Wanderer's Game

My hand is shaking slightly. I only realise it now, several minutes after Grayfia left. How long has it been that way? Anticipation is getting to me it seems.

To put it bluntly, I'm in a real shit position. A rock and hard place dilemma. I dug myself into this whole and I'll be damned if I don't claw my way out. I owe it to them.

So, it's time to start planning. I need to first get in close enough to Euclid with Grayfia's help. That should be relatively simple, though it'll require a disguise as a Lucifuge servant and some improvisation on my part.

The real problem here is how I'm going to get out. How I'll get the whole damn clan out. The map gave me reference to archaic tunnels beneath the city, catacombs to bury dead warriors from centuries old battles.

I don't know why they stopped using them during the Great War, but if I had to guess the bodies simply stacked too high. They didn't have the time or the luxury to give them a burial. Getting sidetracked again.

The tunnels go around the city in a maze, near enough. I'm almost reminded of Paris looking at them. Unfortunately though, I don't have a clear outline of them, only a brief sketch of the tunnel system.

The map is of Lucifaad after all, not the catacombs. That's fine, though. The tunnels stretch far beyond Lucifaad, I'll just need to blast through until the restriction is lifted and we can teleport away.

Reaching the tunnels, however, requires a distraction. A fairly competent one, because I have about a 60 second window to kill Euclid and stir some shit thick enough that Bidleid has to deal with the more pressing issue or else we all die midway through our spelunking.

I've been racking my brain continuously over what I can use for that distraction. Thinking endlessly about how I can delay Bidleid's arrival in that lab. Contingencies for if the distraction isn't enough.

I want these people to live. I can't afford to go into this without thinking every possibility through. I've had ideas, of course.

The first was to just cover my hair in blood and hope that I pass as a convincing enough Sirzechs that Bidleid shits his pants and runs. The idea didn't pan out, in case that wasn't obvious enough.

The next idea was a circumstantial one, more than anything. Constantly, I've heard word about Euclid's research, about his work. If the opportunity arises, I may be able to use his 'research' to my advantage depending on what he's gotten his grubby little mitts on.

The next idea was much more plausible, far less reliant on possibility. Communication in and out of Lucifaad isn't blocked, it's only monitored. I could send a transmission to Serafall along the lines of 'they're distracted, attack them now!' after killing Euclid, hoping that they fall for the fakeout.

But again. Far too reliant on luck. On chance. I can't bank on my enemies stupidity, and Bidleid will be far less likely to trust my words after our first meeting.

Another thing to consider is Daimadosu. The man is a wild card, in the sense that I know next to fucking nothing about him aside from his skirt chasing habits. I'll need to ask Grayfia or Gehrman about the Asmodeus clan trait later, just to be sure.

If he shows up, things will be made even more complicated. I don't know the power differential between him and Bidleid, I don't know if Gehrman and Grayfia could take them both with my support. I doubt it. They'd have probably done it long ago otherwise.

I also need to know if Bidleid has any special powers up his sleeve. I don't know if he strictly adheres to the Beelzebub trait, because I am almost certain he didn't use teleportation when he sent me to sleep. I didn't see a magic circle.

Either I'm inept and the second eye didn't do me much good anyway, or Bidleid is capable of swapping places with his Drones. I sincerely hope it is the former, because the latter will make fighting him a nightmare as I am, as if it isn't already enough of one.

I have to resist the urge to drag my palm across my face the more I think about this situation. Bidleid can deal with us himself and have Daimadosu deal with the distraction if it isn't strong enough, and everything could be rendered worthless.

There's another action I haven't considered much. I can just blow a decent portion of the city to kingdom come. But, I'll need to check if the Underworld runs on some form of gas in any way, and considering the convenience of Mana I doubt it.

I had an idea, briefly. One that involved trapping myself and Bidleid in a Circle of Life. The basic concept is that, as long as my HP does not reach zero, I will survive, and any hits against enemies heal me for most of my health.

Pair that with my Doppelganger being intangible, it means I should consistently be able to stay alive for the full duration if the Doppelganger or myself can manage even a scratch on him. But, that just isn't possible.

Not only do I not want such an outcome to happen, but Bidleid surely would catch on. He's gullible, but according to Gehrman he isn't stupid. He'd just crush my skull and kill me in a single hit after a while.

So many options. So few are viable. So little time to make it all work.

[Did you forget about me, User? Maybe you can find a new power to help!]

Fuck it. Nothing else to do here. Time to rely on the System once more. I've got about 10 Gacha Pulls saved up and a Skill Token. Aside from the Euclid Plan, these are my last hope.

[You couldn't live with your own shortcomings. And where did that bring you? Straight back to me.]

Fuck off, Anya, I don't have time for your villain arc, or whatever you're doing here. You're the one who reminded me of this.

[I apologise, User! I only wanted to make you laugh!]

Is this really the time? Hey, can't you do that neural inhibitor thing again and help me think about a better way out instead?

[I already have, several minutes ago. Fret not, User. Suffering is the whetstone upon which true power born.]

For God's- AGH! Bloody hell, why did that one hurt so much more than the rest?

[Your continued abuse of Heaven's system has earned the ire of Uriel. He has amplified the weight of the Devil's Curse upon you.]

For fucks sake, can I stop making enemies with people that are orders of magnitude stronger than me? What the hell does he even have a grudge for? Everyone does it.

[Uriel believes your existence as a Devil is a blight upon the Kingdom of Heaven, as you are capable of reciting the Bible, a Holy text. No Devil before you has ever been able to.]

Is that really so special? Come to think of it, Devil's can't read the Bible, it's agony just to do so. Reincarnation isn't a thing yet either, so no reborn humans can claim that talent. My memory of the Bible is indicative of God's system falling apart.

How the hell does amplifying the curse even work? Am I just weaker to Holy implements overall now?

[No. All Devils retain the same level of weakness to the Holy attribute. You will simply feel more pain from it.]

Fine. I can work with that. Uriel can keep his grudge, Michael would never allow him to do anything to break this ceasefire, the wounds from the Great War are too raw still.

With any hope, he won't be stupid enough to try anything direct and I can accrue power in peace to stave off his ire. I just need time. Once I get out of this shithole, I'll be unbound by the arbitrary shackles of this System's Tutorial.

I initially estimated I'd be as strong as the Satans in six months. With Dungeons in the picture? It might be sooner. I won't be able to get the experience and prowess they have, but that's fine. I've got a ten thousand year lifespan to learn and evolve my skills.

I just need to survive these next few days. Then, I'll never have to worry about being weak again. I'll never be in that room.

[It is as I said User. Strong men are born in the crucible of adversity. When the Tutorial ends, your power will grow exponentially. You just need to live long enough to see it.]

How philosophical of you. Now then. Making enemies of Archangels, while still annoying, is the least of my priorities. First things first, I need to invest the last 6 stat points I haven't been able to invest. 2 in INT, 2 in VIT and 2 in LUK, just in case.

HP: 1757

MP: 810

LUK: 15

Finally, the important part. To the Gacha Gods, I ask of you. Bless me.

Gacha Pull Used! Reward: Dominoes

Gacha Pull Used! Reward: Cement mix

Gacha Pull Used! Reward: Cedar wood bowl

Gacha Pull Used! Reward: Skill Token

Gacha Pull Used! Reward: Slippers

Gacha Pull Used! Reward: Skill Token

Gacha Pull Used! Reward: Platinum chip

Gacha Pull Used! Reward: Hunk of plastic

Gacha Pull Used! Reward: 346 Sol

Gacha Pull Used! Reward: Ritual Dagger

Great. Aside from the Skill Tokens, I got absolutely fucking nothing. I'm in the same position I started with. The only interesting item I received was the Ritual Dagger, but the description sounds blatantly ominous.

Ritual Dagger (SR):

Give penance in blood and a wish will be granted. One time use.

I don't trust it one bit. It's too convenient, and too vague. I don't want to take the risk that it's designed to be that way and intended to exploit desperate people.

I suppose this is my fault for getting my hopes up, I was expecting something like Kyoka Suigetsu but actually usable. It's fine though, relying on gambling to solve my problems is a very slippery slope.

Alright, Skill Tokens. What can you give me this time? Anything other than Sodium Knowledge, I beg.

Skill Unlock Token Used! Skill: Blessing of the Starscourge has been acquired.

Skill Unlock Token Used! Skill: Freikugel has been acquired.

Skill Unlock Token Used! Skill: Slippery Bastard has been acquired.

The Gacha Pulls were dreadful, but this? This is fucking sensational. Finally, I have some destructive power. Unfortunately...

Freikugel: Condense your Mana into a beam of utter devastation and rend your enemies. 70MHP/s cost.

Yeah. 70 MP and HP per second is a hefty cost, especially considering my MP regen is only 80MP/60s. At the very least, I know just how strong it can be. Thankfully, though, it isn't the only thing I got from this haul.

Slippery Bastard: 10% chance to automatically dodge any attack. Passive.

It's more gambling. Of course. But it's a passive skill with an incredibly high chance for what it offers, and I'll never discredit that. Finally, the skill I'm most pleased with.

Blessing of the Starscourge: Increases STR by 10%. Unlocks/amplifies the use of Gravity Magic, scaling with Level and INT. Reduces the MP cost of all Gravity Magic.

STR: 19

I'm not confident yet in my ability to make it out of Lucifaad unscathed. But now? I feel hope. And that is more than enough fuel to keep pushing forward.

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Before I met with Grayfia, I made sure to track down Gehrman. I wanted to know a few things, and what he told me wasn't very encouraging.

The first thing I asked was if there was any way for him to retrieve my eye.

Why? Because going into a possible battle for my life without an eye is a plain detriment. Long story short, the answer was no. I may just have to say goodbye to it at this point.

Luckily, I'm a lot more ignorant than I realised. Bidleid did just use regular teleportation, I was simply distracted. Thank fuck, dealing with a pocket Boogie Woogie would've been a nightmare.

He does however have something unique about him. Bidleid's unable to use the Chimera Toxin or Transformation. None of the Beelzebub bloodline can.

I'd been operating under my own shoddy memory, Beneram was only able to use the Chimera Transformation after his power was enhanced. It was never an innate technique to the Beelzebub clan.

I'm starting to really wish I actually read that fucking Civil War light novel instead of reading scraps online before I died. Things would've been much, much easier for me.

Anyways, Daimadosu's a much less interesting dilemma. Prolonged eye contact is the trigger for his clan trait, and the victim will find themselves unable to think, mind clouded with whatever thoughts he wants them to have, essentially losing the ability to fight back.

The less I think about the type of shit he's been up to with it the better. All I need to do is keep my eye away from his.

That was all Gehrman had for me, despite having been the one who helped raise them both. He only told me basic information about how they fight, Daimadosu uses a dagger and Bidleid his gauntlets.

Any knowledge is good knowledge. Both of them are close range fighters, which means in a Circle of Life I can at least have a better chance of scratching them. I won't be alone either, as long as we connect a hit we're fine.

Another thing I did was tell Gehrman about the plan. I'd rather not have to gather the whole House when the time comes, so he'll round up the servants in the early hours of the morning, near an entrance to the catacombs not too far from the manor.

Pieces are falling into place. Bidleid seems to be quite shit at this 'observation' thing, given that his bees are never where they need to be. Either that, or he's cruel enough to give me false hope and turn a blind eye until the last moment.

I can't deny that it's a possibility. Perhaps he wants to watch me struggle. He seems the type to enjoy that.

I tried to ask about Beneram, because he's another anomaly I need to micromanage, but he hasn't been seen in weeks. Gehrman wants to believe that he died in some ditch, but I know he shows up again at some point.

I just wish I knew when. I wish I knew how. Gehrman's useful, but sometimes I'm convinced he's got some kind of fucking seal placed on him because his answers to certain questions are infuriating.

No matter. There's too many variables to account for at once, I can't be getting sidetracked on Gehrman's history.

There's so many ways this escape can go wrong. Fuck, I should've just tried my luck on the frontlines, farming EXP. I'm sure I could've convinced Serafall to let me leave.

Oh well. I can't change what I've done. All I can do is push forward, live with the consequences of my actions. At the end of the day, I should be dead. If I die tonight, it's just a course correction from God.

The clock in the hallways chimes, and I get moving. It's showtime. Midnight, on the dot. Time to go meet Grayfia.

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She's tense. Very, very tense. Clearly she knows just as well as I do how much this could get us both in the shit. Despite that anxiety, she doesn't hide away or back out.

"I have acquired the outfit you need. I was unable to get your exact measurements, so I have done my best to estimate." She hands me the attire of a Lucifuge servant, the three piece suit being rather weighty.

The basic infiltration plan is as such. Euclid's in the lab almost 24/7, only leaving for bathroom breaks. A rotation of servants bring him food every six hours of the day, and this has been routine for months now.

Me and Grayfia will be the next rotation. I'll need to make some cosmetic adjustments to ensure that any of Bidleid's drones won't catch me on my way. Small changes that'll make me stand out less.

The first is my hair. Far too recognisable, so I summon Caduceus and cut it all off at the neck. It goes back to the original length whenever I use a Prayer anyways. Never grows beyond that length, oddly enough.

After the emergency haircut is the eye. I take off the eyepatch and place in the fake prosthetic Grayfia procured for me. I say prosthetic lightly, it's more akin to a clump of white clay that is mashed into my eyesocket and vaguely resembles an eye.

"Is that all, Lord Mammon?" Grayfia asks as I begin changing into the Servants Attire. It isn't a Signature item like the Travelling Merchant's Attire so I can't just throw it on in an instant unfortunately.

"That's all I can do for now. Are you ready?" She nods in affirmation as I finish changing, before doing something that admittedly catches me off guard.

She reaches out and grabs my hand just as I begin turning, being silent for a few moments as she just holds it. Eventually, she decides on what she wants to say and meets my eyes.

"Thank you. For helping us. You're a good man, Alistair." I can almost hear the gratitude in her tone as she speaks. She's smiling now, nothing more than a small crease in her cheeks, but it's beautiful.

"Gehrman's promised me a lot for this. It isn't just altruism that motivates me." She shakes her head at my response.

"It doesn't matter what your motivations are. You have gone through great hardship and still chosen to risk your life for ours, in spite of your struggles. Once again, I thank you."

Knowing just how long I spent toiling over how to manipulate her and her father, this all makes me feel incredibly guilty.

"Don't thank me yet. We've still got a lot of work to do." She releases my hand, giving me another smile that I can't quite decipher as she speaks again.

"Understood, Master."