See A/N for a few important details

Ch 20: A Matter of Life and Death

Caine

(19 weeks 4 days after arrival in Kalichi)

Ugh…what keeps poking me in the middle of the night? Is Vallia turning in her sleep or something-

A pair of golden, slitted eyes stare at me out of the complete darkness that is our temporary shelter, seemingly floating on nothing.

"GAAAAH!"

I frantically roll away from where I was sleeping and jump up into a crouch-

-only to recognize a certain cat's hysterical laughter and feel like a complete idiot as my eyes adjust and mind starts working properly again.

"Hahaha! Oh man Kid you should have seen your face! Ahaha!"

I grit my teeth and growl back, "Not funny Kuroka. Seriously, how would you feel waking up to predator eyes in the middle of the night, in the middle of a forest that as you once told me is supposedly patrolled by a Dragon."

She just daintily taps her chin with a finger and then happily replies, "Dunno, but I'd probably be a whole lot braver than you were! Has anyone ever told you that you scream like a girl?"

I just huff with righteous indignation and drop back onto my sleeping roll, glancing at Val out of the corner of my eye and finding her remarkably calm, petting Shirone who hadn't even bothered to change into her cat form before demanding attention.

"So how come you didn't jump halfway to the moon?", I ask with an accusatory tone.

Vallia looks embarrassed but it's Shirone who answers with, "I woke her up first. Thought it would be funny to see you scared…"

I roll my eyes in exasperation.

"And was it?"

"…Yes."

I'm about to reach over and flick her on the ear when Kuroka suddenly pushes me over onto my back and rests her chin on my chest, a satisfied purr emanating from her throat.

…I'm also quite aware of how her boobs squish into my stomach, causing a sudden stirring in my groin.

Oh c'mon!

Is every little bit of stimulation gonna set me off now?!

"So I noticed the 2 of you were pretty cozy when we first got here, what were you up to before that? Making Devil-Dragon babies?"

Vallia makes a noise like she just inhaled her tongue and I sputter for a second before we both simultaneously shout, "Nothing happened!"

Kuroka just snorts and silkily says, "Hmm…that sounded pretty suggestive to me…are you sure nothing happened?"

Val's face is noticeably red even in the reduced light and her expression suggests she's wanting nothing more than to sink into the ground and never come back up.

I just groan and mutter out, "Drop it Kuroka…we'll talk tomorrow, it's still late…"

She just stares at me for a few seconds before shrugging and throwing herself down next to me.

In between Val and myself.

…The significant glance she gives me suggests that there was more than a little bit of deliberate thought on her part before she grabs my hand and sets it atop her head, clearly telling me to get scratching.

Vallia

Morning comes and I slowly wake up to find Shirone curled up next to me, causing me to smile slightly.

If this how having friends always is…then I missed out on quite a bit.

There's a massive yawn in the back of my mind and I hear Albion mutter a drowsy, [Good morning]-

-before he promptly falls back asleep.

…When I stop to think about it, Albion is really lazy.

"Morning Val."

I glance over to find Caine resignedly staring at me from where his arm is trapped underneath Kuroka's head, said girl lightly snoring with a drooling grin on her face.

For some reason that sight makes me…jealous?

…

I'm not jealous!

I almost jump as Shirone stirs from where she was curled up, Kuroka following shortly after.

"…Good morning Vallia."

I give a small smile at my Yokai friend's sleepy greeting, replying in kind with, "Good morning Shirone. Um…if you don't mind me asking, how did you and your sister find us?"

It's the dark-haired Nekoshou that responds with a smug, "Well we tracked you by your aura, obviously. And let me tell you, you have one heckuva scary aura Dragon Girly…"

"I hate to interrupt this riveting conversation, but could you get off my arm Kuroka? Preferably after you wipe it off?"

I get a bad feeling in my gut at the playful look on the older Yokai's face and that feeling is confirmed just a moment later when she suddenly pours out, "Oh, it'd be my pleasure…"

And then she proceeds to slowly, carefully, lick Caine's arm 'clean' of her spit.

That annoying jealousy is back alongside embarrassment full force and, before I even know what I'm doing, a small growl emanates from my throat that sounds a lot like one of Albion's growls.

And Kuroka just gives me an amused smirk, the hussy!

For his part Caine's eye just twitches a few times before he suddenly stands up and growls out, "I'm going to go make breakfast…", before walking out weirdly, half-hunched over as he does so.

That was…strange.

I just grit my teeth, surprised at my own wildly oscillating emotions, and make to follow Caine, not eager to stick around given my own strange frustration with Kuroka's behavior.

At least, that's my plan until a hand closes around my arm and I find the Nekoshou keeping me from leaving, an unreadable expression on her face.

"Hey, Dragon Girl. What did happen to you and the Kid? And don't try to say 'nothing happened', you're not exactly hiding this little bit of possessiveness and frustration you apparently developed overnight."

I can only turn my head away in sudden embarrassment and frustration while muttering out, "It's…it's not anything important…"

"Oh~? I doubt that, seeing as how you're being so unusually decisive and all. C'mon, what are you 2 doing out here anyway?"

"We-I mean, I-are out here to learn Senjutsu."

The sisters immediately look confused at that, even the usually neutral Shirone, and Kuroka doubtfully says, "I thought you and your soulmate were against learning that particular discipline, and for good reason too if you ask me…"

I grit my teeth and growl back, "I…I was told by Caine that I should learn it, and that I would be able to control myself. I believed him."

Shirone seems to accept that but Kuroka scowls before muttering, "Just doing whatever the fuck he wants huh…alright, if you and your Dragon think this is a good idea, then I ain't gonna complain. You're still not answering my question about what you and Caine were doing though-OW!"

I almost jump as Shirone suddenly yanks on her sister's hair and gives her a reproachful look, causing the older Nekoshou to fall silent in surprise at the younger sibling's actions.

Locking her golden eyes on my blue ones Shirone asks, "Big Sis is just worried that you're going to steal away her Boyfriend and she doesn't know how to just straight ask you."

Both Kuroka and I flinch at the same time, me in surprise and shock and Kuroka in embarrassment.

"I, uh…it's not like that Little Sis?"

Shirone just ignores Kuroka's weak refusal and expectantly stares at me-

-and just that gaze alone seems to open the floodgates.

"I don't know I mean at first I was just frustrated that I was falling behind him in practice fighting but then he encouraged me to learn Senjutsu and even argued with Albion and then told me that he thought I was actually really strong mentally and then I didn't want to let him down so then we headed out here and he held my hand for a little bit and it made me really embarrassed but then I went to take a bath in the nearby river and he accidentally walked in and saw me naked and then things were really awkward but then it was cold at night and then he held me and I just don't know what's wrong with me!"

I frantically gasp for air once my disjointed rambling is done and feel my face turn an even brighter shade of crimson as I realize what I just said.

Dead silence…

…That's broken once Kuroka snorts and rolls her eyes before cheerily saying, "Sheesh, that's it? He saw you butt naked and warmed you up a bit? I thought you 2 had sex or something…"

An odd erk noise comes from my throat and Shirone just quietly mutters, "Mind is still in the gutter Big Sis…"

With a proud jutting out of her chest, that I suddenly can't help but notice is way bigger than mine, the oldest sister announces, "Then the only way is up! And don't you worry little sis, one day you'll be just like me!"

Shaking her head in disbelief the white-haired Nekoshou just looks at me for a moment before plainly asking, "You easily agreed not to learn Senjutsu last time. Was it just Caine that changed your mind?"

I'm about to reply 'yes' when I take a moment to think about it.

"…Mostly, but I think…I think I just wanted to finally prove that I'm not weak, that I can do more than what everyone thinks I can do…for, well…"

I duck my head in shyness and whisper, "For all my friend's sake…"

The 2 of them are quiet for a few seconds and when I raise my head I see an understanding look on Shirone's face while Kuroka has one of exasperation.

"Y'know Dragon Girl, when you say stuff like that it makes it damn near impossible for me to not like you."

"W-why would you be trying to dislike me in the first place!?"

She just snickers and walks on past me and just as I think the conversation is over she suddenly grabs my crotch with one hand and cups one of my breasts with the other.

…W-w-w-what's she doing?!

Her voice is a sultry purr in my ear as she whispers, "I hear Devil's don't mind sharing partners, if you ask nicely I might let you have some fun with our cute little friend out there, I'll make sure he knows how to treat you real nice once I'm through with him…"

She then places a friendly bite on the back of my neck and now my face is burning even brighter than before-if such a thing was possible-and I hysterically squirm out of the insane cat's grip while yelling, "I-I keep telling you i-it's not like that!"

Letting me go with a playful laugh I storm out, steam no doubt shooting out of my ears from the strange sensations coming from where Kuroka was, was touching me, and I hear the crazy cat's laughter suddenly replaced with an 'OW!' after there's a smack sound.

"No molesting my friends."

…Couldn't you have told her that before she felt me up Shirone?!

Just to make things worse there's a deep chuckle in the back of my mind and I hear Albion amusedly advise, [Be on your guard Vallia, otherwise you may find your chastity lost to the Yokai before it's claimed by the Devil boy…]

I offer up a frustrated growl and shout back, [You're not helping you scaly pervert! And when did you wake up?!]

Caine

A quick step out of a passing Exorcist's shadow, a habit now ingrained in me whenever I travel most places in Kalichi, has me in front of Ferdinand's place, now with an actual guard outside of it, some massive Oni who gives me a baleful stare at my little Magic trick of appearing out of seemingly nowhere.

"Hey, here to see Ferdinand. Tell him Caine is here."

He bares his massive fangs at me before bending down slightly, his 3 meter tall stature not allowing him to fit through the front door, and rumbles out, "Ferdinand. Little kid out here named Caine says he's here to see you. I let him in or squish him?"

My eye twitches but thankfully I hear Ferdinand's muffled voice as he yells, "Let him in, he's got an appointment!"

The towering Yokai makes no further comment and lumbers out of the way, letting me through.

I cast an appreciative glance around the building, now largely cleared of the detritus and crap that was covering it earlier and instead stacked high with folders and papers, no doubt stuff related to Ferdinand's job of keeping the suppliers and buyers of Kalichi happy.

"Well you look a whole sight better than you did a few weeks ago. You've got door security now?"

Which is the total truth, the Devil's eyes are no longer sunken and stressed and he's clearly a bit heavier, obviously eating properly.

He tosses me a relaxed grin and replies, "Well only having to fear for my life every other day instead of every day does wonders for one's sanity. And Dodo out there is on loan from The Exiled, apparently they like the job I'm doing and don't want someone just kicking down the door and killing my ass."

I nod but can't help but ask, "Dodo?"

"I didn't name him. Take a seat, I've got some news that isn't all that good."

I frown at that but do as he says while he passes me a glass of water that had been resting on the table.

"Well…I imagine we're both busy with one thing or another, so let me get right to the point. Lately a new group that showed up in EDEN a few weeks ago has been making some…questionable moves."

I raise an eyebrow and carefully ask, "Questionable how?"

"They've been sending out some representatives and asking the various gang leaders if they're 'interested' in switching over to the resources a Pillar Family can offer them instead of the backup the Fallen are providing."

I feel my mood instantly darken and deliberately ask, "A Pillar Family? Which one?"

He gives me a wary look before blandly replying, "Some Crocell guy named Gyer."

The glass in my hand instantly shatters, shards carving bloody furrows into my palm as I remember the name Gyer Crocell.

That same smug fucker that had been there the day my family had been killed…

"Oh? Is that so…"

Ferdinand clearly doesn't like the tone of my voice as he quickly says, "Ok, take a step back Kid. I get that you have some serious baggage when it comes to the Crocells but going on the warpath-"

"I'm not an idiot Ferdinand. I don't even know how to get into freakin' EDEN, so how would I be able to target Gyer even if I wanted to?"

"…Fair point, you want my take on what to do?"

My voice is cold enough to freeze Hellfire as I reply, "That would be nice."

The Older Devil settles into his chair and begins with, "You remember what I told you a few weeks back about one way to control the Kalichi gangs would be to prove superior to all their leaders? Well, that's my advice again. Your family kept a tight grip on these people Kid, beats me whether it was through proxy or if your Mom personally beat them down, but the results were plain to see. Magellan helped the Valefors keep this little Kalichi Empire going for centuries with nary a hiccup, you guys were that damn efficient."

I think on that and decide to ask the real question.

"Alright. But just how tough are these gang leaders? Ferdinand, my Mom used to rank in the top 100's in the Rating Games and was a high-tier Ultimate Class Devil. If she had to personally keep these people in line then we should just forget this little plan for the next few years, if not decades."

He just shrugs in response.

"Relax Kiddo, I'm just as familiar with the sprawling mess that is the power ranking of the Supernatural World and I'm pretty confidant in knowing where you stand in comparison to the rest of the gang leaders. Remember, Adder was unofficially considered the toughest out of all of them…you think you could take him at your current strength?"

I think back to that fight that happened a few months ago and remember that it took 4 of us, as well as a lucky strike on him at the last second, to come out the victors.

"…Maybe. And that's a big maybe."

He merely nods and easily says, "Well, give yourself some time to think it over. Funnily enough our whole initial nightmare with trying to find a sponsor has given us some leeway here, none of the gangs are eager to jump ship from one benefactor to the other after they went for so long without one. From what I've heard most of Gyer's representatives haven't been meeting with much success. I give us a few more months before this starts becoming an issue."

I lean back in my chair, mimicking Ferdinand's pose, and keep my silence for a few moments before nodding and replying, "Alright, I'll give it some thought. I'll go ahead and let Azazel's reps know about this, just so he's not surprised if the worst comes to pass."

Ferdinand raises an eyebrow and curiously asks, "Your not gonna ask him for help?"

I snort at that and retort, "The first crisis that heads our way after partnering with him and we ask for help? Some great message that'll send…"

"…Fair enough. I'll keep you updated if anything new happens."

I stand up and shake Ferdinand's hand, saying, "Appreciate it. Thanks for not keeping me in the dark about this, it would have been pretty easy for you to do so."

"Meh, I owe you for pulling myself and Linus's ass out of the fire in the first place. Honor among thieves and all that."

"You're not a thief, you're an underground politician."

There's a twinkle in his eye as he replies, "There's a difference?"

I shake my head and I hear Linus yell from upstairs, "Hey, if you're going to send a message to the Scary Fallen Inventor Dude, tell him I said Hi and that I could use more robot parts!"

I glance at Ferdinand as he rolls his eyes and ask, "Robot parts?"

"He means automaton. I'm pretty sure the freak just changes the name every other day just to piss me off."

I sigh as I stare up at Kalichi's crimson moon from my perch on the Church's roof, solitude ensuring that no one asks what it is that has me in such a melancholy mood.

Solitude because it's something like 3 in the morning and everyone else is asleep.

I hadn't had much luck in achieving anything approximating rest.

Ferdinand's warning had set my mind abuzz with a billion different thoughts and emotions, ranging from simple plans of charging through the front gates of EDEN to grand conspiracies involving all 3 factions removing Crocell's influence, all the way to wildly oscillating feelings of detached coldness to burning hot rage.

It had made for a distracted night.

…I'd eventually cooled down a bit though, and had given Ferdinand's suggestions some more serious thought.

The conclusions I've drawn are…pragmatic.

Put bluntly, I'm nowhere near strong enough to tackle Gyer as I am right now.

If it was a 1-on-1 I'd take my chances, but that's just not going to happen. He has his peerage, he's protected by EDEN's not insignificant security, and most of all he's not exactly a slouch when it comes to personal levels of power. Maybe not the best example of a High-Class Devil, but it's not like he's total garbage…

If I tried to take him down now, I would die.

Simple as that.

And then we arrive at Ferdinand's second bit of advice, taking on the gang leaders of Kalichi.

The Exiled, The Griffons and the Black Wings…each with their own leader who had been at least somewhat comparable, if not equal to Adder.

…Would I really stand a chance if I was to fight one of them? Heck, I don't even know anything about them, I was always busy with some other task at hand and left their side of the deal to Ferdinand. I'd have to study up on them, figure out what makes them tick, hash out a way that would let me win…

And then there's the time limit. Ferdinand said we might have a few months before we have to worry about losing the gangs to the Crocells, but if I wanted to play it safe I'd say we have maybe 2 months at best.

…Dammit.

Sometimes I can't help but wonder if I'm in over my head trying to deal with all of this when I have practically zero prior experience in trying to tackle decisions like this.

Maybe-

…

…Well what's this?

I frown and try to concentrate as much as I can on my Senjutsu senses, noticing something strange coming towards the Church.

I'd taken to practicing my aura sensing whenever the opportunity presents itself, just watching the world around me and trying to learn the myriad ways an aura reacts to certain stimuli as well as broaden my range of sensing.

I'm not even close to Kuroka or Shirone's level of proficiency, but I can 'see' in about a 200 meter radius now and can get a bearing on simple Aura fluctuations.

And right now there's some very oddly 'colored' auras about 30 meters away from the Church.

Most auras in Kalichi tend to fluctuate between a sharp, ever-changing contrast of colors that denote rapid thought and wary observation or a sort of fuzzy 'grayness' as their minds are under the influence of drugs or things like that.

These particular auras are staying a steady type of red and pink, with bits of black mixed in.

Anger, lust and violence.

And they're stopped in an alleyway not far from where we're all staying? That's trouble.

I jump to my feet and cast a basic [Observation] and [Magnification] Spell that I'd recently learned from the Fallen and rush to the edge of the Church where I hide in a shadow cast by one of the empty bell towers.

I narrow my eyes through the gently spinning Magic circles in front of my vision and get a binocular's view of my targets, the [Observation] spell allowing me to hear their conversation as long as I have a clear line of sight to them.

'…ucking listen to what we're telling you! Or are you trying to get us all killed?!'

I frown at the interaction taking place, mostly because the 2 ones arguing with the other 4 have the simple black snake eating it's tail tattoo, denoting them as Serpent's, Adder's old gang.

The group itself is a real mix as well, the 2 Serpent's look like Humans-although that could mean they're any number of races just keeping their features under wraps-but the rest are a wild bunch.

2 of them look like odd insectoid-human hybrids, compound eyes and freakishly pale skin with odd protuberances on their limbs while the last 2 are an Ashinagatenaga pair, their gangly limbs giving them a creepy appearance that any normally proportioned Humanoid would find…odd.

And the 2 Serpent's aren't getting along with the other 4 at all.

'Hehe…have the legendary Serpent's lost their balls? Not so impressive without your Boss after he got fucked up, now are you? Or some other reason you took us on this cute little field trip?'

Both the Serpent's clench their fists and grit their teeth but keep their cool before one of them hisses back, 'Laugh it up fuckwit, or are you forgetting that the Paladin of all people lives here?'

'Hah! A puny Human Priest! He'll die just like the rest of those weaklings.'

'Who cares about an old Human anyway? It's the Fallen whores and that dark-haired Yokai that have been staying there that we're interested in! Beings of Magic like them make excellent incubators…'

I feel my jaw tighten at the insectoid pair's words-

-until the Ashinagatenaga pair speaks up.

'Heh, indulge in those old hags all you want…that grey-haired Devil and white-haired Yokai are the real treat, all ripe and unopened…even better, that little Elf Wyert had his hands on is here!'

'Kehkehkeh…she'll make a good warm-up, I bet she's all loose and easy after Wyert had her under his care!'

There's the sound of masonry shattering and I realize my grip on the Church's tower got a little too strong for it and I force myself to take a slow and deliberate breath.

I go back to observing the 6 and find the 2 Serpents disgustedly shaking their heads and one mutters to the other, 'Why the fuck are we having these sick freaks help us again?'

Not looking all that pleased himself he growls back, 'Because they were the only ones both dumb enough and tough enough to actually be of use. Look, just…just kill the girls before those 4 get a hand on them, alright? Something tells me those psychotic bastards are into the sort of stuff that would have made even the Boss sick to his stomach…'

'Don't have to tell me twice…well, look on the bright side. Once this is done and we've gotten our payback we don't need them and can just fucking kill them.'

'Don't get ahead of yourself. Sneak in, kill as many as you can before they know we're here, and then we'll worry about those shitty rapists. Hey, you 4! Get ready to move!'

I release the Spells and take a moment to think.

Somehow, someone knows enough to point out that the Sisters are staying at this Church alongside Vallia and the Fallen. It makes sense that they would know David and Lisa are here, but not the others…guess I'll be asking some questions to one of these Serpents.

The rest can die.

They start to move towards the Church and for one wild moment I'm tempted to just let them get inside.

Kuroka and the Fallen could no doubt make their deaths far more painful than I can.

…

No, I have some issues of my own to work out and I'd rather do the deed myself. And no way in Hell am I letting them anywhere near Lisa if they knew Wyert of all insane freaks.

I step back and Shadow Walk, letting the world fade to a dim shade of it's former self as I smoothly travel down the side of the Church where the 6 are trying to sneak in.

I take a deep breath and wait a few seconds for them to close the distance, as well as for them to pass where I'm currently hidden in the shadows.

I slowly grasp one of David's knuckle-duster blades in my right hand, left hand poised to cast any spells I might need-

-and jump out.

The first to die is one of the Serpents.

Unable to react to my sudden appearance in time I lash out with a kick at his neck, putting my Weiji-Do training to good use-

-a burst of Magic penetrates into his body, the force of my blow amplified even further and his neck makes a wet crack noise and he's unceremoniously tossed 2 meters away where he hits the ground, hard.

Not pausing for even a second I leap towards one of the slowly reacting insect guys and hammer the point of my knife right into one of his compound eyes, the blade lodging in the back of his skull and causing the creature to make a grk noise as it dies near instantaneously.

I yank the knife out with a liquidy scrape and move to face the remaining 4, bearing in mind that I want that one Serpent alive.

"[Shock Bolt!]"

An arc of electricity jumps forward from my hand and before he can do anything to defend himself the Serpent is stunned into immobility, collapsing into a twitching heap even as the other 3 spring into action.

The last remaining insect-thing jerks it's head forward and a noise like ripping a carpet in half comes from it's throat as it shoots some sort of acid out of it's mouth-

"[Frost Air!]"

-And suddenly finds itself desperately clawing at it's throat, my spell freezing the liquid and it's breathing holes shut, a chunk of ice almost 6 centimeters long making it look like it just tried to deepthroat an ice cube and failed miserably.

The 2 Ashinagatenaga have to spend a precious few seconds jumping around their convulsing ally that I take full advantage of, leaping forward and cocking my fist for a full force Weiji-Do strike.

I hit the Insect-person square in the center of his chest, transfer the Magic directly into his body and-

What happens next is both hilarious and horrifying.

With his mouth and nose sealed off by the ice the only outlets for the sudden pressure buildup are his asshole, ears and, to my surprise, eyes.

With a wet boof noise his compound peepers shoot out of his head, retinas still attached and causing them to dangle like untied shoelaces while a spurt of blood squirts out his ears, his whole body jerking once before toppling over bonelessly.

Very, very dead.

The 2 Ashinagatenaga finally get a clear shot at me-

-and find themselves being attacked by my Shades.

The one with the long arms is accosted by 3 of them, my pseudo-limbs wrapping around his elongated appendages and quickly throwing him aside into the wall with plenty of force, briefly stunning him.

The long-legged one gets a single Shade wrapped around his throat that halts his momentum and I use my wings to give me a boost so that my left arm is level with his face-

-where I gather as much Toki around me as I can, wrap my palm around his face, flap downward once and slam his head into the ground.

Either I'm stronger than I gave myself credit for, or this guy is weak.

And I'm not ashamed to admit that the way my hand punches through his features, cracks open his skull and liquifies his brains painting me and a few meters of brick and mortar in his blood causes me no small amount of unease.

…

You're still in the middle of a fight idiot, don't lose your focus…

I violently shake my head and turn back towards the last Ashinagatenaga, who's just started to struggle against my Shades once he recovered from being thrown against the wall. I send my 4th and final Shade to grab him and then direct them to swing the cursing Yokai through the air once to gain momentum-

-and then crush him against a few pieces of rebar that were sticking out of some discarded concrete, impaling him and causing him to let out a pained shriek and thrash about in a frenzy.

There's an acidic feeling in the back of my throat as I look at my handiwork and I can't help but feel like I'm the bad guy here…

'That grey-haired Devil and white-haired Yokai are the real treat, all ripe and unopened…even better, that little Elf Wyert had his hands on is here!'

…

My lips peel back from my teeth and 2 of my Shades grab a discarded piece of metal pipe before swinging it so fast that the air whistles-

CRUNCH.

The Ashinagatenaga stops his thrashing, permanently.

The metal falls to the ground with a loud clang of iron on pavement and I turn to the still slightly paralyzed Serpent.

4 Shades snake around his arms and legs, holding him down and I grab his hair, forcing his neck up so that he can face me head on, his expression showing nothing but hatred…and a slight bit of fear.

"Let's cut to the chase shall we? I have some questions, you're going to answer them."

He just sneers and spits back, "Like fuck I will. I recognize you, you're one of the fuckers that killed the Boss. If you want answers out of me, you can suck em' out my ass!"

He finishes his statement by hocking a loogie onto my cheek and I decide to just get this over with.

"You ever heard of the battlefield rumor that if your stomach gets cut open, the acid inside will eat away at your tissue and kill you in a rather painful manner?"

"No, shit-for-brains, I haven't."

I nod thoughtfully and take out the Phoenix Heart before setting it over his back, directly over the organ we've been conversing about.

"I never really believed it, since I figured any acid strong enough to eat through skin and muscle would be kinda dangerous to have hanging around inside your body, even if it was inside a specially made organ…how about we test it?"

I let the necklace burst into bright blue flames, illuminating the area around us and giving off no small amount of heat. The Serpent stiffens for a moment before he tauntingly says, "Hah, go ahead and do your worst, Kid. I bet you don't have the guts to pull the trigger…"

"After I killed all 5 of your buddies you think I won't go through with this? Whatever, you're gonna find out whether I'm serious or not in about half-a-second."

And with that I drop the Phoenix Heart onto his back, the wildly writhing flames burning through his shirt in moments and causing his skin to sizzle and within 3 seconds I can smell burning meat and fat and have to force myself not to choke.

It's not the same as the smell in a Tartarus Pit, but…there's something different about the experience knowing that I'm the one causing it.

To the guy's credit he holds on for about all of 5 seconds, just long enough for the necklace to burn through a decent layer of tissue and muscle when he starts writhing frantically and shouts, "OK, OK! FUCK I'LL TALK JUST FUCKING STOP!"

I immediately cut the power to the necklace and the Serpent breathes out a shaky sigh of relief, a charred hole in his back that's still leaking oily smoke.

I don't waste any breath and ask, "Why are you after us, does anyone else know where we are, and are you acting on your own or on someone else's orders?"

Not missing a beat the guy growls back, "And how do I know you're not just gonna kill me afterward?"

I let some steel enter my voice and I hiss back, "Because you're going to be the one to go back to everyone and tell them what happens when you try to fuck with us."

He's quiet before muttering out, "Ok, in order asked…you're the fuckers who killed Adder. Ever since the Boss died…everything's gone to shit. Other gangs are taking our territory and killing us off and we can't do a damn thing against them…we just wanted to get in one last bit of payback to you sons-of-bitches. And everybody knows that Paladin lives here, it was just me and my buddy that knew about you fuckers staying here though…and we were doing this on our own, it ain't safe for Serpents to meet openly right now."

I thoughtfully nod before saying, "All right, that answers all my questions."

And then I drive my knife into his head before yanking it out, letting his head fall to the ground with a subdued thump.

No way I was letting him go, what with all the stuff he'd seen.

…

A sudden wave of vertigo and dizziness hits me and I have to take a deep and shaky breath.

This isn't the first time I've killed, Adder had been the first, but now…there was something uncomfortably personal about this, and I don't know how to feel about it.

"I guess all that training wasn't wasted on you after all, Twerp."

I wildly spin around, Shades and knife at the ready-

-and relax a fraction as I see it's just Mittelt, perched a few meters above me on the Church's roof with her wings out and framed against the crimson moon, reminding me briefly of a gargoyle if said gargoyle was clad in Gothic-Lolita clothing.

"Relax, Brat. I'm not gonna bite."

She gently floats down on her wings and lands beside me before casting a critical eye at the carnage and musing to herself, "Pretty brutal stuff, not what I would expect from a kid…"

A wave of bitterness hits me and I bite out, "What, is a Fallen gonna try to tell me that I should have acted like some good little boy and have let them lived?"

She just glances at me out of the corner of her eye before mildly replying, "No, I'm not. And I already told you, relax. You're coming down from an adrenaline high after a particularly grisly fight, don't lose your head. Take deep breaths and don't try to focus on anything in particular."

Her almost gentle tone suddenly drives home the point that despite her looks she is almost a century old and has no doubt been in some unpleasant situations of her own.

I follow her advice and try to slow my breathing, letting my eyes slowly slip out of focus a bit and achieve a sort of meditative state similar to how I gather Senjutsu energy.

After a few seconds of that I feel…a bit better. Still a bit numb and tense, but at least not paranoid and twitchy.

"Better?"

Unaccustomed to actually thanking Mittelt of all people I flounder for a moment before grumbling out, "Um…thanks."

Her expression seems more genuinely amused than it does smugly amused as she grins and demurely replies, "You're very welcome Brat. Nice job taking these shitbags out, although I kinda wish you'd left one of the insect guys alive. I wouldn't have minded showing him who was really going to be the penetrating after I shoved a lightspear up his ass…"

I can't help but morbidly snort in amusement before asking, "Were you watching the whole time or did you just show up at the end?"

"The whole time. It's me and the Bimbo's job to keep Dragon Girl safe, remember? I saw you notice those creeps and start fighting them so I just stuck around to offer support if needed."

My brow furrows slightly and I ask, "How come I didn't spot you when I was searching around with my Senjutsu senses then? You must have been close by…"

She just smirks and cutely replies, "Twerp, Azazel doesn't just pick us for any old reason, we're pretty darn good at staying off he radar if we need to."

I glance at her and wait for her to elaborate…and she keeps me waiting with a superior expression on her seductive features.

No trust issues there then…

"Now that the battle seems to be over, could I ask for you to accompany me Caine?"

I almost jump at David's sudden voice and quickly turn around-

-Only to flinch when I see the stern look on his face.

To my surprise Mittelt suddenly steps forward, placing me half-behind her as she scowls at David and growls out, "Hey Priest, what's with the harsh tone and pissed off face? You're not gonna spout some Church-loving crap about how to, 'love thy neighbor', or some shit are you? Because the Brat was just wiping out some worthless scum to keep some people he likes safe-"

David holds up a hand and the simple authority in that gesture brings Mittelt to a halt, albeit very reluctantly as I can see her jaw clenching.

"Put bluntly, it's none of your business even if I was, Miss Mittelt. Although since it clearly has you bothered, no, that is not my intention. Could I ask that you dispose of the bodies while I talk to Caine? Privately?"

His tone leaves no room for argument and even the stubborn Fallen just fiercely scowls before turning to the corpses and shrinking one of her lightspears into a wildly oscillating ball of disintegrating Holy energy, throwing the orb at one of the bodies and causing it to go up in corrupted flames.

Unable to properly articulate how I feel about her sudden defense of me I just mumble out, "Thanks…" before walking after David.

She just gives an irritated wave of her hand, clearly telling me to get moving.

Once inside David motions for me to sit at a table while he goes to make some tea.

The silence apart from the occasional clattering of cups begins to wear and by the time the Priest hands me my mug before posting at the table directly across from me and seems content to silently observe there's more than a little tension in the air.

"If you've got something to say to me, then say it already."

David merely seems amused by my bitter words and easily acquiesces with, "I actually have very little to tell you, believe it or not."

My eyes slightly widen in surprise and this time David actually chuckles at my expression.

"Did you think I was going to reprimand you? Caine, remember that I have lived in Kalichi for a great number of years, and before that I was an Exorcist for no small amount of time. Perhaps it's not the proper mindset a man of the cloth should have, but…I'm well aware of the fact that some people are simply better off dead. And those 6 certainly fell into that category."

…

I have to blink a few times at his words.

Is…is it really that easy?

An uncomfortable feeling rises in my stomach and I quietly say, "You're not, you know…worried that I'm some sort of psychopathic killer? I'm only 11 years old, David…and I didn't even hesitate when it came time to kill them all. I made up my mind and that was it, the few moments where I did have doubts were brushed aside without a second thought. Is that normal?"

Instead of answering right away David merely takes a calm sip from his mug before wryly stating, "That sounds less like you're asking for my opinion that it does my reassurance."

…He's not wrong.

David's tone is admonishing as he says, "You should know me well enough to understand that I don't offer empty comfort, I would rather tell a harsh truth than a pleasing lie."

My mouth suddenly feels extra dry.

"Thus, I can say with perfect honesty that no, I don't believe in the slightest that you are anything less than a perfectly sane individual."

That gets my attention.

A pensive look on his face, David elaborates with, "Had you performed a feat such as this when we first met, I might have thought otherwise…but you seem to forget that I've seen the way you interact with others, most especially the Tojou sisters and Miss Vallia. You're a man of extremes, Caine. You either dedicate even your very life into aiding those who've earned your trust, the whole situation with Adder springs to mind, or you ruthlessly crush your enemies with nary moment of hesitation, as tonight proved definitively."

He lightly smirks and finishes with, "You're lucky that you have a fine sense of a person's character, or you would be in trouble with such a black-and-white attitude."

…

I just hold my peace and try not to let my relief at David's words show too much.

"There is one thing I want to warn you of though."

I wrench myself out of my little self-introspection and focus entirely on David as he levels a serious expression at me.

"You proved perfectly capable of killing those men and not faltering in the slightest. What I want to warn you of is the mental trap of believing that killing is the solution to all the problems your enemies represent. It can be ever so tempting to just slaughter them all and be done with it…but sometimes the best choice, the choice that will save you many a hardship down the road, is to stay your hand."

He stands up and places a fatherly hand on my shoulder.

"I don't fear for you ever losing your sanity and empathy, I fear for you keeping it. Killing is the easiest and most direct solution…and therewithin lies the trap."

He gives my shoulder a soft squeeze before walking out of the room with, "Think on what I said, that's all I ask."

With a subdued click the door closes behind me and I let out a quiet sigh.

I wouldn't say I'm feeling good right now…but at least David quelled some of my anxieties about this while mess.

I slowly get up and make to walk out of the room, unlatching the door-

-and promptly find myself yanked through it by a single powerful hand.

"Holy crap Kid did you get attacked by a-keep an eye on him Lisa, the idiot looks like he got himself injured to high Hell and back again…"

I'm unceremoniously marched to a nearby couch by Kuroka and forced to sit down on it while Shirone starts sniffing me, Lisa prepares her Healing Magic with a stern look on her face and Vallia looks generally anxious about everything.

I can only sigh for what feels like the 100th time today.

"Was everyone watching that fight or something?"

Kuroka just agitatedly replies, "Well you weren't exactly sneaky when you slipped out of bed tonight Kid, so me and Little Sis were awake at that point. Then we noticed your aura fluctuate for a little while and move towards a group of hostile ones and the rest is history. Little Sis, what's the verdict?"

Shirone finally concludes her sniff search uncomfortably close to my face and finishes it by quickly licking my neck and nodding to herself in satisfaction before reporting, "He's fine. None of the blood is his."

Everyone seems to relax, Lisa dispelling her Magic and I resignedly say, "Girls, you could have just asked…"

It's Lisa who scowls first and grabs a broken mirror from a nearby cabinet and hands it to me, speaking with a huff in her voice, "Well what were we supposed to think? Caine, look at yourself!"

I take the offered shard of glass and check out my reflection…and immediately wince.

My face only has a few splatters of dried blood on it, but the rest of me didn't fare quite as well. My left arm in particular is absolutely crusted over with gore from when I'd crushed the Yokai's head.

Small wonder they thought I'd been through the wringer.

"Ok, I'll admit this looks bad."

The raven-haired Yokai snorts and pushes me towards the shower, all the while saying, "Damn straight it looks bad. Clean yourself up Kid, you smell like a slaughterhouse."

Unable to resist a small smile I tiredly ask, "What, you're not joining me this time around?"

She just rolls her eyes while Vallia's face turns red alarmingly fast.

"If you're able to crack jokes like that then you don't need me keeping you from moping around."

I tiredly chuckle and head on inside, hearing Val hesitantly ask, "U-um, Kuroka? W-what was that about sharing a shower?"

A few minutes later and feeling far more like a proper Devil than I was before, I step out in a plain dark green t-shirt and black shorts, my other clothes on a one way trip to the nearest laundry basket.

"Is this an intervention now or something?"

I glance around the room and find the 4 girls sitting at a table with a single open seat obviously meant for yours truly.

Lisa just rolls her eyes and says, "None of us are going back to sleep anytime soon, we might as well keep you company and make sure you don't start beating yourself up over something silly…"

I heavily drop into the nearby chair and slowly ask, "You…you don't think I was wrong then? For doing what I-"

Kuroka cuts me off with a cold, "I saw their auras Caine, and what was on their minds. The way I see it, you did them a favor. I wouldn't have made it quick."

Shirone briefly nods before adding, "They would have hurt us, or worse. I would have killed them just like you did."

I spend a few quiet seconds looking at the sister's expressions, once again reminding myself that, like Mittelt, there's more to them than just their surface appearances.

Those 2 have been around in this city a lot longer than I have…

I look towards Vallia and while she initially has her head down and bangs covering her eyes…once she meets my gaze there's both steel and resolve in her expression as she speaks in an uncharacteristically strong voice, "I…I've never killed someone before, but if they were trying to hurt any of you…"

Her brave front collapse and she blushes before muttering out, "I think I could have done it…"

All of us are quiet for a moment, shocked at the out of nowhere admission-

-and then Shirone gets out of her seat and promptly sits herself down in Vallia's lap.

…

I think Val just made a true best friend for life.

Although it's actually pretty funny to see Shirone on the Longinus Wielder's lap right now, mostly since Val isn't all that much taller than Shirone herself.

Kuroka is just shaking her head and I turn to Lisa, the person who's thoughts I'm actually most anxious about hearing.

I shouldn't have worried.

The Elf just sadly smiles and melancholically says, "In a perfect world there would have been no need for such an action…but it's all too easy to imagine that had they successfully carried out their plan, they would have continued to hurt even more people in the future. They can no longer do so, and that's perhaps the most any of us can hope for. You did what you did for the right reasons, Caine."

A breath I didn't know I was holding escapes my mouth and I wryly reply, "Any chance I can hire you 4 to become my personal therapists?"

"Pfft, as if you'd listen to our advice."

I ignore Kuroka's snarky words and instead look at Lisa as she grabs something from underneath the table.

"Well we were going to surprise you tomorrow with this, but I think we could all use a distraction at the moment…"

And then, to my surprise and amazement, she pulls out Monopoly.

"What the…where did you find that?"

Shirone proudly bobs her head and explains, "You can find anything in Kalichi, remember?"

I gently take the box and run a hand over it, marveling at the thoughtfulness of my companions.

"I, uh…don't know what to say. Thanks, I guess…"

Kuroka snorts and cheekily says, "If we were to pretend to be you, we'd say something along the lines of, 'oh you don't need to thank me' or some other dumb platitude."

I neutrally reply, "I'm amazed you know what the word platitude means…"

One of her tails smacks me from underneath the table and I just smile at her in reply.

"Ok, so who here knows how to play?"

No one raises their hands.

"…Ok, I guess I'll have to explain it all from the beginning then."

The albino Nekoshou suddenly speaks up from where she's perched on Vallia's lap with, "Vallia and I are a team."

Val nervously interjects with, "U-um, Shirone? That's nice of you, but I need to be able to see the board-"

"I'll tell you what's happening, you can make the decisions."

"I…ok."

I chuckle at seeing Shirone's unique way of persuasion at work on someone other than myself all while Kuroka mumbles, "Oh sure, pick your friend over your sister…"

Lisa sympathetically pats her shoulder while I explain, "Don't worry Kuroka, this game has a habit of turning people against each other. An hour in and you'll be wanting to throttle your little sister after she takes all your money and properties…"

The older Yokai looks affronted at my words but I know better.

She can get pretty emotional.

"Hmm…before we start should I make everyone some tea?"

We all nod and as Lisa gets up to quickly make us some refreshments I briefly lose myself in thought.

Not more than 30 minutes ago I finished snuffing out 6 people's lives like they were practically nothing, and I don't feel the slightest bit of remorse.

…Maybe that makes me a bad person. Hell, if those 6 had friends who'd seen what I did they'd probably label me as some sort of psychopathic freak.

But as I glance around the table, watching Lisa patiently wait for Vallia to frantically make up her mind what flavor she wants (still not entirely used to being asked for her opinion) while Kuroka tries to coax Shirone into sitting on her lap instead, Lisa's words echo through my head.

'You did what you did for the right reasons, Caine…'

Watching the 4 girls interact with each other and having fun, instead of having to deal with the aftermath that would have been them killing those 6 in my place, I find myself agreeing with her.

All for them.

And with that final thought I put the matter out of sight and mind.

Instead I begin the arduous task of explaining to the cats that no, you can't steal from the Monopoly bank.

…

At least if you get caught you can't.

Just a quick recap in terms of timeline and characters involved in it:

[King of Thieves and Shadows, prologue]=25 years before DxD vol 1

(Character ages at start of prologue):

Caine= 10 years old

Shirone= 10 years old

Kuroka= 14 years old

Ravel= 10 years old

Riser= 15 years old

Jonah= 15 years old

Rossweisse= 16 years old

Vallia= 11 years old

Sylvi= 13 years old

Monica= 11 years old

For now these are the only characters who's ages have been changed or are of some importance to the story, everyone else (such as Rias, Akeno, etc) is still in their canon 'place' on the timeline.

And I will be covering 'canon' events further in the story, but there'll be changes to the existing timeline due to things that'll happen during the 25 year lead-up to it.

Till next time!