Both Rias' and Sona's peerages were in the ORC clubroom by the time Ruto arrived. He was in just as much a foul mood as he was since the early hours of Saturday. He'd stayed in his room, fuming over his broken monitor, the asshole trolls in his game and the fact that he'd had to drag himself to school.
Ruto silently sat on the sofa and crossed his arms. Koneko spared him a glance, but otherwise dismissed his presence. Haru was squaring off against a Pawn of Sona's peerage. His name was Saji Genshirou.
Well, that's interesting. Albion said suddenly.
What?
That boy Namikaze is butting heads with. His Sacred Gear holds a piece of Vritra's soul.
You mean the Prison Dragon? Ruto responded in surprise.
The very same. I'd imagine that one must have taken quite a bit of power to revive.
Oh well. I'm making sure you're the strongest, and that it stays that way. Albion was taken aback at that.
Did I hear you right? Did you just say something nice to me? My dear Ruto, if you keep that up you'll embarrass me.
I'm serious, Alby. I'm gonna make us as strong as possible. By the end of all this, we'll be unstoppable. Ruto told her resolutely.
What's this about Ruto? Did what Ophis say rattle you? Albion was genuinely confused at his sudden change in attitude. He never spoke like this at any point in the past, and was certain that he was just speaking out of anger from the monitor incident.
Whether we like it or not, we've got no choice but to get strong. I'll be honest with you, what Ophis said did… scare me a little. His reply was somewhat quiet, like it pained him to admit what he'd just said.
Listen, I don't need you to be the bravest or smartest or whatever, Ruto. I just need you to stay alive, and keep fighting and getting stronger. If you can do that, then I'll accept anything about you. Don't worry about it. I know you'll be the strongest partner I'll ever have. It's good to be able to feel fear. After all, that's what makes you humans so… well, human. The other races are arrogant, Dragons are no different. We revel in our power, but do nothing with it. But you humans, you start with nothing, but despite your frailty and fear, you achieve incredible things. Sometimes I envy you for being human, I really do. Albion said gently.
When did you get such a way with words? Ruto asked, feeling and sounding a bit uplifted.
Albion chuckled. I only pick up on what my host lets me work with.
"... to...Ruto… Hey, Ruto!"Ruto snapped out of his trance-like state and looked at Haru.
"Huh, what?" he said absently.
"Dude, there's gonna be a contest between Rias and Sona for who goes to the Familiar Forest!" Haru said excitedly.
"Uh… yeah, and?" Ruto replied. "Dude, I'm a Magician, I can go there any time there's a full moon." he added nonchalantly.
"Really? What's it like there?" Haru asked. Ruto just stood and put an arm over Haru's shoulders.
"You know that weird dream you have about all the strange abominations and sometimes beautiful paragons of the mind that you see in there but don't remember. It's like that. Except the little critters that won't kill you are hard to find while the evil bastards are gnawing on your ass from the moment you get there." Ruto explained.
"So it's like an acid trip." Haru said.
"Ha! Like you wouldn't fuckin' believe." Ruto laughed.
The days of competition had passed, and the ORC had won out… somehow. Not really clear on that. Anyways, they'd entered the Familiar Forest, a land of dark, gnarled trees, a red sky, and dirt. Lots and lots of dirt.
"Uh, where the hell are we?" Haru asked, looking around.
"Duh, a magical forest where all the familiars live." Akeno supplied.
"What's funny is that you make it sound like a normal topographical environment." Ruto said, smirking at her.
"But don't worry Haru, this is where we got ours so no need to be scared." Kiba said helpfully.
"Um, that's cool, besides the fact I think I pissed myself." Haru replied as he and Asia looked around nervously.
Ruto raised an eyebrow at him. "Hold on. How can something be a fact if you only think it. Especially in the realms of doing something. You either did or you didn't dude. Geez, watch your grammar."
"Eh? What's my grammar got to do with anything?" Haru asked incredulously.
"Don't worry about him Haru. He's like this in class too." Rias said, being the peace keeper.
Suddenly a voice from above startled Haru and Asia. "Who wants me?"
"Oh, not this asshole again." Ruto said, palming his face.
Looking up, Haru called the owner of the voice out. "Hey, who's there!?"
Up in a tree stood a man wearing red shorts, a yellow sleeveless top, a yellow cap with bits of his red hair coming out from under it, a yellow rucksack and a purple sweater tied around his waist. Oh, and sandals, can't forget those. He was at least in his early thirties.
"The master of the familiars, AKA the Touji. If your goal's to find familiars galore, then you've come at the right time, that's for sure." he said proudly. Ruto grit his teeth in annoyance.
"Hey, Ash Ketchum, didn't I warn you about rhyming the last time I was here!?" he yelled.
"Oh I spotted an aggressive young man, would kicking my ass be part of your plan?" the FM replied tauntingly.
"This aggressive young man says your mother's a whore, now come down here so I can beat you into the floor." Ruto said, cracking his knuckles.
Rias sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Ruto, seriously we don't have time for this. We need him to guide us so if you could refrain from attacking for a while, that'd be great."
Ruto huffed and went to the back of the group with Kiba and Akeno. As far as he was concerned, the further away he was from the FM, the better.
Soon the group had arrived at a glistening lake that sparkled in the… non-existent sunlight (?) In the centre of the lake, was a specific spot that looked like a ray of light shined on it like destiny was calling out whatever dwelt below the surface.
"This lake is awesome, righteous and right. At the bottom you'll find magical sprites." The FM explained, getting Haru excited while Ruto had to be restrained by Akeno and Koneko who both held the back of his shirt and his arms respectively as he tried relentlessly to attack and maim the Familiar Master.
"Stop rhyming you annoying mother fucker!" Ruto bellowed as he struggled to free himself from the Queen and Rook's grip. Akeno had an idea and grinned. She tightly, and I mean tightly wrapped her arms around Ruto's torso and pressed her chest into his back. His neck tingled as he felt her warm along the side of his neck as she whispered. "Behave." He immediately stopped thrashing, but still plotted and stewed in his vindictive rage for the rhyming bastard. She let him go, knowing that he wouldn't try anything while she was within arms reach.
"Aw yeah! Sprites are sexy. Man, we just hit the familiar jackpot." Suddenly his hormone driven imagination took over. "She'll emerge from the lake wearing nothing but a sopping, long, white dress. She'll have hair long enough to wrap me up in and then she'll drag me under the water and we'll make sweet, sweet, soggy love!" Haru finished his wild imaginings breathing heavily with excitement.
Everyone present looked at him weirdly because of his perverted visions of grandeur.
"Might wanna check out the lake." Kiba warned as the sounds of churning sounded from under the sparkling surface.
The group was silent as a figure emerged from the lake. It was a being wearing a short pink dress and had curly blonde hair. The figure was facing away from them.
Umm… isn't that sprite a little… Ruto thought. He was shocked like the rest, but no more than Haru as the Figure turned to them with a deafening roar. The being was at least seven feet tall and jacked as fuck!
"Take a look, that's off the hook." the FM said.
"But clearly not off the roids! What is it a competitive body builder!?" Haru said, freaking out.
"Undine are rare water sprites with—"
"Basically if you're looking for something that can kick ass, put Milton to shame, and is actually a woman, pick that one." Ruto said, cutting off the FM.
"Wha—how'd you know about him!?" Haru shouted.
"Face it dude, I know a lot about what goes on in town." Ruto said with a smirk.
"Hold up, did you say that thing's a woman?"
"Yup. Over 300lbs of muscle and female delight." Ruto replied to a mortified Haru.
After that particular encounter, the group was back walking even deeper into the forest. As they walked, Ruto spotted a gleam in the thick of the trees to his right. He gazed at it, checked to see where the group was and saw they were gone, then went to see what the gleam was.
He carried on for a long time, never quite convinced he was getting close to the gleam, until a voice reached his ears.
"So, it's you again." came the voice. It was powerful and ancient. A female voice from what he could tell. However, he found the voice very familiar.
Ruto, be very careful. Albion warned.
What exactly did I just stumble into Albion? Ruto asked, preparing to fight as he tensed his muscles and felt his mana course through his body.
Do you remember what I told you the first time we came here? That some very powerful beings take refuge here. The being here is one of them. The one that brought us together.
You mean— Ruto's eyes shot wide.
Yes. Tiamat, the Chaos Karma Dragon and one of the Five Great Dragon Kings.
"My, my, it has been a while. The day I destroyed your arrogant Magician sect. Did you think I hadn't noticed your presence, I wonder." Tiamat said in a thoughtful tone.
"So you're the one who reminded my parents and their group where they are in the grand scheme of things. Gotta say, they had it coming." Ruto said. Tiamat laughed at his unexpected comment.
"You're not angry at the killer of your parents?" Tiamat inquired.
Ruto scoffed and folded his arms. "Why would I be? They got too sure of themselves, challenged you to a fight and paid for it. It's as simple as that." he said icily.
"Well, I suppose being a Magician grants you some fortitude. As I'm sure you know, Magician children are taught from birth that death is nothing but the shadow that follows you on your path through life." Tiamat said.
"There's that and the fact that I use the word 'parents' loosely." Ruto replied coolly.
Tiamat appeared to him after a brief flash of light. She'd assumed the form of a young woman, maybe in her mid twenties with long azure hair and cool, cyan eyes. She wore her own version of Scale Mail and sat on a rock, crossing one leg over the other. The armour looked similar to Ruto's but was azure and gold.
"So, what brings you to my forest?" Tiamat asked smoothly. Ruto sat on a log opposite her.
"Just tagging along with a group of acquaintances. No special reason really. Any reason why you're here?" Ruto asked.
"I live here now. Occasionally Devils try to make me their familiar, but they all end up the same way." Tiamat said with an evil grin. "That reminds me, now that I have the opportunity, I would like to offer you a proposition."
Ruto leaned forward and placed his chin on his hands. "Go on." he prompted.
"You seem like a worthwhile investment of my time and effort. So, if you can show me if your world is worth more than being my playground, I will help you to unlock more of your potential." Tiamat offered.
Ruto was intrigued and confused at her offer. For one, she had ample time to find out about the actual fun stuff about the world, and then her sudden interest in making him strong. "You make a tempting offer but I have to say, you're not the first to offer me power. I don't get why people have taken such an interest in making me into a powerhouse of destruction for no clear reason besides punching things in the face."
Tiamat smiled at him benignly. "It would be such a waste to see so much potential wasted. And honestly, I've really wanted to see just how powerful a human could become." she said, excitement entering her voice.
"Ha! So I'm a little experiment?" Ruto said sardonically.
"Oh much more than that. So much more. We will speak again another time, but it won't be a peaceful talk, oh no. I want to see your strength myself. In the meantime, stay healthy." She then shifted into her true Western Dragon form and flew away, leaving Ruto covered in dust, dirt and twigs.
"I hope she warns me next time." Ruto said testily as he spat dirt and a clump of dried grass out of his mouth.