Chapter Five - First Encounters
Vin slumped into his dark room, his limbs feeling like jelly in his body. Yet, even as every muscle in his body screamed and protested, the brunette made his way past his bed, and sank down into the chair by his desk, flicking on the desk's lamp as he went. Reaching down despite his pain, Vin yanked open one of the desk's drawers, and pulled out a pen and a small leather-bound notebook.
Cracking it open, and flipping through at least half a book full of diary entries, sketches, failed song lyrics, and much more, Vin finally found a blank page, and upon uncorking his pen, put pen to paper, and began to write.
September 14th 2012
(Three Weeks Since Recruitment)
Dear Diary,
Why the hell am I still writing in this thing? I have no idea, but I thought that maybe putting some thoughts into words would help me… sort through a few things. And if not, then hey, maybe this'll become something funny to show my kids in the future or something…
First of all, training has been going pretty good. Well, by good, I mean literally hell. Yeah, turns out trying to double-up on training every day has not exactly been my brightest idea. Oh well, I'm in too deep now. And hey, only three weeks, and I'm seeing improvements already! Thanks to Griselda, I can at least reliably summon my Sacred Gear. Thank fuck, because if there's one thing I don't regret leaving behind, it's not being able to bring the damn thing out unless I'm about to die.
So yeah, Griselda's getting me to train in using it. Learning to make crystals quicker, or getting a feel for how they sprout out of the ground, you know, that kind of thing. One of the coolest things I've discovered is that I make crystals on my arm too! You know the very first thing I tried was making a sick-ass arm blade, and it worked! It just… is very brittle right now. Griselda tells me I have to train more with the crystals to master their density and toughness, and yeah, I can see where she's coming from. I mean, seriously, how cool would it be if I could just sprout a wall of crystals when I need to block an attack, or even use them to trap people to the floor!
I could go on, but for the sake of this diary entry, I will consolidate my various ideas into a list on a page after these ones.
While Griselda's training has put me on my own, and specifically focuses on training my Sacred Gear, Xenovia's training is the opposite. Her training's all about strength, seriously, weight lifting, burpees, how to throw proper punches and kicks, you know. Griselda's training is already super taxing, but shit, Xenovia's is downright sadistic. I'll go on record saying that I have puked at least twice as a result of training. I have no idea why I agreed to do all this extra training. Well, I mean I do know, so special fuck you to my damn competitive spirit. Maybe Xenovia just reminds me of Lisa or something, I dunno.
Ah. Lisa. Yeah…
I have… reservations about everything that's happened, and I really don't like to unpack this now; but hey, there's no therapist here from what I can tell, so maybe this is the best way to do it.
I still can't look at the photos. They're sitting in the box at the bottom of my wardrobe. I don't like to think about my old family too much. For all they know, I don't exist anymore. It's… It's a hard reality to accept. Sometimes, I'll wake up and think that Lisa's about to break open my door, shouting at me to get ready for school.
A stray tear fell onto the page, pointedly ignoring it, Vin continued to write.
School's kind of weird now. I still go to school, but now my teacher's and the other student's just refer to me by the last name 'Marino'. Guess my new last name, huh? It's a good choice, honestly. It sounds like it fits, and it's common enough that any number of excuses could be used to justify it.
Me and the other's eat lunch together, we all will meet up outside in the garden every lunch break, and just chat and eat and stuff. It's… really nice actually, a welcome change from sitting alone and listening to music anyway. After school everyday, we all group up in the parking lot, before heading over the Vatican by city bus. It's kind of cool, actually, I'm actually a part of a group of friends that I really care about. I mean, I've had other friends before, sure. But they were all just acquaintances, you know, the kind you would talk in class with, but never invite over to your house or something.
They are all really nice, actually. As a matter of fact, how about I go through all of them. It would make for a funny story if they change over time.
Alright, to start off with… Irina's super nice. I think because she's in my class, she thought it was her job to be my first friend, and to show me everything. She's really fun to hang around, and honestly, her bubbly personality kind of rubs off on you after a while. When we have free time, we sometimes watch anime together. We both have a love of rom-coms, so that kind of works out. Only downside to all of this is that Irina is super close with me, even at school. I swear, every time she talks to me, I can feel the stares of everyone else in the room boring into me from all sides. It's unnerving.
Xenovia is an enigma, and that's even without her insane poker face. I've sort of figured out at this point that Xenovia must have been under care of the church for a while, because… well, there just seems to be a few fundamental things that she doesn't quite understand: sheltered would be one word for it, I suppose. She doesn't have the best situational awareness as others, and I've realized that underneath her cold exterior, she's actually pretty socially awkward. Maybe that's why she usually rejects any plans we try to make with her, and instead just wants to train. I mean, without a doubt, training and fighting are when Xenovia is most in her element. Guess that's another reason why I started training with her: it's the only way to possibly get closer to her. Otherwise, she'd just shut me down every time I tried to engage with her.
Ezekiel's... interesting. He's a chuunibyou, through and through, and despite what anime would tell us, a chuunibyou is a lot more awkward to hang out with than you would think. I mean, at school, even when he has to leave behind his sword and cape, he still talks in a way that's… well, I wouldn't quite call it 'dignified', it'll do for lack of a better word. Regardless, honestly, he's actually a pretty chill guy. He also enjoys a lot of the same things that I do, so that's always a plus.
Ethan is in the grade below us, and the only thing I'll say is holy shit, he's fast. Apparently, he's one of the best track and field players at the school. The more you know, huh? He's hyperactive, and dude, he plays a mean Sol Badguy. I play games with him pretty often, usually it's Accent Core, but we play other things. He's sort of like a little brother I never had, I guess.
Vanessa is also in the grade below me, and apparently she and Ethan have known each other for practically their entire lives, and as a result, they are super close to each other. I don't know if it's just a platonic friendship, or if there's something more there, but hey, time will tell, I guess. In more than one way, Vanessa reminds me the most of Lisa. They both are in the same class actually. It's both sad and a little heartwarming everytime Vanessa let's me know how Lisa's doing.
If Ethan and Vanessa are like little siblings, then Jafar is the big brother to all of us. He's older than us by a few years, guys twenty-two, yet he still gets along with all of us super well. For obvious reasons, he doesn't attend classes like us. He's insanely easy to get along with, there's just some kind of calming aura to him. Comparing him to Irina, who's aura makes everyone bright and happy, Jafar's instead just makes you feel more relaxed, like when you're around him, you feel like you can be 100% yourself, and life just becomes a little easier to live, you know? I look up to him a lot, it just seems like he's got a lot figured out already, and to be honest… I sort of envy how he's so at-peace with everything around him.
Vin set down his pen as he stretched his back, absent-mindedly gazing at the time on his phone, 11:42. Yeah, he should probably get some sleep. Gingerly peeling the leather coat and uniform off his sore and bruised body, depositing them in the laundry chute situated on the wall across his room. Too drained to even bother, Vin flopped face-down in bed naked, and passed out the moment his head hit the pillow.
Vin's morning was like all the others so far, bowl of cereal in hand, walking with the slightest limp in his step from a particularly brutal stretch of sparring that Xenovia had forced him into the night before, Vin found his usual seat on the couch, and began to shovel the food into his mouth with little to no thought. The flavors had begun to blend together into a bland, flavorless mass on his tongue. Maybe that was a concussion talking, he didn't know.
It was only when Griselda finally arrived to address the group that Vin realized that this was, in-fact, not going to be a normal day of practice and training.
Griselda clapped her hands, a signal that caused all eyes in the room to shift over to her.
"Good morning everyone. Today, we'll only be doing warm-up exercises, we have a proper mission to go on today, a stray devil has been reported a ways away from here. We've been selected to respond, so prepare yourselves."
Vin raised an eyebrow, stray devils? What, like a stray kitten? He'd gotten the cliff's notes from Griselda over the last few weeks, devils, angels, fallen, they all don't like each other, sometimes they do bad things, we go stop them. But beyond that, there wasn't much told to him. He assumed he was supposed to read up on the Bible or something, but…
Vanessa raised her hand, "Oi, Griselda! Are you sure that Vin can handle a stray already? I mean, I've fought him before, his crystals kinda suck. No offense, Vin."
Vin shot her a deadpan look, before grumbling, "None taken."
"Vin will be fine. I'll be accompanying you all on this mission, and Vin will be assuming mostly the role of a bystander. He's to stay with me and learn about the exorcism process."
Griselda continued, "I've also come with good news: the Vatican has approved of Excalibur use. Ethan, Xenovia, Vanessa; you three have been given clearance to use your specific Excalibur fragments."
What the- Excalibur?! Like, King Arthur's sword, Excalibur? Vin had so many questions. So King Arthur was real: what's next, they take a trip to Neverland to help out Peter Pan and Tinkerbell take down a stray devil? Also, fragments? Did the sword break or something?
Regardless of Vin's confusion, the news seemed to be met with elation by the three exorcists.
"Woohoo! I got my sweet baby back, finally!" Ethan cheered, sending a fist bump towards Vanessa, who met it with equal fervor.
"I'm so ready to kick some ass," Vanessa added.
Even from her spot at the table, the stone-faced Xenovia had her eyes closed, arms crossed, and an excited little smile stretched across her face.
So, whatever these Excalibur fragments are is a big deal, okay.
"The rest of you will be provided with the usual church-regulation holy weapons. This trip is going to take a few hours, so I want you all to get showered, dressed in uniform, and ready to go back here in the next thirty minutes."
Everyone nodded, before darting out of the common room, and down the halls towards the baths.
Closing his eyes, Vin embraced the feeling of the hot water trickling down his head, it's mild warmth running over his scalp as he continued to work the foaming shampoo throughout his long brown locks. As much as long hair could be a bit of a pair at times, there was a catharsis he found in taking care of his hair.
"So," The deep treble of Jafar's voice called over the sound of the showers, "This will be your first time encountering a Stray devil, right?"
"Oh! Uh...Yeah. Is there anything I should watch out for?"
"Do not hesitate," Ezekiel warned as he stepped out of his shower stall, towel wrapped around his waist.
"Gotta agree with Zeke," Ethan chimed in, already sitting on one of the benches scattered around the bathhouse, "Also, be prepared, they usually look pretty damn ugly. Seriously, first time encounters with these things are not a fun time."
Vin raised an eyebrow, "It...sounds like you're speaking from experience."
Ethan sighed, "I mean, yeah, we've all had at least one run-in with a stray here. But it's different when you know you don't have the skills or training to take one down."
"Alright..?"
"Me and Vanessa have known each other nearly our entire lives, right? We used to have this home that we'd go out to during summer vacation, it bordered an old abandoned farmhouse, it was really cool. We'd make that our secret base of sorts, but one day when we arrived at the house for the summer… Well, we didn't know at the time, but a stray devil had made it's lair in that abandoned farmhouse while we were gone," Ethan shivered, "Our parents went out to check out sounds coming from the place, and they never came back. Me and Vanessa went to go check on them, and we found the stray in the middle of one of it's meals. Damn thing must have been at least two stories tall. We thought we were going to die, seriously, we were only like, seven or eight at the time; can you believe that? How would it feel for a seven or eight year old to actually be face-to-face with a real live monster, one that was halfway through eating the corpse of your own mother? It was terrifying, I still get nightmares about it sometimes."
Vin leaned his forearms on the shower screen door, "So, how did you survive then?"
Ethan grew a wistful smile, "An exorcist came and reduced us just in time. He was the coolest dude, he literally just held his hand into the air, and a storm grew overhead, right before a bolt of lightning came and smited the stray devil. It killed the thing in one shot."
"One shot?!" Vin sputtered, "Holy fuck…"
Ethan nodded, "Yeah, holy fuck indeed. Guy came and picked both me and Vanessa up, and took us back to the church. After that, he came back every day for an entire month to give us food. Apparently, that was the longest amount of time that he'd ever spent in one place. Guy's infamous for being about as hard to keep still as he is hard to beat in a fight."
Vin finished rinsing the shampoo out of his hair, shutting off the shower before looping a towel over his waist and exiting his stall, "That's… pretty cool actually. Sounds like one hell of a guy."
"He is. The main reason I took this path was to be someone like him, y'know?" Ethan stood up, and gazed at the clock, "But enough about that, we gotta get dressed already. The only thing scarier than a stray devil is Griselda."
"Here here," Jafar chuckled, as he finished zipping up his own battle uniform.
Not five minutes later, everyone regrouped in the main hall, before being ushered by Griselda out the doors of their dorms, and into the main elevator. After punching in a new code, the elevator began to shake, before slowly descending down further underground.
Eventually, the doors opened up to reveal a large, almost warehouse-like chamber where church workers ran each and every way, carrying things from bins, clipboards, or cups of coffee. On the far wall, twelve seemingly ordinary vehicles sat parked. Before Vin could continue to gaze around in wonder, a voice shouting out from the crowd's low buzz snagged his attention.
"Ah, Ms. Quarta!" A somewhat portly man in a smart white suit that looked like a cross between a tuxedo and a military uniform came pacing out of the crowds of workers.
Griselda gave a small bow, "Mr. Harcreutz, a pleasure as always."
"Same to you," The grey-haired man reciprocated the gesture, before his eyes perked up at the sight of Vin.
"Is this the new talent you've recruited?" The man adjusted his bent glasses that rested on his nose, giving Vin a once-over from head to toe, causing Vin to stiffen under his scrutiny.
After a moment, the man gave a soft smile, and an approving nod, "He looks promising," Harcreutz extended his hand to Vin, "I'm looking forward to seeing how you grow, son."
Vin wouldn't confess it to anyone, but even the mention of the word 'son' from the taciturn Mr. Harcreutz set off dull throbs of ache in the back of his chest. But he was in the company of… well, someone important, no doubt. So instead of ruminating on the feeling, Vin smothered it out mercilessly, and shook hands with the man before him.
"Vin, this is Wilhelm Harcreutz: the head director of Supernatural Response within the Vatican. He's the one who organizes missions for all of us exorcists," Griselda helpfully supplied.
Oh shit, someone really important, "Oh, it's nice to meet you, sir…"
Harcreutz bellowed out a small laugh, "HAHA! I like this one already, Ms. Quarta!"
For her part, the exorcist cleared her throat, "Yes, I'm glad you approve of my newest pupil, but unfortunately, we don't quite have the time to chat."
"Of course, of course…" Harcreutz agreed, shifting back into his professional cadence, "Well, the bus in zone F is prepared for you all, and we're just waiting on our workers to deliver the Excalibur's."
Suddenly, a set of steel double doors swung open from nearby, as three workers each wheeled in a platform cart that housed some sort of massive machine, each of their dark steel exteriors teeming with lights, levers, clasps, and vents.
Vin couldn't help himself as his inner mechanical engineer screamed at him with the desire to touch them, analyze them, take them apart…
Catching himself shifting forwards a little, Vin shook his head. Whoa! That hadn't happened before. Guess he should take something apart when he gets home, scratch the itch a little. But that was weird, he never got an impulse that strong before…
"Excalibur's Rapidly, Transparency, and Destruction have arrived, sir!" One of the workers called out.
"Well then, what are you waiting for? Unlock them already!" Harcreutz replied, "You three, come on up and grab your weapons."
With a level of nonchalance that frankly baffled Vin; Xenovia, Ethan, and Vanessa each walked up to one of the machines, as they hissed with releasing pressure. The sides and top of the machines folded back to reveal a piece of machinery in the middle, a different looking sword sheathed in each one.
Grabbing them, the three Exorcists-in-training pulled the mechanical sheathes free of their outer casing, as they grabbed onto a handle situated on the side, leaving them to hold the swords like they were suitcases.
"Alright, follow me everyone," Harcreutz waved, as he began to lead the group down the hangar, walking until they arrived at the end of a parked city bus.
Harcreutz turned around, patting the back of the vehicle proudly "This here's your transport for the mission. Looks like a standard civilian bus, except it's got tinted windows, a fake license plate, and has enough disguised armor plating to survive a bombing! The others have already gotten the thing fueled up for your trip, so hop aboard everyone!"
As he entered into the bus, Vin was surprised to find that the traditional bus seat layout had been forgone in the favor of a few long, upholstered benches that spanned the length of the bus. As he looked around for a spot to sit, his eyes found purchase in one sight.
Away from the others embroiled in their amicable conversation sat Xenovia, quiet and reserved as usual, her sheathed weapon sitting across her lap. The sight stirred some form of recollection within Vin's mind, as he realized she was the same as he once was. Not necessarily shy, just… distant. He understood the mentality fine enough, but was intimately familiar enough with it that he knew the harrowing isolation that came with it. So, summoning up his spirit, Vin made his choice, and fell down into the seat next to the bluenette.
Xenovia didn't make any sort of reaction beyond looking up as Griselda came aboard, and secured herself into the driver's seat of the bus.
The exorcist flicked several buttons on the bus's dashboard, before grabbing a radio, "This is Griselda Quarta, secured and ready for dispatch, over."
Vin bolted as an intercom suddenly shot to life in the hangar, "Roger Ms. Quarta, this is mission control, preparing for dispatch in three, two, one…"
A large mechanical hiss could be heard beneath their feet, as Vin peered over his shoulder and out the tinted windows to see that the platform where their vehicle sat was being raised up into the ceiling, up and up, until eventually, it hissed to a stop in what looked to be a large garage with an open gate, two workers standing on either side, and holding traffic control batons to signal them.
Griselda turned the keys of the bus, as the powerful engine rumbled to life, "This is Griselda Quarta, proceeding to deployment, over."
The radio feedback was clear, even from where they sat in the bus, "Understood. Godspeed, Ms. Quarta, over."
And with that, the bus shot out of the gate, and soon effortlessly merged into the early afternoon traffic, nothing amiss to anyone else in the world.
Griselda turned on the GPS of the bus, giving a small glance at the estimated travel time, "Alright everyone, we're prepared to arrive at our mission's destination in three and a half hours. Let's take that time to review mission details, Jafar?"
The man pulled out a file folder, idly flipping it open while Ethan peered over to get a glimpse, "The stray devil we're dealing with is known as Augustus, cause of defection from a devil's peerage is unknown. Eyewitness reports claim that he's mutated badly, and has been consuming wildlife and people alike in the rural outskirts we're heading to."
"Very good, anything else?"
"None," Jafar shook his head as he snapped the folder closed, "Looks like we're going to have to play this one by ear."
"Indeed," Griselda replied, her eyes never leaving the road ahead of her.
Soon enough, the rest of the bus fell back into comfortable conversation, while Vin and Xenovia still sat in silence that, at least to Vin, was growing more and more awkward.
"So… Xenovia, I never got to ask, do you… have any hobbies?"
Finally, Xenovia looked up from her lap, "Define hobbies."
He scratched the back of his head, "I don't know, I guess anything that you enjoy doing. C'mon, you know what a hobby is."
"Hmmm," Xenovia put a hand to her chin, "Training."
Wow, no shit...
"Alright, bad question," Vin sighed, "What's your favorite color?"
Xenovia shot him a deadpanned glare, "I don't have one, that's ridiculous."
"Xenovia, you have a favorite color. Or at the very least, you should have some colors you like more than others."
"What's your goal here?" Xenovia snapped.
Well, time to drop all pretenses of subtly, "I'm trying to get to know you better. We're allies, and I can already name more than five facts each about everyone here, except you."
"Very well," Xenovia conceded with a sigh, "I'm an exorcist-in-training under renowned exorcist Griselda Quarta. I specialize in offense attacks, and am a natural holy sword wielder from birth, an incredibly rare trait. I'm training in order to master a powerful holy sword in my possession. There, satisfied?"
"Xenovia, that's not what I'm talking about…" Vin pinched his brow in exasperation, "I'm not asking to know about Xenovia: the exorcist, I'm asking to know about Xenovia: the human being. The girl beneath the title of exorcist."
Xenovia scoffed, "You're wasting your time, then. You don't seem to understand, Vin; there is no difference, I am who and what I am, and that's an exorcist for the church, period."
"But why?"
Xenovia paused, "I beg your pardon?"
"Why do you want to become an exorcist?" Vin elaborated.
Xenovia closed her eyes and turned her head away from Vin, "Are you deaf? I told you, I can naturally wield holy swords, while others need to undergo special rituals to do so. Plus, I can wield an exceptionally powerful holy sword, so of course I would want to become an exorcist."
"But… That's not a choice you made yourself, is it?"
Xenovia's neck practically snapped as her head whipped around to face Vin, a venomous fire in her eyes. With a sharp snap, Vin found Xenovia's hand wrapped around his throat. Not tight enough to choke him, but snug enough that breathing was a challenge.
"Don't you dare talk about things you know nothing about. Let me drill it through your head: I. Chose. This," Xenovia released her hold on Vin's throat, before turning her head away once more, "We're done talking. Now shut up, and focus on the mission at hand."
Vin rubbed his throat, eyes still wide. Of course he'd stumble into the one thing that would make Xenovia even more closed off, because apparently, awakening his Sacred Gear had the effect of permanently fucking over his luck.
Seeing that talking to Xenovia was a lost cause, Vin reached into the folds of his leather coat, pulling out a pair of earbuds, and began to listen to some music. Closing his eyes as he felt the bumps of the road sooth his nerves to the beat of the music…
"Vinny, wake up! We're here!"
Vin cracked open his eyes, as he saw Irina lightly shaking his shoulder. Sitting up, Vin yanked the buds out of his ears, the muffled sounds of some rock music bleeding out quietly.
"Ah, sorry for dozing off," Vin apologized, as he shook himself awake.
"No problemo!" Irina smiled, "Everyone's grouped outside, c'mon!"
Thanking Irina, Vin set his phone and earbuds down on the seat of the bus, before stepping out to find everyone standing around in a semicircle. As he approached, all eyes turned to him, as Griselda nodded.
"Thanks for bringing him, Irina. Now, the target currently holed up in that farmer's market right there," Griselda gestured to a massive building the size of a grocery store, "All living citizen's have been evacuated within a ten mile radius."
"Here's our plan: the Stray Devil has shown himself to be exceptionally temperamental, often prone to rampaging in search of food. For this reason, I want Xenovia and Ethan to be on the front lines, can anyone tell me why I would want to do that?"
Vin was incredibly confused by the question, but nonetheless, decided to throw caution to the wind, and raise his hand.
"Yes Vin?"
"Um, is it because they have those Excalibur Fragment things that I don't know much about?"
Griselda smiled and nodded, "Correct, although I should properly explain the Excalibur's to you first."
"You see, Excalibur was once an exceptionally powerful holy sword, but during a massive conflict, it was broken into seven shards. The church, with help from alchemists, were able to convert the seven shards of Excalibur into individual weapons, each with a different ability," Griselda explained, pointing at the sword cases in Xenovia, Ethan, and Vanessa's hands, "The swords you see here are three such fragments. Excalibur Destruction can unleash devastating bursts of power, Excalibur Rapidly can enable the wielder to move and strike at extreme speeds, and Excalibur Transparency can-"
"Boo!"
"AHHH!"
Vin fell over in shock as Vanessa, who had suddenly appeared behind him, grinned down with a mischievous smile.
Griselda let out a withering sigh, "And Excalibur Transparency can make the user, their weapon, or other objects invisible to the naked eye. Vanessa, would you showcase a little restraint?"
Vanessa helped Vin to his feet, "Ah c'mon Griselda, it was a harmless little demonstration, and it was supposed to help break the ice."
"Anyway, back on topic. Vin, your assumption was correct. I want to have Xenovia and Ethan on the front lines since Xenovia can utilize the power of Excalibur Destruction to keep any attacks at bay, while Ethan can use Excalibur Rapidly to evade the stray devil's attacks," Griselda turned to address the rest of the group, "While Xenovia and Ethan draw the attention of the stray's attacks, I want the rest of you to support with cover fire, alright? Pepper it with blessed bullets, and it should weaken quickly."
"Understood," Jafar said, as he, Irina, and Ezekiel all walked over to one of the bus's cargo holds, pulling out a massive case filled with several white and gold pistols, and below them, a large cache of loaded magazines.
"Finally, Vanessa: I want you to use Excalibur Transparency to sneak around to it's back. Look for any opportunity to go for a clean kill, alright?"
Vanessa snapped a quick salute, "Gotcha!"
"Vin, you'll stay with me as we observe the others, alright?"
"Yep," Vin nodded.
"Very well then, let's go," Griselda declared, as the group progressed to the market's entrance.
Slowly, the three Excalibur's were drawn from their sheathes, and the sounds of three pistol's cocking were heard, before Xenovia cocked back, and kicked down the door to the market, sending the wooden double doors crashing further into the barely lit chamber.
Everyone slowly filed in, while Vanessa disappeared from sight, and presumably broke off from the rest of the group. Further and further, the squad progressed into the market, passing by overturned stalls, shelves, and floors littered with product. Before finally, they had found their target.
"AH AH AH! SEEMS LIKE MORE MEAT ARRIVED!" A deep, crude voice called out from the darkness. Massive rumbling steps echoing out across the space, before the stray devil finally became illuminated under one of the few flickering fluorescents.
Vin felt like he was going to puke.
The grotesque abomination before him looked more monster than man, it's body a festering orb of fat complete with a mouth so long that it reached all the way down its body, making it's exposed, blood-soaked ribs seem like another set of jaws. Six massive, long, pudgy arms were sprouting out of it's back, clawing and thrashing in the air like a flag in a storm.
Yet even as Vin stood there, frozen in horror, his peers continued undeterred. Vaguely, Vin could make out the sounds of Irina whispering a prayer to God to offer salvation and peace in death to the monstrosity before them, all while Xenovia slammed her sword onto the ground, causing a massive shockwave to ring out.
"Augustus, we here in the name of the father have come to exorcise you for your transgressions against the innocent. Lay down arms, and accept your fate," Xenovia declared.
"HA! ME THINK YOU LOOK TASTY," Augustus eyed up Xenovia, a feral and hungry grin spreading across its entire body, "PLUMP AND CHEWY, PRETTY GIRLS MY FAVORITE!"
And so, the fight began.
Lashing out with two of its arms, the stray attempted to grab Xenovia, only for her to effortlessly backflip just out of it's grasp. Ethan quickly darted in, swinging the jagged edge of Excalibur Rapidly deep into one of Augustus' wrists, causing the beast to shriek out in pain as the holy sword corroded it's flesh.
"ARGH! ME HATE YOU, TINY MORSEL!" It growled at Ethan, before it had to bring up it's arms to block against a wave of blessed bullets.
"THAT'S IT! ME HATE YOU ALL! ME EAT YOU ONE AT A TIME!"
The stray cocked back all of it's disgusting appendages, before spinning around in a shocking display of speed like a mutated, fleshy Beyblade. The arms crashing and destroyed everything around them as Griselda screamed for everyone to scatter.
Pieces of the environment flew every which way, as Vin could make out the sight of Vanessa, who had unfortunately gone in for the kill at the wrong time, who phased back into sight as she caught one of the mammoth forearms to the stomach, flying back in a contrail of vomited blood.
Soon enough, the stray began to approach Vin, and he found himself rooted in place, eyes wide, face pale in abject horror at the imminent death that faced him. With no other option, Vin summoned his Sacred Gear, and attempted to use crystals to shield himself from the horror coming towards him, but nothing proved to work, as the spinning beast used it's momentum to shatter through the crystals like sugar glass, and slammed Vin with one of it's arms.
Using his crystals to cover his chest, Vin managed to mitigate most of the damage, although he still let out a shriek of pain as he felt one of his ribs crack under the pressure of the mad brute's assault. And soon enough, Vin found himself being flung across the store, landing with a thud in the frozen aisle on the north-western end of the store.
Vin braced himself against one of the freezer doors as his crystals weakly shattered off of his chest, revealing pressure cuts running all across his clothes and body. Hissing painful breaths with his broken rib, Vin tried to catch his breath. The distant sounds of his peers doing battle with Augustus letting him relax, knowing that the monster was too preoccupied to go after him. Despite being in the midst of a massive stray devil hell bent on eating them, Vin slowly began to relax.
That was, until a new noise caused his blood to turn to ice.
The scratching, clawing sounds of something crawling it's way over. In the darkness of the store, only the faint lights of the freezers provided a dim glow that proved barely enough to see. It was like a horror movie, Vin, the helpless victim, stalked in the darkness by some unseen predator.
With all the extra cries and noises of battle in the distance, Vin couldn't make out the precise location of the noise. All that he knew was one fact.
There was something else here.
And soon enough, Vin felt something drip down onto his shoulder, causing him to gaze up, eyes widening once in fear.
Crawling along the ceiling upside-down as some sort of quadruped, easily three times the size of a full-grown dog. It's skin chapped and fleshy, it seemed even less human than Augustus ever was. At least Augustus could speak. This… creature instead hissed and growled in glee, looking down on Vin with it's blood-soaked, drooling maw, which housed it's one ceasing, unblinking eye.
Finally snapping out of his reverie, Vin dove across the floor, as the monster before him pounced on where he stood not a second ago. With no time to think, Vin used his Sacred Gear to form a sharp cluster of crystals that protruded and covered his right forearm and hand. Using his left, Vin sent a spire of quartz-like crystals rushing towards the creature, which it dodge in manic glee, running along the freezer doors, before spring boarding off of them, and directly at Vin.
Vin stabbed his arm blade at the beast as it pounced, shifting sloppily to the side to attempt to avoid the snap of it's jaws. Although the sharp point found purchase in the shoulder of the monster, it wasn't enough to deter it, as it's right claw pinned Vin's chest to the floor, leaving Vin winded as his broken rib poked the skin of his chest painfully.
Desperately, Vin covered his right arm in even more crystals, as the monster proceeded to bite down, Vin attempted to keep the crystals as rigid as possible, but slowly but surely, the monster's iron-hard fangs began to dig deeper and deeper into his arm. Crying out as the jaws of the creature simultaneously threatened to snap his arm and chomp down on it like some sort of macabre chew toy, Vin trashed in vain, unable to summon anymore crystals without threatening to lose focus on keeping the one's covering his attacked arm as rigid as possible.
Slowly, Vin began to realize the hopelessness of his situation. He couldn't fight off the stray devil before him, the best he could do is hold on until help arrived. But with everyone else distracted by Augustus, how long would it be before they realized there was more than one stray devil in the building? How long could he actually hold on? He could already feel his focus and strength failing him, as the creature's sharp fangs slowly sunk into the flesh of his arm. The slow pace of the creature biting down causing inexplicable pain to radiate like strobing agony throughout his right arm and up his nerves.
Right as Vin began to slow down, his futile kicking finally easing, a blur of black and stark blue crossed his vision. From the other end of the aisle, Xenovia came blitzing down, sword in hand. As she reached the creature, her free hand grabbed one of its hind legs, using it as a handle to lift up it's torso as she dashed by. Mercilessly, Xenovia swung her Excalibur deep into the stray's exposed underbelly, bisecting the creature in two in a gory display of lethality.
The deep, dark scarlet, nearly black blood of the beast sprayed over both Vin and Xenovia, as she came skidding to a stop. Darting back over to Vin, Xenovia wordlessly abandoned her sword, using both her hands to grab the lips of the creature, and pull the jaws out of Vin's arm.
Weakly, Vin covered his arm in a fresh layer of crystals to temporarily stop the bleeding, before looking up, his vision and hearing both hazy from the overwhelming pain and the loss of blood.
Despite that, as Vin looked up at his savior: her breathing uneven, her blue and green hair matted down by sweat and stained by black blood, her face making the most genuine expression he'd ever seen her make, even if it was one of worry mixed with relief; his foggy, delirious, adrenaline-riddled mind made one final conclusion.
At that very moment, Vin had never seen a woman so beautiful in his entire life.
...And then the world went dark.
I'm back!
That's right, baby! I may have said that I was feeling burnt out, but today was genuinely great, and the atmosphere was just perfect for writing, so everything flowed out of my mind perfectly!
Before we get into the Review Roundup though, I want to make one very special announcement…
WE'VE HIT 100 FOLLOWERS!
I'm actually stunned, seriously. You all are so fucking amazing. When I went to check out my story for the fifteenth time that morning alone, and I saw that we hit 100 followers, (well, actually 101, but hey, semantics) I ran downstairs and practically shoved my laptop in my mom's face because I was so excited. You all make every second I spend working on this story worth it, and I know I say that every time, but that's because it's the goddamn truth!
So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Not just to the people following, favoriting, and leaving reviews on this story, but to every single one of you who have taken time out of your day to read my story. It… It truly means the world to me.
Now, onto some of the story details of this chapter:
Chapter Notes
[The Excalibur's]
First off, we see the introduction of the Excalibur's in this chapter. I wanted to do this for a while, so it's great to finally be able to do this. Now, some of you may have read this chapter and already come to this conclusion, but let me just make it official. Yes, all the Exorcist-Babies use a different Excalibur Fragment. They don't always get them, but when they get approval from the higher-ups, they're brought out of a secure vault. Now, let me do a bit of minor spoiling, as I reveal what Excalibur belongs to each person.
Xenovia - Excalibur Destruction
Irina - Excalibur Mimic
Ethan - Excalibur Rapidly
Vanessa - Excalibur Transparency
Jafar - Excalibur Blessing
Ezekiel - Excalibur Nightmare
Now, Vin would get Excalibur Ruler, but… well, it's lost, and currently belongs to a certain member of the Vali Team, so… yeah. The other notable detail is with Ezekiel. I thought it'd be cute if people thought that prolonged use of Excalibur Nightmare makes him hallucinate, and that Sinclair, the magic fuckin' sword dragon is actually just a figment of Ezekiel's imagination. It's still up in the air if Sinclair is actually real or not, by the way. I know the answer, but you won't until I think it's appropriate to reveal. So… maybe never, I dunno. Also, when they don't have access to their Excalibur's, the Exorcist-Babies use blessed/weapons of light, sort of like how Freed would. That's what you were seeing Irina, Ezekiel, and Jafar use in this chapter.
[Augustus the Stray Devil]
Next up, the first encounter with a stray devil! The stray devil named Augustus. Yes, it's an Augustus Gloop reference from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It was the first name that came to mind. Also, his design, especially with the ribcage jaws was heavily inspired by Gluttony from Fullmetal Alchemist.
[Unnamed Stray Devil]
The other stray devil that Vin 'fights' (or fails to), is inspired by a mixture of things, but mainly the Lickers from Resident Evil 2, and the 'Nobody' enemies from Devil May Cry 1 and 5.
[Dulio Easter Egg]
During the shower scene, we get a bit of backstory about Ethan and Vanessa, and yes, it was Dulio who saved them. He was on his way to get some good cheese, or something, and found them. The guy has a soft spot for orphaned children, so that's why he stuck around so long. It's just a little Easter egg/reference for those paying attention, not much more.
[That's one hell of a way to fall in love...]
Other than that, the most major thing we see at the very end of the chapter is Vin's admission that Xenovia looks beautiful. What can I say, getting your life saved by someone does crazy things to you. (Insert the Spike Spiegel line about loving women who can kick your ass here). Now, keep in mind that this does not mean that Vin and Xenovia are going to hook up in the next chapter. Xenovia still holds little to no romantic feelings for Vin, the only difference in their relationship now, is that Vin is going to be… well, a little more aware of things about Xenovia now.
With all of that said, let's get right onto the…
REVIEW ROUNDUP
Elifortero says:
"I think the Midas' rings' will get the ability to create gold as a balance breaker."
Good guess, good guess. But keep in mind two things.
One, gold is actually really soft for a metal, it's not that great for weapons or defense.
Two, and this is going to be one hell of a bait for you guys: Midas' Rings don't actually contain the spirit of King Midas. It's a Sacred Gear that's existed for a long time before that point. It's merely named after it's most famous wielder, King Midas. The Sacred Gear gave Midas the touch of gold, not the other way around.
Regardless, that's a good theory. Thank you for reading and reviewing!
Dragonsayianblue says: (I'm going to combine his two reviews, by the way)
"Cool story, like how it's different. I hope you make Vin not overzealous like some exorcists are. Also with the church, I like to see some banter with vin and the higher ups, because the church can also be somewhat corrupted and overzealous. It's the angels that are the more normal ones even though god is dead, and the system is finicky. Like their 'children crusade' in the past and the holy sword projects, and how no one questioned how Asia got close to a devil and just drop her from the church with no trial or investigation. Not hating Christianity, it's just the church is the human branch, and humans are very flawed. I can see Vin as the brain of his group. Also, yes to the Xenovia and Vin pairing, lol. Also will Vin meet Lint? I'd like to see Vin as more of a bounty hunter for the church.
Also to add to the fact that the church sent two underage non-seasoned warriors to fight a leader class fallen without a veteran for backup. Like how would Irina's parents feel if the church higher-up's send their only daughter on a suicide mission with no backup against a fricken leader class enemy. But yeah, before all that I would like to see the young exorcist trainees you brought up. Looking forward to more."
Thanks for the two insightful comments! I'm glad that my story got you thinking so much. Really, if my story can get someone to stop and think, then that's some of the greatest flattery I could ever receive. Now, like other long posts, I'm going to go through this point-by-point.
First of all, thank you! I wanted to take a different spin on the universe of DxD, and after looking around on here, and seeing a lot of 'Angelic Issei AU's', the ideas sort of flowed along while I was at work one day, and they became what you see now!
In terms of the overzealous nature of some exorcists, I will agree with you. But, at the same time, I do think it's a case of a very vocal minority. Like, the DxD LN and anime really only ever showed Freed, and then Irina and Xenovia, although with those last two, I feel like the branding of 'exorcist' never really stuck with them, because in a couple of episodes, they became angels and devils. What I'm trying to say is that I don't really think a lot of the exorcists are super overzealous or crazy, it's just a matter of the Exorcists we've been shown in canon kind of falling into that category. This fic will hopefully show that, while certainly strange or quirky, there's still a lot of nice, kind, respectable exorcists, and people behind the church. Although, without a doubt, the church has a bad habit of dropping people as long as they haven't already rooted themselves into big positions in the church.
In terms of Vin's role within the group, well, right now he's the group's weak link, I suppose, but we're only three weeks in at this point. Three weeks out of nine months. Yeah, there's going to be some jumping around in this arc, so keep that in mind. As he gets more and more experienced, Vin will be able to put his analytical mind to good use, but also, he's the group's wall, their shield. He'll become the one who can open up pathways for the other members of the group to perform at their best. Still, even if his ass is being handed to him right now, Vin will eventually, eventually, become a badass, don't worry.
The Xenovia and Vin pairing… What can I say? Just because I'm biased, doesn't mean that I can't at least make it a fleshed-out and well-paced relationship. Slow-burn is the word of the day here.
Will Vin meet Lint? Hmmm… Eventually. I haven't concrete thought of a time where the two could meet, so perhaps there'll be a period of time where they meet over these nine months. No guarantees, though. And it's sort of the same with Dulio, as well.
Last but not least, the whole point about sending in only two girls with holy swords to stop Kokabiel. Yeah, I agree, it's some bullshit. But later on in this story, it will happen, and we'll explore some of the reasons why that was the choice that was made. Doesn't mean that it was a good choice, but we'll see the thought process laid out.
Thanks for leaving the long reviews. I hope that you enjoy this chapter as much as the rest!
Horaizu says:
"Midas huhh, I always thought that Vin's sacred gear was a dragon. although I'm a little disappointed, if that's what the author wanted, I wouldn't mind it."
Let me leave you with one phrase, 'Mountain of Thunderbolt'.
I bet y'all will figure it out in about five minutes. But just in case, uh, spoilers if you connect the dots, I guess.
;)
Regardless, thank you for being open-minded and willing to try out new things. That's a good quality to have, especially in this fandom, where people are so scared to try writing something new either in fear of failure, or because they want the guaranteed views that OP-OC, Non-Perv Issei, or GAMER system story will get. Thanks for the review!
OzmaGale Says:
"So far so good, a very solid start for a DXD fanfic. No immediate red flags that make me want to commit toaster bath like BeATRayed or SysTEm. I just hope that you don't abandon this fanfic or if you do for whatever reason plz give us a warning. Not saying your that kind of author but I've had bad experiences with fanfics with promising starts and then the author just dipped. But anyway thanks for giving me a fanfic to look forward to!"
Thank you for all the kind words! It means a lot to hear that people are so invested in this story seriously.
I totally agree about the Gamer and Betrayed fics, by the way. By principle, whenever I'm looking for a new DxD fic to read, I automatically skip one's like that. They...usually aren't a great sign of quality.
I'm not planning on abandoning this fic, I have way too many ideas that go past just this arc alone. I would say, I actually have the next 3-4 arcs already mapped out in my mind, and I know what I want to do in them. If there's ever anything that comes up, I'll probably post a chapter as an announcement just to let people know. The only other thing I'd say is that I upload these sporadically, so just be patient, and you'll find a new chapter soon enough. I just happen to be on a huge streak of ideas and motivation right now, likely boosted by you and everyone else reading, reviewing, following and favoriting. So thanks so much for that! Like I've said before, seeing you and all these other people enjoying this fic so much is amazing motivation.
Crestowl, Says:
"Great chapter as always! Can't wait for Xenovia to beat the **** out of Vin, and what a unique sacred gear! Its always weapon this, Longinus that, barely any accessories or otherwise non-weapon type sacred gears. Here's my guess to how its gonna work. Its a subspecies, that's for sure. It generates crystals that can be used much in the same way that Jeanne uses hers in DxD, ie. as barriers, stabbing weapons, and the balance breaker is gonna be something to do with covering/turning everything around him into crystal. How did I do? Also, a small request. Please don't let him only focus on his gear, give him other skills and abilities. Personally, I like either polearms or just unarmed, but you're the author, its your choice. Just don't make him a one-trick pony that solves everything by either a "unique" application of his gear or just a generic power up. (I also love training montages/scenes, but I'm in the minority for that) Once again, great job, and I hope you keep up the great work!"
Well, look who has stepped back into the ring, the 'crested-owl'. In all seriousness, it's great to see you back for this chapter too!
First of all, yeah; Xenovia is going to beat the shit out of Vin. It's how they bond. They'll punch each other enough, and maybe one day, they'll punch each other with their lips instead.
Also, you're either on the same wavelength as me, or you're a goddamn mind reader, because wow, you're on the ball here. It is a subspecies of Midas' Gears, one that's recently grown in power enough to show visible changes. No telling yet how far those changes run, however. Also you're correct, Vin's Sacred Gear shares a lot of the same applications and uses as Jeanne's Blade Blacksmith/Stake Victim Dragoon. Maybe I should include some cute dialogue between the two of them when they meet later on.
In terms of the Balance Breaker, although nothing is set in stone yet, and Balance Breaker won't even be in this story arc, you've mostly got it nailed down, just think instead of the crystals being everywhere around him, they're everywhere on him, and they keep on growing.
In terms of development in the Sacred Gear, there's one major new power, or more accurately, application of power that'll be revealed later, but otherwise, nothing super strange or crazy will happen with the Crystals. They aren't going to give Vin the ability to freeze time, or some stupid shit like that.
And in terms of relying on Sacred Gears? Yeah, no. Later on in the series, like past this story arc, his Sacred Gear is only one-half of his fighting style. The shield, if you will. We've yet to see what Vin's 'spear' shall be.
If it hasn't already been evident, Vin's going to have to scrape and claw for every bit of power he can get to catch up, so don't worry, he'll never become the one-trick pony that some OC's will become. I like to think that as a writer, I'm self-aware enough to know when I'm going too far.
Thanks for leaving another review, and I hoped you enjoyed this chapter just as much as the last ones! Cheers to you!
Well, that's all the reviews that I have time to respond to this time, since I actually want to get this out Sunday, and this document is already… WHAT?! Twenty-Four pages long! Holy hell… Bah, it's worth it for you guys. Thanks once again for all the support and kind words you've all given me, and rock on!
