Shiro's Sanctum

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and works; all other characters and worlds belong to their respective owners. I'm just playing with them.

Betad by: Priapus, Malcolm Tent, Marethyu, Mike God of Lore

The Guild of Gamers: The Cursed

Chapter 03: Sona

– Sona Sitri –

She was not a girl who fell to jealousy easily. It was a necessity after growing up in Serafall's shadow in more ways than one. She was magically weak compared to the true powerhouses out there, which is why her entire battle strategy was aimed at outsmarting her opponents and turning her enemies' strengths against them. She grew up knowing her sister was a true monster, one that she would likely never match. 

In addition, she was practically flat-chested in a race of incredibly buxom women; her mother and sister had breasts as large as watermelons at her age, while she had only a pair of apples. Rias had developed very young, so she was a girl who had experienced a lot of jealousy and envy growing up and as such had become numb to it at this point.

"Rias, I mean this in the nicest way possible, but you are one lucky bitch," Sona said simply, watching the two Peerages train together as Rias giggled. Rias' entire Peerage had practically fallen into her lap, but this took the cake. The descendant of a legendary magical lineage, with the Boosted Gear and mysterious powers as well?

She didn't like handouts, preferring to build her own Peerage, but even she wouldn't have been able to turn down such a gift if her sister had been the one to find Samuel. 

"I know," Rias replied simply, shrugging helplessly. "Samuel is a maou-sent blessing. With this, I just might have a chance against Riser."

That was an understatement. She could think of a dozen different 'edicts' to shut down Riser; what a terrifying power Samuel had. Watching Samuel ward off her Peerage with his shadowy tendrils, she made a mental note to talk to her Peerage later about getting distracted.

Sometimes, she forgot her Peerage was made entirely of hormonal teenage girls, but it was never more clear than when she was watching them all become heavily distracted by the admittedly very attractive older man.

Several of her girls had already been caught in the bubbles of frozen time, a weapon for which they had no real counter. Rias' Peerage had basically already won; their entire strategy was just to have Kiba and Koneko knock their opponents into the bubbles Samuel was setting up while Akeno protected their new bishop. It was annoyingly effective, but at least they were doing slightly better than the first round.

Samuel had just declared 'Women can't move' and then he and Kiba just calmly gathered up her Peerage into one spot and tossed a time bubble at them. She could already see several flaws in her Peerage's battle strategy. Tsubaki had tried to use Mirror Alice to deflect the bubble and it had just struck the mirror and started expanding.

Once a part of your body was caught in the bubble, it affected your entire body, even if you weren't fully inside it. Tsubaki's hand got caught in the greatly slowed bubble and was effectively taken out of the fight instantly.

After that, they were at a laughable disadvantage because no other member of her Peerage possessed a Sacred Gear or had the skill to fight off Kiba and an empowered Koneko. Already, she was making plans to improve her Peerage's combat skills, but it was just embarrassing how easily they were being bested by Rias's group.

She was proud of her Peerage, but most of them hadn't been devils for too long since she'd recruited them after arriving in Kuoh, whereas Rias stumbled into most of her Peerage much earlier.

The fight came to a predictable end, with Samuel helping Momo up after popping the bubble she was in. Momo turned bright red as she took his hand, which made Sona smirk slightly. Samuel was dangerous to teenage girls, she thought, as she watched half her Peerage sigh at the sight of him running his hand through his tousled hair.

He was a natural seducer, though she was fairly certain it was entirely unintentional. She'd noticed his gaze wandering as her Peerage's uniforms had gained more battle damage, but he always corrected himself immediately. Of course, acting like a gentleman was only making the girls thirstier for the handsome professor.

That was probably going to be an issue for the coming year; she gave it a month before he gave in to temptation. Devils weren't known for their self-control, and it wasn't uncommon for newly reincarnated devils to overindulge. Honestly, it would be preferable if he gave in to temptation with one of her girls; at least then, she wouldn't have to worry about the teacher/student angle as much, and her girls were all grown-up enough to make their own decisions.

"You realise this changes far more than just your engagement?" Sona asked, making Rias pause before she nodded slightly. "Samuel is too tempting a target. Your relation to Lord Lucifer will deter most, but with all these different abilities, he's bound to attract vultures. That's not even mentioning the Fallen in Kuoh. Samuel radiates magic and draconic energy; we can't keep him under wraps for long."

"I know, maybe they've outstayed their welcome?" Rias asked. Sona didn't disagree, tapping her finger against her arm as she considered things. The Fallen were in Devil territory, but up until now, they weren't really doing anything. Three minor Fallen and some exiled exorcists weren't really worth starting an incident over.

But if they complained to the Grigori, using Azazel's desire for peace to get them pulled out, they'd basically be screaming that there was something here worth hiding. That wasn't even mentioning the disappearance of a Sacred Gear user she'd had her eyes on; Genshirou Saji had just vanished from the face of the earth, and the last sighting of him had him going on a date with a girl who didn't exist. There was no record of this Yuma that he was supposed to have been meeting up with. She had her suspicions that the Fallen had acted to stop him from being recruited by the devils, and if so, they had very much outstayed their welcome in Kuoh. 

"It would only delay the inevitable; word is already spreading that Boosted Gear has been found by you," Sona pointed out, watching Rias' brows furrow before she sighed.

"Father. Sirzechs used it to get Dad not to complain about Sirzechs 'spoiling' me. Dad loves boasting about family. I love him, but he can't keep a secret to save his life," Rias sighed, face-palming. "Which means Riser has probably already heard.

"I highly doubt Riser is going to be a problem. Samuel's edicts and his time bubbles have the potential to counter Riser's regeneration as long as they are properly utilised," Sona pointed out, making Rias smile slightly. "I am more concerned about the other factions being tempted by such an enticing collection of powers. Both from outside of our race and from within. I can think of a lot of devils who would be willing to risk a lot to get Boosted Gear."

"Kuoh is our territory; he'll be safe here, especially once the Fallen are sent away," Rias said, and Sona sighed slightly. "What?"

"Rias, I realise that you don't want to consider it, but there is also the chance that Samuel himself will willingly leave with another faction. He was not exactly a willing reincarnation," Sona pointed out, making Rias wince and glance to where Samuel was talking to Koneko about something. 

"I- he's not thrilled about being given to a teenage girl, but I don't think he's going to run off. I don't intend to give him a reason to want to leave," Rias replied, making Sona nod.

"I didn't think you would, but it's still something to consider. He may not plan to just run away and become a Stray, but whether that remains the same when he starts getting offers of protection and freedom from the other factions is yet to be seen," Sona warned, making Rias nod with a sad look at the thought of one of her 'family' abandoning her like that. Still, Sona thought it was worth considering, given the sheer value Samuel possessed.

Rias was an optimist at heart; she wouldn't consider the worst-case scenario until it actually happened. The only real exception was with Riser; having the wedding suddenly sped up had caught her flat-footed, and Rias had simply spent too much time slacking off and having fun to be ready for it. Personally, she thought Rias' family shortened the deadline to make Rias actually start to focus on her training instead of her hobbies, but it hadn't really worked that well.

Seeing the topic of their conversation approaching, she went silent and gave Samuel another look. She had to admit, he was far more impressive than any of the boys in Kuoh, she could see why he'd quickly become a heartthrob, but she wasn't so easily impressed by looks and power alone.

"What is it, Samuel?" Rias asked, making him pause as he gathered his thoughts.

– Samuel Morgan –

I am still not entirely sure Rias is as nice as she likes to present herself; she simply does not match what I know of devils, and that alone makes me somewhat suspicious. Devils are inherently sinful creatures, but is Rias truly just a slothful teenage girl at heart? I hope so, in truth, but I can't deny I'm still biding my time and watching her closely for any signs that she's not as innocent as she acts.

Feats Achieved: Win the Practice Match. Defeat Sona's Peerage without taking any damage. Two Rolls Granted

Rolling. Results: Common Power, Junk Artefact

[Epilepsy] - Common Power

Anyone you hit with this blast will start getting migraines and seeing flashing colours. The blast hits with the force of a strong punch.

Useful, a disorientated opponent is a distracted one. 

[Eternal Carafe of Wine (or Acid)] - Junk Artefact

An endless container that refills constantly, however, it will either fill with an exotic wine or an incredibly painful acid which looks and smells like wine.

…less useful, but I suppose it's nice to have.

But the important one was this, which I gained from having a set amount of power.

[Power Lending]

You can now lend powers to other people, losing access to them and granting them to another person. This power can be recalled at any time, but once recalled, it remains inactive for one week before reactivating.

There is considerable risk in showing Rias that I can do this as if she orders me to give away all my powers, then I cannot disobey her. That said, I've considered the pros and cons of this and decided that I want to take that risk as a test of Rias' character.

I won't tell her that I can recall the powers unless she asks, and should it look like she's about to order me to give away all my powers, I can quickly use an Edict to prevent anyone from speaking. I can't attack her directly, but she unknowingly proved that certain things can work on her. When I stopped all women from being able to move, Rias stopped as well. I can't directly harm her, but if it doesn't hurt her, then I should be able to use my Edicts to escape should the worst happen. I've already learnt how to use the devils' teleportation circles and have considered all the places I could run to. My time-bubble exploitation has given me plenty of time to work with.

Frankly, if she is a tyrant disguised as an innocent schoolgirl, I'd prefer to rip the bandaid off and expose her early. If she is as she appears, then it means I'm at least safe and well-provided for here while I work out my long-term plan. 

"Lady Rias, my power has developed once more. This training match was enough for me to develop a new ability to blasts that cause headaches and blind the target with flashing lights," I report, playing the part of the obedient servant as both Rias and Sona's eyes widen at my calm report.

"But how? Your power is certainly unique," Sona says, brows furrowed.

"I do not know all the specifics, only that my power essentially grows and develops new abilities as I achieve feats, such as being victorious in this fight," I explain, seeing no reason to hide it. Rias should have every reason to want her Bishop to grow after all, and I can't hide that my power will just keep growing. "The main reason I bring this up is that I have developed a new part of my power that allows me to grant individual powers I have gained to other people."

If they were surprised before, they're downright shocked now, sharing a confused look. This isn't how Sacred Gears work, and their inability to understand my out-of-context power is good at keeping them off-guard.

"You can grant other people your powers?" Sona asks, avarice clear in her tone.

"I believe so, yes. I decided to bring this up as I gained a power that is fairly useless for me but could prove a powerful tool for another member of the Peerage. [Phantom Strikes] allows me to punch or kick and have a phantom limb replicate the attack at a distance. My strength is not particularly impressive, and the phantom limbs strike with the same force you put behind the blows. After some consideration, I realised that it would be a useful weapon for Koneko, who is a physical, unarmed attacker."

"And you're willing to just give it to her?" Rias asks, giving Sona an oddly smug look before turning back to me with a soft smile.

"I understand that we have an important battle coming up, the power would go unused with me and would better serve Koneko, increasing our chances," I explain. "That said, I have no desire to give away my other powers. King or not, the final decision on who I grant my powers lies with me alone."

"Of course! Don't worry. I'd never try to make you give away what's yours," Rias says quickly, giving me a beaming smile. "Are you sure? Can this be undone?"

"It can; I can recall the powers at any time," I reply before I can stop myself. Ah, even that counts as an order? How infuriating. "And I am sure. It's simply the logical decision to give the power to the person who can best use it. If you agree, I can hand it over now so she can start to get used to it."

Rias gives me a soft, happy smile, touching my arm gently.

"Then I'd be honoured if you'd lend your power to Koneko. If you want it back, don't hesitate to reclaim your powers, though you will have to be the one to tell Koneko. She has a deadly pout," Rias jokes softly, calling Koneko over. "Koneko, Samuel wishes to share one of his powers with you."

"Okay," Koneko agrees easily, making me blink even as Rias laughs quietly. 

Seeing that Koneko seemingly has no questions about that statement, I place my hand on her head gently and stroke her hair, her entire body shuddering as I grant her [Phantom Strikes].

"Hm," Koneko says, looking around. Spotting a tree, she shows her instinctive understanding of her powers as she unleashes a single punch in the general direction of the tree, martial arts training clear in her stance.

In the distance, the tree cracks from an invisible force, the trunk shattering from the force behind her blows. She's still empowered by my Call of the Wild and the poor tree didn't stand a chance.

"It works," Koneko helpfully says, giving us a lazy thumbs up. It doesn't quite hide the excitement in her eyes or the way her tail has come out and is swishing around behind her. Rias gives Koneko a smile, patting her head as well, before she turns and gives me an affectionate look. 

"We'll have to add this to our battle strategy since nobody has a reason to suspect that Koneko has a ranged attack. It can be one of our secret weapons," Rias says, a large smile on her face.

"I'd suggest you drop out of school and spend the next couple of weeks focusing entirely on your training. Samuel has certainly turned the tide in your favour, but Riser is essentially unbeaten for a reason. It wouldn't do to underestimate him when the stakes are so high," Sona points out, making Rias pout slightly. "You know I'm right. The deadline is far closer than you had originally planned, and I could see Riser trying to force the issue faster when he hears that you have Boosted Gear. His best chance of winning is to have the battle before Samuel can adapt to his new position."

"I believe I can assist with the time issue. I can simply cause one of my increased speed bubbles to envelop a training ground. It's how I learnt as much about devil society and my powers as I did while at Lord Lucifer's home. At the moment, I can make it so that an hour spent within the bubble amounts to approximately twenty hours of training," I suggest, making both their eyes widen as they realise the non-combat use for Temporal Tempo.

"How many bubbles can you have active at once?" Sona asks, making me smile slightly.

"One hundred, and they can expand to a mile in diameter, so while I can't currently make a bubble inside a bubble, it is no real loss for me to have a permanent bubble formed over a training area. I take it that the training areas have already been hidden from human eyes?" I ask, making Rias nod with a slightly malicious smirk. Given that she's just found out that she essentially has twenty times as long to prepare to fight for her freedom, I don't blame her. 

I find the concept of an arranged marriage in the modern world rather absurd, so while I'm not sure about how innocent she really is, I will do my best to help free her from it. How she acts afterwards will show me her true colours when she no longer has a sword of Damocles hanging over her head, ready to drop at her family's convenience.

"I want one; name your price," Sona says, crossing her arms and staring at me intensely. "Actually, I want two: one for my office and another for my training grounds."

"Ooh, that could be a good source of contracts for you!" Rias says, clapping her hands together excitedly. "Looking forward to cutting down your paperwork time?"

"Unlike you, Rias, I actually handle a considerable amount of the schools and city's administration," Sona points out, making Rias laugh awkwardly and rub her neck. "Being able to cut down the time spent going over reports, filing paperwork and dealing with other administrative messes to a twentieth would be a blessing from the Maous themselves."

Pausing to consider my answer, since Rias seemed entirely happy to leave the terms up to us despite the fact that she's my King and also Sona's best friend, I make a decision.

"As you are a close personal friend of my King and effectively my employer, given the devil influence in the school, I will provide two bubbles of slowed time without charge until the end of the first semester. Any future bubbles can be negotiated once that time limit has ended when I have a better idea of their value," I offer, getting a rather intense look from Sona. 

Losing two bubbles for a few months isn't the end of the world, given that I still have ninety-eight, and I've yet to find a way to use that many in a single fight. Simply spamming the battlefield would make it as perilous for my allies as my enemies. Sona seems like a useful person to know, and maintaining good relations with her could be useful in the future, given her position as the school's secret ruler.

"I'll write up a contract for it; it'll look better for your record if it looks official, even if it's a gift," Sona agrees, giving me a slight smile. "Thank you, Mr Morgan."

"It's my pleasure, Lady Sitri," I say with a slight bow. 

"I have one question, however. Do you plan to offer future powers you don't have any personal use for on loan as contracts? If so, I'd like to essentially call dibs on any power you wish to loan out," Sona explains, making me rub my chin.

It's not a bad idea; if I have too many powers, then I'll never get any use from some of them. Using them as bartering tools for limited-time contracts could be a lucrative business.

"I had not considered it, but I very well may. My power seems to develop at a steady rate, and there are bound to be other powers that don't synergise well with me," I agree, stroking my chin in thought. "If such an event does occur, I'll be sure to let you know of any powers I'm considering loaning out before I publicly list them."

Sona gives me an approving smile at that, pushing up her glasses slightly. I'm not promising to let her loan them, just giving her a chance to negotiate for them before anyone else. My main issue is how do you put a price tag on power? Perhaps an auction system, letting the people decide their worth?

"You're going to be in such high demand, Samuel," Rias says, smiling. "I give it a year at the most until you're promoted to High-class devil."

I raise an eyebrow at that, because Rias sounds proud at the idea of me essentially leaving her service and becoming a peer. Should she not want to hold onto this goldmine as long as she can?

"We shall see," I say simply. "That was all I wished to discuss, so if there is nothing else, I'd like to return to the training session."

"Of course, and thank you, Samuel," Rias says, making me nod slightly as I turn and walk back to the others, where Koneko is hard at work terrorising people with her new power to punch them in the face from a distance. Seeing the bloody state of Momo's nose, I head over to her first and use my Healing Aura to fix it up, giving Koneko a stern look. I understand her excitement, but there's no need to get carried away like that.

– Rias Gremory –

"I give it a week before Momo jumps him at this rate," Sona said, amusement colouring her tone as she watched her Bishop turn bright red at Samuel's tender care. "I genuinely can't tell whether he is doing it on purpose."

"He isn't. He's a gentleman and a damn good-looking one. The schoolgirls are going to eat him alive," Rias giggled, making Sona sigh at the thought of dealing with a horde of teenage girls thirsty for their teacher. "Still think he's going to run off?"

"I still think it's a possibility worth considering, especially when word gets out that he can share his powers. He's a power multiplier, and the other factions will want their piece of this pie. Admittedly, my worries have been somewhat alleviated; not many devils would willingly share power, and he had no reason to inform you that it was even a possibility," Sona admitted, giving Samuel a long look. 

Sona didn't want to admit she was impressed, but Rias knew her friend too well for that. She wouldn't be surprised if Sona challenged Samuel to a game of chess soon enough, her lips twitching slightly. 

"Once more, Rias… you are one lucky bitch," Sona said with a small smirk, making Rias laugh.

"Believe me, I know," Rias agreed, looking over at where Samuel and Koneko were trying something. She couldn't believe how quickly Koneko had come to trust their newest member, but it made her very happy all the same. 

She had a suspicion that Samuel was rapidly becoming a father figure for Koneko, one that she had admittedly never really had. She hadn't been sure how adding an adult to her Peerage would change things, but it had proven the missing piece they needed.

A part of her wondered if Koneko would become his first piece when Samuel inevitably outgrew her. His power was just too potent; if he kept developing like this, then she wouldn't be able to hold onto him even if she tried with all her might, which left her with some very mixed emotions. In the end, if Koneko wanted to be transferred to Samuel's future Peerage, then she'd allow it, of course, but that was a mess of feelings for future Rias to deal with. 

Blinking, she watched as the next round started. Koneko and Samuel vs Sona's entire Peerage. An odd decision, but-

Her eyes widened as Koneko started to glow, hair standing up on its end in response to whatever Samuel had just done, Koneko zooming forwards at speeds that put Kiba to shame.

"What, in the name of the Satans, was that?" Sona asked, watching Koneko demolish the terrified teenage girls who suddenly had to deal with a super-saiyan Koneko. It was no surprise that they were panicking, Koneko striking them with incredible speed and force, throwing phantom haymakers at the unprepared girls. 

The fight was a one-sided massacre, and Koneko quickly returned to Samuel's side for praise as he patted her head, making sure to heal the poor girls Koneko had just brutalised. She pretended not to hear one of them ask Samuel if he was going to kiss her bruises better, and Samuel ignored the flirtation with practised ease.

"Lady Rias, I am proud to report I have discovered how to use Boosted Gear to boost my spells. It seems highly effective on Call of the Wild," Samuel reported plainly as if he hadn't just turned Koneko into an unstoppable force of nature.

"We kicked ass," Koneko added, a small smirk on her lips and a fire in her eyes. 

"Lucky, lucky, bitch," Sona muttered under her breath.

"Excellent work, you two. You definitely kicked ass," Rias agreed, ruffling Koneko's hair. Her eyes lingered on the red and golden amulet around Samuel's neck. So this was how his Boosted Gear was used. He didn't have many spells yet, but being able to double the effectiveness of any spell would make him a true powerhouse as he came into his magic more. Her decision to make him a Bishop was looking even better now.

She truly owed Sirzechs for giving her Samuel because he was going to change everything. As she stared up at him, Samuel gave her a soft smile as she continued praising her adorable Koneko. She especially liked Koneko's suggested plan for Riser, where they simply super-buffed Koneko and she repeatedly phantom-kicked Riser in between the legs. It wouldn't put him down for good, but it would at least be funny to watch.

"I believe the others are starting to become hungry from the training and would appreciate a break from being manhandled by Koneko, so with your permission, I'd like to start working on dinner for both Peerages. It should not take long, given my time bubbles," Samuel suggested, making her giggle slightly at the look of relief on the faces of some of Sona's Peerage. Being bullied by a girl who was barely four feet tall was certainly dealing some psychological damage to them.

"Of course, I should have thought of that myself," Rias agreed. "Thank you, Samuel."

"Just doing my job, Lady Rias. Koneko, would you like to join me in the kitchen?" Samuel asked, making Koneko nod happily as they set off.

"Oh, thank Maou, she's gone," someone sighed in relief, making Rias force down a snort of laughter. Koneko was a force to be reckoned with when she was buffed by Samuel and held no mercy for her opponents. 

Akeno naturally just giggled maliciously, having been enjoying the show. Smiling, she watched the two Peerages start to relax, taking a break from their training. Samuel really was a gift, she'd have to make sure he understood just how appreciated everything he did was. 

— Bonus Scene — Raynare

Boosted Gear was in Kuoh, and the devils had already claimed it. She couldn't miss the appearance of the new teacher at Kuoh Academy; his aura was unmissable. That lazy Gremory slut had somehow found a true monster, which made their position here all the more uncomfortable.

She'd informed her superiors, and to her shock, the reply came quickly. They wanted Samuel Morgan dead, even if she got caught and had to die for it. The Devils couldn't be allowed to have such a potent mage who also had the fucking Red Dragon Emperor, no matter what. Azazel wasn't the type to lightly order his people into potentially suicidal missions, which told her just how serious this was.

She had two minor advantages on her side. The stolen Absorption Line she'd taken from that fool, Gen-something or other, and the fact that she was getting reinforcements. If they failed or got caught, the Grigori would claim they were rogue agents; her life relied on her ability to kill this Samuel and get away before she incurred the wrath of two fucking Satans.

Still, she would not fail Lord Azazel, and she certainly wouldn't let the devils keep hold of such a powerful piece for when the war inevitably restarted. She was trusted with this most important mission, and she wouldn't let Azazel down.

– Kokabiel –

Thank his fallen Father that Raynare was so easily deceived. The devils possessing such a powerful Longinus? No, that could not be allowed to continue, and this worked nicely for him. Sirzechs and Serafall would not accept 'whoops, they were rogue agents' as an excuse when this Samuel was dead.

Especially when his reinforcements accidentally killed one of the Heiresses as well for good measure. Azazel would not be able to talk his way out of this, and they could finally end this farce of a cold war.