Chapter 1
The shallow stream flowed slowly yet consistently around the rocks that blocked the water's path. It was serene and calming to watch the seemingly harmless liquid travel miles from the summit of the mountains through the forest, stopping for nothing. The banks of the stream were elevated well above the water itself only held intact by the tree roots that penetrated the ground.
A splash in the stream echoed around the forest, fish launching themselves out of the water and over the rocks. A series of splashes followed the first, each fish shining in the sunlight while they soared through the air. Unbowed by what one would typically expect from an aquatic organism.
The sound of a metal singing through the air broke the relative silence before the weapon collided with a fish, impaling it to the bank on the opposite side of the stream.
A sigh was heard followed by light splashing in the water. The spear's wooden pole lightly bounced in the air before it was halted by a gloved hand. The curved blade was sharp on one end and tapered off to a fine point.
"Sorry little buddy," The man said while reaching for the cross guard right before the spear's blade. Taking the fish off the blade's point he quickly examined the fish, the tip pierced through the fish and the blade cut down another few inches. "Hope it didn't hurt too much."
He walked out of the water before glancing back to the stream. The water calmed down almost like he had never been there, returning to its steady never-ending flow. After a moment his reflection began to show in the water.
White powder covered his face with only spots of light brown showing along the cheeks. The red ball that covered his nose was ever present only enhanced by the white contrast. His sizable afro had portions that were deflated but the brown color still stood consistent, unphased by the water that sought to take it down.
He impaled the fish on a skewer before cooking it over a fire, "Come on Otto. You'll find where you are soon enough."
Once Otto was done eating he put his fire out and began to work his way up the stream, moving toward the mountains. His spear, Encore, rested strapped on his back while his two swords hung by his side.
Sooner than later the horizon began to shift to orange and then red. Otto was still able to see but at this point in the evening it was certainly getting hard. The calming glare from the stream was beginning to fade.
He reached down and felt the water against his fingertips, it still flowed behind him but the fish had stopped coming.
"One day at a time," He said quietly.
"What are you waiting for?"
Quickly standing up he drew one of his swords, its curved blade pointed directly at where the voice came from.
In front of him was a blue gel of sorts. It had breasts the size of melons and a feminine face that one would only expect from a human woman. The rest of its body pooled below the humanoid torso and continued to slowly inch toward him.
"What the fuck are you!" Otto yelled taking a quick step back.
Much to Otto's surprise, the creature responded.
"I'm a slime silly," She giggled, "Lime the slime." Lime tilted her head to the side before gasping, "Don't tell me I'm the first monster you've seen!"
Otto began to slowly inch his way into the forest while staring at Lime, something seemed oddly familiar about the slime and he could not place it. "I've seen monsters before but none that look like you. What are you going to do? Eat my head or something?"
Her giggling only got louder while she slid toward him faster, "How about I eat one of your heads~?"
Otto gave the slime a look as if it was speaking nonsense, "What the fuck do you me-." Only for his eyes to widen, "Oh shit… I jack off to you…"
Lime began to bounce slightly up and down with a lewd smile appearing on her face, "How about I make it more personal than that~."
Otto's face began to blush while his grip tightened on his sword, his other hand remained loose at his side hovering over his other sword's hilt. "Uhh, how about no!"
Lime pouted, her rhythmic bouncing stopping in the process, "But it would be so much fun! Why don't you want to have fun."
"Because I've got more important things to do!" Otto said quickly.
She curled her lips up forming a small frown, almost as if the slime was about to cry, "More important than me?"
"Yes!" Otto yelled. He reached down with his free hand grabbed a handful of dirt and in one fluid motion threw it toward the slime. "I ain't ready for that kind of commitment!"
Turning on his feet he began to sprint into the ever-darkening forest, leaving Lime as far behind as possible.
Otto could hear Lime spitting and almost gagging, "I don't even know your name!" She called out.
He ducked under a tree branch and pushed hard off a root sticking up from the ground. Not even turning his head around he called back to the slime, "And you won't fucking know it!"
Slowing his pace slightly Otto rushed deeper into the forest. Before long the world around him began to grow dark and the only light he could find was the little moonlight shining through the canopy. It helped him see the trees directly in front of him but nothing more than that.
"Making a fire won't be fun now," Otto said before resting his back against one of the few trees he could see.
He reached down the tree and felt something soft and mushy, but it was not wet or even damp. Otto tried to look down and see what it was but it simply blended into the grass with the same green color.
"I mean, this'll work," Otto said while bringing his knees to his chest. He rested his head against the hard tree and closed his eyes. It was going to be a long and cold night, but it would all be over in the morning.
After a lot of tossing and turning Otto finally woke up. The sun shone in his eyes with the sharp beams that came through the canopy. Looking to his sides he found the grass was slightly damp but nothing too noteworthy, just the morning dew.
Most importantly he was still alive and unharmed. No traps set around him, no people watching him, nothing. Reaching for his spear he grabbed it and pushed himself off the ground.
"No river this time," Otto said while reaching his free arm up and stretching, "Guess I'll just have to fuck around and find out what's in this forest."
Otto looked to the canopy and saw where the sun was rising. It had a clear direction and was not directly above him. Even if the canopy obscured most of the blinding rays he could still make out what he needed to make out.
"East it is."
He meandered through the forest, the only pressing concern on his mind being food. Even then he had just eaten yesterday, so he could wait a little longer. Regardless, he wanted to get somewhere and find someone. Even random people could point him in the direction of a nearby town.
Something was oddly soothing about this forest in particular. Otto could not put a finger on it but he had the feeling it was due to the lack of wildlife. An almost abnormal lack of wildlife, no wolves howling, no birds chirping, not even crickets making whatever damn sound they make.
It felt like he had been traveling for days but each time he looked toward the canopy the rays of sun remained unchanged. Still shining in the same direction, as if no time had passed at all. Looking to the ground he saw the dew was gone but the entire forest still had the same morning chill as before.
"I'll take it though," Otto said while stretching his arms behind his back, "been too long since I've had a good chance to waltz around the woods."
After a few moments he heard rustling in the canopy above him and his head shot to the source of the sound. One hand reaching toward the sword on his right, his trusty Tragedy. His eyes scanned the canopy looking for the source of the sound only to find nothing.
The next rustle occurred further away and when he scanned over he saw just a simple squirrel. It looked at Otto and stood still, the squirrel's bushy tail freezing in place and its eyes locked with Otto.
Otto laughed before relaxing his arms, "You spooked me, little buddy."
He kept walking forward in his path and with a quick glance back to the squirrel it appeared to be following him. Climbing on the top branches watching him like a hawk.
Otto waved toward the squirrel, "I'm not gonna hurt you, don't worry about me, little guy."
"What little guy?"
Otto's hand immediately grabbed his sword Tragedy, before turning to face the voice just like he did before.
Around twenty feet from him was another slime, this one had a slightly yellow tint compared to Lime's blue tint. It had the same massive breasts the only difference being that it was violently jiggling with every small motion.
"Who the fuck are you," Otto said drawing his sword, "Are you a fucking Lemon or something."
The slime gasped putting a hand up to her mouth, "How do you know my name?" before a smirk appeared on her face, "It's destiny then~. We were meant to be together!"
Otto deadpanned, the slime approached him at a slower pace than Lime had, "No way all the slimes are named after a fruit, first Lime now Lemon. What's next fucking Orange?"
Lemon tilted her head, "Orange is on Sentora, do you know her too?"
Otto threw his hands in the air before walking away, at a slightly faster pace than he had been before, "Fuck this!"
"You want to fuck!" Lemon responded excitedly.
"No!" Otto yelled, "You've got tits instead of a brain! How about you go play with Lime instead of me!"
"Okay~," Lemon chirped, "Lime's always fun, she has the boomerang!"
Otto just stood there dumbfounded as the slime moved away. His jaw dropped so far down a bee could build a hive in his mouth.
He rubbed his eyes before walking away toward the east again, "This place is weirder than I thought," Otto whispered to himself.
After 'getting away' from the other slime he continued to walk toward the east. It once again became quiet and most of the wildlife vanished. Did these slimes actually scare off most of the animals?
It was possible, but considering just how harmless they looked he could not imagine them doing more than spooking them. But even still that would probably be enough, it's just like why deer stay away from cities. Too much noise, too many people.
Overall, it was not something he really should concern himself with. Not like he would be able to do much about it, to begin with, and getting rid of the slimes is out of the question. They live here too, they deserve peace just like everything else around.
But that does bring up a good question, what even lives around here, in this part of the world? Are there actually any humans around or is it just the slimes and little wildlife? It felt like months since he had been here and he still had yet to see a human, yet the two slimes both knew what humans were.
Otto just had to keep walking and keep wandering. Eventually, he would come across someone, that much he was sure of. Frankly, it was just a matter of ti-
His foot was caught on something stiff and tripped him. With his balance lost he fell to the ground. Otto was able to extend his arms just enough to catch his fall but he still ended up on the soft grass.
Looking to his sides while picking himself up he saw a very large red stick that kept thickening until it reached a bush. He reached a hand down to grab it and he could feel something sharp, almost like scales.
Wait, did it just move?
Not a second later he found his legs encircled by the red tail and they were once again pulled out from under him. Sending him flying back to the ground with a resounding thud.
The owner of the tail shifted in the bush before a woman with purple skin and black tattoos came out from the bush. There was a plant in her silver hair, something that must have got stuck in there thanks to the bush.
She had hardly any clothes on, leaving little to the imagination, but a black half skirt and a black bra covered at least some of her body. All before he looked down, he saw her legs completely gone, replaced by a deep red tail that brightened as it came to the tip.
Before Otto even realized what was happening the tail gripped his legs and forced them together. Another instant later he was pulled toward the monster with his back dragging against the ground.
"Well well well, what do we have here?" The woman said with a small smirk growing on her face.
"Woah woah," Otto panicked, quickly pressing his free hands out in front of him, "Keep your hands off the merchandise!"
The woman laughed before waving her hands in the same manner that Otto just had, "My hands are right here."
"You know what I mean!" Otto said quickly, "Let go of me with this damn tail of yours."
"I don't think I will," The woman said with a teasing voice, "Making demands of me when you're the one who stepped on my tail. You seem to have forgotten your place."
"Bitch I will fight you if you don't let me go," Otto said forcefully.
"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow, "Fight me from all the way down there?"
In response to her comment, she stood up further on her tail and clenched around his feet harder. It got to the point where he could feel his ankles grinding against each other and she only tightened her grip with every motion he made.
Otto reached toward his hip to grab his other sword Comedy. Only for the monster to wrap her tail further up his body and trap his free arms in the process.
"The little human still forgets his pla-"
"Why won't my attacks work!" Another voice shouted. It sounded relativity far away but at the same time, Otto could hear it clearly. The voice was high-pitched, almost like a child was fighting.
The woman turned her head to the sound and slightly lessened her grip on Otto.
"So the idiot finally decided to make a move," she said quietly.
Taking the opportunity Otto struggled and broke his hands free from the snake's grasp. He reached down to his hip and was able to grab the hilt of Comedy. The bladeless sword slid easily out of the scabbard and in an instant he was ready to cut himself free.
The blade released a watery substance that flowed from the hilt and eventually formed into a scimitar-like blade. Its curve was more pronounced than that of Tragedy but still served its purpose.
Otto raised the blade into the air and struck it down toward her tail. Only for Comedy's momentum to stop instantly as the woman wrapped the tip of her tail around his wrist.
"Just because I'm not looking at you doesn't mean I'm not paying attention," She said mockingly.
He kept trying to force his hand down and cut the snake with Comedy's flowing blade, but no matter how much effort he put in the blade would not move. Otto kept pushing in an effort to break free from her grasp but he began to feel his grip slipping. Her tail constricted around his wrist until Comedy fell from his hand.
The blade dissipated when it hit the ground with a soft thud. The fractured tip embedded itself in the soft dirt below him.
"Are you going to kill me or what!" Otto said forcefully, still trying to reach for Tragedy with his other hand.
The woman looked at him and put a hand to her face, cupping her chin. "Hmm… How about no. This is much too entertaining. So much better than the boy who thinks he's a hero."
"Is that who yelled earlier?" Otto asked before his eyes widened, "You're a damn pedophile!" His struggle increased ten fold only for the woman to practically crush him in her tail. He could feel his ribcage compressing his lungs and suddenly found it extremely difficult to breathe.
The snake leaned in close with her human half, eyes blazing with fury, "I. Am. Not. A. Pedophile. That boy is not a child, he just sounds like one."
Otto tried to scream at the woman only for his voice to come out as unintelligible crackles.
"I am Alipheese Fateburn the Sixteenth, the Monster Lord, and you will treat me with more respect!"
His eyes darkened and a scowl formed on his face, once again he tried to speak only for more crackles to come out.
Otto heard screaming coming from the direction of the voice from earlier and the snake woman turned her head in the same direction.
"You know what," The Monster Lord said while slightly releasing Otto just enough so that he could breathe and speak. "We're clearing this up."
She began to slither out of the bushes with Otto still wrapped up in her tail. After a few moments, and after Otto was smacked in the head by both the leaves and a few branches that were brushed aside earlier, they arrived on a dirt trail.
"Alice?" The voice from earlier said slowly, "I thought you were only observing?"
Otto was brought around to the side where he could see the other two individuals.
The boy could not have been older than fourteen years and had short purple hair. Certainly an odd color but at this point it was hard to surprise Otto with anything, let alone odd physical characteristics.
The other individual was significantly larger and had a well kept brown dress and sun hat. But he saw underneath the dress as the woman held it up from the front. It was a light pink body that oozed slime and even had a trail of it behind her.
The monster's eyes widened at the sight of Alice, "My liege? What are you doing here?"
Alice waved her hand dismissively before pointing to the boy, "Can't you see he is clearly not a child."
"Run boy run!" Otto yelled, "The snake's a Pedophile!"
Immediately Alice's tail filled Otto's mouth, acting as a gag to muffle his screams of warning.
"Do you want me to break your bones!?" Alice yelled at Otto.
The slug woman looked at Alice with worry evident on her face, "...My liege? Should I be concerned about the accusations this human makes?"
"Tell me, slug girl," Alice said slowly before pointing again to the purple-haired boy., "How old does Luka look to you?"
"Umm," She said quietly while taking another glace at Luka, "He certainly is young, which is more of my type… But he must be at least an adult to travel out here alone."
Alice threw her hands in the air, relief clear on her face before she looked down toward Otto, "I told you I'm not a pedophile, now stop saying it."
The slug girl timidly raised her hand before speaking, "My liege, I don't think he can breathe."
Upon closer inspection by Alice, Otto's face was becoming purple and his lips were turning blue. Slowly she took the tail out of his mouth and he immediately gasped for air and his face returned to normal color after a few breaths.
Once Otto had regained his breath he opened his mouth to speak, only to be cut off by Alice.
"If you say it one more time I will snap your neck and leave you here," She threatened.
His mouth closed not a moment later, deciding that it might not be the best idea to tell the kid to run from the snake again.
"Alice, can you let him go please?" Luka said, "I don't think he's going to hurt anyone."
"I second this," The slug girl said, "You could also leave him for me."
"Nah you're sticky and dirty," Otto said with a straight face, "I think I'm good."
The slug girl gasped before scowling and crossing her arms over her chest, "How rude! I'm trying to help you here and that's what you say? You're hardly clean yourself, with all that powder on your face."
"Well unlike your unsterile ass I put it there and it works for me," Otto quipped, "Plus your dress is tacky and bland where the hell did you even get it, the fucking swamp?"
The slug girl's eyes darkened, "My liege, it seems he and I have some unfinished business. Would you leave us be?"
Otto felt a crushing feeling around his body again, this time it was significantly worse than anything Alice had tried on him before. His muscles tensed and pain flared through his body before a quick scream left his mouth.
He swore he felt a bone in his arm break but he could not worry about it at this point. The only thing he could think of was if Alice was actually trying to kill him or not.
Only for him to be thrown into the ground a second later, a small crater forming around his body.
"Fuck!" Otto cursed, before reaching toward his arm.
Alice looked toward the slug girl, "He's all yours, do with him as you wish. This human needs to be taught a lesson about what he can and can not say to a woman."
"Umm Alice," Luka said slowly, "Is this really neces-"
"Yes!" Both Alice and the slug girl screamed at Luka
In response, Luka drew his sword and pointed it at the two monsters, "I won't let you have him. All he wanted to do was help me and he hasn't really hurt anyone."
"Luka you bumbling idiot," Alice said, "This human said things that no woman should have said to them, monster or human. You wouldn't fully understand."
Alice moved closer to Luka, "Think of how your mother would feel if we let this slide, she wouldn't want that type of coexistence now, would she?
Luka thought for a second before placing a hand on the back of his head, "...I guess not?"
Otto pressed his arms on the ground and pushed himself up, he could still feel pain rocketing through his legs but he had been through worse before. Alice attempting to crush him like that was child's play compared to everything else he had gone through..
He walked off back to the forest with the intention of retrieving Comedy. Otto still felt Tragedy on his hip and Encore had very likely fallen off when Alice first grabbed him. His spear was relatively easy to take off so it made sense to him.
Looking back quickly he saw Alice still in Luka's face, the two having a quiet conversation that Otto could not hear. The crater Alice made with his body was not as deep as he originally thought but it was still nothing to scoff at. That snake was strong, and apparently, the title of Monster Lord was not just for show.
He kept walking out to the tree line they had come from before noticing a small trail faded into the dirt and leaves. The trail left behind from Alice's tail.
Following it for a short moment led him to the initial spot where he encountered Alice. The previous encounter flashed through his head, pulled off his feet, constricted like meager food without regard to his life. It disgusted him.
Gazing further at the ground he scanned the forest floor until he came across the hilt that was Comedy. He picked it up and looked a few feet to the side before his eyes rested on Encore. Placing the sword in its scabbard he grabbed Encore and walked back out to the trail, spear in hand.
"Wait!" The slug girl exclaimed, "Where did the human go!"
A second passed before Alice spoke up, "He was quite literally in the ground a moment ago, he shouldn't have been able to pull himself out of that."
Otto walked past a few more trees before landing on the trail itself, locking eyes with all three individuals. Twirling Encore around his hands before slamming the end into the ground.
He winked at the group, "You miss me?"
"You shouldn't be able to stand right now," Alice said.
Otto kept a smug look on his face, "I'm just built different."
The slug girl moved towards Otto, the same annoyed expression that she carried before. It took him a moment to even recognize that she was moving, considering that the slug girl appeared to be in the same spot.
Alice looked to the slug girl, "Well you wanted him, go get him."
She looked to Alice, "I thought you were going to help my liege?"
The Monster Lord deadpanned at her subordinate, "I did, and the entire time he was there you just stood there doing nothing. I'm not going to feed you, if you want him go after him."
The slug girl sighed before continuing towards Otto, "I understand."
Otto pulled Encore out of the ground and let it rest limply in his hand, "So you coming or what?"
The slug girl scowled, "Would you be quiet."
He walked up to the slug girl and she reached out her hands to grab him. But moments before she could get hold of Otto he moved to the side and calmly walked behind her.
"Oh so close!" Otto said grinning like a madman, "You'll get it next time."
The slug girl slowly turned around to face Otto only for him to walk to the other side of her the second she saw him again.
"Damn I thought you were teasing me," Otto said, "But you really are just that slow."
"Cease!" The slug girl said forcefully, "Just… Give me a moment."
In response, Otto walked over to Luka and grabbed his arm before pulling him in the direction of the road. "Come on bud, let's get away from this pe-"
Alice's gaze pierced into Otto's soul before cracking her knuckles. He felt a burning sensation in his chest from the sheer unreleased anger that filled Alice.
"-rfectly friendly snake…"
Alice kept her gaze on Otto for a few moments before traveling down the trail.
Otto looked back toward the slug girl and saw that she had moved a grand total of two feet, offering a wave he walked down the trail still holding onto Luka.
"Hey!" The slug girl yelled, "Are you really just going to walk away?"
He looked at her and placed a hand on his chin, resting his body against his spear after placing it slightly in the ground. Several moments passed of Otto just staring at the slug girl.
"Are you going to say something!" She said.
"Hmm…" Otto kicked his spear out of the ground and then snatched it as it soared through the air, "You know that's a great idea! Why don't I do just that."
Not wasting a moment he turned around and started walking in the same direction Alice went. Whistling casually as he walked away with dramatic and exaggerated arm swings.
Luka just sighed and followed him, placing his sword in his scabbard.
All Otto could hear was the slug girl growling. If he looked back he was certain there would be steam pouring out of her ears.
"Be careful," Otto yelled back, "You might have an aneurysm doing that."
"Fuck off!"
The three of them continued down the trail, Alice and Luka in front and Otto walking a few paces behind them. The sun was still bright but it was beginning to dim down as it fell to the level of the canopy. While unlike yesterday Otto could feel the temperature dropping today.
He knew it was going to be a cold night, something he had dealt with before but it was certainly never fun. But at the same time, a simple fire and a warm meal would go a long way to keeping him from freezing.
Alice turned her head to look at Otto, while continuing on the path, "How long are you going to follow us? It's been a few hours and you haven't said a thing."
"Depends," Otto yawned, "How long are you following Luka?"
"She's coming with me on my journey," Luka chimed in.
"Ah," Otto placed a fist in his hand, making a slight clapping noise, "So a good long while."
"That still doesn't answer why you're still here," Alice said.
"Well I've got to keep the kid safe somehow," Otto said, "The slug wanted him, you want him. What's to say someone else isn't going to try and take him."
"I am merely curious about how he's going to create his 'coexistence'," Alice said.
Otto looked over to Luka and raised an eyebrow, "That slug girl didn't seem very into coexistence."
Alice deadpanned, "That's because you were constantly insulting her."
Otto threw his hands in the air, "I meant before I got there. I heard you two fighting."
Luka put a hand on the back of his head, "She wouldn't take no for an answer so I had to fight her."
"So you fought her?" Otto questioned, "Instead of just walking away. My guy, she's a slug! You didn't have to fight her."
"But she wouldn't have listened to me if I didn't fight her, what if she attacks someone else?"
"Then they'll just walk away as well," Otto said, "You aren't going to change her mind about raping someone just because you beat her ass into the ground."
"You have a surprising amount of faith in humanity if you think they'll just walk away from her," Alice chimed in.
"But how else would I change her mind if she won't listen to me," Luka said.
"Make her respect you," Otto said, "Give her something to respect without fighting her, offer her something."
"But that'll break Ilias' commandments, I can't do that!" Luka said.
"You're both idiots," Alice said, earning a confused glare from Otto, "The monsters will only respect strength, so as much as Luka's delusional, he's not wrong."
"The problem is," Otto said slowly, "fighting without killing will only build resentment. Monsters will hate humans more and vice versa."
"Then why didn't you kill that slug girl, hmm?" Alice questioned, "Why didn't you try and kill me once you got your weapons back?"
"Because I knew the fight wasn't worth it," Otto said, "You already beat me and the slug girl was harmless."
"She wasn't harmless, she almost beat me!" Luka said.
"That's because you don't know how to fight," Alice said, "All you do is flail your sword around without any sense of direction and hope it works."
"You know what," Otto said, "Why don't we set up camp and teach this kid to not get himself killed."
Before long a basic campsite was set up and a small fire was burning. Three logs formed a tipi which made up most of the fuel while small sticks and twigs burned underneath. Providing a good amount of heat but most importantly, somewhere to cook food.
Otto stood in a small clearing with Tragedy in his hand, while Comedy and Encore rested in their scabbard and backstraps respectively. The blade was extended out toward Luka with his arm mostly relaxed and loose.
Luka on the other hand held his iron sword with both of his hands. Otto could tell by the veins showing in Luka's arms just how hard he was gripping. The rest of his form was horrendous, his feet were too far apart, his arms too tense, and he was focused so intently on Tragedy that Otto could wave and Luka would not notice.
"Kid," Otto said, "You need to relax. I could push you over right now and it would sound like a tree falling."
"But this is how the other adventures showed me," Luka said quickly.
"Then it's no wonder the humans get pushed around so much," Alice chimed in. Her hands rested in front of the fire with her tail curling slightly around it.
Ignoring Alice's comment, Otto continued. He pushed Luka's foot in, "Keep your stance more narrow, you can shift your body easier that way."
He then grabbed Luka's arm and shook it a few times until he could feel the muscles loosening, "You want to flow in combat, you tense up too much beforehand and you won't really be able to move."
Luka looked up to Otto after making a few adjustments, "This?"
Otto looked over to Alice and made a quick jerking motion with his head. Seconds later the tip of Alice's tail slammed into Luka's foot. He was thrown completely off balance but after a small hop, he was able to stay upright.
Laughing Otto patted the purple-haired boy on his back, "Yea that's better. If she did that earlier you'd be on your ass right now."
"Well, how can I make it so a monster won't get me on the ground another way?" Luka said while rubbing his ankle.
"That's the funny thing, you don't," Otto said while still laughing.
"Awareness," Alice called out from behind the fire, "If you see it coming then you can do something about it."
"How do I train that then?" Luka asked.
Otto motioned for Luka to get set in his stance, once he was ready he moved Luka's sword directly in front of him, "You keep practicing the basics and you spar. The more you ingrain the motions into your head the easier it'll be to understand what's going on around you."
"Physical conditioning is more important for you than it would be for a monster," Alice said, "They have more strength and speed than you and you just need time."
Luka began to bring the sword up and force it down, simply overhead swings. They built muscle and gave him a simple strike to adjust as he saw fit. A foundation that was lacking despite his claimed years of training.
"Otto," Luka said slowly, "Have you had to kill monsters before?"
Alice perked up at Luka's question before placing a stick in the fire. The same one she had been using to move the coals around with, "He brings up a good point, how do you know so much about fighting?"
Otto sighed, "I've been fighting for way too long, and no. I haven't killed any monsters before."
"Doesn't that go against what you said earlier, about fighting and not killing?" Luka said.
He scratched the back of his neck, unsure of really how to answer. Luka was not wrong, but at the same time. He had not seen monsters in person before coming here, they were all just some porn game to him.
"Eh, no one's perfect," He said dismissively while giving a small smirk, "Listening to what I say is better than doing what I do."
"Well, what about coexistence with monsters? Do you think that's possible?" Luka said, his voice becoming fatigued from the sword swings.
"It could be a good thing," Otto said, "Humans have a lot to give, monsters have a lot to give. It could be good if everyone goes along with it."
"Oh great now I'm traveling with two idiots," Alice whined, "Don't you see the power disparity?"
"You," Otto pointed at Alice, "Seem to forget how similar we are. We both have emotions, we both have thoughts, and we both bleed."
"Monsters may be stronger and faster than humans," Otto continued, "But despite everything, humans are more resilient."
"That's why I have to try," Luka panted, "There has to be a way we can all live together."
"I can't wait to see the fake hero try," Alice said with a grin, "I wonder what he'll do when he comes across the Monster Lord."
"I'm a real hero!" Luka exclaimed, "Just because I'm not baptized doesn't mean I'm not a hero."
"Being baptized is quite literally the criteria for being a hero," Alice deadpanned.
Otto threw a rock at Alice, "Why don't you stop being a little bitch and let the kid dream," He turned toward Luka, "Just forget the title, it's already meaningless. So long as you're doing what you think is right then that's what matters."
He glanced over to Alice and swore he could see into the afterlife. This snake was going to kill him at some point, but today is not that day. Instead, she just sat next to the fire fuming. For a moment Otto thought her tail was wrapping around the fire, but after looking it proved to be nothing.
"Otto," Luka said, "Maybe you should be a little nicer to Alice."
He pointed at Luka, "Listen to what I say, not what I do."
"He makes a good point Otto," Alice said with her fist clenched, "You'll live longer that way."
"We don't need to be at each other's throats," Luka said forcefully, he brought his sword down and placed it in his scabbard, "If we can't get along then how can we expect the rest of the world to do the same."
Otto looked to Luka before glancing at the still angry Alice, "You two seem to get along well. That has to count for something."
"Luka take your sword back out," Alice said before slithering over to the boy, "I'm teaching you something more useful than this clown."
"Oh, you want to do it this way?" Otto said smugly, "Have at it then, let's see what you can teach him."
"Can you guys stop using me as a way to spite each other?" Luka said.
"No!" Both Alice and Otto yelled.
The next morning was colder than it had been last night. The grass was covered in frost up until the sun rose past the horizon. Despite the cold temperatures, it was not close to winter as the trees still held their green leaves. Autumn had yet to come but apparently, a cold snap had.
Otto shivered while they walked on the trail, he could feel the crunch of the dirt beneath him. A part of him thought to the farmers and if their crops would survive another day like this. He was not sure of what they grew here but too many days like this would cause nothing but problems for the upcoming harvest.
The last thing he wanted everyone here to deal with was a famine among all this conflict. One thing leading to another would be devastating and he did not think he could help everyone. Something or someone would get left behind.
"So what's this technique called again?" Otto asked.
"I've told you six times and you still can't remember?" Alice said forcefully.
"Demon Decapitation," Luka said slowly.
"So he cuts off someone's dick?"
Alice brought a hand to her face and sighed loudly, "How can one person be so insufferable." She looked over to Luka, "Why does he of all people have to follow you."
Luka shrugged, "I can learn something from him." He looked toward Otto, "Plus we both want humans and monsters to work together."
"I still can't believe it's him of all people," Alice whined.
"Aww," Otto cooed, "She likes me!"
Ignoring Otto and Alice, Luka pointed off into the distance, "Hey is that Iliasburg?"
Otto looked to where Luka pointed and saw glimpses of a stone wall. A few moments later a large brown gate came into vision, it was solid wood with a few spots reinforced by a grey metal. Massive hinges appeared on either side of the gate and attached themselves to the stone wall.
Looking up the gate showed a stone arch upon which wooden towers sat. Their thatch roofs protected against the rain but the guards were helpless to the bitter cold. Only assisted by their thick armor and torches hung on the walls.
A grey haze began to form on the other side of the wall, but the group could not see it as it was blocked by the wooden gate.
Suddenly Otto heard a massive explosion and saw bits of grey stone flying over the wall before crashing down back inside the city.
Without saying a word Luka rushed toward the closed gate. He waved up toward one of the city guards who signaled back and not a moment later the gate began to open.
Otto put on a massive grin before looking toward Alice, "Something tells me I shouldn't walk in there."
Not acknowledging his statement Alice walked toward the city at a rushed pace. With her expression stone cold and focused on the city before them.
After a few moments passed and Otto noticed Alice was not going to look back he groaned and drew Encore before sprinting toward the city behind Luka and Alice.
"Motherfucker, I thought I told myself to stay out of it this time."
AN: Otto belongs to Buh Buh Bacon.
Searching for the Truth will also still be updated, alongside this.