A/N: Anyway, time for responses.
phillyitalian: he'll probably have to, his [Stand] isn't very strong on its own.
That's it, remember to review if you like it!
"Alicia~. Let me get on the horse please~." Rowan whined as Alicia ignored him, looking away with her eyes closed, looking like some renaissance piece of art with a body to match that was shown off by her revealing armor that Rowan took advantage to peek at. Constantly.
"I'll let you on once you learn your lesson." She retorts as Rowan simply slumps forward, deciding to give up as he simply joins the others walking. Though he did lag behind to really get a good look at Alicia's rear.
He couldn't help but agree with Alan once he got a good look at it, it was plump despite not being too big and was especially tantalizing from under the frills of cloth attached to her hip. Her skirt was literally a bunch of frilly clothing tied together and came together to make a beautiful image that had Rowan licking his lips as he wondered how'd it look if she bent forward.
Alicia, feeling a very lecherous gaze on her back, turned back blushing in anticipation, hoping that it'd be Rowan only to find him studying the horse of one of the other knights who seemed to be especially interested with the surrounding shrubbery along with the other males and some of the female knights. She couldn't push down the pout that came up when she saw him enter a staring contest with the horse but also the bit of pride that came from seeing her underlings so focused on their task.
She harrumphs and turns forward, and in unison, all the male and some of the female knights behind her turned forward in attention as she sped up her horse slightly. Meanwhile, Rowan was still staring at the horse as the horse stares back.
Its eyes showed a very placid animal that whined as it stared into Rowan's eyes. Its tense muscles flexing at every move, its white mane properly maintained as it seems to glint in the light. Rowan couldn't help but feel a fleeting sense of envy at the majestic animal.
Speaking of horses, he needs to learn how to ride one, maybe Alan would be willing tot each him how to ride one. Though then the question of where to get a horse from pops up.
"Whatcha thinking about?" The man on the horse asks, his helmet off to reveal a young tanned face with brown hair and eyes. "You're looking at the poor thing really intensely."
"Hmm?" It was then that he noticed the horse seemed to be a bit anxious. "Ah, sorry."
He laughs, his shoulders shaking and jostling the armor he wore a bit before responding. "It's okay. He's a bit skittish but he likes the attention." The man patted the horse's neck as the horse whined. "Still, you're not a noble right?"
Taking a moment, he brought his shirt up to his nose and flinched. "I don't think nobles have the vague scent of goblin spunk on them."
The knight snorts, "You'd be surprised." Rowan raised a brow as the man shook his head, "Your clothes is fancy but simple, especially the fur on the jacket. I've seen similar but the material is unfamiliar not to mention the hat or your pants." He explains as Rowan nods, grabbing his hat and looking at it, "I've never seen one with such a strange brim."
Laughing, Rowan put it on, feeling the familiar weight on his head as it pushed down his hair. "Well, I'm a very strange man, if I do say so myself."
"Don't try to sound mysterious." Alicia yelled out from the front. "You'll only disappoint everyone else."
"Your not involved in this conversation so your opinion is unneeded." Rowan retorted, pointedly ignoring the Princess Knight who glared at him.
The man chuckles, "I've also never seen someone rebuke a Princess Knight so casually." He notes before holding a hand to his chin, "Well, aside form their personal guard or other Princess Knights."
The two notice that they're slowing down and Rowan is about to move to speed up but the man extends a hand. "Hop on."
Seeing this, Rowan begins to shake his head as the man stops him. "Don't worry," he whistles and up comes another horse as he jerks his head towards it, "I have another, just get on and I'll teach you how to ride."
"Er, you sure?" Rowan asks as the man nods his head.
"There are a few skills that every man needs, it just so happens, I tend to teach others this skill." He says as he waves his hand as Rowan looks at it. Slowly, he grasped his hand and was pulled up, the man moving to the other horse as Rowan gets comfortable. "Here, hold the reins." The man says as he passes the reins to Rowan. "Also, calm down. The horse can feel what you feel. Loosen up your grip on the reins."
Swallowing, Rowan nods and takes a deep breath loosening his grip, his body loosening up. "Good, now, give the reins a slight nudge."
"I-uh, I never got your name." Rowan realizes as the man blinks.
"It's Cyrus, just Cyrus. For now, Rowan, let's try to get you used to this." Cyrus says as Rowan nods.
Soon, Rowan is riding the horse with ease, his mouth curling up into a smile as the anxiety in his chest disappears and is instead replaced by childlike wonder. Cyrus meanwhile, whistles as he watches what was originally a novice in horse-riding turn into a passable amateur in the span of less than an hour. "Are you sure you've never ridden before this?"
"I'm sure." Rowan says as he shifts on the saddle. "I'm not used to it at all."
"Ahh, I understand," Cyrus says as he flinches and shifts in the saddle of his own horse, "I think you've got it down mostly." Cyrus notes as Rowan nods. Rowan hopped off the horse, rubbing the inside of his thigh with a frustrated look as Cyrus looks on in sympathy as he got back on his original horse.
As Rowan stepped back, he felt something tug at his leg. "Huh?"
A second later, he was on the floor, "Fuck!" His words resounding in the clearing as the archers in the group pulled their bowstrings back and the magic casters extended their hand, particles of energy gathering around them as I heard the gallop of a horse and the barking of orders from a young woman.
In the midst of all of this, Rowan's only worry is his jacket. He really hopes it doesn't get ripped up.
Soon, he's being dragged against the floor at surprising speeds, his mind reeling as he tries to catch up.
Immediately, he extended an arm towards the tug on his pants. "[Live Wire]!"
The gathering of wires connect to the skin of the wolf dragging Rowan as he takes a deep breath and pulls as hard as he could, the tug of war for the creature's energy stalling as Rowan begins to win and the wolf began to slow down.
A second later, an arrow pierces the wolf as it yelps and lets Joshua go, tumbling as he rolls to his feet in a swift move as he brings [Live Wire] back to him as he hears Alicia yell, "Rowan, are you okay?"
He sees her a second later as he nods, "Yeah, I'm fine."
Soon, she was beside him, looking him over as she nods. "Good, you're not injured." Her eyes quickly trailed his roll as they landed on the now visible wolf as it twitched, bleeding as her eyes narrowed. "Where did the Aberrant come from?"
"It was invisible." Joshua notes, walking beside her as he looks at the corpse. "Looks like the same type of wolves as before. But how?"
"Aberrants tend to make you ask yourself that." Alicia notes, "Even the land's smartest minds have trouble understanding how aberrants can do half of what they do."
"Genetics." Rowan muttered under his breath. "The wolf wasn't invisible, it was camouflaged."
"Genetics?" Alicia muttered under her breath as Cyrus comes up.
"It's the study of lineages. It explains why we look like our parents and our parents look like their grandparents." Rowan explains as he squats, poking at the body, "It also explains why incest is generally not a good idea but that's another thing entirely. Let me just ask this, what happens when a monster mates with something that isn't human?"
"A monster still comes out." Alicia said with a bit of disgust, "Why is this relevant."
"Because this aberrant might have three traits from three different animals. It has the healing factor of a monster, the figure of a wolf, and the ability to blend into its surroundings. It's probably a kobold if I'm correct, but that doesn't change the fact," he turns to Alicia who's eyes were wide in shock, "a wolf is a mammal while a chameleon is a lizard. To my knowledge, the two can't cross-breed, not to mention that if they could, the result wouldn't be perfect. It'd take decades, possibly centuries to breed the animals to have the perfect traits."
"And aberrants only began to pop up around seven years ago." Alicia notes as her eyes widen in realization.
"When a monster breeds with an animal, a monster is what comes out. Maybe it has a few things increased, but that doesn't change the fact that this," he prods the corpse with his leg, "is impossible without preparation."
"It was easier to kill too." Cyrus pops up beside the two. "An arrow to the head might be able to kill anything, but they tend to put up a nasty fight before they kick the bucket."
"Aberrants are difficult because of the range of their abilities. Compared to the endurance of monsters they're nothing." Alicia notes under her breath, grabbing the handle of her sword. It slacks when her eyes widen in realization, turning to Rowan who's still studying the corpse. "Are you telling me someone's been planning this for centuries."
"Improbable but not impossible." Rowan says as he stands up, "But, with all due respect to the smartest of the kingdom, they possibly don't understand what I would mean nor would they have the patience to listen through my explanation of the entire thing. All that matters is that these things are being created at this moment and have been since seven years ago."
Everyone in the clearing froze, but not because of the revelation. Their hands reached for their belts or tightened their grip on their weapon as they all began to exude an aura of tenseness, anticipation as Rowan reached for his bastard sword. "How troublesome." Alicia said, her eyes hiding the extent of the frustration she was feeling.
"Wait until you hear the next part, soon, these aberrants will replace monsters." Rowan says as Alicia clicks her tongue.
"This must be the work of the Dark Elf Queen." Alicia growls, grinding her teeth as she slowly unsheathed her sword.
"...No. She's a magic genius right?" Rowan asks as Alicia nods, Rowan lowers the brim of his hat. "Then obviously, the things surrounding us should have a feel of magic? But these things are natural, which brings up even more questions."
They felt it in their napes, their legs, they saw it, and some felt it as the camouflaged aberrants leap up to snap at them.
Blood covers the clearing as they're clearly bisected, with others surviving as they struggle on top of spears or on the floor as they're heads were shot or their legs or body.
Rowan swings his sword to the side as Alicia sighs in exasperation and glares at him. "What was that?"
"What was what?" Rowan asks with a confused look.
"That swing! It was like you're swinging a club rather than a sword!" Alicia says as she slides to the side, cutting off another camouflaged aberrant before twirling and extending a leg into a kick.
"Milady, I do believe Rowan's lacking skill with a sword is not our most pressing issue as of now." Cyrus points out as he raises a gauntleted hand to block the leap of an aberrant before stabbing it cleanly through.
Rowan, meanwhile, clicks his tongue and stomps on the head of one before swinging to his right to cut one but not bisecting it as it stumbles away healing at an impressive rate that had Rowan frustrated. "Yeah," he stomps on the head of the aberrant he's standing on and crushes it, "besides, I'm not used to it."
"Then what are you used to that allows your sword skill to grow so sloppy?!" Alicia challenges as she twirls on one foot, bisecting the surrounding aberrants in one swift, beautiful move as she kicks a surviving aberrant away towards the spear of one of the other soldiers.
Clicking his tongue, Rowan reaches into his jacket and brings out his steel ball to her surprise and began to spin it with the flick of his thumb. The spinning steel ball released a gentle thrum as Rowan's hands curled around the ball but it didn't stop spinning as he threw it at one of the camouflaged aberrants as the ball left a hole in the head of the aberrant as it fell down. The steel ball hit the floor, still spinning to the shock of the guards, as it began to spin back towards Rowan as the guards continued fighting.
"How did you do that?" Alicia asks as she cuts down an aberrant.
"Practice." Was all Rowan said on the subject. "Damn it, some of them are trying to run!"
Alicia would question how he knew but she knew better than to do so. "Archers, mages! Find them and stop them, we can not let these aberrants run free and multiply!"
"Ouh!" They called as they moved.
Already the fighting has died down and the knights were whistling for their horses. "Cyrus, take Rowan with you and issue a warning along with a commission at the Long House, Rowan, let him use my seal." She orders as she walks up to her horse and hops on, about to ride before sighing as she turns to Rowan, a blush on her face while looking away, "I-I hoped our reunion would be a lot less...tumultuous, regardless, it was good to see you Rowan." She turned, directing a beautiful smile towards Rowan as he chuckled while scratching the back of his head. "I would suggest you come visit my Fortress City but with as many revelations as there have been, I don't believe it'd be safe to do. Though, maybe you could stop by Prim's, my cousin and the name of the other girl that was with me, don't forget it this time," Alicia warned as Rowan rolled his eyes, "has been fretting not to mention our respective parent's worry."
Rowan nods in understanding, "I'll see what I can do."
"And stay out of trouble!" She warns as she gallops away along with the rest of her guard, barking out orders as Cyrus and Rowan look at her back.
"...Is it weird I wanna bite her?" Cyrus turns to him with a panicked and disgusted look as Rowan shakes his hand with his face flushed, "Not like that. Like...leave a mark on her neck and legs."
Cyrus blinks and nods. "Yeah, I get where you're coming from."
"Right!?" Rowan asks as he walks beside Cyrus' horse. "Like the image of towering over her as you leave marks on her neck that she can't hide?"
"If you feel like that about her, wait until you meet Celestine in-person." Cyrus says with a knowing look, leaning towards Rowan as he checks his horse's saddle, "I've heard that she once graced a criminal's presence and he was so aroused that he just answered every question honestly."
"No~!" Rowan yells as he laughed, "I refuse to believe that!"
"She is! Hell, any art you've seen or will see are lacking in comparison to her in reality." He insists, "I heard she once outed a spy cross-dressing because he popped a boner when he saw her."
"Damn!" Rowan said as he laughed. But Cyrus just continued.
"Criminals become well-behaved in their arousal, married couples' eyes wander when she is in their presence, maids lose their ability to walk once she passes through, she can make a strong man loyal with but a wish she-." Cyrus listed out as Rowan was laughing.
"Stop! Please! I ca-." he interrupted himself with rambunctious laughter as Cyrus joined him.
Soon, the two were quiet, Rowan flushed and Cyrus on his horse as he extends a hand. "Come on." Grabbing the hand, Rowan jumps on and hooks his arm around Cyrus waist as Cyrus stops. "I don't like this."
"Neither do I." Rowan notes with a weak smile as Cyrus urges his horse forward.
Soon, Rowan was with the receptionist of the Long House, turning in his commission and being paid for it as Cyrus did what he was ordered to.
As Rowan left, there was a ruckus because of the revelation of the aberrants but he ignored it in favor of heading to the bathhouse in the town he was in.
After a quick dip and the revalation that they use magic to clean his clothes, he walks towards Alan's property as he tries to keep the exhaustion.
Knocking on the door, he doesn't wait for an answer, "I'm back!"
"Welcome! How'd it go?" Alan answers in the table of the dining room, a plate of food in front of him with a second one in front of the chair in front of him. Sitting on the chair, he begins to eat as he tells what happens.
"Aberrants…" Alan mutters as he leans back, "And meeting Princess Knight Alicia? You've had quite the adventure." Rowan nods as he takes a drink from the water beside him. "You wanna talk more about it tomorrow?"
Rowan doesn't answer, instead he just heads to his room and splays himself on the bed.
He's asleep seconds later with dreams of a simpler time, of his time with his teacher, mother and grandmother, but like most things, they'll have to end.
Again, Celestine falls asleep and once more her ability of prophecy activates.
Her ability of prophecy tends to be accurate but never answers. So, when she saw the man she saw before, she blinked in curiosity, watching as he road his horse with a mastery she's only seen in people who've ridden horses all their lives.
Watching with a dogged interest, she leans forward from the windowsill she's on. "Tell me more…" She trailed off under her breath as she watched the man pass by.
Blinking, she was in another place, this time, the location was familiar, the room where she and her fellow Shield Maidens hold meetings away from the rest of the nobles. Though the large table now had pieces on the seats of the respective Shield Maidens.
Then, with a strong gust that caused her to yelp, the table began to disappear, bit by bit, pieces began to fly away along with the chairs, decorations, and pieces. They were being turned into something else
"Wha-." She started, looking around as she fought against it, closing her eyes to survive the gusts of wind. When she opened them she was alone in a dark hall.
She began to tread forward, her feet hitting the floor softly as she spotted a door. Resting a hand on it, she pushed as it began to give with a bit of exertion. Once it was open she looked into it.
A distance away from her, there was a man. The man had no face, he had no visible features, the only thing he had was a strange guitar what was connected to a black box. The man took a deep breath as he brought his arm up biting his tongue in concentration before he brought it down onto the strings of the strange guitar.
Celestine has been alive for hundreds of years, watching time pass as those she loved died or continued on, she's seen mortals evolve and improve, she's seen them fall to depravity and hatred and uplift each other with hopes and love. She's lived a very placid life with only the occasional listen to a song for the celebration of a fellow Shield Maiden.
The sound she heard just now caused her heart to burst, her knees to buckle, her throat to close and her eyes to water, her very head seemed to vibrate as she fell to her knees and began to heave.
"Oh… Oh my." She was fairly sure she just had an orgasm. She could see why Maia was very active in such actions if this pleasure was what she felt every time. She got up and saw the man bring his arm up again as she braced herself.
It helped a bit as the music continued, sending shivers up her spine as the wood from the previous room began to converge in front of her, revealing a circular chess board with the chess pieces replaced by various people she recognizes. Even Olga and her attendant were there.
But the edges of the circular chess board were covered by a thick mist, dark purple in nature bordering on black as the man continued.
"[Generals gathered in their masses~!]"
"[Just like witches at black masses~!]"
As the song continued, she began to note more things, like how some of the pieces were normal chess pieces instead of small-scale version of her and the other Shield maidens and instead had the murky purple liquid in them while the ones she recognized were all a bright green. And the fact that among the pieces she recognized were a flurry of these murky pieces.
Suddenly, she gaped as an area was covered by a wall. Removing all the murky pieces within that location in one go.
Then, both sides began to fight, the pieces representing her and her allies began to lose but before she could glimpse anything else, a green ball hits the middle of the board as it simply continued to spin.
She reached out to attempt to touch it and instead gapes as a familiar hand pops out as she leans forward along with the owner of the other hand. It was tanned and lithe that continued on to reveal a woman wearing a bodice with ebony hair and brown eyes with a very beautiful body.
Then, to her further shock, the woman recognized her and froze. "Celestine?"
"Olga?" She asked as the two gaped at each other, ignoring the music as Celestine notes the way Olga squirms at the music that she's probably enjoying it too.
"Wh-What is this?" She asks, outraged and intrigued. "I thought only you could see prophecies."
"I-I-," She tried to speak up but she was just as shocked.
Then they heard something crack as their gazes lowered to the circular chess board where the ball has been spinning. To their shock, it began to contort into pieces, being sucked up by the ball as it was deformed and leaving them wondering with more and more questions.
Then, it stopped, a third hand reaching towards the steel ball as the light seemed to brighten, revealing a young man with his face shadowed by a brim with the name 'Zeppeli' on it.
The two were in shock as they looked at his strange clothes and Olga spoke, "Who are you?"
Then, it slowly looked up, reaching up to remove its hat as Olga watched in curiosity and Celestine in anticipation. He finally moved enough to reveal his features and they saw…
A thing. It had no form, just a bunch of strings that moved as the clothes it wore disappeared, but neither felt fear for some reason. "What is-?" Celestine started in an attempt to ask Olga but then the bundle of strings froze.
Electricity began to course through it as the two flinched back, the strings coming together to make the form of head as it spoke. "[My user is resting, do not bother. And for you two]," Olga and Celestine froze as the head looked at the two, "[have a pleasant night.]"
The last thing they saw was the image of the man with the guitar sitting down, finishing its song and the strings enveloping Celestine and Olga before they took the vague form of dresses and veils.
Jerking forward, Celestine calmed her rapidly beating heart. Taking deep breaths as she tried to return it to its normal activity. But not only is her mind still enraptured by the music, but it was also ecstatic at seeing her friend once more. But then, it brought up another question.
"How did she get there?"
Across the country, a dark elf is having a similar question, so many new things to think about. So much to see.
And Rowan is still asleep.
The next morning, Rowan is out and about in the main street, looking for a tailor to replicate the clothes he's wearing.
Well, he managed to do so, and had to sacrifice some money for it along with having to leave in the clothes of this era, a pair of brown trouser with a blue shirt and some boots as he sighed. "Maybe I should get some armor as well?" He spun the thought around in his mind and scoffed. "Nah~."
As he walks back to the house, looking to relax, he spots a horse, its mane black as night and its eyes red with anger. It was beautiful.
Walking towards it, he calls out to the stablemaster. "Hey sir, how much for the horse?"
"Hm? That one?" he pointed at the horse and Rowan nods, "Not for sale, too violent."
"Really? Why's that?" Rowan asks in interest.
He shrugs, "No one knows, but its fast and strong. It was used by a knight who would go to war with it, so it's used to monsters and other animals. Fairly old too."
Humming in interest, Rowan walks towards it, his mouth curved into a smile and a fire in his eyes. Something the horse must have noticed as its eyes immediately turned to him.
"So, if I can get it to listen to me I can keep it?" He asks, almost excited as he walks towards the enclosed area.
"Wait, what are you-?!" The stable master notices as Rowan jumps over the wooden fence. "Idiot! Get back here!"
Rowan ignored him as he walked towards the horse. "Let's do this."
The horse snorted but hit the floor with its hoof as it waited.
In a smooth move, Rowan was on the horse, smiling before that smile was wiped away as he was bucked off. "Argh!"
He rubbed his head, bringing it to his face as he sees a bit of blood. He looks up and bends back as the horse's back hooves nearly kick his head off. "Shit!"
He gets back up and tries again. Only to have the same result.
Again, he gets up and tries to get on only to be bucked off onto the fence as he takes a moment to regain his breath before returning.
Again and again, the stubborn young man tries to get the horse to accept him and again and again he's bucked off. Some of the other townspeople gather and stare with some laughing.
Those that laughed had a steel ball thrown at them and punched themselves multiple times.
Finally, a bleeding, beaten, and bruised Rowan is finally situated on the horse, his smile large and almost childish as he makes himself comfortable on the horse, its muscles tightly wounded in ways that Cyrus' wasn't. It was almost like power, speed and beauty all wound into a package that was just waiting to be unleashed with a worthy rider.
It either seems to have given up or has accepted Rowan as its rider. "That's it girl," Rowan says as he pats the side for the horse's neck, "does she have a name?"
"Umm," the stablemaster stutters before shaking his head, "no, it-it was never given one."
Rowan frowns, looking at the horse and muttering, "Well that ain't good, now is it? I can't just go around calling you 'horse' now should I?"
Holding a hand to his chin, Rowan thinks on it as the horse trots around in the wooden fence. "Hmm, what about [Dirty Diana]?"
The horse seems to stop, turning to its rider with a curious look in its eyes. It seems to think the name over for a bit before nodding. "Diana for short then."
With that, Rowan got a new horse.
His injuries, after a bit of galloping around with Diana, were basically gone thanks to the help of [Live Wire] and the energy gathered from his previous fights. Looking to the sky, he wonders if Cyrus is still around. He reaches into a bag on the saddle and pulls out a map as he opens it and hums. "Right, so...these are the [City Fortresses] that push back against Olga Discordia. This town is...near Alicia's City Fortress so...[Feoh] while Prim Fiorire is in...[Ur] since it's the closest...I don't have the [Seal] so I can't just walk into the Feoh nor Ur. Not to mention the tent we saw. Well, I now have a horse so I can actually take [Quests] but I still need to do a few more commissions to be able to accept those."
Idly, he reached into another satchel and brought out a book, looking through the language that is simultaneously familiar and unfamiliar, he begins to piece it together as he nods. "...A [Noble Title] would be cool too." He admits to himself out loud.
Considering how… open everyone is sexually and how Nobles having trysts with maids is common and expected, not to mention normal trysts, [Rowan] is considered strange for being a virgin at his age. Which is weird for him as he shakes his head.
Even [Celestine], a religious leader, accepts this. Which is a bit of a shock.
In the end, he returns to the map as he looks at it. Finally, he leans back, looking to the sky as he mutters out, "I want to get laid."
Diana shakes and Rowan is jostled awake from what might have been an awkward situation for, not only the horse, but Rowan as well. Shaking his head, he puts away the map and grabs the reins, urging Diana faster as he throws the steel ball up.
He hums as he tightens his grip on the ball, the grass swaying slightly as Diana whines. "I know girl. I know."
He pats her side, scratching it slightly as he raises back up. "I hope you're ready to run."
Diana snorts and taps the floor twice as Rowan could feel her muscles tensing in anticipation.
Rowan tightened his grip on his steel ball and the reins as he listened for the wolves.
One of them snapped a twig and Rowan snapped the reins, urging Diana forward as they heard the growls and went into the forest.
Meanwhile, "Status!" Alicia called, turning to the magic user in her current group as she rubs her chin, her breathing slightly labored and the beginning of bags under her eyes.
"None, according to the other squads, the aberrants are nowhere to be found!" The woman spoke, her exhaustion clear in her form, hunched over on her horse as she gulped down spit in her mouth. "Even using [Scan] doesn't show them anywhere in the general area."
"Then find them? Damn it, why are none of my [Iris Knights] scouts?" She grumbles under her breath.
"Because nobles see the abilities of one as 'beneath' them and because you scare off most commoners who come around." Cyrus says as he rides beside the Princess Knight. "Not to mention the nobility is a bit incom-."
"Silence yourself and return to your work. I will not allow you to besmirch the good name of my father's court." She ordered, her eyes sharp as they pierce through Cyrus who simply shrugs.
"And that's why I'm lacking fellow peasantry in the [Iris Knights]." Cyrus mutters with his hand spread and a heavy sigh as Alicia blushes and looks away. "If you keep acting like that you'll scare off Rowan."
"That-! Report!" Alicia blushed as she ordered Cyrus to report as he smiled.
"I have left the [Seal] at his current residence with a retired soldier." Cyrus starts. "Last I saw him he was being thrown around by a beautiful horse a few hours prior."
"Huh?" Alicia asks, turning to Cyrus with a worried look. "Is he okay?"
"Do not worry, I only saw enough blood to fuel a newborn on the outside. No broken bones." He says as Alicia's eyes widen in horror. "Not to mention the piece of wooden fence through his leg. But he lives."
"How?!" She asks in horror and curiosity.
"The horse would not accept a subpar rider and the rider is quite greedy to want such a wonderful and experienced old warhorse with such a temperament. I believe his greed even surpasses the original Emperor before the establishment of the Seven Shield Maidens," he notes as Alicia directs a complicated look at him, "but do not worry, his temperament was way better, not to mention the fact that he is completely and utterly human. But this does remind me of a similar story of my hometown."
"Is that so?" Alicia asks. Already knowledgeable about her own country's history.
"Yup," Cyrus starts as he begins the story, "as you might know, before the Seven Shield Maidens were established, there was the Empire ruled by a cruel draconic Emperor. He would regularly go out and take maidens for his pleasure out in the open but one day, a beautiful horse was found with a mane so black it made the night look like dried paint and eyes the color of blood. He fell in love with it and wished for such a horse to be his. So he tried to ride it only to be bucked off by the horse, because what the Emperor did not see was that the horse was a noble creature. It would not accept anyone less than itself, and the Emperor was not weak, his combat prowess was great, but his resolve was not. He was greedy and has never felt hungry, and that was what the horse saw. He didn't see the Emperor as someone fit to rule over it because he never struggled. He never hungered for something to the point of starvation." Cyrus' eyes dulled. "He never had to choose between him or his family."
Alicia looked on with sympathy as Cyrus shook himself out of his trance. "Well, I went off on a tangent, but by the time I left, Rowan was at least gaining the horse's respect. I believe he should be gaining a new ride by the end of the day." he took a moment to pause, looking up as he hummed. "Or right now, in other words."
"...When did you last see him?" Alicia asks.
"I believe it was a little before the middle of the day. His stamina is worrying ma'am, it makes me worry for whoever marries him, they might need help to please him." He notes with a serious look as Alicia flushes in outrage but the mage chuckles weakly.
"D-Do not spout such…" She tries to find the word but he wasn't wrong. Anyone who can go through what he did and survive is definitely not average. She shakes her head and glares at Cyrus as he urges his own horse back with a teasing smile. "Enough. Now, who was the soldier he was with?"
"Alan." Cyrus says, his voice speaking of his disbelief and shock as Alicia's brow twitches in recognition.
"Wait," the mage pops up once more, her voice barely hiding her laughter, "you mean the same Alan that was with Feoh's army that was court martialed with a crime serious enough to reach Lady Celestine, defend himself against the charges, and admit to sleeping with the wives of at least two Knights? In front of Lady Celestine, the other Shield Maidens, and those two Knights?"
The memory causes Alicia to growl, "That fool."
Maia and Luu Luu had a great laugh about it.
"Yup. As expected, Rowan wasn't there and when asked, Alan just shrugged." Cyrus says as he finishes up and Alicia rubs the space between his eyes.
"What is it with that man?" With everything she just learned she's almost tempted to take him back to her City Fortress by force.
"Bizarre things do happen to be commonstance around him." Cyrus says as Alicia glares at him.
"And don't think I forgot the amount of teasing you just put me through, once we're back I'll put you on latrine duty." Alicia threatens as Cyrus barks out a laugh.
"Lady Alicia, I'm taking time off once I return, you already signed off on it." Cyrus points out as Alicia blinks in realization.
"Damn i-." She was interrupted by the mage.
"The others found them, they're heading off to the near village." She blinks as the particles of energy gather around her hands as she nods. "It seems like they're heading to the outskirts and they saw a rider running away from them."
At this, the two looked at each other and came to the same conclusion. "Spread the word, cut them off! Each party is split into two if they have more than six, have the second group lag behind lest those invisible aberrants get the drop on the first group!"
"Okay!" As the mage began repeating the orders, Alicia turned to Cyrus, one of the few common folks in her regiment of Knights that she trusts.
"Is-Is love also this complicated for commoners?" Alicia asks with a flush to her face but exhausted.
Cyrus shakes his head. "No, not really." He admits. "I don't believe I've had to save my lover from a pack of invisible wolves merged with kobolds in some unknown ritual."
Alicia leaned forward into the neck of her horse. "Of course…"
Horror stories from her mother coming to mind, one in particular standing out since despite her father's capability he always manages to get himself in trouble, but those stories she could count with two hands and still need at least two more. And that was after the two met for the first time in their teen years and into adulthood. She hasn't even known him for that long and he's already filling up one of her hands with how much trouble he gets into.
After a second, she took a deep breath and released it, replacing the image of a lovestruck girl with a capable and stern general. "Alright, let's go!" She ordered, following the mage along with Cyrus.
While they were having a conversation, Rowan was on the horse, hie feet on the saddle as if he was surfing as he hollered. "Whooooo-hoooooo~! Go, outrun them, Diana!"
The horse whines and Rowan sits on the saddle and grabs the rein as he remembers the lesson from Cyrus and using his own intuition to lead the horse. "Right, hyah!" He yells as he urges the horse faster as he sets his legs into the stirrups as a vibration and shock seems to run through his body and into the arm holding his steel ball. His eyes widen as he remembers his lessons on the Spin.
He was never taught everything, but he was told that the ultimate technique of the Spin has to do with horses.
He leaves it for later as he flicks his finger, imbuing the Spin into the steel ball. "Ora!" He yells as he throws the ball ahead, piercing through an aberrant as blood falls on the grass and the steel ball returns a second later.
Laughing, he continues throwing, hitting aberrant after aberrant as he looks around.
The intelligence it has is that of a wolf and a kobold, and wolves are way smarter than kobolds. So as soon as they saw some of their own being killed when they're grouped together, they spread out, making them harder to hit as Rowan clicks his tongue. "Whatever." he mutters, catching the returning steel ball, imbuing it with the Spin as he aims ahead and throws it.
The spinning ball hits the ground and continues spinning, grinding the dirt into dust as it was sent into the air in a small dust devil.
"Sorry Diana, endure please." He whispered as the horse whined and leapt into the dust devil head first as the aberrants followed. Closing his eyes, he let the reins go and raised his shirt up and covered his mouth.
Soon, he stopped feeling the feeling of dust hitting his skin a she shakes his head, removing the dust from his hair and then reaching out to catch the returning steel ball, as he grabs the reins and hears Diana whine. "I'll clean you when we get out of there, maybe a few apples too."
It releases that breath that horses give before giving in extra effort as it runs. He bites his lip, trying to remember the surroundings as he nods. "Now," he looks back and extends his hand, calling, "[Live Wire]!"
Behind, creatures with dust in their coats appear, creating a faint outline of the aberrants as the wires connected to the creatures as he nods. His injuries are all healed and he still has some of the energy left from it, so he begins to pull, basically creating a tug of war against a dozen of opponents. And while Rowan's will and determination is great, against dozens of opponents and possibly more hiding he couldn't do much. So he didn't.
Instead, he [pushed] as the extra energy, nutrients, and mana he absorbed all coalesced and turn into electricity, traveling down the wire as the aberrants were shocked until they were crispy.
"Yeah!" He celebrated turning up front with Diana as both rider and horse slow down, going at a natural pace as Rowan shifted. "Gotta get used to this."
They trotted, keeping their ears out and ready for anyone. Imbuing the steel ball with the Spin, a wire begins to wrap it as Rowan shivers, realizing how sensitive the [Stand] is. He throws it to a tree as it left an indent but also released vibrations, something Diana must have felt since she had to recenter herself as he closed his eyes.
He felt it, vibrations returning as a map was created in his body before being translated onto his mind.
Horses and people, Alicia's [Iris Knights].
Sighing in relief, Rowan slumps forward. "Is that it?" He mumbles.
Slowly, he waits in anticipation.
But nothing happens, nothing pops up to kill him that's invisible. He sighs in relief.
…
He throws the steel ball into the head of the last aberrant that attempted to leap at him but was stopped, the spin on the ball causing it to lose half of its head as he urges Diana to the side to evade it.
Smiling softly, he whispered under his breath. "And that's all she wrote."
Moving the reins, Diana moves as he tries to remember the way back but her hoof squishes something. She whines as Rowan sighs. "Right, right."
He slides off of Diana, crouching down as he looks at the corpse of the aberrant. Only for his eyes to notice something.
"What?" He mutters. "Fuck is…"
There is a [growth] on the aberrant's brain.
Now, while Rowan only has the barest qualifications to be a doctor, he was fairly sure that there shouldn't be a growth there.
He reaches for Diana's satchel, a knife on it as he crouches down and begins to cut up the corpse.
Rowan poked and prodded but nothing happened. It was right in the middle with root-like veins going through the brain as he hums. "Could...no way."
He turns the corpse onto its back and begins cutting down the throat as he murmurs, "Gross."
Finally, after becoming bloody enough to need another bath, Rowan opens a book on monsters and heads to their anatomy. Using rocks to keep the book open, he uses his own knowledge as he begins pointing out the anatomy.
"Heart...stomach...what else?" He says under his breath.
"Rowan? Are you okay?" He hears Alicia call as he gives a noncomittal grunt. "Thank the godd-what are you doing?"
She enters the clearing as she watches him dissect the aberrant. "Alicia, these things pass their traits down when they breed, right?"
Alicia nods, disgusted but curious at what he meant. "Yes… Why is that?"
Nodding, he finishes listing off the internal organs under his breath as he finds what he's looking. "Then…" He reaches into the body, biting his lip and internally reeling in disgust as he finds what he's looking for. "What's this?"
It was a sack, there was a liquid in it as it was connected to a [black nerve]. "Look, see this nerve? No monster has black nerves." He said, pointing out the thin string, "and the only other part of the body that has that nerve is…" He trails off, pointing to the head as Alicia looks with disgust at it.
"Yes, but, what does it mean?"
Using a knife, he tries to poke open a hole into the sack but returns with no result. "It means that there's more to the aberrants that we thought." He glances up, his eyes serious as Alicia gulps, "And that we might not have the time or understanding to find out what it is."
Alicia sucks in her lips as the others' mood drops as Rowan stands up, blood on his clothes as he sighs.
A/N: So, new chapter out! Yay! Now, I've noticed that the fights are kind of… underwhelming and that'll change by next chapter, I think, where we'll have a slight time skip, a look into the Seven Shields Alliance meeting and possibly, Rowan's first quest.
Now, I'll admit, in a duo of beta reader and writer, neither of us know much of the official things in KuroInu except for what I read in fanfictions but this is here for the fun of it. And my own self indulgence. And my memory that swears there was a KuroInu fanfic with Gyro as the main character.
Now, because I have no self control, I'll be writing a new chapter of Alien State of Mind, then something else and then something else. We'll see how it goes. But, if you like Jojo and To-love ru, you should check out Alien State of Mind. Not to mention the fact that it's in the modern times so I'm not as limited in Stands as I am with Spin Me.
I...think that's all? There's also my kofi, it's the same as my pen name here and on ao3(where you can also read this on), you can donate money there so I can continue writing and support myself but I will continue writing even without it so do what you will.
I also might open commissions there at some point but not now.
Also, the song used in Celestine's dream is [War Pigs/Luke's Wall] by Black Sabbath.
[I also own none of the songs referenced or characters, I only own Rowan.]
Now that's it. Anyway, favorite, follow and review, especially review, I like compliments more than money.
Now, onto a little extra for poor Celestine that I might publish on Reddit.
Omake: Celestine's Curiosity
Celestine is a pious woman, this does not mean her religion is strict, it's actually quite the opposite, it's quite accepting even if the Archbishop does attempt to 'spread the wonder of the Goddess' to the East where the God Kaguya worships is located but that's another thing entirely. Instead, she is a hard worker, her status as a [high elf] giving her a higher vitality than humans and even if she does feel tired, it'd take a while to get there which allows her to manage her own City Fortress of [Geofu] from her castle and stay awake through multiple all-nighters and still look like she had a good night's sleep.
She's also kind, donating her own funds to take care of children and less fortunate while also attempting to make the occasional appearance.
Occasionally lonely nights come and she takes care of that, a bit regretful at how she wishes to be seen like a normal person, not someone to be put on a pedestal. Her thoughts would then spiral to less wholesome thoughts but that's not what this is about.
At its core: Celestine does not like being idle, if she didn't have her friend Claudia who's constantly around her, she'd probably work herself to the bone trying to keep her subjects happened even amidst the war. And one of the few reliefs she has that isn't delving into smutty novels or imagining herself in a compromising situation while pleasuring herself just happens to be music.
It's quite obvious as to the state of her city and others when she listens to bands play their music or bards tell tales. Whether they be out in the city center or they be brought in to play in front of her, or even when she's out at a party.
Her quill scratches the paper delicately, her ear twitching at the sound of the band's gentle playing, soothing her worries as she continues writing. Her ear managed to catch a missed note as her gentle green eyes cut towards the band member, turning as her chest shakes with the movement as a bit of her nipple is visible from her revealing clothes. "Are you okay?" She asks, interrupting the other band members as they blink.
"U-Um, yeah, my fingers are just…" He says, as Celestine's eyes focus on them as she notes the marks on them.
"Oh my!" She gasps as she leans forward on her desk, not noticing how some of the band member's trail her rear with naked lust before they reign it in. "I barely noticed how late it is, I've been taking up too much of your time, forgive me." She says bowing slightly, her breast bouncing but the band quickly tries to stop her.
"No, it's fine ma'am." One of them said.
"Yeah. We'd be willing to play even if our fingers bled." Another said as Celestine straightened up, her eyes full of shame and her ears drooping.
"No, I shouldn't, your hands are what allow you to play such beautiful sounds, it'd be remiss of me to let such skill be hampered for my own selfishness." She insists as she walks to them, grabbing the hand of the man as she closed her eyes, particles of green energy appearing as they gently brush at the young man's fingers, causing him to sigh in relief as the pain was eased, making the young man feel like he was back home practicing for his mother.
Soon, she did the others, healing their injuries as they marveled. "Bu-."
"Please don't tell anyone." She pleads, "I selfishly kept you here longer than I should have so think of this as something extra."
They nod, still in shock as she reaches into a cabinet on her desk, her hips swaying and causing the band members to shift uncomfortably as something hardened at the waist as she comes back with a bag of coins. "Here, for your time and thanks for such wonderful playing."
They reluctantly grab the money and were about to leave before she stopped them, "Um, forgive me for keeping you here longer, but you...wouldn't happen to recognize this style of guitar?" She asks, extending her hand as particles of energy solidified into a spectral form of a guitar as the band locks their eyes onto it.
The guitar player stepped up, extending his hands as he asked, "May I?"
Celestine nods and passes the guitar as she sees the young man fiddle with it. "I hate to ask this Lady Celestine, but is this accurate?"
"I...had not touched it but I recognized the materials," she said, the spell [Recreation], is a high-level spell that can recreate anything the user has seen with the caveat of being made from the user's own magic power which would leave most human mages exhausted after a few seconds but Celestine is neither a human nor an average mage, "it should be able to play the sound I heard."
As a [high elf] Celestine has great memory, almost perfect, so from the glances she got at the man in her dreams, she managed what sequence of finger and strumming played what sound.
The young man grabbed it as he was used to with his own guitar as he strummed at a simple note but the sound was louder than he expected, jumping as he gasped, shivering along with the other occupants as they stare at the guitar.
Curious, he went through a sequence of notes as the young man quirked a brow. "I...Forgive me Lady Celestine, but I do not believe I recognize this type of guitar."
She nods, dispelling it as it broke into gentle motes of green energy. "It's fine, it was simple curiosity."
The young man still had his hands up as if he still had the guitar in his hands, he reached for his own and compared it as he licked his lips. "Ma'am, I-I do not wish to question your memory as clearly it is better than mine, but…are you sure those sounds came from the guitar itself?" He says, squirming as Celestine turns to him in interest, "Be-because that was too loud for a normal guitar and the strings are a bit different."
Putting a hand to her chin, Celestine answers, "No, I do not believe so." She smiles, charming everyone in the room, "Thank you, you have given me much to think about."
Soon, the band was on their way, shifting uncomfortably as Celestine looked down at her desk.
The original mountain of paperwork down to a fraction as she bites her lips. "Mmmh~." She grumbles as she rests her head against the desk.
Ever since she had the prophetic dream with Olga and heard the song, she's been obsessing over it. Because none of the music compares to what she heard. The music of the bands and bards are still good but compared to the memory of that song it lacks something.
Not to mention the fact that ever since she heard that song, all her prophetic dreams have been replaced with similar songs. She straightens up and continues to work
She begins to hum a recent song, with even stranger sounds, as she sung the lyrics when she remembered them. "Soft and wet, ha~ ha~ ha~, soft and wet." She sung, giving her breaths a desperate edge to them like the original singer did.
She missed how a maid fell to her knees in arousal at hearing Celestine whisper such words with her breaths.
Celestine's eyes trail her room, landing on the bed as she gulps. "Well...I am nearly done with my work…"
She gulps, getting up from her desk as she lays on it, her weary mind making it easier as she closes her eyes, expecting to listen to another of the songs, she can almost ignore the feeling of anticipation and guilt at breaking one of the core beliefs of her religion.
Said guilt was replaced with elation as her sleep was filled with unfamiliar music.
If she would have been awake, she might have spotted the spectral image above her, white with flowing robes and jewels for eyes, and long ears with a build similar to hers, it seemed to cradle her face, like a worried and loving mother before she disappeared.
Well, this seems like something that's interesting. I just find it funny that Celestine might love music.