-Sleeping Dragon Forest-
~slash, splash, thud~
Dante: Huuuah, What's wrong with this path!?
Lilith: I don't know!
Dante: You are supposed to be a forest spirit. You should know the way across this place.
Lilith: I have you know, I am a WIND spirit, not a forest spirit.
Dante:...yeah, I keep forgetting. You are a Jar Pixy.
Lilith: HEY! Take that back!
The road was long and not less dangerous, with Lilith's natural inner compass and Dante's wit's. The duo was completely lost.
-Two days later-
In the darkness of the night, Dante and Lilith was sitting by a campfire. Lilith was eating some barrys and Dante was roasting some kind of meat. The mood wasn't the best, they were almost sure, that they headed completely in the wrong direction but nobody wanted to take the blame for that.
As they were eating Dante picked up the sound of rustling near by. He put down his skewer and put his hand on his revolver.
Lilith realizing Dante's movements, she also readied her self.
In the next second a man walked out of the woods. He wore, shining armor completely covered in blood and wounds. The man fell onto the ground. Dante and Lilith hurried over to check on the stranger, he was on his last breaths. The man's vision was blur he could only make out a silhouette of someone over him, with his last breath he muttered.
Stranger: ... please...save...her...
Even before Dante could get his HP vial the man passed away. At the same time, two others stepped out from the forest as well.
Bandit 1: Well, well, well, would you look at that. They were hiding more goods.
Bandit 2: Oh yes, and they are in pristine condition. Let's take them.
The two started to approach Dante but they were immediately paralyzed in their tracks. As a strong spiritual pressure descended on the two. Dante has released his spiritual energy. His eyes were red as blood as he activated his sharingan. The two tomoe spinning slowly.
In the next second, one of the bandits fallen lifelesly onto the ground. Headless. Dante decapitated one of them only leaving green lightning traces where he stood before. The other was just standing still not even daring to move, as he felt a cold blade pressed against his throat.
Bandit 2:(What...what happened? What is this kid!?)
Dante looking up at the man, he proposed a deal.
Dante: Here is the deal. You tell me everything you know and I won't kill you.
Sounds fair?
The bandits ferociosly started to nod and explained the situation. They captured a caravan, which were transported a high ranking Nobel. They were tasked to transport them to a nother location and hunt down any escaped prisoner. Unfortunately most of the knights who were escorting the noble died.
Bandit 2: There. This is everything I know. Please spare me.
Dante: Where is your camp? Where do you keep your prisoners?
The bandit pointed in a direction and said, that about 20 minutes from here, there is an old ruin. They set up in there for the night but they will move on at dawn.
Dante let down his sword but the wind picked up the bandit from the ground. Panic was evident in his eyes as he started to shout.
Bandit 2: YOU SAID, YOU LET ME GO! WHY!? I TOLD YOU EVERYTHING!
Dante: I did spare your life. The rest? You have to convince her.
Dante pointed at the now angry Lilith.
Rage was burning in her eyes as she clenched her fist.
Lilith: You goddanm SLAVERS!
The bandit couldn't utter a single word as the wind made a sphere around his head, creating a vacum and depriving him from all of the air. He suffocated slowly to death.
Dante flinched at the sight of the bandit's head. Bulged and bloodshot eyes with a horrifying expression on his face.
Dante: Lilith. If I may request. Don't do that again. It's too much.
Lilith: Really? But you said and I quote.
"Be as ruthless and mercyless as possible in a fight."
Dante: I meant, give no quarter and opportunities to the enemy. Kill them with a single and decisive move. But not like this.
This is mortifying.
Lilith just sighed and agreed.
Lilith: Haaaah...ok.
Dante: Thank you.
The duo looked through the corpses to salvage anything useful. On the Knight was a notice for the Adventurer's guild and the local guards. It was more of a warning than a notice. They were trying to warn the people of Latram of an incoming attack. A horde of Demons were heading in there direction.
Dante: This is bad. We need to get to Latram before anything could happen. We need to move fast. According to the map. We are here and Latram is here. We need to get there, before the so called attack.
Lilith understood Dante's concern but she couldn't leave those slavers and the hostage.
She knew very well, what was the fate of the captured.
Dante seeing Lilith's expression, he could guess, what she wanted. He didn't feel the compassion to save some random people but if he walked away, it would not have a good effect on Lilith. Dante sighed loudly.
Dante:Haaaah. I guess, we can hit on there camp before we head out. We got some time before that.
Lilith's mood instantly flared up and was ready to move but before that. Dante added.
Dante: But we won't baby sit the hostage, we get her out and point her in the direction of Greenwald. We have an important latter to deliver.
Lilith just nodded. She didn't like the idea to leave someone to their self after rescuing them. But they were pressed for time so she compromised.
The two set out to the slaver's camp. About 20 minutes later they came across a ruin. Torches everywhere, tents standing and guards patroling the perimeter. A lone reinforced cart was standing in the middle covered up.
Dante's eyes were scanning every enemy in the vicinity. There level wasn't high. It is an easy hit and run situation. Maybe too easy.
Dante: Listen. There are about six people down there. Let's take them out one by one alright? Lilith? Lilith?
Dante looked around but Lilith was nowhere to be seen. He was worried that she just charged in, like last time. But no. Realization hit him quick as he felt the cold blade on his neck. A feminine voice called out to him.
???: Aren't you a sweet little boy.
Dante was at blade point. He was captured. The women took him to the camp. All bandits gathered around to see what Najka brought back.
Bandit 3: Oh! The boss is back!
Bandit 4: And with someone new.
The crew gathered around them, Dante was restrained and deprived of his gear. Najka paraded him around the crew, like a new prize. Amongst the chaos Dante spotted Lilith behind one of the crates, waiting.
Dante realized, what Lilith planed on doing.
Dante: ( It's time to put on a show.)
Dante quickly jump on some creates and called out to all of them.
Dante: Hey! Shit for brains! If you let me and the hostage go, I might consider leaving you all alive. If not, you all die by my hand.
The group broken out in a hideous laughter.
Najka: You are a funny one. Come on, boys get him down from there!
The group started to move up to Dante, he let out a smirk and a heavy pressure fallen onto every one. He activated his sharingan and let out his spiritual pressure. When he saw everyone momenteraly immobiliesed, than he called out to Lilith.
Dante: NOW!
Lilith flown up into the sky and casted one of her signature spells.
Lilith: Hurricane!
A wild torrent of wind picked everyone up along with Dante. Dante used Tracer's Light to break free from his bond and casted his own wind spell.
Dante: Mana Zone, Tempest!
The wind stopped hindering Dante, instead it became his ally as he stood on a wind current, his Grimoar also flown up to him. Opening wide, as it was preparing for it's use.
Dante: Arsenal! Ashen Daggers.
Dante summoned his Ashen daggers and got to work. In a wild torrent of a hurricane, Dante was like Death himself. Jumping from crony to crony, delivering a single slash to instantly kill them. After each kill, his daggers unique ability activated, making him invisible to the naked eye.
~Slash, Slash, slash~
~splater, thud~
One after the other, bodys were fling out of the tornado. It was like a human blender, the hurricane subtle white/green color became stained with the blood of Dante's foes.
Torn up bodys and blood stained the whole ground. As the wind died down a single person remained in it's epicenter. As the daggers effect wore off, like a ghost appearing from the vale, Dante fully became visible.
Drenched in blood, eyes crimson red with green lightning surging around him.
Lilith approached Dante, she used a ghust of wind to blow most of the blood off him, as she remarked.
Lilith: You made quite the mess. It will be hard to get the blood out of your clothes, you know.
Dante: You could have warned me, that someone was creeping up behind us and avoid this whole thing.
Lilith: Touché.
After Dante got his bearings, they headed to the mysterious cart. With a simple slash, they removed the lock from the cart door and headed inside.
Inside the cart was dark, Dante lit up a torch and walked deeper inside. As they approached the back of the cart, they spotted someone.
A little girl. She was in tattered clothes, must have been some Regal clothing judging from its look. She was small, probably the same age as Dante. The girl looked up, she had emerald green eyes and golden blonde hair.
As she spotted the new commers, she crawled more in the back. Fear was evident in her eyes. Dante tryed to approach the girl but to no avail. She was so scared that if Dante tryed to reach out, she screamed and ducked under him. Before Dante would pop a vein Lilith intervened.
Lilith: Hey, dummy. You scaring her.
Dante: Me? I saved her from the bandits.
How am I scaring her?
Lilith: If you haven't realized yet. First your eyes are still red. Second and most importantly, you are covered in BLOOD!
Dante: Oh.
Lilith: Get out. I take care of this.
Dante was sceptical but given his appirience.
She was right. Dante left the cart and waited outside and in the mean time he tryed to clean himself as much as possible.
As Dante left the cart, darkness took over.
In a second later a bright lightgreen light illuminated the cart. Lilith was releasing his Mana to glow. As the girl saw the little spirit approach, she was more calm.
Lilith: Hey, there. My name is Lilith. Everything is going to be fine.
...15 minutes later...
Dante was outside sitting in his usual cross legged position. But he wasn't refining his Mana or communicating with his Zanpaktou.
He was breaking through his limit.
//Flashback//
Dante: Augh!
~Thud, clang~
Dante was thrown back and landed with a heavy thud. His wooden sword embedded into the ground.
Alain: Common now! Don't tell me that, this is your Limit!? Get up! And show me WHAT YOU GOT!
Dante gritted his teeth and grabbed his sword. His sharingan spinning franticly. He was going to give everything he's got.
He pushed his Tracer's Light to times five and punched the ground. Earth and dust flown up but he didn't stop there.
Dante: -Up draft!-
He used wind manipulation to create a cloud to mask his presence. Alain still could feel his presence in the cloud so she decided to pabbel him a little. She stomped on the ground with great force and multiple small rocks jumped up.
With fluid motion, she slashed at the rocks and fired them at Dante's location. But no sound came as she was standing there, she got an uneasy feeling. She felt Mana and something else surging.
In the next moment a blueish-green light enveloped the field. Dante was standing there in his One-Winged-Angel form.
Alain was awe struck. Dante could access such power at such a young age. Both of them stood there in silence, nobody making the first move. As a leaf slowly falled off from the tree, time seemed to slow down.
Both of them locked onto one and nother.
As the leaf finally fallen to the ground both moved at the same time.
They both crashed mid air. Alain wasn't holding back anymore. Blow to blow, Dante matched her speed and strength. Every strike was precise. They were dancing elegantly in the wind but such an act must come to an end.
Dante used transmute and shaped the spirit energy around Alain to trap her. The moment she was immobiliesed, Dante did not waste time. He struck at Alain and the blade only stopped at few inches away from her throat.
The mach was decided as Dante declared
Dante: I won...
Dante, after declaring his victory, he fell on the ground unconscious. Alain shaking her head picked the unconscious Dante up and carried him home. There was an obvious smile on Dante's face. Not because he won but because of something else.
-Ding-
[Congratulations on defeating Alain]
Complete the rest of your training to finish the mission.
Reward:
Sharingan training method
//End of Flashback//
Dante was feeling as his eyes were going through changes. After some time he opened them up. His vision was more clearer and sharper. Than he heard the confirmation, what he awaited for so long.
-Ding-
[Congratulations, on evolving your sharingan]
[Unique skill: Sharingan 3 tomoe:]
The three-tome Sharingan grants the user enhanced perception and analysis and the ability to copy various skills and moves, predict enemy movement and the ability to perceive mana flow. It also allows to cast more powerful genjutsu and gain a greater understanding of mana. The host becomes highly resistant to illusions and can see through them and through invisibility as well.
Dante's fully matured sharingan was spinning lazily in his eyes. He started to giggle under his nose, finally advancing his eyes and his overall evaluation.
Lilith: Can you act normal? Just once for a change?
Dante turned around his eyes flashing with more intensity than before. Both froze at the sight of Dante's eyes. It was like a demon starring right into there souls. Lilith snapped out of it as she feels the girl shiver.
Lilith: HEY! You're eyes, idiot! Turn them off!
Dante realizing, his mistake immediately turns off his sharingan. After Dante gathered anything useful, the new trio headed back to there camp.
Sitting at the campfire, all three were eating slowly. Lilith was sitting on the shoulder of the girl. Lilith's presence gave her a feeling of ease and safety. After some time, Dante decided to break the silence.
Dante: Soo, don't want to be rude but do you got a name? Miss?
The girl shuddered but Lilith touched her face giving her reassurance, that it is safe.
???: Artoria... Artoria Pendragon.
To be continued...
// Author Note //
Hi, everyone. Just a quick info, I'm going on a vacation.
I will be gone for two weeks but no worries.
The story will continue, I am not planning on dropping it.
See you, next time.