11 Calm before the Storm

/Clarion POV/

The night passes away peacefully, and morning came with surprising calm. But everyone knows what that means. Trouble, something that Clarion knows too well for his liking. It happened in the past, and now, it happens once again, when he finally found a start.

Clarion opened his eyes, yes, eyes, and looked at his remaining clothed weapons. Looking at them with a fave devoid of emotion, but with a look that could freeze the divine sun of Apollo and the warm flames of the goddess Hestia.

Then as if the cold glint didn't exist, a mournful look took its place and with a tone filled with sadness, Clarion said to no one but himself "I didn't want to do this. But the situation requires me to be strong enough to protect them. I hope you could understand me, Nanna, Kari".

After his momentary sadness, he composed himself and proceeded to do his morning routine, once he finished it, he unveiled his weapons. He picked up the smallest of all of the clothed weapons.

The smallest of them all looked like a big ball of white cloth, it was around 20 centimeters of purely white cloth. He unwrapped the cloth around it slowly, but soon enough it came into view the first detail.

It looked like some kind of wing, then expanded to a head with a beautiful ruby fused into it. Letting the cloth drop down, it revealed a hand, covered in plates with spikes on each of its knuckles. Fingers protected with a screen of iron. Making its final form of a gauntlet. Or in this case, a Cestus.

An ancient-looking glove is the definition of a Cestus. And the ball of cloth was revealed to be a pair of Cestus. Two beautifully made Cestus with a big medal of a crow. Clarion took them in both of his hands, looked at them with an emotionless face, and said "Once more, you are required to bring death into this world, Cestus Corvidos" (means A basket of Ravens)

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After he said that, Clarion put them on and for a moment they started to shine with a red glow as it expanded through his arm up to his shoulders, and after a few seconds, it died down but now the gem in the raven's head glowed more brightly than before.

Then after the unveiling of the Cestus, Clarion went downstairs where he awaited for the rest of the family to wake up while doing some exercises like punching the air, to be comfortable wearing the Cestus once again in his long life.

Approximately an hour later arrived Adrian, who saw him punching the air slowly, left, right, left, right, and continuously. Adrian went directly to the kitchen to prepare something Clarion could hear him from where he was, that Adrian seemed to be mixing something.

Minutes passed, when Violet, Claire, and Mallet appeared and saw him sitting on the ground with his hands open, then some kind of glow appeared on the cestus, and when it reached a very beautiful and vibrant red hue. Clarion closed his hands and that beautiful red hue expanded as if it was marking some kind of domain, making Violet's, Claire's, and Mallet's instincts trigger as they felt the need to run out of the red circle that now seemed to extend over the house.

Clarion opened up his hands and the red domain disappeared but the red hue of the cestus now seemed to be saved up on the ruby implanted in the raven. Clarion looked at them and saw that they were standing straight, rigid like a statue but trembled a little. Who wouldn't tremble when they experienced the materialization of anger from a level 5, as they were level 2 and Mallet a strong level 1 but level 1 nonetheless, of course, they would tremble.

"I'm sorry for the trouble, but you should train your mental fortitude for this kind of attack. As it isn't rare to find a monster with a skill named Howl that can and will break the fighting spirit of weaker enemies. I didn't want to scare you, but I didn't sense you". Clarion looked at them with a serious glint passing over his eyes as he saw them stop trembling after his words.

"Y-Y-You're r-right, Clarion. We should train our mental resistance for this kind of attack, even more, when we are going to fight against adventurers famous for being loud when fighting. Maybe they are loud because one of them has the skill Weakening Howl or something pretty similar and they don't want others to find out who is the one to have it". Replied Violet as she analyzed the words of Clarion and then remembered known characteristics of the Thor familia members.

"You gave me quite the scare old man. Hahahaha" said out of nowhere Adrian as he came back from the kitchen with a stain of coffee on his shirt. Clarion, hearing the words of Violet and her attitude as she started to walk in direction of the library, was surprised but pleased and when he heard Adrian he smiled a little and said "Sorry for the trouble Adrian". Then proceeded to do the same things he was doing before he scared everyone.

Mallet and Claire went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for everyone still sleeping as it was early in the morning. It was 6 am, with Clarion waking up at 5 to do his morning routine and then start training but everyone else waking up at 7 or 8 in the morning to do their morning routine. It was a vast difference but one that existed because of their differences in discipline, as Clarion was trained since he was a child but not everyone was like him.

Time passed and everyone else woke up to the pleasant smell of the breakfast made by Claire and Mallet. Everyone grouped up together at the table to eat breakfast all together before the war game that will start in one hour so they could enjoy their meal before this event.

Bast appreciated her breakfast with all of them and looked at them with pride in her eyes and said to everyone "I am proud of you and I hope everything goes ok given our circumstances. Know that, even if we lose, I will still love you and going to be proud of you because everyone fought with their all to protect what is ours". Everyone looked at her with happiness very visible on their face and smiles. Even Clarion smiled a little despite his growing anger for the situation.

Once they finished their breakfast they left for the coliseum, so they could make a start to the end of this problem. Walking to the coliseum was peaceful but with a lot of staring from the people as the Hermes familia made known the incoming war game between the Bast familia and Thor familia.

Clarion attracted more of those glances as he was walking with a giant axe attached to his back with a belt and a piece of metal to carry the axe, Draupnir in hand, and the ever-glowing Cestus Corvidos. His serious face along with his ominous purple eye made the people staring at him turn their heads to the other side when he returned the gaze. Like the phrase, if you look into the abyss the abyss will stare back at you.

Jeff and Saba were nervous about all the stares as they weren't accustomed to it. Violet and Claire didn't give it too much thought as they were focused on ending their current problem, even if they didn't need to kill they would leave deep scars on Thor's familia members as they caused too much trouble already in this city.

Mallet took it very well considering he was a level 1 too. When Adrian looked at him with an arched brow he just said: "They feed my ego hehe". Adrian just shook his head with an amused smile as the rest laughed a little.

Amon and Adrian were looking at the people that stared at them and recognized some adventurers from the crowd, an example of that, they found Bete Loga from the Loki familia accompanied by the famous Gareth Landrock.

Once they arrived they were greeted by the current captain of the Ganesha familia, Shakti Varma. A woman with beautiful azure hair and blue eyes, a serious demeanor, and wearing a yellow and orange battle dress with arm guards. "Greetings, you may know me already but I'm Shakti Varma, current captain of the Ganesha Familia. I am in charge of leading you to the arena, so follow me and don't wander around".

That they did and once they step into the arena with Shakti in the front. They heard a deafening sound that was the result of the crowd that came to see the deathmatch shouting excitedly and in unison. As they said their goodbyes to Shakti and she wished good luck to them, they saw on the other end of the arena 10 people standing menacingly. 3 of which Clarion met already.

"The one that is 1.80 in height has poisoned daggers, don't let him hit you. Estimated level 3". Said Clarion to everyone on his side. "We know Clarion, we won't let him hit us". Replied Adrian with a confident look.

"There are two level 4, three level 3, one level 2, and the rest of them are level 1. The man with a black chest plate over his heart is their captain and the woman with the longsword is their vice-captain. The two of them are level 4. If you can knock them our Clarion, then we win". Commented Violet to Clarion as she positioned herself next to him.

Adrian heard her and explained in more detail "Sam, the captain, and Alice the vice-captain. I can take the levels 3 with Violet and Claire, so you shouldn't worry about them and instead try to get the attention of the vice-captain. She is known to somehow get better during combat so don't let her have a prolonged fight".

Clarion nodded as his fingers started to sparkle with lightning and the sunny day started to get cloudy all of the sudden. His Cestus glowed red as his scars started to turn yellow and he emanated a burning aura.

Violet knowing about his skill also nodded and decided to move a little so that Clarion could do his thing.

"HELLLLOOOOOOO PEOPLE, I HOPE THAT EVERYONE IS DOING GOOD THIS DAY BECAUSE OF TODAY...TODAY IS THE WAAAAAR GAAAMEEEEEEE!!!!". Announced out of nowhere, a commentator and the crowd also roared in excitement. "MY NAME IS GLENN AND I WILL COMMENT ON THIS DEATHMATCH. SOMETHING TO SAY GOD GANESHA?"

"I AM GANESHA!" shouted Ganesha, why, nobody knows. "we know that already," said the commentator "ANYWAY HERE WE HAVE THE FAMILIAS THAT WILL FIGHT TODAY. IN THE NORTH WE HAVE THE BAST FAMILIA AND IN THE SOUTH WE HAVE THE THOR FAMILIA. WHO WILL WIN, AND WHO WILL END VICTORIOUS IN THIS WAR GAME? WE ARE ABOUT TO KNOW... STAAAAAAART"

Once Clarion heard the Start. He tossed Draupnir, toward the level 3 with poisoned daggers, with an immense speed that turned Draupnir into a blue and gold blur because of the lightning attribute.

The result? You will need to find out about it next chapter