Yo! it's been a while since I released anything,
I had my final Yr11 exam yesterday, so I was pretty pre -occupied, that ad the fact that i didn't realise how long the 3 chapters that were originally designed to be one chapter were. That along with the fact that England has once again disappointed me, and Spain v Italy was a snoozefest, i had enough time on my hands to complete the three, so enjoy
"Hey, hey, it's alright, girl. They'll be fine, they know what they're doing. They're strong and capable."
Otto scratched her affectionately behind the ears, trying to reassure both the creature and himself.
Garfiel followed David deeper into the treacherous forest, his expression shifting from lighthearted banter to one of seriousness. The air was filled with a sense of danger, and he knew they had to stay on their toes. David unsheathed his sword, holding it slightly out in front of him, as if to ward off any beasts.
"We should aim to find an open field, so we don't have to fear being attacked by any mabeasts," he said, constantly switching his stance, and giving the occasional glance back to check behind himself as well.
"Right. An open field will give us better visibility, and hopefully fewer chances of being ambushed. Lead the way, David," Garfiel affirmed, nodding in agreement, adjusting his grip on his shields. The forest was eerily silent, too silent, they could hear everything, from the buzzing of zodda bugs, the rustling of bushes, the occasional twig snapping underneath their feet. The nature of the overgrown trees, made it so little to no light seeped through. Every subtle sound prompted a reaction. At this point, Garfiel and David faced opposite ways, covering each other's backs in the process. Garfiel kept his senses alert, every muscle coiled like a spring, ready for any sign of danger. His eyes darted around, searching for even the slightest movement in the darkness.
"This silence is giving me the creeps," he whispered, his voice barely above a hush.
"You can say that again…" David murmured, his nerves on edge. He trembled slightly with every step. These were the monsters who terrorised his village, endangering the lives of all six of his friends, he could never thank Subaru and Rem enough for what they did that day. Garfiel noticed David's slight trembling, sensing his inner turmoil. He understood that this was more than just a chore to David; it was personal. He placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, we're in this together. If those bastards show their ugly faces, we'll show them what we're made of."
"Eeeeeh!" A huge shiver travelled up David's spine, before turning sharply.
"Don't touch me so casually! I almost instinctively swung my sword...!" he spoke in an angry whisper.
Garfiel raised his hands, acting defeated, a cheeky grin spreading across his face.*
"Whoa, easy there, tiger. Just trying to offer some moral support. Wouldn't want you accidentally kebab-ing me with that skewer of yours."
"You're the tiger," David grumbled, before composing himself, continuing forward one step at a time. They kept walking for minutes on end, searching for an outward source of light. Garfiel's patience was beginning to wear thin. The oppressive silence and darkness of the forest were starting to get to him. He turned to David, a mixture of frustration and concern etched on his face.
"How much longer do we have to wander in here? I can't take much more of the silence."
"Well, as Subaru says, you're not yourself when you're hungry…Bocco fruit?" David offered. Garfiel's expression lit up at the mention of Bocco fruit. The thought of a small snack was a welcome distraction from their current predicament. He nodded eagerly, a hint of excitement in his voice.
"Yeah, I could go for some. Hand it over."
"Well at least say ple-," A raspy growl kicked their instincts into high gear. The growl echoed through the forest, sending shivers down their spines. Garfiel's grip on his shield tightened as he clenched his jaw, eyes darting around in an attempt to locate the source of the noise.
"Looks like we've got company," Garf whispered, raising his arms almost into a boxers guard. David activated flow state, and whilst it was nothing as powerful as Wilhelm's or Julius' it was a welcome boost nonetheless. David kept his sword in front of him, as he searched around, changing stance constantly, his eyes darting around. Garfiel noticed David's subtle changes, sensing that he had gone into a heightened state of awareness. He took a deep breath, calling upon his own abilities, channelling the power of his Earth Spirits connection.
"Stay focused, David," he muttered under his breath, his eyes darting around, desperately trying to pinpoint the creature's location. The guttering growl came again this time with presence as one wolgarm leapt from David's left side. With lightning quick reflexes David ducked under and unseamed it from the nave to the chops.
"Shit…that was…close." He panted, breathing heavily, revelling in the shock.
"Damn, you're fast," Garf admitted grudgingly, still keeping his stance guarded.
"But we can't afford to let our guards down. There's bound to be more of them lurking in the shadows." As he said that, a sea of glowing crimson eyes materialised, lighting up the forest with their predatory flares. The Garfiel's eyes widened in shock as dozens of glowing crimson eyes filled the darkness around them. He swallowed hard, his heart racing. This was worse than he thought.
"Well, damn... looks like we're popular," he mumbled, readying his shields. He braced himself, mentally preparing for the onslaught of attacks that were sure to come. A look of absolute despair filled David, his hands trembling, his teeth chattering, before he heard Garfiel, he clenched his fists his despair turning to defiance, then determination, remembering, as he clamped his jaw.
"Bring it on," He muttered, "Imma send every last one of you bastards straight to hell…"
"That's what I'm talkin' about!" Garfiel exclaimed, grinning fiercely. He knew it was going to be a tough fight, but he was confident in their abilities.
"Time to show these monsters what we're made of, David. Let's give 'em hell!" The onslaught of attacks came at them from every direction, with mabeasts lunging and snarling with incredible speed. Garfiel's instincts kicked in, and he began moving with extreme speed. He deftly blocked the incoming blows, using his shields to fend off the ferocious assault, before smashing straight through one with his fists. David majestically, artistically, sliced through them as they swarmed him, dicing them up as they came, but slowly being pushed back into Garfiel.
"From Above!"
Garfiel swiftly activated his Divine Protection of Earth Spirits, summoning a spiky barrier of condensed earth above them, which skewered the Demon dogs as they attacked.
"Nice call, David!" he shouted, gritting his teeth as he continued battering the attackers. David seemed to keep losing ground as he backed up, continually carving through the Demon dogs before he finally bumped into Garf who quickly repositioned himself to provide support, shielding them both from the onslaught of attacks.
"We're being pushed back!" he exclaimed, his muscles straining under the weight of the battle. The mabeasts were relentless, their numbers seemingly endless.
"Dona!" David Shouted, shielding them from the other side, his wall of earth being pushed into him, they were being pincered by the pressure. The beasts crunched and snarled, their jaws getting ever closer. They needed to act quickly and come up with a plan.
"We need to find a weak spot, a way to turn the tide in our favour," he said, his breath shallow with exertion. "Do you have any ideas, David?"
"Well I have one idea…Frankly I should have done this from the start, believingwecouldsneakthroughthiswoodwithoutmeetingasingleonewashopelessfromthestart!!!" He shouted speaking inhumanly fast
"Slow down there, David," he said, grinning despite the situation they were in. "But yeah, I agree. We were fools to think we could just stroll through this wood without a care in the world."
His expression turned intense
"So what's this idea of yours?"
Before David could even speak, The earth wall suddenly crumbled under the pressure, as a wolgarm burst through, butting into David's stomach with its sharp stubby horn sending him canyoning away..
"David!" he shouted, his voice filled with concern. Without hesitation, he surged forward, launching himself at the wolgarm smashing its head straight open with a beast form fist. David broke into a backwards roll, his teeth gritted with pain but recovering well, despite the blood dripping from his stomach.
"I'm fine!" He shouted, his face steaming with the blood of the witchfiends. He rose back onto his feet and assumed sword stance, His face full of conviction again. Three Wolgarm now jumped up at Garfiel from several angles. Garfiel quickly spun on his heel, narrowly dodging the attacks from the mabeasts. He countered with a flurry of blows from his shields, bashing one of the wolgarms aside and kicking another in the gut. Then suddenly David ran towards Garf and grabbed him
"El Donaaahh!!!!"
He propelled both himself and Garfiel up into the air and deeper into the forest.
—
"Honestly it's true, I really do wear the colour green because it helps me camouflage!"
Patrasche snuffed, seemingly insistent on dragging a different nonexistent truth out of him.
"Aw, come on, girl, you don't believe me?"
He playfully protested, his tone lighthearted and filled with a hint of humour.
"Well, it's true, green helps me blend in, especially around all these lush forests and greenery we're always surrounded by. Plus, green is a nice, calming colour, don't you think?"
Patrasche shook her head in disagreement
"Well then what's your favourite colour then?"
She roared declaratively, arching her back in
"Black? That's so ty-"
Otto's playful banter with Patrasche was abruptly interrupted by a loud explosion of rocks from the forest, followed by the sight of two distant silhouettes flying high into the air.
"What in the...?"
—