"This will decide it!" Reitia shouted, rearing her fist back with her Hundred active and energy coursing across her entire arm. In front of her was a Savage, shrieking in rage as its claw was cut off by Aly moments ago, the girl's dagger coated in Savage fluids as she landed behind it.
Reitia then threw her fist forward, jumping up and slamming it with all her strength into the barrier of the Savage's core. Upon her hit, the barrier shattered and she was forced back, but the energy built up in her arm then shined bright and she swung her fist forward, sending a powerful projectile into the core and obliterating it and a part of the Savage's armor.
"Ha! I got one, look who's too slow now huh!?" Reitia shouted with a toothy grin, turning to the Al Salaam Salyer as she did.
"You only beat it because I dismembered it! If you hadn't stolen my kill like that it would've been down even quicker!"
"Sorry, I don't speak slacker!"
"They're really going at it, aren't they?" Jackson asked with a tired laugh. The boy appeared almost base in stature, his build just above average and his height at 5'8. His jet-black hair and blue eyes gave him at least some identification, his variable suit matching in the same color. Along with that, his Hundred appeared to be a shooter type, a high compact sniper and a headset with a visor to provide better accuracy.
"They're just excited is all, it's both their first mission after all." Wendy would say, smiling encouragingly as she stood next to Jackson to serve as support.
"Regardless of excitement, you two should know better." Liddy would say, pulling her lance out of a second Savage's core as the beast was already slain. As the most experienced, she was serving as the team's captain, and the Slayer was sure to lead through example as she handled the first Savage on her own. "You're wasting energy using all of those flash moves of yours. It's getting late and we have no idea when more Savage appear or the Hunters show up."
"…Yes ma'am." The two shorter girls would murmur, looking at opposite sides of each other as all of their Hundreds deactivated.
"You say that, but you nearly killed that Savage in your first hit ma'am." Jackson noted, turning to Liddy as she jumped off the Savage's corpse. "That had to have taken a chunk of your energy, even with your spiral feature."
"I'm perfectly fine Jackson, you needn't worry about me." Liddy answered, looking down to her variable stone in hand as she did.
'All the training aside, I never believed my strength would've grown this rapidly. I can see why humanity created the First Generation Slayers if they had results like this.' She'd think to herself, closing her hand around the stone as she remembered the medical reports. 'But to see those outcomes, how could they let it go for so long without improvement?'
"Liddy?" Reitia would ask, snapping the mentioned Slayer out of her trance as she did. "You okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine." Liddy stated, placing her variable stone back into her collar. "How's the status on the transmitter Wendy?"
"I only need a minute to finish setting it up." The blonde answered, kneeling to the ground as she planted the device into the dirt next to one of the Savage corpses.
"Good, we'll move out as soon as you're done. As for you two." Liddy would say, turning to Reitia and Aly. "I expect you to start rationing your energy better. No more of these new attacks or competitions on who can defeat the Savage first. We are not rivals here, not when in the middle of a mission."
"Yes ma'am."
"It'll get dark soon, we should hurry to our campsite before the moon rises." She ordered, walking ahead as she did. "Keep an open ear, we don't know if any of the wildlife has been mutated by the Savage."
"Understood."
"It's starting to rain." Artorian would note, feeling a raindrop hit his forehead. By now six hours had gone by since the beginning of the operation, and the sun was just about gone from sight while the moon was raising up more. The team had reached their campsite roughly a few minutes ago, but while some held the area others were sent to collect the supplies for camp at the drop off.
"Well we made it, so that's better than nothing." Claudia would say, struggling to hold up her end of the crate while the two walked.
Initially, it had been planned that Artorian and Emilia would go an collect the camp supplies, but Claudia had risen up a storm about how "The Hands of Lady Emilia mustn't suffer!" and went with the Abysswalker instead. Luckily neither had anything to say, so most of the trip was spent in silence, albeit with tension thick in the air.
"You know I can carry this myself, right?" Artorian said offhandedly, looking to his side at the Gudenberg Slayer's struggling. "Since keeping up with both my strength and height are clearly too much, you can let go if you really want to."
"No! I will not be upstaged in front of Lady Emilia!" Claudia would announce, a fire lighting in her eyes as she returned Artorian's stare. "I will not be undermined by you Degenerate!"
"Whatever you say Gremlin." Artorian spoke, increasing his pace and nearly making Claudia fall over from the shift in weight.
"Hey! You did that on purpose!"
"And unfortunately you didn't fall."
"Grrrrr!"
The two would walk for a few minutes before reaching Emilia, Claire and Erica; once they made it, Claudia put down her side and gasping in relief from the weight having put so much pressure on her shoulder. Meanwhile Artorian simply shifted his off him, making sure it didn't shift the earth when he did.
"Thank you Artorian, we should begin setting up the tent right away." Claire would say, kneeling down to the box and opening it up, pulling out the manifesto that listed everything they had. A large tent, made to fit a total of five people, five sleeping bags and enough combat rations to go around.
"Hey, I helped too…"
"And I'm grateful for your volunteer. But for now we need to focus on getting out of the rain." Claire responded to Claudia's whining, handing Erica the paper before pulling out the tent.
"Here, let me help with that." Emilia would offer, going down next to the president and helping unfurl and set up the tent.
Artorian would help as well, keeping the cover up and out of the two's way while they worked on the foundation and worked their way up. It didn't take long to finish the tent, and the moment it was done everyone got in immediately to stay out of the rain just as it started to pour down.
"Erica, call in to Xuemei. Let her know we've reached our campsite." Claire ordered, the girl nodding in response as she placed their communication node down and tuned in.
Immediately into informing the Little Garden Slayer of their position, Liu then informed the team that over half of the other teams had all made it to their own sites, including Liddy and Matthew's teams. As Claire and Erica spoke with Liu, Artorian would sit next to the tent's entrance, leaving it opened slightly so that he could look outside and keep an eye on their surroundings.
"Restless?" Emilia would ask, sitting next to him as he looked out.
"Kinda, just wondering when the Hunters will act." He admitted. "But I'm actually trying to get rid of that, I like to watch the rainfall when it rains like this."
"You do?"
"Yeah, it was one of the ways I used to put myself to sleep back when I was little." He answered, chuckling once as he thought back.
"Aw, I can imagine a little you looking out the window now." Emilia would coo, smiling at the idea of Artorian being one of those kids who used to be fascinated by everything. "That's precious."
"And now look at me, 6'5 and raging with both adrenaline and hormones." He'd smirk, putting his elbow on his knee while resting his cheek on his palm. "Well, one of those was at least solved for now anyways."
"Ehehe, yeah…" Emilia would blush, thinking to their shared time together last night. "It's too bad we couldn't… I-I mean it isn't that big of a deal." The girl would catch herself, looking away from Artorian as she did.
'You can't just go saying that! Not when everyone's here and could hear what we did!'
"Aw, you're embarrassed." Artorian would chuckle, patting Emilia's head as he teased her. "That's adorable."
"Hey! You're not allowed to touch Lady Emi-bah!" Before Claudia could continue, Artorian swiftly moved his other arm forward and delivered a judo chop on her shoulder, knocking the girl out by hitting a pressure point and having her fall backwards.
"Any complaints with that?"
"Normally I'd say to refrain from hitting your comrades, but just this once as I'm listening to Xuemei report the status of everyone and there's now more confirmed silence… I will overlook it as her collapsing from exhaustion." Claire would say, no real objection from the remaining two as they all went back to what they were doing.
"Yay, peace and quiet for a few minutes." Artorian sighed, the group waiting while Claire finished up her call with Liu, cutting the communication once completed.
About an hour would go by as the team remained in the tent, watching as the rain came down without restraint. As it had been several long hours since the start, Claire had decided now was the best time to pull out the rations that were in the crate, handing them out. Everyone accepted the circular aluminum packs, Claudia having woken up minutes before the president's decision for them to eat.
"Oh, these look good." Emilia said as she opened up the aluminum, seeing that the pack contained three cookies. The cookies were a superfood designed by a joint scientist group from the UN, meant to provide enough calories for a Slayer to operate for an entire day.
"Well, they certainly beat the combat rations the Lords are probably eating." Artorian would note, having broken a piece off and ate it. The cookie had the taste of its appearance, completely bland with nothing of real worth besides a small hint of sugar. The food was meant to keep their energy and strength up, not serve as a good tasting meal.
*Grumble*
Or filling either, if Emilia's grumbling stomach was anything to go by.
"Ugh… I'm still hungry." The girl grumbled, her gluttonous stomach desiring as she had practically scarfed down her cookies. "The ones I had in training were a lot better when they also had meat paste to offer. Even canned food would be good…"
"It can't be helped; our current meal is from Al-Salaam, so it's bound to not have much taste to it." Claire would state, only on her second cookie as she sat on the other side of the tent's opening across from the Lord. "Which reminds me, Palladian has supplied us for tomorrow's meals; which consists of crackers for breakfast and a cereal bar for lunch."
"Noooo… nothing delicate. There's nothing else?"
"I told you to slow down." Artorian teased, surprisingly still on his first cookie. The Lord had a similar appetite to Emilia, quite able to match her eating and then some if he were really hungry. But he also had more restraint with his hunger, knowing eating the cookies slowly would be somewhat more filling than scarfing them down.
"Oh, there's still a few left. Can I eat another bag?"
"Eating is prohibited." Erica responded, grabbing the sack from the center and setting it beside her, tying it closed to prevent any attempts by the snow haired Variant.
"Nooooooooo…"
"The extras are strictly for emergencies, should any of us run out of energy in the middle of a fight or become sick." The Slayer explained. "As he holds the lowest amount of energy of us, and burns through it the quickest, the remaining packs are to be saved for Artorian unless any of us face certain conditions."
"No fair." Emilia pouted, crossing her arms as she did.
"As Variants we require a similar calorie intake, but as a half Lord I burn through mine much quicker." Artorian responded, seeing Emilia's eyes dart to him during her pout as he took another bite of his cookie. "I probably won't need them, as I can keep fighting even without energy. But breaking a Savage's hide will certainly get harder and wear down on me. So I actually agree with Four-Eyes, you ate too fast and now must suffer the consequences."
"But Artoriaaaan…"
"Suffer."
"Here Lady Emilia, have one of mine!" Claudia would say, holding out her last cookie to the girl. "Unlike Artorian, I'm more than willing to share with you!"
"…I'll pass."
"Whhhhhhhyyyyy!?" Claudia would cry as Emilia pulled her knees to herself, refusing to accept the bribery despite her stomach's occasional grumbling.
"And like that, Emile is now tied with Erica for the purest one here for not taking bribery." Artorian would say, pausing as he remembered last night and took another bite of his cookie. "I take that back, Four-Eyes is the best of us."
"Thank you… I think?" The mentioned Slayer would say, raising an eyebrow at the supposed compliment despite the common insult for her glasses.
"The rain appears to be stopping." Claire would speak up, getting the team's attention as they heard the pressure of the droplets go down. "It's starting to get late, and while it's unlikely I would like to divide us into two teams to keep watch for any wildlife or Savage attack us while we sleep. We'll be on a rotation of four hours, with the meals we've taken it will be enough to keep us focused even with less sleep."
*Grumble*
"…Almost all of us."
"You're all bullies." Emilia would mumble, her head poking up before she raised her hand. "Wait Prez, quick question?"
"Yes, Emile?"
"Our team is made up of five people, which means that if we split the team into two groups, one of them will only have two people in it." Emilia would start, motioning between Claudia and Artorian. "If Artorian and Claudia are in the same team, I think that'll end up rather… bad."
"Oi."
"I see. In that case, the four of us from Little Garden will split into pairs and Claudia will join one of the two." Claire decided, fixing the problem of the trouble makers ending up together alone.
"If so, then I call dibs on being Artorian's partner." Emilia said, hugging Artorian's arm as she did. "You can stay in here and sleep while we have first watch."
"Do not even think that Crossfode, you two being alone together is just as dangerous as him being with Claudia." Claire argued, pointing to the Slayer.
"Oi!"
"Claire, I agree that it's dangerous for Artorian to be with Emilia, but I think it's dangerous for a man to be alone with a woman period!" Claudia would throw her own two cents in, the team ignoring Artorian entirely.
"Oh please, I'm physically stronger than all four of you combined. If I wanted to do anything, I would be able to do it."
.
.
.
"…Okay I… I just registered what I said, and I genuinely apologize for that." The hybrid stated, the awkward silence giving him the second to realize his words and retreat back on them. "But I at least have attention, maybe not the kind I want, but it'll do. We don't need to worry about juggling on which team I'm on."
"And why would that be?"
"I don't sleep, often anyways. I can stay awake the entire night and stay with both groups when it's their turn."
"I cannot allow that Artorian, we are in the middle of a mission and we can't have you slowing down from lack of sleep."
"Day seven." Artorian stated, confusing the blonde. "I'm on day seven of being awake, I can go for at least twenty before I show signs of exhaustion or actually fall asleep. And with two more of these…" The hybrid would say, shaking the two cookies he has. "I won't even feel the need for a wink if need be."
"Seven days of straight consciousness, how are you even still functioning." Erica would question. "Most people begin to hallucinate after three days without sleep."
"The Lord half in me makes it easier, and I'm not a fan of what I see when I sleep." The Lord would mention, dodging the more precise details on his lack of sleep. "So how about this; Emile and Erica will come out with me in the first shift since you can trust her to be truthful and I don't have to worry about you two arguing the entire time, and then you and Claudia will take the second shift with me?"
"Hold on, why does Crossfode go first?" Claire asked, getting a raised eyebrow from the boy.
"Seriously, that's what you ask first?"
"W-Well I just wish to understand your reasoning obviously." The blonde would stutter, looking to the side as she felt embarrassed from being called out.
"What's the matter Prez, jealous he wants to spend time with me more?" Emilia would ask, a smug smile on her face.
"W-What are you implying Crossfode?"
"Either catfight or I'm out." Artorian would speak out, confusing the two and getting him to chuckle as he separated himself from Emilia and stepped out of the tent. "I'll find whatever I can and start the fire, you four can decide if you don't agree with my idea."
The Lord would then quickly gather whatever wood he could find that wasn't completely soaked, adding a few leaves in when he stacked them together a few meters away from the tent. Keeping a small stick in hand, the Lord would reach for his collar's back storage compartment and pull out a small lighter; the lighter had clearly seen better days, the paint completely scratched off aside from a faint "WL" on the side.
Flipping the top off and creating a spark, the Lord would hold the lighter's flame next to the stick, making sure to avoid setting it on fire yet as to dry it off. After a minute of waiting, he'd feel the stick was dry enough and ignited a flame at the end and held it over his pile, aiming to dry and ignite the leaves first.
"You've already sparked a flame?" Hearing Erica speak up, the hybrid would chuckle as she and Emilia stepped out from the tent.
"Yep, it pays to be impatient sometimes." Artorian commented, holding the lighter out to his side and flipping the lid back on, extinguishing the flame.
"Please tell me we don't have to add smoking to your list of bad habits."
"Nah, can't stand the nicotine. Leaves a horrible taste in my mouth." Artorian responded, the girls going out more to grab several rocks and setting them around the bonfire as it lit, the fire spreading across the wood and leaves to create a bright flame.
"Then why have one? Aesthetic?"
"Memento." He simply answered, not delving further as he stood up and placed the lighter back into his collar.
"I see, sorry if I was intruding."
"You're fine Four-Eyes, you're just curious." He'd say, appreciating the girl's reconcile before sitting on the stone next to Emilia. "So Claire was alright with this?"
"Yes, she agreed with your logic in having her rest first and recover to better prepare for the long day."
"Which means we can finally relax without the two biggest problems." Emilia smiled, resting her head on Artorian's shoulder. "I wish it could just be the two of us, but this works too."
"I mean, either way I'm in the company of attractive women right now, so I can live with it."
"Wrong tree Artorian."
"Give me time Four-Eyes, that may change a little." Artorian grinned, winking to Erica at her comment, getting her to roll her eyes and look away, albeit with a smile she failed to hide.
"You're an odd one Artorian, I'll admit that."
"Apparently it's charming, based on the company I have back on Little Garden."
"Artorian." Emilia spoke with a glare, keeping her eyes focused in the hybrid. "You are not flirting with Erica of all people right now."
"Just because she has no interest yet doesn't mean I can't have a little fun."
"Jerk."
"Love you too Emile."
"Hey, how are you holding up?" Juron would ask as he stepped out of a cave, seeing Matthew sitting beneath a tree. As the Lords refused to even use material created by humans, they favored finding natural shelter instead and made a detour to the cave. As for Matthew, the latter three Lords had him remain out during the storm, serving as the watcher for them while they rested.
"Fine, most of the rain didn't touch me." Matthew responded, his lightning dancing across his body as it dried off the rain that had landed on him past his spell.
"Mind if I sit next to you?" The Lord would ask, getting no response from Matthew. Knowing it was more of a sign of his consent wasn't important, the Lord grabbed a larger rock and dragged it out more, sitting on it and looking to Matthew. "Did you get any more rations to eat?"
"Hanrocke threw them out, mostly got covered in mud but some of the nutrients stuck around after I cleaned it." Matthew answered, keeping it simple as he looked past the Lord to the trees.
'Exalted, he's been using his magic for an hour with little rations throughout the entire day?'
"Here, it's not much but I managed to grab some of the rations the humans left before Reseria destroyed them." Juron said, reaching into his armor and pulling out a pack of the ration cookies.
"Why?"
"Because as much as they don't believe it, I know you have a lot of potential to show us." Juron answered, handing the cookies to Matthew. "There's so much you could do, and the Lords are too blind to understand that. They overlook you because of your father's failure, despite his actions along with Abyssal's getting them a stronger voice in the UN's politics."
"Not much use, they barely involve themselves." Matthew noted, opening the packet and breaking a piece off the first cookie, seeing none of the green fluid from the ration bar in it and taking a bite from it.
"A shame, really. Perhaps a more outspoken human mind would serve as a means to better the Lords. Your father seemed to see it that way."
"Desperate times came, he warmed up to Artorias' ideals after his Vessels took heavy casualties in their first mission in Lordran."
"Yes, I remember hearing about that. But that wasn't what brought his shame on your family."
"No, it wasn't."
"They don't make that information public; would you be willing to tell me?"
"Why bother asking, you already know." Matthew called out, his face down but his eyes looking up with a narrowed stare. "You probably have more information than I do, after all your liege was there in person."
"How did you… no I should have known better." Juron smiled underneath his helmet, sighing as he placed his hands on his knees. "So you saw through it, when exactly did you catch on?"
"Yesterday when we first encountered you." Matthew answered, finishing his first cookie and looking straight to the Lord. "Your spear isn't the same kind they give to Silver Knights, not even the average Dragon Slayer gets them. And there's only one family that gets those casts."
"I suppose my illusion spells are rusty." The Lord chuckled, rubbing the back of his helmet as he stared to Matthew. "So, are you going to tell the others?"
"They wouldn't believe me, you know that."
"True, but hearing about me might draw some attention."
"Wouldn't matter, you were removed from the Annals as well. You're irrelevant to them, no different than Aby… Artorian."
"Ah, you respect him?"
"He's strong, and he's done well to look after his friend." Matthew admitted, eating his second cookie as he conversed with the Lord. "Aside from that, his status as an Abysswalker is the only thing that gives him importance."
"And yet you chose to be a part of this team than one with him where you can keep a close eye on him?"
"I will do my job when it is needed, an Abysswalker with as little control as him is a greater danger than you or "He" could ever be."
"I'm surprised you know of him at all, I would've figured your father would've avoided ever speaking about him."
"He told me when I was six, back when he still looked up to him. When he looked up to you, even after you abandoned him."
"Ornstein was always one to respect his predecessors. He learned every Dragon Slayer form, spear, sword, axe, bow, he was the most promising knight recorded to come from the Ornisium family. But talent only could get him so far. And the Lords abandoned him when he made his final choice."
"Where are you going with this?"
"There's something I wanted to talk to you about, and I don't see any better time than now." The Lord said, his gaze shifting to the side as he saw the same shadowy figure that was following them earlier appear in the distance. "I can only speak about it to you in private, we cannot risk the others hearing."
"And if something comes and attacks them."
"Their Lords, they can handle themselves. Besides, their blood doesn't mean anything to the throne, if they die there's no real loss and no need for Gwyn to take it as a transgression." Juron spoke, almost flinching when the shadow's eyes moved to clash with his own.
"There's something you're not telling me."
"There's a lot you're not being told, but I will explain everything to the best of my abilities." Juron answered, standing up as he looked down to Matthew. "Will you come?"
"I'll hear what you have to say." Matthew stated, eating the last cookie and crushing the wrapping in his hand, turning it to dust with a spark of lightning. "I make no promises we'll walk away from it without a fight. Regardless of our blood I will hold my promise."
"That's all I ask."
"It's a beautiful night, isn't it?" Claire would say, sitting on top of a boulder. Almost four hours have passed, and the two teams had made their switch, with Artorian staying out with the president and Claudia to continue watch.
"There's so many stars, I never get tired of looking up to them." The girl would admit, taking a second to look down to Artorian who was leaning against the rock. "What do you think?"
"Eh, I haven't been a big fan of stars to be honest." He'd shrug. "But I will admit, they helped out when it was important for me."
"Back in Liberia, I never got to see stars that often. And after the First Attack if I wasn't adapting and learning to use energy, I was studying and training to prepare using a Hundred. Star gazing is surprisingly something very new to me."
"Same stars now as there were ten years ago, and the same as a hundred. You haven't missed out on much."
"Come now, even you must admit it's calming to see all of those stars." Claire said, looking down to hybrid. "Such bright sigils in a sea of darkness, not far off from our situation."
"Also a reminder that the Savage are out there, and any one of those stars could have been the source of heat and energy that gave life to the planet they came from."
"There must be something positive you think of them, back when you were a kid?"
"…I used to count them." The hybrid admitted. "If it wasn't raining, I'd count every single star I could until I fell asleep. And one day the habit paid off, and I managed to save Karen by the time the Second Attack ended."
"And now you work hard to protect her, throwing your own well-being to the wind." Claire continued, smiling faintly as she closed her eyes. "You and I share a common goal, albeit with much different results in mind."
"Hmm?"
"You aim to protect Karen, and so are willing to become a Slayer and fight the Savage. I picked up the responsibility of being a Slayer because of my mother, but I had truly molded into it once Liza was born." The blonde stated, thinking about her little sister as she did. "I would do anything for her, despite her energy she's still just a little girl. It doesn't matter who or what I have to face, I'll use all my power and win so that she can be safe."
"So we're both extremely stubborn for the sake of those close to us? Heh, explains why we butt heads so much." The Lord would chuckle, getting a smile from the president as he loosened up. "Guess we're an odd pair then, fighting for the world with a common goal but different methods. Sounds like a recipe for disaster."
"More of a balance check. Perhaps through working together, we can better understand each other and grow, developing more as Slayers and as protectors."
"I'll warn you, you'll likely pick up suicidal tendencies if we have too many fights together."
"Then I'll be the one that prevents you from doing that."
"Er, sorry to step in on your good time, but do you two have a minute?" Stepping towards the pair, Claudia would speak up, getting their shared attention.
"What exactly do you mean by stepping in on our "good time" Lowetti?"
"Two people comparing their life drives and desires to keep the other safer, such a romantic scene isn't it?"
"Th-That is not what has happened!"
"Kinda with Claire on this one, I talked about my suicidal actions when fighting, not very romantic in my personal opinion."
"Look, the point I'm trying to make is that I spoke up for a reason."
"Yeah, sure you did."
"Believe me or not, but I know for a fact that I had detected something." Claudia stated, pointing to the tree line to her side. "Over there, in the direction of the lake at the center of the forest I swear I saw the trees shake and a subtle animalistic clicking."
"You don't think?"
"The chances of it being a Savage is higher than I would like to admit." Claire responded, jumping off the rock to land next to Artorian.
"It needs to be investigated, and since you two work so well together I'd say it would be better if you went." Claudia would say, getting deadpanned glances from the two as she did. "What? It's clear Artorian has no desire top work with me, and we have no chemistry together Claire. Wouldn't it be best to guarantee the best team to take out a Savage this close to our camp?"
"…Even so, are you certain that you'll be alright alone?" Claire would ask, knowing well the Gudenberg Slayer had an alternative reason for wanting the two to be off on their own. "Perhaps we should wake Erica and Emile."
"No! They need their sleep after all." Claudia argued. "I'll be able to handle anything that attempts to ambush us, and even then I'll be certain to contact the two of you right away. I won't put Lady Emilia's life in jeopardy like that."
"Well, I suppose checking the area wouldn't be too much of a risk, as long as you follow your word and contact us the moment you spot any more movement."
"Of course! And hey, since you'll already be over there, why not take a stop by the lake if you don't see anything?" Claudia recommended, getting a raised eyebrow from Artorian. "And with the sky so clear, stargazing by the lakeside, there'd be no better of a romantic spot to have a date out here."
"A-A date!?"
"Huh, not bad of an actual spot to enjoy if there aren't Savage." The president and Lord's differed vastly, with the blonde's face turning red while the boy rubbed his chin in consideration.
'Yes, it's just as I suspected!' Claudia smirked internally, recognizing Claire's growing embarrassment while the Lord remained ever neutral. 'She does have feelings for him, and he has no problems going on a date with her. If I can play this right, Lady Emilia will see that he's a no-good two-timer who only cares about being with women. And when she does, she'll realize that he isn't worth staying with and come back home!'
"So anyway, don't you worry your lovebird heads while you're out. I'll hold down the fort while you go by the lakeside!" Claudia promised, a mischievous grin on her face as she made her promise.
"W-Well regardless we must get moving." Claire would say, walking off in hopes to hide her blush. "Come on Artorian, we'll investigate the apparent sighting."
"It'll be a nice mini-date." Artorian stated, kicking his blade and catching it before following, pausing next to Claudia to speak to her. "For the record, I know you're trying to set me up in order to try getting Emile to hate me. But I'll tell you it won't work, and you'll just whine more. Meanwhile I get the beautiful Claire Harvey to enjoy by myself. Thank you, Gremlin."
"It is n-not a date Artorian!" Claire shouted behind her as Artorian passed Claudia, the girl growling at the Lord as he walked away. "It is patrolling!"
"Yeah, sure thing Claire. We'll go with that." The Lord chuckled as he caught up to her. "See how long you keep that charade up."
"Everything's in place." Nesat would inform, her eyepatch open as her eye glowed bright.
"It's about time! I was starting to think the Slayer dogs were never going to all make it!" Nakri responded, jumping off a tree branch and land on the ground, grinning widely to reveal her sharpened teeth. "I'll finally get a chance to pay back the lightning bastard and his little girlfriend."
"One step at a time Nakri." Krovanh stated, placing a calming hand on his cousin's shoulder. "First we have to gather as many variable stones from the Slayers close by. As for him, he's lower on the list of targets Vitaly gave us. Remember, Harvey and Abyssal are the ones we need to draw out, we can worry about the others after."
"…Fine." The girl groaned, although her grin remained as her eyes narrowed in anger. "He'll do good enough for now, after what Vitaly did to us for him getting a lucky punch!"
"On that…" Krovanh would say, his eyes widening in rage as his iris turned golden with his Variant virus activating. "I couldn't agree more!"
Meanwhile, Nesat simply stared at her brother and cousin silently as she activated the jammer Vitaly gave them. Despite the recent injections, Nesat's mental capacity was still clear in comparison to the others. And while they were running off the anger and pain from Vitaly's "sessions" to prepare them for this mission, she was thinking of their last encounter with the Abysswalker.
According to the scientist, he was the pure example of what the Slayers of Warslran represented: destruction, subjugation and self-interest. And while his apparent views on the people he saved from the Savage was an example of this, it didn't explain the lengths he went to protect both his fellow Slayer and the idol Sakura when they attacked.
He made himself the center of Krovanh's attention to draw him away from Emilia, and when he charged head first for Sakura, he didn't even blink as he pushed her out of the way and took his attack. When she copied his Hundred, Nesat could actually feel the dark nature behind Artorian's energy; his very presence felt like an omen. But it contradicted his actions on the Zwei Islands.
'What is he that Vitaly fears?' Nesat would think, her eyepatch reforming back over her eye to deactivate her powers.
"Hey, you okay?" Krovanh asked, snapping his sister out of her thoughts as he gave her a concerned glance. "Is your eye bothering you? Are the injections beginning to act up again?"
"No, I'm okay." Nesat responded, subconsciously placing a hand over her covered eye at the mention of it. "Just thinking a bit."
"Let me know if it starts to strain you again, I don't want either of you getting hurt." Krovanh said, his concern for his sister remaining as he turned to the cliffside they stood on. "You're all I have left, so don't push yourselves too far."
"The same can be said to you, Vitaly was extra harsh on your latest injections." Nakri called out, Krovanh grunting as the injection marks on his neck flashed with a numb pain at the reminder.
"I don't care, I asked her to give me the extra sessions. If Harvey is going to be here, I have to be as strong as possible to beat her." He proclaimed, the variable stone implanted into his hand glowing as he stared into the forest. "I'll take all the pain and more, I'll win and make sure the world becomes truly free!"
"You won't be alone." Nesat stated, both her and Nakri holding onto his hands, reminding him that he wasn't going to carry the burden alone. "We'll defeat the Slayers and break free from Vitaly in time. Just don't burn yourself up to do it."
"Of course not." Krovanh would sigh, relaxing at his family's presence. "We'll always be together, we won't ever be separated. Now then, let's get hunting!"
"Where the hell is Ornisium!?" Felrick shouted, stepping out of the cave to see that the hybrid wasn't at his post. "You had one job you foul blooded waste of space, and you fail at the most basic of levels! The fact you're given a chance to "redeem" you father's mistakes is sin enough!"
"Juron's gone as well." Hanrocke noted as well, stepping out alongside his fellow Lord, Reseria being the last out.
"No doubt showing Ornisium some "compassion" and helping him search for food, I knew we shouldn't have let some random knight come along for this mission! Now he's giving the half-breed undeserved sympathy and splitting our findings more than they have to be!"
"Then perhaps we should correct the two problems at hand." Hanrocke spoke, grinning as he looked over to Felrick. "Juron's just another face in the Silver Knights, and Lady Gwyndolin won't complain over spilt blood of an Ornisium. Just another casualty in the war against the abominations."
"Lady Gwyndolin explicitly said Lord Gwyn desires Ornisium alive for as long as possible." Reseria responded, stepping between the two as she did. "I care not for Ornisium, however what Gwyndolin and Gwyn state is law. I will not let you disobey orders for your own selfish desires of purifying Lord blood."
"Oh come now Reseria, even you must hate seeing Ornisium pretend to have any worth in his name, after his failure of a father and whore of a mother produced such a filthy being it's our duty in order to correct yet another of the Ornisium's mistakes." Felrick spoke, looking to the female Lord. "And who knows, Juron may have been killed by the half-breed in an attempt to make a name for himself. Tell me, wouldn't Lady Gwyndolin want us to properly dispose of a traitor as well as a disgrace? I'm sure he would gladly reward you for your services."
"That is low, even for you Felrick." Reseria would state, turning her head away at her fellow Lord's words. It was hardly a secret she revered Gwyndolin, even more than his father as most view as the God above all. And to please the Moonlight Lord was her whole purpose of being a Blade of the Darkmoon. And it is true that it's Lord Gwyn that desires Matthew to survive, the Darkmoon himself putting no personal feelings on the line.
"The Ornisium line doesn't deserve the chance to redeem itself, after the Starving Lion disobeyed Lord Gwyn's own personal orders for his own selfish whims." Hanrocke would state, placing a hand on the woman's shoulder. "We're preventing future insubordination, it's our duty as Silver Knights in Lord Gwyn's service to do just that."
"…Very well, for the sake of Lordran and the future of our people." Reseria would relent, turning back to the two. "Felrick, you'll need to trace their magic before we can effectively make a move on them. Once we know where they are, we'll figure out the best method to-"
"Betrayal and deceit, nothing less from the Lords of Lordran." A calm voice would speak up, the Lords all brandishing their weapons and turning to the source. What they saw was the same shadowy figure as Juron, however as they turned to it the figure would step out of his cloak of shadows, revealing his form to the Lords as he did.
Immediately the three realized the man was a Lord, with his imposing size standing taller than the other Lords present. His eastern armor was now completely visible, the sash on his waist tattered while the rest of the cloth gear appearing to lose its color and the armor pads chipped. However the most notable parts of the man were his helmet and weapon, the headgear designed like a demon with three sets of eyes while the weapon was an nagamaki, the combined size of the blade nearly equaling the Lord before them.
"It appears that no matter how much time has passed, Lords such as yourself will continue to thrive and prosper while the world around you rots. Truly a shame." The Lord would say, the sword attached to the back of his waist visibly stained in fluorescent green fluid. "Tell me, how many cores were you expecting to get out of this little "expedition"?"
"You bastard, what did you do?" Felrick would question, his sword and shield sparking with lightning as he growled.
"I simply did my duty to this world and destroyed the cores' main bodies, reducing them to variable stones that are worthless to Lords such as us." The Lord admitted, standing perfectly calm while the others all had their weapons brandished at him.
"How dare you, this is official business for the kingdom of Lordran!"
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe I've seen far more humans than Lords in these woods lately. I'd say that makes more of their business than a worthless kingdom extending its meaningless rule."
"You dare speak ill of Lordran's reign!?" Felrick shouted, charging at the Lord as he remained in place. "Such views are blasphemy and insubordination! I will eliminate you here and now for such treachery!" When the Silver Knight reached him, he went for an immediate stab, expecting his speed to be enough to run right through the Lord before a reaction even came.
But in the blink of an eye, the Lord across from him stepped past him with a bright flash going between them. Felrick took two steps forward as he stopped himself, his eyes wide in shock as he barely registered the Lord's movements. The shock then turned to rage as he looked down, blood freely falling from his shield arm as it got cut.
"Sloppy movements, you lack precision in your movements. But what was I expecting from a Silver Knight?" The Lord asked, turning to face Felrick as he now had his nagamaki in hand, the blade now stained with both Savage fluid and blood.
"You will not speak ill of Lordran any further you bas-GAH!" When Felrick attempted to turn and strike again, he was interrupted as the Lord instantly slashed out, his blade hitting where he cut previously and going further. By the end of his movement, the Silver Knights stared in surprise as Felrick's forearm came clean off, the cut clean and perfect.
The Lord then quickly mov ed his blade behind him, blocking Hanrocke's downward slash with his axe, catching the weapon and keeping him back with one arm. The Silver Knight was caught off guard at the ease of being blocked but focused his magic more and charged his weapon with lightning, the Lord wincing from the bolt and pushing him back.
Felrick then swung up at him, the Lord stepping back to dodge before ducking under Hanrocke's follow up attack. Twisting his blade, he'd catch the axe again, this time trailing it up the polearm and right up to the Silver Knight's armor. Just as it was about to reach, the Lord stopped his attack and jumped back, avoiding three massive arrows from Reseria.
"You've made a fatal mistake here, rouge." Reseria would state, her entire bow lighting up with lightning as she aimed another arrow at him. "We aren't just any Silver Knights, we're Lady Gwyndolin's Blades, next to the Black Knights and Knights of Gwyn we're some of the best Lordran have to offer."
"Blades of the Darkmoon? Do you honestly believe that means anything?" The Lord asked, standing straight as he looked to the three. "I had dismembered one of you in two moves, one of which none of you followed. I believe it's clear a Knight of Gwyn is needed here. But if Gwyndolin's here, perhaps I should pay him a visit, give him a message for his father."
"You will go nowhere near Lady Gwyndolin!" Reseria proclaimed, firing an arrow at the Lord who slashed it in half. When he was done with the swing, both Hanrocke and Felrick were right in front of him, in the midst of their next swing with determination in their eyes. The Lord would move to the side to avoid Hanrocke's axe, and block Felrick's sword with relative ease as the Silver Knight pushed against him.
He then pushed him away, blocking Hanrocke's axe and forcing it to the side, kicking the Silver Knight into his ally before reaching to his left and catching the next arrow shot at him, looking over to Reseria. When he saw the Lord grin underneath her helmet, he'd look back to the arrow in time as an explosion of lightning went off from it, kicking dust and debris everywhere.
"Now!" Getting up with enhanced speed, both Felrick and Hanrocke charged the cloud of dust and swing forward, hearing the sound of flesh tearing along with blood flying from their attacks hitting their targets. But as the were about to pull back, a sudden pressure was taken on their weapons, holding them in place despite their efforts to pull back.
"Quite the spell, I don't recall delayed explosions being a tool from Lordran." The Lord would say, the dust settling and revealing Felrick's sword going through his chest while Hanrocke's axe went into his stomach, both injuries bleeding profusely. However the Lord made no signs of being worried, his hand wrapped around the sword's blade and the other on the axe's polearm as he remained there.
"Tch!" Seeing the Lord not even phased by the impalement, both Felrick and Hanrocke focused their magic and sent lightning into the man. They could see the electricity blast into him, large chunks of flesh being ripped apart from the spells. But despite that, the Lord held on with little concern, even getting a laugh out of him as he coughed out blood.
"How peculiar, but a worthless effort regardless." The Silver Knights were confused by the Lords resilience despite getting two holes blasted through him, but paused in shock as they saw his blood drip out from his injuries and out from his helmet. It wasn't the scarlet red as expected, but a dark, almost consuming black that matched the darkness that surrounded them.
"Your tricks are entertaining, but I think it's time you understand your position here." Opening his eyes, the Lord's eyes would glow bright red, at the same time a black and violet mist began to escape from his body.
"No…" Reseria muttered in fear, her eyes widening in realization at the mist that was coming from him. "Hanrocke, Felrick, get back now!"
The two Lords wouldn't listen, attempting to course more of their magic to cause further damage to the Lord, but were stopped as the mist intensified more, cutting off the magic going towards him halfway up their blades. When they looked up, they saw the shining red eyes pierce through the mist, a crazed glow coming from them as a dark truth resurfaced.
"Aby-!" Before Felrick could finish speaking, the man brought his sword up and cut across his head, everything above his mouth coming off and being flung to the side before his body dropped.
Hanrocke would release his axe and jump back, the Lord's next attack cutting through his armor and piercing his skin, but no fatal damage was made by him. But as his feet touched the ground, he looked up to see the Lord right in front of him, not even able to react as his axe was impaled through him. Due to the width of his weapon's end, the impalement cut his waist in half completely Hanrocke unable to even understand his situation before his head was cut off right after.
When the Lord finished his attack, he'd step back and let Hanrocke fall into three pieces, gripping Felrick's sword and ripping it out as black blood fell to the ground. As it did, the soil and grass visibly blackened, as if the life from it was drained and ripped away.
"I-I-It isn't possible." Reseria said as she stared in horror at the Lord, watching as his wounds closed up completely, as if they were never even there. "The only one left is the freak from the Abyssal family, you… you… you can't be…"
"Real?" The Silver Knight fell back in fear as the Lord appeared right in front of her, his eyes appearing deranged as she looked to them. "Oh you foolish Lord, just because I vanished, doesn't mean I'm simply dead. It's rather unoriginal, don't you think?" Despite the appearance of his eyes, the Lord spoke with perfect focus, completely in control of himself as he used the tip of his sword to push Reseria's helmet off.
"B-But it… you're not… how are you still in control?" Reseria questioned, her fear growing as the Lord knelt down next to her.
"Because when I stared, and it stared back, I didn't shield my eyes in fear." He explained, reaching with his free hand to take his helmet off, revealing his pale face and scarred face to the Silver Knight, showing his tranquil smile. "I embraced it, seeing it for what the Abyss really is. An solution to a problem that plagues this world."
"A-An Abysswalker like you cannot defeat the Savage! Not if Lord Gwyn and Lady Gwyndolin themselves cou-!" Before she could finish, Reseria would feel a blistering pain through her chest, looking down to see the Lord's hand reach right through her.
"I'm not talking about the Savage, if they destroy this world then that is to happen." The Lord said, unconcerned as the woman coughed blood onto his arm. "This world has been under a ruthless sickness for thousands of years, a sickness that refuses to let the next age come and fix their mistakes." The Lord then removed his arm from Reseria's chest, using the same hand to hold onto her chin and keep her gaze up at him. "I will purge the sickness caused by the Lords, everything about them will be wiped out. The Abysswalkers were the creation of Lords, and we will be your destruction."
"W-Who… are you…?"
"A dying wish? How unusual for a Lord." The man chuckled, the glow of his eyes going away but the color remaining red. "I have had many names, but the one I go by now is my preferred one." His eyes then widened as he brought his sword up and impaled it through her throat, his dark mist coating the blade as her blood splattered onto the dirt.
"My name is Alonne. A former knight and an Abysswalker from Drangleic." Removing his blade from her throat, Alonne would stand back up and look in the distance, his red glow returning as his mist completely encumbered his body. "Three other Lords and the two hybrids are still in these woods, let us see where the darkness takes us." Alonne would then begin to walk away, leaving the bloodied remains of the Silver Knights behind, treating them as little more than dirt, their lives forfeited when they engaged him.
(A/N): Well, the pieces are slowly falling into place here. Just another chapter or so I'd say before the real action begins. But I can't stress enough that I'll be excited to get the fighting started, since this arc as well as the next are the current ones I've thought about the battles for awhile. But I don't want this note to be too long, as I can't think of too much to speak about aside from the reveal at the end, but I don't want to spoil much on that. But I can say that him being an Abysswalker was a plan I had since I decided to have there be three, the third already decided and waiting to be revealed for later.
Not much else to say currently, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you in the next one. Peace!