AN: Hello everyone, it's been a while since I've worked on Garo. But I'm super excited to get to it, especially given that my KR version of DanMachi would include Kiva. Plus, I've gotten inspired by some other factors for Garo, especially Nier. I won't go into much further detail outside of that. Now, Showtime!
Disclaimer: I do not own Garo or DanMachi.
Chapter 14: Quest
It has only been a few days since the Hestia Familia (plus associates) have accepted the quest/Horror Hunt to defeat the Horror known as Antares. Since then, they've been doing nothing but flying and camping for the past few days.
Bell didn't mind as he enjoyed Artemis's company. He could understand why Hestia is best friends with her. The bluenette goddess has been kind, noble, and resolute in her hunt. If she were a Priestess as opposed to a goddess, he can see her married to a very prominent Makai Knight. However, one night right when everyone started sleeping, Bell noticed Artemis and Jin walking off to the side.
The white-haired teen, against his better judgement, followed them while hoping things were alright. He quietly followed them into a clearing and hid behind some bushes.
"You can't just lead him on like this." Jin said.
"I know, but…" Artemis started, looking a bit sad, which was a first for Bell.
"We've lost too many people and now you just want to…How can you even be sure he'll fulfill his end of the bargain?" Jin said, arms crosses and looking very irritated.
"He will! He must." Artemis defended, her resolve in Bell unchanging.
"For both our sakes, I hope you're right. We've lost too many friends during our first assault and I'll be damned if this kid doesn't live up to his armor's legacy." Jin said as he marched off away from the camp. Most likely to blow off some steam, leaving Artemis alone with Bell in the bushes.
"He has to…" Artemis muttered to herself while Bell had a sad look. It wasn't the first time that anyone doubted Bell's ability. He was 14 and the youngest Garo incarnation. He remembered when a lot of the Order back in his home village doubted him.
Bell worked hard to earn the reputation he has now and proved himself more than worthy. Whatever Jin is implying, Bell is confident he'll prove he has what it takes. He then looked back at Artemis and felt like wanting to say something to cheer her up.
But by the time that he's thought of something, he noticed that Artemis left the clearing and has most likely returned to camp. Bell looked sad and clenched his fist as he too went back to camp.
When there is light, shadows lurk and fear reigns. Yet by the blade of knights, mankind was given hope.
(Play Savior In The Dark by JAM Project)
[Yuke kaze no gotoku. Sadame no kenshi yo, yami ni magirete.] The song starts with the camera zooming in a dark background before Garo slashed the screen. The scene soon changed to a silhouetted Bell in a combat position.
[Nani yue tatakau no ka? Sore wa ken ni kike.] Garo spends some time doing poses before the camera changes to Bell, without his coat, practicing with two giant pendulums in a training room underneath the church that he lives in.
[Seigi da to ka ai nado ore wa oi-kakenai] The camera soon changes to a white background where Garo and the axe-wielding Makai Knight, Giga, were fighting together.
[Yami ni umare…Yami ni shinobi…Yami wo kiri-saku.] Several demonic hands reach for the light but only to see Garo get in between them and cutting down the hands.
[Haruka na inishie kara uketsuida simei da kara.] The camera sees the wicked smile of a hooded figure before seeing Horrors and Dungeon monsters. The camera soon changes to Garo doing various things such as writing a rune with his sword and fighting a Horror.
[Yuke kaze no gotoku. Makai no kenshi yo] A Horror blasts a dark fire ball but Garo shook off the attack before using his Blazing Armament mode. The camera soon changes to Garo riding Goten and Bell transforming into Garo.
[Tamashoo we kometa. Ikari no yaiba tataki-tsukete. Jidai ni kagayake!] The camera switches between Bell and Garo. Garo was dealing with Horrors while Bell was dealing with Dungeon monsters. The two soon did the same poses, switching in and out.
[GARO!] The camera soon changes view to see the title of the story.
(The Following Morning)
After the usual breakfast, the party took to the skies with Bell looking worried at the blue-haired goddess in front of him. A part of him wanted to confront her about this, but he couldn't. Not until he learned more about what's really going on with this Horror Hunt.
"Hey…" Bell started before Artemis noticed something on the ground.
She looked to see a young woman with her child running away from a small army consisting of large scorpions. Bell took a closer look and saw this scene as well before Artemis looked back at him.
"We have to help!" Artemis declared as Bell nodded. While these monsters were not Horrors, he will defend the innocent with his blade.
Bell then had his dragon break formation from the others and dove down. His red eyes widened as he noticed a familiar looking eye on the monsters.
"Zaruba, are these…?"
"Yeah, Antares's Avatars. Looks like they have no problem being in daylight." Zaruba confirmed as he sensed the same kind of energy that he detected from the knight Avatars during that night of the festival.
Artemis only gritted her teeth as Bell drove his dragon as close as he can before she jumped off the beast. Bell wanted to provide aerial support by casting Firebolt, but he stayed his hand when he realized Artemis and those civilians were too close.
Meanwhile the blue-haired goddess charged with her dagger out and managed to take out a few of the Avatars as they just recognized her.
"Firebolt!" Bell casted, destroying the Avatars in the rear and separating this force from the main army.
This caused an explosion, which caught the attention of the rest of his Party as they've now noticed their two missing members.
"Where's Bell!?" Hestia questioned as they all saw the rising smoke in the forest. Jin wasted no time redirecting his dragon towards the area.
Meanwhile Artemis was doing her best to cut down as many scorpion Avatars as she can. She felt herself limited by the movement. Artemis then noticed one Antares Avatar coming for her before she saw the blade of the Garoken through it.
It exploded, revealing Bell who immediately took to her side.
"Lady Artemis, are you okay?" Bell asked as he readied himself as did the goddess.
"I-I'm fine! I can take care of myself!" Artemis said as she focused on the battle itself while Jin and Hestia's dragon flew down to them.
Jin got off the beast as he started to cut down the Horror-possessed monsters. He took out his Madou Lighter out and opened it, lighting his sword on fire.
"You're mine!" Jin proclaimed as he then sent a flaming energy wave from his sword, destroying multiple scorpions.
Bell then had a similar idea after seeing that as he took out his own Madou Lighter. Instead of using his sword like Jin, he only impaled his to the ground. The teen then placed his open free hand in front of the small flame.
"Firebolt!" Bell called, as his fire spell combined with the Madou flame, turned into a green larger version of his attack.
It was a direct hit to the small army, killing a lot of the scorpions either from the explosion or the small forest fire it created. The remaining monsters looked at each other before retreating back deeper into the forest.
"Should we go after them?" Welf asked as the other dragons landed.
Jin shook his head.
"No point. Those are just Antares's possessed Avatars. Destroying them won't help us now." Jin replied as he and Bell sheathed their sword. The latter looked at Artemis, who was sheathing her own weapon.
"Lady Artemis, are you okay? Please don't be so reckless!" Bell said as Artemis looked confused.
"Why not?"
"Well, uh…it's because you're a…girl." Bell embarrassingly admitted as Zaruba chuckled at that. "While my father encouraged me to protect everyone, my grandfather would say…that the women should take priority."
That sounded way better in his head than saying it out loud, but it got Artemis giggling a bit.
"You don't have to worry about me, Orion. I am more powerful than either Hermes or Hestia." Artemis said as Jin walked up to her.
"Best heed her, Cranel. No matter how many times the rest of the Familia or I say it, My Lady always does what she wishes." Jin said with an amused smile as he thought back on those times with his Familia. Hestia and Hermes soon rushed towards them.
"Artemis, are you okay!? You can't just charge in like that! At least, not without warning us." Hestia said with a concerned look, only to get another giggle out of the blue-haired goddess.
"I'll take that to heart, Hestia. In fact, your Golden Knight just gave me the same warning." Artemis replied as Bell scratched his head in further embarrassment.
The three were then approached by the woman and daughter that were attacked.
"Thank you so much!" The woman bowed in appreciation while her child inspected and played with some of the dragons with Lili's supervision. "I'm sorry if I don't have anything to thank you with outside of our words."
"That's more than enough." Bell assured. "Will you two be alright?"
"Yes, I believe we will be. My brother's village is not too far off here. We should be fine if we keep moving."
"And what can you tell us about those monsters?"
"They've been attacking the nearby settlements for some time now. Led by a group of people. We don't know who they are though." The woman said, making Jin and Artemis look at each other with worried looks.
"Will you and your daughter be alright?" A concerned Artemis asks as she took a supply sack from her dragon. "Here! You can take this!"
She handed the sack over to her.
"Are you sure?" The mother asked as she looked into the sack and saw that it was a bunch of supplies.
Artemis nodded as they spent the next couple of hours walking the pair down the road a bit until they were sure that they were safe.
"Thank you all for your help!" The mother said as her daughter waved goodbye.
"Bye!"
The two soon left as the party were waving goodbye as well. When the pair was out of view, Lili had a very scornful look on her face.
"I understand it's our duty to help peaceful people, but…was it really necessary to give them our entire food supply?" Lili asked, eyeing Artemis who didn't seem to mind.
"It's okay. I don't really need to eat." Artemis said as if it wasn't a problem…for her.
"It doesn't matter if you can't eat! The rest of us still need to!" Lili argued as Artemis took a few seconds to process what she just said before looking at the rest of the group, realizing what she just did.
"I'm so sorry! Sorry!" Artemis called out as she bowed in an apologetic manner.
"You've gotta be kidding me! Is she some naïve child!?" Lili questioned in anger as Jin approached her.
"I know My Lady has made a…mistake. But it really isn't anything to be bothered by. We can still find our own food if we take turns hunting." Jin proposed, trying to play the peacekeeper while Hestia looked a bit concerned.
"I can't believe she changed this much."
"Was she that different?" Bell asked.
"Yeah, back in heaven, she was so strict and cool. Some of the other deities were even too afraid to talk to her. For instance, if someone were to peek on her bathing…let's just say it was good thing that immortality had its perks there."
"Ah, those were some good times…" Hermes mused as he recalled a bunch of other gods and himself being Artemis's victims whenever they tried to get a good look at her naked body. It was very much worth it. "Anyways, we should call it a day and rest up for the night."
"But Hermes, we don't have much food outside of a sack of bread." Welf reported, causing Lili to glare at Artemis while Artemis herself again apologized multiple times.
"Oh man, I'm so hungry about now…" Hestia complained.
Meanwhile Jin looked around, remembering some of the local wildlife they've seen on the flight here and looked at some nearby trees bearing fruit.
"Actually, if I may make a suggestion…"
Within a few hours, Welf and Bell came back with a dead boar courtesy of Silver's tracking skills while Jin and Lili came back with a sack filled with the fruit they've picked from the nearby trees.
As they were eating, Bell looked at Hermes and Artemis.
"So, we ran into more of Antares's Avatars, huh? Do you have any idea how they can exist in broad daylight?" Bell asked as Artemis adopted a serious look.
"It's because none of the Avatars are true Horrors or at least in this case." She explained, remembering the night a different type of Avatars attacking during the night of the festival. "Those scorpions had a certain plating to them. They must have come from Antares himself."
"When Antares's plating snaps onto a being, that being is controlled. Fortunately, it's not as powerful as a proper Horror possession, so usually a being of lesser intelligence would be taken over."
"Still what they lack in intelligence, they make up for in numbers. Plus, Antares still has direct control over them. And given that he's still in his prison for the time being, he's most likely spending all of his focus on controlling them." Artemis continued.
"Lady Shiroishi and the Senate are concerned now that Antares is actively seeking his freedom. Worst case scenario is that he escapes with an army of puppets that can be used at any time of the day." Hermes finished.
"But, what do you know about Antares himself?" Welf asked as he was curious what kind of Horror he would have to be with that kind of powerful at his disposal.
"Unfortunately, I wasn't there at the initial assault." Hermes replied as he looked at Artemis and Jin.
It was clear that Artemis was uncomfortable about the subject and Jin didn't seem like in a talking mood about the matter.
Jin then stood up from his seat and looked at Bell.
"Cranel, can you follow me? I would like to train with you." Jin requested, catching Bell offguard by the sudden question but he agreed and follow him out of the campsite.
"I'm gonna see how things go between them. I'll recommend everyone get some rest." Hermes decided as he went off in the direction the two Makai Knights too.
(With Jin and Bell)
The two soon walked down into a small clearing which will be perfect for them.
"So what kind of training do you want to do?" Bell asked as they stopped in the middle.
"I want you to go all out on me." Jin replied. "I need to measure you up. See if you truly are worthy of My Lady's task."
"All out? You sure?"
Jin nodded as he then attempted to punch Bell square in the face. Bell barely dodged the attack as he attempted to follow up with a punch of his own. The punch met Jin's face, but it didn't phase him. Instead, he just followed it up with a knee to Bell's gut, causing him to stumble back.
Jin then took out his sheathed sword out of his coat and smacked Bell away with it before pulling out the saber within.
Bell saw Jin charging full speed at him before taking out Garoken and blocking Jin's attack. He activated the sheath's throwing stars and launched them. Jin dodged the first couple before deflecting the other.
"Jin, above you!" Alva said as Jin looked up to see Bell in the air with an overhead slash ready. The black-haired Makai Knight blocked the hit, allowing the two Knights to lock their blades.
"Not bad, Cranel."
"I see that glare you give me. It's the same one I was met with when I inherited my armor." Bell noted to his face before the two jumped back away from each other. "I've earned my scars back in the city. Let me show you!"
"By all means. Let's make this more interesting." Jin replied as he then readied his sword. He then cut circles of light at the top and bottom in an hourglass pattern. The two circles moved and fused in the middle before opening up. The armor pieces emerged and fused with Jin, becoming Roze.
"An armored sparring session, huh? Haven't done one of those in a long time, but I'm open to the challenge." Bell remarked with a smile as he raised his sword, cut his circle of light, and merged with his armor, becoming Garo.
Both Garo and Roze stared at each other while Hermes was watching from the sidelines, looking amused at the fight. Soon the two Makai Knights charged at each other, clashing swords.
The two were pushed back by each other before rushing again. The two kept clashing blades before Garo managed to get an open by spot and aimed his open free hand at Roze's chest.
"Firebolt!" Garo unleashed a green bolt of fire at the crimson and gray Makai Knight, causing him to fly back into a tree.
"How…How are you able to cast a Spell without using a full chant?" Roze questioned as he stood up, his armor giving off smoke from the fire.
"Don't quite know myself, but I'm not complaining." Garo simply answered as he then took out his dagger, dual-wielding both weapons.
"Tsk…" Roze gave off as he charged at Garo. "Don't you dare get cocky at me!"
The two clashed swords again as they spent the rest of the night continuing their fight. Hermes just watched with an amused expression on his face.
(With Hestia and Artemis)
"I hope those two will take it easy on each other." Artemis remarked as she got comfortable in her makeshift bed with Hestia.
"Bell is usually considerate when it comes to his limits. I'm sure he and Jin will be fine sparring for the night." Hestia reassured.
"You're lucky to have the Golden Knight be your only Child in your Familia." Artemis remarked, feeling a little jealous. "He seems like a very dependable young man."
"You'd think so." Hestia chuckled at that. "Despite being the Golden Knight, there are still times that he acts like his age. It's adorable though."
Artemis giggled at that image.
"I'm still surprised that you decided to start your own Familia." Artemis said before looking curious. "But is that how you see him? Just as adorable?"
"E-Eh!?" Hestia was surprised by her best friend asking for full details of how she feels about a man. "W-Well…l-like I said before he is adorable and cute but…."
Hestia gripped her blanket as a blush grew on her face.
"He is my Knight. My treasure. The only person to believe in me when so many others didn't."
"…I also felt something when I'm with him."
"Eh!?"
"I don't know how to describe this strange feeling, but I do feel it." Artemis remarked as she placed her hand on her chest.
"B-But he is my Familia though!" Hestia argued. She already had enough to worry about with Aiz, she does not want Artemis in on this competition as well.
"I know."
"So, you're not supposed to feel that way!" Hestia argued, feeling more and more defensive.
"Why?"
"Y-You just can't, alright!? Since when do you care about this kind of stuff anyways!?" Hestia questioned. "Back when we last met, you were against the very idea of romance! You even said that if it weren't for Makai Knights being essential in hunting Horrors, you would've made your Familia full of Priestesses a long time ago!"
"…" Artemis just stared at Hestia, waiting for her to calm down. Hestia took a deep breath, feeling a bit silly for that freak-out.
"Sorry that you had to see me like that." Hestia then tried to change the subject. "Jin seems like a very capable Makai Knight, but he's the only member of your Familia with you? What about the rest?"
"The rest…" Artemis had a saddened look on her face. "The rest aren't with us right now. We've left them behind. They're waiting for me."
Hestia then hugged Artemis.
"You've really changed a lot, Artemis."
"So have you." Artemis countered, making Hestia giggle a little at that.
"Yeah, and we're both supposed to be unchanging deities."
(With Aiz)
The blonde swordsman was waiting outside of Finn's office. Finn has been talking with Loki in regards to the orders to stay within the city of limits. The latter was not happy about this so they were trying to figure out a middle-ground.
While Aiz was just standing outside the window nearby, staring at the night sky wondering what Bell was up to now.
"Oh what's the matter, girlie? Want your gold boy-toy back?"
Aiz then looked for the source of the sound and saw Amber.
"You're one of the Horrors!" Aiz recognized as she tried running for Finn and Loki, only to be bounced back by an invisible forcefield.
"Don't bother calling for them. On the other side of the barrier, you still look like you're still just minding your own business still." Amber said as she approached Aiz while the latter was trying to figure out her options here.
Amber then grasped Aiz's face by the cheeks as she took a good look at her.
"You two really do look like her. Like mother, like daughter." Amber remarked, making Aiz inwardly angry.
She wanted to fight back against her for even mentioning her mother, but she had nothing that would even hurt a Horror. Even if she had all her normal gear on, it was pointless. Not without a Priest or Makai Knight to aid her.
"Well, you can calm down. I'm not here to hurt you…yet." Amber assured as she lets go of Aiz. She then tossed her a filled pouch.
"What is this?" Aiz opened it and saw a bunch of seals with Makai writings on it.
"These will temporarily enchant your weapon to harm anything Horror or Horror-related. Won't kill any named ones, but they should do a lot of damage to the lesser kind."
"And I'm supposed to just take your word for it?"
"You're right, you'd be dumb to take anything I say at face value. But know that Soran and I have plans for you and Bell. It'd be a waste if you die here in this city."
"In this city? Why? What do you know?" Aiz asked as she had a feeling that there was something up about that contest.
"You'll see soon enough. Or not. But it's best to have some insurance on our investment." Amber said as she stood up. "And don't worry about your boyfriend. I'm sure my partner will keep him safe long enough."
Amber then took out her Madou Brush and used it to summon a dark portal.
"I'll see you around, Aiz." Amber waved goodbye as she walked through before the portal and barrier disappeared.
Aiz said nothing as she gripped the pouch, thinking back on everything.
"Oh Aiz!"
Aiz looked and saw Lefiya approach her.
"Aiz, what are you doing out here? Were you stargazing?" She asked as Aiz only looked at the pouch.
"No, nothing." She waved off as she went back inside followed by Lefiya. As they were walking back, Aiz looked at the pouch wondering what was so bad that Amber had to go out of her way to give her these.
(The next morning)
The Party was still continuing on their journey before finally finding themselves in a forest darkened and almost devoid of all life.
"This forest…it's completely dead." Lili remarked.
"Bell, there's no doubt about it." Zaruba said, getting the white-haired knight's attention. "This is definitely Antares's work. His influence is already spreading and if he isn't slain soon, it's going to be worse from here."
"This place smells even more foul than last time." Alva scowled, causing Jin to look worried at Artemis. The blue-haired goddess looked even more tense than before, making Bell and Hestia worried.
Just then Welf noticed something out in the distance and saw a ruined city in the distance.
"Wait, is that…?"
"Yeah." Hermes answered. "That's where our prey is."
Before anyone else can say anything, a Makai rune appeared in the sky much to their confusion before it rained down a series of energy bolts.
"Spread out! Take evasive maneuvers!" Jin ordered and all the dragons flew off in separate directions. Despite dodging numerous bolts, all three dragons were hit and crash landed onto the ground.
"Lady Artemis, are you okay!?" Bell checked on, getting said goddess to nod back. He looked around at the others to see they were fine, but their dragons were too injured to do anything.
"What the hell was that!?" Lili questioned. "I recognize that spell from one of Lana's books, who would use that on us?"
"Think it's that Fallen Priestess?" Hestia questioned before hearing something emerge from the forest.
To everyone's shock, especially Artemis and Jin, they see a young woman with elf ears, long black hair tied in a ponytail, a Makai brush in her hand, a typical Makai outfit, and a red chestplate strapped onto her with Antares's insignia on it. Her eyes seemed devoid of any life.
"L-Lante?" Artemis recognized as more women and a couple of men with the same chestplate and dead stare emerged.
"Did you truly think I would be that easy to reach?" "Lante" asked. "I won't let you take my moment of glory away from me."
"Antares…" Jin recognized as he took out his sword and pointed it at the possessed woman. "Killing them wasn't enough for you? You would deny them their peace!?"
"Consumption is the quick go-to answer when it comes to a Horror encountering mortals, alive or dead." A-Lante explained. "But with my special power, why eat them like a savage? Their power and skill would not only accelerate my freedom, but will help consume and conquer all in my path."
"People are not toys!" Bell protested as he took out his Garoken in one hand and Artemis's spear in the other. "We'll cut you down and end this nightmare for all your victims!"
"You are always welcome to try." A-Lante smiled as she readied her brush while her comrades readied their respective weapons. "My army can always use more soldiers."
She then quickly painted a Makai rune and activated it, causing a huge domed barrier to form around everyone before she and the other possessed Artemis Familia members charged.
"Lili, protect the gods!" Bell ordered as Lili nodded and summoned Silver to aid her.
Jin charged first and was fighting the possessed Lante while Bell and Welf took on everyone else.
For Jin, A-Lante fired a lightning bolt at the dark-haired Makai Knight, but only for it to be deflected.
"Do your pervasions have no bound!?" Jin angrily asked as he tried to land a slash on his former comrade. A-Lante was dodging all of his attacks with little to no effort.
"I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. I feel the thoughts and feelings of all those that I possess. This priestess…she loved you." A-Lante revealed, riling up Jin even more. "Her last active thoughts were begging for you to save her."
Jin roared as he tried to kill the possessed girl, only to be caught offguard by an earth spell firing from the ground. It sent a mound of dirt in the shape of a fist right to Jin's chest, getting him on the ground.
"Enough!" Artemis appeared and knocked A-Lante to the side in a spinning kick before helping Jin up. "Listen to me, Jin! That's not Lante anymore! Whatever is left is being tortured by Antares even now as we speak! The best we can do for her is to end her suffering!"
Jin thought about it for a few seconds before nodding in agreement.
"Right, My Lady!"
The Makai Knight and Goddess charged at A-Lante again while Bell and Welf were holding their own against the rest of the possessed group.
"Never thought I'd actually fight people like this you know!" Welf said as he was blocking spells from two possessed priestesses while Bell was in a swordfight with two of the possessed knights.
"Trust me, you get used to this!" Bell said as he dodged the slashes before finding the opportunity to slash a possessed knight across the chest, destroying the Antares chestpiece.
The knight who was wearing that screamed in pain before falling down dead.
"Welf, aim for their chestplates!" Bell instructed as the red-haired man nodded before clashing swords again.
Welf then took out both swords and rushed at the two priestesses. They seemed confused as they fired more elemental spells at him. Welf then used his steel sword to block all those attacks before throwing his Makai sword like a javelin.
It pierced a possessed Priestess through the chest, destroying her link to Antares upon immediate contact.
Welf was then close enough to land a couple of slashes on the remaining Priestess with his steel sword. But as expected, it couldn't even make a scratch on the armor, but Welf did push close enough to the edge of the barrier.
This gave the man an idea s he then kicked her towards it. Upon touching the barrier, the priestess started to scream in pain as she was electrocuted. During the electrocuting, the damage was enough to disintegrate the chestpiece on the priestess. After a while the barrier threw onto the dead woman onto the ground motionless.
A-Lante stepped back as Bell and Welf joined Jin and Artemis while the remaining possessed knight joined her.
"You may possess these people, but you do not have their skills." Artemis said determinedly.
"That may be true, but I am willing to discard tools when they're no longer needed." A-Lantis replied as she used her brush to utilize another Makai spell.
Just then the barrier lit up as Hestia, Hermes, and Lili notice electricity starting to seep into the enclosed area.
"I recognize the spell. The purpose of this spell was to entrap Horrors and roast them from the inside." Zaruba recalled.
"Is there anything we can do to cancel it out?" Jin asked Alva.
"We need to destroy the barrier itself! But it would require a lot of magical power." Alva responded, causing Jin and Artemis to look at each other.
"My apologies, but it would appear that we have no choice, My Lady." Jin regretfully said as Artemis nodded in understanding.
"I understand." Artemis took a deep breath as she looked at Bell. "Orion, use my spear to pierce the barrier! It's the only item we have with more than enough power!"
Bell nodded in understanding as he took out the spear and looked at it. He felt an immense power in it just by staring at the weapon. The white-haired teen shook his head of these thoughts as he focused on their situation. He threw the weapon past the two Antares-possessed Makai members before the spear hit the barrier. As it flew, the weapon glowed and shined bright runes that Hestia seems to recognize.
After a few seconds, the weapon easily pierced through the barrier, destroying it as a whole before landing into the ground.
"Looks like we have the advantage now, you damn Horror." Artemis remarked.
A-Lante gritted her teeth in frustration before she and the remaining knight attempt to escape, only for vines to suddenly emerge from the side and wrapped themselves around the two. They've tried breaking out of it, only for the vines to get tighter and tighter.
"I wouldn't bother trying to break out of those." A familiar female voice said as a figure suddenly appeared.
Bell looked and saw Ryuu, in her Makai gear, approaching them.
"Ryuu, what are you doing here?" Bell asked as Ryuu looked more focused on A-Lante.
"I will explain later, but right now…." Ryuu readied her brush before…Jin stopped her.
"Let me take care of this. You deal with the other one." Jin requested, getting a nod from the elf as she left them. The older Makai Knight looked at A-Lante with a sad look on his face as he stared at her.
"I loved you too, Lante…" Jin sadly remarked as he then stabbed her in the chest, causing the Antares chestpiece to break apart.
"I'll see you again, Jin…" The real Lante said before life faded from her eyes. Jin fought back against his tears as Artemis finished off the remaining knight.
Meanwhile Bell approached the spear impaled onto the ground and pulled it out.
"What power…" Bell remarked, remembering how it easily broke the barrier.
"I must say that was quite impressive." Hermes added, appearing behind the white-haired teen. "Though in the future, I must ask that you refrain from using the spear outside of slaying Antares with it."
"I…understand." Bell said, looking at the spear and feeling a bit weird from Hermes's warning. Was there something about the spear he was not telling him?
"Bell, it's good to see you." Ryuu said as she too approached him, getting the young man out of his thoughts.
"Oh! Ryuu, I can say the same to you!" Bell replied, snapping out of his thoughts and noticed the elf in her Makai outfit. "What are you doing in a place like this?"
"I was asked to accompany them." Ryuu then gestured to a group of people approaching the Party.
Upon a closer look, they recognize Asfi among the group, telling them that the rest of the people are from Hermes's Familia.
"Hermes!" Asfi recognized, extremely annoyed as she even dropped the "Lord" moniker.
"A-Asfi!" Hermes nervously tried to play this cool, but it wasn't working. "I-I see you managed to hold down the fort in my absence."
Asfi grabbed Hermes by the collar and pulled him close so he can see how pissed off she was.
"Is that what you call leaving us all of a sudden to fend for ourselves in this hellscape!?" Asfi angrily questioned.
"S-Sorry, but you know I had to find one able to use the spear!" Hermes explained as Asfi noticed the Party, particularly Bell carrying the spear on his back.
"Bell Cranel…" She recognized as she lets go of the god. "On one hand, a part of me shouldn't be surprised that the Golden Knight would be chosen for this task."
"And on the other?" Bell asked, having been the subject of similar conversations before in the past.
"…I was hoping it'd be someone from a stronger Familia, Golden Knight or not." Asfi replied bluntly, irritating Hestia.
"Asfi, what's the situation here?" Hermes asked, now acting serious.
"It's getting progressively worse." Asfi started. "Decay in the forest is spreading while Antares has been using fragments of himself to create an army whose numbers are only rising. As you can tell, that army doesn't just extend to monsters."
Artemis and Jin winced at that.
"All villages and farms have been razed and destroyed in the area. No survivors."
"Strike plans?"
"All of our plans ended in failure before the gates."
"Gates?"
"Yes, they've established a checkpoint there before we can progress any further. Unless that's taken care of, there's no route to Antares himself."
"I suppose you don't have a plan formulated yet?" Hermes asked.
Asfi looked around before looking back at the group.
"It's best if we talk about this further in the camp." Asfi then gestured the others to take the bodies of the deceased with them and sending the dragons ahead before leading the others.
Artemis surveyed the area that Antares and his forces are decimating before took hold of a flower nearby which then crumbled into dust almost instantly.
"Artemis…"
Artemis turned and saw Hestia with a very concerned look on her face.
"Artemis, that light from the spear…you need to explain it to me! Why did it show!?"
"…" Artemis had nothing to say to Hestia, which only confirmed the latter's worries.
"You're not the same Artemis that I know…but at the same time, you are." Hestia said.
Meanwhile for Bell, he noticed from afar that Artemis was talking to Hestia and he hasn't seen the latter this worried before. The white-haired teen was about confront them, but he felt an arm wrapped around the back of his neck. Bell turned and saw Hermes looking at him with a smile.
"Don't you think it's a bit rude to eavesdrop on two old friends like that?" Hermes said as he had Bell face the other way before following the others.
"Who are you to ask about spying on others?" Zaruba sarcastically asked back, but the pervert god remained silent about it.
Within a few moments, the group was in the livelier part of the forest where they see the rest of the Hermes Familia training, discussing tactics, or just trying to relax and prepare for the coming battle.
"As you can see, we have established a base of operations. You can relax or train, if you so desire. We are still trying to come up with a strategy to confront Antares and his possessed forces." Asfi explained as she shown everyone around the camp. "We'll be having dinner, so if you all want, you can go bathe and freshen up at the lake nearby."
"That sounds lovely! It'll be nice to relax in the water for a change." Lili remarked, getting some nods of agreement from the other members of the group.
Jin stopped as he noticed a saddened Hestia with Artemis next to her.
"Why don't you all go on ahead? I need to bury our dead with My Lady." Jin said as he left the group to meet up with Artemis.
Bell watched as they seemed to have a serious talk before going to the dragon stables to fetch the bodies. The white-haired young man wanted to try to comfort Hestia or at least, try to understand what's going on with her.
"Lady Hestia, is everything alright?" Bell asked.
"Huh? Oh yeah…" Hestia said as she tried her best to lie to Bell. She didn't want to worry him about her suspicions about this quest. Besides, there were still a few more questions she had for Artemis and Hermes.
After settling in at the spare tents, the group joined the rest of the Hermes Familia for dinner. They've enjoyed the small feast before it was time to get ready for bed and prepare for the huge fight ahead.
Bell looked at the spear and placed it next to his bedroll before deciding to go out and train for a bit. But before he can do so, Hermes appeared out of nowhere and wrapped his arm around Bell's neck once more.
"Lord Hermes, this is starting to get repetitive…" Bell remarked in a dry tone of voice.
"Bell, this could be the very last night of our lives here on this earth." Hermes said in a serious tone as he then grabbed the white-haired teen by both shoulders.
"Why do I doubt that?" Both Bell and Zaruba asked at the same time, knowing what the god was about to say.
Hermes chuckled as they started walking in a certain direction.
"All the women in your group and my Familia are happily enjoying the bath in the lake not too far away. I have my forces ready to make their move. We shall face a glorious battle where a heavenly bounty is just waiting for us to pluck! Can you see it now, Cranel!?" Hermes asked in a dramatic voice.
"…"
"Cranel?" Hermes looked and saw that Bell was gone, leaving his arm wrapped around air. "Bell? Bell? Where did you go?"
Meanwhile Bell was walking around in the opposite direction with a very exhausted look on his face.
"If I wanted to hear nothing but perverted talk, I would've stayed back at the farm with Grandpa." Bell remarked.
"And five…four…three…two…one…" Zaruba counted down and when he finished, Bell could hear the sound of a struggle followed by the screams of men in agony and pain. "That's went as well I thought."
"Come on, let's just find our way back to camp." Bell said as he wandered into a clearing. "Why am I getting a sense of déjà vu?"
Just then he noticed Artemis bathing in the lake in front of him, naked with the moonlight shining down on her. Bell was seemingly lost in her beauty as Artemis looked up at the crescent moon before quickly turning in Bell's direction.
"Who's there!?"
"Shit! My bad! I didn't mean to peep on you! It was an accident!" Bell turned away, embarrassed. "I'll, uh, go back to camp!"
"Wait." Artemis called, making Bell stop in his tracks. "Stay right there."
Bell gulped as Artemis then moved to the shore and changed into a simple white dress. She then sighed and sat on the sand.
"You can look now. Join me." Artemis said as Bell looked and nervously joined her, fearing that she would strike him according to Hestia's stories.
Bell then quickly took the time to explain what happened and how he got here thanks to a certain perverted god. Much to his relief and confusion, Artemis only laughed after hearing the story.
"You got lucky. If it was the me back in Heaven, I would've shot you down in a second with my arrow." She mused, kicking the water.
"I'm glad that Hestia's stories about you weren't exaggerated." Bell chuckled with a deadpan expression.
"Maybe, maybe not~." Artemis teased.
"What about Lady Hestia? What was she like back in Heaven? Is she different now?" Bell asked out of curiosity as Artemis went back to sit down next to Bell.
"Perhaps. The Hestia that I remember was always lazy and slacks off a lot."
"That's not too different from now." Zaruba remarked, getting a small flick to the metal forehead by Bell.
"Maybe so, but she really is trying to do better now." Bell recalled how she took him in and even had his dagger made, though it meant being in debt to Hephaestus.
"And she used to stay inside her temple a lot."
"She didn't get out much?"
"Yeah, whenever I visited, she lit up like an excited pippy with a new toy."
"I can imagine." Bell smiled as he recalled a similar reaction whenever he would return home from the Dungeon.
(With Hestia)
Hestia wandered off from the camp with Artemis's spear as she arrived at a waterfall and was contemplating something.
"Lady Hestia." A male voice called and Hestia nearly jumped as Jin and a drenched Hermes emerged from the forest.
"What are you doing out here so late?" Hermes asked.
"I-I was just out for a walk." Hestia lied, but it was easy to see through that especially considering what she was holding.
"And that requires the spear?" Jin responded with an eyebrow raised as Hestia poorly hid said weapon behind her back.
"Wouldn't you want to go search for Bell?" Hermes asked, knowing her feelings.
"Knowing you, you probably arranged for him to be with Artemis." Hestia said in a serious tone, surprising Hermes and Jin.
"The stronger their bond becomes, the stronger the spear turns." Hermes said as he looked at Hestia with a serious expression with his usual smile. "But you already know that, don't you Hestia?"
"Does…Does it have to be this spear?" Hestia asked with a sense of uncertainty in her voice. "I'm sure there can be another solution! We just need to talk to Shiroishi and the other Priests-!"
"There is no other solution!" Jin snapped, breaking out of his usual calm demeanor, making Hestia step a bit back. "I'm sorry Hestia, but we are almost out of time. Had we considered any other solution, we would've taken it. She knows what must be done and has accepted that fact."
Jin didn't want to say it himself but he thought back to all his lost comrades, including Lante, whom he loved just as much. If he couldn't honor Artemis's wishes during this quest, then everything that he and his friends sacrificed and went though would have been all for naught. He couldn't quit now, he had to keep going for the Artemis Familia.
"B-But it's not fair…this Artemis…she's so different from the one I knew…this is just too cruel." Hestia remarked as she got on her knees and slowly started to cry with Hermes kneeling before her.
"And that's why you tried to throw the spear away, didn't you?" Truly Hestia was a good friend to Artemis.
"…" Hestia didn't say anything else as she struggled to hold back her tears while Hermes just placed his hat on her, expressing his way of consoling her while Jin had his stern face as he looked away to make sure no one was spying on them.
"You have a good heart, Hestia. My Lady was quite fortunate to have a friend like you." Jin consoled as he too didn't want what needed to be happen. Perhaps there can be some last-minute miracle to save everything, but he doubted it.
(With Bell and Artemis)
"Through all the times of happiness and sadness, Hestia was always there for me. She was full of love and I admired her for it."
Bell nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, I hear that. She's basically family to me at this point." Bell smiled, while Artemis frowned as she thought of the coming battle.
"I'm sorry for dragging you into this. And soon, I will have to ask you to make a difficult decision."
Bell just looked at her, his smile unchanging.
"It'll be fine. I'm a Makai Knight. I knew what I was getting into the moment I've first donned my armor."
Artemis smiled softly as she looked at Bell.
"You are like a hero."
"Me? I'm not so sure about it. I used to think of my dad as one and my love for hero tales only added fuel to that fire." Bell said as he stood up and looked up at the starry sky. "At first, I wanted to be just like him but then I realized that I have to walk my own path as a Makai Knight."
Artemis said nothing but listened really carefully on what he had to say.
"One that can slay any Horror, overcome any obstacle, and save everyone." Bell said as he fondly remembered his childhood with his father and Zeus. "Sounds naïve, I know. But it's my dream and I'll use it in my path as best as I can."
"I think…I understand now." Artemis muttered, getting Bell's attention.
"Huh?"
"Why she's always so happy to be with you." Artemis smiled as she stood up on her feet. "I think she may be in love with you."
"Is that so…?" Bell said as he scratched the back of his head. He knew in the back of his head that Hestia had a crush on him, given how she acts.
He is grateful for everything she did for him and loved her as family, but not as a lover. Plus, he stands by his belief that a love between a god and mortal wouldn't work out for obvious reasons. Though as the only living member of the Garo bloodline left, he is expected to produce a worthy heir for the armor but Bell didn't have to worry about that for many more years.
Artemis then got up and started walking towards the water.
"I'm a goddess of virginity, like Hestia. But unlike her, I despised the notion of romance. Forbid love between the men and women, especially in my Familia. If it weren't for the guidelines of the Makai Order, I would've made sure my Familia consisted of women." Artemis explained, getting Bell's attention. "But one day, one of my children told me that 'love is amazing'."
"And did you believe them?"
"For may be one night, I think…I do have some idea now." Artemis smiled as she looked at Bell. For the latter, he recognized that look the goddess was giving him. It's the same one that Hestia would give him time to time.
Artemis stepped further into the water before looking at Bell and offering her hand.
"May I have this dance?" Artemis asked while Bell seemed unsure at first. He then looked into his eyes and saw there was a hint of sadness in there. The kind that knows that this moment won't last, if ever.
It was the only reason the Makai Knight couldn't say no to her. For once, he'll indulge in a deity's pursuit of romance or whatever this was to Artemis. He accepted her hand and pulled her close as the two got into a ballroom dance position.
"I…I should warn you; I'm not really much of a dancer." Bell embarrassingly admitted.
"It's okay, I can show you. Just follow my lead." Artemis smiled as the two spent the night dancing in the moonlight with the water surrounding their feet barely affecting their movement.
As they continued dancing, Bell looked and saw how beautiful Artemis was under the moonlight. While he was still sure that a relationship with a god wouldn't work out, the teen felt a sense of contentment as they danced the night away. Almost made him forget that tomorrow will be one of the biggest battles in his career as a Makai Knight.
(Meanwhile somewhere else)
Within the ruined city, Antares-controlled Makai Knights and creatures were shoring up defenses. The Horror knew that Makai Order will try to besiege him and his forces tomorrow since the loss of his other vessels earlier ago today.
While patrolling the perimeter, a possessed Makai Knight noticed blood spreading on the ground. He took a look in the direction of the oncoming fluid before his head was quickly cut off and his chest pierced by a worn-down broken claymore, ridding Antares's influence of the corpse.
Soran emerged from the shadows and removed his sword from the corpse as he knelt down and licked the blood flowing from the body. He seemed to analyze the taste before looking slightly disgusted.
"Jeez, and I thought Lesser Horrors tasted disgusting." He quietly remarked to himself as he snuck into the city and climbed to one of the rooftops.
The Fallen Knight jumped from rooftop to rooftop and found the town square where he saw several Antares-possessed beings preparing a massive army to strike back. If the Makai Order attack the city head-on, there's going to be a lot of casualties.
Before Soran can do anything else, he felt the sharp end of a sword pointed directly behind him.
"I was wondering how long it would take for you to notice." Soran asked as he stood up and turned to see a possessed Knight and Priestess glaring at him.
"You don't seem like a typical Makai Knight and I don't smell the horrid scent of mortality on you." The Priestess observed.
"You're a Horror too, aren't you? Why are you taking such lengths to sabotage my army?"
Soran laughed at that.
"It's cute that you think we Horrors are cut from the same cloth." Soran said as he took out his claymore and rested it on his shoulder. "In the grand scheme of things, you are a heavy roadblock. One that must be cleared from my path. Don't take it personal."
The man then charged and Antares retaliated by having the Priestess open fire via dark fireballs. Soran dodged and cut through them with ease before stabbing the Priestess right in the chest, reverting her back into a corpse.
The possessed Knight ran at Soran, only for his attack to get blocked. The two engaged in their swordfight as Antares had the rest of his army look at the scene. Upon noticing the glare of the army, Soran used his free hand to grab the neck of the knight he was fighting and throw him off the roof.
He then followed suit and jumped off the room before cutting the Knight in half from the waist. Soran landed on his feet as a large group of the army surrounded him. The possessed Priestesses opened fire at him with their most powerful ranged spells ranging from fire, lightning, and earth. Soran didn't seem concerned as the attacks met him, resulting in a massive explosion.
However, as the smoke faded, the armored Fallen Knight took Soran's place instead without a scratch on his already ruined armor.
"Is that really the best you got?" Arcoxia said as he looked at himself in the reflection of his sword, not even sounding impressed.
Arcoxia's hand then lit up with a dark blue flame before snapping his fingers with it.
SNAP!
The sound of a horse could be echoed throughout the area as a dark portal appeared behind Arcoxia and out came a charging Madou Horse donned in ruined steel armor. It charged and stampeded around the armor, impaling enemies with its horn or running over whoever was close by. The Fallen Makai Knight then charged himself taking down whatever possessed creature was the closest to him.
Both were on a wild frenzy as they made sure not to leave anyone around to be revived once more. The steed ran over a few more giant scorpions while Arcoxia lit up his sword in flames and spun in a circle, dismembering any possessed Makai member he can fine.
"Barbatos!" Arcoxia called and Barbatos looked at his master before quickly galloping to his side.
The ruined Makai Knight quickly got on his steed before jumping onto the rooftops and making a break for it. While riding Arcoxia, noticed that some of the Antares-possessed creatures setting up siege weapons to use. No doubt in defense of the ruins here.
"Better appreciate this, Golden Knight. While I haven't played the role of a hero in a long time, doesn't mean I don't know how it plays out!" Arcoxia then had Barbatos jump from rooftop to rooftop until they landed near the heavily guarded gate.
"Stop him!" A possessed Priestess ordered as she and others started firing at him with ranged spells, only for Arcoxia to block each hit with his sword. He then noticed the scorpions jump off from the surrounding buildings and attempt to land on him.
"Shit!" Arcoxia cursed as he did his best to steer his steed away from them while cutting gown the closer creatures at the same time. Soon more and more of the creatures grew bolder and started landed on him. "You pests are starting to piss me off!"
He then cut through all the ones that dogpiled him before seeing the siege weapons close. Arcoxia smiled underneath his helmet as he stood up on Barbatos's saddle and jumped up in the air.
He lit his sword with a dark blue flame as he landed a downward slash on one of the weapons, causing a massive chain explosion which obliterated almost all the siege weapons and the Antares-possessed beings near them.
Arcoxia looked around at the damage he caused before petting Barbatos, who just galloped next to him.
"Good boy." He complimented as he dismissed his Madou Horse and armor. Soran then noticed a downed Antares-possessed Makai Knight, missing his limbs but still had a damaged Antares chestplate latched onto him.
"W…What have you done…?" The wounded man asked as Soran just rested his blade on his shoulder.
"I told you, Antares. We may be the same, but that doesn't mean our goals are."
"A-And what was your goal here?" The possessed man asked as he coughed up blood. "Whatever you destroy and kill here, I can easily rebuild."
"Within a couple of days here, sure, you can rebuild your army as if nothing happened. But, what about in the next couple of hours when the Makai Order finally comes here?"
"You…You did this to create a window for them!?" Antares asked. He knew that while the numbers can be easily replaced, the weapons cannot and because of that, the Order now has a gap they can use to their advantage.
"Not just that. I suppose my curiosity got the better of me." Soran explained as he crouched down to look at the vessel straight in the eye. "A Horror that can possess multiple people at once while also constructing avatars. Sure, I've seen it happen on a small scale, but not an entire army. Have to admit, a Horror like you can't have that kind of power unless you have a trick up your sleeve."
"And do you really think you can get to this so-called 'trick' and shut it down? My main body is far from here with the bulk of my army guarding it! Even you can't dare to survive reaching it!"
"Maybe not, but I still wanna take a gander at it." Soran said as he then stabbed the vessel he was talking to. "I better hope the Golden Knight does his job here tomorrow. I'm already doing more than what I intended. If I end up late on the way back to Orario, Amber is gonna kill me."
Soran then stopped as he saw more enemies gather in front of him. The young man didn't seem too bothered as he just smiled.
"Well, better make the most of it!" He proclaimed as he charged, ready to fight more.
(Meanwhile deep within the ruins)
More of Antares's scorpions have been scavenging the surrounding area, looking for more vessels to collect and reanimate while the humanoid vessels, mainly the Priestesses, have been hard at work undoing the seal. Despite the numbers, their magical powers were doing minimal damage to the seal, but there were signs that it was starting to wane.
Beyond that, the real Antares can do nothing but wait for the seal to be broken and then his path to world domination will be complete.
"The intruding Horror's presence means nothing in the end. Soon my time trapped within this prison will be at an end and after that, I will finally collect what I am owed; the reins of this world…" Antares himself remarked as he felt the magic surrounding the area weakening.
Just then the sound of something humming can be heard throughout the area and Antares can only laugh at the sound of that.
"Do you really think your boy toy will stop me?"
That humming intensified as Antares laughed even louder.
"I'm almost half-tempted to let him try, so I can take everything from you again."
The humming rang again but in a lower pitch and instead of mocking it, Antares only growled.
"We shall see, old friend. We shall see…"
Antares and whatever was causing that humming said nothing else as the former felt the magic in the area growing weaker and weaker. He just needed to hold off Soran and the Makai Order long enough for his prison to shatter. Either way, it was going to be a very long day for them.
AN: So for starters, I just wanted to say that I want to get this chapter out MUCH earlier than I intended, but a lot of things went crazy in my life for the past few months (such as moving homes) and I couldn't get this out the way I intended.
Anyways, please review or send PMs for questions, comments, or concerns. Don't be afraid to review this chapter, send questions, or look at my other fics.
Alright, I'm done. Goodnight.