Perhaps our first venture into the Dungeon will turn out well. Perhaps not? Let us see how our new adventurer manages on her first sortie into the dungeon.
Chapter 6
"So? How do you feel?" Hestia asked as she sat up from her work.
I thought for a moment, the slightly damp feeling on my bare back evaporating like rubbing alcohol. "It... Tingles." I replied finally, "But I think that's all."
A moment later I felt her apply the paper to my back, and rub her hand over it. The sheet came off of my skin with a slightly tacky feeling. "Huh, that's odd." Hestia mumbled, "I've never seen this before."
"What's weird?" I asked, pushing myself up slightly and looking over my shoulder. "This is new to me."
Hestia frowned at the page, then ran a hand over it. After a brief glow, she turned it around to face me. It read as follows:
Kodori
Power: I 0
Endurance: I 0
Dexterity: I 0
Agility: I 0
Magic: I 0
Congenital Magic: Self Re-enforcement
Through will alone, boost basic stats.
Curse: Weapon's Bane
Weapons used to attack will break upon impact.
Titan's grip
Grants an unbreakable grip.
My first thought was just how much like a game this was. My second was, "My stats seem to be zero."
"Yes." Bell answered from across the room still facing away from us, "When you start, you are at zero. When you level, your stats return to zero, but with what you have gained still there."
I kicked that around my head a moment, "So... If I had Power fifty, it would say zero, but I would still have fifty."
"Yes." Bell confirmed.
I wiggled my hips a little, making the Goddess who was still sitting on me 'eep' then get off. I put the paper down then got my bra back on. "I have magic too? And I'm cu..r..s..ed.. Cursed? And what is this here? Oh you can turn around now."
Bell slowly turned his head to make sure I wasn't teasing, but blushed and turned around again so fast I thought he might hurt himself. "S-s-s-shirt too please?"
"Skittish isn't he?" I mumbled to Hestia in English.
She gave me a tiny but unmistakable glare, but relented near instantly, "I would ask another Renard... But I have heard they all have some kind of magic. The curse... Why would you be cursed?" I shrugged, and she continued, "The last one is a skill. They can be gained independent of levels as well as gained while leveling." She explained, "Bell?"
Bell approached and sat on the edge of the bed as well. "Miss Eina has told me that you can do things with a skill, better than some one without a skill. A smith without the smith skill is not as good as one with the skill."
I hmm'ed a moment, then held out my hand, "I want to try some thing, Bell."
We stood, and he took my hand. He had a good grip for some one so young, and my respect for him went up another notch. "Try to escape." I said, gripping his hand as firmly as I could without trying to crush his hand.
He set his feet firmly then gave a tug. My arm moved forward, but my hand hardly felt it. I braced myself as best I could as well and nodded to him. His next pull had about double the force, nearly pulling me off balance, but again, the grip I had on his hand was unaffected. I leaned back a bit, to help compensate for his greater strength, then nodded once more. This time I was pulled off my feet, my knee and hip taking the impact as I hit the floor. Overbalanced, he fell over me, his face landing between my breasts while my face ended up under his chest. Yet I still effortlessly held his hand. "Ow my nose" I said letting go of his hand. He scrambled off of me, letting me sit up, "You are very strong." I commented while rubbing my nose.
"It hasn't been long but he does have some experience over you in the dungeon." Hestia said, hands on hips proudly.
Bell was much more modest, not mentioning his strength at all. Instead he complimented me, "It was like... My hand was in a block of stone. It did not hurt, but I could not get away."
"With my strength right now... My grip does not matter." I replied, looking at my hands. My arm and shoulder felt like I had just tried to stop a hundred pound dog from chasing a rabbit, yet my hand wasn't even red. "I wonder what the curse is? Weapons used to attack will break..." I looked around a moment, then took the butter knife Hestia was holding. Thus armed, I stepped over to the wall, and with an easy slashing motion I struck the wall with the knife.
With a bright metallic sound, I was left holding only the handle, while the shards of the blade skittered all over the floor. After a moment of blinking at the collection of tiny metal bits, I looked to the wall. "Not even a scratch."
"W...what..." Bell, astonished, grabbed my hand and looked at the now bladeless handle. "But how will you fight without a weapon?"
I handed him the remains of the butter knife and gave the wall an experimental punch. The sound of my knuckles hitting the wall made a gentle 'paff' noise. I gave it a more solid jab, the shock of my fist hitting the wall going up my arm a little, but not hurting overmuch. Once more I hit the wall, my knuckles making a solid 'thump' sound as they connected. This did hurt my hand a little, but after all my practise with Ryuu and Luniore, as well as on my own, it was nothing I couldn't handle.
"I will use my hands then." I commented, looking at my slightly reddened knuckles.
Bell and Hestia didn't comment, as I bent down and started picking up the little bits of metal from the knife. They started helping after a moment too.
I thought about how this would effect my new life as an adventurer... No weapons? That might be a problem. In my old life, I trained a little with at fencing and kendo, and even a few other weapons. Never enough to be considered good, or even competent, but I knew enough to not cut myself when swinging. I didn't feel like I was losing much with this curse. Though I would likely never gain the ability to use a weapon now.
I had magic too, but it seemed neither my Goddess or Senior knew how that worked. I would have to ask around to find another Renard like myself.
"So, how about that dinner?" I asked suddenly, feeling hungry.
Dinner was cheerful, Bell and Hestia seemed to get along well, though I felt some kind of weird tension between them that I couldn't really describe past that. They were both curious about me, but I couldn't really tell them directly about much of myself.
How could I tell them I used to be a man in my mid thirties who came from another world where Gods and Magic were legend, and monsters didn't exist? It would be the same if Bell or Hestia went to my old world and said they came from a place where magic and Gods existed and monster hunting was the most popular job in the world.
So, I told them the more harmless bits. I had a broad education, had experience with wilderness survival, was distant with my family, had few friends, etc etc. Sitting where I was now, I was rather pleased that my life had gotten so interesting in comparison.
Bell told us that his family was killed by monsters, and he was taken in by his grandfather. This grandfather was his inspiration and a hero to him. Telling him that everything he could ever want could be found here in Orario.
Hestia's story was even shorter. Just like many of the other Gods and Goddesses, she was bored. After her best friend, Hephaestus, descended, she had no one to really talk to anymore. Hephaestus even bought this little property, giving it to Hestia to motivate her to start her own Familia. She made it sound like she was kicked out, but I was pretty sure it was more a gentle push out of the nest than the firm boot of a tyrant.
After the simple, yet tasty dinner, I resolved to visit the market, provided I survived the dungeon. One could not survive on potato puffs alone, and after working at the Hostess of Fertility with Mia and her group, I had learned to cook simple meals.
Hestia insisted that I live with them, and after a token resistance, I relented and accepted her offer. Sleeping arrangements had left Bell on the couch, though that was normal from what he told me, and Hestia and I in the bed. My mind was still coming to terms with the Gods and Goddesses being so... normal. They ate, slept, worked, pouted, and even stubbed the occasional toe. Just like a normal person would.
Except... They made me think of highly opinionated children. It made me think of my own arrival, and how I had to sort of... Grow into place. Fit myself into the puzzle that was this world. Hestia seemed to be no different. She only had what felt like a basic grasp of what this world was like.
Not that I was different in that regard. But I felt less alone in realizing it.
After my evening stretches and a quick brushing of my teeth, hair and tail, I joined Hestia on the bed. Bell went about and dimmed the magic stone lamps, and flopped on the couch, while Hestia simply flopped onto the bed and seemed to sink into the mattress with a sigh.
"Bell?" I called quietly, "When do you wake?"
"Just before sun rise." He replied, "We have to visit the guild before you enter the dungeon."
"Okay. Good night." I replied, smiling in the near darkness. The thought of going into the dungeon made me feel like the day before starting a new job. Ready, but nervous.
I woke once during the night, not really knowing why. Cracking an eye open, I scanned what I could of the room without moving my head. Spotting nothing, I gave a mental shrug, closed my eye and was about to settle back into sleep when I felt something damp on my tail.
The comfortable numbness of sleep started to dissipate, and I realized that my Goddess was hugging my tail while she slept... And was drooling on it as she nibbled the end.
Grumbling quietly, I focused on the muscles in my tail, and slowly wiggled it about, until it was free of her grasp. This had the amusing effect of making Hestia pout in her sleep. I resolved to find a stuffed animal or this world's equivalent some time in the near future.
Out of habit I woke before either of the two. The habit of waking up and training with Ryuu, and more recently Lunoire had me up and alert before I remembered I wasn't at the Hostess of Fertility anymore. I had to rescue my tail again too, though this time it was squeezed between Hestia's prodigious cleavage.
Quietly, I got dressed, put my boots on, and made my way to ground level.
I lacked a sparring partner, so I simply did some shadow boxing. Punches, kicks, elbows, things I had tried to refine while trying to hit my far stronger opponent. Every so often, I'd pretend I got hit, tucking and rolling and getting back to my feet as fast as I could.
It didn't feel the same. But I ignored the negative voice in the back of my mind and kept it up until the sun was just starting to lighten the sky.
"You are up early, Miss Kodori." I heard Bell say.
I looked over, spotting him by the entryway to the basement room. "Just Kodori, please." He had both our packs and all of his armour on. He also had a long dagger at his belt, the handle looking well worn with use.
"Sorry." He replied, holding out my pack for me, "I brought the paper too." He handed that to me as well, "I have to visit Miss Syr to return the lunch box she gave me. And then we can go to the guild."
Smiling as I tucked away the document, I stopped myself from making a comment about Syr and her special lunches.
"Everything seems to be in order." Eina said to me as she looked over my document. "What's this here though? You are cursed? Sign here please?"
I nodded, looking about the desk and taking a spare quill from next to an ink pot. "I can use tools." I said, writing my name clumsily on the paper she offered to me, "But..." With a sharp motion, I tried to puncture the paper with the quill, some where near the bottom corner.
The quill didn't so much break as disintegrate in my hand. The stem shattered, while the rest pretty much turned to dust in my hand, leaving behind a small blot of ink on the page, and feather fragments all over the desk.
"Oh my..." Eina commented, "This is... strange."
"Un. use. you. all. Unusual." Bell said, giving me my first new word for the day.
"I have not tried many things. I did not want to break any thing that was not mine." I said, "I also do not know how to use my magic." Eina frowned while I added, "If there were another Renard I could ask, I would."
"I will ask and see if there are any in the city." Eina replied, "But, let us go to the tower."
"Are we going to that shop again?" Bell asked, his eyes hopeful.
"Yes. The guild gives a small... gift..."
"Stip. End. Stipend." Bell interrupted.
"Stipend, to all new adventurers. We consider it an..." This time she looked to Bell.
"In. vest. ment. Investment." He supplied on cue.
"Investment. Many people come here with nothing, hoping to get money or fame." Eina finished with a smile towards Bell for playing the teacher.
"And dead adventurers make no money." I said, earning a sharp yet resigned look from Eina. "Smart. Good business." I added. She simply nodded at my observation.
My reasoning was simple logic after all. If the guild did nothing but paperwork, the dungeon would be far FAR deadlier. People like Bell, who was just barely a teenager would probably die much sooner. But if the guild gives them a little push, a little education, the 'job' of adventuring becomes less lethal. Still dangerous, but now, everyone profits.
The inside of the tower was just as extravagant as the outside. You would hardly think that it would be the entrance to some kind of monster spawning pit of death. I followed the two past what looked like an honest to goodness set of elevators, and up a staircase spiralling up along the wall. I must have looked like a tourist, or some kind of country bumpkin, trying to take it all in at once, but I didn't really care.
The second floor was just as nice, with marble floors and bright lamps. Yet, instead of what was basically an open floor with a few things, like elevators and guild run kiosks, the outer wall was lined with shops, and across from those shops, were even MORE shops. Weapons, armour, clothing, accessories, jewellery, it was all there. My logical side was quietly calculating just how much some of these things would have been worth in my old world, while my creative side was practically drooling at just how well made the things on display were.
"Here we are." Eina said, snapping my attention back to the task at hand.
It was... well, a shop. Definitely. But it looked like the adventurer's equivalent to a thrift store. Weapons were standing upright in wooden barrels, pieces of armour were on shelves in a loosely organized jumble, the floors were made of abused wood panelling...
"Might not look like much Missy, but since Ma'am Eina is here, it's gonna be free." I looked towards to rough voice, and met gazes with a well weathered dwarf.
"Sorry." I apologized. I suppose my look of disappointment was plain on my face. "First time in Orario. So many shops..."
"Yes, she is here for some starting equipment." Eina confirmed, "But..."
"Oh? Problem? I don't usually see that look on your face, Miss Toole." The dwarf's grey beard split, revealing a broad smile, "She doesn't look that bad. Good shoulders, runner's legs...
Eina cut him off before his list started getting lewd. "She can't use weapons."
This seemed to kill the dwarf's good mood. "No weapons? Why not? Her hand's are still there, what's the problem?"
"Cursed." I answered simply, earning a sharp look from Eina, "I can not use anything as a weapon."
The dwarf scratched his beard, "Going into the dungeon will be rough for you, Missy. How about armour?"
"Never worn any." I replied, "I fight with my hands and feet."
"Mr. Dald?" Bell broke into the conversation, "What about this?" While we weren't looking, Bell had gone down an isle and returned with a wooden box. He put it on the table with a rattling of its contents, and we all peered inside.
"More of that boy Crozzo's work." Dald grunted, "What do you think Missy?"
My first impression of the collection of armour bits was a good one. Simple, clean, no extra flair and looking to be all the same material. "This... Looks like yours." I waved a hand at Bell's chest plate. The box contained most of the rest of what Bell should have been wearing, though it was too large for his still growing body. "Might fit..." I took out a pair of simple shin guards and half bracers.
Bell helped me with the straps, and they did indeed fit. "Not sure about the ...
"Gauntlet." Bell said.
"Gaunt...let..." I repeated the word, "Might break..." The gauntlets in question were simple leather gloves with thin metal plates fused over the backs of the hand and first and second joints of the fingers.
"Well, if you want the box, the guild's donation to my shop will cover it, since you aren't getting a weapon." Dald said as I worked my hands into the gloves.
"Please?" I looked at Eina, who nodded back and gave the dwarf a small metal tag with an official looking mark on it. I looked at Bell, "Bell?"
"Ye-ack!" He wasn't expecting my attack, as I punched his chest plate with enough force to stagger him. "What was that for... Oh..."
I held up my hand, looking at the glove. I had attacked with it, yet the glove was fine. "A-ha." I said. "The glove protects my hand. A tool. Not weapon."
Eina had walked us to the dungeon entrance, and with a bow, wished us luck. Bell took the lead as we descended, reminding me of a few things, just in case I'd forgotten. I admired his maturity.
The dungeon itself was just how I'd imagined it from Eina and Bell's information. The walls glowed with an inner radiance, making it easy to see. The cavern itself looked like naturally worn rock, not worked by mortal hands. I ran my hand along one of the walls, and felt an almost living warmth radiating from the stone.
Bell talked quietly as we walked down one of the tunnels, "Since this is your first day, we won't go past the first floor. Maybe later we can go further, but... Oh, wait..." He held up a hand.
As we stopped, I heard it. Like the cracking of glass. A moment later, with the sound like a handful of gravel spilling on the floor, I heard a thump, and a growling noise.
"Goblins." Bell said, "Small, but with sharp claws and teeth. Some have stone clubs, broken from the dungeon floor or wall."
"Three? Four?" I asked, unsure. My ears were sharp, but the echos and unfamiliarity with the dungeon made me unsure.
"Maybe more. Always expect more." Bell replied as we crept further down the tunnel. "Are you ready?"
Gone was the timid boy who could hardly talk to a girl without blushing as red as his eyes. He was serious, "I hope so." I replied, tightening the straps on my small backpack. We were only two or three steps away from the end of the tunnel now, just out of sight of what ever was inside the room ahead.
"Go." He said simply, drawing his dagger and running into the room. "Take that one! Left left!" He said as we ran in.
Small, with dark blue skin and naked save for a loincloth, I spotted my first 'monsters'. Bell told me to go left, and I did, seeing that there were two of them directly in front of me. I looked at Bell's back as he rushed forward into a group of four, then focused my eyes ahead of me again.
I nearly backed down from the entire thing right there, too. My logical side pointed out that I was about to fight, for real. Something I hadn't done since high school. I had to kill these creatures to survive.
I took a deep breath, recovered from my brief stumble of hesitation, and kicked at the first goblin's head as if it were a soccer ball. I felt the impact all the way to my hip as the heel of my boot slammed into the goblin's chin and sent the smaller creature flying backwards with a gurgling gasp. The second goblin ignored the first and started to claw at me with its sharp looking claws.
I recovered my footing and raised my leg to intercept its first strike, but it still managed to slash me just above the shin guard. It stung more like a hard scrape than a cut, but the pain delayed my downward swung fist just long enough for it to dodge to the side. It tried to bite my leg as it rolled under my next punch, but I was faster and slammed my fist down onto the top of its head.
I looked over to Bell just in time to see him slash through the throat of his last goblin, as it tried to jump on him. He stepped to the side, the goblin's neck spraying an arc of blackish blood from the wound, before it flopped to the ground like a sac of potatoes. He looked over to me as he turned, and started to say something just before I felt agony lance up my leg.
Looking down I saw the goblin I had just punched, diamond shaped teeth half buried in the back of my calf. I folded up my leg, trapping its head between my calf and thigh, and started punching it in the back with one arm. After the second punch, I felt the pain in my leg ease a little, and after the third I kicked my leg out to dislodge it. Despite acting like a drunken child, it tried to get to its feet, but I pounced on it and started hammering it with my hands.
I felt a hand on my shoulder try and pull me backwards, snapping me back into focus.
"It's dead, Kodori." Bell said as I snapped my head around to look at him.
Looking back to the floor, I saw what was left of the goblin. My armoured fists had reduced its head to what looked like half of a rotten melon.
I rolled off of the dead creature and threw up against the wall.
Bell rubbed my back as I finished coughing up my breakfast. Wordlessly, he handed me my canteen from my pack. "Are you okay?"
I wasn't really. The pain in my leg reminded me that this was a life or death situation. Fight or die. But I had just killed something. It wasn't just some game, the goblin had a pulse and fought. I swished a sip of water around in my mouth to get rid of the taste of vomit, spit it out, and lied to the boy. "I'll be fine." I looked at my leg, as it oozed blood, "Bandages?"
He handed me a roll of bandages, and I started working at wrapping up my injured calf, "What are you doing?" I asked as he started cutting up the chest of the one I killed.
After a moment of digging, the body simply vanished into a puff of black mist, and Bell held up a small stone that looked like glowing obsidian. "If we wait too long, we can't get the magic stone."
I shivered a little, wincing as I pulled a tooth out of my calf. I was about to toss it aside when Bell stopped me, "No! We can sell that to an ar-ti-san, artisan. They can make something out of it."
I nodded to him and stood, testing my leg and how well I wrapped the wound. "I might keep this one." I mumbled, watching Bell work a moment before kneeling again to strap on my shin guard again. "You are pretty good with that knife." I commented.
"Not good enough." He replied, pulling the stone out of the last one. His tone made it sound like simple fact, not self depreciation. "Can you go on?"
I put my pack on again, and hopped up and down a couple of times. My leg had no problem supporting my weight, but it did hurt. "Yes... uh oh." My ears twitched and I felt them turn and focus on a noise coming from another tunnel. "More of them."
"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK YOU!" I yelled in English as I ran across the room and punted round fuzzy rabbit like creature away from Bell before it could bite on to him. We had been exploring and fighting for at least a few hours by now, and seemed to have been fighting almost constantly. We had also decided to go down to the second floor, as Bell seemed confident that I could keep up with him. Something about having to worry less about harvesting magic stones.
The round killer rabbit slammed against the wall and didn't move.
Bell grunted his thanks as he blocked a stone club being wielded by a goblin. With a twist of his blade he pushed the club aside and stabbed the goblin quite firmly in the side of its bulbous head. I spotted another goblin enter the room, near where I had kicked the rabbit monster, and without thinking I picked up the stone club the goblin had dropped and threw it with all of my strength.
This accomplished two things. After many mornings of practice, I no longer 'threw like a girl' and second, hit the goblin quite firmly in the chest.
And the club not only broke, but shattered like thin glass. The impact staggered it, but it was otherwise unharmed.
"Bell?" I asked, putting my back to his as we faced another half dozen goblins.
"Yes?" He was panting, but far less than I was.
"You do this every day?"
"Yes." We were rotating as one, keeping as many of the goblins in sight as possible.
"Why?" The goblins were getting closer, acting like some kind of wolf pack.
"Grandfather said I could find anything if I went to the dungeon." He readied his knife in a reversed grip.
"I hope he's right." I replied, taking a deep breath and rushing forward.
Bell and I made it out of the dungeon some time later. We, though I think I was more the cause, had gotten quite a few looks as Bell negotiated with the guild member at the exchange counter. I couldn't blame them for staring. I looked like I had been dragged ever gravel, fallen down a hill of stones, and then been bitten by a forest of small animals. The last part was almost literally true too. If it wasn't for the dungeon monsters vanishing, blood and all, after their magic stone was removed, I'd have been covered in a lot more blood too. My clothes were mostly shredded too, claws and teeth that didn't find flesh still had to have their owners pulled away and dealt with. I was effectively wearing armour and rags. Even my tail had a small patch of fur missing. For some reason that upset me more than I thought it would.
I was dabbing at a cut that was still bleeding on my arm when Bell came back from the exchange counter and handed me a pouch.
"Your half." He said, "Are you sure you are okay?"
"Thank you, and yes. It's just a few cuts. Unless you have another potion on you?" I replied. We had both used one at some point, but since they were expensive, Bell only had the two.
"We should visit Miss Nazza. I buy my potions from her." Bell said, "I hope our Goddess didn't worry too much about us today..." He mumbled.
"Let's surprise her with a nice dinner. Time to do some shopping."
Bell had led us to this Nazza person last. The shop itself was inside a run down wooden building a little distance from Hestia's home, with a small Celtic knot work emblem on the door. The first thing I noticed, aside from the bored looking dog eared lady behind the counter was the strong smell of herbs and chemicals. The Cheinthrope herself had brown hair and violet eyes, and a tale that wagged lazily when she spotted Bell. She also wore a plain blue shirt with one sleeve longer than the other.
"Oh... Hello again Bell." She said, "And..."
"Kodori." I said. "I joined Hestia Familia too."
"Good." She smiled at me, "Little rabbit needs some one to keep him out of trouble."
Bell blushed slightly, as we talked about him, but he recovered, "I used those potions today. It was her first day in the dungeon..."
"Well, that's no good." She smiled lazily. My ears twitched as I heard her fingertips 'click' against a pair of small glass bottles as she picked them up from under the counter. "Here" She put the two bottles down on the counter, then two more in front of me, "You will need them too, won't you?"
"Do you use bones in your potions?" I took a small pouch out of what was left of my shirt, "I have goblin teeth." The pouch rattled loudly. Almost every goblin I had punched or been bitten by had left behind a tooth or two. "I would like some... umm..." I hunted for the word in my head but I didn't know it. "Bell? Rub on cut..."
"Oh! Salve, or, oint-ment." He sounded out the words for me, "Sorry, she is still learning."
"No worries." Nazza replied good naturedly, walking out from behind the counter and to a shelf on the wall. "Here... Helps with cuts. Has some of the things a potion does too. Trade for the teeth." She offered me a fist sized clay jar. "Not from Orario?"
"No." I replied simply, accepting the jar and handing her the pouch of teeth. "Thank you."
"No problem. Come back any time." She replied, "Take care now."
Potions acquired, shopping for clothes and food done, and neither of us injured too badly from what I felt was a rather successful day in the dungeon, Bell and I made some small talk on the way back.
When we entered the basement apartment, Hestia was nearly beside herself with worry at our appearance. Bell looked tired, while I looked almost indecent with the amount of shredded clothes I was wearing. It took a while, but we calmed her down, and started cleaning ourselves off.
"Bell? Can you get the pot and boil some water? Heat up the pan too?" I asked him after I had taken off my armour, "After I clean up, I'll cook."
"Yes Miss Kodori." Bell replied.
It was about there that I simply gave up on trying to get him to drop the 'Miss'.
"Lady Hestia? Can you help me in the shower?" The Goddess looked at me and blinked in surprise, "I can't reach all of my wounds." I clarified.
"Oh... Sure..." She said.
I noticed Bell blushing over at the counter as he got the pot and pan on the small stove. I tried not to laugh at him, but I could certainly imagine what he was thinking.
"Cut up some of those potatoes and carrots if we take too long, Bell." I said as I walked into the tiny bathroom at the back of the apartment.
It was around the time I had finally gotten all of my blood washed off of me that I realized I was in the shower with another person, who was both very VERY pretty, and a Goddess. I wasn't sure what to feel about it either. Had I been a guy, the sight of Hestia's naked body as she very lightly dabbed the ointment I'd gotten from Nazza onto my various cuts, my body would have certainly reacted like any other male with functional eyes.
Hestia must have noticed something off about me when she asked, "Jealous?" She gave herself a little shake, making all of her curves wiggle exactly the right way.
My tail betrayed me, going ram rod straight in surprise at her sudden question. "I'm... Not sure." I replied honestly.
"All done." She said, seeming a little disappointed that I wasn't a little envious of her body, but she ran her hands through my tail gently.
"Thank you." Without thinking I gave the top of Hestia's head a kiss. Something I used to do to my mom, after I grew taller than her.
This seemed to fluster the Goddess, making me smile and soothing my nerves, "I'll get out and rescue dinner..." I said, putting on my spare pair of boxers and sport bra, then putting on my spare shirt as I walked out of the bathroom.
Dinner was received well, even though it was simply potatoes, onion and cheap cuts of meat from the butcher I had walked by with Arnya that one day. Afterwards, before bed, Hestia updated our status. It was strange how the process worked. Sitting up and getting dressed quickly to spare Bell the jump in blood pressure, I looked at the paper in her hands as she showed it to me.
Kodori
Power: H 125
Endurance: G 207
Dexterity: I 73
Agility: I 64
Magic: I 81
Congenital Magic: Self Re-enforcement
Through will alone, boost basic stats.
Curse: Weapon's Bane
Weapons used to attack will break upon impact.
Titan's grip
Grants an unbreakable grip.
"So..." I looked at the paper, reading it slowly, "Growth depends on what happens to you between..."
"Up dates. Updates" Bell said from the kitchen, where he was diligently washing dishes.
"Updates." I said. "Since I was chewed on... A lot... My endurance went up... I attacked, so my power went up... But... Magic?"
"Maybe you used it without thinking?" Hestia commented, looking as unsure as I felt about the topic. "But you have grown a lot today! In your first day!" She sounded very proud, "Maybe Bell has a rival?"
I snorted, "Bell did almost twice the work today. He is very quick, and for someone so young too."
"I'm still so proud of my Familia." Hestia declared happily, suddenly hugging my around the head, giving me a face full of her divine cleavage.
Suddenly in darkness, and unable to breath, I flailed my arms around a moment before pushing the excitable Goddess back, "Gah, those are dangerous." Hestia pouted at me while Bell ducked his head and scrubbed the dish in his hand harder.
Author's notes.
So our growing little party has had its first day in the dungeon. Not much new here, save for the slight change in situation. A little time must pass before the next big event. Maybe I will watch the series again, or read the books to remind myself of how the main story goes... Or just shrug my shoulders and go with what I remember, in what ever order I remember it in...