I do not own Familia Myth or any of the characters.
Recovered
Ethan sighed in relief as he pushed himself up, gingerly stretching and twisting, his aching body protesting but finally fully healed. And it had only taken three straight days of intensive care, dozens of mind regeneration potions, healing potions, and probably a couple hundred casts of a healing spell by Ryuu.
"How do you feel?" Ryuu asked.
"Like shit," Ethan said. "But I'm healed, so I owe you."
"No," Ryuu said. "You payed for the potions, and I healed you because you were wounded helping your friends, including me. If you hadn't saved me, both from that Bugbear and also from the Goliath, I might very well be dead now."
"I doubt it," Ethan said. "In a worse mood, sure, but not dead."
Ryuu shook her head. "If you can make jokes you're definitely healed."
"What are you talking about?" Ethan snorted. "I was making jokes the entire time I was broken."
Ryuu smiled. "Are you hungry?"
"Starving," Ethan said. "Since you won't let me owe you one for healing me for three days straight, will you at least let me buy you dinner as thanks?"
Ryuu nodded. "Alright. Once you get cleaned up and finally get your status upgraded, meet me at the Hostess."
Ethan nodded and Ryuu stood, leaving the church. Ethan walked to the washroom attached to his bedroom and cleaned himself thoroughly, scrubbing all the dirt, dried blood, and grime from his body before getting dressed and leaving the room. As he walked into the main room, Hestia was just getting back from work. She smiled brightly when she saw him.
"You're up!" Hestia smiled. "Are you fully healed, finally?"
"Yeah," Ethan nodded. "I know you just got back, but would you mind updating my status for me?"
"Sure," Hestia nodded, walking around behind him as he knelt and pulled his shirt up. "How long has it been? I remember before we went after Bell and the others you had disappeared into the dungeon for forever before I had the chance. And I don't think I did it before then, either."
Ethan frowned as he remembered the reason for her not updating his scores both of those times. "Yeah. It's been a while."
"Well, that might work out in your favor," Hestia said. "When you fight monsters a higher level than you are, your stats grow more the bigger the gap is. I'm sure after everything that's happened you..." she went silent for a long few seconds before shouting in surprise.
"What?" Ethan asked as the light faded and Hestia imprinted it on a paper.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Hestia shouted staring at the papers. "That's even faster than Bell!"
"What?" Ethan frowned.
Hestia held out the paper and he took it, staring at the numbers, his mouth falling open. Strength, Nine hundred eighty two. Vitality, nine hundred ninety nine. Dexterity, nine hundred fifty. Agility, nine hundred seventy three. Magic, nine hundred ninety nine. There was also a change with his magic. Light Blade had been replaced by Blade Rain, and Fast Heal had been replaced by Restoration.
"What's Blade Rain?" Ethan asked.
"I don't know," Hestia said. "But it's an evolved form of Light Blade, so going by that and the name, maybe you can fire magic blades at your enemies."
Ethan nodded. "That would be cool. Maybe not as useful as Chain Lightning is, but it'd be cool."
Hestia shrugged. "Well, either way, you're basically maxed out now."
"Why didn't I level up?" Ethan asked.
"When you were killing all those high level monsters, your stats weren't high enough to level up yet," Hestia said. "I'm sorry. If I'd updated your statuses before that last fight, you probably would be a Level Two now, too."
"It's fine," Ethan said, standing and pulling his shirt down. "I'm going to go get some food. I'll see you later."
Hestia nodded and Ethan left, heading to the Hostess and sitting at a table off to the side. After a minute, Ryuu brought over a drink and plate of food for both of them, and he held out his paper. She accepted it, then gasped, eyes widening.
"Oh my God!" Ryuu said.
"I know," Ethan said. "Pretty great, huh?"
"Great!?" Ryuu asked. "You're still a Level One! After everything that happened!"
"That's because while we were fighting, ignoring my skill, none of my stats were high enough, so I couldn't level up," Ethan said. "But now that they're all what they are, every time I use my skill from not on, I'll be basically going up at least a full level, almost two."
Ryuu sighed. "That's true. Still, you should be a Level Two."
Ethan shrugged. "I can live with this."
He took a drink, then picked up his fork, beginning to eat. As he did, he glanced over at the corner where Bell, Lili, and Welf were enjoying a meal together.
"So, what are you going to do now?" Ryuu asked. "Go down to level fifteen with Bell's party to kill a minotaur in order to go up a level? Or maybe a few, given your luck."
"I doubt that'd be enough, in light of the fights I've been in so far," Ethan said. "I'd probably have to kill a floor boss, as shitty as my luck is."
"Level Three?" a voice he instantly recognized from the Apollo Familia, specifically an annoying, conceited Pallum named Luan Espel, said suddenly. "Hah!"
He turned, seeing the Pallum walking over to Bell's table and narrowed his eyes.
"I don't know if they call you the Record Holder or whatever, but you shouldn't try to con people all the time," Luan sneered.
Ethan moved to stand, only for Ryuu to catch his arm.
"If you swing first, you'll be the one kicked out," Ryuu warned him, Ethan settling back into his seat, clenching his fork tightly.
"A rabbit who's fast at running and nothing else ran from all the monsters until he ranked up," Luan continued mockingly. "And now he says he's close to Level Three? If I were him, I'd be too embarrassed to leave my home!"
"Sheesh," Welf sighed.
"Just ignore him, Bell," Lili advised.
Ethan glanced at his right hand, which Ryuu was actively holding in place for him, giving him a knowing look.
"Look!" Luan laughed. "Your comrades are just a bunch of random people from different Familias!"
"I will wring his fucking neck," Ethan growled in a warning to both himself and Ryuu not to let him get up.
"A failure of a blacksmith and a tiny shrimp of a supporter!" Luan was saying. "I guess that's perfect for a cheating rookie, though!"
The other Apollo Familia members present laughed.
"I guess you can't help it, though," Luan smirked, circling Bell's table. "The cowardly rabbit's Familia is the weakest of them all. The lowest of the low. It's led by a failure of a goddess with no dignity and no authority, just her enormous boo-"
Ethan's eyes flashed red and before Ryuu could stop him, he'd crossed the room and planted his fist in the tiny asshole's gut so hard the asshole's last meal and all the alcohol he'd drank splattered across the ground, barely missing Ethan's feet.
"I am going to break you in half!" Ethan snarled, holding the brat in the air by the top of his head.
"Ethan!" Bell gasped.
"Well, well," Luan grinned. "If it isn't the loser who got kicked out of a decent family and had to slum with the big-boobed fail-"
Ethan slammed Luan down through a table, bouncing his head off the ground before kicking him, sending him crashing into the wall, unconscious and with blood coating the side of his face. He turned toward the rest of the Apollo Familia members as the red faded from his eyes now that he had dealt with the one insulting Hestia. The others all jumped up instantly, minus one that Ethan already knew was about to turn him into a bloodstain. Hyakinthos Clio, a Level Three from the Apollo Familia who had always hated Ethan and had been the main one beating him right before Apollo banished him. Bell and Welf stood as the three that Ethan wasn't afraid of charged, only for the three of them to easily take them all down.
"Who else wants some!?" Welf shouted, looking around.
"I do," Hyakinthos said, standing, eyes locked on Ethan.
Before anyone had realized he had moved, Hyakinthos had sent Welf spinning across the room. A moment later, he drilled three rapid punches into Bell's face, leaving him a bloody mess as he tripped him and moved on to Ethan. Ethan he took a special pleasure in, managing to land eight punches before Ryuu had kicked him and thrown him away from Ethan.
"That's enough!" Ryuu said. "Get out!"
"Or what?" Hyakinthos asked. "Are you going to defend this banishment trash?"
"Those who cause trouble in this pub will be punished," Ryuu warned icily. "Your comrade was egging them all on by insulting their goddess, but they will be punished as well. However, right now, you, and all of the members of your Familia are going to leave!"
Hyakinthos glared at her for a lone moment before huffing and nodding. One of the others picked up Luan's still-unconscious form, and they all left. As they did, Ethan scraped himself off the floor, casting his new healing spell and feeling his injuries heal entirely, including the shattered nose, cheekbone, and jaw he'd been given. He sighed. He was glad it worked on bones.
He set money for his meal and the table he'd broken on the remains of Bell's table, then picked Bell up. "Thank you for stepping in, and for trying to stop me, Ryuu."
Then, he left the bar, Welf and Lili following. Welf and Lili both followed Ethan and Bell to their church, Ethan having healed Bell already. When they got there, Hestia, apparently having already heard, began to congratulate Bell on having gotten into a fight, Ethan healing the scrapes Welf had gotten on his arm as well.
"I'm kind of happy you're so spirited!" Hestia said. "But also kind of sad."
"Goddess," Ethan said. "It was the Apollo Familia."
Hestia froze, then continued to check Bell for any injuries Ethan hadn't healed.
"Bell's personality has become much cruder lately," Lili said, glaring at Hestia. "You must be a bad influence!"
"You shouldn't have gotten into a fight," Hestia said.
"But...they were saying mean things about you," Bell said. "Me and Ethan couldn't let that slide, so...we got into a fight."
"I'm very happy you got mad for my sake," Hestia said. "But it would make me sadder if you got hurt because of that."
"Goddess..." Bell said, staring up at her as she cupped his face.
"Next time, laugh it off," Hestia smiled. "Say, 'My goddess is too important to get mad about what you say.'"
"Okay," Bell nodded. "Next time, I won't say anything. Goddess, I'm sorry."
Hestia nodded.
"How long until Apollo comes after us for revenge?" Ethan asked.
"I'm sure it'll be fine," Hestia said.
"Goddess, I know what Apollo's like," Ethan said. "He's not going to let this go. There will be a retaliation."
"It's fine," Hestia said. "Get some rest you two. It's late."
Ethan sighed, he and Bell both nodding, and Welf and Lili said their goodbyes before leaving. Ethan headed to bed, but found sleep a bit harder to find.
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