Fantasia Begins Part 2

Glenn sighed and sat against a column before saying, "You take this one, Guts."

Guts grinned before he dashed towards the Snake/Man with incredible speed.

The Apostle threw its tail out only for Guts to duck underneath it and cleaved the Snake Baron's left leg off.

Before the giant Snake-Man fell down, Guts pointed his hand at the creature's face and said, "Firaga!"

A loud boom echoed out from the fiery explosion while the Snake Baron went flying through the castle walls and out into the eye of the public.

The Snake Baron rolled across the ground while the fires burned through his scales and muscles. The citizens ran while he crashed through a few buildings and set part of the town on fire.

Glenn groaned as he clicked his fingers and said, "Waterga."

A large pool of water appeared above the burning building and rained down over the town, dousing the flames while Guts slowly walked through it to find the Snake Baron crawling out from the wreckage.

Guts stabbed his sword in the creature's neck before it screamed out in pain.

Glenn sighed as he watched the look of ecstasy on Gut's face as he took out his dagger and tortured the Apostle.

"Wow, what happened to all that confidence, Apostle?!!! Do you have an empty stomach? I know we must have interrupted your mealtime. You want to mess with humans' kids, right?" Guts turned to Glenn and smiled.

"I got it," Glenn said as he stood up and used his sense skill to find a group of kids caged near the kitchen.

When Glenn saw the cooks covered in children's blood and wielding butcher knives, he pointed his finger out and said, "Blizzard."

A spike of ice ran through their heads before they all dropped lifeless onto the ground.

Glenn sighed as he freed the children and led them outside to see a crowd gathered around Guts, who was currently cutting through the rest of the Apostle's limbs.

The children ran towards their parents with tears running from their eyes while Guts threw a Father a dagger made from Mithril.

"You, this Baron of yours wanted to eat your daughter," Guts declared as he pointed to the tailless, limbless, and half-dead Apostle.

"That's the Baron?!"

"What monstrosity is he?!"

"It's a demon!"

"A demon!"

"That's right, this is a demon! A beast who used to be human-like yourself. However, he became a demon through a ritual of human sacrifice. Your children are nothing but food for them. Take back your village with your own hands."

The Father walked over with the dagger in hand and cried as he faced the Baron.

"No, don't! You inferior beings won't be the ones to kill me! Come back, Black Swordsman! Finish the job!"

"Die!!!" The Father shouted while stabbing the Baron in the chest.

The Snake-Man coughed up a lung-full of blood before he screamed in pain.

The rest of the villagers started grabbing kitchenware, swords, farming tools such as pitchforks, hoes, and shovels before taking out all their frustrations.

"You killed my wife and child!" Another villager shouted as he rammed a pitchfork into the monster's face.

"Ack!" The Baron let out another scream before begging, "Please spare me!"

The rest of the villagers tore him limb from limb while Guts started to walk away with a smile on his face.

Glenn walked up beside Guts and started to walk away from the Village before saying, "Well, that was...extreme."

"What, you got something to say?" Guts said with a smirk.

"Wow, I can't tell who's more evil, you or the monsters you're fighting," Puck replied as he sat on Gut's head.

"It was different than what I expected. Also, I don't know how I feel about my friend getting off on torturing. Even if the Apostles deserve it," Glenn responded.

Guts gave a sneer before Glenn asked, "What's up with letting the villagers see all that?"

Guts plucked Puck from his head and flicked him off into the distance as he said, "If they hide from humanity by wearing human skins, then I'll rip that facade right off their faces for the world to see. I will give these monsters no quarter and no room to hide."

"So, you want to expose the Apostles to the public?" Glenn questioned.

"Got a problem with that?" Guts followed up.

"No. But if you ever need to talk about that hate you're letting burn inside, I'll be here to listen," Glenn said as they both summoned their Chocobos and rode off into the horizon.

Several days later, the two Demon Hunters ended up at another Apostle's territory.

The slug Apostle was another easy event to take care of.

"I'm not a witch! I'm no Heretic!" A shackled woman wearing rags shouted with sheer terror in her voice.

Before the executioner could drop the ax on the accused witch's head, Glenn appeared in front of her and cast a barrier spell over her body.

The executioner's ax shattered like glass as Glenn healed her body before lifting her up onto her feet and saying, "I believe you."

The guards and executioners surrounded him and shouted, "Who are you? Another heretic?!"

Glenn sighed before he looked at the crowd of clueless and ill-informed citizens and then at the surprised Slug Count.

"Stupid, ignorant masses, you are all savages, every one of you. You speak of magic as if you have seen it. You talk of burning witches as if you were strong enough to capture them. All you've been doing is killing your innocent humans. You scream for blood, slaughter, and executions as if they were games, but what if it was your family member up here, what if it was you?" Glenn shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Yes, there is evil magic, just like there are evil people. But that is only one aspect of magic. Let me show you all what real magic is. The ability to control the elements," Glenn declared as he created four balls of elemental spells. Earth, Fire, Water, and Ice.

"Healing magic," Glenn said as he waved his hand over the crowd and healed everyone's health with the aid of an All-Materia.

"Holy energy described in your church's texts," Glenn cast his newest Spell learned from his Alexander Magicite.

The Holy Spell lit up the area and suddenly caused everyone to feel a sense of comfort and peace. Well, all except for the Slug Count.

When the light from the Holy Spell touched his flesh, the overweight Slug-Man screamed in pain as his mortal coil caught fire was forced to reveal his demonic form.

The four-meter tall Slug Apostle shouted in anger as the stand he was sitting on fell to pieces under his immense weight.

The people looked on in complete horror before screaming in fear.

Glenn then saw Guts jump down from a great height before cutting through the Count's neck.

He didn't even have time to scream as he felt wind blades tearing up his insides like a tornado.

The Slug Count was killed with a single blow by Guts.

Glenn watched as the crowd surrounding them looked on in shock and awe.

"We are magic swordsmen, people that have trained to overcome the powers of demons. The man we killed is called a demonic Apostle. They, too, were once human. However, they gained their powers through sacrificing loved ones in a demonic ritual."

The crowd gasped in horror as Glenn continued speaking,

"Spread the word, people. The devil is amongst us. They are your leaders, both religious and political. They whisper convincing words of torturing and killing others in the name of their god while saying that their god is a peace-loving being."

Glenn shot the clergyman an angry and harsh look.

"The men of your cloth claim they've captured witches and wizards, and you let them kill others' loved ones. Based on the power I've shown you, do you think a normal man can force us to our deaths?"

Those who had lost family and loved ones in the crowd started crying while the rest looked down in shame.

"If you can't understand the hypocrisy of your actions and repent, then you do not deserve to see the true Grace of God. You must look for the answers yourself and struggle to obtain the truth if need be. Don't take peoples' words at face value; ask for proof. Experience it with your own eyes."

While Glenn preached on top the Count's corpse, his demonic body slowly reverted to its human form.

Glenn looked over the crowd and said one last bit before walking away with Guts and Puck, "The count's daughter is innocent. She knows nothing of what her father has done."

The crowd whispered amongst themselves, and many of the people planning to break down the castle walls looked down at their feet.

"If you truly wish to be good people, do good things, it's that simple. Every one of you knows in your hearts what is right and wrong. Listen to that voice and start with freeing Therisa without scorning her. Tell her that her father died in battle with a barbarian tribe or something,"

Glenn then left the square while Guts readied the Chocobos on the outskirts of the Castle's Town.

After a short time resting, Glenn tracked down Vargus; the ex-physician of the Slug Count while Guts slept inside they cottage.

It wasn't too hard to spot him stumbling away from the crowd. He was only around four feet tall and was limp on one side of his body.

Glenn cornered Vargus in an alleyway before stopping him so they could have a little conversation.

Glenn explained the basics of how the Apostles gained their powers and healed him to trade for the Behelit.

Glenn cast Regen on Vargus until he regenerated all of his lost flesh and learned that Regen couldn't regenerate lost limbs, at least not without several hours of the Spell being recast, but it could regenerate lost organs and flesh.

He finished with the treatment before asking him to explain things to the Count's daughter and to take care of her as if he were his own.

Just before he parted with Vargus he looked at him with a serious expression and said, "Stay away from witchcraft. You don't understand it and will probably end up hurting innocents if you continue to pursue this false magic. You'll get nothing from it."

After leaving the area, Glenn returned to Guts and went to sleep in the cottage. The next morning, they rode on their Chocobos, Boko and Bird. Guts had a very-poor naming taste.

"Thanks. I'm not too good with words. What you did back there should shake those Apostles up," Guts said before riding ahead.

Glenn smiled, "It's good to see you doing better. This kill was a lot more...humane,"

Guts huffed as he said, "Whatever."

Over their months of hunting Apostles, Glenn and Guts had managed to make a few dozen Chocobo/Mog Materias and even managed to master all their equipped Materia.

Glenn and Guts followed rumors of mishaps until they ended up in the middle of a rainstorm.

Deciding to Camp out for the night, the two Demon Hunters set up camp near a bare tree covered in iron stakes.

Guts kept watch for the first half of the night and encountered Jill.

Just like in canon, she was kidnapped by Bandits and brought to the tree of pagan sacrifice.

After the oldest Bandit Brother told the others how the tree behind them used to be used to sacrifice people so that the crops would grow, a Bolt of Lightning revealed Guts leaning against the tree.

Sighing, Guts looked over to Glenn and saw that he was asleep inside the cottage.

"Why'd it have to my turn to keep a lookout," Guts yawned before shouting, "Hey, Glenn, there's a kid out here that needs saving. Come do your hero thing so I can get some sleep!"

"Fuck off!" Glenn yelled before falling back asleep.

"Okay, guess I'll take care of this one," Guts said as he swung his sword four times, killing the Bandits with ease.

Before Jill could thank him, Guts pointed at the tree and said, "Thunderga."

A rather large bolt of lightning descended on the tree, burning it from the inside out as the Trent monster revealed itself.

Jill screamed in terror as one of the branches that caught fire swung towards her body.

Reacting out of instinct, Guts swung his sword from behind the girl's head and into the wicked Trent's body.

Like a cannon ball being shot, the air cracked, a fierce gale surrounded the weapon, and Dragon Slayer tore through the monster's body before sending it flying into the distance.

Glenn woke from the noise and yawned as he stepped out of the Tent.

"What's up, Guts? Why the fuck did you wake me up?!" Glenn questioned in an angry tone because he had gone the last 3 days without sleep. They agreed to take turns killing demons and spirits so they could rank up their Materia and EXP, and since this was Guts turn to night farm, he thought he finally could get some shut eye.

He then paused before as he took notice of the burning tree.

"Just a little unwanted company," Guts replied as he looked at the girl and asked, "Hey, you got any food?"

Jill shook her head, making Guts sigh before saying, "It's been a few days since we last ate."

Glenn yawned again and followed up, "We need to stack up on rations. Hey girl, what's your name?"

"J...Jill!" The girl responded immediately.

"You got a village nearby, Jill?" Puck said as he flew out of Gut's satchel.

"AHHH! An Elf from Mist Vally!" Jill shouted in fright as she crawled backward while never taking her eye off of Puck.

"He's not an Elf from Mist Vally, and the thing plaguing your Village isn't one either," Glenn said as he healed the rope burns and cut on Jill's face.

"So it's like I thought, it's an Apostle," Guts said before his stomach growled.

"Apostle?" Jill murmured before the light broke through the crowds.

Glenn looked up and smiled before saying, "It's been three days since this storm started. It's good to see the light again."

"Hey, give us food, and we'll hunt your monsters," Puck said with a confident expression.

Guts bopped him on the head before replying with, "You don't hunt anything. We do all the work. All I've seen you do is laze around in my bag."

"Hey, I can heal people too, and I bring some much needed light heartedness to your insanity!" Puck said while pointing his acorn-head into Gut's nose.

Jill couldn't help but be curious about the group in front of her and agreed to lead them back to her Village.

Glenn thought about what was about to happen and did his best to recall the storyline.

He pulled out a Magicite and prayed this would work. Glenn didn't want to kill innocent children. He didn't even want to kill this Apostle. Out of all the antagonists in Berserk, Rosine was the one that he could sympathize with.

She was a child when she made the deal, impressionable, easily swayed by her lot in life. Glenn knew she had to die, but it still didn't make him not feel like a monster for having to kill a young girl.

"You alright?" Guts asked as he took notice of Glenn's sour expression.

"Yeah, just wondering how I'm gonna handle those kids," Glenn responded.

"Kids?" Guts, Jill, and Puck all asked at the same time.

"Guts, have you not learned the Libra Spell yet?" Glenn replied.

"No, I'm still mastering the sense skill," Guts responded.

Glenn nodded his head.

Quite possibly the best thing about Skill Materia was that some of them weren't required to use the ability. With enough time and training, they could learn and use the techniques contained within the skill-based Materias.

The Sense-Skill was one of the abilities that could be learned from the Materia. It allowed one to cast out their brainwaves like a net and sense the surroundings in real-time. They allowed one to feel slight emotions, danger, and the level of life force residing in a body.

Libra, on the other hand, gave scripted information. The descriptions appeared as a game window with the object's name, physical description, history, stats, effects, and uses.

"That's good that you're still increasing your sensory range, but you need to pick up Libra too. It can inform you of things Sense can't." Glenn explained.

Glenn then pointed towards Mist Valley and said, "A bunch of kids has been cursed by the Apostle. From what I gleaned from Libra, they used to be the kids from Jill's village."

Guts, Jill, and Puck looked at Glenn in surprise.

"How far does your Sense-Skill reach?!" Guts asked.

"How much Mana do you have?" Glenn responded.

"I haven't tested it in a while, but I assume it's around 2,000 or so," Guts answered.

"When it reaches 10,000, like me, I'd say you can do the same," Glenn answered.

"How many are there?" Guts asked.

"I don't know, but it's a lot, a few hundred maybe. All of the life signals are bunched together."

"That! That can't be! That can't be true!" Jill shouted with a look of horror in her eyes.

"Why are you so upset?" Guts questioned.

"That's because if it's true, then most of these kids are murders now. They probably even killed their own parents or siblings too. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but those insects you call Elves are actually the missing kids," Glenn informed the trio.

"Can you save them?" Jill asked with a worried look on her face.

"I don't know," Glenn responded with a dispirited expression.

Guts didn't look any better; he didn't want to kill a child if he could help it.

After returning to the Village, Guts looked around at the shabby houses and their poor conditions.