This chapter is finally finished, actually managed to hit the monthly deadline just barely...
I did warn that progress will become slower in the last chapter, might have to take a hiatus next month but I won't stop writing it.
Anyway please enjoy this chapter.
Alice's POV
Luther…
If there was one way to describe the man it would be the complete opposite of the purple-haired "hero". Physically Luka was a very short boy who had a cheerful, innocent charm and stuck out like a thumb with his appearance while Luther was like a tall and silent giant with duller colors that seemed to be all too willing to hide away in a crowd, she was still taller than him, granted she had to stand on the near end of her tail to be so…if she was still her petty child self she would be pissed off by that fact.
Luka was naïve, incredibly so, willing to believe the chance of coexistence between Monster and Humans as well as having a rather simple view of the world thinking all of it would be solved by her death as if the world's ongoing squabbles will vanish into thin air and it will all be sunshine and rainbows, but it was his positivity that was strangely admirable when it wasn't annoying, and he did have determination.
Luther was a quiet and enigmatic figure, almost seeming lost in thought most of the time during her conversations with Luka, but she knew better…that silence was simply a defense mechanism. It took a while to realize but the first time they met and their eyes met she saw through his silent mask, behind it was hiding was an empty and lost individual apathetic to the world around him, having no true purpose except for a few instances where she saw rare flashes of determination and kindness that were perplexing. She had no words to explain it, but she would rather bear Luka's stupidity than truly see Luther take off his mask, there was something strangely repulsive and eerie about it. Just what was the cause of this, his long adventuring making him cynical of the world? She didn't know… the man in question did not wear his past or his heart on his sleeves. This was as much as she knew about him and she didn't even know if any of it was true, which she suspected to be the case.
Yet despite all of those differences in character, Luka and Luther got along. He hadn't insulted Luka, even was encouraging his growth in power and offered small advice along the way, they never argued unlike she did, even argued against her together, but the purple-haired boy has it all coming it doesn't matter if someone else feels a little magnanimous. The boy needed to be taught a lesson in how the real world works.
With the display that happened in the plaza, she had clearly seen both the males' preference regarding thought and action, Luka bravely charged in to face a Heavenly Knight whereas Luther stood from the shadows and watched only intervening when he saw fit, his hiding away couldn't be blamed by The Monster Lord. It was wiser than Luka's downright attempt at suicide that also inspired him to try his hand at fighting, or at the very least stopping one of her strongest subordinates and it had surprisingly worked… if only temporarily.
His personality and past were not the only secrets, in fact, they were the least obvious ones. His powers were the ones to draw the most attention from her, these strange capabilities were the only reason the man was able to pull off what he did in the plaza. The Spin, he called it…a curious thing she would have shrugged off if she was a Monster with lesser perception, but she had seen its effects first hand when he threw a rock sphere at the slug girl and nothing escapes her eyes.
She saw how the rocky projectile flew, almost as if the general laws of physics didn't apply to it for a short time. How it bent the residual energy in the air to its whim in the shape of a rotation, quite fitting for its name, but if it did just that there wouldn't be much to take note off. No…the terrifying part of it happened during the impact with the Monster's face. Whatever the ability was, it had managed to disrupt the normal energy flow inside the Monster's body if only temporarily, it wouldn't matter if the hit hadn't knocked the poor girl out she would still be too disoriented to respond properly enough for another shot or attack.
There are magic and objects that can interact with the body and even the mind through paralysis, charms, transmogrification and you can even count destructive spells into the list, but they did just that, interact with the body. And then there are curses and seals they did interact with the inner energy of living beings… However curses were more of a lingering presence on the soul that could be purified only making a difference if the one who created was exceptionally powerful, and seals could be broken or even resisted and had a habit of wearing off without reapplication with some exceptions.
"The Spin" managed to directly disrupt energy, the only thing that did something so similar was an item in her possession…Angel Halo, a weapon against her immortal enemy, granted the eldritch blade was a step above, taking away power with every wound inflicted on the target, just holding it was enough to extend the effect to the rest of your attacks regardless of the blade is used. Still, the ability could prove useful in fighting those angels and their pesky intangible forms.
She is planning to give the blade to the fake hero, it was obvious from her own observations that the boy wasn't fighting as fully as he could, there was the reason for some of his mistakes in the form, specifically the insistence of using half swings and his overly defensive stance which hindered him more than it helped, the enemy wasn't going to have the generosity to wait for your attack. One of the reasons she taught him a Cursed Sword technique, not only did serve as a small experiment to see firsthand a human handle it, but it was also a bit of irony, given that the style was of monstrous origin and an aggressive one, pushing the enemy into a corner or outright executing them, exploiting the user's superior power.
She had the idea of learning this "Spin" directly or indirectly either through his teaching or her castle's archives, or if she was desperate enough to seek Tamano's advice, but Luther seemed intent on keeping his lips shut only slipping out the name and the fact that it belonged to a sole family (which was very useful in narrowing it down). His reasoning on him and his family members keeping it hidden was understandable, she had her own secrets to keep for the sake of comfort, which he himself hadn't even tried to pry into, and besides, she got some information
And perhaps some of his own… there was one slip up during the second day with him that had managed to make her heart stop for a moment particularly when she had decided to wake him up and his first intention on saying something that began with the article 'the'. Could he already know? For how long? She did drop hints, but the instinct indicated previous knowledge, it did explain the uneasiness she sensed and if it was true…how? She did try to make her identity and appearance a secret from the general Human populous.
It mattered not how much she theorized, she would still find out the truth as she intended on questioning him away from the ears of the purple-haired boy, however, it didn't go as she planned…
As soon as she went into the bathroom something unexpected happened, she lost control, her base instincts pushed out conscious thought, and became dominant demanding to take the man as her own. It was admittedly shameful to be put in such a crazed state for someone like her. She was not a lesser Monster to let her instinct so easily control her, although she did indulge in it and had been hungry, yet it was no reason for her to act in such a way. It was a strange and dreadful experience, there was a feeling of control, but it was just that, only a feeling, in reality, she was just a passenger in her own body. She was warm, her mind was numb, but her body was sensitive, on fire, and Luther's scent became much stronger. Why was this? If she hadn't regained control, she might have lost her virginity right then and there.
If she hadn't regained control…the subject around that was also mysterious as her loss of it, the welcoming and warm aura coming from her possible victim suddenly changed into a biting chill snapping in her back into consciousness and leaving her with the realization that she was naked in a bath and currently wrapped around Luther. Her mind had processed this information along with the returning memories of what had happened, and before she could respond the man before was covered by a blizzard that was damaging her, muttering to himself a series of sentences in mantra-like fashion. Luther Chambers, a fellow traveler and a man that had a habit of saving a certain purple-haired hero was reduced into a cowering mess...
Before she left in haste, she looked back one last time and their eyes met. Alice had never thought she would ever feel guilty about anything relating to this, was it her loss of control? Or more likely Luther's severe reaction to her that realistically she could never anticipate from a Human, there was so much fear, pain, and… feeling of betrayal coming from him, it was unexpected. It all ate at her and it would continue to do so unless she reconciled.
But why did he react like this? Surely someone who is a regular wanderer that was part of an adventure familial line and seemed to be pretty accepting of Monsters if he tolerated her presence, shouldn't be used to monsters trying to sexually assault him. He didn't have to try to be accepting of his fate- that was not her point. Regardless of what she thought the there was one definite conclusion: she had underestimated how many secrets Luther was keeping, both about his capabilities and past, it wasn't an accusation of blame, however, Alice had never lost control like this before in her life. It must have been something either both of them weren't aware of or on the off chance maybe he was aware, but his reaction said otherwise. Even with her desire for answers, she doubted he would be willing to disclose any information, especially now, she also doubted whether she even had the will to try to hypnotize him, and besides even with his power he wouldn't be able to do much to her.
The incident had only served to increase her hunger, something about his scent and her instinct's take over had left some lasting effects, she would have sated her desire soon…maybe she would have better luck interacting with Luka and partake in sampling a bit of his semen…
With a rough groan, Luther woke up in a room quite different from the bathroom he was last in and with clothes on as well. He looked around and saw he was laying on a large windowsill just slightly above the ground surrounded by wine bottles... four of which were empty... As he put the pieces together it hit him: his killing headache, the empty bottles of wine acted as triggers in unlocking memories of his…escapades.
After the very unpleasant incident with Alice, his body went on autopilot and had managed to sneak in into the inn's cellar grabbing a couple of bottles from it, for an inn this luxurious it had very low security, and now he was in a room he didn't recognize covered in bottles. Chambers was sure he could fill in the blanks of what had happened with a single sentence: he got drunk and now he is hungover, thankfully his clothes didn't smell like him.
"Uhhh…" Then there is the problem with Alice, he didn't want to think about it, but it kept popping back into his head no matter how many times he blocked those thoughts out. To think he would be targeted by her in such a manner…and it all happened so suddenly as soon as she slithered into the bath, there was no doubt that this was intentional…that he nearly got raped, but why? What got her attention enough to justify performing such a heinous action to him? His body would have been defiled if it weren't for…
What did happen? What made her stop?
And then he remembered – the frost, it was a feeling or rather lack of feeling that was so familiar to him, which he used when retreating from difficult situations however it had been only just that, a feeling. Something happening within himself that rarely affected others unless they noticed, but now it had affected someone and his surroundings physically by creating an ice shell, a blizzard around him. Why was this and more importantly why now? Was this simply the right circumstance for his apathy to be made manifest? Magic was real in this world after all...
He closed his eyes in focus as he tried to gather his composure, the answer to his question lied in the series of events predating him summoning blizzard despite how much pained him to do. There were several points to make note of: Tusk or the Spin couldn't do anything similar to this and realistically he couldn't use them at all in that situation there was something else at his disposal that might have caused it to happen. Hamon – it was life energy, a purely spiritual concept all things considered, because of that it was bound to be strange and otherworldly. A high chance the state of it was connected to his own emotional state, it was almost cliché for these concepts to be like this: Chi, Ki, whatever you called was connected to a person's mental well-being.
And then, what now? Luther may have uncovered the reason for his frost powers, but still didn't change his situation; he was alone in a room and Alice was likely still out there, meeting her wasn't a matter of if, only a matter of when. What would happen to him, would she try continuing from were left off, or has she taken her to fill from Luka? He noticed his hands were shaking and for good reason – he was afraid and he knew it and fully acknowledged it.
The man glanced at the remaining three bottles that had yet to be drunk from and opened one, bringing it lips he sipped the contents of the wine bottle, the grape alcohol entered his mouth leaving the right balance of acidity and sweetness, overall although he preferred the taste of strong liquors he could see why anyone would enjoy its taste and why he would get drunk on it, all honestly he would take anything to get drunk on after what he had experienced. And so a sip turned into a large gulp.
"Chu." A familiar spectral starry figure appeared above the sitting Luther with what would be a disappointing glare if the Stand had any more detail in its face, but that didn't matter. He could feel the disappointment welling up inside of him. With his stand being active again Chambers felt a lot less empty than he did before, it seemed to have entered a dormant state after his whole debacle with Granberia.
"Oh…come on, you can't blame me after what happened, and besides it would be a shame to waste such good wine." The man complained it was still a bit strange talking to what was essentially a reflection of himself.
"Chu…!"The stand however had no patience for his excuses, lightly knocking into him, pushing him against the closed window.
"Uhh…fine…" Luther put the now closed alcohol bottle on the floor aligning them with one another and then slowly wrapped his arm around Tusk's much smaller body. It was a peculiar sensation. Any feeling of touch for the stand was shared by Luther so it all felt like he was hugging himself as well as Tusk's head pressing against his chest, it felt comforting strangely enough.
"I…I just don't know what to do…" He whispered out to the stand earning a small comforting coo from it, he didn't know if he was able to get as close to someone similar for a while, his last intimate experience was far from pleasant…he felt strange shivers down his spine as an aura approached the door hiding him away from the rest of the inn.
"Luther, are you here?" The man heard a voice muffled by the wall of the room he occupied that made his blood run cold. It was unmistakably the voice of the Monster Lord, Alipheese Fateburn XVI. He froze and remained unmoving for a couple of moments commanding his stand to disappear, for the time being, his mind going through a million different possibilities narrowing down his choices as it went by. He couldn't hide, there wasn't anything around him that would conceal him properly, her superior senses would sniff him out in an instant, that's probably how she found him in the first place. He could try to ambush her, which even if it worked he doubted whether he could do any serious damage before he was either raped or blown to smithereens.
If only there was something he could…
If only he wasn't so…
The door opened.
"So… this is where you hid off." The purple-skinned lamia said, her tone was solemn that quickly changed to a more uncharacteristically concerned one as she saw the surroundings – Luther froze in fear. His condition looked worse for wear, and the bottles that surrounded his feet led to a less than fortunate conclusion. "Are you okay?"
"Stay back!" Her concern fell on deaf ears as the man fearfully stumbled back into the windowsill pointing one finger stretched out, Alice would find the display ridiculous if it weren't for the circumstances and a certain oddity. She observed the outstretched finger and saw something peculiar – a fingernail was spinning on above the fingertip in a tornado-like fashion and its energy was so similar to the rock he threw at the slug girl, yet there was something about she didn't fully recognize. Another "surprise" coming from Luther, well at this point it wasn't much of a surprise for Alice…he might as well announce himself a deity and she wouldn't bat an eye, although, it was very much doubtful to be true given his current state.
"Calm down, I'm not here to do anything to you…" She spoke slowly, it was likely the situation would have escalated further if she had acted in any way differently, forcing her to incapacitate the man by the assortment of means she had, either through force or hypnosis. But Luther was unconvinced remaining in his defensive position, with a skeptical glare, if only it wearing off slightly.
"Why should I believe you, I'm cornered in this room with you here, aren't I? And what about that time in the bath, how should I trust you after that?" The spinning nail spun much faster, his confident questioning was only a façade, deep down he was even afraid after her appearance, and the fact that he was alone in a secluded space with her here boded unwell for him.
"That's why I'm here…" Luther stiffened at his paranoia being confirmed, his stretched-out finger was the only thing shaking, and the nail bullet was on the verge of being shot at the Monster. "I came here to apologize…and for some clarification."
"What?" The man blinked in surprise, before adjusting himself to a more comfortable sitting position however keeping The Spin active in hands. A part of him truly doubted whether he could do anything to purple lamia, but it was simply more comforting and calming to have something to protect himself with, or perhaps this was just Tusk's influence that kept him from snapping. He felt the stand within him try to calm as much as it could, Luther was glad to have it by his side during the trying times and future. If he survived for so long...
"I…" She closed her hand into a fist gripping it tightly. "I don't know what happened, one moment I entered the room the other I was wrapped around you…I guess… I lost control, which has never happened before like this. My intent there was much different… than the result…I'm sorry."
Luther Chamber's eyes winded, the glass broke in his mind as the paranoia generated previously flushed out into cautiousness, the rotation on his stretched out index finger's nail stopped though the man still remained wary of the Monster's presence. If what she said was true, that meant something happened beyond their knowledge, his mind scrambled for any answers, there was nothing in the situation that would have caused it, nothing obvious…
"What's with that?! I'm perfectly capable of admitting to faults as anyone else can, I'm not some child! And besides, dancing around the issue would have been a waste of time." Annoyed she crossed her arms. Her sudden outburst had managed to relieve some of the tension causing Luther to snort, which made Alice narrow her eyes down at the insolent man.
"Right…sorry, I just don't know what to say…" He responded raising up his arms before he incurred any further wrath, he had no desire for further conflict in spite of his previous defensive actions, partly for the current mystery being brought up. If I believe her…then what does that mean? That something forced her to lose control, but what?
His mind reluctantly placed through the unfortunate event paying careful attention to any plausible details, at some moments he had to pause himself before continuing further. A single line stuck out to him, the very first thing she had said to him, something particular about his scent. Had the strength of his scent increased, but how and why? It was obviously not a permanent change or else he would be stuck in the same situation. Soon the pieces of information gathered together: His scent increased, but it wasn't permanent, which caused her to lose control, she only stopped after he conjured up that strange blizzard, at the time he had no access to Tusk or The Spin and he was healing using…
No…it couldn't be…can't it?
All in the meanwhile the Monster lord took a deep breath, composing herself, before going through with her original intent to question on whether the man knew of her true identity.
"You may not forgive me, but I can at least tell you that my original intent was to question you." This immediately broke him out of his thoughts. "You know, don't you? My true identity…"
Admittedly it didn't come as much of a surprise as her apology, given that he already saw her command a Heavenly Knight at the plaza yesterday and the lamia's subtle reactions of the mere mention of the Monster Lord it, it would take a special type of person to not figure out her identity. So in circumstances, it would be an obvious conclusion, he himself had expected to be confronted about this sooner or later simply because he was fully conscious during her debacle with Granberia. At this point, there was no use in lying.
"I had my suspicions that you were someone important, given your unique appearance and power, but it was practically confirmed in my eyes after you stopped that Heavenly Knight." But nothing prevented him from telling a half-truth, even without outsider knowledge the man would at least assume she took a high ranking position, and from the interaction with Heavenly Knight it would be obvious, so he spoke as a man unaware of the story or any of the character, just an adventurer hopelessly wandering the earth.
What made him uncomfortable most about her was the reaction to his theatrics, she narrowed a suspicious gaze at him that gave the idea that she knew more than he told her, and it was like she was undressing him, searching for any sign of falsehoods within his words and chances were she had found them.
"Is that so?..."
"Because I think you knew sooner, I might have wholeheartedly believed what you said, it wasn't for that one slip up when I hit you on the head, I believe you were going to say 'the' before suspiciously stopping yourself." She smirked. "And don't tell me I didn't notice how cautious you were around me."
…
Shit…well she saw right through my lie. He froze, not really knowing how to respond to her accusation properly without outright saying the truth and what would he even say, that she was a fictional character? Or could he leave it as just a simple yes, but that would only lead to more questions? Damn it… had I underestimated her intelligence? No, I underestimated her perception; if you have that then it would be completely obvious that something was up.
Suddenly an idea sprung into his head, if he wanted to keep his charades up he had to continue playing his role in the world, that of an adventurer with a few strange tricks up his sleeve that has traveled around the world for a while now. This was something he could use, his own fabricated identity as an advantage.
"Yes, I did know beforehand…" He took a deep breath, the Monster's smirking winded. "During my travels, I had found out that the current Monster Lord was a unique looking lamia very similar to the previous ruler from various sources."
Alice's smirk disappeared turning into a soft frown as she sighed. "So one of my precious subordinates blabbed to you, is that right?"
She turned away from him. "Guess it can't be helped…they're always so lenient when it comes to my commands."
"That's a rather lax reaction when it comes to ruling." He had always wondered about this, there were many monsters out there that performed clear acts of insubordination of her will, granted monsters weren't exactly a well-organized group, to begin with.
"It is bound that some of them will either bend or act against my will for their own purposes rarely, with complete rebelliousness. That is just nature. I did not come to rule with an iron fist unlike so many of the other ones that have taken the throne, even still my commands are held in higher regard by the majority. Otherwise, there would aggressive attacks on human settlements." That was surprisingly an open insight for Luther into her character he hadn't expected, it sounded like she did take her job seriously despite her current gourmet trip around the world.
"Speaking of my responsibilities, do you intend to tell Luka about this?" She inquired.
Luther shook his head, there was no reason to defy canon for no reason, and given Luka's ideals and how he see the world work, the man suspected he needed some time to get a little used to the purple-skinned lamia before that. "No, that's his worry to figure it out and with the way he thinks about the Monster Lord, I think he needs some time to get his worldview shaken up. Besides, you have already hinted at it yourself."
"Indeed I have…" Alice then proceeded to deadpan." Still surprised he hasn't pieced all together yet, he can't be that dull?"
There was an awkward silence that permeated the room afterward. Alice slowly walked towards Chambers causing him to instinctively and expectedly back away, she grabbed one of the two remaining unopened bottles and observed it.
"So this is how you spent your evening…" She looked around for a proper glass before glancing at the rest of the opened bottles. "Drinking straight out the bottle…how barbaric…"
Despite her deadpan remark, she uncorked the wine bottle bringing it to her lips and took a small sip of the inn's grapy alcohol. "At least you have good taste…"
"Anyway it was nice to deal with all of this, but I have to go." She turned to leave the door.
"Wait, please stop for a moment." Alice complied with the request, being at arm's length away, the Monster turned towards the man again. "I think I might know how you lost control, I need to confirm it though, just hear me out."
The lamia froze accordingly and nodded although being slightly puzzled on the fact he needed to confirm something, had he some ability that could do this to her? If so he could prove dangerous, but there was no malicious intent behind the empty orbs that were his eyes.
"Brace yourself, I will try something, if anything happens I'll stop, alright?" Luther requested, which Alice humored, the Monster stiffened focusing her attention completely on her consciousness.
Luther Chambers closed his eyes and took a deep breath, remembering the specific pattern of the meditative Sendō breathing, it always started with one deep breath and continued on, he had learned it from forcing it upon himself in a do or die situation and he doubted whether he would able learn it normally or even remember if that wasn't the case. He still had to breathe manually, there was nothing instinctual about it, which certainly was frustrating. But he didn't need to worry about it, there was only him…
Soon enough a wispy thin aura covered his body as Hamon energy rippled through his blood with it his heartbeat became vigorous, he felt stronger and healthier, even his peak physique in late high school hadn't felt as good, but he hadn't had time to fully explore this feeling of power that the technique brought to him. The man gulped and opened his eyes to look at the Monster Lord who was holding her nose and covering her face, bright red adorned her cheeks much like the last time they met, however unlike last time she hadn't made an advance.
"Alice, are you…alright?" He asked with concern, stopping the breathing technique. It was rather strange for him to do so abruptly…the power didn't completely disappear once he stopped: it carefully fluctuated and slowly faded away into nothingness and left him in a state he was original with a lingering sense of longing for it.
"I'm…fine…" She breathed out seeming all the more flustered as she turned away from him for a bit. "Your scent …and the energy it…became almost intoxicating for that one moment, I swear I could get drunk off it..."
"…So…warm…" She muttered to herself, her voice quiet enough not to reach the ears of Luther. She would damn herself to hell if she ever let anyone hear her like that.
This didn't last long, she released a sigh of relief as she composed herself, any sign of the previous effects on her dissipating, the fact the man was able to even think to do this led to the obvious conclusion that it was simply one of his many capabilities. "I assume that was one of your abilities?"
"Yes, although I didn't know it had an effect like this since I rarely used it…" He responded. For Luther this was such an unexpected consequence of Hamon, he couldn't even begin to imagine that such an innocent power used to heal and defeat undead abominations would attract monsters in such a manner. It all meant that he had painted a target on himself in order to simply mend his wounds or enhance himself. It meant he couldn't experience the pleasant rush of power and life without risking simply being assaulted by a passerby Monster. It was all too disappointing that it's will be so restrictive…On the other hand, Alice's reaction didn't appear to be as extreme as the first exposure, of course, it might have been because of her own preparations and restraint through will, but it still meant there might have been some hope.
"Then what is its main purpose? Certainly, there was a reason for you to use it all these times. "She probed him, however with much less aggressive intent bordering more on simple inquiring, but she couldn't be blamed. This was something that made her pleasantly drift off into her base instincts, making it a very valid reason for her intrusion.
"I did it to heal myself. Surely you remember how badly my legs were damaged?" The man said, while he had no intention of revealing the otherworldly technique to the purple lamia there was no point in not letting some details to it, frankly might serve to satiate a bit of their curiosity…or completely opposite.
Alice processed the information, with the added context she couldn't blame either herself or him as the shock itself seemed to imply none of that was intentional, his words only confirmed it and the fact that whatever he used was meant to heal the wounds that should've him kept in recovery for a while made her slightly more ashamed.
"Yes, I do…is that all it does…it seems rather odd for a supportive technique to have such a strange effect." She remarked.
"That is pretty much its only capability…as far as it is to my knowledge." a blatant lie. "I can't tell you much more about it, I just don't trust you."
The Monster Lord sighed and wordlessly turned to leave towards but before crossing over the door frame she said. "That's… understandable."
"Hey, Alice," Luther called for her attention one last time within this room feeling as though he had to do one last thing before they left the secluded space. He had perceived it right after, her mannerism and body language were unlike the confident Monster Lord with only a few glimpses of her old self scattered here and there along with their conversation, Her gaze was softened, almost too apologetic and regretful. It was clear to the man that she had genuine regret for what she had done, even though….was it really her fault? After all, she had no control over her actions.
"Hmm..?"
"I forgive you…"
In all honesty, it was much easier to say forgiveness than to actually feel it, his mouth may have said one thing, but his mind was another. He was torn. No matter how many times he could try rationalizing the events it didn't help…could he actually forgive her? His body was nearly violated by ravenous lust, something that he came to hate a long time ago in his life, whatever trust he had was broken, and he was reduced to a cowering mess. Luther would have completely given in to the anger and fear he felt, but she apologized…and the added piece that put everything into place made everything so messy within his very being. For now, he decided on nothing, the man needed more time to get his thoughts straight.
This was not the only issue he was facing albeit they were less serious ones. As a stand user he was never alone and most importantly it was pleasant company, after all, whoever you can rely on when alone, but yourself? Tusk was more than a worthy Stand to keep him company, but there might have been something he wasn't prepared to deal with relative to the Stand. Something within told him his newly acquired sixth sense originated from his Stand.
"Chu~" Tusk's response only confirmed it as it was floated by its user, it was in a much better mood and partly the reason for the man's relative ease of mind.
"Why then of all the times?" This capability to sense energy was peculiar, the very first time he unconsciously used was when entering the city, he felt Granberia's aura at the city plaza. The very thing that terrified him so much, because, unlike the soldier, unlike even Luka, he felt all the power and being that was Granberia - the raging whirlwind of flames and ash. In truth, even without this he still would've hesitated albeit less so, but perhaps that was just his bias speaking. Perhaps, that bias was right…the worst consequences of his actions weren't the wounds he inflicted upon himself, no…it was the possibility that he might have peaked the Heavenly Knight's attention…
This newfound sense however didn't seem to last long. It was damaged as if burned by that ruthless storm he faced. He was able to tell the very nature of the aura, who it belonged to, and its true quantity, a lot of good that did him when it was all drowned out by that Dragonkin…Now he could say it's even worse, like having one of his eyes plucked out. Luther still sensed except there was no difference between anyone. It was all just bland, hazy energy. The only differentiating factor was the movement and quantity, but even that could be hidden. Still, he needed all he could get, and possibly it was better this way, having a constantly overloaded sixth sense wasn't a good thing for his psyche.
"Chumimi~in" The Spin Stand pointed in the direction of Luka's booked room, he was already reaching for the handle but he found himself hesitating for some reason, perhaps simply the aftereffect of his near-rape. Behind within the room, he felt the existence of what he assumed to be Luka and Alice, his two "companions" along this bizarre adventure. Of course, he had felt the presence of the other denizens of the inn, and farther into the city was a faint mist of souls that melded into each other. What sent shivers down his spine was another signature of energy except this one didn't have an exact point of location. Instead, it encompassed the entire inn, perhaps even the city with its overbearing presence, there something watching them…and Luther had a guess as to who.
He took a deep breath. Ilias watching them was nothing new to him, but being fully aware of it was something… but perhaps it could prove beneficial for the man, he could tell the exact moment she was spying on them. It was humorous, such a powerful Goddess being unable to hide from the prying of a mortal man's attention all because of her nature. Regardless of how he felt about this invading of privacy, it was all the more reason to keep his capabilities hidden.
Opening the door he saw his sixth sense being confirmed in front of his eyes, a half-sleeping Luka turning in his bed and Alice in her true form finishing the last pieces of her meal, while the monster was awake as ever, the boy was lacking much in the matters of lucidity. The room they resided in was no less luxurious than the rest of the inn evident by the bed for a king that the purple-haired was so adamant in lying in.
"Good morning Alice, Luka..." Appearances would have to be kept up if Ilias paid the least bit of attention to him. Seeing him act strangely would most likely result in unfortunate consequences. Getting the attention of a dragon knight was one thing, but being in the target sights of a potentially genocidal Goddess of Light was a completely different thing that would end with pure unpleasantries.
"…" The lamia looked at Luther, raising an eyebrow. "I don't think there's any need for a greeting, and besides our resident, the fake hero is currently preoccupied with something."
"Don't say…." Luka mumbled as he rolled over to another side of the comfy bed hugging and nearly drooling one of the many pillows causing the purple-skinned monster to slip out a small amused smile from her previous stoic expression.
Luther leaned against the wall, glancing at the sleep-talking boy he spoke. "I know it's just…we should probably keep quiet about what happened between us, for all he's considered it's just useless information that wouldn't do well for his morale nor for his already shaky relationship with you."
"You care about him, don't you?" The Monster Lord remarked which garnered no response from the man. "But yes, it would be best to do so…"
And then a minute of strained silence passed by in the room with the only awake ones staring at each other carefully while avoiding the other one's gaze as if closely studying for any faint sign of their true emotions. This ended when Alice continued with her question. "You didn't respond to my question…it doesn't matter if you don't want to tell me, you obviously do, otherwise you wouldn't rush in like that back in the plaza.
Luther Chambers remained silent from Alice's observations as he searched for the answer deep within, on the reason for him being so adamant about saving the young hero's life. Did he truly care for the purple-haired boy or was it just a selfish way of keeping things predictable, which in all honesty he was very much doubtful the world would remain like this for long, given his small meddling and interactions with the people. Was it because of simple gratitude for an extended hand in the time of need that the boy offered? Or perhaps… Damn it, Luther! That kid has a good heart, but there is no point in getting attached, it will only bring trouble like it always did…
"It is merely my gratitude that I did that, please do not -"Before the brown-haired Spin user could finish anything he was interrupted by a loud yawn coming from his heroic "companion" as he rubs his eyes. Already awake? Guess this interrogation is over thankfully.
"Good morning Luther…you've healed…" The purple-haired boy greeted the first person he saw and then much to his dismay glanced around the room to see the lamia he had gotten rather familiar with after a certain incident. "Oh…h hi A-Alice..."
Luka's nervous reaction to the sight of their monstrous "companion" caught the attention of Luther as the man in question shifted his eyes between the young fake hero and the purple lamia. Everything about it pointed to one conclusion. So that still happened, could have sworn she was too ashamed back then…this is too early judge yet...
"You've finally woken up, I have been chewing this stick for a while now." She smirked as the boy's cheeks reddened. "Is the bed that comfortable or did you feel more drained than usual."
"Pl –please don't say th-that!" The embarrassment was killing him, it was enough that he admittedly willingly defied one of Ilias's commandments and let Alice give him a hand job without much resistance on his part, but the fact that he was being teased by her especially in front of another person and not just any person someone he travels alongside with was killing him.
"Why should I not? We both know you secretly en-"
"Okay! Let's just move away from that topic, please, and thank you!" Luther exclaimed out in an attempt to spare his ears of the horrors of Alice's sentence that tried to curse his ears with corrupted knowledge, at the very least by either of their reactions he could tell that wasn't serious, which was a relief to hear.
"Fine." Alice straightened herself out if only a little, but not before shooting one more remark. "You're just too easy to mess with. You should really work on your composure..."
"Nothing happened." Luka blurted out earning a deadpan hum from his monstrous companion, his body language and huge blush said otherwise to his sudden statement, however.
"Anyway, is something wrong Luther? You don't look so good." This was something out of the serious concern and…an attempt to steer far away from what was just uttered.
For Luther, this question resounded in his head. It was most likely even worse than actually hearing that horrid sentence finish, this presented the fact that it was quite obviously an event so awful happened to him. He looked to a mirror turning away from them and saw the state he was in: Disheveled hair, strained eyes, the small nearly noticeable bags under his eyes, and the frown that followed the image. It was all worse for wear, but before he could any self-loathing could take place he felt a comforting presence snuggle up in his coat.
"Chu." Tusk reminded that the man wasn't alone, that he would always remain by his side. As the pleasant thoughts creep into his mind from their link he smiles to himself before turning around before them.
A streak of pity and shame crossed Alice's gaze for a moment as the older man's and the lamia's eyes met, the man proceeded to nod slightly to the Monster.
"Hmm, uh- I may or may not have stumbled upon some of the inn's wine supply, and uh…underestimated how strong it was, ended up sleeping near a window." He let out a nervous chuckle. The boy processed the information with a neutral expression.
"I should probably go to fix myself up." The room's mood was killed in such a quick manner and it almost felt like it was his fault after all it was his appearance that caused such a thing to happen, right? Or was the blame shared with Alice for putting him in such an appearance that would be the cause for concern? Either way, he felt somewhat of an obligation to change it and he knew how much to the chagrin of Luka.
As Luther headed out of the door into the bathroom he deadpanned. "I'll leave you two to sort your "problem", alright?"
"Wait, no-"All of Luka's protests were muted by the door that was closed behind the man.
The bathroom break that Luther took served a small respite from the outside world, while Tusk provided confrontation enough sometimes it was good to find a place to recuperate yourself and gather your thoughts. Washing up his less than fortunate appearance proved to be quite therapeutic almost, like wiping the slate clean, but it was far from the truth. He knew there were going to be some problems that will remain whether he likes it or not. The clear discomfort he felt towards Alice was evident and will likely remain for a long time. He might not be able to fully trust her, and then again he didn't trust her to begin with…but his reconciliation and this was a step in the right direction.
As he finally left the bathroom he was greeted with the sight of a fully packed and dressed Luka and Alice, despite his previous comment and atmosphere of the room the tension and stress dissipated, and in its place were a much more relaxed Alice and a non-flustered Luka. They appeared much happier when they saw him finally exit his temporary fortress of solitude.
"Looking better already." Luka was wearing what Luther could call his signature smile, the one so commonly had when proclaiming his ideals or generally feeling optimistic and he had noticed the Monster Lord's upper curvature of lips. It was peculiar, not only did he have to feel the emotional link with his Stand, their positivity was piercing through his shell if only a little.
Guess looking at the part makes you feel like it. He thought to himself
"Let's go already. We have been here long enough." Alice went to the entrance of the famous inn first shifting into her human form. She walked at a pace that suggested following her. They finally reached the entrance of the inn where its owner and caretaker resided on most occasions eagerly awaiting visitors, pilgrims, and tourists, despite the sheer cost of staying at her inn she was kind enough to provide healing salves for his wound in case of infection, however, it had little effect in helping him heal.
"It sounded like you had fun last night." It was a shame that she had a lack of tact as she delivered the line with a Cheshire cat-like grin.
"Uhh…what's with today…were we that loud?" The sudden remark was like the cherry on the top for all the teasing he received from Alice.
"I didn't really hear anything." Luther scratched his head, there wasn't much confusion as to why this was this case. Being passed out drunk had to play a factor in that. He could only hope he didn't do something drastic or that the owner didn't notice more than a couple of bottles missing.
The owner let out a great laugh. "Hahaha, so I was right? It was just a lucky guess."
"Well how about that…look at you, up and about like nothing happened." The woman observed Luther with slight confusion and wonder.
"Well, I've been told I heal fast." The man half-heartedly responded, catching the unimpressed glance of his monstrous "companion".
"These heroes never cease to amaze me…" She muttered and clapped her hands. "I could only hope the inn was to your liking."
"Yes, definitely!" With the exception of one thing, overall it was an enjoyable experience for the boy: the interior along with the paintings was stunning, the furniture was comfortable, especially the bed.
"I particularly enjoyed Ama-ama Dango" Alice voiced her own thoughts, her own mere mention of it causing a craving for the delicacy.
"Thank you, unfortunately, I can't offer you more, as I've mentioned before Happiness Village no longer produces their special honey, something which is quite important to the recipe, I am sure the rest of the world would be grateful if you all tried doing something about it." She nearly pleaded. Their food was one very few things along with the luxury of the inn that drew people in, without there wasn't much traction.
"Will be sure to look out for that," Alice responded almost soldier-like manner.
"Well…be sure to come again! I'll be glad to welcome you!" The owner of the famous Sutherland inn said her farewells as she led them out of the entrance.
"I will! Thank you!" The heart of the group wholeheartedly thanked the innkeeper for the invitation to visit the inn further.
The strange group finally stepped into the plaza seeing the amazing difference of atmosphere that the central city of the Ilias continent took on, the dread and oppressiveness, which covered the town before, forcing its citizen under its whim caused by the sudden draconic invader, changed into a bustling place that was worthy of being prized jewel of the continent in but a day. They had caught the eye and heard the gratitude of some of the people that recognized them as the heroes who saved this place from a Heavenly Knight. Blue skies matched the mood the town was in, its markets, shops were now open to any customer willing to spare a coin. It felt rewarding to witness this and be part of what helped make this change.
"We need to stock up on some supplies," Luka announced as he looked around the plaza seeing many options to choose from.
"Do we have to?"
"Do you want to eat when we camp?" The boy's uncharacteristically witful response still sounded innocent enough, but it caused Alice to noticeably slow down for a moment and turn her gaze towards him with a challenging smirk. Her gluttony was a very clear thing for even some on like Luka, it could be easily exploited, however, one had to remain aware they were entering a match of wit with the Monster Lord.
"Oh…well you should go do that then…of course I can always get sustenance from an alternative source if there are any complications…" A loud gulp was heard ringing throughout the plaza. Luka may have realized that it was going to be torture sooner, but the implications of that were only just starting to set in. Luka stayed flustered for a moment, trying to utter a coherent sentence before.
"I'll just go to the marketplace" The young boy turned from the monster, cheeks still red, and as if solemnly marched away into the city's market admitting his defeat. His heart had experienced enough harassment and teasing for the day, any more, and might be laying on the ground like yesterday. He left his companions by themselves. Luther shared a look with his Stand before staring down at Alice.
"What? I barely said anything that saucy, it's his fault for being so prudish about it." She responded unapologetically at the man's judgmental stare.
"Look all I know is that something happened between you too, most likely last night…" He then paused. "It's just I want to know why? Even after what happened…"
"I don't know if that was just me or your ability, but after our…unpleasant scuffle a strange ravenous hunger took over me and he was just there. Nothing that serious happened and besides I wasn't lying when I said he secretly enjoys this, I can smell it on him." Her explanation took a while to process for the man, he knew of the development of their relationship through the eye of none other than Luka himself. Yet it was strange to see it from another perspective while knowing exactly what happened, and the dubiousness of 'he secretly enjoys this' undoubtedly didn't rest well with him. Along with the fact of how the young hero just walked away from them both. Basic pattern recognition told him the increased hunger was obviously a side effect of Hamon given its apparent capability to entice the instincts of Monsters.
"So you're saying he is secretly a masochist?" There wasn't much surprise if it turned out to be true for the man.
"No, that wouldn't be the right way to describe him…" She gazed in the direction of where the purple-haired boy walked off before chuckling. "Come on, we've given him time to compose himself, I'm sure he is waiting for us to follow him."
As it turned out to be much to the surprise of Luther and Alice, Luka was quite proficient in bartering, being capable of consistently lowering the price or making good deals without any negative reaction from the seller, though his rumored image of being the town hero might have also aided in this ordeal. The boy had packed various ingredients for food, tinder, the process proved to ease him back into his regular self.
"First cooking and now this…" Her compliment was not without a jab. "You have certainly taken a strange manner at becoming a hero. If only you constantly trained with your sword then I might have been impressed when we first met."
"Oi, oi there's no need to be like that, it's just something you pick up on. I'm sure Luther will understand that." They walked along with one of the many streets, passing along some of the less than useful shops for their journey. It wasn't long before Luka spotted a weapon shop marked by the obvious sign that had two swords clashing along with a name on the bottom that simply stated "weapon shop".
"How original…" Alice sarcastically remarked.
"I should see what's in there because I might need more than this." The fake hero gestured towards his simple basic clothing that provided no protection and a custom-built sword that many people mistook for a dagger. Sure, it did have sentimental value, however, besides the recommendation from the very person who made it to get a new weapon, there was also the added fact that people mistook it for a dagger and his loss against Granberia. Yes, he admitted there was no possible way for him to defeat her in that scenario even with powerful weapons. After all, a 'blade is only powerful as its wielder' was a lesson taught to him by Alice and practical experience, but it didn't hurt to have some equipment you're going to travel all the way to the Monster Lord's castle.
"Good idea, even if there is nothing of note, the only thing we would be wasting is just a couple minutes of our time." Another idea bounced around Luther's head, it came and went without him fully grasping it.
"Thinking of finding something better than that dinky dagger? So there was some sensible thought floating in that skull of yours…" Alice teased, rousing quite a reaction from the pint-sized hero.
"It's not a dagger! This sword was made especially for me…" Luka lowered his gaze from Alice to the short blade. Truly the very idea that it was a gift from somebody else, the pure sentimental value mattered more than its flaws. It did have many flaws, its length was comfortable for his size, if it was a bit shorter, the metal wasn't the best and the very detail that it's a lethal weapon was the most that bothered him. He was forced to hold back unless he wanted to live knowing he had willingly killed a person, Monster or not. What kind of hero would he be if he ever allowed that to happen?
They stepped into the shop, its old wooden floor creaked with every step the group took. It matched the overall age the building seemed to have with its comparably ancient stone bricks that matched its walls. This shop was older than several parts of the city and perhaps for good reason, in a world filled with danger, it was wise to keep a weapon at hand at all times. And weapons there were…
A Variety of sharp and blunt instruments from the puny daggers and the largest of blades, polearms, war hammers adorned the walls and shelves of the old shop as well as the armor pieces of varying material on the stands. All seemingly blended together...almost. The quality of gear varied greatly, some weapons were meant for pure efficiency with little to no flair, and they remained untouched gathering dust, while the more eye-catching weapons and armor with ungodly amounts of spikes looked newly made. Once the shopkeeper saw them his stoic expression turned into an enthusiastic smile.
"Ah welcome, please tell me if you find anything you like." The clerk welcomed what he hoped would be his newest customers.
"Will do." Luka responded gazing across the assortment of armors.
Luther wandered over the myriad of different weapons – mourning stars, ball, and chain fails, and throwing knives. He suddenly realized the idea, the man needed a weapon that is less lethal than the nail bullets. While relying on rocks was all well and good, he doubted the integrity of the material, and the amount of power it provided would incapacitate stronger Monsters he would no doubt have to fight. He needed a steel ball…the main tool of Spin masters.
"Hmm, this armor looks good. A true hero would wear armor like this." The young hero observed a particular piece of armor, which looked grandiose even with its protrusions, however…
"Idiot." The monster sighed as she lightly banged on the thick metal. "If you wore that, you wouldn't be able to move."
Her eyes looked over to what looked to be a plain shirt. She grabbed it and ran her fingers over the reflective fabric, the material it was made of was mostly cloth woven in a way that was similar to chainmail intersecting with pieces of metal. Although it seemed to be simple protection one would expect a regular soldier to have, not a knight, Alice knew better. From how much it weighed it provided much more protection than those chunks of shaped metal. "This looks good. We have enough money to buy this, right?"
"This..?" At first glance, Luka was skeptical of the lamia's suggestion but then noticed the quality of the make.
"Ahh, you have good eyes, miss. That shirt was woven in a special way for maximum protection." The shopkeeper walked towards them, noticing the type of equipment they selected. Enriken, a very good choice, time and time again creations from Enrika have proved their effectiveness even with how simple they looked and the basic components used to make them, too bad they produced so little…
"Oh really?"
"It's a good piece of protective wear, even if it looks plain. Recently it seems like heroes have been only caring about looks though." A good part of the shopkeeper hoped they would take it as it wasn't often someone sensible came around his shop and took some of the older and better equipment of his hands. It would be a disgrace to let such things go to waste.
"Those kinds of people don't really care how good this piece really is. It looks like you're different, though!" The old shopkeeper exclaimed.
"I see! Alright, I'll take it!" The purple-haired boy passed the required amount of coins over the clerk.
"Thanks for your business!" The merchant and smith clasped his hand.
"Even though it's a great piece of armor made by Enrika, it hasn't sold well because it just looks plain." The weapon salesman looked over to the heavy plate armor, with a slight frown.
"Enrika? Is that who made this?" Luka's mind dreamed of thoughts of a legendary crafter.
"Ah, not a person. Enrika is the name of a small village to the southwest." The shopkeeper clarified, before continuing. "Even though they isolate themselves from the rest of the world, they make some pretty good pieces of armor."
"Oh? I didn't know that?" The boy mumbled, strangely suspicious over the fact he hadn't heard of the name before, even with its proximity with Ilias Village.
"And you, young man, found anything you're looking for?" He asked Luther who shook his head.
"No, not quite…do you have any steel balls in stock? No spikes, just a smooth perfect surface, large enough to fit in the palm of my hand." Luther inquired much to the surprise of the shopkeeper.
"A steel ball…" Luka muttered confused as to the weapon of choice, it wasn't conventional by any means, the only way to use it would be throwing and you can only do that one time, so what reason would his friend have used such equipment?
"Remember when Luther threw that rock at the slug girl, despite the damage it did it looked very much improvised, it's obvious that's the official weapon of whatever technique he uses." Alice confidently explained, which satisfied the boy if only a little.
"That is a rather specific request, I don't have anything like that in stock, but I could make it from the spare weapons lying around, wouldn't even have to heat up the forge however, it might not come out as well as you want it to." The shopkeeper admitted. Luther stood there considering the decision with a blank mind, he felt a familiar presence wash over, Tusk, The Spin, something he used to grind down a sharp jagged rock to a silky smooth sphere surely he could do the same to steel even if it required a bit more effort on his part.
"I have ways to make sure that it doesn't happen." This surprised smith who then froze and nodded along opening a door behind the store counter.
"Well then, come on in." He invited the man into the back of the shop where his workshop lied, but not before turning to the group again.
"This might take a while, you're welcome to stay here, but there isn't much here to do either unless you want to look for something more, perhaps a weapon?" He offered a suggestion however the boy in question declined.
"No thank you, there are many things I want to see in this city." Luka and Alice excused themselves from the shop and left the men alone with their business.
The process of crafting such equipment didn't take as long as much as he had expected much to the amazement of the smith himself, seeing Luther simply press down on a detached end of a morning star and ground down to what he desired with nothing but his hands. Of course, it was wise to wear gloves for this process unless he wanted to be covered in the remains of steel or burn his hands from the number of sparks flying out the ball. Most of the time was taken up by creating the holsters for said steel weaponry. It was an on-the-spot decision once being questioned on where he would store them.
The fact of the matter is, that it wasn't very comfortable to have to constantly pull out the balls of the bag. Overall the service and materials had managed to cost him only two measly coins pieces that he borrowed from Luka.
"There you go! Looks nice enough on you..." The steel ball holsters were patched onto the hips of his pants over the pockets, it was tacky but it served its purpose well. It was made after Gyro's own holsters and soon enough it was obvious that's design wasn't purely esthetic, it's rather loose and open make served to allow direct contact with the balls letting the user prep The Spin beforehand ensuring he was never caught off guard at least in theory.
If only they could see me now, makes me feel like a cowboy, shame I had to ruin my pants. Brown leather didn't go along with the blue denim. Thankfully the ruined part was covered by his coat which also hid them quite well.
"Honestly if this whole hero act doesn't work out for you with that technique of yours you could become quite the craftsmen." Luther could see the genuine smile on the older man's face as he looked upon the smoothness of one of the balls. It was strange how he never questioned him more on its purpose. The smith simply complied with his request.
"I'm no hero, sir." His response made the shopkeeper release a large laugh.
"Then what would you call rushing a Heavenly Knight of all people to save a fellow man, if not heroic?" The older man mused as he handed the steel ball to Chambers. The Stand user was left speechless for a short while. Were his actions really known by the entire town? He had managed to catch glimpses of those staring at him down like he was some sort of legendary figure, the man who stopped such powerful Monster attacks head-on. But it didn't matter he wouldn't remain in this town for too long.
"Gratitude."
"Ha! Well, you surely got the gratitude of the rest of the town." The older man let out a loud laugh again. "Well, we're done here, unless you want something else?"
"I'm satisfied with what I got. It was a pleasure doing business with you…"
"As with you! You're more than welcome to come here again if you need anything."
Luther Chambers finally stepped out of the weapon shop satisfied with his purchase, he watched the sky for a moment and judged the amount of time he spent making his new equipment. Turns out it there wasn't much time that had passed, the sun had barely moved from its previous position, he heard the familiar pattern of steps to his right.
"Luther, done already?" The voice obviously belonged to the youngest one of the group. The man turned to Alice and Luka although noticing something that there was something a bit off about them, they had appeared more disgruntled than the last time he saw them, their eyes spoke a story of images better left unseen.
"You're lucky…" Alice spoke up. "We had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting a peculiar monster."
"Her name was Amira. She is a…upside down lamia." The young hero's voice portrayed a strange level of frustration and disgust, his hand twitched around the pommel of his sword
"I take it wasn't pleasant." Of course, the man knew of Amira, a lamia with a strange genetic mutation that caused her to have a snake top rather than the bottom. A seemingly annoying but nonetheless useful individual for information, he dreaded to think what the Monster thought of him and he most likely had no way out of the next plausible encounter.
"No." They replied in unison, Luka continued. "At least she told us something, apparently there is a group of Monster bandits that attack Humans nearby this city."
"There is no point in discussing that experience further." She sighed before asking. "What's our next route?"
The fake hero pulled a map from his bag, as they all looked at it Luther spotted that there were several spots already vaguely marked on the map, most likely signifying the story's side quests. They had the locations, information, goals in mind and now all they needed was the course of action.
Luther's notes: Monsters.
One of the species living on this planet, the natural predators of Humans, or rather a collection of species that would require separate categorizations. I can excuse the forms of angels being drastically different from one another to them lacking a physical form, however, any person with even a minuscule understanding of biology would agree with me that the term Monster is rather loose when comes to describing them. Perhaps, it simply pertains to their origin.
Alice I, the Dark Goddess, Darkness personified in a physical form and the counterpart to Ilias. She is the one who created the Monsters or more accurately mutated the existing life forms already living on the planet, in truth unlike Ilias she handcrafted very few beings, most notably the "Six Ancestors". Each one being the ancestor of all existing monsters. From the gathered information, I can conclude Dark energy acted like a long-term symbiotic parasite infecting its host cells and slowly changing the existing creatures to the Dark Goddess desired form.
Monsters vary highly, firstly from a biological standpoint: they spread out throughout the entirety of the taxonomic rank with the obvious exception such as Domain, there no monsters that aren't Eukaryotes. They take the shape of many similar creatures familiar on earth, existing plants, animals, and fungi with unique, obviously feminine traits. As well there also mythological examples that include goblins, dragons and their subspecies, slimes, and many monsters of the demonic variety.
Culturally again Monsters vary highly, but what I can confidently say is that Monsters are either highly individualistic - traveling as nomads, adventurers, bandits, and the likes. This is common to those species that are naturally more powerful or rarer than their monstrous peers or to species lacking proper leadership, it is likely unavoidable that they develop a Darwinism-like view on the world that is often proved to be quite hypocritical when defeated by someone stronger, especially if said person is a Human. The other route that species could take is to be communal, often forming small packs or large villages with one another to make up for some inherent weakness or it simply a product of their social nature. Make note that does not mean these types of Monsters are weaker, their leadership, numbers, and several individuals that have immerged from that society have often proven to be far more powerful than the previously mentioned Monsters, not counting legendary figures of course. What is interesting is their reaction to coexistence was rather predictable. Monsters that were used to banding together in communities adapted and accepted to their new life relating to this massive change, while the ones that preferred to keep to themselves were stubborn and stuck to their old ways, causing some troubles for the Monsters living alongside Humans.
Despite my companions' lax interest in this problem, I have made efforts of…quelling them, let's just say…if necessary.
Regardless of whether which side of the spectrum they fall on species seem to share traditions and aspects of their culture, which are wholly detailed within the Monster Lord's library.
Despite all of these differences all Monsters more or less share very similar traits most predominantly their hunger for Human semen, which their bodies are expertly made to extract through a variety of means I not will go into detail, as well as a libido to match this. Obviously, one should not forget that Monsters are only capable of producing females baring few exceptions of mutation, even then not producing full-blooded monsters. As well as it is interesting to note that despite how equipped they are in the matters of reproduction, interestingly enough they're aren't as fertile as Humans. It simply takes more effort to impregnate a Monster than a Human, however, that in all obviousness doesn't faze them at all. With all of these factors: inability to produce males along with the general unwillingness of Humans themselves to help in reproduction until recently it is no surprise that the Human population dominates the planet.
It is also no surprise and somewhat understandable of the actions that Monsters take in regards to reproduction and feeding themselves. It's similar to how Humans kill animals for food. However, it is done on equally conscious beings as well as the sadistic approach they might often take, even killing their prey when it is wholly unnecessary. This, I cannot accept.
On the topic of mutation of Monsters, intriguingly enough mutation happens rather fast even in a Monster's lifetime and generally a useful thing to them, unlike our species, often resulting in stronger individual or even much rarer result inheritable dominant traits, it is almost like the dark energy itself is encouraging this behavior. Perhaps this could be used in a controlled manner… of course, not all may benefit from it, I know an acquaintance that has suffered a most unlikely, unfortunate fate…
During my research of Monster and studies into dark energy, I can conclude that further study may prove beneficial to my own goals and a way to sate my own curiosity. The different life forms inhabiting this world are unique in both personality and physical appearance, to an outsider such as I, it is truly an amazing amount of variety.
Author's Notes: Oh boy this chapter in my opinion doesn't have as much content as I liked it to have, I was forced to cut the chapters in half when I noticed it was far exceeding the normal length of the chapters, unfortunately, the scene between Luther and Luka is delayed to another chapter (The start of the L team)
-Luther's sensing capabilities were inspired by a basic quirk most stand users possess: That there is some destiny that attracts such users to each other either as enemies or allies. Since they are no other Stand users in this story that quirk will sort of go to waste, so I decided to implement it as a sensing skill that was nerfed to the ground by Granberia.
-Ironically enough the situation that happened between Luther and Alice is kind of a catalyst for the development of their friendship. You might also notice I have started using the word companion without quotation marks since that is slowly going to become real.
Reviews:
-Varvasnukka: There is untapped potential in most unrecognized fandoms, though I do like how small some fandoms are, out of the eye of the mainstream, and because that fewer assholes join the community, however despite what I say I do not support gatekeeping. I personally as a writer have a weird desire to create serious stories in less known Works of fiction, stories you wouldn't expect to find when they search for fanfictions of Eroge like my personal experiment of turning DXD into a psychological thriller with Issei instead of becoming a harem king, delving deep into his own psyche, encountering and eventually accepting the horrors hidden within the human mind, heavily inspired by Carl Jung's work.
-lytsadboi: 69
-Jojo: Not necessarily, however, I cannot fully answer without giving spoilers.
-Doomqwer: I'm pretty sure we both have read stories where the main character who probably was Isekai'd did something that made go "What the fuck are you doing and more importantly how the fuck can you even consider doing that?" When it comes to interacting with powerful characters. There is some satisfaction in plopping down a person in a hostile environment and seeing how they do, but making that character become a macho man in an instant is awful for the reading experience.
-Your Midnight Scribe: Yep not touching a canon pairing, and pretty sure it is rather obvious that nothing would happen between them at least after reading this chapter. Reviews of the last chapter have made me consider the question of the pairing more in-depth than I did previously and I had come to the conclusion that I would happen too late into the story for what character I was planning for and it would be too weird. Originally the rough draft of this story intended a bittersweet ending for Luther, where locks himself within Promenstein's lab in a desperate attempt to find a way to return to this world never making it clear if he succeeds or not, just that nobody has seen him leave. To answer the question he will not be paired with a major character.
Oh, and the age difference with Tamano, it's fine as long as both partners pass the Harkness Test.
To those who I have not addressed, I have either answered your review with a PM or in another person's review, "Two birds with one stone" kind of deal.
Thank you for the support, I'll see you next chapter.
