"Sorry we took so long Vitaly, there was a small issue that had us occupied." Krovanh would say as he, Nakri and Nesat walked into a laboratory, all getting onto a single knee as he spoke.

"Oh, a problem?" A woman with long red hair and yellow eyes responded, turning from her terminal to the three Hunters. She had on a lab coat, albeit left open in order to reveal her voluptuous figure scarcely hidden by the rest of her clothing. "Tell me Krovanh, what problem could stall three Variants in the middle of a mission that should have been a quick in and out? Certainly not the Savage?"

"The Savage were of no problem, in fact one was already dead by the time we reached their energy sources." Nakri answered, her head held down as if to signify the woman's power over them.

"Already dead? So there were Slayers?" Vitaly hummed, rubbing her cheek as she looked to her projects. "And they managed to give you some trouble fighting?"

"Only one did, the others were easily being dealt with." Nesat stated. "There were four in total, not including the Idol Sakura Kirishima who was present."

"Ah, my precious subject was still in the middle of her tour on the Zwei Islands. Tell me, did you manage to recover her Hundred by any chance?"

"N-No… we were running short on time and had to get out with the Savage cores." Krovanh stuttered, him and Nesat holding out the cores recovered as two mechanical claws grabbed them away. "We had been avoiding the search teams for 24 hours, it's the reason we were behind schedule."

"I see, so you let four Slayers manage to stall you not only long enough to prevent you from getting more variable stones, but nearly get discovered." Vitaly spoke as she crossed her arms, catching a small remote from her sleeve that caused the three Hunters' eyes to widen in concern. "All the power I've given you, and you let four from Little Garden nearly cost us the operation?"

"O-Of course not! We just underestimated them and they got luck-GAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Nakri desperately tried to explain their situation, but was cut off as Vitaly turned the dial on the remote with her thumb, an electric current going through all three Hunters from their collars as a result.

"Need I remind you the importance of you three remaining as discrete as possible?" Vitaly would ask, watching as the three fell to the ground, grasping their heads as the pain remained constant. "Almost getting discovered like that could've caused serious damage to my plans, and all you can say is they got lucky?"

"P-Please! We're sorry!"

"No, I'm sorry for not teaching you an important lesson." Vitaly spoke, amplifying the power of their collars for a few seconds. "There is no such thing as luck in this world. They did well because you got sloppy."

Expecting her message has been put in, she'd turn the dial back down to turn the function on their collars turning off. The relief was short lived as the Hunters panted to regain their breath; they looked up to see Vitaly staring expectantly at them, putting their instincts on guard.

"Now how about you answer this for me, did you at least get any names for the Slayers you let best you?" She would ask, her thumb still on the dial as she asked.

"W-We only got two." Krovanh responded, the first of the three to regain his senses. "Some guy named… Matthew from the sounds of it, threw energy molded into lightning. And another guy named… Artemis? N-No, Alistair…?"

"Krovanh, you're testing my patience." Vitaly said, putting emphasis on her thumb as she spoke. "If you don't give me an answer of certainty, I'll have to jog your memory with output 11."

"A-A-Artorian!" The Hunter shouted, the threat of the pain alone getting him to remember. "The white haired guy called him Artorian!"

"Artorian, you're sure?" Vitaly would respond, finding the name familiar.

"Y-Yes, that was his name." The Hunter panted.

"What did he look like?"

"Vitaly?"

"Answers. Now."

"Short silver hair." Nesat would speak for her brother, finding her voice. "He had silver hair and dark blue eyes, possibly standing somewhere between six to seven feet tall."

"Silver hair, blue eyes and tall… well, isn't that poetic?" Vitaly would mutter to herself, turning away from the Hunters and stepping several paces away as she looked to her monitor. "So your creation has met mine? Even in death you prove to be an annoyance."

"V-Vitaly?"

"Oh, don't mind me. Just remembering an old friend." The woman would respond, taking a second to think to herself before turning back to the three Hunters. "As of now though, we have more important things to worry about. The UN seems to be suspicious of something and is preparing an operation; my only guess would be a small force of Savage is landing soon. Which means you'll need to be ready for when I get a location."

"So be sure to eat well, get plenty of rest… and get ready for the next series of injections."

"Artorian… Artorian~"

"Hmmm?" The hybrid would hum as he heard a sweet and gentle voice, slowly pulling his senses back to their proper state as he sat up on his bed. Rubbing his head as he slowly recovered from his synthesized sleep, he'd first notice a pleasant warmth and soft weight on his waist.

"Emile?" He'd guess, blinking his eyes as he waited for his eyesight to properly return. "What are you doing in here? You know Claire will throw a fit if you get cau-" When he finally opened his eyes, the Slayer would pause in the middle of speaking when he was met with the smiling face of Sakura, the idol sitting on his waist as she waited for him to wake up.

"Hello, my brave knight." The idol would say, smiling brightly as she looked to the Slayer.

"Yo, interesting seeing you here." He'd respond casually. "I thought you were supposed to be in Liberia for your recording or something like that?"

"Hmph!" Sakura would pout at his lackluster response, crossing her arms as she looked to the side. "Only a "Yo" for your precious idol's return? How are you expecting to get an average of 90 if you keep saying such basic things?"

"Oh we're still doing that?" He'd raise an eyebrow, cracking his neck as he was still going through the process letting his body recuperate from having half his senses shut down. "Sorry, you caught me in the middle of an artificial sleep, I'm reeling from having four of my five senses being shut down."

"You can do that?"

"Yeah it's a limited but interesting ability. My turn to ask a question: how is it that you're here right now? Considering Souffle's adamancy for you to go to your recording and the fact we're not even docked." He'd say, giving the idol a half lidded stare.

"For your information, it should hardly be a surprise." Sakura stated, puffing her chest out with pride as sh continued. "I'm the Oriental Wizard Sakura Kirishima, the woman who makes the impossible possible~"

"You came without permission again, didn't you?" Seeing Sakura's shoulders tense in response, the hybrid would sigh as he looked down. "Obvious answer for a hundred points."

"Y-You know that you can't just land on Little Garden without permission!" The idol would argue, placing her hands down on his sides as she defended herself. "I sent a message to the air traffic controller."

"Saying?"

"…"If you let me land, I'll give your younger sister an autograph"…" She would answer, flustered at admitting to her method of getting on.

"Bribery… why is that so popular on this ship?" Artorian would mutter to himself, blinking as he let it go to ask another question. "Wait, if you didn't have permission from either Souffle or Claire, how did you even get in my room?"

"Ornisium let me in."

"Okay first; rude, don't say that again." He would say, confusing the idol for a second. "Second; how did he get my lock and why did he let someone in!?" That outburst was more to himself, reaching over to his PDA to look at the lock code. "I'm going to have to update this thing, everyone's getting into my room these days."

"Like Emile?" Sakura would ask, tilting her head. "You said his name when you woke up, did you think I was him?"

"…Yes."

"A boy."

"Correct."

"And you thought I, a very obvious girl, was him?"

"In my defense, he is very tiny… and soft." The hybrid would say, coming up with an excuse as to why he would mistaken Sakura for a "guy" like "Emile".

"Hmmmm…" Sakura would hum, looking close at Artorian at his answer.

"What are you even doing on Little Garden? Kinda out of the way from Liberia."

"Well, I came to see you, obviously." The idol answered, her bright smile returning as she did. "I had shut myself in the studio to power through all the work I had. And the moment I was done I called my previous pilot to fly me to Little Garden. I wanted to personally give you a gift."

"…A gift?"

"Yes, if you just give me a second I can properly send it." Sakura said, taking out her own PDA, typing in a code before smiling. "There, when your reception notification pops up, insert the code 91719."

Immediately after, the notification popped up on the hybrid's screen, getting him to swipe it open. Inserting the given code, he'd wait for it to process a second notification went off stating the completed transfer before opening up. The screen then went to his music app, revealing a picture of the idol standing among a set of hills from the Zwei Islands.

"It's the thumbnail from my latest album" Sakura explained, shifting off of Artorian's waist to sit next to him, leaning against his shoulder as she looked at his screen.

"Oh… thanks? I'll be sure to treasure this wondrous… why?" Artorian questioned, looking from the screen to the idol.

"The image isn't the gift you goof." Sakura stated, poking his cheek as she did. "Touch the thumbnail and you'll understand." Rolling his eyes, he would humor her request and touch the screen, which resulted in a subtle gasp and glare from her. "No way… lewd Artorian."

"Oh what now?"

"You just touched my boobs."

"You judged me for not touching the screen, and now I'm getting judged for touching it. Why can't women make up their minds?"

"I told you to touch it, but I said nothing about touching my boobs." The girl pouted, looking to the side as she did. "You did it because you wanted to."

"Well… yeah? It's kinda funny."

"If you wanted to touch them, then do it directly." She'd mutter, her face tinted red in embarrassment.

"Do not tempt me Pinky, we are still on my bed." He'd say before taking his finger off the screen. When he did, a slow and peaceful melody began to play, a subtle ringing going in his ears but being nearly dulled out by the familiar song. "Wait, this is…"

"You said you were considering getting it, so I wanted to better mix it and have it recorded. I just finished it yesterday after a week's worth of work." Sakura admitted. "That's the reason I came here, I wanted you to be the first person to hear it."

"That's… that's real… Gods I'm bad at this." Artorian sighed, trying to find the right words before going for the straight answer, wrapping an arm around her to pull her into a half embrace. "That was nice of you Sakura, thank you."

"Y-You're welcome." Sakura blushed, feeling the comforting coolness of his body counter the more heated feeling of hers from being a Variant. "I made sure that this time, it was a full song, rather than a single chorus. I wrote the lyrics and put my body and soul into it."

"I can tell, you're someone who would put so much effort into something like this." He'd chuckle, listening to the idol's song, picking up the clear indications of the lyrics noting love towards a knight.

"I…I know you probably know this, but back when I said the song was inspired by the Slayers who protected the islands, I really made it for you. I wanted you to know that if you didn't."

Artorian would only hum in understanding, he knew well that it was made for him, but was also aware that a part of Sakura had a certain standard she had to stand by. She couldn't have just outright said the song was for the Slayer she developed a crush on, lest she cause a bit of a scene with all her fans.

The two would remain sitting on his bed up until the end of the song, hearing the idol's recorded voice die out in the final seconds. Once it was done, Artorian would lean over and place the PDA back on his nightstand, smiling to himself before looking to the idol.

"Not bad Sakura, I can say for certain now I was definitely wrong about your talent as a song writer from back then." He'd admit, comfortable saying that since the idol was aware of his previous view on her songs.

"Thank you… say Artorian, there's something else I wanted to tell you." The idol would say, looking down a bit as his gaze was centered on her. "Ever since the end of the concert, as I was traveling around for work I was always thinking about you. And about something we talked about before, something that I feel I need to clarify now."

"What is it?" In response to his question, the idol would move again from his side to sit on top of him, her legs on either side of his waist as she looked him in the eyes, her cheeks flushed red but her eyes convicted.

"Back when we were in the hotel, I had asked to for you to marry me. At the time, I was just trying to tease you, have some fun after such a boring drive to there." She would detail, recalling the attempt and how it went completely differently than how she expected. "But… but now I'm serious. I'm an idol, which means I must always keep an appearance for all my fans. But with you… with you it feels nice to be myself."

"Wait hold up, are you actually-?" Before he could finish, Sakura would place her hands on Artorian's cheeks, her blush brightening but her determination growing as well.

"Artorian… I want to have that kind of life with you." She'd say with dedication. "I'll show you that I'm certain on this, and that I can make you happy."

"Sakura… wait." Artorian would say, bringing his hands up to take hers off his face. "We can't."

"B-But…" The idol's heart sank as she saw the expression on his face, fear entering her mind as he appeared guilty of something. The idea of rejection never crossed her mind, but hearing his response, it had suddenly felt like a reality.

"Don't give me that look. And let me finish okay?" The hybrid said, seeing the dread in her eyes from his actions. "We can't, not yet anyways. There's more to a commitment than simply being in love. Especially in a relationship with me." At his words, Artorian would bring his own hand up and cup her cheek in his palm, giving her a small smile.

"We've only known each other for a day in total, all I know about you is your passion for your songs and the pain you've been through. If you're serious about getting married, than first thing's first is that I want to get to know the real you. The person you told me you're happy to be around me."

"S-So… is that a… is that a yes?" Sakura would ask staring into eyes, captivated by the deep blue that resembled the ocean.

"It wasn't a no. So don't go worrying your head about a full on rejection Pinky." He'd say chuckling as he saw her sigh with relief. "We just need more time together before we can properly decide on something like that, is that okay with you?"

"Y-Yes, it is." Sakura would smile in return. "I'll show you that I'm positive I want to marry you, and you'll see that you will want the same."

"Quite the promise, I almost might not believe you." He'd say, slowly moving his head forward. "Perhaps you'd want to signify that promise in some way?"

"I… I would like to…" Sakura would stutter, realizing what he meant and fully accepting it. The two would close their eyes as they inched their lips closer together, centimeters apart from each other before the sound of the door slamming open caught their attention.

"So, you are in here! Sakura Kirishima you have some nerve as to-!?" Claire would begin to shout, her words dying in her throat temporarily as she saw the position the idol and Slayer were in. "W-What are you two doing!?"

"Gods damn it Claire! Twice now!" Artorian shouted in return, acting on instinct and standing up on his bed, shaking Sakura off him and back onto his bed. "Twice, you've walked into this room before a rather heartwarming kiss happens twice! Forget being the Perfect Queen, they should call you the Cock-Block Queen!"

"Y-You have some nerve Artorian!" The blonde responded, her cheeks dusted red but her eyes narrowed in a glare. "You have a responsibility as a Slayer, you should have reported Kirishima's presence here immediately rather than attempt to act in such debauchery!"

"And there it is again! Stop saying debauchery! Nobody says that anymore!" He continued to shout, pointing to the Slayer as he did. "What are you even doing here!? And why the hell do you never knock!?"

"I had received a message from Souffle Clearrail that Kirishima could have been on Little Garden!" Claire responded back, pointing in return to said idol on the bed. "Sakura Kirishima, even if you are a client of Warslran, your selfish invasion into Little Garden is a felony. I will have to restrain you immediately."

"Don't ignore the second question!"

"No, it isn't illegal." Sakura would attempt to defend herself; shaking off the fascination at how quickly the two Slayers had began to argue. "I got proper permission from the administration department."

"After promising an autograph for them, yes?" Claire would guess, crossing her arms under chest as she stared at the idol.

"Hey! I said stop ignoring my second question!"

"Wah! How did you know that!?"

"I could imagine you doing that." The blonde answered, getting Artorian to grind his teeth more at being ignored. "Whatever the case, I am the commander of Little Garden. If you don't have my approval, then your actions are illegal all the same. So I would recommend you come peacefully as I escort you off my ship."

"If that's the case, Claire Harvey, make me a student in the martial arts department."

"Hey, I am too fired up to be ignored like this you little-!" In the midst of his rant, both Artorian and Claire's eyes snapped to the idol, surprised by her request.

"…What?" They echoed each other, taken aback by what she said.

"You didn't hear me Claire Harvey? Incorporate me into the martial arts department of Little Garden. I already have permission from Warslran HQ and have submitted the necessary documents." Sakura stated, smirking in satisfaction at the Slayer as she crossed her arms. "All that remains is for you to sign your signature."

'JUDAL YOU GODS DAMN FUCKING PRICK HEAD!'

"Wait a moment, why are you going through all this?" Claire would question. "You're an idol, a superstar that the whole world adores! Why join and become an official Slayer!?"

"So that I can stay here without any problems. And this way, me coming won't be trespassing."

"Even then, you're incapable of being a Slayer as far as my reports inform me. You can use a Hundred, but you're unable to generate a weapon from the armament. I cannot in good will permit you to take the examination and join the martial arts department."

"But my voice also seems to have an affect on Savage as well as the two Hunters that attacked Artorian and I." Sakura countered. "An effective weapon in itself, wouldn't you say? Not only that, but as an Artificial Variant, I can better support Artorian should he require it in the form of energy."

"Tch…" Claire clicked her tongue behind her teeth, hating the fact that despite Sakura's clear avoidance of admitting why she wished to come, her defense was sound. Even with Emilia, having three Variants on board and away from other influences such as her brother or a president of a country would be a much safer bet.

"Besides, being a student wouldn't affect my career as an idol in the slightest." Sakura continued, explaining why it would be the best of both worlds for her. "I know that there are students that have internships on site. So there should be no problem with me going on my tours and spending my free time on Little Garden. It would even decrease the amount of guard labor required to protect me, right?"

"You know… she's kinda got a point." Artorian would calm down as he saw more into Sakura's thought process. The chances of her being a full fledged Slayer was slim, which meant she'd be less likely to be in harms way while in public. And with the ship being a literal training ground for Slayers, there'd be people to protect her at all times.

"…I would have to go over this, for such a sudden request it could cause problems. You would still require some form of protection if you are to be kept on Little Garden." Claire would say, slowly calming herself as she thought it over. "A Slayer should still have some level of authority over your safety."

"Well if that's the case, please make Artorian my exclusive bodyguard." Sakura offered.

'Oh here we go…' Artorian thought closing his eyes, knowing the pressure in the room's going to go back up again soon.

"What are you talking about!? Artorian is still a first year student; he isn't certified for internships until he is a third year! And with his constant reprehensible behavior and undisciplined nature he has much to learn! I cannot allow that or your admission if you attempt to push that further!" The attempt to calm for the president instantly went away, the attempt at trying to recruit a member of her Selections destroying the chance at a deal.

"Then it can't be helped." Sakura would sigh before her smirk returned. "If that's the case, then have Artorian quit the martial arts department and have him become my exclusive bodyguard."

"Why would I do that!?"

"Why would I allow that!?" Both Artorian and Claire overlapped, demanding the same answer from the idol.

"Why you say? So that I can hire Artorian directly. I'll pay him ten times the salary that he is paid by you. On the contrary, I'll take care of him and Karen for the rest of our lives. How does that sound, Artorian?"

"Do you really think you can just buy me with-wait how much more?"

"Artorian!"

"What!? She's literally offering the best deal I could get in terms of pay!" He shouted at his defense, although sighing as he placed a hand on his head. "I'm starting to get a headache from all this shouting.

'This is getting a little tense, but at least it can't get worse.'

"Huh? Why is Prez here?"

'I was wrong… I was very wrong.' Moments after his thoughts, Emilia had unlocked and entered the room, now standing behind Claire in her uniform.

"I-I was chasing after Sakura Kirishima who was trespassing into Little Garden and snuck into Artorian's ro-wait…" Claire began to speak, but paused and thought about how Emilia had opened the door without the student council override code she had. "Emile Crossfode, how exactly did you get into this room with your key? Have you not rewritten you're data yet!?"

"Whoops, you caught me." Emilia laughed, caught in the act.

"Crossfode, you broke the promise you made!"

"That isn't the important part here though." Emilia would say, turning her attention to Artorian. "So then Artorian, what kind of things did you do with Sakura while she was here?"

"You are shitting me right now." Artorian responded with a half lidded stare. "Look, there wasn't anything big happening, Sakura was only here for a few minutes and I have been awake for less."

"Yeah, and the reason is a secret." Sakura would continue, smirking to herself as she moved across the bed and hugged herself to Artorian, looking at the two girls mischievously. "It's something that will remain between Artorian and me, and you are not allo~wed to know."

"You are actively trying to make my life harder, I refuse to believe anything else." Artorian sighed, hanging his head as he prepared for the inevitable.

"Hehe, a secret, huh?" Emilia would chuckle darkly, putting on an unconvincing smile as she looked to Artorian. "Would you be as kind to tell me too? I'm very interested."

"Nope, it'll only be between us." Sakura responded, sticking her tongue out to Emilia.

'You've spent more time with him, but I won't lose to you Emile.'

"Ahaha, I see… yeah, Artorian. We're both guys around the same age, and I know our relationship might not give it away but I'm also curious about the secret of girls." Emilia would say, a dark aura surrounding her that actually sent a chill down Artorian's spine. "So for the sake of references in the future, I would like to know with full details… aha, aha, hahahahaha…"

"Okay you're actually scaring me here." He'd inform. "Tone down the murder bells a few pitches, I'm serious when I'm telling you nothing big happened."

"Then why not just tell me now?"

"This is irrelevant at the moment, we must stay on track." Claire would say, stepping towards Artorian's bed before suddenly reaching out and grabbing Sakura, attempting to separate her from Artorian. "Which means we must be going!"

"Wait, what are you doing!?" The idol responded, tightening her hold on Artorian to prevent getting pulled away.

"What you say? This is the male dorm Kirishima, no females are allowed in without explicit permission or authorization. So as it stands you're not presently allowed in, so release Artorian and come with me!"

"Yeah, that's right. It isn't good for women to be in the dorms like this!" Emilia spoke up, moving to the other side of Artorian and grabbing his arm, trying to help pull him away from Sakura. "So Prez, get Sakura and both of you leave this room. If you two keep fighting like this, even more rumors will begin to spread about Artorian and make it harder for him to live here!"

'This… got out of hand quicker than I thought it would…' Artorian thought as his expression was blank, looking at the wall across him as he took the situation in.

"How dare you try to set yourself aside from this situation!"

"What's about my situation!?"

Seeing the arguing going on and showing no sings of stopping, Artorian would sigh as he remained perfectly in place and closing his eyes. 'I can't believe this is honestly going on, but I shouldn't be this surprised either.'

"Okay, I think we've had enough fun here for one morning." The hybrid would speak up, shifting his gaze between the three around him. "Let's just all get this over with, starting with everyone letting go of each other."

"No way!"

"No!"

"Not until they're all out!" Sakura, Emilia and Claire all responded, getting a groan from Artorian.

"That wasn't a request." He said reaching his free arm and grabbing the back of Sakura's dress while breaking out of Emilia's grasp and grabbing her shoulder. The Lord than easily picked the two up, Claire releasing her grasp on the idol as he walked to the door and dropped them out of his room.

"You three may settle this out here, I still have to change." He continued on, moving out of the way and stepping back into his room after Claire exited it. "Alright thank you." He'd finish, closing the door behind him before smirking to himself.

'So this is what it's like to wake up to the fun stuff rather than being awake for it, I wish I could actually sleep to get this kind of entertainment more.'

"Are you both ready?" Charlotte would ask, holding a N-Tranquilizer in her hand, loading it with a single energy charge before aiming it up.

"Yes ma'am." Artorian grinned, getting down into a running position next to Liddy.

"I've been ready for the past three days." Liddy stated, staring straight ahead in the set path for the two. Both were in their variable suits, even with their Hundreds activated to maximize their energy output. However their armaments were left to the side, set next to Mei Mei as she watched from the sidelines of the arena.

"Do your best you two!" The maid cheered, waving her arms in encouragement for the two.

"On your mark." Charlotte would start, placing her finger over the trigger. "Get set!"

"Let's see if your enhancements are all I've built them up to be." Artorian commented, giving the girl a challenging grin as they lowered their stances.

"I won't lose to a first-year, Abyss enhancements or not." Liddy responded, giving her own excited smirk as she planted her feet into the dirt. She had been looking for the opportunity to test herself after her surgery, and she was finally going to get it.

"Go!" Charlotte would announce, pulling the trigger and firing the energy round into the barrier above them.

The second the shot rang, the two Slayers pushed out with all their strength, their send off alone cracking the ground below them and kicking a large amount of dirt up. Focusing their energy into their legs, they would enhance their speed even more and took off at blinding speeds.

The goal of the race was to see which of the Slayers would complete four laps first, and by the time they got to the first corner their paces seemed near even. Due to their speed, they each had to plant a foot solidly into the ground, nearly burying them before taking off again, with even more intense speed this time.

Nearly keeping on pace with each other, they would complete two laps in nearly a minute, Artorian just ahead but by little more than a single pace. While the Slayer was noted to be faster than before their training, the maneuverability she showed was quickly allowing her to surpass Artorian's speed despite his experience in drawing out the physical enhancements he had.

It wasn't until halfway through the third lap did Liddy not only manage to catch up to Artorian, but was starting to pass him with each step. With a glare of determination her entire body began to glow with violet energy, a faint wisp of black trailing it as took off with new speed.

'Looks like she's already adapting to it.' Artorian noted, giving another grin as he would rush to keep up, although by the fourth lap the distance would be too much to recapture without a massive spike in speed. A speed he himself couldn't achieve without either his Variant powers or drawing it from the Abyss. Neither of which he was willing to use.

"Time!" Charlotte would call out as Liddy passed the finish line, nearly tripping as she grinded her feet in the dirt, digging up rocks as she slid to a halt. Artorian followed shortly after, leaning back and digging his hand into the ground to stop himself sooner.

"Not… bad… Liddy." Artorian would pant, standing back to his full height as he turned to the girl.

"This is much more… like it." Liddy responded, chuckling to herself as she had a better control of her breathing. "I hated waiting so long to finally stretch my legs and test myself."

"We couldn't be too careful, your health was the top concern." Charlotte answered as she holstered the N-Tranquilizer. "We've dealt with hundreds of Vessels back in the early Slayer days, you were put through the same process as they had went through."

"I understand that Dr. Dimandias, I just don't like having to sit around. Especially when I was told as much as I was about the Savage and Lords."

"Well don't go running yourself into the dirt to improve." Artorian said, placing a hand on her shoulder as he did. "This issue's thousands of years old, it isn't going to get solved by the time you properly develop your power. Hell, it might not even get solved within our lifetimes, so pace yourself."

"I'm not a novice, I know my past limits and I'll use that to determine my new ones." Liddy responded, although sighing and giving the Lord a side-glance. "The concern's appreciated."

"You're my Vessel, that makes you my responsibility."

"That was amazing you two!" Mei Mei cheered as she ran down to them. "That was so fast, I haven't seen someone move that fast since Artorian's duel with Claire!"

"Hehe, well that's what happens when all our focus is into speed." Artorian noted. "Liddy's speed was likely more true to what she could do, I'm not normally able to react that fast with my footwork."

"I'm surprised you didn't try to use your Variant energy, you don't seem like someone willing to give a handicap." Charlotte would note, stepping towards the group from her placement.

"I haven't been able to call it out on my own, it's purely been reactive since I first learned I have the virus." Artorian admitted, shrugging as he turned to the scientist. "It doesn't make a lick of sense to me, so I haven't really bothered trying to figure it out."

"I guess it can't be helped, mastering the Variant virus varies based on the person."

"Say that three times fast."

"But excluding that, we still have more tests to go through before the day can be considered over." Charlotte stated, taking out her finished lollipop and pulling out a new one.

"How many of those does she have?"

"I counted six before this one." Liddy and Artorian whispered between each other, getting a humored chuckle from the scientist.

"I guess I may carry a little too many of these, but the craving's too much to just go long without them." She admitted, twirling the finished lollipop stick between her fingers before pointing it to Liddy. "Now then, let's get to the next test shall we?"

"Gladly."

For the next two hours, Liddy would be subjected to physical testing that varied from the last. Each would test the Slayer's limits from strength to maneuverability, endurance and reaction. As each would go by, Charlotte was always taking notes, having a tablet out to record and document any noticeable changes from Liddy's initial examinations.

"It seems Artorian's guess on your increase in physical capabilities was near accurate." Charlotte would inform, going over the data she had gathered in the two hours. "Compared to your physical examination earlier this year, there's a noticeable increase of 48%, and that's excluding combat capabilities."

"I can barely tell." Liddy mentioned, looking down to her hand. Her breathing was slightly labored, noticing but barely feeling any fatigue after the two hours of examination.

"That's from your body adapting." Artorian explained. "The change in your bone and muscle density was so that your new strength wasn't going to cause severe damage to you when you'd use it. On average, you probably won' notice you using your strength."

"Then what's the point of training if I already have control of my limit?"

"Because you lost your control of restraint." Charlotte answered. "The power feels balanced for you, but that just mans you require a more delicate response to everything. Your base strength is much higher now, which means you will need more focus to control it."

"I fail to see it that way. If it's my same scaling than shouldn't it-"

"Think fast!" Artorian would call out, getting Liddy to turn to him as he threw a rock at her.

In the blink of an eye, the Slayer threw her hand out to catch the stone, clasping her fingers around it with precision. However as she tightened her grip, the rock cracked all around before breaking, crumbling to pebbles and shards from the pressure.

"I… I barely…"

"Average scale, more power behind it." The boy spoke as he walked up to Liddy, grabbing her wrist to face her palm up. "Your base strength feels the same to you, but the amount of strength you control is on a different scale. Your physical capabilities require more basis on restraint; there's a bigger gap between each level of strength that you'll need fill in."

"I… I see…" Liddy winced, noticing a fragment of the rock in her palm. "I guess I have a long way to go still then…"

"There's only been one person who's mastered the power of a Vessel in a single day, so don't be hard on yourself." Artorian responded, pulling the shard out swiftly. "You're a quick learner though, that rock would've likely exploded into more pieces and do more damage to anyone else's hand more."

"That doesn't excuse me mistaking my own control. I won't be a help if I can't fully grasp this power, which means I'll have to take things slow."

"Impatient?"

"More anxious, I've never been one to pace myself or wait when there's something I can do now." The Slayer stated, looking to her hand in his grasp as the blood was visibly clotting up the injury already. "I'm in a world I don't understand, as much as I want to hold back, I still feel the need to dive in and get as much out as quickly as possible."

"Diving wouldn't be a smart idea, but running will be fine." Charlotte picked up, walking up to the two as she tucked her tablet under her arm. "Normally a Vessel would be given two to three months to properly develop their senses, however with the increase of Savage attacks and these Hunters appearing, you'll need to be ready as soon as possible."

"You'll do just fine." Artorian encouraged, flashing her a grin as he did. "You're a Vessel of the Wolf Knight, my Vessel. Through and through you'll get the hang of this."

"We'll just have to work harder than in order to get me ready." Liddy grinned in return, tightening her hand into a fist in solidarity. "I don't expect you to0 hold back anything in my training, you hear me?"

"I'm insulted you'd expect any less."

.

.

.

"So are you going to let go of my hand or…?" Liddy asked, referencing to his grip still on her wrist.

"Eh, I don't mind." He'd shrug.

"I do." Liddy said, swiping her wrist free. "Don't think I don't know how you work, I'm not interested in pursuing a fantasy relationship with a man showing interest in three other women and a man."

"Give it time, I'm sure I'll get a crush out of you."

"You're unbelievable."

"Wait, you aren't interested in him?" Mei Mei would ask, tilting her head in confusion.

"Of course not, what would give you that impression?" Liddy returned, looking to the cyber-cat maid.

"Well I mean, you seem rather relaxed around him, even knowing about the Abyss and you see him just like he was before." The woman would explain. "Plus there was that pool incident, I thought people feel embarrassed when someone you like sees you in a position like that?"

"Y-You told her about that!?" Liddy would turn to Artorian, her cheeks flared as she glared at the hybrid.

"Whoops, time to go." He responded, realizing his position and taking off.

"You are not getting away from this you degenerate!" The Slayer shouted in response, chasing after him around the arena. "We made an agreement on not telling anyone about that!"

"I made no such promises! It was too good to pass up!"

"You're dead Artorian!"

"Have to catch me first, One Slip Wonder!"

"They sure have a lot of energy, that's for certain." Charlotte would laugh, Mei Mei stepping up next to her as she watched the two Slayers run.

"So does she not like him?"

"Who knows Mei Mei, teenagers are an anomaly no one can predict." The scientist smiled. "But try to be more delicate on that, it's rude to bring up potential crushes like that."

"I see. Okay! I promise to be more careful when talking to others then!"

"That's a good girl Mei Mei."

"Stop running you coward!"

"Find a reason for me to!"

"It's almost time." The man from the Zwei Island spoke, his eyes opening to reveal the glowing green iris. Standing up as he remained alone in the middle of a first now, he would look up to the stars with a grin. "I can feel the Exalted coming, any day now and the next step for the Arrival will begin."

"My liege, Ato and Sidero have reported humans scouting at the outskirts of the forest." The grey iron man spoke, walking to his leader before kneeling. "We also detect traces of magic, we believe a Lord may be here with them to set up a base for operations."

"Good, they know as well." The leader said, turning to his knight. "Our fellow Lords will participate, so do not let your guard down. Have a tracer spell on them at all times, and make sure if the royal blood are involved."

"Of course, my liege. Is there anything else we should prepare for?"

"The son of Ornstein, he is among this "Little Garden" correct?" The leader would question, getting a nod before he turned and grabbed his weapon. "I wish to meet him, I require your assistance in order to divert him to us when he inevitably comes." The leader then pulled his weapon out from the ground, revealing a massive swordspear that pulsed with lightning.

"I understand, my liege."

(A/N): A bit more of a simple chapter in comparison to the previous, but I didn't feel the need to over complicate this one. Soon we'll be getting into the thick of the next arc, and I have to say I'm getting excited for when I get to it. The fight with the Hunters is a fight I've been going over a bit to determine how it goes and I think i got the right pace down for me. As well as a little added variables into the mix to keep it from being too predictable.

I hope this chapter was a good hold over, and I will see you in the next one. Peace!