SUTA POV

Searching around the area, Suta soon discovered the fairy hovering bizarrely around the gathered puddle of spit against the ground. He approached Verdi with curiosity, boosting his steps. Once he arrived over the tiny sprite, his gaze locked onto the strange glittering object floating on the surface of the white slime. He peered a little closer, discovering that the floating object was, surprisingly, a peculiar fang-shaped white dagger. It almost looked like the bone of an animal.

Verdi was so entranced that he only realized Suta's approach once he called out his name.

"M-mister! You won't believe it, but that is…" whilst Verdi tried to get its words out through his excitement. Suta reached into the writhing slime and delicately pulled the dagger out. He felt his stomach churn but pulled the ivory bone away without hassle. Suta thought of something and swiftly activated one of his skills.

{Appraisal}

Diamond Dusted Ivory Dagger

Material – Moon Shard

Grade – Rare

Special Ability – Infused with moonlight, it heightens its attack and durability by 5x. Cannot be broken

"M-moon shard…cannot…be broken?" Suta mouthed its properties with a mixture of feelings nestled in his gut. On the one hand, that rather ominous encounter bothered him deeply, but on the other, he could barely contain the almost sadistically wide smile creased against his lips.

The fluttering wings of the excited fairy buzzing around his ears disturbed his drifting thoughts. "Mister-that blade, it was…it was made by one of my kin! It's from the moonlight tribe!" Verdi's voice was filled with a high-pitched cheer whilst he explained that.

Suta's brow arched in surprise upon hearing that. "How...how do you know?"

"Er-well...It's not clear to me, but I can feel it. It's like my...I mean, it reminds me of the power we fairies have. The holy mother said all fairies are connected. Even those no longer here with us anymore.'

Suta studied that thought for a short while, he recalled what that elderly fairy mentioned about the inheritance of Fairies, the moonlight tribe, and slowly Suta was beginning to piece things together. 'They must have a strange affinity with the moon? So, this material, moon shard, must be some element made up of the moon? Tha-thats brillant.'

His brows folded inwardly a little deeper, and he moved his gaze back into the skies again where that incredible creature had once been not so long ago.

'Did he purposely drop this…for me?'

Confusion was ever paramount in Suta's ever-thinking mind these days. Why was the apex king of the jungle helping him? Why was a thing that size choosing to be friendly? And most important of all, 'Why am I the last person to know anything.'

He tried to forget what he didn't know and focused on what he could see. Verdi buzzed up higher towards his face. It was clear this meant a lot more to the tiny sprite. Suta observed the ivory-coated dagger a little more. It weighed much less than the red crimson blade but was somewhat longer. He gestured for Verdi to move slightly before performing a few diagonal slashes against the air.

Suta was deeply surprised by how smooth his body felt executing that. He already concluded that special weapons could somewhat alter or improve his skills. But feeling it in person was a lot different than what he imagined. Somehow, he understood this moon-shard dagger carried a lot more mystery to it, and secondly, he felt confident there weren't a lot of things this dagger could not cut. There was practically a slight haze of miraculous blue light phasing behind it each time he sliced the wind. Almost as if the atmosphere itself couldn't stop the blade.

"Now I've got two daggers. Which one should I use?" He reached for the carmine blood dagger placed by his hip and balanced it against his right hand; against his left, he balanced the moon shard dagger.

Verdi hovered around the crimson blood dagger, giving it a strange look of disgust.

"Toss this one away mister." He said without batting an eye

Suta couldn't help but chuckle at his forwardness. Of course, he would say that, plus, the idea that this dagger was formed using Anak's blood still rubbed him a certain way. ' Oh, what's this? ' He noticed something strange during his thoughts. The blood dagger started squirming on its own against his palm, a sight that frightened Verdi immediately, who ended up beelining behind him for cover at once.

'Oh my, you don't like how you're being spoken about.' Suta couldn't hide the childish smile. He wasn't sure what it was, but he felt like the dagger could understand him, as he could understand it too.

The blood-crimson dagger shook again, this time more subtle to show its agreement.

"Hahaha." A childish laughter broke free into the air. He held the dagger tighter and waved it around playfully.

"Don't worry- don't worry, I don't plan to let you go anywhere. Hopefully, we can all grow stronger together from now on." He could feel the blood-covered dagger lightly rocking from side to side. It must have liked what Suta was saying.

"Since you're somehow sentient, it would be improper if I didn't name you. Hmm, how about heh-heh Hungry Red?" He suggested, to which the dagger vibrated almost violently.

"Ok -ok, you're not a big fan of the obvious, then how about?" Suta observed the red dagger. No matter how he looked at it, this was a dagger made for a ferocious assassin. The jagged ridges were shaped to do more damage to the enemy's insides. Then, it hit him like a bolt of euphoric lightning.

"Red…Tooth? How does that sound ?" Much to Suta's delight, he saw the blood-carmine dagger glowing. His heart delighted seeing that, which brought another childish laughter flowing from his lips.

He glanced down against his left palm. Smoothing the smooth-faced white dagger, glimmering like an ivory bone tooth.

"And what should I call you?" He deliberated to himself. He captured Verdi's tiny wings buzzing beside his ears soon enough.

"Moondrop." the excited fairy whispered.

Suta's eyes slightly lifted when he heard that. The name sounded very fitting.

"Moon drop it is," He said, placing the dagger back into his pouch. With a new dagger, he was pondering whether dual-wielding might now be an option for him. That would require training, and what better way to train than out in these unpredictable wilds?

"M-mister, err...we have company." Verdi's voice brought him out of his daydreams. He lifted his gaze to the side. Out from the shrubbery, he noticed two strange figures slowly unearthing into the open light. He saw a short figure with a noticeable hunched back shuffling out from the shadows first. It carried a dark grey leathery skin with large mishappen feet. In its tiny hand, it wielded an oversized club. The creature had a spotless oval skull, four black eyes and a wide mouth. Once it locked onto Suta, its smile was hideously frightening.

The second creature was shaped and wore the same coat as a Zebra, but its entire body was covered in tiny, open mouths that moved disorientedly. Suta felt his scalp itch as he narrowed his gaze. Tiny iron spikes rested in their mouths. Once the creature moved its elongated head towards him, it wore the face of a human with no eyes—just a long white tongue coiled around a black kunai.

From a single glance, he instantly knew this wouldn't be easy. But just as Baron said, he needed to grow stronger quickly. Something terrible was brewing. He could feel it each time he looked at that sky. And if he could accomplish anything, it would be to ensure Demoria made it back home in one piece.

'Even if it costs me my life,' Suta willed it within his spirit before taking hold of the two daggers.

Verdi whizzed in front of him and held out its dainty hands.

"Let's take care of these monsters quickly, Mister!"

Suta nodded. There was a slight smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. He took a deep breath before readying himself for the imminent battle.

***

Other POV

Gio had enough of all of this walking-in-the-dark business. He was growing increasingly hungry by the minute now and had already started plotting on the best chance to swallow the crazy-eyed man-cub leading the way.

Each time he sized up the walking meat sack, he grimaced, noticing how bony and sallow-skinned he looked. Gio had gobbled up his fair share of things in his time, but he felt disheartened towards finally getting to eat a man-cub but being given one that looked malnourished and not fed well.

'Maybe he'll taste better if I simmer him.' He thought to himself. He had only recently learned that truth concerning eating meat.

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That might add the missing flavours he sought; thinking about that, Gio felt his sour heart blossoming again.

'But how do I cook him?'

His eyes fell into wonder once again, staring around the fleshy walls. There weren't any viable resources for starting any fires here.

He cursed his rotten luck and cursed that man cub that forced him down here in the first place. Gio had already resolved to bring upon the wrath of his fallen brethren when he got the chance. He kept forgetting to pick his moments. But now he was determined to start by eating this wild-eyed man cub first. Then he would eat the other man cub with tasty-looking pink hair.

"Hey! Fishman, look!" he heard the man-cub in front of him calling to him. Just beyond their walk was a thin, fleshy path. It reminded him of bone, with pink pieces of matter and white cartilage strewn against it. Gio knew that smell very well. That same consistent scent had been plaguing his nostrils ever since he found himself in this strange place.

'There's no mistaking it. This is the inside of a… wait, what's the man-cub doing?'

Gio saw a floating book hovering over the opened palm of the man-cub. He wore a devious smile before brushing his fingers against the opened page. Against his fingertips, he gathered a strange azure mist before flicking it toward the front. The mist danced forward and coated over the thin bone path. Now, the footing was a little bigger and somewhat more sturdy.

The wild-eyed man cub chuckled aloud.

"Hahaha, that should be big enough for you to cross now, my friend. ya know, given your web feet an all." He said before folding both arms behind his head and waltzing forward. Gio stared at the skeletal back in silence.

'What kind of strange sorcery was that! ' Now, he was beginning to doubt whether or not it made sense to continue with his plan of eating the wild-eyed man-cub.

'But I'm so hungry? Damn it! There's no choice.'

Whenever he became this hungry, his only option was to kill. Something innate had been programmed inside of him to react this way. At times, it bothered him, and often, once he ate, he completely forgot about this dissonance. But rarely could he overcome it by not eating. Firm with the route he had no option but to follow, Gio started sizing up his next meal.

With the wild-eyed man cub leading the way, Gio took a cautious look at the strange blue platform before danging one of his webbed [feet] over it. He tapped the strange semi-transparent floor before quickly recoiling away.

'Hmm, seems sturdy enough,' He thought to himself. His strange behaviour seemed to have caught the attention of the man-cub in front. The wide-eyed youth twisted its head around slightly.

"Something the matter over there, Mr Fishman? Oh-no, don't tell me you're afraid of heights now? Buahaha- that's quite the amusing thing. I had you pegged as a flying fish-but haha, you get it ?"

Hearing that made Gio swiftly narrow his gaze.

'Is the man-cub making fun of me? Are you scared of heights? Me! Bah! I'll show him who he's dealing with.'

Gio pressed his webbed foot against the platform again. Every fibre in his being was screaming at him to remove it again, but he heard that same sniggering coming from the wild-eyed man cub just ahead, and his ego refused to back down. Gio pressed his foot onto the platform and forcefully held it in place this time. There was a short pause in his movements as he anticipated the worst possible outcome, but much to his welcoming surprise, moments passed, and nothing short of his ego taking a bruising occurred.

'Hm, I guess it's pretty safe,' He told himself before daringly placing his second foot against the platform.

Filled with a new resounding faith, Gio took soft footsteps across the newly reinforced ledge. Now that he had found a rhythm about his walk, he kept his gaze locked onto the back of the wild-eyed man-cub. Through his oiled double eyelids, he saw a walking sack of meat casually entrancing him with its walk. Gio was undecided on what to do with the skin, but he might keep the bones this time and use them to help pick the bits of flesh he might get stuck in his mouth.

The possibilities were endless, and when he was poised to begin his plan, he was startled by the wild-eyed man cub suddenly halting his footsteps. Naturally, Gio followed suit and held his footsteps, too.

He stared at the unmoving back of the man-cub, curiously wondering what he was doing.

'D-did he notice something? Is it an enemy? But where? ' His mind grappled with questions. His eyes searched the fleshy walls for any signs of trouble. Finding nothing but partial darkness, he lowered his gaze promptly. But suddenly, the wild-eyed man cub was nowhere to be seen.

Gio panicked and took an unconscious step backwards.

"What the hell is going on? Wh-where did he go?" His voice croaked in panic. In return, Gio was greeted by silence, a chilling one that nearly almost had him falling into distress. The logical stance was to retreat, which was exactly what Gio started to do. He crossed his feet behind him and twisted his body around to allow him to swoop the other foot across. But then...

Bang!

"Huh?"

Shock was an understatement, a loud bang pierced the dark silence. Gio saw a wisp of smoke rising from the air before him. Before he could even react again...

Bang

This time, however, he felt his entire body caving inwards.

Gio couldn't believe this. He narrowed his gaze down and saw two sizable dark holes gaping through his chest.

His eyes rattled in fury and fear, and after a short while, a hazy figure materialised into the open air. A ghostly face tinged with a wild smile appeared. Gio could feel his entire body shivering out of dismay.

"Oh no, I was trying a one-shot kill there. But neverrrrrr mind hehehe."

'W-w-wait...the m-man cub? But how?'

"H-hey Fishman, it's been real, but this is where we turn the lights off; thank you for playing your part. But it's time to exit stage left -kekeke- baaah! I've always wanted to say that."

Gio opened his maw wide and, in a desperate attempt, shot out a silvery sticky fluid. This specially-made slime could only be dispelled once every few days. It consisted of negative energy and Gio's innate constitution of producing slime as a byproduct of his digested toxins. He initially wanted to save it when he finally had the chance to pay that man cub back for the disrespect he had shown him before. But alarm bells were ringing. And Gio's instincts were telling him a straightforward thing. Kill. Kill. Kill.

> Gio's Slime – "Mana-infused slime, with properties similar to the durability of cement but the palpable properties of rubber. Also possesses a toxin potent enough to tranquillize a creature twice its size."

The silvery slime darted forward. Seconds away from finding its mark, Gio was startled by the abrupt sounds of quick-firing bangs in return.

Three solid holes punched into the slime, and it almost disintegrated before the remnants splashed against the hazy figure. The wild-eyed man cub was covered in a strange azure glow. Where the slime touched, a sizzling smoky wisp spirited into the air, leaving him unscathed—an elated sense of bewilderment washed over Gio at that moment.

Now that his trump card had been neutralized, he only had to exercise the last doorway left open for him. Flee.

Gio held no more ounce of fight left in him. Hell, he was prepared to barter and beg for his life once he had created enough space from the crazy-eyed man-cub. He swiftly twisted on his heels and darted back the way he came. But his eyes locked onto something strange awaiting him upon turning around. Five silver pellets shaped with a slight curve were floating in the air. Gio could smell a foul stench of negative energy radiating off the silver pellets.

The crazy-eyed man cub's voice filtered into Gio's ears from behind.

"You wouldn't believe the amount of trouble that has gone into cultivating this technique, kekeke; I had to kill a master, then another master, then another's disciple, his martial brother, then his family! You get the gist though, don't ya?"

> Gunslingler Dao – Mesmerising Bullets – Five eternal bullets doused in a pool of treacherous bloods. Mana enrichment has cast a unique spellbound against the bullets, giving them a mesmeric essence that allows the wielder to control them.

Gio stared at the ominous floating shells with a deep fear crawling down his shelled back. He could practically taste the scent of death flowing from those shells. A metallic click pierced the silence, and he twisted his neck over his hulking frame, where he saw the man cub's body finally shimmering into existence, his limbs slowly being unearthed from a fuzzy cloud of colourful smoke. This dazzled Gio, who couldn't believe he saw such a beautiful technique.

"Eh?"

The man-cub held out a strange silver object in his hand. It carried a long metallic nozzle with a holster and cycling chamber. Fear struck the blue-shelled carp. Now, he was sure death was promised—a broad smile creased against the wild-eyed man cub's face. Gio knew immediately what his fate would be.

"P-please! SPARE ME PLEASE!" He might've crouched and kowtowed several times if there had been enough room on the platform. But instead, he resolved to beg without restraint. The crazy-eyed man cub's eyes softened. He seemingly looked to be pondering something. Gio exhaled a breath of relief; he would promise his life to this maniac; perhaps he could be used to take revenge on the other one. Maybe he could even rival the kings of the jungle,

"Nah! I think I'll just kill you. Sayonara Mr Fishman."

"W-wait wha-" Gio screamed before seeing silvery shells roaring towards him.

BANG BANG

Gio felt a burning sensation piercing him right between his eyes. He had suffered defeat, triumph, fear, and even helplessness. But this feeling felt empty. Within its hollowness, a strange thing began to take place. Gio could see things: a man running across a grey land with high-rising towers fashioned out of strange metals and glass, a noisy and busy world with strangely dressed man and woman cubs.

There were so many of them, bright lights and noises. Gio felt he once understood this world he was seeing. He was once part of this world. But then...what happened? He saw a bright child, a young man cub covered in gold, with hair long and soft, just like wheat. The golden man cub held out his hand, a warm smile creased against his features. He was beckoning him to come, to come and join his new world.

New world?

New world?

Was he part of a different world before this one? Perhaps? It was strange, but it felt peaceful...dying.

His body tumbled over to one side, allowing the dark air to carry him into the abyss below. His life had ended. But he was glad he remembered it at the last moment. The things he thought he had forgotten.

Whilst darkness invaded his senses, he heard the crazy-eyed man cub's fading voice.

"Hehehe, I guess you weren't a flying fish ey. Oh, snap! I almost forgot to say it, didn't I…that creed, eh- it sounds so silly, but here goes. Ahem...

And so die all, who stand against us…Yama, hehehe."