Well, it looks like I'm back on my bullshit once again! Welcome to the newest update of the Pentakill Peerage! Got a new job, been taking classes, blah blah blah y'all don't need to hear my excuses about this so let's just get a move on and get back into this.
Does feel kinda bad that I have to reread any of my stories when I try to update any of them, but oh well.
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The Pentakill house was… certainly a bit crowded. By the time they got there, they were so exhausted that the newly converted devils didn't even try to put up a fight and just collapsed onto the large couch. Yorick threw them a spare blanket from the closet as Karthus yawned.
"We'll figure out new lodgings, sleeping arrangements, and more clothes for you guys tomorrow. For now, just make do with what you have here." He said, turning and following the rest of the crew to their bedrooms. The four fallen all looked between each other as they heard the various doors slam shut. They heard a quiet chirping noise, causing Raynare to look over and shriek when she saw a mistwalker on the arm of the couch next to her. The other three looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Look guys, I'm… I'm sorry I dragged you all into this." Raynare said, shifting away from the mistwalker. "You guys just tagged along with me, and all I did was get you guys killed and enslaved to a peerage of devils we know nothing about."
"It's fine, Raynare." Kalawarner said, gently resting her hand on Raynare's shoulder. "We stuck with you this far, We will stay with you wherever you go."
"That's right." Dohnaseek said, nodding resolutely. "Not to mention, these people, whoever they really are, are incredibly strong. Those rooks easily demolished the three of us, and they were half-naked and drunk." He said, feeling at least a bit bad about that loss. Mittelt chimed in next.
"Yeah, and It could be like sooo much worse. I heard the guy with the shovel play, they might not be too bad! Not excited about being a roadie though, whatever that means…"
Raynare sighed, a small smile on her face. "Thanks guys, that means a lot. I'm glad we are all in this… and you're right, it could always be so much worse. Whatever happens, I'm sure we can handle it." She flinched when the mistwalker made a happy croaking noise.
"What's that thing got you so jumpy about? It's kinda cute…" Mittelt said, tilting her head. Raynare shuddered.
"I watched a pack of them devour an exorcist last night… not even bone was left."
Needless to say, they slept in shifts that night.
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The next morning was a lively affair.
"Alright, now that everyone is awake and rested…" Karthus began, looking around at the cramped kitchen table everyone was huddled around. "It's time to talk about our plans for the day. First off, all of us students have decided to say fuckit and skip school today. We need a break, and teachers be hanged. Everyone expects us to be delinquents and who am I to disappoint?" He said, eliciting a bunch of chuckles from the other band members. "So that leaves us with very important business today."
"Oh? More rehearsals?" Mordekaiser asked, tilting his head.
"No you oaf." Kayle said with a shake of her head. "We have a lot of business surrounding our new recruits."
"Precisely." Karthus said, rubbing his temples. "First issue, clothing. If you guys are to be staying with us, some clothing changes will be required to help you all blend in. Sona and Kayle, you two will be helping them out."
"What's wrong with our outfits?" Raynare asked, putting her hands on her hips. Sona smirked.
You look like a stripper, Dohnaseek looks like a sex offender, Mittelt makes us look like sex offenders, and Kalawarner… needs clothes that fit, jesus.
The fallen all looked suitably cowed by the statement, seeming to finally realize their crimes against fashion.
"Yes, thank you for those… images." Karthus stated, blinking slowly. "Second issue, residency. The church you guys occupied was abandoned for a long time, so Yorick and I will use our savings Metallicus gave us and go to the town hall to see about purchasing that land to build our own estate there. I imagine we won't have too many issues, especially with magic on our side. Mordekaiser and Olaf, you two caused a bit of a ruckus yesterday, so you two are on labor duty. You will set about getting the sound equipment needed for a concert. Once I call you guys to let you know we have the deeds, you are in charge of demolition and construction. Understood?"
"Yes boss." The two largest members said, bowing their heads respectfully. Karthus rubbed his chin.
"Mittelt and Raynare I can probably pull some strings to get you guys admitted into Kuoh. Thanks to your memory stunt, no one knows who Yuuma is, so we can thankfully use that alias again. But you two…" he said, looking at Dohnaseek and Kalawarner. "You two look too old to be in highschool. With more mouths to feed, we will need a source of income, so you two will need to look for mundane day jobs." The two fallen groaned and Karthus snapped a finger, causing them to shut up. "Once we have the band up and running and maybe release an album, then you guys can quit and we can give you positions in the band. But until then, deal with it. Understood?"
"Yes sir…" They mumbled.
"Good. Then you all have your missions for the day. Go on, and good luck."
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Acquiring the deed to the old church was startlingly easy, catching both Yorick and Karthus by surprise. The man in charge was quite affable and more than willing to hand it over with the barest slip of magic. He was grateful someone was finally getting around to "removing that eyesore", especially if two young brothers of a wealthy family would be taking care of it. From there though, they needed to get the materials so Olaf and Mordekaiser could get to work.
Kayle and Sona really had their work cut out for them though. They thought that maybe the fallen would be able to pick out their own clothes, but were sorely disappointed. So they decided to take matters into their own capable hands.
After getting a bunch of mundane clothes for Kalawarner and Dohnaseek for whatever job they landed, and after getting a school uniform for both Mittelt and Raynare, they moved to a more punkish store.
Alright, so here we will be getting you the clothes you need if you are going to be helping us with the band or combat.
"We train and fight in our band outfits, So we are looking for form and function here. You guys won't be performing unless we find some need for backup singers. But you still need to look the part no matter where you end up. Let's go." Kayle said, striding inside like she owned the place.
Dohnaseek was up first, and the songstresses decided to allow him to keep the fedora for the outfit, but put him in a black shirt with no sleeves, a dark gray leather vest with spiked studs going up the sides, and blue flames at the back, and a pair of well fitted black trousers. Rather understated for the band, but he wasn't going to be a front runner anyways.
Kalawarner was next, and Sona decided to put the blue haired woman in an outfit more like hers, a strapless black dress with silver lightning designs running down the slits in the sides. A pair of fingerless gloves that went to her elbows completed the look, along with a silver skull hairpiece.
Mittelt had put up a bit of a fuss, but was quickly placated when they promised that she could get piercings like Kayle. She ended up with a white crop top under an equally short vest laden with spikes and got herself a silver chain choker. A black skirt and high boots with spikes on them finished off the outfit, and Kayle found it kinda adorable how the blond seemed to be mimicking her.
Then it was Raynare's turn, And the two bandmates were a little stumped on how to deal with her. Ultimately they settled on something similar to her previous battle outfit, but with fabric between a few of the various straps for at least some decency. Of the four of them, Raynare was certainly the one closest to the aesthetic, and so they just decided to make little changes to her outfits.
Once the four new members of the peerage were clothed, the girls looked upon their work and nodded. "Alright then." Kayle said. "Time for the crowning moment for all of you."
"Oh? And what would that be?" Raynare asked, really starting to get into this whole thing. In fact, all of the fallen seemed more comfortable now than they had been that morning when they woke up to the rest of the peerage standing over them.
Sona smirked, causing the others to gulp.
Tattoos.
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Mordekaiser and Olaf were… having a bit of a day. They had successfully managed to get some equipment for the band, but moving them without a truck took all of the morning. And by the time they were done and ready to crash, Karthus came to them with a rental truck full of materials.
"Up and at 'em boys, you've got work to do! We are heading to the church now, so you guys better be ready to do a lot of heavy lifting." Karthus said with a smirk, Yorick also smirking as he heard the groans from his bandmates.
"Yeah, yeah, we know…" Mordekaiser growled, hefting himself off the couch as Olaf cracked his neck. "We better be able to use magic to help though, cause no way am I building anything normally."
"Fortunately the church is far enough away from any mortals we can safely practice magic, and our music without disturbing the locals." Karthus said with a nod as he hopped into the driver's seat and the other three hopped into the back. "Besides, you'll have Yorick's mistwalkers around to help with the smaller, more menial stuff. I'm going to be occupied with desecrating the landscape so staying there won't give us headaches." He said as the truck pulled up the winding path to the abandoned building. "I've left the blueprints with Yorick, he's in charge because I do not trust you numbskulls."
Karthus smirked as he ignored the indignant cries of his guitarist and drummer. He had actually stayed up the entire previous night, drawing up plans for the house. It had bothered Kayle for a bit before she passed out, and then he worked on through the night. He was thinking ahead while designing the place, recognizing that he had space in his peerage for two knights and four more pawns. Plus he had to make sure there was room for their equipment, rehearsals, and of course, enough space for the after-concert parties he absolutely had to throw. The plans for the house were certainly grand, and it had dried up a majority of the savings Metallicus had left them, meaning they had to churn out an album soon. So as Karthus went around, defiling the landscape and twisting it to be more devil friendly, the two biggest teens on the block and a veritable army of mistwalkers set about to bring the palatial estate to fruition.
Construction continued longer than expected, even after Kayle and Sona brought the rest of the fallen to assist. Devils' strength and stamina were praised and appraised that day with the intense non stop labor. While their previous house was fine, no one wanted to spend another night with the ten of them crowded into a house meant for at most four people. As the moon raised and set, and the sun raised and set, and time continued its inexorable march, the estate was actually starting to take shape rather well. Thanks to a weighty application of magic and the sheer number of dead exorcists in the basement, the first floor was already mostly finished and the second floor was not far behind. In fact, while Mordekaiser and Olaf were busy installing the support beams for the roof, Raynare, Kalawarner and Yorick all went back to the house with the truck to start loading the furniture in. None of them particularly cared about the fact that they were missing several days of school, in their minds that didn't matter nearly as much as finishing their house. But by now, all of them were very exhausted and just wanted the house to be done.
And upon the one week anniversary, the final stickers were peeled off, and the last nails were driven in. Everyone gathered in front of the front door with satisfied grins and more than a couple of yawns.
The building was several degrees larger than the church that previously stood there, with two floors plus a rooftop party balcony on one side. There was a massive pool out back, and there were bedrooms to spare, with rooms for individual and group music practice, a hall for the studies they'd have to catch up on, a dojo for sparring, dining hall, kitchen, a big cellar for food, an office, a recording studio, an outdoor party deck to accompany the pool with a sound stage, firepit, couches, and a full outdoor kitchen with an underground hall that connected to the cellar. It was a good week's work, and it was certainly worth the effort. As Karthus went off to sell the house they had been previously staying in, everyone else entered the building and crashed anywhere they could for a well earned rest.
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The band's return to school had been heralded by all sorts of rumors milling around the building, not to mention the two new students of Yuuma and Mittelt joining at the same time the band returned. There were also rumors about someone famous moving to town, if the sudden appearance of a mansion where the church used to be was any indication. No one quite put it together that all three were connected more closely than anticipated. Fortunately, after a quick explanation to Rias as to why they were absent, and a slightly more lengthy explanation to Souna managed to get them… mostly off the hook for their extended absence. The cover story was that they needed to return to their home country briefly to tie off a few loose ends for their stay in Kuoh. This only stirred more rumors about where they were from. Some speculated Germany based on Mordekaiser's name, while others believed maybe America. The rumors were also spreading that they would be hosting a concert soon, and that even Rias Gremory was planning to attend. That was more than enough for the larger population of the school to consider going.
In further conversation with Souna about what exactly they were doing, Karthus found that they were missing an important part of being devils: familiars. And as it just so happened, the closest available time was approaching, but both Souna and Rias were planning on visiting the familiar master for their newest peerage members, despite the fact that only one peerage would be allowed in at once. She was planning to discuss it with Rias, and Karthus decided he needed to be there too.
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"Well this is embarrassing…"
"I know, isn't it?"
"I couldn't have said it better myself."
Everyone in the Occult Research Club room turned in surprise to see the new additions to the party filling the door. Karthus stood at the head of his peerage, everyone in their school uniforms except for Dohnaseek and Kalawarner in the back. Saji blinked.
"Wait, you guys are devils too? No wonder you guys came out of nowhere to start the rumors flowing." He said, looking across the assorted crowd with surprise. Rias tilted her head in greeting.
"Certainly an odd surprise to see you here Karthus. What brings you to-"
"WAIT WHAT!?" Issei declared in shock at seeing Raynare and the other fallen standing with Karthus. "Since when did you guys work together? What's going on?"
Karthus tilted his head with a smirk. "Since when was your little nun friend a devil? Speaking of whom, it is lovely to see you again Asia. I do hope you don't mind my newest pawns, as I'm sure you can understand forgiveness and absolution."
"A-ah… o-oh yes, I-I've thought about it a bunch… if it weren't for them, I would not have met Issei, and that would be sad, so I look back on what happened in a better light now."
Karthus could practically hear the tension leave the pawns behind him as he chuckled. "I am glad to hear. And as for you Issei…" He said, turning to look at the brown haired pawn, who straightened unconsciously, letting go of Saji's hand. "...keep getting into trouble like that. It's fun, and good things have come our way as a result."
"Hey!"
"Anyways, Karthus, why are you here? I doubt you would bring your whole peerage here for a little chat, so what brings you?"
"I think the student council representative will say it best." Karthus said with a chuckle as Souna sighed, realizing she had made this whole issue more difficult than it had to be.
And so the conversation unfolded with Karthus merely listening in as they conversed about the issues with the coming week being the only time for the coming month that they could see the familiar master. He did notice something peculiar about the way Souna addressed Rias in regards to the Rating Game and how now was not the time to 'call attention to herself'.
"So why don't we finish this the old fashioned way: with sports?" Rias suggested. Karthus chuckled.
"A neat proposition, for certain, but what kind of three way sport are you thinking? Most only allow for two teams."
Souna rubbed her chin. "A good point. That does throw a bit of a wrench into the plan, as sports like tennis would need to be done tournament style." She sighed, and glanced at her peerage, then Karthus's, and then Rias's.
Karthus shrugged. "Why not just play rock-paper-scissors?"
The two other kings looked at him and he couldn't help but chuckle. "I mean, it's a quick and easy solution, it's fair in all three directions, and we don't need to potentially expose ourselves to the general public with inadvertent displays of power."
A pin hitting the floor could likely be heard should such a thing happen. Then Rias giggled.
"I suppose that's fair, if you're up for it Souna."
"I don't see why not…"
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Karthus sighed as the band and their new members all sat around in the music room of the school building.
"... Alright who's gonna say it first?" Karthus mumbled. At that, Mordekaiser and Olaf burst out laughing.
"I can't believe you lost immediately!" Mordekaiser bellowed, slamming his fist on the desk he was seated at. Sona couldn't help but snort and Kayle shook her head with an amused smile.
"After all that talk about getting familiars, too…" the metal angel shrugged helplessly. "I guess we just will have to carry on without them. I mean, it hasn't stopped us this far. That does leave us with quite a bit of open time if we aren't going to get our familiars tonight."
"Indeed. We will just need to try again next month, and with Rias's peerage now out of the mix we can challenge Souna's peerage one on one to something next time." Karthus said, grateful that Kayle was able to at least bring down the cacophony of the rooks. He turned his gaze to the four fallen who were still standing awkwardly off to one side. "You guys should really start integrating with us, you are stuck with us after all." He said, raising an eyebrow as Raynare shuffled.
"It's just… you guys are so close to each other already, we feel like… well we feel we don't really belong." The leader of the squad said, giving a shaky smile to the leader.
"Then it is settled. I know exactly what we are doing tonight!" Olaf shouted, catching everyone by surprise, Karthus included.
"Oh, and what exactly is that?" He asked, intrigued by what plan the musclehead could possibly have come up with.
"We forcibly split them up, and they each go with a member or two of the group for some bonding time! It's foolproof!"
The singer hummed, rubbing his chin before tilting his head. "That's… a surprisingly competent idea from you Olaf, well done. Do you have any suggestions about what exactly we will do or how to split everyone up?"
Kayle grinned and stood up, strutting over to Raynare and draping an arm over her shoulder. "You and I are hitting some late night Karaoke and there is nothing you can say to convince me otherwise. I bet you've got a good voice, sister. We'll see you guys back at the house later!" She said, waving at the group before dragging the protesting Raynare after her. The three remaining fallen, now leaderless, swallowed nervously as they watched their friend get dragged off. Dohnaseek even let out a yelp when he felt Mordekaiser's heavy hand clamp down on his shoulder.
"Alright buddy, you're coming with me. We are getting you to a gym and you are gonna beef up. I want you to at least stand a chance of blocking me next time we spar, and the third best option for bonding with someone is exercise!"
"W-what are the first two?" Dohnaseek asked, stammering slightly as he looked up at the towering dark haired teen.
"Music, and drunk sex. You don't seem to have talent for the first, and you don't seem to swing that way for the second option." Mordekaiser said in a flat tone, eliciting barking laughter from Olaf at the face Dohnaseek pulled.
"Y-yeah, working out sounds great!" the blue haired fallen said quickly, turning and running to the door. Mordekaiser blinked before laughing and stomping after him. Kalawarner gulped and sent a glance at Sona, as if to send a telepathic message to her, begging her to not leave her with any of the guys. Getting the look, Sona smirked.
'Alright Kalawarner, come on. Gonna get you unpacked." She said telepathically, causing her to sigh and relax her shoulders a little bit.
"Oh thank goodness." Kalawarner mumbled with a small smile as the busty redhead stepped up and wrapped an arm around her waist. As they started walking towards the door to the music room, Sona looked back over her shoulder at the remaining four people and gave a lecherous grin, earning quiet chuckles from Olaf and Karthus.
"Poor woman doesn't know she chose possibly the worst one here aside from Olaf…"
"Oi!"
Mittelt giggled slightly at the antics between the members, already feeling a little more comfortable with the absolutely bizarre people. She immediately skipped over to where Yorick was seated and leaned up onto the silent male's shoulder.
"I wanna go see your cute little creepy things! They don't seem bad if they're on my side!"
Yorick blinked a couple of times, but ultimately shrugged and climbed out of his seat. As he silently made his way to the door, Mittelt stayed pretty close, starting to babble about something inane as they left the room. Now alone with each other, Olaf and Karthus looked at eachother.
"Well?" Karthus asked with a raised eyebrow. Olaf laughed.
"If you're thinkin' I'm gonna ask you out to dinner, you got another think comin'." The drummer hefted himself to his feet and stretched, limbs popping as he did. Karthus grinned.
"Still can't get over the fact you actually had a good idea for once."
"Hey, it happens from time to time, I try to make sure the good ideas don't get too lonely!" Olaf said, flipping off Karthus but still letting a grin stretch across his face. "Nah, I gotta get back to the house and get some more reps in, concert in the near future and I wanna give that solo practice room a test out."
Karthus nodded. "Take care then man, I'm gonna go for a walk and see what I can find. Who knows who is wandering the streets at night, last time I did this I got to watch Issei die, so I have my expectations set pretty high." The deathsinger chuckled as he slipped his school blazer on and stood up, following Olaf out the door and locking up the school music room behind them.
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Having rented a private karaoke room for the night, Kayle revealed the bottles of wine she snuck in with her to Raynare, earning her a raised eyebrow.
"Oh come on, you don't mean to tell me that you've never gotten drunk before?" Kayle asked with a smirk. "Weeeeaaaaak! We are gonna fix this right now!" She pulled out her sword mic keychain and used the miniature blade to pry out the cork with a satisfying popping noise. She took a long swig before passing the bottle over to Raynare with a laugh.
The fallen looked at the bottle for a moment. This group she found herself stuck with was bizarre even by devil standards. There was so much unconventionality about them, but she could not deny the level of strength they had. She was now stuck with them for eternity, so she might as well embrace the chaotic lifestyle they led. She brought the bottle to her lips and took a few heavy swigs before setting it down with a gasp.
"Alright! Now we can get started! Let's see how well you can sing!" Kayle said, tossing a microphone at Raynare. Then the metal queen scooped up the bottle and drained half of it in a single go. Raynare quickly shook herself out of her shocked stupor as the first song began playing. She had spent so long training, trying desperately to become stronger, she never really had the chance to relax and have fun. Despite its ending, there was a small part of her that did enjoy the date with issei. So as the first batch of lyrics began to show up on screen, she decided to throw the past to the wind and just let loose for once.
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Dohnaseek was sweating.
Having gone to a 24 hour gym so late at night had meant that it was pretty much just him and Mordekaiser in the weight room. Which meant that he was stuck spotting a guy who was bench pressing easily three times his own body weight while still managing to carry out a conversation with the blue haired fallen.
"Alright buddy. You're living with us now, and that means you're gonna have to deal with us. That means speak your mind, don't be a coward, and listen to Karthus. He's the one who brought you guys back, and you better make it worth the effort."
"R-right." Dohnaseek said, squaring his shoulders as Mordekaiser set the weights down and stood up off the bench.
"Your turn now. Let's see what you can do." He said, removing a decent number of the weights for the fallen and standing over him, watching carefully. Dohnaseek grunted with exertion as he began his reps. As he started, Mordekaiser threw him a question.
"So what are you even good at?"
Dohnaseek was about to say fighting, but seeing as he had lost to his overseer twice with barely any effort, he bit his tongue instead and tried to think. What was he good at? He never really had a chance to explore his own talents, it was always just following orders. Whether from Azazel or Raynare, he would follow orders and that was about it.
"I'm… not sure, aside from following orders…"
Mordekaiser raised an eyebrow before sighing. "Man, that's tragic. Alright, new mission: figure out something you enjoy and are good at."
"Why do you even care? I mean you guys forced us into subjugation after all, we're just a couple of pawns."
Mordekaiser growled, causing Dohnaseek to flinch.
"Do you even know what metal is?"
"What, like steel? Yeah?"
The sound of Mordekaiser's meaty hand colliding with his own face echoed in the empty gym.
"No, you dumbass. Metal music. What we play."
"Oh. Uhh… no I don't really think I know what it really is."
Mordekaiser leaned back as Dohnaseek set the weights down.
"Metal is freedom. Metal gathers the outcasts and gives them an outlet of rage. All those who don't fit in, who have nothing, can shout their anger at the world with metal and find a family. You're part of us now, you're part of this culture. We don't care what society says, what orders are given, we are ourselves wholly and unapologetically. You're with us now, you're an individual. Yeah you belong to Karthus but that is so that you don't get hunted down and killed. So as long as you're a part of our family, we are going to help you figure out your identity."
Dohnaseek stared at Mordekaiser, then turned his gaze to the floor. He clenched a fist. So long had he been under the control of various people, so long had he been living for others. Now it was his turn to take control of his own life. He looked up with a grin.
"Teach me how to play metal."
Mordekaiser grinned an equally toothy grin right back.
"You're on."
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Kalawarner wondered to herself how exactly she had ended up in this situation.
She was shivering slightly as the air conditioning blew across her skin, looking at the cards in her hand, already having a bad feeling about the current round. She looked across the table at her opponent, who was wearing her shirt, shorts, shoes, gloves, hairpiece, and socks over her regular clothes. She sighed and threw her cards down.
"Alright Sona, I give up. I don't know how you talked me into playing strip poker. I don't know how you managed to talk me into continuing to play strip poker. I especially don't know how I've never managed to win once. But I refuse to be humiliated any further by you. I would've expected this from one of the guys, but you?"
Sona chuckled quietly to herself before standing up and strutting over to Kalawarner, resting her hands on the bluenette's shoulders. This motion caused Kalawarner to stiffen a bit as Sona draped herself over her.
Oh come on now Kallie, why so stiff, so serious? Why not relax, and have fun? We are all women here, aren't we?
Kalawarner shivered as Sona's sultry voice echoed in her head, the telepath's mental sounds sending a ripple down her spine.
"I…" Kalawarner paused. Of the little quartet of fallen angels, she frequently had to be the mom of the group. Mittelt was far too childish to be reliable, and while Raynare was the leader, she wasn't exactly what one would call mature… in a mental fashion at least. Dohnaseek was reliable and responsible, but he was a bit of a doormat, in all honesty. So she often needed to be the voice of reason. "I feel ridiculous…"
Sona smiled a bit more at her. Now why would that be? You would think I should feel more ridiculous, seeing as I'm wearing multiple sets of clothes right now? You meanwhile look absolutely delectable~
Kalawarner blinked, a haze of red dusting her cheeks as she whirled to look at Sona, who gave her a cheeky wink. She stammered a few times as the melodic tones of the redhead's laughter rang in her head.
Oh please, you don't mean to tell me that you've never heard that before? I'd totally do you~
"N-no, I've heard it before, but usually it's from horny creepy men… Most of the time I just get jealous looks from other women. Why… why are you being so open and honest about this?" Kalawarner said, trying to shift out of Sona's grasp. The musician smiled and let her move, sitting back down across from her.
Music is the heart of the soul. There is a reason all of our group has some form of magic that involves souls. Karthus and Yorick are the more obvious examples of this, but my magic helps strengthen the souls of my allies around me. Kayle strengthens her own soul and grows in power over time. Even the two muscleheads have soul based magic, with Mordekaiser even having his own dimension, and Olaf's clubs residing partially in the soul plane as well which is how he can utilize true damage. All of us have power that draws on the soul in one way or another. And our musical connection strengthens it.
Kalawarner sat back, processing that as Sona turned a bit more serious.
So to be anything disingenuous would be doing ourselves a disservice. If you are not true to your soul, you have an imbalance in your life that weakens you. If you don't believe in your music, the audience will feel your lack of passion and will tear you apart. All of us speak our minds and hide nothing from each other, allowing both our music and our powers to truly manifest themselves in the purest possible form. That is what it means to join our group, to bare your soul to others who have done the same. So the question remains…
Sona smiled at Kalawarner, a genuine smile, unlike the various cocky smirks she normally wore. And the former fallen found herself returning the smile in turn as she let her shoulders relax a bit more.
What are you gonna do?
Kalawarner didn't answer, just grabbed the deck of cards and started shuffling again.
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"Man, this is like, totally fun! I knew I made the right choice in coming with you! You are such a great listener too! All the other fallen get so annoyed with me because they say I talk too much, but you haven't told me to shut up yet! That is totally awesome!"
Mittelt hadn't really expected the silent bassist to be so tolerant of her constant babbling. She was honestly expecting him to be more annoyed with her, since he seemed the more silent, brooding type. They were currently in the woods outside of the mansion, surrounded by a small gaggle of the mistwalkers. Yorick was quietly plucking at the strings of his bass, giving a small layer of background music to the peaceful scene. Mittelt was sitting next to him, leaning up against him as she tickled a mistwalker under the chin as it sat in her lap.
"You know, all you guys aren't that bad! Like, you've been soooooo nice to us even though you killed us, and we kept trying to kill that pervy boy, and we hired that freed dude, and yet you still got us really cool new clothes, and tattoos, though the tattoos kinda hurt a little… but they look really cool!"
Mittelt smiled as she looked at the thorned rose vine tattoo on her shoulder. None of the fallen had gotten a whole bunch of tattoos, just one to get started with them. But already Mittelt really wanted to get more and more.
"Hey Yorick?"
"Hm?"
"... Why are you guys so nice to us? Or maybe more why are you so nice to me? You…. you don't seem like the kinda person who would do that, like, I don't get it?"
Yorick sighed and paused in his strumming. The silence started to grow longer and longer, and Mittelt began shifting nervously, wondering if she said something wrong. But then Yorick spoke.
"Why bother being mean?"
"Eh?" Mittelt looked back and up at him, the confusion on her face.
"We caused the end of our old world. We've seen the void where everything goes eventually. Why waste time being mean?"
Mittelt looked down at the ground. "But… aren't you guys devils? Isn't being mean kinda your whole dealio?"
"You're a devil too now."
"I know that! But like, you guys, like, totally have no reason to be nice to us!"
"Why bother being mean?"
"Ugh, now you're just going in circles!"
"Listen." Yorick said, causing Mittelt to close her mouth with a snap. If the normally silent Yorick told her to listen to something he was about to say, then you better believe she was going to shut up.
"We are all masters of death. We know the ends of lives. We've seen time and time again what happens when someone dies, even ourselves. So why bother being mean to people we are gonna spend our eternity with? Sounds like a hassle, a real pain to try and deal with every day. Why not just have fun, spend good times with the people in our lives? Nothing remains at the end, so why make what we have miserable?"
Mittelt was shocked at what was easily the longest statement she had ever heard Yorick say. She slumped back against him, pondering his words even as she continued to pet the little mistwalker in her lap. He glanced down at the now subdued blonde with a raised eyebrow hidden behind the shadows of his cap. He shifted one of his arms to pat her head.
"Besides, I've spent a long time isolated in tombs. Sometimes a voice is welcome." He said with a shrug before returning to playing his guitar. A smile spread across Mittelt's face as his words sank in, light returning to her eyes as she began chatting aimlessly once more.
And as he kept playing, a small smile graced Yorick's lips.
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Karthus blinked twice.
"I beg your pardon?"
Rias Gremory folded her arms across her chest.
"I want you to take me."
Karthus paused and thought. This was not like the usual dignified President that he knew. He saw how she carried herself both in class and with her peerage, she was not the kind of person to approach someone she didn't know in an alleyway in the middle of the night asking for such a favor.
"Why do you hesitate? Am I not enough?" Rias asked, pressing her arms together in front of her, causing her breasts to squish together. Karthus raised his hand to stop her.
"You're lovely, don't worry. But something else is at play here. I've seen how you care for Issei, so there must be a reason you went for me rather than him. He would not likely be the kind of person to deny you if you asked him. But if all you wanted was a quick sex with a devil not from your peerage, I would have no doubts Olaf or Mordekaiser would be more than willing to oblige."
Karthus narrowed his eyes.
"I sense no foreign magic on you. You are not under the influence of anything but your own… you're avoiding something and using me for it."
Rias froze, and then sighed. She hung her head like a child that had just been caught stealing from the cookie jar. Karthus nodded as his suspicions were confirmed.
"You devils need to work on being more up front and honest. Seriously, if you just said what was wrong and that you needed help, I would have considered it… but as it stands it feels like I might need to start second-guessing any interaction you have with us from now on."
He paused as a magic circle appeared next to Rias, lighting up the alleyway. Karthus did not recognize the gray haired lady who stepped through the light, but he did feel the power radiating off of her. Rias sighed.
"I guess I was a bit too slow in considering…"
"With this one?" The stranger spoke, tilting her head as she considered him. "I suppose…. I suppose there were worse options out there, he seems pure-blooded but I do not recognize the bloodline…"
Rias blinked at that, and Karthus raised an eyebrow.
"Pardon me, lady, but who the hell are you supposed to be?"
"That's Lady Grayfia, my older brother's queen. And as for you, my virtue is free to be given to whoever I choose."
"Even so, you are still the next head of the house of Gremory. Please have some self-respect and dignity. And to you sir, please forgive me for not introducing myself. I serve the house of Gremory."
"Yeah, yeah. My name is Karthus. I wasn't going to take advantage of the little miss redhead anyways. This little diversion was interesting, but I really should be getting home soon, so I will take my leave. Remember what I said, Rias, honesty will get you much farther with us than trying to manipulate us." He said, turning and walking off. As he left, Grayfia turned to Rias.
"That man… something about him is off… Pure blood but no family name attached to him, what do you know about him?"
Rias shook her head. "Not enough. Let's go."
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By the time Karthus arrived back at the manse, he was the last one in. He decided to do the rounds to see all the members of his peerage. Olaf was still banging away in one of the practice rooms, and the singer was appreciative of the invention of soundproofing. He passed by one of the bedrooms to see Raynare passed out with a bottle of booze in her hand on the bed. He stepped in and caught the bottle before it rolled off the bed with a smirk. He passed by a very naked Kalawarner, but she seemed satisfied and chuckling to herself as she examined a spiked bracelet he recognized as Sona's. He looked over the balcony to see Mordekaiser and Dohnaseek in the dining room, gorging on a platter of scrambled eggs large enough to feed a family of four. Mittelt was asleep on the couch under a small pile of snoozing Mistwalkers, and Yorick was emerging from the bathroom in a towel. He saw Sona wearing a large amount of clothes and silently laughing to herself as she gave him a wave. Ultimately he returned to his bedroom, where a very tipsy Kayle was dressed in a pair of lingerie. He raised an eyebrow and chuckled as she came over and draped herself on him.
"So, anythin' interesting happen while I was away?" the angel of metal asked curiously, twirling a strand of his hair around her fingers. Karthus wrapped his arm around her waist and guided her towards their bed.
"One could say that. I won't go into details, but we should keep an eye on young Miss Gremory. Something new seems to be stirring around her, and if there is a chance we get to fight something, I want to be first in line."
"That's our boss for ya~"
"And how was everybody else tonight?"
"Everyone had a good time with each other, I definitely think we've all bonded a bit as a group today." Kayle said, rubbing her thumb under Karthus's chin. He chuckled and brushed her hand aside.
"Wonderful news."
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Karthus's suspicions that something was up were confirmed when he showed up to school with the rest of the band the next day, and saw neither hide nor hair of any member of Rias's peerage. So he figured he would find the one person who probably knew what was going on and ask her about the current situation. And this was how the lead singer found himself seated in the student council room across from Souna Sitri.
He smiled and nodded his thanks to one of her peerage members who handed him a cup of tea. He blew on it gently and took a sip, smiling at the flavor and soothing nature of the tea. "This is simply wonderful, you have my thanks. I may need to look into getting some of this myself…"
Souna raised an eyebrow. "Forgive me, but you do not seem like the kind of person who drinks or enjoys much tea."
"Because of my appearance and behavior? Sure, I can see why you would come to that conclusion. But you forget that I am a singer. Kayle and I always make sure to have some tea after our performances, since our particular musical style tends to lean towards… aggravating the throat if not properly cared for."
The student council president bowed her head. "I apologize for jumping to conclusions. Now if I may, what brings you here? You've never stopped by for a courtesy visit before, so why start now?"
Karthus nodded and finished the cup, setting it down on the table. "Cutting right to the chase, it's because of a current absent friend of ours and her little gang of misfits. I was wondering what was happening with her, seeing as I was almost tricked into getting involved with something without knowing what it was."
Souna blinked. "What do you mean by that?" She asked, leaning forward and tilting her head.
"What I mean by that is there must be some connection between Rias asking me to have sex with her last night and her current absence today."
Silence filled the student council room as Souna's jaw dropped and all of the other girls milling about stared at the white haired male. He could hear the whispers start up among them as Souna regained her composure and adjusted her glasses.
"I… I see… the fact that you said you were almost tricked means that you didn't take her up on the offer? The fact she would go so far… Alright, I suppose it is only fair to let you know what is going on, since you very nearly got involved. Rias is part of an arranged marriage."
Karthus nodded, and now with that important detail he could start piecing together some of the other interesting bits and pieces he knew. "And so she thought if she had herself defiled by someone else instead, the wedding would need to be called off out of either shame or outrage or some combination of the two. Now I am very glad I didn't take her up on that offer, that sounds like a royal mess."
"Quite literally, in fact." Souna stated, sitting back in her seat. "As you should know, in the great war, of the seventy-two pureblooded devil families, three survived. The house of Gremory, the house of Sitri, and the house of Phenix."
"Like the immortal bird of ice?"
"Ice? No, phoenixes were fire birds, who would burn to ash and be reborn in the ashes." Souna looked confused, and Karthus blinked. That must be another difference between his old world and the new one. "And the family of Phenix shares this power. Riser Phenix is the name of Rias's betrothed, though as you know, Rias wants nothing to do with him."
Karthus laughed. "He must be repulsive if Rias prefers Issei's company over his. So that explains a bit more. Families desperate to keep their pure blood pure, arranging marriages that don't care about the true feelings of the parties involved. That also makes Lady Grayfia's comment make more sense as well. Anyways, that doesn't explain their current absence. If they had gotten married I would've expected to see Issei crying or something along those lines."
Souna wanted to pursue his mention of Lady Grayfia, but let that get pushed aside in favor of answering his question. "Lady Rias challenged Lord Riser to a Rating game, and has been given ten days of preparation to make up for the power imbalance."
"Rating game… We shall put a pin in that. Power imbalance? Rias seems like quite the powerhouse, is there really that much of a difference between the two of them?"
Souna sighed. "While my rival is incredibly strong, it is more of a numbers game. Lord Riser has a full peerage of fifteen pieces and then himself. He is undefeated in fair matches of Rating games, with his only two losses being games he threw himself out of respect for his opponent's family. Meanwhile, Rias has a peerage of five plus herself, and she has never participated in a rating game. Her power of destruction is ridiculous, but it is matched with Riser's immortality and flames."
"Immortality? What a crock of shit." Karthus laughed. "There's no such thing as an immortal, and I would love to take this Riser fellow down a peg or two. Now back to rating games, what are they?"
Souna looked carefully at Karthus before answering. "A Rating game is an exhibition deathmatch between two peerages to give their servants combat experience as well as show off their power. It has evolved into an important part of a peerage's status, as those who do well at rating games are better respected than those who lose. It takes place in a pocket space created by a third party so that no real world locations are damaged or destroyed in the battle, letting people go all out."
She really didn't like how his eyes lit up at that declaration. "And what happens if the rating game world collapses before a victor is found?"
"The game would be a draw, as both sides would all be eliminated simultaneously. At least, that is theoretically the rules, but no one has ever dared to try and collapse the world they are fighting in."
Karthus made sure to not let the disappointment show on his face. While they could feasibly play the earthbreaker rhythm again in that world, they wouldn't win the fight. Which ultimately meant that they still had to hold back.
"Ah, well, just some silly supposition. I look forward to my peerage's first Rating game. I assure you we will put on quite a show."
"Is that so? I look forward to seeing what you all are capable of."
Karthus pushed himself to his feet and stretched. "Well, I must be off. Rehearsals and training to do and homework to blow off after all. Thank you for the tea, and please keep me updated on how the rating game goes. Though I may not be able to watch it, I would like to send my regards to whoever comes out victorious in one way or another."
"Very well." Souna said, also rising and giving a slight bow. "Though I must advise you to at least maintain a passing grade so that you and none of your peerage will need to be held back a year. Would simply be embarrassing." She said with a small smile.
"I appreciate the concern. Perhaps I should schedule more social visits with such a generous host. I have always been interested in learning chess, after all."
##########################################################
The next several days passed largely uneventfully for the members of the Pentakill Peerage. Each of the Fallen were getting some magical training to give them new potential with their devil magic while also receiving physical training to keep their fighting skills up. Bonds were being made, and they were settling into an easy rhythm of daily life in preparation for their next concert. And then, on the twelfth day, they received a very interesting message.
The band was sitting around the campfire circle at night, laughing with each other and enjoying a couple of drinks when a magic circle appeared in front of them. Karthus stood up and held a hand out to keep his peerage back as Grayfia stepped out of it.
"Good evening Miss Grayfia. To what do I owe the honor of the Ultimate Queen paying our humble abode a visit?"
Grayfia looked around at the peerage around her, eyebrows furrowed in thought before she composed herself.
"I am here to cordially invite you to the engagement party between Rias Gremory and Riser Phenix."
"So she lost, huh? Interesting. And why are we invited?"
"You are being invited at the request of Lady Rias herself. She gave me a message to give to you as well. She said, 'I apologize sincerely for what happened the other night. I am sure you have figured out what has happened, and so I am simply requesting your assistance at my party, for my dear pawn's sake.'" Grayfia bowed her head. "This summoning circle will bring you to the party hall. Please arrive within the hour in appropriate formal wear to congratulate the young heir."
Karthus grinned.
"Alright everybody. You heard the lady. Get dressed in your show gear. We have a party to crash."
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Puah! Gosh it sure has been a while since this story got updated. But it felt good to get this all down. This was a lot of filler and fluff and character development stuff, but next chapter will be much much more exciting, I can promise you that. Writing this was a challenging experience, seeing as a large majority of it is original content diverting from canon a decent amount, and that will continue over the next chapters as well. But oh well, such is the price you pay when you introduce many more characters.
Well, until next time, I hope you enjoy the story so far!