Sun-Touched Dragon King [Exalted/Highschool DxD]

Your name is Hyoudou Issei. Your parents and what few friends you have call you Ise. You are a second year high school student at the previously all-girls school of Kuoh Academy.

You are also dying at the moment.

Like all the good stories in the world, it began with a cute girl. She had beautiful black hair going all the way down to her waist, and the most alluring violet eyes. Or at least that was your opinion. Her name was Yuuma, and she asked you out. You who had been labeled one of the three great perverts of your school. You who all the girls looked down upon for your antics and had never had a girlfriend.

Except this particular girl confessed to you.

You first thought it was a joke or perhaps the result of a penalty game. In fact you had that thought quite often, and kept an eye out for any of her friends that were watching and laughing at her from the shadows. A natural reaction, considering your unpopularity with girls.

You didn't find any of them however, and your world changed. You had a girlfriend and wanted to shout it to the world, which you almost even did a few times. You wanted to brag to people you met on the streets that finally, you had graduated from single to having a girlfriend. An actual girlfriend and not just a waifu in your dreams.

And then the day of the first date came. You came three hours early just in preparation, and to be able to say "Don't worry, I just got here." You had a joyful day of doing all the kinds of stuff couples do; having lunch together, playing games in an arcade, watched a movie in a theater, and so on. The day passed, and you ended up in a quiet park. With no other people in sight, you thought that this might be it. The golden moment. Your first kiss.

As you were about to take her hand to hold it again she skipped ahead in front of the fountain and turned to you. The perfect scenery and opportunity for a magical first kiss. And then she said the words.

"Will you die for me?"

You blinked. Did you hear her right? Did your racing heart and mind confuse the words she said for something else? Then she grew a pair of black wings and in her hands appeared a spear of light, with which she stabbed you with.

And so you are currently on your bleeding stomach on the ground, bleeding and dying from the wound your first girlfriend gave you. What did you do to deserve this? You didn't cheat on her, and you think the date didn't go so bad as to warrant a death.

"Sorry. You were a threat to us, so we decided to get rid of you early. If you want to hate someone, then hate God who put the Sacred Gear inside you," she says. Her voice is cold and uncaring above you.

'Sacred what? What are you talking about Yuuma-chan? No, in the first place it was you who stabbed me, wasn't it?' You think as you hear her walking away.

This isn't fair.

You're looking over an army marching against the tide of uncountable monsters of the titans, hoping that maybe this diversion will be worth it and the forever-war will end with it.

What will your parents say? Haha, maybe they'll be glad they got rid of that useless eyesore of a son? And Matsuda and Motohama? Would they even care when they heard you were dead? Maybe not, the only thing you all really had in common was your prevalence for perverted things. Ah, why are you plagued with such depressing thoughts at your final moments?

You look upon the bronze skinned four armed man, and while two of his hands are holding a laurel and a spear the other two hold a crown of woven mist. You kneel before him, and he places the crown upon your brow.

Will you go to Yomi? Or Heaven? Or where ever? What would they even say there, when you who was a total virgin, not even first kiss yet, came in. Would they laugh at you?

You grit your teeth in anger. This isn't fair.

You watch as the greatest of gods play their game, and the bronze skinned four armed one ponders his next move. A murmur goes through the crowd as turns towards the stands and grants you the allowance to make the move.

Bunching up your hands in anger, you move to rise up. This isn't fair. You feel an alien power flow through you and you grasp it like a drowning man grabs for something floaty.

You stand on a balcony, watching over a golden city. A perfect city. Your city. But there was a flaw in the designs, so you know you must raze it all down and create it again from scratch. It is the only way to fix it. The people will understand.

Ignoring the 'Huh?' of Yuuma you hear off to the side you lift yourself up to you knees, soaking your pants in your blood before getting your feet under yourself and rising to a stand.

You turn to glare at Yuuma, staring her straight in her eyes. In her eyes, wide from disbelief, you see yourself reflected in them. Glowing in golden aura like a super saiyan surrounds you, and a mark is glowing on your forehead.

The mark is
[][Caste]: A golden sunburst

Spoiler: Dawn

Dawn Caste Abilities: Archery, Awareness, Brawl/Martial Arts, Dodge, Melee, Resistance, Thrown, and War.
Dawn Anima Effects:
• At bonfire/iconic anima display, the Dawn adds half her Essence score (round up) to her base Initiative upon resetting to base after a successful decisive attack.
• For 10 motes, all of the Dawn’s combat and movement Charms with outstanding reset conditions are automatically reset. This effect can only be used once per day, becoming available again at sunrise.
• The Dawn Caste inspires terror in her foes. She adds half her Essence score (round up) in dice to all intimidating social influence. She may also intimidate targets which do not feel fear, such as automatons, golems, and certain undead.

[]Caste]: A golden disk

Spoiler: Zenith

Zenith Caste Abilities: Athletics, Integrity, Performance, Lore, Presence, Resistance, Survival and War.
Zenith Anima Effects:
• For one mote, the Zenith’s anima leaps from her hand to a corpse she’s touching, igniting it in Solar flame. This power incinerates the corpse and ensures the soul of the deceased will not return as a hungry ghost. In addition, the Zenith may perceive the strongest Intimacies of the deceased and may choose to accept them. When she is ready, she may pay one mote, touching a target of those Intimacies to pass on feelings of peace, love, and assurance, shedding them in the process. She may also transfer them to an object, allowing it to convey comfort or a sense of duty to the subject. Conversely, she may touch someone who caused the deceased to suffer, paying one mote and rolling ([A social Attribute] + Presence) with three automatic non-Charm successes against their Resolve to transfer pain suffered by the deceased back on the one who caused it. The Storyteller is free to dictate the length and weight of such attrition.
• For 10 motes, one Willpower, the Zenith channels her Essence into an aura of divine retribution, surging around an attack. This power supplements a successful decisive attack against a creature of darkness, preventing the Solar’s Initiative from returning to its base value after the attack. When the Zenith’s anima is at bonfire, reduce the cost of this power by five motes and ignore the Willpower. This power may only be used once per day, resetting when the sun is at its zenith.
• For seven motes, the Zenith may order a dematerialized spirit to manifest using a (Charisma + Presence) persuade action with (Essence) automatic successes. All spirits inherently recognize the Unconquered Sun’s authority in the priest-kings and are compelled as if by a Defining Intimacy, but may still have Defining Ties or Principles which counter this advantage. If successful, the Zenith’s very command draws the spirit into the material world, so that it does not need to pay the cost to materialize.

[][Caste]: A half-filled golden disk

Spoiler: Twilight

Twilight Caste Abilities: Bureaucracy, Craft, Integrity, Investigation, Linguistics, Lore, Medicine, and Occult
Twilight Anima Effects:
• For five motes, the Twilight projects an aura of pure force, reflexively gaining five Hardness for one turn. At the bonfire/iconic level, this power activates itself automatically at no cost. This effect doesn’t stack with other magic that raises Hardness, but it can be used during Initiative Crash.
• For 10 motes, one Willpower, the Twilight’s anima flares blue and white and consumes her body over the course of the round. On her next turn, she vanishes into her anima and ceases to exist. If the Exalt moves or suffers knockdown before the action is completed, it fails and the effect is wasted. After using this power, the Twilight will not reappear until the following sunset. When she does, it will be at a place of power within 10 miles of her vanishing point, chosen by the Storyteller. She might appear at a temple, a demesne, a major crossroads, the door of a god’s sanctum, the precise center of a city, etc.
• For 10 motes, the Twilight may touch an Essence 1-3 elemental or a demon of the first circle, conjoining its Essence to her anima. Roll Intelligence + Occult against the creature’s Resolve. If successful, this creates a pact that changes the spirit into her familiar, allowing her to target it with applicable Survival Charms. In addition, the Twilight can reflexively summon the spirit instantly for three motes, drawing it through the Essence of the world to appear beside her. She may banish the creature again, reflexively, for free, returning it to the tides of Essence that suffuse Creation until needed. The Twilight may have up to (Essence) spirit familiars bound in this fashion at once.

[][Caste]: An empty golden circle

Spoiler: Night

Night Caste Abilities: Athletics, Awareness, Dodge, Investigation, Larceny, Ride, Stealth, and Socialize
Night Anima Effects:
• For two motes, the Night can dampen her anima, treating all Peripheral Essence expenditures as if they were Personal for one instant.
• For three motes, the Night can ignore up to (higher of 3 or Essence) penalties to a Stealth attempt for one instant. These motes are always considered Personal, regardless of the pool they’re spent from.
• When the Night’s anima is at the bonfire/iconic level, it wraps around and suffuses her form, hiding her figure and masking her visage in flame. She is merely a fearsome silhouette shrouded in all the hues of evening. It becomes impossible to discern her identity. This is considered a perfect effect, and cannot be pierced by Eye of the Unconquered Sun (see p. 273) or other all-seeing magic.

[][Caste]: A golden circle with a disk in the center

Spoiler: Eclipse

Eclipse Caste Abilities: Bureaucracy, Larceny, Linguistics, Occult, Presence, Ride, Sail, and Socialize
Eclipse Anima Effects:
• For 10 motes, one Willpower, the Eclipse sanctifies an oath she has witnessed. The Exalt touches the oathgivers (or their words, as they pass through the air), her caste mark flashing imperceptibly. If she wishes, her anima briefly flares, swirling with the words and runes by which Heaven has given her the right to arbitrate such matters. Oath-givers who break pacts sanctified by the Eclipse (including the Exalt herself) are subject to a terrible curse. The details of the curse are devised by the Storyteller, ideally reflecting the oath broken. A woman who breaks a hospitality oath might find herself incapable of rest beneath any roof for a year and a day, while a man who murdered the one he swore to protect may find his defenses utterly failing him when he must next fight for his life.
• The Eclipse has diplomatic immunity when treating with the enemies of Creation. So long as the Eclipse approaches them on legitimate business of some kind, shades, spirits, the demon princes of Hell, and the Fair Folk may not attack the Eclipse or her companions without just cause, and such creatures must observe the local rules of hospitality. Such beings may still attempt to provoke members of the Solar’s embassy into breaking the peace, thus voiding this effect’s protection.
• The Eclipse represents all the subtle movements of Essence under Heaven, the strange and self-referencing powers that stir when night merges with day. Eclipses can learn the Charms of spirits, Fair Folk and similar supernatural beings which have the Eclipse keyword for eight experience points each.

Yuuma stares at you mouth agape and eyes wide with disbelief. "W-what? You should be dead! I stabbed you in the stomach!"

You give her a savage grin. "I'm sorry but I can't let myself die just yet."

What do you do?
[] Attack and retaliate
-[] Stunt?
[] Ask why she tried to kill you.
-[] Stunt?
[] Run away.
-[] Stunt?
[] Write in.
-[] Stunt?


Due to just Exalting, all abilities count as if having 5 dots in them and having excellencies for the moment. The effect will dissipate after the scene ends.

 

[X]Caste]: A golden disk

[X] Attack and retaliate
-[X] One of the core tenets of being a man is to never hit a girl. However, when the girl in question clearly means you harm without fault by your part then, naturally, no one would fault you for defending yourself. You feel your body move by itself, every nerve feeling as if on fire. Your right foot stomps down on the ground hard enough to make your lower body shake before you shoot forward, instinctively falling into the runner stance that your sadistic P.E. teacher hammered into your head.
 – [X] The punch you throw at Yuuma’s face, on the other hand, is wholly taken from anime and thus likely inefficient, but damn if it doesn’t make you feel badass.

---

One of the core tenets of being a man is to never hit a girl. Some of the words you live by.

However. When the girl in question clearly means you harm without fault by your part then, naturally, no one would fault you for defending yourself. You feel your body move by itself, every nerve feeling as if on fire. Your right foot stomps down on the ground hard enough to make your lower body shake before you shoot forward, instinctively falling into the runner's stance that your sadistic P.E. teacher had hammered into your head.

"Wha-" Yuuma's question is cut short as you leap across the space between you leaving a blur of golden light behind you. Her face morphs into a surprise and she brings her hands up to protect herself as you cock your hand back. You don't know anything about fighting but you've seen enough anime to know how to throw a punch. Probably.

Another spear of light starts forming in her hand but then you're right there and she starts a frightened squawk before your fist wreathed in golden light meets her face, going through her guard.

Her head snaps to the side and she's thrown back as the half-formed spear dissipates. She's sent flying and skipping a few times on the ground before rolling to a stop at the base of the fountain, wings sprawled haphazardly around her.

You slide into readiness and prepare for another attack or a retaliation.

...

Any moment now.

You stare at her prone form. She's still breathing but it's... slow.

You hold your breath as you achingly slowly sneak towards her, wary for a surprise attack. She's not moving. You nudge her with a glowing foot and immediately jump back just in case, but there's no reaction.

...That's it? You expected... more, from her speeches and posturing. And she almost killed you. She would have killed you if not for, well. You stare at the golden aura around your hands. She said something about... God? And Saint Gears? No wait, Sacred Gear. Is this yours? You shrug the thought off. Something to think at when you're safe at home, perhaps. But now...

You look at the unconscious Yuuma, black wings sprawled around her. What should you do about her? Should you help her somehow? But then, she tried to kill you. Maybe... you grimace with disgust even at the mere thought of killing someone and shake the idea away.

What do you do?
[]Leave her and go home. She'll manage, maybe.
[]Post an anonymous message for help on GALAX, and maybe someone will come and help her.
-[]And leave before they arrive.
-[]Hide and make sure she gets help.
[]Call for an ambulance.
-[]And leave before they arrive.
-[]Hide and make sure she gets help.
[]Write in?

Spoiler

>Join battle: Issei 7+3 successes, Raynare 4+3
>Issei goes for a decisive attack: 8 successes to hit and 9 successes on 10 dice for damage
>Raynare K.O.


Not exactly happy with the quality of writing in this myself and it is a bit short, but those rolls...

 

[X]Post an anonymous message for help on GALAX, and maybe someone will come and help her.
-[X]Hide and make sure she gets help.

---

You swallow a lump in your throat. Even if she tried to kill you, you don't... It takes a few fumbling tries but you confirm she still has pulse. You wonder what to do for a few moments, walking in a literal circle until you remember GALAX. You're not trained in helping people, but maybe other people are.

You take out your phone from your pocket, accidentally littering with some paper you had in there. You pick it out absentmindedly, it's filled with some squiggles and text but you pocket it since you're focusing on the X icon on your phone. After a few seconds of gathering courage you press it.

"How can I help, Issei?" the app asks after a few moments of silence, trying to think of what to say.

"Um," you start. "X, can I uh, post an anonymous message for help?" You ask the program.

It's quiet for a second. "Yes, it is possible," it says and doesn't continue.

"Okay, uh." You think of how to exactly phrase what happened. "Okay. So, um, my girlfriend grew black wings and attacked me with a spear of light trying to kill me, then I got better and punched her and she's unconscious and could you post an anonymous message for someone to come and make sure she's okay or something?"

You wait a few awkward seconds but eventually it manages to parse your rambled message and respond. "Black wings and a spear of light, at your current location?"

"Yeah." You scratch your cheek as you glance back to confirm that it actually happened and oh you're still glowing that's nice.

"Very well. Message delivered." X says and you let a sigh of relief. Then another pang of worry comes. What if the guy X sent the message to is some creepy weirdo? You trust X, but it's only a program in the end so it could do mistakes... You frown, glancing at the bushes. Should you...?

---

You're crouching down in the bushes, waiting for the promised help to arrive. Thankfully your glow had died down soon after you'd situated yourself in the bushes. Now, if only whoever X sent the message to came so you could put this day-

Your ears practically wiggled (you don't know how to actually do that, unfortunately) as they heard something heavy flapping. At first guess you would have said a bird but it sounds heavier than that. Looking upwards, your mouth almost fell open at the bat winged and white haired little girl flying down on the park square.

What was it with people and wings? First Yuuma and now... You frown and look closer at the girl who's proceeded to looking over Yuuma. It looks like she's wearing a Kuoh Academy uniform? That's worrying, you'd never heard of even rumours of people like that being in your school. Maybe they're using magic to disguise themselves, if magic is a thing. It probably is, you shrug.

Something at the back of your head tells you you could do magic as well, but you push the thought aside for now.

The little girl's taken Yuuma's phone from her, which worries you a bit, and she's holding some kind of paper in her other hand that starts to glow with red light. A moment later a red circle of some kind appears under her and another person appears in the park next to her.

You feel your heart skip a beat in your chest. Those breasts, that blood red hair. You recognize her immediately even looking through a bush after the sun has set. What the hell is Rias Gremory, one of the Three Princesses of Kuoh doing here?

The little girl says something which causes Rias to scowl, before handing over Yuuma's phone to her. She looks through it for a moment before the little girl says something and points a hand right at your way. Your eyes go wide and your mouth as your masterful hiding place's location is outed just like that. Rias looks over at your location before nodding to the girl, then makes a call using Yuuma's phone.

The girl's attention seems to be at Rias as she's talking, now's as good as time as any to...

[]Run away, they're probably calling someone she knows to get her
[]Go and talk to them, your cover's blown anyway
-[]What do you say?
[]Wait and see what happens
[]Write in?

 

[x]Go and talk to them, your cover’s blown anyway
-[x]Is she going to be ok?

---

You sigh. They know you're there so might as well get it over with. And you can make sure if she's going to be alright as well. With that thought you get up and walk past the bushes to the park clearing and approach the girls.

As you get closer you realize that the little girl wearing your school's uniform is actually Toujou Koneko, the school's cute unofficial mascot. She tenses slightly at your approach but doesn't do anything beside it, while Rias finishes up her phone call by closing the flip phone and sighing before dropping the phone on the unconscious Yuuma.

"They should be here soon Kone-" she stops as she turns and sees you, blinking before her eyes go to your forehead. Which makes you realize you can feel the golden disk still glowing there. It appears your glow recedes in stages, which you mentally file down somewhere to think about when you actually have time.

"Gremory-san, Toujou-san," you greet them with a nod. "Is Yuuma-cha- she going to be okay?" You ask, this time nodding towards the still sprawled unconscious body behind them.

Rias glances at Yuuma's knocked out form before turning back at you, her gaze sharper now that the surprise has passed and nods. "Fallen Angels are made of stern stuff, Hyoudou-san. She'll probably have a headache but will be functional in a few days."

You blink. Fallen Angel? You glance back at Yuuma, thinking for a moment. That would certainly explain the black wings. Though you're woefully inexperienced with the Christian mythology, so can't really say anything more than that. Normal Angels would probably have white wings then. But what does that make Rias and Koneko?

You rack your brains in thought before you almost slap yourself in your stupidity. Lots of games have them as adversaries and enemies, often summoned by BBEGs, acting as one, or as one's lieutenants. The leathery wings really make it obvious in hindsight. They're clearly Devils.

The realization makes you narrow your eyes and you feel yourself tense, ready for an incoming attack.

"May I ask what happened, Hyoudou-kun?" Rias' question deflates you a bit, though you notice that she's still got her sharp-eyed gaze at you which seems to have narrowed somewhat. From the peripheral vision you can tell that Koneko's tensed a bit more too, likely in response to you doing the same first.

What to do...

[]Tell them what happened.
-[]Stunt?
[]Don't tell them.
-[]Stunt?
[]Write in.


Sorry it took so long.

 

[x]Tell them what happened.
-[x] She gutted me like a fish… what? I got better.

---

You run a hand through your hair like a main character in anime and grin your best roguish grin at Rias.

"Isn't it obvious? She gutted me like a fish."

Her eyes go wide and she looks you up and down, focusing on your blood-soaked pants and shirt which has a fist sized hole in it.

"Of course, I got better. And then punched her lights out."

"...Why?" Koneko asks.

Your grin falters at the question and you swallow the lump the question brings in your throat. Not because she's asking why you punched her lights out, of course, but because she's asking why she tried- no, it wasn't an attempt, she actually did gut you and you would have died if it wasn't for whatever happened. Your Saint Gear, or whatever it was?

You shake your head before sighing. Beginning your tale at the beginning, you explain that she confessed to you almost two weeks ago. Three days ago you managed to gather the courage to ask her for an actual first date. You'd woken up early today from excitement and spent a good few hours fussing over what to wear. Something casual yet fitting for a first date. After having a quick shower and brushing your teeth again before putting on the clothes you had carefully picked and heading off three hours early for the meeting spot. Nervously waiting for her to arrive, small part of you fearing that this was the point where it turned out to be a joke and a prank.

Your relief and joy when she arrived, and using the ever-cool "Don't worry, I just got here myself" line. You spent the day doing things couples did, like getting your ass kicked by her in the new Street Fighter arcade game because she was a cheesing spammer. Going to watch Children Who Chase Lost Voices in the movies, and having lunch at the mall. Chuckling and pointing out she got mayo on her cheek after vigorously devouring her hamburger. Winning her a cute charm to hang on her phone at the claw machine.

Eventually you had a pleasant walk and ended up in the present park.

"When she skipped ahead and turned to me, with the sun going down behind her, I thought for a moment that this is it, you know? My... But then she leaned over and said 'Will you die for me?'" You shivered from the memory. You can feel the confusion again, bubbling back up as you think back to that moment. "I didn't understand. Did I mishear what she said? But then she grew her black wings and-" You swallow the bile threatening to come up. "And stabbed me. I fell down and was dying, and she continued talking. 'Sorry,' she said. 'You were a threat, so I decided to get rid of you. If you want to hate someone, hate the God who put the...'" You frown. "'Saint Gear'?"

"Sacred Gear," Rias corrects. You glance at her and you can see the sympathy and anger in her face. You look at Koneko and though she seems closed off, you can feel the anger radiating from her.

"'Who put the Sacred Gear in you,'" you finish. "I felt angry, and betrayed, and confused, and then I... I saw something. Visions. And the anger rose. It wasn't fair. Then I stood up and was glowing with golden light, and she was confused, and then I went in for a punch. I don't know how to fight, I was just doing what I remember from anime, and then I hit her and she didn't get back up. After a moment I realized she wasn't getting up I checked if she was still alive, then I asked X to send the message for help in case she was hurt worse than it seemed."

You sigh and take a breather after finishing your story, wishing you had something to drink. You glance at the fountain, but your eyes betray you and wander down to Yuuma's prone form and you feel anger coiling in your guts, fresh from just reliving the events of the day.

[][Yuuma] It is a burning inferno, but you stamp it down. (Major Intimacy: Yuuma (Hatred))
[][Yuuma] It is a simmering heat, but you crush it down to cinders for now. (Minor Intimacy: Yuuma (Hatred))
[][Yuuma] It is the embers of a dying fire. She has paid for what she's done. (No Intimacy gained)

Your thoughts are jarred from their rails as Rias grunts. It's such an unexpected and unladylike sound that it completely scatters your thoughts. Turning your attention to her, you see she's frowning in thought, and even Akeno is looking at her.

After a few moments she sighs. "Another topic to discuss with her friends when they arrive," she says before shaking her head and turning her attention to you. "I called her friends before you came out, they should be here soon. If you want, you can stay and talk with them, but I would suggest leaving it to me. I am after all the Second Owner of Kuoh City, so they have to answer to me for what they've done. I will get to the bottom of this Hyoudou-san, so I suggest heading back home. We can talk tomorrow after school more if you have questions, but with the Fallen Angels coming please go home for now?" She asks you, genuinely concerned for your well being.

[][Choice] Agree to talk more tomorrow, go home for now.
[][Choice] Agree to talk more tomorrow, stay for the discussion.
-[] Topics to talk/ask about?
[][Choice] Decline respectfully to meet tomorrow, go home for now.
[][Choice] Decline respectfully to meet tomorrow, stay for the discussion.
-[] Topics to talk/ask about?
[]Choice] Write in.

 

[x][Yuuma] It is the embers of a dying fire. She has paid for what she’s done. (No Intimacy gained)
[x][Choice] Agree to talk more tomorrow, stay for the discussion.
-[x]You just want to watch and listen. They should already know your identity, but you don’t know theirs.

---

"We'll talk more tomorrow then, but if it's alright with you Gremory-san, I would like to stay for the discussion. If only to know who to look out for," you add as she was about to speak.

She frowns before grudgingly nodding. "If you wish, I suppose I don't have a reason to stop you." Koneko merely frowns at Rias' back before slightly shaking her head and staying quiet.

You wait in silence for the Fallen Angels to arrive. It doesn't take long - soon you hear the flapping of wings and few moments later are greeted with the sight of three people walking to the park square.

At the lead is a tall middle aged looking man with black hair and blue eyes, wearing a closed grey trench coat over a white shirt, black shoes, pants, and gloves. Behind him on the right side is a tall and large breasted woman with brown eyes and long blue hair, wearing a red coat that gives away a generous cleavage that should probably leave you drooling, a matching mini skirt, and black heeled shoes. To their left is a short blonde girl with twintails and a black bow on her head, with blue eyes and wearing a black gothic lolita dress with white frills and a black bow with a green gem on the front, white thigh highs with garter straps you can see disappearing up her dress, and black flat shoes.

They stop a few metres away from the Devils(?) and you, and the man at the head sizes your group up. "Miss Gremory," he greets as he bows in what your gut says mocking manner. "I am Dohnaseek. My companions are Kalwarner and Mittelt," he gestures to the woman and the girl respectively, the latter of whom gives a cheery wave.

"Fallen Angels," you're fairly sure she's glaring at them. "Your group was allowed into the city by assurances that you had no hostile intentions towards us and the civilians. Foolishly, at the advice of my brother I eventually allowed your presence. I was only moderately surprised when I received word on a Fallen Angel attacking a civilian tonight, and upon investigating it found her," she nods to Yuuma's direction, "in said condition after having attacked a civilian which caused his Sacred Gear to activate and allow him to defeat her."

Dohnaseek glances at you, taking in your bloodied clothes before directing his attention back to Rias, while Kalawarner takes a longer look as if assessing you for a fight, and Mittelt grins lasciviously at you and winks. You're fairly sure you should be blushing from her attention.

"So tell me," Rias continues, "Why exactly should I allow your further presence in my town if this is what you are doing?"

Dohnaseek's face looks like he'd just eaten something extremely sour for a moment before he sighs. "I would... extend the humblest apologies-" he manages to somehow say through his clenched teeth, "-on behalf of our faction for actions of the leader of our group." He takes a breath and blows it out his nose, trying to center himself. "Our mission was to covertly watch after an individual Lord Azazel believed to house a dangerous Sacred Gear that could go berserk upon activation. Raynare took the mission upon herself and decided to complete it solo and left the rest of us out of the loop."

You blink. Yuuma's name is... Raynare? More lies, it seems.

"We did not know what she had planned for him, or what would have caused her to change her plans into something that resulted in this. Rest assured, she will answer for her offences," he says with a smirk. "As for our future presence in the city..." Again with the bite-out-of-lemon look. "I would humbly ask that we be allowed to reside here until... next Wednesday, for we have a package already incoming and it would be too late to change it's destination."

Rias considers him for a long moment, before eventually sighing. "Very well. But if I hear even a rumour of Fallen Angels doing anything I don't like, I will come down on you so hard you'd wish you never fell. Take her and get out of my sight."

Dohnaseek glares at Rias before slowly nodding in acknowledgement and directing Kalawarner to take Yuu- no, it's Raynare. After Kalawarner picked Raynare up like a sack of potatoes, they all grew their black wings and flied away without further actions.

You three stood there for a moment, winding down from the tension before Rias sighs and rubs the bridge of her nose with one hand, while Koneko moves in and pats her other hand consolingly. After a moment she pats Koneko on the head and murmurs something to her which causes her to blush and step away while Rias turns to you.

"Well Iss- Hyoudou-san," she hastily corrects herself with a blush, "That was the Fallen Angels. You'll still be coming over tomorrow to actually discuss things, since it's quite too late for that now?"

"Yeah," you nod and give a thumbs up. "I'll see you tomorrow then?"

She gives a nod of her own. "See you then."

For a moment you think they'd grow their own wings and fly away, but instead a blood red circle blooms from under Rias, and Koneko steps next to her before they're whisked away.

You sigh explosively and almost collapse as everything is finally over, but you steel yourself for the trek ahead. Glancing at your clothes you grimace and hope nobody sees you.

----

You sneak inside your room slowly closing the door, wincing at the click as it closes. After a few seconds of silence you breathe a sigh of relief. Your parents were already asleep when you got home, and continue to remain that way.

You want to just fall on the bed and sleep, but you manage to dredge up the effort to take off your clothes. You lump the bloodied shirt and pants into a ball and stow them under your bed for safe keeping before falling on it with a groan.

It doesn't take long before you're asleep.

You dream of the Sun and golden cities.

---

[][Supernal]:
[][Caste]:

[][Favoured]:

-----
On today's episode, Dohnaseek gleefully throws Raynare under the bus and we learn Yuuma's real name. Since she didn't get the chance to properly introduce herself before, due to unforeseen circumstances.

I have this gut feeling that Ability choosing might be somewhat messy, any ideas if/how to make it less?
Or should I pick some/all of them myself?

 

[Supernal]: Presence
[Caste]: Integrity
[Caste]: Resistance
[Caste]: Athletics
[Caste]: Lore
[Favoured]: Occult
[Favoured]: Awareness
[Favoured]: Dodge
[Favoured]: Melee
[Favoured]: War

---

You are to love as I am to light. For this, you are Chosen. Doubt not, fear not; yours is the mark of Zenith, bright as noonday sun. March forth against all darkness for you are now Exalted, a Champion of the Unconquered Sun.


You wake with the dawn.

You blink away the dream of a four armed man, or was it a dragon, and stretch. You feel... great. Awesome, even. Better than you ever remember feeling. It's like there was another layer added to, or perhaps removed from reality. You wonder for a moment why exactly that is, before blanching as the memories of yesterday come back to you. With a grimace you bring your hand to your stomach where Yu- Raynare stabbed you and wince at the pain. It still hurts. Looking down on it, at least the hole isn't that big anymore, nor is it bleeding.

Rising from the bed with a groan, you check under you bed. The bundled ball of bloodied clothes is still safe there. You entertain the thought of dropping them to the pile of dirty laundry in the bathroom for a moment before dropping it with a shake of your head. Mother would have questions.

Sitting back down on the bed with a sigh, you run a hand through your head and think. Raynare tried to kill you because of your Sain- Sacred Gear. But you don't have a Sacred Gear. You look down at your hand, as you clench it to a fist and release it. You don't have a Sacred Gear, you think... But you are something more. You think back to your dream of the four armed man. No, you frown and shake your head. He is not a man. He is a god. Your god. Unconquered Sun. You are His Chosen. You are His word in this world. You are Exalted. You are Zenith.

The rightness of it makes you grin.

After the moment of self reflection you finally look at the clock. You knew it was 05:47 even before you laid your eyes on it. You can tell the time apparently. Useful, you suppose. At least you'll never be late. Unless held back by things out of your control.

You hum, thinking back to the start of your self-reflection. Sacred Gears... You'll have to ask more about them in the meeting after school. You can't help the grin that comes with the thought of seeing Rias again. She is one of the Three Princesses of Kuoh for a reason. Hopefully you'll also learn more about the world you've stepped into.

Which reminds you of the Fallen Angels. Although Dohnaseek you think his name was, said that they'd look after Raynare, you can't help but think about the possibility of her escaping and coming after you again, or worse, your parents. She was their group's leader after all, so it would make sense if she was the strongest, right? You sigh and idly play with a strand of hair. If she went after your parents... Should they know? Be prepared to run away in case they see her, or something? And what about the rest of the stuff; Sacred Gears, Devils, Angels, Fallen Angels...

You frown. It would be best if you...
[][Parents] Speak to them at breakfast.
-[] What do you tell them:
[][Parents] Speak to them after you know more.
[][Parents] Don't tell them. Ignorance is Bliss.

You sigh. Hopefully it'll be for the best.

You settle your eyes on the bookcase on the wall opposite of your bed and wonder what to do. A thought of the time tells you it's 06:09 which means you probably shouldn't start breakfast yet, unless you want to eat it cold. Letting your eyes roam around they settle on your laptop. After a mental shrug you move to sit at the desk and boot the thing up, and start trying to find information online about the Unconquered Sun. Just searching "Unconquered Sun" gives you Sol Invictus, who was a Roman god of the sun according to what you found. But even though the name feels like it matches, there is no mention of dragons in relation to him. Searching for "Four armed sun god" gives you some assortment of Hindu gods instead along with Surya, but he has three eyes and again no mention of dragons. And "Sun God Dragon" just gives you Yu-Gi-Oh! card results.

You spend some more time trying to find something about Him but find nothing. The result makes you frown. Perhaps he is a god in some remote corner of the world like somewhere in the Amazon or something? With a sigh at your lack of success you shut down the laptop at 06:51 and start heading downstairs to make breakfast. You might as well do it since you're already awake.

Maybe Rias might know something about Unconquered Sun? Something to ask about, you guess.

As you start preparing the coffee, eggs, toast, and bacon, a thought occurs to you. You had been rather... vocal, about the upgrade of your relationship status. As well as your first date with Yuuma. It wouldn't surprise you if most of the school knew about them, or at least rumours of them by now. What then, will you say about the events of yesterday? You wouldn't be surprised if people expected you to gloat about it today. You should think of a story to tell them, perhaps...

[][School] She went full Yandere and you managed to run away.
[][School] She revealed it was only a game for her and she did it all just to toy with you.
[][School] For some reason she decided to just dump you at the end of the day.
[][School] At the end of the day it was clear that you weren't suited for each other and mutually broke it off.
[][School] Write in:

---

Attribute, Ability, and Willpower Dot voting.

You have 13 dots to spread between your Attributes and Abilities to a maximum of 5, and Willpower to a maximum of 10.

An example vote
[X][Dots]: Appearance +3, Presence +3, Willpower +1, Lore +2, Melee +2, Craft (Armour) +2
This would result in Appearance 5, Presence 3, Willpower 6, Lore 3, Melee 2, and Craft (Armour) 2.


Your current Willpower is 5.
Your current Attributes are

Spoiler

Strength: OO
Dexterity: OO
Stamina: OO

Charisma: OO
Manipulation: O
Appearance: OO

Perception: OO
Intelligence: OO
Wits: OO

Your current Abilities are

Spoiler

Those marked with – are Favoured/Caste Abilities, that which is marked by + is the Supernal Ability.

Archery:
–Athletics:
–Awareness:
Brawl:
Bureaucracy:
–Dodge:
–Integrity: O
Investigation:
Larceny:
Linguistics: O
–Lore: O
 >> Specialty: Eroge
Medicine:
–Melee:
–Occult:
Performance:
+Presence:
–Resistance:
Ride:
Sail:
Socialize:
Stealth:
Survival:
Thrown:
–War:

Craft:
>(Expertise):

Sorry it took so long, life got in the way like it has a habit of doing sometimes. I also had this finished four hours ago, but then refreshing the page ate the thing and I had to start from scratch. It feels kind of rambling, and I'm not that happy with it.

I also added the 7 XP you were supposed to get at the end of last post.