Game of Monsters - 93 (Patreon)

Disclaimer: I don’t own Highschool DxD.

I Stand Here Right Beside You

[Xenovia Quarta]

“You didn’t have to help us, Joshua,” she heard Griselda say. She couldn’t bring herself to look at her though, least of all because she was standing right in front of Davis. Xenovia wasn’t sure why, precisely, but she just didn’t feel comfortable looking at the man after the things she’d said to him and how his familiar saved her, twice. Maybe the wounds wouldn’t have been that bad… or maybe they’d have killed her, and now she owed him a lot more than the apology she did before.

“Maybe I didn’t,” the man agreed, sounding disinterested. “But I wanted to make sure things went well. Take it as payment for the mess Morag made of your hallway,” he added, his voice amused.

It was… not quite a fair trade, Xenovia was sure. Although, the spider had filled the entire corridor with purple – and poisonous, as she’d learned – webbing that clung to the walls, the floor, the ceiling and everything in between. It had taken liberal use of some spells to clear it up, but just by the effort they’d had to put into getting all of it away, it made it pretty obvious that it’d have been very effective stopping someone from getting through. And that was without the spider itself getting involved too.

“Still, thank you, truly,” Griselda said then, and Xenovia felt her heart twist inside her chest at the emotion in her voice. “Your tiger… What is her name?” she asked, sounding very awkward about having forgotten the familiar’s name.

“Cheshire?” the man answered curiously before turning to look at the feline.

“She saved Xenovia,” Griselda answered then, making her look up at them, even if her eyes darted away when she saw Davis turn towards her. “I am in your debt.”

“You can be, if you really want to. But I didn’t do any of that to get anything from you. I just wanted to make sure things went well, as I said. Honestly, they are a danger to me too, at this point, so taking care of them helps me too,” Davis waved off, like it’d been nothing. Like saving her was nothing. Like helping them with their internal conflict was nothing. Like having Griselda, a high up agent of the Church, owe him was nothing.

Xenovia didn’t know if she should be amazed or annoyed by that.

“You truly are a strange person, Joshua Davis,” Griselda told the man, and that was quite the understatement, as far as Xenovia was concerned. “Strange indeed.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” the man said with a grin that she only saw because she took advantage of the fact that everyone seemed to have turned away from her. “Now, I should get the rest of the defenses set up. I should be done within the day, at least, but it’ll take some time for it to fully power up and start working as intended.”

“We are aware,” Griselda replied.

“Now, I had something I needed to talk with you,” Davis said, making the woman blink and Xenovia tilt her head. “If you want to cling to the debt thing, I’d appreciate some help with this.”

“I’m listening,” Griselda said, straightening and fully intending on doing whatever the man asked. Xenovia could see it, and she was moved. She truly was, however, she resolved to go and tell them it was her own debt if the man decided to ask for-

“Asia wants to go to school,” Davis told her, making both women – and Irina too, apparently – blink at him. There was a long drawn out silence after those words were spoken while the man started casting magic once more under the confused gazes of the three Church members.

“That’s…”

“Look, I know I was kind of requested to sort of guard her,” Davis continued then, before Griselda could finish that trailed off statement. “But I was thinking that she could go to Kuoh. I know there are Devils there, but I’m on good terms with them, they sort of owe me. So she’d be safe there too. Hell, I’ve placed the defenses around the town myself.”

“Joshua, I think if we trusted you enough to let you guard her, we can trust your judgment in such matters,” Griselda said then, and to Xenovia, she sounded the slightest bit amused… Which was all sorts of strange for her to hear. “I will have to discuss this with my higher ups.” Meaning the angels. “But I’m sure it’s a request we can agree to.”

“That’s great. Asia told me that she wants to feel like a normal girl and I want to help her. She’s been nice enough to help me get materials for hexes,” the man sort of rambled, most of his focus evidently on his casting. Xenovia, for her part, did her best to ignore the little voice in her mind that whispered that hexes were evil. Griselda hadn’t so much as reacted to that, so… Maybe it was just more teachings that were wrong? She’d have to ask later. “I feel bad for not being able to let her go outside much much.”

“I’m sure,” Griselda replied, her smile taking a sad turn. “Although…” she trailed off then, turning to look at Xenovia, who averted her gaze then.

“Yeah?” Davis called absently, drawing Griselda’s attention once more. Xenovia was thankful for that, at that moment. She had a difficult time looking at her guardian and mother-figure, especially after being so… Out of it, during the fighting. She could already tell that there would be harsh training in her future.

She shuddered.

“Nothing, just an idea that occurred to me,” the woman reassured the magician at that moment. “Nothing for you to worry about.”

“Somehow, you saying that worries me more than anything else,” Davis commented with a half-smile.

Well, the man seemed to be smart, that was for sure.

[}-o-{]

[Kunou]

“Somehow, I had hoped that nothing like that would happen,” she heard her mother say, sighing where she sat across from Joshua and Kunou herself. “But I guess it was too much to wish for.”

“I mean, they did say they were at war,” her dad replied with a shrug, as if he’d just told them of a particularly inconvenient thing he had to deal with while spell tinkering instead of telling them he’d been in a skirmish in one of the Church’s bases. Joshua could be weird at times, but that was just how her dad was, Kunou supposed. “All in all, it wasn’t too bad. Either the attack was very improvised, they had the wrong information or they really overestimated themselves.”

“... If you say so, Joshua,” her mother commented. “Do be careful next time, ok?”

“I will. I think I got chewed out enough the last time,” the man replied wryly, likely remembering the scolding he’d gotten from her mother after the incident with his uncle and cousins. “I don’t need more motivation than that to stay out of trouble as much as possible.”

“We were worried,” Kunou couldn’t help but mumble then, as memories of seeing Joshua on his house’s medical bed came to her mind. She remembered how weak her dad had been back then as he recovered from that encounter. She’d hated it, and she still did.

That’s when she felt a hand be softly placed on top of her head in between her ears and ruffle her hair.

Just like that, the bad thoughts vanished into thin air.

“I know, and I’m sorry for worrying you,” Joshua said with a slight smile on his face. “In my defense, it’s not like I wanted that to happen. And I… Well, things weren’t supposed to turn out like that.”

“And we know that,” her mother replied then, sighing. “Doesn’t make things easier to deal with.”

“And I know that, but… Not much I can do about that. Sorry,” he lamented. “Especially considering I’m planning to-”

“Ahem,” her mother interrupted then, clearing her throat and giving a very obvious and meaningly look towards her. Kunou, for her part, looked between them with big, curious eyes.

“Right. Sorry,” Joshua mumbled nervously, scratching the back of his head.

“What are you planning, dad?” Kunou asked then, giving her best pleading look to the man. She could see his resolve crumbling and fast. If there was one thing she liked, it was that she could get him to do just about anything. Maybe that was mean of her, but after so long having to do as she was told and with her mother having little time for her… Well, maybe Joshua had spoiled her with too much attention, she supposed.

That didn't mean she couldn’t enjoy that, right?

“Did you finish setting up the wards around that one restaurant in the end?” her mother asked, making Kunou narrow her eyes. “I’d like to visit it sometime soon, I think.”

“Oh? Yeah, I set up all the wards already, actually. We can go whenever you two are free,” Joshua answered, looking very relieved by the topic change.

“It’s a date then.”

“Sure,” her dad replied, evidently not thinking about what Yasaka had said. Kunou, for her part, felt her eyes widen before a wide grin spread on her face. However, when she saw Joshua pause and his expression turn confused, she decided she needed to act.

“Dad, what are you planning?” she whined, no longer looking for an actual answer anymore. When the man turned towards her and gave her an exasperated smile, Kunou celebrated internally. ‘Successful distraction!’

[}-o-{]

[Serafall Leviathan]

“A rock?” she asked, eyes wide as she looked at the nondescript piece of stone that laid on the marble altar. “Where’d the Orb go?”

“Looking for this, Levi?” a voice called, making her eye twitch. She turned to see Joshua, leaning against one of the building’s walls in his Domino Mask attire. In his hand, he playfully threw the emerald-like sphere up and down. “Pretty little thing, isn’t it?” he commented, grabbing a more firm hold of the orb in his hand and looking at it with an uncharacteristic smirk on his face.

He was a solid actor, as it turned out. At least while he wore the full costume. As soon as he took off the mask, he became a lot more nervous. That was fine though, Serafall and the director had worked to make it look like his character was just like that. People seemed to have received the new character pretty well too, so that was good.

“Why’d you take the Temporal Orb, Domino?” Serafall asked with a frown that was almost real. She did lament the fact that she couldn’t give a good look at Joshua in his suit. He did look very handsome in that, as it turned out. Sadly, she needed to focus on the show for the moment.

“Gee, wonder why I’d want a rock that gives power over time itself,” Joshua answered sarcastically. “Truly, a mystery for the ages, isn’t it?”

Much slower than she’d actually be if it wasn’t just a show, she gave a sharp motion with her “magical staff” towards Joshua.

“Frozen Miracle!” she called out loud, making a very slow – for her at least – Ice Spell shoot towards Joshua. The ground froze in a straight line towards him with ice shards shooting up from the floor, except that it didn’t hit. Instead, there was a flash of light before it reached him.

“Well, that was rude,” the man commented from behind her, and she turned in exaggerated surprise, widening her eyes and all. “Wasn’t it, Luna?” he asked then, as Margalo landed on his shoulder, chirping something. Serafall could almost see the bird struggle to keep the act. Little adorable Margalo was just too enthusiastic about the show, even for Serafall’s standards. After all, the Satan could at least keep her focus on the set.

“Domino, I need the Orb-”

“To do stuff out of the goodness of your heart, I’m sure,” Joshua interrupted, smirk still in place. “But the question is… What’s in it for me?”

Both of them remained silent for a long moment, with Serafall faking a conflicted expression before she sighed.

“How about a deal?” she said then. To that, Joshua tilted his head curiously while his smile shifted into a pleased grin.

“I’m listening.”

“And… cut!” they heard the director call and both of them deflated.

Now, to spend some time with Joshua… And enjoy much more freely the sight of the man in a suit. Both were very important things to do, indeed.

[}-o-{]

[Karin]

“What do you guys think this’ll be like?” she asked hesitantly as they sat up front in the classroom. On each side, she had Meredith and George. Meanwhile, behind them sat Fortune and Levi. They were the only ones that had gotten a place in the classroom… At least, the ones personally given a spot by Professor Davis to his Ward Magic class.

Maybe Karin was channeling her favorite magic teacher a bit, because she couldn’t remember if anyone else in the classroom was also in Professor Davis’ Spell Modification class.

“Well, I’m expecting things to go more or less the same as when things started in the other class,” Meredith answered, bouncing on her seat, visibly excited. Karin would admit that it’d be humorous to see that again, especially now that she wasn’t as nervous as she’d been back then.

She’d had to pull all the favors she’d earned through her life to get into that first class, which was a risk for her. As an orphan without so much as a family name, Karin had to pull herself up all the way to where she was now. Having to burn so many of the favors she’d amassed through the years for one class had been dangerous indeed, but it’d definitely paid off in the end.

After the fact and once she’d been acknowledged as one of the favored and star students in the class, however, everything had changed. She didn’t have to all but beg for jobs from her association anymore. Instead, it was others that were begging for her to do said jobs. From being that orphan with no backing and no connections, she’d moved all the way up to the point that she could even rival old magical families.

It was a change that she was still getting used to, but it was definitely a good one regardless.

“It’ll be interesting to see then,” Dion commented from behind them. “I seem to have missed quite the show, if your behavior is any indication.”

“Oh, definitely,” Meredith said, grinning even wider than before. “Just you wai-”

She was interrupted when the door to the classroom opened and in came their teacher. Together with him, they saw Morag, the spider familiar, peeking over the man’s shoulder before jumping to the wall and starting to move around the blackboard. Silence reigned then as everyone looked at the blond man, while he in turn regarded them with his piercing blue eyes.

He looked almost disinterested as he looked at the class. Except, Karin noticed, when he found his attention drawn to the group of five students he was already sort-of familiar with. They’d really achieved something big when they earned his acknowledgement, that was for sure.

“For those who don’t know me,” Professor Davis started, leaning back on his desk as he regarded them all. “I don’t care about names. Don’t introduce yourself unless I ask you to. No offense, truly, but I have a terrible memory for them and I won’t remember.”

That was something that many of his students theorized about, as it turned out. Many thought that it meant the man’s brain was just built differently. His mind just clicked much better with magic related things than it did other things, like remembering names, for example. It was a theory that held some weight, but Karin wasn’t sure if that was the case. She felt that he could just have a bad memory for names. That wasn’t so weird, was it?

“Second of all,” Professor Davis continued. “I expect you to participate in class. If I ask a question, I expect an answer. If I give an exercise, I expect to be shown results. Not even good results, but results at all. I expect you to try. If you won’t bother, then I won’t bother with you. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Professor Davis,” the class chorused, earning themselves a nod.

“Now, with that out of the way,” Professor Davis said and Karin noticed that he seemed more… at ease than he’d been at the start of the other class. She guessed he wasn’t used to teaching back then, but it was interesting to see the difference now. She hadn’t noticed before, but maybe it was because she had been nervous too back then. “Are there any people here that already use Ward Magic?” he asked everyone.

Immediately, many hands went up. Considering it was a Ward Magic course, that made some sense. It was unlikely that people that didn’t use it would bother. It wasn’t like just anyone could add a second or third magic to their repertoire.

Out of the corner of her eye, Karin noticed that their group was now earning a lot of looks. She also saw George fidgeting in place while Meredith seemed to preen at the attention. Truly, quite the contrast her classmates made.

“Hm, good,” Professor Davis mumbled then. “Anything in particular you are all waiting to learn here?”

“Is it true that you can cast mobile wards?” someone asked and Karin saw the teacher’s eye twitch at that.

“Wards are, inherently, a spell that covers a specific area through the foci, which are wardstones,” Professor Davis started explaining, sounding ever so slightly exasperated. “Moving the wardstone or the circle would, essentially, break whatever formula you used for the spell. So, no, a moving ward doesn’t, as far as I’m concerned, exist.”

“What’s the point then, if you can’t have it with you?” the student said, and Karin heard Meredith stifle a laugh. Personally, she could relate. It seemed that the class would be taught a lesson that had nothing to do with wards too.

“Well, if you can’t see it, then there’s no point to you being here, is it? If all you wanted was a… mobile ward,” Professor Davis said, grimacing as if those two words were personally offensive to him. “Then there’s the door. I can’t help you with that.”

“Wh- You can’t just tell me to leave!”

“I sure can, and I just did. After all, what’s the point then, if you aren’t interested in wards?” the man replied to the student, raising an eyebrow as he threw the man’s words back to him.

“Do you know who I am?”

“No. But even if I did, it would change nothing,” Professor Davis said, tilting his head before speaking again. “So, what will it be?” he asked.

The man didn’t answer that, but neither did he leave.

He wasn’t the brightest person around, evidently, but neither was he an idiot, Karin supposed.

[}-o-{]

[Agnes Waterhouse]

“This is all I’ve been able to find so far,” she said, pushing the file over her desk towards Joshua. Taking it, the man opened it to scan its contents. “Whatever you want to do with this information, be careful. Hexennacht has been left alone for a reason and it’s not only because they are good at hiding.”

“... Hm, I’ll keep that in mind,” the man replied absently, which was a bit worrying. Davis was good, he really was, but Agnes rather doubted he could afford to make enemies like Witches Night. He was good at defense, it was what Ward and Hex Magic were good for. Attacking… not so much. “Thank you for this,” the man added, closing the file and turning to give her a smile that seemed more a courtesy rather than anything else.

“With the classes you are giving, Joshua? This is literally nothing at all,” Agnes told him with an uneasy smile. She’d have to find some very impressive things to repay the man, truly. She was not joking about that at all. Just the Spell Modification class deserved a whole lot, and now with the Ward Magic one? People from other organizations were throwing favors, money and more at her now to allow their members in those classes. The least she could do was do some of that for Joshua in turn.

“I guess I’ll keep that in mind if I need… Actually,” he paused, his eyes gaining a new focus to them. “Boons,” he said, as if that should tell her all she needed to know… Which it kind of did. Agnes stiffened on her seat. If Joshua meant what she thought he meant then… “Can you get me books about Boon Magic?” he asked.

He did.

Joshua wanted to add Boons to his magical repertoire.

‘I pity whoever tries to attack you with home advantage, Joshua,’ she thought to herself. With the trinity of static area spells under his belt? Agnes expected that soon enough even gods would hesitate to do anything in regards to Joshua’s defenses.

“I can get you some. It’s not something that we’ve dealt with a lot, but I can reach through some contacts and get you some. The Church and such factions have more information, however, and they guard most of it rather zealously,” Agnes replied regrettably. It was a shame that the one thing the man asked for, she couldn’t get. “You don’t ask for simple things, huh?” she added then.

Between information of a rather elusive Stray Magic Association and now books on a branch of magic that was rather exclusive…

Agnes wasn’t liking her chances of finding something to pay the man with, all of a sudden. Even less than before, that is.

“That’s fine. I think I might get them anyway. I’ve been making deals with the Church,” he said casually. Meanwhile, Agnes’ eyes widened. The Church was offering him one of their magics? Just like that? What was he doing for them?

Then again, she’d heard some things regarding that faction that were concerning. If Joshua was involved in that mess and was helping them… Well, depending on how much he did for them, it’d make some sense, she supposed. Regardless… ‘You are no regular magician, that’s for sure, Joshua.’

“If you can think of anything else you’d want, feel free to ask,” Agnes told the man, because any little thing she could do for him would contribute to making it easier for her to pay him for the work he was doing for her association. Who would have thought that she’d one day have trouble for having someone do too good a job for her? Certainly an amusing, if annoying, conundrum.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Joshua said, before someone knocked on the door. Looking towards the man questioningly, he only nodded for her to go ahead.

“Come in.”

She almost grimaced when she saw Elizabeth walk through the door.

“Waterhouse, Joshua.”

“Báthory.”

“Elizabeth,” the man greeted. It didn’t escape Agnes at all that both of them had greeted each other by name. It wasn’t so odd for Joshua, since she hadn’t introduced Elizabeth to him by surname, but for the woman to call him by first name too? Something was going on there.

“Perfect timing, it seems,” Báthory said then, letting out a very smug smile directed at Agnes before snapping her fingers and making a file appear in her hands. “What you asked for, Joshua. I hope it’s satisfactory.”

The man didn’t say anything as he checked over whatever it was that the documents said. Agnes, for her part, was left to wonder what in the world they were talking about. It wasn’t often that she was left out of the loop, especially when inside her association, by members of said association. Well, Joshua wasn’t a member, but he did work with them rather closely so the point stood.

“Pretty good,” the man said then, a half-smile on his face. “I’ll see what I can do regarding what you wanted.”

“I’d appreciate that, Joshua.”

‘What am I missing here?’ Agnes wondered, frowning. Unfortunately for her, it didn’t seem like she’d get any answers. It wasn’t like Elizabeth would give her any, if only out of spite. Furthermore, she didn’t have the power to make Joshua answer either. Worse, he was the one with all the power over her, at least until she paid him.

‘Really have to come up with something, and soon.’

[} Chapter End {]

Hey guys! How’s it going?

Well, several things are happening here. I know the Serafall scene is kind of… very show focused, but some people seemed to be excited for that back when that was introduced, so I wanted to put some of that in here. With some luck, those that weren’t excited for that didn’t hate that part too much.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter regardless.

Discord Link: discord.gg/UTDransjJZ

Random Question: Do you listen to stuff throughout your day? If so, what do you hear? I can’t live without having some background noise, be it music on spotify or youtube videos or something else.

See you.