"We're almost there," Sakura said, speaking for the first time in 15 minutes since they'd met, just as they emerged from the woods and began onto a dirt path that led downhill. Adam tensed as he saw that the place they came out to was a clearing with some small hills surrounding it.
"An excellent place for an ambush," he thought, preparing to act at any second.
To his relief, this was not the case. They continued walking and a moment later, the clearing was behind them. Sakura hadn't realized his paranoia, but Mei noticed how he moved his eyes from one place to another waiting for something to happen. She didn't comment on it, at least not at the moment. As soon as the two of them were alone, she would ask him in private the cause of his exaggerated caution.
It didn't take long to see a village downhill, surrounded by some hills and stone formations, further behind the village farmland could be seen. The image reminded Adam of a picture of an old town he had seen in a history book.
After walking for another ten minutes on the dirt road, the three of them entered the town. Although the place looked quaint, Adam and Mei noted that the atmosphere in the place was sad, even a little tense. On the way, the few locals they had seen were whispering among themselves, their expressions serious and worrying, which changed to hostile stares as soon as they noticed the group of 4 walking down the main street. Some of the glances were directed at their guide. In response, Adam tightened his grip on Theresa.
"Please follow me," the miko said neutrally, ignoring the reproachful glances her way and leading them up a set of stone stairs. Adam mentally cursed at the number of stairs they had to climb.
After another few minutes of climbing the stairs, the group finally reached their destination, and as they did, Adam's eyes widened as he recognized the place.
"What the fuck?!"
The sanctuary they had arrived at was the same one they had both seen just after they had arrived at the Stigma. Only this time not destroyed, not engulfed in flames and with corpses strewn all around.
"Adam..." Mei tugged on his sleeve. Like him, she had recognized the place.
"Is something the matter?" Sakura asked, seeing that they had stopped for no apparent reason.
"Nothing. It's just that the shrine reminded us of one we'd seen before," Adam replied fluently. Sakura raised an eyebrow and looked at Mei, who only nodded in response.
"I see."
After an awkward silence, Sakura led them to the back of the shrine. As soon as they entered the place, Adam concentrated for a second, calling to his gift, heightening his senses, alert to any sudden noise around him. Even though no noise was heard from the rooms or corridors of the place, except their own footsteps, Adam could not help but feel that they were being watched.
The miko stopped in front of a room and gently opened the paper sliding door. It was a guest room, with no furniture, and another door.
"Place her on the tatami. Behind that door is a fresh change of clothes and a futon for your partner," Sakura pointed to the other door in the room. "While you change your partner's clothes, I'll go prepare the medicine to treat her fever. Excuse me," she said, giving a short curtsy and closing the sliding door in front of her. Sakura's shadow began to move away from the door, along with the sound of her footsteps down the hall.
Adam crossed the room and opened the door Sakura had pointed to. It was a simple closet with different clothes folded and arranged on wooden shelves.
" Mei, please change Principal Theresa's clothes while I wait outside," Adam asked
her.
"Alright."
Adam thanked her and left the room, closing the door behind him. He took a few steps away from the door to give them some privacy, but close enough to quickly enter again if something happened.
"This has gone more complicated than I expected," Adam huffed in annoyance, running a hand through his hair remembering what they'd run into thus far.
Although, he didn't expect things to flow so smoothly, the initial scenario of slaughter and destruction they both arrived at; the lack of communication, both from the doctor and from the two annoying voices in his head; not to mention hostile encounters with the corrupted bear and the local priestess; they made him think that someone on some plane of existence actually liked to screw him over at the most dire moments.
"Doctor? Bronya? Can anyone hear me? Adam called quietly. Again, a clear buzz answered him. He cursed under his breath. He tried to do the same with the two tenants in his head, but to his surprise and concern, there was no response. Under different circumstances, Adam would have found the silence in his head a blessing, but considering he was in possibly hostile terrain and with the abomination hidden somewhere in the Stigma; Adam was beyond tense and certainly wouldn't deny the help of both idiots if it would prevent the mission from ending up in FUBAR.
"Adam-kun," Mei called raising her voice. "You can go back in now."
"I 'm coming."
Adam walked back into the room, taking a couple of glances at each corner of the hallway before entering.
Mei was on her knees, touching Theresa's forehead and looking worried about the director's condition. For her part, Theresa was still unconscious, breathing heavily. The petite headmistress was now wearing a thin light pink yukata.
"Any changes, Mei ?" Adam asked, closing the door behind him.
"PrincipalTheresa still has a fever, but with the change of clothes, it's gone down a bit," Mei replied. "I just hope that the medicine Yae-san gives us is strong enough to help the principal."
"Yeah. And assuming this isn't a trap, I'm concerned about the state of the Stigma. Like you, I also noticed at the entrance to the sanctuary that the spot is identical to the one where we both began the dive," Adam said.
"Adam-kun, I don't think Yae-san brought us here to ambush us," Mei commented with a frown. "I think you should give it a try, Adam-kun."
" Mei, it's not easy to think that when she had her sword right at my neck," Adam replied with a frown and a skeptical tone. "Damn, she mistook me for a demon when she saw my claws."
"W-Well, Adam-kun, to be honest, your powers are kinda frig- they're off-putting," she said awkwardly.
Adam knew what she really meant. It would have been a bit hurtful for her to say that, but to be honest with himself, he knew the manifestation of his gift was disturbing, if not monstrous.
"You really are a good girl," Adam thought. "You have a good point, even so, we can't let our guard down. The entrance that we saw at the beginning of the dive and the one through which we have just entered the place are the same."
"You're sure? I know they are similar, but isn't it a coincidence that they are identical?" Mei asked uncertainly.
Adam pondered for a moment, tapping his thigh repeatedly with his index finger, recalling what he knew about the Stigma.
"Stigmata are hereditary banks of information, providing their users with various abilities to fight and resist Honkai corruption. As far as is known, Natural Stigmata, like Kiana's, are a library of not only genes and abilities, but also fragments of memories, but rarely do users get to see these. That's why there are whole teams of Schicksal scientists studying the natural Stigmata and trying to find out what they can from them."
"You say that all this is a memory?" Mei wondered, amazed at the importance and of what the Stigmata was capable of.
"Yeah. And, it's something that worries me, Mei, considering Theresa's condition."
Mei did not understand what he meant.
"If what we saw at the beginning of the dive was a memory, and, considering that the Stigma is not very stable, we may have started the Stigma journey at the end of the memory and then moved to the possible beginning of it."
Mei's eyes widened as she understood what he meant.
"You say that all the destruction we saw at the beginning is going to happen..." She said horrified, remembering the bodies and the flames that devoured everything.
"And we'll be front row to see it." Adam exhaled heavily through his nose. "With the recovering principal as the icing on the cake."
"But considering our luck, we won't be in the front row, we'll be in the fucking center of it all." He avoided clicking his tongue remembering another detail. "Along with the damned shard hot on our heels for sure."
"We- we have to stop it from happening!" Mei said raising her voice. Adam motioned for her to lower her voice.
"As much as we want to do something about it, at the end of the day, this is all a memory. We're just extra characters in the narrative," Adam explained.
"B-But…! But we can't stay with our arms crossed! There must be something we can do to help!" Mei insisted. Adam exhaled heavily and sat down next to Theresa, who was still asleep despite the noise in the room.
"There is nothing we can do to avoid that scenario, Mei. Everything here, the wind, the earth, the people; each and every one of them is just information stored in Theresa's Stigma, from events that have already happened."
Mei showed doubt at his words. "Then why has Yae-san helped us?" Mei questioned. "If what you say is true, then doesn't that mean there has been a change in the narrative of the memory? Is it not possible to avoid that tragedy?"
Mei's questions had validation, and they also caused him doubts about how to act in this unknown scenario.
"I'd like to say that I know, but I have no idea, Mei. This whole situation is already abnormal in itself."
"So…?"
"For now, we must focus on stabilizing Principal Theresa's condition. After that, we will plan what to do next." Adam blinked, remembering another detail to mention.
"By the way, Mei, keep your guard up at all times and avoid being taken into an isolated or enclosed space at all costs," Adam ordered her. Mei raised an eyebrow. "During the walk through the town, the locals looked at us with hostility. The best thing will be to avoid contacting them, to avoid misunderstandings."
"And something tells me that also to avoid rolling heads."
Mei nodded, but reluctantly. It seemed to her that Adam was being somewhat paranoid, although it would be best to be cautious until they had a better understanding of the situation.
About 10 minutes passed in silence until Sakura returned to the room, carrying a wooden tray with her hands, on which was a ceramic glass.
"An apology for being late," Sakura apologized giving a short bow.
The duo indicated that there was no problem. Sakura nodded and walked over to Theresa. The miko sat on her knees and put the wooden tray to her side. As he did this, Adam looked at the contents of the glass and noted that it was a thick, dark green drink.
"Excuse me, Yae-san, but how do you plan to make her drink the medicine?" Mei asked, given the director's unconscious state.
"There is a way," Sakura said, taking the glass.
Mei and Adam raised their eyebrows in curiosity, but both were surprised when Sakura took the contents of the container into her mouth, gently cupped Theresa's head, leaned down, and poured the strange green concoction, mouth-to-mouth
Adam kept his brow arched and Mei blushed at the daring action.
"Well, she does figure out how to get results," Adam thought.
Sakura repeated the action a few more times. She was going for the fourth and last one, but she couldn't, as Theresa's eyes widened.
" Aaahh !"
Theresa screamed and jerked away, crawling backward.
" Director Theresa!" Mei yelled, relieved at the awakened little headmistress.
"That?! Where ?!" Theresa turned in Mei's direction, recognizing her voice. " Mei ?! What-where I am?"
"Your medicine is very effective, Yae," Adam commented, looking at Theresa's alarm.
"Adam?! Are you here too?" Theresa asked. "Where we are? And why did she -Theresa pointed at Sakura- kiss me!?"
"My apologies for that," Sakura apologized again giving a short bow. "My action was improper, but necessary to be able to give you the medicine for your swift recovery."
Theresa made a face. "Medicine? Wait, is that why my mouth tastes so bitter?"
The principal squeaked as Mei, who was teary-eyed, suddenly hugged her.
" Principal Theresa! You are fine!"
The petite headmistress responded or rather tried, but her voice was muffled as she had her face pressed against the generous bosom of her student. It took a moment for Mei to regain her composure. In that time, Sakura did nothing more than stare at the scene, there was a trail of melancholy in her eyes.
The melancholic ceased when Theresa finally managed to push her face out of Mei's bust. The last thing Theresa wanted was to be killed by a pair of large - and unnecessary - breasts.
" Mei, Adam! What is happening?" The last thing I remember was-!" Theresa clutched her head in pain as she tried to remember the events leading up to her awakening.
Adam knew this was the moment to interfere and gain some privacy and time for them. It was hard to know if they could get another chance like this before the other Stigma characters and Sakura interfered.
"Miss Yae, it would be very kind of you if you could give us a few minutes to bring our-" Friend, guide? No, it would be best to be as honest as possible without revealing too many details.
"-teacher Theresa."
"Teacher?" Yae asked, her tone formal, but Adam could sense her skepticism at such a title. It wasn't something he blamed her for, even Adam had to remind himself that the little girl next to him was a legendary Valkyrie who was undoubtedly older than them, (of course he would never say that to her face to face, he liked not get stabbed, thanks).
"That's how it is. Our teacher, or rather Principal Theresa, and both of us hail from outside of this region. You can tell, given our strange clothing." Adam didn't know where exactly they were, but it was better to say that they came from outside the Far East. That and that it gave them a credible cover to explain their modern clothing. "We have come a long way, hunting down a creature that has been running from us after we injured it," he explained.
"A beast you say…?"
"A beast, bigger and more ferocious than the one we met in the woods."
"I see…"
Adam couldn't help but feel that something was off given the accepting but reluctant expression on the pink-haired miko 's face.
He didn't know what she was thinking, maybe she was still hesitating.
"I understand it's hard to believe, but due to personal circumstances, the principal possesses such a youthful appearance." Adam clarified. He knew it had something to do with her Honkai genes, unnecessary information and best not to be shared lightly.
"I understand, Alighieri," Sakura said. "Then I'll give you some privacy to talk while I inform the village leader of your arrival."
"Thank you, Miss Yae ." Adam thanked her but mentally couldn't help but click his tongue. He could only hope that the reception was not as hostile as when they entered the town.
After the thanks from Mei and Theresa, who had remained silent during the conversation between the miko and the black-haired man, Sakura left the room with the tray and glass in hand.
Adam sharpened his senses, trying to hear if anyone was around. Luckily for them, there was no one except the three of them in the area, but that could change at any time, it was best to be concise with the director.
"We're alone, for now," Adam informed, ceasing his power.
"What are you two doing here? No, where are we exactly? Theresa asked. Her eyes widened remembering her encounter with the bear before passing out from the lack of air and unusual fever. "The bear! The Honkai Beast! That-?! "
"Mei took care of getting you to safety, Principal Theresa, while I dealt with the beast, but it's not important," Adam interrupted her. "It's good to see you in better shape, but I'm afraid we're not at the best time for a proper meeting." Adam's eyes turned serious and cold, taking the other two occupants of the room by surprise.
"Shortly after a mission, commissioned by Schicksal HQ, it is believed that you came into contact with an unknown Stigma, causing you to lose consciousness and suffer from a terrible fever and life-threatening pressure in your body, Director Theresa. "
Theresa opened and closed her mouth like a fish for several seconds, while Mei watched in disbelief at the direct way in which Adam informed the director of the situation.
"W-Wait? What?! Theresa said raising her voice and gesturing with her hand for him to stop for a moment to catch up on Adam's words.
Adam didn't give her that moment. "Based on the information obtained and Dr. Margot's judgment, Mei and I made the decision to dive into Director Theresa 's Stigma in order to find the problem and prevent it from interfering with your mind."
"Adam-kun! Please give the principal a minute," Mei asked him, watching Theresa's eyes swirl as she tried to comprehend Adam's words.
He nodded after a wince. Personally, he knew that he was being very direct and unfair to Theresa by not giving her a break, but the three of them were not in the best position to give themselves a proper break.
The remnant and the pseudo-hostile reception from the villagers had Adam tense.
"G-Geez! If you keep acting like this, you will most likely never find a girlfriend like that!" The headmistress complained, pointing a finger at Adam and a pout on her face. He just exhaled heavily, but he knew that she was partly right. "Even so, why did you decide to come personally?! Entering a Stigma is very dangerous, to say the least for students like you two!" She said, looking at the two annoyed. Theresa's tone and eyes became steady and serious, for a moment Adam and Mei saw the woman who had once been on the front lines of Second Impact in Siberia and not the sweet but fair headmistress of St. Freya's.
Mei cringed at such a look and Adam stood his ground, but he had to admit that the headmistress had respectable nerve.
"That may have been the case, Principal, but the situation outside the Stigma is not the best."
"Maybe?! Adam, you two don't understand the consequences that can happen to inexperienced people like-"
"Dr. Margot told me that you had to be sedated to avoid succumbing to cardiac arrest when the extraction team found you writhing on the floor." Theresa's words dried up in her mouth as she heard Adam's sentence.
"An apology for being so direct, but we are not in the best of situations," he tried to excuse himself, but he knew he was being unfair and even cruel to his companions.
Adam cleared his throat and continued. "Shortly after the Stigma dive, Mei and I fell into a scene full of destruction and death. Upon reaching a more or less safe place, the two of us ran into a woman with a certain resemblance to Kiana." Adam still found it hard to believe how similar the two young women were. "Unfortunately, she succumbed to her injuries and we were both moved to another sector of the Stigma by Dr. Margot and Bronya before the sector collapsed. After that, Mei and I ran into the Honkai -corrupted bear and met the miko, Yae Sakura."
He took a deep breath and continued. "We tried to cancel the dive when we found you, Director, but for some strange reason, our communication with the outside world ceased. Since you were suffering from a fever similar to the one you suffered in the real world and given the communications fall, we both made the decision to receive the help of the miko Yae, here, in her village."
Adam winced at their incredulous looks. He would definitely apologize once he finished telling her what had happened. "Upon reaching the village, Mei and I realized that the place is very similar to the same place where we both found ourselves at the beginning of the dive, I think they are the same place, but I cannot be sure. But what worries me is that the locals did not receive us with good eyes, they looked at us in a very hostile way, but without acting. That is what I have to report so far, Director Theresa."
Once Adam finished, an awkward silence engulfed the room and its occupants. Mei's mouth was slightly open, her eyes were blinking and her mind was trying to understand what had happened just a few minutes ago. For her part, Theresa had a neutral expression on her face. She wasn't worried, but she wasn't relaxed either. Even her eyes said nothing at all. A minute passed until Theresa spoke:
"Adam?"
"Yes, principal?"
"When this is all over, I'll make sure you hang out with Kiana, Mei, Bronya, and Himeko every Friday and weekend to chat and enjoy your days off," Theresa said with a serious tone. Adam blinked at the unusual statement, but he knew what she meant. He might be socially awkward, but he wasn't dense enough to not understand what she meant.
"Do you know that it will make me look like a womanizer in front of the other Valkyries?" Adam couldn't help saying it in a teasing tone. "I already don't have the best image in front of the other girls."
Theresa put both hands to her face and groaned in frustration. " Ugh! I don't know if I should be happy that you are focused on the situation, or worry that you have the social skills of a rock..."
"And you don't know about the lurking remnant..."
The situation was already stressful in itself. It would be best if Adam didn't mention anything unless everything was close to going to shit. He hoped they wouldn't get to that point.
"Seriously! You must learn how to communicate with others, especially when it comes to fine ladies like us," Theresa frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. "Seriously, you men and your tactlessness."
Adam held back his breath in exasperation and just nodded. "An apology, to both of you, but I'd feel more at ease once the three of us have solved the problem with the Stigma." And here came the important question: "How should we proceed now, director? Our communications with the outside world have ceased and appear to be blocked."
Theresa took a deep breath and began to ponder her options with the information Adam had bombarded her with. A few minutes passed before Theresa spoke again.
"For now, it's best to follow the Stigma's narrative, so I need you both to be aware of your surroundings, so it'll be easier to find clues to figure out what's wrong with the Stigma. A Stigma doesn't fail just like that."
Mei and Adam nodded, though he was sure the problem had to do with the remnant and the fusion Theresa had with the pseudo-Herrscher and the corrosive nature of the Honkai.
"What is our position with the population? There have been no violent encounters, but I am sure they could act violently against us if the occasion arises."
Theresa frowned. "We have to avoid conflict with others, it may be that if we act violently, the Stigma will respond in the same way, so if and only if things escalate, defend yourselves, but without hurting your attackers so much.
"So kill is off the table, huh?" A morbid thought, but hey, at least she was clear.
"B-By the way, how are you, Principal Theresa? Do you better now?" Mei asked.
"I feel so much better, dear. Thanks for asking," Theresa replied with a smile, which changed to a pout when she looked at Adam. "At least you do have tact, Mei. It wouldn't kill you to learn a thing or two from her, mister."
"Adam-kun was very worried about you, Headmistress. Just-just that he has another way of doing it," Mei said, trying to defend her friend.
"Well, he does have a very good way of doing it," Theresa replied dryly.
Mei defended her friend again, saying that he was just a little more reserved to show his feelings, and Theresa argued that he must be more delicate when speaking and when dealing with women. For his part, Adam was more than capable of defending himself, but he preferred to remain silent, besides that, this was an opportunity for the two of them to vent. They spoke like that for about ten minutes, talking about him and the proper ways a man should act with ladies (Theresa's words) until someone's footsteps were heard nearby.
"It's me, Yae. I can pass?" The miko asked from the other side of the door.
"Of course, come in Yae," Theresa said.
After a soft 'excuse me' the door was closed and the pink-haired miko entered the room. She was carrying another wooden tray in her hands, on it was a long sheet, several pieces of onigiri, steaming and ready to eat. The Stigma-explorers noted that she was unarmed.
"At the moment, the leader is very busy attending other matters on the other side of town. While he returns, I have brought you some food so you can regain your strength after your long journey."
"Oh! Thank you very much, Yae," Mei thanked, walking over and taking the tray in her hands. As soon as she smelled the steaming smell of food under her nose, Mei's stomach couldn't help but growl at that moment. Although they were in the Stigma, her mind was aware that she had skipped dinner as soon as they learned of Director Theresa's admission to the hospital.
"I-I'm sorry!" Mei apologized with a big blush on her face.
"There's no reason," Sakura replied, shaking her head. "Please eat and recover your strength while the leader returns. If you need anything else, please don't hesitate to ask."
"There's actually something I'd like to ask," Adam said. The miko looked at him and nodded. "Is there a reason why the other villagers gave us hostile looks as soon as we arrived in the village?" He asked, taking all the women in the room by surprise. Theresa signaled with her eyes and face for him to shut up, but he ignored her.
"An apology for my blunt words, Miss Yae," Adam apologized, this time he gave Sakura a deep bow. "I am not accusing anyone, I just want to make sure that my colleagues and friends are safe after the long journey we had. For me, these two are the little family that I still have alive."
"I-I understand, Alighieri," Sakura replied, somewhat surprised by the direct but honest way of acting of the mysterious traveler she had met in the forest.
"Perhaps that explains his initial concern for help," Sakura thought, remembering his reluctance, but considering his words, it explained his distrust and slight hostility.
"This will allow me to find out what 's going on in the village, but without looking too suspicious to Yae and the other villagers," Adam planned.
Manipulative and cynical on Adam's part, but for him, it was more urgent to progress within the Stigma and finish off the abominable remnant before it did any more damage. Everyone was using borrowed time and good luck, it would be better to take advantage of it all. There would be time to later repent and moralize about his actions.
"These have been difficult times for all of us, Alighieri. The gods have not blessed us with rain for three months, and the attacks of demons and beasts worsened people's spirits." Sakura's voice was serious but distant. Her tone also seemed to imply weariness. "There are those who claim that there are demons disguised as humans and hiding among us, planning the suffering and death of people. There have been many disputes among the people because of this."
"That's terrible!" Mei cried. "Everyone should work to overcome this terrible crisis! Don't turn against each other." It took a second for Mei to realize what she had said, covering her mouth and looking shamefully at Sakura. "M- My apologies, Yae-san! I didn't mean to be rude." Mei quickly gave an apologetic bow.
"Don't worry, Raiden-san. I'm not offended, actually, I agree with you, but people's spirits are very low. At this point, it's best to find the cause of the constant harassment by demons. Never before have we been attacked so persistently as now."
At Sakura's words, Adam's eyes widened for a second, remembering the scene of destruction Mei and he had arrived at the start of the dive.
"If what she says is true, then something must be attracting the attention of the beasts. A Honkai concentration would be the most common explanation, but I did not notice any signs of corrosion on the skin of the few villagers we saw upon entering the village." True, but Adam had seen them from a distance and not up close, not to mention that it was possible that if someone was affected by corrosion, they would most likely have covered up the Honkai markings to avoid suspicion from others. As Sakura had said, people's spirits were low and everyone was suspicious of everyone.
"Well, the best thing will be to have the initiative to end this as soon as possible."
"In that case, Miss Yae, how about I help you fight the beasts that threaten the village?" Adam asked/suggested, taking Sakura by surprise. "As I told you before in that clearing, I have experience in fighting and destroying beasts like the bear, even monsters bigger than that."
"No. I can't ask you that, Alighieri-san," Sakura denied immediately. "You three come from a very long trip, and the village's problems are the village's," Sakura's eyes turned serious. "It would be terribly unfair and disrespectful of me to put you in grave danger."
Adam didn't give in easily. "We live in a dangerous world, Miss Yae. Sad but true. The only thing we can do is face it, and preferably when we have people to protect our backs. In this case, you have offered us help when you could have refused us, so I consider it necessary to help you in any way you can."
Sakura was silent for a second at his words. She found it hard to believe that an outsider like Adam would want to help the village, but she had to admit that his words had merit. The world was dangerous and getting help from time to time wasn't bad.
"Besides, if the other villagers see that he 's helping, the village leader might be more accessible to them when it's time for the meeting."
"But-"
"̸̝̌Ì̴̩͍ ̵̳̯̆ẉ̴̀̚a̸̢͓̎ň̴͍̤͗t̷̙̉͋ ̵͎̖̀̔ẗ̷̼́ȏ̷͉̆ ̸̦̃p̴̲̏r̸̪̱̈o̷̞͐̚t̸̩́e̵̻͗c̴̞̉t̷͕̼͗ ̵̥̬͋͝y̶̢̓͝o̶͉͂ụ̷̟̈́,̵̼̟͐̔ ̸͍̰̒͘Ș̸̇ͅa̴̻͘k̷̦͆ṳ̸̪͌r̴͇̼̕a̶̳̎!̴̥͆̕"̵̳̜̑
Sakura grunted in pain for a second as a blurry memory flashed through her mind.
"Miss Yae, are you alright?"
Sakura nodded, rubbing her temple for a second.
"It's no big deal. So, Alighieri-san, would it be okay for you to accompany me to patrol the area while your companions wait here?" Sakura looked at Theresa and bowed respectfully. "Of course, with your permission, Theresa-sama. Alighieri is your student, after all."
"Of course! I think it's a good idea. We can't take advantage of your generosity without giving something back," Theresa replied in a singsong voice.
"Bingo!" Adam celebrated, at the same time that he nodded his head. "Miss Yae, in advance, thank you very much for allowing my companions to rest. The journey has been long, the best thing will be for them to replenish their strength."
"You're welcome, Alighieri-san," Sakura nodded and left the room. She stopped in front of the door and she turned. "Please give me a moment to prepare to go out. I will see you in front of the main entrance of the temple and from there we will leave." Sakura gave a short bow and continued on her way to some other unknown part of the place.
"Well, duty calls," Adam said casually, looking at the door, but turning away, his face turned serious and he spoke only in a whisper. " Mei, keep an eye on the headmistress and remember what we talked about," he gestured, scratching the corner of his eye and looking sideways. Mei and Theresa immediately understood what he meant.
"Be very careful, Adam-kun."
"Keep your eyes open, but don't overdo it either, Adam."
Adam smiled at their concern and nodded in response.
"Wish me luck."
And he slid close the door behind him.
"My apologies for the delay," Sakura apologized as she approached the temple entrance.
"It was only a few minutes, Miss Yae. Don't worry," Adam replied with a casual tone. He noticed that she was again carrying her swords at her side.
"Please follow me. I have just been informed of a sighting of a small group of beasts prowling near the entrance to the bamboo forest," Yae reported, taking the lead and descending the temple stairs. Adam followed a few steps behind.
"Any description? That could improve our attack planning."
Sakura looked at him out of the corner of her eye and nodded. "From what they say, the beasts have wings and are no bigger than the size of a child. The beasts have been shown to use their wings and lunge as their form of attack."
"Seraph-class beasts," Adam said without much thought. "They are not very strong, but in a group, they can be very dangerous."
"Is that what you call them?" Sakura asked raising an eyebrow. "Here we refer to them as beasts or even demons, considering their physique and incessant attack on people."
"I understand what you mean, and I don't blame you all for thinking so," Adam replied, noticing that they were following a lonely stone path with unlit lamps at the edge of the path. "There are different names for each type of beast, some seem a bit pompous to me, but it helps to differentiate them, that way we learn their abilities and characteristics, and train how to deal with them."
"Do they train to fight demons?" Sakura asked curious about the information. Sometimes she wondered how the world outside of the village dealt with the demons. The few merchant caravans that had ever visited the village had commented that the problem of demons was common, occasionally attacking villages and caravans like the ones mentioned above.
"Ah… Yes, there is actually an organization that is dedicated to defending humanity from beasts like the ones we saw in the forest." Adam had never thought to be grateful to Hestia for having all those boring history classes at the base. "The organization is established in the heart of the continent, to the west, near the sea. That's where Principal Theresa, Mei, and I come from."
Sakura didn't break stride, but her eyes widened at the information. "You really come from a long way, Alighieri-san."
Adam nodded. "The journey has been long, but necessary, considering the kind of beast we are hunting, Miss Yae."
"It must be a terrible beast for you to travel so far."
Adam couldn't help but grimace as he remembered the kind of beast he had to hunt down.
"You have no idea, Yae ."
"Alighieri-san?"
Adam quickly shook his hand and took a steadying breath. "An apology, I don't have the best of memories of the creature."
Sakura nodded, but she knew something had bothered him. The rest of the way passed in silence. After walking for five minutes on the stone path and enjoying the calm environment that nature offered, Adam noticed that the trees in the area had changed to the familiar bamboo shoots. Paying closer attention, he observed that the forest stretched over a wide area, even covering part of the continuous mountain elevation in the area.
"If all goes well, this will be a piece of cake."
"Alighieri-san, we have-"
"Help, please, somebody!"
The scream of a terrified woman broke the calm atmosphere from a moment before. Without saying a word, Sakura ran towards the place of the scream, which came from within the bamboo forest. Adam followed close behind, ready to transform his hands if the situation required it.
"Yae better not mistake me for some of these bastards again!" Adam thought. "I don't know if my regeneration works here, and I'm not going to find out the hard way."
About two hundred meters from the entrance to the bamboo forest, Sakura and Adam spied a black-haired woman in her thirties calling for help as she crawled backward on the ground on all fours. The woman gave a high-pitched squeal as her back collided with a bamboo. As Adam had guessed, the woman's three attackers were three seraph-class Honkai beasts. What was striking about these beasts was that two of them had darker coloration on their wings and head, and the last beast was completely white.
"Two Cassiels and an archangel. A little annoying, but nothing to worry about, Adam thought. "It's best to get their attention before they finish the woman off."
"Fucking birds! Here!" Adam yelled.
The seraphim stopped cornering the woman and turned to face the intruder.
"Miss Yae, take care of-"
Without waiting for Adam to finish, Sakura drew her sword and charged at the group of beasts. The two Cassiel-like seraphim flapped their wings and sped away, the archangel not being as fast as the other two. In one blink Sakura was in front of it, and the next the archangel fell cleaved to the ground, then disintegrated behind Sakura's back.
The two Cassiels turned and tried to take Sakura by surprise, but Adam acted, transforming both hands into great claws and holding the beasts by the wings. Without saying a word, Adam tightened his grip and collided the two beasts together, generating a loud crack. He dropped the beasts one on top of the other, and to finish, he transformed one of his claws into a longsword and cut up both beasts at the same time.
"Pest under control," Adam said, watching the Honkai beasts disintegrate. Adam pulled back his gift but kept it ready for any surprises.
For her part, as soon as Sakura saw that Adam had dealt with the Honkai beasts, she approached the still-terrified woman, who kept her eyes fixed on where the beasts and Adam had once been.
"Are you okay?" Sakura asked kindly, reaching out and placing her hand gently on the woman's shoulder. As soon as she felt Sakura's touch, the woman gave another high-pitched shriek and stared at her savior in bewilderment.
"Peace. Please tell me, are you alright?"
"The demons! My-My husband!" The woman's hands gripped Sakura's shoulders and she began to raise her voice.
"My husband! He and I used to come to the bamboo forest to-to clear our minds of the bad times that plague the village." The woman's breath hitched. "When we were coming back, some demons with big claws and wings attacked us! Hideaki told me to get help while he distracted the demons." The woman's voice took on a pleading tone. "Miko-sama, please save my husband! He is all I have!
Adam kept his distance so as not to stress the poor woman further, but he could hear what she was saying. Her words did not sound good.
"Surely the poor bastard is already dead," Adam thought.
A class B Valkyrie would have problems if it was a combination of clawed zombies and archangels, tricky but the Valkyrie would come out of the fight alive and whole. An ordinary human? The woman's husband barely (and miraculously) would have bought a few seconds for her to escape before being killed.
The thought was depressing, but it was the harsh truth. A normal human would never hold a candle against a Honkai beast.
"And he is just like them!"
Adam was brought out of his thoughts when the woman screamed in terror and pointed in anger and fear at Adam.
"Miko-sama! Why haven't you killed that demon?!" The woman shifted her eyes between Sakura and Adam. "Kill him before it consumes more lives!"
Adam was surprised by the woman's hatred and willingness to see him dead. It took him a second to understand that she associated him with the Honkai creatures that had surely killed her beloved husband.
"Miko-sama! Kill the demon!"
"I can't do that," Sakura replied, changing her friendly tone to one that was harsh, but not aggressive. "He is a traveler who has come to the village with his companions. He hasn't come to harm us," she explained.
"He is not a traveler, miko-sama!" The woman screamed in despair. "Those claws! Miko-sama, he, that's a devil wearing the skin of a human. Surely he usurped the traveler's original body to trick its victims!"
"Damn, I don't know what the fuck you see around here, but that sounded very dark," Adam glared at the woman for suggesting such an act. "I'd better give them some space while I see what happened to her husband."
"Miss Yae," Adam called to the miko. "I'll go ahead and see what happened to, uh, Mr. Hideakie while she calms down."
Sakura frowned, not liking the idea, but she understood that Adam was trying to give the woman a chance to calm down, his presence only agitated her more.
"Okay, but please don't risk yourself unnecessarily. I will accompany you to the exit and I will meet you as soon as possible."
"Deal."
Without waiting any longer, Adam ran up the forest path, ignoring the woman's protests and Sakura's words.
"Wow, I was expecting a village like this to distrust an outsider like me, but shit, suggesting stealing a body and posing as someone else…" Adam shuddered just thinking about it. "Seriously, what kind of things do you see or hear around here to think of shit like that."
Adam knew that the Honkai had various ways of attacking humanity, but the shocked woman suggested something truly evil.
"When I get out of here, I'll ask Hestia if there have been any records of anything like that. Zombies and Herrschers are one thing, but a skin stealer? That's shit on another level."
Adams's thoughts were interrupted when he could make out among the bamboo trees a large space created by several crushed bamboo trees. Adam crept closer, at the same time transforming one of his hands into a short sword.
Adam turned off the trail and walked through the bamboo debris. It didn't take him more than ten meters to walk to find Hideaki's body.
Or what was left of him.
"Shit," Adam hissed, seeing the body of the man once called Hideaki scattered in two pieces on the ground. "Yeah, they made sure to finish him off," Adam commented darkly.
Despite the grotesque scene in front of his eyes, Adam did not lower his guard, expecting to be ambushed at any second by one of the beasts.
"The woman said that they were both attacked by demons with large claws and wings. I guess the former are zombies and the latter are archangels." Adam hoped his deduction was correct unless the demons-as they called them in the village-were some old type of Honkai beast he hadn't seen before. If so, well, he would have to improvise.
Adam sharpened his senses with his gift, waiting for hints of the beasts. After waiting for five minutes, Adam heard the sound of footsteps approaching at high speed. He transformed both of his hands into short swords and waited tensely for his would-be attacker to reveal itself.
"Alighieri? Are you there?"
Adam relaxed his posture and answered. "This way, Yae!"
It took a few seconds for Sakura to join him. When Sakura appeared in front of him, his eyes lingered for several seconds on Hideaki's remains. For a second, Adam swore he saw in her eyes a mixture of pity, but also indifference - and perhaps exasperation? - in Sakura's eyes.
"Was he someone you knew, Yae?
Sakura blinked, the strange mix of emotions disappearing into a serious expression. "No. I'm afraid not, but his death is a loss to the village and a great loss to those who loved him." Unmindful of the bloody scene, Sakura approached the remains, cupping her palms together and saying a prayer for the poor deceased man.
Adam didn't say anything during the time Sakura was praying. After a couple of minutes, she finished and went back to the place where they had both entered.
"We must return to the village and report this, so they can recover the body and give him the ceremony he deserves."
"Alright."
Without saying another word, Sakura nodded and they both walked back to the village in complete silence.
"I hope the woman doesn't start bullshitting about me being with demons and fur crap to the other villagers. The last thing I need is to earn more infamy than I already have in this place for being an outsider," Adam thought.
Maybe, with any luck, the people of the village wouldn't look at him with suspicion if they saw him working closely with the miko.
"Still, what happened with the Honkai beasts?" Adam wondered as they made their way back to the village.
Wow, it's been a long time since the last chapter. Sorry for being late, exams and final projects were more than just a major pain in the ass.
That and that I almost died in what was supposed to be a simple surgery. The wound they left me and the recovery that followed took me longer than I expected to upload the next chapter.
Anyway, it's good to be back. I hope you liked the chapter.
As always, leave comments, your perspective and even ideas can help improve this story in progress.
See ya!