Key:

Text

"Speaking, or in-text quote"

'Thoughts'

Additional emphasis

Year 16 AL, The Morning After

Dim rays of the sun shined through the small opening of the curtains. Luka, already up and awake, had quietly gathered up all of his belongings and changed into his travel gear. His Father's sword was placed inside the bag, not needing to be carried openly at the moment. Luka currently sat in the futon he had slept in the night before, twisting his body in the seat until his back gave a light popping noise as his bones cracked. He grunted quietly, rubbing at the sore spot with some discomfort. 'Man, these seats are comfy for sitting but not really for sleeping.' He glanced over to the large bed, taking in the sight of his companion's strange sleeping set-up.

Alice was still snoozing away, her body wrapped up in a ridiculously huge collection of blanketing from the bed. Her sleeping form was completely unseeable from where he was sitting, the bed looking almost like a bird's nest of sheets. The young boy had taken caution whilst gathering his things due to Alice's slumber, as he didn't want to abruptly wake the Monster. However, even with his slow pace, Alice still had not naturally woken up by the time he was done. This presented him with a worrying dilemma:

Should he wake up the sleeping Lamia?

In his mind, it might not be the most recommended action to take. However, this presented another problem: More likely than not, there was a check-out time, and he had no idea when that was supposed to be. The boy grimaced, unsure as to how to proceed, until a light knocking came at the door.

Luka briskly tip-toed over to the door, opening it very carefully. From behind the door was the face of the Sutherland's Innkeeper. She dipped her head a bit in greeting.

"Good morning, sir. I'm sorry to disturb you, but I just wanted to remind you two that check-out time is in fifteen minutes." The boy grimaced, having dreaded such a thing. He leaned in a bit, communicating his problem to the older woman. "My apologies, ma'am. My partner here is still sleeping. I'll try to get us out quickly, though. I promise."

The Innkeeper raised a curious eyebrow at his words. "She's still asleep?" Luka nodded while replying, "Oh yeah, she seemed pretty worn out last night." He laughed, "She went down before I did by a good while." The older woman chuckled as well, although for different reasons as she whispered to herself. "Haha, guess I lose that bet. I guess you really can't judge a book by its cover. Or rather, the weight of a package by its size..."

Luka tilted his head to the side, not catching the woman's meaning. "Excuse me?" he asked. The older woman snickered, "Oh, nothing. Just a little wager our staff has when a young pair of adventurers like you two come in." Luka hesitantly nodded, pretending that he got the older woman's meaning. "Ah, yes, I see..." The boy gave a small and puzzled smile before a question came to his mind. "...Oh, also, do you know of any way to alleviate back pain? I seem to have some soreness left over from last night, and it hasn't gone away just yet."

The Innkeeper gave a cheeky smile at the request. "Ha, well I don't have anything to help with that other than some advice..." She leaned in close to the boy, raising a finger. "...If you want to avoid such a thing next time, I'd recommend you do some stretches first. It helps to be limber when in bed, and I think your 'partner' would appreciate it too." Luka blinked owlishly as the woman turned away and walked down the hall with a giggle, as the boy quietly closed the door.

'She's certainly a strange one...' He thought, turning away from the door. Luka glanced up at the bed, seeing that his traveling partner had still not risen from her slumber. Walking up to the bed, Luka stood on the end of his toes to look over the blankets. Inside the bed coverings, the boy saw the peacefully sleeping visage of Alice. He noticed that the Lamia had a very small smile on her face. He gave a small chuckle at the sight before turning walking away to sit on the futon he had slept on that night.

The boy leaned back in the soft chair, a small creaking noise coming from the movement. Almost instantly, a ruffling came from the bed as Alice's upper body rose out of the mountain of blankets like a Vampire from its coffin. The Lamia's hair was frizzy, sticking out at odd angles from her head, and her golden eyes were only half-open as she looked around. The lavender-skinned Monster yawned, throwing her arms behind her head to stretch. Luka had to avert his eyes quickly, the Lamia's movement puffing out her sizable chest.

Then, he heard a pop come from her back, something that elicited a moan from Alice. "Ahh, much better." She quickly slithered out of bed, looking over to the staring Luka. The boy raised an eyebrow, "Ready to leave?" He asked expectantly. The Lamia scoffed, "Oh course I am, I'm starving."

Luka glanced down, trying not to roll his eyes. 'Yeah, should have figured that.' He stood up, grabbing his bag and sword to holster them appropriately, wincing a bit when hanging the bag from his right shoulder. "Alright, let's get going then." Alice returned to her Human form as they left, the two heading down to leave the Hotel.

Not long after, the odd pair were out in the town's plaza once more to find it had taken a complete one-eighty in tone from how it was the day before.

The previously barren and open streets were now bustling with merchant carts and awaiting customers, and now the storefronts were open and parading their wares for travelers and residents alike. 'Yeah, this seems more familiar.' Luka thought, not entirely happy with the change. Sure, it was better to see people happily running around and enjoying themselves, but it was a bit more noisy than he was used to being around. He glanced at Alice from the corner of his eye, noting that the now disguised Monster seemed completely unfazed by the frantic atmosphere.

'I wish I had that type of confidence...' His eyes fell to the stone path before was less about the abundance of people and more about how he wasn't quite sure how to interact with them. Especially when they were being recognized by every other person they passed on the street.

"Look!" A small girl in a pink dress said as she pointed at the two, drawing the duo's attention. "They beat that big, scary Monster yesterday! They're Heroes!" Luka nervously waved at the passing pair, Alice herself simply walking beside him with an aloof look. The girl's Mother nodded down at her, "I see, make sure to thank them, now!" Promptly, the young girl yelled at the two, "Thank you!"

Luka smiled at the girl and her Mother sheepishly, unable to find a suitable response to the two. They continued until they arrived at the central plaza, the top of the fountain peaking above a sea of people. Three soldiers stood by a tree jutting from the sidewalk, two of the men talking amongst themselves as the third one kept a keen eye surveying the crowd. Upon spotting Luka and Alice, the third man nudged one of the others and nodded toward the approaching pair. Jostled from their chattering, they look to the pair with realization. One of them, seeming to be the youngest, called out to them.

"Ah, it's the Heroes from yesterday." He tipped his helmet some. "I gotta thank you guys, you really saved our butts!" The shorter man next to the first, bearing a scar across his right eye, lightly slapped the taller one on the back of the head. "Hey, say it with more esteem, boy. That Granberia is one of the strongest Monsters currently marching on Earth. They did more than just 'save our butts'. The entire Continent of Ilias was very nearly in dire straits and that is the highest praise you can offer them!?" He then turned, bowing deeply, "We owe you our very lives, Heros. Your work is of the highest regard!"

The taller man coughed into his hand, "Eh-Eh, right. Sorry." The mute man behind the two shook his head, before bowing himself.

Luka shook his head, "Th-That's not necessary, we were just doing our jobs, you know." Alice rolled her eyes as they continued on. The disguised Lamia leaned down to speak to the boy, "So, where exactly are you planning on going right now?" Luka hummed momentarily before answering, "Not really sure, just figured we'd walk around for a little, see what there is to see."

"Fair enough..." She replied, glancing around the area with her golden eyes. "...I, for one, am going to find something to eat before my stomach starts eating itself." Luka watched as the tall Monster strode through the crowd with ease, the people seeming to naturally part for her with little to no issue. The Lamia seemed to not even notice the stares she got as she cut through the people. He frowned, once again having to compare himself to her. 'She makes it seem so easy.'

The boy shook his head as Alice disappeared, thinking about what he would need. "Okay, let's see what we can find around here."

"Hmmm..." Luka hummed, slowly stepping sideways as he read each and every book title on the large wooden bookshelf. The bookstore was one of his last planned spots, having bought a quick breakfast and ran some of his own errands here and there over the last hour he had been in Iliasburg.

During his exploring, he found the deceptively large Library, having at least a dozen or so rows of books in the middle of the store, with even more running the lengths of each wall. At the moment, he was looking for anything that may help him with an issue that he was having.

The issue? His limited knowledge of the behavior of Monsters.

At the moment, all the information he had about Monsters were things he heard from people growing up and general comments made by Alice. However, the way he saw it, he needed something more specific. Something that could help him with identifying different species and maybe even give him a better idea of how to handle an encounter with them.

So far, though, his search was coming up empty-handed. Sighing, he finally went to the front of the shop to resort to a last-ditch effort: Ask the bookstore owner.

The man seemed hospitable enough. He was middle-aged, with dark brown hair that hung down just above his bright green eyes. The man noticed Luka approaching, pushing up the glasses that kept falling down his nose. He nodded at Luka, "Is there anything I can help you with, young man?" The purple-haired boy placed his hands together on top of the counter. "Yes, do you have any books that detail all the different Monsters one might encounter on his travels?"

The man scrunched up his face at the request, scratching at his chin in thought. "Huh, a book identifying Monsters? I'm sorry, I don't believe that I've ever carried something like that." Luka's face fell, having felt that the search might be fruitless. However, an idea came to his mind. 'If I can't get one, then maybe I should make one myself...'

Truly, it would only help him with Monsters he's already faced or happened to get information on, but it was better than having nothing at all. 'That way, I can at least keep notes on how I've dealt with certain Monsters in the past. Just to fall back on if I happen to forget something.' Satisfied with the idea, Luka looked to the bookkeeper. "Do you perhaps have any blank journals, and maybe a pen?"

The man nodded, "Of course, all right here." He pulled the items from under the counter, placing them in front of the boy. Luka promptly purchased the items before heading out on his way. Walking out of the cozy store while holding the books close. He opened the small journal in his right hand while bringing the pen to his chin with his left hand. 'Alright, where to begin...' He lightly hummed, 'I suppose I should go chronologically.'

He slowed down to stop by the front of one of the stores, leaning up against its front wall as he began to write.

Lime the Slime: Common Slime

Strengths - Malleable body, Can create tentacles to easily restrain

Weaknesses - Easily distracted, Loves fish

Intelligence - Below Average(?), Seems unfocused

Friendliness - Very friendly!

Luka's Notes: Waaaay too bouncy!

Melk the Slug: Common Slug

Strengths - Slippery slime, tripping hazard. Can easily restrain with mucus and her body(?)

Weaknesses - Salt (Last resort), slow moving

Intelligence - Average, able to make traps with slime

Friendliness - Polite, but hostile

Luka's Notes: I feel bad for her, she seemed lonely.

Unknown Mandragora: Common Mandragora

Strengths - Singing voice, painful

Weaknesses - Singing voice, needs work

Intelligence - Average

Friendliness - Deceptively flirtatious

Luka's Notes: Cannot carry a tune but has nice leaves. I hope I can get her name someday!

Luka grimaced after finishing the first three pages, a tad bit of dread for the next one to come. "Definitely need to keep notes on this one..." He said as he added the fourth entry.

Granberia: Heavenly Knight of Fire

Strengths - Power, Speed, Technique, Intelligence, Magic, the unfair advantage of being a Dragon

Weaknesses - ???

Intelligence - Very high

Friendliness - Not very friendly at all

Luka's Notes: I must get better with my sword before meeting her again. A second encounter anytime soon could prove fatal.

Luka looked up, noticing in surprise that he had somehow wandered back to the central plaza of Iliasburg and was now standing in front of the large circular fountain. There were a bit more people around now, something he had somehow failed to notice while he was walking around. Most of them ignored him for the most part, hurrying around for whatever appointments or errands they wanted to get done.

'I wonder where Alice is, we probably should've agreed to a rendezvous to meet when we both got done...' The boy wondered to himself. He looked down curiously at his book, a thought coming to mind. '...Should I give her a page, too?'

It seemed unneeded, as he didn't really think that he would require information about her, but even still. 'Well, maybe just one at the back, for fun!' He flipped to the very last page of the journal, penciling in her entry with his left hand.

Alice: Traveling Partner

Strengths - Possibly stronger than Granberia(?)

Weaknesses - Loves sweets

Intelligence - Very, Very high

Friendliness - Sometimes friendly, sometimes not. Thankfully not hostile

Luka's Notes: At least she's on my side!

Luka smiled, thoroughly pleased with his little book of Monsters. He closed the book and pocketed it quickly while looking around. 'Well, I guess that's about it. Now, just to find Alice and-'

"Hello there, Hero~" Luka glanced behind him, being somewhat taken aback by the tone of the feminine voice behind him. The woman was a good head taller than him and was wearing a short black dress that was a bit too loose, one of the shoulder straps very close to falling off her shoulder completely. This helped to show just a bit too much collarbone and upper chest for the boy's comfort. Her dark brown eyes gave him a once-over before she brushed a loose strand of her brunette locks out of her face.

"H-Hi." he said in reply, nodding lightly. The woman giggled, moving in closer to Luka. "My, my. I had heard talk of the Hero coming through here being cute, but you are downright adorable." She came in close, leaning over the boy with a playful glint in her gaze.

"Y'know..." She started, "...To be this cute while driving off a beast like the one we had here yesterday, it's a pretty impressive feat. I think that means you deserve a reward." Luka chuckled nervously, backing up just a tad away from the mature woman.

"Haha, eh, that's not necessary. Really, I-I'm good." The woman took another step forward, lightly grabbing onto his arm, "Oh, I insist. I have a special discount for good little Heroes like you." The woman pulled him close, breasts pushing into his shoulder. "Just give me a couple minutes and you won't regret it, I promise~"

Luka shivered, distinctly aware of the fact that the escort was not wearing a bra. He blushed heavily, fighting to keep his voice steady as he tried to pull away without using too much force. "O-O-Oh, I'm quite alright, th-thank you." However, the woman didn't let up, much to his repeated denial.

She leaned in closer, whispering into his ear. "Aww, why so shy? First time, perhaps? Don't be afraid, I can take it slow..." Finally, something came to force the woman to stop her invasive actions.

"Luka!" The harsh voice cut through the chatter like a cold breeze through trees, causing many people to part to allow a certain disguised Lamia to storm through. Both Luka and the woman jumped at Alice's call, separating instantly. The Monster Lord's golden eyes burned into the woman, causing her to shrink back as she looked between the two. "A-A-Ah, I see now. I'm sorry, I didn't realize he was taken..." The woman ran away quickly as Alice's glare grew more intense, fading into the crowd of people.

Alice looked down at Luka, who scratched at the back of his head. "Oh, thank you, Alice! That woman just wouldn't leave me alone!" The Lamia groaned, gripping the area between her eyes with her fingers in frustration. "I leave you by yourself for a hour and you already turn into a stuttering mess at the first woman that looks your way?" Her tone was more subdued now that the woman was gone, but there was still frustration present. "She wasn't even a Monster, Luka."

Luka folded his arms behind his back, nervously looking down to the ground with a blush. He was distinctly aware of the amused looks he was getting from the people passing by now. "I-I'm sorry, Alice. I'm just not used to the attention." Alice sighed, closing her eyes in an attempt to fight back her impatience. She reopened her eyes, "Luka, have you actually gotten anything for our trip yet?"

He nodded his head, "Yeah I got some salt, more food, some bandages, a couple other things here and there... Oh! And," Flashing an innocent smile, the boy presented his new book with his arms outstretched. "I got a journal to write in!" Alice stared at him, completely speechless at his proclamation. She gave a long sigh, deciding to just drop the subject.

"Follow me." She turned on her heel, causing the boy to quickly jog after her. After a few minutes of walking, the Prophet and the Monster Lord stopped in front of a weapon shop. Alice turned to him, crossing her arms. "Be thankful, I was able to get some breakfast and find this place all while you were... book shopping."

Alice walked into the place, Luka following close behind while idly wondering if Alice had actually paid for food or she had simply taken some. 'With the way she expects me to make her food so often on command, I wouldn't be surprised if she took off with something from one of these shops just as easily...' He thought as he passed through the doors.

Inside the shop were rows and rows of very large and very sharp weaponry, from swords to axes and everything in between. Propped against the stone walls in the back was armor staged up to look as if a real person was wearing it. Luka glanced up at them with awe, the shining silver gleaming in the light of the sun rolling through the windows. On the far wall, there were some mirrors propped up, assumedly so that one could inspect their visage in the mirror once dawning a set of armor.

'This is the armor of a true Hero, I'd imagine...' He thought, before looking down at himself. He frowned, realizing that all the armor pieces seemed to be made for men much taller and much more built than himself. Taking another glance, he found that everything in the place looked to be too big for him to wear.

"Why are you looking so miserable for? It's just armor." He turned to Alice, who looked perturbed by his downcast visage. The boy hesitantly turned to Alice, shame painted on his face. The boy said to the Lamia, "Well, I-I don't think that the armor here is quite right for me, Alice. They're..." He paused to lower his voice, "They're not really made with my height in mind." It wasn't a secret that Luka was fairly small compared to most people; his lack of height and scrawny build were some of the first things one would notice about him upon seeing him. Most people he met were at least a head taller than him, Alice herself being almost twice his height when standing completely upright.

The Lamia shrugged her shoulders while giving a quick reply, "Oh, I know. I already have something picked out for you." Luka turned his head in question as Alice walked up to the balding blacksmith behind the counter. From there, she picked up what looked like an ordinary gray undershirt. "This will do you nicely." She said, holding it up for him to see. The boy walked up to Alice, a curious look in his blue eyes. "Huh, looks pretty unassuming..."

The blacksmith behind the counter gave a small chortle at Luka's comment. "That's the type of armor you really want, kid. Sure, those silver plates and shoulder pads look good on a battle-hardened soldier, but something like this," he said, gesturing towards the shirt in Alice's hands. "Is something a traveler like you is going to want. A finer woven fabric than those made in Enrika is one I've yet to see." Luka paused, the name sounding familiar to him.

'Enrika, Enrika... I've heard that name before...' The boy stowed the thought away for a moment, listening back to what the blacksmith was saying. "Your friend has good eyes there, boy. Many people walk through here and never even give it a passing glance." The boy looked up to Alice, who wore a self-satisfied grin as she tossed the shirt to the purple-haired Hero. He caught it, feeling even through his gloves how durable it was.

"Well, if you think it's good, Alice, I'll take it." The boy quickly paid for the shirt, eliciting a quick "Thank you" from the blacksmith behind the counter. He then took the shirt and moved to put it in his traveling bag before Alice stopped him. She coughed harshly into her hand, causing Luka to jump. "Eh-hem, aren't you going to put it on?"

Luka chuckled in embarrassment, "Haha, yeah, I guess I should do that, huh?" He turned to the blacksmith, stepping up to his counter. "Excuse me, sir, where's your dressing room at?" The man let out a short, teasing chuckle. "Ha, I don't have any changing rooms, boy." Luka's face froze in fear, and he turned back to Alice. "W-W-Well, I'm afraid that I can't qu-quite put this on right now, then. I'll just wait until later!"

Alice gave him a disbelieving look as she said, "Why wait? You can't just throw that thing on in the middle of a fight, you know. Just put it on now." The purple-haired Hero hesitated, looking to the front door and window where there were droves of people passing by. He shook his head vehemently, "No, no, I can't do that. There's people out there..." He turned to the amused-looking blacksmith, "He's right there..." He then looked up to her, a blush forming on his face. "And yo-you're right h-here! That's much too many people!"

Alice quickly stepped up to him, giving him an annoyed glare. "Either you put it on, or I do. You better make up your mind quick." Luka looked aghast at the idea, quickly removing his bag and dropping it to the side.

"O-Okay, okay! I'll do it, but you have to look away!" The disguised Lamia rolled her eyes, not believing that she was actually going along with this. She turned around, stepping away some to give the illusion of privacy. She called to him from over her shoulder, "Be quick about it! I don't want to hang around much longer!" Luka looked to the blacksmith, who quickly threw up his hands and turned away while muttering something about it not being "His type of show" as he did.

Luka glanced out the window to see that, while people weren't filing in, some men and women were standing in front of the shop. He shuffled a bit across the wooden floor so that some of the armor-wearing mannequins could block their potential view of him. However, in doing so, he scooted over just enough to accidentally allow Alice a clear viewing of the boy's partial undressing.

Alice hadn't been necessarily looking to peep at him on purpose, but when her eyes idly fell upon one of the mirrors on the far wall, she found that she could see the boy in the reflection as he began to frantically lift his brown tunic over his head. She watched with sudden interest on her face as the boy's distinctly pale flesh was revealed, glowing a tad bit brighter in the sun that streamed through the glass. As he had said, the boy was by no means a physical specimen; his body was too slim and frail-looking to be something one would call strapping.

Yet, she couldn't take her eyes off of him as he removed the cloth. His face was beet-red as he fumbled with the armor she had given him, eventually able to pull the malleable mesh over his head and re-cover his upper body. The Monster Lord barely noticed the bit of red on her own face as she watched in disappointment as Luka pulled his regular tunic on over the armor.

"O-Okay, I'm done now." He squeaked out, spurring Alice to turn back around to face Luka. He squatted down and retrieved his bag, quickly hefting it up onto his shoulder. "Thank you, sir!" He called to the blacksmith as the duo left the shop. Exiting the shop, Luka glanced at the buildings around them. "Well, I believe that we're done now since I have all I need..." The boy turned to his left, stepping down the sidewalk as Alice followed at his side. "Which means we can safely set out for-"

CRASH

"MREEOW!"

The sound of metal trashcans being tossed around alongside a very particularly angry cat yell rang from a nearby alley. An orange tabby cat, presumably the one that had meowed, flew out of the passageway, causing the young boy to stumble mid-step. From his side, he heard Alice actually yelp at the quick moment of panic. However, as strange as that was, the odd moment was only just starting.

"Fufuufuuu, I finally found you, My Hero~"

The high-pitched voice was followed by the emergence of a Monster from the dark alleyway. The Monster's head was the very first part of her to show, which was by far her most off-putting feature. The reason for this is because her upper body from below her chest up, was that of a bright green snake head and neck! The snake woman's yellow eyes flashed brightly as she attempted to slither seductively out into the light. Attempt being the keyword, as the Lamia nearly fell over due to her unbalanced proportions. The stumbling revealed her Human lower half, which was clothed in only a tight pair of small black shorts.

The Monster spoke once more, "Now that I finally have your attention, I must introduce myself. I am Amira, the young maiden whose heart you have stolen!" Luka's mouth parted, a bit from confusion and a bit from distaste. Alice was similarly taken aback, looking down at Amira like one would look at blown-apart roadkill. Luka attempted to respond, "E-Excuse me?" He asked.

The reverse Lamia scooted closer, to which Luka backed up some in response. She opened her mouth, "I'm here to proclaim my love for you, Hero Luka! Don't you see? Your valor, your fearlessness in the face of danger, it all ignited an inferno of infatuation in me for you! I could see your Lion's heart beat in defiance as you faced down Granberia yesterday, and I want to devote myself to you!"

The poor boy stared down into the single seeable yellow eye of the reverse Lamia, unable to wrap his head around the exceedingly odd encounter he was having. Breaking from his trance, Luka clapped his hands together as a visibly forced smile came to his face. "Wow, th-that's just... great? I, erm, appreciate youuur..." He struggled to find something positive to say, clawing at every corner of his mind to formulate a response. "...Your passion! Yes, you're very passionate, it seems. Unfortunately, I will have to decline your offer."

The bizarre Monster seemed to grow downcast some, the gleam in her eye dimming some. "Oh, how depressing! To be denied by one and only true love..." The Monster lamented to herself. Luka gave a quick look to Alice, who seemed to be trying her best to not be involved with the situation. "Alice," The boy hissed to the lavender-skinned Lamia. She looked over at him with bemused eyes. "Can you, uh, make this Monster leave?"

Alice shook her head vehemently, "As I said, I will not be interfering with your encounters, especially this one." Luka glanced away, dismayed at Alice's rejection.

He pushed the thought away, focusing on the strange creature in front of him once more. The reverse-Lamia was currently spouting off something about unrequited love as he raised a hand. "Well, I'd hate to cut this short, but I really do need to get going, so..." Amira whined, a high-pitched noise that caused him to grimace.

"Ohhh, how awful! To be denied the object of my affections. The horrid twist of fate!" Amira called out loudly. Luka scratched at the back of his head, nervously glancing about the place as passersby began to stare. It seemed that if anyone was bothered by the Monster's presence, they didn't show it. In fact, some people actually seemed amused at the scene.

Luka put both of his hands in front of himself, attempting to calm the Monster down. "H-Hey, let's just calm ourselves. Is there anything I can do to make you feel better, perhaps?" The strange Monster seemed to immediately flip in demeanor, stumbling a bit as she flipped around to stand up straight. "As depressing as it is to have you deny my feelings, I do have a request. A request only one who is truly Heroic could fulfill."

The purple-haired boy nodded slowly, "Oh, is that so? What is it?"

Amira continued, "It is horrible. A band of bandit Monsters have been terrorizing the good people of this city. For fellow Monsters to do such awful things, it brings much pain to my fragile heart. Everyone here has been so troubled, Iliasburg is now but a shell of its former self. I would do something myself, but I'm afraid that my bark is worse than my bite." Luka looked from Amira to Alice, seeing that his traveling partner had a similarly disbelieving look. "Uh," Luka groaned, "I don't recall anyone mentioning any bandit Monsters. In fact, nobody is looking very terrorized right now."

Alice, for the first time since Amira has appeared, directly addressed the Monster. "Are you sure this is true? It certainly sounds like an overblown load of bullsh-"

"-Sure I am!" Amira cut in quickly, "My intel is unquestionable, and this situation is undoubtably dire. There even seems to be a Vampire and a Dragon within their ranks. Such a threat cannot be taken lightly!" Luka's face contorted in concern, the Monster's words causing him some distress. He already knew firsthand the power of a Dragon, but Vampires were trickier. Due to their closeness in appearance to Humans, it's easy for them to hide in plain sight. That, and a Vampire's magic prowess was naturally high, making their advances difficult to fend off.

"And how exactly would such powerful Monsters be here?" Alice asked from Luka's side. "So far into the Ilias Continent, it sounds suspicious."

Luka, surprisingly, turned to Alice to counter. "Well, Granberia was just here, after all. Maybe other strong Monsters came to this area because of her activity?" Alice seemed to weigh his words for a moment, as Luka turned back to Amira. "Either way, if what you said is right, then I have to do something. So if you can tell me where these bandits are at, you can leave it to me."

Amira cheered at his words, "Hoorah, I knew you would accept! What bravery, what courage, what manliness! Just what I expect from the one that owns my heart!" Luka watched with relief as Amira slunk away into the alley she had left, disappearing into the dark as she relayed one last fact. "Your foes reside west of here, somewhere at the base of the Irina Mountain Range. Good luck, my love!" Luka sighed, turning to an incredulous-looking Alice.

"Seriously? You're going to go fight a group of Monsters that includes Dragon and a Vampire, at least? That's suicidal." She shook her head, "With Monsters as strong as that, you may as well go in there with your pants down to save time."

The statement garnered a frown from Luka. He replied, "Well, I have to do something, I'm a Hero, right? So, I have no other choice but to take action."

Alice sighed, not seeing the boy's reasoning. "Why bother? This had nothing to do with defeating the Monster Lord. You'd just be sending yourself off in vain. If you really want to stop injustice, then you should be going to the heart of the issue instead of chasing after rouge Monsters you have no hope of beating. It's a waste of time." Luka felt himself actually begin to get a bit heated, Lamia's pessimistic comments causing him to get a bit upset.

"Well to me, it matters. I can't just ignore this and move on if there's a chance that I'd be allowing people to get hurt!" The boy marched down the street, Alice watching him go with an unreadable expression on her face.

The sun was fully above the two as they entered the mostly flat grasslands outside of Iliasburg. The yellow rays shone down lightly through scattered white clouds, glimmering the green grass around them. The duo hadn't said anything since Luka's outburst, relegating them to a heavy silence. Luka hadn't looked back at the Lamia since they had left Iliasburg, feeling a tad awkward now after his storming off in Iliasburg. 'I can't help it, I just want peace between everyone. I know she thinks it's childish, but it's important to me.'

"Hey." Coming to a stop on the stone path, Luka turned to the now non-disguised Alice who had just called out to him. "I know you had mentioned it before, but seeing you fight Granberia, I have to ask again..." Luka turned to Alice, the Lamia having a pensive look on her face. "...Are you really, truly, not wanting to kill anything?" Luka nodded strongly, not a doubt in his mind.

"I don't want to take any lives on my journey. I'm a Hero," he stressed, "And so my priority will be saving people, not killing them." The lavender-skinned Monster hummed, standing still for a moment. She then reached behind her back for something. "Then take this." Not able to get a good look at the item, Luka only could make out a gray blur as the object Alice tossed to him flew through the air. He was able to catch the item in both hands but almost immediately wished that he hadn't once he got a closer look.

"Uhhhh, what is this!?" He asked, his voice wavering a bit. In his hands was what appeared to be a sword. However, it was probably the ghastliest one the boy had ever seen in his life. The gray sword had the general shape of a weapon of its type, but it had many engravings of Angels along its hilt. Because of this, the only real "blade" on the sword was the circular edge on the very tip of the weapon. The other two notable details were the red jewel on its hilt and the disturbed-looking red on the main blade. One large eye in its middle, with four smaller ones placed around the large one. Each eye had a red sclera, with a green iris in the middle, giving them a very disturbed appearance.

"That is Angel Halo. If you really do not wish to kill, then use this from now on." Luka held the surprisingly lightweight sword in both arms, holding its grip in his left hand. The weapon certainly looked evil, but strangely enough, he felt drawn to the blade despite its grotesque visage. Almost as if there was a connection between himself and the sword, though he had no idea why that would be.

"Well, as odd as it is, it does seem easier to handle compared to my Father's sword." He squeezed the handle experimentally while looking towards Alice. "So, how is this sword supposed to-"

"Ah~"

Luka froze, looking back down to the sword that had just moaned at him. He stammered, "Uh-Uh, did you hear that?" Alice looked at the weapon curiously. "Huh, that's new..." The lavendar-skinned Lamia cupped her chin with a hand. "...Could be the six-hundred sixty-six Angel souls smelted into the blade. I wouldn't worry about it, probably just means they like you."

Luka jumped, literally leaving the ground in shock. "A-Angel souls!?" He stammered, looking at the sword in horror. "Th-That's horrible!" The boy couldn't believe it, the sword he currently held was made from Ilias's very own Angels? How would the Goddess feel about him wielding such a thing!?

Alice lifted her arms in a shrug, "It is a bit gruesome, but if you are wanting to avoid killing Monsters then this is your best bet." The Lamia slithered up to him as she began her explanation. "From my understanding, Angel Halo's slash eats away at the magic that lays in a living being's soul."

Luka's face became bewildered. "Okaaay... So how will that help with not killing anything?" Alice seemed like she was about to say something but stopped once opening her mouth. The Lamia's golden eyes flashed over to the side, sensing something the boy did not. "Ah," she said, "That's good. It'll probably make more sense seeing it in action yourself than having me try to explain abstract concepts." The boy squinted at Alice in puzzlement, not understanding what she meant. But then, he heard something coming from the direction where Alice was looking.

Rumble Rumble Rumble

He turned to the noise, looking across the far-expanding field of grass. However, he didn't see anything at all. "What is that?" He asked but received no reply. He turned around once more, just to find that Alice was gone. "Oh, it's another Monster then..." Holding up Angel Halo in his left hand, Luka surveyed the grass around him. A strong breeze blew through the lush flatlands, tossing the boy's shoulder-length purple hair around. He lifted his right hand up to his forehead, freeing his sight in preparation for the oncoming battle to soon come. He waited, the air growing quiet once more as the wind died down.

Rumble Rumble Rumble Rumble

The sound grew louder as it neared, lightly shaking the ground beneath him. 'What type of Monster is this?' Luka wondered, looking around to find some sort of clue as to what he was dealing with. The sound suddenly stopped, the ground becoming stable again. His heart started to pound just a tad bit harder, the boy's nerves getting the best of him. Luka took off his bag, discarding it to the ground as he raised Angel Halo. Then, the Monster appeared before him.

More specifically, her head and shoulders popped out of the ground a few meters to his left.

The Monster's shorty, frizzy umber hair was the first to appear, hanging down right above her eyebrows. A couple of the wispy strands fell in front of her squinting dark-blue eyes, eyes that seemed to scan around in search of the boy. The Monster's skin was a pale brown, almost looking as if the dirt itself had stained her pale skin. The Monster's gaze fell on the boy, her eyes widening a bit when finding him. From her mouth came an odd light-blue tongue, which wetted her thin lips in preparation.

"I knew I had heard correctly, there haven't been any travelers here for far too long..." She tilted her head to the left, her eyes looking over his form as her head went sideways. "...Not very tall, you must be a young one." Luka glanced down at the Monster curiously, with a dash of apprehension.

"Well, I'm not that young. I am sixteen, which technically makes me an adult!" The Monster chuckled at his proclamation, "Heheheee, no need to lie, boy. I am not picky with age. In fact, I tend to prefer the younger ones, much more fertile~"

Luka flinched at the implication, his mouth gritting in displeasure. He opened his mouth to give a reply but was stopped by the Monster's sudden reveal of the rest of her body. Luka's eyes widened along with his mouth as the Monster's head and shoulders rose and rose, the brown and slimy lower half of her body pushing her head up towards the sky. The boy gulped as he slowly stepped backward, literal meters upon meters of dark-brown worm-like body erupting out from the ground.

The Monster wriggled over to him, her upper body swaying to and fro as she did. Luka ignored the fact that her bust swayed the most noticeably, keeping his eyes on the Monster's face as she began circling around him. The worm Monster's body began secreting a slimy substance as she got closer, falling off of her body like sweat.

"Haha..." Luka chuckled nervously, looking to find a way to de-escalate the situation. "I expected you to be another one of those Mandragoras, or something similar, when you popped your head out like that." He noticed the Monster squint just a tad bit harder at him from the comment, "N-No offense meant, of course." He added.

The worm smiled shook her head, "Oh, don't fret. As long as you can make up for it, boy~" Luka became aware of the fact that her long body was now fully out of the ground, circling around him slowly. Her eyes squinted harder at his face, "Hmmm, you're cute one! I may just take you underground with me." Luka backed up some, the Monster's head turning to follow.

"Sorry, I'm going to have to decline, miss worm. I'm not really interested in doing such things with you." A dark gleam came to the Monster's eyes, the dark blue pools narrowing at him as her grin widened. "I don't remember asking." The worm Monster's segmented body tensed, her tail coming to strike Luka from behind. The purple-haired boy noticed the movement, hearing her tail sweep across the grass to fly towards him. He jumped quickly, being able to just barely dodge the swipe.

"Quick with your legs, huh?" The Monster giggled, "I hope your hips have just as much speed!" Luka watched as the worm started towards him. He held Angel Halo tight, ignoring the moan that rang out from the sword as he looked down at it. 'Okay, let's see what Alice was talking about, then.' Luka waited for the Monster to come within a couple meters, watching as she aimed another swing of her tail toward his chest. He breathed deeply, watching the Monster's tail fly towards him once more. He pulled back with his left arm while crouching low, swinging Angel Halo over his head to scrape along the bottom of the worm's tail.

The attack caused a sizable slash to fom on the Monster's tail; however, instead of cutting her open and spraying blood everywhere, the gash immediately turned into a thin scar on the worm's tail.

"G-Gaaah! Wha-What was that!? What did you do!?" The worm Monster pointed a confused look down at her tail, inspecting the instantly scarred wound with wild eyes. Luka inspected the scar from afar, humming at what he saw. 'So it seems that wounds given by Angel Halo cauterize themselves and scar over once inflicted. Interesting.' The boy took the sword in both hands, raising it to shoulder height as he did. The Worm noticed this, eyes snapping over to him in a hurry.

With a fire of confidence now alit inside of him, Luka vigorously proclaimed, "Now, to you, I give just one warning. If you no longer wish to fight, I will allow you to leave, just as long as you renounce your evil ways!" Another strong breeze blew through the air, traveling quickly across the flatlands. With his sword held high and purple hair flowing, Luka seemed to really fit the image of a Hero. Even the sun itself seemed to shine a tad bit brighter as he posed. "Now," He said, pointing Angel Halo straight ahead at the Worm. "What do you choose?"

The Worm's dark blue eyes narrowed at Luka. "I choose to wring your balls dry for cutting me like that." Luka's mouth curled down, aghast at the Worm's comment. "I... I really wish you hadn't said that..." Luka muttered. The Worm was on the attack once more, kicking up grass and dirt as it quickly glided over the ground. She sped towards him ferociously, catching him off-guard with her speed as she rammed head-first into his chest.

"Ah!" Luka called out as he was flung backward by the strike, tumbling away from the stone path and down the small incline leading up to the small road. He rolled some, finally coming to a stop at the bottom of the small hill. The boy quickly jumped back up to his feet, brown tunic and black pants now partly covered in grass from his fall.

Quickly, from the top of the hill, the Worm Monster slid down towards the boy, eyes intensely focused on him. He raised Angel Halo to swing, but the Worm surprised him by burrowing down into the ground once more, her body vanishing into the ground with great speed. The boy tensed as she disappeared beneath the ground, looking around as the grass and dirt beneath him began to shake violently. Just as it felt like the shaking was reaching its apex, the dirt-covered head of the worm shot out of the dirt by his right foot and smashed into him!

Luka fell onto the ground; dirt and dust kicking up into the air as the Worm wriggled towards the boy. "I've got you now!~" She yelled as she came to his grounded body.

Luka gasped, feeling the Monster start to wrap around his legs, her slimy body starting to coil around him. "Get off!" Luka yelled, swiping at the Worm's body. The strike landed successfully on the upper part of her body, gashing into the area right below her breasts. She immediately retreated, the odd sensation of her energy being sapped away, scaring her off of him. The Worm squirmed around wildly as Luka hurried to his feet.

"What is that thing!?" She yelled anxiously, "Why do I feel so much weaker!?" Luka ignored both the Monster's question and the feeling of the nasty slime that was now on his pants. Planting his right foot forward, he leveled Angel Halo in front of him with both hands gripping the handle. Seeing no other option, the boy prepared to use his most powerful attack.

Magic pooled together from his Human half, readying his sole magical attack. However, alongside his Human side, a very small amount of Holy Power leaked out of the ring on his left hand. This caused a very pale light, to shimmer around the strange weapon as Luka held it aloft. The boy hardly noticed this, having no time to hesitate as he called out:

"Demon Decapitation!"

The Worm's eyes comically widened as the boy started sprinting towards her, putting the Monster on the backfoot. With no "guard" to duck under, the boy simply pushed off the ground with his right foot once coming close enough. His small body launched up towards the Monster's head, slicing from left to right along her throat. Instantly, the pale glow dissipated, leaving Angel Halo to look as it had before the attack.

A pang of anxiety ran through him as he watched Angel Halo's bizarre, rounded tip cut through the Monster's neck, but he had no time to think of that as he flew past the Monster and rolled on the ground. He fell into the roll, finding his footing while finding his gaze falling on the Monster's back. He watched as the Worm twitched, strange grunting coming from her throat as she slowly turned to look at him.

Thankfully, the Monster's throat was not spurting blood when she turned, the wound having scarred over instantly after it was done. However, his relief was quickly dashed as the Monster evaporated after she turned! Luka watched in horror as her body simply vanished into the air like dust being blown away in the wind.

"Noo!" He yelled, dashing over to the spot where the Monster once was. He glanced around the ground in a haze, his thoughts racing. "I... I killed her!? But Alice, she said that-" He stopped stammering, noticing something writhing on the ground in the grass below him.

It was a small, distressed-looking earthworm. It coiled and recoiled around itself, flopping sadly on the ground in a frenzy. He squatted down, gently taking the worm in his gloved hand and inspecting it. The worm seemed to stare up at him, before coiling around his thumb with vigor.

"Well, there you go." Luka jolted at the voice, looking a small way upwards to see Alice standing on the stone path. "That's how the sword works, it reverts Monsters into a more primordial form after taking away enough energy." Luka nodded, looking down at the worm as he slowly walked up the small incline to stand in front of the Lamia.

"So, will she stay like this forever?" Luka asked, "Or will she return to normal soon?" Alice shrugged as she replied. "Depends on the Monster. Weaker ones will come back faster since they don't have as much magic to gather back up. So a couple weeks, maybe a Month. Stronger Monsters, however, could probably take multiple years."

Luka's blue eyes looked down to the worm, who was now shaking in his palm. Its head was pointed up at him, almost pleadingly. 'Huh, that's really interesting...' His eyes widened a tad, realizing something. '...I wonder, does this mean I could simply seal the Monster Lord with this weapon instead of killing her?' He stared hard at the worm in his hand, not seeing the puzzled look Alice was giving him.

"You enjoy watching worms squirm like that?" She asked sarcastically. Luka shook his head, walking over to the large hole the Monster had created when she first appeared. "No, no. I'm just glad that you gave me this sword. I have to thank you for that. It really helps me out."

He squatted down, placing his hand at the entrance of the hole. "Here, I suppose this might lead back home. Or at least somewhere close to it, I hope." The brown earthworm slunk away into the hole as quickly as it could, diving into the soil. Alice watched the exchange closely, noting the satisfied look on Luka's face. He stayed squatting, folding his arms on his knees as he peered down into the hole.

Alice looked away from the boy, "Don't thank me, I only gave it to you because your insistence on not killing would hamper your swordplay significantly. At least now you can put on a decent show for me."

Luka huffed at the backhanded compliment, leaning more into his squat while staring into the ground.

"Strange question, are Monster's sealed forms based on the environment around them, or do they just kinda turn into their own thing?" Alice perked an eyebrow at him, not understanding his question. He looked over, seeing her bemused expression.

"Like that Worm Monster, for instance. Does she turn into a brown earthworm because all the worms around here are brown earthworms? Or is that just simply what she is naturally?" Alice's mouth curled in thought, not really having considered the idea before. "I'm... not really sure, to be honest. Is it really important?"

Luka stood up, sweeping dirt and slime off his pants. "Eh, just wondering. I don't know about here around Iliasburg, but in Ilias Village I would find regular brown worms, but sometimes I would also find these really big red ones. Like, really really big. The biggest one I found in my backyard was wider than my thumb!" He gave a thumbs up, emphasizing his point.

Luka frowned, remembering something. "I found one in my bed once, too. That was a horrible way to wake up..." He looked away, shuddering in discomfort. He glanced back up at Alice, who was looking at him as if he had grown a second head.

"Sorry, I just find interesting to think about. I mean, if animal behavior and appearance differ with location then Monsters might be the same, too. You know what I mean?" He asked.

Alice shook her head again, "No, I don't know."

The purple-haired boy shrugged, walking over to his discarded traveling bag. "Well, it's fascinating to me, anyways." He unzipped the bag, retrieving his newly purchased journal. He opened the book, taking the pen in his left hand to begin a new entry. Alice slithered over to him, looking over his shoulder as he quickly jotted down his next profile.

Unknown Earthworm Girl: Common Earthworm

Strengths - Large but fast, can burrow underground

Weaknesses - No arms

Intelligence - Average

Friendliness - Hostile

Luka's Notes: Not a big fan of worms, but I hope she'll be okay.

"What's this? Did you buy this thing just so you can make an Encyclopedia of Monsters?" Luka flinched at the question, slamming the book shut quickly.

"I'd rather you not call it an Encyclopedia. They, eh, had one of those for Monsters at the Library, but..." He blushed, pulling at his collar. "...It wasn't exactly what I was looking for."

The boy looked away, whispering to himself. "Those really should've been in an Adult Section or something. Who puts stuff like that at the front of the store!? I don't care if it's a best-seller, I did not want to see that much detail!"

"Detail?" Alice asked, spurring the boy to shake his head back and forth. "You don't want to know, trust me." The young boy closed his own journal, putting it back in his bag. Luka then took Angel Halo, holding it in front of himself. He looked at it curiously, opening up his mouth to ask a question.

"So, how am I supposed to carry this thing, does it have a sheath? Or..."

Alice took the sword from Luka, quickly moving around the boy, and shoved it against his back. Somehow, the sword simply stuck to his back, as if magnetizing to him. "Like that." She said, moving away from the boy with a swish of her tail. Luka reached around to his back, feeling the sword with his hand.

"Huh," He said, a bit bewildered at the feeling. "Why does it do that for?"

Alice waved a hand, ignoring his question. "It doesn't matter why, just be glad that it makes itself easy to carry." Luka watched Alice slither down the stone path, heading down the path before them. Luka quickly began to follow along as he replied, "I suppose so, but I would like to know how such a thing works."

Alice sighed, her white hair gently swaying as she shook her head. "Some things work because they work! You ask too many questions." Luka paused, his blue eyes looking up at his traveling partner. "...Are you just saying that because you don't know, Alice?"

"Shut up." Alice said bluntly, not wanting to acknowledge the fact that Luka was correct.

With both the Prophet and the Monster Lord waltzing down the stone path, neither saw how one of Angel Halo's four smaller eyes began to change. The red sclera began to lose its blood-like color, turning into a faded white. The green iris, meanwhile, morphed into a light blue. As this change occurred, the sword channeled the remnants of Luka's dormant Holy Power, slowly calling out toward a presence across the entire World...

Longer chapter, though not much to say. Mostly compliant with regular ongoings, other than my own little additions here and there of course.

Took a bit longer to read this as my area has been having internet issues, so most of this had to be written by phone (which is not preferable, as it makes editing a nightmare. Especially when I was able to switch back to computer, as not everything "carries over" quite right between the two).

Only substantial change you may see here is Angel Halo. I hope my explanation makes sense, as I had to wrack my brain for a way to intigrate its sealing ability with just saying that he slashed at something and leave it as that. In short, it immediately causes a scar where a cut should go, keeping his oppents from simply bleeding out like they would with a regular sword.

Speaking of, Angel Halo itself will play a bit more into story early on here. Over time, it will actually begin to change. The reason for this is because, in my mind, if Heinrich caused it to look so demonic because of his wrath while slaughtering Angels, than Luka's kind-hearted nature will revert it back into something more pleasing. It won't be an immediate change, but it will end up being different way down the road.

As for what it's reaching out to, well just wait for next chapter.

Nighthunter531: And plenty more fluff here as well, because this story will need the light moments just as much as the dark ones.

Guest:I'll be honest, I'm probably taking liberties writing Narcellus here. But I want to give him a bit more depth than just him being an ex-terrorist who Luka hates. That's why I'm sprinkling in little moments like these here and there because I want his and Luka's relationship to be a bit more fleshed out.That way, when Luka does find out the truth about his Father's past, it makes things a bit more complicated for Luka to accept.That and Marcellus is fun for me to write. So expect to see more of him as the story progresses.

Guest: I'll be using some here and there, yeah. I don't have a full list of who will be here, so just expect to see some over time.

espioll: Well, the thing is, I can't see this version of Luka being comfortable with doing anything intimate with anyone just yet, even Alice. He would, more likely than not, react very badly to something like that.

I suppose I should be more clear. By "no pleasure attacks", I mean that fighting scenes will not be written as they are in game, as this story isn't be written in the context of it being a video game. There will also be no stats, or anything like that, so all combat will be as straight-laced and "realistic" as possible.

This is simply because, in my mind, I can't effective write this as a serious story if Luka is being literally milked in the middle of a fight scene. So anything vaguely sexual happening during a fight will occur through other means. Hopefully, this makes sense.