thomasdarkrose
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Fabricator v2 - Chapter 27
🕑 Added 2023-09-18 20:01:45 +0000 UTCJunichiro calmly walked over and took the seat that was almost directly across from Mephisto. He wanted to keep the ancient devil within his sights. Mittelt sat alone on the love seat. Once they settled in, Mephisto snapped his fingers causing a spell circle to appear on top of the central table. A tea set, finger sandwiches, and assorted small snacks rose from the circle. Mephisto leaned toward the setting and fixed himself a cup of tea, “Please, help yourselves.”
Junichiro didn't hesitate to mimic Mephisto in making himself a good cup of English tea. In his previous life he'd been more of a coffee drinker. His tastes had changed a little, likely due to his young age, and he found himself preferring the various tastes of different teas. Though finding a good sweet tea that wasn't made from green tea or some random ass fruit flavored tea was a pain. He also selected a nice looking finger sandwich to munch on. Some might be concerned with the possibility of poisons or potions, but that was pointless. Not only was Mephisto strong enough to trounce both of them, but Junichiro was pretty much immune to poisons now.
After taking a sip of his tea and smiling at the delicious flavor, Junichiro addressed Mephisto, “So, you just wished to talk?”
Mephisto nodded happily, “Indeed. I can't tell you how long it's been since I've seen something new and exciting. The last time... Yes, the last time was when little Ajuka made those wonderful Evil Pieces of his. I managed to get myself a set and turned Tannin into my Queen, but after that I lost interest. Those Rating Games of there are just so boring. Though Tannin does seem to enjoy them. To each their own, I suppose.”
Junichiro had a tight smile. Hearing Mephisto refer to Ajuka Beelzebub as 'little Ajuka' just drove home how ancient and powerful Mephisto was. Meanwhile, for Mittelt, it was a reminder that Mephisto was as old as the original four Satans, probably as powerful, and, if rumors were true, wasn't even born of Lilith, Lucifer's wife and mother of Devils. Many believed that the only reason Mephisto didn't rule the underworld was because he simply didn't wish to.
Mephisto's eyes focused back on Junichiro, “Then you came out of nowhere. Your introduction to the supernatural world? A never before seen healing potion! Of course, it has nothing on Phenex Tears when it comes to sheer healing strength. Yet, it is still so very useful. It took me a fair amount of effort to get my hands on some. Can you imagine my surprise when I tried to dig out its secrets yet every possible method of scanning it, both magical and mundane, turned up nothing but useless data?”
Junichiro couldn't help the proud smile that graced his face. Knowing his abilities had stymied someone as old and knowledgeable as Mephisto was quite the achievement, “A man has to protect his secrets. Those potions making up the majority of my main income, you know.”
That was true too. He'd automated the process using small golems. All he had to do was make sure the raw material hoppers were full and the little magical objects would go through the necessary steps to brew the healing potion. The hardest part had actually been automating the process to protect the recipe. In the end, he'd had to design a magic item just for that purpose.
Mephisto nodded along to Junichiro's explanation, “Of course, of course. Business is business, after all. Still, after that came your items. I actually purchased a full set of your kitchen knives. I have to say, despite not, technically, being magic items, they are by far the best set of knives I've ever had the pleasure of owning. Ah, I, unlike many others, don't consider just anything made with Mana Steel to be magical, just so you're aware of why I do not consider them magical. Now, if they shot out flames or some such, it'd be a different story. But then there was what I could find out from examining them. Ohhhhh I'd never even heard of a similar technique. Though the method of folding steel that many Japanese bladesmith's use to spread out the impurities within their steel was a clear inspiration, using that method to somehow sandwich thin layers of magical power between the layers of steel?! Inspired!”
Junichiro nodded along. There wasn't a method to hide his forging techniques, or at least not that forging technique. It wasn't much of an issue though since that technique was considered the most basic of basics. Even then, someone would have to figure out the process of implanting the magical power into the metal and making it 'stick' so it could be folded. So while it could be seen, it was a lot harder to imitate.
After taking a sip of his tea, Junichiro reached into an inner pocket of his jacket and removed his cigarette case. Holding it up so it could clearly be seen he asked, “Do you mind”
Mephisto wrinkled his nose, “Such a filthy habit. I'm surprised a clearly intelligent young man, like yourself, would have such a habit. But, I suppose, no human is perfect. Feel free.”
Junichiro didn't bother correcting Mephisto. While his past life had smoked tobacco cigarettes, he'd never touched the stuff in his current life. Though not because cancer was a concern. More because, compared to the magical herbal blends, tobacco tasted and smelled like ass. At least, commercially processed tobacco did. A good hand rolled and well aged cigar was a different matter entirely. He'd still skip it in favor of his personal smokes though.
He flipped open the case and pulled out on of his hand rolled cigarettes. Each one in the case hand a small colored band on them that marked out which blend they were. The one he selected had a soft light blue band that marked it as one with a calming mix of herbs. Sitting across from Mephisto, even if the guy was being rather polite and friendly, was still a hell of a terrifying thing. He quickly placed the cigarette between his lips and lit it with a snap of his fingers. A light inhale followed by an exhale had the scent of the smoke spreading quickly.
Mephisto sniffed the air and looked a little surprised, “Oh?” His surprised turned into a satisfied smile, “I suppose I shouldn't have assumed you would smoke tobacco. Still, mixing such herbs and smoking them?”
He closed his eyes took a deeper breath through his nose, inhaling as much of the scent as he could. After exhaling he nodded, “Echomard. Hallow Cane. Adina... and something I can't quite catch.”
He opened his eyes and looked at Junichiro. Smiling, Junichiro provided the last ingredient, “Nasty Rose.”
Despite the name, the herb Nasty Rose wasn't actually 'nasty.' It was called that because it was a particularly vicious form of venus fly trap that looked like a rose and was capable of eating animals the size of rats. It was 'nasty' because it liked to wrap its pray up in its thorny stem before the flower head would open and devour the pray. Yet, despite being carnivorous, the plant produced a calming effect on living beings when it was burnt due to the pheromones the plant released to attract unsuspecting prey.
Mephisto looked a little surprised bu continued to smile, “Simply marvelous. Such a blend would be quite relaxing without muddling the mind of the smoker.” His smile turned a little playful, “I can understand why you would feel the need for such a thing in my presence. Though I would like to reiterate that I mean no harm to you or your companion. Honestly, if I hadn't been so intrigued by your vehicle, I wouldn't have even bothered with the pair of you.”
Junichiro exhaled a cloud of smoke in a sigh. It figured someone like Mephisto could sense his ATV even through the stealth systems he'd made for it. There was no way, currently, for him to make something that could hide from powerhouses like Mephisto. But, soon enough, he'd have the strength and power to do so. Of course, by then, he wouldn't actually need to do so. It was all rather annoying.
Junichiro gave Mephisto a nod of understanding, “I get it. Curiosity is a hell of a thing. It's what brought me to Azazel's attention. He found one of my proto-knives and got curious. A lot like you, I imagine, though for different reasons I'm sure.”
Mephisto chuckled a little, “I can't tell you how disappointing I find it that I wasn't the one to find you first.” He made an encompassing gesture to indicate the building around them, “I was originally summoned her by my old friend Faust and helped him found Grauzauberer. His ideas intrigued me as much as humanities concepts for magic. I honestly wish I'd been around to witness Merlin creating human magic. Regardless, after Faust passed on, I quickly became the Chairman of Grauzauberer to sate my curiosity. You see, my young associate, curiosity and seeking new things is what drives me. It's why I consider myself a Liberalist and why I could never bring myself to do something untoward to you two. It's why I never supported, and in fact worked against, the original four Satans.”
Seeing the confused looks on the pairs faces, clearly wondering why he was telling them all of this, Mephisto smiled brightly, “I only mention this because I hope, one day, you might avail yourself to come to Gauzauberer and perhaps, if you feel inclined, pass along some of your knowledge to my students. While they invent new spells every now and then, for them to learn something completely new and different would be a marvel and something I would be very interested in providing them.” His smile turned distinctly playful, “Why, I might even join the classes to learn something new myself. You could hear me calling you Arai-Sensei.”
Mittelt froze like a statue as she listened to Mephisto talk. If she'd been drinking during his last sentence there would have been an epic spit take. Junichiro, meanwhile, actually had a considering look on his face. He was not completely opposed to teaching others some of the things he knew. Frankly, it was expected that he would one day take on apprentices and teach them his ways. Though, that would have to be at some point in the future. As it was, he was only Journeyman level himself. He still needed more experience, better materials, and a truly powerful project to claim to be a Master. He didn't even want to consider what he would need to do to become a Grand Master yet.
Junichiro relaxed a little, partially due to his smoking and partially due to Mephisto's words, “I can consider teaching some classes in the future. However, it will likely be quite a while. I couldn't even consider it until I felt I'd achieved the level of Grand Master in my work. That could take decades.”
Mephisto considered that and nodded, “I can understand that. I am slightly disappointed as it means some of my current favorite students will likely not be alive by then to learn from you. Even with the slightly extended lifespan of a Mage, they are still only human with similar lifespans.”
Despite not being willing to teach, Junichiro spent the next hour or so discussing what he would like to teach with Mephisto. Namely, Alchemy and the art of brewing potions. It seemed unlikely that the more studious and brainpower focused mages would be interested in the physically taxing work needed to forge items. He could also teach his methods of enchantment. Just a cursory description of the subject as known by Grauzauberer members showed a difference in their methodologies.
After the discussion, Mephisto offered the pair accommodations for the night, neither were willing to turn the offer down.
-----Line Break-----
Just after Junichiro closed the door to the living area of their two bedroom suite, Mittelt turned to face him, clearly looking highly upset, “What was all of that back there?!”
Junichiro winced at the shrill tone of Mittelt's voice. He didn't blame her for being upset. He had blindsided her with his future plans to join a devil's peerage. Though he never specified which one. He let out a soft sigh and claimed one of the seats, “Before I explain more, I want to explain why I've not joined the Grigori. The simple fact of the matter is, aside from protection and connections the Grigori has nothing to offer me. Joining a devil's peerage gives me the one thing that I can't give myself, a lifespan measured in thousands of years.”
Seeing the look of surprise mixed with a bit of betrayal on Mittelt's face, he continued, “I know several methods by which I can extend my life, even grant myself some limited forms of immortality. Mostly of the eternal youth variety. Hell, even Avalon kind of gives me some limited immortality, though that's more of the 'can't die' variety, I don't think it's actually extending my life beyond the normal length. However, the methods I know of all have prices to them, usually in the form of innocent lives or my humanity.”
Phylacteries weren't impossible for him to make, but separating the soul out like that always had a downside. Not to mention the slowly rotting corpse he would be inhabiting if he did so. Undead were just gross. He also wouldn't ever reveal that he knew how to make a Philosopher's Stone. The price of creation for it was just too high and too disgusting to countenance.
“The only way I am currently aware of to live for thousands of years, without having to do something horrible, is to use an Evil Piece and become a devil. If I can join either the Gremory, or Sitri, peerages, I can gain that and a lot more.”
He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair while Mittelt continued to observe him. She honestly wasn't sure what to say, but she would be telling Azazel everything soon enough. He could figure out the complicated stuff. With a huff, she spun on her heels and made her way to one of the bedroom doors, “I'm going to bed.”
After she slammed the door to her room shut, Junichiro leaned his head back while absently fishing for his cigarette case. Part of him was surprised that she hadn't yelled at him more or made it into a bigger fight. Then he thought about it more and realized she likely only saw him as a child, a very young child, no matter how mature or brilliant he was. Which made sense, she was several thousand years old, after all. Their relationship probably meant less to her than it did to him.
Yet, sitting back to think about it, any relationship between them was likely doomed from the start, and not because he wanted to become a devil. It was simply because she was the only viable candidate for dating in his life, at the moment. He had zero friends, aside from her, and hadn't for years. Ever since his mother died and he ran away from the first foster home he was tossed into, making friends his age had been a risk. If he made friends, then their parents would get involved. Parents would want to know why he didn't go to school with their kids if he lived in the area. Or what school he went to if he didn't. Questions would be asked. Going out during the school day, without magical assistance, would mean risking running into police and getting carted off. It was all just a big mess and too much of a risk.
Then he'd lost his arm.
Though he didn't blame anyone directly, as in he didn't think anyone deliberately set him up to get hurt or die, he did blame Azazel a little. Goddamn bird brain had to set him up to live in Kuoh of all places. He was definitely planning to get Azazel back for what happened. He might not feel the fallen was directly responsible, but the bastard still had some responsibility and would pay... later.
That aside, the incident did fill him with an irrational fear of going outside alone for quite some time. He still felt rather uncomfortable being out and about. It was part of why he was on this vacation of his in the first place. To get rid of that feeling completely, by hunting down and claiming the most powerful defensive item on the planet, Avalon. Of course, being heavily armed wherever he went helped tremendously as well.
He lit a smoke and inhaled as he considered his plans for the future. He would scout out Rias and double check to make sure she was as he remembered in his last life. If she was at least halfway decent, he would try to join her. As he was and with Sword Birth, he shouldn't take more than a Knight or Rook piece to reincarnate. He'd need to make sure that part of the deal included her not forcing him to attend the school. As much as he would like to make some friends, spending most of the day in classrooms would be a complete waste of time. Education held nothing for him.
Junichiro decided that tomorrow they would head into France. He'd never seen the Eiffel Tower in person and was looking forward to it.
-----Line Break-----
Mittelt let out a long sigh as she sat on the edge of the bed in the room she'd chosen. Today had been rather stressful for her. She was not used to finding herself face to face with beings like Mephisto. She realized, intellectually, that Azazel was on that same level, but at the same time Azazel was... Azazel. Unless she did something really stupid, she had no reason to ever fear him.
Still, she was not looking forward to the coming conversation. She pulled out her cell phone and stared at it for a moment before letting out a bone weary sigh and dialing Azazel. This conversation could go rather poorly.
-----Line Break-----
AN
Alright, sorry this one took so long but life hasn't been very easy the last couple weeks.
I love my mother dearly and would do just about anything for her. Her dogs, on the other hand? I've grown to loathe them. Her dogs have gotten into fights, bad ones, that have resulted in myself and two others getting hurt, the women I'm the caretaker for. One even needed to get stitches, not from a bite thank god, but from damage inflicted when my mothers bitch German Shepard was attacking my dog (who is like 1/5th the size of the Shepard).
In the process of these fights, both of my hands have sustained damage, the right more than the left. I do not bruise easy, I've been hit hard and never shown a visible sign of it. My right arm is covered in bruises and a big bite mark.
I reiterate, I love my mother. I loathe her dogs.
Still, despite all of that, I managed to suck it up and write this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it.
Also, sorry about the bitching, I don't have many people I can complain to about these things so random folks who like my writing seemed like a nice was to destress.
Love ya all! (no homo)
Comments
Arceus73
Could Juni sacrifice his right arm to the Boosted Gear to get a dragon arm? He can then further mechanise it if he wants to.
Glitched Knights
Hope everyone comes out of this with no permanent injuries. I like dogs, cat, hell most animals. However, I can admit to hating a few individual fuckers of the canis variety
