Chapter 15:

A week had passed since the incursion, and Orario had returned to an uneasy state of peace. People whispered of possible attacks and the strange appearance of monsters in the streets. Most people started pointing fingers at the Guild; it was their job to protect the citizens, after all. The people's faith in their security fell, and all of Orario rose to a state of paranoia.

There were also many people whispering of the monster that now walked among them—that dragon-spawn from Hestia Familia. No one had seen her in a week, the prevailing rumour being that she was locked in the manor due to a fit of Monster Madness.

However, the truth was, Otohime was ashamed. She hadn't been seen because she locked herself in her room. She only came out to eat and participate in Familia meetings, but she often never said anything. It wasn't until a week to the day of the monster attack that Haruhime came to talk to her.

"Excuse me, Lady Otohime, I'm coming in," said the renard as she walked in.

As the Familia maid, Haruhime had a duty to make sure every room was clean. This served as the perfect excuse to comfort her fellow Familia member. She bustled about cleaning the floors and picking up trash. The entire time, Otohime sat cross-legged on her bed, frowning at nothing.

"This past week sure has been an event, has it not? Although, I think you must be used to such things, no?" asked Haruhime.

There was a non-committal grunt in response.

"Still though, even for Orario, this monster attack is troublesome. If it really is Freya, like Master Bell and Goddess Hestia say, then I'm scared for how we'll move forward. Do we take the time to examine our enemies or go for a surprise attack," the fox girl shook her head, "Such questions are beyond one as untalented as I."

Otohime still didn't respond. So, Haruhime crouched down to look the Princess in the eyes.

"The one thing I do know, though, is that we cannot fight her alone. We are your Familia now, and we will help you bear your burdens," Haruhime smiled then.

Otohime felt tears start to fall, "Even if I'm a disgusting monster?"

Haruhime pulled her into a hug, "Yes, even then. After all, I'm just a former prostitute. And a disgraced noble from the Far East. Me and you fit together perfectly."

Otohime nodded as she buried her face in Haruhime's shoulder. The young maid rubbed Otohime's back and whispered kind words. This Familia was a collection of outcasts and orphans, which meant that if they didn't take care of each other, no one would.

The two stayed like that for another fifteen minutes. Afterwards, the two former nobility went downstairs. They found their fellow Familia members hard at work examining maps and monster tomes. The only one missing was Welf, who was doing his job and repairing their equipment. At the sight of Otohime outside their room, though, they all smiled.

"Lady Otohime, I am glad to see you up and about!" said Mikoto, a large smile on her face.

Lily nodded, before returning to her work, "It's about time. Lily needs Lady Otohime to help check over the planned tactics for the expedition."

The others all chimed in then, and Bell even walked up to the Princess. His face was red, as usual, as he tried to offer his own form of encouragement.

"I know this'll sound pretty useless," began Bell, "But I want you to know that none of us think that you're a monster…and…um…we, or at least I, think that you did a good thing."

Bell couldn't look Otohime in the eyes because he was so nervous. He was such a stammering mess that Otohime's first reaction was to laugh, which she tried to suppress. Eventually, though, she couldn't hold it in anymore. The Princess lost it then. It started as a giggle and then grew to a loud uproarious belly laugh. It was not that the situation was hilarious, but that the Princess had an overload of emotions she needed to release. She laughed and laughed; her Familia was happy to hear the familiar sound. An Otohime who wasn't smiling, giggling, and enjoying everything the world had to offer might as well not be Otohime at all. When she finished, she pulled Bell into a sisterly hug.

She pulled back, still holding his shoulders, and said, "You are too cute! If I wasn't already head over heels for my amazing Ura…well, who knows?"

She winked then, leaving Bell to stand in shock. She then tackled Urashima, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Ura!" she cried, squeezing tight. He ruffled her hair with his one free arm.

Happy to see her back to normal, Hestia Familia began explaining what she had missed. The envelope that Royman gave Ryuu had given them a new expedition mission, apparently. Instead of just having to reach a new floor, they had to clear all the way to floor thirty-four, defeat both Monster Rexs on the way (Goliath and Amphisbaena) and investigate a disturbance on the thirtieth floor.

"Eh! That seems like an unfair amount of work!" cried Otohime.

Lily sighed, "As far as Lily can understand, it's because of the calibre of our party."

In total, there would be sixteen adventurers: the nine members of Hestia Familia, Ouka and Chigusa, Daphne and Cassandra, Aisha, and Ais and Lefiya. In terms of firepower, that was one level two, six levels threes, four level fours, four levels fives, and the Sword Princess. To put it lightly, it was quite a powerful group. This meant that any expedition had to be just as challenging. The other issue was that the Guild needed a big event to show the people that everything was fine. The masses needed reassurance, and Hestia Familia's expedition just happened to fit the bill.

"By the way, where is Goddess Hestia?" asked Otohime as she started checking Lili's battle formations. As a former Princess, she had been schooled in the art of war as part of her upbringing. She often went toe to toe with Lily in games of strategy.

"The gods are holding the traditional denatus at this time," replied Ryuu.

Otohime smiled, "Wait, so we're getting our aliases now?"

She was practically vibrating in her seat at the thought. Ryuu smiled. Even though she had been under a fit of melancholy just this morning, Otohime had bounced back as quickly as ever. Ryuu respected that kind of resiliency.

The elf nodded, "Yes, and due to our situation, I believe we will all be getting second names."

Elwin groaned from his spot by the shelves, hunting for magical reference books, "Let's just hope that the names aren't too bad."

"Absolutely not!" cried Hestia, banging her fist on the table. The Gods were near the end of their meeting, and there weren't many names left to give. In fact, all that remained were Hestia's children and Aisha Belka.

"Oh, come on! I like Bodacious Beauty!" cried out one God.

"No! Better one! Glittering Golden Girl!" cried out another.

Going from the weakest member of Hestia Familia to strongest meant that Haruhime was first on the chopping block. The second that the assembled deities laid eyes on the fox girl's portrait, all semblance of decorum went out the window. Each name was more vulgar than the last, as a competition for the horniest alias began.

"Blooming Buxom!"

"My Mistress!"

"Hey now! She can't just be yours!"

"That's enough!" screamed Hestia. Her voice carried over the assembly, and soon all the deities started to quiet down, shocked by the authoritative tone of the itty-bitty Goddess. Hestia took a deep breath, remembering her lessons with Athena, and pointed a finger to the room.

"How many times has my Familia had to save or help each of yours, huh?" asked the Goddess. She looked over to the left, "Magni and Modi, didn't my children rescue yours from certain death?"

The two Gods shrank in their seats, embarrassed. Hestia nodded before looking back to the assembled deities.

"Wasn't it my Bell who beat down the most monsters a week ago?" She looked over at Dian Cecht, "Your clinic would've been ruined if not for my Otohime going out there to sacrifice herself."

The stingy God grumbled but nodded.

Hestia faced the rest of the deities, "My Familia has done nothing but save your asses from day one! Every time there's an emergency, the city cries for my children to save the day, but when we need you? HA! You stood by and did nothing when Apollo attacked and when Freya attacked, but then you decide that you get to make fun of my children?" Hestia shook her head, "Honestly, I don't know if my children should be so helpful anymore. I know that you lot don't deserve it."

Hestia crossed her arms as she spoke, her blue shawl pulled tight around her. The assembled Gods and Goddesses felt shame then and sat quietly. Except for one, that is…

"Damn, itty-bitty, I didn't know you had it in you!" said Loki, from her spot as the meeting chair, "Now if you lot are finished messing around, we got work to do."

Later that evening, as the sun started to set, the Gods and Goddesses began filing out. Hestia remained in her seat, looking over the list of Aliases that she had written down. Overall, it could've been worse. There were definitely a few that made the Goddess frown, but such was life. She made her way home, Hephaistos beside her.

"You know, you don't have to walk me home."

The Goddess of the forge gave her the side-eye, "Yes, I do. What's to stop Freya from offing you right here and now?"

"And what? You're going to stop her top-tier adventurers?" replied Hestia. When she saw the look of pain on her dear friend's face, she immediately regretted talking.

"No, but I'll stand in the way if I have to," answered Hephaistos. That made Hestia stop walking. She placed her hands on her hips and stared down the Goddess of the forge.

"No way, I won't allow it."

"You think you can stop me?" replied Hephaistos, who also stopped walking.

"I can try!"

They stared each other down. The first one to look away was Hephaistos, "What would I do without my best friend?"

Hestia ran up to hug her, burying her face in her companion's stomach. Her tiny arms wrapped around Hephaistos's waist, "I don't plan on going anywhere soon."

"Besides, you have us to keep you safe," came a new voice.

Tsubaki hopped down from the rooftops, and other high smiths joined her.

"No way were we going to let you two walk around alone," said Tsubaki, "The only reason that Hestia's kids aren't here is because they're busy planning their expedition."

She took up a position at the front, the other high smiths going to the sides, "Now come along. We gotta get you two home."

The group walked home in silence. At the door, Hestia and Hephaistos shared one last hug before they split. Hestia invited her inside to talk to Welf, but the Goddess refused, her ears turning a particular shade of red.

Once inside, Hestia walked into the lounge area to find her Familia still hard at work. They were working so hard that they didn't notice her return. She watched them and smiled. The first one to notice her was Bell.

"Goddess, you're home!"

He jumped up from his seat. Then the rest of the Familia took notice and greeted her. After saying hello, the first one to ask the big question was Otohime.

"So, what are our aliases?"

"Oh…well…Ummm," replied Hestia.

"That bad?" asked Welf.

"No! Some of them are actually pretty good!"

Hestia's face was mixed, but she did seem excited about what was on the paper. The truth was that the names had a range of descriptions.

"Starting with Haruhime! Drum roll, please!" cried Hestia. Her response was silence. The Goddess pouted at her Familia, "I think you all forgot that I am the Goddess here! I have the paper and the power!" Her Familia groaned, "Now let's try that again! Drum roll, please!"

What followed was a half-assed drum roll with varying degrees of enthusiasm.

"For Haruhime, her name is…Enchantenko!"

"Ooohhhhh," said the people from the Far East. Meanwhile, the other members gave each other looks of confusion.

"A tenko is a mythical fox beast," explained Mikoto, "It is quite literally a golden nine-tailed fox!" The girl was smiling, "It is quite an honourable creature to be named off of! And the use of enchanting must be for her magic…"

"Yeah… that's why she's called Enchantenko…" replied Hestia, who was rubbing the back of her neck.

Lily narrowed her eyes, "They called her enchanting because of her looks, didn't they?"

Hestia looked down, "Yes…but I swear it was the best one! We can just say it's part of her magic! Who would know the difference?"

Haruhime still seemed pleased, though; she had brought her hand over her heart, "Still though, for one as lowly I, such a name is truly delightful!"

Then the renard smiled, and everyone's hearts stopped. The fox princess's noble beauty was too much.

"It is a wonderful name, isn't it, Sir Bell?" asked Mikoto.

Bell looked over at Haruhime and blushed, "Yes, it is quite a wonderful name…"

That made Haruhime smile and blush as she looked at the ground.

"The next name, please!" shouted Lily, breaking the two out of their longing stare. Hestia nodded vigorously in agreement, moving to the next name.

"Oh, this one is boring…Welf is still Ignis: The Ever-Burning," continued Hestia, not bothering with the drum-roll.

"Boring," declared Elwin. Everyone in the Familia already knew the story behind that name, and while they found it funny, it had gotten old.

"Ahhh, but there is a twist!" replied Hestia, remembering a crucial moment, "It was Hephaistos that wanted to keep the name!"

"Ooooohhhh! Juicy!" said Otohime.

Welf rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah, yeah, get it all out now."

After a sufficient amount of teasing, the rest of the Familia calmed down.

"Next up is Liliruca Arde!" declared Hestia, "Little Miss Supporter's name is…"

Before the drum roll, Lily rolled her eyes, "Lily's alias is 'the Dauntless.' Lily already knows this from Mister Finn."

"Ohhh, so that's why Loki was so insistent…"

At the meeting, Loki had been quite vocal about Lily's alias. When the other Gods and Goddesses started throwing around their asinine suggestions, Loki quickly shut them all down.

"Yes, Lily had arranged for this name with Mister Finn's approval," now it was Lily's turn to blush, "Lily wishes to take part in Mister Finn's dream to be the hope of the Prum's. Lily has decided to become the Braver's rival…the Dauntless…"

"That's incredible!" declared Otohime, "I think it's awesome!"

Ryuu nodded, "A commendable goal; we will be here to help."

"Awww, Little Bit! Look at you trying to be a hero!" said Welf, ruffling the prum's hair. For once, she allowed it.

"I think that you'll be great, Lily," finished Bell.

The compliments, especially Bell's, were too much for the little prum. Her usual snarky demeanour devolved into an embarrassed mess. Hestia took pity on her and moved to the next person on the list.

"Ahhh! Time for Elwin's name!" began Hestia.

The half-elf rolled his eyes, ready for the worst. He could only imagine what kind of alias he was given. Would it be based on his half-elf heritage? Or would it be based on his bastard status? Or, and this was the most likely option, would it be some horrible mixture of both?

"And he is… 'Galilei, the Stargazer!'"

Wait, what? That name was neither insulting nor pathetic! What the hell?

Elwin narrowed his eyes, "Are you sure about that? Surely it must be different…something derogatory?"

Hestia frowned, "No, why? Do you want it to be insulting?"

The half-elf shrugged, "I have grown accustomed to such things."

"You live one depressing life, you know that, right?" replied Welf.

"Haven't we all?"

There was a moment of agonizing silence.

"OK! Moving on before the mood is totally ruined!" cried out Hestia, "Next up is our daring level jumper, Mikoto!"

There were some appreciative clapping and hollering then. Haruhime held her childhood friend close in anticipation, and even the drum roll was more enthusiastic this time.

"Mikoto's alias is…Black Crow!"

That name caught everyone by surprise, primarily because of how normal it was—quite the lucky pull for a girl who had once been called Eternal Shadow. Ryuu was smiling, though.

Mikoto tilted her head, "Why that name? Did the deities provide an explanation?"

Hestia nodded, "Apparently, it was the name of some powerful hitmen. Fits with this theme of violence, I guess."

"You're talking about Chloe and Lunoire; they were known as Black Cat and Black Fist," finished Ryuu, "Although they were not officially given aliases; those were the names that they went by for business. I am sure they will be happy to hear that you share a similar epitaph."

The thought made Mikoto smile, "I hope to live up to their honourable expectations."

Ryuu snorted, "Honor? From those two?"

"Yeah, yeah, finish talking later! I want to hear the rest of them!" said Welf.

Everyone focused back on Hestia, who was doing her best to hide behind the sheet of paper.

"Goddess Hestia, what's the matter?" asked Bell.

In response, Hestia looked the last four Familia members in the eyes as she spoke, "I swear, I did everything I could about these ones. None of them was my idea."

When she got confused nods in return, the Goddess made a little 'ahem' sound before she started speaking.

"So, Urashima got the alias, 'Living Weapon,'" began Hestia.

"That's so rude!" decreed Otohime. Her face was pinched in frustration.

Urashima laid a metallic hand on her shoulder, "It is to be expected. What else would they name me after, my good looks?"

Otohime gave him the stink eye, "Your first time trying to be funny, and that's what you go with?"

"I'm plenty funny! Right, you guys?" Ura looked to his Familia for help. When they didn't respond, he turned to Bell, "Surely you think I'm funny, Captain?"

Even the usually kind Bell couldn't look him in the eye.

"Unbelievable…" muttered Urashima. He looked up to Hestia, "Alright, what about Otohime?"

Hestia looked even more frustrated. A puff of air escaped her nose, "This one's my least favourite personally…the denatus settled on, 'The Dragon Princess.'"

"That's disgusting," responded Urashima, face contorted in anger.

Otohime placed a hand on his thigh, "It's also not wrong," she shrugged, "For now, even if I don't like it, that is what I am. Now, I will work to change it."

She finished her statement with a perfunctory nod.

Hestia gave an apologetic smile, "Still though I wish I could've gotten you a better one."

Otohime waved her off and gave a grin, "Nonsense, besides, it has its own kind of charm, no? Makes me sound like a badass, like the Sword Princess!"

Ryuu smiled, "It does; it is quite the strong name. I think it suits you."

"Well, I'm happy to hear you say so, Ryuu!" added Hestia.

Now Ryuu frowned, "What are they calling me?"

Hestia coughed, "Well…there was quite a big push to call you… 'The Faerie Princess.'"

"A big push, by who?" asked Ryuu, eyes narrowed. This sounded like a prank.

Hestia looked at the floor, "Freya chose it. She insisted over and over that you be called that."

"Why would Syr push for me to have this name specifically?"

Ryuu's question was met with silence. Everyone was staring at her.

"What did I say?"

Mikoto was the first to respond, "Lady Ryuu…you said that Syr was pushing for you to get that name."

Ryuu shook her head, "No, I didn't, I said Freya…I meant Freya!"

"Sorry Ryuu, but you said Syr," replied Elwin.

"Well, that's her fault for being so insistent! She's always been like that, butting in and teasing me!"

Ryuu kept getting more worked up. The more she spoke, the louder her voice got. She went on and on about how Syr was always getting into people's business and how she found it funny to mess with people.

Eventually, Bell had to grab a shoulder, "Ryuu, do you want to take a break?"

The sudden human contact jilted Ryuu out of her thoughts. She shook her head, "No, I'll be ok. Let us hear Bell's name, and then be done with it."

No one actually thought she was ok, but they kept going anyway.

"Right, so the last one is Bell…and it was decided that he would be named, 'March Hare,'" finished Hestia.

Most people frowned because they didn't quite get it. Bell and Haruhime did, though; the renard shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"Goddess Hestia would that name be in reference to the Tale of Alice from Wonderland?" she asked.

Hestia nodded, "The very same. If I remember correctly, the March Hare is a character, right? A bit of a weird one?"

Bell nodded, "The March Hare was seen as crazy, and their behaviour led to the phrase, 'Mad as a March Hare,' but," and then Bell frowned, "there was another part to the story…"

Haruhime started talking when Bell couldn't, "The March Hare was also known for being…." The young woman blushed, "quite active in bed."

Hestia sighed again, "Yeah, that sounds about right. Most of the Gods agreed that Bell was, in fact, 'as mad as the March Hare' for turning down Lady Freya."

Otohime pulled a face, "That's the most despicable thing I've ever heard!"

There were nods of agreement from everyone in the room. Again, Hestia shook her head, "There wasn't much to be done, unfortunately. We all tried, but even Loki couldn't stop it. Mostly because Freya liked the name too."

Bell's face was much too distraught. Because of that, Welf clasped him on the shoulder, "Well, no matter how he got it, that's his alias. And you know what that means?" asked the smith. At everyone's blank faces, he smiled from ear to ear, "Time to party! Let's go get drunk!"

Some hours later, Hestia Familia was at the Hostess of Fertility. Anything resembling a lousy mood had disappeared after a couple rounds of the bar's famous ale. Now they were all dancing and partying. Elwin had stolen Dixen's lute, who was still working there to shave off the new debt he had accumulated. Meanwhile, the half-elf was playing through a long list of drinking songs. Inside, quite a large number of people were having a great time.

On their way to the bar, Hestia sent Mikoto to get Takemikazuchi Familia and Miach Familia. This large gathering meant that it was quite the impromptu party. Not that Mamma Mia cared; her guests were having the right kind of fun and were buying a quite frankly absurd number of drinks. On one of the tables, Otohime had pulled Urashima into a dance. The two were the center of attention, everyone drunkenly cheering them on as they spun and twirled.

In a shadowed corner, the three Gods were intoxicated and praising their children.

"My Bell! He is the absolute cutest!" screamed Hestia as she banged her fist onto the table.

"Maybe so, but no one is as kind as Naza!" replied Miach, still calm but most certainly inebriated.

"Hey! Don't forget Ouka! There's not a tougher adventurer out there in the world!" decreed Takemikazuchi, arms folded across his chest.

Watching over them was a disgruntled trio of a prum, a chienthrope, and a large man from the Far East. The three had taken it upon themselves to be the official godly caretakers tonight. Lily didn't want to, but everyone else in her Familia was already too drunk to care. Even her Captain was intoxicated, which meant that Orario got to see for the first time, drunk Bell Cranel…

"I'm so sorry, Syr!" screamed Bell.

Three drinks in, and he had latched onto Helun, quickly confusing her for her original counterpart. Not that Helun minded; she was, in fact, quite content to let Bell hold onto her. Mia had decided that Helun wouldn't get much work done with the boy in his current state. So, she had sat on a bench and placed Bell's head in her lap; she was currently running her hands through his hair.

"It's quite alright, Bell, don't you worry. I'll take care of you, ok?" said Helun.

Head buried in her thighs, Helun felt Bell shake his head. He lifted it to declare, "No! I'm supposed to protect you! You're a girl, which means I have to save you, Syr!"

Helun blinked, "You have to save Syr?"

Drunk Bell nodded, "That's right! Syr is sad, which means I have to save her!"

The boy tried to push himself up, but his hands slipped on the wet bench. With a loud smack sound, his face planted back into Helun's thighs.

"There there," responded Helun, patting his head, "I'm sure you'll be able to save her, Bell! You saved me, didn't you?"

This time, Bell has successfully pushed himself up, still shaking his head. With a frown on his face, he said, "It's never enough, though. I have to keep going and save everyone!"

Despite his intoxicated state, the words Bell spoke were severe. There was an intensity in his eyes that sent a shiver down Helun's spine. She squirmed in her seat, her heart thumping very loudly in her chest.

"Oh… you're going to save everyone? Including me?" asked Helun.

Bell nodded, "For sure!" in a burst of drunken confidence, Bell grabbed Helun's hands, "You always look so sad, Syr, which means I have to save you and cheer you up!"

"Eh!" Helun started stumbling over her words, "Oh, well, eh that means, I am so grateful…"

Welf sat with Ryuu, Daphne and Cassandra in another part of the bar, recounting tales of glory.

"There were twenty monsters out there!" he began.

"There were ten," corrected Ryuu.

"Each one as strong a monster from the deep floors!"

"I'd place them on the same strength as a goblin from floor five."

"It took all my courage, wit, and bravery to defeat them!"

"He tripped on a rock and fell on his face."

Welf glared at the elf, "I'm the one telling the story!"

Ryuu narrowed her eyes, her cheeks a rosy pink, "Then stop lying! A liar cannot follow the path of justice!"

From nearby, Chloe, who was refilling their drinks, rolled her eyes, "Oh boy, here we go againyan."

"The way of justice does not include lies! Justice must come around!" began Ryuu, stumbling to her feet. Usually, she was not one to drink, but her Familia had been quite insistent that she have at least one drink. Then, one turned to three, and so on and so forth.

"We must strive to stay forward on the path of righteousness! As the inheritor of the will of Lady Astrea, bearer of justice incarnate!" Ryuu continued her speech, raising a finger to the air, "I will-"

Something odd happened then, and Ryuu clutched her mouth. She ran out to the back and emptied her stomach. Even though she bore the Abnormal Resistance developmental ability, a combination of Mama Mia's strong adventurer's ale and her own lack of drinking experience drove her to vomit. Thankfully, her will was strong, and she made it all the way outside to a bucket before her sickness overtook her.

Daphne, Cassandra, and Welf watched her go. Then the level four member of Miach Familia glanced at the smith, "Shouldn't you be taking care of her?"

Welf shrugged, "Nahhh! She'll be fine! Just doing some training is all!" Welf looked at his full cup, "Speaking of which."

He continued to drink the night away.

The last couple of Hestia Familia were currently engaged in a competition with their childhood friends.

"The game is quite simple," began Haruhime, a single valis in her hand. In the middle of a table was an empty mug. The renard's tail swished behind her, "We take turns bouncing this coin! Whoever manages to put the coin in the middle cup gets to choose another person. That person must drink from their cup and then order a new one!"

The collection of Far Eastern adventurers were already quite a few glasses in. Which was when Mikoto and Haruhime suggested the game they had learned on their travels.

The bouncing was more complicated than anticipated, as the adventurers' enhanced strength often meant that the coin got lodged in the table. The worst was Mikoto, who still had not totally accommodated to her double level up. The third time she got a coin stuck in the table, Haruhime broke into a fit of giggles.

"Haruhime! Why are you laughing at me?" asked Mikoto, too drunk to remember honorifics.

"Your face is just too adorable, Mikoto," replied Haruhime, trying to hide her giggles behind her hand.

Mikoto blushed, her face indignant, "I am not adorable! I am a formidable second-class warrior!"

In response, Haruhime patted her head, "And you are as acute as a button!"

At Mikoto's frown, the renard giggled again. Then she looked around the table, "Oh dear, it seems that our glasses are empty! Shall I get some refills?"

Haruhime then collected the empty mugs. As she sauntered over to the bar, Mikoto's eyes followed her swaying hips. After watching her childhood friend stare for an uncomfortable amount of time, Chigusa coughed. Mikoto whirled to look over, her braid smacking another adventurer in the face.

"Yes, Chigusa?"

"Umm, Miss Mikoto, I didn't know that you abandoned your pursuit of Lord Takemikazuchi," continued the trim level three.

Mikoto's head tilted, "What do you mean?"

Unlike before, when Mikoto would be reduced to a stuttering, lovestruck little girl every time her crush was brought up, the samurai's face was serious.

Chigusa looked over at Haruhime, who was talking with Anya. Mikoto joined her. When she sighted the fox girl, her face relaxed, and a smile tugged at her cheeks. Chigusa, and the other Takemikazuchi Familia members, all made small noises of understanding. Deciding that this was none of their business, they turned back to their drinks.

Half an hour later, the party was still going. The night was more fun than any could remember, and it was about to become even more interesting. As it just so happened, Loki Familia also decided that it was time for a celebration. While none of their adventurers had won in battle, they had fought hard and fought well. For Loki, that was more than enough reason to get totally hammered.

They arrived expecting to be the life of the party. Unfortunately, that role had already been taken. The second the executives stepped in, the vice-captain was practically assaulted.

"Big Sis! You came," cried Elwin. He turned to Gareth, "Did you know that this is my big sister? She's the coolest, most awesome person I know!" The half-elf turned back to the high-elf and gave her a big kiss on the cheek, "We've only known each other for a week, but I want you to know, I love you, sis!"

Riveria would deny it till the day she died, but she almost cried at that moment. After that emotional exchange, Elwin hoisted himself onto Lefiya, and Loki Familia integrated into the party. The Goddess joined her fellow deities, Finn following. It took all of ten seconds for Ais to spot Bell, whose head was still buried in Helun's lap. Before she could deal with that, though, she had to manage the bodyguard glaring at her. Next to him stood Otohime, who Ais had almost…ohhh, that was why he was glaring…

Otohime, who had stopped dancing only a couple minutes ago, looked between the two adventurers. Then she waved a polite goodbye to the Sword Princess, a strained smile on her face, before pulling Urashima away in the opposite direction. Ais frowned; she had to remember to apologize…she almost…

As Ais tried to ignore the other disparaging look she received from Lily, she hoped to have time to resolve her issues with Hestia Familia later, when everyone was sober. She instead walked up to Bell and Helun. At the sound of her footsteps, Bell's head lifted. When he spotted her, his face lit up in a huge grin. He pushed himself up.

"Ais! You're here!" said Bell, "Yay!"

He almost fell forward then, his arms wrapping around her waist. The action took Ais by surprise, and she did not know how to proceed. Loki had done this to her before, but that was Loki. This was Bell, and having him wrap his arms around her so tightly was definitely a nice feeling…

"Are you ok, Bell?" asked the Sword Princess.

Face in her stomach, Bell nodded. He looked up, "I was hoping you would show up. I wanted to tell you something, Ais."

"Yes?"

"I'm going to save you, Ais."

That one slurred sentence took Ais's breath away. She felt her face heat, and her heart started to speed up. She slowly ran her fingers through Bell's hair. A face of contentment settled on Bell and Ais asserted her spot as Bell's default lap pillow. Helun didn't seem to like this development, but there was no way she would pick a fight with the Sword Princess. She left the two of them alone, which made Ais very happy. Any time someone started to walk towards the two, she would stare at them until they left—all except one righteous elf, that is.

"Ais Wallenstein!" cried Ryuu, swaying forward. Even though her stomach had been emptied, the effects of the alcohol lingered.

"Hands off, my Captain!"

Ais pouted, "Why?"

"Because I have to protect his chastity!"

From his spot in Ais's lap, Bell shook his head, "No, if Ryuu gets to me again! She'll kiss me again! And she won't remember!"

That got Ais's attention. She looked between Captain and Vice-Captain and felt a strange clawing emotion in her stomach. Bell had kissed this woman?

Thankfully, that was when Welf intervened. Still relatively sober, the high smith slowly guided Ryuu away.

"But I saw Bell with the Sword Princess!" declared Ryuu.

Welf shook his head, "No way! He's actually over at the table."

The smith nodded at Ais as he left.

At the same moment, another elf was dealing with a half-elf.

"Lefiya, have I ever told you how beautiful you look?"

The first time he had said this, it had stolen Lefiya's breath away. Now though…

"Yes, Elwin, you have. In fact, you've said it twelve times now," she replied.

"Did I say that it was because of your gorgeous eyes?"

Lefiya nodded.

"What about your hair that shimmers in the light?"

Lefiya rolled her eyes, "Yes, you did."

"What about your thighs?"

Lefiya almost nodded, then his words entered her brain.

"Ehhh?!"

"Your thighs," began Elwin, "Are absolutely exquisite."

He patted them for emphasis.

"Please! Keep your hands away!" replied Lefiya, who shuffled back. It's not that she hated the feeling…but…

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" cried Elwin, "You're just so nice! And pretty! And you were so kind!"

Lefiya frowned, "What do you mean?"

Elwin looked up, a dopey grin on his face, "All those other elves only started being nice because I was Riveria's little brother. You were kind from the start! You're so kind!"

After that proclamation, Elwin seemed to slump forward. He had been distracted by a stain on the table.

Lefiya looked to the heavens. Why does she always have to fall for the strangest people?

"Lefiya, you're sad now?" asked Elwin.

"Huh?"

"You looked up, and then you started frowning…are you ok? Did someone hurt you?"

Lefiya shook her head, a melancholic smile on her face, "No, I was just thinking of someone else."

"Then they are my rival?"

Again, Lefiya shook her head, "No, they're not."

She brought her a hand up to cup his cheek, forgetting that people were watching.

"You are the only person I'm interested in right now, Elwin Ruffrot Lojs Alf," said the elf. Elwin leaned into her touch.

Then he asked, "What about Ais?"

"What do you mean?"

"Some of the others said I should worry because you had a crush on the Sword Princess."

Lefiya stopped and thought. While it was true that she had once found Ais Wallenstein…desirable, but everything that happened with Filvis made her reconsider. She had to stop and think about who she was and who she wanted to spend her life with. After watching Ais fall into despair over Bell Cranel leaving the city, Lefiya realized that the blonde swordswoman was not the person for her. Apparently, a green-haired half-elf could be, though.

"There is nothing for you to worry about," said Lefiya, "Right now, I am only interested in you."

Elwin smiled, "Good, because I'm interested in you too."

Apparently, Elwin decided that was the end of the conversation. His eyes closed, and he fell forward. Lefiya caught him, and his head nestled on her chest. She sighed but let him be. She would take him home when she needed to. For now, though, she'd enjoy herself.

While these people experienced joy, deep in the dungeon, a humanoid monster walked down a tunnel. She remembered pain and dazzling lights. A face loomed over her, and then it was dark. She swore to herself she would remember that face. That face was important, and she would cut down anything for her goal of discovery.

While she walked, another monster joined her. It spoke of an upcoming expedition. Apparently, their allies on the surface demanded that these adventurers be destroyed. All except one that is. One adventurer, who had hair the colour of snow, was to be captured and held hostage. Regarding the others, she could do as she wished. Perhaps she would torture them about the lights and the faces she saw in her dreams.

The humanoid monster let these possibilities wash over her. She would do as her Captain declared and catch this snowy adventurer. Afterwards, she would reach her goal and find the face that looked down on her. She would go to the surface and see the twinkling lights.

And up in Babel, the Goddess of Beauty watched on. Her original plan had not gone quite as she wanted. The spirit of her Odr was still tainted. No matter, though, there was still so much more to be done. And now that he knew what was happening underground, her little hero was going to save them. He would expose himself to the world, and she would be there right alongside him. She was going to cleanse his spirit of guilt. There was no room for indecision, no place for fear. She would help him, just like she had done with that minotaur. She was going to remove his guilt by showing him the truth. She would turn his guilt into righteous anger, and he would be cleansed. Her Odr would be perfect…he had to be…otherwise, what else would she do?

Another one down! Which means that we are getting closer and closer to being fully caught up! I hope you all enjoyed this one! It was a hoot for me to write, and a pleasure to create these aliases. Catch you all soon, and again, thanks to all those who have favorited, followed and reviewed, it is always appreciated!