Game of Monsters - 198

It’s Close to Midnight

[Griselda Quarta]

As they started getting things in order, teleporting their traitors to the locations they would be kept in until they could be judged, checking the base for whatever they could find that could be necessary and other things, Griselda looked Joshua Davis every so often. The man stood in between the moving agents, glancing around like he wasn’t really seeing anything that was going on. Instead, he seemed more lost in his own mind, which wasn’t something she was particularly surprised about.

Yet, she didn’t think it’d ever been so apparent as it was at that moment, in the midst of all that was going on.

Because she could see why someone could get bored in a political meeting. Few people liked those, admittedly, and she was amongst those that didn’t. However, he seemed to be extra uncaring in that regard and now Griselda was seeing that it applied to other things too, such as battles like the one they’d just orchestrated. It made her wonder if there was anything that he seemed to find worth attention.

Well, he did have two partners, so that could be it, she supposed, but Davis didn’t strike her as that type of man. ‘Magic then,’ she concluded and it was so painfully obvious that she was a little baffled it’d taken her that long. Nobody got that far into a field that fast without having some passion about it, no matter how talented the individual was. So, yes, she could see the logic in that.

“You should be able to start setting the new defenses of the base soon, Joshua,” she informed him after assessing the progress they’d made on the after-battle dealings. It was a little ironic, that it was taking longer to clean after the fact than the skirmish itself had taken. It was what happened when one used such overwhelming force, she supposed. She couldn’t be more glad the battle had been easy though, so she was definitely not complaining. “Thank you for the help again.”

“Don’t mention it,” he replied, waving her off like what he’d done was nothing. “Do you mind if I go in and check their defense room? I want to take a closer look to some parts, if they haven’t been ruined,” he added, his gaze sharpening the smallest bit as he looked towards the building to their side.

“Not at all,” she answered after a moment and he nodded, walking away before she could assign him a guide. Then again, he could probably find his way in by himself. Either he’d studied the inside of the building for his wards, or just because he could, or he could sense his destination. All of those were impressive in their own right, at least in Griselda’s mind.

“Thank the Lord he’s on our side,” she heard someone mumble and she wanted to roll her eyes. She really hoped that person hadn’t been one of those that had taken issue to Joshua, but she knew the chances weren’t zero. With any luck, having the angels back in the picture would allow for the Church to be what it should be, instead of a divided, weakened shadow.

“Davis left already?” a new voice said and Griselda felt her back straighten at the same time that everyone else’s did. She turned slowly and almost gulped when she realized that she was the one being addressed.

“Not yet,” she said, trying to calm herself. Much as she knew the man and would almost call him a friend, Griselda couldn’t shake off the awe that his presence brought. Especially when he’d been unleashing his might not even a few minutes before then. “He went to check on what remains of the defenses they had set up before setting up his own perimeter around this place, in a less… aggressive and provisionary manner.”

“I see,” Vasco replied, looking towards the now half-destroyed building and tilting his head. “Interesting fellow, that one,” he added, in what Griselda thought was a gross understatement. “It’s a shame that he’s not one of ours, but strong allies are appreciated,” the man said then with a slight shake of his head. Griselda didn’t miss the fact that his eyes seemed to look in very specific directions.

She was of the same mind, truly, even if she couldn’t be that vocal about it, nor as blatant in her judgement.

“Maybe I’ll get to talk to him more. Xenovia has had plenty to say about him,” Vasco commented, almost casually, and it’d never not be a little jarring. One didn’t expect small talk from a person such as him, but he was only human in the end, . “Not all of it good, of course, but she’s always been… rash and opinionated.”

And brainwashed by particularly bad seeds – she added in her own mind –, even with as much as Griselda had tried her best not to let that happen. There was yet another hope she had for the new era that the Church was starting. Maybe there wouldn’t be as many Xenovias out there suffering the twisted views of people that wanted nothing but war now that things were changing.

“She’s been getting better,” Griselda commented, although she wasn’t sure if she was trying to defend her ward or just making an observation. Some time ago, it might have been the former, but she felt like Xenovia was genuinely doing better. Glancing to the side, she saw the girl and Irina discussing something with other wielders of Excalibur pieces. “There’s a long way to go still though.”

“Not just for her,” Vasco pointed out and she nodded slightly. The Church in general would still have a long way to go before it could be said that things were well. But they were doing something about it, at least. Slowly, but steadily. For the moment…

“Indeed,” she replied, taking a deep breath in before turning to address the man by her side. “If you’ll excuse me, sir. There’s a few things left for me to handle.”

“Go ahead,” he replied and she nodded before walking away. From what she could see, things were more or less wrapped up. She’d check on a few things and then tell Joshua to do his magic, literally. Then they could all just rest after a job well done.

Few things better than that, in Griselda’s opinion.

[}-o-{]

[Koneko Toujou]

Sometimes, when she visited the Davis household, she felt like she heard stuff that she wasn’t supposed to hear.

“I mean, it’s fine. I didn’t even know you were planning to reward me extra for this attack,” Joshua commented, sounding entirely too casual for someone that had just been discussing the last attack on the Church’s Civil War. Which was the kind of topic Koneko was sure she shouldn’t be hearing stuff about.

She was reasonably sure that nobody knew about that other than… Well, her and other people that spent a lot of time at Joshua’s place. Or was it Yasaka’s place then? It felt like Joshua’s most of the time, but then again, Koneko was only there when he was around, so she was kind of biased on the matter.

It was a good thing she didn’t speak much or often, or she imagined she’d be afraid of letting out some of the things she was pretty sure were supposed to be secret.

“Joshua,” she heard Gabriel said, almost like she wanted to sigh but was holding it in. That tone was used a lot on Joshua. Which didn’t distract Koneko from secret number two that she probably shouldn’t talk about, which became all the more glaring when the angel kissed the man. “Never change, even if it’s a little aggravating at times.”

“... Sorry?”

“Yes, you will be rewarded extra for your efforts in this last battle,” the Seraphim said, apparently deciding to completely ignore Joshua’s confused apology. “We also should talk about…” the angel started, before finally seeming to acknowledge Koneko. For a second, the reincarnated nekoshou almost thought she’d hold back the information, which should be normal, but then Gabriel turned towards Joshua and continued. “About how you’re helping my siblings. It’ll cause a bit of a stir, but you’ve helped the devils plenty and you’re also helping the fallen, even if they earned a little… less than preferential treatment.”

“Any reason in particular for that?” Joshua asked, apparently a little caught off guard.

“Because of the dhampir,” Gabriel said and the angel seemed to smile softly, if sadly, when Joshua stiffened a little. Koneko also noticed his emotions growing colder, sadder, almost hurt. “We think we might have something that could help her. It’ll take some convincing to get it though, which is why we want to smooth things over by increasing your reputation.”

“... Okay then, if you and the others think it’s the right move, go ahead,” Joshua agreed, sounding reluctant about it. More than that though, the man seemed to be awkward. Koneko could fully relate to feeling uncomfortable with one’s position though. How many times had her being Rias’ Rook caused people to look at her differently, approaching her or avoiding her or any number of other reactions? She was still learning to deal with that, truly, but Koneko could thankfully get away without doing much due to how she’d built her reputation and how relatively small her position was.

Joshua didn’t have that benefit.

“With that said,” Gabriel said then, sighing and almost deflating dejectedly. “I should go.”

“See you tonight?”

“You know I’ll be here,” the angel replied, her mood lifting a little. “See you tonight, Koneko,” she added, beaming at Koneko in a way that was very awkward for her. Why was she so friendly with her? Even with all the madness she was getting used to, it was still odd to have an angel be so… nice to her.

“See you,” she mumbled, looking down a little. 

A flash of light later, it was just Joshua and her.

Koneko was wondering if she should have arrived later. She knew Kunou was still in her classes and Ravel wouldn’t be around on account to whatever job Joshua was supposed to have – an attack, she now knew –, but she’d had nothing better to do. She could have gone to the training space, where she was sure her sister was with Raynare, but… She didn’t always feel like seeing Kuroka, much as things were much better than they’d once been.

She was coming to accept her sister back in her life, but that didn’t mean old scars didn’t hurt all the same on occasion.

“Sorry for ignoring you, Koneko,” Joshua commented, walking up to her with a smile and ruffling her hair. She pretended to pout, just because she knew he’d chuckle at that. He found that cute, apparently, and if she could improve his mood with such a small thing, she’d do it.

The gesture had long since stopped being annoying though.

“Should I hear stuff like that?” she blurted out, unable to keep her curiosity at bay. Not to be a stereotype, but even she had her limits and she’d been wondering about that since the first time she’d seen something that was probably some flavor of secret while visiting. To further confuse her, Joshua blinked at her as if he couldn’t understand the question. “That sounded like you were talking secrets with Gabriel,” she explained.

“I mean, kinda. We were talking about revealing those secrets too,” he commented, as if that made any amount of sense. Sure, they’d been talking about revealing those, but she had heard about a lot of that long before. “Is something the matter?” Joshua asked, and she could tell that she wasn’t getting through to him. He wasn’t dumb though, so maybe he was thinking about something else. He did have that “magic thoughts” look on his face.

“Why’d you let me hear about all of that?” Koneko asked, a little more firmly, because if she’d already gathered the courage to – almost without thinking, but still – ask about it, she wanted a proper answer. “I shouldn’t have known about any of it.”

“... I mean, because we trust you. I do, at least,” he answered, seemingly focusing on her a little more. “I mean, you’re practically part of the family, aren’t you?” he added, planting a hand on top of her head. “Now, let’s go get some snacks, yeah? We can wait for Kunou to get out of her classes while eating.”

As they walked, Koneko processed what she’d just heard. Then, she allowed herself to do what she always wanted to when the man’s hand reached for her head. She leaned into the touch, relishing the soft, warm, caring gesture and smiling the smallest bit.

“You’re practically part of the family,” her mind repeated and her smile widened.

[}-o-{]

[Göndul]

What a terrifying man.

No.

What a terrifying existence.

That was all Göndul could think about as she watched Joshua Davis work.

Their first class had been underway already for quite a bit. She’d arrived early, but apparently not early enough, because the man had already been sitting in the room House of Water had provided. Göndul had found him in the middle of piles of books on runes – basic runes, that is – and some about and in Norse. How much earlier he’d gotten there than her? She had never found out, because she’d gotten swept into teaching as soon as she walked through the door.

The man had been as enthusiastic as any student Göndul had ever thought. Not only that, but he’d also done his homework, evidently. He had a solid grasp of everything she’d wanted to start with for their first session. Hel, he even had a good grasp on things she’d thought to put aside until later down the line.

He’d evidently devoured everything he could to prepare for the class.

And he’d learned a terrifying amount for someone that worked with a different system and was just starting to learn runes. Göndul had to do her best to appear calm as she watched him tinker, drawing down a circle of runes instead of the ones magicians of his association used. He was even doing a decent job at it too. Göndul could spot mistakes all over his lines of runes, but the fact that he could make an attempt that wasn’t a complete mess from start to finish was…

Terrifying.

‘What are you, Joshua Davis?’ she asked in her mind, looking up from the paper sheet and towards the man that she was supposed to teach. Instead of wondering how to approach the lesson though, all Göndul could think of was that there had to be some kind of deal going on. No new practitioner was that good, no matter how gifted.

Yet there he was.

“Ok,” Davis mumbled, leaning back and looking at his work. It was a circle alright, not one that would work, but it was there. Göndul could even use that as a foundation for something, if she had to try. That was more than she could say about any other new student she had taught in her long, long life. “Let’s see now,” he added and she blinked.

She’d expected him to turn towards her and ask for instruction or criticism or guidance. Instead, she saw the man snap his fingers and attempt to cast that spell. Predictably, the magic broke apart, unstable and erratic as any failure was. She hadn’t even had time to process that… before the magic was consumed, spells all around the room tearing it apart, consuming it. Magic that she’d felt dormant around her before came alive with brutal efficiency.

“About what I expected,” the man said, smiling like a child with a new toy as he turned towards her. Suddenly, Göndul felt like she was in danger. Not because he might attack her or anything, Davis wouldn’t hurt a fly if he wasn’t given a reason to and even she knew that. However, there was something hungry and dangerous in his eyes at that moment.

Right then and there, Göndul didn’t feel like a teacher.

‘Is this what food would feel like on a platter?’ she wondered, gulping.

“That’s the best I can do right now,” Davis continued, bringing a hand up to rub the back of his neck. “I think I could pick up on a few places I could have improved-” Did he think that was normal? To learn from a failure like that? To pick up anything from that split second before his other spells tore apart the chaotic energy? “-, but I imagine you can explain it to me better than I’d be able to piece it together.”

A chill ran down Göndul’s spine…

… And then she laughed.

“Oh, I’m going to love teaching you,” she replied, feeling younger than she had in a long, long time. Then she grinned right back at the young man and decided, then and there, that if she was given such a monster, loved by magic and blessed by talent, then she’d make the most of it. Joshua Davis was already well on his way to being a legend, if he wasn’t already, but by the time Göndul was done with him?

He’d be twice as good.

“First, you need to change the order you placed the lines in the circle. The outer ring has more space, obviously, so you want to put the minute details in that line,” she started explaining, feeling herself grown excited at the eager look on the young man’s face. Yes, Joshua Davis would learn runic magic in no time, she was sure.

And if she had any say in the matter – and she definitely did –, he’d learn specialized runes too.

Talent like that was too rare, too valuable, to be squashed by silly politics. If her pantheon squandered the chance to attach themselves to this growing monster, the Göndul would have to question the wisdom in following them down to Hel. That was an issue for a future that she was almost positive wouldn’t happen.

So, Göndul focused on that very moment, sitting next to what felt like Fenrir himself and personally giving the creature the fangs that could kill gods.

[}-o-{]

[Joshua Davis]

Few other times had he felt as excited as he was at that moment, with the opportunity to broaden his options with an entire new magic system. Furthermore, speaking of systems, the game seemed to have decided to work properly for once too, and with something new to boot. That hadn’t happened in entirely too long, Joshua felt.

[Magic

Myrddin Circles - Lvl 100/100

Determines the user’s ability to understand and apply Myrddin Circles.

Nordic Circles - Lvl 3/100

Determines the user’s ability to understand and apply Nordic Circles.]

The new skill branch altogether had been a bit of a surprise, admittedly, but nowhere near a big one. At that point, Joshua was kind of used to his game’s shenanigans. It’d have been odder if something else had happened though, admittedly.

‘Sometimes I feel like I’m beta testing this shit though,’ he thought to himself wryly as he looked at the frankly entirely too stiff House of Water member that watched over the teleportation spot. Apparently he was there to check that nobody was messing with other people’s teleportation or doing something shady. Skilled enough individuals could follow you to your destination if they got a good look at your circle, after all.

Personally, Joshua had taken to just putting an illusion around him when he teleported, but not everyone could do that.

‘Maybe I can teach my students that,’ he mused idly in the second it took him to appear back at home. It was probably a little late, but maybe he’d catch Kunou, Koneko and Ravel playing cards or watching shows way past their bed time. Wouldn’t be the first time and wouldn’t be the last either.

He might even join them for a bit before sending them off.

‘I’m in a good mood, evidently,’ Joshua thought as he walked into the kitchen to find… silence. ‘Welp, maybe another time. I’ll just get myself a cup of tea and call it a day. Yasaka’s already asleep,’ he decided after checking with his spells. Everyone had called it a day, which was a little disappointing, he’d admit.

Although, to be fair, he had stayed after hours in his already quite late class. It was mostly the left over energy from said lecture that was keeping him going, really. That and his many spells designed to have him at top condition as best they could when he was home and Friday always made sure they had a little extra kick.

Nothing beat some good sleep though, which was why he’d be going right to bed afterwards.

For the moment though, he enjoyed the moment of calm with a cup of tea in his hand. ‘Norse Magic level is discouraging, but it shouldn’t take long to make it usable, system or not,’ Joshua noted to himself trying to get all his thinking out of the way before trying to sleep. Otherwise he’d just struggle while staring at the ceiling for hours. ‘I can already think of ways where even the basic runes work better than Myrddin Circles… They aren’t better at everything though, so I might have to hold off just in case it’s better to keep going the way I am in some circles.’

He’d have to go over a lot of circles once he was a little deeper into that rabbit hole. There’d be a lot of work to do, but it would be worth it. If he could push his magic to be that little bit more effective, then he needed to do it. He could make anything happen, he was sure, with enough dedication and time and information. However, being able to do all that better would make all his tinkering that much better.

So he only needed to persist a little more, make a little more progress and-

Joshua froze.

The already quiet night had grown even more silent. His spells were reading nothing. His senses were getting no presence at all of anything… And that should have been reassuring, if not for the fact that his spells and senses always picked up on something. There was always something minimal to notice and dismiss. Some insect, or some remnant of magic, or even something out of place that his spells pointed out.

Yet, then and there, there was nothing.

‘What’s going on?’ he thought, growing nervous and feeling Friday frightened and unnerved on the back of his mind. His other familiars had woken up because of their state through the bond and were already moving. ‘There’s gotta be something, right? Wh-?’

“Joshua Davis,” a voice said and Joshua turned and looked down at a pair of eyes as black as anything he had ever seen. Actually, they reminded him of a particular black color, one he’d only seen once.

“I love you.”

“I love you, son. I’m proud of you.”

The cold.

The black.

Nothing.

“I’ve heard a lot about you,” he heard, the voice almost sounding distant to his shaken state, but it brought him back out of his mind all the same. He stared, gathering his wits as best he could and only barely managing. “I wanted to talk to you.”

He wanted to run, to hide, but he knew it’d be useless. For all his strength, for all his defenses and preparations, he had nothing to use at that very moment. The idea was laughable, really. All his efforts against Khaos Brigade, the Hero Faction, the Devil Faction, the Magician Faction and anything else, all of it had relied on bigger figures looking away from him, focusing on the alliance and furthering their insane plans.

He knew it was a possibility that they’d turn to him, but he thought maybe… He’d had to hope… that if anyone looked for him, they’d at least not be… Because if not, he’d have done nothing.

Yet, there he was, facing the consequences of his actions and powerless.

Because what could he do in the face of Infinity?

“Ophis,” he said, his mouth dry and his body cold.

“You know me,” the deceptively small girl replied, the smallest of smiles on her face. “That might simplify things.”

[} Chapter End {]

Hey guys! How’s it going?

Don’t look at me, I don’t know either.

In a way, this has been a long time coming. People have commented on the possibility of this several times – Looking at you, Roy. –, but I never felt like it was particularly close to happening. Then again, Ophis is a weird figure in DxD, or that’s the impression I have of her. She’s very… odd. I don’t have a good way to describe her, that’s how alien my head finds her.

All the same, the Muse and Ophis decided it was time, I guess.

I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.

Discord Link: discord.gg/UTDransjJZ

Random Question: What do you do when you’ve got literally nothing to do? Nothing to read, no time to play with your phone, that kind of moment. I’ve taken to checking Pinterest and Reddit for DnD homebrew stuff to add to my campaigns.

See you.