Training Part 5 of 14 - Desperado
('Ddraig speaking telepathically')
("Ddraig talking out loud")
['Albion speaking telepathically']
["Albion talking out loud"]
{'Bahamut speaking telepathically'}
'A character's thoughts'
Chapter 18: Training Part 5 of 14 - Desperado
Day 6 of 120 Training Days
Asgard
The next morning, Issei woke up with Raynare in his arms, bare naked this time. He blushed as he remembered what they did last night, but he shook his head of those thoughts and got up to start the day.
. . . . . . .
Most people would either choose to stay single or get lucky and be in a relationship with one person. Issei is obviously neither of them. Being in polyamorous relationships is a lot harder than he thought, as such a thing can lead to times where certain parties are unhappy for whatever reason.
And right now, said party is Arisu. Whenever the two happened to cross paths, she would huff and walk away as he tried to talk to her. Issei was on his way to the dining hall when the two met each other's eyes.
"Hmph!" She huffed, using a hand to sassily toss a strand of her long ponytail behind her shoulder, her beautiful dark brown hair swaying behind her. He never noticed it before, but her hair can almost be mistaken as black colored due to certain lighting.
Issei, hand outstretched to her, lowered it and sighed. 'I know that she can be the jealous type at times, but did I do something wrong, Ddraig?'
('How would I know?')
{'Ask her yourself!'}
'Great, you can read my thoughts, Bahamut? Ugh.'
{'Well, duh. This is my daughter we're talking about.'}
'I will fix this situation, one way or another.'
{'You better, or else...'}
Issei gulped nervously. '... Anyway, if you don't mind, I have a personal question for you, Bahamut. What happened to Arisu's mother?'
{She died when she gave birth to Arisu.}
'Oh. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked.'
{'Heh. Don't be. While it still kind of hurts to think about, I have gotten over her death. Arisu never knew her, which is why she doesn't hurt as much as I do over the mere mention of the topic, but you should still never ask her.'}
'I won't. One last question, Bahamut. Is it possible to make everyone in a harem happy?'
{'HAHAHAHAHAHA'}
'Hey! This is a serious question!'
{'Sorry, sorry. Here is my take on it. It depends on how many people are in a harem. I have never had one since I am fine with being with one person, but in your case, I wouldn't have any more than a dozen girls.}
'I see. Thanks for the advice.'
{No prob. Just be sure to talk to my daughter. The sooner, the better.}
'Right.'
. . . . . . .
Issei sat down at the table next to Arisu, where breakfast, the most important meal of the day, is ready. Pancakes and eggs sat steaming, the delicious aroma making his stomach growl.
"Hmph!"
She did it again!
He looked at Arisu. "Alright ponytail, what's wrong?"
"Shut up! Don't call me weird nicknames, baka!"
Issei chuckled nervously. He took one of her hands in both of his. "You've been like this since last night. Were you jealous of Raynare?"
"W-Why would I be jealous, baka?!" She shook his hands away, only to be met by them again.
"I mean, she and I obviously had sex..."
She glared at him, but then sighed. "Fine, I'm a little jealous of her, but that ain't the problem!"
"Then what is it?" Her sharp blue eyes whipped to him with another glare. "Hey, I just want to help."
Arisu sighed. "It's that I happened to walk into your room at that exact moment. Sure, it was with everyone else since we all wanted to spend a little time with you, but things obviously got awkward."
The other nine trainees are watching this exchange, mostly amused except for Irina who silently agreed with Arisu.
Raynare rolled her eyes. "Just because I took Issei's virginity doesn't mean you have to be all pouty, Ms. Grumpy. For men, virginity really doesn't mean anything if they're in a harem."
The Princess sighed. "Fine! Yer right. I'll stop bein' mad."
Silence took hold until Irina asked a question. "So... Raynare, are you and Issei really having a b-baby?"
Raynare blushed as she exchanged looks with Issei. "... We are."
Rossweisse sighed. "Isn't Issei too young to be a father? I mean, he's only 15."
Raynare retorted. "By Human standards, yes, but aren't I too old to be alive? Besides, Issei is a far better man than almost all Human males his age, and he's a Dragon." She kissed her King on his cheek and smiled at him, making him blush.
Vali smirked. "Fair enough. Just don't hesitate to let the rest of us know if the three of you need anything. We're your friends, after all."
Tsubasa nodded. "Indeed. I may not look like it, but I am really good with kids! If you ever need someone to look after them and play with them, I'm your gal." She winked at Raynare.
Kuroka interjected. "Nyand if you nyeed someone to feed them lots of milk, I can help with that, nya~"
Akeno narrowed her eyes at the nekoshou. "Fufu. I would be better suited for that job, you thieving cat."
Kuroka glared at her and hissed. "My boobs are bigger than yours, nya!"
Issei coughed. "Alright Kuroka, Akeno, you are most definitely not breast-feeding my daughter! That job belongs to the biological mother, who by the way, has bigger boobs than both of you." Everybody burst out laughing while Raynare frowned.
"Son. We're having a son," Raynare corrected.
Issei smirked at her. "How much you want to bet?"
"I don't gamble. Besides, you can call it a woman's, specifically a mother's intuition."
"Oh."
After a little silence, Tsubasa shyly spoke. "I-Issei, is it alright if I join your harem? I want to be with you too."
He smiled. "Of course!"
Ravel had her eyes widen in surprise. "I wasn't expecting you to ask in front of all of us."
Tsubasa laughed nervously. "I know, right? Ahahaha..."
Rossweisse thought to herself, 'Great. Now I'm the only one without a boyfriend!'
They carried on and ate breakfast.
Minutes later, a magic circle appeared, and out stepped someone Issei felt like he hasn't seen in a long time.
"Grandpa Tannin?"
The handsome orange-haired man smiled brightly. "Yo, Issei! I'll be training the eleven of you for the next couple weeks."
A new voice interrupted. "No, you won't, not so fast! I already have scheduled the next four days to train them!"
"Shtella!" Irina said with her mouth full of pancakes, making Vali sigh at her childish behavior.
Tannin slumped over. "Ehhhhhh?! That's so unfair! I wanted to spend time with my grandson..." He collapsed on the table, crying dramatically, making Issei chuckle.
"Don't worry, gramps. You'll get your time soon."
Ophis, Great Red, Bahamut, and Tiamat appeared.
"... Issei, is with offspring."
Tannin blinked. "... Come again?!"
. . . . . . .
Stella cleared her throat awkwardly, not being used to having all the attention on her, much less being a teacher as they stood in the soccer field with Tannin, Tiamat, Ophis, Great Red, and Bahamut sitting in the stands, looking onwards. "For the next four days, I am going to be teaching you all how to combine magic with your weapons and how to control your aura however you want to."
They nodded.
Murayama raised her hand. "Stella, my magical abilities aren't very good."
The pinkette grinned. "It's alright! I'll teach you, so leave it to me! Now, pull out your weapons."
They all did as they were told. Issei summoned his shield and Jounetsu. Suddenly, a scroll of text appeared in front of his eyes.
'Every weapon has its own category name and tier to describe their combat grade:
Category names from least to most powerful: Caveman, Medieval, Modern Human Civilian, Modern Human Military, Supernatural, Legendary, God, Biblical, and Draconic.
Tiers from least to most powerful: F, E, D, C, B, A, S, SS, and SSS.
For example an F tier Supernatural weapon is more powerful than an SSS tier Modern Human Military weapon.
Your Jounetsu is Draconic SSS tier, shield is Draconic SSS tier, Holy Sword (5x) is Biblical S tier, and daggers given by Ophis and Great Red are Draconic S tier.
Now, try looking at the weapons everyone else is holding to see their combat grade.'
He looked at the daggers everyone else got to see them listed as Draconic C tier.
Vali's sword as well as Arisu's sword and bow and arrow are listed as Draconic SSS tier. Her daggers are Draconic A tier.
Murayama's sword is Draconic SS tier.
Raynare and Irina's swords as well as Ravel's staff are listed as Draconic S tier.
Tsubasa's sword is Draconic A tier.
Rossweisse has a Draconic B tier sword.
'Interesting,' Issei thought.
His thoughts were interrupted by Stella who was conversing with Murayama. "What kind of magic do you see yourself capable of?"
"Not fire, that's for sure. I think it would be awesome if I could learn how to control ice."
Stella nodded. "Ice, you say? Then you need to start by building a place in your mind."
"A place in my mind?"
"Yes, a mindscape like a glacier or a frozen tundra, maybe even an ice rink. Have you ever gone ice skating? I think you would understand how much it hurts to fall in an ice rink because of how hard the ice is if you experience it for yourself."
Murayama's eyes widened. "I actually have. A long time ago, my friend Yui and I did just that."
"Hm. Good. Now imagine that same coldness, that sharp, dripping wet jaggedness of the ice in the palm of your hand, something that you can stab your enemies with but can also melt in your hands at a very fast rate."
The Pawn closed her eyes and held her hand forward, doing as she was told. The air in front of her suddenly turned cold. She opened her eyes to see that she is holding a icicle.
Stella smiled. "Nice job! Now, try transferring the essence of the element of ice to your sword."
The already blue sword began glowing as an aura of bitter cold swirled around the steel.
Murayama smiled. "I did it!"
. . . . . . .
Kuoh, Japan
Meanwhile at Issei's house, it had gotten dark since the sun had set...
"Dohnaseek, go get some popcorn for me. I want to watch a movie," Mittelt ordered.
"No!"
"Why not?"
"You didn't say the magic word."
"What's the magic word?"
"Please." (52)
Asia gave him the puppy eyes. "May I please have some ice cream, Dohnaseek?"
His willpower nearly broke. "I..."
Kalawarner was playing Mario Kart with Mittelt on Issei's console as Asia watched. She chipped in her two-cents. "Me as well. I want chocolate flavored. Now go."
"What am I, a slave?!"
"Yes."
"GAH!"
The buxom purple-haired girl cackled. "I'm kidding!"
Dohnaseek sighed. "Can you come with me please?"
"Why?!"
"I... I'm scared of the dark!"
"Then turn on a light, idiot."
"No. I require a companion to complete this arduous task. Me being able to accomplish anything in the dark would be a monumental achievement."
"Ugh, fine!" Kalawarner paused the game and swung her legs off the couch to get up. "You better be grateful that I'm sacrificing my game time for you."
He saluted. "Yes ma'am!"
On their way downstairs, the doorbell suddenly rang. Dohnaseek nervously looked at Kalawarner who rolled her eyes at him as she went to opened the door to see a middle-aged couple.
The man spoke. "Hello! My name is Gorou Hyoudou, and this is my wife Miki. We're wondering if Issei is home?"
Kalawarner smiled. "Oh! Issei isn't home, but you can come inside." As she held the door open and allowed the Hyoudou's in, she was panicking deep down, unsure of how she would explain Issei's absence.
"Woah..." Gorou muttered, seeing the inside of the huge house for the first time. All Issei told him is that he had the necessary resources to build the home, but he never specified what those resources were.
On the large staircase where Bahamut's sculpture stood, two more stood on either side of it, both smaller than Bahamut, representing Ophis and Great Red. The Ophis one creeps most of them out due to its snake-like design, but the Great Red representation can only be described as awesome.
Miki began speaking. "So, who are you and how has our Issei been?"
"My name is Kalawarner, a friend of Issei's."
'Aw, hell with it,' Kalawarner thought.
She began telling them all about the supernatural starting with Issei's date with 'Yuuma' and subsequent death, the Three Factions, the Great War, Kokabiel, the Khaos Brigade, and Issei training in Asgard.
"So you mean to tell me my son is a Dragon, and because of that, HE HAS A HAREM?!" Gorou exclaimed, recieving a nod. "I'm so proud of you, Issei!"
On the other hand, Miki ignored her husband as she couldn't help but worry for her son's safety, but Kalawarner assured her that he would be okay since he is apparently OP.
. . . . . . .
Day 7 of 120 Training Days
Channeling ones magic into a weapon is easier said than done. It's like putting a part of one's self out there where it doesn't belong. Some didn't struggle with this lesson at all, such as Issei, Arisu, Vali, Raynare, Murayama, and Rossweisse. Issei, Arisu, and Vali are the best at it and decided to spar one another, but everyone else needed extra work.
Akeno managed to get her holy lightning to combine with her daggers, but it didn't last long much to her dismay. Kuroka had the same issue with Senjutsu. After much practice, the two were able to prolong the magically-infused weapons.
Days 8-10 of 120 Training Days
Stella is currently coaching Irina, Murayama, Raynare, Rossweisse, and Tsubasa. Murayama is the guinea pig for her current demonstration.
"Now I'm going to teach you all how to launch a magical attack from a distance. Out of all of you, Natsuki is one of the best at what she has learned so far. Now Natsuki, show us what you can do."
Stella took a defensive position several yards away, holding up her golden broadsword.
Murayama nodded. Her sword swirled with a bitter cold aura, and she swung it in a horizontal slash, launching an arc of dozens of sharp shards of ice towards Stella, who blocked or deflected them all away safely, impressing everyone.
The pinkette grinned. "Did you all see what she did there? She managed to launch an attack by literally feeling the magic flowing through her, grabbing it and swinging it like a whip."
Murayama suddenly dropped her sword and fell onto a knee, stabbing the ground with her sword, trembling as she struggled to stand.
Seeing this, Issei rushed over and held her up to stabilize her. "Natsuki, what's wrong?!"
She smiled weakly. "Sorry. I suddenly felt very tired and almost passed out." Murayama put her sword away into her pocket dimension.
"Dummy. Lately, you have been pushing yourself a little too hard, and you might have completely drained your mana."
"I am improving though, aren't I?"
He sighed. "You definitely are. Just be careful. You're done for the day, so let's get you back to your bed to rest." He picked her up and carried her bridal style.
Murayama blushed. "But I-"
"No buts."
Issei teleported to her room and set her down on the bed, tucking her in. "Now, I'm ordering you as your King to get some rest."
Natsuki sighed. "Fine."
He smiled and leaned down to kiss her forehead.
The next day, she recovered. Training continued as they all sparred with Stella.
. . . . . . .
Cocytus, Olympus
An explosion shook the icy grounds of the Cocytus. Guards panicked as they ran to the source of the disturbance, coughing due to the smoke.
"RRRRAAAAUUUUGH!" An enraged voice howled echoed throughout the massive mountain, the sound terrifying all who heard it.
"What happened?!"
"Oh no... It escaped!"
"Well, don't just stand there like idiots! Guards, chase after it! I have to tell Zeus, and he isn't going to be happy about this."
To Be Continued
References:
(52) Ghostbusters. No, not the shitty remakes.
Issei's Harem (same as peerage members, most to least powerful, will not change):
Issei Hyoudou (Mutated King)
Arisu Yamauchi (OC, Six Mutated Pawn Pieces)
Raynare (Main Girl, Queen)
Akeno Himejima (Knight)
Kuroka Toujou (Bishop)
Irina Shidou (Rook)
Tsubasa Yura (Knight)
Rossweisse (Rook)
Ravel Phenex (Bishop)
Natsuki Murayama (Two Pawns)