3rd Person Pov:
A Few Days Before Before Monsterphilia
Location: Unknown- Research Wing
The Air In The Stone Chamber Smelled Of Formaldehyde, Rot, And Residuals Of Dark Magic, It Was A Vile Scent, The Signature Of The Remnants Of A Certain Familia, One Allied With The Evilus Fraction...
Apate Familia—The Ones Who Had Once Dared To Fuse Monsters With Children,
A Figure Cloaked In Crimson Robes, An Executive Of Evilus, Stood Before A Large, Glass Containment Vat,
Inside, Suspended In A Green, Alchemical Fluid, Floated The Body Of A Woman, She Was A Dark Elf, Her Skin Dark Tan, Her hair White As Snow,
???: Report, How Far Is The Test Subject's Success Rate ?
The Executive Demanded, His Voice Echoing Off The Damp Walls,
A Hunched Alchemist, His Skin Pale From Lack Of Sunlight, Rubbed His Hands Together Nervously,
??? 2: Subject '078' Recovered From A Shallow Grave In The Alf Forest, Just As Your Intel Specified, The Body Preservation Was... Surprisingly Excellent, The Soil Of The Elf Forest Has Magical Properties....
??? 1: And The Modification ?
The Alchemist Grinned, Revealing Yellowed Teeth,
??? 2: Complete, We Utilized Old Apate Familia's Research, We Inserted A Minotaur Core Directly Into Her Solar Plexus And Reinforced The Muscle Fibers With War Shadow Essence, Mermaid Tissues For Regeneration, She isn't a Corpse Anymore, She Is A Potential Level 3 High-Class Living Weapon, A 'Soldier' That Won't Defy Our Orders, And It's Production Rate.... Might Be Faster Then The 'Other' Ongoing Subject,
The Executive Stepped Closer To The Glass, He Tapped It With A Gloved Finger,
??? 1: And About Astrea ? Is The Information Correct ?
??? 3: Confirmed,
A Second Figure Spoke From The Shadows—An Intel Broker,
??? 3: The New Recruit Of The Astrea Familia, Lucian Vandris Alf, He Is Indeed A Dark Elf, Almost Extinct High Dark Elf At That....
The Executive Let Out A Low, Cruel Laugh,
??? 1: The Goddess Of Justice Returns To Orario To Raise Morale ? To Bring 'Hope' Back To The City ? How Poetic, Seems Like She Has Forgotten What We Did When She Crossed Path With Us....
He turned To A Trembling Man In The Corner—A Fanatic, Clearly A Low-Level Member Of Evilus, Easily Replaceable, And Perfect For Thier Plan, A Scapegoat, They Don't Need To Use A High Or Mid Level Member For Thier Plan,
In His Hand, He Clutching A Control Crystal.
??? 2: You Will Guide The Weapon, During The Monsterphilia, While Ganesha Is Distracted With Their Toys... You Will Unleash Her, Along With Other Resources That Are Prepared For This....
Frantic: The Target ?
The Fanatic Asked, Clearly Mentally Unstable And Awaiting For Order,
??? 2: Astrea, But Do Not Kill Her Instantly, Let The Boy See The Face Of The Monster, Let Him See His Own Kin Kill The Goddess He Swore To Protect, Break His Mind, Shatter Their Hope, Then... Paint The Street With Their Blood.....
The Plan Was Perfect, A Physical And Psychological Ambush Designed To Crush The Revival Of Justice Before It Could Even Begin,
In Another Place,
The Office of the Elephant, Ganesha's Private Chamber,
There Was A Reason Why Astrea Was Called A Day Earlier Then The Start Of The Banquet,
It Was Because Ganesha Was Asked By The Guild Pantheon...
Astrea Sat In The Private Chamber Across From The God Of The Masses, Ganesha
Ganesha: The Guild is restless, Astrea, They See The Darkness Stirring In The Alleys Again, They Ask Me To Invite You Back To The Front Lines.... Though I Had Already Said You Would Decline, It's Still Your Choice.....
Astrea Looked At her Hands, Resting On The Velvet Of Her Dress, Her Eyes Tired.....
Astrea: Ganesha... Look At Me, I Am A Goddess Who Lost Her Entire Family To The Very Darkness You Speak Of.... My 'Justice' Is Currently A Single Boy Who Has Barely Learned To Hold His Sword, To Join The Defense Force Now Would Be An Insult To The Memory Of My Daughters And A Death Sentence For My Son...
Ganesha Nodded Solemnly, It Was Weirdly Stupid For That Guild, They Would Still Ask For Astrea To Return, Especially Only Having One Member, Sending Him To Front Lines Would Mean Certain Death, Even For Moral Support, It Was Too Dangerous...
Ganesha: I Understand, I Told The Guild It Was Too Soon, I Am Ganesha ! And I Do Not Force A Friend To Carry A Burden They Are Not Ready For !
Astrea Offered A Small, Tired Smile,
Astrea: Thank You, For Now, My Justice Stays Within The Walls Of The Stardust Garden...
Ganesha Nodded In Agreement, Then He Took Out A Stack Of Paperwork....
This Startled Astrea A Bit, There's No Way She Was Asked For Early Visit For This ? Right ?
Ganesha: I Am Sorry To Inform You, That You Still Need To Fill These Forums And Other Documents, It Has Records Of Your Familia's Property And Damaged List, There Was Quite A Few Attacks, They Tried To Destroy Your House, Fortunately They Were Not Successful, They Need Your Acknowledgement, So They Can Finally Hand Over Your House's Security And Property Papers To You.....
Astrea Stared At The Mountain Of Paperwork,
She Had Expected That There Would Be Attacks To Her Home After She Left, Fortunately Ganesha Familia Has Been Keeping It Safe,
As For The Property Papers.... Yeah There's No Way She's Going To Leave Them, She's Going To Need It.....
Stardust Garden,
The Next Day,
Lucian Pov:
Lucian: I Should Look For Some, It's About Time I Complete The Set.....
It's Been Some Time Since The Sun Has Risen,
I Won't Be Going In The Dungeon Today,
Not To Mention My Earning Has Eclipsed Over 500,000 Valis,
And I'm Still Diving With A Small Breastplate....
Not To Mention, Every time I Use Mana Burst, Even After Sage Optimized It To Best, I Still Get Some Recoil Damage, My Level 1 Body Isn't Exactly Strong Enough To Brush Off That Recoil Damage Like Nothing, I Think I Need To Become Level 2 For That, Which Again, Should Take Some Time,
I Had Decided For My Level Up, I'm Going To Max My Stat Limits First, Then Level Up, The Foundation Is Still Something I Can't Ignore,
Not To Mention, I Really Need Some Magic, I Haven't Seen Any Adventures I Met Use Any Magic, Even The Monster I Met Don't Use Them,
I Was Fortunate That Sage Copied 'Undine's Tear' Healing Spell, Or I Would Be Cooked A Long Time Ago,
Anyway, I Have Decided To Check In The Blacksmith Shops, I Need Some Armour,
And If None Meet My Standards, I Would Buy Some Material And Make One For Myself.....
After All, You Can't Think I'll Somehow Find A High Level Blacksmith Like Welf Or Something,
3rd Person Pov:
Musing His Thoughts, Lucian Was About To Entered The West District, And Then Go To Babel Tower To Look For Something.....
As He Turned A Corner Toward The West District,
The First Thing That Happened Was That He Nearly Collided With Two Figures Emerging From The West District's Market....
???: Oto !
A Brown Paper Bag Rustled Dangerously, Threatening To Spill Potatoes Onto The Street,
Lucian: Careful,
Lucian Said, As He Steadied The Mountain Of A Bag With A Hand,
Anya: Oh ! Thanks, Nya !
Lucian Looked Towards The Back Of The Mountain Of A Bag To See A Familiar Pair Of Cat Ears And A Pair Of Sharp, Sky-Blue Eyes Belonging To The Elf,
It Was Anya Fromel And Ryuu Lion, Dressed In Their Casual Clothes, Clearly On A Supply Run For The Hostess Of Fertility,
Anya: Wait A Minute...
Anya Blinked, Leaning In Close, Invading His Personal Space,
Anya: You're The Dark Elf From Last Night ! The One Who Told Off That Wolf-Trash !
Lucian Was A Bit Surprised By How She Addressed Bete, After All, He Himself Didn't Dare To Say That,
Point Out Their Incompetence To Try Forging A Connection With Bell ?
Yes That's Why He Spoke Up, And With Loki Familia's Reputation On Line, They Wouldn't Likely Attack Him Out Of Nowhere.....
After All, His Group Seemed To Gain A Buff As The Group Of Main Characters, He Also Wanted That Despite Having A Cheat Code, After All Who Wouldn't ?
Ryuu's Eyes Narrowed Slightly, She Was Studying Him—Not Just His Face, But The Shape Of His Ears.....
Ryuu: "Those Features...Those Pointy Ears..... A High Dark Elf ? I Never Expected I Would See One Myself....But His Behaviour.... Doesn't Match For A Topical Elf...."
She Said Nothing, Maintaining Her Stoic Mask, But Her Guard Was Up,
Lucian: Just Stating Some Facts, A Level 5 Shouldn't Lose A Footrace To A Minotaur....
Anya Cackled A Small Laugh, Slapping Lucian On The Shoulder, Noticing That He Didn't Stop Her From Touching Him Like A Usual Elf,
Anya: Nya-Haha ! You Got Guts, Kid ! I Like You ! Usually, Those Elves Who Just Arrived To Orario Are All Stiff And 'Don't Touch Me, Demi-Human,' but You're Chill ! No Offence,
Lucian Dusted Off His Shoulder But Didn't Look Offended, With Memories Of His Old Earth, He Didn't Care About Normally Touching Others, But He Still Has His Own Sense Of Space,
Lucian: I'm A Bit More Open-Minded Than My Forest-Dwelling Cousins, Contact Doesn't Bother Me Much,
It Was Quite Literally True, Due To The Inbreeding In The Alf Forest, Which Is To Keep Thier Bloodline Pure, Almost Everyone Is Related To Everyone, Except The High Elf, Who Also Are Certainly Related Only Within High Elf Category,
Anya: See, Ryuu. ? We Found A Rare One !
Anya Grinned, Nudging Her Silent Companion,
While Here Lucian Doesn't Mind Skin Contact With Others, It Took Ryuu Quite Some Time Before Even Allowing Them To Get Close,
Ryuu Remained Silent, Her Gaze Piercing, She Remembered Yesterdays Act And Sighed Slightly,
Ryuu: You Are Reckless, Provoking The Loki Familia Is Unwise, Regardless Of Whether You Are Right.....
Lucian Shrugged It Off, At Least He Knew About Thier Personality Of Them, That's Why He Even Tried To Speak Against It,
Lucian: Perhaps, But Silence Is Often Mistaken For Agreement, I Didn't Agree With His Assessment,
Anya's Tail Swished With Curiosity, The Boy Had Quite A Mindset.....
Anya: So, Mr. Hero, Which Familia Do You Belong To Anyway ? You Got A God Backing You Up Against That Wolf ?
She Was Curious, There's No Way That Wolf Would Let Him Off, Because Of His Pride, Even If A Little, He Would Try To Get Him In A Way, He Has To Have A Good Backing Or Else His Future Isn't Good...
Besides Calling Him A Hero ? He Didn't Want To Be Called That, But He Couldn't Cause A Scene In The Street Can He ? So He Didn't Say Anything Regarding Being Called Hero,
Lucian Paused, He Looked At Anya, Then Shifted His Gaze To Ryuu, He Knew Exactly Who She Was—Gale Wind, The Sole Survivor Of The Astrea Familia's Tragedy, Now A Wanted Criminal, Still He Wanted To See Her Reaction.... Can He Help Her Get Over Her Past ? Or At Least Make Amends With Astrea Before Original Timeline ?
This Is Going To Be A Shock To the Her, But She Deserves To Know, Not To Mention In A Few Days, Everyone Would Know Astrea Is Back, After All, The Banquet Of Gods Would Reveal Her Presence In Orario .....
Lucian: I Do Have A Goddess.... I Belong To The Astrea Familia.....
The Bustling Noise Of The Street Seemed To Vanish For Ryuu Lion,
The Bag Of Vegetables In Her Arms Crinkled As Her Grip Tightened Spasmodically, Her Breath Hitched, A Tiny, Almost Inaudible Sound That Screamed Of Heartbreak,
Anya Blinked, Tilting Her Head,
Anya: Astrea ? The Justice Lady ? Nya, Don't Joke Around..... She left Orario 7 Years Ago After The... Well, You Know.....
Lucian: Well, She's Back, We Did Return About 5 Days Ago, We Kept Our Presence Low..... But She Is Attending The Banquet Of Gods Today, People Would Get To Know About It Sooner Or Later,
Ryuu Stared At The Boy, Her Mind Going Through A Emotional Rollercoaster....
Lucian Didn't Speak Much, He Simply Undid The Top Button Of His Grey Overcoat And Pulled The Overcoat Enough To Let Them See Black Shirt Inside,
Stamped On The Fabric, Just Over His Heart, Was The Emblem Marked In White, The Scales Of Justice Superimposed Over A Sword,
Lucian: You Should Know This Crest, If You Don't Believe Me, Just Wait Until Tomorrow....
Ryuu Stared At The Mark, Her Eyes Widened Slightly, Shaking Violently, The Memories Of The Dark Age, Of Kaguya, Alise, Lyra... And The Goddess She Had Left Away... It All Came Rushing Back Like A Tidal Wave,
Ryuu: "She's Here ? In The City ? And She Has... A New Child ?"
Ryuu Took A Step Back, Looking Like She Was About To Hyperventilate, She Looked At Lucian—Really Looked At Him—And Saw The Conviction In His Eyes,
Ryuu: I... I
Ryuu's Voice Cracked, She Abruptly Turned Away, Clutching The Grocery Bag To Her Chest Like A Lifeline,
Ryuu: I... I Just Remembered.... There Is... Urgent Preparation For The Lunch Rush, I Must Go....
Anya Looked Confused, She Clearly Doesn't Remember Hearing Any Of That,
Anya: Eh ? Ryuu ? But We Just Started Shopping—
Ryuu: I Must Go !
Ryuu Practically Shouted, Before Bolting Down The Street, Her Speed Far Exceeding That Of A Normal Waitress,
Anya: Ah ! Wait For Me !
Anya Looked At Lucian, Then At Her Fleeing Friend,
Anya: Sorry, Mr.–
Lucian: Lucian Vandris,
Anya: Sorry, Mr. Vandris ! She's Weird Sometimes ! Bye-Nya !
Anya Scrambled After Ryuu, Somehow Effortlessly Taking On The Mountain Of A Vegetable Bag.....
After She Left, Leaving Lucian Standing Alone In The Morning Crowd,
Lucian: Maybe I Pushed It A Bit Too Fast....
She Needs Time, It's Either Ryuu Or Astrea Going To Find Each Other First,
Timeskip....
Location: Babel Tower
3rd Person Pov:
Lucian Pushed The Emotional Encounter Aside, He Had Work To Do, His Current Gear—A Small Breastplate—Was Insufficient For The Kind Of Forces He Was Generating With [Mana Burst], He Needed Something That Would Absorb His Recoil Damage He Is Taking,
He Entered A Mid-tier Armory, The Heat Of The Forge Washing Slightly Over Him,
Smith: Welcome ! What Are You Looking For ?
Lucian Kept Scanning The Racks, Looking Through The Options And Spoke,
Lucian: Medium Armor, I Prioritize Mobility, But I Need High Structural Integrity.....
He Moved Through The Shop, Selecting Pieces With A Cheating Eye, Guided By The Great Sage's Material Analysis, He Chose The Best One He Could Find For His Base Armour, He Would Modify Them For Himself Later.....
In The End, He Chose Some Good Finds,
First, He Chose A Composite Breastplate/Chestplate, It Covered His Torso Fully But Left His Shoulders Free, It Was A Dull Steel Alloy, Matte Grey, Designed To Deflect Piercing Blows,
Next, He Chose Gauntlets And Vambraces, These Were Crucial, He Picked A Pair Of Reinforced Steel Gauntlets That Extended Up His Forearms, When He Channels Mana Into His Sword, His Arms Take The Brunt Of The Recoil, He Noted These Earlier And These Need To Be Sturdy, Which They Were,
Last Pieces Of His Armour, Greaves And Sabatons, He Selected Lightweight Plated Greaves For His Shins And Metal-Capped Boots (Sabatons), He Needed To Be Able To Kick Through Stone If Necessary,
Lastly, Undersuit For His Combat Gear,
And Finally, After A Long Search, He Found A Set Of Tight-Fi
tting, Charcoal-Grey Underclothing Made Of Monster-Silk Weave, It Was Breathable But Offered Minor Slash Resistance,
He Paid The Smith—A Hefty Sum Of 65,000 Valis, Putting A Good Dent In His Earnings, But Worth It,
Aside The Slightly Expensive 4,500 Valis Worth Of Underclothes, Four Sets Of Exactly Same Looking Ones, He Would Analyse Them And Maybe Make His Own In Future.....
After That, He Went Back To The Stardust Garden, There Wasn't Much To Do,
Timeskip.....
3rd Person Pov
The Afternoon Sun Filtered Through The Lattice Windows Of The Stardust Garden, Casting Long Shadows Across The Wooden Floor Of Kaguya's Room... Well Now Turned Into Lucian's Room,
The House Was Quiet, Astrea Was Not Returning From The Banquet Of Gods Tonight, That's For Sure,
It Was The Perfect Time To Create A Prototype Armor He Was Envisioning About For The Last Few Days,
Lucian Laid Out His Newly Purchased Equipment On The Table, The Dull Grey Steel Of The Breastplate, Gauntlets, Greaves And Boots Looked Sturdy, But To Lucian's Eyes—Mainly Great Sage—They Were Filled With Microscopic Imperfections,
As They Were Now, It Can't Be Used For A Single Use Of Mana Burst, He Needed To Upgrade It.....
He Stepped Back And Extended His Hand,
Lucian: Predator,
The Air Distorted, And a Swirl Of Black Mist Widened, The Armour Set Was Transported Into His Sub-Space,
But His Gaze Fell On The Other Thing That Was Left Inside His Sub-Space From The Very Start,
Spirit Tree, A Big Bigger Then The Last One, He Made Sure This One's Density Was Better Then The Previous One And Focused For Lighter Weight,
He Had Been Nurturing This Inside His Sub-Space, Feeding It Excess Mana And Monster Core's Life Energy, Which Is Also Mana,
The Wood Was No Longer Brown, it Was A Pearlescent White, Humming With a Faint Resonance, It Was The Same Material Used To Create Caliburn, But Raw And Unshaped,
Lucian: " Great Sage, Draft A Blueprint, I Want To Fuse The Molecular Structure Of The Spirit Wood With The Steel Armor, Create A Conductive Alloy That Retains The Hardness Far Stronger Than Metal But The Mana-Flow Of That Like Mithril...."
(Great Sage: Understood, Analyzing Material Compatibility... Steel Density: 7.85 G/Cm³, Spirit Wood Mana Conductivity: A-Rank, Proposal: Bio-Metallic Fusion.... Processing....Deconstruct Both Materials Using 'Predator'..... Success.... Realign The Carbon Lattice Of The Steel With The Mana-Channels Of The Wood..... Success... Creation Of Spirit-Steel Alloy Is Successful.....)
A Smile Crept On His Face, Great Sage Truly Lived Up It's Name,
Lucian: Let's Get To Work,
Without Hesitation, He Started The Process.... Or Rather Great Sage Started.....
Inside The Isolated Dimension, The Materials Were Broken Down Into Their Base Components.. ..
(Great Sage: Smelting Initiated, Removing impurities From The Steel... Success, Injecting Liquefied Spirit Wood Essence Into The Metal Grain... Stabilization At 98%... 99%... Complete... Spirit Steel Prototype Armor 01's Creation Is Successful.....)
Lucian: Predetor....
Lucian Exhaled, And The Mist Swirled Again, Depositing The Reforged Equipment into The Table,
The Armor Had Changed, It Was His Choice, With Improvements Made With Great Sage,
It Was No Longer Dull Grey, It Was A Lustrous, Pale Silver, Almost White, If One Looked Closely, Very Closely, They Could See Faint, Wood-Grain Patterns Rippling Through The Metal, Like Damascus Steel, But Organic In A Way,
The Breastplate Felt Lighter, Yet When Lucian Tapped It, It Rang With A Clear, Bell-Like Tone Rather Than A Dull Thud,
Lucian: Hm... I'll Name It Spirit Steel, Mark 01, Taking Out The Impurities And A Perfectly Balanced Amount Of Spirit Tree Wood Made It Lighter Yet Denser, This Should Last Me Till Middle Floors Easily....
Only Reason Why It Was Only Usable For Middle Floors ? To Preserve It's Powerful Defensive Capability,
In Truth, It Can Tank Damage Taken From Lower Floors Monster, But For Sense Of Security, He'd Make Sure That His Armour Is Always A Grade Better Then The Floor Level He Is Exploring,
Next Was The Underclothing,
The Charcoal-Grey Shirt And Pants Were Made Of Standard Monster Silk, Good, But Not Enough To Stop A Jagged Blade Or A Stray Arrow,
So Again, It's Time For Upgrade,
Lucian: Great Sage, Extract Fibers From The Spirit Tree's Bark, Weave Them Into The Fabric...
(Great Sage: Understood.....Processing.... Creating Micro-Cellulose Spirit Fibers.... Success.... Choosing Optimal Weaving Pattern, Hexagonal Mesh, This Will Increase Tensile Strength By 400%.....)
Lucian Repeated The Similar Process With [Predator], He Consumed The Clothes And Used The Remaining Of The Wood Bark And Inner Fibers,
When He Expelled Them, The Clothes Looked Largely The Same, But The Fabric Now Had A Subtle Sheen To It, When He Pulled On The Fabric, It Didn't Stretch Or Tear, It Held Firmly With The Tension Of A Steel Cable,
Normally, Using Spirit Tree Fiber Would Create Anti-Magic Garments,
But With Great Sage Switching Up The Perks, Now It's Made To Increase Mana Conductivity Throughout The Body And Increase Defence, Also It's Said To Be Resistant To 'Hostile' Magic Others Might Attack With, But It Still Is Indestructible From Lower Grade Magic.....
With Everything Done, It's Time To Wear It, After All His Hard Labour Of Work, It's Only Natural He Would Gain It's Fruit,
Lucian Stripped Off His Casual Clothes And Began To Don His New Gear,
First, The Reinforced Under-Suit, It Fit Like A Second Skin, Regulating His Body Temperature Instantly, As Well As His Mana Flow Throughout His Body Felt More Less Resistant,
Next, The Sabatons(Boots) And Greaves, They Locked Onto His Legs With A Satisfying Click, Size Miscalculation Would Never Happen, After All Great Sage Measured The Size,
Then, The Gauntlets, As He Slid His Hands In, He Could Feel The Mana Circuits In The Spirit Steel Connecting With His Own Mana, It Felt Natural, As If The Armor Was An Extension Of His Nervous System,
Finally, The Breastplate, He Strapped It On, The Pale Silver Metal Covering His Chest And Vital Organs,
He Stood Before The Mirror,
He Looked Less Like A Rookie Adventurer And More Like A Paladin, The Pale Silver Armor Contrasted Sharply With The Dark Grey Under-Suit, With His White Hair And The Emerald Eyes, He Looked Noble, Dangerous, And Ethereal,
But Now, It Was Time For Test Run,
He Channeled A Small Amount Of Mana Into His Arm And Gauntlets,
Mana Burst: Reinforcement
Before He Turned The Armour Into Spirit Steel Armour, He Had Tried Channeling Mana Through The Armor, It Felt Like Pushing Water Through A Clogged Pipe—There Was Resistance And Heat, But Conductivity Was There Slightly,
But Now ?
The Spirit Steel Armour Glowed With A Soft, White Light, The Mana Flowed instantly, Without Resistance, Even More, It Amplified His Body's Defensive Capabilities,
(Great Sage: Synchronization Rate: 100%, Defense Rating increased Comparable To Rank B Stat, Magic Resistance increased Comparable To Rank B Stat, Mana Conductivity Rate: 80%.....)
Lucian Clenched His Fist, The Silver Gauntlet Humming With Power,
80% Conductivity Wasn't Bad Considering Mithril Was Still A Better Mana Conductive Material, And With Steel Alloy In This Spirit Steel, It's Far Better Then Expected,
A Confident Smirk Tugged His Lips,
Lucian: This Will Work Out Fine, I Can Easily Endure Middle Floors With This...
But Then Again, Thinking About Middle Floors, His Thoughts Went Towards The White Haired Boy, Bell Cranel,
If Timeline Is Right, The Monsterphilia Episode Would Start Soon, And Freya Would Make Her Move .....
Speaking Of Gods,
Lucian: "I Wonder How She Is Handling Social Interactions....."
Meanwhile.....
In The Twilight Manor, Loki's Private Chamber,
Just A Few Hours Before Banquet Of Gods,
3rd Person Pov:
The Sun Was Dipping Below The Horizon, Casting Long, Amber Shadows Across The Chaotic Mess Of Loki's Office,
Empty Wine Bottles Were Lined Up Like Bowling Pins On The Windowsill, And The Goddess Herself Was Draped Over A Velvet Couch, Kicking Her Legs In The Air,
Loki: Ugh, Finn ! Do I Really Have To Go Tonight ?
Loki Groaned, Dangling A Half-Empty Goblet,
Loki: It's Just Gonna Be Ganesha Shouting About Being Ganesha, And Freya Staring At People Like They're Pieces Of Meat, Boring !
Finn Deimne Stood By The Heavy Oak Desk, His Face Unreadable, He Wasn't Paying Attention To Her Complaints, He Was Staring At A Single Sheet Of Parchment He Had Just Received From His Contact Within The Guild's Archives,
Finn: Loki,
Finn's Voice Was Quiet, But It Carried A Weight That Made The Goddess Stop Swinging Her Legs,
Finn: We Need To Talk, It's About The Boy From The Hostess Of Fertility, The One Bete Provoked,
Loki Sat Up, Her Eyes Narrowing Into Crimson Slits,
Loki: The Dark Elf With The Sharp Tongue ? The One Who Made Your Thumb Twitch ?
Finn: My Thumb Didn't Just Twitch, Loki, It Was Screaming,
Finn Corrected, Rubbing The Digit In Question,
Finn: I Haven't Felt A Warning That Sharp Since We Faced The Irregular Monster's In The 52nd Floor, So, I Pulled A Favor, I Got His Registration Name,
He Slid The Paper Across The Low Table,
Loki Snatched It Up, Her Bored Expression Vanishing Instantly, She Scanned The Document, Her Eyes Darting Left And Right,
[Name: Lucian Vandris Ljos Alf]
[Race: Elf (Sub-type: Unregistered)]
[Familia: Astrea Familia]
[Registration Date: 4 Days Ago]
Loki Froze, She Stared At The Paper, Then At Finn, Then Back At The Paper,
Loki: Hah ?
A Dry, Incredulous Sound Escaped Her Throat,
Loki: Astrea ?
Loki Blinked, Her Brain Processing The First Shock,
Loki: That Goody-Two-Shoes Is Back In Orario ? After Seven Years Of Hiding In The Sticks ?
Finn: Keep reading,
Finn Said Softly, There Was More To It Then Just That,
Loki's Eyes Drifted To The Name Again, Ljos Alf,
The Room Went Deadly Silent, The Only Sound Was The Faint Crackle Of The magic Lamp Flickering To Life In The Corner,
Loki: Oi, oi, oi...
Loki's Voice Dropped An Octave, Losing All Traces Of Playfulness,
Loki: Finn, Tell Me This Is A Typo, Tell me The Guild Clerk Was Drunk.....
Finn: I Double-Checked,
Finn Said, Leaning Against The Desk,
Finn: It's His Official Registration, Status Record Proved, Lucian Vandris Ljos Alf...
Loki Threw Her Head Back And Let Out A Sharp, Barking Laugh That Held Zero Humor,
Loki: Ljos ? That's The Royal Surname, Finn!! That's Riveria's Family Name ! The High Elves Don't Just Hand That Out To Random Commoners !
She Stood Up, Pacing The Room,
Loki: And 'Vandris'? That Sounds Old, But Putting That Aside... A Bearer Of The Royal Name Is In Orario, And Instead Of Going To The Elven District Or Coming To Us—Where The Princess Of His People Is—He Joins Astrea ?
Looking Though, It Could Have Been Far Better Then His Current State, Especially If He Chose The Latter, If They Were Right About What They Were Thinking,
Finn: It's Irrational, He's Royalty Without Doubt, Even If He's A Exiled Or Illegitimate Child, He Should Have Some Connection To Political Powers, And Live Much Better Life....
Loki Stopped Pacing, She Looked At The Door Leading To The Hallway, Somewhere Down That Hall, Riveria Was Preparing For The Evening,
Loki: Does Riveria Know ?
Loki asked Sharply,
Finn: No,
Finn Shook His Head, And I Don't Think We Should Tell Her, Not Yet...
Loki Nodded Slowly, Understanding Immediately,
Loki: Yeah, If Mama Bird Finds Out There's Another 'Ljos' Running Around In The Muck Of The Genkei, She'll Lose Her Composure, She's goyt Enough Baggage With Her Old Man As It Is, If This Kid is an exile, or worse, an illegitimate child... it Would Be Mess,
Finn: Exactly, We Don't Know His Intentions, He Defended That Boy, Bell Cranel, Which Suggests A Moral Compass, But My Thumb... it Warns Of Danger, Potential Danger To The Familia...
Loki Grinned, A Predatory Expression Returning To Her Face, She Crunched The Paper Into A Ball And Incinerated It With A Small Spark Of Magic,
( A/N: Hey, I Mean If Adventurer Can Learn Magic With Tome's, Then Why Can't A God Learn Simple Magic ? Let's Say They Can't Use Thier Divine Powers, But Utilizing Mana To Use Magic Should He Okay....)
Loki: So, Astrea Is Back In The Game, And She's Holding A Royal Flush In Her Hand,
Loki Mused, Pouring Herself Another Drink,
Loki: Interesting, Very Interesting.....
She Walked Over To The Mirror, Adjusting Her Dress For The Banquet,
Loki: Alright, Finn, We Keep This Under Our Hats, We Don't Tell Riveria, And We Definitely Don't Tell The Idiot Wolf Or The Others, Let's Treat This Lucian Kid As A... 'Person Of Interest'.....
Finn: And If He Becomes A Threat ?
Finn Asked, His Instincts Never Lie, It Has Saved Him And His Familia Countless Times, He Couldn't Ignore That Instinct Now,
Loki Turned, Her Red Eyes Gleaming With The Cold Authority Of A Major God,
Loki: If He's A Threat To My Kids, I Don't Care If He's Royalty Or Astrea's Pet... We Crush Him, But For Now... Let's See What Kind Of Game Justice Wants To Play,
Loki Finished Her Drink In One Gu
lp And Kicked The Door Open,
Loki: Come on ! Let's Go To This Banquet, I Bet She'd Be There, Suddenly I Can't Wait To See The Look On Astrea's Face,
Finn Watched Her Go, Then Looked Down At His Thumb, It Was Quiet Now, But The Phantom Pain Lingered,
Finn: "Lucian Vandris Ljos Alf... Just Who Exactly Are You ?"
He Extinguished The Lamp And Followed His Goddess Into The Living Room,
Timeskip.....
Location, Babel Tower, Floor 30,
3rd Person Pov:
The Banquet Was Lively, Many Gods From Different Pantheon Enjoying The Banquet,
Some Teasing Others, Some Making Other God's Life Troublesome,
It Was, Until Someone Else Joined The Banquet,
It Was Astrea, The Goddess Of Justice,
When Astrea Stepped Into The Main Banquet Hall, The Music Didn't Stop, But The Whispers Did,
Almost Every Goddesses Behind Fans And Gods With Tilted Wine Glasses Watched Her, The Surprise Was Imminent,
The Return Of The Goddess Of Justice Was A Tectonic Shift In The Social Landscape Of Orario,
And Among The Gods, A Very Certain Small Goddess, Who Was Stuffing Food Into A Container And As Well As Eating Them,
She Was Known To Many People, Especially Among The Gods,
Goddess With Twin Tails And A Cheap Rental Dress Bounded Forward, It was Hestia, Goddess Of Heath,
Astrea Looked Over The Curiously, Surprised By Hestia's Action....
Astrea: Hestia ?
Her Slightly Surprised And Shocked Whisper Was Heard By The Small Goddess, As Hestia Turned Around, Seeing A Familiar Face,
Hestia: Astrea !
The Energetic Little Goddess Rushed Towards The Mature Goddess, As Hestia Literally Clings To Astrea,
Hestia: Where Were You All This Time Astrea ? I've Been In Genkai For Half A Year And Still Didn't Find You.....
Astrea's Facial Expression Twitched A Little, At Least She Tried To Find More About Her,
But She Didn't Find Out Anything About The Dark Age Or Orario Nor What Tragedy Her Familia Went Through ?
Sometimes Astrea Envied Hestia's Carefree Nature,
Hestia Chirped, Then Clutching A Plate Of Skewers As She Ate And Spoke,
Hestia: I'm Still New To My Familia Business Myself, It's Tough, Isn't It ? I've Only Got One Member In My Familia—My Precious Bell-kun ! How About You ? You Should Have Lots Of Members ?
Hearing Her Innocent, Sweetly Asked Way, Astrea Couldn't Help But Sigh, Still, Remembering Hestia Wasn't Here For That Long She Spoke,
Astrea: I Indeed Had Members, But Now I Only Have One, A Boy Named Lucian,
Hestia, Who Didn't Knew About Her Past, But Still Seeing A Gloomy Face On Astrea's Face When She Mentioned 'She Had' More Members, But Now Only One, Didn't Ask Or Diged Into That, She Wouldn't Go Poking Into Her Weak Spots,
But Still, Hearing That She Also Had Only One Member, Hestia Beamed Up With Happiness, She Could Talk With Astrea To Make Their Familia Members Partner Up, That Would Benefit Both Of Them,
It Would Increase Thier Survival Chances, As For Thier Earnings ?
Hestia Knew About Astrea's Personality, So Her Chosen Familia Members Wouldn't Be Bad, Both Personality And Nature Wise,
Hestia: A One-Member Familia Club ! We Have To Stick Together ! My Bell Is A Hard Worker, Though He's A Bit Of A Crybaby, How's Your Child ?
Astrea: He's Capable.....
Her Mind Flickering To Lucian's Staggering Growth, His Maturity, And His Capabilities,
Astrea: Perhaps Too Capable.....
Astrea Joked Slightly, But In All Honesty, It Was True,
But Not Long After, Another Figure Entered The Banquet,
???: Hey Isn't That....
???: The Goddess Of Beauty, Freya !
As The Only Familia With A Level 7 Adventure, Her Status Is One Of The Greatest In The Entirety Of Orario,
Also Known As The Most Beautiful Goddess, Freya, Goddess Of Fertility,
But Due To Her Immensely 'Beauty' She Is Mostly Known As Just Goddess Of Beauty,
Though It's A Side Effect Of Her Immense Charm Ability, Still Leaking Out Despite Her Sealing Every Divine Power .....
Her Eyes, Did Not Falter, Her Steps Were Marching Towards Two Familiar Faces,
Hestia And Astrea,
The Two Virgin Goddess, Both Currently Starting Anew,
One Got Kicked Out By Hespaestas For Being Too Lazy, Other One Returning To Orario After 7 Long Years.....
While Astrea, Was Anxious About Freya....
Even Back In The Days, Freya Had A Reputation Of 'Collecting' Children From Other Familia As Long As They Earned Her Curiosity,
And Especially Knowing How Special Lucian Is, If Freya Had Even Done A Little Investigation, She Was Bound To Have The Urge To Take Him Into Her Familia,
At The Very Least, Astrea Didn't Want That, For Her, Starting Anew With Lucian Was Something They Decided On Thier Way,
To Move From The Past, And Break The Shakles Binding Them Down,
Freya Stood Just A Bit Away From Hestia And Astrea,
Freya: Good Evening Hestia, Astrea, Hope I Am Not Interrupting Your Conversation,
Astrea: That's Not True, It's Been A While Since I Last Saw You Freya,
Astrea Remained Polite Towards Freya, It's Unwise To Make Freya Her Enemy,
But Hestia Wasn't Like Astrea,
Hestia: Hmph, I Just Don't Like Dealing With You,
Freya Chuckled Hearing That, She Liked The Straightforwardness Hestia Always Showed, While Astrea Was Like A Older Sister Watching Over,
Freya: I Like That About You, But Still, I'm Quite Surprised Your Back Astrea,
Astrea Gave A Slight Smile, As She Spoke,
Astrea: It Has Been 7 Years Since Then, And Enough To Move Forward From The Past.....
Freya Nodded In Understanding, Astrea Retuning Back To Orario Has Made Her Boring Life A Bit Colourful,
Hestia, Was Still Eating, She Didn't Quite Understand Without Knowing Astrea's Past, But She Was Indeed Shocked That Astrea Had Returned After 7 Years.....
Hestia: Well, You Both Are Still Better Then Some-
Before She Could Continue, Another Person Joined,
Loki: Hey ! Freya !
The Red Haired Perverted Goddess, One Of The Twin King Of Orario,
As Soon As She Got Close, She Called Them Again,
Loki: Yo Shrimp, Pure One,
It Was Simple, Due, Hestia, Despite Having Quite Developed..... Assets, Didn't Grow Tall Enough, Hence Shrimp,
As For Pure One, For Astrea, That's The Most Simple Term To Understand Her,
She Is Smart And Cunning, Yes, But Not Like The Scheming Loki Or Freya, Quite Pure Hearted And Kind,
Her First Gaze Instantly Fell On Astrea, It Was Really Surprising To See Her Again, Especially Here, Though She Knew That Astrea Might Be Here, But The Chances Were Low, But Now She's Actually Here...
Loki: Well, Well, The 'Pure One' Returns,
Her Eyes Were Curious, She Was Quite Curious To Say, Just Some While Ago, Before Coming Here, She Had Read About A Certain Someone's Profile,
The Reason ?
Finn, He Had Asked For That Dark Elf's Information Too Many Times, His Instinct That Kept Him Alive For So Long Didn't Quite Miss Loki's Eyes,
But Fortunately, It Seems Neither The Kid Nor Astrea Was Keeping It Hidden,
Lucian Vandris Ljos Alf,
That's His Official Name, And Familia ? Astrea Familia, The Newest Member Of Astrea Familia.....
Lucian's Name Alone Made Loki Quite Curious, After All, She Had Riveria Ljos Alf In Her Familia, And Freking Knew What That Surname Ment.....
For Now, Only Finn And Loki Knew About Lucian's Background, They Agreed Not To Share It To Others, Even Riveria.....
But One Thing Is Confirmed For Sure, Those Keeping Bloodline Pure Elf's In Alf Forest Are Literally Related To One Another High Elf, That's Been True For Hundreds Of Years,
Meaning, Lucian, Is Likely Riveria's Cousin At Least That Can Be Confirmed Instantly....
Loki's Eyes Narrowed Into Slits,
Loki: "So That Little Monster Really Belongs To Astrea....."
To Say, If He Made Finn's Instinct Crack So Hard, There's No Way He's Normal....
She Didn't Say It Aloud, But Her Curiosity Was Piqued, That Dark Elf Under Astrea's Wing Was A Variable She Hadn't Accounted For,
But For Now, Her Gaze Fell On Hestia, That Shrimp Was Still Eating Food And Ignoring Her,
And Then, The War Started Between The Two Goddess's,
The Flat Chested Red Haired Perverted Goddess, Loki,
Vs
The Overly Developed Loli Goddess, Hestia,
In That Time, Freya Striked Up A Conversation With Astrea,
Freya: Astrea,
Freya Purred, Her Voice Like Honey And Velvet,
Freya: Though It's Been A Long Time, I Heard Your New Child Is Quite Striking.....
At First, Astrea Almost Broke Down With The Anxiety,
But As The Conversation Prolonged, It Was Clear, It Didn't Look Like What Astrea Had Expected For The Worst,
But Freya Acted Perfectly, She Didn't Mention His Name, Nor Did She Linger On Lucian's Origin,
She Played The Part Of A Bored Goddess Merely Making Polite Conversation,
Astrea, Seeing Freya's Lack Of Obsession, Felt A Wave Of Relief Washing Over Her,
Freya isn't Interested, Thank The Heavens,
But Internally, Freya Was Reeling,
She Had Seen Him Earlier That Night From Afar, Bell Cranel's Soul Was A Clear, Shimmering White—The Most Beautiful Thing She Had Ever Seen,
But Lucian's Soul... it Was A Contradiction That Defied The Laws Of The Heavens,
It Was Split Perfectly Down The Middle, A Blinding, Pure White Coexisting With A Void-Like, Absolute Darkness,
They Didn't Fight, They Circled Each Other Like A Binary Star System Somehow,
Freya: "Just What Are You, Little Elf ?"
Freya Wondered, Her Heart Thumping With A Curious, Rather Than Romantic, Hunger,
A Soul Cannot Be Both Saint And Sinner At Once, Lucian Is A Mystery She Haven't Seen Even In Ten Thousand Years Of Her Life....
She Smiled At Astrea, A Beautiful, Lying Smile,
Freya: I Wish Your New Familia Luck, Astrea, In This City, One Needs A Very Strong Soul To Survive,
With That She Decided To Leave,
Not Long After, Hephaestus Came Out To Meet Astrea, As Well As Hestia,
With Hestia Making A Certain Request To Hephaestus, That She Bowed Down To The Ground.....
While Astrea, Continued To Talk And Socialise In The Banquet.....
Next, Family Reconciliation