Guy Shonin Quest Part 8

LAST TIME ON SHONEN QUEST.

YOU AND GAL MET THE LARGEST DEVILSAUR YOU THINK EVER EXISTED. NOT ONLY DID YOU INTERRUPT its MEAL, YOU ALSO MADE FUN IT’S WEIGHT AND CAUSING IT TO RAMPAGE EVEN HARDER. AFTER AN ENCOUNTER WITH A SPARKWOLF, GAL WENT DOWN AND IS CURRENTLY OUT. YOU MANAGED TO SUBDUE AND CAPTURE THE SPARKWOLF, BUT YOU STILL HAVE A LONG STRETCH OF ROAD TO TRAVEL. GO FORTH AND SURVIVE, GUY SHONIN!

The roars behind you only tell you that you wished you had something like Rei’s demidemon powers or at least some of Gal’s speed. Unfortunately, she’s out like a light after a battle with a Sparkwolf. Looking at your COMP, the map function doesn’t really fill you with hope. While there are smaller paths for you to take, they all either lead to dead ends or continue past the search area. You can only loudly sigh as you throw forth a chain and pull yourself forward farther up, the rumbling stomps echoing behind you.

A change of your COMP apps tells you that Thanatos’ battery has recharged along with the helpful information that the Sparkwolf you captured is injured and that Armos is perfectly healthy. Touching the Sparkwolf’s icon, you learn that it will take it 4 hours to fully heal. So it might not be that useful in a fight unless the chips fully come down to it.

Eventually, you reach a split in the road, the right one going higher, but unstable footing seems to be plentiful. Perhaps you can kick down enough rocks land slide the Devilsaur to death, though the possibility of that happening to you is also there. There also seems to be a mine at the top, maybe that will leave you enough space to get away, though it’s possible it might just lead to another dead end.

The left continues into what seems to what seems to be some dying trees, close enough that you think the Lizard won’t be able to maneuver through. A quick flip through your mental library has you remember that these are Ironbarks, (Why are these names for Darkworld Flora and Fauna bad? Fucking Japs.), trees with wood hard enough to be used as weapons and armor. They may be dying, but they should have enough strength to hold up against a rampaging Tyrannosaurs on steroids…right?

>Left (Ironbark trail)
>Right (Unstable cave run)


>Left (Ironbark trail): 49

Quickly, you make a left, feet pounding at the ground as you enter the forest, dead twigs breaking under your feet as you get deeper in the woods, the roars of the Devilsaur blaring behind you, along with the creaking and cracking of trees falling. Guess the trees were far too brittle to slow it down.

Your chest burns, feeling the burn in your legs as you jump, teleport and chain yourself deeper into the forest until you skid to stop, finding yourself by a cliff side. “Dammit, you’re kidding meeeee!” your scream echoing and bouncing off the canyon. You quickly turn and nearly get a face full of arrows, quickly pulling up a Thunder Wall, seeing it crack and shatter, the explosion nearly sending off you the cliff if you didn’t chain yourself against a tree. “Who?!”

In front of you, a feminine figure, holding a glowing bow and arrow pointed right at you, unseen eyes glaring at you. You prepare a sword, only to see the archer quickly turn around and fire a few arrows in the direction where the Devilsaur is. A couple of roars are heard, as you also hear sounds of what seems to be lightning striking flesh. More roars sound the forest before a tree is tossed in your direction, the roots caching your right shoulder and causing you to quickly drop down your tree, closely holding Gal as you roll on the ground. Loud stomps move away from you, groaning as your broken? No, a quick check shows it’s dislocated, but it might be fractured.

You quickly shake your head and try to pick up Gal before a bow string is quickly taught back, the archer back in your face. Observing the bow, you remember where you saw a similar weapon like that. The Gunner that Chris has! It must be from the same maker. But before you can ask, you see the archer pull back her bow, looking off in a direction before walking towards it.

Your right arm is hurting, as you quickly get up and slam it against the Ironbark’s trunk, feeling your teeth creak as your joint goes back in to place, holding Gal over your left shoulder. You hear a twang, turning your head and seeing the Archer stare at you.

She tilts her head in her direction, as if beaconing you to follow.


>Follow
>”Nah, I’m good.”


>”Who the hell are you?”
>Follow

“Hold up, before I move any further, let me ask, who the hell are you?” You say to the woman. She doesn’t say anything, only picking up a stick and clearing the dirt before drawing in it, showing a ring and an arrow pointing to her. Seems like she is from the line as The Gunner. Does that mean their creator is around here somewhere? Possibility in the direction she told you to head towards?

A quick snap of the fingers brings you out of your thoughts, The Archer tapping her foot, perhaps wondering if we’ll get a move on. “Alright, alright lady, fine, lead the way.” With a turn of her heel, you advance through the forest, avoiding tossed around trees and broken stones everywhere, crackling dark energy, perhaps from the Devilsaur, still on the ground and scorching the area.

Taking a wide berth, you see The Archer turn her head and behind you, sounds of cloth is heard as you see a male figure, clad in red like her, flicking what seems to be cards in the air and catching them, seeing them change from flames, to ice, to lighting and other elements, as if he’s juggling them. “A brother of yours?” you ask, not getting an answer from the mute female.

The only sounds on your trek is bird noises and the crunching of the leaves beneath your feet until you get a clearing, a rock house with a smoking chimney in the middle of it. You are beaconed to sit under a tree by the card dealer as the Archer enters the house, perhaps to talk to their master?

Well, it seems you have some time time. Placing Gal on the grass and placing your jacket on her, you sit next to her as the Dealer continues to play with his cards. “Hey,” you ask, causing the man to stop and stare at you, “I have some questions for you. Mind if you answer them for me?” The man nods, giving you some time to think what you want to ask.

>Where you created by The Forger?
>Do you know a Demidemon that controls Fire?
>Are there more like you?
>What exactly are you made up of?
>WRITE-IN


>"What the fuck are you? A demon? Some created lifeform? Somehow a human?"
>”Are there more like you?”
>”Who exactly do you serve?”

“Okay, first off, what the fuck are you?” The dealer only shrugs. “Like are you a demon, a human, some created life form?” He snaps his finger at the last one, giving you a thumbs up.

“Alright, created lifeform…Then is the one you and your sister serve the one who created you?” Another thumbs up is given, thus answering your question. You remember that you had a scroll that talked about Rings, perhaps on making similar beings like him. You file that information away until you get out of this place.

“Last one. Are there more like you?” He places his hand on his chin before seeming summoning his deck of cards and pulling out a 10 of clubs and a five of hearts, holding them together. “10, 5…15 of you?” Vigorous nodding is heard as both cards fade away, the rest of the deck going with it.

“Having fun with Joker, eh?” You turn and Jesus Christ, the sweat pour down from the woman in front of you is like Niagara Falls. The Archer comes by and hands the woman a towel, with her thanking the artificial being as she wipes herself down. “So, you were the two that Archer found around here, eh? Well, sorry for making you wait, I was down below, doing some…Ah well, that’s from later. Come on, and bring your lover with you.”

“She’s not my lover, she’s my cousin! And hold up, who exactly the fuck are you?”

“Ah, right manners. Haven’t had any use for those in a long time. I am Koga Riyo, though, my head space is being shared by one called The Forger.”

>”WHAT!”
>”Hold up, didn’t you make Thanatos?”
>”Why hasn’t it taken you over?”


>”Hold up, didn’t you make Thanatos?”

“Wait a second, didn’t you make Thanatos?” you ask, squinting at her eyes and definitely not her abs, nope, nope.

“Thanatos, Thanatos, Thanatos…?” She says, pacing back and forth, “Skull head, clawed sheathes on it, summons swords?”

“Yep,” pulling the backpack weapon off your back and showing it to her. She nearly squeals with glee, grabbing it from your hands and hugging it.

“IT’S BEEN DECADES, I THOUGHT I LOST YOU WHEN WE MOVED FROM THE CASTLE, UNIT 10-98. HOW HAVE YOU BEEN, WHERE WERE YOU, DID THAT GUY MESS YOU UP, WHY DIDN’T YOU CALL ME, WHAT ARE ALL THESE FUNCTIONS IN YOUR SYSTEM FOR, WHY IS THERE A HEART AND BRAIN INSIDE YOU, WHAT KIND OF TORTURE HAVE YOU BEEN THORUGH, WHY-” A loud and seemingly endless stream of questions flow from her mouth as she spins around holding it up.

“Riyo, Riyo. RIYO!” She stops, and looks at you, blushing and hand Thanatos back. “Can we go inside, I really would like Gal to get somewhere softer.”
“Oh, right, sure, sure, come on in.” She holds open the door for you, the door frame just short enough that you have slightly duck. Inside, it seems like a simple cabin, what seems to be a sitting room by the door with a couch and a few chairs, a hall that leads to…somewhere, perhaps her bedroom, and kitchen at the other side with a dining table. “Put her the couch and sit. Joker, tea.”

As you lay Gal on the couch and sit, The Joker quickly moves past you and enters the kitchen, his hands flying as he grabs a kettle and places a flaming card underneath. You sit a chair, hearing the wood creak under you as Riyo takes the seat in front of you. “Sooo, questions, I bet.”

“Uh huh.”

“How about this then. You ask one, I answer, then I ask you one, and you answer and we go from there, okay.”

“Alright, so-“

>”Why hasn’t The Forger taken you over?”
>”Why did you abandon your Castle?”
>”What time period are you from?”
>WRITE-IN


>”Why hasn’t The Forger taken you over?”

“Why exactly hasn’t The Forger taken you over?”

“The big one, right away. Simply put, I’m useful to them. I come up with the ideas, she has the technique. Plus, with me being me, we’re able to go to and fro from here to Earth and blend in to get materials, information, training on the new forging/building skills that have been advancing in the past few decades, and booze.”
“Hold up, did you say-“

“Ah, ah, ah, my turn remember?” You grumble and motion for her to continue. “So that Dark Gate Academy still around? I heard about it in….somewhere in the 80’s.”

“Yeah, it’s still around, a bunch of shit has gone down, but still standing.”

“Hmmm.” The kettle whistles, Joker taking the kettle off the card and pouring it into cups, placing them in front of you two. “Thank you, Joker.” You grunt your thanks to him as you take a sip. Minty.

“My turn.”

>”Did you create a device to go to Earth whenever you wanted?
>”Why did you abandon your Castle?”
>”What time period are you from?”
>”Why build 15 of these…Artificial lifeforms?
>WRITE-IN