Chapter 3
(Occult Research club)
In a candle lit room, four high school students sat quietly as they passed the time. A Handsome young man with blonde hair sat across from a tiny girl with a black cat shaped clip in her white hair. Pushing around a cart carrying tea and snacks was a beautiful young woman with a curvaceous body and long black hair tied up in a ponytail and sitting by herself, reading a book at a large important looking desk, was none other than Rias herself.
"Quiet night huh?" The black haired girl said with a smile as she passed by Rias' desk and began to pour her a cup of hot tea. "Weren't we supposed to be getting a new club member? Showing up late on his first day, not the best way to make a good first impression."
"That's true…" Rias smirked as she took a sip of the fresh cup of tea. "But I don't think He'll keep us waiting much longer."
Almost on cue, WHAM! The door to the old school building that housed the club was slammed open and Issei came marching in with his left arm . "Hey! I got something I wanna talk about!"
"Well, good afternoon Issei. It's nice of you to finally show up…" Rias coily greeted the spiky haired boy. "You've had an interesting day, haven't you."
"Wait how did you… Hold up!" Issei roared out as he refocused himself. "I'm not here to chit chat! I've got something important going on and I need answers. This is the only place I could think of to come to."
"That's some good intuition you have there Issei, you've come to the right place." Rias said with a confident smile. "I'd be more than happy to answer any question you have but first things first there's something more urgent I need to discuss with you first so please have a seat."
"Uh, are you sure? I have the feeling that what I've got is pretty important." Issei glanced down at his left arm which was still hidden in his hoodie pocket. Issei then with a shrug of his shoulders he took a seat next to the handsome blonde. He shot the extremely pretty boy a glare expecting him to scoot over or vacate the bench entirely but he responded with a friendly smile that served to frustrate Issei. The dark haired boy took a look around the classroom and seemed to take notice of the three members aside from Rias for the first time. 'Woah, is this club like pretty people only? Like those big chain restaurants that openly only hire hot chicks but still don't manage to get sued by the rejects somehow…'
"Alright Issei so there's something I know about your resurrection that I didn't tell you this morning. The reason for that being is that it's pretty complicated, and I needed to make sure it's something you'd be capable of believing. You'd be surprised by the human mind's capacity for rejecting the supernatural but after these last two days you shouldn't have any trouble accepting the reality of things." Rias said seriously but she was right, whatever story she had Issei would be ready for it.
"Well you got me here. No more secrets. I can handle it." Issei's eyes narrowed with intensity.
"Okay, I won't go easy on you then. Everyone in this room, that includes you, are Devils!" Rias declared and to add truth and emphasis to her statement all the club members stood up then the four of them each sprouted an identical looking pair of bat wings. "Technically I'm the only true devil here. You, along with Kiba, Koneko and Akeno here are what is known as a reincarnated devil. I assume you can gather from the name what that means."
"A Devil huh?" Issei muttered to himself before looking at his back.
"Umm, you probably wanna stand up before you do the wing thing." The blonde boy Kiba bestowed some advice along with a quick attention grabbing jab from his elbow. "Furniture here is kinda expensive."
"Oh, yeah. No problem." Issei stood up and took a half step forward to make sure he was a safe distance away before resuming. "Ahem! A Devil huh?" Issei took a glance at his back and then just like with the others before, a massive pair of bat wings sprouted from his back. 'No way!' Issei remained calm on the surface but inside was an entirely different story. 'I did have this strange feeling this morning that never really went away and it's hard hearing that I'm not human anymore but what's really weighing on me right now is that I'm pretty sure I'm never actually gonna use these wings to fly!'
The whole room was silent as Issei spent a few moments lightly flapping his wings a bit before speaking up again. "That guy from earlier called me a devil, I guess I shoulda taken that more seriously. It's gonna be weird trying to accept that I'm not human anymore but I'd definitely rather be this than be dead, so thank you.
"You're perfectly welcome. I'm glad to see you're taking the news pretty well." Rias smiled at this pleasant development.
"Yeah, well I don't usually like to give the old man credit but there is one thing he said to me that's proved to be true no matter where I go. "Nothing in this world comes free." Issei, having retracted his wings, sat back down on the couch.
"Glad to hear you think like that because there's one more thing I need to tell you about and honestly it's probably the most important thing." Rias' face turned a bit red as she nervously pressed her fingers together. "I may have kinda accidently turned you into my eternal immortal servant without your permission."
"Huh?..." Issei muttered as he tried to decipher Rias' word vomit.
"With the state I found you in this was the only way for me to keep you from dying. My healing magic alone wasn't strong enough to repair that level of damage. I planned to ask your permission but if I didn't act when I did I would have never gotten the chance." Rias explained very quickly, each word like another bullet to Issei's mind. "I apologize for acting without your consent but considering the alternative I believe I made the objectively right call."
"Okay… slow down and let me process this." Issei lifted his right hand and quieted the room. "So the process that brought me back to life only works by turning me into a devil servant? And I'm supposed to believe all that to be true? That this was the only alternative and you acted completely selflessly with no ulterior motives whatsoever. C'mon, I'm not stupid!" Issei shot one of his signature nasty looks at the red haired girl.
"I never said my actions were selfless, I'm a devil we don't act selflessly. I said what I did was the right call. Are you saying that this is a fate worse than death because technically the process is reversible but it will put you into the same state you were before I revived you." Rias responded with an equally powerful and serious look of her own.
"Haahhh…. So that's it? Either I'm dead or I'm a slave?" Issei put his head into his right palm as he processed it.
"Trust me, you're making it sound a lot worse than it actually is." Kiba added placing a supportive hand on Issei's shoulder.
"If you had to pick a devil to serve Rias should be at the top of her list. You should know by her affectionate display this morning that she has a habit of pampering her servants." The dark haired akeno chimed in as well but neither comment seemed to lift Issei's spirits.
"I used the term servant because technically that's what it's called but I never said slave. To me Akeno, Koneko, Kiba and now you, I see you all as family and plan to treat you as such." Rias tried her best as well to lift the boys' sunken spirits but to no avail. "Haaaahh… Fine if this a situation you absolutely can't accept this situation then I have no use for a servant that's being held here against their will so if you'd like to leave then I won't stop you nor will I try and pursue you." Rias relented, getting Issei to raise his head. "I'd like to remind you of what you just told me, "nothing in this world comes free". I'd also like to inform you that the items I used to resurrect you are an enormous investment and far from easy to replace. I'd also like to inform you that while I swear not to pursue you personally, other devils like won't let this stand as it would reflect poorly on the master/servant system we've come to rely on and it's like you'll be violently pursued to the very ends of the earth but like I said. If you're fine with all this then you're free to go."
"..." Issei went completely silent as he studied Rias' face for any traces of dishonesty. 'Either she's the greatest liar on earth or she's being serious… Either way I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth!' Issei stood up and immediately upon doing so Rias' expression darkened and a swift punch of guiltiness hit him in the gut. 'C'mon Issei! She already took your humanity, you can't be feeling guilty now! If you stay that's it, you're a servant it doesn't matter how much they wanna sugar coat it! It doesn't matter how much she might've given up! It shouldn't matter to me that she saved my life! This is the only reasonable course of action! Right?'
"What about you!" Issei pointed a finger at petite Koneko who reacted as if she hadn't been paying attention this entire time. "Everyone else here has already tried to sell me on this crap but you're a servant too right? You're the only one here tha st's not all smiles so I can trust to some extent that you're not being hypnotised or whatever. So, what do you think I should do?"
"..." The young girl just sort of stared blankly at Issei for a moment but then the girl of few words spoke up. "Rias is pretty cool. Life kinda sucked for me before I met her but now things are pretty okay. You could be doing a lot worse thuggo, trust me."
"Hmmmm…." Issei muttered, still not sure of what his final decision should be but he came up with one anyone. "Well, it's not like I have anywhere else to go. Granddad sent me here cause nobody else would take me so I guess I have no choice." He shut his eyes as he nonchalantly leaned back in his seat.
"Yeah, guess not." Rias smiled to herself. "Alright everyone! You heard him, we have a new club member. That means it's time to celebrate!"
"Club member? Wait I never!" Issei tried to interject but at this point it was no use.
"I'll go get the cake!" Akeno exclaimed as she pushed her tea cart down a connected hallway.
"C-Cake?" Issei muttered as it quickly became all too obvious that he was approaching an entire 24 hours since the quest for food that sparked the evince up until now had begun. "I guess I could stay for cake…."
"But before that, there's something you wanted to talk to us about?" Rias reminded the starving young boy.
"Oh yeah!" Issei stood up and began to slip his arm out of his jacket but quickly got cold feet after taking a quick glance around the room. "I think it'd be better to take this outside."
(Outside)
The club moved together to a small wooded area in the school courtyard and Issei finally unveiled his sacred gear to the group, along with a small demonstration as he punched the bark of a nearby tree and made the entire towering plant fall over landing with a loud crash! "So this thing kinda just showed up on my hand and I don't really know what it does and I don't know how to turn it off…" [BOOST!] The gauntlet with off with a flash. "Oh yeah, sometimes it does that too but other than that it's pretty cool."
"Let me see that!" Rias quickly, excitedly walked over and grabbed hold of Issei's gauntlet and quickly began to examine it. "I knew you'd have one but could this really be?..." The curious red hand began pushing and pulling Issei's arm into uncomfortable positions as she continued her examination. [BOOST!] "HUuuuuh! No way!" She practically shrieked out in excitement. "Do you know what this is?!"
"No, that's why I asked you." Issei growled as he ripped his arm away before stretching it out for a moment.
"Hmmmm… Well how do I explain it." Rias paused and scratched her chin for a moment before beginning a long spiel. "So we're Devil's right and you're more than familiar with the Fallen Angels at this point but that's not where the world beyond humans ends, far from it. Monster, Spirits, Angels, God's and even Dragon exist somewhere, in this world or another. From there, it's pretty easy to see where humans stand as far as power is concerned in order to level the playing time the God of the bible gave a few special humans certain sacred, powerful items and artifacts as a means of protecting them we call those items Sacred Gears and that's what you currently have on your arm."
"A super powered artifact huh?" Issei marveled at his crimson gauntlet for a moment before turning to Rias and saying. "I already knew that. Figured that part out almost immediately. I was kinda hoping for more specifics like how do I turn it off and why was it…. talking to me before?"
"Well, if you'd let me finish! I was getting to the specifics." Rias said in a huff. "Oh and to turn it off, I'm pretty sure you just have to imagine your hand going back to normal."
"C'mon that can't be, oh….." Issei muttered as his hand returned to its normal state. "Huh? It worked." Issei then spent the next few moments making the gauntlet appear and disappear back and forth.
"AHEM!" Rias faked clearing her throat to make Issei pay attention before continuing. "You're particular sacred gear is one of a kind, named Boosted Gear and draws its power from the trapped welsh dragon. Its ability infinitely increases its users power in its base form like it is now your power boosts come at intervals of around ten seconds."
"Hah! Sweet! That power's totally broken, so broken in fact that I bet it's going to work really inconsistently from here on out!" Issei exclaimed enthusiastically as he thrusted his gauntlet into the air where it let out another [BOOST!]
"You know Issei, over the years a certain title has been given to the dragon that powers the Boosted Gear that's shared with its wielder. So don't be surprised if you're referred to as the Red Dragon Emperor going forward." Rias smirked as Issei began to smile proudly.
"Red Dragon Emperor huh? That name definitely suits a badass like me!" Issei stood tall with his chest puffed out.
"Spoiler alert, it's not a compliment." The quick witted Koneko spat back.
"Huh? Well, compliment or not they don't call someone an EMPEROR if they're a wimp." Issei continued with his smirky confidence. "It's nice to know that even in a world of devils and angels and shit, I'm still a guy nobody wants to mess with!"
"It's true that you're indeed strong and have the potential to be someone truly great but don't think you're at the top yet. In this world that kind of ignorance can be deadly." Rias said with a smirk of her own and then to add emphasis, with a mere flick of her wrist Rias unleashed a spark of crimson magic that completely vaporized the tree Isssi had knocked over in less then an instant. "I told you how your powers work. Remember, the Boosted Gear multiplies your base power so the best way to strengthen the boosted gear is to strengthen your base. You may have been an impressive physical specimen for a human but compared to the heights you'll be able to reach as a devil. Let's just say you have a long way to go but if you commit yourself and work hard I can promise you the rewards will be more than worth it."
"Alright then." Issei closed his gauntlet grip and a genuine smile formed on his face. "Then I have a proposition for you. This whole servant thing still hasn't been sitting well with me no matter how good it might be. I don't like it so I have a proposition for you. Rather than being your servant, I propose a partnership I'll stick around and let you call the shots but only on the condition that you help teach me to use these powers and help me get stronger and the second I like you can't help me get stronger, I'm outta here without a second thought. Sound fair?"
"That works for me. It's a deal!" Rias agreed, sticking her hand out and with a smirk Issei took it and they shook.
"Alright just so you know, I'm not calling you master. Get that?" Issei declared immediately turning away from the red haired girl. "Think of this as a business venture, so from now on I'm gonna call you Boss." Issei decided as he placed his hands in his pocket and prepared to leave. "I'm not gonna lie, I've got high hopes for this devil thing. Don't disappoint me."
(Next day, after school)
CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! Issei worked tirelessly as he stapled flyers to various lamp posts and street signs. 'Consider me disappointed…'
'I guess I can consider this my punishment for acting like a big shot yesterday but is this really devil work?' Issei groaned in his head as he moved on to the next lamp post. 'I may have just been reborn yesterday but I bet I could handle those higher level jobs. Actually, that desire granting crap Rias was talking about earlier sounds kinda creepy so may stapling flyers is good for now.'
Issei continued working until he found himself out of flyers and now in some sort of city park. "Hwooohh…. Done for the day." Issei wiped non existent sweat from his brow. GRMMMBBLLEEEE! Issei's stomach screamed at him. 'Ugh, I can't believe I rushed off yesterday and skipped out on the cake! Am I a moron? Well that's it! No more!' Issei clenched his fist as he gathered his resolve. 'Today's the day, I'm finally gonna do it! No Fallen Angel thing or any of Rias' bullshit is gonna stand in the way of me finally tracking down that grocery store!' Issei closed his eyes as he prepared to proudly march forward. 'Look out grocery store, here I come and I'm shopping HUNGRY!'
Issei took a powerful step forward but when time came for the next one SMACK! The intentionally blinded Issei ran into a mysterious object and the collision knocked him on his ass. "Awwghhh! Damn it!" Issei gritted his teeth. 'Okay, what did I hit.' Issei opened his eyes to find a pair of white panties sticking out directly in front of his face, causing a small stream of blood to flow from his nose. 'Awh, crap… Wait for me! GROCERY STORE!' Issei silently called out to the universe before falling backwards as the blood continued to flow.
(End)