I gaze down at the keyboard with a frown, fingers hovering over the keys.
I'm preparing to unleash a proverbial can of word-fu on Serafall, but... the words just aren't wording.
"Greetings Leviathan-"
Too wordy and formal. The last one started that way as well and that served as an introduction. I quickly erase the opening statement.
"Hey Sera-tan!"
That's... fine, I guess.
"Hey Hey Sera-tan! It's me! Luce! It's been a while!"
I nod slowly, cupping my chin. 'alright. That's good.'
"Luuuuce~" a voice hums behind me causing me to flinch.
"Oh! Gabriel! Hello!" I smile brightly.
"What are you doing?" She tilts her head.
"Preparing to taunt Serafall over my new series?" I blink twice. "Why? Is something going on?"
"Oh! So you're doing something important, then." The woman nods sagely. "I was wondering if you'd like to go and try some food with me, but this is absolutely more important."
She's not being sarcastic at all. She fully believes the words coming out of her mouth.
I turn back to the screen. "Yeah, I'd like to find a way to point out some of the things she'd be REALLY irritated by... but not in a way that makes it seem like I'm drawing attention to them. But I don't really want to play all my cards right off the bat. That might cause her to rampage. I'd like to keep an ace or... two... for a... rainy... day..."
I gaze down at the floor, eyes darting back and forth as a plan begins steadily forming in my brain.
I rocket to my feet. "I'VE GOT IT!"
You have been given divine inspiration. Natural 20 Ensured.
Gabriel gazes at the blonde boy as he lays curled up on the floor sleeping peacefully.
The past month has worried her.
It started with him rising from the computer desk and shouting that he's 'got it'.
Then... his eyes...
They changed from blue to gold. He began looking distant... like he was viewing something only he could see. Staring through her at times.
It was kind of eerie.
She was terrified something had happened to him, but then... she remembered a little tidbit that she was told all those months ago.
He's done this before.
The first time he ever painted anything. He got what Xenovia said he called 'Divine Inspiration'.
Clearly he's gotten it again.
She looks up to a large crystal sat on the floor, intricate runes are carved on it. She can see eight symbols in roughly the shape of a circle, those symbols are each surrounded by a magic circle of their own.
Lines of runic script and calculations line the whitish blue crystal. Some of which she can barely comprehend.
The holy crystals from her father's workshop. He wanted it, so she and Michael got it for him.
He worked tirelessly this past month. Her and the other seraphs occasionally checked up on him, but he'd work and work and work... then he'd pass out, tossing and turning in his sleep restlessly.
He ate what was provided. Drank what was given. Didn't even utter a single word, eyes trained on the crystal in absolute focus.
But now... he seems almost eerily peaceful... asleep on the floor.
He must have finished it.
Whatever it is.
The door behind her opens revealing Michael walking inside.
"Ah, Gabriel." He greets as he comes to a stop beside her in gazing down at the boy. "He must be finished, then."
"Yes. Now we only need to wait for him to awaken." Gabriel nods.
"I'll prevent anyone else from coming in while we wait. We wouldn't want anyone to mess up his work." Michael notes.
Gabriel finds her eyes trailing back down to the boy.
Little Luce. She wonders what else he is capable of?
"Wah-" I sit up with a gasp, looking around blearily.
I rub my eyes.
Oh. I'm in Gabriel's bed again.
What was I... doing again?
I rise to my feet, letting out a low hiss of pain.
My back hurts.
My everything hurts, frankly.
I let out a long yawn, stumbling briefly as I peer around.
I seem to have triggered an alarm spell so Gabriel is probably-
The door swings open. "Luuuuce~"
Her melodic voice carries across the room.
"Hello Gabriel." I wave. "What time is it?"
"Morning!"
"oh... okay... maybe I should be a little specific. What day is it?" I correct with a small groan, rubbing my face.
"Tuesday." She supplies.
"So four days then-" I gaze to the side, completely unblinking.
An achievement has been unlocked:
Evil Pieces!:
Congratulations! You've managed to make your OWN Evil pieces! This could change EVERYTHING! A method for angels to repopulate. A way to convert Longinus to the angelic side!
Rewards: 50000 Exp, +5 Mythic Trials
You have ascended to Mythic Rank 5
"..."
That's an instant level up... and almost a second one... once I finish up that fourth week of training with Sariel.
"Alright there's no way I would be able to make our heavenly pieces in just four days. How long has it ACTUALLY been?"
"Four weeks." The woman hums.
"Gnnnnnnn." I groan, rubbing my face again. "Gabriel, did my friends call?"
"They did." She confirms. "But we told them that you had another bout of 'divine inspiration' and was unavailable. They were understanding."
I wave my hands over my body, cleaning it with prestidigitation. "Well... let's go see what I made this time, then."
We walk through sixth heaven quickly making our way towards a large double door. Magical runes cross-cross the door, showing that it has been locked some fairly impressive magic.
"Michael and I locked this room because we were unsure if looking around would mess up what you had been working on." The woman supplies.
She waves a hand, the barrier lessening and eventually breaking completely.
We step inside. At the center of the room is a large crystal the size of a boulder. It comes up to roughly my head and is about five feet wide and long. Intricate runes coil around its surface. On the front I can see eight symbols, each surrounded by magical circles that feed into the rest of the runes at large.
I lean forwards slightly eyes widening as I can see criss-crossing lines deep within the crystal. "How the heck did I manage to inscribe the insides?"
I shake my head.
"Alright. Good news and bad news, Aunty." I smile brightly. "Good news. I know what this is. Our version of Evil Pieces. More good news, I know how it functions... mostly... bad news. There's a good twenty to thirty percent of it that's kind of eluding me at the moment."
"Which, I suppose I could fix by- oh. There we go. We're all good." I give her a bright grin and a thumbs up.
I step forwards towards the crystal, cupping my chin.
I look over the eight symbols.
Clubs. Diamonds. Hearts. Spades.
Card suits...
Beyond that... Cups. Coins. Swords. And Shields
I look between all eight of the card suits, a low hum leaving my lips. "Hey... Gabriel, can you call the other Great Seraph? It's about time I get our heavenly suits working."
"heavenly suits?" The woman echoes.
"Yes, like suits of cards. I'm going to hold off on explaining the intricacies of the system until the others arrive so I only have to do it once."
It doesn't take long. Michael enters the room barely even a minute after I had finished saying that, the other three are quick to arrive as well, I ponder over the crystal, looking between two of the card suits.
"What is it?" Michael asks slowly.
"This is our version of evil pieces. Our Heavenly Suits." I smile brightly. "And I... am deciding if I want to be cups or coins..."
My eyes flick back and forth.
"Meh. Coins it is." I reach out and touch the rock's surface. It's slightly cold to the touch, smooth barring the grooves in it that magical energy seem to pass through.
The magic circle around the coin symbol begins to glow. A second appears underneath me.
A bright white glow envelopes me, a magic circle with a coin in it briefly flickering over the back of my hand.
"Alright." I turn to the others. "There are currently eight suits. Each of you should pick one... in the future I hope to allow others to also enter the suits after you, but at the moment we don't have enough of this heavenly crystal."
My eyes glint with excitement. "Let me show you it's features!"
With a flash, a stack of crystalline cards appear in my hand which I offer to the seraphs. "This. Is my suit. A set of twelve cards numbered two through ten, then with a Jack, Queen, excluding King- which is you yourself-, and Ace. Their level of strength, as in the strength they both offer and can revive- excluding king- ascends in that manner as well."
"Now. Let me just say. First things first. The two. Deuces. It is roughly equal to the Evil Piece's pawn. A three is only minorly better... by six it is worth two pawns, with ten being a little over three and a half. A Jack is worth about six pawns, a queen, eight, and finally ace is worth twelve. Meaning it surpasses a standard 'Evil Pieces' queen."
"Downsides to this system." I raise my hand. "You cannot compile cards to resurrect someone stronger than normal. A devil can use all eight of their pawns to revive a Longinus wielder if they really needed. You cannot do this. You'll be forced to use your queen, or ace or maybe even a Jack if you're strong enough as I added in that System Ajuka had for the pieces' strength growing relative to your own."
They eventually hand the cards back to me after examining them. I continue speaking. "But, the overall 'resurrection power' of a heavenly suit is higher than that of a set of evil pieces... not taking into account mutation pieces. BUT we have our own variant of mutations, called a Joker card, but I'll get into that in a second."
"Now. These would be a pale imitation of evil pieces if they didn't have any special traits. After all, Rooks can swap places with their 'king'. Pawns can promote, and then there's the enhancements each piece gives the user. I went in a different route! Teamwork!"
"Teamwork?" Uriel echoes. "Teamwork how?"
"Tell me, Uriel. What do you know of poker? Or blackjack."
He blinks twice.
"..."
"Nothing? Really?" I mutter.
"Gambling... you made our heavenly pieces based on... gambling?" Uriel slowly speaks.
"Well, to be fair. The devils took chess. I couldn't exactly made this checkers, now could I? Besides! Is it really gambling when you're not betting on anything? It's just a card game, then."
Raphiel shrugs. "He has a point there. So how does teamwork help your system here?"
"Alright. In a traditional game of Poker, you bet against others with the cards in your hand. The type of cards in your hand having a set value. After four of you with differing card suits create a 'deck', you can unlock tremendous power-boosting effects. The true power of the system requires you to more or less create a 'deck' by joining forces. But there are some effects you can gain on your own which I'll mention later."
"Firstly, each of you would draft a 'hand' out of your collective suits, in which each of you randomly connect with five of the cards."
"Randomly?" Michael frowns.
"Yes, but that was added to make the effects vastly more powerful. And like poker you can swap out cards you don't want once." I admit. "These suits absolutely blow evil pieces out of the water in potential power, though. For frame of reference, the attribute boosts for evil pieces are about fifty percent."
I hold out my Ace. "First, is 'High Card'. The system makes it so your other cards- aside from your highest card- are given some of the strength of your highest-ranked card. It's not a lot, just five percent, but this is the least powerful ability of the cards. You will ALWAYS get this effect, say for instance you got a two, a three, a six, and a seven alongside your ace. Now, the numbered cards will gain five percent of the Ace's original strength while they fight in tandem."
"That is the weakest?!" Michael's eyes widen slightly.
"Mhmmm." I smile brightly, clasping my hands together. "After that, is one pair, in which you get two of the same card type, so two aces. Two threes. Two jacks, etcetera. In that scenario. The pair in question get a two-times boost in strength and all the others get ten percent of the pair's original strengths."
"Then there's two pair, in which you get, well, two pairs. The effects stack. The pairs are doubled but they also are given ten percent of the strength of the other pair... which is then doubled by their pair bonus."
"That is- you're saying that you've given our heavenly pieces the ability to boost their strength like a twice critical? Casually?" Michael continues.
"Yep!" I hum. "Oh, and I should specify, for the rest of the hand, it's the added power of the pair. So for example, if you, Michael, were an ace, and Gabriel was an ace, and the other three here were merely other cards in the 'hand'... you and Gabriel would double your strength, yet the rest of the cards would gain ten percent of your original power... and then ten percent of Gabriel's for a total of ten percent of your combined power. But if it were two random two winged angels, you wouldn't see much of an increase at all. but even still, you'd be able to grant a simple two-winged angel a fifth of the power of a seraph if you were to do that."
"After that... three of a kind. In which the pair bonus is doubled so all of them get times four strength and the rest of the hand get twenty percent of the original combined strength of the pairs.
"And four pair would double this again, correct?" Raphiel gasps.
"Yes indeed! Times eight. Forty percent, but you've skipped over Straight, Flush, and Full House."
I take a deep breath. "A straight is an ascending string of cards. Ace-two-three-four-five or something like eight-nine-ten-jack-queen. This gives a two times boost to the entire group. After that is a 'Flush' which is when you have cards that are all of the same suit. So, two of hearts, three of hearts, queen of hearts, ace of hearts, and nine of hearts. This grants the entire group a four times boost."
"Then there's full house, when you have a one pair and a three of a kind. The boosts of the pairs will stack much like two-pair. Then your get to four pair, which I previously mentioned... after that, there's just two hands that could possibly be better... the first? Straight flush. You get an ascending number of cards that are ALL the same suit. In this case, it's a flat ten times boost all around."
"Then... comes the strongest hand... one only possible thanks to our mutation piece... the Joker! Five of a kind! A sixteen times boost to strength all around!"
"Now." I take a breath, gesturing to the crystal. "Allow me to talk about Jokers... they are pretty much free cards. They don't belong to a suit and they can count as ANY suit and ANY number from ace to queen. In a hand, they'll always be treated as the best-case scenario, and because of their shifting nature, if you manage to get one in your hand, at minimum you'll have a two-pair as they match one of your other cards. They are also by far the most powerful card that I am able to create being worth roughly twenty pawns.
"That being said, they can't be counted as two cards at once. They will always be treated as the best case scenario. So for instance if you have one ace and two twos, it'll be treated as an additional two, granting you three of a kind."
I take a deep breath and exhale. "Thank you for listening to me ramble on for a bit. Please select a suit. I've made eight sets of cards so far."
"How are jokers made?" Uriel questions.
"Oh. Two are created for every set of four suits I make. As such, only two jokers may be added to a 'deck' though it's possible to play without them in fact, it's possible to play cards you might not have reincarnated yet, at which point, they just boost the cards that you do have. So if you have a three pair, but one of you haven't reincarnated your... let's say ace, the other two aces will be treated as if you had gotten a tree pair, but the unused ace won't be of any true help in battle.
"These heavenly pieces could change heaven completely." Michael smiles gently.
"I'm not entirely certain on the name." I shrug. "it's either 'Heavenly Pieces', 'Good Pieces', 'Heavenly Suits' or 'Brave Saints'.
"OOOH! I like the last one!" Gabriel hops twice, causing her bust to jiggle slightly. "Can we call them brave saints?"
"It does have a better ring to it than 'Heaven's Pieces'." Raphiel cocks his head to the side, cupping his chin.
"Meh, Brave saints it is." I shrug before letting out a small yawn. "So. Let's get you all connected. Pick a suit if you would."
I watch Uriel and Raphiel fight over who gets to be the 'Sword'. Gabriel walks forwards and places her hand on the heart, the bright glowing lightshow happens once more.
Her eyes shine slightly as she gazes over to a nearby table where a small stack of cards gleams.
She zooms over, looking over her new prize.
Michael chooses spades, Sariel looks slightly proud of herself as she takes the Sword suit, causing the other two seraph who were bickering to pout and sulk.
They eventually pick other suits, Uriel taking Shield, and Raphiel taking Clubs leaving Diamonds and Cups unused for now.
"Well. I'm glad that this has worked." I clasp my hands together. "Truly I thank you all for allowing me the resources to build this masterpiece."
"Luce, you do not need to thank us. This... this changes everything." Michael whispers, gazing at the glowing crystal.
"Noooow. I'm going to go finish up a certain painting I was working on." I nod once. "Good luck finding your cards."
I turn and walk away with a single wave.
I gaze down at my body, looking over it slowly.
This is... trippy...
Like I'm in two places at once.
One of me is sat peacefully in a green meadow resting at a small gazebo, hands touching a crystal ball.
The other... is walking through a town, quickly making their way to the outskirts.
A bright smile rests on my lips as I begin making my way up a winding path.
A quiet hum leaves my lips as I spy a simple building in the distance.
I step forwards, throwing the doors open. "I have arrived!"
The figures inside of the room pause, one dusting a bench, the other corrected a tilted painting.
"Luce?!" Xenovia gasps.
"Hey Hey Xenovia, Irina. It's been a while!"
I am almost tackled by the blue haired girl as she lunges forwards and wraps me in a hug.
"LUCE! How- you're here! You're really here!" The girl gasps.
"Mhmmm." I nod slowly gently wrapping my own arms around her. "Well, not necessarily. But technically!"
"What are you talking about?" Irina whispers.
"Oh. This body is a painting I'm controlling from heaven. SO." I turn and point at Xenovia. "If there ever comes a time where we are outmatched and I tell you to run. Do it. This body regenerates after it's destroyed. Nothing of value will be lost. Unless, of course, you decide to throw your life away for a vaguely me-shaped pile of ink."
I eventually slip from Xenovia's grasp. "So. Were's the others?"
"Griselda went to buy groceries with Asia and Sagume, Lint is probably down in the basement training." Irina explains. "They're probably going to be so surprised to see you!"
"I'm looking forwards to meeting Asia in person." I agree with a slow nod, crossing my arms. "How has your mission been going?"
"Oh! We have reinstated the church!" Irina beams.
"..."
She wasn't told them, hm?
"What about your friend?" I ask. "That... Issane girl? You meet up with her yet?"
The brown haired girl lets out a weary sigh, rubbing her face with her hands. "She... yes... yes I have."
"The girl is an unrepentant pervert and sinner." Xenovia blandly accuses.
"This is coming from the girl who asked to bear my children?" I lazily deflect. "Isn't there a saying about throwing stones in glass houses?"
"WHAT?!" Irina shrieks.
"W-We were going to get married first!" Xenovia defends. "T-There's nothing wrong with a wife wanting a child! I-It's normal! What isn't normal is wanting to have a harem!"
"Well, actually a lot of people in the bible had a harem." I point out. "And considering how low the supernatural birth rates are it's not that bad of an idea. Frankly I'm in the mind of 'if you marry all of them it's fine'."
Irina's face is completely red, looking between me and the blushing Xenovia.
"So your pervert sinner friend. Have you hung out much? Tried to 'bring her into the light'? Showed her your cool lightsabers yet?"
"W-Well... we hung out s-some..." The brown haired girl mutters. "But..."
There's a frown on her lips. "I've been thinking about it for a while, but... why are you so focused on her?"
"There's a reason. But I shouldn't say it. Who knows might be listening. Nor do I want you to drive her away by being too pushy. Some people in the church want her to join, but as long as she's not hostile towards us, I don't really care."
"Hos...tile?" Irina squeaks. "But-"
Xenovia's eyes sharpen slightly. She's always quite quick on the uptake for these battle and tactical things. "I see. She has a sacred gear, then... a longinus."
A long sigh leaves my lips. "Yes. Yes. Since you've gone out and said it. Yes she does. And she's quite an important one. The red dragon empress... which is vital to the church as the White Dragon Emperor is someone named Vali Lucifer."
"What?" Xenovia whispers, stiffening.
"I'd prefer it if you wouldn't repeat what I said, nor would you try and push her into a decision." I cross my arms. "I feel that you, Irina, as her childhood friend deserves to know this."
"Even still, I would like to meet her sometime. Maybe I could convince her to be... less lewd. Though I'm kind of unsure how I'd do it." I shake my head good naturedly. "But sometimes... that's just the way people are."
"Oh! And Irina, I absolutely painted your face the moment you figured it out!" I smile brightly. "Your face is hanging on one of the walls in Sixth heaven!"
I quietly snicker behind my hand at the girl's groan. "Your look of disgust has brought me great joy and I thank you for that."
"So what were you painting, Luce?" Xenovia asks, tilting her head slightly. "Lady Gabriel said that you had another bout of divine inspiration... and this one lasted an entire month."
"Ah." I mutter. "Well, it wasn't quite a painting this time. More of a statue. But the Seraphs kind of want me to keep it on the downlow. Buuuuut it's relevant to you two! With it we'll be able to see more of each other after this and that makes me happy!"
"I'll tell you both soon..." I announce with a sole nod. "But first, why don't we go sit down and wait for Miss Griselda to return. I'd like to let her know that I'm in town."
"So, have you met the devil overseers for this town yet? What about any youkai?" I question as we walk deeper into the church.
Oh... brave saints! and this time their ability is actually sort of explained! Huzzah! now to revive his harem of church girls!
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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..."
"Wait wait wait... she really shouted 'Woah! Hot nun mommy please step on me!' The second Griselda showed up?" I question, an amused grin on my face. "Wow! What did Griselda do after? What was her face like?"
Lint quietly snickers. "Griselda almost tripped over the coffee table! The look on her face was hilarious! The sheer disappointment on it. Legendary."
"Pffft-" I snort. "I wish I could have seen it."
"So, like. What's your deal? You're all paint right now? What's that like?"
"Uh... well, this body doesn't really need to breathe, I'm just doing it because of habit... also my other body is also kind of breathing and it'd probably be bad if that stopped. Uhhh Oh. I can't feel any blood rushing through this body. It also feels relatively weaker than I am as it was designed on a past iteration of myself."
"How has your training been going?" Irina finds herself asking.
"Sariel is kind of a slave driver." I admit, shoulders slumping. "She's just so intense, y'know? And, well, I mean. It's probably a good thing. I definitely feel stronger than when I started. I've only been going for a little under a month. Tomorrow will make a month exactly. After all, there was a good four weeks there where I was indisposed."
"So, wanna fight?" Lint asks, a small glint in her eye.
"Not... particularly?" I weakly begin. "This body can't heal naturally. So any cuts and bruises I'd get would more or less remain because healing magic doesn't work on paint."
"Awww..." Lint sighs. "So... what's it like being trained by the Seraph?"
"You ever get punched through a brick wall under the guise of training?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"At least pretty much every angel ever has healing magic so meh. It's not that bad."
I blink twice, glancing over my shoulder.
"Oh. One second... Gabriel's trying to get my attention. Let me just go..."
I stand up, walk over to a nearby painting, touch it, then suddenly I'm sat within the garden I was in moments before, touching the crystal ball.
I stand, quickly making my way over to a large rectangular rift in the world.
It looks like a flat screen showing a simple room, a stunning blonde woman is stood there.
I reach out, and suddenly I am no longer in that grassy field, I blink twice, eyes flicking to my hand which is cupping one of Gabriel's breasts.
I recoil slightly. "S-Sorry!"
"Oh! Don't worry about it, Luce!" She smiles angelically. "Anyways, I'm sorry I dragged you away from your friends, but upon looking into the young Asia Argento's situation more, I've found something worrisome and I was hoping that you might have something for me."
"Yes?" I tilt my head.
The woman taps her chin. "I've noticed an uptick in holy women and saintesses being excommunicated from the church and I'd like to know if it is just a bad decade or if there's actually something going on."
"Oh I can help let me just-" I pause, lips turning downwards.
"..."
"Diodora Astaroth. He has constantly been going from church to church, cutting deals with the higherups, gets the girls excommunicated then proceeds to forcibly revive them- more often than not staging an accident where he can swoop in like a knight in shining armor... then he tortures and rapes them. Trading them out to others when he grows bored of them. He was going after Asia as well, but got spooked by Gariel's sudden appearance."
Unfortunate name, that angel. to have a name just one letter away from a Seraph. especially the 'beauty of heaven'. Gariel's a dude.
As I continue to speak, I can see Gabriel's smile fall more and more.
"So. If you can. Please deal with him. That'd be... greaaaaat. Maybe even see if you can get ALL seventeen holy maidens back... and perhaps I'll see if I can figure out a way to transform them back into humans. Or at the very least save their souls because... they're more or less husks of people now after suffering at his hands."
"I see." The woman's eyes narrow minutely. "May I have a list?"
"Got any pap-"
She hands me a clipboard and a pen, allowing me to quickly jot down the numerous names.
She looks over the list, glaring at a few names. "I see. Thank you Luce~ I'll let you get back to your friends, then."
"Thank you! Please obliterate Diodora for me!" I reply with a bright smile that rapidly dies. "Merely... knowing... what he has been doing has left me feeling unclean."
I reach out and step back into the painting, walking back over to the gazebo with a crystal ball, and placing my hand back upon it as I take my seat back in the comfy chair I had painted.
Suddenly I'm within another painting, this one of the last supper.
I turn and promptly step out of it, stopping right in front of the trio of girls who were looking inquisitively at the painting.
"Sorry about that. Anyways. If you three ever see a blue haired devil guy named Diodora Astaroth creeping around, keep him away from Asia."
"Is this an order from Seraph Gabriel?" Irina gasps.
"Well, technically no... it's an order from me... as Gabriel's currently dealing with an issue involving said devil. Don't kill him. That'd cause us to lose the leverage we have over the devils. But if he's around, don't let him try and..." I rotate my wrist. "Tempt anybody. His words are hollow, and he would only want her so he could taint her innocence."
Xenovia's eyes narrow. "I see."
I notice the doors on the far side of the room creak open. "Xenovia. Irina. Lint."
Griselda quarta steps into the room, arms holding paper bags of groceries, at her side is a blonde girl who looks mildly frazzled and a white haired girl.
"Luce?!" The nun flinches back.
"Hey hey!" I wave. "How's it going."
"Are- are you supposed to be here?!"
"Well... technically speaking... I'm NOT here. This is just a body double made of paint that I'm manipulating from heaven." I gesture to myself. "So on that note. If anything dangerous ever happens here, please sacrifice this painted form without hesitation. It'll be back at no additional cost in two to eight days."
"Also! Hello, Miss Argento!" I smile brightly as I quickly step over and lift the bags she's carrying out of her hands.
"M-Mr Angel!" The girl gasps "Y-You don't need to help, I-I've got it!"
"Nonsense. I like helping people." I remark. "It's wonderful to finally meet you."
I help take their groceries into the kitchen as Griselda looks over to Irina, Lint, and Xenovia.
"I have something important to tell you."
"Yes?" Xenovia blinks.
"You are going to be meeting with the two devil overseers of this town to announce your presence. This is to ensure that there's no... complications in the future."
Xenovia seems displeased by this knowledge, letting out a low whine. "Do we have to?"
"Yes." Griselda deadpans. "It is important for your future as exorcists to know how to deal with devils."
"I DO know how to deal with them... Durandal." The blue haired girl grumbles under her breath.
"No. You need to learn how to not cause a political incident." Griselda frowns, crossing her arms. "There are times when violence isn't the answer, Xenovia. This is one of these times."
"Xenovia. You need to understand that most devils are just... people... their society is... quite ancient in how it is designed. With nobility, clans, and houses." I begin, walking around her. "The vast majority of contact we have with the devil race- aside from the strays who have killed or abandoned their masters- are these devil nobility... that is the issue. Being in a noble house gives them this... pride... this arrogance."
"Some devil nobility... are GENUINELY the worst. Others, like the two we will be meeting today, are quite nice. Rias Gremory treats her peerage members like family, while some other devil nobility treat them like simple servants or slaves. Sona Sitri is similar, a bit harsher on her peerage, perhaps, but in the manner that Griselda is harsh on you at times. Tough love. She still deeply cares for her peerage and seeks what's best for them."
"Now. Xenovia. When we get there. The peerage of Rias' is probably going to have some... snappy remarks at us. The boy among them. Isaiah. Though he has changed his name. Do not rise to his provocations... he... loathes the church. Hates it. But for a very good reason."
"Why would he hate the church?!" Irina frowns.
"Oh. The church experimented on him then proceeded to execute all but one of his friends-"
"W-WHAT?!" The brown haired girl shrieks.
"-who only survived because her locked sacred gear promptly awakened then balance broke thus locking her in stasis. Isaiah also died shortly after from the poison they used in the gas chamber, but he came across Rias Gremory shortly before that, thus she revived him."
"That- that couldn't-" Xenovia sputters.
Griselda lets out a quiet sigh, grimacing.
"Holy Sword Project. It was done to try and figure out a method to produce people who could wield Excalibur. The sick thing is, the church only excommunicated the man who did it... by all means he should have been executed for his crimes, but no. We just simply sent him into our enemies' hands." I frown. "So. Should he say anything. Do not rise to the comment. Please just... allow me to do the talking, okay?"
"Wait... you're going as well?" Irina mutters.
"Well, I'm going to be here pretty often. It'd probably be for the best that they know who I am so nobody jumps the shark."
Heheh this is going to be GREAT!
I make my way up to a large decrepit looking school building. It frankly looks haunted. My eyes briefly stray to my friends, Irina doesn't look very enthused to meet devils, Xenovia has a frown on her lips.
After a moment, two women open the schoolhouse's double doors. The first a black haired girl with purple eyes, long black hair tied up into a ponytail with an orange ribbon. The next is a second black haired girl, however this one leaves her hair down, she also wears glasses and has heterochromia.
Spoiler
Spoiler
They both wear school uniforms, black shirts, white blouses, and purple skirts.
"Please come with us." The glasses wearing one slowly begins. "We will take you to our ladies."
"Okay~" I hum, folding my arms behind my head as I follow after the two.
"So, like... what's it like being devils?" I ponder. "I heard you've got magic based off imagination. Can you do a bunch of cool stuff like 'I imagine my power is doubled' or is it only boring stuff like 'I imagine that I'm shooting a ball of fire at someone'?"
"..."
"..."
"Haah. This is going to be a long day." I sigh.
"I am not looking to fraternize with the church." The girl with her hair tied up in a ponytail scoffs.
"Shame. Life would be a lot better if we could all just be friends. But I can understand why you'd be disgusted by the church. Crusades. Sick experiments. Heck, even I myself don't have the best experience. Did you know I spent the first fourteen years of my life being berated and demeaned by a priest of the church? 'oh. Don't paint Luce. Art is the work of the devil'. 'you filthy brat, Luce, I never should have taken you in'. 'how dare you save that nun's life by killing that stray devil'. It was always such a thing... eugh. Maybe I have issues."
"Oh, and I was maybe paraphrasing a bit there, but I was being totally truthful. You could not believe the number of times I've had bibles thrown at my head." I hum as we continue walking. "Oh. I've got another question. Do reincarnated devils grow additional pairs of wings as they grow stronger?"
The other girl who was gazing at me calculatingly speaks up. "No. We do not."
"Laaame." I sigh.
"Lord Ajuka Beelzebub made it this way intentionally. The only devils who have additional pairs of wings would be the descendants of the original satans."
"..."
"Huh. So even when Lucifer made the devils he wanted to demean them. That sucks. You'd think that a guy making an entire race to spite the angels would have put in a little effort. I put tons of effort into the things I make for spite."
My chatterbox-like self and cheerful persona has almost immediately caught them off guard.
Irina is looking at me with surprise, Xenovia is giving me a contemplative stare, Lint is grinning likely seeing me do this as an attempt to annoy these two, Sagume is silently pondering, and Asia tilts her head cutely.
"Oh hey. Spooky door." I note as we pass by a door blocked off by police tape.
"We're here." The glasses wearing girl announces.
"Oh! Thank you! You know, I never actually got your names?"
"You don't need it." The unnamed Akeno frowns.
"Tsubaki."
"I see! Thank you, Miss 'You don't need it', Miss Tsubaki." I smile as the door opens.
Within are several people. The more notable of which being the gorgeous red head and the black haired girl with purple glasses. They sit in the center of the room, on a large sofa. Around the room are several others. A small white haired girl, a tall white haired girl, a blue haired girl, and a blonde boy who is glaring hatefully.
"Hey! Xenovia look!" I gesture to the blue haired girl. "It's your devil doppelganger. Isn't this fun?"
Spoiler
"..."
"Nooo?" She quietly states, idly wondering if that was a rhetorical question that she shouldn't be answering.
"I thought there was only supposed to be five of you." The red haired woman sniffs.
"Oh. I apologize." I smile brightly. "I kind of dropped in unannounced. I'm technically not supposed to be here, but I'll be around so I thought it'd be prudent to meet you all to avoid any misunderstandings as I will be here occasionally. Now I have something vitally important to say."
I turn to the only boy amongst them and bow my head. "Isaiah. I'm sorry. The church has done something truly monstrous to you. We... we failed you. I am sorry that you had to suffer... that never should have happened to you."
"Sorry won't bring my family back." He growls.
"It will not." Sigh. "However... all thirty one children who died that day are in heaven now. I sought them out. Here. They've written to you. Oh. And Tosca Lived. She had a sacred gear that entered balance breaker and locked her in stasis... we are still waiting for it to end even after healing her."
"Wh-" He flinches back. "What is."
With a bored wave of my hand, the sealed envelopes flutter down onto a large table.
Sona's eyes narrow slightly, Rias' eyes widen.
"Heaven?" Sona frowns.
"Oh! How terribly rude of me. Hello! My name is Luce! I don't really have a last name. My family doesn't exactly do those."
*Vmm*
My halo appears above my head. "I'm an angel. like... from the bible."
I gesture to the five girls behind me. "This is Asia Argento, Irina Shidou, Xenovia Quarta, Lint Sellzen, and Sagume Kishin. Human, Human, Human, Sigurd Descendant, Miricle Child."
"Why is... an angel here?"
"Oh! I was cast out of heaven because my mother fell during child birth. Turns out I have talent and they wanted me back." I wave off. "I've been to heaven recently. It's... really white. Oh, except Second Heaven which is sort of a black void- but- BUT- it's got a bunch of stars... it's really beautiful. Like what you'd be able to see in the night sky with no light pollution."
"So, who are you? Out of politeness sake, at least."
The red haired girl seems to cup her chin.
"I am Sona Sitri." The glasses wearing devil begins, gesturing to the black haired woman who had crossed the room and stopped behind her.
Spoiler
"This is my queen, Tsubaki Shinra. My rook, Tsubasa Yura, and my bishop, Momo Hanakai."
The redhead takes this time to speak. "My name is Rias Gremory, Heiress to the clan Gremory. This is my queen, Akeno Himejima, my knight, Yuuto Kiba, and my rook, Koneko Toujou."
Spoiler
"And if you hate heaven and the church so much, I have some spare pieces? Would you mind-"
"Rias!" Sona hisses, elbowing the red haired girl.
Xenovia opens her mouth, I wordlessly reach over as she does so and place my hand on her chin, closing it before she can say anything truly damning.
"As generous and kind as that offer is- and I do truly mean this, if I had to pick any devil to become a peerage member of, it'd be you as you truly love and care for your pieces- but I am quite happy with where I am right now. So I will have to decline. Also. Please do not put words in my mouth."
"Hate... hrm. No. I suppose I do hate the corruption of the church. But I don't hate heaven." I shake my head. "Mild dislike at how they have allowed the church to run out of control, yes, but not hate."
"A-ny-waaays. It's a pleasure to meet you all. It is my hope that we can keep the peace between our sides. So. I believe we should talk about how we handle external threats to our little town. Should we set boundaries? Like 'this side of the town is ours, this side is yours'? Hm... that won't work. The others need to go to school. And Kuoh only has one school, which you all seem keen on remaining at."
"Communication is needed." Sona speaks, a serious frown on her lips as she steeples her hands in front of her face, glaring at Rias in the corner of her eye, silently relieved that they seemed to have dodged a bullet.
"Oh, of course." I agree. "This is neutral territory. Communication is needed so we aren't always at each other's throats. The previous overseers of this town had a good working relationship... at least until your great king faction and the church's higherups saw that peace was being achieved and they preferred the normal cold war status quo, and they put a stop to it."
"I'm going to be completely and totally honest here." I continue as I point to the blue haired girl. "Xenovia hates you all."
Rias sputters.
Xenovia nods slowly, a satisfied smirk on her lips.
"And I can tell, in some ways, the hate is mutual." I continue with a long sigh. "However... I don't hate you. I don't think Asia could bring herself to hate anything. And, well... I think Lint kind of just wants to fight you."
"Hells yeah!" The girl confirms.
"It is my hope... that we can move beyond our prejudices and work together. This goes... for us..."
I turn, giving Xenovia a half-lidded stare.
Then I look back to the devils. "And for yours as well."
"So now I believe we should hash out the finer details of our tense truce."
"I can't believe her!" Xenovia growls. "The audacity! To ask an angel of the lord to become a devil!"
"Meh. I don't really care." I shrug. "I was being truthful. If I was ever going to join a devil, it'd probably be Rias Gremory. You could see how her peerage really cares for her."
After speaking for around an hour on procedure, we left, Asua and Sagume heading back to the church while the rest of us decide to go visit Irina's friend.
Xenovia still quietly fuming over Rias asking me if I wanted to join her peerage.
From what I could hear as we left the building, Sona was really giving her an earful. Shouting about 'tense peace' and 'potential wars'.
I kind of feel bad, honestly. But eh. Rias is honestly lucky she got me instead of some other angel who'd actually be offended... or just Irina, Xenovia, and Lint.
"I don't think an angel of the lord should ever say they're considering becoming a devil!" Irina gasps. "Even if the church hasn't been the best to you!"
"Oh, I never said I was considering it. Just. it was the best option among devil peerages. Which is a correct statement. The girl's kind of a pushover as long as you agree to watch anime with her."
"How... do you know this?" Lint blinks twice.
"I know a lot of things, Linty~" I smile brightly.
"Don't call me that." She deadpans.
"So, what do you know?" Irina questions.
"I know that Miss Sitri is not going to mention me to her sister despite the fact that I said 'Say hi to your sister for me' before we left." I shrug.
"Anything that's... I don't know... actually important?" Lint continues.
"I know there's four fallen angels in town." I shrug. "They've been here since before you all showed up."
"We should destroy them." Xenovia nods sagely before pausing. "Unless... are these... good fallen or bad fallen?"
I'm... genuinely shocked that she paused to ask that. Plus there's the fact that she's no longer grouping them under the same banner.
A warm smile crosses my lips.
Ah... Xenovia's growing up.
Or merely learning how to not be as blunt as a hammer.
I'm being a positive influence... good.
"Two among them are original fallen, one's about four hundred years old, and the final one is sixteen." I blandly announce.
"So..." Xenovia mutters under her breath, the cogs in her head turning. "The... sixteen year old is... salvageable?"
"Age doesn't denote kindness or purity, Xenovia. But in this case, it does... but don't use the word 'Salvageable'. It's terrible impolite. Please use 'Redeemed' or 'Saved'. Saved is good. Like a human accepting the holy spirit into their hearts before being baptized." I clasp my hands together with a bright smile.
"So... we should... crush the others and save the youngest?" The blue haired girl decides, causing me to let out a long sigh.
"The fact you are asking this is already an improvement from how you were almost a year ago."
There's a tinge of red on her cheeks as I decide to move on. "So. Blue haired girl... 'Tsubasa Yura'. She really looked quite a lot like Xenovia, right?"
"She doesn't!" Xenovia instantly protests.
"Mnn. I don't know." Irina comments. "The hair's kind of off a few shades."
"No no. I see it." Lint cuts in. "Both have blue hair styled in roughly the same way, that girl was a 'Rook', so they have increased strength, right? And Xenovia's Physically the strongest out of all of us."
"No! Her hair is TEAL. Mine is ROYAL BLUE!" Xenovia exclaims.
"They seem to be pretty close in age." I agree with a small grin as the three of us light-heartedly bully the wielder of Durandal. "Think they might be twins?"
"W-We look nothing alike!" Xenovia protests.
"Hrm... Maybe Cousins?" Irina tilts her head.
"Xenovia's clearly a clone of that girl created by the church to mirror the peerage of some random heiress devil."
"If anything, I'm the original!" Xenovia growls.
"Oh! We're here!" Irina suddenly points.
A brown-haired girl is sitting on the steps of her house, looking quite bored.
Spoiler
Upon hearing voices she looks up. "Irina?! WOAH! He's cute!"
I smile brightly.
"I wonder what he'd look like without a shirt." She drools.
My eyebrow twitches slightly. "Like this?"
I raise my shirt, showing off my stomach for a split second before allowing my shirt to fall.
Blood shoots from the girl's nose, a goofy grin on her face as she flops backwards, eyes rolling black.
She... uh...
Just came?
"Wait! Do it again!" Xenovia demands. "I wasn't looking."
"What the hell is WRONG with you two!"
"W-Well-" Xenovia sputters.
"Nudity wouldn't be a sin if Eve didn't eat that apple." I smile brightly.
"EXACTLY!" Xenovia leaps upon my excuse. "I blame women!"
I begin cackling.
Ah... Xenovia... what a treat you are.
So we finally meet Sona and Rias! I wonder how Serafall is going to take this?
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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..."
A low breath leaves my lips as I sag on the couch. Meeting Rias and Sona was frankly exhausting then there was... her...
I swear that girl is like the embodiment of lust. What is even her deal?
I might have enabled her by lifting my shirt slightly, but what sort of freak asks a guy about their dick length point blank... and why was Xenovia so interested?!
Well, I mean, I know why. But STILL!
"Luce~" Gabriel practically flings herself at me, wrapping me in a hug.
"Oh, hello Gabriel!" I smile brightly as she rubs her face against my cheek. "Long day?"
"Mhm." The woman sighs. "I spent all day collecting evidence."
"Oh. The Diodora thing?" I asks.
"Yes." She frowns. "I have scheduled a meeting with Serafall soon. We will get these girls back."
"What do you plan on doing with them?" I ask.
The woman is silent for a long moment.
"There are ways to remove a devil's evil piece and save their souls. There was quite a large disturbance a few years ago when the Boundary Youkai broke into hell, whisked away every single youkai that had been taken from their homes, then turned them back into pure youkai... but she isn't on... very good terms with the church and by extension heaven."
"Heaven has a method as well, however... it... would result in their death... but their souls will be saved. They will go to third heaven where all the other deceased humans reside. So... I'm asking you this, but... do... do you think they'd prefer to be dead after all they suffered through?"
"..."
"There are probably ways that I could get around that. I'd need to think on that. I'm not sure if I should waste my power on it when it could mess up."
The woman lets out a hum of acknowledgement as we fall into silence.
"So, did you have fun with your friends?" She questions
"Oh! Yes I did." I nod once. "I also met Serafall's sister... that was an experience."
"Well, actually she was entirely professional. Very serious. It was the Gremory girl that really whipped Xenovia up into a frenzy as she asked me if I wanted to join her peerage."
"..." Gabriel's eyes sharpen slightly "A devil... asked a pure blooded angel if they'd want to become a devil..."
"Well, I did comment on how I spent the first fourteen years of my life being berated and abused by the church to calm Isaiah." I shrug.
"Oh! Right... the second survivor of... that..." The woman frowns for a moment, eyes narrowing before brightening up. "How is he?"
"He's doing a lot better. He's with friends who care for him. The main thing is that he kind of pushed aside his own problems and was seconds away from making an excuse to attack us. the letters I gave him calmed him down a little bit. I pray that he is able to work through his demons."
"Yes. I as well." Gabriel nods twice. "A terrible thing was done to him."
"One that was caused by the church." I deadpan.
"..."
"Not to sound like a broken record, Gabriel, but things need to be done before they stab us in the back~" I smile brightly. "I asked myself a question a while back. 'Would the church in its current state rebel against heaven should we make peace with the fallen and devils?'. And do you want to know what I got back?"
"Half." I glare. "Half of them."
"Two thirds if we have to make any large concessions to them, such as handing over one of our holy relics or allowing them to freely make deals in the towns around our most important locations." I cross my arms. "But even if we make perfect peace. As in, we ensure the devils no longer revive humans without consent, and we deal with the... problematic... devils and fallen angels, still thirty percent would rebel. Not because 'we are betraying them by allying with the race which has caused so much suffering', but because 'they are trying to stop us from killing devils'."
She wilts under my stare.
"Luce... we need to be careful about these things." She sighs.
"We NEEDED to be careful about these things." I correct. "I'm here now. We have my paintings. The Flugel, and most importantly the Brave Saints."
A weary sigh leaves my lips as I cross my arms. "I still need to show you the abilities of Flonne..."
"As for brave saints... should... I revive my friends?" I question. "I am aware that Heaven wants to keep the knowledge of Brave Saints a secret for a time. Would me reviving Xenovia, Irina, and the others reveal our hand too soon?"
"I am not sure." The seraph admits. "Kuoh is going to be... closely watched by the devils as the little siblings of two of the four satans reside there. There are no shortage of devils who would see an angel outside of heaven and would target them simply out of spite. Most amongst the old satan faction, but I have no doubts that there are a few within the new government."
"That's true. Very well. I'll wait until they return from their mission."
"But then again, Sariel and the others have already begun seeking out members for their suits." She cocks her head to the side. "I believe she spoke about getting the wielder of annihilation maker before the church can twist him to their views. There has been talks of making Dulio a Joker as well."
"But on the topic of brave saints." The woman begins slowly. "You mentioned some more aspects to our Brave Saints and Michael and the others were curious. You didn't really mention them after you finished talking about the 'poker' thing..."
"Oh. I was trying to be mysterious like Ajuka was. Buuuut I suppose I could tell you a bit more. First off, it can revive the recently deceased like evil pieces can, the limit is about thirty minutes. Sometimes more. Sometimes less. Next, some of the powers that work while you aren't a part of a 'deck', firstly High-Card still functions. Allowing it to be extended over your entire suit. It may only be five percent of the strongest, but for ace and Joker cards, five percent might bring low class up to high class, or high class to ultimate class. Considering that you are also part of the suit, all of your cards would at the very least have five percent of a seraph's strength added onto their own."
"Then, there's the whole 'reincarnate into an angel' thing. They're given the ability to manipulate holy light, heal, gain more wings as they grow stronger... you know, classic angel things. Then there's a special quality called 'Blackjack' where if you use a number of cards adding up to twenty-one, they can all combine their magical power and strength in order to use more powerful magic, be it shielding, attacking, healing, or some sort of enhancement magic.
"An example of this would be using a ten, a nine, and a two. Or a three, five, Ace, and two. Aces in Blackjack are counted as either one or eleven, whichever is more convenient, while Queens, Jacks, and even you as the king all count as ten."
"Oh! That's interesting! So their strength is added together? That could be really useful!" The woman beams. "Is there anything random about it like with the Deck ability?"
"Nope. You can just pick and choose when you activate it and which cards are included. I could have made it randomly select one of your cards, but then I'd be forced to add a 'bust' effect which would... not be good. Weakening you and your allies if you went over twenty one." I cross my arms, letting out a small sigh. "The power would have been greatly increased had I used the 'random' blackjack, but the cost was too great. I didn't think the twenty-one times boost to the magic's potency on a perfect twenty one was worth the forty percent weakness if you ever went above it."
"Though, it was worthy of note that you could have activated Blackjack when you weren't on a perfect twenty-one, as long as you were lower than that number. With the power of the magic increasing the closer you got to twenty-one. But it wasn't much. A times five for twenty and it only went down from there. In fact, fourteen and below it actually would have been weaker than it is now." Her hands begin to brush through my hair as I continue to speak, I lean into her touch, eyes closing.
"You made a good decision, Luce." The woman soothes. "It would have been a double-edged sword. It would have likely gotten many good men and women slain if they accidentally went over. Like this we have much more control now. We can designate groups to power barriers, others to attack. Is there anything else of note?"
"I may have messed around with the 'luck' of the draws somewhat. If your in a fight for morally good reasons, you both have faith in yourselves and the stakes are high, the better chance you get to gain better hands with the 'deck ability'. I like to call this ability 'heart of the cards'."
"Then... there is... uh... one more thing." I admit slowly. "Buuuut... you'll probably get a little mad at me."
The stunning woman blinks twice, tilting her head slightly. "Oh? Why?"
"Have... you ever heard of strip-poker?" I weakly begin, peering over to the woman.
Her face falls flat, a small disappointed frown on her lips. "Luce..."
"No! No hear me out. That just makes it sound worse than it is!" I protest.
"..."
"Well?" She questions.
"In strip poker, when you lose a hand, you are required to take off a piece of clothing." Her stare intensifies, a disapproving frown slowly worming its way across her lips.
"SO- in... kind of... accordance with those rules... shaped by human belief... I added a... kind of hidden effect to the cards... if someone within a heavenly suit takes a lethal blow..."
Her eyes widen as she rockets to her feet, her eyes sparkle brightly. "Wh- if they take a lethal blow it will only extend to their clothes?!"
"Ah... with some caveats." I continue weakly. "Each suit angel- and I suppose even us as we are technically 'kings' is given three additional lives. Shirt. Pants. Underwear. Now, let me just preface this by saying that these 'lives' aren't all-powerful. Some attacks- should they be strong enough- might take more than one life. They might even cut through all the lives and just kill you flat out. The 'Life' of someone is more or less calculated by what their body could take. So a full powered magical blast of a high-class devil may take two lives from a low-class angel, but against you, it wouldn't even make a dent even if you left yourself completely unguarded."
I rotate my hand. "It's just... a little insurance to protect our reincarnated angels. But it comes at a certain perverted cost."
"What happens when someone loses these lives?" Gabriel asks, eyes full of light. She seems quite pleased with the new power I revealed.
"Ah, they'd need to wait at least a week before they regain a 'life', but they'll eventually come back... and they can put clothes back on at any point they want, even if they don't have spare lives so it's not like they're required to be nude if they lose all their extra lives." I shrug. "You're not... mad?"
"Hm? No! It's Better to be naked than dead!" She grins, hovering off the ground briefly, her hands coming to her heart. "It brings me so much joy that our new angels will have a modicum of protection against the cruelty of this world. It may be a bit... indecent. However! When father created humanity... we were all there... we all saw how human imagination shaped with world... giving power to deities... creating youkai. Making use of this trait is something that most races strive for! But doing so will inevitably have some... rules... to it. We angels didn't used to look like this. We had... ah... unique appearances."
"Biblically accurate?" I question.
"Indeed! But some of us took a human form, and the more we spoke to humans the more rumors spread. Thus over time all of the angels became more and more like we are today. Human imagination can shape many things. It's why you see most female youkai take a human-like form while the males have a more bestial body type."
"It was a brilliant idea to use human imagination this way!" The woman beams.
I scratch the back of my head under her praise.
"Well... I'm going to go paint, I guess." I mutter.
"Guuah-" I grunt, sliding across the floor.
"Good, good. You're really getting it." The woman in front of me smiles.
My slash with a blade of light is parried, a swipe from her own weapon burning my skin even through my own light resistance.
I'm losing...
Well, of course I'm losing. My opponent is the freaking angel of DEATH!
An upward swipe is knocked aside. A stab is parried, a fist rockets towards my face-
I turn, hand coming up as I let go of my weapon as I feel mythic power surging throughout my body. My speed increases, light explodes around my knuckles as my fist meets her own offhanded punch. 'Holy... SEAL!'
*CRACK*
her eyes widen, her fist is shoved back. She stumbles slightly, but in that moment of surprise she made one critical error.
*Vmmm*
My light blade struck true in that time.
Her eyes remain wide in shock, my light sword sticking out of her throat.
"..."
Well, resting against her throat. Buzzing and hissing angrily as it tries to get over her sheer resistance- or immunity- to light.
"What-" she whispers, reaching up and grasping my light sword.
She pulls it back, the blade lengthening as it is pulled 'out' of her neck.
She clenches her fist, causing the spear to disappear into motes of light.
"That- What was that?" She whispers.
"Hah! I finally won!" I cheer, fists pumping.
The Thirteenth Seraph: {Ongoing Quest}
Current weeks of Training: 6
Special Objectives:
One Month of Training: [x]
Three Months of Training: [ ]
Six Months of Training: [ ]
One Year of Training: [ ]
Defeat one of the Seraph in combat: [x]
Defeat one of the Great Seraph in combat: [x]
Rewards:
1000 Experience per week of training. (6000 Total)
Bonus Reward 1:
20,000 Experience, Weapon Specialization Feat (Longsword) +2 to physical stats lower than 25, +5 to Maximum Mp Pool
Bonus Reward 5:
80,000 Experience, 'Heaven's Next Generation' Achievement, +1 'Mythic Trial'.
Bonus Reward 6:
150,000 Experience, An Additional Pair of Wings, +3 Mythic Trials,
Energy wells up inside of me, my eyes widening slightly.
It surges higher and higher.
You Have Leveled Up
You Have Leveled Up
You Have Leveled Up
Three level-ups in an instant... and yet...
You have unlocked an additional pair of wings upon reaching level 12.
Two wings appear on my back.
Delaying Quest Reward, 'Additional Pair of Wings' to prevent excess suspicion.
You have ascended to Mythic Rank 6
Heaven's Next Generation:
Well, you beat one of the Seraph. Even if it was a bit of a cheap shot and she wasn't trying her hardest. Regardless, the insurmountable seraph, who heaven places all of their faith in, if you managed to beat one, surely you must be one. Or at the very least WILL be one quite soon.
+10 to all social checks with those aligned with Heaven (Bluff, Intimidate, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Etc~)
My hands quiver briefly as I stand there rooted in shock.
"-ce"
"Luce." A hand is placed on my shoulder snapping me out of my stupor. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah... I just... I think I just had an epiphany."
All of this was calculated. I hid my mythic spellcasting ability to land one singular 'killing' blow on the seraph, using her instant of surprise to technically complete my quest's bonus objectives.
I did similar to Xenovia when we fought... yet this time instead of sand, I just hit her with arguably the most powerful holy spell I've ever seen.
I mean, clearly. My light spear just kind of sizzled on her, but my 'Justice Bolt' actually caused her to recoil for a moment.
"Are you okay? You're zoning out again." The woman crouches down slightly, a look of concern on her face.
"O-Oh! Sorry... I'm just thinking about my new capabilities." I admit as I scratch the back of my head.
A quest has been completed!
"Can... uh... Can I go back to Gabriel's now? I think I need some time to re-evaluate myself."