5 5
"Is it really a good idea, getting close to them like this? Going out to bars with them?" Hestia asked suddenly, breaking the silence that had been stewing between us as we waited for Judith to finish her shower. Looking over I could see how serious she was about this, her prior child-like behaviour nowhere to be seen.
I went to open my mouth but paused, considered and then stopped. I had a hundred and one reasons to associate with the Loki familia, to be around them as plot shit goes down, to further our relationship for when I inevitably need to join some kind of expedition to level; to just getting my name out there and being desired by divines in the hopes that it furthers my narrative weight in the broader scope of the world. This relationship was one of chance and yet it was incredibly valuable to me, even if it might not seem like it yet.
But Hestia wasn't looking for answers like that, it was written all across her face; she was just worried. Worried that I'd be forced to leave her.
"Hestia, these risks… they're inevitable with what I'm doing, what I have to do." I gave her the most reassuring smile I could. "Worst case? They push things and force you to give me up, but no matter what I'll support you, even if-" Hestia's hand suddenly grasped my arm, and I winced at her distraught expression. That was the wrong thing to say.
"Elric-kun… don't say that, don't even talk about that." She demanded quietly. "Please."
I paused, I'd thought she was looking for reassurance that I wouldn't abandon her, but this… this seems even more personal than that. She was clearly investing a lot more into this relationship than I was, given my more tentative approach to relationships.
Did she genuinely think of me as her child? Already?
"Sorry." I began. "I just wanted to reassure you."
"I know, but no one wants to hear that their child might be taken from them." She smiled bitterly. "Elric-kun, I know you're smart; you got involved with them intentionally, you opened up that possibility intentionally. Why?"
"I…" I grasped for words, uncertain of how to respond to her sheer level of sincerity. "I've got a lot of reasons -good reasons- but that's not what you're looking for is it?"
She shook her head slightly, her eyes never leaving mine.
"Then… the opportunity was too great, so I accepted the risk." I admitted without excuses or justifications, it felt… wrong.
Hestia eyes searched for something in me, they were surprisingly soft, as if she knew how hard it was for me to not justify myself.
"I understand." She said at last, smiling sadly at me. "What do you think our chances look like?" Now that I could answer.
"Good." I affirm, smiling back. "I know Loki's domains and all, but her familia was one of very few that were actively trying to help Orario in the story. They're too invested in the peace of Orario to rock the boat over anything I showed."
Despite my reassurances, Hestia's grip on my arm didn't loosen. "I don't know what you saw Elric-kun, but up in Tenkai Loki was… violent." She spoke quietly, her eyes distant. "I've heard that her kids have softened her somewhat, but don't bet on us Gods changing that easily."
"Immortals…" I sighed, feeling Hestia stiffen next to me. "Say… can you update my Falna?" I asked suddenly, partly to get her mind off this shit and partly because it'd reassure us both to have a bit more strength in the game, even if that was total placebo.
"It won't do much…" She warned, but there was an eagerness to her words as well. I just took off my armour and shirt, revealing my rather mid physique to the guild hallway – the place was deserted this long after hours.
The motions she traced still felt weird, intruding beyond my flesh and stroking at the core of my being. It was definitely weird, but it was a weirdness that I could see myself getting used to it eventually; the adaptability of humans and all that.
Hestia hummed as she worked this time, a tune reminiscent of the one she sang yesterday, the hope it almost pushed into the world filling the space between us. It was clear what she was conveying, then and now. I wanted to respond, but I'd only known this wom- this Goddess, for all of a day. No matter how much of an emotional battering ram she was, I couldn't allow myself to open up that easily.
"Done." Hestia finished, drawing the last few symbols upon my back, before pressing a sheet down upon it; where she got the sheet, I have no idea.
-
Elric Carne
Lvl 1
Str | I 013 |
Vit | I 010 |
Dex | I 016 |
Agl | I 017 |
Mag | I 000 |
| Magic |
| Skills |
[Qahnaarin] The bearer's existence in this world is a miracle, their steps an impossibility; they face this new world with the stars' guidance written into their soul.
-
My mind immediately tried to rationalise that in terms of my goals, the answer? Even for a single day this wasn't good enough, not nearly good enough.
The stat system in Danmachi went from zero to nine hundred and ninety nine, with things slowing down considerably towards the latter end of the spectrum. I had at most six months before Bell turned up and things went to shit, I don't have his cheat to level, so I needed that head start, desperately. I needed to be at least level three- no, level four or five before that time was up.
Ten-twenty stats a day wouldn't do that. No actually it's even worse than that; stats slow in growth the higher you go. If I put in the same time and effort weeks from now, I'd be getting much less than I am now. Even if it kept pace like this it'd be forty days before I could level with dogshit stats like other adventurers, as in the kind who level as soon as they possibly can and nerf themselves in the process.
I need to improve my strat, I need to get to the point where I could push myself and solo so I could spend some more time in the dungeon. Actually, I need more time period, and I have an idea of where I can get it.
"Elric-kun?" Hestia called out softly.
"Sorry, just thinking it over."
She poked my side and leaned in closer. "You're considering something drastic aren't you?"
"No." I lied.
"Lie..." She told me flatly. "Just, be careful Elric-kun."
"I might come back late, a lot." I warn her, she hugs me from behind.
"As long as you come back." She whispers and I try my best not to be awkward in her embrace.
It was only after a rather uncomfortable minute that Hestia let me go. "Your skill levelled again." She announced, a sad note in her voice.
"Another perk?"
"Yeah."
I thought on it, trying to recall everything I knew about Skyrim. Upgrading one-handed was a no brainer that had helped me drastically in the dungeon, but beyond that it was a bit foggier. Upgrading alchemy with it's flat upgrade perk was decent, but the potions were already healing me fully and I wasn't exactly selling them right now, so a quality increase didn't really help much.
What would help?
Damage or damage reduction realistically. I could only get those two one-handed perks given what I assumed of my skill levels were-
"What are my levels like?" My mind immediately going over the some forty monsters I tore through today. Skyrim early levels are pretty easy to farm, even for combat skills like one-handed.
"The one you had me upgrade has gone up a bit." She commented. "Between a fifth and fourth full, so twenty three I guess?"
Twenty three was… slower than I would have thought given how many monsters I killed today, but maybe my skill levels differently to in game. Not great news, but not the end of the world given how dense the population of monsters is in the dungeon compared to Skyrim.
"Any others?"
"The armour one has gone up by… two?" Hestia guessed. "So twenty two."
"Light or heavy?" I asked, a little worried. Light was generally considered the superior choice, but I couldn't find anything rated for the dungeon that wasn't steel -something that's normally considered heavy armour. The stuff I bought was fairly light however, so I was hoping…
"Light, definitely lighter than the other one." Hestia affirmed with her 'vibes', while I let out a sigh of relief.
"Put the perk in that." I decided right there and then; increasing armour effectiveness basically increased my survivability at zero cost. I wasn't quite sure how it worked here, but in game it basically functioned as percentage damage mitigation no matter where you were struck. It capped out at eighty percent in total and that then stacked with shield blocking. This perk was my first step towards potentially reducing all incoming damage by a factor of five.
"Will it protect you?" Hestia asked quietly.
"Yeah." I felt her smile against my back as the perk activated, and I bask in the feeling that emerges from my soul. It felt… safe.
"Umu~" Hestia exclaims happily, a touch of her less serious personality leaking in. "Now for the rest! Your… blocking? The shield skill went up by I think two, and something to do with talking went up by... one?"
"Speech?" I commented idly, surprised that that was levelling given I hadn't traded with anyone -ah the magic stones.
"Sounds about right." Hestia hummed happily. "We need to sit down and go over this though, I can probably get a translation going."
We chatted idly for a while after that before footsteps echoing down the hallway interrupted us.
"Elric!" Raul called as he emerged around the corner on his lonesome, he seemed friendly enough -and maybe my conversation with Hestia was making me a little paranoid- but I felt like something was just a little off with him.
"Raul, how's Fil doing?" I greeted casually while watching his expression carefully.
"Good, he's good." Raul smiled, more genuinely this time. "Your potion did almost all the work, damn impressive stuff." He commented and while I nodded, his fixation on the potion set off alarm bells in my head.
"Good to hear. Raul this is Hestia, my Goddess." I introduced acting at ease. "Hestia this is Raul, a level four of the Loki Familia."
"Hestia-sama." Raul greeted whilst Hestia shot me a mixed look.
"A level four?" She uttered, staring up at the man.
Raul awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. "I know I don't look like much."
He did indeed look more like an awkward young man as opposed to a tactical weapon who was equal to the heavy hitters of basically every other familia in Orario. It didn't feel like an act however, if I was convinced of anything about him, it was that Raul's insecurities were indeed genuine.
"He likes taking teaching duty apparently." I comment and he smiles.
"Less work." He brags shamelessly. "At least when this one and Judith aren't keeping us in the dungeon."
Hestia shoots me a flat look that I promptly ignore. She probably saw at least some of that in the Falna anyway.
"Gotta level up somehow."
Raul hummed in agreement. "Where's Judith by the way?"
I nodded towards the shower room. "It's been thirty minutes."
He groaned at that. "Women." I nodded along tiredly, ignoring Hestia trying to pinch me as my new defence basically no-sells the weak human noodles she calls arms.
I shook my head as I started to strap on my chest plate.
"You're going drinking in full armour?" Raul asked in amusement.
"We live pretty far away, better to just go like this."
He hummed. "The place is run by a former adventurer, so I doubt he'll mind, but you'll probably still get funny looks."
I shrugged not really caring, my clothes were covered in blood anyway. Funny looks were inevitable. "Where is this place anyway?"
"The Northwest District, one of those civilian areas." Raul smiled. "Good place, less chance of a random fight breaking out."
"I'll take your word for it." I smile, standing as I finish strapping up my armour. "Hestia are you…?"
"Umu~ I'm coming too!" She cheered a bright smile on her face, completely hiding her prior weariness.
"You're supposed to ask." I admonish, but Raul just laughs.
"It's fine, I'd never turn down a Goddess."
"Then I guess we're just waiting for red-hair!" Hestia enthused.
-
The bar was one of those hole in the ground affairs, stone stairs leading down into a wood and stone cellar which led into a series of wide, blocked off stone block tunnels with tables spread throughout. I'd seen similar bars in England, built into old water tunnels that lent them an almost ancient atmosphere.
The place was pretty casual, with its sparse residents seeming to be in good spirits, laughing away together in one corner or another. Raul took lead for us and after bantering with the bartender a bit secured us a large booth in the back.
Despite definitely having seen at least some of this in my Falna, Hestia seemed to really enjoy our retellings of our dungeon crawl, or perhaps she just liked being able to talk freely with mortals. Or maybe she thought this was a date and that's what she was getting excited about?
Not being able to read her was awkward for me.
It was as Raul was teasing me about my enthusiasm for heading down to the fifth floor, that we heard the bar door slam open and three shadows darken its doorstep.
"Yo! Do~chibi!" A grinning Goddess called out as she swaggered up to us with two of her executives following in her wake, but my eyes were locked upon only one of them: Loki familia captain Finn Deimne.
And just like that, it clicked for me, why Raul seemed just that bit off when he met back up with us, why his comment about the potion stuck with me, and why the eyes of the Loki familia captain were so focused on me, alight with mischievous cunning.
The potion worked too well, and now I have to deal with this.
As Hestia shot out of her seat, already trading insults with the red-haired Goddess under Judith's widened eyes, I turned to glare at a suddenly rather guilty looking Raul.
"I can understand your loyalty, but you're still a dick." I called him out flatly.
"That's... reasonable." Raul uttered, genuinely sounding remorseful. "If it's any consolation I am sorry."
"If they're here to declare a war game or any of that shit, I'm taking revenge on you first." I declare stubbornly. Raul winces and doesn't rush to correct me, so that's a genuine possibility.
"I've heard they didn't get along, but seeing it is something else." A new voice comments idly as Finn Deimne walks up to our booth. "I guess we'll have to handle things captain to captain."
"Y'know… for such a short guy, you have a surprisingly deep voice." I uttered a complete non-sequitur, watching carefully as his eyes widened in surprise before almost immediately settling back into amusement. There's a crash off to our side as Judith falls out of her chair.
"Elric!" Judith squawks as she clambers back into the booth, a heavy flush on her cheeks. "You can't say that!"
"They brought two level sixes here to threaten a first day rookie." I deadpan as she pales. "I'll say what I like, I'm sure our hero here won't mind."
Riveria -a beauty to whom the anime did not do justice to- bristled slightly at my remarks but otherwise didn't comment, choosing instead to stand behind Finn as he pulled himself onto the end of the booth.
Side note, these booths are not designed for children.
"I don't." He agreed with yet more amusement in his voice. "And it isn't very heroic is it? I can't say I'm fan of these games between familias." He said that, but the man in front of me was known as a strategist first and foremost; any underhanded tricks the Loki familia had employed in his long tenure as captain came from either his or Loki's minds.
So I snorted. "And yet here you are."
"Here I am." He smiled. "I'll cut right to the chase, we think rather highly of your potions and would rather avoid any unpleasantries… so how about we work out a deal?"
The unpleasantries he was referencing were all too obvious and didn't leave me anything in the way of wiggle room here, which was obviously the point. To refuse was to potentially force their hand in the form of a wargame, the same thing Apollo tried with Bell in the anime and exactly what I was worried about before, I just didn't expect it to come from this angle. The fucking potions were so god damn cheap and easy to make that I mentally wrote them off as trash, and now that was biting me in the ass.
I didn't know how they differed from regular potions, but the more I focused on it the more the buzzing of my alchemy instincts informed me that I was missing something about them. It was a lack of information that I could only solve by admitting my lack of knowledge to the person I was about to be forced into negotiations with. An admittance that would surely lead to them taking even more liberties.
My long pause had Judith and Raul shifting in their seats, glancing at me awkwardly, but Finn and the princess remained as unphased as ever, still smiling pleasantly.
"And what are your terms for this deal?" I asked plainly, baiting for a bit more information.
"We're fine with taking your pricing -within reason of course- our primary sticking point is exclusivity." Finn explained calmly. "All we want is for you to only sell your potions to us, that of course includes your generosity in the dungeon." Exclusivity, the focus on me giving out potions; he was worried about other familias working out what he did. He's threatening a wargame to keep me from being wargamed by someone else?
That… could be good for me. At the very least it implied that my original assessment of Loki's unwillingness for this kind of thing was more true than I realised and that gave me more wiggle room for the future. Then again, I could just be reading too much into this…
I'll test the waters, if he's not genuine then this probably means conceding ground but I'm already on the back foot here. "I see, those are quite extreme terms." I opened cautiously. "It makes me wonder what forced your hand like this."
Riveria was the one to speak up this time, sighing as she began. "Filian's arm was fractured in a manner we call 'displaced', that would usually require setting and at least two weeks of recovery time even with high potions." She spoke clearly and surprisingly honestly, informing the party she was negotiating with how valuable their product was. Was this the upside of elven pride? "Your potion fixed that before he even reached our infirmary. What forced our hand is obvious."
At her words I could see it, what I was missing about my potions and what my skill was buzzing about. In Skyrim potions healed based on a flat hp value assigned based on skill level, perks and the enchantments you're wearing, no matter what damage is done to you, it will heal with enough potions. Based on Riveria's word my potions seem to be operating on the same logic; they'll heal anything as long as you take enough of them, something my skill seems to agree with.
If it functioned like in the game however, then it had limits; the higher your hp, the less the same potion would heal you. In this world however hp doesn't exist, only the endurance stat does and if my skill's buzzing is anything to go by, then it's pretty likely that the two are tied somehow. A fact that might just be key to getting the Loki familia to lose interest and back off.
Finn's smile didn't dim at her reveal, likely trying to project a sense of fairness even as they potentially gave up a crucial negotiating advantage. "We were quite shocked." He commented idly. "Especially when Raul told us about how cheap you seemed to treat them."
"I may have overstated their cheapness a little."
"And why would you do that?" Finn leaned forward, completely ignoring the Goddesses' fight behind him as it escalated into outright violence.
"I was uncertain about whether I could handle War Shadows, teaming up seemed sensible but your team was guarded and injured." I explained. "Offering potions was the best path forward, but…" I trailed off, letting him infer the rest.
"You were worried about how suspicious it would appear." Finn nodded, leaning back. "I can't say I didn't have my own suspicions when I heard about things from Raul." He hummed, staring at me appraisingly. "Before we go further, I'd like to know if you've offered these potions to anyone else."
The question all but confirmed my earlier suspicion about his motivations; they were here to keep these potions out of sight of others, the threats were just to get me to the table and willing to negotiate for an exclusive contract, something that would otherwise be a large ask in any negotiation. It didn't make me feel any better about the threats, but it did at least give me wiggle room if they're less willing to follow through than I first thought.
"No one, outside of my Goddess." I gave an honest answer, to which Finn nodded with a pleased smile.
"Excellent, then how about we discuss this deal." He pressed on, clearly quite eager to get things going; something that left me with only one choice.
"Sure." I smiled. "And in the spirit of that deal, how about I tell you about the glaring flaw in my potions." I stated the words calmly, banking on incomplete knowledge.
It went against every instinct I had for negotiations, but I didn't want to be here in the first place and if I'm right then this fact would come up eventually, likely when one of Loki's higher level adventurers was injured and they wound up trying to heal them with what is effectively a dud potion. An event that would likely result in backlash that I can't afford.
"I can't say I've ever had someone try to undersell their work to me before,"
"Do you threaten people based on the value of their work often?" I retort.
"Walked right into that one didn't I?" He asks with a self-depreciating smile.
"Just a little." I snort.
"The flaw then?" He gets us back on track.
"If I'm right-"
"If?" He interrupts.
"Well I couldn't exactly test this, but I'm about ninety percent certain here." I admit, hedging my bets a little just in case my skill is giving me a false positive; it wasn't exactly transparent. "If it works the way I think it does, then the potions will negatively scale with your endurance stat. Excellent for low levels, but not the game changer you're looking for."
"I've never heard of potions having such a downside." Riveria cuts in, a frown upon her lips. "I trust you can prove your words?"
"If you're volunteering for some pain, sure."
"I'll test it." Finn cuts in calmly. "I have the highest endurance stat here and… the elves would probably revolt if they found out I let Riveria get hurt instead of me." He joked, shooting a smirk at the elf as she looked away with a huff.
"Sounds good, but-" My words are interrupted by a victorious scream.
"-FLAT CHESTED HARLOT!" Hestia's war cry pierced the air as she power-bombs Loki into our table, sending our drinks flying in a display that phased even Finn and Riveria. Loki doesn't get back up, leaving us with a dazed Goddess laying haphazardly across our business table.
"Sasuga Hestia-sama." I congratulate her, sarcastically clapping as Raul and Judith look at me incredulously.
"Ehe~!" Hestia posed in triumph flashing a peace sign, before her expression twisted with realisation. "AH WAIT! Elric-kun are these people being mean to you!?"
"I'm good Hestia-sama." I reassure her, before realising something. "Actually do you have that potion I gave you this morning?" I hadn't given her a potion this morning, but rather while Judith was in the shower as a safeguard, I didn't expect it to come in handy this early though.
"Hm? Oh yeah!" She confirmed happily, pulling the vial from out between her prodigious breasts; Loki groaned pitifully at the sight as Hestia leaned over her to hand me the vial.
I blinked at the warm potion in my hands, cleavage hammer-space... that's very anime.
"Thanks, Nord is this the same potion?" He winced at the more formal addressing, but looked carefully at the vial I was holding up and nodded. I spun the vial across the table to Finn. "Give it a try."
The hero picked up the vial, inspecting it with a careful eye. "It looks like a regular low-potion." He commented, before uncorking it and giving it a sniff. "No smell… I can see why you got this confused Raul." The level four winced in spite of his captain's words, he'd definitely been chewed out for letting an unknown potion near his trainees, even if it did turn out to be beneficial.
"You said it scaled negatively with endurance, so it should heal a little?" I nodded at Finn's words, watching as he spun out a knife and ran it along the outside of his arm. A deep cut appeared, dripping blood onto the table and he slowly took the potion.
It healed enough that the blood slowed, but no more than that.
"That…" Riveria trailed off perplexed, staring at the wound curiously even as she moved to heal it.
"Well now that that's established, can we delay these negotiations a little?" I ask calmly.
Finn hummed. "They're not worth a war game." He declared, surrendering his position on that front, much to the relief of the room. "But if they're as cheap as you implied to Raul, then they're certainly worth it for our trainees… We'd be happy to give you as long as you need in the interest of a mutually beneficial relationship."
I inclined my head in not quite thanks, but more acknowledgement. "Great, then I'll be taking my leave, get stared at by this acting obsessed Goddess isn't my idea of fun." At my words Loki's eyes snapped open, staring at me with undisguised interest. Hestia shifted into an offended stance behind her.
"Dochibi~! What'cha been telling this one about me?" The Goddess complained, suddenly sitting up on our table.
"Che~ only the basics you moundless shorty!" My Goddess turned her nose up, glaring at her red-headed rival out of the corner of her eye. I rolled my eyes as they started to quibble again.
"Well, it's been interesting to meet you hero." I smiled awkwardly, shuffling myself out of the booth, nodding at Judith and Raul as they stood up to let me out.
"Likewise, and don't take too long to get back to us." He winked.
"I doubt I could if I tried." I chuckle humourlessly.
I made to leave, but Judith grabbed my sleeve before I could, her face solemn. "We're… we're still on for tomorrow, right?" She didn't quite plead, but she was clearly worried.
This whole thing had definitely soured my interpretation of the Loki familia, but the benefits of getting closer to them hadn't faded. If anything, the more I was seen to be working with them the less need they would feel to take drastic action. Why force things when they could just claim the same benefits by making deals?
That being said, the closer I was to them the higher the chances of them seeing something else that'll raise my value again. But on flip side of that, my value going up was inevitable with how fast I have to level. In short, all roads lead to Rome, so I might as well just do what I fucking want.
"Yeah, I'll see you guys in the morning." I affirm, watching as her face lights up in relief. "Nord." I nod.
"Elric." He nods back, looking uneasy.
"Oi gaki." Loki calls out before I can walk away, I stop and turn back halfway. "What's ya skill like?"
In the split second after she said that I weighed my options, throwing out lying and refusing to say anything, both would give away too much; obtuse it is.
"It just works." I say the line, smiling as Loki's expression crumples. Besides me Hestia sticks out her tongue at her rival.
"Bah, you're way too boring gaki." Loki turned away, and I took that as my cue to get out, leaving with one final nod to the two executives of the Loki familia.
"That bitch really soured the mood huh Elric-kun?" Hestia commented as we emerged out into the cool night air, the streets were littered with civilians, many stumbling around in groups clearly drunk already. It was an almost festive atmosphere, but my heart was elsewhere, my eyes set upon the darkened tower that loomed over us. "Elric-kun?"
"Hestia, can you get back on your own?" I ask suddenly.
"I can but- you want to go back in right now?" Hestia's eyes widened as realised my goals. "Elric-kun the dungeon is dangerous at night, without other adventurers there to share the dungeon's attention… an-and you're probably getting really tired, just-"
"I've got a plan." I interrupted her, looking away from the tower to meet her eyes. "Trust me."
Hestia faltered then hesitantly nodded. "Be careful…" She insisted.
"I will."
"Promise me!"
"I'll be back, I promise." I swore as earnestly as a guy like me could, Hestia shakily nodded. "Can you do something for me though?"
"If it'll help…"
"It will. Could you gather these for me, tomorrow?" As we passed through an alleyway I pulled two flowers and a herb from my inventory, the ingredients for my health potion and what I believe to be a stamina potion. "Subtly if you can."
"These are… right." She nodded more firmly, committing them to her Goddess tier memory and then pushing them away, I hid them back in my inventory.
"Then I'm off, Hestia."
She smiled with a sense of sad understanding. "See you later, Elric-kun."
I waved off, heading down a different path towards Orario, before suddenly pausing.
"Hestia." I call out, looking over my shoulder to see her pause, her earnest expression turning towards me, likely expecting a touching goodbye. "That paperwork you left for me in the guild?"
"E-Eh?" She uttered, baffled.
"You're getting a spanking for that when I get back." Now I could leave.
"W-Wait Elric-kun! C'mon I didn't-! Elric-kun!" Hestia's pleas for mercy only brought a sadistic smile to my face.
