The Anime Trope System: Stone vs. Viper, #6 a LitRPG (ATS)

by Alvin Atwater

  “Sit down,” he said. “Let’s talk about today. Everyone will report one at a time.”

  Alice took a seat in Clyde lap. Chika sat on his left. Tear maintained her position on his right, snuggled into him. Airi’s eyes were wide.

  “Just who are you?” she said. “Freaking harem masters.”

  Clyde waved the nonsense away.

  “Let’s begin. Yuki, you first.”

  **

  Episode 33 (Part 5)

  Demon lord’s Skyscraper…

  Leon knelt to his great demon lord, calm, but ready. Dressed in ridiculous traditional demon clothing, cape and all, he continued to wait for his orders…Even though he had been waiting for twenty goddamn minutes. He was a thin young man with short green hair, red eyes, and too much magic to spend. He regretted being promoted to Head knight those years ago. Every goddamn day began with kneeling at the seemingly dimwitted woman for what felt like a millennium. His record was three and a half hours. The clock on the left, halfheartedly hanging on the wall of the large office, served as his witness. His only entertainment was daydreaming with a hope that the demon lord would allow him to nestle his face into her large breasts. He lost count at how many times he “imagined” his great lady during the night. Blonde hair that draped to her back and gray eyes, the demoness spent most of her time lounging and watching soap operas. Her gray silk dress was a world of cleavage that made the demon knight believed he’d die from the constant teasing.

  What a bitch. He had better things to do—why didn’t she let him go? For the love of…

  “Howdy Leon, didn’t know you were there.” Her office chair allowed her to spin from the TV to him in the most childish manner, possibly. And her fake, foreign accent was terrible. She even wore a large brown “ten-gallon” hat. Leon wanted to die. His dimwitted master was in one of those moods.

  And she pretended to just notice him like this EVERY fucking day—switching personas like trading cards. “I reckon you ‘bout to go do some recon for me, boy.” She giggled.

  Leon groaned under his breath. He wondered if he started praying to the gods, would they convert him out of this household. He still spoke respectfully, no matter how much it hurt in the inside.

  “My lady, how can I be of service to you today?” Leon said. Please sex, please sex , he thought, though it never happened. The rumors of his demon lord being a virgin were numerous.

  “Service, oh yeah, I reckon I almost forgot,” she said, wagging a finger. “I need ye to go over yonder and check on a few things for me.”

  “But my lady,” Leon said, “what about the invasive minotaurs? Some of our own monster girls can only mate exclusively with human men. If the bulls take them all, the whining—I mean, problems will start to develop. Our house strength will diminish.”

  “I reckon you exaggerate, boy,” she said, tilting her head to the side. “I spoke with them. Nice women. Their followers are nice too. The holstaur is especially kind.”

  Leon tried so hard not to facepalm nor widen his eyes. No wonder why his fellow competitive knights willingly gave him this position. Those double-crossing assholes. “Go patrol now with a small guard. Yall take care now, you hear.”

  He knelt over a half-hour for this. Something had to be done about her, except he knew that shit wouldn’t come to be. Some of the others adored her—fucking idiotic supporters. They claimed her laxness enabled them to come together as a family and not a military unit. Idiots. All of them. They could be both—military units were family too, right? They let weakness cloud their thoughts and Leon had to deal with the aftermath.

  “By your leave, my lady,” he forced out.

  “Yall come back now, ya hear?” the demon lord turned back to her ‘cowboy’ romance. Leon wondered if stabbing her in the back…. no. She was in power for many years. He’d be a fool to underestimate the carefree demoness. He stood, gave a middle finger that she couldn’t see instead of a salute, and left.

  **

  Niyoto hotel…

  The meeting went well. It even included viewing a layout of the city via the internet—Kiko pulled up a nice website. Clyde was seconds from dismissing the party when a giant feminine moan of raw pleasure blasted through the entire hotel, rattling windows. Additional moans following. The eyes of the party and the passing hotel staff widened. Many of the attendants were innocent, pure women—the young man could tell by the reddened faces. Even the darker-skinned workers had anime-girl blushes that put tomatoes to shame.

  “YES! YES! YES!” Kira the minotaur yelled. “ROCK DADDY, GIVE IT TO ME.”

  The building shook in a familiar sexual rhythm. Mouths fell agape.

  “Oh god,” Clyde said, giving Tear a sideways glance. She flushed, facepalming.

  “What in the hell,” Toru said. “This is of one of the finest hotels in Niyoto with proven, state-of-the-art soundproof technology. What’s going on?”

  “ROCK DADDY!” the minotaur screamed.

  Clyde cringed. The poor hotel staff would have to clean all of that up. He shuddered.

  “What’s gotten into you, my Heart?” Alice said.

  “Long story, Alice,” Clyde said then chuckled. “Long story.”

  That seemed to make her even more curious. Melody fainted. Ruri shook her head.

  “How is she half trickster demon, half dark goddess?” the hellhound said.

  “I think it’s kind of adorable,” Harumi said. “Nothing wrong with being pure.”

  “I’d expect to hear that from the queen of all pure,” Sazuki said.

  Harumi giggled, but said nothing to correct her friend.

  “Never mind that, who’s having speaker sex?” Maki said. She seemed to shrink into herself when all eyes turned on her. If not for the contract, Clyde would’ve easily forgotten that the criminal girl existed. Dressed in a lower-quality maid outfit, Yuki made sure to get her gainfully employed with the hotel cleaning staff, free of charge. Her spy training was still a way off—the demoness worked on her subservience.

  Also, by miracle, Maki’s own money, and a few other things unmentioned, she got more than a handful of girls to forgive her for the assaults. Naomi wasn’t one of them.

  Tear teleported off when no one was looking to calm things down. Clyde however couldn’t go as Alice and Chika watched him. And Ming.

  “The meeting’s over,” Clyde said. “Everyone’s free to call it a night. Be prepared for patrolling tomorrow. If you hear anything about the demon lord or that cult, text the group.” He eyed Toru for a few seconds to engrave the message into him. The noble sighed and gave a half-hearted thumbs up.

  He saw no path to Kitome. Ming seemed to watch both of them while pretending to go over her notes.

  These damned main character powers. Many men would kill to have them , he thought. It was a good thing she didn’t attempt to block Tear. He shuddered at what could’ve went deadly wrong.

  Abruptly, a news report flashed on a nearby TV screen. And there, he saw spawned demons marching around, captured on film by a brave and stupid crew. Mostly stupid. Two minotaurs carrying men off. One of them—though it was poorly censored—had two fingers shoved inside herself while walking. No police whatsoever.

  “What’s that about not having a patrol dear—Heart,” Alice said, giving him a blank stare. Hinako had her mouth covered, disbelieving at what she saw. Ruri growled. Seth shook his head. Neko sighed.

  “Nyaaa, they’re just as bad as the hellhounds.”

  Ruri and Matsume glared at catgirl. She simply smiled innocently.

  “Toru, Harumi, Alice, and—” Clyde began.

  “Me!” Natalia hopped onto Clyde’s shoulders. “You can’t possibly leave your right hand out of the fight.”

  “Shouldn’t we all go?” Seth said.

  “No,” Clyde said. “There’s nothing that can be done about that mess—look at those numbers. But we’re going to pick off a few isolated troops and maybe follow a minotaur to find the hideout. If you want to go badly, then get into C
lare’s group. She’s going to take out her magical girl lackeys later.”

  “We’re not lackeys,” Sahara said, folding her arms. Clyde gave her a blank stare. She harrumphed anime-girl style.

  “I’ll be joining in too of course,” Airi said. “That’s why I’m here, right? Use me before I go.” She winked.

  Clyde smiled.

  “Yes mam.”

  He sent a text to Kitome, but warned her within the body not to make any visible expression. Ming seemed determined for some reason. As if to give her a taste of reality, Chika kissed Clyde.

  “You better stay safe out there,” she said. “And why are you taking Toru?”

  “Isn’t obvious—”

  Alice interrupted Seth by punching him in the gut.

  “Let’s get this out of the way before I splatter this human all over the wall.”

  Seth smiled sheepishly.

  “This is day one,” Clyde said softly. “Fuck, tomorrow can’t possibly get worse.”

  Episode 33 (Part 6)

  As the group exited the hotel, the building stopped shaking. The ridiculous songs of ecstasy died. Tear’s text confirmed the ending of the madness. She even saved the hotel staff the trouble by instantly cleaning up everything via magic.

  Tear: You’ve turned me into a softy, beloved. Be careful out there, okay?

  Clyde: I’ll try. Thanks.

  [First Quarter.] [Hotel Street.]

  Clyde wasn’t surprised when the hotel staff gave them a warning about going outside. Strange happenings, missing people, same shit from Lot City. He took the time to meditate for once—both quick and mystic, before they took off. As eager as Alice was to get going, the party needed to be fully ready, himself included. He made a mental note to prioritize Melody next.

  He sighed… how did so many women get his heart? There was so much to learn from them too. The strange part that gave him bubbly guts was what felt like a requirement: marry them or no god tier powers. What if he decided for a solo game? That took unfair to a level he didn’t want to talk about.

  So even while grasping the power, his unknown tier skills weren’t the god tier. How did Natalia learn a goddess tier skill? Who was this twerp that rode his back?

  “Pervy nii-chan,” she said.

  Clyde said nothing, eyes searching the streets from right to left. She smacked both of her hands on his shoulders. “Pervy nii-channn.”

  “What?” Clyde said in a tired voice. He suddenly did not look forward to any kind of parenthood one day.

  “Have you never thought to wonder why I’m friends with Nina,” she said. “I’m not a kid, you know.”

  “Yeah you are,” Clyde said.

  “No—I’m a woman,” she briefly hugged his neck tightly. “And you will acknowledge me.”

  “Little girl, I’m going to feed you to the scary minotaurs if you don’t—”

  “Nina’s twenty years old,” she interrupted.

  “The kid? Yeah right,” Clyde said.

  “She’s right,” Alice said. “She ages significantly slower due to the vampirism. She’ll eventually stop when her body reaches adulthood.”

  “Maybe Toru will tap—”

  He grinned at Toru’s glare. A victory over his blank stare.

  “It’s sad,” Natalia said. “She’ll have to either wait a long time to have sex or—”

  She cut off at Harumi’s frown.

  “I’ve killed a fair number of vampires,” Airi said. “There’s nothing the old steel can’t do. All you can do is gut ‘em up and watch the blood drip. Slash and dash, sometimes stake them. Then toss the body parts in the sun or some fire to prevent some necromancer from reviving them.”

  The other women grimaced at the possible gory images being implanted in their heads.

  That’s when Clyde noticed that she was indeed equipped with a blade. He assumed Airi rushed back to her room to do just change out of her skirt into the tracksuit.

  The street lights suddenly flickered. Five muscled creatures with green skin strode toward them, snickering. Pointed ears, glowing red eyes, and fangs, they meant business. A black…miasma oozed from their left arms.

  Miasblin.

  Level: 66

  Type: Monster

  Work under: demon lord spawn.

  Special: Miasma jab.

  Weakness: Fire, light.

  Resistances: poison, ice.

  “There are goblins in this far out?” Airi said.

  “Miasblins,” Clyde said. “So... miasma goblins?”

  “There’s no way you should know that,” Airi said.

  Clyde waved the curious girl’s oncoming question away. “No talk, fight time now.”

  [Your party has entered combat!]

  “Did you know that male goblins are very respectful to women, but the female counterparts rape men?” Airi said then charged into the fray.

  “What… the fuck?” Alice said.

  “Lady Alice, watch your language!” Natalia said, wagging a finger. Alice gave her a pouty face then lurched into the fray. Harumi and Toru did too.

  “Get off me,” Clyde said in a deadpan voice.

  “Nope!” Natalia said.

  “Natalia, I’m missing out on the fun,” Clyde said, “so unless you want me to tell Alice what Ruri told me the other night, you’d better listen.”

  “No idea what you’re talking about,” Natalia said.

  “Hey Alice, the reason why your shirt was in the wash—”

  Natalia quickly covered Clyde’s mouth.

  “Okay, okay,” she said, voice pleading, then hopped down.

  Clyde grinned evilly at her.

  “Good girl.” He patted her head. “Now, go help blast away the big bad monsters.”

  He rushed toward a lone Miasblin, engaging it, Ludacris unsheathed.

  “Fucking humans,” it said, swinging wild punches at the young man. Clyde almost had the pleasure of gutting the level sixty-six monster when it simply disintegrated into powder.

  [Airi used Multi Pop shot.]

  [Airi killed all monsters in the vicinity.]

  Clyde only glimpsed the last baseball-sized ball of gray light vanishing.

  [Battle completed. Victory! Reward: 30,000 EXP and $5000]

  “What the hell, Airi?” were the words that didn’t come out of Clyde’s mouth on time, but Alice’s.

  “S—sorry,” Airi said. “My party and I try to deal with small fry as quickly as possible. I did that out of habit.”

  Seeing that the purple-haired young woman had an efficient tactic, he dropped his words. He could take her on a level-grinding date, but then again, he figured, Alice would be the better choice. Or Chika. Or maybe any of the other women really, they were virtually overpowered.

  The airflow muffled just a bit, enabling Clyde to sense what came at them. He stepped in front of Harumi and with one hand, caught the arrow aimed for her, by the shaft.

  A figure in a dark gray hoody vaulted off the rooftop but he didn’t get the chance to escape.

  [Airi used Tier 1 skill: Forced Faceoff. Enemy cannot escape. Enemy is enraged.]

  [Enemy unaffected by your analyze.]

  [Your party has entered combat!]

  Harumi rushed ahead of everyone, eyes seeming to burn with raw fury. Electricity and lighting pouring from a yellowish aura, she engaged the hooded figure with extravagant martial arts.

  The fight seemed even at first.

  “That’s how I taught you, Harumi,” Airi softly said. “Get him! Do it!”

  [Enemy has broken Forced Faceoff.]

  [Enemy activated Intense Focus.]

  A white aura surrounded the figure. His martial arts quickly overpowered Harumi and with one roundhouse kick, the pink-haired girl was sent flying several yards backward.

  He spawned a bow from an airborne-light, aimed at her, but Clyde blew it up with an Energy blast in time. Ashes and sawdust seemed to sprinkle everywhere.

  [Your MP has dropped to 160%]

  Harumi rush
ed him again without giving anyone else to take her kill. The dance moved so fast, it reminded Clyde of Dragon Ball fighting. Despite her best efforts, from spell and martial arts wielding, the hooded figure outmatched her. She was sent flying again.

  Airi stepped forward, ready to take control, but Hood Man didn’t seem eager to stick around any longer.

  [Enemy has activated Jump.]

  Harumi’s blast of lightning just missed. It hit the ground and dissipated harmlessly.

  “Ugh!” she snapped, frustrated.

  “Who or what the hell was that?” Toru said. Clyde pat him on the shoulder.

  “Another thing to add to your internet search list,” Clyde said. “If we run into Mr. Hoody again, we’ll be ready. And watch out for the bullshit bow attacks.”

  “He seemed to have a hate-boner for Harumi,” Toru said.

  “Let me find him,” Airi said. “It’d give me something to do during the day. I have his power signature locked. The moment I detect it, I’ll end him.”

  “You do that then,” Clyde said. He gestured for the others to follow. “We’ve got two more streets to patrol and then we’re done for the night.”

  He didn’t say the unspoken words: there wasn’t a face in the hoody, just blackness.

  **

  Hotel…

  Ming sat alone in a corner with her cards, practicing combos. Despite trying to be useful someway, somehow, she still had no luck. No one really talked to her nor really acknowledged that she existed. The others fought and bled together multiple times. Ming was only a part of one battle with them. She started to feel as if she may had overshot her intentions when asking to join Team Stone. Even earlier when she hoped to at least establish herself even as a simple messenger in addition to being a useless prophet, Clyde clearly wanted to kick her out of his room. She felt so embarrassed, maybe humiliated that she intentionally blocked whatever the Kitome girl tried. She even kept up the ruse during the meeting though she truly didn’t care. She had nothing against the other women. She knew sharing him was the only way to be with him. A non-human living legend.