Yubelluna, Marion, Bürent, Mihae, Isabela, Karlamine, and Xuelan had left before everyone else to head back to the Gremory Household, as they were excused from the training. Meanwhile, Rias and Sona"s peerages were both on board a train owned and operated by the Gremory Territory, zipping through a dimensional barrier as they headed to Rias"s home.
"WOAH. THIS IS AWESOME!" Elros exclaimed as he was on his knees, looking out, he saw blue and purple mixed together as they sprayed the backdrop with vivacious colors. Akeno and Rias smiled at how adorable he looked. Meanwhile, Gasper and Koneko were sitting with their backs against each other; with Gasper playing a video game and Koneko eating some candy; Issei and Asia were in deep conversation, while Kiba texted Karlamine and Xenovia simply hummed to herself. Sona and the others were in a different train car.
"I"m glad you think so. This train is owned and operated by my family, while the territory you"ll soon see is owned by the Gremory"s as well," Rias said as she walked over and put her arms around his neck. She nibbled Elros"s ear before moving down to his neck, letting her hands explore his front.
"Oh, feeling a bit frisky, Miss President?" Elros asked.
"It"s hard when I know we"re going to be separated for so long. Something tells me we won"t have much time for anything during this week as well," Rias sighed. Elros nodded but suddenly took Rias by her hand, leading her towards an adjacent car. Akeno giggled as she had an idea of where they were going.
Elros soon opened a bathroom door and had Rias atop the counter, wrapping her legs around his waist as he pa.s.sionately kissed her down her neck. Rias giggled and held him down tight, making sure to take every bit of it in.
"You know, this probably isn"t the best place to do it," she tsked at him.
"Kidding me? This is the best place to do it," Elros said as he unb.u.t.toned her school shirt, letting it hang open as he got her b.r.e.a.s.t.s free.
"If someone catches us?" she asked, biting her lip as he began to suck on one.
"Then they"ll get the show of their life, I suppose," Elros chuckled as he moved back to her lips. Rias giggled before she finally pushed him off, keeping him at bay as her mind decided on what to do. She brought a foot up to his chest and began to tap it gently.
"As much as I"d love to… and trust me when I say I really love to, now probably isn"t the best time," she said as she brought her bra back up and began to b.u.t.ton her shirt. Elros sighed as he nodded and moved in a bit closer, keeping his arms around her waist.
"Fine," he grumbled.
"Don"t sound too upset. Just look forward to what you and I will be doing in three weeks," Rias said as she clicked her tongue before giving him a deep kiss.
"Oh G.o.d. Don"t even get me started on that. I"m going to bend you in ways no one should be twisted and turned. Expect a level of depravity that would make Satan blush," Elros said with a smirk.
"Mmm… I look forward to it," Rias said as she began to rub his crotch.
"Wait! What"re you doing?! That"s not fair!" Elros exclaimed.
"What"s wrong? Don"t you like it when I do this?" Rias asked seductively.
"I love it, actually! But you just said now isn"t the best time," Elros said. Rias offered no response as she increased her speed, still smiling at him. Suddenly, she stopped. She began to undo his belt and quickly undid the b.u.t.ton on his slacks, keeping eye contact. Her hand slipped in and she began to stroke him gently with one hand while putting the other around his neck and pulling him in closer to her.
"While we can"t do that, I do want to do something for you. After all, you take really good care of me, my p.a.w.n in shining armor," Rias said as she increased her speed. She felt a rush of pride as she heard Elros moan in pleasure at her touch. She began kissing him along the neck, with her other hand running through his hair.
"Mmm, I can"t tell you how much I love you. The way you talk to me and the way you touch me… Well, I think you know just how good you are at that," Rias whispered in his ear before nibbling it gently. She went back to his lips, keeping eye contact as she held her own an inch away.
"You deserve this. You deserve it all," Rias said as she licked his lips. She slowly began to go down, taking his slacks with her. Smiling as he came free, Rias continued to stroke before easing her lips around him. Elros groaned loudly as wrapped his hands through her hair and began thrusting as well, feeling the back of her throat. Rias gagged a bit as he went further and further but soon began moving of her own accord. She felt herself getting wet but focused on giving Elros the time of his life. She took pride and happiness in the continued moans she got from him as she tongued him every which way, gently beginning to ma.s.sage him as well. Taking her mouth off for a bit, she trailed some fluid back to her lips as she licked it away and began to stroke again, her hands well lubricated. She began to tongue and kiss Elros like a lollipop, continuing the motions for a while before putting her lips around it again. It wasn"t long until he finally exploded. Rias smirked inwards as she felt the gush at the back of her throat, filling her mouth. Swallowing, she licked whatever she could away from turning the sink on and cleaning up. Elros did the same and put his belt back on grinning wide.
"It"d be rude of me to not reciprocate, you know," Elros said as he kissed her along her neck, his hands exploring her front as he grinned at her.
"I"m not sure we have the time, dear," Rias giggled. She suddenly felt Elros"s hand slip under her skirt, quickly making an entrance. Her eyes went wide before shutting as she felt him rev up intensely. Opening them, she saw him smiling at her in the mirror before nibbling her ear.
"Mmm, you underestimate me, sweetheart. Like my oath says, beware my power," Elros chuckled as his other hand went down and began ma.s.sing her c.l.i.t. Rias let out a squeal of delight and closed her thighs as the pleasure got to a tipping point.
"There. We. Go," Elros said as he curved two fingers, finding what he was looking for. He chuckled at Rias"s intense reactions, taking pride that he elicited them from her.
"How"s it feel?" he asked as he kissed her neck.
"Amazing," she breathed.
"Just amazing?" he asked as he went a bit faster.
"f.u.c.king amazing. Oh… h.e.l.l. I"m gonna scream!" she squealed as she swiveled her head to face him, biting him on the neck.
"Interesting way to stop yourself, but whatever works," Elros smirked as he kept going. It was a little while longer until he finally felt her gush on top of his fingers. He smiled as felt around a bit longer, letting her calm down as she kissed him along his neck. Rias put her arms around his neck as she breathed a bit harder, taking in the feeling as deep as she could. She felt him pull his fingers out before giving her a tight squeeze.
"I really feel like I need to blaspheme," she said as she began cleaning herself up while Elros washed his hands.
"Ha. Go for it. A little pain won"t hurt you, you know. Remember how I came in fr-," Elros began before she put a finger on his lips.
"You don"t need to remind me. A little warning would"ve been nice, though," she said, remembering the feeling. She bit her lip as she did so; she had read about how it hurt, but for some reason, it excited her when he did it. She remembered how she arched her back as he kept thrusting, feeling him spread her. Elros laughed a bit as he saw her close her eyes, remembering it.
"Ha, sorry. But there"s no fun in that. For the next three weeks, I want you to remember that night and how many different positions we tried. Then remember that as soon as training is done, the first thing I"m doing when I see you is princess-carrying you to our bedroom, locking the door, and making you scream," Elros chuckled. Rias giggled as he put it like that and give him another kiss before making her way outside. As they did so, they ran into Akeno, who had a devilish smirk on her lips.
"In three weeks, hmm?" she asked as she kissed Elros.
"Yup. Do you want to join? The more the merrier," Elros said.
"I certainly wouldn"t mind. Rias?" she asked. Rias, however, turned red as she made her escape back into the train car.
"Ha. Guess we have our answer," Akeno said as she turned to follow. However, Elros held on to her hand and smiled as he ducked inside the bathroom yet again, taking her with him. Akeno giggled and soon took control pushing him hard into the wall as she smashed the door closed, getting to work.
-o-
"You two have fun?" Sona asked as Akeno and Elros reentered the main train. Rias winked at her best friend who licked the tips of her fingers in ecstasy while Elros collapsed on the couch as well.
"Oh G.o.d, you have no idea. I don"t care that my brain feels like it"s about to burst. Thank you, G.o.d, my Lord, and Savior, for this wonderful blessing you have bestowed upon me. Amen," Elros said, grabbing his head as it began to split apart. The girls rolled their eyes but continued to smile as he calmed down.
"Hey Elros," Gasper said.
"What"s up, kiddo?" Elros inquired.
"What were you and Rias and Akeno doing?" he asked.
"Well, Gasper, when a boy and a girl like each other, th-," Elros began before Akeno zapped him with a particularly powerful bolt, knocking him down.
"Uh… What I meant to say, Gasper was that we were playing… umm… house," Elros said.
"House?" Gasper wondered.
"That"s right. House. We were uh… decorating the bathroom," Elros said.
"Oh. That sounds fun!" Gasper said excitedly. Rias and Akeno couldn"t help but coo at the innocent vampire.
"Oh, you"ve no idea kiddo. But not as fun as what you"re doing! What"re you playing?" Elros asked as he squeezed himself between Gasper and Koneko. Sona, Rias, Tsubaki, and Akeno smiled as they observed him interact with the two kids; Gasper explaining the mechanics of the game, while Elros and Koneko attempted to keep up.
"Have some decorum, you guys," Issei grumbled.
"This coming from the guy who spies on girls from the bushes?" Elros wondered.
"That… is a point I will concede," Issei deadpanned. He didn"t really have a leg to stand on.
"Well, our stop is coming up. We"ll see you later," Sona said. Rias nodded and Sona and Tsubaki took their leave. As they left, however, another man came in - Azazel.
"Zaz!" Elros said happily.
"What"s up, Elros?" Azazel asked with a chuckle. The two men did an interesting and long handshake, drawing the interest of Rias and Akeno.
"Nothing much. What"re you doing here?" Elros wondered.
"You"ve got to be kidding me. You"re going to be training them, remember?" Azazel deadpanned.
"Yeah, I know," Elros said.
"And I came up with the regimens…," Azazel said.
"Oh! Right. Whoops. My bad," Elros chuckled.
"You know, maybe it was that fall that killed your memory," Azazel said.
"It might be, now that I think about it," Elros pondered.
"You haven"t remembered anything yet?" he inquired.
"Nope. Nothing yet. Mind keeps wandering to other places," Elros winked, eliciting a laugh from Azazel.
"If you"re here, where"s Mikey? He here as well? I thought this thing wasn"t for a while?" Elros said.
"That"s true. Still got three weeks. Michael"s going to be coming then. There"s also someone else of interest that might be there. A representative from Asgard," Azazel said. As he said that, Elros"s face brightened while the others looked on curiously.
"What"s Asgard?" Issei piped up.
"The realm of the Norse G.o.ds. Hold on… T?!" Elros asked excitedly.
"I"m not sure, to be honest. I just know someone from Asgard. Might be him or his father," Azazel said.
"The old man?! Jeez, I can"t remember the last time I saw him!" Elros said.
"If what I heard is true, it"s probably because you were blasted out of your mind. The prevailing rumor is that you and-," Azazel began before Elros put an arm around his shoulders.
"Now, now, Azazel. There are children present," Elros said, pointing to Gasper, Koneko, and Asia - all of whom looked on curiously. Rias and Akeno also seemed interested.
"Ha. Fair enough. I"m sure they"ll hear about it soon enough, though. Anyways, I"m gonna go p.i.s.s. Peace," Azazel said.
"Oh. Don"t go in that one. Choose another," Elros said. Azazel just chuckled as he continued. As he left, Elros got a phone call.
"What"s up?" Elros asked, getting up and going to the side.
"Are you free right now?" Bruce asked.
"Well… that depends on how important this is. 1-10, what is it?" Elros asked.
"8 or higher. Diana spoke to me and she"s in. Clark spoke with Arthur and he wasn"t as forthcoming. I need you to speak with him immediately. We don"t have the luxury of time anymore, unfortunately. Considering you and Clark are out, we need to organize quicker. Whatever your doing can wait another half hour or so," Bruce said, his voice authoritative. Elros paused and tapped on the floor considering his options.
"I hear you. I"ll talk to you in thirty-one minutes," Elros said. He turned to Rias with an apologetic look. As soon as she saw it, she took his face in her hands, worry etched on her own.
"What is it?" she asked nervously.
"I missed someone when I was making my rounds. My friend spoke with him and now I need to as well. I promise it won"t take long. I should be back within forty-five minutes," Elros said.
"Is it that necessary?" Rias asked.
"I"m afraid it is," Elros sighed.
"Alright. Please hurry back," Rias said, giving him a kiss. Elros nodded and gave Akeno a kiss as well before opening a magic portal and heading out. Rias sighed before sitting next to Akeno.
-o-
"h.e.l.lo?" came a feminine voice on the other end.
"Mera? Is that you?" Elros asked in surprise.
"Elros! It"s good to hear your voice. How are you?" Mara asked kindly.
"Well, thanks for asking. Yourself?" Elros inquired.
"Well as well. I take it you need to speak with Arthur about what Clark spoke with him?" Mera asked knowingly.
"See, this is why they say that behind every great man is an ever greater woman," Elros said.
"You"re sweet, but I"m afraid your charm isn"t as powerful over the phone," Mera giggled.
"I must be losing my touch. I"ve been getting that a lot lately," Elros grumbled.
"I"m sure you"ll live. But I shall send Arthur to the usual place. Meet him there," Mera said.
"Sweet. Thanks, Mera," Elros said before opening a magic circle and stepping through. Appearing on the other side, he was on an extremely small island - no more than thirty feet in diameter, a near perfect circle. The land was yellowed and the surf crashed upon its sides. It rose around twenty feet out of the water, a marvel to see despite its stature. Elros smiled and sat down on a chair construct as he admired the view around him. A crisp and salty wind pa.s.sed around him as he watched waves ebb and flow in the distance. No visible sign of life - of fish or birds or other - could be seen; unless you knew where to look for it.
A moment later, something splashed out of the water. Jumping the distance easily, a dripping wet figure landed atop the island, a few meters away from Elros. He was a handsome man with blond hair, an orange scale-mail vest that was tight around the collar, green gloves, green pants, and green boots. Most strikingly, he held in his hands a beautiful golden trident. He nodded at Elros, observing the Lantern in his relaxed state.
"Greetings, Elros," Arthur said, approaching him. He prepared himself for the inevitable.
"Arty!" Elros grinned, embracing the man from the seas. Arthur sighed and patted Elros on the back, nodding.
"I must ask you to stop calling me that," Arthur replied.
"No can do, man. It"s Arty or Art. I know you hate both. Or would you prefer Curry and rice?" Elros inquired, eliciting another deep sigh.
"I must get back to my kingdom soon, Elros," Arthur said.
"Yeah, yeah… well, you know what I"m here about. Clark. Batsy. Myself. The team," Elros said.
"I know. As I told Clark, I refuse to join. I have far too many responsibilities as is. I cannot fathom adding the land to it; the sea is difficult enough," Arthur said.
"You"ve helped us before," Elros reminded him.
"As I was able to, yes. But your problems must be solved by your hand," Arthur said.
"Water is our most precious resource, Arthur. If we"re attacked, you"re going to be dragged into it regardless. It"s better if we at least have an ongoing channel between us," Elros said.
"You make a valid point. And should we be attacked, I shall a.s.sist as I can. But joining your team would tacitly imply that I give you rights to interfere in my affairs. I do not," Arthur said.
"We don"t want to interfere in your affairs, Arthur. We just want to make sure that the people are protected," Elros said.
"For that, my a.s.sistance is unnecessary. Between you and Clark, there are sufficient protections for the people of Earth. My answer is no, Elros. Above others, I trust you to understand that," Arthur said, finality in his voice. Elros paused and looked at him for a while before he finally smiled and nodded.
"I"m not going to force anyone into this. I"ll let Bats know. Just… expect some communication from him soon," Elros said.
"I would expect no less. Before I return, how are you faring? I understand that the existence of the Green Lantern is no longer sacrosanct," Arthur said.
"You"d be right. I"m… dealing with it. I suppose it was only a matter of time, right? I mean, there"s no way we could"ve stayed under the radar forever - regardless of how well of a job we"ve done thus far," Elros said.
"Indeed. Perhaps humans are ready for the truth. Perhaps they are not. Time will tell," Arthur sighed, pausing to look out at the ocean as well.
"So - how many months left?" Elros asked Arthur. Finally, Arthur cracked a smile.
"Five," he said.
"Excited?" Elros asked.
"Indeed I am. Anxious. But excited," Arthur said.
"Best of luck, Arty. You"ll be a great father," Elros said, clapping him on the shoulder.
"I shall alert you of the celebration when it nears. Until then, Elros," Arthur said before taking a mighty leap into the water. With a sigh, Elros opened a magic circle and headed to the Batcave.
-o-
"Arthur says no," Elros told Bruce.
"As expected. I"ll give it a shot. If he says no again, we"ll leave it as is for now," Bruce said.
"Sounds good to me. So what else is up?" Elros wondered, taking a seat.
"I"ve finally named our base of operations," Bruce said.
"What is it?" Elros wondered.
"The Watchtower," Bruce told him.
"Oh, that"s f.u.c.king awesome. Where are you with it?" Elros asked excitedly.
"The blueprints are complete. You, Clark and Barry, will source the materials; J"onn and Barry will help put the different parts together; and then you, J"onn and Clark will deploy it. I expect it will be functional by the holidays. We have to work fast, after all," Bruce said.
"Sounds like a plan. Now: where are you with identifying other metas?" Elros asked.
"Closer. It won"t be easy parsing through the all the information and making a.s.sessments on ident.i.ties, but I expect to make some headway soon. As it"s done, I"ll begin the outreach before inducting you and the others into it," Bruce said.
"You might want to carve out some time to relax, Bruce," Elros said.
"I"ll take your advice under consideration," Bruce said.
"That"s all I ask. Anything else you need before I start training these kids?" Elros asked with an evil grin.
"After you"ve spent some time in the Underworld, you and I need to discuss that aspect. Devils, Angels, and Fallen Angels - and what they mean to the Earth," Bruce said.
"I"m honestly surprised you didn"t say too much about it up when I first brought it up with you," Elros said.
"Out of respect for you. But I can"t let something like that go unchecked. They have influence with humans, don"t they?" Bruce asked.
"I a.s.sume so," Elros said.
"As do I. And so long as they"re not a threat, I"ve no problem with it. But everyone has their bad days," Bruce said.
"Every day is your bad day," Elros groaned.
"True enough," Bruce shrugged.
"Can"t tell if you"re joking or not. Anyway, that"s by the by. Hmm… I don"t disagree with you. I don"t think there"s a problem in talking about it a bit more," Elros said.
"Anything you can tell me now?" Bruce asked. Elros thought about it before nodding.
"Buckle up, Brucey," Elros said, launching into what he had learned since their initial talk on the subject.
-o-
"I see. You"re Ranked Number 5 in their dueling system?" Bruce asked with interest.
"That"s right. I would"ve been fine stopping at number 18, but I keep having to take care of business. I have a few other fights coming up over the summer as well," Elros sighed.
"And these Rating Games that you"re going to partic.i.p.ate in - they"re how some Devils move up in personal rank?" Bruce inquired.
"Yup. Speaking of which, Bats - I want to ask you something," Elros said as he leaned forward.
"What is it?" Bruce asked eyebrow raised.
"There"s a chance I"m up for a promotion soon - to a High-Cla.s.s or Ultimate-Cla.s.s Devil. In doing so, I"m able to start my own peerage. I"m the King Piece and I get 14 other pieces to reincarnate humans into Devils - whether they"re alive and well or on the brink of death. Mind you, it doesn"t work in every case. If they"re dying, it has to be recent. But I wanted to ask you: would you join me?" Elros asked with a grin. Bruce observed him for a minute before replying.
"What"re the benefits?" he asked.
"You"d have hundreds - or thousands of years added to your life span. You"d be stronger, more agile, tougher. Your senses would be enhanced considerably. And you"d be able to work your way up through Devil Society - like me," Elros said.
"An interesting offer," Bruce said.
"Your response? You could be the Bat for much longer and be much more efficient at it. You and I both know that Gotham isn"t going to completely heal anytime soon," Elros said.
"I"ll take it into consideration, but don"t hold your breath," Bruce said.
"Yeah, I figured. Was worth a try," Elros sighed, getting up.
"I"m curious - how big of a factor was the immortality versus the other benefits?" Bruce asked. Elros simply winked in response.
"I see. Interesting," Bruce pondered.
"That"s why I love you, Bruce. Nonverbal communication is becoming a lost art. Now, anything else before I get going?" Elros asked, clapping his friend on the shoulder.
"I"m surprised you haven"t asked me about how the public is behaving now that you and Clark are public," Bruce said. Elros sighed as he leaned on a railing, gently tapping it as he considered his response.
"Anger. Fear. Hope. Excitement," Elros said.
"That"s about the gist of it. No one knows what to think right now, but there are protests and gatherings going on in every place you can think of. Everyone is trying to make sense of the existence of Superman and Green Lantern," Bruce said.
"Yeah. I expected that. How many people are asking us to step in to solve their problems?" Elros asked with a mirthless chuckle.
"A fair few," Bruce said.
"A fair few. I expect that number to grow. Regardless…," Elros trailed off, thinking about his answer.
"Regardless…?" Bruce continued.
"Regardless, I"m not a G.o.d. Nor is CK. It"s not our job to solve every problem humanity has. But… on the other hand… when you have child soldiers, dictators, rampant corruption… I don"t know," Elros said, looking far off into the distance. The two men waited in silence before Elros finally spoke again.
"Well, time for me to check out B. Keep me posted," Elros said, opening a magic circle and taking his leave, his mind burdened.
-o-
"Welcome back," Akeno said as Elros appeared back on the train, thanks to the coordinates Rias had texted him.
"Oh my G.o.d, I can"t believe I"m still alive. This train is moving really fast and through f.u.c.king dimensions. I"m just happy that I"m here… wait. I am… all here, right?" Elros asked, his voice panicked as he felt his body really quickly. Akeno giggled before joining him, making sure he was indeed all there.
"Oh. Feeling frisky, I see. Not in front of the children, though," Elros said with a wink. Gasper and Koneko were taking a nap off to the side while Issei and Asia were blushing madly as she saw Akeno grab Elros"s crotch. Rias, meanwhile, just smiled.
"Good point. But how"d your talk go?" Akeno asked as she, Rias, and Elros walked over to a window.
"Pretty good. Just talked a bit about what the public response has been," Elros said with a deep sigh, biting his lip as he continued to think about it. Rias and Akeno grew worried as they saw his years begin to shine through; Elros looked far older than he should, his white hair seeming to spread even further. Rias ran a loving hand through it before caressing his cheek. The touch brought Elros out of his slump and he smiled at the two, putting his arms around them and bringing them in. Looking out the window, his eyes opened in surprise.
"Woah. That"s ma.s.sive," Elros said, looking at ma.s.sive hexagonal shapes below. The small points on them appeared to be homes, and the ma.s.sive lines that bisected them appeared to be roads. Rias soon confirmed his suspicions.
"The territory my family owns," she said as she put her arms around his neck and looked out with him.
"We"re above a valley right now," Akeno told him.
"So if I become an Ultimate Cla.s.s Devil, I"ll get something like this?" Elros wondered.
"Yup. Smaller or bigger depending on what you choose. A more developed area will be smaller; something a bit more unruly would be bigger, I think. Ours includes the valley, the township, and some surrounding areas," Rias said.
"That"s real f.u.c.kin" neato. Curious, you wouldn"t happen to know anything about Lucy"s territory, would you? I forgot to ask him a couple days ago," Elros said.
"Sorry, but I can"t help you there. Beyond my territory and Sona"s, I don"t really know many others that well. My dad should have a few books on the subject, though. You can look through them once we get home," Rias said.
"Sounds good. We should get ready to dismount, I think. Looks like-," Elros said before suddenly, a ma.s.sive explosion was heard. Elros had no time to react as he and the others were quickly buffeted through the train which was sent into a ferocious spin.
"The f.u.c.k?" was all he asked himself as he quickly shifted into his Green Lantern uniform and began to look for the others. Rias was nowhere in sight, which worried him greatly; while Akeno quickly scooped up a shaken-looking Gasper. Koneko and Issei were falling alongside Xenovia, Asia, and Kiba, all of them looking just as baffled as he was.
Everyone soon came to their senses and began to fly on their own with their wings, with Elros using his powers for flight. He coated everyone with some base armor construct that would heighten their defense and the peerage lowered into the valley below. A dark and dreary place, they were soon standing in the shadow of the mountains around them, the ground barren and rocky.
"What just happened?!" Issei asked.
"I"m not sure. We… were attacked, however," Xenovia said, drawing out Durandal.
"Where"s Rias?" Akeno asked.
"I"m not sure. She was near us, though. I just hope she"s safe," Elros said in worry. The others nodded and were about to look for a way out when the ground began to rumble. It grew nearer and nearer and soon, an outcrop of rock began to break away. Eyes widened in horror as they saw a beast emerge.
Clocking in at 15 meters, it was a sight to behold. The majority of the body was covered in dark, purple scales with his lower body, stomach, and inner portions of his tails and legs were a beige. His head was triangular in shape with ma.s.sive, outward facing ribbed yellow horns, sharp eyes with a purple sclera, and sharp teeth - specifically his canines. His claws were long and ended in sharp, yellow nails. His wings were like a bat, and around his body, he wore blackguards - especially on his shoulders and elbows. Around his waist with a brownish loincloth. He lumbered towards them with long strides, a snarl in his voice. As he came to a stop, he lifted his head up and clenched his claws into fists, letting out a mighty roar that shook the land.
"A dragon!" Issei said in shock. He had hardly gotten the words out when the head snapped back towards them a plume of fire shot out. Issei grabbed Asia and get her out of the way, while Elros did the same for Gasper. Kiba, Xenovia, and Akeno quickly shifted into their battle forms; the former two pulling out their swords while Akeno was wearing her Miko outfit.
"So I"m going to a.s.sume this guy isn"t friendly!" Kiba exclaimed.
"Duh! You think so?" Xenovia asked.
She had barely gotten the words out when Koneko suddenly rushed forward, to shock, surprise, and horror of everyone. The dragon could easily pinch her until she was naught but a puddle of blood and flesh on the now crisped ground.
"Koneko! Watch out!" Akeno shouted. Koneko, however, didn"t listen. She attempted to punch the dragon but was caught off guard as the ma.s.sive tail viciously connected with her tiny frame. Elros quickly shot towards her and grabbed her before she hit the rock wall. He frowned as he saw the little girl bleeding profusely from her head, her eyes struggling to stay open.
"What were you thinking?" he wondered as he gently laid her on the ground.
"Koneko!" Gasper shouted in fright. The dragon let out another roar as he reared his head, about to strike again.
"Since Rias isn"t here, it"s my duty as queen to take the lead! Kiba, Xenovia - distract the dragon! Issei, focus on activating your Sacred Gear! Asia, protect Koneko! Elros, with me!" she shouted. Asia began to heal Koneko while Elros quickly went over to the Akeno"s side, frowning at the dragon.
"Scan," he instructed his ring, which began to do so.
"Let"s rock some Boosted Gear!" Issei yelled, summoning forth the gauntlet. Ddraig began to boost, but it seemed to have an unintended effect; as the dragon heard the voice, it turned toward Issei, a curious look in its eye. It naturally panicked the brunette.
"Uh! A little help here!" Issei squealed. Akeno quickly came to his aid, sending out a mighty burst of lightning at the dragon.
"Hey scaly, over here!" Xenovia shouted as she leaped through the tall rocky outcrops towards the dragon, her mighty sword in hand. Kiba mimicked her on the other side and the two leaped towards the beast, bringing their swords down. To their surprise, the points on the horn suddenly extended and clashed with their swords. Their attacks bounced off, having no effect on the dragon.
"It was able to deflect Durandal," Xenovia said in shock. It wasn"t often - if ever, in fact - that someone was able to deflect her legendary sword.
"Now Kiba!" Akeno yelled to the Knight.
"You got it!" he replied as he brought the point of his sword on the ground. Activating his Sword Birth, the dragon was surrounded by spiky red protrusions in the image of swords. The attack didn"t faze him at all, however; he whipped the swords away easily with his tail before launching a plume of fire at the Knight.
As Elros observed his companions, he noted that he hadn"t often seen them fight before. Against the Stray Devil, it was him and Rias; while during the attack on the Khaos Brigade, he had seen short bursts. He noted that each of them was sufficiently powerful on their own against enemies on par or less powerful them. However, the dragon that they currently were locked in a heated battle against was far superior - both in terms of offense and defense. This would take far more firepower than they currently had at their disposal.
"BOOST!" Ddraig yelled again, capturing the dragons attention. Seeing that the dragon was distracted, Elros sent out a small probe which began to hover around the dragons back.
"What"re you doing?" Akeno asked.
"Looking for any weakness. This guy is no joke," Elros replied.
"Hurry, Issei!" Asia said, continuing to heal Koneko.
"I"m still powerless. I haven"t generated enough energy to do any damage yet," Issei said, gritting his teeth. He felt useless at the time, unable to do much but run around, trying to get more power. Akeno sent another bolt at the dragon, which turned his head to her. It shot out a thin and targeted plume of fire. Before the fire connected, however, Elros put up a thick forcefield, displacing it.
"Powerful will, but not strong enough to shatter my construct. Interesting… physically, it"s monstrous. But it"s willpower… that thing in the forest was able to destroy my constructs so easily…," Elros thought, keeping his eyes on the dragon but his mind traveling to his near death experience.
"What was that thing?" he wondered.
"Why does it keep reacting to Issei"s Sacred Gear?" Akeno wondered softly.
"I have to do something! I have to! After all… it"s my responsibility as a man!" Gasper said, his eyes narrowing as summoned forth his power. The dragon was ensnared in a purple glow and suddenly stopped moving, much to the joy of Issei and Gasper.
"Nicely done, Gasper!" Issei exclaimed. He spoke too soon, however, as the tail suddenly whipped onto the ground, shattering Gasper"s power.
"c.r.a.p! He"s unfrozen!" Issei panicked.
"I"m sorry! He"s too scary! I can"t keep focus!" Gasper cried, falling to his knees.
"EXPLOSION!" Ddraig said. Issei grinned as she shouted out to Akeno that he was ready.
"Alright! Time to strike!" she yelled, sending out a much more powerful thunderbolt while Issei threw a red orb at the dragon. The two attacks connected one right after the other, causing a ma.s.sive explosion. However, even as the dark smoke cleared, the dragon was untouched.
"You"re kidding!" Issei shouted.
"No way!" Akeno exclaimed, gritting her teeth; the attack did nothing.
"Scales on the back of the neck are layered and expose skin underneath," the ring suddenly told Elros. As soon as he got the get go from his ring, he flew behind the dragon which was still focused on Issei. Elros saw what his ring was talking about. On the back of the dragons beck were multiple layers of scales; and just underneath the layer, one could make out a soft flesh. Elros created multiple lighting rod constructs that ended with a sharp point before looking at Akeno.
"Akeno! Get ready to light these up!" he shouted as the lightning rods began to swivel at a high speed. Not having the time to carefully plan the attack - lest Issei get literally crushed - he began to spear the constructs between the scale layers. They began to drill vicious, easily sneaking in through the scales as they could adjust their thickness accordingly. Finally, Elros heard the sweet sound of pain from the dragon. Its head reared back but was unable to break the constructs which continued to drill.
"Now!" Elros yelled. Akeno powered up her attack before bringing it down. Ma.s.sive thunderbolts erupted from her fingertips and clashed with the lightning rod constructs. The dragons eyes went wide as it felt skin begin to burn and crisp. The lightning rods carried the current from the thick top to the pinpoint bottom and spread it across the skin of the dragon as well as throughout the insides; the penetration deep. Elros saw blood erupt as a scale suddenly broke off, it"s base significantly weakened. It revealed much more skin that Elros had antic.i.p.ated.
"There we go!" he thought to himself. Flying a bit higher, he began to focus and created a ma.s.sive sword construct in the air.
"Woah. That"s one big sword!" Issei exclaimed. With a point around five feet wide and long, the sword was no doubt capable of doing ma.s.sive damage - especially to the exposed skin of the dragon. Elros reared it and was about to bring the pain when another voice joined the fray.
"Stop! That"ll be enough," came, to his surprise, Azazel"s voice. Elros looked around before his eyes finally landed on the source; on a mountain behind the dragon stood Azazel with a smile on his face" and Rias, her arms crossed over her chest as she observed her peerage.
"You guys are here?! Dude, what the h.e.l.l?!" Issei exclaimed.
"That"s enough, Elros," Rias said to him. Elros paused before looking at his construct and the dragon, which had finally turned to face him. Nodding, the construct vanished and Elros shifted out of his uniform, landing back down and congregating with the others.
-o-
"This dragon is a Devi?! That"s awesome!" Issei said, awestruck. To the peerages surprise, the dragon suddenly spoke.
"I thought I recognized you, Ddraig," it said in a deep voice.
"Yes, good to see you again Tannin!" Ddraig replied.
"IT SPOKE! And apparently you two know each other," Issei said accusingly.
"Blaze Meteor Dragon, a.k.a. Devil-Dragon Tannin. Va.s.sal to the former Dragon Emperor. He allowed himself to be turned into a Devil for reasons I won"t go into now," Azazel said.
"A dragon as a Devil…," Kiba said in awe.
"Just how b.a.l.l.s out powerful can you get?" Issei said.
"He"s agreed to help you out with your training. I thought this would be a wonderful opportunity for you two to get to know each other," Azazel said.
"Is it special training with a full on montage?!" Xenovia wondered.
"I don"t know what that means, but Sirzechs asked me to come out and help. I was expecting this to be a breeze and for you all to need some work. I certainly wasn"t expecting what I got, however," Tannin said, his tail flicking across his skin and showing them the blood that smeared it. Everyone looked to Elros, whose eyes seem to be tearing up.
"Are you… crying?!" Issei asked in shock.
"It"s… just… I can"t believe it. A f.u.c.kING DEVIL-DRAGON! THIS IS f.u.c.kING AMAZING!" Elros shouted in excitement, his fists raised as his eyes were starlike as he looked up. Rias and Akeno quickly broke into a fit of giggles as they saw how happy and excited he looked. It was a while before they calmed down and Rias caressed his cheek before smiling at the peerage.
"I"m sorry for playing this trick on you. I was against this ploy from the start, but my big brother can be rather insistent," Rias said.
"Hmm. I can see why they need so much work. You spoil your peerage and act with uncertainty," Azazel commented.
"What uncertainty?" Rias asked as she shot him a look.
"I wanted to gauge the kind of power you could muster when surprised. And trust me, I learned a lot," Azazel said.
"Exactly the kind of ploy a Fallen Angel would come up with," Akeno said icily.
"A ploy… wait, Ddraig. If you knew him, why didn"t you say something!?" Issei asked.
"That would have ruined it and those ruin surprises are the worst," Ddraig said simply.
"What?" Issei deadpanned.
"It wasn"t as though it was a real fight, anyways. Tannin wasn"t even using 1/1,000th of his power. Otherwise, this may have been very different," Ddraig said.
"Well, I can"t very well take you all home like this. Come on, let"s take a bath," Rias said, smiling.
"That won"t be necessary, sweetheart," Elros said.
"What do you mean?" Rias asked, her brow furrowed.
"Don"t tell me you guys forgot already. Remember, as soon as we got to the Underworld, we"re to begin training. Well, we"re here. Take ten but prepare yourselves," Elros said with an evil grin as stood by Azazel.
"WAIT! WE JUST LIVED THROUGH THAT! AT LEAST GIVE US SOME TIME TO RECUPERATE!" Issei exclaimed.
"No can do, buddy. You guys are b.l.o.o.d.y and bruised, and there"s honestly no better way to train. Like I said, ten," Elros said as an hourgla.s.s construct suddenly began to tick down.
"Elros, I"m sure this can wait for a day," Rias said.
"Nope. For the next week, you guys are all mine. Hey Zaz, are there any volcanos here?" Elros wondered.
"Hmm… I don"t think so. Why?" Azazel asked.
"Eh, mostly curious," Elros said as he winked at Rias.
"Rias, he can"t do this, can he?!" Issei asked.
"It"s out of my hands for this week, unfortunately," Rias confessed.
"c.r.a.p," Issei groaned.
"I"ll leave you to it, then. Tannin and I will be back in a week to continue their other two weeks. Make sure you leave some of the fun for us," Azazel chuckled as he and Tannin teleported away.
"Just remember that I"ll remember whatever you do to us," Rias said as she leaned in close to Elros.
"Are you threatening to punish me?" Elros wondered.
"That"s exactly what I"m doing," Rias said.
"Mmm, I look forward to seeing what you have planned. Handcuffs? Rope? Oh, this should be fun," Elros chuckled. She groaned before beginning to talk to Akeno.
-o-
"That green boy is quite impressive, Azazel," Tannin said.
"Don"t I know it. You didn"t have to let yourself get hit, though, you know," Azazel said.
"What are you talking about?" Tannin inquired.
"I mean Elros"s attack. You could"ve just destroyed his constructs," Azazel said.
"You misunderstand the situation, I"m afraid. I tried to destroy them - I was unable to, however," Tannin said. Azazel stopped and looked at the dragon, a look of surprise in his eyes.
"You"re kidding," he said.
"I am not. I am not sure what they are made of, but they were dug well into my skin. I cannot recall feeling such pain for a long, long, time," Tannin said.
"He… actually hurt you, then?" Azazel asked.
"Indeed. It took me by considerable surprise. If anything, it was the new host of Ddraig whom I was expecting to excel, but the boy needs work. This other child, however - his prowess is considerable. I am intrigued at how this would"ve ended were both of us not limiting our powers," Tannin said. Azazel was quiet as he continued to walk with Tannin, his mind on Elros.
-o-
As Elros scanned the land, he made a plan of what to make the others do. He would be joining them for the most part, although would hold back here and there to make observations and notes to share with Azazel and Sirzechs.
"Alright, let"s get this over with," Issei grumbled.
"No more complaining, Issei. Alright everyone, forget about your powers. You won"t need them until our last day," Elros said.
"What do you mean?" Xenovia wondered.
"Powers are useless unless you guys a) know how to use them and b) have a strong foundation to build on. We"re going to build the foundation this week. Look at this rock face," Elros said, pointing to it. It ascended close five thousand feet, almost entirely vertical.
"What about it?" Kiba asked.
"Starting climbing," Elros said as he held out his ring and created thousands of hand and footholds.
"WHAT?!" Issei exclaimed.
"Start climbing it," Elros said.
"You can"t be serious! It"ll take all day!" Issei said.
"I know. It"s gonna be tough. You might even fall a few times. But start climbing it," Elros said. Issei was about to complain again but was silenced as Elros looked at him.
"Now," Elros ordered. Issei, Gasper, and Asia gingerly approached it while Koneko, Kiba, Xenovia, Rias, and Akeno had a bit more pep in their step. Looking up, they each grasped a handhold and began their ascent.
"Oh man, this is scary," Gasper said fretfully. Elros kneeled next to the young vampire and put his arm around his shoulder.
"I know it is, kiddo. But it"s important that we learn to face our fears and overcome them. Heights are scary for a lot of people; I imagine for some of us here as well. But it"s gonna be alright. I know you can do it, little buddy," Elros said comfortingly. Gasper looked at Elros for a moment before he vigorously nodded. Taking a deep breath, he slowly began to climb.
"Don"t look down, don"t look down, don"t look down," he kept saying to himself. As he continued, Elros smiled with pride. That Gasper would attempt to make the climb made all the difference to him. Looking around, he saw that Asia and Issei were both cheering each other on, while Xenovia and Kiba were racing each other. Koneko was close to Gasper, and Rias and Akeno had a tremendous lead on everyone - both making it a compet.i.tion. Sure that everyone had a grip, Elros began to make the climb himself - both to make sure no one would cheat and to catch anyone that might fall.
-o-
"This… is a lot harder… than I thought it would be," Rias said, gritting her teeth. She and Akeno were clear ahead of everyone else and were roughly half of the way up ten hours into the climb.
"I… feel like my arms are going to fall off. Oh f.u.c.king h.e.l.l," Akeno grimaced.
"I know. I didn"t think it"d be this difficult," Rias said as she paused to catch her breath. Akeno stopped alongside her, her feet spread across two holds while she rested one hand atop the other on a different one. Suddenly, they heard Elros"s voice, amplified by a megaphone construct.
"That seems like a good place to catch your breath. Here," Elros said. Below their feet, a platform suddenly appeared. Rias and Akeno both collapsed on to it, grimacing as they felt their arms go numb and feeling their legs thanking them.
"s.h.i.t," Rias breathed heavily.
"I didn"t think he"d be this hard on us," Akeno whined.
"Oh, he"s gonna regret it," Rias said.
"I certainly hope so," Akeno grumbled as she rested her head against the rock face. The view wasn"t much to brag about; on the other side was the same rock face, with a valley path below them.
"You did really well, by the way," Rias said, finally smiling at Akeno.
"Hmm?" she wondered.
"Taking control back there. You made a good and efficient plan," Rias said.
"Thanks. But it didn"t really do much," Akeno said, downcast.
"Don"t think about it like that, Akeno. Tannin is extremely powerful. You know as well as I do that I probably wouldn"t have fared much better, nor would Sona"s peerage," Rias said.
"I suppose. Would"ve been nice if you gave me some heads up, though," Akeno said.
"That would"ve ruined the surprise," Rias said.
"You"re terrible," Akeno groaned.
"I know. A little bit of revenge for all the times you"ve teased me as well," Rias said with a smirk that Akeno returned.
"So what do you think about the Rating Games? Any idea who we"re going to face?" she asked.
"The committee will be deciding the pairings. I just want to go up against Sona"s peerage. We"ve both been looking forward to that for a long time," Rias said.
"It should be interesting. I know she and Tsubaki have been planning quite a bit for Elros. Speaking of which, how do you plan to use him in the Games? He hasn"t partic.i.p.ated in any scrimmages with us," Akeno said.
"I"ve been trying to think of strategies to employ with him, but I keep coming back to the same answer," Rias said.
"What"s that?" Akeno inquired.
"To just let him loose during the event. I think he"s the wildcard, even though he"s pretty well known. Trying to use him in any particular way might be too limiting. Besides, I still don"t understand the mechanics of powers well enough to integrate him into any strategy. I don"t even know what his Demonic Power is yet," Rias sighed.
"I thought it was that thing he did with his wings? They seemed to be coming out of him," Akeno said.
"I thought so as well, but I"m not so sure. It was pretty amazing, though," Rias said softly, remembering how Elros looked as his body was riddled with holes that erupted in a bright blue flame, healing him.
"That self-heal… I didn"t expect that," Akeno said.
"Nor did I. I do wish he wasn"t so secretive about everything," Rias sighed.
"You could just order him to tell you, you know," Akeno said with a smile.
"No, I don"t think that"s the right way to go about it. Besides… it"d be hypocritical, don"t you think?" Rias asked uncomfortably. Akeno frowned and shifted a bit as she nodded.
"Mmmm…," she hummed, looking out at the adjacent wall again.
-o-
"Oh, c.r.a.p! I think I"m dead!" Issei groaned as he collapsed on the green platform.
"You can"t die on me yet, man. I still need to get my kicks," Elros chuckled as he helped Issei up.
"Just… a little more," Issei said.
"Don"t worry, you still get at least half an hour of rest before we continue. We should be at the top by the same time we began, tomorrow," Elros said.
"Oh… I"m not sure I can go on for much longer," Asia said as she rubbed her arms, wincing in pain.
"You did a really good job just getting up here, Asia. I"m proud of you. And you, Gasper. And you, Koneko," Elros said as he ruffled the young Devils heads. Asia blushed while Gasper and Koneko smiled.
"Do you… train like… this often?" Kiba asked.
"A bit. I made my first climb like this when I was… hmmm… six or so. The first day I became a Lantern," Elros said, looking up.
"Yeah, but you had your powers," Xenovia mentioned.
"My trainer didn"t let me use them," Elros chuckled.
"Wait - start from the beginning," Kiba said.
"Hmm… well, I had just become a Lantern, as I said. I was on the Lantern homeworld, Oa, and had just begun my training. After getting my a.s.s kicked every which way, my trainer - Kilowog - took me to a volcano, talking about how important it was for Lanterns to have a strong foundation. He threw me into it and told me to get out without using my powers. So I used my hands and feet to climb out of it. Took me the better part of two days. I found a couple of crevices to rest in, but that was about it. Ate like no tomorrow once I got out," Elros said.
"What about the heat?" Xenovia said.
"Sucked bad," Elros said.
"That"s really s.a.d.i.s.tic, though - I mean… throwing a kid into a volcano? What if you died?" Rias asked angrily.
"Na, Wog wouldn"t let that happen. He"s a harda.s.s for sure, but he really cares about the Lanterns that he trains. He had a probe following me that would step in if I was about to fall or legitimately couldn"t make it anymore. He was surprised I made it. Something about how most of the Lanterns that he does that to can"t find the willpower to do so. The other Lanterns from Earth all went through the same thing; all of them made it as well," Elros said.
"Which is why I know you all can do it," he continued, smiling at them. They returned his smile, new fire in their hearts as they looked at the rock face again. Half an hour later, they were all at it with a newfound ferocity.
-o-
"Victory!" Issei exclaimed as he and Asia finally made it to the top of the rock face, followed by Elros who chuckled and helped both to their feet.
"I can"t… feel my arms anymore," Xenovia said as she breathed deeply, looking around. They appeared to be surrounded by a forest, evidenced by the trees that went as far as the eye could see. Night had come and gone and it was already deep into the afternoon the following day, but evening just on the horizon.
"Please tell me we"re not doing anything else," Issei pleaded Elros.
"I wish I could. But don"t worry. We"ve only got a few hours before night falls, so it"ll be easy," Elros said.
"What is it?" Issei asked, getting to his wobbly feet.
"Just some light running. I"ll go scope out a path while you guys get some rest," Elros said.
"I can"t even feel my legs," Issei groaned.
"On the bright side, you"ll sleep like a baby tonight," Elros chuckled as he took off at a brisk pace.
"I thought your training was difficult, Rias. You"ve got nothing on Elros," Issei grumbled.
"I know. I"m beginning to regret not fighting back against having him train us," Rias said as she sat down against a tree.
"So… sore…," Asia said, red as h.e.l.l. Issei comfortingly rubbed her back, eliciting a sigh of pleasure from the blonde.
"Koneko, Gasper - how are you two doing?" Akeno asked.
"I"m alright," Koneko said as she rested against a tree as well.
"I"m… so tired," Gasper yawned. He went over to Koneko and rested his head against her shoulder, gently dozing off.
"Oh man. Sleep… feels just about right," Issei said, his eyes beginning to droop.
"I don"t think he"d like it if he found us all sleeping when he got back," Xenovia chided Issei.
"If I don"t survive… tell my parents I love them… and Kiba…," Issei said, turning to his friend.
"Yeah?" Kiba asked.
"Delete… my browser history," Issei said before his eyes closed and he began to snore loudly.
"Wow. Out like a light," Kiba said. He had half a mind to fall asleep as well but decided to do so after the run was over.
-o-
As Elros came back, he saw Issei and Gasper both comfortably asleep and the others just barely staying awake.
"Don"t worry guys, we"ll take it easy for the next couple of hours. Come on, get up. Just keep pace with me; I found a good trial for us," Elros said, helping Rias and Akeno up. They grimaced at how sore they felt but nodded as they began to jog in place in an effort to get some feeling back. Kiba, Xenovia, and Asia followed; while Koneko helped Gasper up and Elros shook Issei awake.
"Awww man," the Red Dragon Emperor whined, back on his feet.
"Roll out," Elros said as he began to light jog along the trail. The others followed and kept pace, surprisingly holding out well. After about fifteen minutes, they began to descend slightly into a valley on the other side of the rockface. The trail zigzagged downwards for a while before leveling out into a ma.s.sive forest.
"This isn"t… too… bad," Rias said as she ran side by side with him through the trees.
"You"re holding up well, it seems," Elros said.
"And you… don"t seem to have broken a sweat," she said.
"Intense training, sweetheart," Elros said with a smile.
"I don"t… envy you… that much I can say," she said, eliciting a short laugh from him. Akeno was soon on his other side, much in the same state as Rias.
"Doing alright?" he asked.
"More… or… less," she replied.
"Don"t worry. You guys got this," Elros said, looking ahead again. He gently slowed down a bit more, allowing Issei and Asia to catch up with the group. They kept the pace for a while longer before Elros continued to decrease his speed, finally coming to a stop.
"Alright. We"ll make camp here," he said.
"Camp?!" Issei groaned, leaning against a tree.
"What were you expecting?" Elros wondered.
"A nice, long, hot bath!" Issei said.
"Ah. Nope. Just open sky and a hard ground, my friend," Elros chuckled.
"This is cruel, man," Issei said.
"Think of it as character building," Elros said.
"We don"t have camping material, though," Kiba reminded him.
"We"ll have to make due with what we have, then. Let"s see… who wants to get a fire going, who wants to make shelter, and who wants to get something to eat?" Elros asked.
"With… what materials?" Xenovia asked.
"We have all the materials we could need here. Wood for fire; large leaves for tents or small huts; and you can hear a rushing river nearby. Not hot, but it should suffice as a nice bath," Elros said.
"But… can"t we just go to Rias"s place?" Issei asked.
"Nope. After we finish our training, we can," Elros said.
"I"ll prepare the fire," Akeno said.
"Alright. I"ll go get the food, then. Anyone want to come with?" Elros asked.
"I will," Rias said.
"Alright. Everyone else, start building a shelter. Let"s see… three should do; three to a hut," Elros said before heading towards the river with Rias.
-o-
"Don"t you think you"re being a little hard on us?" Rias asked as she took her shirt and skirt off.
"Nope," Elros said as he looked around for some materials.
"We spent at least a full day climbing that mountain, and then that run," Rias said.
"Yup. Like I told Issei - h.e.l.l Week," Elros said.
"I thought you were kidding. That maybe we"d so a lot of sparring," Rias said.
"Nope. Situations like these breed resilience. Resilience is important in a fight. Besides, fighting each other for a week wouldn"t help all that much, I think. You guys already have a considerable amount of fighting experience, anyways," Elros said, picking up a long and rigid stick, a sharp stone, and a long length of vine. He fashioned a small spear and headed towards the bank of the river.
"They"re not used to training like this," Rias said, resting her legs in the river. She sighed in relief as the cold water rushed over them.
"I know. That said, I"m not here to go easy on you and have you punch below your weight. I"m going to push you guys as close to the brink as possible," Elros said as he suddenly thrust the spear in. Retracting it, Rias saw a salmon pierced on the stone end. Elros put the salmon in a bucket construct before looking for more catches.
"When did you learn to do that?" Rias wondered.
"On a hunting trip. I taught myself to spearfish," Elros said, catching another. Rias frowned as she saw the look of sadness on Elros"s face. Pushing through the soreness, she got up and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his stomach.
"Can I try?" she asked, pointing to the spear.
"Go for it," Elros said, handing it to her. Standing to her side, Elros watched as Rias saw a fish and attempted to spear it. However, she missed. Attempting it again, she missed again. Elros smiled as he saw her thrusts become wilder before she groaned in frustration and looked at him. Elros put his hand on top of hers and helped her position the spear. His other hand rested on her stomach and he leaned in, resting his chin on her shoulder as he whispered.
"First, look at the fish you want. It"s about accuracy, strength, and speed; with accuracy being the most important factor. Tense up a bit, ready to spring; wait until the perfect moment; then… strike!" he said, thrusting the spear down. Retracting it, Rias saw a trout on it.
"Try again," Elros said, observing her. Rias followed his advice and thrust the spear. She caught another fish, much to her delight. Over the next ten minutes, she caught around 20% of the fish she aimed for.
"Let"s take a quick dip before we head back," Rias said, taking Elros by the hand and leading him into the water. She shivered gently as the cold water stung her a bit but exhaled in pleasure as she felt Elros hold her tight.
"This feels amazing," she whispered, resting her head on his chest as the water rushed over them.
"Very relaxing indeed," Elros said as he kissed her atop her head. Rias turned her head up and looked at him, bringing a hand to his cheek and tracing the scar on his face. She smiled and leaned up to kiss him before giving him a tight hug. Elros smiled at the touch and simply held her.
-o-
Dried and dressed, they headed back with enough food for everyone to eat well with. They found that Akeno had already got a fire roaring while the others had gotten to work on constructing their living quarters for the week. As Rias and Akeno began to cook the fish, Elros helped get the mud, leaf, and stick huts set up.
"This is actually sort of fun," Issei said.
"I"m glad you think so. See, it"s not all bad," Elros said.
"Still… that might have something to do with the fact I can"t feel anything," Issei said.
"You know, you complain quite a bit," Elros chuckled.
"I can"t help it! This is hard!" Issei groaned.
"The more you complain, the harder it"s going to be. Just accept the fact that the next week is going to much the same. But look at the bright side," Elros said.
"What"s that?" Issei inquired.
"You"ll be able to spend much more quality time with Asia," Elros said, causing the two to blush. Akeno and Rias giggled at the reaction he elicited.
Finally, the aroma of cooked fish filled the air as the living quarters were finally completed. Sitting around on the ground, everyone dug into the freshly cooked meal with a vigor, not having eaten at all for the past 24 hours.
"This is the best thing I"ve ever tasted," Issei said.
"Very good indeed," Xenovia agreed.
"Akeno and Rias are cooking G.o.ddesses, just like Marion and Bürent and their mom," Elros said, remembering the tiramisu.
"If only we had some spices available, it would be much more appetizing," Akeno sighed.
"At least we don"t have to eat it raw. Probably could, though," Elros said, examining the salmon.
"That sounds disgusting," Issei grumbled.
"It"s not the worst. Just think of it as eating sushi," Elros said.
"… Nope. Still, doesn"t work," Issei said eliciting a chuckle. After they concluded their meal, everyone ducked inside a tent. The ground inside was coated in leaves to make for as comfortable a mattress as one could hope for. As Elros laid down, Rias and Akeno quickly got comfortable on his chest and shoulders.
"Ugh. Rias, move over for tonight," Akeno said, gently pushing her friend off as she got comfortable on top of Elros. Tucking her head underneath his chin, she rested her hands on his chest and used him as a mattress.
"Hey, what"s the big deal?" Rias whined.
"It"s no use if we"re both uncomfortable. So I"m gonna use Elros as my mattress tonight," Akeno giggled.
"That"s not fair!" Rias complained.
"You can use him tomorrow night. We"ll switch off," Akeno compromised. Rias thought about it before signing and nodding. Elros pulled her in close as well, eliciting a smile. Resting her head on his shoulder, the three quickly nodded off; Xenovia, Asia, and Koneko did so in another hut, while Gasper, Kiba, and Issei were already snoring in the third one.
-o-
"Well, you guys are all alive - that"s pretty good," Elros said cheerfully as he stood in front of the group in the forest. The week had rushed by and by the end of it, everyone smelled horrible, was battered and bruised, and simply hoping for a day of respite.
"This is our last day with you as our trainer, right?" Issei asked hopefully.
"That"s right, man. Azazel said to meet him at the Gremory Household after we finish up. After that, we"ll break up for two weeks to train in solace," Elros said.
"That"s the best news I"ve heard all week," Issei groaned.
"This last day, we"re just going to spar. Rias and Akeno; Gasper and Asia; Koneko and Xenovia; Issei, you"re with me. And Kiba, Karlamine has agreed to spar with you," Elros said, pointing to his right. A magic circle appeared and the beautiful knight stepped out, smiling at her boyfriend. Kiba returned the smile and quickly found a place to train with her while the others went off as well.
"Alright… let"s do this," Issei said, bringing forth Ddraig.
"You won"t need him. Like I said, no powers. Hand to hand," Elros said as he put his fists up.
"c.r.a.p. I"m not good with that," Issei groaned. As he did so, however, he suddenly felt a chill go down his spine as Elros narrowed his eyes at him.
"Over the course of the last week, you"ve done nothing but complain at each and every chance you"ve gotten. How do you expect to beat Vali - or anyone else, for that matter - with that att.i.tude?" Elros asked as he quickly got close and threw Issei over his shoulder and onto the ground. He landed with a thud and cringed before gingerly getting up. As soon as he did, Elros swiped his legs and sent him tumbling down again before circling him like a predator.
"You must have noticed that no one else complained half as much. It might be endearing to some, but not to me - especially not to that extent," Elros said as he waited for Issei to get up.
"What are you talking about?" Issei asked as he finally put his fists up.
"I just told you - your incessant complaining about this or that. You complain about climbing that rock face; you complain about running; you complain about making camp; you complain about going to sleep; you complain about having to wake up; you complain about everything I can imagine," Elros said, his voice cutting. Issei cringed at how bluntly he put it, averting his eyes.
"And now you don"t even look at me," Elros said as he inched closer, his fists in front of him.
"I don-," Issei began before Elros punched him hard in the stomach.
"You don"t what?" Elros asked as he reared the dragon back and punched him again, sending him to the floor. Issei coughed but got up again, a glint in his eyes as he looked at Elros.
"Maybe you think I"m being too cruel?" Elros asked. Issei didn"t reply as he went in for a punch that Elros blocked.
"Well? Am I?" Elros asked, blocking a few more. Still, no response.
"I"ll take that as a yes," Elros said as he punched through Issei"s attempted block, hitting him square in the face.
"You might have noticed that I took it harder on you than the others," Elros commented.
"What?" Issei asked in surprise.
"I said that I was harder on you during the others. Not for the first day, but the rest of the week," Elros said, grabbing him by the hair and rearing him up.
"Do you want to know why?" he asked before sending him to the ground with a suplex. Issei coughed as he gingerly got back up.
"Why?" he wheezed.
"Because I know you want to fight Vali. And the way I look at it right now, you"re f.u.c.ked. He"s going to kill you seven ways from f.u.c.king Sunday. You do nothing but complain. You can"t even raise your fists against me. How do you expect to beat him like that?" Elros asked. Issei physically cringed at the bluntness of Elros"s response.
"You think that I put you guys through that training for kicks? Or that I derived pleasure from it? I"ve seen good Lanterns die because they thought that training was a joke; after all, they had their ring to save them when things got h.e.l.lish. They didn"t have the benefit of someone like Rias reviving them. They"re just dead and f.u.c.king gone now," Elros said. Issei gulped as he felt the coldness and Elros"s voice. Looking up, he saw the Lantern towering over him.
"The only reason I"m alive right now is because I"ve never stopped training. You"ve barely begun it," Elros said, not attacking as he let Issei get to his feet. He retreated a bit and scanned Issei, who seemingly stood a bit taller.
"I want you to show me how strong you are right now. Go ahead and knock me down. I won"t even move," Elros said. Issei continued to look at him as he put his fists up and went in closer. Elros"s hands rested at his sides as Issei suddenly began to go on the offensive. He felt the brunette"s punches and kicks connect; and behind them, he felt Issei start to get a bit angry at him. No doubt he didn"t appreciate the words Elros had for him. Regardless, Elros kept true to his word as the Red Dragon Emperor began to grow a bit more ferocious. It was a few minutes, but he finally had Elros on the ground, peppering his and face with punches. He kept going at it until he couldn"t raise his arms anymore. Stopping, Issei collapsed onto Elros"s side, his breathing heavy. Bringing a hand to his face, Elros saw some blood trickling down his lip.
"That was better," Elros said as he got to his feet again.
"Why… did you have to put it like that?" Issei asked.
"Because I"m not going to get through to you any other way. I"m not sure what approach Rias has tried, but it"s evident it"s had no effect. So if the only way I"m going to get through to you is berating you, it"s worth it. It"s that or the alternative," Elros said.
"And what"s that?" Issei asked, gingerly sitting up.
"Vali kills you. Riser, and those other two guys I faced relied solely on their powers to beat me. Neither seemed to have done a day"s training in his life. You won"t beat Vali by simply relying on your powers. You"re going to have to train much, much harder. I"m going to let you fight Vali when you want to, but I intend to make sure you have as much of a chance at possible. Because once it"s on, I"m not going to step in - just like you and Ddraig asked," Elros said. He paused before speaking again.
"But I"m going to leave it up to you. If you"d rather I not train you, I"ll step off and let you do your thing. If you do want my help, we"ll start doing this more often. But I"m going to leave that in your hands," Elros said. Issei opened his mouth to speak but closed it again as he looked on the ground. The request he and Ddraig made to Elros just hit him. Vali was extremely powerful, he knew; and at his current levels, Issei didn"t know if he stood much of a chance. Elros saw the gears turning in his head and spoke again.
"Take some time to think about it. Give me your answer once we"re all finished without training," Elros said. Issei nodded before getting back to his feet. Of his own accord, he put his fists back up and stared Elros down. Elros nodded and the two continued their training.
-o-
"How was training?" Azazel asked as the peerage stepped out of the portal at the Gremory Household. They were bloodied, battered, bruised, and grimacing as they lined up in front of the Fallen Angel.
"Ah. Say no more. Well, the next two weeks should be a bit lighter. Elros spoke to you all already?" Azazel asked.
"Yup," Issei nodded.
"Good. Well, take the rest of the day to rest. Tomorrow, you guys are gonna start your personal sessions. Issei, Tannin"s going to be training you," Azazel said.
"WHAT?!" Issei exclaimed.
"Excellent! I look forward to this," Ddraig said enthusiastically.
"After that is the Young Devils Gathering, the Rating Games, the Peace Talks, the Battle Royale, and of course the main event," Azazel said as he smiled at Elros. The doors to the household opened and the Gremory"s walked in, smiling at the group.
"Ah. You all don"t look to well," Sirzechs chuckled, stopping as Rias glared at him.
"Speaking of the main event, Elros - the date of your fight with Yama has been decided. It will be held a couple of days after the Battle Royale," Lord Gremory said.
"Sounds good, sir," Elros said.
"That soon after?" Rias asked worriedly.
"Indeed. Yama has agreed to it as well," Lord Gremory said.
"The decision regarding your rank has been made as well, as I hear. We should get an official recommendation in a few days, so you"ll find that out upon your return," Srizechs said.
"Sounds good to me, Zecxy," Elros said, eliciting a raucous laugh from Azazel.
"Oh, that"s good," he said, slinging his arm around Elros.
"Anyways, why don"t you all go take a bath and get some rest? I"m sure you"ll need it for the next two weeks," Venelana said with a smile. With that, they took their leave.
-o-
Elros sank deep into a large hot tub, exhaling in pleasure as he felt the warm water on his skin. Hearing the door click open again, he saw Rias and Akeno approach and get in the water as well, sitting on either side. Wrapping his arms around their shoulders, he held them close.
"How are you two feeling?" he asked.
"Sore," they replied in unison.
"Good," Elros chuckled.
"You could"ve been a bit easier, you know," Akeno sighed.
"Yeah. But there"s no point in punching below your weight. You have to edge higher and higher," Elros said.
"Have you decided how you"re going to train for the next two weeks?" Rias wondered.
"More or less. Azazel has regimens planned for each of you. They should play well to your strengths and weaknesses," Elros said.
"Enough talk about that for now. I just want to relax for a bit right now," Akeno said, leaning in; Rias doing the same on the other side. Before they knew it, all three gently dozed off, comfortable in each other"s arms