28 Ouranos
Shoutout to my new patron:
Daniel Thomsen
You are a legend!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~Guess who's back~
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steve opted to not say or do anything as he waited for whatever reaction would take place between these two children. Although, ideally he should be checking on Ptah to see if he was okay considering how loudly both he and the girl had knocked each other's heads. But Ptah in his opinion had too thick a skull to even listen to genuine critique when he was given it, so a little love-tap like that should not have been too much a problem.
The gamer had wondered though when he would meet this particular character. Because it was based on what information he got from her could determine how much earlier he had arrived before the story started. Judging by her appearance though, he could tell he was already quite early. The girl was missing one of her iconic features.
The blue and white hairclips decorated with bells was missing from her twin-tails...which meant she probably hadn't even met Bell yet.
"Ptah?" The girl questioned as she stared intently at what she believed was an old friend.
"Hestia?" Ptah questioned back, uncertain whether or not at first that it was her. After all, without their Arcanum, gods looked very much different down here than they did in the upper realms.
A pregnant silence passed by as Steve felt its climax fast approaching. The two child gods blinked some more at each other before Hestia jumped up with the brightest smile on her face as the air seemed to fill with sparkles and flowers around her.
"PTAH!" She cried joyfully.
Ptah mirrored her actions as he too jumped up and threw his arms out, the same mirage happening around him, only he was a bit more dramatic about it.
"HESTIAAAA!" He 'literally' cried as streams of tears ran from his eyes and they ran at each other again at such speed that Steve was afraid that they would conk heads again.
But they merely just threw their arms around each other and smushed their cheeks together as they embraced in the tightest hug Steve had ever seen two people commit together. Both cried tearfully in joy as the air lit up with dewdrops, sunshine and rainbows around them. Steve rubbed his eyes a bit to make sure he wasn't just seeing these mirages.
Disappointingly, they were just mirages apparently as the visions faded once he rubbed his eyes.
"Unbelievable." He muttered in disappointment at himself before grimacing in annoyance as a metal spoon came flying out of a window of the building they were next to.
It sailed through the air with some sort of psychic precision as it hit him square on the nose and he looked sharply at the house it came from. The window it had been thrown out of was quite high up the wall meaning no person could have looked out of it, so it had literally been a blind shot.
"KEEP IT DOWN OUT THERE!" Came a gruff voice of a man seething with rage inside.
"How dare you, you little-" Steve said before he spotted an oil lantern hanging off the side of the house.
Looking back on that moment, he reasoned that Ptah's pettiness was perhaps rubbing off on him. Because Steve immediately tore it down and hurled it through the window back where the spoon came from. There was shattering of glass before a pool of light suddenly shone within as the same man screamed in anger from that room. Before long, the smell of burnt wood filled the air but by then Steve was long gone as he grabbed the two gods (who were still hugging by the way) and high-tailed it out of there.
And such was his speed on foot that he had crossed half the giant city to Ptah's grotto in the South. He put the two gods down and looked at them expectantly. Ptah made to say something but Steve pushed open the heavy door, a clear indication that he wanted them to talk inside. Without saying a word, Steve entered and Ptah hesitated before shaking his head and following.
He stopped though when he saw Hestia not entering as well.
"What's wrong Hestia?" Ptah asked her.
"Is it really okay to come in?" Hestia asked nervously.
Ptah gave her a kind and questioning smile.
"When have you ever been unwelcome in any of my homes, Hestia?"
"It's just that...that boy didn't seem too happy. Is he your child?"
"Oh forget about about him." Ptah waved Steve off. "This is my house and I get to say who comes in or not. Just come in." Ptah grabbed her by both hands and puller her in, his heart swelling with happiness at seeing his best friend again after so long.
Hestia resisted for a second before obliging and willingly walking into the grotto, the heavy iron cast door closing behind her. The first thing she did was stare at the assortment of statues lined up in the lobby.
"Still love statues a lot don't you Ptah?" Hestia asked.
"Of course!" Ptah said. "It's my greatest talent. They are what I was born to create! So what I created a few of this planet's worth of land in heaven from nothing, filled with wonders and creatures so that other gods could form within? All of that stuff pales in comparison to my art."
"Right." Hestia gave a strained smile as she always did when it came to him, not wanting to say anything hurtful (or anything that counted as truth and not a white lie). "I hope it's doing well for you."
"Errr, forget about that. Anyway, how've you been? How long have you been down here for?"
Hestia put a finger to her lips as she looked at the ceiling in thought.
"Erm, about five months now. Yeah, a bit over five months I guess."
Steve drank in the information and did a few quick calculations, bringing him to the conclusion that it was approximately a month before the main events began. Which meant he was right in assuming that Hestia had not even met Bell yet. Good to know.
"Anyway." Hestia said cheerily as she trotted up to Steve. "Introduce me to your child, Ptah. It's a bit mean, not telling him about your old friend you know." The girl pouted, which Steve found adorable.
For gods that hated being seen as children, they sure did everything they could to appear so.
"Yeah sorry about that." Ptah apologised. "This is Steve. He's my first and only child. He's got a bit of an attitude but don't worry, you'll never like him."
"Haha, very funny." Steve deadpanned before looking at Hestia. "Don't worry, I know who you are. Hestia of the Olympian Pantheon, Goddess of Hearth and Home and the Guardian of the Flame of Olympus. That about right?"
"...Yeah, you are." Hestia looked genuinely surprised. "You're quite in the know, aren't you? Not a lot of people know me."
"I've done my homework." Steve shrugged before looking at his god. "Didn't know you and Ptah were such good friends though."
"Oh, we always have been." Hestia smiled. "On the odd occasion where I didn't have to tend to the Flame, Ptah and I would have sleepovers at each other's places. We've known each other a long time."
"Hestia was one of the only good friends I had." Ptah said as he walked up to her and took her hand again. "It is so good to see you again."
"And you too." Hestia said enthusiastically. "How long ago did 'you' descend?"
"About two years now." Ptah said. "I had no idea that you'd come too. Where are you staying?"
"Oh, about that..." Hestia looked away and rubbed the back of her head. "...I was staying over at Hephi's place."
"You were?" Ptah asked, confused. "Why didn't she tell me anything about it?"
"You talk to her?" Hestia raised a surprised brow.
"Not exactly...I sell things through her kids to get by but I have seen her a couple of times. She never did mention you though."
Hestia leaned forward questioningly. "You're not still...you know...about her, are you?"
Ptah shrugged. "Guilty as charged."
"Oh Ptah." Hestia facepalmed. "It's been so long already."
"I know, I know. I'm just not ready." Ptah grumbled before realizing something. "Hang on, what were you doing out alone and so late at night?"
"I was going home." Hestia said. "I had to work overtime at my job and there was so much cleaning left to do, I didn't even have dinner." She put a hand to her stomach and grimaced. "In fact, that bag of croquettes was my dinner. But it's probably soiled now, if not taken by the rats."
"Oh! I'm so sorry." Ptah apologised before grabbing her hand and looking questioningly at Steve.
The gamer sighed. "Yes, I restocked the pantry. She can take as much as she likes."
"Great!" Ptah gave him a thumbs up. "Did I mention that you're my favourite child?"
"I'm your only child, dumbass." Steve muttered. "And weren't you just bad mouthing me earlier?"
But by then, Ptah had dragged her off to the kitchen. It was quite a sight, seeing them both having to navigate through the maze of statues to find the door but they managed somehow. If they both weren't so careless and child-like, Steve would have assumed them to be lovers with how close and how touchy they were with one another.
"Shame. I would have liked to know her more." Steve said. "But, I guess this is an opportune moment. After all, I couldn't deal with you while they were here, now could I?" Steve looked at a corner where the lantern's light did not reach. "Yes, I know you're there. And if you don't want me to split your skull with my axe, you'd better come out."
Steve equipped his Netherite axe for emphasis, just as the air in that corner seemed to shift.
...
Out stepped a very tall and very skinny figure wrapped completely in a cloak. Where their face would have been, there was only darkness and their movement made them seem as if they were gliding over the floor instead of walking on it.
"Strange. Even high-level adventurers have difficulty detecting me." They said in a voice that was airy with far too many echoes, as if someone were speaking through the emptiness of a tomb. And yet there was a sort of grate to it, like two gravestones rubbing against each other. "If you picked up on me that easily, then perhaps there is some credit to your supposed level."
"Which will soon be established as fact." Steve said.
It goes without saying that he knew who this was, but this character served the interests of another and it was difficult to tell if he would be an enemy or not. For that reason, Steve still kept his axe up to send the message that the intruder was still unwelcome.
"Why did you not call me out then, if you knew I was here from the start, friend?"
"Because my god didn't. Don't think you're so sneaky. If he is able to see through a disguise that can hide the radiance of an infamous goddess even from other gods, then there is definitely no way he would have missed you. It would explain why he was in such a hurry to take Hestia away...only I find myself questioning why as well."
"Of course, I am aware that I cannot escape the sight of Lord Ptah." The intruder said. "He is infamous for his power, even amongst the highest and most powerful of gods. There are some who say that he may just be THE most powerful of them, but of course that is left up to debate amongst the divine. If he did not call me out on my presence, then it is obvious he understands the situation."
"If you think flattery that is not even directed at me will stave off my questioning of you, you're dead wrong. Who are you, who do you work for, and why are you here?" Steve raised his axe, getting the point across. The intruder received it well enough, knowing from his employer he could not escape Steve even if he wanted to.
"My name is Fels. I am...not so great a servant to Lord Ouranos, but I do serve him as his agent. I am his eyes and ears around the city and in the dungeon, because he himself cannot leave his throne."
"And what would the servant...or perhaps more accurately, the ruler of Orario want with me?"
"Lord Ouranos merely wishes to converse with you. The subject to be discussed is not mine to divulge. Approval has already been taken from Lord Ptah, so you needn't worry about that."
"When would this approval have been taken?...Ptah met with Ouranos, and told him about me?"
"Lord Ouranos does not interfere much in the business of adventurers, but when one so powerful appears so suddenly out of nowhere, with strange powers that should not even be in the hands of a mortal, then he is bound to notice." Fels appeared to lower his head. "The outcome of this meeting depends on your answers. Do we come away with it as allies at the very least, or as enemies at the very worst? That is something Lord Ouranos wishes to establish before the risk of anything bad happens."
...
This was information for Steve to digest. He was suddenly taken back to his conversation earlier with Ptah when his patron had revealed that he knew Steve was not as he appeared. The insistence on Ptah's end to get Ouranos's approval was an indication.
Ptah knew this was going to happen.
...and he had used Hestia as a means of escaping being confronted by Steve when Fels inevitably revealed himself.
"That little shit." Steve muttered before he unequipped his axe. "Fine. Since you're here at this unholy hour, am I to assume the discussion is to be held now?"
"If that is what you want. I have been instructed to come here only to gain your word that you will converse. The time of that exchange is left up to you, provided that it is in reasonable time of course."
"Fine. Let's just go then." Steve rubbed the back of his head and sighed heavily. "Better get it over and done with sooner rather than later."
"Then let us be going." Fels moved for the door.
"Wait." Steve said. "Which part of the city are we going to in order to meet with Ouranos?"
"We are headed to Babel, Mr Hewer."
"Should have guessed as much." Steve muttered before he teleported right outside the Tower. Using another command, he brought Fels over to him instantaneously. The skeleton man stumbled over himself, disorientated as he took in his surroundings.
"How?" Fels asked. "We were just at-"
"Instant movement." Steve interrupted. "Useful for getting around...or escaping a sticky situation."
"...I trust that no such situation befalls you." Fels said before looking South. "Still, that is a rather convenient ability. To move one's self and others across such a large distance with little to no effort in a mere moment. It transforms the very idea of transportation itself."
"Yeah, yeah, just get on with it." Steve waved his hand dismissively. "Take me to your boss."
"As you wish."
---
It was just like in the anime. Steve was led down the secret entrance into the dark tunnel decorated with hieroglyphs which lay beneath the tower. It was the same one Hestia had come down through in canon, and sure enough, they came upon the deceptive dead end that Fels was meant to activate.
"Forget it." Steve said as he stepped forward, forcing Fels to move aside as Steve slipped his fingers underneath the wall and pulled it up.
From somewhere behind the walls, Steve could hear mechanisms working furiously as they were not accustomed to lifting the wall up so fast. But before Steve lay another bit of corridor with no decorations on it to another dead end where he knew there was another deceptive doorway.
"I cannot go beyond this." Fels said. "You are to proceed from here alone."
"If this is supposed to be so you can stop me from getting out if I try to escape through here, just know that it won't happen and even if it did, I'd tear you apart."
"And just as you know, it is your conduct that will determine whether or not that will be the case." Fels said. "Please do not keep him waiting."
"Fine." Steve said as he pushed forwards, although deep down his stomach was turning. It was not out of fear for himself, but he was coming to face with the supreme leader of the city. Steve wanted to stay in this city as he had many things he wanted to do. Ouranos opposing him would not do well for those plans.
The wall opened up, leading him to the throne room. Immediately Steve's eyes fell upon a monument in the centre with stairs that lad to a throne above it. And Steve's eyes immediately locked with the sharp ones of a hooded old man.
Steve maintained the eye contact as he walked up to the altar, not caring for the door closing behind him as he came to a stop before the stairs. Both said nothing as they continued to stare at one another. Then Ouranos let out a sigh.
"You are not one of us." The Primordial said.
"They say not to judge a person before you get to know them. To be instantly rejected like that though is a rare occurrence in as of itself." Steve said before thinking back to his old life as a mixed-race kid. "Then again, maybe not so uncommon."
"You know what meaning I adopt in case of you, boy." Ouranos said. "My statement does not necessitate you being an enemy. I would rather it were the opposite."
"Then do not refer to me so condescendingly. I have a name."
"Will Stephen suffice?"
"All the adults liked calling me that for some reason, so I guess I wouldn't mind."
"...Then Stephen it is." Ouranos shook his head, not wanting to partake in this mental gymnastic that the mortal was goading him into. "Where did you come from?"
"The specifics are complicated since what I am now is a complication itself. But you would be correct in assuming that I indeed am not from this world." Steve cocked his head. "Ptah spoke with you I assume."
"Yes he did. I hold great reverence and respect for Ptah as not only is he a Primordial like me but he has accomplished many admirable things...despite his shortcomings. Now he has expressed his will of letting you do as you please. I as a ruler must see to it that such freedom is granted in moderation based upon the choices and plans of whom that freedom is given to. Hence I wish to know also, what is your purpose here?"
"Well to be perfectly honest, I was not given any specific purpose." Steve shrugged his shoulders as he held out his arms. "Whatever force brought me here did not instruct me to do anything except do what it was I wanted. And before you ask, no I don't know what or who that force was."
"Hm." Ouranos leaned back in his seat. "You do not lie. Very well, what is it that YOU want to do Stephen?"
Steve contemplated his answer.
"The truth is...I just want to have fun. And I want to share with this world things from other places. Stuff that they could not imagine. If you ask for my content of character, I do not do good things without expecting something in return. Rarely will that ever be the case, so there's my moral standing if you want it."
"You would consider exploring the dungeon and being a part of a Familia...fun?" Ouranos raised a brow. "Have you any idea of the concept of commitment? To enter something so sacred as a blood bond between man and god, so that ye may enter the depths and conquer it in their name. A task which many have undergone and dedicated their lives to, many losing those lives in the process. And you would call it fun?"
"Pretty much."
"...Exactly what kind of power do you hide from view?"
"And why would that be your assumption?"
"Do not assume yourself that we gods are oblivious. These are but simple lines we can read."
Steve sighed before crossing his arms.
"I am an Otherworlder. In that you are correct. But I do not just possess the power to cross realms, I also have the power to connect them Lord Ouranos."
"And why should I not be alarmed at that?" Ouranos asked a little harshly. "Do you presume that I would allow you to run free as you please with such a power in your hands?"
"Why do YOU presume that you or anybody have any authority over me in the first place?" Steve bit back. "Let me put it straight to you. Ptah only put his Falna on me because I allowed it. Even if he were to take it away, it would not take away what I already had in the first place. Unleash your sealed powers on me..." Steve leaned forwards. "...I have the means to protect and defend myself. Moreover, I have the means to attack as well with just as much hostility and ferocity."
"You do not sound like someone that desires peace at the moment."
"Stop bullshitting."
"Excuse me?"
"Let's lay out the facts." Steve walked forwards and came to a stop before the steps. "You're scared of me because you can't control me. You don't, and you NEVER will." The gamer said firmly. "But that does not mean I am your enemy."
"Then what are you?"
"I am someone who possesses many wonders, and I want to share them with this world. At the same time, I am someone who aims to explore the wonders that THIS world has to offer and add it to my collection." Steve paused for moment before rubbing his forehead. "Look, let me just say it. The adventurers of this world are dogcrap 'weak' compared to some characters in the wider expanse of the cosmos."
"And you would assume yourself to be the bridge between them? Why would we want to invite these worlds upon us if they have not troubled us thus far?"
"What's the guarantee that they would not fall upon you at some point in the future anyway?" Steve reasoned. "Even if I were not to be here, every world will eventually go through some major change. Empires will rise and fall, ages will come and go, and entire systems will disappear. You're immortal, you'll live to see the day the Dungeon is no more and the system of adventurers will collapse. It is the inevitable and you know that. But what if I were to introduce mortal kinds to other things, to dangers outside this world? And train them up to a point where they will withstand against greater threats in the future?"
"You speak as if our world is naught but an experimenting ground for you." Ouranos gruffed.
"Because it is." Steve said. "I want to see if I can evolve mortal kind, make them adapt to new things and make them the best versions of themselves they can be. I want to know what happens when they come face to face with things outside the reality they know, what kind of heights they can be pushed to. Not to mention the Dungeon is but a fascinating concept in itself already. In the end, it is all a game to me. It is all it has ever been. Do not pretend that you are any different."
"What?"
"Is that not what this all is? The system of the Falna, the mystery of the Dungeon. You gods came down to these realms to find enjoyment and to participate in this great game you created for yourself." Steve pointed at Ouranos. "If I know my stuff correctly, I believe that you yourself were one of the first to descend. It is no secret that the Dungeon hates your kind. It was you who roused it in the first place, and made it create the beasts of old, one of which is still tearing the surface of this world apart today."
Ouranos narrowed his eyes, but knew he could not refute this.
"All I offer is this." Steve said. "I offer a new system, a new world for adventurers to explore. I offer new things for the gods to enjoy. I offer to bring about an age unlike any other. In the long run that is. I'm not ready just yet to start opening gateways to other more extreme worlds. But within me alone are many new secrets and wonders, some of which I have already imparted unto others as you probably are aware."
"The Loki Familia?"
"Yes. I will never apologize for what I am Ouranos, nor will I ever allow you to leash me so you can be assured of your safety. I have just as much reason to suspect you as you do me."
"You walk on OUR lands."
"And I bring forth with me an entry to a world at the minimum seven times bigger than this one, where I am the highest authority and from which riches, treasures, weapons and experience will flow like rivers by my permission." Steve said. "I bring only that which will strengthen mortals and will entertain you. I do not wish to be no one's enemy except those who mean harm." Steve dropped his arms. "Look Ouranos. I have already fallen in love here. Will that not be enough of an assurance to you that I have no bad intentions towards your world?"
"Ptah seems very convinced you are no threat to us. You give me many reasons to assume otherwise."
"Then know this!" Steve stood tall. "You will know whether or not I lie. I have the power to DESTROY this world as easy as it is to breathe. I do not NEED to work for it, nor do I NEED Ptah's protection. I can be done with this planet whenever I please, however I please." Steve held his chest out for a few moments before deflating. "But that is not what I want. I want to make this world rich, to pull things from other worlds and make it grow. But I cannot do that if you stand in the way. Think of it as MY blessing. I have every intention to make this world my home and you will not stop me from doing that. But I don't want hostile relations with its rulers."
"...Yet again, you have not lied."
"Look, I already love this world Lord Ouranos." Steve said. "And for that, I want to usher it into an age of prosperity with things from my own pocket, from my own space. I am opening up my own world so that people of your world can go in and take from it. It has no gods to look after it, nor is there any set system of superpowers. It is vast and largely unpopulated yet filled with riches and opportunity and I rule over it. I am practically giving it away so mortals can benefit. And if we work together, we can make sure that such things are done in regulations. I am willing to work under conditions...but I am not selling my integrity."
Ouranos sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. He pondered over the boy's words. There was no lie in all that he had said. It was still troubling, but Ouranos was not single-minded. He could see both sides of a situation and see the good and the bad. If he focused only on the bad, he would not be trying to help and protect a bunch of talking monsters. He could not deny that a part of him was excited. For so long had the gods sought something new and the Dungeon did provide that. But none of them, not even he who governed space and the sky had ever explored new worlds.
This boy did not seem like a threat though he very much had the potential to be. Ouranos's connections went deep and all evidence gathered of this boy already suggested he wanted to establish good relations with people of power. This was not necessarily the actions of someone who wanted to destroy or conquer.
"How about this?" Steve said.
"Hm?"
"Why don't I explain to you my plans regarding the world I govern, and how I mean to connect them, and what I intend to do for and with the adventurers who enter it?" Steve suggested. "Once I show you, won't you then make your decision? I will need your support if we are to pull this off. Remember Ouranos, there is only danger if people are careless. And every adventurer who has chosen this career has already signed his life out of his hands. Do it all right, and there will only ever be an endless stream of benefits. What do you say?"
Ouranos opened his eyes and lifted his head.
"Show me."
---
(A couple of hours later)
Steve snapped the book closed.
"So what do you say? Will you support me, or do you still intend to ostracise me?"
"That was never my intention to begin with." Ouranos said to the boy standing next to him. "I am a ruler, and as any ruler does, I must observe and decide upon the standing of a newcomer. I must know whether or not they are friend or foe."
"And where do I stand?"
"Someone who could be either. And the extremes are equal on both sides. But I do believe that there is potential for greatness." Ouranos stroked his chin. "This world of yours could provide sanctuary as can it provide many other benefits."
"I will not allow people to go in and create empires Lord Ouranos." Steve said. "Be assured I will smite any who tries and invade. But for those in need, I am willing to provide sanctuary."
'Then perhaps that is where we can hide the Xenos.' Thought Ouranos.
"When do you plan on beginning the construction of the gate?" Ouranos said.
"Not now. I need to get my name out there, and wait for the upcoming drama to blow over. The public as a whole are still ignorant of me. Something that will change tomorrow. Only when I have given them a taste of what I can offer, will I open up such a window. For now, I simply wish to establish myself and live as any other adventurer. But I will put it down now, if not me alone, then my Familia will be the absolute authority over the gate. None will go in nor come out except by our permission."
"Provided I approve?"
"You are the ruler so you will have some say. But I will not hand over control of it. That is non-negotiable."
"...Let me ruminate on this." Ouranos said as he leaned on a hand deep in thought. "I will give my answer at an appropriate time. For now, you may go."
"Don't take too long." Steve said. "I've got a business to run." The boy added lastly as he left the room.
Ouranos sighed as he leaned his head back, feeling a migraine over all the information he'd just received.
"This will change everything. The bottom of the Dungeon has not yet been found and already an Otherworlder comes with new worlds to explore." Ouranos opened his eyes. "But then again, Zeus and Hera's efforts may not have been completely in vain. The boy does not submit...but he can be coerced, that is apparent. Mortals fall so easily to the illusion of control...they are not aware that even we gods are not in control ourselves."
Ouranos looked forward as he estimated the boy to be out of the Tower by now.
"Very well boy. I will judge based upon what you do now. The world will know who you are tomorrow and you will receive many sorts of reception. Just how will you host it, I wonder?"
It was not a definite decision...but Stephen Hewer was clearly not an enemy to them...for now.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Comment and Review!
Discord: discord.gg/HfNvq33x
Read ahead on my Patreon:
Patreon/ Vulkizaro_Zoromi
For commissions:
Ko-Fi/ vulkizarozoromi
