Chapter 33: Run Before You Walk (Part 20)

"Are you alright, Cayman? You look a little, umm…haggard?"

"Nah, I'm fine. Well, okay, I'm not fine - the Zoloft and caffeine crash is hitting hard - but I've got a few hours left in me before I have to go into a mandatory coma. Plenty of time to make dinner, got any requests in particular?"

"Ooh, ooh, didn't you pick up a bunch of sushi the other day?!"

Till's excited interjection had the Surveyor smirking in amusement, Yumi just seeming relieved that he wasn't dying or anything while Mai faithfully flanked them, paying attention to the conversation but still keeping a roving eye on their surroundings just in case they got jumped.

"Sure, why not? I got a bunch of sauces to go with them so-what the fuck?"

Stopping in his tracks as he walked inside the warehouse Cayman had to blink several times in quick succession to make sure he was seeing things correctly, Yumi and Mai also seeming entirely unsure of what to make of the scene before them.

Till just snickered after a second of gormless staring.

Forced to kneel on the floor with some kind of weird rune magic or whatever keeping their limbs bound, mouths gagged and bodies motionless were Lilim, Minasaki and Hatsukaze, Rin standing over them with a cold expression as she pointedly tossed a softly glowing gemstone in her hand, facing the new arrivals and stating, "I found these three trying to sneak in without an invitation. I have my own idea of how to get answers from them but if you have an easier way…"

Resisting the urge to facepalm - and also deciding to have some fun with the whole situation - Cayman replied, "You need to ask? This place isn't exactly secret, sure, but that's no reason to go advertising our presence. Loose lips need to be silenced and there's a couple of them right there. I'll do the honors if you're too squeamish."

While she seemed offended at the possibility that she wouldn't be able to do what was needed Rin was also quick to let him do the honors, Till and Yumi seeming to catch on to what he was doing while Mai just seemed uncertain about the whole ordeal as the Surveyor strolled on over to the trio of restrained Demons, manifesting his spear as he did so.

They also seemed to think that he was about to actually carry out the threat, eyes widening and bodies straining to escape the hold as he raised the weapon business end first-

"[Esoteric Parry]"

-and simply freed them from their bondage, Minasaki wasting no time in leaping to her feet and shouting, "What gives, jerkface?!"

"Yeah, do you think you're funny or something?!"

The added complaint by Hatsukaze caused Cayman to chuckle, Lilim pouting before complaining, "This is why we thought you're a total creep and were only keeping Yumi around as a sleeve!"

The blonde in question coughed in awkwardness while Rin did a double take, Till seeming annoyed as usual with the accusations while - thankfully - Mai seemed to catch on to the fact the three Demons were the comedy relief of the group.

"Speak for yourself, I thought it was actually hilarious."

"Hilarious? You looked like you were actually gonna kill us!"

"That's just you being selectively paranoid."

Minasaki crossed her arms, grumpily stating, "Selectively paranoid, he says…when were you planning on telling us you were changing addresses? We were hanging around that stupid apartment for almost an hour before we decided to go find you! Or is this just your sex warehouse?"

"To the second? If only. As to the first?"

He pointed to the pair of Yatagarasu, wryly commenting, "You know exactly where to find me, no big deal. Also just for future reference, you might want to knock on the front doors like normal people when showing up here."

"Oh, now you tell them. I found these three stooges trying to squeeze through one of the ventilation ducts."

"Stooges?!"

Ignoring what he knew was going to be an argument and clash of mannerisms and viewpoints between Rin and the new arrivals Cayman interjected with, "Introductions, then. Mai, Rin? This is Lilim, Minasaki and her younger sister Hatsukaze. They're my intelligence operatives as long you liberally interpret the word 'intelligence'. You three? This is Mai Nanase and Rin Tohsaka, Taimanin and Magus respectively, a part of my team."

This time the man openly chuckled at the myriad of expressions he got for his editorial, Lilim unleashing a huff of indignation before stating, "Well fine then! I guess we just won't share our information then, if we're not wanted!"

"Shame, I was just about to make dinner in that brand new kitchen I built. Sushi is the main menu but a little bit of Kushiyaki never hurt when there's a number of extra mouths to feed…"

"Oh what the hell, I guess there's no harm in sharing what we learned~!"

The Demon trio promptly made their way further into the warehouse, Rin giving him a sullen look as she grumbled, "These are the people I'm going to be working with?"

"Don't be disappointed yet, you've only met like half of them."

"...Kill me."


"Mmm~! So good~!"

Sliding the final batch of skewers out from the grill and passing them onto the waiting plates of his allies Cayman couldn't help but be bemused at the ad hoc collection of people he gathered, a scene that would have been surreal beyond belief in his old world. A Succubus, a Fairy, two Yatagarasu, a Taimanin, a Magus and a Sacred Gear wielder, all gathered at a table and eating a perfectly ordinary meal with no shortage of gusto.

"Man, it's a shame you're kind of a jackass, otherwise you'd be awesome with skills like these!"

More amused than he was offended by Minasaki's words he instead asked, "So what's the latest and greatest you have to share with me? Remember, there's not only a meal in the works if you have really good info."

Lilim was quick to swallow a chunk of meat before cheerfully recounting, "Well we were doing a lot of wandering around until we decided to head to the entertainment district, following these guys who had these weird squiggly tattoos on their neck like a sideways eight. They were spending a lot of cash so we figured 'hey, why not pickpocket them and get a bunch of money'? Except, uhh…eh heh heh…"

"You got caught."

Rin's unimpressed words bounced right off of Lilim's attitude, the Succubus nodding without shame as she said, "Yup! The jerks dragged us to the really creepy dungeon or holding cell or whatever and while I think they wanted to rape us-"

Yumi predictably set her jaw at the casual words, clearly less alright with the idea than the Succubus and her two companions were.

"-one of them told the others to back off, that they have some kind of shop or something in the Roppongi district that they take people they capture to."

Hatsukaze decisively nodded, the younger Demon contributing, "Yeah, they were a part of some Bridget or some other word."

"Brigade?"

Minasaki snapped her fingers, pointing one of the empty skewers at him as she said, "Yeah, that!"

A puffed cheek seamlessly followed, the Demon complaining, "Assholes were joking about how we weren't gonna want to leave their service once we got a taste of what they had in store for us. Just like a bunch of other girls or whatever."

"Well maybe it doesn't work nearly as well as they were making it sound, one of the jerkfaces was complaining about how a Vampire was giving them all sorts of trouble. Good riddance, I say."

"A Vampire? Well isn't that interesting…named or familiar character or not, anyone that's giving Khaos Brigade torturers or however you want to put it is intriguing."

Tabling that thought for the moment as Mai spoke up the Taimanin suspiciously asked, "And just how did you escape? I strongly doubt they just let you…"

The Succubus proudly drew herself up, cheerily explaining, "Some gang war or something happened right outside and an explosion took out the wall of where we were being held. We escaped into the night like true secret agents~!"

Rin's eye twitched.

"Oh that is such a load of-"

"Nah, they're telling the truth."

"HUH?!"

Deciding to explain to the Magus later how both fortune and misfortune in equal measure dogged the trio's footsteps Cayman instead pulled out a wad of 900,000 yen, tossing it to the Demons as their eyes promptly began to dance with money symbols.

"Good work you three. Take the extra as a bonus for services rendered."

+15 REP with Lilim [55/100], Minasaki [30/100] and Hatsukaze [30/100]!

They promptly began to cackle at the sight as Rin turned an annoyed expression the Surveyor's way, grumbling, "Why do they get paid for getting captured and finding practically nothing of substance?"

"On the contrary, having a target for us to go after instead of uselessly spinning our wheels is a huge advantage and well worth the price."

"Hey, boss, what's up with the virgin over there?"

Rin choked on air at Lilim's blunt inquiry, stammering, "W-where do you get off on calling me that?!"

"I'm a Succubus. I can practically smell the hymen on you."

"Huh. Wonder if Lilim is trying to get a rise out of her or if Rin really didn't get laid over the years."

"Actually, now that I think about it aren't you surrounded by a whole lot of unpopped cherries? Are you actually really bad in bed and want a bunch of first timers so they don't know the difference?"

Yumi and Mai joined Rin in seeming mortified by the conversation, Cayman just languidly sampling one of the last Kushiyaki sticks - it was a pain in the ass to grab so many different spices but damn did it make the thing taste delicious - before responding, "Hey, if you're that curious stop by my room later, we'll find out the truth together."

Till snickered, dreamily stating, "She won't last a minute, Cayman."

"Agreed. Also they're all virgins because I need them as a blood sacrifice. Summoning has a lot of prerequisite conditions, after all."

Three sets of wide eyes met his own, the gamer dryly responding, "I'm joking."

"Aww, most guys get upset when you make fun of their performance…"

Lilim's disappointed mumble coincided with the Fairy more seriously stating, "That's your own fault. And stop always causing trouble for everyone when you show up, it's not endearing!"

"Maybe not endearing, but it is entertaining."

"See, he gets it!"

Rolling his neck as he rose to his feet Cayman began gathering the dishes, saying, "Yumi, Mai, mind giving me a hand with these? Also if you want a place to stay for the night there's rooms on the second floor."

"Sweet! Money, dinner and a bed!"

+5 REP with Lilim [60/100], Minasaki [35/100] and Hatsukaze [35/100]

The trio didn't waste time heading up to where he'd pointed them to as Rin - still red in the face and scowling - grumbled something under her breath before stalking downstairs, Yumi asking, "Is there anything you'd like us to do after this, Cayman?"

"Nah, you and Mai are free to do whatever. And sleep in tomorrow if you want, there's still some prep we need to take care of before moving in on that base those three mentioned."

Nodding in acceptance of that Cayman turned his attention back to the various dishes, thinking, "And it's about time I free up my inventory by sticking that damn tank in its assigned seating."


The Correctional Facility - as it had come to be called by most of those that still held loyalty to Nomad - was a place of extremes, one that most people would agree was a maddening bit of architecture if you weren't used to the activities carried out within.

Kuroi Ryuuji was one such man, strolling without concern through the dimly lit and incense filled hallways as the ever faithful Shiranui followed in his wake, normally placid expression pinched as if she was thinking on something particularly vexing.

The ever present screams, moans, shrieks or whimpers of both agony and ecstasy went unheeded, the disguised Incubus King making his way to one cell in particular while giving passing glances at the ones they strode by.

Within each was a female of some prospective talent or promise, typically ones that remained defiant to their cause and needed to have such an attitude adjusted. Most often through a regimen he himself had devised, one that was carefully tailored to inflict the greatest amounts of pain that would contrast with pleasure unimaginable to most minds, swiftly eroding and breaking even the most indomitable of wills to their cause.

An almost silent huff of irritation left the mind-broken Taimanin, the Incubus King briefly smiling before idly asking, "There's something on your mind, Shiranui?"

"Forgive my impertinence, master Ryuuji, but why do you insist on devoting your personal time and attention to this irritating creature? I have difficulty understanding her worth or value when she so stubbornly resists what you offer."

Amused at the repeat question that his faithful bodyguard never failed to ask whenever they visited their current locale the man simply responded, "She interests me. The daughter of Edwin Black is no individual of small import, both personally and politically. Her unflagging resistance to my techniques has ignited what I suppose you could call a competitive spirit, not to mention her bending the knee to my authority would be a great coup when it comes to solidifying my position amidst the remnants of Nomad."

A more contemplative expression decorated the King's features.

"And let us not forget that our recent meeting with Asmodeus went south, as the saying goes. Our schemes revealed to both a Surveyor and several different factions that are by no means affiliated with our own suggests we will need every resource obtainable, ever war potential we can find. And our feisty bloodsucker just so happens to be a rather powerful asset, should she come around to seeing things as we do."

The Incubus King appeared contemplative, musing, "It would be a significant resource to go towards calming the OSF, I have yet to hear them stop complaining since I allowed a possible security breach to continue existing. Fools, the true 'security breach' attacked us and is still alive and well."

"As you say, master Ryuuji. Unfortunately I believe you are quite correct that the Surveyor won't simply rest on his laurels when it comes to investigating us."

Their brief conversation came to an end as they arrived at their destination, Kuroi raising an eyebrow as one of his subordinate Injuu must have become particularly frustrated with its partner's resistance.

Held aloft with her arms and legs stretched to the point of breaking Felicia, daughter of the late Edwin Black, made for quite the despoiled sight. Tendrils of dripping flesh ranging in color from deep orange to angry red slithered over her flesh, marring her brilliant pink hair and stressing her appendages, pulling at her modest chest hard enough that it looked like it might tear the Vampire's teats from her body while large, ridged lengths burrowed into her cunt and ass without mercy, writhing and churning beneath her flesh violently enough that it looked as if she had swallowed a dozen angry snakes.

The coup de grace of her torment, as it was, was a constant gagging and retching as bile, blood and seed spewed from her lips and nostrils as his younger Injuu brethren ravaged her without mercy, filling her to the brim and then some as Kuroi heard Shiranui click her tongue with disgust.

"Enough, let her be for the moment."

The mass of flesh and tentacles immediately heeded his command, withdrawing from Felicia's body in an unconcerned manner before contemptuously tossing the bloated and crippled Vampire onto the splattered floor, the Incubus King politely waiting for the woman to puke her guts and throat clear…which she evidently got tired of, raising a fist and punching herself in the stomach to forcefully clear the Injuu's seed from her body.

He decided to be magnanimous and overlook the fact that she had deliberately aimed for his shoes, speckling them with jizz.

"My apologies for the abrupt and unannounced visit, but life is ever so full of unexpected twists and turns."

Hauling herself upright so that she could at least sit and face them a derisive sneer adorned the Vampire's lips, her unwavering spirit clearly not broken or lessened in the slightest by her time in the Correctional Facility.

"Well if it isn't the high and mighty Incubus Cuck himself with his sloppy seconds in tow. So what brings you back down here? Figured you were all about that fuck and forget mindset. I mean you got me with that false promise bullshit so why the regular conjugal visits?"

A snort of contempt escaped Shiranui, the ex-Taimanin stating, "Do not sound so high and mighty, if you were foolish enough to assume your power would allow you to go unpunished by-"

Kuroi raised a hand, halting his companion's tirade as Felicia merely sneered at the woman, flipping her a middle finger that she no doubt picked up from one gang or another.

"Seeing as how I'm a busy man and my presence merely reminds you of past failures I consider it only polite that I be on my way as quickly as possible…plans are accelerating and events are not so kind as to wait for the optimal level of preparation. To that end I have need of further war potential and you, my dear, fit the bill."

Without further warning the Incubus King shot a tentacle out from underneath his shirt, the slick phallus darting down the Vampire's gullet before she could react as a choked gurgle left her, throat pulsating as the flesh nestled deep within-

-and her eyes immediately went hazy and unfocused as Kuroi began to flare his aura, sending waves of dominating and tantric energy deep within the female's body and soul as her resistance faltered…and the Incubus King released a momentary grunt of pain as she flexed her jaw and outright bit the tentacle in two, blood coating her lips and chest before spitting out the remainder with a frenzied grin.

"Thought you could beat me with that pathetic bullshit? I've had better dicks inside of me from starving street rats. Just you wait, when I escape from here I'm going to find you, rip off your cock and fuck you to death with it-"

CRACK!

The Vampire's jaw went spinning across the room alongside a fair number of teeth, Shiranui glaring at the slowly regenerating Demon with open murder as she planted her foot back on the floor while Felicia just seemed annoyed that her rant had been cut off.

Swiftly regaining his composure the Incubus King merely smiled, offering the defiant female a nod as he said, "As much as I would enjoy showing you the proper and undeniable pleasure one such as I can bring my time and resources are finite, thus you are to be transferred to Under Eden as soon as time allows. A month, I've been told."

"Pfft, those limp dicks? All they know is how to turn weak little girls into worthless drones."

"Perhaps…but Real has recently expanded his operations to incorporate a fair amount of technology into the more esoteric side of things."

A humorless smile left the Demon as he mused, "Your body is nigh indestructible and your spirit unflagging…but can your brain resist being rewired, altered on a fundamental level?"

"Do what you want, smartass. I'm never going to give you the sick satisfaction of ordering me around like some obedient little pet."

"A shame. Your father was an admittedly great and powerful Demon, he would have known better than to just spit on such offers."

"The old man would have known better than to ask."

Kuroi only gave a cold smile, making to leave as he commented, "Do enjoy the rest of your stay, Felicia. As a fun aside you may be getting a cellmate soon, as soon as her body is properly regrown. Perhaps seeing a neighbor break will convince you how wondrous a feeling it is."

An animal snarl was the Vampire's only response, making to rise to her feet and attack the male-

-only for the Injuu to once again hold her within its grasp, wet cracks echoing through the room as her arms and legs were broken to cripple her ability to fight back as the pinkette merely snarled in thwarted rage, mouth opening to curse the departing duo before a length of dripping flesh was once more shoved inside.

"Shiranui? Would you be so kind as to contact the rest of the OSF? I do believe we will need to begin planning our next course of action. As well as continue to smooth ruffled feathers."

"Of course, master Ryuuji."


"Okay, here's hoping this stays safe."

Slotting the tank Hoestia had gifted him into its locking clasps and making sure it was as safe as could be Cayman nodded in satisfaction, cracking his back and releasing a tired yawn before staring at the silently humming bit of machinery with a contemplative frown.

Not for the first time he had to wonder if lugging around one of Hoestia's creations was a good idea - if Zelretch wasn't exaggerating his predecessor's impact on this world then there was a fair bit of stigma hanging around like a bad smell - but as always the potential positives outweighed the negatives. Whatever the crazed gamer had cooked up inside the tube was doubtlessly powerful and Cayman wasn't about to turn away that resource, no matter the risks.

Instead he gave a brief rap on the reinforced glass as the fuzzy outline of a feminine body inside stirred as if in response before falling motionless once more, the Surveyor ascending a small ladder that lead into the perfectly innocent and innocuous storm drain right outside the warehouse.

A bit of a blatant and unsophisticated security measure but whatever Hoestia did to the tank apparently made it undetectable and invisible to most prying eyes unless they were standing right in front of the thing, Cayman confident that when all of the bounded fields and dozen other branches of security measures were put into place it would be safer down there than it would be inside the building proper.

"Besides, if it does get too hot over here I can always come up with a new location to stash it away in."

Strolling back to his newest home the gamer let his eye lazily drift over the area, largely empty aside from a fence and few karts meant to help facilitate movement around the sprawling locale, a black and white pair of cats resting inside one of them as their yellow eyes tracked his movement-

"Wait a minute."

Stopping in his tracks the gamer gave the felines a closer look, irritated and drooping eyes narrowing as he tried to convince himself his mind was just playing tricks.

"Well, no harm in checking…"

The briefest glows of magic circuits illuminated his clothing as he cast his lousy version of Observe-

"Oh what the Christ."

Kuroka Toujou, LVL 94

HP: 7400

MP: 20,000

STA: 4500

STR: 500

DEF: 250

MAG: 1500

MAG DEF: 900

Shirone Toujou, LVL 81

HP: 6100

MP: 11,000

STA: 3700

STR: 600

DEF: 300

MAG: 800

MAG DEF: 700

Running an exhausted hand down his face at this latest reveal the gamer watched the resting felines continue to watch him, now more attentive since they'd spotted his use of MP.

"Well if they were here to kill me they probably would have already done so since I'm alone…all right you two, what's your game?"

"So what do a pair of highly skilled and deadly bounties want with little old me? Feel free to come closer, I don't bite."

The cats briefly glanced at each other, some unspoken communication passing between them…and both leaped down from the kart they'd been lounging in, sauntering towards him as light ensconced their bodies, soft and fuzzy forms shifting into upright and feminine ones as Cayman couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the sight that greeted him.

Absent was the usual attire the pair had worn, Kuroka's revealing kimono and Shirone's school uniform instead substituted with something far more suited for a life on the run.

The older sibling had a midnight form-fitting suit that was reminiscent of a Taimanin's attire, highlighted with white coloring along the front zipper as her raven hair fell down her back in unbound waves, fluttering lightly in the breeze. Shirone was garbed similarly, albeit in reversed coloring as her pale white locks had been grown out slightly, black ribbons decorating the front two strands that hung across her shoulders.

"Huh, well I'll be. That genie was real after all. Best part is I've got two wishes left."

He spotted the briefest of hitches in their steps that he would have missed if he wasn't looking for it, Shirone rolling her eyes as Kuroka merely smirked as they came to a stop a few paces away from him, cocking their hips in a manner sensuous and relaxed in equal measure.

+5 REP with Kuroka and Shirone [5/100]

"That pickup line work very often?"

"First time I felt it was appropriate to use it."

That earned a brief huff of amusement from the older Nekoshou as she cocked her head in a very catlike expression of curiosity, remarking, "You don't seem very scared of us, despite knowing exactly who we are."

"I can answer that question if you know who I am."

Shirone piped up, calmly and indifferently stating, "Cayman Lute. Surveyor."

"Excellent, then you should know I rub shoulders with all sorts of people from all walks of life in this line of work, people with backgrounds or reputations outside the norm is just another everyday occurrence for me."

Smiling enigmatically at his words Kuroka merely replied, "Well be that as it may, we heard from a certain source - one who wants to remain anonymous and totally isn't an old and meddling geezer - that there was a Surveyor in the area who was looking to recruit."

She gathered her sister in a hug, holding the pale-haired Yokai in front of her with a cheshire grin.

"Interested?"

"Huh. So Zelretch sent them to keep an eye on me, huh?"

He wasn't an idiot, it was a given that the Kaleidoscope would send more than Rin to make sure he wasn't going traitor or batshit insane…not to mention that while it wasn't a certainty the easygoing way Kuroka had casually name dropped the Apostle suggested they'd done work for him in the past, something Cayman could easily imagine.

"...Ah, what the hell. It's not like I have anything to hide and I've always had a soft spot for the cats."

They'd always been some of his more favored characters from the source material, so why not interact with them in this reality and see what was different and what was the same?

Letting his lips curve upwards in a smirk the Surveyor gestured to the warehouse behind him, replying, "I am indeed very interested. Come on inside, I'm sure everyone else is going to be thrilled to meet our latest additions to the team."