Executives' Ruminations

Sorry I've been away so long. I was very ill and had a lot of assignments to do so I could only provide chapters for my Patreon readers.

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(Lyze POV)

By the time the two of us had made it to the surface, my legs felt like they were made out of lead and that I was going to drop at any moment. My Mind pool had recovered a little bit by the time we reached the doors that let us through to Babel's basement floor.

The worst part of the journey was when we had to walk up the ascending spiral stairs. You try having to walk up that high when your entire body is numb to the point you could not even properly feel your limbs.

I guess that taught me one thing about Riveria's healing magic or perhaps healing magic in general in this world. Healing magic supposedly did just that and that was to heal wounds.

Not restore stamina or bring more life to the previously damaged limb. Or perhaps that was just me. Using the Dark form was a bad play and a terrible card to use but I had no choice but to do so in that moment.

Summoning that Darkness to create a shield to prevent myself being stepped on and crushed like cockroach had been a spur of the moment thing. And then I wove Hellblaze into the dark shield construct and expelled it outwards.

I learned how to do that during my training in trying to control that form. It was hard to use magic when you were surrounded by a shield. The magic would stay inside and not be launched at an enemy.

I toyed around with this for a bit until I discovered how to transfer my spells to the actual shield itself and use the shield construct as a temporary magical focus, similar to a wizard's staff or wand. And then using the shield to point the magic outwards, the spell would be released, and to my delight at greater area of effect.

That was why the Goliath lost its entire foot to my demonic flames. There was no doubt that had I fought in my Dark form, the battle would be won much sooner. But there was a bi problem.

Channelling Chaos's Darkness and using it to augment my body like a demon would had its benefits for sure. But it did so to greater effect than a demon. A demon would experience a boost to their stats when using Darkness but mine were pretty much almost tripled.

And the longer I stayed in that form, the harder it became to control it as I would be overwhelmed by hatred, rage and bloodlust. My Chaos vision would be clouded by purple and I would feel almost drunk on the need to enact violence on anything that moved.

The evil that oozed out of that form was perceptive to anyone that saw it. And Riveria had seen it on my first day. Just great. But like I said, I had to do what I had to do to survive.

When she'd finally hauled me outside Babel tower, we saw the sun setting and the sky looked like it was alight with flames.

"Were we really down there for a whole day?" I asked in bewilderment. We'd entered the dungeon early in the morning, when the blue sky had not even appeared.

"Time flies when you have fun or when you're working. Whichever attitude you enter the dungeon with, its easy to lose track of the hours." Riveria said as her arm which held me around the shoulders laxed a bit more now that we were out of the dungeon.

"I knew that, but this is just...it could almost be called negligent."

"For a newbie like you, but I had perfect track of time." She said to me in a playfully snarky tone.

I just grunted and trudged my feet. Riveria pressed her lips as we stepped onto main street and made our way to the Twilight Manor. I believed the two of us were unanimous in the decision that it was probably not in my best interest to go to the Guild to exchange our loot, or my loot rather as I'd done all the killing.

"Lyze." She began a little hesitantly. "I believe you know what I want to ask you about...during the battle with Goliath. You do understand correct?"

I sighed and stared at her, although she wouldn't be able to read my expression.

"What if I could give you my guarantee that it will never harm you or any member of our Familia?"

"I have already been irresponsible enough today Lyze for taking you down that far. And while you have most certainly made history today, I am not willing to be irresponsible again. I understand we talked about secrets and you having the right to keep them.

But I sensed the malice in you when you emerged from under Goliath's foot. It was anything but safe or good. I'm not going to penalize you if that is what you are afraid of, but such a presence and such a burst of power is something concerning. All I ask of you is that you let me understand."

She stopped walking and stepped in front of me. Crouching down to a kneeling position, she placed her hands on my shoulders and looked at my face. I rolled my eyes internally. I was a teenage boy mentally, but I was in the body of child. It would make sense she'd try to console me like one.

"I just want to help you Lyze. That is all. If nobody else, would you at least confide in me?" she said as she her grip on my shoulder softened and her eyes filled with worry and slight affection. Which seemed out of place on her usually stern face.

But as cringe as it may sound, for a moment I thought my mother from my last life was looking at me, staring at me from beneath those grass green orbs. Riveria disappeared, and the person who was holding my shoulders was my mother. Her kind, honest face filled my vision and I heard an echo of her laughter.

My iron will crumpled, and looking back I was slightly disappointed in myself for caving like that simply at a memory. But considering where I stand with Riveria today, I guess swallowing my pride and showing one moment of weakness was a fair payoff for what I got from her and what I get from her even now.

Back to the story, I still held some of my resolve.

"On one condition Riveria." I said to her.

"What would that be?" she asked.

"You don't mention it to anyone else. I don't want people to be afraid of me for no reason within our Familia."

She nodded with a hum of acceptance. I sighed and formulated what I told her. They say half truths are the best lies.

"It is a state of mind where my hatred, pain and anger manifest themselves in the form of dark magical energy. It boosts my power to unprecedented levels. But at a cost."

Riveria nodded and asked.

"What is that?"

"Slowly my sense of awareness leaves me and I focus solely on inflicting as much damage on my opponent as possible. Eventually, I see no difference between my enemy or those who get in my way. I pride myself on being in control of myself, so I never use it for long, lest my emotions take control of me and my mind shuts down."

Riveria pursed her lips and contemplated the mix of truth and unspoken truths I gave her. I told her nothing about the power being demonic or the fact I could cause untold amounts of damage on the environment. That was something that would never come out into the open if I could help it.

"I see." she eventually replied. "In that case, try not to use it too much."

I nodded.

"Let's go home now." She continued and helped me walk the rest of the way.

As we were walking home, I saw something that was actually just a fleeting glance but it was burned into my head and I would act upon it later.

There were three adventurers kicking a small childlike figure that was carrying a large pack on their backs. The small tattered hood gave way monetarily to reveal an infant like face with chestnut hair.

I grit my teeth as I recognized them immediately and the murderous Darkness in me surged with hunger. But I pushed it down and tamed it again with sweet promises of it getting its fill soon enough.

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(General POV)

Loki was seated on top of Finn's desk kicking her legs back on fourth as the captain himself sighed in great exasperation at the umpteenth time the trickster had behaved this childishly and done this very same thing

"You know it's not polite or grown up to sit on top of desks, right Loki?" he sighed.

"Who cares?"

"I care. You know it does not cast a good image on our Familia every time you behave so immaturely in here or in public."

"Why should other people's opinion of me matter or influence the way I want to behave? You spend your life living up to expectations of others and you just simply won't enjoy what life has to offer."

"It is an opinion that can be respected for sure." Grunted Gareth. "All we are saying that if you want to behave in way that throws people off your real personality, it could be done in a way that causes less racket for us."

Loki gave him an innocent look and hopped off the desk. She walked over to him and began ruffling his hair a little as if he were a child.

"Whatever do you mean Gareth~? I'm afraid I don't understand."

Gareth could see the dangerous, cunning beast shining out from beneath her smile.

"I'm talking about how you act a like a spoilt kid just so that people don't realize exactly how shrewd you are." He answered, unfazed by her subtle mock threats.

Loki pouted at not getting the attention she wanted and straightened herself again.

"Anyway, I'm your goddess and I've had millions of years of growing up o top of you lot, so you're not really in any place to tell me what to do."

Gareth made a point of staring at her chest.

'And yet you've nothing to show for it.'

Loki sensed a gaze on her chest and harshly whipped around to stare at him as she covered her chest with her arm. Her face held a dangerous expression on it but she'd found that Gareth had already turned his attention back to Finn.

"By the way Finn, where did you send Riveria off to this morning?"

"How did you know about that?" Finn asked, puzzled by the question.

"Saw you and her tailing the little lad that joined us yesterday when I got up for a drink."

Finn nodded before clasping his hands together.

"I sent her to supervise the kid on his first dungeon un today."

Loki perked up at the mention of the boy.

"Oooohhh, little Lyzie~ What about him did you send momma off for?"

"You know you really have to stop with those ridiculous nicknames." Gareth sighed.

Loki just stuck her tongue out at him and knocked her head. Finn shook his head and replied to Gareth instead.

"I'm interested to see how Lyze reacts in dungeon conditions."

"He's a rookie though. You've never expressed such an interest before."

"That was because I'd never met any recruit beforehand that was anything like Lyze."

"Okay, so what was it that's got you so interested in him?"

Finn leaned back and put his arms behind his head.

"Well to begin with he's an experienced fighter. His demeanour, his fearlessness in challenging a stronger opponent as well as his very careful coordination of his blade movements. They scream the essence of somebody who's had to fight to survive before.

I've never even seen such an art of swordsmanship before. It trumps almost every other that I've seen in the time the three of us have been adventurers. He only lacks in speed and strength, otherwise he'd be even more formidable. As captain, I'm optimistic he'll obtain both with time, and once that happens, he might become the most dangerous adventurer in our ranks yet."

"So you sent Riveria after him just because of his potential?" Gareth raised an eyebrow. "I've known you too long my friend. I can tell that's not all it was. What else is there?"

Finn looked at him with a questioning expression.

"You really want to know?"

Gareth nodded, confused at this change in atmosphere. Finn relented by sighing.

"He was holding back in our spar." he said.

Of all the things he was expecting to hear, Gareth certainly did not expect that.

"He held back? Against YOU?"

"Yes he did. I could tell."

"...That kid's got bigger balls than some men I've met then, I swear. How could you tell?"

Fin shrugged.

"Call it a feeling. But somehow I just knew it wasn't serious enough as it could get. I most certainly got injured a little, but I suspected there was more the kid was hiding than he was letting on.

What was also most interesting was the stats he'd accumulated before we put a Falna on him. Breaking the stats cap before even receiving a blessing? Gaining the ability to use magic? And the Falna itself reacting in such a bizarre way by creating skill slots instead of magic slots for him?

There was definitely more to his back ground than even we could imagine. I'd been hoping we'd have some insight with the memories Loki would be able to see in him when she placed the Falna on him. But instead, we got something else." Finn looked at the red haired goddess. "Tell him what you told me Loki."

"Well, what was it?" Gareth asked.

Loki lifted her hands and shrugged. "Nothing."

For once Gareth's brain malfunctioned.

"...What?"

"Exactly that." Clarified Loki. "I got no memories from him. Something was actively blocking my vision while at the same time allowing me to put the blessing on him. I can tell that it was not him, but something, or rather someone, else."

"You see?" asked Finn. "Something powerful enough to block a god's vision just to conceal the past of a seemingly blind boy...there's something at play here, which Lyze himself does not want to seem to reveal." Finn leaned forward in his seat and rested his arms on the table.

"There is something about his history that must be special, or vital. His backgrounds are all but unknown to us, not mention the subject of this 'master' of his. What sort of person was able to take him in and create a miniature little monster like that out of a child. And Lyze himself seems to bear resentment to any memory of his master.

Where did he come from? Where did he go?

Those are the questions I'm most interested in. I sent Riveria along with him to assess his strength, and how he behaves in dungeon environment. Seeing him in action against real monsters is bound to gain some perspective. And while I doubt he will open up about anything to us anytime soon, it is still better to keep an eye on his progress and help him where he needs it.

Regardless of whatever past he hides, he's our brother now. And it's our job to look after him. There's the chance he'll bite off more than he can chew down there with the unusual strength he's already acquired, and I wouldn't want such a promising investment of our Familia to be extinguished the very day we send it on its journey."

"You speak of him like an object. Not very brotherly of you." Loki teased half seriously.

"The good of the Familia in its entirety comes over any one single adventurer no matter who they are. As long as he is with us, he must contribute, and the more he gains with us, the more he must give back. It's how we've survived this long. And it's how we've all built bonds. I'm just doing my duty as captain."

"And that is precisely why you are captain." Gareth nodded in approval.

"So let's hold back for now. Let him come to us with whatever he conceals. And then once its out in the open, we'll help him to the best of our ability, just like we did with Ais. Though she connects more with Riveria than the rest of us, the turmoil in her had finally calmed down. If only with an unhealthy obsession for accumulating more power, she's still finally found her place here."

"So in terms of potential, how does Lyzie compare with my Aisy poo~?" Loki said.

"I'd say there is not much difference between the two." Finn said after a moment's thought. "That being said, I'm confident we will expect great things from him."

"You're right about that." Riveria said suddenly as she opened the door and closed it behind her. She had an extremely tired expression on her face.

"Heya stuck-up elf. You look like crap." Gareth grinned. "Kid tire you out that much? You must be getting old."

Riveria shot him a murderous glare.

"Watch it filthy dwarf. Otherwise I might have to get that kid to teach you a thing or two in the future."

Gareth raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? You sure he can do that?"

"Without a doubt." Riveria said.

"Hey momma~" Loki sang.

"Don't call me that. Why is it that you two do this every time I come home?"

"And why is that you keep asking that knowing we'll never give an answer?"

Riveria huffed.

"For real though Riveria, what's got you worked up? You've been gone all day with him, so how did he do?" Finn asked, diffusing this before the two 'adults' settled back into another mock argument of animosity that was not so subtly influenced by the age long prejudice elves and dwarves had against one another.

Riveria looked at him tiredly and responded.

"Goliath is dead."

The other three occupants of the room looked at her puzzled.

"Well its spawn time should happen about now. What has it got to do with any of this?" Gareth asked.

"Lyze killed it. BY. HIM. SELF." Riveria spelled it out for them.

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The entire manor shook as a resounding 'WHAAAAAAAAT' echoed out into the night.

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