"Ultraman!" Ethox and Mirror Match said in unison as they jumped out of their seats and ran over to their friend.
"Good to see you Ethox, Match." Ultraman greeted the duo. "I heard some rumors that you two were around the Adventure Universe."
"I can't believe it!" Ethox said. "It really is you, Ultraman! What're you doing here?"
"Um, hey, Ethox," Kazuma spoke up, "You know this weird astronaut cosplayer?"
"Oh, right. Everyone, meet Ultraman." Ethox introduced the boy to the rest of the party. "He's an old friend of mine and Match. He was an Elder in the Anarchy Kings, representing the Beast Universe."
"Nice to meet you all." Ultra greeted the group. "Anyway, in terms of why I'm here: I was on my way to the Region of Roleplay, little world in between the Future and Adventure Universes. I got invited to a simulated Pokémon tourney that's happening there. But… turns out that the ship I was on had a little malfunction. Nobody got hurt, thank god, but we all got stranded here. The rest of the passengers and crew got a signal out, they'll be picked up in a few days, but since I'm missing the tourney anyway, figured I'd explore this world a bit before the rescue crew showed up."
"Well, we couldn't be more lucky that you're here, Ultraman." Ethox said. "Lets just say I've had a lot thrown on me these past few days."
"Like what?" Ultraman asked.
"...you best sit down." Mirror said.
"So you're at the center of a cycle that involves the leader of the Mythos Hearts guild?" Ultraman asked in shock. "And not only that, but both him and an evil counterpart are going to hunt you down because you're causing the balance to shift?"
"That about sums it up, yeah." Ethox said.
"Jesus… I wished I knew this sooner. I would've tried to join you." Ultraman said.
"We appreciate the sentiment Ultra, but we were either in the Unified Divine Realm or Gaeabrandae." Mirror pointed out. "Neither of which you could get to in the time we were there."
"Yeah, good point." Ultra sighed.
"So that's why we're here in Axel. We're looking for allies to boost our party. So you can imagine how happy Match and I are to see you." Ethox said.
"Well, when it's something concerning you Ethox, I won't turn down helping out where I can." Ultra promised. "In fact… I ran into two girls on the way to Axel. One of them said she was looking for a party, so maybe she'd join up with you too."
"Really? What does she look like?"
"I think she's here in the guild now, actually." Ultraman said, looking at a woman in armor. "Yo, Darkness! Over here, I found them!"
The woman reacted to the call, walking over to where the party was sitting. She was a tall, blonde haired woman in full yellow and white battle armor with some black underneath. Her left shoulder pauldron was adorned with a white wing.
"Are you the ones who put up the request notice for adventurers to join your party?" she asked.
"Yep, that's us!" Rista waved.
"If I heard correctly, your name is "Darkness"?" Mirror Match asked.
"That's a bit sketchy." Seiya piped in. "It sounds like the name a demon would use."
"Seiya, be nice." Ethox said.
"It's as your friend says. My name is Darkness. And my class is Crusader." Darkness introduced. "If you would have me…." she suddenly gained a slight blush that was hardly noticeable to the others. "I would like to join your p-p-p-party please. I can start immediately!"
"Ah…" Mirror started looking apprehensive. "Well, we may need some time to consider-"
"Well, I don't see why not." Ethox said, unknowingly cutting Mirror Match off. "But, I mean… me and Seiya are pretty much physical as it gets-"
Darkness suddenly grabbed his arm. "Tell me! What quests have you embarked on since your arrival here?"
"(Holy crap, too close!)" Ethox internally panicked. "Well… we recently wrapped up a quest involving defeating 5 Giant Toads, and-"
"What?!" Darkness asked. "Oh, if only I were there…"
"I appreciate the enthusiasm, but we had it handled." Ethox said, trying to break from Darkness's grip, but failing. "(Damn, this girl's got an iron grip! Don't panic, Ethox, it's not like she's another Mitis…)"
"Darkness, remember. The quest is already finished. Don't you wanna join my friends team?" Ultraman asked.
"O-Oh, of course! As a knight, I want to ensure the safety of your party members. I wouldn't want the girls in your party defiled by some horrible creatures." Darkness said.
"(Whoa, red flag. She's givin' Ethox the crazy eyes, big time.)" Kazuma thought, noticing Darkness was getting a bit flushed. "(She's gotta be like Aqua and Megumin, hopeless with a capital H. Well, he saved my life, might as well pay him back.)" "Yeah, I wouldn't recommend joining this guy's party. One of his members can only cast one spell a day, and the dark haired guy is EXTREMELY OP. You wouldn't really fit in a party that is completely off-balance."
"Hey, off balance, OP or anything else, I wouldn't mind her-" Ethox said before Darkness gripped his arm even tighter. "Ow ow OW!"
"A party like this man's is exactly what I'm looking for." Darkness said, letting go at last. "In all honesty, I have a slight confession to make: although I am quite confident in my defensive abilities, I am… quite clumsy. In fact, none of my attacks ever hit their mark."
"Seriously? Is that true, Ultra?" Ethox asked his friend.
"Yeah…" Ultra said, rubbing the back of his head. "I had to do most of the work in the few encounters with enemies we had on the way to Axel. I figured since you were trained by Le Kraken in sword fighting, you could… help her with that."
"I'm not sure I'm the best teacher at this kinda stuff." Ethox said. "We'd have to ask the captain himself, and he's probably in the Ocean Universe. He probably can't make it all the way here."
"All that being said, I will not hesitate to charge the front lines!" Darkness butted in, leaning WAY in and starting into Ethox's face. "You can use me as your shield. Yes, use me!"
"ACK!" Ethox said, moving away and hiding behind Kazuma. "...She's freaking me out."
"Forgive us young lady, but we would never resort to using someone like you as a shield." Mirror Match said.
"I wouldn't mind that." Darkness argued.
"Well… we're also potential targets of two very powerful people." Ethox said. "And once they lock eyes with me, they probably won't hesitate to cut me to pieces…"
"Oh, I wouldn't mind that either!" Darkness said excitedly.
"...Eh?" Ethox asked.
"(Oh my god….)" Ristarte groaned. "(We're in the presence of a full blown masochist!)"
Ethox's Journal, Entry #2:
So yeah, we got ourselves an… eccentric new member of the team. She really scares me right now, to be honest; reminds me too much of Mitis. Honestly though, despite the fact she got so worked up the first time we met, she's not actually that bad. In fact, when she isn't worked up, she's probably the most mature person in the party, behind Match and Rista.
With Darkness in the fold, Ultraman introduced us to the other girl he mentioned, a thief named Chris. She's probably the most normal girl we've met in Belzerg: nice, smart, a little mischievous. She even helped Kazume learn Steal, a thief skill. I thought it was odd for a warrior type like him to learn it, but apparently he's really liking it so far.
He could use some practice with it though… so far he's only accidentally swiped panties. He's been getting dirty looks from the girls in the guild since Darkness told us about the incident with Chris; I hope they stop soon.
Getting into more personal things, I'm really glad Ultraman's here with us; so far, he's gotten along with the others, and he even introduced his Perfect Link, Nihilego! The little guy was a surprisingly big hit with some of the other adventurers around the guild. Heck, even Aqua likes him!
I wonder if we'll meet some of the other former Elders on this journey. Ultra said he'd try to call the others, but I doubt they'll be able to come. I'm sure they'll be rooting for me from the sidelines though. If any of you guys read this in the future… Thanks for supporting me.
Ethox sat at the table, writing in his journal while the rest of the party looked over Darkness's adventurer card.
"According to her card, she's a crusader!" Megumin said. "You'd be crazy to turn her down, Ethox!"
"I know, and every time she asks, I try to say yes," Ethox said. "But everyone else keeps voting against me and turning her down."
"Sorry Ethox, but there's something about her you're better off not seeing in full display." Rista smiled nervously.
"Putting someone on our team who can't hit anything with a sword?" Seiya asked. "Hard pass."
"Plus, our mission is dangerous. Even if she's an advanced class, we can't put herself in danger. Ehto has been told to us as a dangerous man, and Theo will fight you too. We can't put her in the way of that." Mirror Match added
"I know you guys are looking out for me and my best interests, but Darkness really wants to join up… even if she kinda gives me the creeps sometimes." Ethox said. "Besides Match, remember in Deathmagla's lair you said that you were gonna trust me to make my own decisions?"
"I know, but you must understand that-" Mirror started.
"I get it. You're looking out for me, and everyone we meet. So, I'll ask you, Darkness." Ethox said turning to the Crusader. "Are you really up for what I'm eventually gonna face? In Theo's memories, I know he would never harm a lady like you who means well. But Ehto? He might capture you and make me watch as he tortures the hell outta you."
"Yes, I fully expect he would." Darkness said. "For you see, since days of old, becoming a dark lord's erotic plaything has been a female's knight's duty. And that alone makes it worthwhile to go!"
"You see what we're talking about?" Rista said.
"C'mon man, you gotta admit you're asking way too much of her." Kazuma said, trying to support Ethox's party members and then turning to Megumin. "Look, Megumin. These guys are going after two people who've been fighting it out for millenia. They probably got more power in one finger than you got in your Explosion. So don't force yourself to come with them-"
In response, Megumin jumped onto the table and posed. "They have no reason to fear for me! I am Megumin, of the Crimson Demon Clan, wielder of Explosion, their finest spell. These two prophesied warriors believe themselves to be superior to us, but I shall obliterate them with the strongest spell in the land!"
"Uh, you don't have to do that to Theo…" Ethox said. "He's a good guy, and sorta my brother…"
"(Great, I just made them more motivated!)" Kazuma groaned.
"(There is no persuading Megumin to leave us, that much is clear.)" Mirror Match thought. "(But what will it take to get Darkness to leave Ethox, and us, alone?)"
It was then that the guild's intercom system spoke up, Luna's voice coming out.
"Emergency quest, emergency quest! All able adventurers please report to the front gate! I repeat, all able adventurers assemble at the front gate at once!"
"What the hell is that about?" Kazuma asked.
"I don't know, but it sounds serious." Ultraman spoke up while getting to his feet. "Let's go!"
The group arrived at the front gate, where the other adventurers of the guild were assembled.
"I don't see anything… wait. In the distance!" Mirror said, pointing to the horizon, where a green colored wave of… something started to approach.
"What is that? A monster swarm?" Ethox asked. He then looked closer. "Wait, hold on…. Is that… CABBAGE?!"
"Yep!" Aqua said, carrying a big basket. "In this world, cabbage is sentient. Every year, when they get ripe, they all get up and migrate to an isolated location to die. They always go through towns and other populated locations, so people try to catch them to eat."
"What kind of A-Class world is this?!" Rista said in disbelief.
The mob of adventurers charged the Cabbage swarm as it got close.
"Attention! The cabbage harvesting season has finally begun!" luna called. "This year's crop is the best yet, and we're offering 10,000 Eris per head! We have cages to store them in, so catch as many as you can!"
This motivated the adventurers as the worked had.
"Well, when in Axel…" Ethox said drawing his Keyblade as everyone split up. Seiya stayed behind because he wasn't prepared for a quest like this so suddenly.
"Ethox." Darkness said approaching. "This is my chance. I will show your allies my skills as a Crusader, and prove my worth!"
"Alright, Darkness! Do your best!" Ethox smiled as the two dove into the fray.
After five minutes of taking down cabbage after cabbage, Ethox looked at the haul he'd acquired. "23… 24… 25! That's twenty-five so far!" Ethox counted. "Alright, how's Darkness-"
The Nobody saw the Crusader, swinging her sword, but failing to hit any of the cabbages.
"Whoa, she wasn't kidding. Her aim sucks." Ethox said.
He then looked around to see a lot of adventurers getting hammered by the cabbages. One was stuck under a few and was about to be attacked.
"Look out!" Darkness called running to their aid just in time and taking the hits. The cabbages battered her one after the other, taking pieces of her armor off.
"Darkness, get out of there!" Mirror Match called out to the crusader.
"I will not!" Darkness replied, thrusting her arms out as she continued to take hits, other adventurers marveling.
"Oh man, she can't take-" Kazuma started before his expression changed from worry to exasperation.
"I cannot abandon my comrades in battle!" Darkness said, the upper part of her armor completely shaved away, leaving her tattered black undergarment. "I can't! I won't!"
"Wow… now that's a knight…." one of the males said.
"(Oh, if only you knew…)" Rista groaned.
Darkness continued to stand in the way of the barrage, her clothing continuing to get damaged.
"(They're watching me…)" Darkness thought. "(Rough, uncouth men are staring at me and getting aroused. It's shameful… filthy… GLORIOUS!)"
"(She's getting off on it!)" Kazuma screamed internally.
"(Ethox, you're seeing this, right? Now you wanna decline her?)" Ristarte asked.
"(We can't let someone like that on the team. She'd probably put the whole group in danger just to satisfy herself.)" Mirror said. "(There's no place in our team for-)"
The two and Seiya looked at Ethox to see him chuckling.
"Hehe...hehehehe...HAHAHAHA!" Ethox laughed hysterically.
"(He's laughing?!)" Ristarte thought in shock.
"Oh man, Darkness… you really are something else, aren't ya?" Ethox smiled. "I don't know how or why you're like this… but… for some reason, I really like you!"
"(He likes her?! He's crazy!)" Kazuma thought in disbelief. "(Is anyone in this group actually SANE?!)"
"Quake with fear, cabbages!" Megumin said. "For no one can stand against my lethal explosion spell!"
"Isn't that a bit much for some cabbages?" Ethox asked.
The archwizard giggled. "When I'm faced with such a massive army of foes… how can I resist the sweet, sweet urge to unleash explosion? I cannot!"
"Yeah, you can!" Kazuma protested. But his words fell dead, as Megumin started to charge up.
"Darkness!" Ultra said in panic as he hastily pulled out a Beast Ball and threw it towards the crusader and two other adventurers.
"Darkness shrouded in light! Frenzied blaze clad in night! In my clan's name, reveal the fall of thine origin!" Megumin chanted.
"Buzzwole, get those three out of there!" Ultra ordered as a large red mosquito-like Ultra Beast appeared out of the Beast Ball, grabbed all three adventures, and started to move back to the gate before Megumin called the attack, as the huge explosion appeared, the shockwave knocking the rescue onto the ground. Darkness however got the short end of the stick as the Ultra Beast, and the other two adventurers, piled onto her.
"Darkness!" Ultra cried out as he ran over and recalled Buzzwole. "Darkness, are you alright?"
"I have been utterly flattened under two men and a muscle bound mosquito beast… I can't tell you how happy I am to be a part of this." Darkness moaned in ecstasy.
"...Glad to see your okay, Darkness." Ultra deadpanned as the adventures cheered.
Later that night…
"...and so, my final decision is…" Ethox said as the group feasted on fried cabbage. "Darkness is a member of the party!"
"Hooray." Kazuma said sarcastically as he ate his meal.
"I don't really understand what you see in this woman that we don't. She's a masochist. Which means she gets a thrill from pain." Mirror Match piped in.
"I know she's a little odd, but…" Ethox said. "...she's willing to protect people, even if it is for weird reasons. Plus, I don't think she'd put us in danger if it came down to it. She's got a good heart, I can tell."
Mirror could only sigh at this. "Well, if anyone would know about a person's heart, it's someone who got one by living… very well. However," the former king said, turning to Darkness herself, "I will expect you to work with us, not for us. Please, don't try to shield others if they don't need help, understand?"
"Of course. I will do what I can to assist you all, as Crusader and Ally. Now, shall we make it official?" Darkness asked. "I am Darkness. Even though I wield a two handed sword, please do not expect too much of me. I'm far too clumsy and my attacks rarely hit their mark. However, I make an impenetrable wall!"
"You're not helping your case, you know!" Rista yelled.
Ethox sighed smiling as the group talked it out. "(Our first three official team members to join. A close friend from the old days, an Archwizard with only Explosion as an active spell, and a Crusader with a desire to take the brunt of the pain. Maybe it's not the best team roster, not the one that's going to beat Ehto or Theo… but honestly… there's no other group I'd rather have by my side."
He then looked to Kazuma and Aqua. "(And hopefully, those two will join up too. Kazuma may not look like he's one of the ten… but there's something about him telling me that he might be. And I can't leave Axel until I know for sure.)"
