Strolling along the field to their destination, it was apparent that Lass's curiosity had peaked for what fate had in store for them both.
"It's been such a long time since I was able to freely use things like this...", Ikarisa tinkered with Lass' phone.
"So uh... the goddess? I don't mean to start complaining or anything but, what exactly is our goal in Reingard?"
"Well...not just Reingard. We're after the sentinels that Makaro and Kikaro have placed from region to region. Once they are all down we might have a chance of locating them. Even if we don't, the more we stop this onslaught of terror, the more inclined they'll be in showing up by themselves."
"W-wait a minute we're going to fight things with godlike powers right away? You're kidding, right? I thought you just need an escort to Reingard. What I have in my entire smithy will probably not be nearly enough for this task."
"No need to worry so much. While Makaro and Kikaro made sentinels, they made them in Riza and although my power was sealed away, my curse remains, and that should be enough.
For once, a small hint of surprise was seen in Lass's eyes as he was struggling to understand why the creator of the entire world as it was, would place a curse on it.
"Wait...curse? On the entirety of Riza? But I thought you made this land that you loved so much full of freedom."
"Well, it's not that much of a curse as it is a shield to protect this world. No matter what creature walks into or is created in Riza gets affected by my curse. The curse takes effect and no matter how strong or invincible one might seem, it will always, no matter what, have a weak point. That 'curse' affects even me."
"But goddess,", Lass objected, "Even so, we have to face something that is, supposedly, near invincible. Will we be able to locate that weak point before we're capable of damaging them?"
She reassured him, "Not to worry. Most Sentinels are overblown in folklore and fairy tails anyway. I have seen them fight in the past, and even then they were still plenty strong. However, they are still walking in this world so...they should still be weakened enough. And even if we don't manage to do it the first time, the Sentinels are bound into their area of sovereignty, meaning we can run away and they won't be able to follow us. However, that doesn't mean we should risk an all-out assault at the beginning. It's better to get to analyze them and their weak points first."
"But goddess-", Lass got interrupted by Ikarisa.
"And could you please stop calling me goddess all the time? My name is Ikarisa, not Goddess. But if you don't want to call me Ikarisa either, then just say Risa!", she said playfully. "I just don't really like being treated like a goddess...not like I have been treated like that much, but I simply dislike it when others think of me so highly."
And not before long, another deep breath could be drawn before Lass had asked the next question, "Ok then god-I mean Risa. Where should we begin first? I suppose the first of the sentinels are at Reingard where you were blindly headed at?"
"I-I uh...yes. Kako, the sentinel of despair. If my feeling is correct, he should be directed at the centre of Riza's capital, Reingard. That should be the first one."
"And exactly how many sentinels are there that we need to work on?", he inquired.
"If I'm not wrong there should be five. Kako is the sentinel of despair, Magi the Sentinel of Hate, Drima the Sentinel of Treason, Decanee the Sentinel of War, and Izuko the Sentinel of Death. They didn't always use to be like that you know. Once, these Sentinels were our guards, the ones who protected the gods of Kaima but they seem to have completely changed after I gave life to Riza. Also, Sentinels will not always assume human forms. They were placed in different regions and thus took different forms that matched the species that inhabited the region. Then they hide till they find the chance to complete their task, killing me. That's why this is all my fault. That's how I remember it."
"But why is it in any way your fault? It seems like way too far of a stretch to blame someone for the sole reason of them, well, existing, don’t you think?”
"Because they created so much destruction and chaos everywhere. People cried and suffered all because of me not showing up to them. I was scared, I made a mistake by hiding. And others paid dearly for it."
"Hey, don't go hard on yourself. Besides, you were all on your own before. Say, I am not the kinda guy to meet new faces and all but...since I'm already committed I might as well. I know that customer service is supposed to be my job, but honestly, I didn't much like that job as a whole, so dad always took over. But I'll still help you throughout this whole ordeal. Isn't there a saying as well? The more the merrier. Or if you prefer it solo even after this I can head back home once I get you to Reingard."
Not long after Lass had spoken those words, the little goddess had once again put a wide, shining smile on her face as she then proceeded to say, "Alrighty then, let's get going! According to your phone's map, Reingard should be about 10 miles away!", she showed him the maps application on his phone
"Were it not for the monsters? Maps guidance would’ve been enough for me to keep my peace...", Lass muttered.
As Lass was looking at the horizon trying to hide his despair for the long walk towards probable disaster, the petite goddess let out a small giggle as she pulled his hand along with her, dashing through the open fields.
"Come on, don't start whining now! We have a world to save!"
To her it was but an innocent stroll after a small talk. But to him, it was almost aspiring how well that same goddess was able to endure through all of her memories. And yet through her naive and innocent personality, she had still managed to be happy. To have the power to lift a smile in the densest of darkness, was an ability he could not help to admire. And as they were dashing through the peaceful field, it was natural for the goddess to notice her partner's state.
"Hey, what's wrong? Why are you so down? Don't tell me you got tired already or is it that you -"
Before she could say another word she was stopped by the harshness of Lass's words, "Nothing. If you think a little run is going to drag me down, then you’re dreaming….it’s just. It is rather weird. Coming out of the house and all after being essentially locked in for years. Ah, never mind. I'll adapt."
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Finishing his words it was then that Lass shook off her hand from his own, taking the lead as they made their way through the peaceful fields. When they had finished travelling 9 miles after a few hours, they sat down under a small tree and they were both taken in the almost magical scene. A meadow filled with glossing flowers coming out to take a sip of the morning dew. A gentle breeze stroked the grassy fields as they slowly lifted the flimsy flower petals into the air. And nothing but the bright blue of the azure sky was all that was reflected on them by the early morning sun. He was unsure why, be it love or simply despair but something inside that petite girl spoke to him not as a goddess, but as a friend. He just could not put his finger on the reason why it just seemed to fall into place. Her arrival. His belief in her claim and words. His decision to follow. He would once strike it off as a series of coincidences…but not this time. Something was off to him and he knew it. However, he chose not to object to it as what did not make sense was indeed giving him bliss among the pain he had endured.
”It’s been a while since I could relax like this. Normally I’d be on my toes, looking around for anything that might be heading my way.”, she relaxed.
”I see this every day…and believe me, it does get boring rather quick.”
”Is that why…everything happens?”
”Hmm?”, he took a weird look at her.
”I mean…all this. Does everyone eventually get bored of peace? And then…it comes down to this?”
”Eh, maybe yes, maybe no. I don’t know and I don’t care. It’s the same for everyone if I were to guess…so long it doesn’t happen to you, why care?”
”So people are still odd like that?”
”Unpredictable " would be the right word…and maybe they are. Hence why machines like Regina will always be way more favoured by me…kind of.”
”You’re pretty stuck up on that. Did you perhaps find bad people too…like me?”
Lass sighed, “Not…particularly. I’ve met bad people, yes, but for most of my life, my memories only take me back to that house. Dad and I never had that much back and forth with anyone. Except for some woman, he would see often outside…and even then, she stopped coming after a while.”
”You were alone…”
”It’s a whatever, honestly. The more you’re by yourself, the more you can cherish things like this.”, he pointed out in the open fields.
Not before he had finished losing himself in the beauty of the flowery field, their moment ended abruptly as screams were heard from the main road leading to the great capital. Naturally, their response was to immediately go and check on what had happened. They reached the road to discover an Enmity assaulting a poorly capped merchant and her child as she was screaming for help.
"Enmities?! No way! There’s a military safety circle so far away from here! Reingard rarely has as many small conditional raids from other monsters and Enmities!”, he looked at Ikarisa, “Hey, where are you going?!"
Before he could say another word, the goddess had already placed herself between the rampaging Enmity and the scared merchant with her child in an attempt to fend it off and protect them. And as the Enmity lifted it's claws her eyes closed preparing for the impact.
"Growh!"
The Enmity growled as Lass slid nimbly through its legs, slashing its calves. "Over he- gyah!" The Enmity’s claws slammed into his stomach with an incredible amount of force, sending him flying into the air.
As the Enmity resumed to its original target, Ikarisa once again closed her eyes and tightened her entire body. Not a word or scream echoed before it. But once again Lass had gotten up, the life refusing to be drained from his eyes. Clenching on the sword that dripped with blood and then without the least bit of hesitation, he spoke a few terrifying, cold-sounding words the monster would pause when they were heard through Lass's mouth, "I’ll slaughter you whole."
In the blink of an eye and a red flash, Lass soared through the air, piercing a huge hole directly in the Enmity’s chest without getting a single drop of blood on himself.
"W-Woah..." Ikarisa gasped in awe. "That was awesome!"
Approaching the merchant, Lass and Risa saw her back dripping red ...but it wasn't hers. The child she had tried to protect had been mortally wounded in the assault. Ikarisa once again wasted no time immediately tapping on the young girl's chest and healing her once life-threatening wounds.
"Oh my god!", the merchant cried, hugging the child, "Thank you! Thank you both so much!"
"Uh, Risa? I think we should get going. We don't know if she's a supporter or-", Lass was interrupted by the merchant's praise.
"Thank you, goddess."
Lass's eyes widened, "What?! You don't hate the goddess? And how do you know?”
"I saw her before. She’s somewhat wanted by a few scumbags and her story is slowly picked up by the media. But why would I ever hate the ones that saved us both?"
Gazing at Lass's hand, the merchant couldn't help but notice the completely shattered sword. She then jolted as she reminded herself of her goods and promptly tried to gift her saviours.
"Your sword...it's completely broken. Did you travel the fields so unarmed in times like these? Pretty suicidal if I do say so myself."
"Oh, this thing? Yeah, I figured myself it wouldn't last. I still had backup, however.”, he tapped on his gun holster. “Especially against something so big, it was inevitable...just why would such a massive Enmity be so so far away from the Control Zone? I was never prepared to face something so big, It was only natural that my gear wouldn't last. Though, now that I think about it, It would've probably served me better if I did bring a better sword with me. This is just a base, but all others are already pre-ordered online."
"I would love it if you accept this. It's not something that impressive, but I believe that a sturdy powerful sword like this should serve you way better. And of course, it comes Obsulyte conductive. It wasn't bought or forged by anyone. It was found deep within Kaci, The Forest Of Spirits. I'm a seasoned merchant so things like these are my speciality!"
"A merchant who raided the forest of spirits for loot...", Lass took a good look at the merchant.
Trying to deny the offer at first, Lass soon accepted the sword as Ikarisa gave him a look telling him to accept the gift that was laid before him. The sword, though somewhat rusted, gave off a powerful aura. One so strong yet so unbelievably familiar.
"Shapes looking good, and weight-wise, I think it's just perfect for my category. Thanks."
"No, thank you, guys. Seriously, were it not for you, my little sister and I would've been in deep trouble. I'd have fended that thing off myself, but it took hold of the kid first, and I simply didn't know what to do. Once you came running, he just suddenly dropped her back down and I tried to guard its attacks..."
"It's fine, really!", Ikarisa smiled at the scared child.
"Big sis! Isn't she cute?", the little girl touched Ikarisa's hair.
"Yeah, yeah, now relax, Misha. Your curiosity only keeps getting you into more trouble, I swear. You even jumped at the trunk of the car before I went to Kaci today!"
"I'm sorry...but I promise not to do it again!", Misha hugged the merchant.
She picked Misha back up in her arms. "It's fine, I suppose I'm to blame for crashing the car...a little.", she turned to face Lass and Ikarisa. "Oh, the name's Anya by the way. I hope you'll pay me a visit to Reingard soon. My shop has a...high brand so to speak anyway, so you'll definitely find it. Now excuse me for the rush, but I have to run. We will properly introduce each other another day!", Anya ran towards Reingard.
Finally calming down, the two of them collected themselves from the stressful situation.
"Are you ok after all that? We could sit for a while and take a rest if you're feeling down."
"What? Heh, that hit wouldn't be enough to make a monster shiver, let alone me!", Lass replied with an air of triumph. "Anyhow, I think I can see the walls of the capital from here so, better get back to it, shall we?"
Giving an ambitious nod and a small smile, the goddess's faith in her companion as well as herself was revitalized as they once again began to head towards the capital of Insinia. Lass took another glance at that dead Enmity again to investigate the situation further. It had been clad with a full set of armour and was equipped with a club. And even though Lass was a way bigger threat than Risa, it had only focused on her.
"Come on! Don't get left behind!"
"Yes, I'm coming right over, Risa!"
"We should be more careful starting now. This could be...much more serious than I joked about it being. And even then…something just keeps being so off about that girl.", he thought to himself. “Maybe Regina was right doubting her more than me…so be it now.”
And so, the two made haste, for the grand gates of Reingard…