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Dingdimension Sniptunia

Should I break off a snip series into its own thread at 10 chapter?

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    Votes: 117 93.6%

  • No

    Votes: 8 6.4%
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The Devourer Dragon Conquers 8
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    • The Devourer Dragon Conquers 8



    Issei spent his Saturday hanging out with Motohama and trying to figure out Matsuda's issue.

    "He started getting worse when I told him I was hanging out with the Athletics Club again. I was too embarrassed to come to you and admit I was wrong. Matsuda...He doesn't really have friends outside of us. I didn't realize just how angry he was getting," Motohama rubbed the back of his neck.

    "So he feels left out? He's insecure?" Issei asked.

    "Exactly. I think we need to find him either a new friend, or try to get him a girlfriend," Motohama said.

    "Finding him a girlfriend at our school would be really hard. Now helping him find new friends would be easier. Maybe the photography club? He's already a member," Issei suggested.

    "Why would finding him a girlfriend be hard?" Motohama looked confused.

    {Wow. That is some impressive obliviousness.} Gehaburn snarked.

    "I said 'at our school.' We could find him a date from another school maybe," Issei said. The fact his friend completely ignored the idea of expanding Matsuda's social circle was irritating.

    Matsuda had a real talent for photography. It wouldn't even take much to convince him either. Just remind Matsuda that gravure models needed photographers. He liked his women with meat.

    They called up Matsuda to invite him over. He accepted after a little hesitation. Just to avoid friction Issei had Motohama make the call. Ten minutes later he was there and staring at Issei in an unnerving manner.

    "What do you want?" Matsuda sounded tired.

    "Well we had an idea of what might cheer you up," Motohama broached the subject with all the tact of a bull in a china shop.

    "What do you mean?" He eyed the shorter boy warily. Issei inwardly facepalmed as he followed his friend's lead.

    {Throw him under the bus!} Surprisingly it was Ddraig who suggested the underhanded maneuver.

    "Motohama and I are worried that maybe you might be feeling left out," Issei said.

    Matsuda rubbed the back of his neck irritably.

    "Ah jeez guys...I was pissed off the other day. Issei made plans with us and kept breaking them. Of course I was mad. Then Motohama started backing out. Friday night was our night to hang out. We haven't done it in weeks," Matsuda said. Issei and Motohama looked uncomfortable. Issei thought he was doing a good job of keeping his friends in his life.

    Anger and hurt like this didn't develop overnight.

    {Yeah I knew he was bitter. Nothing supernatural about it.} Gehaburn said quietly.

    "So offering to help you find a girlfriend wouldn't help," Motohama muttered. Matsuda's temper flared.

    "Damn it, Motohama! Did you already forget what I told you?" Matsuda demanded in a hurt tone.

    Issei suddenly had the uncomfortable feeling he was about to hear something personal.

    "I guess I did…?" Motohama laughed nervously, clearly mystified.

    "I have a girlfriend!" Matsuda shouted in sudden anger.

    The record scratched.

    "You have a girlfriend," Issei stated.

    "Yes I..." Matsuda started to say.

    "...but you're still peeping," Issei confirmed.

    "Yeah I..." Matsuda tried again.

    "You. Have. A. Girlfriend. And. Are. Still. Peeping," Issei punctuated it for emphasis.

    "I wasn't gonna drop Motohama just because I have a girlfriend!" Matsuda exploded.

    Motohama looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but here.

    "Yeah...so...Issei has girls in his life...Matsuda has a girlfriend...I'm the only one without," Motohama slumped. Issei and Matsuda shared a look.

    "I'll make a deal with you guys," Issei said.

    "Yeah?" Matsuda asked. Motohama picked up his head curiously.

    "Stop peeking on girls and I will train you. I will make you ripped. Wouldn't your girlfriend like that?" Issei asked Matsuda. He turned to Motohama. "Girls like a guy who is fit and could protect her. That's the other thing I'll teach you. I'll show you how to fight. Not the crap you learn in sports martial arts but the real stuff."

    "Yeah...okay," Motohama agreed. The other day was an explosion of frustration. Today the friends were calmer, mostly. Issei smiled as it appeared he reached them.

    "How long would it take?" Matsuda asked. Issei's smile turned into a grin.

    "You will be surprised at just how effective I can be," Issei said.

    For some reason the two perverts felt a sense of inexplicable dread.



    The riverbank was calm, sun shimmering on the water. It was a lovely time for couples to be out for a stroll. The sounds of the city miraculously didn't reach all the way out here. Sadly the peace was shattered by the sound of a motorcycle. A purple motorcycle to be exact with white d-pad symbols near the windshield. It was carrying two passengers.

    The first is a fair-skinned girl with a short physique. Her hair has a pale brown hue and has a length that reaches down near her waist. She has sharp, green eyes. On her head was an accessory called a "Leafy Bow", which consists of two green leaves on the left side of her head. She wore a short sleeved blue coat with black detached sleeves, a black tank top which exposed her midriff, short black shorts, black thigh high stockings, and blue boots.

    Her passenger was a fair-skinned girl with big blue eyes and long, sky blue hair worn in a high ponytail with a shiny, pale gold bow. She wore a white tank-top lined in pale blue with straps around her stomach and a pale gold sphere on each hip. At the neck was a blue section with a pale blue and white zipper below the neck. The skirt resembled a folded pleat of blue and white, with a pale blue shiny material visible from the left corner. On each arm was a white sleeve with a blue flap below each shoulder and a pale blue piece at the hand. On her right wrist were two gold bracelets that are similar to the gold rings in Sonic the Hedgehog games. Her sneakers were red, white, and pale gold, much like Sonic the Hedgehog's, with white stockings that have a jagged blue design for the cuff.

    "Where are we?" The brunette asked.

    "It looks like a city but I don't recognize it," the blue haired girl said.

    "Oops? I must have taken a wrong turn at Planeptune," the bike giggled sheepishly. Surprisingly the voice was that of a young girl.

    "How did you even get lost? I know you're a bubble brain but I was the one driving!" The brunette complained.

    "I felt a huge amount of Shares. It acted like a...beacon I guess. Didn't mean to daydream like that," the bike sounded contrite.

    "Should've realized something was wrong when we had to outrun a HUGE red dragon!" The blue haired girl flailed her arms in wide circles. All three shuddered (yes, even the motorcycle).

    "Until we figure out where we are, and how to avoid the dragon, it looks like we're stuck," the brunette sighed.

    "What do we do, IF?" The blue haired girl asked.

    "I guess we find the source of the Shares, Hatsumi. Come on Nep," IF patted the bike.

    "Off we go!" 'Nep' cheered.

    The strange trio set off for the city.

    Poor city had no idea what was coming.
     
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    • How the fuck do you not realize something is off when a biker dragon chase you around!? Dammit girls! Basic navigation skill you do not have!

    Also, that's an unexpected twist for the trio. Not gonna lie, didn't expect that motohama is the reason Matsuda is pissed too.
    Wait, who's the girlfriend?
     
    Well, that's an informative replies. I never knew, and surprisingly not too surprised, that neptune can transform into a bike. Still, the fault lies on the riders hand, not on the brainless bike :V
     
    Feeling Loopy 7
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    • Feeling Loopy 7



    Awakening wasn't usually so violent. Issei was used to more stable starts to a Loop.
    "Guess it's my fault for growing complacent..." Issei grit his teeth as ingrained reflexes had him in the air and speeding away from ground zero.

    He surveyed the ground from his vantage point. The entire area he evacuated was a charred and smoldering wreck. He didn't recognize the location right away but that was normal. Superficially it was similar to the park in Kuoh but the sun was higher. The light obscured by the smoke of fires and battle. Where once a magnificent fountain stood was only rubble. Issei could see unmoving forms under the debris. A hand here, a foot there, and was that…

    Issei swallowed down bile and rage at the sight. The still form of a child, half of their torso missing, face frozen in a rictus of fear.

    "I'm surprised you dodged that," a childlike girl's voice said with sick glee. Issei turned to look at the speaker in disbelief. The speaker was kind of cute in a child like way. Her knees were jointed like a robot. She wore a dark blueish purple dress with a darker helm. The way she eyed him made Issei shiver. There was nothing even remotely close to sanity in her eyes.

    "Why did you do this!?" Issei shouted.

    "Because they were there and I was bored," the robot girl said in a bored tone.

    "Bored? You were...were...BORED!?" Issei roared, the dragon in his aura turned it into a bestial sound. A challenge and declaration of intent. The figure down below looked intrigued.

    "Ooh...I definitely never met you before...I'm sure I would have remembered. Those are some neat wings too. I wonder if you'll scream when I rip them off. Now why don't you tell me your name? Mine is..." the murderbot grinned maliciously before suddenly getting cut off. She was forced to dodge as an extremely fast moving red blur nearly ended her instantly.

    Blood Red Imperial Dragon. The form of Issei's Ultimate Balance Breaker and his True Final Form. There was never a need for the level of power this form possessed. Even to face the descendant of the first Lucifer he didn't need his true form. To deal with this atrocity he would dig deep and bring all of his fury to the fore. His long ponytail bristled as the anger continued to swell. He used the Soul of Ice to force his rage back down. He would be an avenger but never a mindless beast.

    [Boosted Divide!]

    [Boosted Divide!]

    [Boosted Divide!]

    [Boosted Divide!]

    The gynoid stumbled as the repeated divisions took their toll. Issei's Ultimate Form was a terrible cheat. He Boosted the effect of Divide. Essentially each Divide gave him twice the power stolen. Even a machine possessed power and in this case it was her core. The shocking thing was that for each Divide he was gaining greater power than anticipated. It held a mystical component?

    {Something about this energy worries me...We're not even reaching the end…} Ddraig observed grimly.

    "Neat trick. I can play too!" The gynoid vanished from sight.

    {Spatial distortion!} Ddraig cried but it was too late. The robot girl was suddenly inside his guard and slapped her hand on the Boosted Gear.

    "Heh...Boost Acquired!" The insanely grinning machine then delivered a mach speed uppercut to his jaw trailing ki flames.

    Issei arrested his momentum in midair. Down below the deadly murder loli turned her armor red with a green gem on both wrists. He could feel her power skyrocketing even as he forced Boosted Divide to drain her down. Her armor flickered to purple for a moment before shifting back to red. The brief switch caused her power to soar even faster than he could Divide. He knew the limits of his copied Dividing Gear. After a time it just stopped working.

    "Whew...I never felt power like this before...I must say it IS quite liberating..." The gynoid giggled. A brilliant green light practically exploded from her torso. The dress armor altering to accommodate the revealed core. He wasn't naive enough to think her visible core was a weakpoint. The changes didn't stop there. Her dress armor gained heavier plating at the waist and torso. Bright gems manifested on her shoulders, bracers, and armored boots. A thruster like the one on his own back appeared. Her helm gained a draconic visor and faceplate.

    {This is bad.} Ddraig had a talent for stating the obvious.

    "I can't wait to show my sister this...I wonder what she would think as I carve the core out of her stupid brother..." The gynoid was distracted by her newly stolen power. Whether she truly was or not was irrelevant. Zanzoken into Focused Longinus Smasher right through her back should end the threat.

    The first part went off without an issue. He appeared behind her instantly in mid thrust. His First Ascalon glowing with the light of Longinus Smasher. It was at that point everything went pear shaped. She spun in midair as fast, if not faster, than he could move and let the sword strike the gem. There was a terrific shattering sound as Ascalon, his first sword, exploded into fragments. Both of her arms were pointed at him, all ten fingers extended and dotted with guns. The rapid volley of shots raked his armor and cracked the green gems while straining his defense.

    {Armor's draining rapidly!} Ddraig warned.

    Issei could feel his energy plummeting as each blast was like a concentrated Dragon Shot. He flash stepped away only for her to appear just ahead of him. A bright red blade swept through his path of evasion. He let out a cry of pain as the red blade carved through his torso plate effortlessly. It was only the first of slashes as his opponent struck rapidly, with no discernible pattern.

    "Thanks for the free power up! You were so kind to me! I'll make good use of this power!" The gynoid promised maliciously.

    "Fuck...I don't...I hope..." Issei moaned as the blood loss started to get to him.

    "What do you hope?" The gynoid ceased her assault with a quizzical look.

    "I hope...we don't meet again..." He fell to one knee. His tormentor slowly, and deliberately, walked over to him. Issei felt his head roll forward tiredly. His energy was nearly gone. He spent too much time in his super form. The sadistic gynoid knelt in front of him. She lifted his head in a peculiarly tender gesture.

    "Hello Issei Hyoudou. My name is Waltz and I look forward to seeing you again. I am one nightmare you will never Awaken from," she promised. Just then he felt the 'ping.' Issei's eyes widened in horror. He didn't miss the significance she placed on the word Awaken. Crushing terror ground down on his soul at the thought of this thing loose in the Multiverse with his power.

    What about Raynare? Georgina? All of his friends would be in danger from something he accidentally created. He wasn't arrogant enough to believe he was the only one to screw up. The issue was that HE would be responsible for THIS. Wasn't his entire purpose to protect those he loved? What could he do? All of his power was drained. He couldn't…

    He couldn't let her escape.

    Even if it destroyed him.

    {Ddraig? I'm sorry but I can't let her get away.} Issei apologized.

    {Feh. Who wants to live forever anyway? Let's give her Hell together.} Ddraig mentally grinned.

    "Are you done praying?" Waltz smiled almost kindly.

    "Just one last thing..." Issei laid a hand on her torso.

    "I don't have anything to fondle," she seemed amused.

    His grin took on a psychotic edge.

    "Oh you do...or haven't you seen that gem in your chest…?" Issei laid his hand over the gem.

    "What…?" Waltz realized too late that he was too calm.

    "Penetrating Dress Break!" Issei and Ddraig roared together. The first spell he ever created meant to strip the clothing from the target, with Ddraig's power of penetration, struck the crystal directly. He infused his very Soul into the casting. His Soul burned as he tore his very essence apart to destroy the monster before him.

    "Damn you! No! Aaaaahhhhh….!" Waltz let out a very human-like scream of pain.

    Issei's hand clenched over the crystal and shattered it completely. His Soul guttering as the last dregs of power started to flutter and fail.

    "Holder of the Chaos Emerald...What is your wish?"

    "Please don't let her escape..."

    "She will not."

    "That's good..."

    "What you did was foolish and brave. Reckless."

    "I know but it was my fault."

    "Take this Power and be Renewed."

    It sounded like a nice deal. He didn't cause himself Soul Death and a malicious force didn't get to keep their stolen power. Issei let himself collapse on top of the suddenly inert form of Waltz. The gynoid was definitely deactivated as the last of her stolen power flowed into him. He let out a sigh of relief moments before the Loop ended.

    {Hey Issei?} Kohryu contacted him.

    {Yeah…?} Issei asked sleepily. His admin didn't usually call him as a Loop ended.

    {Take better care of yourself dumbass!} Kohryu roared.

    {W-what…?} Issei was shocked. Didn't he do a good thing?

    {If your Soul burns out your entire universe dies! Idiot! Moron! Dumbass! Shithead!} Kohryu started swearing at him in foreign languages.

    Issei sweated. He forgot that as the Anchor his Ascension, or Tree forbid Soul Death, would condemn everyone he cared about. No wonder his admin was furious!

    {Just for that I have to punish you. This hurts me...well...it actually doesn't.} Kohryu said cheerfully.

    What did he mean by punishment?

    When Issei Awoke female, and in Eiken, he knew exactly what his admin planned. Then the other shoe dropped. The horror was far worse. Twenty straight Loops through Eiken with a fanclub filled with degenerates that made the old Perverted Trio look chivalrous.

    Issei's cries echoed throughout the halls of time.
     
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    • dingbat779 said:
    When Issei Awoke female, and in Eiken, he knew exactly what his admin planned. Then the other shoe dropped. The horror was far worse. Twenty straight Loops through Eiken with a fanclub filled with degenerates that made the old Perverted Trio look chivalrous.

    Issei's cries echoed throughout the halls of time.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Truth be told I find this sort of punishment to cathartic to watch... Perverts getting their comeuppance
     
    ah, the rotten side effect of the loops. power tripping loopers with either no moral/conscience to begin with, or the loopers who have gone insane with all the repetition and looping around the multiverse.

    who is that robot girl anyway? waltz? who?
     
    Waltz is a Malevolent Looping Entity (MLE) from the The Mega Loops (can be found on FF.Net)
    She's basically an insane version of Roll.
     
    The Devourer Dragon Conquers 9
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    • The Devourer Dragon Conquers 9



    Poor Riser just couldn't catch a break it seemed. The only thing the burnt chicken really had over Rias was that stupid agreement. Once it was dissolved there was nothing left for him to hold over the Gremory Heiress. He was back to square one and her parents nullified the engagement once more. Her parents were especially happy with the clause stating that Issei would fight on her behalf, should it be required. To save face, however, Riser declared that he wouldn't accept the 'stain on his family's honor.' What that translated to was he challenged Rias to a Ratings Game. Should he win the burden of dishonor would fall on her. However, should she win, the dishonor would fall on him.



    Now Issei had a responsibility that he relished greatly. He was going to help Rias and her Peerage become strong enough to kick Riser's fried chicken ass. Training his friends would be simple with all the cheats he developed. Issei could get them into ass-kicking shape in no time.



    It was time to go home. Asia went on ahead, leaving him to his thoughts. Compa was making dinner with mom. Issei didn't want to be late for the culinary masterpiece the two would make. His dad was playfully complaining about putting on a few pounds already. He really should get his dad involved in training, his mom too. Thinking about their potential training spared him from the other thing plaguing his thoughts.



    Asia and Compa. The first was one of his dearest friends. She was a healer first and foremost, but steadily developing into more. He could talk to her about anything except his feelings. Dating her wouldn't wreck what they had, he knew that. It was just never the right time to bring it up. As for Compa, she was steadily rising on the list of people he wanted to protect. She was also a healer and a fighter. There was just something about her that attracted him. Asking her out had the complication of uncertainty. He just didn't know how she felt about him. Asia was easy to see, but Compa was kind to everyone.



    {You did say you wanted to be a Harem King.} Ddraig reminded him.



    {Yeah but I already realized the main drawback. Finding girls who would want that kind of relationship.} Issei sighed.



    {So? Ask and let the chips fall where they may! It's not like they're gonna stop being your friends!} Gehaburn gleefully cheered him on.



    {You're a shipper. I should have known.} Issei shook his head in mock despair.



    {I think you're complicating things. You're a teenager. Aren't you supposed to experiment with relationships? Besides I think you have a pretty good chance with Compa.} Ddraig giggled, actually giggled, as he said that.



    {I'll look into it when Rias' future isn't on the chopping block.} Issei relented.



    {Honor crap. I swear. The fried chicken bastard doesn't give a damn about honor. All that shit does is give your enemies another hold on ya.} Gehaburn grumbled.



    {You're word is important and should be trusted. That's all honor really means. If he damages that then she'll have a harder time gaining trust later.} Issei insisted.



    {He's not saying it isn't important. He's just saying it can be used as a weapon against you. Sometimes you have to decide whose opinion matters more. The nebulous 'everyone?' I would rather have the trust of the people who know me.} Ddraig said.



    That made a lot of sense to Issei. People should be able to trust your word, but sometimes you had to decide who mattered more. He would rather have his friends and loved ones be able to trust him than strangers. At the end of the day they were the ones who mattered.



    {I'm going to train Rias' Peerage until they can absolutely crush Riser's Peerage. That way no one will dare say she isn't fit. She's my friend and her wishes matter. I'll be the kind of man his friends can rely on no matter the situation.} Issei clenched his fists with determination.



    {Good for you! That should...oh hello. What's this?} Gehaburn went from snarky to intrigued.



    {What is it?} Ddraig asked.



    {Mmm...Divinity I haven't tasted before. Also one I know but dimensionally distinct. It gives the energy a unique flavor…} Gehaburn metaphorically licked his lips.



    {You're not planning on eating before we find out if they're enemies, are you?} Issei reminded the Divinity Devouring Sword that he wasn't to consume indiscriminately. The sword would have pouted, if he had lips, but relented.



    {We better track the source down quickly.} Ddraig sighed. Dinner would have to wait. Just because he couldn't physically eat, didn't mean he couldn't taste what Issei did. He wanted teriyaki chicken damn it!



    Almost an hour later and he was no closer to finding the source of the signal. Issei was stuck running from place to place. He could fly, if he used Balance Breaker, but the drawback was kicking his butt. Unless all three were in agreement he couldn't transform. The brunette warrior used a couple Boosts to increase his speed, but his quarry was faster. Even with his superior knowledge of Kuoh he still couldn't catch up. In a fit of pique he took the rooftops to get a bird's eye view.



    {Left! Left!} Gehaburn cried.



    {Oh come on! I was just over there!} Issei groaned.



    {I can sense them now!} Ddraig exclaimed.



    {Great! Can you give me a better description than 'tastes delicious?'} Issei demanded acidly.



    {Hmmm...Two girls on a motorcycle. I just saw it drive that way!} Ddraig indicated the direction.



    {That's my house!} Issei yelped. He bunched his legs and took off with a mighty leap. A few soaring jumps later carried him home. As his feet hit the street he could faintly hear an approaching motorcycle. It was very...purple. The girls riding the bike were both very cute. He jogged to a halt just as they pulled up in front of his house.



    {The blue haired girl has the unfamiliar divine energy. Though I recognize the energy coming from the motorcycle. Wait. Was she a motorcycle before…?} Gehaburn sounded horribly confused.



    The girls looked Issei over carefully. Their gaze stopped at his shoes, smoldering from the friction. Issei absently kicked off his ruined footwear. His socks were a lost cause too. The long-haired brunette arched an eyebrow at Issei with a faint smirk. Her passenger looked even more amused than she did. The motorcycle giggled at him. Issei rolled his eyes and froze.



    The motorcycle giggled at him.



    "Did your motorcycle just...giggle?" Issei knew there were other questions to ask, but somehow they escaped him at the moment.



    "Never heard of a laughing bike?" The brunette asked.



    "Or durable shoes?" The blue haired girl looked at his feet again.



    "Hee hee hee! He looks really surprised!" The bike didn't just giggle, but spoke too.



    {Neptune!? Now I know the brunette! What's IF doing here? Ah man! I didn't drag them here too, did I? Though...Why is Neptune a motorcycle?} Gehaburn went from confused, to alarmed, and back to confused again.



    "Is your sword...talking?" The purple bike asked.



    "I don't hear anything," the brunette identified as 'IF' remarked.



    "Nope...Can't hear it either," the blue haired girl said.



    {So only one of them can hear Gehaburn?} Ddraig wondered.



    "Who said that?" The blue haired girl glanced at Issei's arm suspiciously.



    "Still can't hear anything," IF was starting to sound irritated.



    "I didn't hear it either," the bike said.



    Issei looked around as he realized all of this was happening out in the street. He sweated a bit. What would the neighbors think? Did he really jump down to the street in full view? He hoped no one saw him or heard the motorcycle talking.



    "Let's go inside. This really isn't the place to talk about..." Issei started to say only to be interrupted by the front door opening.



    "Iffy! What are you doing here?" Compa greeted the brunette like an old friend.



    "Who is this, IF?" The unidentified girl asked.



    "I...I dunno, Hatsumi," IF shook her head in confusion. The gentle nurse was brought up short in shock.



    "You don't know me…? B-but...It's Compa! Your best friend!" Compa looked heartsick. Issei's own heart ached in sympathy.



    "Cue the drama," the bike's headlights dimmed as if Neptune was wincing.



    "Nep-Nep? What happened to you?" Compa rushed over to the bike.



    "Does she know us somehow?" Hatsumi asked.



    "I-I know Iffy and Nep-Nep...but I never met you before..." Compa looked even more frantic as nothing added up.



    "Compa? What's wrong?" Asia hurried outside.



    "I don't know!" The gentle hearted nurse wailed. The former nun hugged her friend tightly while fixing Issei with a look that said 'fix this.'



    If he only had a 'fix it' button.



    "Wheel...Neptune...around to the backyard. We have a lot to talk about," Issei didn't make it a request. He wasn't as off balance as Compa. The poor woman clearly had a long history with IF, but the brunette didn't know her. She also had one with 'Neptune' but there was something wrong with her too. The only one she didn't know was Hatsumi.



    "Who are you to tell us what to do?" Hatsumi demanded. A feeling of power permeated the air as the blue haired girl's ponytail started to drift in an updraft of energy.



    "Please Segamin, calm down. There is more going on here than you know," Neptune's 'voice' took on a different tone. One that was more mature, wiser. The voice of a leader.



    {Yeah, that's Neptune alright. She's channeling her 'goddess persona.'} Gehaburn said.



    Issei made a quick stop inside to let his mom know there would be guests for dinner. She asked if they were going to need a place to stay too.



    "Ah yeah...probably..." Issei scratched his cheek absently.



    "My son is surrounding himself with beautiful girls. I never thought I would live to see the day," his mom hugged him tightly. While her approval was nice it also left him feeling conflicted.



    He decided to table his concerns for later. At least once he was finished defusing this latest bomb in his life.



    Asia and Compa were seated in the grass across from their guests. The kind nurse was plainly distressed that her friend didn't seem to recall their friendship. He sat down between the healers. On an impulse he scooped Compa up and set her in his lap. She blinked in surprise at the action before relaxing into his comforting hug. Asia sat closer to hold her hand.



    "This is so awkward..." IF rubbed the back of her neck.



    "Maybe we can start with something easy?" Issei asked.



    "Well...Maybe? I'm not sure how 'easy' this would be," Hatsumi looked dubious.



    "Oh! How about telling us where you come from," Asia suggested quickly. Compa looked especially intent on finding out where the odd trio started.



    IF and Hatsumi looked at one another before turning back to their audience. It turns out that their world was a majorly crapsack one. The Goddesses fought against a group called the Hard Girls, causing great devastation to the land. From what they learned from Histoire, the Oracle of History, time itself was disappearing. They had to go back in time to try and set right what once went wrong. Neptune sacrificed herself to save IF and Hatsumi, leaving her consciousness to enter the bike. Some of the details were hard to accept.



    "Hatsumi is God?" Issei blinked.



    "Technically? Yeah? I'm God where we come from," she said.



    "And thanks to Nep we're lost in your dimension. We were chased here by a huge red dragon..." IF briefly shivered in remembrance. Hatsumi developed a thousand yard stare at being reminded.



    {Sounds like they met Great Red. The Great Dragon of the Apocalypse.} Ddraig said.



    "According to my partner, Ddraig, you met the Great Dragon of the Apocalypse. Apparently he's just called 'Great Red,'" Issei said for IF and Neptune's benefit.



    "Well until we can figure out how to get by him a second time? We're stuck here," IF sighed heavily.


    "I couldn't fight him even in a million years. The power he gave off was absolutely unreal..." Hatsumi shook her head.



    "We'll probably have to go through the Gap in a later chapter," Neptune remarked. Compa sniffled as the bike's mannerisms were too familiar.



    "She even uses Meta like Nep-Nep..." Compa whimpered.



    "What about your world?" IF asked, uncomfortable with the woman crying. It felt wrong to her somehow.



    The groups traded stories well into the evening, with only a break taken for dinner. Issei kept sneaking glances at Gehaburn. Was he really as confused about this as he let on? He already proved he could bring people across. Did he act like a beacon for the Nepbike? What else would happen now?



    Did Rias know a good construction crew? He might need more room…
     
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    • @dingbat779
    I was looking at the Devouring Dragon snips, and suddenly realized something.
    Asia doesn't speak Japanese, just Italian.
    The only reason Issei could talk with her in canon was he was a Devil, and get automatically get to speak all human languages as a special ability, and Asia uses that to talk to Issei's parents after she gets turned into a Devil.
     
    DLC Taylor 3
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    • DLC Taylor 3

    Trying to get back to Brockton Bay was turning into Taylor's white whale. Just getting back to Harry's dimension was infuriating. She had to calculate the variables just so or risk ending up in another variant world. At the rate things were going she was going to end up adopting a half dozen more children. Taylor shook her head. That wasn't too likely to happen. Even if she kept missing the mark, not every child was in need of rescuing.

    "Why do I have a colander on my head?" Harry asked.

    "It's not a colander, Harry," Taylor corrected absently.

    "That is definitely a colander," Sakura said.

    "It's not a colander, Sakura," Taylor repeated.

    "No, no, I think it's a colander," her son poked the device.

    "Looks like a colander to me," her daughter agreed.

    Taylor forced herself to look objectively at the device. It was a metal bowl-like affair with wires connected through tiny holes. She was forced to conclude, grudgingly, that it did look like a colander. In fact it looked like the device from Ghostbusters. Harry folded his arms with a put upon frown. He was so cute dressed in an outfit just like hers, but with longer pants. Sakura tugged on her sleeve. The little girl was dressed in a purple mantle, button down white shirt, purple skirt, white knee length stockings, and Mary Jane flats. A purple mage hat and a comically oversized staff completed the look.

    "Okay, so maybe it does look like a colander. I needed something to isolate your dimensional waveform...Ahem. Technobabble aside, there was just too much interference. We only have a year left before your universe drags you back," Taylor impulsively hugged her eldest child.

    "Alright...I guess that makes sense..." Harry leaned into the hug.

    "Am I going to have to wear the colander?" Sakura asked hesitantly.

    "I can find my way back to your dimension easily enough. If you really wanted to go back there anyway," Taylor knelt down to hug Sakura. The little girl snuggled in her arms.

    The experienced alchemist didn't need Sakura's help. Oh no. Her little girl's magic wasn't suited for crossing dimensions. According to MAGES. her daughter had an extraordinary talent for summoning. As in 'once in a thousand years' kind of summoning talent. Both her Element and Origin agreed. Imaginary Numbers was a vanishingly rare variant. To have it for both Element and Origin was unheard of by even the scholars. She toyed with the idea of sending Sakura to school with Harry, but she was still shy with people. Startle her and she was liable to summon the Demon in IF's Left Arm. Everyone was quite surprised when IF's fantasy was proven true.

    IF included.

    "The colander is still on my head," Harry reminded her dryly.

    Right. The colander. Taylor was trying to isolate the specific quirk of magic that would allow her to lock onto his dimension. She took hold of the comically large switch and pulled it down with relish. The machine fired up in response to the completed circuit. Harry managed to look bored even as electrodes on the colander blinked red and green. To be on the safe side, Taylor made sure to hold her daughter's hand. Imaginary Numbers tended to do odd things to her experiments. MAGES. still hadn't figured out how to change her hair back from bubblegum pink yet.

    The oven timer chimed and the device powered down. Taylor stared at the timer for a long moment. Why did she even install an oven timer on this thing? She literally had better timekeeping devices. A demented giggle, followed by the sound of tiny scampering feet, explained everything. She had gremlins again. The darn things were worse than telemarketers for showing up where they weren't wanted. She prayed to anyone who was listening the gremlin only messed with the timer.

    "Mom! Mom!" Sakura pulled her shirt sleeve.

    "What is it?" Taylor quickly checked Harry and her daughter. Her son still looked aggravated, but unharmed.

    "It says 'match found!'" Sakura pointed at the screen.

    Sure enough the screen said 'match found.' Taylor quickly jotted down the dimensional variant numbers. She needed a half twist on the jump to reach Harry's world. The bobbled Jump the first time would have been impossible to replicate without knowing the precise vectors. Taylor concluded ruefully that it was a good thing she was exceptionally athletic. Without that athleticism she wouldn't be able to make a precise jump.

    "Okay kids. I'm going to drop you off with MAGES. before Jumping to Harry's world," Taylor said.

    "Are you dating MAGES.?" Sakura asked.

    "Where did that come from?" Taylor asked in mystification.

    "Shippers gonna ship," Harry explained(?) helpfully.

    "That has nothing to do with the current issue," Taylor said.

    "Is she gonna be our second mommy?" Harry asked.

    "I'm pretty sure MAGES. is asexual. Besides which I am definitely not interested in dating her. I'm holding off on dating anyone until I can find Brockton Bay," Taylor made sure her kids were paying attention. She was not looking to date anyone. Especially not her most frequent collaborator. MAGES. was a good friend but terrible dating material.

    Money changed hands between her children.

    "You were betting on my love life," Taylor rolled her eyes.

    The pair nodded shamelessly.

    Taylor dropped the kids off with MAGES. She would have taken them to Compa and IF, but the pair were on vacation with their Hyperdimension counterparts. The alchemist had no idea just why the quartet hung out together so often. Maybe it was because they were instinctively seeking sanity and stability?

    Then again there was the time she walked in on Compa and Compa…

    Never mind.

    It wasn't her fault that she kept walking in on people during their 'alone time.' She improved her stealth skills just to avoid disturbing anyone. No matter how disturbed they already were.

    She kissed her children goodbye and set off once more to adventure! With any luck she wouldn't get detoured by another child who needed saving. Taylor didn't mind rescuing kids but she had enough sidequests already.

    A half turn during the Jump was exactly what Taylor needed. She appeared in the middle of the afternoon in front of a bland white house. Taylor checked her location carefully with a device of her own design. It wasn't her fault it looked like a PKE meter. Blame Harry and his Ghostbusters obsession.

    "Dimensional coordinates confirmed...I made it back to his world after all," Taylor smiled with satisfaction. Now she just needed to find a quiet place to put the anchor. She had to be able to return with Harry after all. A loud crack of displaced air interrupted her thoughts. The alchemist turned around to see who arrived and stared.

    Who ordered the Gandalf in rainbow pimp robes?

    "Greetings, young lady. Could we perhaps get out of the street and talk?" Gandalf the Fabulous gestured to the sidewalk genially.

    "Right...I kind of forgot cars use streets..." Taylor looked abashed.

    "You were busy with something. It happens to the best of us," the elderly mage allowed. Once they were safely out of the street he waved an ornate wand thrice. Taylor felt the magics settle over the area. Aversion, privacy, honesty? Considering he cast that last one over himself too she wouldn't make an issue of it.

    "My name is Taylor Hebert. Who might you be?" Taylor decided to start things off herself.

    "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Hebert. I am Albus Dumbledore, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, and Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled pleasantly.

    "Titles too? I'm also the Head Alchemist and Artificer of Planeptune in the Ultradimension," Taylor wasn't used to actually throwing her titles around. Most people knew who she was without having to say it, but this was a new world after all.

    "An alchemist? I happen to be good friends with Nicholas Flamel. In fact he was my mentor during my apprenticeship," Dumbledore said with delight.

    "Nicholas Flamel? You're so lucky! I would love to meet one of the fathers of Alchemy. Now if you knew Roger Bacon too I might be even more jealous," Taylor giggled.

    "I am afraid he was before my time. However Nicholas was a student of his. I heard he was a fantastic person," the older mage sighed.

    "No comment on the fact I'm from another dimension?" Taylor realized he didn't seem all that surprised.

    "With magic all things are possible. The very idea of another dimension is fascinating to contemplate," Dumbledore said with boyish enthusiasm.

    "What a refreshing way of looking at it," she smiled.

    "I was actually hoping you would be a reasonable person. There are so many things to discuss and I was hoping we could do so quickly," Albus said apologetically.

    "Why quickly? I am in no hurry to leave," Taylor blinked in confusion.

    "You're not? The last someone arrived, in the same manner you did, they left rather abruptly," Dumbledore looked perplexed.

    "Ah! So you were able to detect that?" She asked curiously.

    "I had spells placed on the baby carrier to detect if it was moved. They were also to make sure the baby was safely inside. When the spells alerted me to young Harry being removed, I hurried over. Unfortunately I was too late to stop you. I assume it was you. You haven't really aged a day since then," Dumbledore explained.

    "I have a potion that restores vitality and grants immortality. As for Harry? The basket was left outside in middle of the night. It felt like late Fall. I couldn't leave him there," Taylor shook her head. Dumbledore looked curious about her potion but showed he had his priorities straight.

    "How is Harry?" Dumbledore asked. Inwardly Taylor smiled. She was testing him subtly to see just what kind of person he was. He hadn't disappointed her yet.

    "He just turned ten. He's such a little cutie and everyone loves him. Especially his little sister. I can't imagine being apart from him. If it wasn't for his 'destined' status I wouldn't bring him back. So much left on his tiny shoulders..." Taylor hugged herself pensively.

    "You know about the prophecy?" Dumbledore looked heartsick.

    "I don't know the specifics. The universe made sure I knew he had an 'important role,'" she bit off.

    "There is another matter...He has something in his forehead from that night..." Albus didn't want to add to her burden, but apparently he trusted what he saw of her.

    "I already know about it. I took care of it the same night. You don't have anything to exorcise spirits?" Taylor asked. It looked as if a great weight fell from the old man's shoulders.

    "Sadly we don't know how to remove things like that. Not without destroying the vessel. Now I don't want to impose, but I believe we can help one another," Dumbledore said.

    "How so?" Taylor tilted her head curiously.

    "Since Harry is needed here to fulfill a prophecy, and you don't want to part from him, perhaps a deal is in order. Hogwarts needs a new alchemy teacher. Perhaps you would like the position?" He asked.

    "I have a daughter as well..." Taylor wasn't saying no, but she didn't want to be apart from Sakura either.

    "The teachers' chambers are a suite of rooms. She can stay with you. Harry wouldn't have to be apart from his sister either," he was quick to offer.

    "And in time she might want to join him...Okay! I accept your offer. We can hash out the details," Taylor held out a hand.

    "I am looking forward to working with you, Professor Hebert," Dumbledore shook her hand firmly.

    "Likewise, Headmaster Dumbledore," Taylor grinned.

    Somewhere a bat with a hygiene problem picked his head up warily. There was a disturbance that spelled certain disaster to all his carefully laid plans.
     
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