Queen's note: whooo, got this out while being sick. blah. But a bit of doomdad before he's hunting for his old crucible. let me know in a review if you want to come hang out in discord, even if I'm sick.

Garnets

Chapter Sixty Two:

Return of the King

Kids were highly amusing.

The Slayer always liked them, no matter if they were human or argenta. Not even he understood it, maybe it was something to do with the innocence in them. Maybe it was how everything and everyone in their still small world was simple to them.

Vega was not the only one watching how one of the two awake toddlers ran over to the Slayer. Holding a random thing for him to see, being surprisingly relaxed around him. How the Demigod would pause in cleaning his armor to indulge and look at the offering. The set down his current tools to sign what it was until the child was doing a good job at repeating the sign.

Then the child ran away to find something else. Leaving the Slayer alone for a few minutes until one of the other kids came running over with a new thing. The somewhat older kids at least asked politely what the thing was in the silent language, just as fascinated though. The Slayer did not mind he had to repeat some words many, many times as the kids were not really coordinating what they brought. For the youngest toddlers it was sometimes the same rock or brick bit, or stick.

He did not mind at all.

It was a nice morning for him. The kids, and adults had an understandably rough night. First with trying to keep up with the Slayer pushing the survivors around the crater to an abandoned house he remembered seeing in flight. Then just that nervousness of being at ground level until the wintherins settled around the old building.

Between the watchful wintherins and the fact that the Slayer himself was not showing any signs of needing rest, pacing outside on a clear patrol and guarding watch. The small surviving group slowly started to settle that first night. Fresh water, and some dry stores of food helped immensely to help. It also helped that Zanin and Asin were there, getting the unconscious Hack looked over.

Uncorrupted Night Sentinels in a somewhat older style of armor, modified as it was, that was the real reassurance. Zanin's calm over all further reassured and willingness to explain while the Slayer could not think as he calmed down after his consuming rage and fight. The Sentinel was happy to answer questions that night with Asin.

Yes, they were really Sentinels.

No, they only served their true War King, not the corrupted Order.

Yes, that was really the great Slayer.

No, he had never abandoned Argent D'nur. The Order betrayed him and the Sentinels, the Slayer had been trapped in Hell this whole time.

Yes, the Slayer only recently fought his way out of Hell.

Yes, it took a bit for him to get his bearings.

Would they know how to get back to the Argenta right away after being in Hell all this time?

Zanin was shameless and showed no signs how he slightly bent a few of the truths. But it was to make it easier for the group to grasp and understand. Why the Slayer lingered on Earth for a few months. Zanin was also more than willing to give full credit of the discovery of the active and awake Wraith Gaia to the Slayer, because… well, he did find her. Though Zanin was pointedly leaving it vague how the mother Wraith was healed. How they had found out about the sibling race of humans being invaded were descendants of the Argenta.

Asin hid his amusement at the reactions to that. Proud though that these people are least instinctively protective of the idea of the humans. Being related to the proud Argenta would help humans likely, more so that humans seemed more made to survive planets, not fight Hell.

One of the four older kids tapped the Slayer's left leg, waiting patiently for him to pause and give the boy his attention. Wide silver eyes staring up at the Demigod. An eerie blue, but fond gaze looking down and waiting for an offering or question.

"How… do you say 'thank you' in… the silent language?" The boy asked, staring in that intense way of the young.

The Slayer blinked, smiled and held his free right hand up, showing the boy the closed fingers. Waiting until he did the same before almost touching his mouth with the tips of his fingers and swinging that forearm down.

The boy tilted his head, surprised as he did the same. Not minding the big, ungloved hand nudged his arm a bit to correct. The boy brightened as he looked up, grasping the larger hand. Tugging it happily, then made the sign with more confidence. Repeated it a few times as he spoke, "Thank you Lord sentinel! Thank you for saving us!"

A thunder deep rumble of pleasure came out of the Slayer as his gaze softened a bit more. Gently patting the young boy on the head, and then giving a soft scritch through the short, dirty pale hair. He needed a bath too, everyone did really, but his hair was still soft.

At first the Slayer did not notice the sudden awkward quiet in the morning sluggishness of the big house. His attention caught firmly by the child as the boy was comfortable to put his arms over the night thigh and get a good look at one of the last pieces the Slayer was working on. The Demigod let him, showing how he was finishing using sand to get the last traces of burned demon blood off his left gantlet. Rinsing it off and then signed at the boy.

Wet stone?

It took a second, or five, but then the boy jolted as he placed the word. Realized it was a question and he darted away to go get the sharping stone he had seen.

"...thank you, Lord Slayer…" a hesitant voice spoke, drawing his attention away from the child and to his right.

A silver haired woman with black eyes and darker tanned skin was starting to sit up on the bed she shared with her daughter. The young geo-witch, who was still sleeping behind her, cuddled against the warmth of her mother's back. The woman smoothed over the white braids still in Amber's hair. Relieved at the peaceful expression in her daughter's sleep instead of the restless pain of over using a wraith gift. Something she had gone through many times.

She looked up at the steady glowing blue eyes, no longer burning green. The woman sat on the side of the bed, hands in her lap as she gave a half bow, "I'm ashamed I did not have the sense until now to thank you. So… thank you, Lord Slayer, for saving my children. For saving us all."

She glanced at the infant daughter at the head of the big bed her family had been given, then to her surviving son who found the sharpening stone.

The Slayer tilted his head, then chuffed softly in response. Making that same gesture he taught the boy, but at the woman. Then sighed something a lot more complex than the simple words he had been teaching the kids.

"He says you're welcome." Zanin spoke up from where he was sitting at the long table as he finished cleaning his and Haco's surviving weapons. "He wouldn't leave a child. And you all were trying to survive. Trying to fight despite the odds, the Slayer likes that."

One of the other argenta men who was awake, smiled at that.

Turning his attention back to the boy, the Slayer looked between him at the silver haired woman. Pointing between them with a head tilt.

The woman nodded, trying to smile, "Yes, he's my son too."

"Mmm," the Slayer smiled at the boy, taking the sharpening stone held out to him. Shifting a bit only because he was expecting the child to lean on his leg again, making sure no sparks that formed would land on the boy as he started to hone the blade. He really should get another few of these stones, as they were different from the wet stones on earth.

Once done, the Slayer gave the boy another gentle, somewhat awkward head pat and fitted his gauntlets and then gloves back on. It was just his helmet that was off.

Do they all have rock-gift? The Slayer signed over at Zanin.

The Sentinel paused, watching his hands at the movement, and then finished putting the ballista back together. "Does all your family have the wraith gift for stone and earth manipulation?"

"Most," the woman nodded, looked down and then winced as she pulled her shirt aside to show a black mark on her left shoulder, "My gift was hindered a few months ago, a strange demon bled on me when I was trying to defend our family. One that was more toxic than the others."

"We were trying to head to one of the possible surviving pools of wraith energy to heal Jade, my daughter in law." the oldest of the argenta spoke up. At least the oldest non-immortal there, he had graying, copper-blond colored hair and was still laying down on his back in one of the beds. Hands folded over his middle and had been quietly listening and watching. "My sons, daughter and their kids. It's as safe traveling together as alone now."

No keeps? Fort? The Slayer frowned, looking at the speaker, then looked to where another young man was sleeping deeply in that way of one having been on guard too much. The last two were sharing the last bed with another infant. They were possibly married?

"What happened to all the city keeps?" Zanin asked gently, noticing the Slayer was taking slow, deep breaths off and on. "We've all been trapped for so long… These are our first days back."

"Most of the bigger cities have fallen." The silver haired woman, Jade said, as her oldest was starting to stir awake behind her. "The Night Sentinels that still bore your mark, I heard they tried to raise several cities up and gathered as many people to go to a colony world. But they were also fighting that other group, the Maykr loyalist group."

"There has been many a roomer that the Night Sentinels were forced to bow back to the Maykrs, to save families or their home villages from being directly fed to hell." The elder man said from his spot, not fully sure if he believed it. "Even to now, but I do not know the extent. Our family has always been in this territory, up to the northeast mountains since ancient times. Getting to that wraith pool to help Jade, and get proper gifts for the youngest was our goal."

"It's why we're off the mountain," Jade said, making sure Amber was going to wake up at her own pace. "Even if I could not get the strength I once had back, if my kids, all of our kids, had the chance to get a gift to safeguard them… it's worth it to keep going I think."

"Yes," the older non immortal nodded in agreement, looking at what was left of his family. Then slowly started to sit up as one of the toddlers came over to pat at his arm, wanting attention since it was safe. At least safe to them, the man pulled the little boy up, making sure he was okay and even sharing some of his own wraith gift. It was something still common for families to share their gifts with the youngest until a child had one of their own.

The Slayer listened to them, thinking about what was said as one of the toddlers brought a bowl over to him. Offering it with wide black eyes. It was easy to cup his hands low enough for the toddler to see, and move his hands up. Using the simple human sign as he could not remember if there was an Argenta one. Once the child left with a bright expression to share the new sign with the others did the Slayer look up.

Come here? He sighed at Jade, pointing at her left shoulder.

"The Slayer is asking you to come over," Asin translated, as Zanin was distracted with a sound from the wintherins. Only to relax as he realized it was Viola being grumpy.

Jade hesitated a few moments, the first in surprise and the next few was to carefully detangle her loose belt from her baby's sleeping grip. The woman stood once free, padding quietly over to stand in front of the demigod's spot.

The Slayer considered her, taking a slow deep breath as he focused on her left shoulder. He sat up, tapped his own left shoulder, pointed clearly to Jade's before his hand turned to point in front of him. He wanted to see the mark.

Jade blinked a few times, realizing all at once that this was not a demand of her to kneel to the Demigod. He just was a bit shorter than her, more so sitting on a low stool that let the kids come up to him. If she sat on the ground, Jade's shoulders would be at a comfortable height for both.

The woman reached up, pulling her hair all to the right side as Jade moved to sit. Noting how the Slayer shifted to give her space to sit, but then moved to sit closer once she was settled.

His hands were warm, but despite the invasion of personal space, he was not being rude. Just pulling at the fabric to look at the black splatter mark. The Slayer frowned, taking a deep, slow breath. Working through not just the scent of her soul but something… familiar.

The Slayer was carefully checking the whole of the blood stains on Jade. Letting her shift to show how it trailed down her arm, but it did not go across the back or chest. Not on the core. After almost dismissing that odd almost familiar scent with Lily (and the near painful disaster that happened), he was not going to let this go without working through why the lingering scent of the demon blood was familiar. Or the almost brown swirl looking stain.

The Slayer touched the thickest part with a finger, and let the smallest trickle of his energy bleed over.

Jade winced, more flinched, then looked shocked. "I felt that? I haven't felt anything in the stain, or most of my arm since…"

The Slayer shifted, making a low sound in his chest before reaching to tap the back of Jade's forearm. Tilting his head and looking at her.

"I feel the pressure, in a way, of that." Jade explained, guessing what he was wanting. She watched as there was a warm pulse of energy, it felt like hot static against her skin as he touched her wrist. "That feels…strange."

The Slayer looked at the exposed stain, reaching for it and the same tiny bit of energy. Jade did not flinch this time but winced.

"That definitely hurts," she said.

"What do you recognize, Lord Slayer?" Asin asked, watching intently with Zanin.

I know this. the Slayer freed his hands to sign, then spread one on Jade's back to pulse a bit of energy. Grasping her shoulder to keep her from the automatic wiggle. Her Wraith Gift isn't gone. Just blocked.

"Blocked, not gone?" Zanin asked to make sure he saw the one handed signs correctly.

The Slayer nodded, pointing at the two spots he had touched. Jade twisted to look as well, seeing those spots had lightened a bit. Demon blood is still on her. Just dry. Needs to be burned off… smells like something I fought.

"Something you fought recently?" Zanin asked, sitting up, trying to help narrow down the time for the Slayer. At a head shake, he tried another question. "Before or after… Mars?"

The once war king frowned deeper, staring intently at the splotches on Jade's shoulder. Before.

"In or out of Hell." Asin caught on and asked as well.

In Hell. Something… Rotting. Un-life. The Slayer reached out to carefully touch the stain, not bleeding any energy over. Taking another deeper breath.

"After the Order's betrayal?" Zanin asked, getting another head shake. Then he sat forward and asked the important question. "Before or after you sent our unit to the Fortress?"

The Slayer sat up, blinking. Before, Mila was on my back. Remember her ax.

"Something we fought with you, or supported?" Asin hummed, thinking of the fights that Mila and them had fought with the Slayer personally. "Something rotting and undead enough to be a threat."

"Sounds like the Corpse Lord's fight," Haco groaned from his sleeping mat on the floor slowly rolling over as he was starting to really wake up enough to focus on what was around him. "The thing that took off Asa's legs at the knee, instead of the ankle like as a kid."

The Slayer reflexively growled as his head snapped to Haco, suddenly the fight coming into focus in his memories. He looked down at Jade. I know what this is. Needs to be burned off before her arm rots.

"What is on my daughter?" The older argenta man asked, looking worried now.

L-i-t-c-h Blood. I can burn it off, but will hurt. The Slayer signed, looking at Jade then glanced over to be sure his sentinels caught it all.

"L..i… Litch?" Zanin asked starting to get up, "The Corpse Lord… that's what you called it after the fight. I remember that now."

"The Lord Slayer says the blood stain mark has to be burned off," Asin added looking at Jade, "Or it will start rotting you alive. He can do it…"

"But will likely hurt." Jade guessed, getting a nod she looked up into the glowing blue eyes. "This… it almost felt like I could feel my wraith gift again with what you did."

Blocked not gone. The Demigod signed. Burning it off may not bring gift back soon.

"The Litch blood is blocking out your wraith gift, its still there I think," Asin said, getting a nod. "It likely will hurt, and you might not be able to use your gift right away."

Jade turned around to look up at the Slayer again, speaking without hesitation. "I'll do it. If you'll help me. But not in front of the kids, I don't think I can do that."

The Slayer tilted his head, then smiled as he looked pointedly at the door to the outside dawn light.


RavenShichiyou:
John would be so confused, Rai was once one of his argenta kids, but that's his flower... yet theu both are adults just so much younger then his immortal self. but if Lily's not stressed he'll just carefully squish both...or Valen will smack him to leave them alone and DoomDad pouts in the mancave

XFireStoneX:
Lily will always take hot chocolate, and she's differently a baby healer, its weird, and strange, and fun. Just imagined lily trying to heal John after he's back, his healing factor already did its job but doomdad is just laying on his front. letting Lily try, because the energy Lily uses feels nice and cold and John is bleeding heat,

geistklempner:
HI NEW FREN! thank you and you can! I do lots of people watching and tried to sort out why I really like stories. not to copy but see what I enjoy and try to remember the details i like when writing