Punctuation Key:
"Spoken dialogue"
'Quoting'
*Action*
Emphasis
Internal thoughts/talking to Ciel
[[Ciel talking]]
{{Thought Communication}}
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Rimuru POV
Soon after dropping off Iruma with Gobta for the second time, I detect someone I wasn't expecting to. Curious as to why she's here, I teleport nearby.
"Oh, what a surprise, running into you here Rimuru!" Luminous says with a smile, unconvincingly feigning surprise.
"Surprise? This is my country y'know, I don't see what's surprising about seeing me here. If anyone should be surprised, it should be me." I respond with a chuckle.
"Why would you be surprised? You are already aware that I visit here quite often for concerts and plays." She says casually.
"Yes, I'm aware. Hey, since you're already here, do you have a moment to talk?" I ask.
"I assume this has to do with the upcoming Walpurgis and the candidate, am I right?" she questions.
"Yeah, that's what I wanna talk about, but just briefly. I had a chat with Leon earlier to get his thoughts on this new guy and since you've come to Tempest on your own, I might as well talk with you a little too."
Before she continues, Luminous waves her hand, and a barrier surrounds us to prevent eavesdropping. We're alone, being in a small side-alley devoid of other people, but that doesn't mean it's very private either. With what we're about to discuss, it's for the best that others can't listen to us.
"I don't mind, but I don't have much to say either. The candidate is weak and is not an agreeable individual based on what I've heard." She says in her usual casual tone.
"That lines up with what Leon told me. So you agree that this one will end in a purge too?" I ask, pretty sure of her answer already based on what she's already said.
"A quick one too, that's my guess. Quite a boring outcome if that's what ends up happening." Luminous continues, giving a small disappointed sigh as she finishes her opinion.
"Boring...yeah..." I trail off.
That would be boring, wouldn't it? I wonder if there's a way to make it a little more entertaining...?
[[I have a suggestion, Master.]]
Ah, Ciel to the rescue! Please share, I'm all ears!
[[We could test this Beluran individual by having another pose as Demon Lord in your place. If he can see through the illusion, that would prove his capability. It would also be fun to play a different role than normal, right Master?]]
So you're saying I should borrow Luminous' old schtick? I should probably run that past her first, I don't want her angry with me. I've seen how she's treated Veldora, I don't need that happening to me.
[[I would not allow such a thing to happen to you Master, but yes, I agree that informing her and the others would be the simplest solution.]]
"I think I have a solution to that," I say.
"Oh? You have my attention." Luminous responds, her heterochromatic eyes lighting up with interest.
"I thought it'd be funny to prank this new candidate by doing what you used to, having someone sit in my spot for this one meeting," I say with a mischievous grin on my face.
"So you've taken inspiration from me then?" Luminous asks as a grin of her own forms on her lips, exposing her vampiric fangs.
"Yeah, in a way. It'll kinda be a test for him, we can see if he'll notice or not. You're not upset by me stealing your idea, are you?" I ask despite already knowing that she won't mind. She seems to love the idea, I can tell.
"Not at all, I'm actually quite intrigued! That would make things much more interesting...yes...it would surely be an entertaining thing to see, you wearing a maid's uniform." Luminous says as her grin appears to turn more devilish.
Uhhhh...
[[*giggles*]]
"Hey! I never said I was gonna do the exact same thing that you did! For your information, I was planning as dressing as a butler, not a maid!" I reply sternly.
"But that wouldn't be as fun, now would it? Here, I even have the perfect ensemble for you!" Luminous responds, still smiling. She reaches into spatial storage and pulls out a classic maid dress before shoving it at me.
"D-did you plan for this somehow?! Why do you just have that on hand!?" I ask exasperatedly, still in shock from this crazy turn of events.
"I'll be able to add some more photos to my collection!" she giggles gleefully.
"No! No way!" I insist, shoving the dress back at her.
"So you won't do it? That's a shame...I'll just have to get those pictures from Hinata then. I have some ~wonderful~ ones of her in that swimsuit that you gifted me a while back. Hinata wasn't pleased and seemed convinced you were involved, but I made sure to keep my lips sealed since that was part of our deal. Although, if I go to her again, she may ask more questions and I might not be able to hold out any longer...I may let something slip, who knows?" Luminous says, making her face and voice seem innocent but I see right through it.
This manipulative bloodsucker...
"Are you...blackmailing me?" I ask, the tone in my voice darkening as I start to get angry.
"Blackmailing? What makes you think I'd do such a thing? I simply wanted to go to you before Hinata, if you are not an option, going to Hinata is the only choice. The consequences of that aren't my fault now, are they?" she continues lightly as if she isn't threatening me.
[[Master, the simplest option would be to go along with her request. You have worn dresses many times over the years, this would not be a hard thing for you.]]
You just wanna see me wear that maid dress, don't you Ciel?
[[...]]
The slight hesitation to Ciel's response tells me that I'm probably right.
[[I am certain it would look wonderful on you, Master!]]
But...if I wear that in front of the other Demon Lords...
[[I do not foresee any problems if you pick that option. Although, I do predict a significant backlash from the individual Hinata Sakaguchi if you choose not to do as Luminous says, Master.]]
"Dammit...fine, I'll do it! Just don't tell Hinata about this or the other stuff." I grumble as I snatch back the stupid dress I'm being forced to wear.
Luminous nods her head, smiling ear-to-ear since she's won this little verbal tussle.
"Wonderful! I'm sure next week will be much more entertaining now! I will have to bring my camera...yes..." Luminous says before teleporting away.
I hold the dress out in front of me to get a better look at it, causing me to grimace at how short the skirt portion of it seems. Yeah, nope, I hate this thing; just thinking about wearing it makes me sick. Not wanting to look at it any more right now, I store it away for later in my imaginary space.
Iruma POV
So I ended up getting to see this special Labyrinth that everyone keeps talking about or at least part of it. Apparently, part of the first floor is dedicated to training rooms, both for classes for people wanting to explore the Dungeon portion, which is on the lower floors, and also basic combat training for citizens. The entrance was underground and right next to a huge colosseum where they hold special events and tournaments according to Gobta.
I saw a lot of people coming and going as we entered the place, most of them carrying weapons and wearing armor. I also noticed that many of them were wearing the same strange bracelet on their wrist or ankle; I guess those are probably the 'resurrection bracelets' that were mentioned earlier.
When we entered, Hakurou talked with a pretty lady with green hair standing behind one of the counters and she handed him something that turned out to be one of those same bracelets, although a different colored one than the ones I saw people wearing. It matches Gobta's, though, which I noticed him slip on as we walked in the door.
"As you are Lord Rimuru's guest, I spoke with one of the dryads tasked with running the Labyrinth and she agreed to give you this," Hakurou says as he walks back over to me and Gobta.
"Why's mine a different color than all those other people's?" I ask.
"This one has infinite uses, while the general populace has to buy one-time-use ones. It is one of the ways this place makes a profit." Hakurou explains in a hushed tone as he grabs my arm and slips the thing past my hand and onto my wrist.
It strangely tightens as it goes on, fitting snugly once in place which startles me a little.
What if it's like my ring and I won't be able to remove it?!
I shake my hand a little and the thing is stuck tight to my arm, not budging a millimeter causing me to panic. Gobta quickly notices my scared expression and explains.
"Ah, that's so it doesn't fall off while you're in here. Don't worry, it'll come off when you try to remove it." Gobta reassures me.
To test it, I grab at the resurrection bracelet and it loosens and allows me to remove it. Now that that worry's gone, I slip it back on and it tightens again to fit my wrist perfectly.
"I'm not gonna be doing anything dangerous, so why do I need this anyway? I like being cautious but I don't really see the point if I'm just taking a beginners' class." I say.
"It is a safety precaution," Hakurou responds.
"Yeah, all the higher-ups and VIPs wear these at all times when in the Labyrinth, since you're an honored guest, you should too. You never know what might happen so always be prepared for the worst; that's Lord Rimuru's policy." Gobta adds.
I nod understandingly. I don't mind wearing this thing now that I know I can easily take it off, I was just curious as to why they went to the trouble of getting me one.
"I will give you two options, you can attend the class some of Tempest's children participate in to learn the basics of the sword, or you could accompany Gobta and me and I could train you personally."
I think for a moment, weighing the two options. The way Hakurou put it, it seems like if I pick the actual beginners' class, I'll be separated from them for some time. Rimuru left me with Gobta, so I don't think they'll like it if we become separated; I won't like it either since Gobta is one of the few people I know in this place. Plus, a one-on-one (or I guess one-on-two if you count Gobta) lesson would be better than a class full of other students.
"Can I stay with you two?" I ask.
Gobta's worried expression makes me think that I might've picked the wrong option, but I'm not gonna go back on what I said.
"A-are you sure, Iruma?" Gobta asks, his voice shaking a little.
"Uh, yeah, I think so. I'm supposed to stay with you, aren't I? That's what Rimuru wants I think." I respond.
"You're probably right...Lord Rimuru did make you my responsibility," he responds.
We make our way down a side hallway branching off from the dungeon's reception area. Many doors are leading to nearly-identical rooms are passed as Hakurou leads us to wherever he intends to train me and Gobta. All the rooms look like a bunch of small gymnasiums without seats; just large open, brightly-lit rooms with smooth shiny floors. Hakurou stops and enters one of the rooms, me and Gobta following behind him.
This place is strange now that I'm inside and able to get a closer look. The weirdest part about it is the lack of lights. Somehow the room is as bright as day despite not having windows or any specific light sources. It's like the light is coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It must be magic, that's my best guess.
On the wall next to the doorway is a strange panel with a magic array engraved into it. Both Gobta and Hakuruou tap their resurrection bracelets on it as they enter and direct me to do the same. I'm not sure what the purpose of this is, but I follow along anyway.
"Since you are Lord Rimuru's guest, would you like to go first? Sparring with someone to gauge their natural skill level will make a nice warmup for me." Hakurou says with a smile.
Hakurou pulls two wooden swords out of somewhere and tosses one to me. I was caught off guard and fumbled it a little before getting a grip.
"Wait, I've never even held one of these, I don't know how to fight with a sword."
"Don't worry, I will go easy on you; this is not the first time I have worked with a complete beginner like yourself," Hakurou says amusedly, smiling lightly at my apprehension. It's not the same scary one he gave Gobta earlier, looking a lot more like Grandpa's warm smile. "I recommend focusing mostly on defense at first while I assess your reflexes and physical ability." He continues.
I nod my head and grip the handle of the sword tighter. Taking a deep breath to try to calm my nerves, I focus my attention on the old man facing me. I tell myself this is just like the training I did with Opera and Rimuru, I just need to focus on his and his sword's movements and respond to them.
I blink and the next thing I know Hakurou's directly in front of me, about to strike me in the side with his wooden training sword. Without even thinking, I sidestep out of the path of his weapon. It was pure instinct driving my movements; my strangely effective dodging skills saving me once again.
He tries more blows to different parts of my body, a few of them grazing me but none fully hitting their mark. I attempted to hit him back a couple of times but wasn't successful. After he finishes his round of blows, Hakurou steps back and stares me in the eyes.
"Oh, you are faster than you first appear!" Hakurou says, a hint of excitement breaking through his mostly-stoic expression.
"I've gotten good...at avoiding stuff after years..of being put in...dangerous situations," I say in-between gasping breaths.
"Yes, your reflexes reflect that. I was not expecting your reaction time to be as good as it is. I will have to take this to the next level."
That doesn't sound good...I was already struggling to avoid his strikes...
"Master, please don't hurt him, Lord Rimuru will be upset if Iruma's injured!" Gobta calls out but Hakurou seems to be fully focused on me alone, completely ignoring Gobta's words.
He once again lunges at me at a speed that was extremely hard for me to follow. I dodge, juke, duck, block with little thought involved, moving on pure instinct as I desperately avoid the assault. But avoiding everything he's throwing at me is impossible, this old man is just too fast!
Thwack, crack, thud, thump.
Noises ring out in the mostly empty room as Hakurou's wooden sword hits me and my own sword repeatedly. Most of the blows are hitting my body though, since maneuvering the practice sword still feels awkward due to my lack of experience. I knew I was clearly outclassed before and that there was no way I would stand a chance, but now that he's ramping up the difficulty, I'm really starting to regret agreeing to this.
My ribs ache from the strikes they've taken, my arms feel weak from hopelessly swinging this sword around in attempts to block and strike back, even my hands hurt from gripping the thing, trying to not drop it since the few times I've managed to intercept Hakurou's swings caused it to nearly escape my fingers.
Hakurou seems to be speeding up too, or is it just that I'm slowing down from exhaustion...maybe both? It doesn't really matter since I don't think I can take much more of this. This is hard...very hard, but I can't even catch my breath enough to ask him to stop.
This continues for what seems like forever; desperate dodging and flailing to avoid this scary old man's attacks. The blows are building up, I can tell by the amount of pain I'm in. I'm surely covered in bruises and scrapes at this point. I think I heard Gobta's voice a few times too, but I was too focused on Hakurou and his sword to make out any of his words. Finally, Hakurou pauses.
"Your evasion skills really are remarkable, boy."
"...thanks..." I manage to sputter out a response despite my heaving breaths. "Can we...please...stop..."
"Oh, you have had enough already? I suppose we could take a break, I see that I have taken a lot out of you. "
"...yeah..." I say, still desperately trying to catch my breath.
Hakurou gives me an approving nod and I take that as permission to step away.
I stumble off to the side and plop down onto the floor, utterly exhausted. Looking at my arms, I see I'm covered in bruises just like I expected from the level of pain I'm in. I'm sure there's more of those under my clothes too, I can feel them with every small motion I make.
"Here, take this." Gobta hands me a small test-tube-shaped vial with a dimly glowing light blue-ish liquid inside.
"What is it?" I say as I uncork it and take a cautious sniff of the stuff. It kinda smells like cut grass smells so I think it must be made of some kind of plant; not exactly the type of thing that I would want to put in my mouth unless I have to.
"Just drink it; it's a low potion. It'll get rid of all those bruises and you'll feel a lot better. If I returned you to Lord Rimuru in this condition...*shudders*...well, I don't wanna think about the level of trouble I'd be in." Gobta says, looking scared of whatever he's imagining. I know Rimuru can be scary, so I get why he wouldn't want to upset them.
Rimuru did mention something about healing potions before so this must be one of them; I think I even saw one get used on Azz after Rimuru knocked him out, now that I think about it.
Especially after getting an explanation, I don't have any real reason (outside of the unappealing smell) to distrust the strange liquid in the glass vial so I down it in one swallow. It doesn't quite taste the same as it smells, still being plantlike but with a refreshing cool aspect to it. Not unpleasant like I thought it'd be.
I feel a wave of warmth come over my body from head to toe, much like when Rimuru used healing magic on me in the past and a slight glow appears over my bruises and they fade away to nothing before my eyes. I'm a little surprised but I've seen similar stuff happen in the past so I don't make a big deal out of it. I feel much better now that I've had a minute to catch my breath and have had my wounds healed, but I'm still exhausted.
"Now it is your turn Gobta; get out your shortsword, we will be dueling with real blades today," Hakurou says.
Wait...they're gonna fight for real?!
Wooden swords are one thing, but real steel blades can slice flesh. I'm a little scared of what's about to happen to Gobta.
"Wh-why?!" Gobta asks, a whole new level of scared showing on his face.
"Because I said so, my pupil. You need no other justification. Get. Out. Your. Sword. Or would you rather face my blade unarmed?" Hakurou asks, his tone becoming more threatening. I swear I saw his eyes glow red for a moment too, but I might've just been seeing things.
"So that's why the old man wanted to do this in the Labyrinth..." Gobta grumbles under his breath.
Gobta draws his shortsword and Hakurou picks up what I thought was a simple cane or walking stick, but it was hiding a blade within. He had set it aside before facing me before, leaving it leaning against the wall.
Despite his apparent fear, Gobta is facing him with a good deal of confidence. Much like when Rimuru gets serious, the goofiness to his demeanor faded away, leaving behind confidence that coincides with his position as a general in Tempest's military.
The two begin fighting, or at least that's what I think is happening. It's all so fast I can't make out their movements at all, only able to see are two blurs of movement along with the rapid clanging of metal against metal. I thought Hakurou was moving fast while training me, but if this is how fast he can move, he was holding back just like he promised.
I try my best to follow it out of curiosity, but no matter how much I squint my eyes or focus my attention, I just can't keep up with what's happening. One thing I do manage to perceive is the color red flying through the air. Blood; blood flying around as the two men assumedly cut each other while fighting. It's not a large amount but it still makes me worry about what state they'll be in when they stop and I can actually see them clearly again.
This confusing duel continues for a few minutes without even a brief pause for either of them to catch their breaths. I watch on in awe and shock, not moving at all so I don't get in the way of the intense sword fight between the two men. Then, without any warning, both stop. It takes me a few moments to notice why...Gobta has a blade poking out of his chest, Hakurou's blade.
Red is spreading around the blade, staining his shirt and dripping onto the floor. Gobta looks down at his chest and gives a disappointed frown.
"Heh, looks like I still can't beat you...Master..." Gobta says in a strained voice before going limp. His body disintegrates into specks of light, leaving Hakurou's blade behind.
I watch the sight speechless, not knowing how to react to someone being killed right in front of me.
Oh my god...he killed him...Hakurou KILLED HIM!
"H-how...c-could y-you...you a-actually...y-you KILLED HIM! WHY?!" I shout, shaking from shock and horror. Mixed in with my fear is...anger. Yes, I'm angry that he killed Gobta!
Hakurou looks at me confused like my reaction doesn't make any sense.
"Why are you shouting? Did you already forget?" He asks calmly.
"Forget about WHAT?! What could possibly excuse you killing Gobta like that?!"
Hakurou holds up one hand, pointing to the bracelet on it. I stop, very confused, my head clouded with fear and anger. I then feel a hand rest on my shoulder from behind, which makes me nearly jump out of my skin with how agitated I am right now.
I whip around to see who's touching me and find...Gobta, perfectly alive and well, gazing at me concernedly.
"Hey, I'm fine so you can stop screaming for my sake. That's why we have these resurrection bracelets. I went into that knowing he'd probably kill me; I've never won against him no matter how much I practice." Gobta says with a smile.
It takes me a moment, but his words click. Yes, the resurrection bracelets we're all wearing! The concept is so 'out there' that I didn't even think about them until now!
I feel so stupid for yelling at him now...
"Remember how we touched them to that panel over there? We were binding our respawn points to this room so that if we died we'd reappear right in that doorway. I guess I didn't explain things very well...sorry for scaring ya..." Gobta apologizes.
"I'm...sorry Mr. Hakurou...I wasn't thinking...I hope I didn't offend you..." I say regretfully.
"It is all fine. I should have clarified that better myself before doing something like that in front of someone unfamiliar with how the Labyrinth works." Hakurou pauses for a moment, looking down at himself. It seems like Gobta managed to slash him up pretty bad despite losing the spar. His white outfit is quickly being stained red with blood. "I suppose I should use a potion...you did well, my pupil." He says before reaching into a pocket and pulling out a potion similar-looking to the one Gobta gave me.
It is different though, the bottle being somewhat larger and cone-shaped instead of test-tube-shaped. The soft glow it gives off seems brighter too. He quickly downs it without hesitation.
"You managed to injure me bad enough to use a high potion, you really did an exemplary job today." Hakurou praises Gobta, causing him to develop an arrogant grin. "Do not skip out on your responsibilities again, though, or I will administer a more severe punishment," Hakurou warns, shattering Gobta's smile.
"Yes, Master Hakurou!" Gobta says quickly.
Hakurou leaves before Gobta and me, leaving us alone in the room.
"He said that was a high potion, and what you gave me was a low potion, right? What's the difference?" I ask.
"Concentration and effectiveness. Low potions work on minor injuries; bruises, shallow cuts, abrasions, that kind of stuff. High potions can heal broken bones, deep cuts, injured organs, and other bad injuries." Gobta says then pauses before continuing. "There's a third strength too; full potions, which are a Tempest exclusive product. Those can heal any injury as long as the person's not already dead. It's potent stuff though, so we don't use them often, mainly made to be watered down to make the other two, not used directly."
"That's really cool! Do you just keep those with you all the time?"
"For the most part, yes. It's pretty standard for people in the higher ranks here to carry some of these around just in case."
We walk back, passing through the Dungeon's reception area again before heading outside.
"Oh, I should tell you that that thing doesn't work outside of here," Gobta says as he points at my resurrection bracelet. "Only in the Labyrinth, otherwise, you'll be dead for real." He says. "Well...with how much Lord Rimuru likes you he'd probably revive you if you did..." Gobta mutters quietly enough I don't catch half of what he said.
"But yeah, don't think that thing makes you invincible or anything. I'm still in charge of watching you until Lord Rimuru comes back." Gobta continues, loud enough that I can hear him properly again.
"I really don't understand how this thing works..." I reply, now even more confused about the magic bracelet.
"It's a product of Lady Ramiris' special magic; I don't understand it well myself. Just know it only works in there and you'll be fine. No need to sweat the details." Gobta responds lightly, not at all bothered by his lack of understanding.
Ramiris, despite looking like a childish little fairy, is a Demon Lord, so I guess it makes sense that she can do some crazy stuff.
Gobta leads me down the street with purpose, looking excited about wherever we're headed. He has a glint in his eye that makes me think he's up to no good.
Please don't get into trouble again, Gobta...I don't wanna see you get hurt a second time...
"So...what're we gonna do now? You had something planned before we ran into Hakurou, right?" I ask, curious about where he's taking me.
"Yes! It's a surprise though, so I can't tell you yet." Gobta says with a devious grin that makes me feel kinda uneasy.
"A surprise?" I ask.
"Just you wait, I'm sure you'll love it!" Gobta reassures me.
"Okay..." I respond hesitantly, not sure what Gobta has in store for me.
I'm worried that he's doing something stupid again, but Rimuru told me not to interfere unless it's something truly dangerous. I just hope that he has enough sense not to test Rimuru's patience again.