Last of the Line
I don't own Highschool DxD or any of it's characters. I own only Vale.
Author's Note: Alrighty, normally I'd start on a chapter of another story after uploading a new one. But, I've gotten a lot of request to update soon, so here it is. Also, in an attempt to prevent any flaming of Vale, his dad was from the Beleth Clan, while his mother, was from the Paimon Clan(because if both his parents were from the same clan it's inbreeding while if his mother wasn't a pure-blood Devil he wouldn't be a pure-blood). Which is why his second ability, Drain Zero, is possible. Before anyone calls shenanigans on my character creation, Rias and Sirzechs both have the Power of Destruction from the Bael Clan, while at least Sirzechs is confirmed to have the Gremory's massive amount of magical power. So there you have it, I just successfully established a precedent for dual clan abilities. Also, it should be noted that Viser, the Stray Devil is dead already in this story, she was the stray mentioned last chapter.
Chapter 2- Settling Into The New Digs
Vale arrived outside Mil-tan's apartment a few minutes after leaving Kuoh Academy. He picked up his skateboard and started to climb the stairwell. He arrived at Mil-tan's door a few minutes later and knocked 3 times on it.
"Come in-nyo." Mil-tan called from inside. Vale reached out and opened the door to see Mil-tan hunched over his desk pouring over the new volume of Magical Girl.
"Hey Mil-tan, I got something for you." Vale said as he reached into his backpack and fished out the figure he'd procured in Lisbon a few days ago before placing it on the table that sat next to the door. Mil-tan turned and got up from the chair and walked over and examined the box.
"Thanks, here's your payment-nyo." Mil-tan said as he handed Vale a stack of bills. Vale pocketed it without counting it, he knew Mil-tan was good for it.
"Hey Mil-tan, I got something else if you're interested. You still wanna be a magical girl, right?" Vale asked. Mil-tan whirled around and grabbed him by the shoulders.
"More than anything! Have you discovered a way to make Mil-tan a Magical Girl?" Mil-tan asked excitedly.
"Hands. Off." Vale said darkly. Mil-tan quickly removed his hands from Vale's shoulders.
"But there is a catch Mil-tan. If I turn you into a Magical Girl, you also become a Devil. Not only that, but you will have to work for me if you become a Devil. Eventually though, you can get your own servants if you prove capable enough. But once you do this, you cannot go back on it. This is a one-way trip, so to speak." he replied.
"It doesn't matter! Mil-tan will give anything to have magical powers!" Mil-tan said as he once again grabbed Vale by the shoulders.
"Dude! Again, hands off! You know what? No, no more free Magical Girl deal! Now you have to earn it! Outside, now!" Vale said as he briskly exited the room and vaulted the railing, landing on the ground below with a thud. Mil-tan sprinted down the staircase before coming to a stop at the bottom.
"What do I have to do? I will do anything to become a Magical Girl! Just name your price-nyo." Mil-tan said desperately. Vale fished out his Evil Pieces from his backpack and took out a Rook from the case.
"If you wanna be a Magical Girl, you have to earn it! See this Piece?" he asked as he held the Rook up in front of him. Mil-tan nodded in response.
"You have to take it from me if you want it." Vale finished. Less than a second after he finished, Mil-tan rushed at him at a speed even a few Devils would envy with a hand outstretched towards the piece. As he neared though, Vale ducked down low and swept his leg out, sweeping Mil-tan's legs out from under him. Mil-tan tumbled towards the ground but recovered his balance before he hit the ground, flipping around mid-tumble landing with one hand out to stabilize him with both legs spread out behind him. He wasted no time in charging Vale once more. As he neared him, Vale slammed his leg into Mil-tan's solar plexus. Mil-tan grunted as Vale's kick knocked the wind from him. Before Vale could remove his leg from Mil-tan's torso, Mil-tan seized his leg in both hands and threw him into the nearest wall. Vale slammed into the wall with a thud. Vale held up a hand as Mil-tan charged him once more. Mil-tan slid to a stop halfway towards the wall.
"Alrighty, good stuff. You are going to make one fantastic Rook. Let's do it, Mil-tan! Let's head back up to your apartment." Vale said as he picked himself up and dusted himself off. Mil-tan followed him upstairs back to his apartment.
"So what do we do now, what happens next?" Mil-tan asked as he followed Vale through the door and closed the door behind him.
"Mil-tan, if I turn you into a Devil, do you promise to serve with unwavering loyalty?" Vale asked as he turned to face Mil-tan. Mil-tan nodded wordlessly. Vale took his hand with the Evil Piece and placed against Mil-tan's chest.
"Then, by my power as a King, I hereby declare you my Rook. From now on you will lead the charge against my enemies. Be reborn as my servant! Serve me well and you will be rewarded, fail me and not so much." Vale said as he channeled his magic into the Rook piece, causing it to turn a shade of black so dark it seemed to pull in the surrounding light, and causing a black magic circle to appear on the floor before the Evil Piece sank into Mil-tan's chest as a pair of bat-like wings extended from his back.
"Alrighty be at this address at 4:30 tomorrow. Get plenty of rest, make sure to sleep in or you'll wake up too tired to be useful. You're a Devil now, daylight isn't your cup of tea anymore." Vale said as he pulled out a piece of paper and scribbled the address of the old Kuoh Academy schoolhouse.
"And before you ask, I'll teach you some magic when I feel you're ready for it. Not a moment before, now excuse me. I have somewhere to be."
"Yes sir, I won't let you down-nyo." Mil-tan sad with a small bow as Vale turned and left the apartment.
"I should hope not." Vale said as he closed the door behind him.
30 minutes later...
Rias sat at her desk hunched over an old book about the 72 Pillars. More specifically she was reading the section on the Beleth Clan, the book confirmed that the crest on Vale's hand was indeed the crest of the house of Beleth. The book also told about their Abyss Physique ability, but the details were sketchy at best. It described the ability as 'a physically mercurial abyss that draws in everything and swallows it up, incorporating it into it's own design.' That description, along with every one of the ability after that seemed to raise more questions than answers. Rias finally gave up and shut the book with a thump and removed her glasses and set them on the table as she rubbed her eyes tiredly as she leaned back in her chair. Kiba and Koneko were out on contracts, Akeno was off healing her newest servant. Which meant that she was, for the moment, alone. That is, until she heard a knock at the schoolhouse door.
"Come in." she called from her desk. The door opened and Vale poked his head inside.
"Hey, what's up?" he asked as he stepped inside.
"Not much. So hey, I was thinking that we'd start your education on High-Class society in a few days, I have a new servant joining my peerage tomorrow, and I wanna make sure he's settled in before I start with you." she said.
"That seems reasonable, I've also got a new servant starting tomorrow. So hey, your brother mentioned something about me maybe moving in here. Would you be okay with that?" he asked as he set his backpack on the ground and took a seat in a chair and removed his shows.
"I don't see a problem with that. You can use one of the old dorm rooms if you want, I'll also set aside a few rooms for any future servants you add to your peerage. On that note, I must say I'm impressed that you found a servant so quickly. Which Piece did you use on them?" Rias asked as she surreptitiously stowed the book in one of her desk drawers.
"I used one of my Rooks. You gotta see the guy, built like a freaking truck, he's gonna be a hell of a Rook. So if I'm living here, does this mean we're living together?" he asked with a grin as he propped his feet up on the table in front of him.
"Ufufu, I guess it does." she said with a chuckle.
"Living together with a beautiful girl less than a day after meeting her, and here I thought I was so old-fashioned." he said with a chuckle.
"Well, that aside. Mind if I ask you a few questions? It's about your battle with that Fallen Angel earlier." she asked as she stowed her glasses back in their case.
"Go right ahead." Vale said as he fished his laptop out of his backpack and opened it and started to check his email.
"What were you doing talking to Issei in that park earlier?" she asked curiously.
"I was trying to ascertain anything I could regarding the Fallen Angels and Exiled Exorcist that are hiding somewhere in this town. I've managed to figure out that the church a few miles away is under the control of the Fallen Angels. Also, the one that killed Hyoudo-san appears to be the leader, but I can't be sure."
"Wow, you're really good at this. Okay, so did you know anything about the Fallen Angel that attacked you?" she replied, obviously intrigued
"His name is Dohnaseek, typical low-level lackey. No special achievements to speak of. If you'd given me a few more minutes he'd be dead by now." he replied casually as he began to check his Facebook account.
"About that, what was that magic you were using during that fight? I've never seen anything like that."
"I could say the same about that nasty looking aura you were generating. What you saw was a variant of the Beleth clan's Abyss Physique. Instead of fusing other body parts or weapons with my body, I used elemental magic. Nothing big, just a basic air cutter spell. Bigger spells generate more spectacular effects, but each new spell I fuse with myself generates a different form with a different ability. But, each new form takes a little bit of practice to master. I've got some really impressive ones involving Ice and Lightning spells and even a few nice Fire ones."
"Wait, back up what do you mean about fusing weapons or body parts with yourself?"
"My clan's ability allows me to fuse basically anything I desire with my body but... the effects are not always reversible. Which is why I use magic, it allows me to switch it on and off at will. Also, sometimes the manner of fusing other things is...messy. But anyways what's the deal with that spell you were using back at the park?" he replied hesitantly
"That's just the Bael clan's Power of Destruction. Would you mind showing me a few more of your forms?" she asked.
"I'll show you mine, if you show me yours." he said with a grin as he closed his laptop. Rias smiled back at him as she said,
"Fine, here you go." she said as she concentrated the Power of Destruction into her right hand and showed it to Vale. Vale stood up and walked over, until he stood across Rias' desk from her.
"May I?" he asked as he reached out toward her hand. Rias nodded wordlessly. He reached out and gently wrapped his hand around her wrist. Rias felt the flow of magic to her right hand weaken and watched as the orb of magic in her hand flickered and vanished.
"What did you-" she began when Vale held a finger to his lips before she finished, causing her words to die in her throat. Vale removed his hand and opened his other hand causing the same orb to appear and hurled it toward a stack of fliers in the corner of the room, destroying them without a trace.
"Wow, that's nice. Where did you learn something like that?"
"I inherited it from my mother. How did you use it? Is your mother from the Bael Clan?" she asked, more than a little surprised.
"Nope, from what I've deduced my mom was from the Paimon clan, and that's the Paimon clan's ability Drain Zero. I haven't had a lot of chances to test it, most of the strays I find are obviously reincarnated without any special abilities. But it works by absorbing my opponents magic energy and replicating the effect. I can now use that ability whenever I want, albeit at great cost and inefficiency. The more of the technique I absorb or see used the more powerful and easy to use the ability becomes. I've tested it with certain Sacred Gears , I can copy Balance Breakers too but not the original one, I create my own Sub-Species when I copy their ability. But each Sacred Gear is unique so I need multiple exposures to the same Sacred Gear to copy the abilities, but I can work with similar class Gears. Which is problematic with Longinus users, I once had a shot at the Sephiroth Graal user, but that was before I discovered Drain Zero, so I never got to copy that ability. Right now, I only have a Twice Critical absorbed and I only had absorbed it's user's power once so it uses up almost all my magic to duplicate the effect and the time limit is only 3.8 seconds so I don't bother with it."
"Wow that's quite the interesting ability. If you use it right and combine it well with your peerage you'll go far." she replied.
"Well, I hope so. If I hope to restore my family name, I have a long way to go." he replied casually as he walked over and flopped onto a couch.
After that, Rias took Vale on a tour of the schoolhouse and he found himself a room that was both out of the way, while simultaneously fairly close to Rias' room. It was plain, with only a trunk at the end of the bed and a wardrobe against the wall, but I was also free and free was good. He quickly marked the room as his own by engraving his family crest on the door with magic. Shortly after he moved his possessions into the room via a magic circle he engraved on the floor. As all of his possessions had his own personal magic circle on them, he could summon them from anywhere in the world with a magic circle. After he finished moving in, he found his way back to the common room where Rias was going over a few papers that looked like they were important.
"Hey, I realize an important girl like you is pretty busy, but would you wanna do something sometime? I mean, I'd sure love knowing how to use that Power of Destruction of yours a little better, if you don't mind." he said as he took a seat on a chair.
"Well, I am pretty busy. But, I'm sure we could work something out. From what little I saw of your fight, you're quite the warrior. Maybe you could help train some of my servants or help out with certain contracts. This far from the Underworld, it's pretty hard to find a decent combat teacher, so any help you can give us is greatly appreciated." She said as she set the papers down on her desk.
"As long as it's quid pro quo, I'm happy to help."
"Alright, let's hammer out the details later, it's been a long day and I just need to decompress." Rias said as she leaned back and tiredly rubbed her eyes.
"I hear that. I'd offer you a back rub but I think we both know your answer to that."Vale replied from his chair.
"Maybe another time, but I appreciate the thought." Rias replied with a chuckle as she closed her eyes.
Vale and Rias were silent for a while until finally, Vale suddenly asked.
"Wanna make out?" he asked from his chair. Rias' eyes snapped open at his question.
"What?! What could possibly possess you to ask that question?" Rias asked incredulously from her chair.
"Hey look, we're alone. We're both-. Well, I'm reasonably attractive. You, on the other hand, are drop-dead gorgeous. Listen, believe it or not, I know what you're going through. I'm intimately familiar with the feeling of running what is basically a corporation all by your lonesome. I also know that sometimes all you need is a little physical release. I'm not suggesting we have sex or anything, I'm just saying that it could help. But hey, I can see your not up for it so I'll drop it. Just thought I'd put it out there. Now, unless you care to change your answer, I'm gonna head to bed." Vale said as he got up and headed back to his room. Rias sat there in shock for a few seconds after Vale exited the room.
"I could do worse." she said to herself.
After that incident, Vale headed to his room. He took a look at himself in the mirror before deciding to use magic to grow his hair down to just below his shoulders. He also decided to change his eye color back to it's original silver. After that, he headed to bed for the night. The next day, he headed to the post office to mail a few letters to old colleagues of his who could be potential candidates for powerful servants. He decided to head back to the schoolhouse a little early that day to prepare for Mil-tan's arrival. On the way back through the park, he saw what appeared to be Issei walking through the park with none other than a nun with green eyes and long, blonde hair. He approached the pair on his skateboard and said,
"Hey Hyoudo-san, who's your friend?" he asked as he came along side him on his skateboard.
"Oh, hey Beleth-san, this is Asia Argento. Asia, this is Vale Beleth." Issei said, gesturing to each of them in turn.
"It's very nice to meet you Beleth-san." Asia said, Vale noticed that she had a significant accent when she spoke.
"It's very nice to meet you Ms. Argento." Vale said, switching to English as he did.
"Ah! You speak English! It's so nice to meet someone who speaks English. Are you a friend of Issei's?"
"I am not." he replied casually, Asia shot him a quizzical look that seemed to desire an explanation, when none arrived she said,
"Well anyways, it was very nice to meet you Beleth-san, you too Ise-kun. But I'm afraid I must be off. I hope to see you both again soon." Asia said in Japanese as she bowed to each of them and scurried off towards the church.
"See you later, Asia." Issei said as he waved after her.
"Hey Vale-san, about last night... Thanks for saving my life. Not only did I get to keep living because of you. But I go to see Akeno-sempai's oppai this morning! Up top!" Issei said delightedly as he held up a hand to high-five Vale.
"Put that away." Vale said with mild disgust. Issei returned his hand to his side before clearing his throat and saying.
"But seriously, thanks man."
"Don't mention it. Ever!" Vale said as he turned and headed back towards Kuoh Academy on his skateboard. He arrived back at the schoolhouse a few minutes later. Mil-tan arrived a few minutes later, practically bursting with excitement.
"What is Mil-tan's first mission, my lord-nyo?" the bodybuilder asked excitedly as he burst into Vale's room, followed closely by Kiba.
"Excuse me Beleth-san, this man is here to see you." Kiba said as he followed Mil-tan inside. Vale dismissed the blonde boy with a shooing motion. Kiba turned and left, closing the door behind him.
"See those fliers?" Vale asked as he pointed to two six feet tall towers of flier resting against the wall. Mil-tan nodded in acknowledgment.
"Pass every single one of those out and come back when you're done and I will begin to instruct you in magic. Your a Devil now which means the contracts those fliers will get us are our primary mode of income and advancement. Now let's get to it Mil-tan, I expect great things from you." Vale said to his newest servant. Mil-tan gave him a failed attempt at a military salute before picking up both stacks, one in each hand and hurried from the room.
Vale spent the rest of the night, reading up on a few of the books Rias had given him earlier that day. He had already decorated his small room with what meager belongings he did have. Later he got up off his bed and stowed the book he was reading inside the small trunk at the foot of his bed that contained most of his possessions minus his 2 weapons, which he had stored in their cases which he had sealed with magic inside his closet. Issei was out on a mission and apparently needed some help so all the other members, including Rias had left to help him. He was about to put on his shoes and go for an evening run when there was a knock on his door. He ran over to his closet and unsealed one of the cases with a hand signal and fished out his sword and crept over to the door he gently nudged it open and peered out when he heard a voice ask,
"Are you just gonna sit there and stare or are you going to invite me in?" the visitor asked. Vale nearly dropped his sword at the sight of the person outside his door.
"Oh my God! Of course Sirzechs-dono, come right in." Vale said as he opened his door to allow the King of the Underworld into his apartment.
"What brings you here?" Vale asked as Sirzechs stepped inside his room.
"I actually need your help with something..." Sirzechs said as he pulled out a manilla folder out of thin air and handed it to Vale. He opened it up and thumbed through the contents before apprehensively asking,
"Sir, if you don't mind me asking, where did you get this?"
Author's Note: Alrighty, here you go. My ideas for Vale's peerage have changed considerably after reading reviews and mulling over a few ideas Sangai-Havoc ran past me. Currently Vale's planned peerage is as follows,
Mil-tan- Rook
Irina- Knight
Vali- Pawn x8
Tiamat or Naraku (from Inuyasha, currently a maybe)- Queen
Kuroka- Bishop
Kuyou (from Rosario+Vampire)- Rook
Thanatos(Grim Reaper OC)- Knight
Kunou- Bishop,
Though not necessarily in that order. Also, would love to hear any ideas you have for his peerage or familiar, through PM preferably. As always, reviews are appreciated. The eight I received after the last chapter prompted this quick update. Ergo, more reviews means faster update. This is the 19th Angel, signing off...