Hello everyone,
I hope you all have been enjoying my writing and I am happy to provide it. Reviews of all kinds are welcome, and for those that are familiar with Path of Exile, I ask that you don't hate too hard if I end up messing up something about the world and its interworkings. I personally do not get too involved in the end game of the POE and I only play each new league up to the point of a passing familiarity with that league's Mechanics.
Any reviews of such are appreciated as I'm sure one of these days, I will be going back to edit and embellish previous chapters.
Time is short so enjoy it the best you can,
Enjoy:
"Ddraig or some other Dragon or powerful being"
"Phaedromus or inner thoughts"
"Basic Dialogue"
[{+}]
After the annoying meeting with the resident devils, I was awarded two whole weeks of peace and quiet–as much as I could be given my circumstances. During this, I spent my time with further alchemical experiments with the materials of this plane and with the mana present. However, nothing of true interest happened to them.
I found a more efficient process for gem creation with higher-quality crystals coming forth, however, no new effects were found. All of them were simply stronger variants of the gems that I had already cataloged back in Wraeclast. Phaedromus, however, believed that we are on the cusp of newer gems with new effects. It was only a matter of time and/or if we found newer materials in which we could create them. Ddraig speculated that materials found in the underworld or other supernatural planes would provide materials of excellent quality. Speculation that I couldn't deny, however, to get to such planes would be impossible given my zero contacts in the supernatural world.
"Any ideas on getting such contacts, Ddraig?" I asked as I moved towards the school, somewhat excited to start my third-week thanks to the classes beginning to ramp up the difficulty.
"The devils could provide the means, however, I see them attempting to enslave you or use you for some other purpose. Besides, they are ruthlessly greedy and that makes them horrid business partners." I nodded at his advice. "We could get in contact with the fallen. They are greedy, but far more amenable in terms of business. They are much more interested in sex than anything else so they can be predictable. The Angels, however, are a definite no. they are those high and mighty types that do no wrong so they are impossible to truly deal with especially to an outsider such as yourself."
"What about other supernatural factions? Surely there are more than the Christian bunch?" Phae asked.
"There are quite a few, yes. The closest would be the yokai of Kyoto and the Shinto pantheon. However, the Shinto are isolationist and would never reveal themselves to us."
"I suppose we'll have to go with the flow for a while then." I finally said as I walked through the front gate of the school. The endless gossip did die down after the first week, however, it was a constant persistence with how the girls constantly giggled when I'm around. "At least the boys have stopped with the death threats." I thought grimly as I entered the school proper.
[{+}]
I can be described as many things, however stupid is not one. When I met with Issei Hyoudou, just two weeks prior, I figured he would be nothing but a lucky human with a power that he didn't know existed. However, as the days of careful observation passed, I noticed just how extraordinary he is. His grades are the highest currently, a prodigy in the sciences that even leaves the teachers dumbfounded by the extent of his knowledge. He's able to speak fluent Japanese, Latin, and English and has many other talents on top of his surprising intellect. However, I now know that he has awakened his gear.
The wards around the school were designed to detect threats but also latent gifts and abilities that would be useful for my peerage. Every day, Issei enters the school exactly thirty minutes prior to the bell, never a minute before or after, and every time he passes the wards, I notice that his draconic signature rises. At first, it was barely noticeable, now it is plainly obvious.
When I had Koneko follow him after school, she noticed that he frequented multiple supply stores daily. Each of them sold high-quality scientific ingredients and Koneko noticed that he bought increasing amounts of various elements, some ranging in the hundreds of thousands of yen with every visit. This intrigued me immensely, so I personally snuck into his home during school hours, using a basic illusion spell to make it seem like I never left.
His home was so normal it hurt to look at. Entering it was child's play. The interior was also incredibly plain as well, however, my senses did pick up something rather peculiar. Dozens of complicated seals and wards were all over the door that lead to the basement, something that no Japanese home would have. This completely cemented to me that he was supernatural, however, I wanted to know more.
The wards themselves were containment wards, nothing to prevent people from entering, but stopping anything from leaving. I even knew how to evade the ward scheme so I went inside. Immediately after entering did the putrid stench of chemicals waft into my nose causing my whole system to gag.
The basement was filled with dozens of bubbling cauldrons, alongside long tables with materials piled high. In the corner were dozens of gems, each giving a strange aura.
Those ems entranced me. Their aura was similar to the natural energies of the underworld and of course, as a devil, I was drawn to them.
Why don't you claim us…
A whisper crept into my ears, startling me.
We could bring you to great heights…
Perhaps…make you better than that brother of yours?...
My vision blurred as the whispers compounded in my ears. Everything began to burn as I crept closer to the gems.
"I wouldn't do that, If I were you, Rias Gremory." A voice of immense power boomed behind me. I turned, nearly giving me whiplash from the speed.
A figure stood before me, his skin as black as coal. A deep emerald glow in place of his eyes with a strange blue symbol just above his head like an ethereal halo. His aura swamped me, making me freeze in place as he approached and the last thing I saw before everything turned black was a red gem that swung on his neck glow with an eerie crimson.
[{+}]
I stared at the unconscious form of Gremory, making several attempts to pull my aura back from its wild uncontrolled state. My anger bubbled in my core, threatening to make me do something completely foolish.
"To think this devil had the audacity to break in." Commented Phae as he helped pull myself together. "Luckily the wards notified us of her entry, otherwise she would have been killed by the gems."
"Honestly, we should have expected it. They had their eyes on you from day one and it was only a matter of time." Ddraig said, sternly.
"It doesn't matter now. Luckily she was alone as this could have turned into something worse." A battle of any kind would have made the brewings nearby unstable and many would have either gone inert or exploded. "Any suggestions on what to do with her?"
"Rewrite her memory of this place."
"And how would I do that?" I asked as I rolled my eyes.
"Just place the gear on her, I'll work my magic," Ddraig mumbled as I summoned the boosted gear.
"This better work, Ddraig. I would rather not have to kill them all."
