Quest of the Nine Saviors
A fanfiction from the hands of Gunbazca & Wing Descendant
Disclaimer: All the characters' names, places, and other related indicia used in this fan fiction are all owned by their respective copyright owners. This fan fiction is made solely for entertainment purposes and not for gathering profit. So, in other words, don't sue us. We're not rich enough to pay fines.
Chapter 4: Crossroads
"So… what's your next plan, Lei?" Hanjiro asked, before sipping a glass of ale.
"No concrete plans yet, fellow. How about you?" Lei replied after putting his glass of fizzle-juice on the counter. The tavern was a bit empty, thanks to the last monster attack.
"I have to go back to the Shinsengumi headquarters first, to report what have happened here… after that, maybe I'll take my leave."
"I'm surprised that you guys have that too. How many days do you have?"
"Well, I've never taken any since I entered, so I think it'll be about a few months."
"After that?"
"Maybe I'll go to my mother's. She really wanted me to come back there… to tend the farmlands, and sort of like…"
"Normal and peaceful to me. Oh yeah… how about Harriet? We can't just leave her like that."
"Yeah, you're right. She didn't have any more relatives… who will take care of her?"
"Umm… how about Hokuto?"
"Well, she'll be busy working next month… Shinsengumi's administration officer, that's her work, and next month will be auditing month. Besides, it is definitely not OK to leave a village girl to a party junkie like her."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I'm her best friend, why shouldn't I know? She's always at the night scene in every city she came to. And her salary is more than enough to support her."
"Wow, a right and disastrous combination…"
"Yeah, you can say that again…"
"How about you, Hanjiro? Why don't you take her to your mother and leave her there? I'm sure your mother would be happy…"
"Yeah, and in about a month she'll ask me to marry Harriet. She's always like that… she even asked me to marry Hokuto once or twice…"
"Ergh… maybe she thought you should have a wife already. You have a job, you sent home good amounts of money… maybe she wants you to have the final happiness in a man's life… am I correct?"
They both laughed aloud.
"Yeah, you're right, Lei… maybe she wants me to stay at the farm… and do farming so she could sit back on the rocking chair while my wife do the housework. She'll be happy to baby-sit our children! laughs Oh, yeah, how about you? Why don't you stay for a little while here and take care of her?"
"Normally I would like to… but she reminds me a lot of my dead…"
"Past reminiscence, eh?"
"Yeah… sort of like that. Besides, how can I support the life of both of us?"
"Order your summons to mine some gold and cut some lumber… or maybe tend the abandoned farm she owned? You already have the man… err… beastpower, fellow."
"Yeah… you have a point. But I still need some help to rebuild his farmhouse… I know nil about designing a house. Why don't you guys stay for a while?"
"Maybe Hokuto can help you. She knew a bit about designing and carpentry. Besides, she has a lot of spare time until the start of the month ahead."
"Right! It's decided then. Let's find Hokuto & Harriet and tell them about the plans."
They both paid for their drinks, before going out of that quarter-occupied tavern.
"Now... where can we find Hokuto?" Lei muttered.
"Finding her shouldn't be that difficult. Look, there she is now." Hanjiro responded, pointing to a small-built girl crouching on the side of the road before a robed man. The two men swiftly walked to the girl.
"... So is it THAT certain? Gee, I don't wanna marry him..." Hokuto asked the robed, bearded old man.
"No, little girl... fate as it is, always changes from day to day, like the blowing wind..." the old man said, his tone calm and soothing.
"Well well, getting some more spiritual advice, eh, Hokuto?" Hanjiro joined the two people's talk.
"I thought an ever-optimistic girl like you won't need a spiritual advice after all," Lei added in a flat tone.
"Humpf! I've known you'd say that! What's wrong with some advice from a wise traveler? You're just jealous of my never-ending wit, that's all," Hokuto said back, a bit annoyed of Lei's indifferent manner.
"Now, now, the two of you... you two are a perfect match, I see... I see your fates lie in one..." the robed old man said, smiling as he saw the two's rising argument.
"I see the same thing, old man. Those two are indeed a perfect match... ow, I can almost smell the burnt cooking..." Hanjiro added the old man, resisting from himself laughing aloud.
"THAT'S IT! I'll be haunting your dream tonight, Hanjiro!" Hokuto blurted, before turning back and leave.
"Well, at least she got someone else to boss tonight..." Lei remarked, cynical as usual.
"And you too, Lei!" she added before going far from the three men. The men just looked her way for a while as she disappears into the night.
"So, you two want your fates to be told too, young men?" the old man said, while circling his index finger to some direction.
"Well, we're in a bit of a hurry here, so maybe next time," Hanjiro said while smiling.
"Ah, I see... well, until then... why don't you take these 8 pendants? I forgot to give the rest to the little girl after she took one," the old man smiled, before giving eight pendants, each differing in size and shape.
"Oh, okay. Gee, Hokuto sure does fancy these things a lot that she bought nine!" Hanjiro exclaimed, before a small laugh escaped his mouth.
"Oh, no, young lads. She didn't buy these from me. The pendants choose their own owners, and she happens to be one... I believe another two has chosen theirs now. Look at your chests," the old man said calmly, before pointing to Lei's chest, where the lion-shaped pendant now hung.
"What do this mean, old man? Is this some kind of tag?" Lei asked, while holding the pendant in his right hand.
"Those pendants are formerly worn by great warriors twenty-five millennia ago when they fought The Ultimate Evil. When that war is over, they stored their powers inside the pendant... The Lionhead pendant once belong to the great summoner, so I suppose you're a summoner too, young one?" the old man replied.
"Well, not quite. I stopped learning when my teacher died a few years ago," Lei responded, before looking to the silvery-gold pendant.
"And this sword-shaped pendant… what do this mean, old man?" Hanjiro inquired.
"Well, all I can say now is… good luck in your journey," the old man said, before turning into a big owl and fly into the woods a near distance away from the tavern.
"What do that suppose to mean?" Hanjiro asked Lei, puzzled.
"Beats me. Let's tell our plan to Harriet instead," Lei answered.
"Ok. First thing's first then. Let's go," Hanjiro said, before walking to the hotel where Harriet stayed.
…A few months later…
A torrential rain swept over the town since the day's start, making it impossible for anyone to come out of their house, including Harriet and Lei. They just sat beside the window of Harriet's new house, looking at Lei's beasts making shelter in the newly built barn.
"Sure is raining cats and dogs out there…" Lei muttered while looking at the beasts huddling together in the barn.
"Yeah… but look at the bright side! Your summons doesn't have to water the crops today!" Harriet, who is bringing a mug of tea for him, said in a calming tone.
"Yeah, true… and especially after they found some good-sized gold nuggets in the upper parts of the Levate River, I don't think I'm worried of the crops again," he replied flatly, before sipping some hot tea from the mug. She then took a seat on a nearby rocking chair and started rocking slowly.
"Say, Harriet… do you still have that pendant we gave you the night before Hanjiro left?" Lei asked.
"Well, yes… what's with that pendant?" Harriet replied, showing the sun-shaped pendant to Lei.
"No, it's nothing, really… I'm just a bit confused by the origin of this pendant."
"It's not like the usual you, Lei… usually you know everything and cannot be made confused."
"That's when it comes with logical things… this pendant is illogical."
"And why can you say that?"
"You should have heard from Hanjiro where we got that pendant."
"Well, yeah, but…"
"Does it sounded logical to you?"
"Well, no, but I believe fully in him. Besides, this pendant goes pretty well with my skin… don't you think so, Lei?"
"To tell you the truth… yeah."
Just then, a rap was heard on the door.
"I'll open it," Lei said, while getting up and walking to the door.
He opened the door, and there stood a black-caped tall man. As swift as a breeze, he slung a gun, wanting to shoot Harriet, who is still rocking on her chair.
"DAMMIT! HARRIET, GET DOWN!" Lei screamed, while mentally ordering his summons to help him.
However, this was a bit too late. The stranger shot once, but he narrowly missed Harriet's arm, sending her tumbling down. Then came the second shot, aimed for her head, but the shooter missed again, although her left braids was grazed. He wanted to shoot again, but a hard blow on his cheek done by one of Lei's Sasquatch threw him a few paces to his left-hand side.
"Waaah! Lei, what's going on?" Harriet shrieked, huddling for cover behind a toppled table.
"Just get down! I'll try and defeat this stranger! HEAAAAA!" Lei screamed, before lunging at the shooter, sending them tumbling outside to the rain.
Outside, the two men wrestled, each seeking the air from the opponent. The big, robed man tried to shot Lei, but he missed a whole inch from Lei's head. Lei, in turn, punched him on the chin and, after that, mentally ordering the nearby Sasquatch to pry the man off him.
The sasquatch tried, but it was quickly punched aside by some sort of fast-moving black creature. The black-robed man, as if sensing something coming, leapt a few paces backwards and stood before another, slightly heavier built, black-robed man.
"Go for the Ancient, Galadriel. I'll take care of this unworthy mantis," the heavier built man said, motioning the other man to the house.
"OK. Kill him for me, will you? He and a friend of his sort of nauseating me…" Galadriel said, moving to the house at once.
"What the hell… you're …?" Lei hissed, while mentally ordering his remaining summons to assist him.
"laughs At last you recognized me… it's just about time, for I'm going to kill you!" the robed man snickered, before unbuttoning his cape, letting it slide down and revealing the face. It's none other than Dao Ming She himself.
"I should've known that it was you, damned Ming She… but I won't be beaten just by your manticore! SUMMON GOLDEN MANTIS!" Lei bellowed, summoning his secret creature he had perfected all this time. Small, shining golden particles rose from the ground, before swirling in front of Lei. Gradually the golden shine united into a man-sized sphere, and from the golden sphere rose a shining mantis-like creature, ready to cut its enemy to pieces with a pair of its long, scythe-like forelegs.
"Hahaha… that fly won't last against my new manticore! SUMMON DEVIL MANTICORE!" Ming She bellowed also, before a tall lion-lobster beast with a black-and-red hide appeared before him, instantly charging to Lei upon arrival. The mantis parried the blow, and countered with a lightning-speed slice of its right foreleg. The manticore leaps back a few paces back, before bellowing aloud and, after that, belching an energy stream towards Lei and his mantis. The two quickly dodged, and the stream hits the wall of the first barn, literally vaporizing it.
"Fire with fire, Ming She… MANTIS, SHUKUCHI!" Lei bellowed, as his mantis suddenly dissapeared. A few moments later, the mantis reappeared, and Ming she suffered a gash on his left arm. The manticore was, however, more badly hurt from five deep slashes on its back and head. It bellowed loudly, before burning to ashes.
"Dammit! I knew this will be happening… but our task ends here. Emperor Caina will be delighted as he hears the demise of The Ancient!" Ming She bellowed as he threw a smoke bomb to Lei. The bomb exploded, sending a lot of soot and smoke to all directions.
"HARRIEEEEETT! NOOO!!!"
I, Genbu the mighty shield, have protected her. Have no worries, summoner.
Do not worry, o great summoner…Genbu is always at his words. The Ancient is safe and sound. He and I, Siren the illusion master, is at your service from now on. Godspeed on your journeys…
"… eh…?"
Lei was dumbfounded, but delighted by the voice inside his mind. Quickly he rushes to the house, and found it torn apart by large-caliber gunfires. On a corner, however, lay Harriet, being examined by a black-clad blue-haired woman. Lei's pendant instantly glowed and made a faintly audible ring.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Lei asked rather flatly, to the crouching lady.
"Nothing. I'm just checking if any bullets hit the girl… it's odd… I think I've seen four or five of the bastard's bullets hit her… but she's not shot at all!" the woman said in an amazed tone.
"It's not odd. You must've seen Siren's illusion."
"You mean?"
"Hey, get real… this world isn't composed of might alone…"
"Well, unfortunately I'm one of the believers of the opposite."
"What brought you here, lady?"
"Dreams… and all other superstitious things…"
Lei smiled a bit. The woman was a bit annoyed by it.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing… Hua Zhe Lei, nice to meet you," Lei said while extending a hand for a handshake.
"You're the guy all right. Meia Gisborn," the woman extended a hand for a handshake, before slinging a gun towards him.
"What the…"
"The price tag on your head is high on Estrellando Empire. Not to mention all the destruction you've done to my family…"
"Oh… so the misunderstanding still lingers, eh?"
"It was no understanding. I've seen that mantis ripping my father's body into two equal pieces…"
"Just about every beastmaster can summon a mantis…"
"Whatever it is, it'll end here."
The gun were fired.