DxD - Game Master - Chapter 3

Ryuji stared at the screen showing his scenario in horror, “What the fuck?!” When it didn't change he continued, “No, seriously, what the fuck? Who the hell decides they're going to get engaged to someone over a chess match then challenges a random stranger to a chess match?! That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard.”

He changed the live view of his Onsen Scenario to a different area where Koneko was, in her room and stuffing her face with sweets. At least this view was wholesome and didn't make him want to jump into the scenario and beat common sense into someone.

Yes, he was fully aware that he was being a complete voyeur and he didn't care. He wasn't watching them to get his rocks off. He was doing all of this to gather as much intelligence on the devils of kuoh as he could. His memories of the show were sparse, at best. He remembered something about Rias having an engagement to some loser and something about a fallen angel wanting to start a war? That seemed about right.

Anyway, the point was he didn't know nearly enough and with the devils already sticking their noses into his life, he needed a way to stick his nose into theirs. It just so happened that making the onsen would let him kill two birds with one stone. First, the obvious spying. Second, he would gain energy from them spending time inside of it! He gained energy based on the number of people and the duration they stayed in a scenario.

He also gained energy from their emotions and activities. He did get more energy from darker emotions like anger and fear, but he figured that getting them to sit in a scenario for hours, or even the entire night, would generate much more energy than the simple short combat scenarios he could create. Someone dying generated even more energy, but it was based on how strong the person dying was. Issei hadn't given much energy at all. He'd get an order of magnitude more energy if he killed Rias or Sona inside of a scenario.

Of course, he probably wouldn't live much longer if he did that.

It was a whole quantity versus quality thing and he was firmly on the side of quantity being a quality all its own. With just under a dozen people all sitting around inside of it, he was generating way more energy than he had last night.

Which was good, because he spent all of that energy to increase the size of his pocket dimensions for bigger scenarios. It was the only way he could make the large onsen inn he'd granted them access to. He planned to leave the onsen up and running for the time being. If they used it multiple times, daily even, then he could farm them for energy to continue to upgrade his abilities. His next upgrade was already planned out, he wanted to be able to open up a second scenario.

The more scenarios he could run at a time, the more energy he could gather, the more quickly he could make himself stronger. He was under no delusions about how weak he currently was. His experience with the devils memory magic had been eye opening and something he never wanted to experience again.

He closed the screens and made his way out of his Home Base and into his bedroom. He could always go back to the recordings to look for more information later. As enticing as it was the see the devil girls relaxed and au-naturel, he felt ogling them would be crossing a certain line. He didn't want to have anything in common with the perverts he disliked so much, despised, so he would restrain himself. His choice of venue was for the sole purpose of making them all relax and increase the odds of them talking about stuff he could use.

His dreams happening to contain fantasies involving said devil girls was just a... byproduct of his diligent nature.

-----Line Break-----

Checking the energy gained the following morning brought a huge smile to Ryuji's face. He'd gained dozens of times as much energy as he had from his first scenario. He was, in fact, still gaining energy. A quick check showed a few of the devils had chosen to avail themselves of the futons in the bedrooms for the night.

Koneko might have a stoic look, but she definitely felt things deeply. He'd gained the most energy from her and her enjoyment of the food available in the onsen. Rias produced the second largest amount of energy from sheer joy. Unsurprisingly, Sona produced the least energy, mostly because she also spent the least amount of time within the scenario. Shame that, she was pretty depressed and that produced more energy than happiness.

He didn't waste any time in making his purchases. The first one? The ability to open a second scenario. He could now leave the onsen up permanently in the ORC building and still run shorter scenarios in other areas. Next, he went to what was, essentially, his dungeon shop. It was the place that let him purchase upgrade options for what could appear inside of dungeons as well as one off items that he could use himself or as prizes. He was certain it had something to do with the third portion of his ability that let him know the prices of things.

He had magic, but no idea how to use it. Making his scenarios just automatically took his magic and used it however it needed to. That's where all the mundane food and drinks inside of his onsen scenario came from. Magical food and drink would require a purchase with the energy he gathered. Which... he really needed a name for that energy since it was completely separate from his magical energy.

Hmmmmm... Dungeon Energy? Whatever, that would work for now. Using Dungeon Energy was required to make anything above the most basic things. He could make the three Least potions with his mana, any tier above that required him buying the Alchemy Upgrade with Dungeon Energy. Which would then let him use purchased ingredients to make stronger, and different, potions. The same applied for food and drinks, but with him using Dungeon Energy to buy a kitchen that would be powered by his mana.

The catch was, he couldn't use any of the things generated within a scenario. So the food from the kitchen upgrade was completely useless to himself. He could actually cook food in the kitchen upgrade though, and that food could have magical effects. It was all kinds of weird but also made some sense to him.

So, while he could buy the Library Upgrade it would only produce books for his scenarios, that he couldn't read. He could, however, purchase individual tomes with Dungeon Energy that he could read. He could do the same for any of the items he could place into his scenarios. Just spend some Dungeon Energy and it became his. Which is exactly what he planned to do next!

He had magical power and he wanted to cast some spells dammit! Not being an idiot, he purchased a book specifically for beginners titled 'A Beginners Guide to Magic by Mephisto Pheles'. If Mephisto Pheles was meant to be this worlds version of the demon Mephistopheles, then he was damned well going to read a beginners book by him! From what he remember of the Faustian legend, Mephistopheles was a straight shooter and even warned Faust about making a deal with the devil. He didn't remember all the details, but he was sort of certain Faust had learned some stuff from the demon.

Either way, it wasn't a very expensive purchase, which was good because his first purchase of a second scenario door had cost him three quarters of his Dungeon Energy. The book took up most of what remained. But, it was fine! He now had a good primer and he could earn more Dungeon Energy from the onsen over time.

As soon as his purchase was made, the book, a rather thin looking affair with a black leather cover and gold embossed lettering, appeared on his desk and taunted him with its knowledge.

Perhaps he should have waited until school was over before buying it.

-----Line Break-----

As he walked through the school gates he felt someone staring at him. A glance to the side showed Souna trying to ignite him with her glare. He felt that was pretty unfair. It wasn't his fault she fucked up so badly! He just pointed it out!

Oh yeah, women don't like it when their flaws are shoved in their faces.

That's fair.

-----Line Break-----

Sirzechs Lucifer, the man in charge of the underworld's Domestic Affairs, looked at the three screens on his desk showing the other three satans in charge of various parts of the government. Sirzechs was a handsome man who seemed to be in his early 20's. He had shoulder length crimson hair and blue eyes that make him look like a male version of his sister, Rias.

On the first screen was the only woman among the four Satans and the one in charge of Foreign Affairs, Serafall Leviathan. Serafall was a beautiful girl; looking in her late teens with black hair, tied into twin tails and blue eyes. She also has a child-like body, albeit with large breasts that prove her physical maturity. Anyone meeting her in person would quickly come to the conclusion that her body is the only thing mature about her.

The second screen shows Sizechs best friend, Ajuka Beelzebub. Ajuka is a bewitchingly beautiful and attractive young man in his early twenties, with light blue eyes and green hair that is slicked back. He is the Chief Advisor for the Technology Department and the creator of the Evil Pieces system and the Rating Game system that goes with them. The Evil Pieces are the objects that allow devils to reincarnate any other race but Gods and Buddha into Devils.

The third screen shows the final Satan, Falbium Asmodeus a tall man whose head is completely bald and has a dark goatee on his chin. Falbium was in charge of Military Affairs and the laziest Satan of them all. Even now his eyes were drooping as if he was fighting off the need to fall asleep.

With them all gathered together, even if only through a conference video call, the situation had to be fairly important. Sirzechs, nominally the one in charge, got the ball rolling by immediately passing it to Ajuka by asking him, “What can you tell us about the potion discovered by Sona and Rias?”

Ajuka doesn't even bother looking at his notes on the subject, he is considered the smartest devil of them all for a reason, “It does exactly what it says on the bottle. It's also fairly accurate in calling itself 'Least'. My testing shows it to only be capable of healing minor injures and bruising. It will help slightly with more serious injuries but would be similar to putting a single band-aid on a large cut. Not necessarily a complete waste, but also highly ineffective.”

“So, definitely not competition for Phoenix Tears.”

Ajuka nodded in agreement with Sirzechs statement prompting the red headed Satan to ask, “Can it be replicated and improved upon?”

Ajuka shook his head, “I'm afraid not. Despite my efforts, I was unable to analyze its makeup to reverse engineer it. If we want to have more, we'll need to go to the source.”

Serafall spoke up at that, “Which we'll have to rely on Sona-tan and Rias-chan for! Sending in more people will only spread word of this and once word is out it will spread like wildfire.”

Sirzechs nodded in agreement, “Not to mention how the Phenex clan might react to someone muscling in on their turf. It might be significantly weaker, but it's still a healing potion and they are likely to take offense at its very existence. Even if it would never cut into the sales of their Phoenix Tears.”

He focused on Ajuka, “Do we concur with Sona's belief this is someone with Innovate Clear?”

Ajuka shook his head, “Unlikely. Unless it's an extreme subspecies. But, even then, it could only possibly explain the potion, not how Akeno suddenly gained a power boost. No matter how small she claimed that boost to be.”

All of them nodded at that. The second, possibly more sensitive and dangerous secret of the 'dungeon' that Rias and the others entered, the strength gain. If this person could just give people items and power, they would become the most sought after person in the supernatural world. He'd read Sona's report and while he wished it was Okane Ryuji that had done this, he knew it wasn't. He done a very thorough check of the young man and found nothing but his talent for magic. Even that talent was only a moderate one, not even all that special among magicians.

“What should we do? If more of these pocket dimensions open, it will begin to attract more attention to Kuoh. Someone else will eventually come across one before Sona, Rias, or their peerage members can get there.”

Sirzechs looked to Serafall after she asked her question, “There's not much we can do to prevent that. Not without consequences. Hopefully one of the kids can find the person doing this and recruit them before it gets out. If things start to look bad, we can see about sending someone stronger in to find this person. We absolutely cannot let any other faction get their hands on them.”

-----Line Break-----

Ryuji looked over the settings for the newest scenario he was planning. He'd been working on it off and on for the last few days. School had been... interesting. Souna seemed to decide that she hated him, for whatever reason. It all seemed a bit petty to him. Rias kept sending him curious glances but never approached him. She also never sent any of her peerage members to talk to him. He did spot Koneko's white hair following him once though.

He'd also spent some time reading his beginners book on magic. He'd quickly decided he despised the magic system for humans. It was ninety percent maths! The last ten percent being actually casting the goddamn spells. Thank the gods that his special powers gave him a good intelligence boost for things specifically related to magic! Additionally, while his memory was normally pretty good, when it came to magic it seemed near perfect, which helped SO much.

He still hadn't cast his first spell though. The book had the lessons laid out in a specific order to help him learn how to make his own spells while learning a basic fireball spell at the same time. Mephisto knew his stuff and it was actually fascinating, if annoying. He had to use maths to design spells circles and make them mathematically perfect. Or as close to it as possible as to make little to no difference.

Each portion of the spell circle described a different part of the spell being created. For the fireball spell there was a portion that said 'fire', another to throw it, another to maintain it in flight, and so on. Thankfully, once he learned a part of a circle for any spell, his excellent magic memory made it near impossible for him to forget it. He knew that would come in handy in the future when he designed more complex circles on his own.

The one great thing, and one of the first things he'd learned, was how to sense magical power. A very useful tool that let him compare himself to the Devils. He was not surprised to find that his own power was around half of what the two strongest, Rias and Souna, had. He didn't mind it since he could increase it with his Dungeon Energy. He was pretty certain though, that his recovery rate was significantly faster than theirs.

Another nice thing he learned was a simple skill, relatively simple anyway, called Cloaking. It's a skill that all magicians are encouraged to learn for their own safety. The skill teaches the user how to falsify the amount of magical power that leaks from their body. The skill is used to hide just how much power a magician has in order to fly under the radar. Unfortunately, it's impossible to hide all traces, but someone with a massive amount of power could easily pretend to be someone who could barely cast a single beginner spell. It was a good skill for Ryuji to know, but useless at the moment. He would definitely be using it once he was more interested in increasing his personal power.

For now, he was just about ready to practice the fireball spell. It just needed to wait for him to finish his new scenario and stick it somewhere Sona or Rias could quickly find it. He hoped Rias would get to it first, he could be petty too. This new scenario would be a more combat heavy one, though he doubted any of the devils would have any issues completing it, even solo. As a group they'll probably crush it, even with him setting enough monsters to make it hard mode for even an experienced human fighter.

He set a few more things up and closed the screen. Technically, he could do everything in his head easily enough but projecting the screen made it easier for him to visualize what he was doing. It was a nice little trick, nothing more.

He checked his currently available amount of Dungeon Energy, smiling at seeing it still rising. Rias had taken to using the onsen daily and even spending the night there. Koneko practically lived in the place because of all the free treats. Akeno spent a lot of time in the massage parlor where the innkeepers son was the masseuse. Ryuji was lazy programming him, he had zero personality and large muscles. Probably just Akeno's type. As for Kiba, he would go sometimes, but there wasn't really a spot for him to train in so he didn't spend lots of time in it, just used it for cleaning off. Not that Ryuji blamed him, though he was damned jealous over what he'd made.

Sona and her peerage didn't visit it much. Which was a shame, he would have liked to farm them the same way he was farming Rias and her peerage. Maybe once he got his third portal he'd open another one to a copy of the onsen resort in the student council offices. Maybe if they didn't have to go to the old school building they would use it more? It was worth a try.

The most important thing was that he now had just enough Dungeon Energy to buy one of the upgrade rooms for his scenarios. He had lots of options, but he was leaning toward picking the Alchemy upgrade. Not only would it let him create new, more powerful, potions for his scenarios, it would provide an actual Alchemy Workshop. He could use the workshop to research new potions and even make potions he could personally use. Even more, once he buys it, Alchemy ingredients will become available for purchase, presumably, with Dungeon Energy.

He was leaning toward Alchemy because the potion rewards were universal, as in anyone could use them. If he picked the Blacksmith upgrade, he could make weapons and armor and other metal items, but not everyone would or could use those. He really wanted to pick the Enchanting upgrade, but it was useless without a production upgrade to supply items to enchant. There was also the Jewelmaker upgrade that he really wanted to pair with Enchanting. Magic rings were awesome!

Sadly, he was still definitely looking at the Alchemy upgrade. Healing potions were universally good. Stamina and Mana potions were sometimes helpful. But it was all the new kinds of potions that would unlock. Things like potions of strength or speed, potions of growth or stone skin, potions of flying... might not be as cool given the world he was in made flight a common ability. But then there were the oils! They could be poured on weapons to add special effects like elements or even light and darkness magic!

The most important potion he wanted to make would require research since it wasn't on the list. Spying on the Devils had given him some insight into how things worked for them. He'd heard Rias complaining about her upcoming marriage more than once. One of her more depressing complaints was about how many times she would be forced to have sex with Riser just to produce a single child due to the low fertility of devils.

So, he decided to do the obvious! Fertility potions! Even if it was only a minor buff to their fertility, it would be a huge boon to their entire race. It would also make him untouchable by the devils. If they piss him off, he'll stop making them. If they try to force him into a peerage, or worse succeed, he'll retaliate by passing the potions to their enemies in the easiest manner he can. He planned for the fertility potions to be rare rewards, but he could always spam them out to the Angels and the Fallen Angels. Instead of an arms race, it would be a sex race. Heh.

Ryuji sighed and blew just about all of his Dungeon Energy to purchase the Alchemy upgrade. It was just the best possible purchase he can make this early on. He watched as his Home Base morphed, a new doorway appearing with a plaque above it reading 'Alchemy'. His eyes widened as his knowledge expanded. His knowledge of buying the Alchemy upgrade had let him know he would be able to purchase materials. He'd just assumed it was with Dungeon Energy. He was right. BUT! Alchemy ingredients could also be purchased with cold hard cash!

That would be even more awesome if he actually had more disposable income at his fingertips. So, he needed a way to make money. He drummed his fingers on his desk until an obvious idea that made him want to slap himself came to mind. He could make a store scenario! It wouldn't be that hard to accomplish either. A single NPC, a small shop, and just a few things for sale. Given how Sona had passed the Least Healing Potion on to the Satans, he was sure they'd analyzed it by now. That was just one potion so he was certain they would want more to figure it out.

With the Alchemy upgrade he now had access to the next tier of healing, mana, and stamina potions, which were twice as effective as the Least variant. He'd have to upgrade the Alchemy section further for better potions for his scenarios. Not unexpected or a big deal. For other kinds of potions, the recipes weren't provided so he would need to do research.

Right! New plan! His fighting scenario needed to be swapped to his new shop idea. He wasn't dirt poor, but he didn't have all that much money in hand. Selling some potions would give him cash that he could use to make life easier and as funds for researching new potions. Potions that he could use those same materials to make and drink himself!

This was going to be so awesome!

-----Line Break-----

Rias and Sona both stared at the shimmering blue portal signifying yet another pocket dimension. This time whoever was making them had placed it in the middle of woods within a park. It was off the main pathways and hidden within the trees so not easy for people wandering by to spot. Still, it was technically out in public and that annoyed Sona a great deal.

Thankfully they had been on guard for a new portal and had been able to respond swiftly. It now had a small ward around it that would keep it hidden from normal humans. As they looked it over, Rias was the one to ask, “What do you think it is this time?”

Sona sighed and shook her head, “I don't have a clue. All scans show the same thing as always. The only way to know for certain is to go inside.”

That was all the invitation Rias needed. Without another word she practically skipped into the portal. As she passed through it she let out a gasp, her eyes widening in surprise. She'd found herself in a small bazaar across from a man who looked like he was of Arabian decent. Dark sun kissed skin, black hair and goatee, dark eyes, and a wide inviting smile. He dramatically lifted his hands into the air as he practically shouted, “Welcome! Welcome to Azeez's shop! Azeez has many... lots... some things to sell! Come lovely new customer! No no! Come my first customer! Oh, Azeez is so excited!”

Sona came through the portal at that moment prompting Azeez to go off again, “Another customer so soon? Oh! Truly this is a good day for Azeez! Come! Come! Azeez will sell you such wonders!”

Sona's gaze immediately went completely flat, “It's a store?”

Azeez, having heard her scoffed, “Store?! STORE?! No! This is Azeez's Bazaar! A place of wonder, mystery, and intrigue, filled with a... few... items that might be for sale for the right price.”

Rias giggled as every time Azeez mentioned his inventory he looked like he'd sucked a lemon due to its limited size, apparently. Sona sighed in annoyance and stayed back by the doorway leading out of the shop dimension. Rias, ever the more outgoing one, walked over to the counter and gave Azeez a bright smile, “What do you have for sale, Azeez?”

The man smiled brightly showing off shiny pearly white teeth hidden behind his thick black goatee, “For you pretty lady? Azeez has potions of such wondrous power! So special they are... limited in supply.”

Translation, Ryuji only had enough cash on hand to buy enough ingredients to make three Lesser Healing Potions leaving poor Azeez waving in the wind. Though, lucky for him, the mention of potions for sale intrigued both young women. Even Sona couldn't be grumpy at the prospect of getting more of the potions for testing purposes, or even to use when necessary.

Seeing their growing interest, Azeez laughed playfully and reaches beneath his counter to pull up a trio of potions. Vials filled with Red, Green, and Blue liquid sat in a tray caused both girls to look on in intrigue. Azeez lifted the red potion, “What I have here is the miraculous Least Healing Potion. True, it is the weakest of all healing potions, but even it can save a life!”

He put it back and lifted the green potion, “This is the incredible Least Stamina Potion! When you're feeling tired or drained, drinking this will have you feeling a bit better! Such a wonder!” He moved to the next to last potion, “And one must not forget the truly miraculous, Least Mana Potion! Drink this after casting a few spells and enjoy the wonder of you magic recovering!”

Finally, he picked up one of the potions from the second rack, “This, my lovelies, is my newest product! A Lesser healing potion! Twice as effective as it's Least brother!”

Neither girl showed much interested in the first two potions, they'd already seen a Least Healing Potion and Stamina potions seemed rather bland. The Mana potion and stronger healing potion though? Both looked at them with some intrigue. Rias moved closer to the counter, stepping past a bit of hanging cloth, to get a closer look at the potions. As she got to the wooden counter she froze and her eyes widened as she looked past Azeez and slightly above him.

There, sitting in a glass fronted wooden display case, was a large red gauntlet with a green gem on the back of the hand and golden spikes near the elbow. Her breath caught as she stared at the item she had thought completely lost. Sona, having followed behind her, gasped as she saw the same thing that Rias had. Sona was the one to ask, “Is that what I think it is?”

Rias nodded as she whispered, “Boosted Gear.” Rias regained her focus and zeroed in on Azeez like a woman trapped in a desert seeing her first sight of water, “How much for the Boosted Gear?!”

Azeez looked over his shoulder and then back to Rias, “Azeez is sorry beautiful customer, but Azeez cannot sell that item. It is merely a display piece.”

Rias wasn't about to take no for an answer. Lately her father and Riser had begun to put even more pressure on her to get married. She'd been promised that she would have until she finished collage, but it seemed like they didn't plan to keep their word. She'd been expecting them to come and drag her off to a wedding any day now. Her only hope of escape was a rating game against Riser, one she knew she had no chance of winning, at the moment.

If she got her hands on the Sacred Gear of the Red Dragon Emperor sitting in that flimsy glass case she would actually have a chance of winning her freedom. She was not going to let whoever was making this pocket dimensions dangle hope in front of her face and then deny it. She glared at Azeez with narrowed eyes, “I am not leaving here without it.”

To emphasize her words, she released some of her demonic power covering herself in an aura that was red on the edges and black in the center, “One way or another, I am taking the Boosted Gear with me when I leave here.”

Azeez looked at her for a moment before he sighed, “Azeez is telling you it is nothing but a display piece, but fine. If the customer wishes to buy it Azeez's master has set the price at one hundred million yen.”

Sona gasped at the price. Not because of how high it was, no because of how low it was. Sacred Gears very rarely ever went on sale, but it had happened a few times. Even the weakest of Sacred Gears would sell for a billion yen. A Longinus had never been on sale before but she couldn't imagine it going for less than a few trillion yen, if not more. It wasn't exactly an item that a price tag could easily be placed on. After all, this was an item with the potential to kill gods!

“Deal!”

Sona couldn't blame Rias for jumping on the opportunity to buy the Boosted Gear for such an impossibly low price. If she didn't know how desperately Rias would want it, she would have been tempted to try to buy it herself.

Azeez let out a long suffering sigh and pulled the wooden case containing the item in question down and set it on the counter, “Azeez wonders if you are still interested in his potions?”

Sona, seeing that Rias was purely focused on the Boosted Gear, her aura calmed down by the agreement for the sale, “How much for the potions?”

“For the Least, Ten thousand yen, each. For the Lesser? Twenty-five thousand, each.”

Sona nodded, it didn't seem like a bad price, though she still wasn't certain on the efficacy of the potions. The Satans hadn't seen fit to inform them of their findings. She was only buying the potions to send them off to her sister so they could have more to test. If the potions worked it could be a game changer for her family. Anything that improved healing was excellent for a group who owned hospitals in the underworld, “I'll take three of each.”

Azeez smiles brightly, “Wonderful!” He collects three of each potion and sets them on the counter next to the still encased Boosted Gear, “For you, miss with the lovely blue hair, your total is One hundred sixty-five thousand yen for twelve potions.” He turned to Rias, “What about you miss? Any potions to go with your display item?”

Sona thought it was a bit odd that the shopkeeper kept referring to the Boosted Gear as a display item, but brushed it off. It was just a man created a short time ago through the use of Innovate Clear. He probably had no idea what the Boosted Gear even was. A quick scan of all the items showed they all had magical signatures, she just didn't know what to look for to prove, or disprove, the gauntlet was the Boosted Gear.

She was suspicious, but everything she'd seen so far indicated that whoever had Innovate Clear was completely new to the supernatural world. They likely had no idea what they were really doing.

Rias shook her head and pat the wooden box containing the Boosted Gear, “This is all I want.”

Azeez nodded amicably, “Very well. Your total comes to one hundred million yen. How will you lovely ladies be paying?”

Both girls looked a little sheepish. Their school uniforms didn't exactly have pockets for them to carry their wallets around with them. Even if they did, Sona only kept around fifty thousand yen on hand at any given time. She wasn't even sure that Rias had the amount she had agreed to pay. Rias, looking for any option asked, “I don't suppose you would accept a check?”

Azeez's flat stare would have been enough to answer that question, but he added words to make certain, “No. Cash only. But! Azeez is not unfair. Azeez will hold your purchases for you while you go and get the money. Azeez promises not to sell them to anyone else.”

Rias looked torn with indecision while Sona looked blasé about the whole thing. Finally, Rias turned to look directly into Azeez's eyes, “You promise not to sell it?”

Azeez picked the Boosted Gear up and put it back in its spot, “Azeez did not wish to sell it in the first place. As long as pretty red head returns with money, Azeez will sell it to her.”

Both girls look concerned and Sona could see Rias contemplating just trying to take the Boosted Gear. Wanting to preempt any attempt to do so and likely infuriating a potentially powerful person they could recruit, she grabed Rias by the elbow and guided her out of the pocket dimension.

Without saying a word the pair teleported back to the school to gather the necessary funds to buy their items

-----Line Break-----

Sirzechs looked up from the paperwork he was filling out and smiled when he saw who was calling him. He quickly accepted the call, “Ria-tan! It's so good to hear from you!”

On the magical screen for the call, Rias fought not to frown at the childish nickname her much, much, older brother constantly used. She ignored it in favor of getting right to the point, “I need one hundred million yen, onii-san.”

Sirzechs coughed and looked at his little sister in surprise. While he could easily get that much money, it was also not an insignificant sum. Rias had never, not once, asked him for money before and the slight desperation in her tone set off alarm bells for him. He gave Rias a serious look as he asked, “What do you need that kind of money for?”

A large part of him hoped it was for something silly related to her love of all things Japanese, like a super limited edition figure. He was not prepared for the words that came out of her mouth, “I need it to buy the Boosted Gear from the person using Innovate Clear in my territory.”

Sirzechs was shocked and didn't know what to say to that. Not right away at least. Once his processed the shocking words his suspicions grew, “Are you sure it's the real deal?”

Rias nodded, “As sure as I can be.” She explained the entire meeting with the character Azeez in his bazaar pocket dimension then finished with, “Sona scanned it and the potions. As far as we can tell, it's all legitimate.”

Sirzechs tapped a finger on his desk. It all sounded a little too good to be true. On the other hand, Rias always had a ridiculous amount of good luck. Akeno, Yuuto, and Gasper were all examples of her luck in finding excellent people she could easily recruit into her peerage. He supposed being born as his sister could count as good luck in the case of recruiting Koneko. It would be just like her to stumble upon a person new to the supernatural world who is completely unaware of just what it is he's selling.

His thoughts turned a little devious. Even if the Boosted Gear was a fake, somehow, giving the person selling the fake money would make tracking them down fairly easy. He could have Ajuka keep an eye on the deposits coming into the local banks and investigate anyone who makes a sufficiently large one. A hundred million to potentially get two Longinus Class Sacred Gears into his precious Ria-tan's hands? Easy choice.

He focused back on Rias, his thoughts having only taken seconds, “Alright. How soon do you need the money?”

“As soon as possible! Thank you Onii-chan.”

-----Line Break-----

Ryuji stared in shock as he watched Rias hand over one hundred million yen for the replica Boosted Gear. Seeing her sheer excitement over it actually made him feel fairly guilty. He'd bought a magical replica of the Boosted Gear to sit in the shop and make the place seem more legitimate while attracting attention. He'd placed a price on it because it was required to do so, but he'd thought a hundred million was a crazy high price...

Apparently not. Clearly he should have made the price even higher. It made the one hundred and sixty-five thousand he got from Sona seem like peanuts.

But the guilt...

Fuck it. He needed the money and Azeez had said many times that it was just a display item! It's her fault... Yeah, he couldn't even convince himself to believe that, let alone anyone else. The devils were about to be super pissed off with him and he had no idea what to do about it. Thank god he was still anonymous and no one had any idea that the scenarios were all his doing. He almost felt sorry for whoever had Innovate Clear out in the world because they were going to be hunted down for what he'd done.

Despite his guilt, he was keeping the money. He would have been ecstatic with just Sona's purchase. The Least tier of potions only cost him mana to create, so selling them was essentially free money. With that cash infusion he'd planned to make Lesser potions and do some research. Now, thanks to Rias, he had a massive influx of funds and he planned to spend a large portion on potion research.

He watched the girls leaving Azeez's place and closed the scenario down. He had a feeling poor Azeez was in for a bad time the next time he opened that particular scenario. At least the poor guy could easily be re-spawned.

Looking at all the money in his inventory, Ryuji smirked and started to use it to buy every Tier 1 potion ingredient that was available. They were cheap so he bought in bulk. He knew the recipes for the Lesser health, mana, and stamina potions so he bought extra of those ingredients. If he could sell the Least versions for ten thousand, he could probably sell the twice as effective Lesser potions for significantly more.

Things were looking good!

-----Line Break-----

Ryuji decided that he really, REALLY, needed to stop thinking things were going to be alright every time something happened. He wasn't always wrong, but when he was...

Rias hadn't been in class that day, Akeno either. He figured they were off pouting because of the replica Sacred Gear. When he got home, he checked in on the onsen resort scenario, it having been active most of the day. A quick check showed the recordings from that morning...

He had NO idea that Rias knew how to swear like that!

She'd decided to confront the old couple running the resort about being scammed with the fake Boosted Gear. Of course, the couple knew nothing of it. They only knew what he programmed them to know. He hadn't given them any new programming since he made them sooooo... they were clueless.

That did not please Rias one bit.

He shuddered at some of the threats she'd made. Especially the ones toward his manhood. He definitely needed to stay off of her radar and make sure that if she ever found out it was him she was mad at, that he could protect himself.

It got worse once she spent her anger. Rias was a beautiful girl, anyone who didn't think so was blind or mentally deficient. Depression was not a good look on her. Having that bit of hope and finding out it was false was devastating to her and made him feel so much worse. He would have to find a way to make it up to her. He wasn't about to join her peerage but, maybe, he could come up with something else to help her beat Riser.

His eyes trailed over to his Alchemy Workshop. Maybe a potion or poison of some sort to stop his regeneration from working? Perhaps a Holy Oil of some kind Kiba could put on his swords? Of course, those would just be on top of him making scenarios that Rias and her peerage could run to become stronger. He could help her and her peerage out while simultaneously making himself stronger.

It was a good deal for everyone.

-----Line Break-----

Rias stood before yet another portal to a pocket dimension. All attempts to figure out who was creating them had led to failure thus far. She was especially motivated to find the bastard that had tricked her and ripped her off. She had no idea what she would do when she found him, but it would be painful! She didn't even want to be here, but someone had to take a look at it and deal with it. Sona was too busy seething over her new minor obsession, Okane-san. Sona really didn't take criticism well, especially when it made her look stupid. Okane-san had made her not just look stupid, but also made her feel like the kind of King she hated, one who ignored their peerage. Apparently, Tsubaki had tried to inform Sona about Japan's decency laws and had been shot down by Sona claiming she knew all she needed to know.

In other words, Sona's pride had made her look like a fool and rather than take the blame herself, she was projecting it all onto Okane-san. She'd tried to get him into the Student Council Offices again, but he'd politely refused all invites stating he would only go if it was a matter that the Student Council had a legitimate reason for him to go there. Since he was a model student, they had no legitimate reasons to invite him over. It was driving Sona mad and Rias didn't think it would be much longer before Sona would have her peerage stalking Okane-san outside of school looking for any excuse to force him into their offices.

Rias shook off the mildly amusing thoughts about Sona and Okana-san and refocused on the portal. She was stalling and she knew it. With a sigh, she stepped into the portal to see what she was dealing with this time.

Coming out the other side, she found herself inside of a tavern similar to the one within the first pocket dimension she'd visited with Sona. Only, this one seemed smaller and had a middle-aged man standing behind the counter. What really caught her attention was the second door, directly across from where she came in, and the window next to it showing a world outside of the tavern. A world of trees that blocked her view of anything else.

While she looked out the window in curiosity, the man behind the counter spoke up, “Ah! Welcome M'lady Gremory to my humble tavern, the Tavern of the Beginning.”

Rias turned to the man and scrutinized him with narrowed eyes, “You know who I am?”

He nodded, “I do, M'lady. My Master made sure I knew some of those who might visit my humble establishment. You were one of those people, M'lady.” He reached beneath his counter and pulled out a familiar red vial, “My Master had a message and gift he wished for me to pass along.”

Rias narrowed her eyes and walked toward the bar the man stood behind. She glanced at the familiar looking vial and paused when she saw that it didn't read 'Least Health Potion' but rather read 'Lesser Health Potion'. A quick scan with her magic didn't tell her much, only that this potion was stronger than the previous ones. Apparently the man, they assumed it was a man now, had made an upgrade.

If she hadn't been so single-mindedly focused on the Boosted Gear in Azeez's shop, she might not have been so surprised by the Lesser potion. Especially since Sona had purchased three of them right in front of her.

Seeing her looking at the gift, the bartender smiled and relayed the message, “My Master wishes to inform you that he is sorry about the misunderstanding between him and yourself. Azeez was only meant to be a simple creation that could facilitate sales of my Master's potions to yourself, and M'lady Sitri. The item you purchased, was not actually meant to be sold, it was merely meant to be a display piece. Something my Master knows that Azeez mentioned. My Master wishes you to know that the replica was only placed there to attract attention and for no other purpose. He has no intention of selling the real Boosted Gear to anyone.”

Rias stiffened at the mention of her mistake. It had been embarrassing to tell her brother that she had been scammed so badly. He'd been understanding, but she felt like something in their relationship had changed, and not for the better. She didn't like it. She glared slightly at the bartender, “I'm still going to hurt him when I find him.”

“Fair, M'lady, fair. My Master also wishes you to know that he feels bad about the situation you are in and he wishes to help to the best of his abilities to make it up to you. Each of his creations, such as this one, is special in some way. He wishes to use the worlds he creates to help you and all your peerage members, to become stronger. If you enter my Master's creations, defeat the monsters, and complete the tasks within you can gain some power. The more of these 'scenarios' that you run, the more powerful my Master will become, the more difficult he can make his scenarios, and the more power you can gain from the scenarios.”

Rias, still mad, actually looked a little intrigued as she listened to the bartender, “So, Akeno feeling a small increase to her strength from the first 'scenario' wasn't a fluke?”

The bartender shook his head, “No, M'lady, it's merely that his other scenarios thus far have not been the kind to give rewards. To earn rewards monsters must be slain or tasks must be completed. The stronger the monsters or the harder the task, the more power you can gain from them. Unfortunately, the strength of the monsters within is limited by my Master's strength. Fortunately, the more of his scenarios you complete, the more powerful he becomes and the harder the scenarios he can make. He believes that this gives an opportunity for a mutually beneficial relationship.”

Rias considered what she had been told. Clearly whoever was running these scenarios was gaining information somehow. At least, if their assumption that he was new to the supernatural world was actually correct. It was possible that he knew of the supernatural but had only recently awoken his Sacred Gear. They had far too little information. Though she definitely had more now and it had her thinking.

Their theory of the Sacred Gear only being recently awakened seemed to be proven true given his need for them to help him get stronger by running his scenarios. At the same time, he was going to help them get stronger, something Rias especially couldn't deny wanting. Then there was the newer, stronger, potion. If he could get stronger and keep making more effective potions, they could be one hell of a trump card in her rating game against Riser. Phoenix Tears were limited by the rules to two per match. Healing potions had no such limitations.

If she could get those and stronger mana potions, she could go for a battle of attrition against Riser. As long as she could outlast him, she could win. There was also no telling what other kinds of goodies could be made if the scenarios could become stronger. Maybe even something to hard counter Riser's regeneration? She knew, without a doubt, that if she could cancel his regeneration, she could beat him.

She focused on the bartender, “I want to meet your Master.”

The man behind the counter gave an apologetic shrug, “I'm sorry M'lady. He has no interest in meeting with anyone. He has no interest in the conflicts between your faction and the others. He also has no interest in becoming a slave. My Master is only willing to go so far and tell you so much because he feels somewhat guilty and believes you can help each other become stronger. However, he does not require that it be you who runs his scenarios. Anyone who runs them will gain the benefits and provide growth for my Master.”

The bartender smiles, “As additional incentive, My Master wishes to let you know, he is aware of your unwanted engagement and promises that he is looking into ways to help you win the upcoming battle. He's not, yet, sure what he can do to help, but he is researching it.” He picks up the Lesser Healing Potion and holds it up, “To prove he is hard at work he has offered this gift to you."

Rias thought about it for all of a second before she sighed and nodded, “Tell your Master that he has a deal.”

What else was she going to say? No? And what would that get her? Nothing is what. With Boosted Gear looking to be completely out of reach, her only available hope was the mysterious user of Innovate Clear and his promise of help against Riser. She currently had no other possible paths to victory and freedom.

That didn't mean she had to like it. The guy had scammed her after all!

The bartender smiled happily, “Wonderful! Then, allow me to send you on your first quest!”

Rias's ears perked up at the word 'quest', she couldn't help it. This was a chance to live a true adventure! It really got to her and she simply couldn't be anything but excited as she looked at the bartender waiting for more. He didn't disappoint, “You, M'lady Gremory, have found yourself at my tavern, The Tavern of the Beginning, and I need your help. I was expecting a delivery of supplies but it is a day late. It's never been late before and I am worried. The roads have become more and more dangerous of late. I ask of you to please, find out what happened and, if possible, rescue the delivery driver and recover my delivery.”

Rias practically vibrated in place as she was given her first real quest! She nodded her head excitedly, “I will do my best!”

The bartender bowed his head slightly, “Thank you, M'lady. Return here once you have accomplished your task and I will reward you appropriately.”

It took everything Rias had to keep herself from letting out a squee of excitement. Instead, she did her best to give a regal head nod back to the bartender as she collected the Lesser Healing Potion and then made her way to the door. Opening it, she found herself at the end of a wagon trail leading into the forest she'd seen out of the window. She took a deep breath and reveled in the crystal clear air. She took a few moments to enjoy the completely pollutant free air then began her quest.

-----Line Break-----

Rias tapped her chin with a finger as she considered what she'd discovered so far. While she was super interested in completing the quest and getting a reward, she was also interested in the power making all of this possible. So, the first thing she did was go off the obvious path and explore the surrounding woods. What she found is that the trees were only real for maybe a dozen feet on either side of the path. After that she came to a wall with such a convincing illusion of the forest continuing on it that she almost thought it was an invisible wall.

She followed the wall on either side of the cart path for a while and concluded that the user of Innovate Clear hadn't bothered making more space than necessary. This was looking like a simple straightforward quest where she wasn't expected, or even really allowed, to explore further. It fit with the idea that he had limited power and needed help to grow stronger. So, she expected, not only would he be able to make stronger monsters, but bigger areas. She could see how Innovate Clear was considered a Longinus.

After her exploration, limited though it was, she came across the scene of the crime! Laying in the middle of the cart path were the remains of a delivery cart. At least, she assumed it was the delivery cart. One of the wooden wheels was shattered leaving it tilting precariously. There were no signs of people and the back of the cart was completely empty. It was the presence of crude arrows with stone tips that showed it was no accident.

A short look at the scene showed a clear path where she presumed the attackers had taken the loot and cart driver. She made her way down the path, on alert for any surprises. She didn't have any weapons, but she wasn't worried in the least since she had her Power of Destruction on hand. The path meandered through the woods for a bit and eventually led to a cave entrance.

She paused to study the entrance and try to gain a clue of what she was facing. As she looked, a high pitched cry broke the silence of the forest. Rias looked around to find the source of the cry but could see nothing. Replying cries came from within the cave and echoed out. She pouted at that. So much for sneaking in and figuring out the situation.

With a deep sigh she made her way toward the cave entrance. The entire way she looked around trying to spot the scout that had ratted her out. Unfortunately, she had zero skills at tracking and really hadn't spent any time walking through wild forests. She was a city girl and she was completely unable to find the creature that ratted her out. She didn't like leaving an enemy at her back, but she really didn't have much choice.

She stepped into the darkness of the cave, smirking to herself as the darkness does nothing to impede her. Devils were creatures of darkness and they could see at night almost as well as if it were daytime. Only true pitch black darkness could blind her. The light from the entrance was more than enough for her to see clearly.

She could hear a commotion from deeper within the cave, but twists and turns within it made it impossible for her to see anything too far ahead. When the cave got too dark, it was lit with small torches. Whatever she was about to fight had at least some intelligence.

Stepping around yet another corner, Rias came face to face with one of the monsters infesting the cave. The creature was a small reptilian humanoid standing on two legs while wearing a loincloth and holding a rusty dagger in one hand. The kobold let out a horrific screech and lunged across the scant few feet between it an Rias. In her shock at seeing the monster, Rias barely registered the danger before the rusty blade slashed the outside of her right thigh.

Rias reacted on instinct. A massive billowing aura of red and black magic surrounded her and lashed out at the cause of her pain. The tiny kobold, which barely reached her stomach in height, screamed as it was erased from existence.

With the immediate threat gone, Rias retreated a bit and checked the wound in her thigh. It wasn't too deep but it was bleeding and she was a bit worried about how filthy the blade had looked. Luckily, or perhaps not, she still had the Lesser Healing Potion in hand. She quickly popped the cork out of the vial and did what she would do with a Phoenix Tear, she downed the whole thing. The taste was surprisingly pleasant and she immediately felt warmth suffuse her body before it all seemed to focus on the wound to her thigh. She watched as the cut softly glowed red and quickly closed. When it finished, there was no sign that she had ever even been wounded. Well, aside from the blood still staining her pale skin.

She took a breath and reaffirmed her resolve. She'd been careless, taking this whole thing as just a game. The monsters were very real and they would do everything in their power to try and kill her. She needed to be careful and to take out the monsters as quickly as she could. The little kobold hadn't been a true threat to her either magically or physically, yet it had managed to hurt her by using surprise to its advantage. She needed to make sure that didn't happen again. She had no way to heal any further wounds.

Taking another steadying breath, Rias resumed her trek into the cave. Only, this time, she was far more cautious and had her magic at the ready. She would strike at the first sign of another kobold and strike it down before it could so much as scratch her.

Her preparation paid off as she carefully rounded the next corner and found another kobold ready to pounce on her. It didn't even manage to squeak before her Power of Destruction erased its entire head. She'd planned to go for head shots to prevent them from alerting others deeper inside the cave anymore than they already were.

As she rounded yet another turn, she found herself in a large wide open cavern. Within the cavern were a half dozen kobolds. Some were tending to a fire, a pair were guarding the body of a man, and one was watching the entrance. The last one screeched loudly to alert its brethren to her arrival. Rias lashed out at that one, erasing its head, but it had done its job and the last five monsters were all focused on her.

Rias tried to decide how to deal with the somewhat spread out enemies when she noticed how tall the ceiling of the cavern was. With a superior smirk on her face, she extended her wings and leaped into the air flying up toward the ceiling. Hearing the kobolds screeching in surprise, or maybe outrage, bolstered her haughty attitude.

At least it did until they all pulled out leather slings and loaded them with rocks, “Maou dammit!”

Rias was forced to fly in an evasive pattern to avoid the rocks being lobbed at her with surprising accuracy. It didn't help them though as she sent off blasts of her Power of Destruction, killing them one by one until none were left. While somewhat wily, they were just kobolds.

With the last kobold dead, Rias glided to the ground and approached the body of the cart driver. A quick check showed him to be alive, but unconscious. Not too far from him was a cracked open crate filled with two-tone clay liquor bottles labeled as Mead. There was no way she'd be able to transport the large broken crate and the unconscious man. Obviously the man was more important than the booze, so she picked him up in a fireman carry, throwing him over her shoulder. She might look like, and be, just a seventeen year old girl, but she was still a devil and significantly stronger than a human.

The journey back through the cave was uninterrupted. Carrying the man was annoying but not something she couldn't do for hours easily. Stepping out of the dark cave brought a smile to her face, until she noticed the kobold with a bow aiming an arrow right at her. She barely had time to realize she was in danger before the kobold loosed its arrow.

Acting purely on instinct, Rias desperately jumped to the right, throwing the unconscious man as she did. She screamed in pain as she failed to completely dodge the arrow. She was fortunate though as her frantic dodge prevented the arrow from piercing her chest and instead drove into her shoulder. As she hit the ground, the impact jostling the arrow and sending a spike of agony through her body, she focused on the kobold and launched a massive wave of her Power of Destruction. The wave erased not only the kobold, but also the lower portion of dozens of trees.

Rias grabbed the cart driver by the neck of his jacket and dragged him back into the cave, which they had barely left, as dozens of tall trees came crashing down. The noise was deafening and leaves flew everywhere. She was lucky that the trees were all healthy and green or they could have easily shattered and sent wooden shrapnel everywhere.

It took several minutes for the avalanche of wood and leaves to settle down, leaving Rias and the cart driver locked inside of the cave by a wall of broken wood. Rias stayed put, for the moment, to examine the primitive arrow sticking out of her shoulder. She was berating herself for forgetting about the kobold that had been outside to alert the others in the cave. There was nothing she could do about the arrow, at the moment. She was pretty certain that you weren't supposed to just rip arrows out. Not to mention, she didn't really have anything to stop the bleeding. Hopefully the bartender would have another healing potion or two for her to use.

First things first, she climbed to her feet and used her power to erase the broken trees from her path. She had to wait for them to settle again, but when she was done, she had a clear path back to the trail that led her to the cave. Unable to carry the cart driver any more, she grabbed him by the neck of his clothing and dragged him through the woods, retracing her steps to the broken cart. After that, it was a simple trek back to the tavern.

As she pushed the door to the tavern open, the bartender looked up, “Welcome... oh, well that doesn't look good.”

Rias gave the man her flattest stare as she dragged the cart driver into the tavern and dropped him on the floor. As she shambled over to the bar, looking a mess with the arrow still in her shoulder, her clothing filthy from her fall, with twigs and leaves stuck in her long hair, and blood on her leg, she did not look the beautiful princess she had when she first arrived.

Seeing she was in no mood, the bartender reached under his counter and pulled out a small wooden box. Flipping it open revealed a collection of nine potions, all Lesser, three each of healing, stamina, and mana. He slid the open box across the counter to her, “Your reward for a job well done.”

Rias continued to give a flat glare as she asked, “Any idea how to safely remove an arrow?”

The bartender shrugged helplessly, “Not a clue, I'm afraid.”

Rias sighed and gestured to it, “Pull it out.”

As he reached for the end of the arrow, she collected a healing potion and braced herself. She grit her teeth and screamed through them as the arrow was ripped out of her shoulder. It felt even worse coming out than it did going in. She quickly popped the top of the healing potion and downed it. Just to make sure, she grabbed a second one and downed it right after.

The wound from the arrow glowed and quickly closed as the healing potions did their job. Soon enough the pain completely faded and the only sign of the injury was her ruined bloodstained shirt. She picked up a stamina potion and downed it as well, she was feeling tired from dragging the damned cart driver for so long. Like the healing potion, it had a pleasant taste she couldn't identify though with a hint of mint. The warmth of the potion suffused her body and soothed the ache in her muscles making her feel a lot better.

Deciding to go for broke, she picked up one of the mana potions and drank it down just as quick as she had the others. The potion had little taste to it, almost like it was just water. Despite that, she felt a wave of warmth swirl though her and regenerate a portion of her expended Demonic Power. She gave the bartender one last look as she collected the box with her remaining potions and made for the exit. As she reached the threshold she looked over her shoulder, “Tell your boss that I hate him.”

-----Line Break-----

Ryuji rubbed the back of his head as he closed down the scenario once Rias had left, “Well, that could have gone better.”

-----Line Break-----

AN

This reached just over 11k words.

What do you guys think? I'm especially curious about your thoughts on the Alchemy Upgrade. I tried my best to explain how it works and I hope it was clear. If it's confusing, let me know and I'll try to clear it up.

I'd also like to know how you liked the first Scenario that got run properly. AND! If you have any ideas for scenarios, let me know! I'd love to have you guys give some ideas I can actually use and write about. I think that could be fun.

Until next time.