So before the chapter starts I have a major announcement. This fic will be going on hiatus until after Christmas.
The main reason for this is because of unforeseen circumstances at work, my job has started to take up a lot more time than I would prefer. Because of this my time spent writing has been drastically reduced and I feel like I can't give this story the attention it deserves. I hate this, but at the same time I don't want to rush this story and blow it. Thank you for reading and I intend to resume after Christmas when everything has slowed down again.
Marinus P.O.V
Feeling the warm rays of morning light wash over my closed eyes I let out a soft groan. Opening my eyes the first thing I see is an unfamiliar ceiling. It takes a few moments for my brain to catch up before I remember what happened last night.
Looking around the room and seeing no sign of Serafall it's safe to assume she woke up before me. As I sit up a sudden pounding pain makes itself know, I guess I had too much to drink last night. Note to self, don't drink like that again until you get higher defenses.
With a groan I'm about to throw my legs over the side of the bed when a door opens. Standing in the doorway to a conjoined bathroom is none other than Serafall, smiling giddily, as she stood there in nothing more than a bathrobe. Suddenly having a hangover is most definitely worth it.
"Good morning." She said as she walked over and immediately kissed me. I very much enjoyed the chaste kiss and when we broke her smile was so damn loving.
"Good morning, you're quite happy." I stated with a smile.
"Of course~" she replied as her eyes lit up further. "We did so much last night I only woke up two hours ago. I could even get out of bed until half an hour ago~" she stated.
I smiled at the reminder. "I agree, definitely makes the hangover only a small inconvenience." I replied.
"I'm going to go get breakfast ready. Feel free to use the bathroom to wash up." She stated before throwing on some casual clothes.
After Serafall walked out I grabbed the company device to check if I had any notifications. Sure enough I was greeted with a very satisfying message.
{Captured: Serafall Leviathan 60 [182]}
Oh yes, very satisfying indeed. I've successfully captured and seduced Serafall, now all that I need to do is officially marry her and I'll have another objective in the bag. Not to mention the credits alone have almost reached two hundred, a little more and I'll be able to afford to buy a tier eight.
Hmm, now that I think about it did I turn my fertility down after Raynare? My mind suddenly blue screened, had I just knocked up Serafall Leviathan? Quickly locating the app that controlled my fertility I take a look and immediately realize I had in fact not turned my fertility down from one hundred percent.
Shit.
Okay, okay no reason to panic. Serafall was successfully captured and if anything this will make marrying her far easier. I might not have intended to knock up the Satan, but it doesn't really change all that much.
Serafall won't directly take part in any fights for a long while, that I can remember. Not to mention she usually handles the more diplomatic situations. Besides it's mainly Sirzechs and Ajuka that give the devil race 'scary guard dog privileges'...right? Fuuuuuck...hangovers make thinking so damn annoying.
It's fine, Serafall getting knocked up is a good thing. I can leverage this to both play on my fertility and Serafall's political power to expand on my original plans. It also means there'll be the first of my full blooded devil children on the way.
With a self satisfied smile I head for the shower. After about twenty minutes I walked back into the room and got redressed. As I walked out of the room I followed the smell of food before finally finding the kitchen.
To my surprise I found that it wasn't just myself and Serafall in the room. Sitting at a small six person table were Sona and her queen Tsubaki. Sona was currently glaring so hard it was as if she wanted to light me on fire with her eyes alone. Meanwhile Tsubaki had a strained smile even as she looked very tired.
"Good morning Sona. Good morning Tsubaki." I greeted the pair with a smile. Somehow that seemed to make Sona glare harder.
"Levian." Sona bit out without so much as a nod in acknowledgment.
"Good morning." Tsubaki replied, at least trying to be polite.
"What's with Sona?" I asked arching an eyebrow. "Is she not a morning person?"
"Oh no, normally I'm perfectly well during the morning." Sona practically growled. "When I get to sleep in my own bed that is."
I tilted my head to show my confusion. Looking to Serafall she simply gave a mischievous smile that had far too many teeth. Looking back at Sona I could now see that she was very pissed, but I could also see that she had a small embarrassed blush. When the pieces clicked I nearly fell out of my chair laughing my ass off.
Breakfast had been an absolutely wonderful affair. Between nearly dying of laughter and enjoying Sona's embarrassment it was simply grand.
Now I was walking towards my home as I figured out the schedule for the next week. Kiyome had gotten back to me yesterday letting me know her father had set the challenge for the middle of the week, about four days away. That left me plenty of time to get to Rias and set up some actual training for her peerage.
Ah, I could also easily use this opportunity to capture the whole lot of her peerage. Hand out enchanted jewelry pieces as a free power up, or defensive measure, and boom loads of credits. I could easily enchant the pieces with pure fire resistance spells that would render Riser's attacks far weaker. Of course the only real flaw with this plan was that I wouldn't be able to capture Gasper, but really that would only be a minor inconvenience rather than a flaw.
With this new line of thinking another thought came forward, I could use Rias to hold members of my retinue I didn't want in my own peerage. Those who had useful skills or abilities, but weren't so powerful they warranted using my own pieces for reincarnation.
Wait...can Rias reincarnate stronger individuals? I imagine she can't reincarnate anyone above tier seven without her queen piece, especially since Rias is only a tier seven herself. That still leaves the possibility she or other high class devils can reincarnate at least tier sevens.
That alone opens up a lot of possibilities for keeping higher tier retinue members around. You know at least legitimately, I imagine at some point someone would make a fuss if I kept amassing dozens of individuals all incredibly strong. That's not even mentioning the benefits they could get from specific settings or specific perks that would keep me from adding them to my peerage.
Now that I think about it I never checked to see if there were any specific perks or setting specific rules for DxD. These two were fairly straight forward, first, specific perks are perks for specific individuals that can give access to alternate forms, raise and lower their tier, or just give them some extra powers. For example I know there are perks that allow Rin Tohsaka to access her alternate forms such as Ishtar or Ereshkigal.
Setting specific rules on the other hand are rules that apply to an entire world. These rules can range from complex instructions on how and when characters can gain certain power or access abilities to simple specifications of what forms characters take. The main reason for the latter is if a setting has two different art forms or publications, think Full Metal Alchemist and Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood.
Looking through the company device I find that DxD does in fact have a couple of setting specific rules. First is that purchased and captured fallen angels can fall and rise at my discretion. That's good to know if I get my hands on an angel later on.
Second is that a reincarnated devil and brave saints status does not overwrite their original race. I mean that was kinda a given, especially considering it's pretty much a central theme in canon. Oh well, I guess a little clarification never hurt.
Finally, if I capture Ophis before Lilith comes into existence I get Lilith for free. Although if that does happen Lilith won't reward any capture credits. Okay, that's actually a pretty good thing to know for future reference.
Unfortunately it seems there aren't that many specific perks for DxD. There are a handful of interesting ones that center around providing Issei his alternative scale mail forms and even the scale mail proper, but most are very pricy. Though there are two that could be very tempting should I follow through and capture Issei and Kiba.
Two variations of a perk called [A Flip of the Coin, one for each of them. Basically the perk costs ten credits and transforms either person it's bought for into the opposite gender. For Kiba it transforms him into his female counterpart Yumi from the side story involving Azazel's genderbending ray gun. As for Issei, well the perk would turn him into a woman as well with the name Isane.
That wasn't all the perk did however. What made the perk so good was that it was a retroactive change. It literally rewrites the minds of everyone that knew whoever it was used on to make it as if they had been born women. All things considered a very useful thing to have in the back pocket. Besides it would serve as a decent alternative to just straight up killing Issei.
I was about to continue pondering the pros and cons of all my options when a barrier suddenly appeared around me. Taking in my surroundings I found that I was on a deserted street. Letting out a sigh I summoned Kyōka Suigetsu and simply waited for whoever the annoyance was this time to show up.
I didn't have to wait long as two people walked out of an alleyway just a short distance away. The first, who walked confidently in front of the second, wore silver armor reminiscent of a knights with a broadsword at her hip. Her green eyes narrowed even as she confidently stared me down.
The second was calm, though her brown eyes held a sense of nervousness. She wore a seemingly festive kimono with shades of orange, purple, and pink. Immediately I recognized the pair as part of Riser's peerage as his knight Karlamine and his bishop Mihae.
"Well I should be surprised, but your master did strike me as a coward." I stated flippantly.
"Lord Riser is no coward." Karlamine growled as she reached for her sword. "Lord Riser simply sees no point in waist if his time with the likes of you." She stated.
She attempted to draw her sword, but I really wasn't interested in dealing with this today. In a single flash step I had a fist buried in her gut knocking the air out of her lungs. Deciding to be a little more vindictive I slammed a knee up connecting with her nose easily breaking it.
Seeing Karlamine slump to the ground unable to even cry out in pain Mihae took a terrified step back. She wasn't quick enough as I almost immediately had her by the throat and dangling off the ground.
The entire encounter took less than thirty seconds. As the bishop was frantically struggling to free herself I simply tightened my grip. Idly I wondered what I should do with the pair.
If I let them go they'd just run back to Riser and I doubt anything would happen. If I turned this situation over to Rias she could probably cancel the game and get out of engagement. That last option was clearly out of the question, for obvious reasons. Finally I could just kidnap the pair for a little while and have some fun. At least then I would get a few credits out of the deal.
As I was weighing my options another presence appeared inside the barrier via magic circle. A frantic looking Ravel looked upon the scene with wide eyes. It was very obvious by the way she tried to hide her grimace that she didn't approve of this.
"Why hello Lady Ravel, have you come to join the fun?" I asked with a quirked eyebrow.
"Please release Mihae." She asked with all her strength to make it not seem as though she was begging.
"Why would I do that?" I asked sincerely. "They attempted to ambush me, under your brothers orders no less." I added.
The last statement actually forced Ravel to fully cringe at the situation. "My brother is a fool for his actions, but I would rather not have the reputation of house Phenex marred." She replied diplomatically.
"Oh?" It looked like our little Phenex was well aware of what the possible repercussions were here. I suppose I could show mercy and have a little fun at the same time.
Dropping Mihae unceremoniously on the ground I walked towards Ravel and crossed my arms as I looked down at her. "I have half a mind to take this little issue right to Rias." I stated simply.
"And the other half?" Ravel asked as she managed to maintain a neutral, yet nervous, expression.
"The other half is interested in being a bit mischievous." I replied confusing the blonde. "Tell you what, let's make a bet." I stated.
"A bet?" Ravel asked, now somewhat intrigued. "What kind of wager?" She asked.
I smiled just a bit. "Your brother obviously doesn't want me to compete in the game so I will...but only by technicality." I started causing Ravel to raise an eyebrow. "Neither of us, you or I, will actually fight in the rating unless our 'Kings' are in direct confrontation. If it gets to that point we will freely be able to join the battle." I stated explaining the conditions of the bet first.
"I will admit this is rather interesting." She stated with a smile, no doubt already assured of her brothers victory. "What are the stakes?" She asked.
"If I win, you have to take half your brothers peerage as your own." I stated with a smirk causing her eyes to widen.
"What?!" She asked in shock as the other two simply stared wide eyed.
"Well your brother seemed so damn proud of himself, I figured why can't he share with his dear sister." I explained with a grin that I'm sure was far more shit eating than usual. "Of course I could easily go talk to Rias instead." I casually stated causing her to quickly shut up.
"If I win?" She asked through clear annoyance.
"You can have anything you want. Deal?" I asked holding out my hand.
Ravel was hesitant, but after a moment started to reach out and accept. At least she would have if we weren't interrupted.
"Nope, not good enough." Came the cheery voice of one Serafall Leviathan.
Everyone, myself included, froze in shock at how Serafall had suddenly appeared between myself and Ravel. Seriously where the fuck had she come from and how did I not feel her sooner?!
"La-lady Leviathan!" Ravel cried in shock as she suddenly bowed.
"What's this I overheard about my man getting attacked?" Serafall asked with a cheery smile that most certainly didn't convey any cheerfulness.
"I-I..." Ravel stammered as she wilted and took a step back. After all it's one thing when your family pisses off a human magician, but a completely other to piss of one of your faction's leaders.
"And did I hear that you were going to simply have her brother trade her some pieces?" Serafall asked looking back at me. "For shame! A threat to your life is worth so much more! Isn't that right Ravel-Chan?" Serafall asked in a way that literally meant 'don't you dare disagree'.
"O-of course!" Ravel squeaked at having the Satans attention once again.
"That's what I thought too!" Serafall cheered as she wrapped Ravel in a one armed side hug. "That's why if my dear Ma-kun wins you and your new peerage will serve him for a full year...right."
The way Serafall held the young Phenex and spoke made it abundantly clear that she wouldn't take no for an answer. In fact...it was starting to feel a lot colder all of a sudden. The normally cheerful Leviathan's eyes were practically glowing as she stared down Ravel as if she were a lion staring down a duckling. Ravel could only swallow shallowly as she nodded her head in agreement too afraid of the Satans wrath to even dare speaking.
"Excellent, now let's go explain our little arrangement to your parents." Serafall stated as she gathered the three members of the Phenex peerage before turning back to me. "I'll see you later Ma-kun!"
That was the last thing Serafall said before disappearing in her own magic circle along with the three Phenex girls. I could only stand there and stare dumbly at where they had been. Serafall was seriously terrifying when she was upset and I honestly didn't know whether to be scared or aroused.
It was a few hours after the craziness that had been my walk home. Seriously I'm starting to think I should just teleport everywhere with how much shit I get into by just walking. Anyway, right now I'm stepping out of a magic circle just in front of the Gremory families house that Rias and her peerage are training at.
As I knock on the door it comes off as more of a forceful pounding. Only a few minutes pass before it's opened to reveal the confused face of Rias.
"Marinus?" She asked in clear surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to train your peerage." I stated simply causing her eyes to widen.
"I thought you said-"
"I know what I said, but I had a change of heart. I had a pretty good conversation with Serafall and decided to come lend a hand." I explained.
Several emotions cross her face at my explanation joy, curiosity, and finally wariness. Good it seems Rias has learned to not accept a situation at face value.
"What will it cost me?" She asked with a raised eyebrow and hand on her hip.
"The usual, a favor." I stated with a shrug. "Just one, no more, no less."
"Okay, I can agree to those terms, but how can you help?" She replied now having a small smile.
It was my turn to smile. "First off you and I will be going to get you some more members." I started explaining causing her eyes to widen. "Then we'll spend some time getting everyone trained up." I stated.
"I don't think I have enough time to recruit any new members, let alone fill out the rest of my peerage." She explained.
"Oh, I think we have enough time." I stated with a smirk. "Tell me Rias...what do you know about dimensional travel?"