(Disclaimer: I own neither Highschool DxD nor Ben 10. Both of these belong to their respective owners who own all rights to them.)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(Several days later)
The next few days that followed after Asia had completed her first contract passed by in a blur. Ben's standard day now became composed of starting out every day in struggling to survive Rias' insanely tough training regime. Usually it was just him and Rias during these sessions, but every now and then Asia would also join them and help heal Ben recover from his injuries of Rias' training.
After this hellish beginning to his day, Ben would then return back home to shower and change into his uniform before heading off to school together with Asia. when the school day was over at the end of the day, the two of them would then make their way over to the ORC clubroom in the old school building where they would meet up with Rias and the others and chat before the two of them were handed their daily quota of flyers to hand out. Once handed these, he and Asia would then head out and walk about town, handing out the flyers to whoever would accept them as they made their way over to another residential are where they would swiftly hand out the rest of their flyers.
This was the routine that made up Ben's average day and, aside from being sent to carry out another contract to get more experience, nothing else of interest happened.
Speaking of school, though, Ben was happy to see how quickly Asia had been accepted in their class. During lunch, he could see how she was almost always engaged in conversation with their female classmates with a bright smile on her face. This always brought a smile onto his own face when he saw how happy she was now.
During these last few days, Ben had also made a point to discourage the male students in their class from ogling Asia with lecherous eyes…particularly with the perverted duo who he continually had to scare away; something he did without making Asia aware of his actions.
At present, the school day was coming to an end and the teacher had dismissed their class. As Asia was caught in another conversation by the female students before they split up and headed off home, Ben remained behind at his desk to wait for Asia to finish before they made their way over to the ORC clubroom.
While he waited, Ben found himself returning to his previous action of drawing some of the images he saw when he travelled through his dreams with Azmuth's guidance. Ever since Azmuth started joining him in these visions, the effect they'd had on him had lessened immensely, much to his relief, but he still continued to transfer the things he saw in these visions onto paper, more out of habit than anything else.
He became so absorbed in sketching out the image he saw in his head that he failed to notice Asia finish her conversation and head over to him. It was only when she tapped him gently on the shoulder that he finally registered her presence.
"Oh, hey. You alright?" he asked, looking up at her with a smile.
"Yes," Asia replied before noting the half-finished image Ben had been working on. "What's that you're drawing?"
Ben swept the drawing off his desk and into his schoolbag along with the rest of his stuff. "Ahh, it's nothing really…just a little hobby of mine."
"Oh, okay."
With everything back in his schoolbag, Ben stood up from his desk.
"Shall we get going, then?" he asked, slinging his bag over his shoulder.
Asia nodded happily and the two of them exited the classroom and headed towards the back of the school where the old school building was located. As per usual, the light dimmed significantly as they entered the building, not that it bothered either of them though thanks to their superior eyesight. Before long, the two of them made it to the clubroom doors and entered through them to see everybody already gathered inside and enjoying a cup of Akeno's tea…or, in Koneko's case, enjoying another small bag of sweets.
As the doors closed behind them, Kiba looked over at them and waved with a kind smile on his face.
"Hey there! You made it."
Ben returned the wave. "Hey. We're here to collect our flyers for the day."
Even as he said this, though, he noticed the box of flyers that usually rested on the table for them was nowhere in sight.
"…which are where exactly?"
"Ahh, that's something I wanted to talk to you about today," Rias stated, ending the discussion she was having with Akeno at her desk and turning her attention towards him and Asia.
"What's up?" Ben asked as he stepped further into the room and making his way over to the sofas where he took a seat beside Koneko. Asia followed behind him and the last remaining spot beside Ben.
"As of today, you will no longer be handing out flyers," Rias announced with a smile as she rose up out of her chair.
Ben couldn't help but release a sigh of relief at this wonderful piece of news. Handing out flyers every day had been incredibly boring and he was hoping that this day would come.
"The duty of handing out flyers falls upon a devil's familiar…," Rias continued as she came to stand in front of the low table resting between the two sofas. "…and as of today, the two of you will finally be getting your own familiar."
"Familiar? What's a familiar?" Asia asked curiously, voicing the question that both she and Ben had been wondering.
"A familiar is a fundamental part of being a Devil. They are companions that you will always be able to count on in times of need," Rias explained as she held out her hand in front of her. As she did so, a small puff of smoke suddenly materialised just above her open palm to reveal a small pink-coloured, black-winged bat.
"This is my familiar. She helps me out a great deal by handing out flyers around town for me."
Ben looked at the small bat-like creature hovering above her hand and a thought came to his mind.
"How does…she(?) do that? I can't really see how she can hand out flyers without causing a commotion."
Rias chuckled light-heartedly.
"This isn't her only form, silly."
As if to prove her mistress's point, as Rias said this, the bat-like creature was engulfed in a brief flash of light which dissipated to show it had changed its form into an attractive young woman with black hair who wore a short, red-coloured dress. One thing that particularly stood out for Ben that caused him to bite his cheek to refrain from commenting on it was the particular shape that her hair had taken. Her hair had been styled in such a way that parts of it were sticking out on either side of her head in the vague shape of bat wings.
"That's cool. How did she do that? Magic?" Ben asked as he slowly returned a wave that was directed his way by the female familiar.
Rias nodded, smiling at Ben's deduction skills.
"You are correct. When a creature makes a familiar contract with their devil, they gain the abilities that all familiars possess; this includes the ability to change their appearance into one of their contracted devil's choosing. This makes it much easier for them to assist us while in the human world.
As Rias' familiar disappeared in another, larger puff of smoke, Akeno and Koneko decided to show their own familiars to their new teammates. Akeno's familiar took on the form of a tiny, green humanoid creature that stood only about four inches tall in the palm of her hand. Ben noted that, as well as it being green skinned, the small creature also had a small leaf protruding from the top of its head.
In contrast to this, Koneko's familiar took on the adorable form of a tiny white-haired kitten which lay on its back in her lap, meowing softly as Koneko gently and affectionately stroked its belly with her index finger. As she stroked the kitten's belly, Koneko informed them that her name was Shirou.
Just as Akeno and Koneko sent their respective familiars away in little puffs of smoke, the doors to the clubroom were abruptly pushed open by two female Kuoh academy students who held them open for a group of other students to enter the room, led inside by a black-haired, spectacled female student.
Ben instantly recognised her as Sona Sitri, the student council president who ran a tight ship at Kuoh Academy. That led him to the conclusion that the entourage of students that were following behind her must be the other members of the student council.
'What's the student council president doing here?' Ben thought, thanking their luck that they hadn't seen Akeno or Koneko's familiar disappear into thin air.
Asia leaned towards Ben a little and whispered in his ear.
"Who're they?" she asked him, unsure as to who it was that had just entered the room and was a little nervous at the stares they were giving them.
"That's Sona Sitri. She's the student council president," Ben explained for her, also in a hushed voice.
"Good afternoon, Sona," Rias nodded in polite greeting, walking around the back of a sofa to stand before the student council president. She was quickly joined by Ben and the others who stood up from where they were sat down and came to stand at Rias' side. "To what do we owe this pleasure?"
"No particular reason. I just wished to stop by and congratulate you on increasing the number of servants to your household," Sona replied politely, pushing her glasses back up the bridge of her nose.
This took Ben by surprise.
"Uh, how does she know about that?" he asked under his breath.
The one who answered his question was Akeno as she was now stood right beside him. she leaned over to him and whispered into his ear.
"That's because she's a Devil too. Sona Sitri just so happens to be the next head of the Sitri household, one of the Great Devil Houses."
Ben's face turned into one of surprise at this revelation.
'Wow, I had no idea there were other devils other than us in Kuoh.
"Thank you, Sona," Rias smiled back in response, ignoring the conversation going on behind her and concentrating on Sona. Her eyes then caught of something over Sona's shoulder. "It seems I must also offer you congratulations for increasing your number too."
Sona gave Rias a small smile.
"You noticed?" She glanced over her right shoulder towards the blond-haired male student off to her right. "This is Saji Genshirou, my Pawn."
Rias returned the polite interaction by gesturing with her right hand behind her towards Ben and Asia.
"This is my Pawn, Ben Tennyson, and my bishop, Asia Argento."
She glanced back to look at the two in question.
"Don't be shy; say hello," she told them with a cheerful smile on her face.
"H-Hello," Asia muttered nervously, giving a small wave as she did so.
"Yeah, hey there. It's nice to meet another Pawn, I guess," Ben said, stepping forward and presenting his hand to shake Saji's.
Instead of taking his hand and shaking it though, Saji just looked down at Ben's offered hand and scoffed.
"Hm. I don't think so. We may both technically be Pawns but we are nothing alike. You couldn't hold a candle next to my power; I took up four Pawn pieces when I became a Devil!" He held up four fingers on his right hand, as if to emphasise his point.
Ben kept a neutral expression on his face as he slowly retracted his open hand and returned it back to his side.
'Ok, so he's an asshole, huh?' he thought to himself.
Beside him, Sona just sighed and shook her head a little in disappointment.
"If you're going to boast, Saji, you should do so only if you have all the facts."
Saji flinched at the tone of disappointment evident in Sona's voice.
"W-What do you mean?"
"You may have taken four Pawn pieces…but he took up eight Pawn pieces and a Satan piece," Sona explained slowly for him, as if teaching a child an important life lesson.
Saji balked at this piece of information and stared back at Ben with a concerned expression on his face.
"What! Really? This punk took eight pieces?!" he exclaimed in shock.
Sona cast one last disapproving look at Saji before returning her gaze towards Rias. "Please excuse him, Rias. He's still new and, it appears, he's not yet familiar with the finer points of civility."
Clearly catching the subtle hint presented to him, Saji took a deep breath before stepping forward and offering his hand out for Ben to shake.
"I…I apologise for my previous comments. It's…very nice to meet you," he muttered through gritted teeth, poorly hiding his obvious disdain for Ben.
Not that Ben cared though. He shrugged his shoulders, stepped forward and accepted Saji's open hand. As they shook hands, Ben fought to keep his expression emotionless as he felt Saji clearly apply more pressure than usual into the handshake. It was obvious what Saji was trying to do; to try and make Ben flinch and assert his dominance.
Internally, Ben just smirked at his badly thought-out attempt.
'Well, two can play at that game.'
Without reacting in any way to Saji's misplaced tactic, Ben began subtly applying his own pressure into their handshake, smiling a little at how little strength he needed to apply before Saji's expression of confidence and arrogance was quickly replaced by one of pain as he struggled to contain a wince of pain at the strong pressure being applied to his hand.
Deciding not to be a total asshole, Ben stopped squeezing Saji's hand tightly and ended the handshake and the two of them withdrew their hands back to their sides.
They didn't know whether anyone around them had seen the silent battle of strength the two Pawns had just fought, but if they had they didn't show any indication of it and the two of them returned to stand by their respective mistresses.
As Ben returned to her side, Rias decided to change the subject of the conversation.
"So, was there another reason you chose to come here or was it to exchange simple pleasantries?"
Sona cast one last quick glance at Saji who now held an admonished expression on his face before turning back to return Rias' stare.
"Yes, there was another reason as a matter of fact. I was wondering if you were planning on heading to the familiar forest this Saturday."
"As a matter of fact, we were planning just that. We were talking about it before you arrived."
"I see. This might prove a problem then."
"How so?"
"Because we, too, were planning on heading there so that Saji could get his familiar."
"Oh dear, that is a problem. He only sees one group every full moon. How do you propose we solve this problem? Perhaps a contest of sorts?"
Sona crossed her arms across her chest as she thought about it. After a couple of silent seconds, she spoke again.
"What were you thinking of? Surely not a Rating Game, right?"
'What's a 'Rating Game'?' Ben wondered though he remained silent. He'd ask later.
Rias smirked and waved Sona's suggestion away.
"No, of course not. We'd never get permission for that anyway."
A small smirk appeared on Sona's face this time.
"You're right. After all, this is hardly the best time to be drawing attention to yourself with that sort of thing, is it?"
"Argh, please don't remind me," Rias sighed derisively with another small shake of her head.
"So what were you thinking of?"
"I was thinking perhaps a sports contest of sorts."
Sona pursed her lips as she tapped her chin with her left index finger in thought for a short moment.
"Hmm, as tempting as that sounds, I think I'll pass on that this time."
"Huh!" Saji exclaimed with surprise clear across his face.
From the similar looks of shock on everyone's faces, it wasn't just Saji who was shocked by Sona's unexpected decision. Even Rias was taken aback by Sona's answer."
"Really? How come? I've never known you to back down from a challenge. Why do so now?"
Rias got her answer when Sona cast a quick glance towards Ben with an expression of regret on her face.
"Consider it a way to make amends for the council's failure. You were deceived by a callous Fallen Angel who presented herself to you as a member of the student council in order to gain your trust."
Ben was taken aback by the sincerity of Sona's apology.
"Uh, thanks," he said dumbly, unable to think of anything else to say at that. "It wasn't your fault though."
Sona shook her head at this.
"But it was. You were new to both this school as well as this country and, as the student council for this school, it was our duty to help you but we failed. Because of that failure, you were caught in a fallen angel plot, lured away to an isolated spot and you were murdered. The fact that Rias was able to save you and bring you back as a devil does not excuse the fact that I allowed a fallen angel to infiltrate this school under the guise of a council member and couldn't stop them from harming a student."
Ben was at a loss for words at Sona's speech and looked to Rias in hope of receiving some sort of assistance of what to say or do.
When he looked towards her, Rias gave him a small, unsure and questioning nod which, after a second of confused hesitation, Ben returned, similarly short and subtle.
Rias then turned back round to face Sona.
"Well, in that case, we appreciate and accept your decision. Thank you, Sona."
As she nodded her head ever so slightly in understanding, a small smile formed in the corner of Sona's mouth.
"Just remember, Rias. This is only a one-off. The next time we both want something, be prepared to face us as we don't plan on losing to you."
A similar smile appeared on Rias' face as she stared at her childhood friend.
"I wouldn't have it any other way."
Sona bowed her head respectfully, a motion the rest of her peerage noted and quickly followed suit, bowing their own heads slightly before following after Sona who had turned back and left through the clubroom doors that they had come through. As the last two student council members left through the doors, they pulled them closed with a light *click* that plunged the room into a weird silence.
The silence persisted for a few more seconds, everyone still staring at where Sona and the others had just departed through, until it was finally broken.
"Well, that was unexpected," Akeno noted with a light chuckle behind her hand.
"You can say that again," Rias agreed with a sigh before turning to face Ben and Asia. "Anyway, now that that's all settled, let's focus on getting you two your familiars.
"Are we heading there right now?" Ben wondered with anticipation in his voice.
The small smirk remained on Rias' flawless face even as she shook her head at Ben's question.
"Not tonight, no," she replied in explanation. "As it was mentioned earlier, it is only possible to enter the familiar forest during the time of the full moon…and that doesn't make its appearance until tomorrow night."
"Ah, Ben muttered back in understanding, doing his best to hide the mild disappointment he felt at having to wait until tomorrow night, especially with all the excitement that had been built up around getting a familiar.
. . . . .
(The next evening)
After having to wait an entire day in anticipation, Ben was relieved when the time to finally get his familiar had arrived at last.
They were all gathered in the clubroom except for Rias and Akeno who they were currently waiting to return from dealing with something, enjoying a cup of tea (or sweets in Koneko's case) while they waited.
Asia sat beside him, engaged in a conversation with Kiba and sipping her tea with a plain expression on her face though Ben knew that she was just as excited as he was to head off to the familiar forest where, they had been told by the others, would be where they travel to in order to get their familiars.
During the conversation, Ben had wanted to learn what he could about familiars before going so he had asked Kiba and Koneko what sort of familiars there were. They had responded by telling him that there were so many different types of familiar that it was impossible to tell; that only the 'Familiar Master', the one who watched over the forest had any idea as to how many different kinds there were exactly.
Their conversation drifted off into silence as the doors opened and Rias entered the room with Akeno entering after her, closing the doors behind her.
"Well, looks like its finally time, guys," she announced cheerfully as Ben cast a quick glance out of the clubroom window to see the full moon slowly rising up into the darkening sky. "Shall we get going?"
Rias got her answer in the form of everyone, namely Ben and Asia, quickly pushing themselves out of their seat and heading over to the two senior devils who stood in the corner of the clubroom where Akeno was already in the process of creating a teleportation circle. Once it was complete the six of them stepped onto the circle where they swiftly disappeared in a flash of crimson light.
When the light dissipated, the first thing Ben noted was that they appeared to have been teleported to a forest. Not just any normal forest though, he realised, as he looked up to the sky. Rather than the dark sky of evening…or any other type of sky that Ben was familiar with, the sky above them was dark red in colour and, swirling through it were dark, misshapen patterns which one could confuse for clouds upon first glance.
"So, this is the familiar forest, huh?" he asked as he glanced around them, taking in his surroundings. He didn't know exactly what to expect when he finally came to the forest but it wasn't anything like the scene before him. Instead of trees that were full of life and covered in leaves as he had envisioned, the trees all around them appeared completely lifeless, devoid of any kind of life and just gathered together and emphasising the already creepy atmosphere around them.
"This is it," Akeno answered him, smiling as she did so.
"It's really creepy," Asia muttered, voicing what Ben was thinking as she nervously held as hands close to her chest.
"Are we in the Underworld?" Ben asked curiously, looking back up at the dark red sky above them.
From behind him, Rias nodded her head in confirmation. "Yes, we are. The familiar forest resides in the Underworld in a protected area that is under the protection of Devils to both ensure that the familiars that live here are protected from the larger demons that exist beyond its boundaries and that new, young devils, like yourself and Asia, can take part in this important step in becoming fully-fledged Devils."
Ben nodded his head in understanding before changing the subject.
"Sooo, what do we do now? Do we just start looking or…?"
"Now we wait for the Familiar Master," Rias explained.
"Glad you're finally here!" a voice suddenly shouted out from high above them in the thick branches of the dead trees.
They all looked up to see who had spoken and saw, what looked like, a man who looked to be in his late thirties standing on top of a thick branch and leaning against the thick bark of one of the taller trees in the small clearing. He had red hair which was mostly hidden by the sports cap he was wearing backwards, though that wasn't the strangest thing about his appearance. When he looked at the stranger's attire, Ben was surprised to see him wearing clothes that people wore in the human world.
Now, Ben had no idea what fashion was like for supernatural beings like Devils but he never once thought that they'd be so…normal might not be the right word but it's the one that entered his head.
If he hadn't just been told that they were in the Underworld, Ben would've easily believed they were still somewhere on Earth by the man's clothing. He looked just like an average backpacker, complete with top wrapped around his waist to reveal his sleeveless shirt.
"I was beginning to think you wouldn't appear!" the stranger added joyfully, waving down at them, before he, completely without warning, leapt out of the tree and landed down on the ground before them.
"Is that him? Is he the familiar guy?" he whispered to Kiba who stood beside him.
"Yes, it is I, the Familiar Master!" the man declared loudly, hearing Ben's question and answering it before Kiba got the chance. "To enter these woods without me would be a disaster! The moon is high and the time is ripe, so it's time to find out which familiar's your type!"
Akeno took this opportunity to lean forwards and whisper softly into Ben's ear.
"In case you didn't realise, he's kinda obsessed with rhymes."
Ben sweatdropped at this though he wasn't wholly surprised that the guy who has to look after the entire forest by himself had a unique quirk of some kind. It would've been more surprising if he didn't, actually.
"Now let's be off to find a familiar you desire! I'll help you find what you require! Trust me for I am no liar; if I can't find you one then I'll happily retire!"
'That got old really quickly,' Ben thought as the Familiar Master continued to rhyme.
As he finished his rhyme, the man then led the way into the dark forest proper with Ben and Asia right behind him as everyone followed after him.
After a few minutes of walking in silence, the red-haired familiar guide glanced back at Ben and Asia.
"So tell me, is there any particular familiar you're hoping to see? If so, let me know and I'll make it a reality."
Ben was thrown off by the sudden question and, when he thought about it, realised he'd never actually thought about what kind of familiar he wanted.
"I…don't know. I never really thought about what kind of familiar I wanted actually."
The guide smiled at Ben's answer and waved it off.
"Don't worry, have no fears. We'll just keep searching until the right one finally appears." He then turned his gaze towards Asia. "And what about you, my dear? Come on and tell me, I promise I won't sneer."
"Uh, well…," Asia began, clasping her hands together as she gave it some thought. Unlike Ben, she had an answer to give him. "I was hoping for something cute. Something that's really fun to be around. Is that okay?"
A joyful grin appeared on the guide's face at Asia's response and nodded his head fervently.
"Yes! That's what having a familiar is all about! Don't worry, my dear, I'll find you one like that; have no doubt!"
He looked ahead again and resumed the tour onwards into the heart of the forest.
. . . . .
(Thirty minutes later)
They continued to walk behind the guide and Ben found himself fighting to stop himself going insane at the guide's continuing use of rhyme every time he opened his mouth to talk.
They had only stopped walking three times since they started and that was when the guide had stumbled across some familiars along their path; one of which being a humanoid creature that the guide assured them was a sprite though Ben had serious doubts that he wasn't pulling their leg with that one considering the 'sprite' had a physique so muscular it put professional bodybuilders completely to shame.
The second time they had stopped was when the guide's experienced eyesight locked onto several small humanoid creatures that looked very similar to Akeno's familiar watching them from high up in the trees with untamed curiosity, and the third time was when a pack of feline-like creatures sprinted across the path ahead of them, frolicking and enjoying their stress-free existence.
None of these had appealed to either Ben or Asia and so the group had moved on from each encounter and continued with their search.
They continued on down the guide's impromptu path for a few more minutes of silence when it was suddenly shattered.
"Raaaaaawwwwwwwwwr!"
The group to an immediate stop at the sound of the roar which cried out somewhere in the forest. From how loud the animalistic cry was, whatever had made it was a distance away but not far enough.
"What was that?" Asia asked fearfully, standing a little closer to Ben as she did so.
"I'm not sure," Ben replied, looking upwards to see the flock of bird-like familiars taking flight at the sound of the roar. He then looked down at the guide who had turned to face their group, a concerned look on his face that had previously been cheerful.
'That's not a good sign.'
"I don't recall there being anything in here that can roar like that," Rias interjected as she also stared upwards past the treeline above her.
"I have no idea what made that roar, but it's something that I can't simply ignore," he told them.
Rias nodded, understanding the Familiar Master's predicament. While he did help people find their familiar, his main job is looking after the forest itself.
"Then lead the way. We'll help however we can," she stated with a serious expression.
The Familiar Master gave a small, thankful nod to Rias before diverting off the path he had been taking them on and heading into the thick, closely packed trees and led the way towards the origin of the roar to find its source.
They continued walking towards where they had heard the roar for several more minutes, their senses sharp and on the lookout for anything that might appear, until they made it to a small clearing…or rather a small area where you could at least see more of the dark sky than anywhere else they had stumbled across recently.
However, when Ben entered the 'clearing' he noted several large claw marks scratched into the earth to the side of him. From the size of the marks, Ben estimated that the creature that made them must've been something large, easily larger than a bear.
"Hey, check this out," he called out to the others behind as he knelt down by the deep gouges in the earth.
"What is it?" Kiba asked as he slowly made his way over to him.
"I'm not sure, it looks like some large creature was here at some point," Ben replied as he reached down to touch the marks with his hand.
When his hand made contact with the ground though, the whole world seemed to go crazy as several things happened in a split second. Ben was caught by surprise as a yellow magic circle suddenly appeared beneath him and glowed brightly, holding him in place before the ground beneath him suddenly broke open and swallowed him whole. At almost the exact same time the ground swallowed Ben up, the roar which they had all heard from before and had been investigating sounded again, this time much closer, the trees around them began creaking violently, the sound of twigs and branches snapping as something barrelled towards their group.
As he disappeared, the last thing Ben heard was Asia as she cried out in shock and alarm.
But, as quickly as everything suddenly happened to him, it stopped just as quickly. The ground stopped moving around him, the roar was abruptly silenced and the noises disappeared just as quickly.
"What the fuck just happened to me?" he groaned as he brought his hand up to his forehead but, as it brushed beside him, Ben felt an intense burst of pain bolt up his arm as, at the same time, the outline of a cage briefly appeared around him before it slowly disappeared.
"The fuck…," Ben muttered, holding his right arm which was still tingling from touching the barrier surrounding him. He stared at where the invisible barrier was and, without realising it, he unconsciously reached out with his left hand this time and received another shock as it connected with the barrier.
"Shit!" he hissed as he quickly retracted his hand.
[Well that was a stupid thing to do, wasn't it?]
"Azmuth. What the hell happened to me?" Ben asked, surprised by the emerald dragon's voice in his head.
[I would've thought it was obvious. You just let yourself get caught in a magical trap.]
"A magical trap? Great," he groaned before his eyes widened in recollection at the flashes he saw and heard before he ended up in his current state. "Wait. What happened to the others? Everything happened all at once so it's just a blur!"
[I'm not sure myself, kid. I only just emerged from my Gear when I sense something happened to you.]
"I need to get out of here and see if they're alright," Ben stated, cursing in pain again as his elbow caught the barrier this time, sending another bolt of pain up his arm.
"Shit! How the hell am I going to get out of this? Can any of my transformations help me here, Azmuth?"
[Hmm, considering your current state, transforming into your Necrofriggian form would prove to be the best choice here due to its ability to turn intangible and phase through nearly anything.]
Ben nodded and brought up his Sacred Gear and began to cycle through his transformations until he found the one he was looking for. Once he'd found it, he slammed his palm down on the dial.
[Transform: Necrofriggian!]
When the light disappeared, Ben looked down to examine his new body. He now had the appearance of an ice blue humanoid, moth-like creature wrapped in a shroud that covered his entire body except for his face which was left uncovered. The shroud was actually a set of large wings protruding from his back though this was the appearance they took on when he wasn't using them; something he refrained from doing until he was out of the cage he was in.
As he concentrated, information started entering his mind, namely telling him how to use the intangible ability Azmuth had told him about. Quickly absorbing the information, Ben activated the ability, marvelling at how his body became completely transparent except for an extremely thin, blurry shimmer that acted as the only way to show that he was still physically there.
"Woah, this feels weird," Ben breathed, his voice now sounding husky and ethereal.
He glanced down at the shimmer that was his left hand before reaching out towards the barrier tentatively. When he reached the barrier and his hand passed right through without any issue, Ben breathed a sigh of relief before reaching up with his other hand and pulling his whole body up through the cage and out of the ground.
Once he had pulled himself fully out of the ground, he turned himself tangible again, his body returning back to its previous, visible state.
"Ahh, that's much better," he sighed happily, his small smile disappearing when he took in his surroundings.
There was nobody else besides him in the clearing and the whole area looked completely different from the last time he saw it mere minutes ago.
A great hole had been carved into the treeline ahead of him as if something large had suddenly come barrelling through it at great speed, the area around now covered by even more deep claw marks, similar to the ones he had seen earlier.
As well as this, the whole clearing now had swathes of pale white web-like strings scattered around the floor and dangling from the surrounding lifeless trees.
"The hell?" Ben muttered as he examined one of the white strings hanging from the branch of a nearby tree. "What the hell is this stuff?"
[I'd advise caution, kid.]
"Why? Is it dangerous?"
[Not quite. It's Arachnichimp webbing; not dangerous in itself but it is an extremely adhesive substance that is almost impossible to remove. No, the reason to be cautious of it is due to the fact that it is able to prevent creatures from using magic, though that is only true for creatures weaker than it as anything stronger than it will only have their magic dampened,] Azmuth informed him.
Ben stepped away from the long webbing and looked back at the clearing where he then noticed a disturbance in the northern edge of the clearing where he could see evidence of something having been dragged away. He didn't have any idea what had happened after he had been caught in the trap but, considering that there no sign of anybody else besides him in the clearing or sign that any of his friends had been hurt, at least physically, he deduced that whoever or whatever had attacked them had needed them alive and had taken them.
Deciding on his next course of action in a split second, the shroud covering Ben's body removed itself from his body as he spread his wings out wide and took off into the air, following the trail that had been made by whatever creature had captured Rias and the others.
He soared through the air, above the treeline until he heard noise ahead of him. Upon looking up, Ben saw he was approaching a clearing, much larger than the one he was just in. When he was just over a hundred yards from the clearing he slowed himself down and descended back down below the treeline, turning himself intangible again so as to mask his presence and prevent him from being detected.
As he made his way towards the clearing, the sound of numerous creatures howling and crying out entered his ears, surprising him at the cacophony of sounds he was hearing.
When he finally made it to the edge of the clearing he found his answer as to what was creating the noises. Scattered about the eastern edge of the clearing was covered in numerous cages of varying sizes, each one containing what Ben realised quickly were familiars. Dozens and dozens of different familiars that had been captured and thrown into cages.
'What he fuck's going on here?'
At the sound of struggling to his left, Ben looked over to see his friends and the familiar guide dangling from the tree branches, struggling with their hands which were raised above their heads and restrained by a string of Arachnichimp webbing each. The Familiar Master, Ben noted, also had some web wrapped around his mouth.
Ben released a sigh of relief that he hadn't realised he'd been holding when he saw that they were okay.
Through his peripheral vision, Ben caught sight of movement in the trees opposite him on the other end of the clearing. He looked across to see a small monkey-like creature with six limbs – four arms and two legs with three fingers and toes on each – hanging from a branch above the clearing. It had blue fur covering its entire body except for its chest and forearms which were covered in dark blue fur. It had a tail which had two small stripes near its tip and was curled around a smaller branch protruding from the larger one it was resting on.
Thinking back to the name he had been told was the source of the webbing, Ben believed that this creature was the Arachnichimp he had been warned about.
As if reading his mind….
[There's the Arachnichimp,] Azmuth's voice announced in his head.
Beneath the monkey-like demon, Ben caught sight of what looked like the creature that had been the source of the claw marks he had found in the previous clearing. Lying on top of a stack of empty cages was a large, orange creature that appeared to have no eyes, ears or nose, just a black-lipped mouth full of razor-sharp teeth that jutted out of its mouth even though it was closed and a set of gills along its neck, three on each side. In addition to its mouth, Ben could make out the sharp claws in its paws that idly scratched grooves into the top of an empty cage. A long tail curled up around its body as it lay down on the cages below it.
"And that orange one? What's that?"
[That's a Vulpimancer. Be wary of that; it might appear blind but you see those gills along its neck? They give it an incredible sense of smell and hearing to make up for it that is unrivalled against nearly all other demons.]
"Wonderful. Glad I hid myself before it found me then. And what's that one?" Ben muttered, adding the last part when he noted the third demon standing in the clearing.
It appeared to be a humanoid plant creature. Its upper body, excluding the single, large eye in the middle of its face and its four-fingered hands, appeared human-like in overall shape and appearance while its lower half was composed of five vines which acted as its legs. It had flytrap-shaped flaps covered its head, resting on both his shoulders with his head in between them and small pods protruding out of its back.
[That is a Florauna, a plant demon who is able to merge with and, to an extent, control plant life. Those pods protruding from its back are actually explosive projectiles. I am curious as to the reason why three demons like these are within sight of each other and haven't already torn each other to shreds. It just doesn't make sense.]
As Azmuth was muttering under his breath, Ben cast another glance at the three demons in the clearing where he finally noticed the black collars that they each wore around their necks.
Just as Ben was about to point them out to his draconic partner when a small magic circle formed in the centre of the clearing and, instead of somebody appearing, a holographic projection materialised from the centre of the circle and someone appeared from it. He had the appearance of a man who was in his early forties with pale green skin, yellowish eyes and shoulder-length white hair. Ben could see he had a muscular physique under the dirty white lab coat he wore. Protruding from the top of his forehead were two short horns and resting against them were a pair of red-tinted goggles.
As his projection fully materialised, the strange new arrival looked over the stack of cages with a look of approval on his face.
"Wonderful work, my pets," he exclaimed joyfully as, at the sound of multiple familiar crying out in distress, brought his arms up and began moving them as though he were a conductor and the familiars were his orchestra. He was so engrossed in his 'musical performance' that he completely missed the bound devils behind him.
He finally noted them when he turned around to face the three demons.
"What the…? Why are devils here?!" he sneered, bringing his arms back down as he glanced over them. His expression then turned angry and he glared at each of the demons who were notably more apprehensive than their intimidating appearance would have someone believe.
"I thought I told you dumb brutes not to draw attention to yourselves!" he cried out angrily. "If you can't obey simple orders then it seems I need to discipline you again."
The man then reached up to touch the short horn on the right side of his head. As he did so, the collars around the necks of the demons glowed and all three demons began howling in pain and writhing on the ground in agony, the Arachnichimp so much so that it lost its grip and fell out of the tree to the ground.
Even as the horned man took his hand away from his horn, the demons continued to writhe in agony as the wave of pain continued to wash over them.
"Hmm, it appears that even with the collars, it's still not enough for some specimens. I guess that means I need to start work on the next edition."
"Who are you? I demand to know!" Rias declared with a glare.
The man looked away from the writhing demons and towards her with an indifferent expression on his face.
"Didn't your parents teach you anything, my dear? It's considered impolite to ask for ones name without first giving their own."
Rias intensified her glare at his taunt.
"I am Rias Gremory, heiress to the Gremory House, now I demand to know who you are and what you are doing with demons in the familiar forest."
The man smirked at her attempt to sound intimidating while she was securely bound by the magic-disabling webs.
"Very good, my dear. You should be commended on your politeness. The same can't be said for me, however. I realise it's a flaw of mine…but in my defence, it's my only flaw!" he cackled loudly at his own comment.
As the demons slowly recovered from the pain that had just been inflicted on them, the man glanced over at them derisively.
"You three no longer interest me nor my studies but you may still prove useful in some regard. We can't have anybody know that we were here so you three need to maim, eat, destroy or whatever to these witnesses. I don't really care what you do as long as they're dead by the end of it. once you've done that you can bring the specimens back to me. If you manage that without anymore fuck ups then I'll do my best to make sure you meet a quick, painless end and your dissections are tasteful."
He turned back to Rias and gave her a small wave goodbye.
"Farewell Rias Gremory, heiress to the house of Gremory. It's been a pleasure talking to you but I must be going now."
The projection then began to fizzle before it disappeared completely, while the three demons slowly approached the helpless devils who continued to try and free themselves from their bonds.
"Okay, I need to act now! Azmuth, do those webs have any kind of weakness?"
[As a matter of fact, it does. When Arachnichimp webbing has been frozen it turns extremely brittle.]
"That's good enough for me!" Ben stated, already aware of the other abilities his Necrofriggian form had. As the three demons started to bear down on the others, he launched himself forward, shooting out of his hiding spot with his large wings spread wide.
As he launched himself out of the trees, Rias, Asia and everyone else saw him streaking towards them but the three demons didn't see him until he was already flying over their heads and coming to an instant stop in front of them where, at this point, it was too late to stop him from taking a deep breath and releasing a breath of freezing-cold air on the web strings which started freezing the instant the icy breathe touched them.
"Free yourselves," Ben called out to them just before a thick vine reached up and wrapped itself around his ankle and roughly pulled him down into the ground and knocking the wind out of him.
As Ben was slammed into the ground, the others quickly took advantage of the opportunity they had been given and freed themselves from the brittle binds which broke apart with no resistance when they jerked their hands forcefully. Once they were out of their binds, they leapt into action straight away. Koneko charged forward and crashed head-first into the large Vulpimancer which roared angrily as the white-haired Gremory Rook began pummelling it with blow after powerful blow. Once Kiba had got himself free, he summoned his sword to his side and drew it before leaping forward to engage with the Florauna who was still swinging Ben around like a ragdoll and not giving him the chance to fight back.
This left the Arachnichimp to Akeno and Rias who launched bolts of magic at the monkey demon which leapt about in the trees around them, unable to fire another string of webs at them as it was too focussed on avoiding the magic attacks being launched at it.
Ben was unable to see all this going on as he was becoming more and more dazed from being repeatedly slammed into the ground by the plant demon. It didn't exactly hurt him much when he was continually slammed into the ground but it prevented him from responding in any way. This came to an abrupt end when the vine wrapping itself around Ben's ankle was suddenly cut clean through by Kiba. Ben landed with another dull thud from being in the air when the vine was cut but he quickly recovered from it and turned around to help Kiba take on his opponent…only to find that Kiba had already dealt with it.
Thanks to his impressive speed, Kiba was easily able to slice through all of the slow demons attack and hack off its limbs without meeting much resistance and finally ending the demon when he thrust himself forward and sliced at the demon diagonally downwards, cutting clean through the demons upper body and causing it to disappear in a small blast of light.
Kiba took one last glance at where the plant demon had been before he sheathed his blade and hurried over to Ben as he returned back into his normal form in a flash of red light and held out his hand to help him up.
"Good to see you, Ben. Thanks for the save. That was a close one," he said as he heaved Ben up off the floor.
"Don't mention it," Ben waved off as he dusted himself off.
As he finished dusting himself off, Ben looked towards the other fights to see a similar thing happening to them as it had with Kiba and the plant demon. Koneko had just piledrived the Vulpimancer into the ground hard and delivered a final punch to its head which finally finished it off while Rias, getting fed up with the game of cat-and-mouse the Arachnichimp was playing, had created a particularly large magical bolt and launched it at the demon, taking by surprise at her change in tactic which resulted in the bolt striking a direct hit, blasting the demon completely and destroying it just as efficiently.
Just as quickly as the brawl started, it was finished, the three demons destroyed with no trace of them left behind.
Once they were sure it was over, the group slowly regrouped in the centre of the clearing.
"Is everybody alright?" Rias asked with worry, her eyes darting over each and every one of her servants and teammates.
"A little bruised but nothing worth mentioning," Ben replied as he rubbed the areas which had been repeatedly slammed into the floor. Similar responses came from everyone else stating that they were also fine and uninjured which brought a look of relief to Rias' face.
"That's good to hear." She glanced over at where the projection had been moments ago. "We need to tell people about this. For someone to have the audacity to smuggle demons into the familiar forest. It can't go unpunished!"
"For now, let's just be glad we've ended their poaching spree. Now that it's done, let's set these familiars free!" the Familiar Master announced with fervour in his voice as he stood before the pile of restrained familiars.
"You're right. Come on, everyone. Let's help these little guys out."
"You got it!" they all replied in unison before heading over to join the Familiar Master as he began releasing the familiars.
. . . . .
(Several minutes later)
The task of freeing all the captured familiars didn't take too long and Ben found it to be a surprisingly fulfilling thing to do. While most of the familiars that he freed simply took one look at the open cage door before shooting off into the treeline without a single nod of thanks, he didn't mind it as he was just glad that they were free again. Besides, every now and then he would free a familiar which would give him a quick, grateful glance before scurrying off back home.
Once they had freed all the familiars, they gathered back inside the treeline near the clearing and watched them disappear, scurrying off further into the forest depths.
"Well, I think that's all of them," Rias declared with a relieved sigh. When she turned to Ben and Asia, he expression became sympathetic. "It's a shame neither of you could find a familiar that you liked. After what happened, it might be best that we end this expedition and come back another time."
Ben wasn't happy with it but he couldn't fault Rias for reaching that decision.
"Yeah, maybe you're right. It might be best to–."
Ben abruptly stopped speaking at the sound of squealing behind him. spinning around quickly, Ben was met with an unusual sight.
Slime was falling out of the trees above them and landing on the group, namely the female members of the group. Ben looked upwards in search of the origin of the lime-green blobs of slime though he couldn't make it out through the thick canopy.
When Ben looked back down he found himself doing a double take at the new sight before his eyes, even more peculiar than a moment ago.
The girl's clothing was slowly being dissolved across their entire body, whichever part of their body that a blob was latched on to. Within just a few seconds, Rias and Akeno's upper bodies were completely exposed to the open air. Ben couldn't help the blush that formed on his cheeks at the lewd sight before his eyes, made more so thanks to the commentary that the girls were giving him.
"It's burning my clothes!" Rias gasped in horror as she brought her arm up to cover her nipples and as much of her decency as she was able to.
"How naughty!" Akeno chided seductively, the flushed expression on her face telling Ben that she seemed to be enjoying the experience more than she was letting on.
"Oh dear, I'm all slimy and wet!" Akeno added with a pleasurable cry as she ran her hands over her body though without making too much of an effort to remove the slime.
"W-What's going on here?" Ben questioned, forcing himself to avert his gaze from the erotic display before him and look towards the familiar guide who was standing beside him, his arms crossed over his chest, and with a blob of slime covering the entire top half of his face.
"What is this thing?" Ben asked, briefly switching his attention to a slime blob that had landed on his shoulder and had made quick work on his left arm, eating through it in a matter of seconds before Ben swiped it off him.
"These creatures, known as a Polymorphs, are nothing more than pests. They have no drive other than to catch sight of breasts," the guide explained plainly.
"Azmuth, have you heard of a Polymorph?"
[I haven't. It's an intriguing creature though; perverted and able to use acid to eat through clothes only.]
While they were having this brief conversation, they both failed to register the slimy blob that dropped down from the tree and landed on Ben's left arm on top of the dial of his Sacred Gear before sliding off and falling to the ground. Unbeknownst to them, when the blob connected with the dial it glowed a little for a split moment as the new DNA was registered into the Gear.
Just then, a particularly large blob cascaded down through the canopy above and landed with a *splat* in the middle of the group before it slowly morphed, twisting its mass and growing into the shape of a humanoid figure. It rose up to stand upright and stared at the devils surrounding it before focussing on the almost completely naked ladies who were doing their best to cover their decency, forgoing hiding their breasts to concentrate on their panties which were slowly dissolving.
"Boobies!" it squeaked joyfully reaching out with its hands and mimicking the action of squeezing the display of breasts before it. "Boobies, boobies, boobies, boobies!"
Before it could a single step forward, blue lightning suddenly struck it out of nowhere, causing it to lose its form and collapse to the ground in a motionless puddle, several dozen slime blobs detaching themselves from the girls as their host was incapacitated.
Sensing it was time to end things, the girls made quick work on the remaining blobs attached to them, with Rias and Akeno firing bolts of magic skywards. The result came in the shape of three more large blobs falling out of the trees and splatting into the ground where they lay motionless. At the same time this happened, the last remaining blobs fell to the ground too, freeing everyone from the lewd things.
"The fuck was that?!" Ben exclaimed, startled at the sudden lightning bolt, looking up to find the source.
The source turned out to be a small dragon which was circling above their heads. As they looked up at it, it swiftly descended down towards them and gently landed on Asia's left shoulder where it began tenderly nuzzling her cheek affectionately.
"Is that a sprite dragon? They're really rare, aren't they?" Kiba inquired with interest.
"It's the first time I've seen one," Rias replied as she summoned a new set of clothes to replace her complete ruined set, an action that the other girls also did until everyone was clothed again.
"Hmm, a sprite dragon only attacks if they believe their loved one's in trouble. That means that that dragon and young lady should be put together on the double!"
Ben shook his head slightly at the Familiar Master's continued use of annoying rhymes to speak. As he did so, he caught of something in the corner of his left eye. He glanced in its direction to see a locked cage hidden among the undergrowth and had been missed by them as they freed the other familiars.
"Hey, looks like we missed one," Ben told the others as he approached the cage and knelt down in front of it and looked through the metal bars at the poor creature contained inside.
The creature within had a particularly strange appearance, one that Ben had never seen before. It looked like a small, black dog-like creature with bright green patterns lining its body which reminded Ben a little of a circuit board. It cowered in the back of the cage and stared out at Ben with fear in its single eye.
"Hey there, little guy. You okay?" Ben asked gently, giving the scared creature as best reassuring smile as he was capable of.
"What is it, Ben?" Asia asked with concern, the blue sprite dragon finding a new comfortable spot in her arms as it watched the scene play out before it.
"I don't know," Ben admitted as he gently picked up the cage and placed on top of some cages behind him so he didn't have to crouch anymore. "I've never seen anything like it."
He unlocked the cage door and slowly opened it, the strange creature inside flinching and pressing itself further against the back of the cage.
"It's alright, buddy. The monsters are gone now. We got rid of them," Ben told it calmly and reassuringly, oblivious to the others who had gathered around him to see what was going on.
He didn't know if it understood what he was saying or if it could sense he was telling the truth but the creature's expression turned into one of curiosity and it removed itself from the back of the cage and edged forward slowly, moving a little closer to Ben who held his hand out in front of him and the cage, making sure to not stick his hand into the cage and scare the creature.
His strategy paid off as the creature stuck its head out of the cage and took in its surroundings, staring at the people gathered around it and backing up a little as it saw them.
"Hey, it's okay, these are my friends. They helped get rid of the monsters and save all of you," Ben explained calmly, holding out his hand, palm up to the creature.
Again, the creature slowly re-emerged from the cage and inched a little closer to Ben until it reached his palm which it then began to sniff and examine for a few seconds. After this moment of silence, the creature became more confident and exited the cage completely and, with a now wagging tail, leapt up at Ben who caught it in his arms and held it close to his chest.
Ben was surprised at how the creature's mannerisms reminded him of a dog, especially with the wagging tail that bounced between the back of his arm and side of his waist.
"What is it?" Kiba wondered as he leaned closer to it to get a better look.
"It's a Magimorph," Rias stated with fascination clear on her face. "A Galvanic Magimorph."
"I've never heard of one of those before," Kiba replied, glancing towards Rias as he said this.
Rias shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not surprised. They're an artificial race created completely by accident. I've never seen one that looked like this though."
"I don't believe it really matters what it is in the end; at the end of the day, a friend is a friend," the Familiar Master declared enthusiastically.
Rias turned back to Ben and the Magimorph in his arms. "Well, Ben? Have you found your familiar?"
Ben glanced down at the creature in his arms and the creature looked right back up at him. It didn't have any distinct facial features beside its eye but, for some reason, Ben could tell that it had a happy expression.
A smile formed on his face and he nodded his head. "Yeah, I think so. I think this will be the start of a beautiful friendship."
The creature reacted to this by snuggling up against Ben and crawling all over him, its tail wagging furiously, until it came to a rest on Ben's shoulder.
"Ship! Ship, Ship, Ship!" it yapped happily as it nuzzled its head against his cheek.
"You can talk?!" Ben noted with surprise, reaching up and stroking the Magimorph's head which caused its tail to wag even harder in response. "Can you say anything else?"
"Ship, Ship!" it replied.
"So, is 'Ship' all you can say?"
"Ship!"
Ben couldn't help but laugh at this and an idea came to his mind.
"If that's the case, I think I'll name you 'Ship'. How about that?"
His response came in the shape of a tail that appeared almost a blur in it wagging intensity and a Magimorph that buried its head in the crook of Ben's neck happily.
"I'll take that as a yes!" Ben chuckled as he struggled to keep Ship from falling off him in excitement.
. . . . .
Once Ben and Asia had both found their familiars, it was finally time to perform the magic ritual that would bind their familiar to them for the rest of their life. Rias had told them the correct words of the ritual and the two of them had performed the spell without any problems. Just as Ben had given Ship their name, Asia had also given her familiar a name; Rassei.
Once they had departed from the familiar forest, they had returned back to the clubroom where they were now gathered around Ben and Asia and admiring their familiars. Rassei was sat in Asia's lap and enjoying a good scratch behind his ears while Ship was lying on their back in Ben's lap and enjoying a belly rub.
"I still can't believe Asia was able to bond with a sprite dragon," Akeno stated with a smile. She and Rias were beside the large desk and leaning against its edge as they observed Ben and Asia pet their new familiars. "I didn't think sprite dragons ever bonded with devils."
"Normally they don't," Rias noted with a smile of pride. "But Asia did used to be a holy sister after all, maybe that was what swayed Rassei to bond with her."
"Possibly." Akeno then turned towards Ben and Ship. "And what about that Magimorph? Has there ever been one that looked like that before?"
"Not that I'm aware of. As far as we know, Ship could the only Magimorph of his kind, completely unique," Rias said with a bright smile, proud that her two newest peerage members continued to be amazing and extraordinary individuals.
Before long, it was time for everybody to head back home. While Ben and Asia sent their familiars away for the night, Rias informed them that she was going to stay behind a little longer as she still had paperwork to do and so she could report what had happened in the forest to the authorities in the Underworld. Akeno also stated she would remain behind to assist Rias.
And so Ben, Asia, Koneko and Kiba bid their King and Queen goodnight and left the clubroom as a group, Kiba closing the door behind him as he was the last one out, and left Rias and Akeno by themselves in the – now silent – clubroom.
Rias moved around her desk to sit down in her chair while Akeno moved around the other side to stand beside her.
"Ben seems to have progressed a lot in this short amount of time, hasn't he? I wonder if he's ready," Akeno pointed out with a bright smile.
Rias stared out of the window at the dark sky outside. "Possibly. I don't want him to put himself in unnecessary danger, especially after what he went through with Freed and Raynare. I want – no, I need – to keep a close eye on him. He's prone to putting the needs of others before himself, regardless of the danger it could put him in. It could end badly for him one day and he needs someone to look out for him."
"My, my, that's quite assertive of you," Akeno pointed with a chuckle and coy smile.
Rias turned back to see Akeno smiling as though she knew something Rias didn't, "Is there a point you're trying to make, Akeno?" she asked her Queen and best friend.
Akeno held her hands up in mock surrender though the smile never left her face. "I'm not suggesting anything. I'm Just pointing out that, until he joined our group, you usually had a more…laissez faire approach to your servants."
"While I appreciate my best friend worrying about me," Rias said firmly, turning towards the person in question, "I must ask that you let me handle my own problems on my own."
Akeno bowed slightly, recognising the 'line' had finally been reached. "Of course, madam president. Would you like me to write out the report about our encounter in the forest?"
"Yes please."
Akeno bowed her head again and left the room complete her task, leaving Rias alone in the quiet room. The short silence was then quickly broken by the magic circle that suddenly appeared in the corner of the clubroom. The circle attracted Rias' attention because there were only a select few who were able to bypass the protective wards protecting the old school building that dictated who could teleport inside.
By the Gremory sigil etched into the circle's centre, it was evident that this was one of those select few who could enter.
A split second later, a familiar figure materialised from the circle.
"Good evening, Lady Rias. We need to talk."
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .