The Anime Trope System: Stone vs. Viper, #3 a LitRPG (ATS)

by Alvin Atwater

  "Maki, what’s the name of this man? You never told me."

  "It’s Clyde," Maki said. "A strange name… And nobody ever spoke his last name."

  Mei continued to follow the girl upstairs until they were at last in her room. She shut and locked the door. "Did you come here to teach me more of this Ki stuff. It’s so freaky, but I may have gotten a little careless. Chances are, there will be another barrier erected. I’m not sure who’s creating them…I doubt the slut has powers, but maybe its Clyde. He’s so mysterious."

  "You shouldn’t let any man become the center of your world," Mei said. She started to go on with a lecture but froze at the alien-cold look her friend gave her. Then tears burst from Maki’s eyes. She dove into Mei’s bosom.

  "I can’t help it," she cried. Mei rubbed her backside. "He pulled me…before I knew it, I became obsessed. I even lied to my cousin when she heard some rumors. He draws me in like magic and then I trigger his push, get rejected coldly, and cum all day. I know I’m a freak, but I don’t care."

  Mei continued to soothe the girl, when suddenly she found herself back-first on Maki’s bed, stripped. A shine to her friend’s eyes let her know what was coming. She lost herself in pleasure when the fingers plunged into her, massaged. She let Maki ride her like a rollercoaster and hoped she could do this more often. The women tossed and turned, feeling each other up, embracing. The climax came too quickly. Mei found herself holding her friend as they both panted. She tried to pull her in for a kiss, but the girl turned.

  "You…you shouldn’t have lips for men," Mei said softly. "I…I’ll take care of you much better than this Clyde could ever do."

  Maki shook her head.

  "I do not do this out of love, but necessity," Maki said, rolling over. "With each time, I get stronger. You yourself told me about the dormant Ki within and taught me about storing and how everyone had their way of increasing it. Well, mine is sex. Mostly dominating—no one’s strong enough to dominate me. I can’t get a man to come near me honestly without becoming a zombie idiot. Not even Toru’s arrogance sticks around long enough for me to speak two words to the guy. That leaves women and the only man capable of being my equal."

  Mei felt the fury flood her veins. Her friend deserved better than this. She was holding herself back because of some man. Men were brutes, that if left to their own devices, would rip thirteen or fourteen-year-old girls from their homes and marry them off to geezers. Mei despised men…she wanted to like Clyde, believe him to be the exception, but her friend was suffering. She’d deal with the human, so Maki could move on.

  If he won’t come to Ashen City to rule…then death. Well, maybe that was a little too extreme, but she’d lecture him, even reeducate the man. Yes…a plan without violence. Men liked violence though. And maybe Maki, but she’d fix that after making the girl, hers.

  Still…if she dealt with the source….

  "Maki, take me to this Clyde tomorrow."

  Tuesday. Week 3. Month 1. Year 1. Season: Autumn.

  [You have triggered peaceful sleep. Vitality increased by 20% for the entire day.]

  [Your life mate will also gain this boost.]

  Clyde yawned. One last day off then the long weekend was done. After he and Alice got caught indulging in passion the prior night, he decided to utilize five hours to study. It distracted him from the embarrassment and the secret sexual poses Yuki made while working on the livingroom’s wards. Such flexibility…

  He doubted his intellect stat had much to do with how easy it was to study—he didn’t feel smarter. Yet, studying felt like a joke. He knew everything, easily memorized it all, unfamiliar material. Learned without mind blocks. Alice stayed up with him, reading a romance novel. She had a love for reading that encouraged even him to pick up a book every now and then. Never could go wrong with a few fantasy novels—although there were more Light novels sitting around than anything.

  Clyde made sure not to disturb Alice as he dragged his ass into the shower. This was it. House-buying day. Money spending day. Fucking finally. He accessed his inventory.

  Inventory:

  $ 2,351,900

  -Map of Lot City, Satovia.

  -Map of Libado Grasslands, Satovia.

  -Smartphone.

  -Key.

  -Reminder for practice- note.

  - Zelt’s printer. Level 1/25.

  - Wind blade. (item class: very rare.)

  -Melody’s note.

  - Deed to the Ashfall estates, treasures, etc.

  - Honey Potion of Healing (item class: rare.)

  -Wind blade. (very rare) +16 to attack. Wind element.

  Equipment:

  * Legendary Sword: Ludacris (Ashfall family loom)- +30 to attack. Fallen Angel element. Can fire raw magic from the weapon. Does magic damage. Lv. 1.

  -School uniform or casual clothes.

  -School shoes or casual shoes.

  -Necklace of strength. (Uncommon) +1 attack +1 defense.

  -Ring of Emergency Magic. (Very rare) +20% MP.

  - Dust stone armor set. (Rare). +15 to defense. (Warning durability is down due to Hades cracking it with Hell shot. Replace immediately.)

  - Steel dagger. (Uncommon).

  After finishing all morning activities, he summoned Ludacris. Alice had her father’s sword, which he deemed fair enough. She knew how to utilize it better than him. He made an internal vow to actually utilize the weapon at full power, though to be fair, Hades was too damn fast to rely on it alone. He needed some new enemies to face, to test himself. Ashen City…but it had no demon lord, so monsters wouldn’t spawn. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to print its map anyway, he thought.

  While the map printed, Clyde searched articles for strange incidents on his phone. A city thirty miles away called Niyoto caught his attention. Apparently, there were bogus claims of minotaur women dragging men off to never be seen again. The article called it a story to scare male children into being good. Clyde knew better.

  Minotaurs were supposed to be bulls that carried axes and wielded magic, right? Clyde knew better. In Satovia, in the anime realm, monster girls existed and were hot. Logic and power levels were bullshit.

  [Quest: Investigate Niyoto. Accept yes or no? This is a multi-step quest, as you will be required to defeat the demon lord. Reward: unknown.]

  It was nice to not be forced into a goddamn quest for once, Clyde thought. The system even told him it had multiple steps. He accepted then printed the map of Niyoto. No point of being stupidly lost. He’d tackle this quest some other time, maybe after he dealt with the pile-up of his quest log. Fucking vampires. If they sparkled, even a little, he was done. At this point, he should be strong enough to face them. He went through a lot of shit, gained a lot of power.

  Fighting, of course, being the last resort if things plummeted to violence.

  [Quest: mail the letter. This quest is mandatory and cannot be refused. It is a requirement to locate the whereabouts of Kiko the vampire, Sazuki’s younger sister. Reward: main step of the quest. Warning: do not forget this is a main story quest. They alter destiny to lead you to the next Omen’s sphere.]

  Clyde didn’t even notice the letter that rested on the table. It even had the address on it. How long had it been sitting there? Well, no point of putting it off again.

  [Do you wish to mail this letter via Stone-Tokken Network? It is guaranteed to make it there today. You will most likely get a response on Friday. The invitation will be valid Saturday. This service costs $500 as it utilizes the magic of Mr. Tokken himself.]

  Clyde forced himself not to decline—five hundred dollars to fucking mail. But…he was a millionaire now. This meant nothing…it still sucked, but hey, a safe delivery. The good old impossibly convenient trope. Useful. He selected yes and watched the money get deducted from his account. The letter vanished in a small display of sparkles, which reminded him of fireworks.

  [$ 2,351,400 remaining….]

  Ha, barely a dent. He should be spending Ashfall money, not his, but that
would come in due time. And hey, on Thursday, he’d be able to buy an expensive item for once. He truly looked forward to it.

  Eventually, everyone woke up and Yuki cooked breakfast. The demoness took charge of grocery shopping behind Clyde’s back.

  Harumi stopped by to join them on the house-hunting adventure. Chika had family issues and couldn’t make it. While the others didn’t bother to contact the men, Clyde tried to get ahold of Toru. Fumi answered the phone, letting him know that the young man had to work with his father for the day. Seth didn’t answer the phone, but did text back.

  Seth: Sorry dude, I’m hiding out for the day. Friends told me that the CEO of a certain pizza chain was looking for me. You know what that means.

  Clyde didn’t spare the message another thought. Seth defended the girl, so he’d have to deal with his own problems. Toad girls loved hours of sex and kink. The blond boy couldn’t handle it. Clyde wasn’t sure if he could handle that either…Oh who was he kidding, he’d be fine.

  He felt a little annoyed that Chika couldn’t make it. With her around, Maki would probably stay away. Maybe. He couldn’t imagine the silver-haired girl losing—she sure as shit didn’t hesitate to strike down Melody. A freaking trickster.

  Speaking of Melody… He texted her. She stayed in a hotel room for the night, unwilling to wait for Alice’s mother to fix the place. Those two shared only a brief, knowing glance, but didn’t interact with each other during the dinner.

  Melody: Hi. I still need to talk to you. Sorry I can’t see you right now, Tear is helping me out with family things.

  "I’ve got to head back to Tear to help out with some things," Natalia said. "Thank you for the food, Yuki."

  "I guess it’s the four of us," Clyde said after Natalia left. Twenty minutes later, it was finally time to go.

  The party halted, putting guards up when they stepped outside. Maki and some other young woman approached them, both dressed in casual, mall-shopping, clothing.

  Maki’s face was flushed, and she could hardly meet Clyde’s eyes. She…looked shy, but whatever the act, the young man had no time for this shit. Who was the other woman?

  "Mei, this is m—my fiancée, Clyde," Maki said.

  [Volume 3.] Episode 20 (Part 1): Houses. Nonreal and Destiny. And Tracking Crazy. What a Day!

  Mei… Standing before a man and his party...

  Mei’s eyes were wide as she took in the man before her. Her heart beat so fast, it threatened to break out of her chest. Her breathing quickened, face flushed. Shame filled her like a cup of sour wine. She felt small before this magnificent man, like a worm, no, an ant. She…didn’t feel worthy enough to stand in front of the most gorgeous godling she’d ever seen in her life. The radiance from him was ecstasy.

  She felt so…stupid. What could she possibly do to him? She certainly couldn’t demand that she ruled Ashen city. No, she’d have to beg, grovel at his feet.

  Is this what Maki felt? No, her friend was too perverted to understand what it meant to sense real power. Mei trembled with both awe and fear. So he was the great hero of Ashen City. And also the Stone. What the hell was she thinking—would she dare speak to him rudely? She…she…she didn’t know what to think.

  That morning, she awoke, filled with fire, ready to chew him to pieces. Maki jumped her again, adding fuel to the mixture. Now it was like that flame fell into the coldest ocean in the world. And there…he stood. With Maki there, he probably believed her to be a fool. Mei probably was a fool…oh dear Venus, why did she come to this city?

  Mei dropped to her knees in a bow so low, her face touched the ground.

  "My lord Stone, please forgive me and this girl for rudely interrupting your day."

  She glared daggers at Maki. To think she believed herself good enough to woo the goddamn Stone? She knew her friend bordered the lines of insanity, but the same could be said about any demon—Maki just felt more demon than human. Did she know? No, she didn’t. No one told her anything. Mei continued on, babbling. "I—I came to thank you, Great one, for freeing me—us from the tyranny of the Ashfall."

  "Mei, what are you doing?" Maki said. "What’s gotten into you?"

  "What’s gotten into me?" Mei snapped. "Maki, do you not know who he is? Can you not feel that? Focus as deep as possible, concentrate! Reach for the red Ki instead of blue—take life seriously, before life, before breath. And feel him." Mei trembled. "Back in my homeland, disrespect of the hero that would be is an executable offense."

  Maki snorted.

  "You’re clearly not feeling well—"

  "You will apologize to him now," Mei interrupted, voice nearly hysterical, but not quite a yell.

  "I. Will. Not," Maki retorted, voice filled with enough venom to kill.

  "You—" Mei started to say.

  "Enough!"

  Mei recognized the voice of Alice, her inspiration. Her personal heroine. She sensed a bond between the demoness and the Stone. A bond…a life mate string between a demoness and a human. To think such a thing was possible.

  "Lady Alice, please accept my apologies."

  "Rise, there’s no need for any formality here, Mei," Lady Alice said, her magnificent voice seeming to be purer than life itself. "It’s good to see that you’re safe and well. You look good."

  "You’re…bowing to the slut?" Maki said, voice barely over a whisper.

  Raged filled Mei, but she held it back. Her friend was simply ignorant. She didn’t know anything. She…knew nothing of the greatness that stood before them, allowed the two in their presences. She looked at Great Lord Clyde, eyes full of awe. He seemed to study her, but also held a wary eye for Maki. Mei couldn’t blame him of course. After hearing all the things she did—all of the atrocities, she could only pray that the Stone spared them.

  "You do not understand," Mei said. "No wonder why you described him as mysterious. You felt the lord’s radiance. But that’s fine." She looked at Maki. "Come, let me teach you."

  "No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no," Maki stepped away from Mei. "You bowed to the slut like she’s royalty. I don’t know you."

  She turned to Alice, hatred beaming from her eyes. "You.."

  Clyde…

  <Maki channeled Shift.>

  And like the previous night, the yandere vanished. Clyde was lucky he opened himself up to Ki or he wouldn’t have sensed the casting. The other woman, a big mystery to him, bowed.

  "Please excuse me," she said. "I have to talk to—."

  Suddenly, Maki reappeared next to Alice, eyes glazed over, and threw a punch. Clyde blocked it with a single finger.

  "Maki, don’t do that," he said, face expressionless. "And Alice, don’t kill her."

  Alice’s rage receded, allowing the young man to take a breath of relief. If she wouldn’t go away, he’d weaponize her. That was the plan until…

  [Talent. Main character stuff. Mystic Sight of Redemption…]

  [This sight is being shared with Maki.]

  He saw all of the assaults, including Naomi. Her source. Her slave. His friend. Clyde rather liked Naomi. She was among one of his first few friends, sitting at a friend level nine, which is nothing to sneeze at. He never took the time to get closer to the journalist, but valued her nonetheless. He sure as shit wouldn’t wish anything ill on her. He couldn’t get physical evidence, but he’d make the girls come forward and confess.

  The sky darkened as the young man tumbled decisions in his head, holding back the planet-sized bundle of rage buried within. His grip on the woman’s arm tightened. She started to breathe heavily, sexually.

  "Harumi, as mundane as this sounds, call the police," he said. "She raped about thirty girls, with Naomi being the most recent." He considered the futas, but the nutjob seemed like a masochist and would probably enjoy it. And…humans probably couldn’t survive there anyway.

  Mei looked at her friend, eyes wide and full of betrayal. Maki laughed and laughed.

  "I told you, I’ve done some terrible things," she said. "Put away your
phone Harumi, you’re wasting your time. I own the local law enforcement. And besides, they wanted it."

  She snatched her arm away from the young man. "I need just a little more Ki. Well…there’s red Ki but it hurts, but…" The yandere continued to mutter to herself.

  Clyde was at a loss. No, he wasn’t some damned hero of justice, going around to stop crime, but this one came to him.

  "I’ll summon Tear," Alice said. "She’ll have the girls testifying and—"

  Maki giggled hysterically.

  "None of you understand—none, but Clyde, you do. You won’t admit it. And you hold yourself back because of the slut."

  A red, electric-like aura emerged around the purple-haired nutjob. Ki aura? The young man could’ve sworn it was always blue. At least that was how he mentally perceived it.

  "Maki, I still don’t know what the fuck is going on in your head," Clyde said. "If it weren’t for the rapes, I would’ve considered talking to you about it."

  Chika may be Yandere, but she wasn’t anywhere close to this. Just horny all the time.

  Maki aimed a hand at Alice, laughing.

  "Want to see something cool?" she said. Clyde stepped in front of his life mate, putting up a Spirit shield. The electrical Ki jolted through it, destined to deliver the young man either death or pain. Somehow, his luck stat saved him.

  [Your Spirit shield has invoked Spirit counter.]

  [Maki’s Ki was reflected!]

  The force of the Ki bashed the girl backward and into Mei.