AN: Ahyuck, HEY THERE, MOTHER FUCKER! I hope everyone is having a good October, I know I am! Anyway I had a hard time writing this chapter, not because of writer's block, but because there are three directions I could take that I couldn't decide easily. I could have put issei in the hands of devil's, but that's too early, I could have Baraqiel find him on his way back to the shrine, but that wouldn't make sense since he would have been taken further down the mountain by the river. so, I decided to go with the third option. I hope you guys like it.
Chapter 4 A new beginning.
4 hours later.
It's dark outside now over Japan as the moon shines brightly in its full glory over a small river that is travelling through a well known city, dangerously close to a shrine as our boy Issei drifts onto shore, unconscious and bleeding from the head still. He coughs up water as he finds the waking world finally and slowly sits up, holding his throbbing head as he coughs and gasps for air.
"Nngh owowowowow. Ugh I need to stop getting hit in the head. Ugh." Issei opens one eye and looks around a bit before groaning. "Where am I now? That river must have carried me far out. wonder where I... am." He says as he notices the shrine near the top of the hill. His head throbs in pain as he tries to remember all that has transpired, finding bits and pieces of his life being kinda fuzzy for him. The boy goes to stand but stumbles a bit in doing so, only to land face first into someone's legs. He rubs his head again only to look up and see a tall blonde woman with fox ears coming out of her head and 9 tails coming out from behind her, she's wearing a loosely fitting kimono which nearly allows her breasts to spill out and she looks down at the small boy as she leans over to be able to see past her pregnant belly.
"Oh my dear boy are you alright? You just washed up onto the shore behind my shrine. I do hope everything is alright." She says as she steadily goes to sit on her knees so she may see the boy more clearly, she notices the blood on Issei's forehead and gasps. "Oh no your hurt! Well that simply won't do, here." The beautiful woman says as she places her hand on the boy's forehead as magic begins to be emitted from her palms. Issei feels a warmth on his forehead as the fox woman slowly closes the wound and smiles warmly at him. "There, all better now. Now can you tell me your name, along with what you are doing here?" She asks with a warm smile and a tilt to her head.
The boy pauses for a moment before rubbing his head. "Eheh, I don't really know what to tell you miss. my name is Issei Hyoudou, I'm... I wanna say 8? As to your other question. I don't really know, all I know remember is someone yelling at me as I fell down from a ledge into a river, then washing up here." He says a bit sheepishly as he scratches his cheek while doing so and explains himself to the best of his ability. Whatever he IS able to tell the woman shocks her that there are people still out there in the world who would orphan such a nice boy and try to kill him. She pauses for a moment when she realizes something.
"Hmm, that must mean you have a sacred gear, may I see it Issei?" She asks as she leans down a bit and places her hand on his head in a form of a head pat before he thinks for a moment, noting that the woman seems nice, and shows the fox woman his Constellation's RPG gauntlet. This surprises the nine tailed kitsune as she gasps at it, she sees the power hidden deep within the gear and is astonished by it. "Well that certainly explains a few things child. you certainly have a powerful weapon there. Tell me what does it do?" As she asks that a few men and women show up and wearing armor and kimonos as well as wielding spears and swords and talismans. this causes a flash of memory to come over the boy and he grips hold of his head as the nine tailed Kitsune turns her head towards her guards.
"Lady Yasaka! There you are, we looked all over for you, you had simply vanished from the palace and we were worried that something may have happened to you." The Oni of the group says as he then looks behind her and notices Issei clutching his head and growls as he readies his nodachi. "Who is this intruder?! Is he an enemy?" He growls out before the Kitsune now named Yasaka holds her hand out in front of the boy to guard him. "You will leave him alone Ikimaru! This boy is guilty of nothing but being hurt and lost! I will not have you treat him with hostility. Is that understood?" She says with narrowed eyes, a bit annoyed that she even has to do this but knows how thick headed the Oni are. Said Oni, apparently named Ikimaru, stops for a moment before disengaging and raising his weapon away from Issei who sighs in relief over not being impaled. he then decides to do something. he murmurs "Scan" and a pop up occurs above the Oni's head.
Ikimaru Shunpow
Race: Oni
LVL: 96
Age: 132
Further information is locked due to the high level of the Observed.
Issei shivers as he sees this and whips a bead of sweat from his brow, happy to not be on the receiving end of Ikimaru's weapon anymore... but when he looks at the pregnant Yasaka his face goes white as scan is still active. He almost faints due to the information he sees.
Yasaka
Race: Nine Tailed Kitsune.
LVL 217
Age: ???
Status. Weakness 3 due to being 8 1/2 months pregnant.
"W-Whoa! Y-Your s-strong lady!" Issei stammers out in a panic as he tries his best to scoot away from the powerful people. Yasaka being the most powerful being he's ever met and he nearly soiled himself if not for her being a warm and caring person. Yasaka giggles and shakes her head lightly. "I wouldn't say I'm THAT strong my dear Issei. Especially with this little one sapping at my magic reserves for nutrition." She rubs her belly with a warm yet sad smile on her face, with the assistance of Ikimaru, Yasaka stands back up and looks to the Oni. "In any case, I apologize for worrying you Ikimaru. I just wanted to take a bit of a stroll when I came across this boy floating along the river. I'm honestly surprised you made it all the way here in your condition young Issei." She says with a warm yet worried smile on her face as she then offers her hand. "Since you have no place to go, why not come stay with us and you can explain your power to me. I'd love to learn more and who knows, maybe we can make you stronger as well so you can avenge your parents for when you see those devil's again."
Issei thinks for a moment, seeing no other options and having nowhere to go now. Issei takes the woman's hand and stands back up with a nervous smile. "I-is it ok if I stay? I don't wanna be a burden." He says, feeling a strange sense of daja vu. His head throbs for a moment, causing Issei to make a face before he looks back up at the hand offered to him, and lightly takes it. "O-Ok. but I can't stay forever, I have to get stronger with my own merit too after all." He says as he stands up, causing Yasaka to frown lightly at the idea of the boy going off on his own eventually. She then sighs and comes up with an idea as she grows a somewhat devilish smile on her face. "Ikimaru? I have an order for you dear." She says as she places her hands on Issei's shoulders and holds him In front of herself, her belly pressed against his head lightly as she smiles.
"You will be the personal trainer of young Issei here. I want you to teach him everything he knows and help him get as strong as possible before he decides he's been with us for long enough and decides to travel on." She says as she then looks down at Issei, ignoring the blanching look that Ikimaru is giving her in bewilderment. "Although young Issei. I hope you realize you will have to do things for me from time to time as proper payment. Is that alright?" She asks as she turns Issei towards her and gently bends over, revealing much of her bosom to the boy but being sincere in her request. The Gamer thinks for a moment before nodding his head and giving her a warm smile.
"Sure, I don't mind helping out around the place, so long as it's something I can do after all. He says as Ikimaru babbles a bit before sighing in defeat and rubbing the bridge of his nose in mild frustration, he isn't one who likes kids very much and having to train this weakling of a human child is going to drive him up a wall, but Yasaka was his boss and he would have to listen to her regardless on if he liked it or not. "Very well Lady Yasaka. I will do my best to make him into a fine warrior." He says with a bow of his head and a glance at the small boy. Wondering what she sees in the child for her to want to help him before they begin to head back, Yasaka with some difficulty due to her pregnancy.
The next day: Yasaka shrine/palace.
The next day after the boy got his wounds cleaned up and a decent shower along with breakfast, Issei was called to the training grounds to get started on his first day of training with the yokai faction. Ikimaru, being the young boys trainer asks to see Issei's style of fighting.
"Alright kid as much as it annoys me to do this I'm gonna be your instructor for awhile. So if you have ANY questions get them out of the way now or else you won't be able to ask them later due to the training. Understood?" The Oni says as he is tying the nodachi to his side while popping his neck. Issei however raises his hand.
"Uh, I don't have a weapon, my weapon broke while I was escaping a cave. I lost my buckler in the river too. Can I have another weapon?" He asks as he looks a bit sheepish and rubs his arm in embarrassment. the Oni scratches his head and sighs, having not expected this but pulls out a wakizashi from a portal to his dimensional box and tosses it to the small child, who barely catches it. "Fine, here ya go kid. be careful with it though, I don't wanna hear you complain that you cut yourself." Issei looks down at the blade and a screen pops up.
Wakizashi.
A short version of the Japanese katana made for indoor combat when there isn't enough space for normal katana combat. It's light weight makes it perfect for defensive moves as well as dual wielding if said warrior chooses.
STR: Plus 3
Dex/AGI: Plus 5
"Hmm interesting, So that is your sacred gear. What is it called boy?" Asked Ikimaru before Issei explains what it is and what it does. Ikimaru however allowed the gears in his head to turn and churn slowly before he pieces together just how dangerous and powerful a gear like that could be if used correctly, especially if it has a dragon inside of it like Issei's KI is telling him. He nods and draws his odachi. "Very well boy, for today we will be seeing just what you can do... now GIMME ALL YOU GOT!" He shouts as he swings his sword downward at the small child with Issei being just fast enough to dodge it due to Ikimaru holding his power back, knowing better then to use a flame thrower against a small rabbit in the woods. Issei then swings his own blade at Ikimaru who tanks the hit, but it doesn't even scratch the Oni as he is then punched away.
"Gah! Ow.. grr Dragon Shot!" This however alarms the Oni as a small purple ball of energy forms in front of Issei and he instead of punching it like he normally would, he slashes the orb, causing it to form a crescent wave attack which catches ikimatu off guard, causing him to guard for a moment and actually take it with some stride. The attack connects but doesn't do anything more then leave some minor scraping on the Oni's arms. "Heh, that actually stung a moment brat! Now how about we ta-" Suddenly a screen appears Infront of Issei's face.
Daily Quest Alert.
Training with the Oni Guard.
Train to get stronger with the help of Yasaka's Oni Guard Ikimaru every day until he says to stop.
Y/N
This surprises Issei as it didn't show up before with... With... Who trained him before? Someone must have trained him for awhile. Ugh this is going to bug him forever isn't it? Anyway this didn't show up before, so why does it show up now? Maybe it's because this Oni fully intends to hurt him as part of the training? In any case he clicks the Y button and then rushed ikimaru while he's off guard, using power kick to launch himself off the ground and high into the air, about 3 meters before going back down with a power punch with his sword hand causing the Oni's odachi and Issei's wakizashi to clash against each other before Issei is flung back and towards the ground, hitting his but onto the ground as he does so. The boy stands back up with some HP knocked out of his system he instead of doing a large jump like before, Issei instead uses power kick against the ground to propel him towards Ikimaru. Ikimaru, knowing what he's trying to do, goes to guard Issei's strike, only to be caught off guard when Issei throws his sword at the Oni.
Ikimaru focuses on the blade flying at him and swats it away before looking back at Issei, only to find him to not be there anymore. He hears a whistle to his left and turns to find Issei there delivering a power punch to his gut, it doesn't hurt Ikimaru, but Issei doesn't stop at one strike, he keeps it going, and going, and going. activating his Power Barrage and dealing blow after blow which gets more and more intense for the Oni to deal with, enough to make the man uncomfortable as he bats Issei away only for Issei to have a dragon shot forming in his hand and he punches it.
Firing the Dragon Shot at point blank range at the Oni's face, he has severely underestimated the boys battle prowess, it's as if he's been trained before. Ikimaru then grows a wide and wild smile at this, now seeing what Yasaka saw and wanting to push the boy as he kicked the wakizashi back at Issei who barely dodged it and catches it in both hands dragging him along the ground by his shoes a few feet away he then turns to Ikimaru again who is right on top of him. swinging his sword horizontally and causing Issei to duck before jumping up in the air with power kick and slashing upward while doing so. causing a tiny, yet clear cut to form on the Oni's chest.
this fight lasts for a half hour, Ikimaru being surprised by the boys stamina and determination as well as the boys skill. maybe training this kid won't be so bad he thought. Ikimaru then holds up his hand as Issei struggles to stand. "That's enough for today boy, you lasted a lot longer than I thought you would. You even managed to nick me a little, but that's all you managed to do." he says as a screen pops up in front of Issei's face.
Daily quest has been cleared.
exp gained. 2,576
congratulations, you have leveled up.
LV 3 to LV 6
Your skill Power Punch has leveled up.
LV 5 to LV 6
your skill Power Kick has leveled up.
LV 2 to LV 4.
your sword mastery (beginner) has Leveled up!
LV 2 to LV 4
your skill dragon shot has leveled up.
LV 5 to LV 7
Due to a specific action the skill Dragon's Fang has been created.
This skill is of the design of Issei Hyoudou. it works by striking at a Dragon Shot with either a bladed weapon or a flattened hand in a crescent motion.. this skill stacks with Aura, STR, and DEX.
Costs the same as Dragon Shot.
LV 1/10
This brings a smile to Issei's face as he feels his health be brought back to normal levels as well as the feeling of strength fill his body, even Ikimaru notices this growth. "Interesting so this gear allows you to mark your growth as well as makes the power gain more obvious? What a powerful gear you got there brat." He says as he ruffles the head of Issei before stating that they will be going at it harder the next day in order to put the skills he has into the grinder and make them more powerful which issei agrees with whole heartedly as he bounces around after he put his wakizashi away in his own personal storage space.
Scene break: inside the Yasaka shrine.
3 days later
Inside the shrine of Yasaka's shrine is Issei's breathing heavily on the ground with minor bruises and cuts on his body, with a worn out wakizashi in his hand. He's exhausted as he breathes in and out.
'Man, this is hard, I don't think the last guy that trained me went this hard... By the stars I gotta figure out who that was. Wait when did I start saying "by the stars?" Kinda a weird thing to say now ain't it?' He sits and thinks as he tries to get to his feet. he has been training with Ikimaru for well over an hour now and it's only getting longer with each and every day of sparring. Buuuut that's not without its perks. Issei is getting faster and more powerful with every single spar and day of training.
You have leveled up.
LV 7 LV 8
Like just now. man that perk that boosts his physical stats by 5 every other level is really doing numbers. his STR alone is in the 50's now and they're only going to go up and up till he peaks! "Not bad for a level 8 noob." He chuckles as Ikimaru walks up to him.
"Well 'level 8' or not you're definitely improving at a startling pace. Well for a human anyway. It's only a matter of time before that sacred gear of yours does something that will make you even stronger." He says with an amused smile as he walks past the boy, gesturing for him to follow. "Come on, now that you leveled up again I got a job for ya. we've been getting a giant spider problem in the vault and lady Yasaka has asked if you could do it. since you've been growing at such a fast rate she thinks you can handle it. If you accept of course." He says as he turns his head to the small child who smiles and clenches his fist.
"I won't let you down! I have been meaning to thank Lady Yasaka for her help and hospitality and this is the least I can do!" Issei says as he sheaths his blade and follows after Ikimaru, who smiles at the boys honesty and fire to keep going.
"Heh is that so? you seem fired up so how about I add a bit of challenge with it. You can't use any aura based attacks at all during this, think of it as a trial to take care of. You won't be getting any dinner if you fail it! He says which causes Issei's face to pale a bit at the thought of going to bed hungry as they reach the door to the vault.
"Aaaaand here we are. Any questions before you head in?" The Oni asked before he looked down at the human child. He thinks for a moment before answering.
"What kind of spiders should I expect down there?" He asks which is honestly a good question. Ikimaru shrugs. "Eh aside from the giant spiders that are normally invading dank places like the vault, nothing else really. just be careful, some of these things can be poisonous." He says in a minor whisper into the kids ear.
Issei shivers at the idea and nods. believing the Oni's words and heading towards the vault door before a pop up appears.
You are about to enter the Vault of the Yokai Empress.
Dungeon objective. slay 15 spider demons that infest the vault.
bonus objective: kill 20 spider demons as well as the spider queen.
Recommended Level: 12
Warning. you are under leveled for this dungeon and such will be more at risk of death.
do you still wish to continue?
Y/N?
Issei upon reading this, is a little worried about the idea of dying, but he swallows his fear and presses the Y key, the vault door opens up with dust scattering along the ground as it does so. He looks over to Ikimaru who gives him a thumbs up. "Come on you'll do fine kid. Yasaka has faith that you'll succeed." He says, not saying that he does but it's implied as issei walks down into the dark vault alone as the door closes behind him.
While the door closes behind him Issei looks around the area and notices that the lanterns that are hanging from the walls are already lit with a blue hue, making it a little bit tricky to see but that's fine to Issei as he needs to figure out the best way to go about this anyway. Issei draws his wakizashi and begins walking down the stairs as he looks around, leaning on his danger sense as he does so.
"Now where oh where would I find these dang spiders? Hmm." After a few minutes of walking down the stairs he comes across a lone spider that is crawling around on the wall. It's of normal size so it's not a target, suddenly however a giant spider jumps down from the ceiling which issei narrowly dodges as it slams its head onto the ground with a THUNK before it gets up on its feet. Issei scans it.
Lesser Spider Demon x1
LV 10
Status: Dazed.
Issei upon seeing the giant spider, shivers for a moment before getting into a stance and charging at the spider with great speed. Using Power Kick he launches himself off the ground while two feet away from the creature, just outside of it's reach and slashes downward bisecting the giant arachnid in nearly two but exposing it's poisonous insides as it puffs out in a gas in an attempt to poison the boy, but when he lands he's already out of its range...
"Huh, that was easier than I expected. Must be because of how high my physical stats are. My STR IS 67 right now." He says as he then turns around and gets away from the gas emitting dead spider as to not risk getting poisoned. Issei then makes his way deeper and deeper into the vault noticing a puzzle on the ground after running into a vault door that is sealed shut. "Hrrm what is this?" He wonders as he reads the message of the puzzle.
North, South, East and West.
Here your will be put to test.
May you fight and never cower.
To open the door, show us your power.
Issei scratches his head in confusion as he stands in the center of the circle of the room In front of the door, Confused as to what exactly to do here before looking around and noticing four lanterns are exposed without any glass protecting the flame in this room. The boy then has an idea, calling forth his aura. He forces it to surge forth and explode outward in a mighty Aura Burst that is powerful enough to snuff out the flames in the lanterns Issei looks around and scratches his head, having a hard time seeing now really at all before the door begins to open. At the same time though, another pop up reveals itself.
You have unlocked the skill Night Vision
This skill allows you to see in the dark by about 3 meters. the higher the level of this skill, the farther and more clearly you can see.
LV 1/10
"Well that's handy. at least I won't be needing direct light anymore to see...Hmmm although I should probably sit here and train it for a bit so I can see even better in case the lanterns get blown out. I mean it's not like the spiders are going anywhere." Issei debates with himself, making a valid point as he sits down on the floor and looks around, trying to get used to seeing things in the dark like this.
'Huh, wonder if this is how cats or other animals see in the dark... neat!' He thinks as he scratches his cheek and looks around at the walls and ceiling.
"Skee!"
"Oro? That sounds familiar." he says as he rolls backwards and draws his wakizashi and gets into a stance as he looks around, and casts Scan as he does so, seeing 4 targets.
Lesser Spider Demon x3
LV 10
Great Spider Demon. x1
LV 13
"Oooh, yeah that's gonna be harder, of course they decide to come towards the noise of the door. Stupid Issei." He says as he bonks himself on the head with the spine of his sword, leaving a light red mark.
Suddenly one of the lesser demons squirts a ball of webbing out and narrowly misses issues foot before the great demon jumps down from the ceiling and lands right in front of the boy causing the boy to jump back a few feet to get some distance before facing the larger of the spider demons. As the lesser spiders spitting webs and poison blobs at the small boy he dodged and ducks away from the attacks while charging at the giant spider. Issei goes to attack the beast but the great spider goes to bite him. causing him to instinctively block at the last second before being grabbed by the beast and held by its sharp teeth, because of the sword's placement however it can't go to bite the boy without cutting itself deeply, which gives Issei an idea. The young Sacred Gear holder moves his sword slightly so the point is facing the mouth of the spider and PLUNGES it deep into its face, going damn near the hilt as he does so before he is let go and pulls out the now blood covered sword and rolls back a few feet to avoid getting any of the blood spilt on him. "Oooh this is going to take a while."
Scene break: With Yasaka and Ikimaru.
"So do you really think the boy can handle something like this? I mean he's a fast learner sure but he's only a child." Ikimaru asks his lady as he stands guard while Yasaka drinks some tea to calm her increasing cramps and weakness. No one has ever said being pregnant is easy. She looks up at him with a smile.
"Ara Ara, has someone been taking a liking to the boy? How unlike you Ikimaru. I could have sworn you disliked children."
She says with a teasing yet playful tone followed by an ufufufu. This however causes the Oni to blush and look to the side in embarrassment. "I-I don't like kids. But that one is strong and has a lot of potential, it would be a waste if he were to die down there, those spider demons are known for eating children after all, hell we lost a few staff here as well due to their poison too. I'm just asking if you're sure about putting this much faith into the boy." He says in an uncertain tone as he stands guard, taking his job seriously but also wanting his question answered.
Yasaka sees where he is coming from and sighs as she turns to face forward as she takes another sip of her tea. This batch is rather good this go around, she will have to request this batch more often. Getting herself back on track however, she decides to tell the Oni what her thoughts process on the whole ordeal. "I believe the boy is scared. Scared of what I'm not entirely sure about but instead of taking my offer to stay with us and join our faction he declines and says he has to take this path alone, but will still stay awhile to ease my own worries about him. He's trying to act mature but the fact that he can't remember much before my finding of him in the river and the fact he is so weak is starting to bother him. At least that is what I've seen in the short time we've known the boy."
She says as she sets her tea cup down and looks down, now deep in thought. "I know sending him down there without assistance may be a gamble especially at his current power but it's all to help him overcome that fear of being alone in tough times, or at the very least teach him that doing everything alone isn't the wisest choice and may hinder him in the long run."
Ikimaru then thinks for a moment while looking down, the gears in his head turning as his race is always a slow bunch. Eventually it clicks for him and he sighs before speaking. "Ugh. As much as it annoys me to say this lady Yasaka, you do have a point. Who knows, maybe he will come out of this trial stronger than when he came in. Or at the very least more adept at killing spiders." He chuckles along with Yasaka who flinches in minor pain as she holds her belly. The baby had kicked her right in the belly button, and it stung a little. "Nngh, n-now now little one no need to get restless darling. you're not due for a few months." She says with a tired look on her face.
Suddenly.
"Lady Yasaka! I come with urgent news!" Nearly shouts a woman dressed in a kimono with flowers and a swan on it with its head bowing, startling both Ikimaru and Yasaka as she bursts through the door to the room. After calming herself a bit and getting her guard to stand down, she turns to the unnamed woman. "What has you in such a rush my dear? You know it's rather rude to just barge into a room without any warning." she said with a hint of annoyance in her tone as she tilts her head to the side with a mild smile on her face.
"I deeply apologize Lady Yasaka but this is important! the seer had a vision!" The woman says as she steps out of the way to reveal a baby cow with a human woman's face, a Kudan. "Forgive my intrusion Lady Yasaka." She says as she bows her head lightly.
"Ah Lady Kiyomi, there is no need for apologies when you visit, though I must ask what brings you to my palace, you rarely ever leave your shrine." Yasaka says with curiosity written on her face as she looks down at her old friend. The Kudan then nods and begins speaking.
"My dear Yasaka I bring news of a warrior of red and purple that had been blessed by the very stars themselves. I believe it is the emergence of a third Dragon Emperor." She says with calm in her tone but the weight of her words shocks Yasaka.
"A third? You mean there will be a third heavenly dragon outside of the Dragons of Domination and Supremacy?" Yasaka asks with a raise of her eyebrow in curiosity and wonder over this news. what curious news. The Kudan (apparently named Kiyomi) continues. "Yes but that is not all, my vision also showed me that this will be the final generation between the Welsh and Vanishing Dragons. I have no idea how that would be possible but it surely is a wonderous thing is it not?" She says with a tilt of her head at this before Ikimaru chimes in with his idea.
"Hey you don't think that it has something to do with the boy do you? we did both agree that he has the ki of two dragons sealed within him, and that sacred gear of his does have stars shining from the gem." He says making a good point at this.
"Hmmm you may be right Ikimaru. I must say that even you have some sparks of brilliance from time to time. Ufufufu." Yasaka agrees while also poking fun at the Oni in a playful manner, she then sighs and looks forward to Kiyomi. "A heavenly dragon of red and purple blessed by the stars? How interesting."
Scene break. the vault dungeon.
"Huff, Huff, this is a load of crap! How many of these things are there?!" Issei cries out as he finishes killing another spider demon. before looking at his quest screen.
Dungeon quests.
main quest: Defeat 15 spider demons. 12 out of 15
side quest. defeat every spider season in the vault. 12 out of 20
"I've only killed twelve of these things?! UUUGH I just wanna go back... Why were they so insistent on me being the one to do this anyway, and without my aura based skills to boot. Do I really rely on my aura that much?" He says as he ponders for a moment as he pulls his sword out and cleans the blood off it by wiping it off against some cloth from hanging drapes. Issei looks to his right and notices a chest that looks to have been broken open due to some pieces of rock from the ceiling smashing the lid and lock. Letting his curiosity get the better of him. the boy walks over and notices a strange looking handle of a sword with parchment attached to it, it's cold to the touch and when he grabs it, the ancient paper springs to life and coils together in the shape of a curved sword. (specifically a scimitar) It feels light as a feather while being rigid like metal. he takes a swing of it and likes the way it feels.
"Oooh, maybe I can ask Lady Yasaka if I can have this. I'm really liking this sword! I wonder what it's called. SCAN!" He announced and a window opened up.
The Floating Scimitar
SR weapon Detected!
This weapon is an ancient sword used by mages of old. While the words have been weathered away from the parchment it's unique ability to lash out like a whip when you twist the pommel allows you to attack from both close and long ranges in an elegant dance. This weapon can be infused with magic/aura and can grow along with its wielder.
LV 1 of 5
twist the pommel of the blade to turn it to whip mode. tighten it for sword mode.
Auto regenerates from damage at a slow pace so long as the gem in the handle isn't destroyed.
"Ooooh This is so cool! I'm gonna ask Lady Yasaka for this blade as a reward for clearing this place!" Issei says as he sticks the Scimitar into his personal pocket dimension thanks to the CRPG and begins to make his way down deeper into the vault once more, now more inclined and invigorated to finish this place due to finding something he finds cool.
"Now there are about eight of these things left. Hmm I wonder where they are." Issei says as he draws his wakizashi and gets ready for a fight, not wanting to be caught with his pants down again he remains alert and focused. He leans HEAVILY on his Danger Sense in case he were to be ambushed by anymore spiders, that last fight against two Great Spider Demons was a bit of a tough one having been knocked around a few times.
HP 448 out of 793
Fortunately for the boy he still had the expired health potion from when he was escaping... Dammit there it is again! why can he remember, it's as if two years had just been crudely scrubbed away from his memory, bits and pieces are there but whenever he went to latch onto it, it falls between his fingers like sand. This frustrates the poor boy almost long enough to be pounced on by 3 lesser spiders. lucky for Issei however he wasn't too distracted by this train of thought and cuts off the head of two of the beasts before dodging the last one. Getting the hand of this react and counter method, he gets into a weird stands with holding his sword directly in front of himself with the tip pointed outward. treating it like a ruler and too force the spider to keep a distance before it tries to swipe the sword out of its face and lunge at the young swordsman and before spinning around as he stepped forward and cut down the length of the spiders body, killing it in one movement before moving forward away from the poisonous gas it's emitting.
"Man this is getting easy though with the smaller spiders. it's the big ones that give me a hard time." He says to himself as a notification appears before him.
You have leveled up.
LV 8 LV 9
your HP has been restored.
Congratulations, you have survived and completed your main objective for this dungeon. would you like to leave now or continue to 100% clear this dungeon of enemies?
Leave the dungeon?
Y/N
Issei, thinking he was finally done with this place goes for the Y button only to pause. He had grabbed the Scimitar from a chest and they might not be happy if he were to go back without completely clearing the dungeon and expecting a reward for it. So, he clicked N and proceeded forward, looking for the last five spiders.
As he walked down he had noticed that a few of the spiders were becoming more aggressive the deeper into the vault he went, almost as if they're guarding something of importance and want to keep it safe before issei would swoop in and kill them, but when dealing with two more great spider demons and a lesser demon.
Clank! Shatter!!
The sound of Issei's wakizashi shattering filled the vault corridor as the boy looked on in horror of his weapon breaking. Oh Ikimaru is going to be pissed but maybe he will understand! On a more pressing matter however. giant spiders.
"SHIT!" Issei cries out in a panic as he rushes and power kicks away from the spiders as they close in on him. Great just great, with his main source of dealing damage gone with his sword skill SO CLOSE to level 10, now he has to rely on his hand to hand skills. sure he could use the new scimitar he had found but he had no idea how to properly work the thing without hurting himself, it is a completely different weapon with little to no weight at all, he could hurt himself and he didn't need that right now. so for now he threw the shattered sword at one of the spiders, hitting it's leg and cutting it something fierce before back peeling some more and accidentally putting himself against a wall. cornering himself. he would rather not use his hand to hand skills against these spiders that could bite and poison him in retaliation but he has little choice... unless of course he fails challenge his master gave him and use his aura offensively. but then he wouldn't be allowed to eat, but he could be killed otherwise...
"Oh man, this is gonna suck to explain to Ikimaru." Issei whines as he charges up a dragon shot, but he fires it too quickly without properly charging it and aiming it at the ground, causing it to not give off it's proper power it would give off. But it DOES knock the spiders away from him by a few feet, giving him some much needed breathing room before he remembers a skill he thought of on the spot a few days ago. Issei summons his CRPG gauntlet and summons a dragon shot in his other hand and decides to instead of hitting it with a flattened palm, he claws at it and causes crescent shaped strikes of aura shoot out and rend the spiders asunder with little effort due to the compacted energy as well as the manner of which he fired said attack, it came out like a energy claw attack, how cool!
You have created the skill Dragon's Claw!
LV 1/10
this attack was created by Issei Hyoudou. by clawing at a dragon shot you have the ability to send out waves and beams of energy in a claw shape/motion and deal heavy damage. This skill scales with STR and ARC
"Oooh I like the name of this one! Dragons Claw huh?" Issei says as he looks at the ground where the spiders lay, seeing a claw like scarring on the marbled floor and winces. "Yeesh, wouldn't wanna get caught on the end of that thing.
As he got his bearings and popped his back after hitting something on his back funny he walked around the now dead great spiders demons laying on the floor in pieces he's not exactly looking forward to explaining to Ikimaru about why he had to use his aura in a fight but he is sure that his teacher will understand. At least he hopes so anyway.
as he makes his way down to the deepest part of the vault he tumbles across 2 lesser spiders and one great spider as well. The last three in the dungeon as he hides behind a column of stone holding the wall up in the large circular room filled with gold and giant spider eggs. Well it explained why they got so aggressive the further in he got into the vault. this is where they're keeping their eggs and hatchlings... Gross.
Issei sits down onto the ground silently and tries to think of a way to defeat the last of the spiders. he would probably be rewarded if he killed the eggs too, too bad he can't learn magic due to his lack of mana or he would be able to burn the damned things to ashes. Hm he has a dragon type Sacred Gear. Maybe he can breathe fire one day.
"Well you should be able to do it if you put in some effort after this is done kiddo."
...
...
"Eh?"
Did someone else speak? Oh great, he had been receiving so many head injuries since his parents were killed that he's hearing voices now. Isn't that just his luck?
...
And now it's not saying anything at all in order to gaslight him, maybe it really is just in his head, Issei decides that after this he's going to get some sleep. As well as maybe get an ice pack In case he's coming down with something.
Back on topic however after shaking his head, Issei decided to come up with an all be it pretty crap plan, but if it works then things should be made easier. He summons his CRPG gauntlet, not noticing that the gem is shining and pulsating now before he summoned a dragon shot. Split it in two and fired them off into the distance, the balls of energy crashing into the eggs in the back and causing them to burst open and explode, killing all the hatchlings inside the eggs that were damaged as the spiders turn and begin to start to shoot webbing at the fire in hopes of putting it out while keeping their distance of the flames due to being afraid.
This causes the perfect distraction as he rushes forward and grabs a gilded katana from the pile of gold and treasures, it's heavier then what he's used to , longer too but he can work with it as he power kicks himself forward at large speeds and spins in a circle, cutting the two lesser Spiders in half, leaving only the great spider to deal with.
As Issei skids to a halt in front of the flames, him smelling the burning corpses of the spiders which causes him to gag, the large spider lets out a SKEE and scuttles about looking for an opening, but Issei is too close to the fire for it to want to attack, and the boy takes full advantage of this by using the blade to stab into the burning webbing of the fire and swing it at the giant spider, scaring it and causing it too back up before it got a flaming sword to the face, cutting out and burning its eyes as it screams out in pain. it scuttling about franticly as it cries out in pain before Issei stabs the blade into the skull of the damned thing. killing it and being done with this place.
You have completed the bonus objective in this dungeon. this gains you another 4000 exp along with completing the main quest for 3000.
This somewhat annoys Issei as he is 150 exp away from leveling up again and getting to LV 10. then he remembers the eggs. and turns to them with a devilish look. he had gotten some exp from destroying them, and there is about twenty left. maybe he can get that level up after all.
congratulations! you leveled up!
LV 9 LV 10
Suddenly Issei gets a massive headache as the system of his gear starts to whir and stir to life. "ARRRHG!"
PARAMETERS HAVE BEEN MET! AWAKENING AND UNSEALING THE DRAGON WITHIN, EVOLUTION OF THE CONSTELLATION'S RPG ENGAGING!
"FINALLY!"
The gauntlet then begins to glow as it starts to crawl up the boy's arm till it reaches his elbow much like how the boosted gear would except of one crucial detail, the scaling of the gear is like a tail wrapping around his arm with a pointed tip at his elbow with the Gem turning into a diamond shape on the back of Issei's palm. A large bean of light as a female dragon-like voice calls from the gear.
"CONSTELLATION'S RPG. FIRST AWAKENING!
It cries out in joy as Issei's pain subsides and he falls to his knees, exhausted and worn out by this as he looks at his right arm in confusion.
"Wait... So you CAN talk?!"
"Of course I can talk you little butt munch! I've been sleeping till earlier today! It feels wonderful to finally be up and about! I don't really know my name, so you can just call me Star! It's nice to meet you human!"
"Oh. Uh I'm Issei, Issei Hyoudou. It's nice to meet you too... I guess." Issei says a bit sheepishly as he starts to get to his feet.
"Good good. Now quick question. What is that thing hanging from the ceiling? It's massive!" Star says with wonder and curiosity.
This makes Issei's face pale as he slowly looks up and dodges out of the way as a MASSIVE Spider lands down onto the ground where he once stood. It's easily the size of 3 Ikimaru's as the bar above its head reveals its title.
Demonic Spider Queen
Level 20
"Oh... Oh no! That thing is double my level!" Issei says in horror as his legs start shaking as he slowly backs away, dropping the katana he was wielding onto the ground as he does so. Star on the other hand gets excited.
"Yesssss my first boss! How wonderful that this is the first thing I wake up too! Oh where is it I know we have some music in here... Ah here it is! Now, issei I have a mission for you, defeat the spider queen!"
"EEEEEEH!"
{Play music. Destiny's Force from KINGDOM HEARTS}
"SKROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM"
the Spider Queen swipes one of its legs forward and strikes Issei, knocking him into a pillar and knocking out 200 HP from the poor boy, it stung and knocked the wind out of him but he takes those. Issei gets back up and starts running towards the massive Spider and narrowly dodges a stab from one of the legs and he cuts at it, leaving a large laceration, but not cutting it off entirely. Issei, gritting his teeth slides under the queen and starts cutting at its stomach as it starts to lift itself up, before smashing down at the boy. lucky for Issei he just barely got out from under it, but upon inspection he didn't leave a scratch on the belly of this damned thing.
This frustrated Issei as he summons forth a dragon shot and fires it off at the queen, who lifts itself off the ground and jumps into the air, climbing up the walls and dodging the fired dragon shots that Issei prepares.
instead Issei tries for a different tactic as he summons numerous dragon shots and slowly starts to combine them together to form a massive shot, taking up a good chunk of his stamina and aura to do this as he fires it with a slash of his sword directly in front of where the spider was going, connecting it with the spider queens back and causing it to cry out in pain as it falls off the wall and onto its back, it waves its legs around for a few seconds as Issei runs up to it sword drawn and ready as he jumps into the air and onto the spiders stomach and starts to slash at it again. This time leaving small but noticeable cuts on its stomach. After a few seconds Issei is grabbed by several legs and the spider gets back up on its legs before throwing issei up into the air and SLAMMING HIM BACK DOWN into a pile of gold and other treasures, cushioning his fall but not by much as he groans out in pain, losing 375 hp.
"Oooooww, ok this isn't working! No wonder this thing is a boss." Issei says in pain as he staggers to his feet and nearly slipping on a few gold coins. remembering he had the expired HP potion he pulls it out and chugs it. gagging at the taste he tossed the bottle to the side, shattering it as he then picks the katana back up before wanting to try something.
"Alright fighting this thing normally is a pain, so what if I do THIS!" Issei shouts out as he spawns another dragon shot and slashes it point blank range at the giant spider as it closes in on him, cutting off a leg and making it cry out in pain.
"ALRIGHT YOU GOT EM! NICE SHOT KIDDO!" Star shouts out as she watches the battle in excitement before pointing something out. "Say didn't you damage that things back? wouldn't it be a weak spot now that you damaged it? hit the same place till it breaks mentality ya know?"
Issei likes this plan and mentally thanks the dragon before running around the queen as it's distracted and runs up one of the columns before using power kick against it to launch himself off of it and stab his sword into the queen's back, dealing heavy damage as it goes all the way to the hilt, but then it breaks, likely due to the corrosive nature of the spiders blood and the hard shell.
"Ugh come on again?!" he says as he jumps back as a poisonous grass leaks out of the spiders open wounds, doing his best not to breathe it in before get alerted by Star.
"Uh kid? hate to break it to ya, buuuut your taking poison damage, it's not by much but just make sure not to breathe too much of this stuff in or you will die." She says as Issei pulls out the Scimitar and coats it in aura before stopping, having a better idea. he summons a dragon shot before stabbing his blade into the sphere of energy and coating the sword in a dragon shot.
Issei then charges at the pissed spider queen as he winds up a swing before jumping at the last second to dodge a swipe of its legs directed at him and slashes a dragon shot powered sword strike directly into the the Queen's face, scarring it and making it lose parts of its face, causing it to scream out in pain and hiss at the boy.
"Oooh that's gonna leave a nasty mark!" Star says in a whince of abject pain while issei climbs up its head using power kicks and uses his last bit of stamina to jump HIGH into the air, a good 5 meters before spinning his way back down while loosening his swords pommel and turning it into a dragon powered whip and it spins around his body before Issei shouts out.
"EAT THIS! DRAGON SLASH!!!" He cries out in a fit of exhausted rage as the strike connects right at the monster"s neck and it CLEAVES it clean off!
{ stop playing destiny's Force. kingdom hearts}
Issei slowly gets back up from landing on the ground, breathing heavily before he starts walking towards the exit in silence, Star doing all the talking.
"I can't believe you beat that thing issei! your one strong kiddo! I think this is going to be a wonderful partnership!" She cheers in excitement as Issei chuckles before coughing, slowly getting caught up in the poison gas as he makes his way out of the room, putting the sword away as he does so.
'Heh you think so huh? Well you helped me out there too Star, I doubt I would have survived if you hadn't called out it's presence and told me about that weakspot. Good job.' He smiles lightly before finally making it back to the entrance of the vault after a long walk. The boy knocks on the door and it opens.
"Spiders... slain." He says in an exhausted tone before finally collapsing, succumbing to the poison.
chapter end!