The following is a fan-based Crossover! Berserk and Garo are owned by Dark Horse and Studio Gaga, and Tohokushinsha Film Corporation (TFC) respectively. Please support the official releases!
("Where there is light, shadows lurk and fear reigns. Yet by the blade of knights, mankind was given hope.")
The voice states as a large symbol of unknown design turned into two Horrors that resembled actual demons before coming together to form a feline's claw and then finally, turning into a knight with a gold hue.
Track playing: Tell me why from Berserk OVA by Penpals (OP Ver.)
In a black background, Gaia was standing with half of his upper body revealed and with a fire burning inside him as the background turned to a cliff-side grassland.
(Feel no shame about shape. Weather changes their phase. Even mother will show you another way.)
In front of a dead tree full of hung corpses, dozens of Horrors were acting as vultures as some of them flew off before it caught fire.
(So put your glasses on. Nothing will be wrong. There's no blame, there's no fame. It's up to you.)
Meanwhile on a cliff, Guts was facing the edge while Casca was looking behind him, both looking depressed. Just then, they flinched as something big flew past them!
(The first words should be found. Whatever holds you back, I… Can't… I can't get it off.)
Flying past Guts and Casca, Edal was riding on Nova's back with two ninjas holding on for dear life! Back with Guts, he had turned into Gaia and polefaulted off the cliff!
(Tell me what! Tell me what! Tell me what you want! I don't know why! Don't know why! Don't know why you're afraid!)
On the ground, Gaia was dispatching Horrors while shots of Gaia without his helmet popped up every other second, looking happy underneath in a different angle! He was then seen back to back with an older blonde man with grey eyes in a red cloak with gold accents over a white shirt and a pair of gauntlets.
(Tell me what! Tell me what! Tell me what you say! I don't know why! Don't know why! Too late! It's too late.)
With Casca, she was fighting off three normal knights while shots of herself looking from sad to content popped up every other second. She was then walking side-by-side with Guts as the blonde man walked on his right side while Ouga walked on her left into the unknown.
In a void with flowers growing out of the mist, a six year old Casca in ragged clothes was wandering around while picking up flowers with echoing bare feet. That is, until she saw a man completely covered in a black cloak and hood walking towards her as he shoes echoed with each step. As she saw this man stop just in front of her, she held out six flowers, attempting to offer them to him. However, he then held his hand up to her face, just short of touching it. "You are the one." He tells Casca in a raspy, whisper-like voice, before using his other hand to grab her throat just as a storm suddenly appeared and blinded her vision!
At that moment, Casca found herself in front of a village that was burning to the ground! As she began to move forward in shock, until her leg was snagged on an exposed root and causing her to fall down. And then, as she was trying to get back up off the mud, she heard a familiar sound heading towards her. However, just before she could get a good look, a sword came plunging down onto her!
Springing to live, present day, bandaged Casca woke up from a nightmare as she was gasping for air while clutching her chest! "Guts, the girl's awake." Croba informed Guts, who was staring at a bonfire. As Casca began to calm down and see her surroundings, she not only notices that she's now on a hill, half a mile away from the town, but also that Croba was on the guard of Guts's Greatsword, which was stabbed into the ground next to her. "Great." Guts muttered as Casca slowly got up and attempted to pull out the sword, only for it to not budge. Hearing her struggle to remove the blade, Guts gets up and turns to Casca before walking towards her. "Don't bother trying to lift the sword. It's made of an alloy called 'Soul Metal'." He tells her as she backed away from the sword before he pulled the sword out with one hand while using the other hand to reattach Croba onto his ear. "Why am I here? What do you want with me?!" "I want you gone, but unfortunately it's not as simple as that!" Guts tells Casca in irritation, causing her to back a few steps away. "I can't let you go back to your group, or it'll become a feeding frenzy. And it's too late to kill you now." He tells Casca, confusing her even further. "The Makai Order is supposed to be a secret to the world, fighting the Horror scourge in the shadows. And whether they believe you're dead or alive, I'm not risking the Order's existence." Guts explained before suddenly getting sucker punched in the face by Casca, who was teeth-clenchingly furious! "I will not be some prisoner!" She shouted as she saw Guts turning his head to stare back at Casca again, completely unfazed by her attack. "Are you done, because I don't want you as a prisoner. Besides, I have a way of what we both want." He tells her as he passed Casca to the feet of the bedroll she was resting in, and grabs an empty sac that was large enough to hold a person. "There is a book in an ancient library that contains the key to your salvation, however only members of the Order are allowed entrance." "Wait a damn moment, are you saying I need to be in that sac?!" "It's either this, or get caught by Master Edal and his dragon, whom both are able to locate most traces of Horrors, including the blood that's going to effect you." Guts tells Casca as an ultimatum, getting her to realize that she really has no choice.
An hour later, Guts was walking towards the base of the hill as Casca was now in the sac. "I can't believe I'm going back to The Archives." "You've been there before?" Croba asked. "Only once, to find a new mentor to teach me. After the death of Alfonso, my predecessor, I was forced to look for someone to pick up where he'd left off. Sadly, due to my… previous association with a mercenary camp, I had to search for outside help." Guts began to inform Croba as he stopped at a rock bigger than himself. "In the Order's archives, I discovered the Dragon Knights, 'Pseudo-Knights', so I took a gamble and awoke one." He finished while removing Croba before gently tapping it onto the rock, causing the spot he tapped to glow for a moment before the rock opened, revealing a long spiral staircase in a corridor. "And here we are now." "Yes, and we should be fortunate that this is one of the few places that holds an entrance to the Archives." Guts says before walking down the staircase.
After a minute of walking down the stairs, Guts arrived in a library the size of a kingdom! "Can I come out now?" Casca asked impatiently before Guts banged on the sac behind him. "Ow! Watch what you're hitting!" "I still need to get to the section on flora, so be quiet." Guts told Casca before he walked up to a desk made of marble with a middle-aged woman sitting behind it. "Welcome, Makai Knight, my name is Alice. How may I assist you today?" Alice asked Guts with a bored, monotone voice. "I just need directions to the section that mentions plant life." He stated plainly, intriguing the librarian a bit. "A Knight seeking knowledge on plants? May I ask why?" "No, you may not." Guts tells her before she shrugs. "Very well. You'll find them in the northwest corner under the Peregrine Falcon tapestry." Alice informed as Guts nodded, understanding the directions. "Thanks." He said before he was about to walk past her when Alice swiftly held a hand out in front of him to stop him. "Hold on, there's one more thing you should know. The Gargoyles have been acting more aggressive than usual. If they sense any disturbance, they might use extreme force to remove you." Alice tells him as she then pointed upwards to show him various gargoyles hanging from the ceiling like bats, sleeping as their ears twitched periodically.
Meanwhile on the outskirts of the town, Judeau stood in front of a large crowd of mercenaries, most noticeably a man taller than Bazuso and a little kid. "Band of the Hawk, as you know, the man we have been chasing since this morning has taken Casca." He told them before they began muttering about the situation. "Griffith is allowing me to form a small search party to go after this bastard and… save Casca. God, I can't believe I said that." Judeau muttered the last bit before calling for volunteers. "I'll go!" "Sit down, Corkus! You're arguably the one who caused all of this." Judeau reminded Corkus, causing him to look nervous before slinking away. "Anyone else wishes to join me?" He asked as three people stepped up, a man who looked a bit like Corkus with a ponytail and the two mentioned before. "Rickert, why are you coming?" "Casca has done so much for the cause, so why not help her?" Rickert asked rhetorically as everyone began agreeing with him. "Glad you all think that, because Judeau needs the most willing to accompany him." Griffith stated as he approached the mercenaries. "However, I need the majority of you to stay with me to keep faith with the Midland nobles." He then told them as everyone began to quiet down and Dan walked up the Judeau. "Then when do we leave? Because I have a score to settle."
Back with Guts, he had reached the vegetation section, which was three times his height and had a ladder that was the same height, as he took the sac off his back and placed it onto the floor. "Alright, time to work." He told Casca as she began to climb out of the sac. "Finally." She muttered before beginning to stretch out. "So, what are we looking for exactly?" "We're looking for a book that either mentions or tells us about a fruit called "Barankas Fruit". Once we find it, we'll memorize it and head for where the book says they're grown." Guts informed Casca as he carefully looked around the shelf. "The hell's a Barankas fruit?" "It's something that can cure your condition. When Crimson Gale's blood made contact with your skin, it began a dangerous process that will last 100 days." Guts explained as he began climbing up the ladder to grab a book with the words 'Legendary Fruits of the world' before climbing back down with one hand. "Sounds like the flu. I just need to survive for a couple of months." Casca claimed as she started looking through the lower level of the shelf. "You're wrong. Your only hope is the fruit." "What do you mean?" "Now that you're bathed in Horror blood, more of them will see you as irresistible and will do whatever it takes to hunt you down." Guts told Casca, getting her to stop and realize what he meant earlier. "So if I had returned to the Band of the Hawk, it would've become a massacre. Wait, what happens if I survive by the hundredth day?" She asked, also realizing something else he said moments ago. "I'd… rather not say." Guts said, suddenly feeling hesitant to give her all the bad news at once. "Very well. So I assume that the Barankas fruit is rare, and that's why we came here?" Casca asked Guts, causing him to nod before closing the book. "Damn, nothing about the fruit." "If the fruit affects these creatures, then wouldn't it be somewhere relating to them?" Casca asked as Guts gave it some thought, before palming his face with a frustrated groan. "Idiot."
Tracking Playing: Scampering Battle! From Dragon Ball Z Kai
Meanwhile, a knight in heavily dragon-themed armor was riding a demon-like metal horse as a giant Horror followed him underground, leaving a trail of turned up earth! "That's right, devil, follow me." He muttered as he spotted Nova up ahead getting ready to pounce while turning invisible. Three seconds later, the knight pulled out a falchion-like sword before stabbing the nearest tree on his right deep enough to let him swing a sharp right while his ride's hooves ignited like rockets! And just as the Horror surfaced to stop, revealing it had a mole's body, a beaver's tail, and a shoebill's beak, it realized that it was a trap as it saw Nova slowly incinerate it, causing the Horror to bellow before being reduced to cinders!
"Excellent work Nova, my dear." The knight said before his armor changed, revealing Edal underneath, breathing heavily. "Now, let's return to camp. We need to be ready to head out in the morning." Edal stated as Nova nuzzled him, getting him to place a hand on her head.
"Looks like you're right, the Barankas fruit was in the book on the Horrors effect on evolution." Guts tells Casca as he stands beside her with an opened book that says 'Evolutionary effects caused by Horrors', showing them a diagram of the fruit resembling a large red radish with holes. "It says here that Barankas fruit grows in areas that no longer hold life." He stated before flipping the right page, revealing a map of Europe with Rome, Sparta, and the northern part of Sweden crossed over, showing where a Barankas could grow. "Depending on how old this book is, we have at least three choices to harvest Barankas fruit." "Then let's grab the book and go." Out of the question." Guts tells Casca. "No book is allowed to leave this library, in case some bandits try to steal it." "Then we'll take the map." Casca stated before reaching out to tear the page out, only for Guts to grab her arm and throw her onto the floor, waking some of the gargoyles above. "Destruction of archive property will result in our deaths." "If I don't get to a Barankas fruit within the next few months, it'll result in my death!" Casca argued while getting back up and sprinted to Guts to grab the book from him, only for him to throw the book upward. However while he was looking up at the book, Guts saw some of the awoken gargoyles look at them with stainglass eyes. "Uh no." He said before suddenly getting dropkicked by Casca, who catches the book in her hands with the page still on the map! "We're taking the page with us!" "No!" Guts shouted before the section they were in echoed with the sound of tearing paper!
Hearing the sound, the gargoyle's eyes began to red and orange while hissing and snarling at them. "See? Now we just need to go to the nearest point and…" Casca began to say while tossing the book onto the floor, when she saw Guts backing away with a hand on his sword while cautiously staring at the ceiling. Confused, she looked up and immediately realized why he's suddenly cautious as a gargoyle with a heron's beak and wings landed on the bookshelf. "Hey, you know how to fight, right?" Casca asked right before she heard rapid footsteps leading away, getting her to turn around and see Guts running away. "You have got to be kidding me."
Track playing: Man with the Hex by The Atomic Fireballs
(You remind me of a man! (What man?) Oh, the man with the power! (What Power?) Oh, the power of voodoo! (Who do?) Oh, you do, you do! (Do what?) You remind me of a man! (What man?) Oh, the man with the power! (What Power?) Oh, the power of voodoo! (Who do?) Oh, you do, you do! (Do what?))
"GRAB THE PAGE!" One of the gargoyles yelled out before another one with a grizzly bear's head and claws suddenly landed next to Casca, causing her to briefly scream in shock before sprinting to Guts! Shortly after, Casca was able to catch up with Guts. "I can't believe you just did that!" "You try fighting stone warriors!" He retorted with sass before grabbing Casca and jumping to the side, causing the bear gargoyle to crash into an unoccupied table! "At least we have the map." Casca said as she held the page up when the heron gargoyle suddenly hoisted her by her shoulders!
(Uh, we could take 'em out of this rex, save us from the man with the hex. Save us from his evil curse. It's gonna get bad, yeah, it's gonna get worse.)
"Return the page, thief." It demanded before reaching for the page while in the air, only for Casca to grab its arm while Gaia jumped from the shelf and onto its back before grabbing its neck and forcing it to crash into the second floor on the east side, causing some of the other Order members to flee!
"I blame you for this." "Hey, at least it can't get worse." Casca stated as they got up. Unfortunately behind them, the now headless and one armed gargoyle sprung back up and tackled Gaia to the floor! "What the-MM!"
(Uh, hocus pocus alakazam, Save us from that evil man. With hairy legs and heavy feet, He cracks up, baby, as he creeps.)
Suddenly the gargoyle's severed left hand latched onto Casca's mouth, causing her to panic while trying to pry the hand off her face before slamming her face into the guardrail three times, shattering on the last hit! "GAH! Now I see why you wanted to run!" Casca stated as Gaia lifted the gargoyle up, ripped it in half, and then threw the two halves at two other gargoyles, one with bat's head and wings and the other with a condor's head and wings, causing them to break apart and fall to the first floor! "YOU!" Someone yelled in anger, causing Gaia and Casca to turn southward and see Alice looking furious! "I WILL PUMMEL YOU INTO PAPYRUS!" She declared as her voice became more demonic while her body transformed into a humanoid bat with Aztec armor!
(You remind me of a man! (What man?) Yeah, the man with the power! (What power?) Oh, the power of voodoo! (Who do?) Yeah, you do, you do! (Do what?) You remind me of a man! (What man?) Yeah, the man with the power! (What power?) Oh, the power of voodoo! (Who do?) Yeah, you do, you do! (Do what?))
"Oh, she's a Camazotz! Time to go!" Gaia declared as he then grabbed Casca's arm and yanked her into a run before Alice chased them! Wanting to stop her, Casca quickly ran over to the nearest shelf and pushed it over just in time as Alice was forced to stop and keep the now falling shelf and books from being damaged in any way!
"We need to get out of here!" "We can't go back the way we came!" Gaia informed her as he slammed the bear gargoyle into a heavily damaged bat gargoyle, destroying both! "What about the windows?" "This place is a pocket dimension, we would never know where we would end up." He informed her as Alice was able to tip the fallen bookshelf back up.
(Oh, save us, save us (Save us, save us)! Save us, save us (Save us, save us)! Save us, save us (Save us, save us)! Save us, save us! Save us from the man with hex!)
"At this point, I'll risk anything to leave!" Casca told Gaia as he reluctantly agreed before they ran to the window, jumping through it as they fell into a lake in a mountain region! "STOP THEM!" Alice yelled out as a gargoyle with a shark head, dorsal fin, and tail, and a gargoyle resembling an alligator with wings jumped through the window, diving into the lake!
(Völser Weiher lake)
While underwater, the shark and gator gargoyles tried to swim after Guts and Casca as they swam for shore, only for their stone bodies to sink to the bottom. Meanwhile, Guts and Casca were able to make it to shore, breathing heavily. "That is the last time… I swim with any armor on." Guts stated as they began to slow their breath and sit back up. "On the bright side, we have the map. A little wet, but not damaged." "Don't EVER do that again! You're in my world now, and it will eat you alive." He told Casca, taking the page from her before getting up onto his feet. "Croba, do you know where we are?" "If I'm not mistaken, we're in the dolomite mountains, in a lake." Croba informed him as he looked at the starry night. "Just my luck, the moon is still in the east. We will camp here for the night." Guts said as he removed his wet trenchcoat and armor before looking around for wood. As Casca got up to help him, the two gargoyles began to emerge from the water.
Meanwhile, back with Edal and Nova, they had returned to their campsite expecting Guts to be there, only to find that he had vanished. "So, after going through the trouble of releasing us from hibernation, begged me to train him, and after 3 years, this is how he repays us?!" Edal asked as he seemingly shaked with rage! However, shortly after, his body calmed down. "Oh well, now we no longer have to cater to those human's orders. We are free to return to our old path." He declared as he was about to leave when Nova blocked his path with her tail. He then turned to Nova, who was looking down onto some footprints. "Yeah, those are his tracks, but we are not going after him." Edal told Nova as she then sat down and pawed the ground once. "Nova, we are not going to look for Guts, and that's final." He told Nova commandingly, metaphorically putting his foot down as Nova snorted a small burst of fire from her nostrils before she then moved her head closer to the tracks before getting back up and following them, leaving Edal behind. "Are you kidding me, are you really going to go look for the boy?" Edal asked Nova, who was now ignoring him while following the footprints. Wanting this to be the end of it, Edal simply turned to the fire with his arms crossed and stared at the dancing fire. Unfortunately this didn't last as Edal then groaned and turned around to follow Nova. "I can't believe we're doing this." He muttered.
Elsewhere, in a room not too different from Album's, a black-haired woman with a bob cut and wore an attire that resembled a black, gothic version of a 19-21st century Japanese school uniform with hints of ancient Japanese design stood in front of Alice, in human form looking furious, and two gargoyles with gorilla heads. "And then, that brat tried to knock over a bookshelf before jumping out of a window, taking two of my precious gargoyles with them! As the keeper of The Archives, I demand you do something to retrieve them and the page!" She shouted angrily as the woman just stood there listening! "Now, Alice, I can assure you that I'll have some very capable individuals to return what had been stolen." "Well they better be very good at their job, Gulm, because those two were able to destroy some of my stone warriors." Alice told Gulm, causing her to smirk. "So have the two Phantom Knight Twins: Tsurugi & Kage." Gulm stated, causing her to look surprised at the mention of the two names. "That's right, before you came here, I had a letter prepared for them just in case. Although, if it's not too much trouble, could you give me a description of the girl Gaia was with?" She asked as Alice tried to remember as best as possible. "She was young, she wore armor like any soldier, but her skin was far different from most I've seen. Mediterranean perhaps?" Alice said, causing Gulm's smirk to get a bit toothy. "Perfect. You may go, and know that the task will be in good hands." She told Alice before she left with her bodyguards.
Once gone, she pulled out an envelope from her dress. "So, you're heading for a Barankas fruit, are you? Go right ahead, Gaia, but that won't stop us from collecting the vessel from you." Glum stated before leaving the room herself.
To be continued!
Note: And with this, the countdown to Casca's death has begun! And before you ask what Gulm meant by 'vessel', let's just say that, in this series, Casca was born on June 6th ;).
Kaigu-Hunter: Also I'm removing a line from the first chapter, feeling like it doesn't belong there anymore.