16 Things Get Going

Lui was feeling wonderful today.

The slave she bought was finally here, she had been waiting for him the moment she saw him.

'Even if the two idiots wouldn't have told me he was a slave, or if they didn't want to sell him to me, I would have gotten him by force anyway,' Lui thought, reminiscing about how her heart reacted when she saw Michael for the first time.

It was rare for her to be that invested in a potential slave, she had so many of them over the years ever since she earned her position within the gang that she felt like they were less and less entertaining.

'I wonder how old he is?' Lui wondered, having realized that his mannerisms made him look very young. The receptionist thought that he seemed very naive of the way of the world, especially of this island since he was willing to follow two strangers, but since she didn't know about the specifics of their encounter, she couldn't make any guess on the mentality of her new slave.

'Oh well, I have all the time in the world to get to know him~'

He was an ex-slave of the Celestial Dragons, as evidenced by the very easily recognizable tattoo on his back, so it could also mean that he had been sheltered for his whole life, resulting in his abnormal trust in strangers.

'Learn what makes him tick,' Lui's rampant obsession with the young boy obscured her thoughts, though, she liked to think that it proved that she was just very passionate.

One of her favorite parts, his looks, made her guess that Michael was probably the young son of a noble or a king that just, unfortunately, caught the fancy of a passing Celestial Dragon.

While that could be problematic everywhere else in the world, once you were in Trash Valley, you couldn't get out of it. There were numerous attempts each year of getting away from the waste mountains covering the ground of this island, none of them ever worked.

The weather around the island was known to be so dangerous that only the bravest, and also the most foolish, people were willing to take on the challenge.

Since none of them succeeded, the people of Trash Valley were content with staying here.

So Lui wasn't worried about the possibility of retribution from Michael's ex-family. Neither did she fear the Celestial Dragons wanting him back, once you were tossed away, it was over.

'I should thank them for what they've done,' Lui giggled. 'It brought him to me after all.'

Indeed, Lui felt very happy, an emotion she could only feel when she could expose her true self. It had been a long time since she had the opportunity to play with such a handsome young slave. Despite her relatively good status in the city thanks to her parents and her work in the gang she chose to be in, good slaves were a rare commodity that wasn't always accessible to Lui.

She thought it was a sad reality that the nobles from the lower floors also came here to buy slaves from time to time, and since they paid the most, the better slaves were always reserved for them. That's why Lui paid so much for an undocumented slave, it removed the possibility of a noble coming up here and stealing him away from her.

However, that practice had been declared illegal decades ago, since it cut a good portion of the number of quality slaves that the nobles had access to. Although most of their labor came from here, very few nobles bothered establishing any link with the higher layers, the only reason people here interacted with them was because of their propaganda or their money, therefore smuggling quality slaves was done at a far too high rate. Once the nobles learned what was happening, they viciously attacked multiple slave rings at the same time and proclaimed that practice illegal.

Lui would have applauded the nobles for the magnificent way they displayed their power back then if it wasn't for the fact that she didn't benefit from the new law, but instead suffered from it.

Still, she couldn't exactly complain about her situation either. Thanks to the way the nobles wanted to give off a good image to the public while keeping the criminal underground as powerful as possible to get better profits, she, like many others, was able to become extremely successful.

It has been years since she surpassed her father's annual income, even though he was one of the wealthiest merchants. In general, law-abiding jobs, if there was such a thing as a law in the D-layer in the first place, didn't pay nearly as much as the others. The criminal activity in this city was too high for people to be able to pursue a job that would pay well without getting pulled into the darker side of this city, willingly or not.

Her father knew of it due to his position but always decided to not dive too deep into it. She had to stop multiple assassination orders on him during the years she worked in the city's dark side.

'If only this idiot could understand how much I've protected him over the years…' Lui thought, exasperated, her mind wandering away from Michael as she remembered her situation with her father.

However, she abruptly remembered that she had something important to take care of.

Now that Lui had Michael in her clutches, she knew that she had to get rid of the two idiots that brought him here in the first place. Since she could get in a lot of trouble if it ever came out that she illegally owned a slave, she couldn't even hesitate to plan the death of the duo.

Even though they both worked for her for so long, the problem came from the fact that Michael was undoubtedly a premium slave, one that would sell for a lot of money, more than what she paid for if the nobles were involved and an auction was organized, so she couldn't afford to let them get away with this information.

Even though the fact that he came from the upper layers, meaning he was completely new and young, would make him somewhat expensive, it wasn't anything Lui couldn't afford.

Even if some people with more power than her came to get Michael, she could deal with them peacefully so long as Michael wasn't anything too impressive.

However, that wasn't the case.

She now knew that Michael had some sort of healing factor, considering how easily the lashes of her special whip scarred. Not even 10 hours later, they were completely gone, only the newer layer of pink skin remaining.

There was also the devil fruit that allowed him to bring his sword out of nowhere. The sword was knocked out of his hands when he had been knocked out himself by Mack yesterday, and ended up in her possession. The sword itself, except its size, wasn't anything spectacular, the problem, however, was the question of how Michael was able to get his hands on a sword.

Despite the state of the city, riddled with criminality, weapons weren't that easy to get without being part of some kind of group that was recognized. Moreover, very few weaponsmiths would sell a weapon to a kid, and even fewer would build katanas of this length.

Even if Lui put all of that aside, how did Michael get the money to buy something in the first place?

That question tormented her yesterday, and she felt like his devil fruit might be linked to sword creation. She doubted that he was able to create anything out of thin air, otherwise, it would be dumb of him to decide to just make a sword and fight two-on-one.

He had to be able to create swords or weaponry in particular. It was a gift from the sky that she had been able to get some seastone cuffs back in the days. She never thought she would need it for personal use, but considering that the kid was possibly a devil fruit user, she wouldn't feel safe going near him without some sort of protection, even if she was stronger than him.

While she thought about what kind of powers Michael hid, Lui arrived in front of the locked door of the basement room where Michael was chained.

'After all, a good master is supposed to take good care of their slaves,' Lui thought, a disturbing smirk appearing on her face when she thought about how she could play with her slave today.

She was carrying Michael's breakfast, a meal that she had her servants make. She wasn't a slave owner that liked to abuse their slaves that much, despite what she did last night, and thought that taking care of the ones she owned was a given.

She treated her slaves as precious possessions and liked to show them off to other slave owners. For her, Michael was like a rare pet that she was lucky enough to get.

A pet that she would take her stress out on from time to time, but overall she felt like she was a very respectful slave owner. She, after all, learned of how terrifying some of those that engage in slavery can get with the poor souls that get caught.

But quickly she calmed down her thirst, she knew how to make her slaves want more, how to make them addicted to her. After careful experimentation with a lot of slaves in the past, she concluded that one needed to give both pain and pleasure, in every form.

"Hello dear~!" she cheerfully said once she entered the room where Michael was chained.

'Yes, pain and pleasure, one for punishment, one for good behavior,' she thought once she got her eyes on Michael's body again.

She had to say that for someone probably younger than 18, Michael was very well built. That particular thought made her thrilled and she had to force her perverse expression down since it resurged every time she pondered about all of the pain she could inflict on such a magnificent body.

'I can already feel myself falling in love with you, Gilgamesh-kun~'

But Michael didn't bother answering, simply looking at her with bored eyes. While Lui kept her smile on her face, Michael's gaze confused and unnerved Lui since she was expecting anger, rage, or even terror from him. She had never been with a slave that simply looked apathetic to her administrations.

It pissed her off. She believed that Michael simply wasn't supposed to act like this. She resisted the urge to go look for her whip once again, to bring out the expressions she loved to see in young boys.

Her smile was starting to crumble under the stoic gaze of her slave as she sat beside him on the bed and traced the scars she inflicted on him the day before.

"Gilgamesh~that won't do… That won't do at all, dear," she said, still holding her cheerful and kind mask.

If Michael was already starting to get submissive and not react to what she does to him, then Lui did not doubt that she would get bored of him very quickly. Her favorite slaves were the ones that tried to defy her the most after all.

So she decided to become experimental. She started to explore his body in a very uncomfortable manner, and she grinned every time Michael reacted and squirmed, even for a little bit.

But as she lowered and lowered her hand towards his groin, she rejoiced when she saw his facade break for a second and she felt engulfed by the passion his eyes carried.

'Ahhhh...' she mentally moaned, 'So much hate! I love him already~'

She stopped her molestation, and instead placed her hand on his cheeks and traced the contour of his face, disappointed that his hate-filled gaze was already gone.

'So this is what you want to play, huh?' her smirk grew at his lack of reaction, simply letting her do whatever she wanted, 'I'll take my time slowly destroying that facade you have Gilgamesh~'

After giving his face a few condescending slaps, she stood up and put down the breakfast she had her minions prepare for him. She undid his chains, letting his hands and his foot being encompassed by the seastone cuffs, preparing herself in the case of any violent action from his person.

She knew that she was much stronger than him, and all she waited for was an excuse to inflict to him pain. Alas, Michael didn't fall into the trap and simply looked confused at her actions. He slowly stood up, looking at her with narrowed eyes, suspicious.

"Ah, you wonder why I released you, dear?" asked Lui, taking pleasure in the fact that he was on guard and didn't know what she was going to do. "Whatever you do, you won't be able to escape this basement, every wall is reinforced beyond reason and even I wouldn't be able to break through them. Same for the window you see here," she said, pointing at the only source of light in this room.

"So you can struggle all you want…" she said, once again caressing his cheek, "It doesn't matter. In fact, I prefer when my slaves are more...ahn~ lively…" she whispered in his ear, having to bend down a little bit because of the height difference.

Through all of that, Michael stood still, not giving in one inch to the disgusting woman in front of him. Even though he wasn't stuck on the bed anymore, his hands were still encased in sea stone handcuffs and a long chain linked the ones stuck on his calves.

She released him with a laugh and approached the door to leave the room. Before she was completely outside, she paused and turned around giving him one last giggle.

Once Michael could hear thanks to his acute sense that Lui was far, very far away from him, he collapsed with a shudder. His hands went around his body as he continued to shiver because of the touch of the receptionist. Yet, his eyes were filled with nothing but hatred for the woman.

"Th-This is going to be hard for me to endure, Rias," he whispered, alone in the room that held the memories of his torture.

Meanwhile, Lui scrunched up her nose and wondered why the room had a subtle scent of roses and ozone.

#####

Minutes earlier

The moment Michael accepted the purchase, his body started to go out of control. All of his muscles started to contract and deflate periodically and his senses sometimes stopped functioning.

But Michael was a spectator of this, it was as if he was disconnected from his body the moment it started to change. He could vaguely feel what was happening and see or hear it when those two senses decided to work, but other than that, he just felt like he was witnessing a scene from a horror movie.

The ones that his brother told him about.

His body was twitching and moving without any input from him, if it wasn't for the fact that he felt like he was occupying another person's body already, it would have been pretty terrifying. For Michael, it just reinforced his body dysphoria. The uncomfortable feeling that at any moment his physical frame would cease to listen to him. He realized that he sometimes stared at his arms for a long time as if he was waiting for them to move without any input.

Of course, he didn't have the luxury to do so in his recent enslavement, but in the small time frame, after he initially had his breakdown and was free, it was something that he did a lot.

Gradually, the movement of his body stopped, and he regained control of it. He experimented with all of the muscles of his body, trying to see if they were going to go crazy again.

Still chained, he wondered what had changed even though he felt relatively better than before. Of course, it could just be his brain faking these sensations, Michael thought.

'Kevin called it something like placebo I think?'

Nevertheless, Michael decided to check on his trusted companion, the system.

'Status.'

Name: Gilgamesh

Race: Human

Level: IV (85%)

Class: Warrior

Strength: I 721

Constitution: I 743

Endurance: I 574

Dexterity: I 278

Willpower: I 247​

Nothing had chan

ged on his status. Michael decided that it was indeed a fake sensation created by his brain and closed his eyes, frantically thinking about what he had to do now. Despite his purchase of Rias Gremory, she was nowhere to be seen.

Michael abruptly opened his eyes now that he realized that she was indeed missing, and the experience with his body had diverted him enough that he forgot that she was supposed to be his primary way of escape.

'Perks,' Michael mentally commended, deciding to check if there was anything new here that could point out why Rias wasn't there.

[Power Strike]

You know how to go beyond your limits, even if it is only for one moment.

Increase damage by 50% of the next strike, then decrease damage dealt by 20% for 2 seconds. Drains 5% stamina.

[Body Talent]

You stand at the pinnacle of your race. Your frame represents the apogee of what is physically capable for your kin.

25% increase in stat: Strength, Dexterity, Endurance, Constitution.

Stat increase unaffected by diminishing returns.

Slight Resistance to Diseases Granted.

[Everlasting Talent]

Time has lost its grasp on you. Your body shall lie still, unchanging, while the seconds pass, for all of eternity.

Natural Body and Mind Atrophy Removed.

Biological Immortality Granted.

[Soul Talent]

The mystical arts are no longer a secret to you. Your soul is the light among the darkness of your kind.

15% increase in stat: Willpower.

Stat increase unaffected by diminishing returns.

Affinity to Haki Arts drastically improved.

[Elemental Shroud]

???​

Michael was flabbergasted. The actual boosts given by the various Talent that had been chosen for him were insane. He quickly pulled up his status to compare his stats.

Name: Gilgamesh

Race: Human

Level: IV (85%)

Class: Warrior

Strength: I 721 (901)

Constitution: I 743 (928)

Endurance: I 574 (717)

Dexterity: I 278 (347)

Willpower: I 247 (284)​

He reached over 900 points in what was quickly becoming his two main stats and gained a sizeable boost in all categories.

'That is without taking into consideration that I just became immortal,' thought Michael who couldn't help but feel shocked by the events. He read what the talents entailed when he first naively thought he could make his purchases, but having confirmation from his system made it feel real.

Still, he had no clue about the situation with Rias. Nothing that could entail a certain malfunction was written in his perks, and despite the interrogation points under the Elemental Shroud perk, nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

'Speaking of Elemental Shroud…'

Michael remembered that he was supposed to have only one element of the multiple available for purchase, but he didn't know how the fact that he was forced to buy a certain build and didn't have access to the Catalog anymore affected that part.

At his thoughts, another blue screen appeared in front of him.

Choose your Elemental Shroud:

Glorious Shroud

Fearful Shroud

Volcanic Shroud

Boreal Shroud

Xeric Shroud

Pelagic Shroud

Storm Shroud

Primal Shroud

Jungle Shroud

Burial Shroud

Cyber Shroud

Void Shroud​

Michael stared at the list of the various shrouds available for him, not exactly knowing which one to buy. All of them sounded cool in a way, but he often found terms in their descriptions that he simply had no idea about. So the only thing he could trust was the specific element associated with each shroud.

When it came to making a decision, however, Michael remembered something. Something very vague but that was also quite important to him.

The beautiful sky, the blue stretching across the whole world, so distant yet so close. The color of tranquility, peace, but also the color of sadness.

The sadness he felt when he realized that he couldn't talk to his brother anymore.

The white clouds masterfully painted on the canvas of the sky, contrasted with the calm and unharmful blue. Clouds, expressions of power, could rain down water or lightning. And finally the sun.

The sun left such an impression on him that he was almost tempted to take the Glorious Shroud. But he knew now how far the sun was. Too far.

No matter how many steps he tried to take, he could never reach the sun from the earth. It was simply too noble to allow his hands to be laid upon it, thought Michael. The sun was too powerful to be controlled, for Michael, it represented both chaos and order at the same time.

Chaos for the destruction it could bring and the instability it inherently possessed.

Order for the necessity of its light and the life that sprung forth thanks to it.

Therefore, if Michael couldn't reach the sun.

He would have to do with the sky.

Storm Shroud selected.

Would you like to confirm your choice? ​

Michael selected yes, and checked his perks again when he felt nothing happen.

[Storm Shroud]

The sky is your domain, and as its master, you control everything in it. The weather is ready to be molded to your desires. Lightning and wind form the core of your might.

[Martial Talent]

The music of battle sings to your blood. The rhythm of violence is yours to master.

+500% increase in skill acquisition related to physical combat.

[Wild Talent]

Nature is your ally. Wilderness is your home, and you feel comfortable away from civilization.

+500% increase in skill acquisition related to survival.

[Wild Defense]

Nature is your ally. The outside world cannot perturb you, and the climate is but a simple inconvenience.

Moderate Resistance to Harsh Climates.

[Environmental Defense]

You are beyond nature. The most dangerous realms can never truly kill you, only slow you down.

Immunity to Harsh Climates.

High Resistance to Extreme Climates.​

But Michael felt nothing that would hint at the new power held in his body. He had no idea how to make lightning rain down from the sky or even how to con-

A light breeze suddenly hit his cheek, even though no wind could be felt in the room. The humid basement was completely closed. At the same time, a strange smell invaded the room. Michael scrunched up his nose since the scent of ozone made him uncomfortable.

But nothing was more distinct for the young boy gifted with exceptional hearing than the buzzing coming from his torso. He could see a purple arc of light appear periodically around his chest.

'Wait, how do I know the smell of ozone?' wondered Michael, once again puzzled at the sudden knowledge that appeared in his brain.

The lightning that was being generated scattered all over his body, not damaging anything. It felt even comfortable to the young boy, bringing him a mysterious sense of security and warmth, but he had no idea how to control it. As he watched with fascination the powerful energy popping out of his body, the brightness of the lightning gradually lessened before it completely disappeared, leaving Michael disappointed.

At least he now confirmed that something had indeed changed inside of him, he had just no idea how to bring it out properly.

Suddenly, he felt something shift beside him. For a second, it felt like space distorted, all of the light started to condense on one point, not unlike what would happen in the presence of a black hole, and the next second, Rias Gremory appeared in all of her glory.

She was tall, taller than Michael expected, but it wasn't what drew his eyes immediately. Michael heard a faint sound surrounding her. Despite his supernatural hearing, the sound was distant and felt muted. It was like a deep constant resonating sound-

It was like the sound of nothingness.

Although it was barely audible, it increased Rias' presence greatly. Her appearance was nothing like what Michael expected either.

She looked… very cute, Michael thought, he didn't really know how to describe a girl after all.

Her long crimson hair seemed to float in the air, sometimes moving by itself in a way that deeply intrigued Michael. Her face made Michael feel funny things in his stomach and her starry eyes-

'Huh? Starry eyes?' Realized Michael, while Rias simply displayed her form for him to see, amused by his reaction.

Her deep blue eyes had miniature stars floating in them. They shined brightly and gave her a hypnotizing gaze that captivated the chained young man for a long time before he managed to move his eyes away.

Rias smirked, and kept her gaze on him with her bewitching eyes, "I like the attention you're giving me, but I don't think we have that much time, Gilgamesh," she whispered, her dulcet voice fluttering in his ears.

The thick layer of adoration layered in her tone both flustered and worried Michael, considering they just met. Alas, he knew what the shroud was supposed to do, therefore he also knew why Rias was acting this way with him.

"I suppose you already know who I am, dear," she continued when she understood that Michael wasn't talkative, especially not in the state he was in.

Rias had to admit that despite her calm demeanor, she felt a deep wrath surge inside of her when she saw how Michael was chained to the bed, recent scars all over his body exposed. She felt her old and new power start to react to her anger, as the particles around her started to disappear and space slightly became distorted and stretched.

However, she knew that lashing out and liberating her love right now would be a terrible mistake. As a noble of this island, she knew far more about the reality of this city, and that meant that she realized that freeing Michael right now would do nothing but attract unwanted attention towards them.

Of course, if Michael ordered her to do so, he would be out of this place faster than the being that took him as a slave would notice, but it wasn't in their best interest.

Meanwhile, Michael gulped at the way he was addressed by the beautiful redhead next to him. However, that didn't stop him from nodding at Rias' question.

"We...We have a lot of things to talk about," stated Rias.

#####

Here goes the next chapter, where the waifu catalog finally starts to get used.

Also, as you can see I decided to put some numbers on the various talents used in the Waifu Catalog. The reason why there's only a 15% increase in Willpower for soul talent is that soul talent doesn't directly improve willpower in my opinion. It's only a product of the increase in Haki potential. He can use his Storm Shroud, but he's very limited because he doesn't get helped a lot. He knows how to feel it inside of him, he somehow can sense the link between him and Rias, and that's it.

Compared to him, Rias is a genius at using her Shroud, although she is nowhere near being able to use it even correctly. But since she has magic and already knows what to look for in these kinds of things, she's way above Michael.

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