Chapter 8-Not Alone

Disclaimer: I don't own Highschool DxD.

Not Alone

"Much better than expected, right?" Joshua asked Cheshire once he took a look around his new apartment.

He had ended up finding a place before either how to distinguish Wardstones or learning the Concealing Ward. Why? Because he had commented to Peter, the manager at the cafe, that he would be looking for a new place soon. Unbeknownst to the developing magician, that had ended up with the older man finding him a place with a more than reasonable price. Something about a friend he had heard.

He hadn't paid much attention after hearing the number, if he was honest.

Granted, it was so cheap for a reason. There was a club practically next door that would be very loud throughout the night, but that didn't worry Joshua too much. In his studies, he had found something about a soundproofing ward that he could use for that. The apartment also had a very shitty view out of the window, which he didn't care about in the least. The surrounding area was also less than ideal for any normal person, since it was supposed to be quite dangerous.

To him, with his stats being probably higher than average and with Cheshire the superpowered cat always close by? He didn't fear being mugged. Although he supposed a gun would be just as dangerous to him, he should be able to deal with it relatively fine or, in the worst case, survive the encounter. Mundane threats didn't scare as much once he was aware that there were magical ones, he supposed.

Back to the apartment itself though, it was the best he could have gotten, as far as Joshua was aware. It had three bedrooms. Admittedly none were too big, but he was fine with just a bed, a nightstand and enough place for his clothes. One of the others he already had plans to turn into a sort of study that would also hold the terrariums of his new pets. The third, he still didn't know what to do with, but he was sure to come across something that he would need space for. Either that, or Cheshire would decide to adopt something else.

He really hoped that the last one wouldn't come to pass though.

Although he was glad that he could skip one of his Ward setting plans, the fact that he couldn't quite cast the things yet was an inconvenience right then and there. After all, he couldn't risk giving away his new location, which meant not casting magic. Which meant that his Storage Spell was out of the question.

He already regretted using the spell a bunch while moving stuff from the Hunter's house to his old apartment. Joshua blamed that entirely on how scattered his mind had been after his kidnapping. Since then, he had actively avoided casting anything. With any luck, if there was someone that had picked up on that, they would think he left or something since it hadn't happened again. He hoped, at least.

All this meant that, while he could put everything inside his Storage Book since he was leaving, he couldn't pull the things out until he cast the Ward. At least all the storing had increased both his Spell level and the Spatial Magic level twice for the first one and once for the second. Still, without being able to use the spell again in his new location, there were things that he needed to move himself the old fashioned way.

And that was a big problem when it came to Nagini's and Morag's living spaces. Everything else could either be stored and pulled out after setting the Ward or moved physically without much trouble, but those were a bit more troublesome. Even the mysterious Charm hadn't given Joshua too much trouble despite his reticence of touching it but also not wanting to leave it in a storage spell. Joshua had put it into a card and then let it fall inside a little box he used to move it without touching it.

All this meant that with his moving already underway, Joshua really needed to get a hang on his new magic project.

That meant throwing his little game of 'guess the book' out the window and casting Appraisal at all the books he had gotten from the Hunter's house. He had been surprised that some of them seemed to actually be mundane in nature. Half of them were, actually, which was also more than a little bit disappointing. However, he could find use for those too, he supposed. Most of the Hunter's actual magical books were regarding Warding, with the rest being encyclopedias and such from one mythology or another.

Joshua hadn't quite managed to look at all of them quite yet, but he had found the Wardstone book he was looking for, and that was enough for the moment. That and all the Warding ones he already had were all he needed for the time being. Even with those already in hand, he needed more time to get the Spell to work. Time he didn't really have, since every second spent without moving meant more danger of someone like the Hunter coming for him. And now that he had found a place, he didn't want to risk it more than was absolutely necessary.

So, with that in mind, he set the terrariums inside boxes and moved them himself. He had, fortunately, been able to pass them off as lighter than they actually were whenever someone asked, since he seemed to be stronger than the average person now. And so, there he was, standing in a half-empty apartment with his cat next to him and his spider and snake pets looking at him from out of their glass-walled homes.

His familiar, which instead seemed to have been looking around, turned to him and let out what he took as an approving meow. Joshua grinned down at her before sighing and cracking his neck. He needed to go back to studying. He wanted those Wards set as soon as possible.

He was pretty sure he could identify a Special Type Wardstone by himself, but he wanted to finish the book before risking it. He had what he thought was a very healthy amount of respect for the magical arts. Especially after reading about how setting wards with the wrong type of Wardstone tended to go boom.

"Nagini, do you want out? I won't let you out after I've started with my things," He asked, although he wasn't sure if he actually expected an answer. After all, he hadn't quite gotten to have one of the pseudo-conversations he had with Cheshire with either the snake or the spider. But he still talked to them, kind of like how he had before he had any sort of understanding with the cat herself.

Surprisingly, once he walked up to the snake's terrarium and put his hands on the sides, the serpent rose up and touched the top of it with her head. Taking that as a cue, he opened the glass cage and let the snake slither out. Joshua was rather proud of no longer showing his nervousness externally. He still felt on edge whenever the snake was free and nearby, but he didn't show it. Progress was being made.

He chuckled lightly when the snake let out a hissing sound. It probably was just a random sound, but he amused himself thinking it was a 'thank you'. He nodded, still laughing to himself.

"No problem, girl," He 'replied', turning around to take a seat and start studying once more.

[Bond: Nagini has gone up a level.]

He paused at that, taking a deep breath in and letting it out as a sigh.

[}-o-{]

[Skill Unlocked: Ward Magic]

[Spell List Unlocked: Ward Magic]

[Spell Unlocked: Concealing Ward]

'Finally,' Joshua thought with a wide grin and a tired sigh. Absently, he picked up the cup of coffee he had next to the book, his eyes glued to the blue screen. Then, with just a thought, he dismissed those and called for the actual skill and spell screens.

[Ward Magic – Lvl 1/100

Determines the user's ability to utilize Ward Magic.

Increases affected area while utilizing Ward Magic by 1%.

Increases magic potency while utilizing Ward Magic by 0.5%.

Ward Spells: 1]

'The first effect can be troublesome,' Joshua thought with a frown. 'What if I want it to have a smaller area or to be just the size it's supposed to be? Will the effect still take place or it won't according to my desires?' He really hoped it would be that last one. Then, he called for the actual spell and blinked repeatedly.

[Concealing Ward - Lvl 1/50

A Special Ward Spell which the user can cast to hide presences inside an area of their choosing.

Requires a Wardstone of Special Typing.

Effectiveness and Area are determined by Skill Level, Wardstone Quality and Magic Quantity.

Consumption with circle - F to ∞

Consumption without circle - D to ∞]

'Up to infinite consumption with either, huh?' Joshua mused, impressed but not really surprised. He had read repeatedly that one of the factors that determined the effectiveness of Wards was how much energy was put into them, which explained why he could pour into it as much as he wanted. The only problem was having the energy to reach such heights, which would be nigh impossible.

Though, after reading the whole thing again, he frowned. 'Again with the increased Area? Bigger isn't always better, damnit,' He grumbled internally. 'I have to look for a way to make wards specifically the size I want them to be or I'll have a problem. I don't want to put a Concealing Ward over the city, just my fucking apartment,' He thought to himself.

Then he sighed, preparing himself for what was essentially a search for the piece of information he needed through the Ward Theory books and then more studying.

"I thought I was done studying when I finished school, but here I am, huh? Not even magic gets rid of this pain in the ass," He grumbled to himself, earning what he was sure was an amused meow from Cheshire. "Yeah, laugh it up. I'll buy you standard cat food, let's see how you like that," Instantly, the cat straightened up and glared at him. "Not so smug now, are you?" Joshua smirked.

A hiss from the side distracted him as he turned to look at the gunmetal snake coiled against the wall. Staring into those beady black eyes still sent chills down his spine sometimes, but he was getting used to that. It was much better than when Nagini decided that he was a nice place to rest on. Probably because of the warmth of his body or something of the sort, he guessed.

"Need something, Nagini?" He asked, although he was sure that she wanted something to eat. It was the only reason he could think of for her to call for his attention. Otherwise, the snake usually did and went wherever she wanted.

Still, despite not expecting one, he got a response. Yet another hiss, but this time with the serpent opening her mouth at him. He blinked and let out a self-deprecating smile. 'I knew it… Why did I expect differently?' He wondered as he noted the final detail that sealed the deal for what species of snake Nagini was. 'A Black Mamba. Because why not, right? Did the Hunter have something for black themed animals?'

With a sigh, Joshua turned towards Cheshire.

"Girl, would you?"

The cat tilted her head to the side, as if thinking it over. Unaffected, he raised an eyebrow at her. After all, it had been her idea to bring the snake and the spider. The least she could do was secure the food for at least one of them. He could buy crickets for Morag in a pet shop, but buying animals to feed a snake was a slightly different matter. So, he had started asking Cheshire to hunt down food for Nagini. It wasn't much of a problem, fortunately, since she didn't need to eat often.

With a slight huff, the cat stood up and made her way towards the open window and jumped out. It was one of the reasons why he liked his new apartment so much too. Cheshire could make her way outside by herself through the window, which meant that he didn't need to take her out himself like she was a dog.

Looking towards the piles of books about Wards he had on the side of his desk, Joshua sighed tiredly. He thought he was done with them already and now he found out he had to continue on that path. It was a bit disheartening, really. 'I'll come back to this in a second,' He thought as he leaned back and massaged his tired eyes.

With another sigh, he stood up and stretched a bit his cramped muscles. Sitting at the desk hunched over a book was a lot less fun when the book wasn't entertaining. He once again lamented the fact that reading magic books wasn't as fun as reading fantasy books was. Maybe it had been naive of him to expect that though.

Lazily, he walked towards the terrariums, ignoring the bigger, empty one and looking inside Morag's instead. The black spider wasn't moving, although, to be fair, she didn't move much besides when she was dealing with a meal. Still, those times were interesting nonetheless. Same as watching Nagini eating. It was much better than watching the animals in documentaries, that was for sure.

However, he often found himself wondering…

"How would I go about raising Bond with you, little girl?" He mumbled out loud, getting a twitch of Morag's legs as the only sign that she had heard him. Then, he blinked slowly.

'I didn't use Appraisal in either of them, did I?' He thought to himself as he stood up and his eyes darted between the snake and the spider. 'How did I know that they were female?'

The question stayed in his mind for a while as he simply stood there and watched his pets. Eventually, he was broken from that stunned state by the arrival of Cheshire carrying a bird in her mouth. The cat strutted her way towards Nagini and laid her prey for the serpent without a care for the danger she represented.

Joshua, meanwhile, shook his head and decided that it was better late than never. With but a thought, he cast Appraisal on Nagini first.

[Nagini

Title: None

Race: Snake

Gender: Female

Strength: F

Speed: F

Dexterity: F+

Vitality: F

Perception: F+

Magic: -

Perks: 2

Skills: 1]

Taking the notebook he had used to note down Cheshire's new stats and skills, he wrote down his new pet's information. After all, what was to say that she wouldn't turn into a familiar just like the cat had. 'I wonder why I didn't think of this before,' He thought to himself. 'Then again, I had more pressing matters to deal with, like moving and learning the Ward Magic.'

'Only one skill, huh?' He noted.

[Venomous Bite – Lvl 1

Defines the user's ability to damage a target with the venom in their bite.]

'Expected… although I thought it would be higher level,' He mused as he looked at the skill. 'Although, it's a mundane snake. A dangerous one, but still mundane. I guess that makes its venom still be level 1. Although… Cheshire's skills were also level 1 at the start. Does the System affect them once they get into contact with me? Beyond Bond's effect?'

Noting those questions down on a different page, he called for Nagini's Perks.

[Cold Blooded

Increases the user's resistance to heat.

Reduces the user's resistance to cold.]

[Heat Perception

The user can sense the heat of other beings or things.]

'No surprises here. Although, Cold Blooded's effect sounds really nice in the right situation,' He nodded. Then, he turned towards Morag.

[Morag

Title: None

Race: Spider

Gender: Female

Strength: F-

Speed: F-

Dexterity: F-

Vitality: F-

Perception: F

Magic: -

Perks: 1

Skills: 2]

'Lower everything. Although, considering that she's so small and fragile, it's no surprise. I'm actually surprised she isn't a letter or two lower than Nagini,' Nodding as he wrote down the last bit, he called for the spider's Perk.

[Spinneret

The user can produce silk.]

'This has to be the shortest screen I have seen so far,' Joshua thought as he blinked at it. Then, he frowned. 'Why does it note the silk production but not the venom? What's different between the two?' Shaking his head with a sigh, he called for the Skills.

[Venomous Bite – Lvl 1

Defines the user's ability to damage a target with the venom in their bite.]

[Silk Weaving - Lvl 1

Defines the user's ability to work with silk.]

'No surprises, once again.' He thought. He turned his head as he heard Cheshire give a little call.

"Something the matter, girl?" Joshua asked. The only response he got was the cat rubbing her head against his arm. With a smile, he started absently petting her while looking at the screens he had pulled and the animals themselves.

'There's also the question about why I can see their complete screens but everyone else only has a rank,' Joshua mused curiously. However, it wasn't the first time he came up with a question he couldn't answer, and it probably wouldn't be the last. As such, he just pushed the question to the side.

[Appraisal has gone up a level.]

'Well, that's good,' He smiled weakly before his eyes moved back to the books. Taking a deep breath in, as if gathering the energy he would need, he picked up one of the Warding Theory books and moved towards his seat.

"Back to studying for me, I guess," Joshua mumbled as he took his seat once more. With any luck, he would be ready by the weekend. After all, he needed to use as much energy to power the Ward as he could manage, and that meant he would use all of it, just like the first time he used the Storage Spell, until he passed out. There was no way he was using any less, not when it was his life on the line.

He paused and almost sighed when he felt the now familiar feeling of Nagini wrapping around his ankle. 'She's doing it more and more,' He thought with a grimace as he opened the book.

[}-o-{]

'Ok, I think I got this,' Joshua thought, biting his lip as he noted down the last bit in a notebook. He had gathered what he thought was everything he needed to make the Concealing Ward just the size and shape he needed it to be. Tiredly, he picked up the cup of coffee on his side before blinking as a blue screen appeared on his face.

[Skill Unlocked: Spell Modification]

'Nice,' He nodded as he called for the actual Skill screen to check it out.

[Spell Modification - Lvl 1/50

Determines the user's ability to modify spells.

Increases efficacy of modified spells by 1%.

Increases efficiency of modified spells by 2%.]

'Nothing to actually help me make the modifications,' Joshua realized instantly with a slight grimace. 'But at least the spells will be better once I get around customizing them.'

As it was becoming a habit for him, Joshua looked under his desk. There, in a corner, sat Morag, innocently hanging on her web. Cheshire had come one day, and much like she had convinced him to let out Nagini from time to time, his familiar had convinced him to let out the spider. Although, this time in a more permanent manner. He had, ever since, been checking that the spider was where he had set it to live and hadn't sneaked away. He certainly wouldn't appreciate a surprise bite when he was putting on his shoes or anything of the sort.

"How's it going, girl?" Joshua asked, still looking at the Black Widow. "Hope the new… home is to your liking," He mused, suppressing a sigh and sitting upright again. Cracking his neck, he made to sit up only to be interrupted by another blue screen.

[Bond: Morag has gone up a level.]

This time, the young man simply shrugged and kept on, making his way towards the kitchen for another cup of coffee. He would need it if he wanted to get the actual modified circle written and ready to cast the Ward.

Midway there though, he had to stop himself and groan.

"I have to wonder why do I even have the terrariums anymore," He muttered to himself before turning towards the reason he stopped. "And you, you could wait until I'm not, you know, walking before doing this stuff," Joshua grumbled, looking as Nagini climbed on him. Surprisingly though, the snake decided to stay out of his clothes this time. He wasn't complaining though, having a snake coiled against his bare skin wasn't somethin he was used to… yet. He had no doubt that he would become indifferent to it eventually.

Just like he had to Nagini's presence.

"Comfy?" He asked with a lazy smile as the snake came to a stop, wrapped around his neck and resting on his shoulders like a living scarf. The snake simply stared at him before giving her head a tilt to the side. 'I should be more worried about this than I really am,' The young man thought to himself, considering his situation. Still, Joshua would have shrugged at that, but… snake on his shoulders and all that. "I'll take that as a yes."

[Bond: Nagini has gone up a level.]

"Definitely a yes, huh?" He mused as he continued walking, one of his hands coming up to lightly pet the snake's head. He had to admit, seeing Bond level up did a lot to ease his worries every time it happened, even if they were already on the low side anyway. "Just to let you know, Nagini. You are my favorite of the three," Joshua fake-whispered to the serpent, earning a loud hiss from Cheshire that had been sitting somewhere in the living room "At least you are not too bossy," He explained with a slight smile that widened when he heard something that could only be interpreted as a huff from his familiar cat.

'After the Concealing Ward is done,' Joshua thought to himself as he prepared himself a drink. 'I should-'

[Cooking has gone up a level.]

He paused for a second, earning a look from the snake that was hitching a ride on him. He focused once more, this time calling for the screen. It was always nice to look at his skills, after all. Especially those that grew.

[Cooking - Lvl 12/50

Determines the user's ability to cook.

Increases food preparation speed by 24%.

Increases the quality of cooked goods by 12%.]

'Nice,' Joshua thought to himself with a smile. ''As I was thinking though. Afterwards, I should get that Sound Dampening Ward up. The noise is really getting in the way of my sleep,' He noted mentally. It might have been a little dangerous, to reduce both the sound coming from outside and the sound coming from the inside. But, really, what were his neighbors going to do if someone came for him? There was little a mundane could do that he couldn't, he guessed.

'I should look into other useful Wards,' Joshua continued his train of thought. 'Maybe something to make a training room? Gravity is not good. That would be really bad actually, no matter how much others try to sell that idea. But maybe I can find something that can weigh me down,' He mused.

'I could also set up Detection Wards around the city. Or at least around this building. To keep an eye out for anything dangerous coming my way and all that.' Joshua really needed a way to, at least, not be caught off guard.

Once he had his coffee, he started making his way back to the study, only to pause as he saw Cheshire sitting on the table. The cat didn't otherwise signal anything to the young man, but it did stare very intently at him, which gave away that she wanted something from him. The way her amber eyes moved from his to the snake on his shoulder gave him a guess though.

With a sigh, he positioned his free hand in front of his chest and waited. Predictably, the cat took the invitation and jumped, nestling herself against his chest while he sighed. 'With Morag it would be all of us in one person,' He thought, half amused, half afraid that it would actually happen. He could still feel the spider climbing on his chest and he certainly wasn't looking forward to feeling that again.

Sitting back at his desk Joshua settled Cheshire on his lap and got to work. 'I wonder if I'll get used to this,' He thought, feeling Nagini's weight on his shoulders moving as he used his arms. It was weird. Not good, not bad, just… weird. But he guessed that if it happened enough, it would become normal. 'My life is getting weirder and weirder,' He mused with a wry smile.

The very next day, he sat on that same desk sans the animals. In front of him, in a corner of the piece of furniture was the Special Wardstone he would use for the Concealing Ward. He had gotten it a nice metallic base that would ensure it didn't move if he didn't want to. After all, the Ward required the Wardstone not to move. That made Wards outside of bases a tricky thing to use, but that was a concern for another time.

For that, he could have chosen another place to put the Wardstone, but really, it was a temporary thing. After all, the skill was Lvl 1. He would recast it after he leveled it a bit, that was for sure.

Under the base was the circle he had taken and modified. Joshua had triple checked the thing and even considered doing it again. There was no doubt in his mind though. It had been done well. Now, he just needed to activate it and pour all his magic into the circle once that was done.

And so, he did.

The circle shone with a green light not unlike the color of the Wardstone. Slowly, he felt his magic being drained from him, the pace at which it left him increasing slowly with each second. Soon, he grew tired, losing the feeling in his hands, which were where the energy was being sent out towards the circle. And soon enough, his vision blurred and then came the expected black.

He did all that with pleasure though. Reassured in the fact that the Ward would make it more difficult for another Hunter to find him. Fainting was a low price to pay.

[} Chapter End {]