[Tyrone- Lamia. Power: 24. Defense: 23]
[Tyrone- Orc. Power: 17, Defense: 12]
"Time for some hurting," Tyrone said. "I knew you weren’t anything special. First, Orc’s attack increases while High Orc’s on the field."
A blue aura gushed around the normal orc. She winked at Clyde.
[Tyrone- Orc. INCREASE. Power: 23, Defense: 12]
"End him! I activate, action card, Monster girl charge. All attacks are doubled. You will also take double damage to the power and defense of your monster when it’s destroyed. We’re among the champions for a reason."
[Tyrone- Monster girl charge.]
The monster girls rushed Otus. Clyde nodded as he played his instant action card.
"I play action card instant, King’s hold. So fuck off."
[Clyde- King’s hold.]
"It negates all attacks and ends your turn."
"What?" Tyrone said. "Well, whatever, I have three strong beauties. What can you possibly do? Next turn, I’m ending this and Ming’s delusions."
"Next turn, huh?" Clyde shrugged. "No, we’re in a hurry, so let’s see what I can do."
He drew exactly what he needed. It wasn’t the deck leader but an incredible card nonetheless. Perhaps even broken. "Well, I see why this deck is supposedly legendary. Since I control Amina’s dimension, this counts as an additional summon. Evoker Luke."
A teen boy who looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old appeared on the field dressed in white and gold wizard robes. Silver light radiated around him.
[Clyde- Evoker Luke. Power: 26. Defense: 17.]
"Also, when I summon Luke this specific way, he destroys all attackers you control then inflicts one hundred life force damage to you."
"Holy—that’s—that’s bull…"
Luke actually held up a hand to cut Tyrone off. In an emotionless voice, he said, "perish."
Silver magic rained from the sky like a waterfall. A windstorm burst from nowhere and on its tail, carried the cries of Tyrone’s destroyed monsters.
Silence.
"Whoa! Devastating!" Lily said, but her voice carried as if spoken over a microphone. She giggled.
[Tyrone- LF: dropped from 133 to 33]
[Tyrone’s HP dropped to 70%]
He struggled to his feet.
"Goddamn."
"It’s not over yet," Clyde said. "I still haven’t summoned. Druid Karla, come on down."
He felt Alice’s eye-roll and held in his laugh.
A pretty woman with pale-brown hair emerged, dressed in a light-purple skirt and matching shirt. She carried a large brown spellbook opened on some random page.
[Clyde- Karla. Power: 25. Defense:10.]
"I’ll still add one sorcerer’s creed card from my deck, but this is pretty much over. I don’t know what you were going about legendary figures, but this deck is busted. Attack for game."
"Not so easy, I activate action card instant, Opposing Force." Tyrone laughed. "All attack-position monsters you control are shuffled into the deck. Then you take eighty life force damage. How do you like that? Legendary my ass."
[Tyrone- Opposing Force.]
Clyde shook his head.
"Karla’s effect. When my opponent activates a card effect, she can deactivate and destroy it. It’s an instant effect, once a turn."
Tyrone’s eyes widened.
"That…that’s just…ouch."
Karla laughed.
"Bye."
[Clyde- Karla’s instant effect.]
"Finish him off. And when you return to your world, tell Amina I said hey."
"Will do, Leader," Karla said. Luke simply shrugged, indifferent. They both aimed their hands at Tyrone and unleashed the pain of magic. He howled then fell to the ground with a grunt.
[Tyrone’s LF has reached 0]
[Tyrone’s HP dropped to 51%]
[Quest completed. Reward: 10 free points. Total: 95.]
[Duel completed. Victory!]
"And the winner issssss, Clydey-pudding!" Lily cheered. The young man glared at the fairy.
The dimension vanished. Clyde offered Tyrone a hand and pulled him up when he accepted.
"I stood no chance," Tyrone said with a chuckle. "Whooped me faster than I could summon my deck leader." He nodded. "I’ve never seen attackers talk, but they interacted with you. Called you, Leader. Any idea?"
"None," Clyde said, feeling uncertain. "Tell this Ming to meet me at the ramen shop, not too far from here with the Omen’s sphere. Think it’s call Iku’s or something. Tomorrow at five. I’ll be out of classes by then."
Tyrone nodded.
"That was a lot of fun." He offered a hand, which Clyde accepted for the handshake.
"You took it like an M," Clyde said, initiating a laugh from the other man.
"See you around," Tyrone said then walked off with his friends.
Lily leaped into Clyde’s chest.
"Are you free?" she said, giving him a wicked grin.
"Nope, we lost too much time already," Clyde said. Alice plucked the fairy off Clyde and tossed her aside. Lily gave them a pouty smile.
"I’m not giving up," she said then winked. "Until next time, your lovely-lovely host must return to her realm. Keep winning, Clydey. Maybe I’ll let you marry me."
She vanished before Alice’s retort could reach her.
"Don’t come back," Alice said.
Clyde looked at his party.
"Harumi, thanks for calling a cab."
They laughed as she smiled, pocketing her phone.
Yuki pinched Clyde’s cheeks.
"Good fight there," she said. "You’re the first I’ve seen in a while to take absolutely no damage."
"You know about that game? Do you play?" Clyde said.
"No," Yuki said. "I know of it, watched a few matches, but it’s a no-go for me. Not that I had much of a choice serving shit-fall and all."
"Oh," Clyde said.
A few minutes passed, and the taxi van showed. They piled in for their destination. A house and not an apartment, Clyde thought. Moving on up. He considered owning multiple properties across the world. Maybe one in another world someday…
[Volume 3.] Episode 20 (Part 4)
Clyde put car on his to-buy list. He was at least able to successfully jump the group back to Anzu’s office after they inspected the house. He approved. Alice wanted to move in asap. Yuki and Harumi fell in love with the kitchen. Despite his insistence on the demoness not being a maid, she ignored him. Clyde accidentally stumbled into her hidden stash of maid outfits, varying from French to large aprons. He’d considered convincing Alice to try it on for shits and giggles. For research purposes, he made that a mental note.
"Alright, let’s get this out of the way."
"That will be nine hundred fifty thousand, upfront due today. Right now, if you want to move in…Thursday."
[Would you like to purchase the house at this price? Yes or No? Hidden stat revealed: Haggling. You’ll need to increase this for better deals in the future. You’re at 10. Chances of making the price better is at 1%. However, someone in your party is very good at this. She’s also on a high-level friend term with Anzu.]
Clyde looked at Harumi, nodding. Sure, he could easily buy it at that price, but why? Ashfall money would soon be his whole spending avenues.
"Anzu, let me talk with you for a bit," Harumi said, giving her a deceptive smile. It reminded him of Gin’s smile from anime he once watched called, Bleach.
The two argued for five minutes until the loli gave an exasperated sigh.
"Fine. So mean." She looked defeated, whacking away at keyboard keys. A few minutes later, the new contract was printed. "I’m not going lower than this, so take it or leave it. But please don’t leave it. I need to eat you know." She gave Clyde a watery-eyed anime girl stare. The young man returned it with a Toru-approved blank gaze then read the improved contract.
[The new price is 200,000, wow! Your friend Harumi took things to an impressive merit. It
is recommended to marry her. As the Stone, your power will thrive with more wives. No less than 3 will make you god tier. This will automatically unlock goddess-tier skills for each wife. Their strength adds to yours and would do wonders for your Ki. You and your wives could end up immortal someday. Would you like to purchase the house at this new price? You cannot get a lower deal than this, as the haggling stats dictate matters.]
Clyde wiped the tiny trickle of blood from his nose and selected yes.
[Balance remaining: $ 2,151,400]
"God, Harumi you are a goddess," he said. "You’re incredible."
"Thank you," Harumi said.
Alice elbowed him lightly then winked. He smiled at her. After signing the contract and making a loli real estate agent jump for joy, the crew set off. For the first time, Clyde considered marriage, but maybe sometime in the future. He’d take the time to truly think on it. While the demon way wasted no time, Clyde was…He couldn’t deny that something was up with his body, that his humanity may have ceased to exist. Or never existed. His inner Stone, possibly related to the deities, lied dormant while he lived the mundane life of Earth. He…had to admit to himself that he enjoyed Satavoia more—even if some things were weird. What would he do if he had to go back, to never see Alice or the others again. To think only a couple of weeks ago, he was ready to go home. What the fuck? He needed to end this conflict with himself as soon as possible and open up to some new ideas. One day, he may even be powerful enough to own a planet. He flinched. Where did that thought come from?
The party stopped at an autumn-themed restaurant to eat and buy time for Clyde’s cooldown. Alice’s cheery mood spread like a virus and soon everyone just enjoyed each other’s company. She embarrassed him with a public, inescapable feeding. "Say ahh."
That night, Yuki opened up a large bottle of demon-loved special brandy. Alcohol…Clyde’s archnemesis. The fluid that once made him the master of excuses. Now he could only stare at the inevitable in his own apartment. Babysitting or joining or being made to join.
"I took the liberty of inviting the others, but the only ones who can make it are Chika and Harumi, being next door," Yuki said. "Neko’s stuck on duty, Toru’s on a date with Fumi, and that Seth boy is still hiding out from our toad friend." Yuki placed some cups on the table. Clyde gulped. "I had Toru order one of those fancy cakes. It should be here in a few minutes."
While they waited, Clyde revealed his intention and plan to arrest Maki.
"I think the asylum is best," Yuki said. "Five years in Ashen’s city place can cure anything. She’ll end up a changed woman. Lectures and magical cures, while serving criminal time. Her Ki can’t work there I believe."
"Bah—I say the futas," Alice said then grabbed a cup of demon brandy. "I never drank before—oh well."
"Wait Alice don—"
Clyde’s warning was too late. He didn’t intend to stop her, just warn her about drinking too fast. She downed it in one stride then coughed a few times.
"That’s strong, but the aftertaste…Clyde." She gave him an evil grin. "As the man of the house, you must try one."
He grimaced, but a knock on the door bought him some time. Chika and Harumi.
"Ugh—so glad to be away from my parents," Chika said. "I’m spending the night if you don’t mind. They think I’m at Harumi’s. And everyone loves Harumi."
Harumi blushed, but Clyde agreed with the fact. The girl radiated enough kindness that would make a man give up his life just to protect her smile.
Not that Clyde wanted to be on the death end of things. If he was going to utilize deity powers, he’d do it right. He also needed answers. Selkie, Dark’s guide, once told him that he was born the Stone. To hear that again….he needed to figure out his true self. The watchers really didn’t just select a random college student to participate in a death game. They selected a potential rival of power.
Alice dangled the cup of demon brandy in front of Clyde.
"My heart, you can’t get out of it." She hiccupped, face flushed. Chika took a cup and sat next to him. She downed hers in one go too. Yuki smirked.
"I don’t think Clyde’s going to let a bunch of women outdo him or is the whittle man scared of a little brandy."
Clyde knew shouldn’t have been goaded, but his hand quickly snatched the cup from Alice. With a single gulp, he sat the cup down and smirked. Within seconds he had a coughing fit slightly worse than the others. Yuki smacked his back, grinning widely.
"Holy shit that’s strong," Clyde said. The women downed it like it was nothing…
A knock on the door signaled the Cake delivery service. Alice perked up, nearly sober.
And the party drank and ate cake, while chatting. Even Clyde found the brandy tasty with the Cake somehow. He knew he’d have regrets in the morning.
[You are 50% very drunk, but still, have lucidity over your actions. All of your physical attack moves have been changed to drunk-fu.]
[Your magic has a chance to fail or expend too much.]
"It’s kind of hot," Alice said then stripped to her panties.
"Al—"
A lick on his neck from Chika was all the warning he got before she pulled his shirt off.
"You could use some cooling off too," she said then whistled, catcalling style. Her flushed face indicated the brandy’s handiwork.
"No and give—"
"Hey Alice, I bet I can lick him better," Chika interjected.
"Tssh, is that a challenge, silver-hair?" Alice stumbled over to them.
Harumi straddled Clyde, giggling.
"Someone’s happy to see me." She kissed Clyde.
Clyde couldn’t hold onto his pants as Yuki pulled them right off. She grabbed at his boxers.
"Young master Clyde, it is only good for you to relieve your stress."
"I’m not complaining," Harumi said then hiccupped. Alice used the force to move the pink-haired girl.
"I’m his life mate. First is always mine."
"You girls are hopping for the goods too quick. Let me show you how to warm him up," Yuki said.
She downed her…twentieth cup of demon brandy, fortieth? The giant bottle was nearly empty. Yuki swayed over to the young man.
"Okay, we clearly had too much to drink," he said, but the women weren’t going to let him move. His massive erection had their attention. Yuki pulled out her breasts then abruptly passed out on top of Clyde.
The other women giggled hysterically.
"Let’s see who can make our Stone release first," Chika said. "Hands only. You get three minutes."
Yuki jerked up.
"I’m in," she slurred.
Maki’s house….
Maki had enough Ki to feel as if she was radiating, invincible. She felt like a destroyer. And best of all, Mei consented to all of it. She felt a little bad for using her friend, but she’d do what she must. And that was to make that slut pay for humiliating her. Clyde, some so-called Stone of legend, would get his too—how dare he reject her repeatedly. Any man would kill to have sex with Maki and all she wanted to do was give herself to Clyde. She figured Mei could be right. This radiance or whatever from the "Stone" changed a part of her. Oh well.
She needed to test this new power. Or… A voice interrupted her thoughts. It sounded like everything and eternity at the same time, mixed with the bottom of an abyss. This voice boomed and frightened, and plotted.
"Maki…your actions, your methods, your resolve is just what I need. And your black Ki. Obey and you can keep the power I’m granting you."
Ecstasy rushed into Maki until she found herself releasing all over her room. A black aura surrounded her, and she knew…
"I am he who paints the night. Hear me and obey. Retrieve the Omen’s sphere. The person who has it, you know her. She plans to meet with an ignorant nuisance. Get that sphere."
Maki shivered.
"I... I’ll try," she said, voice quivering barely able to stand against the intense pressure in the room. It abruptly vanished without
another word. Her orders were clear. Commands.
[Volume 3.] Episode 20 (Part 5)
Wednesday. Week 3. Month 1. Year 1. Season: Autumn.
[You have been inflicted with a hangover. All stats decreased by 25% until hangover is cleared. Remember this in the future…]
[2 days remaining to arrest Maki…]
The alarm threatened to explode Clyde’s head. He mentally shut it off and his frustration at taking a large debuff. A softness—an amazing softness was on top of him, pried the young man to open his eyes despite the painful sunlight. A naked Yuki slept on top of him, Chika was on one side holding his arm, Alice on the other as well as Harumi. Hell, he was naked. What the fuck happened the previous night? He desperately tried to remember, to retain something, but hit a blank. Did he fucking pass out? NOOOOOO. So much of that weird brandy….
Clyde’s horn shot up, awakening Yuki immediately. She looked surprised for just a second then smirked. She placed a finger over her lip, indicating the request for silence then curled her tongue in a place that made the young man clench his fists in intense glee. One of the other women stirred. The young man held his breath, but seconds passed without her waking.
Yuki’s grin widened. She whispered in his ear.
"You have class, but…one night, you must let me have you to myself. I am a demoness. I have needs. And I like you, a lot. A lot." She stroked Clyde’s manhood with her breasts, while curling the tip of it with her tongue. Within minutes of a technique that felt beyond amazing, he released a load onto her face, twice, but was still rock solid and ready to continue. Yuki waggled her finger, wiping her face with someone’s shirt. "I would shower with you, but…Alice attends your school now." He was a little sad to see her go and she gave him a full view of woman. "I’ll wake the others, you go shower. Your clothes will be waiting for you when you get out."
The Anime Trope System: Stone vs. Viper, #3 a LitRPG (ATS) Page 14