Hey guys sorry for the long wait on this chapter but life is hectic ya know? Now on with the long awaited chapter!
Alternate Dimension
In a flash of light Kuru and his peerage were revealed. Looking around they seemed to be right back in the ORC clubroom, however they knew better as they could feel the magic in the air from the magic used to create this small dimension for the Rating Game to take place. Just then Grayfia's voice was heard in the air.
"Both Peerage's will be given an hours prep time before the Rating Game between Kuru-sama and Riser-sama will begin."
With that said Kuru walked over to the desk and took a seat in the comfy chair that Rias would use, Olivia appearing at his side a moment later with tea ready. The Cerbures didn't know how she managed to make it so fast but he wasn't questioning it as he took a sip of the delicious brew. Placing the cup down he turned his gaze to his peerage who were waiting for orders with rapt attention.
"So what's first Boss?" asked Tank getting a smirk from his [King] before he spoke.
"First off I want traps set up in the woods to make a choke point so Yosuke has some easy targets for when the pawns come here to be promoted. As for that things will be pretty simple since the layout here is an exact replica of the school back home, Tank and Jynx, I want you two to secure the gym and if that isn't possible then destroy it." said Kuru to the [Rook] and [Pawn] in question.
The two gave each-other a look and nodded in agreement with smiles on both of their faces. Tank was ready to really lay into the feathery bastard and make him regret ever challenging Kuru and the others, while Jynx was simply interested in seeing how a Phenex's peerage worked and if they were chosen for anything other than just their looks.
"For Nico and Aila, I want you two to stay in the woods and make sure Riser's [Pawns] stay on the path the traps will lay out for them, but if you see a chance to take one of them out then don't hesitate to do so. Understood?" asked Kuru as he looked towards his only other [Pawn] and [Knight].
"Can't we just kick the turkey's ass and call it a day?" grumbled Aila but agreed none the less along with Nico in accepting their orders. She hated the fact that if these skank's turned out to have some moderate skills she may need to use her Sacred Gear's abilities and she really did not want to deal with that.
"I wish we could Aila but that sadly isn't an option, moving on! Ryujin and Hayate, you two are gonna be on the attack. I want you to hunt down any of Riser's pieces that aren't being dealt with by Aila and Nico all while making your way towards Riser's base to draw him out."
"We will not fail my Lord." spoke Hayate with a small bow which made Kuru smirk in amusement while Ryujin nodded firmly with his fist clenched tight in anticipation of the upcoming fight.
"Now as for you two," began Kuru while gesturing at Olivia and Yosuke, "Yosuke for a good portion you will remain here in the clubroom waiting for the [Pawns] to no doubt arrive from the chokepoint we will have set up. As soon as you see them you know what to do, and afterwards I want you to meet up with Nico and Aila to help Hayate and Ryujin press the attack."
"Got it big guy, this will also give me a good chance to test my range and casting speed with my harp so it's all good." was the [Bishop's] response as he continued to adjust his harp.
"Now Olivia I'm giving you the assignment to find Riser's [Queen] and remove her from play. She and Riser's are the only marginal threats in this game so make it quick but also make sure to humiliate her as well just to make sure we get our message across, that challenging us is a grave mistake." finished Kuru coldly getting a firm nod from Olivia as she was eager to show that pitiful excuse of a [Queen] what power really was.
"But then what are you gonna be doing? We all know that you aren't one to sit on your ass and do nothing." asked Ryujin getting nods of agreement from the others. Kuru for his part just laced his hands in front of his face with a small smile.
"Why that's easy, I'm gonna go straight for the arrogant prick and pluck his feathers. Now let's get a move on while we still got the time." finished Kuru getting nod's from his peerage all around before they all rushed off to compete setting up the traps as Kuru sat quietly sipping the tea Olivia had given him while anticipating the slaughter to come at the hands of himself and his servants.
with Tank and Jynx
The werewolf and study freak duo were now found jogging towards the gym after the game had been officially started just a few minutes prior. Both were very eager to see who they would be facing as they could already sense the four devil's in the gym. Three were around the same level so the duo ruled them out as [Pawns] while the fourth was obviously higher making them either a [Bishop], [Rook] or [Knight].
About a minute later and the two found themselves at the gym entrance and staring into it, all the while hiding their magic power so as to not be noticed just yet. Inside they saw the two green haired loli twins, the one with the staff that attacked Tank in the ORC clubroom, and finally a woman dressed in a Chinese style dress.
"Well it's easy to see the loli's and the Bo wielder are [Pawns] but the last one I would have to guess is a [Rook] due to her toned musculature and lack of weaponry ruling out the possibility of her being a [Bishop] or a [Knight]." stated Jynx as she had already figured out what they were dealing with. Really stuff like this wasn't hard for her to figure out.
"I call dib's on the [Rook]! It's been awhile since I've gotten into a good fist fight." stated Tank as he focused on the Chinese dressed girl.
"What about your fight with the Fallen Angel at the Church?"
"That wasn't really a fight as she wasn't really that strong and it was more about settling a personal promise." replied the werewolf getting a shrug of the shoulder's from Jynx and ending the conversation as the two then stepped into the open alerting the four to their presence.
"You!" screamed the Bo wielder Mira as she glared at Tank. She still hadn't forgotten how he had humiliated her back in the clubroom.
"Yes me. Now are we gonna fight or what?" waved off Tank as he sent a savage smirk towards the [Rook] who glared back at him.
"I'll make you pay for humiliating me in front of Riser-sama!" yelled the [Pawn] as she made to charge at the werewolf only to have to leap back to avoid being squashed by Jynx's hammer.
"Sorry but your opponent is me." stated Jynx with a happy smile.
Behind Mira the twins had pulled out probably the most unconventional weapon Jynx had ever seen and for once left her confused. The two loli girls had pulled out a pair of chainsaws of all things. The sheer audacity of using such a weapon for actual combat left even Jynx stumped.
"Let's cut her up lle!" shouted one twin as they both raised their chosen weapons.
"Yeah Nel!" shouted her twin in agreement before they both charged at Jynx with Mira following right behind.
Shaking off her confusion of the twins choice in weaponry Jynx's smile returned only this time it was a little more bloodthirsty as she brought Pit over her head and flung the large hammer at the approaching [Pawns]. In mid air Pit changed into his lion form and landed before the twin [Pawns] who could only stare up in shock at the towering feline of flames who glared down at them.
"Get'em Pit!" commanded Jynx and her sacred gear was more then willing to comply as it let out a colossal roar making the loli's scream in fear and run away from the flaming lion that was now hunting them down relentlessly leaving Mira to stare on in shock. That was until she felt a tapping on her shoulder.
Turning around Mira looked to see Jynx standing behind her with her usual smile.
"Hey there!" chirped Jynx before delivering a punch to her fellow [Pawn's] face and sending her stumbling back. Wiping a bit of blood from her now busted lip Mira readied her staff while Jynx settled into her own stance ready to utterly destroy her opponent.
with Tank
Tank now stood in front of his opponent cracking his knuckles in anticipation of the coming fight while Riser's [Rook] just stared on with contempt. Seemed like none of Riser's peerage had really forgotten how he had insulted their [King] last time they met.
"So what's your name?" asked Tank casually.
"What does it matter to you trash?"
"I just want to know the name of girl who's ass I'm about to kick all around this gym." replied Tank with a smirk that made said girl's face morph into a snarl.
"I am Xuelan, Riser-sama's [Rook] and I will make you suffer for insulting him!" the now named Xuelan declared as she settled into her stance while Tank just rolled is eye's.
"If I had a nickel for every time I heard THAT. Your funeral lady!" roared Tank as he rushed the woman with speed's that no [Rook] had any right to possess surprising Xuelan. Her moment of surprise cost her however as Tank landed a devastating blow to her gut making her cough up some spittle and hunch over. Tank then followed up with a side kick that sent her flying into the opposite wall of the gym making spider web cracks upon impact.
Shaking the cobweb's from her head Xuelan glared at the smug looking Cerbures [Rook] before climbing back to her feet. Retaking her stance she watched as Tank took his own before growling out, "lucky shot."
"Just keep telling yourself that sweetheart." replied Tank smugly before the two [Rook's] clashed once more in a flurry of fists and feet.
back with Jynx
Thing's on Jynx's end were a lot less intense then they were for her fellow Peerage member. For one Pit was still casing down the loli twins only they were now without their chainsaw's, both of which were now melted puddles of slag in a corner of the gym. Earlier during the chase the two had ignited their chainsaw's in flames, which Jynx theorized was due to being in Riser's peerage, and tried to fight their pursuer only to find out that Pit's flames were far more intense than their own which resulted in the destruction of their weapons.
Jynx herself meanwhile was in a heated battle with Mira...NOT!
In fact Jynx now had Mira in a classic rear-naked chokehold which the Phenex [Pawn] was desperately trying to get out of without much luck. Nearby lay Mira's fallen Bo staff, which Jynx had relieved her of shortly after their fight began. Not to say Mira was helpless without her weapon as she had her martial arts to fall back on, however against Jynx, who possessed infinitely more knowledge and fighting experience, she had little to no chance at all.
"You know you could just tap out and save yourself the trouble." commented Jynx as she had no trouble keeping the struggling Mira in the hold. She wasn't a master at Viking style wrestling for nothing!
"N-n-never!" coughed out Mira still trying in vain to escape. She couldn't disappoint her [King] again!
*sigh*"Alright, well you asked for it." shrugged Jynx as she tightened her hold and within moment's Mira had passed out due to lack of oxygen in which her body disappeared in a flash of magic.
"Riser-sama's [Pawn] has retired!" announced Grayfia
Shrugging off the easy win Jynx was content to sit back and watch Pit chase down the loli's until Tank finished his match and they could move on to the second part of Kuru's plan.
back to Tank
On his side of things Tank was enjoying his fight a little bit more. His opponent was without a doubt a skilled martial artist as he recognized her Kung-fu style almost immediately. Her skill allowed her to keep up with him for a bit but she was still way beyond being a match for him. This was made clear as there were numerous tears in her dress while Yank looked as if he had barely broken a sweat.
After a particularly violent clash the two now stood across from each-other still in their respective stances but with Xuelan breathing a bit harder as some sweat dripped from her brow.
"...you know you can't win right." said Tank suddenly.
"What?"
"You can't win. No doubt your pretty good and are definitely skilled but compared to me you don't stand a chance."
"You dare look down on me!" roared Xuelan furiously.
"I'm just stating facts lady. Not even you can deny that if this keeps up you'll pass out from exhaustion, thatis if I even let it get to that point."
"And what is that supposed to mean?"
"It means that I haven't been giving nearly my all and if I just kick it up a notch you'll be done in an instant." replied Tank coldly and sent a shiver down the [Rooks] back at the tone.
Still she could not give up, she needed to make sure her [King] won and so she decided it was time to pull out all the stops. She had underestimated her opponent so far and it had cost her but now she would turn the tables. In an instant her hands had become engulfed in flames which made Tank raise a brow in surprise before it morphed into a small grin.
"I will ensure Riser-sama's victory!" declared Xuelan as she rushed Tank and threw a flaming fist at his face.
Tank made no move to stop her or dodge and as the fist came progressively closer Tank's hand suddenly shot up and grabbed the flame coated limb stopping it cold. Xuelan stared in shock as Tank smiled at her even as the flames began to burn away at his skin.
"Well that feel's kind of nice." said Tank with a relaxed sigh which creeped the hell out of the [Rook]
"W-w-what! How are you not in pain!?"
"Oh trust me I am but let's just say that due to a certain... event I've learned to derive a bit of pleasure from pain." said Tank with a smile as Xuelan tried to pull her hand back only to find that Tank's grip was too strong.
observation booth
In a special room overlooking the current Rating Game between Riser and Kuru sat Rias with her peerage, Lord and Lady Gremory, Lord and Lady Phenex and finally Sizerch's with Grayfia.
So far they had been impressed with the skill's Kuru's peerage had shown. His [Pawn] and [Rook] were proving to be particularly strong. But when they heard what Tank had said they all looked to Akeno who for once wasn't smiling. She had spent a lot of time training with the werewolf and naturally the two had grown closer, one could even call them best friends at this point.
"Is that true Akeno?" asked Kiba.
"..yes." said Akeno as she thought back to how she found out about Tanks little...quirk.
~flashback~
In a small part of the forest near the Gremory's summer home a few explosions could be heard as the Gremory [Queen] and Cerbures [Rook] clashed. In the middle of a crater stood a disheveled looking Akeno and a bruised up Tank.
As soon as they had begun training Tank's first priority was to get Akeno out of her habit of using her lightning magic and nothing else. Once that was finished he had gone about combining her magic into the fighting style he had taught her which was a combination of grapples and quick strikes that would suit her body type.
After getting her to master the basics he had her begin incorporating her lightning magic into it making it even more deadly. The two had been sparring for a while now but while Akeno was already getting tired Tank looked to be enjoying himself more than anything else despite being covered in bruises and electrical burns
"Just how can you go on for so long? From those bruises you should be in a lot of pain?" asked Akeno.
"Let's just say that a particular event in my life made me somewhat enjoy pain to an extent." answered Tank. Intrigued Akeno pressed hoping to learn more. Being a sadist herself she naturally would be interested in finding a masochist partner but the way Tank made it sound was as if he didn't always enjoy pain.
The Cerbures [Rook] for his part took a moment to debate whether or not to tell her. Before he would never have told a single soul outside of his fellow Peerage mates and Kuru, but after finally killing Raynare, the one who had caused him such pain, he didn't feel as protective of the memory anymore. With that in mind he decided it would be alright to tell her.
*sigh* "back when I was a pup still a bunch of Fallen angel's led by Raynare captured me and my family. Apparantly they wanted to perform some 'experiments' with sacred gears and their effects on werewolf's. Heartless bitch just wanted to torture us in my opinion. Eventually it got to the point where I learned to enjoy the pain just to cope. After my family died she and the other's left me for dead and that's how Boss found me. The rest they say is history." shrugged Tank as Akeno was surprised and a little saddened by his tale.
"I-i'm sorry for bringing it up. I guess because of that you've grown to hate all Fallen angel's?" asked Akeno as she thought about her own...situation regarding her heritage.
"Nah not really." replied Tank casually surprising the Gremory [Queen] at the answer.
"Wha? But didn't they-"
"'They' didn't do anything. ranted at one time I did hate all Fallen Angel's because of what she did, but after serving under Boss and meeting the others as well as all the shit we've been through together I've learned not to judge a whole species on the actions of a few. Just look at the Devils, everyone says their pure evil but we both know that's not true don't we?" smirked Tank which got a light laugh out of Akeno.
"Ufufu you really are an interesting one aren't you Tank-kun?"
"That's just how I am."
~Flashback end~
Coming back from her memories Akeno shook her thought's away as her smile returned and se continued to watch the ongoing match with the others giving her questioning looks. Eventually they gave up and turned back to the match as well.
with Tank
Holding onto Xuelan's flaming fist still Tank's other hand quickly came up to grab her other fist as she had tried to hit him with it in an attempt to get him to release her. Now she could only look up at Tank as he gave her a smile that made her sweat.
"Sorry about this but the flaming turkey can't be allowed to win. Good fight though!" said Tank as he brought one of his leg's up and driving his heel into the martial artists chin which sent her up into the air.
When she was high enough the Cerbures [Rook] lashed out and caught her ankle before slamming her into the ground hard enough to crater it and instantly knocking her into blissful unconsciousness. A second later her body disappeared as Grayfia announced how Riser's [Rook] had fallen.
"Well that wasn't such a chore now was it?" said Tank to himself as he made his way to the gym doors to wait for Jynx to finish her opponents so they could continue with the rest of Kuru's plan.
with Jynx
Jynx was having fun just sitting on a random bleacher as she watched the loli twins continue to run away from the pursuing Pit. Hearing a particularly loud bang she turned just in time to see Riser's [Rook] retire which was then confirmed by Grayfia. Seeing that Tank had finished his fight Jynx thought it was time she finished her's as well.
Standing up from her seat she gave a whistle to Pit who already knew what she wanted. The flaming feline then started to lead his prey straight towards Jynx. When they were close enough Pit leaped over the green haired duo and changed to his hammer form in midair. Landing in his wielder's hands she brought her weapon back in preparation to swing.
Seeing the danger the two twin's tried to turn away but it was already too late by that point. Jynx had already swung her hammer and was satisfied when it made contact with the duo before they were both sent flying towards the nearest wall already knocked out on initial contact from the impact. Thankfully, for them at least, their forms vanished before they could hit the wall.
"Riser-sama's two [Pawn's] have retired."
With a final twirl of her hammer she dismissed Pit before skipping up to a waiting Tank who was holding the gym door open for her to pass through.
"So learn anything new?" asked Tank as Jynx passed him.
"Besides the fact that being a member of a Phenex's peerage grants them some fire based abilities? No not really." answered Jynx as she passed him. Tank merely shrugged in response as he followed her out wondering idly to himself how the other were doing on their own assigned task's at the moment.
Review and/or PM me and hopefully the next chapter will be out sooner than this one was!
