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"Speaking, or in-text quote"
'Thoughts'
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Year 16 AL, Skirting the Edge
Eden was positively furious.
Here she was at the half-finished frame of the Temple of Ilias, the sun was up, and she stood very patiently for a dozen Angels who had still not shown up yet. "Those lot had better have a good explanation for this!" She barked, flapping her wings angrily as she did. With an uncharacteristically wrathful gaze on her face, she took off and shot towards Heaven's Gate. 'Great, now I'll have to speak to that horrid thing twice!' The Seraph thought bitterly as she cut through the early morning sky.
It didn't take long for Eden to reach the ivory tower of the former Cherub, the Seraphim landing with a loud thud. Quickly, the Angel of Heaven's Gate emerged from her golden visage, her lazy green eyes widening at Eden's appearance. "Ahhh, back so soon?" She questioned. The sage-haired Seraph gave a mad huff and threw her arms up into the air in anger.
"Yes, it seems I am!" She marched up to the Gate, a fire in her eyes. "For it seems as if a particular group of a dozen lazy Angels decided to flake on their responsibilities! I swear when I get my hands on them..." She paused, a thought coming to her mind. If she were to find the lot, she needed to make sure they were actually in Heaven first. "...Heaven's Gate, did the platoon of Angels who had accompanied me yesterday come through this morning at any point?"
The black-haired Angel paused before bluntly giving Eden a surprising answer. "Oh, they could not. They never even returned yesterday."
Eden froze, "...What? They never returned!?"
Heaven's Gate nodded her head slowly, disingenuous concern on her face as she elaborated. "Yes, they left Heaven with you, but they never came back. I apologize for not notifying you. With how upset you seemed last night, I had just assumed that you assigned them for overnight duty." The Gate Angel lied.
The Seraph's eyes widened in horror, "Oh no..." She gasped, clutching the collar of her white robe. "...Thi-This isn't good, twelve lost Angels on my watch!? Where could they have gone!?" Eden's frantic gaze scanned the top of the tower, if by some miracle the dozen missing Angels would just happen to appear before her.
Unbelievably, this did not happen.
"I-I can't believe this..." She said, turning to Heaven's Gate, who watched the Seraph's display with great amusement. "...Heaven's Gate, I need you to open for me. I must speak with Ilias at once about this!"
The Gate Angel tilted her head, her large ox-like ears flopping around her face. "Are you sure you want to do that? Ilias could be very upset with you after losing some of our Sisters." The Former Cherub's words struck Eden hard, her face grimacing as she imagined the Goddess of Light berating her for making such a mistake.
The Seraph paced nervously about the stone pad, her brain working overtime to figure out some sort of solution. Then, a very cunning idea came to her:
Just don't tell Ilias.
'Brilliant!' Eden cheered in her mind, a victorious grin coming to her face. 'Ilias doesn't have to know anything about this right now. I mean, those Angels haven't been gone that long. They could just be slacking off somewhere on this planet, I'm sure that they'll turn up eventually.'
Satisfied with the poorly thought-out plan, Eden turned back to Heaven's Gate. "Well, I'll still need to find some replacement Angels in the meantime. So, if you would let me through, please." Heaven's Gate gave a curt nod, her doors opening wide for the Seraph.
Eden stepped through, completely unaware that the Former Cherub above her was the very reason why those dozen Angels disappeared in the first place.
Alice stirred, feeling a pleasant warmth blanketing her body. Even with her eyes closed, she could tell that morning had arrived. A small hum came from her lips as she felt quite at ease upon waking up, a surprise to her, as an actual good night's sleep often alluded the Monster Lord.
The Lamia stretched, arching her back out as she did. She grunted, feeling her back pop a bit from the movement. The Lamia paused, not having opened her eyes but still able to notice that something was off when she attempted to move her tail. The long appendage was coiled around something, which was not uncommon for her to do when she slept. However, she would always do this with a pillow, and what she was coiled around right now was very much so not a pillow.
The Monster Lord's golden eyes snapped open at the realization, her mind already having a guess as to what, or rather who, she had in her tail's grip. Pushing her body up with her elbows, she eyed the foot of the bed, her suspicions confirmed as she saw Luka sleeping away while wrapped up in her red tail.
His soft face bore a slight smile, making it look as if he was having the most peaceful slumber of his life despite his entire body being cocooned by the Lamia's scaly tail. Alice drew closer to him, observing how a small slice of sunlight fell through the nearby window and shone on part of his face. Delicately, Alice brushed a stray lock of purple hair from his face, causing the boy's face to twitch a bit before calming once again.
At the back of her mind, The Monster Lord knew that she should probably wake him up now. However, she couldn't quite get herself to do so, as the act of watching him sleep was much more satisfying to her. 'Well, he had a long day yesterday, it's only fair to let him enjoy the extra time.'
However as she sat there, the idea felt less like a favor for him and more like an excuse to hold him for longer than necessary.
The next few minutes seemed to stretch on for an eternity, Alice never once breaking her gaze from the purple-haired Hero she had in her grasp. It was strange; for whatever reason, clutching the boy like this as he slept felt very nice. Almost as if he was meant to be held there.
Alice frowned, the internal acknowledgment bothering her some. She knew in her heart that she really shouldn't be encouraging such closeness between her and Luka. He was a Hero, and Heroes are meant to kill the Monster Lord. And here she was, the current reigning Monster Lord herself, snuggling up with the boy who was fated to end her life. The problem with this was very glaring.
Alice began slowly uncoiling her tail, the scaly appendage gently drawing away from his body. She frowned as she began to feel less and less of the heat coming off of him. Once she had uncoiled halfway, though, the boy himself stopped her. With surprising speed, the boy squirmed and turned towards her as he latched onto the Lamia with both his arms and legs, pulling her tail up against his smaller frame. Alice froze, a small blush coming to her face as she realized two things:
The first was that the Luka's grip was very strong for his size. She could feel his hands locking into place around her tail, a near-death grip being latched upon her. The second thing she realized was that there was also something else about him that betrayed his height, as she felt something between his legs now pressed up against her tail...
...Looks, evidently, were deceiving.
Alice bit her lip, now caught in a very precarious situation. At that moment, she could smell the arousal coming off of him. She recognized it a bit too well, having gotten a good sample of it the night before during his escapades with a certain Harpy. It was sweet, like a fruit ripened and ready to harvest.
Before she could even think through what she was doing, she carefully moved the section of tail pressed up against his member. The reveal of his hardness pushing out against his pants wasn't particularly theatric, but her breath hitched all the same as she watched his erection pulse ever so slightly out, the movement heavily restricted by his pants.
Certainly, all of it being trapped there had to be very restrictive. If it were to be free of its prison, it'd probably be so much more comfortable.
Slowly, her ungloved hand drew closer to his hardened member before gently placing itself on the bulge. It twitched furiously upon being caressed, the natural reaction causing it to throb in her palm. Idly, she noted just how perfectly it fit in her hand. Alice experimentally ran her hand up his length, receiving another pulsing from his eager member. Suddenly, the boy shifted, a light moan coming from his lips. Alice jolted, pulling away while looking at his face, which was thankfully still asleep.
Despite her best efforts, she felt a rising heat come upon her. His sweet smell, his obvious excitement, his tempting heat. All of it was beginning to take its toll and help make this endeavor all the more difficult for her. Then, as if things couldn't get any more complicated, the boy's pale blue eyes began to flutter open.
Alice became stiff, not moving as he peered at her sleepily. "Oh... good morning, Alice. " He gave a small, adorable yawn. She felt a bead of sweat fall down her face, the sensation of his unintended rubbing against her heating up her face. He looked at her more closely, noticing her distress.
"Hey, is something wrong? You look-" He stopped dead mid-sentence, a small and nervous movement from Alice's tail causing him to finally snap out of his sleepy haze as he felt it push against his member. Immediately, he released her tail, scampering and flailing like a scolded dog to the very edge of the bed.
"I'M-I'M S-SO S-S-SORRYY!" He yelled out, quickly covering his lower body with the sheets. His pale white skin was practically flaming with how red it had turned, his embarrassment quite evident to Alice.
Luka held his hands up to his face as if to shield himself from her, "D-DON'T BE MAD, PLEASE, IT WAS A-AN ACCIDENT!" He wailed. The Lamia forgot her own shame as she watched the boy seemingly try to disappear into the mattress as he squirmed up at the foot of the bed.
"I'm not mad, Luka." She said quietly to the shaking boy. It wasn't a lie. She wasn't mad... just hot and bothered. Slowly, his hands left his face and rested right below his chin, the redness not having left his cheeks yet. "You... aren't?" He asked carefully.
Alice shook her head, "No. Your body did that in your sleep. It's a natural reaction." She said, conviently leaving out the fact that she had helped to disturb it further.
Luka let out a relieved sigh, the air coming out shakily. "O-Okay, I..." He paused, seemingly about to say something else, but instead decided to change topics. "...I think we should get ready to head out, now." Alice nodded in agreement, rising up from and then slithering out of the bed. She turned to face him, becoming puzzled at the fact that he remained exactly where he had been sitting.
She raised an eyebrow at him, "Aren't you coming?" Luka flinched, an uneasy look coming to his face as he replied, "Well... Y-Yes, I just need to..." He fiddled with the sheets, his hand rapidly clasping and unclasping the blanket. "...I-I need to c-c-calm d-down, first..."
Alice took a sharp breath, realizing what he meant. Obviously, the erection would still be there for a bit, as they don't just go away that quickly. So, he would have to wait for it to stop throbbing as it waited for a release that would never come...
...Unless.
"I could help you get rid of that." She blurted out, the words coming out like a piece of scolding-hot food.
Luka flinched, his whole body locking up at the suggestion. "H-H-Help me?" His hushed voice said it as a question, but to Alice's somewhat hazy mind, it sounded like an invitation. She slithered up to him, her heart thudding a bit quicker in her chest.
"Just to get rid of it quicker so we can leave faster. You can't go out there with that-" She emphasized her words by pointing down to his bulge, "-Can you? It wouldn't be very becoming of a Hero. Plus, if you tried to leave Harpy Village with that going on, you'd have a flock of Harpy Girls on you in minutes." Alice subtly grinded her teeth, the very idea flaring up anger inside of her.
Luka visibly gulped, his fingers twitching quickly as he stared at her with wide eyes.
"I..." He breathed in and out slowly, his face contorting and morphing in between shock, hesitation, and something else. "...I'm not s-sure, Alice. Th-That..." Luka stopped, his pale blue eyes wavering between looking at her and the sheets. Alice drew nearer, her golden eyes watching him very closely.
The Lamia reached the bed with a slight sway to her movement, a bizarre energy bouncing through the air between the two. It was frantic, yet not unpleasant. She placed a hand on his thigh, a dangerous move. A quiet gasp came from Luka's mouth as he flinched at the sensation. Alice prodded further, "It wouldn't be any different than what you did with the Harpy last night. Except I'll be helping you."
His eyes lifted up to meet her's, his eyes rippling with conflict. With how close they were, Alice could feel his breath tickling at her face. Her chest tightened a bit, noticing that the smell was coming from him intensified. For a long time, they stayed like that. Luka, sitting cross-legged on the bed with visibly quickened breathing. Alice, leaning over the bed with her grip still on his thigh, held up her other hand. "I'll only use my hand, I promise."
Luka's pale blue eyes looked deep into her eyes, and she could see the internal struggle in his gaze. His face twitched, almost as if the war in his mind was bleeding out onto his face. The Lamia found herself wondering if the pounding heartbeat in her ears was her's or Luka's. It was a maddening sensation.
Finally, something inside the boy gave, and slowly, Luka nodded.
No words left his mouth as he uncrossed his legs, his gaze falling away from Alice's face as his face nearly glowed red in the early morning sun. The Lamia gently pushed him back, the purple-haired Hero offering no resistance as he fell back onto the bed. He watched with wide eyes as Alice dipped down, her head coming down in between his legs.
Everything was silent, other than errant creaks of the wood below her and the subtle rippling of the bed's mattress. Her hand, still on his thigh, carefully slid higher up his leg and reached his pant zipper, purposely rubbing up his erection on the way up. She peered back up to him, seeing his gaze locked on her and only her now. No more fluttering aversion due to shyness or nervousness, just an expectant gaze.
She found herself liking that a bit too much.
Luka held a hand up to his face to cover his mouth, a frantic attempt to hold onto his composure as Alice reached the zipper, pulling the offending item down once reaching it. The normally quiet sound seemed to cut through the air like lightning, filling the entire room with the sound. Luka gasped again as she pulled his pants open, revealing his pure white underwear. 'Why am I not surprised?' Alice thought, noticing at how the garment would match his usual white nightwear.
At this moment, she acknowledged the fact that she was at an impasse. She could write this whole thing as a joke, laugh at his sputtering embarrassment at having been tricked, and they could just continue on as if the whole thing never happened.
Somehow, though, before the idea had even gone halfway through her foggy mind, his penis was already out of his underwear and standing tall mere centimeters away from her face.
Which was strange, as she couldn't recall taking it out, and was certain that Luka wouldn't have done it himself. Also strange, was the fact that her hand was somehow already wrapped firmly around his hardened member.
Alice shivered, though it was not cold. In fact, everything was much too hot. She gulped, her mouth becoming very dry. The Monster Lord had not done something like this before, but her instincts took over, pushing her to pull up his length, all the way to the head.
Luka's legs twitched from the stroke, and the boy struggled to fight twitching a second time as her hand went down. With her face being so close, her entire senses were overwhelmed by his sweet scent now. It was getting much harder to think clearly now, as she began pumping up and down. Steadily, Luka's member began to leak a clear liquid.
The sheets ruffled as Luka grasped the blanketing with his right hand. The left hand was still firmly kept up to his face, another muffled moan coming from his mouth. Alice watched as the skin on his erection began turning red, much like his face, a deep crimson overtaking the paleness. The Lamia felt an excitement building in her, a desire growing in her chest.
Luka shook violently, his chest moving up and down quicker than it had before. His hips moved up, leaning into her strokes. Instinctually, she could tell that he was getting close. Reacting quickly, she sped up her hand's movement, gaining a much louder moan from the boy. She looked up, watching as the boy's eyes shut closed.
Almost there.
Alice's mouth parted, a slight pant coming from her now. Again and again, she pumped up and down. Her body was on fire, an eagerness to her gaze as she felt a slight throb to the front of his erection. Suddenly, the boy broke his silence. "A-Alice~" He gasped out as he grabbed a corner of the sheets and, strangely enough, covered his entire face with it. A low and prolonged moan came out from him, one that began to grow louder with each additional stroke.
Alice took it as a sign that he was nearly finished, causing a devious smirk to come to her face now. She had promised that she would only use her hand, but...
...She was getting hungry.
Alice leaned forward, her hand leaving his shaft as she did. Before Luka could even realize it, her mouth wrapped around him, causing his whole body to shake. A very loud moan came from the boy as she bobbed on his length, sucking as strong as she could as she ran her lips up and down. Just seconds later, her efforts were realized as her erection pulsated harshly, the floodgates finally being broken.
Alice's eyes widened as her mouth was immediately flooded with the boy's essence, the Lamia having to fight to swallow it as down as it kept coming and coming. The wet and slick sound of her slurping filled the room, the Lamia fighting the oncoming flood of sperm coming from his throbbing member. Finally, after a long stretch of seconds, Luka was finished. His moan quieted down as his body relaxed. However, Alice didn't stop quite yet.
After all, something this precious had to be dealt with properly.
She licked all around his member, making sure to clean up every last bit of the sweet remnants of his orgasm. Once she was done, she let go with a soft pop, her wet lips finally letting go of him. Alice's breaths came out ragged, the fire inside of her subsiding for now. She fixed his pants back up before gazing back up at Luka, whose face was still covered by the blanket. Shakily, he began removing the sheets from his face, revealing his bright crimson facade.
"I-I thought you s-s-said you'd only use your h-hand..." He whispered, spurring Alice to freeze down by his legs, her arms still in his lap. The Monster Lord quickly rose, moving to retrieve her gloves from beside the bed, throwing them on with ease before reaching down to pick up her jar of Happiness Honey.
"Well," She spouted quickly. "I-I couldn't let you get that stuff on yourself. Th-That would leave a scent on you, something the Harpies would be sure to notice! You should be thankful that I went that far to help you!" Luka gave a weak nod, though he didn't look completely convinced by her lie. Stumbling to his feet with a good amount of effort, the boy had to stand himself up with help from the bed to right himself. His pale blue eyes kept to the ground as his heart fluttered, and soon enough, he reached the spot where he had left his gear, fumbling them as she watched.
Alice watched the boy try to fight through the after-effects of her handiwork, a conflicted look on her face. Truthfully, doing this with him was potentially a bad idea...
'Well, it was just one time... And I only did it because it had to be done, or we'd have trouble getting out of here. Nothing more than that.' She thought, conveniently ignoring the fact that there were probably more efficient ways to dispose of his orgasm rather than just swallowing it down greedily.
Especially since the only thing that really changed was now his scent was all over both of them now, instead of just Luka.
If a certain nine-tailed fox were here, she'd almost certainly be cackling at Alice's denial right now.
Luka's mind was absolutely in shambles the entire time the two descended the wooden ramp that circled Lucretia's home. He tried to shake the haze that clouded his mind, but that was easier said than done. No matter how hard he tried, the sounds, the smells, everything from what had just transpired minutes ago kept replaying in his mind. And he couldn't deny the reason why his mind couldn't shake the memory.
It was undoubtedly the best sensation he had ever felt in his life.
The young Hero didn't have any experience with touching down there. He had gotten feelings of excitement before, but he had never acted upon them and had certainly never actually climaxed before. It was surreal, almost like an out-of-body experience. However, once the wave of euphoria had washed over him and he had time to really think it over, he very suddenly became aware of what he had just partaken in. He had orgasmed to a Monster, and he had really, really liked it.
Which presented a very difficult problem. That problem was the fact that Luka was pretty sure that he was not supposed to partake in or enjoy, having sexual relations with Monsters.
Sure, it hadn't been actual sex, but it was dangerously close. Not only that, but unlike Reina where he could justify his actions as being necessary to keep himself from being compromised, he had no justification for accepting Alice's offer. He could've turned her down, but he didn't. She hadn't forced him; he had wanted it.
And the worst part? Luka couldn't even say that he truly regretted it.
The purple-haired boy fought away his blush, trying his best to not think about it anymore. The feelings of pleasure and shame in him slammed into each other like two men trying to walk a tightrope whilst in a drunken stupor. Luka was becoming hyper-aware of the fact that he was walking a thin line with his actions as of late. He shouldn't be so casually having intimate relations; it just wasn't proper.
Luka ran a hand down his face as he and Alice stepped off the wooden ramp, the gesture helping somewhat to steady his nerves. The young Hero's conflicted heart ached; his foggy mind was torn between so many conflicted feelings that he couldn't make any sense of it all. 'Well...' He thought to himself, '...As long as it doesn't happen again, right?' Luka shivered, something in his heart seeming to disagree. He wasn't sure how to feel about that, either.
He took a glance around, a bit perturbed as he noticed that the Harpy's Village seemed to be empty. "Huh, that's weird..." He muttered out loud. He looked up into the trees, not seeing any movement or signs of life. "...Where'd all the Harpies go?" From his side, Alice gave a lazy look around, not seeming too worried about the observation as she held her jar of honey tight in her arm.
"Eh," She said with a shrug, "I'm sure they're around here somewhere. Let's just go get your stuff from Happiness Village so that we can finally get out of here." Luka nodded, agreeing to that much. And so, he continued on with Alice to get his travel bag.
After about ten minutes of uneventful walking, the two broke through the forest before Happiness Village. In the distance, Luka could see both Humans and Harpies mulling around. 'It seems like they've gotten down to intermingling pretty quick.' Luka thought. It didn't take long for him and the now-disguised Alice to get to the outskirts of the village.
From a distance, he could see the elder Chiefess directing traffic in the middle of the village. She spotted him from afar, a large smile coming to her face. "Ah, young Hero! Coming by for a last goodbye, I assume?" Luka came up to her with a smile of his own as he replied, "Ah, yes. We're going to be going on our way shortly."
The elderly woman looked a tad bit disappointed but still nodded anyway. "Ah, I do wish you didn't have to go so soon. We never got to properly repay you for helping us." Luka was taken a bit off guard as the older woman pulled him into a tight hug. "Without you, we'd probably still be a village devoid of men. For that, we cannot thank you enough..." She released him, giving the boy a pat on his shoulder. "...You know, Lucretia was looking for you earlier. You may want to talk to her before you leave."
The purple-haired boy gave a vigorous nod, "Oh, I will, I'm sure." Luka glanced around, suddenly very conscious of the stares he was receiving from some of the Harpies mingling around. They seemed to be... sniffing at him? Despite it not being very hot out, he felt a small bead of sweat run down his forehead all the same as he realized that Alice's solution may not have successfully covered his tracks. He took a quick glance to the side, looking up at Alice to see if she had noticed.
Judging from the scowl forming on her face, he didn't have to ask.
Luka turned away from the departing Chiefess, looking for the house of the young boy he had left his gear with the day before. Quickly finding it, the boy started towards the home, intent on leaving as soon as he could once he noticed that more and more Harpies were flooding the area.
Then, disaster struck.
"Luuukaaa!~"
The young Hero froze, his heart practically leaping at the voice behind him. He let out a small groan of realization, knowing fully well who that was. 'I was really hoping we'd just... not meet again.' He thought as he looked over his shoulder to see the much too familiar face of Reina coming through the crowd. He caught a very quick glance of something utterly terrifying forming on Alice's face before the handicapped Harpy skipped up to him, an oblivious and sultry grin on her face.
"Hiya, Luka~" She practically trilled, her purple-pink hair swishing around her shoulders as she drew near. The purple-haired boy tried to reign in the oncoming blush fighting to cover his face as she bounded up to him, her breasts bouncing within the blue ribbons that barely covered her breasts.
Not that it mattered since he already knew how they looked when they were bare.
"Ah, hellooo..." He gulped, "...Reina." The Harpy shimmied mid-step, her bright blue eyes practically sparkling. "Oh, Luka! No need to be so shy now..." She came in close, partially wrapping her non-injured arm around his shoulder. "...After last night, we don't need to play coy, do we?" She snicked as he pulled away, trying to keep his distance.
"W-Well I d-don't think it needs mentioning..." He said, acutely aware of the fact that Alice was attempting to burn a hole in the back of Reina's head with her glare. "...It was just a one-time thing, either way." He said, trying to reaffirm that fact. Reina, however, didn't seem dissuaded by his words.
Her face gave a sly smirk, and she stepped towards him again. "Is that so? That's a shame, I was really wanting to show you how we Harpies say goodbye..." She leaned in close, whispering in his ear. "...But to tell you the truth, you might not wanna leave when we get down to it." Luka squirmed from the tickling sensation, pulling back once more.
He shook his head at her, "I-I appreciate the offer, but I don't want to do that with you." Again, however, the Harpy didn't listen, practically grinding her body against him as she came in close. "I insist, Hero. Come on, I think you'll like it more than you think~" Evidently, the Harpy's lewd dry humping was the last straw as Alice stomped up to the two with a fierceness in her tone.
"He said to move on, I suggest you do so quickly." Reina turned to tell off Alice but realized very quickly upon seeing who was threatening her. The Harpies words caught in her throat as also noticed that Luka's scent was on the taller woman. "O-O-Oh, you know what? I-I actually got some errands to run, Luka. M-M-Maybe, we can catch up some other time!" The Harpy scurried away, Alice's golden eyes following her the whole time.
Luka sighed, shaking his head at the sight. 'Well, that couldn't have gone any worse...' He thought before turning to his friend. He opened his mouth to speak to her, but she cut him off before he could speak. "I'll be waiting by the entrance, don't take too long." Luka watched, a bit perplexed, as Alice stomped away. A very wide path was made for the disguised Lamia, everyone there having apparently decided that she wasn't one to be trifled with.
Luka cringed at the sight and wondered if he could have done more to keep his friend from going into a rage before his attention was brought to some scuffling going on behind him. Luka turned on his heel, a smile coming to his face as he saw the black-haired boy from the day before coming up to him. The shorter child had Luka's travel bag around his shoulder, the sight bringing great joy to the young Hero.
The younger boy skidded up to Luka, a huge grin on his face. "I-I knew you'd come back!" He cheered, throwing the bag off of his shoulder and presenting it to Luka. "H-Here, I made sure to keep it safe... A-And I didn't look through it, I swear!"
Luka chuckled, gently taking the bag from the smaller boy's arms. "Don't fret, I believe you. I appreciate you taking so good care of my stuff." He took it and placed it on his own shoulder. The black-haired boy gave a quick nod before turning and running off quickly, which confused Luka somewhat before he saw why. The small boy ran up to the front of his house, meeting up with a young Harpy Girl a half-head shorter than him.
The purple-haired Hero watched, a bit bewildered, as the two began to run around the yard. They giggled and yelled as they chased each other around. Luka watched the heartwarming sight with a soft smile, 'Now that's just precious.' He thought, watching the children play in the morning sun.
Luka felt a presence walk up to his side, spurring him to tilt his head over. He was a bit surprised to see Lucretia striding towards him, a warm smile on her own face. The boy blushed a bit, unable to ignore the fact that the Queen Harpy looked particularly radiant in the golden rays of the sun above her.
That, and he could swear that the cleavage of her baby-blue half-dress was open just a bit wider than it was yesterday...
...No, he was probably just imagining things.
"Greets, Luka." She said, her soft voice filling the air. Her emerald eyes looked down to him fondly before looking down to see him carrying a bag at his side. Her smile faltered a bit, a sadness in her gaze. "...I assume that you'll be heading out soon?" She asked, her tone a bit heavier than before. The purple-haired boy paused, feeling unsure of the change in Lucretia's voice. "Y-Yeah, me and Alice are ready to leave now..."
He lightly kicked at the dirt beneath his shoes in an attempt to alleviate himself from the sudden awkward air between the two. He wasn't sure why there was a sudden tension in his chest, but the Harpy Queen's gaze was making it worsen.
"That's unfortunate, I was hoping to get to know you better, Luka." She peeked over his head, looking at the two children playing in the small clearing behind him. "You certainly have proven yourself to be a great help to us. Even if we got off on the wrong foot at first, you managed to bring peace between our people in a single day. That's something to take pride in."
The young Hero glowed at the compliment, bashfully turning away from Lucretia. "Oh, well, that wasn't all me. I was just doing my part." She took a step closer to him. Luka paused, noting that the Harpy Queen took a particularly deep breath as she drew closer.
"...I'd say you did very nicely." She gestured to the Human and Harpy kids running around ahead of them. "After all, sights like these weren't something even I had thought were possible. But now, because of you, there should be a lot more children running around here." He felt soft feathers fall atop his shoulders, a few of them lightly tickling the side of his face.
The boy shivered at her touch; his body was suddenly struck with a sensation of both wanting to lean into her touch yet also wanting to pull away. He fought to steady his breathing as he kept his pale blue eyes staring forward, "Y-Yeah, I'm sure your people will get along very nicely with the Humans here."
Lucretia's wing never left his shoulder as she replied, "I agree. After all..." The wing slid farther down his shoulder, "...Harpies seem to make a good fit for Humans in terms of mates. Don't you think?" Even the usually unaware Luka was struck by the loaded question, his heart beating a tad bit faster than before. Without meaning to do so, his thoughts were pulled back to last night when he was in Reina's home. Then right after that, the memory of what he did with Alice came to mind, striking him even harder.
A great deal of effort was needed by the boy to finally pull away, stumbling a bit. "A-Ah, c-certainly, Lucretia. The men here seem v-very pleased with their wives, I-I-I think." He turned to her, struck by the intensity of her expression. Those pools of emerald held a very familiar expression of want in them. And he didn't have to guess what that want was. "W-Well, I-I think I should really be going now. I do need to continue w-with my mission. You understand?"
The Harpy Queen stared at him for a long moment, her gaze a sea of warring emotion. Her body twitched some, the light purple feathers on her body quivering a bit before they eventually settled down. She let out a long, deep sigh. "I... Understand..." Lucretia looked away, biting her lip before looking back at him. "...Well, I hope that you will be safe on your travels, Luka. I-I... We, hope to see you again soon." Lucretia failed to keep the stutter from her voice as she felt a bitter taste settle in her mouth.
The purple-haired Hero gave a deep bow in an attempt to at least show proper conduct when ending the strained encounter. "Thank you, I appreciate your hospitality!" He exclaimed before running off a bit too quickly from the Harpy Queen, leaving her to gaze longingly at his retreating form as he left. Lucretia stood still in the aftermath of the conversation before hearing a familiar voice call to her from behind.
"Well, you almost had him!" The Queen Harpy turned to see Happiness Village's Chiefess amble up to her with a coy smile on her face. "An admirable attempt, all the same. Though I think you laid it on a little bit too much towards the end. You gotta be careful with the younger ones. They scare easily in reaction to those type of invitations, you know."
The Harpy Queen slowly shook her head, "I suppose I may have been a bit strong..." She muttered, disappointment thick in her tone. Lucretia took a deep breath, putting her displeasure to the side for the moment. "...No need to dwell on it. There's still work needing to be done. We're still having issue with the Harpies getting Honey stuck in their feathers." The Queen said as she walked off with the Chiefess, trying to free her mind of the dismay she was feeling at having missed out on her advances shot down by the young Hero twice now.
Luka, meanwhile, had successfully sprinted through the village, a trail of dust clouds kicking up behind him with each step until he sped through the town's entrance.
He eventually slowed, stopping by a tree to lean over and catch his breath. The boy huffed, his lungs agitating his chest in response to his spontaneous running. Luka truly didn't feel very proud of how he had so abruptly ended his conversation with Lucretia, but the longer it had gone on, the more he felt as if he was skirting a very dangerous line. The look in the Harpy Queen's eyes was indicative of a deep desire for him.
It was strange to Luka that, of all people, that the Harpy Queen would want him for a partner. In his mind, he wasn't someone that impressive, and Lucretia... Well, he was sure that she was a couple dozen leagues above his own. Luka stood up straight, his breathing finally having leveled out some. 'Get back on the mission, Luka. There's still a lot of work that needs to be done. I've already been in Happiness Village a lot longer than I should've.'
"What's got you all worked up?" The familiar voice of Alice hits him abruptly. He jumped a tad, not having sensed her presence. The now undisguised Lamia stood a couple meters down the trail, an odd mixture of curiosity and relief painted on her face.
Luka adjusted his bag, the strap having dug itself into an uncomfortable spot as he was running. "N-Nothing important. I just had to get out of there." He said, hoping that Alice would just drop the subject.
Alice evaluated him a moment more, before luckily shrugging it off and turning away to slither down the path. "Well, come on. If you're quick about it, we can probably get off this ugly continent by the end of the day..."
Luka paused at her mention of Iliasport, a tentativeness to his tone as he spoke. "Actually," He began, causing Alice to glance back at him. "I-I don't think I'm wanting to go straight to Iliasport just yet."
The Lamia looked awfully confused at his statement, now turning her whole body around to face him. "Why not, exactly? You are planning on leaving for Sentora soon, aren't you?" Luka took a couple careful steps towards her as rubbed his hands together. He had an uncertain look about him as he replied, "Y-Yeah, but there's somewhere else I want to go first." He passed her by, spurring the Lamia to follow as he took the path back towards Iliasburg.
The boy unzipped his bag as he continued on, reaching around until he was able to fish out the folded piece of paper that served as his own personal map. He held it outstretched in one hand, using the other to point at a little blip right between Irina Mountains and Ilias Village. That little blip being a town named Enrika. "I knew when the blacksmith in Iliasburg mentioned this name it sounded familiar. I just never had the time to look for it. But it's right here on my map."
Alice peered at it while she glided across the ground next to him, giving a small hum, "Hmm, strange that your map would have this when my book does not. Perhaps it is a fairly new town."
Luka chose not to mention the fact that a five-hundred-year-old book would probably not have very many newer towns at all, instead choosing to elaborate on his own map. "Well, this map is one of the ones my Father drew up and left for me at home. So I guess he went here enough times to find it important enough for me to know about." He missed the slight twinge of annoyance that came from his Father's mention as he continued, "I have to be honest, me wanting to go here is more of a selfish desire than anything else. I never got to travel much when I was younger, so I'd like to see this place before I leave for Sentora..."
He looked up from the map, a wistful look in his eyes as he looked further down the trail. "...I mean, Ilias Continent has been my home for all my life, but I've seen so little of it. It really makes my hometown seem so small." The purple-haired Hero looked up to Alice to gauge her reaction, finding that the Lamia still looked unconvinced. He rocked his mind for any more justification before thinking of something quick.
With a sly smirk, he said, "...Either way, we need to drop that honey off at the Sutherlands if you're wanting more of that Dango, right?" Alice's golden eyes grew large at his question, almost having forgotten about that completely.
"I suppose you're right." She said, moving a bit quicker alongside him while jamming the jar of Happiness Honey into the awaiting hole of his travel bag. "In that case, you better move quicker than that. I may have had breakfast already, but there's always room for more. Especially for Dango."
Luka's face scrunched up in confusion, "Wait, when did you have time for breakfa-" He stopped dead in his tracks, realizing what Alice meant. "N-N-Neverm-m-mind..." He stuttered out, looking to the ground as he stomped a bit harder down the dirt path. Alice watched him go, a satisfied grin growing to her face.
Reina the Harpy: Common Harpy
Strengths - Agile movement, Flying Ability, Dodging
Weaknesses - Frail Body
Intelligence - Average
Friendliness - Very Friendly
Luka's Notes: No Comment...
Pina and Pii: Common Harpies
Strengths - Agile movement, Flying ability, works as team
Weaknesses - Frail Body
Intelligence - Average
Friendliness - Friendly
Luka's Notes: I still feel bad about rejecting the younger one... Well, for Alice rejecting her on my behalf, that is...
Lucretia: Queen of the Harpies
Strengths - Very strong, Very fast
Weaknesses - Gentle Nature (?)
Intelligence - High
Friendliness - Friendly
Luka's Notes: A very nice woman, but I can't abandon my dream, even if she was quite... tempting...
Now we're officially out of the Happiness Village arc, I'm feeling pretty good about how things are going so far. If it isn't already well indicated, we're going to be covering all the beaten paths of the game. So, any extra paths are going to be included in this story as part of the main path. To put it short, every area will be explored.
Which will make this fanfic even longer.
Woohoo.
Also, we have a major step in Luka's relationship with Alice here. I wanted to wait just a little bit longer until we get to something like this just because I thought that having it happen in Iliasburg would be a bit too early. That, and the incentive for them to engage with each other here is less rape-y and more spur-of-the-moment/emotionally driven.
That, and Luka's time with Reina caused Alice to become absolutely jealous. If that wasn't evident enough already. So our Monster Lord here needed to get a win with Luka somewhere. Something to note here as well with our Hero is the fact that, unlike with Reina where he had to metaphorically have his arm twisted to do anything with her, he did not get forced by Alice. She definitely spearheaded the situation, but in the end It was his choice to continue, a very important distinction.
There are no reviews to cover here, so I just want to give a big thanks to everyone who reads this. I do hope it has been enjoyable and/or compelling.