Eina and the rest stop alongside Tione.
"YOU'RE AT IT AGAIN!" Eina thundered at Jonah.
"You think I wanted this, Eina?!" Jonah snapped while still holding Tiona hostage. "The last thing I was planning to do was getting in another fight with the Loki Familia!"
"Jonah!" Another voice shouted, causing everyone to look and see Bell running over with Hestia in tow. "Jonah, please! This isn't helping you!"
"Bell! No!" Hestia pleaded while still tugging on him.
"Bell, stay out of this!" Jonah snapped.
"Let Tiona Hiyute go and put down your weapons this instance!" Eina demanded hotly.
"Stay back!" Jonah snarled.
"Hey there!"
Loki had arrived, along with the top members of her Familia, which also includes Bete with a bandage wrapped around his lower torso, and snarling hatefully at Jonah.
"Hello Loki," Jonah sneered. "And a hello to you too, Ais Wallenstein. It's good that you're up and about. I really mean it. I never wanted you to mop over your loss. Hey Bete, how's the wound?"
Bete growls viciously at Jonah while touching his bandaged belly. "Whenever I cough, sneeze, laugh or stretch, my gut hurts and I think of you!"
Lefiya finally recovers enough to stagger over to Loki's side while gasping and still bent over as she clutches her belly.
"Glad you could join us," Loki quipped at her, then turns serious. "But let me guess. Mister Theron punched you in the gut to stop whatever chant you were about to use against him. Just be glad that he didn't do to you what he did to Bete." As she looks over at Bete who snarls back.
"Mister Theron," Finn called calmly. "Our intention isn't to fight you; we just wish to retrieve our members."
"You stay back!" Jonah sneered as he now points his gun at Finn next, understanding that they just want him to lower his guard so they can attack.
"Don't you dare point that weapon at my beloved captain!" Tione snarled viciously.
"Please stop this!" Bell called.
"Bell, stay out of this!" Jonah demanded more forcefully.
"Jonah, this has gone on long enough!" Eina commanded, and points at him. "You told me the other day that Loki can come to you. Now that she's here, put down your weapons and surrender peacefully!"
Now how the hell am I going to get out of this one?! Jonah thought while grimacing back at them all.
Screaming gets their attention and they all look to see people running away with horrified looks from whatever is terrifying them.
"What's going on over there?" Loki called out to a passing woman.
"Horrifying monsters came up from the Dungeon and they're coming this way!" That woman screamed back with a horrified look.
She continues running, then a fireball suddenly passes overhead and hits the side of a building. It finally comes into view before them all. Jonah gapes in horror at the sight of it. He absently lowers the Hunter's Pistol and unhooks his leg from around Tiona's leg to step forward, also lowering the Saw Cleaver as well to effectively release Tiona and she darts away to the side from him.
"WHAT IS THAT?!" Loki exclaimed with wide open eyes.
"TH-THAT'S GOT TO BE THE MOST DISGUSTING MONSTER I'VE EVER SEEN!" Lefiya screamed.
"WAH! IT'S ONE OF THOSE HORRID THINGS THAT JONAH SHOWED US IN HIS NOTEBOOK!" Hestia screamed at the sight of it.
"IT IS!" Bell exclaimed.
Eina looks over at Jonah, only to see him stock-still while staring in utter disbelief up at the Fluorescent Flower with his weapons down by his side.
"Jonah!" Eina called to him, but he does not respond. "Jonah!" Again, he does not respond.
This time she runs up to get in front of him just inches from his face. "Jonah!"
The Moon-scented Hunter had vaguely heard someone calling his name. He slowly looks in the direction of the voice to see a familiar face. Another familiar face runs up to him with a look of terror and concern.
"Jonah! Snap out of it!" Bell shouted. "One of those monsters from your world has gotten into our world!"
Jonah stares into the concerned terrified faces of Eina and Bell. Something finally clicks and he takes a deep breath and focuses on the Fluorescent Flower that Riveria and Lefiya battle as they cast fireballs at it.
"That thing is tough!" Riveria shouted while holding her staff aloft.
"We need to use stronger spells!" Lefiya shouted back.
"We can't we could end up endangering the city!" Riveria scolded.
"How the hell are we supposed to attack that thing?!" Bete exclaimed. "Can you even attack it?!"
"Eina, Bell, move aside!" Jonah commanded, and they do. "THE REST OF YOU!" He next shouted to the others ahead of him, causing them to look at him. "GET OUT OF THE WAY!"
They are quick to give Jonah a wide space. He takes aim with the Hunter's Pistol and fires, hitting the Fluorescent Flower, causing it to stagger. He quickly puts the Hunter's Pistol away and unfurls the Saw Cleaver.
So badass! Loki mused whimsically. A pity he's male.
With a snarl and shout, Jonah quickens at the Fluorescent Flower and chops into it, making it shriek in pain. He twirls and chops down its length in one big swing, shearing off some of its legs in the process.
The abomination shrieks and collapses, then dissipates to leave its petal behind of which Jonah looks down at.
"Is that it's drop item?" Loki sneered.
"Yeah, you could say that," Jonah said.
"What's it good for?" Loki asked.
"I have no idea," Jonah answered as he walks up to the group.
"What was that thing?!" Riveria demanded.
"A Fluorescent Flower," Jonah answered. "It's from Yharnam. Or more accurately, from the College of Bergenwyrth, near Yharnam."
"H-How did it get here?!" Eina gasped.
"Probably the same way I did," Jonah said grimly.
"Jonah, you were right about it," Bell said. "I did feel a sense of unease from it."
"You too?!" Hestia exclaimed.
"Indeed, that monster must've had the ability to invoke unease in the viewer," Finn said.
"Wait, didn't that woman say monsters?" Loki asked with a quizzical expression. "As in, more than one?"
More sounds of screaming get their attention and they look toward the Tower of Babel.
"AAAAAH!" Hestia screeched in terror.
"TH-THEY'RE SO HORRIBLE!" Loki also screeched wide-eyed.
Eleven monsters from Jonah's world stalk down the street toward them. They consist of four Garden of Eyes, four Brain Suckers, and three Stuffed Caskets.
"What in the name of the gods?!" Gareth exclaimed.
"Are those from Yharnam too?!" Bell exclaimed.
"They are!" Jonah exclaimed.
The Good Hunter quickens towards those abominations.
"Whoa, Jonah's gonna fight those things too?!" Bell exclaimed.
"That's because he's used to them, bunny boy," Loki said while staring ahead with wide open eyes.
Jonah finally clashes with the abominations as he chops a Brain Sucker from crown to groin, then whirls around to chop through another Brain Sucker's head. He jumps back in time before another Brain Sucker could successfully land on him and try to suck out his brain to rob him of some of his Insight. It gets no such chance as it gets chopped through the back for its troubles. Jonah swings backward to introduce the last remaining Brain Sucker to the serrated side of the Saw Cleaver, gashing its throat to the bone.
The remaining monsters quickly close in on him.
"Shouldn't the rest of you help him?!" Eina demanded fretfully.
"We're gonna let Mister Theron handle them all by himself," Loki said gleefully while leering at her with one eye closed.
"But they could kill him!" Bell pleaded.
"I can only hope," Loki sneered. "But even if he does win, he'll be too weakened to fight us off."
Meanwhile, Jonah had managed to dodge out of that situation long enough for him to realize what was going on back there.
So that's how you want to play it, Loki. He thought cynically. Well I'm giving you a piece of the action! Bell, Hestia, I just hope you are both smart enough to get back!
Jonah dodges a Garden of Eyes that attempts to jump on him. A Stuffed Casket tries to swipe at him with its multitude of body arms. Its stench nauseating. He quickens backward once again, and the abominations hurry after him. Then quickens backward again . . .
"NO! DON'T BRING THEM OVER HERE, YOU IDIOT!" Loki bellowed hysterically with eyes wide open in outrage as she looks on the verge of running.
"I think he knows what you're up to," Bell said with an embarrassed close-eyed smile.
"STOP HIM ALREADY!" Loki screamed at Finn.
"Loki Familia, form a cordon!" Finn commanded.
The Loki Familia yell as one and rush forward with weapons out.
"Follow their lead!" Shakti also commanded, prompting her Familia to do the same as well.
Within seconds, the two Familias are lined up side-by-side with weapons out with the groups at either end further out, forming a line.
With an understanding reached, Jonah returns to tearing into the rest of those abominations as they all watch.
"His speed, skill, and agility are extremely impressive," Finn said flatly. "His attacks may be simple and straightforward but they can be efficiently chained, and are overwhelming fierce."
"Those monsters are definitely on par with the monsters of the Deeper Floors," Shakti said intently.
"They're so disgusting!" Hestia sneered with revulsion. "Yet Jonah's fighting them so boldly!"
"I know! He's like one of those ancient heros!" Bell agreed with awe.
"I can see why you had trouble with him, Bete," Loki said respectfully. "Along with Aisy-poo, Tione and Tiona as well."
As they watched Jonah shear off a portion of the head of a Garden of Eyes that tried to jump him, along with one of its arms and wings; then chained into a swing to catch a Stuffed Casket across its many skeletal torsos cemented together by stinking carrion, causing it to lose its balance and fall back so that he chained into an overheard arc to shatter its casket, destroying it; then chained again to decapitate another Garden of Eyes; then twirled around it and chained by leaping high and chopped down through another Stuffed Casket, all the way down to its casket, splintering it; then chained by twirling once again around it and took off the head of another Garden of Eyes.
The last two monsters attempt to attack the Familias, much to their horror and disgust.
"Whoa, it looks like they want to have a go at us too," Gareth said as he holds up his weapon.
"UWWAAAH!" Loki screeched while hiding behind Riveria, who also has a look of disgust. "DON'T LET THEM BREAK THROUGH!"
But Jonah walks up to the Stuffed Casket while winding up with the Saw Cleaver, and chops through it at its base, causing it to fall over and not get back up. He lightly chops into the now still cluster of bones and casually tosses it backwards and away so it goes flying down the street and crumbles into a mess of bones and carrion. The Moon-scented Hunter next walks up to the Garden of Eyes and grabs it by the arm at its hand while leaning back with Saw Cleaver held wide, getting its attention.
With a single handed swift motion, he brutally chops through its grisly head all the way down to its groin. Still tugging on its arm, the monster is casually pulled apart causing some of its blood to splatter, much to the disgust of the Familias.
"Couldn't you kill that thing more cleanly, Jonah?!" Hestia wailed.
The group stare down at the now dead and hacked up monsters, then back up at Jonah with wincing expressions. There is a silent moment of a stare down, when . . .
"Listen to that!" Tiona called.
"What?" Gareth called.
"It sounds like . . . singing?!" Tione added.
"Who's singing?" Loki asked while also listening intently.
They all soon hear it.
La la la . . . La la . . . La la la . . . La la la la . . .
That grim melodic garbled vocalization that causes Jonah's eyes to widen until they cannot widen any further, something that is not lost on the others.
"Jonah, what's wrong?!" Bell called.
"Jonah, we're hearing what you're hearing!" Eina also called. "Do you know what that singing is?!"
"If he's troubled by it, then so should we," Riveria said grimly.
"It's creepy that's for sure," Hestia gasped while wincing.
The sinister singing gets closer and its source finally comes around a corner. Everyone's eyes widen with utmost shock.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" Bete clamored.
"WAAAH! I-ITS HEAD IS A HUGE THROBBING BRAIN COVER WITH HUGE BULGING EYES!" Hestia exclaimed.
Jonah inhales deeply as he shuts his eyes.
"J-J-JONAH, WHA-WHA-WHAT IS THAT?!" Bell exclaimed in fright.
"A Winter Lantern!" Jonah growled upon opening his eyes to show that they now have a grim determination. "Brace yourselves everyone!"
Jonah turns around to face it.
AAAARRRRGH!
As the Good Hunter screams in agony due to jagged spears of the Old Blood rapidly and repeatedly jutting out of himself from various angles.
"JONAH!" Bell and Eina screamed in concern.
The Moon-scented Hunter collapses while wailing in agony from the jagged holes in his skin, which in turn left holes in his coat. The Old Blood runs out of those wounds. Bell and Eina shove their way through the line and up to Jonah in the attempt to help him.
"Stay back you two!" Jonah shouted in pain with raised hand to ward them back.
The Good Hunter struggles to get back up onto his feet with his head down to avoid looking at it once again.
"Jonah, let the Ganesha and Loki Familias will deal with that thing!" Eina pleaded.
Jonah rummages around in his coat for something.
"Has anyone noticed that only he was affected and not the rest of us?" Loki said curiously.
"Maybe its because that monster has a connection to him somehow," Finn suggested intently.
The Moon-scented Hunter takes out two red syringes each filled with red liquid. He stabs the first one into one leg then the other in his other leg, causing an orange glow for a moment.
"What sort of healing potion is that?" Eina asked.
"Blood," Jonah answered simply while putting the now empty vials away.
"Ew," Hestia grimaced.
Jonah next pulls out a bottle. "And this," then takes a drink, "is sedatives."
"So it will help you deal with that . . . that thing back there," Eina said.
"Yes, it will help me fight it without being induced to frenzy," Jonah verified.
"Ah, that thing keeps getting closer," Bell squeaked in rising terror while looking back at the Winter Lantern as it casually stalks ever closer.
Jonah picks up his Saw Cleaver and turns around to face the Winter Lantern in all of its horrid glory. This time, he doesn't react to it and walks up to it.
"Whoa, he's got guts!" Bell exclaimed. "I don't think I could ever approach that thing!"
Upon getting close enough, the Winter Lantern screeches as it tilts its massive horrid head back to reveal its dozen or so mouths full of needle sharp teeth as two tentacles from either side of its head stretch out then shoot toward Jonah. He shoots it while dropping the Saw Cleaver, causing it to stagger, and performs a visceral attack upon it to cause the abomination's blood to gush out all over him.
Bete growls and clutches at his belly as if it is being done to him once again.
Jonah quickly picks up the Saw Cleaver, raises it high, and chops into its grotesque head causing it to fall backward. He continues chopping.
