Clyde's house…
A few minutes before the meeting…
Chesire's room…
Clyde stared blankly at Chesire.
"Catgirls watch cat videos?"
The purple-haired catgirl blushed heavily. "Nya, you really are one judgmental human."
"I'm not judging, but really, cat videos?" Clyde said. He examined her room.
Harumi giggled. "I find it refreshing. And cute."
Chesire's ears perked up. "Nya, right?" She brought Neko's laptop close to Harumi's face. "She's so cute! And look at that nice grooming."
"We'd love to sit here and talk about your cats, but there's a meeting and you're invited," Clyde said. "You're freaking Chesire Cat from Wonderland, so maybe you can help us out."
Now it was Chesire's turn to stare blankly at him. "Never mind. Let's just go."
"Am I really that famous?" Chesire said as she closed the laptop and placed it on the desk. "I'm just a servant of Queen Cora. Nothing special really."
"Don't pretend you hadn't heard of the stories," Clyde said.
"Stories," Chesire said. "Wonderland is a bit different than you think, trust me." She giggled.
"Really?" Kanako said, floating next to her. "What's it like?"
"Lewd," Chesire said. "Nya, I mean—it's…kind of embarrassing to say. Maybe we'll talk about it later."
Clyde gave her a skeptical look then shrugged. "Interesting." He started toward the exit. Ruri met him toward the end of the hall, snuggling into him. Clyde kissed his hellhound fiancée, then gave her a warm head pat. She beat all the others to his lap, prior to the start of the meeting.
"Uhm, Airi, why don't you have a phone?" Sazuki asked.
"Let's just say there was a drunken accident," Airi said, giving Matsume just a brief Gin smile. The busty hellhound smiled sheepishly. Yuki's Gin smile was still the scariest. Who the hell would want her pissed at them?
All of Team Stone were present at the meeting as well as Selkie and her two minions, Liru, and the three dragon sisters. Clare showed up slightly late, but everyone appreciated the shrine maiden's presence, regardless. Another beauty of knowledge only eased things for the most part. The Fireside magical girls manned the café as usual.
"Alright, now that everyone's here, Tetra kick things off. Maybe tell us exactly what the Thousand Year Dragon is for any who missed our previous meeting about it. Even I'm a little in the dark on it—but seeing how you were kind enough to take the time out of your day to do the research."
"It's thanks to Noona's people that I was able to obtain a lead for the information," Tetra said. "Tear's network took me exactly where I needed to be."
"Good shit ladies," Clyde said, nodding,
"Of course, Clyde-sama," Noona said. The young man did not want to know what persona she roleplayed at that moment. At least she wasn't in the goofy Sherlock Holmes wear.
"For those who do not know who the Thousand Year Dragon is, Amina called her Emyo. She's the most powerful dragon around, worshipped as a goddess by many of the dragons that still unfortunately see the kitsune as their enemies," Tetra explained. "According to this," She place a medium-sized book onto the table. "The Thousand Year Dragon is one of few existing dragon gods. However, there's a reason why my people hate the dragons. Not just the Alethian, but also the elves, dwarves, origin-kind, and many races during the ancient times. The dragon gods were ruthless, destructive, and many ancient dragons rallied behind them with the aim of world domination. At one point, they've enslaved the elves. Ironically, it was the humans that rescued them with what were called, dragon slayers back then." Clyde's inner fantasy boner rose as she spoke. "Among the dragon gods, the Emyo was the most powerful, a dragon who lived for thousands of years with incredible powers and wisdom beyond the standard dragons and most gods. There are no remaining records of her specific rampages, only mouth to mouth tales, sightings, and then of course Celestial's decision to seal her. Every dragon during that time committed all of their crimes in her name, praising her, and supposedly the dragon god's presence gave them boosts in power. The only race that equaled them in strength were the kitsune, led by the Nine-tailed fox. It was the Nine tails that made contact with the leader of the largest dragon clan at the time, arranged a marriage, and stopped the clashes. With the Thousand Year sealed, the dragons lost their power boost, their stupid religion, cults, and excuses to wreak havoc throughout the world. New dragon generations were taught to be civilized and to not believe in any of the Thousand Year Dragon cults that hid among the underground. Eventually, all but one cult vanished over time."
"Let me guess," Clyde said, "the Soulless family."
He stole a glance at Chiyo, eldest of the Rose dragon sisters. As expected, she looked tense. Maybe she even knew a lot about the dragons' destructive past. Whether this was a tough pill to swallow or not, the young man knew not to call her out on it. Her ancestors' crimes had nothing to do with them.
Really, Chiyo was sweet, beautiful, and had quite the humorous anime addiction that seemed to annoy the hell out of her orange-haired younger sister, Kimiko. Kimiko was a bit of a tsundere—even had the look, but once again, lived as a kind and virtuous dragon. Even the man-hater, the dark pinkish-purple haired young woman, caused no trouble whatsoever.
"Yes," Tetra said. "Not that that's any news to us. Everyone knows about the Soulless. The problem is locating the Disciple, who hides among them. He or she is responsible for the kitsune tragedy a little over a decade ago. However, I didn't call this meeting just to tell you things we already know or can talk about over Harumi or Yuki's delicious dinners. Amina confirmed that the Thousand Year is traveling dangerously close to us." She looked at Clyde. "Rumors say she's weakened, but that doesn't mean you should go charging—"
"Like I said, she isn't bothering anyone," Clyde said, "but I will—Team Stone will attack if she becomes a threat to Harumi, Liru, or anyone else here. I find it funny that the records stated that the dragons did things in Emyo's name, but have not one record of her actually doing anything, other than the overused, vague, 'she was a terrible monster' cliché."
Everyone gaped at Clyde.
"Clyde, I know you're not from this world, so maybe the mention of Emyo doesn't affect you, but think of what Harumi and her sister went through because of the Disciple's attack. The attack that only happened because of the Thousand Year dragon." Tetra shook her head. "It seems to me that Emyo probably preached to the dragons or encouraged them somehow. Really, we won't know unless we ask Celestial." Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com <a href="https://www.webnovel.com">www.webnovel.com</a> for visiting.
"Good luck getting an answer from them," Undine said.
"What haven't you told us yet, Tetra?" Clare said.
The detective eyed the shrine maiden. "Thanks to Tear and Noona's networks, fine people they are, I've discovered the city that belongs to the Soulless. "
"A stronghold, perhaps?" Tear asked.
Tetra nodded. "I don't know if the Disciple is there, but the Soulless Head was rumored to be spotted on several occasions. I called this meeting so that everyone associated with Team Stone would know this. Right now we're not on the radar or anything. But…" She sighed. "There's one more rumor that we should really be wary of."
"Among the many I presume," Clyde said.
"If the Disciple finds out about Harumi or Liru from any source, she may send an assassin," Tetra clarified.
"With us being on TV and all…" Kitome sighed. "What can we do?"
Selkie frowned. "I'll need to discuss this with some friends."
"Ku ku ku ku," Natalia chuckled, as if she was a chuuni from anime. Everyone stared at her blankly. "You people keep forgetting how great I am. Pervy amnesia people. I can ward Harumi and Liru against assassins. Set a trap within their aura. Nothing can stop me!"
Naoko nodded twice in agreement. The gothic loli gave a tsundere harrumph.
Clyde gave the loli a head patting. Ruri puffed her cheeks up in a pout, but said nothing.
"We'll leave it to you, Natalia," he said. "Give this assassin bitch one hell of a surprise."
Natalia giggled. "You know it, Husbando onii."
"Let's call it a day," Clyde said. "Now that we know who we're up against…Or at least who not to bother." He gave Tetra a hard look that prevented any further argument. Sure he didn't know the past, but that didn't meant Clyde would charge Team Stone into battle against someone who bothered no one. What if she really did turn out to be too much for the young man?
His team would be in danger for nothing.
"The great lord of the dark offers his amazing protection," Dark said. Everyone ignored him.
"Harumi, Liru," Natalia said in a singsong voice. "The two nicest people in the world. This may take some time. Everyone else, out-out-out. Especially you, baka chuuni. I'll need to concentrate."
"I'll start dinner," Yuki said. "Selkie, you and your crew are welcome to spend the night. Maki and Sophia will show you your rooms."
"It's okay, Yuki," Selkie said. "We kind of already paid for the hotel rooms. They're quite nice. Besides, there's someone suspicious I want to keep an eye on. I'm intrigued by her actions, which is why we hadn't left town yet."
"Who?" Clyde asked.
"I'll tell you when I'm one hundred percent certain," Selkie said. "My target seems depressed. You know how some people look when their hopes and dreams have been blown out by the woes of life."
"What'd she do, lose all of her money in gambling? Lose the lottery?" Seth said.
"No idea," Selkie said. She turned to Yuki. "We'd love to stay for dinner, if you don't mind. You're the best chef out there."
Yuki chuckled. "Feel free."
**
After finishing his meal, Dark put on a coat and headed out into the cold without telling anyone. Not that he had to. He was the lord of the dark for a reason. No one commanded him. This world belonged to him.
A few steps outside, he noticed the purple-haired catgirl, Chesire, meowing at a neighborhood stray cat.
"Wow," he deadpanned. The catgirl nearly jumped out of her skin, blushing redder than the ripest Alethian pepper. "I know people bag on me for reciting my epic verses, but talking to a cat. Really?"
"Nya, so what? It's cute," Chesire said. "I don't expect a chuuni like you to understand."
The catgirl dashed into the house, but not before sticking her tongue out at Dark. He comedically snarled.
Dark watched the cat scurry off before continuing his walk. Chesire…. To think that Wonderland was actually real. He wondered if all human fairy tales received the Satovian treatment. Maybe the ancients simply witnessed a lot of magical events before they vanished, making way for the modern era.
Dark didn't really care. He was just glad to be as far away from Earth as possible.
"Hey baka-chuuni."
Dark ignored Myriad and continued to walk. The great lord of the dark didn't have time to deal with birdbrain plebs.
"That woman from the hotel is on the move."
Dark stopped and turned around.
"Get Selkie."
**
Clyde and fiancées' room…
Chika scowled at the latest email she received from her accountant. Profits were down due to AE's new console release. The masses were pre-ordering it like crazy and there wasn't a damned thing she could do. The young woman would have to demand overtime from her acquired studios.
Her own company's console was still in development, possibly years away. They wanted to keep things hidden and under the wraps until then and with no leaks. The silver-haired girl needed to impress the team, show them she could be more than just an academic maniac or a battler. She wanted to put everything she learned to use, get big enough to maybe boast about Team Stone, keep them in a positive view.
Mainstream media were still concerned about the monsters and other "super-powered" human beings. There were outlets that called Team Stone sub-humans, even monsters.
Despite the party doing their best, the media still found ways to bash at them.
Clyde's house…
A few minutes before the meeting…
Chesire's room…
Clyde stared blankly at Chesire.
"Catgirls watch cat videos?"
The purple-haired catgirl blushed heavily. "Nya, you really are one judgmental human."
"I'm not judging, but really, cat videos?" Clyde said. He examined her room.
Harumi giggled. "I find it refreshing. And cute."
Chesire's ears perked up. "Nya, right?" She brought Neko's laptop close to Harumi's face. "She's so cute! And look at that nice grooming."
"We'd love to sit here and talk about your cats, but there's a meeting and you're invited," Clyde said. "You're freaking Chesire Cat from Wonderland, so maybe you can help us out."
Now it was Chesire's turn to stare blankly at him. "Never mind. Let's just go."
"Am I really that famous?" Chesire said as she closed the laptop and placed it on the desk. "I'm just a servant of Queen Cora. Nothing special really."
"Don't pretend you hadn't heard of the stories," Clyde said.
"Stories," Chesire said. "Wonderland is a bit different than you think, trust me." She giggled.
"Really?" Kanako said, floating next to her. "What's it like?"
"Lewd," Chesire said. "Nya, I mean—it's…kind of embarrassing to say. Maybe we'll talk about it later."
Clyde gave her a skeptical look then shrugged. "Interesting." He started toward the exit. Ruri met him toward the end of the hall, snuggling into him. Clyde kissed his hellhound fiancée, then gave her a warm head pat. She beat all the others to his lap, prior to the start of the meeting.
"Uhm, Airi, why don't you have a phone?" Sazuki asked.
"Let's just say there was a drunken accident," Airi said, giving Matsume just a brief Gin smile. The busty hellhound smiled sheepishly. Yuki's Gin smile was still the scariest. Who the hell would want her pissed at them?
All of Team Stone were present at the meeting as well as Selkie and her two minions, Liru, and the three dragon sisters. Clare showed up slightly late, but everyone appreciated the shrine maiden's presence, regardless. Another beauty of knowledge only eased things for the most part. The Fireside magical girls manned the café as usual.
"Alright, now that everyone's here, Tetra kick things off. Maybe tell us exactly what the Thousand Year Dragon is for any who missed our previous meeting about it. Even I'm a little in the dark on it—but seeing how you were kind enough to take the time out of your day to do the research."
"It's thanks to Noona's people that I was able to obtain a lead for the information," Tetra said. "Tear's network took me exactly where I needed to be."
"Good shit ladies," Clyde said, nodding,
"Of course, Clyde-sama," Noona said. The young man did not want to know what persona she roleplayed at that moment. At least she wasn't in the goofy Sherlock Holmes wear.
"For those who do not know who the Thousand Year Dragon is, Amina called her Emyo. She's the most powerful dragon around, worshipped as a goddess by many of the dragons that still unfortunately see the kitsune as their enemies," Tetra explained. "According to this," She place a medium-sized book onto the table. "The Thousand Year Dragon is one of few existing dragon gods. However, there's a reason why my people hate the dragons. Not just the Alethian, but also the elves, dwarves, origin-kind, and many races during the ancient times. The dragon gods were ruthless, destructive, and many ancient dragons rallied behind them with the aim of world domination. At one point, they've enslaved the elves. Ironically, it was the humans that rescued them with what were called, dragon slayers back then." Clyde's inner fantasy boner rose as she spoke. "Among the dragon gods, the Emyo was the most powerful, a dragon who lived for thousands of years with incredible powers and wisdom beyond the standard dragons and most gods. There are no remaining records of her specific rampages, only mouth to mouth tales, sightings, and then of course Celestial's decision to seal her. Every dragon during that time committed all of their crimes in her name, praising her, and supposedly the dragon god's presence gave them boosts in power. The only race that equaled them in strength were the kitsune, led by the Nine-tailed fox. It was the Nine tails that made contact with the leader of the largest dragon clan at the time, arranged a marriage, and stopped the clashes. With the Thousand Year sealed, the dragons lost their power boost, their stupid religion, cults, and excuses to wreak havoc throughout the world. New dragon generations were taught to be civilized and to not believe in any of the Thousand Year Dragon cults that hid among the underground. Eventually, all but one cult vanished over time."
"Let me guess," Clyde said, "the Soulless family."
He stole a glance at Chiyo, eldest of the Rose dragon sisters. As expected, she looked tense. Maybe she even knew a lot about the dragons' destructive past. Whether this was a tough pill to swallow or not, the young man knew not to call her out on it. Her ancestors' crimes had nothing to do with them.
Really, Chiyo was sweet, beautiful, and had quite the humorous anime addiction that seemed to annoy the hell out of her orange-haired younger sister, Kimiko. Kimiko was a bit of a tsundere—even had the look, but once again, lived as a kind and virtuous dragon. Even the man-hater, the dark pinkish-purple haired young woman, caused no trouble whatsoever.
"Yes," Tetra said. "Not that that's any news to us. Everyone knows about the Soulless. The problem is locating the Disciple, who hides among them. He or she is responsible for the kitsune tragedy a little over a decade ago. However, I didn't call this meeting just to tell you things we already know or can talk about over Harumi or Yuki's delicious dinners. Amina confirmed that the Thousand Year is traveling dangerously close to us." She looked at Clyde. "Rumors say she's weakened, but that doesn't mean you should go charging—"
"Like I said, she isn't bothering anyone," Clyde said, "but I will—Team Stone will attack if she becomes a threat to Harumi, Liru, or anyone else here. I find it funny that the records stated that the dragons did things in Emyo's name, but have not one record of her actually doing anything, other than the overused, vague, 'she was a terrible monster' cliché."
Everyone gaped at Clyde.
"Clyde, I know you're not from this world, so maybe the mention of Emyo doesn't affect you, but think of what Harumi and her sister went through because of the Disciple's attack. The attack that only happened because of the Thousand Year dragon." Tetra shook her head. "It seems to me that Emyo probably preached to the dragons or encouraged them somehow. Really, we won't know unless we ask Celestial." Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com <a href="https://www.webnovel.com">www.webnovel.com</a> for visiting.
"Good luck getting an answer from them," Undine said.
"What haven't you told us yet, Tetra?" Clare said.
The detective eyed the shrine maiden. "Thanks to Tear and Noona's networks, fine people they are, I've discovered the city that belongs to the Soulless. "
"A stronghold, perhaps?" Tear asked.
Tetra nodded. "I don't know if the Disciple is there, but the Soulless Head was rumored to be spotted on several occasions. I called this meeting so that everyone associated with Team Stone would know this. Right now we're not on the radar or anything. But…" She sighed. "There's one more rumor that we should really be wary of."
"Among the many I presume," Clyde said.
"If the Disciple finds out about Harumi or Liru from any source, she may send an assassin," Tetra clarified.
"With us being on TV and all…" Kitome sighed. "What can we do?"
Selkie frowned. "I'll need to discuss this with some friends."
"Ku ku ku ku," Natalia chuckled, as if she was a chuuni from anime. Everyone stared at her blankly. "You people keep forgetting how great I am. Pervy amnesia people. I can ward Harumi and Liru against assassins. Set a trap within their aura. Nothing can stop me!"
Naoko nodded twice in agreement. The gothic loli gave a tsundere harrumph.
Clyde gave the loli a head patting. Ruri puffed her cheeks up in a pout, but said nothing.
"We'll leave it to you, Natalia," he said. "Give this assassin bitch one hell of a surprise."
Natalia giggled. "You know it, Husbando onii."
"Let's call it a day," Clyde said. "Now that we know who we're up against…Or at least who not to bother." He gave Tetra a hard look that prevented any further argument. Sure he didn't know the past, but that didn't meant Clyde would charge Team Stone into battle against someone who bothered no one. What if she really did turn out to be too much for the young man?
His team would be in danger for nothing.
"The great lord of the dark offers his amazing protection," Dark said. Everyone ignored him.
"Harumi, Liru," Natalia said in a singsong voice. "The two nicest people in the world. This may take some time. Everyone else, out-out-out. Especially you, baka chuuni. I'll need to concentrate."
"I'll start dinner," Yuki said. "Selkie, you and your crew are welcome to spend the night. Maki and Sophia will show you your rooms."
"It's okay, Yuki," Selkie said. "We kind of already paid for the hotel rooms. They're quite nice. Besides, there's someone suspicious I want to keep an eye on. I'm intrigued by her actions, which is why we hadn't left town yet."
"Who?" Clyde asked.
"I'll tell you when I'm one hundred percent certain," Selkie said. "My target seems depressed. You know how some people look when their hopes and dreams have been blown out by the woes of life."
"What'd she do, lose all of her money in gambling? Lose the lottery?" Seth said.
"No idea," Selkie said. She turned to Yuki. "We'd love to stay for dinner, if you don't mind. You're the best chef out there."
Yuki chuckled. "Feel free."
**
After finishing his meal, Dark put on a coat and headed out into the cold without telling anyone. Not that he had to. He was the lord of the dark for a reason. No one commanded him. This world belonged to him.
A few steps outside, he noticed the purple-haired catgirl, Chesire, meowing at a neighborhood stray cat.
"Wow," he deadpanned. The catgirl nearly jumped out of her skin, blushing redder than the ripest Alethian pepper. "I know people bag on me for reciting my epic verses, but talking to a cat. Really?"
"Nya, so what? It's cute," Chesire said. "I don't expect a chuuni like you to understand."
The catgirl dashed into the house, but not before sticking her tongue out at Dark. He comedically snarled.
Dark watched the cat scurry off before continuing his walk. Chesire…. To think that Wonderland was actually real. He wondered if all human fairy tales received the Satovian treatment. Maybe the ancients simply witnessed a lot of magical events before they vanished, making way for the modern era.
Dark didn't really care. He was just glad to be as far away from Earth as possible.
"Hey baka-chuuni."
Dark ignored Myriad and continued to walk. The great lord of the dark didn't have time to deal with birdbrain plebs.
"That woman from the hotel is on the move."
Dark stopped and turned around.
"Get Selkie."
**
Clyde and fiancées' room…
Chika scowled at the latest email she received from her accountant. Profits were down due to AE's new console release. The masses were pre-ordering it like crazy and there wasn't a damned thing she could do. The young woman would have to demand overtime from her acquired studios.
Her own company's console was still in development, possibly years away. They wanted to keep things hidden and under the wraps until then and with no leaks. The silver-haired girl needed to impress the team, show them she could be more than just an academic maniac or a battler. She wanted to put everything she learned to use, get big enough to maybe boast about Team Stone, keep them in a positive view.
Mainstream media were still concerned about the monsters and other "super-powered" human beings. There were outlets that called Team Stone sub-humans, even monsters.
Despite the party doing their best, the media still found ways to bash at them.
