บท 6: Wanderer, Sympathetic
Well. That happened. I think I'm gonna just stay here for a few minutes. I don't think I can feel my pelvis. Ah, wait.
980HP!
Huh, I was right. She dislocated my hip. I'm surprised I didn't notice until now, but then again it was quite difficult to pay attention to anything else but her. A shame she's disappeared so quickly.
[Congratulations User! I Think!]
Yeah, thanks Anya, I'm glad you're proud of me getting dry-humped into the ground.
[Oh no, I hated watching that! But, you did complete a quest, so it's all good!]
I'm gonna have to tuck away that information for later. My System is now oddly possessive and a gambling addict. At least it's easily distracted.
Companion Quest Complete: Gone like the wind.
Rewards:
500EXP (Level Up x6!)
2 Interdimensional Gacha Pulls
Prerequisite for Quest: (Laboratory visit)
1 Skill Token
Pretty damn fine rewards. All things considered, today has been an incredibly good day for growth, though the fact that Serafall knows so much now is quite concerning.
I've got no doubt that she'll tell her fellow Generals that she's found something amazing. She already told Ajuka about Caduceus, and that's nothing special compared to the speed at which I've grown my power.
I imagine quite soon after my time at house Lucifuge I'll be sent to the frontlines, not only to test my growth but also to harvest the gains I can bring the army. Not that I'll be complaining. After all, being directly on the battlefield means more EXP, more renown. It's the biggest boon they can give.
Alright, time to get to work. Now is a better time than any to start building more power. And besides, the stronger I get, the closer I get to her.
Name: Luocha
Level: 28 (40/70EXP)
HP: 1266
MP: 423
STR: 12
AGI: 15
INT: 11
VIT: 13
LUK: 10
That should be more than fine. I should definitely invest in AGI a bit more, but the spread is good enough as it is. 1 STR, AGI and INT from training, 3 points in AGI, 2 in VIT, 1 In LUK.
15 AGI Intrinsic Skill Unlock:
New Skill: Stamina Conversion (As long as user has over 50% HP remaining, Stamina will not run out.)
Good. I was worried when I didn't notice a specific Stamina bar or stat, but it seems it scales with AGI. The skill itself is also extremely useful, given how often I can keep myself at full HP with the Circle of Life and my Sigil.
In fact... I could fight endlessly with this. As long as I can get a hit in, even a scratch, I can heal myself with the Circle. Death Wish increases my damage through Blight, and Conversion means I won't tire mid-fight.
I only get stronger as the battle goes on.
Sensational. Utterly sensational. If I take into account my Level 40 reward, then I could single handedly turn the tide of a battle through sheer healing output.
Level 40 Reward: [Locked!] Skill Augment: Circle of Life now moderately heals those the User deems allies. Circle radius can be extended by 5 meters at will, gaining an extra meter per level. Current radius: 15m.
This. This single augment could change everything. I could cover an entire battlefield if I reach a high enough level, it would be damn near impossible for anyone near me to die. Now then, the Gacha pulls and the Skill Token, more importantly the new Skill.
Skill Token Used! New Skill: Create Water (User can create water. 1MP/50ML)
Not terrible, I suppose? I can think of a few uses for it, at least, but I doubt it'll be winning me any fights in the future.
Gacha Pull Used! Reward: Expired Coupon.
Gacha Pull Used! Reward: Guide on forging a signature.
Gacha Pull Used! Reward: Erza Scarlet's underwear.
Gacha Pull Used! Reward: Yu-Gi-Oh cards.
Gacha Pull Used! Reward: Cowboy Hat.
Gacha Pull Used! Reward: Kyoka Suigetsu.
Huh? HUH!? No way. No fucking way. This can't be the actual thing, it's gotta be some replica made of wood, right?
Kyoka Suigetsu:
The legendary Shikai wielded by Aizen-sama, one of the most powerful swords in the Bleach universe despite never even seeing it's Bankai. Requires Intrinsic Race Trait of a Shinigami to use.
I'd sat up in shock upon seeing the Gacha Pull, but now I just let my body fall back to the grass and resist the urge to scream. Anya, is there any way to change my Race?
[Nope!]
Great. I've got a useless hunk of metal in my inventory now. I don't even want to think about what other junk is clogging my inventory, the further I stay from Erza's underwear the better.
Now then. I've got a few hours left until the maids call me back inside for dinner. There's nothing better to do right now than try to practice a bit more with magic.
The main thing I want to be able to do by the days end, is mimic Vergil's Summoned Swords. Mainly because I can, but also because they're useful. Whether it be for ranged attacks to heal myself in the Circle, or even just to defend myself against close-range fighters.
I don't expect to have the same level of skill and finesse as Vergil, I'll need a lot of practice to get that. All I want is one Summoned Sword to hit a target. Luckily, magic constructs aren't affected much by gravity. As long as they're fast, I'm fine. I don't need them to do large amounts of damage. Anything else can come later.
The first attempt ends with complete failure. I try to manifest the sword just above my shoulder, and watch as the expended Mana melts away, the contruct not even taking full shape.
-5MP!
Fine then. Can't win them all. Second attempt, the construct at least forms this time, only because I held my hand out to focus the Mana expenditure a little better.
Shooting the sword is another problem entirely. When I try to throw it forward, it limply travels a few meters, then flops to the floor. Trial and error. Clearly, I hadn't invested enough Mana into it.
-10MP!
I'll try a bit more MP this time, make the construct a bit more stable and try to focus on speed as much as possible. Just to be sure, I clench my palm around the Abyss Flower Icon while I focus the spell. It's the closest thing I've got to a lucky charm in this world.
-40MP!
The summoned sword lands in the trunk of a nearby tree with the most satisfying 'thunk' I think I've ever heard in my life. The MP cost should go down the more I train with magic, but for now this is fine.
The aiming on the other hand is a slight issue. My target wasn't the tree, it wasn't even close. I've missed by about 4 meters, though that doesn't stop the cry of triumph I let out.
One step closer. Everything takes time. The sheer amount of possibilities Devil Magic offers is endless.
------------------------------------
Dinner is at first a rather... awkward affair. There's a few long moments spent in silence while Serafall just stares at me, smugness radiating from her form. It takes a little bit, but after some time spent enjoying my meal I finally speak up.
"Do you always do that to strangers you meet on the roadside?" I couldn't think of anything else to say, and for a second I think she's taken it as an insult, but then she giggles and waves her hand.
"Only if they're as special as you are. Though, come to think of it you are right. We're still practically strangers." She leans in forward slightly, resting her cheek atop her fist and waving her knife in the air as she speak.
"Tell me a little about yourself, Luocha. Then, I'll do the same. Deal?" I suppose it wouldn't hurt to get to know her better. Chances are I'll be spending a long, long time in this world and she's the closest thing I've got to a friend, sad as it is to say.
"Hm. I've not been a Devil for very long. I'm only 23 years old. I don't know much about Devil culture. And... I actually wanted to be a singer when I was young, not a doctor." She snorts slightly.
"Yeah, you certainly sung for me this morning." I try everything in my power to stop my face from heating up, but it fails.
"That aside... I suppose I'll continue by saying that Luocha isn't my real name. Hell, I don't even remember my name. Luocha is a title just as much as it is a name." She blinks in surprise.
"Wait, really?" The waving of her knife stops for a moment. I'm a bit surprised at her astonishment, to be honest.
"I'd have expected you to know. Luocha is a type of Demon in Buddhism, the kind that preys on monks and invades monasteries."
She tilts her head for a moment, before getting another slice of meat on her fork and chewing with her mouth open as she speaks. This woman is a bloody animal.
"Well, I'm not the most well versed on Buddhist terminology, my expertise is in the Abrahamic." She hums in thought for a moment before deciding to continue.
"Ahem. My name is Serafall Sitri, I'm only 81 years old, and I love reading!" I'm a little shocked that she likes reading, but I suppose such things like Anime haven't quite become mainstream in Devil society. The Underworld Renaissance doesn't happen until after the war.
"Hm. You sound just like a schoolgirl." She actually pouts. I never thought she'd make such an expression. This woman would have killed me not two days ago and now she's pouting at the dinner table. Ignoring her pout, I ask another question.
"You want me to grow strong, yes? So then I'll ask, how did you get so strong? How did you even get involved in this war? What did you do before it?" She turns oddly somber. The good mood dies almost immediately. My eagerness to know her better shone a bit much, but she doesn't care.
"After the Great War ended, the Underworld was left scarred. My father would tell me time and time again, just how horrible all the fighting was to see. So, I decided I'd never let another Great War happen. I studied to be a Diplomat." She takes a sip from a goblet next to her, looking into the water momentarily.
"There wasn't a course at the Academy for inter-faction relations. The War was too fresh on people's minds to even consider it. So, I settled for second best and studied Abrahamic History. I wouldn't let it deter me from trying to help the world." She's a much better person than I'd anticipated.
"It was a lofty goal. But, it was one I chased wholeheartedly. I spent years of my life studying their histories, their traditions, their mythologies. I even tried to read a bit of the Bible, though that never worked out well." Her voice turns slightly somber, her eyes elsewhere entirely.
"Of course, I was training all the time too. My mother and father didn't want me to suffer tragedy like they had, but that didn't mean I'd be left unprepared. When my mutated Clan Trait first manifested, they were over the moon. Not because I'd bring the Sitri house great strength, but because it meant I could keep myself safe. It wouldn't take long before I'd be needing that power." I can't even bring myself to eat. I'm far too intrigued.
"When the First Satans fell, there was chaos. The Great War had ended, but the Devils were left shattered. The Satan's children took the reigns left behind, yet they were nothing compared to their predecessors. They were incompetent. Arrogant. Ignorant." She sighs.
"I grew to resent the Satan's, not just for their incompetence, but for their actions. Conscription was the first sign that they were insane. The Satan's began gathering every able man they could find, for a 'reclamation campaign', to take back the blood they'd lost from their predecessors." Her eyes glaze over, like she's in the moment all over again.
"My friends and I wanted nothing more than to enjoy the fragile peace we had. It wasn't anything special, but it was enough for us. Just living a normal life made us happy." She clenches her fist, hard enough that I can see redness on her palm.
"It was a peaceful demonstration. We wanted to show the Satans that we dispproved of their actions, but we didn't want violence." She goes silent for a few seconds.
"What did they do, Serafall?" My own voice jolts her out of the memory. Her eyes meet my own, and I see hollowness.
"They attacked us. Before we could even reach the High Court in Lilith, we were slaughtered. 478 of us went out to protest. A tiny amount compared to the hundreds of thousands of Devils left after the war. They didn't care." I expected such an outcome, but it still is quite a saddening thing to hear.
"My friends and I were split up early on. Devils fell, left and right, be they protesters or innocent people just going about their business in Lilith. By the time the screaming stopped, there weren't many of us left."
Small etchings of rime enclose the knife in her hand, crawling up the table and her chair, snaking over to my boots.
"I lost almost all my friends that day. And I had been the one to encourage them, to get them on board with the idea. I put up posters advertising the protest, made a speech on our campus. I brought them with me to die."
Though she looks incredibly saddened by the memories, she sheds no tears. She had shed enough by this point, I assumed.
"One of my seniors in the Academy told me that it was a brilliant idea, that he supported me fully. He helped me every step of the way. He was studying for a Doctorate in sociology. Now, he's Sirzechs Gremory, the Ruin Prince. And I can't help but feel like I did that to him, that I turned him from a kind-hearted, bright eyed young man to a monster." Bloody hell. I knew she was going through some things, but I didn't expect anything like this.
"I blame the Satans as much as I blame myself. So, I will do everything in my power to destroy all that they hold dear. The Underworld is better off without them. And when they're gone, I'll do everything I can to fix what they broke." Her dedication is almost noble, if I'm being honest.
"You didn't kill those people, Serafall. The fact that you burden yourself with such thoughts speaks volumes of your character. You're a good person in a bad situation. You only wanted what was best." Her gaze breaks away from my own, and she stares into the now cold plate.
"It doesn't matter what you say. I've still killed more of my own kind than anyone should in their life. What's worse is that I enjoy it. I like fighting this war, because it hurts them so, so much. When this war ends, they'll be dead or gone and that is all I could ever want. I don't deserve your sympathy." She gets up from her seat and goes to leave, before stopping at the door and turning her body slightly.
I hadn't expected Serafall to carry this much trauma. Is this what she went through in the original? Is the Magical Girl act really just an extremely unhealthy coping mechanism? Or is this world different slightly? She speaks again, and I'm jolted from my thoughts.
"You said that Luocha isn't your real name, right? If you could choose a name for yourself, what would it be?" The name comes to mind after a few quiet moments of thought.
"Alistair. Alistair Mammon." I expect her to be impressed, but instead, she's giggling again, going so far as to cover her mouth with her hand, before she places it at her chest and bows slightly.
"Why yes, good sir, I daresay that such a name befits a man of your good taste. I pray thou finds enjoyment in my meagre company, Alistair." I try my best not to let the embarrassment show as I tell her why I chose the name, but it's much easier said than done.
"I didn't choose it to sound fancy!" She raises a brow, not believing me for a second. Before she can go back to mocking me, I speak up once more.
"Alistair means 'defender of the people'. That's what I aspire to be. Someone the Underworld can look up to." Her eyes bore into mine for a moment.
Yet again, it is incredibly difficult to not feel embarrassed under her scrutiny. I can almost feel the heat reaching my cheeks as she laughs again.
"That's surprisingly altruistic. I guess that's one of the benefits of having some humanity in you. I like it." I feel a degree of relief at her approval.
She shifts herself to face me fully once more, a small smile on her face, her hands now wrapped behind her back, the door held slightly ajar.
"Thank you, Ali. I think I needed this."
Then, she's gone again, and I'm left alone in the silence of the dining hall, countless thoughts running through my head.
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