Edgerunner DxD: Chapter 3

Queen 1

Akeno had always liked the rain. Perhaps it was just her familiarity with the elements, but there was something soothing about the gentle pitter patter of raindrops against her umbrella as she walked down a busy street. Still, as much as she wanted to enjoy her stroll, she had to hurry along. The day had just ended after all and now was the time to unwind.

As throngs of office workers and students poured into the streets, Akeno found herself in a familiar scene. Already, she could see a few rowdy groups as they made their way to the nearest establishment. Drawn to their colorful neon lights, Karaoke Bars, Cafes and Restaurants quickly filled up with patrons.

For a moment, she thought that she had just somehow wound up in distant Shinjuku or maybe Osaka, but a quick glance at the inhabitants quickly dissuaded that thought. "How strange," She thought to herself as she watched a student's forearm split open before a wicked blade extended out much to the amazement of their friends, "It seems that I'm rather lost."

While she had been to many strange places and seen her fair share of strange abilities, being the Gremory Heiress's Queen, she had to admit that she was well out of her depth. Gazing up above, she watched as cars flew overhead. "Very lost indeed."

From holographic displays flashing bizarre adverts, to augment that people wielded freely, she saw technological wonders that she could have only dreamed of and not a hint or whiff of magic in sight. In fact, it was as if they were ripped straight from some of the sci-fi shows that Rias was obsessed with. It made her smart phone feel like a relic in comparison.

"I do hope that I'm not lost in the future of something that sort. Getting back would prove challenging if I were," She whispered to herself as she pulled out her phone; No Signal.

Frowning, she sighed as she slipped it back to her pockets. Of course it wouldn't be that easy. Not was she seperated from the rest of the peerage, but she had no way to contact them. She wasn't even sure if they were dragged along with her. Brow furrowed, she recalled the series of events that got her here.

Memories still fresh, she remembered how the peerage had come to rescue the friend of her queen's newest pawn from the clutches of a cadre of Fallen Angels squatting in her queen's land. They were just about to clean up when they pulled something and then… Nothing.

Feeling a sense of revulsion and terror running up her spine, she shuddered. It happened oh so fast. The explosion, the tear that ripped across the abandoned church and Nothing. Out there in the void, there was Nothing, and it was terrifying.

Steadying her breath, she turned to a nearby alley, eyes peeled for any danger. There was no time for her to panic. She still needs to figure out how to make contact with the rest. As the noise of the crowd died down, she held up her clenched fist and opened them to reveal fresh burns.
It was not for the lack of trying that she hadn't found the others yet, it was that her options were limited. "Where am I…," She hissed, hands still trembling from the experience.

Maybe it was a mere fluke, that she was just disoriented from the blast. Now that she had adjusted somewhat, surely she could do something as simple as a teleportation spell, right? There was only one way to find out.

Breathing in, she felt the magic coursing through her very being. Sparks arced between her fingers as she called upon it, teasing it out until she felt a sudden surge. It was brief, yet like a roaring river, her magic raged. Like a raging storm, it answered her call, roiling and building inside her. Her very soul stretched to burst before she smothered it, pushing the unnatural intensity down.

Hands clenched and shaking, she bottled it up, breathing in to calm her frayed nerves. Something about this place was messing with her usually flawless control. The usual resistance she felt was just gone, making her magic run wild. At this rate, she might have to relearn how to use her magic if she wanted to even do the simplest of spells.

"A Queen without her power," She grimaced as she walked back out to the street, joining the evening rush as she wandered around shamelessly, "How pathetic." Clutching the umbrella she "borrowed" earlier, she hurried along, doing her best to keep her head down.

Lost in time, space and her own thoughts, she mulled over her situation. Without her magic, she had little options to choose from. She doubts that her money would be any good to her and she'd rather not out herself as someone who was lost.

Eyeing the crowd and their uncaring eyes and the police as they leered at her openly, she shivered. There was something terribly wrong with this place. Is there even anyone here who she could trust? So lost was she in her thoughts that didn't notice the person in front of her.

Bumping into them, the man was sent stumbling to the ground. "I'm sorry!" Akeno gasped as she knelt down, checking on the man, "Heere, let me help you." Kicking herself for not paying attention, she helped the orange robed monk back to his feet.

As the man got his bearings, he gave her a strange look before he replied, "You're not from around here, are you, young miss?" At her startled expression, he smiled as he noted, "People here aren't as polite as you are, or as modest."

"Me, modest?" Akeno chuckled as a blush crept up her cheeks. Covering her up turned lips, she added, "The world must have gone mad if that's the case."

Being called modest was the last thing she expected, not in this uniform at least. As her eyes wandered back to the crowd, and to the daring outside some of them sported, it was not too hard to see why she was called modest of all things. "Perhaps this place isn't all bad," She thought to herself as watched someone pass by with nothing but straps of clothes and a jacket, "I could certainly get used to this."

If this was how they dressed, then people wouldn't mind if she wore some of her more risque outfits. "Still, where's the fun in that if Rias isn't around here to enjoy it…" She sighed.

"It seems something's troubling you young miss," The monk replied, reminding her she was still out in public. "Is there anything I could do to help?" He offered.

For a moment, she stared at them, before her shoulder slumped. Was it really that obvious?" She sigh

"The frown on your brow is not too hard to miss," The man noted with a soft smile.

"You're rather nosy for a monk," She smiled warrily.

"Is it wrong to help someone in need?" The man countered, earning a chuck from her.

A part of her was still uneasy, but the man looked unassuming enough. Maybe she could trust him, even if only for a little bit. Still, she couldn't let her guard down. "While I appreciate the offer, I'll have to decline," She replied, "I've already bothered you enough as is."

"If it's not help you need, might I offer you a place to sit down instead?"The man offered, gesturing towards the bench where a few more monks preached, "A weary body atop a weary mind wouldn't do you much help."

She really shouldn't, but now that he mentioned it, her legs were killing her. She had spent much of the afternoon walking around, trying to figure out where she was. Sighing in defeat, she admitted. "I could use a rest." If the man had ulterior motives, it's not like she had no options. A devil was still far more powerful than any human, augmented or otherwise.

-x-x-x-

As she sat there by the wayside, listening to the idle chatter of the crowd as they passed by, her frown deepened. It was just as she had feared, she was no longer in her world or at least in far enough time that it might as well be.

She had already thought about the first time she came about, with the lack of magic anywhere and how advanced everything was, but she had dismissed it outright. Interdimensional travel was an impossibility, something that not even the likes of Ajuka Beelzebub could achieve, but here she was, sitting on a bench in a strange city she had never heard of before.

Still, as terrifying as her prospects were, she couldn't let despair get the better of her. "What would Rias think if she sees you like this?" She thought to herself. She needed to do something, but what? Closing her eyes, as she centered herself. Panicking won't do her any good.

Taking a deep breath, she felt her magic. While she had little control over it now, she needed to do something. Slowly, she pushed away the distractions. First was all the new sights around here. Then, the sounds, until finally, she was all alone in her mind.

It was here, in the sanctity of her mind, that she felt it; her soul. Beating gently along with her heart, she felt its magic ebb and flow through her. From the storm within, to the piece that connected her to her King and her beloved friend, she felt it all. Feeling her bond to Rias, she smiled.

"I see you find the answer to your problem," The monk whispered to her as she opened her eyes
and smiled back at them.

"I have and I'm feeling rather silly about it," She replied as she felt her spirit soar. She should have known that the bonds binding her as Rias's Queen would hold true wherever she was. As much as Rias owned her, so did she had her claim on Rias.

Even from here, she could feel her. They weren't separated by the insurmountable gap between worlds, but a few blocks. She could probably find her now if she followed the trail. For the first time in a short while, she felt a sigh of relief escape her lips.

"A good rest is just as good as any answer," The man noted as he turned to the central tower that dominated the skyline,"It gives you time to think, something people of this day and age could use."

"I'll keep that in mind," Akeno replied as she got up before giving the man a shallow bow, "And thank you." If it wasn't for his help, she might have still been lost.

"There's no need to thank me, young shrine maiden," The man replied as he turned and walked away, "I merely pointed you to the right way."

"Wait, before you go, let me give you something," She called out as she reached for her pocket. While her money might be no good, she had something that she thinks the monk could at least use. Pulling out one of the summoning flyers, she gazed up only to find that the man had already long gone.

"I didn't even get to ask his name," She whispered before shaking head. No matter, perhaps she'd find him in the future. For now, she still had to find her queen. With renewed purpose, she headed for the central plaza. As she walked down the busy street, a thought suddenly occurred to her, "Did she just call me shrine maiden?"

-x-x-x-

She would have little time to mull over the mysterious monk and his words as she quickly came upon a police barricade of all things. With squad cars blocking the road along with heavily armed personnel bearing the symbol of the central tower, her access to the plaza was effectively cut off.

She could try and sneak in, but getting into a firefight and causing trouble for her King wasn't a palatable option. "Especially when Rias is on the other side," She whispered as she stared up the tower before a frown grazed her brow.

Could it be that this barricade was due to Rias? Akeno was lucky enough to have woken up in a parking lot, but perhaps her King wasn't so lucky. With their control shot, they would have difficulties evading the authority.

With her fist clenched, she considered her options. She could ignore all her precautions and break in, or perhaps just gather information first. This wouldn't be the first time she used her charms for something like this. Before she could make her decision however, the men guarding the center made the decision for her.

While subtle, she quickly noticed how the soldiers glanced at each other before turning to her direction. The hostility leveled at her direction was almost palpable as they approached the police and pointed at her. "It looks like I've been spotted," She whispered as she made a hasty exit, melting into the crowd. Time to make her exit before she gets tangled with the authorities.

Melting into the crowd, she hid amongst the group of school children still up and about this late at night, but her pursuers were hot on her trail. Eyeing them on the edge of her vision, she watched as the heavily armored men flanked her on both sides, keeping an eye on her but not quite pressing her just yet; Not good.

Picking up her pace, she hurried along, trying to shake them off but her pursuers had an unerring ability to keep track of her. It was as if they had eyes everywhere. With the technologies they possess, they actually might have.

Change of plans. Breaking away from the crowd, she headed for one of the bars. As the bouncers squared up, she strutted over and pressed her chest against them. Feeling their leer, she leaned up before whispering to their ears, "Meet me at the back."

Grinning back, the man let her through.She had to hide her grin as she blew him a kiss before she slipped inside the dance floor. Men were all too easy to manipulate. Even the briefest of chances have them folding at the palm of hand. Still, she wasn't quite out of the woods just yet.

Stepping into the world of black lights and strobing spotlights, she headed straight for the backstage where the dancers were having a change. She could use some new clothes. Her current uniform was far too distinctive. Taking off her top, she joined the employees.

While a few would give her odd glances, most of them would shrug, muttering something about the new girl was going to get eaten alive. Smirking to herself, she quickly changed out of her uniform. There was the temptation to go all out with all the options available, but she refrained. She wanted to blend in, not catch more unwanted attention.

A snug tube top, a puffy fur lined jacket, pencil skirt, mesh stockings and boots to match quickly replaced her clothes. Gone was the schoolgirl as the party girl took her place. It was a bit gothic, with the dark ensemble and lips, but she liked it.

Tying up her hair, she was now ready to make her move and not a moment sooner as she heard commotion over the din of the night club. As the girls took a peek on what's going on, she walked over to one of the older and tired looking girls. "Hey, I'm new here," She told them before gesturing at the gunshots, "But do you know where the back door is? I need to smoke."

Giving the dance floor a look, she snorted, "Getting wild out there huh?" Getting up from her seat, she pulled open a drawer revealing an array of pistols. "Can't blame you for not wanting to deal with that shit," Tossing on over to her, she pointed towards the end of the dark room, "Doors over there. Just come back when things die down."

Not wanting to argue, she nodded, "Thanks." The gun was definitely unexpected, but a welcome surprise. Still quite concerning how nonchalant they were. Just how common were gunfights for the girl to look so bored?

Exiting out of the door, she found herself in a dingy deserted back alley. She took a moment to see if there were anyone here to greet her, but all she'd hear was the commotion inside. Leaning against the steel door, she breathed out a sigh of relief. She finally shook them off, for now.

They definitely were not going to let her off this easily. It wouldn't be a surprise if she suddenly found her face plastered across those massive screens. "At least it would help Rias find her," She noted wryly as she pulled away and headed deeper in the alley. The sound of gunshots inside were getting uncomfortably close.

Just as she was about to leave the alley, the hairs at the back of her neck stood up. "Halt!" A voice commanded as men with high tech guns and armor slipped into the alley along with a few uniformed officers.

"Drat," She grimaced as she glanced behind her, finding her other route of escape blocked as well. It looks like the game is finally up, but maybe she could weasel her way out of this. Smiling innocently as she asked, "My my, what big guns you have. Is there something wrong, officer?"

Unlike the bouncer, these men would be a bit resistant to her charms. "Hands where we could see them!" A deep female voice shouted. They were definitely not messing around.

"Is the gun up against my face necessary?" She replied,as they approached her, guns trained at her. There were far more than she would have wanted, but nothing too much to overwhelm with brute force. "I'm just an ordinary girl afterall." An ordinary reincarnated devil that was.

"Comply or we will employ deadly force," They warned once more.

Unable to see a way out, she raised her hands in surrender. Flashing a teasing smile as they got close, she teased "My hands are up here officers, but don't be shy. You can have a peek." Her pursuers however, weren't interested in any more foreplay.

Slammed up against the walls, Akeno found herself pinned and cuffed. Now while she could have easily fought back, she held back, letting them have their way for now. "A little rough, are we?" She hissed, resisting just a bit as she glared at them, "Ganging up on a poor defenceless girl."

With how forceful they were, they were definitely after her. The question now was why they wanted her. "If your boss wanted me, he could have just given me a call," She purred, trying to fish up some information, "I could have freed up my schedule."

Unfortunately, they didn't rise to the bait as felt her up. "Shut it whore," They hissed as she moaned out, hands patting her before they found the gun in her coat. "You're lucky they haven't shot you and dragged you back to headquarters instead."

Concerning, but far too little information to make a conclusion. Stepping on their toes, she tried pulling away to rile them up, something that quickly earned her a taser to the side. She almost let out an actual moan from the electric sensation running up her side, but she quickly forced out a pained groan as leaned against the wall.

"If you want me to feel anything, you have to be a little harder than that~" She panted as she resisted a bit more, forcing more of them to gang up on her.

"Mouthy bitch," They hissed as they wrangled her off the wall, "Don't worry though, I'm sure once my boss is done with you and that redheaded bimbo over at the tower, we'll definitely have some fun." That was all the thing she needed to hear as the mask on her face slipped.

"Now that wasn't very nice," She replied as she felt the familiar feeling of lightning coursing through her fingers. While she couldn't pull off far more complex spells given the delicate matrices involved, such intricacies weren't needed in simpler spells.

All she needed was a simple push and the storm answered to her. "Wha-!" Was all they could utter before the world was bathed with light. Sizzling and twitching, the prone forms of her captors surrounded her. She might have overdone it, but they deserved it.

Gazing coldly to those still on their feet, she hissed out, "I could take a few rough hits, I rather like it in fact. I love it when things get rough, but never, ever insult my King." Sparks arcing between her fingers, they started backing away.

"Fancy chrome there, but you're just one bitch," One of them who was a brain cell short of being special hissed out, "Do you know who you're messing with?

"I should be the one asking you that question," Akeno replied as she licked her lips. She wasn't supposed to let loose in public, especially when she would have difficulties wiping their memories clean, but they weren't innocent civilians were they? They already laid their hands on Rias, so it was just fair play to wipe them all out.

As she took a step and they raised their guns once more, a stern voice rang out inside the alley, "Stand down, all of you!"

Whipping around, she found herself staring at the old warrior flanked by a familiar sight; Her Mistress's familiar. Giving them an appeasing look, the familiar silently begged them to just follow along. As much as it rankled her, given that she couldn't feel anything wrong with them, she did so, lowering her hands.

Some of her pursuers tried to argue but a stern look had them backing them. Turning his attention to her, he bowed low much to her surprise. "Young Miss, I am terribly sorry for my subordinates' rash behavior." He apologized, "Please forgive them."

Feeling a smile stretched across her lips, she purred, "Oho? Now who is this Silver Fox I see?" Now that she knew that her master was safe and with them, she couldn't care any less with these insects. What she wanted to know now was who this gentleman was.

A bit grizzled and way older, but still a pretty sight. "I'm merely a humble retainer, nothing more," The man answered humbly, "As my mistress has taken yours as her guest, it is my duty to make sure you and the rest of her retainers come back to her." He was also quite the polite one as well. If he was just a few dozen years younger, she might have taken some interest. "Please, let me escort you back to the tower."

Now while he wasn't quite her type, that doesn't mean she couldn't tease them, could she? "Now why should I do that," She purred, "Your men manhandled me, insulted my king, and were ready to shoot me. Why shouldn't I just smite them where they stand?"

Grimacing, the man explained, "Due to the sensitive nature of your arrival and your… race, we have not properly briefed our subordinates, thus their lapse in manners." Bowing once more, he offered, "If you must blame someone, it should be me."

A shame, he was a bit too serious. She can't play with him this way. Sighing, she replied, "Next time, make sure to keep them on a tighter leash." Giving her pursuers as they were carted away by armed medical troops, she hissed, "Rabid dogs are put down after all"

"Of course," The man nodded, "I will make sure they're dealt with personally."

Satisfied, she skipped over the man before wrapping her arms around him. "Now if you will," She giggled, batting her eyes at him, "My King is probably worried sick about me so be a good boy and take me to her~" While threatening wouldn't make him squirm, perhaps the touch of a maiden.

Indeed it was as the man visibly stiffened, "Please let go,"

"Let me think," She replied as the familiar following them let out a long suffering sighing, "No~" It was not everyday that she finds herself a victim to torment.

"I'm not paid enough for this," The man muttered in her native tongue, making her almost burst out laughing.

"How about I make it worth your while then," She answered fluently, making the man let out a groan. Fortunately for him, she had enough fun for now. Now that she found her mistress safe, she wondered how the others were faring. Hopefully, they had a better time than she did.

A/N:

God damn this thing was harder than it was supposed to. Sorry guys, I took way too long to finish this. Setting up polls now and moving over to one last burst of Profiteering. I hope I could push out a chapter by the 8 or 9th (which is when the polls would end)