Danmachi: Westward Cloud [Complete]

Quest 63- Westward Cloud, 1st Chapter, Dreamcatcher

For the next 2 days Cirrus trained in archery, something he wanted to do since his fight with the Amphisbaena, and now he had found himself a teacher.

Those two days reminded Cirrus of the time he spent training with Lugh in Solingen. Sadly, Cirrus would need over two days to improve his archery. 

As the river, a few meters away, the water begins to turn black at the dusk of the second day, according to Nox.

The battle was soon to come.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

The sea breeze at the top of the town walls hit Cirrus as he closed his eyes. He opened them to see the beautiful sun setting behind him. The nice colors of red and blue calm his heart and mind as the Nuckelavee are coming.

"Nox, is everyone out of the city?"

'They are the weaker members of Artemis' Familia, who are protecting the townspeople, including Artemis. Her stronger children are all in the back, waiting for you to engage the monster. ’

"Well…" Cirrus gets up and puts down his deer mask. "They won’t be waiting for long."

As Cirrus looks at the sea, a green light can faintly be seen in the sea's murkiness. He got up and drew his spear.

The monster slowly rode out of the sea, its flaming big eyes and its disgustingly muscular monstrous body of the creature was trained on Cirrus. The human portion looked around till it eventually also landed on Cirrus and the horse potion let out a piercing screech.

"KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Its screech could be heard throughout the town and even by the townspeople in the nearby woods.

"Let’s see what a monster of the Age of Heroes is capable of."

Cirrus jumps back behind the city walls.

The Nuckelavee saw Cirrus jumping back behind the walls, and it sprang into a gallop. It used its fists to punch its way through the gate without stopping.

Seeing it do that reminded Cirrus of a certain armored giant.

The Nuckelavee began to try and find Cirrus, but as it looked around, it found nothing but empty homes and buildings.

Its human eye attached to the nerves wriggled around with such a hard and absurd line of sight when suddenly.

Thunk!!

"KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

They shot the bundle of nerves holding the eye, causing the Nuckelavee to lose its human eye.

It started to regenerate its lost eye, and as it was, Cirrus quickly made his move.

He dashed out of cover from within a building, spear, and sword in hand.

Shing!

Shing!!!

"KIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Cutting into its hind right leg, it screamed out in pain. It swung its right arm and even tried to use its right rear leg, but didn’t have the strength to do so. Only its right arm struck Cirrus, but he remained firm.

"You pack a fucking punch!"

Cirrus twisted his sword in his left hand and embedded it deeper; its black blood spewed out, spraying Cirrus.

Tssssssss!

"Corrosive!"

Using his strength and speed, Cirrus quickly withdrew his spear and sword. He quickly checked the weapon conditions; it took but a single glance to know their state.

‘Shit, they're slightly melted!’

He quickly swings off the blood and looks at the Nuckelavee.

"This is why it was such a fucking pain. Fine, then." Cirrus sheathes his weapons and takes them off and throws them aside. He then takes out his whip. "You punk-ass bitch."

Crack! Crack!

With two quick swings of his whip, he could see slight cuts on its body.

Crack!

Crack!!

Crack!!!!

Crack!!!!!

Cirrus swung the whip with even more speed and strength. If he couldn’t use his bladed weapons for fear of their deterioration, then he would go with another option, wasting its stamina and energy.

Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! Crack!!! 

The Nuck managed to turn around, covering its now fully formed eye, and its horse's mouth breathed its green flame.

Cirrus quickly ran to get out of the way as it breathed fire.

"Oh fuck!!"

Fwooooooooooooooooooosh!!!!!!!!!!!

The green fire engulfed several buildings in fire. The people from afar could see the green fire and its light as the sun begins to set.

Fsh!!

Fsh!!

Two arrows fly through the air, but the Nuck quickly sees them and knocks them out of the air as it hears a-

Thud!

It looked down to find a broken 3rd arrow. It looked at the east side and spotted two humans. When Cirrus reappeared from the fires, it galloped toward them.

His eyes were bleeding and some of his armor was burnt. The gold was also slightly melted.

His deer mask disappeared into the air and his magic circle appeared behind him.

"(Exousía, Adorn: Erymanthian)!!!"

The boar armor quickly wraps itself around his arms as he punches the chest of the horse.

Thuuuuuuuuuud!!!!!!!!

The sound of flesh being struck could be heard by the others in town. The strike itself slightly railed back the Nuck.

Cirrus’s arms were a mess, if not for the adrenaline pumping through him. He would have screamed in agony but was not sure what to make of his pain tolerance. He tried to clench his fist with will alone, but his vision started to fail him, and his lungs felt heavier.

"Fuck…poison."

Cirrus drops to one knee at the worse time. He looks up to the Nuck galloping towards him. His eyes see arrows bouncing off its muscles, the yellow veins of its body starting to pump more vigorously, and its muscles bulging in power. Its muscles now appear to be like black skin as the green fire appears in small bursts around its body.

Barely able to see this Cirrus, he only determined that it was in its 2nd phase or its enraged state.

‘Cirrus!!!’

"Stay… back." He softly mutters to Nox.

"KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Ramming into Cirrus at full force, the Nuck bashed him with both of its fists, but an arrow found its mark, cutting the bundle of nerves, holding the eye again.

THUD!!!!!

"KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Even after losing its eye, it still had Cirrus. With all of its speed and strength, it rammed Cirrus through all the buildings and even the town wall.

CRASH!!!

CRASH!!!

CRASH!!!

It threw him out to the east of the town where there were only plains.

CRASH!!!!!!!

The townspeople could see the monster from the tree lines as they watched Cirrus slowly get up, completely bloody.

"Haa... haa.... haa... haa... haa... haa Nox bli—!"

Before Cirrus could finish, he notices Artemis running around, always shooting arrows to draw its attention as well as her Divinity.

The Nuck slowly turns towards her, and its flame seems to burst into a green flame.

"Nox!" Cirrus shouted as the Nuck charged at Artemis.

Artemis didn't care. She notched and shot her arrows with more speed. Her accuracy did not drop not one bit.

Fsh! Fsh! Fsh, fsh, fsh!

The arrows bounce off its strengthened muscles.

"KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!" It screeched once more as it charged at Artemis even faster.

Landing on Artemis's head, Nox then quickly flapped in front of her.

"You!"

‘(White Bright) [White Night]!!! (Flash and gaze. Tear through the cosmos.) [White Night]!!!

An intensely bright light blinded the Nuck as a beam of light struck it like a pyroclastic flow. It was as quick as it was powerful. It was more than enough to slow the Nuck, but it was still rampaging toward Artemis with a shambling body that slowly began to regenerate. It was enough for Artemis to whistle for her horse to come.

"Whistle!!!"

She quickly got onto her horse and rode around to Cirrus side.

"Are you fine!?" She said deeply concerned.

"I'm... fine enough." Cirrus disengaged his armor when he noticed the bright light, and his magical circle appeared behind him. He says this while his mouth is filled with blood and pain. "(Exousía, Adorn)!!"

The armor latched on to him and his wounds began to heal, but the poison was another thing entirely that needed more time to handle.

"Ooh." Artemis was taken by the magnificence of the armor that could rival the heavenly garments of gods.

‘Good to know.’ He thought to himself as he forced himself back up with a body filled with broken bones. He ran with all of his strength, his bones healing with each step and the pain drowned out by the adrenalin. His magic was draining quickly, and he needed to stop it now.

"Open field." He said softly, with a big grin on his face. "Good, nowhere to run." With a wide, wolfish grin he utters. "(Exousía, Adorn: Cerberus)."

From his magic circle, a 3-headed dog appeared, and like a bird opening its wings to catch its prey, the dog’s body opened up and wrapped itself around Cirrus’s body. Like all the other armors when summoned, they all have a holy white look before eventually turning colors. For Cerberus, it turned to a pure dark, as if one were looking at a black hole with some chains hanging around. His body pumps him full of adrenaline and endorphins to numb the pain.

Artemis could feel a heat and small amounts of anger radiating off Cirrus. From a single glance she knew the armor Cirrus donned was not normal, it pulsates with a almost natural beat like a heart, it had something else to it that would surly make itself known down the road. But today is not the day to question it with more pressing issues.

"Nox, can you blast it again!?" Artemis asked.

'Not if you want me to ring out up a good chunk of your already depleting magic, Cirrus!'

"Yes she can!" Cirrus answered for Nox. "One more time!! Watch my back! It's not fucking running anywhere! It dies today! Nox! When I use my magic you unload on it," He turned to Artemis. "You as well! Keep shooting your arrows until you run out!"

'Got—'

"—it!" said both Nox and Artemis.

"RAAAAAH!!!" Cirrus charged ahead while Nox flew up above while Artemis continued to fire at the monster.

"KIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" It screeched again while still now more regenerating and its charging speed was only getting faster.

Cirrus and the Nuckelavee quickly closed ground on one another.

"Shut the fuck up!!" Cirrus stopped and swung with the momentum of his speed to smack the monster in its horse's face.

"!?!?" It seemed surprised by the attack and even more so as more and more chains wrapped around its legs. "KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEE-!?!?!?!?" Followed by its horse's mouth and more of its body, along with a few arrows.

Thud!! Thud!!

Thud!

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Artemis had found the weak point, the in-between of the muscles of its joints.

THUD!!!

It's pinned to the ground and before it was a boy no taller than 144 cm (4’7), wearing something that would be seen in heaven with two dog pauldrons on the boy's shoulders.

"I have to fucking say!" His magic circle formed above the monster. "You may be even worse than Astraea!! Jumping headfirst into danger with no plan!!" Artemis stood out to him, a god who would put themselves in danger for a mortal? Well it's a god he will be sure to think highly of. "Well, I can't be any better!! (Sing your Vespers, Swords of Damocles.)!!!"

'(Flash and gaze. Tear through the cosmos.)!!!'

From Cirrus’s magic circle, a massive sword of electricity formed into a great sword.

"[Dia Dikastí̱s]!!!"

'[White Night]!!!'

B O O O O M!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A blast of thunder and pyroclastic light struck down the monster.

The force of the attack shook the earth and air, the windows in the town shattered, and several people could hear a ringing in their ears as sparks of lightning danced around the area the Nuckelavee was before dispersing, followed by the cloud of smoke.

Rumble!!!

Rumble!!!

The Nuckelavee's body was charred, leaving behind only its flaming green eyes and magic stone.

Artemis could see Cirrus staggering over where the monster was slain, with his armor evaporating into the air.

"Haaah. Fucking finally."

"Zephyr!!" Artemis rode up to him in quickly with worry and concern in her heart. She got off her horse and ran to him.

She could see him turn to her languidly. Blood covered most of his face cover all but his emerald eyes, those pair of eye still stuck out even when bathed in blood yet they for a second to Artemis looked like they were beginning to swirl like a whirlpool. She felt she had seen his face before. Had it not been bloody, she would have known who he reminds her of.

"Well... what a hunt huh?" He said, giving the goddess a half-smile that was like a crescent moon yet it shined like moonbeams.

Artemis' heart beats unexpectedly at this brave child before her.

Thump-thump!!

She hasten her run towards him.

"Hold on!" She was but a few steps away from him. "You will be—"

"I am not." He then falls towards her, his eyes closing and his body buckles from the battle.

"Zephyr!!" She grabbed him before he fell onto the ground. "Oh!" His bloody face stained her amble chest. For the first time, Artemis had held a male in her embrace. "!?" She could feel how different it was from her own and females.

Thump-thump!! Thump-thump!! 

Her heart skipped a beat with him in her soft embrace. She gently pulled him back a bit to try and wipe the blood from his face. She would have seen his unstained face had it not been for—

'Cirrus!!'

Slap!!

—Nox slapping herself onto Cirrus's face without care of getting stained in blood, Artemis may have realized this foreign feeling in her heart sooner had this little moment between him and her lasted but a few moments longer.

"You certainly are loyal." She makes a small smile as she lowers Cirrus to the ground.

'You are a pretty good hunting partner, Zephyr.' That small smile slowly turned into a warm one.