Hey guys, Striker777 here with the next part of Loki's Renard. I was having some issues with my internet over the last few days, but it's all better now, so sorry for the late update. Anyway, be sure to vote and comment, especially regarding Lili vs Asfi for the supporter role, as across and Wattpad, the score is currently at 4-3 in favour of Asfi. Lili fans, if you want her as the supporter, spam the reviews with your vote!
DocOckCyberKok: If Lili gets chosen, I am also very excited to see what I can do with her character.
IsakDemn: I haven't planned on pairings yet, but I have a few ideas. Freya is most certainly interested in Akihide, since that can tie in well with the later issues of the Light Novel as well as give Akihide some chance to form connections with other strong adventurers, so it is most certainly a possibility. Also, who said Akihide was going to be weaker than Bell? He certainly has a work around with his newest skill, and his stats won't be low for an adventurer, you can trust me when I tell you Akihide will be much stronger than you think.
NiebieskiLis: The issue with those two is that Orba and Asta are currently stronger in terms of level and strength when compared to Kiddy Party, and I want to, as an author, explore one of the two routes I've given you.
Roland Tepes: Asfi would most certainly be an interesting choice, and she would use her Mystery much more differently than Airmid does, one making items and weapons whilst the other makes elixirs and prosthetics, so it would most certainly be interesting.
Reverie Lotus: Lili is a standout, that's for sure, and I would love to explore potential options with her character more. I know for sure though that there would be no better Familia for Lili than the Astraea Familia in the current time, and I have crossroads I can walk down depending on what happens to them (still debating what to do with Astraea Familia during Floor 30 Incident), but it would be interesting to consider. Also, yeah, Greek Gods and their views on women are... iffy (to put it VERY mildly), but I think it would be fun writing Hermes trying to corrupt Akihide and Riveria having to re-educate him from dealing with Hermes' shenanigans.
BrimazKing: I haven't seen a fanfic of Lili in a different staring Familia before, so if you could name drop a few that would be awesome, but it would be cool to give another character that hasn't been given much love in the main series some more.
Guest: Hermes certainly brings chaos wherever he goes, and there is a certain charm in Lili being Bell's supporter, for sure, so vote for Asfi counted.
massone22: I hadn't considered an OC to be honest, but that wouldn't be the worst idea either. I don't have any ideas at the moment, but Bell's introduction is still a tad far away for the story, so I have plenty of time to think about it. Thanks for the idea.
But the lifting competition was fun, definitely see myself doing it again, even if I didn't get everything I wanted. I failed my final 170kg squat on depth, and I injured my wrist trying the 110kg bench press, but I was still able to get a few PBs in, and that's really all that matters, beating the previous you. But enough semantics, onto the story!
Akihide looked at the sight before him with awe, holding onto the backpack and looking at the Wall of Grief as it had been dubbed by Adventurers. This is where the Goliath would spawn, and the next battlefield for the Loki Familia. They were currently sitting well outside the area the Goliath would spawn, recuperating their strength and making final preparations. Akihide was sorting through the bag that he would be carrying, making sure the most important equipment was in reach and easily accessible. Healing and mana potions were in the pockets on the side, whilst all the spare weapons were in the major storage area, prepared and handles facing the roof.
The only weapons not in the bag were the two shields that were leaning against the wall to the side. They were far too important to leave in the bag, and it would be quicker to simply take the shields to the front and return to the bag later. That and the shields didn't fit in the bag without covering the handles of the rest of the weapons, and the two seconds it took to get the shields off the top could prove fatal. If the one carrying it was anyone else, it would make much more sense to put the shields on top of the other weapons anyway, since they were the most likely to break first.
But common sense was something that could be thrown out the window when used in the context of someone with a broken skill like Akihide. Mico Grandus made it possible for Akihide to play jump rope with the previously established laws of common sense, as if the realm of reason was his playground. Whilst others would make the decision to have the shields at the top, as was common sense, Akihide knew it was better to have the shields at the side, and he could teleport the shields to the front lines in a matter of seconds, which opened up the bag for the possibility of a weapon breaking first, in which Akihide was prepared to teleport to the people and hand them the spare weapons they had on hand.
Liza had been the one to ask why all the weapons weren't leant against the wall like the shields, but Finn had explained how it would be more beneficial for all of them to continue using the pack system. There were simply too many weapons to keep them all in reach of Akihide if they leant up against the wall without all the handles melding together and causing potential problems. If Akihide kept the weapons in the bag he was carrying, they'd be much easier to reach as well as being more organised. Sure, there was less of a chance of Akihide fumbling around in the bag and getting weapons caught on one another if the bag became messy, but the bag was properly packed and checked by Riveria to ensure that didn't happen, so it was safer all around to simply use the bag.
At the moment, however, no one was worried about Akihide's duties as a supporter. All eyes were on the prize, awaiting the Goliath to spawn. For some, it would be a familiar foe, one where they had acted as supporters before, on in Lloyd's case, his second attempt at using the Goliath to bridge the gap between levels 2 and 3. For some, however, like Alise and Kaguya, this was their first time encountering the Goliath. Sure, they had been to Floor 18 before, but that was only when the Goliath had already been slain, so they had yet to actually see the beast in action. This was completely new and unfamiliar territory for the two members of the Astraea Familia.
Finn looked over at the Wall of Grief, before standing up. "My thumb is tingling, it seems that the Goliath is upon us." he said, looking over at the group and smiling. "This is it, your big moment. We only get a shot at this every few months, so be sure to give it your all and earn your Rank Ups. Riveria and I will be covering any monsters that try to involve themselves with this fight, so all of you can focus your full attention on the Goliath."
That was a boost to morale. With no need to focus on anything behind them, the group was more than ready to focus their full attention of the monster rex. With Finn and Riveria watching their six, there was no need to worry about interference from other monsters. Honestly, one of the earliest traps in the Dungeon was how monsters would storm the battlefield with a monster rex and completely destroy the attacking force before they could cause any significant damage. However, with the added bonus of not having to worry about other monsters, it was a huge boon for the party.
With their final preparations complete, the party got ready to enter the domain of Goliath. They watched the Wall of Grief, as the cracks began to appear, and grow as the wall shook under the force of the Goliath being born. They see how the monster's red eyes began to shine through the clear materials, as small rocks began to break off from the wall. This was it, the moment of truth. The eight front line fighters were ready. They were prepared to Rank Up, the promise of level three shining in front of them. To most, it was a new opponent they had never even laid eyes on, having never faced the Goliath in combat before. However, to Lars, it was his second subjugation. He was confident in this group's abilities to take down such a monster.
Finally, the cracks on the walls gave way, and with a resounding 'BOOM', the creature made it's way out of the wall. Pieces of slightly white but translucent crystal smashed against the ground of the arena, common for when the Goliath spawned and a deadly trap to unknowing adventurers. It was known as 'Grief Rain', as the stones were heavy enough to smash a person to pieces as if it was nothing, killing more than it's fair share of adventurers during it's time. Luckily, since this was far from the first rodeo of the Loki Familia, they knew about this well before hand, and had not gone into the room itself like many other adventurers would have, electing to instead wait in the safety of the passageway whilst waiting for the rain to settle, much like the giant cloud of flashing dust between them and their target.
Speaking of the target, it was impossible to miss the tall silhouette of the monster. Standing at seven metres tall, with a large amount of muscle held in with light grey skin and silver hair, a pair of fang-like teeth on the bottom jaw. It's red eyes pierced the souls of the group, looking at them as a minor inconvenience rather than anything else. The party steeled it's nerves as it went to face the monster, all their weapons drawn and their eyes focused, looks of deep concentration etched across their faces as they prepared to take down the beast.
Well... all but one of them, who was instead smiling as she felt a rush of strength flow through her body.
The number of people residing in Orario with what is referred to as a 'broken skill' could be counted on one hand ever since Zeus and Hera were forced out of Orario. Seemed the two of them had a knack for finding mortals with these skills. One was, of course, Akihide, having access to both Mico Grandus as well as Reiður Styrkur Tamamo, both of which were classified as 'broken skills', Mico Grandus being a middle of the pack runner, whilst Reiður Styrkur Tamamo was of a much higher tier.
Another was Riveria with her Alf Regenia, although that broken skill was classified as one of the lower tiered ones. Riveria's skill was entirely too dependent on having multiple elves around her in order to fully use the skill her falna had bestowed upon her. The mind regeneration of the skill is insanely impressive, essentially making any elf who steps foot inside it the equivalent of a candle that simply seemed to get more fire rope and wax added to it with every second it burned, which is what allowed her skill to technically be classified as a 'broken skill'.
The third was Alfia, but she had her skill long before Hera and Zeus were kicked out, so her being included in the list was somewhat debatable. Vel Ardore was the name of her skill, which roughly translated to 'Play the Rhythmic Light', was an enhancement skill for her magic, as the more noise in the area, the more powerful her magic becomes. With the constant noise in the Dungeon from fighting monsters, the clashing of metal against monsters or other metal, screams of battle, it was considered the most powerful passive skill due to how loud battle could be, and placed Alfia on a pedestal of her own during fights.
Then there was Alise, the member with the 'broken skill' in the group. A skill seen once before in a member of the Hera Familia 200 years ago, Lubrude Bequia. This skill was special, as it was essentially a more powerful version of Akihide's magic, without limitations apart from it only affecting herself, but the payoff was well worth it. Her basic abilities were increased by extraordinary amounts, increasing strength when in combat, her endurance and dexterity in the face of adversity, and her agility and magic stats when facing a powerful opponent, all of which were activating as she looked at the Goliath with a toothy grin. However, the real kicker was when all three were utilised at the same time, as her strength, agility and magic stats were increasing as time went on.
In other words, when faced with adversity whilst in combat with a strong enemy, and given three minutes, Alise could rival any level 3 in Orario, another ten after that and level 4s were no match for her. This was the true power of the Captain of the Astraea Familia, to soar above all expectations, to redefine what it means to be strong, even when others perceived her as weak. There was no stopping the power of Alise Lovell when her skill activated, when her blood got pumping, when she had that stupid grin on her face which screamed 'This is going to be fun!'.
The beast roared, and the party charged. Alise and LLoyd lead the charge, one holding a shield whilst Alise went in for the tendon to it's heel. The Goliath swung it's hand down on the red haired girl, but Alise was more than fast enough with her boost to safely dodge the blow and continue her assault, swinging her blade across the heel of the monster, causing a rush of pain, but dealing no real damage to it, her swing too shallow to do any actual damage to the beast, but was more than enough to distract it. The Goliath turned it's attention to the red headed girl, and swung it's fist up to take her down. Alise only smiled, however, as she looked behind the monster, and to her friend, fellow follower of justice and Vice-Captain of the Astraea Familia, Kaguya Gojouno.
The Far Eastern beauty jumped up at the monster, looking away from her with it's focus on her Captain. "Flowers of the Disastrous Equinox, Gokou!" she canted, her blade becoming enveloped in a golden light, creating five blades right behind the sword which followed the original blade. Kaguya swung down on the beast's nape, and six slashes slammed down on the Goliath, slicing deeper than Alise's slash to the heel. The beast roared in pain once more, before turning around and swatting his hand at Kaguya. But before the Goliath could make contact with the girl, a pair of spells found their way to it's face, causing it to switch to defence and cover it's face.
Cynthia and Kalos, two elves of the Loki Familia, had blasted the monster rex with their own magic, Cynthia with ice and Kalos with lightning. They had caused the Goliath to veer off course, which allowed the others to move in. Remilia went in first, swinging her fist and striking the inside of the Goliath's knee, bringing it down onto one knee. Liza went and used it's lowered frame to slam the tip of her spear into the monster's eye, enticing a roar of pain from the Goliath. Enraged, the beast swung at Liza, but Lloyd was there to block with his shield, tanking the blow. If it was anyone else in the party at the moment, they would have been blasted away, but Lloyd held strong, confident in his shield, as he had it designed specifically to tank the hits of the Goliath.
Sharon came in as the beast got back on it's feet, getting a boost from Remilia and swinging her sword at the monster, who backed up to dodge the blow. Cynthia sent another spell at the monster rex, who backed up once again to avoid the dangerous icy barrage. Alise went once more and swung her sword with all her might, which the beast blocked this time, only for Kaguya to come from behind her Captain and swing at the beast itself, dealing damage to it's shin. The powerful monster rex backed up once more, before it felt something pressing against it's back. A quick glance behind it showed the crystal of the Wall of Grief, where it had originally spawned from. The party had pushed him back, so it's back was against the wall.
Just as planned.
That was Akihide's que. "On the divine path up the mountain's edge." said the boy as the power from his magic began to well up inside him, as he held his hands towards the battlefield where his Familia and his friends were fighting. "Guide my unworthy soul down the path of the gods. Showcase your brilliance and give this body the power the bestow your blessed might onto others. Let the gates of heaven open up and allow your holy power to flow. Third Gate: Chikara no Mon!" he called out, watching as a torii gate appeared, and everyone got a major boost in strength. This first round of magic was specifically for Lloyd, as even with his custom shield, it took a lot of strength to be able to slow an attack from the Goliath down, let alone block it. As the fighting continued on the other side, Akihide prepared to chant once more.
"Under the Tori Gates upon my path. In way to the path of heaven, to join the gods." he continued, feeling magic overlap itself as a second level of the spell began to appear as the fighting continued to keep the Goliath in place. "My soul becomes cleansed, letting divine power flow through me. Allow the divinity of heaven's gates become my power to bestow upon others. Sixth Gate: Binshō-sei no Mon!" he called out, as the second gate appeared, drastically raising everyone's agility. It showed immediately, as Liza and Kaguya, who had been running around to attack the beast at the time suddenly became considerably quicker. Akihide nodded, watching the battle to ensure his magic lasted long enough to give the others a better chance.
However, Akihide's work for this fight was not yet over, as almost immediately after the second gate had taken effect, Liza's spear broke. Akihide watched as the shock dawned on her face as her spear was splintered under the pressure of a swat from the Goliath, sending her flying back a few metres. Akihide wasted no time in reaching into a part of the bag with each hand, one grasping a healing potion whilst the other held onto another spear. Using Mico Grandus, he teleported right to her, supplies in hand. Liza sat up, taking the potion and downing it in a few gulps, before grasping one of the two spare spears. "Thanks Akihide!" she called out as she quickly re-entered the fight, Akihide teleporting back to the safe area where Finn and Riveria were, watching the fight take place and drinking a mana potion to keep his spell active.
The battle continued, the Goliath not appreciating the newfound strength of the group of six that was getting up close and personal with it. It swung at the two Astraea Familia girls, only for the two to jump out of the way like it was nothing. Before it could bring it's hand back, Remilia attacked the inside of it's elbow, causing the Goliath to lose it's balance momentarily. Whilst it struggled to regain it, Lloyd took the opportunity to put his new strength to the test, and slammed his shield into the monster's exposed stomach, sending it onto it's back. That was everyone's que to attack it, as Sharon and Liza began stabbing at the beast with their weapons, whilst Kaguya and Alise came up to do the same, closing the distance they created in a fraction of the time that it would normally take them.
They began stabbing and slashing at the downed monster rex with all their might, but with a mighty roar, the Goliath swung it's hand and stood up once more, ready to fight. Cynthia and Kalos held down cover fire as the other stepped back, Sharon in the need of a new sword, on that Akihide readily provided. "How are we meant to take this thing down?!" demanded Sharon, looking at the monster with frustration. "I mean, we aren't even doing anything against him!"
"It's part of Ranking Up." responded Kaguya, eying the beast as it got blasted by magic once more. "If there's no challenge, there's no Rank Up, and we need to make sure we're giving this 110% so we can gather the needed Excilia to Rank Up. If we're not breaking past our limits, we're doing something wrong." she said. "That being said, we need to do something about this thing, fast. We need one attack, even if it takes out the magic stone, to finish this thing off. We're looking for Excilia in this fight, money comes second."
On that, everyone was agreed, yet there was still the issue of there being no way for them to send the Goliath in one attack. None of their weapons would be able to pierce around 40cm of pure muscle to get at the magic stone. Slashing through the hide was tough enough for them as it was. There was no way for them to be able to take a Goliath out in one fail swoop.
Not for the Loki Familia anyway.
"I can do it." said Alise, stepping up as the Goliath was pelted with more magic from the two elves in the rear. "I have a spell I can use, but my Concurrent Chanting has a 50% possibility of working at best, I'm not the best at it, so it'd be better if I was completely stationary." she said to the party. "One attack that can end all this. I just need some time to build it up."
Alise was by no means bluffing. With her broken skill, Lubrude Bequia, being active the entire fight, as well as Akihide's magic, she was more than confident she was in a pseudo Level 3 state, bridging closer to the end of it and the start of the time needed to transcend into Level 4. If the rest of the party could hold the beast off until her magic rose to full power, than the fight could be over in a snap. All she had to do was have confidence in the party. And with the amount of confidence she had in Kaguya alone, let alone backed up by a powered up Loki Familia, not to mention Finn and Riveria if anything went awry, she knew she could do this.
All she had to do was wait for the spell to take full effect after she said her chant, around a minute needed to pass before her magic reached it's peak. "Arga." she chanted, as her magic took effect, small flames lighting along her hands, feet and sword. The enhancement had begun, and now all that was left was for the remaining members to buy the needed time. With no doubt in their mind, or at least no better ideas, the remaining 5 close range fighters roared their battle cries and charged at the monster, who had tanked most of the magic thrown by the two elves currently drinking mana potions supplied by Akihide.
Lloyd was first once more, drawing the attention of the Goliath. It swung at him, which he prepared for with his shield, watching as the hand slammed into it. This punch was more powerful than the last couple, and had actually managed to place a large dent in the shield, making it all but unusable anymore. 'Shit! Why now?!' he demanded in his head, as he used the opportunity of Liza and Remilia charging in to give him some distance, allowing Akihide to safely teleport one of the back up shields to him. "Thanks Akihide!" he yelled, refusing the healing potion the boy offered, knowing he would be fine without it for now. "Come at me, ugly!" he called out to the Goliath as he charged in once more.
As the beast turned it's attention to the loud shielder, it failed to notice the streak of red and black make their way behind him and slash at his back, landing six times. "You never learn, do you?" asked Kaguya to the beast, know she would receive no response from the enraged monster, her magic dying down. As the beast turned it's attention to her, it failed to notice Liza, who thrusted her spear through the back of the Goliath, attacking the same spot Kaguya had just struck. It roared in pain, and turned to her, only for it's back to get attacked again, this time by Sharon. The group continued to play cat and mouse with the Goliath, each attacking it's back for a moment before retreating as someone else targeted the same spot as it turned to retaliate.
This game continued for several more seconds, before everyone backed away. Confused, the Goliath looked around for a moment, before its eyes laid on the red haired girl about 20 metres away from him. Alise looked up in determination. "Arvana." she chanted, her spell reaching it's maximum capacity, and the flames growing so strong along her body that it seemed all too hot for her to handle, yet she continued on, charging at the beast with newfound speed, strength and confidence. The beast roared, as it too charged, much slower than the red haired girl, boosted by her own magic, Akihide's magic, and her skill. With no way to react, the beast felt the sword of the girl enter it's chest, as she gave it a confident grin.
"Arvelia!"
The back of the beast burst into flames as a torrent of fire erupted from behind it, causing the monster to roar in pain as it felt it's insides being cooked from the inside out. It roared it's terrible roar once more, feeling it's magic stone begin to crack and give way, before exploding altogether and causing the beast to die. The Goliath erupted into a burst of white dust as Alise's magic came to an end, causing her to fall flat on her ass as she came down to the floor, looking at the sight of the dust in wonder. She had no way of controlling her excitement as she yelled out in pleasure at the feat she had accomplished.
The sentiment was shared with everyone, even if Kaguya was amazing at hiding that fact. There were cheers, and celebrations amongst the party. Finn looked on at the scene with a glimmer of hope in his eyes, reminded of when he, Riveria and Gareth first performed this feat. How the years had gone by, he supposed. "They did well." said the blonde Captain of the Loki Familia, before looking at his lifelong friend. "We should get going, set up camp before the others get there."
Riveria was in agreement, and turned to the young boy they had bought with them. "Alright Akihide, let's go." she said, before noticing the eyes of the young boy fixed on something. She turned her head to investigate, seeing Akihide look at the remnants of the fire spell Alise had used. There was a glint in his eyes, one Riveria recognised, with a touch of fear and sorrow, there was great wonder in his eyes, a sense of both yearning and foreboding. It seemed like Alise's magic reminded him of the Lambton that took his village, but there was also a desire to have that magic, that she could recognise.
With a pat on his shoulder, she snapped the boy out of it. "Let's go." she ordered, as Akihide made his way to follow her and the others down to Floor 18, his eyes green with envy all the way.
Hope you guys enjoyed that. I had a lot of fun writing it, and I look forward to writing the remainder of the Expedition Arc. But anyway, here's a short omake.
Takes of the Nine Tailed King: Part 2 - Early Life of the King's Village
Tamamo was welcomed into Rudja Village with open arms, the people of the town not having any new visitors in years. Rudja village was a farming village for the country of Lakiros, located on the outskirts and was much further out of the way than most of the villages that weren't the capital.
But despite that, the people of the village were happy. Due to their distance from The Great Hole, they rarely had a sighting of monsters, and their small size of only around 30 people made it so monsters didn't see them as worthy of invading and killing, looking for better targets, and the small ones that targeted them were easily dealt with by their small militia of around 5 men.
That was where Akihide found himself at the moment, after helping one of the farmers with watering his crops, he watched the men train, swinging their sticks in formation, pretending they were the spears they used when fighting monsters. Akihide would watch them train themselves for hours, secretly mimicking their movements when he was by himself. It was always a dream of his to learn how to wield a weapon, and he had watched the personal guards of the emperor practice, but he had never been allowed to participate. So now, at the age of 11, he was indulging in his own dreams and desires, wanting to become strong, he tried to train by learning from the militia, practicing by swinging sticks or the handles of broken farm tools like he was wielding a spear.
Everyone in the village knew, and no one had a problem with the small child learning how to play swing a spear. It made them happy to see that there was hope for the future of their little militia. With a lack of youngsters in their village, the only children being a pair of twin born 3 years ago, the villagers were starting to put a bit more pressure on the married couples to start making more kids, but it seemed like the most immediate issues were resolved.
But little did they know that in a few years, their little village would be on every map in the world, thanks to their newest member.
Hope you guys like it, but for now, this is Striker777, over and out.