Chapter 76 – Haunting
~The Oracle~
It was the same as it always was. When a condemned criminal was brought to her, she had to execute them. Sometimes she would be sent to hunt them down, others she would be told where they were hiding and had to flush them out. Then there were the spectacles, where the execution was to be done in front of dozens of magistrates, government officials, and others with power or influence.
The soon-to-be execution of this clearly pregnant woman was the latter, being held in the courtyard of the palace.
Shildina held her katana in her hand, her body cloaked in the garb of the Priestess of Carnage. Being in her therianthrope form wasn't necessary, but it was expected. All for the thrill of the crowd.
She approached the bound woman, blade ready. Shildina didn't know what the crime was. It didn't matter. All she was told was the method of the execution demanded. As such, she extended her blade, the tip barely touching the left side of the woman's stomach.
The woman screamed and begged, but it made no difference. With a single slash, her stomach was sliced open, letting what was inside fall to the ground. The crowd roared with delight. Shildina ignored both them and her own thoughts, turning around and walking away from the grieving and dying woman.
Shildina only took a few steps before the noise around her stopped. Confused, she turned back around. The woman…was no longer there. Shildina couldn't recall what she looked like, even what type of demi-human she was. It didn't matter.
In her place, another orca woman knelt, her hands delicately holding the small baby in her hands as she looked up at Shildina. Shock and pain adorned her face, a face that looked so much like her own.
"Little Shildina…why…?"
Tears poured down Sadeena's face as she held her dead child. Shildina let her sword drop to the ground as her arms swayed limply at her side.
"I…"
The current Priestess of Carnage fell to her knees, hands gripping the earth below her. Her body transformed back into demi-human form without any real thought.
"I didn't want this…"
Shildina cried as she watched her older sister cling to the baby. The blood from her cut belly that covered the baby now stained her chest.
"This wasn't supposed to…"
Shildina had no words. She wanted revenge for everything she was put through from the moment she was born, but not like this.
The older sister glared at her. The grief had quickly turned to hate.
"Monster!" Sadeena screamed.
The word felt like a knife through Shildina's heart. This wasn't the vengeance she wanted. The women she made an example of from the government's orders all deserved their fate, or so she was told. But Sadeena…
I don't deserve to live.
There was no coming back from this. Her hand slowly made its way to her katana. She gripped the hilt and brought it up, resting the blade against her throat.
I deserve to—
"Wake up!"
A shout made her jerk her head to the side.
Shildina found herself kneeling in a cave, a tunnel in front and behind her. The torchlight didn't extend too far. Her katana was in her hand, but the edge was away from her. Dante held it in his hand, the blade cutting into him and making him bleed.
"D-Dante…?" She questioned, looking up.
"Are you back?" He asked sternly.
"I…yes." She gave a nod. He released her weapon and offered his hand for her to take.
Once she stood, she tried to clear her mind. How did she end up here?
She recalled the plan for the attack, and how it progressed. Dante used his Firestorm spell before he and JoJo charged the Spirit Tortoise. They were able to avoid its attacks, allowing them to reach it. Once there, he grew in size like she heard about in Q'ten Lo, though not nearly as tall as the Spirit Tortoise. The giant monster slowed to a stop, indicating the next step.
The flying dragons brought everyone on top of the Spirit Tortoise. It took a few minutes until they finished, having to fight off a smaller group of familiars than what went after the army. After they arrived, they began to scout out the area. Little remained of the town that once stood around them, save for a few broken temples.
Dante and JoJo joined up with them and they began to explore one of the caves. That was when…
"We need to find the others." Dante nodded behind him, indicating a few knights and mages. No one else from their party was there, nor the other heroes and their parties. "We wandered around while in our trances."
That seemed to be the case. Shildina could barely remember entering the cave, let alone how far they actually traveled.
I've never dealt with an illusion like that before. The ones Ruftmila practiced with…they don't even compare.
Still shaken from her experience, Shildina fell behind Dante. A burnt and battered shield was raised to protect them from the front, just in case something approached. Shildina's echolocation wasn't working properly. The walls didn't bounce sound like they should. Not like rock, and not like a living being. Her training in Way of the Dragon Vein indicated there was some magic in the air, disrupting it.
They came across more soldiers as they walked. Some staggered around while other lay on the ground, but both were woken from their trances simply by being shaken. Few needed to be prodded by Shildina's katana. Most, however…
"That's 15 now." Shildina commented as they passed another body. This was the first shadow they came across that had their throat slit by their own hand. Most of the others were either knights or mages.
"I am not surprised." Dante said, waving his torch forward. "The visions seem to be about our worst fears or deepest regrets. Weak minds are not able to withstand them."
And the weakest end up taking their own lives.
While they came across over a dozen who were dead, there were twice as many who simply couldn't be woken up at all. Stats seemed to play a role as well, considering how the ones that walked with them had higher levels.
"We need to find Ruftmila and Sadeena." Shildina said. "The others, too."
"We will." Dante said resolutely.
Something didn't feel right. It wasn't just the strange power the came over everyone. Dante himself felt different.
The first day she talked with the Shield Hero, Shildina knew something was wrong with him. She didn't need Sadeena to explain how he was under the influence of several curses to feel it. That was part of the reason she was afraid to see him. Still, he didn't attack her or Ruftmila.
Instead, he accepted them into his group, taking them to the village he started. That was a strange event in itself, but still it further showed he wasn't without compassion. He brought them to Cal Mira and helped raise their levels up. He made sure they were fed and taken care of, just like Raphtalia and Sadeena said he would.
And…he gave her a small taste of what it should have been like to be a child.
Shildina was surprised he did it, but he felt more whole after returning from the healing springs. It was because of Sadeena that he did it. At her joking, he picked Shildina up and held her in his arms like the child she was at the time. She wanted to protest—and she did slightly—but she'd never felt as secure as in that moment.
If her parents weren't so terrible, she might have felt that even more growing up. Sadeena was right about at least two things. Dante would treat them well, and he would make a good father.
The man in front of her now wasn't like that. He was calm and confident, as if the situation was entirely under control. She felt that things would work out, but not safe like before.
That was because the dark feeling she sensed from him in Q'ten Lo paled in comparison to what he exuded now.
"Shield God!" A voice called from deeper within.
"Elvira." Dante greeted his vampire follower as she approached. A few mages and a shadow followed behind her.
The young vampire slowed her approach, lifting up and arm. "Are you real? Is this truly you?"
In response, Dante moved the torch to his shield hand and offered his arm to her. Her eyes widened at the action before she closed the distance and took the offered limb. Her fangs extended as she bit into him, drinking his blood.
"Ah~!" She reeled her head back after a few moments. The look in her eyes was…concerning. "It is you, Shield God!"
"It is." Dante gave her a nod. "Have you seen any sign of the others? The Spirit Tortoise is interfering with the slave seal's ability to track."
Elvira lowered her head. "My apologies, Shield God. This place is too strange."
"Hm. Very well. March with us. Once we find the others, we will search for the heart and—"
An explosive rumble shook the floor and walls. Parts of the ceiling fell, but nothing that couldn't be avoided.
"What was that?" Elvira asked, mirroring the questions from the others in the group.
"I am not sure." Dante responded. He waved his hand forward. "Pick up the pace."
The Shield Hero led the way, having the others follow behind him.
Shildina had her concerns when she first saw the Spirit Tortoise. Those worries were doubled after her hallucination. Walking behind her future brother helped put her at ease. If he was able to move and speak with such confidence and assuredness, then things were sure to work out.
~The Loyal Spear~
"Hah…Hah…"
Motoyasu could barely breathe. He held his stomach, trying in vain to keep his blood from spilling out of the wound.
Why did it turn out like this? Ikuyo and Momiji…
The two girls he was dating were waiting for him in his home. What started as an argument over which one he loved had turned into something horrible. Ikuyo grabbed a knife and went for Momiji. Before Motoyasu could do anything to deescalate the situation, Momiji got a knife too and stabbed him. Ikuyo took a turn to do the same before the two girls went after each other, each proclaiming they'd be with Motoyasu in heaven while the other would be in hell.
Losing blood, Motoyasu was able to pull himself up and get out of his home. His pace was slow, but he might be able to find someone to help him, and the girls.
"Have to…keep moving…" His voice was low, barely above a whisper.
Once around the building, he spotted someone. Her clothes were well kept and expensive looking, and her distinct orange hair clued Motoyasu in on who it was.
"Elena!" He exclaimed, his voice rising.
Motoyasu continued to limp forward, spear in hand acting like a walking stick. The wound under his pierced armor still hurt, but he knew it would all be fine soon. Elena didn't know healing, but she could get help for…
Wait. I have healing magic. I can…but, I didn't before. Those two are…
His conflicting thoughts confused him, but he could sort everything out later. Right now, he still needed help.
"Elena—" He called again as he reached her, but his voice cracked. When Elena turned around, she had a strange look on her face. It was the same look his two girlfriends had right before they—
"Guh!" Motoyasu's eyes bulged. He slowly looked down to see a knife sticking out of his stomach. The hand that held it belonged to the woman standing in front of him.
"I'm not enough for you?" Elena asked coldly. "You need to have Lesty and Rino too?"
"That's not…" Motoyasu tried to argue back. The arrangement was Elena's idea. "Ah!"
Another sharp pain shot through him. Then another. He glanced over his shoulder and found the other two women from his party there, knives piercing him.
"No matter how much I care for you, you still want more." Rino said with dead eyes.
"You don't really like me. I'm just an ornament to you." Lesty said, more vigor in her voice than the other two.
"N-No, I…" Motoyasu couldn't form the words. He couldn't believe this was happening. Why? Why did his girls try to kill him again? He thought things were better this time, but in the end, it was more of the same.
At once, the three women pulled out their knives, letting Motoyasu fall to the ground. They looked down at him, disappointment clear on their faces.
"You love Lesty more than me."
"You love Rino more than me."
"You love Elena more than me."
Their voices mixed together, becoming noise. Try as he might, he couldn't block it out. Words came through in small bits. Resentment. Insults. Spite. All of it was directed to him.
I…tried to do better this time.
He gave all his girls attention, made sure they all had time with him and got along. It didn't make sense. Elena said heroes could be with multiple women and it was completely normal. So why…?
But then, one sentence made it through the deafening noise.
"And I'm so tired of that filolial calling me her aunt!"
That's…wrong.
Motoyasu knew something was wrong. The girls would never say something like that. They loved his sweet little angel as much as he did.
That's wrong!
They couldn't have hated Fleonne. His wonderful daughter was always so considerate of them. When Lesty and Rino got motion sickness in the carriage, Fleonne would slow down and help them get used to it. Elena got an idea for some accessories to sell, and Fleonne happily gave her some of her dislodged feathers. And Malty, who was no longer in his party, adored the nice girl who called her 'Mama'.
All of them loved her. That meant…
"That's wrong!" Motoyasu shouted, the pain leaving him as the world around him shifted.
No longer was he surrounded by his party. The grass he'd fallen into became hard like rock. The evening sky was replaced with darkness. And in that darkness, a light shined. The red gem of his spear shone. It wasn't incredibly bright, but it illuminated the small area around him, enough to make out the glint of metal pointed at his face.
"Brionac X!"
"Whoa!"
Motoyasu let loose his most powerful skill. The blast of energy shot through the ceiling, burning a hole in its path. He quickly clambered to his feet, his breath ragged.
"Yeah, no."
Before Motoyasu could question anything, the man he barely saw in front of him disappeared. His sandy blond hair was all he could make out on the man, aside from the javelin he carried.
"What…" Motoyasu began to question, but quickly shook his head. "No. I need to…need to find the girls."
Recollecting his bearings and reason for being here, Motoyasu looked around his surroundings. The faint light from the opening he made didn't do much to help him.
"Drifa Fire!"
Casting a spell, Motoyasu lit up the tip of his spear, illuminating the area with a powerful flame. Though it didn't increase his hearing, he became aware of the sound of combat. In the opposite direction the man ran off to, Motoyasu could make out the distinct sound of metal meeting flesh.
He ran toward the noise, hoping it was his party, hoping they were okay. What felt like minutes of running came to an end as he saw Elena fighting a trio of the yeti familiars with her sword, a torch in her off-hand. She wasn't a frontliner at all, usually keeping to the back to act as a rearguard. While he knew she could still handle them, he couldn't let her fight alone.
"Aiming Lancer V!" Motoyasu shot out three magical spears, each one striking a different yeti. Just like he noticed when they first arrived on the Spirit Tortoise, the familiars being closer to the monster who spawned them didn't make them stronger.
"Motoyasu!" Elena called out, exasperated.
"Elena!" Disregarding the torch in her hand, Motoyasu ran up and wrapped her in a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're okay!"
Without an arm to spare, Elena couldn't really return the embrace. Not that Motoyasu minded. He pulled back to look at her.
"Have you seen the others? Fleonne or Lesty or Rino?" He asked her.
"I…" The orange-haired woman let her mouth hang open.
"What?" He began to look around, but the clatter of metal and Elena's hand against his face stopped him. "Elena?"
"Motoyasu…" Something was wrong. Motoyasu could just tell by the expression on her face. "They…"
"What is it?" He asked, feeling a sense of urgency.
Elena pursed her lips together as she lowered her arm. "…It happened before I woke up. If that explosion hadn't knocked a rock on me, I'd be with them right now." She grimaced as she turned her head down, her hand clenching the edge of her shirt. "I don't know where Lesty is, but…"
Motoyasu's eyes widened at the implication. "Where are they?"
The torch in her hand moved to her side, indicating. Motoyasu turned to look. The combined light from his spear and her torch were more than enough to illuminate the area a bit away. There were two bodies there, one a young adult and one a child.
"No…" He couldn't believe what he was seeing. It had to be a trick. He'd pull up his status and see the two girls there, just like they always were.
When he did, he only saw Elena in his group. There were plenty of names, including Dante's party and Ren's party, but not Fleonne and Rino.
This place was messing with his status magic. That's all. He just broke out of some weird illusion, so his eyes hadn't fully adjusted. It could be that as well. No, he was actually still in the illusion. None of this was real. That was the best explanation for what he didn't see in his status, and what he did see before him.
"I'm so sorry, Motoyasu." Elena gently placed her hand on his shoulder.
Motoyasu was usually a pretty upbeat guy. Whenever he felt down, the simple touch from one of his girls always made him feel better. He felt no comfort now.
He took a step forward. Then another. Every step brought more light from his spear onto the bodies. Every step made this nightmare more a reality. This lie about his friend and his bird daughter was becoming more and more true.
When he was barely a foot away, he could see their faces. Rino's was cut up and pummeled, disfiguring it slightly but still recognizable due to her hair and armor. Fleonne…Her blank, dead eyes seemed to be looking at him.
Tears started to fall down his face.
His grip on his spear tightened.
The gnashing of teeth seemed to echo around the quiet caves.
And then, the light immediately around him began to dim. The flame atop his spear traveled down its slowly twisting length, losing most of its red in exchange for an eerie black.
~The Warrior Hakuko~
The rumbling caused Fohl to lose her footing for a moment, taking a light hit from one of the yeti familiars that attacked. That's all it did, since she was still easily able to dispatch the four of them.
"Atla? Keel?" Fohl looked over her shoulder.
"I'm fine, Sister." Atla responded, dropping a yeti she held in her hand.
"Yeah, I'm good." Likewise, Keel wiped down his twin swords on a yeti's fur.
The three of them found each other earlier and were making their way through the Spirit Tortoise. More accurately, Atla came across Keel and woke him up, then the two of them found Fohl. They found a scattering of knights and mages as they traveled, some already dead, but a few able to be roused. From the pain she had in her side, Fohl had the distinct feeling Atla knocked her from that trance more harshly than the others.
"You're hurt." Keel pointed out, looking up at Fohl in his therianthrope form.
"It's just a scratch. Don't worry about…oh." Fohl went to respond, but then she saw the cut on her fur covered arm close. In her status, she saw her HP rise back up to full. "Looks like we're close enough to Dante."
The range on Dante's HP Endowment was found to be the same distance they could share XP from kills. Dante hadn't used it while he was treating his curses, since one of them would regenerate his HP and get worse. Now he was free to do so and heal himself with his spells.
"I hope he's okay." Keel said as they continued their journey. "He can't attack anymore."
"Mister Dante will be fine. I'm sure of it." Atla said. "Even if he hasn't found anyone, he still has his magic. Besides, these weak monsters won't even be able to scratch him."
Fohl wanted to comment about the praise her sister was giving the man, but she held it back. She still didn't like it, but Atla made the choice to be with him. That said, until Dante made it official with Atla like he should, Fohl would continue to watch them.
The torches the knights held and the light conjured by the mages lit the way. The path branched multiple times, requiring them to choose a path. Atla guided them, her senses able to show her where a few people strong with life force were. From what she explained, the only ones they could be were one of the heroes, her instructor Elrasla, or…
"Sadeena!" Keel called out upon spotting the orca woman, running toward her.
Fohl looked at the woman, seeing her kneeling on the ground with a hand on her stomach. There was something else, too. Something that spurred the hakuko into running forward as well.
"Keel, stop!" Fohl quickly grabbed Keel by the scruff of his neck and yanked him back.
It was a good thing she did. The tip of Sadeena's harpoon was inches away from where Keel was when she swung it without looking. She seemed to have transformed into her therianthrope form on instinct.
"S-Sadeena?" Keel asked before looking around. He began to take notice of what Fohl was already aware of.
The bodies of dozens of yetis and bats were strewn about the open area. Their blood leaked out onto the ground, causing the place to reek of death.
"We need to wake her up." Fohl told them.
Before Atla woke her up, Fohl found herself holding Atla's corpse in her hands. She'd trusted Dante to watch over her sister, only for her to end up like that. What's worse, it was due to their uncle not wanting to see his dead sister's face on a hakuko. Atla's own uncle had killed her.
Based on what she saw in her vision and how they saw Sadeena here, there was little question to Fohl what Sadeena's hallucination was about.
"I'll do it." Atla stepped forward.
"Atla, you can't!" Fohl complained.
"I can manipulate my life force so she doesn't sense me." Atla said, keeping her head facing toward Sadeena. "Besides, she and I are the same now. It's only right I be the one to help her, especially after all the help she's given me."
"You…alright." Fohl wanted to argue further, but she knew Atla wouldn't budge. Atla also had a point about being able to sneak around. Fohl didn't like the reason her younger sister likely had for learning it, but she couldn't dispute how happy she was that Atla had become much stronger since their time in Zeltoble.
She really didn't want to admit it, but Dante was good for her. Despite him being a self-proclaimed monster, murderer, and whore, he reached out to them and gave them both a better life. He cured Atla's sickness and brought her joy. The man would literally get cut to pieces before he let anything happen to any of them.
With a look of ease, Atla stepped in front of Sadeena. One hand rested against the therianthrope's face while the other grabbed her harpoon arm when it swung. Sadeena jolted, then looked down.
"Little…Atla?" Sadeena softly spoke.
"It's me, Sadeena." Atla replied. Before she could step back, Sadeena grabbed her and held her close. "There, there. Everything's fine." Atla patted her shoulder.
The orca woman transformed back into her demi-human form, making it easier for the shorter woman to hug her. "The things I saw…"
"I know." Atla continued to comfort her as Keel approached and joined the hug.
If Atla said they were the same, that might've meant they had similar visions. Yet again, Fohl was impressed with her sister's strength, able to get herself out of it.
"I don't want to rush, but we should keep moving." Fohl said, breaking things up. "We still need to find the others."
"You're right, Sister." Atla agreed, staying with Sadeena a few moments longer before moving back. "But we need to be careful. Now four of the life forces I sense feel twisted."
~The Lone Swordsman~
"Why, Sword Hero…?"
The moaning cries were all around him. People with pale, emaciated skin lumbered toward him. Their eyes were sunken in, their mouths open and emitting a low groan.
No matter where Ren looked, he found nothing but the risen corpses of the people he killed. The people of Mirso village who died because of him. The people who died of the plague from the dragon he slew atop the mountain.
It didn't matter. It really didn't matter. This world was like a game, so it didn't matter. He told himself that again and again, but he couldn't rid himself of the guilt. And now, he was about to pay for his mistake.
But, he couldn't let that happen.
"Shooting Star Sword X!"
His skill shot out and decimated the people before they could reach him. They were already dead, so it was fine. It didn't matter. The red blood spilling from their bodies was just…something else entirely!
"It wasn't my fault…" He didn't believe his own words. He knew it was his fault. He just didn't want to see it.
The bodies he just felled rose up again. The cuts and burns from his skill now decorated the people.
"Your fault…" They moaned out.
"Stop it!" Ren cried.
A loud thud came from behind. When he turned to look, the dragon from the mountain stood there.
"Your fault…" It said in a deep voice.
"Shut up!" Ren screamed.
There was a tug at his shirt. Try as he might, he couldn't avoid gazing down to see a young girl. Her dead eyes bored into him.
"Your fault…"
He couldn't take it. The pain he inflicted on these people, even if they weren't real…it was all too much. He didn't want to feel this way, this guilt. It wasn't supposed to happen this way. It was the village's fault, too! They should have gotten rid of the corpse when they were done with it! It wasn't all his fault! They were to blame, too! They—
That's when he felt it. A burning pain in his chest.
Ren looked up, the scenery around him changing. No longer was he in the desolated village. The walls of the caves they started to explore came into view.
That's right…We were entering the Spirit Tortoise…Then…
He lowered his gaze slightly to see a man with sandy blond hair. A light floated beside him, and in his hands was a jagged looking javelin. It crackled with black fire from end to…
Ren lowered his gaze further. The pain in his chest…this javelin was the cause. He could feel blood come up and leak out of his mouth as his vision began to fade. His heart…
"Heh." The voice of the man caused Ren's eyes to shift up. He had a smirk on his face as he looked down at Ren. "Oh yeah. This was much easier than the other one."
Then, everything faded to black.
Author's Notes:
Well…that's probably not good.
(Some nonexistent underling): "Sir, stop throwing all this crap at the characters in your fic!"
(Me): "Nevah! I want so much shit sticking to the fan that it stops spinning and falls over! There is no story, only trauma and angst!"
