Hey guys, Striker777 here with the next chapter of Loki's Renard. This chapter covers more of Akihide becoming adjusted to life with the Loki Familia, at least him beginning to, before continuing to their expedition next chapter. But enough about that, onto the story!
When asked to show the top members of the Loki Familia what he knew about fighting with his weapons, they were very much dissapointed when it became increasingly apparent that Akihide had no idea who to properly wield the weapons that he held. He would swing and slash with them much like a wild animal, with no refinement, techinque or forward thinking about his next move.
Luckily, those were all things that could be trained up and into the boy, but it was certainly a dissapointment that Loki hadn't managed to nag them a child prodigy like Freya seemed to do on a weekly basis. Akihide was just a kid, one who ran away from monsters and only really had experience killing monsters on the surface, which were considerably weaker than the monsters in the dungeon. In all honesty, no one really expected him to be the world's gift to adventuring, but with all the experience he had, they had hoped for better than this.
Finn sighed, and called for Akihide to stop with his 'demonstration' of what he knew so far. "We'll have to train you from the ground up. Your fighting is sloppy and it's a miracle you've faced monsters before and lived to tell the tale. Now, when we go on the expedition in three days, Loki has organised a trainer for you. I don't know who it is, but they should be able to help you learn how to use your weapons properly."
"If you manage to impress us enough when we get back, we'll take you on a dungeon crawl of Floors 1 and 2." offered Gareth, grabbing the young boy's attention and admiration. "But you'll need to work hard every day, keep your equipment in top shape, and be respectful to your teacher."
Akihide nodded his head repeatedly up and down, showing jut how serious he was in getting down into the dungeon. He only knew that killing monsters granted Excilia, and had no idea one could also gain it from training or fighting people instead of monsters. The way he saw it, the only way to get stronger was to get into the dungeon and kill monsters, gaining the Excilia that came with them and increasing his stats. That meant that if he wanted to get stronger and kill monsters in the dungeon, he'd have to become strong enough outside the dungeon and listen to this trainer.
"But enough about that." called Riveria, walking over and giving the young Akihide a headpat. "You did well, now let's get some food and go over reading. I'll at least get you started before we leave for the expedition."
Akihide sighed and accepted his fate. He could only hope that whatever trainer Loki had lined up for him would be able to help him reach Finn's expectations.
"A survivor of the Okami Clan?" asked Gojouno Kaguya, looking down at the status of the boy her Goddess Astraea had given her. "They were supposedly wiped out in a monster attack 2 years ago, but there's a surviving member here in Orario?"
"That is correct." responded Astraea, looking at her Familia's Vice Captain, who had just reached level 2 a month ago, catching up with their captain, Alise. "Loki asked for you by name, saying you'd be the best bet to teach the boy how to use a pair of short swords."
"That makes sense..." mutters Kaguya, before leaning back in her chair and reminiscing. "The Okami Clan wasn't a Noble Clan like my clan or the Haruhime Clan, but they were a Warrior Clan, usually protecting one of the Noble Clans. They're known for their enhancement magic, but also their quick movements and sharp blade skills. They usually use katana or ōdachi however, not something like tantō or wakizashi, so why is Goddess Loki so adament about using short swords?"
Astraea had no answer for the question. Kaguya looked down once more at the status sheet, before thinking to herself. 'Should I train him? With how the streets are at the moment since the Zeus and Hera Familias were banished, I don't exactly have the time to take on a student. But on the other hand, this puts us in a good position with the Loki Familia, one of the new powerhouses since those two left. Not to mention that I might be able to get him patroling the streets with us in the future if I train him well enough.'
She was searching for reasons to train the boy, but she had already made up her mind. She would teach Akihide Okami, the sole surviving member of the Okami Clan how to use short swords.
Akihide wobbled out of his lesson with Riveria, his brain overflowing with the information she packed into their tutoring session. Riveria was a slave driver when it came to his education, going over recent history with him, such as the Zeus and Hera Familias getting whiped out and Loki and Freya's rise to power in Orario. Oh, she had promised to teach him about magic and the dungeon, but then she said that she'd teach him that after her return from the expedition, and got started with recent history, while planning the rest of the lesson for the day after, which she set aside for litteracy.
She had spent the lesson teaching him about what happened over the last five years in Orario, and a little before that, such as the existence of 'The Empress' of the Hera Familia, an adventurer who reached level 9. Since then, the closest anyone got was 'The King', Ottar of the Freya Familia and no one else. Akihide asked why there were no level 9s in Orario if this woman reached that level, only to be told it wasn't that easy, and that leveling up was hard.
Which then bought up the question of how someone levels up.
Riveria threw that question to the side, saying she'd go over it with him when he needed to know, and began throwing more knowledge at him. It sent Akihide over the edge, and he was a drooling, unresponsive mess afterwards. He sat down at the dinner table used by the top executives. Gareth was kind to him and tried to cheer him up from his tired spell, only to recieve a healthy dose of mashed potatoes on his clothes as Akihide fell asleep over his plate, face planting into the potatoes. It was quite the sight, as everyone began laughing at the tired child, Loki in particular.
Then, of course, Riveria was given shit for her Spartan teaching style from Dain, who told her to take it easy on the boy or he'd run away and hate her for teaching him, but Riveria brushed it off, saying it was necessary to drill in as much information as she could before she left, before Gareth joined in on taunting the elf by asking how much information she expected him to retain after their classes.
When she non-jokingly said all of it, everyone in the Familia was dead silent, save for Akihide snoring in his mashed potatoes.
Finn had to step in at that point, reminding Riveria that Akihide was still only seven, and likely wouldn't remember much of what she taught him if she overfilled his brain everyday before they left, meaning she'd have to start at square one when they returned. Riveria, despite her overwhelming sense of desire to teach Akihide everything she could, relented and promised to become more patient in regards to his education, but promised results all the same. Akihide probably would have thanked Finn if it weren't for the fact that he was currently snoring in his dinner.
Finally deciding enough was enough, Gareth got out of his seat, picking up Akihide and giving him a piggy-back to his room. The old dwarf smiled fondly as Akihide clung to his back to rest his body, still asleep from his first day in Riveria School. The old dwarf took Akihide to his room, one just made up and lacking in any presonality, only having a bed and a small wardrobe with a few sets of clothes in it, and one that needed filling. Gareth knew that could wait for a while, at least until after Akihide got used to Orario and all it had to offer, and he imagined Riveria wouldn't have the first clue about what to get for clothes. She'd probably have to ask her old friend Aina to go along with her and choose some clothes, hoping that since she was a mother of two, that she'd have a clearer picture of what to get the young boy.
As Gareth laid the child down in bed, proceeding to tuck him in, he could only smile as he saw the plesant face of Akihide sleeping calmly and soundly, his small chest rising and falling slowly, each breath sounding in a small snore, only noticable if one paid attention to it. The innocence of a child was something Gareth admired greatly, and promised himself that whilst Akihide was an adventurer, he would live out his life as a child, as any child should be allowed to do.
Gareth walked to the door, looking back once more at the sleeping Akihide. "Sweet dreams, you young brat."
Red.
The Torii Gates were red. The clothes of the people were red. The houses of their town were red.
The fire was red.
The blood of the dead was red.
And the monster that caused this, the giant snake, was red.
Akihide was frozen in fear as he watched the village he grew up in be burnt to the ground, the snake releasing a breath of fire unlike anything he had ever seen before, watching as the people of his village were burned alive, their bodies becoming blackened and hard, like coal.
He took a step back, away from the monster that had blown apart his village after appearing from the ground like a sapling. "Amatarasu... why isn't she here?" he asked, remembering his mother talk to him and his younger sister about the great and benevolent goddess Amatarasu that would unify the Far East, with her divine will and the Falna she gave to those who served her. Even his father had been given a Falna just after he was born, making him stronger than the average warrior in the army of their home.
It did not stop the snake monster from swallowing him and his mother whole, as Akihide remembered that moment of hell where the blood of his parents dripped out of the snake's mouth.
His sister, aged 3, could walk, but was not fast enough to run, so Akihide picked her up in a piggy back, and carried her. He ran out of the village gates and into the forest surrounding their home, the screams of both the monster and the people of his village behind him, growing more and more quiet as the two ran for their lives. Akihide slowed down, looking back to the village that he once called home being engulfed in flames. He sent a quick and silent prayer, hoping for the safe journey to the afterlife and the reincarnation process. He turned back around.
The snake was watching him through the trees.
The two renards screamed, and ran from the snake, as it dove into the ground. It was playing with them, as Akihide had no hope of outrunning it, but it seemed to back off before rushing back at them with a bite of it's jaws. Akihide and his sister screamed, both looking back to face the snake.
And neither of them realised until too late that they were approaching a cliff.
Akihide had no time to stop, as his step missed the ground and he and his sister went tumbling off the cliff face. Akihide lost his grip on his sister, as the two plummeted to the ground. Akihide reached for his screaming sister, but the water at the bottom of the cliff drew closer and closer, until both renards impacted with a heavy splash.
"KUZU-IMOUTO!" screamed Akihide, jumping out of his bed with a lack of breath and drenched in sweat. His breath was hitched as he looked around, remembering where he was. "Twilight... Manor..." he muttered, remembering the name of his new home.
He looked outside his window, noticing it was still night. He was too scared to fall asleep again, so he decided to train with what time there was left before breakfast. He got out of his bed, placing on a white shirt and a brown pair of pants that Finn had given to him, before picking up his tantō and making his way to the training grounds. He snuck around, trying to not wake any of the other Familia members sleeping in the rooms around him, his heart stopping for a moment every time the floor creaked under his feet. Soon enough, he made it to the stairs, and began his descent, soon finding himself outside in the training grounds.
Akihide walked over to one of the training posts, one with several nicks and cuts in the timber training tool from other members of the Familia. Akihide drew his blades from their sheath, and held them in a reverse grip, guarding his face as he crossed the two in front of it.
"Drop them down a bit, you're imparing your vision."
Akihide turned to the voice, finding his new Captain, Finn Deimne, watching him from the sidelines. "I noticed you a little while ago and decided to follow you. Can't sleep?" he asked, smiling warmly at the young renard.
Akihide dropped his weapons to his side, nodding at the pallum's question. "Nightmare..." he muttered, reliving the memories that haunted him once more.
Finn hummed in understanding. "Memories you'd rather forget, huh? I can relate to that." said the older man, walking up to Akihide and sitting down, patting the ground next to him to make the renard take the seat next to him. Akihide complied, sitting down next to the pallum. "I've never told you about my hometown, have I?" Finn asked the boy, who shook his head.
Finn looked forward to stare at the training post. "I was born in a mountain village about 2 weeks north of Orario by carriage." he began, his smile dropping into a frown. "I hated my parents and all the pallum in that village for submitting to the other races as an inferior people. Pallum have a Goddess, Fianna, but we learnt a while ago that Fianna wasn't an actual Goddess, and maybe didn't even exist at all. It sent Pallums all over the world into despair, and we stopped trying to be strong. It's why I came to Orario, to become a new light, an indisputable light for pallum everywhere."
Finn looked down. "Well... I only came to Orario after my parents were killed in a monster attack. They died saving me..." he muttered, which caused Akihide to look at him with wide eyes. "I was 10 at the time, and I tried to help the village, but I was almost killed. I would have been if my parents hadn't put themselves between me and the monster. It was the bravest thing they ever did, and I decided to come to Orario in order to become strong enough to live up to their sacrafice."
It was brave of Finn to open up to Akihide like that. Despite the fact that Finn was 25 years his senior, Akihide knew that the two of them were much more alike than what he originally believed.
"..." Akihide looked down before breathing in. "I... I loved my parents..." he said in a soft voice, and Finn looked at him. His gaze wasn't intimidating or caused Akihide to freeze up or shut up, but it seemed more like a teacher or elder brother looking at someone they took care of. It made Akihide want to keep talking. "Dad was a warrior and a member of the Amatarasu Familia just after my sister was born. We weren't nobels, but Lady Amatarasu gave my family a small village four generations ago. It's where my parents taught me how to use my magic."
Akihide smiled at what Finn assumed was a memory. "Father started teaching me when I turned 4, had me memorize the incantation before he got me to use the spell. I've used it a few times, but I never got more than one gate at one time." he admitted to the pallum. "I probably would've been able to do more in a year or two but... well... that thing attacked..."
Finn nodded, remembering Loki talking about a Lambton, or Worm Wells, that was suposedly an enhanced species that wiped out his village 2 years ago. He placed a hand on Akihide's shoulder, in a supportive gesture, and allowed the boy to feel. "We... I ran away... I didn't fight... I took my sister and ran..." he sobbed, tears leaking out the corners of his eyes. "But I co- couldn't... save her... she fell off the cliff with me and... she... she died..."
It was at this point that Akihide broke down into full on tears. As a child, he was more than allowed to cry, as the boy brought his hands to his face, his shoulders shaking as he cried. It was a long time since he cried and it all just came out at once. Finn kept his hand on the boy's shoulder, allowing him his moment of weakness. "It's okay." he soothed the boy, who was now crying into his shoulder. "It'll all be okay. We'll get stronger and make sure you can take care of that monster."
"I-" began Akihide, sobbing still into Finn's shoulder. "I wanna... stop that... ever happening to someone ev- ever again!" he proclaimed, through shaky breaths and teardrops. "Make me stronger Captain Finn! I wanna be the strongest in the world!"
Finn nodded. "Then you better be ready to work harder than anyone else. Harder than Gareth, Riveria, Ottar and even myself. Become smart and wise enough that you're smarter than any other adventurer. If you're serious about this, I expect you to work past your limits, past exhaustion."
"I will!" screamed Akihide, looking at Finn with his teary eyes, burning with a fierce determination. Finn was shocked when he felt his thumb begin to tingle.
'It's not painful like when it warns me about threats, but it feels like when I met Loki...' he thought, before a smile broke out across his face. 'My thumb is telling me that this boy is going to achieve his goals. Loki was right to get him.'
"Alright then." Finn spoke, aloud this time as he stood up, grabbing the spear he bought down with him. "Then show me, Akihide. Show me the determination that will make you stronger than anyone and everyone. Give me everything you've got."
"Right!" yelled Akihide, grasping his weapons once more and holding them in the same grip, but lowering the guard so he could still see Finn. The pallum nodded, satisfied with Akihide's form, and pointed his spear to the boy.
A pair of red eyes looked down at the two, one hand holding a glass of wine as the other laid on her waist. Loki smiled as she watched the two go at it on the training ground. But a dark thought plagued her head.
"Freya's gonna take notice at one point or another... but he's already in my Familia so it shouldn't be an issue at all. But I have this sinking feeling that Freya's gonna be a lot of trouble moving forward. I just have to keep him safe from that slut's grasp." muttered Loki, looking down at her glass of wine and swirling it around in her hand as she imagined the Goddess of Love from her part of heaven had done on so many occassions since their descent to the lower world.
Loki smirked as she looked down at Akihide launching another attack at Finn, despite the fact that he knew he would get knocked down. "I know I made the right choice accepting you, Akihide Okami. She certainly has a way of pushing people in this direction."
Hey guys, hope you enjoyed the chapter. Next chapter will be the Loki Familia embarking on their expedition for what will be 3 and a half weeks, leaving poor Akihide at the mercy of Loki as well as Kaguya. Akihide will begin learning how to use his weapons, as well as form connections outside of the Loki Familia.
Anyway, I'll leave you guys here for a while as I get started writing the next chapter. This is Striker777, over and out.
