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Year 16 AL, Blood Feud
Luka felt an odd and terrible shiver go up his spine. "Ehehe..." Luka chuckled nervously, not liking at all where this was going already. "...Well, uh, wh-what would you be wanting?" Lime responded with a happy, placing a finger on her chin as she made a face of faux thought. "Huh, I dunno. What are ya willin' to give?" She asked, putting Luka on the spot once more.
He couldn't say that he really liked where this was going.
"Uh, I c-can't really give much, y-you know." Luka answered, "I mean, I have some money to give but-" The Blue Slime cut him off by lifting a hand, "-OH NO! I already have money now, don't need more of it. However," Lime said while leaning against her Boomerang stand, quite purposely pressing her chest against the counter to display for the young Hero, "I have other needs." She whispered suggestively.
Luka clenched his teeth; this really wasn't the type of deal he wanted to be making, he wasn't supposed to be engaging in this type of behavior. "I-I don't know about that, um..." The purple-haired boy tried to ignore the fact that both Alice and Kitsu were staring at him as he fidgeted before the boomerang stand. "...How about I cook you another fish?" He offered, trying to steer the Slime's thoughts off of his person.
For a long few seconds, Lime seemed to have a very tough internal battle. Indeed, Luka's cooking had been the best she had ever tried, but was it good enough to mitigate the fact that she wanted to tear down his pants?
"I don't know, just one fish as payment seems a bit light. I think I need something heavier on my plate." Lime said. Despite the double meaning, Luka nearly jumped at the opportunity to negotiate a different type of payment. "W-Well, I could cook you a whole meal instead of just one fish!" The young Hero's parleying had Lime on the ropes now, her horny-to-hungry scale tipping in favor of maintaining Luka's innocence.
Lime bit her slimy lip, mulling over the idea for a while. Sensing that he was close to putting this deal to rest, Luka moved to sweeten the deal. "I-It would be a full-course meal, just for you!" Lime perked up at this, her bright green eyes lighting up at this. "Really, you'll be cooking a whole meal just for me and no one else?"
Luka nodded his head vigorously, "Y-Yep, just me cooking for you!"
The Blue Slime faltered for a moment, considering Luka's words very carefully. Especially how the young Hero inadvertently stressed how it would be just him and her. Then, the same sly smirk came to her face again. "...Sounds great. I'll be looking forward to it!" Luka grinned thankfully, holding a hand up to Lime. "Alright, let's shake on it!" Lime took his hand eagerly, her smile still too suspicious as she shook his hand.
After agreeing on Luka's terms, Lime shuffled around while reaching into her own body and pulling out a slime-covered map. The Blue Slime started giggling to herself, bouncing around her boomerang stand to move next to the still-sulking silver-furred fox, who had been staring at the ground during the whole proceeding. Usually, Lime's distracting bouncing would be the first thing to take his attention, but that wasn't the case at the moment.
"H-Hey, Kitsu?" Luka said, spurring the Two-Tailed Kitsune to raise her sad red eyes up to him. His heart fell as he watched her mouth curl downwards in a rather pronounced frown, "Yeah?"
The purple-haired boy's mouth formed a thin line as he placed his hands on his hips. Luka simply stared at her for a while, wanting to say something comforting but at the same time not really knowing what to say. His pale-blue eyes homed in on the hairpin he had bought for her, seeing that the item had become a bit undone. Spurred on by a sudden desire to fix the accessory, Luka took a step forward and reached out to begin fixing the hairpin.
Kitsu silently stood still as he did so, her frown softening just a bit. "I-I'm sorry about how abrupt this all is, but after what happened in San Ilia, I just think that you'd be safer back home than with me." Luka began as he undid the hairpin, grasping strands of her silver hair into his hands. "B-But you're the one who keeps getting hurt, not me." The purple-haired boy paused, taking into consideration what she said for a moment before shaking it off.
"Even still, your safety is more important to me than mine." Luka reaffirmed, gently taking the tuft of her hair and curling it into the hairpin. Kitsu's frown had faded, her face turning somewhat stunned at Luka's heartfelt tone. "I can take it if it's just me getting hurt, it's part of being a Hero. But if something bad happened to you..." The purple-haired boy paused, fighting away the quiver that came to his lip. "...That would make me very upset." He finished with a sigh, dropping his hands to his hips as he backed up a step.
Luka took another pause, this time having to stop upon seeing the Two-Tailed Kitsune's tearful gaze. The purple-haired boy's eyebrows furrowed but was stopped from saying anything further as Kitsu nearly floored him with a hug. A small grunt came from Luka's mouth, surprise evident on his face from the contact. Before the young Hero could even return the hug Kitsu broke off, facing Luka with a strangely confident look.
"A-Alright, I understand..." Kitsu said, rubbing her red eyes clear before giving Luka a smile. "...J-Just make sure to come by Yamatai Village sometime then. I'll be w-waiting for you, s-so don't take too long!" She exclaimed. Luka nearly felt himself choke up, he'd been in this type of situation before and already was quite aware of the fact that he shouldn't make a promise he couldn't keep. However, he couldn't find it in himself to flatly deny Kitsu like that.
"I'll k-keep it in mind, just know that it might be a while though," Luka said, just barely forcing a grimace back. Without even meaning to he had clearly endeared himself to the Two-Tailed Kitsune and even worse, she'll probably be expecting to see him again in the future. Now Luka just about had no choice, he'd have to visit Yamatai Village some time in the future. If nothing more than to ensure he didn't let down Kitsu.
His heart really was too soft for its own good, wasn't it?
"Alright, let's go Kitsu!" Lime exclaimed, having been bouncing absentmindedly the entire time. "I'm looking forward to me dat-" Lime stopped herself, "-Erm, I mean, dinner, with Luka." Kitsu gave a hesitant nod, still not wanting to leave the young Hero quite yet, but eventually, she shuffled over to Lime's side. "Alright, I'm ready." The Two-Tailed Kitsune said.
Luka gave the two a wave as they finally departed, the purple-haired boy wishing them safe travels. He turned around to face Alice, more or less expecting the Lamia to be happier upon Kitsu finally leaving his party. However, she did not look happier at all. In fact, his golden-eyed traveling partner appeared to be very...
...Frustrated?
Luka was about to open his mouth to question Alice's perturbment but she was quick to put him on the spot, "Do you even realize what you just did?" She asked, her eyebrows lowered now. Luka blinked at her in confusion, "U-Um, I think so?" His answer was obviously not sufficient, and the disguised Lamia bent over some to face him at near eye level.
"You just promised that Slime a date." Alice said pointedly, causing Luka to flinch. "Wh-Wh-What?" Luka stuttered, "N-No I-" The young Hero stopped mid-sentence, mulling over the conversation that just happened.
"Really, you'll be cooking a whole meal just for me and no one else?"
"Y-Yep, just me cooking for you!"
Luka grabbed at some of his purple locks, "B-B-But that's not what I meant! All that I said was that I'd cook her a meal!" The young Hero argued, "Th-That doesn't m-mean that it would lead to anything m-more!" Alice raised an eyebrow, "And do you think that the Slime won't be wanting anything more?" She asked purposefully. Luka froze, his pale-blue eyes falling to the ground as he mulled this over.
Indeed, Lime had seemed very happy about Luka's offer. Suspiciously happy...
"W-Well, I-I mean, we never really agreed on a time or place, so..." Luka trailed, running a black-gloved through his hair nervously. "...A-As long as I don't run into Lime anytime soon, I won't have to w-worry about that, r-right?" The young Hero asked while looking towards his traveling partner.
Alice crossed her arms, "Yeah, you should avoid meeting her again. Unless you're looking forward to having a particularly slimy session with her." Luka shivered, both from the mere idea of such a thing and from the nagging feeling that he may not be able to avoid such a thing occurring.
More likely than not, Luka could probably go about his journey without bumping into Lime again. However, the young Hero hadn't expected to meet her a second time, so a third time wasn't completely impossible.
'Well, I guess I'll have to figure out how to deal with my...' Luka gulped, '...Date with Lime, later.' Unceremoniously, the young Hero began moving to head towards the beach and not think about the consequences of what he had agreed to do with Lime.
"So, there's a question I've had on my mind for a while..." Alice began as she slithered in the sand besides Luka.
The pair were on the beachy coast outside of Port Natalia, having left the ocean-side town a few minutes prior. The purple-haired boy looked up to his traveling partner, who seemed to be very thoughtful now. "Yeah?" Luka asked, awaiting the Lamia's query. Alice didn't answer right away, taking a few more moments to think over what she was about to ask. It had been something she had been curious about since that morning when they first left Port Natalia.
"...What happened in that abandoned Temple you visited in the forest?" Alice asked.
The air itself seemed to shift as Luka's demeanor changed, going from his usual enthusiasm to melancholy almost in an instant. The Lamia silently waited, watching as Luka visibly stewed over her question. The purple-haired boy clasped his hands together and wrung his fingers around, dropping his pale-blue eyes to the sand below. "W-Well, i-it's a..." Luka gulped, his throat suddenly feeling very tight. "...It's a bit complicated." The young Hero finished before letting out a sigh.
Again, Alice watched on quietly, allowing the clearly troubled boy to continue at his own pace. Finally, Luka decided to start with the easiest tidbit of information. "Well, the three Monsters that were in there, they were Nuns. N-Not just disguised as Nuns, they were actual Nuns."
Alice tilted her head, "As in, Nuns of the Ilias faith?" She asked, a hint of disgust in her tone. Luka nodded his head, "And I knew one of them too." Now Alice was very curious, the disgust turning into surprise. "Is that so?"
Luka nodded again, still not able to face his traveling partner. "Y-Yeah, I met her when I was fourteen. And I-..." The purple-haired boy hesitated again, the memories of that day with Sofia coming to the forefront once again. It was difficult to put into words, so much so that Luka felt as though he had regressed into being non-verbal, like he had been when he was very young.
"Did you like her?" Alice asked, a strange purposefulness behind it.
The young Hero gave a nod and replied, "Y-Yes." Luka's voice was very soft now, almost a whisper. "I-I did like her, very much. I even sh-showed her my home and let her stay the night..." The purple-haired boy felt Alice's questioning gaze but still did not meet it. "...Th-Though she left without ever telling me and, well, now I know why."
"And why is that?" Alice prodded further, a very strong interest in her golden eyes.
Luka felt his heart rate start to pick up, this particular area being one that he didn't really want to venture into. Sofia had all but confessed that she had feelings for him, feelings that Luka - secretly - would've probably reciprocated if Sofia had revealed it to him that day two years ago.
"She liked me too." Luka said, keeping his words to a minimum as he felt his chest threaten to tighten again.
The already dismal atmosphere seemed to get only worse, the air feeling as if it had grown ten times more humid. Luka bit his lip, unable to figure out if he should even be confessing these things to Alice. But even still, he continued. "Th-That's why I had to l-leave so quick. S-Seeing her again made me very upset."
"Did it bother you that she was a Monster?" Alice asked, somewhat surprising Luka.
The young Hero was swift in his reply, "N-No, it wasn't that." He said, a pronounced frown coming to his face. Indeed, that wasn't what made Luka the most upset. Before he knew it, the young Hero felt his composure slipping as the darker emotions he had tied to that section of his life came to the forefront. "Wh-What made me upset, was the fact that she just l-left me like th-that. I-I didn't have anything, o-or anybody after my parents-"
Luka let out a frustrated groan, stopping in place as he tried to alleviate the soreness at the back of his throat. "-I-I was a-always alone, a-and b-being around her was th-the first time in y-years that I f-felt r-really..." The purple-haired boy quickly rubbed away the beginnings of a tear from his eye, not wanting to cry in front of the now silent Lamia. "...H-Happy."
Luka took in a deep breath, feeling a strange sensation of relief after having dumped what probably was a bit too much information on Alice. He'd never really let out those thoughts before, having always just shoved them down for the longest time. As he glanced up at his traveling partner, Luka found a curious sight. Alice was staring down at him with a frown, though not one of annoyance or frustration.
It was a genuine showing of sadness.
"S-Sorry," Luka quickly apologized, "I-I probably said too much, I-I'm sure."
Alice didn't say anything, finding herself in the rare position of not really knowing what to say. The oddness of everything else he told her aside, Luka's emotional confession had somewhat struck a chord for her. A very familiar one, at that. After her own Mother's death, Alice had felt that same type of loneliness, and to hear Luka confess to feeling the same way just wasn't something she had expected.
Though, to an extent, it was oddly comforting that they were similar in that way.
Sure, Alice knew that Luka had been orphaned like she had, but it was easy to forget because of how he behaved. And certainly, nobody would be able to guess from a passing glance that he held that type of pain inside. For whatever reason, being in the know of this was a bit satisfying, as strange as it was to think about it in that way.
But then, a curious thought struck the Lamia. 'That's probably why he so quickly goes out of his way to help others, because he never had anyone do the same for him.' It would make sense, considering how much Luka went out of his way to help people, even if it was to the detriment to his quest. 'That's probably the reason why he bothered to check up on those Bandits in Iliasburg. With how young they were, he could easily see himself in them.'
It was a thought that upset Alice even further, the Lamia becoming more fierce as she finally replied to what he had said.
"Don't apologize for that. It's nothing to be sorry for at all." Alice finally replied, "What's more sorrowful is the fact that you'd have to go through feeling such things alone." Luka was taken aback by this by quite a bit, having to take a long time to recover from Alice's unusually impassioned words.
"O-Oh, u-um, th-thank you." Luka said, feeling his heart quiver in an altogether different way as he and Alice started heading towards the beach once again.
It might've just been the young Hero's imagination, but it seemed as if Alice slithered just a bit closer to him than she usually would before as they continued.
Eventually, the duo of Ilias's Prophet and the Monster Lord found at the edge of the open ocean outside of Port Natalia.
Luka reached into his traveling bag and retrieved the Ball of Guidance, inspecting it as he held it aloft between his black-gloved fingers. His pale-blue eyes moved from the small crystal to the ocean that was mere meters away, curiosity flaring in his mind. "So, how do you think this thing works? Will the undersea road just open when I approach?" Luka wondered out loud, looking between the crystal and shimmering sea before him.
"No idea, I've never had to use an undersea road before." Alice said, "You probably should've asked her that." Luka cringed, 'Yeah, I guess it probably would've been a good idea to figure that out before leaving Port Natalia.' The purple-haired boy lamented.
Suddenly, as Luka was cursing his mistake, a small section of the water in front of him started to become disturbed. The choppy water parted as a head of red hair emerged, which was quickly followed up by a naked torso. The Monster's pale skin glistened with water in the sun's rays, that same water streaming down from her pigtails as she peered at Luka with dull-red eyes.
"Um, yo!" Luka greeted with a small wave, subtly trying to discern what type of Monster he was dealing with. However, it was a bit difficult to tell since the rest of her body was an undecipherable dark mass beneath the water's surface. The Monster looked him up and down with a calculated gaze before saying, "You're quite dirty, you know."
Luka flinched, "D-Dirty?" He said out loud before looking down at his body. Indeed, his clothes did seem to have a significant amount of soot on them after the incident in San Ilia's Library. "Well, yeah, I guess I am." He remarked before looking back up at the red-headed Monster. "I just haven't really had time to take a bath, I've been pretty busy-"
"-Don't worry, I can help with that." The Monster said, swiftly cutting him off. Luka watched with a curious gaze as the Monster started shuffling sideways towards him, the rest of her body slowly becoming visible now.
The young Hero's face faltered as a huge, armored crab shell was revealed to him, the Monster's torso rising out of the top of it. Even more alarming were the massive, armored pinchers that rose out of the water soon after. Luka felt his anxiety grow as the Crab Monster came to shore, her multiple legs - and Humanoid arms - came out of the water soon after.
"Ohhh myyy..." Luka drawled out, taking a few steps back as the much taller Crab Girl side-stepped onto the beach, clacking her pincers curiously as she looked him over. "Just look at you, you're in dire need for a scrubbing. You need to take those clothes off right now." She said, giving a more aggressive clack of her claw.
Luka shook his head sternly, "...I-I appreciate your concern, but I-I can wash myself perfectly fine." He stressed, starting to slowly remove his traveling bag as he sensed that this situation was about to escalate. The Crab Monster's red pigtails swayed as she shook her head, "Oh no, I insist. I'll even make sure to take my time polishing your penis!" She said with a happy clack of her claws.
The young Hero blushed as he tossed off his traveling bag, leaving it to fall in the sand as he reached for Angel Halo and pointed his sword at the Monster. "I do not need for you to wash me, alright? D-Don't keep asking!" Luka yelled, stopping in place to stand his ground. The red-haired Crab bristled, quite the upset look coming to her face.
"What, you just like being dirty or something!?" The Crab demanded, sidestepping closer to the purple-haired boy. Luka shook his head, "That's not what I said, I just don't need you t-touching me! Now leave me be, I don't want any trouble but there'll be trouble if you force it!" He exclaimed, facing the Monster with a steeled gaze.
The sound of lightly crashing waves resounded through the air, the swirling of the water filling Luka's ears. Gradually, an ugly-looking glare came to the Crab's face. "Oh, so you're just too good to take a bath with me, huh!?" The Crab asked frowned, "W-Well no, I don't think I'm too good for you, I just..." The young Hero gave a frustrated groan.
This cycle he kept finding himself in was starting to take a toll on him. He didn't want to keep mindlessly sealing Monsters, but what else could he do when they were so pushy and needy!? It just kept leading to the same outcome, and Luka was beginning to feel as if he was beating his head against a brick wall trying to explain himself.
"Well," The Crab girl cut in. "Either way, you aren't leaving my beach without getting a thorough scrubbing!" Luka tensed up, holding his sword in preparation for the Monster's next move. The young Hero watched as the Crab began...
...Blowing bubbles from her mouth?
Luka watched in silent confusion as the Crab began blowing bubbles from her mouth, which then were grabbed by her long humanoid arms and deposited in an ever-growing pile of bubbles right in front of her torso. "Erm," Luka began unsurely, "What, uh, are you doing there?"
The Crab Monster looked up at the purple-haired boy with a fire in her eyes, "Starting your bath, what does it look like?" Luka blinked a few times at the Crab's bubbly creation, now somewhat lost as to what he should do. 'Should I attack her? I don't really like being the first one to strike unless it's truly necessary.' The young Hero thought uncertainly.
"Are bubbles really the most effective way at washing oneself, though?" Luka asked, actually finding himself a bit more curious now. The Crab scoffed at his query, "My name isn't Soapy for nothing! These bubbles are some of the cleanest you can find, that I can bet one of my claws on!" She yelled, raising one of said claws as she spoke.
Luka wasn't really quite sure if Soapy's claim was all that legitimate or not, but he wasn't going to be venturing to find out either since he wasn't going to allow her to wash him. Even if, admittedly, he may need one. So - with little other choice left - Luka moved to attack.
"Thunder Thrust!"
The purple-haired boy propelled forward, aiming his sword right at Soapy's armored lower torso. Once his attack landed - cutting a sizable scar into her Crab shell in the meantime - the mound of bubbles Soapy had diligently been building was scattered about and thrown across the beach, ruining the Crab's bathing efforts. Luka jumped back after landing his move, putting a significant amount of distance between himself and Soapy.
Once he did, the purple-haired boy paused as he watched the Crab stare at the empty space the bubbles had been in. Then, Soapy's face started to turn red, not red from embarrassment though.
It was red from pure, unadulterated rage.
"Y-You, you..." The Crab Monster stammered, slowly raising her gaze up to glare daggers at Luka, who felt himself falter just a tad bit. "...B-B-BASTARD!" Soapy roared, slamming her claws into the sand and sending the grains flying. The young Hero froze, suddenly feeling as if he had just made a very terrible misjudgment.
"S-Sorry, I just-" Luka started, warily holding up his right hand to the Crab. However, Soapy did not care for this in the slightest. "-Don't even! You come onto my beach, deny my cleaning services, question my bathing techniques!" The young Hero scrunched up his shoulders with each accusation, feeling an odd sense of shame hit him.
"A-Again, I'm so sorry, b-but-" He tried again, but Soapy was not done. "And then..." She hissed, gradually raising her large claws out of the sand and into the air. "...You have the gall, to ruin my special bubble bath!? Do have any idea how great the audacity if that is, the insult!?" The Crab interrogated.
Poor Luka could only shake his head, "N-N-No, I-I really didn't think-" For the third time Soapy interrupted, either not caring for the explanation he was trying to provide or simply not wanting one. "Well if you think that you can just get off scot-free then you have another thing coming! You and I now BLOOD RIVALS!" The Crab declared, pointing a claw to Luka in order to emphasize her point.
"Wh-..." Luka started, hardly able to understand what he just heard. "...-Wh-What?"
"BLOOD RIVALS!" Soapy repeated loudly before elaborating, "Our feud is to continue now until one of two conclusions are met..." Luka listened in silent bewilderment, wondering for the second time that day if he was really conscious or not. "...Either you kill me, or I make you submit and become my Husband!"
Luka lowered Angel Halo to waist-level, unable to wrap his mind around such a concept. "W-Wait, isn't that a l-little extreme!? I-I don't want to kill you!" The purple-haired boy exclaimed. Soapy gave a dark grin, "Well then you'd better get used to me cleaning you every single day!" She fired back before snapping her claws.
Clack-Clack!
Clack-Clack
Without further warning, Soapy side-stepped towards Luka, kicking up sand all the way! With a yelp, the young Hero gave his own side-step and got out of the Crab's charge. "H-Hold on, I don't want to be your Blood Rival!" Luka argued, trying to get out of whatever this was. "I just didn't want a bath!"
Quite suddenly, he realized how ridiculous that sounded.
"Well too bad, what's done is done!" Soapy spat, her multiple Humanoid hands digging at the sand below in order to help pull her closer. "I hear by declare us to be Blood Rivals for the rest of eternity, or death..." Soapy lowered her head, making her glare all the more intense. "...Whichever comes last!"
At this point, Luka could only now accept this new fact of his life.
Soapy reached out with her large claws, aiming to restrain the purple-haired boy and pin him down early. However, Luka was faster and dodged around her, swiping at the Crab's side! Soapy jerked and hissed at the attack, attempting to backhand Luka with one of her massive claws. The purple-haired boy continued to circle Soapy, trying to keep himself out of her direct sightline while slashing at her back.
"You little!-" Soapy cut herself off by digging a claw into the sand and spinning herself around, aiming that same pincher right for Luka. The purple-haired boy was able to evade yet again, his vision being filled with red as the Crab's claw cut through the air before him, missing his face by millimeters. Luka nearly fell backward as he let out a startled yelp, missing his opportunity to counterattack and allowing Soapy to go on the offensive yet again.
Clack-Clack!
Clack-Clack!
The Crab Monster's large pincers snapped repeatedly; the sound being quickly followed up by Soapy's sudden jump forward. "Come here!" She yelled while reaching out with both claws, aiming right for Luka. The young Hero tried to roll towards the ocean to get out of the way but in a surprising show of quickness, Soapy used her hands to stop in place and then kicked with her short Crab Legs, going right after her purple-haired target.
"Gaah!" Luka cried as one of the Crab's claws grabbed onto his sword arm, gripping his limb and yanking him down to the ground! "Now I've got you," Soapy started, crawling up to and leaning over the young Hero. "Now prepare for the most thorough penis-scrubbing you'll ever have!" She declared, reaching down with her main set of Humanoid arms for Luka's pants. The Crab started to create more bubbles as she began unbuckling his belt, tugging at his pants while Luka furiously writhed beneath her grip, trying to tug at the large pincer with his still-freed arm.
Luka gasped as he felt the Crab successfully undo his pants, her hands tugging at his waist before pulling the fabric past his hips to reveal his white underwear. "Well, at least you keep something clean. Maybe you won't be too high maintenance of a mate!" Soapy exclaimed with a touch of satisfaction as she reached for the top of the young Hero's underwear.
However, Soapy's efforts would be undone by Luka's quick thinking.
"Pocket Sand!"
Despite the namesake - which he borrowed from his "fight" with Gob - the sand in question came from the beach, not the purple-haired boy's pocket. Either way, the "technique" was a devastating one as his cloud of sand actually landed, striking Soapy in the face!
Soapy gave a frenzied cry as the sand went into her eyes, the sudden sharp pain causing g her to stop her pursuit of his privates. Luka took the opportunity to quickly assess his situation; his left arm was still pinned by Soapy's claw, but Angel Halo could still be potentially used if he could reach it with his right arm. So, the purple-haired boy quickly began doing so, straining against the hands holding his lower body down until he could feel his sword's guard.
With a low growl, Luka was able to retrieve Angel Halo. Holding the sword in his non-dominant hand was an awkward ordeal, but he was able to pull back just enough in order to attack the temporarily blinded Crab.
"Demon Decapitation!"
There was no charge to give the move any added power, but it was enough to do the trick as Soapy jerked upon having her throat cut and scarred, much like every other Monster he had sealed. "N-No way..." Was all that Soapy was able to choke out before her body faded away.
Luka laid back into the sand and dropped Angel Halo as he did so, not moving even as he felt something land on his chest. 'This day has just gotten worse and worse, how many more Monsters will I be forced to battle?' The forlorn thought made him shake his head sorrowfully before he glanced down at his chest to see the red Crab sitting on his chest. Letting out another sigh, Luka grabbed the sealed form of Soapy while sitting up.
"S-See? I didn't w-want to fight you, and now you'll have to be in this weak form for who knows how long." Luka said, gently lifting up the Crab now writhing in his grip. "I'm sorry about being dirty, really. But that shouldn't be reason enough to attack someone, don't you understand how unethical that is?" The purple-haired boy asked, somewhat desperate for some sort of intelligent response.
All he received in reply was the sealed Soapy waving her pincers threateningly while clacking them together.
Luka side as he reached over and placed the Crab on the sand next to him before sitting up. 'It really is just going to keep getting more difficult, isn't it?' The young Hero thought with a growing heaviness in his heart. Idly, he glanced about the beach, somewhat surprised to see Alice standing frozen a few meters away.
"U-Ummm..." Luka drawled out in confusion, "...Is something the matter?" He asked, a bit concerned over how strongly the Lamia was staring at him. The purple-haired boy looked around himself to see if there was anything out of place until he noticed that his pants were still down.
"D-DON'T LOOK!" Luka yelled out, quickly rising to his feet and furiously pulling his pants up.
"I don't know why it would bother you now, I've seen more than that before twice-over at this point." However, what did bother Alice some, was the sudden craving she could feel building up inside just by seeing the purple-haired boy with his pants down. "There isn't even anymore Monsters around, so your life doesn't depend on getting those b-back on." She finished unsteadily.
Luka missed the curious waver in Alice's voice, swiftly buckling his pants, much to the Lamia's disappointment. "I-It's the principle of it, I can't just go running around with no pants. Wh-What kind of Hero goes around in just underwear!?" He asked rhetorically before picking Angel Halo off the sand. Luka was about to continue with his point but was stopped when he noticed that the sealed Soapy was writing something in the sand. It simply read:
Screw You!
"Oi, don't go writing stuff like that!" Luka chastised, kicking the awfully rude message away. "Do it again and I'll butter up and boil you!" It was a hollow threat, as the young Hero wouldn't actually cook Soapy, but Alice seemed to be much more interested now. "Hey, that doesn't sound like a bad idea!" The Lamia exclaimed with a rare smile.
Soapy visibly flinched and started frantically side-stepping and disappearing into the ocean. Luka sighed and gave Alice a tired look, "Alice, I wasn't serious about cooking her." The lavender-skinned Lamia's smile vanished, "Y-Yeah, I knew that..." Alice mumbled in a very uncharacteristically demure fashion.
Luka turned away from his traveling partner, walking over to his discarded bag and retrieving the Ball of Guidance. He left his traveling bag behind for the moment, figuring that bringing it with him for a swim would be an unwise decision to make.
'Not to be unappreciative, but one would think that something called the Ball of Guidance would be self-explanatory on how it is used.' Luka thought as he started pacing towards the oceanfront. Alice slithered up behind him, "You aren't just going to take a walk into the water, are you?" She asked, "I don't think drowning yourself is going to help any-..."
Alice was cut off as the crystal in Luka's hand shot out a large beam of light, the bright flare shooting into the ocean in front of them. The young Hero jolted in surprise, nearly dropping the Ball of Guidance in surprise.
"...-thing. Oh." The Lamia finished flatly, "Well, I guess that's how it works. It creates a literal road of light for you to take." Luka peered at the odd sight with a curious gaze. HE hummed to himself, "Hmm, so, do I just... Go in?" The purple-haired boy asked while turning to the lavender-skinned Lamia.
Alice shrugged, "It seems so. The tunnel appears to go all the way down to the bottom of the sea, so if you stick with it then you should be lead there." The Lamia deduced. Luka turned back to the tunnel of light, feeling a touch more confident now. "Sounds good to me." He finished, tentatively stepping up to the odd phenomenon.
Luka felt a puzzling sensation spread throughout his body the more he entered it, until his entire body felt as though it was buzzing. "W-Weird, I feel all tingly..." He mused as he stepped into the water. Even more curious was that, even while underwater and having to swim, Luka did not feel wet. The young Hero felt a bit worried as he dipped his head underwater but found that he could actually breathe underwater as well!
"Wow, this is amazing!" Luka exclaimed, glancing about the sea around him with wide pale-blue eyes. He watched as a small school of fish passed by, the ocean-faring animals seeming a bit perturbed as Luka swam by with a wave. Alice didn't seem quite as excited as she swam more leisurely beside the purple-haired boy, "Just make sure you don't drop that crystal. I have a feeling that if it doesn't stick with you, then its effects will fade."
The young Hero's face faltered, not even having thought of such a thing. His excitement quite quickly turned into apprehension as he stuffed the Ball of Guidance into his pant's pocket. As he did, Alice started to muse out loud to herself.
"So for this trial, a couple is to travel to the bottom of the sea and battle against any Monster that dares to stand in their way, upholding their love and showing their courage as they endeavor to wed." Alice said, a curious glint in her golden eyes. Luka nodded, "It seems like a bit much. In Ilias Village, people got married all the time and it wasn't nearly this complicated..."
The young Hero turned to Alice, feeling a bit awkward as his swimming was not nearly as graceful as his traveling partner. "...Do all Monsters have such complicated trials for marrying?" He asked the Lamia. Alice glanced out into the open ocean as she replied, "It depends on the Monster. Some, like Harpies, have such low standards that they will pretty much marry any Human that catches their interest."
Luka raised a brow at the very much so unnecessary insult to Harpies as a whole but decided not to acknowledge it as Alice continued. "While others, who have much more refined tastes, have more specific requirements to follow." The young Hero gave a slow nod, "I see." What Alice said next, however, really caught his attention.
"Monsters of my lineage have three requirements from the male in question if they are to be our Husband." She began, Luka listening very carefully now. "The first, is that they have to be stronger than us. The second, is that the male has to want to marry us. It cannot be a forced marriage." Luka blinked, waiting for Alice to continue on with the third point...
...And he waited some more...
...And more...
"Eh, and?" Luka prodded. Alice glanced over to him, "What?"
The purple-haired boy blinked again, wondering for a second if he had heard her wrong the first time. "You said there were three requirements." Luka pressed. Without missing a beat, Alice nodded. "Yes, there are." The young Hero couldn't help but to raise an eyebrow at his traveling partner as she stared at him.
"S-So..." Luka started, "...What's the third requirement?" He asked bluntly.
Alice's face, bizarrely enough, broke out into the deepest blush he had ever seen on her face since they had met. "Y-You don't need to know th-that one!" She hurriedly declared, leaving Luka very confused as she looked away.
"...Alrighty then." Luka said eventually, focusing back on his swimming, not having any clue as to why Alice would react that way. 'Oh well, I guess there's no real reason why I should know what it is...' Luka thought, though he felt some irritation as his heart started to throb oddly again...
Thump Thump
Thump Thump
...Yes, no reason for him to know at all...
So Kitsu gets her emotional send-off, but Luka now has done himself no favors as he unintentionally books himself a date with Lime. We won't see the Slime for a while after this but rest assured that she will appear again, for Luka can't escape Lime's slimy embrace forever.
Otherwise, Luka and Alice have taken another step towards getting closer as Luka reveals a bit more of his troubled past to Alice, who can't help but sympathize with some of the things he feels.
But his woes with loneliness really is just the tip of the iceberg. An iceberg of pain and trauma that goes so deep that even Luka himself isn't fully aware of it all...
F14M3RZ: There's definitely a chance of Luka trying to teach Alice how to cook, I'd like to write something like that I think.
Had some more human error in the writing that time (As I was editing that chapter late at night mainly) So the fault goes on me for that.
Gob reappearing here was an option for in my mind, but I ultimately have something much more interesting for her later on. We're not quite ready for that little bundle of complications, not just yet. Angst is a major genre for this story for a reason, and she'll be one of those reasons.