Outsider Chronicles: Slash Dog
Getting reborn as the son of a notorious supervillain in an equally notarius world should have been the start of a fight to remain on the side of light. Fortunately for me, this version of the world is a lot more Shonen than I was expecting.
And we're back. Last chapter, someone pointed out that my depiction of Rachel reminded them of Riza Wildman from Resurrection Princess. Since I've never seen that Anime, it was unintentional, but after looking her up, I can confirm that was pretty much what I was going for, so its now canon. If only so I can do a gag later. Anyway, enjoy!
Chapter 2
Emily Piggot was annoyed. Admittedly, that wasn't an unusual feeling for the overweight Director, but at least this time she had a good reason. Not only had someone Triggered very publicly in front of a massive number of Empire goons and three of their Capes, but two other completely unknown Capes had appeared out of nowhere, snatched up the newcomer and left after shooting down Armsmaster and Miss Militias attempts to bring them in.
"So, do we actually know anything?" asked Piggot, looking across the table at Miss Militia.
The Military Cape was actually better at research than Armsmaster, mainly because she had plenty of free time. The Kurdish woman cleared her throat and flipped through the papers in front of her, despite not needing them.
"I'm afraid we weren't able to find much information on the older woman, other than the fact her name is Gondul Sifsdottir and that she really is Slash Dogs great grandmother on his mother's side," she said, "She seems to be something of an authority on ancient Norse culture and something of an oprah fan, but thats about it."
She shuffled the papers again.
"The other woman we have more on," she said, "Her name is Rossweisse Sifsdottir, an academic high achiever. She skipped several grades and studied history and mythology at Oxford, as well as obtaining a teaching degree. There was some suspicion that she was a Thinker of some kind, but testing revealed that she didn't even have the potential to Trigger…"
Emily frowned as Battery spoke up.
"That can't be right," said Battery, "We've all seen the footage, she clearly did something to tie up Fenja and Menja!"
"Yes, I know," said Miss Militia, "But unless the results were falsified, she isn't a Cape."
"Is that everything?" asked Piggot.
"Other than the fact she was involved in an altercation at one of Bad Canary's gigs a few weeks ago that lead to a man being charged with assault, harassment and handed a restraining order, the only other thing of note is that she is apparently about to start a teaching job at Arcadia," said Miss Militia.
Piggot frowned.
"What are we going to do?" asked Dauntless.
"Nothing," said Piggot, "As much as it pains me to say it, neither of them have done anything wrong. As such, it would be...inappropriate to make any moves. I would however like someone to go and speak with them in more depth about possibly joining the Protectorate. Rossweisse may not be a Cape, but this Gondul woman certainly is."
"What concerns me most is the choice of name," said Armsmaster, "I did some research and Gondul is the name of a Valkyrie who appears a few times in Norse mythology. Plus, their surname is definitely Nordic in origin."
"You think they might be affiliated with the Empire?" asked Assault.
"Not likely," said Miss Militia, "She clearly held Hookwolf and the Twins in a great deal of contempt."
"No, I don't think shes affilated with the Empire," said Armsmaster, "I do however think she'll likely be targeted by them."
Piggot scowled. If it wasn't one thing, it was another, even worse thing.
"Well, theres nothing we can do about that," she said, "Like I said, I'd like someone to visit them at some point, so they can bring that up with them as well. Now, what about the third one, Slash Dog?"
Miss Militia grimoused and Piggot couldn't blame her. The boy represented one heck of a mess, on top of being someone of great interest to the PRT.
"Samuel Abraham Meadows, or Slash Dog, 15 years old, currently home school and the son of Lucy Sifsdottir and Bradley Meadows, better known as Hookwolf," said Miss Militia, "Surprisingly for someone his age from an Empire family, we don't have any records of him doing anything illegal, other than possibly loitering. Subtle questioning of his neighbours indicates that he either does not hold the same views as his parents or hides them very well, although we're betting on the former considering his extremely violent rejection of his Father. He seems to spend a lot of time away from home, walking his dog and has been seen a few times in the company of Rachal Lindt, AKA, Hellhound. Strangely, they seem to get on quite well."
That got a fair few reactions. Hellhound had a reputation of being abrasive at best and outright violent at worst, although to be fair, she wasn't actually that prone to random acts of violence unless she encountered someone abusing a dog. Then all bets were off.
"What do we think the chances are of Hellhound teaming up with Slash Dog?" asked Dauntless.
"Unknown I'm afraid," said Miss Militia, "Although considering how similar their powers are, its not out of the question."
"Speaking of which, what are his powers?" asked Assault.
"We're...not entirely sure," said Miss Militia, "We're pretty sure it has something to do with his dog, so the possibility is that its some kind of fusion of Hellhound and Hookwolfs power. There was a lot of gashes in the concrete made by blades a lot sharper than anything Hookwolf could make."
There was a moments silence as everyone absorbed that. The idea of someone being able to make monsters like Hellhound, combined with Hookwolfs blades was the stuff of nightmares.
"Actually, I think we might be in luck," said Velocity, "Apparently some brave soul decided to record the entire fight. The qualities terrible, but it might help us get some idea of what he can do."
Piggot indicated for him to go ahead and the Speedster brought up the main screen and started the video playing. They mostly watched in silence, although Battery did have to smack Assault over the head when he started giggling over the Twins getting stripped. He quickly stopped when Miss Militias power turned into a large, spiked flail and the kurdish woman glared hard at his crotch area.
"Well, that was certainly interesting," said Dauntless once the video was finished, "I think we can safely say that Slash Dog and Hellhound are friends and have similar powers."
"Master 6 at least," said Armsmaster, his head shifting slightly in a way that indicating he was making notes, "Along with Shaker 7 for the blades. Hmm, I wonder what the limits are on how he can create them?"
"I want to know how he got that ability," said Triumph, "I mean, I can sort of understand the dog and blades considering his Father and Hellhounds close proximity, but that ability to make blades grow seems a little off."
"Its likely an extension of his ability to make blades form on his dog," said Battery, "Although you are right that its unusual."
Piggot nodded in agreement.
"One things for sure, hes powerful," she said, "And, more importantly, unmasked. That puts him in an extremely precarious situation. I have no doubt that his relation to Hookwolf will come out just as quickly and then everyone will be trying to either kill him or recruit him. Since he'd be a nightmare to fight, I want him in the Wards…"
"That won't be necessary."
Everyone jumped as one of the screens suddenly activated, showing the image of a man in a smart looking suit sitting at a desk. For some reason, the top part of his face was in shadow, but from what could be seen, just his nose down and the black goatee on his chin, clearly showed that he was amused by something.
"Deputy Director Parsons, to what do we owe the pleasure?" asked Piggot once she'd got her heart rate back under control.
The Deputy Director of the PRT and head of R&D sat back in his seat, resting his chin on his fist.
"You don't need to worry about Sam or his family," he said, "They are more than capable of taking care of themselves. Plus, I have it on good authority that Slash Dog will soon be off the menu as it were."
Piggot frowned.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
The Deputy smirked and shifted slightly, allowing those in the room to catch a glimpse of his violet eyes.
"Lets just say that a very old friend is interested in creating a team of his own and Slash Dog is just the type of person he needs," he said.
You know, I'm not sure what I was expecting when I followed Grandma home. Maybe I was expecting something out of Thor, or maybe Skyrim, or possibly a small hut, full of glowing runes and dried herbs hanging from the ceiling. However, I didn't get any of that. Instead, after passing through the Circle, I found myself stood in an ordinary looking sitting room in an area of the city, right across the road from the Dallon house. How do I know that? Well, as we arrived, I caught sight of Glory Girl in full costume taking off from the house across the street. Somehow, I couldn't help but feel that that would end badly…
I shook that thought off for now though in favour of turning my attention to Grandma, who had just sent Rossweisse off through another circle to do...something. As soon as my cousin was gone, Grandma turned to me and indicated for me to take a seat. I did as I was told and she sat in the armchair across from me.
"I'm sure you have questions," said Grandma.
"A few," I said, "However, I think I'll let you tell me what I need to know first."
Grandma's lips twitched slightly.
"Very wise," she said, "Well, I suppose I should start with the basics. You are not a Parahuman. Your power doesn't come from the same place and its certainly not as limited…"
She proceeded to fill me in on the basics of the Supernatural world, even demonstrating some Magic and teaching me a basic cantrip to prove that she wasn't a crazy Cape. All pretty standard for a DXD fic. That said, I did have a few questions.
"Alright, so if the Supernatural exists, why is the world so fucked?" I asked, "I mean, couldn't you have done something about it?"
"Couldn't we have done something about every other conflict in history?" asked Grandma, "No, we remain hidden because we must. True, with the advent of Parahumans, its a lot easier to hide our presence by explaining what we can't hide away as Parahuman abilities, like you'll do with your Canis Lykaon and there are a lot of the younger generation who are pushing to reveal ourselves. However, our world is embroiled in just as many conflicts as the Mortal one, any one of which could potentially cause the destruction of everything. Until they can be sorted out, we must remain hidden."
I nodded slowly. That made sense, mostly. I was willing to bet that the main reason the Supernatural side was due to tradition, but Grandmas reasons also made sense.
"What about the Endbringers?" I asked, "Surely their just as much of a problem for you as everyone else?"
Grandma snorted.
"Oh, they are," she said, "There are much more powerful and dangerous things out there of course, but the Endbringers are one of the biggest sticking points at the moment. The problem is that no one can decide whos job it is to deal with the damn things and no one wants to just say to hell with it and smite them in case someone else takes it as a declaration of war. Frankly, its a complete mess and its unlikely to get better any time soon."
Yep, that was pretty much what I expected. Oh well, I dare say that, if Vali Team was going to be a thing, the White Dragon would be happy to fight something capable of sinking islands. Worst comes to worst, I dare say I could figure something out. The Longinus were capable of killing Gods, I'm sure there'd be something I could use to fight them.
"So, what now?" I asked, "I mean, I'm happy to not have to go home or with Hookwolf, but I'm not entirely sure what you want from me."
Grandma smiled.
"What I want is for you to reach your full potential," she said, "Your a good kid Samuel, I'd hate to see that get crushed out by my fool of a Granddaughter and your Father. I intend to teach you how to use Canis Lykaon to its fullest potential, how to fight like an Einherjar and how to wield Magic at least as well as Rose can."
I grinned.
"Now that sounds like fun," I said.
"Glad you think so," said Grandma, getting to her feet, "Oh, and you'll also be going to school."
That wiped the smile of my face.
"What?!"
"Ohh boy, this will not end well," I muttered as I stared up at the H-shaped building that was Arcadia Academy.
Yes, Academy, not High School. For reasons that I can only put down to Butterflys, the school was much more extensive than just a High School, instead resting on a large campus with buildings for all ages, ranging from Primary School, right up to Collage. For some odd reason, that struck a chord with me, like I should realize something important, but I couldn't figure out what it was.
It had been a few days since I'd been taken in by Grandma, during which time she'd managed to get Mother to sign the papers releasing me into her care, gotten me a placement test at Arcadia...somehow and taken me shopping to replace all my clothes, as well as pick up my uniform that Arcadia had for some reason. "Oh, don't worry so much," said Rossweisse, clapping me on the shoulder, "Your entrance exam results were top notch and the students and faculty are really nice. Hell, Granny even managed to convince them to let you bring Zwei along!"
"Yes, by claiming that we couldn't be separated due to him being my power," I growled.
Oh yes, in addition to getting into the best high school in the city, the last few days had also allowed my identity to be blasted all over the internet, including my connection to Hookwolf. Naturally, there was a lot of panicking, theorizing and even a few calls to have me thrown in prison. Because I guess having a Villain as a Father makes me one as well.
"Incidentally, how did Grandma pull that off?" I asked.
"Oh, she knows the Administrator," said Rossweisse, "I think he owned her a favour or something."
Annnd with that my mind started throwing out some rather worrying ideas. Just what sort of person could owe a Valkyrie a favour?
"Anyway, we should be getting going," said Rossweisse, "The bell will be going soon and I don't want to be late for our first day!"
I sighed and followed my Cousin into the school, doing my best to ignore the stares coming my way. I didn't really like the idea of leaving Zwei at home, but having the Corgi shaped Sacred Gear with me was making it that much easier to connect me to Slash Dog. I didn't really care that they knew I was a 'Cape' or anything, I didn't intend to wear a mask or anything, but I'd have liked to have built up a reputation of being at least nutriel before it became common knowledge…
Suddenly, a flash of red caught my attention and I turned my head, just in time to see a girl vanish up the stairs. A girl with crimson hair. Wait a goddamn min…!
My thought was abruptly cut off when I walked into someone, sending both of us crashing to the floor.
"Hey, watch where you're going!" shouted the girl I'd walked into.
"Um, sorry about that," I said, getting to my feet, "Guess I got distracted."
I offered a hand to the girl, which she ignored and got to her feet on her own. The first thing I noticed was just how short she was, to the point that she didn't look like she should be in the High School area of the Academy. However, she was wearing the green band that signified a high school student, so I guess she must be. She had blond hair cut in a short bob, green eyes and a few scars on her hands that I recognized as coming from hard training, mainly because I had the same scars on my own hands from where Hookwolf had taught me how to fight.
Incidentally, that was the one good thing the guy had given me.
The girl looked me up and down, before focusing on the Corgi currently riding on my head.
"Hey, aren't you Slash Dog?" she asked.
I sighed.
"Yes, thats me," I said, "I'm just starting today. And no, before you ask, I'm not a Villain or affiliated in any way with the Empire."
The girl eyed me for a moment, before opening her mouth. However, before she could say anything, a soft and slightly rough voice interrupted her.
"Hey Missy, get a move on!"
I bit the inside of my mouth to keep from reacting, both to the girls name and the person who'd said it. Lets address the second point first. While it wasn't impossible that there were two blondes called Missy in the city, the fact she was about the right height for the Ward and had scars from training and fights on her arms and hands indicated that this was indeed Vista. I guess Butterflys are good for more than making schools better.
However, what really had me wanting to punch something was the fact that the girl who'd called out to Missy was Koneko Toujou. No ifs ands or buts, it was Koneko, right down to the silver hair and cat shaped hairpins.
On a completely unrelated note, I just realized that the uniform was identical to the Kuoh Academy uniform from DXD. Thats...odd.
"Sorry Koneko!" said Missy, "I just ran into this guy. Literally."
I winced and rubbed the back of my head as the other Loli came up. She was only slightly taller than Missy, which was really jaring when you think about it.
"I said I was sorry," I said, "Anyway, you two have me at a bit of a disadvantage. You obviously know who I am, but I don't know you."
The two girls glanced at each other, before shrugging.
"I'm Missy Biron," said Missy, "And this is Koneko Toujou."
Both glared at me as if they were expecting me to say something about the Japanese name. Admittedly, that wasn't entirely unreasonable considering my parentage, but they'd have to be disappointed. Or pleasantly surprised.
"Nice to meet you both," I said, "I'm Sam, please not Slash Dog in school. Oh, and this is Zwei. I have no idea if the PRT or PHO intends to give him his own name, so hes just Zwei for now."
I indicated to the dog on my head, who barked a greeting.
"...dog," muttered Koneko.
I could practically see her ears laying back on her head and had to viciously supress the urge to see what she'd do in response to a laser light. I liked my testicals where they were thanks and annoying someone who could, and would, stomp them into jelly wasn't on my to do list.
"Anyway, I really ought to be going," I said, "I don't really want to be late for my first day and I seem to have lost my guide. I don't suppose that you two could tell me how to get to room 2-A, could you?"
The girls looked surprised.
"Thats our homeroom," said Missy.
Welp, thats not suspicious at all. I wonder who pulled the strings, Rias or the PRT? Either was an option considering that, as a Longinus wealder and the Grandson of a powerful Valkyrie, I was of great interest to the Devils in charge and as Hookwolfs son, I was definitely worth keeping an eye on for the PRT. This...was going to get confusing, I could tell.
"Well thats...handy," I said with a slightly forced smile, "So, shall we go?"
I followed the two Lolis through the school, pointedly ignoring the looks I was getting, until we reached 2-A, just in time for the bell to ring.
"Huh, timed it just right," I muttered as we entered the classroom.
As we did, the teacher looked up and faltered slightly at the sight of me. She was an attractive young woman with long, black hair tied up in a ponytail, fair skin and reddish brown eyes. She was wearing a vaguly gothic looking combination of a black shirt and skirt with white frills and high heeled shoes
"Ah, you must be our new student," she said with a surprisingly strong smile, "I'm Miss Castle, the English Teacher. Have you got your schedule and map?"
I nodded and held up the paperwork.
"Good, take a seat and good luck."
"Um, thank you?" I said, a little taken aback by the teachers apparent lack of reaction to having a known 'Cape' join her class.
Chances of her being Human? Fairly low by my estimation. Oh well, none of my business.
Much to my surprise, the first half of the day went by with few surprises. Oh, I attracted more than a few stares and I'm pretty sure I got hit by Glory Girls aura at one point, but no one attacked me or exploded, so I'd consider it a resounding success.
Then, lunchtime rolled around and things got...tense.
I was just packing up my stuff when the girls in the room started whispering and giggling. Curious, I looked up and immediately spotted the source. An upperclassman had just walked in, a rather handsome, blonde haired upperclassman. He had the look of a pretty boy, but I knew better than to underestimate him.
I narrowed my eyes slightly. What could Kiba want here? Wait, that was a stupid question considering he was walking this way.
"Sam Meadows?" he asked as he stopped in front of my desk.
"Thats me," I said.
Kiba smiled.
"I'm sorry to disrupt your lunch, but the Student Council wants to see you."
I tilted my head slightly. Did that mean that Rias and her Peerage were the Student Council here or did both Rias and Sona want to see me and Kiba was the best option? Whatever the fact, I'd find out soon enough.
"Its fine," I said, getting to my feet.
"I'm Isaiah by the way," said Ki...Isaiah as he led me out of the classroom, "Isaiah Knight."
I blinked. Apparently Rias sucked at coming up with names.
"Nice to meet you," I said, "Hopefully we can get along. God knows I could do with some people who don't look at me like I'm about to go Carrie on the class."
"Yeah, I can't imagine thats too pleasant," said Isaiah, "Anyway, we're here."
We stopped in front of a door and, even to my barely trained Magical senses, I could still feel the massive amount of power on the other side of the doors. Oh yeah, there were definitely two Kings in there. This was going to be...interesting.
And done. I feel a bit guilty about leaving it on a cliffhanger like this, but oh well. I want to finish this tonight, so you get what your given. Before I sign off, a few points.
With Japan no longer a superpower, Rias and Sona didn't really have anywhere to set up a decent territory. So, and with the logic of Plot Convenience, they now live and operate out of Brockton Bay.
I had plans for the Loli Duo from the start, mainly because I loved the idea of Missy and Koneko being friends. Also, is it just me or is the idea of those two working together absolutely terrifying?
I...really don't think I need to spell out who Deputy Director Parsons is, do I? Yeah, Azazel's a busy bee these days.
I don't really know enough about American schools to know if a uniform is common, but in this case, I couldn't resist. Plus, it saves me from having to come up with casual clothes for the DXD characters.
Any guesses on who Miss Castle was based on? Don't worry, she won't have a large role, I just needed a design and that worked fine.
Nepotism is great, aint it? Yeah, Gondul has no problems with pulling strings with Zeoticus to get Sam into Arcadia.
Oh, and just in case your confused, Gondul is technically Sams Great Grandmother, but I don't fancy typing that all the time, so he just calls her Grandma.
And with that, I'm done. Don't forget to leave a review on the way out!