Danmachi: Westward Cloud [Complete]

Quest 58- The Hunter

The next day, Cirrus made breakfast from the supplies they had stored in his shadow. Any food that was in the home had either turned rotten or contaminated.

"So, what are we going to do?" Nox said, eating her food.

"Well…. we should look into this town and see if there is anything as to why or how the Nuckelavee was released."

"Hm, while you’re doing that, I’ll contact Fels and update them on our progress."

"Hm, call me if you need me. (Exousía, Adorn: Ceryneian)."

"Why are you wearing your armor?"

"Well, just in case you need me?"

Cirrus takes his leave and goes out the front door.

‘Well, time to investigate some homes.’

Cirrus went to the homes nearby and carefully looked at each one and as soon as he was done, he took out red paint and drew an X on it, then moved on to the next.

"Damn. Nothing again." He glanced to his side to see a children's doll. "Tch." He moved on.

After his ninth home, he discovered something.

"Huh? A diary? "

Cirrus flipped through the pages until he could no longer find the lettering. He looked to the last written entry.

"… The 18th of last month…"

Reading the entry, he discovered two things: first, that they had held some sort of traditional festival, and second, that the Familia based here, the Loviatar Familia, was to blame.

"Loviatar..." It was a name he will not soon forget.

Reading more into the diary, he found that the Familia actually came and settled in the town two years ago, around the time he was in Orario.

‘If a Familia is here, then they should have had a base… tch if this Familia is actually—no. They are 100% part of Evilus, they could cause more trouble. I need to find them quickly.’

Leaving the home, Cirrus jumps up on the roofs to find the Familia’s home in the town. It was not hard as a Familia would have more resources and importance to get a large and better home for the Goddess of the Familia.

‘There, the second biggest home.’

He leapt from the rooftop onto another and ran, rooftops form rooftops, when he heard something flying through the air.

Fsh!

Fsh!

Grab!

Cirrus grabbed an arrow from the air while the other arrow missed.

"Who the fuck is shooting—!?"

From the corner of his eye, he found that a 3rd arrow was shot and found its place in his right shoulder.

"!?"

Seeing this, Cirrus immediately slid down the roof and found cover. This genuinely scared him as it was if it just appeared in his shoulder.

"Holy shit!" He shouted as he hid behind a home. "Nox, stay inside. There is someone out here! And their fucking master archers!"

‘Hm? Really? But can arrows from normal—‘

"There is an arrow in my shoulder right now."

‘… Call me when this is settled. I will be inside. Summon me when you’re in danger, well, more danger. I don't want to make things harder for you.'

Even if Nox was a powerful spirit, her body was that of an average level 1. It's still nothing to scoff at if you were normal, but she knew full well how fast and durable Cirrus was. If an arrow could hit him, then flying around would only put her in the grave far more quickly.

‘Let’s see the arrows come from the east side—No, they moved. If there is a skilled archer, they must have moved. ’ Cirrus was using all he knew on snipers from his previous life to try and apply it here in this situation. 'Since it's a bow and arrow they can move to a different spot more quicker, they must have scouted the area and planned this ambush!'

Cirrus removed the arrow but found the arrow head still in him.

'A loose arrowhead!?' From this he knew whoever shot him was experienced and was deadly. 'God fucking... Grrr!!'

He placed his hand over his wound and store the arrowhead in his shadow, to which he immediately discarded it and poured a potion on his wound.

"Focus. Focus." He said softly as he calms himself.

Focused on his hearing he could hear the slight creaking of the dead tree branches and even some homes.

Kata-kata!

Kata-kata!

‘Running!’

Cirrus quickly turned to see a girl with reddish-brown hair aiming an arrow at him up on a rooftop.

Thwish!

She fired her arrow, and Cirrus quickly rushed her, evading the arrow.

The girl was surprised Cirrus had taken this choice as he quickly got out of the arrow’s path and was now about to grab the girl when.

Thunk!

"!!"

Once again, Cirrus didn’t even hear or feel the arrow flying through the air as it hit his hand.

The girl was about to run away when Cirrus grabbed her with his left hand at the base of her neck and held her up with one arm.

"You little shit!!!" Using her as a shield, he quickly rushed to where the arrow was fired with the girl in hand. "You are mine!!"

"L-let me go!!" she shouted as she struggled.

"Fuck no!" Cirrus held onto her throat firmly, enough that with a bit more force and movement he could snap her neck but enough to let her breathe. It did take him a while to get the feel for this. "You’re going to be my shield until I find your boss who left their arrows in me! "

Cirrus broke the arrow in his hand using his mouth and pulled the rest of the arrow out of the head, as well.

"I’ll be sure to pay them back! Maybe I'll toss them high in the air and shoot them before they go splat on the ground? Maybe I just punch you guys until I knock out all your teeth?"

"Y-you brute!" She said with anger in her eyes.

"Says the girl, shooting arrows for no rea—!"

As he was running, three more arrows came and found its mark on the back of Cirrus’s  right calf, thigh, and again in his right shoulder.

"Grr!!!" His grip slightly loosened, and the girl tried to break free, but an even stronger grip was now in place.

"Let go!!"

‘The back of the calf and thigh!’ He ignored her pleas. 'And even back at the same spot in the shoulder!?' He was impressed as he was pissed.

He calmed himself and scanned the area diligently, using the girl as a shield, while also using her to cast a shadow on himself to store the arrow heads in his shadow.

Clack~

Clack~

Clack~

The remaining part of the arrows clatter down off the roof and onto the street below.

As Cirrus searched with gimlet eyes he could see a small glint off the arrow’s head for a short second. That was more than enough for him.

"Found you!!" With anger in his voice his magic circle appeared behind him, the rest of his armor wraps around him and he quickly leaped rooftop from rooftop. "YOU ARE MINE!!!"

The speed he was kicking off broke several of the home's ceilings as he used the girl as a shield.

"I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN THE ENDS OF THE EARTH!!"

He made it to the shooters, hiding up on the outskirts of the town’s buildings.

"Why hello there?" He said with eyes full of cold anger, his outbursts before helped him settle himself.

Cirrus looked down on four women. One had green hair, the second one had gold hair, and the other had black hair. The last one behind the others had long blue hair with two long bangs with two strands on the sides. They were all very beautiful, especially the one with blue hair.

Cirrus felt a bit bad what he is about to do to them.

"Which one of you shits shot me." He said calmly with a thin veil of anger in his voice, his grip tightened on the girl still in his grasp.

"Gah!!" the girl tried and break free from his vice-grip but it was fruitless, Cirrus' hold might as well be death as there was no escape.

The woman with blue hair stepped forward, she stood at least 5'5ft (164cm), before the others like a mother protecting her young as a divinity seeps from her. It was a calm and tranquil divinity on par with Astraea’s own, if not more from how easy it looked for her to hide it and bring it out with the transparency. Had it not been for the white of the border, one wouldn’t be able to see the divinity.

"It was me; my name is Artemis."

"A... Artemis?" Cirrus felt his stomach drop, his blood run a bit cold upon seeing the famed huntress of Greek Myth.