Rise of the Maou (Grey and Tach)

[Vinestar]

The instance the sonic shout emitted from Tach's mouth, Grey made the flooring under the beast brittle. Collapsing from the oily fell creature's great bulk, it plunged into the black waters once more. As it attempted to climb out again, the impact from the scream blasted it deep into the depths.

"Big Dipper!" Curving her hand and performing a forward waving motion, Grey materialized a giant ice cream scooper made of ice near the airborne boy. It wasn't that solid, only a thin shell in the shape of a giant object but hopefully it would serve its purpose. Mimicking its creator's movements, the thing continued its swing. "Tach, use it as a launch pad for the throne before it breaks!"

[Tachi]

"R-right!" the boy yelled, kicking off of the ice with far less power than before. After the kotodama, he couldn't bring as much energy together. If this didn't work, he didn't like their chances of getting out alive.

Thanks mostly to the momentum he had built up and the ice sending him in the right direction, he made it. Barely. As he touched down on the small landmass, the boy stumbled forward slightly before dropping to his knees. His legs were killing him. The crossdresser crawled over to the obsidian throne and attempted to lift himself onto it, panting.

[Vinestar]

"The deed is done- The new king ascends." The familiar voice of the giant terrapin rumbled through the cave as Tach hoisted himself onto the obsidian throne, reverberating into one's very body and mind. Grey ran onto the small area of land surrounding the throne just in time as her ice melted into the black waters.

The agitated thrashings of the beast grew still and the darkness of the lake bleached away, revealing silver. Balls of light floated up from the shining depths and began dissipating by the hundreds, a brief haze lingering in their wake before fully fading away. "You have released the souls of the fallen back into the circle of life- Their task as the guardian beast has now ended."
The contented rumbles continued as the island went on its conversation, rock vibrating in tune with its voice.

"Now then... What do you wish for? Wealth? Women? Fame? Immortality? Speak up..." Already, Grey was glaring at the newborn king. Her gaze seemed to indicate that if he chose the second option, something was going to get flash-frozen.

[Tachi]

Tachi glanced around as the lights appeared. That monster was made of the souls of the fallen? If they had died, would their souls have joined them? The boy shuddered at the mere thought. Then the turtle said something about a wish.

Wealth would be nice, although if Grey's earlier point about him being made out to be a villain just for living here was right, it wasn't likely he'd have many places to spend it. In which case it would probably just be another reason for people to want to kill him. Besides, he was still on good terms with the others, even if he had moved out, surely someone rich enough to buy one of their friends a planet could spare enough gold for any issues that needed it.

Fame, well...surely he was already going to be famous just for living here, in a sense. Right? Adding more "fame" could only result in people coming to try to kill him sooner.

Women...the look on Grey's face said that wishing for that would be an utterly awful idea. Not that he would have considered it anyway. The whole concept seemed a little disturbing to him.

That just left immortality. On one hand, there were a fair few ways immortality could go wrong. On the other, it wasn't like the main disadvantage, seeing your friends and loved ones wither and die, applied to him.

Hesitantly, he opened his mouth, whispering to the girl beside him. "Um, what do you think I should wish for? The only one of those that sounds kind of nice to me is immortality."

[Vinestar]

Thinking for a bit, the agelessness seemed like the best thing to wish for Tach, seeing as both her and the others all had some method to keep their youth. "Immortality seems like the best bet. Make him promise eternal youth too though, Tach." Grey whispered back to the trap, remembering a certain Greek myth with crickets.

[Tachi]

"Right." Tachi replied. Of course, the second biggest issue with immortality was the way it sometimes didn't come with eternal youth. He didn't want to end up too old and decrepit to move a century or two down the line, and he sure as hell didn't want to end up looking like Zouken.

Taking a deep breath, the trap spoke up. He felt a little odd addressing a turtle, especially one that had been masquerading as an island until its recent attempt to kill him and Grey. "I wish for immortality, the kind that comes with a stop on aging."

[Vinestar]

"So be it, your boon has been granted.["/b] Sprouting from behind the obsidian throne, a vine curled its way up the black stone and above the boy's head. A small bud appeared, growing into a larger flower and finally a silver fruit of oblong proportions. "One taste of the flesh shall grant immortality with everlasting youth."

Grey stared at the peach with wide eyes, reminded of Joureny to the West. Looking back at Tach, she couldn't help imagining him with a simian's tail. "Snrk..."

[Tachi]

Tachi looked up at the freshly grown fruit in mild surprise. This was his key to immortality? Well, the turtle hadn't lied to him yet, unless pretending to be an island counted, so there wasn't really a reason to think this was a trick either. Hesitantly, the boy took the peach. This was all a little weird, even for him.

He was about to raise the silver peach to his mouth when he heard Grey. Turning his attention to the mage, he tilted his head slightly. A small amount of confusion showing on his face. That didn't exactly sound like the kind of reaction one would expect from these events. "What is it?" the trap asked.

[Vinestar]

"M-monkey king..." Unable to hold in her humor, the girl let out a peal of clear laughter. After the thing they had fought, the unstable ride through the air, and their ordeal in general, the prize they had gained was a bit ludicrous in hindsight. "Hehe..."

[Tachi]

Tachi stared for a moment, confused. Had Grey gone insane while he wasn't looking? Maybe she just needed to rest for a bit. Truthfully, the boy was eager to get somewhere with a bed too. After a short pause to consider just what he was doing, the trap silently prayed that this wasn't some kind of trick, hesitantly raised the fruit to his mouth and bit into it.

[Vinestar]

10 Years Later on the Island of Shina Arc

After the rise of the demon king, the small island was sent 1000 sacrifices from the fearful neighboring countries. From that point, the people found it to be paradise rather than hell (after the great Cleansing of the Scourges which rid the island of its monster populace) and soon settlements became colonies. In the span of just a dozen years, the newborn Shina Arc became a prosperous trading nation in its own right, with ideal exports and a steady amount of import. Attempts to conquer the island were utterly repelled by the dangerous and mysterious Witch of the Icy Wastes, who had froze anything and everything deemed a threat. Now is the story of a certain trap's daily life...

Head in her princess' lap, Grey sleepily opened her eyes to regard the new day. She had got to stop acting like a cat, really. What if the populace found out that the dreaded Glacial Master was really quite a softie away from her day job as secretary/knight/bodyguard to the sovereignty. "Ready for a new day of signing treaties and political intrigue, Tach?" Rubbing her eyes, the girl sat up and yawned before reforming the icy lens on her face.

[Tachi]

Tachi slowly opened his eyes when Grey spoke. While political intrigue and treaties weren't exactly his favourite activities, he knew ignoring what the mage had said and trying to go back to sleep wouldn't work. These things came with the job, after all. The monarch hesitantly sat up and stretched his arms, yawning. Smiling and rubbing his eyes, the half-asleep ruler turned his attention to his knight.

"Mm...Good morning to you too," the trap replied, trying to ignore the mention of work for the moment. He'd rather deal with that when he was a bit more awake, if Grey would let him. Trying to change the subject to something less...political, he continued, "What do you want for breakfast? I think I'm in the mood for pancakes."

[Vinestar]

"Pancakes... Hm." Actually getting off the bed, the mage blearily made her way towards the bathroom, entering and closing the door with a click. "Anything you want on them besides syrup? I kinda wanna try my luck with cooking something fun." Grey asked from inside as she went about performing morning hygiene, wanting a chance to show off what her training in the Torikoverse resulted in. Shokurin Temple was hell, and darned if she wasn't going to have a chance to show off.

[Tachi]

The princess stretched once more before getting out of bed. Brushing a few strands of hair out of his face, he moved towards his wardrobe. "Um, syrup sounds okay with me." he replied, "But if you want to do anything else, that's fine too."

After a few seconds of staring at the contents of the wardrobe, Tachi chose a maid outfit. He mused on the fact that it seemed to have become his standard form of dress as he began changing. Either he expected that Grey would take long enough in the bathroom for him to get dressed or he didn't particularly care if the mage saw him.

[Vinestar]

Teeth brushing, face washing, and hair combing over with, Grey came out of the restroom to see... Well, a pretty nice sight. Unabashedly performing a "security" check that involved much ogling, the mage giggled. "Well, someone's getting the deluxe treatment this morning!" Whistling cheerfully, the now very energized mage went on her way to the kitchen.

It was true that breakfast was the most important meal of the day- after all, it gave one energy for the rest of the day. Nodding, Grey looked over her domain and the ingredients she had. "Well then... I give my thanks to all the ingredients of the world." Chanting her customary mantra, the girl motioned a knife fist and positioned it over a brown melon sized fruit.

"Petty Knife." Swiftly using her weaponized hand to slice the soft fruit a certain way to stop its golden syrups from squirting out, a segment of glistening pastry slices were now adorning the plate. Nodding at the even pieces, she then threw a bit of crushed cinnamon onto the Pancake Fruit slices before garnishing it with fresh whipped cream. "Hm... And a bit of milk to wash it down." Plucking an orange fruit from a overhanging branch, the girl squeezed out a cup's worth of rich, frothy milk from the eponymous Milk Fruit's spongy peel.

Setting down the breakfast platter at the head of the table, the mage began making herself a three cheese omelette using the Cannonbert, Cherry, and Mozzericle Cheeses before settling down with her own plate of food, positioned at the head seat's right hand. Waiting for her lord, the secretary wouldn't take a bite till Tach did.

[Tachi]

Tachi's face coloured slightly when he heard Grey's remark. It wasn't anything to get too flustered over after all. With a smile on his face, the boy finished getting dressed before heading out to the dining room.

Taking a seat, the princess looked his food over. Torikoverse ingredients seemed somewhat fascinating to him. "It looks great." the trap said, smiling. He cut a small slice out of one of the pancakes and raised it to his mouth.

[Vinestar]

"Oh right, I suggest that when you prepare your mouth for the 'explosion', Tach." Giggling, Grey waited for the trap to bite down. Being a fruit, naturally it would have juice. However, since it was a Pancake Fruit, said fruit juice would actually be syrup pockets that would burst forth from the breakfast when suitable pressure was applied. Had Grey not properly prepared the thing, it would've been a rather like a crushed tomato in appearance.

That said, the texture itself would be rather fluffy in the middle and crisp around the edges, and the syrup rich but not overly sweet. The milk on the side would serve as a perfect accompaniment to the dish by cleansing his palate with every sip, complimenting the slight mouth drying property of the cakes.

[Tachi]

Tachi raised an eyebrow at Grey's remark. It seemed like a rather odd thing to say. Moments later, as he bit down on the pancake, the boy learned exactly what his knight had meant. The boy's expression showed a hint of surprise as the syrupy juice flooded his mouth. Well, he had thought it was a little strange at first that the mage had seemingly forgotten that part of the meal.

Once he was done savouring the morsel, the princess smiled. It was good, really good.

[Vinestar]

"Ehehehehehe." Digging into her own fragrant breakfast, the mage divided her omelet into bite sized pieces before popping them into her mouth. Finding out how to make those cheeses were a good decision on her part, especially since now the girl deemed them suitable for future export. Already, the island has been called the Devil's Kitchen, for having outrageously incredible and sometimes nonsensical ingredients brought back by the eponymous Glacial Master. Too good to be of this world they said. And they were right.

"Right... Is there anything you want to do today, my liege?" Returning to the matter at hand, Grey idly leafed through reports. "Apparently some pirates are preying upon our trade ships as soon as they leave the territory line..." Though she said it with a smile, her face held no warmth as she gave the report.

[Tachi]

The monarch took a sip of his milk as he listened to Grey's report. Wiping a bit of the liquid from his lip, he sighed and considered what he'd just been told. Tachi's expression shifted, showing a hint of anger. He couldn't let something like this go unpunished.

"Pirates, you say?" he repeated, "Well, how are we going to deal with them?" Part of the boy's mind considered this a good chance to get some practice in with his Maken, something he hadn't really done much of recently.

[Vinestar]

"Like all other invaders. Intimidate through show of force and make an example out of them." Grey said, a hard light in her eyes. "I shall do my best to take care of your majesty's foe with my honor of knight on the line."

---

Near Shina Arc's Territorial Waters

"Right, so we're doing another raid today?" Eagerly hopping on her toes was a small girl dressed in red, twin pigtails hanging on both sides of her head. "Those dirty traders need to get punished for stealing from the poor! Those... Those buorgesiou need to be punished!" Flailing her arm expressively, the little girl had a look of determination on her face.

"Yeah, Sherry. We'll raid one last time before we hightail it out of here." Seated upon a barrel was the boss of the ship, one Captain Chardonnay reclined. "We have to do this fast and skedaddle. The enemy this time are supposedly demons, and I want to make it home in one piece to feed the children..." Idly flipping a dagger, she threw it at a poster with the king's face on it. "Much as I like to put a knife in that creepy pervert..."

"Don't worry, Captain! You have me! I'll totally shoot them all down if they decide to come here!" She jostled her dual pair of pistols for emphasis, a look of intent focus on her face.

The captain simply petted the girl to calm her down, before looking into the horizon. "Well then, crew! Let's get us a final down payment before we leave these waters!" A hearty roar from the assembled mob of piratey looking folks bellowed out, the mass eager to follow their leader in search of booty and riches. Strangely, they were all female and younger than twenty.

"We shall be proud! We will make a future for ourselves in this bigoted world! For we are the Whitwin Crew! Sisters of the sea, and enemy to the greedy merchants!" The commotion was infectious, and soon even its captain was smiling slightly. They were family, the best crew in the world. She was proud to lead these brave souls. The Palamino, sloop of the Whitwins swayed in the waves as its inhabitants made plans for the liberation of certain trade goods.

[Tachi]

"Of course." Tachi paused for a moment, trying to work out how they would go about attracting the pirates, "We're not just going to go out on one of the trade ships to lure them in, right?"

[Vinestar]

The mage only began a guilty whistling tune in response to the question, arms clasped behind her back. By now, Tach would've noticed exactly what her intentions were.

A few hours later

The two were on a merchant vessel headed southbound for the coastal islands about the Viole Strait, laden with trinkets and spices to trade for the tropical fruits and fauna that the bountiful destination offered. The master and servant were situated in one of the private quarters, the mage polishing her Melk knife with a whetstone for the upcoming battle. Though she preferred magic and fists, the special tool might come in handle, especially with its properties.

[Tachi]

Tachi sighed. Getting innocent people involved really didn't seem like a good way to do things to him, if there were other options at least. In any case, it was a bit late to be thinking about that now. The trap pulled a box of toothpicks from his apron, sure they didn't look like much, but with his Maken, the small pieces of wood could easily become lethal projectiles. And of course, if that were to fail, he'd still have his bokken to fall back on.

[Vinestar]

Finally done with the knife sharpening, the mage looked about and saw a forlorn expression on Tachi's face. "You alright, Tach?" Putting a hand on the small of the boy's back, Grey glanced at her liege lord. "Anything on your mind?" Softening up from the weapon honing, the girl was back to full attentiveness.

[Tachi]

The boy shook his head, trying to dismiss his earlier thoughts. This was way too late to be thinking about that. His grip on the box tightened slightly. "It's nothing." he replied, faking a smile as he looked to Grey, "Just...worrying about something stupid, ehehe..."

[Vinestar]

"You can tell me anything, Tach. I'm the cuddliest confessional ever!" Joking aside, the mage really was worried for the king. It didn't look like seasickness, and the smile was obviously fake. "Really, what's wrong? I might be able to help you feel a bit better." Peering intently at her charge, the white haired girl continued her investigation.

[Tachi]

The monarch's smile disappeared for a moment before returning, this time looking far more genuine. Tachi was glad he had someone like Grey around. "I-it's nothing, just...I don't want any of the crew getting hurt, okay? I mean, I don't want either of us getting hurt either, but I know we can defend ourselves..."

[Vinestar]

"Right... Well, I was planning on catapulting us to the enemy vessel once they come within distance anyways, so don't worry." Patting Tach, the mage gave off a sweet smile even as she detailed the rather poorly constructed dynamic entry to her lord. Whether or not she was kidding remained to be seen though...

[Tachi]

Tachi stared for a moment, that plan...could it even be called a plan? Being launched at a pirate ship sounded painful to say the least. He scanned the mage's expression, trying to work out if she was serious. "I...umm...really?"