41 Lili

A.N. TF is wrong with you lot? You really think a nine year old is going to a brothel?!

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I slammed the tankard down with a bang on the heavy table as the adventurer opposite me slumped over, having finally been overtaken by the alcohol. The four adults behind me cheered as a bunch of adventurers begrudgingly dropped a bag of Valis in their hands.

I shook my head as probably the twentieth contestant was carried out of the bar. My food had long since been finished, and scattered on my side of the table and on the floor around me were empty bottles and tankards as well as a couple of small barrels.

I narrowed my eyes at the executives as they counted the money in their hands to make sure they got the correct sum, whatever it was. At this point I didn't care. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what had happened by this point.

I'd made mention to Finn of my absolute poison resistance which also nullified the effects of alcohol. Gareth overheard and capitalized on the fact I could literally hold my liquor better than anybody in Orario. That was why they were all so excited earlier. From my own drinking prowess, they were making a fortune in bets. And it turned out that their popularity served to bring forth a lot of gamblers.

I'd emptied quite a few pockets tonight, but it didn't seem like I would be getting any portion of the money. Not that it really mattered. I had quite a ton of Valis in my hammer-space now. So much that I'd completely forgotten how much. But considering that pretty much every time I went into the dungeon, I brought back at least a millions Valis' worth of items, it was safe to assume that it was quite a hefty amount by now.

'Where does it all go though?' I wondered as I patted my stomach. Looking at the empty and broken bottles and tankards, I was confident that I'd drank perhaps a good few gallons. Yet despite all that drinking, there was no visible change in my body, no bloating whatsoever. 'Meh, anime logic.'

I tossed the tankard into the pile as it finally seemed like no-one else was willing to come forward to try and best me even after all the drinking I'd done. They were not all particularly nice. One of the conditions of this drinking game had been that whoever challenged me could pick whatever drink they wanted to compete with. Some were nice and sweet, but some were foul to the nose and the tongue.

Still though, I'd been turned nose-blind to most bad smells thanks to my childhood of sewage cleaning. It seemed that there were no qualms about giving alcohol to a child in this world. The more liquor you could hold in the adventurer's life, the more respected you were. And I was sure I'd garnered even more respect amongst the veterans.

This diner was situated a little further out from the tower, and while not as well beloved as Mama Mia's place, it was a hotspot where particularly old men adventurers and the like hung out to socialize. It was one of those places where you would not really expect to find a woman, except maybe as a waitress but I still only saw a couple here.

It was just one of those things in life. Plenty of mixing here and there but there were certain corners men would take up and others that women would take up. Not unlike Earth. It was here that I was introduced to the bad gambling habits of men as even now, Finn, Gareth, Noir and Dain had all taken cards out and were playing a game in which I assumed they aimed to take as such of the money as they could.

I paid them no bother as someone came to clean the mess up off the table and the floor, and kicked back my feet as I sighed in content. I was really quite enjoying this trip away from the dungeon. Even with my goals in mind, just consistently diving very single day was really draining on a mental scale. Being able to relax like this was actually quite rejuvenating.

It really had been a bit of a busy day. There was the spar with Noir, then I had to sort out a few things in my room. Then I did a bit of research on the dungeon so I could adjust my diving routes. I particularly paid attention to the location of the numerous pits located around the middle floors. Pits would cut my travel time by a large margin.

More than that, it would not at all be difficult for me to descend down them. Usually adventurers would use a rope and grapple to ease themselves down the hole. What need did someone have for those if they could fly?

After that had been my obvious meeting with Tsubaki and Hephaestus and the events that followed with my bartering and scheduling of classes. Then I'd dove with them into creating the new weapon currently nestled in my room. Unfortunately I wouldn't be able to test it out just yet as I'd agreed to attend to the magic study group Riveria held. That was an event I wasn't looking forward to.

The day had been more tiresome than I realized.

As I was thinking about this, I cast my eyes over the room and the patrons. I took in the sight of adventurers eating and drinking while speaking in slightly hushed conversation as it appeared that other games had began. I looked towards a table that was near the door and locked on to an event that had always made my blood boil whether I saw it on screen or I was witnessing it right now.

At the table I'd focused on sat three grown adventurers. One was dressed like a mage and wore a ridiculously large blue hat that I was very tempted to just burn to a crisp. The one that looked to be the leader was dressed in full armour save for a helmet. The other one was dressed in a more vulnerable getup, something of an attempt to emulate Ottar.

What really caught my attention was the sight of a little Pallum girl that was just unbelievably tiny. Literally little bigger than a human toddler dressed in clothes I had not seen since my days in Daedalus and bandages wrapped around her head. She'd been huddled under a window right before she got up, walked over to the table with the three adventurers and put her hands out. She was looking at a pouch full of Valis.

To someone that did not know the context of this scene, it would appear to them like she was begging for money in a diner. But I knew exactly who she was and exactly what was going to happen next as I'd seen it before. My hand gripped the table we were on, making it creak loudly. The older four stared at me in concern.

"You alright son?" Dain said as he laid his fingers on top of my hand in worry. They all followed my gaze towards the table with the three scumbags on it. The one with the blue hat displayed mock sympathy for the girl.

"Awww, you poor thing!" He drawled out mockingly before he harshly kicked her in the stomach, sending her flying back into the wall. She slid down, clutching her gut in agony. The mage continued to laugh at her as he tossed her a chicken wing. "Just kidding, here you go." He said as others around him joined in laughter, all sneering at the girl.

The Pallum stared at the piece of food before she looked around at all the patrons laughing at her. Sheer pain and humiliation was written all over her face. She made move to get up and leave, forcing herself to move through the pain yet still moving slow.

What could you expect? A Pallum with a physiology naturally weaker than most races, a child on top of that being kicked in the stomach by a grown human man who probably was a level or two above her judging by the equipment. The raise in laughter volume finally snapped something in me and I got up abruptly, my chair skidding slightly.

"Lyze!" Finn said in alarm, as he made move to grab from over the table. But he was too late. A storm of red Force Lightning erupted from my outstretched palm in the direction of the three bastards. I focused on the mage who was still howling with laughter a little more. To the sadistic side of me that loved employing this kind of torture method, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was a whole lot stronger than it was before. I hadn't actually used it ever since my level up, but clearly my Lightning had actually become stronger as a result.

Patrons leapt out of their chair in shock as a hurricane of lightning slammed into the three adventurers. The table and chairs they were stationed at were instantly vaporised to ash as the three men were sent hurling out of the door, the arcs of red electricity licking their forms and causing untold amount of agony as part of the skin bubbled up, becoming blisters which then exploded.

They landed outside on the cobbled pavement, currents of energy still fizzing over their bodies as they croaked in pain. The torture I'd just inflicted on them had been so severe that they were too 'shocked' to even scream properly. Everyone's eyes were trained on me as the obvious source, if the streams of red lightning dancing around my entire arm was not tell-tale enough.

But something weird happened here. The first time I discovered how deep Nekros's double meanings could run. Normally when I cancelled out Force Lightning, it just dispersed into the air. But not this time. Instead, it actually gathered and came rushing back to me. For a moment I was alarmed, unable to understand why my own attack was suddenly approaching me.

But then it all seemed to be sucked back into my palm, and with it came an amazing sensation. Somehow I felt energised. I'd not done anything strenuous, so I still had all my energy that would be usually expended in the dungeon. But it felt like a whole lot more was added to what I already had. And it felt so...good. It filled my whole body with a revitalised sensation and I was stunned for a couple of moments drinking it in. But eventually my anger took over again and I returned back to the matter at hand.

I would not realize what I'd just done until some time later.

"LYZE!" Finn yelled. Not a loud yell, but a controlled one in which he tried to assert himself over the situation and keep everybody as calm as possible. I guess it came with being captain. "What did you do?!"

"They're scum, Finn." I said in a tone so cold that even the executives were taken aback.

"What?"

"The Soma Familia. THE WHOLE BLOODY LOT OF 'EM!" I shouted as forgotten hatred swelled within me.

"Son! What they did was bad for sure but you didn't need to escalate it." Dain tried to reason with me. I spat in the direction of the three adventurers groaning outside.

"It's retribution for all the rest of the things they've done the filthy animals." I growled.

Walking away from the table, I approached Lili whom I finally referred to by her name, internally at least. Crouching downwards, I gently lifted her up as she froze at my touch, her eyes full of fear.

"Don't be scared." I tried saying in a soothing voice. "I'm here to help you." Placing my palm near her stomach, she flinched but made no move to stop as a warming light was emitted from my hand. Her faced which had been scrunched in pain eased up as she felt the it subside and disappear altogether.

She sat up on her knees, both hands holding her midsection as she stared at nothing in disbelief. The bandages around her head came undone, and her eyes trailed I as it fell off of her head, letting her chestnut locks loose. She gazed up at me with a face that I would have called adorable if the mood was different.

"I-I'm healed." she murmured, her eyes dancing all over my face in disbelief.

"That was the point." I smiled at her as warmly as I could manage. I had experience with kids, just hadn't really needed it for about nine years now. I caught sight of the Valis pouch which had been knocked on the floor. The cloth had ben burnt away, revealing the gold coins inside. I scooped a handful and held it out to her.

"How much do they owe you?" I said, about to pass them to her before drawing it back as a realization hit me. "Crap, I just painted a target on your back didn't I? If I give these to you, then people are going to chase you don to take it off, right?"

She nodded glumly, and I facepalmed in annoyance.

"Me and my stupid impulses." I muttered angrily.

"Indeed." I heard Finn say behind me, and I turned to see him giving me a stern look with his arms folded and his fingers tapping away on his bicep. "You have some explaining to do."

"Yes, I know." I said annoyedly before turning back to Lili. She was staring up at the both of us, still in my grasp. And judging by the expression on her face, she'd recognised Finn.

"Are you from the Loki Familia mister?" She said to me. Her voice was childlike, and carried the echoes of sorrows and pain, a sound very familiar to me.

"Yes I am." I said as I patted some dirt off her tattered clothes. "And I've just put you in danger." I added as I saw the three idiots outside get up on to their feet with a wobble. They looked at me with heavily deformed faces filled with blister s and burns. What remained of their eyes widened as I locked gazes with them.

"GET LOST!" I bellowed out to them as red lightning crackled to life in my palm again. They squealed like the rats they were and scurried away down the road back to whatever hole Soma called his home. I looked up at Finn pleadingly.

"Captain, can we take her back to the manor?" I asked. Lili's eyes widened as her eyes flickered between use. Finn raised an eyebrow at me.

"After what you just did, you think I-"

"Please Captain." I interrupted him. "I'll take care of her if I must. I let my anger get the better of me and took things into my own hands. As a result I've put her life in danger. I'll serve the consequences later but for now, please just let me take her back home with us where she'll be safe."

Finn stuck his tongue in his cheek, taken aback by the tone of my voice.

"Think about YOUR honour Captain." I said quietly enough for just the three of us to hear. "This is your people that's being attacked, abused and discarded like this. Does it not irk you that there are lowlifes out there who are willing to kick a child Pallum girl in the stomach just for shits and giggles?"

Finn looked back at the girl, and the fact she was a Pallum seemed to fully sink in. His eyes softened a bit before he sighed heavily and looked back at the other three. Noir gave him a slight nod despite his jaw being tightened and his face twisted into a stern expression. Finn looked back at me.

"Fine! For tonight then. But once she's situated, we are going to have a talk Lyze."

"Understood." I said. I turned back to Lili and offered her a hand. She seemed hesitant to take it. "If you go off on your own, you know you won't survive the night, right?" I asked her. She looked at me and nodded hesitantly. "You'll be with us, the Loki Familia where you'll be safe. And you could ride out this storm while you're there."

"W-why are y-you helping m-me?" She asked tentatively. I pursed my lips before answering.

"Because I'm responsible for this. Because of what I've done, you might get killed." I leaned in closer to her. "There are some really evil people in your Familia, yes?" She nodded. "And you know they're not going to take this lying down." Another nod. "But since I'm part of the Loki Familia, they won't be able to touch me. You however, are vulnerable. So they'll turn their frustration on you. Am I wrong?" She shook her head, her breathing and her heart rate becoming quicker as the fearful realization sank in.

"Come on. Get up." I said as I stood up still offering the hand. She reached out to take it before pausing, giving me another questioning look. I shook my hand and tilted my head towards her. She shook her head and grabbed my hand, pulling herself to her feet. She was only about half my size. "What's your name?"

"L-l-lili." She stammered.

"Come on then Lili." I said to her, ushering her forwards out of the door. "The sooner we go, the sooner you'll be safe and out of the streets."

I looked at the diner owner who was staring at me over the counter. I gestured to the pouch on the floor. "Take that as reparations." I told him and he numbly nodded. The executives shook heir heads as they followed us out.

For some reason I felt that most of their displeasure was not because I'd interrupted their card game. Lili trotted beside me in her worn-down shoes as she glimpsed left and right down the alleys. At times she would look over at us and blink as if she still couldn't believe it. Every time she did so, I gently pushed her forwards on her back to bring her back to reality. She would snap out of it every time, then flush nervously and look down at her feet in worry.

Meanwhile I was internally kicking myself as I realised that I'd only gone and made another kerfuffle for myself I'd have to sort out.

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