Where information is given about the Asteras and a little bit of drama is caused from an unwanted revelation.

this chapter is basically on about the first half extra information and side-lore. you could even perhaps skip it until you find again in this chapter the continuation of the battle? where i left of last chapter. anyways

2 days ago from the duel between Alter and Sam…

No one's POV:
-

The 2 skeleton friends were laying down on bed holding each other close. The priest had another violent rush of memories from his and Geno's last day in Lisbon and the siren was once again here to help him find comfort. After minutes in silence and when Geno assumed Alter had finally calmed down he raised head to look at him.

"Al? You good now?" He asked calmly. The priest hummed and hugged just a little bit tighter the smol, who giggled. "Jeez. And here I thought I was the clingy one."

"You bring me comfort and peace." Alter replied and Geno slightly blushed. The 2 stayed silent again for about a minute before the smol got over the embarrassment and looked up to the taller.

"Al?" He asked. The other didn't move or say anything. "Until we find the will to fall asleep again, ya think you could tell me a lil' more about yourself?"

"Like what?" Alter asked raising brow. Geno hesitated a little.

"… about the Asteras?"

He could feel the other slightly flinching and keeping a cold silence. It soon became awkward for the small skeleton. But the moment he was ready to change his mind and just change subject, the taller sighed.

"… You wish ya knew me better. Know me more. Who I am, or was. I've been lyin' and hiding things for so long, I almost fear that I'll end up forgettin'." He looked down to Geno serious. "Ya heard the monsters of Lisbon callin' me an Aster. That's where the question comes from. Ya wish to know what that means. What it meant for me being one. Right?" Damn right Geno wanted that kind of answer.

"I'd like to hear ya talking… narratin' things 'bout yourself. Just like the first time we properly met, well, the part after I got drugged…" Both skeletons chuckled. "… But if ya can't recall memories that perhaps hurt to remember… we can still cuddle."

"How many things have you heard 'bout the Asteras?" The priest asked, indirectly encouraging Geno to speak and later hear more. The smol thought of it for a moment.

"Well. While on training, I found in the storage room amongst all weapons, 3 strange walking sticks. Dogface told me they're called Asderções, the secret weapon of the Asteras. And that… they were the secret personal army of the monster Lord, Alvino Aster, specifically monster monks. The best of the best."

"That's right." Alter looked up for a few seconds, collecting his thoughts. Geno sat up with criss-crossed legs and waited to see if the taller would actually say more. "… Asteras were almost considered to be a myth amongst the humans. That, because not many had witnessed 'em in action, or in fact remembered seein' them, you'll understand what I mean. But monsters knew better. They knew that Asteras were patrolling in the wild, checking the roads and seein' who was passing by. Many times monsters were talkin' about how they were gettin' attacked by humans if they had to travel from one village to another, but not long after, mysterious figures dressed in black cloaks were comin' and apprehending the attackers with their only weapons bein' walking sticks."

"Sounds cool! But how come the humans didn't become aware of the Asteras after so many times they interfered?"

"After the Asteras would apprehend the attackers, they would make 'em fall uncoscious and smell a special mix that would make them forget what they saw or what they were even supposed to do in the middle of nowhere."

"The confusion they must were feelin' once waking up." Geno snorted.

"And that's why that secret army stayed, well, secret for a long time."

"Can ya tell me how this whole idea to make a secret monster army of monster monks began?" Alter looked up to think.

"It all goes back to when Master Alvino was still active. Better than anyone else of his family, he knew the exact circumstances under which the monster villages of Portugal were livin'. Being tortured by the humans of nearby human villages, mistreated, gettin' attacked by bandits and thieves. Humans had no control and the soldiers had forbidden the monster villagers from learning how to fight, 'specially use magic."

"How was he learnin' all these? Was he puttin' spies?"

"Not just that. He would learn about everythin' concerning the monster villages because he was often goin' to see and witness by himself all these. For the monsters' sake he risked a lot by getting away from the safety of his rich life and privileges. He would go to the villages dressed up differently, introducing himself as somebody send by Master Alvino, not that he was him. Once he had addressed all main problems the monster villages were havin' by the humans, he started thinking of how to make a way for the monsters to be able defend themselves efficiently without magic, or without makin' it obvious that they were trainin'. So, he traveled through the whole Portugal and found all monster monasteries. He stayed with the monks and inspired them to learn fighting in a cryptic hand-to-hand kind of way, able to efficiently teach a monster how to defend and self-defend without the humans ever suspecting anything. Later, when they would perfect his cryptic fighting system, he asked 'em to teach it to the monster villagers too. The monks who learned fighting the way Master Alvino showed them and later taught other monsters, was the beginnin' for the first Asteras to be born."

"What are these combat moves of this cryptic fighting style based on?"

"You've seen how I fight without weapons and magic. You've seen how I move. Non-violently, smoothly and avoid to punch or kick much. Yet all movements would respond to the offensive moves of the soldiers towards me -as we were tryin' to escape Lisbon, not when I lost control…- Maybe ya will find it hard to believe, but all moves are based from the most simple gestures and everyday tasks in life. On trainin' they are performed slowly and casually, with not the slightest of aggression, so much that if one didn't know better, they would really think the monster was not taught to fight. The thing is to know where these simple gestures are useful to. Even a simple handshake is a move of first defence in disguise. The innocent reflex to shoo away with your hand a fly, that too is a way to block the attack from a weapon, when the opponent is close to ya."

"Sooo, technically Aster showed to the monks that even the most simple of movements in somebody's daily life can be used in offense and defence?"

"Mhm."

"I don't think I can fit this whole idea in my skull, but I suppose that back in your days, that system was successful if understood. Once the monsters had gotten the idea of how they can learn fighting without raising suspicions, the humans could never understand how ya were learnin' to fight."

"Yup." Alter nodded.

"But if the humans were seein' that slowly the monsters were fightin' back, wouldn't they suspect either way that somehow they were learnin' to fight?"

"Aster's system ain't mainly about offence. That shall last as little as possible and to make the opponent unable to fight with as little moves as possible. The system is more about evading, defence and learnin' to turn the opponent's offence against 'em. As long as with the techniques the monsters were taught they weren't harming the humans in any way, problems wouldn't appear. If the humans had no injuries on them after tryin' to mess with the monsters, they couldn't report anything serious."

"If all monsters around Portugal were taught Aster's way of learning to defend themselves from the humans, what's the point of havin' Asteras?"

"To become an Astera needs much more than simply learnin' the basics on defence ala Aster. The real training begins when a monster enters the ascetic life in the monasteries and after it has succeeded on following the way of the monks. Bein' quiet, silent, not eat much, pray more than sleepin', things like these. Once I had managed to behave like a monk in less than half a year, I was called up by my superiors and told me that they believed I was ready to follow the training of the Asteras."

"Sooo, how did it go?"

"Back in those days, on the biggest part of my making to an Astera, I would be trained in physical training and combat. We were doin' our monk duties during the day and at night we would stay up all night both prayin' and training physically in secret underground rooms. 6 days awake and only once a week we were sleepin'. To master fighting the way prince Aster had pictured, the most important things we had to understand and master, as part of the philosophy, were adequacy, patience and balance."

"What do these mean in combat?"

"Adequacy is to make only the most necessary moves, mainly when it comes to evading. No extras that can tire the fighter faster. Patience is to know when to strike your opponent, all while readin' their movements and patterns. Y'know, leave themselves defenceless, tire 'em out and lower their guard, only then we can strike 'em with just a few adequate moves. Balance embraces the other 2, as it focuses on the way we stand, how we move and evade whether striking whether defending and on when we need to make a move necessary to beat our opponent, as we wait and seek for the perfect chance."

"Sounds kinda complicated. But interesting." Geno said as his chin was resting on his hands.

"Once the body is strong and durable, after the Astera in the making has embraced the meaning of adequating, having patience and being balanced on their moves, magic comes next. Since the body has become strong, so will magic be, if a monster possesses magical skills. On the last part of the training, is to learn handling all kinds of weapons, until masterin' them and feelin' as if they're almost extention of the body. But as Asteras, we avoid most large weapons, 'specially swords. If anythin' it's the last weapon we learn."

"Huh? Why? What's wrong with swords for the Asteras not to master 'em?"

"In the times we lived, with humans every now and then comin' to check up on the monster villages and monasteries, swords and other big sharp weapons were more difficult to hide. And it didn't need more than once for the humans to discover if a monster village or monastery was hidin' weapons, they would burn it to the ground."

"Makes sense. The only big enough object that could be used as weapon are canes. They seem innocent enough, unless ya know how to handle 'em. Hence also why the basic weapon for the Asteras are the Asderções."

"Yes. Ya get it."

"Sooo, was it demanded to carry anywhere as Asteras your fighting sticks?"

"We were allowed to take whatever we wanted to take for weapons when patrolling, but the Asderçõa had to always be on our hands. Even on simple walks. It was our most important extention of our bodies, our personal symbol, pride of who we were and what we could do. We weren't goin' anywhere without 'em. If one was loosing their Asderçõa, they were kicked out of the Asteras."

"Sheesh."

"No matter how well one was trained in the body, magic and handling weapons, if they weren't masterin' fighting with canes, they couldn't be Asteras. Canes are the first weapons they learn."

"Aside that they look innocent to carry around, for what other reasons they were chosen to be mastered and be the most crucial weapon?"

"Canes are what we call 'the 3rd leg' that gives better step to someone's walking and support to stay upright. They replace to some degree an injured leg or become an extention of our limbs. At the end, they embrace more than any other weapon, in the philosophy of an Astera, the most important of our values. Balance."

"Mhm…" Geno did while nodding in understanding and looked away thoughtful for a few seconds before facing again Alter. "… when I saw the Asderções in the storage room, let's just say I slightly tried to mess around with one of 'em and it became a spear." He said and slightly gulped remembering how he had almost ended up becoming bone meal by getting caught off guard. Alter raised brows.

"Ya tried to use an Asderçõa?"

"Uuuh, yeah. Didn't go quite well, haha… ha…" He chuckled. 5 seconds passed in silence before Geno look again at Alter. "Why can the Asderções become spears?! If they can do that, ain't that goin' against what ya said a while ago that Asteras don't fight for offence but defence mainly?!"

"Ya see, we wanted to be peaceful warriors and not cause any harm to our opponents. Though fighting not just with canes but spears, is a last resort for the Asteras. Just in case a fight was more difficult the opponents many and tougher to make unable to fight, we would pass on the spears. For that, we were takin' oath to never take lives if we were to use the Asderções as ones. When we were masterin' them, as the last part of the training to become Asteras, we would train to aim anywhere but to vital spots. More often arms or legs. After all, once all enemies were down, aside makin' them forget 'bout us, we would also heal them."

"After all ya still fought to keep your business nice and clean."

"Yep."

[2/2] Unwanted revelation

Present…

"You really thought that I wouldn't understand it huh?!" Sam squeaked as he pointed with his sword at Alter's direction. "I know that you're absolutely bad at sword-fighting, Mr. goodie-two-shoes! I've never seen you holding a sword in your entire life! Even now I see you holding the sword in such way, it silently begs to just be thrown in the sea as long as it is not held by your hands!" He continued and suddenly dashed towards Alter, who prevented at the very last moment to block off the rat. Sam jumped back. "Even your blocking is amateur!" Alter shrugged his shoulders and just chuckled after getting roasted by Sam.

"We all have our strengths and weaknesses Sam. I don't happen to be good with swords, but I'm good at handling most of the weapons this ship has. You're just good at sword-fighting. Don't worry, you're still useful for that in this crew."

Everyone covered their mouths understanding the insult in disguise Alter threw at the rat, who's eyes widened up and smoke had started coming out of his head. Geno saw his right eye twitching.

"He angered the rat good." He whispered and Adrian nodded worried.

"I fear for what he's going to do to the priest now." He said.

"At least I'm not afraid of cockroaches or rats! What I am!" Sam spat back and attacked sharp and fast Alter, who didn't manage to block all attacks and got 4 slashes on his arms. Everyone gasped hearing the rat's statement and looked at the tall skeleton as if waiting to hear him admitting his fear for rodents.

"Uh oh, the secret is spilled." Geno murmured, as he remembered when Alter had told him about his fear of cockroaches and rats after he had pranked him with a flying cockroach.

"I've observed how you look at me all these years! You're uneasy around moi!That's an insult you know!" He attacked again Alter and after some good accurate hits, he caused the taller's sword to fly in the air and back.

In the next 5 seconds, many things just happened.

Once Sam landed on his feet he jumped again to beat Alter.

Alter jumped back 2 times further away from his sword, looked up seeing it falling, braked abruptly and jumped again but forward.

His hand clasped the sword's handle and lowered it to block in perfect timing Sam as he had jumped too and attacked again after his first jump.

They both fell down, with Alter missing his step and falling backwards. Alongside his bones hitting the deck, he groaned quietly.

"My back is still trying to recover." He wheezed quietly. Sam found that perfect chance to jump on Alter's chest and point his sword beneath his chin.

"Rend toi. Or I'll leave you another tattoo before 10 seconds pass and a real reason to make you fear me as a rat." He said bitterly. Suddenly Alter… started laughing. Sam frowned. "What's so funny?" He asked.

"The new look I gave to your whiskers." Alter commented. In an instant Sam's eyes were filled with panic.

"Mes moustaches?!" He squeaked and his sword stopped threatening Alter.

Grand mistake.

By using Sam's weakness for his whiskers, Alter found the chance to grab the small monster by the nape, grab his sword and throw it away. Still holding his sword on the other hand, he flipped over Sam and threatened him with his sword.

"How the tables have turned." Adrian commented shocked. Most pirates were just as shocked.

"Naaah, no way the rat fell for such lie!" Geno yelped.

"Well, never thought I'd sssee the day Sssam loosssesss in sssword-fight." Yalin commented. Alter kept staring at Sam coldly as he kept threatening him with his sword to stay down. Finally Markus walked up.

"That's enough!" He said. Calmly, Alter stood up and back, letting his sword fall on the deck. Markus placed his hand on his shoulder and turned to look around. "Well, after his long absence, priest Alter came back on his feet stronger and bolder than ever! Applause the winner of today's game!" He said.

First and better Geno started clapping. Adrian, Yalin, Aldo, Ramirez(!) started clapping next and little by little all other pirates started clapping too, slightly awkward. Except from the ones who had gotten their butts kicked by the priest.

"How?!" Sam suddenly squeaked as he stood up and walked towards Alter, who raised brow.

"How what Sam? I just used a lil' bit of mischief to beat you, nothing much." He said.

"Not that! I don't care about defeating me as much as you not being-!"

"Scared of ya?" Alter stopped him. He hummed cheerfully and kneeled to be closer on Sam's level. "I don't deny that rats frighten me too, aside cockroaches. Or, at least used to…" He raised head and looked at Geno's direction grinning wider. "… I gotta thank Geno for helpin' me get used to rats."

"Eheheh…" Geno did slightly flustered.

Indeed the 2 had managed to work together on Alter's fright for rats after the day the priest fainted by the cockroach and had admitted his fears. The smol skeleton would bring rats in the hermitage and little by little everyday he had managed to break the priest's fear for the rodents.

"I admit that just because you are by nature a monster rat, I used to not feel ok around ya Sam. But not anymore." He approached his hand close to the small monster. "I might have beaten ya at the end with a trick, but you're still the best swordfighter of France. And I'm glad I got to fight with ya for experience."

"Hmmm…" Sam did as he looked inside Alter's eyesockets, genuinely relaxed and not filled with fear. He returned the handshake and firmly shook hands. "… Well. you didn't do so bad in the fight. Obviously you've got a long way to go. You were training in secret?"

"With Ramirez."

As the 2 kept talking, Geno's attention slowly turned to the other pirates. Many of them, especially the ones who had lost against Alter were looking at him hostile and talking quietly about him. He frowned.

"They just can't admit their defeat. Tsk." He whispered. Dave walked towards Alter with angry steps and fists.

"Rematch!" He roared. Alter stood up and faced the tiger crossing his arms. "You weren't even fighting! You were just dancing around as if you are some little b*tch! Where was that aggressiveness you had a week ago when beating up Ramirez huh?!"

"My aggressiveness shall be directed only towards the ones who are deserving of it, givin' me a good reason and a challenge. Ya gave me any real challenge to be aggressive in my fighting? Nah. Just because I 'don't think with my fists', doesn't mean I fight any worse, Dave. Last we all saw, my style got you defeated with one single hit of mine." He spat calmly.

"Oh wow, where did he get the sass from suddenly?" Geno thought staring at Alter surprised. The atmosphere had started smelling gunpowder and tension in the air had taken over.

"Acting all proud and arrogant because you won this game now?"

"Don't get worked up over such frivolous matters Dave. I won, ya lost, get over it and stop actin' like a spoiled kitty." Alter kept talking calmly and turned his back ready to walk away and leave all pirates speechless. Dave's eye twitched and with an abrupt move he grabbed Alter by his shoulder aggressively.

"You think you will get away by talking like that to me?!" He roared. Alter stopped dead on his tracks and lowered his head.

"… Let go of me Dave." He said calmly.

"Give me a damn rematch skeleton!" Dave demanded.

"I said let go of me Dæve." Alter talked again and Geno could have sworn he heard his voice cracking.

"GIVE ME A DAMN REMATCH!" Dave roared loudly.

"THAT'S IT!" The siren suddenly hopped off Adrian and walked towards Dave with determined steps. "Accept that you got defeated already and go train in case you ever manage land a single hit on Alter you damn tiger!"

"Care to repeat that? You're so damn short I thought I heard you whispering." Dave attacked Geno causing a few pirates to chuckle. Geno clenched his fists, but didn't allow the anger get the best of him.

"Screw whatever attitude ya show me puss. But it's about damn time ya and others in here stop treatin' Alter like crap. Let go of him and walk away."

"And why should I do that fishstick?" Dave asked sarcastically.

"'Cause he kicked your butt and of many others even after barely recoverin', 'cause I've seen what he's capable of back at Lisbon, with a small sample been shown to ya all when he was beatin' up dogface and 'cause if that ain't convincing ya, it's about damn time ya learn showing respect to your Astera! He has done far more important things than I could imagine you've ever done in your lil' sad life and next time I see ANY of ya all disrespectin' him ever again, you're done for, by me-!"

"Wait wait wait! What was that you said before?!" Adrian asked surprised. Geno turned to look at the minotaur annoyed.

"Which one?!"

"The… Astera part?" Adrian said. Geno snapped out of his nerves and looked around surprised as the other pirates had started whispering to each other while staring at Alter shocked. He turned to look at the priest, who was staring at him.

"Why…" The tall skeleton asked and his eyesockets were filled with surprise and a faint panic. Geno had started getting genuinely confused. Dave's eyes were wide open as he stared at Alter. His hand still clenching the skeleton's shoulder was now shaking violently.

"Você é um Astera?!" He asked as he let go of the priest and stepped back. And there it finally occurred to Geno what was happening.

4 years Alter was with the pirates, being the humble, calm skeleton he more often was and no one knew until just now what he really was. And by the priest's face, it seemed as if he was never going to say it. Or that he never wanted that to be said out loud.

No.

Once Geno had snapped out completely he recalled a part from the long conversation him and Alter had about the Asteras that night. He had told him that the identity of an Astera had better to be known by no one, only very few at worst and trustworthy.

Alter had literally elaborated to the smol about his secret life, revealed so many details about himself and those days (which will come up perhaps on other chapters), he had given emphasis on the identity and its importance to stay hidden and the siren just had to call him Astera out loud!

"… Muchas gracias Geno." Alter said in Spanish sad and sarcastically, folded his arms over his chest and before anyone could stop him he walked away with fast steps and lowered head.

"Alter wait!" Geno tried to run after him.

"¡Así se hace y revelar los secretos de alguien de esa manera!" Ramirez stopped him.

"I-…" Geno tried to speak.

"Didn't he tell you that an Astera's identity is sacred and no one shall know that somebody is one unless they reveal it themselves?" The alsatian asked raising eyebrow.

"He told me! It slipped my mind!" Geno groaned covering his face. Ramirez facepalmed.

"¿Por qué tuvo que confiar en alguien como tú?" He murmured as he walked away. Geno shot a glare at him and proceeded to mock the tone of his voice.

But he felt a hand tapping his shoulder and he turned to look. Aldo was death-staring at the smol skeleton, as if preventing him from starting the mockery. Geno didn't show it on the surface, but he had to admit for a small cute creature like a beaver, Aldo was hella terrifying.

Eventually the cook looked ahead and started walking, ignoring Geno. Who, after snapping out of his surprise, he stared at the direction Alter had taken after being uncovered like that.

well damnit geno. how do ya think everyone will be treating alter after what they heard from geno?😂

4430 words. proceed to le next chapter.