Danmachi season 4 is out, wooooooooooooo! Don't own it though.
"I've decided to make a deal with the armed monsters!"
Finn Deimne's statement hung in the air of the Loki Familia hall. To say it caused controversy would be an understatement. For such a tightly knit group all under one captain to now have them face off against the man they all followed was a sight to see. Finn answered every question that was thrown at him, his resolve strengthened after watching the fight between the young hero and the black minotaur. He would not waver; he would not hide his plan's anymore and he would stand tall as a true hero.
After convincing Anakitty Autumn to trust him, it pacified the rest of the Loki Familia. Aki served as the middle ground between the executives and the lower ranks and to have her on his side, Finn was grateful and relieved.
'And that was the easy part' Finn chuckled to himself.
"I thank you for putting your trust in me as your captain. Now I have something else to discuss with you. We shall be taking on Knossos once again!"
Another bold statement from the Prum once again brought nervousness into the Loki Familia. Finn, exlpained his plan. He rallyed the support with an inspiring speech on how they were going to avenge their fallen friends.
After Finn had finished his explanation, he made his way to his office at the top of the Twilight Mansion, followed closely by his two closest friends, Riveria and Gareth.
"Oi Finn, how come you didn't tell 'em about the lad joining us," Gareth asked the Prum
"I think dropping another bombshell that we are having someone who was just perceived as an enemy and an ex-Evilus member join us taking out said Evilus would only cause more pandemonium," Riveria answered in Finn's place.
"Riveria's right, besides, I don't think our guide would be too happy with us letting this information get out. Remember, he did ask for our discussion to be in private, with only us three being there to hear him out."
" 'sposse your right."
"Don't worry, I'm not hiding it from everyone. Of course, Loki will know and the other executives. I'm just deciding if we should tell some of the others like Raul or Aki."
"Well my Fairy squad have already seen and somewhat know about him but I've made sure to keep them quiet, I had them swear to me and I can promise they won't break that oath."
"That's some good news then, thank you, Riveria."
And so the three Loki Familia veterans made their way to where they would begin a new plan on the next step in completely taking down Evilus, for good.
"I can't join you on the expedition," Nathan said to his Familia.
This made everyone in the Hearthstone manor stop what they were doing. Just this morning, Bell was asked to go to the guild. He then came back with a mission. After his ascent to Level 4, the Hestia Familia was now registered as a D rank Familia. Because of this, they were now obliged to go on expeditions every few months as they were now considered strong enough to fully deal with the dungeon.
This had come at a good time for the Hestia Familia as after the whole Xenos incident, this would be a good change of pace. It had already been a while since they last went into the dungeon. Decisions were being made about if they wanted to bring help along like the Takemikazuchi and Miach Familia.
But now they had just heard one of them wouldn't be coming. Not only did this hit morale but it would serve other issues. Even after Bell's level up. Nathan was still considered the strongest out of them. Then there was his mass amount of experience on the floors they would be exploring. It was Lili immediately coming to talk to the half-elf about everything he knew before he dropped the bombshell on them.
"What do you mean you aren't coming Nathan?" Lili asked in confusion.
"I can't join you. I-I've got to do something else," Nathan said as he looked down at his feet.
"What is it?" Bell asked.
Nathan didn't seem to know how to answer his captain. He knew he had to tell them about what he had discussed with Braver in Knossos but he just couldn't for some reason.
"Nathan."
The half-elf looked up from the ground to see his Goddess looking at him. Her sapphire blue eyes already destroying any meagre defence he tried to put up.
"Nathan, what is the reason you won't be going on the expedition?"
The half-elf could only sigh. He wouldn't be able to lie to Hestia even if she wasn't a Goddess.
"I-I made a deal with the Loki Familia in Knossos."
"Finn Deimne, I would like to negotiate."
Nathan was currently standing at the edge of a room in Knossos. In front of him were the big three of the Loki Familia. Before Nathan started his talk with Finn, he had asked it to be done in private. Finn agreed to this request and ordered everyone out but Riveria and Gareth. Nathan accepted the other two's presence, knowing this would be the best he could get.
"So that explains how you got in," Finn said, nodding his head towards the key to Knossos in Nathan's hand. " but with one question answered, two more have just popped up. First though, what is it you would like to negotiate?"
"I would like to request I take part in your invasion of Knossos."
The statement shocked two of the people there, however, Finn only smiled. He had guessed this would be the request from the start.
"And why should I allow you to join us? Why would you want to help us anyway?"
Nathan visibly gulped at this, he felt his legs wanting to start shaking and his mind was screaming at him to just back down and run away. But he wouldn't, not when he knew his captain was still running forward. Nathan wouldn't fall behind.
"I have detailed knowledge of the layout of Knossos. I also know about the traps and most of their whereabouts. I can give information that you most likely do not know."
This was not what Finn expected. The Prum could only look on wide-eyed as his assumption that the boy was doing this to help the Xenos and his Familia was way off. It wasn't.
"As for why, I too wish to take down Evilus in its entirety. I also want to make sure no harm comes to the Xenos."
So Finn wasn't totally off the mark but now it was his turn to talk back and the questions that flooded his mind were also pouring into the two behind him.
"Can you elaborate on how you know the layout to Knossos and why you want to take Evilus down?"
This was it for Nathan. With this sentence, there would be no turning back. No more running away from who he was, everything about his time in Orario would come to light because of this one moment.
"I used to be part of Evilus."
The statement hung in the air. No one could talk, not a single voice was heard. All eyes were glued on the half-elf who had just made the world stand still for all those in the room.
For Finn, things were clicking into place. How the boy knew about Knossos, how he knew about the Key and how to get one. But one question lingered on the Prum's tongue.
"That's a bold claim to make and not one to make lightly lad," Gareth stated, however, the dwarf looked back at the room they had just left, seeing the mountain of bodies left in what he could only assume was the boy's rampage. When he first saw it he thought that only a monster could cause such unbridled carnage.
"What do you mean you used to be; you are still only a young boy," Riveria said, dismay in her voice. But then Riveria thought back to how she saw the boy's many scars when she tried to heal him. How his body was littered with cuts and scratches, showing her that he had lived a hard and brutal life. A life that a 15-year-old should not live.
"If your claim is to be believed, then why do you wish to destroy them if you used to be a part of them?"
The Loki Familia's high executives, even in the dark room, saw how the boy's hand clenched around the key he held in his hand. It was clear he was struggling with this and that he was doing his best to stay calm.
"I… They are wrong. It took me a while to see it but… they were wrong. The things that happened, the stuff they did… that I did, were wrong. I can't really explain it in another way."
Nathan couldn't, wouldn't say anything more. He knew that he wanted revenge for what they did to him and to the only person who cared about him after the death of his mother. That was a key motivation but as he thought about the question from the Prum, that was the only one he could give.
"May I ask then, why have you now decided to come to us to help? You have at least been away from them for almost half a year." Finn asked, speaking for everyone in the room.
"I wanted to take them on myself but I was never strong enough. I didn't think I could just walk up to you and tell you who I was, could I Braver."
"So what's changed?" Finn asked, already knowing the answer. It was the same answer he gave to his Goddess when she asked.
"My Familia. They have shown me that I can rely on others. That I don't have to do things alone. My captain, Bell Cranel, has proven to me that no matter what, you should always do what you believe is right."
Just Like Finn, it was the young hero who had shown Nathan to do what was right. He showed both of them that true heros do exist and that if you keep trying, you will achieve the impossible. It was the faith that Bell has in Nathan as a person that allowed the half-elf to do what he was doing now. And Finn Deimne chose to believe as well. If this had happened the previous night or any other before, the outcome would have been different but tonight was the night for many changes in Orario and they would solidify the future of not only the city but the world.
"Ok, Nathan of Hestia Familia. I will choose to believe you and allow you to help us. Is there anything else you would like to say?"
The relief that washed over the young boy was clear to three. His tense posture now almost slumped to the ground as he let out a huge sigh of relief.
"Yes, I would like you to leave my Familia out of this altogether."
"Done. I had no intention of dragging them into this, though I assume you will tell them about this?"
"I will not hide it from them but they won't be coming with me. Also, you must promise to not harm the Xenos in any way."
"I already made a deal with them, didn't I?"
"I want your word, not as the Braver, or Captain of the Loki Familia. As Finn Deimne I want your word you will not harm them."
Riveria and Gareth turned their attention to their friend. They had already noticed some change in his behaviour but this would be a guarantee that something new had changed in the Prum. Finn smiled. " You have my word." The next moment, Finn was holding a familiar spherical object.
"I will trust you then. You have my assistance and can use me in any way you see fit." Finn heard the boy say as he looked at the object with the carving of a red D in it that Nathan had thrown his way.
Finn gladly accepted the object as a sign of trust and began to turn away and follow his Familia out of Knossos. Gareth, seemingly content with what happened, also turned and started walking out of the room. However, Riveria could only still look at the half-elf who had just revealed something massive. There were questions she wanted to ask but she didn't know how to ask them. However, she could only look at the young boy, not being able to ask those questions. So she too turned and started walking out. All Nathan could do was watch Riveria's back as she left him on that dark room. For the rest of walk back, Nathan stayed hidden in the shadows but he never overtook Riveria, who stayed at the back the whole time. How he wanted to reach out and touch her, talk to her but he coudn't. After what he just said, she would never accept him now.
"So you are going to help Loki Familia with something then?" Hestia said to Nathan.
The half-elf had given them a brief run-down on what was said. He didn't tell them exactly what was going to happen as he didn't want to cause any worry but he told them enough to satisfy them and in a way that Hestia didn't see any lies.
"But Nathan, why are you doing this on your own? If it's to help the Xenos then we should all be involved." Bell said.
"Because it is something only I can do. As I said it is to do with my past as an Evilus member, it's just the Xenos are involved somewhat. No harm will come to them but it is not something I wish to drag you into."
"But we are your Familia, we do things together," Haruhime said.
"How do we know that they want to hurt you or put you in prison because of who you used to be," Lili said. It was only her and Welf who had been around when Loki, Freya and Ganesha Familia started rounding up the Evilus members. They showed no mercy for any of them.
"I know there is that but… Just this one time, could you trust me, please?"
It was the first time he had asked them to trust him with anything, not like this anyway. They all knew what he was about to do would be hard for him and they all wanted to be there for their friend.
"Ok, I will trust you, Nathan," Bell was the first one to speak. Everyone else looked at him. Haruhime and Hestia still didn't like the idea. Lili still wanted Nathan to come on the expedition and she too was worried. Mikoto didn't know where to stand. It was an earnest request from Nathan but it was something she didn't want him to do alone.
"Well, if the captain says so, guess we have no choice but to accept," Welf said, a grin on his face.
"Huuuh, red-head is right. Lili will also trust in you, Nathan." the prum girl said with a sigh.
After Bell had put his place in all this, it was only a matter of time before everyone else followed.
"Fine, ok. But Nathan, you WILL not do anything stupid. You WILL not jump headfirst into danger. And you WILL come back to me, understood."
Nathan couldn't help but have a small smile on his face. "Of course Lady Hestia, I will come back."
"Safely?"
"Somewhat" The boy replied, the mood now back to the cheerful one it started in.
"I suppose that's good enough. I want to come over with you to talk with Loki about this."
"Fine. You do know I'm only going to be gone for a few days. I will be back before the expedition is finished plus I've got the entire Loki Familia with me, it's not like I'll be alone."
"Now that that's over." Lili interrupted. "I want to focus back on the expedition. Nathan, since you won't be coming with us, I'm going to scrape every last detail about the middle floors out of you." This caused the half-elf to gulp at the proclamation of the Prum.
And so the Hestia Familia got back to work for the expedition. While still bummed about Nathan not coming with them, they didn't let it get to them. Welf went back to the forge and began on his monstrous workload, making sure everything was perfect for the upcoming mission. Both Lili and Mikoto went out to start their recruitment on getting the Miach and Take Familia to join. Later on, Haruhime and Hestia would open the front door to a dark-skinned amazon making herself part of the Alliance without asking for permission, in which no one would moan at having a level 4, it would be a decent replacement for Nathan anyway.
The half-elf, not having to meet up with the Loki Familia until later on that day, decided to ask Bell if he wanted to spar.
"You just hit level 4 didn't you, better make sure your body and mind get back in balance before you dive into the dungeon."
"That seems reasonable to me. Ok, I'm in your hands, Nathan." Bell said with a smile on his face.
"Don't say it like that, it's weird." The half-elf said back jokingly.
"Oh sorry."
The two began walking upstairs to get their gear chatting about the upcoming mission. Nathan could tell Bell was excited, he was practically vibrating in anticipation, though there was a new aura of maturity around the boy. Nathan would make sure that for the next few hours, Bell would use every ounce of that energy until he was passed out on the floor out of utter exhaustion. Their sparring got so fierce that Welf came outside his forge to complain about the noise.
"Oh, Hello Aisha. Please, do come in."
"Cheers Haruhime. Have you been practising the new magic that I gave you?"
"Yes, It will be a massive help. I can't thank you enough."
"Don't mention it, Hermes already gave me an earful when he found about his slightly less full bookshelf." Aisha chuckled to herself, remembering how her new God was crying on his desk at the amount of money she had supposedly wasted.
"Lili and Miss Daphne are in the living room." The Renard said, gesturing the Amazon in the direction.
"K" Was all Aisha said to that before striding into the Hearthstone manor. Her level 4 ears picked up on the sound of metal clashing, already guessing what was making that noise.
"Miss Aisha, you are finally here," Lili said, noticing the amazon woman walking in.
"Antianeira" Daphne said, nodding to the woman.
"Ain't you the one from Apollo Familia?" Aisha asked, motioning towards the red-headed, yellow-eyed woman.
"Yes, I used to be before we lost the War Game. Now I am part of the Miach Familia along with Cassandra." Daphne responded.
"Don't who that is," Aisha said before walking past them.
"Liliruca, where are Mr Bell and that half-elf?" Daphne asked.
Lili had set up this meeting between all the people who could possibly provide information about the floors they had to dive to. Bell had gotten a lot of information from his advisor, Eina. Daphne and Aisha used to be integral parts in helping out their old Familia's expeditions, with Aisha especially being of use as she would constantly go to the great falls. And from what Nathan has said, he spent most of his time between the 19th and 27th floor when in the dungeon.
"They are out back, isn't that right Prum," Aisha said.
"How do you know that?" Lili said with a puzzled look.
"I can hear them going at it back there, sounds like they are at each other's throats." The amazon replied. When she had walked in, what she had heard was the sparring between Nathan and Bell. This had been going on for the past two days for about 2 hours each day.
"Antianeira, where are you going?" Daphne asked as she watched Aisha walk off.
"I'm going to watch. Why sit around here and wait for them when I can see two strong men fight," Aisha said, practically licking her lips at the sight. Maybe she might even get to see Bell shirtless, wouldn't that be a treat.
She kept walking towards the noise, Lili and Daphne now in tow, wondering how the sparring was going on. When she got to the back door and out into the back garden, the size of a small park, she sat down and enjoyed the view. Daphne and Lili could only attempt and subsequently fail to try and keep up as the two boys went at each other.
"Liliruca, I thought that the half-elf was only a level 3."
"Nope, he is a level 4" Aisha proclaimed, not taking her eyes off the fight.
"H-how do you know that?" Lili stuttered, caught off guard by the amazon.
"I asked Hermes. He used to be part of my Familia before I joined. After joining, I asked about him, simple." Aisah explained
" So he isn't a level 3 then?" Daphne asked again.
"Did you really believe that with the way he took out your Familia with ease? I never believed it, especially not after he took down Tammuz." Aisha said, not bothering to look back at the woman.
"I guess I can't hide it from you lot. Yes, Nathan is a level 4 and a high one at that."
"That would explain this then," Daphne said, gesturing to Nathan knocking Bell off balance with a sidestep. Bell, just managing to swivel on his heels to block a swipe from Nathan's sword, used his momentum and started a spin kick, aiming for the half-elf's head. The flexibility that he was showing was exemplary for a 14-year-old boy but it meant little to Nathan, who simply ducked under the kick by going low. While Bell was still in a spin kick pose, Nathan did a spin kick of his own, getting really low and aimed to take out Bell's other leg. Spotting this, Bell jumped backwards and out of the way.
"How strong is he?" Aisha asked.
"If Lili was to guess?"
Nathan didn't give Bell any time to spare as he raced towards the still airborne boy, conjoined his swords together and went for a wide sweep with his right hand holding the middle part. Bell just made onto the ground to give himself half a second to react by putting both his knives in front of his face, just about stopping the attack. It seems with Bell's enhanced status, the two were about an equal match in terms of strength, with Bell actually having a slight edge in agility. However, Nathan wasn't using his enhancement magic and his techniques were still far superior to Bell's, while Bell's magic would have no effect on the half-elf. This was seen as even though Bell held back Nathan's swords, He could do little as Nathan used his free hand and punched Bell in the gut. Wounded, Bell's strength left him for a second but that was enough as Nathan swivelled his swords in the air, using the next blade to smash into the knives, breaking the deadlock. Bell's arms went down but he had been trained by the Sword Princess, he wouldn't go down so easily. Quickly bringing his arms up in defence to block any attack that was bound to make an impact.
"Sure, if you had to guess."
"Lili thinks if it came to fighting monsters, one of the Freya or Loki level 4s would probably be the strongest."
"But…?" Daphne asked, also now curious about what Lili was going to say.
Bell's experience taught him that monsters would just go for another attack, but he wasn't fighting a monster. Not one born from the dungeon anyway.
"But when it comes to fighting and taking down other adventurers, Lili would bet on Nathan to win every time."
"I have to agree with you there Prum," Aisha said, thinking back to how the half-elf held off and beat Tammuz even with a level boost, as she watched the half-elf use Bell's arms upwards momentum. Using his left knee, he forced Bell's arms to go past his body and go up to his face. Using this, he then did a strong kick with his right leg, making direct contact with the boy's gut.
The three girls watched as the white-haired boy went flying to the ground. The victor of this sparring session was evident, even for Lili and Daphne who had no chance of keeping up with the movements of the pair of level 4s.
"Why the hell isn't he coming with us?" Daphne asked. After she had learnt about the half-elf not joining them, she had been a bit annoyed but then learning Aisha was joining them, she considered it an upgrade. But now, after learning and seeing the truth, she was very annoyed to not have the boy accompany them into the danger of the dungeon.
"As much as I dislike being near him, I have to agree with her. You have yet to properly explain the reason, prum." Aisha said, backing up Daphne.
"Lili has told you all she can. It is something involving only Nathan and for him, it is more important than joining us." The Prum answered with a nonchalant tone, her head rested on her hand as she watched Nathan help up Bell.
"So he views whatever he is doing as more important than keeping his Familia safe?"
"Watch your mouth, whore!"
The three women looked over to see Bell and Nathan walking over to them.
"HEY! What did you just call me, half-elf!"
"You heard me, amazon. Don't you dare think that I'm happy leaving my Familia, especially in your hands!"
Aisha stood up and began to stand up and stare down Nathan, still not feeling comfortable in his presence but like hell would she look weak in front of the man she wants to sleep with. Though, she noticed something that was different from the last time they saw each other. Daphne too quickly noticed this as well, oddly surprised.
"Nathan maybe don't insult the person who is coming on the expedition with us," Lili spoke in a tired voice.
"Lili's right Nathan, there is no need to be mean. Miss Aisha is kind enough to help us out, she is a friend of our Familia anyway. She did help us last time as well." Bell said, referring to the Xenos incident in Daedalus.
Nathan could only give Aisha the stink eye but as he looked at her, a confused look settled on his face.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
For some reason, Aisha was looking at Nathan with a sultry smile, a smile that he very much didn't like.
'Why is she looking at me like that? Does she want to fuck me now that she has seen me beat Bell? She can piss off.' Nathan thought.
"I didn't know you had such nice eyes, half-elf," Aisha said, her hand on her hip as her Amethyst eyes stared into his Jade ones. Both Lili and Bell could only look on in shock in how they had forgotten to notice it. Nathan had come so comfortable not wearing his mask around the house and when sparring, he wasn't wearing it today. And now both Daphne and Aisha were analysing the boy's vibrant eyes. Both internally agreed he looked quite handsome.
"I always imagined you to have some boring, dark eyes but I stand corrected. They are very nice." The amazon commented, already enjoying the half-elf's reaction. His reaction was to stand frozen with no idea what to do, trying thinking his way out of this impossible situation.
"You can't kill them just cause they have seen your eye colour," Lili said.
"Tch!" Nathan clicked his tongue.
"Aye!" Daphne responded, now holding a nervous look as she quickly looked away from the boy and towards the prum who just said something serious very nonchalantly. Aisha on the other hand was enjoying this too much. She wondered why the boy hid his eyes, asking Hermes about it after finding out Nathan used to be part of the Hermes Familia, but her useless God gave her no answer. She guessed it was to hide his identity but she didn't think it was out of shyness. And how cute the boy looked, as his usual stone cold, masked gaze was now replaced with him not knowing where to look, his eyes darting to the floor and to the side, a small blush of embarrasment settled on his cheeks.
Ok, let's just calm down now and go inside. We are here to discuss the 25th-27th floors right. So let's get on with it." Bell said, wanting to move on from the subject.
"Master Bell is right. Follow Lili back to the living room and let's start comparing notes and info. Master Bell, you and Nathan go and quickly clean yourselves and then join us."
"Ok Lili." Bell replied, following the Prum and Daphne back into the house. As Aisha turned around and went to follow the three, she felt a sharp blade point into her back. She gulped slightly.
"You will not tell anyone about this, do you understand Aisha Belka," Nathan whispered into the amazon's ear.
"Yep" Aisha quickly replied. Seeming enough for the half-elf, he quickly walked past her and followed Bell upstairs to quickly wash off and get changed, leaving the Amazon to join Lili and Daphne in the living room.
As she slouched onto the couch, a very awkward silence descended on the three women. They all knew what was causing it but none knew how to start. But one of them was a bit more impulsive than the other.
"So, the great falls…" Lili tried to break the silence
"What's up with Green-eyed boy," Aisha said. Lili put her head in her hands, knowing this was going to be something she didn't want to deal with.
"Thank you. Liliruca, please explain to us why he seemed so shy, acting like he was about 8?"
"I thought they looked quite nice, alongside his peculiar hair colour. Such a waste to hide behind a hood and mask." The Amazon stated her opinion on the half-elf's looks, Daphne nodding in agreement.
Lili raised her head out of her hands to look at the two women.
"Truthfully, we actually don't fully understand why he is so self-conscious about his eyes but he just is. It took him almost a month to start not wearing his mask around us in the house. And for his hair, the only reply we have ever gotten was that it's been like that ever since he has been in Orario. I can't give you much more but I just ask you don't go shouting it out in the streets."
"Why would I do that?" Daphne questioned.
"I have no reason to, I wish to enjoy this all for myself."
Lili put that at the end more for Nathan's benefit because she knew he was going to be listening in. Hopefully, it would bring some comfort.
"That's fine then, just try not to mention it again please."
"That's fine with me," Daphne confirmed.
"No promises," Aisha cheekily said.
"Right, let's get back to talking about our expedition," Lili said, taking control of the conversation once again. The three women began talking about everything they knew. Aisha and Daphne contributed quite a bit more information than Lili as they had actual experience down there, the prum vigorously taking notes on what the other two were giving.
After 5 minutes, the two boys came down to join them. The three were pleasantly surprised to see Nathan was still not wearing a mask. He also seemed less bothered about it as he listened to Bell begin everything he had learnt. Quite a bit of the time, Aisha and Nathan would jump in on what Bell was saying. Whether it was about a certain monster or the environment of the floor, the two with the most experience started helping a lot. Lili, Bell and Daphne were extremely grateful these two were here.
"Miss Eina told me about this monster called a Water crab," Bell said, showing a photo of what he was talking about. The monster had a light blueish colour armoured shell, with a white underbelly. It had six armoured legs and small mandibles for mouths. The eye-catcher were the two giant claws it had. Both were about the size of its body and looked like they could do serious damage.
"I was told that their weakness is their underbelly which has no armour on."
"While that's true, your main focus should always be the claws," Aisha added.
"When you face against that smaller one, you try and slice away just under the claw," Nathan said as he pointed to where the claw joined in with the body. "There are weak, unarmoured parts of the crab that can be easily sliced through."
"Or If you are strong enough you, can just hit it with a strong swing of your weapon and you crack through the armour," Aisha said.
"Lili noticed you said smaller ones, Nathan?"
"Hmm, oh yeah."
"You not gonna elaborate on that?" Daphne asked, one eyebrow raised.
"There are just a bit bigger than these ones. You take them out the same way really."
"With the bigger ones, you can aim for the legs," Aisha said.
"By slicing through their joints, similar to how you deal with their claws,"
"That makes them basically a sitting duck but.."
"I wouldn't recommend it as the monster becomes ferocious when it feels like its been backed into a corner."
"And then it starts swinging its massive claws wildly, making it more dangerous."
"So basically take it out the same way you do for the smaller ones. The size difference isn't really that big."
Bell, Lili and Daphne could only watch in amusement as Nathan and Aisha bounced off each other, both giving information about the monster. It was a sight to behold for the two who would normally be going at each other's throats.
"What?" Nathan asked puzzled as he saw the other 3 were looking between them.
"Nothing, doesn't matter," Lili said with a smirk.
And so the five adventurers continued on passing around the information. Lili, just like she promised, made sure to scrape everything out of Nathan since he wasn't coming along to give them advice during the dungeon dive.
And so the day arrived when the Hestia Familia Alliance was about to set out on their very first expedition. Everyone was finally present as Welf brought his final work forward, passing the giant battle-axe to Ouka, reminding him of the payment.
Off to the side, Nathan stood next to Aisha and watched as the Gods all wished their children goodbye.
"Hermes not coming then to wish you a soppy goodbye?" Nathan asked, sarcasm dripping from his mouth.
"Like hell he is. He wished me good luck and that was it." Aisha responded.
"Ha, that's more than I ever got." The half-elf laughed.
They continued to watch at the sentimental emotions that they never got from the travelling god, reminding each other of how much of a prat he was.
"Aisha?" Nathan said in a serious voice. This made the Amazon turn to look at him. He had yet to call her by her name, only ever referring to her by her, calling her amazon or insulting her by referring to her past work.
"What?"
"Make sure they all come back alive." Nathan said as he looked on at this Familia. How they were smiling and talking cheerfully with each other about the now arriving expedition.
"Why else do you think I'm going. I'm going to protect my little sister and the one she is fated to be with. And I don't want to upset her by letting her new friends die."
"Heh, that's good enough for me. And you still supporting Haruhime in winning Bell."
"Course I am. Why, who do you want to win? The amazon asked.
"Whoever makes Bell happy the most. Haruhime could definitely do that but I will support whoever Bell wants to choose." The half-replied
"Fair enough."
"Besides, I'm enjoying seeing him obliviously building a Harem to make the heavens jealous. Quite entertaining."
"You can count me in that."
"Already have."
The two shared a quick laugh before it was time to depart. Nathan walked up to his departing Familia and said his goodbyes, waving them off with the Gods standing around the front gates of the Hearthstone manor.
"Young Nathan, please explain why you are not going with them?" Miach asked.
"I too am curious." The war god from the east said.
"Reasons and that's all I'm saying. Anyway, It's about time I head off again. See you later Lady Hestia"
And with that, the half-elf departed in a different direction from the Hestia alliance. While they were heading to the dungeon which was situated in the mdidle of the city, he headed to the most northern point of the city where the spiked castle that housed the Loki Familia resided.
"That boy is still a mystery." Take said
"Hestia, what is it he is doing?" Miach asked again, this time towards the Goddess.
"Like he said, reasons. It's not my place to disclose that information." Hestia said. She knew where he was going, she had accompanied him the first time to the Twilight Manor to talk to Loki. She knew what he was going to do and she was upset she couldn't do anything to help. She agreed it was best the others stay out of it. She had been watching the half-elf leave every few days to go and talk to the Loki Familia in secret.
A small smile graced her lips when she remembered a small chat a few days ago with the half-elf.
"Lady Hestia, my eyes aren't ugly, are they."
Hestia was shocked to hear that from the half-elf. She had just caught him and Bell coming out of the bath after another sparring session. While Bell entered his room, Nathan stopped in the hallway and asked her that question.
At first, the Goddess wanted to immediately ask why he would ever think such a thing and start praising and comforting him. His Jade eyes were beautiful to look at, worthy of the royal lineage they had descended from, but she knew not to mention that. And as she looked at his naked chest, littered with so many scars from his past, she also knew that there were worse scars to have, ones that were not visible to the eye. She didn't know why he hated his eyes or why he thought they were ugly but as his Goddess, she would make him believe different.
"Nathan, there is nothing wrong with your eyes. They are perfectly normal and you shouldn't be ashamed of them for they are who you are."
Nathan smiled gratefully at his Goddess as he walked past her and into his room. She was all the more delighted to see him walk downstairs where she knew there were guests without his mask.
Hestia's smile only grew as she walked back into her massive house, knowing that there was nothing to worry about. She knew all her children would return safely to her and they would share a lovely dinner and discuss how much fun they had and how much they accomplished.
Nathan made his way to his usual hiding spot in the Twilight Manor. But unlike all the other times, he climbed on top of the balcony overlooking the courtyard. He tapped twice lightly on the glass window. Within a few seconds, the window opened, allowing him to enter the well-lit room of Finn Deimne's office. As he made his way to his now usual spot he looked around. In the room with him were some of the strongest people in the world.
Finn Deimne sat back down at his desk after letting the half-elf in. On either side of him were his two closest friends. To his left was the high-elf Riveria Ljos Alf, to his right was the dwarf Gareth Landrock. Continuing around the room, Nathan himself was next, leaning against the window. It almost seemed like he was ready for a quick escape if necessary. To his right was the Werewolf of Bete Loga, who was currently leaning on the armrest of the blue couch nestled next to the right wall of the room. He gave the half-elf a look of wariness and threats. On the couch were the two Amazon sisters. One welcomed the half-elf with a cheerily hello, the other gave him the biggest death stare she could muster, possibly over how she felt robbed a certain night a few days ago now. Past the office door were the pair of Raul Nord and Anakitty Autumn. Neither of them could look at the half-elf fully. For one, it was about his past and what he remembers about Orario and everything that happened. For the other, she got nervous just being near the half-elf. After spying on him and seeing him 'fight' in such a way rivalled nightmares from years ago. And after learning of his past, she too joined her companion in remembering what caused those nightmares. The next spot along would normally be occupied by a blonde-haired, golden-eyed girl but the only information they had about her whereabouts was a poorly scribbled note saying she was training. In her place stood a blue-haired woman wearing orange battle clothes with a whip by her side. She gave a glance towards the boy who had just entered, keeping an eye on him at all times. And in the middle, sitting on the desk that her captain was sitting at, presiding over the meeting once again was the Goddess Loki, a bottle of wine in her hands.
"Alright now that everyone is here, let's continue where we left off." Finn Deimne proclaimed.
And so the start for the next small arc has begun, the calm before the storm if you will.
If you didn't know, Danmachi season 4, EP 1 came out today. It was pretty good. Covered most things, you know abpart from one tiny, very small thing that happened at the start of volume 12. THEY SKIPPED THE F*****G DENATUS AGAIN. I mean I can sort of understand the first one, no wait I can't, but at least they had the decency to say Hestia was going to it. They completely just ignored it even happening this time, LIKE WTF J.C STAFF. How are they going to explain Bell's new name of Rabbit Foot now. Are they jsut gonna say it on a whim, like "Oh look it's little rookie. Oh wait no, he got a new name, its now rabbit foot. Get it, cause he looks like a rabbit hehehehehe"
I bring this up cause I'm going to do a side chapter about the Denatus before i properly begin with Knossos. And yes, Nathan is getting a Alias. No it won't be reaper and Yes he will hate it, like they all should.
Just a side note, this happened before when I did this. I posted my last chapter a day ago at about 1am in the morning cause you know, reasons. But last time I did that, it seems a few people missed that chapter and got confused about the sudden jump in story. So just make sure you read the chapter before this. If you have then good for you, here's a gold star.
Anyway, thanks as always for joining me and I'll see ya next time, peace!