Eating Your Weight: Dessert

Teleporting, even through magic, was a weird concept to me. The notion that you could take someone, store their essence and everything that made them who they were and just move it across impossible distances in an instant just didn't sit right with me. It never really had.

That one paradox floating around the internet probably had something to do with it, challenging the very concept of self and whether or not the person arriving on the other side was really you, or just a copy made by whatever method you used to transport yourself, places in the desired location while the original was destroyed, with the copy being none the wiser. It always left a bad taste in my mouth, the idea that you could be completely destroyed in an instant, leaving behind a vague facsimile that didn't even know it was fake. 

“So yeah. I’d rather fly.” I finished my explanation as I slowly made my way through a forest on the outskirts of Kuoh, completely on foot. My long-winded sermon about the possible dangers of interdimensional transposition was met with a blank stare from the person next to me.

“An… interesting theory.” Akeno said slowly, “But if that were the case, wouldn't Sacred Gears disappear for whoever was transported as well? They are tied to the soul, after all. If everyone who stepped through a teleportation circle just died on the spot, I imagine that their gears would be changing hands rather often.”

“... I still don't trust it.” I said, ignoring the huge hole she had just poked in my argument. Akeno giggled, holding one hand to her mouth delicately to hide her smile.

“I hope you get over your phobia quickly then. It's rather hard to get around the supernatural world without instantaneous travel, you know?”

“I'm sure I'll figure something out.” I said resolutely, causing her to laugh again.

As she got over her mirth, I glanced around at the forest surrounding us. We were on the edge of Kuoh, in a small stretch of woods similar to the one Miyo and I used to train, albeit on the other side of the city. According to Akeno, this was the last place the Devil had tripped one of the barriers surrounding the city, and yet we hadn't encountered any sign of it so far.

“So where is this big bastard?” I mused aloud, drawing Akeno’s attention once again.

“You seem pretty eager to fight. Is that why you wanted to come along with me?” She questioned. 

“Most of it. It's been a while since I've actually had the chance to fight something for real and I’m dying to see how my training is working out. ”

“Most people would be happy about that.” She pointed out. I shrugged, giving her a sharp grin.

“Most people aren't part dragon. I guess it's just instinct for us to want to prove our dominance over something.”

“Ara ara~!” Akeno's grin shifted and I got the distinct feeling she took my words for something else. Purple eyes glinted mischievously, “I suppose that's something we have in common.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Mhmm. I also enjoy a good fight every now and then. Dominating the weak and inflicting the most delicious pain possible. Watching as they struggle and beg for mercy…” She sighed, “It's too addicting to put into words.”

Her cheeks were flushed by the end of her diatribe and I stared at her, jaw practically agape at her little confession. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, and just like that, she was back to the serene beauty that all of our school had come to know. 

She smiled at me, a pure twist of her lips that wouldn't look out of place on a shrine maiden, unlike her words just moments ago, and stepped ahead, leaving me staring after her with a slack jaw.

That was… wow. I already clocked that there was more to Akeno than meets the eye, but clearly I underestimated just how far that went. Her words were packed with so much arousal, so much lust, that it felt like I was talking to a completely different person. 

“I wonder if I could get to know her…” I said quietly, watching Akeno's hips sway just a few feet away before I raced to join her. 

We spent the next few minutes blindly strolling through the brush as we searched for any sign of our quarry. As we walked I could detect traces of them, demonic energy lingering in the air or the smell of sulfur and blood wafting from all around us, but it wasn't strong and I couldn't pinpoint exactly where it was coming from.

“Where the hell is this guy?” I wondered out loud as we doubled back for the third time since we arrived.

Akeno followed my lead as I stopped walking, looking around as well, “They’re probably hiding. I set up a simple boundary spell when we first arrived and nothing has tripped it so far so they’re still in the area at least.”

I nodded as I scanned the scenery. Trees stretched for about a mile in every direction so there wasn’t really that much ground to cover, at least not relative to what the two of us could search, “Should we get an aerial view?” I suggested, unfurling my tattered wings with a thought.

“It might help.” Akeno said, doing the same. 

Before we could lift off though, massive surge of demonic energy, powerful and almost sickly in nature, washed throughout the forest, making. Us both freeze. There was a far off noise, like the howling of a wild animal in the middle of the night, and both of us turned at the sound of something pushing through the brush towards us.

Acting on instinct, a large nail manifested in my pal and I held it up in front of me just in time to catch the edge of two rusty, serrated blades. A snarling grey face appeared just inches away from my own, bloody lips pulled back and teeth gnashing as they tried to get to me.

I jumped backwards but gained exactly zero distance as the Devil followed after me, eating the tiny amount of distance between us in an instant and swinging her swords again. Thinking quickly, I created a chain in the air behind her that wrapped around her leg, tripping her and sending her tumbling as I regained my ground and composure.

“Guess she found us instead!” I said, summoning Kijin and watching the Devil warily as she got back to her feet.

“Indeed.” Akeno agreed from somewhere over my shoulder. Magic surged through the air with her words and her voice took on an odd quality, “But how naughty of her to attack us out of the blue like that! I'd say that deserves a spanking.”

The darkness around us was driven away as light flashed and a burst of bright yellow lightning screamed over my shoulder, slamming. into the Stray as she got back to her feet. The corrupted Devil screamed in agony as uncountable volts ran through her body, throwing her head back and convulsing uncontrollably.

“Mm~” The moan that cut through the Strays screams caused me to look back at Akeno floating a small distance behind me. Somehow, the girl's outfit had completely changed, shifting from her school uniform into something much more traditional in a white haori with a scarlet hakama. She had an excited look on her face and her skin was as she watched the Stray writhe in agony, “That’s it… scream for me! Naughty Devils deserved to be punished!”

The Devil screamed as another wave of electricity surged through her body, falling to her hands and knees as she tried to get ahold of herself. She glared at Akeno with furious crimson eyes and another wave of acrid magic burned through the air, caressing my skin like a heat wave, before she suddenly disappeared.

A gasp behind me made my eyes widen as I whirled around. The Devil had somehow ran straight past me and gotten to Akeno, blades already swinging at the Queen and aiming to cut her in half. Quick thinking and a quicker application of my chains managed to pull her out of the way just in time, turning what might have been a previous injury into mere cosmetic damage as Akeno's shirt was torn to shreds instead of her torso.

I leapt into the air, swinging Kijin and slamming the sword into the Stray’s chipped blades as she turned her body to block. She fell to the ground a small distance away and I got between her and Akeno, keeping an eye out for any more tricks, 

“Are you alright, Akeno?” I asked, glancing back at the Queen. 

“I think so. She just managed to grace me.” Akeno breathed, holding the tattered remnants of her haori in her hands. A lacy bra and a good bit of pale cleavage peeked through the tear as she gave me a thankful smile, “Thank you for pulling me out of the way. With that speed, I'm not sure I would have been able to dodge in time.”

Nodding, I turned to face the Devil, fully taking her in for the first time since the battle began. She was more humanoid than the Strays I fought before, but it was still abundantly clear that she wasn't quite human. She was tall, at least eight feet even hunched over, with a willowy frame covered in rusted armor like a knight display in a history museum. Two extra pairs of arms jutted out of her sides, grey skin and gnarled claws flexing as they rested by her sides.

Her face was probably the most normal thing about her, but even then just barely. Her human features mostly shone through, though grey and sickly instead of peachy and full of life. Two curled horns jutted from her hairline, twisting through the air just above her greasy black hair, and her mouth was stained red with blood. Her own or someone else's, I wasn't quite sure, but the sheer amount leaking through her lips made me lean towards the former. 

What caught my eye most of all though, and the thing that made me realize that this wasn't going to be as easy as the last two times I had done this, was the pair of silver and blue boots on her feet, sticking out when compared to the rest of her poorly-maintained armor. They pulsed with an odd light that only grew stronger when she moved, and it didn't take a genius to realize what they were. A Sacred Gear.

‘Explains why she's so fast, I guess.’ I thought grimly, ‘I’ll have to trap her or cut her legs off if I want to actually kill her.’

Gripping Kijin tightly, I prepared for the Devil's charge. She roared again, hair flying wildly as she tossed her head back and a wild surge of magic washed over me. My eyes narrowed as the Devil's boots glowed brightly before she blurred from sight, appearing in front of me with arms already in motion.

Kijin came up to block the blades but the sheer speed that they were moving at made me take a step backwards. The Devil blurred again and I grit my teeth, summoning a nail in one hand while wielding my sword in the other as I desperately defended against the barrage of blades and claws that came my way.

She was fast. Faster than anyone I had ever fought before. It was as if she had double the amount of arms that I could see, and my only solace was that despite her speed, her attacks weren't really all that strong. 

‘Not like that really matters much if she cuts me to ribbons before I can block.’ I grunted as one of her claws sliced a gash along my cheek, just barely missing my eye as I ducked out of the way.

The way she was fighting was strange as well. It was like she was a wild animal, sent into a frenzy by the smell of blood in the air. She had no style, no form. She just swung and swung with everything she had, hoping that sooner or later something would land. It left a lot of gaps in her guard, and after a moment of defending, Miyo's training led my eyes straight to one of them.

I dropped low, letting both of her blades slice through the air over me as she tried to scissor my head off as I swept her legs out from underneath her. She went down, skittering backwards on all six hands like some sort of fucked up insect and as she rose, I was already there to meet her with Kijin, swinging the bastard sword down on her with all of my might.

Sparks flew as her chipped blades met my own with only milliseconds to spare. My swing was so strong that she had to use all of her arms to block, bracing her weapons with her extra limbs to keep me from cutting straight through them.

“You know…” I grinned as I forced her arms down, watching as she shook with the effort of keeping me away, “My fights usually have a little more banter in them and less mindless screaming. You need to up your game, girl! Come on. Throw an insult or slur my way; spice things up!”

My words were met with another gurgled scream before the woman's mouth suddenly slammed shut and her cheeks bloated massively. Listening to my instincts, I tilted my head to the side, watching as a glob of acid spattered against the tree and sizzled, searing the bark straight off of its surface. I whistled.

“Damn, that was pretty cool.” I said as pressure built inside of my chest like a bubbling cauldron. I opened my mouth, unleashing a torrent of bright purple flames directly into the Devil's face, causing her to scream and stumble backwards in agony.

My jaws snapped shut and I licked my warm lips, grinning as I watched her stumble around blindly, “But I think mine’s better, don't you?”

My grin was wiped from my face as the woman's magic surged again and she blurred away. I clenched a fist and chains burst from the ground, attempting to snare her, but she weaved around them, dodging the bolts of lightning that Akeno sent at her as well as she disappeared into the foliage, vanishing without a trace. I looked around but couldn't find a trace of her and I growled in annoyance, "I'm getting real sick of that speedster shit.”

“She is rather fast, isn't she?” Akeno commented as she floated down, also searching for the Devil, “Her Sacred Gear must be quite powerful. That, or she was a Knight before she went Stray. Perhaps both.”

“All I know is that this chick is nuts. She hasn't said a word; she just screams.” I turned to the left as I heard a sound, scanning the darkness for any sign of the errant Devil who was no doubt circling us as we spoke.

“It's possible that when the connection to her King snapped, so too did her mind. If she was recently turned, her soul probably didn't have enough time to adjust to the reincarnation and without her master, there was nobody to guide her along.”

“She got a second chance at life just to go insane because her master bit the big one. And now we have to put her down like a sick animal.” I clicked my tongue, “How sad.”

Akeno hummed in agreement, “I suppose it is. Here she comes.”

The Devil's wild charge came from our right, aimed at Akeno. She wasn't moving quite as fast as she was before; maybe she was getting tired. Whatever the reason, I was able to intercept her before she managed to get to the Queen, catching her weapons with my own.

She got in my face, and I grimaced as I took in her burned, desecrated skin. It looked like she had been put through a dehydrator and slow roasted at the same time. I was pretty sure I could see parts of her cheek muscles peeking through the cracks.

It also clearly hurt a lot. Her lips were lifted in a perpetual, pained snarl and one of her eyes was twitching. She opened her mouth to let loose another gurgled roar directly in my face, and I blinked as I noticed that her tongue was missing. That explained why she was just screaming at me. That or the insanity that was clearly interfering with her critical thinking skills, take your pick.

“Hey there, beautiful! Glad to see you didn't just cut and run!” I said, before heaving her away from me. She went airborne, arms and legs flailing angrily as they tried and failed to find purchase in the air. Knowing that she couldn't dodge in the air, I swiped a hand through the air and several large orange sigils burned to life in her path.

The Devil's screams of rage became ones of pain as long barbed nails speared through her body in several places, suspending her in mid-air. I was aiming for vital points like her head and heart, but her willowy frame underneath the armor meant that I was just slightly off the mark, turning my kill-shot into something much more tortuous.

Deciding to put her out of her misery, I pulled the Stray close with my chains and swung Kijin in a sharp curve, lopping her head off in a single strike. It rolled on the ground before fading into black mist, followed quickly by the rest of her body – armor included – and leaving only  a single, gnarled black Knight piece laying on the ground.

As I dismissed my sword, Akeno came up to my side with a small pout on her lips, “What an unceremonious end. I'm not sure whether I should feel disappointed or not.”

“I didn't want to make her suffer too much. I think that's your thing.” I said, giving her a grin which she returned with a serene smile. My eyes went downward, “By the way, you've got a little… wardrobe malfunction right there.”

“Hmm?” Akeno glanced down, observing her cleavage that was practically on full display. Her haori had fallen down around her shoulders, allowing me a great view of her pale breasts wrapped in a deliciously lacy black bra, “I wonder how that could have happened?”

Even as she moved to cover herself up, she did ask with a deliberate slowness, as if she wanted me to get a good look. I didn't complain, drinking in the sight for as long as she let me before turning away as she pulled her haori back onto her shoulders.

Leaning down, I grabbed the Knight piece that the Devil left behind and absorbed it with a thought and hissing at the borderline erotic energy that burned through my body alongside the power.

“Oh my!” Akeno held a hand to her mouth, eyes widening as she took in my body's reaction to absorbing the Evil Piece. Her gaze glued itself to the bulge in my skirt as she stared at it in wide-eyed surprise, and I grinned as I came down from my power-induced high.

“See something you like?” I asked, somewhat cockily.

Instead of getting flustered or embarrassed as I noticed her staring, Akeno gave me a measured look, eyes dancing with something I couldn't quite place. She moved to say something, but was interrupted as my Sacred Gear suddenly glowed brightly, accompanied by Nidhogg’s growling voice.

Divine Artifact, Successfully Devoured!

Another wave of power slammed through me, causing me to grit my teeth and clench my fists against the unexpected sensation. I looked down as a bright orange light flashed around my lower body, focused on my feet and calves. When it cleared, a pair of black, heeled boots were wrapped around my legs, styled just like my gloves and sword.

“That's… Her Sacred Gear!” Akeno's voice was almost baffled as the energy pulsing through me faded into a dull buzz, “You can absorb Sacred Gears!?”

“I guess so? I've never tried before.”  I examined the new addition to my ensemble with a light grin, “Either way, I've got a new pair of head-stompers. And they go with my skirt!”

As I took a few steps, getting a feel for the boots, Akeno shook her head, “Naomi, I don't think you understand what this means. There are very powerful and specifically rituals that have to be performed for the chance to take someone's Sacred Gear. And you just did it like it was another Tuesday.”

She paused, “Actually, how did you do that? When someone with a Sacred Gear dies, their Sacred Gear usually moves onto the next user because it’s not attached to anything anymore. There shouldn’t have been anything there for you to take.”

I just shrugged, “Look, I don’t know the specifics of it. I just know that Abyss Eater is, according to Nidhogg at least, the greatest absorption gear out there, and as long as something isn’t tethered directly to someone’s soul, I can devour it. Maybe I just slipped in and grabbed it before it moved on?”

Snatching power from the hands of God himself… probably wasn't the most sacrilegious thing I'd done honestly. Definitely the most badass though.

Akeno clearly wasn’t sure about that but she also didn’t have a better explanation so she let the subject drop. Her body glowed and she was once again wearing her uniform, depriving me of my view and leaving me supremely disappointed. Sweeping her long ponytail behind her head, she glanced around, “I suppose our mission is complete then. I’ll go back to the club room and tell Rias what happened. Care to join me?”

I eyed the glowing sigil that appeared underneath her warily, stepping away from the offered hand, “I’ll find my own way back, I think. It’s pretty nice out right now, you know? Perfect weather for a flight..”

“Suit yourself.” Akeno giggled as she lowered her hand, “When you get back, we can discuss your training. I have quite a bit of free time when I’m not helping Rias so I should be able to slot you in somewhere this week.”

“Sounds good to me.” I nodded, “I’m looking forward to working with you, Akeno.” 

“Me as well.” As the glow at her feet reached peak brightness, she glanced at me from under dark lashes, giving me an oddly sultry look, “And maybe once we get to know each other better, you can teach me a thing or two. Perhaps something along the lines of the lesson you were teaching that woman a few nights ago? Her screams were rather delicious.”

My jaw dropped to the floor, realization and recognition striking me like the lightning she effortlessly wielded, “Wait, were you the one–”

“I’ll be sure to have some tea waiting for you in the club room.” Akeno grinned cheekily as the seal pulsed, “Try not to enjoy your flight too much. I’d hate for it to get cold.”