Good Evening All!
As always, a big shout out to those that left positive reviews; it very much helps the creative process. I have been planning some of the events of this chapter for a while, so it is satisfying to see them finally culminate. I am curious to see what the audience thinks of the developments :)
Please leave a review if you enjoyed something or just have some positive commentary, it is always appreciated and I try to respond to a fair number of them.
Please do enjoy yourself.
Sasuke wearily shut the door to his apartment as he shuffled inside, hanging up his keys as he strode towards his bedroom for a shower. Sasuke sighed internally as he noticed the light in his bedroom was off; he could smell the aroma of candles and he had a feeling he knew what was going on here. Resigning himself to the inevitable, Sasuke opened his bedroom door.
A blue haired beauty was posed perfectly by the bed, giving him a sultry look as she suggestively looked at him behind lowered eyebrows and not much else. The see through negligee was a nice touch, though in Sasuke's opinion it revealed too much and lost the teasing edge as a result.
"I am almost afraid to ask how you have gone from an inexperienced warrior maiden to a sultry minx in so short a time."
Xenovia gave a subtle smirk.
"Oh? Do you like it Master?"
Sasuke snorted as Xenovia subtly accentuated her curves even more by adjusting her posture.
"It's impressive, though you might want to choose a different shade that accentuates your coloring better."
Xenovia immediately began to pout while huffing in exasperation.
"I swear Master! I go through all this effort and all I hear is criti-"
"With that said, you do look quite fetching."
Xenovia smiled more warmly.
"Thank you Master! Would you like to-"
"No."
Xenovia slumped in place, somewhat ruining the effect of her seductive garb.
"I don't understand Master; our original agreement was your training in exchange for my body. What has changed since then, do you not find me attractive?"
Sasuke gave her a thorough once over as she blushed lightly.
"Your body is quite pleasing to the eye."
A darker look entered Xenovia's eye.
"Then is it that devil Rias? Has she forced you to abstain-"
"Yes and No."
Xenovia looked understandably confused and prompted Sasuke to elaborate.
"We discussed the matter at length and decided to put it on the shelf for the moment, then decide later based on how our political arrangement went. Since then, I can say with certainty that we have started developing feelings for each other."
Xenovia looked unconvinced.
"What does that have to do with anything? From what I have heard polygamy is the norm for nearly all Devils since their population has taken a hit from the many wars."
Sasuke inclined his head.
"In that, you are not entirely wrong. Even though the Gremory family has often practiced monogamy, I feel that Rias would likely accept my having another partner if I insisted on it. However, now that I have also began developing feelings for her, I feel that bringing another woman into the relationship would be unwise."
Xenovia looked defeated as she slumped over once more.
"Very well, I understand. I will immediately pack my things and return to the Church."
Sasuke gave her a considering look as she began putting on her robe and walking to the door.
"You certainly could do that...or you could hear my offer."
Xenovia gave him a dismissive glance.
"Spare me your pity; I will not be some beggar that depends upon your goodwill and charity for further instruction."
"Who said anything of charity? Think of my offer as a job interview instead."
Xenovia finally stopped walking, turning an interested look his way.
"I already have a job. I am one of the church maidens, sent to investigate matters of grave import at the discretion of the Bishops."
Sasuke inclined his head.
"True, but what if I told you this assignment could change your mind about everything you believe?"
Sasuke immediately knew he had her by the challenging gleam in her eye.
"Very well; what is this assignment?"
Sasuke hid a smirk.
"You would be apprehending a certain fugitive from justice. He is highly sought after by the church, but the conditions of this assignment demand that you turn him into me instead."
Xenovia looked troubled.
"It goes against my instincts to turn in a man sought by the church to someone else."
Sasuke waited patiently as Xenovia considered the matter for a minute.
"Who is this man, and what has he done?"
Sasuke smiled with little humor.
"Oh, I believe you are familiar with him; after all, the atrocities of the former high ranking church member Valper Galilei are legendary."
Xenovia's face darkened as she spat on the floor.
"While it irks me to turn that disgusting man over to anyone but the justice of the church, perhaps it is better this way. I know he will not escape execution if I turn him over to you Master."
Sasuke's face became as merciless and cold as the void.
"Of that, you can have no doubt. A murderer of children will see no mercy by my hand."
Xenovia looked somewhat torn by indecision as she attempted to process the multiple changes over the last ten minutes.
"Then..?"
Sasuke nodded.
"You may remain my student for now, and depending on how your assignment goes we may draw up a more permanent contract."
Xenovia bowed low.
"I will not fail you Master!"
Sasuke shooed her out of his room.
"I'm sure you will not; now go put some clothes on and get ready for tomorrow. I will give you more assignment details in the morning."
Shutting the door, Sasuke rolled his eyes at the plethora of candles, quickly blowing them all out with a weak wind jutsu before continuing on to the shower.
Sasuke was unable to sleep that night, tossing and turning as he considered the potential fallout from multiple events in the near future. Finally releasing an exasperated sigh, he put on a robe and relit the candles while assuming a meditation pose on the floor. He had been trying for days to reach Andromalius, but he simply had no idea where to begin. Tapping his Pillar Lord Power, Sasuke transformed and resumed his meditation once more. He felt that the answer lay somewhere in his Lord form, but all he could do was attempt to sift through his power while in a meditative state.
Blowing out a steady breath, Sasuke allowed his mind to wander as he released his negative energy. Even if he could not reach Andromalius this way, it was still an effective exercise for organizing his whirling thoughts. His instincts had been acting up lately; it was like they kept screaming at some nebulous threat, but he noticed no change in his surroundings. There was no new activity in Kuoh Town, and Beelzebub had assured him that no major players had recently emerged in the Underworld either.
His instincts had never steered him wrong before though.
If they sensed a threat, he had no doubt whatsoever that something was coming, it was only a matter of time. It was ironic in a way; here he was surrounded by devils, angels and a whole host of other supernatural beings, and none of them had truly challenged him yet. It made him feel uneasy, like there was something lurking in the dark, waiting for him to drop his guard so the true powers of this world would make themselves known before he could defend himself properly.
Then there was the matter of his sword. It irked him that he had lost his weapon, even if he was just as deadly without one. It stung his pride a little bit as well; there were not many opponents that could boast they had broken one of his weapons over the years. If only there was a way to contact Andromalius...
Sasuke felt a very subtle, but distinct hum in his power as he thought the Pillar Lord's name. Sasuke almost sighed in exasperation; could it have really been so simple this whole time? Gathering his devil power, Sasuke spoke firmly.
"Andromalius! Andromalius! Andromalius! Thrice have I summoned you and so you shall appear!"
Sasuke noticed the small hum become a rushing flood as some instinct urged him to push his power towards the humming light in his mind's eye. As Sasuke did so, the world became a blur as he appeared once more at the battle of the three factions.
"Ah, my young successor! So good of you to finally join me; I had began to despair that I had chosen an idiot to represent my house."
The black serpent whispered in his ear as the Blond haired devil giggled.
"Now now, that is not kind Brutus. Perhaps he has a good reason for not trying to reach me prior to a few days ago?"
Sasuke chuckled wryly.
"Between Arena fights, Marriage negotiations and running a fair sized organization while attending school full time and training students every day, it rather slipped my mind."
A shrewd light entered into Andromalius' eyes.
"Yet you are here now; I take it you need help with something since you finally thought it was worth your time to grace us with your presence?"
Sasuke inclined his head.
"You have me there; I am in need of a weapon since my old sword was destroyed."
Andromalius shook his head.
"You already have what you seek, but you do not know how to summon it."
Sasuke rolled his eyes at the intrigue.
"Pray tell before we turn to dust from old age."
Andromalius narrowed his eyes in annoyance.
"Watch your tone my heir; these are not some paltry trinkets and baubles we are discussing here, but rather some of the greatest secrets of our house."
Sasuke gave a curt nod for him to continue.
Andromalius assumed a lecture tone as he paced, periodically petting Brutus as he rested on his shoulders.
"You likely would have never noticed, given your lack of exposure to the other great Pillars, but the Ruby Lance technique is rather paltry compared to Baal's power of destruction or one of the similarly gifted lines."
Sasuke nodded; that made sense. While Ruby Lance was a powerful technique, he could see how something like the Power of Destruction in the hands of a Pillar Lord would greatly overshadow it in terms of strength.
"Nor was our talent in brute strength or bestial transformation like some of the other well known lines; it lay instead in our soul familiar."
Sasuke perked up; this was starting to get interesting.
Andromalius pointed to Brutus.
"Brutus is my soul companion; the Lord of the House has always had one without fail. Occasionally, the trait does not breed true and a direct heir of the line has been passed over for a younger house member that was born with the gift."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow.
"Yet you granted me Lordship without knowing whether or not I possessed that ability?"
Andromalius chuckled as he stroked Brutus.
"Brutus sensed it on you from when we first met; I could barely shut up his excited hissing the entire time we were fighting."
Brutus sullenly retreated from the devil's touch, melting into a tattoo that covered up much of the Pillar Lord's face as Andromalius laughed.
"That's his way of sulking, he moves his spirit form to cover my face on purpose. I honestly don't care, but don't tell him that or he might come up with another more inventive way to sulk."
Sasuke was unimpressed.
"While his ability to increase his size to a battle form was useful in a way, I hardly think it is a game changer in terms of strength or versatility."
Andromalius raised an eyebrow, instantly creating a shimmering sword of darkness that seemed to swallow up all the light around it as the tattoo dissapeared from his face.
Swinging the blade effortlessly, Andromalius went through increasingly complex forms as Sasuke watched.
"With your soul familiar, you can create a blade that will never break or need to be maintained."
Sasuke nodded; that was indeed a useful function, though he was fairly certain he could get similarly enchanted swords in the Underworld at great cost.
"If that wasn't enough, your familiar will eventually gain an ultimate ability that will be extremely powerful if limited in its use. You have already seen the power Brutus can wield in his ultimate form."
Andromalius was immediately covered head to toe in a peerless golden armor that shone with an otherworldly luster.
Sasuke whistled lightly as Andromalius smirked.
"Granted, Brutus inherited a very rare power even among soul familiars; I call it 'Absolute Defense'. It is easily the most useful ability in our line for the last ten generations."
Sasuke nodded.
"Very well, you have convinced me. I assume that there is a catch in all this though, since no power ever comes freely."
Andromalius nodded reluctantly.
"It's true; the ritual to create your familiar will be...draining. So draining it will likely take six months for your strength to fully recover."
Sasuke scoffed.
"It's true; what you fail to realize is that part of your strength is being imparted to your soul familiar to help it grow and develop. At six months, you will regain the power that was lost and any growth that occurs afterwards for your familiar will only increase your own strength."
Sasuke nodded.
"I suppose that makes a certain amount of sense; what happens if the familiar is killed?"
Andromalius grimaced.
"That occurs only very rarely, as our familiars are literally part of our soul. In the event that an enemy attack manages to damage that part of your soul and your familiar is killed, the effects are usually quite messy."
Sasuke looked bored.
"Death?"
Andromalius nodded shrewdly.
"For the lucky ones; typically insanity and in one unfortunate case complete soul destruction."
Sasuke didn't flinch.
"Very well; how do we go about creating my soul familiar then?"
Andromalius cackled loudly even as Brutus resumed his normal form around the Pillar Lord's shoulders.
"How refreshing, a man that is not afraid to take risks! Be warned though, this will take much of your blood and power. We must take our time; it will take me a day just to draw the inscription in your blood. Fear not though, time moves much slower in this realm of mine; even as days pass, so will minutes pass in your world."
Sasuke made an impatient gesture even as Andromalius moved closer and sliced his proffered wrist with a dagger, muttering about youth these days. Taking the filled bowl, Andromalius began painstakingly drawing huge symbols, the blood somehow never running out as the inscriptions got increasingly more precise nearer to the center. True to his word, it was the better part of a day before the massive inscription for the spell was ready.
Wearily, Andromalius straightened and cracked his back before moving to the safety zone, gesturing for Sasuke to enter the center of the circle. As Sasuke entered the circle and assumed the lotus position, Andromalius gave him a wicked smile.
"One last thing I forgot to mention about the process; its complete and utter agony for three days."
Andromalius laughed as Sasuke casually and completely ignored him.
"Remember, you must be awake and channeling your energy the entire time. The circle will negate your need for sleep but it does nothing to dull the pain; more than one aspiring Lord of House Andromalius has gone mad from the pain."
Sasuke gave him a hard look.
"I won't break."
Andromalius gave Sasuke a congenial smile as he powered up the ritual.
"We will see."
Sasuke gritted his teeth as the agony began; it was similar to being dipped in acid while one was already lit on fire. Pain was an old friend though; he had learned long ago that to embrace pain was to release any hold it had over you. It was simply a firing of nerves meant to warn the brain that the body was currently undergoing damage. That being said though, it still hurt like utter and complete hell as the pain steadily increased to a crescendo before levelling out slightly. Sasuke groaned aloud as he realized that he would have to endure this for three days. This "soul familiar" had better be worth his pain.
The first day passed without incident, though Sasuke felt as though he was gradually losing his sanity as his mind grew obsessed with the need for the process to be over. Seconds turned into hours, hours into days. It reminded Sasuke eerily of the Tsukuyomi Itachi had once put him in, the pain rendering everything else as an illusion of the senses. The second day Sasuke felt he was nearing his limits of pain endurance; even recognizing and accepting the pain was not enough to deal with the constant barrage. The only slight relief was the thought that he only had one day remaining before this torturous hell was over and he could slowly strangle Andromalius with Brutus. The third day had Sasuke generally worried, as he began to hallucinate and see things that weren't there. Sasuke panted, taking deep breaths as he started hacking blood sporadically, his body failing from the strain.
By day four, Sasuke was fairly sure that this was an elaborate revenge plot by Andromalius to kill him slowly and in agony. Unfortunately, the spell barrier kept Sasuke from being able to communicate with Andromalius, or more importantly, blast him to cinders for his deception. By the end of the fourth day, Sasuke was barely conscious as blood slowly flowed from his mouth, nose and eyes. Just as Sasuke felt death coming for him as it had once in Konoha, the pain finally stopped.
Andromalius rushed over to catch Sasuke as he collapsed, the blood generously covering the devil from where it had pooled on Sasuke's clothes.
Sasuke rasped something as Andromalius leaned closer to hear, only to suddenly receive a vicious headbutt from the bloody Uchiha. Andromalius hissed in pain while he shot Sasuke a death glare, only for it to morph into a worried frown as he checked the boy's vitals. This should never have happened! He had never heard of the ritual taking more than a day; the three day warning was just a little initiation taunt that all the Lords went through. They always cursed the laughing Patriarch after the end of the first day as they collapsed in relief once the pain stopped. Even so, there were some that had broken from the pain even after less than one day. That the boy had lasted four days was a monument to his incredible mental fortitude; very few beings could withstand such pain for so long without their mind breaking from the strain.
Perhaps...
Andromalius stared in shock at the familiar draped around Sasuke's neck. Brutus hissed loudly in shock as he began rapidly asking Andromalius questions in his mind, only for Andromalius to hold up his hand to silence his familiar. Stepping closer, Andromalius gently examined his heir's familiar in awe. He took note of the steady shine, the unmistakable luster that glowed from within. As if sensing the examination, the newly bonded familiar stirred on Sasuke's shoulders before opening its eyes.
Brutus immediately leaned closer to the new familiar.
"Rest easy young one, you are safe here."
Andromalius nodded his thanks at Brutus as he spoke to the new familiar in snake speech; familiars could only be understood by their soul partner or by another familiar.
The regal young serpent looked straight at Andromalius.
"What has happened to Father?"
Andromalius felt a chill run through him as she addressed him clearly in his mind. There was only one kind of serpent that could do that, and it wasn't a familiar. What in the nine hells was going on!
Putting aside his misgivings, Andromalius bowed his head briefly.
"Greetings my lady, I did not know that you possessed the power of divine speech. My name is Andromalius, and this is my soul familiar Brutus. I believe that your Father will be fine, though it is best if we send him back now so he can seek aid in his real body; unfortunately his injuries will follow him to the real world."
Brutus left his neck and moved closer to Sasuke's fallen body.
"My Lady, what name should we call you by? It is said that all Divine Beasts are born with an awareness of their true name."
The glowing snake nodded her head.
"Just as you say Sir Brutus; my name is Tsarmina, and it is time my Father and I return to the real world."
Andromalius bowed his head and gestured, sending Sasuke back to his bed in the real world. He and Brutus stood there together for a long time, staring out into space as they considered recent events. Just who was this boy? A human that became the heir of a Devil Pillar, only to summon a divine familiar? Needless to say, his past life must have been very interesting indeed.
Well, quite a few developments no? While it was fun to tease Xenovia for a while, I feel it is unfair to her character to have her constantly show up as a strip tease so we shall be moving on with her. I thought about the weapon dilemma for a while, and it always bugged me that so many weapons in DxD seemed generic outside the sacred gears. Thus, while I was stewing on it I happened to see the Venom movie for the first time and inspiration struck. I mean, how much cooler would it be if Sasuke had the DxD version of a Symbiote with him? Obviously, we will get more information on Tsarmina next chapter, along with a description of what she looks like.