"So, where'd you disappear to yesterday?" A blue haired girl questions as she looms over me, her bust inches from my face as I lay down on the bench press.
Spoiler
I briefly wince as I shove the weight upwards, sitting it back on the rack.
I slowly raise up. "Sorry about that, Sister Gabriel was just teaching me a few tricks that should help us out in the field. Like how to sustain a light spear so it won't disappear as long as I'm holding it."
"Ah." Xenovia hums.
"She also tried to convince me to go to heaven."
"Wait. if she offered why didn't you go?" Xenovia asks.
Irina steps over. "Did you merely want to stay for a bit longer to say goodbye?"
"I wanted to go... I will admit a small part of me did... but... a larger part of me didn't want to leave you to behind... you're my friends and I wanted to stay with you." I give the two of them a gentle smile.
A small dusting of red appears on the girl's cheeks as I lay back down. "I also have a small personal goal that I want to accomplish... and if I go to heaven I doubt they'd let me leave... until I'm as strong as a Seraph, at least. And, well, by that point you two would likely be old women or dead of old age."
"Do we really mean that much to you?!" Xenovia gasps.
"Of course!" I beam, a small mischievous thought coming to mind. My eyes glint slightly. "I mean, I also kind of made a promise with you, Xenovia and, well, I wouldn't be much of an Angel if I broke my word so easily."
The blue-ette lets out a sputtering cough, face flushed.
"Hmmmmm?" Irina hums, looking between us, a suspicious hum leaving her lips. "Why... are you blushing so much, Xenovia?"
"N-NO reason!" Xenovia protests, looking mildly panicked."
Irina turns to me. "Angels can't lie. Why's she blushing so much?"
I look to the brunette, giving the girl a half-lidded smug smirk. "Just because I can't lie as an angel... doesn't mean I have to tell you the truth. if Xenovia doesn't want to tell you, take it up with her."
Irina slowly turns to Xenovia, eyes narrowing, causing me to let out a small melodic laugh as I rise to my feet.
I take a seat in the grass, breathing heavily as I gaze up into the sky. My companions are at a similar level of exhaustion, Xenovia face down in the grass nearby while Irina lays flat on her back.
"Hah... I'm getting... better." I huff, a sly smirk on my lips.
"Mnnnn." Irina groans. "Why'd you throw sand in my eyes... I thought we were over that."
"At least it wasn't pepper!" I beam.
Xenovia's head perks up. "Oh? That is... an incredible idea!"
"Xenovia." I deadpan. "We're not throwing chili powder in each other's eyes. Even I am not that sadistic."
I smile brightly. "We save that strategy for the heathens and devils!"
"Of course!" The girl exclaims.
"You two kind of scare me..." Irina sighs.
"There's no sin against fighting dirty!" Xenovia protests.
It's been about five days since Gabriel went back to heaven and life seems to have returned to normal.
I'm grinding experience, I'm making progress on my other goals.
It's... kind of peaceful.
Exorcism boot camp: {Ongoing Quest}
Current days of Training: 59
Successful Duel Victories (Against Unique Opponents): 3
Special Objectives:
Defeat Irina in a duel: [x]
Rewards:
6500 Exp Total
Special Objective 7:
6000 Exp, One magic item worth 7000 Gp.
Irina and the blue-ette eventually come to sit beside me as we gaze across the training fields.
"So... Xenovia, I'm curious, what was your early life like? Griselda calls you her ward... that implies you were adopted, right? Did you ever meet your original parents?"
The girl's yellow eyes slowly stray to me as she shakes her head. "No... I've never actually met them... I was an Orphan. I caught the attention of the church because I was quite a bit stronger than the other children."
"I don't really remember when it happened, but eventually Sister Griselda found me. After which she began teaching me. Extremely basic training to begin with, nothing at all to do with combat. We only started that after I decided that I wanted to become an exorcist of the lord."
"..."
She seems to have finished so I speak up. "Have you ever considered like... seeking out your biological parents?"
"Have you?" Xenovia asks.
"I have." I nod once. "But my mother fell, so even if she is alive I don't see us meeting going that well. On the other hand... my father's up in heaven. Supposedly a two-winged angel. I doubt he'd come to see me though. Too many bad memories I suppose."
"I... have too," The blue haired girl admits. "I have wanted to seek them out. to ask them why. To see them for the first time."
"They could have had a good reason." I quietly mutter.
She offers me a sole nod, gazing up to the sky. "They could have... they could have been far too young. They could have not been able to afford a child. Or maybe... I was a product of rape and my mother couldn't bear to see my face. I just have no way of knowing."
"Xenovia..." Irina whispers. "I'm sure that's not the case!"
I wrap an arm around her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Hey. I'm sure they had a good reason... maybe they gave you up to protect you... you might be the descendant of some mythical figure like Arthur... or... I don't know, someone else in mythology. You're clearly special in some way."
"Mnn..." The girl hums quietly.
"What about you, Irina? How was your early life?"
"Eh?" The girl squeaks as our gaze strays to her. "Well... it was nothing special, really."
Her head tilts to the side. "I lived in Japan with my mother and father. We ran a little church in this place called Kuoh Town. Uhhh... I remember having a friend there. This nice girl called Issane."
"Oh?" I ask.
"Yeah! We used to play pokemon all the time! I... kind of miss those peaceful days." A weary sigh leaves her lips. "She's probably forgotten all about me by now."
"Nah, she probably remembers you!" I smile brightly.
"Anyways... my family left Japan in a hurry, eventually coming to Italy where I began to train shortly after to become an exorcist. Sometimes I just sort of wish I could go back and see her again..."
"Well, why don't you?" I ask, tilting my head.
"Well... the church isn't exactly... welcome... in Japan." She winces.
"Hm. Okay." I shrug.
My eyes stray across the field only to pause on a figure in the distance that is quickly approaching. "Oh! There's Griselda... who's that she has with her though?"
My question attracts the attention of the two girls as they also seemingly lock onto the woman and the two beside her.
So... I'm guessing Gabriel threw her weight around a bit in order to get some additional people to guard me.
Neat.
She eventually arrives with the two figures. One looks mildly familiar, white hair with streaks of black tied up in a bun behind her head, she has red eyes and is relatively tiny, she has a bright grin on her lips. Like she's just JAZZED to be here.
The other is a more reserved girl, she also has white hair and red eyes, but unlike the girl beside her it's a solid white, she hand over her lips, eyes seemingly looking between Irina, Xenovia, and myself. Eventually her gaze focuses on me.
She seems... hm... there's something off about her... but I can't really... put my finger on it...
An... angel?
No... not completely. A miracle child, then?
Interesting.
Spoiler
Spoiler
"Irina, Xenovia, Luce." Giselda begins as the group of three stops just in front of us. "These two will be joining your squad for the foreseeable future. This is Lint Sellzen and Sagume Kishin."
"Hey!" The girl with white and black hair grins. "Cool to meet you!"
"A pleasure." The other girl nods once.
I rise to my feet. "Hello, my name is Luce. It is a pleasure to meet the two of you!"
"So! We doin some training?" Lint asks with a bright grin. "I'm down! I love to fight! It's fun!"
"Before that, why don't we explain who we are, what we can do and something about ourselves." I smile, looking over the two. "I'll start first... my name is Luce, I'm a pure angel with four wings, and I enjoy painting. In battle I can heal and use enhancement magic comparable to a twice critical. I've also been told that my light spears are stronger than is to be expected from an angel of my strength."
"Ah..." The blue haired girl beside me whispers. "I am Xenovia Quarta. Ward of Griselda Quarta. I strive to be the world's greatest exorcist and am the current wielder of Durandal."
"I'm Irina Shidou!" The brown haired girl beams. "I used to live in Japan! But I came to Italy a long time ago! uh... oh! My dad was the previous wielder of Hauteclere! But uh... I don't really have the ability to wield holy swords, sadly."
"Me next! I'm Lint Sellzen and I'm a descendant of Sigurd! Uh... that's about it, really. I like to fight!" The girl with black and white hair beams.
"Sagume... Kishin... Miracle Child... I have a sacred gear." The other red-eyed white-haired girl admits.
"Oh! That's awesome!" I smile. "I've heard about sacred gears, they just sound so interesting!"
"Mhn."
"..."
She's not much of a talker... is she?
It has been about a week since Griselda introduced us to the new members of 'Team Luce'- Xenovia's idea. I couldn't convince her otherwise no matter how hard I tried- and, well, it has been awkward.
I mean, Xenovia, Irina, and I have connections, we've all been friends for a while now, but the addition of two new members leaves us a little... different?
I've made some decent progress on quests at the very least.
Special Objectives:
Two Months of Training: [x]
Defeat Sagume Kishin In a Duel: [x]
Rewards:
Special Objective 5:
1500 Exp, Raise Physical Stats that are 18 or lower by 1, One magic item worth 4000 Gp
Before becoming a four-winged angel that would have increased all of my physical abilities instead of just Strength. Kind of sad but oh well.
Special Objective 10:
4000 Exp, One magic item worth 4000 Gp.
Sagume... can't really fight all too well. Her sacred gear's kind of bullshit though.
If you ever have played Dungeons and Dragons fifth edition, it kind of works like that 'Command' spell where she can say one word and force someone to obey it.
The thing is. They do the opposite of what she said. So, if she said 'stand', they would fall to their knees or lay down. If she tells someone to 'heal themselves' they'd stab or otherwise hurt themselves.
Though, of course, one word so she can't really tell someone to heal themselves.
Kind of a shame, as that sort of restriction makes it a little less useful, but with some creativity, I'd imagine she could be quite a threat.
I also kind of feel for her... her sacred gear, 'Modeus Deviancy' has... kind of made her as nonverbal as she is today. She couldn't really control her sacred gear when she was younger so people kept doing the opposite of what she said. The priests forced her to be silent as her lack of control could disrupt prayer or congregation.
My brush creates one final streak across the canvas as I nod once.
*Ping*
A quest has been completed!
Ascension to the throne (Part 1):
Well. Alot was lost during the last great war and as of this moment? Daddy's missing. The heavenly system is on its last legs. Prayers are going unanswered, Traitors abuse loopholes to remain in heaven, and the Angel race is dying out slowly but surely. Someone needs to fix this, and would you look at that? You've brought back an angel that previously died! Of course, it wasn't in the ideal living body, but a form of paint will have to do for now.
Objectives:
Reach Level 5: [x]
Perform Miracles: (5/5) [x]
Gain the Adoration of at least 12 people: (12/12) [x]
Have a blast of 'Divine Inspiration': [x]
(Unique Objective)
*Paint 5 Unique theologically important locations or objects related to the Christian faith: (5/5) [x]
As my paint begins to dry it's almost like my very essence has been tugged forwards, my light and my very soul are practically vibrating with excitement.
Rewards: +1 Mythic Rank {Path Selected: Great Seraph}, 'Prayer Access' special quality.
Prayer Access:
You are more closely connected to Heaven's system than most angels, now, much like the Seraph, you are able to detect, intercept and even be prayed to directly! What this means for you? Well... at the moment it's not that important, but if you ever wanted to ascend, perhaps you should learn how to manage and deal with prayers.
"Please just give me a thousand dollars"
"-ace the test-"
"-cheating on him-"
"-touch her boobs-"
"Let him die."
"I just want to live!"
"-Sick-Fight-Survive-Puppy-Lunch-Bless-Sinner-Stop-Cancer-Accident-"
My breath comes out in a shaky pant as I bring a hand to my head, the echoing voices bouncing around my skull.
I close my eyes, sharp breaths leaving my lips as the cacophony of voices and pleas begins to grow muted, eventually fading completely.
I blink stinging tears from my eyes and quickly pack of my things.
That was quite unpleasant.
I can still feel them... just in the back of my head. They're silent... but I can still feel their presence... like... like being able to breathe easily for the first time after having your nose stopped up.
It's like an entirely new sense has been opened to me and it's... a bit overwhelming.
The other reward I received though... that is something to be excited by!
Mythic ranks in pathfinder are... sort of this... 'add-on' rule that makes your character even more powerful.
Think of it as a second level.
Each 'Mythic Rank' grants you a small amount of HP as a bonus, as if you had taken the toughness feat, and grants you the ability to select a mythic 'Ability' or 'Feat'. Mythic abilities can range from flashes of omniscience to no longer aging, or the ability to see in the dark. Some of these are more useful than the others. Feats on the other hand merely take a look at the feats you already have and 'supercharge' them. For example, Toughness increases your health by one per level. 'Mythic Toughness' provides twice as much AND grants you 'damage reduction' ten 'Epic' whenever you are unconscious.
That means that whenever something strikes you, you subtract ten from the overall damage, like resistance. The only thing being able to get over that ability being 'epic' creatures... like a weapon that's 'plus six' when the normal maximum is 'plus five'.
I'd imagine that in this world, 'Epic' means like... 'named' creatures and items. Ascalon would cut right through me, but forged blade eleven? It lacks history... a Legacy. A legend. Thus. It's not 'Epic'. Like the tales and epics of great heroes. huh... maybe that's why it's called 'Epic'.
Now, depending on your 'Mythic Path' you are typically granted special qualities. Of course, from where Mythic Paths kind of originate from, 'Wrath of the Righteous', they were allowed to be super overpowered as it was a single player game. I'm not entirely sure what the 'Great Seraph' path will be as... it never existed in Pathfinder... I have no idea what sort of other abilities it might grant and that's exciting!
*Ping*
Mythic Trials Retroactively triggering.
Create Life: +1 Mythic Trial
You have ascended to Mythic Rank 2
Revive the long-dead: +1 Mythic Trial
Create an Angel: +1 Mythic Trial
You have ascended to Mythic Rank 3
"..."
Huh.
Great Seraph gives me six additional hit points per rank, thus I just gained eighteen hit points in an instant.
At first level I gain a pool of 'mythic power' which is equal to three plus double my rank, this is what I would use to do mythic bullshit. After that I gain a 'Seraphim Specialty'. Which is where I pick one of three 'core' abilities which ranges from 'once per day plus once every few mythic tiers you can imbue a weapon you are holding with holy power' to 'cast a spell that you know without spending MP in exchange for a mythic power'
I've still got to pick some 'mythic abilities' as well.
I should probably ponder this in my room where I'm alone and can just stare blankly at the wall... shouldn't I?
Alright. So. Mythic's REALLY good. I think they kind of just gave me the Angel mythic path from Wrath of the Righteous.
So.
First rank, I got this neat ability called 'Sword of Heaven'
Sword Of Heaven:
Great Seraph can imbue their weapons with holy power. Weapons imbued with holy power deal an additional 2d6 holy damage on attacks, while spells and abilities used while holding imbued weapons deal an additional 2 dice of damage or heal an additional 2 dice of damage. This effect lasts 1 *Minute per Mythic Tier you have.
You can use Sword of Heaven a number of times per day equal to 1 plus half your mythic rank.
This ability is quite useful for myself! Two times per day for three minutes- it used to be three rounds... or around eighteen seconds but using a perk I unlocked at rank two I upgraded it to minutes- I can give myself a weapon that makes me quite a bit more powerful. My light spears would be dealing even more damage! Plus there's the healing bonus.
When I use this, my Cure spell is roughly equal to a Cure two! Heck yeah! Efficiency! A two MP spell for half the cost!
The next 'Seraph Feature' I got would be something called 'Angelic Halo' which... uh... is quite powerful as well.
Angelic Halo:
Mythic Great Seraph gains a celestial halo. Each ally within 50 feet of the Great Seraph gains a bonus equal to half Great Seraph's mythic rank plus 1 to AC and saving throws against attacks made or effects created by evil creatures
Oh. And I should mention. These aren't the 'abilities' I've been physically picking. These are free for anyone who takes the Great Seraph Mythic Path. Much like 'Mythic Spellbook' which combined with my current spellbook and... well... My mythic tier stacks with my caster level so I'm now a caster level nine... meaning I now have access to fifth level spells.
Uhhh... oh! Right, I gained a mythic increase to my statistics, which I put into wisdom as that's my casting stat.
There's also been an... interesting... change to myself.
I glance backwards, a frown on my lips as the brilliant glow of my halo casts multiple shades of golden light around my room, like a kaleidoscope of gold and white light.
Resting upon my back are four large... gold... wings.
Not white. Gold. Like Michael.
Not even Gabriel has golden wings.
Then you need to consider a few things. Primarily the Mythic Abilities I've gotten
I got them for a reason, after all.
a new quest, part two of the 'Ascension to the throne' quest.
Ascension to the throne (Part 2):
The first step. The first step of many. You're gazed up at the heavens and have made them your goal
Objectives:
Reach Level 10: (6/10) [ ]
Reach Mythic Tier 5: (3/5) [ ]
Unlock either the 'Flash of Omniscience' or 'Divine Source' Mythic Ability: [x]
(Unique Objective)
* Change someone's life for the better: (1/10) [ ]
Yeah...
I picked up some... unique... abilities.
Firstly, the quest requirement.
I got both.
Flash of Omniscience just lets me... know... something. Of course there's some slight limitations. Sometimes that knowledge just won't come. The chances are seventy percent plus my level and Mythic tier. So as I am right now I have a seventy nine percent chance to know something. Twenty-one percent of the time I'll just get no answer.
The issue with that is that I can't ask any one question multiple times.
I've had it for all of thirty minutes and I've already used it for a ton of frivolous bullshit. I spent all my mythic points for the day on pretty much memes.
Alright. Soooo. Uh... Gabriel doesn't like to wear underwear, but when she does she prefers silky lacy white. Her current opinion of me is that I'm her adorable little sibling that she wishes to dote upon, doing all the things a big sister should. Sleeping in the same bed, combing my hair, fixing me dinner, washing my back.
Or, well. That's what it was up until I revived her handmaiden. Now she's kind of a little... obsessed with my happiness.
Definitely a lot of the prior emotions still exist, but now with a 'he could change everything' undertone.
She also believes that I'm quite stubborn... which is fair. I am.
Uh... I managed to watch all of Magical Girl Sera-tan in under six seconds... including the episodes that haven't been filmed yet... well, I mean, for the latter I sort of just read the currently created scripts.
I also got Serafall's personal email after that... and found out that Gabriel likes to bully her.
Kind of petty to bully someone less than half her age, but meh. Whatever. I was planning on bullying her with her email.
Sixth, I now know how exactly to send Serafall a message. There's a public library nearby and I can quite easily slip out of the sanctuary. There's not really much preventing us from going outside, I've been out a few times. Sometimes Xenovia, Irina and I went out to try some of the nearby restaurants.
Seventh?
I figured out what happened to the Tarrasque and Peluda, both fairly famous beasts that had some relation to the bible that by all means should have been placed within a sacred gear at this point.
They're in heaven. Trapped in God's old workshop. He never finished their sacred gears.
Eight?
A how-to guide to get Xenovia into my bed.
now, I didn't exactly want to USE said guide... It was just morbid curiosity.
Then I figured out how easy it was...
Just ask.
Like.
I could just walk up to her and say 'Drop pant. Breeding practice' and she'd agree.
Like... wow...
A little disappointed. I was kind of expecting to jump through at least a FEW hoops.
Ninth?
If Angels can redeem themselves...
Yes, actually.
There's sort of a threshold of good they need to accomplish before their wings turn white. The issue is that they are shackled with a sin they second they fall and most fallen don't really wrestle with it.
Second generation fallen, of course, have a much easier time ascending. like four to five times easier. Sins of the father, and all that."
Anyways, for my other mythic stuff.
Divine Source lets me be the 'origin' for domains, but at the moment- unless I take the perk again to add an additional domain of my choice- the domains are already selected. Good- with the subdomain of 'redemption'- and the Glory domain.
What this means is I can grant my followers the ability to cast certain spells and gain the ability to freely cast said certain spells once per day.
After that... I uh...
Picked up something called 'Beyond Morality'.
Beyond Morality:
You have no alignment. You can become a member of any class, even one with an alignment requirement, and can never lose your membership because of a change in alignment. If you violate the code of ethics of any of your classes, you might still lose access to certain features of such classes, subject to GM discretion. Attempts to detect your alignment don't return any results. If a class restricts you from casting spells with an alignment descriptor, you can cast such spells without restrictions or repercussions. If you're the target of a spell or effect that is based on alignment, you're treated as the most favorable alignment when determining the spell's effect on you. Any effects that alter alignment have no effect on you. If you lose this effect, you revert to your previous alignment.
I took it for one sole reason, really... it synergizes with my Dark Marks.
Biblical Blindspot:
Your dark marks have grown. You are now completely and totally immune to falling. Even the most depraved sins now do not weigh your wings. In addition, this boon 'covers' the sins of other angels if they happen to be doing said sins with you... such as unprotected pre-marital, really hot breeding sex.
That wasn't the only effect.
I'm no longer vulnerable to dark magics. I'm just... a guy...
I don't plan to abuse this to do truly depraved things- aside from maybe banging angels... a specific angel, that is... but frankly getting rid of my vulnerability was FAR too useful to pass up.
I flop back on my bed, my wings disappearing into my back.
'Now what?' I take a deep breath and slowly exhale, then sit up, a small smile quirking at my lips.
I've got quite a lot of gold from my quests... why don't I start on another painting?
But oh... what to paint... what to paint?
WELL. Luce is becoming quite the big piece on the board of life. how do you think the Seraphs will react?
Also. those images were a pain to get here. I'm not even sure that they'll work like they do in the preview once I post the ACTUAL chapter.
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Don't Own DxD or D&D, Only The Oc
'thought'
"Speech"
System Text
"Tvs, Radios, and Text via book or newspaper... when those are around..."
"Luce! we have a mission!" Xenovia exclaims.
"Oh?" I echo.
I tap into my mythic power.
'what sort of mission are we taking-'
I don't know.
'Is this mission a set-up of some sort to get me outside?'
I... also don't know.
Fucking shitty all-knowing powers! Spent ages messing around with them and they don't work the moment I want to know something vaguely important!
Is Gabriel watching over me and will come to my defense if something goes wrong?
Yes.
Yes, she will. Alright good. That's relieving, at least.
Will she make it in time?
Also yes.
Very good. That's a weight off my shoulders.
"So what are we doing?" I ask slowly, as I follow after the blue haired girl.
"We're going to America!" She grins as we continue to walk.
"..."
"A-Annnnd?" I prod gently.
She doesn't say anything.
"You didn't ask Griselda what our mission was, did you?"
"N-No." She replies, causing me to let out a small sigh.
"Xenovia, you need to more closely observe the missions we are taking." I gently chastise, causing her to look a little bashful.
We eventually arrive towards the main hall of the church sanctuary, where Griselda is waiting for us along with the other members of the team.
"Ah, Luce. Good. We are just about to go and retrieve our gear."
The plane rattles and shakes minutely as we hit a bit of turbulence. I cross my arms over my chest, eyes drifting shut for a moment as I am gently jostled up and down.
This... is the first time I've been on a plane before.
In either life.
While a small part of me is afraid, another part is just... realistic, I suppose.
I can fly.
Why should I be afraid of the giant flying coffin?
A white cloak wraps around my shoulders. I've been given a fairly tight silk-Kevlar weave shirt, long durable pants and a light sword.
Do people not know I'm an angel?
I'd imagine the higher ups know, but I don't really go around proclaiming that I am one at the top of my lungs.
Or maybe this is to not advertise that I am actually an angel. Who knows.
I'm not complaining. It's probably good optics to have a weapon that doesn't use my magical power if push comes to shove.
I gaze down at the weapon I had been given.
Church Light Sword:
A church-issued light sword to help you in slaying any creatures of darkness.
Hardness: 6
Health: 10
Weight: .5 Lbs
Damage: 1d8
Crit Range: 19-20 (x2)
Masterwork: Grants the wielder a +1 bonus to hit
Blessed: Deals an additional 1d6 points of holy damage to undead, devils, and youkai
Light blade: The Church Light Sword deals exclusively holy damage, however as a result of the weight you are unable to put your strength into your attacks.
It's... not bad... devils and I assume vampires will also take an additional fifty percent damage due to being vulnerable to holy light so it's quite a good weapon for fighting devils.
"Are you nervous, Luce?" Irina speaks up, trying to make conversation. "This is your first time flying in a plane before, right?"
"It is... but... I'm not that worried." I reply, eyes slowly straying to Griselda. "So... what's our mission?"
"People in a small town have been going missing over the past few months. At first, it was quite slow, something that wouldn't necessarily tip us off to any form of supernatural involvement, but recently these disappearances have been growing... increasingly common."
"Ooh! Where are we going?" Lint questions.
"To a small town south of Akron Ohio." She answers. "As for what we would be potentially looking at... this is church territory, although not directly managed by a sanctuary and bishop. We are aware of some native tribes in the area, but we mostly just leave each other be. There was a vampire's territory towards the west, but after it was killed, the area has remained unclaimed."
"So could we be dealing with a spawn or something that managed to escape?" Xenovia frowns, eyes narrowing slightly.
"Perhaps. We will just have to see when we get on the ground." Her parental figure replies.
Trouble in Akron:
For the past few months, people have been going missing from a small town just south of Akron, what could be the cause? It doesn't matter. It's your job to find out and put a stop to it.
Objective:
Put a stop to the disappearances: [ ]
Well. Let's see how this goes!
"Soooo... is this the first time any of you have been outside of Italy?" I ask slowly, eyes straying to the others sat around me.
"Yep!" Lint beams.
"It is." Xenovia confirms.
"Well, I was born in Japan and lived there for a while... it'll be the first time I've been in America though!" Irina supplies.
Sagume simply nods once.
I really need to break that girl out of her shell.
A black haired woman sits in front of a computer screen, fingers interlocked as her eyes narrow slightly.
Spoiler
This morning, she had gotten an email... one that frankly... bothers her.
Numerous things seem to combine and add upon each other in how irritating this email is.
Subject: Hello!
"Greetings, Leviathan. I have come to tell you my thoughts on your series 'Miracle Levia-tan' and its sequel movie 'Super Miracle Girl Levia-Chan the movie'. Overall, you have quite an interesting show. The first season was masterfully done. Succinct. To the point. Compact and well written. I struggle to find many issues with it."
This part seems fine, but when taken into context with the other parts of the email, it's absolutely full of backhanded compliments. Such as calling her show 'interesting' instead of good- which it is- and that they 'struggle to find many issues with it' which implies that they HAVE found issue with it.
"The second season, however, is where it starts to seriously go downhill. Some plot threads are never looked into, you re-use the season 1 villain needlessly (Which is an issue over all of the seasons which I will get into later), and there are quite a few not so small plot holes such as Levia-tan's decision to not use her Miracle Levi Beam Explosion to defeat the badoos army in episode 3 and suffering a loss when in the first season episode 14 she did exactly that while facing an force of similar magnitude. There was no mention of her losing power and it seemed as if she lost merely to advance the plot without any real conceivable reason for said loss."
They have a point on this part. Season two was written during a slightly turbulent time after the head of one of the Naberius branch families was killed by one of his peerage members. She wasn't able to give the scripts their needed scrutiny as she was trying to prevent an all out war with the youkai after some allying families for said branch family launched a few attacks on the youkai directly.
A genuinely IDIOTIC decision that the devil-youkai relations still haven't recovered from.
I mean, REALLY, what sort of fool attacks a faction that has... her.
She still shudders when she things about those devils that launched an attack upon the northern youkai faction...
How they ended up in her office in pieces... still alive... screaming...
Not even Ajuka could figure out how to undo what she did.
Regardless. This is a fair point. Which she HATES to admit.
"Then onto season 3, the first season's villain reappears yet again, and we enter what I like to call the 'Upskirt arc' which plagues the series to this day in the coming season 9. I have to seriously ask you this, but isn't this supposed to be a children's show? Why are you flashing your panties practically every episode? I am aware that as devils you have some differences to your society than the humans or the youkai, vampires, or angels. However, I feel as if panty shots should not be the societal norm. Are you into children Serafall Leviathan? Why are you so intent on showing your privates- even as covered as they are- to all of the children of the underworld. And if you ever find a husband or boyfriend, how do you think they'd feel knowing the fact that practically the entire underworld has seen parts that should only be visible to them and them alone?"
SHE'S NOT INTO KIDS, DAMN IT! SHE'S ONLY INTO HER ADORABLE SO-TAN!
Who happens to be a child right now.
Fuck.
But once more, the backhanded comments. IF you EVER find a husband or boyfriend.
The up skirts sell more to the teen and adult demographics. Since she started doing them the overall revenue for the show increased about two-fold.
"Season 4 is... Unique... and I'll just leave it at that. Bold move to have ten fake-out deaths across the season. That's like... one every other episode... and there was only one two-parter so the rest of them got solved kind of anticlimactically."
The less said about season four, the better in Serafall's opinion. It was so bad that it almost killed the franchise. The fake-out death thing is probably one of lighter things they could have commented on.
"Season 5 is serviceable. After the movie saved the franchise, at least. kind of boring. It feels as if you could skip it and would genuinely have lost nothing of value. Nothing that happens this season ever appears again, it's just... empty. It's like you were just checking the boxes of 'magical girl TV show'. It's formulaic and getting a little derivative. The same can be said for seasons 6, 7, and 8."
Rude! Season five is good! Tons of people say so! And sure, maybe they haven't had a season that was as good as season one, but season seven came close! They didn't even mention that in the rest of the email!
"Now, onto the topic of your villains. I probably shouldn't have been the one to tell you this, but it really isn't a good idea to re-use the same villain over and over again. When something loses over and over again, it begins to lose its menace and credibility. The Countess was a good villain. A true opposite of Levia-tan. Cold. Ruthless. Cunning-
Did he just call her stupid?! she missed that the first time around!
-a woman of noble birth, perfectly mirroring Levia-tan's commoner naivety and innocence (and a not so subtle jab at the old satan faction). But more than anything she was menacing. The first season did this well as her 'losses' were attributed to her minions instead of her. She was a plotter and planner. Levia-tan danced to her tune. If not for the incompetence of said minions she would have likely killed Levia-tan several times over. It made such a statement when she herself decided to get her hands dirty. In the most recent seasons, she's been rendered to an incompetent simpleton. A bratty rich girl with a sadistic streak. She's lost all menace and credibility."
He... once more may have points here.
"I mean, really Serafall. I get the one time you tried a new villain the franchise nearly died, but you are just re-treading explored ground. Oh no! The countess is up to her old tricks again! Surely Levia-Tan can win against her ploy of... I don't know... increasing the taxes? Oh look! She won in just 22 short minutes! That. Is how the past couple of seasons have been and it's boring. The fact you haven't changed anything either means you're surrounded by sycophants and yes men. Creatively bankrupt. Or genuinely don't care about the artistry of what you are doing anymore. I mean really. Let me take a wild guess at how the next season is going to go based on context clues from merely the first episode that has been released.
Oh no! The evil countess is at it again! She's looking for the World Ruby! And with it she'll gain enough power to defeat Levia-Tan for good! But she has no idea where it is. Oh look! Levia-tan found a map during that last battle! And thus the season's gimmick begins! Upskirt, upskirt, fanservice. Travel across the world (Not to places that have been mentioned in previous seasons, nor bringing back any old side characters from those locations because THAT'd make too much sense) look at all these cool special effects we created with magic! Pocket dimensions! Oh look! Lava dungeon! Oh no the countess got one singular victory over Levia-tan but she dropped a key part of the map allowing Levia-tan to follow her!
Levia-tan will proceed to stay in front of her for the rest of the season until the final episode where the Countess inexplicably finds the World Ruby first only to get defeated by Levia-tan's power of friendship! Now. I have quite a few issues with this. Firstly. Why is Levia-tan even LOOKING for this thing in the first place? She hasn't shown any hint of knowing ANYTHING about the World Ruby. Second. You're re-using the friendship bit from seasons 2, 5, and 7."
How did he know?
Is- Is her show really that predictable?
But- But- They've already pretty much finished filming! They won't have time to do corrections!
"This could have been solved EASILY if you had the Countess find the World Ruby first and use it to utterly trounce and defeat Levia-tan. At which point the magical girl discovers tales of a weapon of similar strength, the World Sapphire and thus begins the quest to find it. being on the run from the countess' forces that have been supercharged by the Ruby. And if you don't want such powerful artifacts in your series for long, have them both shatter in the final battle, thus a reason they're not used in future episodes. but it does open up some potential plots in future seasons, like a shard of the World Ruby being used as an arrow to hurt Levia-tan or something of that nature. leave her bedridden or without power for half the season or so before she or a side character manages to find the cure."
"Serafall, frankly I'm a little disappointed. You could have been doing so much more with this show. But you just seem to squander its potential at every step of the way. Take a deep breath before you plan the next season and it might even be good! Have Levia-tan lose some time. Give it some actual stakes.
Now, I have said my piece. I hope you have a blessed day!
P.S.: Its sad that Auntie Gabriel won the last 'most beautiful woman in the underworld' poll. You'll win the next one. Surely."
- Your distant cousin, Luce.
The woman sharply inhales then exhales.
It's 'sad'... 'surely'... once more with the back-handed insults. Not implying that it's incorrect or anything... only depressing that she, the Satan of foreign affairs managed to get out-voted against woman who by all means is the underworld's ENEMY... and yet they even tossed in the 'I'm sure you'll do better next time' pitying!
This does have the characteristics of an angel all over it. She even gets a little twinge of pain every time she reads the 'blessed day' bit. It's just a little more salt on the wound.
Some angel SOMEHOW managed to watch all of Miracle Levia-tan... then SOMEHOW figured out her personal email... and only used said knowledge to personally insult her and all she stands for in a constructive way so that she can't even really be that mad.
Serafall's hands shake slightly before she takes a deep breath and exhales.
"I shouldn't get so worked up... they are probably quite young. A miracle child or something." She mutters under her breath.
Miracle children... don't exactly have the best life. Cast out from heaven due to the half-human racism, used for their meager healing magics. Much weaker than a pure angel, at least.
"Hmmm." A hum leaves the woman's lips.
A miracle child is, well, a miracle. They are probably lashing out like this, looking for any sort of attention... it would probably irk Gabriel to no end if a dazzling, cute, beautiful, hottest woman in the underworld, Sera-tan enticed this miracle child into her peerage! Besides, being in her peerage is TOOOOTALLY better than anything the church can offer!
And if she can lightly bully the little angel for their insults- maybe make them take part in Miracle Levia-tan and help her bring it up towards the show's season one peaks? Even better!
*Ping*
Another email flashes on the screen.
"By the way. Incest is wrong."
- Your distant cousin, Luce.
"RRRRRAAAAAAGH!" The woman roars as she lifts her entire desk and hurls it across the room, sparks spray from where the wires tore. "THAT'S SACRELIGE! MY SO-TAN'S SUPPLE BODY IS MINE! ALLLLLLL MIIIIIIIINE! AND NOTHING YOU CAN SAY WILL EVER STOP ME! MUAHAAHAHAHAHAH!"
The secretary outside the door pauses, hand inches from the handle... then turns and walks away, wisely deciding to come back later.
I quietly sip on a juice box as I wait for our luggage to arrive at baggage claim. I can see Griselda bickering with some sort of security guard in the background. Something about a metal detector and her cross. I wasn't paying attention.
Lint's eyes blink out of sync slowly, barely awake as I stretch my arms.
It's good to finally be off that plane.
Irina lets out a yawn as Xenovia props her head up on a large leather case.
Inside of that is a folded up greatsword. Something for her to use in the meantime instead of unsealing Durandal for every small conflict.
Sagume seems quite fine, actually.
The main thing is the boredom of our nine-hour flight that's making us quite unobservant and sleepy.
My eyes slowly stray towards Griselda.
'Dear lord in heaven, please give me the patience and restraint to not punch this man in the jaw. Amen.'
"Huh... Griselda's quite irritated with that man." I note.
"Hmmm?" Xenovia hums, eyes coming into focus as she glances over to where I am looking. "him?"
"She's even praying for restraint right now." I admit.
"Oh wow." Xenovia mutters. "I wonder how many times I've annoyed her enough to pray for restraint to not beat me over the head with something."
Surprisingly self-aware for the kool-aid drinking zealot that is Xenovia Quarta.
My mythic power surges.
"One hundred and fifty six times." I supply.
"Huh?" The blue-haired girl blinks.
"One hundred and fifty six." I repeat. "That's how many times she's had to pray for strength to not brain you with the nearest blunt object. I will note... around forty of those have been since I showed up."
"Ah... I see..." She blinks, seemingly thinking back over every time her adoptive mother was angry with her.
"Wait... Luce, can you hear prayers?" Irina asks slowly.
I glance over. "I... uh- think that's something only the great seraphs are supposed to be able to do. Soooo uh... maybe keep that on the down-low?"
The four girls give me appraising look.
"If Great Seraphs are the only ones who are able to do that... how can you do it?" Lint blinks twice.
"Oh. Well, I'm kind of a broken mistake." I gesture to my arm which is crisscrossed with lightning-like purple marks. "My mother fell during child birth and children born from fallen angels are always fallen angels soooo..."
I rotate my wrists slightly. "Actually thinking on that... isn't that kind of messed up? That just because they are born to a fallen angel... they don't get to see the light of heaven. That just because they committed the crime of being born... that they must be our enemies and are seen as unclean and things to be destroyed? Doesn't the bible say that the sins of the father should never fall to the child?"
"Is it wrong?" Xenovia asks slowly. "Perhaps."
"Do I wish things were different?" She continues. "Yes. However fallen angels aren't to be trusted. You could never know which among them- if any, due to being taught sin from birth- are the good ones."
"Do you believe that a fallen angel could redeem themselves?" I question.
"That is a tough question." The girl mutters.
"Surely not, right?" Irina asks slowly. "I've heard that when an Angel fall's they're kind of like... stamped by their sin which causes them to be more affected by it... being cast out like that, I doubt they'd try to repent and just relish in their sins to spite or something like that."
"Heeey why are we talkin about all this philosophical junk?" Lint yawns. "What sort of monster do you think's behind the disappearances? You think it's somethin' like a vampire spawn? Like you said on the plane?"
"I'm unfamiliar with American myth." I admit after a brief pause. "I just know about the strange ones like big foot... or moth man. I wonder if those are real... I've heard things but they seem more like conspiracy theories than something that could be real."
"I don't doubt that bigfoot are real." Irina pipes in. "Xenovia and I had a mission once where we had to slay a pack of Yeti who were getting too close to a small ski resort and were killing and eating the people going there. Isn't a Bigfoot just a Yeti's strange cousin?"
"What's a... moth... man?" Sagume questions quietly.
"Oh. I've heard that it's like... this bipedal thing with a moth's head, glowing red eyes, and moth wings."
"Could be a stray devil. Those tend to mutate." Irina adds in.
Xenovia appears to be still thinking deeply on the 'can fallen angels redeem themselves' question.
"Oooh. It looks like Griselda's reached the breaking point." I grin.
Five sets of eyes lock onto her, even Xenovia is briefly brought out of her thoughts as I can see the woman's hands twitch and shake.
That rage reaches a crescendo as...
She just wave her hand, the man's eyes glazing over as the mental manipulation magic takes hold.
"..."
"Well, that was anticlimactic." Lint mutters and I find myself agreeing.
A man gazes up at a large throne, eyes wide.
The seat of his father's power before he was lost all those years ago.
It's a wonderful throne, and even with its owner being gone, it has kept its luster and sheer presence.
But now it's doing something... unusual.
Every now and then sparks fly from it.
It took him a while to notice it. Michael doesn't really like being in this room. Too many memories.
As a result, he has no idea of when exactly it started.
Could it be a result of Rubideciel returning to life? Something unintended and the throne of heaven is twisting and writhing against the unnatural resurrection? Or is it more moving in the other direction... is his father's throne telling him that... perhaps now it is time to move on. To take charge.
Is it signaling a new rise for heaven? One brought by the young Luce that his sister has briefly met?
Will the new generation of angels be nothing more than ink and canvas?
He is unsure how to feel about that.
A part of him feels... scared... would those artistic renditions even be angels? Or just fakes who look the part.
It does help put him at ease that their creator is an angel. But... other races have been created by an angel before... and they are quite the persistent thorn in the church's side.
On the topic of Luce... finding out about his exile was disheartening.
He would be the first child born to the angels since father passed.
The first pure angel, that is.
To think some angels brought it upon themselves to cast him out... for what? His mother falling during childbirth?
He wants to know why he heard nothing of an angel's pregnancy and why this poor child was forced to suffer for more than ten long years.
But.
That's easier said than done. It was so long ago... the father wasn't there at the time, in fact he was told that Luce had died in childbirth... telling him otherwise, well... he nearly fell on the spot from sheer wrath. But thankfully as a great seraph he was able to assist the man in regaining his emotional balance.
He is left with no leads. The mother fell and is in no position to answer the questions of the leader of an opposing faction.
So, he is back to square one. Little to no information. But, of course, he could probably just sit back and wait for this to solve itself. Gabriel is on a warpath at the moment. For the first time in who knows how many years, the 'Violence of Heaven' briefly took a step out of retirement even if she is currently playing around with the kid gloves on. Despite her anger, her targets are still family, after all.
If she can't figure things out... nobody can.
Awww. look at little Luce bullying his distant cousin! following in the foot steps of his Aunt, now is he? how fun! Serafall is very bully-able.
https://www.patreon.com/flameclawsxxLast edited: May 5, 2025 Like ReplyReport Reactions:thebobbit, Cipkenop, Mizuki_Stone and 1,293 othersFlameclawsMay 5, 2025NewAdd bookmarkView discussionThreadmarks Chapter 7: Uncle Azzy New View contentFlameclawsOfficial GremlinJun 4, 2025Add bookmark#629Chapter 7
Don't Own DxD or D&D, Only The Oc
'thought'
"Speech"
System Text
"Tvs, Radios, and Text via book or newspaper... when those are around..."
We all stumble off the bus, out lengthy travel time finally coming to an end as we reach our destination.
"I'm curious." I begin slowly. "How many of you can speak English?"
"Obviously I can. English is one of the more widespread languages." Griselda supplies.
The other girls don't really meet my gaze... well, Aside from Sagume. But she has the advantage of Babel that I do... not to mention my previous life living here.
"I know some words." Irina mutters. "My parents and I stayed in England for a while."
Xenovia's face is flat.
"Nerd stuff..." Lint grumbles under her breath.
"I see... in which case, allow Griselda, Sagume, or myself to do the talking." I note as I stare into the white haired girl's eyes.
"..."
"Correction. Myself or Griselda." I correct, causing the corners of the quiet girl's mouth to turn upwards.
"So, where do we start, ma'am?" I ask looking towards the nun.
"There have been some... places... in town that we need to have a look at." The woman informs.
I let out a low hum of acknowledgement.
'oh god! Oh god what is that?! I-It ate him! No! No NO NO NO KEEP AWAY! STAY BA-'
My entire body shudders, eyes widening. "S-Someone just died."
Five sets of eyes lock onto me as I gesture towards the west. "Somewhere... in the direction... someone just died."
"How do you know?" Griselda mutters.
"That doesn't matter." I shake my head. "We need to go. Now. Before more people die!"
"Alright..." The woman agrees as we all turn and begin quickly making our way in the direction I heard the prayer originate from.
We swiftly make our way through the town, eventually coming to the outskirts.
We don't slow down as we enter the forest, air whips through my hair as we run as fast as we can towards our destination that only I know.
I slide to a halt abruptly as a scent is carried on the open air, I can see the other's focus sharpen as I lower my body slightly, holding up my hand and creating a spear of light which I grasp tightly in a fist.
The others draw their weapons, a large, weighty great sword coming to Xenovia's hands while the sound of igniting... lightsabers... reach my ears from Irina and Lint.
I gesture to Xenovia. "Grace. Strength."
A serious frown crosses her lips as we make our way forwards.
Coming into a small campsite, bloodstains are splattered across the nearby grass and trees. Inina's breath hitches slightly as... standing before us we can see a large gaunt and hunched figure.
It looms over a corpse, long hairy arms coated with blood.
If it wasn't crouched it would probably be nine or ten feet tall. The arms and legs look almost too thin to support it.
It seemingly senses our arrival, its head lifting and peering over at us. Two large antlers atop its skull.
Its face has been cleaned of skin, just an elk skull, empty sockets gaze forwards, a deep red glowing within.
"STAND!" Sagume shouts as I call out my own spell.
"HASTE!"
As the fucking WENDIGO collapses onto its hands and knees, Xenovia clears the distance in an instant, blade swiping down with enough force to cleave a car in half.
It cracks against the bony neck of the abomination, knocking it flat even as it struggles against Sagume's command.
I hurl the light spear forwards. It darts out, barely a streak of light and imbeds itself in the back of the creature.
It lets out a scream that shakes the very forest, jaws opening far too wide revealing numerous fanged teeth.
Seeing as how Xenovia's attack with her blade did nothing to the bone neck, she quickly whirls around, lashing out with her weapon with swift swipes and jabs, carving large swathes in its flesh.
My hurled light spear digs deeper as I summon a second and toss it forwards as well, this one punching into its stomach as little flashes of light begin to explode off its body from Lint's light gun.
The strange beast lets out a gurgle as it rises to its feet-
"RISE!"
And promptly falls to its knees once more, Irina slipping in to slash her weapon across its ribs.
Xenovia takes her sword in both hands, then with a roar of exertion she swings forwards, causing its head to be cleaved off entirely.
All is quiet for a moment as the body falls slack, the only sound being the ripping of flesh from my light spears as they continue to stab the beast and the calm breathing of us exorcists.
*Ping*
A quest has been completed!
Trouble in Akron:
Objective:
Put a stop to the disappearances: [x]
Bonus Objectives:
Slay the Wendigo singlehandedly: [-]
Rewards: 5000 Exp, One magic item worth up to 2500 Gp.
"Huh..." I mutter, shoulders slowly untensing as my light spears continue to stab at the wendigo before disappearing a few seconds later.
That's... enough to level up.
I look to Griselda. "What now?"
"Well. We cannot be sure the threat has passed. We will remain here for a week to search the area. If nothing else happens, we'll return to Italy."
"Oh? Okay..." I mutter, gazing around the bloodied forest. "We... should bury these people..."
I sit on an overturned tree, a sigh leaving my lips.
"Luce... are you okay?" Xenovia questions as she stands just behind me.
"Hm?" I turn, gazing up at her, finally acknowledging her question.
"I'm... fine." I admit after a quiet moment. "I just wish that... we had arrived a little sooner."
"You... can't save everyone Luce." Xenovia begins quietly. "I... came to accept that a long time ago. We are just... single people. We cannot be everywhere. We cannot do everything."
She places her hand on my shoulder. "We just have to do what we can... save who we can."
She slowly pushes me to my feet and wraps her arms around me. "That's... all we can do, Luce... I wish we had arrived sooner as well..."
"Luce." The serious tone of our guardian causes both of us to look over.
"Yes, Sister Griselda?" I ask, cocking my head to the side.
"How did you know that this was happening?" The blonde slowly asks.
"Uuuuum..." I clasp my hands together, a weak grimace appearing on my lips. "I... heard it?"
"Here's your tea, Lady Gabriel!" A white haired girl flutters behind the busty blonde, causing a serene smile to cross her features.
She has absolutely adored having Rubi back the past couple of weeks.
Her tea is just so soothing. Something she had lost a long time ago... it's nostalgic.
She owes so much to Luce for allowing her to have this tea once more... for allowing her to have her best friend back.
"Thank you, Rubi." Gabriel smiles, preening slightly as the white haired girl darts around her room, dusting things off.
She really missed this energy...
Ah... and speaking of Luce...
She waves her hand over a crystal ball, seeing the boy appear yet again.
Ah. He appeared to enter a battle with... a wendigo? That is... quite dangerous...
He seemingly squirms under Griselda's gaze. "Ummmm well... about that... I just... kind of heard their prayer?"
The handle of her teacup shatters as she grips it too hard, dumping the tea all over her lap and staining her white robes.
"Oh no! Gabriel! Are you okay?!" Rubi gasps.
"I'm fine..." The blonde mutters.
"You... heard his prayer?" Griselda echoes.
"Mhm?" Luce nods slowly.
Gabriel's eyes narrow slightly as she leans forwards. She steeples her hands together.
He can hear... prayers? Only her and the other Seraphs can do that.
A small impish smile appears on her lips as she clasps her hands together, beginning to pray.
"Dearest Luce." Her eyes glint with amusement as the boy flinches, looking around for a moment before blinking twice and staring at the ground. "It is a truly wonderful gift that you can hear prayers. Are you well? The ability to hear prayers can be quite overwhelming at times. We will have another chat face to face once you have returned to Italy. I pray for your health, yours truly, your Auntie Gabriel... Amen."
"A-Ah... one moment, Sister Griselda... I need to do something." The blonde boy on the crystal ball mutters as he clasps his hands together.
'Aunt Gabriel. I'm happy to hear from you once more. I'm doing well. And yes, it was quite overwhelming when I first unlocked this ability, luckily, I managed to learn how to block out the torrent of noise and thoughts quite quickly. And I can't wait to see you again. Those days in which I can see you are definitely highlights! Oh, and I've heard the most interesting rumor. That you enjoy messing with that one Satan of Foreign Affairs. If so, we should really trade notes. That sounds like a hobby we share! I've got so many fun ideas of what we could do to prank her! I pray that you and Rubideciel are in good health, yours truly, Luce. Amen.'
Gabriel's face turns scarlet, lips flattening. "O-Oh..."
H-How'd he know that she... likes messing with Serafall? That information... really goes against this kind and generous image she has made for herself... it'd make her look a little childish.
P-Perhaps she needs to have some words with the boy... maybe convince him to... not tell anyone about her hobby of bullying Serafall.
People would lose respect for her if they knew!
And Big brother Michael would look at her with that 'I'm not mad, just disappointed' expression and lecture her about how 'Seraphs shouldn't be bullies'. UGH! It makes her cringe even thinking about it.
It's not like her casual bullying of Serafall is hurting anyone! It's not like she takes it that far! Just a fun little rivalry between friends!
Some of the final words of Luce's prayer catches up to her causing her to blink.
"Shared... hobby?"
"Yes, Gabby?" Her handmaiden questions. "Did you say something."
"Oh! Nothing important, I'm afraid." Gabriel brightly smiles. "I just realized that Luce and I will probably need to speak deeply on something!"
I sit on the bus, quietly pondering the stary night sky just outside, Xenovia is sat next to me, her head on my shoulder as I wrap my arm around her, keeping her sat up as the bus jostles slightly.
I gaze around the rest of the bus, Griselda looks over at us every now and then, Irina and Lint are quietly chatting, and Sagume looks to be sleeping as well.
I meet Griselda's eyes and tilt my head slightly. She quickly looks away.
I gaze back out the window, looking up at the moon.
The rest of our stay was relatively mundane. Nothing really happened during the time we lingered around the small town.
Now all that's left is to return to the airport... then fly back to Italy.
My eyes slowly trail the bus again as I do something that I've been doing quite frequently during my stay.
'Is there anything supernatural here on the bus that isn't allied to the church?'
My eyes flick to the person in the back, a newspaper in his hands as he slowly turns the page. A low sigh leaving my lips.
I should have known... only a freak of supernatural proportions would be able to read something in a moving vehicle.
Why is he here?
To get a read on me as a person. To see the one that heaven has dubbed 'The Artisan'.
Will he hurt me?
Absolutely not. At most ask some questions about my paintings.
I find the corners of my mouth turning upwards slightly as I close my eyes. 'Dearest Gabriel. Azazel's on the bus. He wants to get a read on me. He doesn't intend to harm me. I'm going to see my Uncle. Please don't worry, I have something I painted ready to protect me if anything bad happens... which it won't. I pray you have a good evening. Amen.'
'WHAT?!'
I pull a small bag off my hip, open it slightly and leave it on the seat.
I gently shift the blue haired girl so she is resting against the window as I stand up. Walking to the back of the bus as Griselda's eyes follow me in confusion.
I take a seat opposite to the man with jet black hair, pale skin and blue eyes.
His eyes briefly flick to me as I flash him a bright smile. "Hello uncle."
Griselda rises from her seat, eyes widening slightly as she tightly grips her fists.
Her sudden change in expression seems to catch the attention of the others, even Xenovia wakes up as they gaze on in caution.
"..."
"Haaah... how mad is your aunt going to be?"
"Oh. She's livid. I can already tell." I smile brightly.
"Damn... oh well." The man sighs. "Soooo. You're the brat everyone's talking about."
"I... suppose?" I tilt my head.
"The Artisan." He continues.
"I suppose that's vaguely accurate." I admit. "Hello. My name is Luce. You're here to get a read on me, correct?"
"Yeah... and since I've been found out so easily. I suppose I better think of a way to talk my way out of whatever your aunt throws at me." He scratches his temple. "So... you're awfully calm. You know who I am... yet there was no hesitation in you walking over here and taking a seat so close by. Don't you have any fear?"
"Hm... I fear things." I admit, stroking my chin. "I don't really like snakes... or spiders... and the idea of Rabies is kind of terrifying... but I don't fear you, Azazel. Because you aren't here to hurt me, correct? I have full faith in that."
"That kind of blind faith... you're kind of naive, you know that, right?" The disguised man scoffs.
"Hm. Perhaps. But is it wrong to believe in the good in someone?" I ponder aloud. "Is it wrong to follow my gut? When I look at you, Azazel... I don't see a monster. A pervert perhaps, but I also see a tired old man... someone who has seen near endless hardships. A man who took a position he didn't want to preserve the lives of those who was cast out alongside him. A man who is tired of pointless wars and just wants to be left alone and to delve into his hobbies... you've made mistakes. You've done horrible things. But in times of war and war by nature is horrible. It is bloody. It is vile. And it is heartbreaking. However, it does not define who you are."
"Oh jeez. You're starting to sound like dad." Azazel groans, rubbing his forehead.
"I've got a question for you, Azazel... if you wouldn't mind answering."
"Yeah? Hit me." The man snorts.
"I might in the future!" I announce proudly.
"Did you just-"
"Now for my question. Do you believe it's possible that a fallen angel could change? That they could defeat the sin that they are shackled with. That they could regain their light. Do you believe that a fallen angel could repent and become a pure angel again."
"Absolutely not." The man shakes his head. "We fucked up. That's our sin to bear. Besides. Being a fallen is fun. We've got hookers, booze and gambling."
"And what of your children? The one who are born fallen for no reason at all?"
"Exodus. Twenty-five. 'For I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me'. We the fallen kind of hate that dude sooooo meh. We reap what we sow."
"How funny... you're wrong." I smile brightly.
"Noooo I'm pretty sure I'm not. I've picked up a few bibles in my day. I quoted pretty much word for word. Makes talking to the church far easier when you can throw their proverbs right back at them." The man shrugs with a smug smirk.
"Funny. No. I was talking about how wrong you were about Fallen Angels and them not being able to redeem themselves."
"Hah? Kid. I've been alive for a loooong time. It's never happened. Not. Once." He scoffs.
"Hm... is it because of it being impossible... or is it due to a lack of trying?" I ask, tilting my head to the side. "You have fallen. You assume that's it. You assume that there is no redeeming you... so why would you try? Maybe some people made half-hearted attempted at it, yet... they stopped the very moment they saw no improvement. Perhaps they were dragged down further by other fallen angels. Peer pressure."
"You're genuinely insane." Azazel grumbles, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"I prefer the term... Eccentric. It's a good trait for an artist to have." I clasp my hands together with a bright smile. "Another question... have you met the fallen angel Zophiel?"
"Zophiel?" The man mutters. "Why?"
"That would be my mother."
"Ah... you're really a full angel? I could have sworn you were a Miracle child. Considering you're... down here and all."
"Well, I was cast out of heaven by the midwife angel who delivered me after my mother fell in childbirth and because that left me with these purple corrupt marks over my body. They left me in a verbally abusive church headed by a guy who seemed content to torment me for as long as I can remember... so... I can understand you. Vaguely. I just didn't give up when my life looked bleak."
I can see his eyes dart around the bus, tapping his chin as he sifts through the information I gave him.
"Ah... Zophiel? She works under Penemue. Angry, bitter, and snarky... I can kind of see why now... she tripped and fell at the finish line. Kind of sad. She's doing pretty well for herself so you don't really need to worry about her." He flashes me a small grin. "You could meet her if you want."
"I'll pass." I deadpan almost instantly. "I don't believe seeing the cause of her fall from grace would be good for either of us."
"Suit yourself." He shrugs.
I clap my hands together as I rise to my feet. "Well. It has been a pleasure to meet you, Azazel, I will be sure to pray that Aunt Gabriel takes it easy on you."
I begin walking towards where I originally was sitting with Xenovia. "That was a lie. I apologize. I had no intention of praying for Gabriel's mercy. I'll find your girlish screams of terror and desperate dodges absolutely hilarious."
"You're a weird ass kid; you know that right?" Azazel scoffs. "You come in all how I'd expect an angel to act. Kind words. Naivety. A genuine lack of understanding of how the world works... then you have statements like 'I'll find your screams of terror hilarious'. You really don't make a lot of sense, brat."
"Hm..." I hum mutely. "You know something, Azazel. Language is always evolving. Words of today may not mean the same tomorrow. It makes me wonder... who decides the rules for such a language. Who decides what each word means... in the past... Ass was just the name of the Donkey. Yet today it's used casually as an insult. As is hell. A location. That makes me realize something... In this world there is only one curse you should not utter. And that is to insult the name of our lord and your father... so allow me to say what my aunt probably wishes she could say freely to you."
I turn, flipping Azazel the double bird. "Fuck off, Azazel."
He recoils as if getting slapped, he appears genuinely stunned for a moment before a bright grin crosses his lips. "Hehhehehe... HAH! Oh, kid you're an absolute RIOT!"
He gets a thoughtful expression after wiping a tear from his eye. "I suppose you're right in a way. Huh. Interesting loophole, there. Technically speaking, language does evolve. Locations or actions becoming swears. I suppose there is no rule to prevent you from saying that... though it's very un-angel like. I imagine the sister here will have strong words for you after all of this."
I take a seat and reach into my bag of holding, pulling out a book and leaning against the window.
"Luce..." Xenovia whispers, looking from me to the fallen angel. "Is... this it? One of the church's greatest enemies corners us... spies on us... and we just let them go?"
"Do you want to fight the man that survived a three-way war with not only the original Lucifer but God? A war that also had two massive angry lizards with strength surpassing most deities barreling through it?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.
"Yyyyyyeeeees?"
"No. You don't. And I don't. No escalating." I deadpan as I go back to my book. "Just ignore the man. There's no point in attacking him as that could start a war... and war sucks. So much loss of life. So much pain. I will not seek out war... but should one happen despite my best efforts to the contrary... I will certainly end it. Be it through removing the warmongers on our side that started it, or though utterly obliterating the opposition."
I glance back as I can hear the bus' window slide open. With a single movement Azazel hurls himself outside, six pairs of jet black feathered wings sprouting from his back as he takes off. Seemingly planning to get as far as possible before Gabriel begins to hunt him dow-
There's a faint flash of light and for the briefest of moments I think I can see six pairs of snow white feathered wings.
"Huh..." I blink twice.
Did I just see- yes... yes I did.
Gabriel clotheslined him as he began to fly away, cratering the man in the earth... and is now shouting angrily at him.
Oh dear... I uh... hope she doesn't snap at me like that...
Maybe I can distract her with bullying Serafall! Surely?
An achievement has been unlocked:
Impress Azazel:
Heh. That kid's got spunk. Normally angels are just so stuffy and boring. It seems that times are changing for the biblical factions. He didn't get to ask about his painting, but getting a read on the one known as the 'Artisan' is good enough for now. If his plans for peace finally go through, perhaps he can ask some deeper questions about his ability. Now... time to skedaddle before any blonde busty hot as sin seraphs show up and- OH SHIT!
Reward:
'From one Craftsman to another' feat.
From One Craftsman to Another:
Prerequisite: Level 5th, Any two Item Creation feats.
D&D magical items are... limiting... there's very few things you can actually do with them. A sword gets a +1 to hit and damage or maybe it deals an extra 1d6 points of elemental damage. Typically weapons that exist outside of these rigid specifications only exist through one specific scenario... DM intervention!
Benefit: Now even YOU can create your own weapons and magical items that function outside the standard system. Perhaps a great sword that deals two times the damage as normal, or a gauntlet that allows you to absorb flames to increase your statistics. The world is now your oyster. Have fun!
I blink twice at my new feat, a small smile slowly crossing my lips. New ideas quickly popping up in my mind from what I've seen so far in this world.
I can create an exorcist's light blade quite easily. Hell, I bet I could create a better version.
Ah... but I suppose that's something to think about later... now I need to think of a way to get out of being shouted at...
Oh wait!
Omniscience powers! Give me the solution to my dilemma-
No answer...
Ah.
Crap.