A Berserk Story Like No Other

Here's the third chapter. Enjoy.

The cold night had come and gone, making the remnants of the rising sun that much more appreciated to the half demon as she slowly walked through the morning streets of the town they arrived in earlier. She breathed in carefully and then exhaled silently as her attention moved to her surroundings, her eyes and ears picking up murmurs of locals putting up their stalls for the day's sales as well as the local blacksmith that resided at the far corner of the street, but she knew many more were in the surrounding area. She could even see local farmers coming in with wagons and horses to sell their crops from their harvest since winter was nearly upon them.

'I bet most of that will be given to the Mayor of this town, just so he can sell it off to the Holy See… Those farmers won't even get what they're owed.'

Unfortunately, this was the way their world worked. Those who aren't in power or of noble birth, work themselves to the bone and don't even get the pay they deserve. What they earn in a year is probably what a noble earns in probably two weeks… It was disgusting and outrageous but, there was nothing that could be done. At least, not until the noble government were taken down from their high horses full of greed.

'Maybe one day…'

The man just behind her however had a much more different mindset to her but to sum it up, it went along the lines of 'Why should I care about ants on the side of the road who won't fight for themselves?' but honestly, he wasn't thinking of such trivial things… Or things he considered trivial. No, his mind was on something far more important. Right now, both temporary companions were headed to the contract office for mercenaries which held one of the many messengers of his enemy. What he doesn't realise however, is that this is all much bigger than he originally anticipated.

Nalia was leading the Black Swordsman to the centre that handled the contracts, their presence already sending alarm bells to the surrounding locals but really, it was best to pay no heed to them at this moment in time… No when this small amount of peace was about to be disrupted. Watchful yet sharp amethyst soon spotted their destination and quickly turned to her companion, who just gave her the usual cold yet dismissive stare before nodding for her to go. Without hesitation, the woman quickly walked faster towards the two-story building with the swordsman still deciding to walk at his normal pace. If all went well, these demons wouldn't know what hit them.

One hour earlier…

"Before we conduct anything, it would be wise to tell you all that I know of that place so we're not going in blind, wouldn't you agree?"

Guts and Nalia were sitting in the room they had rented for the night at the tavern, with the man still sitting in the rocking chair and Nalia sitting on the bed with her legs crossed and hands in her lap. She saw the large man silently sigh and nod gently in agreement, her ears picking up on the silent murmur of "It wouldn't make a difference." but decided to ignore it this time.

"Right, they have two guards at the front door and two behind the counter just in case a mercenary decided to get cocky. There's three contract agents who hand out the requested orders and the overseer upstairs who I personally have not met before unless he desires your presence directly. He knows all mercenaries who work for him. He has another two guards to guard his room… We need to get to that overseer."

The half demon watched Guts the whole time, checking his features for anything that could lead to questions but was a little surprised to see him nod slightly to continue.

"We basically have two options in our arsenal right now; one, would be to completely storm the place by force or two, pretend to be a mercenary looking for work. So, what will it be Guts?"

She watched him ponder the two choices for a moment until she saw the tiniest of tugs at the corner of his lips as his lone eye met her amethyst with a determined gaze.

"… How about a good scare?"

The woman raised an eyebrow but found herself giving him a small grin as it seemed that the second option was in order.

'This was going to be fun.'

Present…

As the large man watched his temporary companion walk into the shop and look around for a moment before making her way towards one of the three contract agents, probably to speak about her recent mission to claim his head. Guts shook his head slightly as he thought of yesterday, mainly thoughts of how why she would let him go rather than kill him on the spot… She felt different from other demons. He could feel the sense of dread in the air when he walked by her, the power she held and even so, he wasn't afraid but that didn't make his inner turmoil thrash wildly at the scent she carried. Her presence was something that could be considered a double-edged sword for him. He oddly enjoyed her company, appreciated her silent demeanour and desire to try to converse with him even though it usually amounted to nothing.

Yet, his inner monster wanted nothing more than to rip out her throat or tear her to shreds with his blade or even pommel her to death, just for being a demon. It was a primal rage, something he could control but when released, it was almost impossible to stop. It even made him think that she wasn't so ba-

'No. All demons are the same. Just because I can withstand her company, that doesn't take away her heritage.'

He inwardly berated himself at that thought but decided it was best to shake it off for now as there was a job to do. Steeling himself and releasing a puff of air that he didn't know he held and made his way into the building ahead.

Guts wandered over to one of the three counters that held the contract agents, his obsidian coloured instantly going to the two guards behind him, seeing that they were members of what seemed to be one of the few Chuder armies left after the 'Hundred-Year-War' between the Chuder Empire and the Kingdom of Midland.

"Are you a mercenary, old man? You here to get a contract or what?"

'Old man…'

That made Guts look down to a young man, who actually didn't seem that much younger than him, looking at him with a tired yet bored expression. Unknown to him however, Nalia had heard the comment and honestly, it made her cover her mouth to hide a snicker as she idly chatted with the other contract agent… Giving him a cold glare for a moment, Guts nodded and then looked down at the multiple contracts that were neatly stacked to the right.

"Yeah, came for some work. Heard there was a contract on the Black Swordsman. Can I have it?"

The young man felt a bead of sweat run down the side of his brow at the mention of that name but then quickly proceeded find said contract. After rummaging through the neatly stacked list, he shook his head and sighed.

"Sorry old man, seems like that one has been taken. Check some others, alright? I don't think an old timer like you could get that guy anyway…"

The boy seemed to dismiss Guts but honestly, it made a slow grin appear on his lips.

"Sorry kid, let me rephrase…"

The young man perked up just in time to feel a large hand slide around his neck and yank him out of his seat, yelping suddenly as he suddenly looked into the obsidian eye of the perpetrator.

"I am… The Black Swordsman."

Not even a moment later, the young man was thrown against the wall, knocking the out of him instantly before he saw the sword he wished he had never wanted to see in his life be swung with ease towards one of the guards behind the counter. However just as suddenly, the woman who came in earlier, rushed towards the two guards who ran in at the sudden commotion but quickly found themselves drawing their weapons as they saw a spear rush towards them at inhuman speeds. The one managed to dodge the attack clumsily by ducking and dodging to the side but the other was not so fortunate… As soon as the spear slashed across the guard's chest, making him yell out in agony, the spear's tip was suddenly driven home underneath the guard's jaw and into his brain, decommissioning him instantly.

Nalia chuckled a little too giddily as she felt the blood run down from the blade and between her fingertips, her head turning to the second guard who held a look of pure petrification. In a matter of seconds, he met his end by having the spear end thrusted straight through his gut and a quick thrust into the back of his neck, making blood pool beneath his limp body. The half demon turned just in time to see her companion completely obliterate the two guards in one swing, sending blood and body parts all over the place as well as some destroyed debris.

She was about to comment on his destructive display but was cut off when the two guards from upstairs came rushing down to greet them, low roars emitting from both of them as they came to attack. One went for her while the other went for the man near her… She couldn't help but grin now.

With swift movements, Nalia side stepped a clumsy attack from the guard before knocking the back of his head with the shaft of her spear, making him bend down in pain. She used his back as a pivot as she whirled to his other side, swinging the tip of the spear in an upward arc and slashed at the guards exposed neck. He fell to the floor, gurgling and choking on his own blood before falling limp.

Guts found his job just that much easier as the guard that rushed him swung diagonally down at him but with his iron arm, he easily batted away the flimsy attack, leaving him exposed. With a quick thrust of his large slab of iron, the Black Swordsman impaled the guard before swinging around and forcefully throwing the guard's body off his sword and straight into the wall, leaving an obvious crack and a splatter of blood.

The large man smirked at his work and looked over to the half demon, seeing that she too had completed her work and nodded slightly as she came back to his side. He noticed a small spot of blood on her cheek and for some reason, had to immediately supress the urge to wipe it away while his mind began to scold himself for thinking of such a thing. But… Why did he think of it? Today would be the last day they ever saw each other, so why the hell should he think of such trivial things?

Guts shook away the feeling and began to make his way towards the stairs, Nalia quickly trailing behind but unbeknownst to the swordsman, she sported a light blush from when she noticed him staring at her… She too supressed an urge, the urge to smile and tease him for it as well as provoke him with her inner nature. She somehow felt much calmer in his presence now that the threats were dealt with… Why was this so?

Once again, the thought was cut off when they made it to the door that held the overseer, the one she could finally tell to let her go in peace and tell Guts the information he needed to know… She suddenly felt a pang of sadness in her heart, making her stop before the door and hold a hand to her chest. Why did the thought of him leaving make her feel this way? It was so confusing… Would he even want her to stay wi-

'No, of course not. That's preposterous! He would never want me to journey on with him… Would he?'

"Oi, what's the matter?"

The half demon pressed her lips into a thin line when she heard his voice, even though it was devoid of emotion. Did he really not feel anything? She silently sighed and steeled herself, looking up at his with her own cold glare before reaching for the handle of the door.

"I'm fine."

Guts raised an eyebrow at the sudden change in moods, his right hand slowly turning into a fist.

'Was it something I said?'

Nalia opened the door, revealing a man behind his desk who had short brown hair and dark green eyes with a quill in his hand. It seemed he was in the midst of writing something. He looked up and raised an eyebrow with a light smile adorning his features… At least, that was what could be seen by the human eye. To Nalia? It was a voided form, once human but now no more . His head held a gaping hole where his mouth and eyes should be and looked as if he was a decaying. He was a conduit to something much larger, that she knew.

"Miss Daetau, so good of you to return. You didn't complete your mission…"

"Oh, but I did Felix… And I brought you his head, however, I don't think you'll appreciate what he has to say."

She stepped closer to the desk as his eyes meandered around the woman before him to the large man who was leaning next to the door before moving to face the half demon in front of him once more.

"We need to know where something is, and you seem to have the contacts to help find them… If you do not wish to help us, something else can always be arranged."

The man named Felix narrowed his eyes some as he stared between the two of them once more before placing his quill down and resting his forearms on his desk, his hands clasped together.

"Your father is looking for you."

"I thought he missed the chance to make me a full blood."

Now that was a response he wasn't expecting and even the man could feel the bitter coldness that radiated from her lips as she spoke those words, though she seemed to calm down some as she spoke once more.

"No matter… If you told me his location, I could go see him."

"You already know the answer to that Nalia… You just refuse to look…"

In a matter of seconds, Felix's hand stretched out to the far side of his desk where it seemed something resided but was immediately stopped by a dagger that went straight through his hand and into the desk, holding him in place. A yelp and stern look was all that was given to the half demon.

"No… No calling anyone. I need to know how to find the God Hand."

The man's eyes widened, and an instant look of surprise and worry came over him.

"I'm an overseer, you shouldn't even know of their existence! Why do you seek them?"

"The answer is simple…"

His eyes slowly wandered from the half demon to the human that was now standing behind her with a look that held nothing but silent malice and rage behind the mask of coldness he wore. He watched carefully as his hand slowly moved up to the bandaged hilt of the blade that resided on his back… A few beads of sweat ran down his brow as his features contorted into that of disgust and anger.

"Mere humans-"

"This 'mere human' knows more than you think. I'm hunting them down. They like to taunt… Especially the Princess. She just doesn't know when to quit…"

Faster than Felix could comprehend, Guts brought his sword out and had quickly placed the edge of Dragonslayer against his neck, ready to slash at any given moment.

"We had a little… Disagreement you see."

The man scowled and looked between the two once more, growing more irritated that this had to happen at an inconvenient time. Since when do humans know about the God Hand? It was unheard of! He stared at Guts in defiance, something he didn't appreciate it.

"Your death… Or hers. To find them, you would have to wait for another useful event…"

The overseer had to smirk at that, since such an event only occurred every two-hundred and fifty-six years but since the fifth Angel had finally descended and graced them, such things are just not possible anymore. His eyes went back to the half demon.

"You should really speak with your father, since it might prove useful."

Nalia frowned, seeing that this guy was purposely wasting their time. She sighed lightly through her nose and turned to Guts, deciding to ignore the man for the moment.

"I don't where to go with this, but he isn't what you see him as… He could possibly get us a message through, at least."

She saw the swordsman before her look at her for a moment, seeing him get a slow grin upon his features. He had an idea. Felix jolted as the sudden contact from the cold iron blade removed itself and was taken back to its home on Guts' back, his grin slowly fading into coldness as he stared back at the overseer.

"… Tell her father… That the Black Swordsman is coming for him."

With that, the large man made to remove himself from that room but was stopped by Felix's voice.

"T-The message is sent! As for your other request… I-If a major astral event were to occur, all demons would be summoned to answer the call of war…"

The Black Swordsman slowly turned around to meet the gaze of Felix, whose human illusion was now no more and finally revealed his true self as what he was but even so, Guts was not deterred by his true form. Guts' eye narrowed and for an instant, the messenger saw something that didn't even look human…

"Then I'd tackle it head on."

Soon, his eye turned into something softer as he looked at his temporary companion who in turn, was staring directly back at him with a curious gaze.

"Like I always have. If she doesn't want to go back… I won't stand idle."

In that moment, Nalia felt something swell within her that she hadn't felt for a very, very long time… It made her eyes widen, her cheeks flush slightly against her tanned skin and her heart race for a moment until she felt a hand try to pry her hand of the dagger she was still holding. With sudden movement, she twisted the blade that was in Felix's hand, making him cry out in pain then growl at how the situation was against him entirely.

"I am the child of a demon and witch… It would be in your best interest to just stay still creature…"

Nalia found that warmth being quickly replaced by distaste at the sudden intrusion that was definitely not needed by the messenger, her eyes now staring down at the creature behind her. Guts' lone eye suddenly went over towards the creature that was writhing in pain, the coldness once again coming back into his features.

"Bring a battalion and I'll destroy it. Bring an army and I'll end it. Bring an entire country…"

It was then that the large man decided to let his fury show for a moment, making the creature stare in fear and helplessness…

"And I'll crush it into dust. That demon will never have something that never belonged to him in the first place."

With that, Guts finally removed himself from the room, though it took the half demon herself a moment or two to compose herself back to reality and follow him… It seemed everything was about to change.

Once the companions were out of the now ruined mercenary contract building, Guts felt his body slump for a moment until he stood up back to his natural height. He had a few thoughts running through his mind right now. For starters, it seemed he had a little more information on the God Hand, but it was still more or less the same thing that the old lady had said to him a few years ago… A major event. That's what he needed. He could carry on with what he had been doing this whole time… Going around the country to find the Apostles, killing them and forcing the God Hand to act.

There was also the grey Behelit in his back pouch, but he didn't know what to do with it and there was no valuable information on it that lead him anywhere. So right now, that egg meant nothing.

Then there was what he just said in there… He said it all without thinking. Why did he do that?

'For Nalia.'

It was then that the swordsman looked in front of him and saw said woman standing in front of him with what seemed to be the most genuine smile he had ever seen on a woman. He stopped and all of a sudden, he felt an instant warmth surround him as she took a step forward and grasped his scarred bandaged hand with her own two, proceeding to pull him slightly as her smile grew into a small grin.

"Let's get something to eat, my treat… As a thank you, for what you did in there."

He could see her eyes beginning to sparkle, her cheeks becoming redder and her lips growing into a bigger grin… Had she always been this warm? Had her smile always been that beautiful? He couldn't answer that right now as she was still trying to tug him forward and he obliged, giving a simple nod at her request which also made her beam in sudden delight.

Just what was going on here?

Once they had their fill of food and shared a bottle of rum between them, the two companions found themselves back in the room they had rented out the previous night, deciding to stay there one more night. Throughout the afternoon, Nalia couldn't stop herself from smiling or even letting her eyes wander anywhere else except for the man that was before her. He still wasn't as talkative, but he seemed to appreciate the kind gesture of a warm meal and a much-needed drink after the few weeks he's had from what she could tell by the satisfaction in his body language.

Now, the large man was sitting back in the rocking chair near the bed with a small bottle of rum in his hand while Nalia was idly cleaning the blade on her spear, her back resting against the wall as she seemed to be lightly humming a tune that was barely audible, but enough for them both to hear. She found herself casually looking up from her task to the swordsman, a small smile gracing her lips. Unfortunately for her, she didn't realise this was happening… Until Guts decided to say something about it.

"What's gotten you like this?"

"Huh?"

The half demon stopped her tune and curiously stared at the scarred man, a little alarmed that for the first time, his voice held no malice or coldness. It was just… Normal. And to her, that didn't seem right.

"What do you mean Guts?"

He looked at her, her eyebrows raised as she didn't see any coldness in his eye either but rather a hidden curious gaze…

"You. Smiling, joyous, happy. Like a child who just got a new toy."

As soon as that was said, her head tilted slightly before she laughed lightly, making the swordsman sigh silently through his nose and look towards the door once again. Why was she laughing? Was it that obvious or something? And why did that laugh make his body feel warm all over?

"You're a strange one, aren't you Black Swordsman?"

"Coming from you?"

She laughed once more which in turn made him sigh once more, this time out of his mouth but instantly his staidness was replaced a small smile of his own as he shook his head. The half demon noticed his small smile and instantly felt her cheeks warm up at the sight… Was he really smiling?

'Technically it's not a real smile… But it's a start? But how dense can one be if he doesn't know why I'm happy?'

She watched him take a swig of the bottled rum, sighing in satisfaction at the burn. Now that she thought about it, one could say she has a mild infatuation with the swordsman from what was said earlier and from the way he said it, it seemed he was dead serious on him killing her father. But why was he willing to go so far for someone he barely knows? And a half demon no less?

"Guts?"

"Hm?"

"Everything that you said earlier… Did you mean it?"

Guts knew this question would come up sooner or later and honestly, he couldn't say anything that would probably even answer her question. If he said no, then she wouldn't be like this and she would probably leave him alone… But if he said yes, then that would mean he'd be accepting whatever this warm feeling was inside him. Why the hell was this happening? Was this really what he thought it was? Could he, a human hellbent on revenge and was practically becoming the only human to even stand a chance against creatures that humans could never win against, fall for someone who was part demon?

He didn't know. But for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to lie about it. He basically made another declaration of war and this time… He would see it through to the end, whether these potential feelings blossomed or not.

"Yeah."

A flood of warmth suddenly cascaded throughout the half demon's being and if she was honest, it made her incredibly stupefied that she become attached to what he was saying this quickly… Did they not only meet yesterday? She managed to compose herself and nod before replying with a small smile on her lips.

"Good. Then, why don't we make it official?"

"What?"

Suddenly, Nalia got off the bed and pulled the large man to his feet, both of them standing at their full, even though Guts still towered over like it was nothing. She quickly took the rum from him and placed it on the bed side table beside him, ignoring his grunts of protest as she did and took hold of his hand between both of her own.

"Shush. Now, if you truly mean what you say… I want you to swear it."

'What?'

"My father is a dangerous demon and if he's already looking for me, that means he's never too far away. He's powerful, has connections to places I don't know about and that could spell more than trouble for you. I want to know why you would put yourself in such danger for my sake."

Her gaze could only be seen as serious, fiery, unrelenting even as she stared into his lone obsidian which made him look back in silent awe and confusion but then it dawned on him as there were possibly multiple reasons why he said it.

"I won't tell you now… But what I will tell you, is that he's a demon and he could lead me to my goal. I will do what needs to be done to achieve that."

"But I'm a dem-"

"No, you're not. Last time I heard, you were half demon. Yet you hold some humanity in you. If you wanted to be a demon, you wouldn't have fought so hard to keep your humanity. So, to me, you're human."

With that, Guts took his hand away from her own pair and grabbed Dragonslayer from the side before leaving the room in a hurry, leaving a stunned Nalia to stare at the door with wide eyes. After a few moments had passed, a heart-warming smile appeared on her features before a silent tear fell from her left eye…

'He sees me… He sees me as something other than a monster or as breeding stock…'

It wasn't long until that single tear turned into a waterfall. For the first time in years, she was finally crying tears of happiness.

"He sees me as a human… Guts, I think I may just be falling for you…"

Thanks for reading.