(A/N): Alright! This is now officially the point in which Children Of Hades can freely crossover into here.
We did loads of planning out so you can count on there being some fun things happening as far as crossovers go.
Hope you all are enjoying the story so far, now let's get back to it shall we?
Chapter 11: A New Ally
The Following Morning- The Katrina Inn
"Thank you for all your help,"
"It was a noble cause...I hope you put a stop to these criminals,"
I removed the saddle and reins from the horse's body and rubbed his head once more.
"Take care of yourself and perhaps we'll meet again one day,"
"Take care of yourself Elf...and also your woman,"
I looked back to see Ayame talking to the innkeeper, getting some food for the trip back to Orario. I blushed furiously at the horse's words.
"She's a beautiful one...might I ask the story between you two?"
"I rescued her from the Dungeon...and it was a back and forth battle of survival where she and I ended up having to survive on our own amongst other things,"
"She means a lot to you then,"
I nodded.
"More than you can imagine,"
Ayame returned to us and smiled.
"Are we ready to go?" she asked.
I nodded as I took the bag from her.
"Shouldn't be a far walk to the carriage station," I said.
The horse galloped off back towards the woods.
"I guess you asked him for help?" she asked.
"I helped him escape one of the trader camps so he said he would help me until I didn't need him anymore," I replied.
She shook her head.
"Kind even to animals," she teased.
"When you can talk to and understand them, it comes naturally I suppose," I replied.
I looked towards the road.
"Let's go home,"
Five Hours Later- The Kaneshon
"That'll be 2,000 Valis," said Mira.
The customer handed her a small pouch and she emptied it into the chest before handing it back to him.
"Thanks for coming!" she said with a bright smile.
"Thanks for the help,"
The man left the store but much to Mira's surprise, Ayame walked in right after he left. Mira almost tackled her in a hug.
"Where the heck have you been?! You missed dinner last night!" cried Mira.
"I found an old friend,"
As if on cue, Takashi walked into the store and Mira could not believe her eyes. Takashi looked at her and smiled.
"It's been a while," he said.
He didn't get to retort before Mira almost tackled him in a hug.
"WHERE WERE YOU! YOU IDIOT!" she cried.
He wrapped a single arm around her back as the door opened once more to reveal Vanna. Takashi turned to face her, causing her to drop the crate she was carrying.
"I'm back," he said.
Vanna wordlessly approached him before punching him in the stomach...hard. He cringed for a moment but she immediately captured him in a deep hug.
"...Don't you dare leave for that long ever again," she snapped.
He laughed nervously.
"You got a lot stronger since I last saw you," he said.
"I'm level 4 now," she replied.
His eyes widened.
"Looks like I have some catching up to do,"
"TAKASHI?!"
The familiar voice of the one everyone called their mother filled the room as everyone looked to the back to see that Hestia had come down the stairs. Takashi made his way to her before crouching down and giving her a hug.
"I'm back...I'm sorry I was gone so long," he said.
Hestia turned the hug into a bone crushing one as tears of joy streamed down her cheeks.
"Welcome home," she cried.
Nana came down mere seconds after he released Hestia and repeated the same gesture, only three times as strong.
"Stupid little brother...out there worrying me to death," she cried.
"I'm sorry...sis,"
She seemed absolutely thrilled to hear him call her by that as she kissed his forehead.
"I'm so happy that you're back...it wasn't the same without you," she said.
"TAKKUN IS BACK?!"
Takashi sighed to himself and braced for the inevitable tackle as Matilda comically dove through the doorway and took him down the ground. Her massive bosom completely covered his face as she clung to him as if for dear life.
"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN TAKKUN!" she cheered.
In typical Matilda fashion, the dress she was wearing somehow managed to make itself scarce, slightly tearing at the compromising angle she held him in. Nana rolled her eyes and pulled Matilda off of him as he got to his feet.
"Where are the Lee sisters? And Akio?" asked Takashi.
"In the dungeon along with the rest of the familia," replied Hestia.
He raised an eyebrow.
"Rest of?" he asked.
"It's grown a lot since you've been gone," explained Nana.
"A new member joined us yesterday and since you were gone, two others joined as well," continued Vanna.
He nodded slowly as he looked at himself.
"A friend of mine told me that we were planning to go into the dungeon today?" he asked.
Hestia shook her head.
"There's a more pressing matter at the moment," she said.
She unraveled a scroll.
"I'm aware of the slave trader activities that you were tracking in all that time you were gone," she said.
"We have reason to believe that one of the big names in the business is staying here in Orario...and finds most of their business in the Underground Arena," said Nana.
"One of them did say that now that you mention it," said Takashi.
Nana nodded again.
"If we can figure out how they get across to the mainland, we can probably figure out how to put it to an end," said Vanna.
"I heard that some of them would even be there tonight," said Mira.
Takashi put a hand to his chin.
"So how do we proceed?" he asked.
"I have a few friends who want to help with this; they hate the slave trading business just as much as we do," said Hestia.
"And who are they?"
She smiled brightly.
"We'll be meeting them for dinner at the Hostess Of Fertility but for now...you need to get yourself some new gear," said Nana.
He nodded slowly as he turned to Ayame.
"I'll be back later then," he said.
He then put two fingers in his mouth before whistling a peculiar tone. Within seconds, Fang showed herself before running to her master's side. He smiled and crouched down, allowing her to rub her head against his cheek.
"It's so good to see you again,"
"Master...how I've missed you...these seasons just weren't the same without you,"
"I'm not leaving like that ever again...and I'm sorry for being gone so long,"
"It was something you had to handle on your own...I don't blame you for taking your time because your mother was everything to you,"
"...She was..."
He got to his feet.
"I'll catch up with you guys after I get everything sorted out at the shops,"
Two Hours Later- The Hestia Mansion
"Come on!"
"I'm not telling you anything..."
"Come on Whitey! You're no fun!"
Ayame rolled her eyes as she secured her cloak.
"You mean to tell me that you found him yesterday and spent a night with him and NOTHING interesting happened?!: cried Matilda.
"I find that hard to believe too," said Nana.
"Are you two going to bother me all day about this?" growled Ayame.
Nana suddenly had a devious smirk as she sniffed the air.
"You smell...a lot like him," she teased.
Matilda repeated the gesture and she snickered.
"You really do smell a lot like Takkun,"
Ayame turned away, a light blush appearing on her cheeks as she took a breath. Matilda continued to snicker.
"I'm happy for you...you really changed him when you came here," she said.
"I...did?" asked Ayame.
Nana nodded.
"Takkun was never the kind of person who would be open to going out to drink at a tavern and he was always a lone wolf...now he's always smiling thanks to you," she explained.
"...I didn't know he was so distant before," said Ayame.
"Takashi was one of those lone wolfs who always chose to do the right thing over the smart thing," replied Nana.
She shook her head.
"I won't lie...at first I kind of felt for him because he saved my life all that time ago but I just couldn't bring myself to like him for that reason alone...and now here I am being a worried older sister to him," she said with a shrug.
"I didn't have feelings for Takkun...but I'll be honest and said that I always found him to be incredibly attractive both visually and as a person; he's one of the kindest people you'll ever meet,"
Ayame let out a breath.
"I...didn't even realize I had these feelings for him...I only managed to find him by sheer chance when I decided to follow him into the forest,"
"What do you mean?" asked Nana.
Ayame sighed.
"I saw a woman being mugged by the man that we captured so I tried to save her...but the man was too powerful and he had my back against the wall until Takashi saved me...he once again risked his life for me and did so without even hesitating...he knew he would die if that arrow hit him and he took it for me anyway," she explained.
"Arrow?" asked Matilda.
"The slave traders are coming up with ways to concoct poisons that even the most skilled of healers can't cure...the arrow that hit him should've killed him but then...my feelings awakened a power inside of me that allowed me to save his life...and I guess from that moment...I accepted that I really do care about him,"
Matilda's eyes widened.
"Wait...is that skill Lifestream?" she asked.
"Yes...how do you know about it? Hestia herself didn't know anything about it," replied Ayame.
Matilda sighed deeply.
"It's an extremely rare skill...and one of the very few forms of magic capable of curing literally any kind of debilitating effect," she explained.
"How do you know so much about it?" asked Nana.
"Because it's a skill that any person who wants to act as a healer would kill to have...you're very lucky to have awakened it when you did," she said.
Ayame let out a deep breath.
"So...how good of a kisser is he?" said Nana with a wink.
Ayame's face turned to a tomato as she cleared her throat.
"I'll just meet you two at the Hostess..."
She tied her crimson cloak around her neck as left the room, leaving the snickering pair of Matilda and Nana.
Eliss's Shop, The Tower Of Babel
"Are you all set?" asked Eliss.
Takashi nodded slowly.
"I didn't think that you'd still be here; I was sure you would've left Orario by now to go live in the north like you've always wanted," he replied.
She shook her head.
"I decided that I'd stick around...at least until I find a husband," she said with a wink.
Takashi smiled.
"For what it's worth, I'm glad you're still here Eliss," he said.
She raised an eyebrow.
"Are you getting all soft on me?" she asked.
He shook his head and continued to pack the armor he just bought into the bag.
"Worried about the person who came in last night?" he asked.
She shook her head.
"He's not going anywhere anytime soon; authorities will make damn sure of that...but what the hell are these traders doing? she asked.
"Evidently trying to expand the business," he replied.
She nodded.
"That poison...that vial that he had on him isn't something that's readily curable by any of our healers...the only way I can cure it is by using a very high grade of Elven Purge complete with magic imbuing," she said.
He let out a deep sigh.
"I kept on their trail for a long time but I've never seen them like this before; they're getting smarter and their plans are becoming more fullproof so we have to act quickly before they really become a problem," he said.
"I want to know how the hell you survived that arrow shot that was full of that poison," she said.
He looked at her in disbelief.
"How did you-"
"I can smell the poison on your old armor...along with blood so I know you were hit with one of them,"
He looked away and closed his eyes.
"That poison should've sealed your fate but somehow, you're still alive...how did you survive?"
"Ayame saved my life," he replied.
She looked at him in disbelief.
"Last I checked, Ayame doesn't know any sort of healing spells...let alone something that's of a high enough grade to cure that,"
"I don't know what it is...it was some kind of healing rain or something and once I drank it, it completely cured me," he replied.
Eliss's eyes widened.
"You mean to tell me that she awakened Lifestream?!" she gasped.
"What's that supposed to be?" asked Takashi.
She shook her head.
"It's one of the rarest skills out there right now...I've only met one other person who had that skill and that was nearly 25 years ago," she explained.
"Is it that potent?" he asked.
"The water produced by that skill has legendary healing properties and it's such an unbelievably rare skill that there isn't much in the archives about it," she replied.
He let out a breath.
"I guess I was lucky that she happened to have it then," he said.
"That's not the juicy part though..."
She snickered.
"Lifestream's initial awakening can only be done with a great surge of emotional duress...which means Ayame had to have been in such a desperate need of wanting to save you that she would be willing to trade her own life if it meant that you could live...so those have to be some very intense feelings that caused it," she said.
"What are you implying?"
She approached him before rubbing his head with her fist.
"It means that she loves you...and considering how much you smell like her, I'd say you spent last night letting her know just how much you love her too," she said with a wink.
He cleared his throat and shook his head.
"That's none of your business," he said.
"Come on now kid; anyone with half a brain can see that you love her and you felt that way for her even before you left the city,"
He finished packing the bag before throwing it over his shoulder.
"...I do love her,"
Eliss looked at him, once again completely shocked.
"When I saw her again...after those two long years, I had no idea if she would still remember me or even want to see me again...and even though I was unsure of that, I still came to her rescue and I would risk my life without hesitation to keep her safe from anything...those feelings are the only reason I was able to revert back from the wolf form," he explained.
She smiled before grabbing him in an almost motherly hug.
"Take care of that girl Takashi...you're going to need her now more than ever now that your mother is no longer with us,"
He nodded; Eliss was one of the people that helped him find out more about his mother's whereabouts and it wasn't surprising that she knew of Emadriel's death.
"Thank you Eliss," he said.
She suddenly raised a finger.
"I almost forgot...I got this for you,"
She walked behind the counter and pulled out a pair of daggers.
"I know that you've been meaning to work on your close combat...so I had my sister make these for you while you were gone,"
He eyed the blades, noticing that the one on the left was glowing slightly green.
"Magic daggers?" he asked.
"Not just any daggers...these puppies are loaded with the same magic that allows you to use Greensprout; I enchanted them myself," she said.
He accepted the weapons from her as he examined them.
"Both of them have the same life giving properties as your Greensprout spell and they're virtually indestructible...use them well," she said.
He sheathed them both in his belt and took a breath.
"I'll let you know what we decide to do once we meet with the others," he said.
"I'll be waiting...those bastards are going to pay for all the people they've hurt," she said raising a fist.
With a final nod, Takashi left.
Later That Evening- The Hostess Of Fertility
"Where are they?!" cursed Akio.
"They have a bit of a tendency to run late...I'm sorry about that," said Hestia, scratching the back of her head nervously.
He rolled his eyes as Relia flicked him in the forehead.
"You've been on edge all day...now have a drink and calm down," she said.
Akio rolled his eyes as he took a gulp from his mug. Hestia looked to her right to see that Nana and Mira were still drinking and laughing loudly with a few of the top customers at the Kaneshon. Even though Mira was a lightweight, she still volunteered to be Nana's main drinking buddy. Vanna sat beside the two of them and was clearly disappointed in the two of them; there was an important task coming up for all of them to tackle and yet, they still wanted to get drunk. Finally, Takashi and Ayame were sitting in a booth to the far right of the room, eating in what seemed to be a very comfortable silence.
"I'm so happy for them..."
Hestia couldn't help but feel a smile subconsciously form until the door opened.
"Well hello there my old friend!"
Hestia rolled her eyes.
"Well now, if it isn't Mr. Mom God himself," teased Hestia.
The self proclaimed "King Of The Underworld" was truly a very intimidating man, standing at 5' 10" and appearing very well built. His facial features almost always scared off the average person but Hestia knew him far better than just what he appeared to be. He was truly a benevolent god, taking great care of his familia and effectively serving as a father figure to them all. He wore an average looking black tunic with matching trousers along with a dark brown trenchcoat.
"Sorry I'm late; I had to take care of a few things on the way here," he said.
"It's alright...so shall we get straight to it?" she replied.
He clasped his hands together and took a seat in front of her.
"We've much to discuss,"