Chapter 14: The Game
"Vincent, Rossweisse and Ingvild, I presume?"
"That's us. Is your head-biter of a president present within the premises-*SMACK*-ow."
Vincent rubbed the back of his head as Rossweisse frantically bowed, hastily stating, "My apologies about his behavior, he really needs to learn to not aggravate everyone he meets and could stand to reduce his heavily uncouth mannerisms!"
Tsubaki Shinra shook her head, amusedly replying, "We work in a high school, Miss Rossweisse. A lack of manners are something we deal with on a constant basis. That's my professional response."
The heterochromic young woman leaned in, quietly stating, "On a less professional note, seeing the president become so easily annoyed and grumpy due to a single individual is actually quite entertaining. Not much gets beneath her skin."
Smirking at his flabbergasted girlfriend Vincent nudged her in the side, whispering, "See? My winning social mannerisms are always appreciated."
Ingvild giggled as she followed the pair into the student council room, having gotten used to their mutual teasing over the course of the two weeks they had been spending together in ensuring that Rias' Peerage was as prepared as they could be, the Valkyrie sullen and pouting due to her needless worry.
"I hope you managed to spend those two weeks being productive, Erosson. I'd hate to see the aforementioned time of missed schoolwork going to waste."
Meeting Sona's stern glare with a disarming smile the Demigod blithely responded, "Oh, I wouldn't worry about it, Prez. We did a lot of specialized preparation for this day and we're going to see the results of it for all to see."
The trio had been invited by Sona to see the Rating Game between Rias and Raiser from the relative obscurity of the student council room, both the Demigod and Valkyrie not in any hurry to reveal their identity to any other Devils that may be watching by attending the Gremory and Phenex venues, never mind that they wanted to view the match alongside Ingvild and showing her off to the Pillar congress seemed like a very bad idea.
"Erosson, Magnhild, Leviathan? I don't believe you've met the rest of my Peerage. Meet my Rook Tsubasa Yura, Knight Tomoe Meguri, Bishops Momo Hanakai and Reya Kusaka, Pawns Genshirou Saji and Ruruko Nimura. And you already know my Queen."
The trio nodded to the room at large, the collection of pretty girls and one reasonably handsome man meeting their gazes with brief nods, staring at the magically projected image that showed the arena that the game would take place in with bated breath and nervous gazes.
While they may be the nominal 'rivals' of the Gremory Peerage they were evidently very much in favor of their victory, if the quiet but bated conversation was any indicator.
"While it's sweet, they could really stand to be a bit more relaxed."
Sona shot Vincent a sidelong glance, sternly stating, "Has Rias told you of the consequences of her loss? Such a-"
"Course she did. And don't worry, she and her Peerage have all the tools they could possibly need. Now! Where are the refreshments?"
Restricting herself to a small sigh of aggravation Sona sat beside her Peerage, Vincent gathering a collection of snacks and drinks scattered about the room before throwing himself between Rossweisse and Ingvild on an unclaimed sofa.
"So? Bets on how long it takes them to beat Raiser's group?"
The silverette gave her boyfriend a chastising frown, stating, "Overconfidence is a dangerous thing to have, Vincent. And random events can still occur even during what seem to be certain victories."
"I know, right? My bet is on Rias only losing one of her members and finishing the game in less than twenty minutes. You in?"
Rossweisse sighed, muttering, "This is a bet made in very poor taste, Vincent..."
Ingvild merely chirped, "I think it's interesting~! I think Rias will win in a bit over thirty minutes and not lose anyone, how about you, Rossweisse?"
In the face of the Leviathan's innocent and guileless enthusiasm the Valkyrie crumbled like a deck of cards, replying, "Same time, then...but she'll lose at least two Peerage members."
"Alrighty, bets are placed...now what are the consequences of losing?"
Ingvild lapsed into thought while Rossweisse clearly began to squirm in discomfort as her boyfriend gave her a perverted smirk.
"Hmm...I, umm, can't really think of anything?"
Turning to Ingvild before resting an arm around her shoulders the Demigod stated, "How about before we head off to visit the sea I pay for a shopping trip to buy proper swim and warm weather attire?"
Ingvild's normally sleepy orange eyes seemed to light up with expressiveness and excitement.
"We can do that!? I'm in! Oh, what do I give you if I lose?"
"Hmm...how about a kiss on the cheek?"
Ingvild blushed a deep scarlet much to the Demigod's amusement, Rossweisse pouting before almost squeaking in surprise, her boyfriend offering her a salacious smirk as he lightly flared his natural energies as a descendant of Eros, the Valkyrie more than slightly sensitive to the aura despite being exposed to it on more than one occasion.
"Why does it only feel more potent over time rather than diluted?!"
"And you, Rossweisse? How about I foot the bill for one of your own purchasing sprees?"
"Er, umm, yes! That's acceptable. And if you win?"
Snapping herself out of her funk the Valkyrie tilted her head slightly as Vincent leaned in to whisper into her ear-
"I think I'd like to have you put on a costume and take my natural size into that tight hole of yours, my love~."
-and promptly felt her head explode into embarrassed heat. The combination of cheesy nicknames, dirty thoughts and overly sensual implications stated while in front of other people caused the silverette to have a minor mental breakdown right then and there.
Naturally, her mouth did the talking for her.
"O-of course, that's only fair."
"Noooooo! I can't believe I agreed to this!"
Sure, the pair had their fair share of sex over the past two weeks and Rossweisse had begun to feel comfortable with her boyfriend's size-as well as stay sane during their lovemaking-but to take in that...that sized dick seemed a little much!
…
It was to her utter embarrassment that she found her thighs lightly rubbing together in anticipation of the event should she lose.
"That's my girl~!"
A quick kiss on the lips caused the rest of the Student Council who had witnessed the display to begin whispering and excitedly chattering at the action, Sona shooting them a nasty glare that clearly advised them to stop causing problems.
Rossweisse released a small, internal sigh at her changing behavior over the past weeks. Apparently dating a Demigod of Eros' own bloodline was gradually corrupting and turning her into a woman who liked the public displays of affection, even if they never failed to make her turn as red as Gremory's hair.
...It was only out of the corner of her eye, as Vincent offered the glasses wearing Devil a smirk, that Rossweisse saw something that gave her pause.
Namely, that of Ingvild watching their interaction with a small trace of both sadness and jealousy, quickly hiding it behind a false smile as she saw the Valkyrie notice the reaction.
A wince quickly doused the silverette's lust and excitement.
"Does...does she miss having someone like that in her life?"
Unable to help the brief surge of remorse that came with causing the kindhearted and innocent young woman to feel any measure of loneliness Rossweisse quickly averted her gaze, emotions a mess as she wondered if there was a way she could introduce a nice boy to the girl, much like how she had met Vincent.
...Not likely, considering Ingvild's still unsure position among the Supernatural. The Valkyrie's eyes naturally drifted towards the Devils, a brief, emotionally charged thought hitting her.
"Well...the Devils make it work, who's to say that-"
"It's starting!"
Snapping herself out of such a crude and out of character thought train Rossweisse turned her attention to the match, showcasing the two Peerages teleporting onto the arena, modeled after Kuoh Academy itself.
The Valkyrie tried not to be nervous as she saw Asia uneasily shift her weight as she stood next to Rias and Akeno, the nun having made the decision to join her Peerage just a few days prior.
They had decided not to pry into the girl's personal affairs and leave the context of her choice between her and the ones she would be spending the likely rest of her days with.
With quick orders to her gathered group Rias sent them racing off into different portions of the campus, leaving only herself behind to stare down the distant enemy King from her perch atop the ORC.
As for Raiser's Peerage they reciprocated many of their opposite's actions, leaving the smirking Phenex behind as the other members-a vastly larger group than Gremory's-moved to various parts of the campus.
Vincent smirked with clear anticipation in his body language.
"And here we go~!"
Rossweisse tried and failed to hide her dismay at just how accurate her boyfriend's predictions had ended up being.
It had been a hard fought battle, to be sure, but Rias' Peerage had met the challenge of their opponents splendidly.
Koneko, Asia and Yuumi had taken on the vast majority of the Phenex Peerage, all of their Pawns, Rooks and Knights ending up in a pitched battle over control of the gymnasium.
Inbetween the Nekoshou's collection of Sage Arts that created impassable walls of blue flame, uneven footing in the form of sprouting branches as well as Yuumi manifesting artificial walls of steel the altered battlefield had neutralized the Phenex Peerage number advantage to a significant degree, creating chokepoints and bottlenecks.
After that the battle had become one of attrition, a battle that would have been lost if it wasn't for Asia being present to heal the various injuries and wounds suffered by the pair during their conflict. But win they did, a significant chunk of Raiser's Peerage removed from the table with only Koneko finally going down after a particularly vicious triple teaming.
Akeno and Gasper had teamed up, Rossweisse initially unsure of whether the Dhampire would be able to help Rias' Queen carry the fight against two Bishops and another Queen—one of said bishops being a Phenex—but yet again she had been pleasantly surprised.
A clutch, last minute usage of Gasper's Sacred Gear had frozen the Phenex trio for a few crucial seconds, Akeno wiping out one of the Bishops and opposing Queen in the interim while the Phenex girl had quickly withdrawn after being subjected to Akeno's holy-tinged lightning.
And now, as the Valkyrie observed Rias and Raiser go head to head in a pitched battle, she was starting to fully believe that Vincent had been right on the nose with his predictions.
While the Phenex male might have had the advantage of being able to infinitely regenerate himself, well…
"I, I think I'm going to be sick..."
"T-that's a rather, erm, effective way of fighting, right?"
On screen Raiser yet again reformed his body-
-and found his balls once more eaten away by a crimson-tinged void of pure energy, expression anguished as he fired off a panicked wave of incinerating flames at Rias, the Gremory standing strong amidst the assault as she used a thin shield comprised of the Power of Destruction to swallow whole the worst of the flames, uniform and skin charred or singed in some places but the feral smile she was sporting even as her pale flesh gleamed with sweat left it undoubtedly clear who was enjoying the battle more.
The one other male in the room, Saji, seemed to have a great deal of sympathy for the Phenex as he kept shifting in his seat with twitchy movements, even a few of the girls wincing at each subsequent neutering.
"This was your great strategy for beating Raiser?"
Sona's voice sounded dead inside as she sullenly glared at the grinning Erosson, the Demigod glibly replying, "Yup~! Genius, right? While it's true Phenex don't feel nearly as much pain as we would from having their bodies injured or even destroyed they do hurt, otherwise they wouldn't be able to function properly. No sense of touch and all that. Factor in that Raiser is evidently a playboy and, well..."
Grandly gesturing to the display that transmitted a clear image of Raiser yelping as the Power of Destruction made the journey from anus to urethra he concluded with, "I give it another few minutes before he taps out. Never mind energy consumption there's also psychological exhaustion to consider. I mean, imagine if Mr. Genhsirou over here was tied to the floor while Koneko repeatedly kicked him full-force in the balls, getting healed after every subsequent kicking? That would be an experience."
The young man visibly paled at the suggestion while everyone else pointedly returned to watching the match as Raiser apparently had enough, summoning up a gargantuan wall of flames that he furiously tossed in Rias' direction, the tsunami of fire consuming and turning to ash whatever even passingly flammable material that had the misfortune to be in its path.
The inferno washed over Rias' position, the Student Council sucking in a breath of anticipation and anxiety-
-that turned into cheers and excited shouting as the heat haze and smoke clouds dissipated, revealing a swirling orb of energy that Rias emerged from, clearly on her last legs and even more burnt than before...but smiling viciously, as if she was the one who wasn't worse off than before.
The subsequent blast of Power of Destruction that completely devoured Raiser whole, his flames wavering weakly as he began to reform, was the straw that broke the camel's back.
[Raiser Phenex has retired. Victory goes to Rias Gremory and her Peerage.]
Grayfia Lucifuge's cool voice sounded out over the recording as a moment of silence filled the room...and then loud cheers of delight and victory began sounding out, Rossweisse finding herself staring at her boyfriend's all too smug and proud expression.
"I'll be expecting you to pay up later tonight, Rossweisse~."
The breathy whisper—followed shortly afterwards by a quick nip to her earlobe—left the girl a scowling and blushing mess.
Not that the pair had time to continue their interaction as Ingvild grabbed the both of them in an excited hug, talking a mile a minute in a rare break from her usual shyness and mild demeanor, the rest of the council joining in.
[I can't even begin to thank the three of you. Your help means...more than I can put into words. And I know the rest of my Peerage feels the same way. Except maybe Koneko, she just found out what a Chomo is.]
"Hey, you were paying us. Doing a good job is par for the course. And I'm used to the loli-neko desiring my head on a platter."
Rias' voice carried a note of wry amusement as she said, [I think you know full well it wasn't that simple. Any tutors that would have had both the time and skill to properly instruct us on such short notice would have demanded either ludicrous amounts of money or favors I might not have been in a position to give.]
Vincent raised an eyebrow, sipping from his All-American lemonade as Sona and Tsubaki left the ORC building, giving the Demigod a pointed glance towards the remnants of the various platters of food and drink as he waved them off.
"You're saying you stiffed us on this deal? Rias, I thought better of you."
[You know what I mean. More than a few families or interested parties would have extracted all manner of concessions or other expensive compensations, all of you were kind enough to aid us with only standard fare. If you three ever need my help in return...you'll have it.]
Glancing to where Rossweisse was showing a mildly tipsy Ingvild how to navigate SoundCloud, a smattering of empty shot glasses surrounding them now that the party with the Student Council had run its course.
"I think they'll all appreciate the offer, Rias. Should we be expecting you to be back soon?"
[Not for at least two days. There are a number of celebrations, events and other social obligations myself and my Peerage will have to attend. You have my permission to make full use of the ORC's liberties in the meantime, Vincent. Consider it just a small token of my appreciation.]
Glancing around the now filthy common room of the aforementioned building, tables and chairs stacked high with empty bottles and cartons of takeout the Demigod sheepishly replied, "Well it's nice that you gave us that option because, well..."
[Don't tell me, let me guess. You already had a party.]
"Sona said it would be fine."
[Of course she did, she's not footing the bill.]
Smiling at the redhead's clear sigh of resignation—not that it hid the still present joy and excitement within—Vincent asked, "Hey, Rias. Why did you despise the idea of marrying Raiser so much? Don't get me wrong, if half the rumors about him were true he's probably the kinda guy to call out his own name while cumming and I don't fault you for wanting to steer clear of that...but how much power over you would he have actually had?"
The Gremory remained silent as the Demigod finished his statement with, "You're the younger sister of arguably the strongest living Devil, the heir of a prestigious Pillar family and leader of a Peerage with very powerful individuals. The only thing I can imagine he would have forced you into is conceiving a child—if your population crisis is as bad as most believe it to still be—and even that would have been a far off decision. Hell, considering a Devil's low fertility rate you could have strung that whole deal out for as long as you wanted. And don't take this the wrong way, but you don't seem the type that would risk such a major confrontation over a simple matter of, 'I don't want to fuck that guy'..."
Listing out his observations Vincent fell silent, no response immediately forthcoming...until a titanic sigh left the redhead, tone exhausted as she explained, [My reasons were extremely selfish ones, Vincent. You're right, in between my pedigree, influence and countless other factors the most I would have been obligated to do is occasionally try to conceive a newborn with that manchild, hardly anything to create such a familial dispute over. But as the daughter and heir of the Gremory family, as the younger sister of the current Lucifer...I'd always felt trapped, held up to a standard that I had never truly aspired to meet.]
A humorless chuckle left the young woman.
[Many would deride me and call me weak for feeling this way...but for a Devil my ambitions are painfully mundane. All I really desire out of this life is to live it with my Peerage, the concept of actually being a leader of my people always seemed...distant. But it's an inescapable fact, that I will one day be the head of the Gremory family. I suppose this whole debacle was just one final bit of teenage rebellion, stating that while it may be an undeniable fact that I am who I was born to be...it'll be on my terms, no one else's.]
Vincent remained silent, pondering her words.
[Greedy and irresponsible, isn't it? To ask my Peerage to fight for my ego and petty frustrations.]
"You're right, it is. But I'm not really one to judge. Sure, I'm the son of one of the oldest Gods in existence but that distinction has belonged to countless others. And I wasn't really born into wealth or wield power that outstrips all others, all things considered I think I'm pretty low on the Supernatural totem pole of overall strength and importance...but I understand the concept of freedom and just how sweet it is. You won't have me taking you to task over this, Rias."
[...You're a strange man, Vincent Erosson.]
"What, because I actually possess a sense of humility and can give voice to it?"
A chuckle left the speaker.
[Call it whatever you want, Vincent. Would you, Rossweisse and Ingvild be interested in staying in Kuoh for the near future in my continued employ?]
"I know I would—I'm still enrolled here, technically—and I doubt the other two would have many objections. Only caveat is that me and Rossweisse promised to take Ingvild to the sea once we finished up with your Rating Game match, as well as the three of us being absent for the Jidai Matsuri celebration in Kyoto."
Rias gave a hum of contemplation, asking, [While I certainly don't mind you doing so would it be safe for Ingvild to leave Kuoh? We still haven't figured out just who is after her or whether they care about collateral damage in their retrieval efforts.]
"Agreed, but I talked to my dad a few days ago and he gave us a recommendation for a venue that will be more than safe while there. On occasion it helps to have a family member that's super well connected with places."
[If you say so. Have any plans or set times for leaving?]
"Tomorrow afternoon, we'll just have to see you when we get back."
A yawn suddenly left Rias as the sound of her Peerage excitedly chatting became audible in the background.
[Understandable. We'll be there to thank you in person whenever you return. Again, thank you, Vincent.]
"Happy to help, catch you later."
The line clicked off as the Demigod stretched out his back, approaching Rossweisse and Ingvild as they were now perusing through lists of attractions or activities they could enjoy near the Sea of Japan.
"See anything you like?"
The duo turned to look at him—Ingvild seeming a bit wobbly as she did so while the Valkyrie had mildly flushed cheeks—before the silverette replied, "There's a number of amenities or fun tours we can take, Ingvild in particular-"
"Can we go snorkeling?!"
Caught off guard by the blatant and raw enthusiasm displayed by the Longinus wielder Vincent shrugged, replying, "I don't see why not. And I'd prefer that over scuba diving, deep water scares the shit out of me."
Rossweisse tilted her head, curiously asking, "You're afraid of the water?"
Mild indignation colored Erosson's expression, tone petulant as he clarified, "No, I'm afraid of deep water. There's a difference. Water is fine and even pretty awesome. Deep water is where chthonic nightmare monsters with tentacles, glowing eyeballs and jagged razor teeth live and consume the unwary."
Recognizing the dead and haunted tone her boyfriend had displayed when describing the one time he had witnessed an orgy the Valkyrie tenderly asked, "Is...there a story behind this fear?"
"Yes."
"..."
"..."
"Okay, we'll stick to snorkeling and other dry land adventures."
"Yay!"
Glomped from behind by the tipsy Leviathan Rossweisse toppled out of her seat, Vincent chuckling as his girlfriend futilely protested the action, the purple-haired girl rubbing her face against the Valkyrie's like an affectionate cat.
"You too!"
"Sorry, what-"
Finding his hand seized by a particularly friendly—and mildly drunk—girl the Demigod found himself squeezed in a tight hug between both Rossweisse and Ingvild, the orange-eyed young woman hazily murmuring, "I hope we can spend lots of time...together..."
Soft snores filled the common room as the day's events and recent alcohol caught up with Leviathan, her womanly form falling limp on the awkwardly placed duo.
"She's gotten attached rather quickly, hasn't she?"
"Wouldn't you, given her circumstances? C'mon, let's get her to her room."
Transporting the insensate young woman to their shared bedroom Vincent deposited her on the mattress, Rossweisse removing her footwear and pulling the covers up over her, the duo silently exiting the room.
"So, my little Valkyrie...do you just so happen to remember the terms of our little wager~?"
Almost stumbling over her own feet the silverette belatedly recalled just what they had agreed to not more than a few hours ago, a full-body flush causing her to stammer as she replied, "R-right now?! But we have to clean up the ORC, don't we-"
WHAM!
Swallowing thickly Rossweisse found herself pinned to the wall, her boyfriend pushing his body up against hers as his arms hemmed her in from either side, eyes positively burning with a desire that made her go weak in the knees.
She couldn't remember a single time in her life someone had stared at her with such blatant affection and lust in equal measure. And despite the fact that they were more or less equal in height he seemed to positively tower over her right now, face a scant centimeter away from the girl's own.
"I think the building can wait, don't you? Or are you getting cold feet?"
Feeling a rush of indignation at the insinuation—she had engaged in plenty of intimate relations over the past two weeks, thank you very much—Rossweisse huffed back, "Of course not! You just, erm...caught me off guard. That's all."
The Valkyrie shivered as the Demigod gently cupped her chin, lifting it upwards and revealing her graceful throat, affectionate bites causing her legs to tremble as he all but rumbled, "Then I'll see you in the spare bedroom, Rossweisse...here, as per our agreement~!"
The silverette found an unmarked bag shoved into her hands, Vincent strolling off with a cheesy and hopelessly camp wink tossed over his shoulder...that did nothing to hide his growing arousal, loose sweatpants straining outwards.
"...I need to think of something better to demand of him next time. Perhaps a little...NO, BAD ROSSWEISSE!"
Violently shaking away the decadent image of her lover strapped to the bed as she touched and rode him as she pleased, riding crop in hand the young woman swiftly strode to the bathroom to change into the agreed upon price.
"That damn fool is turning me into someone just as bad as him!"
Shaking her head with weary resignation that, deep down, she was apparently an irresistibly horny individual—or maybe she was just repressed and could now freely act out a great many fantasies—the young lady locked the door behind her before glancing into the bag…
"W-WHERE DID HE FIND SOMETHING LIKE THIS?!"
Face it, Rossweisse...if you can't beat em', join em'.