Chapter 17: Trial of body and origin.
Zed/Noah POV
"...Well, isn't this pleasant." what greeted me when I walked through the door was a black void. The darkness was so great that I couldn't see my own body. I could feel the displacement of air when I waved my hand in front of my face, but I couldn't see it. Was this the trial? A mere void?
"No."
A bright light blinded me as a mysterious voice suddenly spoke, and as I blinked away the pain, I saw a figure in front of me. Contrasting greatly against the white I was now surrounded by. "Child of man. Stranger of this paradise. Why have you come here?" The peach-haired, green-eyed figure spoke. Wanting to get the situation over and done with, I spoke plainly. "I seek the trials, and with them, the power of the God Eater."
The figure paused for a moment, appearing similar to how a machine would when processing information. "Very well. Before we begin, you must first answer a question. Your answer will decide whether or not you are fit to undergo my trials. Answer me, child of man. Why do you seek my power?"
('His power'? Is he...) I stopped that train of thought, it didn't matter who the figure was.
Answering his question should have been easy. I was initially here to gain the power I needed to defeat Blade. But then I was forced into undergoing the trial by Woden upon learning of the corruptive effects of said power. However, I had the strangest feeling that the figure meant something different. That the question being asked referred to more than just my short-term goal, that it referred to my long-term one as well.
What was my long-term goal? It didn't take me long to figure out.
"I seek this power for the sake of peace." What I desired more than anything, was a world where the ones I cherished above all else could live in peace, and initially, I alongside them. Due to their kind-hearted natures, this meant peace not only just for them, but for the whole world. Even if I didn't particularly care for everyone in it. I was a selfish man. As long as the ones I cared about were safe and happy, the rest of the world could burn.
(When did I become so cynical?) I couldn't help but ask myself, my own thoughts shocking me. The thoughts felt normal, but when I pondered on just how different they were from what I knew were my usual thoughts, my head began to hurt.
(What...what is this?)
"You speak the truth, child of man. Very well, you are fit to undergo my trial."
I was interrupted. First by the figure's voice, then, by another flash of light. When the light died down, the figure was gone, and in his place, was a monster. But to my horror, it wasn't the usual kind.
*ROOOAAAARRR*
Instead, the beast in front of me was more akin to those that guarded the key fragments. A gigantic monster that exuded power. The colour of its skin was a sickly merging of abyssal black and blood red, with occasional white tufts of fur. A quadrupedal creature with a body akin to an armored bull with a reptilian tail. Two arm-like appendages sprouted from its shoulders, both extensions ending with heads that appeared reptilian. 6 yellow eyes stared at me, baring into my soul, and epitomising the phrase 'if looks could kill'.
"Slay this creature, the pinnacle of the fallen of old. A calamitous creature, known only as the Crimson Orochi."
As soon as the voice finished speaking, the creature began to move, rushing towards me with all three heads bearing their fangs. I did the same, summoning a radiant blade, as well as a feather tag. Throwing the tag at the beast mid-run, I teleported directly above it and thrust my blade downwards, hoping to stab the monster in its armored back.
*KRRRRRR*
Unfortunately, instead of the sound of a sword slicing through flesh, I heard only the sound of scraping steel. Apparently, its plating was functional.
Shit.
The duo of heads at the beast's side twisted, making a sickly snapping sound. Within a moment, two pairs of yellow eyes were staring at me, maws beginning to open.
!
Relying on instinct, I quickly jumped off of the monster's back, landing a few metres away and avoiding a duo of black blades that sprouted from the open mouths of the two heads. Another sickly snap, and all three heads were now facing me. Its eyes bore into my own for a second, before the maws of all three heads simultaneously opened. within a blink of an eye, countless black and yellow orbs flew from its jaws.
Quickly throwing out another feather tag, I teleported behind the beast, avoiding the attack, whilst giving myself the opportunity to make one of my own. Holding my blade horizontally, I slashed the monster's ankles. Something that made the monster roar in pain before it, to my surprise, suddenly turned a full 360 degrees.
Taking the initiative, I slashed the creature across the face of its main head, quickly ducking down afterwards to avoid a pair of jaws. Being now underneath the creature, I took notice of a gap in its armor, and promptly struck. Thrusting the tip of my blade where the creature's head and neck were connected. The resulting wound spurted liquid, covering me in a blood-like substance the colour of dirtied gold.
*ROOOAAAAAARRRRRR*
As it roared in pain it shifted itself backwards, its two arm-like appendages suddenly swiping down afterwards, both heads sprouting blades from their maws. Quickly standing myself upright, I intercepted the duo of swords with the edge of my own. (Tch! Strong bastard.) I couldn't help but think, struggling to halt the force behind the twin strikes. The beast was far larger than I was, and that larger size was definitely proving to be an issue. Fortunately, an idea quickly came to mind.
Allowing the force behind the monster's attacks to push against me, I quickly bent my knees, lowering myself to the ground until my back laid flush against it. Swivelling my body to the side, I avoided collision with the blades, which stuck themselves into the ground beneath us. With both heads stuck and temporarily immobile, I took the opportunity to strike. Quickly summoning another blade, I wielded one in each hand, before using them to strike both heads.
Unlike the main one, the other two heads were not armored, making my blades capable of cutting through them. And cut through they did, as the thrusting of my twin blades pierced completely through each head. I felt the two appendages start to sag and the blades they sprouted, retract, my attack apparently killing the both of them. I witnessed the beast suddenly jump backwards before an ear-piercing roar came from its maw, the physical pain of its other two heads being killed, apparent.
Its maw opened wide, and I braced myself for another glass-shattering screech. To my surprise however, the beast then turned its fangs on its own heads. Its jaws wrapping around one of the appendages, before it bit down with a sickening crunch, and swallowed. Once it was done, the beast did the same to its other extension, growling afterwards and leaving itself with two bleeding stumps.
*ROOOOOAAAAAARRRR*
Suddenly, it let out a blood-curdling roar, and its entire body began to shake. To my horror the two stumps began to bloat and bubble. Within seconds, two new heads suddenly emerged from the bleeding stumps. Essentially resetting my progress.
(It's never easy, is it?) I thought bitterly, outwardly sighing and preparing myself for its next move.
IF POV
"Hey Iffy, any idea where the heck Zeddy went?"
"Yeah, Iffy. Why did Zeddy leave? Did you say something mean?"
"No, I have no idea why he left Neptune. And no, I did not say anything mean, Compa. I'm just as confused as you two are,"
The three of us were surprised to say the least. And I for one was more than a little angry. Zed suddenly appears out of nowhere, speaks to Suzaku about 'Taking care of us' before deciding to disappear. The man was clearly avoiding us, and by the sounds of it, he means to do it for a while. I couldn't understand why though. What secret was he hiding? What could be so bad that he'd not only ignore Neptune's feelings, but straight up leave us? (Why is he being a coward?)
*RRRIIIIIING*
As if sensing my need for answers, my phone began to ring. Checking the caller ID, i noticed it was the same contact I had asked to research Compa's grandfather. "You two stay here, I need to take this call. Compa, make sure Nep doesn't do anything stupid while I'm gone." I spoke, getting a nod from our resident nurse-in-training, and a look of betrayal from the purple-haired Goddess. Ignoring the look Neptune was giving me, I walked a short distance away, just enough so that I couldn't be overheard.
"What have you managed to find?" I asked impatiently. Despite me asking Compa to watch over Nep, I was doubting how effective she would actually be at restraining the purple-haired girl. "Well, fortunately for me, the girl's grandfather was well known to the people of Leanbox. It didn't take me long to find out a name. From what I've gathered, the man's name was 'Ban', and he ran an apothecary." ('Was'?) "Why are you speaking in the past tense? What else did you find?" I responded, trying to keep my voice low, despite my anxiousness.
"That's because he's apparently gone missing, no one knows where he is, and no one's seen him in a while. Beyond that, I couldn't find anything. Wherever the hell the man went is a damn mystery." What he said only deepened my suspicions. Zed was the only one I knew that recently saw Ban. If the old man was well known, then surely someone else would has seen him by now?
That begged the question. Did Zed have something to do with his disappearance? And if so, what did he do?
I couldn't help the annoyed sigh that left my mouth.
"Thanks for the info, I'll send the credits over in a bit." I spoke, ending the call afterwards.
{The pieces are in place already; all you need to do is cast away your doubts.}
(If you know already then tell me!) I was so frustrated that I found myself actually talking to the voice in my head, rather than telling it to shut up.
{Patience, Iuvenis Iudex.}
I didn't justify its words with a response. Instead, I walked back over to the girls. As I did so, I immediately took notice of what the peach-haired girl was doing. Compa was standing behind Neptune with her arms wrapped around the purple-haired girl's waist. "What are you doing?" I asked. The nurse looked at me with a smile. "I'm making sure Nep-Nep stays out of trouble!"
...
"Lemmie go Compa! Your large boobies are digging into me, your makin' me insecure!" I gave the purple-haired girl an unimpressed look. "Really?" "Nah, though that does sound like something Blank would say."
"Don't you mean 'Blanc', Nep-Nep?"
"I know what I said!"
...
(At least this is a nice distraction.) By the Goddesses, I actually thought that. I must have been a mess. "...anyway, let's go see White Heart, maybe she knows why he left." I spoke. Zed would be the one to tell them, until then, I'd just have to keep things rolling. Worst case scenario, I'd tell Neptune how he feels. Then the bastard could just deal with it.
"You sound like you need some help."
The voice was old, male, I knew this voice. "What are you doing here?" the voice came from that weird man, the same that talked to me in the security room back on Leanbox. The question was, why was he back? Didn't he take off with Zed? "I'll be frank with ya kiddo, that boy Zed? He has something to do with Ban's disappearance. But to get the truth outta him, you'll need to be stronger." he spoke.
(What the hell?)
"I know what yer thinking, 'what the hell?' right? Well, whether or not you believe me, it's the truth. How exactly he's involved, I won't tell you. You'll hafta' get that out of the boy himself."
"Wait, what happened to grandpa?" Compa asked. Since they were nearby, they of course heard what the old fart was saying. "Are you sure about that mister? I know Zeddy, he's not the kind to make old men disappear." Great, now they both knew. (So much for 'keeping things rolling'.) "Why won't you tell us then?" I asked. Why should I have to fight Zed just to get answers? "Because I ain't tellin' ya."
Why was he being so secretive? "Mister, please tell me, what happened to my grandfather? Is he okay?" Compa asked, worry painted all over her face. The old man's response was a cold stare. "I ain't telling. You'll be getting answers from the boy. The brunette over here will force them outta him." he said, pointing at me. "Look mister, I ain't one for immediate violence, leave that to the postal dude, but ya better tell us. I don't wanna fight ya for answers, but I will." Neptune spoke. Her harsh words surprising me.
!
A chill suddenly went up my spine, and I found myself unable to move.
"Bold of you to assume you could take me on. You aren't even a quarter of the strength of your mother." the old man spoke; tone callous and cold. "The girl will face the boy, you both will get stronger for it, and you will get your answers. That is final."
The chill was gone, I found myself able to move again.
"Regardless, you'll be coming with me. There's a power within you that you'll need to make use of should you want to even stand a chance against the boy." the collar of my coat was grabbed, I felt weightless for a moment, then, I was somewhere different. "We can train here."
(Wait, what the fu-)
*SLAP*
"No swearing girlie. Now-" I was thrown to the ground. "Let me explain." wincing due to the pain of hitting solid dirt, I eventually stood up, and took in my surroundings. Green grass, and even greener trees in the background, this was Leanbox. "That voice in yer head don't mean you're crazy. In fact, you're blessed. Within you is a power granted to you through the bloodline of the king of kings. Through a moment of great stress, it awakened within you. Though due to your rejection and ignorance, it has yet to fully manifest."
(What the hell?) "What are you talking about? What bloodline?" as far as I knew, I wasn't related to anyone special. So what did this old fart mean by 'bloodline of the king of kings'? Gamindustri had no current royal family. If anyone called themselves a 'king' they were just considered arrogant idiots. As if sensing my confusion, the old man began to speak. "Ya ever hear of who exactly writes history? The winner, that's who. And who's to say said winner wished to be known?" I tilted my head in confusion.
(What is he getting at?)
"There exists a particular family whose name goes uncredited in history, whose great deeds go unknown. You, as well as that Compa girl, are a part of that family."
(...What?)
"Real funny wise guy." He couldn't be serious. Apart from myself, my mum, and a dad I didn't know, I had no blood-related family. "That voice in yer head can tell you the same. I bet it, or is it 'he' now? Would tell you, if you asked nicely that is." The fact that he knew about the voice I kept hearing helped with his claim, but what he was saying was still too farfetched.
"Ask him." The old fart said. Who was he talking about? "Ask who?" "That voice in yer head knows what I'm talking about. Ask him his name, ask him to tell you what he is." "You're crazy." "Am I?" His eyes were clear, there was no sign of madness. Besides, he was far too composed to be crazy. (But...) If he wasn't crazy, that meant he was telling the truth... (Hey, what's your name? What are you?) I asked the voice, hoping that it wouldn't answer.
Unfortunately, it did.
{My name? So you seek answers now? Very well. I am the being who judges, the one that protects the innocent. I am one with the skies, both part of it, and its' pinnacle.}
{I am Garuda, God of justice and the wind.}
What the hell was he talking about? (There are no Gods, only the four Goddesses!) what the voice said went against everything I knew, how was I supposed to just believe what he said!? (You're lying!) He had to have been! {Your father, I know of him. He is the reason I lie within you, after all. Do you wish to know his name?} (Shut up, I don't want to hear it!) I was just going insane; it was the only explanation for it all.
(Maybe that's what my mum meant when she called me a Maker...no, no that couldn't be it!)
"I suggest you listen. Garuda speaks the truth." How did he-No! I was just...there had to be some other explanation! "There is none. We speak the truth. Garuda, sorry little birdy, But I'm taking the lead now." I felt annoyance, but it didn't come from me, "Ya see, despite the particular family line you come from, you and everyone else in it are still human, still capable of making mistakes. And that's exactly What Ban did." What was he getting at?
"Did you mother ever tell you what she did for work back in her early adult years?" The old man asked. I knew the answer of course, though I wasn't proud of it. Even Gamindustri had its' dark side. But why was he bringing that up? "Funny thing is, even someone of your blood can get drunk, it just takes a little something special to do so." What was he getting at? "What the hell do you mean? What are you fucking saying!?"
I rarely swore, but the old fart was pissing me off. The constant smug grin on his face didn't help either. "Your father, the very same one that doesn't know of your existence, is Ban, Compa's grandfather. "
...
(What the fuck?) He had to have been lying, he had to be! "..." But when I looked into his eyes, I saw no hint of deceit. "...Why?...HOW?" I had a dad, and the reason he never saw me was because he didn't know I existed? My dad was also Compa's grandfather? And apparently I had a God inside me? (Why the fuck is this happening?) My head was a mess. I was feeling angry, sad, happy, and confused, all at once.
"Yer starting to get it." The old bastard kept his smug grin while he cracked his neck and knuckles.
"Now show me the power of a God!"
A fist wreathed in verdant gales met his face. I was done with his shit.
Zed/Noah POV
"Haaah...Haaaahhhh" My body, long since enhanced by my Septima, was tired. I had no idea how long I had been fighting the Crimson Orochi, only that I was sick to fuck of fighting it. Ever since I noticed how it could regenerate its extra heads, I sought out a way to permanently get rid of them. If the thing lacked its extra heads, then it would also lack a pair of weapons. So I tried to cauterise the stumps, only to find my flames extinguished shortly after. Whatever the beast was, it was apparently resistant to fire.
The monster was also smart, as after my failed attempt at permanently getting rid of its extra heads, it kept its distance and used only ranged attacks, those being the same black and gold gaseous orbs that it fired from its maws earlier. Fortunately, since I had seen the attack before, I was more prepared for it, being able to quickly move out of the way before the projectiles could hit. From there the fight devolved into me trying to get close enough to attack its' unarmored parts, while also avoiding getting hit myself. I was... mostly successful.
As it turns out, it could fire its projectiles at close range too, causing me to sport numerous burns. To make matters worse, they took far longer to heal than any wound I had ever previously received. It had already been a few minutes, yet my wounds were still being treated by my Septima. Fortunately, however, I could still fight, though for how much longer, I didn't know.
(If I could just slow it down, I could use my skills.) The thought had crossed my mind earlier, but the issue lied in keeping my foe preoccupied long enough to finish the chants. I was lucky enough to finish the chant for Septimal Surge earlier, but my enhanced capabilities would only last for so long before my body would give out under stress. (Hmm, the issue is its speed, if I could cut that down...) If the beast moved slower, it might be possible to use a skill, perhaps multiple.
(Which means I need to go for the legs.)
The beasts' legs were armored on the outside, but lacked plating on the inside, meaning if I could get under it again, I could attempt to disable them. Summoning a third blade, I willed all three weapons to trail above me. Summoning a tag, I launched it at the beast. When it met its destination, I acted. Teleporting just below the beasts' main head, I immediately laid low and willed two of my blades into action, the weapons piercing the heads at either side of the main one.
From there I quickly thrust the third blade into the main head from underneath. As quick as I could, condensed the Septimal energy within me into my right hand, and struck the unprotected innermost side of the monsters' left foreleg. A sickening crackle, followed by a roar of pain.
!
I heard the sound of numerous objects flying through the air. Following my instincts, I quickly rolled over, and out from underneath my foe, barely avoiding being devoured by a set of heads. My last attack must have shocked it back into focus. Quickly standing up, I began running as far away from the monster as I could. Once I thought I had run far enough, I looked back. To my relief, the beast was far behind me. My plan had worked.
Snapping my fingers, I summoned a flock of vermilion birds, and launched them at my foe, using the attack as a distraction.
"Luminous swords point towards heaven."
"Regret cannot stop their revelation."
"Accept your righteous ruin!"
"Rexcalibur!"
As the numerous giant blades descended upon my foe, I began another chant. I wasn't going to leave anything up to chance, not this time.
"Bathe the world in dazzling light."
"Bring forth the swelling spirit of rebellion."
"Mine arrow is at the heart, piercing forth!"
"Lux Ballista!"
Many radiant bows were summoned, strings pulled back, and arrows set in place. Upon a snap of my fingers, a volley of projectiles launched themselves at the beast, landing straight after the blades.
*ROOOAaaaaaaaaarrrr*
The sound quickly began to lower in volume, quickly becoming no more than a mere whine. As my summons began to disappear, I laid eyes upon my foe.
*ggrrrrr*
The low, almost inaudible growl gave way to the realisation that the beast yet lived. However, the armor that covered almost all of its body was broken. Cracked pieces remained only for a moment, before disappearing into black and dull gold mist. The beast was battered and bruised.
Unfortunately however, so was I.
With the simultaneous use of two skills, I felt a massive drain on my reserves. The energy that was once enhancing my body was no longer there, and I felt my wounds begin to ache. I hadn't recovered from my fight with Blanc. My fight so far with the Crimson Orochi had apparently been the straw to break the camels' back. I no longer felt the flood of Septimal energy within myself. Though I could feel my Septima trying to recover what it lost, the rate was far too slow.
Looking at my foe, a glimmer of hope shone through. A single blade, the one lodged into its' main head, still remained. The beast walked towards me. I did the same. The walk was slow, both man and beast walking carefully. Cautiously. We were both smart enough to realise the state of our bodies.
*ggggggrrrrrrr*
"Hah, you're a real pain in the arse, you know that?"
The distance between us was less than a metre, we both struck. As it snapped its jaws, I gripped the blade lodged in its head. Pain gripped my left shoulder, being too tired, and too slow to dodge the bite.
"ggggrrrrrAAAHHH! JUST DIE ALREADY!" using all the strength I had, I pushed up on the blades' handle.
*GGGRRRRRRAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaa...*
With a screech of pain, the pressure on my shoulder slackened, and I felt the beasts' body do the same. Quickly letting go of the blade, I pushed myself to the side, narrowly avoiding being crushed by the weight of my foe.
"Haaaaaahhh, fuck me that was hard." I spoke breathlessly, body going limp against the ground in exhaustion. The floor wasn't soft at all. But in my current state? It seemed very inviting. Looking above me, I saw whisps of black and dull gold mist, the body of the beast disappearing, alongside its' blood.
"Well done, child of man. In defeating the Crimson Orochi, you have beaten the trial of body, and therefore, have earned a portion of my power." A voice spoke, it was the figure from earlier. "...Yeah...whatever. Can I rest for a minute? I'm really...tired. Come back later..." In my exhausted state, I could focus only on resting. (Urgh, wish Neptune was here, would make getting good sleep soooo much easier.)
A bright orb of light suddenly entered my being, bringing with it, a sudden influx of knowledge and indescribable power.
(...Huh?...What the hell...is this?) I thought, too tired to fully understand what was happening.
"It is possible to get her here. Within the power I gave you lies the divinity of Loki, A god of mischief, who could teleport others at will as long as he was not in combat."
"Really? Cool..." I spoke, too tired to notice both how direct and free flowing the figure's speech now was, as well as how exactly I could suddenly freely use the power of a God. "Focus your thoughts on the one you wish to teleport, the divinity that now lies within you shall do the rest." I did as the figure said, within an instant, Neptune was sat right beside me.
"Huh, wha-ZEDDY?" I struggled to lift my right hand as I placed it in her left. "Hey...can you stay with me? I kinda' want to get some actual rest. Ya don't mind, do you?" She looked incredibly confused, though she appeared to shake the feeling off momentarily. "Sure, I don't know what the heck I'm doing here, but sure. Mind if I lay on you?" too tired to shake my head, I instead put my left thumb up. "Sweet!"
I felt her right arm go across my midsection, and her head lie on my chest. Within seconds, I felt myself begin to drift away into a peaceful slumber.
Maybe this was a mistake. Maybe bringing Neptune here would bite me in the arse. But at that exact moment, I didn't care. All my sins, my worries and nerves. All of them became nothing in that moment.
For in that moment, there was only me, and her.
Compa POV
"Eh? Nep-Nep?" I called out, she was just next to me a second ago, where did she go? (Oh no, Iffy is going to be sooo angry! I said I'd keep an eye on her!) First Zeddy left, then Iffy disappeared, and now Nep-Nep was gone too? Was I next!? {Calm down, Compa. While I do not know why your companion 'Zeddy' left, I can explain the disappearances of the other two} Ammie's words calmed me down. (Um, why did Iffy and Nep-Nep disappear?) I asked.
{Your companion 'Iffy' was taken somewhere else. The one you saw as an old man is the one responsible. It would do you good not to panic, as while the being is ancient and powerful, he produced no malice. He will not harm your dear companion.}
I breathed a sigh of relief. "What about Nep-Nep?" I questioned. {The Goddess of Planeptune's case' is similar. She too, was taken by a powerful force, though this instance is far more peculiar. I recognise the ability used to take her away. It is the same teleportation ability favoured by the Norse God; Loki. Though it is strange for it to be in use, Loki had been slain by the God Eater centuries ago. Although...} Why did she pause?
(Um, Ammie?)
{Ah, you will have to excuse me, I was stuck in thought. Regardless, your companions are safe, I can guarantee that at the least.}
Well, that was a relief. Though now that I knew they were safe... "What do should I do now? Hmm...maybe I'll go see Blanny?" Making new friends was always fun. Plus, if Zeddy was friends with her, she must have been nice! "Hey mister, where can I find Lady White Heart?" I asked a passerby. "Um, do you have a pen and paper?" "I have markers and bandages." "Er, good enough, I guess." the nice stranger gave told me directions, which I wrote down.
"Thanks!" I said, before following the directions I was given. Something that, while simple, still took a while, Grandpa used to always tell me I was terrible at following directions. 'you're worse at directions than your grandmother was at sucking me off!' he'd say, before my daddy and mummy would tell him off for saying 'adult words' while I was still a child.
When I eventually made it to the throne room, I walked over to the boxed-off area, and knocked on the door. "Who is it? I'm busy." A voice asked, it was Blanny's. "Ah, It's me, Compa. I wanted to ask if you'd like to talk." I heard a few noises, before the door opened. "If that's the case, then come in. You'll find no place comfier in the entire bunker. The perfect place to hang out. Besides, I'm curious about that boytoy of yours."
(Er, wha?) I thought, entering Blanny's room, closing the door behind me, and sitting beside her on her bed.
"Um, Zeddy isn't...that." Blanny blinked in surprise. "You sure?" "Uh-huh." "...Well, this is awkward... Er, so how did you and Zed meet?" the short girl asked, her question making me smile at the memories. "Eheh, well, we first met due to my grandpa, he asked Zeddy to check up on me. From there we went to the guild to sign me up as an adventurer." I spoke, reminiscing. "So, could he always fight like he does? I know magic. What he does? That's not magic." Blanny asked.
I shook my head. "Um, I can't really answer that. I don't really know how Zeddy does what he does. But does it really matter? Zeddy only uses his power for good." I replied. "More like uses it to kick my ass." I frowned. "No swearing Blanny." I spoke, giving the brown-haired Goddess a disappointed look. "Yeah, no. No offence, but you can't tell me to do shit." I pouted.
"Swearing is bad!"
"So is alcohol, yet people still drink it, me included."
"Really? But, um, aren't you...?"
"If you're gonna call me a kid, I will shove my hammer where the sun don't shine."
"I-I wasn't going to say that!"
"As if!"
...
There was a short, awkward silence. (Oopsies, I think I offended her.) "Sorry Blanny, it's just-" "I look like a kid, yeah, I know. Please don't mention it. It's hard enough having to explain myself every time some poor sod introduces me to their kid. 'Why is our Goddess so tiny?' is a common question." (Oh...) Now I felt bad. "I'm sorr-" "Forget about it. Let's just get back on topic." I nodded my head. "So, Zed mentioned you and your group came to Lowee in search of an item, mind telling me more about it?"
"Ah, well Zeddy and Nep-Nep hear a voice in their head from a person named 'Histoire', Nep-Nep calls her 'Histy', anyway, she wants Zeddy and Nep-nep to free her using items she called 'key fragments'. We have three of them so far, the strange man Zeddy has to fight has the fourth and final one." I answered. Blanny crossed her arms over her chest and used her right hand to stroke her chin.
"I see, so thats what he meant. Zed only mentioned that your group were looking for 'an item'." (He didn't tell Blanny?) I was confused at first, usually Zeddy was more trusting. But then I remembered the accident that happened on Leanbox. "Um, Zeddy is usually more trusting, an accident happened on Leanbox, so he was probably just wary of you." Blanny's eyebrows raised. "Huh, what did cowtits do now?"
"Who?"
"Ah dammit, I mean Vert. You would know her as Green Heart."
"Ah, thanks. Well, er, she maybe, kinda, just might have, tried to kill Nep-Nep and Zeddy." I shivered at the memory, only taking solace in the fact that I managed to save them both. "You're shitting me!? WHY?!" Blanny's eyes were wide in shock. "Um, to put it simply, there's this meanie called Arfoire, she stole Verts' Goddess power. Vert was then told that Zeddy and Nep-Nep were responsible for a lot of bad things that happened on Lastation-"
"What happened on Lastation?" Blanny interrupted.
"Well..."
[one explanation later]
"...How the hell do you guys keep on going?"
"I don't know how it is for Zeddy or the others, but I like helping people. I'm a nurse in training, so being able to travel across each landmass and help people is what makes me happy. Besides, wherever my family go, I go."
"Huh, well aren't you a good Samaritan."
I didn't really think so, I was just doing what made me happy. Being with Nep-Nep, Iffy and Zeddy, just makes things even better-ouchie!" i felt a pain in my neck, Zaku had just bit me. "Oh, and Zaku as well, how could I forget." The dragon-cat-phoenix-thing rubbed his head against my cheek. "Huh, now that you mention it, what is he? I've never seen anything like him." Blanny asked.
"Weeellll..."
Me and Blanny continued talking for a while, the both of us sharing our experiences and adventures.
END OF CHAPTER
An: and so, the reason behind the voice in IF's head is revealed! Urgh, hope I don't get hate for butchering mythology. As far as I know, Garuda was a real figure in myth, pretty sure their domain was something to do with judgement and/or justice.
I had planned out the idea of IF being a descendant of Akos a while back, I just didn't figure out just how she was going to be related. Thankfully I came up with the result you see here. Here's hoping it doesn't feel like a cop-out (Is that the correct use of the term?)
ANYWAY, thanks for reading. I hope you all will return for future chapters.
Sneaky preview (For real this time.)
Did Neptune deserve to be wed to a murderer, and IF and Compa, friends to a killer?
Did they deserve a life like that? A falsehood built on the selfishness of one man?
(Of...of course not...)
My mind was a mess, my heart writhed in turmoil.
But I knew what must be done.
"Neptune, my love, get up. We need to leave."