...
After dropping off the bodies from the mansion, Akira would check his map as he traveled through the deserts of the Safina Region. Having heard of Magistea Village, and its abnormal prosecution of witches, the necromancer figured that the cemetery would possess the bodies of real witches, and judging by the fact this was a human village, the bodies would be exceptionally easy to work with. No extra appendages, organs, or abnormal body types to worry about.
Arriving near the outskirts of the village, Akira figured that simply raising undead would be enough to distract the local guards as he searched for the cemetery, and just as he expected, the guards quickly began to flee upon bearing witness to basic skeletons rather than even try to kill them. It appears these guards are cowards, through and through. How do they even capture witches when they're unwilling to fight simple skeletons? He thought to himself, snickering as he entered the village.
It was quiet as the Green Necromancer walked into the village. Maybe the guards had already alerted the rest of the village, but how? They did not appear to rush back here when they had fled earlier… Then again, with how run-down and impoverished this place looked, he supposed he could figure out why it was so unnaturally silent. He supposed it'd be easier to follow a fleeing guard's screams and just corner one instead of busting down these doors one by one.
Mentally commanding his skeletons to aim to corner, it would only take a few minutes before he felt a sense of confirmation from a nearby house. The undead did their job. He'd walk towards the house, conjuring his scythe as he let its violet glow make itself apparent. For whatever reason, glowing weapons seemed to be more effective at inducing fear than regular weapons.
He'd soon see the guard approaching, skeleton swordsmen surrounding him as they forced him to draw nearer. "You." Akira spoke coldly. "Where do you keep the bodies of those this village executes?"
Gulping, the guard could barely mumble out a single word as he pointed towards a gigantic mansion that lay deeper in the woods. "L-Lady Lily ke-keeps all of the pri-prisoners and wi-witches in her basement! It– It doubles as a prison!"
He raised an eyebrow. He could deduce that this "Lily" was the ruler of the village, hence the giant mansion. Yet why would the ruler of the village keep prisoners, those who actively broke the law and were thus more likely to take their rage out onto others, keep them in the basement of her own dwelling? Something did not add up to him. Dematerializing his scythe, he'd turn away, walking towards the mansion as he had his undead keep the guard where he was, preventing him from giving chase.
Arriving at the front door, Akira was surprised that it was left unlocked as he opened it, heading inside. Even more surprising than the fact the front door was open was the cauldron sitting in the middle of the room on top of what looked like a runic circle. How has nobody in the village noticed this? Why would the head of the village make her witchcraft potion room in plain sight when you open the front fucking door?
He sighed, pinching his nose in annoyance. Was a witch really the one leading witch hunts? Did she not have an easier way of exterminating rivals that wouldn't make the entire village out for any sort of mage's blood?
He'd walk through another door, entering what appeared to be a hallway, the stench of semen already being overwhelmingly strong. Is this a monster's dwelling? Sensing out the area, Akira would sigh once again as he felt countless monster presences inside of the cages. More specifically, artificial monsters from what he could tell, considering none of these caged beasts looked anything like actual monster girls he had seen out in the wilds. Women with disproportionately-sized tentacle arms, strange-looking barnacles stuck to the ceiling, and living iron maidens. He supposed it was fascinating to observe from a purely scientific standpoint, at its core. This was not unlike his own necromancy, albeit experimenting with life and its derivatives instead of death and corpses. If only it didn't reek of sweaty cock and balls, then maybe he'd respect this witch more than Chrome.
Seeing a door at the end of the hallway, Akira grew somewhat hopeful that this was where the bodies were stored, which he could finally steal. Then he could leave the place, and never have to put up with this unbearably strong semen stench.
Instead, he entered what looked like a cozier version of the cauldron room, except without a cauldron. There were multiple cabinets with various potions and drinks atop them, a globe of the known world hanging from the ceiling. Thankfully the horrid stench was much weaker here. This would have been a nice change of scenery from the prior hallway, save for the fact that…
He found himself staring at a green-haired woman, with a massive golden hairpin. He would have complimented her attire if it did not weirdly expose the topmost part of her thighs, whilst leaving little to the imagination when it came to her chest. Yet he supposed he did not have room to talk when he dressed eccentrically as well.
"Who… Who are you?" she said sharply, staring at the intruder in her personal quarters. "Answer swiftly now."
"I am known as Akira, a necromancer simply passing by." He noticed that she rose an eyebrow as he spoke. "I simply came to graverob, seeing as a place that people refer to as Witch Hunt Village would have the corpses of many a mage. One of your guards told me the bodies were stored here, yet I did not expect to come across something like this."
"A necromancer? I thought the practice of such a thing was extinct. Yet I fail to see a reason why I should simply let you go after you witnessed my experiments. Seeing as you're a necromancer, I'll keep you for myself. A mage's seed will be quite useful in these experiments of mine." Lily stood, a strong aura radiating from her.
Yet Akira smirked beneath his robes. "I will admit, despite the horrid stench, your experimentation is quite interesting. If only it didn't revolve around rape… However, I am a necromancer. Do you know what that means?" Not giving her the chance to answer, he spoke once again. "I can raise an army of undead. I can order them as I wish, something that I doubt you can do with these creatures. Now you tell me. Can you handle all of your experiments being set loose here?"
"Yes." She said flatly, her arms morphing into masses of tentacles. "I can, in fact, handle all of my experiments being set loose. They follow my every command after all."
Akira chuckled darkly, his eyes glowing beneath his robes. "How interesting. I wonder what will prevail? Your experiments… Or my undead?" Akira's hands glowed as several skeletons were summoned throughout the mansion. As Lily moved to storm him with her tendrils, he simply muttered something under his breath before vanishing.
"How annoying." Lily mused as her experiments mopped up the undead, who were uncoordinated and sloppy without their master nearby to command them. "Oh well, something to bring up with the others. I have the feeling this necromancer will make himself known once more. They'll take interest in him for sure."
...
The Knight in green armor hummed, lightly tossing Poseidon's Bell from hand to hand as he walked into Iliasport. "Got my bell, got the treasure, today's just going completely right for me… (Except for the purple-haired retard following me and his Monster Lord simp…)" he said to himself, Luka and Alice following behind.
Iliasport was quite barren, as if it was in a state of economic depression. This was sadly quite normal here, as the storm between the continents stopped all forms of trade, forcing Iliasport to rely on its fishing industry to carry the port town's economy. "Even though I've been here before, it's sad seeing Iliasport like this…" Luka mused.
"Poseidon's Bell will allow us to pass through regardless. Well Luka, will you head right to the port to find a boat? Or will you talk to some people first?" Asked Alice.
"Uhhh, we heading straight to the boat dumbass. I'm the one with the Bell here," Uriel dryly remarked. "I'm not wasting any time talking to random people. Not that they'd even want to talk to some random knight, a kid, and some hooker when they are literally on the verge of starving."
"Awww, but I wanted to talk to people…" Luka sighed, before nodding. "Alright, let's find a boat then!" With that, Luka began to head to the port, Alice and Uriel following him. "This will be my first time leaving the continent…" He said, seeming a little nervous at the prospect.
"It's also the first time I'll step foot on the Sentora continent. I've passed over it in the sky a few times, though." Alice replied, looking over at Uriel. "What about you?"
"I was born there. My parents sent me off to live in Ilias Continent when I was fairly young, now that I'm of age and can actually wear armor and know basic swordsmanship– Unlike that dumbass over there –I'm heading back to see if anyone's still around my home village. I… I hope they're still doing well," Uriel said, his voice trailing off into a murmur.
"What was the village like?" Luka asked as they walked, a curious look on the boy's face.
Uriel thought off, before saying, "It was… It was a normal town, about as normal as could be for any ordinary human settlement. It was in the Natalia Region, and was called Riená Village. I, I remember living there during the earliest days of my childhood. I was barely able to even walk back then, but that didn't stop me from wandering and trying to go outside regardless…"
"This is a touchy subject for you." Alice said bluntly. "I will not push any further. Nor will you, Luka."
"H-Hey, if he wants to talk about it, who are you to stop him?" Luka asked the Monster Lord.
"It's, fine. It's probably still around in Natalia, though most of the people I knew back then have likely moved out or died by now. Most of my friends are definitely fuckin' dead, I know that much for a fact after those goddamn plants raided the village," Uriel said, a venomous snarl slowly replacing his thoughtful tone.
"And who are these plants?" Alice asked, raising an eyebrow. "I apologize for pushing further, but I believe it best I am aware who these monsters are."
"The Kanon Sisters or something like that, a trio of faggots off in fucking Plansect last I heard," Uriel muttered, shaking his head. "I don't know much about why they attacked Riená Village. Something about how the guards there were actually capable of fending off stronger monsters that tried to cross the nearby border from Noah Region into Natalia Region, keeping the southern regions safer for humans and Ilias worshippers. 'Course it didn't really look like that to me when they were being digested right in fucking front of me, but who the fuck knows, maybe they were just good enough to handle the stray minotauros or something."
"My condolences." Alice spoke sympathetically, Luka also having a sympathetic look about him yet not knowing what to say.
"Gee, I'd like to see you say that to these poor fuckers about Alma ruining their entire livelihoods," Uriel snapped back as they arrived at the ship, before turning his attention to the captain, his mood changing entirely. "Yo, cap! I found the dumb Poseidoness Bell thing in that dusty-ass cave, though I ended up getting two more people wanting a boat ride. You mind if they come with, assuming this bell actually works and we don't capsize?"
"Aye." The old captain nodded, taking a puff of his cigar. "I'll get the crew ready, I remember seein' this bell back in the day. Always wondered why Selene couldn't make more of 'em."
"Selene made the bell?" Uriel asked, handing off the bell and a gold bar to the captain. "Also… Here's my payment, no need for change. I'm not paying for these two retards though, they gotta pay up themselves!"
Luka and Alice tossed the captain a pouch of gold coins. "Aight lads, come on aboard! And while she didn't, I can't imagine someone o'her caliber couldn't up an' make another."
"Huh… Did you know or encounter her back in the day?" Uriel asked, boarding the ship with the other two.
"Oh you know, she done just tried to steal our shit. The crew wasn't about that." The captain proudly recalled as he too hopped aboard, the crew getting the ship ready for sail.
"And I suppose she wasn't no Roza, eh?" Uriel chuckled, leaning on the mast of the ship.
"Pfff, naw. She was good, but I've seen lot'sa shit in my years on the waters." The captain said, noting how Luka and Alice headed to their quarters.
Fucking horndogs, not a goddamn second in and they're already probably fucking in there, Uriel thought contemptfully. "I see, I see! Any clue what's with the storm brewing here?"
"I ain't know shit about that. Only that it strikes whenever someone leaves. Some monster prolly made this ol' storm, since it never rains on its own anymore over these parts."
Well let's hope you're up to fighting a Heavenly Knight cause I sure as hell ain't. Uriel shrugged. "Guess we'll find out who that monster is ourselves. Probably gonna be a complete fucking bitch to escape or drive off if she can cause a storm this goddamn strong so many times all these years."
"Aye, we'll hit'er with the fucking cannons and send her ass to ol' Davy Jones'." The captain heartily laughed, seeming confident.
Uriel grinned under his helmet. "God bless, that'll be a satisfying sight to see!" he laughed as well, before soon deciding to sit down and rest against the rails of the ship. He personally did not fancy going to his quarters when the Monster Lord was in the room right next to it.
As night would come, he could feel the rain pouring against the ship, yet he saw Poseidon's Bell softly glowing on the mast as the boat kept on sailing, the rain not at all affecting its movement. He could also see Luka climbing up and jumping off the mast, seemingly training with his sword aboard the ship.
"Oi, be careful Luka. It's slippery out here, wouldn't be great for your dream of 'coexistence!' if you ended up slipping on the boards and breaking your neck eh?" Uriel snarked, chuckling to himself.
"It's okay Uriel, I'll be fine!" Luka assured him, continuing his training. Shockingly, he did not fall and bust his ass, soon managing to learn whatever skill he was trying to learn fairly quickly. For whatever reason, Alice seemed to be teaching him. Why the Monster Lord would teach sword skills to a human was beyond him.
Good Goddess I was right about the Monster Lord simping for some random human. I wonder why she cares so much?... Maybe she sees some potential in him and wants him as a potential servant or mate? Guess that much would make sense, he did kick Nanabi's ass pretty hard after all. Magic Schizo Voice, what do you think? Uriel thought, before simply getting a grunt of annoyance. He guessed the Schizo Voice didn't very much fancy Luka being accompanied and trained by the Monster Lord, even though he saw it as an objective good thing for Luka's skills and survival chances. After a while of training and talking, Alice would head back to her quarters, likely to go to sleep.
As time passed on, the storm would suddenly just stop. "Uwa, what happened?!" Luka exclaimed, knowing that storms did not act like this, where even the wind just ceased out of nowhere.
Uriel stiffened up as he got ready to leap to his feet. "Either we got out of the monster's range, or we're about to have a visitor come on board…"' He said, looking up towards the bow as they heard someone land.
Standing on the bow was a beautiful succubus with long purple hair, her bright red eyes looking towards Luka and the knight with mischievous intent.
Oh of fucking course it's a succubus, the worst kind of monster, Uriel thought with disgust as the Magic Schizo Voice wildly "nodded" in agreement, hissing slurs and hateful vitriol towards the cloaked succubus.
"Y-You!" Luka shouted, drawing his ugly-looking sword.
"I see, so you're that human. The boy that caught Alice's eye… You look delicious." She'd lick her lips with a smack, staring at him for a few seconds, before turning her gaze towards Uriel. "Yet I don't know who you are, though you smell equally delicious… What's your name, little knight?" Alma would ask.
"I don't know who you are either, but I already fucking hate you, so I sure as hell am not giving you my name. What the fuck do you want with us? We just want to go to Sentora," Uriel asked, drawing his sword.
"Mmmm, according to my Lord's order, I am supposed to exterminate the heroes who have been attacking her cute little subjects. I am a Heavenly Knight after all, it's kind of my job~!" Alma said with a giggle, "But don't feel left out! When I'm done with him, I'll let you experience all the same bliss I'll share with Luka-boy over there~..." Alma slowly licked her lips as she looked over Uriel's armored body, before turning back towards Luka. "I won't let you through this area."
"Then I'll beat you and pass through by force!" Luka shouted, pointing his blade towards Alma.
"Sheesh, this is the type of person you want to coexist with, asshole?" Uriel dryly said towards Luka, before sighing as he got into a defensive stance. "Looks like we're sinking into Davy Jones' locker together. God I wish I could die with literally anyone else other than you…"
"But we won't die, no!" Shouted Luka, gripping his sword tighter. "It's Alma who will face loss and defeat!"
"Fufu… A hero and a knight, so full of courage… How do you want me to violate you, Luka-boy? Want me to use my hand? How about my mouth? How about I squeeze you between my breasts? Or, do you want to try anal?"
"... Wait, I have an idea, if you'd hear me out!" Uriel said, deciding to make one final crude joke before he met his likely horrible demise via fucking tail vore.
"Oooh? Have a request, little knight?" Asked Alma, suddenly blurring towards him and leaning in way too close for comfort, her tail wrapping itself around his waist as he felt her breasts pressed up against his chestplate.
"Bitch I'm nearly your fucking height–!..." Uriel coughed, before staring Alma dead in the eyes as he dropped his sword, reaching for her shoulders. "Yesss, I do have a fancy, rather niche idea you might be able to do. That tail is capable of swallowing things, yes? And your mouth too, obviously."
"Mmmm…" She leaned in even closer, staring him in the eyes as well. "It is. Are you one of those 'voraphiles', as Tammy calls them?" She'd ask, a predatory glint making itself known in her eyes.
"Nnnno. I am not. But I'd like to try it out with a speeecial body part on your…" Uriel internally held back a sigh of disgust. "'Lovely' face, yes."
"Hmmm? What is it?" The heavenly knight asked, tilting her head.
"Your eyes. How about you vore my fucking thumbs with your eyes?" he said, before promptly shoving his thumbs down her eyesockets.
She'd step back, screaming in pain for a brief moment, causing even Luka to wince as she bled onto the floor, before murmuring something as her eyes promptly regenerated. Upon wiping the blood and vitreous from her original eyes off, she noted almost instantly that Uriel was attempting to chop her head off with his sword. Under normal circumstances, Alma Elma would have tried to tease her way through an encounter, whilst bringing her opponent to a pleasurable climax, before raping and sucking him dry.
Yet these were not normal circumstances, her survival instincts flaring up as she leapt back faster than Uriel could even perceive, before she quickly flew in and unleashed a flurry of punches against his armored chest. The knight couldn't even step back before her punches dented and broke through his armor, breaking ribs and pulverizing his skin and muscles into a bloody pulp before finally being flung well off onto the deck, Uriel sliding against the railings as the blood flowed from beneath his armor.
Looking back and seeing him basically incapacitated, she turned back to the horrified Luka and smiled seductively. "Something to worry about later. You're my prize now, Luka-boy~!"
Uriel could only watch as Alma fought with Luka, seeming to go very easy on him, teasing and playing with him as he tried to bludgeon her with his ugly sword. She seemed to only be using her tail to fight him. God… Damn it… It can't end like this, not to this bitch of all people!… Uriel thought in fear, coughing on his own vitae. He just needed some more time, then maybe he could figure out a plan or a weakness he could exploit…
He'd feel a pair of hands dragging him off, before he found himself inside what looked like the closest thing to a medical wing aboard the ship, the captain hoisting Uriel onto the nearby table and beginning to clean his wound. "Oi laddie, you ain't outta the game yet. We've got a whore begging to meet Davy Jones!"
Uriel gagged, tensing up in agony as they cleaned out his armor. "Bitch's… Using her tail. She's… being playful, we gotta be able to take advantage of that… somehow!"
"I'll get the anchor ready." The captain said, bandaging the knight's wounds and stopping the bleeding. "The boy'll keep her distracted. Get the chain around 'er tail. Get nice and rid'o her and keep on sailing."
Uriel weakly nodded as he got up on his feet again, adrenaline roaring through his veins. "Get me the chain when you're ready to use that anchor."
"Follow me, boy. I'll toss ya the chain when we're out there." The captain began to walk off towards the side of the ship with the knight. Upon them arriving, the captain tossed Uriel a long chain; the exact chain that was tied to the anchor. "Good luck boy." He'd pat Uriel on the shoulder, before walking off towards the back of the ship.
Ilias, Goddess, I dunno if you're watching right now, but c'mon, please do me a solid here and make it so I don't die to this faggot of a Heavenly "Knight…" Uriel thought silently, briefly clasping his hands together as he made one of the few genuine prayers he had even done in his life. For a moment, he thought that bizarre, cavern-air induced "Magic Schizo Voice" made a hum of agreement, and wondered if it was something more, before shaking his head. No time for that now.
As Uriel slowly snuck towards Alma, he saw Luka leap onto the mast, before jumping down, attempting to ram his ugly sword straight through her neck. "Kya?!" The succubus quickly caught the sword between her hands, much to Luka's disbelief and utter despair.
"No way…" Even though he hated how retarded this boy was, he could not help but feel bad for Luka. Not even he deserved to go out this way. Yet, realizing that he had no more time to try sneaking up on her, and also seeing that her tail was resting on the ground behind her, he could only do one thing.
Wielding the chain like a lasso, Uriel desperately threw it forth. To his utter fucking glee, the chain wrapped around her tail, Alma's eyes widening as she was quickly dragged away from Luka, panickedly trying to grab onto various nearby objects to stop herself from being pulled overboard… Until she quickly turned, karate-chopping through the chain ensnaring her tail, flicking it sideways to get the remaining chains off of it. Alma then slowly turned to face Uriel, a dangerous glint in her eyes completely different from the playful mood she had only a few seconds ago.
GODDESS WHAT THE FUCK I WAS BEING GENUINE FOR ONCE AAAAA GOD THIS IS GOING TO BE THE WORST WAY A MAN CAN FUCKING DI–!
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the commanding voice of the captain. "Crew, ready! Fire!" The sound of several cannons firing erupted through the night, even shaking the ship a little as Alma swiftly flew into the air, evading the cannonballs. "Second volley. Fire!"
Alma would quickly fly to the side, faster than any of their eyes could perceive. Yet the captain remained undeterred. "Cannon crew! Get to the deck! I will face this whore myself!"
"You really think to face me? Right now?" Asked Alma, her voice entirely devoid of its playful attitude, now that three attempts had been made on her life.
"Aye! I'll send yer ass to Davy Jones!" The captain growled, drawing a scimitar as he rushed in towards Alma. She looked towards the captain as she began to evade his slashes, moving faster than the untrained eye could perceive, yet fast enough for him to string together multiple attacks.
"If only you hadn't had your cannons fired against me, I would have given you the finest of pleasures. Sadly, we are past the point where I can do that for any of you. I was ordered to deal with heroes exterminating monsters. You, your crew, everyone here, I can tell there's blood on your hands." She remarked, noting the dried bloodstains on his scimitar.
"I'd rather cut me dick off than let you touch it for even a second, you flying hoe! Yer horns'll make a great adornment for this 'ere ship! Fuck you whore!" The captain snarled as he kept up his assault.
Good Goddess the balls on this man could be fucking anchors in of themselves what the fuck? Uriel thought in genuine surprise as he watched with genuine pride. Now if only the Captain was landing his blows, then Uriel would've felt comfort and hope that they'd all actually make it out of this alive. Seeing the incoming cannonball crew taking positions behind the cannons on deck gave the Knight a little hope that maybe they'd be able to help turn the tides in their favor…
Alma would finally retaliate, landing a hook punch on his face with an audible crack, causing the captain to stagger back and spit out a blood-soaked tooth, before growling and charging back in. "I'll have yer 'ead for that, you worthless fuck!" Alma moved in to finally incapacitate the captain, before swiftly moving back as a cannonball careened through the air between them, now avoiding cannonballs as the captain kept slashing at her.
Yet the fight would soon draw to an end as Alma would sidestep a cannonball, the cannonball now flying towards the captain's leg as it blew it clean off, the captain screaming in a mix of pain and pure rage as he fell to the ground, stabbing his scimitar into the floorboards to try to reorient himself. Luka looked sick just watching, as Uriel slowly fell to his knees, despair setting in as he saw the fight against Alma had most certainly been lost. That was, until he heard a door swing open, an incredibly oppressive aura radiating from the now-awakened Alice.
"STOP!" Alice commanded with a voice of utmost authority. The cannonfire ceased as Alma froze up, stopping in her tracks.
"Alma." Said Alice, slithering towards Alma Elma with a deadly glare.
"Yes, my Lord?" Alma asked.
"What the fuck is going on?" Alice spoke, demanding an explanation.
"I was simply executing your orders to get rid of the heroes exterminating monsters, and that knight over there shoved his thumbs into my eyes and nearly blinded me. I incapacitated him quickly and went to play with Luka-boy to calm myself down and make myself feel better, but then the knight managed to catch my tail with the anchor's chain and almost drag me overboard. At that point I was going to kill him, but then the captain ordered his cannons to be fired at me." She paused, taking a breath. "Then he went and tried to stab me, so I dodged his attacks until the crew shot at me again, and as I dodged the cannonballs one of them took his leg off. I was just about to finish executing your orders to exterminate the heroes." Said Alma, explaining herself.
"To be entirely fair you're the one who wanted to fucking kill us first! You're even the one who came on board to begin with! Alma even called me a, uhh, 'voraphile!' I took extreme offense to that!" Uriel cried out, trying to make himself look better in the hope that Alice would continue taking the crew's side over Alma's.
"I was just following your orders Alice. If I ma–"
"Bullshit." Alice growled.
"Excuse me, my lord?" Asked Alma, stepping back.
"I said bullshit! When did I order you to cause a storm that lasted for a damn decade?! Do you have any idea of what you actually did?!" Alice yelled, causing Alma to flinch.
"I stopped travel between the two continents so that the Church couldn't send its heroes to Sentora!" Alma said in confusion, trying to defend herself.
"You created a blockade between an entire continent's worth of people and several nations of Sentora. Right between the two most fanatical nations Ilias has power over. Fucking tincan over here realized that you committed an act of war against the Church of Ilias. You gave them the perfect damn excuse to come in and start waging open war against all of monsterkind!"
Alma pointed her finger towards Alice, opening her mouth to speak, yet nothing came out as she just stared off, trying to think of something to defend herself before she begrudgingly closed her mouth and let her arm fall back to her side.
"We will discuss the consequences of your actions later. Get out of my sight." Alice growled, magical energy condensing around her.
Not needing to be told twice, Alma Elma would walk towards the side of the deck, taking one last glance at everyone onboard, before flying off into the night. Alice sighed with a stressed expression, slithering towards the captain. The crew warily watched as she murmured incantations under her breath, starting to heal the captain as a new leg began to gradually grow and replace the stub that was his left leg.
After a few minutes, the captain would manage to push himself back up, yanking his scimitar up from the ground as he looked over Alice. "Well I'll be damned."
"I apologize for what my subordinate ha–"
"We got the fuckin' Monster Lord aboard and lived! Holy shit this is gonna be good for marketing!" The captain exclaimed, Alice simply raising an eyebrow. "The ship that took the Monster Lord from Ilias to Sentora, during the storms? Holy fucking SHIT WE'RE GONNA BE FUCKING LOADED BOYS!"
Uriel looked around as the rest of the crew erupted into celebration, giving a weak thumbs up to Luka and Alice. "Ye-yeaaaah, we… We did it… I shoved my thumbs down the eyes of Alma, the Succubus Queen and Heavenly Knight, and lived to tell the tale! And I didn't even get raped! Now, I'm… just gonna, go, take a nap… right about… here and now, this spot looks real comfy…" he said, weakly chuckling before promptly passing out on the floor, his last thoughts being random prayers of thanks to the Goddess for him not being digested alive in a fucking tail.
"T-That could've gone much worse…" Luka mused, looking over at Alice. "All's well that ends well."
"I suppose." Said Alice, slithering over to Uriel and picking him up. "I'm going to get him to a bed. Afterwards, we shall resume your training." Alice said, Luka nodding as she slithered off.
...
Lazarus and Alvrenger walked through the night fields, passing through tall grass as the moon shined above.
"... So, I know you're different from the rest. What else are you hiding up your sleeves, Alvrenger? You seem like you've handled powerful monsters like that before, and regularly too," Lazarus said as they walked along.
Alvrenger paused as he raised a hand, listening carefully to the night's sounds. Upon verifying no monsters were in the area, he kept walking on as he said: "Fighting against monsters far outside of the average human or even modern 'hero's' league is what I'm used to. I've fought tougher monsters than that scylla we killed in Lady's Village, though I admit, that's the first time I ever had to fight multiple monsters that powerful at once. If not for everyone else there, I would have immediately fled instead of fighting on. Picking battles carefully is vital for staying alive as a Monster Hunter."
"Monster Hunter?" Lazarus repeated, raising an eyebrow. "That's just an old wives' tale, isn't it? I thought the few humans and heroes who fancied themselves as 'Monster Hunters' were exterminated by the Fifteenth and later on even moreso by the Heavenly Knights."
"The Fifteenth killed most of the remaining hunters and many of the springs that could create Cold Iron, yes," Alvrenger said, shaking his head in a mixture of anger and sadness. "But a few, like my master, survived to pass on their traditions, and much like when a library is burned down, the building is rebuilt and knowledge is passed around to reconstruct what we lost. It doesn't matter how strong a monster is by the end of the day. They, for all their power, are still mortal and have mortal weaknesses. They age, they suffer, and they feel pain just as humans do, and that is enough for us to learn how to seal or kill them. Some of the earliest hunters had to live by trial and error throughout the Great Monster Wars to figure out how to kill Minagi's succubi and uproot Kanon's vines. But, with a bit of guidance from the Goddess, and a healthy dose of caution and logic, it's possible even we could figure out how to kill a Heavenly Knight."
Lazarus chuckled. "Lady's Village wasn't a complete disaster then. Sure, a good chunk of the recruits died, but we killed one of them. A Scylla at that too, the ones famed for being the Gold Region's most powerful 'pest' monster on average."
"The Floodgates were opened in their minds," Alvrenger agreed. "Oftentimes, it's been thoroughly baked into the human psyche that no matter how hard we try, we cannot rival monsters. And indeed, if a monster is cautious enough, it is better to simply retreat. But many monsters are arrogant and pride themselves on being able to fight off all humans conventionally. But with the right tools and knowledge? Hunting monsters is no different than hunting large animals, like a bear or boar. We killed a single inhabitant of Lady's Village. Now they'll begin to think less of 'We cannot rival them,' and more on 'Could we kill the rest?'"
"Yeah…" Lazarus chuckled, shaking his head, before coming to a stop and gawking as the two men came to a massive spring. Large pools of glistening water shone in the night as pearly-white rocks reflected moonlight, creating a dazzling, almost hypnotic pattern that briefly had Lazarus in a trance before he snapped to his senses. "What… What the fuck is this place?"
"This… Is the Spring of Ilias' Tears. You can just call it Ilias Spring for short, like almost every fucking thing on Ilias Continent," Alvrenger said, before recomposing himself. "This place has supposedly existed since the Great Monster Wars, according to tales passed down from generation to generation."
"So… Explain? How does this stuff make the shit you used on Cassandra and that scylla?" Lazarus asked, idly staring into the water to see an almost-angelic reflection of himself. For a few fleeting seconds, he swore he could see Angel Feathers falling from the skies, drifting around in the waters before blinking as the mirage faded away.
"First, a bit of history. You know who Kanon is, right?"
"The Penis Fly Trap Ancestor, yeah. One of the most bitchy and selfish of the ancestors according to the few stories still floating around from those times. Wasn't her biggest tale about how she caused massive vines and roots to entangle the Grangold region?" Lazarus asked.
"Precisely. Long ago, it's said that Ilias wept for every man, woman, and children that Kanon murdered and raped to death in cold blood. Over the years, a Hero of the Goddess known as 'Jack Spriggins' discovered these springs during his deepest depression when he learned his wife had been kidnapped and melted alive by Kanon."
Alvrenger sighed, taking a deep breath before going on. "As he sat down, wracked by despair and anguish, he had coincidentally placed his rusted iron blade into these springs for ten days and nights. When he finally reached to bring his sword out once more, he saw he had created the very first weapon made of Cold Iron. With it, he was able to cut seamlessly through the stalks and roots of the Ancestor, driving her back as he spread word of these springs to his most trusted compatriots, and in due time, turned the very mana coursing through Kanon's veins against her own body as they sent her screaming back to Hellgondo, wrapped in silver chains. Whether that last part's true… Well, nobody knows for sure, but considering the Gold Region isn't a greenhouse right now, we can tell that Kanon was driven out of here regardless. It's also been a pet theory of my master that this tale is also how 'Jack and the Beanstalk' came to be too."
"I see… So, if I'm getting this right, Cold Iron turns the mana of a target's body against them?" Lazarus asked, rubbing his chin in thought.
"Precisely! You have a good ear for detail. While I am… fairly certain that our basic, unblessed cold iron weapons and tools won't faze something like a Heavenly Knight too much in the long run, it does work remarkably well against monster mages and other beings with high mana concentrations, like slimes and the undead. This is because being cut or covered in cold iron induces massive pain and tears their bodies apart from the inside out, their own magic turned against them."
"I gotcha… So, can it kill them? Or will it always be nonlethal?" Lazarus asked, drawing his own sword and heading to the edge of the springs. "And… How long does it take to make cold iron weapons? I don't have to wait ten days and nights, do I?"
Alvrenger chuckled. "No, I'm certain that is something that has to do more with Ilias' blessings than it does the actual properties of this spring. As far as I know, it only takes five minutes for a single bar of iron to be converted. Waiting, maybe fifteen minutes, would probably be enough to convert something like your sword."
"I mean, fuck it, let's try this shit out…" Lazarus muttered, gently placing his sword into the springs as he sat on the edge, staring into the water.
A silence passed, before Lazarus spoke up again. "So, is there a limit to how much iron can be converted by these springs?"
"Not that I'm aware of. Maybe there is? Never really tried to figure it out. Before this, only me and a few other hunters used these springs, and even then we only used it when we needed new equipment."
"... If there is a limit, we're going to have to be real smart about how we use 'em. You said the Fifteenth destroyed most of these springs, right?"
"Aye. I'm assuming it was because she saw it as an abomination much like Necromancy. It's quite rich that an almighty Monster Lord would purge such a thing, never knowing what it's like to be as weak as a human, only seeing that it could be used to combat monsterkind."
"Bah, that bitch was as self-righteous and pompous as you'd expect her to be," Lazarus spat, barely restrained rage evident in his tone. "I met her once, long ago, when me, Marcellus, Merlin, and Karen all went to fight her. She was as arrogant as any other Monster Queen, and had the gall to say her death was for 'coexistence' as we slit her fucking throat. Maybe long ago, I'd feel sorry and work towards it. But then her shitstain daughter killed Merlin and Karen, crippled my arm and blinded Marcellus, and I knew from that moment onwards that lazy cunt just didn't want to put in the effort of working for actual coexistence, she just wanted to make others feel bad enough to handle and deal with the stress and countless issues such a dumbass dream brings to the table. Bitch didn't even seem to consider how her own death would impact her daughter!"
Lazarus panted for a few moments, veins bulging against his neck and temples, before he started to calm down. "I suppose I don't know how it impacted the Sixteenth either. If I get my way, I won't ever have to learn it, I'll just slit her goddamn throat like I did to her whore of a mother, then for at least some time we won't have a stupid Monster Lord running around while I get to hang a whore's head on Ilias Kreuz's front door."
Alvrenger simply nodded, before gesturing towards the sword. "One step at a time. First the rampaging monsters causing havoc around the world. Then as we grow stronger, we'll cull their nobles and leaders too."
"Damn right…" Lazarus said, before kneeling down to reach into the pool, taking out his blade and once more being entranced by it as the springs' waters had done previously. It was glossier now, as if it had been professionally polished and sharpened to a perfect edge. He could also feel a soft, cold aura gently emanating from the blade as well, not unlike water vapor rolling off of ice. "Holy shit this… this is strange to hold. Is… is this going to turn my own mana against me if I accidentally cut myself?"
"It won't be particularly bad since not only are you human, but you're not even a mage either, so unless you were just born with an unusually large affinity for magic, the pain won't be that bad. More like a few bee stings assuming it's something like a small cut. Yet if you, say, cut off a toe or finger… Well, you will have much bigger concerns to worry about if you're that clumsy and bleeding out. Cold Iron does not discriminate on who it cuts. Maybe something blessed by the Goddess will be more forgiving or brutal, but I've never been one to preach and pray fanatically like the clergy."
"Hm… And I'm guessing for that powdered version you made, you just grind down bars of iron converted into the cold stuff?"
Alvrenger nodded, "Powdered Cold Iron is unimaginably useful. Not only can it be used defensively as a smokescreen, but it can be used in conjunction with salt as a leading first attack to blind and burn an opponent. I cannot begin to tell you how many times I have avoided an untimely fate through this tactic."
Lazarus grinned, before closing his eyes as he offered up a prayer to the Goddess in thanks for the turn of luck he seemed to be having at last. "Guess we'll have to find an iron mine then, the boys and girls back at HQ will most certainly be needing to learn how to use these things if we're gonna be doing big operations in the future."
"I believe there's one in the Natalia Region… But, I don't really know where exactly. I don't have a map, and even then, with the lack of wars recently a lot of mines have shut down and been long-forgotten."
Lazarus' grin grew even wider. "I do. I still have a good map from the time I adventured with my old buddies back at HQ, and I know for a fact there's an old iron mine in the more southern regions. We'll head there tomorrow though, the others obviously will need a full night's rest."
"Aye. Let's get back to base," Alvrenger replied as Lazarus began to stand up.
Yet, as he got up from his knees, Lazarus' eyes flickered towards a wooden cabin. Not a particularly large one, but one that had always been there, far off in the horizon. On the porch of this cabin, he swore he could see an old, seemingly venerable man resting on a rocking chair, staring right at the two as they left.
"Who… Who is that?" Lazarus said, pointing towards the cabin.
"That… That is the man who taught me everything I know, and the reason the Fifteenth's forces could never destroy this spring. Come, let's get going. He's earned his retirement. He doesn't need to be dragged back into the affairs of the modern world."
Lazarus couldn't help but glance back, somewhat unnerved by the quiet man sitting so far away, yet thought nothing more of it as the two headed back to base.
...
Elsewhere, within the Vampire Citadel, the Wind Mage and Vampire Queen took a moment to rest and recuperate from the wounds that their duel had inflicted on both of them.
"So, this 'alliance' that you call the 'Pale Hand…' How exactly, does it work?" the Vampire Queen spoke.
"It would not be unlike a council… A place where rulers and other members can discuss their own ideas and movements against mutual enemies. Something where people who despise the Church and Alipheese can speak as frankly and plainly as they want to, free from being ousted or exposed as a 'traitor,' for all the members would technically be traitors at that point, no? It would be a place where at long last, monsters who want to be free from the Dark Goddess' stupid legacy can collaberate to claim genuine freedom and act for themselves. I suppose you could say it's a staging ground to plan out how to revolt against the Monster Lord and her Heavenly Knights, at its core."
Fatima closed her eyes as she thought over it, "I see. An intriguing idea. Collaboration between different monster kingdoms and tribes outside of the Monster Lord's laws has been almost unheard of since the era of Black Alice. The last time I remember it happened, it was when the Spider Princess was thrown out of her position as Insect Queen by the previous Spider Queen and the rulers of the Ant and Bee kingdoms. Well, assuming one could call that near insignificant village of bees and plants a 'Kingdom.'"
"So I've heard. Black Alice had her own equivalent to the Heavenly Knights, didn't she?" Vaal said. "The 'Three Nobles of Black,' Kokuja, Kokka, and Kurobara… All of the stories around them paint them as being brutal on a level unseen since the Great Monster Wars."
"I met one of them when I was extremely young," Fatima recalled fondly. "At the time, Kurobara had been the Vampire Queen. You'd be surprised at how kind the Three Nobles and Black Alice had been to their subjects, but the stories are not at all exaggerated. They were inspiringly tyrannical to their enemies and enslaved rivals, practically being the equivalent of Heroes for Monsterkind. Yet their might was nothing to Heinrich in the end, who defeated them all and ended Black Alice's reign."
Vaal shrugged, "I suppose they and Ilias' heroes are merely the two faces of a coin. Perhaps visually different with a few changes to motive and power, but ultimately still the same core impacts. I must say though, what a curious case Heinrich was, an absolute anomaly by human standards. They say he was blessed by the Goddess, yet for a simple man to take on one of the most violent Monster Lords to ever live and win? Perhaps it's something I might take seriously, if the 'modern Heroes' weren't so very jarring to see bumble around, wasting their baptisms and 'rights.' Was it merely a fluke and Heinrich had forgotten companions? Or did Ilias give him genuine guidance and power since the time called for it? Would she do the same thing again if my ideas were to come to fruition? Such things to ponder over, yet so many will never be answered."
By the First you're talkative when you get going… Fatima dryly thought, though she supposed it was growing on her. It was better than most Heroes blabbering about Ilias and how they'd kill her to avenge everyone she killed, or hearing the same pitiful words and moans of broken men whining about how they were orgasming and pledged their loyalty to her as their life drained away from their desiccated carcasses.
The Vampire Queen sighed as she stared up towards the ceiling, relaxing back into her throne. "Indeed. Maybe a Hero will rise to stop this 'Pale Hand' before it can strike down the Monster Lord, as you propose. Perhaps they'll succeed, or perhaps they'll simply find my fangs tearing out their throat."
The Wind Mage snickered, "A lovely snack for you, I'd imagine. Yet an ambitious mage and a single Queen alone cannot change the course of the world just yet. Off the top of my head, I remember having planned on seeing the Elder Shirohebi, Spider Princess, and one of Plansect's Rulers... Ye-yeeeeet, after... my difficulties, fighting you, I think I'll put off Spider Princess, much less Cassandra..." he said, his tone trailing off into uncertainty.
"I do not think you are going to be able to win a straightforward fight with the Spider Princess, though your abilities would likely frustrate and tire her out if our duel was anything to go by. That arachne has always been easily provoked, prone to overindulging in her instincts and frenzies when she either sees an easy victory or starts to get pushed back far beyond what she's comfortable with in a fight. Considering you are human… She will no doubt be enraged very quickly. But Cassandra?… Good luck, that woman is on a level above the Queens despite her lack of territory. Maybe the Nereneid Matron's power and skill have wavered and decayed as she's aged, but I sincerely doubt she ever stopped training and growing after her narrow defeat by the Fifteenth's hands so long ago. She is, however, easily amused and prone to not just getting to the point from the few times I met her. I can see her being interested enough in a rebellion against the Sixteenth to join. The Nereneids always despised the Fateburn line with a burning passion, the chance to finally get one over the Monster Lords is frankly something I'd see Cassandra sacrificing everything to achieve."
Fatima paused, thinking off as she focused on another person. "And while I know nothing of the situation in that pathetic village that's been in a 'civil war' for as long as I remember, I do know that Shirohebi-Sama is quite weak compared to me and Spider Princess. Yet do not mistake that weakness for complacency. My instincts tell me her current irrelevancy is what she intends, for whatever reason."
Vaal took several minutes to process all of what Fatima said, before bowing his head in thanks. Upon raising his head back up, Vaal then replied: "Nobody is as simple as rumors and first impressions might imply. Your gate guard thought I was just a pretty little face to caress after all, and now she's gone skinny-dipping in the seas. I doubt Shirohebi-Sama has spent all her time since being banished from Yamatai doing nothing but boil in her own misery... And so, even if she might be weaker than most Queens when it comes to raw might and most certainly in terms of raising an army, she might have something just as useful."
"Precisely. I suspect something grander at play behind her meager appearance. You would be wise to remain wary, for I know either of the two Shirohebi sisters could have easily become the new Lamia Queen by now. The younger one doesn't try because she loves her home and doesn't want to deal with the political infighting and the long history of grudges that the lamia and scylla monsters have against each other. But the older one? There is most certainly something else she has planned for her to ignore an open opportunity."
"Mhm, as you say, Vampire Queen. I will be sure to tread cautiously in case Shirohebi-sama ends up being hostile. Do you happen to know telepathy by chance? It would be good to stay in contact with each other after all when I'm out of here."
"... You're asking a Queen monster, the Vampire Queen no less, if she knows telepathy?" Fatima sarcastically said, smirking.
"You know I've attended a magic university in Grangold where a fucking Ant Girl had to remind my professor how to do basic telepathy, I've never fucking taken such basic magical things for granted again. Especially after I ended up nearly blowing myself up because said professor couldn't tell me via telepathy that some potions are a lot more volatile to experiment with than others…" Vaal mumbled, glancing towards the ground.
Fatima stared at the Wind Mage with a bemused expression for a few moments, before starting to giggle. "I see. I suppose I can't blame you, it appears we're both used to people, particularly humans, being sub-par at best. Your existence and power will take some time getting used to."
Vaal waved it off, "It's fine, it's fine. Take as long as you need to, as long as nobody talks about this, we have all the time we need to get used to working with each other. I am very much aware this is sudden and came out of literally nowhere, from your perspective. But, ah… I have to get going now. Do you have any more questions before I leave?"
"None in particular. Until we meet again, Vaal." Fatima would watch him walk away, feeling his aura get weaker and weaker.
Getting back into his boat, Vaal would begin to row once more. I don't know if facing Fatima in battle was more annoying than fucking rowing all the way here.
...
Author's Notes
Another chapter out. Feel free to leave your thoughts and ideas in the reviews or in PMs, and please don't forget to favorite and follow. Additionally, we are wondering if we should split chapters up into different perspectives. So far, the plan is to have each chapter have the main perspective/focus start with Akira Vozius (Necromancer Guy), then shift to Uriel Anvari (the Green Knight), then to Alvrenger (Monster Hunter), and finally end on Vaal (the Wind Mage). If we were to split these perspectives up into different chapters each, then it'd still go Akira - Uriel - Alvrenger - Vaal, then loop back to Akira.
That said, not much else here to write down for these notes. Without further ado, we bid you all a good day!