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"Speaking, or in-text quote"
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Year 16 AL, Of Hearts and Harpies Part Two: Settling Understanding
"Meet... in the middle?"
Reina's question cut through the air, the Harpy's confusion evident on her face. Luka fiddled with his hands, wringing and re-wringing his fingers together. It was odd how he felt unbearably hot and uncomfortably cold at the same time. He tilted his head a bit before answering, "Y-Yeah, I think I can help you get what you want without..." He winced, the next word having to be dragged up from the deepest pit of his vocabulary. "...penetration."
The Harpy scoffed, thankfully closing her legs in an unintentional act of reprieve for Luka's innocence. "So, you're not even going to use you dick, where's the fun in that?" She asked bluntly, causing the boy to physically flinch once more as his face began to turn a couple shades darker. "It-It's the b-best I can offer without just h-having intercourse! My sanctity as a Hero of Ilias doesn't allow me to do much more than that... t-technically."
'And going this far alone is pushing it. I'm already somewhat infringing on the First Commandment as it is...' Luka thought, watching as Reina shuffled in her bed restlessly.
The Harpy's bright blue eyes shone with frustration, but her options here were limited. As made obvious by their earlier fight, she wouldn't be able to overpower the boy. Especially not with that odd sword of his and with her handicapped wing. She bit the inside of her mouth, mulling over her distinct lack of options before an idea quickly came to her mind. She smirked, her frustration melting away.
"Alright..." She said lowly, slowly falling back into her bed. She laid her left-wing up behind her head on the bed to seem more seductive, though her injured right wing had to stay at her side and dampened the effect somewhat. "...If you can manage to make me cum without penetration, then you're free to go." The Harpy chuckled, "Good luck with that, Hero~"
Luka watched the sultry stretching with tight lips, the entire situation causing his stomach to knot up uncomfortably as he very begrudgingly began to remove his gloves. He wouldn't be needing them now, after all. He then removed Angel Halo from his back, figuring that the sword would hamper rather than help his endeavors as well. He placed them at the foot of the bed, his body shaking uncontrollably as he unsurely approached the awaiting Reina.
The purple-haired Hero stopped, standing within arms-length of the Harpy girl, who lay sprawled across the bedsheets. The late evening sun shined just a bit through the window, illuminating the pale flesh between her light-brown feathers. He never had felt quite so conflicted, the sight of such bare anatomy not an uncommon sight at this point. However, unlike with the other Monsters, this situation was distinctively more intimate. He didn't know if it was because of the dying sun's passionate lighting or the simple fact that they were in the Harpy's own private household, but it inspired something a bit more delicate than his previous meetings with Monsters.
Reina's legs pushed down with her large taloned feet, forcing her hips up and lifted into the boy's gaze. "If I were you, I'd get started soon. I'm only getting needier by the second~" The Harpy exclaimed, a large smirk on her face as Luka's face turned even redder at the lewd display. With her hips up that high, he was given an eyeful of her wetness, slick and clear fluid already leaving the parting between her legs.
Luka recoiled a bit, a sudden and peculiar feeling overcoming him as he was hit with a certain smell coming from the Harpy. Oddly enough, the smell coming from her arousal was... familiar? He didn't know how, but he felt as though he had smelled it before. It was almost flowery, but not quite, almost like a mix of savory and floral scents.
He'd be lying if it wasn't somewhat pleasing.
Spurred on by the enticing scent, Luka shuffled as he quietly removed his shoes. Reina watched on eagerly as he pulled himself closer to her awaiting entrance, getting in between her feathery legs. His heart was pounding like mad, blood rushing downwards as his own arousal begrudgingly grew despite his aversion to the situation. He could feel the pulsing of his heart all through his chest as if a drum was being beaten inside of him.
"Come on, Heroooo..." The Harpy cooed, using her strong feet to pull her body closer to his. Luka could now feel the inviting warmth coming off of her, one that made him want to be closer. He breathed in deeply, steeling himself for the impending act. He lifted his left hand up, his dominant hand, and slowly extended it towards Reina's vulnerable flesh.
'Oh Mother, I pray that you aren't able to see this. If you can, then please avert your eyes...' He thought as he forced his gaze to follow his hand, trying to desperately keep his focus off of the hypnotically pulsing vulva of the Harpy. A pang of shame ran through him as he looked to the ring on his outstretched hand and he imagined his poor Mother from beyond the grave, staring down at him in horror at the boy's promiscuous actions.
He placed his left hand on the feathered thigh of Reina, the Harpy jolting a bit at his eventual contact. He noticed how soft the feathers were, something he figured was most likely due to their location as regular feathers would cause discomfort for the Harpy. Said Monster peering down at him with excitement, her taloned toes flexing and unflexing as her arousal built.
'...Oh Father... uh...' Strangely enough, he got the feeling that his Father would be less upset with Luka. In fact, for whatever reason, Luka imagined the man wearing a proud smile instead of a look of disappointment. '...Well, I guess you can understand why I need to do this...' He trailed his fingers down her thigh, reaching the bare skin surrounding her awaiting flesh. Once his fingertips skimmed against her bare skin, the Harpy's breath hitched.
A warmness was building inside himself as well, in particular his left arm, strangely enough. The entirety of the limb from his shoulder all the way down to his fingers felt as though it were being held up against a flame. His fingers came to the entrance of Reina's modesty, stopping just short of crossing the gap between skin and flesh. He was almost there.
'...Oh, Ilias, Goddess of Light... if there was ever a time to not be watching over me, please for the love of everything Holy, let it be now!' It was then, that he took the plunge, going past the point of no return.
Reina gasped sharply as two of the boy's fingers slowly slipped into her wet folds, the sensation instantly shooting through her body. "Haah, haah…" She panted, watching the boy's fingers ease into her.
Luka felt a strong heat cover his fingers as they sunk in all the way past his knuckles, pushing deep inside the Harpy. He held them there for a moment, simply examining how it felt. The warmth, the wetness, it was completely unfamiliar to him. The most unexpected part was the sound; his fingers' descent resounding loudly throughout the room. Hearing the wet schlicking caused his cheeks to practically catch on fire.
"H-Hey, don't be a tease now. K-Keep goin'~" Reina said, pushing Luka to continue. The boy unsurely pulled his fingers back, feeling her inner walls slide against his skin. 'Alright, just keep moving, Luka. Just keep moving.' His face was on fire, the very act of feeling a woman's private area so thoroughly causing him substantial discomfort.
The purple-haired boy pushed back in and pulled back out; the rhythm coming to him naturally, an unpracticed but instinctual beat of nature revealing itself to him under the fading sunlight gleaming through the open window. A cold breeze came through, brushing his hair around whilst giving him a much-needed cooling down. If only the wind could fan the admittedly growing heat inside of him as well.
Without being spurred to, the boy placed his free hand on Reina's right inner thigh, lightly tracing the soft area as he leaned in closer. She squirmed, a light giggle coming from her. "Haha, I-I guess th-this isn't too bad. But you have a long way to go if you're going to satisfy me!~" The Harpy exclaimed, though he noticed that the comment didn't have as much bite as her earlier ones did.
The odd burning in Luka's arm persisted but he pressed through it as he began to flex his fingers while pushing them inside her, grazing them against the sensitive walls of the Harpy. Reina's hips hitched, pushing his fingers in deeper until he came to a very sudden stop, pressing into a wall of flesh. "O-Oh!" She moaned, arching her back just a tad bit. He looked up to her face, taking note of the heavy shade of red taking over her cheeks. The Harpy's mid-sized breasts rose up and down significantly, her lungs forcibly air and out in large breaths as the boy's literal handiwork began to pay off.
The boy's own breathing was growing more labored as his pace quickened. His fingers were soaked, coated completely in the Harpy's arousal. He looked down at his fingers, watching as Reina's vulva was completely spread by his fingering. Spread open to him, for him. The thought caused his already building lust to grow larger, his pants becoming increasingly tighter by the second. He lightly shook his head, 'Don't think about it, Luka. Come on, stay focused.'
He found his eyes traveling upwards to gaze at Reina's face again. The Harpy's forehead was starting to dampen, strings of her pink-purple hair sticking to the pronounced sweat forming on her brow. Her lips were parted, her ragged breathing coming out in short spurts. Her pupils seemed to be hazy, her half-lidded eyes seeming to be in a daze as she stared up at the ceiling. Luka suddenly pushed in deep, his fingers hitting up against her back wall once more.
"Aah!~" She moaned out, the Harpy's body convulsing once more. Her lazy eyes snapped open wide and looked at him, a hunger showing in her gaze. She leaned forward, her left wing reaching out to haphazardly grab his right arm. "G-Get up h-here!" She stuttered out, a pleading edge to her tone.
He opened his mouth to refuse, but her legs pulled him forward and drove his body into hers. Now instead of kneeling in front of Reina, he was halfway lying on top of her. Her face very suddenly now close to his. Her usable wing wrapped around his back, pulling him into a very uncoordinated kiss. A moan squirmed out from the boy, an unconscious affirmation in his own excitement. He quickly forced a separation, trying to keep himself from having too much stimulation.
Reina laughed, "Hehe, you don't n-neeed to fight it, I can feel your excitement~" He was confused for a moment, before realizing that his erection was pressed against her inner thigh. With a small yelp, he raised himself off of her before falling down beside the Harpy and onto her bed. Her wing was still wrapped around him, keeping him close to her warm body. Reina's feathers tickled at the exposed skin around his neck, causing him to squirm around some.
Luka turned his gaze away from her lustful face, trying to keep his efforts from being derailed by Reina's own intentions. He quickly guided his left hand back down to her loins, his somewhat short reach inhibiting his movement. Finally, he reached her vulva. His fingers, however, fell short of where the awaiting vaginal entrance was and ended up sliding over a small nub above it: The Harpy's clitoris.
"Ooooo~" Reina cooed out, the feeling of his fingers brushing up against the nub shocking her with pleasure. She looked at the boy's face; his eyes focused on his fingering. The Harpy leaned over, her breath tickling his ear as she whispered to him. "Th-This is good, but wouldn't you rather go all the way? Those pants are looking t-tight, Hero~" Luka wriggled fiercely as he breath tickled at his ear. He pulled away, trying not to listen to her enticement. He knew that she was trying to get him to go further than this, but he couldn't indulge in taking this any farther than it had to.
The purple-haired boy started slowly encircling the small nub with his fingers. He could feel the heat coming off of her, something that he hoped meant that she was getting close to finishing. Whether he'd like to admit it or not, he was starting to get thoughts of taking it further. Everything from her moans, her smell, her words, it was all starting to chip away at his resilience. Though even with a cloudy mind, he willed himself to ignore those thoughts.
Luka sped up his fingering, running quicker and quicker circles around the Harpy's clitoris. His arm was starting to physically hurt now, the burning actually causing him to worry. It had gone from feeling like it was near flame to being as if it was inside the fire itself. However, as much as it hurt him, he pushed past it as he heard Reina's moans becoming more and more pronounced.
"Ahhh… O-Oh…" Her gasps filled his ears, causing his enlarged member to twitch uncomfortably in his pants. Luka bit his lip harshly, the brief pain helping keep himself under control somewhat as he watched the Harpy's body twitch and squirm. Her breasts bounced distractedly with each bounce, and he couldn't help but notice that her ripples were erect in excitement. With a groan, Luka switched tactics, leaving the clitoris to dive his fingers back into her vagina, causing the Harpy to let out a yell, "AA-AA-AHH!~"
Feeling as though he was right at the edge of finishing her off, the boy started furiously pumping his fingers in and out, ignoring the fierce pain in his left wrist. Reina's body was slick with sweat, the pressure building inside of her reaching a fever pitch. The Harpy, however, wasn't done. She leaned over once more and started to lick and nibble at his exposed neck. It felt like an electric shock going through his body, a pleasure that indirectly caused him to quicken his pace.
Reina raised her hips off the bed as he quickened again, much like she had before the boy had started, but this time it was to help increase the pleasure the boy was giving her. A successful effort, given the way her talons were currently gouging out her mattress as her toes curled.
The end was close, Luka could feel it in how her insides were beginning to tighten and how her moans were filling the otherwise silent hut as she stopped kissing at his neck, now having abandoned her own efforts. The boy could only partially see through the locks of purple hair that had fallen in front of his face, the boy not even attempting to waste energy in fixing the issue. He thrust his fingers deep inside her again and again with vigorous enthusiasm, causing her whole body to rock back and forth from his thrusting. Just as his arm and hand were feeling as though they were about to give out, something exploded within the Harpy.
"AA-AA-AA-OH, OOOHHH!" He felt a movement from Reina's opposite side, the Harpy painfully reaching her injured right wing over to yank his head towards her own, forcing another flurry of kissing upon the boy. Luka found his mouth heavily under attack by a saliva-coated assault from Reina as she overwhelmed him with the passionate display. Luka could only reciprocate her moans as she turned to lay halfway on top of him, wrapping a leg around his body as his still-penetrating fingers were clamped down onto by her tightening vagina.
He felt each tensing on his fingers, the squeezing coming in waves as her hips gyrated onto his hand uncontrollably. Luka noted how a much thicker liquid started to flow onto his hand, covering it in what could only be her orgasm. Eventually, Reina stopped moving, her sweating body lying nearly limp on top of the boy. The Harpy's lips finally left his, her face shakily raising above his own.
Reina opened her mouth, her voice coming out as a quiet whisper. "You... You c-can... g-g-go now..." The Harpy fell back down and collapsed face-first beside him. Luka glanced at her, somewhat surprised that she had simply dropped like that. The boy lay there, watching the now sleeping Monster's face as she lay halfway on top of him. 'Huh, I guess I did good?' Luka thought before he began scooting underneath Reina, removing his hand from her vulva as he was able to slowly get out from under her.
The Monster lay prone next to him, soft breathing coming from her mouth as she now slept. Luka simply sat there, his breathing coming out ragged and strained as he battled to calm his body down. Everything felt so hot, especially his left arm. Speaking of, he lifted his left hand up to his face to examine what Reina had left behind on him. The liquid was creamy, white, and much thicker than what she had been creating before. "I-I guess that's how you know when a woman is done." He whispered to himself, pondering the substance on his hand.
The purple-haired Hero gazed around, looking for a way to clean himself off. His labored and still somewhat lust-filled mind gave him the unhelpful suggestion of simply licking it off, but he quickly threw the traitorous idea away. 'I will NOT be doing that a second time…' He thought, remembering how he had already gone through that with Honey's "special" mix of honey and herself. That wasn't an experience he was going to repeat...
…Even if he had liked the taste.
Quickly, before his mind could keep betraying his intentions, the boy scooted down to the foot of the bed and used the very end of Reina's blanket to clean his hand off. He felt bad for using the Harpy's sheets, but he hadn't any other viable option at the moment otherwise and he wasn't going to simply keep her orgasm on his hand. He couldn't have that when he was due to face their Queen, after all.
His pale blue eyes widened, snapping towards the window. Now there was nothing left but faded yellow and red right along the horizon, a blanket of dark blue covering most of the sky. 'Oh no! I need to get going now, before it starts to get too dark!' He thought, hopping off the bed and grabbing his things in a hurry. He yanked his boots on and strapped Angel Halo to his back hurriedly, turning to move as he began putting his gloves on. But then the boy hesitated, finding his eyes coming back to the sleeping form of Reina.
She was completely uncovered, his eyes free to wander about her bare-naked body as much as he wished. However, that wasn't his intention, as the reason he looked back was because of the fact that her body lay there so vulnerably. He moved to stand beside her, before grabbing the blanket and pulling it over her form with some effort, making sure not to move her right arm too much. He craned over her shoulder, making sure that the Harpy was for sure asleep. With a bit of surprise, he found her asleep with a small smile on her lips. He felt his heart swell just a tad bit at the sight, a small grin making its way onto his face as well.
'That wasn't too bad, I guess…' Luka thought before turning away and leaving through the door. Immediately, he was hit by a substantially cold wind, a very clear example of how it had become nighttime. He swiftly crept up the tree, though it was a bit difficult with how weak his legs were feeling. He didn't bother looking into these windows, figuring that if Reina was in this tree there surely would be others as well. It wasn't long before he was at the top of the tree, standing before the rickety bridge it had. However, there was a major problem.
There was a heavy fog blanketing the bridge.
Luka nearly cursed, his situation somehow becoming even more treacherous. 'Well, can't turn back now. Let's just hope there's no flimsy boards on this one. I'd rather not fall through any other roofs. Wouldn't want to go through that ordeal again…' His still somewhat erect member throbbed at the memory of what he had just participated in moments ago, betraying what he thought.
Taking a cautious step forward, Luka made his way into the bridge and continued on, unaware of the large set of eyes watching him enter the fog...
The mist was a bit cold, sending shivers up his body. He was somewhat thankful for this, the sensation cooling down his hot and bothered body. Thankfully, this caused a certain straining in his pants to finally calm down as well. 'This isn't too bad, but I wish that I could actually see where I'm going.' The boy lamented, the thickness of the most making it to where he could only see a handful of meters ahead. The bridge had a small bit of sway because of his movement, leaning left when he stepped left and right when he stepped right. He kept up the slow pace, getting a good distance into the fog before something jolted the bridge. Luka gasped, holding onto the rope with both hands as he felt the length of the bridge behind him move from a force other than his own.
'That can't be a Harpy, could it!?' He thought, 'I need to get off this bridge, now!' Luka doubled his efforts, speeding up his pace before, to his horror, the bridge jolted again. There was less force with this one, but what scared him was the fact that this movement came from in front of him, not behind. Meaning that there were two different entities on either side of him now. He froze, not sure how to continue now that the bridge was swaying dangerously from the two sets of movement.
With a harsh grimace, Luka pressed forward, figuring at the very least meeting with one of these Monsters first would be easier than having them both corner him right away. He fought down his nerves as he realized how woefully out of sorts he was. His position on the bridge made him very vulnerable to attack, as he was well aware that the Harpies would not need to stay on the bridge while he had no choice. He peered over the side, finding that he could not in any way see how far down the ground was.
And on top of that, his erection was still undying, pushing against his pants painfully.
Shaking his head to clear the thoughts of his earlier intimacy with Reina, he pushed forward again, the movement from ahead of him becoming stronger the closer he became. Until he finally reached…
…One of the most adorable Monsters he had seen so far.
It was another Harpy, a much younger one than Reina it seemed. Her body was petite, covered in light pink feathers. 'It's not much, but I'm glad her chest is covered with those feathers, at least.' He thought to himself. The Harpy's wild pale-red hair was done up in a small tail on top of her head, and her large red eyes looked up to him with an innocent but giddy expression. "Haha! I knew I saw a Human running around!" The Harpy squealed as she bounced up and down, the action jangling the bridge around, to Luka's dismay.
"H-Hey, careful please!" He asked, fighting to steady his stance. From the fog behind him, he heard another voice, one a bit lower in octave. "PII! IS IT REALLY A HUMAN!?" The young Harpy nodded vigorously, even though the other Harpy probably could not see the action.
Pii raised her wings to her mouth, "YES, AND HE'S A CUTE ONE!" Luka felt harsh movement from behind him, signaling the approach of the second Harpy. The small red-headed Harpy began to approach, her small legs making slow strides toward him. "What's your name!?" She asked, giving a small hop towards him. He took a small step back, trying to keep his distance for the moment as the bridge continued to sway.
"M-My name's Luka. Now, I don't mean to cause any trouble, but-" Luka was cut off by the audible sound of another pair of talons clacking against the wood behind him. He looked over his shoulder, seeing a taller brown-haired Harpy. Her figure was more mature, a tan-colored top wrapped around her chest. Her brown eyes scanned over his form as Pii called out once more. "See, Big Sis!? I told you I saw one! His name is Luka, nobody around here has a Husband with that name, right?"
The older sister nodded, "Not that I know of... Huh..." She hummed, stepping closer. "…You're right, he is pretty cute." Luka opened his mouth, but all that came out was a yelp as the younger sister suddenly hopped onto the rope of the bridge, causing it to lean to the side harshly. "I like him, Pina! D-Do you think he can be my first? I'd really really want that!" Luka fought to straighten himself as the brown-haired Harpy giggled, "Well, I don't see why not, Pii!"
Luka turned around, seeing the older Harpy approach. He held out a hand, "W-Wait, you have to let me go! I need to talk to your Queen!" Both Harpies paused at his words, Pii hopping a bit closer. "The Queen?" The younger one asked, a puzzled look on her face. Pina looked equally perturbed, raising a brow. "What for?"
The purple-haired boy turned sideways to keep his gaze somewhat bouncing in between the two, "Because I have a proposal for her, you see, I wish to-"
Luka was cut off, the two sisters letting out loud gasps. Pii yelled out, "You're going to propose to the Queen!? I don't think anyone's ever done that before!" Luka's blue eyes snapped over to the redhead, "What!? N-no you misunderstand-" Pina was suddenly right behind him, her brown eyes shining with excitement.
"How romantic, this is wonderful!" The brown-haired Harpy exclaimed, "I don't think the Queen has had a man to herself in a long time!" He felt Pina flap her wings, the brown-haired Harpy's talons grabbing him by the shoulders! "H-Hey!" Luka yelped as the Harpy began to raise him off the wooden planks. The smaller pink-feather Pii bounded over, watching Pina lift him into the air.
"I wanna help, I wanna help!" Pii flew up to follow them, grabbing the boy's ankles to even him out. Before he knew it, Luka was being flown through the fog.
"Wh-Whoa, what are doing!?" He exclaimed, his blue eyes fearfully watching as the bridge below disappeared from sight. Pina was the one to answer, "Taking you to the Queen! It would've taken you waaaaay too long to get there on those stubby legs!" Stuck in the tight grip of the Harpies, Luka watched as they broke through the fog, flying high enough to see past the low clouds and face the tallest tree. In the tree was a very large hut, one that must belong to their Queen.
'As much as I hate this view…' Luka thought, trying to keep himself from looking to the ground several dozen meters below. '…This sure beats using those bridges.' It didn't take long for the pair of Harpies to bring him to the topmost house's long balcony, the pair somewhat clumsily depositing him onto the wood flooring feet first. The purple-haired boy stumbled some but was able to stabilize himself as the two sisters dropped behind him.
He dusted himself off as he looked into the entrance of the large brown hut. It was dark, the insides of the Queen's home difficult to see into. "So, your Queen is in there?" Luka asked the two as he turned towards them. They both nodded, the older one waving him away with her wing. "Yup, just walk right in! Come on, Pii. It's getting late."
Pii nodded before looking at Luka. "Okay, Big Sis..." The young redhead looked up to Luka, "If it doesn't work out with the Queen, come find me!" She whispered, before flying off with Pina. Luka shook his head, watching the two fly off. 'Well, it's good they left, at least. I don't really want an audience in case this whole thing starts to go south.'
Luka gulped, a serious amount of worry worming itself in him as he peered back into the large doorway. 'They said I could just walk in, but that's probably a privilege reserved for Harpies, not random Humans like me. I'd better present myself a bit better, especially since she is a Queen...' The boy coughed before dusting off and straightening his clothes. '...Wish I had my hairbrush right now,' He thought while trying to fix the mangled locks with his hands alone. 'My hair probably looks atrocious right now.'
Hoping that he looked sufficient, Luka approached the darkened doorway but did not enter the threshold. Instead, he got down on a knee as he placed his hands together. "O, Queen of the Harpies! I, Luka, Hero of Ilias, beseech thee for your audience!" He called out, hoping that his appeal was sufficient. He could hear nothing but the shaking of the trees by the cool breeze blowing through the air around him. For a moment, he wondered if the Harpy Queen was even there. Then a flapping of wings from above called his attention to the darkening sky.
The Harpy flew over the boy, landing on the long side of the balcony behind him. He got up from his kneeling position to whirl around, his pale blue eyes finding a bewitching sight.
Standing tall before him was what must be the most beautiful of all the Harpies. Her tired but enchanting bright green eyes on her gentle face looked at him with curiosity as he stood up straight before her. Atop her forehead was a large wiry golden crown, topped by a light purple feather. Judging by her quite large wings of similar color, the feather must be her own. From beneath her crown flowed very unique light-blue hair that fell down to her lower back. The Harpy's form was a sight to be seen, her light-blue frilled top being parted mostly down the middle to reveal much of her impressive bust. At the top of her chest sat a large red jewel that hung from the Harpy's golden necklace.
"You must be the Queen, then?" He asked, though he already had a good feeling that this was indeed the Harpy he was looking for. The regal Harpy gave a small nod, "That is correct. I am Lucretia, the Harpy Queen." Her voice was certainly befitting a Queen, holding a tone of power and grace one would expect from a person in such a role. It made Luka very suddenly feel out of place. He bowed his head deeply to Lucretia, who watched his gesture with growing curiosity.
"Hmmm..." She hummed, "A Hero of Ilias kneeling and bowing to a Monster? You are a strange one." Luka raised his head and straightened his posture. "I just want to show you the respect your title deserves. I did not come here to offend, and I hope that I am not by coming to you at such a late hour."
The Queen of the Harpies watched as he walked parallel to her until he was out from beneath the roof of the Queen's home. She regarded him, "I thank you for your gesture, though the lateness does not bother me. I wasn't prepared to sleep yet anyway..." She tilted her head, "...Why is it that you are here, Hero Luka?" The Queen had a good idea why but decided to humor him all the same, for nothing else but the fact that he had so far been polite about it.
His face hardened, the previous pleasantries coming to an end. "I ask for you to stop kidnapping men from Happiness Village, and to return the ones you have taken away." He stated, earning a look of dissatisfaction from Lucretia. "That is something I cannot do." She said simply, staring at him dismissively. Luka bit his lip, disappointed but prepared to argue his point.
"You must, I know your people have their needs, but what you're doing can't be the answer for that." The Harpy Queen shook her head, stepping over to the boy. He tensed for a second before watching her turn to look down at the houses in the trees below. "These trees used to all be filled with Harpy families, Hero. But now, so many of them are half-filled, and some are completely empty." Lucretia's emerald eyes looked at him as she leaned towards him, "Do you know why that is?" Luka felt uncomfortable as her pain-filled gaze bore into him, having to look away from her and down to the houses. "I-I don't know..." He said quietly.
"It is because we Harpies are on the brink of extinction." Luka's pale blue eyes widened in disbelief, his eyes finding her's once again. "Many of the empty homes below belong to Harpies that have either passed on without bearing children or have searched elsewhere for willing partners. Unfortunately, none of them have ever returned."
Luka regarded the Queen with a troubled look, "It's... that dire for your people?" She nodded, leaning away from him again. "My flock isn't even half of what it should be anymore."
Luka turned down to look at the trees below, his earlier confusion at their emptiness. 'Her people are dying out. No wonder they are resorting to such tactics. I can't condone it, but I understand why.' His mind was at war with itself. It wasn't right what they were doing, but he couldn't say that they were doing it for purely evil reasons. He turned to the Harpy Queen, turmoil raging inside of him.'
"I sympathize with your plight, but I can't say that I approve of your methods…" He said as he forced his eyes to meet hers. "…I don't mean to judge you. But I don't believe that kidnapping men and forcing them to breed with your people is right."
Lucretia regarded him with a firm look. "Your approval is not necessary to me, Hero. Remember that it is your Goddess's laws that put so much burden on my flock in the first place. Your Goddess tells Humans to stay away from Monsters, to revile us, and because of that, we have no men to breed with. So, what other answer is there other than force?" Luka felt the anger in the Harpy Queen's words, her previous gentle look morphing into something more defiant. He struggled to match that intensity in his reply.
"Y-Y-You have a point, yes... But I still can't agree that it is justified." He found his confidence as he continued, "In Happiness Village Wives are grieving for their Husbands, Mothers fearing for their Sons, and Children missing their F-Fathers!" His words seemed to have an effect on the Queen, the Harpy having to look away from him. "I see that your Village is hurting, but your actions have caused pain for those of Happiness Village as well. Their home can't go on like this any more than yours can!"
The purple-haired Hero watched as the Harpy Queen's emerald eyes filled with conflict. Luka pressed harder, determined to change her mind. "Please, if you let the men go, I will help work to find some sort of solution for your people. I give you my word as a Hero." It had almost seemed as if he was getting through to the Harpy Queen until she turned her back to him. "The problems of Happiness Village are none of my concern. My flock comes first, and I will no longer let them suffer."
Luka paused, staring at Lucretia regrettably. "If you won't let the men go back... Then I'll do what I must." He said as he slowly drew his sword from his back, the boy's words causing an uneasy quiet between the two. Lucretia kept her back to him, her feathers moving around ever so slightly around her body. She turned her head, a single eye looking back at him. "Is that a threat?" She asked, her voice low and serious.
Luka felt a twinge of apprehension go up his spine, almost causing him to back down. But he forced himself to remain strong and true. "I do not wish to fight you, Lucretia. But I will if you won't listen to reason. Keeping the men here is wrong, and I'll do what I can to free them." The Queen spun around to face him fully now, a glare on her face. "You may try, but such a thing does not come easy..." Her long light purple feathers somehow began to sway without a breeze blowing through them. "...Allow me to show you the power of the Harpy Queen!"
After her yell, Lucretia's feathers shot out at Luka like arrows! The purple-haired boy gasped, barely able to sidestep the sudden onslaught. Even more surprisingly, the Harpy Queen charged forward with her feathers still pointed at him. Luka raised his sword, just barely meeting a swipe of Lucretia's right foot as her talons scrapped against Angel Halo. With a grunt, Luka was able to push her away and aim a thrust towards her, nicking the Queen's hip with the attack.
She tensed but did not waver, reeling back and swiping with her long and sharp feathered arm. Luka ducked, aiming another thrust at her legs. She jumped back, his follow-up also only just scraping by her knee. "I see that you aren't too bad with your sword work..." She muttered, crouching down low. "...But it will not be good enough." She flapped her wings, the act shooting her body forward as she held out her claws to cut at the boy.
Luka was able to stop her right foot with Angel Halo, the two meeting with a clang, but her left foot's talons raked at his arm. Luka jerked as the shirt sleeve was cut, but the Enrikan armor underneath thankfully held firm. Lucretia gave a small grunt of surprise at the strength of his armor, which gave the boy the opportunity to push her off again. However, she held on to Angel Halo and spun around, flinging Luka off towards the edge of the royal Haroy's balcony.
"Uurg!" Luka grunted out, colliding rib-first into the wooden beam that served as a guardrail for the balcony. For a moment, his gaze turned fearful as he peered downward, the sight of the far-away ground below creating a deep pit in his stomach. Luka pushed away too quickly from the edge, the act aggravating his injured ribs and causing him to hunch over in pain. Lucretia stood still, her gaze wavering a bit as she watched him fight to right himself. "You're in over your head, Hero. Give up now, and I will allow you to leave here." Luka looked to Lucretia with a bit of confusion, not understanding why the Harpy Queen would be offering him an out now. He shook his head, "I c-can't do that. I'll fight for what is just until the very end!" He exclaimed, forcing his sore arm to raise his sword.
"Demon Decapitation!"
Luka dashed towards Lucretia, the Queen raising her wings and firing more razor-sharp feathers at him. Luka zig-zagged the best he could to dodge the attack while still launching forward. His efforts were mostly successful, aside from a stray feather that skimmed his right cheek. Luka grunted but pressed on until he ducked beneath a slash from Lucretia's wing, the boy then launched himself up at the Harpy Queen.
"HIYAAA!" Luka yelled, his arm suddenly flaring up painfully as he slashed at the Harpy's neck. The cut landed successfully, the Queen's emerald eyes widening like saucers as his blade phased through her throat. Luka himself collided shoulder-first with her half a breath later, sending the Harpy flying back into the entrance of her home. Luka heard Lucretia cry out in pain as she was flung inside. The boy couldn't capitalize, his left arm suddenly burning as if it were on fire.
Luka cried in pain, clutching the limb with his free hand. His purple hair fell over his eyes, obscuring his view as he held the now-shaking limb with his free hand. 'What's going on? Why does my arm hurt so badly?' He thought to himself, not hearing the sound of shuffling just ahead. He lifted his right arm up to his face, rubbing away the warm blood pouring from the cut on his cheek. Suddenly, the flapping of wings sounded out, causing him to raise his gaze up to see the Queen flying towards him!
He attempted to raise his sword, but Lucretia was faster! Her large taloned foot grabbed him by the torso, the Harpy's large toes wrapping around him and thrusting him backward. The impact forced the air from his lungs as he was shoved into the wooden guardrail, the board shattering from the impact.
With that, he fell from the balcony.
The pain in Luka's chest was excruciating, it felt as if his sternum had been caved in. The boy's pale blue eyes watched as the treehouse receded away as he grew closer to the ground.
'Is this really it?' He thought simply as he fell, the end seeming inevitable now. There wasn't possibly a way for him to recover from this, as he obviously couldn't fly, and the fact that such a distance was sure to at least fatally wound him if it didn't kill him outright. The longer the fall went on, the slower it seemed to become, almost as if he had begun floating instead of falling outright. Seeing no other option, Luka closed his eyes, accepting the inevitable.
Thump...Thump...
Thump... Thump...
His heartbeat sounded, slowing down to a crawl. It was over now, his life no doubt coming to an end.
Thump... Thump...
Thump... Thump...
However.
Luka's eyes quickly opened wide, feeling a large taloned foot clutch his body. To his immense surprise, he found Lucretia to be the one to catch him. He couldn't muster a word as she descended down with him, gently dropping the boy onto the ground. He fought to bring air into his lungs as he lay there, staring up at the sky. It was nighttime now, and the stars beginning to shine through the darkness above.
Lucretia stood quietly over the boy, frowning as the bloodied-faced Hero struggled to sit up. "This is your last chance, young Hero. If you wish to live, then leave. You can't win."
Luka's lungs heaved to pull in air as he sat up, having to force his body up with his arm. With gritted teeth, the young boy fought to find his footing as he rose off the ground. The Harpy Queen watched on as he stumbled, the boy's legs shaking weakly but still able to hold himself upright. "I-I thank you for... showing mercy on me... but I c-can't... leave..." He stammered out, having to plant his feet on the ground to get his body upright.
The Harpy's frown deepened, watching as Luka swayed. "...If I can s-stand, then I can fight. And I won't give up... if I can still f-fight!" He tried to lift Angel Halo with his left arm, but the movement caused him to involuntarily cry out in pain again. Luka felt hot tears fall down his face from the burning in his arm and chest. Even still, he pushed himself to lift the sword once more, using both hands to do so.
The emerald eyes of the Queen of the Harpies watched the boy get into position to fight once more, blood still running down from the cut on his cheek. She shook her head at the shorter boy, "Don't be foolish, boy. Continuing to fight from this point on is meaningless." Luka silently stood before her, unmoving as he kept his sword pointed towards her.
Lucretia lowered herself, her wings spread wide as her feathers shook. "I have given you many chances to back down, but if you won't then you leave me no choice." Her feathers aimed at Luka, prepared to fire, when...
ZIIIIP
BOOM
Both The Harpy Queen and Luka jumped from the sudden explosion. They looked to the sky, which had just become filled with colorful sparkling lights. The two watched the display in confusion, neither knowing where this had come from. 'Was... that a firework?' Luka thought, trying to make sense of the strange interruption. The two then snapped their attention to the side, a chorus of yelling coming from the nearby forest.
"CHARGE!" A voice rang out, as the women of Happiness Village came rushing from the trees. They quickly surrounded the two, the women holding out various tools and such as weapons. Luka gazed around in a daze, not knowing what to think.
"Wha-What are you all doing here?" He asked, dumbfounded. The woman he had spoken to when he first arrived spoke up, a pitchfork in her hands.
"The words your friend spoke, were harsh but true. We decided that we were done just standing by, so we're here to fight alongside you!" He looked around the group, similar looks of determination on all of their faces. Luka looked to Lucretia, the Harpy Queen staring out at the group with disbelieving eyes. "They've really come here to fight for them..." She murmured.
In the distance, the sounds of distressed Harpies sounded out as they left their treehouses and descended down to the scene below. Some landed a couple meters away, while others stayed flying above as they watched with tired but alarmed eyes.
"Wh-What's happening!? Why is the Queen down there!?" One asked in fear.
"The Humans are attacking!" Another called out.
Half of the villagers pointed their weapons towards the incoming Monsters, the other half keeping theirs on the Queen Harpy. The scene devolved into chaos, both sides yelling at the other as Luka and Lucretia stood in the middle of it all. Luka turned to the Queen, stepping forward while lowering his sword. "Lucretia!" He exclaimed, causing the Harpy Queen to peer down at him. "Please, you must release the men." He raised a hand to the group of villagers around them, "Don't you see the pain that it is causing them now? It can't go on like this!"
Her eyebrows furrowed, but she stayed silent as conflict returned to her eyes. Luka stepped forward once more but could not get another word in as, yet another interruption came to add another layer of complication to the mix.
"Wait, don't do it!"
"Don't cut down the Queen!"
Luka stared wide-eyed as a large group of men ran over to meet the growing crowd, along with them being many small Harpy children. "Wh-Wh-What?" Luka stammered, looking over the oncoming third group. The men looked healthy and well-clothed as if they were completely and utterly fine. The women looked at them with looks of surprise and relief.
"M-Mark!? You're safe!" A woman exclaimed, looking at a young boy in the crowd.
"Father!" Another younger woman said, breaking away from the group to rush to her Dad.
More reunions were made, the women crying out in joy as they dropped their weapons to go to their missing men. Luka stood still, owlishly watching the situation unfold. "The men... they were all happy and healthy this whole time?" He asked aloud to nobody in particular. A short, older man stepped up to him, nodding to Luka. "Yes, they have not done us wrong, boy. In fact, they've been very... erm..." He coughed, "...Accommodating to us. They're a part of our families now."
One of the women recoiled at the sight of the old man and blurted out, "C-Chief!?"
The old woman who had asked Luka to come free the men in the first place came up to the older man with wide eyes. "You... You're still alive!?" She yelled, causing the man to become very nervous.
A young man stepped up to Luka, "Indeed, they've been nothing but kind to us, so please don't hurt the Queen!" Luka's face scrunched up in confusion at his words, looking around to see the rest of the men mirroring the sentiment. Some were standing alongside cute little Harpy children while others were with what looked to be their new Wives. 'So they've all gotten married to a Harpies while they were here?' Luka thought, 'That's against Ilias's Second Commandment, but...' He looked around at the smiling faces of the men and their children, not having the heart to even voice such a concern. Lucretia spoke up, gaining the boy's attention. "As I told you, we needed men to help us bear our next generation. We took them because we knew no one would come willingly, but it was never our intention to hurt them." Luka shook his head, "I understand that, but you still stole all of them. That's-" He was about to continue, but the Harpies now cut in.
"We never mistreated them, we took them all in as family!" One of the Wives of the men proclaimed.
"Yeah, they mean too much to us to mistreat. We'd never hurt them!" Another yelled.
Luka was taken aback some, 'They... actually care for the men, too? They aren't just using them for breeding?' His thought was broken up by the shouting of some of the women.
"I don't care," One of the middle-aged women wailed, "I haven't seen my son in months, I want him home!"
"This isn't fair, I just got married a month ago! I want my Husband back!" The young brunette from when he first became aware of all this yelled out in anger.
Similar arguments rang out, all sides slowly becoming more irate at the other. Luka watched the growing discontent with worry, "What should I do?" He mumbled to himself, not wanting both sides to fight each other.
"Let them figure it out themselves." A familiar voice said lowly from behind him. The purple-haired boy turned around quickly, unsurprised to see Alice standing right behind him. At this point, her teleporting around was normal for him. Though he was wondering just how long she had been there for.
"When did you get here, Alice?" He asked, earning a pointed look from the disguised Lamia. "I never left, I've been here the whole time." Something about the way she said that sent a shiver up his spine, putting the boy on edge.
"Wait, wait, we cannot have this fight now! How about we merge the villages?" The Chief of Happiness Village called out, the other men shouting in agreement.
Luka shifted his attention back to the two sets of villagers, watching as the fighting simmered down some, the idea seeming to be an eye-opening one for most. However, some of the women from Happiness Village looked to be discontent over the idea and the same could be said for some of the Harpies too. From the corner of his eye, he saw the village Chief's Wife walk up to Lucretia, who had been silently watching the situation with growing interest.
"I think that we can work something out," The elderly woman said to the Harpy Queen. "If you're willing to negotiate." She aimed a glare at her Husband, who pulled at his collar nervously as she continued. "Something my foolish Husband ought to have attempted doing earlier so that we wouldn't have had this whole mess!" Lucretia gave a nod, "Yes, I think I would like to do that."
The older woman gave a bow before looking at Luka. "Young Hero, would be so kind as to join us? It would be my honor to have you overlook the preceding." The purple-haired boy was taken aback at the offer, holding up his hands in front of himself. "Ehh, I'm not really sure. I don't know much about negotiations and stuff..."
Lucretia stepped up, surprising him some. "You wouldn't have to involve yourself. Just watch over and make sure we come to a fair agreement." Luka tilted his head at the Harpy Queen, a bit puzzled as to why she would want him to be there because they had just been fighting minutes beforehand. "You really want me to do that?" He asked. The regal Harpy gave a deep nod, "Yes, I do. You seem to be a good and kind-hearted person. It would be my honor as well for you to be there."
Luka smiled, "Alright, I'll be happy to help." The two women nodded, and Lucretia gave a suggestion. "If you wish, we could use my house as a place to conduct the formalities." The Chief's Wife nodded in agreement. The purple-haired boy sighed, garnering the two's attention. He noticed their stares with embarrassment.
"O-Oh, sorry. I'm just tired. Going through all those trees to get to your house took me so long, you know..." He said, trailing off. Lucretia peered at him unusually, "Is that how you got up my tree? If you wanted to go straight to my home, you should have used the ramp." She gestured towards her tree.
Luka's eyes widened, "The... R-R-RAMP!?" He yelled, finding that there was, indeed, a small spiral ramp rotating around the tree up to her house. "Did you use the rope bridges?" Lucretia asked with a tilt of her head. "Those aren't very Human-friendly. That's why we're working on getting ramps on all of the trees, so we don't have to fly the men around so much."
Luka gave the Queen a deadpan stare, a horrible realization dawning on him. 'I never needed to go through those other trees, did I?' His eyes widened, '...And I never... had too... meet in the middle... With Reina, either.'
The purple-haired Hero felt his face start to burn, the knowledge of how he did not have to have an intimate encounter with the pink-purpled hair Harpy causing him immense internal embarrassment. However, this did not go unnoticed by Alice, who had remained very quiet throughout the exchange. She followed them silently, her eyes glued on Luka as he went with Chief's Wife and The Queen of the Harpies.
And Part two is now done. A bit of an experimental start, since I haven't quite written anything that fleshed out before in regard to intimate situations before. Nothing too crazy, maybe even a bit tame compared to what you can expect from the source material. But I enjoyed writing it, so there's that.
Now that night is underway, some pretty interesting things are going to occur. Next chapter will be a complicated one, I'll say that much. We're gonna earn that M rating in more ways than one.
ic,ggg123666: Ah, yes. This will be a very dark story. Be warned, only more of that is to come.
chronotimeguard: It is about time he meets more reasonable Monster, yes. I didn't forget about the Harpy Twins though, I just like to rearrange things when it suits my needs.