Chapter 11: Meeting the (alleged) Pacifist

(5 weeks 6 days after birth of eighth Campione)

Godou

Alarm clocks are evil. People like to criticize us Devil Kings as being the ultimate in wanton destruction and bane of all that is good in the world…but seriously, even we don't relentlessly wake people up day after day after day with no end in sight to the madness.

Tiredly hitting the snooze button I allow myself an extra 5 minutes of rest before Shizuka will undoubtedly come storming in yelling at me to get up.

Even Godslayers need their rest, and this morning feels especially warm and comfy for whatever reason…and is that a new detergent Shizuka used when washing the bedsheets? It's exotic smelling, in fact it reminds me of…

…Oh no.

"Mmm…good morning Godou. Sleep well?"

This last line is said with a teasing tone to it as I realize my arm is somehow wrapped around someone's waist, holding them close and explaining the extra warmth I was feeling this morning.

"Erica." I begin slowly.

"Yeeesss?"

"Why are you in my bed?"

She grins like the cat that ate the canary and says, "What, am I not allowed to sleep in the bed of my most favorite lover?"

She says this last line with a sultry purr and runs her finger down my chest. Fighting very hard to keep my cool I reply in an even tone, "We've been over this. This is my bed. How am I supposed to sleep with you constantly distracting me?"

"Oh, are you implying you don't like this kind of contact? That doesn't seem all to likely, seeing as how you're still holding onto me rather brazenly…"

…Damn, she got me. As if to make matters worse my door is suddenly kicked open and Shizuka walks in yelling, "Are you still asleep?! There has to be a limit to your laziness, this is ridiculous! Get up already…and…"

She runs out of steam as she realizes I'm already awake…and in bed with someone else.

I'm pretty sure the Gods hate me. And not just the Heretic ones.

Adding fuel to the fire Erica slowly leans forward and her nightdress slips off of one shoulder revealing a rather generous portion of cleavage which I frantically look away from…only to meet Shizuka's openly murderous gaze.

"Mmm something smells delicious, what's for breakfast today Miss Shizuka?"

I inwardly sigh as Erica willfully ignores Shizuka's rage and just cranks the situation up to 11.

Today is gonna be a long day…

A small stroke of luck, school was fairly uneventful, even the destruction caused by my fight against the Great Sage Equaling Heaven has stopped being such a hot topic among my classmates.

Some peace and quiet, finally.

"Oh, Godou!"

Spoke too soon. Turning around I notice Yuri, Hikari and Erica followed closely by Ena walking towards me. I'd hoped I would get an uninterrupted walk home, my first in a long time but apparently fate has other ideas.

"Hey everybody, what's up?"

"Hi Big Brother!"

Hikari runs forward and gives me a quick hug before letting go and everyone else smiles at the display.

"Godou, were you planning to go home without us?"

I plaster a shaky smile on my face at Erica's accusing words and stammer out, "N-no, I just didn't find any of you after school and I was pretty tired so…"

Ena pouts and replies, "What's up with that? Ena was going to be so disappointed not being able to walk home with your Majesty!"

She quickly darts to my side and grabs my arm, pulling it between her chest and looking up at me with pouting eyes. Not to be outdone Erica briefly scowls and then reciprocates Ena's action with my other arm.

Smiling salaciously she bats her eyelids and demurely says, "Shall we go then?"

I sigh and hear Yuri quietly whisper, "H-how shameful…"

A short time later after I'd finally convinced Erica and Ena to let go of me and walk normally I was yet again accosted by more bad news.

"King Kusanagi!"

I hide my sigh and instead smile at Liliana as she comes running around the corner before skidding to a stop in front of us, panting heavily.

Unable to pass up such an easy mark Erica amusedly asks, "Why Lily, are you perhaps out of shape? Breathing so harshly in front of our King is rather unseemly wouldn't you say?"

Shooting a glare Erica's way Lilliana tersely replies, "This is no time for jokes Erica Blandelli, haven't you heard the latest news?!"

I raise my hands peaceably and say, "Whoa, calm down a little Liliana, start from the beginning."

She takes a moment to compose herself before beginning with, "My apologies King Kusanagi, I would have flown here but it was crowded, and, well…"

"It's fine Liliana."

She gratefully nods and continues.

"The past couple weeks there have been a few rumors among the Mages of the Bronze-Black Cross that a new Campione was born, although all of the rumors seemed to contradict themselves and we assumed it was just that."

Erica nods slightly and frowns in thought.

"I heard something similar from the Copper Black Cross but we disregarded the mutterings after a cursory investigation yielded nothing. It wouldn't be the first time someone has cried wolf about the birth of a new Godslayer."

Now appearing doubtful Ena and Yuri glance at each other with identical frowns which I take notice of.

"Did you two hear anything from the HCC along those lines?"

Ena sighs and replies, "Only what Erica and Liliana already told you. Just rumors and nothing else."

Yuri adds, "And I haven't sensed anything with my Spirit powers. You would imagine the birth of a Devil King would be noticeable on some level."

I'm about to sigh in relief when I notice Liliana still looks worried…and I'm suddenly reminded of a certain twinge I felt a few weeks back that I thought was oddly familiar…

I bring my attention back to the here and now as Liliana morosely speaks up with, "It would be nice if this was merely a fantasy…but a little less than two weeks ago Salvatore Doni met with the new King in San Francisco and engaged him in a duel."

I hear a collection of gasps and mutters while I settle for a wince. Leave it to the sword loving idiot to track down this mystery person that the Mage Associations weren't even sure existed.

Clearing my throat I tentatively ask, "So, what happened?"

She wryly replies, "Well when asked about it Salvatore first said that it was a draw, then it was his win, then it was his loss and basically he didn't tell us anything useful other than this new Campione obviously made a good impression on him."

Ugh, a Godslayer that Doni gets along with? Sounds like trouble.

Realizing something I ask, "Was Andrea with him? He might have noticed something actually useful. Or did Doni leave him behind again?"

"No he was there, but…yet again, there was little in the way of concrete information he could glean. The only useful things regarding his Authorities that he noticed was that apparently he has one capable of calling a lightning storm and one that used the surrounding trees somehow."

Erica frowns and says, "Lightning and trees? That seems like an odd combination. Perhaps he slew a God of nature?"

Liliana helplessly shrugs.

"Rivera noticed little else, he said that most of the time they were obstructed by fog, moving too fast…or he was ducking because of the destructive nature of their battle."

We're all quiet for a few seconds until I ask, "You said that was what he noticed about his Authorities, was there anything else worth mentioning?"

"Yes actually, a number of things. Apparently he was skilled enough in swordsmanship that he fought Salvatore for quite a number of minutes without the aid of his Authorities."

I stare incredulously at her.

"He did what?!"

She gives a short nod before tersely replying, "I know it sounds incredible, but Rivera saw what he saw. Other than that he seems capable of decently advanced Magic and apparently has a decent knowledge base on the currently existing Mage Associations."

I don't bother to hide my sigh this time and mentally curse my luck. This guy sounds like bad news.

A fighter who could sort of match Doni without using an Authority who apparently made friends with him. Spectacular.

I hear everyone else discussing this news in the background when I notice Liliana still seems…nervous, shifting her weight from foot to foot as if she's debating the best way to phrase something unpleasant.

I gently prompt, "Liliana? Is there something else in addition to all that?"

She briefly jumps before heaving an enormous sigh of her own and replying, "Rivera also experienced…something strange during his stay with this new Campione. Something he said he never thought he would see in his life."

Ena pouts and says, "Don't keep us all in suspense, spill it!"

"…Rivera said that this Campione seemed to be the most rational and simultaneously insane being he's ever seen. He deliberately made sure collateral damage and civilian losses would be mitigated or nonexistent and seemed remarkably easygoing about the whole thing. That wasn't the most shocking thing though. What was shocking was that he said…he said that he wanted the Mage Associations to see Campione as Humans, not just uncontrollable disasters that have to constantly be kept under watch."

That knocks us dumb for a few seconds.

Finally Yuri stammers out, "B-but we all see Godou as a person! Even if he does cause lots of destruction everytime he…fights…"

She falls silent and we all see her thoughts reflecting our own.

Everytime we meet other Mages they assume that Yuri and the rest are merely my mistresses, sent by the Mage Associations to hopefully appease my cravings and curb some of the destruction caused by my battles against Heretic Gods. And they're almost always terrified before they even speak a single word to me.

When looked at it that way…

We wordlessly agree that maybe this is a conversation better thought about in the comfort of home, rather than a street corner. I'm just about to round the curb, lost in my thoughts, when something suddenly runs into me. Unfortunately for the other guy my naturally tough body causes him to bounce right off of me with an, 'Oof!' and I mentally kick myself for not paying attention.

Quickly pulling it together I ask, "Sorry about that, are you…alright…"

I quickly drone off as I take stock of the man's appearance. He's tall and gangly, at least 2 meters tall with long limbs. That's not the eye-catcher though.

What draws my attention is his dark pin-striped suit with red undershirt and black tie, complete with black gloves and midnight shoes with a midnight bowler hat, of all things, to bring the ensemble together. It's like someone dressed up as a fashionable American Gangster for Halloween.

"Oh man you have quite the solid constitution there buddy, mind giving me a hand up?"

I extend my hand and he solidly grabs it before I haul him to his feet, where he begins to lazily brush himself off.

"I'm terribly sorry about that sir, I wasn't looking where I was going and…"

He waves me off with a lazy motion of his hand and easily replies, "Eh don't worry about it friend, we've all been there before and-hey, aren't you Kusanagi Godou?"

I cautiously nod and he suddenly breaks out into a giant grin. Now that I have the time to carefully examine his face it's just as strange as his outfit. Jet black hair that sticks out in ragged curls from his hat and gleaming white teeth with oddly pointed canines. What really shocks me though is his eyes.

One is gleaming red while the other is unnervingly pale, almost blending into the sclera and leaving a black dot floating in white nothingness. Creepy.

His attitude is almost completely opposite of his intimidating looks though, as he enthusiastically grabs my hand and shakes it, all the while excitedly saying, "Oh man I can't believe my luck! I thought we were going to be waiting for days and begging the HCC to see you and then I-ow!"

I'm saved from the man's tirade by a foot connecting none too gently with his rear and causing a yelp of pain. Looking towards my rescuer I don't quite manage to hide my surprise at her appearance.

Barely topping 1.5 meters, a stark contrast to her companion, she nonetheless appears to be much more imposing than her diminutive height would suggest. I'm vaguely reminded of Liliana's appearance, her facial features being fairy-like and unmarred by aging. But whereas Liliana exudes a beautiful and almost delicate air around her, this girl's face is more angular and intense, her aura suggesting that violence is the rule in her life, rather than the exception.

It doesn't help that my Campione's instincts are giving me a vague warning to be on my guard around her. There's more to this girl than meets the eye, which is saying something considering her travelling partner.

She seems to be dressed far more normally than the other guy at least, with sneakers, jeans and a plain black t-shirt.

"Ingratiating and then embarrassing yourself in front of a Campione isn't the best way to make a good first impression Vince."

"Fine words coming from the one who just planted a kick in my butt."

They both glare at each other for a moment before the man suddenly turns towards me once again with a smile on his face.

"Sorry about that Mr. Kusanagi, allow me to introduce ourselves properly. My name is Vincent Freedman and the little harpy traveling alongside me is known as Ellis. We're friends of the newly born 8th Campione."

All of us briefly stiffen at the news before Erica, Liliana and Ena smoothly position themselves to jump into the fray at a moments notice if they turn out to be hostile.

Freedman notices this though and merely chuckles.

"Relax, people. Like I already said we're just here to have a quick conversation with your King and then we'll be out of your hair. And no need to look at me like that Miss Blandelli, we're not delivering ultimatums or threats or any of that hullaballoo."

Clearly not convinced Erica testily asks, "And just what makes you so certain we'll take your word for it?"

He gives a friendly smile and replies, "Well technically you don't have to, your King does."

Turning that same smile on me he asks, "So what'll it be Mr. Kusanagi? I think the saying is, 'ball's in your court'."

I briefly think about it and decide it'll be a lot safer if we have some idea of what this new 8th Campione wants to talk to me about, rather than not having any clue whatsoever. Unless it's about what Rivera said…

Nodding my head I reply, "Sure, go ahead. And you can drop the 'Mr', just call me Godou."

He slightly inclines his head in an improvised bow and respectfully says, "I appreciate this Godou, we won't take much of your time."

"So what did you wish to speak to me about? Is related to your King's goal of altering the Mage Association's views on Campione?"

Freedman pouts and sourly says, "Well just go ahead and spoil my surprise why don't you? Where the heck did you hear that?"

I ignore the 3 Knight's smug looks at Freedman being taken down a peg and honestly reply, "We heard that from Andrea Rivera after his King had concluded the duel with yours."

He scowls and mutters to himself, "Gotta remember to punch him in the shins next chance I get…whatever, so if you already know why I'm here I might as well jump to the meat of the matter. Godou, what do you think of the way the Mage Associations treat you?"

I sense Erica and Ena about to speak their minds and gently motion with my hand for them to wait a moment. They draw back slightly but I can tell they're none too happy with that command.

"I think the relationship is perfectly fine. Whenever a Heretic God appears they offer all of the assistance they can, not to mention they answer any questions or requests I make of them even if it doesn't necessarily pertain to Heretic God matters."

My companions seem to briefly swell with pride at my words…until we notice that Freedman doesn't look even slightly disappointed. In fact he gives a predatory smile and coyly says, "Oh? Perfectly fine? So there's never been any trouble or misunderstandings between you then? No times where they've forced responsibilities onto you because it's far more convenient for them to do so rather than handle matters on their own? I seem to recall the Copper-Black Cross initially hunting you down like some game animal just because Salvatore Doni tossed around a few threats."

Erica hotly retorts, "A Campione's power is too great for a single Mage Association to go against, had we refused The King of Swords would have used force to get what he desired!"

Freedman rolls his eyes and boredly replies, "Oh Please. If your Association had the guts to say, 'hey lets talk about this', for more than 5 minutes Doni would have gotten bored and found a different way to get to Godou here and promptly forgotten about you guys. Don't kid yourself into thinking he doesn't have resources outside of your Association, try to remember that he was involved in the shadier side of Magecraft before he became a Campione himself."

His grin turning malicious, he finishes with, "He views the Mage Associations as convenient resources, not as close friends. Funny how that seems to be a two-way street, eh?"

Erica scowls but doesn't really have a retort…mostly because it doesn't take any real stretch of the imagination to realize Doni seriously wouldn't care about the Association or it's opinion of him.

In a rare moment of genuine friendship, however, Liliana backs up Erica with, "Mr. Freedman, while I will concede you have a point, Erica Blandelli's Association is not entirely at fault. The mere risk of Doni maybe deciding to punish the Association for defying him is not one to be undertaken so lightly."

Freedman simply smiles and gives a nod towards Liliana.

"An excellent point Miss Kranjcar. While it's all well and good for me to list out all the ways the Copper-Black Cross harshly mistreated Godou, the fact of the matter really is that some risks have the potential to be so catastrophic in their consequences that it's not worth taking them."

This gets a frown from all of us.

"Wait…so doesn't that mean you just undercut your own argument?"

His smile this time is grim rather than cheerful or smug.

"This is all on the assumption that Mage Associations lack the power to resist a Campione, right?"

I cautiously nod.

"Well that's not very accurate. At all. Mage Associations have all kinds of methods that they can use to influence Campione's actions, if not outright kill them. The tried and true method is to have someone earn the Godslayer's trust…and then murder them when the time comes."

Yuri stammers out, "B-but why would they do such a thing?! Murdering a Godslayer in such a manner would open them up to attacks from Heretic Gods with no means of fighting back!"

"Indeed it would Miss Mariya. But sometimes a Campione can prove to be far more destructive than any Heretic God. Take the Devil King of the Sassanid Empire from around…oh say 220-230 A.D. A very powerful person who was so willful and uncontrollable that the Mages of that time sent one of their own, a young Witch actually, to 'appease' him. After almost 5 years of serving this Campione he trusted her greatly, relying on her for a great many things. It was then that she slipped a very potent sleeping potion into his drink and proceeded to kill him. Very thoroughly I imagine, the guy was kind of a rapist if our records are anything to go by, so a lot of people were celebrating his death, happy to once again be at the whims of the Heretic Gods."

He pauses to glance at me then Liliana.

"That sleeping potion maneuver ring any bells there?"

Shock is my initial reaction, mostly because I have no idea how he got ahold of that information, followed quickly by anger. Is he accusing Liliana of all people of betrayal? She's the most loyal and upstanding person I've ever met!

Letting some of that anger seep into my voice I threateningly say, "Mr. Freedman, are you accusing Liliana Kranjcar, my most trustworthy knight, of disloyalty? She has done nothing to warrant such thoughts, even going against a Heretic God by herself because she wanted to spare me any further trouble!"

While I don't like throwing around my weight as a Campione around very much, since it reminds me uncomfortably much of something Old Man Voban would do, in cases like this I'm more than happy to partake in a little intimidation.

Not that it works. If anything Freedman becomes even more excited, snapping his fingers and excitedly saying, "Exactly! That's my Kings point. There's no backroom deals or worries of sudden betrayals within your peerage. Take Miss Blandelli over here, she went against her entire organization, and her Uncle's wishes, to aid you during Salvatore's search for you. Because your companions see you as Godou Kusanagi first, and not as the 7th Campione, you can always trust each other to do what's best for each other. And it shows, you've been a Godlslayer for just a few months now and have already made a name for yourself, in no small part thanks to the loyalty of those around you. Are you seeing my King's point now?"

For a long time all of us are silent as we all privately mull over Freedman's message. While it doesn't escape my notice that he kept very tight control over the flow of the conversation, I honestly can't entirely discount what he said to me about the Mage Associations. While I don't think the HCC or Crosses would ever try to actually kill me, now that I've proven I can hold my own…the idea is there and has taken root, thanks to the few examples of proof Freedman gave out.

I shake my head and tiredly reply, "So what was the point of telling me all of this? Does your King want an alliance or something?"

Freedman shakes his head and amicably replies, "My King merely wished for me to give you time to mull over this idea and decide on your own whether you think it's a valid concern or not. Take your time, it's not an issue to just flippantly make a conclusion about."

Briefly checking his wristwatch he nods and turns to look me in the eye.

"Well since our job here is done Ellie and myself have to get back to our King. Until next time Godou."

And just like that they turn around and start walking towards an incoming group of people just getting off of the public train. I'm briefly shocked at their sudden departure before I realize they've practically told us nothing about their organization or even how to contact them.

I open my mouth to tell them to stop when Freedman suddenly speaks in a barely audible voice, "While I made the comparison between you and the Campione from long ago, we want it to be clear that that was merely us drawing parallels in circumstance, we don't actually consider you to be like that Bastard. You and your companions are what a Campione should be. Take care 7th."

The unexpected compliment catches us off guard just long enough for them to get lost in the crowd. I quickly turn to Erica and the rest to tell them to not lose sight of the two but they're already moving to do so.

Except the 8th's envoys just seem to have vanished into thin air.

Offering up a rare expression of bafflement and frustration Erica mutters, "But how did we lose them? He stood out like a sore thumb…"

I sigh and run a hand through my hair. So much for my day of relaxation…

Jereth

After putting a kilometer or so between Kusanagi's group and the two of us I drop Serpent's Skin and transform from an average Japanese business man into my regular appearance. Stretching my back I turn to Eliza and grin smugly.

"Well that went pretty well. Think they'll ever guess that Vincent Freedman was actually the 8th Campione in disguise?"

She deadpans, "Probably not. Vincent doesn't have a mouth like yours, and personally I think you should adopt his more cultured mannerisms."

"Nah, that's fucking dumb."

"Oh good, you're back in character."

I snort and we walk for a few more seconds before she speaks up with, "I know I asked this after we met with Doni, but humor me anyway. Do you really expect Kusanagi to buy into your whole wack-ass, 'befriend the Godslayer' public relations program? Or is this another misdirection ploy?"

I smirk and reply, "Misdirection. The 7th actually has a moral compass of sorts, so the idea that the Associations might be playing him is going to fester, since loyalty is something he considers important. And I left on a positive note, affirming that his Harem is indeed loyal to him, as well as stoking his pride a little bit."

She nods thoughtfully, "The remark about him being the ideal Campione?"

"Yup. He probably would deny it if you called him out on it, but he has a bit of an obsession with considering himself to be the only sane and approachable member of our little family. Appealing to that threw him off balance long enough for us to make ourselves scarce."

I turn to face her and can't help the playful grin that comes to my face.

"It's a good thing you're so short, otherwise they still might have found us even though I switched forms."

She shoots me a glare that could melt hardened steel and I briefly wonder if she's going to punch me again.

Instead she merely settles for a low growl and ignores me for awhile.

I simply enjoy the silence and company for a bit until I ask, "So is there anything you want to do until tomorrow morning? We finished up earlier than I expected so we can screw around for a bit."

She's quiet for just long enough that I think she's ignoring me until she shrugs and says, "Why not see if there's any onsen open right now? I'm down for a little open air bathing."

"I have no objections, plus I might get to see you only wearing a towel."

"You wish. You're staying on the guys side."

I melodramatically sigh.

"Curses. Forever blue-balled."

Yet again we go quiet for a few minutes before Eliza suddenly snorts.

"Seeing you barely keep it together during that whole bit about how the Association's shouldn't capitulate against Campione, but don't have a choice, but have ways to resist them regardless…Man that was something else."

I wince and reply, "Don't remind me. Jesus that was a clusterfuck. I hope they don't realize that there really isn't a good answer to how the Associations should interact with Campione and that I was blowing smoke out of my ass. It's like that whole debate whether to allow people to carry firearms in public or not. When Bob from down the road kills a gunmen before he can blow away a school, 'yay everyone should have guns!'. When Carol and Marge get into a heated argument that turns lethal and half the neighborhood ends up a panic riddled war zone, 'guns are bad, why are we allowing this?!'."

I shake my head in exasperation.

"It all comes down to circumstance."

Eliza nods but gives me a smile that honestly causes me to feel a bit happier with myself than I should.

"Maybe so, but it was still downright awesome to see. Nice job on that."

I give a mock bow in reply and happily reply, "The mark of a great actor is getting other people to buy into your bullshit…despite it being bullshit."

"Hey, you got me onboard with your idiotic scheme."

"Aw, I'm flattered."

Thus concludes the first meeting between Godou and Jereth...even if Godou doesn't exactly know that yet. Funny side note, I was originally going to include Japanese honorifics since they're in Japan and everything, but I found myself incorrectly adding honorifics, just plain forgetting to add them or having spellcheck freak out on me and demand that I change the word back to something 'normal' (And for whatever reason this past week the 'ignore spelling' command hasn't been working for me. Computers man).

Anyway thanks for all the reviews, favorites, follows and all that jazz!

Kshail: Yah, I see what you mean when I go back and re-read that chapter. In all honesty I probably should have just pushed back my release day by another week or so, the week I was writing it was a madhouse of things to do, and I think it shows in how...clinical, some of the dialogue is. The good news is now that it's pointed out I can ideally take from that and make the coming stuff more entertaining. And there will be a payoff, I beg for your trust on that part :D Thanks for the feedback as always!

Griffin13: Thanks for the review as always pal! And as for the Monasteries not jumping at the opportunity to have Jereth at their side, they've been around for awhile and their previous track record with Campione isn't the best. Since the KotE system was the result of their last Godslayer's actions they're for the most part feeling a bit cautious about blindly supporting another Godslayer in their ambitions. It also helps that they have ways of enforcing a Godslayer's cooperation, even if it would be an expensive deal for them. Hope that answers a bit of your question, Jereth and the Monasteries will have a lot more interaction between them in the future.

Guest: She don't lie, she don't lie, she don't liiiiiiie! Cocaine...I got the inspiration for that bit from Eric Clapton of all things, glad you thought it was as random as I did, lol! And I absolutely plan to have the passage of time listed for every chapter, I also like it when a story has a clear and simple way of marking time. Thanks for the review!

Piddle: Thanks Sir!