"Would you look at that, forests as far as the eye can see." Emilia would say, looking out the window of the WL-03 the members of Selections were flying in.

They were currently in route to Tienchuen, a town on the edge of the Qin Empire. Reports had come in that a nest of Savage was being established, and after the days it took to discover them there is estimated to be around fifty regular Savage. While the types were nothing to have any worry, the sheer number had the UN quickly amass a force of Slayers to combat and eliminate the invaders as quickly as possible.

"Despite our advancements, the Qin Empire's always been rather small in comparison to most other countries." Liu would explain, the girl sitting across from Emile in the aircraft. "We have a few small towns and our capital, so most of our environments are left to grow freely, the one we're going to is considered to be the oldest in our territory."

"Right, you're from Qin." Artorian hummed as he looked to his side to the girl. "That explains why Claire had to come with us."

Shortly after the reveal of Little Garden's source of power, Artorian and the rest of Selections were ordered for the immediate briefing on the situation in Qin. However among the assigned Slayers, Liu was also requested to join the operation. At initial sight it seemed like a mistake to bring the girl along, given her status as one of the weakest Slayers in their class. However, she was not meant to provide combat assistance, rather tactical feedback and serve as Little Garden's hub representative in the operation.

"I still don't feel I was the best choice, but I'll be sure to do what I can to help assist everyone here." Liu would say, looking over to the hybrid. "I still have to return the favor for you helping me and Noa, and I aim to do just that."

"Just remember to pace yourself." He'd respond, rubbing her head with a smirk. "Without your sister from another mister, you're on your own once we're off."

"I… I will!"

"Remember, after landing we're going to be meeting with the leader of the task force sent to directly handle this operation." Claire would remind everyone, sitting closer to the front of the aircraft with Liddy and Erica to her sides. "There will be a rally three hours after our projected landing, which means we'll be meeting other Slayers that may be assigned to our teams. With so many people, I expect all of you to act on your best behavior. Especially when the operation leader is present."

That caused everyone to look to Artorian, getting an annoyed grunt from the Lord. "Y'all are bitches."

"And you're full of shit." Matthew responded.

The aircraft would then begin its descent, landing after twenty minutes onto a makeshift airstrip. Grabbing their variable stones on the way out, the members of Little Garden would step off to be greeted by four Slayers.

However unlike the expected Slayers, most of the group were surprised the team were all massive in stature, three standing roughly at seven feet tall while the forth was at the same height as the two hybrids present. And all were detailed head to toe in shining silver armor, a variety of weapons between the four.

"You see that right?" Artorian whispered to Matthew, the Dragon Slayer nodding as he kept his head lowered.

"Lords."

"Lady Claire?" The shortest of the four spoke up, the voice belonging to that of a woman. "I am Reseria, one of Lordran's assigned Silver Knights; your equivalent of Slayers."

"A pleasure." The president would say, offering a handshake to the Lord.

"Don't waste your time with that." Reseria would state, rejecting the offer and crossing her arms over her chest plate. "Our Lady told us to operate with you Slayers, but we still have a code to follow. We're simply here to direct you to your quarters and nothing more."

"Ah, I see." Claire said, slightly put off by the cold response. She had known of Lordran due to the involvement the country had with the UN, however she had never actively been involved with anyone directly loyal under their banner. The closest she had was Matthew, who grew up in the country for a few years; and the difference in attitude was quite jarring for her.

"Oi, what's the big deal?" Artorian said, resting his sword on his shoulder. "She was being nice, you big shots know that concept, don't ya? Or is it too much of a hassle for you?"

"Artorian, don't." The blonde spoke back, wishing to keep this from escalating.

"Unbelievable." One of the other Silver Knights scoffed, the voice deeper and clearly a man's as he looked to the hybrid. "I heard the humans were bringing in all who could fight, but to think they'd let an aberration in their ranks, despicable." The comment got the hybrid to tighten his grip on his sword, putting Claire more on guard.

"What does that mean?" Reitia asked Matthew, not too familiar with the word.

"They called him a freak." The Lord answered, getting Reitia and Emilia to both instantly go hostile.

"Oi, what did Artorian ever do to you!?"

"I was talking to him." The Silver Knight stated, pointing to Matthew and surprising most of the Slayers. "To see you here, makes me wonder how desperate the likes of organizations like Warslran really are, Ornisium."

"That is too far, I will not stand while you-" Claire would begin to speak, standing up for her fellow Slayer before Artorian and Reitia both took a step forward, the dirt kicking up at their feet as they glared heatedly at the Lords.

"Take. That. Back." Reitia would say, her eyes narrowed sharply as her hands tightened into fists.

"Or what, human?" The Lord grinned under his helmet, uncrossing his arms as he regarded her. "What would a curd like you plan to do to me?"

"Reitia… don't." Matthew would say, stepping past her and placing a hand down on her shoulder. "There's no point, you know that."

"But Matthew…" The girl would attempt to argue, but when she looked up to see her friend's somber face she couldn't bring herself to continue. She knew that just there being Lords was going to be a problem for him, but hearing what they said made her want nothing more than to floor them. But she also knew it wouldn't do anything to fix his problem.

"…Okay." She'd eventually relent, her fists loosening as she looked down.

"Thank you."

"To think there's a wretch so fraught they'd settle for Ornisium, disgrac-" The Lord would stop mid sentence and reach for his hip, unsheathing a pure silver sword with a cross blade hilt, blocking Artorian's downward swing with a single hand.

"You're just looking for reasons to get hit you bastard!" He'd shout, pushing against the Silver Knight's blade with little results.

"Artorian, stand down!" Claire would order, stepping towards the hybrid before things went to far.

"Say it one more time and I'll rip you apart!" The Abysswalker said, taking a step forward and managing to push the Lord back, getting a shocked grunt from him.

"You miscreation!" The Lord snarled with hatred, pushing Artorian's blade to the side before wrapping his free hand around his throat, tossing him behind him effortlessly.

"Artorian!" Liu would call out as both Emilia and Liddy were already throwing their variable stones up, summoning their Hundreds in retaliation to the escalating event.

"Get away from him!"

"Everyone stand down!"

"Bad decision." One of the two other Lords stated, having a two handed greataxe in hand and holding it with a firm grip to intercept the two.

"A thing like you even considering stepping towards me, what a impious expectation!" The Lord shouted, moving towards Artorian and raising his blade up while the hybrid gripped his sword to swing up. "I will educate a creature like you who your masters are!"

"Let's see you try bastard!"

"Felrick, Hanrocke; stand down now." Before either the Lord with a straight sword or axe attempted to attack, barriers of clear blue energy separated them from the Slayers they were about to engage. Although the moment they heard the voice all four Lords instantly turned to the source and went down to a knee, bowing their heads down with their right elbows placed over the knee still up.

"Lady Gwyndolin, our sincere apologies." Reseria would say, speaking for her forces as she remained in their salute.

"No need, Knight Reseria. I understand the past few days have been stressful for your fellow comrades." Gwyndolin would respond, raising a hand in understanding and dispelling the Knight's worries. Gwyndolin stood at an impressive height of 5'10 despite a more thin and fragile build. They had a more light voice, making it initially difficult to predict if they were a boy or a girl, however given the priestess robes, feminine face and noticeable bulge on their chest most of the Slayers were able to guess accurately. However what stood out the most of Gwyndolin was the four snakes wrapped around her, all actively looking around and remaining comfortable on her.

"However the Slayers present are as much our allies in the coming hunt as those that came before. So please execute a tighter control over them."

"Of course, Your Highness."

"My apologies, my Blades of the Darkmoon seem to have caused you trouble." Gwyndolin would say, although smiling as she looked to Claire. "However it seems you were prepared rather instantly."

"What?" Felrick would question as he and the other Blades looked up to stare in shock. Above them were all of Claire's Alystherion canon pods, two each aimed at the Lords that were prepared to fight and the remaining two facing Reseria and Juron, the last of the Silver Knights. "When did she-!?"

"The moment you grabbed it." Juron answered, having been the single one to notice and not act because of it. "Her reflexes were fast, when you reached forward the Slayer was already grabbing her variable stone."

"Impressive reaction time." Gwyndolin noted, reaching out to offer Claire a handshake. "I am Gwyndolin, the Dark Sun of Anor Londo and the youngest child of Lord Gwyn. I truly am sorry for my Blades' actions."

"I am Claire Harvey, commander of Little Garden." Claire introduced herself in return, accepting the handshake but noticing the twitch of annoyance from Reseria behind Gwyndolin. "I myself must apologies as well, my compatriots had also failed to restrain themselves and caused a scene."

"Only one was truly an issue." Gwyndolin stated, shifting her eyes to Artorian as she did. "A recommendation for you, as I'm aware of the issues an Abyssal can cause; keep a tight leash on it."

"Pardon?"

"Unfortunately I cannot, I am required to meet all of the country representatives and assign squads for the operation." The Lord would state, turning away and walking past the Silver Knights, all of which rose up and followed. "I will overlook this event, as both sides were guilty of pushing an issue. However I recommend Ornisium and Abyssal be kept on close watch, I cannot promise things will end up well if I am not present to stop my Blades from engaging them."

"Real fucking convincing…" Artorian grunted, rubbing his neck as the others watched the Lords walk away. "Gods, bastard's as smug as I thought he'd be."

"Are you okay Artorian?" Emilia would ask, her and Liu going over to him and helping him up.

"Yeah, prick had a better grip than I thought."

"To think he was able to physically able to compete with you. Even without a Hundred I thought that would be near impossible." Liu commented.

"That isn't what should be focused on." Claire stated, her Hundred disassembling as she approached the three. "What were you thinking, attacking one of our comrades?"

"I'm pretty sure I've fought most people present, how is this different?"

"Don't try giving me that, you attacked one of Lordran's representatives directly. Not a moment's hesitation came from you that can only make me assume you were looking for a reason to do so."

"You can't seriously be blaming Artorian for this, they were clearly trying to antagonize him and Matthew." Emilia spoke in defense of the hybrid.

"I understand that as well Crossfode, but even I think it was overboard." Liddy would state, looking over to Artorian. "You normally have a longer fuse than that, what made you go off as suddenly like that?"

"…They kept insulting Matthew." Reitia would answer, getting everyone's attention as she did. "I grew up with Matthew for a few years, so while I'm not an expert on the culture Lordran has I do know a few things about them. The entire time, they kept calling him worthless, less than inferior."

"I never heard them say that." Erica noted. "Are you certain that's what they were doing?"

"They kept calling him by his last name. In Lordran, using someone's family name to address a person is to reject them entirely as an individual." Reitia explained, looking over to Matthew who crossed his arms.

"They called me a bad word, there's nothing else to it."

"Nothing else to it my ass!" Artorian growled, stepping towards his fellow hybrid. "You showed absolutely zero backbone, you let them just walk over you like you deserved it!"

"Do not pretend as if you acted out for the sake of standing up for my family name." Matthew glared in return, hostility forming between the two. "You would've done something regardless of whether or not they spoke ill of me. I am not your scapegoat."

"And what about Reitia, were you just going to let them say whatever the hell they wanted about her as well!?"

"She's a young adult almost, she should know to not let such trivial matters bother her."

"The problem is you didn't say anything, you spineless hypocrite!"

"What did you call me?"

"That is enough." Claire would step between the two, forcing them apart as lightning crackled around Matthew's body. "Whether who is in the right or wrong is irrelevant right now. Artorian; I expect you to behave yourself on this mission, you do not have to interact with the Silver Knights but you must remain respectful even if they aren't."

"And as for you Matthew, I expect information like this to be presented to me before they become relevant." The Slayer then shifted her attention to the Dragon Slayer, catching him off guard. "I will not stand for any of my comrades to be insulted and affronted in such manners. You are not expected to act out like Artorian, but you shouldn't allow yourself to be disrespected like that."

The blonde would then sigh, rubbing her forehead as she felt a headache start to bother her. "I have a lot I have to prepare for in this operation, starting with having a proper briefing with Lady Gwyndolin. And I'd prefer that those unnecessary to be present to not be there."

"You're embarrassed of me, aren't you?" Artorian questioned, getting an irritated sigh from Claire in return.

"There will be a banquet in a few hours, many Slayers and representatives will be present. I would appreciate you taking the time to cool down and relax." She would state, looking to the hybrid. "That is all I ask of you, take a few steps back and recollect yourself so that you don't cause another scene. Can you do that for me?"

"Tch!" Artorian clicked his tongue as he looked away.

"Come on Artorian, how about we go see what there's to do in town?" Emilia would recommend, grabbing his spare arm to try and help defuse the tension.

"Y-Yeah, I can show all of you around as well." Liu added in. "It might not be a popular area, but there's still some good things to see in Tienchuen."

"…Fine." The hybrid eventually growled, taking one last look to Claire before walking off with them. "Careful around the bastard, anyone who comes from Lordran's royal family are not to be trusted."

"I will be sure to, you just cool your head off."

"No promises it will be."

"Quite the size of buildings, aren't there?" Reitia would note, having come along with Emilia, Liu and Artorian to tour Tienchuen. Matthew had stayed behind at the camp, as he was a veteran member of Selections and required to be present. "Although none of them go very high up, do they?"

"Most of these buildings weren't initially made to remain for an extended time." Liu would explain, taking note of the occasional building separated by the wide dirt road. "A lot of the people who founded the town were nomadic, since the area outside of the forest is mostly desert." She then looked down, saddened by the lack of people present in town.

"There are only children and elders left in the village. Everyone of working age either works away from home or find jobs in the urban areas outside of town. Some even leave for other countries to get out of town… and most don't ever come back."

"So this place is severely underpopulated, is that why you became a Slayer?" Emilia asked, the hybrid next to her having remained quiet for the entire trip.

"Yes, most people here are either too young or close to being too old to work. Since I became a Slayer Warslran sends aid to help them get by, although I send what I can too." Liu admitted, giving a faint smile as she saw an elderly couple walk across the street. "I hope to one day make Tienchuen a place of trade, to be something more than a marking on the map."

"Ah, it's Liu!"

"It really is, Big Sister Liu!"

Liu's attitude seemed to brighten drastically at the sound of two kids calling out to her, the girl turning in time to go down and wrap her arms around to hug the two that were running right to her.

"Bakuei and Mei!" She smiled brightly, holding the two close before leaning back to better see the two.

"Who are these kids?' Reitia would ask, confused by the sudden introduction.

"They're Bakuei and Mei Fan, they were close neighbors when I lived here." Liu explained. "I helped them with their school work when I had free time, since there weren't a lot of people here to teach them. They're like family to me."

"Big sis, who's the boy that's with you?" Bakuei would ask, pointing to Artorian and drawing their attention.

"Oh, is it that cute boy you wrote about!?" Mei questioned with excitement, a visible shine in her eyes. "The one that fought for you like a knight in shinning armor!?"

"Is that him? Does that mean he's your boyfriend now?"

"Mei, Bakuei, please don't say that!" Liu would say, her face bright red as she took their hands and put them down. "H-He's one of my fellow classmates, Artorian's a Slayer here to help with the search-and-destroy operation against the Savage."

"He looks kinda scary." Mei would say, taking note of his rough features and scars on his arms.

"Mei, that's rude to say."

"Well I'm a little scary." Artorian shrugged, speaking up for the first time.

"So you are a Slayer like big sister Liu?" Bakuei asked, getting a nod from him. "Are all of you?"

"Yep, top of the line Selections from Little Garden." Reitia said, pressing her thumb against her chest in confidence.

"Wow, someone almost our age is that high up! That's so cool!"

"Gack!" Reitia's confidence instantly shattered, being mistaken to be around the age of the kids delivering a solid blow to her pride.

"Ouch, kids are still ruthless." Artorian winced, seeing the gloom cloud go over Reitia while Emilia stiffed a chuckle.

"Hey you two, you're going to the dojo later today right?" Liu would ask, getting excited nods from them. "How about you two head over there and get started on training. I'll head over there once all my business is settled, okay?"

"Okay, see you later big sis!" The two would smile, separating from Liu before running off back in the direction they came from.

"They were cute." Emilia would comment, smiling as the girl got up from her knees. "They really seemed to look up to you."

"Yeah, although when I was around it was always "annoying big sis" or "jerk Liu" for making them do their homework." She would laugh to herself, looking back to the others. "I'm sorry if they said some things they should have, they have a hard time knowing what to say."

"Eh, most kids do." Artorian shrugged, although a smirk grew on his face as he looked to Liu. "But since they're gone, I want to know more about this "cute boy" and "knight in shinning armor" stuff they were talking about?"

"W-W-What!?" Liu's blush returned as she looked away desperate to hide her embarrassment. "Th-There's nothing to it! Bakuei and Mei both were just saying things that they were thinking about, honest! I barely said that much in the letters I wrote back to them!"

"Knight in shining armor, that I could understand. But kids that age don't get or understand "cute boy" unless someone specifically told them." Artorian would call out, chuckling as he saw the girl's ears go bright red. "So is there anything I should know Liu?"

"R-Reitia! You wanted to see more of the town!? Well okay let's go!"

"Wait why am I getting dragged into-WHOA!" Reitia would attempt to speak, only to be interrupted as Liu grabbed her arm, pulling her along as she attempted to gain some distance from the Lord.

"You're mean." Emilia would say, looking up to the boy as he continued to chuckle.

"Eh, nothing wrong poking a little into an innocent crush." He responded. "I don't think Liu likes me the way you or Sakura does, I just did something nice and she doesn't quite know how to return the favor."

"It better be." Emilia said, reaching up and poking his cheek firmly. "I have enough to worry about without you trying to seduce any more women."

"What, I can't help it." He'd say, pushing her hand off with a small grin. "I'm just a magnet for beautiful women, it's not my fault they fall head over heels for me."

"Jerk…"

"Aw, little Emile's jealous again." He'd coo, teasing her by pulling on her cheek for a second. "Don't worry, I still love y-!" As he was about to finish, Artorian's whole body went still as a chill went down his spine, noticing three figures cloaked in robes with hoods walk past them.

'This energy… I recognize it from…'

"Artorian?" Emilia would speak up, breaking him out of his haze as she looked to him in concern. "Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Yeah, I'm…" The Lord would trail off, looking behind him to see the three walk off. None of them seemed to notice him, or if they did they weren't doing anymore than continuing on their walk, giving him the all clear to sigh in relief. "I'm fine."

"It's them, isn't it?" Emilia would question, following his line of sight to see the three hooded figures walk around the corner of a building, disappearing from sight.

"Yeah, I think so." He nodded. "I'll message Claire in a bit, we should wait and make sure they don't come back and follow us before that."

"Right." Emilia would agree, the two turning to walk after Liu and Reitia who were far ahead.

"Damn bastard…" Krovanh would growl as he bit his thumb, Nakri and Nesat standing next to him as his eyes narrowed around the corner to see Artorian walking away. "There's no way he didn't sense us…"

"We should just take them out now, no way can they fight us without Sakura or the lightning jerk." Nakri stated, raising her hand up to her chest to reveal the green variable stone embedded into the top of her hand.

"We can't." Nesat said, putting her hand over her cousin's to bring it down. "People are around, innocent people. We can't risk hurting them."

"Besides, we need to set up the scrambler in the forest." Krovanh added in. "We'll deal with them when they start their little operation. Then we can take our time and pay them back for what happened.

"I can get behind that." Nakri grinned widely, the three beginning to walk again, this time heading for the forest where the Savage Nest was."

"Lords and those three Hunters running around, this shit can't be real." Artorian spoke to himself, stepping out of his shower and grabbing his towel. Shortly after their tour, Liu brought the three to the hotel they would be staying at, waving them off before heading for her own home. Feeling the stress get to him, the hybrid decided to take the edge off a bit and freshen up, the lack of a bath forcing him to take a shower instead.

'Having to worry about the Lords is bad enough, those Hunters are going to be a problem if they catch us off guard.' He'd think to himself, drying his hair off before stepping in front of his mirror, letting his towel rest on his neck for a second as he stared at his reflection. 'This is a bad mix already brewing, not to mention we're going to be fighting Savage as well.'

He'd then sigh before wiping his face with his towel, mostly drying himself off before stepping out of the bathroom. Since it was a rather small hotel, each room could only fit a single person, giving him total privacy as he stepped forward and put his clothes on, starting with his pants.

After putting his belt on, the hybrid would turn to see his PDA on the nightstand next to his bed. He'd look for a second before walking over to it, picking it up and dialing Karen's number.

'I can't shake this bad feeling. Is this the Abyss or Variant virus?' He'd wonder, scratching the back of his neck as he waited for Karen to answer. He'd tap his foot waiting for a few seconds before getting an answer, the girl's voice sounding excited.

"Artorian! You called!"

"Well of course, I promised I would didn't I?" He'd smile, taking a silent breath of relief that she was okay. "Sorry I didn't call sooner, I only just got to my room and things have been a little… tense so far."

"Is everything okay? You sound worried." She would ask, immediately picking up the concern in his voice over the call.

"Just pre-mission nerves, it's a bit of a big operation." He'd lie, not wanting to worry her. "Is Miharu or Sakura nearby? I just want to make sure you aren't alone."

"Don't you worry Artorian, as if I'd let her be alone." Sakura's voice would be heard, Karen having set the call to speaker.

"I'm here too!" Mei Mei's cheerful voice would cut in, adding on to the number of people at Karen's side.

"That's good to know." He'd say. "Anything happen while I was flying over?"

"Nothing much, Miharu and one of her coworkers visited me and Sakura helped with today's rehabilitation exercises. And then Mei Mei came and brought sweets for us to share afterwards." Karen explained.

"Oh did she?" Artorian hummed, rubbing the back of his neck as he walked over to the window in his room. "Nothing too sweet right? You're already sweet enough I'm afraid what might happen if you get too much in you."

"Smooth talker…" Sakura grumbled over the call, getting shared laughs from Artorian and Mei Mei.

"N-No, nothing too bad. Just a few cookies, I only had one… or two."

"Oh Karen, what will I do with you?" he'd chuckle over the call, frowning but keeping his upbeat voice as he looked out to the forest. "So what are you three doing right now then?"

"Just some preparation work for the Founding festival coming up." Sakura would answer, getting the hybrid to raise an eyebrow.

"Founding Festival? That's the Little Garden thing right?" Artorian would ask, recalling that the festival happened every year in tribute to Little Garden's first departure off land. "Got something planned there Pinky?"

"Not telling. It's. A. Se~cret." The idol would giggle, the Slayer able to hear the stuck out tongue by her tone.

"Just don't do anything too serious, Karen's only been doing therapy for two weeks."

"I-I'll be okay Artorian, I promise." Karen said. "Oh wait, before we hang up, there's something I wanted to tell you!"

"What is it?"

"I got worried and used my tarot cards, I wanted to tell you what I saw." Karen would say, getting his attention. "I saw two things come stick out, one where Balance was inverted and Clarity was covered. It means you may encounter a confrontation and light may fade from your sight."

"Confrontation and fading light, I see." Artorian said as he looked down. Confrontation was one thing, but to hear Karen's Clarity card being brought into this made it a lot more impactful to him. She often used it to predict the day he would fall asleep, signaling the Abyss' influence reaching his body. This was the first time she's seen it when he was only a few days without sleep, and while her predictions weren't always a certainty, it was no less a fair warning. "Thank you for the prediction Karen."

"Be careful Artorian, your Clarity is important, especially when I can't get to you." Karen would say, being sure to avoid mentioning the Abyss in the presence of Sakura. She was scared to bring her friend into the world Artorian and she lived in, and wanted to prevent her being wrapped into their mess so soon into their reunion.

"Don't worry, I'll be careful." Artorian promised. "Try not to miss me too much, I might not be back for another day or two. Depends on how well this goes, but I'll try to call you if I get the chance."

"Okay, we'll see you when you get back."

"Good luck Artorian!" Mei Mei would cheer.

"Be sure to come back Artorian, we still have to get married." Sakura would add in, getting a chuckle from the boy as he smiled. "I love you, remember that."

"I could never forget, see you around my precious idol." He'd say, hanging up and putting his PDA into his pocket before taking a deep breath.

'Strong will, strong mind. Keep those and it won't happen.' He'd think to himself, running the message through his head repeatedly as he put his shirt on.

He then heard a single knock on his door, getting him to turn as he grabbed his shawl, the cloth still torn from the Savage's bullets that struck it. "It's open!"

Emilia would then open the door slightly, looking in to make sure the Lord was decent before fully stepping in. "Sorry if you were still getting settled in, but it sounds like the meeting is going to start soon."

"Nah, I just got off of a call." He'd shrug, putting his shawl on. He had yet to have it fixed, actually finding the tears on the left that exposed his arm giving it character and a sense of familiarity.

"Karen?"

"Karen, Sakura and Mei Mei, they were all together for some special plan for the Founding Festival." He explained, picking up his sword as the two stepped out of his room. "Apparently it's a secret, so none of them would tell me what they had planned."

"I'm sure they have it in mind specifically for you." Emilia would chuckle slightly, looking to the side with a small cringe glare after. "Perks of being an idol who can sing I guess."

"And a cute best friend, as well as an attractive cyber-cat maid." Artorian would barely flinch when Emilia punched his shoulder, getting a shared laughter from the two as they walked down the hotel. "So where is the meeting at?"

"At some venue area just outside of the operation base." Emilia answered. "I really hope this meeting has some food at it, especially if it's Qin cuisine."

"You've had it before?"

"Yeah, it's really spicy and has tons of different flavors." She said, sighing in bliss as she remembered the taste. "It's been so long since I had any Qin food, this'll be a nice change of pace."

"Damn, if you wanted spicy food that bad you should have said." Artorian shook his head as he smiled. "I make killer udon, and I have a few recipes that would make you feel like your mouth's on fire. I guess I'll have to show you when we get back."

"You would? Yes! Qin food and then authentic Yamato food too!"

"You're a weird one Emile. One weird one indeed."

"Whoa, this is a big operation." Emilia would say, her and the others of Little Garden arriving at the venue last to see well over 200 Slayers present. "How many countries are participating in this?"

"There are fifteen organizations currently involved." Erica answered. "Twelve are from countries with high enough Slayer numbers to offer assistance while the rest are from us and PMCs like Warslran and Palladian."

"Wow, so many."

"And what about Lordran?" Artorian questioned.

"They only sent the Silver Knights and Lady Gwyndolin, no other assistance was given." Liddy stated.

"Great, four assholes and a dick. Really feeling the love from them."

"Would it kill you to be at least a little reserved?" Claire questioned, getting a shrug from him.

"Probably not, but I ain't gonna play nice and suck her dick."

.

.

.

"What?"

"Attention, Slayers of around the world." Before anyone could question further, Gwyndolin stepped up to the microphone on the center stage, a sudden sense of comfort coming over most of those present as the sunset was visible behind her. "I would like to thank all of you for coming, I am Gwyndolin, the youngest of Lord Gwyn's children from Lordran. Although the entire world are split for many reasons, there is one common anomaly that we all agree must take precedence."

"The Savage have formed a nest in the nearby forest, and soon they will become active. Our goal will to be strike it down and eliminate the invaders before they can start creating more dangerous species. But before then, let this night be for yourselves. There is vast food from around the world and many more drinks for you to choose from. Enjoy yourself and rest well, for tomorrow will surely bring trials."

After Gwyndolin's brief interruption, waitress from to Qin came to pass the assortment of drinks, offering each Slayer the one they asked. When they came to Little Garden's area, most of the group chose one of the various juices offered, the trend ending when Artorian received a tankard of beer.

"You're underage Artorian." Claire called him out. "You shouldn't be drinking alcohol."

"I'm legal in Gudenberg, which is good enough for me." The hybrid responded ignoring her as he took a chug of the drink. "Ah, that feels nice."

"Unbelievable, and you think that is an appropriate message to give to the Slayers younger than you?"

"Claire, I am the last thing people go to for a role model, we both know that. So don't bother trying using that, I won't care anyways."

"Just give up, he'll only ruin his own reputation." Matthew stated, standing next to Reitia with a glass of water.

"Oh please, I need to have a positive reputation to ruin it." Artorian argued. "And ever since I became public, I've gone rage mode on a Trenta, vocally told people I'd sacrifice them if Sakura wasn't the saint she is, broke a few stands with my sword when shopping, and groped Claire in our first duel. This reputation isn't salvageable."

"…I should have left you locked in your room."

"I knew it! You are embarrassed of me!"

"Listen; Erica, Liddy, Matthew and I are going to be on an interview before we can eat, so you may do what you wish. All I ask, ALL I ASK… is that you behave." Claire would say, putting her hands together as she motioned to the boy. "Just, please don't cause a serious scene. The Lords are across the venue so that none of them can get you close, and the press has been explicitly told to leave you alone. Will that work for you?"

"Hmmm, I don't know. Maybe a kiss on the cheek to seal the deal?" Artorian would recommend, getting an annoyed glare from the blonde, one that wasn't taken as seriously with the light blush dusted on her cheeks. "Alright, alright, I'll behave. Parties aren't really my thing anyways."

"Thank you." Claire would sigh, getting up along with the previous mentioned and walking off.

Seeing that they were alone, with everyone else having gone to mingle and interact on their own, Artorian and Emilia would go to get plenty of food before sitting at their table. The amount was a rather ridiculous amount, albeit just enough for the two with their need to keep a constant energy. Although to everyone around, it would look almost as if they were overeating to an extreme degree, some giving looks of disgust as they chowed down.

"Wheew~! That was amazing." Emilia would sigh with content, placing the last of her plates in a neat stack after finishing her meal.

"You sure love to eat, and eat fast at that." Artorian would chuckle, picking up a dumpling from his gyoza and eating it. Unlike Emilia, he still had a few plates of food left, showing a more conserving amount of eating despite the clear sign he was far from full.

"Well, I have to be sure to replenish my energy. We have a big day tomorrow after all." Emilia stated, patting her bicep in emphasis to her energy.

"You have barely used any energy, I know we burn through energy without trying but not nearly that much." He countered, taking another dumpling and eating it in one bite. "I have been training for weeks, so I have a scapegoat. Meanwhile you just-"

"Lady Emilia!"

"Eh?" Emilia's whole body froze as a voice called through the entire venue, confusing the Lord when he saw her still posture.

'Someone said Emilia? Is someone else here named that or…' He'd then turn to where the source of the voice came from. What he saw was a girl with bobbed light brown hair running towards them. She was rather short, a bit taller than Reitia but shorter than Emilia, and had on a blue uniform from Britannia's army.

"Uh oh." Emilia gulped, recognizing the girl and standing up. "Artorian, we need to run now! Before she-!"

"I finally found you Emilia!" The girl cheered, clearing the final distance in a flash and clinging onto the white haired girl's back. "Emilia! Emilia! Emilia!"

"L-Let go of me! I'm not Emilia, y-you must have me confused with someone else!" Emilia would try to argue, attempting to break free of the girl as she clung desperately to her back and rubbed against her like a dog. "My name's Emile! Emile Crossfode!"

"What are you saying!? Even if you look like a man, I know for a fact that it's you Lady Emilia!" The girl argued. "My eyes cannot be deceived, there's no way it's anyone but you!"

"A-Artorian! Help me!" Emilia would call out, seeing the Lord just sitting there and watching as she struggled against her hold.

"I kind of don't want to." He admitted, finding the situation with Emilia being clung by the girl enjoyable to watch.

"Artorian!"

"Oh alright fine." He'd sigh, getting up from his seat and walking over to the two. Leaving his sword against his chair, he'd grab the two with his hands and pull them apart, holding the unknown girl by the back of her uniform and off the ground while releasing Emilia. "There, happy?"

"Yes…"

"Who are you, huh!?" The girl would snarl at Artorian, getting the boy to recoil in surprise at her 180 change, seeing her flash her teeth at him. "How dare you stand between and Emi-mpmhpmhpmhmphm mpmpmh!"

"Yeah I'm not dealing with that." Artorian would say, interrupting the girl by placing his hand over her mouth. He'd then look over to Emilia, looking at her expectantly while the girl shook violently to break free, screaming into his hand. "Care to explain who this is?"

"R-Right… can we talk about it somewhere else?" She'd ask. "I'd prefer if we went somewhere more private for this conversation."

"Sure thing no prob-gah!" Artorian would shout in pain, the girl biting his hand now in retaliation. "You crazy bitch you're biting me!"

"Mpmhpm mrphmh mrrphhhhh!"

"Oh I have half the mind to throw you into the nearest tree, that'll change your mind real quick!"

"This escalated quicker than expected…" Emilia said, sighing in disappointment as lightning clashed between Artorian and the girl's eyes, staring at each other intently in their position.

"…So, what do you want?" After their small interaction, the three had asked one of the soldiers guarding the venue to drive them into town, and since Emilia was yet to fell full yet, the trio ended up in a small restaurant.

"I want your teeth on a fucking necklace, that's what I want." Artorian stated, giving a glare to the girl while crossing his arms.

"Who even are you, spending time next to my Lady Emilia like you deserve to."

"Oh I'll show you just why you-!"

"This is Artorian, a classmate of mine from Little Garden." Emilia would interrupt, attempting to be the peacekeeper in the situation. "You know Claudia, it's rude to ask someone else for their name without giving yours first."

"If you say so Emilia…" The now identified Claudia would mutter, clearing her throat before speaking up. "I am Claudia Lowetti, a Slayer of the Imperial Army of Britannia and the childhood friend of Lady Emilia."

"Childhood friend?"

"I taught her how to use a Hundred." Emilia answered Artorian's question. "Outside of that, we've only met here and there every once in awhile." The trio's order than came, the waiter placing plates of noodles in front of them with a variety of meats and vegetables added in.

"You sure that's enough meat?" Artorian asked, sending a narrowed glare to the girl sitting across from him. "Wouldn't rather have my another piece of my hand added into the mix?"

"You trying to say something?" Claudia questioned, returning the glare.

"Yeah, you're fucking crazy you fucking-"

"Please, please, can we relax for a bit?" Emilia interrupted again. "Let's just… eat and try to relax before we do something we'll regret."

"Fine!" The two shouted in anger, looking away from the other before going to their noodles, slurping them down in agitation.

'I'm starting to understand Claire's position now.' Emilia thought with a sweatdrop, going to eat her own noodles shortly after.

"So… you managed to join the army Claudia, and you've volunteered for this joint operation?" The snow haired girl would ask, trying to spark a conversation with her fellow Slayer.

"It was all thanks to you're training that I could join the army." Claudia stated, putting her fork down to continue speaking. "In fact, ever since you disappeared from Gudenberg, I was always looking for your whereabouts. And then I saw on the cybernet of a rumor about a Slayer using a phantasmagoric weapon against the Savage on the Zwei Islands."

'That damn video!' Artorian growled as he slurped the rest of his noodles down, going to pick the meat off the plate to eat now as he looked between the two girls.

"After a bit of investigating with the help of Gudenberg's intelligence department, we were able to figure out that it was indeed you Lady Emilia among the Slayers of Little Garden."

"Oh, so not only do we have that stupid video, but now an entire country's intelligence agency on us, yeah not a big deal Emile." Artorian said, throwing his chopsticks onto his plate before groaning in annoyance.

"Sorry…"

"Why even look for her? I thought Emile's identity was meant to be a secret in the first place?" Artorian said, pointing to Claudia. "I thought the secret child between a woman of Wenz and the king of Gudenberg was a rather necessary secret to keep?"

"Because of the First Attack, relations between the countries of Britannia is important, and among them Gudenberg and Wenz have some of the most rough." Claudia explained. "So to strengthen our bond it was agreed that the third Prince of Wenz and Lady Emilia would marry. Their offspring would produce an excellent Slayer, and therefore create a better political stance for the two countries. Can't you see why bringing Lady Emilia back is important?"

"Bullshit, you want Emile you're gonna have to pry him from my cold dead hands first!" Artorian stated, slamming his hands on the table as he stood up. "There's many things I hate in this world's political shitshow, and near the top of it is this arranged marriage crap!"

"You're completely uninvolved! What would you understand about it!?" Claudia responded, matching his stance but standing much shorter than him.

"Fuck you, this shit involves me more than it does you!"

"And how would you be able to think that!? Unlike you, I actually love Emilia! I want nothing more than for her to be happy and live a prosperous life! Around the likes of degenerates like you, she'll experience nothing but hardships!"

"Oh yeah, then how the fuck do you explain why she left your worthless ass country for a battleship that I might not have even gone to!? Want to compare that, you little fucking gremlin!?"

"Hey, hey, hey! Can you two stop for a second!?" Emilia would raise her voice, trying ever harder to stop the two's fighting from causing any more of a scene. "Look, Claudia, I can't leave Little Garden as it is. At any rate, I like Artorian just as much as I think you like me. So I won't be returning to Gudenberg, and you can inform my family of that yourself."

"So what you're saying is, because of that man, you won't return to Gudenberg, yes?" Claudia would ask, getting a nervous glance from Emilia while an excited one from Artorian.

'Oh please don't be going where I think it is…'

'Oh please be going where I think it is!'

"Well then Artorian Abyssal, let's wager Lady Emilia with a duel!" Claudia would declare, pointing to the boy with eyes lit in determination. "If I win, I will bring her back to Gudenberg. But if by some miracle you manage to cheat a win out from me, she can stay at Little Garden."

"Ohoho, you did not just challenge me." The hybrid laughed, although his wide grin showed the entertainment plastered on his face. "Making a wager on Emile just because he's falling in love, that's pretty shallow for a Slayer such as yourself."

"I'm doing this to save Lady Emilia from your corrupting fingers, I won't let her fall prey to them!"

"And who's to say he hasn't already "fallen prey" to them?" He'd ask, his grin somehow widening further as he held his index and middle fingers up. "Maybe Emile's already given in and cried out because of them? Ever think of that?"

"Y-Y-You barbarian!" Claudia's determination turned to anger, her face flaring red at the insinuation along with Artorian letting his tongue sneak out between his teeth.

"Artorian… d-don't say things like that." Emilia would say, her own face red with embarrassment. Albeit she wasn't acting out of the claim but rather imagining it for a second, shaking it out of her head to avoid letting herself get off track.

"You'll have to do a lot to break him out from my grip, when I latch onto something I don't let go easily." The hybrid said in confidence, turning his attention to Emilia with a more tamed expression. "I'll only accept this challenge if you want me to, it isn't anything that should be done unless you allow it."

"…I'm okay with it." Emilia would say, nodding after taking a second to think. "I know you'll win. I believe you will."

"L-Lady Emilia!?"

"You heard the boss." Artorian would chuckle, turning his gaze back to Claudia. "Where and how do you want to settle this farce of a battle?"

"Oh, I'll settle this! And I'll win and bring Lady Emilia back to where she belongs!"

"We'll see about that."

(A/N): Well, that's another chapter down. Not necessarily one full of over the top twists and turns, but a necessary one to step into the fullness of the arc when it comes in. I felt I could have added more into the chapter, but I also feel plenty was added in as it was and could be saved for later. Things are rather heated for Artorian, and I've been enjoying writing the hybrid when he has a short fuse. It really gives into the more negative side of him that the rest of the cast don't see as they're the people he has patience for.

But above that all I'm getting excited for the next few chapters to come out, as it's gonna turn into a wild ride before too long. And when it comes down oh boy I'm gonna throw a hard ball, I've got most of it planned and all that's needed is to write it. Both revolving the Hunters and all the Lords present. I'm hoping I'm living up to the expectations and I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and I'll see you in the next one. Peace!