Chapter 9:

Welf enjoyed his routines. He liked to wake up early, and he liked to start his day smithing. Today, his routine was crucial to keeping calm. Especially since he was competing in regular duels. Yesterday, it had been simple. Anywhere he swung his blade, some enemies would be burned. Now, he had to have technique. He had to match these people blow for blow. He wasn't like Bell or the others. He wasn't a warrior; he was an artisan. He most certainly didn't have the finesse that the others had. All he had was his equipment. He had the things he made with his own two hands. So, he spent the first part of every day maintaining that equipment to ensure that it worked and that it wouldn't fail when he needed it most.

Welf was finishing up his and Lily's new combat boots when he heard a knock at the door. He turned to find Mikoto standing in the doorway. The samurai girl was clutching one of her arms, red dusting her cheeks.

"Umm…Sir Welf? I know that you're busy right now, but I was hoping that you finished my special request…" said Mikoto.

Welf smiled, "Yeah, they were the first things I did today. You know, your request was pretty interesting. I gotta say, I'm pleased with how it turned out."

Welf grabbed a pair of blades he had finished sharpening in the early morning, their metal glinting in the light. They were a pair of long knives, curved and serrated. He also brought out a couple of thick leather gloves from a box; they had metal studs embedded in the knuckles. Finally, he brought out a collapsible spear and some blood-onyx kunai. He wrapped all the gear up in a leather bundle before handing it over to Mikoto. The far-eastern girl stared at the collected weapons, a large grin splitting her face.

"Thank you, Sir Welf! I am truly grateful for your work!" Mikoto bowed to the smith.

Welf dismissed her with his hands, "No need to bow and scrape; we're Familia members, aren't we? Beyond that, I'm your smith. It's my job to fix up your gear."

Welf relaxed on his stool, "So, how you feeling lately? I imagine all this stuff with Lulune has got you nervous."

Mikoto's eyes fell to the floor. She nodded, her braid bobbing. Her arms fell to the side, hands closing into fists that shook, "I am afraid because I feel that I'll let you all down…" The sack of weapons that had made her so excited now hung limply off to the side.

Welf nodded, "I can get that. I feel the same way every day."

Mikoto's head snapped up, "Why, Sir Welf? Your equipment has saved our lives more time than anyone else!"

Welf sighed, "That's just it. Every day, I live in fear that my gear is going to fail. Every time we go into the dungeon, I worry that you're going to get hurt, or worse, because the stuff that I make just isn't any good," Welf smiled then, "You want to know how I get over that feeling?"

Mikoto nodded.

"I put my faith in all of you!"

Confusion blossomed on Mikoto's face.

Welf laughed, "What I mean to say is, I trust the fact that, if even my equipment fails, you guys are too tough to go down."

Mikoto stammered, "I don't…I do not…"

Welf sighed, "Listen, you just do your best and put some of your faith in all that new gear I made for you," Welf grinned then, "Besides, you're Yamato Mikoto. You spent a half year as a gladiator, and before that, you fought in the Dragon Valley and went to the deep floors. You stood in front of Amphisbaena and played a critical role and bringing it down. Underwater, crushed from the pressure and your own magic, you held onto consciousness. If you don't mind me saying it, you're one tough bitch."

Mikoto couldn't respond to all this praise. She blushed from Welf's kind words. The young girl left then, telling Welf that breakfast would be ready soon. Welf cleaned up his forge, hanging his beautiful hammer at the end. The hammer was a gift from Ptah, who told him to bring it back when he made a magic weapon worthy of the Gods.

He found everyone waiting for him at the dining table. On his plate was his favourite cuts of meat, grilled to perfection.

"Awww, you shouldn't have you guys!" said Welf. As he sat down, he threw his arms around the people sitting next to him, Bell and Urashima.

Bell shook his head, "This was Goddess Hestia's idea, not mine."

Welf looked to his Goddess to find her giving him a thumbs up, "Everything needed to make sure that you're ready for your matches today!" Hestia looked to Lily, "By the Little Miss Supporter, how's this day supposed to work? Any idea on the schedule?"

Lily gave her Goddess a stink eye, "Really, Goddess Hestia? You couldn't try and figure it out yourself?"

Hestia waved a hand, "Why bother? I knew that you would figure things out. Now come on, spill it!"

Lily didn't look at her Goddess. Instead, she answered the eyes of her questioning Familia, "What Lily has found is that the first round of battles, that is the top sixteen, usually take the morning. Then they have a break for lunch. After that are the quarterfinals and the semi-finals. Finally, after dinner, is the finals. Enough time for each team that progresses to be healed by the Dea Saint," Lily steepled her hands, "After that, the winning team stays in the arena. Their God or Goddess then gives them their last status update. After that, the winners retire to a private room to do the actual level up. The spectators are not privy to the actual status of the winning team. That information is kept private. After that, the Guild provides the valis awards to the first, second, and third-place teams. By that, Lily means the top four teams."

The rest of Hestia Familia reeled from the heavy dump of information that Lily provided. They sat in silence, considering how long this process would be.

"Lily has already confirmed that we are invited to sit with Loki Familia today. Mister Finn was gracious enough to extend an invitation. That said, Lily is guessing that Mister Elwin is going to be leaving with Lady Lefiya again," continued Lily, glancing to the half-elf.

Elwin blushed in response, "Well, yes, she did offer to accompany me to the stands again."

Bell blushed as well, "Ais has made the same offer to me." The poor boy was a mess in his seat.

Hestia glared at her first child, "Ahhh, I see. Well then, if you wish," Hestia pouted, "You may abandon me then."

"That's not- I would never- Goddess Hestia! I was just- I guess I'll tell Ais…" replied Bell.

Hestia looked to the ceiling as she shook her head, "Honestly, Bell, I was just kidding," Hestia smiled then, but it seemed forced to Welf, "Go and sit with Wallenwhatisit. In fact, that's a command from your Goddess!"

Bell's face lit up in relief, "Thank you, Goddess Hestia!"

Hestia turned to Welf and Lily, "Well, I'll be in Loki Familia's box cheering you on with all I have!"

The rest of their Familia added on their own words of encouragement. They then finished up their breakfast and made their way to the arena. Crowds were already gathering outside, many of them stopping to point at Hestia Familia. Many were whispering about their impressive showing yesterday.

In front, Lily and Welf paused at the entrance; they turned to find the rest of their Familia smiling. Hestia walked to the front of the group.

"No matter what happens today, I want you to know that I'll always be proud of you two, ok?"

Welf and Lily nodded. Hestia Familia filed into the stadium, Bell bringing up the rear. As each member passed, they offered some final words of encouragement. Finally, there was their captain, looking nervous.

"Lily, Welf…I just wanted to say," Bell stood up straight, "I know you can do this! I have total faith in you!" Bell looked down then, "And…I just…I wanted to thank you two for everything you've done for me. You've been helping me the longest," Bell smiled at his oldest friends, "If anyone deserves this win, it's you two! I know you can do it!"

Welf and Lily stood there in shock for a second. If there was a reason why Welf loved Bell like a brother, that was it. He had a constant belief that people would always just do their best. He had been utterly betrayed last year by Syr (who was Freya) and his idol. Any lesser man would have given up on humanity then, but it wasn't going to get him down. He still believed in people. Some would say that made Bell a fool, and maybe he was, but to Welf, that just made him a good guy,

Welf and Lily nodded in response before leaving to go to the waiting room. They followed the direction of the Guild employees until they entered a large room filled with benches. The dim lighting came from the magic stone lamps hung on the walls. The other fifteen teams were already there. The adventurers from Takemikazuchi Familia, and Loki Familia, both nodded, but the rest of the assembled warriors scowled at the two. Some grinned menacingly.

"Hey, Lil' Bit, you got that special gear I made for you?" whispered Welf.

Lily nodded, busy adjusting her arm-mounted crossbow, "No need to worry, Mister Welf, Lily has everything under control. This situation is proceeding exactly as planned." Lily made a point of clicking her new boots' heels and pulling her new cloak tight around her body.

Welf snorted, "Is that your way of saying, leave me alone?"

Lily turned to glare at the smith, "No, that is Lily's way of trying to keep Mister Welf calm!" Lily humphed, "Fine then, Mister Welf can get nervous for all that Lily cares. Lily will just beat everyone on her own!"

Welf chuckled then, the rest of the competitors now staring at Hestia Familia, "I'm sure you could, but leave some for me, alright?"

The two relaxed then, falling into their well-worn banter and ribbing. They both understood why they were doing it, but it felt nice all the same. If Welf had to choose a partner, and Bell was unavailable, he would choose Lily every time. Honestly, he would choose Lily over Bell in some situations. The little prum kept her head and was good at balancing Welf out. If Bell was his little brother, Lily was his partner in crime.

Just outside the stadium, Bell was waiting to meet Ais at their agreed meeting point. He was looking at all the different food stalls when he heard a small cough behind him. He turned to find Ais wearing a white sleeveless top and purple skirt. Her hair had been braided in pigtails. Bell felt the air rush out of his body.

"Do you like it?" asked Ais, looking at the ground.

"You look wonderful!" replied Bell, a little too loudly. Other adventurers glared at him and the way he flaunted his closeness with the Sword Princess.

Bell seemed to realize this as he turned a dark shade of red and mumbled, "The pigtails suit you…"

Ais felt her heart start beating rapidly. She thanked Bell and then led him off to find some seats. They were in the arena's middle rows, looking for the best spot when they heard someone call out to them.

"Bell, Miss Ais!"

They turned to find Elwin and Lefiya sitting a few rows above them. The half-elf was dressed as usual, in a simple dark green tunic and brown trousers get-up, but Lefiya had opted to change from her everyday frilly pink wear. Instead, she wore a plaid skirt with a white blouse and a red bow at her throat. Her shoulders were showing, and she looked terribly embarrassed.

Ais and Bell climbed up to meet them, Elwin looking between the two girls.

"So, I guess you both got dressed up then, huh?" said the half-elf, "You know, Bell, I think we might be a little underdressed for this."

Lefiya pouted, "Well, I am a little disappointed that you're still wearing that disgusting, forsaken hat of yours. It must be filthy!"

Ais smiled, "I'm glad you like it, Elwin. Lefiya was very worried about what to dress like yesterday."

Lefiya turned a dark pink colour, "Mi-m-m-m-Miss Ais! You cannot say something like that!"

Ais tilted her head, "But it's true, isn't it? That's why you were asking Tiona and Tione for help on what to wear?"

Lefiya buried her face in her hands. When she finally dared to look at Elwin, she found him staring at the ground, beet red.

"Well…Ummm, I think you look really nice," he said. Lefiya's heart almost gave out on her. Ais and Bell took the seats next to them, Bell smiling at the exchange.

"And just what do you think you are smiling about Bell Cranel?" asked Lefiya, face cross.

"Nothing! I'm just happy to see you two getting along!"

Lefiya scowled, "I doubt that! I'm sure you have some nefarious plot brewing, don't you?"

Bell could only balk in astonishment. Before he could counter, Elwin started laughing.

"Oh my God, you two really are that bad…" said Elwin, watching the elf and the boy argue.

Lefiya turned her scowl to Elwin, "And what is that supposed to mean?"

Elwin snorted, "That you two are basically siblings."

Lefiya spluttered out then; before she could formulate an answer, Ais hummed.

"That's what seemed so familiar. They talk to each other like Tiona and Tione," said the Sword Princess.

"We are not siblings!" declared Lefiya, standing now. She sat down again when she saw all the baleful looks she received from the crowd. She pointed at Bell, "That boy is a vagabond! He is trying to corrupt Miss Ais!"

That got a hearty chuckle from Elwin. Before Lefiya could respond, though, the first set of duelists came out. Two teams from some small Familias came out and did battle. Running commentary was provided by Takemikazuchi, Hermes, and Ibri Achaa. The first couple of bouts went pretty quickly, one team quickly prevailing over another. Ais and Lefiya cheered especially loud for the Loki Familia team. Then came the next teams, Takemikazuchi Familia versus Baldr Familia.

The warriors from the far east were undoubtedly determined, and their technique was nothing to scoff at. They fought using a wide range of martial arts. Not to mention, they had almost perfect teamwork. When one was forced onto the defensive, the other was there instantly, ready to lend a hand. The problem was, Baldr Familia had overwhelming force. They fought with ferocity and fervour, using dirty, underhanded tactics. They threw sand, taunted their opponents, and were generally unsportsmanlike.

"Why are they fighting so fiercely?" asked Lefiya.

Elwin hummed, "If what I've heard is right, they were trained by Freya Familia, which means they probably met the Goddess. If I had to guess, she's probably charmed then, making them obsessed with pleasing her."

"Charmed them?"

Elwin nodded, "Lady Hecate once explained to me the Gods and Goddesses of beauty could be so alluring that they could bend the wills of lesser beings. Such a thing almost happened once to me with Lady Aphrodite.

Lefiya's nose wrinkled, "That's disgusting!"

Elwin shrugged, "I mean, not like it's totally unreasonable, Freya is one beautiful Go-OW! Why'd you stomp on my foot?"

Elwin's question was aimed at the level five elf while he nursed his possibly broken foot. Lefiya looked away, pouting.

Bell winced, understanding the pain that the little package known as Lefiya could wreak. Then he saw Ais staring at him.

"Do you think she's beautiful?" asked Ais, face serious.

Bell felt like he was in the deep floors then, faced with a life-or-death situation.

"I…well, she's not the most beautiful person I've seen…" replied Bell.

"And who would be?" pressed the Sword Princess. She felt a growing need to know who Bell thought was beautiful, what his ideal woman looked like.

Bell looked away, "I've always that you were beautiful, Ais."

Ais had no response to that. Little Ais was freaking out in her head, rolling around while covering her face. Ais decided not to answer then, turning back to the fight. She caught the tail end of it; Baldr Familia had thoroughly thrashed Takemikazuchi Familia.

After that was the final bout, Hestia Familia versus some unknown Familia. By the way they walked into the arena, the challengers looked a lot like Baldr Familia. They had probably been charmed by Freya to try and destroy Lily and Welf. In their haste, though, they ran face-first into Welf's flames. As the unknown adventurers reeled away, Lily darted in to give scratching blows with a small dagger.

"Every time I see it, I grow more astonished by Welf Crozzo's magic swords," said Lefiya, "And now that he's made a dual element sword…"

"It truly is remarkable," added Elwin, "That said, it comes with its own share of drawbacks."

"What do you mean?" Lefiya tore her eyes away from the fight, already knowing that Hestia Familia was bound to win.

"That new sword is powered by Welf's Mind, so it doesn't break like regular magic swords. The problem is, there are two elements, so the Mind expenditure is really inefficient. To get the same flame power as a regular magic sword, he has to expend twice the mind," explained Bell, "If Welf's not careful; it can tire him out pretty fast."

"Thank God Lily's there," finished Elwin.

Just as he spoke, Lily jumped between both adventurers giving glancing blows to her enemies. Both adventurers swung their swords then, hoping to catch the prum, but she nimbly jumped out of the way. Instead, both blades kept going, and the two teammates cut into each other.

"Oof, that is a nasty blow, folks! Lilluraca Arde is definitely proving to be one tricky opponent!" commented Ibri

After that, the enemy's teamwork vanished, and the two members of Hestia Familia finished the battle soon after. The crowd erupted in cheers, then began to slowly disperse. The fighting would resume in the afternoon.

"I am Ganesha!" called the elephant God, calling an end to the festivities.

"Shall we all get lunch together then?" asked Elwin. The rest nodded, and the four of them made their way to find some food. Though Ais tried to convince them to buy potatoes, Elwin eventually convinced her to get some crepes instead. The four of them munched happily outside.

"Bell, would you like to try some of mine?" asked Ais. Riveria had explained to her that she should offer Bell some of her food as an unspoken apology. The high elf had also said that it was best if Ais was the one to feed it to him.

As she tried to feed Bell her crepe, Lefiya intercepted the food, catching it in her little elf mouth.

"This food is delicious, Miss Ais!" said Lefiya, without a trace of guilt.

The Sword Princess pouted, "Lefiya, that crepe was for Bell…" Then Ais remembered something Aki had talked about, what to do when angry at another girl over a guy.

Using her level six speed, Ais ate a quick bite of Elwin's crepe. The half-elf almost didn't notice that a chunk of his food was missing.

"Miss Ais! Did you eat Mister Elwin's food!"

"You ate the crepe meant for Bell…"

Lefiya was a mess then, not wanting to seem like it was a big deal. Internally she was fuming, though. Poor Bell and Elwin both almost had a heart attack from the exchange. The women of Loki Familia were going to kill them one day.

Back with the rest of Hestia and Loki Familia, they returned from their lunch and settled in to watch the quarter and semi-finals. Both of their Familia's teams had advanced to the next round, so spirits were high.

"Hey, itty-bitty! I bet you that if it comes down to it, my beautiful children will crush yours!"

"Ha, you wish Loki!"

Hestia and Loki had been arguing all morning, but this time Ryuu was in charge of babysitting. The poor elf was stuck mediating the myriad of their disputes. Thankfully, this meant that everyone else could watch in peace.

Finn, while cheering on his Familia, was secretly rooting for the little prum from Hestia Familia. That last battle had proved that she wasn't the same little girl anymore. She had an adventurer's spirit, and she now knew how to properly scan a battlefield for weaknesses in her opponents. She had become a force to be reckoned with. If only she would consider his marriage proposals…

"Hey, Captain! You want to share some of this crepe I bought?" asked Tione, jolting him out of his thoughts.

Finn smiled then, "No, thank you, Tione, I'm ok. However, I might be interested in splitting dinner later tonight."

"Really!" replied Tione. She felt her heart beating in her chest from excitement.

Finn had to admit, he enjoyed spending time with Tione. The only problem was that he needed to become the saviour of his people. Romance, and matters of the heart, would only be an obstacle. This was the cost of his dream.

Down in the arena, the first competitors came in. It was another two no-name Familias. It was sad to say, but the audience barely watched the fight. None of the big names were competing, so the poor fighting Familias got half the cheers that Baldr, Loki and Hestia Familia did. The next fight was Loki Familia. The box erupted in loud cheers as their Familia members walked out into the arena.

Loki Familia had a good showing, quickly dispatching their competitors. Their movements were methodical, and their technique was crisp. Which made sense; Finn had made sure to personally train all of his Familia's entries. It was his duty as the captain to prepare his subordinates as best as possible for the trials that they faced ahead of them.

When that fight concluded, there was only one bout left in the quarterfinals. The box erupted in cheers again as Hestia Familia lost it over their combatants. Welf and Lily strode into the arena as calm as one could be. Their opponents were another set of Freya proxies. They had come prepared, though, wearing salamander wool and aero cloth, specially made for fire and wind, respectively. That didn't seem to dampen Welf and Lily's spirits, though.

"Hey, hey, Otohime! Your Familia members look so calm! Do they have some sort of special trick? Any sort of special killer magic?" asked Tiona, bouncing in her seat.

At the sound of 'special killer magic,' Otohime froze. Mikoto was quick to answer in her place.

"While Lady Lily and Sir Welf both gained valuable skills and magic this past year, none of them are useful in combat," Mikoto turned back to the arena, "However, I think that the equipment that Sir Welf has designed will carry them through."

Urashima nodded, "True. I have seen his newest creations. If their opponents can match his new dual-element sword; I think it might just be time for Lily to cut loose."

"Oh! That reminds me!" declared Hestia, looking away from another confrontation with Loki, "Mikoto, I wanted to tell you while Little Miss Supporter is in the field! I give you my express permission to use all your magic tomorrow in the tournament!"

That statement certainly took everyone by surprise. Most of Hestia Familia agreed that Mikoto's magic was to be kept secret due to the possibilities that it could bring as an unknown. It was like Elwin's ability to use twelve different spells, Otohime's devastating magic, or Haruhime's enchantments. It was supposed to be one of Hestia Familia's secret aces up their sleeves.

"Goddess Hestia, are you sure about that?" asked Mikoto.

"I agree with Hestia; if Hermes wants to send in a cheating level three, then no mercy," replied Ryuu.

That got a smile from Mikoto. She loved using her new magic, even if it was supposed to be a secret.

"Hey! If Hermes is cheating sending Lulune, why don't we just report him to the Guild?" asked Tiona.

Tione shook her head, "No way, Hermes Familia is too influential for that. They've probably paid off some of the Guild for that very reason."

Gareth nodded while stroking his beard, "Too true, lass. They've got the Guild deep in their pockets, and even if we forced the issue, I'm sure that clever captain of theirs would find a way to fake it."

Loki hummed thoughtfully off to the side.

Bete tsked his teeth, "Doesn't matter. You either get strong and win, or prove how weak you are and lose," the werewolf swung his predatory gaze to Mikoto, "It's that simple."

The samurai was not deterred though, she nodded in response, maintaining eye contact. Bete looked away first.

Down in the arena, things were quite literally heating up. The flames of the Crozzo sword seared through most things, but the salamander wool held. Even the wind did little to help, the aero cloth stopping the great gusts Welf summoned.

That's when Lily switched out her ammunition. One of Welf's latest projects was figuring out how to condense his usual magic blades into a smaller size. It was a challenge given to him by Lord Ptah. The smith had balked at the idea in the beginning, but slowly stubbornness set in. The smith hammered away at his designs until, eventually, the magic bolt was born.

These mighty little arrows were single-use, and they decayed over time. Lily had to use them within a week of creation, or else the magic would seep out. For now, they were horribly inefficient but absolutely destructive.

Lily loaded the first pack of special arrows and shot at the stomach of one of her opponents. The arrow flew true, striking him in the gut. As soon it hit, the bolt exploded in a massive storm of lightning. Her opponent was fried.

"Incredible folks! Another new Crozzo magic weapon!" cried out Ibri.

"Yes, and this time it appears to be magical arrows. They pack quite a punch!" added Takemikazuchi.

After her partner went down, the other competitor was quickly subdued by Welf and Lily's destructive dynamic. Thus, the quarterfinals came to an end. Thankfully, the semi-finals started right away.

The first bout was a much-anticipated battle between Loki Familia and Baldr Familia. For anyone in the know, though, this was really a battle between Orario's two strongest Familias.

"Kick their asses' you guys!" screamed Loki.

The rest of Loki Familia and Hestia Familia piled on their support.

The fight started out well enough. Both teams seemed to be evenly matched. While Baldr's children were more ferocious, their teamwork was nothing compared to Loki's. The two adventurers from Loki Familia were quick to cover each other's weak points and exploited Baldr Familia's sloppy teamwork perfectly.

For all that, though, the enhanced skill of Baldr Familia was too much. Their drive to succeed, for Freya, was what pushed them over the top. It was heretical in its worship. Every time they were knocked down, they stood back up. The will of the Goddess drove them forward. Eventually, Loki Familia fell.

"Dammit!" said Tione, slamming her fist into the stone railing. The whole thing cracked, almost shattering. The rest of her familia was quiet. Loki, Riveria and Gareth left to console the losing members. Bete walked off, frustrated at his inability to do anything.

Finn sighed, "I hope that your Familia can handle this Goddess Hestia."

Everyone in Hestia Familia looked downtrodden. After watching the pure force that was the worshippers of Freya, how could they stand a chance? This wasn't even Freya Familia. This was one of Freya's flunkies. How were they supposed to compete with the real deal? Forget the tournament; their entire future was looking bleak.

Hestia didn't look put out, though. She just leaned on the railing and said, "You know, we Gods love to toy with mortals. We love to make plans and treat you all like our little puppets. Just like what Freya is doing now," Hestia smiled, "However, they say that those who break from our plans, and surpass us, are the only ones worthy of becoming heroes."

Finn joined Hestia, "And you think that your children are worthy?"

His voice was not skeptical, just questioning.

Hestia snorted, "Aren't you the one that wanted to rope Lily into becoming the hero of the Prums?"

Finn chuckled, "Yes, I suppose so, and the smith?"

"That boy has been working to surpass the Gods longer than any of us."

Hestia looked into the crowd then, searching until she found Hephaistos sitting next to Miach.

"Hey Finn, would it be ok if I invited Hephaistos up here to watch the last couple of matches?"

"Oh, you think that Welf Crozzo and Lilluruca will advance to the finals?"

"I know they will."

When the Goddess finished, Lily and Welf entered for their semi-final match. The two of them ignored their opponents, preferring to bicker with each other. When Ganesha finally signalled the beginning of the match, it was almost astonishing how quick it happened. One second, their opponents were launching themselves at Hestia Familia, the next, they were face down in mini craters. Those with enhanced eyesight would later say they say the little supporter jump up and fire an arrow right on top of her opponents. The resulting explosion sent them down so fast that the shockwave knocked them out cold. Just like that, Hestia Familia advanced to the finals. Ganesha called for a break for dinner.

"Do you think we'd be able to go talk to them?" asked Otohime.

Hestia shook her head, "No, and even if we could, I wouldn't recommend it. We'd probably only distract them."

Hestia Familia left to get dinner then. On their way out, they ran into Bell and the others watching with him. Hestia invited Lefiya and Ais to enjoy dinner, saying that most of Loki Familia had scattered. The entire Familia ate at an open-air terrace restaurant. Ais was a little put-out, though. Ryuu and Hestia had both claimed the spots next to Bell, and Haruhime sat across from him. The Sword Princess pouted then, unable to be in a position to talk to Bell. Instead, she had sat between Elwin and Lefiya, who also both seemed upset for some reason.

When they finished dinner, they made their way back to Loki's box seats, Hephaistos in tow. The Goddess of the forge was grateful for the opportunity to watch her Welf from a better vantage. Ais, Bell, Elwin, and Lefiya all agreed to join them, even if Elwin looked a bit nervous. Seeing his unease, Lefiya took his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. She also refused to look him in the face. Down in the arena, the two last teams were gearing up for the climactic battle. At least, one group was…

While Baldr Familia prepared, Welf and Lily were arguing.

"Mister Welf is too exhausted to pull off another big trick!" said Lily, stamping her foot.

"Oh, come off it, I'm fine, Lil' Bit! I know what I'm doing!" replied Welf.

"Well, it seems as if the wonderful teamwork we saw previously is falling apart, folks!" commented Ibri.

Takemikazuchi chuckled, "No, I know these two particular adventurers, and this is what they do. If anything, this bickering shows how relaxed they are in this situation. It shows that they're ready."

"Well, they certainly have been cutting their way through this tournament. That said, their opponents are no pushovers!"

"True, Baldr Familia has utterly destroyed all the competition they've faced," Hermes gave a beat, "However, I think this match will be the most interesting. I don't think we've seen the last of Welf Crozzo's magic bag of tricks."

"I am Ganesha!" declared the God atop the stadium wall. That cut the commentators chatter away, the arena waiting in silence as the sunset. Then the gong rang. Baldr Familia attacked first, dashing in like madmen.

As Welf swung his sword, the flames washed out like a wave. Their opponents were quick to slide underneath the fire, though. They hopped up, using their momentum to launch themselves at Hestia Familia.

Their bodies crashed into Welf, knocking him off his feet. They kept their focus on him, knowing that his magic swords were the only real problem. Of course, that would be their downfall. Lily did not take well to being forgotten. The little prum girl took out one of her special arrows and launched it point-blank. This time, the magical effect was ice. Frost followed the arrow as it soared across the battlefield.

The two Freya thugs dodged out of the way, giving Welf time to recover, but it didn't matter. Lily was hoping for that, actually. When the arrow hit the ground, a sheet of ice exploded over the floor of the arena.

"Incredible! Liliruca Arde has transformed the floor of the arena into a large sheet of ice!"

"Well, would you look at that? I think that was the plan all along," added Hermes.

As Baldr Familia tried to pick themselves off the ground, their legs gave way. They kept slipping and falling on the slippery surface. Meanwhile, Lily and Welf just pulled off the bottom of their shoes. On the underside was a set of small metal spikes that bit into the ice. This modification enabled them free movement around the arena.

"Baldr Familia is quite literally off-balance at this point!" shouted Ibri.

The stadium erupted in cheers, and laughter, then. None louder than those in the Loki Familia's executive box.

Due to the nature of the new arena, Welf was forced to switch to the other side of the blade. The wind howled then as the smith launched miniature tornados at his opponents. With no way to hold onto the ground, Baldr Familia was forced into the air.

"Ladies, you better watch out, as this one will sweep you off your feet!"

"Now, now, Ibri, everyone knows that Welf Crozzo, the ever-burning Ignis, only has eyes for one woman…right Hephaistos?"

The poor Goddess of the Forge was now blushing furiously. Hestia and Loki were both dealing out generous amounts of teasing.

As Baldr Familia rose, though, one of their members started chanting. He thrust his arms out, one towards the ground and one towards his companion. A stream of what appeared to be magical rope appeared from both hands, tying them both to the ground. The two from Baldr Familia knew that all they had to do was survive. As much as he had time to recover between bouts, Welf Crozzo had exhausted himself today. Added to that, Lily couldn't fire any arrows because the wind would knock them off course. Eventually, Welf had to stop the wind so he didn't pass out. For all that, though, he was still on his last legs, Mind wise.

So, Baldr Familia came crashing down. Their landing sent an impact through the ice, leaving shards everywhere. The two were quick to follow with a barrage of punches and kicks. Lily was sent flying by a spin-kick to the stomach, and Welf doubled over from a punch to the gut. As he felt the bile rise in his throat, he turned to his partner. Lily nodded. It was now do-or-die time.

Welf jumped back to get some distance for himself before raising his new blade into the sky. Baldr Familia hesitated at this new tactic, caught off-guard. That moment was all the smith needed. Before, when Welf used the blade, only one side would shine. This shimmer was based upon which element was being used. Now though, the whole blade glowed, and Welf Crozzo roared.

"Hii Tatsumaki!"

The winds picked up again, and the heat in the arena rose. It was once said that Crozzo Magic swords could burn the sea, but that wasn't good enough for Welf. He wanted his blades to go beyond that. His fire would scorch the heavens itself!

A tremendous tornado of flames rose on the battlefield. Baldr Familia tried to protect themselves from the overwhelming heat, but it was no use. They felt their superior grade salamander wool burn away in the face of these flames. There was no such thing as heat resistance in this tornado. Unseen to them, Lily darted around the arena, seemingly at random. Her new cloak was the one thing that could stand up to this heat because Welf had designed it specifically for that purpose. He had crafted it using materials from the Dragon Valley.

Welf's ultimate move came at a cost, though. The force was too much for Welf's body to handle, and he could only hold the inferno for a minute or so. Then, he suffered mind down and fell unconscious.

As the flames died down, Baldr Familia struggled to hold on. They felt themselves slipping into unconsciousness. If that great inferno had raged for a couple seconds more, they surely would have fell. Thankfully, all that was left was the little insignificant prum. Their clothing fell to tatters around them, singed from the fire. Ten feet away stood Liliruca Arde, smiling.

As they began making their way forward, Lily called out, "Lily would be careful if she was you!"

The two stopped then and took the chance to look around the arena. While they were distracted by the great gout of flames, Lily had been carefully jabbing a collection of arrows into the ground. All she would need to do is hit one, and a great chain reaction would take off.

Lily smirked, "The Goddess Athena told Lily that all warfare is deception. Lily hopes that you miscreants were able to learn this lesson."

Often, Lily was overlooked. Just like her race, no one spared so much as a passing thought to her. Now though, she would make them notice. She took careful aim and fired one single shot. The magic bolt hit the closest arrow jabbed into the earth, sending out a pulse of lightning, and then two more followed, caught by the electric pulse, then another three shockwaves came. On and on, lighting blasted through the arena, frying the adventurers of Baldr Familia with a constant bombardment. Their hair stood up on end, and they couldn't take a single step more.

When it finally ended, and the bright flashing stopped, everyone was left to look at the shaking figures in the arena. They had been totally paralyzed from the electricity.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Both contestants from Baldr Familia are unable to continue! Hestia Familia wins!" declared Ibri.

"I am Ganesha!"

Before Lily understood what was happening, her Familia had jumped down to the arena. She was then tackled to the ground by a certain over-excited princess. Ryuu and Urashima went to give Welf a mind potion, hoping to bring him back to the land of the living. When Lily was able to squirm her way out of the dog-pile, she found her Goddess standing over her.

"Well, Little Miss Supporter! We have a status update to give, don't we!" said Hestia.

"Ah yes! It is time for Liliruca Arde's and Welf Crozzo's last status updates as level twos!" declared Hermes.

Welf was roused from his sleep and joined Lily in removing his shirt. Kneeling on the ground, they let Hestia apply their final status updates. Then Eina walked out, carrying two brightly pulsing orbs. The crowd hushed then.

Eina smiled, "The valis reward will be delivered to you afterwards, but I'm guessing that you will want these now?"

Welf and Lily took an orb a piece, smiling at each other. Hestia Familia then proceeded to retreat to a spare room off to the side of the arena interior.

"So, how does this work?" asked Welf.

"Finn told Lily that one is supposed to swallow the orb whole, like medicine," replied the prum.

"On the count of three then?" asked Welf.

Lily nodded, and the two counted down. Then, they swallowed the level-up orbs. What followed was a burning sense of pleasure. It reminded Lily of Lord Soma's Divine Wine. She felt an all too pleasant burning sensation take hold of her body. It was excruciating ecstasy. By the end, they were both panting and covered in sweat. Welf had almost passed out again from the pain.

Hestia walked over behind Lily, "Well then, here's the moment of truth."

She pricked her finger and let the blood flow over Lily's back. Then came a squeal of excitement.

"It worked! You can level up Little Miss Supporter!" decreed Hestia, "All we have to do is choose your next developmental ability!"

Lily almost bounced away in excitement, "What are Lily's options?"

Hestia took a second to read Lily's back, "It looks like Synthesis is still there, along with something called, Initiative?"

Lily gasped, "Really? That's one of the same abilities Mister Finn has! Lily will choose that one!"

Hestia blinked in surprise, "Are you sure? What does Initiative even do?"

"It will help guide Lily in decision-making in battle! Lily wants Initiative! With it, she will become as great a commander as the Braver!"

That time, Lily really did start bouncing from excitement; her energy was childlike and infectious. No one judged her.

Hestia had to grab Lily's shoulders to get the prum to stop moving. Then, just like that, it was done.

"Congratulations, Lily, you're a level three now," said Hestia, waves of pride rolling off of her. Her children were growing up so fast. She then turned to her other familia member.

"And now it's your turn Welf!"

The smith presented his back, and Hestia proceeded to repeat the process.

"Alright, and you have the choice of Magic Resistance, Abnormal Resistance, and…Spirit Healing? What's that?"

"Huh?!" cried Ryuu, "He can choose Spirit Healing?"

Hestia nodded, and Ryuu's mouth opened in amazement. The rest of her Familia freaked out; this was more emotion than they were used to from their vice-captain.

"Spirit Healing is a passive ability that regenerates Mind when it is low. It is extremely rare; only the Sword Princess and Lady Riveria have access to it," explained the elf. She then looked at Welf, "How in the world did you gain access to such an ability?"

Hestia hummed, "This is just my Godly intuition speaking, but I think it has something to do with his blood and the fact that he uses so much mind with his new magic swords. I mean, he expends at a constant rate, even more so than most mages," Hestia looked over Welf, "Your body is reacting to that usage and trying to help you the best way it knows how," Hestia shrugged, "Honestly, I'd take this one. It's definitely useful."

Welf grinned, "If you say so, Goddess. Let's level me up!"

Hestia then scribed the new ability in, and Welf moved up to level three. Afterwards, the rest of Hestia Familia cheered in celebration. Unlike last night, when they got drunk with their friends, they decided to head home for a more modest celebration amongst themselves. After all, the fight had only just begun.

Meanwhile, in the depths of Knossos, a light elf and dark elf stood in front of a dark green door. The light elf pushed his glasses up his brow and raised a ring he held in his palm. The D carved into the jewel on top glowed, and the great door rose up.

"How long are we supposed to be here?" asked the dark elf.

"As long as it takes for Lady Freya's contacts to bring what was promised," replied the light elf.

With that, the two elves waited for the inevitable.

Character Profiles:

Liliruca Arde:

Level Three

Status:

Strength: I 0 Defence: I 0 Dexterity: I 0 Agility: I 0 Magic: I 0

Abnormal Resistance: H

Initiative:I

Magic:

Cinder Ella: Transformation magic that enables the user to transform into anything around their size.

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Skill:

Command Call: Increases the area the user can convey orders to depending on how loud they're shouting. During a melee, the area increase effect is determined by the size of the battle. The user can remotely relay orders to people who have the same falna; the maximum distance is determined by the user's level.

Pallum Spirit: Boosts the effects of magic and skills in the face of adversity.

Welf Crozzo:

Level Three

Status:

Strength: I 0 Defence: I 0 Dexterity: I 0 Agility: I 0 Magic: I 0

Blacksmith: G

Spirit Healing: I

Magic:

Will-o-Wisp: Anti magic fire. If timed correctly, it can cause an Ignis Fatuus and cause damage

Skill:

Crozzo Blood: The user can create Magic Swords. Can raise the power of Magic Swords during creation.

Veritas Burn: Gives the user high fire resistance and increases their attack power when using fire element attacks.

Reinforcement: Repair of equipment becomes more efficient and quicker to do. Repairing equipment feeds into Blacksmith ability growth.

So that's the first battle down! The next chapter is the big one! Will Mikoto win? I mean, you can always check on Archive if you're curious. Thanks to those that follow and favorite! Feel free to let me know what you think with a review down below! See you next time!