Chapter 18

Returning into his underground abode… it was weird.

Believing he finished all the necessary research regarding his little clone project, and having the proper vessel in being a body copy of his original with the same powers and abilities to the same quality or at the very least similar.

It seemed like the stretching of his soul was the way, especially with how it was working, should the distance ever be to large or the like and snap somewhere in that distance it's stretched over, it should hypothetically snap back and regenerate the pathway or bond in the relative same instance it's broken- the best comparison would probably be the X-men movie where wolverine had to be sent into the past to save the future of the mutants, how it worked regarding his mind specifically.

But to feel himself in two bodies at once, notably one of his vessels was in the process of regenerating because the his hope for the 'clone' was just ripping off a limb and extending or stretching part of his soul to remain in that limb, keeping the bond permanently while his soul and body regenerate from the limb and create a second body in doing so.

Facing a mirror like replica yet knowing it wasn't a mirror, but yourself, and staring at yourself at the same time from a different and new point of view, truly a fascinating experience.

Well disregarding the fascination, it was he took in his divinity, or at the very least contained it within the portion of his soul and new vessel which will not be venturing into the dungeon.

As things currently were he was also more sensitive in a way, he was sensing double of everything because the two vessels he was inhabiting were in the same room, though it could potentially get worse and risk him going mentally insane when they separated for different tasks, having multiple perspectives… well his regeneration will keep his soul from rapid decay due to exertion which would likely be a possibility under… more normal circumstances.

He began to make himself clothes, attire with his own divinity, the feeling of using this new power was both euphoric and not due to the feeling being restricted to a half of his soul. It became clear that there were things his two perspectives could not share, though it didn't matter. The vessel he intended to live as an adventurer in the Loki familia, his original vessel went up and left the workshop, he now had the means to socialize with his familia more while accomplishing his objectives in creation and his own technology or creations.

So the vessel he intended to restrict and house the god portion of his soul went up as well, but did not leave the workshop, he began to experiment with the materials he had, the alloys he made, and some of his finished weapons.

He was a new god, likely to be persecuted and accused if he comes out in public without Hermes's help and the help of his boss.

It's even more likely he'll be targeted by gods wanting to maintain influence that they have, or the status quo of gods being better, something Evilus would likely pursue and attempts against Wilhelm's life as things went on.

He needed a weapon, and he didn't have the materials as of right now to make a weapon compensate for his weakness, while he had not gotten any of his divine abilities sealed, he was still not as experienced or strong as many of the entities within the world of Danmachi.

He decided he'll do something a little crazy again.

Potentially his regeneration and such are confined to his vessels and souls, so why not stretch his soul a bit more to a weapon he'll carry around with himself? Plenty of gods and goddesses already do as symbols of who they are.

Well- if he's gonna make himself another vessel but out of a weapon, it's going to have to fit with the technological related divinity he's going for, guns fit quite well but it has to be good, efficient.

The bullets would need to be replaced by temporary materials manifested from his divinity, the energy being recalled to him a few seconds after hitting his target would be quite nice. Replacing the combustion function when guns fire with someone else would also be required because he can't just make a bigger boom otherwise he'll blow himself up…

Well his weapon vessel anyway.

The new god's eyes light up in excitement, facing a new challenge and an exciting new gamble relating to what much of his future likely could end up being affected by.

Switching the combustion with a focused burst of air- a created gust of wind to speak from his soul inside the barrel sounded like the best option mentally. Avoiding any potential heating problems that may cause his soul discomfort to of course.

Well the decision of what weapon he'd model his vessel after would be easiest, the Benelli M4 being somewhat iconic to him and famous in the military from his old world, a reliable semi-automatic shotgun, amazing for utility as much as it is for killing in his eyes.

Well- it was time to get to work, another project worth rushing for the purpose of seeing anyone who attempted him harm- lack a face to speak from and tell the tale.

Shifting over to the perspective of Wilhelm's other perspective, he was unnaturally giddy, why wouldn't he be when he was experiencing almost the same things as his soul was still connected, the connection going stronger as the stretched portion 'grows thicker' in an effort to 'heal' itself.

Well the excitement was clearly something to take note of as he was questioned about it a few times tho he mostly ignored others for the time being.

"Goddess Loki, I'll be ready to make my debut as the next denatus, not as Wilhelm but as a god, I'll have decided on a name, or another alias, by the end of the week." Wilhelm exclaims to the pacing goddess with something of a cheer and pep in his step.

The woman's anxiety somewhat clear due to both her pacing and her not having any of her executives or other familia members around that she could consult on the work that she typically had to do and strains her when doing so.

Loki doesn't respond to his cheerful statements but steps up to him and grabs him by the collar of his shirt with an intense glare, "What did you do?"

"I've done a lot." He responds casually, his gleeful demeanor seems to shift more serious and one of concern seeing his goddess so stressed out.

"What did you do to get Hephaestus to know of your creations? Or your blacksmithing efforts for that matter? And for my own sake why did you have to avoid and tease the woman for so long?!" Loki's voice however seems to shift from her interrogative demeanor to a whine as she continues to speak.

"Huh?" He just blinks confused in response. "I'm pretty sure lady Hephaestus wouldn't be that interested in me, especially considering the weapons and armor I had made at the time weren't that special really, only thing unique would've been the material and alloy of metal I used for each different weapon."

"Well she's coming to visit us today because of you!" Loki grumbles while letting go of Wilhelm and throws her hands up while verbalizing her agitation, "I had to do so much urgent work to make sure we were ready to receive her because how prestigious her familia is as one of the best blacksmithing families and due to our relationship with them! Most of all, Finn's said his intuition is goin damn crazy!"

"I thought she doesn't like formalities?" Wilhelm responds kinda confused.

Loki sighs, "She doesn't, it's something we're doing because we have quite the business relationship and contract with them." Loki's arms drop to her sides as she groans in exhaustion.

"Well, I'm making a new type of weapon, as the goddess of craftsmanship surely she'd be more interested in that then pleasantries." Wilhelm shrugs his shoulders.

Loki seems to pale however and barely makes nay effort to shift her gaze onto Wilhelm with worry in her eyes before sighing again, a tone of something like despair underlying the sigh, "You literal Hephaestus honey trap, maybe I should just marry you off to her before you get poached."

"You wouldn't do that to me right? I'm a valuable member to your familia, I've brought you in so much money for your alcohol addiction and for the familia in general!" Wilhelm responds trying to cheer up the goddess who seems to be visibly decaying emotionally.

"I guess you're right, please just try not to make Lil Hephaestus fall in love with you, she's somewhat fragile-"

"Says the one who's just walking bones, if you asked, I probably could've gone about giving you quite the set of assets." Wilhelm attempts… something of a joke to lighten his goddesses mood, or at least shift her attention.

A vein seems to bulge in Loki's forehead after the comment while her face shifts into a look of aggression and disdain, "You little fuckin brat o' mine, I got some time so I'll make sure to teach ya." Loki bolts up to Wilhelm and leaps onto him.

Wilhelm just begins chuckling as his goddess attempts to rip out his hair or pull, trying to redirect him into hitting something along the way while he begins walking about the mansion, something going unnoticed to Loki.

His response to her aggression, nuzzling into her stomach which is set before his face as her legs are wrapped around his upper chest to hold her in place.

Loki stops for a moment as the enter the familia- well living room equivalent. "Gah-! My kiddo such a pervert to after insulting me!Mama! Aisy-poo! Help your goddess please! I need my preciouses to help me!"

"My goddess, I was merely doing something to get your attention as we're now in the presence of Hephaestus, were you not the one who wanted to take this meeting so seriously?" Wilhelm questions with ever a formal voice, uncharacteristic of him if put into perspective.

Loki seems to go pale meanwhile for a moment as she turns her neck to look behind her, seeing one goddess of smithing with a small smile and her captain, Tsubaki, snickering under her breath doing her best in her own way to hide her amusement.

The horror that seemed to spread for a moment across Loki's demeanor was genuinely a hilarious sight to associate with the situation, though it was one that only lasted a moment or less as Loki recaptured her bearings and stood by herself quickly as she could before making a motion of dusting herself off.

Before she can give her own proper greetings however Wilhelm does so in her stead with a polite bow of his head, "Greetings to Orario's goddess of the smith and the familia captain."

Hepheastus's face bower shifts to one of neutrality that seems to be hiding a frown, likely hinting her dislike towards formalities as Loki abruptly lands a chop on Wilhelm's head.

"Didn't I tell ya Hephy don't really care for formalities???" Loki scolds him before crossing her arms… over her… barren chest while tick marks and blood vessels seem to make themselves apparent on her face.

"You, didn't inform me of anything, you were to busy harassing me instead." Wilhelm sticks out his tongue simply to mock Loki in turn something that seems to visibly piss her off more.

Well he doesn't entertain a conversation with Loki any further for the time being and simply turns back to the visitors, "What could I do for you both."

Hephaestus coughs quietly for a moment as if clearing up her voice before speaking, "I would like to know about the metal combination you've been using for the weapons you've created and why you've left so much behind without so much as a word."

Wilhelm tilts his head for a moment confused, "Ohhhh, you want to know about the Damascus alloy I used for the weapon I left, it's just a combination of a few basic and cheap metals, you should already know which ones based off the person likely taking inventory of materials after each time I left weapons. Though I imagine that alloy wouldn't compare to combinations with Mithril, Orchilium, and adamantium, but if you wanna experiment with just Damascus you'll need to make carbon steel and or other alloys of different variants and layer them, carbon steel specifically is made form a combination of iron, and well- carbon." Wilhelm taps his chin in thought for a moment thinking about whether or not there's anything else to mention…

Loki and Tsubaki meanwhile get to watch a giddy goddess of the smith, Loki remains quiet due to her lack of knowledge regarding most crafts and the potential business opportunities as whatever this 'alloy' is it's made from really cheap and beginner materials.

"If possible, could you come to one of our familia smiths for a demonstration or give us other examples of things you've made, should you have your own place of work now?" Tsubaki questions while turning to look at Wilhelm with a questioning eyebrow raised above her uncovered eye.

Loki claps a hand over Wilhelm's mouth and proceeds to immediately speak for him, "yes yes of course!" Which is followed by a yelp from Loki as Wilhelm bites that very hand before removing it.

He proceeds to speak with a sigh, "yeah I will, as long as it's agreed what I show doesn't and conversation regarding it doesn't leave the workshop." With a roll of his eyes and a sly smile directed at his goddess dramatically playing a victim, he proceeds to motion politely for Tsubaki and Hepheastus follow him and leads them out of the mansion towards the direction of his self-run workshop.

(POV CHANGE)

A deep sigh left me as I had laid back in my chair. The office space I currently occupied befitting my position in the Loki familia affording me a quiet place to think as an executive of the familia.

I decided once again this was an opportune time to, at least gloss over, the most confusing member in my familia.

My intuition went crazy every time I saw him, a warning of what he could be and his potential internally flaring every time he occupied my line of sight. And for a short time I believed my intuition to be right, when he had gotten his stats close to what should be their max, or at least past the maximum of an average person, he had leveled up within the course of a few months which broke a record our dear sword princess held.

But after that event he seemed to… die out in activity… he hardly went to the dungeon anymore but instead made weapons and medicines personally for the familia without saying a thing or interacting with the members.

He specifically seemed a bit abrasive or distant from at least half of the familia, the lower leveled one's gave up on trying to build a relationship or partnership with him quite quickly.

Noir has been trying to get Wilhelm to open up but fails to even get a response.

Bara's made quite a few attempts to beat information out of him due to his- constitution and her impatience which scared a few of the newer members consistently as he still gave no response.

Dain… would be trying to get Wilhelm to drink his problems away as a coping mechanism were he still alive.

I don't think the Dian Chet familia has dealt with mental issues or healing significantly, or anything regarding similar conditions. They're the only ones that really came to mind to help as well, especially for things like his mentality or well, as Wilhelm called it 'selective memory'.

He knows nothing about Many of the Familia members and believes he's never even interacted with many of them, all of the familia members he hasn't interacted with are also one's that have died, there's been no one he's close to that's gone- well that might not be the best way to phrase things, sounds like an accusation.

There's also been episodes it seems where his tendencies get worse and he isolates himself, this happened during the raids a few times on evilus bases and after the death of most of the Astraea familia.

Riveria came to the conclusion that he could be some sort of seer possibly and feels guilt for not understanding his visions until after the event because he ends up feeling like he could've done something.

Which makes sense, as difficulty behind deciphering visions has been a consistent problem for seers in history, but he's just as unlikely to be a seer.

Well, he at least seems to be letting others in consistently to his life a bit, even if slowly, He did give Loki and Riveria a short tour of his workshop place… or home?

Regardless of what it should be called, it seems like Riveria is quite happy being able to be what she believes is on the right path to help Wilhelm, that means someone's making progress.

I let out a sigh subconsciously, the only sound to fill my room besides my own breathing ad the scratching of my quill pen on paper and tapping of my foot against the floorboards.

I need to talk to him about these things.

(POV CHANGE)

A profound sigh of relief escaped my lips as I collapsed on my luxurious bed. A smile spread itself across my lips as I help my favorite little crystal ball in my grasp which shown me all I needed. My satisfaction continued growing and growing each time I spied secretly on the one who's destined to free me, to make me feel loved and happy while being able to take all my love and adoration.

My darling Odr may be ready, but I cannot scare him off, no matter how hard it gets to hold back with my varying impatience, but I equally refuse to stop pursuing him in some fashion despite these spikes of nervousness that plague me.

Continuing to watch him has been the only way my bed doesn't feel empty, doesn't feel alone. I hope, no, NEED, for him to come to feel the same way I do about him for me.

I've waited so long, and I must wait a bit longer so all these efforts don't go to nothing, I won't let impatience get the better of me but I'm not going to hide how I feel, I'm to tired for such a thing.

——

Heyo, I wanted to try doing the pov changes in 1st person to an extent, dabble in it and all that to get an opinion which is why they're a bit different, I also decided To shift the characters a bit in the way I've developed them according to the fanfic, but the way I did so I believe was reasonable based on the past presentation or writing style I seemed to follow with the MC's perspective.

That aside- my colon is rumbling for the past few days bro, it is worrying.

Enjoy the 3000 or so words