Chapter 17: Tartarus Pits and Theme Parks

Caine

(15 weeks 1 day after arrival in Kalichi)

"What? Just figuring that out now Little Bastard?"

I frown and defensively retort, "How was I supposed to figure it out in the first place? You never mentioned anything like that!"

"What, I gotta spell it out for you and everything? Sheesh. Little brain for Little Bastard."

I mentally throw my hands up in the air and instead hand Chow the folder with the security seal, explaining, "Your name was listed as someone my parents trusted to accurately judge whether I'm ready for whatever's contained inside there. Take a look?"

He wordlessly accepts it and places his hand on the Seal before making an odd pushing motion with his arm, dispelling the lock in a small flare of light. As soon as it's gone a large wad of cash appears in his hand alongside a small note and some other object I can't see since he's keeping it behind the counter.

For a few seconds he just motionlessly stares at the note before shrugging, pocketing whatever the mystery object was and carefully putting the money in some sort of cabinet behind the serving area before walking out from behind it.

"Well? You following or what Little Bastard?"

"Huh? Where are we going?"

He sighs in irritation as if I just asked the dumbest question in the world and says, "Obviously we gonna go see if you're ready. What Mommy and Daddies paid me for. Now hurry fuck up Little Bastard."

Caught off guard at the suddenness of this I nevertheless hold my questions and follow him out the door as he flips a sign that now reads 'closed'.

"Hey what the fuck Chow? I was gonna order dinner! What, putting your dick in some kid is more important than my business?!"

I'm shocked into a stupor as some obviously drunk Devil starts yelling at Chow, swaying dangerously on his feet.

I mean, no sane person that's even remotely acquainted with Chow would ever talk shit to him.

Sure enough in the blink of an eye there's a spork suddenly embedded in the guy's groin, his eyes comically widening before he let's out a high pitched shriek and collapses to his knees, curling into the fetal position.

"Store closed. No loitering."

Chow continues on like nothing happened and my hands unconsciously cup my junk in a vain attempt to provide some sort of peace of mind.

Thickly swallowing I carefully ask, "So, uh…where are we going?"

"Where else? To test you Little Bastard. And where better than Tartarus Pit, yah?"

…

…I'm sorry, we're going where?!

I've heard all sorts of testimonies from a great many different people that Kalichi Tartarus Pits are where the worst the city has to offer congregate, and then crank the dial to 11 just because they can.

It's one thing to hear about how horrible these places are…and another thing entirely to actually experience one.

And one is plenty.

The first thing that hits me is the smell. I got used to Kalichi's natural stink fairly quick, all of the smoke, waste, trash and dirt eventually blending together into a sort of white noise that I could easily ignore.

The Tartarus Pit Chow is taking me to has me gagging from more than 50 meters away.

It's a rancid mix of rotting flesh, rusting metal, molding dirt and, perhaps most cloying of all, sex and blood.

I'm not ashamed to admit that just that cocktail alone is enough to leave me more than a little terrified of this place.

Nothing smells that bad unless you really work to make it so.

Chow doesn't seem bothered by it in the slightest as he easily makes his way towards the imposing 'entrance', a narrow gap in between 2 dilapidated buildings that look like they were once factories 7 stories high, now broken wrecks.

"Ok Little Bastard here test. Kill 5 things in Tartarus Pit in row, you pass! Any questions?"

In a rare occurrence, nothing remotely funny comes to mind, just a general nervousness given off by this place. The cantankerous old grump just shrugs and motions for me to take the lead, which I do on shaky legs.

I try not to imagine that I'm being swallowed alive as I walk into the alleyway that's maybe a meter-and-a-half across.

Not more than 20 seconds of careful progress has me freaked out than I'm not going to be able to find my way out of here, since it's a freaking nightmare fuel maze of intersections and dead ends and that's just at a glance.

In fact the whole Pit looks like some sort of steel and stone jungle, wires and pipes criss-crossing overhead like some sort of artificial canopy, filthy water dripping from them and creating an unsettling echo as the splashes reverberate throughout the whole area.

And it's not just the water that echoes…every insane giggle and whisper that may or may not have come from one of these Pit dwellers causes me to twitch or jump, every instinct I have screaming at me to put my back against a wall and just leave.

This is…Hellfire, I've never been this scared before, not even during the attack on my family's home and when we fought Adder, or when I was confronted by both Azazel and Albion's killing auras.

This is a fear born of the certain knowledge that death is the nicest thing that may happen to you in this place, and that around each of these countless corners some freak may be waiting to pounce and-

I almost puke my heart out when something shoves me from behind and I desperately whirl around, Shades and Magic primed to fight…

…and I only find Chow looking at me with annoyance on his face.

"Quit moving so slow Little Bastard, or we gonna be here all day!"

I wince as his voice echoes loudly throughout the area and instead take a shaky breath.

Which unfortunately causes me to retch as I get a moist lungful of the putrid air around me, the taste almost a solid thing.

…This place is wrong.

A warning glare from Chow gets me moving regardless though, more out of a desire to get out of here as fast as possible than it is any threat of reprisal from the old guy.

Which is saying something.

I keep walking for a few more minutes, eyes constantly darting left and right and ears straining to separate what might just be harmless echoes…and what might be claws skittering on metal, or footfalls on bare rock.

One noise seems to make itself more apparent though, a sort of rhythmic grunting that grows louder as I nervously walk forward.

A walk that comes to a screeching halt as I round a corner and see…something that gives me an uncomfortable idea of what Lisa's time with Adder might have ended up like had David not gotten there in time.

Some massive hulk of what looks like a human, albeit with highly pronounced simian-like features, is repeatedly thrusting it's hips into what might have been Human once, although it's hard to tell since the corpse looks half-eaten.

I'm stunned into immobility, so disturbed by the sight that I don't even consider hiding, something that I really should have done.

"Hmm? I smell…fresh meat…hehehe…new FOOD!"

I take a jerky step back as the creature suddenly rises from where it was crouched and turns around, penis dripping blood and…something I really don't want to think about too much. An insane grin appears on it's apish features and it starts stalking forward, massive hands repeatedly flexing as it does so.

"Oh, Stray Devil found eh? Well Little Bastard? Get to killing then eh?"

In what's probably the hardest thing I've done to date I force myself to stand my ground and face this monstrosity, taking stock of as many details as I can, hoping to find something that'll allow me to walk away from this intact.

The Stray stands tall at 6'7'', even when it's slightly hunched over. Every bit of it is corded muscle, unevenly covered in blood and filth clotted hair, while it's lips that peel away from the mouth reveal pointed teeth that are still covered in it's last 'meal'.

Maybe a reincarnated Pawn or Rook? Hellfire I just hope it's not a Knight or Queen, I'm probably screwed then…

"Hehe…little boy…meat tastes fresh…screams LOUD!"

With a sudden roar that shakes the entire alleyway that thing charges forward in a lumbering gait that thankfully isn't all that fast, rather convincingly proving that it's not a Knight or Queen.

Putting aside my fear I also charge forward, readying a [Shock Bolt] in one hand and a [Frost Air] in the other, Shades coiling around me as I ready them to strike.

We get to within 5 meters of each other-

-and I skid to a halt, both hands shooting up, Spell primed in each palm and firing straight towards the Stray.

The [Frost Air] hits it's legs…and does absolutely nothing, the thing's powerful stride breaking the ice as soon as it forms.

The [Shock Bolt] doesn't fare much better, the arcs of electricity impacting on it's chest and not even briefly stunning it.

Gritting my teeth I send my 4 Shades snapping towards it, 3 entangling it's lower half and one aiming for it's face.

The 3 I'd sent to block it's legs are ripped apart like wet tissue paper and the final Shade is summarily smacked aside by one meaty fist, the Stray now barely 2 meters away.

Well crap, this thing's gotta be a Rook, which kinda sucks. My Magic isn't strong enough to override it's durability, even if Rooks are geared more towards physical defenses than they are Magic ones, and after that all I have are physical attacks.

Gritting my teeth I bend my knees and when the Stray takes a massive swing at me I duck underneath it, the air of the thing's fist passing by actually tugging at my hair, before jumping up and swinging a Toki clad fist straight into it's jaw.

Which almost breaks my hand and doesn't do much more than jar the freak's teeth, causing it to briefly stumble back before locking it's beady eyes on me and letting loose an enraged howl.

I have to jump to the side as it attempts to grab me-

-and feel a sudden surge of panic as I ram into a wall, belatedly realizing that the narrow alleyway doesn't really allow for fancy footwork.

The Stray grins and lunges forward, arms entrapping me on either side and now thoroughly terrified I attempt a last ditch Shadow Walk…

…and almost give myself a heart attack as it actually works, my body slipping into the wall at my back and perfectly melding with the shadows.

I…I did it!

Haha! I can't believe I freaking did it!

Reality reasserts itself as there's the sound of a frustrated roar, although it's strangely muted, almost as if I was listening to it underwater. In fact now that I look around, everything has a weird, hazy tinge to it like I'm looking at it through a very fine screen door, the colors slightly darkened and dilluted.

I guess it makes sense though, since I'm more or less traveling through shadows and not interacting with the world in a 'normal' sense.

Taking a deep breath I 'swim' upwards to maybe a meter above the Stray's head and prepare to jump back into the fray. If I use the Phoenix Heart and get ahold of his softer parts…

I silently 'jump' out and fall towards the Stray-

-and blanch as it's fist suddenly grabs the front of my shirt in a blindingly fast motion, it's head slowly looking up and a hungry grin on it's face.

I desperately try to activate the Phoenix Heart's fire but don't get a chance as it suddenly slams me into the ground, the impact causing something to creak dangerously in my chest and my vision to go grey and spotty.

Oh crap.

I weakly try to grasp at it's wrist but the thing just slams me up against a wall, my feet dangling in the air and it shoves it's face into mine, it's rancid breath causing me to gag as it rumbles, "Little boys…who struggle…taste best."

It's maw opens wide, teeth and tongue dripping saliva and I desperately reach with my Magic for Ravel's gift, praying that the flames will be enough to-

"Geez Little Bastard, you really suck. What? Never learned to wax on wax off?"

A confused look crosses the Stray's face…right before Chow reaches up and slaps it across the head with an open palm.

The thing makes a strange wrk noise before going completely limp, collapsing like a puppet with it's strings cut.

I slide down the wall and find that my limbs won't stop shaking, my adrenaline and fear high still raging full force. I try to take a deep gulp of air but the smell of the Tartarus Pit and the Stray's breath causes me to lose it and proceed to full force vomit and cover the Stray's corpse in whatever I might have had for lunch.

"Sheesh Little Bastard, no need to throw sidewalk-pizzas, yah?"

I force my gut to cooperate and manage to at least start breathing properly, slowly calming down as much as I possibly can. After a few more seconds of this I relax enough to examine the Stray and carefully prod it's head with my foot, only to find that it's entire noggin feels like jelly, as if it never had a skull to begin with.

…What in Hell's name did Chow just do?

"Chow…how'd you do that?"

"How I do what Little Bastard?"

I vaguely motion to the corpse and ask, "How'd you, well…kill him so easily? I hit him as hard as I could and he barely flinched. You slapped him and he went down like a ton of bricks!"

"Oh, that's Weiji-do Little Bastard."

"Weiji-what now?

"Weiji-do. What, you deaf now too? Also, unless you like getting eaten by stinky rapey Pit Dwellers, should probably get the fuck outta here, yah?"

"…Well when you put it that way…"

Chow turns around and starts walking away while I struggle to my feet. Thankfully nothing's broken, but I'm definitely leaving with some extensive bruising to show for my efforts.

To my relief nothing seems too interested in us as we walk out, but the entire way back my eyes are on a constant vigil, spastically scanning every nook and cranny for any potential threats.

It's with no small amount of thankfulness that we finally make it through the same alleyway that we entered the place through, the claustrophobic confines giving way to a more standard 2-sided street.

My legs suddenly give out and I sit roughly on a nearby chuck of masonry, heart beating at 3 times it's normal speed and a cold sweat forming on my body.

…I don't want to head back into that...that nightmare anytime soon…

More to distract myself, although I am curious, I turn to Chow who's just idly standing nearby and ask, "So what's that Weiji-do you were talking about?"

"Weiji-do. Or way you would translate is, 'Way of Manifestation'. Takes Magic, uses it to bypass defenses. Manifests blow inside body, get it Little Bastard?"

I frown and consider what he's trying to get across.

"So…you manipulate your body's Magic and channel it into a strike strong enough to get by whatever resistance the other guy has?"

"Not strong enough Little Bastard. Only Human, low Magic power yah? Strike has nothing to do with strength, all about control. About ignoring defense."

He suddenly pokes me in the chest and all of the sudden it feels like I just got pegged with a sledgehammer, a surprised gasp slipping past my lips at the sudden pain.

I quickly look down and feel my eyes widen as a large bruise twice the size of of Chow's fingers is forming and a hesitant application of pressure confirms that yes, it hurts and is real.

"Obviously you pretty weak right now Little Bastard, killing 5 creepy-crawlies in Tartarus Pit impossible for you. So I do job Mommy and Daddy paid me for and teach you to kill 5 creepy-crawlies. Come see every other night when store close, I teach you Weiji-do and you like it, yah?"

…Personal training from Chow?

This is either gonna kill me or make me unstoppable…

"Oh, there you are! What the heck Kid, you just wandered off…and…umm, are you alright?"

I frown at Kuroka's question as I walk through the Church's front door and confusedly ask, "Why? Do I look any different?"

She gives me a worried look and says, "Well yah! Caine, you look like you just saw a ghost or something. What the heck happened?"

I'm just about to tiredly respond when all of the sudden Shirone appears from behind her sister alongside Vallia and Lisa, her eyes widening as she locks in on the bags I'm carrying at my side.

I'd gone ahead and figured I might as well buy dinner while I was out with Chow. The Nekoshou rapidly runs over to me, no doubt drawn in by the scent of Chinese food-

-before she suddenly skids to a stop, tails suddenly sticking out straight and ears plastered flat across her skull, her previously excited expression wiping itself clean as she stares at me.

"…Why do you smell like a Tartarus Pit?"

That gets everyones attention, Kuroka and Lisa's in particular.

"Huh?! Ok Kid, start explaining shit right now!"

"Caine, what were you thinking going to a place like that?!"

Briefly overwhelmed by the sudden overload of questions and still feeling overwhelmed from the events of earlier today I completely lose my cool and shout, "Would you all just back off for a second?!"

No sooner do the words leave my mouth than my eyes widen as I realize just how shitty that sounded.

Running a shaky hand through my hair I desperately backtrack and add, "Sorry, that…came out wrong."

I briefly look up and to my shock none of them seem even the slightest bit offended, although Vallia seems a bit confused since she's likely not in the know about Tartarus Pits.

Instead they look even more worried than before.

Kuroka seems to pull herself together first as her eyes suddenly narrow and she stalks toward me.

"Lisa, get whatever you might need for first-aid ready, the dolt's posture is all wrong and Kami only knows what sort of injuries he's packing. Little Sis, Dragon Girl? You 2 take those cartons from him and get dinner set up, I think we're all going to need a meal after hearing about this idiot's latest adventure."

I'm just about to protest when Kuroka roughly grabs me by the arm and drags me off, Shirone smoothly divesting me of the food while Lisa runs to the kitchen, Vallia shooting me a brief look of concern before she follows after Shirone.

"Hey Kuroka you can go easy on the-"

"Shut up. In case you haven't noticed, I'm pissed."

Her voice is so laced with venom that whatever protest I had lined up dies in my throat, instead resigning myself to being dragged wherever she wants me to go.

"…Where's David and the Fallen?"

For a moment I think she's just going to ignore me before she huffs a sigh and stonily replies, "Paladin is out for the night, I don't think he'll be back until tomorrow evening. And beats me where the 2 Fallen hussies are, probably trying to get wasted somewhere…"

A brief smile makes its way onto my face before it falls, the realization that I freaked everyone out so badly finally hitting home.

"Hey Kuroka I-"

"Ok Kid, get inside and strip."

I'm briefly confused at her words…until I notice we're in front of the master bathroom.

"You're not thinking of going in there with me are-"

"Quit whining and get moving."

Knowing that Kuroka's tone brooks zero argument, and feeling more than a little exhausted and strung out, I just do as she says and shuck my clothes as I walk in and turn on the water, the slow and almost pressure-less stream kicking on.

I should get around to changing that one day…

That thought is abruptly kicked aside as Kuroka suddenly places her hands on my shoulders and drags me backwards into her bare chest.

"What the heck are you-"

Her hands suddenly move to my cheeks and keep me from turning my head around, her voice relaxed as she says, "Nuh uh, no free shows Kid. And quit moving around so much, or this isn't going to work nearly as well."

"What's not going…to…"

I trail off as all of the sudden there's a dull blue glow that suffuses our bodies, almost like the flames from my Phoenix Heart but far less violent and way more ethereal.

And it's…comforting. Almost like someone distilled 'peaceful' and 'calm' into an emotional cocktail.

"What is this?"

"Senjutsu, obviously. It's what Little Sis and I used on you when you first arrived in Kalichi, remember?"

"Oh yeah…"

Sure enough I feel the aching pain that was in my ribs and back slowly fade away, alongside the lethargy and exhaustion. I wonder if I can eventually learn how to do this…

"What's the deal Kid? You're weirdly quiet and compliant compared to your usual smartassery."

"Just wondering how this situation would have been received if our genders were reversed…"

She simply snorts and proudly states, "That's easy! All the girls would be swooning over my masculine beauty and confidence!"

That drags a tired chuckle from me and she slowly drops her Senjutsu aura, the glow fading away and she instead drapes her arms over my chest and rests her chin on my shoulder, the entire right side of my vision now dominated by pitch-black hair and cat ear.

I'm suddenly struck by the fact that she's not much taller than me, maybe 2 centimeters at most despite her being like 4 years older.

Well, I've always been tall for my age…

"Hey, Caine."

Her tone gets my immediate attention as it's lacking most of its usual irreverence and playfulness, instead being rather quiet and soft.

Also the usage of my name instead of 'Kid'.

"Why did you follow Chow into a Tartarus Pit? Sure he's an old, cranky, foul-mouthed asshole but he's never forced any of us to do something we really didn't want to. What was it that made you go with him? Was it something to do with that message from your family?"

"…Everything actually. They said they had some sort of treasure or relic locked away that they wanted to give to me but weren't certain I was ready to handle. Apparently Chow worked for my parents at one point and they trusted him to judge whether I was ready for it or not."

"So how did that end up with you in a Tartarus Pit of all things?"

"Chow said if I can kill 5 Pit dwellers in a row I pass. I didn't even make it past one so he said he'll start training me…guy has a weird martial art he uses called Weiji-do."

Kuroka sighs and mumbles, "Of course he has something like that…and there's no way any of us can convince you to not to go ahead with this, is there?"

I'm surprised by the sadness in her voice as she says that last bit and reply, "No, this is too important to me, but…why are all of you so worried this time of all things? I mean it's not like we live in a risk-free environment or anything…"

She gives a humorless chuckle.

"You know how I can read someone's aura with Senjutsu right?"

I nod.

"Well…that was the first time I've seen you frightened. Oh I've seen you anxious or even scared plenty of times, but it's always been temporary, usually because we were in a fight or something along those lines. Shit, you were hit with the killing intent from a 12-winged Fallen and one of the strongest Dragons ever to exist in succession and a minute later you were fine. So when you walked through that door, practically radiating stress and terror…"

I hesitantly reach one hand up and slowly scratch behind her damp ear, causing her to give a soft purr and nuzzle into my fingers a bit.

"…Thanks Kuroka. And I think I'm feeling a bit better now."

She chuckles, her voice gaining some levity as she jokes, "You'd better be, I'm not just giving you a nude shower therapy session because I was bored."

A bit of humor in my own tone I easily respond, "Of course you weren't…"

She just lightly smacks me on the head and pulls away, cheerily stating, "Well I'll be waiting for you along with everybody else in the dining room! And don't even think of turning around till I'm gone!"

"Since when are you shy?"

Her voice is full of mischief as she purrs, "Who said anything about being shy?"

Her parting words coincide with a soft caress of my butt with her tails and I hold back on a sigh of resignation.

…I can't help but wonder if that cat has a succubus or 2 in her ancestry?

"Jesus suffering Christ Brat, do you make it a habit to try and find the biggest piles of shit to throw yourself into?"

"Does it really seem like that to people other than me?"

Shirone just gives a soft meow of confirmation from where she's resting on my lap in cat form and licks my finger before nudging it with her head, clearly telling me to get back to scratching her head.

I do so and she starts purring contently while Mittelt just gives me an incredulous gaze.

"Damn straight it does. If you're not trying to out swindle Master Azazel then you're pissing off the Vanishing Dragon. And if you're not doing any of that then you're enthusiastically getting your ass kicked by yours truly and others. And if you're not currently occupied with any prior mentioned topic, then apparently you're off taking a tour of some seriously fucked up places!"

I just heave a resigned sigh and let Mittelt chew me out, which she's been doing ever since she and Raynare arrived back at the Church when we were halfway through eating dinner.

Wherever they were must not have left them in in that great of a mood since the blonde Fallen is really letting me have it this time around…

Kuroka comes to the rescue as she acidly asks, "Oh? And since when have you given half-a-crap? Or bothered to notice stuff like that? Don't you get off on beating him half-to-death all the time?"

Sensing an incoming fight I'm about to try to defuse things when, surprisingly, Mittelt doesn't lose her cool and simply responds, "It was pretty obvious if you'd spent any amount of time with the Brat Miss Kittycat."

She fixes her incredibly bright blue eyes on me and thoughtfully says, "He always has this smartass air about him, like he's in on some joke that you'll never know about and his eyes show it. What he doesn't have is this mile-long stare, which I just so happened to see after we got back. So yes, Miss Kittycat, I do notice things, thank you very much. And I care because Dragon Girl over there is worried and she just doesn't want to come out and say it."

Vallia suddenly jolts in her seat, where she'd been quiet for most of the night like usual, and tries to avert her eyes.

Kuroka grudgingly falls silent while Raynare suddenly grins from where she'd had her chin boredly resting on her arm.

"Gee Mittelt, if I didn't know any better I'd think you were pretty concerned about the poor boy and just are doing a piss poor job of hiding it, like usual…"

The smaller Fallen just scoffs and crosses her arms, clearly not impressed by her partner's words.

As for me? Well…I'll admit I'm more than a little surprised that Mittelt is actually showing some measure of sympathy and understanding, even if it's in her own roundabout way.

Still though…

"Can you all not talk about me like I'm not even here?"

The 2 Fallen just snicker and Vallia hesitantly asks, "Umm…are you sure you're all right Caine? I can, uh…go with you next time if you want? Just in case?"

Everyone's head ratchets towards the Longinus Wielder who manages to keep her head upright despite the red tinting her cheeks, obviously trying to put up a brave front.

Honestly touched by the effort I gently smile and reply, "Thanks Val, but a Tartarus Pit isn't something I would wish on anyone, especially not people I like. Even you Mittelt."

She gives me a peeved glare and dryly responds, "You're concern is touching, Brat."

We're all suddenly interrupted by Lisa who gently claps her hands and cheerfully says, "Well I know just the ticket to get your mind off things Caine! Remember where we're going tomorrow?"

Shirone suddenly shift out of her cat form, now sitting on my lap, and excitedly says, "The Amusement Park!"

The Elf offers a happy wink and chirpily says, "That's right! So how about we call it a night and all get a good night's sleep?"

Heh…leave it to Lisa to put an end to a sorta heavy topic in a way that leaves everyone happy. I shoot her a quick smile of gratitude that she returns with a wink and I feel a weight lift off my shoulders as Shirone quickly pulls me to the bedroom, obviously eager to fall asleep so that tomorrow will arrive quicker, but not willing to forgo her Human heater.

Heh…with friends like these, it's hard to stay down for very long.

Seriously, it's one thing to feel sorry for someone, it's another thing entirely to so thoroughly occupy their attention they forget to be all mopey and traumatized.

Lucky me.

Shirone

The first thing that I notice when we transport to the Human World is the Sun.

Caine had talked about it, sure…but it's another thing entirely to actually experience it.

That warmth is way different than Kalichi's sun…and it's so bright.

The second is the smells.

It's only after living in a place like Kalichi and eventually learning to ignore how it stinks that you notice just how clean other places are by comparison. There's a few sharp stenches, sure...like the odd oily smell that seems to come from everywhere, but mostly it smells like asphalt, people and, most importantly, food.

"It's a lot to take in at first, isn't it?"

I glance to the side and see Caine giving me a knowing look, a playful smile on his face.

I offer up a small grin, happy that he's mostly back to normal, and decide to start working my angle early.

"It is. Can we visit all the food stalls by the end of today?"

He raises an eyebrow in a clear, 'You're not even trying to subtle, are you', expression but chuckles anyways.

"We'll try Shironeko, but trust me when I say you won't want to miss some of the animal shows."

I just eagerly nod and grab Caine's hand, dragging him off to what looks like the entrance of the park.

"Entrance is the other way Shirone. That's the parking lot exit you're headed for."

I promptly spin on my heel and head the other way, trying to hide my embarrassed blush as I do so.

Big Sis and the Fallen's knowing smirks let me know that it didn't work.

One more big difference between Kalichi and the Human World.

The families.

The line to get into Marine World is full of happily smiling and laughing parents and children, all of them with different skin colors and body types.

Something like this would be impossible back in the Underworld's worst city, a fight or something along those lines would have broken out already and a body or 2 would be bleeding out in the streets…

My eye catches a group about 2 spaces in front of us, a Mother and Father with 2 daughters, the younger sister crying about something while the older sister is making funny faces at her.

I'm suddenly reminded of Mom and Dad when they were still alive, if they would have taken Big Sis and me to places like this if they'd been able to…

"Um, Shirone? Are you ok?"

Vallia's voice startles me out of my thoughts and I stumble forwards. Not being able to have my tail out for additional balance is annoying.

"Yeah, I am. I was just thinking…"

Vallia follows my gaze and her expression falls slightly, causing me to briefly feel bad for letting her get just as sad as I was feeling.

But why would she feel sad though?

"Are you 2 at a funeral?"

Lisa suddenly appears in-between us with an infectious grin on her face, obviously excited like we should be.

Vallia briefly stammers in reply, "N-no, it's just-"

"Seriously though, I know it's not the 'Happiest Place on Earth' but it's still an amusement park girls…"

Caine also joins in on the fun, gently nudging Vallia's shoulder with his own and causing her to blush bright red, making me grin minutely.

Big Sis is gonna have some major competition…

I turn my attention back to the line as we're almost at the gate and suddenly realize I have no idea what to do.

As if reading my mind Caine jumps to the front with his ticket and gives the lady working the gate a friendly smile, engaging in some meaningless smalltalk with her…before she takes his hand and stamps it.

I immediately tense up, causing me to scowl at my own weakness. All she's doing is some harmless holding of my hand and a brief stamp, that's all it is, so why-

"Well aren't you just adorable!"

I freeze as the woman gives me a bright smile.

"Oh, sorry! First time eh? Didn't mean to startle you, I just need the ticket, I'll give you a stamp and then you'll be all set to go!"

I mechanically hand over the slip of paper and she rips it before holding out the little thing that'll give me admission…and my arm just won't move-

"Hey Shirone, I think I found something that'll be your favorite."

I'm suddenly assaulted by the amazing scent of cinnamon, yeast and sugar as Caine shoves some kind of stick in my face-

-which distracts me just long enough for the Woman to flip my hand over and lightly press it before I can even react.

"There you go! Welcome to Marine World!"

Her gaze settles on Caine and she briefly looks confused.

"Hey wait a minute…didn't you just walk through here a second ago? How'd you already-"

Caine just winks and cheerily says, "I'm Magic!", before taking my hand and pulling me through the gate.

After a second he lets go and I offer a small nod of thanks, putting aside my annoyance for now in favor of finding out where my friend got that delicious looking snack.

"Where and how did you get that so quickly?"

He just chuckles and points to a food cart a few meters away, his shadow shivering slightly as he does so.

"I am a pretty good thief. No one even noticed one churro seemingly vanish into thin air…honsetly, such lax security."

I sagely nod and seriously ask, "You are indeed a good thief. Can you show me again?"

He rolls his eyes and hands me the stick, which I'm happy to accept as he replies, "You drive a hard bargain, but I just can't seem to say no…glad I brought a couple hundred dollars, I think I'm gonna need it…"

As he walks off I eagerly take a bite of this 'churro' and…and…

AMAZING.

A pair of arms suddenly wraps around me and Big Sis rests her head on mine, giving me a fake glare as she does so.

"Are you already taking advantage of the Kid's inability to say no to you?"

"Yup!", I shamelessly reply.

Vallia

"Well someone looks like they're having fun…"

I almost jump at Raynare's sudden teasing and offer a quick smile in her direction before focusing on bringing lunch back to the table.

"I am. I never thought I would get to see so many different things in one single place my whole life…"

I don't miss how Raynare's eye twitches at that and I quickly add, "I-I didn't mean to complain or anything like that Raynare I just-"

My stammered apology is suddenly interrupted by Raynare's foot gently colliding with my behind and she aggravatingly says, "For crying out loud Girl, how many times have I said to have more backbone! I can't believe I'm saying this, but be more like your little Devil Boyfriend and the Black Cat!"

I feel my cheeks heat up at her words and try to reply, 'it's not like that', but end up just lightly mumbling which causes the Fallen to sigh in exasperation.

"Well maybe one day you'll get there. What's been your favorite part of the park so far?"

A smile I have no control over appears on my lips and I enthusiastically reply, "Definitely the Elephant ride and show! They're so cool and smart!"

I hear Albion grumble in the back of my mind something that sounds like, [The reptile exhibit was far more impressive…], but ignore him as I remember how the giant creatures had easily pulled almost 50 people with no visible effort and could use their trunks to catch fruit out of midair...

"Oh, um…what was your favorite part Raynare?"

She thinks about it for a moment before grinning evilly and says, "Seeing the 2 cats freak out during the shark exhibit. Dunno how Caine managed to talk them into going on that, but remind me to high-five him later."

…That had been pretty funny.

We arrive back at the table and find Mittelt gazing in open shock at Shirone, Kuroka looking more amused than anything else.

Said shock being that the tiny Yokai has about 3 empty plates in front of her and more wrappers and cartons than I can count.

The past few hours as we've been touring the park she's almost constantly been sampling the place's treats and sweets, putting away more calories than someone 8 times her size would find horrifying.

Albion seems to share in my shock as he disbelievingly mutters, [I don't think my metabolism was that efficient even when I had a physical body…]

"Vallia, can I have some?"

I'm snapped out of my thoughts as Shirone gives me a pleading look, obviously coveting my hamburger and fries.

I gently smile and cut the burger in half before handing it and a large handful of fries to her, adding to her already stacked plate of pizza slices.

[Vallia, generosity is an admirable trait, but you're just about to begin the most important stage of your growth and could only benefit from every bit of nutrition you consume…greasy as it is.]

[I know, but…I still don't like to eat much…]

He's silent at that and I resist the urge to sink into my seat.

Father's training could be…harsh, at times, and I learned eating a lot before one of these sessions typically resulted in me feeling worse than if I hadn't eaten at all. Then dinner between me, Mother and Father was always so tense, even dangerous towards the end and I…never really had much of an appetite for anything after awhile.

I glance around the table and hesitantly ask, "Um, where'd Caine and Lisa go?"

Mittelt quits sipping her drink for a minute and languidly replies, "They went off to catch some water-ski show or something like that. The Brat was mouthing off about it being a Batman special or something…"

Kuroka scowls and adds, "Jerk got all pissy when Little Sis and I didn't want to go. Doesn't he know that cats don't like water?"

I smile behind my hair and listen to the dark-haired Yokai grumble for a few seconds before she sighs and turns to me.

"Hey Dragon Girl, isn't it about time you finally tell us about your history and everything? The Kids been telling us that you have a backstory pretty close to ours and we've been sidelined twice already. Don't you think we deserve to know?"

I freeze at her words and I distantly notice Raynare immediately lean forward and crossly retort, "An open Amusement Park is hardly the most secure-"

I tune her out and desperately ask Albion, [W-what do I do? Do I tell them or will they hate me once they find out that I'm-]

[Vallia, use your head. They're already plenty aware that you're a Longinus Wielder, I highly doubt learning of your Lucifer heritage will change their opinions overmuch. They accepted Caine after all, and he's the scion of a Pillar family. Tell them. You have extremely little to lose and much to gain by confiding in them.]

[…Alright. I'll do that. And thank you Albion.]

[You can thank me by taking that Fallen Angel's advice and start being a bit more independent! Honestly, one of these days I fear you'll asphyxiate simply because you needed my permission to breathe…]

Lightly smiling, I bring my thoughts to the real world where Kuroka is clearly gearing up for an argument with Mittelt and Raynare and quietly interrupt with, "It's fine, I-I'll tell you."

Both Fallen turn wide eyes on me while Kuroka grins, Shirone even setting aside her food to listen.

"My full name is…is Vallia Lucina Lucifer."

Kuroka raises an eyebrow before snorting and turning to her little sister with a smirk.

"Well how about that Little Sis? If we're not befriending the son of a Pillar Family, then we're getting all cozy with the White Dragon Emperor who's also the daughter of the Lucifers. Another few months and we'll probably be getting all chummy with a freaking God."

Shirone just nods and turns to me with her face wiped clean of expression.

"Why are you here then?"

I take a shaky breath and quietly answer, "My Father…didn't like that I had the Longinus Gear. He tried to get me to stop using it, but…I didn't want to shut out Albion and leave him alone, since he would often talk to me. Father didn't like that and I…one day I just…ran."

Mittelt suddenly growls and acidly says, "What she's trying to say is that she was practically forced to leave by her 'family'."

I hang my head and can't quite fight off the slightly guilty feeling I have. That…that wasn't the entire truth, but I…I don't want to tell anyone yet.

Mother…be safe…

I almost jump as Shirone gently places a hand on my shoulder and, in what she no doubt considers a conciliatory gesture, offers me the largest french fry she had on her plate.

Gratefully taking it Kuroka just gives a low whistle and mutters, "Damn, Kid wasn't too far off the mark when he said we were all alike, your parents might as well be dead to you…"

She sighs and gives me a smile that's equal parts understanding and humorous.

"Well, welcome to the club Vallia. Me, Little Sis, Lisa and Caine are all orphans after a fashion, and we've got room for one more. Welcome aboard the sadness and depression train!"

Albion chuckles all of the sudden and knowingly tells me, [See? Was that so difficult?]

[I guess not…]

[Good. Now perhaps you'll take more of my advice and start eating greater portions! If you were any thinner a light breeze would snap you in half…]

[I'm not that thin!]

"Oh man that was awesome!"

Caine's voice brings me out of my mental conversation with Albion just in time to see him gather up Mittelt in a hug from behind, resting his chin on top her head.

He's also dripping wet.

"Brat?"

"Yes, what is it Grandma?"

Her voice shaking with barely repressed fury as her new dress is soaked through along with her hair the Fallen growls out, "You have approximately 5 seconds to let go before I forget about the Statue of Secrecy, form a Lightspear, and ram it so far up you ass that you'll double as a Christmas decoration."

Caine just chuckles and gets off of her while Lisa excitedly sits at the table, not quite as damp as Caine but still sporting a few drenched patches here and there.

"You all missed an amazing show! I can't believe you didn't want to see it!"

Kuroka shoots the Elf a bland gaze and boredly replies, "Why would cats want to visit a water show? And judging by the 2 of you it looks like we would have ended up soaking by the end of it!"

There's a sudden chuckle from Caine as he runs a hand through his hair, causing a rain of droplets to hit the ground and he smirks.

"Cats don't like water?"

The older Yokai has time to widen her eyes and shout, "Don't you even-", before Caine jumps behind them and wildly shakes his head, causing a shower of water to hit Kuroka and Shirone, making then jump away with very cat-like hisses of displeasure.

Albion heaves a sigh in the back of my mind and amusedly rumbles, [Quite the band of misfits we seem to have stumbled onto…the Devil son of thieves, 2 extremely rare Yokai species, an Elf and 2 Fallen Angels…what's next?]

A few hours later and the sun is just beginning to dip below the horizon, marking an end to the day.

A day where I think I've had the most fun since…well, since forever really.

I can't help but gain a tiny smile as I see Shirone lugging around a massive plush Penguin toy that she'd won in a contest in one hand and a triple scoop ice-cream cone in the other, all while Mittelt and Raynare warily eye her, still spooked by her never ending appetite. In the background Caine, Kuroka and Lisa are in some sort of deep discussion about whether Tigers are real cats or not, and from the looks of it Caine's losing the argument.

…I never thought I'd find a group like this that I could actually call, well...friends. Albion had a point when he said they're all misfits though…

"Hey last call for a bathroom break people, then we're calling it a day!"

I glance back at Raynare's proclamation and everyone but Caine and I head off to the restrooms, leaving us standing alone in the glow of the afternoon.

Should, should I say something?

"Hey Val, you've been pretty quiet for the past hour or so-more quiet than usual I mean-is everything ok?"

I try to give my best reassuring smile and reply, "It is, it's just…well, I've never done anything like this before, I just needed a little time to myself I guess…"

He merely nods in acceptance and desperately trying to think of another topic to talk about I quickly ask, "H-how about you Caine? You seemed really happy today and were having a lot of fun."

He gives that grin of his that's equal parts humor and joy as he happily replies, "You bet I was! Seriously, we've been busting our butts for so long I think something like this was long overdue…"

"…That's good. I was, um…I was worried last night when you came back acting not like you usually do. I-I'm happy that you're feeling better!"

Ugh…why can't I just talk normally to him!

As he turns to face me fully, green and red eyes catching the light and seeming to almost glow as he offers a far more relaxed smile than the previous one, causing my chest to lurch weirdly, I'm reminded why.

"Thanks Val, if it wasn't for you and everyone else dragging me out of my little trauma phase, well…I think it would have been a lot more difficult to work things out on my own. So, yah…thanks Val. And now I'm just repeating myself."

I give a small giggle at that and Albion suddenly says, [Vallia, embrace him and offer your thanks for the invitation.]

[…Do what?!]

[You know what I said.]

I audibly gulp and feel my heart immediately start beating 3 times as fast, but Albion has always had really good advice…

Swallowing my nervousness I quickly step forward and before I can think twice about things I gently wrap Caine in a hug, the top of my head just barely coming level with his eyes.

"U-um, Vallia? What are you-I mean, I'm not complaining, but where'd this come from?"

Feeling my face already burning from embarrassment I mumble, "Thank you for inviting me…"

"Oh! Well…you're welcome then."

He hesitantly puts his arm around me in return and oh no this is so awkward for me!

And it doesn't help that doing this is making me feel…things.

[Albion, what do I do now?!]

To my sorrow he just hums for a minute before offering the mental equivalent of a shrug.

[I don't rightly know.]

[What do you mean you don't know?! You told me to do this!]

With a haughty sniff he just replies, [Well what would I know? I'm not as cool as an Elephant, now am I? Maybe you should go ask one of them what to do.]

[…YOU'RE STILL UPSET ABOUT THAT?!]

[Best of luck Vallia, I have faith you'll find a way to resolve this situation.]

[Get back here you reptilian jerk!]

And then he's gone.

And I'm still hugging Caine.

And any second now I'm going to pass out from embarrassment.

So I do the smart thing and suddenly wrench myself away, shouting "S-sorry have to use bathroom!"

…

…That Dragon is going to pay.

An echoing chuckle is my only reply from the big jerk.

Gyer

My first impression of Kalichi?

It's a shithole.

Even looking down from EDEN's tallest skyscraper, Skyhook, the place is utterly disgusting to view.

Dilapidated and destroyed buildings as far as the eye can see, inconsistent lighting, throngs of unwashed and savage subhumans…and then there's the pitch black bruises spread out across the cityscape that mark the location of the Tartarus Pits, a perfect description of 'Hellholes' if ever I've seen one.

The sooner I can finish my business here and get back to the Crocell family grounds and our associated territory the better.

"We have an initial report My King."

I turn back towards Andreas, my assistant and Queen Piece, and motion for him to continue.

"The various gangs of Kalichi seem to have found themselves new sponsors since contraband has been flowing into EDEN unimpeded for the last few weeks and reaching its previous markets. The 3 main groups, the Exiled, Griffons and the Black Wings all are currently keeping to themselves but our informants suggest that this won't last long as none of these groups really answer to one authority like they did when the Valefors were around. In fact one of the gangs, the Serpents, that used to be one of the strongest already seems to have been largely wiped out once their leader died a few months back."

I give a brief nod and run a hand through my hair.

"So good news and bad news then. Bad news that someone has already stepped in and taken over things…but good news that the routes and suppliers still seem mostly intact so we don't have to start over from square one."

Andreas merely dips his head in acknowledgment and carefully adds, "We've heard rumors that the Fallen Angels are the ones who are currently running the show, although nothing solid yet."

I grin at that and amusedly reply, "Hopefully it is those Hedonistic Crows in charge, no one will care if some of them get their wings plucked."

Andreas offers a smile of his own and evenly agrees with, "Of course they wouldn't My King."

I turn back towards the view of Kalichi and lose my smile.

"We have work to do Andreas. Have Berne, Pallas and Gilbert begin searching for leads on who's running these Gangs. And tell them to keep an ear to the ground and see if it really is the Fallen working behind the scenes here. Go."

He bows and his voice is all business.

"At once My King."

He swiftly departs and I clench my hands behind my back.

Similar to a game of Chess my Queen, Knight, Bishop and Pawn are about to spearhead the opening assault.

Your move Kalichi.

While I initially said that this chapter was going to switch to Ravel's perspective about a 1000 words or so into writing it I realized I'd made a rather serious plot continuity boo-boo that messed up the structure of that chapter and like any responsible Human being I decided to procrastinate and write this instead :D

We'll still be getting back to our favorite Phoenix, but not for the moment.

And as the end of this chapter suggests, things are going to be picking up in Kalichi by quite a bit. Thus far it's been fairly easy-going with character interaction and fleshing out some important details, but Gyer and Caine's coming feud is gonna introduce the gangs into the conflict and cause more than it's fair share of conflict.

Q&A time!

Waka: I totally get where you're coming from, I've watched or read shows and novels where I don't really find myself interested in certain arcs or characters and, just like you do, end up skipping them entirely or just come back later. Unfortunately alot of the chapters dedicated to Jonah and Ravel I can't exactly skip entirely because the events they experience will be having an impact farther down the road. And I can't bring myself to just gloss over these said events or do a bland analysis of them either. That said I usually do 2 chapters focused on Caine for every one of Jonah's or Ravel's and they tend to be longer as well, so I do find myself focusing on Caine more :D Appreciate your honest feedback!

Slayersky123: Oh he's definitely gonna have the 'tall bastard' genes in him. Plenty of bumping his head on doorframes to come!