Dungeons and Devils (Chapter 17) (Patreon)

A blonde girl looks around briefly, clutching a sheathed blade to her chest, strangely enough, from what I can see from here, despite the fact that the blade is supposed to be Excalibur- or Calibur?, it's not even slightly magical, she eventually locks eyes with me and smiles. "You must be my master, right?"

'who the hell is this girl?!'

'Gender bent king Arthur.'

'what the hell?'

I slowly nod at the girl's question. "My name is Gaius Decarabia. And yes, I have summoned you."

The girl kneels. "My name is Artoria Pendragon, sir."

"Stand up, please." I sigh.

"The reason I summoned you is quite simple; I need strong fighters to flesh out my peerage."

"I see." The girl states as she slowly gets to her feet, she pauses suddenly though.

"Wait... you aren't human, are you?"

"I am not." I state with a small shake of my head. "I am a devil."

She clutches the blade to her chest tightly and takes a single step backwards.

"A-Are you going to steal my soul?!" She draws her blade and points it at me. "S-Show me your true form, demon!"

"Hn?" I blink.

Her hand is shaking slightly.

I bring a hand to my temple and let out a long sigh. "First off. This is my real form."

"No it isn't! Where are your horns! Your red Skin! Your- uh- Pitchforks?!"

"…"

"I am telling you, this is my real form. In fact, most devils look completely indistinguishable from regular humans! There are some outliers though, some devils may have horns, sure, but that's about it, others may have pointed ears, and others might even look like a mermaid, but the majority look just like me."

"Second off, we don't steal souls, that was outlawed hundreds of years ago, far before I was born." I wave off. "The church definitely painted us in a bad light, because humans can be just as evil, if not more, than we are."

The woman in front of me frowns slightly.

With a flick of my wrist, the sheath behind her flies into my hand and disappears into my storage.

"So." I slowly mutter as I look over her. "You are supposed to be King Arthur?"

"King?! I-I just took that stupid sword out of the rock! I'm no king! Just a stable girl!"

"…"

Welp. I got the worst Artoria... one who doesn't know how to fight nor has access to Excalibur.

"Well, under me you are going to become a king!" I declare while pointing at her. "And the first step to that is you joining my peerage."

"Peer... age?" She mutters cautiously.

"The devil race is nearing extinction- or was, at least, several hundred years ago, one of the leaders of the new devil faction- which was formed shortly after a civil war with the devils who are caught up in the race's evil ways- created a special item which allows high class devils like myself to reincarnate others as devils."

"And you want me to become a devil?!" The blonde in front of me asks.

"Well, yeah." I nod slowly. "Like I said, I need strong people to help me make change to our society, and well, you might not be there quite yet, but I see potential, and I'm willing to help you reach that potential."

I press my finger on the blade she has pointed at me and gently push it away from myself.

Yep. That's not Excalibur or Caliburn. It's not magical in any way. She said she pulled it from the stone, but she doesn't have a version of the legendary blade?

"Would you accept becoming a devil? The perks are quite good, longer life, an easy to use magic system, plus increased strength and speed."

Her eyes narrow. "And the flaws?"

"You get hurt by light weaponry and holy swords, if you are able to wield them however, you'll still be able to wield them just fine, next, you may cringe whenever you say the word 'God', but the stronger you get the easier it is to resist that."

She stares at me for a long moment. "You are my master... if this is what you want, I guess I cannot-"

**Linebreak**

A blonde girl is sat in the corner of my office, her hair is ash blonde, her skin light and slightly pale, two yellow eyes bore into my own as she wordlessly- and desperately tries to use chop sticks to eat a large bowl of rice and meat, the bowl itself looks like it is half of a large green seed.

She wears a black dress with white lines across it, her hair is tied up in a ponytail with a white bow holding it back, there's also another white ribbon around her neck, just above her chest.

She continues to stare as she brings the bowl up to her face and instead of using the chopsticks to pick up the meat, uses them to simply push a hunk of meat into her mouth.

'That is a... strange... transformation.'

Apparently turning her into a devil was enough to turn her into an alter form...

What is my life coming to.

I wordlessly gather some paper and stack them and sit them on the corner of my desk.

A screen appears in front of me, revealing Virgo's face. "Lady Serafall is here."

"Oh. Send her to my office."

The door is thrown open.

"Oh." I blink at the fact that she is already here.

"I couldn't stop her." Virgo announces. "She said this was incredibly important."

"Ah, okay, it's fine." I hum as I close the screen and look to the magical girl Artoria is blankly staring at.

"Hello Sera-taaan." I wave.

"Hello Gai-Tan!" She smiles brightly. "You'll never guess what I did!"

"…"

"…"

"Aren't you going to guess?" She asks.

"Why guess? You just told me I couldn't." I shrug with an impish smile.

The satan in front of me pouts and crosses her arms over her chest.

She slowly looks over her shoulder to the Saber Alter sitting in the corner. "Who's she?"

"My new rook." I state as I glance over to the servant. "Say hello, Artoria."

The girl looks up from her meal, seeing that the focus of the room has gone to her.

Her previously neat hair gains a an ahoge as she is suddenly surrounded by a puff of smoke.

Suddenly the girl I summoned is back, her white clothes, her golden blonde hair, green eyes, and even her social anxiety!

She looks around the room, spying the magical girl, eventually letting out a weak "Uh- hi?"

"D-Did she just transform?!" The satan asks with stars in her eyes.

"Yep." I sigh as I run a hand across my face. "She's back to normal now, I guess. I thought I would have to deal with Evil Artoria for the rest of my life, but oh well."

"Evil?" Serafall blinks as she looks back to me.

"Eh, more like 'disinterested' and 'unbound by morals' than legitimately evil." I shrug. "It's sort of confusing why she transforms, but oh well."

The girl we are talking about blinks slowly, looks down at her bowl of food, and continues eating.

"She is adorable!" Serafall smiles.

"So, Sera-Tan, what did you need." I ask with a small nod and a smile.

She seems to realize that she has gotten horribly side tracked, I frown as I watch any and all amusement dry up as she gives me a serious look.

"You were right."

I give her a slow blink. "About what? Or do I just have to assume that I'm right in general~"

"Lord Phenex tried to have to killed. This is no laughing matter, Gaius."

"He did a pretty shitty job about it." I scoff with a small eye roll, trying once more to defuse the situation with humor. "And I seriously doubt he was the only one who tried to have me killed, I don't think a random clan heir has the pocket change to buy an ultimate class assassin. Even with how lucrative the Phenex tear business is."

"He probably collaborated with the old satan faction, my father was more than likely the true target, it's possible they didn't want his clan trait supporting you all in the civil war. Lord Phenex perhaps just used this as an excuse to get me killed."

"He did..." The satan mutters.

"Oh." I state "Oh well. That's just another thing for you to crush him with, right?"

"There are numerous things I can charge him with, yes- or rather, Sirzechs may charge him with... but I want to ask you, how do you want to do this?" She mutters with a deathly serious expression.

"If you had asked me this about a week ago... I would have said that I want him to pay me a considerable amount for my silence... fifty percent should be fine, the most I'd have to worry about is another assassin. Nothing too big, I'd be able to handle that easily, and reasonably I wouldn't have to worry about my peerage because both of them are complete monsters when it comes to fighting, But... recently... I've got two new peerage members... and neither are as formidable as Virgo or Tyra. And if lord Phenex does try to have me killed in one last hurrah, despite the clear warning you gave him when you said the underworld would suffer if I died, I am worried my two weaker members may be hurt."

"So, what do you want to do?" Serafall asks.

"I want the absolute worst thing you can think of to happen to him." I smile brightly. "That bastard tried to have me killed, assisted others in murdering my parents, took what was rightfully mine, then had the gall to act high and mighty in front of me like I was some sort of commoner. He has done everything he can to absolutely fuck me over, and frankly I am tired of it. I'm tired of him."

"I see." The woman before me sigh. "That's understandable, and what I was going to request you do actually. it just makes me sad you had to deal with this sort of stuff, Gai-tan."

"Believe me... I wish I didn't either." I mutter as I quietly shake my head.

I stare up at the ceiling for a moment. "You know, it sort of makes me wonder, what would my life be like if I wasn't warped five hundred years into the future by unknown means? How powerful would I be? What would life be like? Would I have several children?"

I shake my head. "Ah well, there's no use in thinking about 'what ifs'. There's only the present and the future."

The satan nods her head and reaches over the desk, patting my head. "I'll go tell Sirzechs... and just to warn you, you'll probably be called to some form of court."

"Don't worry, I don't plan to go out too often in the coming weeks, I should be here when that happens."

I pause and cup my chin looking down at the table. "Or will I? I should, but recently I have felt a desire to grab a couple more things from the human world."

I shake my head and look back to the woman. "I should be here for about a week or two."

"Good. You can't exactly press charges if you are nowhere to be found, now can you?" The girl states.

"Ehhhh, I could probably find a way." I shrug with a small smile.

The girl gives me a half lidded stare. "What I meant to say, is that I don't want you getting hurt by being overconfident."

"That's a little more fair. I'll see what I can do."

"Just stay safe, Gaius." The satan sighs.

"Oh, don't worry, I will." I smile brightly. "I'm honestly worried more about my peerage than myself, though."

"Then keep them safe." She slowly states. "Lord Phenex might be a rat, but even rats attack when cornered."

This is probably one of the first times I have ever seen her casually insult someone in this manner... neat.

"I'll keep that in mind." I smile.

"I know that look, Gai-tan. Stop hoping he comes here himself so you can beat him black and blue." The magical girl chastises.

"I wasn't thinking that." I pout while looking away.

"Yes, you were."

"No comment." I weakly protest.

"I'll see you soon, Gai-Tan." The satan smiles with a small exasperated head shake. "Be saaaaaaa- IS THAT A TATTOO?! AAAAHHHH GAI-TAN! WHY DID YOU TAINT YOUR BODY WITH A TATTOO?!"

"It's fake-" I am tackled by a magical girl as she dives over the desk and sobs into my shirt.

**Linebreak**

Serafall can be so difficult sometimes... but you can't really be mad at that peppy aura she has.

Peerage:

Rook 2: Artoria Pendragon (Lily): (Mutated Piece)
Mood: is a little confused by all this new devil crap, and is a little offended by the fact that you more or less forced this upon her, but on the other hand, she isn't a Heroic Spirit anymore, she is her own person now. She can sustain herself with her own power.

Special Effects:
Dragon Hearted Servant:
Artoria is just a simple girl, or was until she became a servant. Servants are far more powerful than the average human, Artoria, even moreso because she has the heart of a dragon. And now that she's a rook? Her strength and durability are absolutely monstrous.

True Ruler of the Holy Sword:
Artoria Pendragon, the girl who was fated to pull the holy blade Caliburn from the stone, thus becoming the king of Britain. She is a true holy sword wielder, the strongest holy sword wielder, and even as a devil, can wield holy relics without any pain or discomfort. Holy weapons targeting her are simply treated as normal weapons. Additionally, as the strongest holy sword wielder, Artoria has the special ability to draw out the true potential of holy items. Depending on her mastery of the holy item she wields, she can bring out up to 200% of the item's power, the greater her familiarity of the item, and her ability in using it, the stronger it is, but This number can never be below 100%.

After I reached level ten, I had noticed that a few of my pieces have mutated. Two of my pawns, and my remaining rook have been transformed.

Why did I make her my rook instead of the knight piece? A piece that would fit her far better?

She's worth more than six pawns.

Besides, I have an idea for who I want my two knights to be.

Her abilities are frankly busted. That's the entire reason she's worth so many pawns.

If I gave her Avalon right this second, she may eventually reach a point where she is legitimately untouchable. Damage reduction two hundred that is stopped by nothing, regeneration forty, spell resistance forty plus twice her 'level'. You could drop a fucking nuke on her and she would just walk it off.

Then there's the rook strength. Who knows how powerful that has made her.

Honestly, the weakest link in my peerage would be Valerie... followed shortly by Artoria as she is clumsy as hell and bad at fighting even with all of her power.

I just need to grab her a weapon... and I know just the one... or ones.

I crack my neck and slowly smile. 'now, dear mythic power... where are the locations of every single magic weapon King Arthur used?'

'what the hell are you even talking about-'

My vision darkens, causing a feral grin to cross my face.

'what the hell is going on?! Your brain is being torn apart! Your regeneration is the only thing saving-'

**Linebreak**

I look to the crystal blade sat atop the anvil.

'this enchantment process is strange, temporary partner.'

'yeah, it'll take a while, but I should be able to add the things I want. To get you to a plus ten, I'd need about a month.'

I pull out my phone and smirk as there's a news article on the front page of the devil internet browser.

"The dark secret of the Phenex family? The four satans take a stand?!"

The first part is expected... however the second?

"Hm?"

I open the article.

"Last week, blah blah blah." I idly read. "Assassination attempt came to light... Stripped of lordship and arrested."

I continue skimming the article.

"Coma?" I blink slowly. "Saved only by his clan trait?"

That's the excuse they are giving me for the whole five hundred year disappearance?

That's fair, I don't think I legitimately have told anyone that 'I was tossed through time' except for maybe... Rias? The coma thing could cover that, however. I'd just need to say something like 'I felt as if I was tossed through time' or something.

"Ah, here we go. Statements of the four satans."

'Temp-Partner! there's this really cool item in the great cost auction room three-'

'Don't have enough electrum.' I mentally respond as I begin scrolling through the statements.

'Come on! It's a machine that produces Dragon Slayer magic lacrima! I've got no idea what a Lacrima is, but dragon slaying magic sounds like it'd kick Albion's ass!'

'The great cost auction is anywhere from ten thousand to fifty thousand base cost. The items can range from anywhere from fifty thousand, to well over a hundred thousand. I barely have five thousand right now. I wouldn't be able to amass the funds in time before it goes off sale. Besides, if I had that sort of money, I'd buy other things.'

'Damn it!'

Firstly, they give Sirzech's statement. "Five hundred years ago, the devil race was in a far worse state than it is now, after the great war, dozens of houses were killed, even more by the civil war, it is a great travesty for an entire house to die out over mere lust. Reynaud Phenex willingly committed this crime of Familicide, and nearly plunged another two bloodlines into extinction."

Next is Serafall's. "It is sad to think something like this happened to someone who could have been one of my peers and to someone who is just so adorable and cute and-

I decide to skip over the next several lines of Serafall's serafall-ness.

Ajuka's. "Gaius Decarabia is someone who I struggle to figure out, and that makes me slightly intrigued. However, on the topic of his assassination, I feel that if Lord Decarabia hadn't been disabled by this attack, the civil war would have been even more in our favor, and perhaps would have ended far more swiftly, due to Malthus weaponry. The previous lord of the Phenex house planned to kill one devil, and through his actions, he doomed potentially thousands- if not tens of thousands more to death."

And finally, Falbium's statement. "I agree with Ajuka that the civil war could have ended sooner, it was stupid to target a person with a mutated clan trait. If he had been allowed to grow, he would have probably even taken the seat of Asmodeus instead of me. That would have certainly saved me the headaches of dealing with it these past centuries."

And thus, Falbium got people thinking I am now satan level in potential. greaaaat.

I mean, I am, but I didn't want all this attention... yet.

'Ah well.'

I sigh and shake my head. 'I'll just deal with this as it comes.'

Now I just need an excuse to go back to the human world soon and steal lost arms of King Arthur to equip my very own King Arthur... the first and most pressing?

Excalibur Ruler.