Chapter 5
Alexander groaned in pleasure as he walked out of his bathroom while stretching after a nice, long soak in his hot spring. After a good night's sleep, he felt fantastic. He spent some time picking out a nice outfit before heading to Asia's room, just down the hall. He cast his translation spell before he knocked on the door and heard a soft, “Coming!”
The door opened to reveal and excited looking Asia dressed in a pretty summer dress that Lucy had probably provided her with. He gave her a small wave, “Good morning, are you ready for breakfast?”
She nodded enthusiastically, “I am!”
He chuckled and led her to the dining room, where a large breakfast awaited them. Scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, biscuits, sausage gravy, and more. Alexander happily made himself some breakfast sandwiches that likely would have killed a lesser man. He also ate almost five times as much as usual, despite the lack of taste. Even so, he didn't feel full... or hungry. Did a Perfect Lifeform have to eat?
…
So, he couldn't taste food, didn't need to eat, or piss, or shit. All the fun was completely taken out of life if there was nothing to enjoy! Oh... oh god. He lost his ability to fart! How was he ever going to dutch oven someone without the ability to fart?! No more 'pull my finger' jokes... Was life even still worth living?
“What's wrong?”
The gentle question from Asia brought him out of his funk. He gave her a soft smile, “Sorry, it's one of the curses I have to live with. My sense of taste is gone; everything I eat tastes like nothing, or even ash sometimes.”
Asia gasped, “That's horrible! Is there nothing you can do about it? Can I help?”
He shook his head, “There's a way to cure it, but it requires a truly excellent chef or for me to gain the skill to cook at an almost superhuman level.”
Though, given his current abilities... it was possible he might be able to emulate Expert Tier cooking with enough practice. A thought for later. Later being never. No way in hell was he going to put in that much effort because the moment he did, he would roll something like Divine Cooking. That was just how his luck liked to act.
As soon as they finished breakfast, they got their shoes on and headed out to where the Regalia was awaiting them. Lucy had been her usual amazing self and built him a large garage to keep the Regalia in, so it didn't get dirty or sun damage from sitting outside all the time. Asia looked over the car with sparkling eyes, “It's so beautiful! Are we really going to ride in this?”
“Yup! This is the Regalia. My pride and joy.”
Asia reached out and touched the glossy black paint job, “Such a regal name fits it.”
Alexander opened the passenger side door and gestured for her to enter, “Time to go.”
She hopped in, and he closed the door behind her, then headed over to the driver's seat. As soon as he sat, he started the car and sighed happily at the gentle rumble of power the engine released. Asia was grinning broadly right next to him.
He drove without music and just enjoyed the company of someone experiencing the awesomeness of the Regalia for the first time. He had to get his hands on the scrap from the company Lucy was buying so he could build a stealth system for the Regalia. He wanted to fly it!
As they pulled into the parking lot for Kuoh Academy, he casually cast the translation and learning spells on Asia so she would understand everything and be able to communicate, all while learning the language. After stepping out, he found Sona and Tsubaki, together like usual, waiting for them at the gate.
Sona looked slightly annoyed, “You're late, Smith-san.”
Alexander hopped out of the car and let Asia out before he addressed Sona, “Sorry about that, breakfast ran a little longer than usual.”
As he got closer to Sona, her eyes narrowed while she looked him up and down, studying him, “You got stronger, a lot stronger.”
He shrugged, “It happens.”
She scowled but then wiped the look off her face and turned to Asia. She gave a polite bow, “Apologies for the late introduction, Argento Asia-san, I am Sitri Sona, though among humans I am known as Shitori Souna, please address me as such when necessary.” She straightened, “Welcome to Kuoh Academy. We'll work together to get you set up for classes and measured for your uniform.”
Her gaze moved to Alexander, “You can pick her up in three hours.”
He nodded in understanding, “Alright. I'll see you then, Asia.”
She gave him a bright smile that filled him with joy. He hopped back in his car and started driving toward ReTech Industries, where he would be meeting Lucy.
-----Line Break-----
Alexander stepped into the CEO's office of ReTech Industries and grinned at the sight of Lucy behind the desk, “You look comfortable.”
Lucy stretched like a cat and sighed happily, “I am, oh so comfortable.” She pushed a folder across the desk to him, “I had them shut down the Kuoh Facility temporarily so you could go into it and remodel it to fit your needs. We'll start by expanding Kuoh's collection parameters to include everything you could want. Plastics, metals, broken electronics, anything non-organic you could want.”
Alexander rubbed his hands together with glee, “Excellent.” He picked up the folder and tucked it under his arm, “By the way, I got a roll yesterday for beating Serfall at the DDR Duel. It was another Familiar.”
Lucy raised an eyebrow, “Anyone I would know?”
He snorted, “Highly unlikely. Her name is Tali'Zorah nar Rayya. She was a character in a video game set close to the year twenty-two hundred. She's an alien species known as a Quarian. Which is where the problem lies.”
Lucy leaned back in her chair and looked curious, “Why's that?”
“Well, for a start, while human-like, Quarians definitely do not look human. Due to their weakened immune systems, they spend their entire lives in high-tech environment suits to protect themselves. She could literally be killed by the common cold. Worse than that is her dietary requirements. I don't know exactly what it means, but Quarians require Dextro-protein, which is basically the opposite of the protein in the food we eat.”
“Ah! So, if you summoned her, we would have nothing to feed her, let alone give her any other support she might need.”
He nodded, “Exactly. On top of which, her food needs to be heavily treated to prevent any chance of infection from anything. I'm certain I could treat her food if we could find some that wouldn't make her sick to eat it.”
Lucy tilted her head, “Couldn't you make a machine or spell to convert normal food into this Dextro food she needs?”
He thought about it, then shrugged, “Maybe? I'll have to actually do some research on that one. It's not something I can just make up on the fly and hope it works.”
“Well, aside from her special dietary and immune needs, what else can you tell me about her?”
He tilted his head back and looked up at the ceiling, “Well, she's an engineering genius with military training. More depends on where she's pulled from the timeline of the games. If it's just as she started her Pilgrimage, she'd be a young adult around twenty or so, and much less experienced. By the end of Mass Effect 3, she'd be in her mid twenties and much more experienced and knowledgeable.”
Lucy tilted her head in curiosity, “What would be the difference?”
“Well, a younger Tali would still be helpful with making vastly improved technology and maybe recreating some from the games. Possibly even tech utilizing Eezo, Element Zero, could be made if I figure out a way to synthesize the element. I haven't really thought about it to find out yet. An older Tali would know even more advanced technology and could probably build a spaceship capable of FTL travel with my help.”
Lucy whistled, “That's a big jump for just a few years.”
He nodded in agreement, “Fighting for the survival of your entire galaxy has that effect on a person's learning curve and determination to improve everything by even the smallest amount.”
Lucy nodded in agreement, then pushed the subject off, “We'll discuss it more later. You need to figure out if you can even provide sustenance for her before you even think of removing her from the systems space.”
“Right.” He lifted his arm a bit to gesture with the folder, “I'll head to this place and get it set up to be of the most use to me.”
Lucy waved him off, “Have fun. I'll see you for dinner.”
-----Line Break-----
Alexander stood in the middle of the recycling plant, looking at the main storage area. There was a distinct smell to the place that was rather unpleasant. Even so, he felt excited at the sight of so much material to work with using Unknown Dictator. He'd experimented with it a tiny bit previously, but now he could go all out!
He let out a sigh and relaxed while unleashing the power of his Sacred Gear. The whole building seemed to tremble as he took hold of everything within it. He fed his desire into Unknown Dictator and let it rip.
The whole building shook as Unknown Dictator ripped it apart. Metal, electronics, and plastic all swirled through the air, melting, mixing, changing shape, and existing in a multitude of states. Then it all started coming together to build the most advanced recycling facility on the planet. The plant retained its unloading area for the trucks, but after that, everything changed and became automated. The place would need minimal workers, just enough to make sure the truck deliveries went properly and that everything made it into the chutes.
From the chutes, it all might as well have been magic. The plant would break everything down to its base molecular components, sort those base materials, process them into blocks, and then deliver those blocks to a sorted storage area. All organic materials and residue would be checked for usefulness, then destroyed. In the end, he would be left with blocks or raw materials all ready for use. The whole process was perfectly efficient, even scraping the micro grams of gold out of electronics and putting it all together into bigger blocks.
The whole process was highly energy efficient, meaning the actual energy consumption of the whole facility had dropped by thirty percent. It brought a smile to his face. For the final stage, he built something truly special in the material deposit area, a portal door. Currently, it was connected to nowhere. He'd need to build a second door back at the resort. He'd made sure the portals would be encrypted so no one could even accidentally access them, let alone on purpose.
Everything that hadn't been used to make the new facility was dumped in the hoppers for processing. The machines whirred to life and began processing it all at high speed. The facility could probably handle ten times as much work as it used to. He'd have to get Lucy to ship materials from other parts of the country to this facility to get it working at capacity.
He doubted she would mind because she could easily sell off the excess materials, the vast majority of which would be plastic. It was, after all, the largest part of what would be recycled. Thanks to his machines, the blocks would be simple to break down into pellets that could easily be used in just about any factory for injection molding.
With his work at the factory done, he tapped into Unknown Dictator once more and used it to create the second gate he would be setting up at the resort. Though he made it in pieces so he could fit it in the trunk of his Regalia. He quickly packed it away with a bright smile on his face. This was going to be awesome.
-----Line Break-----
A deep hum filled the air as he activated the second gate at his home in an area Lucy had designated for him that was furthest away from the resort. With little fanfare, the humming stopped, and the fully constructed gateway opened. Looking through it was like looking through a door into another room. Aside from the high-tech frame, there was nothing to indicate that there was anything special about the space.
Alexander grinned from ear to ear. His first step was going to be making a stockpile of exotic metals that he could then use in future creations. With Tinker – Metallurgy, there should be no metal he could imagine that he can't create. Adamantium, Vibranium, Uru, Nth metal, Mithril, Beskar, Durasteel, and Naquadah were just a few that immediately came to mind. However, there was one he needed to know about first and foremost, Element Zero.
He closed his eyes and used his Tinker – Metallurgy ability. Unlike Grandmaster Math, which was a trait that was always working, his Tinker – Metallurgy ability needed to be consciously used. He focused on it and the creation of Element Zero from Mass Effect. Blueprints immediately began to flood his mind, and while he gave them a glance, he mostly just fed them directly into Unknown Dictator and told it to make the machine.
That was an amazing aspect of Unknown Dictator, he didn't need blueprints to make something, but that didn't mean he couldn't use them! In this case, he was just acting as an intermediary between his tinker ability and his Sacred Gear; they were doing all the work.
He opened his eyes and watched in fascination as a machine around the size of a refrigerator slowly came together under the control of Unknown Dictator. It was amazing to watch, but he honestly didn't understand what he was seeing or how it would work. The exact way the machine worked was 'black boxed,' meaning it might as well have worked because of magic. No one, not even himself, would be capable of reverse engineering the machine.
In minutes, he was standing before the newly constructed Element Zero synthesizer. Usage of the machine was simple: stick a hunk of quartz into the main chamber, close the door, then push the button. After that, it was just waiting for a few hours while the machine did its job. In the end, he would be left with a large chunk of refined Element Zero.
The main downside? He would need to make a specific machine for each specific metal and alloy that he wanted to fabricate. No single grand machine that could make anything he desired. While mildly annoying, it wasn't exactly a back-breaking limitation.
Now... he just needed to get himself a hunk of quartz. He blinked and smirked. He cast his cell phone spell to call his bestest minion. After it rang a few times, her mildly annoyed voice came from the other end, “What now?”
“I need quartz! Lots and lots of big chunky pieces of quartz!”
There was a moment of silence before she let out a deep sigh, “Fine. Anything else?”
“Mmmm, no, not at the moment.”
Lucy ended the spell on her end. He huffed playfully, “Rude.”
Okay, so he had the machine for making Eezo, what next? His lips curled into a wide grin, Vibranium of course! That metal was basically crystallized magic with all the applications it had. He got to work making another synthesizer. Using his tinker ability got him the blueprints once more, and Unknown Dictator put it together. The new machine was twice the size of the Eezo synthesizer to make significantly more material at once.
With the machine done, he used Unknown Dictator to collect some steel bars and stick them into the new Vibranium synthesizer. A flip of a switch... and nothing happened. He paused for a moment in confusion, then slapped himself on the forehead, “Power, DUH.”
This time, he didn't have anything to give him a specific plan on what to make, no blueprints. Thankfully, it didn't matter! He activated Unknown Dictator and focused on his desire to create a small fusion reactor to power his new machines. One that he could pour water into and get electricity out of that was built into a power grid he could just plug into.
He grinned as the new, large machine assembled itself. He didn't want any of his devices to look too fancy or too advanced. If they looked like plain metal boxes, people who accidentally, or deliberately, found themselves in the area would pay little to no attention to them. The fusion reactor, the single most powerful energy generator on the planet, looked like a giant rectangular box with several spots with dozens of basic electrical sockets as well as a dozen larger ports for connecting to bigger machines. Machines like his synthesizers.
When the machine finished assembling, he uncapped the water reservoir and filled it with a simple water summoning spell. After that, he just flipped a switch. The built-in battery system got the process started, but the moment the process of fusion began, it switched from draining the highly advanced batteries to recharging them.
While the batteries charged, he plugged in the Vibranium Synthesizer and flipped the switch once more. The machine hummed to life with no fanfare. It would take a few hours to turn the steel into Vibranium. After that... well, he wasn't really sure what he wanted to do with it, to be honest. Definitely something cool though! Maybe a set of armor? He didn't want to completely rip off the Black Panther, so maybe just copy the nanomachine suit but give it his own flair?
He walked over and plugged in the Eezo Synthesizer while he continued to try to decide how to use the Vibranium he was making. Man, it was good to be him... sometimes.
-----Line Break-----
Sirzechs stared at Serafall like a parent disappointed in their child. Serafall stared at the ground while playing with her fingers and digging at the ground with her right foot, trying to look as adorable as possible.
It wasn't working.
“You... lost to Alexander Smith. You? How?”
Serafall pouted, “I'd have said he was cheating, but he never emitted any form of energy I could detect. We both played perfectly until I barely made a tiny mistake. He only beat me by five points! But... he beat me, fair and square.”
Sirzechs sighed and shook his head, “This is why you need to control your impulses. What if word of this were to get out? You losing at anything, even a silly human game, is something that our enemies will use against us. Even if it's just as a silly taunt.”
His eyes bored into her, “But that's not all it is, is it? You gambled your own virginity and lost it to a human. Personally, I don't care who you take to your bed. The Great King Faction, though? If they ever find out that you lost your virginity to a human who beat you in a fair duel, they will never let it go.”
Serafall sighed and dropped all pretenses, “I'm sorry, I am, but he did beat me. The problem isn't that my dalliance with him will be easy enough to cover up. The problem is his sudden explosive growth and strange eyes.”
Sirzechs looked at the report she'd written, one he fully intended to destroy with his Power of Destruction after their meeting ended. No one could ever see it, and leaving it around was too risky. He looked at the relevant passage, “You wrote that his power was at the peak of High-Class. When you tried to dig into it, he blew you off. Then, while playing the game, his eyes transformed from their normal blue to blood red with a black pupil, a black circle around the pupil, on which a single tomoe rested. Then you added that over the course of the game that his eyes changed, each one gaining a second tomoe.”
She nodded, “I think they improved his visual acuity. There wasn't any difference I could see between one tomoe or two in his eyes. Then again, things hadn't changed, so I couldn't tell for certain; it's just a hunch.”
Sirzechs sighed and destroyed the report, “I'll speak with Ajuka personally and see if he has any theories. All I can think of is that Great Red empowered him because of our visit and the threat we pose to him. There's just no telling with that dragon. In all of known history, he's never done anything remotely like this. We have to tread carefully; one wrong step could lead to disaster.”
Serafall sighed, “Well, I've got a date with him in the near future, maybe I can get him to talk when all our clothing is off. He's just a young human, after all.”
-----Line Break-----
Azazel stood in front of Dohnaseek, Mitelt, and Kalawarna, the three fallen angels Lucy and Alexander had beaten in the church. They'd been given back after interrogation by the devils, then interrogation by his people. Their orders hadn't come from him, meaning someone had given them false orders. He was currently trying to get proof of who had done so; until then, he only had suspicions.
“So, you all lost to a magician and a woman using an unknown power?” He asked them all.
Kalawarna nodded and spoke up, “She just waved her hand, and pure force slammed into me. The next thing I knew, I was waking up in a devil hospital and being treated for several shattered bones and internal bleeding.”
Dohnaseek chimed in, “The boy was a master magician. He created a shield spell just large and strong enough to stop my light spear with seemingly little effort.”
Azazel considered for a moment before asking, “Did he say anything else?”
Dohnaseek thought for a moment before he nodded, “It didn't make any sense, but he said he was only there to stop a Dragon God from eating him.”
“A Dragon God?” He hummed, “Interesting. So, either he's a liar, or something much bigger is in play.” He looked down at the trio, “You can go, but we will be keeping a very close eye on you.”
After the trio left, he turned to Shemhazai, “Correct me if I'm wrong, but there are only two Dragon Gods, Ophis and Great Red. What would prompt either of those monsters to do anything?”
Shemhazai shook his head, “I don't have any idea. If one of them is moving, it's not good for anyone. I can't fathom why one would move through a human magician of all things.”
Azazel, far from looking worried, looked intrigued, possibly a little excited, “There must be more to this human than meets the eye to interest either of them.” He slowly grinned, “I can't wait to find out what.”
-----Line Break-----
Alexander closed the door after Asia settled into her seat. As he walked around the front of the Regalia, Sona called out to him, “What time will you be picking me up tonight?”
He paused and turned to face her, “Right here, eight o'clock.”
Sona nodded stiffly, then turned and walked back onto the campus. Alexander climbed into the Regalia and drove Asia back to the resort while asking about her day. He almost felt like a dad picking his kid up from school. Or maybe an elder brother? He wasn't sure. But it did bring a smile to his face listening to her talk about her perverted friend Aika without realizing her friend was teaching her perverted things.
Though he frowned deeply, when he heard stories about the exploits of the Perverted Trio in the class. He decided he needed to do something about them. Something permanent so they wouldn't destroy Asia's innocence. He wouldn't kill them, he didn't like the idea of killing, so he'd do something else. Maybe a little implanted Pavlov training? That appealed to him.
Unfortunately, the car ride had to come to an end. After arriving at the resort, Asia went to her own room to do her homework. She was very studious and insisted on doing her homework the moment she got home, no matter how much or little it was. It was adorable.
He walked to his own room and pulled out his cell phone, one he'd heavily modified with Unknown Dictator. While modern touch screens had more power than all of NASA did in the sixties, his personal phone had more than a hundred times that. It was more than he would likely ever actually need. He flipped through it until he arrived at the number Serafall had left him. He dialed it and waited.
After a few rings, her familiar voice answered in a chipper voice, “You got Levi-tan! Who dis?”
He sighed, “It's Alexander. I'm taking Sona on our date tonight at eight. After which we'll be coming back to my place for the other bet.”
There was a moment of silence before Serafall asked, “When should I arrive?”
He could hear a hint of excitement in her voice. Still, he answered, “The date will probably take two hours. So, anytime before then. I'd rather get this all over with.”
Serafall snorted, “You don't sound very excited about having a hot threesome with two gorgeous women. Two gorgeous virgin women who are sisters.”
Alexander let out a long sigh, “Under normal circumstances, I'd be going crazy with excitement and freaking out with nervous energy. But this...” He sighed, “This feels bad. Like I'm forcing you two against your will, and I'm just not that kind of man. I'd refuse to fulfill the bets if I wasn't half certain Sona would actually tie me down and force herself on me to make sure I did.”
Serafall was quiet for a moment, then she sighed, “I hate to admit it, but you're a good man, Alex. And, you're right. This is a matter of pride for Sona. She will do whatever she can to fulfill her oaths. Just make sure her date with you is magical, or else...”
He sighed, “I'm not a complete dick. I'll be taking her out on a great date. You don't need to worry about that. I'll see you in a few hours.”
“Count on it.”
He ended the call and tossed his phone onto his bed. He made his way into his bathroom to get cleaned up and to soak in his hot spring for a while. Seriously, the hot spring item was probably his favorite roll of them all. It was definitely the one he used the most.
A few hours later, he stood in front of a full-length mirror looking himself over. From the bottom up, he was wearing a pair of high-quality sneakers for comfort, then a pair of pressed jeans. Over his torso, he wore a nice white button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a black vest over it. Even his hair was well coiffed. The only jewelry he wore was his Witch Ring, which enhanced his fire abilities and spells.
He looked himself over, then flashed his Sharingan. His eyes glowed red in the dim light of his bedroom. He examined them and smiled at the sight of the two tomoe slowly spinning around his irises. He canceled them and sighed happily. Alright, he might have been happier to get the Uchiha bloodline than he had admitted to Red.
But come on! Who wouldn't want to have such kick ass eyes?! Though he was NOT looking forward to Red trying to get his Sharingan to evolve into the Mangekyo Sharingan. It would likely be a terrible experience.
He adjusted his collar and made his way over to his desk were a small silver device was sitting. The device had a soft blue glow coming out of thin grills on the side and hummed with power. He carried it with him and made his way to his Regalia. Once at the car, he popped the hood to reveal the artistry that was called an engine. Aside from his synthesizers, the Regalia was by far the most high-tech thing he owned.
He found a nice spot, and a quick use of Unknown Dictator allowed him to integrate the new device into the car flawlessly, including a button to activate it in the cabin. He gently closed the hood and made his way to the driver's seat. Starting the car up showed no problems with the new module. He smirked and gave the new system a quick test. With no issues coming up, he deactivated it and drove toward Kuoh Academy to pick up his date.
He honestly didn't want to date Sona. She was pretty enough, but she was also a bit of a stick in the mud. Honestly, aside from the whole wanting to murder him thing, Serafall was more his type. At least she knew how to have fun. Hopefully, Sona would have fun with the date he'd planned.
As he pulled up to the main entrance of the school, he took a moment to slow down and take in Sona's appearance. He was honestly shocked to see her in a pair of tight blue jeans with practical flats on her feet, a white low cut blouse with some sheer lace around the collar that came close to but didn't quite reveal any cleavage. Wrapping it up, she had an actual leather jacket that she was wearing loose and open.
It gave her an entirely different look than he was used to with her. He'd never seen her in anything but her school uniform, so seeing her like this was... well, it was a bit of a shock to be honest. Her looks were always nice, but now she actually looked beautiful and approachable. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad?
He pulled the car to a stop at the gate and exited the Regalia. Sona gave him a quick up and down, then nodded to herself, “It seems I dressed appropriately.”
Alexander smiled while walking over to the passenger side of the car, “You did, and you look lovely.”
He caught a faint dusting of red on her cheeks as he opened the door for her. She gave him a nod of the head in thanks and slipped into the passenger seat. He walked back around and got into the driver's side. As he sat, Sona commented, “I've been curious about this car since I first saw it. Where did you get it?”
Since the truth was obviously something he couldn't tell her, he simply claimed, “I built it myself using Unknown Dictator. It took a while to get it just right.”
Sona nodded, “So, where are we going for our date?”
Alexander began driving, “I thought we would start with a nice dinner, somewhere we could actually talk to each other for once.” He paused, then continued in a softer tone, “I figured we should consider what we're doing after the date.”
Sona slowly nodded, “I would like that. Considering...”
He nodded and accelerated. As his speed climbed toward the limit and began to pass it, he pressed the new button, causing the whole car to turn invisible to not just eyesight, but to everything, such as radar, lidar, and even his heat trail would be hidden. Then he glanced at Sona with a grin, “I finally finished the final piece of it today, a cloaking system, so I could do this.”
He pulled back on the steering wheel, and the change was rapid. Sona watched, gobsmacked, as the back of the car folded out into a pair of wings that gave enough lift to rise into the sky. From there, the transformation continued, including a solid roof over them. She couldn't see the rest of the transformed car from inside the cabin, but it was clearly enough to impress her as she looked around.
She paused and addressed him, “Smith-san, if we're supposed to be invisible, why can I see the exterior of the car?”
“Because it's in a bubble around us rather than clinging to the skin of the car. It would be very difficult to drive, let alone fly, something I couldn't see.”
Sona made a small sound in understanding, “That makes sense.”
He grinned playfully, “Besides, I wanted to impress you a little bit with my transforming flying car.”
Sona looked at him with a flat gaze, but there was a small curve to the corner of her lips that might have been a smile. He flew through the dark sky, the stars above them, and the city lights below. He glanced over and smiled when he saw Sona looking out the window and enjoying the view. There was a comfortable silence until he started to fly down toward the ground.
Sona perked up, “I take it we're close?” At his nod, she asked, “So, where are we going?”
Alexander grinned, “It took me a while to find, and it might be the only one in Japan.”
Now Sona was really curious, “What was so hard to find?”
He looked at her with a wide grin, “An authentic Texas Barbecue Restaurant.”
Sona tilted her head curiously, “What's so special about that?”
He gave her an enigmatic grin, “You'll see. But I promise you, it's nothing like any Japanese meal you've had.” He paused, “I don't know what food is like in the Underworld, so I can't comment on that.”
Sona shrugged, “The Underworld really isn't all that different from Earth due to influences making their way there. Especially in the last few hundred years, with the Evil Pieces bringing humans into the Underworld. Though I suppose it can be a bit strange to outsiders. You could walk down a street in Lucifaad and see an ancient blacksmith shop right next to a high-end modern clothing store.”
He considered that for a moment before reluctantly admitting, “That does sound interesting.”
Soon they carefully landed with the car transforming back into it's normal luxurious exterior. He disabled the stealth system to prevent someone from hitting them, thinking they were moving into an empty space.
The restaurant they pulled up to had a large red sign surrounded by flames proclaiming it to be 'The Pit.' At the sight of the name, Sona let out a small laugh, “The Pit?”
He chuckled, “A lot of cooking is done in barbecue pits, it looks like a little play on words. At least the owner has a sense of humor.”
He found a spot and parked, then got out to let Sona out like a gentleman. Together, they walked into the restaurant and were quickly settled in a booth across from each other. Alexander looked at the menu and felt melancholy. He brought Sona here in the hopes of giving her a good ol' American meal. He missed his home country, especially the food. Hell, he missed all food. But at least he could let Sona enjoy a good meal.
Sona looked up from the menu with a small frown, “I'm not sure what to order.”
Alexander smiled, “I would suggest a half rack of ribs, unless you can eat more than a normal human woman your age. I'm not too familiar with your physiology, sorry. So, ribs, either a half rack or a full rack, your choice. For sides, I'd recommend coleslaw and loaded lobster mac and cheese.”
Sona raised an eyebrow and looked at the image of the ribs on the menu. She then shrugged and set the menu down, “Alright.”
They placed their orders; both ordered the same thing, including a full rack of ribs. He might not have been able to taste it, but he could still enjoy the act, the ritual, of eating. While they waited for their food to arrive, he decided to try and have a conversation, “So, do all devils go to human schools?”
Sona laughed a little, “No, not at all. There are schools in the Underworld, but they're different from human schools. Rias and I came to the human world, specifically Japan, mostly because Rias is an otaku and the territory of Kuoh was available. I chose to come with her to gain experience ruling over territory as well as to find people to recruit to my peerage.”
“I take it you need experience ruling so that you can rule your territory in the Underworld?”
Sona nodded, “Among other things, yes.”
“What other things?”
Sona studied him for a bit before she answered, “After I learn enough here in the human world, I want to take that experience and use it to open up a rating game school in the underworld for low and mid-class devils to attend.”
“That sounds interesting, but what are rating games?”
Sona smiled a little at him, not immediately dismissing her idea, even if it is from ignorance, “A Rating Game is a competition between two devils and their peerages. They came about after Beelzebub-sama invented the Evil Pieces. They're used to measure strength and social standing in the Underworld. Many consider the top ten players to be heroes; their matches draw massive crowds and tons of interest.”
Alexander hummed, “So, it's basically a sport, like football.”
Sona chuckled, “I suppose, though with a lot more combat and magic. There are different kinds of games that can be played. But the classic is a simple brawl between the teams, with the last king standing being the winner.”
Alexander leaned back and considered it for a bit, “Honestly... that sounds fun. And you want to open a school to teach others how to play the game? So that must mean you have a lot of experience participating in them.”
Sona blushed a little, “Well... I'm too young. You have to be eighteen to participate in official games.”
“So... you're actually as old as you appear?”
She narrowed her eyes at him, “What's that supposed to mean?”
He held his hands up in surrender, “I just meant that, for all I know, you could have been a thousand years old. Just look at Serfall, she's your older sister, but she doesn't really look it.”
Sona paused and considered his words before she sighed, “I suppose that's understandable. Once we reach maturity, we essentially stop aging. Devils also have a limited ability to shape shift, which changes how we appear over a long period of time. It's not a fast process and is done unconsciously. It's why you will find some devils with different looks, such as long elf-like ears, horns, and the like. A devil eventually takes on the look that they desire most.” She looked him in the eyes, “I am seventeen.”
He mulled her words over, and while he did, their food was delivered. Sona stared down at the large rack of ribs with some confusion. Alexander showed mercy by picking up his knife and cutting between two ribs. It was like cutting through butter, the ribs were so tender. After that, he picked the rib up with his hands and ate the delicious-smelling pork right off the bone.
Sona watched him, then slowly copied him. She let out a soft hum of appreciation at the taste of the food. They ate for a while in silence, until Sona noticed something. She set her most recent rib down and addressed him, “Is the food not to your liking?”
Alexander sighed and set down his half-eaten rib to wipe his mouth, “Honestly? You're aware of my curse of pride, correct?”
She nodded, so he continued, “It's not the only curse I live under.”
“Just how many curses have been placed on you?” she asked curiously.
He sighed, “Three.”
Sona stared, wide-eyed, before she commented, “Someone really disliked you.”
He chuckled at that. Taking three curse rolls might have been a bit of self-flagellation. He sighed, “Perhaps.”
“So? What are the other two?”
He wiped his hands clean of barbecue sauce while he answered, “The first makes me into a bit of a neat freak; it's not so bad, but I do end up taking a large number of baths to keep myself clean. The second is by far the worst; it's taken away all sense of taste when it comes to food. I can still taste beverages, which is helpful, but I miss the taste of food.”
She thought about it for a moment before she nodded, “I think I agree about that last one being the worst. I don't know what I would do if I could no longer taste food. Is there no way to break the curses?”
He nodded, “They can be overcome. The neat freak one just requires that I gain enough mental discipline to ignore it. The same can apply to the pride one as well. As for the food one, I need to eat a bunch of meals made by a chef with skills above even the greatest human chefs.”
Sona considered for a moment before she said, “I could probably help you out with finding a good enough chef to break your curse. There are chefs in the Underworld who have been in the profession for hundreds of years. They should be able to cook a meal of acceptable quality to break your curse.”
“You... would do that for me?” He stared at her in surprise.
She nodded, “Despite... things.” She narrowed her eyes at him, “Such as your refusal to go to school.” He chuckled, and she continued, “But, despite all of that, you've been... well, not understanding, but bearable, kind even. I've seen how you've done all you could do to free me from my own pride.”
He stared into her eyes for a long moment, then said, “Just say the word, Sona, and we can end this as just a lovely date.”
Sona gave him a soft, genuine smile, “I appreciate that, Smith-san, but I made the bet and lost. My word is my bond. If you're worried about it, just know you're not taking advantage of me, and I am willing to go through with things until the end.”
That sort of killed the conversation. They returned to eating in silence. Though it did bring a smile to his face to see Sona enjoy the meal. When the meal was over, he paid for it like a gentleman and led her back out to the Regalia. The flight back to the Onsen Resort was made in silence, though Sona did wear a smile the entire time they flew through the night sky with the stars glittering above them.
Once back at the resort, Alexander led Sona to his portion of the private area. As they stepped into his room, he glanced at her, “I don't know about you, but I feel like a nice, relaxing soak in the hot spring sounds lovely right about now. How about you?”
“Oh! That sounds fantastic!” A third voice cut in.
Alexander and Sona both looked into the room and found Sona sitting at Alexander's desk in her magical girl outfit. She smiled brightly while Sona let out a deep sigh, “So you actually came, Onee-sama.”
Serafall hopped out of the chair and flounced her way over to them with a bright smile. She grabbed Sona's hands in her own, “Come on! Let's get all nice and clean before we get down and dirty!”
She dragged Sona toward his bathroom with glee. Sona sent him a look as if asking for help, but he just shrugged and followed them. His bathroom, being the massive place it was, had plenty of room for three people in it. Though there was only a single shower versus the array of a dozen showers available in the main bathing area of the resort. They all began stripping in the entrance area before the main portion of the bathroom. While he did steal glances, Alexander didn't blatantly stare as the two beautiful women stripped naked.
The same couldn't be said for the ladies. Serafall was practically devouring Sona's naked body with her eyes. At the same time, Sona was looking at him, and he could see appreciation in her eyes whenever he glanced in her direction. Given that his body looked like it was sculpted from marble by a Greek artisan, it was kind of understandable.
When they all entered the bathing area, he finally got more than a glance at both women, and what women they were. While Sona's breasts were smaller than Serafall's, they were more than a handful and thus plenty for him to enjoy. Her greatest asset wasn't her breasts, though, but rather that position belonged to her... well, her ass. Long legs, thick thighs, and a nice, round ass that he was looking forward to enjoying.
Serafall was a shorter, bustier, bundle of energy that was dragging Sona toward the shower stall fulling intent on scrubbing her from head to toe. She was all around curvier than Sona, but he'd rate Sona's ass higher than Serafall's.
Sona squirmed and complained loudly as Serafall manhandled her to the shower. She finally turned to Alexander with a pleading expression, “Help me, Smith-san!”
He nodded and turned to Serafall, “I think you need to calm down, Serafall. You're making the situation... untenable.” His gaze switched to Sona, “And I think you can call me Alexander, or just Alex, at this point in our relationship.”
Sona blushed while Serafall grumbled, but did calm down. At the very least, Serafall didn't want Sona's first time to be something Sona hated because of her overenthusiastic actions. This was something she wanted to be precious and special, not just for Sona, but for herself, too.
He quietly watched the girls wash each other. Serafall glanced over and, seeing his reaction to the sight of them wet and soaped up, she winked playfully. When they finished, they headed to the large pool of hot spring water while he washed himself off. When he finished, he found them both sitting in the pool with just enough space between them for him to fit. They both watched as he walked, bouncing along, and sat between them with a sigh.
They all remained silent, basking in the heat of the spring. Eventually, far too soon for some, they all climbed out of the hot spring and made their way back to the entrance, where a quick spell from Alexander dried them all off. Serafall gave him an exaggerated pout, “Fooey, I wanted to dry off So-tan.”
Sona, on the other hand, gave him a small but grateful smile. They moved into the bedroom toward his large and luxurious bed. He'd always slept on smaller beds in his last life, so in this one, he'd had Lucy buy him the biggest one on the market. Now he was kind of grateful for that. All of them felt nervous as they got closer to the bed. Well, two of them did. Serafall hopped onto the bed with a playful bounce, then looked at the pair of them expectantly.
Alexander waved his hand and used a spell to turn off the lights. All of them had excellent night vision, so the darkness didn't hamper their vision at all. Alexander took the lead and stepped closer to Sona. He was taller than her by almost a head, prompting her to look up into his eyes. He reached up and gently cupped her cheek with his hand. He leaned in slowly, giving her all the time in the world to stop him. When she didn't, he pressed his lips to hers in a chaste kiss. Something simple to begin with.
Seeing as Sona didn't pull away and even returned the kiss, he slowly deepened it until their tongues were dancing against each other. Eventually, the kiss ended. Sona looked a little dazed, but happy. He guided her to the bed where Serafall, thankfully, remained silent. He didn't want her ruining this moment for Sona.
The three of them crawled into the bed and began exchanging kisses. As things progressed, Serafall even managed to sneak in a few kisses with Sona, making her extremely happy. As the kisses grew more fervent, hands began exploring, and things progressed from there.
-----Line Break-----
Alexander slowly woke up and let out a pleasant groan. Memories of the hours he'd spent last night with Sona and Serfall danced through his mind. Sona may have only owed him her virginity, but she'd stuck around long after he'd taken it. He was fairly sure Serafall only stuck around to sneak in more kisses and gropes of Sona. Though he was certain that Serafall's ultimate desire happened the one time she managed to sneak her head between Sona's legs.
The memories of the previous night would stick with him for a very long time. He just hoped that the pair of them were right about the odds of them getting pregnant.
He stretched and looked around his empty bed. A quick spell showed it was nearing noon, so Sona had likely left early in the morning. Serafall wouldn't stick around without Sona, so he was all alone. That worked just fine for him. His gaze moved to the alerts he'd gotten from the previous night's activities.
[Feat Achieved! Claimed Sona Sitri's Virginity! +1 Random Gold Gacha Ticket.]
[Feat Achieved! Claimed Serafall Leviathan's Virginity! +1 Random Platinum Gacha Ticket.]
[Feat Achieved! Threesome with sisters! Reward increased due to the Identities of the Sisters! +1 Random Legendary Gacha Ticket.]
He looked at his rewards and let out a low whistle.
“I take it your rewards for last night's... activities were worthwhile?”
He looked over to where Lucy was leaning against the door frame to his room. She smirked and walked into the room where she sat on the edge of his bed, “So, what did you get?”
He shrugged, “Gold, Platinum, and Legendary.”
Lucy blinked in surprise, “Why?”
He shrugged, “Sona's virginity was a gold ticket.”
“Makes sense, she is the princess of a clan of devils.”
He nodded, then continued, “Serafall earned me a Platinum.”
Lucy considered that, “Given her possibly being hundreds of years old and still a virgin, on top of her position in the government... I guess that makes sense.”
He shrugged, “The last roll was for the threesome itself, but got upgraded due to their identities.”
Lucy hummed then shrugged, “I don't get it, but it's up to the ROBs to decide your rewards. So, what are you waiting for? Roll them!”
He chuckled and wondered which of them was more addicted to the Gacha, “Roll the gold ticket.”
[ROLLING!]
[Blessing of Zeus, Rare Trait, You are a child blessed by Zeus; there is nothing you can't fuck. What did you expect? You gain increased charisma, fertility, and talent in the carnal arts. Changer abilities are easier to use and cost less energy to use and maintain. ...Oh, and your lightning-based abilities are stronger too.]
He stared at the result of the roll, then scowled. Seeing his look, Lucy smirked and probed, “So, what did you get?”
Alexander sighed and explained. There was a brief moment of silence before Lucy burst out into laughter. Alexander rolled his eyes and let her have her laughs. When she calmed down, he rolled his eyes at her and said, “Roll the platinum ticket.”
[ROLLING!]
[Winner Takes All, Epic Trait, When you win against someone, you can force them to grant you a reward. The reward you extract must be proportional to the victory you have achieved. Minor victories equal minor rewards, while winning a fight to the death would be a reward equal in value to their life. The reward must be something they are capable of granting you.]
Alexander read the new roll over and let out a quiet, “Huh.” Seeing Lucy's curious gaze, he explained his newest trait and added, “It will mesh really well with my Pride curse.”
Lucy nodded in agreement, “Yeah, it will. It will continue to be useful for quite some time. Especially with how much gambling you've done recently.”
Alexander rolled his eyes and let out a sigh. He noticeably didn't argue with her because she was right. Hell, his current rolls were the result of not one, but two bets. He sighed and decided to get the last roll over with. While Winner Takes All wasn't terrible, it would probably only give him small rewards, as he didn't get into many life-or-death battles.
…
Red was going to drop by soon and put him into a life and death battle, wasn't he?
He pushed that morbid thought aside and continued, “Roll the legendary ticket.”
[ROLLING!]
[Pocket Universe, Legendary Item, No hyperbole, it is a pocket-sized gate that leads to an entire universe that is a replicate of the base mundane universe, except without any cognizant creatures or civilizations inside of it. You can freely move the gate and even safely carry it in your pocket; it can expand to 50 meters in circumference and shrink down to 5cm. The portal always leads to the coordinates 0.0.]
He stared at the result of the roll for a long moment, then pulled the small, round gate no more than five centimeters across from his inventory and held it in his hand. Lucy looked down at it, “A tiny bracelet?”
He shook his head, “No. A permanent gate to an alternate universe, empty of all cognizant creatures and civilizations. An entire, literal, universe that I can fit in my pocket.” His eyes locked onto hers, “I can expand it up to fifty meters and travel between this universe and the one through the gate is possible for anyone.”
Lucy stared at the small object in shock, “A whole universe?”
He could see the calculations running through her mind. She licked her lips and stared into his eyes, “Infinite wealth.”
He blinked, slightly confused, “What?”
She crawled toward him, her eyes smoldering, “With your ability to create machines of any kind, you could create mining machines capable of gathering infinite resources from that universe. Just think of how much gold, alone, that you could mine from the location of the Olimpiada mine, where Russia is located! Tons and tons of it.”
As she finished speaking, she pounced on him and drove him back into the bed. Her lips locked firmly against his as she kissed the hell out of him. The idea of so much wealth was too much for her greedy CEO's heart to take. The next few hours were spent placating Lucy's sudden surge of sheer lust.
-----Line Break-----
Alexander finished pulling on his clothing after a long soak. It was already nearing nighttime, and he'd hardly gotten anything done for the day.
Glorious!
If only all of his days could be like that. He made his way over to his desk, but paused and focused on his menagerie, the portion of his Gacha where Familiars were stored. He sighed and left his room for his work area.
He checked the supplies in the recycling plant's storage area and smiled. It was filled with plenty of stuff for him to work with. He only kept a single ton of plastic on hand; the rest Lucy got to resell for like-new prices thanks to its quality. It would be more than enough supplies for his plan.
He activated Unknown Dictator and got to work with it. Materials flew through the air as he began constructing the first machine. When it was done, it was no bigger than a mini-fridge. In fact, it sort of looked like a mini-fridge. The device was one of two he needed for Tali to live in the world without suffering a quick death.
Opening the door of the device revealed an interior similar to a microwave. Any food or drink placed inside it would have its protein structure changed to dextro-based. That would make it edible to Tali. It would also irradiate it and kill all living microbes to make it so she wouldn't get sick from consuming it. Finally, it would convert the food into paste and package it into a case with a sterile feeding tube.
He moved on to constructing the second device. More materials flew through the air and came together to construct a circular platform with two vertical scanners connected to a roof. The purpose of the device was to get a detailed scan of Tali's body and come up with a way to fix her immune system so she would be at significantly less risk of disease.
He'd construct a third machine to do the fixing later.
With both machines set and ready, he summoned Tali'Zorah nar Rayya into his workshop. The next moment, she was standing in front of him in the same environment suit she'd worn throughout all of the Mass Effect games. Her hooded helmet turned from side to side as he glowing eyes, the only feature he could clearly see through her face plate, took in the world around her. Finally, her glowing eyes focused on him, “Keelah! Am I really in a different world? You look human!”
Alexander chuckled, “I am human, I think.”
Tali's tone was flat as she repeated, “You think?”
He shrugged, “It's complicated. Human works for now. Welcome to Earth in the year two thousand and twelve. About one hundred and seventy years in the past for you.”
Tali's eyes blinked several times before she spoke with disbelief and disappointment, “That means humans haven't even ventured through their first relay yet! Your technology will be so... old. Ancient even! What use will I be in such a backward backwater planet?”
Alexander rolled his eyes, “It's not all bad. For a start, this world is nothing like your previous one. There are no reapers here. In this world, there are monsters, gods, magic, and more, even things I don't know about.”
“Vot! Given everything I know from being summoned... I believe you.” She crossed her arms over her chest and began pacing, “What about my nutritional needs? Without space travel and the council races, it will be very hard for you to supply me with the dextro-protien I need to survive.”
Alexander pointed to the first device he'd built for her, “That's where this comes in. I built it using an ability I got from the Gacha.”
He explained the device to her in detail and even let her examine it. She might not have had her Omnitool, but she was still a highly skilled engineer. Even so, she couldn't make heads or tails of the device, “This thing makes no sense!”
“Well, it was assembled by a mystical item called a Sacred Gear that was created by the Biblical God, so it's probably magical in some way.”
He could tell, just from her posture, that she was giving him a heated glare. When she spoke, he could hear the scowl in her voice, “I already hate magic.”
He chuckled, “Well, if it makes you feel any better, I can get abilities that let me make real technology you could likely understand. I actually used one of those abilities to make something for you that you should be familiar with.”
She straightened and fairly radiated curiosity. He led her to the Eezo Synthesizer and opened it up to reveal a one foot tall by three foot wide hunk of glowing blue crystals.
“Keelah! Is that pure Eezo?!”
Alexander nodded, “Yes. This machine converts any quartz placed inside it into Eezo.”
Her head whipped around until she was facing him, “I hate you. No machine this small, or at ALL, should be able to produce a piece of Eezo worth tens of billions of credits!”
She let out a long sigh while her shoulders slumped, “Still, I appreciate it. With this and some help from you, I should be able to make a few things to make myself more comfortable here. I truly miss having an Omnitool on hand.”
He nodded along, “We'll get to work on that, together. If you can provide blueprints, I can make an exact copy. Otherwise, I'll have to improvise.” He gestured for her to follow, “One more thing.” He led her over to the scanner, “Before I summoned you, I was aware of your compromised immune system. This device is a scanner I made. It will do a full biological scan and design a program to help fix the issue using another machine I'll build later.”
Tali stared at him and then huffed, “Hate. All my hate. That should be impossible, yet I find I can't think of a way to argue with you about it.”
He could tell from her tone that she didn't mean it. She was just a bit overwhelmed, and he didn't blame her for that. It will take her a while to get used to things. Lucy had the advantage of knowing all about Earth when they arrived together.
She stepped into the machine and endured the process. Lucky for her, it only took a couple of minutes to get through the whole process. As she stepped off of the platform for the scanner, his stomach growled, and he realized he actually felt hungry. He hadn't felt hunger since he became a perfect life form.
“Come on. Let's grab some food, and you can meet my other summon, Lucy.”
He grinned as he led Tali into the building. She was about to meet Satan, the epitome of 'evil' in the bible. He wondered how she would react!
AN
10k words
So, once again, lots of stuff is happening in this chapter.
For those of you hoping for a detailed Lemon, sorry. I don't feel like I can really do them justice with how I write.
The rolls, on the other hand, are freaking amazing! The first two made me laugh a good bit. Zues Blessing is just hilarious. But it also has potential with that enhanced fertility bit. Too bad it doesn't apply retroactively. lol. Winner takes all won't have large payouts very often, but with how often he gets challenged by Sona, he'll get at least some use out of it.
The Pocket Universe, though... That has a ton of potential. As close to unlimited resources as possible, without something from the Gacha giving actually unlimited resources. However, it would take time to properly build up the necessary infrastructure.
Then there are the other possibilities it represents.
Anyway, that's all for now. Let me know what you thought!