The weight of hundreds of thousands of souls rested on her shoulders but she did not waver. Not only did she stand tall, she soared through the limitless sky unbothered by the bottomless malice she had incurred over the last fifteen years.
The legendary Reaper, scourge of the rebels and Messiah of the empire of the sun. Armies annihilated, syndicates shattered, corpses in her wake, fragments of souls weighing her down.
The people believed that death was a return to heaven in order to be purified and reincarnated, but thanks to her nature as a death demi spirit she knew better. All of the malice, hate, rage, sorrow, and despair is left behind. An endless pestilence on earth, never to dirty heaven.
Bits and pieces that negative energy stay with the cause, be it monsters, people, the world, or even life itself. The fate of those that collect this negative energy twists off its destined path and heads towards great hardship, but she does not mind. There can be no strength without strife, and strength is her only concern.
She didn't believe in justice or malevolence, good or evil. No, she only believed in actions and consequences. The rebel hordes brought down the all encompassing flames of war to the land, and she was the consequence.
She had no delusions of grandeur. She knew she was no hero, she didn't even care about the people she had saved. Her only concern was strength and the rebel armies and criminal syndicates were adequate fodder to sharpen her fangs with.
The rain washed away the blood from the deep cut on her face as she waded through the field of gore to the last remaining enemy in the east. It was a fierce battle, sadly she doubted it would be enough to level up again. She needed to move on from this place.
"What have you done, demon! Centuries of planning, effort, and blood all wasted!" The god exclaimed.
"Raijin, you are the last of the rebel deities. With your return to Tenkai I will be free." The woman coldly said. Her midnight black hair was flowing in the breeze, her crimson gaze looking through the god far into the distance. Her black scale armor and massive scythe made for a truly intimidating presence. Raijin had never seen such an imposing figure, even in Tenkai.
"I will wait for you, Astrid Necris… No, Reaper. There will be no peace for you in death, I will make sure of it myself." Raijin declared.
"Then I will cut you down twice." Astrid said as her instrument of violence drew a cruel arc through the air, bisecting the deity. The ivory pillar of light pierced the clouds overhead dispelling the storm.
Astrid turned towards the carnage she had caused with emotionless eyes. Exposed to the golden light of the sun the scene was truly brutal. Thousands of empty vessels lay strewn across the blood stained earth in various states of disrepair, but she did not care.
After so many years of living amidst death she had grown numb to it. In the beginning she had cried and vomited at every turn, then she felt only rage. Rage at the world, rage at Amaterasu, and rage at herself. She doesn't remember when, but at some point the black flame in her heart had frozen into an icy will that would neither break nor bend no matter what she had to endure.
Her goal was clear, all that remained was getting there. She would slay the calamity that stole her parents, everything else was a distraction.
She looked past the portrait of violence to the west and muttered "...The dungeon…"
—-
Astrid couldn't help but widen her eyes at the sight before her, she didn't think much could surprise her at this point. Turns out she was dead wrong. She had seen the tower of Babel from far off on her way toward Orario, but standing at the base and looking up was something else altogether.
She had seen the seal of the dungeon as a child, before her parents and their familia were annihilated, but that was fifteen long years ago. Now a twenty year old adult she could better appreciate the scale of it all.
So much has happened since then… No time for reminiscence, I need to find a new familia.
Astrid's contract with Amaterasu was finished, she needed a new familia. She still had to get much stronger after all. Her goal was to slay the vile beast that stole her family all those years ago.
Astrid had seen enough of the world to know that revenge would do nothing, it wouldn't bring her parents back, but she refused to exist in a world where that accursed lizard still drew breath.
Astrid shook her head and proceeded down the street in search of a place to stay. Amaterasu had given her enough money to live comfortably for several lifetimes along with a storage artifact to hold it, she was also keeping her weapon and armor in there. Very convenient.
Astrid had always stayed far away from the masses in the east so being amidst the vibrant city of Orario was jarring. There were so many people from all walks of life milling the wide streets. Merchants manning their stalls talking up their goods to bring in customers, there were dozens of food carts radiating a myriad of mouthwatering scents. Adventurers of all races roaming about in their varied types of armor, many appeared to be drunk as evening was near.
Crowds were always disorienting for her. Due to her nature as a demi spirit of death she could see shadows of the spirits that never moved on. It wasn't very common but with so many people in one place there were bound to be quite a few.
People were staring at her suspicious cloaked figure as she observed the masses but she didn't mind, it was far better than the lust filled leering she usually had to put up with.
She wandered for a while until she found exactly the type of establishment she was looking for, an inn that catered to adventurers. Her plan was to stay at a place that she could listen around for information on the familias of Orario.
"Welcome to the Benevolent Mistress." A brown haired human woman greeted as Astrid approached. Astrid silently nodded in response and headed for the bar, taking a seat next to a gray haired werewolf and a human with spiky black hair.
There were several stubborn souls watching over the demi human, two appeared to be his parents, two were young human women, and two were young werewolf girls. They all watched on with guilty expressions. That was rather common for the deceased, they always blamed themselves for the living's suffering.
"What'll it be lass?" A truly massive woman behind the counter asked her, interrupting her observation.
"Ale, and a room." Astrid curtly replied, getting a nod, a mug, and a key from the woman.
She began to sip on her drink and focused on the conversations around her, starting with the pair she was next to.
"Why the hell are you here small fry!?" The werewolf practically shouted, clearly upset.
The human man flinched and made a poor attempt at laughing off the question "ahaha… What do you think of the war game situation Bete?" he asked the werewolf, Bete.
"I think I want to tear that fat fucks throat out and fight that whore's familia too, who gives a shit what the guild thinks anyway. Now answer my question or I'll tear your throat out small fry, Why are you here."
Astrid leaned in a little as she heard them speak.
What's a war game?
The human shrunk down and looked away as he said "W-well… the captain may have asked me to keep an eye on you… make sure you don't start any trouble… hahaha…"
A vein popped on Bete's forehead and he shouted "I don't need a fucking babysitter! Get the hell out of here runt!"
Astrid was mildly impressed at how fast the human bolted for the door. She was quite good at gauging people's strength and she was sure he was no higher than level four, the human moved as quickly as a level five in his hasty retreat.
She tapped Bete's shoulder and asked "Hey, I'm Astrid. I just got here today, what's a war game?"
Bete was ready to rip into the stranger that dared to bother him but the second he turned something deep in his instincts screamed that picking a fight wouldn't end well. The woman was entirely concealed by a black cloak but her bearing radiated the type of power only found in warriors, the same type of power that Bete held.
Bete took a moment to compose himself and said "To avoid blood in the streets and collateral, familia fight at a separate location. This war game is between Freya and Hestia familias."
"Are they strong?" Astrid asked. She didn't say it but she was pleasantly surprised that the city had such a custom. She had seen countless die, mostly killed by herself, but the hardest to move on from were always the civilians caught in the crossfire.
"...Yeah. Well, Freya familia is, along with my familia they're the strongest in the city. Hestia familia isn't much, but they have a record setting rookie. Damn rabbit went from unblessed to level four in six months." Bete said with a scoff.
Astrid raised an eyebrow under her hood, getting that strong in six months sounded impossible. She was sure there was some trick to this rookie's growth, probably a skill or strange magic.
Wish I had something like that.
"...I see." Astrid said and chose to let the wolf brood in peace.
The rest of the night passed quietly. Astrid listened in to the other patrons and learned quite a bit about the dungeon city. Hestia familia were overwhelming underdogs in the war game it seemed.
She also learned a lot of miscellaneous information about the city. The guild was the governing body, Ganesha familia kept the peace, and apparently Bete was a member of Loki familia.
Despite being a child at the time Astrid vividly remembered the goddess Loki harassing the remnants of Hera familia as they were banished. Astrid hated Loki for a long time but eventually realized that the flat chested goddess was irrelevant. Getting stronger was all that mattered, everything else was a distraction.
"Closing time girl, head up to your room." The bartender, Mia, said. Astrid nodded in response.
Astrid knew how to proceed, which familia to try to join.
Though I can't imagine them turning me down with the situation they're in.
—-
"Goddess, I'm fine really! Please don't get so close!" Bell shrieked as Hestia latched on to him for what felt like the thousandth time in the last few days.
"Hahahaha, you're really close with your goddess huh Argo-kun!" Tiona said cheerfully.
Ever since the war game had been declared Tiona and Tione had been coming to Hearthstone manor to train Bell. It was their way of making up for the way they treated him when Freya had the city charmed, even though it wasn't their fault.
Neither of them were particularly good at holding back, which led to Bell being tossed around like a ragdoll. Every time that happened Hestia shot straight to him and checked him all over for injuries.
"Stay back you homewrecker!" Hestia shouted as Tiona joined her in clinging to Bell, she was a strong advocate of skinship. Bell of course was blushing fiercely at his predicament. He had grown a lot in the last seven months, but he was still a fourteen year old boy.
Tione sighed at their antics and looked away, by now she was used to the strange situation. As she went to get some water for everyone she noticed a cloaked figure at the gate.
Tione quickly closed the distance and defensively said "What do you want?"
Tione was usually a rather kind person, except when someone got too personal with her captain, but the situation in the city was rather strained at the moment. Caution couldn't hurt.
"My name is Astrid, I would like to meet with Lady Hestia." The cloaked figure said.
Tione frowned but nodded and led her to the goddess. The group stopped messing around as the stranger approached and put their guard up. With the war game fast approaching they were all on edge so a shady figure popping out of nowhere unsettled them.
The figure removed her hood and freed her hair, earning a gasp from Bell. She had hip length raven black hair and burning crimson eyes. Without the large scar running from her right cheek to her right ear her beauty would rival goddess. She was a few inches taller than Bell and clearly an adult, she carried herself with a confidence only found in warriors. Despite her wearing a baggy cloak the curves of her chest and hips were still somewhat visible.
"Hello, I am Astrid. I take it you're Lady Hestia?" The woman asked the short deity.
Hestia took a moment to compose herself and said "I am. What do you want?"
Astrid lightly laughed at how wary they all were and said "I would like to join your familia."
Everyone's eyes went wide, none more than Bell himself. His expression quickly contorted into concern. "I'm Bell Cranel, captain of Hestia familia. I'm sure you've heard about our current… situation. Why do you want to join?"
Astrid's eyes went wide as she noticed the soul watching over him. A woman Astrid knew a long time ago, Meteria. Bell had the same snow white hair and similar features.
…her son…
Astrid gave the boy a small grin and said "I want to join precisely because of your situation. Honestly I don't really care about you or your familia, I just want to fight strong opponents. We can go our separate ways after the war game if you'd like."
Her cold response shocked them all into silence and earned a stern frown from Meteria's spirit. Hestia frowned and said "There's a rule that you would have to stay with us for at least a year before joining another familia. More importantly, why should we let you join?"
"I am strong, that is enough."
Before anyone could respond to her bold claim a loud crash echoed through the courtyard. They all looked over to see Haruhime and Mikoto had dropped the plates of refreshments they were carrying.
"Lady Astrid!?" Haruhime called out as the two rushed over to the black haired woman. As if that weren't surprising enough they swiftly kneeled at her feet.
"What brings you to Orario my Lady?" Mikoto asked.
Astrid frowned at their behavior and sighed in resignation "Rise. There is no need for that."
Welf and Lily had also made their way to the courtyard upon hearing the commotion and were just as confused as anyone else. "You guys know this chic?" Welf asked.
Haruhime and Mikoto whipped their heads towards the red haired smith and began to lay into him "Welf! Watch your tongue!" Haruhime said heatedly. Haruhime never raised her voice under any circumstances so not only Welf but everyone was caught off guard.
"Lady Astrid is a hero, please treat her with due respect." Mikoto chided.
They all looked back to Astrid who only sighed deeply yet again. Bell and Tiona's eyes had lit up at the mention of a hero and they were now eagerly waiting for an explanation. An explanation that Astrid seemed to have no interest in giving.
"...You two know this woman?" Hestia asked her two children.
"Of course! Lady Astrid is the legendary Reaper, the hero that has been single handedly waging war on all of the Rebel familia and crime syndicates in the east for over a decade! There are countless stories of her taking down vast armies by herself, saving countless civilians from war!" Haruhime enthusiastically said, Mikoto vigorously nodding along beside her.
Everyone was shocked at the news, they had all heard stories of the reaper. News from the east rarely made its way to Orario, but almost every immigrant in recent history had brought tales of the reaper. What caught them off guard was that the legendary figure was a beautiful woman, they had all assumed the hero in question was some huge fearsome man.
Letting out another sigh Astrid said "I killed many people, hardly an act worthy of praise." She then looked to Mikoto and said "To answer your question, my contract with Amaterasu has come to an end. I still wish to grow stronger, and your war game is as good an opportunity as any."
"C-contract?" Mikoto asked the question everyone was thinking.
"I have been Amaterasu's personal slave for the last fifteen years. The condition for my freedom was bringing peace to the East." Astrid answered indifferently.
Everyone gasped and looked truly horrified, how could a goddess do something like that? Astrid shook her head and explained "Sounds worse than it was. I was captured by slavers way back and her people raided the convoy. I wanted to get stronger and she wanted a champion, it was mutual benefit."
"S-still, you must have been a child then right?" Hestia said. The tiny goddess was very kind so hearing such a story bothered her deeply.
"Doesn't matter. More importantly, may I join. You need help and I want to fight, win win." Astrid said with a shrug. The others were still processing the fact that one of the greatest heroes of their age was a slave and didn't know how to feel.
"*Sigh* There will be time for confusion later, the war game is the day after tomorrow right? I would like to assist you. Your answer?" Astrid asked.
Hestia was still troubled but she looked to each member of her familia. Everyone nodded as they came to terms with the unexpected turn of events. Astrid's grin grew wider.
—-
Astrid smiled as she awaited the force led by Vana Freya. Lili had predicted that Freya would send him to target the Alliance's deities sooner or later, and she was right. Freya had decided to end the wargame as soon as possible, however she couldn't possibly predict Hestia having an ace like Astrid up her sleeve.
Allen and his force slowed as they reached the top of the hill where Astrid was waiting. She stood clad in her form fitting black scale armor, crafted from the sturdy defense of Jormungand the world serpent. Astrid had slain the beast three years ago when it attacked a port city in the east, it was how she reached level six.
Paired with her scythe, Ragnarok, she made an impressive first impression. The scythe was just as tall as she was and just as pure black as her hair and armor, she looked like a figure pulled straight from a story book.
"Who the hell are you?" Allen called from a dozen feet away. He could sense that this woman was not to be taken lightly.
Astrid's smile grew wider and she took off at full speed, charging the cat person. She was a firm believer that the battlefield was no place for words.
Allen met her halfway and their weapons clashed, to everyone's surprise he was thrown back several feet. Allen's eyes went wide for a moment before he began to put a plan together. There were forty members of his familia following him, they would be enough to subdue the deities and take their flags.
"All of you carry on! I'll take care of her." He called out.
Astrid was only supposed to take care of Allen, those were her orders. Even keeping an executive occupied was more than enough, plus if she didn't do it they would have to hope for Hedin's plan to pay off and no one was completely sold on that. The others had been very concerned about leaving her such a difficult task, but she didn't mind. She would deal with the cat and move on to the boar as soon as she finished.
Allen shot straight back at Astrid, his silver spear aimed directly at her heart. Astrid slightly swatted the head of the spear to the side with her left hand as it approached and brought her scythe down with her right.
"Tsk!" Allen scoffed as he jumped clear of the attack. The faster something is moving forward the weaker it is to perpendicular force, that is the greatest weakness of the spear. All it takes to send a fast thrust off course is tap to the side.
Astrid might have been the most experienced warrior in the world when it came to fighting people, accordingly she was well used to all manner of weapons. She had slain masters of the spear, sword, axe, and hammer. Mages and assassins, archers and warriors, she had seen all of the techniques and tricks thousands of times before.
Allen launched another offensive this time with a swift series of thrusts, but the result was the same. He was faster and she was stronger, but she seemed to see his attacks coming before he even committed to them.
Astrid ignored his feints and countered before he even started his real attacks. The two fell into a rhythm and lost track of time. Allen attacked, Astrid countered, Allen retreated, then the interaction started anew.
An orchestra of explosions rang in the distance, the spells and magic swords of the main battle. The noise quieted as the announcer informed everyone of the gods whose flags had been stolen. Their dance continued regardless.
The longer the fight carried on the quicker Astrid's counters came, small cuts began to accumulate across Allen's body. Astrid wasn't moving any faster, she was reading Allen's patterns and predicting his attacks. Added to her precise control of her scythe she could fight despite the gap in speed.
Allen would never admit it but he was awestruck, the only person he had ever heard of having such skill was Hogni. Eventually Allen admitted to himself that the way things were going, this wouldn't end well for him. He jumped back and began chanting.
Allen hated using his magic, he saw it as proof of his weakness. However, he recognized this woman as a threat to his goddess and would stop at nothing to ensure her wicked scythe never got near Lady Freya.
Much to his surprise Astrid didn't attack him when he was chanting. Allen was no mage, he had to stand still to recite his incantation. He had no way of knowing this but Astrid just wanted to fight him at his best, the greater the opponent the greater the growth.
"Gralineze Fromel"
A pale blue light enveloped Allen's body and he shot straight to Astrid at an unprecedented speed. A splash of blood sprayed from her side as Allen passed her. Astrid's eyes went wide and she quickly tightened her guard.
Another blue flash and another spray of blood, this time from her other side. She could barely react, barely redirect the strikes away from her vitals. After a third attack Astrid decided that if he was holding nothing back she would do the same.
She leapt into the air and did something that shocked not only Allen, but all those watching as well. She manifested wings and took to the sky. Two raven black wings composed of shining feathers freed her from the chains of gravity.
Taking advantage of Allen's momentary stupor she dove at him like a hawk, faster than ever before. The roles reversed, Astrid flashed past Allen and tainted the ground with his blood over and over again.
Allen recovered after the first attack and began sprinting again. He only had an instant to counter, Astrid had to get close in order to attack after all. Their dance from earlier resumed, except this time the two were moving at speeds beyond what level sixes should be capable of.
Of those viewing the battle only a select few could keep track of the black and blue flashes racing across the field. After a few minutes their back and forth brought them back to the main battlefield and caused a new wave of chaos.
Allen had never moved faster in his life, perhaps no one had. His magic had no upper limit, the longer he ran the faster he got. He had never encountered an enemy, monster or mortal, that could keep up with him to this extent.
When he got this fast he began to lose control, but Astrid was no different. Her current agility stat was far past what her reflexes could keep up with, she too had never moved faster in her life.
The only difference between the two was that Astrid's boost in speed was static, while Allen's actively increased.
As the Reaper dove and the chariot sprinted their surroundings were shattered. The ground was a mess of dirt and blood, littered with craters from their battle. Everyone below level five was being thrown around by the shockwaves of their movement and clashes.
Astrid was no longer able to see Allen. He wasn't even a blur, her dynamic vision simply couldn't register his movement. She would lose at this rate, she realized. Astrid stayed in the air out of Allen's reach for several moments and steadied her breath. She knew how to win. She needed to trust the battle instincts she had cultivated for so long.
As with everyone else, Astrid was once weak and slow. She had extensive experience with fighting superior enemies, that was the only way to get stronger.
Astrid slowly descended and hovered just off of the ground, she then looked to where Allen was standing and took a defensive posture. Allen understood. It ended there, one way or another.
Astrid tuned out everything but Allen as she awaited his attack, she didn't see anything but him, she didn't hear any of the noise from the battle field, she completely cleared her mind of everything except the man before her.
Allen had absolute faith in himself and never backed down from a challenge.
The chariot rushed forward with a speed the world had never witnessed before.
Astrid dropped her scythe the second she lost sight of Allen and began moving her left hand downwards in front of her heart.
The very next instant the fight was decided.
Allen stood with his silver spear piercing straight through Astrid. Just as he was going to remove the spear he noticed something strange. It was stuck.
He looked down and saw a hand holding his own in place, keeping the spear from leaving his opponent's body. He then noticed that the spear had missed its target, it was just below her heart.
Before he could process what that meant Astrid brought her right hand around and grabbed the hair on the back of Allen's head.
"Well fought." Astrid said with a smile.
Allen began to panic but it was too late. Astrid slammed her forehead directly into Allen's face over and over until his body went limp.
As she let him fall to the ground and removed the spear from her torso she couldn't help but smile widely.
"This might just be enough… I can't even remember the last time any one person pushed me so far…" She said to herself.
The next instant she collapsed next to Allen and everything went dark.
—-
Astrid watched from on high as her younger self was led through the palace by Amaterasu. For a moment she stared on blankly in confusion, but soon realized she was reliving a memory from her past.
"Where are you taking me?" The little Astrid asked with hate in her eyes. For many years Astrid had loathed Amaterasu, now she could only laugh at how pointless that had been.
"There is something I wish to show you, A mural that has been in this palace since before the deities descended from Tenkai. I think you may find it interesting." The goddess of the sun explained. Amaterasu was a beautiful woman with flowing hair the color of sunlight and vibrant eyes the color of molten steel.
Goddesses were always extremely beautiful, but now that she had met several more Astrid could see that Amaterasu was a step beyond the rest. Her appearance could rival Freya herself.
The young Astrid pouted, considering anything other than fighting a waste of time. The goddess could only sigh at the attitude of her young champion. At only nine years old Astrid was already level three. Level four and beyond was nearly unheard of outside of Orario but with her rate of growth and determination it was only a matter of time.
The walls of the palace were white marble with designs of gold to honor the goddess, however as they delved deeper into the structure than Astrid had ever been before the scenery changed to stone. Astrid didn't know exactly where they were, but even as a child she could tell that the area was ancient.
After another half an hour of trudging through the maze they came to a dead end, their destination.
"You can hardly tell now, but once upon a time this mural was breathtaking."Amaterasu said. It was only after she mentioned it that Astrid noticed the faint markings on the wall before them. The paint was so faded that it all appeared as mildly differing shades of gray and the stone was so worn that the lines between whatever the original image was composed of had blurred significantly.
"The rabbit brings the wind into the light, the Raven and Cat carve the path, and together they banish evil from the world." Amaterasu said.
The young Astrid tilted her head and looked at the goddess as if she were crazy. "A story? You brought me all the way here for that?" She asked.
Amaterasu laughed and said "Not a story, a prophecy. I don't know who made the mural, but I do know that whoever it was had a gift. Several other murals like this exist around the world, all of them portray stories of great heroes. The interesting part is that they were all made long before the age of heroes, the creator of these murals foresaw them."
Astrid was only nine years old, she didn't really understand the scale of what Amaterasu was saying but she did know it was strange.
"My favorite part of all those stories and prophecies is that none of the heroes are ever alone. Albert and Aria, The Argonaut and Ariadne, and perhaps the rabbit and the wind, the cat and the raven…" Amaterasu trailed off as she glanced down at her champion.
As Astrid looked down at the scene she finally realized that she may well be the raven, and she just met a rather powerful cat…
…He is quite handsome…
—-
Astrid slowly opened her eyes only to find an unfamiliar ceiling. Other than the dream the last thing she remembered was defeating Allen, as well as the massive wound in her torso.
She slowly removed the blanket that was covering her and checked herself over for injuries, but found none. Even the old scars that had littered her body were nowhere to be seen.
She didn't know how long she had been out for, but judging by how hungry she was it had been at least a few days. Her stomach made a loud protest at its prolonged neglect and for a moment Astrid thought there was a monster in the room.
Before she could get up to remedy her situation an apple fell on her ample chest and found a new home in her cleavage. She froze for a moment and then looked to her left, where the projectile had come from, and found a blushing cat standing at the window.
"...Allen Fromel…" she muttered after a moment of taking in his appearance. Short black hair, with matching ears and a slender tail, along with golden eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness. It was only then she realized it was quite late, the window behind him revealed the moon high in the sky.
"...Eat." He curtly said. Not seeing a reason to refuse his kindness she dug into the apple while continuing to look at him, silently urging him to explain the situation. After taking a moment to compose himself after the unplanned borderline sexual harassment, he turned back to her and began.
"It's been three days since the war game, you lot won… somehow. My familia has been banished from the city, but I wished to speak to you before I left. Your goddess agreed." He said.
Astrid nodded and once again silently urged him to continue. Now that they weren't trying to kill each other she could better appreciate his looks. His body was chiseled and lean, though he was rather short. Maybe four or so inches shorter than Astrid, not that she minded.
Cute
"I don't really know what to say… I never thought we would lose. I still have to get stronger, there's still something I need to do. No matter what. I can't afford to leave Orario, but I don't know what to do…" He said. If anyone else saw him being so indecisive and vulnerable they would think he was a fake, but he was truly lost now.
Allen's entire homeland had been razed by the one eyed black dragon years ago, he had been pursuing vengeance ever since. He stayed with Freya not because she was beautiful, but because she was strong. Now the pillar that had supported him for so long had crumbled, it was only natural he would finally break.
Astrid's eyes widened as Allen lowered his gaze to the floor. She realized that he was the same as her, he had the same determination. She knew what she had to do, she always hated half measures anyway.
The raven and the cat…
Astrid shot out of the bed, ignoring the fact that she was only wearing a very thin hospital gown, and quickly walked over to Allen. He was caught off guard and took a step back, but that would never be enough to stop the legendary reaper.
Astrid put a hand under his chin to force his face up and began to slightly lean down. Allen could do nothing but stare with wide eyes as their faces drew closer, he was completely caught off guard. He had assumed she would remain silent, maybe even laugh at how pathetic he was, but he had never even thought of… this.
Determined liquid fire stared into bewildered molten gold as their lips met. After the initial shock Allen tried to pull away, but it was futile. Astrid held him tight and leaned even further into the kiss.
After a few seconds of vain attempts at escape Allen submitted to her affection and leaned in himself. He didn't understand what was happening. He had never thought he would get romantically involved with anyone, his goal was far too violent for that.
However, with Astrid it felt right. He began to think that if it was with someone as strong as her, everything might just work out. Their kiss continued for several long minutes and they began to get more adventurous.
Astrid guided his hands to her hips and Allen began to squeeze, eliciting soft moans from Astrid directly into his own mouth. Astrid buried one of her hands in his hair and began stroking his ears, she placed her other hand at the base of his tail and began scratching making the man pur directly into her own mouth.
Just as the two were about to get truly lost in each other Astrid pulled back, much to Allen's dismay. He still wasn't entirely sure what was happening, but he felt truly good for the first time in a long time.
Astrid's cheeks were almost as red as her eyes, she looked fondly at the man and said "You aren't leaving. Marry me and join Hestia familia, I will be the strongest and you will be the fastest. Together we will become peerless."
Hearing that Allen finally snapped out of his haze and went bright red "M-marry!?"
Astrid smiled gently seeing this side of the warrior she had just fought to near death with. She brought him into a gentle hug, resting his head against her chest and said "Yes… I want to be your wife."
"Or am I not pretty enough for you?" She added in a teasing tone. Astrid had never given romance much thought before but she wasn't an idiot. Men always stared at her in a rather dirty manner, she had to cover her entire body to avoid it.
Allen put his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes fiercely before saying "That's not it! I just… I don't know. I never thought I would be with someone like that."
"Do you not want to be with me… like that?" She asked seriously. Astrid didn't know much about love, and she wasn't entirely sold on Amaterasu's prophecy but she was sure about this. She was sure she loved Allen.
Astrid had always been of the belief that actions are far more telling than words, and there had been much action in their fight. She had learned what kind of man Allen is by clashing weapons with him. She had learned that he was straightforward and extremely determined.
She had learned that he was the type of man to face his problems head on at every turn. She had also felt his desire during the fight, his desire to become the greatest not for fame or even for power itself. She was certain that Allen wanted something just as badly as she wanted to slay the dragon, and that he would never stop until he achieved that goal.
She was certain that if she were ever to take a consort it would be Allen or no one.
Allen began to panic for a moment, he too was already fond of Astrid. His instincts were screaming at him to stay with her, no matter what. However, he would not drag her down the same path he was taking.
"Astrid Necris, my goal in life is to slay the one eyed black dragon. That beast stole my parents, along with our entire nation. Lady Hestia told me of your past, you're a hero. You shouldn't tie yourself to someone like me." He said resolutely.
Astrid's eyes went wide, and after a moment she began to laugh. Allen was confused, and a little upset that she was laughing him off, but chose to let her explain before he said something stupid and impulsive. As he usually did.
"Pft- Sorry sorry. First, I'm no hero. I've only ever fought to get stronger, the rest is noise. Our goals are the same. My parents were Zeus and Hera familia, my goal has always been to slay the dragon." She explained.
It was Allen's turn to go wide eyed. He quickly made his decision, took Astrid's hand in his own and kneeled.
"Astrid Necris, will you marry me?" He asked with a newfound heat in his eyes.
Astrid blushed fiercely as he took charge of the situation for the first time since she woke up. Not wasting a moment she replied.
"Yes!"
Allen quickly stood up and leaned into Astrid once more, all his previous hesitation long gone. He grabbed the back of her thighs and picked her up.
"Kya!" Astrid let out a rather embarrassing cry at his unexpected action.
Allen carried her back to the bed and gently set her down on the edge. This time Allen was on the offensive, he quickly brought his lips to hers, staring into her eyes all the while.
Neither of them had any experience with intimacy so they just did whatever felt good, and whatever they thought would make the other feel good. Before long their tongues found their way into each other's mouths. They moaned and purred into each other as their hands explored the other's body.
Astrid's hands ran over his firm muscles, giving her some sort of instinctual satisfaction that her partner was strong. Allen's hands went to her chest and sunk in slightly as he squeezed, he had never experienced anything as right as being this close to Astrid.
*Creak*
They were both far too lost in each other to notice the sound of the door opening. Syr and Hestia stood and watched in awe. They had rushed here fearing the worst after hearing Astrid's earlier yelp, and were completely floored by what they found.
Hestia was just innocent and would be shocked regardless of who was involved. Syr(Freya) on the other hand was in complete disbelief because of who was involved. She loved Allen as her own child but she had honestly thought he would never get involved with anyone like this.
Syr put on a cheshire grin and made their presence known "Ahem."
Hestia was still frozen so she would be no help. The two of them seemed to finally notice their visitors but neither jumped back, much to Syr's disappointment. She was so looking forward to teasing Allen.
"Yes?" Allen said. He had pulled his face back but his body was still thoroughly intertwined with Astrid.
"Um… What?" Syr said, unable to come up with anything better. She was certain he would at least be embarrassed.
Allen took a moment to think over what to say and eventually looked back to Astrid "That's Lady Freya. For several years now she has been disguising herself as a common waitress, Lady Hestia has been kind enough to allow her to stay as long as it is as Syr."
Astrid slowly nodded as she processed the unexpected information. "This is quite convenient then. Lady Hestia I would like you to allow Allen to join Hestia familia."
That finally snapped Hestia out of her daze, unfortunately it sent both her and Syr into a new stupor. They were so lost. Astrid had just woken up and already hooked up with Allen and was now asking for him to join?
"...What?" Hestia said after several moments of rebooting, repeating Syr's question.
"Well Allen still wants to get stronger, and I want to get stronger with him. He's a good man, and can't you at least give him a chance as a favor to me? I believe I carried my own weight quite well in the war game." Astrid pleaded.
The two deities went quiet for a while as they came to terms with the situation. Syr looked at Hestia and gave a slight nod, granting her permission, and Hestia returned the gesture.
Hestia looked to Allen and said "I haven't known Astrid for long, but if she vouches for you I can at least give you a chance. Also we need all the strength we can get, if Loki is left uncontested I'm sure we'll all end up her play things before long. I'll be counting on you Allen."
Allen surprised them again by smiling and silently removed his shirt to receive Hestia's falna. Hestia bit her finger to draw some blood and walked up to him. As a drop of her ichor fell on his back a gentle light brightened the room and the image of a woman's face with two pegasus above appeared on his back.
Allen looked over his shoulder to Syr and gave a slight nod of his own. This was the end of a significant chapter in his life, and he would always be grateful to Freya for all she had given him.
As Hestia ran her finger over his back the image morphed into a hearth. As Hestia read through his status her jaw fell open.
Allen Fromel
Male
Beast-kin (Cat)
Level 6-7
Str A841 - I0
End A806 - I0
Agi S999 - I0
Dex S950 - I0
Mag D587 - I0
Magic
Gralineze Fromel- Extreme speed enhancement, the longer the user runs the faster they get.
Skills
Kottum Tveim- Greatly increase agility stat when moving in a straight line.
The Cat and the Raven- Increase all physical stats when fighting alongside the Raven.
Development Abilities
Hunter D
Abnormal Resistance G
Spearman E-D
Chain Attack F-E
Magic Resistance F
Strong Body I
Hestia just stood there and blankly stared at his back for a while. Eventually Syr got tired of waiting and took a look herself, which led to her also blankly staring at his back.
After several long moments Allen's patience finally ran out and in an irritated tone he said "Lady Hestia, what is it?"
Without saying anything she grabbed a blank sheet of paper and copied his status down to show him. Astrid watched on with a gentle smile as Allen's face lit up, that alone told her he had leveled up.
He showed the paper to Astrid and she gave him a quick ear rub and a kiss on the cheek. If Hestia and Syr weren't still hung up on the update they would've been sent into yet another confused stupor.
"Alright, my turn!" Astrid exclaimed and began to remove her hospital gown. This managed to get the goddesses present to come back to the real world.
"What do you think you're doing young lady!" Hestia shouted as she latched onto Astrid's arm to keep her from stripping.
"Allen is still here!" Syr said in exasperation as she latched onto Astrid's other arm.
"What's wrong with my husband-"
""HUSBAND!?"" They both shouted, interrupting her.
"Husband." Astrid affirmed with a nod of her head.
"When the hell did that happen!?" Hestia asked, still hysterical.
"Like five minutes ago." Astrid explained.
Syr gave an exhausted sigh and dragged Allen out of the room. Even a goddess of love occasionally has trouble keeping up with mortals it seems. Hestia let out an equally exhausted sigh and closed the door behind them.
Finally free Astrid stripped and turned her back to her goddess. Hestia proceeded to update her status and let out a small sigh before handing the sheet to Astrid.
"Congratulations Astrid… you are now one of five level sevens in the world." Hestia said in awe. She genuinely couldn't believe that she, a goddess that has only been in gekai for less than a year, was the patron of three of the strongest people in the world.
Astrid smiled so brightly that it snapped Hestia out of her reverie "Thank you, Lady Hestia."
"No shouting or long pauses this time?" Astrid asked in a teasing tone.
Hestia couldn't help but smile herself as she handed the sheet to her new child "No making fun of your goddess young lady, and we are going to have a long chat about this husband business. You only had one choice for development abilities so I just went with that, though I've never heard of this one before."
Astrid Necris
Female
Demi Spirit (Death)
Level 6 - 7
Str S999 - I0
End S999 - I0
Agi S914 - I0
Dex S908 - I0
Mag I0 - I0
Skills
Valkyrie- Manifest raven black wings, agility stat is doubled when flying.
Reaper- Killing an enemy grants a temporary 10 point boost to all stats, stack up to fifty times for a maximum boost of 500 points. Stacks last one hour.
The Cat and the Raven- Increase all physical stats when fighting alongside the Cat.
Development Abilities
Hunter A
Abnormal Resistance E
Strong Body D - C
Strong Defense E - D
Flash Cut E
Supreme Vessel I
Astrid gave a wide smile as she saw she had a matching skill with Allen. "A level up, a new skill, two increased development abilities, and a new strange one, probably a stronger version of strong body… wait. Five? You said I'm one of five level sevens?" Astrid asked.
Hestia sighed and said "It has been a busy few days. Our familia has grown quite a bit, and they are all strong too. As for the level sevens, Ottar is still alive somewhere, the head of the education district, Mia Grand, Allen, and now you."
Astrid tilted her head at the news "Mia Grand? As in the bartender?"
"You know her? Yes, that's the one, and she is now a member of our familia along with most of her staff. Mia, Allen, and you are level seven. Ryu, Hedin, and Hogni are level six. Bell, Anya, Chloe, Lunoire, and Heith are level five. Supporter, Welf, Mikoto, and Haruhime are level two." Hestia explained their new line up.
Astrid tilted her head even further, she didn't know most of those names. She assumed they had helped in the war game, though she was surprised that Mia had decided to join their familia.
Hestia saw her confusion and explained further "Ryu, Anya, Chloe, and Lunoire are waitresses at Mia's tavern, they have been friendly with us for quite a while now and decided they still want to get stronger. Heith was Freya's head healer, yesterday she barged into our home and demanded we take responsibility for destroying her familia by taking her in. Bit of an attitude on that one, but it seems she is willing to work with us and she is quite capable. Hedin and Hogni were executives in Freya familia, you were told about those three before the war game"
"Hmm… If we're taking all her staff won't Mia's tavern be in trouble?" Astrid said after a moment.
"*sigh* Mia, her head cook May, Syr, and I will be working there full time. Everyone else in our familia will work shifts there part time, three people a day with the exception of expeditions. That includes you and that perverted cat boy, understood young lady?" Hestia said more than asked.
Astrid laughed at the idea of herself working as a waitress but nodded anyway.
"Let's go home, Lady Hestia."