The Anime Trope System: Stone vs. Viper, #7 a LitRPG (ATS)

by Alvin Atwater

  “Sure, let’s go,” Clyde said. “Coming, Kanako?”

  The genie nodded. Chika shot her a micro-glare, but off they went.

  **

  Classroom…

  “Mom,” Melody said in a neutral voice. She who dawned time pulled her daughter into an embrace. The smell of well-made, pricey perfume tickled the redhead’s nose. She wished she could be happy to see her mother, but in truth, her heart raced a thousand miles per hour.

  “You’re getting sloppy, Mel,” she said. “You took twenty minutes too long to illusion-break.” She kissed her daughter on the forehead.

  “…What are you doing here?” Melody said, managing to hold a cool and calm voice, despite the situation.

  “Can a mother not visit her daughter?”

  “Don’t pretend you care,” Melody said. “Drop the act, it’s not working.”

  “I’m hurt,” she who dawned time said, making a feigned pose as if she was some damsel in distress. “Mel, Mel.” She poked her daughter’s nose. “Just because we’re strict doesn’t mean we don’t care. Well, I care. I can’t say the same for your father, not after what you did. If I hadn’t stepped in, you’d be dead, so be grateful, okay?”

  “Weren’t you the one who suggested the death and ironically Father declined, saying he didn’t want to overreact,” Melody said, ice in her voice. She held down explosive rage, refusing to show the heartless bitch in front of her any emotion.

  Her eyes widened.

  “Who gave you that idea?” Melody’s mother said.

  “Then you brought the Ashfall to our world, giving Father the horrid idea of making me do his favor as punishment,” Melody said. “So why are you here? You’re not some grunt—Father already sent Matsuko to drag me back to his hell.”

  The older woman laughed.

  “I’m curious to know who told you these ludicrous tales. Mels, Mels, use your head or I will not let you call yourself my daughter.” She lightly chopped at Melody’s head, but it still hurt. Just a little. Melody pretended not to feel anything.

  “Wake up, my daydreaming number eight girl. Why would I do any of that? Tell me, what would I gain? If I wanted you dead or in pain, daughter, I can just wave a finger. Now, let’s chat before I go. But I won’t be helping you. That will teach you for blindly pointing fingers, girl.”

  Melody’s eyes widened.

  Episode 38 (Part 9)

  Clyde noticed something…off as they approached a classroom. Around it seemed distorted, like a ripple in water. There were no students around nor any sound coming from Melody’s classroom, as if they were dismissed early. Eerie.

  “Don’t touch that door, Chika,” Clyde said, voice urgent. She quickly pulled her hand away from it.

  “Very wise thing to do, pervy-nii.”

  The group turned to see Natalia, Alice, and the others who were at lunch with them. Clyde allowed himself to give the loli at micro-glare at the kid-sized school uniform she wore.

  “So this is what had you in such a dark mood during lunch,” Alice said, examining the distortion from a distance. “Nothing I can’t deal with.”

  “Meh, princess Alice, don’t waste your energy doing things yourself,” Natalia said. “Why do you think I’m here?” She gave the group a smug look.

  “Because Ming called you,” Clyde deadpanned. “But I’m damned glad she warned me about the fallen angel because I planned to go outside at that time for some fresh air.”

  “Dude, you really need to give her some kind of promotion,” Seth said.

  “I want a promotion—I’m…me,” Natalia said, folding her arms, still smug.

  “A bratty kid,” Seth said.

  “So what to do here,” Toru said, eyes on the ripple in space. “Melody’s in there, right? Is she in there with this Matsuko person you told us about?”

  “It can’t be,” Clyde said. “I mean I watched them take off. They didn’t seem to be in a hurry to do anything. Hell, they looked like slackers.”

  The genie hid behind Clyde, glaring at the distortion.

  “Are you okay, Kanako?” Harumi asked.

  Suddenly, Clyde felt a colossal about of unexplainable aura, grief, pain, and destruction circulate his blood like lava. He winced, eyes shining brightly. That’s when he saw the vision.

  A shadow retreated into a portal as five blue…moons fell to a planet. Somehow, he knew the shadow was responsible for it. The vision winked out before the destruction occurred, but reappeared to show the aftermath of red and black gas, aura and fog thickly coating the surface of the world. It looked like Hell. All life, gone. And nothing could be done about it.

  Clyde gasped, finding himself back into reality, on his back for some reason. Melody was holding him up, eyes filled with worry. He sat up, noticing that his friends were looking from him to someone ahead. And they had guarded expressions. The young man’s head throbbed. He felt cold. Why would he have a vision of a shadow eradicating an entire planet? The system didn’t flash a prompt, explaining it—nor did this occur as a result of his foresight talent. Before he could worry about that, he’d have to tune into the present.

  “What’s going on?” he asked.

  “I could say the same thing,” Melody said, quickly hugging him. “But we have an unwanted guest.”

  “Oh dear daughter, no need to be like that,” someone said, superiority in that voice. Alarm stormed through. The power forcibly brought itself in front of his magic, ready to be instantly turned on at his will.

  A woman with crimson hair and unsettling glowing gray eyes walked over to the two. The smile she gave him felt cruel. She took the natural anime girl beauty and made the young man feel nervous. Melody’s mother. Selkie called She who dawned time. A name she was afraid to speak. The same went for the redhead’s father. A full-blooded and legendary trickster demoness.

  “So you’re the one courting my daughter,” she said, kneeling next to him. The woman gave him an embarrassing once over, poked his chest then his cheek. Then she turned to Melody, evil grin on her face. “Just like your mother, eh, attracted to the divinity. You’d better hope your father doesn’t find out about this.” She turned back to Clyde, her smile like Gin . “The pureblood Stone of legend, gorging himself with lust. I like it.” She offered a hand toward the young man. “I’m—” She froze, eyes widening. “That can’t be…” She stood up, nearly tripping. The woman trembled. “He destroyed…” She looked at Melody then Clyde. “So you saw it too.”

  “I did,” Clyde said. “Who’s the shadow? Or should I say, what is that shadow?”

  Alice looked at her life mate, concern in her eyes. Natalia’s expression hardened.

  “You know who it is,” Melody’s mother said. “Just admit it to yourself.”

  “The Viper,” Clyde said softly, gaining the gasps or shocked expressions from the others. “That’s the first instance I’ve seen of him.”

  The woman paced back and forth, then nodded to herself.

  “I’m going to see what your father think of this…disaster.” She grabbed Clyde’s hand. “I am Juliette or what some people call me, She who dawns time for some reason.” She chuckled. “That’s another story for you, future son-in-law.” She turned to Chika, evil grin returning to her face. Clyde could tell she held in the urge to shudder at that glowing gaze. “Your mother’s trying to gather the parents of this Team Stone, right? As the mother of my Melody, I have the right to show up. And I will know if she intends to do so this Friday. If so, see you then.” She winked then turned to Melody. “If he weren’t the Stone of Legend, I’d be really angry that you involved yourself in what almost looks like some kind of harem. But…you’re just friends at school.” She turned her back. “Do not forget what you saw, Clyde Stone. That’s what you’re up against.” The super trickster vanished in a flash of light. The distortions vanished. Time around the area resumed.

  “What a day it’s been for you Melody,” Natalia said. “Matsuko’s roaming about and will more than likely get dangero
usly drunk. The Blood Hand searching every minute of the day, then to top it all off, flipping she who dawns time herself shows up. I don’t even know what’s going on anymore.”

  Melody sighed.

  “When you don’t ask for it to happen, it happens.”

  “We need a solution to deal with the Blood Hand,” Clyde said. “And judging by the way you talk of Matsuko, we can’t reason with her.”

  Natalia shot Clyde a blank glare.

  “You’ll have more luck taking that woman’s virginity than getting her to see reason. Anyway, Ashard’s waiting at your house.”

  “Wasn’t he supposed to be long gone?” Clyde said.

  “Yeah, but I summoned him,” Natalia said. “He’s going to help us beat the Blood Hand.”

  “Have you lost your mind?” Alice said. “What if Titania shows up?”

  “Then we give him up,” Natalia said. “No skin off our bones. Let mommy’s boy go home.”

  “That’s messed up,” Clyde said.

  “It’s either that or the destruction of the entire city,” Natalia said. “Besides, Titania was last seen in a nation thousands of miles from here.

  “Let’s just meet up at your place after classes,” Toru said. “Sitting in this hallway for others to snoop isn’t going to get us anywhere.”

  Everyone nodded.

  “Let’s make sure Chika’s mom don’t do this get-together thing,” Seth said, invoking laughter from the group.

  “Sorry,” Melody said, giving Clyde an apologetic smile. “Just remember…not to trust my mother. Never trust her.” A distant look briefly flashed through the redhead’s eyes.

  **

  Sato Academy, hiding behind a corner…

  Misaka dropped her Loli Saga books as she fell backward, attempting to piece together what she’d witness. That group again—the false magic users who called themselves Team Stone. They who staged an elaborate hoax in order to trick the people into believing they were heroes. The dark brown-haired girl clearly saw a woman disappear. No one was around for them to stage a prank—no news crews, nothing. And that boy…he…his eyes. Something happened with him.

  They were real. But she was the one with a great destiny! Her powers should be dormant inside of her, right? Where were hers? Did she have to promise to save the world to some great god or goddess? She’d do so if it meant awakening. She flung her right hand out to the side.

  “I am the lady of the…”

  She realized she accidentally hit someone. Misaka turned around to see the most popular girl in school, staring at her blankly.

  “I—I’m sorry!”

  She scooped up her books and ran before Maki could open her mouth. At least she didn’t faint this time.

  Maki blinked.

  “Strange. I wonder what’s her problem?” The purple-haired young woman shrugged and entered the restroom. She was seconds from asking if the girl needed help or something. Oh well. She wondered if she could get Yuki into the Loli Saga.

  **

  Sato Academy halls, last class…

  Harumi panted, splashing water on her face. Ever since she saw that vision, that cruel shadow, her true form continuously attempted to break its leash. Her bones ached, her heart did too. Those poor people, murdered.

  She knew nothing of that world, but the screams: a mix of both children and adult, were real. The five blue moons, the smell of pine and… Tears streamed down the pink-haired young woman’s face. As a result of being the first to touch Clyde when he collapsed, she saw what he saw and fainted herself. Thankfully Kitome caught her.

  Harumi replied to Sazuki’s text message. She just hoped that she’d be well enough to hang out with her friend after the team meeting.

  So many off things this day: a fallen angel in the area, a true trickster demoness, and now a sign that the Viper is not laying on his back. He was a real threat.

  Harumi had already accepted her true form, sometimes walk around the house in it. But the urge for…She’d have to overcome it. Control it. She’d need as much power as possible to be of use in the fight. Maybe Yuki could command Sophia, Clyde’s Stone Maiden, to lend a hand. Extra muscle wouldn’t hurt.

  Episode 38 (Part 10)

  Clyde’s house, after classes…

  Clyde and the others gathered in the large backroom where Ashard awaited, reading some book.

  “You know, I was skeptical about any suggestions from that evil little girl, but this isn’t half-bad,” he said, then set…the Loli Saga on a small table next to him. The meeting room was composed of a large table and chairs, similar to a boardroom. A TV that the young man, playing the news on silent, was mounted on the right wall. The room hosted just one window, tiled floor, and even couches with cup holders in them. All in all, Clyde liked the new decoration. When did Yuki have time to get this done?

  He told her not to bother with cooking or serving. And while it was her passion, he wanted the demoness there as a member of Team Stone. She still didn’t change out of the maid outfit. She just loved to mess with Clyde or simply loved the uniform. Still, he couldn’t imagine the household without Yuki.

  Alice sat on Clyde lap, instantly triggering something that reminded him that it worked. She gave him a smirk. The others took their places, pretending to not notice “love birds” preparing for after-meeting sex. Alice was Alice and with her share of Clyde’s heart, continued to radiate her presence.

  Ming and Airi were the last two to enter the room, behind Kiko and Sazuki. Kiko’s look at him was brief, but in it, rested promise and invitation. She still had a way to go to control the vampire sexual urges—that prompt about her didn’t lie.

  Sazuki still moved and acted like an ice queen, but the young man didn’t interact with her much. He needed to fix that eventually. One of his quests even demanded it. And getting to know Sazuki meant also getting to know her sister. That promised to be interesting. What kind of magic would they produce for the team? Toru’s training for them neared completion, which included combat and grinding the young women’s levels in Libado Grasslands, magic training, and the battle formations.

  He gave the entire group one last quick once-over. Nina, for once tuned in, though looking at Ashard with hungry eyes. Yusuke seemed focus and a tiny bit more muscular since the last time the young man closely looked at him. Melody held a neutral expression, but deep within those gray eyes, housed worry. Harumi, on his left, Tear on his right, gave off a tense vibe that he felt through his mystic magic.

  “First off, what can you tell the group about the fallen angel,” Clyde said, his voice without much emotion. He couldn’t eye anyone in particular, not with Alice on his lap. He felt past her panties—school uniforms consisted of the cliched skirt and blouse. She moved slightly. He could tell her breathing deepened—and wanted nothing more than to just rip off her clothes….Focus, Clyde. Focus . This was his life mate’s ultimate control test, though not officially. “Anyone.”

  “She’s rude and cares for nothing other than booze,” Melody said, eyes flashing.

  “Sometimes she’s loud and obnoxious while drunk,” Tear said.

  Everyone glanced at Airi.

  “What?” Airi said. They turned away without saying a word. “What?” Toru texted someone, so the purple-haired woman dodged the blanked stare. The young man somehow knew she was waiting for it.

  “Okay, so she’s the bitch of the hour, we get that,” Clyde said, “but I need more information here. I’m not trying to be reactive for this.”

  He glanced at the genie. She returned an adorable anime smile. He grinned. “Is there any immunities I should know about? Strengths, weaknesses.”

  “She’s afraid of turtles, snakes, lizards, roaches, any reptile really,” Natalia blabbed. “Oh, pervy-nii, she’s also a virgin.”

  Everyone shot the loli a blank stare.

  “Look, the virginity gag is starting to wear thin on me,” Clyde said. “And to be fair, I don’t think angels get to do much.” He almost said, “well besides m
y own.” He didn’t want to explore the jealousy route of declaring Alice his own angel, right in front of the others. The young woman didn’t need an ego boost, anyway. Not that she flaunted much of it. And Tear seemed to smother her with CEO paperwork daily. How she did that and attended the most difficult university in the nation was a miracle within itself. His manhood seemed to grow even more from the thought. The restrictions of the school uniform he still wore set its boundary. He considered undoing the zipper—but had too much respect for his fellow teammates to lose control. He’d have to consider standing for the upcoming meetings, so that they’d truly take him seriously. “I’m asking because we’ve won.”

  Everyone looked at him as if he went mad. “That’s right, we’ve won. But it won’t work if she’s immune to everything. I can’t risk wasting—anyway, if she has no known weaknesses, I’ll be doing this blind.”

  “You could always do recon,” Yusuke said. “Or let me do it for you.”

  Clyde nodded.

  “I’ll see about that, but I don’t want any of you going near her. Oh and invite Undine over for the next meeting.”

  The ninja blushed. Ruri didn’t react. Ever since the reaperess-kidnapping incident, she data-dumped Yusuke. Clyde’s petting of the hellhound seemed to increase her sexual treatment toward him, during the activity, more and more. It was only a matter of time before she lost control again. Clyde considered a preemptive strike, but with his thoughts clouded of Alice, he put it off for later.

  “There’s something else I wanted to share with you all,” Clyde said, then patted Alice’s leg. She allowed him to stand. His current thought caused his mountain to descend in time. “It’s another reason why I called this meeting.” He internally shuddered and then told them about the vision. “I’m giving you each a day to think about this. Don’t say anything right now, just think. And tomorrow, let me know if you would like to leave Team Stone.” Everyone’s eyes hardened. “Think on it. The Viper is my problem, someone I’m meant to face. I know we fought against our odds plenty of times, but this man casually destroyed a planet with a wave of a finger. Is it worth your life to get involved with this stone-viper game business? It’s only a matter of time before they find out I told you guys everything. Who knows what will happen then.”