Holy shit, if it wasn't a damn long time without updating. When even Berserk chapters are faster that means I've hit the new slow and the only thing worse would be if I'd be slower than GRRM with his book or Cyberpunk 2077. I have my reasons but since nobody cares, I'll just say that if one good thing came out of this brake, it's that my Steam backlog shrunk and I've got few more games with triple digits playtime. Other reasons were not so fun, but as I said, nobody cares, we're all here for entertainment and I'm here to make people laugh mainly.
Since it took so long, I've got to at least keep AN short, so here are answers to reviews. This time I didn't answer in DMs since I logged like 4 times here since the last update, and there was no point writing so late. Some are from earlier chapters, so if you didn't drop the story, nice to see you again.
- xhope14x - Hey, if you like the characters be sure to check the omake at the end and stay tuned for more of them with future updates.
- RiceCakePlayz - Whelp, the big number of siblings was one of the main ideas when I started this story, so it was given and I plan for them to play a more visible part in the future. If that puts you off then I recommend my other story, or at least will do after I'll post more chapters.
- midnightscar17 - (in Mario's voice) HERE WE GO!
- TheCrazedValkyrie - ooh
- bonkxd - Of course Issei's Issei, tho there are some changes but still leaving him Issei. If I wanted to write a story with all the characters original I wouldn't write a fanfic here, but a webnovel or something. I have more than enough ideas to try building the whole lore from nothing. But I wanted the story with Issei, which means his character too. (On a side note, I like adding things from copyrighted IPs, so if I'd publish something I'd probably get sued)
This here was also beted by ekaterina016 and it was done really fast. Great job.
{Albion out-loud / telepathically}
[Ddraig out-loud / telepathically]
(Electric and others)
On the morning of the first day of their preparations for the Rating Game, the Gremory Peerage was restless. Rias told them to meet in the clubroom before going to Hyoudou Household at 11, but they gathered in their school uniforms there at 9. Rias had her room in the old school building, so her presence there was understandable. But her servants all had their apartments or other places where they lived, surprising her as they started to show up in short succession, looking to talk with their King and ease their nerves.
"Looks like you all were nervous before going to Grigori base and just couldn't wait, fufu," Rias said, smiling at how cute her family could be. It made her heart warm how they trusted her to talk about it, even though she knew that all of them had unresolved problems deep inside that they didn't want to share. That knowledge was another one more motivation to fight against Riser. To defend their little safe heaven, until each of her precious members was ready to open up and let her in. "Akeno, could you please prepare some tea for us?"
"Of course," Akeno answered somehow stiffly and turned to prepare drinks.
"Can't we just go already?" Koneko asked from her seat, eating a popsicle. Under her expressionless mask, the petite was far from calm. She had a glimpse at Issei's and Septimus' strength, and she could smell that they were stronger than her; there was no doubt about it. But the Rook couldn't get clear scents of this scum Riser and his harem. Koneko knew that there were some strong fighters there, she couldn't say who and how much. That uncertainty created an itch to vent out.
"That's not nice, Koneko-chan. We told Ise-kun we'd be at 11, coming earlier would inconvenience them. Especially since it's their last day with Asia-san." From a seat next to Koneko, the blond Knight reprimanded the girl on her manner. Out of Rias' servants, he was the calmest about the whole situation. When his King asked why he too was earlier than planned, Yuuto explained how he has already packed and wanted to use the school's empty yard to practice some sword swings as a warm-up. "Buchou, I have a question about our fight against Phenex. Will Gasper take part in it?"
Gasper Vladi, Rias' first Bishop, a Dhampir reincarnated into Devil and possessing a powerful Sacred Gear. Another child with a troubled past in Red Princess' Peerage, with his powers being so great instead of a blessing, they became a curse, isolating him from others and forcing Rias to have him sealed in an empty room of the old school building. "No. I asked Nii-sama about it, but he said that bringing a wildcard with such a short time to prepare and adjust would hurt our team instead of strengthening it."
"… *clank*" Rias didn't worry about those three right now. The source of her nerves just came back, carrying the trait with cups and hot water. Akeno was trying to act normal, but everyone in the clubroom saw through her act. They would notice it even without trying, with how the usual air around her turned gloomy and how she tried to hide her hands from trembling. She hasn't said anything, but Rias was sure about the reason. Her friend didn't want to be surrounded by Fallen Angels.
At least that was what Rias thought. And she was right, partly. Akeno still felt distaste towards her Fallen half and didn't have any love towards them. But her brief experience with Raynare and Mittelt already toned her anxiety down to the point where she could go through this trip without an issue if she focused on their training and Fallen Angels didn't bother her. The reason for her acting like that was that this night she had an especially vivid dream, where her father appeared in the Grigori facility and grabbed her. No matter how hard she tried to fight, that man held in place as all her friends faded away until she was left alone with Baraqiel watching her with a grim face.
CRASH
"AKENO!" The teapot slipped Hybrid's hands, breaking and spilling hot water around. Rias rose from her place summoned a magic circle to shield Akeno. But Kiba was faster. Raising wind in the closed clubroom, he grabbed the stunned Queen and dragged her away. Thanks to his quick intervention, the water landed harmlessly on the floor where seconds earlier, but Rias was far from calm. Worry followed by relief that everyone was safe and mixed with anger at Akeno and herself in Devil's heart as she grabbed her friend's face. "What are you doing?! You could have hurt yourself just now!" The moment Rias screamed, she already regretted it. If anyone was at fault here, it was her, not Akeno, for the way she tried to help. She knew, yet she still lost control. And at such a trivial matter, where even if the water touched Akeno, they could immediately heal her.
"I'm sorry, Rias-" The Queen apologized as her eyes ran to the side, making Rias feel even worse.
"No, I should apologize first, Akeno. I noticed that you were troubled with where we're going, but wanted for you to come out with. I should have led the talk on in and-"
"No, it's not that." Akeno took Rias' hands into her own and stopped the redhead. "I'm not happy about where we're going, but if that'll help us defeat Riser, I can do it. It's just..." The Peerage then listened as their Queen explained her dream and how it weighed on her mind.
"Akeno-senpai." At that moment, Kiba spoke up. "Even if your father would wait for us in the Sandpit, we wouldn't let him take you from us. Just like you are ready to fight for Buchou against Riser, we all are ready to help you whenever you need us."
"Of course! Remember, you are all my family, Akeno. And the family helps each other." Two great beauties of Kuoh Academy joined in a tight hug, and it was a sight to behold. However, the only ones to see it were the blond Knight smiling at this sign of friendship, and a smaller expressionless girl. "If anyone wants to steal you, I'm gonna send Onii-sama after them. And I'm sure Ise and Sep-kun would join too." Mentioning two of their new members cheered Akeno up. In her heart, she knew that her father wouldn't abduct her; she was sure that he didn't care enough about her to even do that. But if such an unlikely event happened, their strengthened Peerage could deal with it.
"Aren't those two closer to Grigori than us?" Koneko's image of their new member was more skeptic than other members. For her, even though they said they weren't from Grigori, with how many ties to Fallen Angels they had, there was no difference between actual members and them. If one of the highest standing Fallens was against their Peerage, the young Nekomata was sure they'd ditch them.
"Have some more faith in our comrades, Koneko-chan. Our President already said it, we are all family, cute new kouhais too." Her friends' support dispersed all shadows that troubled Akeno. She was back to her playful self, making other members around her happier. Koneko couldn't find anything to refute that, so she just shrugged and unpacked another popsicle. "Besides. Even if they would try to side against us, I'm sure I could convince Issei to… change his mind, fufufu~" The voluptuous brunette suggestively licked her lips and shook her hips.
Her head was filled with thoughts on how exciting it would be to seduce their honest Pawn and ensnare him with corrupted pleasure, to make him use his strength for her. Or, the young Dragon would instead subdue her with his power, marking her body his and moving to possessively protect his 'property'. As her body was getting hotter at the visions, a different person appeared as a target. How enticing it would be to make a move at the cat-boy, so scared of her sadistic side. Oh, how much fun she'd have, turning this fear into arousal.
"Akeno, don't try to eat my servants - we need them..." Seeing her friend's twitches and heavy breathing, Rias had no problem picturing what kind of fantasies she had. Though she said it as a joke, she knew Akeno could try to make them a reality. At least her Queen was now happy, and her servants could protect themselves. Probably.
"Fufu, maybe I'll just take a little bite or two?" Across the town, Issei felt strange jolt travel down his spine. Meanwhile, a floor above him, Septimus kicked around the bed when his dream changed into a nightmare.
"Pervert." Koneko stared flatly at the lusting girl, thinking that maybe their new members weren't that much worse than old ones.
"Yuuto-kun," Akeno smiled at this cute in its own way comment and turned Kiba, "Thank you. I still haven't said that." In a move full of grace, she bowed her head thanking for his help. She was back their reliable Vice-President whose gorgeous aura enticed the school population, losing in popularity only to Rias.
"It's nothing, I'm glad I could help." Yuuto's words weren't just empty courtesy. What he did was natural to him. It wasn't something he needed to be thanked for.
"Our Yuuto-kun is always so proper, it's no fun teasing you." There was a hint of regret in Akeno's voice. Kiba's handsome face and the 'ideal knight' image made him the most popular male in the school, but with his character, he left all his fans without hope for fulfilling their dreams. Akeno could only pity all those poor souls.
"… Can't we go already?" Amid the silence, Koneko once again asked.
This question actually made Rias happy. Not because she was restless to go to Hyoudou house, but the behavior of her Rook itself. Before, she could sit in one place in silence for hours, rarely speaking first to anyone. Now the girl Rias saw like her little sister slowly stopped being indifferent to everything around and started to liven up. Rias had to thank their new members and their attitudes for bringing this change. Now she had to push it further - until Koneko and all her valued friends were finally free from their worries.
"Yuuto-kun is right. We shouldn't interrupt our friends' goodbye party. How about a game of chess instead?" Gremory magic circle shone over the table, cleaning it up. Then as the light died down, a chess set appeared between the two.
"Alright." The white-haired girl nodded and started to set up white pieces on her side.
"Then I'll make a new tea and play a match with Yuuto-kun."
"With pleasure."
That's how the morning passed for the Devils of Occult Research Club. Opposite to its calm atmosphere, right after meeting back with Hyoudous, there was one surprise after another. The UFO, Azazel. Now, there was a teenager with silver hair, wearing jeans and a white t-shirt introducing himself boldly as a Lucifer's grandson, stating that he was also the White Dragon Emperor. Of course, Rias' reaction would be…
"Nice to meet you, Vali-san. Just as you said, I am Rias Gremory. However, you are wrong about one thing. My brother is not a 'fake Lucifer'. He holds this title purely because of his strength, there's nothing fake to it."
… a calm and polite, if a little cold, response, with a bit of protecting the honor of her Nii-sama. Rias was surprised, of course, the boy before her in itself was someone who shouldn't exist, a Devil of the grandest bloodlines with one of the Longinus-class Sacred Gears. The Peerage behind her did not see such an event coming either. However, their latest meetings raised a bar for the 'speechless surprised' a lot higher. They already knew one Half-Devil with a Sacred Gear. The impact of meeting another one would obviously be lessened. And so, each one of them looked back at Vali with a straight face. That certainly wasn't what he had expected, and the dumbfounded expression he had was nice payback for his rudeness.
"… sure..." That was the only thing Vali said after a moment of silence and intense staring. He was ready for astonishment, unbelief, even hostility, not a composed response. His reaction didn't last long, and Vali quickly hid behind a smirk, but Albion would make sure to remind him about this many times. Yet this time, there was less arrogance in it, and his eyes looked curiously at the group. "Is that your whole Peerage?"
"All that will take part in the training. We have one more member, but unfortunately, he's unable to help us right now." Rias said.
"What? Buchou, we have more members?" The unexpected counter from Rias was very satisfying for Issei. He was ready for magic, swords, and punches to start flying. Instead, he got one of the rare moments when Vali was left speechless. But anything about other members besides Yuuto, Koneko, and Akeno was new to him.
"He's the other Bishop I've reincarnated long ago. However, because of his circumstances, it's impossible for him to join us for the upcoming match."
"OK." If Septimus was there, he'd inquire if the 'impossible' part was indeed impossible or just improbable. But for Issei, that was enough. And since it was a guy they were talking about, Issei wasn't desperate to meet him. He then turned to Vali. "Ela and Sep will show up later, then we'll discuss the training plan. In the meantime, I wanted to show everyone around and~"
"Fight me." Vali interrupted him.
"… Fight you?" Issei echoed stupidly.
"Fight me. It's been what, three years or so? Three years when you lazed around, and we haven't fought. Did you at least get a 'normal' girlfriend, or 've seen real boobs as you vowed?" Vali asked rhetorically, even though he knew the answer.
The two Dragon Emperors saw all of the exchange from the start. Albion didn't have much of a choice. For him, it was either this or to sleep deep inside the Sacred Gear. Ddraig had the option of observing his host, but in her country, it was not long after midnight, and she was asleep. None of them was interested in sleeping, and after seeing what had happened, the red Dragon was overjoyed.
Ddraig did the spiritual equivalent of grab and dragged Albion to the other continent, into the mind of currently sleeping Septimus to use it for a place to talk.
{Buahaha, the reaction your host had at the Red Princess remark! Complete defeat! Yet to give credits where credit's due, his fighting spirit is first class. I can't wait for when he and my own host meet!}
[Indeed. Vali and I can't wait for her to unlock the true potential of the Boosted Gear. With him as her opponent, the girl will have to be exceptional to match him. But if that occurs, what awaits us may be the most impressive duel we have ever had.} Albion had no retort for his rival laughing as he did the same, but he gladly accepted the sincere praise. From the bloodline to attitude, it was no exaggeration that Vali was not only the strongest but overall the best host he ever had. This time the fated episode in his never-ending fight with Ddraig filled him with excitement he hadn't felt in centuries.
[Her will is exceptional for sure, I promise you! With enough time, she will give your Lucifer a run for his money. But that's for the future. Right now, we have to make sure our hatchling's Princess win.]
{Yes. At the same time, the Phenex child will serve as an excellent trail for Issei. It's almost time for him to mature.}
"… mmm… fuck off… senile geckos…" The owner of the mind heard the two Dragons talking and started to wake up. In the last attempt to shut them out, he threw one of the pillows at random, but how could that do anything to spirits inside his head. Nonetheless, neither Ddraig nor Albion wanted to argue with Septimus why they woke him up, so they quietly left him alone and went back to watching the situation in the Sandpit.
Issei slowly started to understand. It was like all those years before, Vali was always first when fighting came into discussion. For years he'd use every excuse to test against his siblings, be it during training, bets, or playing. And playing with him as kids always turned into a competition where kid-Vali always went all out.
Issei remembered it all, but after his temporal 'retirement' battle-crazy White Dragon Emperor respected his decision and avoided him in his challenges, turning into a normal brother. Vali was also the most often present at home after Issei, living there whenever he had a longer break from work. Which summed up to almost half of every year. The image of competition-addicted-Vali was there but covered up under years of normal-brother-Vali. The only fights he had with Vali these years were about whether boobs or asses were more attractive in women, just a healthy sibling banters without trying to beat each other into the ground.
"… I've seen boobs." Issei answered weakly, the 'girlfriend' subject still being touchy for him.
"Peeking doesn't count. Fight me." The battle-maniac remained unmoved.
"It was NOT peeking! I saw Miia's and Rias' boobs, upfront, with their consent. I've even touched them!" Here the pervert could finally proudly say that he didn't waste all that time and was a step closer to his grand dream.
"That's after you turned into a Devil. Whatever just fight me!"
The rest of the group stared at the two brothers, one repeating 'fight me' like a broken record, the other… being Issei. And they were not surprised. The newly met Hyoudou was yet another person with an intense personality, just like Issei, Septimus, and Izuna. The Devils started suspecting if the remaining sisters were like that, but they just did not see all of it.
"… Mmmmm!" Izuna watched their exchange, but after realizing there was no attention on her; worse, her Nii-chan bragged how he groped other women; the Half-Werewolf jumped high up and knocked both brothers on their heads.
"What the heck?!""What was that for?!" The two of them cried out.
"Stupid! Forgetting about your friends and your cute imouto! No fighting now!" Her fluffy-tailed wagged angrily as the girl stuck out her tongue at her brothers.
"I don't even know them!" Vali defended himself!
"And I don't want to fight!" Issei joined him.
"Hmpf!" Izuna huffed and turned away from them with an angry pout. Facing her back, both boys had a clear view of her tail, and by how it moved, they could clearly read her. They didn't even need their years of experience from growing up with the girl. She; or rather her fluffy backside; was so transparent that anyone with some knowledge of dogs would see this. A few moments later, Izuna's tail stopped, then slowly waved left and right. Slowly looking up at Issei and Vali, Izuna stared at them with innocent two-colored eyes. "I can forgive you if both of you take your cute sister on a date late~"
""Denied!"" Before she even finished, both of them shot her down on the spot.
"Mooou! Not a romantic date! Yes, I want a very romantic date where we are lovey-dovey. But later! Now I want go with Ela-nee, Mira-nee and brothers all together! A PARTY!" At the immediate denial, the youngest Hyoudou dropped her act and started throwing words at the incredible speed that only got faster.
Even with years of experience, Issei and Vali sometimes had trouble understanding Izuna when she got excited. Meanwhile, the Devils of Occult Research Club barely interacted with her for less than a month. To get what the little Werewolf was saying, they needed a translator who can keep up with her barrage of words and fill the information she skipped. Without one, they could only watch the small girl cornering both boys with words alone. As she went on, they could only get incomplete pieces like "… karaoke!"; "Big pizza!"; "...stealing Zaz-ji's ride and..." and "Like kissing your beautiful imouto!", mixed with vivid gesturing, angry stomping, or joyful jumps. In short, a complete mess.
Issei got the general gist of his hyperactive sister's gibberish mix. After filtering concerning parts involving incestuous subtexts, she just wanted her family's reunion party they promised her, now that they were all together. A happy and heartwarming wish, if only they had time for that.
"Izu!" Issei raised his voice, not because he was angry, but it was the best way to get the girl's attention.
"Hai?!" Izuna immediately stopped with her wolf ears standing on attention.
"We're here for a reason, remember? We're to help Buchou and our other friends get ready for the fight with Riser. And I too need this training. That's why we will have our party; only later." Issei pointed at the rest of the group, who stood there, uncertain if they should actually watch this scene or to give the family a moment in private.
"Alright!" This wasn't the answer he expected. For Izuna to agree right away was too easy. Issei was ready to argue, but about what exactly? But with that, Izuna turned her attention to Rias. "Everyone, do your best and train! To make things faster, let's skip all breaks! Eat while training, stop sleeping, and Izu will have her party fas~" *chop* "Iaaa!"
Issei's hunch was right. His sister, with a smile on her face, just casually asked for something outrageous, even saying it's for a party. But the one who stopped her with a sharp chop on the head was Vali, not Issei. "That's enough. They're here to get stronger, not for slave labor." Izuna gave him a hurt and betrayed look. "What? You know I'm right." He matched her eyes.
"..." After a moment, the Half-Werewolf finally looked away.
"But you've got some point. Let's go and fight to check your skill level. First one's Issei." Vali brought back fighting like it was completely normal.
"Fighting, fighting, fighting! Give it a rest! We still haven't dropped our stuff, Buchou and everyone else haven't even seen most of the facility! At least wait till Sep and Ela show up!" Issei couldn't stand it any longer and exploded, at which Vali hoped for a second that he'd be eager to fight from anger, but that didn't happen.
"Alright, but then we fight!"
Rias decided that now was a good time to stop this family dispute and walked up to sulking Izuna. "Izuna-chan, after we win, there will be a big banquet with lots of food. We're friends, and to thank you for your help, you and your family will be guests of honor there, how does that sound for a party?" She asked. Rias' avoided that there would be a banquet even if they'd lost, where Gremory and Phenex families would celebrate their new union. In that case, even if she managed to invite them, neither they nor her parents' guests would be happy with that. But now there was also a problem of inviting Lucifer's great-grandson, yet Rias wanted in some way to thank them for help.
"Banquets are boring. There're too many old people in uncomfortable clothes and no fun." Izuna answered without interest and walked to the doors. "Hurry up and unpack, then Izuna will show you around."
When they came back, half of the backpacks were gone, and there was only Azazel, tossing a spare set of cards while waiting for them. After he saw Izuna with the first set, he dropped his keys to the pocket and told them he'd be back later as he had work to do. Passing by Rias and her servants, he gave them IDs with "GUESTS" written in big red letters over it, saying that it would keep other personnel away.
The left side of the corridor was already taken by Hyoudous except for the last two remaining rooms, which Raynare and Mittelt took keys of already. Picking a room for herself, Rias thought how it'd be nice to take the one right across Issei's. However, she couldn't, as thanks to all the commotion, Miia had more than enough time to take it and completely unpack there. The Lamia was her servant's familiar, so Rias could use it to ask Issei to order her to move. But in the end, the matter wasn't that important, and she just picked the next closest room. Still, Akeno used it to tease her how she wanted to but close to Issei and then decided to pick the room on the other side of Miia's, teasing both redheads by saying how maybe she'd sneak into her kouhai's room at night. The remaining Koneko and Kiba looked at the scene, then between themselves and picked the closest free ones.
Other than Hyoudous' rooms, they were all the same. White-and-gray walls, a bed big enough for two people, a desk, a wardrobe, some empty shelves. Every room had its own toilet and shower, but besides that, there was nothing. There was enough space that no one felt cramped even with taking out everything they brought, but the empty walls seemed cold and utilitarian. In the end, it was quite a far cry from what the private Gremory mansion had to offer.
The rooms of Issei and others were different because they already remodeled them when they used them in the past. In fact, these rooms were exactly the same as they left them, except for a thick layer of dust and a collection of spider webs telling them that those rooms weren't even cleaned, but quick cleaning spells and call to the laundry room for new sets of sheets fixed that. Seeing the old posters of naked women; both 3D and 2D; on the walls brought Issei such a nostalgic mood that only got stronger when he reached under the bed and found the side-branch of his collection of porn mags. Yes, the room stayed the same for over three years.
Yet there was no time to drown in old memories. When other Hyoudous were busy with the last of preparations, Issei had to be a guide for the newcomers and show them around. After Koneko, as the last one left her room after unpacking her gigantic backpack, Issei took them to the closest elevator where they talked about the layout. Currently, they were in the first underground level spanning tens of kilometers horizontally, used as a housing compound, and storage for XXL-size items or flying objects. Unfortunately, while they could go as they wished almost everywhere in the living part: training rooms, the canteen, and so on, warehouses were off-limit for Devils without Azazel or some Hyoudou accompanying them. As Issei explained, it was both to protect Grigori secrets, but mostly for their safety because a big chunk of the stuff there was either a failed prototype or plainly hazardous products of Azazel's boredom.
DING
The elevator reached the highest floor, breaking the discussion. The hall they entered had windows to the west showing the Sun setting down over the Nevadian desert. Time zones. When they left Japan, it wasn't even noon, yet here it was already evening. That was one of the main catches of the long-range teleportation on the Earth, a horrible case of jet-lag. For species like vampires, potentially a deadly drawback if they're careless.
"Here's something if anyone wants some fresh air in their spare time. We won't have time to use baseball court and stuff like that, but there's an open bath that's great for sore muscles."
Listening to Issei, Rias and co. were welcomed with an outside view more fitting a resort. On the one side of the still fence, there was typical sight accompanying military base – warning signs, roadblocks, plenty of empty space. However, inside… An Olympic pool, athletic track, football field, a walkway with sunbeds, a runway with hangars… Only the last one did fit the image.
"The Sandpit has mostly long-term personnel, but from the start, it was mainly built underground when the surface floor was left unused, except for the runway. Everything was surrounded by a web of high-quality illusion spells, making it look like a normal base, and there was nothing to do around here. So naturally, it wasn't long before Fallen Angels started to ask if they could do something with the unused space. Azazel liked the idea as it was easier than jumping around the globe or down to the Underworld every time, and soon those working here started planning what to put here." Like a true-blooded guide, Issei talked about the facility's history while walking them through the corridor and showing different features outside. "When we first showed up here, most of those were already standing. But Hyoudous too left their mark here! See there?" The group looked where their guide pointed at, the Japanese onsen! "It took some work to get the water vein here in the middle of the desert, but the end result paid off!"
When Rias looked around others, everyone was pleasantly surprised. Hearing where they were going and seeing their rooms, their assessment changed. This place did not lose to the Gremory private villa, where Rias first planned to take them. The especially pleased one was Miia, unaware that the tip of her tail was happily dancing while she stared out of the window at the hot springs.
Meanwhile, Koneko stared at Issei, trying to phantom what bothered her. After a moment, she gave the onsen a studious look, looking at its structure from above. There were three sites separated with bamboo walls, most likely male, female, and mixed. "You've built it yourself?" she asked bluntly,
The expression Koneko had brought doubts to Issei as he looked at the onsen again. Was there something wrong with it? Was it ugly for the small Nekomata? "Well, Ela-nee was responsible for all the details like hydraulics and drawing the design, while I and the others picked manual and magical aspects. Putting the walls, setting stones around. And drawing water up here, of course. Why ask?"
"You've built hiding spots for yourself in woman's part." That wasn't a question. Koneko stated it as something she was sure of.
"How did you know?!" Issei shot out immediately and stared even more intensively at the women's bath than her. His hideout was invisible, and he's got proof for that. Even Great War veterans with their sharpened instincts never noticed him, yet Koneko found it? FROM HERE?!
"I didn't, but you are a pervert. A pervert would do this. I won't use it."
The hall was filled with silence after that straight answer. By admitting the existence of his peeking place, Issei played himself. But at least the location of his secret spot was safe. Thinking about it calmly, the fact that he had been peeking was well known here, yet when and from where was known only to him and the three other visitors that had access to his head. There was no way that after having a taste of the training that was planned, they could resist the temptation. All he needed was patience, and he would be rewarded with scenes of naked beauties covered only by fog, dripping water, relaxing together, all flushed from hard work, and high temperature. A man's dream come true!
"Ha… hehe… hehehehe..." For moments like this, all the hours they've spent in the sun digging were worth it. With the droll filling his mouth Issei watched Rias move next to Akeno to whisper something, their breasts rubbing together. And Issei wanted to be between them. Whatever was said brought a soft giggle from the seductive Queen, turning into a laugh between both girls and caused a miracle of an oppainami – a case of waves created by the movement of extraordinarily voluptuous cleavage! When Miia appeared next to them and her tail coiled around Akeno's boobs while emphasizing their size, only then Issei realized that he got lost in his fantasy.
Everyone around was silent. For Koneko, the boy before her was a lost cause, drooling at whatever his imagination brought him. She was astonished and creeped out how even with her non-existing expectations, this lecher dragged the bar even lower. Issei's reaction was too much even for other girls that were much more indulgent to Issei's habit. Poor Miia flushed red like her scales. And Kiba… he tried to blend with the surrounding, somehow feeling that if he stood out too much, their Pawn would try to drag him into something troublesome.
That premonition was close to coming true. Faced with silent criticism, Issei searched for a way to defend himself, but he threw away the "It's natural for guys." before he said it. In the end, he just laughed while scratching his neck. His main codename in Grigori operations was Lust, and it wasn't like what they thought he imagined was wrong, so what's the difference?
"Yes, the hot springs' great. Next, we're stopping at the canteen, and from there, we're getting deeper!"
DxD
The trip around the base took them another two hours. The group checked places like the lunchroom, screening rooms, the office of the facility's chef that Azazel took from him, and more. As they traveled deeper underground, they passed many floors that Issei, still in his guide role, told them were laboratories and assembling lines. Some dealt with technology, some mixed it with magic, others operated specifically to get Azazel more data on Sacred Gears, and there were even ones that the Half-Dragon had no idea about.
Between those floors, their elevator stopped quite often and people rotated with every stop. There were many questioning looks at their party, yet the Devils gave out their share of stares too. The Peerage saw people in lab coats, others partly wearing hazmat suit in too much of a hurry to take it all off, some of them carrying boxes of unfamiliar metal parts, flasks, even live animals. That was suspiciously lively for a place that was supposed to be almost empty. But after seeing how after short glances at them, almost everyone focused solely on Issei, Azazel's words rang again. Because of his fame among Grigori, the Sandpit lived through its own renaissance, housing the most agents and scientists in years.
As there was nothing to explain for a moment, Yuuto tried to pry Issei for details about their training schedule. Rias listened for a while, but she could see that their Pawn was tight-lipped about it and wouldn't spoil anything. Instead, she focused on Akeno. Despite her assurance, the Half-Fallen stood in the corner with a strained smile. Seeing her friend like that, Rias moved to her side and reassuringly squeezed her hand. The two started whispering between themselves, leaving only Miia and Koneko uncertain how to act. At least that's what the Lamia though, but when she tried to start a conversation with the other girl, she ignored her, keeping watch of Grigori members around them.
The deeper they went, the less crowded the elevator became. Twenty stories down, they passed the last lab, and that was how far the elevator could take them.
"This here is where most of the practice will take place. This part is specifically reinforced and buried deeper underground to withstand whatever can be thrown at it." Leading everyone out, Issei yet again introduced the new part of the Sandpit. He started to dig this new tour-guy gig, especially when his group were gorgeous girls… and a handsome guy… But Yuuto was especially helpful with questions during the tour, and even Issei's prejudice against ikemen-type had to give in. "Under us are four more levels, though we can only get there by stairs. This one's- urgh!"
BANG
That moment was the end of guide-Issei. Without warning, slipping past everyone's radar, something grabbed the brunet by the neck and unceremoniously flung into the closest training arena. Before he even registered it, the grandson of proud Dragon Emperors was already flying through the doors, too late to avoid landing inside. He could only fix his position mid-air and brace for the landing.
The 'tour' was in an even worse position. One second their friendly pervert was talking. Next, he vanishes with a strong gust of wind, and the heavy door to the room shut with a loud bang. Only Koneko, who was on her guard this whole time and Kiba with his Knight reflexes, managed to catch a white flash before it vanished.
"ISSEI!" Even surprised, Rias' decisiveness didn't disappoint. When she understood that her Pawn was attacked, iconic red orbs of Destruction appeared, ready to blast the door and surrounding it wall to nothingness. The rest of her servants wasn't lagging behind, ready to follow their King into battle.
"Hold up!" Shouting at someone agitated and holding orbs more deadly than any gun was not a smart idea. Before they even identified the speaker, Akeno and Rias fired thunder and Destruction in the corridor from where the sound came, pulling the metaphorical trigger. And yet, their rashly thrown magic did not kill, ending up snuffed by a dozen of Light Spears instantly summoned to shield their summoner. With a defense formed before them that could just as quickly turn into projectiles, Kiba's battle instincts kicked in. The Knight rushed to attack. But spears vanished in thin air before his feet even left the floor, revealing Azazel in his white suit. Yuuto stopped a few steps away from him, unsure what to do. "Praiseworthy enthusiasm, but stop throwing Destruction Magic inside, please." Now that he's got their attention, Azazel was much calmer with Devil aiming at him than when they were about to attack the doors.
"Azazel?" Rias withheld sending another missile but didn't disperse it, ordering others to do the same. "We've been attacked and something grabbed Issei! Explain!" There was no time for pleasantries and etiquette. Otherwise, Rias wouldn't order the Governor-General like that. Whatever his true character was.
"You're all safe. It's a family matter, nothing about you."
"A family matter?" Akeno repeated after Azazel.
"A tough love between kids. Now, calm down and come with me. You'll like what I'm about to show you. Especially you, Princess." Like that, the Fallen Angel urged them to follow. With a look to their King for confirmation, the group moved, leaving behind poor Miia, who did not know what just happened since she heard a bang.
DxD
Issei got tossed without reacting, but he redeemed himself with the landing, a perfect 3-point landing immediately turned into a backroll over his arm; a habit hammered into his head to avoid knee injury when trying to look cool; and a finish with a slide. He was more than just familiar with the room he was in. A huge square—over forty meters each—of a smooth gray floor made of highly resistant material, with walls high for over fifteen meters that upper third its height was made of reinforced, polarized glass-like material stuffed with waves amplifiers, letting both sound and image through. Right under the ceiling, there even were sets of speakers, used either for communication or to play some workout music.
One of the first level's training rooms, the place where he and others fought while calling it playing. As for how he was thrown here... The sheer pressure of self-confidence and the white armor were dead giveaways who did this-
"Vali! What the fuck is this about?!" Immediately after stopping, Issei shouted red with anger. Not only this nutjob grabbed his neck with metal gauntlets and opened the door using Issei's back, but he also interrupted his time with beauties (and Kiba) whose attention was focused on him.
"You promised me a fight." White light exploded as Vali released his Balance Breaker, standing five meters before Issei in blue shorts and a training t-shirt.
"LATER! Not when I'm surrounded by stunning girls! Out of my way! And at least give me time to change. You seriously expect me to spar in jeans?" Issei tried to emphasize his point pointing at his full-length pants, obviously too tight to deliver a solid kick in it.
Brunet's words were ignored by his brother. Vali not only stayed in his place, he slightly bent his knees, making Issei subconsciously mimic him in preparations for an attack. "I've had enough waiting. Just rip them to get more freedom."
"Freedom my ass! First, I'm not fighting in just boxers and ripped straps. Second, those are my best pants I've put on to look good for Buchou and Akeno-sen-"
Vali did not wait for him to finish, launching a punch at Issei's adornment. Even with the distance between them, it was so fast that the Half-Dragon barely blocked it with a crossed guard. If Issei wasn't prepared, he'd already be bent in half struggling to breathe. Instead, now he only felt slight numbness in his arms.
"Shit! Wait a mi-" Issei again tried to talk, but stopped as he had to duck under elbow flying at his head and immediately block following knee strike. Each strike packed solid force, strong to the point where every contact created shockwaves ruffling their hair and clothes. Issei felt in his bones, Vali wasn't pulling any punches here. One slip and he'd be on the floor with a smashed nose, cracked skull, or other injuries. And the bastard before him was grinning with satisfaction.
"Stop playing around or I'll knock you out! Show me if you can stand without any magic!" Vali's eyes shone with excitement as he jumped back. He halfway expected Issei to be unable to block his attacks after three years of living as a normal human, but with all of them blocked his hopes for this fight surged like crazy.
"Fuck it, and fuck you too!" There was no escape from the fight and, Issei had no other way than to admit it. The teenager already gave up on his trousers and shirt, getting back to his time with sexy girls—and Kiba—or bailing out of this fight. If Vali wanted a fight so much, Issei was now dead-set on making him at least taste a solid serving of pain on that handsome face. Vali's retreat was a perfect chance for that. This time Issei took the initiative in his own hands, following closely after the other boy and using the momentum to strike a right high kick at the silver head of his.
"That's more like!" Getting swept by the adrenaline pumping through his veins, Vali grabbed the leg flying at him, but then had to let go of it or he'd meet Issei's other leg the teenage Dragon sent with a jump. Had Issei not done this, Vali would already use his hold and easily control the fight's flow. "Admit it, you were still training for the last three years!"
Now freed, Issei landed back on the floor, immediately kicking in circles to prevent Vali from closing in. Not wasting any time, the brunet pushed at the floor to slid away from his opponent, gaining quickly meters and time to stand up, effectively bringing the fight back to the starting point. But now happened what Issei feared. His pants ripped over his thighs and split over the crotch, not able to withstand the power of their blows. His right leg was in the worst state, the part where Vali grabbed tore out and still in the Devil's hand. His shirt also suffered, still hanging on him but with holes on the back from dragging in on the floor.
"As if Tou-san just let me laze like that! Training martial arts is something normal people do too, and I did it human environment with him. This is the first time in years I spar at this level, tho'!"
The short breather came to an end when Issei answered. Both Hyoudous used it to steady themselves, and then as if on a mark heard only by them, the two surged forward, fiercer than before. With the distance shrinking rapidly, Issei attacked first with an aggressive flying kick that Vali sidestepped, which the brunet fluidly turned into a sweep kick the moment he landed. The move finally scored the first clean hit in this fight, shaking Vali's balance and allowing Issei to continue his offensive. A punch into the gut, next one aimed at ribs, each causing the air around them to vibrate. Then he struck at the neck what Vali blocked, but at the cost of creating a hole in his guard. An occasion that wasn't missed by Issei, who jumped up with a raising knee, hitting Vali's chin and tilting his head back, opening him for a brutal headbutt.
CRACK
A sickening sound, followed by an angry curse. A burst of blood shot out, spraying more blood on Hyoudous. The headbutt broke Vali's nose like an eggshell and the tears that came forth blinded him. Issei couldn't continue his combo because he too couldn't see. Striking mid-air turned out to be a mistake. He couldn't control his head precisely enough, and some of the blood got into his eyes.
This time Vali was faster. Repressing the pain away and blinking furiously, he cleared his sight enough to start payback with punches of his own. Hitting Issei's sides mercilessly, he'd closed the distance where there was no space between them. In a short set of moves, he held Issei by the throat, bent back over his knee as Vali dug his elbow in Half-Dragon's solar plexus. Letting out a pained scream, Issei tried to free himself, but Vali had the control now, and he used his weight to pin the brunet to the floor.
"How… brutal!" Behind the glass, Akeno gasped. This… This was like a real fight and not a spar between family members. Punches were aimed to inflict harm and hurt. A gruesome spectacle of blood that killed any excitement the Queen had at the shrinking state of both fighters' clothes.
"It is brutal, that's how those kids trained since they were... actually I don't even remember how long. They aim for everything short of killing the other one." Azazel answered, keeping his eyes at the room. He's brought them to one of the corridors surrounding every training room. As they walked behind the Fallen, they could see that the walls were see-through, allowing them to see the entire fight. "I said that you're gonna like it because that's how you're NOT gonna train here. They're crazy, but not insane!" but then he winced at what happened behind the glass. "Ouch, that looks painful."
In those few seconds, the situation turned yet again. Issei slipped away from the grapple after Vali turned his left side into a meld of various hues of violet and green, twisting Issei's left arm in an unnatural angle before he got away. On top of that, both brothers were already almost naked, their clothes suffering all this time.
Yet none of this stopped the two of them from furiously punching each other. Issei was obviously in a worse position with his massacred left side, but his attacks only gained at ferocity. They blocked each other palms, fists, and kicks, striking with knees, elbows, or feet for every time the other passed their defenses.
"Right, as I was saying. Your training will probably look different." This time Azazel didn't sound so sure. "But you can… maybe not enjoy the spectacle, but still get something out of it, especially the lovely Rias Gremory. The strength of a servant is the strength of a master, and here you have perfectly shown Issei's capabilities."
No one answered him. The intensity of the fight scared Devils and the Lamia, but they couldn't draw their eyes from it. Koneko and Yuuto, the two close-ranged fighters in the group, visualized themselves in either Hyoudous position, the only conclusion being that 1v1 their chances were almost nonexistent.
Rias, on the other hand, saw something familiar in the fight. Not their moves or injuries they were accumulating, but the spirit that was put in it. In name, it was only a sparring match. Only in name, though. And Rias knew someone else that trained this way most of his life. "Just like Sairaorg..." she whispered to no one in particular.
The impasse continued, and fighters only got more bloody until Issei managed to grab Vali by the throat with his right hand. The white-haired battle maniac reacted without hesitation, trying to do exactly the same. But Issei did not give him time for that, as his fingers were about to tighten, the current owner of Divine Dividing felt lightweight. Instead of choking his brother, Vali only left harmless scratches on Issei's neck before his face was smashed into the floor, creating a web of cracks in the material. He felt bones straining and cracking. But even then, he wasn't given a rest as he noticed a kick send at his face.
BOOM
When second earlier was Vali's face, now Issei's foot was planted inside a newly-created mini-crater. "I thought we were fighting without any magic. That includes your Sacred Gear." Issei spoke, staring at the hole he created. The sneaker he had was now ruined, presenting him with a sad sight of the shoe's bottom pathetically hanging on his foot.
"We were, and I admit my defeat here." Vali, clad in his Balance Breaker, answered from behind Issei. "Now let's amp it up. Divine Dividing for me, Dragonification for you, and all magic for both of us except AoE that'd take out the facility."
"Can they do that?!" With the group, Miia asked, slightly scared.
"Sure they do! Not by vaporizing everything around, but this level was not build to stand against that kind of firepower. It can collapse somehow easily, shaking everything above. The lowest one is for the no holds barred training, I tested it by detonating an atomic bomb there. Here it's mostly for face-punching, target shooting, and other less destructive activities. A laser beam in the ceiling or an explosion can take it out. I suppose Issei's poisonous breath counts too if he releases enough of it... Those rooms aren't exactly hermetic." Azazel at first answered carelessly. But as he spoke, he started considering if he actually should do some preemptive actions.
"You still want to fight even with how we look like?" Unaware they were observed, Issei sighed and turned around, staring at Vali's visor.
Vali dematerialized his helmet, showing his battered face. "So, you forfeit?" The words came out, but Lucifer's mouth stayed still. Voice-projection magic, the only way he could communicate right now. Issei's last attack actually broke Vali's jaw, literally rendering him speechless.
"..." Issei could end this meaningless fight here and there. All he had to say was: 'Yeah, sure!'. Simple as that. Vali should be satisfied with what he already got, at least for now. This battle-junkie would then get his face fixed, Issei would also get treatment from Mirana, clean up, and hopefully get some more time interacting with Occult Research Club beauties before Elaine and Septimus showed up. Yet… "No. You want to go, then let's go."
{[That's my boy!]} Immediately, two ancient Dragons shouted with pride in his head, revealing they were watching the whole time. Issei finally let out the smile and a laugh that was trying to get out since the beginning of the fight. Despite his grumbling and the loss of his favorite clothes, the young Half-Dragon couldn't hide it any longer. Right now, stupidly beating each other, he had fun.
"I knew it!" Vali forced his numb face and gave Issei the least misshapen smile his broken jaw allowed, then summoned back his helmet. "But I've got to ask. Why were you focusing on my face this much?"
"Hmpf!" Issei didn't answer as right then he was gritting his teeth and breathing heavily, fighting pain that came with putting his left arm in the socket. Only after he could move it with some degree of freedom, Issei answered. "Your handsome face pissed me off, especially after this stunt you've pulled." As he spoke, the trail of both red and white scales started replacing his skin, quickly completely covering his transformed legs up to his groin and hips on the lowers side, and from whole arms down to the chest. With small streaks of scaled slowly creeping up Issei's face, he smacked the floor with the tail as his eyes flashed with changed pupils. "Smashing it into a pulp was… liberating." Then, the last shreds of Issei's pants and boxers that bravely fought to protect his dignity finally gave out under his increase in muscle mass and overall size that transformation brought, leaving him completely naked. Fortunately for him; and sadly for one Half-Fallen Angel that again was starting to focus more on both fighter's body parts that drew attention for… other reason than their beaten state; the new scales now shouldered this role. With that and Vali covered by his Sacred Gear, the male nakedness was eliminated.
"Pfff-augh!" His answer actually made Vali snort, which he quickly regretted thanks to blinding pain.
Both Hyoudous eyed each other, waiting for their heads to clear off the pain before starting another round. In the corridor, the fighters' tension got to the audience. Each and every one of them stared with held breath at what was about to happen. And at that moment, a magic circle appeared right next to Azazel's ear.
"Governor Azazel?!" A hasty voice of a Fallen Angel that was normally in charge of Area 51 came from it.
"What is it?" Somehow, Azazel knew that he wouldn't hear any good news.
The Fallen Angel sounded nervous, Azazel even heard him swallow, but the man continued. "I'm not sure if it's important, but we've just got info that both codenames Greed and Envy were on their way to the training levels. And since we've heard that both Pride and Lust are there too..."
The bad feeling was silently growing at the back of Azazel's head, and at that moment, Grigori's leader felt it materialize. He was pretty sure what shape it would take, just as he could almost see additional paperwork that was about to follow. "It is important, thank you," his voice was flat, devoid of any emotion, "If I remember correctly, you asked for ten times raise in budget for possible repairs, right?"
"Yes."
"And what's your name again?"
"Dave, sir."
"Well, Dave, you've just got twenty times your budget approved." Azazel took out his phone and sent Shemhazai the necessary info for it to happen.
"T-t-thank yo-" Dave was shocked by the news, but Azazel didn't let him finish.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. More importantly, if there are any sensitive experiments in progress, stop them. Also, evacuate personnel directly above..." here, Azazel quickly checked the training room's number, "room T1-004. Things are about to get a little shaky."
Without any idea what was coming their way, both teenagers with Dragon powers finished. Choosing a straightforward approach, Vali shot forward like from a railgun and sent a punch using every bit of gained momentum.
Issei steadied his stance using the tail as additional support, standing strong like a wall and answered the incoming fist with his own. An immovable object met an unstoppable force, and the aftershock was so loud that the training room's failsafe muted it to everyone outside.
THE OMAKE PREQUEL #1 - How it all begun part 1
Back when the Hyoudou family was only two people, the story of six siblings only started to write its first verses. At the outskirt of a small fishing village over the Japanese coast, a recently orphaned boy stared at the late-summer Sun, soon to start sinking into the ocean and giving way to the Moon. The boy hated the Moon. Back when his Papa and Mama were with him, the Moon was shining pretty in the sky, but now with it came darkness and cold biting into his skin and bones. When he was in the forest, with the Moon in the sky, weird beings were showing up, called Youkai by the voices in his head, warning him to not approach them. In the city at night, there were people that were not people. People who smelled different. Voices called them different names, Devils, Angels, Youkai, Vampires, but they always told him to hide or something bad would happen. Bad things happened when the Moon watched.
[Remember to turn over the fish, hatchling.] One of the voices reminded the boy of his today's dinner.
{Do not listen to him. The fish is not ready yet, it needs another two minutes.} Immediately the second voice appeared, correcting the first one with a know-it-all tone.
[Which one of us is THE fire Dragon, Albion? I admit that I was wrong with poisonous mushrooms, but you can't beat me when it comes to burning, frying, or boiling. Child, I say flip it!]The first voice rose in indignation that his opinion was questioned.
"Yes, Mister."
[I am no 'Mister', child, neither is Albion. I am Ddraig, your grandfather. And I will not be treated like a stranger by my own descendant.]
"Yes, Jii-chan." The boy corrected the name, in return hearing satisfied humming.
If someone stumbled upon the scene, they would be for quite the shock. Young child in mismatched and over-sized clothes that looked straight out of the trash, squatting in an abandoned shack over a pathetic fire and grilling fishes on a metal scrap.
When Issei flipped the food with his fingers, feeling flames tingling his fingers. [Good. Now, the fire almost died out, do as I taught you.]
Heeding Ddraig's voice, the little boy added sticks, wood chips, and some bigger chunks, then stuffed his small hands into the fire. [Feel the energy in the fire, then the same one inside you.] The red Dragon spoke ina calm tone, projecting an image of his claw doing the same with imagined fire. [Grab it and make it burn hotter.]
"Yyymmm..." Squinting his eyes, Issei stared at the wood. "Mmmmmm!"
CRACK
{[Intruder!]} At the sound of broken twig Dragons warned Issei in unison, but he already moved to hid his hands and was turning around. In those few days when his Mama told him to run, his grandfathers started talking to him. Issei learned many things, one of them that people reacted badly to a child who was immune to fire.
"You!" Where the sound came from stood a child in a dirty set of shrine hakama and kimono, with orange eyes reflecting moonlight in his cat-like pupils. Issei was scared he'd start to scream and alarm adults, forcing him to run again, but when he drew back from those weird eyes, he noticed the rest of the boy's look. Hair in black and white chaotic stripes and spots, with two furry ears sticking out of it.
{A Youkai. At least we do not have to worry about him alarming the village, but it is for the best that we deal with him as fast as possible.}
Young Issei wasn't sure how exactly Albion wanted him to deal with the Youkai. He only knew how to hide and run.
The silence of Issei's internal monologue seemed to anger the other kid. "It's meo~ine! Thief!" Part-meowing part-shouting, the boy ran to Issei and nimbly jumped towards the fire.
"Wait!" The brunet reached to stop him, but the cat-boy whipped head and tried to bite his fingers. Issei drew back his hand before teeth clasped on it, instinctively stepping back and leaving the fire and fishes. The black-haired boy did not wait and grabbed one, then…
"Nyaou!" He immediately let go of it with a pained scream when the fish burned his fingers. The food flew through the air and was about to land on a pile of dirty, damp rags. "Hmpf!" The Youkai seeing this put the hurt fingers in the mouth and gave out some undetermined sound. Then, startling Issei and both Dragons inside him, a black tendril shot out from beneath his feet and grabbed the fish midair.
"I wanted to warn you. It's hot..." Issei pointed at the fire, burning brightly thanks to his effort. In the back of his mind, Ddraig and Albion were busy discussing what they just saw, using unfamiliar and hard words like 'tangible shadows' and 'umbramancy', and Issei had to talk with the wild boy alone.
"Hmpff!" The boy huffed then took out his fingers from his mouth. "I don't listenyan to thieves."
"I'm not a thief!" Issei screamed in protest.
"You nya~re! Those fishes nya~re meo~ine, thief!" The boy screamed back, that the fishes were his.
"Liar! I found them on an abandoned shrine! Liar!"
"Nyat true! I live there! And vill~nya~gers give it fish, so it's meo~ine! Thief and a nya~iar!"
"And you talk weird! Weirdo!" At this point children's talk turned into name-calling, forcing Dragons out of their talk.
{Enough!} Issei's mouth opened, but instead of his voice there was a deep rumble of Albion, frightening both boys. Issei covered it without thinking, but with no effect as the Dragon still spoke without a problem. {Now, what's your name, boy?}
The Youkai backed slowly with a raised tail, sniffing the air. "I'm nyat telling a possessing Oni meow nyame."
{I am a Dragon, not some common Oni!} The kid's answer hurt Albion's pride all the more with Ddraig's loud laugh. He quickly calmed down to avoid scaring children again, but Ddraig's laugh made his phantom scales itch. {Let me start then. My name is Albion. Before I died, I was a powerful and respected Dragon. This is my grandson, Issei.}
"… I'm Sep."
{Sep.} Albion repeated his name, correctly guessing that calling him by his name instead of just 'child' will make it easier. {We did not know that the shrine belongs to you. However, my grandson is hungry and it was the only-}
"You can have half," Sep interrupted.
While the Dragon hijacked his voice and was about to try and convince the little Youkai to give them a share of fish, Issei noticed things. The other boy was slightly shaking, his teeth that earlier tried to bite him now shook and his ears were clapped down. He was cold, just like him, and had to be hungry just like him too. During Albion's self-introduction Issei tried to tell Sep with gestures to come and join him by the fire, what he exactly did after he stopped Albion.
"Hello. I'm Issei, but you can call me Ise. Nice to meet you," Having back his voice, Issei smiled over the fire.
"Hi," Sep answered flatly as he put back the fish he took and sat close to the fire. For the next few minutes, they only heard fire cracking as none spoke again until Ddraig decided the fish was ready.
"… It's bad." The fish tasted like charcoal on one side, while the other was burnt on charcoal. Sep must've been the same mind, as he nodded in agreement. Both of them were hungry though, so despite its taste, all of the fish were quickly eaten in the end leaving only Ddraig miserable, with Albion pettily laughing at him.
Know your Sin: Vali Lucifer-Hyoudou (in mortal documentation just Vali Hyoudou)
Race: Half-Devil
Sin designation: Pride
Appearance: Silver hair, hazel eyes, average build, 168 height. Likes to wear jeans and leather jackets. (Izu: Even if Sep-nii says he looks 'edgy' I'll still love Nii-chan!)
Powers and abilities: Highly skilled in various branches of magic (Sep: I'm still better!) with enormous capacity; Longinus-class Sacred Gear 'Divine Dividing'; highly trained fighting skills with different weapons, stamina, pain tolerance, speed, and senses (Ela: Knucklehead); personal pocket dimension; mental barriers able to close off his mind, even from Albion
Likes: His family and friends, his biological mother, competing, training, traveling (Ise: This idiot like ass BUT BOOBS ARE SUPERIOR!)
(Mira: Please stop hacking into Vali's data to add stupid notes.)
Dislikes: His biological father and grandfather, messing with his sisters, lazing around, casual playing. (Ela: Competitive junkie) (Mira: I'm telling Azazel...)
Short backstory: A direct descendant of the first Devil Lucifer between his grandson and a mortal woman, with talent fit for his bloodline, a possessor of a Sacred Gear. Vali was born with great potential, but his childhood was tainted by a jealous father and manipulative grandfather, who urged his son to act out on this jealousy, turning more violent toward Vali and his mother over time. One day it was too much for the young child and he chose to escape from the abuse, promising himself to get stronger and kill his father and grandfather. Who knows what would happen to the young child if he didn't stumble across Azazel who took him into Grigori and soon after gave him new family with Hyoudous. Years of living together mellowed his anger and changed him, so his motivation wasn't only revenge, but given a chance he will still kill his grandfather. (All: And we'll help him do this!)
Main story, check. Omake, check. KyS, check. My usual rant? I honestly don't know what to put here this time... Living like a normal human and waking up before the ungodly hour of 8 AM takes out all the energy from a person. That and putting up hours in free time to different time-consuming games like Divinity 2 or Total War. The sad thing's that I won't be able to play Cyberpunk without changing to a new computer, but maybe at least I'll put hours I'd spend over it to finally write at a decent speed... Af if. But a man can dream, eh? Well, if you're reading it this far, keep yourself safe with some decent common sense, try to enjoy whatever makes you happy.
I'm off to do my dailies in some gacha games, see ya in the next one.