DISCLAIMER: DxD does not belong to me.
Hello everyone, Garith Gremory here!
At least, that's the name I go by nowadays...
You might be wondering where am I right now, at the start of my journey in order to find the perfect candidates for my peerage, right? Where my wits and whims took me at the humble beginning of my epic all the way to earning the second best harem(jk), and to learn and discover the secrets of this vast world, right?
Well, I'll tell you right now!
In jail!
Yeah!
Garith Gremory is now a criminal! Jailed like an animal! For circumstances beyond his control!
Oh Dae-Sun ain't got shit on me after that!
Jokes aside, the current situation is thus: Garith Gremory(me) is now confined in a rudimentary cell made of marble and rock, iron bars blocking the only path out of here, trapping me inside and providing me with only a smooth surface to serve as a bed, a toilet, a marbled tap and sink for personal hygiene and a hole on the rocky wall for a window, also blocked with bars. This is a cell no matter how much you look at it, and judging by my echoing breathing, I'm the only one here, in this humid, cold but surprisingly calm enviroument.
And before some make rude assumptions as to why I am here of all places, allow to explain: I'm still in Greece, the land of heroes, yes; however, after putting my personal belongings in a costal hotel near where I landed in the world of the humans, I decided to take a stroll and search for nice views and eat the local food, also to look for possible candidates and anything that might catch my interest like ancient weapons and gadgets. Some postalcards, selfies and tasting around Athens, either by foot or flying, I decided to take things a bit further and took flight to higher waters, literally. Who knows what kind of surprises I might find on higher views, specially on this ancient land from the age of Gods.
Eventually after flying for a few minutes, I found myself a hidden island which wasn't recorded on any map, either human or supernatural, and despite its sheer size and location, it seemed that an entire civilization was living there, if the archteture not unlike any greek one was any indication. Could that be perhaps a lost palace of a sorts, or mayhap the ancient Lemuria, the sinking city? My curiosity took the best out of me, and so I decided to take a look.
I landed on the sandy grounds, fold my wings back and strolled across the beach with a big smile on my face. Everything there sounded so fresh, and even with the typical headache and sunstroke due to my condition and devil body, just feeling the funny hot sands and hearing the soft waves from the ocean made this experience already a good one. Walking around for a few minutes or so, I ended up seeing some beautiful women bathing and playing on the sand like a springbreak paradise, all laughing and wrestling each other while enjoying the summerlike Sun. They all stopped when they saw me, and I smiled, wonder what they can hold for this old folk here? I greeted them with a smile and a wave... They greeted me with flails and arrows, pursuing me across the beach while screaming bloody murder, and after literally roping and wrapping me in bondage like an animal, confiscating my katana and other belongings and then jailing me as such, I realized where I was.
I was in the island of the Amazons, the Greek warrior women.
It's not hard to figure that out once you stop running for your life. Here in this jail located at their capital, Themiskyra, I see from the small hole serving as a window that the entire population is consisted of nothing but those muscular, athletic women wearing full sets of armour or just basic protection gear over their vests. Every day before sunrise a horn is blown to announce the morning training session, then the move on to their daily duties of a typical city until another horn is blown to indicate the evening training, and another to end the day with dancing and sports. As said before, this being the capital of the amazon island, I'm the only male here, trapped in this small hole until further notice... And bored out of my mind.
Unbelievable...
*STEP! STEP! STEP!*
"Hmmm~?"
"Good evening, male. I've brought you your supper. Enjoy as you can." And I hear steps coming closer to my cell, and the one to bring me food was this amazon girl of fair hair and soft face structure but a fierce stare, wearing a basic set of armour over a purple tunic. She's cute too, can't forget that. She puts the tray containing my food down on the small opening on the floor and passed it to me. Once that done, she pulls a chair and sits in front of my cage.
"Thank you very much." I smile, standing up from my prison bed and picking the food for myself, a small set of vegetables, fish, soup, cake, a piece of bread and a cup of hot milk. I clap my hands together to pray for the food and dig in like one should. One bite, one munch, swallow and then a small grimace, drawing the attention of the amazon warden. "Uh..."
"...?"
"Y'know... For a society made entirely out of women, your cuisine sure is lacking."
"I'm baffled on how many levels you offended me with that sentence alone." She groans, eyes turning away and a small red bump emerging on her head. It's not like that the food is bad, I expected much worse from prison rations all things considered, but after a few days being locked here, I grew tired of the same thing. It's dull and a bit soggy, but I got used to it; doesn't mean I like it, though.
"I'm just saying. For an isolated society with such rich culture and archteture for what I could see, plus its own mentality and beliefs, I find hard to believe your cooking is so... Oh how can I say it without being rude?, boneless." I comment back to avoid her thinking I'm some kind of sexist asshole. She frowns even more, and I stab the small eggplant cake to munch in it. Nope, still dull and almost tasteless. "My in-law can make a moussaka tastier than this with her hands tied behind her back. The fish's not bad though, and the soup is delicious, even if needs a bit more salt."
"You do realize you're a prisoner in the amazonian island, right? As a man, you have no rights to make demands, and in the worst case, you shall be executed for transpassing in our sacred lands." She says in a serious voice while I drink my cup of milk, getting from me a curious and amused hum. Yes, I know where and what I am right now, so? "We, amazons, pride ourselves in our lineage to the God Ares and Queen Otreta, and our kingdom is a prosper and strong one made entirely out of warrior women. To have a male enter our lands is a great sin to our culture, therefore we shall decide your fate as you lay here, as a prisoner. Do you understand your position now, male? In here, you have no rights as a man and an outsider; your life is in our hands now, so be quiet and wait for your sentence. If you don't want to eat, so be it, we couldn't care less."
"So... Let me guess, you were the one who made this dish, right?" I inquired her. One, two seconds, and then she blushed, looking away with pursed lips and an angry expression. Did I hit a jackpot? She must've really been hurt for that comment of mine. Oops.
"If... If you don't like it, don't eat it, male. This is my first week as a warden, I just can't make the dishes right, okay?" She says with a pouty mouth, clearly shaken by my critics about her cooking. Yet again, Garith Gremory(me) exemplifies the why he hasn't a girlfriend yet. Unbelievable. I let out a half-hearted laugh from my lips, taking a sip out of my milk.
"Like I said, it's not that bad; but I've tasted better stuff." I said with a friendly wave at her as she groans and looks away again. Coming here, I've also tasted so many treats from Greek cuisine, to see the amazons lacking on something like that is disappointing. "You said I'm your prisoner, right? That means I'm your guest. As my host, I honour your hospitality and care, but still, you should mind those kind of things. There are two indicators of a society: prisons and bathrooms. One look in any of them and you can expect what kind of people and estabilishment you're currently in."
"..."
"This cell in particular is nothing special, but it's cozy and well-adjusted. I thought a room by the cave would be either too humid, cramped or too hot, but this place is in the right temperature." I comment, now lying sideways on the floor and doing a blasé hand gesture. "Sure, the window doesn't give off too much of a view, but I was able to see some cute amazons during practice, and the lack of neighbors makes this place quiet and very nice, although the echoing makes things a bit too noisy for my constant headaches. And like stated before, the food is nothing special, but more than expected from prison rations. A 3-stars at best."
"Are all males like that, or you're like one of those?"
"I don't know what you're implying." I chuckle, eating the last bite of that moussaka and drinking the last remains of the warm milk. I put down all the utensils and silverware and clapped my hands together to thank her for the meal. "Thank you for the meal, ma'am. Say, do you have dessert?"
"..." And from her, nothing, only a sigh, picking the dirty plates and tray and taking her leave from my cell. No scorn, hatred or love, just a passive sense of confusion and curiosity, typical. Still within an earshot, she gives me a sideglance, blink a few times and nods. "Do not abuse yer luck, male. Your trial and final punishment will come soon enough, so cease that facet of yours."
And then she leaves, and I'm alone again in this cell by the cave, hearing some cheers and battle cries outside followed by the rings of weapons hitting each other or hard stomps. This place is more like a 24/7 training camp than a proper society, as expected from one entirely made of descendants of the war god, Ares, at least how I remember. I stand up, lay on my bed and then rudely burp last meal's scent, followed by a yawn asking for a siesta. What to do now? I'm bored...
Say, why don't you try to escape from here and resume your journey, me? That is a very valid question, me; therefore I shall answer. I stand up, walk towards the border of my cell, aim at the iron bars caging me here and, with a smooth kick, I was able to bend some of the metal easily. That wasn't even me in full power, if I really wanted to, I could either kick those bars down or use my Power of Destruction to destroy them and escape.
The problem is what will happen after that: A prison break of a single fugitive will alert all of the island in less than a hour, and considering all of the inhabitants of Themiskyra are female warriors raised in the ways of war since birth, even with a potent killing instinct I doubt I would be able to escape here without a scratch. Try to open my way through them, they'll just mosh on me and suffocate me to death; try to fly away, I will only get a thousand arrows up my ass; try to be sneaky... Who am I kidding, look at how beautiful and cute I am, to not attract attention is impossible no matter how much I try to be stealthy. Even if I am able to escape by force by some miracle, I'll be targeted by higher forces for being unfair, and that will only exacerbates problems in the long run, I don't want Gods or hunters after my head because I killed some amazons, imagine the hysteria and trouble that would cause to Sirzechs and the others just to save my ass...
Besides... The amazons are pretty cute and beautiful, and from here I can witness how ripped and gorgeous they are. Add that to the list of reason and I have no reason as to why leave for now, nor force my way into. Better wait for now and expect my punishment, then I can decide on what to do...
*ZING!*
Ugh... Too much thought, the [MIGRAINE] skill activated once again, giving a sharp pain on the box. I need to distract myself from the pain... I should just wrap my hair in braids for now, since it became so long. Not as long as Rias's, but I can wrap it in a ribbon not unlike Grayfia's. Look outside to see some cute amazons, sleep, eat; it has been almost a week since I became a prisoner in Themiskyra, and it's not a bad experience, all things considered.
The food could've been better, though...
*STEP! STEP! STEP!*
"Hmmm...?" I snap from my little reverie, the echoes of steps coming closer yet again. Is it dinner time already? I didn't even digest last meal just yet, and they already bringing me supper? Or maybe that one amazon wanted to bring me dessert? I wouldn't be surprised considering the typical amazonian pride. Regardless of intentions, I turned around from my position to face whoever comes and for whatever reason. "Is it supper already? Or you want to bring me cake? I'm flattered, honestly..."
"Huhuh. You're getting your just desserts, indeed, but unfortunately, I doubt is one you'll be content about, I suppose." And a new voice reaches me, and once I shake off the sleepiness in my eyes, I see also a new face looking at me: this tall, dark and handsome woman whose clothing consists in golden armour and jewelry over a crimson robe, a crown shaped like eagles decorating her long hair in a ponytail and a daring smile with rosey lips. She has a very regal aura, but her expression is subdue and weightless, which makes the aura around her even scarier. My smug facet falls against her smile. "How are you doing, my dear male prisoner, I inquire? The one who speaks to thee is the current Queen of the land of the Amazons, Otrera. Nice to meet you, I daresay."
"Hm... Nice to meet you too." I bow politely, out of genuine curiosity yet hesitation to her status and stance. She is not like the other amazons, she looks quite dangerous. To my response, she chuckles, a finger on her lips.
"You seem unease, male prisoner, I observe. Does my presence put you in a foul mood? As the amazonian queen, you should've expected that much, I remark." Another chuckle, and from me a twitch on the eye. I use [APPRAISAL] on her status, and right above her head, I see it. [OTRERA], [LEVEL: 114/?], [ALINGMENT: TRUE NEUTRAL]. She's on a different level compared to me, yet her alignment put me at ease, she's at least not unreasonable, for now. She notices me staring, and shifts her gaze upwards. "Something interesting on my hair, I wonder? Your gaze is not subtle, 'tis but a pesking male trait, I suppose. I hope Pyrrha is taking good care of you. Despite being a male and an invader, we're not savages, I explain."
"She's... Doing her best. The cooking is lacking, though." I say back, I suppose this 'Pyrrha' is the warden taking care of here?, and queen Otrera laughs yet again. She's very light, almost weightless, and her alignment doesn't give off a threatening vibe, but still, I sense darkness behind that smile. "But, are you here on her stead, queen Otrera? I say, tasting the Queen's cook... It might be the greatest honour ever since I got here. At least I expect to taste better than the last meal."
'Choke on centaur dick, male...'
"I am a warrior not unlike other amazons here, male; I'm afraid that my cooking might be just as average, I admit." She says between her teeth, drawing even more confusion from me. If she's here not to cook for me, I doubt she's here just to chat either. Silence now, the shroud of mystery doesn't leave her quiet pose, and after a while, she continues to speak. "But I'm not here to discuss those idle subjects, I'm afraid. As you might've guessed thus far, you've entered the island of the amazons, our prideful nation consisted of only warrior women. We abhor the presence of males altogether, and those who enter in our domain are judged and then swiftly dealt with, I explain. Out culture... Forbids contact with the other sex unless its for reproductive reasons, thus, we decide the fate of those who invade, and now, we have already decided the fate upon you male, I confirm."
"Neat." I stand myself sit on my bed to completely shift my attention to the amazon queen, waiting for her final verdict on my stay here. Not that this isn't a bad place, but I rather stay at my hotel and eat some passable food while here in Greece. I nod and smile, waiting for her response. "So... What's your final word, Queen Otreta?"
"Instead of a word, I shall give you a choice, male, I propose." She lifts a finger, and winks at me, her calm and composed stance not breaking in the slightest. "We cannot stand males in our society, not at all, but the season of mating is coming closer, so, for this, pick your poison: either be executed with honours... Or serve yourself as our breeding slave, I suggest."
"..."
"..."
"Eh...?" I stop for a moment, and once her words have been processed within my mind, I open an eye. Wait, execution? Breeding? "Come again...?"
"As amazons, any male within our land is swiftly dealt with per tradition, I explain. We're not savages, but our beliefs and culture forbids contact with the opposite sex. In any other occassion, once we've captured you, an execution would be at ready for you, I say." She explains yet again with a finger lift, moving it left and right until she gave it a light kiss, coming closer to the cell and winking yet again. "However, the season of mating is coming close, the period some of us venture into the outside world to get impregnated and perpetuate our clan. To kill someone who seems so healthy and energetic, not to mention daring enough to enter our lands by himself, would be such a waste, I observe. Therefore, choose: death or mating, I propose."
"Hm..." My lips purse a little to those choices. Either die or become a breeding bull for an island of women only. I'm glad that I at least got to have a word in the matter, a choice in the matter, but still. I open my mouth, bite my thumb, hum something, turn to the queen again. "What're the conditions here?"
"You choose death, we kill you, I respond." She smiles. I know this much. "You choose mating, you'll spend the rest of your life as our breeding slave, laying with every amazon in our land once reaching the fertile age and getting them pregnant to perpetuate Themiskyra and its culture. We will provide for you so that you're always eager and healthy in order to produce strong children, and every season you shall impregnate a few batch, me included. Once we axhaust your utility, we will kill you. Also, you won't be allowed to keep any of the children, and the male ones will be sent to the mainland. Any questions, I ask?"
"So I'm dead anyway, the only choice is that how long it'll take!" I whine, and her chuckles are starting to get on my nerves, she probably thinks my reactions are amusing. What a hard choice, either die at young age or sleeping around until I'm spent and then die. I mean... I'll probably have more fun in one than the other, but still, I don't want my adventure to end up here. What to do, what to do? I wonder if this is how a visual novel works in the real world. "Queen Otreta, if I may, do I have any other option?"
"You won't choose mating, I wonder?" She blinks, confused. "All the other males before thee choose to copulate with us until they exhaust themselves in like a decade or so. In fact, my current daughters were the fruit of the last prisoner we got, I add. They had some of their bones shattered, but they were happy, I suppose."
"I admit, is quite an attractive offer, considering the choices I have." I say with a puff on my chest and a smug smile. After that, I make a heart with my fingers and sparkles fly everywhere around me. "However, what's the point of that if there's no [LOVE] in it? For a greek civilization, you sure lack [LOVE]! I am a romantic, you see! If there's no [LOVE], then it's not worth it! Also, I don't want to die. I have places I want to go before that."
"A noble cause, I suppose. You amuse me, male, and perhaps we are being too harsh on someone who looks unaware, I daresay." She chuckles. I dunno what to think of this 'amusing' part, but she's definitely mocking me. I'm not a fool! Another finger on her lips, and a gaze upon me. "I shall humour your request, I decide. As queen, I do not want to look unreasonable to my subjects, I admit. Therefore, instead of mating or death, I will give you an alternative for freedom , I say. However, be aware that my graces can only be offered so far, and the rest in onto you. As an amazon... I can't hide the fact I do not want you here either, I conclude."
"Hahahah. Queen Otrera is such a wise Queen." I admit. I appear composed and light, but actually I'm quite relieved for that third choice. I don't want to be killed or be a breeding slave, but I don't actually want to stir commotion against the greek pantheon either by trying to break free and killing some amazons in the process. "Okay, thank you very much for your kindness and grace. I'll face any trial or condition as long as I can do something about it."
"Truly romantic you are, I observe. I guess that, regardless of the outcome, my amusement will never cease regarding you, I muse. Very well, be prepared." She flicks her hair away and turns away, the cold leather of her gladiator sandals producing a dull sound in the empty prison rows. She waves a goodbye at me, and blows me a kiss. "Be prepared, male prisoner. Your quest for freedom shall be a difficult one, but do not forget, this is a choice brought upon you by mercy from yours truly, I explain. That we meet again."
"Gladly." I say, keeping with the confident face until she was away from sight, so that I could sigh in relief and exhaustion, sliding all the way to the floor and laying on my back on the cold floor.
Phew, that was a close one, I have nothing else to do but to thank my [CHARISMA] skill and the typical Gremory charm, who knew being a smartass instead of a meadhead would save my life, at least for now. A journey that is short but blissful, sounds like a romantic dream, but since I do want to do something else in this new life instead of waking up and doing the same thing day-by-day, rinse and repeat, I feel like I made the right choice.
I do wonder what the queen has stored for me though. Being a greek figure, she can be snappy and whimsical, but also fair and clever by half, so I can expect just as much. Putting her level and alignment into consideration is also a way to narrow what might happen. Ah, too much thinking, I can feel that pesky skill gaining force. Y'know what? I should just lay down and wait yet again, I have nothing better to do anyway, and it's still midday...
*STEP! STEP! STEP!*
And a third visit for the day, it seems. Not from the queen like the previous one, but the auburn-haired amazon from before, I guess her name was Pyrrha, who was carrying with her a small tray with a steaming piece of pie. It smells so good too!
"Here, male. I brought your dessert." She says, pushing the said piece of pie down the small entrance on my cell for me. I take the dessert, pick the fork next to it and take a bite. Bite bite, munch munch, gulp. Hm. "How is it? Not that I care, of course."
"It's good. Freshly made and the sweet and sour combination mixes well. Is it cherrypie?" I ask, taking another bite of that delicious dish and seeing a small blush and a ghost of a smile on Pyrrha's face. She turns around and makes a pumped up fist gesture, probably thinking I can't see her, turning back at me with a proud smile.
"I see. Of course. I guess I'm getting the hang out of this warden thing." She laughs to herself as I continue to eat the pie. The amazon pulls a chair to sit on and now stares as I eat her dish, dreamy eyes and a satisfied smile plastered all over her face. "Enjoy this as you can, male, as if your last meal. Once queen Otrera makes her new decision, it might as well be."
"Mh-hm..." I mutter with my mouth stuffed with pie, too absorbed into its deliciousness to care much about what she said. Even if this wasn't my last meal, I feel like it is. Another thing I should always treasure as well, something learnt with both the Gremory and master Okita: carpe diem, enjoy the small things and seize the day, for you never know what the future holds, for better or for worse...
Still, the adult in me can't ignore the lingering feeling of dread for her words. I do wonder what the amazon queen has for me as the third option...
'HELLLOOOOOOO, LADIES AND GENTLEWOMEN! ARE YOU REAAAAAAAADDDDDYYY TO PARRRRRTYYYYYY...?! TODAY, IN OUR DEAR THEMISKYRA COLOSSEUM, WE HAVE A SPECIAL GUEST THAT SHOWERS HIS, THAT'S RIGHT, 'HIS'!, PRESENCE AMONG US THE AMAZONS! GRACED BY THE WHIMS OF OUR DEAR QUEEN OTRERA, HE WILL FIGHT FOR HIS FREEDOM IN THIS SACRED BATTLEFIELD! INTRODUCING THE MALE WARRIOR FROM THE FAR AWAY LAND, WIELDING A BLADE OF THE FAR EAST!'
The cheers, the screams, the euphoria... All of those are giving me quite a headache, so much so I'm getting the cold sweat, but it feels nice nonetheless, to be the center of attention, as someone like me should be!
The answer for my question came faster than I anticipated: the day after my meeting with Queen Otrera, a few hours after breakfast, which was still a bit dull by the way, some amazons opened the jail cell for me and asked me to followed them. Like the good boy that I am, I followed their instructions without complaints, and soon enough after a hefty trip around Themiskyra, my presence gathering too much attention since I'm literally the only man here, they took me to a broad locker room and told me to wear this feminine clothing of theirs, I think the name was Chíton or something, over my clothes per tradition, also giving me Ichimonji-R back and asking me to wait to be called. Before I could ask some questions, they left me and locked the room. With nothing else to do, I wore the tunic and fastened Ichimonji-R on the sash in the middle. Don't I look gorgeous with it?
Sitting on one of the benches, instead of a call, the gates of iron on one side of the room open with a strident sound, and hearing the screams and the cheers by the other side, I figured it was my cue to go there, so I did. What greeted me by the other side was a colosseum filled to the brim with cheering and screaming amazons all over the several rows of seats, confetti and the smell of alcohol flying everywhere, and in a special quarter in the middle of the rows, stood Queen Otrera and three other girls sitting on thrones, looking at me with curiosity and surprise. The announcer girl, another amazon standing on a post near the Queen's VIP seat, screams my entrance with a golden horn. Once reaching the middle of the arena, I turn to the queen and her girls, and she waves me a 'hello'.
'Is that the male? He seems so... harmless?'
'Not only that, is he really a male? His figure, his features, the fact the chíton embraces him perfectly. Are you sure he's not a woman?'
'He lacks on the bust department. Clearly a male.'
'If that's the case, you're a male too, Cora.'
'Shut the Hades up.'
'He's cute, though. Wonder if that's the reason as to why he got the Queen's graces.'
'Mating with him would feel awkward, I'm glad he didn't choose that.'
'I wish he could teach me how to braid my hair like his.'
"MALE, I WELCOME YOU TO OUR COLOSSEUM!" And shutting all the screams and comments up from me, making the entire place fall dead silent, Queen Otrera leans on her throne ad lifts a finger at me, her voice as clear as day despite the distance between us. "Your walk towards this sacred section was devoid of problems, I hope?"
"I had no problems." I shrug, pulling the sliding sleeve of this gartment of mine. It's soft on touch and silky, not bad, I wonder if I can keep it. A laugh from the queen, someone is having a good time.
"Good, good. I requested my guards to escort you the best as they could, considering that I wanted you to be at your peak reaching this arena. Knowing that you're in top shape puts my heart and expectations in full bloom, I admit." She snickers, and I tilt my head in confusion. Why is that? Although, considering their culture, I have the slightest idea of what it is, something that I dreaded. "As you may or may not know, male; we, the amazons, are a proud race of warrior women. As descendants of Ares and the original Queen Otrera, more than a culture, the very core of our existence is warfare and conflict. We are born to fight, live fighting, and die fighting; 'tis the life of those born in Themiskyra! Having rejected execution and a life as a breeding slave, for the whims of this Otrera, I present you thus: if you want your freedom, as per our culture, you must prove yourself worth of such, for a life devoid of the passion for war and violence is a wasted one!"
"What...?"
"Therefore, here's your third option!" She snaps her fingers, and out of the sudden, emerging from the sandy ground of the colosseum, several weapons of all kinds appear, from swords to spears, to spiky flails, to even shields, tridents and boomerangs. I thought at first it was a surprise attack and she deceived me, but once they stopped coming up, she stands from her seat and makes a majestic hand gesture. "In order to obtain your freedom, you shall fight our greatest warrior... IN A DEATH BATTLE!"
And all the amazons around cheered and screamed in excitement.
A battle to the death, she says? Does that mean...
... A boss fight? This soon?
Unbelievable.
"Queen Otrera, question!" But before the match starts, I lift a hand to call for her attention, and once again she uses a hand to silence her crowd.
"Speak, male."
"Is this battle to the death... Do I need to kill my opponent?"
"Yes!"
"Oh... To the death?"
"Yes."
"Huh... Okay then." I lower my hand, my curiosity and questions quenched. A battle to the death, I guess there is some romance in that too. My eyes avert to some random directions, trying to find this 'greatest warrior', and unfortunately, it perused all over these buff, strong, clearly-can-snap-me-like-a-dry-twig amazons all watching, making me wonder what kind of beast awaits me. I hope she's cute, though. I start to tap my foot on the ground a few times, yawned and sighed, crossed my arms and coughed. Nothing yet. "So, where she is, anyway, if you don't mind me asking? I can leave if she doesn't show up in half an hour, r-...?"
And my question was silenced by another creaking noise coming from the gates in front of me, the iron bars leading to the opposite side slowly opening to allow the entrance of another figure in the arena: this masked marrior wearing the same gartments as me, but with a sash wrapped around her waist and leaned over one shoulder, a golden pad in the middle where her heart should be. Leather sandals, golden ornamental mask, a golden spear and a black sword at hands, fierce and dignified stance as she walks, a true warrior. I gulp a dry one...
'ASK, AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE! ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS ARENA, STANDS THE INVINCIBLE WARRIOR AMONG WARRIORS OF THE PROUD NATION OF THEMISKYRA! HER BACK HAS NEVER FACED THE GROUND, HER SPIRIT HAS NEVER EXPERIENCED DEFEAT, AND I DOUBT AN OUTSIDER SHALL PRESENT HER WITH THAT, THE NERVE! IN ALL OF HER GLORY, CARRYING ONLY THE BEST WEAPONS WE CAN PROVIDE TO OUR BEST, THE PROUD PRINCESS OF THE AMAZONS... HippolytaAAAAAAA!'
The announcer screams, but unlike the hype surrounding her, the warrior by the other side walks on a slow path, not fettered by the cheers and celebrations around her. From me, all praises and wishes went to her, claiming I was done for and this match was already decided. 'Hippolyta', that's her name. Nice, if unoriginal. Eventually, her slow steps reached me, and we stood face-to-face, she stands a bit taller than me, but nothing too exaggerated.
"Hello there, Garith Gremory here. At least that's the name I go by nowadays." I greet her with a smile and a wink, but no reaction from her. She got no amability in her... An amazon with no amability, hah, I just made a joke. The announcer amazon descends from her position and walks towards us still with her horn at hand, although not screaming on it anymore.
"Very well, male, princess; the rules are the following: no rules, you just can't leave the arena nor claim hostages from the crowd under the threat of execution; the one who kills the other wins, and weapons are allowed as long as they're within arena limits. Am I clear?" She asks and explains the rules, and from both of us, a nod indicating that everything was crystal, mainly because there are not that many to remmeber anyway. Once that was done, she smiles, and again jumps away to her place on the borders of the arena, but not before tapping both of our shoulders as a good luck gift. "Very well: fight fair and square, to the death! One, two, and... FIGHT!"
"Kh...!" And once it started, Hippolyta wasted no time to gain distance between us, a jump wide enough to leave no reaches on my end, even if I were to rely on my Power of Destruction or any weapons. Her landing is soundless and swift, and her stance with her weapons is firm. For that... I simply smile and offer a hand. "Hah...?"
"Hey, Hippolyta, let's shake hands." I offer, and from the crowd, curious yet amused hums and comments. Even with her mask on, I can see the amazon switching between looking at my hand and then to me, her emerald stare, not unlike queen Otrera's, fierce but shocked. "C'mon, don't be shy. Let's shake hands in a sign of good sportsmanship, eh? It might be our last battle, anyway. Let's be courteous about i-..."
*ZOOM!*
"Eh...?" And I feel... Something warm. Something stingy. My eyes shift from her to myself, and I touch my cheek to feel blood running through it. Something cut my cheek, for a nick not ripping off half of my face, and once I recover from the shock, I noticed that Hippolyta has thrown her spear at me. "Ah..."
*ZING!*
"Hm...?" And in one blink, one small blink and instead of the amazon, a spear stood where she was, and from behind me, a shadow creeps! I turn around and see Hippolyta coming at me, sword at hands and ready for a decisive strike! I lift Ichimonji-R against her assault and was able to block her sword with the scabbard, but the force behind it was too much! How heavy is this sword?! it feels like it weights a ton! Also, how did she move that fast?! "K-Kh...! J-Just a moment, hey...!"
"Hwah...!" And she pulls her sword and unleashes strikes against me, my arms growing weaker and weaker on each hit because of how heavy her sword is, holy shit! It's not like she's overpowering me or anything, that sword of hers is heavier than it looks! I can't take it anymore, in one swift move, I slither away from her barrage and roll to a side, gaining distance between us! She wastes no time to go after me and picking a buried spear with her! One leap and she covered the distance between us again! "Shaaaaaaaah...!"
"Can you just... Wait a moment...!" I lift Ichimonji-R yet again to protect myself against her barrage of thrusts and stabs, coming at me with such speed and force it looks like she was just throwing a million spears my way! I start to lose balance, running backwards is harder on those type of dire situations, her blows just don't stop, and once or twice I fail to defend myself, her cutting down my clothes and opening wounds on me! Finally, one swift slash and she makes all of Ichimonji-R tremble and my grip on it to waver, to then slap my katana away with her sword, making it fly high in the sky and leaving me armless! Now without defences, she aims at me fully!
"Hwaaaah...!"
"I said...!"
*GRIP!*
"...?!"
*POW!*
"... Calm down and wait a moment!" A counter. Hippolyta used her whole body weight and threw herself at me with her spear, a fatal blow if it hit... If it hit, that is. With the nerves on skin level, I was quicker to dodge that thrust and instead held the staff of the spear, letting myself slide to her as her whole weight did the rest! She didn't even had the time to swing her sword, I elbowed her right in the mask and blew her away, making her fly a few meters away and land on her feet, disarmed of her spear, which I threw aside. I sigh, shaking the pain away from my hand. "Phew... Seriously, Queen Otrera said you weren't savages, but now... I'm having my doubts. Unbelievable."
'A... A COUNTER! WHAT AN EFFECTIVE COUNTER AGAINST OUR PRINCESS! THE MALE WAS ABLE TO STOP THE INCESSANT HYDRA HEADS ASSAULT WITH HIS BARE HANDS AND LAND A BLOW TO Hippolyta, EVEN THOUGH IT DIDN'T LEAVE ANY LASTING DAMAGES, AS EXPECTED FROM OUR GREATEST WARRIOR!'
"Now now, where did it go... Where did it go... Hah, here." I walked around the arena for a while, eyes scanning the ground and turning around the other weapons, until I finally found the one I was looking for: my dear Ichimonji-R, which I unstuck from the ground and put it back on the sash around my waist. I laugh to myself, and turn back to my opponent, a hand lifted. "Well, despite your rudeness, let's try again: here, let's shake hands. Courtesy, as they say, no? So, may the best warrior..."
ZOOM!*
"Huh!" And again interrupting me, how rude! Hippolyta didn't let me finish my sentence, throwing a ball and chains in my direction to try to hit my head clean off! Instead, I lift my sword to make the chains wrap around the scabbard and lock us in this tug-of-war! Even with me having the grip advantage, I can feel her pulling me towards her with a firm stance. Just how strong is this amazon?! Answer: a lot.
[Hippolyta]
[LEVEL: 84/?]
[ALIGNMENT: TRUE NEUTRAL]
She's stronger than me, all things considered. She's an amazon after all, a warrior woman raised to be just a fighting machine of war. But still, that's a bit too much, isn't it? The crowd cheers and screams yet again as we're locked in this tug game, no one budging at all but she shows no signs of struggles unlike me, her mask probably reflecting her current stoic disposition. If this keeps up, I'll be just losing energy in a hopeless standstill, I must do something, fast!
But then I realized that I just don't need to do anything at all, at least in this situation!
"Whoops..." I fake surprise, letting Ichimonji-R change positions and point its blade to her! The force on her side plus the position of the katana made the scabbard slide off from the blade, the chains also escaping through and making her lose composure and balance with the sudden release! A few seconds of confusion, more than enough for me, and so I pick my scabbard back and I run for her, onto the offense! "My bad! Now, have at thee!"
"Kh...!" She stomps and stands herself firm, shaking off the daze and bow kicking a bow and arrows from the ground into her grasp, now unleashing a flurry of darts at my direction! Swift, deadly, but predictable; as Master Okita always says, archers tend to aim at the legs, head or heart for a one-shot kill, and realizing where she was looking at, I was able to use my katana and its scabbard to deflect her arrows and defend myself! Too close, close enough! She couldn't rely on the bow anymore, and so she lifted her sword while I aimed mine at her! "HAH...!"
"Sha...!"
*TING!*
*DOOOOON!*
"HIDEBUUUU~...!" But unlike a samurai film, I wasn't able to perform that awesome 'swift-cut-over-the-opponent-delayed-cut-effect' move as Hippolyta was faster and swung her black sword against me, and while I was able to defend myself, the shock and impact of her weapon was too much, I felt like I just got hit by a truck, making me fly away by sheer force until I hit the wall and made a fissure there, cracking some of the surroundings as well. How... How much does that sword weights? Probably around 200kg, I say! I slide my way to the ground, and despite trembling a bit, I cough and stand myself tall, my stomach hurting and having difficulty to breathe, but alive nonetheless. "Owowowow..."
"Huh." Hippolyta by the other side tilts her chin at me in disdain, a hum of disappointment behind the mask. But then, *CLICK!, a line is drawn in the middle of her facial armour, and gasps spread all over the colosseum, also one from her. Shock, disbelief, the cut in the middle of her mask grew until it reach the opposite vertical ends of it, and then it split apart, falling on the ground with a soundless touch because of the sand. "Gasp...!"
"Hah, not bad, eh?" I say, lifting my gaze after recovering from the pain on my gut from that last blow. I can feel the smug feeling creeping all the way on me because of that last strike, but once I saw the one behind the mask, I was left speechless. "H-Huh...?"
Behind the mask, there was something completely new: unlike the golden serious and cold expression of the facial ornament, this one had softer structure and shape, fair skin which contrasted with the big yet sharp green eyes, her dark bangs falling delicately on her forehead. From the top of her head, a small string of blood, possibly the part which I superficially cut with Ichimonji-R, dividing her face into two sections with a crimson line which showcased how symmetrical her features were. She winks instinctively once a small line of iron falls onto one of her eyes, and uses her hands to wipe it away.
"No way..." I moan at her, earning a curious yet desinterested hum and a tilt from my opponent. "No way... Don't tell... All this time... You were a girl?!"
"..."
"..."
...
'OF COURSE SHE'S A GIRL, MALE! SHE'S AN AMAZON, THAT'S LITERALLY OUR GIMMICK IN THE MYTHS!'
"Ay~! Nice comeback, announcer girl!" And I point two of my fingers at the announcer's words. I mean, of course she's a girl, she's an amazon and stuff, that's kind of their thing, as stated before! I clap my hands once and do a blasé pose, a smile creeping on my lips. "Seriously though, why use the mask then, Hippolyta? It's not like you're a childhood friend of mine, nor you are running away from the law, you're an amazon, after all. Do you just want your character design to look cool, or maybe you remove your mask once you reach a certain level and ascends? C'mon, you must have a reason for it."
"..."
"...?"
"I just think is cool, I respond."
"Hooooh~?" I tilt my head to a side as she speaks for the first time since the beginning of the match. She has a nice voice, very deep but with a certain pitch that reflects a light tone, unlike Rias's or even miss Grayfia's. She reaches a hand for her wound on the forehead and wipes off the blood again.
"Masks are cool, no? The mystery surrounding wearing them for occasions, even without a secret to keep with them, makes me feel a bit more intimidating, and depending of how I use it, it helps greatly in combat, I explain." The said princess picks the halves of the golden mask and carefully wraps them around the sash in her body, away from my sight at least. One, two seconds of silence, and she blushes a bit. "I just think they're neat, I conclude. No other reason but aesthetics, I say. Will you laugh for that, I ask?"
"Hahahah. Not at all." I say with a crack on the neck and walking towards her at a slow but steady pace, still feeling a sting of pain in my gut. "What's the point of fighting if you can't show off? Conflict without art, without grace, is just animalistic, my master always says."
"Hm. What a wise, if unnecessarily vain, master, I presume." She concludes, reaching a hand for her sword and spear once again to engage. I think I found myself a kindred spirit. But before that, I shealth Ichimonji-R back and reach a hand for her again. "Hm...?"
"Now, let's shake hands, Hippolyta." I insisted for the n'th time, her gaze again shifting to my hand and to my eyes, her stance softening seeing that I have no violent intents towards her. One, two seconds pass, and she sighs.
"I can humour a request for the one who was able to break one of my defences, I guess. Be honoured, male." She admits and lifts a hand for me. Instead of accepting my offering with an open palm, however, she raises a fist parallel to the ground to me. "But my graces only extend for so much, I suppose. Greet me like a warrior."
"Oh... Okay." I say, forming a fist with my extended hand and bumping it with her glaves. A simple touch, but I can feel behind it the weight of her fist, something that might become a problem later. I should end this match as soon as possible.
"Hippolyta, eldest daughter of Queen Otrera and descendant of the war god Ares. The strongest warrior woman of Themiskyra, I boast."
"Garith Gremory, hailing from the noble house of Gremory and brothers with the current Lucifer, Sirzechs. The troublemaker of the Gremory clan."
'Gremory, he says?'; 'So he's a devil, after all!'; 'No wonder he can keep up with princess, no human male could ever lay a finger on her!'; 'Is lady Hippolyta going to be okay against him? I heard his clan has control over destruction!'; 'Don't worry, our princess can still win, even against a devil noble!'. Comments and more whispers after that revelation, but from my opponent Hippolyta, a ghost of a smile, more amused than anything else, really. Her gaze, her stance and poise, unfettered, as expected from the strongest warrior of this place. She knows she can and will try to kill me. It's a bit scary, but somehow... Exciting? At least she didn't burn my arm and half of my face in a dick move, unlike a certain Yakitori.
"Let's have a fair and square fight..."
"... And may the best warrior win!" We conclude each other's sentences, and then, this match to the death resumes! To death!
[BOSS BATTLE!]
[THE WARRIOR PRINCESS OF THEMISKYRA, Hippolyta]
[FINAL MATCH!]
[ARE YOU READY? FIGHT!]
And we once again clash blades, her black one emanating a dangerous and heavy aura of murder, like it wants to personally kill me. Well, jokes on her, time for me to get serious as well!
[FAIRY STANCES: THE FIVE FORMS OF DEMONIC KENJUTSU] form unlocked!
[INFERNO STYLE: THE FIVE SKILLS OF THE ANNIHILATION CONSTELLATION] form unlocked!
BOSS COMPENDIUM: UPDATED!
[NAME: Hippolyta]
[LVL.: 84]
[RACE: Demigoddess/Amazon]
[ALIGNMENT: True Neutral]
[TITLES: The strongest warrior woman of the amazonian island; Themiskyra princess]
[CLASS: Saber-Brawler-Spearman-Archer-Rider]
(SKILLS)
- PANKRATION(ACTIVE): Martial arts from ancient Greece, it relies on powerful and precise blows by using the whole body to completely destroy the opponent, the only limitation being to hit only above the waist. (Lvl. MAX)
- THEMISKYRA ROYALTY(ACTIVE): The leader of the amazons, uses a compelling voice and high charisma to boost strength, resolve and determination of allies, extra boost for the amazonianindividuals. (Lvl. 11)
- SPARTAN FORMATION(ACTIVE): battle skills using shield and spear, a powerful combination of defence and offense which has little to no weakness in a broad battlefield. The uses optimizes also their skills on both weapons. (lvl. 28)
- BLESSING OF THE WAR GOD(PASSIVE): A skill of those who inherited the blood of the war god Ares, the user will have completely mastery of [BASIC] skills regarding weapons of any sorts, from rudimentary ones up to firearms. However, it won't fuction past [MEDIUM]-level arm skills, requiring the warrior to train to further improve them. (Lvl. MAX)
- BLESSING OF THE WAR GOD -MID-(PASSIVE): An improved version of [BLESSING OF THE WAR GOD, the user can now possess complete master of [MEDIUM] skills regarding , it won't fuction past [HIGH]-level arm skills, requiring the warrior to train to further improve them. (Lvl. 50)
- - A WARRIOR IS NEVER EMPTY-HANDED(PASSIVE): A sub-skill of [BLESSING OF THE WAR GOD], the user is capable of coating any object with semi-divine aura to increase damage and durability by a slight margin, effectively turning anything on reach into a weapon. (lvl. 47)
- DIVINE PROTECTION(PASSIVE): The user takes less damage from magic-related offensive skills except [annihilation]-based ones. (Lvl. 71)
(STATS)
-STR: 639
-DEF: 222
-DEX: 601
-SPD: 132(discounting the [GODSPEED] skill)
-END: 500
-INT: 153
-WIS: 46
-CHA: 454
-LUK: 33
[EQUIPMENTS]
- THE GIRDLE OF WAR(EQUIPPED): A crimson sash with a golden belt, a heirloom of Themiskyra's royalty given by Ares, the god of War. It's as light as silk yet almost indestructible, boosting STR and DEF stats while also serving as armour. It is suppose to be wrapped around the waist and over the shoulder to protect an amazon's heart and uterus.
- ACHILLES(EQUIPPED): A magical spear wielded by Hippolyta, named after the slayer of Queen Penthesilea during the Trojan war. It gives the user the skill [GODSPEED, the ability to switch places with the spear on quick successions on .
- ALCIDES(EQUIPPED): A black sword wielded by Hippolyta, named after the greatest greek hero. A sword made from a mineral only found in Themiskyra, it is extremely dense and usually used for harsh trainings, forged into a blade which weights approximitely 210kg that is sharp as any sword while packing a mean blunt force.
I had fun writing this chapter. Now that the childhood arc ended with quite a pace, I guess we can have fun now writing Garith's adventures around the world and having some cute timelapses while at it. I do hope I didn't break immersion with this skip, though.
Hello, everyone. Houki Minami with a new chapter of GxG bringing what garith is up now on the outside world. As expected from our dumb hero, he got himself in quite a pinch, and now is in a battle for his life against what is basically a demigoddess. Not the worst any of my protagonists have ever faced, but still a grim situation. Fortunately, he can escape from this while showcasing all the training he went through. Like always, he's just having fun, but now that his life is on the line... Well, time to get serious.
That aside, i hope you all liked this chapter despite its delay, don't forget to RR, stay safe now with the new year coming and hope for the next chapter as well. Greetings from Houki Minami.
Once this arc ends, I will update Garith's status, alright?
