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

by Alvin Atwater

  "Maki, stop this," Mei snapped. "What’s wrong with you? Why are you acting like this?"

  Maki smiled at her.

  "You wouldn’t understand. Now…Ki. I need it. And you’re going to give it to me."

  She grabbed Mei.

  <Maki channeled Shift.>

  Just like that, they were gone. Clyde and his party looked each other, unease riding through the air.

  "Okay, what…the fuck just happened?" Clyde said. "Fuck."

  "I don’t know," Harumi said. "I had no idea."

  He dialed Naomi’s number. Nothing like the crazy cliché where the reason is completely undefined. Clyde didn’t like unknowns. He’d get to the bottom of this, somehow, someway.

  [Volume 3.] Episode 20 (Part 2)

  Naomi didn’t answer her phone. Clyde made a mental note to try again later, as he simply didn’t know where she lived. Harumi contacted friends about her home whereabouts and was currently waiting for replies.

  As Clyde and his party walked through the streets, he made up his mind. If being the Stone meant something greater then he’d harden his heart. And for once, he needed to go out and have some fun. First step to that: don’t attract the crazy. Second step: take Alice on a date. He planned this one for a while—nothing could possibly get in his way. Not even the cliché, girls spying on their date, right?

  "We’ve got to do something about Maki," he told the others. "I plan to buy the house today and get moved in asap. How will we ever sleep if she’s…around?"

  The others said nothing. What was there to say? There was only one place Clyde knew she’d have to go.

  [Quest: Send Maki to either an asylum or the futas. This quest is mandatory and cannot be refused, desu. You must make the arrest, no bias for you. As the Stone, it is your duty to carry out a form of justice before things get worse. The Stone has deity authority for matters like this. You have 3 days to make the arrest or penalties will be dealt. Maki will begin to murder after the 3-day time limit. The Ashen City Asylum, ran by wizards and sorceresses can recover and repair Maki’s mind; however, she will be required to remain there for five years due to the crimes committed. At any time, you are allowed to spend free points to increase her time. As a bonus, her Ki will remain disabled forever, unless you spend free points to re-enable it. Judging by the thought that just occurred, you will probably not. Your choice.]

  Clyde took it all in with a stride. Instead of bitching about gaining the police’s responsibilities, he’d get this over with, then oust Maki’s family out of any leadership role, because fuck ‘em.

  "Tear can’t make it," Alice said, "not unless it’s an emergency. I wonder what she, Melody and Natalia are up to."

  "They’ve been showering you with praises behind your back nearly nonstop ever since you killed shithead-fall," Yuki said then covered her mouth in feigned innocence. "Woops, wasn’t supposed to say anything." Clyde gave her a suspicious look. She returned it with mischievous twinkles in her eyes. It reminded him that deposing Ashfall and saving the abused servants was more than just worth it.

  Eventually, Harumi led them to a real estate agent recommended by her sister, Liru. Anzu’s Office.

  They walked in on dark-haired twelve-year-old girl singing and dancing to an anime theme song. And not just any anime song, but a cat-heavy, cringeworthy cutesy mess in Clyde’s opinion.

  "Nya-nya-nya, I love yummy food. Nya-nyan-nya, it’s so good."

  "Uhm," Harumi said.

  The kid nearly fell on her face as she scrambled to turn off the music. It took her three tries. Flushing, she gave a short Japanese-style bow.

  "I’m Anzu, how can I he—help you?"

  Clyde glared at Harumi.

  "A kid…is running this?"

  "Hey, I’m twenty-three you know," Anzu said, giving him a loli-pout. Clyde looked at her in disbelief.

  "Okay, first of all, that’s—"

  "Clyde, we’re short on time," Alice interrupted. "House, remember?" She was holding his arm. A gentle caress passed the intended message.

  "Fine," he said. "Kid—I mean, Anzu. I’m here to talk house-shopping. No need to worry about loans and what not, I’m ready to buy in cash."

  Anzu’s eyes widened.

  "Seriously?" she hopped on the chair. "Houses aren’t cheap, you know. If you’re planning to just buy one outright then you must be loaded." Her eyes seemed to shine with stars, then she was in front of Clyde. She…attempted to speak in the poorest seductive voice Clyde had ever heard in his life. "Hey handsome, if you have room for one more in your harem—"

  "If you don’t get behind that computer to process my order, I’ll switch you," Clyde said. Anzu danced away, laughing.

  "Sorry, had to try."

  "We’re in a hurry, Anzu," Harumi said.

  "Okay, okay." The loli turned on her computer, hammering at keyboard keys while humming the cat song.

  "His information is in the national homeowner’s profile database," Alice said.

  Clyde knew this of course—there was no way he could simply go about buying a house without Tear paving the way for him. Chika offered to flex her connections at first, but family issues got in the way. He made a mental note to buy the succubus something for being such a big help. He’d find some way to relieve Chika of her stress when he got the chance.

  [You do know that Tear’s a succubus and there’s only one gift that could make her happy, desu]

  Get out of here, System, Clyde thought, holding back laughter. It had an odd sense of humor that seemed to come out of nowhere at times.

  [Quest: Give Tear the Gift that she wants. Reward: relationship increase with Tear and a possible summon. This quest is mandatory and cannot be refused. This is a good opportunity to acquire some Ki, desu.]

  Clyde’s mouth went dry. Did the system just… No. He’d try for a legitimate gift, something tangible to show his appreciation. Alice only wanted sweets, which he secretly related to.

  [Let it be known that the Gift is legitimate and is honorable among succubae. You must not be closed-minded. Do not dismiss the customs of other species and races.]

  Clyde closed his thoughts, dismissing the matter. He knew the system was right and wouldn’t let skip around the matter. Just…approaching Tear was going to be quite the adrenaline rush.

  Anzu finally found his file. She hopped out of the chair, cheering.

  "You want the biggest one, right? We have a few newly built specimens right on the outskirts of the town. Nice neighborhood. Very popular with the women for some reason."

  Clyde nodded, ready to get this selection over with. Anzu handed them the key.

  "Take a look and tell me what you think. It has many bedrooms, a large kitchen, a pool, yadda, yadda, rich people stuff. You’re loaded, so I’m reserving the best house. You could always go for a mansion or castle—"

  "That’s fine," Clyde said. "We’ll be back in an hour or so."

  Anzu sighed.

  "I wish I could go, but I have to finish your paperwork and produce the deed. Be ready to pay, if you can. If not," she placed hands on her tiny hips. "I cried for only ten minutes the last time a deal fell through."

  The loli looked rather pleased with herself. Clyde forced himself not to give the girl a blank stare. Alice snorted. Yuki stifled a giggle.

  Streets of Lot City….

  Tyrone muttered a string of curses that didn’t end until two blocks later. His friends thought the same—every day of not finding this legendary person brought them closer to the inevitable. Canceled mangas, Ming’s bitching, and no accomplishments.

  So, when he suddenly felt an enormous flux of odd tingling sensations, he knew that Lady Luck hadn’t given up on him after all. Tyrone followed the revealed path inside his head until at last, he spotted them.

  A guy who looked no older than him, surrounded by some of the sexiest women he’d ever seen in his life. Was the legendary figure a playboy? Ming surely wouldn’t be happy about that, supposedly being destined to marry him and a
ll. They’d get bitched at for the millionth time.

  That pink-haired girl, he knew her. Harumi. She was a beauty with melons. The way she looked at the figure said a lot. Lucky bastard. How could one get so lucky? What was he, the main character of some manga?

  He noticed the jealousy snarls of his friends and straightened himself. Tyrone was a little envious, but he wasn’t single like the others. He and Kazumi only recently started dating, but every moment of his life with the unpredictable girl ended up perfect somehow.

  Still, the young man decided to challenge the legendary figure to a duel. A win could end up embarrassing him a bit.

  He led his friends to a secluded path and around a corner until they cut off the figure and his girls.

  "You’re someone important," he said to the man. "And I challenge you to a Nonreal game."

  "Nope, not important at all," he said. "And we don’t have any time for this."

  "Wait! You can’t ignore this, I know you have the legendary forsaken deck, Stone Tokken."

  The man seemed to react, just a tiny bit to the name. That was all Tyrone needed. His group were champions at the game, led by Ming. There was no way he’d lose to some newbie, whether claiming to be some bullshit figure or not. "An admirer wants to meet you with some important message, something about Stone and whatnot. She kind of speaks nonsense pertaining to omens and spheres, but you’ll need to meet her yourself. But no sooner than after this duel."

  The man gave off another reaction, but the weird thing was, so did his companions. Just subtle, hints that told a lot. They knew about Ming’s omens and whatnot.

  "What do you think, Alice?" he said.

  "Tyrone, we should skip all of the pretenses and just talk to this Ming," Harumi said, her voice warming the young man’s heart. Tyrone could see why his girlfriend loved being around her.

  "No can do, Harumi," he said. "It’s an order." He added quietly, "Can’t have my favorite manga getting the boot. I need to make sure this guy is the real deal. She told me the signs."

  The incredibly pretty blonde girl next to him spoke.

  "Go ahead, duel him, but don’t take too long. Anzu won’t wait forever, my Clyde."

  So his name was Clyde… He’d crush this newbie into the dirt, embarrass him in front of the girls, then reveal it all to Ming. Tyrone was a part of a team of undefeated champions. At least in this region. With the power of his Monster Girl deck, he’d continue to build up the legacy.

  Forbidden spellcasters. As if that deck really existed.

  [Volume 3.] Episode 20 (Part 3)

  [Quest: Defeat Tyrone in a Nonreal game. This quest is mandatory cannot be refused. Reward: 10 free points. Warning: the only difference between a Nonreal and a Real game is that one has stakes, while the other one does not. You can die if not careful.]

  [You have accepted the challenged to a Nonreal game.]

  Clyde had too many things to do this day, not to mention his time limit to catch Maki. Familiar trees briefly glowed golden on his wrists against the mid-morning sun. The other man, Tyrone, and his friends looked at him with wonder. He seemed more confident just a minute ago, Clyde thought. The civilians around suddenly crossed the street, avoiding eye contact with anything within the vicinity of the supernatural group.

  "You can do it, my heart," Alice said, stepping back with the others.

  "Let’s make this clear, Tyrone," Clyde said. "This is between me and you. A duel. I don’t need your friends joining in on this, I’ve got shit to do."

  "They wouldn’t make me look bad by intruding," Tyrone said. "This our showdown, player man."

  The two stood fifteen yards apart, decks in hand. A glowing crystal-blue mat with slots for card placement appeared in front of each of the young men, hovering in midair.

  "Let’s do this," Tyrone said. "Who shall be going first."

  A… fairy appeared between the two. She was a woman about eight inches or so tall, with golden butterfly-like wings, dressed in a green tunic. Her blonde hair seemed to shine in the sun.

  "Helllooooo everybody, my name is Lily and I’m too cute to contain. I will determine who shall go first." She winked out of existence then appeared on Clyde’s shoulder. She whispered. "Hi Stone, it’s an honor to meet you. Since it’s your very first game, do you want to go first or second."

  Clyde took but a moment to regain composure before answering.

  [Your heart protection has protected you from Lily’s seduction.]

  [Uh…Your relationship with Lily has changed from Absolute Neutrality to Sexually interested.]

  He spared a glare at the little woman. She smiled innocently, the way Neko did when she was being mischievous. "Had to try—besides which, I can change my size. And besides, everyone in my world dreams of making love to the Stone. There are some who’d like the Viper, not me of course. He drinks too much."

  Clyde laughed.

  "Let’s just get this game started," he said. "I choose to go second."

  "Awe, but come on," Lily said. "After the game. You’ve got to let this fairy fulfill her dreams. And," she lowered her voice, "we don’t wear underwear." Clyde gave her a blank stare. "Fine, but I know your presence. And don’t like failing seduction." She kissed his nose then blinked out of existence, reappearing a moment later at the center of the field. "Tyrone will be going first! Each card bearer will start with four cards."

  Lily flew off to the side, as if not wanting to be in the way of something. Of course… the attackers and events would happen. And that meant taking a hit was going to hurt.

  [You’ve entered a Nonreal game.]

  Clyde forced himself not to roll his eyes when Tyrone drew his card a bit too dramatically.

  "Alright, let’s start the beatdown with Monster Girl Orc." He slammed his card on the mat. A busty girl with pig-like ears, appeared on the field, smiling and waving at…them. At her crowd. She wore a belt-thin—he wasn’t sure if it was a shirt, a metal gauntlet on her left hand, and blue mini-skirt.

  [Tyrone- Orc. Power: 17, Defense: 12]

  "I Activate her effect. Allows a search," Tyrone said. His deck spat a card to him and then shuffled. "I’ll call it a turn, let’s go."

  "Oooh, I wonder what he has planned," Lily said, flying sporadically around the area. Her eyes turned in Clyde’s direction a little too many times. She even wiggled a tongue once.

  Clyde drew his card and inspected his hand. Something…was strange. The cards were different. On top of that, he noticed that the Magical Weapon card in hand had a bizarre warning. This card’s effects will change at will. "Show me this so-called legendary deck so I can tell Ming it’s just more bullshit."

  "I can be dramatic too. Let me teach you the Sorcerer’s creed. But before I do that, let’s activate Amina’s Dimension," Clyde said.

  [Field Presence: Amina’s Dimension.]

  The environment shook and soon they found themselves in a giant library. Millions, maybe billions, perhaps even trillions of books were scattered about in many stacks, some on shelves. Tyrone’s eyes were wide as he observed the surroundings. A smile briefly, wonder in his eyes.

  "Guessing you’ve never seen this card before," Clyde said. All of Dark’s drilling worked, but now he needed results.

  "Okay, a weird card, but so what, anyone could have this," Tyrone said. "Show me what you got. I don’t buy this legendary figure crap. You’re just some arrogant cocky dude."

  Clyde grinned. He stood on a giant crimson book with the image of his deck leader on the corner of the cover.

  "Summoning Wizard Otus."

  A dark-skinned man dressed in a purple robe, hood up, appeared at the center of the field, facing Tyrone with hard glowing red eyes. A faint smoky aura surrounded him.

  [Clyde- Otus. Power: 17. Defense: 20]

  "When he’s summoned, I can add one magical weapon from my deck to my hand, not that I need to use them for this duel. Also." He winked. "If Amina’s dimension is in play, destroy one attacker on the field."

  Tyrone
gasped. The deck spat the weapon card to Clyde.

  Otus aimed a hand at the Orc girl. White and black electricity-like magic flowed from his hands and struck his foe. She let out a howl before exploding into dust. Everyone winced.

  Tyrone shook his head.

  "My baby—I mean, fine whatever."

  "Otus, attack directly," Clyde said. He watched as Tyrone braced himself. Then the howling of pain came as the magic struck.

  [Tyrone- LF: dropped from 150 to 133.]

  [Tyrone’s HP dropped to 93%]

  "They’re not joking," Clyde said softly then spoke aloud to Tyrone. "Why do you guys play this death game?"

  "Because the rewards are worth the risk," Tyrone replied without missing a beat. He still panted a little, but otherwise looked fine. The attack left no physical damage on him.

  Clyde frowned, but felt no sympathy.

  "Your move."

  Tyrone drew.

  "Let’s avenge her. If I have one orc in the graveyard, I can summon High orc as an additional summon."

  The monster girl that appeared on the field made Clyde’s draw drop. He quickly righted himself. She was a huge-boobed woman with dark skin and silver hair as well as very skimpy black and pink clothing. He figured there were probably blushes all over the faces of the audience, including the indignance of the women.

  [Tyrone- High Orc. Power: 26. Defense: 15.]

  "For my normal summon, I’ll bring out her."

  A lamia, half-snake, half-woman, appeared next to the high orc, smiling shyly at everyone. "High orc’s effect allows me to summon my orc back." The high orc made a snapping sound with her fingers. The orc from before returned, smiling, as if she didn’t get obliterated moments ago.