Chapter 4: Free Bird
The full reality of his situation came upon the stand-user, flaring up a decisive feeling of annoyance. The aching of his feet as he walked along the path next to his allies would never cease, as this world did not have any fast means of travel that he knew of. Giorno could only silently long for the familiar feeling of a vehicle, inwardly cursing whatever phenomenon brought him here as he pondered the thought of walking across three separate continents on dress shoes.
The party of three was currently heading towards Happiness Village, at the request of the Sutherland Inn owner. Unsurprisingly, Alice had no sign of irritation on her face or any feeling of it betrayed by her body language. Perhaps those Ama-ama Dangos were that good, given that the Monster Lord hoarded his entire share of them.
They had reached a section of the nearby forest at just after noon, allowing the surroundings to captivate Giorno's attention from the sheer monotony of hills and green fields. Small talk was not a particularly great feat either of his travel mates had, much to his disappointment. He'd take Mista's silly rants about how people would taste any day over this…
Thankfully, Alice had taken the initiative to break the silence. "By the way… Do you know why it's called Happiness Village?" she asked as she slithered along, almost expecting ignorance from the shortest member of the party.
"Because they're all happy?" Luka rubbed the back of his head, taking the most obvious guess. He couldn't help but imagine the sight of a village of beekeepers, making delicious honey and happily skipping through their bountiful fields.
"Tell him how much of an idiot he is, Giorno." She requested, vindicated at the simple answer she received.
"Tell him yourself." Giorno dismissed, not wanting to be roped into the history lesson he had already learned back when he read Alice's travel guide.
"Ugh… The name is derived from the nearby Harpy Village." She huffed, rolling her eyes as she spoke.
"Oh… Is that why?" Luka pondered, seeing the similarity in the names of the villages in question.
"Naturally, it won't be difficult to understand what the problem is…" Giorno added, soliciting a nod of approval from Alice. But in the next moment, she simply vanished from sight, alarming the remaining duo.
He sighed in annoyance due to the ridiculous encounter rate the group seemed to have. It seemed like Alice wasn't lying when she explained how good they smelled. "Are we going to run into every monster possible at this rate?"
"Another monster?" Luka thought aloud as he unsheathed Angel Halo. A brief silence followed as they waited for the eventual encounter, followed by a faint buzzing that gradually grew closer and closer.
The buzzing gave way to a yellow figure who landed on the path in front of them, revealing herself to be a Bee Monster. Giorno had to admit, he wasn't particularly impressed with this one either. Much like the Worm Girl, the insect attributes eclipsed whatever attraction one could experience. But maybe he was just in the minority, given how men of this world seemed rather vulnerable to all monsters.
"Fufu… unbaptized travelers. You look delicious." She promptly licked her lips after that remark, sizing up the pair of men she happened across. On her back rested what appeared to be a beehive, dripping honey on the ground around her.
"I'll spread my honey all over you, and slowly lick it off… Let my tongue taste all of you." She drawled, her mouth watering at the fun she could have.
Luka knew that this monster would refuse to see reason and immediately jumped in with his signature attack, Demon Decapitation. The blow sent the Bee Girl stumbling back before she gathered some honey and threw it at the two attackers, covering them in her sticky liquid.
"What is this?!" Luka shouted, with his sense of smell being overpowered. He glanced over at Giorno, who was noticeably irritated as the splash of honey had managed to find its way into his hair.
"Muda… muda…" He muttered, holding back his expression of anger to maintain the façade of calm. The overwhelmingly sweet smell had honestly made him feel nauseous too, almost inflicting him with a headache.
"Fufu… I'm so happy. Covered in my sweet honey, let me lick you all over." She teased, eyeing Giorno in particular, fixated on his boob window which was now covered in her honey. "Of course, I'll lick your dick too… Your delicious semen will be even better mixed with my honey." She explicitly added, making Giorno adopt a fierce look in his eyes.
"As if I'd let them happen!" Luka roared, swinging at her in frustration. Multiple swings connected with her body, making her wince in pain. But the monster had one last trick up her sleeve, lunging her hands to his pants and pulling them down with ease.
Little Luka was once again revealed to the world, sending Giorno into action. He'd wanted to let his friend handle conflicts by himself, only stepping in when necessary. He'd decided that now was such a time to step in.
He was pleasantly surprised when Luka skillfully repositioned Angel Halo around the area of his exposed member. As such, when the Bee Girl flung her body at him, she allowed herself to be struck with the final blow.
"What is this? My strength…" The Bee Girl muttered, her strength leaving her body as she dissolved into particles. A small bee flew away in the aftermath of her defeat.
"Alright! I did it!" Luka celebrated, lifting his arms in the air triumphantly.
Giorno remained looking away, confusing the victorious hero. It was only when Alice reappeared with a steady stare at his lower body that he realized he had forgotten to pull his pants up.
"Aaah! I'm sorry!" He stammered, his face becoming beet red as Alice's gaze shamelessly lingered on his package. There were even traces of hunger in her yellow orbs, something he could tell during her eating binge at the Sutherland Inn.
"Pervert…" Was all she could deflect with, electing to move on with the more pressing matter of saving the Happiness Honey. It was all for her precious Dango after all…
After a small detour to wash off all the honey they had been sprayed with, they had finally reached their destination. Happiness Village was the typical peaceful village one could expect this far south in the world. Its fields being tended to by various farmers, and children playing in the open, Giorno saw it quite like Ilias Village. However, he quickly found an anomaly which greatly upset him.
"So, this is Happiness Village?" Luka asked no one, admiring the peaceful atmosphere. "It doesn't look like anything horrible is happening…" He shrugged as he walked, missing a crucial detail.
"Are you blind, you idiot?" Alice insulted, deadpanning at his carelessness.
"Eh?" Luka exclaimed, still not getting what was wrong.
"Luka, I don't see any men working the fields… or anywhere really," Giorno spoke, paying attention to the issue at hand. "More so, I fail to see any boys in the groups of children either, just that one helping out in the fields." He looked around the village homes to spot a young boy being chastised by what seemed to be his mother before she promptly escorted him inside the home.
"Hmm… So that's what it is then…" He finally ascertained, hopefully understanding what happened here after all.
"Oh… now that you mention it, I see what you mean." He agreed.
"You need to work on your observation skills, idiot," Alice recommended, getting the cogs in his mind to turn.
"Giorno… You're pretty observant. How did you manage that?" He asked, envious of his friend's intelligence. He was kind of scary when it came to reading his opponents too, like that time he busted all the guards at Ilias Village when he played poker.
"Observation isn't just looking around. It's looking around carefully. That alone could save your life, so work on that skill." Giorno said.
"It's too bad he doesn't have a good intuition. He seems to lack that inner voice most people have." Alice insulted, making Luka's brows furrow. The small conversation drew the attention of a nearby farmer, who recognized the trio as new arrivals to their village.
"Oh, travelers? And young people, at that. You came all the way here, but we don't have anything to entertain a traveler with. Due to a shortage of manpower, we have a shortage of happiness honey too…" She admitted, her face falling into a frown as she adjusted a ring on her finger.
Luka spotted Giorno sharply turning his head to the young boy working in the fields. "Why do you have a shortage of manpower-" He attempted to ask before the blonde broke into a full sprint towards the child.
"Huh?" Alice voiced, before raising her head to the sky. A look of understanding soon followed when she realized what was happening.
"Kid! Run away! Look up!" Giorno warned, getting the kid to turn his head towards the sky. His eyes widened in fear as his legs froze up. "Waaaa!" He yelled out, prompting other villagers to do the same and begin dispersing. Giorno supposed that was the most likely reaction upon seeing a harpy gunning for oneself.
Much to his horror, none so much as tried to save the poor kid. Instead prioritizing their safety and fleeing the scene. The harpy readied her talons to snatch the kid, a grin spreading on her face all the while.
"A harpy?!" Luka shouted, making his way to the scene. Alice was nowhere to be found, as usual considering the circumstances.
Giorno decided that it was now or never, grabbing hold of a knife from his belt. He found it quite difficult to aim while in a dead sprint, but he trusted in his dexterity regardless. Upon lining up appropriately, he threw the knife as hard as he could at the Harpy, utilizing Gold Experience to enhance the power of his throw.
The knife was unbalanced, obviously meant for cutting meat in a kitchen. As such, the metallic handle smashed right into the Harpy's outstretched foot. She shrieked in pain, the force of the blow sending her careening off course and onto the ground.
That bought Giorno and Luka all the time in the world to get to the boy, instantly shielding him. "Run away, little boy!" He wordlessly obliged before running away, only hesitating to look at his two saviors.
"Gah! My leg! You broke it!" The Harpy girl screeched, flying just above the ground with a strained effort. One look at her bird-like foot was all one needed to see they were mangled at the ankle, limply swaying with the motion of her wings.
"Be grateful that's all that happened…" Giorno interjected, picking up the knife he threw. He noticed that a feather had been left behind from her fall, taking possession of it too.
Luka had a conflicted look on his face, worried about the severity of the Harpy's injury. Angel Halo made fighting a monster painless, something trivialized with no real blood being spilled. Giorno only had his knives, that sword, and his fists. His actions left real-world consequences, ones that were difficult to look at.
"I'm done here! I just wanted a m-mate! Is t-that so bad!" She shouted, tears falling from her eyes as she flew away. Her leg injury impeded her top speed, allowing Giorno to line up another throw on her, aiming at her wing this time.
But one look at his companion dissuaded this action, seeing the concern of taking things too far play out in Luka's eyes. "Giorno, please stop. It's over now…" He quietly pleaded, stepping in front of the blonde.
"How useless… Now she can go back and warn her allies." He chided, putting the knife back into his belt. But not before wiping some blood off it, it seemed it managed to draw some blood regardless of whether the blade struck first or not.
"Did you see that?" A woman shouted out.
"Those travelers drove the harpy away!" A teenage girl exclaimed before the duo was swarmed with a mass of women. All that could be heard were the praises escaping their lips.
"You must be really skilled to drive off a harpy!" An old woman complimented, eliciting a blush from Luka. Giorno remained stone-faced, seeming disappointed for some reason as he looked at the various villagers.
"Who are you?" Luka asked.
"I'm the village chief's wife… Since he has been kidnapped, I am the acting village chief." The old woman explained.
"Barricading yourself in a house even as a child is being abducted? Can you really call yourself chief like that? Actually, not a single person in this village tried to help…" Alice argued, finally reappearing.
"Oi oi, Alice…" Luka attempted to interject.
The looks of shame on their faces were palpable. The mother whose boy was almost kidnapped especially so as she held onto him for dear life.
"You said too much, Alice… It isn't possible for these weak women to fight monsters…" Luka defended.
"That's quite an old way of thinking." Giorno chided, making Luka upset to see that he agreed with Alice. "Women can fight too; all one needs is the resolve to see it through." He briefly thought of Trish, a young girl who fought the likes of Notorious B.I.G and even against her own father. Though Trish did have a stand at her side, unlike the women in this village.
"What can weak people like us do? Now travelers… We hate to impose, but we have a favor to ask of you-" The chief's wife started.
"Hahaha, here it comes, Hero. They're going to try to force their problems onto you." Alice satirically said, stifling further laughs. The old woman expressed some annoyance but continued with her request.
"I'm sure you're aware, but there are no men in this village. As you saw earlier, the Harpies are kidnapping all our men." She explained.
"The man I married two months ago was kidnapped." A young woman lamented.
"My husband too! Even though he came from another village, he was kidnapped a month ago…" Another woman added, massaging her baby bump.
"E-Even my fourteen-year-old son… Those Harpies again…" An older woman sobbed, being consoled by her friends.
"How horrible…What do they do with the kidnapped men?" Luka asked.
"We don't know… None of them ever returned. Are they worked as slaves? Eaten for food? We have no idea…" The elder's wife replied.
"How awful…" Luka sympathized.
"With no men, this village is doomed to fade away. Please, travelers. Can you root out the Harpies and return peace to our village?" The elder's wife pleaded.
"Why don't you do it yourselves?" Alice deflected.
"Alice…" Luka started.
"Isn't it right though? What meaning is there to bringing peace if you can't maintain it by yourselves? To rely on outsiders while hiding in your houses… How pathetic." Alice scoffed.
"So, you say, Alice… But isn't it unreasonable to ask weak villagers to fight monsters?" He argued back.
"How many?" Giorno inquired, ending the conversations everyone was having.
"Excuse me?" The elder's wife asked, genuinely caught off guard.
"You said that none of the men had returned…" He started, before placing his hands on his hips. "You also said that you have no idea what happens to the men they steal, so why would you say that?"
"I don't see your point… That makes sense to me…" The old woman shakily answered.
"You wouldn't expect kidnapped victims to return of their own accord. Especially considering none of them could fight very well. These men were farmers, not warriors." He adopted an analytical expression next, pondering how to phrase his next words.
"Unless of course, the men the Harpies took weren't just villagers here. Let me guess, we aren't the first travelers you beckoned for assistance…? That's why none have returned?" He inquired.
"…" The village elder's wife was mortified, having been found out. Another woman nodded with a downcast expression. "We sent seven other travelers… None of them returned…" She confirmed.
Alice felt vindicated, having a small smile on her face as the truth came out.
"Where do they take the men?" Luka asked, earning a glare from Giorno.
"A settlement east of the village, in the forest." The elder replied.
"Are you really going to defeat them?" A woman asked.
"Yay! Thank you, traveler!" A young girl exclaimed.
"Even after finding out seven others may have died; you still want to go? You really want to help such a horrible village?" Alice incredulously asked.
"But we're all powerless…" The old woman lamented.
"Even so, you've sent seven travelers to certain death. Now you're trying to send another. For sure, what the Harpies are doing is bad, but you all aren't doing much better." Alice scornfully accused.
"That's enough, Alice. I'm still going to the Harpies Village." Luka declared.
"Do you really want to be praised by the people of this village that badly? You're going to destroy yourself with that silly wish of yours, idiot." Alice lambasted, getting terribly angry with Luka's foolishness.
"I'm not doing it to be praised! I just want to use my Heroic Valiant Sword to protect the weak!" Luka declared, making Alice roll her eyes.
"You're still a fake hero though." She sighed, accepting that this was inevitable.
"My husband died early due to a sickness… My only son, Mark was stolen by them! If he's still alive, I'm sure he's waiting for someone to help him… As a mother, I have to go!" She declared.
"It's too dangerous, Martha!" The elder's wife warned.
"I'm coming too!" Another woman added.
"It's as the silver-haired woman and the blonde man said. In spite of our situation, we all just hid in our houses. We're cowards, we need to fight!" She concluded.
"That's right… We have to defend our village!" A younger girl yelled out.
A chorus of agreements followed after, with everyone deciding to take up arms against the Harpies.
"But everyone…" The elder's wife protested, her words getting caught in her throat.
"It's too late, chief. We can't push our problems on an unrelated traveler." Yet another woman declared.
"That's right. If we all band together, I'm sure we can do something…" another reassured.
"Hey, wait a moment! Even if you all band together, it's still too dangerous!" Luka protested.
"With Harpies, there is always a leader. If you defeat them, the rest will fall into chaos. Like that, even weak people like them may stand a chance." Alice helpfully suggested.
"Is that true? Then I'll defeat the leader!" Luka proclaimed to the villagers.
"But…" A woman started.
"You're not doing this alone. I'll be there too." Giorno added, not at all liking this side of Luka. His heroic spirit was inspiring, but he needed to know his limitations.
"Then find somewhere safe to wait. Once we beat the boss, I'll give you all a signal to attack." He ordered.
"We're sorry… the most important part is still up to you." A woman apologized, feeling useless.
"We'll deal with it; he is a hero after all." Giorno encouraged, making Luka smile a bit.
"Haha… thanks." He bashfully rubbed his head.
"A fake one…" Alice mocked, ruining the moment yet again.
The village split up, likely to discuss who would stay behind to watch the children. The young boy from the field walked up to the trio, nervously fidgeting with his fingers. "Thank you… for saving me. When I grow up, I want to protect everyone. Just like you two…" He ran off after displaying his gratitude, leaving behind a grinning Luka.
"Luka… Why do you care about these strangers? Do you just want them to call you a hero?" Alice asked out of nowhere.
"I just want to help them… Even if you want to call me a fake hero, it doesn't change what I believe in." Luka explained, adorning his most thoughtful expression.
"Humans are selfish and will trample the weak if it benefits them. Putting their desires above all else, they're happy to oppress others." She complained in annoyance.
Giorno took issue with that statement, where on Earth did she get that from? Was this some unresolved trauma she had yet to cope with?
"You're generalizing humans a lot there, no?" Giorno interjected. Alice responded by simply looking away, sighing as she watched the women prepare to assault the Harpies.
"But they don't look too bad when they're united. Humans are really strange…" She relented.
"Nobody likes being weak… 'I'm so weak, what can I do?' Humans hate thinking like that." Luka explained. The gangstar silently pondered that, reminiscing about his days of being a child. He was weak then too, being kicked around by society until he met that mysterious gangster.
"Hmm… When someone weak like you says that, it sounds believable. Alice agreed.
The trio fell into a silence, waiting for the time to strike…
"This silence is useless…" Giorno admitted. He decided to cheer up the other two, wanting to distract them from the depressing conversation. "I'd like to show you two something. Another of my abilities, if you will…"
"Huh… Really?" Luka asked, instantly having an interest. Alice just stared at him expectantly.
Giorno proceeded to fold his ear into his head, making Alice pout. He showed off the strange-looking results to the pair.
"Woah… that's weird." Luka responded, mesmerized by the display of flexibility.
"Idiot… What a stupid trick…." She huffed and pouted even further, though she seemed to be curious. "Can you do the other ear too?"
He obliged and did so, showing off his appearance with no visible ears.
"Everyone is ready!" A woman yelled, ending the little parlor show.
"Alright, let's head to the East! Everyone, don't push yourselves!" Luka declared as they all formed up. Along the way Giorno managed to catch sight of Alice playing with her ear, prompting him to grin slightly.
"What are you doing?" He teasingly asked. She flinched, dropping her arms to her sides.
"N-nothing… My ear was just itchy…" She shakily explained.
"This is it… A little further and you'll come into the Harpies Village." A girl spoke.
"Alright. I'll defeat the leader and send the signal. Once they're all confused and panicking, I'm counting on you!" he proclaimed to the crowd.
"Be careful! If it gets too dangerous, run away!" A woman pleaded.
"If I fail, please run away yourselves." Luka ordered. Giorno couldn't help but feel concerned with how much this was being said, was everyone here expecting to die?
"You're not going to fail. I'll be there at your side." The blonde reminded.
"Oh…um." Luka trailed off, fidgeting as he looked down. "Maybe you should stay here with the women? Just in case?" He suggested, raising a few eyebrows.
"What?" Giorno did a double take, glancing over at Alice who looked just as confused.
"I can handle this alone…you know?" He backed off, about to leave for the Harpy Village.
"Hey, Luka." Alice called out.
"Eh…?" He stopped after hearing her gentle tone of voice.
"…Make sure you come back. Don't lose in a place like this." She pleaded.
"…I won't lose! Alright, here I go!" Luka yelled, touched by her request. He dashed off into the distance, leaving a perplexed Giorno.
Since when did Alice ever speak like that? And what was up with that sudden request of Luka's? He never planned for Giorno to join him, by the looks of it.
"You should go…" Alice spoke up, gaining his attention. "You said it before, right? You wouldn't abandon him to fight alone…"
"Obviously… are you fine staying here?" He inquired, getting ready to move out.
"I'll keep an eye on these weaklings. Just keep that idiot safe… and don't do anything stupid either. You're just as reckless as he is." She assured, once again with that calm tone.
He wordlessly ran off, leaving her with the group of women lying in wait. She suppressed the urge to scoff at her own foolishness, she was getting too attached to these idiots after all.
Giorno placed down the feather he took from the earlier Harpy, transforming it into a snake. The snake began moving towards its rightful owner, likely recovering at her village. As such, Giorno had access to free navigation.
It wasn't long before he encountered sounds of battle, most notably hearing two people speaking. He peaked around a tree to see Luka facing another Harpy, this one looked rather serious.
Giorno did his best to disguise his movements, keeping hidden behind trees and bushes. He came across a fierce battle between a regal-looking Harpy and his short comrade.
The Harpy had fully opened her wings, removing all manner of defensive orientation. Luka rushed her in that moment, ready to strike her vulnerable neck. Yet just before committing, he held back his attack.
"Not going to attack me?" She taunted, goading him into falling for her trap.
"No… my gut is telling me something is off with that stance…" He resolutely replied.
"You're quite observant… but not good enough." She acquiesced, swiping his feet with her wings at ludicrous speeds. The fall left him winded and vulnerable to further attack. She immediately capitalized by stomping down on his sword arm, effectively disarming him.
"You should be glad, mating with a queen is a great honor…" She softly spoke, getting ready to finish the job.
"Muda muda…" Giorno interrupted, stepping out from his hiding spot and attracting her full attention.
The Harpy Queen turned her head to acknowledge the newcomer. As soon as she caught the belt of knives, her glare turned icy. "So, you're the one who gave Reina those injuries then?" She asked.
"If you mean the would-be child abductor, then yes…" Giorno admitted, already enacting his plan to beat the queen. "Honestly, I can't stand monsters…"
"What?!" Luka exclaimed, seeing the disgusted expression Giorno had when he addressed the queen. The queen herself was now laser-focused on Giorno, deeply disturbed by his comments. She never sensed the snake approaching Luka, nor did she pay attention when it began to morph.
"It took every ounce of willpower I had to refrain from killing that harpy. Adding another body to my kill count would have been so easy…" Giorno scoffed, twirling a knife in his hand.
Luka was in complete despair, refusing to believe the words coming out of his friend's mouth. Only being brought out of his stupor once he felt something tugging at his sword. He slowly turned his head to see a thorny vine wrapped around the handle of Angel Halo, urging him to let go of it.
"I can't wait to raze this village to the ground." Giorno added, making Queen Harpy furious.
He turned to Giorno again, noticing the devious look in his eyes as he continued to rant about murdering monsters. Luka finally saw through the ruse, letting go of his sword and trusting his comrade.
"You… you dare speak like this in the presence of a queen? I won't let you go unpunished for your threats, monster hunter." The Harpy Queen threatened, genuinely feeling fury at this Hero's declaration.
"I'm glad you fell for that. You've already lost…" Giorno exclaimed.
Before she could even realize it, the Harpy Queen had felt something cut into her abdomen. She stumbled back upon feeling her body weaken tremendously, right into two more vine roots which quickly wrapped around her ankles and wings. She caught a glimpse of the sword responsible for her injuries being utilized by a literal plant.
Just like that, she was hoisted off the air and turned upside down, at the perfect height for a follow-up attack from the purple-haired boy. She attempted to struggle, slashing at the vines in a panic with her talons.
She wailed in pain as her own body felt the consequences of her attacks, cuts, and gashes littering her body. Capitalizing on her weakness, Luka grabbed Angel Halo from the mass of vines and prepared to end the fight.
"Demon Decapitation!" He proclaimed, slashing the unprepared and disoriented Queen. That final attack ended the fight, with her body quickly becoming limp in the grasp of the vines.
Luka pulled out a cylindrical device, inspecting it before throwing it into the air. It exploded into a stream of lights, signaling the start of the assault. Queen Harpy looked to be genuinely scared, but not for her own sake.
"Charge!"
A woman yelled.
"Oh Ilias, give me strength!" One girl prayed as a horde of women armed with farming equipment surrounded the bound Queen Harpy. There was immediate animosity when they confronted the leader of the culprits who stole their husbands, brothers, and sons.
"So, you're the leader!" An older woman exclaimed, followed by a poignant pause as everyone stared at the mass of vines imprisoning her.
"Um… What's with the vines?" A teenage girl inquired, looking over at Luka.
"And why does she look so sad?" Another girl followed up.
"Aren't you here to raze the village? To destroy us all?" The Harpy Queen asked, feeling the weight of her failure to defeat these two Heroes.
"What?! No! We're here to rescue the men!" The village chief's wife explained.
"What gave you that idea?" Another woman inquired.
"The blonde one over there…" The bound monster replied. Luka felt guilty due to the reliance on the underhanded strategy, and even more so once he realized how fearful his adversary must have been.
"Sorry… He was lying, trying to get your attention away from me." He apologized, calming the Queen down.
Giorno felt a sudden surge in lifeforms moving to their location, grabbing a handful of knives as he faced the new arrivals. But he was caught off-guard to feel the presence of human life among the signatures.
"Queen? What's going on!?" A Harpy yelled from her home in the trees.
"Humans are attacking?!" Another monster shouted.
"Running out of time…" Giorno emphasized, prompting Luka to find a solution before a battle began.
"Swear to me that you will return all of the men. If you don't… I'll have to cut you again." He pleaded, though the queen had no reaction to it.
"…I won't." The Queen refused, staring at the ground in resignation.
"Fine then… Suit yourself." Giorno relented, nodding at Luka who raised his blade. Just as he was about to seal the Harpy Queen, a male voice interrupted him.
"Hey! Wait! Stop that!" An old man pleaded in panic.
"Don't cut the Queen!" Another male said, as a whole village's worth of men grouped near the Harpy Queen.
"Fa… Father?!" A young girl yelled.
"Mark, you're safe!" The mother who lost her husband shouted, rushing to hug her son after thinking he was gone.
"What the hell is going on?!" Luka asked in confusion, upon seeing all the men alive and well.
"Mark… What happened to you?" The woman questioned.
That question led to the reveal of a lifetime for these ladies, learning that all the men had been 'busy' making new families with the Harpies. Mothers had new grandchildren, children had new siblings and wives had new rivals to compete with.
Even after the lengthy reunions, a dim silence remained in the aftermath. None could muster the courage to speak anymore. Except for one man that is…
"That's right. Those Harpies are our family now" An elderly man said, stepping forward into the open.
"Chief?!" The various women screamed.
"You were still alive?" His wife asked.
"The Harpies are our family, and so are the village women. We shouldn't allow our two families to fight each other." The chief concluded.
Other men agreed, sharing the same sentiment as the village chief. Giorno could only look them in the eyes with disappointment. He knew what was going on here, they only wished to have their cake and eat it too.
"Since we can be nothing but female, we would be unable to breed if we did not borrow human males. However, with humans coming to hate monsters, what choice did we have?" The Harpy Queen explained.
"You stole every human male despite that fact? What happens when you run out of men again?" Giorno countered.
"He's right… You took every last one." Luka added.
"We don't want to die out. You can't just take them all away." She pleaded.
"We never hurt any of the men, we made sure they were happy…" A harpy assured.
"That's right, the men are too important to injure or force against their will…" Another shyly added.
"Yet you still kidnapped them to have your way. I have a feeling your definition of consent doesn't match up with mine." Giorno lambasted.
"Are you saying the men enjoyed it here?" Luka inquired.
"Of course! They made me feel young again! Every night…" The chief admitted, making Giorno openly scowl.
"You know what? This isn't our problem, it's yours. Converse and deal with this." He finished, before commanding the vines to release the Harpy Queen. "If you want to resolve this peacefully, do so now." And when the conversations started again, he made sure to fade into the background.
Luka joined him not too long after, followed by Alice. The trio observed the chaos and shouting as the two villages negotiated a deal.
"Looks like monsters will trample the weak too, given the chance. Right, Alice?" Giorno exclaimed.
"Hmph, even if I understand the Harpy Queen's argument… I'm disappointed honestly." She replied.
"But I can't call these men innocent now either. They too want to force the women to their will. No matter the species, we're all flawed regardless." Giorno explained.
"Hahaha… I can understand that too." She agreed, smiling a bit.
"You were really scary back there… I didn't know you could act like that." Luka shifted, leaning against the tree.
"Well… I just happen to be a good liar." Giorno shrugged. "But what were you thinking when you went off alone back there?"
"Oh… nothing really." Luka trailed off. He looked very uncomfortable when under the scrutinizing gaze of his two companions. "Okay, I was just concerned… that's all." He relented, letting out a large breath he'd been holding.
"I was scared when you threw that knife… Your weapons aren't like Angel Halo, they don't seal monsters." He explained while staring at the knives and sword his friend utilized.
"I don't want to kill anyone…" He confessed, his voice barely a whisper.
Giorno sighed in frustration, tapping the ground with his feet. Now he was in a very precarious position, simply because of his ally's disdain for the act of killing someone.
"You're much too naïve for this world…" Alice lamented.
"Luka, the opponents we face may not share that viewpoint. Yet you wish to show them that courtesy?" Giorno questioned.
"I don't mind if you injure them… Just promise me that you won't kill them." Luka compromised, almost begging Giorno to agree.
"…Fine. But on one condition." He started, rubbing his head as he thought. "If at any point our lives are genuinely in danger… I won't hesitate to end the fight. Permanently."
Luka gulped but nodded at his terms. He vowed to never allow that possibility to occur, he would grow stronger. He would not let someone else kill for his sake…
"Well then… We won't forcibly kidnap men from Happiness Village anymore." Queen Harpy declared after more than an hour of deliberation between the villages.
"Hrm. We will send men to marry Harpies. In return, the Harpies must also help with the farming and beekeeping in our village." The chief's wife stated before the two shook hands. Or whatever one called it when you shook the wing of a harpy.
The now-allied villages proposed a celebration that very night, inviting the trio that made this entire situation possible.
It was strangely human in nature, with humans and harpies dancing along with each other. One wouldn't have guessed they had been at odds nearly an hour ago. Luka and Alice were almost conjoined at the hip the entire evening, with the latter receiving a gift of happiness honey.
Giorno didn't miss the overprotective looks she gave when the queen harpy spoke to Luka, almost as if she was threatened. He was under the impression that she saw him as food, but perhaps there was some growing attachment here…
Giorno disliked being seen, which was why that earlier outburst and scolding was so out of character for him. Anyone from Earth would feel uncomfortable with this world, but applying their logic in a world like this was useless.
This was how the people of this world did things, and he would have to go along with it. That didn't mean he had to agree with it, he would just leave it to Alice and Luka next time. It wasn't his problem if the men here wanted to live a life like this, it's not like he belonged here either.
He was a wallflower by choice, speaking to as few people as possible. Among those are the girlfriends and wives in the human village who reserved grievances about being forced to accept a polygamous relationship. He had even spoken to some of the men who he questioned about the effects of their 'mating', hearing firsthand how dangerous it was to be introduced to a monster's pleasure.
All that did was affirm how necessary it was to avoid that possibility, no matter how much it cost him. In the midst of his reflection, he spotted the harpy he grievously wounded. She sat on a chair off to the side of the party, her leg in a fixed cast.
He hadn't missed the accusatory glances Luka gave him, almost silently begging him to do something about it. She looked quite miserable, and he did feel the smallest bit of pity for her…
Reina felt like crying, the biggest celebration of the decade, and she couldn't be a part of it. All because of that admittedly handsome blonde fracturing her leg, she was pretty much out of commission for a few months, stuck in this cast.
She was at least happy enough to not be bedridden, sitting by her lonesome was at least better than that. That was the itinerary before that same blonde was standing right next to her.
"Oh… Hello again." She awkwardly greeted, nervous at the sight of him again.
"Reina… That is your name, no?" Giorno asked, recalling the name the queen mentioned.
"Yeah, did the Queen tell you?" Reina replied.
"Yes…" He trailed off, observing the party as they fell into silence. "Let's get straight to the point. Would you like the chance to join the party?" Giorno asked out of nowhere.
"Huh? I've got a fracture; I'm not dancing for a while." She responded, being slightly sassy with her tone.
"I can fix that if you wish." He offered, making her eyes widen.
"How so?" She inquired as he bent down on his knee.
"May I?" He asked, pointing to her leg. She nodded before he began to inspect her leg, lightly touching the place he had struck her.
"Hmm… A fractured Tibiotarsus. Easy for me to deal with." He diagnosed as he held on tighter. "This will hurt for a bit, okay?" He warned.
The next moment, a warm golden light engulfed her body. Just like he said, it hurt as she felt her leg regain its strength. The golden light shone so bright that nearby citizens caught onto it, perplexed by the sight.
The broken-off portion of her bone was imbued with life energy and mutated into a new living section of bone tissue, promptly rejoining the rest of her healthy leg.
He let go and got up to his feet, holding out a hand for her to grab. She reciprocated by wrapping her wing around his arm and standing on her own two feet. She still winced as her leg hurt but at a lower intensity.
"The pain should subside after a few hours; it'll take time for your body to accept the bone." He advised, with cold proficiency.
"Why help me?" She hesitantly asked, testing her leg.
"I didn't do this to be your friend…you just seemed lonely." He answered, before walking off to the party.
"Gah… what a heartthrob." She drawled, hyper-aware of the fact that she was still single. Maybe she could ask his little friend for some tips to melt that icy heart of his.
Queen Harpy was pleasantly surprised by the events of today. They'd established a historic agreement that would secure the future of both villages for generations to come.
Only one thing bothered her, that blonde traveler. His first impression had been a shock to her, as he quite literally declared that he would wipe her village out. She was on the verge of going all out on him too, before she was taken down.
Alas, the small hero had directly apologized to her multiple times. He was apparently lying, only attempting to rile her up and force her attention to him. But she couldn't help her curiosity about his strange control over plants and his miraculous healing ability.
That was why she inquired about him, receiving a startling bit of news from the Hero and his female companion. He was a male monster, a rare example of that possibility. Born from a plant monster too, which made sense considering his powerset.
He had approached her after healing Reina, bowing respectfully as he addressed her. He had spent some time with her, apologizing for the deceit and threats of violence he made. Though he reiterated that it was necessary in his view. He was quite patient and knowledgeable for a human this young, and so very charming as he made light conversation with her.
He finished the encounter by healing the cuts she received earlier, before excusing himself to retire for the night. She couldn't help but remember she really needed a husband…
The following morning, it was time for them to depart the village. Everyone had managed to gather at the road leading out, ready to say their goodbyes.
"We are indebted to you, travelers." The chief's wife said.
"Please come to our village again! We'll be glad to have you!" A woman offered.
"Even if we had our reasons, we were still wrong. Because of you, we were able to fix it. I wish you a safe journey." The Harpy Queen gratefully said.
"Thank you all!" Luka smiled.
"Have a safe journey!" The boy they saved wished.
"Hehe… Come back and play again! We'll be glad to be your partners then…" Reina seductively added, attempting to get a reaction out of Giorno. He kept his nonchalant expression, not even acknowledging the comment.
"Actually… one last thing." The Queen Harpy interrupted, stepping closer to Alice. "Are you perhaps…"
"A traveling gourmet." Alice responded rather quickly.
"Hmm… then I don't need to inquire any further." She concluded, smiling as she discovered the truth.
Luka remained clueless, only looking confused at the interaction.
Thus, they left the village for good.
"We should check out that village the shopkeeper mentioned." Luka suggested as they journeyed away from Happiness Village.
"Hmm… This village isn't mentioned, even in my new guidebook. Maybe there's a new specialty food to be discovered…" Alice wondered aloud, somewhat hopeful.
"How about you, Giorno?" Luka questioned, receiving a nod from the blonde.
"I don't mind, I do wonder what this place will be like. Must be quite special to create that armor." He replied.
"Speaking of that, why didn't you buy any of that armor?" Luka pointed out, only seeing minor armored plates over his friend's vital areas.
"It's not my style, simple as that." He bluntly answered.
"You're not doing yourself any favors with that outfit. Monsters certainly appreciate the eye candy, for what it's worth." Alice commented.
"My fashion is perfectly normal. What use is armor if I can just heal myself after a battle anyway?" Giorno explained, he could point out a number of outfits from Italy that were worse than his.
Probably Diavolo, given he actively walked around shirtless… Or maybe a monster would appreciate the midriff Mista showed off. But even they could be considered modest compared to most of the monsters they'd encountered so far.
"You mean other people dress like that too? Seems like a monster's paradise." She sarcastically remarked.
'More like a gangster's paradise if anything…' He thought to himself, wondering how Passione was doing without its Don. Mista and Fugo definitely had it locked down in his absence, they'd matured so much in the year since beating the boss.
Along the way, the group had fallen into a comfortable silence. The forest path they were taking was confusing and outright frustrating, with many splits in the road taking them to dead ends.
Whoever lived in this village certainly wanted to make it as hard as possible to find it. But who would willingly restrict the flow of travelers and potential immigrants from finding their village? It made no financial sense for one, nor did it seem sustainable for its population.
Unless of course, sustainability was not an issue for them…
Giorno's suspicions were confirmed when he sensed an entity beelining for their current location, seeming to be a mostly human female at first.
"Hmm…? That's an unusual monster…" Alice commented, alerting Luka to the upcoming fight.
"Eh?" He exclaimed as Alice vanished, sighing as he looked at the woman who approached from the bushes.
The woman could have been described as normal, wielding a sword and wearing the clothes of a militia scout. The only thing betraying this was her pointed ears, and the faint energy Giorno could sense with Gold Experience commonly associated with monsters.
"An elf…" Giorno commented, recognizing the iconic monster.
"Go back to where you came. This is a place man must not approach." The Dark Elf warned, pointing her sword at the men.
"Why aren't humans allowed?" Luka inquired, weary about starting a fight they didn't have to.
"Because if they're human. If you do not retreat, I shall be forced to act." She replied with hostility.
"Even still, I need to get through!" Luka declared, drawing Angel Halo.
"If you won't retreat, then I shall force you into deprivation. I will contaminate you with my darkness and make you into my plaything!" She yelled out.
Near instantly, Luka used Demon Decapitation on her, leaving a large gash of light on her neck. However, that did not stop her from pulling his pants down, preparing to sandwich his member between her ample bosom.
That was her intention before being shoved by the blonde man, landing on her back a few feet away from where she once was.
"Can't you fight normally? You do have a sword." Giorno questioned, agitated by this style of 'fighting'. Luka used this time to pull his pants back up, eager to hide his shame.
"This is normal! Fall into darkness!" She exclaimed before she sprinted at him, about to plant a kiss on his lips. The blonde man simply sidestepped her telegraphed attack and allowed her to run into the simple slash his short friend swung at her.
"What is this? My body.." She questioned, panicking as her body began to dissolve into a mixture of particles. Once the light faded, she was left in her original state, but at the size of a doll.
"A Dark Elf in such a place… Why on Earth…" Alice pondered, suddenly reappearing.
"Who knows? I didn't know that Elves were this close to Ilias Village…" Luka commented, checking his pants again.
"You need to buy a belt…" Giorno suggested, having seen his package for the second time in two days.
"That wouldn't help, any monster would just destroy it." Alice interjected.
"Then wear two of them… Or learn to dodge." He frustratingly added, before sensing another presence about to meet them.
"How useless… Another one." He warned, already noting Alice's disappearance.
"I won't let you go any farther than this… I'll summon tentacles for you two and make you its prey." She grimly threatened, adopting a manic grin as she hungered for their essence.
This Elf had purple skin reminiscent of that of Purple Haze, wearing a conservative dress if not for the see-through sections. That revealed all her most private areas for the world to see.
The Elf proceeded to hike her dress up, revealing a mass of tentacles squirming and writhing. What the hell kind of Elf was this supposed to be?
"Gah…" Luka backed off, off-put by her appearance. However in the next second. He rushed her with every thought of ending the fight.
"Take this…" The Elf said, as a tentacle shot out and caressed his groin. Luka spared only an uncomfortable moan before swiping at it with his blade.
Another wave of tentacles shot out from her dress and wrapped themselves around Luka's legs and Giorno's body. They were soon hoisted up into the air, with the former unable to fight back.
"Fufu… You can't move now. Let me suck up everything like this… Don't be afraid. It will feel good as everything is sucked away…" She seductively spoke, with more tentacles reaching for their pants.
"Before you do that… Are these tentacles considered part of your body?" Giorno calmly asked.
"Uh… yes?" She answered in confusion, noticing the sheer indifference he had to this situation. At least the purple boy had good enough reactions to their eventual doom.
"Good." He simply replied, before smacking one of her tentacles.
The monster's entire body stiffened as the sultry smile remained frozen on her face. All her tentacles stopped advancing, losing their grip on the two men she had captured. This left them both free to simply peel off the offending appendages with little resistance.
With little else, Luka jammed Angel Halo straight into her chest. The critical hit on the defenseless monster proved enough for the sealing effects of the sword to begin. Yet she remained motionless, eventually being overcome by the particles of light and turning into another doll-sized monster.
"What did you do? Is she okay?" Luka asked, seeing the doll-sized enemy lying still on the forest floor. His breathing quickly flared up once a few more seconds had gone by, with no change still.
"What the hell?! What did you do to me!? How can humans use magic this powerful?" She roared back to life, hyperventilating as she ran away.
"Huh? Why did she stop moving? Was it somehow because of that slap?" Luka questioned, turning to look at the blonde.
"My healing ability has offensive potential, it's very versatile." He simply explained, taking great care to remain vague.
"Another Dark Elf… They don't hang out in groups like that…" Alice commented, appearing out of nowhere yet again.
"I thought there weren't too many Dark Elves to start with?" Luka added on.
"That's right. Originally Elves were a pure and innocent race. However, very rarely one would become corrupted. They called this phenomenon Degeneration. They would turn into a depraved existence. Alienated from other Elves, they would act like normal monsters. In addition, if a Dark Elf continues to grow in power, it's possible they could turn into a different type of monster…" She lectured, seemingly proud of her book smarts.
"So that one was in the midst of her transformation then?" Giorno asked.
"Possibly… In any case, we shouldn't be loitering around here." Alice warned.
"That was really detailed, Alice." Luka commented.
"Of course. Just who do you think I am?" She scoffed.
"I have no idea." Luka replied, making Giorno roll his eyes.
After some more traveling, they finally came into view of the hidden village. Upon first glance, it looked to be quite cozy.
"There it is! Enrika!" Luka declared, picking up speed as he walked towards the houses. He was quickly joined by Alice, who had changed into her human form. Giorno had taken to trailing a bit behind the two of them, electing to create scouts to observe the village.
A single dove flew overhead, allowing Giorno unprecedented vision of the occupants. He wasn't at all shocked to see that they consisted mostly of Elves, but the human-looking woman put him off.
"This is it?" Luka thought aloud, as the party entered the confines of the village.
"…So, it's like that… Those Dark Elves from before make sense now too…" Alice suddenly realized.
"A village of outcasts, it seems." Giorno agreed, taking note of the single exit and the fact that they were surrounded by signatures of life.
"What do you mean? Huh…" Luka questioned, as a woman wearing green approached them.
Her clothing looked to be similar to that of the shirt Luka was wearing. Long flowing blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, slightly above average height for a woman. Giorno supposed that she could be considered attractive, but she had a very dangerous gleam in her eyes that made him cautious. Something was very wrong with this woman, that was all he could tell.
"You… Don't appear to be merchants." The blonde woman spoke, staring each one of them in the eyes. He didn't miss how she looked at Luka in particular.
"Th… That's right… I heard from a shopkeeper about this village." Luka explained, nervous at her authoritative gaze.
"…Please go away. Other than merchants who trade things we need, we don't allow anyone else in the village." She requested, leaving a deafening silence.
"No way…" Luka trailed off.
"Let's leave, this place is useless anyways." Giorno suggested, nudging Luka to walk away. This woman made him feel very nervous, but he refused to show weakness.
"You may take offense at our prohibition… But this is how we have lived for a very long time. If you are sensible travelers, please leave us alone." She once again requested.
"I understand, sorry for troubling you." Luka apologized, before turning around to leave. But as he did so, he let the woman gaze at the ring on his finger.
"That ring! Could you be… Luka!?" She exclaimed, displaying emotion for the first time in this interaction.
"Eh…? That's right…" He confirmed in surprise. A wave of emotions filled her heart, as her face softened from the firm glare.
"You really are Luka, aren't you… You've grown so big…" She softly spoke.
"Um… Do you know me?" Luka inquired, not recognizing her at all.
"…Yes. My name is Micaela. I know your father and mother well… But now, please turn back. When the time comes… We'll be able to talk." She assured, with her firm façade being broken completely as she spoke fondly to Luka.
"I understand. I'll come again." He agreed, not knowing if he ever would come back.
"Yes… I wish you luck in your battles, Luka." Micaela gently wished, before catching sight of the dove staring directly at her. The dove took note of the similar rings various other 'human women' wore before flying away.
'You better keep your word… Come back safe, Luka…' She thought to herself, getting back to dealing with the matters of the village.
More specifically, the two missing Elves who'd been sent on guard duty earlier that day.
"What a strange village." Luka pondered aloud as they walked the forest path.
"What does it mean… This village…" Alice muttered to herself. Both she and Giorno were deep in thought about something by the looks of it.
"What's wrong, guys? Ever since we entered that village, it looked like you realized something." He explained.
"I understood something, but there's still a few things that I don't get. I was sure that Enrika was an isolated Elf village." Alice commented, looking at Giorno for confirmation.
"I'm of the same mind… but that Micaela… and those other signatures I sensed." He grimly added.
"Ugh… And I didn't get to feast like I thought I would." Alice meekly concluded, her stomach grumbling.
Giorno's thoughts continued to spiral, if that woman wasn't human or a monster, what exactly was she? And why did he feel like he was in danger whilst amid her presence?
AN: I always wondered how Gold Experience healed Giorno after he admitted to breaking his ribs in the fight with Cioccolatta. Turns out that bones are living tissue, and are therefore subject to Gold Experience's life energy. Maybe I'm just stupid to only just realize that.