is made up by the influx of armed pilgrims seeking to be officially proclaimed heroes that traveled through it warding off a large part of wandering threats the inhabitants may have.
Besides the few villages and small towns, some even unnamed, littering the main landscape. There are a few places worth mentioning within the continent either regarding their produce, tourism, settlement size, population, and density. The first ones that come to mind are of course are Iliasport - the only exit and entrance for normal humans that this landmass possesses, Iliasburg - the central city and practically capital of Ilias, containing the largest population of the continent, Happiness Village – a village known worldwide for their production of their Honey.
Strangely the architecture styles seem to vary, and not even from town to town, one could find differences in the same place from some buildings that look like they've come from the early Medieval centuries to the Gothic architecture of the XII century and on rare occasions XVIII Baroque architecture, the sheer possibility of these styles blending together in the shape of cities still both amazes me and confuses me to a great extent.
Alongside that, there are also non-human settlements, the largest of which is the Harpy village situated very nearby the previously mentioned Happiness Village, of course, the obvious occurred between the two Monster and Human communities. And Enrika village, a community mostly comprised of elves, was also known to be one of the few safe havens created for monsters back then, they were secluded, only interacting when it came to trading, but recently with the world-shaking events that happened they opened up even accepting angels among their community.
There are other monster communities that are more hidden throughout the farther reaches of the landmass, but they're too small to be considered noteworthy such as small packs of bestial Monsters. I cannot go into any further and not because of their elusiveness, but simply because I don't have the time, nor do I have any reason to go seek these little groups out as for the most part they stayed out of trouble…
Relations between Monster, Human, and Angel are awkward as the glory of the victory against the Goddess of Light started to fade from the hearts of the people and they started to go about their daily lives again, albeit in a new environment and under different circumstances. This will likely remain for a while until the next generation takes over, although currently, it is much better than the previous tension and potential aggression that Humanity and Monsterkind had toward each other.
For this world's sake, I hope this process goes about as smoothly as possible and the mistakes of the past are not repeated.
A lot of spooky stuff has occurred, Luther like always is being a depressive cactus (poor bastard), Alice finally gives Luka a nice smile and they agreeing to a certain extent and Luka finds out that his weapon might alive...who knows?
Anyway, this chapter was actually supposed to be even longer, but I've decided against it, going to the Happiness Village was a good stop I reckon.
Reviews:
-The-4uditor: If children ain't getting beaten, I ain't eating.
-doomqwer: The story will a mixed regarding how dark it gets, there will moments to balance out any brutal plot points that happen, as well as a certain relief for Luther.
-T-B-R: He doesn't, sorry for the spoiler.
Guest: There are a lot more reasons why Promenstein should be interested in Luther more, besides the whole deal of him being from a technologically enhanced universe. I had to do a project regarding Greek Myths in my school and their many hidden intricacies and interpretations surrounding the myth of Prometheus. Why yes Promenstein is a reference to the Prometheus. The one who gave fire to man, however, the fire doesn't only represent knowledge but also hope for a brighter future, it is a selfless act from the Titan. Regarding who represents what he means better, as egotistical is it might be to say this, it would Luther for a reason that would be disclosed in the future.
-Wiereird: That will be explored even further on Act 2 of the story, the Sentora continent Arc. The journey won't be 1 to 1, as I've already planned out several sub-plots that will occur later on. With the Angel Halo bit, yes Lucifina was absolutely ruthless in the past, God knows how strong Marcellus's pull up game must have been that he managed to somehow calm that part of her down. And the part of Angel Halo being made from 666 never stuck with me well, it was one of the comedic moments which when taken seriously revealed how dark the world of MGQ is. There are many concepts of things being sealed inside weapons and it's pathetic that the story of MGQ never explored the concept and just used it for a throwaway gag to the point where if you remove that little bit of detail, the story doesn't change - is still a weird one of a kind sword (not counting AUs) that can seal beings and is super effective against Angels.
To anyone else I haven't answered, I'd probably have PM'd my answers to your reviews and questions if there were any questions.
Thank you for the support, see you next chapter.