Chapter 41: Pier 16 (Part 8)

"Till? Why is what should be a dead woman unconscious on the floor after trying to attack me?"

"A-are you sure that's her? I mean it looks like her but maybe it's a, uhh…a clone or something?"

Cayman was about to laugh at that explanation until he remembered what universe he was in, begrudgingly admitting that they'd never found Natsume's head and that as long as the brain had been intact without too much damage they could probably do all sorts of bullshit.

"Christ, this universe better not be Dragonball levels of ridiculousness where death is about as inconvenient as a sprained ankle."

Setting that uncomfortable thought aside for the moment he instead used [Frost Lance] to create a set of makeshift shackles around the woman's arms and legs, turning his attention back to Felicia before asking, "How about you, Black? Think you can walk under your own power? Or is that a dumb question?"

A ruby eye slowly shifted upwards, meeting his inquisitive gaze with all the snark and disbelief that she could probably manage given her state.

"You're right. Really dumb question."

"Right. Sorry about this, then."

Carefully scooping up the Vampire over his shoulder the Surveyor did his level best to ignore the smell, sound and sight of the Demon's ruined loins spewing out a trickle of spunk at the motion, figuring that if he was going to live in the eroverse he might as well get used to it.

"I am SO done with that feeling…"

"Well if we make it out of here and back to base there's a hot shower waiting for you, provided we clear up a few things."

"Best damn news I've heard in a long time…"

+10 REP with Felicia [10/100]

Yet again wondering what the Vampire had gone through that she was gaining REP so quickly Cayman decided now wasn't the time to wonder about that either. Couldn't have been fun either, since the crazy girl had - in some universes - willingly given herself up for torture and debasement just for an opportunity to pull out the proverbial UNO reverse card.

"Let's move, Till."

Fairy following closely in his wake as they ran to rejoin the rest of their comrades - Natsume tucked under his other free arm - Yumi and Shirone gave him a series of blinking gazes as he returned with two people, one under obvious lock and key.

"She's hostile, uses her body fluids as a mental or physical domination schtick. Just conk her over the head if she wakes up."

"Huh? Oh, hey, kitty cat~! Fancy meeting you here, right?"

Felicia's sudden comment as she caught sight of the Yokai lost some of its gravitas as a wet retch left the pinkette, followed by a gout of cum painting the floor as well as the back of Cayman's pants.

"I hope they have super detergent in this universe, that shit ain't coming out easy."

"You know each other?"

Shirone's nose curled in disgust - either at Felicia's presence or the baby batter barf, he wouldn't hazard a guess - as she tersely replied, "Not by choice. Also ew."

Deciding to table yet another strange interaction he hadn't been aware of Cayman instead tapped his ear, opening up a direct line to Kuroka as he asked, "What's the situation outside?"

"Must have tripped a silent alarm or something, nya. Reinforcements are trickling in. Nothing serious, just a bunch of gang types with basic weapons, we can give em' the runaround without even having to fight. But there's what feels like a six-winged Devil leading a four-winged and Succubus to the entrance, what do you wanna do about that?"

Frowning at this latest development Cayman asked, "How soon till those three get to the front?"

"Two or three minutes. They're trying to be sneaky about it."

"Can you and the others hide the people we rescued along with everyone else?"

"Sure, but not if people are combing the whole area for us."

Grinning as a plan formed within his mind the male responded, "Then leave the distraction to me while you lead everyone else out of the area."

"Okay, but shouldn't little sis do that? She's a lot tougher than you are."

"She is. But I'm flashier and more noticeable."

"Your funeral, nya."

Closing the communication he turned to Oct, asking, "Think you have room for two more?"

The Injuu wordlessly picked Felicia and Natsume into his already burdened grasp, the Vampire clearly not thrilled at being touched by another tentacle monster but bearing with it as he turned to Yumi and Shirone, stating, "You two work with Cerb and Oct to meet up with everyone else and get them out of here, I'll stay behind and make sure you have free reign to do so."

Yumi started, hurriedly asking, "Wait, is that what you were talking about with-"

"No time to argue, get a move on. Relax, I've got a plan."

"Maybe."

Seeming resigned to his decision Yumi just reluctantly nodded, Shirone offering a brief fist bump that he took before they made their way to the entrance, the Surveyor glancing around towards where Kuroka had pointed out their likely approach and scanning the area for anything he could use to turn the tables.

The antique shop itself was out of the question, nor did any of the other apartments or buildings offer much in the way of answers…but a nearby city utility box did.

"As soon as I move you do. Clear?"

Both girls and his summons nodded - Felicia just grumbling from where she was dangling along with the rest of the women - as he finally spotted three figures trying and failing to not look conspicuous as they strode across the street towards the shop, gazes furtive and darting as they tried to keep an eye on every possible angle conceivable.

"Okay, get."

His piece stated Cayman rolled his neck and calmly strode out the shop's door, quietly whistling to himself as he felt three sets of eyes land on him like physical blows, not so much as glancing their way as precious seconds passed, the trio no doubt spending those precious jewels of time trying to decide if he was the one who had tripped the alarm or was just some random asshole who'd stepped inside, since whatever Alaya had done to his body didn't seem to register all that well with people's magical senses or whatnot.

"Too bad for them."

Still acting as if he didn't have a care in the world he walked past the utility box, bashed aside the lock with his trusty bit of manifested rebar before jamming the end of the thing into its guts, steel spear popping into existence in his other hand and pointing the business end towards the fast response trio, their eyes widening and bodies tensing just a second too late as he accessed a not insignificant part of the electrical grid for this city block.

"[Volt Thrust]"

Electricity was a bit of a funny thing, when one thought about it. Not only did you have to take into account how long someone was exposed to it - again with people surviving lightning strikes despite the fact that it contained more than enough go juice to flip the biological ON/OFF switch - you also had to take into account the amps that governed how much of the voltage actually smacked someone in the face. Plenty of electrical current operated at well above the cutoff of 11,000 volts to kill someone without exception yet that one bit of governing kept a truly colossal number of stupid or unlucky people from being put six feet under.

…If the electrical grid he was tapping into was similar to the ones back home then he had roughly 66,000 volts with zero amperage to cockblock him primed and ready to toast his targets.

And toast they did.

Iron tang suffused his senses, his hair and skin crawled with ambient discharge and his vision spotted as an earsplitting noise halfway between a whine and a boom sent a solid, second long lance of electricity into the Devils and Succubus as they collapsed onto the ground with little ceremony, forms cracked and smoking in what he was fairly certain was a rather nasty stench.

"Well that worked well. [Ether Waltz!]"

A wave of his spear created a solid, purple-tinged wall of material that seemed to shift between solid and liquid as a burst of fire was consumed by the manifested Ether, a stream of gunfire meeting a similar fate as it sparked and vanished when meeting the devouring material.

"[Galeforce!]"

Turning and running in the opposite direction of where his companions had fled as the local 'garrison' got on his case Cayman used the added speed of his wind spell to dart into the sprawling cityscape, relying on its twisting nature to keep his pursuers busy but not so busy they went back to hunting the others.

A few minutes of distant shouts, headlong sprinting and near misses as bullets whizzed passed his head and Cayman had arrived at where he'd decided would be a good escape point.

"[Offensive Drive], [Flame Wheel], [Frost Lance]."

Combining the three spells into one he raised the rebar and spear alike upwards into the air, dual blasts of fire and ice meeting in a cryoclastic detonation that almost flattened the Surveyor as heated steam filled much of the surrounding area in blinding white incandescence, Cayman ignoring the way the heavy air filled his lungs as he muttered, "[Ether Waltz]," one last time, gathering the energy into a vaguely humanoid shape and sending it down a nearby manhole to 'sprint' further into the city.

…Like hell he was jumping into the sewers again. He was already covered in spunk and other garbage, no need to add literal garbage to the mix.

Wedging himself behind a fluttering tarp the male forced himself to remain still, ignoring the hot and sticky mist clinging to his every pore and orifice as pounding footsteps raced by alongside beating wings, a few distant and muffled shouts filling the area as sirens wailed in the distance due to their little scuffle.

"...I think it's safe to call that a success."

Quickly leaving the concealing shroud as the goon squad chased after his Ether manifestation - the thing showing up on 'radar' a hell of a lot better than he would - Cayman made sure to have his body language display confusion and annoyance to better fit in with the rest of locals around him, just in case anyone was watching as first responders finally arrived on the scene, spreading out to survey the damages while the male slipped past the crowds with practiced ease, following the vague feeling of Till's presence as fifteen minutes of walking had him back at their meeting point, the group offering varying levels of relief as he strolled up, raising a hand in greeting before stating, "Told you I'd be flashy."

"That you did, nya. You stumble through a waterpark on your way back?"

Rolling his eyes at Kuroka's sass the gamer just motioned for them to get a move on, more than ready for a shower.

"Now that's not a bad bounty at all…"

Wiping off the last remaining bits of excess moisture from his body after a hot and highly desired cleanse Cayman looked over his and his summons stats, pleased at what they'd gotten.

Cayman Lute, LVL 33

HP: 1850

MP: 7200 + (720)

STA:3600

STR: 195

DEF: 205

AGI: 400

MAG: 605 + (61)

MAG DEF: 780 + (78)

REIGN: 41

EXP: 900/3400

Cerb, Hellhound (Summoned Companion), LVL 33

HP: 2800

MP:1460

STA: 1620

STR: 760

DEF: 760

AGI: 1050

MAG: 430

MAG DEF: 510

EXP: 200/3400

SKILLS: Odor Tracking, Hell Flames, Mature Breeding, Shapeshifting, Soul Tracking.

Oct, Injuu Prince (Summoned Companion), LVL 33

HP: 1150

MP: 9450

STA: 4300

STR: 245

DEF: 210

AGI: 460

MAG: 575

MAG DEF: 690

EXP: 200/3400

SKILLS: Body Melding, Hypnosis, Breeding, Illusory Magic, Female Seduction.

While three levels for the amount of shit they had gone through might have seemed like a minor amount Cayman personally found it rather promising. In the grand scheme of things a single raid had netted him a not insignificant chunk of power, especially when one considered the further increase his stats had gained for every level up. Bashing open that utility lock had been far easier than it had any right to be and it was a rather convincing argument that he was quickly becoming stronger than he'd originally been by a not insignificant margin.

And his summons were rapidly scaling upwards as well, their 'larval' forms nothing special outside of a few key specialities but their upgraded ones turning out to be absolutely worth the investment. And considering the sheer amount of shit there was to do in this world having loyal creatures or monsters that were powerful and able to carry out his orders without fear of betrayal or misunderstanding - which was what had apparently happened to his predecessors - was a load off of his shoulders and meant he could actually chill out every now and again, go on vacation and see some of the sights.

"Huh, I actually need to investigate and experiment with summoning a Heroic Spirit sometime in the near future. The Queen of Sheba would actually be really damn helpful."

Considering his laundry list of things to take care of money was still near the top of it and while he'd bought all of those market analyst programs nothing beat a hero of old with a supernatural means of knowing how to make the big bucks.

…Although that opened up its own can of worms. Oct and Cerb were infallibly loyal but would that hold true for a Heroic Spirit? He doubted a hero of old would appreciate being ripped from space and time to serve as a glorified accountant, never mind the questions that arose from actually pulling the feat off. Did he have to bring her here with the majority of her powers and proper catalysts or could he half ass it and settle for her being massively nerfed with a few of her intrinsic skills intact?

"Questions questions questions…"

Thankfully he had an excellent excuse to table those questions as he approached the entrance of the warehouse, finding Mai and Yumi watching a group of EMTs as they tended to the women they had rescued, all unanimously put into a deep sleep. The medical team themselves were quite the interesting mix, a couple of Fairies working with a pair of nuns under the supervision of an Angel and Devil, the latter scarred and dour to the point where Cayman would have wondered what the hell he was doing with a red cross on his shoulder were it not for the tender way he gently placed one of the victims on a stretcher for easy transport, as if she was made of glass.

"Never judge a book by its cover, I guess."

Curious about this group who had been listed in the Sanctuary handbook as a trustworthy and worthwhile contact for health and medical issues he approached at a steady pace, the Angel meeting his gaze with a friendly expression as she met him halfway.

"You have done an immeasurably great thing for these poor souls, Surveyor. Were it not for your actions more of them would have been lost."

Glancing towards the respectfully covered body off to the side Cayman could only settle for a shrug, replying, "I could fling that statement right back around at you like a verbal boomerang. We've got a bunch of healers here on base but, well…it's more of the mid-combat kind of healing rather than any extended form of care."

The Angel just smiled at him, teasing, "Your words are appreciated but we would also appreciate it even more if you had seldom need to call for us in the first place."

"If we're gonna go down that route it'd be nice if there was never any need to call for emergency services at all."

"A fair point."

Deciding to satiate his curiosity the male affixed the winged woman with an inquisitive expression, asking, "You have quite the motley crew here, is there some kind of requirement to working with Sanctuary that you need to have as diverse a team as possible? I thought I was just the weird one with such a mixed squad."

"It is by no means a requirement but considering that the ultimate point of Sanctuary is to ideally work as a single entity to solve a myriad of problems across our many realms the ability to work without undue strife alongside others is a rather important qualification. And as for how we ended up in this line of work?"

She gestured to the Fairies, continuing their work with admirable efficiency even as they excitedly whispered about getting to meet their princess earlier.

"Well that's self-explanatory for them. Many Fairies seek out hospitals or other aid dispensaries and we were fortunate enough to cross paths with them, as well as catch their fancy with our line of work as traveling doctors and nurses."

Another gesture to the pair of nuns.

"Young girls we rescued from a previous operation, who wished to follow and aid us in our many travels and missions."

Cayman nodded, tilting his head the Devil's way.

"Your husband?"

He received a playful poke on the shoulder.

"One of my dearest friends who just so happens to be happily married, he will thank you very much. After so many centuries of war we were well and truly done with the seemingly unending violence and were looking for a way to perhaps achieve the opposite, find redemption for all that we had destroyed in repairing what we could."

The Surveyor settled for a nod, knowing that while DxD hadn't ever delved deeply into the realities of what a seemingly never ending war that had raged for almost a millennia would mean for a people - that just hadn't been what the franchise was about - he imagined a fair few Angels, Devils and Fallen would have been well and truly done with the whole business and fucked off to be alone or do their own thing, one such example of that staring him in the face.

"...Do I want to know what the odds of those girls recovering from this are?"

"Perhaps not as dour as you might imagine, although judging by your expression that isn't saying much. Physically it will be simple to restore their bodies, mentally?"

The Angel could only sadly shake her head.

"Memory alteration is always an option but powerful enough experiences have a way of undoing them."

"Figured as much. Thanks anyway for coming to pick them up."

Pushing away those thoughts and the subject at hand - he'd done what he'd could and they were probably better off than that poor damn catgirl from way back in Yomihara - he shook the Angel's offered hand, the woman stating, "Jokes aside please do feel free to call on us anytime you desire, we would be much more comfortable having our aid required than realizing we could have done more after the fact."

"I'll keep that in mind. Safe travels."

Without further ado the medics/samaritans began loading up their modified ambulance with the people they'd rescued, departing in short order as Cayman approached Mai and Yumi, the former looking completely and utterly drained while the Taimanin was a bit sleepy but still good to go, no doubts as a result of her training.

"I'm sorry for freezing up, Cayman…"

Blinking at the blonde's downtrodden and sullen words he gave Yumi a curious look, waiting for her to elaborate as she continued with, "I'm supposed to be helping you as one of your guards and in the one time I was able to do so I screwed up."

While Mai didn't share that opinion of her in the slightest the Surveyor subtly motioned for her to wait, instead taking a moment to consider the sullen girl and how he should respond, eventually deciding that there was no therapist around to criticize his words so being straightforward was the way to go. He'd never been the best at providing emotional comfort anyway.

Instead he kneeled down so that he was staring directly at the girl, setting a hand on her knee while confidently explaining, "Yumi, not long ago you were cornered in an alley in a city you weren't familiar with among people you didn't know after being enslaved and sold. You then got shot in the gut and were about to be fucked to death in aforementioned wound until you were saved at the last second. I think the fact that you only froze for a scant few seconds in the face of what I would describe as a nightmare made manifest is nothing short of astounding."

He arched an eyebrow.

"Or do you think I'm just saying that to make you feel better?"

+20 Rep with Yumi Kiba [90/100]

A brief, watery smile pulled at the blonde's lips…and she slid to the side as Mai awkwardly caught the Sacred Gear wielder in her lap, pink eyes widening in surprise.

"Huh. Never seen that one before. She must have been worn out to the extreme."

The Taimanin nodded at Cayman's murmured words, awkwardly stroking the other girl's hair as the male asked, "So do you feel less like you failed catastrophically, now that we have your comrade back?"

"...A little. But it's not really Amadare, is it? The Incubus King did something to her. Something that may have given him information that Gosha Academy wouldn't want him to know, even if I made them aware of it."

The pale-haired Taimanin seemed an odd mix of triumphant yet defeated, the gamer smirking as he said, "Well don't write her off yet. It's not a certain thing but I may have a way to undo what Kuroi did to her."

"You do?"

"Probably. For now take it easy, I have to take a nap first and visit our Vampire resident before that so no rush. My summons are also keeping an eye on her so need to worry about a sudden escape."

He allowed a playful smile to decorate his lips.

"Good work today, Mai. And you look rather cute caring for your junior like that."

"E-eh?"

+15 REP with Mai Nanase [95/100]

"See you in a bit, Mai."

Cheerfully leaving the blushing Taimanin behind he continued on towards where Felicia was being held, the male resisting the urge to release a yawn of his own. Rin and the Demon trio had turned in for the night while Till, Kuroka and Shirone were keeping an eye on the spawn of Edwin Black so he really had no reason to rush.

"...Nah, let's see what the crazy pinkette has to offer."

After all, it wasn't every day one got to speak so casually with a cute, murderous Vampire.