Chapter 153 - Nature Elf Village

You know, if one were to tell him that he'd be escorting an Abnormal back to a village with similar Abnormals to it, then likely he'd run that person through with Rebellion whilst insulting their intelligence. With no small number of curses, too.

That was what Nico thought to himself as he and He Lin (a weird name, if he was frank. Though, in all fairness, he didn't know much about Nature Elves in the first place, something he felt necessary to correct) rode on the back of his Skimmer Ember through the Leanbox Countryside. His small head had been buried into his back, something which sent shudders down his spine in the beginning though Nico got used to it fairly quickly. As with the arms wrapped around his waist holding onto him for dear life. If he listened carefully or paid more attention to this being he currently had the mission of transporting back to his home, then he would have heard his faint whimpers of slight terror as he did his best not to cry out and annoy his so-called 'saviour'.

Ugh, he hated that word, it COMPLETELY felt like the opposite of what would have actually happened if he hadn't snapped back into his senses...

'Tch, how annoying...' the redhead thought as he glanced idly behind him at the young Nature Elf. He looked so feeble and weak right now that it didn't take him by surprise anymore that he got captured by humans. If anything, he looked like someone who wouldn't even hurt a fly, although in his line of work it wasn't good to assume something as weak unless you have adequate information beforehand. 'Just looking at this guy irks me slightly, heck this entire scenario feels... weird, wrong even. On multiple fronts too...' He thought further, glancing back to the distance ahead of them and keeping his lone eye narrowed into a slit.

Throughout his work, Nico had encounter all kinds of Abnormals, each of them varying in shapes, sizes, powers and abilities. Each time, they had quickly proven how 'monstrous' they could be just by showing off their abilities and what they had shown off beforehand if he had already encountered their species before. Such examples included those Bull humanoid Abnormals he had fought back in the Hellverse incident, Abnormals with an almost insatiable hunger for combat and bloodshed. He had once even heard of a time when a massive army of them had once been formed with an abnormally strong one as their leader. Every time they pillaged a Village back then, they wouldn't actually destroy the village completely, oh no, they would do something a whole lot worse in his eyes. Instead of just killing off the village and the villagers as well, they would take every citizen whom hadn't fled and stored them away in cages... and when it came to meal times or times of needing to replace their numbers between battles...

Well, they really DID like the young ones.

So many civilians lost their families that way back then, and it had been declared as a national-level emergency, declared a high priority threat target by the higher ups. Back then though, Nico hadn't been around when that incident had happened, but he HAD heard of it from his mother, as she had been one of the Spec Ops Agents tasked with bringing that hoard to its knees. Despite his mother having one hell of a vicious reputation as VALKYRIE, it had taken them weeks to track the damned beasts down and kill them all, sometimes the leader would manage to escape and start a new hoard, eating and breeding with any female it could find to do so. Kind of like a never-ending cycle, in a way. He didn't even NEED to try and imagine the kind of horrors she must have seen, as with his work experience he pretty much COULD. He'd seen similar cases throughout his time as an Agent, both from Abnormals and humans alike.

SO... yeah, one could guess just how conflicted Nico felt about his current situation.

Still, in the end he decided to stop thinking about it and let the roar of Ember's engine lull him into a sense of tranquillity, something that Nico felt he would desperately need right about now. It actually made him start thinking back again, actually... but on a bit more of a positive note. Shortly into their little trek, the male had opted to let the Bike have some fun by transporting the two of them, although it DID nearly incinerate He Lin to cinders when he got near it until Nico told it he could mount the Skimmer. The reason for this was since He Lin had told him that the forest in which the Nature Elf's home resided in was a fair distance away, located within the south western lands of Leanbox's forestry, it would be best if they could get there with better transportation than just walking. For a moment, Nico had considered not bringing Ember out, as his sentient Skimmer/Motorbike wasn't too friendly with those Nico himself didn't trust, but in the end it had been either Ember or his Archdemon... He Lin definitely knew which one he preferred when first seeing that creature.

Currently, the child clung to the back of Nico's Trench Coat for dear life, obviously not used to this kind of transport. Now that he thought about it, if his hunch was correct then this Abnormal had never ridden on transport like this for an entire lifetime, if he had been captured by people then he likely would have only experienced those slow moving carriages that Leanbox use nowadays due tot heir lack of proper technology. Thinking about it from that perspective, Nico could sort of understand (although it still baffled him how it had been so) why He Lin was doing what he was.

Same could NOT be said for himself, however.

'Ahhhh, god-DAMN, does this feel like one big stress reliever…!' the redhead teen thought to himself, a not-so small grin forming on his lips beneath his Mask whilst listening to the calming sound of Ember's engine. He even slightly leaned more forwards towards the moving Motorcycle's hood, wanting to savour the sound as much as possible. His gloved hands gripped Ember's handles tightly yet with a gentleness which could only be described as 'tough love', something which Ember seemed to appreciate immensely if the roars of delight from its Engine were to consider... nobody take that out of context, alright? The wind blew through what could be seen of his face, his trousers flapping against them whilst he kept his gaze focused on the space ahead of them.

Since he was driving Ember, Nico had opted to pull his Trench Coat's hood up over his head, concealing most of his head from view whilst casting shadows over his lone eye. An eye which glowed just as brightly as it did when it was in Kakugan form or that of his DPU one. If anyone were to ask him, Nico would say that at this point, he had developed a love for Motorcycles, his Ember being his one true ride that he'd use for eternity. If there was a way to make her even faster and stronger, then he'd take that too. Thanks to his choice to summon and drive Ember to the directions He Lin had provided, he honestly felt a whole lot better way quicker than what he normally would take to get over his problems concerning his Ghoul side. The rush, the thrill, it felt freaking invigorating, and it NEVER got old.

Inside, he could even hear the manical laughter of his Ghoul side as it lost itself in killing off those pesky monsters inside his inner world, going on an absolute rampage in there from what he could tell. Even Biko, who had a front row seat as it were, had to comment on how the slaughter this time seemed much more... excitable than usual. Therefore, that meant it was having just as much fun his Ghoul Persona was having...

Made sense, since both were technically one being, thus shared the trait of being a mad lad.

Up in the skies above them, hidden behind some of the clouds there, Nico could sense the presence of his Archdemon, Urthemiel. It flew throughout the skies in various formations, occasionally letting out loud roars to let him know it was still up there, all the while He Lin would look around, startled as he tried to find the source of the sound. Nico mentally chuckled in amusement at this, since the kid seemed to be under the imporession it was an enemy Abnormal coming to kill them.

Thanks to this rush of adrenaline calming him down and brightening his mood, Nico found himself thinking about what had happened so far. If he had thought his world was grey before, he certainly felt it now, especially with what he had learned about that Auction. Honestly, it made sense, since Nico knew that the money the Guild received and put into its Spec Ops Program had to come from somewhere. It only made sense that it could come from.. morally questionable areas, when push comes to shove a desperate humanity would be willing to do anything to survive. Not to mention that Leanbox Nobles were quite stingy with their own funds, so it had to take something like an Auction where they could access items which otherwise they wouldn't have any access to, to get them to fork over the dough like that. Though, Nico still didn't like the fact that slavery was still going on, even if Vert had banned it before the Console Wars.

Plus, it felt similar to the words that Yvoire had told him way back when, not something he held any particular fondness over though.

Not to mention that the fact that it was sanctioned by the Spec Ops community as well as the guild, showed him that they held it with high regard, and as such likely would condemn anyone who tried to mess it up. Similarly, to anyone who tried to change Nico himself from being their little 'hound', the teen couldn't help but note from the bitterness. Nico now could see what Yvoire meant by how the people Nico had once claimed were 'just' had their own little dirty secrets to hide, their own thoughts about how Leanbox should be run. A shudder ran through his spine at the thought of slavery becoming a Legal, practiced activity once again, especially if somehow, any of his comrades were to be captured and sold like this Abnormal behind him at those kinds of Auctions. Images of his comrades being treated as objects, their own wills ignored and trampled over like they were nothing but ants, filled Nico's mind when he thought about that, causing him to growl in anger under his breath. It made him feel sick to his stomach, disgust and revulsion mixed in as well.

Then there were those other matters as well, like with Yvoire, Mundus, Arfoire, his own training, the girls…

'Geez, these matters have been piling up and I didn't even notice. Though to be fair, I WAS a bit more preoccupied with Count Mott's actions…' the male thought, frowning. The more he thought about this, the more problems began to surface inside his mind, problems which kept increasing with each passing second. But then, he decided to shake his head and push those thoughts to the side for the time being. For now, he had other more immediate concerns to address, and those matters revolved around the Child-like Abnormal on his back. "You, Nature Elf." He spoke, getting his attention as evident by the shifting he felt on his back.

"Hm?"

"Back there, I heard an implication that your kind is limited in number. It'd explain why I never heard of Nature Elves before you, plus I know for a fact that Leanbox citizens hate Abnormals more than the norm thanks to them having to deal with them more than in any other Nation. So, how the hell has your home village not been found by anybody as of yet?" Nico questioned whilst keeping his head focused on the direction in front of him, the roaring of Ember's engine filling both his and the Nature Elf's ears. It had been one of the thoughts on his mind for a while now, especially with what he had learned about the Nature Elf race from Gelmudo. Although, with this situation Nico felt like he could extract more concrete information from a much better source. Plus, if he felt there was any deceit then he could just use his Shingan to see into the Abnormal's mind. Well that, or perhaps use his Kagune to ingest his brain and look through his memories that way… oh, who was he kidding? How the hell could he do that when he had stopped himself from doing something similar before?

Mentally shaking his head, Nico awaited his answers from the Abnormal.

He didn't have to wait very long, as behind him He Lin's eyes darkened as they became ever more solemn. As if a reality he had been trying not to think about had been brought back up from the shadowy depths from whence it came. "Yes… it would indeed be a weird action in the eyes of many. However, its not like we can leave Leanbox either. Not only is Leanbox our birthplace, but it is also the only place which houses the perfct living conditions for my people. We Nature Elves thrive in the season of Spring, for that is where the world's vitality is at its peak. Planeptune could have been a secondary option for us as summer is not that bad in comparison to Spring for us, however the deity that governs the Summer has disappeared, and as such we cannot rely on that nation's conditions. Therefore, it was decided that we should stay in hiding within our homeland, you yourself should know how difficult it is to leave one's own people behind."

When he heard this, Nico hummed thoughtfully, mulling over this new information. The male did indeed understand that feeling, as at several points he had indeed wondered what it would have been like if he had just, left the Spec Ops Program and gone out on his own. Away from his mother, from everything he had ever known. However, not only was that a bad idea, it was also impossible for him to leave due to the Guild Higher ups not allowing it. They wanted him to be where they could keep a tight 'leash' on him and the Spec Ops Program was the best way for him to do so. In essence, whilst freedom to act was the bottom line for a Spec Ops Agent, to him it had its own guilded cage of thorns surrounding it.

Still, it did leave him with a few more questions he wanted answers to. Plus, he sort of felt the influence from THAT GUY's words driving him at the moment. "Say, since your people decided to stay here, then how many of your clan are actually left?" he questioned, glancing behind him momentarily before returning his gaze to the road. He didn't take much of an optimistic approach to it, since according to what little he knew it would likely be a very small number. Smaller than the human population in Gamindustri and WAY smaller than many of the other Species of Abnormals they had recorded.

For a moment, the child seemed to hesitate, as if wanting to keep that to himself. Though, those thoughts left Nico's mind when he eventually heard a reply. "Among my people… we have about 100 of us. Though, I have been gone for a while now, so if any of them left to go look for me, the consequences could have been grave with all the Abnormals surrounding our village." He Lin replied, somberly but with more worry than one could ever truly convey with words.

'This being… he reminds me so much of that Emiya…'

'Indeed… although compared to that guy, this one's far less annoying…'

Nico responded to his Demon Persona's thoughts as he pondered once more on what he had said. It certainly confirmed to him the dire situation his species was having at least. Not to mention that, deep within the recesses of his mind, a small pang of… something, something Nico wasn't quite sure of, exploded. He didn't like that feeling though, plus it caused him to temporarily grip his Skimmer's handle's tighter. "And… how old are you exactly? Also, you mentioned about a mother, father and a sister…" Nico questioned… though, he had to wonder why the hell his lip trembled when he asked that question.

"Hm." He Lin nodded in response, though his mood comparably got even more depressing. Nico didn't need to see his face right now since he felt the depressing emotions radiating off the Nature Elf. "I'll be 11 this year. As for my family… A couple years back, a disaster struck our race. As a result, our clans' numbers were significantly reduced. My sis… she… we ended up being separated, but I'm sure she's alive! I can feel it…" He explained, trailing off at the end as he once again buried his head into Nico's back.

The hidden message did not go unnoticed by the teen, who mentally winced as he decided not to prob any further. The fact that this child-like Abnormal had something like that happen to him so young, not to mention how he didn't mention anything about his parents… yeah, he didn't need to think more on the possible answer when the implications said what they said. In addition, it actually surprised him how… human, this Abnormal acted. He honestly tried to find something that indicated any sort of deceit or faking, but nothing worked. All of the Abnormal's emotions showed nothing but genuine honesty… something that baffled him deep inside. It sparked a serious question, one which bugged him immensely and, if it were answered, had MAJOR inplications depending on it. How the hell could an Abnormal… be so human? Were there more like that? If so… then how many could he have killed? How many more were out there? So many questions flowed through his mind, generating conflict within him as the two drove forwards.


"Here sir, I have the reports from the Auction."

Within the confines of his mansion, a low, relieved sigh of bliss escaped Count Mott's lips as he leaned back on his bed. He sat within his bedchambers, with a pair of female servants he had been recently having his way with. Both of them lay, dishevelled and looking like disposed garbage instead of actual people, with numerous white stains over their bodies whilst their eyes lacked any kind of life to them one bit. Kind of made sense since, until recently, the man they called master had been rather... busy as of late, and as such he hadn't had time for much of his 'nightly activities' with his 'pets'. Which had made the moment he had been able to utterly ravage these two sluts beside him all the more satisfying...

Especially since he had taken them both from their husbands/boyfriends in a fit of NTR hentai-like scenarios, practically breaking their minds into submission without them being able to do a thing about it. Their former lovers had already been 'dealt with' so they wouldn't have caused him any more problems, not to mention that he had also, in addition to utterly shattering them into obedient slaves... he had them dressed up as a certain lilac haired and peach haired girl respectively. Clothes and all... well, before he had torn them all off and utterly ravaged them like a frenzied beast. Goddamnit, he so wanted the real thing VERY much right now, how he loathed the fact that they had been denied him for so long now!

After having sent numerous assassins after them, baiting them into situations where they would have wound up close to his territory, none of them had worked. He had expected them to be somewhat capable in combat, since their records proved as such with how many quests they had been undertaking, but this had been absurd! It seemed like no matter how many he sent after them to bring them back to their rightful place under him, each of the sluts resisted with all their might. Not like they knew the reason why they were being targeted so much since the assassins perished either from their wounds or by their own hands so no information could get out, but nonetheless it seemed like he had greatly underestimated their power.

With everything else going on, his building frustration hadn't been able to get vented either, another downvote for him.

Last night however, he had FINALLY managed to secure some time to himself and away from all the chaotic politics which had been going on, well he said politics but in reality it was just those foolish brats he called Nobility not doing anything productive. Well, he would make sure he'd obtain those sluts if it was the last thing he did, if he wanted something nothing in this entire WORLD would stop him from getting it. He got what he wanted, end of story, any who stood before him got knocked down without mercy. If there was anything that he agreed with the Spec Ops Agency of the Guild on, it was that there was a time for talk and there was a time for action. Sadly, those bigots in the Nobility didn't even pick up on that lesson in grade school, and this would be the result.

Made the desire to see them all perish beneath wicked, demonic blades all the more thrilling when it inevitably happened.

When he had heard the voice of his trusted head Butler Brian, Count Mott glanced his way to see him standing by his bed, being one of the few if not the only person able to be in here with him even if he had been 'active' in bed. In his hand, he held a piece of parchment, something which he offered to his master. Taking it from his hand and using it to slap the backside of one of the sluts beside him who moaned in pained ecstasy at the contact, Count Mott opened it up and read the contents. All the while, Brian stayed by his side, delivering his following report in a professional manner. "As you predicted, this Auction's supply chain turned out to be quite profitable for your cause, Sir. Multiple Nobles have decided to align with you thanks to achieving the items thy require there at your recommendation. Even some of our own hidden servants managed oto obtain some items you specifically requested for."

"Hm. Any reports on those two?"

"Ah, I'm afraid Mrs Neptune and Mrs Compa did not arrive there, Sir. It appears that they were out training today, just like most other days." Brian responded, lowering his head in apology.

Count Mott sighed rolling his eyes. "Don't be, it is to be expected of them. Now that I have a calmer head, I can see it now. These sluts aren't like the ordinary, common soldier. They appear to be able to get shit done and have some degree of competency. Can't say the dame for our soldiers though." Still, what he didn't mention was that he had been planning to catch them at the Auction with his hidden Servants, thinking that they'd be lured in by the rumours he spread around which would have appealed to their discovered tastes. Pudding and interesting medical supplies. However, if they hadn't even been in the city to hear them, then its no wonder why they weren't under his bed servicing their rightful master. "Another matter, what of the Spec Ops sponsoring the event? Have they been behaving?"

"Indeed, sir. They acted just as they have been ordered to, now that we have convinced them to start sponsoring more Auctions, we can make more use out of them to bolster our current abilities. In addition, we now have material to use against them should they try to double cross us in the immediate future. However, there is ONE thing I believe will interest you, Sir." Brian replied, and when Count Mott looked up at him with an arched brow, he continued with his hands behind his back. "It appears a rather... interesting item appeared on the market today. A young Nature Elf, I believe you are familiar with them?"

At THAT, Mott shot straight up into a sitting position, eyes widening in surprise. "Nature Elf?! How can that be?! I thought we had exhausted their numbers already?" he exclaimed in shock, and it wouldn't be that surprising either. Nature Elves after all were quite a delicacy among the Nobles, and it had been confirmed by sources that they were pretty much extinct at this point. Heck, in his youth he too enjoyed a few Nature Elf dishes... as well as some of their finest women too until they were no longer useful or he was bored. So, to hear that one was discovered at the Auction, PARTICULARLY interested him.

"Indeed, Sir. This Nature Elf in particular, also seems to be of their Royal Blood, meaning that it truly can be one of the finest delicacies so far. Not to mention their Cores could be of great value to your goals of conquest, Sir." Brian stated, further rousing Count Mott's interest. However, he then dipped his head down apologetically again, which informed the fat Noble something bad had happened. "Unfortunately, a Spec Ops Agent unaffiliated with us managed to obtain this Nature Elf before any of us could swipe him, Sir. This Spec Ops Agent in question is also particularly troublesome, his reputation and his power are not to be trifled with."

What?! Some random dog of the Guild managed to claim what was rightfully his?! Count Mott gritted his teeth in fury at the notion, already planning to ruin the reputation of this Agent before his Head Butler could finish what he was saying. However, by the time that he finished, the Count managed to calm himself down and think rationally, enough to notice the particular grim undertones which his Head Butler sported. "You say this like this Agent poses a threat to me? One Agent out of many other dogs in the masses." Count Mott stated rhetorically, as if he didn't believe that Brian would even THINK of such a thing. However, out of his years of service, Brian had not been that wrong many times, so his words did carry some weight. He would have to nip this Agent's growth in the bud soon, depending on the answer to his following question. "And who is this Agent that dares steal what's mine?" he questioned with a dangerous tone of voice, his eyes promising noting but pain to whichever bug tried to land on his possessions.

"It is DEATHSTROKE sir."

"?!"

Upon hearing the Agent's name, Count Mott's face changed and he immediately stiffened. If it had been any other Agent whom dared go against his wishes, then he would have had ZERO problem with disposing of him. With the influence being a count afforded him, it would have been a cinch to ruin this bastard's life in the snap of a finger. However, the moment that he heard the name DEATHSTROKE, such things quickly left the Count's mind. That name... that name may not be as well known as other Agents, o even the public in general, however Count Mott knew, he KNEW just how dangerous this Agent could potentially be to his plans. His reputation as a brutally savage killer for one, but the amount of influence he had in the Spec Ops community was much greater than the kid realized. The fact that he had been able to meet with the Goddess of Leanbox, as well as Lastatinon's from what he had dug up about the kid, showed him as someone not to be taken lightly. If the kid knew the extent of his status, if he knew the political fame like any politician, then he could be a major force to be reckoned with. He had a ruthless efficiency which made him quite infamous amongst the Spec Ops Community, not to mention rumours surrounding him which were PARTICULARLY worrisome. So, since it was HIM who got in his way...

Count Mott gritted his teeth, growling as he leaned back on his bed to begin thinking. He couldn't go at this blindly, not with the potential landmines surrounding that Agent. He had just too much going for him, and as such he needed to be brought down a peg or two, but it had to be subtle and discreet. That kid had to be reminded just who it was that was in charge in this world, he needed to know his place. However, this called for some different tactics, but first he needed more information about this. Thus, he turned his head to Brian with his words screaming his question for him:

"Tell me more."


Back with the MC of this fic (no, not you Neptune, and no that spike at my genitals won't change that), the glow of morning began to illuminate the night sky, though as the two drove through the Leanbox countryside, Nico noticed a forest approaching in the distance. 'Huh? I can sense a powerful concentration of natural energy from there. Guess being around Lucy for so many years really did pay off, huh… in any case, Biko you think we're nearly at our target?' he questioned his Demon Persona.

'I'd say so, it is intriguing that we got here without any dangers on our end. Perhaps the Abnormals didn't come for us due to our natural 'aura' triggering their danger instincts. Abnormals may be named as such, but they still function similar to the common animal.'

Nico nodded his head mentally in agreement, Abnormls did have better instincts, though the one on his back at least. Glancing behind him, he soon began to speak to his passenger whilst the forest neared them. "This Forest… is this place the one where your home resides?" he questioned, wanting to get confirmation from the boy himself. If they were on the right track, then he had a good idea of how they could clear those trees.

In response, the boy looked towards the forest, and the instant that he did, his eyes lit up like the lights in a living room when switched on. Just by seeing the forest, Nico could almost FEEL the positivity radiating from him, as if he could sense them like he could with dark emotions. "Yes, yes that's the place!" he exclaimed excitedly, looking like he was restraining himself from bouncing up and down, something which Nico honestly felt a little glad for. "We're definitely close to my home! I can feel its aura as we get closer…!" After yelling that out, his excitement seemed to ebb away, replaced by a relieving yet serene expression instead as he smiled warmly at the forest. "Yes… finally… I'd thought I'd never see my home again when I was captured…"

Hearing those words made Nico think about how the child had been captured by those Auction people, and it made the insides of his stomach churn. Now that he had been seeing how 'pure' and 'honest' tis Abnormal had been, way more than most of the humans he had met, Nico began getting this feeling of being unwell the more he recalled what had happened. Even back the, he had been disgusted and furious, although for entirely different reasons, right now his disgust felt a lot more… well, morally aligned, one could say. Although he didn't quite get it himself yet. 'If I get the chance, maybe I'll pay those staff a visit…' Nico mentally pondered.

Deciding to put those thoughts to rest for the time being, Nico held a hand in front of him, quickly generating a ball of concentrated Hellfire the size of a baseball. He clutched it in his hand as if about to rear the arm backfor a throw, something which He Lin took notice of. But, before he could ask what was going on, Nico threw it to the ground, whereupon it erupted into a small rising pillar. At least the height of the average adult, knocking Ember into the air. Quickly, Nico had Ember switch from ground mode to Flight Mode, revving his Skimmer's Engine before they took off towards the space above the Forest. All the While, He Lin held on for dear life, not daring to look down lest he be scarred for life.


About 10 minutes later, under He Lin's directions the redhead male found a small Clearing in the Forest where he could land his Skimmer, angling it downwards and shifting it back to Bike Mode before it could touch the ground. All the while, Nico could almost feel his waist being crushed by how tight He Lin was holding onto him behind the male, prompting him tothink to himself. 'This behaviour, coupled with he emotions I'm sensing, shows that this thing's likely afraid of heights…'

'That would be a likely conclusion. That, or he may never have been in the air like that before. Last I heard, Skimmers have't been mass produced as of yet thanks to all the politics going on.'

Mentally nodding at that, Nico revved Ember's Engine whilst he grinned behind his Mask. 'OI oh so love this next part…' he couldn't help but think to himself as they began to descend. Pulling off a successful landing which involved the Skimmer bouncing upon impact with solid earth, Nico pulled off a splendid U Turn which created a curvingdust cloud whilst he used his left leg as an anchor. The moment that all motion had halted, Nico promptly dismounted Ember, thanking it for the ride which prompted an approving pur from the Motorcycle's engine. With one final smirk and chuckle, the redhead glancedback towards his 'client', whom shakily stumbled off the Vehicle with the bad case of wobbily legs. "W-Wow…" he muttered to himself, shaking significantly.

"Guess you haven't ridden on something like Ember, before?" Nico questioned, though it had a rhetorical edge to it as he had Ember vanish into flames. Ready to be summoned once its master wishes it back into existence. 'Note to self, learn where Ember and Urthemiel vanish off to when I dismiss them…' he added mentally when he felt the Archdemon's presence vanish as well. All the while, the child shook his head at the much older male whilst holding his hands over his kneecaps to recover from his experience, pretty much confirming his answer. "Well, in any case we should get going. Abormals may be instinctual beings, but I don't want to take any chances here."

After recovering a bit, He Lin looked up, shook his head and smiled. "Don't worry, DEATHSTROKE, there's little to fear thanks to this point. My home village has a Barrier which wards off Abnormals and any other predators, we're practically home free right now. Anyways, lets go! We're almost home!" he exclaimed happily, already running off into the forest with Nico easily trailing behind. Soon, he'd finally have the chance to inquire as to the answers he wished for, very soon…


Finally, it seemed like they had arrived at their destination, Nico figured as the two stopped their short treek. By short, he meant like about 6 to 8 minutes, that clearing had been pretty close to… whatever this place was. Looking forwards into the distance, Nico saw these HUGE trees, looming over the rest of the forestry while being gowned in big, dark greenish black vines. Vines which, as of right now, currently blocked their path forwards. 'Reckon we could use some Hellfire to burn it to nothing?' Nico wondered, questioning his Demon Persona,

'I would suggest not, since that has the risk of spreading around the entire forest.'

Whilst Biko spoke those words, dissuading the cautious-looking redhead from that course of action, the yioung nature Elf looked to be the exact opposite. In fact, he looked downright giddy before he bounded forth with an excited skip. As he approached the vines themselves, He Lin made this quick hand gesture which looked like he was pushing curtains to the side. At first, Nico wondered what he had been doing, but his answers soon camewhen vines practically came to life like that experiment that one mad scientist did where he went "Its alive, ITS ALIVE!". Thus, the vines shifted and scrambled about like serpents, pulling themselves to opposing sides just enough to form one heck of a narrowed pathway.

'Whoa… looks like this passageway is meant only for a single person. A large group would have to go singe file…' Nico thought to himself while comparing it to some of the past dungeons he had explored, either alone or in a small group. Lot of them didn't end well… for the group that is.

"Quick! Come on, DEATHSTROKE!"

Either oblivious or ignoring the male's current mental state, He Lin swiftly raced back towards him and, before Nico could respond, grasped and pulled at the redhead's arm, before dragging him into the pathway like a kis showing off an amusement park to his parents.

Walking through it, it became all too clear to Nico how this passage way would turn out to be a long one. Therefore, the teen decided to occupy his mind by asking a question to Biko whilst his body got pulled by the ever-excited He Ling. 'Say, Biko. Where do Urthemiel and Ember go when I dismiss them?'

'Another plane of existence, one in which they reside in comfort until they hear your call once more.'

'Oh, I see. Well, glad to know they aren't bored in there.'

After that short and… riveting discussion, Nico and Biko began to talk about… a multitude of things. They discussed various training methods, plans for their next move once the stuff with the Nature Elves is finished, etc. Biko after all, was practically the one whom Nico could talk to the most, since he was the one most readily available as well as knowledgeable about topics Nico had interest in. Especially Demons, oh how much that guy knew now about the Demons.

Finally, the two boys managed to reach the exit, and just as they made to step through Nico's instincts got sharply triggered, forcing him to look up. Almost immediately after he did, the redhead made to release his Kagune when he saw several masses of dark greenish black vines suddenly explode into motion from the ceiling, lunging at the male like wild snakes. However, before he coud do anything, He Lin walked by him and waved his hand like he had done this so many times it had become routine for him. In any case, his hand released this brief, yet still fierce, green glow. The moment it touched the Vines, they quickly froze, like someone who just realized that they had attacked someone in a position of power, before retracting into the wilderness faster than bullets. Nico couldn't help but coment mentally about how his bullet analogy held quite the sway here.

"Granny Qing Ye! Aunty Kui! Uncle Mu Han! I'm Back… I'm back!"

'Okay, WHAT is up with these weird sounding names? Could this be part of these guys' culture?' Nico couldn't help but think to himself, slightly dismayed at the weird-sounding names, likely of the residence of this place… but the moment that he noticed the place itself, the redhead's complaints vanished as his lone unmasked eye glazed over. If his Mask wasn't on, then he would have dropped it as well as lost any breath within him when he saw what he did. 'Holy…'

'This… This is…!'

Before them, lay what they could only call a natural paradise. All around this large, open space, lay a massive field, rich with thousands upon thousands of lush, life-filled plants. One could literally BATHE themselves in the risch, pure natural energy which flowed around this place, something Nico honestly wouldn't have noted very much if he hadn't learned to slow down and explore his surroundings more. Sniffing the air a few times showed him that the air itself held a freshness to it that just screamed peacefulness and serenity, like no worries would ever taint this land or how no blood had stained this place in eons. A bit further away, Nico could see some… quite strange yet unique, flowers and vegetation about, forming fields and fertile grassland. Some areas even had butterflies fluttering about some of them, likely to get inside and feed on what lay within.

It…. Just took Nico's breath away.

'This place… its absolutely freaking beautiful…' he male muttered in his mind. He had seen many places during his time as a Spec Ops Agent, places which had led him far and wide all over Gamindustri. But, very few could truly compare to the beauty which he had seen just now, and back then he hadn't thought of using any of the software on his Bracers to try and record those places, so he could view them on his downtime. Something which Nico wanted to correct as soon as possible at this point in time. Absentmindedly raising his Bracer and activating a Camera function on it, a 3d Hologram of a Camera appeared over the Bracer's screen. After pressing on the Camera in a certain spot, Nico saw the screen beneath the hologram flash, signifying that the photo had been taken. 'Its almost like I've stepped onto the garden of eden or something as stupid as that…'

That had been when Nico heard the kid's voice call out to the rest of the forest, and when he did…

"Lin… Lin'er! Lin'Er! LIN'ER!"

"?! Could it be…?! It is! The young Patriarch… Everyone, quick! It's the young patriarch!"

"Lin'er!"

At once, several different voices rang out through this paradise. Voices which sounded so excited that they reminded him of lonely people finally having company after so long. Of course, no sooner had Nico thought that, did he see dozens upon dozens of jade green figures, each of them wearing varying degrees of shock and glee, rise from the fields before jogging over to them. He had to suppress his urge to summon and draw his Ebony and Ivory, all too aware that action wouldn't be too advisable. Not to mention unprofessional, and he was sticking to that right now.

'Nico… these Abnormals have nought a shred of negative emotion in them right now. I must admit, it is making me nervous…'

'Heh, I can understand the feeling, Biko…' the redhead thought to his other self, before he saw one of them walking with a bit of an unsteady pattern to them, likely due to being old Nico figured due to the being's wrinkled-looking appearance. The old figure looked to be a man, who had the same elfish features as He Lin did though it had been clear the guy wasn't a relative of the kid's. In addition, he along with the others, wore clothes made out of leaves and vines, the men wearing knee length 'kilts' which exposed their slim torsos, whilsty the women wore… some incredibly tight form-ftting bathing suit-like apparel. Not unlike those of the CPUs when transformed, actually, something which Nico restrained the urge to grimace at.

Even so, the amount of joy and relief shining from this old guy's aura did NOT lose out to the rest of them, if anything Nico got the feeling that it was a bit more personal for him, as he wrapped his arms around the smaller He Lin in a huge hug. One which reminded him a lot of how his mother would hug him after a long mission. In response, the child known as He Lin (who had tears in his eyes as well), wrapped his smaller, shorter arms around the elderly man's frame as well. As if he was afraid to crush the man with how frail he looked and thus, holding some of his desire back.

"Lin'er… thank the heavens! It really is you! You have returned to us… When you left weeks ago, we feared the worst when you had not returned. Being captured by human poachers would have meant the end of the entire Nature Elf race… Thank the Goddesses you have returned…" The person exclaimed softly, tears of joy flowing down his cheeks while holding him as if he were the life support which kept the figure alive. Though, in a sense, that analogy wasn't that far off the mark.

Mentally, Nico counted each of the apparent Nature Elves which he had seen approach the kid, quickly coming to th conclusion that there were indeed 100 of them remaining. 'TSeeing this… for some reason, I'm reminded of a dying ember, moments away from finally vanishing into the void…' the male thought, also feeling no small amounts of ominous tension from those thoughts. Still, the teen couldn't help, even in his conflicted statem, be completely taken aback by the display of human emotions. It would be one thing for one Abnormal to exhibit human emotions, bhut an entire race?

Deep within his being, something strred. Something he didn't know the name of, but unconsciously became aware of it.

After a couple seconds of hugging, He Lin pulled back just enough so that he could talk to the elderly person face-to-face. His eyes also glistened like emeralds in the sunlight, unshed tears still building up whilst others fell down his cheeks. "I'm… I'm so sorry… Granny Qin Ye… I'm sorry all of you… to have made you all worry so much for me… mom and dad would likely scold me immensely for it." The boy stated in apology lowering his head slightly. He then continued to speak before any of the others could do the same. "I… in truth, it was as you all had feared. I… I had been taken captive by humans…"

"#GASP#" Audible gasps escaped the mouths of ever Nature Elf present, each of them looking towards one another in shock for a moment, then confusion took root in their gazes since He Lin had returned to them.

'Nico… it would be best if we got ready, in case they turn on us.'

'Already way ahead of you…' Nico replied to his Demon Persona, already making to summon Rebellion from his Void Storage. Make no mistake, he still felt… complicated about this whole thing, but right now his baser instincts had taken control, since scenarios like this reminded him of a few instances in his past. Instances where people unexpectedly turned on him for one reason or another. It wasn't uncommon, since the Spec Ops were more powerful than regular Agents and thus got used for bigger ploys fairly often. As a result, the redhead male mentally prepared himself for such an encounter. When in doubt, show your sword, then the enemy will think twice before attacking you, THAT was a lesson he had learned through a large portion of his survival training.

Just as he did so, he heard He Lin's voice again, and prepared for the worst. "But… But not all was lost, since the moment I was meant to be sold off like a lowly animal…" He Lin began, getting tense looks from his brethren. "The Goddesses blessed me, since I came to know a real good guy. A real powerful, super duper mega tripper good, powerful Spec Ops Agent. He saved me and, instead of harming me for our… benefits, he instead chose to bring me back here." At the end of his explanation, He Lin wiped away his tears, seeing that there was no more need for them, before turning back and running up to Nico's left side. He took the guy's hand in his own while turning back to the rest of the Nature Elves, a huge grin on his face. "This is that Agent, his name's DEATHSTROKE, and if not for him… then… the worst really WOULD have happened."

At that moment, Nico tensed up as he felt all of the gazes become fixed onto his person. There were rare times when he felt so… vulnerable from a gaze alone, such as when he encountered some of the stronger Spec Ops Agents. This time, however, could certainly be counted as one of those times. For the moment their gazes landed on him, Nico felt the urge to quickly summon and Draw his twin Handguns and begin blasting everything around him. It was usually his go-to approach if he were to be surrounded by powerful Abnormals, like those damn Tigrexes or even their variants. Hell, practically any dangerous Abnormal. But, even so, the touch that He Lin had on his side served to help him calm his nerves. Maybe it was the familiarity of that touch, despite the lack of time knowing the kid, but whatever he did, he DEFINITELY succeeded in helping him stay cool and professional.

Then, just as Nico made to summon his weapons or even unleash his Kagune, a little something happened that, once again, blew his mind off the rails. What was that, you all wonder, readers? Oh, nothing much just the oldest Nature Elf, that one whom He Lin had taken to calling 'Granny Qing Ye' slowly walking forward and then kneeling before Nico like he was a god to her.

No biggie…

Just kidding, it felt like a MAJOR big deal to the redhead, heck he practically stumbled backwards when it happened. Her head hung low, and her aura practically screamed pacifism, not to mention that he sensed no ointention to kill him from her being which helped in calming his Demonic Powers down. Though, part of him wished that wasn't the case since this did NOT seem normal for him. Then again, his 'normal' got destroyed long ago, so it would only make sense for other things he had perceived to suddenly be thrown onto their heads.

'Please tell me this isn't happening…!'

'Unfortunately, Nico, I must tell you that this is not a dream. This is real, you are being bowed to, and look, she is not the only one.'

Upon hearing those words, a now utterly and completely stupefied Nico glanced around to see that the other Nature Elves had followed Qing Ye's example. Both the males and the females, much to his shock. Before he could completely loose it from all this strangeness happening, he glanced back to the elderly Qing Ye as he heard her words. "Young Human… thank you." She began, and Nico could really FEEL the gratitude in her voice… he didn't know what to think about that. "We thank you sincerely for bringing our Patriarch back to us. Even though we despise most of the human race thanks to prior experience, you found mercy in your heart and rescured our patriarch from a horrid fate. You will henceforth, have our unending gratitude."

If what he had heard just now was anything to go by, then Nico would have thought that it was now over and he would be able to speak. However, he once again found himself interrupted before he could, this time by another Nature Elf who looked to be middle-aged. He had looked to the rest of his brethren when he spoke the following words, emotion coursing through his voice like blood flowing in an artery. "Our Patriarch, in one of his outings to the dangerous outside, met with peril the likes we could not protect him from. The fact that he then met a unique member of the human race, it's definitely the blessing and protection from the Goddesses themselves,"

… Yeah, what Nico felt at this moment in time had already been stated beforehand, only now he had felt it in even greater quantities than before. He no longer had the mind to summon any of his Devil Arms or unleash his Kagune, heck his Ghoul Side had remained silent during all of this. Odds were, it would have been just as baffled as Nico himself, something which CLEARLY had bee the case with his Demon Persona. None of them had any words to say, as if their ability to speak had been robbed from them, thanks to this development.

Just… what the hell was going on? Why were things suddenly changing around him?

Part of him just blamed Zelretch, even if it was unjust.


Deep within a certain mansion…

"So, this is the field report submitted by Gelmudo, is it?"

The voice of one irritating Count Mott rang throughout his study, the man having sat down a short while ago after spending some… quality time 'relieving his stress' by banging a group of female servants at once. Sex was one of his favourite past times, after all… save for looking into his Mansion's underground research labs wherein his secret projects would be located. Projects next to bobody outside of this mansion knew of, for the few males he had they had been bribed/blackmailed to keep quiet about them. He'd even put them under a… special spell which he had found whilst out on an expedition once, one which would force them to remain loyal to him even if they had thoughts wich didn't align with his wellbeing.. Only those he well and truly trusted were the exceptions, and he had only a handful of those. As for the women… well, since to him they were nothing but toys to relieve his stress, there wasn't much of an issue there especially when their minds were broken. He'd een took a few wives from some troublesome families and 'convinced them to not do anything in echange for their safety, when in reality he had already marked them as his playthings.

As for the 'mess' that they had left afterwards, Count Mott didn't pay too much attention to it. He'd had just made them put away the 'equipment' after they'd went at it for more than 6 hours straight, he'd always had great stamina. Not like they had any complaints since he'd broken them to such a point where they wouldn't even THINK of going against him. The power of mind breaking through sexual pleasure… The man just couldn't help but let out a satisfied hum which carried some left-over emotions from his 'activities'. That power was such a useful tool to gain what he wanted, it was almost unfair (not like he gave a damn).

Afterwards, he had retired to his study to fulfilsome documents, make calls to some people pertaining to his Territory, etc. He'd done this for a whole 4 hours, before one such report got devlivered to him, which came from one of his subordinates out in the field. It was a reort detailing the results of the underground auction he'd received word on this morning by Brian, combined with a list full of names of people and which items they had bought. Normallly this information wouldn't have been available made outside of the Auction staff, however, Count Mott had considerable influence thanks to his connections with powerful Nobles. It had been simple enough to gather this information, not to mention that some of the Staff had been under his payroll anyways, unbeknownst to many…

Looking down at the list of the names and items they had bought, Count Mott memorised them and hummed thoughtfully tohimself. Things have been going all according to plan so far, with those whom had sworn their loyalty to him had been able to 'crash' with him, whilst other Nobles whom hadn't got served up to the Demons on a silver platter. If the Gala hadn't turned out the way that it had, then so many Nobles would have been ousted and he would have gotten much closer to his goal of joining the Basilicom staff where he could usurp the CPU and control Leanbox himself. However, Count Mott knew that it wouldn't have been likely to have gone in that way, especially when Lastation had gotten involved, so he had devised a plan B, a plan based off the recorded notes that his spies had recorded about the girls in that 'delicious' looking Neptune's party.

Just thinking about them made Count Mott want them all the more, his already used dick starting to harden at the thought of taking them into his bed, of pinning them under him and utterly ravishing them. Just by watching their antics, Count Mott had already figured out that Neptune had been the CPU of Planeptune, a being on par with his own Nation's CPU. Thus, that part alone had been reason enough to pay attention to her party's movements. The fact she looked absolutely pure, innocent and easy to corrupt only made the temptation harder to resist.

But, he had refrained so far. He didn't give in to his instincts for a couple reasons, even as when in the past when he had wanted to take something, he would take it. One of those was the Demon incursion into Leanbox territory, of course he knew moee about it than probably any other Noble in the Nation, but he still needed to keep an eye on it in case it threatened what he had built. Why, Having Gelmudo 'pay a visit' to some of these families and 'cause accidents' to take their items sounded very promising to this. He wouldn't be doing anything wrong per say, either, since Count Mott himself wouldn't be 'taking part' in the 'festivities' so he'd be safe from the authorities.

Second, was because of that woman, Arfoire. The man, at the mention of her, felt his lips curl up in distain, his normally perverted eyes gleaming menacingly with no small amounts of disgust for her. That old hag, Count Mott held no particular fondness for her. Hell, she wouldn't even serve to bring his ship at even half mast, something which normally any woman did. Mostly because of her 'willpower' being so strong, as to command the attention of the being which now travelled with her. Count Mott was NOT a fool, he knew that this 'Mundus' character held a lot of potential danger to his plans. Should he get his way, then maybe Leanbox would be destroyed before Count Mott could even claim it as his own. Hence, why he disliked Arfoire just as much as anybody who encountered her. Still, her movements needed to be recorded, so he had several spies monitoring everything she had done in case of something which could be worthy of immediate action came up.

That had been how he had known about the impending attack on the Gala and used it to his benefit after all.

Another reason was simply because his 'projects' were nearly complete. Thanks to the events at Halo Mountain (he had Spies there recording everything that had happened, which meant he knew about that lone redhead's powers), he had retrieved some very interesting 'Samples' which had practically evolved the specimens to a whole new level. A level which they would have had to take years to develop if this boon hadn't come their way. He'd have to keep a better eye on that IF girl. That girl... whose powers came from those events in Lastation a while back... a biological weapon... Her powers... perhaps they could be put to use, in a bunch of different ways. As for his specimens, Count Mott had to hand it to her, her powers definitely worked wonders on them. According to his researchers, they had been specified to be in the Prototype stage at this point, absolutely fit for a test run.

Looking down at the report, Count Mott noticed one of the names out of all the others. One which caused even his eyes to momentarily widen in surprise. This only lasted a few seconds though, before he calmed down and let an evil, sinister and twisted smirk break out onto his features. "My… now THIS will be interesting…"