"I'll give this to you as one last warning, Lady Emilia comes with me and we don't have to fight." Claudia would state, standing across Artorian, the two in Tienchuen's dojo.
"What's the matter? Getting cold feet after all that talk earlier?" Artorian would ask, resting his blade against him while cracking his knuckles. His grin from the restaurant had never left, still wide and full of malice as the moment he was challenged.
"I simply wish to give a proper reason as to why you may be unfocused during the mission tomorrow." Claudia answered, gripping onto her weapon choice for the duel. As Hundred use was forbidden, both would be using a more traditional weapon; Artorian picking his father's sword while Claudia grabbed a flail, the large weapon matching her Hundred.
"Cute, but I'll give you a head's up." The hybrid would say, lowering his stance and flipping his sword over his shoulder to catch it with his right hand, facing it towards Claudia. "When it comes to duels without Hundreds, I'm undefeated to this day. The worst I've gotten is a tooth knocked out, so you have a lot to live up to. Not that you will."
"If you really think you can match against my training from Lady Emilia, you have another thing coming!" Claudia would announce, spinning the rope in her hands and getting the metal ball at the end to kick up, getting it to move swiftly as she looked to the hybrid. "Boy, can you give us the start?"
"Of course!" Bakuei would say, standing next to Emilia and Mei as they acted as spectators for the impromptu duel. Holding his hand up, Bakuei would look between the two, making sure they were at their ends before taking a single breath. "Ready? START!"
"Let's get going!" Reacting the moment Bakuei swung his arm down, Artorian lunged out with impressive speed, quickly clearing the gap and raising his sword up with both hands. Claudia returned the swing by swinging her flail up, matching the force of his blade and creating a stalemate.
The hybrid's eyes narrowed at the metal, his grin being replaced with a thin lip as he took note of its composition. When his feet touched the ground Claudia would spin her body around along with her flail, sending out her own attack that the hybrid swung against.
The next blow the two would share would cause a gust of wind to kick off, both Bakuei and Mei protecting their eyes while Emilia managed to remain still and calm.
"W-Whoa, they're intense!" Bakuei would say, watching as Artorian would slide back after blocking the next attack, striking down to parry Claudia's flail and gain some distance.
"And they aren't even using Hundreds, big sis Liu never had this much force." Mei would add, Artorian and Claudia's weapons causing loud ringing as they collided, the Lord's remaining still and focused while the flail would subtly vibrate.
"Just wait a bit longer." Emilia would say, smiling as she saw what Artorian was doing. "Artorian's just showing a taste of what he can do."
"This is the end!" Claudia would shout, the chain of her flail wrapping around Artorian's blade before she kicked down on it, keeping it in place.
"Not bad there gremlin, looks like you got more than a simple bite to your skills." Artorian said, keeping an eye on the metal ball as the chain kept his weapon held, although he didn't appear even slightly worried. "Unfortunately for you, my bite's a lot more painful!"
"You won't get the chance!" Claudia decreed, pulling hard on her chain to free her flail and drop Artorian's guard down. She then lunged forward, raising the metal ball over her head and bringing it down hard towards the hybrid.
As the ball was about to strike however, Artorian would grip his blade with both hands and swing up, matching it with equal intensity that stopped the flail in place. The girl on the other end would freeze as the vibrations from the hit went from the ball across her chain, preventing her from recovering while he raised his sword over his head.
With his grin returned, Artorian would swing down in time with the vibrations on the flail, the attack completely overwhelming the metal ball and shattering it, chunks of the metal going across the dojo. With one final twist of his wrists, Artorian would slam the flat side of his sword against Claudia's stomach, knocking the wind out of her and sending her crashing onto the ground several feet back.
"The match is over!" Bakuei would announce, stopping the match after the conditions of a single blow were met.
"I knew you would win!" Emilia would cheer, lunging to Artorian and wrapping her arms around his right in a tight embrace.
"I aim to please." Artorian chuckled, twisting his sword in his left hand before resting it on his shoulder. He then looked over to Claudia, the girl slowly getting up with tears of pain in the corner of her eyes. "It's your loss, so don't even bother trying to take Emile back to Gudenberg. We clear?"
"No!"
"What do you mean "no"? That's what you agreed on!" Emilia responded, calling Claudia out on her statement.
"It's because Artorian's a sneaky person!"
"Eh?"
"No one can shatter a perfectly maintained flail with something like a dull sword like that!" Claudia claimed, pointing to Artorian's sword. "He must have done something to rig this match!"
"Excuse you?" Artorian asked with contained fury, tightening his hand around his blade as he glared at the girl. "What did you just call this blade? Dull, if I heard you right?" He then held the broken tip of the sword out to Claudia, putting enough force in to push wind in her face. "I'll let you know; this sword's been slaying Savage longer than everyone in this dojo's been alive combined. A stupid metal ball is nothing compared to it."
"Say whatever excuse you have, but I know what kind of person you are, Degenerate! I will expose you when I discover what you've done! Until then… we shall postpone the results of this duel!" Claudia would finish claiming, soon after running off while her not entirely subtle cry was heard. "I'll get you back, Degenerate!"
.
.
.
"I mean… I still won." Artorian said, the atmosphere turning awkward at the girl's retreat. "I used a technique Bastard taught me during training, it's made specifically to shatter a Savage's armor and core in one hit."
"Claudia's just… a special kind of person." Emilia would say, looking to the side while rubbing the back of her head. "We'll probably have to deal with her again for a while."
"Greeeeeeeat…"
"So, let me get this straight." Claire would say, appearing to try and keep herself calm while regarding Artorian and Emilia, the two sitting across from her in the hotel's lounge. "You left the venue, fought a fellow Slayer from the Army of Britannia in a duel and caused permeant damage to one of the dojo's weapons?"
"In my defense, no one uses flails. So I don't see the problem with that."
"NOT, the reason for this Artorian." Claire stated, rubbing her forehead as she leaned forward in her seat. "The fact of the matter is you fought a comrade the night before a mission, the second you've attacked no less."
"That's not true Prez, Claudia was the one who challenged Artorian, not the other way around." Emilia defended the hybrid, throwing her own voice in. "Claudia made the challenge in an attempt in order to bring me back to Gudenberg, he accepted the challenge in hopes that she would simply give up. Unfortunately she… isn't quite that simple."
"She was attempting to bring you back? Why?"
"Cause she's freaky like that." Artorian would chuckle, raising his index and middle fingers and pressing them together in scissoring motions.
"Artorian."
"Gods, fine… although I'm not entirely lying on that part." The Lord rolled his eyes, placing an arm over the end of his seat. "Emile left Gudenberg without permission, and Claudia's trying to bring her back for the arranged marriage she's in with Wenz's third bastard or something."
"Douglas Wenz?"
"I mean, if that's who he is. I didn't get a name and I don't care for one." He shrugged. "No one's taking Emile away, not unless he wants to."
"Artorian…" Emilia smiled at the Lord's words, blushing faintly at the genuine as she brushed some of her hair behind her ear when she looked away.
"Thank you Artorian, I understand now." Claire said, surprising the two in front of her as she did. "I do not agree with the means, but I appreciate you looking after one of our own in this affair. As it stands, Emile Crossfode is a treasured member of Little Garden. Despite my personal issues with his behavior, I will not allow anyone to take him away from us."
"Prez…"
"I will have a talk with Gudenberg's royal court after this mission is over, such an action is a clear breach of the regulations on Slayer assignment." Claire would then stand up, giving the two a relieved and concerned smile. "Taking care of each other is important, and you've done so today; but also take care of yourselves. Get some rest, tomorrow will be a busy day. Projections believe there are even more Savage than originally expected."
"Got it, Boss-in-Blonde." Artorian lazily saluted with two fingers, the president heading for her quarters while the two went for their room.
"Hey Artorian?"
"Hmm?"
"Did you mean what you said? About not letting anyone take me from Little Garden?" Emilia asked, looking to the boy from the corner of her eyes as they walked.
"Of course I did, anyone wants you they have to go through me." He'd say, the two stopping outside their rooms. "After all…" The Lord would then take the chance to lean down, cupping Emilia's chin with his fingers gently as he smiled at her. "I'm a terrible sharer, and I want you all to myself."
The two then shared a quick moment of passion, their lips melting together as they kissed. Snaking his tongue in, Artorian would hear the girl moan faintly while gripping his shoulders tightly. Closing her eyes as she returned the gesture with her own tongue, Emilia would feel as if she were in bliss and allow herself to just enjoy the mixing warmth and coldness from their bodies.
After a few seconds of the two's kiss, they pulled away with slight pants, visible golden hues across their eyes as a trail of saliva still connected the two's lips. Seeing the shared glow between their eyes, the two Variants almost felt a force drawing them together, the desire to continue making it even more encouraging to just go with it.
And they did, meshing their mouths together for a less focused and more passionate kiss, forgoing any modesty as they explored each other's mouths. Feeling the virus begin to intensify, the Lord would decide to make this encounter more private, fumbling to both pick the girl up with his free hand and open his room's door, barely managing to do so as Emilia clasped his face with both her hands.
Once they were in and the door was closed, Artorian simply rested his sword against it before shifting his hold on Emilia, holding onto her thighs with both hands now as she wrapped her legs around his torso. With his focus now solely on the girl, he would move them to the closest wall, pinning Emilia's back against it while pressing himself more on her.
Hearing the girl moan as both their eyes were turning more golden with each second, Artorian couldn't help but curse at her need to hide her identity, his chest just barely feeling the trapped softness of Emilia's breasts. But he would settle with having the girl in the position they were in now, massaging her thighs to get more moans from the girl and further explore the princess' mouth.
"Haaaaah… Artorian…" Emilia would pant when they separated this time, their eyes almost fully golden from their excessive transfer of saliva. "Are we… can we…?"
"Can't go all the way… or too far at all… walls are too thin." He'd pant, raising one of his hands up to her shoulder to shift her shirt's collar to the side, exposing the base of Emilia's neck. "But we can certainly keep this up for a bit." At his words, the Lord would begin to trail his tongue up her neck, getting her to shutter a moan at the sensation.
"I-I… would like… that…" Emilia would moan, feeling the wetness of his tongue go up and down her neck. Her legs would tighten around his body more, then snow haired girl wincing slightly as she felt him slightly bite down at the base of her neck. "A-Artorian… people are… are going to see if you bite."
"Nothing too visible, the variable suit and your collar will hide it." He said as he released her from the bite, seeing the mark from his canine appear more visible than the rest of his teeth before kissing over it. "Besides, now's not the time I'd give you a real mark."
"W-What do you me-eep!?" The Slayer couldn't help but let out a squeak of confusion, caught off guard as the Lord stepped back from the wall and turned around, dropping her to the bed before crawling over her.
"What I mean is…" He'd slowly speak, lowering his face more until their lips were an inch apart. "I won't mark you until I make you a woman." The two would then connect their lips once more, letting their tongues do the rest of the talking as they let out their urges now.
Whether it was the stress of the imminent mission or the simple desire to let out some passion after keeping it in for a few weeks now, it didn't matter to the pair of Variants as they devoured each other's lips. All they wanted to do at the moment after the long day was to enjoy themselves, consequences be damned as they shared their passion.
Although as they couldn't go far, they would enjoy basking in each other's warmth as they kissed, their heated time together lasting for twenty minutes as they let the virus encourage them more. They didn't ever think of it, but they knew their hormones and instincts were flaring at the possibility of the mission being fatal to one or both of them. It gave the Variant virus a source to draw them together more, all but annoying the Slayers at the inability to go any further.
Once they exhausted the burning energy the virus was drawing from them, the two would be resting underneath the bed's covers. With his shirt now off, Emilia could enjoy the coolness of his skin more, her head resting against his chest as the moon's light shone on them through the window.
"Hey Artorian?"
"Yeah Emile?"
"…Emilia."
"Pardon?"
"You can call me Emilia, when we're alone like this." Emilia would say, nestling her head against his chest as she did. "I like it more when you call me by my real name."
"Okay then, Emilia." He'd chuckle, looking up to the roof as she kept her arms wrapped around his torso. "So what did you want to say to me?"
"I know the Variant virus we share draws us together, so much that it would feel as if we should be together. But I want you to know, that I do genuinely love you, virus or no virus." She said, smiling as she felt the coolness of his body. "I always feel calm around you, like I can feel safe with you close by. And that I can actually be someone besides Granald Gudenberg's illegitimate child. You gave me the chance to be something more back then, and I'll prove to you that what happened… that I'll make up for everything that happened."
"You have nothing to prove to me Emilia." He'd say, moving down to plant a kiss on her forehead. "Live the way you choose to, and I'll support you the whole way. The past already happened, there's no changing it. So don't let it be the definition to you." He'd then gently play with her hair, getting it out of her face as he looked down to her. "You should get some sleep, it'll be a long day tomorrow."
"I will." She'd sigh with content, closing her eyes as she did. "Goodnight Artorian."
"Goodnight Emilia." He'd say, giving the girl one last smile before looking up, remaining wide awake as she slowly drifted off to sleep.
"I know your given situation you require an heir. Should you face an untimely demise or find yourself no longer fit to serve."
Judal's words echoed in the Lord's mind, the added warning of Karen's predictions making him feel conflicted over the relationships he had formed since coming to Little Garden. His gaze would then go back to Emilia, the princess sleeping peacefully without a worry in the world.
'I wonder how you'd all react… if you knew what I am.' He'd think, his eyes turning somber as he thought of the burden that came from being the carrier of the Abyss. Not just the one he faced, but the one anyone who had and would form a bond with him. 'I'm sorry it had to be me Emilia, but I'll do everything I can to do you and everyone right.'
"I assume you two rested well?" Claire would ask, watching as Artorian and Emilia walked up to her in the Slayer base camp. All of the Slayers were in their variable suits, final preparations going through before Operation: Bird Cage, the joint operation to eliminate the Savage.
The reason for Claire's question came from the bright smile that was on Emilia's face, the girl glowing in enjoyment after the events of last night.
"Yep! Nice, rejuvenated and full of energy!" The girl would respond, patting her bicep as she grinned. "Those beds were surprisingly comfy, despite the condition the hotel was in."
"Pft!" Artorian would scoff playfully, his own smirk impossible to hide. "Yeah, the bed felt sooooo good I bet."
"Hmmm…" Claire hummed suspiciously, giving the two a narrowed stare as she did. "You two didn't do anything last night, did you?"
"What? Us? Claire you must take us for some kind of delinquents." Artorian chuckled, bringing his spare hand up to cover his mouth as he did. "The rules are very important to us, and we know there's a standing rule that on mission we have to remain at our best. Our rest was at the top of our list of priorities."
"…Very well." The president of Little Garden didn't believe the Lord's words for a second, but couldn't act out or call him out on them since she didn't have viable proof. She also knew that they couldn't have done anything too debaucherously, as nothing inappropriate was reported being heard.
"So, any idea on who our teams are?" Emilia would ask, the two having not been present for that part of the venue last night thanks to Claudia.
"Of course." Erica would say, standing next to Claire as she shifted her glasses. "You two happen to be in luck. As the team consists of yourselves, Claire, Claudia and myself."
*Crack*
"And like that, the moment's ruined." Artorian sighed, now already predicting the headaches that would come from the mission.
"I mean… I'm happy to be in the same team as Artorian, but why did Claudia get assigned to us as well." Emilia would agree, albeit her mood was harder to crack than the Lord's. "Are we able to change the division somehow?"
"By now that's impossible, I had brought the concern to Lady Gwyndolin, but she rejected the request." Claire answered. "But it's still lucky, as both Erica and I are in the same team as well."
"Yeah… but that's still a problem in its own…" Emilia would mutter.
"What was that?"
"Nothing, I was just talking to myself."
"What about everyone else?" Artorian asked, changing the subject.
"Liddy and Reitia have been assigned on the same team; along them are a Slayer from Al-Salaam and two from Liberia. Their names are listed as Aly Harlech, Wendy Velvet and Jackson Black." Erica detailed, looking at the reports in her glasses' HUD.
"Hope the guy can pull his weight, keeping up with Liddy and Reitia is going to be painful enough." Artorian would chuckle, imagining the hustle that would come from working with the duo.
"Wait, what about Matthew?" Emilia questioned, getting the two student council members to share a worried glance.
"Lady Gwyndolin… had assigned Matthew to her team of Silver Knights."
"And you let him!?" Artorian suddenly turned hostile, looking to the two.
"It is not within our jurisdiction on deciding where our Slayers go. Lady Gwyndolin has the final say in team layouts." Claire answered, crossing her arms under her bust as she looked to the Lord team in disdain, seeing Matthew sit on the bench across from them preforming maintenance on one of his vitality rings. "If it were up to me, he'd be nowhere near them."
"Damn it, poor bastard's going to have to deal with them for an entire day." Artorian growled, his eyes showing genuine concern for his fellow hybrid. "Wish I could go with him."
"You're concerned for him?"
"I hate Matthew's guts, but what happened to his family… it's one of the reasons I hate Lords with a cold passion." He admitted. "Ornstein was an esteemed Dragon Slayer and one of Gwyn's Four Royal Knights. He lost all of that on the second day of the Second Attack, and he lost it for doing the right thing."
"The same day as…" Emilia mumbled, not wanting to bring up sore memory of Artorias' sacrifice during the Second Attack, and the subsequent struggles Artorian faced afterwards.
"I don't like Matthew, but what his family's been put through is an utter disgrace and downright insulting." Artorian would then sigh, shaking his head as he looked to Claire. "I know he'll be fine, but they'll likely give him hell for his father's transgression."
"Should we be concerned for his safety?"
"Now that he has a variable suit and his Hundred? Hell no, he can outpace any of them. But he will likely just take all the abuse they throw at him as long as it isn't physical."
"That's the best we'll have to work with, is it?"
"Basically." He shrugged, recognizing Claire's disappointed tone.
"Claire, we'll be heading out soon." Liddy would say, walking up to the Slayer. "We'll be meeting up with our team and then move out just after you."
"Of course Liddy, good luck." Claire would nod, the two remaining confident in their abilities to complete the job at hand.
"Kick some ass Liddy, and keep an eye open." Artorian added in, referencing the fact that the Hunters were still at large. He felt with Liddy's experience and newfound abilities shew could potentially win fighting against one of the Artificial Variants, but the three together were likely a threat to just about everyone present in the raid.
"I will, and the same goes to you as well." Liddy said, giving the Lord a nod of appreciation for the training with her enhancements before walking off.
"Matthew?" Reitia would speak up, getting said hybrid to look up from his wrist's vitality ring to her. "It looks like, our first official mission together we won't be in the same team."
"We've gone over this Reitia, this was the best option." Matthew said, sighing as he closed the opening in his vitality ring. "I'm the one least likely to retaliate against the Lords, and the least likely one they would try something on."
"I know, but you shouldn't have had to volunteer all by yourself like that." Reitia argued, staring down in disappointment as she rubbed her arm. "You keep putting these burdens on yourself, I know why but you shouldn't keep doing this. They aren't… you can't think risking yourself like this is really the best thing, do you?"
"Reitia." Matthew would calmly say, standing up and placing his hand on the top of her head. "I'll be fine, it takes more than some mean words to get under my skin. And it isn't like they'll let me fight, they'd rather prove how much better they are."
"I… I know but…" Reitia would struggle to say, her cheeks dusting red at the gesture before steeling herself, shaking his hand off and pointing at him with narrowed eyes. "S-Stop patting my head like that! I'm not some little kid anymore."
"I know, you're a Slayer now and a good one at that." Matthew said, walking past her to the team of Silver Knights. "So it would be a shame for you to get crippled or killed in this mission. So be sure to avoid getting hit by a Savage, will you?"
"Jerk… you can just say you care." Reitia would mutter, looking to the side with a small blush before heading for her own team.
"Ugh, here we go." Artorian would groan, seeing Claudia standing with an imposing stance where their team was supposed to meet up.
"Just remember to be careful, I don't expect her to do anything but avoid causing a… you know what, saying that hasn't worked." Claire sighed, recalling the entire last day. "Just… behave, the bare minimum if need be."
"At least you're learning." He said, his shoulders slacking as the quartet walked over to their fifth member.
"Hello Claudia, it's nice to meet you." Claire would speak up, holding her hand out to the Gudenberg Slayer. "My name is Claire Harvey, student council president and commander of Little Garden."
"…I know that. You're famous after all…" Claudia would pout, being wary of the Perfect Queen and refusing to shake her hand.
"I have heard about your relationship with Emile Crossfode, and I also know the purpose of why you were sent here." Claire would continue on, keeping her hands to her side as she regarded Claudia. "However, I will let you know now that Crossfode is an important companion and a valuable fighting power. If her desire is to stay with us, then we will do our utmost to protect him."
"…What are you trying to say?"
"We are going into a forest crawling with Savage, perhaps even more than expected. Each of us will be dependent on the other, I would prefer that none of us are at risk on account of faulty cooperation. So I wish to let my position be known now, if you attempt to take Crossfode, I personally will defend his right to remain. With utmost authority I will add."
"…Fine. I understand my position in this right now." Claudia would say, admitting defeat for now in face of the Perfect Queen. She was determined to bring Emilia back, but she knew well she couldn't compete with a Slayer of Claire's caliber.
"Good, I'm glad we've come to an understanding. And if that's the case…" Claire would then hold her hand out to Claudia again, a confident smile on her as she extended the offer.
"Okay, okay I already said fine!" Claudia grumbled, grasping it back and giving her a firm shake. "But if Degenerate even thinks of laying a hand on Lady Emilia, I'll bury him!"
"Right back at you Gremlin!" Artorian stated back, the two stepping to each other and glaring intensely at each other, although rather comedically as Artorian had to bend down low to stare her in the face.
"I hate this." Artorian grumbled, rubbing his face as the five walked through the woods. It had been several hours since the start of the operation, and so far they were barely in with little to no encounter with the Savage. They've eliminated two Savage, both regular sized no bigger than three meters, and was such a simple task that most of them didn't require activating their Hundreds.
But that fact wasn't what was bothering the hybrid. Rather, it was the constant glare he could feel drilling a hole into the back of his head from Claudia. As the foremost and most strength reliant member of the team, Artorian was to cover the front and serve as a middle ground for attack and defense. Meanwhile Emilia and Claudia traveled in the middle as the active fighters and Claire staying back for support while Erica carried supplies and the radio device they required for communicating with the other teams and base on her back.
"Getting antsy Artorian?" Emilia asked, getting a shake from his head.
"No, just can't shake a few feelings, the burning glare being one of them." He'd state, looking over his shoulder to Claudia who turned her head and whistled innocently.
"I have a bad hunch as well." Claire added in, looking up to see that more and more clouds were filling the sky. "The weather seems that it might turn for the worst today."
"I'll check the forecast report." Erica responded, data running through her glasses as she connected to her PDA. "So far, there's predictions that it will rain roughly around 9pm to midnight, 50% but that still leaves for guessing when exactly. Any time before and after only show a 10% chance of precipitation. Those three hours hold the biggest concern, but I expect we may encounter some rainfall before then."
"Then we'll want to get to the destination for our campsite before then." Claire concluded. "With luck the shed should already be in position. But I'm concerned if we run into any Savage during the time rain begins to fall."
"Why? It's just rain." Artorian questioned, looking back to the four. "Nothing worse would come than getting muddy or maybe a cold. It isn't that bad."
"Optical weapons like Prez's are weaker when it rains." Emilia explained. "Any kind of debris that causes friction weaken the emitters her cannons have. The same goes for mine, but I can at least transform it into something more efficient."
"Ah, that makes sense."
"Ha, I can't believe you, a man of such degree, that says he doesn't know such a commonsense thing, is worthy of Lady Emilia." Claudia would say, mocking the lord and getting an annoyed growl from him.
"…Worthy of Lady Emilia?" Claire would repeat, sounding it out as a question.
"I told you, she's freaky like that."
"Everyone stop." Erica ordered, the entire team stopping on their next step as she shifted her glasses. "Sound receivers on our equipment are picking up subtle grazing."
"Looks like our guests are back to play some more." Artorian grinned, opening his collar and taking out his variable stone. "Second verse, same as the first?"
"Affirmative." Claire would respond, everyone else following suite and taking out their variable stones.
"Hundred On!" Each Slayer then activated their Hundreds, preparing themselves as the Lord moved up to the front and looked past the tree line around them.
"Two, same as last time." Artorian reported, linking his Hundred blade onto his back and setting his shield on his right arm.
"I will eliminate the one on the left; Artorian, you, Emile and Claudia will take care of the one on the right. Understood?" Claire detailed, calling out the targets for the them to focus on.
"You got it."
"I'll show you once again why my Hundred is superior to yours." Claudia would say, going next to Artorian to have eyes on their target. Her Hundred was a crusher type called Tudor Rose; her forearms and legs covered in silver plated armor and a massive iron ball at the end of her right hand.
"Yeah, yeah sure whatever." Artorian said, lifting his blade to have in parallel to the ground before turning to Emilia. "Ready for this Emile?"
"I got your back." The Slayer nodded, getting an annoyed growl from Claudia.
"Don't speak to Lady Emilia so-!"
"Away we go!" Artorian interrupted, not wanting to hear Claudia's shouting and rushing straight for the Savage.
"I will cover your approach." Claire stated, her six gun batteries floating into the air and firing into the dirt between them and the Savage. When the smokescreen for the team was set up, she'd then turn her attention to her target, firing a full six beams to weaken its armor in the first shot.
The sound of the Savage shrieking could be heard, the two beasts opening their mouths to charge quick blasts to fire into the smoke. Both fired at a single target, a blast going off from the combined power and causing the dust to completely disperse.
Artorian was at the center of the blast, his shield raised and tanking the attack with minimal damage made on his Hundred. Both Claudia and Emilia were ahead of him before the attacks, their cover now gone but unneeded as they approached. The latter of the two would turn her Arms Shroud into a large hammer, spinning the weapon and striking down to break off the Savage's right claw before retreating back.
Claudia was next to reach it, focusing her energy into the ball at the end of her arm and causing large spikes to burst out from it. "Something like you, isn't even going to be worth the energy!" She'd announced, throwing her arm forward sending the ball out, revealing the chain that connected it to her arm. When the flail connected, the Savage visible recoiled back from the impact, a dent appearing on its body as it turned to retaliate.
Grinning, the girl would then jump high in the air with the aid of two small thrusters on her hips, gripping the chain of her Hundred and raising it over her head. Spinning it, she'd swing it down violently to return the attack the Savage sent with its remaining claw, overpowering the beast's attack and destroying the claw and striking at the barrier for the core.
In the single hit, the barrier protecting the core shattered to pieces, falling to the ground as the beast shrieked once more. "Now, finish it off Lady Emilia!"
"On it!" Emilia would respond, rushing forward and jumping up with her hammer held over her head. With a look of determination, she'd swing down with all of her strength, destroying the core with little effort.
"As always, Lady Emilia is superb!"
"It's Emile, not Emilia."
"I refuse to call you such a name when yours is already perfect! And along with that, what did you think? We did a wonderful combination together, it's clear that I'm more useful than Artorian Abyssal correct?" Claudia would exclaim, getting Emilia to look back at her with a look of confusion.
"Wait hold up, did you intend to let me finish this one?"
"That's right, the first moment of true teamwork between the two of us." Claudia would say with a bashful expression, appearing happy with herself as she placed her hands on her cheeks. "You'll see by the end of this it's obvious that I am your ideal partner vastly better than Abyssal in every-!" Before Claudia could finish, the sound of the second Savage shrieking got her to turn around and nearly jump back in shock as it fired a second blast at her.
But before it struck, Artorian slid in front of her with his shield up, blocking the blast and protecting her with little effort. "Claire! If you would be so kind as to just finish this thing off, that'd be great!"
"I'm already on it!" Claire stated, summoning her Buster Canon and charging a blast at the remaining beast. "Disappear!" With a single blast from her Hundred, the Savage's remaining armor over its core was completely obliterated, the core itself shattering and releasing fluid in every direction before the Savage collapsed into a motionless husk.
"Hmph, not bad for a novice." Claudia stated, regaining herself as Artorian stood up.
"Listen here you Britannian whore." The tone of the hybrid completely took the Slayer by surprise, his voice dark as he looked back to her over her shoulder. "That's a one time save. You get yourself in a Savage's sight again, I ain't taking shit for you. Oh, and call me Abyssal one more time and I'll sew your mouth shut while you sleep." His Hundred then deactivated and he caught his variable stone, walking off to the open area's perimeter to keep watch.
"What was that about, I only called him a novice?" Claudia knew the two were on bad grounds, as she saw no need to be more than allies. But the sudden shift in from calling her names to that was completely out of left field.
"You'd be smart to not refer to him by his last name." Emilia warned, her Hundred deactivating as she spoke. "He was born in Yamato, but he was raised with ideals from Lordran. Calling him by his last name is the same as calling him a slur."
"How was I supposed to know that!?"
"Transmitter's set." Erica would announce, the three Slayers turning to see her finish planting a small device with a antenna protruding from it. "The retrieval teams shouldn't have a problem getting these Savage cores with how little resistance there is on our end."
"Good, we start moving right away." Claire would order, looking among the Slayers. "The goal is to get to our assigned campsite before it has a chance to rain. Once we're there, we can rest and communicate with any teams that may need assistance."
"Understood."
"Four Savage, all five meters." Reseria informed her fellow Lords, holding onto her bow as she aimed a massive arrow, appearing more as a lance to match the size of her weapon. "My shot will destroy the first one, and the resulting spell will stun the others, destroy the core immediately after."
"Ready." The three other Silver Knights responded, getting into position with their weapons. Both Felrick and Hanrocke were armed with the same weapons as yesterday, the former's shield now held by his left hand. Juron was the only one now equipped with a weapon he didn't previously have, a long cross spear made out of worn-down silver, signifying his experience.
No words were then spoken as Reseria fired her arrow, the projectile cutting through the air and impaling right into the middle Savage's core, completely negating the barrier and armor the Savage possessed. Shortly after it connected to the core, lightning began to build up in it until the arrow couldn't hold it any more, creating an explosion of electricity.
The three remaining Savage all shrieked as they were struck by the bolts, serving as the signal for the remaining three Silver Knights to rush forward from their cover. With perfect coordination, the three all picked their targets and moved in with killer intent, their weapons sparking with electricity before colliding against the Savage's armor. With the amplified attacks, the core was shattered with the armor providing little defense.
When they collapsed to the ground, the three Lords ripped their weapons out from the cores and stepped off, Felrick wiping the fluids off of his blade before sheathing it. "Ornisium, get over here and plant the beacon."
After being ordered, Matthew stepped out from his cover in the trees, jumping off his tree and landing at the center of the Savage corpses. Taking a transmitter out from his backpack, the hybrid would be quick to work, although with some difficulty as the Lords continued to speak.
"Be sure not to mess it up, these cores are valuable and must be retrieved as soon as possible." Felrick added on, scoffing as he stepped past the hybrid with a sneer.
"Understood."
"And set it to the correct frequency Ornisium, we only agreed to help in this mission on the grounds we receive every core from a Savage we kill." Hanrocke included, kicking the dirt next to Matthew as he walked past him.
"Understood."
"At least he knows his place." Reseria said as she got out of her vantage position, landing on the dirt and causing the ground to crack from her mass and armor. "We're going ahead, don't fall behind and get lost Ornisium."
"Understood." Matthew would say one last time, finishing planting the transmitter as the three walked off. As he would stand up, he would notice that Juron was still standing by him, his spear in hand as he watched the hybrid. He remained silent as he did, not overstepping his boundary by speaking to the Lord first unless addressed.
"Here." The Lord would eventually say, handing Matthew a ration bar. "You're carrying all of the equipment, it isn't fighting but I noticed you didn't eat much last night."
"Appreciated." Matthew would respond, taking the bar. He remained still as he regarded the Lord, getting Juron to sigh as he turned to walk.
"You're allowed to eat it; the others won't care. Not like eating is something they're against." The Lord would then start to walk, stopping when he noticed Matthew remain in place. "Have a question?"
"You're different, why?" The hybrid simply asked, noting Juron's attitude towards Matthew having been drastically different since the mission's start. Not only that, Juron was the only one who didn't attempt anything when Artorian attacked yesterday, showing he had much more restraint as well. It was rare for a Lord, a Silver Knight in human territory no less, to act in such a way.
"Not everyone forgets the value of your family's name Ornisium." Juron responded, continuing to walk away as he did. "Your father taught me a very important lesson, a deed that's allowed me to grow more in wisdom and strength. I will respect his name by treating you with some dignity, despite his betrayal to the throne."
As the Lord walked away, Matthew would look down to the ration bar. It was completely bland and tasteless, most were as it was meant to recover energy rather than serve a good meal. It wasn't anything a Lord would carry, as they don't require energy recovery since they relied on their magic and physical endurance; along with a handful of helpful herbs and drugs to recover stamina and heal wounds.
Matthew wouldn't question why he had it, his senses telling him everything he needed to know. Taking a bite out of the ration bar, he'd spit it out immediately with intent, seeing a trace of green liquid from the end he held on fly off from the action.
'It's you, isn't it?' He would think, recognizing the design of the spear Juron had before throwing the rest of the ration bar to the side, firing a small spell of lightning top destroy it and evaporate it, small traces of energy leaving where the burn mark remained.
'There's more than just Hunters here. The question is, is it only these two, or are there more?'
At Matthew's thoughts, a lone figure would be seen following the group of Lords and the hybrid. Much like the rouge group hiding in the forest, this figure was massive in stature, standing at 7'8 with an impressive build. However he was hidden by a black and violet mist, keeping to the shadows as his red eyes pierced through his cloak. The only determinable feature from his mist was his armor, appearing eastern in nature, and long thin hilt going across his waist horizontally.
When Matthew felt the eyes stare at his back, he'd turn just after the figure vanished, the event sending a dark chill down the hybrid's spine.
"Ornisium, hurry the hell up!" Felrick would shout, Matthew turning away from where the shadow remained to continue following the Lords. He knew something was going to happen tonight, but for once he was uncertain of just what would.
(A/N): And another chapter done, another simple chapter with some action as a means to get the gears going. Thing's will pick up soon, but this arc's going to be a sort of gateway to what future chapters and arcs will have in store. So when that time comes, I'll be more than excited to get to writing. But until then, I'm honestly having fun in writing this arc in terms of conflict. It's a bit confusing now, but when everything starts to be revealed I promise it'll be much more eye opening.
But until then, all I can hope is that you enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you in the next one. Peace!