Camp Halfblood…
July 2001… (11 Months Ago)
The night sky made the ocean pitch dark, like an endless abyss. I sat on a cliff that overlooked the beach, which was now engulfed by the black sea. In my hands, I had a can of Ginger Beer. Though I wasn't a big fan of the beverage, it was good for making sure I don't doze off out of boredom.
I was taking a small break from training my Photokinesis, letting my body gain some MP back. This cliff was one of my favourite places to relax by. In my previous life, I was a shut-in that never gave a damn about nature and my surroundings, so I suppose it took dying for me to truly appreciate the view.
A rush of thought comes to my mind, as I calmly look at the stars that danced in the reflection of the ocean. Many were plans that I could enact to win against Kronos, which I threw away to think of later. I couldn't be bothered with pondering upon such dour circumstances.
But one thought came to my mind, one that nearly made me slap myself. Though I had decided to put it on hold at the time, I still haven't opened the Mystery Box I had gotten to make sure Thalia doesn't end up as a tree. I had bigger concerns at the time, so I just forgot about it. Thank the gods that relaxing made me remember. I should do this more.
From my Inventory, I bring out the Mystery Box, and see the familiar question:
Do you wish to open the Mystery Box?
Yes, System, I do. Why else would I bring it out?
Do you wish for your Mystery Box to remain in your Inventory for the rest of eternity?
Oh shit, long time no hear System. Been ages since you last decided to sass me.
My Prime Directive is to assist you with using the System properly. Sassing you is saved for when you're being an ass.
I just had to get the AI that's an asshole, huh? Anyway, System open that box up please.
Mystery Gift opened!
You have received: Flying Nimbus, Rho Aias skill, A twig, Shirt, 2 Vietnamese Dong
…Oh shit.
Almost immediately, perhaps faster than even the Flash, I used Observe on the new item and skill I had gotten.
Name: Flying Nimbus
Type: Transportation
Rank: A
Item Description: The Flying Nimbus is a magical, golden cloud that serves as a way of transportation. Only those considered 'Pure of Heart' are able to ride it without assistance, however the requirements to be 'Pure of Heart' is very arbitrary and is decided by the cloud, which is somewhat sentient. This Flying Nimbus's speed is dependent upon the user's Willpower stat, with a 1:1 conversion to Miles per Hour (1 Willpower = 1 mph), however the maximum speed is 1200 mph.
Skill: Rho Aias
Type: Spell
Cost: 20,000 MP/Second
Description: Also known as 'The Seven Rings that Cover the Burning Heavens', Rho Aias is a legendary Noble Phantasm of absolute defence. Manifesting as a magnificent translucent pink flower with seven delicate petals, it embodies impenetrable protection. Each petal of the shield represents a formidable layer of fortified defence. Upon reaching all 7 petals, its user gains the invulnerability of a fortress wall, shielding them from most harm. No projectile, not even the most formidable lance, can breach its barrier. However, maintaining this extraordinary defence requires a constant infusion of magical energy. At level 1, this spell has only 1 petal, however upon every 30 levels, it will gain another petal, making it stronger.
Bloody fuck. These were insane rewards. I got the same 'vehicle' as fucking Goku, and then fucking bonafide NOBLE PHANTASM! Let me reiterate, I got a gods-be-damned, NOBLE PHANTASM! It's a bloody conceptual weapon, or rather shield. Sure it wasn't Unlimited Bladeworks, but frankly I didn't care. If this was an item, then I'm sure it'd be an S-Rank item, or an SS-Rank (if that even exists).
However, it appears that it would take me perhaps a decade, or maybe even over a decade before I could utilise it at all. Regardless, this was an amazing drop.
But my attention turned to what I could use now.
The Flying Nimbus.
I don't think it was Goku's one, but rather one that was also taken from the Giant Flying Nimbus Cloud that was near Korin's tower. Either way, this was an awesome drop, and would be insanely useful during quests and stuff.
But… there was a hitch in that idea. Would I even be able to use it? Theoretically I could, but it depends if I was considered pure-hearted by the cloud.
I bring out the Flying Nimbus from my Inventory, a little in awe at its golden colouration. I could see faint traces of an aura of some sort around it, like a welcoming greeting. The cloud floats in front of me, bobbing up and down.
I reach out my hand towards it, in an attempt to touch it, but stop before I could touch it.
Was I actually pure-hearted? Did I even want to know?
Yes, I was a 'hero', and have saved people, but there are so many other lives I could've saved. So many people have died because of my inaction. Had I warned the government about 9/11, or perhaps tried to stop it myself, I could've solved an untold number of lives. Those lost in the towers, and the millions lost in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Middle East. And there were so many deaths I could've prevented by killing dictators like Kim Jong Il or Saddam Hussein. Hell, I could've stopped the Ukrainian War against Russia decades before it even began!
By knowingly not stopping them, was the blood of innocents on my hands? Hell, I fucking killed a guy. Sure he was a serial killer, but was that pure? Did killing and non-interference make me 'impure'?
I don't think I want to know.
I put the Flying Nimbus into my Inventory with a sigh. Perhaps I could check out my pure-heartedness another day.
Present Day...
About 9000 Metres Above the Ground…
And it seems that day was now!
The golden cloud known as the Flying Nimbus comes out of my Inventory, and I call upon its name with desperation in my voice. The cloud that I once considered fictional, was now something I was hoping to be the most real thing in this world.
Heeding my call, it swoops down beneath me, waiting for me to fall to it. It was as if the cloud was telling me that the rest would be on my shoulders. On whether I was pure or not.
I kept falling, faster and faster, getting closer and closer to terminal velocity, and closer to the golden Nimbus cloud patiently waiting for me. I had no choice, but to trust myself. To trust that I wasn't as bad as I thought.
The cloud is just below me, a hair away.
And then my face began to sink into the golden cloud, and for a moment, I was scared. "I… I guess I really am a bad person" I had thought to myself, as I began to sink further and further into the cloud.
Until, I stopped sinking.
And instead, like rubber, the cloud bounced back up, with me along with. It launched me into the air, and then I landed upon a soft cloud. As my mind processed what just happened, a huge smile sprawled upon my face. I was pure-hearted!
With a laugh, I gave Nimbus a pat, as if it were an animal, "Haha! Nice to meet ya' NImbus. I hope we have a great time working together!" The gold aura around Nimbus seemed to brighten, as if smiling back.
The happy moment, however, was ruined by the sound of thunder and then a scream, from a familiar voice. I look around, and see one of the deployed parachutes on fire, most likely from lightning. I quickly looked up to the black thundercloud, which hid a beast within. It wasn't moving for us yet, but it was like a tiger stalking for its prey
I turn my attention to the burning parachute, or rather, the person in the parachute. A young girl. Piper. Fuck. "Alright Nimbus! Our first task together is to save a little girl, alright?" Without needing any further commands, Nimbus shoots towards Piper, and I stand upon the cloud.
On a side note, riding the Flying Nimbus was insane. It basically ignored all sense of acceleration and the laws of physics. Despite how fast it was going, I could stand upon it like I was on the ground, without any worry of falling or the air resistance pushing me off. I'm pretty sure the only way I could fall off was if I was knocked off, or the Nimbus went towards the ground in a perfectly vertical path, or if it went upside down.
As I sped closer to the screaming Piper, I drew Athanatos putting it into my left hand instead of the usual right hand. I needed my right hand for something else.
Nimbus slows down as we near the parachute, as if it knew my next actions. It descends diagonally, and when we get close enough, I quickly grab Piper with my right hand, and then cut off the strings that connected the parachute to the backpack. By now, the parachute was fully engulfed in fire, and I had thankfully cut off the strings before they got on fire.
With Piper in my hands, I lift her up with ease, "You okay?" I ask her, as I put her on the Nimbus. She sits down on the cloud with ease, just as I had thought. I mean, she's literally one of The Seven, and is a child. Of course she's going to be pure-hearted!
Piper, who had long since stopped screaming looked at the Flying Nimbus with fascination, poking it out of curiosity. "Wow! This is amazing! It looks so beautiful!" I'll take that as a yes. "Look, there's dad!" She points over to our left, where I see her father sailing down in his parachute, frantically looking for Piper. As for the little girl, a horrible thought comes to her mind, causing her to worry, "What if dad sees us?! You said he'll go mad! I don't want that to happen!"
I put a hand on her head, messing it up. Ah, it really annoyed kids when I did it to them, especially since I looked the same age as them. "Don't worry, your Dad will be okay." The young girl says nothing.
Eventually Tristain McLean saw us, though I think he paled at the sight of the remains of Piper's burning parachute, and instead of freaking out about his daughter and a 9-year-old boy sitting upon a golden cloud, he simply breathed a sigh of relief, and smiled at his daughter.
Piper looked at me with shock and suspicion. "You said if he saw or learned that we could do powers, he'd go crazy! Did you lie?!"
I raise my hands in mock surrender, "Calm down! I didn't explain everything." I placated the girl with a grin, and though she seemed less enraged, she was still very suspicious of me. "Look, so there's this thing called the Mist. I'm sure what it is or where it's from, but all I know is that it makes the odd things about us look… less odd." From the corner of my eye, I see a notification from the system.
Lying Skill levelled up (39 - 40)!
Ah yes, the skill I was least proud of. Yes, it was pretty useful, but that didn't mean it was something I held dear. I hated lying to the people I had grown to see as friends, even mentors, but it was necessary. I don't know how people would react if they learnt that in another universe, they're simply book characters.
"I… think that makes sense" Piper responds, a little unsure, though her smiling father did support my argument. I doubt I'd get any further questions from her right now. A child's mind is easily sated.
"If I had to guess, he's probably seeing us glide down with my parachute, probably carrying you." Well, it wasn't really a guess since I was using my Mist Manipulation skill to make him see that. The skill was something Chiron taught Thalia, Luke, and I during the Winter. It was pretty hard to get at first, but eventually I managed to do it with a lot of effort, and after a few weeks. The skill is actually pretty fun, since it works on animals, and if it gets high enough, other demigods. Perfect for pranks.
Piper doesn't say anything for a few moments, before she looks at me and asks, "Hey, where did you get this cloud thing? Is that your power as well?"
"...Sure" I shrug, not seeing the necessity in lying. I mean, Nimbus was bright enough for it to logically seem to be made out of light. "Alright, don't move around a lot, we're beginning to reach the ground." I tell her, as Nimbus descends upon a vast empty field. Perhaps it was for farming, or simply unused land. EIther way, they should be safe here.
And then, as if the hidden forces of the universe had heard my thoughts, a rumble of thunder shook the air above us. I look up, and grimace at the sight of the black storm cloud above me, standing menacingly. If it remains here, no doubt whatever monster resided in there would attack the mortals, and Piper. And that most certainly would not be okay in my books.
When we reach the ground, Piper gets off Nimbus with extreme reluctance, but after a lot of persuasion, she eventually jumps off. I look up watching Piper's dad, the pilot and co-pilot, and the air hostesses, descend from the sky slowly in their parachutes.
Piper looks at me with confusion, "Come on Gill, you should get off the cloud before everyone comes down!" However, I didn't get off the cloud.
"Ah, sorry Piper, but I think I'll be heading out now," I smile, as the Flying Nimbus begins to float off the ground. "I'll be seeing ya'. Oh and don't become a rebellious teen when you're older because your dad isn't paying enough attention to you, he has his reasons, and you'll regret being annoying. Oh, and I know I told you that using powers can be cool, but don't use your powers willy-nilly for dumb things like stealing stuff. You'll probably get caught." Yeah, I think that ticks off everything that I had on my list that I made for if I were to meet Piper before canon.
"Wait, what?" She shouted, but I was already up in the air, so I simply waved at her. Ah, she'll understand when she's older.
On Nimbus, I zoom past the parachuters, and far into the sky where the aeroplane had originally exploded. Closer to the storm cloud, which had gotten smaller than it had been earlier. It was starting to look like an actual figure. A large four legged beast with a long winding tail. But I couldn't make out what exactly it was, and Observe didn't seem to register it yet.
"Hey!" I shout out to the storm cloud. It seems to shift, almost facing me. A rumble of thunder could be heard. Was it… growling at me? "Do you always look like that, or are ya' just gassy?" Another rumble of thunder. I doubt it could understand my words, but I'm sure it knew the gist of what I was saying. "Geez, you must be seriously bad at your job! You destroyed a plane but couldn't get your fangs on even one person! Hell, I came here because I pitied you! I bet the Chimera could do a better job!"
For some reason, that seemed to set the monster off. The storm cloud, with lightning sparking throughout it, charges at me. Before I could block it or dodge, the Flying Nimbus moves by itself, speeding ahead. I laugh, taking a seat, as Nimbus begins to go faster, "Ha! Good job Nimbus! Let's head West! Don't go too fast or else the storm cloud will go back." The aura around Nimbus vibrates. Good.
I look back and see the storm cloud coming closer, and its figure seemed to run. From the corner of my eye, I see a notification. A quest notification, to be precise.
Quest added!
Obligatory Chase Scene
After a brilliant movie-style plane explosion, of course you are now the subject of a chase scene! Will you be eaten by the mysterious monster, or will you escape to see another day… or see something more?
Objective: Escape the mysterious storm monster for 6 minutes and 35 seconds
Rewards: EXP, ?, ?
That… is a very specific time limit.
But I won't say no to free EXP!
"Alright, Nimbus. I don't know why, but we've gotta last for 6 minutes and 35 seconds. Think you can do it?" The golden cloud seemed pretty confused, but its aura flared in confirmation. "Good! Then let's charge forward!" The Flying Nimbus bursts forward with speed as I laugh, looking down at the earth which was now a blur.
The storm cloud chased after us, sparks of lightning flying off of it with an indiscriminate shock. Mountains and towns pass by us, with the people on the ground not even knowing what was happening in the skies above them. The cloud rumbled with fury, as its shape turned into a spiral, which somehow made it faster.
And then, I hear a roar. Not a rumble this time, but a genuine, monstrous roar. I look back, and see a ball swirling in front of the storm cloud, and I pale. Ya' know the sparks I'd been seeing from the cloud? Yeah, that wasn't just for effects. The bastard had been preparing a ranged attack! A ball of gods damn lightning!
"Nimbus, duck!" I shouted, as the hairs on my neck stood tall. And it seems that I had told Nimbus at just the right time, because just as the cloud swoops down with me, the monster behind us unleashes its attack, which in fact was a giant beam of pure, unfiltered, human-slaying, lightning. A lightning beam that almost fried me. Was I running away from a Pokemon? "Okay Nimbus, things are getting dicey! Go faster, and try not to fly in a straight line!"
Nimbus's aura flared in affirmation. Of course, I'd not be letting my ride do all the work. I stand upon the golden cloud, facing the storm beast that was gathering its lightning once more. With a mad smile, I raise my hands to face the storm cloud, "You may think you're strong, monster! But you forgot one thing!" My hands glow, as thousands of bright arrows surround me, "LIGHT TRUMPS LIGHTNING!" And at my command, the barrage of arrows made of light were launched at the storm cloud.
Everytime one arrow hit the storm cloud, or was destroyed by the generated sparks of lightning from the storm cloud, another arrow would be created and fired. And let me tell you, those arrows were fast. After a minute or so, I had dissipated much of my MP, though in turn I had managed to hit the monster with over 15 thousand arrows of light. Whilst I doubt it managed to hurt the monster itself much, it had prevented the beast from using its lightning beam attack, and surprisingly, had also destroyed most of the storm cloud that hid its true appearance.
It could still fly and chase me, due to the small black clouds that surrounded its legs, but the rest of its body was unprotected now. The monster looked like some sort of knock-off Chimera, with the pink head of a monkey, striped yellow limbs that resembled a tiger's, the body of a tanuki racoon, and a long green scaled tail of a snake. Sparks of lightning seemed to bounce between its fur.
I used Observe upon it, and was slightly confused.
Name: Nue
Title: The Terror of an Emperor
HP: 7350/10500
MP: 8833/12000
Stats
Strength: 310
Agility: 298
Endurance: 280
Charisma: 0
Intelligence: 73
Willpower: 225
Description: Nue, one of the oldest known Yokai , is a ferocious beast that tends to hunt at night. It prefers to hunt by shapeshifting into a black storm cloud, and strike prey with its lightning, however when it isn't hunting, it causes misfortune upon humans by giving nightmares or illnesses which cannot be ended until Nue is killed.
That's odd. Why is the monster so injured? Had it gotten into a fight? My arrows of light should've only taken 1000 HP from him at most, and considering its high Endurance, what hurt must've been strong.
But the more fascinating thing was that apart from Sasaki, this Yokai was my first real interaction with the Shinto Pantheon. I mean, I doubt anyone from Camp Halfblood, or Camp Jupiter met anything from that pantheon. Maybe some of the Einherjar have, considering there are probably thousands of them. At least one has probably interacted with the Shinto pantheon.
But why was a Shinto monster here in the middle of the USA? The influence of Shintoism has remained strong in Japan throughout all these centuries, so the Shinto pantheon hasn't needed to move to the West to remain strong. Therefore, all their monsters should still be in Japan.
So… had this been engineered by someone? Perhaps to try and kill me? Maybe this was Gaia's attempt to kill Piper. But that made no fucking sense at all. Perhaps… This was all just a random coincidence? No… I doubt that.
Nue made a movement that seemed to be an attempt at roaring, but instead, a different sound came out. It sounded like a… bird? But the noise, it felt so eerie. So unnatural. And suddenly, I get a notification from the System, snapping me from my confusion.
Emotion Altering blocked by Gamer's Mind!
Hmm… I suppose that must've been Nue. Was it trying to make me feel fear? Judging by the confusion on its monkey face, that was most likely Nue's goal. Heh. How about I show the monster that messing with me was a wrong idea. After all, I still had just under 3000 MP left.
I raised my hand into the air, and within its grasp, formed a fiery javelin, but it wasn't made out of fire. No, like my Heliosphere, it was made out of the raging flames of the SUN! "Have a taste of my Heliospear!" I cried out, as I threw the javelin. Sure, 'Helio-Javelin' would've been more accurate, but Heliospear was far catchier.
The Heliospear bursts forward to the Nue, who has a frightful look on its face. It attempts to run, but the spear is too fast for it. Although, it does manage to dodge a headshot. Lucky for me, the spear manages to pierce the monster's torso side, embedding deep into the Yokai. The sheer heat of the Heliospear makes the Nue cry out in pain, as it gets cooked from the inside. But I know it wouldn't be enough, as the creature manages to endure the pain enough to charge at me once more.
Lucky for me, that the cloud I was standing upon was of the reliable sort.
The chase begins to happen once more, though this time, the Nue was visibly getting weaker, as the Heliospear was still stuck in it, causing it a lot of pain. Of course, keeping the Heliospear up was also draining, as the spell wasn't created for sustained damage. But the fact is, the damage dealt by sustaining outweighed the cost of it draining my MP.
A minute later, with sweat rolling down my face, Nimbus's aura seemed to spike, as if alerting to me to something. I turn around, and immediately realise what Nimbus was trying to tell me.
About a quarter of a mile from us, there was a huge white banner being held up on both sides by… two large dogs with wings? You know, I'm not even gonna question it. The banner had Japanese writing upon it, and Allspeak immediately kicked in.
PLEASE FLY DOWN TO THE FOREST!
That… was not the strangest thing I've seen today. And to be honest, whilst everybody always says to not trust mysterious messages in the sky, my instincts tell me to do what it says. "Alright Nimbus!" I say, as I look down to see what was indeed a forest, "Let's head down, and quick!" Listening to my words, Nimbus dives down, as I hold onto the cloud.
I look back and see the Nue also swooping down, still following us. Whatever is happening, I hope it works.
Nimbus halts as we reach the area above the trees, and begins to fly flat. I look back, and watch the Nue try to stop as well, but it instead crashes into the forest and sinks into the sea of trees. For a brief moment, I felt hope that the monster had died in the crash, and perhaps it was the minor fatigue I felt from holding Heliospear up, but with the desire to conserve what little MP I had, I dissipated the Heliospear that was embedded into Nue.
Though I let out a breath of relief from not having to maintain my spell, I immediately paused as the familiar eerie sound of a bird echoed throughout the forest. Followed by thunder.
From the dense trees of the forest, Nue flew out, with half of his body wrapped in black clouds. I quickly used Observe on him, and gulped. He was regaining his health. It wasn't by much, maybe 6 HP per second, but it was still bad news. Especially if he could focus where he could regen.
Nue looks around, before noticing me. Shit. With swirling storm clouds around it, Nue charges at us with fury. "Nimbus! Quick!" I shout, as I try to think of what I could do. Nimbus shoots forward, and though I knew Nimbus could outrun the monster, it would simply give Nue more time to regenerate, which put all my efforts to nought.
I hope whoever put that banner up in the sky wasn't lying to me.
Our chase began again, and I fired the occasional Light Spear at the beast, trying to slow it down, though I did keep an eye on my MP.
Unfortunately it seemed that the more we flew, the faster it could gain health, which was bullshit, might I add.
And so, out of desperation, I opened up the quest for this chase.
Obligatory Chase Scene
After a brilliant movie-style plane explosion, of course you are now the subject of a chase scene! Will you be eaten by the mysterious monster, or will you escape to see another day… or see something more?
Objective: Escape the mysterious storm monster for 0 minutes and 5 seconds
Rewards: EXP, ?, ?
Wait. What? 5 Seconds?
Suddenly, from my left, I noticed what seemed to be… chains? Several giant blue chains came from my left, shooting out of the forest, and towards the Nue. The monster looked at the chains with fear in its eyes, as if recognising what the chains were, and before Nue could escape, the chains wrapped around the monster, tying the front legs first. It seems the chains could neutralise the monster's powers, as the storm cloud around Nue dissipated. And soon the monster's entire body was wrapped in chains, as it was dragged down to where the chains came from, letting loose a cry of help. Screw you asshole.
And finally, for real this time, the chase was over and the monster was gone. Of course, I was wary at first that it would burst out once more from the forest, but then I got a notification for completing my quest. Thank the fucking gods.
Now the current question was, do I go down to where Nue was taken, or do I leave?
…
…
Fuck it. "Nimbus, head over to where the monster was taken," I told the cloud beneath me. Part of Nimbus's front extend a big and twisted, making a motion resembling the turn of a head, like the cloud couldn't believe what I was saying, "Hey, don't look at me like that! You know you're curious too." There is a moment of pause, before the cloud's extension seemingly sighed, and then retracted, turning the cloud back to normal.
Nimbus flies over to the general directions where saw Nue go down, and there we find a clearing, with broken trees that the monster had probably smashed through as it went down.
My eyebrows furrowed, looking at the scene below me. I see a long line entrenched into the earth, where the monster had been dragged through with the chains. And of course, at the end of the trench, was Nue, with chains all over its body, with barely room to breathe. Standing next to the monster, was a boy, about 14, inspecting Nue. Behind the boy was a cage, but interestingly, I don't believe the cage was for imprisoning the monster, as it was completely destroyed. Scorch marks that resembled lightning covered it, and the bars were bent and broken. By the looks of it, Nue had broken out of the cage.
To the left of the cage were two girls, one was lying on the ground, pale and sweating. Her left arm was soaked in blood, and some sort of green liquid surrounded the wound. Poison? The other girl was trying to tend to the poisoned one, though by the looks of it, with little success.
And oddly enough, the two flying dogs I saw earlier that were carrying the banner were next to the poisoned girl, clearly distressed and worried. A quick look at the information from Observe told me they were yokai known as Haina, and judging from the description, they were relatively friendly unless you threaten their owners. Cute.
Another thing I noticed was that every human there was Asian, and if I had to guess, Japanese. Were they Japanese-Americans, or just on a holiday from Japan? Well, I guess I'll find out.
I descend on Nimbus, and the boy next to Nue looks at me, with an expression that was torn between thankfulness and suspicion. When I get low enough, I jump off Nimbus, and put the golden cloud in my Inventory, though I suppose to witnesses, it looked like the cloud had turned to thin air.
"Hey there!" I greet with a smile, "Thanks for dealing with this asshole." I looked at Nue, who had a very pissed expression on its face, though I doubt it could do anything.
The boy looked at me confused, and they slowly answered with, "No… P-Probremu?" Ah, right. I suppose English isn't his first language. I do wonder how he got into the country. Do his comrades know English? Or did they fly here on their 'Hainu'? Because if it's the latter, then those creatures are pretty remarkable.
"So, can you tell me what's your story with the monster?" I ask, though this time I talk in perfect Japanese, courtesy of Allspeak.
The boy looks at me with surprise, and his suspicion seems to waver. "I… Fine. Well, you may not know this, but there are more pantheons out there than whatever you're from-"
I interrupted the kid, though I think he wasn't a fan of being interrupted by a supposed 9-year-old. "I already know that stuff, and I'm a demigod from the Greek Pantheon." Okay, so this dude was definitely from the Japanese pantheon. Now to find out what they're doing here.
"A Greek. Just my luck." He mutters beneath his breath, though I easily heard him, before continuing his explanation, "Well, I'm a demigod from the Japanese pantheon, the son of Suijin, God of Water." Huh, he took a lot of pride in saying that. Completely different from the Camp Halfblood demigods. "Me and my teammates were sent here from our school and-"
Once more I interrupted him, genuinely curious. "School?" From what Sasaki had told me, the Japanese demigods had a camp like us.
"Oh yeah, you Greeks still use a camp." Damn, no need to be a snob, "Well, in Japan, we have a demigod-only school where we can learn actual subjects like Maths and Japanese, whilst also honing our knowledge on our mythology and our skills with the sword" He looked a little sour at the last part. If I had to guess, I don't think he's good with swords. "Anyway, we were given a mission by the school, and were given Nue to give to someone here. We were told to wait in these coordinates, but when we set up the camp, a deer came out of nowhere and smashed open the lock." He let out a sigh, "And now our entire mission has gone up in flames."
"Wait, why on earth would you be delivering a monster, and who to?" I question, a little shocked at the premise. Do they get money out of it? Perhaps Camp Halfblood could get in on this new industry.
The boy just shrugged, "It's not delivering monsters is normal. We just do what the gods tell us. Also, it's not really any of our business to know who we're giving the yokai." Huh. That was… really submissive of them. I mean, the Greek demigods are also pretty subservient, but the Gods grip on us isn't really that tight considering a good chunk of demigods sided with Kronos in canon.
"Okay… Well, what happened after this monster broke out?" I ask, still wanting to get the full story.
The boy sighs, before continuing his explanation, "After Nue got out of the cage, Maekawa-san tried to stop it, but got poisoned by Nue instead." Wait, that fucker was poisonous? Judging by the claw marks on the poisoned girl, Nue had poisonous claws. Makes sense with its ability to make diseases. "She's been like that since yesterday, and we can't do anything about it." I think I have a way to fix that, though before I do anything, I'll let him continue, "Anyway, Nue turned into its storm cloud form so we really couldn't do anything since the chains only work when there's at least one part of him that's his real form. We were going to call for backup but then you showed up, and led him here."
"But how on Earth were you able to see me coming? Nue was miles away from here when I met him, and you don't seem to have binoculars or anything."
The boy grins, and points his thumb to the girl that was looking after Maekawa, "Arai-san is the daughter of Hachiman, and he's also the God of Archery, and because of that, she can see incredibly far."
"Wow." If she can see for a couple miles, then that would make any archer salivate, "I'm pretty sure some of my siblings would kill for that ability. Ya' think if I take her eyes and put them in my eye sockets, I'd get that ability?"
The boy raises an eyebrow at me, causing me to flush in embarrassment, "Uh… Sorry, that was a joke." I say, avoiding eye contact, "It was a reference to-" However, I was interrupted this time.
"Naruto. Yeah, I too have read one of the most popular manga of the last few years." He retorted, giving me a very judging look, "It's just very weird to hear a westerner talk about it. At all." Oh yeah. It's 2002. I forgot that anime and manga was nowhere near as popular or mainstream as it was when I died.
There is an awkward silence, which I decide to break cheerily, "How 'bout I heal your friend there?" I ask heading towards the poisoned girl.
The boy looks at me with shock, though I can see he's resisting the urge to ask me how. As I walk up to the injured girl, the one known as Arai looks at me with suspicion, "What is it?" She asks tersely.
"I'm going to-"
"Move aside, Arai-san" The boy behind me immediately commands, to which the girl heeds. Okay I guess they've got an internal hierarchy, at least for their missions.
"Well… I guess I'd better sort you out" I say to the unconscious body. I extend my palms to her arm, and begin healing her. I didn't have a lot of MP left, but healing didn;t take a lot MP in the first place. Quickly the blood that had been seeping slowed down to a halt, and the girl had stopped sweating. However, I could detect there was still poison in her bloodstream, and I wasn't proficient enough to remove it. Guess it was time to take out my secret weapon.
From my inventory, in a burst of flames, Icarus flies out into a loop. Showoff. He landed upon my forearm, and I could sense the surprise and awe on their faces. "A Basan?" The boy asks, though I had no clue what he was talking about.
"A what?" I question rhetorically, "Icarus is a phoenix, dude. And he's gonna save your friend." I point the burnt chicken in question to the sick body, and as if he already knew what to do, Icarus flutters over the wound, and like magic, he cries into the wound.
"You've trained your… 'phoenix' to cry on people?" The boy asks. What a dumb question.
"Yes, because I have all the time in the world" I sarcastically reply, rolling my eyes, "No, you see, phoenixes seem to have a natural instinct to cry as their tears have the ability to heal people to an extreme degree. Most poisons can easily be cured by a phoenix tear." I explain, watching the unconscious girl slowly becoming less pale. Icarus, done with his job, comes back to me, and flies on top of my head, resting in it like his nest. I use Observe on her, and grin. "Well your friend will be alright. Give her a few hours to rest, and have fun with your mission. I should get going."
As I make my way away from the stunned demigods, the boy shouts to me, "Don't you want anything in return?" To be honest, I doubt they really have anything I wanted in the first place.
I wave away his question, not even turning for my answer, "Nah. Consider it my good deed for the day." As I make my way out of their line of sight, I summon Nimbus from my Inventory, and I climb on top of the golden cloud. "Alright Nimbus, let's head west. It'll take us a few hours to get anywhere near Jackson." Nimbus's aura flares in affirmation, and cloud rises up with me upon it, and Icarus sleeping on my head,
And with that, the first half of my journey had been done.
Author's Notes: Bloody hell, that was a long one! Honestly, as fun as this was to write, I'm annoyed that I couldn't finish it faster! I thought it'd be finished by Friday, but right now, it's Saturday 3:38 am. Not a particularly good time to write. Bah, who cares.
Also, unfortunately, no body managed to guess what monster was in the cloud, however I have to admit, some of your guesses were pretty interesting, like the Thunderbird. Although, I have other plans for that creature :)
Anyway, thanks for the support as usual, but apart from that, not much else to say. Here's Gill's Player Profile:
Name: Gilgamesh Ashford
Age: 9
Level: 44
Title: Child of Apollo
HP: 5996/6710
MP: 301/7270
Stats
Strength: 206
Agility: 250
Endurance: 181
Charisma: 255
Intelligence: 200
Willpower: 285
Luck: 200
Stat Points: 0