Far away, the Monster Lord's castle stood tall, having survived the reign of the Fateburns to the current day. At present, said castle did not accommodate its lord, as she was away on a trip to visit the outside world.
But what it did contain, were some of the strongest monsters the current generation had to offer. That included the legendary Heavenly Knights, monsters who swore allegiance to the current Monster Lord. Often given mythological status by their fellow monsters, they were the premier soldiers the monster race had to offer. The official retainers of Her Majesty considered the last line of defence if it ever came to that.
Imagine the reaction one would have to seeing an invincible figure so heavily wounded. That would be the unfortunate circumstance the Heavenly Knight of Fire found herself in…
The walk through the castle bewildered the entirety of the population, eliciting several shocked faces and hushed whispers from the denizens of the halls and rooms she passed through. To see the person who challenged their current Lord so beaten, they could only imagine the circumstances surrounding her grave injuries.
Not that Granberia cared for the murmurs of confusion or concern. Instead, what she had felt was concern and a slight feeling of glee. For she may have inadvertently found two worthy challengers.She reached her destination, a room where the other members of the Heavenly Knights commonly met up. She glanced down at her grievous wounds, before opening the door and entering.
Alma Elma had always been extremely annoying, especially when she wanted something badly. Tamamo had taken her seat not too long ago to catch up on some work regarding her home village of Yamatai when the succubus ambushed her again.
The reason for this? That damn bell, more specifically speaking, Poseidon's Bell. The bell would allow any vessel in the sea to brush past any storm imaginable. The bell would prove to be the only wrench in her plan to suffocate the supply of heroes venturing past Ilias continent.
As the Succubus Queen made her case for what seemed to be the 100th time, Tamamo couldn't help but recline into her soft appendages. They always seemed to take the edge off whenever she felt stressed out.
"Alright, alright… I get it, I'll get the bell for you." Tamamo surrendered, not at all in the mood to deal with the coming argument. She disagreed with the succubus in her heavy-handed methods of dealing with heroes, it's not like many of them were threats anyway.
"Thank goodness I could finally convince you. You were always so smart Tamamo." She gratefully complimented, giving off her commonly seen smirk.
"Uh huh…" Tamamo mumbled, getting back to her soul-draining work.
"Ara…You have such fluffy tails, so soft and comfy…" Alma playfully added, massaging the soft fur of her tails. The tactic of appeasement always worked on the little kitsune, especially if one targeted her precious fluffy tails.
"Hmm… That's right, my tails are very fluffy. So don't worry about any heroes getting that bell anymore, I'll deal with it." She declared, with a growing smile on her face. The moment was soon interrupted by the door to the room opening.
It was none other than Granberia, with a large gash in her chest and a bruised face. Her lip had been busted and was now swollen up, along with her cherished armor having been caved in with what looked like a fist-shaped dent.
"Granberia?!" Tamamo practically screamed, alarmed by the grievous wounds. Her tails violently sticking up in her state of alarm.
"Ugh… My plan to take over Iliasburg didn't go over so well." She confessed, sitting down on a nearby chair.
"But… Who could have done this to you?" Alma asked, getting a malicious glint in her eyes. She'd always had a sweet spot for the Dragon-kin, given their frequent 'sparring matches'.
"A boy and a…" She stopped as she couldn't find the words to describe the other male in that encounter.
"And a what?" Tamamo urged, cautious about the threat these heroes posed.
"I don't even know… A strangely dressed man." She embarrassingly admitted, blushing as she remembered his exposed chest cleavage.
"But how? This is most unusual…" Tamamo inquired, thinking about the possibilities in her mind while giving the dragonkin a once over.
"The boy knew a cursed sword skill… Demon Decapitation. And he's been traveling with our Lord, Alipheese." She revealed, getting a gasp from the Heavenly Knight of Earth.
"You mean to tell me she's trained him? Ara… I was heading out anyways, I better be ready to intercept them if they make it to Ilias Port." Alma said, with a cold edge to her voice.
"No… I wasn't finished yet. There's something else going on here." The wounded Dragon-kin commented.
"Yes, you're talking about that strange man, yes?" Tamamo deduced, checking on the wounded warrior.
"He's not normal… Unlike any other human I've ever seen before. He's so… bizarre." She concluded, with a hint of excitement in her voice. "They're both stronger than any other human I've ever fought."
"Ara... Guess I should get back to that blockade of mine." She said, already planning on exacting her punishment on the duo. She started flying off to the open window, departing to Port Natalia.
"Wait! Before you leave... Don't let the blonde one hit you..." Granberia stated, barely getting her message to the retreating succubus.
Tamamo telepathically called for some monsters to help heal the wounded Knight, before sitting next to her and offering her a glass of water. "Tell me more about these heroes..."
The morning sun shone over the town of Iliasburg, marking the beginning of another day. One that would hopefully be less chaotic than the previous, considering the attempted conquest of the town by a Heavenly Knight. The residents were already out and about performing their respective duties and work, likely having awoken at first light.
Giorno himself was sitting in the hotel lobby on a very comfortable chair, having a cup of tea as he waited for his travel companions. The navy-blue suit had been taken out of commission and now he was down to his third and final variation, his pink-coloured one. Hopefully, the restoration of the old clothing will be done soon.
He had come to terms with the fact that his friend 'spent' the night in the company of Alice. Or more accurately stated, the Monster Lord herself, he had been intimate with the final objective of this adventure without even realizing it. Wasn't that sort of thing a massive sin? Something only trumped by openly rebelling against Ilias.
How Luka hadn't realized that when said monster had ordered a Heavenly Knight to leave was unbelievable, but then again, he was rather naive about the world. He'd certainly have a chat with her in private, at least to assess her intentions. Traveling with your enemy would be a bad idea, she already saw his healing potential, what would happen if she got a glimpse into his life-giving abilities? What would happen if she were able to see Gold Experience?
Speaking of his stand, he elected to summon it in the lobby. The full golden figure of his lifelong partner became immediately visible to the blonde gangstar. But to the other patrons in the lobby, it was as if he did not exist, harmlessly floating in their faces and returning to Giorno's side.
'Good, non-stand users can't see Gold Experience...'
A sigh of relief followed after that test, he'd refused to even entertain the thought of testing that rule on the denizens of this strange new world, but now he could use his full range of abilities with little recourse. Barring any special types of monster girls he may encounter, he had doubts any could reasonably see or even interact with Gold Experience. That meant he could fully utilize his powers now, though he'd need to be discreet.
Someone would definitely catch on if they suddenly got pummeled by an invisible force, and even he couldn't lie his way out of that one. He was relegated to play the part of a half plant monster for the near future, it seems.
"It sounded like you had fun last night." The owner teased with a smirk, eliciting a heavy blush from the short hero.
"Aguhhaa..." Luka stuttered, almost recoiling back in shock.
"We... were we that loud?" The fake hero asked in embarrassment mortified that other guests could have heard his saucy night.
"Haha, was I right? It was just a lucky guess." The owner replied with a Cheshire grin, almost certainly lying.
The purple-haired hero turned to Alice, who looked as stoic as ever, unbothered by the conversation at hand. Maybe monsters had a higher tolerance for this sort of thing compared to humans. That unfazed look quickly changed to one of interest and delight when her nose picked up a strange smell in the air of the hotel.
Sniff* *Sniff*
Her head raised in the air as her nose pointed at the kitchen area, Luka could almost see her drooling from the mouth which was quite concerning. The disguised monster then looked at the inn owner and opened her mouth to speak.
"What is that smell? I've never experienced anything like that before..." Alice asked, wondering what delicacy the hotel had yet to serve her.
"Oh, that? Your blonde friend taught the cooking staff and me about... what was it again? Ah, pizza." The owner revealed, gaining the woman's full attention with the new delicacy named 'pizza'. It sounded and smelled delicious as far as Alice could tell, and that was all that mattered to her.
"Maybe you'd like to try out our test pizza? We've been practicing what we've learned and have had a few attempts." As soon as the offer left the owner's mouth, it was met with the excited nodding of Alice.
What happened next was her dragging Luka away to a nearby dining room, a wide smile on her face as they were presented with the pizza in question. Circles of dough, with cheese and various additions on top and a hard crust on the outer edge. The disc was then cut into eight equal sections with an equal number of toppings for each slice.
She calmly picked up a slice and put the entire thing in her mouth...
She'd heard of love at first sight, but now she was beginning to believe in love at first taste.
The trio departed from the Sutherland Inn not too long after, though the only woman in the group had to be nearly dragged out of the place. Her mood following that could only be described as a sulking child. The market square was full of stalls and a variety of characters, resembling a farmers' market but on a much grander scale. The trio made small talk with a few of the passersby as they made their way to the local blacksmith. The shop itself contained several pieces of armor on display, as well as a variety of weaponry. Swords, bows, and even a few spears here and there, but for some strange reason Luka had his eyes trained on a rather ridiculous set of armor.
"Hmm... This armor looks good. A true hero would wear something like this." He touched the metal, feeling the smooth but hard texture. "It's sturdy too..."
"Then it's a shame we can't afford it. Look at the price..." Giorno pointed out, tapping the price listing on the armor, and shutting down Luka's dreams. "But maybe I could finance the cost..."
"You mean like ask people for money?" Luka questioned, wondering how successful something like that could be.
"Yes... That's what I meant." Giorno quickly answered, lying through his teeth. "Let's just move on. That idea was silly."
"Well... What about this one? It has jagged spikes and everything." He walked up to the next suit, letting his eyes flow over the scary-looking armor.
"Idiot. If you wore that, you wouldn't be able to even move." Alice chastised, before looking at a strangely normal shirt on a nearby display case. "This looks good. We have enough money to buy this, right?" She asked before handing the shirt over to the short boy.
"This?" Luka exclaimed, looking at the cloth.
"Ahh, you have pretty good eyes, miss. That shirt was woven a special way, for maximum protection." The shopkeeper explained, smitten with the high-quality goods.
"Is it that good?" Giorno interjected, taking a gander at the other selections of clothing.
"It's a good piece of protective wear, even if it looks plain. Recently it seems like Heroes have only been caring about looks though. Those kinds of people don't see how good this piece really is. It looks like you're different though!" The shopkeeper said with a smile on his face.
"I see! Then I'll take it." Luka declared as he paid for the shirt.
"Even though it's a great piece of armor made by Enrika, it hasn't sold well because it looks so plain." The shopkeeper commented with a hint of disappointment.
"Enrika? Can't say I've heard of a place like that..." Giorno wondered aloud, not recognizing the location from his extensive reading.
"Ah... Enrika is the name of a small village to the southwest. Even though they isolate themselves from the rest of the world, they make some pretty good pieces of armor." The owner clarified, handing over some vital information.
"Oh? I didn't know that..." Luka said while deep in thought.
The blonde watched as the other two left the shop, with Luka having changed into his new protective gear. He remained standing at the sword display, taking a look at the various types of sharp weaponry. For some reason, it would seem so natural to wield one of them, as if it was in his blood...
"A sword catch your eye?" The shopkeeper asked, seeing a potential purchase in the making.
"Perhaps, but tell me... do you have any knives?" Giorno curiously asked.
"Ahh, just as expected from my darling! I love you! I'll wait for the good news..." A certain unfortunate snake declared, followed up by her crawling away.
"Are you going to go? You can't beat a Dragon or a Vampire as you are now. Are you confusing bravery with stupidity?" Alice criticized the fake hero.
"I'm not doing it to be brave..." Luka cleared up.
"It's not related to beating the Monster Lord. Why are you doing it?" The disguised lamia questioned, with narrowing eyes reflecting her current annoyance.
"Because! I! Am! A! Hero!" Luka practically screamed oozing with enthusiasm.
"A fake one maybe..." Alice added, dampening his mood a bit.
"Why bother with unnecessary things? Just head north to Iliasport and take a ship off this continent." Alice suggested.
"Detours are good though. I need to polish my skills on the way to the castle." Luka argued.
"At your current level, the dragon would just turn you into charcoal anyway. Almost like how Granberia did, but you probably think that Giorno's going to be there to save you again, don't you?" Alice inquired, trying to get a reaction out of Luka.
"That's not true! I don't want to rely on him too much, and I already owe him for saving me before... Actually, where is he?" Luka suddenly realized the absence of the third member of the team.
"Hmm... I suppose the sight of Amira must have messed with our heads that much. Maybe more with yours since you're already that big of an idiot." Alice insulted once again, trying to deflect from forgetting about the eccentric blonde.
"I don't mean to alarm you, but I've just witnessed a reverse lamia crawling in the town square. And no one seems to care about that fact." A familiar mature voice spoke out.
The pair turned to take a look at their missing member, once again noticing a radical change in his appearance.
He seemed to have bought a utility belt, which was holding a ridiculous number of knives. The cherry on top was the longsword sheathed on his back along with the light armor plating on his person.
"… What brought this on?" Alice asked, curious about the new purchases.
"I thought it would be necessary to arm myself for the future, using my hands all the time won't always work." Giorno answered.
"You've managed to catch his idiocy; you have no experience with blades. Did you think you could just swing it at someone and win?" Alice pointed out.
"But I know someone who happens to teach others swordplay." The blonde responded, managing to silence the disguised monster.
"You want Alice to teach you? Really?" Luka incredulously inquired, stunned at the sudden request.
"Yes, I couldn't help but notice how effective that Demon Decapitation seems to be. You've improved your swordsmanship drastically, and I'd like to improve myself too." Giorno explained, making a good case for why he should start learning the blade.
"Well… that makes sense. But it's kind of up to Alice at this point." Luka turned to her as he spoke, with an expectant expression on his face. He wouldn't be opposed to having his friend learn alongside himself.
"No. I have no reason to even bother wasting my time on teaching you. So, you may as well return that sword." Alice coldly answered.
"Ah, I see. You're the type of person who only helps if there's something in it for them. I of course don't expect you to do this for free." Giorno deduced with a knowing look on his face.
"Are you trying to tell me you have something to make it worth my while?" Alice asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours." Giorno offered, giving a charismatic smile.
"… I'm listening." Alice relented, wondering what he would offer in exchange for her tutelage.
"I see that you have a soft spot for pizza.What you got at the Sutherland Inn was amazing. But what if you could get even better pizza in the future?" He began, setting up the bait he knew she would bite at.
"Better… pizza?" Alice repeated, almost in a trance at the mention of the cheese triangles.
"But that pizza is only scratching the surface of the delicacies I know. Teach me swordplay and I'll show Luka everything I know about my culture's fine dining. You know how good he is at cooking already…" Giorno finished, presenting the disguised Lamia with a mouthwatering offer she could not refuse.
Said woman was resisting the urge to scream out an enthusiastic yes at this point, keeping her body language neutral. With one last deep breath, she began to give her answer.
"Your offer is… acceptable. However, Luka has to agree to make these dishes before we have a deal." Alice said, prompting both to look at the short hero in question.
"I don't mind making them. I already owe Giorno for saving me before, so it isn't a problem." Luka said, happy with the opportunity to learn some interesting dishes.
"Very well, you'll be included then. Anyways, where to next?" Alice questioned, wanting to get a move on before it got too late.
"Oh, I think we should deal with the Four Bandits right now." He said, getting an eye roll from Alice.
"Four Bandits?" Giorno confusedly said, having been missing when the pair met Amira.
"I'll explain on the way, let's go!" Luka declared as the trio left to deal with the town's bandit issue.
Suffice to say, Giorno wasn't particularly elated to learn of the four bandits. He went silent at the mention of a vampire and dragon being in their ranks, reminiscing his earlier encounter with Granberia.
Luka could only hope that they would pull through, praying to Ilias for their success as they walked along the path forward. The silence continued for some time before Alice suddenly interrupted it.
"By the way. I noticed earlier. It seems like you don't want to kill your enemy, so you don't utilize your abilities." Alice rightly pointed out, having observed his hesitation to swing with lethal force.
"Yeah… That may be true." The fake hero acknowledged, getting the side eye from Giorno.
"Oh well… I'll lend you this sword." She replied, pulling a disgusting-looking sword out of nowhere.
A grotesque-looking blade with what appeared to be blood-red eyeballs adorning the top of the blade. The visages of angels litter the sword, along with their wings. The angels themselves appeared to be in torment as if their final moments were of nothing but agony.
"Eww… what is that?" Luka asked, reeling back in disgust as he got an even closer look.
"Angel Halo. The only sword of its kind in the world, it's very valuable. Use this sword from now on." Alice suggested, holding it out to the shota.
"Uuuee… This thing? No way… That thing is creepy." Luka refused, pulling a grimace.
"But it has those Angels you humans love so much embedded in the handle… I thought you would be happy!" Alice pouted, getting ready to throw a fit.
"The angel statuettes look like they're in pain…" Giorno said, equally disgusted and intrigued by the sword.
'Wouldn't surprise me if someone told me this was an enemy stand.' He thought to himself, wondering how this blade came into existence.
The purple-haired shota reached out with great hesitation to grasp the blade, immediately hearing Angel Halo moan as he wrapped his hand around the hilt.
"Wha?! Ri… Right now, I just heard a moan!? Did you not hear that?" Luka panicked, shaking in his boots.
"Are those angels… alive? Or at least, they were…" Giorno grimly added, hearing the moans of torment coming from the blade.
"Well, that makes sense. The sword was refined from 666 melted Angels after all." Alice explained with a calm expression.
"That was a calm explanation of something so unnatural." Giorno deadpanned, visualizing how one would melt down an angel.
"Anyways, the grudges of those Angels are hammered into the sword. It eats away at the magic of whatever it slashes, making it hard for the opponent to maintain their form." She lectured, confusing Luka in the process.
"I don't get it…" Luka admitted, feeling his face heat up when she looked at him with annoyance.
"You're saying that this sword can siphon an opponent's magical energy, leaving them unable to fight back if he successfully drains it all?" Giorno explained more simply.
"Correct, if a monster loses all its magical energy, it just gets turned into a harmless state for a while. They don't die or get hurt." She concluded.
"This sword can seal monsters?" Luka asked with astonishment, starting to come around to the idea of Angel Halo.
It was at this moment that Giorno detected a fast-moving lifeform approaching their position. What was strange was that it came from underground, from the shape of its signature he could only assume it was a large worm.
He stiffened up as he eyed the area the worm would sprout from, getting a strange look from Alice as she noticed him getting ready for combat.
"Good timing. Give Angel Halo a try." She cryptically said.
"Huh?" Was all Luka could spout before the earth before him exploded outwards, revealing the most disgusting monster Giorno had ever seen.
A worm-like monster had her eyes trained on the shota, but before Giorno could even intervene, Alice's gloved hand covered his mouth. In the next moment, they were gone from the scene of the encounter.
While he initially felt panick at being taken from his ally, he didn't detect any true hostility from the monster, who let him go not too long later. The blonde calmly turned his body around to face her, taking a gamble and summoning his stand. Much to his relief, she didn't even flinch at the golden figure.
"I thought that we should let that idiot get some proper fighting experience. You really shouldn't fight his battles for him." She half chastised, not noticing the stand within two meters of her person.
"And let him struggle alone?" Giorno questioned, despising the thought of leaving his ally behind.
"I knew you would say something like that… That's why I had to get you out of there by force." Alice said with a smug smile.
"You aren't going to attack me? This wasn't an ambush?" He asked, putting his hands down at his sides.
"No… Why would I attack you? Is it normal for you to assume that sort of thing? Do you often get ambushed in your daily life?" Alice curiously inquired, intrigued by the blonde's heightened awareness of danger.
"Well… yes. You could say I assume the worst at any given moment. It's natural when you've been in my shoes." He relented, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"Is this an interrogation, Monster Lord? Do you assume I'm some violent threat to your people?" He added, surprising her with his knowledge of her true nature.
"You were always so perceptive… I assume you knew when I ordered Granberia to withdraw. Unlike that other idiot, how he hasn't put it together is beyond me." She sighed, focusing her gaze on his green eyes.
"What is the Monster Lord doing traveling with the very people whose goal is to defeat her? Why would she teach them how to fight her subordinates?" He questioned, confused by her motives.
"Like I said before, I truly am just traveling the world to taste their food. Whether it be culinary or perhaps a certain gullible fake hero…" She explained, with a sultry look on her face.
"Please don't remind me of last night… You didn't force him...right?" His face fell into a frown, with a tinge of disgust.
"I can assure you; he enjoyed every second of it. I know he enjoyed it." She reassured, licking her lips at the memory of the fake hero's taste. "Jealous perhaps? Maybe you'd like the same treatment?" She further teased, only getting a scowl in response.
"Don't even joke about that. I'm not interested, and I don't plan on changing my mind. I consider all monsters as hostile." He spat back, regaining his neutral expression.
"So why tolerate me then?" She requested.
"…" Giorno went silent as he contemplated what he was about to say.
"Come on already, say what you think in that head of yours." Alice egged the blonde on.
"Because I think you're a good person… You intervened in the fight with Granberia even though you had no reason to. You could have killed him last night if you wanted too. And as much as I didn't trust you, you did teach Luka how to use his blade." Giorno declared, exhibiting his charisma. "That's why, I wanted to say… Thank you, for saving our lives...probably." He added with sincerity.
"Then if you want to thank me... You shouldn't tell that idiot about my true nature just yet. He'd probably challenge me. And I'm afraid that I'd have to become your enemy if that were to happen." She warned.
"I won't lie about this... but I suppose I won't outright tell him." Giorno concluded, nodding along with her logic. Luka was the type to fight on even at hopeless odds.
"It's good that you're surprisingly intelligent, why don't we check up on Luka? I bet he's either won... or lost by now." Alice suggested before teleporting the two of them back to their third member.
Luka gathered up his courage and sent forth his final attack, a Demon Decapitation towards the Earthworm Girl. The attack landed true and created a slash of light in her neck, making the enemy scream in pain.
"What… Is this!? Kyaaa!" She cried out as her body dissolved into particles of light.
"Eh…? What happened?" Luka asked aloud in confusion.
The ground where the monster used to stand was now occupied by a small earthworm, wriggling in distress.
"An earthworm…" He muttered.
"Do you see it now? The monster from before turned into that. Totally unharmed… Just left harmless." Alice explained, suddenly standing next to him.
"Hmm… I get it now. But that's still kind of sad." He said, pitying his fallen enemy.
"It's a much better fate than death." Giorno added, walking up to his side.
"I guess, at least she can reflect on her actions." Luka hoped.
"Her hatred will probably just increase." Alice blurted out, ruining the mood.
"By the way, what would happen if I used this sword on a human? Not that I'd do that…" Luka said while Giorno's stance filled with caution.
"Even if it's a human, it can seal them. They'd probably just turn into a child or a dwarf. The sword would probably work on Angels too." Alice replied.
"Why would I fight an Angel…" Luka muttered, shaking his head at the ridiculous thought.
"Thank you… with this, I can fight back." He gratefully said.
"As I thought, you fought a lot better than before. Not wanting to kill others was holding you back." She concluded.
"Yeah, using Angel Halo felt like a whole new experience." He proudly said.
"But you're still awful. Don't get a big head." She scoffed, making sure to mock him as usual.
"I know… Well then… Let's stop those bandits!" He vowed.
"So, you want to die that badly? Idiot." She insulted.
"Nevertheless, I'll win or die trying." Luka declared with resolution.
"Hmph… Let's just exercise caution if we are going to confront them." Giorno begrudgingly agreed, taking notice of the way Luka spoke. He didn't necessarily agree with that ideology.
"You two are idiots." Alice concluded, as the fake hero took the lead.
Giorno followed suit, as the Monster Lord watched the spectacle. She couldn't help but relate to Giorno's confession earlier. It felt good to have someone express their gratitude, her chest feeling warm at the memory of the rather sweet moment.
But there was one thing that really bothered her, and that was observation of her character. She was a good person, apparently. The mere mention of that made her stomach churn in a way that left her nearly unable to feel hungry.
'You're wrong Giorno. I'm not a good person.'
A few hours later…
The journey to the mountain range had no further issues, if one didn't count the occasional moans Angel Halo made. The party quickly found out that getting to the mountain range was not the problem, the real problem was actually finding the hideout of the bandits.
"Crap… How can I stop them if I don't know where they are?" Luka spoke, thinking about a solution to his problem.
"This mountain range will take forever to search. Are you still going to do it?" Alice asked, trying to get him to give up.
"Ergh… What should I do…" Luka wondered aloud, wandering around aimlessly.
What neither of the two knew was that Giorno had already dispatched some scouts to alleviate this issue. Birds he had created from inanimate objects had searched most of the mountain range, giving him the location of a promising cave not too far from them.
"I have a good feeling about this direction… Follow me." Giorno advised as he walked along the path.
"Huh?" Alice asked in confusion as the blonde led them to a portion of the mountain base in front of a cave.
She looked on in suspicion as she felt the presence of four monsters not too far away from them. It seemed Giorno was just full of neat tricks, but at least she was able to grasp the nature of these bandits as a result.
"A cave, huh? Could make for a great hideout." Luka acknowledged, happy to have found a lead.
"My thoughts exactly, Luka." Giorno agreed, noticing a moving figure hiding behind a rock near the entrance of the cave.
He quickly stopped his friend from moving any closer as he took in the fact that Alice had disappeared. That alone was all he needed to know a fight would break out.
"What's wrong?" Luka asked as he turned to look at his friend who had held him back.
"Show yourself already, I can see you." Giorno called out.
The figure froze momentarily before jumping out in plain view.
Suddenly, Goblin Girl Appears!
"A child?" Giorno questioned, looking down at the small girl and the very big hammer she wielded.
"No way, you're one of the bandits?" Luka exasperatedly asked.
"Indeed! I'm the Goblin Bandit of The Four Bandits!" She enthusiastically responded.
"There's 4 of you… Good to know." Giorno pointed out.
"If you get it, then give me all your money!" She demanded, holding her hammer threateningly.
"Um... I'm a hero. I came here to punish the bandits." Luka said, in an awkward tone.
"Eeeeehhhh? Someone weak looking like you?" She mocked, laughing like the child she was afterwards.
"Sh…Shut up! You look weak too!" Luka yelled, blushing in embarrassment as he drew Angel Halo.
It was very difficult to remember that this was a grown man about 4 years older than himself. Especially since he genuinely took offense to that playground insult.
"Ew… That sword! It looks so gross!" She shrieked as she cringed at the sight of the blade.
"Hmmm… What should I do… That sword looks so gross, but I want to play with you two… Alright bring it, Hero! The Goblin bandit of the earth of the four bandits shall be your opponent!" She declared as she raised her hammer into an offensive position.
"Of the Earth? Quite a mouthful, don't you think?" Giorno asked, feeling secondhand embarrassment at the situation he found himself in.
"We need to get serious Giorno!" Luka advised, getting into a battle stance himself as Giorno stood next to him, not taking this seriously.
The Goblin Girl used their momentary distraction to scoop up some nearby sand.
"Eat this! Sand Hurricane!" The small girl screamed as she flung it at the two men. They responded in kind by covering their faces and shrugging off the pointless attack.
"What kind of attack was that? How useless…" Giorno lamented as he wiped off the sand on his clothes and hair.
"An opening?! Feel the wrath of the Earth! Earth Crushing Goblin!" The girl yelled out as she slowly approached her targets, taking unsteady steps toward them.
Both men just stared as she made her way over to them, cringing in embarrassment for the poor monster.
"Taaaake thiiis!" She yelled as she dropped her hammer down where they stood but struck nothing as the pair had already taken two steps in either direction to avoid her attack.
"Such a slow move will never hit me… Haha! Earth Crushing Goblin was defeated!" Luka smugly said.
"I won't lose! Ya! Yaa!" The Goblin yelled out, trying to continue swinging her hammer around before she lost complete control of her balance.
She hopelessly flailed around as the hammer hit nothing but air, before tripping on a rock and falling on the ground.
"Ugyaa!" She yelped as she started to cry genuine tears.
"Finished?" Giorno inquired.
"Ye…Yeaah… Waaaah!" The small girl confirmed, still crying as she held her leg.
Where's your hideout?" Luka asked.
"Over there…" She answered as she pointed to the cave, just some meters away. "But there's three more!" She started as she wiped some of her tears away while getting back up.
"A Lamia, a Vampire, and even a Dragon! Haha, there's no way you can win!" She yelled, putting on a brave face as she ran away from the scene, leaving her hammer behind.
"Well… Looks like your hunch was correct Giorno." Alice commented, appearing out of nowhere.
"Hmph… Three strong monsters. But something is off here." Giorno pondered, focusing his life sensing on the three signatures in the cave.
"You should give up. Do you really want to die?" Alice asked.
"I don't want to die… But I can't overlook the people of Iliasburg in their time of need!" He responded with complete resolution.
"Idiot… Risking your life for others. What an idiot." Alice once again insulted, making Giorno believe that 'idiot' was her favorite word.
"I don't smell a dragon in there… Unless it's like that…" Alice said while sniffing at the entrance to the cave. Giorno came to the same conclusion as her once he placed his hands on the cave entrance.
"I'll wait here, you two go ahead." She quickly said, changing her mind about the whole thing.
"Huh? What are you saying?" Luka asked.
"It's fine, I doubt we'd need her in here anyways." Giorno agreed, waiting at the entrance.
"Well, if you say so…" Luka accepted, before walking into the cave with Giorno.
No one ever noticed that the hammer the Goblin Girl left behind was gone.
The cave was actually wider than previously thought, much to their relief. A lot brighter too, which allowed for near-perfect visibility. The only issue was the lack of inhabitants for the pair to encounter…
"A lamia, dragon, and a vampire…" Luka repeated, feeling a tinge of fear.
"Steel your resolve, we've already faced a Heavenly Knight before," Giorno reassured while keeping his life sense active for any threats.
And a threat did approach their position…
"Fufu…so you came. I shall be your opponent!" A mysterious voice rang out throughout the cave. One that was trying way too hard to be seductive.
Tiny Lamia appears!
"Tiny Lamia of the Water of the Four Bandits has arrived!" She excitedly announced, looking at the two males who had entered her domain with interest.
"You're the Lamia?" Luka asked, observing the small child who was obviously half snake.
"Fufu… Do you want me to coil you?!" Tiny Lamia asked with way too much effort placed into a seductive voice.
"This is uncomfortable… Please stop with that voice, child." Giorno interrupted, feeling icky.
Luka could only watch on with a disappointed gaze, wanting to have a real fight for once.
"Why do you two look so disappointed?! How can you have that face when facing me?!" The girl whined as she suddenly dashed towards Giorno and wrapped herself around him.
"Haha… With my powerful tail, I'll squeeze everything out of you." She teased as her tail struggled to hold onto the blonde.
"How useless…" Giorno remarked as he calmly peeled her off himself and placed her on the ground.
"I-I'm useless?!" Tiny Lamia said as she broke down into tears, making Giorno feel slightly guilty. "Waaaah! Why didn't it work?!" She cried as she slithered away.
"You just made her cry… That wasn't very nice." Luka mentioned as the sound of her cries faded away.
"I didn't mean to call her useless, I meant her actions were useless." Giorno defended, dispatching a small bug he created to follow after her.
"Speaking of which, did she even use water attacks? She called herself 'Of water' in her name." Luka pointed out.
"No… But maybe her tears count." Giorno commented.
"Let's just move on." Luka shrugged as the pair moved on.
Another short walk later, the two men came up to a slightly darker portion of the cave. Giorno only wished he had Polpo's lighter for this section, reminiscing on the Black Sabbath ordeal.
"Kukuku… You're pretty good to beat the Earth Goblin and the Water Lamia… But I won't be so easy!" A high-pitched voice announced.
"Who are you?" Luka demanded.
Giorno felt a small presence of…bats. Along with what seemed to be a small child.
Vampire Girl Appears!
"I am the terror that flaps from the night… The Vampire Bandit of the Wind of the Four Bandits shall be your opponent! She proudly declared. "Kukuku… tonight I shall feast on you both!" She added.
"The names just get longer and longer…" Giorno mumbled as he was starting to get annoyed by this pattern and unnerved at her choice of attire.
"Uh… Hey." Luka greeted as he took his sword out, not wanting to hurt the poor child.
In a matter of moments, the Vampire Girl had turned into a swarm of bats who quickly rushed towards the intruders. With this many bats, they had no choice but to suffer… some small bites which didn't hurt.
"Where did she go?" Luka asked as the bats dispersed and flew away.
"Kukuku… I'm right here!" She yelled as she jumped on Giorno's back. This resulted in Giorno throwing her off his person, due to instinctive nature.
The poor Vampire Girl landed face-first on the ground, with Luka looking quite alarmed. She slowly got up with a slightly scratched elbow, before bursting into tears.
"Waah! Why are you being so mean!" She cried as she massaged her elbow.
"I'm sorry… It's just that you're a Vampire and you got too close to my neck." Giorno tried to explain. Though his rational explanation meant nothing to the child who wanted revenge.
"I won't forgive you for that! If it's come to this, I'll show you my true power!" She promised, psyching herself up.
"Just wait a second, I'll focus all my magic! Once I'm done, just look at my eyes, ok?" She asked as Giorno studied the buildup of magic through his life sensing.
Both Luka and Giorno looked at each other as if to ask whether or not this was actually happening. Needless to say, neither of the two of them would follow through on her request.
"Now, look at my eyes! Eyes of Obedience!" The Vampire Girl yelled as her eyes shone a bright white. The attack would have been successful if not for one key factor, both men covering their eyes.
"Why did you turn away?! I told you to look!" She asked with tears threatening to escape her eyes.
"Even if you told me to…" Luka started before being interrupted by her crying again.
"Useless..." His blonde friend once again mentioned.
"By the way… You said, 'Of the Wind', but you didn't use any wind attacks." Luka commented.
"I can't… We're only imitating the Four Heavenly Knights." She confessed while bawling her eyes out. "Waaaaaah!" She screamed out before running away into the cave.
Somehow… I feel like that hypnosis technique was familiar. But that can't be...' Giorno thought, feeling a sense of Déjà vu he couldn't exactly place.
The pair walked until they reached an opening with no further exits, marking this as the final part of the cave.
"Wahaha! Good job making it this far!" Another childish voice rang out. The person revealed themselves to be the final target of the bandits…
Dragon Pup appears!
This time around, neither of the pair had decided to underestimate their opponent. They had both experienced the bite of a Dragon-kin once before, resulting in a desire to avoid another encounter like that.
"No matter the size, dragons are quite formidable opponents…" The blonde warned, tensing up his body for the coming assault.
"Yeah, we need to be careful here." Luka agreed, unsheathing Angel Halo at a moment's notice.
"The last of the four, this Dragon of Fire of the Four Bandits will be your foe!" She excitedly exclaimed, showing off her sharp claws and teeth. She observed the two men with glee before a rather mischievous smile made its way onto her face. "Coming this far into our hideout, you two must be true heroes!"
Luka steeled his resolve, finally needing to tap into the courage he thought he'd needed so long ago. "Bad little thieves like you need to be punished!" He planted his feet as steadily as he could and took up a proper dueling stance, just like Alice taught him.
The Dragon Pup responded in kind by opening her mouth. "Gao!" In the next moment, a sudden spark erupted from her throat and a plume of heavy flames accelerated towards the duo. Giorno had the sense to leap away from the flames, while Luka decided to mitigate the damage by guarding as best as he could.
The blonde landed on his side on the rough earth, watching his comrade put out the small flames on his clothing. "Ah! Hot!" He yelled while frantically patting his body. Giorno himself could only guess that the Enrikan shirt was that good after all.
Without further delay he swung his sword down on the monster's head, resulting in the blade bouncing off her incredibly thick skin. "What?!" He exclaimed in horror as the strike only served to bring some tears to her eyes.
The Dragon Pup wiped her tears away before retaliating with a classic takedown, jumping on the fallen hero, and biting the offending hand. "Damn, that hurts!" Screamed the fake hero, struggling to get a grip on the assaulting monster.
A flurry of vines sprouted from the Earth below the struggling combatants and picked up the Dragon Pup before violently throwing her back towards a wall. Her small frame impacted the wall and left a nasty crater in its wake.
The Dragon Pup remained undeterred as she got back up like nothing happened, releasing another wave of fire at the plants in her state of anger. "Gao!" The plants formed a massive solid wall in front of her to tank the hit.
When the flames met the plant, the monster was all but sure of her victory. But that was before her own body managed to burst into flames. Given that she was a dragon, this wouldn't be that bad at all. However, that had created an opening for the purple-haired to leap towards her once the plants had dispersed.
She had just enough time left to bring her armored claws up to block the attack. That changed when a bat on the ceiling began to morph back into its original form, that being a very big hammer. In moments, the big hammer fell from its height and contacted the top of her head.
In her dazed and confused state, Giorno saw the perfect opportunity to summon his stand. 'Gold Experience!' The familiar golden warrior emerged from his body and dashed at breakneck speeds to the enemy, getting behind her and actively restraining her armored claws behind her back. The manoeuvre resulted in her unable to defend herself against the coming slash.
Angel Halo cleaved at her neck, striking her weak flesh and creating a gust wind due to the sheer speed of the blow, effectively putting out the flames in the room. The Dragon Pup collapsed on the floor, unable to fight due to the mixture of the concussion and havng a significant amount of her energy sapped away from her.
"That was… some great teamwork. You're good at synergizing Giorno." Luka complimented, none the wiser to the hidden stand he had no way of perceiving.
Giorno did not turn to face him, instead only keeping his eyes on the downed enemy. "This victory was mostly your doing anyway but thank you for the praise." He assured, folding his arms in front of his chest.
The Dragon Pup could only muster the strength to sob, much like her previous allies. "Uga!" She remained face down on the ground as she wailed, ending the saga of the four bandits.
The moment was quickly interrupted by the arrival of Alice, who had been waiting for this farce to end. "Finally, it looks like the battle between the fake Hero and the tiny dragon is over." Her reappearance was normal, but what was strange were the items she was carrying.
The things she carried in her tail were undoubtedly the other three members of the bandits, who looked like they'd just received a scolding from a disappointed parent.
Luka let his guard down fully, adopting a casual approach to the situation. "So, there were only four of you?" He questioned while they wiped at their tears.
"We could only find four…" The Vampire Girl weakly responded.
"Well…what now Alice?" Luka asked, looking for guidance from the monster in his group.
"You were the one who wanted to root out the bandits. Sell them, violate them, kill them, or eat them. Do whatever you want." She explained, sending the bandits into another raging meltdown.
"Waaah! Don't eat me!"
"Waaaaah!"
"Waaaah!"
"Waaah! Waaah!"
The chorus of tears was quickly getting on Giorno's nerves, with the blonde starting to become annoyed with Alice's lack of empathy for the children.
"Well, fake Hero, what are you going to do? Making four innocent little bandits cry like this…" She inquired, testing his reaction.
"It isn't his fault they're crying." Giorno pointed out, before approaching the kids. He stopped at around a meter away, putting his hands up to show he was no threat to them. "Can I?" He gestured to the Goblin Girl's injured leg, who stiffened in response to his question.
Nevertheless, she stepped slightly forward and allowed the blonde to touch her leg. Neither Alice nor Luka could get a good look at what he did, only seeing him grab a nearby pebble. But in the next moments, the Goblin was surrounded by a golden glow. "This is going to hurt, but just stay still." He explained as she winced slightly.
In the following seconds, her slight cut from the earlier fall was gone. "Thank you…" She weakly spoke, unable to look him in the eyes as he stood back up.
He moved off to the other bandits, leaving the fake Hero and monster to converse as he attended to their wounds.
"I think we should take them back to Iliasburg, so they can apologize." He advised, making it clear that there was no way out otherwise.
"I'll apologize…" The Dragon Pup agreed as her burns were being dealt with by the healer. The rest of the bandits nodded along, hiding behind him as he worked on their leader.
"So, you're going to pull them around the town? What are you going to do if people lynch them?" She cruelly asked, almost sending the bandits into panic once again.
As soon as she mentioned their potential punishment, the children began to hyperventilate heavily. "Lynch?!" The lamia screamed, shaking wildly like her friends.
"No, they won't. Anyone who tries to hurt you will be dealt with… Right, Luka?" Giorno declared, rubbing her head to calm her down.
"We'll beat them down if they try." Luka immediately followed up, grateful to have someone good at soothing others.
"You… You promise?" The Goblin Girl hesitantly asked before the blonde held out his pinky to her. "Pinky promise… We won't let them hurt you." She immediately held out hers and took him up on his promise.
The other bandits did the same, feeling a strange soothing effect the more they interacted with him. "You…You're such good guys." The entire scene made Alice roll her eyes, wanting to get this pointless detour over with.
With that, the group started their trek back to Iliasburg. The group of bandits justifiably avoided walking anywhere near Alice, choosing to stay close to Luka or Giorno.
"I'm sorry for bothering you…" The Goblin Girl started.
"I'm so sorry…" the Lamia followed after.
"I'm sorry…" the Vampire Girl continued.
"So sorry…" The Dragon Pup finished before they all bowed their heads in shame.
Giorno stood back behind the crowd, leaning on a nearby wall as he watched the proceedings. He couldn't hear what followed but he felt hopeful for the poor children's future. If they could accept the reverse lamia, surely, they could accept some kids who didn't do that much harm in the first place.
"I didn't know you could be so… kind." Alice interrupted, getting his attention away from the bandits. "You like children? Have a soft spot for them?" She asked, taking a look as various people approached the bandits, with Luka standing not too far from them in case things went south.
"I suppose I do… Though it's more the fact that I relate to them in a way." He disclosed, sighing as he remembered his pickpocketing days. "I was a thief like them too, not too long ago." He further added, getting Alice to raise her eyebrow in intrigue as she chewed on a piece of dried meat she 'requisitioned' from the fake Hero.
"You? A thief? Please…" She huffed, before noticing that the other pieces of meat were missing from her other hand. Looking at the blonde, she could see them in his open palm.
"You were saying?" He mischievously asked, with a slight grin on his face as she grabbed the snacks back from him.
The crowd dispersed, with excited chatter from the people drowning out as they left the scene. Luka himself had rejoined his friends, with a proud smile on his face. "Happy ending for all!" He declared, gleaming with joy.
"So they accepted the monsters after all…" She said with an impressed look on her face.
"Wouldn't have gone good in Ilias Village." He spoke, grateful that things were different here.
Giorno felt a tug on his chequered suit top, looking down to see the Dragon Pup looking up at him, with the rest of the monsters standing not too far behind her. "You helped us so much… We wanted to give you guys this." She said as she presented the two males with a beautiful red gem.
"Some rich people saw me by the hideout and ran away…This gem dropped out of their luggage. I think it's a valuable treasure." She bashfully admitted with a blush on her face.
"I see… But is it alright to give me such a valuable gem?" Luka asked, unsure about accepting stolen goods.
"It's fine, we can use this in the future to pursue our goals. Thank you, little bandits." Giorno said, taking the gem from her and rubbing her head.
"Waah, it's really nothing." She drawled, her blush growing deeper.
"Or maybe we could keep it until we find its rightful owner… Yeah, that's it." Luka convinced himself as he took ownership of the gem and deposited it into his travel purse.
"That thing in such a place. It's too dangerous, I don't want a human to misuse it… But at least the blue and silver aren't here, so there's no issue." She quietly spoke, alerting Giorno to some key information.
"Huh? You know what this is?" Luka asked, confused about the meaning of her words.
"Of course, who do you think I am? But it's probably better if I don't tell you." She mysteriously answered.
"Stingy…Well then…It's time for us to head out… Please be good monsters, okay?" Luka pleaded to the group of monsters.
"We will!" The Goblin Girl assured,
"The four bandits are no more today…" The tiny Lamia stated.
"I won't do bad things anymore!" The Vampire Girl declared.
"I'll become an amazing monster, and help the world!" The Dragon Pup proclaimed, still blushing from the affectionate head pats.
The party of three left, heading off towards the market square to plan out their next move.
"I seemed like a hero today, huh?" Luka said, moving through the town.
"Idiot. What would you have done if she had turned out to be an adult dragon? Did you really want to die?" Alice insulted.
"I didn't go to that fight to die… I only wanted to carry out my dream." He declared.
"Idiot." She repeated, deadpanning at him.
"Just as I expected!" A voice rang out from a nearby alley.
"You! You…Came again?" Luka startled, as the same reverse lamia from earlier today appeared in front of the party.
"Of course I did, I'm the surprise true heroine after all." Amira arrogantly stated.
"When did you become the heroine?! Don't joke around like that!" Alice spoke in anger.
"Actually… A wicked wizard turned me into this ugly sight. If I get a hero's kiss, I'll return to my princess form." Amira said, putting on her best sad act.
"Really?" Luka questioned, as naïve as ever.
"In a fairy tale, perhaps." Giorno deadpanned, quickly becoming annoyed at her despite just meeting her.
"Yes! She's just lying you idiot." Alice deadpanned too.
"Che! You both saw through it… There's no helping it… It looks like I'll have to use my newly acquired magic. Here I go! Heart Splash!" She called out as a bright white light overtook her body before she turned into particles and faded away.
"What the hell?" Luka said, confused by the entire encounter.
"Let's just go. If you spend your time being stupid, you'll never reach the Monster Lord's castle." She admonished, her patience already at its limit.
The two of them left, leaving behind Giorno who still looked at the place where the monster stood not too long ago.
"Meh… I've seen stranger things." He brushed off as he walked off and followed after his comrades.
The hunt for more clues to solving the 'Arrow Incident' had hit a dead end. A year had passed and no significant discoveries had been made.
The angels dispatched soon became less numerous with each new patrol. The areas they searched fanned out further away from the original point where the arrow was found, yet the result stayed the same.
The Valkryie in charge sighed in frustration, believing this entire ordeal to be a waste of time. Another day wasted when they could be offering their services to achieve so much more.
The detachment of Angels regrouped at Heaven's Gate, although one of their members was missing. "We're missing a Cupid..." She double-checked the group of exhausted angels to confirm her suspicions.
"Guys! Look what I found!" The familiar-sounding angel shouted, appearing from the treeline with a green object in her hands.
The rest of the angels gathered around her to see what the fuss was about.
"That's weird..."
"Never seen something like that before..."
"Strange..."
The object in her hands was undoubtedly a turtle, with a strange golden key inserted into its shell. "That's not all. Check this out!" She proclaimed as she set the turtle down, before leaping into the key and disappearing.
"Woah!"
"How?!"
"Inconceivable!"
One by one, the angels jumped into the turtle, from which faint noises of wonder and awe could be heard, leaving only the leader of the current expedition in the outside world.
The Valkyrie in charge could only smile in delight, clearly this was going to please their Goddess.
And they were going to be well rewarded for their efforts...
AN:
Alot of these early encounters won't see Giorno at his most ruthless, because the opponents aren't technically garbage people. They may rape others (Which is still pretty awful) but that doesn't justify our gangstar mutilating the Bandits or any of the upcoming ones. But when the monsters who are genuinely horrible people attack, he is not going to let them off easy, trust me on that. (I can think of one monster in particular, near the end of Part 2)
Any human in MGQ can see spirits or even angels, altough there is the weird rule with the fairies from the later part in the game dealing with how faithful you are to Ilias. Though to interact with them, you need to have special weapons or magic tailored to attack incorporeal opponents. (i.e Angel Halo) So I don't think alot of characters would normally see stands, but if they catch on to some invisible thing punching them, they would have the capacity to strike at stands successfully.
Not saying my logic is great, but I'm just putting out the rules in my fic out there clearly.
But I am planning to address the stand rules later, much near the end due to a certain angel scientist.
Spoiler: It's not just the turtle that is important, it's who came along that is going to have drastic consequences.
Sorry for the long wait, things got hectic in my life. I'm glad to say that I'll be able to update more frequently given that things are much calmer at my workplace and home. Also was acting up and refused to let me add any new documents to this fic so I had to use the mobile app. Updates from now on should be more consistent. (Not another 2 month wait at least, apologies)