I don't own anything. All characters and all rights belong to Ichiei Ishibumi*
M for mature topics. No children allowed. *
The Broken Boosted Gear
By Try Another Time
Our story continues as our protagonist stands before the doors to an apartment complex within Shangri-La. The building had a weird shape as it seemed more like a tower entirely composed of building blocks that continuously shifted around to accommodate the space for those living inside.
"They must have pulled all their resources to accommodate the different needs of each seeking a home. I doubt that even a supernatural steed such as Sieg would have an easy time inside tight spaces. Now let's see which one corresponds to them." Ddraig started to look through the long list, which hung on top of the doorbell.
Ddraig didn't recognize many of the names in the list, which contained at least 40 or 50 names, but one caught his attention. "Bova Tannin? I never expected them to live in the same building. Curious choice for living, but I won't judge."
The dragon continued looking until he finally found the one corresponding to his targets. "Floor 7, apartment 77, The Andersen Cousins. Was Andersen their family's last name? Maybe they just use this one for the sake of paperwork." Ddraig touched the doorbell while thinking about the address before a bright blue number appeared.
After a second, the number disappeared, and a camera feed replaced it. Then, right before his eyes, the blushing face of a young Valkyrie, whom he knew all too well, appeared.
"Rossweisse?" Ddraig asked with a confused expression as he saw what she was wearing.
A very revealing pajama set adorned her body. It was composed of white silky shorts and a blouse, which left little to the imagination as one could see the person's assets.
"...Kyahhhhh!" Rossweisse screamed as she swiped the camera feed away.
The feed then changed to show Liv, who was wearing an apron and a more presentable attire when compared to her cousin. Under the dark apron, a pair of jean shorts and a black blouse adorned her body. Her muscles and scars weren't well hidden under it, but somehow, it increased her appeal exponentially. "Sir Ddraig? You're a bit early for the planned invitation."
"Only ten minutes early. I prefer being a bit early than late. I apologize for any inconvenience." Ddraig replies as he scratches his cheek while trying to erase the sight of Rossweisse in her less-than-modest attire. "Rossweisse does look cute in those clothes, while her cousin looks far too appealing with that attire."
"Really? I apologize. I haven't paid too much attention to the clock while finishing the food. I'll let you in." Liv said as she touched the window and opened the door for him.
Ddraig watched as the number of the desired apartment appeared in the main door before the door swung open, only to reveal the inside of the apartment. "Got to love the benefits of the supernatural world. I prefer not having to deal with stairs."
"Thank you for having me in," Ddraig said as he entered the apartment.
The space inside was comparable to some of the most expensive apartments in the human world. Bookcases covered many of the walls. A few mysterious wall paintings were also visible. Still, in terms of appearance, it felt more like the home of an old couple with preferences for wooden items than modern commodities.
There were no visible television or modern items that one could find in the human world, and even the lights that illuminated the living room and kitchen seemed more like natural sources than artificial ones.
Several Nordic runes were also carved into the wooden walls as additional lines of defense for an already secure place.
Regardless, it felt cozy and welcoming instead of dampened and mysterious.
"It is a pleasure having your presence in our home. We liked it and appreciated the quick work the construction team put into the apartment." Liv said as she came outside the kitchen area. Sieg was in its miniature form as it walked next to her. The supernatural steed glared at Ddraig as if it felt threatened by its presence. "Please, take a seat at our table."
Ddraig nodded as he approached the small circular wooden table. The dragon was wearing a suit like he usually did. As he took his coat, Liv offered to grab it for him. "Thanks." He sat down afterward while putting his cane right next to the wooden chair.
His hands still trembled a bit, but not as much as he felt much better as he forced his body to obey his will.
"No problem," Liv said as she grabbed the coat and walked towards the hanger. After caring for the coat, she turned her attention to the stairs leading to the rooms above the living room. "Ross, Sir Ddraig is here. Come down."
"Give me a moment!" Rossweisse replies with a hint of embarrassment in her voice.
The sound of items crashing around as Rossweisse looked for the proper attire to wear was an indication of her current stress.
Liv shakes her head. "I apologize for her lateness. She woke up early to prepare the stew and other plates. We were surprised when you asked us about our availability."
Ddraig smiles as he bows. "I decided to leave Grigory's intensive care, and I felt that if I waited any longer, I might not get the opportunity to share a meal with the two of you."
"And we appreciated you for accepting it, to begin with. We know how busy the Welsh Dragon can be." Liv says.
Ddraig shakes his head. "I'm not that busy these days. Everyone has taken over for any future mission I was initially involved in. If anything, I feel I have far too much free time these days."
Liv shakes her head as she bends down to pick up Sieg, who seems to be kicking her for attention. "You're still healing, so do take the time to return to a healthy state. All of us will carry the weight until you're ready to return. There's no need to rush." Liv says before she caresses the mane of her steed. "Would you prefer water, alcohol, or juice? Maybe some coffee?"
"Surprise me," Ddraig replies.
Liv smirks. "Daring, aren't we? Well, I do hope you can keep up with our homemade liquor. We explored the markets and were surprised by the wide selection of items available to the Alliance. I wasn't expecting to find so many Asgardian products outside of Asgard."
Ddraig nods. "When you have the right connections, you can get almost any product, even without formal economic deals with a specific realm. The dwarves seemed to be the intermediate connection between us and Asgard as they put profit first over allegiance to Odin… well, at least they did; now that will be Baldur."
Liv nods as she places Sieg into a comfy bed they had prepared for him. "It seems that Baldur has finally taken over the throne. It is good to hear that he's in charge, although I'm unsure about Odin's influence disappearing. It took far too long for them to act and stop his actions. Switching who leads Asgard won't mean anything if they can't reach out and ask for peace."
Ddraig's eyes track her movements throughout the kitchen. "Do you hold hope for ever returning to Asgard?"
"..." Liv slightly turns her head before she returns to pouring the lavender liquor into a glass cup. "Deep inside…. We all do. Asgard is our homeland, but me, Ross, Thor-sama, and the rest know better than living in the past. Even if the day comes when we're welcome back to Asgard, we won't return to it. We made the choice knowing that our homes and futures will lay with those who aid us when needed. Thor-sama won't seek to take his place beside Baldur, and neither Ross nor I will return to the Valkyrie forces. Our future and what comes after lay here."
The dragon watches as Liv approaches with a full glass before she places it before him. The fruity scent of the liquor made him think it was wine, but he expected something far different.
"Don't be afraid. Rossweisse and I have put our time into creating something amazing. We hope for a good review from our first customer." Liv says with a smile.
"... So I'm the sacrifice?" Many alarms were going off in his mind as he examined the drink.
Liv smiles as she tries to gain Ddraig's confidence. "Don't call yourself a sacrifice. We would never give you something that could hurt you."
Ddraig tries to read her intentions as he analyzes her face, but he's unable to find anything. His sight turns to the transparent lavender liquor. "Hopefully, it has no weird, mysterious potions inside." The dragon grabs the glass before he takes a sip.
The taste was fruity with a hinge of strong liquor, yet it went smoothly down his throat. It left a nice aftertaste; although his tongue could easily detect any weird ingredients, he couldn't find any with it.
"It is nice. Smooth yet strong. I would easily say that it could get a lightweight drinker wasted." Ddraig explains before he takes another sip. "Do try to serve it cold."
"Note taken," Liv said as she pointed a finger to the glass before a stream of ice winds dropped the drink's temperature. "Do you feel that we need to increase the alcohol percentage?"
Ddraig continues to drink. "Much better. I'll only recommend making it more potent if you want to create something that can take down a dragon. That won't work on me even in that case. I burn any excess of alcohol in my body to prevent any drunkness."
"Then you can work as our taster with no problem," Liv said with a cheerful expression.
"What do you want to call this?" Ddraig asks.
"We haven't decided on a name yet. Maybe Valkyrie's Kiss?" Liv asks as she continues to fixate her eyes on him.
"Maybe. The choice is up to you." Ddraig said as he continued to drink.
"Sorry for the lateness!" Rossweisse said as she came down the stairs. The young silver-white-haired girl was now wearing a pink hoodie with bunny ears and matching shorts that reached her knees. She was still a bit ashamed after the earlier interaction; she wanted to hide the assets Ddraig had seen before.
"Cute. Indeed, she's too cute." Ddraig said as he examined her appearance. "Sorry for earlier."
Rossweisse's blush increases. She starts to shake her hands. "It was a mistake. Please erase anything that you saw from your mind."
"Eh? What happened before?" Liv asks as she turns to her cousin.
"..."
"..."
Both cousins grow silent as they seem to speak with their mental connections instead of sharing their thoughts openly.
"I see." Liv turns to Ddraig. "Sorry for my cousin's carelessness. She's usually the modest one."
Ddraig waves his hand. "Mistakes happen. If anything, I should be the one to apologize. Those views should only be seen by a significant other. I'm sorry if your purity has been tainted."
Liv cracks a laugh. "Don't worry about it. There are no such problems. The only way something like that would be a problem is if she had somebody or if you slept with her and didn't take responsibility afterward. We take such matters seriously."
Rossweisse nods. "That's why our fellow Valkyries are soon to get married to Thor's sons."
"I see. Note taken." Ddraig says as he gains a bit more insight into the ins and outs of Asgardian society and relationships. "Anyways, shall we get back on track? I came for that stew and Asgardian plates."
"Ah, right. Give us a moment." Rossweisse rushes to the kitchen.
Liv turns around and follows her cousin. Ddraig watches as Rossweisse puts on a pink apron and starts working with Liv to serve the plates they had prepared for him. From stew and freshly baked bread to a wide variety of cuts of meat and fish, the table was packed with the recipes the cousins had learned from their elders.
The cousins place the remaining ones before they smile at him.
"Please enjoy this. From us to you, Sir Welsh." The duo says.
The dragon smiles as he can't help but appreciate such a wonderful sight. "I appreciate it. Everything smells great, but there's one tiny problem."
"One tiny problem?" Rossweisse asks.
"What is it?" Liv joins in.
"Food tastes better when you share it with someone. I could totally eat all of this on my own, but it would taste even better if you took a seat with me. Come on and join me." Ddraig signals the other chairs around the table.
"But we want you to try everything," Rossweisse says.
"I will, but I have gotten accustomed to eating alongside others. I didn't enjoy eating in that intensive care room because of that. The food was good, but it feels wrong when you're the only one eating. Come on and take a seat. We ate together before for an entire month while in that desert. There's no need to be shy now." Ddraig points to the chairs again.
Liv and Rossweisse look at each other before surrendering to his pleas, but instead of sitting away from him, the cousins move the chairs around until they are as close to Ddraig as possible.
Ddraig raises an eyebrow. "Was it necessary?"
"We'll make sure you try everything. Now open wide." Liv says as she takes a spoon and brings some stew to Ddraig's mouth. "Be on the offensive."
Ddraig doesn't object and opens wide.
"Now try some of this Highlander Deer. We were lucky to find some while shopping." Rossweisse says as she offers the cut of meat with a fork. "Or he won't take either of us seriously."
Ddraig opens wide once more. "They are being a bit too aggressive… but the food is good. Let's keep eating and leave everything else aside."
And so it continued like that for a while while Sieg glared at the dragon as it knew exactly why the cousins had invited him.
At least an hour later.
Ddraig felt great as he rested on the couch. Tasting the different cuisines from the different realms he had visited in the past had opened his eyes to the complexity of cooking and eating.
One could easily hunt an animal down and just put it against the flames of a makeshift fire for a while before eating it. But Ddraig had learned that there was more to it.
There were spices that boosted food flavors—ways to prepare one ingredient into a wide array of plates with their own flavors and textures.
Yet, above anything else, it was the experience of sharing a meal with someone.
Although he enjoyed fishing and cooking them right after, nothing tasted the same when compared to when he ate with someone else.
His mind remembers that night in which he shared his meal with Ophis. The taste was unforgettable even after so long as it was part of his core memories. He could also never forget the first time he shared one with Tiamat when they first became "friends" instead of just acquaintances.
Now, this meal was joining those memories alongside many others—memories of his connections over the years. Wonderful moments in which he learned that a meal shared with others wasn't just a meal but instead a moment that connected them on a closer level.
As he lay on the sofa, his eyes traveled to the kitchen. His ears could hear the humming of the cousins as they cleaned out the used dishware.
He could tell they were happy as their tune was a rather catchy one. "I'm glad they seem happy…. I hope their time within the Alliance is full of joy and new experiences….. It would be good for Issei to trust them when I…."
His eyes turned towards his hands. The words that Shiva told him remained vivid as he couldn't shake off the feeling that his time was coming soon.
"When I'm gone, make them and everyone else happy. I'll entrust that to you as my last will."
There were no tears for him to cry as he was ready to face the worst. "As long as he lives, the Welsh Dragon shall continue to live on."
His hopes remained with the boy, who continued to walk the path that few could easily embrace.
He could almost imagine the former human standing before him as he lifted his head.
"Issei…"
A reflection of his current appearance, yet one with eyes filled with determination and hope.
"You who threw everything that once made you human and embraced the path of the so-called destined savior. You're far stronger than you even know."
The reflection, as expected, didn't reply.
"You're going to achieve great things. I know that you can do it…. As long as you remain… I can… I can…. Pass on while leaving my legacy in your hands."
"Sir Welsh?" A voice called out to him.
The reflection vanished as he was brought back to the land of the living.
Before him was Rossweisse. The girl looked worried. "Are you okay, Sir Welsh? Your eyes were looking at nothing."
Ddraig waves his hand. "Sorry. I was thinking too far about something."
"Maybe he was thinking about how good our food was," Liv says.
Ddraig chuckles. "Maybe."
"Oh, is that the truth? Then how will you grade our food? Which plate do you like the most?" Rossweisse asks with an excited expression.
"Ross, you're being too pushy. Let Sir Welsh breathe." Liv says as she takes a seat right next to him. "Thank you for accepting our invitation. It is an honor to have you enjoy the recipes passed down in our family with such enjoyment."
Ddraig smiles. "No. It is my honor to be invited in the first place. I'm not one to judge others' cuisine harshly or deny a friendly invitation. No male would be against the idea of sharing such a meal with two beautiful ladies."
His words gained the expected result as both girls started blushing from ear to ear. Rossweisse slowly approaches Ddraig and sits on the other side of the couch.
"Then you wouldn't be against another invitation if we were to ask you to another dinner?" Rossweisse asks with a visible shyness.
"... I wouldn't say no. But I prefer being the one that invites the two of you to try my own recipes. I'll let you know when." Ddraig says before he starts pulling something from his storage.
The two cousins look at each other, proud of their efforts, as it seems that Ddraig has enjoyed the entire "date."
Their expectations were high as their interest in the dragon was running as high as possible. Maybe it was the fact that he had defeated their former leader, or maybe it was because he had protected Asgard from Surtr, yet regardless of his actions, he had gained their newborn affection.
The pair watches as the dragon pulls out two small boxes tightly wrapped around shiny velvet paper with silver bows adorning each one.
"These are for you two—a gift from me to you." Ddraig offers the boxes to each one, although there seems to be no difference between them.
As Rossweisse grabs hers, she can barely hold her rising excitement. Even as Valkyrie, who was trained to control her emotions, she could scarcely hold it in. "Thank you. What is it?"
"That you'll have to check on August 8 in your case, Rossweisse. In Liv's case, it would be October 19." Ddraig says.
"You know our birthdays?" Liv asks.
"I read the information that you gave our archivist. Do patient and wait until the right date to open each gift." Ddraig said with a smile. "I also do get reports concerning who wants to work under me. I might not be currently active, but "Dragon's Spear" will continue to be active with Shiva as the acting leader. Everyone is technically a "Dragon's Spear" member, but working directly under me will have risks. I'm the Enforcer, and with the title comes the weight of facing the most dangerous enemies. You must be sure about this, as it will not be a walk through the park." Ddraig stands up. "Take the time to reflect on it, and regardless of your choice, I will always be open to accepting your invitations. There's no need to put your life on the line for me to see either of you. You can be as forward as you want, but don't be too forceful."
His words gain a reaction as both girls are on the edge of screaming due to the realization of his knowledge.
The dragon walks towards the coat hanger before grabbing his coat and putting it on.
"It was an excellent meal. I promise to invite you two in the future to try my own recipes. Things take time, but those that patiently wait do obtain positive results." Ddraig approached the door with a smile before exiting the apartment without saying another word.
As soon as he was gone, both girls went off as they screamed in joy while holding their gifts.
Although they were Valkyries, they remained maidens deep inside.
Outside the apartment. General POV.
As he was out of sight, the dragon took a deep breath. "... Issei, I hope that you can manage these kinds of relationships without my aid in the future."
Before he was even allowed to take a step forward, his eyes met those of Bova Tannin, who was a few steps away from the entrance. The young dragon was dressed in a spiked leather jacket and matching pants.
The young dragon was the walking definition of a rebel without a cause.
The dragons glared at each other as they examined each other.
"Bova."
"... Ddraig."
"It has been a while since we spoke to each other."
"More than a month ago. Right around that time, I planned to leave the "Nest." Never expected to see you coming out from the place I called home."
"Some…. "Acquaintances" of mine live here."
"Acquaintances? Or maybe something else?" Bova's glare turned colder as he detected the scent of two females around Ddraig. "Seems like my sister's affection is not enough for you."
Ddraig doesn't react to the comment before he takes a step forward. "I'm not collecting mates. You should know better about what it means for us to be interested in a female. Many could surround us and reach out to us, but we only reciprocate those who really want to be with us. Yukime is not just another name on the list, so stop with your attitude."
"Says the old bastard who has not officially accepted her feelings."
Ddraig stops a few inches away from Bova. Although he needed the help of his walking cane, his aura still overwhelmed that of Bova.
"... Talk to me when you finally grow out of your Bad Boy phase. A youngster who has yet to fall for a female wouldn't understand us Older males." Ddraig says as he starts walking away.
"Stop feeling so high and almighty. You're just another older man who knows nothing."
Ddraig smirks. "And you're a virgin boy who's trying to grab others' attention. Do reach out when you want to speak as adults. I'll invite you to a couple of drinks by then."
"Bas-" Yet Bova stopped himself as he felt the cold stares of two ladies. As he turned around to his building, his eyes met those of Liv and Rossweisse, who were staring out from a window.
The girls said nothing, but their eyes were enough to drive a message home.
"Fuck off and leave him alone."
Too many females had always surrounded the young dragon, and after years of such an environment, he had learned a crucial thing.
"Maidens in love are dangerous individuals." Like a dog with his tail between his legs, Bova said nothing else as he rushed to enter the building and evade the consequences.
As the cousins saw him slowly disappear into the distance, neither could expect what would take place a mere few days after his visit.
Several days later.
The pair's eyes couldn't look away as they saw the duel alongside everyone else within the Alliance.
"This has to be a joke. This can't be true." Rossweisse said as her eyes couldn't hold the tears back.
"He won't lose. He can't lose." Liv replied as she tried to stay strong.
But neither they nor everyone else held back their tears and anger as they witnessed the so-called duel that was taking place.
Before their eyes lay an array of multiple windows that showed a sight that would give nightmares to many for years to come as Ddraig now lay on his last stretch.
Multiple anti-dragon weapons coated in a mysterious poison had pierced his armor. An already broken dragon was now facing a god with no restraints to hold him back.
It was a highly one-sided duel, and everyone could see it. Something felt off from the moment Ddraig took a step forward.
The dragon's blood started to taint the water of the lake in which the "duel" took place as Ddraig did his best not to fall before Susanoo.
There was no honor to be found in this fight.
This was only a living nightmare that everyone had to live with as they couldn't stop it, as one wrong move could lead to a true war breaking out.
Only those fighting could decide the fate of the two sides now pointing their weapons at each other's necks.
Countdown:11…