[October 2nd, Year 12]
With it being Saturday, Mari left the house relatively early, and as she was walking, she was contemplating, she didn't know what to do, so she made a call. Going over to Remi's she found herself talking with Remi and for a few hours and they brainstormed until something came up, and it was something that brought a smile to her face.
"That's a perfect idea!"
But as Mari got excited about it, Remi didn't know what to say, but then again, it was for Hiro and it was the least she could do. . .
"Okay, just give me a few minutes and I'll make the call"
***
"I think we lost them..." HB1
"You think! Did we or not!" HG2
"If their close by they'll of heard you, I suggest lowering your voice" Hiro
"Says the so-called slayer" HG2
"It's not his fault there's just so many" Taylor/HG1
"The girl's right, if he was to fight them it would have been by himself and he would have had to worry about both fighting them and protecting us, after all, this dungeon is crawling with goblins" the only Dwarf in the group exclaimed.
"This goes back to what I said a while back, the slayers have grown weak, if they can't even solo a group of weak goblins then why call yourself a slayer!" HB2
Yelling that, the 3 human guys were going to stick up for Hiro, because unlike her they saw that it was practically impossible for him to fight and look after them, they understood their situation too well unlike her, as she complained. But then they heard Hiro respond and they simply listened,
"The last time I checked, I wasn't here to fight your battles"
"I didn't hear you, say it again?!" she said trying to mock him, but he didn't stand for it as he was leaning against the wall of the cave they hid in.
"You want the hard truth huh? Well, I'll give it to you. I'm only here because Juan asked me to look after you lot, he was afraid someone ignorant would get themselves or everyone else killed, so I'm only here to ensure none of you die. If I wanted to fight, I would have ditched you all and went on my own"
Hearing that, she got mad and I mean like mad mad.
"You think you're better than us! I don't know who you think you are, but I'm-" HG2
"A dumb bitch" Hiro
With that being his response she stormed up to him and with her hand speeding throughout the air she went to slap him.
But that's where she messed up, as her hand come close to hitting his face, he put his hand up, blocking her hand with his wrist, and in that same motion, he literally punched her in the gut which had caught her off guard and knocked the wind out of her. Making her stumble back 3 feet and cough like a bitch as it hurt like hell.
"Listen up, I'm not your friend, I'm both your superior and better. If you wanna play like this then I'll play along, but don't expect me to go easy on you just because you're a girl"
Saying that she tried to get a word out, but she was too slow as he straight up kicked her chest and made her fall butt first onto the floor.
In a swift motion, he pulled his sword out from its scabbard and aimed it at her neck, leaving a small gap between her and the blade. he thought about "it" but as he gave her a cold and mean look, he said something else,
"Learn to be useful or I'll take my time personally training you, and trust me... That's the last thing you want"
My boy might have been weakened severely by some unknown thingy, but he was still an enforcer in the end.
She gulped as just a step forward would be enough to kill her. She was shivering sweat down and as she looked up at him, she saw he wasn't playing and it made her suck up her pride as that look in his eye... Well, it terrified her. Because she knew he would kill her if given the chance.
Drawing his sword back he then pointed it at each of them and said the same thing went to them as well, but that wasn't the only thing,
"Listen up, I don't know about you, but I'm betting on you all. So get your shit together and let's come up with a plan, because if not and we don't all collect 3 [Lv.1 Energy-ftagnents] each, then we can't leave this Dungeon and return home"
***
With him being both a menace and inspiration to them, there were a few things he had to go over. Including how they all had the potential to complete this "hunting lesson" and become a whole unit, and not just a slopy few people together in a group with the same purpose.
Also, he needed to go over the basics with them, including this training dungeon which was set up by the slayer association, who captured and brought in monsters which were then bred and are used for real practice for their new slayers... it seemed cruel but these goblins were creatures with less intelligence and who were Chaotic evils, and I mean very Chaotic and evil.
Also, he had to explain the basic info of ESF/energy fragments("Shard" is commonly left out). Like how Lv. is the concentration of natural energy inside of the fragment, and how there were many levels in each tier.
But for a deeper understanding of that, he broke it down by telling them energy fragments were the lowest of the low, there were 4 Lv's to them and they weren't even on the tier list, seeing after lv.4, they became whole shards and then cores/stones.
---Current List Known to Low-Ranking Slayers---
Energy Shard Fragments: Lv.1-4
Tier 1: energy Shard: Lv.1-5
Tier 2: Energy Stone: Lv.1-10
Tier 3: Earth Stone: Lv.1-10
Tier 4: Spirit Stone: Lv.1-10
(There are also magic stones, but those are naturally formed and mainly mined. The Energy Stone is more common and energy is a form of consistent magic which can't be destroyed but instead always on the move and transferring)
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***
Walking around a jungle biome with only the threat of nature and goblins all around, they traveled in a group. With Hiro watching their rear, Timmy(HB1) was nominated to be the leader and he was in the front steering them while the other 3 guys were in a line to his right, while the 3 girls were to his left in a line. everyone kept their ears open and the middle 2 kept lookout while walking to make sure there weren't any surprise attacks or in case they saw an enemy.
It wasn't the best formation, but it was a good traveling one with a mid-defense. It was relatively useful for small group traveling, and since they just needed to find a few goblins to slay, it was pretty good... Even the Goblin Slayer would have to give them a pat on the back for this one.
.
.
.
Walking for an hour they headed west and they almost ran into a few large groups, but with Taylor having good perception she alerted them and then quietly and nimbly she scouted them out and helped the group to avoid the Goblin cluster.
.
.
.
They continued on and as dirt became dryer and easier to stand in, they found themselves in the west wing of the dungeon, nothing really changed. But the area as this was generally used for... Well, it looked like storing stuff?
They saw nothing but animal bones and tools going around, everything was made of bone and as they looked around in that same formation, but a bit wider, they found metallic objects which the goblins had created.
"Guys, I found something" HB3
HB3 said alerting everyone as what he saw was a totem, and this wasn't just any totem as it was made with bone and cloth, and had an animal skull at the top. This was no more than a shaman totem.
With them gathered around and trying to make sense of it, Hiro's eyes flashed a bright orange.
Looking at the totem, the world around him flashed as a memory he hadn't remembered came to play.
-----------------------
As the world around him was gray and the mud mixed with many types of blood, he looked to the shaman's totem to which he had used its parts as weaponry, and with a string around the bones, he used all the materials as hey weapons. Looking to his left he saw a few dismembered goblins, and they used to have staffs but the girl to his right took them as she was clueless to how they used them for magic, and she took interest in all 3 of them, so they were her's now. As well as their limbs as she was sitting on the ground eating a goblins arm.
Walking over to the girl he crouched down and he looked to the Goblin shaman which he tore the arms and legs off of,
">$[,/%÷/×^@@/_[<(<(÷!;[=?÷÷/?"
Speaking the strange tounge she stopped eating and grabbed the other arm, looking up at him with its blood all over her face, she was smiling like an idiot as she held the arm out to him.
Looking at it and then back to her, he was frowning. He had never mentioned anything about wanting to eat a limb. His question was irrelevant to it. Why was she ignoring him and telling him to eat? He didn't get it? Was this a sick joke to her?
"Cough cough, ,[/&!,(@"
But she wouldn't take no for an answer as she got up and forcefully pulled him by the hand, but in doing so, he turned defiant. Grabbing her by the fist, flames erupted from his hands, burning her skin and scorching her. Something had made him overreact and he had too many reasons for acting like this.
She immediately kicked him in the stomach and sent him back, but before he even got a foot away, she grabbed him by the hand and spin, turning in a smooth motion and slamming him against the bloody muded ground. and this entire time she didn't even act aggressive, she saw calm and chilled the entire time.
Crashing against the ground, she proceeded to mount him, and as she did he growled at her, with his eyes shining orange, he used his flames as without a thought needed.
They came rushing out in a violent burst, and she took them head-on, burning her hair and skin severely hurting her as she had no resistance to flames, and his flames were even stronger as they dealt radiant damage. But she didn't flinch nor get angry with him as he turned hostile to her like a bipolar chick.
Instead, she grabbed him by the hands, severely hurting her one as it burned her skin and got her to bleed as there was no skin left up there as it was all burned off.
She moved in forcefully, sliding his hands off to the side and as he opened his mouth to shoot fire like a dragon, therefore [Wyvern's breath]. But she moved in like a snake and snapped her mouth with his.
Pressing her lips again his and making his eyes widen as she had yet again done something unpredictable to him, he could taste the rust of the goblin's blood on her tounge and he tried pushing away. But as he almost got there, she used all her strength and pushed his arms back down.
Her very existence was the bane in his life and he hated her, absolutely devised her, if he could he'd do anything just to snap her neck and then escape... But he was no more than a prisoner and if he tried to kill her he would take magic whiplash from the magic bind placed in the both of them.
meanwhile,
'&×>((%÷/_[
Translation: 'human, I will get you to love me back'
But instead, she had fueled the raging fire within and his hatred had burned for her, this led exactly to this moment in the first place and he hated her so bad he didn't care about displaying orders and morals. And as she forced herself on him it led to her softening up and his right arm breaking free, allowing him the opportunity to switch the table, as he grabbed her by the hair and threw her off of him.
Getting up, he sneered the green blood and saliva from off his mouth, unable to while both their tastes from his mouth and getting injured in the doom slayers anger as sparks of lighting filled the air around him.
"This is the last time you monster... I will fulfill my promise to you like I did back then and I will kill you even if it costs me my life, after all, you both denied me, my death, so I shall steal the reapers and reap yours"
the lightning was becoming more charged and dense around him, visibly thriving and building up around him. she stood up but it was too late as her chances of dodging this was slim.
throwing his hands out as they were together it was like an almighty beam, as the powerful electric nova was shot out at her.
directly hitting her, she crashed through many trees. She was his next target, the shaman was the start to their hunt, but now she's the ending to his.
.
.
.
But as he went to finish the job, he took a step forward to only discover he couldn't move, trying again his legs couldn't move and he couldn't even bend his arm, he was paralyzed and it only made the fire within him rage,
"GRAAHHHH"
ROARING OUT, his body was engulfed in normal flames that spiked around him, scorching the earth and turning the mud hard.
But as he did, he heard laughing from the distance.
"I wonder who's more of a monster, my precious Lilith or you"
able to turn his head he saw by the Goblin Corpses a lady in black, he couldn't see her GA e but he could see her green eyes glowing. in the darkness. And then the army of High-Abyssal Shadows beside her.
"Boy? What's wrong it looks like you've seen a ghost, hm? I wonder, could it be your scared or you feel guilty for hitting your dear sister? Or, could it be that you've been with us for so long that you forgot proper manners?"
Saying that she walked up to him with her rambling, but as she did she looked in front of her to see that girl emerging from the forest, but injured, those burns were going to leave a mark or just heal relatively slow.
"How barbaric? I can get by you two play fighting as you have been for a while now, but to think you tried doing something so bad to your dear sister, Lilith"
"Don't you dare act like were some sort of family witch! I am a sorcerer of the Natsu clan and when my people find me, it won't be long before they discover where you've taken me, and when they come, you'll be purged and so will your monster!"
He yelled with passion and fear mixed in. But in doing so, her hand moved swiftly through the air and she hit him. But despite it seeming like nothing, it was equivalent to being hit by a truck, and if it wasn't for something holding him down, he would have been sent flying.
"Don't make me laugh, you really have no clue on how long as pass, but don't worry you don't need to know, because I guess I'll still have to punish you. After all, unlike Lilith, you don't fall weak to your instincts, but don't worry, I understand, your mad, but so am I, but I'll still go "easy" on you, dear child"
Saying that she took a step back and everything around him blackened, and the binds disappeared,...
After a while, he woke up, but he was in agony as his body was stiff and sore with injures worst than bruises on him. looking around he was back in the makeshift hut with Lilith and as she was on the other side of the hey bed, she had her knees to her chest and as she looked town she twirled her long uneven hair, which half of it was burned off. Leaving half her hair to be butt length and the other half to be shoulder blades length.
With his body in agony, he still sat up and as she looked at him she quickly exerted contact with him as she looked away,
Sighing she felt something, and looking back over to his side, she saw he was on his knees and next to her,
Her face got flushed but then she remembered he was trying to kill her so it got her on the defensive... But as she looked to him about to say something she saw him raise a hand up and as he did, she saw he had a bone knife in his hand.
Was he going to shank her to death! thought rummaged through her head and as she thought about the many possibilities, she quickly tried grabbing it.
But as she did he sized her hair and she overreacted, she was going to hit him and try to rush away, and probably try and convince him not to do what he was about to do. especially since she had bandages around her from all his burns, especially her hands which were injured more than anything.
But,
"_[<=^!>=>@$@?!%÷#,>?%[>,%/["/$[=_[<"
Saying that her eyes widened, and she responded,
"_[<×[,/!/=@'(?÷‽"
He shook his head and she took a deep breath, meanwhile, he already started cutting her hair, it was damaged and he was helping her out by shorting it because of the burned hair.
With it all being of sholders length now, she tried looking at it and what she saw from it made her smile, he put the bone knife down showing he wasn't going to do anything rash like before.
She smiled happily because of this, and he had a blank expression as he went back to his corner and leaned against the mud-stone, he coughed and closed his eyes,
But then soon felt a soft warmth around him, opening his eyes he saw she was hugging him, but he didn't react as she kept her head against his shoulder and smiled...
Unlike before, he was okay with this.
----------------------
Snapping out of that... Memory? He was confused about what the hell that was, he's never seen those people or that place before, and he had never recalled any of that ever happening in his life, well he was familiar with the shadows as they ambushed him and knocked him out a few months ago, but still, it was all just familiar but unfamiliar?
Looking in front the shaman totem was on fire and he heard a yell,
"Bro, what are you doing?!"
Looking over to his side blank face, he saw one of the guys yelling that and then he looked to the totem and realized what had happened, this brought out a quick-thinking situation for him and he sought it out immediately.
"The lesson Juan gave us was hunting, but forget his mission, that doesn't matter anymore, after all, becoming a slayer is much more than simply hunting down monsters"
Turning to them he threw out his hand and yelled passionately and loud enough for even the others to hear them, especially the beast people.
"To be a slayer you must learn to survive! A slayer isn't about being a hunter! A slayer is someone who learns to survive and takes everything they have available to overcome all obstacles! So hear me now! My lesson is survival and our enemy is all that comes to us!!! For I will show you what it means to not just be a slayer, but warriors and survivors!"
Roaring that out everyone was speechless and the entire jungle had heard his voice including the teacher/Juan and all other newbies.
With it growing silent, HG2 was going to speak out, but then as she opened her mouth all 4 guys threw their fists into the air,
"Sir! YES SIR!"