One More God Rejected (Super SMT Wars)

So, let's give this whole Quest thing another shot, shall we? Since I'm going to be cheating, in a sense, hopefully I'll be able to work past the inevitable writer's block this time...Anyway, let's get this clusterfuck rolling.

---

Tokyo.

The capital city of Japan, and, some would say, the spiritual capital of the world. For nowhere else in the world is there a land so densely populated by humans where the physical and metaphysical blend together so thoroughly. It is like a spiritual sinkhole, a place where the border between the human world and the Expanse - the world of demons - is so thin that one could almost reach out and poke through it with their bare hands. This is a problem so severe that in ages past a great working was undertaken to forcibly separate humanity from the demons that sought to enter our world, a barrier maintained by the four of the most powerful dieties available to Japanese mystics. Afterwards the city was made the capital of Japan in order to ensure the sanctity of the Tokyo barrier forevermore, giving those in power a vested interest in ensuring that the barrier does not fall.

But even with the barrier in place, Tokyo remains one if the most potent places in the world for those of mystical inclination, and from all over the world those with interest in the occult find themselves drawn to the capital of this small island nation. There are those who wish to protect the fragile peace of this land. Those who wish to make contact with the gods they worship. Those who simply wish to improve their understanding of the supernatural. Those who desire power above all else. And those who wish to abuse this state of affairs for their own personal gain, and to the detriment of others.

Through a rather unfortunate series of events, you have found yourself quite firmly amongst that last category.

---

You breathe hard, clutching onto the bloody knife in your hands harder than you've ever gripped anything in your life. The events of the last few minutes seem almost unreal, but the torn up corpse in front of you - that of the monster you had just finished stabbing to death with a desperate strength you didn't know you had - forces you to face reality. You are Kazuya Futsuo, a completely normal schoolboy. Only a few minutes ago, your day had been as completely normal as you are. And then, while you were heading back to your room after getting home from school, you heard a scream. You'd rushed back into the living room to find your mother... your mother...oh god, you're never going to see your mother again. Literally. All that's left of her is...

The knife slips out of your hands, clattering on the wooden floorboards as you collapse to your knees and retch. Grief nearly overwhelms you, but a single thought rises out of the sea of despair to make everything worse.

...What are you going to do now?

You're barely thirteen, and now you're completely alone. Your dad walked out on you and your mom a few years ago, and you don't have any living relatives that you know of, not anymore. There's nobody left that will care about you. S-should you call the police? A hospital? Or-

"My my, this is surprising," comes a svelte voice that sends something shivering down your spine. You instantly snatch up the knife and whirl, holding it out in front of you like a shield as the adrenaline starts surging through your body once more. You try to ignore the way your hands are shaking.

"It's not often that someone as young as you kills a demon with a kitchen knife," says a young woman standing in your doorway, dressed like she came out of the 1800s.

The strange lady begins calmly walking up to you, swaying her hips with each step. You back up, but quickly run into a wall. She closes the distance deceptively fast, calmly pushes the knife in your hands downwards with a single, elegantly pale finger, and leans in until there's only inches between your faces. As you stare into her brilliantly violet eyes, you can't help but notice that she smells like flowers.

"Kazuya, we're here," she says, with a smile.

You blink, uncomprehendingly.

"Oi, Kazuya," she says again. You still don't understa-

---

You feel a sharp pain as a slender pair of fingers takes hold of one of your ears and twists, while pulling your head around to force you to look into a familiar pair of brilliantly violet eyes.

"I don't like being ignored, boya, especially when I'm going out of my way like this for you," says Mayone, your mentor and caretaker these last five years.

"S-sorry, I was just...lost in thought."

"Hmph," is Mayone's response, as she lets you go with a distinctly unimpressed expression. "It's almost like you don't even care about being one of the youngest Devil Summoners in the Phantom Society. Now come on, we don't have all day."

The two of you get out of the car, parked next to a two-story building with a run-down, dingy bar with a boarded-up door taking up most of the first floor. This is, apparantly, your new office building. Mayone leads you around the side of the building, through an alleyway, and you look up at the building next to you.

"So, I've got the second story then?"

"Oh, no, you've got the whole building, which includes a rather sizeable fortified basement down below. Though it's more like a bunker, really."

You blink, and swivel your head to stare back at the end of the alleyway, where the boarded up door sat just around the corner. "...what on Earth am I supposed to do with a bar?"

"It might get you a free drink. But really, it's yours to do whatever with. Renovate it into something useful, rent it out, or just open it yourself and staff it with disguised demons," Mayone shrugs. "It's up to you. I'd recommend the last one, personally. You could use the experience of managing a business for yourself when you start climbing the ranks of the Society. Now come along, boya. I need to show you around your new office and reiterate your duties to the Society."

And with that, she starts climbing the dinky metal stairs mounted on the back of the two-storey building. You on the other hand can't help but linger for a moment. When, not if, eh? Mayone certainly has confidence in you. Though, she probably wouldn't have spent the last five years taking care of you and training you in the occult arts if she didn't at least think you had potential worthy of her attentions.

You follow Mayone up the stairs and into your office, only a second or two behind her.

The first thing that strikes you about the place as you follow Mayone inside is how bare it is. The only pieces of furniture in the whole office as far as you can tell is a lone desk over by the front windows with a rather impressive-looking computer sitting on it, and an accompanying chair to sit on. Even the side rooms, one of which you'll suppose is to serve as your bedroom as long as you're here, are completely empty. You glance suspiciously at Mayone. You know this is because of her somehow. But why? You know how rich she is - damn rich - so at least furnishing the place with a bed and a few chairs wouldn't have been hard at all.

Your thoughts are interrupted by Mayone spinning around in that way she does that causes that long, frilly dress she wears to rise off the ground.

"Congratulations, Kazuya. As you are no doubt aware, you are now a full-fledged member of the illustrious Phantom Society-" a fact you were extremely aware of considering that you'd been initiated into the supernatural criminal organization that's pretty much the Demonic Mafia not even twenty minutes ago, "-as well as a full-fledged adult in...most of the ways that matter."

...did she just make a crack about your virginity? Jesus, it's not like it was that big a deal. You were barely nineteen. You're still young.

"As such, you will be expected to uphold duties befitting of an adult and a member of the Society. You are no longer a child, and failure will not be tolerated, from me and especially the Society. The first and foremost of these duties is a repayment of your debts."

...debts? "What debts? I don't have any debts, you've handled pretty much everythi-"

Mayone interrupts you with a sharp poke to your collarbone. "Yes, exactly. I have invested a great deal of time and money into you, Kazuya Futsuo, and I expect a return on that investment. I didn't take you into my home and give you an education out of the goodness of my heart, after all. And if I don't get a return on my investment, I will be forced to...repossess."

"...the office?"

"Your life."

You gulp. She's deadly serious about this.

"I'll be expecting the money you owe me in...three months, yes. One million yen, in full."

"One million...?!"

You're... pretty sure that's not even half of what this building cost, actually, let alone the cost of raising and training you. Wait... you're pretty sure you know what this is about. The complete lack of furniture (that you're no doubt going to have to buy yourself), the relatively small but still expensive 'debt' you 'owe'...

Mayone's just making sure you don't get lazy, isn't she? Well, you're sort of flattered that she's worried about you like this, even if she's showing it in that strange, tsunderish manner of hers. She's always been surprisingly soft, when it comes to you. By the standards of a rich, thrillseeking, sadistic, demon-summoning half-Italian aristocrat, anyway. You'd be very surprised if she doesn't just hand the money right back to you when you try to give it to her. Hell, she might even just waive the whole 'debt' if you do something impressive enough You do wish that she just told you not to let her down, though. It'd be easier on everybody. Still, poker face, Kazuya. If you openly show that you're onto her, she'll just get mad. Fortunately, Mayone doesn't notice anything, or just pretends not to, as she continues.

"But I expect that a debt like that will be nothing to a Summoner of your skills, right boya?" She smirks. "Using your position within the Society, there are numerous ways you can work off your debt. You're familiar with most of them, yes? Requests from our 'sponsors,' colosseum matches, bounty hunting...and there are other ways to earn decently, too.

"While I'm all too aware of your...distaste towards the seedier aspects of the Society, which as we agreed I will be trying to keep you out of as much as possible so don't worry about getting involved with assassinations or human trafficking, there are other ways with which you can supplement your income. You could reopen that bar downstairs, for example, or get involved in real estate or Macca trading. I'm sure you'll work something out. And hey, at least you won't have to pay tax on anything you earn, since it'll all be off the books!"

...well, that's good news, at least.

"Aaaand that's pretty much it," Mayone says. "I had your things moved into the basement armory before we got here, so it's all ready for you when you want to begin working. You've got power, water and high-speed internet, and you can check the job listings on the computer over there," she points at the machine sitting on the sole piece of furniture in the room, "Don't worry, it's all custom parts, with nothing made by Algon Soft."

"Good," you reply. "I don't want to get bits of my soul sucked out whenever I use it. I'm going to need it as intact as I can keep it."

Algon Soft...one of the largest tech companies in Japan, and easily the one that's the most heavily involved with the Phantom Society. You're personally certain that the company's CEO, genius programmer Issei Kadokura, is one of the shadowy executives of the Phantom Society. Not least because of the government's Tokyo Modernization Project, a multi-billion dollar ten-year project which saw the entire capital get a complete revamp and every single home given a high-quality computer with parts designed by Algon Soft. It all sounds pretty great, but as you learned a few years ago the whole thing's a scam on behalf of the Phantom Society in order to skim colossal amounts of Magnetite - essentially crystallized thoughts and the central component of demon summoning - off the entire population of Tokyo. It's actually rather terrifying, the sheer amount of influence the Society has over Japan in order to pull off something this big on the capital of all places...

"Oh, and don't forget to wear that outfit you've got on whenever you're on the job. It's important to keep up appearances."

You look down at yourself. Black leather trenchcoat, black pants, button-up shirt with a popped collar (Mayone had gotten really annoyed when you'd tried to wear it properly), military boots, fingerless gloves and, of course, the sunglasses. That you're never allowed to remove. And every piece of clothing you've got on was painstakingly picked out by Mayone herself over the course of three agonizing hours. Even the underwear, much to the horror of past-you. And that's just what you'd managed to talk her down to. She'd originally been planning on sticking you in some lace-ridden gothic monstrosity complete with this stupid eyepatch patterned after some flower you've never heard of.

"It makes you look like a proper Devil Summoner, after all," your mentor says with a genuine smile.

It makes you look like a cyberpunk reject that took a few whacks from the edgelord stick, you very carefully don't say out loud.

"I'll wear it whenever I need to look like one, ma'am," you actually say, certain that you'll be wearing a more practical t-shirt and jeans combo whenever you can possibly get away with it. Mayone has a fucking bizarre fashion sense, you've come to understand. Well, it's pretty obvious just by looking at her, really...

"I suppose that's everything, then," Mayone says with a smile as she walks past you. "I can't spare anymore time babysitting you, and I'm sure you can handle yourself from here, boya. I'll see you around."

"...Mayone?"

She pauses at the door.

"Thanks. For everything."

"Just don't let me down, boya," she says without turning around, then just like that, she walks out of your life.

For the next few months.

Maybe.

So that's it, you think as you look around the barren office that's now your home for the foreseeable future. This is your life now, you guess. At least, until...
[] Light/Neutral
...Until you can find a way to bring this whole monstrous enterprise down on the heads of the bastards at the top. As soon as you realized what kind of organization you'd unwittingly joined you'd wanted a way out - and the only thing that's keeping you here is knowing exactly what the Phantom Society did to those who 'betrayed' it, and knowing exactly who they'll send after you if you tried. You don't think you have it in you to kill Mayone if they sent her after your head.

[] Neutral/Neutral
...Until you've got enough money to retire and live the good life. You don't particularly care about the morality of the Phantom Society as a whole, and despite your distaste for the more criminal aspects of the organization, all that matters in the end is yourself. You will accept the consequences of your own actions, but not those of anyone else. The Phantom Society is just your employer. You may have your misgivings about them, but you want to repay Mayone and being a professional Devil Summoner as good a way to survive as any other.

[] Dark/Neutral
...Until you've got enough power and influence to bend the world to your whim. Something inside you cracked the day you saw your mother get eaten alive in front of you, and though the seedier aspects of the Society makes you want to rip the skulls out of the monsters behind this whole thing, you can't deny that it provides an ample opportunity for you to gain power. And, once you get strong enough, you'll simply kill anyone who decides to fuck with you, or anyone you care about.


Other than your thoughts on the organization you work for, the last five years have moulded you into someone who will rise to the very pinnacle of Devil Summoner society. What kind of person has your training made you into?
[] The Sword Saint
You are one of only three people to have ever been accepted as a student by an ancient swordmaster. And this is not due to a lack of prospective students as your master, one of the deadliest men on the planet, only takes in those he deems worthy of his tutelage - and you are indeed worthy. Once you have mastered your nameless sword style and truly come into your own, you will be unmatched beneath heaven. You are also a somewhat competent spellcaster, though it's definitely a secondary option for you considering how potent your sword skills are.
Advantages: You have learned the basics of the half-demon Vergil's signature sword style from one of the men he sought out for training as a youth. While you currently have mastered only the fundamentals of this nameless sword style, it is more than enough to make you one of the most dangerous men in the Phantom Society's employ, and as your power grows you will be able to match even the most powerful of demons blow for blow. There will be nothing you cannot cut. You can also draw out the full power of Devil Arms, a feat which few can claim they are capable of.
Disadvantages: Your focus on the more...spiritual aspects of combat means you've failed to keep up with the more techological side. While you're competent enough to use your smartphone's Demon Summoning Program for it's intended and most basic uses, you just can't wrap your head around the more advanced features. Similarly, more complicated pieces of combat-use equipment just aren't your thing. You are also incapable of using skill cards to grant yourself new abilities, though considering how potent your naturally developed abilities are you don't think that will matter much.

[] The Gunslinger
You are the very model of an elite Devil Summoner of the Phantom Society. Talented in magic, you've delved it's depths so you can apply it to practical uses in the field...But that's not to say that's all you've got up your sleeve. You've been personally trained in close quarters combat by Finnegan, a man that many call the greatest Summoner the Phantom Society has seen in years, though while you're no slouch in a brawl you shine at range, where you can sling spells at your enemies and show off your skills with that Colt Python you carry with you at all times. You're sort of a jack of all trades, when it comes to this summoning business - and you're as close to a master of all as any mortal man can come.
Advantages: Aside from being pretty good at everything, your expertise with firearms and magic make an interesting mix. Not only are you capable of infusing your ki into bullets on the fly to use potent Gun skills, but you're also able to infuse any spell you know into a bullet, allowing you to cast it instantly by simply pulling a trigger, or even just hitting it on the back with a hammer if need be. While you can buy spell-infused ammunition off the Phantom Society's black markets, they tend to be the cheap, mass produced stuff - what you make? That's the good shit. You can also improve your spell repertoire by using Skill Cards extracted from demons.
Disadvantages: Nowhere near as good in a fight as the Sword Saint - unlike them, you're pretty sure that if you got into a swordfight with God you wouldn't win. You don't have that instinctive grasp of magic the Idol has, either, so all you'll have to work with magic-wise are several years worth of half-remembered textbooks and your gut feelings. Your spellcraft is rough as well, a thing of crude purpose rather than elegant art. Still, at least you're not the Hacker.

[] The Idol
Once you got your first taste of the occult arts, you were hooked. You've always been passionate about music, ever since you were a child, and when you were exposed to magic something in your mind just...clicked. To you, magic and music are conceptually inseperable, and indulging in either is a deeply spiritual experience.
Advantages: You are exceptional at a wide variety of magics, and specialize in a supportive role. You can look at a magic working of any kind and, with study, at least have a vague guess as to what it's purpose is, and learn spells from Skill Cards without using up the Card in the process. You can also follow the path of the IDORU and (try to) become a famous artist for fame, fortune and all of the bitches.
Disadvantages: Your weak little girly arms are fantastic for playing music, but they're terrible at fighting. You can't throw a punch to save your life, meaning that once you run out of magic juice, you're pretty much dead weight. And on-demand magic juice refills are both rare and expensive. Your savant status also makes you pretty terrible at coherently explaining things in conventional terms, magical or musical. Also, if you follow the path of the IDORU, your fame might prove to be a disadvantage in some circumstances...that, and you'll probably end up with Mayone as your manager.

[] The Hacker
You have an almost unhealthy love of computers and were even one of the programmers on Algon Soft's new virtual reality experience, Paradigm X. , you've even made a few add-on programs of your own.
Advantages: You are a master of the demon summoning program, able to summon and dismiss your demons with nary a thought. You are also a master hacker, able to break through any form of digital security with enough time.
Disadvantages: You are, essentially, magically crippled. Unable to use flashy techniques or magic of any sort without technological assistance, you'll quickly find yourself almost useless in a fight when everyone else starts cutting through dimensions or throwing around nuclear explosions. In a world of rampaging gods, the mortal man must stand back and let his more capable allies do the heavy lifting, lest he be destroyed in the crossfire.


Finally, you have a single boon, some exceptional preparation you've made for this very day. What is it?
[] Guardian Beast
Instead of starting out with a standard Pixie, you bear the contract of a powerful and extremely loyal demon that will be able to stand by your side no matter how strong you become. He was with you at the beginning, and so he shall be with you at the end.

[] Special Pixie
Instead of starting out with a standard Pixie, Mayone has provided you with a special one she painstakingly fused herself. A sort of graduation gift, she said. The demon in question has a well-selected range of high-end support spells...though without the magical stamina needed to use them effectively. But, with a little care and effort, that will change in time.

[] Devil Arm
You have inherited a powerful demon sword from the old master who taught you the basics of close combat, forged from the soul of a mighty demon with a design based on a sword owned by one of his previous students. In addition to being razor-sharp and capable of distorting reality with each swing, merely wielding it allows you the use of a handful of abilities the demon knew in life. It is highly unlikely that you will find a better weapon before you begin forging demon weapons of your own. (requires Sword Saint)

[] Military Surplus
You have built up quite the collection of weaponry and armor over the last few years. You have enough gear in stock to outfit multiple people with high quality weaponry and armor, including multiple elementally enchanted swords and guns as well as a large stockpile of magical ammunition. (using magical ammunition yourself requires Gunslinger)

[] Summoner Surplus
You have built up an excess of hunting supplies in preparation of the day you set out on your own, allowing you to carry a full supply of common and uncommon combat-use items on each mission, greatly increasing your flexibility in and out of combat. Included in your supplies is a strange centipede-like creature that isn't quite a demon, which you acquired some time ago.