The Anime Trope System: Stone vs. Viper #2 a LitRPG. (ATS) Read online

  Clyde’s mouth went dry.

  "Okay, what the fuck," he said. "So many questions. But I’ll start with the one that’s been gnawing at me. Why didn’t she defend herself against the demon girl attackers yesterday? Fuck, I’m so confused. I lost sleep over that."

  "She was there huh," Alice said. "And just happened to be gone when I arrived. The trickster played you like a fiddle."

  "Why did those demons attack her? Isn’t she a leader?"

  "Melody, we’ll keep calling her that," Alice said, "is pretty good at trickery, mind control and sometimes illusions. What you saw was exactly what she wanted. And she’s the reason why my father’s female troops have been sex-crazed lately. But…there’s no reason why you should run into her, right? So, you’ll be fine."

  "Alice, she’s a student at our school," Clyde said. "At least I think she is."

  Alice paled.

  "You must stay away from her," the demoness said softly. "She’s dangerous. She’ll do anything for entertainment. Anything. Honestly, no one at home feels at ease with a Trickster bonded to my idiot father’s service, especially as a favor from one of the most notorious demon trickster gods in existence."

  "Well, aren’t we fucked," Clyde said with a little anger in his voice.

  "How’d you catch onto this?" Harumi said.

  "Well for one, Melody slipped this morning," he replied. "I never once gave that girl my name. At least I don’t remember doing so." He explained the other deductions to the young women.

  "Well, at least you’re not tied to her, right?" Alice said. "No ties to her, no problems."

  Clyde said nothing.

  "Right?" Alice’s eye twitched.

  Clyde said nothing. He also decided to leave out the "absolute endearment" relationship status with Melody, not that he’d explain system notifications to them. It reminded him of Selkie’s relationship, "supreme neutrality." Could this be an entity-only thing? Fuck, if only he knew!

  "Clyde!"

  "We swapped phone numbers earlier," he admitted. "And like some guilt-filled idiot, I told her if she needed anything, I’m her man."

  Rage briefly filled Alice’s pink eyes. When she spoke, her voice was deadly calm.

  "It could be worse," Alice said. "That’s not an oath, but now she has an excuse to trouble you."

  Clyde shook his head.

  "All of the trouble I went through to keep her from nightmarish tentacle abyss monsters and rapey monster girls…. was her doing the entire time."

  "I know it’s a hard pill to swallow," Alice said. "As you humans would say, ‘I call bullshit.’ But it’s the truth. Her mind control ability isn’t something a mere human can pick up and learn. The illusions she probably implanted, ones that would make her seem defenseless and weak—that’s classic trickster magic."

  "I really don’t need this," Clyde said. "Is there anyway I can avoid her? Also, can you ward my apartment?"

  Alice nodded.

  "I can ward your place against all intruders, but it’s going to cost a little of your spirit energy."

  "Okay, easy enough, let’s get this over with," Clyde said.

  "Come my Clyde, kiss me. Spirit energy can only be transferred by the lips."

  Alice looked at Harumi and Clyde. "This will be a great lesson for you humans. In case you pick up the skill one day."

  The bafflement in the eyes of the young women made Clyde’s stomach drop. But now really wasn’t the time to care for such trivial things.

  [Volume 2.] Episode 11 ( Part 5)

  "I will rip out your throat and make you eat it," Chika seemed to say within her yandere glare. Her aura swirled out, visible at least to him. Even Harumi’s normally friendly face looked neutral, those eyes seeming to dare the young man.

  Clyde couldn’t believe how small the gazes of these women made him feel. That saying about a woman’s fury—so this was it or at least a taste. Friendship, closer level two. He knew he didn’t deserve it as he didn’t put in the realistic amount of work. Agh! How could he let himself get trapped into a harem anyway? Wait. It wasn’t a harem. No…just because he had three female friends didn’t mean jack shit, right?

  Friendship, closer level two. Okay, so they clearly liked him, Clyde knew that much. Can’t be the dense-man here, he knew. That didn’t mean he had to jump to being romantically involved with them right now.

  Another excuse. They were very fun to hang out with, but he’d be lying to himself if he said he wasn’t attracted to them. Constantly inviting Alice over, Harumi with chess as an excuse knowing she was impossible to beat, and still hanging out with yandere Chika because reasons.

  God, what had Japan done to him? Clyde needed to get out of his head.

  "Meh, it’s just a kiss for the transfer of spirit energy," Clyde said in a disinterested voice, knowing damn well that he wanted to do more. His attraction to Alice was so strong, it seemingly transcended time. He needed to be sure that, that was him and not some ambient demoness magic. Another excuse. He grew tired of them.

  Well, it was not as if he formed a harem. Pssh, as if someone like an OP trickster would suddenly surrender herself to him in some impossibly foolish notion. That absolute endearment had to be fake.

  So many obstacles stood in his way—the entire experience had evolved into more than a mission to make it back to his prior dimension. And the system preventing him from rushing.

  One wave of Alice’s finger surrounded the duo with some kind of glowing white circle. A magic circle Clyde remembered from various video games and fantasy TV shows, it shimmered like a blinking sun, tiny particles of energy rising into the air above it.

  Before he knew it, Alice and his lips met. He…wished he could go further.

  Suddenly, the circle collapsed, and a force threw the twin-tailed demoness to the wall. She hit with a thud!

  "Oh shit, Alice."

  The three of them surrounded the demoness. It took Clyde a few seconds to realize that she was laughing.

  "Well, she’s not hurt," Chika said.

  "He doesn’t need a ward," Alice said weakly. "If anything, demons should want a warding against him." The demoness sat up, her smile revealing itself for Clyde. "You have no idea how impossibly strong you are. What shines inside of you, brighter than the brightest of suns." She easily stood without assistance. "Yeah, don’t expect me to try that again unless I decide to become some kind of masochist."

  Clyde didn’t know what to say. Special power, in him? Some useful thing to know. Where was it when he needed it? What a fuckin cliché. Where was the old man to tell him how to use his so-called special abilities, then die five minutes later to some cannon fodder enemy.

  What about the times he nearly died—surely something could’ve manifested. As a prideful but wise anime character once said, power levels are bullshit.

  Chika and Harumi looked at Clyde as if viewing him for the first time.

  "Anything you’d like to share?" Harumi said. "I knew you were strange since the night I saw you fight, but you never talk about yourself. Where are you from? And when did you come across your powers?"

  Clyde felt backed in a corner. In truth, he didn’t mind talking about himself, but attracting Mortem was simply not an option.

  "I can’t say," Clyde said. Harumi opened her mouth to protest, but the young man interjected. "It’s not like I want to keep any secrets. I simply can’t say."

  Chika sighed then anime-dove into his arms.

  "I trust you," she said. "Regardless of the mess you’re in."

  "You shouldn’t," Clyde said then pulled away. "Not to be emo or edgy, but don’t. I will say the thing that I’m involved in could kill you."

  He sat on the couch, arms relaxed and open as if to embrace the air. For some reason, the three young women gave each other a look.

  [Harumi activated skill-fusion: First speed + Flash step.]

  Before Clyde could even register what the fucked happened, Harumi was in his lap, triumphant smile on her face. The other women
glared daggers at her. Chika’s pink aura threatened to outshine the lights.

  He wasn’t sure to be surprised or not that she boldly stirred the hornet’s nest. And skill fusion? When did she learn such a thing? He wasn’t sure what the hell First Speed was, but…his thoughts stopped as his erection rose to new heights.

  Harumi gave him a wry smile.

  "As you were saying," she said in a voice that made him hope that material of his pants would hold strong.

  "I…" he forced himself to look anywhere but those boobs. He tried…and tried. How did she find the clothing to house such greatness? Must focus.

  "You can tell us a little something about you," Harumi said softly. She leaned back allowing the enticing aroma of lingering soap and perfume to hug his nose. Still being in the skirt of the school, his boner dug a little deep into her. He almost considered kicking the others out. "If not, I’ll just leave until you’re ready to tell."

  "That’s not fair, Harumi," Clyde said, his voice nearly a whisper. He pulled himself together. Well, he tried. Mortem’s words came to his head. You’ve done well for not talking too much. An entity that can freeze time and pop on him at will—could the young man really risk it?

  "Someone’s really happy to see me," the pink-haired girl whispered. "You—"

  "Enough is enough, you cow," Alice pulled Harumi off, not with her hands, but with what Clyde could only describe as the force. He wasn’t much of a Star Wars person, yet, but he hadn’t been living under a rock. The poltergeist-like ability made him a little envious. "If he doesn’t want to tell, there’s a reason behind it."

  Clyde made his decision, but first, he’d give them fair warning. After all of the shit they went through together, to simply expect them to nod and accept it was a bit arrogant.

  "It’s okay Alice, let her down. I’ll tell, but you’ve got to decide if you really want to risk your lives for this." Alice dropped Harumi from midair onto his lap, causing both of them to grunt. The women looked at each other, nodded once, then turned their attention back to Clyde.

  "Tell us," Chika said.

  Lot City Hotel…..

  "I am Dark. Conqueror of all nations. Warrior of the mighty, slayer of the foolish!" Dark thrusted his right hand to the side in an exaggerated motion. "Bow before—"

  "What are you doing?" a familiar voice said from his doorway.

  He quickly straightened himself and turned from the mirror, face flushed.

  "No—nothing," he quickly said. "What do you want, Selkie?"

  The beautiful green-haired entity fixed him with an amused stare. She was dressed in a light-purple cheongsam. Next to her in simple jeans and shirt, Dark looked like a bumkin.

  "I was checking to see if you were hungry, Mr. slayer of nations," she said.

  "You heard that," he said softly. "Anyway—woman, a supreme being like me does not trouble himself with hunger while training."

  His stomach rumbled hard enough to shake the dresser. Selkie softly facepalmed then marched over to the chuuni. With a firm grasp of his ear, she hustled him out the door.

  After dinner, the two found somewhere quiet to chat. A cool breeze ruffled the air of the young man as his head hung slightly over a rail. The cloudy sky seemed to spark a little life into him.

  "What’s bothering you, Charly?" Selkie said.

  "Don’t call me that—it’s Dark! I am the…" he dropped his head. "It’s the asshole."

  "What? Who touched you?" Selkie said, twinkle in her eye.

  "No, vile woman, Clyde!" he barked. "There are so many things wrong with his situation. Like how he’s getting all the girls—I mean is given the power and title of the Stone when it clearly should be mine. He should be embracing this world, but deep in his eyes, he looks like he was forced here against his will. He’s a dick. And yet I failed myself in that fight against him. I…let blinding rage get to me. And…when I saw the man who was also from earth get pulled off into the night to be some harpy’s meal, I…I…" he took in a breath then let it out. "I was a little frightened for the first time since I’ve been here." He looked at Selkie. "You told me that he’s changing. His attitude, his power, ambient spirit. Is it true? What’s going on?"

  Selkie gave the chuuni an intense stare.

  "You should know that Clyde is something extremely rare. In fact, he shouldn’t exist." She folded her arms, allowing herself a shudder. "For the second time in history, someone was born as the Stone. The watchers are afraid of him, he who cannot be touched by the Great Hand. They also find him fascinating, want entities to find a way to control him, fight the darkness at their bidding. Corrupted themselves." She paused, realizing she released too many of her personal thoughts. "I’ve said too much. Just make sure you don’t repeat it, or you’ll be killed with me."

  Dark’s eyes widened.

  "My lips are sealed."

  "Good," Selkie said. "After I meet with Clyde tomorrow, we shall leave this city. This place gives me too many bad feelings. Besides, you have your destiny and he has his." She gazed into his eyes. "You could try making some friends. Drop the loner act."

  "No," Dark said. "I already told you this world is mine. You keep your side of the deal and we’ll be fine. And don’t give me those eyes of pity—I’m Dark. I’ll soon be the fear that makes everyone’s skin crawl."

  Selkie shook her head.

  "You do that on purpose. Bottle up like that. Charly, one day you’ll have to break your shell, at least a little. You’ve got a part to play. And it’s not as a puppet."

  The two met eyes, hardness and steel between the gazes.

  [Volume 2.] Episode 11 ( Part 6)

  Clyde waited in anticipation after telling them his story. Mortem didn’t appear, no time-freeze, nothing. The surrounding women stared at him, wonder and curiosity in their eyes.

  [You have given a trust bond to Alice, Harumi, and Chika. This cannot be taken back. Because all three of them are close friends, you’ve earned a 10% bonus to HP and MP. Your new skill: Trust Bond Skill Mimic is on hold until you’ve read Path of the Mystic. Alert, this skill is required, therefore you will be forced to read it at dawn.]

  Clyde glanced out the window and sighed at the wink of the sunset orange sky. There went his sleep-in. A lesson about procrastination, he supposed.

  "Are you…" Harumi paused as if searching for the right words. "Do you hate it here?"

  The question revealed hopeful gazes.

  "No," Clyde said, causing the women to smile in relief. "This is a strange world, but I don’t hate it." He left off the, "because of you guys."

  Had to separate himself from the dopey main characters somehow. And saying something like that out of the moment…Not him. Even if it was true. Of course, judging how they looked at Clyde, whether he said that or not wouldn’t have mattered. "We’ve been through a lot in just one freaking week. And speaking of fighting, I know you’re trying to be modest Chika, but could please tell us what you did while we were battling Zeth."

  "You saw?"

  "Remember how I said I can sense people’s powers and actions," Clyde said. He didn’t dare reveal anything about the prompts—there was a limit to how much he’d risk drawing the attention of someone more dangerous than Mortem. Besides, if they knew that the prompts could reveal their secrets or that it kept up with how they felt about him—revealing their internal relationship—embarrassment would become the understatement of the century. He told them the truth of being sent here, Mortem, the Stone and its purpose to kill someone called the Viper, and how deities watched. He left out the gamer talk. "I didn’t sense you. Hell, you weren’t even there for most of it, but you did something. I felt that much."

  Chika looked shocked for a moment then nodded.

  "Fine. I’ll tell you. It’s not like it’s a big deal anyway."

  During the boss fight….

  Chika was ready to strangle Zeth when he dared to ensnare Clyde with his stupid challenge. She gritted her teeth, opening herself to the massive whirlwind of strengt
h within. She’d end this quickly, save the young man the trouble so he could do whatever ridiculous thing that cat told him.

  Oh she hoped this was a trap. She wasn’t a murderer and preferred a lot and a lot and A LOT of love, specifically love-making with Clyde, over violence, but she’d make an exception for Neko. She just needed an excuse.

  Abruptly, the silver-haired girl noticed a thin tendril of pulsing blue light leading out a door that wasn’t there before. She knew she could ignore such a thing, help the others—destroy Zeth, but something felt wrong, off. She felt danger, danger for all of them. She couldn’t explain the feeling, but the chills crawling down her spine lurched her into action.

  [Chika activated Brief hyper stealth.]

  She disliked this skill, as it didn’t work on powerful enemies or hyper-powerful sense of smells. This helped her sneak out of the ballroom, magically unnoticed by friend nor foe.

  She ended up darting down a hall, following the blue magic. She let go of the stealth, reacting to her urge to move faster. Faster! Before it was too late.

  Oh, please let me make it in time, she thought.

  A second door appeared ahead, the blue spectral of magic oozing from beneath it. She placed a hand on the surface, closed her eyes and activated another rogue skill.

  [Chika activated Peek.]

  With this ability, she saw the room and the monsters inside.

  [Chika activated Eavesdrop.]

  Now that she could hear the conversation as well as see what was going on, she planned. There were three Lizard guards hastily unpacking what looked like large timer-bombs from crates. One guard song something disturbing to himself.