(A/N): Gonna get some more content out in preparation for the companion story, Children Of Hades by Cyberweasel89. Sorry to keep everyone waiting; I got pretty damn sick this weekend. I'll probably do a lot of content between today and Wednesday as well so fasten your seatbelts.

Also, if you have a character who didn't manage to make it here, try and have a talk with her; she'll probably try to accommodate you.

Anyway, let's get back to it!

Chapter 9: Awakening

The Hestia Mansion, Hestia's Room

I'm glad I managed to make the trip to the archives today; so many of the familia have grown so much that it's difficult to keep my memory of all their skills. The person I had really gone to look up was Ayame, who had developed a skill I had never heard of before. I didn't know what to tell her when I updated her status this morning...

~ o ~

"I'm so proud of you Ayame; your training has really paid off," I said.

She smiled at me as she lowered her shirt.

"You learned that spell from the grimoire you found in the dungeon right?" I asked.
"A pair of adventurers tried to ambush me on my way back from Rivira and one of them was carrying a grimoire...I had no choice but to defend myself," she replied.

I nodded slowly.

"Thunderbolt is a powerful spell if you know how to use it...but what's really interesting is that you seem to have developed a skill as well," I explained.

She looked at me as if in disbelief.

"What does it do?"

I shook my head.

"I've never heard of this skill...it's something called Lifestream," I replied.

She shook her head.

"I...don't know how I developed that," she replied.

I smiled.

"I'll go take a look in the archives for you...you go on ahead and train," I said.

Ayame hugged me.

"You're the best," she said.

...

I went through the book, searching everywhere for this skill I had never even heard of until finally, I found it.

"Lifestream...an extremely powerful healing spell capable of curing even the most grim of illnesses. The skill converts the user's energy into healing magic and causes a rainstorm to spread the healing magic over an area. If the rain touches any external injury such as cuts and bruises, they will be healed within seconds. However, to allow it to cure poisons and debilitating effects, the individual must drink the rain. In addition to the rain curing the imbiber, it also causes them to have a tremendous burst of stamina and increases their Endurance moderately. This skill must be initially triggered by a dire need for it and once awakened once, the user may call upon it at any time,"

I laughed to myself.

"Looks like Matilda has some competition,"

The Kānēshon

"Man...today's been a rough day," said Zekko.
"Today was rather busy yes," replied Nana.

Amie handed them both a cup of tea, which they gratefully accepted.

"Any word on that lead you were talking about?" asked Nana.
"A few people have said that the Monster Rex of floor 17 has appeared again...I was thinking we could take it down one more time and hope for another drop because right now, we're rather behind in terms of gear," replied Zekko.

Nana nodded slowly.

"Is everyone else aware of this?" she asked.
"Hanna is still out of town; had a contract towards the east but she should be back in about three days, I believe Vanna is also out of town because of a hunting contract seeing as she basically took over for Takashi...oh man, I miss that son of a bitch," sighed Zekko.

Nana's eyes narrowed.

"His birthday's in six days," sighed Nana.

Amie approached her and put a hand on hers.

"He said he would come back..." she said.
"Yeah...but to keep us all waiting for two years?" replied Nana.

Amie sighed deeply and nodded; two years was an awfully long time for him to be gone. The time passed by quickly as everyone found what they were supposed to do whenever they weren't in dungeon.

Matilda was usually in the Kānēshon, helping out around the back but she lately has been called to work at the Hostess Of Fertility due to her incredible cooking skills. Akio spent most of his time improving his skills as well as his leatherworking, which he now had quite the knack for. Relia for the most part has been following him, considering that they were a couple and all. Archon, the proud warrior was away from Orario, visiting his family near the borders of Ares's nation due to his sister getting sick. Mira continued to train very hard, desiring to become the strongest member of the familia but she was still lagging behind Vanna, who became the strongest member once she became the first person to reach level 4. Zekko himself had been looking around for opportunities for a party expedition into the dungeon; they didn't want to go further down without Takashi.

"I'm back!"

Nana smiled as she looked to the door.

"Good to see that you didn't get lost Bell," she teased.

The white haired warrior laughed nervously.

"Well, Orario's a pretty big place!" he replied.

Amie approached him and smiled.

"Did you find everything we needed?" she asked.

Bell smiled and handed her a bag.

"Got everything on the list," he replied.

She took the bag from him and walked around to the back of the shop as Nana yawned.

"It's about closing time...dinner at the Hostess tonight?" she asked.

Everyone nodded practically in unison.

"Hope Matilda is cooking tonight," said Zekko with a snicker.

Amie and Nana nodded in agreement as Zekko suddenly started to look around.

"Has anyone seen Ayame?" asked Zekko.

To that, no one was able to reply.

Just Outside Of Orario, The Woods

"You've really improved mistress; your skills are a far cry from what they were two years ago,"
"Thank you Meiryo,"

I let out a heavy breath as I examined what my spells did to the dummy that I placed in front of me about an hour ago.

"You've burned yet another target dummy to ashes...I think you've just about mastered that new spell of yours,"
"I guess you're right,"

I placed my staff back on my back as I let out a sigh.

"He's still on your mind...isn't he?"
"It's been difficult to keep my mind off of him...I still can't believe that my father was the one who ordered his mother captured and the rest of his family killed,"

Meiryo flew onto my shoulder and rubbed his head against my cheek.

"It's not your fault...and I'm sure he does not blame you for that happening; Emadriel did not blame you either,"

I sighed deeply.

"I just can't believe he's been gone for so long...two years and not a word back?"
"He went alone; Fang has been with us the entire time because he told her to stay back,"

I suddenly heard what sounded like an explosion.

"Could it be those bandits again?"
"I will check...be careful on your approach,"

Meiryo flew off of my shoulder and high into the air as I swiftly made my way towards the source of the explosion. As I neared it, I could hear a lot of screaming and shouting. Once I drew close, I hid myself in the bushes and peered through.

"I'm going to ask you one more time...where is Ayame Aledria?"

A large man was holding a woman by the neck. My fists automatically clenched.

"Wrath of thunder, rage of lightning, unleash thy power upon my foe...THUNDERBOLT!"

A powerful bolt of lightning flew from my hand and struck the man. The moment he released the woman, I ran to her side and helped her to the trees.

"Get out of here," I said.

She looked at me with shock.

"You're safe...now go home," I said.

She nodded slowly and ran off into the woods. I turned back to face the man, who was smiling.

"Ahh...a silver haired elf? You must be the one I was assigned to capture," he said cracking his knuckles.
"Who sent you?" I snapped.

He shook his head and raised a finger before waving it back and forth.

"You're in no position to make demands little lady," he said.

He clenched his fist and held it in front of his face.

"Destroy all who may oppose me and send them to oblivion...EXPLOSIVE BALL!"

I barely managed to react in time as I raised my staff.

"DISTRESS BARRIER!"

I was protected by a shield of wind energy but it wasn't enough as the force of the large blast sent me back into a tree with tremendous force. There's no way some mere bandit was this powerful; he had to be an adventurer who was above the average lot. I got to my feet, but I noticed a sharp pain near my ribs.

"Damn it...he must've broken something..."

The man laughed as he removed a large dagger from his belt.

"I've been looking for you for a long time...unfinished business by order of Berkley Stern...nothing personal lassie but I have orders,"

He raised the dagger to strike...until several daggers flew seemingly out of nowhere and struck him in the chest. My eyes widened as I saw Akio leap down from a tree.

"I thought I heard an explosion," he said.

He stood protectively in front of me, eyeing the man who had just pulled all the daggers from his chest.

"You've got lots of guts laddie," he said.

He raised his hand again.

"To the black unknown your senses shall go...DARKNESS!"

I watched as Akio suddenly started to panic.

"I can't see!" he said.

I tried to focus to chant...but the pain from my ribs was too great as the man grabbed Akio by his throat. He laughed before tossing him into a tree as if he were nothing more than a ragdoll. He then turned back to me.

"Get in my way again and I'll kill you too," he snapped.

He once again raised his dagger. I closed my eyes and braced myself for my incoming death...until I heard a loud howl.

"That's...that's not Fang,"

I looked around for the source of the howl but before I could do anything, a brilliant white glow passed over my head and struck the man with great force. The man stumbled to his knees from the hit as he eyed his assailant. I couldn't believe my eyes.

A radiantly white furred wolf was staring down the man, completely unfazed by his greater size. The wolf took a pouncing position as the man stood up.

"Now there's animals helping you too? This little doggie's gonna meet the dirt," he said.

He held out his hand but before he could even chant, the wolf already closed the distance, leaping into the air before sinking its fangs into his arm. The man roared in pain as he tried to swing at the wolf with his dagger but it let go and bounded away, once again taking a pouncing position. The man cursed loudly as he looked at the damage the bite had done.

"You little pest! TIME TO DIE!"

He ran at the wolf and swung his dagger but it dodged him easily, this time sinking its fangs into the exposed skin of his leg. The man swung again, completely missing once more as the wolf leaped back, this time towards me. It looked at me for a moment before turning back to its opponent. The man however already had his hand raised. The wolf immediately ran up to me before shoving its head into my ribs, taking one of my arms over its head. Catching on to what its intent was, I gripped as hard as I could as it leaped us both away, just out of the way of the fire blast that hit me earlier. Once we landed, I raised my hand and chanted Thunderbolt's incantation. As I fired it, the wolf took off into a sprint again. It managed to reach the man just moments after the bolt of lightning hit him before tackling him to the ground. The man passed out from what I presumed to be the force of impact with the ground. I panted heavily as I looked to Akio, who was still unconscious from the force of that throw earlier.

The wolf approached me before sitting down and scratching its neck with one of its hind legs. I smiled at it.

"Thank you...I don't know what would've happened if you didn't show up when you did," I said.

The wolf tilted its head, almost as if it was curious as to what I said. I tried to approach it to lay a hand on its head but it seemed to shy away slightly.

"I'm not going to hurt you...I just want to say thank you," I whispered.

The wolf stood of straight and looked at me as I managed to get close. I gently lay a hand on its head and rubbed, causing it to close its eyes. After a few seconds, it opened its eyes suddenly and before I could react, it tackled me to the ground before I heard a very loud yelp. Once I regained my senses...I realized that an arrow was stuck in the wolf's left flank. It yelped loudly as I looked at the man, who had somehow awakened and fired an arrow from his shortbow. I felt rage pour into me as I chanted Thunderbolt once more, this time striking the man in his head. After the current ran through him, half of his face was scalded as he once again fell to the ground. I looked around for the wolf to see that it had limped quite a distance away, though it was moving less than gracefully. I tried to call out to it, but it ignored my voice as it disappeared into the woods. I looked at the ground and noticed a trail of blood.

"That has to be a nasty wound...I'd better follow it and see if I can help,"

I looked to the sky.

"Meiryo, make sure Akio's okay until I come back,"
"As you wish mistress,"

I took off into the woods, hoping that the wolf didn't get too far ahead.

...

I followed the trail of blood until she finally found the arrow that had struck the wolf.

"It actually managed to pull the arrow out from its side...it's a smart animal,"

I then heard soft groans, as if from a person.

"Who...would be out here right now?"

I followed the sounds...until I happened upon a small meadow where much to my surprise...a familiar face was there.

"T-T-Takashi?!"

I rubbed my eyes to ensure I wasn't dreaming as I made her way towards him. Within the two years he was gone, Takashi's hair had grown longer and he appeared much more defined in muscle mass. His armor was in disrepair and he had a tremendous would near his ribs. From the way he was looking...it didn't look like he was going to make it.

"T...Takashi?"

He looked at me and closed his eyes before turning away.

"...It's good to see you again," he said.

I was at his side in an instant as I examined the wound.

"Are you okay?" she asked.
"...I don't have much time,"

He looked at the arrow in my hand.

"That...is no ordinary arrow...it was coated in a very potent poison derived from a concoction of Killer Ant and Reapertail venom...there's a large group of rogue adventurers who are mass producing that venom to allow them to take down upper echelon adventurers to steal their belongings," he explained.

He coughed out a lot of blood as I felt my heart begin to race.

"What does it do?" I asked.
"It completely suppresses the immune system and increases the heart rate to allow itself to spread very quickly...Reapertail venom then has a strange reaction with the ant venom...which causes massive internal damage...but that's not the most terrifying part..."

He closed his eyes.

"The poison...is incurable,"

My eyes widened and I gasped audibly.

"No..."

I knelt down beside him as he collapsed from the tree.

"I was hit with it while I was in wolf form...because my animal form's heart rate is much faster than my normal one...it's already spread throughout my body...my end is near," he groaned.

He picked up a small satchel and handed it to me.

"You have to get this to administration...these people must be stopped...they're the reason why the slave trading business is so strong right now..."

He coughed out a tremendous amount of blood as tears began to stream from my eyes. I put him in my lap, leaning his head on it as I began to cry. He smiled at me, despite his mouth having a lot of blood running from it.

"I'm...really sorry I didn't write...and I'm sorry I had to come back like this..." he groaned.

He laughed weakly as his golden eyes locked onto mine.

"...I never got to tell you how beautiful you are...I guess now's my chance..." he said.

I hugged him close to me and I felt him place a hand on mine.

"I'm glad...that I got to see you one more time..."

His hand fell from mine as I screamed out his name. I didn't want to lose him...I didn't want to admit that I cared for him even though I only realistically knew him for mere weeks...but after everything we survived together, I didn't want him to go...not unless he knew what I was feeling inside. My emotions began to pour out as I gently stroked he hands as his breathing continued to slow down. Suddenly, I felt rain on my skin.

"What...it was perfectly sunny a while ago...and I know I didn't say anything to cast Rainstorm..."

I saw the water fall onto Takashi and much to my astonishment, it sealed a cut on his arm right before my eyes.

"...Healing rain?..."

I immediately released him and used his dagger to cut his armor open, revealing the wound on his torso. The rain continued to pour and just like before, it completely healed the rather grisly looking wound.

"...I don't know if this will work...but I have to try,"

I looked in his bag and took a deep breath as I found a jar, no doubt used to store herbs. I held it out to the rain and for some reason, it seemed to focus mostly on pouring into the jar. Once an adequate amount of it was caught, I held it to his mouth.

"Drink this..." I urged.

He weakly opened his mouth as I poured the water down his throat. Within seconds, his body seemed to have been renewed. He then coughed out a nasty purple substance from his mouth, which was what I presumed to be the poison. He then collapsed, panting heavily.

"...How did you?" he gasped.
"I...I don't know..."

He smiled at me.

"I...left my things at an inn about two miles north of here...there is a horse tied to a tree at the south end of the meadow...get us there," he asked.
"Are you alright?" I asked.
"Much better...but spending so long in wolf form really took it out of me...I'm not used to my normal body...we'll talk more once we get to the inn," he said.

I nodded as I went to retrieve the horse. Once I returned, I saw that he managed to get to his feet and was still panting. He mounted the horse after I picked up his bag as we rode off.

"You...have a lot of explaining to do," I said.
"I'll explain everything...once we get to the inn and I take a much needed nap..."